nazarethman/iStock(RICHMOND, Ind.) -- Community members in Richmond, Ind., came together at a candlelight vigil Sunday to support a mom who alerted police about her teenage son who brought a gun to a middle school and turned the weapon on himself after exchanging gunfire with police. The mother called 911 Thursday to alert authorities "to the imminent danger," the Indiana State Police said. Her actions "likely prevented a lot of lost lives," police said. The armed 14-year-old died at Dennis Intermediate School from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. He was not a student at the school but lived in the area. Dozens attended Sunday's vigil, where community members met with the boy's mother and prayed with her, reported local NBC station WTHR. "Shes a human. Shes a mother. She lost her child," vigil organizer Shawn Wright told WTHR. "We wanted to bring her to let her know that she is supported too because at the end of the day she did a lot. She saved a lot of lives." The chaos at the middle school unfolded after the boy's mother called police around 8 a.m. Thursday to report potential violence at the school, prompting a police response and the building to go on lock down, authorities said. Officers confronted the teen outside the school and the gunman then "reportedly shot out the glass of a locked entry door" and ran inside the building, police said. The teen exchanged gunfire with the officers as they followed him, police said. No students were hurt, police said. Because "someone knew something and said something," Indiana State Police Sgt. John Bowling added Thursday, "the school was able to follow procedure to help protect students." The middle school remains closed on Monday. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Moving to a new city can be full of anxiety and excitement. When you feel scared, you cant enjoy the... Most real estate agents have an obligation to market their business to potential clients. You have to make sure that... Were sure you already know, but lets repeat: Burlington is a city located in the Halton, Ontario area. It is... A personal injury occurs when a person's body, mind, or emotions are injured due to the negligence, carelessness, or wrongful... I Agree This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy The outgoing UN envoy for Syria will meet top diplomats from Iran, Russia and Turkey this week, his office said Monday, in a final bid to make headway towards a new Syrian constitution. The talks scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva will likely be one of Staffan de Mistura's last meetings with major players in the Syrian conflict, as the veteran UN diplomat is due to step down in the coming days. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will attend, a spokesperson from his office said. A Turkish diplomatic source told AFP that Ankara's top envoy Mevlut Cavusoglu will be in Geneva along with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The UN did not immediately confirm the list of attendees. The planned constitutional committee was agreed at a Russia-hosted conference in January. The centrepiece of UN peace efforts in Syria, the committee would be tasked with negotiating a new post-war constitution that would pave the way to elections aimed at turning the page on seven years of devastating war. But it has run into objections from the Syrian government. The opposition has pushed for an entirely new constitution, but Damascus has said it will only discuss altering the current one. In October, Damascus rejected a list presented by de Mistura of 50 civil society representatives and technical experts. Search Keywords: Short link: Express News Service NEW DELHI: As 23-year-old *Simran speaks of her current job as an office assistant at an NGO, her calm demeanour does not give away what she has weathered in the past year. Before June 2017, she did not know which part of the country the Tihar jail is. Out on bail from South Asias largest prison complex four months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her life. Life almost shut its doors on the young woman after the police told her she and her mother were named in an FIR in an alleged case of dowry death. She was days away from appearing for her final year graduation exams when her sister-in-law committed suicide at their home in northwest Delhis Mubarakpur Dabas.Jab mujhe bola gaya ki mai jail jaungi uss time mujhe laga sab khatam (When I was told I will be sent to jail, I felt everything is over), she breaks down while speaking. READ| Prisoners in Tihar jail allege discrimination She recounts how the undignified life inside the womens prison in jail number 6 at Tihar still haunts her the food which she refused to eat in the beginning and then fell in line with, the suffocating toilet stench when she was lodged in a small room with two others which she tried to battle with talcum powder, the sweltering heat in the cells, and the inevitable question what next when she was released from prison. Women, when lodged in prisons, tend to lose family support, housing, income, custody of children, say experts. While they may be engaged in a range of activities inside the prison, what continues to ail the criminal justice system is the lack of a comprehensive post-release rehabilitation programme. The criminal justice system remains largely silent on post-release rehabilitation even though several schemes exist on paper, says Sunil Gupta, former law officer at Tihar jail. For 45-year-old *Indah who has spent over nine years in Tihar, she says all she wants is to go home in Jakarta in Indonesia soon. But over the years, she has lost contact with her son and other relatives. At jail 6, she takes care of the library. She has little idea how to grapple with the real world. Indahs narrative of a bleak future finds resonance in most womens accounts at Tihar. Even though they are engaged in a range of activities such as weaving, candle-making, beauticians course, working at the fashion laboratory inside the prison, they remain worried how they would negotiate life after their release. The likes of *Meenu, 41, who has spent over 12 years here and *Rakhi, 28, who has spent close to four years at the jail fumble when asked how they would start building their lives beyond Tihar. If women are making papad inside the prison, where do they get the capital or market to continue with papad making after their release? If they are receiving computer lessons inside the prison, do they have access to a computer post release? says advocate Anu Narula, who has been working with Tihar inmates for over a decade now. For *Suchi, the last few years can be rounded up in a few words: four years, four months and four days the period she was in jail as an accused in her husbands murder case. Now out on bail, she got back to her feet with the help of her sister and is now resiliently reconstructing herself and her daughters lives by working at a production unit of herbal products at an NGO and fighting the social stigma of being in jail. A woman serving a jail term is more unacceptable in society than a man, points out a jail official. The prison authorities say they have a range of activities to provide women with different aptitudes, which is suited to their interests and aid in their rehabilitation. For *Rani, the last 12 years she has spent in Tihar has not taken away her hope to resume her life outside the prison barracks. I will return to my small boutique and spend time stitching and designing clothes. I will be around my family. Her eyes shine bright as she drapes mannequins at the jails fashion laboratory. (*Names of all prisoners at Tihar and former prisoners changed to maintain anonymity) Anuradha Shukla By Express News Service NEW DELHI: With the number of criminal proceedings against developers steadily rising, accompanied by strong court rulings and increasing pressure from home buyers in the National Capital Region, the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERA) have finally begun cracking the whip against erring builders. Just weeks after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the Amrapali group, where the top court found myriad malpractices, the UP-RERA has now announced that it would review projects of over a 100 developers in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad which have been extremely delayed. The authority will also set fresh deadlines for completion of these projects, after which it will delist them and take over the construction work. As many as 100 builders have defaulted in the UP-NCR region with projects having been delayed by three to six years on an average. If they do not complete the projects, we will go ahead and deregister or take over the projects, Balwinder Kumar, member of UP-RERA bench told this paper. READ | No home, No vote vow angry home-buyers in Noida duped by builders There are over 21,000 apartments in residential projects undertaken by the Logix group, Today Homes, Rudra Buildwell, Omaxe and Supertech, which fall under the extremely delayed. The UP-RERA, intends to review all such projects in next 60 days. According to sources, the directive comes after the Union Urban Development Ministry pulled up both UP RERA and Haryana RERA officials over the soft handling of consumer complaints. We have been noticing an increase in number of delays and defaults by developers. While the ministry is taking note of industry woes, it has also registered the reckless attitude by some developers. Soft handling of such offenses will not work. A strong message needs to go to such developers, a senior official in Ministry of Urban Development Ministry told TNIE. The ministry has already advised both UP and Haryana RERA to identify stuck housing projects in Gurgaon, Noida, Greater Noida, Sohna Road, Mohali, and other locations. We are receiving around 20 complaints on a daily basis and are trying to resolve it as soon as possible but the process takes some time, said a member of Haryana RERA. H-RERA has already attracted heavy criticism from home buyers, who in February this year moved a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking judicial remedies, alleging that RERA rules were being diluted by the Haryana government in the larger interest of developers. One of the worst examples being pointed to is the case of Supertech, where H-RERA took no strong action against the developer which allegedly cheated customers with a non-existent residential project. In the two years since RERA was implemented, barring Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, not many states have implemented it completely. In Maharashtra, RERA has been able to solve 90 per cent of problems that reach it through reconciliation processes, while the body has been proactive in slapping fines on errant developers. However UP-RERA and H-RERAs performance has been disappointing, say affected home-buyers. We have three major cases in Supertech, Amrapali and Unitech. Despite a huge outcry, there was no penalty slapped by the authority. We have hope only after the cases have gone to court, Rajiv Chaudhary, one of the aggrieved buyers in one of Amrapalis projects told this paper. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: A group of unidentified persons allegedly attacked members of a community and burnt their religious books at Rajendranagar. Though the incident took place on Decemebr 11, it came into light only after the members lodged a complaint with the police on Sunday. The victims, residents of Budwel, stated that a group of unidentified people intercepted their car when they were travelling from Kismatpur to Bandlaguda. They later attacked the passengers and also burnt their religious texts. They further pulled the passengers out of the vehicle and assaulted them and abused them in the name of their caste. The attackers also threatened to kill us if we are found moving in the surrounding areas again. However, we managed to escaped from them and came back to our place, the victims said in their complaint. On Sunday, after discussing with their community members, they lodged a complaint with the police. G Suresh Inspector Rajendranagar said that a case has been registered and the probe is underway. Based on the evidences, the investigation will proceed. By Express News Service KOCHI: The Kochi City Police will record a detailed statement of actress Leena Maria Paul, owner of The Nail Artistry parlour in Panampilly Nagar where two miscreants opened fire on Saturday. Forensic experts found one .22 calibre pellet from the spot. According to the police, Leena will reach Kochi on Monday. There was a small black spot on the wall which might have appeared after the firing. We will get a clearer picture of the incident only when we take the statement of the actress. Only then can we look into whether a gang was hired or if it was just some locals triggering panic in the area, said DCP J Himendranath. The miscreants had left a piece of paper with the name of Mumbai-based underworld don Ravi Poojari, which was thought to be a message for the actress. It can only be confirmed once we crosscheck and verify her statement. The paper can be misleading. There was a complaint by the woman, not directly, that she had received threatening calls in the name of Ravi Poojari demanding money. We have to find out whether it was his gang members. There is also the possibility that somebody who wants to extort money from her might have tried to using local goons in the district to do so, said the DCP. The police have not been able to trace the miscreants yet. According to the police, it is a difficult task to trace the accused as their faces were covered and the motorcycle did not have a number plate. The police have collected CCTV visuals from all across the route they travelled.The incident took place on Saturday evening when two bike-borne miscreants walked up to the building at Panampilly Nagar and fired a couple of shots from the stairs and escaped. By PTI MUMBAI: The death toll in the blaze in a government hospital here rose to eight Tuesday, while 176 injured people, including three firemen, are being treated in different hospitals across the city, an official said. The deceased include a six-month-old girl. Among those admitted, almost 25 are reported to be critical while 26 were discharged after primary treatment, said the official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) disaster management cell. The 325-bed ESIC (Employees State Insurance Scheme) Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri was constructed in 1970s. Police and hospital authorities have vacated the building, he added. While six people had died in the blaze on Monday, two more succumbed to their injuries later in different hospitals, the official said. Nearly 375 people, including patients and visitors, were in the five-floor hospital during visiting hours when fire and smoke were reported on its fourth floor around 4.03 pm on Monday, according to a fire brigade official. "The fire was extinguished at 7.35 pm, and hospital authorities shut down the facility till further notice," he said. "Most of the deceased, including the six-month-old child, died due to suffocation," he said. Several women who recently delivered babies managed to save their newborns by rushing out of the building while wrapping the children in their arms, he said. The building's glass facade posed a hindrance as it blocked air passage and firemen had to break the glasses on all the floors to evacuate those stranded inside, he said.. #MumbaiFire | Six persons have lost their lives in the fire accident at Marol in suburban Andheri while more than 140 who were trapped have been rescued from the raging flames. https://t.co/KM3NBmSw8T pic.twitter.com/eBhYv3Wecd The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) December 17, 2018 Milind Ogle, the deputy chief fire officer of the MIDC area, said the hospital doesn't have the final no-objection certificate for fire compliance. "The hospital applied for the final NOC a fortnight ago for its under-construction building adjacent to the old structure that caught fire," he said. "When our team visited the hospital to inspect the conditions for fire compliance, it found certain shortcomings in the installations and it was communicated to the hospital administration," Ogle said. While reviewing fire compliance norms for the new building, the team also noticed some lacunae in the old hospital building, he said. "So we refused to issue the full and final fire NOC to the old building also," he added. Hospital medical superintendent Dr Rakesh Sharma said everything happened suddenly. A hospital staffer received injuries on his arm when he jumped out of the building to save his life, he added. A fire official said the blaze appeared to have erupted after a short-circuit near the rubber rolls stored on the ground floor. "The rubber rolls are combustible material and they might have caught fire after the short-circuit on the ground floor. The smoke then spread on the upper floors through an open fire duct," he said. The exact cause would be known after an inquiry into the incident, he said By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The action council formed to seek justice for Sanal Kumar who was allegedly murdered by former Neyyattinkara DySP will stage a Vanchana mathil (Wall of Betrayal) in front of the Secretariat on January 1 countering the state governments Vanitha mathil (Womens wall). The council decided to go ahead with the wall following the alleged apathy showed by the government in helping the family of Sanal even after his wife Viji staging an indefinite strike in front of the Secretariat for the past one week. Viji and the family members of Sanal will form the wall along with action council members, said the action council in a statement. The council alleged the state government did not give any help to Viji even after the ministers, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had promised financial help and a government job. Hence, the council has also decided to seek help from the public by keeping a pot named Akshaya Patra in front of the protest venue. The action council will deposit the collected fund to her bank account. The council also sought support from social media to help her. READ | Neyyattinkara DySP accused of electrician's murder found dead, suicide suspected According to Viji, the government should keep its promise as ministers Kadakampally Surendran, K K Shailaja and Ramachandran Kadannappally promised job and compensation during their visit to her residence following the incident. My husband was the sole breadwinner of the family. I have lost faith in the government. So, the government should take a decision, she said. Earlier, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala visited the protest venue and promised he would move a submission in the Assembly seeking justice for Sanal. However, the Opposition also failed to bring the issue into the fore. Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will visit the venue on Monday. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Alleging that the AgriGold scam is two times bigger than Saradha chit fund fraud in West Bengal, the YSRC has reiterated its demand for a CBI probe into the scam. The Opposition party also announced that it will hold agitations at the village and mandal level demanding justice to the AgriGold victims. The party will organise relay hunger strikes at all the mandal headquarters on December 22 and 23 and hold meetings with the AgriGold victims on December 30 to decide its future course of agitations. The party held a meeting with victims of the scam under the aegis of the partys AgriGold Victims Basata (Solidarity) Committee in Vijayawada on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, former MP YV Subba Reddy said, The CBI investigated the Saradha scam. As the AgriGold scam is spread across several States and several ruling party leaders are involved in it, the CBI should investigate into it to bring out facts and render justice to the victims.He asked as to why Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was not in favour of handing over the AgriGold scam to the CBI. Alleging that the Naidu government was not interested in providing relief to the victims, many of whom have ended their lives due to inaction of the government, Subba Reddy said that the YSRC would release Rs 1,182 crore immediately after coming to power to provide relief to the small depositors. Speaking to the media later, party leaders Botcha Satyanarayana and Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy appealed to the AgriGold victims not to commit suicide in despair and assured that the YSRC, if voted to power, will take action against all those involved in the scam. Vanchana Pai Deeksha in New Delhi on Dec 27 The YSRC will organise Vanchana Pai Deeksha in Delhi on December 27 in protest against the failure of the State and Central governments in implementing the provisions of the AP Reoganisation Act and fulfilling the promises made to AP at the time of bifurcation. The protest will be held during the Winter Session of Parliament to mount pressure on the Centre and highlight the issue at the national level. Meanwhile,with YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddys Praja Sankalpa Yatra coming to an end on January 9 to 10, 2019 in Itchapuram, the party has decided to organise padayatras in all the Assembly constituencies between January 5 and 7. By PTI MUMBAI: Following the release of builder Samir Bhojwani, who had falsely claimed ownership of the two plots on which Dilip Kumar's bungalow was built, the legendary actor's wife Saira Banu Khan has requested to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue. The 96-year-old actor's bungalow is located in the upscale Pali Hill area of Bandra. On Sunday, Banu's request was shared on Kumar's official Twitter account. "Request from Saira Banu Khan: The Hon'ble @PMOIndia Shri @narendramodi Sir, Land Mafia Samir Bhojwani released from jail. No action taken despite assurances by CM @Dev_Fadnavis . Padma Vibhushit betrayed, threatened by money and muscle power. Request meeting with you in #Mumbai," the tweet read. Earlier this year Banu had approached police and lodged a complaint against Bhojwani. In January, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police had registered a case of cheating against the builder for allegedly trying to grab the bungalow of the veteran actor. The police officials suspected that Bhojwani forged certain documents to grab the property. After the offence was registered, a team of EOW sleuths raided Bhojwani's residence in Bandra from where they seized weapons, including knives and daggers. Bhojwani was arrested by EOW in April this year. By PTI LONDON: Having a daughter makes men less likely to hold traditional attitudes towards gender roles, a trend that became particularly pronounced when daughters reached school-age, a study has found. Researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) analysed the effects of becoming the parent of a daughter on both men and women. A representative sample of parents from a survey spanning two decades in the UK between 1991 and 2012 was assessed on whether they supported the notion of the 'traditional male breadwinner', with the wife as a homemaker. ALSO READ | Tone policing is also a form of casual sexism Researchers found strong evidence that having daughters decreases fathers' likelihood to hold traditional attitudes towards gender roles, a trend that became particularly pronounced when daughters reached school-age. They found that a father's likelihood to support traditional gender roles typically declined by eight per cent when their daughters were in primary school and by 11 per cent when their daughters reached secondary school. Comparatively, the effect of having a daughter on mother's attitudes was not significant, confirming findings from previous studies that having a daughter affects men and women differently. In addition to changes in attitudes amongst fathers, the authors found behavioural change occurred, as parents of school-age daughters were less likely follow a traditional gender division of work. While researchers do not directly test the underlying reasons for their findings, they note that instead of the change occurring at the time of the birth of their daughter, the significant attitude change occurs in fathers around the time their daughters reach school age. ALSO READ | Kids stop believing in Santa Claus by age of eight, youngsters pretend belief This coincides with the period where children experience a stronger social pressure to conform to gender norms, researchers said. "Through parenting, fathers of daughters may develop a better understanding of women's and girls' disadvantages in society, resulting in a significant shift in their attitudes towards gender norms," researchers said. Mothers, on the other hand, hold less traditional attitudes to start with and appear to be less affected by parenting daughters. This may be because they 'have already been exposed to situations of disadvantage first-hand,' researchers said. "Traditional attitudes towards gender roles can be a barrier to achieving gender equality inside and outside the workplace, so our evidence that such attitudes can change over time is very encouraging," said Julia Philipp, a PhD candidate in LSE. "The study shows that attitudes rather than fixed over time can change later in life. This is a very promising finding that suggests that exposure to others' circumstances can help shape behaviour," Philipp said. By Online Desk MUMBAI: A massive fire broke out on Monday evening at the government-run Employees State Insurance Corporation(ESIC) Kamgar Hospital located at Marol of the suburban district. As per the latest reports, six persons have lost their lives in the fire accident while more than 140 who were trapped have been rescued from the raging flames. There are still many feared trapped in the fire, said officials. The chairman of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Benedict Oramah said that agreements worth $30 billion signed during the Intra-African Trade Fair, which took place in Egypt from 11 to 17 December. Oramah made the comments in a speech at the closing session of the fair, which he said represents an important start to the path of the joint African economic cooperation. Oramah added that 100 commercial deals were made on the African and international levels. He further hailed the prominent role played by the Egyptian government in ensuring the success of the fair and reaching a positive outcome beyond expectations. The fair will contribute to increasing inter-African trade from $170 billion to $250 billion by 2021 with an increase of 32 percent, Oramah asserted. Search Keywords: Short link: Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: Bhupesh Baghel, Chhattisgarhs chief minister-designate, has a decisive mandate, unlike his counterparts in MP and Rajasthan. And its a hard-earned victory. Baghel had taken charge as Chhattisgarh Congress chief at a time when the partys state leadership was wiped out in a Maoist attack and when there was a Modi wave sweeping the country. A farmer by occupation, Baghel took up the challenge to rebuild the party from the scratch after then top state Congress leaders were killed in the deadly Maoist attack at Jhiram in Bastar in 2013, and worked closely with the cadres, instilling confidence in them. ALSO READ | Loan waiver will be announced in first Cabinet meet: Chhattisgarh CM-designate Bhupesh Baghel Baghel, a Kurmi (OBC community) leader, was elected from the Patan Assembly seat in Durg district for the fourth term in the recent elections. He began his political career under the guidance of late Chandulal Chandrakar in the early 80s. After joining the Indian Youth Congress in Durg in 1985, he later became vice-president of Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress. In the run-up to the state polls, Baghel challenged the Raman Singh governments 15 years of rule and Vikas Yatra through a counter campaign Vikas Khojo Yatra (search the development) in an attempt to expose the development records of the Raman Raj. A few months ago, Baghel was embroiled in a controversy when his name figured in the sex CD case featuring a senior minister of the Raman Singh government. He was arrested by the CBI for allegedly distributing the sleazy CD and sent to jail in September. He was later granted bail. Baghel rejected the charges against him and accused the BJP government of misusing the CBI and police to implicate him in the case. Congress tweet celebrates In a twitter post, the Congress said: Celebrations are in order in Chhattisgarh as @Bhupesh_Baghel is appointed CM. We wish him the best as he forms a govt. of equality, transparency & integrity starting off with farm loan waiver for farmers as we promised. Aishik Chanda By Express News Service KOLKATA: The BJP moved the Calcutta High Court on Monday with a fresh plea, challenging the West Bengal government's denial of permission to the party's proposed 'rath yatra' in the state. Challenging the Bengal government decision, BJP lawyer Swapnangshu Basu filed the petition seeking permission for rath yatra on December 22, 24 and 26. The petition was admitted and the case would be heard on Tuesday. READ| BJP agrees to change West Bengal rath yatra dates, not the route On the other hand, lawyer Rama Prasad Sarkar has filed a petition on Monday against the rath yatra stating that the 42-day programme will disturb communal peace in the state. Bengal BJP leaders will hold a meeting with the central leadership on Tuesday to discuss the future of the rath yatra. The state leadership is expected to sit in meeting with the district presidents to chalk out the future of the programme on December 20. Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee, TMC youth president and Diamond Harbour MP, has called the rath yatra as asur yatra. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: It was a case of mistaken identity in Bualndhshar violence case which made Vishal Tyagi, manager of a charitable blood bank in Bulandshahr city, go through the jitters when he suddenly found his picture flashing on the wanted list of accused persons. While it was attributed to a faux pas in the FIR and the error was later rectified by the cops ensuring the custody of the real accused with the same name. However, two days after his namesakes picture was put on the wanted list, the real culprit Vishal Tyagi surrendered in the court in Bulandshahr on Monday. Tyagi had been absconding since the day of trouble which had erupted over alleged cow slaughter and recovery of carcasses in Syana town of Bulandshahr district on December 3. Tyagi was immediately sent to jail. So far, 17 persons have been arrested in connection with mob violence. The goof up on the part of Bualdshahr police came to fore when Tyagi, 32, found his picture on the wanted list of Bulandshahr violence accused. Tyagi is based in Bulandshahr city, 38 km away from Chingrawati police post where the mob violence had taken place over alleged cow slaughter. In fact, Police on Friday had released a poster of those who figured on the list of accused carrying 23 names of which 18 had pictures against them. One of the named accused was Vishal Tyagi, son of Surender Tyagi, a resident of Syana. However, the picture against that name was that of Vishal Tyagi, who works in charitable blood bank in the city and was son of Vijaypal Singh. As per the sources, possibly the cops took out the picture of Vishal Tyagi from his Facebook account and put it against the name of the culprit without even cross-checking it was the same person. This is not the first time, the Bualndshahr police have erred. Earlier also, they had picked up two minors named in the FIR lodged against cow slaughter. One of the two minors was named Sajid. Later, the police released the minor when they came across the real Sajid, 23, in the same village. Yogesh Raj, Bajrang Dal district convenor and Shikar Agarwal, BJP youth wing activist, believed to be the main accused in the violence case are still elusive. While the senior police officials claimed that the address of the accused was of Syana and the picture was wrongly placed. But the NBW was issued against the real culprit and only those against whom FIR was registered will be punished, said a senior cop. In the last couple of days, police have upped its ante against accused of Bulandshahr violence. Apart from arresting 17 in all, six new names were added to the list of culprits who allegedly had orchestrated violence. Moreover, notices under Section 82 of CrPC for the attachment of the properties of the absconding accused were also being stuck on the walls of their houses. By PTI NEW DELHI: Advocate General of Chhattisgarh Jugal Kishore Gilda has resigned from the post with the change of government in the state. Gilda said he has submitted his resignation letter to Governor Anandiben Patel on Sunday in which he mentioned that he was quitting from the post as a new government is being formed in the state. "As a healthy convention followed by many illustrious Advocate Generals of various States after independence, which ripened into a custom, I am tendering the resignation from the post so as to pave the way for the new Chief Minister to make an appointment to the post of Advocate General," he said in the letter. Gilda, who has been regularly appearing for the state in the Supreme Court, acknowledged the cooperation he received from Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues. While sharing his experience of appearing in the Chhattisgarh High Court and the apex court, the advocate in his letter said the prestige of the Office of the Advocate General and its independence has been duly recognised. "I have a feeling that there should not be any interference in the working of the Advocate General and its office by any extra-constitutional authority," he wrote in the letter. Gilda has been Advocate General since January 2014. By PTI KOLKATA: A day after DMK president M K Stalin proposed the name of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate, the TMC leadership on Monday distanced itself from the statement, saying any such announcement would be premature. A Trinamool Congress leader said the decision on who should be the prime minister should only be taken following a discussion among Opposition parties after the Lok Sabha election results were announced. He added that any unilateral announcement could send out a wrong message. ALSO READ: DMK chief Stalin proposes Rahul Gandhi as next PM to defeat 'fascist' BJP "Not only TMC, but other Opposition parties, too, are of the opinion that any decision on the PM candidate should be decided only after the Lok Sabha election results. Any announcement on the PM candidate right now would be premature as it would divide the Opposition camp," a senior TMC leader told PTI on condition of anonymity. Stalin had on Sunday made a strong pitch for the Congress chief as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" Narendra Modi government. Top leaders of 21 Opposition parties, barring the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, had met in New Delhi last week and vowed to forge a united front to fight and defeat the BJP in the 2019 general election. The Bharatiya Janata Party had mocked the meet and said they should first declare a prime ministerial candidate before thinking of ousting the Modi government. By UNI SRINAGAR: The Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), left here on Monday morning to cross over to another side of the Line of Control (LoC) at Uri despite tense situation following strike called by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) against Pulwama killings. Three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), including an Army deserter and a soldier were killed in an encounter on Saturday. During the subsequent clashes seven persons were killed in security force firing. The JRL later called for a general strike for three days from Saturday against these killings. The weekly bus left Bemina, Srinagar, with eight passengers, including four residents of Kashmir and four POK returnees, official sources told UNI. READ| Jammu and Kashmir: Seven civilians, including teenagers, killed in Pulwama encounter The bus has since reached Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Uri, where more passengers will board it before leaving for Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC, he said adding the exact number of passengers crossing over to POK will be known in the afternoon. Similarly, the number of passengers travelling from POK will also be known in the evening. However, they said the number of POK residents, travelling to meet their relatives separated in 1947 due to partition, comes down during winter when the temperature goes down to below freezing point. During summer it witness increase when the weather remains pleasant in Kashmir. Similarly the number of Kashmiri residents visiting POK increases during winter and goes down in summer. The bus was introduced on April 7,2005 after India and Pakistan governments agreed to allow travel of separated families on Travel Permitsa instead of International passports. The bus has since helped thousands of families, separated due to partition, to meet each other. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Jagdish Kaur who lost her husband, elder son and three cousins in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots had waited 34 years for this day. The frail 77-year-old's lengthy courtroom battle against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar over his alleged involvement in the riots finally ended in victory as the Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment. Soon after the verdict, Kaur, who is now based in Amritsar but had gone to Delhi for the verdict, said, "At last I am relieved, but I will fight for justice with the last drop of my blood. This sentence is not enough. He should be hanged. So far, the courts have only convicted common people who were part of the killer crowds. It is for the first time an influential Congress leader who had then organised the mobs has been convicted. Earlier the lower court had acquitted Sajjan Kumar on the basis of doubt when there was never any." Kaur, who can barely walk, said, "There was a lot of political pressure as he was a top politician and well connected. Everyone from the government wanted to save him for his crimes and for years we felt that we will never get justice from any quarter, as people said to us you will never get justice as he is a powerful person and will go scot-free, but finally we got justice after so long. Our faith in the judiciary has been restored." On November 1, 1984, a mob allegedly comprising then Congress MP Sajjan Kumar and others attacked the Rajnagar house of Kaur in Delhi Cantonment and killed her husband, elder son and three cousins. Another witness against Sajjan Kumar, Nirpreet Kaur of Mohali, said that she was allegedly threatened with slapping of TADA cases against her. AAP MLA and Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka thanked everyone for their support and help. He said, "It is a big day in my life and a result of 34 years of struggle. I had resigned from the post of Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly to appear in this case." By PTI NEW DELHI:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held wide-ranging talks with Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih with an aim to begin a new chapter in bilateral ties which came under strain under the previous regime in Male. Solih arrived here Sunday on a three-day state visit, his first foreign trip after assuming charge of the top office in the island nation a month ago. Modi had attended Solih's swearing-in ceremony on November 17. "PM @narendramodi warmly received President @ibusolih ahead of delegation level talks. During his visit to Maldives for the President's inauguration in November, PM had extended an invitation to President Solih to make a State Visit to India," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Solih and discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interests. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after then-president Abdulla Yameen imposed emergency on February 5 this year. India had criticised his decision and asked his government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The emergency lasted for 45 days. By Online Desk The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), during their working committee meeting on Sunday, decided to approach Opposition parties to stall the Triple Talaq ordinance in the winter session of the Parliament. Addressing the media, AIMPLB member Qasim Rasool Illyas said, "We have decided that our members will be approaching leaders of opposition parties especially Rajya Sabha members so that the Triple Talaq ordinance is not cleared by the Parliament. This ordinance goes against the interests of Muslim women." As per the minutes of the meeting, the board informed the members that it had already constituted a committee to reach out to all secular political parties to build a consensus against the government's ordinance. READ| Around 248 cases of triple talaq in India, says Ravi Shankar Prasad Chief organiser of AIMPLB, Asma Zehra said the board members decided that Muslim women would meet those of other faiths and try to find out a common way for issues plaguing the women across all communities. Other issues such as Ayodhya land dispute, matters concerning Muslim women and Darul Qaza (shariat courts) were also discussed at the full house meeting. In August 2017, a five-judge bench of the apex court declared instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) as unconstitutional. They said it did not form an essential part of religion under Article 25 (right to religion) of the Constitution. The triple talaq bill which is called The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, will be taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha today. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday demanded perjury and contempt of court action against the central government for making a false and misleading submission in the Supreme Court over the Rafale deal. On the other hand, having hit out at the Congress for what it called, a smear campaign against the government built around falsehoods, the BJP is set to publicise the clean chit from the court. The Rafale issue is likely to disrupt the Parliament this week as well, as the opposition has decided to corner the government in both Houses. The CPI (M) and RJD have already announced that they will give privilege notices against Attorney General K K Venugopal on the issue. ALSO READ | Congress urges SC to recall Rafale judgment, issue contempt of court notice to government To counter the oppositions Rafale storm, the BJP, on Monday, will hold 70 press conferences across the country over the apex court judgment claiming there is no reason to cast aspersions on the decision marking process for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. In the eye of storm is paragraph 25 of the judgment by CJI Ranjan Gogoi-led bench, saying The pricing details have, however, been shared with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the CAG report has been examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Only a redacted portion of the report was placed before Parliament and is in public domain. The Congress Sunday said the SC judgment be recalled and appealed to the apex court not to entertain the Centres rectification on CAG report. The Centre submitted an application on Saturday saying the error occurred on account of misinterpretation by the SC. The Centre said is was interpreted as has been at one place and as was in another. ALSO READ | PM Modi goes all guns blazing against Congress on Rafale deal Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said, The Supreme Court judgment is shocking in terms of having factual inaccuracies that are a result of false and misleading submissions made by the government. An eye for an eye over fighter jet deal The Rafale issue is likely to disrupt the Parliament this week as well, as leading opposition players have decided to corner the BJP-led NDA government in both Houses. The CPI (M) and RJD have already announced that they will give privilege notices against Attorney General K K Venugopal on the issue. The BJP will hold 70 press conferences across he country to counter the Oppositions narrative. Kanu Sarda By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Courts judgement on Monday which found Congress leader Sajjan Kumar guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, has exposed how Delhi Police, which should act as a protector, turned predator during the riots that claimed more than 2,700 lives. The 207-page judgement, penned by Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel, said, Delhi Police, which is responsible to protect the citizens, were helping the rioters to target Sikhs and it was a free-for-all situation. Citing numerous instances which exposed the Delhi Polices intentions, the court, in its ruling, stated how the police force worked as per the demands of its political masters instead of following the law of the land. The law and order machinery clearly broke down and it was literally a free-for-all situation which persisted. The aftershocks of those atrocities are still being felt. There was an abject failure by the police to investigate the violence which broke out in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is apparent from the several circumstances highlighted herein above, the high court said, quoting multiple lapses. ALSO READ | 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Crimes against humanity, genocide not part of criminal law, notes HC The court also said that the police failed to register separate FIRs with respect to the five deaths, which was the subject matter in the case. The police also didnt record any incident in their daily diary. However, the court did not restrict itself to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Using them as an example, it highlighted a familiar pattern of mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal, Odisha, in 2008, in Muzaffarnagar in UP in 2013, to name a few. The court said a law against genocide and crime against humanity in Indias domestic system remained a loophole that needed to be addressed expeditiously. ALSO READ | 1984 Anti-Sikh riots: Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's conviction is third successful prosecution within a month There has been a familiar pattern of mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2008, in Muzaffarnagar in UP in 2013 to name a few. Common to these mass crimes were the targeting of minorities and the attacks spearheaded by the dominant political actors being facilitated by the law enforcement agencies, the judgement states. Cases pending against Sajjan Kumar Sultanpuri It is alleged that Sajjan Kumar incited mob against Sikhs, telling them that Sikhs had killed our mother. - Pending at prosecution witness. Janakpuri The complaint pertains to the killing of two Sikhs on November 1, 1984 and a case of another Sikh being burnt on November 2, 1984 in the jurisdiction of Vikaspuri Police Station. - Pending at investigation stage. Nangloi Pending at investigation stage. Case pending against Jagdish Tytler The case pertains to the death of three SikhsBadal Singh, Thakur Singh, and Gurcharan Singhat Gurdwara Pulbangash in North Delhi on November 1, 1984. - Pending. 442 people convicted As per information received by the Rajya Sabha, so far 442 people have been convicted by various courts in Delhi in connection with the 1984 riots. The death sentence has been handed down to only two people for the anti-Sikh riots. 587 first information reports were filed. Of them, the police closed 241 cases without investigation, claiming inability to trace evidence. By PTI NEW DELHI: India issued a total of 96 note verbales to Pakistan seeking consular access to Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari and the decision to release him was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi, official sources said. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court on December 15, 2015. He was released from a Pakistani prison after a court-mandated jail-term came to an end. Though his jail term ended last week, he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. Official sources said 96 note verbales were issued to Pakistan seeking consular access and clarity on the charges against him, on which India received no satisfactory response, the sources said. They said considering that his jail term was coming to an end on December 16, India upped the ante at multiple levels in the preceding weeks, seeking to ensure Ansari's release and quick repatriation to India. Ansari went 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. He entered Pakistan from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: The absence of two major political players of Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati in the swearing-in ceremonies of three newly-elected CMs took the wind out of Congresss sail on Monday. Though the ceremonies at Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh were attended by a bevy of opposition leaders but it could not be as dazzling an oppositions carnival as it was at the oath-taking ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Karnataka in May this year. Both Mayawati and Akhilesh had shared the dais at Kumaraswamys swearing-in in a show of opposition bonhomie at Bengaluru. While the confident and resurgent Congress was contemplating to use the occasion to showcase the united colours of opposition once again ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Akhilesh and Mayawati remained conspicuous by their absence despite their support to the grand old party in touching the majority mark in MP and Rajasthan. However, while extending support to Congress, both the regional satraps had made it amply clear that they were supporting Congress just to keep the BJP out of power at any cost. Mayawati in no uncertain terms had claimed that though she did not agree with the policies, ideology and the way of Congresss governance yet was backing it to keep the saffron party at bay. READ | Akhilesh Yadav maintains suspense over Congresss participation in SP-BSP alliance However, the political pundits in UP believe that by keeping away from the Monday events, both the regional satraps have stuck to their earlier stand. It could be a pressure tactics to keep the resurgent Congress in check in UP, says JP Shukla, a prominent political commentator. The political observers also attribute the absence of Akhilesh and Mayawati in Congress big day to their stance that Congress is a non-entity in Uttar Pradesh what if it has won three peripheral states of Hindi heartland. If UP will be dominated by caste politics during 2019, SP and BSP will be its mainstay and if it will take a religious colour, BJP will call the shots. Congress doesnt fit in any of the two frames, says JP Shukla. He adds that both the regional parties are keeping a safe distance from Congress in order to keep its bargaining power in check in UP. ALSO READ | Joining a Congress-led alliance one of many options: RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha Notably, SP and BSP have been critical of Congress since they failed to clinch a truck with it in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. While SP won a single seat in MP, BSP romped home with 2 seats in MP and 6 in Rajasthan. The blue brigade had sprung a surprise by aligning with Ajit Jogi in Chhattisgarh. Significantly, both party leaders had skipped the opposition congregation where 21 parties had met under the Congresss leadership in Delhi recently. As per the highly-placed sources, Congress had offered the BSP to join the governments both in MP and Rajasthan to consolidate the opposition unity but Mayawati has been observing a guarded silence over the issue. READ | Tamil Nadus communist parties ready to endorse Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister candidate for 2019 The way DMK chief MK Stalin made a sudden statement over Rahul Gandhi as prospective PM candidate has left certain sections of opposition, including SP and BSP, unnerved and uneasy, says Ashutosh Mishra, a political scientist. Mishra adds a new dimension to the debate by claiming that SP and BSP were finding it difficult to adjust to new power equation in UP with resurgent Congress in the arena. Now they will have to re-caliberate their strategy vis-a-vis mahagathbandhan in UP, he maintains. Manoj Das By Progress seems to be stalked by paradox. A decade later a child could be hard put to believe that not long ago there was life on earth without mobiles, selfies, internet, etc. or whatever might have become their shape by then. At the same time, the force with which we are reinforcing certain extant elements of medievalism, it will be difficult for the child to believe that there was a time when Dalit meant anything other than a congeries of castes. This author views Dalit as a significant word even in its current usage, conveying reality and implying protest, but this usage must not be perpetuated. We must envisage a future when the tradition of caste has become a past. However, identifying Hanuman as a Dalit in either the old or the current sense of the term would have mystified the seer-poet Valmiki and defied the farsightedness of any savant of any genre. The association of social injustice and prejudice the word conjures up in our mind simply does not relate either to the genesis or to the glorious career of Hanuman. But the remark was obviously made in good faith, probably because Hanuman and his tribe led by Sugriva had been rendered practically outcaste by the tyrannical Vali, living as oppressed till Ramas intervention. Be that as it may, since a time of great excitement and stormy exchange is unrolling before the nation as an inevitable backdrop to the approaching elections, vocabularies will be ransacked by orators in search of powerful similes and metaphors and the hoary characters from our epics will be dragged into the arena. Already modern Indian literature is replete with mythological characters reconstructed with contemporary notions of realism or psychology. Here is a sample of the quality of creativity behind such ventures, from a popular prose version of the Mahabharata in English: At the royal court of Hastinapura, when Duhshasana tried to disrobe Draupadi, why did Krishna intervene miraculously making the length of her sari inexhaustible? Because she was his relative and because once Draupadi had bandaged Krishnas wound by tearing a part of her own expensive dress and because both were self-born. The mighty assurance that the episode had given to millions through the ages that while all the human beings could fail a person in distress, the Divine alone never failed if one turned to Him, had no place in the interpretation. The vision of the epic poets encompassed larger vistas than our logic-based perception can. They saw invisible forces from several occult planes, supra-rational as well as infra-rational, participating or intervening in human affairs. Not only Valmiki and Vyasa, but also Homer narrated their role in gross terms because they were as real to them as the human encounters. Once upon a time the listeners or readers of the epics possessed the faculty that recognised such intermingling. But evolutions agenda required fuller development of our rational capacity. The process pushed our intuitive and supra-sensory genius to the back of our surface mind. Today one may not accept this theory, but to try fit the epic characters or situations to the Procrustean bed of our notions is unpardonable ingratitude. Hanuman was, in the mystic parlance, a vital beinga member of an extinct species, the vanaras, equidistant from man and the ape as far as their physical traits went. But individually Hanumans was an enlightened consciousness. The sun represents jnana (wisdom) in spiritual symbolism and Hanuman was educated by him. His wisdom helped him recognise the divine in Rama and thereafter he became the personification of bhakti (devotion). For the sake of his Master to whom his surrender was total he performed karma (action) of incredible proportions, natural and supernatural. Thus was he perceived as jnanayogi, bhaktiyogi and karmayogiall in one, an example of synthesis. According to a prophecy he is the Brahma (Creator) of the future, a promise of fulfilment for the mankind still in the making. Meditations on the epic characters revealed several inspiring scenes in the visions of mystics. Here is one on Hanuman, funny at the start but ending with a profound revelation of the raison detre of his being: All the lieutenants of Rama during his mission to rescue Sita attended his coronation in Ayodhya. One moonlit night, while enjoying dinner at an open yard, a young vanara pressed a berry and its seed leaped up. You are showing me how to jump, are you? Look! said the vanara and instantly made a show of his capacity at high jump. Thats all? asked the vanara next to him and he too jumped up. In a moment several vanaras were at the feat, each trying to do better than the others. A little away sat Hanuman, relaxed. A friend walked up to him and said, These chaps are unaware of your presence. Shouldnt you shame them by a sudden jump? Hanuman smiled but kept quiet. As a few noblemen who enjoyed the festive goings-on also repeatedly requested Hanuman for a show, softly he spoke, Not even an iota of my power can I spend except for the service to my Lord! That was Hanuman. Let us not disturb his poise. It is unfortunate if there should be any quarrel on his identity in a totally different milieu. It is simply absurd that Valmiki should be questioned as to why he did not portray him as a normal human being! Manoj Das Eminent author and recipient of several awards including the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship Email: prof.manojdas@gmail.com Ranjitha Gunasekaran By On Saturday, the National Green Tribunal set aside a Tamil Nadu government order closing Vedanta Ltds Sterlite unit in Thoothukudi. The order had been issued in the aftermath of violence in the coastal town that marred the 100th day of a struggle against the plant. On May 22, thousands of protesters in Thoothukudi moved to besiege the district collectorate. As protesters allegedly went on a rampage, police opened fire. Thirteen people were killed, including women and at least one minor. Several others were wounded in violence over the next two days. The decades-long anti-Sterlite campaign had gained momentum this year amid rumours that the plant was set to expand. The campaigners believed Sterlite was polluting the town and its expansion would only cause more harm. The company has long claimed that these views have no scientific basis. However, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board claimed to have found certain violations and rejected Sterlites application for renewal of Consent to Operate. The state government relied on the boards findings to issue a government order (GO) closing the plant permanently. But the NGT thought otherwise, terming the boards approach hyper-technical. The state now plans to appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court. And campaigners in Thoothukudi are gearing up for a fresh struggle. This is not the only high-profile case the TN government will be appealing before the SC in recent times. In what can only be termed a hectic month for the government, it went from battling Cyclone Gaja, which made landfall on November 16-17, evacuating 82,000 people along the states coast, to struggling to repair and restore the power infrastructure that was levelled in the delta districts. A month after the cyclone, some rural pockets still dont have electricity, despite thousands of staff working day and night, at great personal risk and sacrifice. Just as the government got its bearings in dealing with the aftermath of the cyclone, Karnataka was given the green light to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a dam it proposed to build on the Cauvery at Mekedatu. This is a touchy subject for TN that has long-running feuds over water with Karnataka, Kerala and the Telugu states. The state went to the SC demanding a stay on the permission for a DPR, but the court rejected it. DMK chief M K Stalin, who initially praised the governments response to Gaja, subsequently charged it with neglect when it came to relief. For its part, the government was responsive, with ministers camping in the affected districts for weeks, and swiftly approaching the courts when needed. However, it is yet to shake off the perception that it could have done more. Meanwhile, Stalin looks like he may finally come into his own after decades in the shadow of his illustrious father, late party chief M Karunanidhi. On Sunday, the DMK hosted the unveiling of Karunanidhis statue by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Stalin deftly placed the DMK at the heart of the anti-BJP national alliance ahead of the 2019 polls, cementing his ties with both Sonia and son Rahul Gandhi, the Congress chief, by officially proposing Rahul as prime ministerial face to take on the fascist NDA. Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats and Puducherry one. It is this arithmetic that has allowed Dravidian parties to play key roles at the Centre over the years. Stalin is counting on a sweep in 2019 to make himself kingmaker. However, he ought pay heed to discontent within his own party. Stalins style of leadership is considered authoritarian, which could hurt the DMKs chances in the upcoming bypolls to 20 Assembly seats. That will be his first real opportunity to prove himself, especially after the embarrassing loss to AIADMK rebel T T V Dhinakaran in the RK Nagar bypoll last year. While the DMK poached key Karur leader V Senthil Balaji from Dhinakarans Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, how much it will benefit the DMK and Stalin remains to be seen. Ranjitha Gunasekaran Assistant Resident Editor ranjitha@newindianexpress.com By Express News Service BAGALKOT: This is the first time that such an explosion has taken place in a sugar factory in the state. Among the many factory owners who are in shock is Siddarth Wadennavar, managing director of Satish Sugars, Gokak. Wadennavar told TNIE, This kind of an explosion is very rare. It is the chief engineers who take care of this delicate unit every day. We can therefore say for sure that this incident is not a result of negligence on the part of employees or factory owners. Sugar factories work only six months in a year. When the factory is shut for the rest of the six months, employees inspect each machine on a regular basis. Any problem is fixed immediately. He said that sugar factories with distillery units have to take all safety measures. The government permits such factories to run only after checking that safety measures are in place. He added that the blast could have happened accidentally. By Express News Service PALAKKAD: Rahul Easwar, the president of Ayyappa Dharma Sena was arrested by the Palakkad police from a PWD rest house here on Monday where he had come to attend a function of the Hindu Mahasabha. Earlier the court in Ranni had cancelled Easwar's bail application on Saturday for violating the bail conditions. A case was filed against him for interfering with the police in Sabarimala during the monthly poojas when the devotees tried to stop women's entry into the temple. As per the bail conditions, Easwar was required to sign at the local police station every Saturday for a period of two months. The police had submitted a report at the Grama Nyayalaya in Ranni stating that Rahul had violated the bail conditions. The police had pointed out that he had not signed at the local police station on December 8. Meanwhile, Rahul Easwar told media persons that the charge that he had violated the bail conditions was a mere technicality. He said that the police was trying to dilute the Sabarimala issue and wreaking vengeance on those persons who supported the believers. Rahul said that he has not got the order of the Grama Nyayalaya and once he receives it, he will approach the high court for bail. By Express News Service COIMBATORE: The AIADMK will announce its alliance once Election Commission of India (ECI) announces the dates for the parliamentary elections, announced Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Interacting with journalists at the Coimbatore International Airport, he pointed out that even the DMK was still in talks with other party leaders about alliances and was yet to announce the members in its front. While former minister Durai Murugan has announced that any party leader can approach the DMK for an alliance, the AIADMK will make an official announcement about its allies after the election schedule was published, he added. When asked about M K Stalin proposing Rahul Gandhi as prime minister candidate, during the unveiling of former chief minister M Karunanidhis statue, Palaniswami remarked that he had nothing to comment on Stalins wish. The chief minister assured reporters that work on Avinashi-Athikadavu project will commence soon. Tender has been finalised for the Rs 1,532 crore Avinashi Athikadavu project; the work will benefit the farming community in Tirupur, Coimbatore and Erode districts, he added. Speaking about the Sterlite plant issue he said that the government will approach the Supreme Court against NGTs order; he also pointed out that the government had taken action against the plant in Thoothukudi as it had violated the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) norms. Meanwhile, residents of Kaniyur Panchayat submitted a petition to the chief minister to include the panchayat in the Avinashi -thikadavu scheme and help solve its water crisis. By PTI DHAKA: Bangladesh on Sunday honoured 12 Indian war veterans as it celebrated the country's 'Victory Day', marking its emergence as an independent nation following the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the nation to work together for the prosperity of the country as people celebrated the 47th anniversary of the day the nation won its freedom after nine months of bloodshed and struggle, bdnews24.com reported. The Bangladeshi government posthumously honoured 12 Indian Armed Forces personnel for sacrificing their lives during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. In his message to the country, President Hamid said: "There is no alternative to working together, irrespective of political party or philosophy if we want to offer our people the advantages of the freedom earned by the sacrifice of millions of martyrs." "I urge the people of the country to contribute more from what they have to propel the country towards prosperity and realising the spirit of the Liberation War, he said. Hamid mentioned the upcoming election, expressing hope that the polls would ensure a victory for democracy. He also hoped that the people will elect honest, eligible and patriotic candidates to continue the development of the country. In her Victory Day message, Prime Minister Hasina urged the people in the country to work together in the light of the spirit of the Liberation War and continue the democracy and development in Bangladesh. "Let us all pledge to engage ourselves in the welfare of the nation; let this be our oath on Victory Day in 2018. Today, Bangladesh has become a global role model for development. It is one of the five countries in the world showing economic advancement and we have done 90 per cent of it with our own funds," Hasina said. "The people have been receiving the advantage of this development at the grassroots level in the 10 years the Awami League government has been in power. Bangladesh is moving forward and it will continue to do so. The next generation will have a prosperous Bangladesh," she said. Hasina pledged to make the country poverty-free and attain middle-income country status by 2021, alongside a promise to achieve developed country status before 2041. ALSO READ: President Kovind, PM Modi remember 1971 martyrs on Vijay Diwas She also greeted the freedom fighters and sent flowers and fruits to the war-wounded freedom fighters at the Martyred and War-wounded Freedom Fighters' Rehabilitation Centre (Muktijoddha Tower 1) in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area on Sunday as a mark of her good wishes for them, Dhaka Tribune reported. The war in 1971 began after the sudden crackdown at midnight on March 25 that year in erstwhile East Pakistan by Pakistani troops and ended on December 16 as Pakistan conceded defeat and unconditionally surrendered in Dhaka to the allied forces comprising Bengali freedom fighters and the Indian Army. Officially three million people were killed during the nine-month-long war in one of the most heinous acts of genocide by Pakistani troops The Bangladesh government has decided to honour over 1,600 Indian Armed Forces personnel who laid down their lives in the eastern theatre during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Vijay Diwas (victory day) is celebrated every year on this day to mark India's decisive win over Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh. By PTI NEW YORK: Colin Kroll, a tech executive who co-founded the HQ Trivia app, has died. He was 34. The New York Police Department says officers went to Kroll's Manhattan apartment early Sunday after getting a call asking for a wellness check on him. They found him unconscious and unresponsive on his bed. He was pronounced dead at the scene. We learned today of the passing of our friend and founder, Colin Kroll, and it's with deep sadness that we say goodbye. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. HQ Trivia (@hqtrivia) 16 December 2018 The medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death. "He had so much talent and had accomplished so much at such a young age," his father, Alan Kroll, told The New York Times. "It truly is a waste," his father said. "At 34, imagine the things he'd done and the skills he had." In this file photo taken on January 08, 2014 honoree Colin Kroll attends the Variety Breakthrough of the Year Awards during the 2014 International CES at The Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo | AFP) Kroll was the chief executive of the trivia app, which live-streams short trivia shows to users and became popular after its release in 2017. The company released a statement Sunday saying their thoughts were with his "family, friends and loved ones." "We learned today of the passing of our friend and founder, Colin Kroll, and it's with deep sadness that we say goodbye," HQ Trivia said. Kroll also was a founder of Vine, which was an app built around six-second videos, and worked for a period at Twitter. By UNI JERUSALEM: Facebook has blocked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son, Yair, for 24 hours and removed his post calling to avenge the death of the two IDF soldiers killed in the terror attack in Givat Assaf. Yair Netanyahu complained that the "Thought Police" has reached him and claimed that Facebook is trying to silence him in a place that should allow everyone to voice their opinions. "The Thought Police of Facebook has found me! Congratulations!" Yair commented. "Facebook has official pages created by Hamas, Hezbollah and the Iranian government members, as well as endless pages calling for the murder and extermination of Jews. READ|Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel determined to eradicate Hezbollah cross-border tunnels There are also thousands posts with death threats for me and my family that do not get removed by Facebook, as they fall under the label of freedom of speech, The Jerusalem Post reported. Yair called Facebook a dictatorship and showed his bafflement over being blocked for 24 hours. There will not be peace here until: 1. All the Jews leave the land of Israel.2.All the Muslims leave the land of Israel. I hope it's the second,Yair posted earlier on Facebook. After receiving backlash for his his post, he later wrote, Why are people who have been calling to evacuate the settlers and establish a Palestinian state free of Jews appalled by this post? Do you know where there are no terror attacks In Iceland and Japan? Coincidentally there's also no Muslim population there,Yair also wrote. This is not the first time Yair has been in the spotlight. Last Monday, he posted on Facebook that the press, as well as left-wing NGOs and politicians, are raitors. His father disavowed the comment. In 2017, Yair posted a diagram featuring antisemitic tropes such as Jewish billionaire George Soros, who funds left-wing causes and organizations in several countries. The post depicted Soros controlling the world via other conspiracy theory figures like lizard people, known as Reptilians, and the Illuminati or Freemasons. Those figures, according to the graphic Netanyahu shared, control former prime minister Ehud Barak, who controls failed Labor candidate Eldad Yaniv and former Prime Minister's Residence superintendent Meni Naftali, leaders of the then-weekly anti-Netanyahu protests in Petah Tikva. By PTI NEW DELHI: In his first overseas visit after taking over as the President of the Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Sunday termed India as its closest friend and invited the Indian business community to invest in his country. Addressing the India-Maldives Business Forum here, Solih said his country was working on various infrastructure projects and assured Indian business leaders that there are no obstacles in investing the island nation. "India is not only our closest friend, but it is also our largest trading partner. The economic success India has achieved after liberalising its economy is worthy of the highest praise," Solih said. Terming the Maldives as a fast-growing emerging economy, he added the country continues to develop its tourism industry. "We are making an investment in infrastructure development ranging from harbour construction to new look airports in the Maldives, there are no obstacles for ownership of investment," he said. He added the country is fully committed to providing "protection and legal cover" that overseas investors need to grow their business."In short, the Maldives is really able and open for business," Solih said. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said at the event that India and the Maldives could work together in various sectors like the fisheries, agri-products and services. He added that he would also like to send a delegation of high-level officers from his ministry to figure out various areas of cooperation between the two countries. "We would be happy to operate more direct flights from India to the Maldives," Prabhu said. The bilateral trade between India and Maldives currently stands at USD 222. 68 million with a surplus in favour of India. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, who was detained by the country's intelligence agencies in 2012 and subsequently sentenced to three years' imprisonment by a military court in 2015 for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by the military court on December 15, 2015. His three-year jail term ended on December 15, 2018 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. "Ansari is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said. ALSO READ | Peshawar High Court tells Pakistan government to send Indian national home within one month He claimed that Ansari was an "Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents. " Ansari went 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. He entered Pakistan 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, on Thursday heard an appeal filed by Ansari through his lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar. Anwar informed the bench that both the Ministry 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. 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. By AFP DOHA: Energy-rich Qatar, under blockade by its Gulf neighbours, said on Sunday it plans to invest more than $20 billion in the US energy sector over the next five years. Saad al-Kaabi, minister of state for energy affairs and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, told a conference in Doha the Gulf state is looking to invest in US oil and gas sectors as well as unconventional resources. "North of USD 20 billion will be invested over the next five years in the United States in different projects," Kaabi told the Doha Forum. He said Qatar's main target was to revive the multi-billion dollar Golden Pass LNG (liquified natural gas) terminal in Texas. "We are contemplating moving (the project) forward with our partners," said Kaabi, adding that a final decision on the matter would be taken shortly. Qatar Petroleum owns 70 per cent of the project, with ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips splitting the rest. Kaabi said Qatar's LNG production would rise by 16 million tonnes annually, with an aim of reaching 110 million tonnes a year in five years. Qatar Petroleum on Sunday signed a deal with Italy's Eni to acquire 35 per cent in three offshore oil blocks in Mexico in the second major Qatari investment in the North American country this year. The deal is to develop production at the three fields to around 90,000 barrels per day of oil in 2021. Qatar announced earlier this month that it was withdrawing from the Saudi-dominated OPEC oil cartel, a decision Kaabi said was not "political". Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and fostering close ties with their regional rival Iran -- charges Doha denies. C Shivakumar By Express News Service TAIPEI: The oval-shaped robot rolls its eyes, sputters in Mandarin and then raises its arms. Hsiu-Mei Lin of Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital says the robot is providing information about breast cancer and is being used to spread awareness about the disease. Robots have been a craze in medical health care in Taiwan, as doctors are betting on machines to ensure the surgeries are fool-proof. The Island, which is facing pressure by China for union with the Asian giant, is trying to tap its IT sector to become a major global player in the health sector. Doctors like Jerry Chih-Hsiao Chen have been successful in inventing new equipment that could revolutionise the way neurosurgeries are performed. Dr Chen, also a neuro surgeon, has designed Brain Navi biotechnology, which uses camera-based computer vision algorithms to estimate 3D geometry and motion during brain surgeries. The system is built to help surgeons come up with a surgery plan based on pre-operative imagery, including MRI scans of internal body structures. A deep-brain surgical procedure for implanting electrodes that stimulate areas in the brain normally takes over eight hours to complete the procedure. By using Brain Navi system, it will take less than eight minutes and reduces the time patients spend under anaesthesia, Chen says. Hospitals in Taiwan are also tapping virtual reality (VR) to test for diseases. Director Tseng Lung Yang of Kaohsiung Veterans Hospital demonstrated the use of VR to screen patients with muscle diseases. Similarly, renaissance robotic spine surgery was demonstrated by Chih Lung Lin of Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital. Interestingly, these technology and inventions are attracting not only patients from South East Asia and South Asia to Taiwan but also medical experts, who are being trained on conducting surgeries as well as the use of technology. We had 1.03 lakh international patients visiting Taiwan in 2017 of which 1,975 are from India. This year, till now we had more than one lakh patients of which 2,026 are from India, says Yueh-Ping Liu, Senior Technical Specialist, Department of Medical Affairs, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan. Walter Yeh, President-CEO, Taiwan External Trade Development Council, says, In 2018, 14 medical institutions were accredited by the JCI (Joint Commission International), which is a medical evaluation with the highest credibility, recognized globally by medical professionals. Mohit Jain, who is undergoing a fellowship at Linkou Chang Gung Hospital, says that Taiwan is more advanced in medical field and more or less is on par with United States. I prefer Taiwan because, in the US, Indian fellows are not allowed to touch patients, he points out. However, cost remains a factor. Taiwan claims their services are cheaper than the US but living in Indonesia, Phillipines or Bangladesh is not cheap. A room at a hospital in Kaohsiung Veterans Hospital, which has five-star amenities, is $5,000 Taiwanese (`11,000 approx) per day, says Dr Li-Te Lin while showcasing the Reproductive Centre International Ward at the hospital, which is located 361 km from Taipei. However, the cost of cardiac surgery is cheaper which could be anywhere between Rs 35,000 to Rs 70,000. Interestingly, Taiwan is trying to carve out a name in international arena in the health sector but is worried that its technology and equipment may be equated with that of China. Economic independence has been one of the major reasons for Taiwan wanting to stay away from the Union with China. But Simon Wang, Executive VP, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), says, It wont have any major impact on Taiwans economy. The writer was in the country at the invitation of the Taiwan health ministry. Reporter Tim Mitchell is a reporter at The News-Gazette. His email is tmitchel@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@mitchell6). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Witnessed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam (back, fourth right), Financial Secretary Paul Chan (front, second left) signs the Trade in Goods Agreement with China International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce Fu Ziying. Financial Secretary Paul Chan and China International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce Fu Ziying today signed an agreement under the Mainland & Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) framework. Chief Executive Carrie Lam witnessed the signing of the Agreement on Trade in Goods, to be implemented on January 1. The agreement consolidates and updates the commitments on liberalisation and facilitation of trade in goods under CEPA, further enhancing the level of liberalisation for trade in goods. Starting from January 1, goods of Hong Kong origin imported into the Mainland will fully enjoy zero tariffs through the enhanced arrangement for rules of origin. The agreement also stipulates both sides commitment to facilitating trade, simplifying customs procedures, enhancing transparency of related measures and strengthening co-operation. In particular, it sets out measures to expedite customs clearance of goods to facilitate goods movement in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, thereby enhancing the customs clearance capacity and efficiency of the Guangdong and Hong Kong control points. The signing of the agreement means CEPA will become a comprehensive and modern-framework free trade agreement covering trade in goods, trade in services, investment, and economic and technical co-operation. Click here for details. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will provide assistance to Hong Kong people facing difficulties abroad, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said today. However, Mrs Lam said the HKSAR Government will not interfere with the laws or judicial processes of foreign countries when providing such assistance. The Chief Executive made the statement when asked by reporters about the jailing of Hong Kong residents in the Philippines over drug offences. She added the HKSAR Government has been following up on the issue. It's that time of the year when brewers dust off lost barrels from the racks and out of dark corners in the cellar to blend and release these complex, boozy, barrel-aged and expensive creations just in time for the holidays. Not only do these barrel-aged brews make for nice gifts and additions to a beer cellar, they also make for great sippers on cold winter nights. Oregon makes some of the best barrel-aged beers in the world, if not the most hyped, and this year more than a dozen are being released in bottles or cans for the winter. Breakside Brewery: The Mountains of Instead Inspired by an Autumn poem by WH Auden, "The Mountains of Instead" is a souped up winter warmer aged in unusual barrels. Breakside took their Fall Apple Ale, a lightly spiced and lightly smoked amber ale and cranked it up, but never added the apples and instead aged it in apple brandy barrels from Clear Creek Distilling. This burnt umber colored, malty and nougaty strong amber is doused with warming, sweet and fruity brandy flavors and spiced with allspice and ginger. The smoke is underneath the beer somewhere like piles of un-raked autumn leaves, the barrel-aging and higher ABV lead to a fuller bodied sipper for cool nights and brisk winds. The Mountains of Instead will be released just this week in 12oz bottles at Breakside's pubs with a limited amount for distribution. 9.5% ABV and 24 IBUs. Silver Moon Brewing: Contrarium Released in two different confusing versions, Silver Moon Brewing's Contrarium is a Blonde ale fermented with Brettanomyoces wild yeast and aged separately in Chardonnay barrels and Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah wine barrels. The brewers have taken a very simple base of Pilsner malt and wheat to create a light and delicate beer for wild yeast, wine and oak to work it's magic on. Silver Moon has released Contrarium in bottled 2-packs featuring one version aged in just the white chardonnay barrels and the other version a blend of the red wine barrels. Contrarium showcases flavors of stone fruit, earthy funk, oak and wine tannins and is an approachable 6.5% ABV, available now but only for a limited time Crux Fermentation Project: Lost Love A much more limited, single variety barrel-aged Imperial Stout from Crux Fermentation Project was released this year called "Lost Love." Similar to Crux's much lauded "Tough Love" bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout, Tough Love is brewed with a grain bill of 10% malted rye and then aged for 10 months in Willett rye whiskey barrels. I believe this was an experimental version and part of a blend for Tough Love that the brewery decided to highlight separately on it's own without blending. The result is a 14% ABV spicy, boozy, delicious Imperial Stout for rye beer and whiskey lovers that's only available in bottles at the breweries tasting room in Bend. Burnside Brewing: Fable This is the second iteration of Burnside Brewing's Belgian Flanders-style red inspired ale called Fable. Last year's release of Fable won a Silver at the Best of Craft Beer Awards and has been a longtime passion project of Brewmaster/Co-owner Jason McAdam. Fable is a select blend of 24 and 8 month old Flanders Red aged in french oak barrels. Notes of cherry and currant meld with the barrels subtle oak and vanilla, and tie together with the styles signature acidity. This is a great intro sour beer and a great holiday ale that will complement a meal with its more moderate, mild sourness and complimentary notes of cherry and vanilla. Just 60 cases of 500ml bottles of Fable are for sale at the brewery at only $10 each. Upright Brewing: Saison Ellende Hidden in a basement in North Portland, Upright Brewing quietly makes some of the best sour/mixed-culture beers in the country, let alone Oregon. Saison Ellende is the breweries latest bottle release and it's a very limited and unique blend of three different barrels: a pinot noir, beaumes de venise, or nocino. This saison picks up a really unique walnut character from the Italian amaro. 375ml bottles of Saison Ellende are available now at the Upright Brewing tasting room and soon at fine bottleshops. Stormbreaker Brewing: Barrel-Aged Winter Coat North Portland's Stormbreaker Brewing has went a really interesting route with this years winter warmer by fermenting this strong, mahogany ale with dark sweet cherries and wolfberries. Sweet orange peel brings in a bright, pithy, bittersweet quality and aging in Bull Run Distilling bourbon barrels for a year brings vanilla oak tannins, light bourbon spice and booze. Barrel-Aged Winter Coat 2018 vintage is available only at Stormbreaker's two pubs on N. Mississippi Ave. and the new St. Johns location. 7.5% ABV and 35 IBU. Brewed with Maris Otter, 2 Row, Honey Malt, Biscuit Malt, Special B, Crystal 60, and Chocolate Malt and Sterling and Fuggle hops. Level Beer: Fatality Level has just released its first ever barrel-aged beer, an imperial stout aged in 10-year old bourbon barrels from East Side Distilling. Level Beer has released the imperial stout in both non-barrel-aged and barrel-aged forms both in 16oz cans, available for a limited time. The brewery continues their video game theme with a Mortal Kombat-inspired name and label, which is sure to up the beer geek interest. This beer is big, dark, decadent, and roasty with notes of toasted marshmallow and vanilla. 11.5% ABV. Ex Novo Brewing: Nevermore Charity-driven North Portland brewpub Ex Novo Brewing won acclaim for their twist on the Barleywine style when they won a gold medal for Nevermore at the 2016 Oregon Beer Awards. Nevermore is back in a new 2018 version that sounds like the same beer recipe only instead of just bourbon barrels this year was a blend of Jack Daniels Whiskey barrels and Archery Summit Pinot Noir barrels. Those wine barrels should amp up the fruitiness and perhaps even add some acidity. What made Nevermore unque to begin with was that it's a "Black" Barleywine and the brewers house-smoke figs to add to it and also add cocoa nibs for a bittersweet, almost savory and balanced winter warmer that should cellar well. 500ml bottles of the 12.5% ABV Nevermore are available now at the brewery. Gigantic Brewing: Scotch barrel-aged MASSIVE! Southeast Portland's Gigantic Brewing releases an English-style barleywine every year in bourbon barrel-aged form, but this year there is also a very special and rare Scotch barrel-aged version. MASSIVE! is brewed with a unique, very old school European technique that accentuates toasted and caramel malts by boiling a light wort of Golden Promise base malt for 8 hours. While most more caramel/toasted beers get those flavors from already roasted Crystal malts, this style naturally crystalizes and caramelizes the lighter malts in the boiling liquid over a long boil. Most worts boil for only 60-90 minutes, so MASSIVE's 8 hour boil time is significant. This year the brewery is releasing only 30 cases of the Scotch barrel-aged edition that sat in Macallan barrels for almost 2 years. Get over to Gigantic's taproom now for your one chance at scoring a 500ml bottle of this year's edition, which also has the distinction of being the strongest beer on this list at 14.3% ABV. Pelican Brewing: Mother of All Storms First introduced in 2009, Pelican Brewing's Mother of All Storms Barleywine became one of the highest rated and most sought after releases in Oregon. Based on Pelican's great Stormwatcher's Winterfest and English-style Barleywine, the brewery takes that beer and ages it for about a year in Kentucky bourbon barrels to create Mother of All Storms. This is a really great expression of what the English-style barleywine is all about, contrasting the hoppy and lighter bodied American style barleywine, this one is more malt focused with noticeable biscuit, toffee and caramel notes, with a more toasty, and very oaky-bourbony bite to it. Known to cellar well for many years with it's hefty 14% ABV and 40 IBUs, MOAS is available now in 22oz bottles at the brewpubs and select bottleshops. Great Notion Brewing: (BBDS) Bourbon Barrel Double Stack Released last Saturday to much hype, anticipation and some controversy, Double Stack is Great Notion's beery answer to a boozy breakfast. Double Stack is the breweries Imperial Stout made with an intense addition of maple syrup and coffee and this winter the brewery has released a bourbon barrel-aged version in bottles for the first time ever called simply BBDS. Collector's gift packs of two bottles, a special Double Stack beanie and glassware were sold-out at the brewery on Saturday for a double-take worthy $125, but single bottles will go on sale shortly, perhaps as soon as this week. Bourbon Barrel Double Stack is 13.2% ABV and packaged in wax-dipped 5ooml bottles. Full story on the BBDS 2018 bottle release here. Hopworks Urban Brewery: Barrel-aged Motherland RIS HUB recently released their Motherland Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels for the first time in 16oz cans and 4-packs. Hopworks calls this their darkest winter beer and that they aged it in a selection of different Bourbon barrels. BA Motherland is apparently a very limited can release of only 40 cases this year so it may or may not still be available at Hopworks three locations. Hopworks writes that that the Motherland "barrel aging process ads notes of oak, leather, wood, whiskey and rounds out the beer beautifully." Motherland RIS is $24 per 4-pack and a giant 13.2% ABV. Deschutes Brewery: The Dissident 100% Brett Edition This is the first year that Deschutes Brewery has strayed from their regular recipe for The Dissident - a Flanders Red/Brown-style mixed culture sour with cherries. For the 2018 release, in addition to the standard Dissident, Deschutes added a version with Marionberries and a version fermented with only Brettanomyoces wild yeast and for my money it's the best of the three versions. The Dissident is the breweries ode to Oud Bruin styles of maltier, dark amber to brown, Flemish-style ales which are often known for intense oak, cherry tartness and some red wine, sherry and balsamic vinegar acidity. The Brett edition of THe Dissident has light acidity and tart red wine and cherry notes with horse blanket, earth, oak and funk for a complex sipper that's great now but should also age well. The Dissident 100% Brett Edition is 8.7% ABV and available in 500ml bottles wherever good beer is sold. Block 15 Brewing: Figgy Pudding Anna Kwavakona held one of her one-year-old twin babies in her arms while her other children clutched to her dress as she stood in front of a tent shelter perched by the roadside on the outskirts of Bindura town along Mt Darwin highway. Kuvakona was dressed shabbily and desperation was written all over her face. Her clothes, apart from being a signature of time, were testimony of the distant relationship that has existed between the 24-year-old mother of four and water. It was around 4pm and her face looked as if it was last scrubbed over a week ago and this is largely because of her familys dire living conditions for the past three weeks. Kuvakonas face told a story of pain, neglect and dejection. She looked hungry and unable to bear the weight of her twin daughters, whose situation was as hopeless as hers. This one is called Kimberly and she has not been feeling well for some days. She has a running stomach and is very weak, Kuvakona said, referring to the child in her arms. I think it is because of the water we are drinking, which is not safe. We fetch it from that well (pointing at a shallow and open well in a field just across the road). I am also having a challenge feeding them. The children looked underfed and scruffy epitomising the hard realities that have confronted the family and 17 others since three weeks ago when they were thrown out of Claverhill North Farm, owned by Kingdom Community Church (KCC). The families were dumped by the roadside by former Rushinga senator Damian Mumvuri (Zanu PF), who says he is the new owner of the property. I have four children and I have asked a friend to temporarily take care of the other two, Kuvakona said. My husband is not here, he has gone out to look for food. We do not have anything to eat. Our food was thrown away when we were chucked out of the farm. It was a nasty experience. The distraught mother nearly broke into tears as she narrated the harrowing experience at the hands of the police when they were violently evicted from the farm they had called their home all their lives. We are now living in the open, and we are in the rainy season. We were only given these tents by the district administrator two days ago. Imagine being in the open with these young children. Another villager, Conwell Matope (49), who is a father of six, said most of the villagers had been staying at the church-owned farm before Mumvuri invaded the property in 2005, armed with an offer letter from the government. The families have been fighting Mumvuris seizure of the farm in the courts. Matope is an elder at the KCC. The villagers claim the church, which employed most of them, owned the property, that they claim is now being leased to a white commercial farmer by the former Senator. The white man has been operating at the farm for the past three years, Matope said. We were evicted by Mumvuri three weeks ago and dumped here. We dont have water and we are using bush toilets. It is a matter of time before there is an outbreak of diseases. We have been exposed to rains and thank God that the children here (pointing to a one-month-old baby and a four-month-old baby in her teenage sisters arms) are still alive, but I am sure it is only a matter of time. Matope said they had tried to get assistance from Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs minister Monica Mavhunga without any joy. She told us that there was nothing she could do if we are evicted from someones farm, she said. We dont have anywhere to go. We were born and grew up at this farm and we know no other home. (The minister) uses this road every day, but has done nothing to assist us. She should have found us another place to go to. It is painful, our ancestors graves are at the farm, and we cannot leave them just like that. But even if we are to go back to the farm today, there is no more shelter for us because they destroyed our houses. Simbarashe Chingoka, a member of the same church, weighed in, saying more families faced eviction from the farm. Only 18 families are here out of the 46 that were settled at the farm, he said. Others are still there because Mumvuri ran out of money to throw them out. He said he was using the money he gets from leasing the farm to a white farmer to evict us. Chingoka added: They used force and threw away our foodstuffs. We dont have food right now. Our livestock was also left at the farm. Another victim, Estery Banda (45), whose husband is aged 61 and has worked for the church for the past 24 years, said she had been forced to abandone her aged mother at the farm. My mother was born in 1944. She is old and ailing and cant walk anymore. She could not come with us because of her condition. We left her and asked a neighbour to look after her, she said. For three weeks I have not seen her, I cant go back there, it will mean trouble for me and my mother. Our children are no longer going to school. We dont have the money. We dont have the food. We are here and our husbands are having to move around the surrounding communities to look for work in exchange for food. It is almost sunset and we have not eaten anything since morning as we are waiting for the men to come back so that we have something. She added: We no longer have anything, even our property was destroyed by the rains. We only got these tents from the DA yesterday (Wednesday) and he promised to take our problem to higher offices. Even our MP (Kennedy Musanhi) has never been here, we dont know if he is not aware of our predicament. We thought the land reform programme was for all of us, but we were wrong, it is for the powerful. Mumvuri seized the farm from the church, which has been here for many years helping communities, and here we are now living in the open. Mumvuri refused to comment on the matter, referring question to his lawyer Zvidzai Kajokoto. Kajokoto said Mumvuri was allocated part of the farm by the government in 2006 and the disputes that arose after the allocation were settled by the courts. He said the farm workers refused to work for the Zanu PF politician and they had initially promised to relocate before they changed their position. The issue started in 2016 and in November 2017, we had a consent order that they signed with their lawyer, Mr Gumbo, he said. They signed the judgment, but they do not want to move now. They are the ones who actually proposed that they would move out in August this year. Farm workers were some of the biggest victims of Zimbabwes chaotic land reform programme that displaced over 4 000 white farmers and destroyed the countrys once thriving agriculture sector. The government said yesterday that it had begun addressing the dire situation at public hospitals including bringing in critically short medicines and equipment, which has led to embarrassing claims that doctors are now even using condoms as surgical gloves during medical procedures. However, striking doctors retorted immediately, telling the Daily News that they were not convinced that authorities were serious about turning around the untenable situation within the public health sector. The doctors strike which entered its third week at the weekend, after they failed to agree with the government regarding their grievances and demands has further crippled operations at the countrys dying public hospitals. Health and Child Care deputy minister, John Mangwiro, told the Daily News yesterday that the government had started bringing in vital medicines and equipment in a bid to normalise the precarious situation within the public health sector. If you check with NatPharm, you will realise that medicines and equipment have been acquired. Equipment and drugs are in short supply, but I can tell you that just like you saw on TV, where the minister was distributing stuff ... a lot more is coming. The president said as much at the Zanu PF conference Mangwiro said. This comes after doctors claimed that they were now resorting to using condoms at most public hospitals, due to shortages of disposable surgical gloves. We are forced to compromise beyond our limits, and doctors are asking as to when this bush medicine we are practising will end, Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) treasurer, Prince Butawo, said. He said doctors were finding it difficult to perform procedures such as digital rectal examinations (DRE) which could not be done without gloves. So, instead of using bare fingers, we have now resorted to the use of condoms for us to perform such procedures. There are a lot of other things, for instance, gynaecology in women, where we now also have to use condoms instead of gloves. Even when somebody comes with a bladder problem, we are forced to send the patient away to look for a urine bag from pharmacies because hospital pharmacies do not have them in stock, Butawo said further. ZHDA secretary-general, Mthabisi Bhebhe, weighed in saying there was also a critical shortage of KY jelly which is required for lubrication. We are forced to improvise using condoms because our hospitals do not have the KY Jelly used for lubrication. Even for strapping, we are using insulating tape and also our hospitals do not have plasters, Bhebhe said. The striking doctors are protesting the severe shortages of pharmaceutical drugs at public hospitals as well as the selling of available drugs in foreign currency by retail pharmacies, the poor state of the countrys hospital infrastructure and their falling salaries which they now want the government to pay in foreign currency. Zimbabwes health delivery system has for a while now been battling myriad problems, as a result of the countrys worsening economic climate. In the past, major referral hospitals have had to suspend many services as a result of shortages of drugs including painkillers. At the peak of its economy, Zimbabwe made minimal imports of essential drugs due to the then healthy state of the local pharmaceutical industry which was dominated by CAPS Holdings. Daily News Speaking of his decision to join the social media platform Zuma told Motale: "The decision is very simple I live among the people. . . I have realised in the social media that is where the people are and there is a lot of talk there. I wanted to come in to join the conversation. This conversation at times says things even about me and I have not been able to respond." THE hip-hop fraternity has once again proved it does not learn from its mistakes. The seventh edition of the Zimbabwe Hip-Hop Awards (ZHHA) held at Pabloz Bar in Borrowdale in Harare on Saturday proved just that. It was confusion writ large right from the choice of venue, list of winners to lack of coordination by the organisers of the event. For starters, Pabloz Bar was not the right event. It is too elitist! The majority of those who attended the event could not afford even a pint of beer. They were seated like orphans as beer prices were beyond their reach. It seems the organisers of the event did not do their homework. Most attendees were newbies, wannabes and college students who rocked the red carpet. Big guns in the genre were nowhere close to Pabloz Bar and their absence was conspicuous Others came late. This saw the event starting late as well. As part of the mess, organisers failed to ensure that nominees were seated in one place to save time. They were all over the place. The hosts of the night were ZiFMs s Lady K and P.D. Ghost of The Fix show. Some guests including the host PD (Paul Dendere) could be forgiven for their dressing because of the genre. But, alas, even where they borrowed the phenomenon, in United States, they know how to dress hip-hop-wise. The show saw a new crop of hip-hop artistes scooping most of the awards on offer. The artists are rarely played on radio though. Who is to blame the artistes or radio stations? A survey showed that hip-hop artistes are more into social media where they daily create beefs instead of promoting their music. Former StarKids presenter Tinevimbo Chimbetete (Tulk), opened the show with his hit song Tsika Jaivhi. He was drunk and failed to do justice to his hit song. In an interview, show awards director Aldrian Beefy Harrison said everything went by the book. There will always be an outcry just because a few people do not know someone does not mean he does not deserve or he did not work hard. Everyone that won on Saturday deserves it and we have evidence. It does not mean that when you are popular you should win. Regarding the big guns, they are not working, there is a new school coming up. Hip-hop is evolving. It is our job to create these big guns. We should not say it was not a success because big guns were not there. About fans and stars not affording drinks, it was not my problem. I could not afford some drinks. Hip-hop is a lifestyle and we have to start showing them these exclusive places so they get the appreciation, he said. Hip-hop music is being appreciated. At first I thought the venue was not suitable but people turned up. It was a great good show.About fans and stars not affording drinks, it was not my problem. I could not afford some drinks. Hip-hop is a lifestyle and we have to start showing them these exclusive places so they get the appreciation, he said. AND THE WINNERS ARE . . . Best Media Journalist Michael Shoko Best Online Media The ZimTainment Best Diaspora Yung Tyran Best Group Mulanation Best Local Brand Zvanhuwa Best Gospel Courtney Antipas Best Dance Group Antivirus Best Collaboration Asaph ft Fish F McSwagg, Tha Dawg Best Producer Rayo Beats Best Club DJ Ray Dizz Best Underground H Files Best Radio DJ Lady K and PD The Ghost Best Hip-Hop Hustle Takura Best Album Mariachi Best Hip-Hop Verse Ti Gonzi (Scream for me) Best Video Mambo by Asaph Best Newcomer Tanto Wavie Song of the Year Mambo by Asaph Best Female Natasha Muz Best Male Takura Best Hip-Hop Personality Mudiwa Best Peoples Choice Brythreesixty Best Dressed Male Mudiwa (Newser) Nursing home staff could smell the stench but did nothing for daysand when York Spratling was finally sent to a Florida emergency room in February 2017, the cause was hard to stomach. The doctor "said he had never seen anything like that before, especially in this day and age, Spratling's nephew Derwin tells the Naples Daily News. "It really freaked us out." Medical staff said the 84-year-old needed surgery for gangrene on his genitals, so surgeons operated to remove dead tissue, and Spratling died soon after. Now the family is ringing alarm bells about Consulate Health Care of Jacksonville, where the US Army veteran had only been admitted three months before. story continues below Florida officials have taken notice but to little effect, the Daily News reports. While a state review faulted the home in Spratling's death, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administrationwhich has cited the home multiple timesnever seems to have investigated, allowing "conditions of patient squalor to persist," says the Military Times. One patient told inspectors he "wallow[ed] around in this bed in my own piss." Similarly, Spratling's family says the staff didn't wash him, though staffers say he refused showers. Consulate Health Care officially has no comment. But Derwin says their job was simple and clear: care for his uncle. "It's way past obvious," he says. "This is so past obvious that it's mind-blowing." (Here's a positive nursing home story that involves $20 million.) (Newser) President Donald Trump said Sunday he will be "reviewing" the case of a former US Army commando being charged with murder, raising questions about the possibility he could jeopardize the ongoing military legal proceedings. Trump tweeted that "at the request of many" he will examine allegations that Mathew Golsteyn hunted down and killed a suspected bomb-maker in Afghanistan, per the AP. The president tweeted that Golsteyn is a "US Military hero" who could face the death penalty "from our own government." Any review or intervention by Trump could constitute unlawful command influence and could threaten the case against the former Green Beret. In a statement Sunday, Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said that "the allegations against Major Matt Golsteyn are a law enforcement matter." story continues below "The Department of Defense will respect the integrity of this process and provide updates when appropriate," he added. Trump and other senior military and administration leaders have issued statements about military criminal cases in the past, triggering legal appeals and other complications as the courts work to insure impartial proceedings. The president, however, does have broad authority to pardon criminal defendants. An Army statement on Friday said Golsteyn was charged with killing the Afghan during Golsteyn's 2010 deployment to Afghanistan. Golsteyn was leading a team of Army Special Forces troops at the time, and believed that the bomb-maker was responsible for an explosion that killed two US Marines. The Golsteyn case has bounced around since 2011 when he told the CIA in a job interview that he'd shot and killed the man. (Troubling details emerged in a hearing against a Navy SEAL.) (Newser) At 15, Greta Thunberg has many decades of living with the effects of climate change ahead of herand she doesn't want to tell her grandchildren she didn't try to stop it. At an address to the United Nations COP24 conference in Poland last week, the Swedish activist accused world leaders of stealing the future of her generation and said they weren't mature enough to act, CNN reports. "You say you love your children above all else and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes," she told the conference, which was attended by delegates from 190 countries. Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted video of her remarks, praising her for "calling out world leaders for their global inaction." story continues below Thunberg accused leaders of only talking about "green eternal economic growth" because they were afraid of being unpopular. "You only talk about moving forward with the same bad ideas that got us into this mess even when the only sensible thing to do is pull the emergency brake," she said. "You are not mature enough to tell it like it is." Thunberg, who represented the Climate Justice Now network of groups, already has an extensive history of activism, the Washington Post reports. Earlier this year, she went on strike from school for three weeks and picketed the Swedish parliament, demanding radical action on climate change. She was nominated for the Children's Climate Prize but asked to be removed from consideration, saying in a tweet that a ceremony that involved flying people in from all over the world had "no connection with reality." (After two weeks, officials at the conference reached a deal described as a "thousand little steps forward.") (Newser) "Is 'John of God' a Healer or a Charlatan?" asked ABC News in 2005. You can add "or a Criminal?" to that headline. The Brazilian faith healer turned himself in on Sunday following allegations he'd sexually abused more than 300 women. It's a fall from grace for a man who Oprah once traveled to interview. The latest: The timeline: The accusations began emerging only this month, and the BBC reports authorities took notice when "John of God," or Joao Teixeira de Faria, pulled nearly $9 million from a number of bank accounts Wednesday, sparking fears he might flee the country. An arrest warrant was issued Friday, and the 76-year-old missed the Saturday deadline to comply. He turned himself in Sunday to police in Abadiania, where he's based and where everyone wears white, notes the Washington Post. He has since been moved to Goiania, the capital of Goias state, and his lawyer says he plans to file an appeal in the hope of getting Faria placed under house arrest rather than kept in police custody. Faria has denied the allegations. The accusations began emerging only this month, and the BBC reports authorities took notice when "John of God," or Joao Teixeira de Faria, pulled nearly $9 million from a number of bank accounts Wednesday, sparking fears he might flee the country. An arrest warrant was issued Friday, and the 76-year-old missed the Saturday deadline to comply. He turned himself in Sunday to police in Abadiania, where he's based and where everyone wears white, notes the Washington Post. He has since been moved to Goiania, the capital of Goias state, and his lawyer says he plans to file an appeal in the hope of getting Faria placed under house arrest rather than kept in police custody. Faria has denied the allegations. So what's he famous for? "His intense methods of healing," as BuzzFeed News puts it, which include channeling the spirits of dozens of dead doctors, biblical figures like King Solomon, and historical figures like a Spanish nobleman from the 1400s to treat people with conditions ranging from leprosy to sinus infections to paralysis. BuzzFeed also links to video that shows surgeries carried out without anesthesia; Faria doesn't have a medical license. In other graphic procedures, Faria is known to shove forceps high into a patient's nostril. story continues below The Oprah angle: The coverage on his arrest is pretty uniformly calling out the fact that Oprah featured him on an episode in 2010, which gave him a big boost in terms of exposure. She subsequently went to see him in 2012 to film an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter. It aired in 2013, and she described watching Faria operate on a woman with breast cancer and being physically moved. "Tears of gratitude started to flow. Gratitude for the whole journey of my lifenot just everything that had gone right, but the things that had not." The coverage on his arrest is pretty uniformly calling out the fact that Oprah featured him on an episode in 2010, which gave him a big boost in terms of exposure. She subsequently went to see him in 2012 to film an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter. It aired in 2013, and she described watching Faria operate on a woman with breast cancer and being physically moved. "Tears of gratitude started to flow. Gratitude for the whole journey of my lifenot just everything that had gone right, but the things that had not." The allegations: On Dec. 7, four women appeared on Brazil's TV Globo to make their claims. Three did so anonymously. Dutch choreographer Zahira Lieneke Mous (also reported as Zahira Leeneke Maus) revealed herself and recounted an alleged rape and a session in which she was made to masturbate him. The New York Times reports she'd seen Oprah's piece on him and heard of him from a friend, and decided to seek treatment from him four years ago for trauma tied to a prior sexual assault. After the program aired, women began contacting police in droves to recount their own claims of abuse. On Dec. 7, four women appeared on Brazil's TV Globo to make their claims. Three did so anonymously. Dutch choreographer Zahira Lieneke Mous (also reported as Zahira Leeneke Maus) revealed herself and recounted an alleged rape and a session in which she was made to masturbate him. The New York Times reports she'd seen Oprah's piece on him and heard of him from a friend, and decided to seek treatment from him four years ago for trauma tied to a prior sexual assault. After the program aired, women began contacting police in droves to recount their own claims of abuse. His daughter: Dalva Teixeira numbers among those accusing Faria, her father"a monster," she says. The AP reports that she alleges she was abused and raped from ages 10 to 14, and that when one of his employees impregnated her, the beating Faria gave her caused a miscarriage. Dalva Teixeira numbers among those accusing Faria, her father"a monster," she says. The AP reports that she alleges she was abused and raped from ages 10 to 14, and that when one of his employees impregnated her, the beating Faria gave her caused a miscarriage. What Oprah is saying now: Her statement to the Times: "I went to Brazil in 2012 to tape an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter that explored the controversial healing methods of John of God. The episode aired in 2013. I empathize with the women now coming forward and hope justice is served." Her statement to the Times: "I went to Brazil in 2012 to tape an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter that explored the controversial healing methods of John of God. The episode aired in 2013. I empathize with the women now coming forward and hope justice is served." The geo-context: The Times frames Faria as potentially the first #MeToo casualty in Brazil, noting the movement "so far has reverberated relatively little" there. (Read more MeToo stories.) (Newser) A week after a judge accepted a controversial plea deal for a former Baylor University fraternity president accused of rape, outrage is growing. USA Today reports on two petitions gaining momentum, one calling for the plea deal to be thrown out (more than 124,000 have signed as of this writing) and one calling for the judge to resign or be removed from office (more than 51,000 have signed as of this writing). Under the terms of the no-contest plea, Jacob Anderson will serve no jail time and will pay a $400 fine; he will not be required to register as a sex offender. It's not clear whether either petition has a hope of succeeding in its goal; USA Today notes that in Texas, there is no option for the public to recall judges, but legal experts say it may still be difficult for Judge Ralph Strother to remain on the bench. The 75-year-old's term ends in 2020. More on the case: Prosecutor: Experts also say it will be difficult for the prosecutor who accepted the plea rather than going to trial, Hilary LaBorde, to recover from the backlash. LaBorde is also under fire for not appearing at the Monday hearing at which the plea was accepted. Experts also say it will be difficult for the prosecutor who accepted the plea rather than going to trial, Hilary LaBorde, to recover from the backlash. LaBorde is also under fire for not appearing at the Monday hearing at which the plea was accepted. What the prosecutor and the judge have to say: In explaining why she accepted the plea, LaBorde said the case would be hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, citing "conflicting evidence and statements." She told the victim that since Anderson did not have a history of sexual assaults, the jury would likely side with him. And after the plea deal, she said "there are many facts that the public does not have." For his part, Strother said the public comments surrounding the plea deal "fall into three categories: not fully informed, misinformed or totally uninformed. story continues below What the victim had to say: In a letter to Strother asking him not to accept the plea, the victim offered a graphic account of the 2016 rape and its aftermath, noting that she had been saving herself for marriage and Anderson took her virginity. She also detailed all she went through to report the rape and accused LaBorde of promising her a trial, then offering the plea without informing her first. "Many women are terrified to report rape," she wrote. "I wonder if other women in Waco will report their rapes if Jacob Anderson gets this plea? Why would they bother?" Read the letter in full at the Star-Telegram. In a letter to Strother asking him not to accept the plea, the victim offered a graphic account of the 2016 rape and its aftermath, noting that she had been saving herself for marriage and Anderson took her virginity. She also detailed all she went through to report the rape and accused LaBorde of promising her a trial, then offering the plea without informing her first. "Many women are terrified to report rape," she wrote. "I wonder if other women in Waco will report their rapes if Jacob Anderson gets this plea? Why would they bother?" Read the letter in full at the Star-Telegram. Response from Anderson's attorneys: Per the AP, they issued a statement saying the victim's account was "riddled with distortions and misrepresentations." Per the AP, they issued a statement saying the victim's account was "riddled with distortions and misrepresentations." Why a plea bargain? At the Waco Tribune-Herald, opinion editor Bill Whitaker considers the fact that at the sentencing hearing, Strother suggested a pile of conflicting evidence might make the case "less than the slam dunk it might appear at first glance." In complicated cases, Whitaker writes, prosecutors have to weigh whether it's "wiser to press for a plea agreement that places at least some conditions, restrictions and penalties on the accusedor to push the case to trial when theres enough conflicting evidence that an unconvinced jury could well allow the defendant to go free?" Full column here. At the Waco Tribune-Herald, opinion editor Bill Whitaker considers the fact that at the sentencing hearing, Strother suggested a pile of conflicting evidence might make the case "less than the slam dunk it might appear at first glance." In complicated cases, Whitaker writes, prosecutors have to weigh whether it's "wiser to press for a plea agreement that places at least some conditions, restrictions and penalties on the accusedor to push the case to trial when theres enough conflicting evidence that an unconvinced jury could well allow the defendant to go free?" Full column here. The ins and outs of a plea deal: KCEN has more on why Strother may have accepted the plea; a legal expert notes that prosecutors may have believed a plea deal was a better option for the state because Anderson will be required to serve three years of probation, meaning prosecutors can "keep an eye on him." KCEN has more on why Strother may have accepted the plea; a legal expert notes that prosecutors may have believed a plea deal was a better option for the state because Anderson will be required to serve three years of probation, meaning prosecutors can "keep an eye on him." Baylor connections: Strother, LaBorde, and the McLennan County DA all graduated from Baylor, with Strother holding three degrees from the Baptist university. Strother has issued other light sentences for Baylor students convicted of rape and sexual assault. The AP looks at the controversial nature of Baylor's ties to the case here. Strother, LaBorde, and the McLennan County DA all graduated from Baylor, with Strother holding three degrees from the Baptist university. Strother has issued other light sentences for Baylor students convicted of rape and sexual assault. The AP looks at the controversial nature of Baylor's ties to the case here. Delayed trial: Due to the "toxic environment" surrounding Strother, the judge has delayed a child abuse trial that was set to begin Tuesday in his courtroom, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports. (The case has drawn comparisons to California's Brock Turner case .) (Newser) Saudi Arabia is not happy about historic votes in the US Senate to end American support for its war in Yemen and to denounce Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry slammed the Senate for "blatant interference in its internal affairs," Al Jazeera reports. The ministry said the Senate's position was "built on baseless allegations and accusations." The kingdom "has previously asserted that the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi is a deplorable crime that does not reflect the Kingdoms policy nor its institutions," the statement said. story continues below The Senate resolution calling for those involved in Khashoggi's death to be held accountable passed unanimously, while the Yemen resolution passed 56-41, with seven Republicans voting with Democrats. President Trump has said he will veto the measures and the House blocked a vote on them last week, the BBC reports. Sen. Bernie Sanders, however, who co-sponsored both measures, has predicted that they will pass after the Democrats take control of the House next month. In its statement, the Saudi foreign ministry said it "hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the United States of America." (A GOP senator says there is a "smoking saw" pointing to the crown prince's involvement in Khashoggi's murder.) (Newser) A federal judge in North Dakota on Monday ordered a Rhode Island woman convicted of funneling lottery scam money between the US and Jamaica to remain jailed pending a February sentencing hearing where she could face a stiffer sentence than the alleged mastermind, the AP reports. "Her hands were all over the conspiracy" that authorities said bilked at least 90 mostly elderly Americans out of more than $5.7 million, US District Judge Daniel Hovland said at the end of a contentious detention hearing in which Melinda Bulgin, 28, of Providence, RI, verbally sparred with him and Assistant US Attorney Jonathan O'Konek. Defense attorney Chad McCabe called her "very emotional." story continues below A jury in September convicted Bulgin, 28, of conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering in what is believed to be the first large-scale Jamaican lottery scam tried in US courts. Authorities identified victims in numerous states, including at least one person who committed suicide. It's being prosecuted in North Dakota because that's where the initial identified victim lives. A government filing in October suggests the appropriate sentence for Bulgin under federal guidelines is life in prison. O'Konek says the actual filing he will make will likely be "lower than life." His filing indicates her sentence might still be higher than for Lavrick Willocks, who authorities say was the kingpin of the operation. He pleaded guilty in July 2017 to conspiracy in a deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to six years. (This lottery programmer said he scammed $24 million "for the challenge.") (Newser) A Colorado woman is still missing after an intensive search of her fiance's property that involved 75 officers from different law enforcement agencies, authorities say. Kelsey Berreth, a 29-year-old flight instructor from Woodland Park, has not been seen since Thanksgiving and authorities have described her disappearance as suspicious, NBC News reports. Authorities say the scores of officials spent two days searching the 35-acre property of fiance Patrick Frazee, who is the father of Berreth's 1-year-old daughter. Also, police say an anonymous donor has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to Berreth's whereabouts, per the AP. story continues below In regard to the search, the Woodland Park Police Department says a backhoe and dogs were used "to be as thorough as possible." Frazee has declined to meet face-to-face with investigators, though his attorney, Jeremy Loew, says he is cooperating with investigators and has provided his cellphone and DNA samples, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports. Berreth was reported missing by her mother on Dec. 2. Three days after she was last seen at a Safeway on Nov. 22, her cellphone pinged to around 800 miles away in Idaho. A text message sent to her employer from her phone said she wouldn't be at work the following week. Authorities haven't disclosed the contents of another message sent to Frazee. (Read more missing person stories.) (Newser) Three wildfire cleanup workers in California have been fired for clowning around in the ruins of people's homes and posting what the town of Paradise calls "reprehensible" photos on social media. One photo shows the burned remains of a pet cat with a bottle near its mouth and the caption: "Dude I was just chilling with my homies, having a couple of cold ones, and BAM damn fire breaks out," NBC News reports. Another shows a worker jumping on burned trampoline, with the caption: "Trampolines are stupid. (By the way), it used to be called a Jumpoline until your mom got on it." The town recently began allowing residents to return after the devastating Camp Fire, which killed at least 88 people. story continues below The town of Paradise shared the photos in a Facebook post and promised that Rob Freestone, the worker seen in many of them "will no longer be working in our town." Bigge Crane and Rigging Co., which had been subcontracted by the PG&E utility for Camp Fire cleanup, says Freestone and two other workers have been fired. In a statement, the company said it regrets that residents have suffered an "egregious insult" at an already difficult time. Paradise police spokesman Matt Gates says the department is looking into filing charges, the Redding Record Searchlight reports. "It's shocking. Its disheartening," Gates says. "Its the type of thing no one needs to see right before they come into town." (A dog guarded the ruins of a Paradise home for weeks.) (Newser) Germany has agreed to one-time payments for survivors, primarily Jews, who were evacuated from Nazi Germany as children, many of whom never saw their parents again, the organization that negotiates compensation with the German government said Monday. The New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany said the government had agreed to payments of $2,800 to those still alive from among the 10,000 people who fled on the so-called "Kindertransport," the AP reports. This year is the 80th anniversary of beginning of the transport of the children to Britain from Nazi Germany and elsewhere in Europe. story continues below About 1,000 survivors are thought to be alive today, with about half living in Britain, and the payment is seen as a "symbolic recognition of their suffering," Claims Conference negotiator Greg Schneider says. "In almost all the cases the parents who remained were killed in concentration camps in the Holocaust and they have tremendous psychological issues." Following the Nazis' anti-Jewish pogrom in November 1938 known as Kristallnacht, the British government agreed to allow an unspecified number of Jewish children as refugees from Nazi Germany or territories it had annexed. Jewish groups inside Nazi Germany planned the transports, and the first arrived in Harwich on Dec. 2, 1938, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (France has compensated Holocaust survivors who were sent to death camps on French trains.) (Newser) A new allegation of inappropriate behavior against Geoffrey Rush comes from a fellow Australian, who also happens to be a well-recognized face from Orange Is the New Black, reports Deadline. Yael Stone, the 33-year-old actress who plays Lorna Morello on the Netflix series, "is scared" and not sleeping, she tells Bari Weiss in the New York Times. That's because she's coming forward with accusations against "one of our national treasures," as Stone puts it to Leigh Sales in an interview for the ABC's 7.30 show. Stone says when she worked with Rush, now 67, on a stage production of The Diary of a Madman eight years ago, he used a mirror to watch her as she showered, sent her erotic texts, and danced naked in front of her in their shared dressing room, among other things. story continues below Stone says she didn't speak up earlier (though she says she did once write Rush a letter that he never responded to) because she feared offending her "onetime hero," as well as being sued for defamation under Australia's strict libel laws. She feels some sympathy for Rush, noting that because the very famous are rarely told no, they may engage in behaviors that get incrementally worse. "We need compassion for that confusion," she says. In a statement, Rush says he regrets any "distress" Stone felt from the "spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work," adding that her memories "are incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context." Stone told Sales she recognizes the possible repercussions, both financial and for her place in the acting world, for speaking out. "If that happens, I think it's worth it," she said. (Rush says he's lost his appetite over allegations.) (Newser) A federal appeals court in Virginia thinks the US Forest Service forgot a fundamental part of its mission, and it summoned Dr. Seuss to remind them. We trust the United States Forest Service to speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues,'" the fourth US circuit court of appeals wrote last week in a case involving a power company's request to build a natural gas pipeline. As NPR notes, the "tongues" quote is a reference to The Lorax, who at one point declares: I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues. A three-judge panel from the court ruled that the Forest Service "abdicated its responsibility" in giving approval to Dominion Energy to move ahead with the pipeline. It's far from the end of the issue, however. story continues below The $7 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline would go through West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, but it would also cut through two national forests as well as the Appalachian Trail. The court specifically found fault with approval to run the pipe under a section of the latter trail in Virginia, reports the Richmond Times Dispatch. Dominion plans to appeal to the full court, while pipeline opponents, including the Southern Environmental Law Center, hope the decision will lead to a wholesale revocation of the pipeline's permit. Dominion also could ask Congress for approval to use the federal land. (Elsewhere, a group of nuns found a novel way to oppose a pipeline near them.) (Newser) Hospital officials who treated Jakelin Caal Maquin say the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl likely died of septic shock, according to newly released documents from the Department of Homeland Security. The documents provide what NBC News calls the most detailed timeline so far of the Dec. 8 death of Caal, who was picked up by US authorities along with her father and a large group of migrants on Dec. 6 near New Mexico's Antelope Wells Port of Entry, and the release comes as her family is calling for an investigation into her death, USA Today reports. Official autopsy results are still pending. The group was detained around 9:15pm, according to a timeline from CNN. It was around 5am on Dec. 7, as the girl and her father were preparing to board a bus that would take them to a Border Patrol station 90 miles away, that Caal's father told authorities his daughter was sick and vomiting. story continues below Agents arranged for an ambulance to meet the bus at the station, but by the time the bus arrived there, Caal said his daughter was not breathing. "At this point her temperature was 105.9 degrees," DHS says. Border Patrol emergency medical technicians revived the girl twice; she was ultimately flown via helicopter to a children's hospital, where she died at 12:35am on Dec. 8 with her father at her side. DHS says the initial indication from the hospital is that the girl died of "sepsis shock"; per Mayo Clinic, sepsis is a complication of an infection, and if left untreated, it can progress to septic shockwhich can be fatal. When they were first detained, Caal's father signed a form saying both he and his daughter were healthy, but the girl's family has taken issue with that form, noting that it was in Englisha language her father does not speak or read. (Officials have said this is what happens "when migrants come illegally.") (Newser) After an argument with his wife at their Miami home early Sunday, police say a Coast Guard service member fatally shot her, their 7-year-old son, and then himself. Investigators say Petty Officer 1st Class John Presnar, 44, also shot the couple's 8-year-old daughter, who is in critical condition, ABC News reports. Per a police statement, 39-year-old Gretchen Presnar's mother was in the home at the time and witnessed part of the fight; when her husband pulled a gun, Gretchen Presnar told her mother to leave the house and call for help, Local 10 reports. John Presnar had served as an electronics technician with the Coast Guard since 2001, the Miami Herald reports. (In the case of a missing Colorado mom, police have searched her fiance's property.) (Newser) Two men involved in a Turkish lobbying campaign led by former national security adviser Michael Flynn have been charged with illegal lobbying in a case related to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. An indictment unsealed Monday against Flynn's former business partner, Bijan Kian, and a Turkish businessman, Ekim Alptekin, accuses the two men of conspiring to "covertly and unlawfully" influence US politicians on behalf of Turkey, per the AP. The new charges appear to shed light on the cooperation of Flynn, who last year admitted to lying about several aspects of the lobbying work. In recommending he serve no prison time, prosecutors said Flynn not only helped with the Russia probe but also an undisclosedand separatecriminal investigation. Flynn's sentencing is set for Tuesday. story continues below Kian, whose full name is Bijan Rafiekian, was arrested and made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. He is indicted on charges including failing to register as a foreign agent. Alptekin, a dual Turkish-Dutch citizen living in Istanbul whose full name is Kamil Ekim Alpetekin, remains at large. According to the indictment, Kian was vice chairman of Flynn's business group, the Flynn Intel Group. The two worked throughout 2016 to seek ways to have cleric Fethullah Gulen extradited from the US to Turkey. The indictment says Flynn texted and emailed frequently on ways to advance the Turkish agenda through the final weeks of the 2016 campaign, while simultaneously serving as a public adviser to Trump, per the Washington Post. (By one count, 17 Trump investigations are underway.) (Newser) Thomas Markle has escalated his feud with his newly royal daughter. In an appearance on British television Monday, Markle asked Queen Elizabeth herself to intervene and help him reconnect with daughter Meghan, now the Duchess of Sussex. In an 18-minute interview, he told Good Morning Britain he and Meghan haven't spoken since her May wedding to Prince Harry, the New York Times reports; he claims he texts her every day, to no avail. "I would appreciate anything she can do, and I would think she would want to resolve the family problems," he said of the queen after host Piers Morgan suggested the 92-year-old could get involved. "All families, royal or otherwise, are the same and should be together at the holidays." story continues below Though Markle defended his daughter against the negative stories coming out about her in the press, he did say, per E!, that "she's always been a very controlling personthat's part of her naturebut she's never been rude, to my knowledge. ... Like I said, she's always been in charge. That's her nature. But she's always been polite with it." Reaction has not been very pro-Thomas Markle: One blogger published an essay accusing him of being manipulative and emotionally abusive; many are also calling out the British media for giving him a voice. Also not coming off well: Piers Morgan. "It's seriously disturbing the way both of these men are demanding the attention of a woman (who wants nothing to do with them for good reason), as if she were their property," reads one sample tweet. (Markle did another interview about Meghan earlier this month.) (Newser) The Roman Catholic Jesuit province serving much of the eastern United States on Monday released the names of Jesuit priests who face "credible or established" accusations of sexual abuse of minors dating to 1950, the AP reports. In a letter, the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus identified five living Jesuits facing offenses that took place in the province and another eight who are dead. The menpart of a Catholic order that includes more than 16,000 men worldwideserved in churches, high schools, colleges, and other institutions. It's the latest in a string of similar disclosures from Jesuit governing bodies. The letter from the Rev. Robert Hussey, the leader of the Jesuit province headquartered in Maryland, states that most cases date back decades and the most recent incident occurred in 2002. story continues below The five still alive are listed as living in supervised housing "on a safety plan." While some of the named Jesuit priests were removed from ministry in the 1990s, others were not removed until well after the US church sex abuse scourge exploded in Boston in 2002. One accused priest, Neil McLaughlin, was not removed from ministry until 2007 despite multiple accusations, while another, J. Glenn Murray, was only removed from ministry in 2011 despite a 1981 allegation. In his Monday letter, Hussey said the province hopes the disclosure "will contribute to reconciliation and healing." Earlier this month, two other US Jesuit provinces released the names of more than 150 priests and other ministry leaders found to have "credible allegations" of sexual abuse made against them. Click for the full story. (Or read about the Pope defrocking a pedophile priest.) 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Bahrain has come under the global spotlight as the Kingdoms latest progressive crypto-regulations have impressed the tech community. The latest initiatives taken by the Central Bank of Bahrain has garnered global praise and was cited as a step forward for the development of crypto-currencies usage by global experts and media. The move was well received with some international analysts going as far to say that Bahrain could become a leader in the field. The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) on Thursday issued for consultation, the draft rules on Crypto-asset Platform Operators (CPO) 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 Bahrain. Realising the growing demand for this type of market globally and regionally, the CBB is introducing a comprehensive framework, which is riskbased 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, the CBB stated. Bahrain is all set to establish itself as a regional leader in Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology, The Currency Analytics stated. Bahrain is evolving to be the best in the International Fintech Hub. Bahrain has already identified the Fintech sector as being crucial in contributing to the development of the Kingdom as the regional business and banking hub, it stated. The news of CBB move was prominently covered by crypto news outlets such as Coin Telegraph, Bitcoin.com, coingape. They noted that Bahrain is one of the first countries to take initiatives for crypto regulation. Regulations have been a critical hurdle that limited growth and adoption of cryptocurrency across the globe. But as cryptocurrencies are getting popular and the positives of it becoming more visible, regulators are trying their best to regulate it than eliminate it. The recent addition to this list is Bahrain, where the Central Bank has issued draft rules to regulate cryptocurrencies, Coingape said. Khalid Hamad, Executive Director of Banking Supervision, commented on the move saying: 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. Bahrains first ever crypto-currency exchange will soon be launched in the Kingdom. Rain will be one of the first in the region. The exchange has already opened its waiting list on its website after spending a year in Central Bank of Bahrains regulatory sandbox. The exchange will facilitate the purchase, sale and storage of crypto-currencies. Rain, founded in 2016 by four entrepreneurs Yehia Badawy, Abdullah Almoaiqel, AJ Nelson and Joseph Dallaga, is backed by big names in the industry including Bitcoin core developer Jimmy Song and Cumberland Mining founder Mike Komaransky. Bahrain could become a leader in the crypto-currency space with the expected launch of crypto-currency exchanges in the country, according to Executive Director of Financial Services at Economic Development Board, David Parker. Bahrain has the potential to be a leader in terms of crypto-currency exchanges. There are a number of crypto-exchanges currently testing at the Central Bank of Bahrain Sandbox. If we can get this right, we can emerge as not only as a regional leader but also an international leader. I think there are so many ways in which Bahrain in terms of its financial industry and its wider economy be embracing Blockchain Technology for the good of the economy. Frances interior ministry said Saturday that the number of yellow vest protesters in France was estimated at 33,500 at midday, half the level of a week ago. The ministry said 77,000 yellow vests -- named after the fluorescent jackets they wear -- had been counted at the same point last weekend. Police in Paris said fewer than 3,000 had gathered in the capital for the fifth consecutive Saturday of demonstrations, which have so far been largely peaceful. In the early afternoon, security forces fired teargas on the Champs-Elysees, the epicentre of the protests on previous weekends, as around 500 yellow vests gathered to denounce the government of President Emmanuel Macron. In recent years, museums in the United States have surrendered antiquities to numerous countries after determining that the objects had been illicitly acquired. Those restitutions were necessary: No museum should retain a work that was stolen or transferred in violation of international law or treaty obligations. Due diligence in acquiring an antiquity requires, at a minimum, documentation of where it was discovered in modern times and its subsequent movements across national borders. Applying those standards is not always easy and, at least until recently, often not undertaken with appropriate thoroughness. There is, though, a notable exception: the J Paul Getty Museums 1977 purchase of Statue of a Victorious Youth, a Greek statue known as the Getty Bronze that Italy is claiming as its own. Life-size Greek bronzes are rare, and ones of this caliber are especially prized. Although the Getty Bronze is currently dated to the second or third century B.C., it was first attributed to the fourth-century Greek sculptor Lysippos. Before acquiring it, the Getty undertook a comprehensive, five-year effort to determine that the statue could be purchased legally and in good faith. That review is said to have included analysis of international, Italian, American and California law and, notably, of Italian court decisions pertaining to the work. The bronze was found in 1964 in Adriatic waters by Italian fisherman. In 1968, Italys highest court, the Court of Cassation, ruled that there was no evidence that the statue belonged to the Italian state. Although the fishermen took the statue onto Italian soil, the court did not find that its brief presence in Italy transformed the sculpture into a component of Italian cultural heritage. Before it arrived at the Getty, the statue made its way to a German art dealer who put the statue up for sale. According to the Getty, in 1973, acting on a request from Italy, German police initiated an investigation into whether the German dealer had received stolen goods. The investigation was dropped for lack of evidence of wrongdoing. In 1977, the Getty purchased the bronze in Britain for almost $4 million from a gallery affiliated with the German dealer. The bronze has now been publicly exhibited, studied and cared for at the Getty for 40 years. In 1989, Italy requested that the Getty give up the statue and the Getty declined. In 2006, as part of negotiations that resulted in the transfer of 40 antiquities from the Getty to Italy, Italy again asked for the bronze. The Getty again declined, and years of litigation ensued. Last week, responding to an appeal by the Getty, Italys Court of Cassation decided (without a published ruling explaining its reasoning) that the museum must forfeit the bronze. The New York Times reported that Italy insists the statue was found in Italian territorial waters a conclusion that runs contrary to the Court of Cassations 1968 ruling and that it was illicitly exported from Italy. We provided enough evidence, the Italian prosecutor told The New York Times, adding that the statue was culturally and administratively Italian when it sank in antiquity. But it is not clear what that evidence is. Under principles of international law, illegal export is not, absent a treaty provision to the contrary, actionable in the courts of another country. Since 2001, Italy and the United States have had such an agreement but it does not apply retroactively. The Getty, for its part, is unconvinced it should give up the statue. The law and facts in this case do not warrant restitution, a museum representative has said. The Italian Ministry of Culture has said it plans to seek American assistance in forfeiting the bronze. In recent years, the Justice Department has assisted many countries (including Italy) in recovering illicitly acquired works located in the United States. That assistance is appropriate (and good public policy) when there is solid evidence of wrongdoing. But in the case of the Getty Bronze, the expenditure of American taxpayers money and the deployment of the Justice Departments limited resources would be a mistake. In acquiring the bronze, the Getty relied on a decision of Italys highest court and acted in good faith. Unless Italy provides compelling new evidence, the best future for this victorious youth is to remain in the only permanent home he has known since his discovery 54 years ago in Los Angeles, at the Getty. Garba Shehu, special assistant to the president on media and publicity, and Yemi Kale, the statistician-general of the federation, hav... Garba Shehu, special assistant to the president on media and publicity, and Yemi Kale, the statistician-general of the federation, have disagreed over methods of tracking job creation and unemployment numbers in Nigeria. Speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, Shehu said Yemi Kale, who doubles as the CEO of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), told the Federal Executive Council that the NBS only takes white collar jobs into consideration when preparing its jobs report. The NBS chief had addressed the federal cabinet and he made the admission that they had concentrated analysis over time on white collar jobs that they had not taken cognisance of job creation in areas of agriculture, Shehu said. The rice farmers association of Nigeria made the open claim and nobody has challenged them up to the time that we speak that they had created 12m new jobs. When he finished addressing the federal cabinet last week, the government asked the DG of the NBS, go out there and tell Nigerian public, you are just telling us now that Kebbi and Ebonyi are reporting the lowest unemployment rate in the country on account of agriculture. SHEHU: NBS DATA MISLEADING So, I think the data collected on the bases of which some of the judgement has been passed that is misleading, Shehu added. The data has been unfair to the agriculture, they had ignored job creation in the area of agriculture. If you are talking about job losses, no, we have created at least 12m new jobs in the area of agriculture. When the claims were brought to the attention of the NBS chief on Twitter, he said he made no such submissions to anybody at any time. Assuming what you claim was said was actually said then I make it very clear that neither the statistician-general nor NBS ever made any such admission at any time to anybody, Kale said. The unemployment computations does take into account all sectors, age groups, and both rural and urban areas. SHEHU FIGHTS BACK To clear the air after Kales denial, Shehu said he spoke of a very bright jobs creation by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, adding that he said nothing wrong. There is nothing wrong with what I said on sunrisedailynow, this morning. I spoke about the very bright picture of jobs creation by the Buhari administration Mr Yemi Kale gave last week. That impressive report on jobs created in agriculture showed that rice-growing states like Jigawa, Ebonyi and Kebbi had the lowest unemployment. Mr. President, who had complained many times about employment figures reflecting mostly white collar jobs and therefore unfairly underplaying the millions of jobs his administration has created in the farms must have felt a sense of vindication. The response by the government was, go and put this out, address a world press conference to correct the wrong impression for all to know how well we are doing in creating jobs. We hope there will soon be a date for that press conference. The NBS has not released any unemployment report in 2018, following the failure of the federal government to release funds for conducting the surveys for the final report. Garba Shehu, special assistant to the president on media and publicity, and Yemi Kale, the statistician-general of the federation, have disagreed over methods of tracking job creation and unemployment numbers in Nigeria. Speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, Shehu said Yemi Kale, who doubles as the CEO of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), told the Federal Executive Council that the NBS only takes white collar jobs into consideration when preparing its jobs report. The NBS chief had addressed the federal cabinet and he made the admission that they had concentrated analysis over time on white collar jobs that they had not taken cognisance of job creation in areas of agriculture, Shehu said. The rice farmers association of Nigeria made the open claim and nobody has challenged them up to the time that we speak that they had created 12m new jobs. When he finished addressing the federal cabinet last week, the government asked the DG of the NBS, go out there and tell Nigerian public, you are just telling us now that Kebbi and Ebonyi are reporting the lowest unemployment rate in the country on account of agriculture. SHEHU: NBS DATA MISLEADING So, I think the data collected on the bases of which some of the judgement has been passed that is misleading, Shehu added. The data has been unfair to the agriculture, they had ignored job creation in the area of agriculture. If you are talking about job losses, no, we have created at least 12m new jobs in the area of agriculture. When the claims were brought to the attention of the NBS chief on Twitter, he said he made no such submissions to anybody at any time. Assuming what you claim was said was actually said then I make it very clear that neither the statistician-general nor NBS ever made any such admission at any time to anybody, Kale said. The unemployment computations does take into account all sectors, age groups, and both rural and urban areas. SHEHU FIGHTS BACK To clear the air after Kales denial, Shehu said he spoke of a very bright jobs creation by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, adding that he said nothing wrong. There is nothing wrong with what I said on sunrisedailynow, this morning. I spoke about the very bright picture of jobs creation by the Buhari administration Mr Yemi Kale gave last week. That impressive report on jobs created in agriculture showed that rice-growing states like Jigawa, Ebonyi and Kebbi had the lowest unemployment. Mr. President, who had complained many times about employment figures reflecting mostly white collar jobs and therefore unfairly underplaying the millions of jobs his administration has created in the farms must have felt a sense of vindication. The response by the government was, go and put this out, address a world press conference to correct the wrong impression for all to know how well we are doing in creating jobs. We hope there will soon be a date for that press conference. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will need another strategic session in Dubai, in... The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will need another strategic session in Dubai, in order to present a new alternative ahead of the 2019 polls. APC Spokesman, Lanre Issa-Onilu, made the assertion in reply to a statement by PDPs presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to resign. Atiku in a communique made on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, noted that Buharis recent assessment of the nations economy, in which he stated that it had gone out of control, was enough evidence that the president had failed. However, disagreeing with Atiku, Issa-Onilu said, It is very amazing that two months into the election, PDP is still not presenting any alternative governance agenda before the people of this country. Sadly, the main opposition party appears at a loss as to how to face Nigerians knowing they would have to explain why they so badly mismanaged this country at a period of surplus. The Federal Government has said that talks with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have so far been fruitful, expressing ... The Federal Government has said that talks with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have so far been fruitful, expressing optimism that the ongoing strike by the university teachers, will soon be called off. According to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, this is predicated on the FGs consideration of some of ASUUs demands, including the submission of the unions list of outstanding payments, and the identification of some areas in the universities in need of revitalisation as contained in the signed 2009 agreement. Ngige said: There are areas that are still outstanding which we are going to address on the 17th. We have the issue of shortfall of salaries, that of some federal university workers. ASUU has given a list to the office of the Accountant General. We agreed that by Wednesday that the list will be checked to find out really whether those universities were actually paid and they have to be visited and paid the outstanding lecturers there. So, the Accountant Generals office is to come back to us. We have also the issue of Earned Academic Allowance and the issue of revitalisation. These are issues of 2009 agreement. We will look into the consideration and we have identified one area of the fund for revitalisation. The federal government organs will be contacted and we do expect that we will have some words for ASUU. Same goes for the earned allowances. We will make sure that the issue of the outstanding amounts is handled in a way that all parties will be properly accommodated, he said. Ngige revealed that during the talks, the quality of graduates from state-owned universities was brought to focus, with a view to upgrading the standard of education in order to meet with global standards. We also discussed the issue of state universities and since education is on concurrent list, the universities should be properly funded and staffed, so that we do not produce half baked graduates from those universities. And towards realising that, the ministry of education will engage the Nigeria Governors Forum. The minister of education is taking steps towards that direction and will organise that interaction. Engaging them directly and giving professional advice is what the ministry will do. These are some of the issues we discussed and to me; the discussions were fruitful. We want the children to go back to school, he added. Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says President Muhammadu Buhari is tired. He said th... Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says President Muhammadu Buhari is tired. He said this while responding to the presidents comment that Nigerias economy is in a bad shape. Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state and chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), had quoted Buhari as saying this during a meeting with governors on the proposed minimum wage, on Friday. In his reaction reaction however, Atiku said the president is only making a confession of failure in order to garner sympathy from Nigerians especially as the 2019 elections draw close. He called on the president to resign and return to Daura, his hometown in Katsina state. Atiku said this in a statement issued on his behalf by Phrank Shaibu, his special assistant on public communication. The economy has collapsed under his (Buharis) watch and he has by this frank remarks admitted that he has no idea on how to fix it and that is why he summoned the governors to help him, the statement read. The result of course is this late hour confession of failure on the eve of our general elections, in the hope that millions of Nigerians, whom he has condemned to poverty and hardship will give him a clap for failing abysmally. This is really very sad because President Buhari has run out of time and what Nigerians need now is a leadership which has the political will, administrative experience and sound economic acumen to get Nigeria working again. I dare say that President Buhari has miscalculated badly on this matter because Nigerians are simply fed up with him. It is amazing that, in this day and age when leaders of nations are expected to be creative and think outside the box, by applying new digital tools and embracing new thinking in addressing the emerging challenges to modern governance, our own President is still living in the Paleolithic age of blame game and buck passing as responsible for his failures. What this simply means is that President Buhari was not really prepared for governance. President Buhari should wake up and smell the aroma of the coffee Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is brewing. He is tired and at his wits end and it is time for him to vacate active task of presidency and return to his much cherished sedentary, pastoral and rustic lifestyle in his country home in Daura then leave the rigours and highly strategic art of governance to those who know how to govern and get the economy working again. Residents of Molai, a village four kilometers off Maiduguri, Borno state capital, are currently on the run following a heavy gunfire b... Residents of Molai, a village four kilometers off Maiduguri, Borno state capital, are currently on the run following a heavy gunfire between soldiers and Boko Haram fighters. A resident said that the army has mobilised troops to the area to repel the fighters who struck 45 minutes ago. Molai is the only village in that axis where there has been no insurgent attack in the last two months. Dalori, Konduga, Dala Shuwa, Dala Karamsu, Mammanti, Zabarmari, all surrounding villages, have been attacked recently. There have been concerns over resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in Borno. On Friday, insurgents invaded Gudumbali, Guzamala local government area of the state, dislodging soldiers and carting away gun trucks. Some of the soldiers affected in the operation, the third in the last one month, are currently taking refuge at a military location in Damasak, a nearby town. One day later, at least 12 farmers were killed during an invasion on Zabarmari community. Speaking on Sunday, Audu Zabarmari, a resident of the area, said: Boko Haram jihadists have killed 7 farmers in the Zabarmari rice farm on Saturday. We discovered additional five dead bodies today and several other farmers are still missing. Audu said he could not ascertain the number of people killed as the search was still ongoing. In what seem to be intensified attacks on farmers, the insurgents have reportedly killed not less than 40 farmers and destroyed more than 200 hectares of farmland in the last two months. While the military said it has intensified efforts to end the attacks, Abubakar Elkanemi, shehu of Borno, recently raised the alarm over Boko Haram siege. Nobody can dare move out of Maiduguri by 10 kilometres without being confronted, attacked by Boko Haram, he had said when President Muhammadu Buhari visited last month. Quite a number of farmers are being killed and kidnapped on a daily basis around Molai General Area, which is just 10 kilometres away from the metropolis, along Maiduguri -Damboa -Biu road. Prof. Richard Iyiola Akindele, a former lecturer in the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, dragged to court for demanding sex to pass one of his students, Monica Osagie, on Monday, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.The prosecutor, Mr. Shogunle Adenekan, said all parties in the matter had reached an agreement and pleaded for a suspended sentence for the accused.The matter was stood down for one hour.Details later Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan says President Muhammadu Buhari has been of great service to the country. Jonathan said this on Sun... Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan says President Muhammadu Buhari has been of great service to the country. Jonathan said this on Sunday in a goodwill message to Buhari on his 76th birthday. He said the president has contributed much to the development of the country, having served in different offices. The former president prayed for good health and more productive years for Buhari. Yours has been a life of great service to our dear nation, having served as a brave soldier, governor, minister of petroleum, head of state and now president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the message read. I join you, your family, well-wishers and fellow Nigerians to give thanks to Almighty God for the gift of a long life. I wish you good health and more productive years, as you continue to lend your skills and energy to the task of building a Nigeria of our dreams. Jonathan lost his reelection to Buhari in 2015. Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state, says Ayodele Fayose, his predecessor, received N18.4 billion bailout fund from the federal gov... Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state, says Ayodele Fayose, his predecessor, received N18.4 billion bailout fund from the federal government but refused to pay workers salaries. Fayemi said this on Meet Your Governor, a monthly interactive programme he introduced after he was sworn in October. He promised to give the people of the state a forensic audit financial report of the state when his administration clocks 100 days in office. We will give Ekiti people forensic comprehensive report on finances in our hundred days in office. Ekiti tate has not received intervention funds from federal government under my watch, he said. Former governor Ayodele Fayose collected N18.4 billion from the coffers of the federal government. Its sad that those who praised Fayose government that took the over N18 billion Paris Fund from the federal government and failed to pay backlog of salaries are the ones lying against this government that just clocked two months in office. We decided not to appoint political office holders in other to pave way for workers salary. The governor also said security officers in the state now enjoy allowances to motivate them. Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state who clocked 69 years on Sunday begged the political class and the people of the state for forgiveness for any errors he might have made as the state governor.Ajimobi made the plea during two different events to commemorate and celebrate his 69th birthday.He spoke at a grand reception organised by the apex umbrella body of all Ibadan socio-cultural groups, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, and the inauguration of a multi-million naira central mosque he built.At the CCII event, the governor said, Oyo State is a state that is loved and blessed by God and we all must work for its uplift.We must not mock each other or work against anybody for selfish reason. I dont want the downfall of anybody. What do I stand to gain if someone elses fall?Unlike those before me, I have never written any petition against anybody. If you steal what belongs to the people, if God did not reward you for your evil deeds, your children will pay for it.I want to beg all of us to please continue this tradition of celebrating one another. It is not because I am leaving office, but because our state must be developed.At the dedication of the mosque, named, Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi Central Mosque, located beside the All Progressives Congress state secretariat, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, the governor was also installed and decorated as the Basorun Musulumi of Oyo State.The mosque was inaugurated by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Saad Abubakar.The Sultan stated that the building of a mosque was a significant thing, adding that there was no better thing the governor could have dedicated than the mosque.The monarch also called on the governor not to relent in what he described as his good works.In his address, popular Islamic cleric and preacher, Sheikh Muyideen Ajani-Bello, commended the governor for fulfilling his covenant with God.He said the dedicated mosque belonged to God and the people, adding that it should not be seen as a family property.Ajani-Bello said, Please, dont see this as the last you will do for your people and God. You must have offended people as the governor, I implore you to seek forgiveness from them.The event was attended by Alhaji Sakariyau Babalola, NSCIA Deputy President-General; Alhaji Daud Akinola, the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland; and Prof. Daud Noibi, Secretary-General, Muslim Ummah of South Western Nigeria (MUSWEN).However, Ajimobi was turbaned as the new Bashorun Musulumi of Oyo State by the Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh AbdulGaniy Abubakri and was blessed by the NSCIA president-general.In his address at the reception, the President-General of CCII, Chief Yemi Soladoye, said without the commitment and dedication of all the former governors in the state, Ibadan would not have attained its pace-setter status in Nigeria.The reception was attended by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji; Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola; Oba Lekan Balogun; Governors Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo state), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun) who was represented by his deputy, Mr Benedict Alabi, and captain of industries, as well as political leaders. The Presidency has blamed former President Goodluck Jonathan for causing the delay in the formation of President Muhammadu Buharis cabinet.Buhari was inaugurated on May 29, 2015 but formed his cabinet on November 11 of the same year.Speaking on Channels Televisions Sunrise Daily on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Jonathan did not give Buhari handover notes until 48 hours before his departure.He said, That President Buhari took 166 days to form a cabinet is absolutely untrue. It took him time to form a cabinet because the outgoing administration in 2015 did not cooperate with the transition committee.The President was given handover notes 48 hours to the handover of power and for whatever reason, the President at that time determined that two governments would not operate at the same time.However, a Spokesman for the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Mr. Phrank Shuaibu, said Buhari had a penchant for blaming others but himself.Shuaibu said it was laughable that Buhari who had contested the Presidency for 12 years could take over 160 days to set up a cabinet.He added, Saying Mr President had to wait for handover notes from his predecessor before forming a cabinet is an admittance of lack of preparedness for the office of the President and the onerous responsibility of managing a country like Nigeria.For an office you sought election for four times, obviously you should be able to identify eggheads that can help you manage the country. He didnt need to wait for handover notes before being able to form a cabinet. He had no working plan. He was practically what El-Rufai would refer to as an accidental public servant or an accidental President. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State has called on the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to justify the originality of his campaign promises.Sanwo-OluSanwo-OluRaising the challenge, the PDP particularly identified Mr Sanwo-Olus purported plan to install WiFi within the Lagos State University, LASU, as one of the major campaign promises of Mr Jimi Agbaje since 2014.Reacting to PDPs allegation, the Director of Media and Publicity to Mr. Sanwo-Olus campaign team, Sesan Daini, said that Sanwo-Olus antecedent indicated he needs not embark on governance tutorials before understanding needs of Lagos residents.In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taofik Gani, PDP said: Indeed Mr Sanwo-Olu will remain fake in his promises. The WiFi project has always been frontal in Agbajes promises. Whereas Sanwo-Olu is restricting the project to only LASU and also to be used within a timed period, the original idea by Agbaje remains to install free, safe, unlimited, fast WiFi connections in all our public school, especially tertiary and secondary, and in conducive public areas of the state. We remain tied to the promise.We alert Lagosians to reject his mediocrity and never vote for him. Sanwo-Olu is not self-convinced in this race, he does not have any original idea to develop Lagos state, he is only being propelled by the APC chieftains who will cage him to enrich themselves alone because indeed they manipulated the APC governorship primary to ensure his vindictive emergence.The party also berated Mr Sanwo-Olu for moving around the state as if already a governor.Mr Sanwo-Olu drives around the state using siren in his convoy and harassing motorists. We have several complaints from motorists about this attitude of his. Is Sanwo-Olu going to be a bully governor on us, we ask?, the party said.Daini said: I dont know the yardstick Jimi Agbaje has to measure someones preparedness. One thing that I know as pointer for anyone aiming to do something comes from his antecedent.Since 2002, he has been serving the state and that showed he doesnt need to embark on any tutorial on governance before vying for public office. He understands the system.He is not like someone that has not vie for the post of councillor and thinks he can govern Lagos. As far as Babajide Sanwo-Olu is concerned, he is prepared to implement the manifesto of the party. And APC is ready for the task ahead.He does not use siren whenever he moves in the state. We only move with some bodyguards to guide him. Also, he moves with directors of the Independent Campaign Group, ICG and party faithful to meet with residents of the state, all these drive after him.We dont harass nor intimidate residents of the state. In fact, we obey all traffic rules and regulations. We ensure that none of the residents right is infringed upon. A Federal High Court in Osun on Monday, Sentenced a former Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) lecturer, Richard Akindele, to two years i... A Federal High Court in Osun on Monday, Sentenced a former Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) lecturer, Richard Akindele, to two years in prison for demanding s3x-for-marks from a student, Monica Osagie. Justice Maureen Onyekenu, gave the order after Akindele changed his plea, from not guilty to guilty. The trial judge ordered that the lecturer serves his sentence in Ilesa prison, due to the magnitude of the offence he committed which is prevalent in the country. Onyekenu had earlier rejected a suspended sentence and plea bargain which the Defendants counsel , Mr Francis Omotosho, had pleaded for, noting that suspended sentence and plea bargain should be premised on public interest. She decried the gravity of the offence the convict committed, adding that someone must be used as an escape goat without letting the issue of sexual harrasment in tertiary institutions continue like that. The Defence Counsel, Francis Omotosho, had earlier pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client. NAN reports that the lecturer was first arraigned before Justice Maureen Onyetenu on Nov. 19 by the ICPC on four counts of alteration of age and demanding sex to pass his student . Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has directed the immediate payment of December salaries for workers.According to the statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, the governor directed the State Ministry of Finance to ensure that payment of workers salaries for the month of December 2018 commenced on Wednesday.To avoid unnecessary delay, Ortom directed that officers who prepare payment vouchers should put in an extra effort even if it meant working all night, to see that workers received their wages with effect from Wednesday this week.Ortom said that the directive was to enable workers to celebrate Christmas, as he earlier promised them.The Governor cautioned that any officer who flouts the directive will be sanctioned.Ortom reaffirmed his commitment to the monthly payment of salaries as he had done since the beginning of the year.He reassured workers of the state that the arrears of their salaries would be paid as soon as his administration was able to access the required funds.The statement said that the governor appreciated workers understanding and cooperation and wished them Merry Christmas in advance. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has heaped praised on his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari as he turned 76 on Monday. Osinbajo who is... Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has heaped praised on his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari as he turned 76 on Monday. Osinbajo who is in Vienna, Austria to participate in the Africa-Europe High Level Forum with other African and European Heads of States or Government, described Buhari as a man who genuinely loves Nigeria. Osinbajo alongside Buhari are seeking a second term in office in the forthcoming general elections billed for February 2019. Sending his greetings, Osinbajo took to Twitter and wrote, To a man, who has been exemplary in life and his commitment to Nigeria, he tweeted along with a painted sketch of Buhari. He added that, To a man who has a great sense of humour, he said of Buhari who had three failed attempts to be President. To a man who genuinely loves the Nigerian people and to a man I am privileged to call Boss, Happy 76th Birthday! Osinbajo wrote. President Buhari was born in Daura on 17 December 1942, and after his early education in both Daura and Katsina, he joined the army in 1961, one year ahead of Babangida, who joined in 1962. After initial training at the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) now known as Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Buhari went for cadet training at from 1962 to 1963 at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant at the age of 20, and appointed Platoon Commander of the Second Infantry Battalion in Abeokuta. From then on, his military career blossomed. At the head of several commands, before, during and after the civil war, Buhari in 1973 attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, India. After the 1975 coup that brought Murtala Muhammed to power, Buhari was appointed governor of the North Eastern state, where he is now leading, as civilian president and commander-in-chief, a charge of Nigerian troops against Boko Haram insurgency, since 2015. Nigerias Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday night left for Austria, to participate in the Africa-Europe High Level Forum with ot... Nigerias Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday night left for Austria, to participate in the Africa-Europe High Level Forum with other African and European Heads of States and Government holding in Vienna, between Monday, December 17, and Tuesday, December 18. This was contained in a press statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-president on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande. According to the statement, Osinbajo would be speaking on the theme: Taking cooperation to the digital age at the High-Level Forum, hosted by the Austrian government on behalf of the European Union and the African Union. The High-Level Forum will promote innovation and digitalisation according to the organizers in the EU and AU, as important enablers of our future development, so that everyone can benefit from the ongoing digital transformation. The forum aims at assessing how current partnerships between Africa and Europe contribute to this goal, complementing the ongoing implementation of the joint declaration of the 2017 Abidjan Summit between the African Union and the European Union, which, among other things, highlighted the importance of unlocking the potential of the digital economy for Africa and Europe. It also aims at contributing to the Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs. During his trip to Vienna, Prof. Osinbajo would hold a town-hall meeting with the Nigerian community in Austria; and also attend several bilateral meetings with European government leaders, including the Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Andrej Babis; Prime Minister of Finland, H.E. Juha Petri Sipila; the Federal Chancellor of Austria, His Excellency, Sebastian Kurz; and the UK Minister for Africa, Harriet Baldwin, the statement said. It added that Osinbajo would also use the opportunity to meet with top officials of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation before returning to Nigeria on Tuesday. Following the accusation leveled against the former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, by the special assistant to president Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Monday mocked the current administration, noting that their incompetence is on play as they attempt to blame the former President for Buharis delay in forming his cabinet.In a statement disclosed by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party opined that it is unfortunate that the Buhari Presidency will always resort to peddling falsehood as a cover for its failures.It is a settled matter that President Buhari could not form a cabinet for over five months after his inauguration, primarily due to sheer incompetence, lack of preparedness and the fact that he was overwhelmed by the complexity of the office of the President of Nigeria.In accusing the Jonathan administration of frustrating early formation of President Buharis cabinet, by allegedly delaying the submission of his handover notes to the Transition Committee, the Buhari Presidency forgot that the head of the Transition Committee, Ahmed Joda, had since May, 2015 publicly dispelled such as false and diversionary, noting that the committee got all the cooperation it needed from the Jonathans administration.Nigerians can also recall how President Buhari refused to hasten the formation of his cabinet following his widely condemned view, in September 2015, that ministers were mere noise makers.President Buhari had expressed his personal unwillingness to appoint ministers when, in an interview with France 24 TV, in France, he said that the absence of ministers was not affecting governance in Nigeria.According to President Buhari the ministers are there, I think, to make a lot of noise. As for the cabinet, I said we will have one by the end of the month, and time flies. The end of the month is coming too quickly for my liking.It is therefore ludicrous and the height of hypocrisy for the Buhari Presidency to now turn around after three years to blame President Jonathan for President Buharis confessed failure.The PDP counsels the Buhari Presidency to note that peddling falsehood and blaming the previous administration for its failures will not help it in 2019.President Buhari has not only shown, but also personally confessed that he lacks capacity to handle an economy as complex as Nigerias.The only thing left for President Buhari to do is to start preparing to accept defeat in 2019, as Nigerians are now rallying behind our candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who has the solutions and blueprint that guarantee a better future for our nation. Chairman of Senate Committee on Banks and other Financial Institutions, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, has slammed the leader of the All Progres... Chairman of Senate Committee on Banks and other Financial Institutions, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, has slammed the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, over his recent utterances about members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly. He said Tinubus utterances were increasingly unbecoming of a leader. Tinubu had at a public function attended by Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, in Ibadan , the Oyo state capital, accused some Senators of political prostitution in the build-up to the election of the 8th Senate President on June 7, 2015. Reacting to the allegation, Ibrahim said he was neither a political prostitute nor a robber in the events that culminated in Senator Lawan losing the Senate Presidency to Dr. Bukola Saraki on June 7, 2015. In an interview published on ThisDay newspaper on Monday, Senator Ibrahim (Kwara South), said: With a little apology to Tinubu, it is unfortunate that such utterances were coming from an elder statesman like him. Tinubu should seek caution in his public utterances because good leaders dont talk down on people the way he does and should note that his being a leader today does not mean he will be leader forever. I can say with emphasis that our own leaders dont talk to us the way Tinubu is talking. I reject being called a political prostitute in totality and can also say this about my other APC Senators then because I knew no money exchanged hands but we voted based on our conviction. Ibrahim said Tinubu was to blame for planning to impose a leadership on the Senate without carrying along APC Senators. He wondered why the former Lagos governor is still pained by what transpired over three and half years ago. You haunted and persecuted Dr Saraki since his emergence as Senate President and it took the ruling of the Supreme Court for him to be vindicated So, when there was no sincere reconciliation, we left the APC for them. Now, Tinubu is now referring to an old issue forgetting that he and others caused the problem then, the Senator added. The Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Jimi Agbaje has stated that APC has been rejected by all segments of the Lagos society.Speaking at a youth town hall meeting organised in honour of the PDPs Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Lagos on Monday, Agbaje stated that APC will lose by a wide margin in Lagos society.This is coming just as he accused the APC of doing all it could to subvert its campaign efforts ahead of the poll scheduled to hold in March next year.The PDP guber hopeful who spoke in pidgin English restated that the people of the state are tired of the prevailing status quo of one man rule.We have been on this for sometime and I can tell you that our campaign is for the freedom of Lagos. We are saying no more baba sope (godfatherism). He said.Commenting further in his prospects at the forthcoming election, Agbaje who promised Atiku of victory said, The only solution (for winning) that they have now is rigging.According to Agbaje the ruling party is jittery of impending defeat hence it has recourse to vandalism of the PDPs campaign assets.Them dey fear but I tell them sey, them never see anything yet. Over the weekend they were tearing and removing our posters and billboards. He said.While expressing his resolve and that of his party, the PDP, he vowed When they remove our billboards; we will put another ones. When they tear our posters, we will paste new ones.According to Agbaje, the people of the state have rejected the APC and that the confirmation would come during the forthcoming polls.I can assure you that as long as the people of Lagos are concerned they know who to vote for. If you go to the market and you ask the market women they will tell you that they know were to vote. All the people of the state know were to cast their votes. He said. The Senior Special Assistant to Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications, Segun Dipe, has absolved the All Progressives Congress, APC, of any blame over the booing of the immediate past governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose at the weekend.Dipe was reacting to the allegation of Fayoses Media Aide, Lere Olayinka that some miscreants invaded Emmanuel Cathedral Church, Ado Ekiti and booed Fayose during the wedding ceremony of the daughter of Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe on Saturday.Olayinka had alleged that the miscreants were calling Fayose unprintable names.However, Dipe said it was absurd for Olayinka to have made such unsubstantiated allegation against the ruling party.He said: Fayose lived as if there was no tomorrow, he reigned as if there was no expiry date to his regime. He trampled on the rights of the people, treating them like slaves in their own land.Our findings about the unfortunate fate that befell the former governor is that he was indeed booed, but by those he had offended within his own party, the PDP, who felt bruised and pained about the way he enslaved them within their own party.Fayose is the architect of his own misfortune. He will be living in a fools paradise to think the people will forget all his sins too quickly. He is now being haunted by his past misdeeds. Amb. Stuart Symington, U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, says there is need to diversify Nigerias economy towards pursuing deeper growth and d... Amb. Stuart Symington, U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, says there is need to diversify Nigerias economy towards pursuing deeper growth and development. Symington made the remarks at the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) Annual Dinner and Inauguration of Otunba Oluwatoyin Akomolafe as NACCs 18th President in Lagos. Symington, in a statement by Ebuka Ugochukwu, the Communication Manager, Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, on Sunday, said that Nigeria should reduce its dependence on crude oil. Let us make the Nigerian brand what God has made it which is the green and white. There is need to diversify the economy in order to pursue development and a better future. The entire world is getting old while Africa and Nigeria is getting younger, because they are growing six times faster over the next three years, faster than even India or China. The question about this growth being a blessing or a curse, is dependent on us as a country, he said. According to him, Nigeria has the opportunity to leverage the very best of U.S-Nigeria relationship, joined together by ties of blood, education, investment and other factors to unite it. We all have a secret opportunity to do well alone and to do good together. Nigeria is a land of the free and the home of the brave. Changing the world and making it a better place is a task left for us all to do, the envoy said. The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) needs another strategic session in Dubai. In November,... The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) needs another strategic session in Dubai. In November, top leaders of the opposition party spent at least four days in Dubai, strategising for the 2019 elections. Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC spokesman, said it is amazing that the opposition party could not present any alternative governance agenda before the 2019 polls. Issa-Onilu said instead of focusing on its own campaign, the PDP is worried about if the ruling party has commenced its own or not. It is very amazing that two months into the election, PDP is still not presenting any alternative governance agenda before the people of this country. Sadly, the main opposition party appears at a loss as to how to face Nigerians knowing they would have to explain why they so badly mismanaged this country at a period of surplus, he said. Rather than focus on its own campaign, the only apparent concern of PDP is whether APC has flagged off its campaigns or not. Of course, APC will soon begin strategic engagements with the people of this country. Unlike PDP, our party as the ruling party began our campaign immediately President Muhamnadu Buhari resumed office. carrying out massive infrastructural projects in all the 36 states of the country. We have invested heavily in social intervention programmes targeted at the ordinary Nigerians, at a scale never seen before in this country. The onslaught against corruption, the lasting solutions being put in place to provide security across our country, the transformation in the agricultural and the solid minerals sectors are the real campaigns that the APC government has embarked on since June 2015. We have spent the last three and half yearscarrying outmassive infrastructural projects in all the 36 states of the country. We have invested heavily in social intervention programmes targeted at the ordinary Nigerians, at a scale never seen before in this country. The onslaught against corruption, the lasting solutions being put in place to provide security across our country, the transformation in the agricultural and the solid minerals sectors are the real campaigns that the APC government has embarked on since June 2015. We understand that PDP cannot campaign on issues as they have none to present. PDPs recent attempts to speak to issues have ended in disgrace as it became obvious they base their projections and analyses on fallacious data. In effect, PDP is left with no other option than to resort to sophistry. They obviously need another trip to Dubai. Perhaps, they may try China this time, hoping they would at least get their figures right. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. China's armed forces successfully performed a complex mid-air refueling for its J-10B fighter jet at night. The mastery of the difficult task during training drills allows the planes to fly for days in a row, effectively improving the all-weather long-range combat capability of the army. The training has been successfully done on the single and double-seat versions of the J-10B jet fighter. Jet fighter air refueling is a highly challenging flight training exercise, and night air refueling is even more risky. In order to complete the training, the air force has conducted research on key technical points such as formation, accuracy and speed control through theoretical analysis, land simulation and performance tests. More than 10 emergency response plans were formed for each critical session of the refueling. Lei Xiao, the brigade commander, said that a quality assessment and comparison between the refueling in both day and night would be done after every single flight to lay a solid foundation for further theoretical research. The brigade has been conducting high-tech training sessions such as setting random and intractable electromagnetic disturbances and strategic training for different air combat scenarios. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force recently introduced a new type of medical care aircraft in what seems to be a variant of the Y-9 medium-sized transport plane that can operate not only as an air ambulance but also a flying hospital. The PLA Air Force recently conducted a medical transport drill using the new aircraft at an undetermined airport in Southwest China, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday. Judging from the CCTV footage, the medical care aircraft is a variant of the Y-9 that can rapidly take off and land in the frontlines, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday. Capable of treating more than 30 soldiers and officers at the same time, the plane is loaded with basic medical and intensive care modules, carrying a wide array of equipment, including monitors, defibrillators and ultrasound equipment, CCTV reported. The plane can serve not only as a fast air ambulance but also a mobile flying hospital with an ICU that can conduct complicated operations independently, Song said. The original Y-9 aircraft, a medium-sized tactical transport plane with a maximum range of about 4,000 kilometers, went into service with the PLA Air Force in late 2016 and has been modified for various purposes, including as an early warning aircraft, surveillance aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft, according to a separate CCTV report in November. The Y-9 conducted its first medical care transportation mission in March, when it successfully transferred a critically ill officer from Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to a hospital in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The latest variation of Y-9 was not available then. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Nobody could accuse Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of not working hard. Over the past two years, New York's newly-elected congresswoman, who defeated a ten-term incumbent in the Democratic Primary and went on to easily win in the midterms, has been campaigning (and campaigning and campaigning and campaigning) in between restaurant and bar shifts in Queens. She hasn't had a whole lot of time off, but that's about to change. At least for a week. On her Instagram story this afternoon, Ocasio-Cortez explained to her followers that she is, at long last, doing the self care thing. "Hello everybody," she said in a selfie vid. "I am starting a week of self care where I am taking the week off and taking care of me. I don't know how to do that though, so I would appreciate any and all self care tips." The 29-year-old politician went on to explain that she used to be pretty good at taking care of herself, before midterms took over her life: eating well, practicing yoga, and reading on the regular. That all went out the window when she started campaigning. And she wants to make sure followers know it. "I keep things raw and honest on here since I believe public servants do a disservice to our communities by pretending to be perfect," she said. "It makes things harder for others who aspire to run someday if they think they have to be superhuman before they even try." Related: The Midterms Milestones You Might Have Missed Of course, she notes that self care (a concept originating with Audre Lorde, who framed it as "an act of political warfare") can be complicated. Especially for someone with "an immigrant, poor, or working class background." Ocasio-Cortez admits that the thought of her mother "working herself to the bone" makes her feel "a lot of guilt" for taking time off. Still, she's doing it anyway, and we're glad. She'll drive to upstate New York with "lots of" books, epsom salt, lavender oil, and music in her suitcase. A joint military training between the Chinese and Indian military is underway in Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Code-named "Hand-in-Hand 2018," the drill aims to strengthen their capabilities in responding to terrorism. "During this training, the troops are regrouped into mixed teams. This will help both sides get familiar with each other's tactical skills, training methods and command procedures," Zhou Jun, head of the Chinese command group, told CGTN. During the two-week military exchange, the trainees are scheduled to take part in a variety of subjects, including rope-bridge crossing, slithering, cordon and search, and combat firing, among other subjects. "This combat firing experience has given the opportunity to both sides to enhance their combat firing skill and their experiences to undertake the counter-terrorism operation in the joint environment. Moreover, in order to achieve the synergy, the coordination and the cooperation between the two armies, we have fired each other's weapons," said Atual Yadav, a trainee from the Indian army. Li Yuhong, a participant from the Chinese side, said he has achieved a lot over the past few days from the training, which started on December 11. "Through this exchange with our Indian counterparts, I have improved a lot in tactics and some essential skills over the past few days. I feel more confident now," said Li, who has been in the army for about seven years. This is the seventh counter-terrorism joint training between the Chinese and Indian armies since 2007, and the first one since the two countries' border dispute last year. It is a concrete step to implement the consensus reached between leaders of the two countries. During their four meetings this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicated their willingness to strengthen cooperation in various fields. At the border talks also held in Chengdu on November 24, both countries agreed that the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries should be implemented among the two peoples, including frontline troops. The two armies hail this drill as a significant step to push forward more exchanges. "This particular exercise, as in the past, will further our ability to operate jointly, learn from each other and finally achieve friendship between both armies," said Puneet Pratap Singh Tomar, head of the Indian command group. Zhou Jun echoed him, saying that the two sides have great teamwork and get along well with each other. The interaction has brought them closer. The training will last until December 23. After Dolce & Gabbana's disastrous racist ad campaign, luxury fashion label Prada has also managed to come out with their own problematic product. The brand released "Pradamalia," which is a line of monkey keychains and toys that evoke extremely racist imagery. People have specifically been pointing out how much it resembles blackface. On the most prominent voices that called out Prada was Chinyere Ezie, who on Thursday explained just what was wrong with the supposedly innocent creatures designed by the label. She wrote a long Facebook post after happening upon the SoHo window display of the Pradamalia. And, to give it more context, she said she recently came from an "emotional visit" to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which included an exhibit on blackface. She wrote: "I don't make a lot of public posts, but right now I'm shaking with anger. Today after returning to NYC after a very emotional visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Cultureincluding an exhibit on blackface, I walked past Prada's Soho storefront only to be confronted with the very same racist and denigrating #blackface imagery. I entered the store with a coworker, only to be assaulted with more and more bewildering examples of their Sambo like imagery. When I asked a Prada employee whether they knew they had plastered blackface imagery throughout their store, in a moment of surprising candor I was told that *a black employee had previously complained about blackface at Prada, but he didn't work there anymore.* History cannot continue to repeat itself. Black America deserves better. And we demand better. Until then please repost and retweet @Prada using the hashtags#StopBlackface #BoycottPrada #EndRacismNow" Tehran conference exploring an "Iran in Transition" 12/17/18 Source: Tehran Times TEHRAN - Political and social developments of Iran in the early 19th-century is being addressed in a two-day conference, which on Monday opened at the University of Tehran. Titled "L'Iran en transition: de la revolution constitutionnelle a la fin de l'ere qajare," the event is explores the Persian Constitutional Revolution, also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, that took place between 1905 and 1911. It also turns the spotlight on the fall of the Qajar Dynasty (1794-1925), ISNA reported. The event is supported by the Institut Francais de Recherche en Iran, a Tehran-based archeological and historical institute which is part of the cultural wing of the French Embassy, and the Istanbul-based IFEA (Institut Francais d'Etudes Anatoliennes). The Constitutional Revolution opened the way for massive change in Persia, heralding the modern era. It saw a period of unprecedented debate in a burgeoning press as well. Iran's Oil Minister Joins Twitter, Reigniting Calls for All Iranians to Be Allowed to Use Social Network 12/17/18 Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran Twitter Banned in Iran Since 2009 But Many Officials Are Active Users Iranians from across the political spectrum responded to the new presence on Twitter by Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh by urging the government to lift the nine-year ban on the social media network. "I have joined Twitter in order to establish a more dynamic and effective communication with domestic and foreign audiences," Zanganeh wrote in his first tweet on December 12, 2018. While welcoming Zanganeh as yet another Iranian official to open an account on Twitter, Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi tweeted, "We have a circle of friends on Twitter and it's getting wider every day and yet the lawful request [to lift the state ban on Twitter] made by six ministers and two lawmakers has not been acted upon." Jahromi was referring to a letter sent to President Hassan Rouhani in May 2018 calling on him to allow people in Iran to legally use the social media network. The letter was signed by Jahromi as well as Education Minister Mohammad Bathaei, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, Justice Minister Alireza Avaie, Science Minister Mansour Gholami, Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Abbas Salehi, and Members of Parliament Ramezanali Sobhanifar and Mohammad Kazemi. "Add My Name to the List of People Requesting an End to the Ban on Twitter" Soon after the oil minister's first tweet, several Iranians began tweeting with the hashtag, "Remove_Twitter_Filter" in the Farsi language (#__), with many demanding an end to the ban. In their tweets, Iranian users including government officials, lawmakers and journalists from across the political spectrum also used the phrase "please add my name" to express their support for the letter sent to Rouhani. "Mr. Jahromi, as another member of Parliament, please add my name to the list of people requesting an end to the block on Twitter," wrote Mohammad Reza Badamchi, a reformist representing the people of Tehran. Fatemeh Hosseini, another reformist lawmaker, tweeted the same words. Rashid Davoodi, a Shia cleric, wrote, "Mr. Azari Jahromi! ... Explain to the decision makers that unlike those who signed that piece of scrap paper [letter], the people will not wait to be handed their rights! Whether you like it or not, they will take them, as they have in the past." Journalist Yashar Soltani reacted, "Filtering [blocking] Twitter is more impractical than hiding your head in the snow and ignoring realities, especially if those who imposed the ban decide to mobilize their cyber officers to have an effective presence on the network." "Mr. Jahromi, please add my name as an ordinary citizen to the list of people requesting an end to the ban on Twitter," he added. Mohammad Vahidi, a student, tweeted: "Mr. Islamic Republic, as opponents of overthrowing the state, all of us, including conservatives, reformists, and even [moderates] and hardcore leftists are fighting against the enemies of this land of ours. Don't you want to free the hands of ordinary citizens and lovers of Iran and let them have access to this space without obstacles?" Political science student Hoda Tohidi wrote, "Mr. Azari Jahromi, we expect more from you than just requesting the removal of the ban on Twitter. We know it was not you who imposed the ban but it seems like you are not making a strong effort against it either. Nevertheless, in support of this small effort, add my name to the list of people requesting an end to the ban on Twitter." Ali Mojtahedzadeh, a human rights lawyer, asked why government officials were campaigning against the ban when they technically have the power to lift it: "It seems like the lawmakers' and cabinet members' support for unblocking Twitter is a bit disingenuous. It's understandable if I and other civil rights activists join this campaign because as ordinary citizens we don't have any other leverage. But what about the other gentlemen? Don't they have any power? Then what's the point of being in the government or a member of Parliament?!" On the other hand, some users expressed support for the ban, including Sadegh Nikoo, a journalist working for the Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Nikoo added that he would support unblocking Twitter if the company agreed to Iran's state censorship policies. "If I was acting in place of judicial officials, I would make Twitter's unblocking conditional to accepting Iran's minimal demand to restrict things like pornography. In that case, I would certainly support removing the ban," he tweeted. Twitter and Facebook have been banned in Iran since 2009 when they were used to spread information about the massive protests that broke out in Tehran against the disputed result of the country's presidential election that year. The ban on Twitter has been partially lifted and then totally re-imposed over the years. Despite the ban, dozens of Iranian officials maintain accounts on the social media networks-some in English and Farsi-including the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Thousands of people in Iran with access to virtual private networks and other circumvention tools that enable users to bypass state bans also use the apps. Khamenei and many other hardline Iranian officials fear internet freedom and view the internet as a Western plot to undermine the Islamic Republic. Their attempts to entice Iranians to exclusively use the state-created National Information Network-which the government can more easily monitor, censor and control than the worldwide web-are ongoing. Many Iranian officials have strongly opposed any effort to lift the ban on Twitter during the last nine years. In August 2018, Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri compared lifting the ban to a "crime." "After we shut down these networks via the Working Group for Determining Instances of Criminal Content, suddenly these six ministers write to me and ask to meet to lift the filter," Montazeri said. "But I didn't go because if I did, I would have been an accomplice to a crime," he added. The Managing Director of the International Monerary Fund (IMF), Madam Christine Lagarde has arrived in Ghana for a three day visit. Madam Lagarde was received by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at the VVIP Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport Sunday evening. In a brief remark, Madam Lagarde said she was pleased to be in Ghana and looks forward to a productive visit. Also at the airport to welcome the IMF head was the Minister of Planning, Professor Gyan Baffour and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison. This is the first time the head of the Britton Woods institution is visiting Ghana ahead of end of the countrys contract with her outfit. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Increasingly Ghanaians are being confused by events in the country regarding the issue of ex-Presidents running for office. To preserve democracy and peace in the country, this issue must be addressed timely. Constitutions are meant to provide a framework for governance. They specify the governments nature and functions. They also prescribe its limits. Ghanas 1992 Constitution is a hybrid of the US Presidential system and Britains Parliamentary system of government, incorporating ideas from each. A unique problem that hampers Ghanas young democracy is the lack of meaningful constitutional checks-and-balances. Its against this background that we need to clarify the issue of ex-presidents running for office in Ghana. This issue is a critical one, with the potential to derail our young democracy if not addressed with care. Humans tend to want what they cannot have. This is a tale as old as the Biblical Adam and Eve story. By nature, we are self-interested and frequently short-sighted. The U.S. Federalists recognized these traits in humans and designed a system of checks-and-balances specifically to combat them in their democracy. One of the most effective checks on dictatorship and bad governance is term limits. Perhaps framers of Ghanas 1992 Constitution had this in mind when they prescribed a term limit for our Presidents. Article 66 (2) stipulates a person shall not be elected to hold office as President of Ghana for more than two terms. This provision, much like the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, prohibits Ghanaian Presidents from running for office after their second term. In addition to providing a crucial check on dictatorial tendencies, term limits open the political arena to new candidates with fresh ideas. Take it from President Obama, who at the end of his second term said: Im pretty convinced that Ive done a great job and can win another term of office if the constitution allows it. He, of course, could not run for a third term. In his words, the beauty of the U.S. Constitution is that it paves the way for a new candidate and fresh ideas. Compare that with the Russian constitution, which allows ex-Presidents to re-enter office and has nurtured dictatorship. Which way does Ghana want to tread? Do we want to saturate our Presidential elections landscape with ex-Presidents? Of course, our Presidents will be more purposeful in their term of office when they know they wont hold the position forever. We need to clarify Article 60 (2) of Ghanas constitution that stipulates, Where the unexpired term served by a Vice-President exceeds half the term of a President, the Vice-President is subsequently only eligible to serve one full term as President. This means that an ex-President who completed less than two years of his predecessors term of office as President before serving a 4-year term can compete for the Presidency again. What needs clarification is whether the stipulated two 4-year terms of office should be back-to-back. I tend to side with the back-to-back argument for the following reasons. Framers of our 1992 Constitution must have realized that 8 years in office would be simultaneously long enough for a good government to completely implement a partys manifesto and for an incompetent government to do irreversible damage to the countrys economic growth and development. They came up with a better option -- two 4-year terms in office, which simultaneously allows voters to sack an incompetent government and reward good governance with another 4-year term of office. The prospect of a second 4-year term of office is an incentive for good governance in the first 4-year term but not an entitlement. Therefore a President who is rejected at the polls after his or her first term of office isnt entitled to another 4-year term of office. This is good for democracy because it minimizes the risk of resorting to a revolution to remove an incompetent government. Another reason is that ex-Presidents can use their connections developed during their term of office to curry favour and gain an unfair advantage in their partys flagbearer elections with selected delegates as voters. Thats not good for democracy! To conclude, Article 66(2) of Ghanas 1992 Constitution could be interpreted in one of two ways - With or without accounting for the intent of the framers. If it's read without accounting for the intent of the framers, it's essentially the same as the Constitution of the Russian Federation. There would be no term limits. We'd have a dictatorship. That's not what the framers intended. They looked to the US and British systems of government because they wanted a democracy. We should consider the logical intent of the framers--not just the words--when addressing the issue of re-election after being voted out of office. It gives the president an unfair advantage in a later election. When the people have voted such a president out of power and he runs again, there is a high risk that this unfair advantage will lead to an ex-president who is not favoured by the people either winning or progressing to the detriment of other candidates. Finally, an ex-President returning to the office to complete another 4-year term after rejection at the polls may have no incentive for good governance. Source: Professor Seth Appiah-Opoku | University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA | [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video If all goes well, sharp-witted National Democratic Congress (NDC) former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu will be filing to contest to be a Member of Parliament Abora Asebu Kwamankese seat on the NDC ticket, MyNewsGh.com has filed. The current MP for the area is Anthony Christian Dadzie an NDC MP. Felix Kwakye Ofosu is a native of Abakrampa in the Abora Asebu Kwamankese of the Central Region. He officially declared his intention to contest the next parliamentary primaries of the NDC in the Constituency when the party gives the go ahead. Mynewsgh.com is reliably informed Felix Kwakye made this declaration when he met the Constituency Executives of the NDC on Friday. Felix Kwakye Ofosu is widely commended forhis sharp debating skills. He is a former deputy communications minister in the erstwhile Dramani Mahama administration. In June 2018 he was alleged by a staff of the Electoral Commission of Ghana to have paid money to the agency to influence of the 2016 general elections, an allegation he denied. Top officials of the commission were earlier removed from office following a commission of inquiry report that concluded that they breaching procurement laws of Ghana during organisation of the 2016 elections. Felix Ofosu Kwakye is very popular among the grassroots of the party at all levels in the country and is believed to be capable of winning. 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. Featured Video The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says Ghanas image and pride of place amongst the comity of nations, over the past 23 months, has been greatly enhanced and restored. This, President Akufo-Addo said, is as a result of the work done by Ghanas High Commissioners and Ambassadors whom he has sworn, and has urged them to continue in this regard over the period of your tenures in office. The President made this known on Monday, 17th December, 2018, when he delivered the opening address at the Conference of Heads of Missions, held at Jubilee House, in Accra. Addressing the Conference attended by all of Ghanas Ambassadors and High Commissioners, he noted Ghana, over the last two and a half decades, has managed to build an enviable reputation as a peaceful, stable country, and a beacon of democracy on the continent. It is in our collective interest that we do everything we can not only to preserve this hard-won reputation, but also to attract the investments that will facilitate the structural transformation of our economy, so central to the future prosperity and stability of our country, he said. With the Heads of Mission deliberating on a range of issues that are the priorities of Government and the Ghanaian people over the course of Conference, President Akufo-Addo was expectant that the outcome of the Conference should serve to deepen further their understanding of their roles and responsibilities, so that they achieve concrete and beneficial results for the nation. You are the chief promoters of Ghanas diplomatic and commercial interests in your respective countries, and this Conference will reinforce that motivation, he said. The President continued, As Heads of Missions, you are now required to be more visible and proactive in your dealings, in order to make the desired impact. You must endeavour not only to interact with the Executive and Legislative arms of Government in your host countries, but also with academic institutions and influential civil society organisations, including the media. When this is done, you can be certain that you would have helped to promote Governments agenda for economic transformation and the prospects that it offers all stakeholders. Whilst acknowledging the challenges facing the Ministry and Mission, President Akufo-Addo indicated that Government is committed to resolving these challenges, and, as a first step, there has been a modest increase in this years budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is incumbent on you to exercise prudence in the use of the Missions resources, and find innovative ways of increasing the proportion of internally generated funds. Furthermore, the Ministry has also contracted a $50 million loan to help in the rehabilitation of the rundown infrastructure of many of our Missions. The Minister has assured me that the loan will be vigorously disbursed and employed in this new year of 2019, he added. Respect the rights of your staff Reminding them of his appeals at their swearings-in, President Akufo-Addo noted that the various Foreign Service Officers at the Missions possess invaluable experience and an in-depth knowledge of the terrain, which should help them discharge their duties effectively. It has, however, come to my attention that, in some of the Missions, the exact opposite of my appeal is being adhered to. There are several reports of petty squabbles, turf wars, outright confrontations, and a complete breakdown in relations between some Heads of Missions and their respective Foreign Service Officers. This situation is completely unacceptable, and is proving detrimental to the smooth running of High Commissions and Embassies, and occasioning unnecessary, additional costs, the President said. He put on record his strong opposition to such developments, and urged the Ambassadors and High Commissioners to exercise utmost restraint in their dealings with the Foreign Service Officers, even with those who may be problematic. Those, who misconduct themselves, can be duly sanctioned in accordance with the law, after being subjected to due process. I would advise the Minister for Foreign Affairs to investigate and act swiftly in dealing with complaints lodged by a Head of Mission about any officer who misconducts himself or herself, in contravention of the rules and regulations that are to guide their conduct, he added. As Heads of Mission, President Akufo-Addo maintained that you must help create a harmonious working environment. When that happens, you are guaranteed staff who are sufficiently motivated to work hard in order to achieve the desired results and the stated goals of our nation. 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. Featured Video We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form To Kill A Mockingbird is a great American story, and this production at the Shubert Theater in Manhattan is a great work of American theater. As nearly everyone knows from the 1960 novel as well as the 1962 movie its about the Finch family in rural Alabama in the summer of 1934 and the evil of racism. A single father (Jeff Daniels) its worth noting, if were collecting examples of contemporary relevance, that all the children in all the families in this play have only one parent is raising his son, Jem (Will Pullen), his daughter, Scout (Celia Keenan-Bolger), and a visiting neighbor boy, Dill (Gideon Glick). The cast is powerfully, convincingly, alive, both in Scouts memory as she narrates and for us as these actors fully inhabit their roles. Atticus Finch is a small town lawyer who gets paid in vegetables and is faced with the most challenging and dangerous case of his career: A white girl (Erin Wilhelmi) has accused a black man (Gbenga Akinnagbe) of rape. Her father (Frederick Weller) is a vicious white supremacist. The cast including smaller roles like that of the Judge (the subtly hilarious Dakin Matthews) is uniformly fine. Under Bartlett Shers vigorous, uncompromising direction, we are allowed to crawl around in another mans skin. When Paula Vogel, in the cast list for How I Learned to Drive, describes her character Uncle Peck as requiring an actor one might cast in the role of Atticus, she assumed, rightly, that anyone, everyone, knew what that implied, so iconic is Atticus as the model of courtesy, stalwart morality, and decency. To understand the brilliance of Aaron Sorkins script, reread the last 20 pages or so of the novel and realize what adaptation for the stage really means. Daniels is splendid. He has added a trace of weakness and a whiff of shame to the lovable, admirable character. He is human, after all, and this emerges in tiny, nearly missable moments. When Jem asks his father which side he would have fought on if the war were now, Atticus replies, Id be hiding under the bed. [pause] Its a joke. Jem replies, grimly, You sure? Sorkins script is deft as well as fine. When Jem protests that the Civil War was 70 years ago, Atticus replies, It was yesterday. Its always yesterday. There is no way we dont instinctively add, silently, Its today, too. A guitarist (Allen Tedder) sits on one side of the stage, and an organist (music director Kimberly Grigsby) sits on the other, gently, unobtrusively creating atmosphere (music by by Adam Guettel). The set, designed by Miriam Buether, is also gentle and unobtrusive a porch, a courtroom, a bedroom all descend from above, without the distraction of stagehands. The play begins with All rise, announcing this as a courtroom drama: We are put on notice to pay close attention, and, further, to rise to the level of a just God. The tradition of rising in a courtroom implies respect for the rule of law and for justice. When we hear All rise at the plays end, it seems to invite us to rise to our feet and applaud as though our hearts would break. From Polly Rodriguezs perspective, theres no question that vibrators make peoples lives better. But Rodriguez, cofounder of a Manhattan-based sexual wellness firm, said some people still feel as if they need permission to buy them. The stigma is starting to evaporate as mainstream retailers like Urban Outfitters carry these items online, sold under the umbrella of wellness products. "Its like, Well, if Urban Outfitters are selling these products, it must be OK for me to buy them, said Rodriguez, 32, who founded the company Unbound and a group called Women of Sex Tech. The wellness category which has expanded to include everything from boutique fitness gyms, athleisure, essential oils, and the cannabis compound CBD has ballooned to what the Global Wellness Institute calls a $4.2 trillion global market. Experts say its no surprise the sex-toy market is becoming part of the movement. Its sort of the last frontier in terms of wellness, said Beth McGroarty, vice president of research at the Global Wellness Institute, an international group for the industry. Nothing is more zeitgeist right now than womens empowerment, body positivity for women. Womens health including their sexual health had long been ignored. Now, not only is it being talked about, but some mainstream retailers are championing it, especially as womens spending power has continued to rise. The increase of companies using technology to hone in on womens health has grown to the point that it has become its own category called femtech that is estimated to reach up to a $50 billion market potential by 2025, according to the business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. The global femtech sector barely brought in $100 million in venture capital funding five years ago, according to the data and software firm PitchBook. This year, funding has topped all years in the last decade, at $392 million capital invested and 36 deals, as of Oct.31, according to PitchBook. The adult-stores industry, which reached $9.5 billion in revenue in 2018, is projected to grow only 1.1 percent from 2018 to 2023, according to the market research firm IBISWorld. Growing social acceptance of sex paraphernalia is expected to boost industry growth, according to the report, which also credited Walmart and CVS for carrying some adult products along with the popularity of the erotic book Fifty Shades of Grey. Though Amazon also sells Adult Toys & Games, under a sexual wellness category, the display seems to mimic more of a traditional adult store. But Free People, which sells clothes, beauty products, accessories, and shoes to young professional women, takes a different approach. Jessica Richards, Free Peoples senior merchant of beauty and wellness, wanted to add sex-related products but didnt want the items on Free Peoples website to emulate what many women experience when walking into a traditional sex shop. Richards, 34, described that experience as intimidating and crass for many women. The Free People team brainstormed and came up with a way to rebrand sex toys on their site to something they thought more accurately captured the benefits of buying a vibrator: Self-love. It is important to help women rather than make them feel shamed for something thats very normal, Richards said. If youre selling a vibrator, youre not selling sex necessarily. Youre selling something that enhances how a woman feels about herself. Many women, empowered by recent feminist movements, say they are frustrated by what they considered poor products in the female-health category. They are transforming what is offered and marketed in the sexual health and wellness sector. The major companies in the sex-toy industry like Doc Johnson, BMS Factory, LELO, and Luvu Brands, as outlined by the global market research company Technavio, were all founded by men. The Food and Drug Administration did not start allowing women with childbearing potential to participate in drug studies until 1993, and even now most studies are majority male participants, showing how throughout history, womens health has taken a backseat to mens health, according to PitchBook. After learning that the pH level of her soap could be a reason for her frequent vaginal infections, Lauren Steinberg, 25, created Queen V, a womens health company with products that are pH-balanced, free of harmful ingredients, convenient, easy to use, and affordable. Items like her $5 V Bar soap and $9 P.S. I Lube You lubricant are sold on Free Peoples website. The companys main mission is to really destigmatize the word vagina, said Steinberg, whose products are also sold at Walmart. Women now more than ever feel empowered, and were really trying to harness that feeling of power and harness it into our brand. Rodriguez and Alexandra Fine, a 30-year-old sexologist who cofounded the sexual wellness company Dame Products, based in Brooklyn, are focused on making items that are not just enjoyable but healthy. Rodriguez said she wanted to create a company where women were empowered to buy whatever sexual wellness product they desired and those items, like vibrators and anything women put in their bodies, would be made of safe materials. The description of Unbounds $36 OH! To Go Bag at Urban Outfitters, which includes a mini vibrator, lube, and a condom, says there are absolutely no glycerin, glycol and parabens. These are chemicals that Rodriguez said people seeking natural products would not want to put in absorbent parts of their body. Fine and Janet Lieberman, a mechanical engineer, wanted to create sex toys that were made of healthy materials, marketed in an approachable way, and designed to work for women. Dame Products $135 Eva II hands-free vibrator is made with medical-grade material and designed for female pleasure instead of simply looking look like a mans anatomy. Its also one of the products sold at Free People. Dames website also aims to be informative about sexual pleasure and health. We began our mission to close the "pleasure gap, Dame Products writes on its website. Studies show a big pleasure gap in the bedroom. In one study, 91 percent of cis-men said they usually or always orgasm during sex, while only 39 percent of cis-women said the same. (Cis gender describes people whose gender aligns with their sex at birth.) Even though Fine has made it into Free Peoples offerings, sexual wellness companies like hers are still blocked from gaining the capital and access to markets to sell her products. She said the company has had leases denied and wasnt able to get a small-business loan not only because we are women, but we are women talking about sexual pleasure. Facebook also doesnt let those companies run ads because its policy prohibits adult products. There is an exception for ads focused on family planning and contraception" that do not focus on "sexual pleasure or sexual enhancement. Viagra and erectile dysfunction products can advertise on the social-media platform, Rodriguez said. She sees this as a message that male pleasure is more important because men, not women, need to orgasm in order to procreate. It kind of furthers the narrative that for women, pleasure is a luxury or an indulgence and not necessary and not part of your health, Rodriguez said. Facebooks ad policy for adult products, like sex toys, applies to items marketed to men and women. Facebook, for example, permits ads for Addyi, a drug used for low sex drive in women, a Facebook spokesperson said. Facebook has long had a policy that limits ads with adult content and adult products in part because we take into account the wide array of people from varying cultures and countries who see them," the spokesperson said. Companies selling vibrators also struggle persuading a mostly male venture capitalist field to invest in them, and many of these women have based their companies in New York because in Silicon Valley they laugh us out of the room, Rodriguez said. Last year, just 2.2 percent of all U.S. venture capital funding went to companies founded solely by women and about 4.4 percent of venture capital transactions were for female-founded companies, according to PitchBook. Even though Free People has embraced self-love, the company is still hesitant on how much to push the products. Free People has introduced the Dame vibrators in its separate FP Movement store in SoHo, along with informational videos from Dame on loop, and Richards said the items are selling well. Even though Richards would love to have Dame Products, among others, in more brick-and-mortar stores, she said the brand likes to walk before we run. Were testing it in retail to see how its received by other people," Richards said, and then based on that we will look at different markets to expand into. Logan Levkoff, a sexologist in New York, said the feminist movement, social media, and more women in the tech field have created a perfect storm. Were going to continue to see retail be more unapologetic about the acknowledgment of sexuality and sexual health products being out there, she said, being in actual brick-and-mortar stores and not just online. People walk by a building that has been chosen by Google as part of its expansion plans, Monday in New York. Google is spending more than $1 billion on a new campus along the Hudson River that will allow it to double the number of people it already employs here. Read more Google announced Monday that it would spend more than $1 billion to build a new campus in New York City, a major expansion that could add more than 7,000 jobs to the area. The announcement comes just days after Apple said it would build new offices across the United States, a plan that includes adding hundreds of jobs in New York. Amazon.com said earlier that it would establish another headquarters in Queens, pulling in tens of thousands of highly paid workers. New York City continues to be a great source of diverse, world-class talent thats what brought Google to the city in 2000, and thats what keeps us here, said Ruth Porat, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Google and parent company Alphabet. Googles New York campus, dubbed Google Hudson Square, will span more than 1.7 million square feet, encompassing multiple leased buildings on Hudson and Washington Streets, Porat said in a blog post. Google employs more than 7,000 people in New York City who work on teams in core operations, including search, advertising, maps, and YouTube, the company said. Over the next decade, the Hudson Square campus has the capacity to more than double Googles New York head count. Tech industry leaders say that firms and entrepreneurs are drawn to New York because of its educated population and access to capital. Its arts and culture, restaurants and bars, and reliance on public transit have brought in a massive talent pool of skilled workers who fuel innovation. New Yorks thriving tech scene employs 320,000 people, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYEDC). Investment in local tech start-ups has also dramatically increased. NYEDC said new tech companies raised $12 billion in venture capital last year, up 40 percent from 2016. The moves by West Coast tech giants to fortify their presence in New York highlight the citys ascendance as a technology stronghold. But the planned expansions there have also brought criticism. Policymakers, economists, and community activists point to rising real estate prices and strained public infrastructure in the marquee tech hubs of Seattle and San Francisco as examples of the painful drawbacks of tech-industry growth. New York's pull on tech companies also underscores what analysts say is a growing gap between all-star metro areas already rich with talented workers and less affluent, smaller cities that lack a significant tech industry footprint. According to a recent Brookings Institution report on economic development, the country's most prosperous cities have strengthened their economic dominance since the financial crisis, as the rise of information technology has rewarded areas already dense with tech firms and skilled workers. Google plans to begin its move by 2020, the company said, and the campus will become the primary location for its global business organization. People run away from a burning car during clashes, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 in Marseille, southern France. The grassroots movement began as resistance against a rise in taxes for diesel and gasoline, but quickly expanded to encompass frustration at stagnant incomes and the growing cost of living. Read more Its October 2021. America is in a state of turmoil so much so that the ongoing felony trial of disgraced former president Donald Trump seems only a footnote. The chaos of the 2020 election has meant no honeymoon for Beto ORourke, the 47th president, whose narrow win over the GOPs Nikki Haley (the Republican convention in Charlotte having rejected President Pence) had only enraged both the right and an increasingly angry left, which was still insisting that Democrats had cheated Bernie Sanders out of the nomination at their divided, brokered convention. Still, President ORourke had small Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, and after a summer of record heat waves had left more than 250 dead in the Los Angeles wildfires and seen Hurricane Gigi swamp many of the same New Orleans neighborhoods that had been inundated by Katrina the charismatic, Kennedyesque chief executive had convinced Congress to pass, by exactly one vote in each chamber, a 40-cent-a-gallon gas tax to promote solar and wind power and subsidize electric cars. Within hours, angry truckers had parked their rigs across the entrance to every tunnel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In small towns across America, protesters encouraged by Sean Hannity on Fox News and by fake stories on Facebook that the ORourke administration planned to reopen Trumps Texas detention camps for immigrants and use them to imprison tax resisters gathered at gas stations. Many of their rallies were infiltrated by the political fringes neo-Nazis of the right and Black Bloc anarchists of the left and there were scattered reports of violence. In Charleston, S.C., a CNN reporter was reporting from a full-blown riot when gunfire was heard in the distance, just a cannonball shot away from historic Fort Sumter. Paris is burning. Youd think the rapid decline of Western civilization would get more news coverage in America normally, flaming barricades in the shadow of the iconic Arc de Triomphe and hundreds fleeing tear gas in the heart of the French capital might be considered must-see TV, especially when the other option is a panel of aging Watergate prosecutors but the latest chess moves in the Trump-Russia scandal and the embattled White House continue to trump most other headlines. Still, Saturdays news out of the City of Light, now illuminated by the glow of flaming cars, was both shocking and yet somewhat familiar, as the protests engulfing France raged into a fourth weekend with no immediate end in sight. This go-round, a massive police presence an army, really of some 89,000 officers turned Paris into a police state, with most tourist attractions and high-end stores boarded shut at the height of the holiday season. The law officers sought to put a lid on the so-called Yellow Vests," or gilets jaunes, before things got out of hand. Tear gas and water cannons were deployed early and often and 1,400 were arrested in an effort to limit damage from the casseurs young (mostly) men out for violence. The protests continued even though French president Emmanuel Macron has promised to roll back the fuel tax part of the governments response to climate change with plans to address the nation on Monday in a televised plea to end the unrest. I imagine one reason the mayhem in Paris hasnt been viewed with much alarm here in the United States is the notion of French Exceptionalism, that those crazy Gauls have always gone off the deep end with their protests remember 1789? and this is just one more. Perhaps. But everything Ive seen so far out of France is singing loudly that, yes, its a small world, after all and that whats happening on the barricades is both a reflection of whats going on in much of the developed world and a screaming alarm for what could come next. You dont need Google Translate to see the casseurs as their versions of our own torch-bearing white supremacists or black-scarfed antifa, while the gilets jaunes heavily male and middle-aged, from the forgotten towns" far from chic Paris, dependent on their cars and affordable gas for jobs that allow them to barely scrape by sound very much like Americas Fox News demographic, finally rousted from their couches and out into the street. We dont agree with the current system anymore; it doesnt represent us, an electrician named Julien Lezer who drove all night from his town near the Mediterranean to protest in Paris told the New York Times. Its not in the regions that things change. Its in Paris. Its when the people from the regions go to Paris that the politicians listen. It doesnt take much imagination to see the connection between Lezer and other Yellow Vests Ive seen quoted and the American Tea Party movement of 2009 or the kind of protests that likely would have been stirred up by Fox News or talk radio if Hillary Clinton had been elected on Nov. 8, 2016, instead of Donald Trump. Indeed, Trumps so vain, he actually thinks the riots are about him (although it should be noted that the protests had nothing to do with the Paris climate accord and not one soul chanted We want Trump!). That said...yes, it can happen here. Heres three key reason why we should be paying closer attention to France, even with the American presidency imploding. Economic inequality and rural resentment. Western elites breathed a sigh of relief last year when French voters rejected the candidates of the far-right and the far-left to hand their presidency to the young, charismatic, centrist and grossly inexperienced Macron and his just-invented political party of like-minded neophytes. But any era of good feeling was almost guaranteed to be short-lived. Macrons policies tough on middle-class workers while rolling back Frances historically high taxes on the wealthy have caused his presidency to post approval ratings that make Donald Trumps numbers look Lincolnesque. The gasoline tax caused those tensions to boil over because, according to the French rank-and-file, pampered Paris elites dont understand how rural workers must drive long distances just to eek out a living wage. Thats hardly a uniquely French complaint. Similar tensions between cosmopolitan, urban elites and the forgotten people in the countryside have led far-right, anti-immigrant parties in Germany (never a good thing) to gain strength as the Angela Merkel era winds down and to Englands rolling turmoil over Brexit. Here in the United States, that same conflict didnt only give us Trump but underlies antidemocratic moves in states like Wisconsin (where a top GOP lawmaker suggests that votes from urban Milwaukee and Madison shouldnt count). And moves like Amazon bringing even more six-figure jobs to New York and D.C are exacerbating these cross-currents. Paris is a guide to how things could go south. Fake news on social media is getting worse. Although most media coverage has focused on the gas tax, theres been some mystery about where the completely leaderless Yellow Vest movement came from and how it grew so quickly. The answer, as a BuzzFeed News report revealed, traces back to social media mainly Facebook and a disturbing web of conspiracy theories rooted in outright fictions and backed by various forms of prejudice or ignorance. The Yellow Jackets communicate almost entirely on small, decentralized Facebook pages, reported BuzzFeeds Ryan Broderick. They coordinate via memes and viral videos. Whatever gets shared the most becomes part of their platform. But many of Frances so-called Anger Groups on Facebook are highly conspiratorial stating that Frances problems are caused by a Masonic cabal of global bankers and linked closely to other out-there beliefs like chemtrails or anti-vaxxers. It all sounds remarkably similar to the QAnon wackiness that has flourished in Donald Trumps America -- with the only difference that right now the "Q"-believers are more motivated to attend Trump rallies than to protest in the streets ...for now. Climate change is hard and going to get harder. The raft of new scientific evidence -- including the latest report from our own federal government -- and yet another long, hot summer in 2018 of deadly wildfires and 1,000-year floods have made it clear that immediate and more drastic action is needed to combat climate change, to stop a global catastrophe as we get deeper into the 21st century. The middle-class isnt on board with this not in America, where consumer demand for less-fuel-efficient SUVs and small trucks is a key factor behind the General Motors layoffs at its smaller-car factories, and clearly not in France. And we know now that the federal government will do nothing of substance on climate change during the next two years, with Republicans controlling the White House and the Senate. What that means is that, even if Democrats whove pledged to address climate change do regain control in 2021, their proposed remedies will need to be even more dramatic to have an impact. The route initially taken by Macron placing the burden on the working class and not the rich seems a nonstarter. But what, at this point, could reconcile younger, more progressive Americans who demand a Green New Deal with older conservatives still convinced by Fox News or on Facebook that the whole thing is a hoax? The black smoke rising from the streets of Paris can be seen as a warning cry, but also as a guide for what not to do going forward. The tragedy of the Trump presidency isnt just a criminal wack-a-do occupying the Oval Office but that the current crisis is preventing America from doing the things it needs to be doing. That means policies to address income inequality universal health care, forgiving college debt and a meaningful minimum wage as well as climate change, and rebuilding journalism and the information infrastructure to blunt the impact of fake news. The best way to stop another civil war tomorrow is to start making sense today. Supporters of the Affordable Care Act stood in front of the Supreme Court in Washington on Wednesday, the final day of arguments regarding the health-care law signed by President Obama. The justices are reviewing the constitutionality of the 2,700-page law. CHARLES DHARAPAK / Associated Press Read more Obamacare opponents have a new approach to attacking the law incoherence. On Friday, a federal judge in Texas accepted the argument of 20 Republican attorney generals that the ACAs mandate requiring everyone to have insurance is unconstitutional because the tax penalty enforcing it has been repealed. In other words, he struck it down because it no longer has any practical effect. Logic was in for a rough ride in this decision. (To read the full opinion, click here.) Judge Reed OConnor relied on the Supreme Courts 2012 ruling that the mandates penalty is constitutional as a tax on those who choose to remain uninsured. But, as part of the 2017 tax bill, Republicans voted to set the amount of the tax at zero. OConnor concluded that the mandate and the tax penalty are separate, so if the mandate stands on its own and doesnt trigger the tax, it has lost its constitutional foundation. But without the tax, the mandate doesnt trigger anything. It persists as a directive that everyone have health insurance (with a few exceptions) but with no penalty for failing to comply. It has become a mandate in name only. Why bother arguing about a now meaningless provision in a much larger law? Because it gave OConnor a pretext to strike down everything else in the law. He claimed that the mandate, even in its denuded form, remains central to the ACAs entire legislative scheme not just to the provisions regulating insurance markets to which it directly relates, but to everything. In legal terms, he found that it is not severable. Whether a single provision that is struck down by a court can be severed from the law that contains it is a decision for Congress to make when is enacts legislation. In this case, Congress spoke loud and clear. It repealed the mandate penalty as part of the 2017 tax bill after considering numerous proposals to repeal everything else and enacting none of them. If Congress found the mandate to be as central as OConnor claims, why would it have approved a proposal to repeal it in isolation? The consequences of this bizarre ruling could be devastating. If the entire ACA were to fall, millions of people who obtain coverage through the exchanges would lose it, and those with preexisting medical conditions might never be able to get it back. Millions more who gained coverage through the expansion of Medicaid would lose coverage, as well. But that is just the start. The ACA contains hundreds of provisions that have nothing to do with insurance and affect almost every other aspect of the health-care system. As a few examples, it enables drug companies to develop and market generic copies of expensive biotechnology drugs known as biosimilars; it rewards hospitals and physicians for forming accountable care organizations that coordinate care to improve efficiency and quality; it improves Medicare drug coverage; and it implements numerous prevention initiatives, like calorie counts on chain restaurant menus. By what contortion of logic could the mandate, even if it still had practical effect, be considered central to provisions like these? Clearly, Congress didnt think so. Fortunately, the chaos that would accompany full ACA invalidation is not imminent. OConnors decision will be appealed, and he declined to issue an injunction, at least for now, against enforcement of the law while those proceedings are pending. The Trump administration has said that it considers the law still to be in effect. Ultimately, the appeals will likely reach the Supreme Court, which has upheld the ACA twice before. This time, it will have to decide whether a mandate that has been rendered meaningless can be unconstitutional and whether completely unrelated provisions of the law that contains it should be struck down against the clear intent of Congress. These are issues more suited to Alice in Wonderland than a legitimate lawsuit. The latest case against Obamacare is not just an assault on American health care. It is an assault on logic. Robert I. Field is professor of law and public health at Drexel University and is the founder and editor of the Health Cents blog on Philly.com. James Sherrick (right) wants to become a peer support specialist, and Carl Nagle (left) wants to hire him to work at Human Services, a mental-health nonprofit in Downingtown. But the cost of training is getting in the way. Read more This story is part of Made in Philly, a series about young residents shaping local communities. James Sherrick was in jail for the third time when he was diagnosed with schizoaffective bipolar disorder, which can cause hallucinations, delusions, depression, and mania. Hed been sentenced to 14 months in prison after breaking into a car and stealing $400 from a wallet inside. Addicted to cocaine and alcohol for years, Sherrick struggled to hold down a steady job since he left the Navy six years ago. Now, he faced a daunting diagnosis. Thats when he was introduced to Ken Miller, a certified peer support specialist someone who lives with his own mental illness and helps others with day-to-day challenges. Sherrick was wary at first. He already worked with a collection of caseworkers and recovery specialists. But Miller turned out to be different. I dont know how much a doctor knows about being schizoaffective bipolar, said Sherrick, now 31 and living in Downingtown. To go through it and deal with it every day, being treated certain ways [by other people] thats something Ken can relate to. Miller also served as an inspiration for Sherrick, as the younger man considered his future. Peer support specialists have been around for years, in settings ranging from Veterans Affairs programs to homeless shelters and outpatient facilities. Its a model based on the informal support commonly used in addiction recovery, in programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. But respect for the work of peer specialists and demand for their services has grown significantly in recent years. Their services are covered by Medicaid, and programs in many states grew after Medicaid expanded under the Affordable Care Act. Last year, 1,481 certified peer specialists were employed in Pennsylvania, according to data the counties report to the Department of Human Services. Across the United States, there are an estimated 25,000 certified mental-health peer support specialists. Though the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't track the position, it estimates job growth for community health workers in general will increase 16 percent in the coming decade nearly double the average job growth. Experts attribute the increased demand to a shift in mental-health treatment from attempting to eradicate mental illness to teaching people to live successfully with it. Pennsylvania has fueled job growth by licensing agencies to employ peer specialists and allowing reimbursement through Medicaid. But the number of peer specialists is not rising quickly enough to keep up with demand. Many who want help must wait months or years as organizations scramble to find and train more peers. Human Services Inc., a nonprofit mental-health services provider in Downingtown, has had multiple openings for certified peer specialists posted on job-listing websites for most of the year. It's eager to hire quickly, with nearly 30 clients on a waiting list to receive peer support. There are a lot of people out there who are seeking the service and could benefit from it, said Carl Nagle, supervisor of day programs and psych rehab. But I cant do anything about it. Its frustrating. Where are the peer providers? Its a complex question, said Susan Chapman, a nursing professor at the University of California San Francisco who has been researching the growth of the position for years. The requirement of having a serious mental illness narrows the pool of candidates. Plus, a willing peer must be far enough along in recovery to be able to support another person. In Pennsylvania, peer specialists are required to have a high school diploma or GED, and to be consistently employed, volunteering, or in school for a year. Additional hurdles arise for individuals with criminal records, not uncommon among those with serious mental illness. Many of these jobs are part time, pay poorly, and offer no career path, Chapman said. According to a 2015 survey of peer specialists, the average hourly wage in Pennsylvania is $14.72. Many peer specialists are not treated as real professionals by their colleagues, Chapman said. Though research shows their work boosts recipients' quality of life and self-confidence, and reduces rates of re-hospitalization, some have criticized the research as biased and insufficient. When Miller started in the profession nearly 10 years ago, there was some skepticism as to whether a peer could function as staff, he said. People doubted his ability to hold a steady job or have a real impact. But those biases toward peer specialists are diminishing over time, he said. When it comes to the day-to-day work of supporting others in recovery, people are realizing your background and history is actually a plus in this field, Miller said. An even bigger hurdle is cost. To become certified, prospective peer specialists must undergo 75 hours of training, costing about $1,300 per person. Human Services cant afford that, so it hires only peers who are already certified, Nagle said. Thats why Nagle cant hire someone he knows would excel at the job: James Sherrick. Still, Sherrick has been volunteering, helping three people develop extensive care plans outlining their daily routines, coping strategies, and crisis interventions just as Miller did with him. Hes also been leading an hour-long weekly group focused on wellness activities. One week, he created a Jeopardy!-style game, with categories such as early warning signs and triggers. I want to give people hope and show them its possible to have what I have, said Sherrick, who has been waiting more than a year to be certified, but cant afford it on his modest disability income. Who will pay for training? When peer support began in Pennsylvania 10 years ago, the state covered the cost of training. Thats the situation in New Jersey, where 75 to 100 peer specialists are certified each year, said Robert Kley, chief operating officer of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey, which runs the training. Yet without the kind of Medicaid reimbursement for peer services that Pennsylvania has, New Jersey peer specialists arent in such strong demand, a situation Kley said is changing. Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, counties are left to foot the tab. Philadelphia and Montgomery have invested more heavily in the program, offering about four training cycles a year, while Bucks and Chester Counties offer training only sporadically, said Michael Brody, former president and CEO of Mental Health Partnerships who retired in early December. The nonprofit he headed is one of two organizations that run peer-support certification training in Pennsylvania. Chester County, where Sherrick lives, last offered training in 2016. "Certification gives peers a base level of training," said Kim Bowman, county director of human services. "But sometimes, we've identified that preparation for employment is still needed." So Chester hopes to roll out a new peer training program in 2019 with more emphasis on workplace skills, as well as internship and mentorship opportunities for peer specialists. Philadelphia also is restructuring its training program, Brody said. Sherrick says he is eager to get going. The more you change somebodys life and show yourself youre doing it, he said, the more you want to do it. After decades of public-health efforts, the rate of cigarette smoking among Americans is declining. But behind that progress lurks a disturbing trend: A growing number of people, especially young people, are turning to alternative tobacco products everything from e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to cigars and the smaller cigarillos. New research suggests these products could be fueling two distinct public-health concerns: one for minority and low-income communities, and the other for higher-income, predominantly white communities. The study, published last month in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, shows that the prevalence of different tobacco products varies significantly by neighborhood. Retailers in minority and low-income neighborhoods are 20 percent more likely to sell and advertise cigars and cigarillos, while those in higher-income and mostly white neighborhoods are nearly three times more likely to sell e-cigarettes. The results are based on in-person store audits of nearly 800 tobacco retailers in New York City. Daniel Giovenco, an author of the study and assistant professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University, said it is likely the trends are similar in other East Coast cities. Though Philadelphia has not studied tobacco products by neighborhood, statistics on youth tobacco use and retailer density suggest the same patterns exist here. The fact that kids arent smoking cigarettes is deceptive, said Cheryl Bettigole, director of chronic disease prevention for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Total tobacco use is up. City data show that youth cigar use (including cigarillos) doubled from 2011 to 2015. Among black teens specifically, it nearly tripled. On the other hand, white teens were nearly twice as likely to have used vaping products. The difference is probably poverty, Bettigole said. Cigars and cigarillos, which are often sold for as little as 99 cents, are more accessible for people in low-income communities. E-cigarette kits cost about $30 to $60, and refill cartridges cost $7 to $10. The tobacco industry has long been known to target low-income communities. In Philadelphia, nearly half of all tobacco retailers are in low-income neighborhoods, with three times as many in North Philadelphia as Center City, according to the health department. But no nicotine product is safe for teens, Bettigole said. So the health department is using different strategies to curb each trend. For e-cigarettes, the focus is on getting more information to parents, teachers, and school administrators. Many dont know what e-cigarettes look like, Bettigole said. The most popular brand, Juul, could be mistaken for a thumb drive and creates a very small plume, making it difficult to notice. A lot of kids could be vaping at home or school, and people wouldnt know, she said. If theyre looking for kids smoking in the bathroom, they wont find it. Its also important to make sure teens know that e-cigarettes contain nicotine, Bettigole said. One study found 63 percent of young people who used Juul products werent sure if they always contained the addictive substance. Research shows teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely to start smoking cigarettes. But when it comes to cigars and cigarillos, thats a different strategy, Bettigole said. Educating teens about their harm is one component, especially since the fruit and candy flavors can make kids think theyre safe, she said. But a larger problem is the rampant promotion of these products in corner stores. The health department has tried to address that through regulations passed in 2016 and recently upheld by City Council to decrease the density of tobacco retailers over time. Department data show this is starting to have an effect, with the number of tobacco retailers dropping about 18 percent over the last two years. The fact that cigars and cigarillos are most prevalent in low-income minority communities is especially concerning because they are riskier products, said study author Giovenco. While no tobacco products are safe, combustible products deliver carbon monoxide, tar, and smoke, which are among the main drivers of cancer and lung disease. Buckling down on those products will have the best effect in terms of minimizing disparities, Giovenco said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced plans to ban flavored cigars, but the proposal is expected to face strong industry opposition. We have to think about youth who dont use the products yet but may be heavily influenced by advertising done at the point of sale, Giovenco said. Research shows repeated exposure to advertising makes kids more likely to try smoking and adults less likely to quit. These are not bad choices individuals make in a vacuum, Bettigole said. They are determined by the environments people live in. I didnt catch on to its fierceness immediately. I was too busy trying to understand the brouhaha that preceded the reappearance of Rep. Nancy Pelosis to die for red/orange coat the confrontation between Pelosi, Senator Chuck Schumer and President Trump. The threatened government shut down took precedence over my #overcoatgoals. Yet thanks to the internet, I too, am now obsessed with Pelosis coat. That fiery, funnel neck Max Mara is beyond beautiful. Its powerful and chock full of understated sleekness, but it also representative of a full-throttle comeback. This just-above-the-knee woolly cocoon is a how-do-you-like-me-now-nod if there ever was one. And like Pelosi, not only is the coat classic, sharp and staid, it wont be forgotten, even if it lived in the back of the closet for a while. Pelosis Glamis coat is a design that is at least five years old. Fashionistas first took note of Pelosi in the same coat back in 2013 when she wore it to Barack Obamas second inauguration, but it largely went went unnoticed. (Dont worry coat-aholicis, as of Wednesday afternoon, Max Mara is planning to rerelease it sometime in 2019.) Back then social media gauged where we stood on race, politics and, of course, fashion, but there werent memes around every corner and obsessive tweets firing off every second. And, probably most importantly, Democrats werent in the midst of scrambling to take their power back in Washington. A few hours after Pelosi stood her ground in the contentious meeting with the president over Trumps proposed border wall came the Twitter handles @amcoat and @nancycoat. There is also an Instagram @excellentcoatsonirritatedwomen courtesy of Flemington, New Jersey-based comedian Sarah Benincasa, that celebrates how extra a woman giving a side-eye can be when shes cloaked in the right outerwear. Celebrities including If Beale Street Could Talk director Barry Jenkins also tweeted about how kiss-my-hiney powerful Pelosi appeared in the rusty red coat. There is something about a professional womens coat of arms that intrigues us. The armor she wears when shes about to do battle for her job, her family, her life makes us take notice. We pay attention because not only because her take no prisoners fashion choices are a peek into her psyche it can serve as inspiration: What should I wear when I need to lean in? But more than that, in this chill-blocker Pelosi gave women a needed visual that said, Try as you might you will not dismiss me. In other words, what made the coat so memorable was the attitude. Its the same reason that Texts from Hillary," featuring Hillary Clinton looking at her BlackBerry wearing shades inside, or Rep. Maxine Waters peering over her glasses and reclaiming her time have become memes as well. These women are dressed in classic clothes that you expect women to be demure in, but instead of being polite, theyre rolling their eyes at foolishness. Bottom line is that if you didnt pick up that Pelosi meant business Monday afternoon when she looked Trump square in his face and told him in no uncertain terms she wasnt having it, then you could certainly tell from her coat. Mikaela Pleasant, clad in a white sequin dress and a purple tallit, poked her head around the large blue Torah she carried as she walked carefully up the aisles of Congregation Temple BethEl. Rabbis and young children trailed behind her, greeting every member in attendance as if they were old friends reunited. The band struck up a quick and jubilant beat. Halle-lujah! The cry was met with clapping as the drums slowed and the sound of the final metal cymbal reverberated in the air. Finally, everyone took their seats, and Torah readings began for Mikaelas bat mitzvah. Its innate within us to praise the Almighty with vigor, with joy, and thats sometimes quite unique, said Rabbi Debra Bowen of the predominantly African American synagogue in West Oak Lane, the largest of its kind in the Philadelphia area. Many of the songs I have comprised myself to make it more apropos to us because of the way we enjoy music. We dont want people to come to shul and go to sleep. Bowen said visitors will often confuse their music with gospel, which is associated more with Christianity, but BethEls charismatic music is emblematic of being both black and Jewish: The band includes an electronic keyboard, electric violin, piano, drum set, bongos, bass guitar, and organ. We stand out, said Eudora Burton, president of hospitality at Temple BethEl. She said the upbeat music is their minhag, or tradition. Other unique customs the congregation follows include a dress code for members white in the summer and navy blue and black in the winter. Bowen will often wear special colors depending on the occasion; for Mikaelas bat mitzvah, she wore purple to match the 13-year-old. The synagogue also makes an effort to incorporate its youth into the service, either as ushers or by asking them to retrieve the instruments. The synagogue was founded in 1951 by Bowens mother, Rabbi Louise Elizabeth Dailey, who was the daughter of a Baptist minister although one who always wore a hat, who always salted his meats before cooking, and covered the mirrors when there was a death in the family. When Dailey came to Philadelphia to work as a domestic in a Jewish household, she recognized their traditions mirrored her familys, and, according to the temples website, sought to learn the ways of the Hebrews. Bowen said that when blacks in America were free to develop their own culture and expression in a post-slavery United States, many turned to Judaism. When we were practicing Christianity, we did it because our slave masters told us, Bowen said. We always felt something was missing. Then we turned to Torah, and suddenly we began to know. Mikaelas mother, Hope Pleasant, 43, said the congregation is not affiliated with any branch of Judaism, but identifies as conservodox, having attributes of both Orthodox and Conservative Judaism. Bowen warned not to categorize the congregants, though, because they wont fit into a prescribed box. She said they are Jews, and as long as a person is intent on honoring Hashem, or God, and following Torah, they will be accepted at BethEl. Our teaching is, its not what a Jew looks like, its what a Jew does, said Bowen. You cant escape your heritage because of how you look. So we are accepting of Jews of color. We also are accepting of Jews who are not of color, and we at no time will question whether or not they are, quote-end quote, real Jews. According to the latest numbers from the Pew Research Center, people who identified as white made up 90 percent of the racial and ethnic composition among Jews in the U.S. in 2014. People who identified as black comprised 2 percent. In the latest study conducted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia from 2009, around 6,500 of the 215,000 Jewish people in the Philadelphia region are Jews of color. An updated report will be released in late 2019. Mark Leuchter, director of Jewish studies at Temple University, said that oftentimes people within the Jewish community are sequestered, and find it unusual to meet other Jews who are not of European or Middle Eastern descent. Leuchter said there are various intersecting ethnicities within the Jewish religion, despite the common perception of what a Jew is supposed to look like in the U.S. A majority of Jews in the U.S. tend to be of European descent, but that doesnt mean thats the only way to be Jewish, Leuchter said. I dont think theres necessarily a sense of rejection, but there is a sense of, Whoa, whats going on? Im not used to it. Linda Polk Carter, 60, of Mount Airy, a friend of the Pleasant family, attended services at Temple BethEl for the first time that Saturday in November, and said she had never experienced anything like it. Carter, an Episcopalian, had only been to one other Shabbat service, in the 70s, and, compared with BethEl, described it as more quiet." When you bring in drums and the African roots experience it was just inspirational, she said. When it came to Mikaelas afterparty on the bottom floor of the Hyatt House in King of Prussia, the music changed to Drake and Chris Brown. Rabbis swapped their robes and kippahs for snapbacks and jeans. Mikaela suffered through the the traditional chair lift, but the Pleasant family also performed a hip-hop routine, a unique custom they continued from the first two bat and bar mitzvahs in the family. We embrace our own culture in it, Hope Pleasant said. Like BethEl itself: Its sort of like lemonade with a twist." Because the synagogue doesnt collect membership dues, it doesnt track how many people belong to the congregation. But Pleasant estimates about 100 people attend weekly Shabbat services. Pleasant, 43, was born and raised at the temple. She got married by Dailey, its founder, and Bowen has been her rabbi for almost 20 years. Her daughters bat mitzvah was like a pinnacle of life, she said. "I felt extremely excited, privileged and honored to raise up the second generation in Congregation Temple BethEl. During the 40 years of reform and opening-up, China-US relations have made inconceivable progress. But with the rapid development of China, China-US relations have reached a crossroad. Perhaps they need structural changes. China has found socialism with Chinese characteristics to be an effective way to become a prosperous society. However, the US believes China's unique path of development does not lead to "democratization" of China as it had expected. Also, even before the United States triggered the trade conflict with China and the White House adopted the "America First" policy, Washington had been wary of China's faster-than-expected development. Washington became increasingly nervous when Beijing started shouldering more and more international responsibilities in accordance with its remarkable growth. The US perceived this change not only as China's "aggressive" behavior, but also considered some of China's reasonable pursuit of national interest as a diplomatic challenge. China views itself objectively and rationally. It remains a developing country, albeit the largest, and therefore has no intention of replacing the US as the world leader. President Xi Jinping reiterated China's status as a developing country in his speech at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Many Chinese, too, realize the gap between China and the US in terms of development, particularly in high-tech. But the US' growing doubts over China have led to a change in its strategic positioning on China (and Russia)from "a flawed partner" to a major strategic competitor and rival. What's more, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party seem to agree that with Russia engaged in overcoming domestic woes, China is likely to become the US' only long-term rival. But in the ultimate analysis how the two sides view each other's strategic positioning and how the US perceives China's place in the world will have a long-lasting effect on bilateral ties. Given the uncertainties involved in bilateral ties, China has to change its understanding of and relations with the US. It should hope for better, but prepare for worse. A sound Beijing-Washington relationship is conducive to the development of not only the Chinese and US economies, but also the world economy. No wonder China still hopes to end the trade dispute and avoid a "Cold War"-like scenario. It has been making sincere and concerted efforts to avoid any direct confrontation and instead promoting cooperation to lay the ground for equal and fair competition. But China alone cannot improve bilateral ties; the US too has to change its tack and realize the importance of its relationship with China. The US should also realize the importance of keeping disputes under control, and view China's development as an opportunity to boost its own development. This year, China could become the world's largest end market as its retail sales are expected to be higher than in the US. Still, on the economic front, China should continue to deepen reform and opening-up and develop a better environment for international investors, as an open market and free competition are good for China's industrial development. In diplomacy, Beijing should communicate more with Washington on agendas that benefit both sides as well as the international community. And despite their differences over climate change and trade, the two sides should seek common ground on cooperation in global security such as nuclear non-proliferation, arms control and drug regulation. Moreover, given the uncertainties of China-US relations, China should focus more on domestic development by deepening reform and opening-up to solicit support for its development path. The author is a PhD candidate of political science in Boston University. Pieces of a wooden nativity scene in the Italian Market in South Philly were stolen Saturday morning. Police later recovered them. The investigation continues. MARGO REED / Staff Photographer Read more First, they came for Frank Rizzo. Now, its the Baby Jesus. Is nothing sacred in the Italian Market? South Philadelphia detectives were chasing a blasphemous thief over the weekend after wooden pieces of a Nativity scene reportedly Jesus, Mary, and Joseph went missing from Ninth and Montrose Streets on Saturday morning. It was possibly the areas most sacrilegious heist since October 2017, when a 70-year-old woman with an oxygen tank allegedly stole a Pope Francis cutout during bingo night at a Gloucester County church. In trying to crack the Nativity case, police initially asked for the publics assistance in locating a white male with a beard, wearing a dark jacket and blue jeans about as common in South Philly as a gray squirrel with a fluffy tail is in Wissahickon Valley Park. As it turned out, a surveillance camera caught the thief in the act, and detectives were able to save Christmas for the neighborhood. Police announced Sunday afternoon that South Detectives were led to an address in the area, and that the stolen items had been recovered and returned to the spot below Rizzo. The family is cooperative, but the offender was not on location and is not in custody. Investigation continues, Sgt. Eric Gripp, a police spokesperson, said in a statement. The caper brought TV news crews back to a corner of the Italian Market best known for a huge mural of the former mayor that vandals love to deface. In August 2017, Rizzo took a particularly nasty shot of paint to his nose as the debate raged over his treatment of minorities. The Nativity scene? A sign there reads: Smile. God Is Watching You & So Are We! Nearly a dozen Jesuit priests who in past decades worked in Philadelphia at St. Josephs Preparatory School or St. Josephs University were named by the religious order Monday on a newly released list of clerics who at some point were credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. The list was released by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, an order whose priests served in parts of Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Most of the abuse dates back decades, and in only two of the cases were priests accused of committing the abuse while in Philadelphia. None of those named are still in active ministry, though the information released shows that some priests remained in ministry years after the abuse took place. The Jesuits said their policies for removing priests from ministry improved after the greater Catholic Church reformed its reporting rules in 2002. We know better now," the release said. "Our awareness of the nature and effect of abuse of minors has changed dramatically over the years. ... We recognize now our failures of the past in this regard, and we are deeply sorry. The Jesuits said they decided to name the priests given recent revelations about sexual abuse of minors and ongoing calls for dioceses and orders to release names. (The release this past summer of a grand jury report covering past abuse allegations in six of Pennsylvanias eight Catholic dioceses has sparked similar investigations in more than a dozen states.) Priests who are members of religious orders, which also include the Benedictines, Augustinians, and Franciscans, make up roughly one-third of priests in the United States. They operate largely independently from the dioceses in which they serve. St. Josephs University acknowledged in a statement Monday that six of the priests on the list had ties to the university at various points from the 1930s to the 1990s, but that the school does not currently have any records reflecting reports of sexual misconduct on our campus involving these individuals. Three are deceased and three were removed from ministry, the school noted. As a Jesuit university founded with the educational mission of developing and caring for the whole person, St. Josephs is deeply saddened to learn of this and other reported sexual abuse by priests and religious officials around the world, the school said in its statement. We continue our firm commitment to addressing and stopping any reported abuse on our own campus, and our community stands in prayerful solidarity with survivors and their families. St. Josephs Prep, which is not affiliated with the university other than sharing a name and being a Jesuit school, declined to comment and referred all questions to the Jesuits. Among those named was Philadelphia native Stephen M. Garrity, who was assigned to the Prep off and on from 1964 to 1980. Allegations against him came to light in 2013, when the Jesuits informed the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office that they had received a credible allegation that he had inappropriate physical contact with a student at the Prep in the 1970s. The District Attorneys Office did not take criminal action, noting that the statute of limitations had expired, but the Jesuits continued their investigation. A graduate of St. Josephs Prep, Garrity joined the Jesuits in 1957 and had a number of posts over his career, including teaching there from 1964 to 1967 and then 1971 to 1979. He also was school chaplain from 1975 to 1978. He has not been in active ministry since 2007. He was removed as pastor of Holy Cross parish in Durham, N.C., that year for sexual misconduct with adults. At the time the allegations were reported, he lived in a monitored community with other Jesuits. Garrity died in 2014. Other priests credibly accused of abuse who had assignments in Philadelphia named by the order: William J. Walsh, who worked at St. Josephs Prep from 1949 to 1951 and then at St. Josephs University from 1986 to 1991, faced accusations of sexual abuse in Philadelphia, as well as in Maryland, Washington, and Wernersville, Pa. He was removed from ministry in 1996 and is living in a restricted environment. H. Cornell Bradley, who worked at St. Josephs University from 1994 to 1999. Bradley was accused of abuse in Ocean City, Md., and Washington. He was removed from ministry in 2006 and left the Jesuits in 2007. Michael L. Barber, who worked at St. Josephs University from 1988 to 1994. He pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment by offensive touching that occurred in Strathmere, N.J., and was removed from ministry in 1994. He is living in a restricted environment. Neil P. McLaughlin worked at St. Josephs Prep in 1953 and 1954. He was accused of sexual abuse in Dunmore, Pa., and Scranton, as well as Woodstock, Md. and Georgia, Massachusetts, and New York. McLaughlin was removed from ministry in 2007 and is living in a restricted environment. Louis A. Bonacci was accused of unwanted touching under and over a victims clothes in the 1970s and 1980s in Columbia, Md. Bonacci was assigned to St. Josephs Prep from 1968 to 1970, was removed from ministry in 2011 and left the Jesuits in 2014. Garrett D. Orr was assigned to St. Josephs Prep from 1984 to 1989. He pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual offense in the fourth degree stemming from multiple allegations of abuse in North Bethesda, Md. He was removed from ministry in 2005 and left the Jesuits in 2008. John H. Duggan worked at St. Agnes Hospital from 1972 to 1978. He was accused of sexual abuse in Scranton, and likely abuse in Towson, Md., and other locations in Pennsylvania. Duggan died in 2004. Jeff Burton, accused of unwanted touching in 1982 in North Carolina, was assigned to Stockton University and Atlantic Cape Community College from 1989 to 2006. He was also a priest at the Church of the Assumption in Galloway Township and at St. James in Ventnor, N.J., from 1998 to 2002. Burton was removed from ministry in 2007 and died in 2011. Allegations that the order found were reasonable but could not be fully investigated, in some cases because the priest had died once the allegations surfaced: John F.X. Bellwoar, assigned to St. Josephs University from 1938 to 1940. He is accused of abuse in the 1950s and 1960s in Maryland and Washington. Bellwoar died in 1993. Thomas E. Pyne, who was accused of sexual abuse in Washington during the 1960s. He worked at St. Josephs Prep from 1953 to 1956, left the Jesuits in 1968, and died in 1999. Martin J. Casey, who worked at St. Josephs University from 1944 to 1947, at St. Josephs Preparatory School from 1954 to 1958, and at Old St. Josephs Church from 1964 to 1971. He was accused of a single allegation of sexual abuse around 1959 in Washington. Casey died in 2006. The Jesuits encouraged anyone who believes they were abused by a Jesuit or employee of the province to call the Victim Assistance Coordinator at 443-370-6357, email at MARadvocacy@jesuits.org, or write to the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, 8600 LaSalle Rd., Suite 620, Towson, Md. 21286. Otoniel "O.T." Figueroa inspects a car at South Philly garage he calls home. Figueroa, 39, started working for the city as a mechanic when he was in high school as part of what's become the city's longest running and most successful apprenticeship program. Read more Otoniel Figueroa likes to say he did 10th grade for three years. The first time, it was taking so long for him to get transferred to Edison High School from Olney that he just dropped out. The second time, after finally making it to Edison, he flunked. But on his third try, he got a reason to keep his grades up: the promise of a job. That year, his auto body teacher had pulled him aside and told him he was good enough to join a new program where the city hired high schoolers to work on cop cars and fire trucks. But hed have to get at least a C in every class, even gym, or hed get fired. The only class he liked was auto body. He loved working on cars, often staying at school late into the evening to fix them with his teacher. So, Figueroa, who goes by O.T., jumped at the chance. By the time he graduated, in 1999, he had a full-time job at the city garage in South Philly. And he had made the honor roll. At a time when the Kenney administration is developing a slate of on-the-job training programs in hopes of tackling poverty and building a pipeline for an aging city workforce, the Fleet Departments Automotive Apprenticeship shines. The citys longest-running workforce program, it took Philly high schoolers mostly boys, many of them black and Latino and gave them after-school jobs in city garages, where they apprenticed under experienced auto mechanics and got the chance to become full-time employees when they graduated. (The traditional pathway requires four years of experience, a college degree, or an industry certification to get a job as a city mechanic, which rules out a lot of Philly kids.) In its 25 years, the program has served 125 students, a third of whom still work for the city. Many of them were the first in their family to buy a house and have health insurance, said Ann Cohen, a former union leader who helped start the program. Auto industry jobs are the top of the blue-collar pay scale, Cohen said a city auto technician makes between $44,000 and $49,000, on top of a pension and job security. And several early apprentices have climbed the ranks to help run the citys garages, now overseeing interns of their own. Theres John Pfeifer, 40, a team lead at the biggest city garage, at Front Street and Hunting Park Avenue, who said the program was a savior for a guy like him, someone who knew he wasnt going to college, who knew he wanted to work with his hands. I was blue collar my whole life," he said. Lawrence Porterfield, a West Philly High graduate, says the job took him off the street. Also a team lead at Front and Hunting Park, hes now the vice president of his union, a board member at the auto-focused Workshop School, and a new grandfather. And Figueroa, 39, the rowdy Puerto Rican kid from North Philly, manages a team of nine at 11th and Reed Streets, at the garage he grew up in, the one he calls home. They didnt want us The apprenticeship, born of a labor dispute, did not get off to an easy start. It was the early 90s, and the union representing mechanics had just won a $150,000 settlement against the city for giving union work to high schoolers. Cohen told the city that if it really wanted to give high schoolers auto work, shed help set up a program. But there was tension at all ends: Some of the unions worried that the apprenticeship would result in fewer spots for dues-paying members, so they told Fleet: Dont send us any kids. It was also the first year the unions had accepted a contract with cuts to benefits and no wage increases, so they were bitter, Cohen said. Plus, most of the kids were black and brown, and much of the current staff was white. The rumor, Figueroa said, laughing, was that the shop at 11th and Reed was getting dark." Still, the Fleet Department and some in labor, like Cohen, knew the program had potential. The city has always had a hard time recruiting for its blue-collar jobs because it cant pay as much as the private sector. It helps to grow your own in the city garages because its such specialized work your typical mechanic wont know how to fix a faulty hose on a fire truck. And it was a way to make the citys workforce reflect the racial makeup of the city itself. So management made it clear, said Christine Derenick-Lopez, the former Fleet official who helped started the program: If you werent on board, you could get fired. But it was hard at the garages at first: They didnt want us, Porterfield said, talking about the mechanics when he was an intern. They didnt want the interns touching their tools, which can cost thousands of dollars. But over time, things changed. The interns started looking to the mechanics as father figures. One took Porterfield to open his first bank account. Eventually, as the interns got more experience, the mechanics would sit back and watch the kids do the work, happily letting them use their tools. It took years to get it right, said Derenick-Lopez, whos now the citys chief administrative officer. For example, they realized that hiring a cohort of 23 interns was too many you cant have the kids all in one place because its too distracting. These days, Fleet hires about five interns each year. Though it would like to expand, there are limitations: Only a few garages are open for a second shift, necessary since students go to school during the day. Now, the program is ingrained in the culture. Pfeifer says that of the 15 working under him, about one-third have come through the program. No one would complain about having to train a teenager. Thats just the way it is at Fleet. Philadelphia Media Network is one of 21 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org. Police tape hangs off a porch beam next to a home where a woman was fatally shot overnight in the 6300 block of North Woodstock Street in North Philadelphia on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018. The woman was reportedly shot next to her newborn infant. TIM TAI / Staff Photographer Read more Police are seeking a 33-year-old man they say shot and killed his girlfriend on Friday as her newborn baby slept feet away. Officials say Tyrese Lynch could be armed and dangerous. Isis Williams, 24, was found dead in Lynchs home on the 6300 block of Woodstock Street in East Germantown after police were called about 4 a.m. Friday, police said. She had been shot at least once in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Williams, who was from Upper Darby, had given birth five days earlier. The baby was not hurt. Police released Lynchs name and photo Sunday but no further information about the investigation. Video shows the Nave Cielo, a 750-foot long oil tanker, discharging oil into international waters, according to the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware. Read more A shipping company based in Greece has been fined $2 million by a federal judge in Delaware after a crew member on one of its ships shared with investigators a video of a tanker ship discharging oil while cruising at sea. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika imposed the fine last week on Navimax Corp. for a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and obstruction of a Coast Guard investigation. David C. Weiss, U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware, said Navimax is incorporated in the Marshall Islands but has its main office in Greece. Company officials could be reached immediately for comment. The defendant violated environmental laws that protect our marine environment from harmful pollution, Weiss said in a statement that continued, "The message to the shipping industry is clear: Environmental crimes at sea will not be tolerated. In December 2017, prosecutors said, Navimax was operating a 750-foot-long oil tanker named Nave Cielo that made port in Delaware City, just off the Delaware River in New Castle County, and was boarded by the Coast Guard as part of a routine inspection. During the inspection, a crew member gave the officers a thumb drive containing two videos that showed a high-volume discharge of dark brown and black oil waste from a five-inch pipe, located 15 feet above water level, according to court documents and statements made in court. The discharge, which lasted about 10 minutes on Nov. 2, 2017, occurred in international waters after the ship left New Orleans, the documents state. The ship was headed to Belgium. Federal authorities say that on the day after the discharge, crew members cleaned oil from the decks and lowered someone over the side to clean oil from the ships hull. Crew members, however, never disclosed the discharge, as required by the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. Prosecutors said Roman Maksymov, the ships former chief officer, was responsible for the proper handling of oily waste from the ships cargo hold and for recording any discharge. Navimax was ordered to pay the fine immediately. The case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay and the Coast Guard Investigative Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edmond Falgowski and trial attorney John Cashman in the Environmental Crimes Section of the Department of Justice. Naval Square, now a gated condo community, is also home to the burial site of the U.S. Navy's last working horse. Read more Naval Square, as it is now known, has been many things before becoming a gated community of expensive condos on the banks of the Schuylkill in a neighborhood with many names. The Inquirer calls the area Schuylkill, but others might use Devils Pocket, Southwest Center City, or Graduate Hospital, the newest name on the block. But whatever you call it, the 24-acre plot of land on Grays Ferry Avenue has been associated with the Navy since 1827 and has the unusual distinction of being the final resting place of Dexter, the Navys last working horse. A reader interested in learning more about the horse the questioner thought it was a mule asked about it through Curious Philly, the Inquirer and Daily News question-and-answer forum through which readers submit questions about their communities and reporters seek to answer them. First, a little history about the site. The Philadelphia Naval Asylum, a hospital, opened there in 1827. From 1838 until 1845, the site also served as the precursor to the U.S. Naval Academy, until the officers training school opened in Annapolis with seven instructors, four of them from Philadelphia. In 1889, its name was changed to the Naval Home to reflect its role as a retirement home for old salts, as they used to call retired sailors. It closed in 1976, when the Naval Home moved to Gulfport, Miss. It was in the service of the Naval Home that Dexter came to Philadelphia. Originally an Army artillery horse foaled in 1934, Dexter was transferred to the Navy in 1945 to haul a trash cart around the Naval Home. Despite his lowly duties, the men only men lived there loved him. That horse was more human than animal, Edward Pohler, chief of security at the home, told the Inquirer in 1968. He had the run of the grounds and would come to the door of my office every day to beg for an apple or a lump of sugar. The chestnut gelding was retired in 1966 and sent to a farm in Exton, but that did not last long. Naval Home residents who missed him committed to paying the $50 monthly bill for his feed and care. For two years he grazed on a three-acre field that residents dubbed Dexter Park. But on July, 11, 1968, Dexter, who had stopped eating and was not responding to medication, died at the age of 34 in his stall with a little human intervention to make it pain-free. The next day, 400 people, including Navy men in dress uniform, turned out for a burial with full military honors. Dexter was placed in a casket measuring 9 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 5 feet deep, with an American flag draped on the top. Retired Rear Adm. M.F.D. Flaherty, the homes governor, offered final words, saying, Dexter was no ordinary horse. As the casket was lowered by a crane into the 15-foot-deep grave, Gilbert Blunt rolled the drum and Jerry Rizzo played Taps on his trumpet. Members of the honor guard folded the flag into a triangle of white stars on a blue field and presented it to Albert A. Brenneke, a retired aviation mechanic and former farm boy from Missouri who was Dexters groom. Brenneke recalled Dexter fondly, saying the horse was very gentle and playful and liked to nibble on you," according to news coverage of the funeral. No sign exists marking Dexters final place. The pasture, however, did not remain empty for long. According to the December 1968 issue of the Navy magazine All Hands, a retired 16-year-old Fairmount Park Police horse named Tallyho took up residence at the Naval Home after Dexters death. But, unlike Dexter, Tallyho, a bay gelding, was a gift to the homes residents and did not receive an official Navy serial number. As was the case with Dexter, Tallyhos only duty will be to contribute to the happiness of the men who share their retirement with him at the U.S. Naval Home, the magazine said. What happened to Tallyho after he went to the Naval Home is not clear. 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. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers leads a gathering in Hanukkah songs after lighting a menorah outside the Tree of Life Synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. A gunman shot and killed 11 people while they worshipped Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 at the temple. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) Read more In the six weeks since a lone gunman killed 11 people and wounded six others inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, there have been nearly three dozen mass shootings in the United States. As with previous mass shootings, lawmakers in Harrisburg have mostly shrugged and continued to collect their outsized paychecks and guaranteed raises for largely part-time work. Given the lack of leadership in Harrisburg when it comes to reducing gun crimes and protecting innocent shooting victims, State Rep. Dan Frankel wisely wants to allow local lawmakers to pass their own gun laws. Frankel, a Democrat who represents the section of Pittsburgh where the horrific synagogue shooting occurred, is seeking cosponsors for two bills that would remove the so-called preemption language from the state law, which prohibits cities from enacting gun laws. Frankels bill faces a heavy lift in Harrisburg where Republicans control the House and Senate and the National Rifle Association wields undue influence over many lawmakers. But the recent success of congressional candidates from Pennsylvania and conservative districts nationwide who supported gun-control measures should cause some Harrisburg lawmakers to rethink their obstinance. Or perhaps the election gains by Democrats in the state House and Senate along with sustained pressure from gun-control activists will get the attention of Harrisburgs GOP leadership. Yes, it makes more sense for gun laws to come from Washington and Harrisburg especially since the majority of Americans support commonsense reforms. Indeed, a host of studies show stricter gun laws can make a difference. But until the political landscape changes, lawmakers in such cities as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh should be allowed to pass their own gun measures. There is a good argument to be made that local officials are more responsive to the needs of their community. Given the urban and rural political divide on guns, it may make more sense to allow cities to pass different laws. There is also historical precedent dating to frontier times when places like Dodge City, Kansas, and Tombstone, Arizona, regulated firearms. Gun proponents often point to Chicago, where shootings have been rampant, as proof that strict regulation does not reduce killings. But Illinois borders Indiana and Wisconsin, two states with relatively weak gun laws. The same holds true for New Jersey, where 77 percent of guns used in crimes in the first quarter of this year came from out of state. The majority of those guns came from Pennsylvania, where access to guns is more relaxed. Pennsylvania is an undistinguished leader in other gun-related stats. More Pennsylvanians are killed each year by guns than in car accidents. The states gun homicides are among the highest in the nation, especially among minorities. Many of the shootings and murders occur in Philadelphia, where the number of homicides this year is already the highest since 2012. Past attempts by the city to pass stricter gun laws have been blocked by the state. So, until Washington and Harrisburg get serious about gun control, Rep. Frankels effort to allow cities and towns to pass their own gun laws makes good sense. Wilson Ramos, left, will join the New York Mets after a brief tenure last season with the Phillies. Read more Wilson Ramos was never very likely to re-sign with the Phillies. Its not that the Phils were unimpressed with Ramos after acquiring him in a July 31 trade. But they still envision Jorge Alfaro as their primary catcher and Ramos wants to play every day. It just didnt seem like a match. So, while the Phillies continued to seek pitching upgrades and prepared for an in-person meeting with Manny Machado this week, Ramos agreed Sunday night to a two-year, $19 million contract with the rival New York Mets. The Mets reportedly were pursuing a trade for Miami catcher J.T. Realmuto but balked at the Marlins' high asking price. If the Marlins do move on from Realmuto this winter, the presumption throughout the industry is that they prefer not to trade him within the National League East. Ramos, 31, batted .337, slugged .483, and had 10 extra-base hits in 89 at-bats over 33 games with the Phillies. Overall, he hit .306 with 15 homers and a .487 slugging percentage. But he also missed time with two sore hamstrings and is two years removed from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Last week, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak restated his confidence in Alfaro, who batted .262 with 10 homers but struck out 138 times in 344 at-bats as a rookie last season and struggled at times behind the plate. I think what Jorge showed last year was incredible growth for a first-year catcher, both on the offensive side and the defensive side, Klentak said. He cut his strikeout rate every month of the year. His receiving and framing went from being not great to very good in one year. Obviously he can become more familiar with our pitching staff and how they prepare. We absolutely think Jorge can and will be our front-line [catcher]. Klentak also praised backup catcher Andrew Knapp. Its possible, though, that the Phillies will pursue a more veteran backup. They looked into Brian McCann before he signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves last month. There are still several catching options on the free-agent market, including Matt Wieters, Nick Hundley, A.J. Ellis, and Devin Mesoraco. From left: Dr. Krishna P. Singh, chief executive of Camden-based Holtec; Holtec Sr. Vice President Dr. Jyoti Chatterjee (behind Singh); Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis; state Minister for Industries Subhash Desai; state Chief Secretary of Industries Satish Gavai; CEO of MIDC Dr. P. Anbalagan; and Bushan Gagrani, principal secretary to Fadnavis, at what Holtec called "festive ceremonies" advancing the company's plan to supply India with a factory to make nuclear power plants. Read more On a flower-decked table in Mumbai, India, last week, a Holtec International delegation led by Krishna P. Singh, the India native and triple-degree Penn grad, joined with a group headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, of Maharashtra, India's second-most populous state, to sign a memo of understanding allowing Holtec to build a factory the company says will "give India autonomous capability" to make systems and parts for "the country's planned expansion of nuclear generation." Besides "complex" nuclear plant equipment, the Holtec Heavy Manufacturing Division plant could also weld heavy equipment for India-based oil and gas, chemical, and aerospace industries, Holtec said in a statement. The company didn't provide a proposed timetable or the cost of the plan. The Indian Express newspaper said Holtec "is keen to invest $680 million," or 48 billion India rupees. "The objective is to build a facility on the lines of the capacity and capability of Holtec's plant in the U.S.," the Express added. Holtec has two newly-constructed factories on the Camden waterfront, and a former Westinghouse plant near Pittsburgh, among other U.S. facilities. The agreement sounds "consistent with the US-India nuclear relationship in general," said Michael Horowitz, political science professor at Penn. "The US-India civil nuclear agreement, signed in 2005, removed constraints on nuclear trade between the US and India" and encouraged people in both countries who hoped to build and supply nuclear power stations. "That was an extraordinarily consequential agreement for U.S.-India relations," said Ben Schwartz, the Main Line native who heads the Defense and Aerospace Program at the U.S.-India Business Council, and wrote the book Right of Boom, about nuclear terrorism. India and the U.S. agreed that country's civilian nuclear authorities would oversee nuclear-power cooperation, without involving the military. "To India's credit, it has since then become much more involved in the international non-proliferation regime," Schwartz added. "They have added import and export procedures that have bolstered their reputation as a trusty steward" of civilian technologies. As a result, India was recently granted special status allowing import of U.S. industrial materials, including nuclear materials, without special licensing. Singh has worked for years to win nuclear power contracts in India, a fast-growing nation with twice the population of Europe, which also maintains an arsenal of nuclear weapons. In 2014, Singh praised the election results that brought Narendra Modi to power as India's prime minister, predicting Modi would stimulate India's industrial growth. U.S.-India relations have improved in recent years. Before his election, Modi had been barred from visiting the United States because of State Department questions on Modi's role in Hindu-nationalist riots in the early 2000s in Gujarat, where both Singh's and Modi's families originate. After Modi's victory, then-President Obama visited Modi in India and called for closer ties. Under the Trump administration, the granting of U.S. visas to Indian citizens rose last year over 2016 levels. After Modi became prime minister, Singh cheered what he called "a seismic shift in the Indian democracy with significant consequences to the rest of the world" and a victory for capitalism against "filthy" government bribe demands, ineffective socialism, and China-style one-party rule. Singh noted at that time that Holtec was then close to finishing a small plant in Dahej, a port in Gujarat, and that Modi's state government had cleared the way for its construction. Singh said then that he hoped to install, in the Philadelphia area, "large capital equipment" to be used "for building nuclear plants in India to meet that nation's exploding need for clean energy." Singh is now prepared to go further, building heavy equipment in an India factory. At the Nov. 21 meeting, Maharastra minister Fadnavis said Holtec's factory plan fits with Modi's "Make in India" campaign. Singh echoed the praise for Modi and "Make in India" and added that his planned "state-of-art plant, infused with Holtec's know-how and expertise," will make India "a global provider of sophisticated capital equipment." He also said "the plant will help realize our goal to bring United States and India into a cooperative compact" to build Holtec's vision of a new generation of turnkey small nuclear power plants. Holtec in recent years has moved its operating offices to a former shipyard site in Camden from Marlton and built two factories there with $260 million in state tax incentives. But Holtec executives are also among the Philadelphia-area employers who have complained that it's tough to find reliable skilled workers near their plants. The company resisted Sheet Metal Workers Union attempts to organize new staff; workers at its Pittsburgh-area plant, a former Westinghouse facility, are members of the United Steelworkers. Singh, whose principal residence is in Hobe Sound, Fla., works with politicians in the United States as well as India. George Norcross, the insurance broker, Cooper Health chairman, and South Jersey Democratic leader, sits on Holtec's board. And former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican who recently announced that she was stepping down as ambassador to the United Nations, was a special guest at the 2014 dedication of the Singh Nanotechnology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. At that event, Haley told me that her family and Singh's were friends, both tracing their roots to Gujarat. Singh, a former co-owner with Norcross of The Inquirer, had previously given $50,000 to the Movement Fund, a group backing Haley's political campaigns. Other donors included Trump, who gave $5,000, and Foster Friess, a former Chadds Ford resident and founder of the Brandywine growth-stock mutual funds, who gave $250,000. Friess was defeated in the Republican primary for governor of his adopted state of Wyoming in August. Holtec has in the past gotten so close to government that the company got hurt. In 2010 the U.S. government-owned Tennessee Valley Authority assessed Holtec a $2 million "administrative fee" after a TVA employee pleaded guilty to failing to report $54,000 that he had collected from a Holtec subsidiary at the company's direction, the industry publication Platt's Nuclear Fuel reported at the time. TVA also temporarily barred Holtec from competing for federal contracts, the first time the agency did that to a contractor since its founding in the 1930s. But two years later the authority awarded Holtec a 10-year, $298 million contract to continue supplying the agency with uranium-fuel casks, after the company agreed to implement a new ethics program. (Project price and third-party comments added Nov. 27, 2018) The aerial photo taken on September 17 shows the office and auditorium complex of the Sri Lanka Military Academy assisted by China. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Meng Xing) COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, Dec. 17 (ChinaMil) -- The handover ceremony of the office and auditorium complex of the Sri Lankan Military Academy was held in Diyatalawa, a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka on December 15,local time. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan unveiled the new building in the presence of over 150 people, including Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, commander of the Sri Lankan Army, members of a Chinese military delegation, and senior generals of the Sri Lankan military. Addressing the gathering at the ceremony, Sri Lanka Military Academy Commandant Brigadier H.H.A.S.P.K Senaratne said that the China-Sri Lanka friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of people of the two countries, and he sincerely thanked China for building this treasured and state-of-the-art auditorium for the Sri Lankan military. Designed in the shape of a lotus, the national flower of Sri Lanka, the office and auditorium complex will play an important role in the training of Sri Lanka military personnel. Its completion has further strengthened the friendly relations between the two countries and the two militaries. Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan said that China and Sri Lanka are good neighbors, good friends and good partners. Whatever changes may happen in the international situation, the two countries will always support each other and move forward together. The office and auditorium complex of the Sri Lanka Military Academy will become another symbol and witness of the friendship between the two countries and two militaries. Under the strategic partnership framework of China-Sri Lanka's sincere mutual support and friendship from generations, the relations between the two militaries have remained stable and made substantial progress, functioning as an important positive factor in the development of bilateral ties, Cheng said. The building covers an area of 7,200 square meters and is China's first military construction project to assist Sri Lanka. Started in October, 2014, the building was designed and supervised by the National Defense Engineering Institute of the Chinese PLA's Academy of Military Sciences, and built by Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group (YCIH). Lerman Isreal, a client of the food pantry at the KleinLife community center in Northeast Philadelphia, receives his order form a volunteer this week. Read more Out of step with the rest of America and its own suburbs, Philadelphia has remained stubbornly mired in poverty while its median household income has plummeted, a stunning development that puzzles experts and belies the city's self-styled image as a revitalized metropolis on the rise. Two reports from the U.S. Census Bureau released Wednesday and Thursday show that as poverty has declined and income has increased nationwide, Philadelphia's poverty rate remained stuck at 25.7 percent in 2017, the same as in 2016, and close to 2015's level of 25.8 percent. Philadelphia, then, continues to be encumbered by its reputation of having the highest rate of poverty among the 10 most populous U.S. cities, as well as the highest rate of deep poverty, a measure of people living at 50 percent of the poverty line or less. But while the poverty rate remained static, the deep poverty rate startled observers by rising from about 12 percent a level it hovered around for five years to 14 percent in 2017, a number that exceeded the 13.5 percent measure in 2010, after the recession. At the same time, Philadelphia's median household income dropped 4 percent, from $41,449 in 2016 to $39,759. Each of the other big American cities registered an increase in income. Similarly, of the seven Pennsylvania and New Jersey suburbs surrounding Philadelphia, just one Camden County showed a slight decrease in median household income, a decline of 0.3 percent. >> FROM 2017: Philadelphia remains poorest big city In New Jersey, Gloucester County saw a 13.5 percent increase in median household income, while poverty dropped 1.4 percentage points to 6.2 percent, the largest dip in poverty in the region. That income in Philadelphia could fall so precipitously in a single year amid a booming economy and sustained unemployment is an unexpected and difficult-to-explain phenomenon. "I'm having a hard time getting my head around this," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "It's hard to square these numbers with how well overall the city has done in the last year. It suggests poverty is very pernicious. It's very disconcerting." Maria Kefalas, a sociologist and inequality expert at St. Joseph's University, said that the "jarring" drop in income "really freaks me out," adding, "It's bad, a bad sign. This doesn't happen. It means the patient is sick and not getting better. "The city that likes to imagine itself on the upswing trying to lure Amazon here, gentrifying around Temple is not changing. Wages are stagnating and people aren't benefiting from economic growth. "The city is really poor. It's depressing." Mark Price, labor economist with the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg, agreed. "It's a very deep concern when poverty is stubborn here as the economy expands," he said. "Instead of winning the Super Bowl, as we're used to, we are coming in last in poverty." News not all bad In at least one aspect, there was some good news in the Census report that concentrated on the Philadelphia region, known as the American Community Survey. Poverty among children under age 18 fell from 37.3 percent to 31.9 percent, while poverty among the elderly didn't climb much, reaching 17.5 percent from 17.4 percent. It's possible that increased focus on early childhood education has helped, some said. But others dispute the number. Steveanna Wynn, executive director of the Share Food Program, said that there has been no change in the number of low-income children who are served in food cupboards throughout the city, proof that childhood hunger and poverty have not improved. Others said the decline in childhood poverty could simply be a result of middle-class people with children moving into the city, making child-poverty numbers fall. Why the introduction of well-off people didn't bring down overall poverty could be mitigated by the surprising rise in white poverty, experts said. While poverty among minority groups stalled or decreased, poverty among non-Hispanic white people in Philadelphia shot up from 14.8 percent to 19.4 percent between 2016 and 2017. This set of circumstances inspired a theory. If the overall poverty rate is stagnant, and deep poverty has increased while white poverty is up and child poverty has gone down, that likely means poverty is up among white working-age adults without children, opined Luke Shaefer, director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. That's the same group that abuses opioids, he said. So it's a "pretty compelling" theory that opioids could be the driver of sudden deep poverty, as well as increased white poverty, said Shaefer, connecting two of Philadelphia's most vexing problems. Of course, experts stressed, these could be only guesses, since they first saw the data in the last two days. Attempting to explain Philadelphia's difficult condition, experts suggested that even though unemployment is down, many Philadelphians work in low-paying jobs, or are forced to work fewer hours. The sector that added the greatest number of jobs in recent years is hotel and restaurant worker, said Keith Wardrip, a research manager with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The median income for such jobs is less than $18,000 annually, according to Dermot Delude-Dix, research analyst with Unite Here Local 274, which represents hotel and restaurant workers. "There's a distinction between having a job and a decent-paying job," Wardrip said. Arlene Steinberg, 66, who lives in Northeast Philadelphia, had a good job as an executive assistant at a lighting company 10 years ago. But the recession caused her to be laid off. Divorced with no children, Steinberg said the best job she could get was Walmart greeter. "I made my peace with it," she said. "I used to donate to others. Now, I get food from the food pantry at KleinLife community center. "My 25-year-old TV has rabbit ears with aluminum foil, and I talk on the cheapest flip phone you can get. If I ever get money, I'll never eat another can of peas again." Philadelphia boosters like to say that the city is a center of medical jobs and university slots meds and eds Price said. "They're supposed to be awesome engines of opportunity," he added. But many of the available meds and eds jobs are not surgeons and professors, but janitors and security guards, Price and others said. "And what gets lost is that janitors and security guards don't do as well in hospitals and universities," he said. Mariana Chilton of Drexel University's School of Public Health added that "it's unconscionable" that institutions pay janitors and security guards around $9 an hour. She said that people who clean our buildings, care for our children and our disabled and elderly get such low pay in Philadelphia that it "generates more vulnerability and more poverty." People are in poverty because the minimum wage hasn't gone up, said Kathy Fisher, policy director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. "The abundance of service-industry jobs in Philadelphia and their corresponding low wages do not push up the median income," she said. While many in the city reap the rewards of a motoring national economy, it's evident that "things don't magically trickle down to reach the people who need it the most." To improve conditions, Kefalas said, "political leaders in the city should go to major employers and ask, 'When are you going to do right by the people of Philadelphia in terms of wages?' " City officials who were asked for comment said they would respond, but hadn't as of deadline. Upbeat suburbs Throughout the region, data from the two Census reports told a more upbeat story. Median household income was up nearly 9 percent in Delaware County to $73,854, while the poverty rate fell from 10.9 percent to 9.7 percent. "Lots of companies relocate hear, and Boeing continues to do incredibly well," said J. Patrick Killian, director of commerce for Delaware County. Oil and natural gas outfits are enjoying a good year, too, he added. County workers benefit from making high Philadelphia salaries, said Brandon McKoy, director of government and public affairs at New Jersey Policy Perspective, a Trenton think tank. Still, he added, wages aren't going up fast enough for low-income people. Poverty may be dropping in places like Gloucester County because lots of New Jersey communities that don't provide for people in poverty simply "push people out," said Renee Koubiadis, executive director of the New Jersey Anti-Poverty Network in Bordentown. "They give people bus tickets to Atlantic City, Trenton, and Camden, where there are shelters" for people in poverty and the homeless, Koubiadis said. Overall, the poverty rate for New Jersey declined from 10.4 percent in 2016 to 10 percent in 2017, the American Community Survey reported. The Pennsylvania rate went from 12.9 percent to 12.5 percent. Nationwide, poverty moved from 12.7 percent to 12.3 percent during the same period, according to the second Census report, called "Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2017." The U.S. median household income increased from $60,309 to $61,372 between 2016 and 2017. The harsh Philadelphia news from the American Community Survey is not news at all to Eugene Harris, 60, of North Philadelphia. Once upon a time, he worked for the phone company. Then came downsizing. Now, he works five to 10 hours a week at a laser printing company, and lives in deep poverty. Still, he tries. "They call me Mr. Hustle in my neighborhood because I paint and do outside work for anyone who needs it," said Harris, who is separated and has a grown daughter. "But it's still hard to make ends meet. "Sometimes, I go to sleep hungry. I really don't like to ask my neighbors for help, but sometimes I do," said Harris, who volunteers at the charity food kitchen at Devereux Methodist Church. "I do work in Philadelphia. But, you know, it's still a struggle. "It is what it is." Philadelphia Media Network is one of 21 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push towards economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org. Volunteers outside the Lillian Marrero branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia distribute food supplied by Philabundance's Fresh For All program to residents in Fairhill. Read more In grim and startling detail, a new five-year federal survey of poverty in Philadelphia shows a city still not recovered from the Great Recession with white poverty exploding, inequality becoming the norm, and an out-of-the-way neighborhood experiencing some of the worst ravages of privation. Being released on Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimate for 2013 through 2017 takes a microscope to the city's formidable 26 percent poverty rate, revealing fault lines of distress and hardship. For example: Fairhill in North Philadelphia registered a stunning 61 percent poverty rate. The neighborhood of Eastwick in Southwest Philadelphia, near Philadelphia International Airport, showed the greatest poverty-rate increase of any community, rocketing from 12 percent during 2006-10 to 26 percent in the newest survey. That means that even after the recession ended, around a decade ago, conditions in Eastwick have gotten much worse than during the depth of the downturn. White poverty throughout much of the city skyrocketed, led by the Northeast neighborhood of Holmesburg, which went from a 2 percent poverty rate to 19 percent. The median household income of Tioga-Nicetown plummeted from $28,026 to $17,493, the largest drop in the city. Measuring inequality At the same time, the Graduate Hospital area (also called Schuylkill/Southwest Center City) had the highest median household income at $91,445, supplanting Chestnut Hill as the richest neighborhood in the city. In comparison, Fairhill's median income dropped by about $300, to $15,979. Thus, inequality in the city has a precise measure. It's $75,466, the gap between the median household incomes in the Graduate Hospital area and Fairhill. Overall, the median household income is $39,759, a fall from the $41,449 between 2016 and 2017, census figures show. The ACS numbers are calculated by surveys taken over five-year periods. They're based on samples of population and are subject to margins of error. But, experts say, the results are striking all the same. "It's a little shocking to see poverty continue to rise robustly in a period of time after recovery from the recession, with a stronger economy," said labor economist Mark Price of the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg. "It indicates that some neighborhoods became destinations for impoverished households to move into. Or, simply, the conditions have gotten worse." The Fairhill story continues to astound people who live and work in a place where just 39 percent of the population is not poor. "These numbers bring tears to my eyes," said David Chiles, executive director of Providence Center, which offers education programs for children and adults in the neighborhood. "The last decade-plus has shown a widening of the gulf between the very, very wealthy and the communities that are struggling economically. "Here you have kids in shoes that don't fit them, coming from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Mexico wearing sweatshirts and not coats," he said. "They skip meals, they live overcrowded. And on every corner, people sell drugs." Temple University sociologist Judith Levine said, "A number like 61 percent is total crisis." "That's just an upsetting, astronomical poverty rate," she added. In a lot behind the Lillian Marrero Branch Library on Wednesday, neighborhood people gathered for produce provided by Philabundance, the region's leading anti-hunger agency. During a snow squall, Crystal Gerardo, a 19-year-old sophomore at Community College of Philadelphia, collected vegetables for herself and her father. Gerardo said she lives in poverty among so many others who find themselves in "daily chaos literally chaos." She added, "Poverty makes people lose their minds. The violence, the food insecurity, the homelessness, even the falling-down buildings and stray animals in the street. Awful." It's a hard problem to solve, noted Neeta Fogg, a Drexel University economist. Entire chunks of the population in Fairhill, Tioga, and other low-income areas are not looking for jobs because they've been endlessly discouraged by failed attempts at employment. Among people living in deep poverty 50 percent or more below the federal poverty rate of about $21,000 a year for a family of three 75 percent are disconnected from the workforce, Fogg said. "The ones who stop looking for work have no skills, have low education attainment, and have no experience," she added. "The gap between what you have to offer and what the labor market wants is so big, you have no chance." White poverty As the Fairhill survey statistics showed people living in poverty becoming even poorer, another phenomenon announced itself in the census numbers. In September, the census released a one-year survey that found that while poverty among minority groups stalled or decreased, poverty among white people in Philadelphia shot up from 14.8 percent to 19.4 percent between 2016 and 2017. The more detailed survey released on Thursday revealed that the poverty rates in 22 majority-white neighborhoods in Philadelphia increased between the 2006-10 survey and the 2013-17 survey in some cases quite dramatically. Holmesburg recorded the highest increase, from 2 percent to 19 percent. Experts, hearing about the data for the first time on Wednesday, struggled to explain why. "This community never bounced back from the recession," said Tricia Neale, a minister and executive director of Feast of Justice food pantry at St. John's Lutheran Church in Mayfair. In that neighborhood, the poverty rate rose from 1 percent to 14 percent. Many residents who were barely holding on have blown through their savings, lost access to social-network programs, and are living at rock bottom, she said. But there's another reason so many white people are falling into poverty, some surmise: opioids. "A lot of people have blinders on and don't want to believe this, but drugs are all over Northeast Philadelphia, and a lot of addiction is going on," said Revonne Watson, food pantry director at Holmecrest Homes in Holmesburg. In so many cases, grandparents are raising grandchildren because parents are suffering from addiction, Watson said. "We're starting to see a lot of homelessness up here because of rampant drug use." Paul Sachs, executive director of Merakey Philadelphia, a nonprofit that helps people with substance abuse disorders and mental illness, said he also believes "opioids are an explanation" for increased white poverty. Aside from the cost of maintaining an addiction, drugs "affect your behavior, which can cause work-related problems." People lose their jobs and fall into poverty, he added. While drug usage may account for some white poverty, another reason may simply be old age. "The neighborhoods are getting grayer and older," said Andre Krug, CEO of KleinLife, a social service organization in Somerton. "When people retire and stay in the neighborhood, it makes the area poorer," Krug said. He added that Northeast Philadelphia continues to see white immigrants from Russia "who tend to be very poor" flock to the area. Whats happening in Eastwick? Along with the tragedy of Fairhill and the travails of white, low-income Philadelphians, the Five-Year ACS had another story to tell: the poverty slide in Eastwick. With no time to study the data, experts were hard-pressed to explain why the poverty rate spiked in that particular neighborhood, which looks like a combination of Northeast Philadelphia, a widespread suburb, and an inner-city community. Kathy Fisher, policy director at the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, said she wondered whether the high rate of evictions in West Philadelphia were pushing people southwest to Eastwick. She also suggested that a growing number of low-income immigrants from Africa who are settling in Eastwick might be affecting poverty rates. The large African population could be at the heart of it, noted Andrea Lemoins, a community organizer with the Free Library of Philadelphia's Eastwick branch. "It's a low-income community where public transportation is really sparse, and it's cut off from the rest of the city," she said. Jason Graham, 39, was walking with his wife, Stephanie Clark, 41, in Eastwick on their way to the Eastwick Mission House to get food from the pantry there. The couple have three children, aged 10 to 15. A construction worker who took in $300 last month, Graham said no one should judge "the down and out." He added, "There just aren't jobs for me, but it could be worse. We still have each other in our family." Ultimately, said David Chiles of Providence Center in Fairhill, the city should be frustrated and angered by the census numbers that depict the plight of people like Graham. "Numbers like this say that something in Philadelphia is massively broken, and we have to rethink what we're doing to help people," he said. "The acceptance of suffering is unconscionable to me." Philadelphia Media Network is one of 21 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org. I grew up in Mlada Boleslav, a town of 27,000 people northeast of Prague. The town was named after Count Boleslav II, who in 935 murdered his brother Vaclav in front of a church. Vaclav was later canonized by the church and became St. Vaclav (St. Wenceslas), who is even now considered a spiritual father of the Czechs. Since then, like most European cities, Mlada Boleslav has experienced its ups and downs of history. The city was destroyed many times by various wars and uprisings, but it was always rebuilt. I was born in Mlada Boleslav nine years after the end of World War II, six years after the Moscow-organized communist coup, two years after horrendous Stalinist show trials in Prague, where 10 members of the Communist Party were sentenced to death, and one year after Stalin's death. I'm mentioning the history because I believe it becomes part of an individual's memory, and the memory becomes part of our identity. Though I wasn't alive when any of these things happened, they are part of the people and place I come from, and have helped to shape who I am. My family lived in a neglected house that was nationalized by the government and divided into units. In the apartment on the first floor lived my family, my dad's parents, and an old couple, members of the Communist Party. Only later I found out that the couple were living in the same apartment in order to inform on my parents. This was quite common. There were many informants living among the population. People were afraid to voice their opinions. My parents were afraid to say anything in front of the children for fear that we would repeat it in school around teachers or neighbors, and get them into trouble. Children's questions concerning history, politics, or injustice were answered either with a joke or silence. In many theater pieces I stage, I encounter characters searching for the truth hidden inside these kinds of silences. They are an essential part of great dramas. But how do we find that truth? Theater helps us to reimagine what it would be like if we were living in the moment of history that is not ours. We don't know who we are until we enter a crisis. How would we behave? What kind of steps do we take? Our actions reveal who we are. In 1968, Czechoslovakia was invaded by Soviet and Warsaw Pact armies. Mlada Boleslav, because of a large military base, was one of the first targets. At the age of 14, I watched Soviet tanks roll into my city. I watched people crying, throwing rocks, and shaking their fists. I threw rocks as well. Two years later, during my literature class, our professor ordered us to tear out pages from our textbooks. These offensive pages contained lessons about writers whose work was publicly denounced as ideologically subversive by the new pro-Soviet government. I can see it as if it were happening now all of us, 16 years old, ashamed, our heads bent down, no eye contact, tearing those pages out of our books. What was on our minds? We were never allowed to speak of it. Whom could we talk to? Whom to trust? I was profoundly ashamed of everybody involved in the situation: my teacher, classmates, and myself. But I can ask another question. Was this experience perhaps the beginning of something new? I believe so. I think it pushed me toward my path of becoming a serious theater artist. My life in Mlada Boleslav at that very specific time taught me that we all live inside of history. We can't pretend we don't. How does it impact us? What do we do with it? What do we do? Blanka Zizka is the founding artistic director of the Wilma Theater. Whats your hometown story? Tell us how your hometown shaped you. Send 150 words about where you grew up and what it means to you now to opinion@philly.com Some answers may be featured on Philly.com and in the Inquirer. 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. New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney (D., Gloucester) announced Saturday night he would not hold a vote on a controversial redistricting proposal that critics said would essentially gerrymander the state in Democrats favor. Read more In another sign that gerrymandering has become a potent political issue, top Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey were forced over the weekend to spike a proposed constitutional amendment that was sold as redistricting reform but would have entrenched their partys power in Trenton. The plan faced nearly unanimous opposition across the political spectrum, and from good-government lobbies, national Democratic figures, and other interests. It had been scheduled for a vote Monday afternoon in both chambers of the state Legislature. By the time Democratic leaders announced Saturday night that they were pulling the measure, the chorus of detractors had grown to include a number of rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers. Even the No. 2 Senate Democrat, Loretta Weinberg of Bergen County, expressed some hesitation. Theres something in this bill to affront almost everybody, she told WNYC hours before the bill was buried. Thats not always easy to do. But, apparently, thats what we managed to do. The measure, which had been fast-tracked through the Legislature, would have imposed Democrats advantage in statewide elections for president, U.S. Senate, and governor onto local legislative districts. Mapmakers in 2021 would have been forced to redraw the states 40 districts in a way that would have ensured no more than 15 of them leaned Republican. Proponents of the proposal said it would ensure legislative district maps that reflect the will of the voters, but its army of critics said it was a thinly disguised attempt to gerrymander New Jersey in Democrats favor. >>READ MORE: To combat gerrymandering, N.J. Democrats propose drawing maps to entrench their power The development was a political win for Gov. Murphy, a Democrat, who has clashed with Senate President Stephen Sweeney and other Democratic lawmakers and struggled to win their support for some of the top items on his progressive agenda, such as raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The governor vocally opposed the redistricting measure, which would have diminished the power of one of his chief allies, state party Chairman John Currie, in the redistricting process. The redistricting amendment would have instead increased the role of lawmakers in the bipartisan commission that redraws the states legislative map every 10 years to account for changes in population reflected in the census. Lawmakers had hoped to put the amendment on the ballot in November 2019, but that now seems highly unlikely. In separate statements, Sweeney (D., Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D., Middlesex) said they would review the input received from the public and look to potentially change their proposal. I want to integrate some of the valuable input received to help create a better measure and improve the redistricting process overall, Coughlin said in his statement. Analysts of New Jersey politics say that the leaders misjudged how much the Democratic base has come to care about the issue of gerrymandering. Many activists on the partys left, energized by opposition to President Trump, loathed what they saw as a power grab. Redistricting reform advocates celebrated the proposals apparent death but said they hoped lawmakers would now consider other ways to improve the states process of drawing political boundaries. Were excited, but the works not done, said Helen Kioukis, a staffer at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of New Jersey. We want to continue the conversation, and we want there to be a question on the November 2019 ballot that will give us a new district map that fairly represents everyone. Former U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), seen here in 2010, resigned in April after revelations of a taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlement with a former aide. He later repaid the Treasury the $39,000 used for the settlement. Read more WASHINGTON -- When former U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan reached a sexual harassment settlement with a congressional aide, the public didnt know about it and the amount remained secret, even though it was paid from taxpayer funds. The Delaware County Republican was one of at least a half-dozen lawmakers who resigned over sexual harassment claims, including several whose undisclosed settlements only emerged through news reports, as the #MeToo movement against harassment and sexual abuse swept the country last year. A bill that cleared the Senate and House last week would change that. The measure, with heavy input from U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.), would require that lawmakers repay any harassment settlements and that such agreements be made public once a year. It would not apply to previous settlements. This is about respect for the taxpayer, this is about respect for the institution, and this is about respect for our own employees, Brady said at a news conference in Washington. He had a key role in shaping the bill as the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which oversees employment disputes. The measure is likely the last significant piece of legislation Brady will work on before he leaves office at the end of the year. The bipartisan bill is awaiting President Trumps signature. The revamp of sexual harassment rules would also eliminate requirements for a 30-day cooling off period and mediation before a congressional employee can file a harassment claim, both of which were seen as roadblocks to those who had been mistreated. Brady urged both of those steps, said Jamie Fleet, his top aide on the committee. Meehans case, stemming from his treatment of a younger aide in 2017, was one of several in the last two years that shined light on taxpayer-funded payments. His settlement was exposed by a New York Times report in January, and the amount, $39,000, was revealed through subsequent reporting by the Inquirer and Daily News. Meehan denied that he had harassed the young woman, and said he agreed to the settlement to help end the dispute and allow her to move on. He voluntarily repaid the $39,000 and resigned in April though some other ex-lawmakers have refused to pay back their settlements. Under the new plan, lawmakers who refuse to reimburse taxpayers could have their wages or Social Security garnished. The wave of revelations about harassment prompted competing measures to revamp Congress sexual harassment procedures. Members of both parties hailed the final product, though it fell short of what some reformers hoped for and left some discrepancies. In the House, for example, aides who bring harassment claims would receive legal counsel to help them. In the Senate, they would receive advice, but not representation. Philadelphia is poised to take a hit of more than $42 million in its sale of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co. building after abandoning plans to locate the citys police headquarters there. The city is under contract to sell the historic West Philadelphia property for $10 million after paying more than $52 million to buy it and begin renovating it for use by the Police Department, the Philadelphia Tribune newspaper reported last week. Philadelphia-based Iron Stone Real Estate Partners was selected by the city to develop the site at 46th and Market Streets based on its plan to transform the 325,000-square-foot insurance company building into a public health and community service center. Potential tenants include Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia medical offices and a YMCA-operated daycare center, Iron Stone representatives have said. City spokesman Paul Chrystie said in an email to the Tribune that bidding on the property had been is in line with the value identified by two independent appraisals. A bill authorizing the sale has been voted out of City Councils Public Property and Public Works committee and could be introduced to the full Council this week, with a vote potentially coming before the end of the month, the Tribune reported. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, whose district includes the site, said that she believed plans for the site were unfolding without sufficient input from her office and its constituents, and that she may vote against the sale, according to the Tribune. The Provident Mutual buildings namesake occupant moved out in 1983. City Council approved plans under then-Mayor Nutter in 2014 for its conversion into a police headquarters to replace the forces current home in the dated four-story concrete building at 750 Race St. known as the Roundhouse. Those plans were abandoned about three years later during the Kenney administration, when the city said it would instead seek to move the Police Department into the former Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad St. The department is expected to be in its new home by spring 2020 at an expense of $280.3 million. Source: menafn.com (MENAFN - Colombo Gazette) China has gifted a state-of -the art auditorium to the Sri Lanka Army in Diyatalawa. The auditorium was declared open by President Maithripala Sirisena and the Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyan. The auditorium with a seating capacity for 785 people is a gift from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China, the Sri Lanka Army said. Signing of a formal document between a senior Chinese Army Officer on behalf of the Ambassador and the Commander of the Army symbolized the formal transfer of the ownership of the new construction to the Sri Lanka Army. The Sri Lanka Army said that the gift, a symbol of the long-lasting friendship between both countries as well as the armies began construction in 2014 after the then Commander of the Army, General Jagath Jayasuriya entered into a memorandum of understanding with China. The Chinese Army has spent Rs.15 billion under the Phase 1 and RMB Yuan 18 m under Phases 2 and 3 for the project. (Colombo Gazette) Its hard to imagine my life without Planetary Radio. I first started listening to the podcast while trekking the U.S. as a touring musician. While driving from city to city, I would listen to one episode after another. The show immediately transformed me from space enthusiast to space evangelist. Eager to get personally involved in space exploration, I joined The Planetary Society as a member, signed up as a volunteer Outreach Coordinator, and began hosting space events in my community. A year later, I landed a position with The Planetary Society. Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan has spent sixteen years sharing the passion, beauty, and joy of space exploration with the world something our CEO, Bill Nye, lovingly refers to as The PB&J. I remain grateful for the seemingly endless conversations I continue listening to. With over 850 episodes in the back-catalog, it felt impossible to pick out my favorites. So, with the help of Mat and the rest of the staff, we finally settled on our sixteen favorite episodes we want to share with you during this sixteenth anniversary: April 12, 2005 Twenty-two years after she became the first American woman in space, Sally Ride devoted herself to bringing the wonder of science to young people, and especially girls. In this episode from 2005, which was recorded seven years before Rides passing, she discusses Sally Ride Science and shares her thoughts on the Space Shuttles return to flight. BACK HOME TO RECHARGE The testing of LightSail 2 after the vibration testing revealed that during the 4 months it had been stored, its batteries had dropped in charge more than we would have liked. Light- Sail 2 is designed to work even if it comes out of Prox-1 low on charge, but wed prefer a higher level of charge. In late October, we flew the spacecraft back to Cal Poly so we could recharge the batteries at regular intervals. When a firm launch date gets closer, well top off the batteries and fly LightSail 2 back to AFRL for reintegration with Prox-1 before it is shipped to Florida for integration into the Falcon Heavy rocket. ARE METAMATERIALS IN SOLAR SAILINGS FUTURE? Also in October, I presented about solar sailing and the LightSail program at an Optical Society of America (OSA) workshop in Washington, D.C. It brought together members of the solar sailing community with members of optics and materials communities, specifically experts in metamaterials. Metamaterials in this context are materials that combine and arrange different substances in extremely clever ways to generate unusual optical properties. Often laid down as thin films (metasurfaces), they can actively control the polarization of transmitted light, actively change diffraction patterns, bend light around objects, and cause physical material to bend in response to exposure to light. In the workshop, participants began the discussion of how these materials might assist future solar sails. Ideas included integrating small patches of metamaterials as part of a large reflective sail to assist with control of the orientation of the spacecraft. In the longer term, perhaps one could make whole sails out of transparent diffractive metamaterials. They could in theory adjust the thrust direction of the sail without rotating the sail by adjusting the angle at which light is diffracted through the sail. AWAITING LAUNCH At the time of this writing, the launch date for the Falcon Heavy on which LightSail 2 will ride is still uncertain but is anticipated to occur in early 2019. For updates on the launch date and to read blogs with more details, visit sail.planetary.org. Source: ft.lk A China-aided office and auditorium complex were handed over to the Sri Lanka Military Academy in Diyatalawa on Saturday. The handing over ceremony was inaugurated by President Maithripala Sirisena and Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan in the presence of Commander of Sri Lanka Army Lt. General Mahesh Senanayake, a Chinese military delegation led by Major General Shen Jun, as well as other senior army officers from both Sri Lanka and China. Addressing the gathering at the inauguration ceremony, Sri Lanka Military Academy Commandant Brigadier H. H. A. S. P. K. Senaratne said the new building would strengthen the longstanding cordial relationship between the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army and the Sri Lanka Army. He further explained that this state-of-the-art building was constructed in the shape of a lotus, which is the national flower of Sri Lanka, and it will serve as an office, teaching and assembly space for the staff and cadets of the Sri Lanka Military Academy. The auditorium had a seating capacity of 785 seats with sound and optoelectronic facilities, central air conditioning, and intelligent power supply and distribution control system, the Commandant added. Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan stressed that this comprehensive office and auditorium building, which is a gift from the Chinese Government to the Sri Lankan side, would become another symbol and witness of the friendship between the two armies and two countries. History is the key witness, and reality is the best statement. China and Sri Lanka are good neighbors, good friends and good partners. Whatever changes may take place in the international situation, the two countries always stand with and support each other. Both China and Sri Lanka are peace-loving countries. The relationship between the two militaries has become an important and positive factor in the development of bilateral relations. The blooming lotus and the evergreen mountains witness the lasting brotherhood and friendship between China and Sri Lanka. Two countries will conform to the trend of world peace and development, under the guidance of the leadership of the two countries, to enhance strategic mutual trust, deepen comprehensive and pragmatic cooperation in political, economic, military, cultural and other fields, and promote the continuous development of the relations between the two armies and two countries, and make greater contributions to the stability and prosperity of China and Sri Lanka, Cheng said. The new office and auditorium complex in the Sri Lanka Military Academy covers a total floor area of 7200 sq. m. The project started construction in October 2014, and was designed, constructed, and supervised by the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Hospitals are postponing surgeries and patients are having a difficult time receiving medical treatment. According to the Blood Service Bureau of Korean Red Cross the stock of A, B, O and AB blood types are only 19 to 36 percent of the proper stock, proper stock meaning the amount of expected demand for three days. The number of blood donors has reduced dramatically due to the recent spread of negative ideas about blood donation; the shortage of blood is a "blood crisis" where the stock of some blood types are not even enough for daily demand. Some hospitals are filling up the shortage by instant donation from doctors and nurses or even postponing surgeries. The stock of donated blood has been in danger level since last March. Misunderstandings led by reports from the media have caused the decrease of blood donation. Blood Service Bureau reported the number of donors this month and last month have decreased 13.1 percent and 10.5 percent compared to May and April 2003, while the numbers of February and March have increased 7.0 percent and 0.7 percent. During March and April reports under titles such as "Selling Blood" and "Valuable Blood Being Wasted" have been broadcasted or published. The Korean Red Cross explained with specific data that the reports were overstated, but it seems like the explanation wasn't enough to change negative ideas. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East Hanukkah, The Festival Of Lights Happy early Hanukkah! This year Hanukkah started in November. We believe the last time it did was in 2013, on November 27 when it began... Letters to the Editor Land Of OpportunityStill To The Editor: I rarely take a car service in Queens. Mass transit is usually faster and its become much cheaper... Posted by D. Martin on at 09:59 PM CST We've updatedsection of our Hasbro photo archive with the most controversial release of the year. Click this link to have a closer look at the VC123 Stormtrooper (Mimban) 3.75-inch action figure. Maybe it will be readily available for army building in the new year! Some 1.52 million youngsters donated blood last year, the largest group to have taken part in blood donation in 2012. Korean Red Cross on Thursday said schoolchildren and college students accounted for 55.9 percent of the 2.72 million people who donated blood in 2012. Teenagers were especially active with 1.05 million donors between 17 and 19. This is a result of a policy recognizing blood donation as a form of volunteer work reflected in school reports. Since July 2010, a blood donation has been recognized as the equivalent of four hours of volunteer work. A blood donation takes about 10 to 15 minutes, so it is a quick way for students to accumulate volunteer hours. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Britain's government is not preparing for a second referendum on Brexit, ministers said on Sunday, sticking to the script that Prime Minister Theresa May's deal could still pass through parliament with a few changes. May delayed a vote last week on her agreement to leave the European Union because she was set to lose in parliament and has tried to secure "assurances" from the bloc to try to better sell it to sceptical lawmakers. Brussels said last week it was ready to help but warned her that she could not renegotiate the deal. With less than four months before Britain is due to leave in March, Brexit, the biggest shift in trade and foreign policy for more than 40 years, is proving anything but smooth, complicated by the deep divisions in parliament and across the country. With May facing deadlock in parliament over the deal and the EU offering little so far, more politicians are talking about the possibility of Britain leaving without an agreement or a second referendum that could stop Brexit from happening. Asked if the government was preparing for a vote, education minister Damian Hinds told Sky News: "No, a second referendum would be divisive. We've had the people's vote, we've had the referendum and now we've got to get on with implementing it." Trade minister Liam Fox also said a second referendum would "perpetuate" the deep divisions in Britain, adding that the prime minister was securing the necessary assurances to persuade parliament to back her deal. He said that would take some time. "It will happen over Christmas, it's not going to happen this week, it's not going to be quick, it will happen sometime in the New Year," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr show. Singapore will on Monday release October figures for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In September, imports were worth SGD47.13 billion and exports were at SGD52.67 billion for a trade surplus of SGD5.54 billion. Indonesia will see November numbers for imports, exports and trade balance. In October, imports were worth $17.62 billion and exports were at $15.80 billion for a trade deficit of $1.82 billion. New Zealand will see November results for its Performance of Services Index; in October, the index score was 55.4. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. Indian shares opened higher on Monday, tracking firm cues from other Asian after China temporarily suspended additional 25 percent tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles and auto parts starting January 1, 2019. The benchmark BSE Sensex was up 219 points or 0.61 percent at 36,181 in early trade after rising around 1 percent last week. The broader Nifty index was up 52 points or 0.48 percent at 10,857, with ICICI Bank, NTPC, Tata Motors, Vedanta and PowerGrid climbing 2-4 percent. Vedanta jumped 3.6 percent after the National Green Tribunal set aside the Tamil Nadu government order to close its Sterlite copper plant in Tuticorin. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals soared over 4 percent on receiving ANDA approval for Hydrocortisone Valerate ointment. Reliance Industries rose half a percent on reports that its unit Reliance Jio Infocomm is in talks with U.S. contract manufacturer Flex for locally producing about 100 million mobile phone handsets. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea were marginally lower. Jet Airways fell over 3 percent as SBI ordered a forensic audit of the books of the airline. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Oil prices rose slightly on Monday after falling more than 2 percent on Friday, weighed down by a falling U.S stock market and weak data from China pointing to lower fuel demand. Prices remained supported after energy services firm Baker Hughes said U.S. drillers cut four oil rigs in the week to Dec. 14, pulling the total count to the lowest since mid-October at 873. Global benchmark Brent crude rose half a percent to $60.58 per barrel while U.S. light crude futures were up 0.7 percent at $51.83 per barrel. Both benchmarks fell more than 25 percent through October and November on concerns about a supply glut and demand slowdown as a result of a U.S-China trade spat. Some investors doubt whether if OPEC and its allies can successfully rebalance their budgets as the U.S. influence over global oil market gets stronger. With Iran refusing to commit to an across the board production cut and Qatar pulling out of OPEC after nearly 60 years of membership of the oil cartel, traders have become increasingly concerned about a surge in supplies. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Editors Pick The five-day holiday shopping period from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday saw about 180 million Americans making in-store and online purchases, according to the National Retail Federation's Annual Thanksgiving Weekend Consumer Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The shoppers spent an average of $301.27 on holiday-related purchases such as gifts, decor, apparel and toys. Biopharmaceutical company Immunome, Inc. (IMNM) announced Wednesday that it has conducted an assessment of the reported mutations in the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, Omicron (B.1.1.529). Based upon structural mapping of those mutations and activity against previous and current CDC variants of concern,... CVS Health said it has installed time delay safe technology in all 392 Illinois CVS Pharmacy locations, including those in Target stores, to help reduce organized retail crime. The installation of new safes for controlled substances are anticipated to help prevent pharmacy robberies. There is also potential for associated diversion of controlled substance medications, including opioid medications. Malaysia has filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs (GS) and two of the bank's former employees in connection with a corruption and money laundering probe tied to that country's sovereign wealth fund, 1 Malaysia Development Bhd, or 1MDB. Shares of Goldman Sachs are losing more than 2 percent in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Malaysia's Attorney General Tommy Thomas said in a statement on Monday that criminal charges were filed against subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs, its former employees Tim Leissner and Roger Ng Chong Hwa, together with a former employee of 1MDB, Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, and Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho. According to the attorney general, the criminal charges arise from the commission and abetment of false or misleading statements by all the accused in order to dishonestly misappropriate $2.7 billion from the proceeds of three bonds issued by subsidiaries of 1MDB, which were arranged and underwritten by Goldman Sachs. The three bonds had a total face value of $6.5 billion. Thomas noted that Leissner and Roger Ng of Goldman Sachs conspired with Jho Low, Jasmine Loo Ai Swan - the then General Counsel of 1MDB, and others to bribe Malaysian public officials in order to procure the selection, involvement and participation of Goldman Sachs in these bond issuances. The attorney general noted that Goldman Sachs benefited by receiving underwriting and arranging fees of about $600 million, which was "several times higher than the prevailing market rates and industry norms." In addition to personally receiving part of the misappropriated Bond proceeds, these employees and directors of Goldman Sachs are alleged to have received large bonuses and enhanced career prospects at Goldman Sachs and in the investment banking industry generally. Thomas said that prosecutors will seek criminal fines against the accused well in excess of the $2.7 billion misappropriated from the bonds proceeds and $600 million in fees received by Goldman Sachs. They will also seek custodial sentences against each of the individual accused, with the maximum term of imprisonment being 10 years. "Their fraud goes to the heart of our capital , and if no criminal proceedings are instituted against the accused, their undermining of our financial system and market integrity will go unpunished," Thomas said. In early November, U.S. authorities unveiled criminal charges against the two former Goldman Sachs bankers and Low Taek Jho tied to the Malaysia 1MDB sovereign wealth fund scandal. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News By SA Commercial Prop News Dubai's property sector is making a strong comeback five years after prices in the emirate nosedived, but a surge in demand and bouncing prices have triggered calls to remember the crisis. Dubai's property sector is making a strong comeback five years after prices in the emirate nosedived, but a surge in demand and bouncing prices have triggered calls to remember the crisis. Scale models of grandiose developments rolled out at the three-day Cityscape property show, which ends on Thursday, showed the renewed confidence in a market that shed around half of its value. But Ali Lootah, chairman of Nakheel, the giant developer behind a clutch of landmark projects in the Gulf emirate including its famous palm-shaped man-made islands, was bullish. "Dubai is booming again," he said. He was speaking as Nakheel launched a new seafront development on reclaimed land, along with a handful of residential projects. "We have a lot of people moving to Dubai. Dubai is back in business, and I'm not really worried about speculations," he said. Speculation on the market pushed property prices to record highs before sending them tumbling during the global financial crisis. Dubai's property market grew rapidly during the five years before the crash as the sector became a magnet for foreign investors. But foreign financing dried up when the global financial crisis hit the sector, just as it struck the heavily-indebted government-related companies, while the economy contracted in 2009 and 2010. Dubai has weathered the debt crisis, leaning on its robust trade, tourism and transport sectors, although the city-state still carries a large burden of debt exceeding $100 billion (74 billion euros). Its economy grew 3.7 percent in 2011 and 4.4 percent in 2012, and is expected to expand by 4.1 percent this year. Some residential property has bounced by about 20 percent, said Alan Robertson, chief executive officer for the Middle East-North Africa region at Jones Lang LaSalle property consultancy. "We think prices will continue to grow quite quickly over the next 12 months, but over the next 24 months we will see the rate of growth slow down," he said, adding that prices were still 20 to 30 percent below their 2008 peak. "We think that this is an initial burst of growth which will settle down as the pent-up demand we have experienced is satisfied." He said his consultancy predicted that "the market will reverse into a more sustainable growth in prices". Robertson warned against getting carried away by signs of recovery, but said he was cautiously optimistic for the future. He did not foresee another bubble burst because of "a number of key differences," highlighting a recent decision to double sales duties to four percent, in an attempt to curb flipping. "This will take a bit of steam out of the market place," said Robertson, pointing to demand from end users, including Arab investors sheltering their money in Dubai away from their countries that have been rocked by the Arab spring uprisings. Robertson sees Dubai as a "safe haven", noting that 80 percent of buyers are paying in cash, with the remaining fifth backed by mortgages. To meet the rising appetite of investors, Dubai has dusted off ambitious plans for new developments. At the Cityscape show, models of properties showcased elaborate features, including man-made canals dotted with Florence-style bridges, and a Dubai-I wheel that will stand larger than the London Eye. EFG-Hermes investment bank has talked of "signs of a bubble developing," but noted in its quarterly report this month that speculation has changed from the pre-crisis mode. "The speculation seen between 2006 and 2008 was greatly driven by cheap credit and high leverage," compared to current speculations by cash-rich investors. In July, the International Monetary Fund warned Dubai it should intervene to prevent property prices from developing a bubble. "It is too early to speak of a bubble, but should price increases continue to take place at this pace, action will need to be taken to prevent a bubble," IMF mission chief for the UAE Harald Finger said in comments reported in the media. But despite the gleaming display models at the show, the projects appear to be phased in over a long period of time, with releases made in small portions, according to Robertson. This was clear at the show, where a salesman standing by a model of thousands of planned villas, said only a couple of hundred had been released for sale. "The developers are showing that they have learnt lessons from last time," Robertson said. In a time when the world critically needed leadership by the planets biggest carbon emitters, everyone failed to show-up. Vulnerable island statesfrom the Pacific to the Indian Oceans and to the Caribbeanwhose future ironically now lies in the hands of those who couldnt care less, made emphatic and emotional presentations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC). After two weeks of intense and often heated negotiations at Katowice, Polandand despite the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)delegates representing close to 200 countries settled on a Paris Rulebook, but failed to reach a comprehensive agreement on cutting the use of fossil fuels and doing more to address deforestation. Five Pacific Island leadersPrime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna, Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sosene Sopoaga and Vanuatu Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanuensured the region was represented at the important summit. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi used the Conference to again call for oceans to become an integral part of the continuing climate change agenda. 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. Australias role within the region was not lost on the Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sosene Sopoaga, who called for genuine partnerships to address the effects of climate change in the Pacific Islands. We cannot be regional partners under this step-up initiative genuine and durable partners unless the Government of Australia takes a more progressive response to climate change. They know very well that we will not be happy as a partner, to move forward, unless they are serious, said Mr Sopoaga said. And the Vanuatu Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu raised eyebrows when he singled out the United States and its negotiators at the climate change conference in Poland. It pains me deeply to have watched the people of the United States and other developed countries across the globe suffering the devastating impacts of climate-induced tragedies, while their professional negotiators are here at COP24 putting red lines through any mention of loss and damage in the Paris guidelines and square brackets around any possibility for truthfully and accurately reporting of progress against humanitys most existential threat, he reportedly said. It was a trailblazing performance on the international stage by the Pacific Island leaders, whose populations continue to be challenged by a human-induced phenomenon i.e. climate change that is not of their doing. Sadly, the Pacific Islands biggest neighbour in Australia clocked off, even before the climate change summit began in Poland. The climate change challenges that small island states in the region have to tackle have become miniscule to the Scott Morrison government in Canberra. All that talk last month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guineawhere American Vice President Mike Pence and the Australian Prime Minister announced renewed focus on the region to stymie the influence of Chinese in the Pacificappears to be nothing but more rhetoric from the regions two powers. Thanks to the now concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland, we should now know who our real friends are, and move forward to harness opportunities that could come from such partnerships. Considering the steps that China is taking to embrace the 2015 Paris Agreement, perhaps, it would not hurt sassing Chinese innovation in energy solutions that would mitigate the effects of climate change in the Pacific Islands. China is a world leader in solar energy and has already built capacity of approximately 130 GW, which is reportedly greater than America (about 60 GW) and Japan (46 GW). There are opportunities for Pacific Island economies including Samoa to tap into Chinas solar energy expertise and innovation. Most countries that attended the COP24 in Katowice, Poland arent satisfied with the outcomes from that international summit. While the jury is still out on the Paris Rulebookwhich a lot of nations are hoping will progress movement to the targets set in the 2015 Paris Agreementwe in the Pacific Islands can only hope for the best and do what we can (in our own backyards) to make our Pacific and the world a better place for us and the generation to come. Have a fantastic Monday Samoa and God bless. The Essence of Supporting Private-Sector Development in Samoa. As the year draws to an end perhaps it would be remiss not to extend a token of appreciation to all the local businesses in the Private-sector that have endeavored against all odds throughout the year. By this, we are referring to those businesses that have invested in adding value to locally sourced raw materials towards enhancing the quality and value of the products for both local consumers and export markets in the region and internationally. Running a business is similar to peddling a bicycle with passengers on the carrier. The business owner has to endure sleepless nights in most instances, figuring out how to generate profits for the products he is offering on the market. They also have to figure out how to pay rents, salaries, utility costs and of course taxes which are essential in sustaining a condusive business environment for them. For those on the carrier of the bicycle, such as the employees, in most instances these challenges may not be so clearly visible because if they were, they would view the business as a crucial entity from which they derive their daily bread. Irrespective of which season, the employer has to pay wages even if it means having to pool that off an existing loan arrangement with a financing entity. He is under obligation to continue peddling the bicycle up the hill, down the hill, through valleys storms e.t.c. The ones on the carrier,perharps as they enjoy the ride may either appreciate this sacrifice and even offer to jump off and push the bicycle when its gets to a hill or simply opt to complain that the one ridding the bicycle isnot peddling hard enough. It can be imagined that similar scenario exists for those in responsible positions in Government considering they have to figure out inroads and solutions essential for creating a conducive business environment for all players in different sectors within the economy. What that could involve,in for instance negotiations with foreign target markets, having to be on the receiving end of any riddicle that may be lashed out at their country if their export products dont meet the international benchmarks to enter into markets of those target foreign markets. Developed nations have strict product entry requirements into their markets similar to rules of not allowing anyone to enter a mosque with shows on least you soil it. In most instances, the lead negotiators may have to eat humble pie as they endeavor to explain why products from their economies donot meet the benchmark, explain measures in the pipeline to enable exports meet the quality expectations of the target foreign markets and perharps lobby for asstiance to enable the players in their economy meet the benchmark. At times this may not register well with some of their counterparts in the Private-sector in some instances, nonetheless the peddling must continue for the common national good. The challenges of exporting from Samoa to anywhere in the world considering the distant geographic location to markets are very visible. But despite this, the critical importance of strengthening the export sector for the benefit of the economy is very essential considering all business players in Samoa are persistently battling for an economic breakthrough for their products everyday while in the hope of generating income for the economy and creating employment opportunities their citizens. They continue in this endevaour perharps because they are aware that the more Samoa continues to solely rely on imports without exporting much, means Samoa is contributing and or donating her financial capital to purchase of products manufactured elsewhere. This also means contributing to the sustainability of the companies in those economies producing and supplying those products and sustaining their employment opportunities for citizens of those nations. This has both its pros and cons considering Samoa isnot capable of producing everything. Perhaps what keeps popping up in the mind of the Private sector peddler as he approaches a hill of an export market is that a clear balance needs to be struck to ensure economic return for his business. The Government peddler on the other hand could perharps be thinking of the economic benefit for the citizens in terms of employment created and increased foreign capital that will accrue to circulate within the economy once a new market is opened. It is very essential to have foreign investors especially those that will focus on value addition to local products and services because this way more revenue would flow more towards Samoa from sales in foreign countries. Its also very essential to consume locally produced products considering this ensures that revenue obtained from this consumption circulates within the economy as opposed to when it flows out because of consumer preferences which ofcourse are a right. An ideal situation could perhaps be focusing any import purchases towards countries that are in return providing access to employment opportunities to Samoan citizens in productive or related sectors or supporting service sector development. It wouldnt be such a bad idea in the peddling exercise to advocate for a bicycle design that enables enhanced shared partnership in the peddling exercise as opposed to old models where only the one at the front endureS the peddling. Wishing all a Merry xmas to all as you peddle along into 2019. Stephen Musubire Vaitele Satellite images of North Korea throughout the year showed that the country has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs. The most recent image obtained by CNN last week indicated North Korea might be expanding its key long-range missile base with a newly constructed facility. North Korea abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in early November, and U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, appointed in August, has yet to meet with his North Korean counterpart. A Trump tweet Friday showed the president's evolving position. And this policy pivot follows growing concern in Washington that denuclearization of North Korea is likely to be more complicated and take longer than the Trump White House expected. Washington's talks with Pyongyang have been stalled, and North Korea has not taken concrete steps toward denuclearization. President Donald Trump could find himself embracing "strategic patience" on North Korea, an Obama administration approach he once denounced, as nuclear talks with Pyongyang have stalled, analysts say. Not Willing to Denuclearize Former U.S. officials and analysts are concerned North Korea's unwillingness to denuclearize despite the historic summit between the U.S. and North Korea will lead the Trump administration to adopt "strategic patience" as a default policy choice. Former President Barak Obama adopted the policy of gradually escalating sanctions on North Korea while refusing to negotiate with Pyongyang until it gave up its nuclear weapons program in what came to be known as "strategic patience." Trump said "the era of strategic patience is over" last year when dealing with North Korea and took on the policy of "maximum pressure" while engaged in diplomatic talks with Pyongyang this year. Not a Policy, "It Is a Fact of Life" Gary Samore, the White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration, said strategic patience is a result of a policy rather a policy itself. "For me, 'strategic patience' is not a policy," Samore said. "It is a fact of life." According to Samore, the Trump administration is following the same policies of "economic pressure and promises to induce North Korea to accept denuclearization" as the Obama administration had done, with the exception of meeting Kim. "The biggest difference between Trump and Obama is President Trump's decision to meet directly with Kim Jong-un to start the negotiation process, the so-called 'top-down' approach," Samore said. The Results Are the Same Ken Gause, director of the International Affairs Group, said, "As long as Trump continues down the path of maximum pressure and denuclearization first, he is essentially following the path of strategic patience." He continued, "It might not look like strategic patience because of the U.S.-North Korean talks... but the results are the same." Gause said the U.S. will drift toward "strategic patience" as long as North Korea's demand for economic concessions remains unmet. Less Patience, More Strategy Evans Revere, acting assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs during the George W. Bush administration, said he sees "too much patience and very little strategy in the administration's approach." "Despite clear evidence that [North Korea] is expanding its nuclear and missile capabilities, President Trump has removed the timeline for the North's denuclearization," he said. Revere added, "It's time for more strategy, less patience, coupled with a healthy dose of action." Second Summit? However, Scott Snyder, director of the Program on U.S. Korean Policy at the Council of Foreign Policy, said Trump's approach toward North Korea differs from the approach that the Obama administration took. "The Trump administration's approach involves conscious application of increasing pressure toward North Korea designed to drive toward a decisive point, rather than waiting more passively for North Korea to make a decision," Snyder said. Trump has said he is willing to meet Kim for a second summit as early as January or February of next year. Pyongyang, however, has not accepted the summit offer, at least publicly. On Thursday, North Korea blamed Washington for stalled denuclearization talks, while saying it remains open to discussion and progress. North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said, "How can a negotiation train move when North Korea is the only one moving and the U.S. is standing still." It continued, "We are waiting with patience" for the U.S. to take corresponding measures. Cabinet has approved the appointment of Oscar Thomas Malielegaoi as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance. He is the son of Samoas Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr Sailele Malielegaoi and will assume the role on January 1, 2019, replacing Tupaimatuna Iulai Lavea, who has been the C.E.O. the last nine years and is retiring. Ministry of Finance staff said the new appointment was announced last Friday by the Minister of Finance Sili Epa Tuioti during an official function. The outgoing C.E.O. was at the helm of the Ministry in critical junctures in Samoas history, playing key roles to steer the Government through the global economic crisis and the 2009 tsunami and 2012 Cyclone Evan. Tupaimatuna was also instrumental in Samoas graduation from least developed country status to developing country. The newly appointed C.E.O. was a director's advisor at the Asian Development Bank, and is currently the deputy director for the Ministry of Finance and assistant public trustee. Repeated efforts by the Samoa Observer to get comments from Sili have been unsuccessful. The Government has been rocked by the death of another senior female bureaucrat, Laeimau Oketevi Tanuvasa-Savea. Laeimau was until her passing over the weekend the Chief Executive Officer of Computer Services Limited, an IT firm partly-owned by the Samoa Government. The Samoa Observer was not able to get more information from the Government or her family over the weekend on her cause of death. However, it is understood she was sick for sometime before her passing. Laeimau is widely seen as a pioneer of women in Samoas growing information communication technology sector (ICT). Samoas Regulator, Lefaoalii Unutoa Auelua-Fonoti, expressed sadness at the unexpected loss of a colleague she described as an inspiring leader within the ICT sector. Tevis vision of driving the I.C.T. sector was remarkable. She was the drive behind Computer Service Limited, an internet service provider company that is very dear to her. She was one of the very few young ICT graduates at the time, when she was asked to advise the government of Samoa on some very important ICT issuesone of which is retaining the ownership of our domain name. An icon of integrity, honesty, uprightness and hard work who believes in more action but less talk, she said. Laeimau also played a key role at the Samoa Events Incorporated, which created history this year when they hosted the Miss Samoa pageant in Savaii for the first time in the pageants history. Lefaoalii said Laeimau also supported encouraging girls and young women to consider taking up ICT as a career. She was very supportive of our Girls in I.C.T. initiative where its aim is to empower and encourage young women to consider career in the I.C.T. Sector. Tevi groomed us (in the ICT sector) to be sound professionals and to do our job well in order to serve the people of Samoa but not to be served. Tevi speaks her mind all the time and was never afraid to say or do what she thinks will improve the sector; a well respected I.C.T. professional not only in Samoa, our Region but within International Organisations. Lefaoalii said it will be very hard to fill her shoes in Samoa and expressed condolences to Laeimaus husband Samuel, their daughter Luisa and the grieving family. Her death comes close to two months after the passing of Sa'u Fiapaipai Justina Sa'u Lam, the Unit Trust of Samoa Chief Executive Officer. Skyeyes latest innovation, which won T $320,000 (not $230,000 as previously reported) in funding from the largest international mobile association, will also be able to make money. Maua, an app which will launch a beta version in May next year, with plans for a full roll-out come November, utilises GPS technology to make buying and selling easier in a region with little to no street addresses. Chief executive officer of Skyeye Faasootauloa Sam Saili said to get the funding from the Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA) Ecosystem Accelerator Fund, they had to prove they could turn a profit. So advertising and a unique business directory are just two of the ways he could reveal about just how Maua will be able to sustain itself. Were going to offer a lot more than a static business directory, where it prints once for the year, Faasootauloa said. Its going to be dynamic, its going to have G.P.S coordinates and a lot more intelligence behind it too, because it will be categorised. Users looking for services will only be a few keywords away from finding exactly what they need, he said. On the business side, paying subscribers to the business directory can also expect push notifications which will alert you if your service is required. Thats based on a need weve seen in the market. People will post up online that theyre looking for a tailor, a plumber, an electrician, and then it stays there for a while. With the push notifications, once someone puts something up that they are looking something, it will send a notification to all the people who are qualified, or in that category saying there is a person looking for your service, Faasootauloa said. The advertisements will be targeted to users based on the choices they both make known to the program, and that they make while using it. In accordance with Samoan legislation, users can opt in or out of targeted advertising. If they choose to opt in, theyll be offered to fill a survey on what theyre interested in. If theyre interested in getting advertisements, we have to make sure what they receive is actually what theyre interested in, said Faasootauloa. Data will be secured in accordance with international standards, as is Skyeyes obligations as a GSMA member. Faasootauloa was not able to say how much the extra feature of the business directory would cost users at this stage, but he said he feels confidence it will be a return on any investment for a business. No act of kindnessno matter how small or bigis ever wasted. That was the undertaking from the family of Seti Taleni from Leulumoega, as they received food and gifts hamper from local company Island Rock. The hamper is part of the companys 25 Days of the Spirit of Christmas Campaign and focuses on vulnerable Samoan families, which were featured in the Village Voice column of the Samoa Observer. But Setis family is unique as they were not featured in the newspapers Village Voice column but were selected by Island Rock. They were one of three lucky families that received a box of tinned fish, noodles, box of crackers, sacks of rice, sugar along with toys for the children. I am overwhelmed with shock really, because I did not expect something like this, but at the end of the day I am truly thankful towards Island Rock for their assistance. Not every day you find a good Samaritan with a kind heart that can give your family food supplies to last throughout Christmas. Christmas is just around the corner and my family is very blessed to receive these foods, it will lessen our burden of having to provide food and to feed the whole family, Seti said. The 49-year-old said Island Rock has made a major impact in their familys Christmas this year, as his responsibility together with his wife is to not only feed their children, but also look after his elderly mother. We have lived together on our family land for two years, but there has been no water or electricity accessibility. We were told that there has to be a certain number of families that come together, so that water and electricity can be connected to our homes. There are only three people employed in our family and that is myself, my daughter and son (and) we try our best to help our family, he said. Island Rock representative, Maiava Iosia, told the family that their campaign is focused on giving back to the community. Christmas is about spreading the spirit of giving and love and so we have selected families and organizations that need help. There are those that give with joy and are rewarded with joy, well our companys joy is from the happiness of families we have helped. We acknowledge the assistance and work done by Samoa Observer in locating families that need help, Maiava said. The campaign will run for 25 days and end on December 24. It features a variety of programmes and activities. Christmas has come early for Neetia Tapuai from Tapatapao and her family. The mother-of-five was the recipient of a food hamper courtesy of local company Island Rock, as part of its 25 Days of the Spirit of Christmas Campaign. The campaign focused on vulnerable Samoan families who were featured in the Village Voice column of the Samoa Observer newspaper. Neetia was one of the three lucky families that received food supplies like a box of tinned fish, noodles, box of crackers, sacks of rice, sugar along with toys for the children. From the bottom of my heart, as a mother raising her children, I thank you Island Rock for your gifts that are truly blessings to our family. We depend upon selling vegetables in front of our home for incomebut thanks to your helpit has eased the burden that we had to prepare for this coming Christmas holidays. My children will be able to have a decent meal and enough to last us throughout these festive seasons, she said. According to the 45-year-old mother, their story appeared in the Samoa Observer column as they needed assistance to get milk for their premature baby. The doctors at the hospital had recommended the Golden Farley brand, she added. We also thank Samoa Observer because we got the help that we needed through their village voice programme. But we still face problems like water accessibility and yet we have for more than four years without a supply of good, clean water. We depend upon our buckets to store water so can allocate it for various uses, she added. Island Rock representative, Maiava Iosia, said that families like Neetia in need of help are the main focus of their campaign, in the companys strive to give back to the community. Our company has decided to spread the joy of Christmas through the spirit of giving towards selected families and organizations. Every family featured has different needs and concerns but we have chosen food supplies and childrens toys to bring happiness to selected families. It is through our collaboration with Samoa Observer that deals with locating families that need help that has made this work possible, Maiava added. The campaign will run for 25 days and end on December 24. It features a variety of programmes and activities. Layers of razor sharp teeth, carnivorous nature, and known as the oceans top predator its not hard to understand why sharks are so misunderstood and feared. And it doesnt help with Hollywood frequently portraying them as dangerous, mindless beasts that attack humans. But what if you were told that although unfortunate shark encounters do occur, they are extremely rare statistically speaking, you have a higher chance of losing your life while driving your car than being attacked by a shark. Moreover, sharks have more reason to be afraid of humans, not the other way around with fewer than 10 human fatalities a year due to unprovoked shark attacks around the world, it does not compare to humans catching over 100 million sharks every year, which is a conservative estimate from scientists. But if this is the case, why are humans so afraid of these majestic animals? According to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programmes (SPREP) Sharks and Rays Conservation Officer, Juney Ward, the media can sometimes paint a very negative picture of these creatures. There have been many movies over the years that features sharks as being man-eaters, a classic example of this would be the popular movie Jaws, she said. This is why we are doing a lot of awareness on the importance of sharks so that we can highlight why we need them in our marine environment and remove the perception that sharks are just man-eaters. Ms. Ward also added that social media and news outlets also contribute to this negative image of sharks when they blow-up stories on shark attacks but avoid sharing/reporting on how sharks are threatened with extinction due to human activities. Its estimated that up to 273 million sharks are killed each year in commercial fisheries, mainly to meet the high demand for shark fins and other shark products, she explained. Sharks are extremely vulnerable to overfishing because, due to their biological characteristics, they have difficulty recovering from human activity pressures. Sharks are not like other fish, they are slow to grow, late to mature, live longer and reproduce fewer pups (offsprings). According the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), an estimate of 54% of sharks, rays and their relatives are threatened with extinction due to this. To add some context, shark fins are used as ingredients in various Asian cuisines, mainly soups, which make it high in demand but the process of obtaining these fins are often done inhumanely. Sharks are caught by the hundreds, and while they are still alive, their fins are sliced off and their body thrown back into the ocean to die a slow, painful, and horrible death all for a bowl of soup. Aside from the main threat being overfishing, Ms. Ward also explained that other threats to sharks include being accidentally caught as by catch in fishing gears targeting commercial fish, pollution, marine debris, habitat loss/degradation, coastal developments and climate change. Ms. Ward also explained that sharks are extremely important for marine ecosystems and, in many cases, tourism development. Sharks are apex predators and they are important because they help maintain the health of the marine life in the ocean, she said. Coral reef in particular benefit from a healthy shark population in order to maintain the balance in the marine food chain. Sharks are also important in boosting tourism revenue and by promoting best practice diving and/or snorkeling activities. For example, in Palau, an individual reef shark is estimated to be valued at US1.9million over its lifetime to the tourism industry, and in Fiji, the shark diving industry contributed US42.2million to the Fijian economy in past years. Furthermore, sharks have a cultural importance in many Pacific Islands as they are featured in many myths, legends and traditions. On the bright-side, Ms. Ward reassures that despite the fact that many species of sharks are threatened with extinction, the Pacific Islands have been champions and shown global leaderships in protecting sharks during international forums. For example, the listing of mobula rays, thresher and silky sharks on Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to ensure the sustainable trade of these species which was led by the Government of Fiji and supported by Samoa, Palau and other CITES Parties. Many of our Pacific countries have established shark sanctuaries within their national waters to protect sharks, and are voicing the need to increase and strengthen collaboration and cooperation to ensure that the populations of threatened shark species recover. To add on in March this year, Samoa announced that the nations 128,000 sq km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) will be declared a shark sanctuary this makes Samoa the eighth pacific island that has designated its waters to the protection of shark and rays. Samoa also completed a shark survey of Aleipata and Falealili, which was conducted by teams from SPREP, Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), using baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS). The survey was aimed at assessing the diversity and abundance of sharks, as well as provides more data on these different shark species which is important in patching gaps in data availability within that field. Results indicated a healthy abundance of different shark species. CI Pacific Islands Program Marine director, Schannel van Dijken, adds - Sharks have so much to offer Samoa, and research like the BRUV work is super important to help us understand our current populations and their future management for the benefit of Samoan people. Its for these reasons CI Samoa, together with Samoa Voyaging Society and National Geographic support, will work with MNRE in filling more shark data gaps around the rest of Samoa that weve missed in earlier BRUV surveys, and using our very own traditional voyaging canoe, the Gaualofa, as the research platform. We will be using this approach (reminder of our traditional past merged with modern day science) to also share results and highlight sharks importance to our communities, and the economic and ecosystem benefits that they can provide. As Fiji and Palau have benefited, we know sharks are worth far more to our economies alive than dead, and as numbers dwindle, more and more people from around the world want to see these sleek creatures in the wild and Samoa is in a good place to capitalize on this. So rather than fear sharks, why not think about how our tourism and economy may benefit from sharks? Why not think about how our marine ecosystem flourishes with the presence of these creatures? At the end of the day, sharks within a marine ecosystem is a sign of a healthy ecosystem and a healthy marine ecosystem means; more fish swimming around, larger fish to catch, and happier humans. (This is CI Samoas first article for a new series called Species of Interest where we have specialists highlight a variety of species found in Samoa whether endangered, extinct, threatened, endemic, invasive etc.) The Samoan man arrested in New Zealand for human trafficking and slavery in relation to labourers from Samoa has been identified. He is Viliamu Samu, a Samoan who lives in New Zealand. The Hawkes Bay Today reported that the name suppression that prevented the man from being named lapsed this evening. Samu, also known as Joe Matamata, has been charged with human trafficking and slavery after he allegedly took Samoans to New Zealand to work illegally in the horticultural industry as far back as the early 1990s. The 64-year-old appeared in the Hastings District Court this morning and entered no pleas and was remanded on bail. He is due to reappear in the Napier District Court on January 28. His arrest follows a two-year investigation by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and the police. Radio New Zealand reports that the man has been regularly taking Samoan nationals to work for him in the horticultural industry in the Hawke's Bay since the 1990s. Victims say the man closely controlled and monitored their movements, including where they went and who they contacted. The Samoan man, who is a New Zealand resident, is believed to have promised people well-paid jobs. "Information collected during the joint investigation suggests that the man, who was seen as a respected member of his community in Samoa, targeted vulnerable people, who had limited education and literacy," Detective Inspector Mike Foster of Eastern District Police said. "[The arrest] reflects how seriously both of our agencies take these types of allegations, and our commitment to combating Transnational Organised Crimes, including people trafficking," INZ assistant general manager Peter Devoy said. He said the Samoan authorities provided valuable assistance during the investigation. Attempts are being made to obtain a comment from the Samoan government. This much is true. You know Christmas is near when the wet season arrives and everything else it brings including those potholes. Everywhere. Indeed, its that time of the year once more when thousands of Samoans return for the holidays only to be greeted by those gaping potholes as soon as they exit the wonderful Chinese-funded airport at Faleolo. Dont get us wrong; the arrival of long periods of rain is a wonderful thing. For many people without a steady supply of water and there are many of them in Samoa - the rain is surely an answer to prayers. Which is precisely what has been happening for the past couple of weeks. Weve been blessed with heavy downpours that as of today, the sun scorched earth should now be thoroughly quenched so that it continues to give life to everything that depends on it. But there is also another side of the rain we dread on these shores. That is it exposes those poor roads and brings out the nasty and unwanted potholes. We see it every year. Today, apart from a few obvious roads which have been constructed properly, most places you go in Samoa, these potholes confront you. You hear the rattling tyres, the suspensions screaming out, you see traffic being brought to a standstill as drivers try to negotiate their way through them. Whats worse is that it appears that with the exception of a few road-making companies, the rest of the roads in Samoa are the same. Which begs the question we always ask at this time of the year, why have we not been able to do anything about this problem? We are talking in 2018 here folks. Yes this is a country that has embraced 4G technology and pushing to be the internet hub of the Pacific and yet some of our roads look and feel like third world country roads. Which is a pity, isnt it? Imagine welcoming visitors to Samoa, bringing them from the airport when you are trying to tell them the best of Samoa and all they can ever see are potholes and vehicles dodging them they almost run into you? That is quite common and very sad to be quite frank. Folks, these are not new questions but we must continue to ask them because this is what you, our dear readers, want answered. Where have all the millions that the government has allocated for such infrastructure gone to? Who is responsible for these roads? And who is supposed to monitor their work? If the work is not being monitored and the culprits held to account what is the government doing about it? If the relevant authorities are not dealing with it, why should we waste taxpayers money paying them? Here is a fact. These bad roads are costing motorists and members of the public their hard-earned tala in repairs, on top of annual sometimes twice a year registrations. Think of the suspensions, tyres and all the mechanical problems caused by the bad roads. And think of the safety issues and cost in terms of time and money when people are late to work and other commitments. The point is that after all these years; youd think some things would change by now. And yet we see the same thing over and over again. How long must we put up with this. The point is that the potholes are the ultimate sign of poor work and planning that are openly exposed by the weather and the elements. How many millions are we going to waste before something is done? Here is hoping that we will not be asking the same questions this time next year. But then again, with the General Election in a couple of years, there would probably be no need to. Its a time when the Government fixes all the roads including roads that lead to nowhere. Stay tuned! One of two men facing a charge of manslaughter over the death of Jeremiah Malaki Tauiliili will remain in Police custody until next Monday. Suapaina Savaiinaea appeared before Chief Justice, his Honour Patu Tiava'asu'e Falefatu Sapolu yesterday where the decision was made. Savaiinaea is jointly charged with Herman Westerlund, who was granted bail last week. When the men appeared in Court for mention, Chief Justice Patu adjourned the matter noting that Savaiinaea was seeking a lawyer. He also asked the prosecutor, Leone Mailo-Sua, of the Attorney Generals Office, if she objected to Savaiinaea being granted bail. She said no. His Honour Patu then granted Savaiinaea bail with strict conditions. These include that he must surrender his travel documents, sign in at the Police station twice a week, be subjected to a curfew and that he is not allowed on the premises where the incident happened. At that point, however, Sulamanaia Tauiliili, the father of the deceased objected. I am the father of the deceased and I am worried for the safety of Suapaina if hes released from jail, he said. I strongly oppose his release as I am concerned for his safety. Sulamanaia is the Member of Parliament for Vaimauga Sasae. Chief Justice Patu accepted the objection. He then rescinded his decision for Savaiinaeas bail. He said the Court has to consider the objection because if anything happens (to Savaiinaea) the Court will be at fault. Savaiinaea was remanded back into the Police custody until he and Westerlund return to Court next Monday for mention. There is a clear demarcation of duties and responsibilities of the Head of School and Campus Director at the University of the South Pacific Alafua Campus. This is according to Campus Director and Head of School Professor Mohammaed Umar, who took over as Head of School in 2012 and the role of Campus Director in 2018. Prof. Umar was responding to allegations raised by an alumnus in a Letter the Editor, one being the prolonged recruitment of a pro-vice chancellor resulting in conflicts and lack of progress, which affect students. Both positions report to the main Campus in Laucala, he said. Head of School reports to the Dean - Faculty of Business and Economics and the Campus Director reports to the Vice President - Regional Campuses, Estate and Infrastructure. From January 2018, the two positions have been held by one person so there is no conflict of interest. Since the merge of the two positions, there has been dramatic improvement. The position of pro-vice chancellor for the Alafua campus has been vacant for three years and each year, the university has been advertising for a suitable candidate. I am not involved in the selection process; otherwise it would be a conflict of interest. The selection is done in Suva, Fiji, where candidates are screened and interviewed, but they have not found any suitable candidate. I dont know what goes on. His brother identified him in a Facebook message as Barto Pedro Orent-Niedzielski, a 36-year-old native of Katowice. A fifth person died Sunday from gunshot wounds in last week's Christmas market terror attack in Strasbourg. The French prosecutor's office said the victim was a Polish national. Four others died and 11 were wounded when a gunman identified as Cherif Chekatt opened fire last Tuesday in the world-famous Christmas market in central Strasbourg. Witnesses tipped off police Friday that a suspect matching Chekatt's description was spotted in the Strasbourg neighborhood where he grew up. When police confronted him, he turned and opened fire. Officers shot back, killing Chekatt. He had an extensive criminal record and was on a terror watch list. Chekatt's father told investigators his son was a follower of Islamic State and the terror group claimed him as one of its "soldiers." But French Interior Minister Christophe said he doubts Chekatt belonged to the terror group, calling its claim opportunistic. A students low pass rate should not be blamed on a teachers several years of experience, says University of the South Pacific (U.S.P.) Alafua Campus Director, Professor Mohammed Umar. Prof. Umar was responding to claims raised by an alumnus on the declining passing rate of students undertaking agriculture courses AG213 and AG373, resulting in students having to settle for diplomas. Those who failed courses are those who do not attend class, carry out tutorial tasks, have less than 60 per cent required attendance in the class, did not submit their assignments on time even after the extended timelines, and did not practice student activities given on online course, Prof. Umar said. Role of learner should also be looked into. If some students are determined not to study and not to do the needful but wishes to get a pass grade, what will the teacher do except urge them to learn, he said. The pass rate of a course depends upon quality of teaching as well as learning. Teaching quality depends upon the course syllabus, quality of lectures and tutorials delivered, and assessment portfolio (quality of question papers of tests and exams and assignments). The quality of learning of students depends upon how many courses a working student is taking in a semester, assignments submitted on time, the course materials are downloaded and read regularly, number of hours devoted for course learning (about 200 hours student workload is stipulated for each UG course). Working students taking a load of four courses per semester are not doing justice to learning criteria, not attending classes. Prof. Umar further explained that in quantitative courses like statistics, pass rates are relatively lower as compared to the descriptive type of courses. Comparisons of quantitative courses should be made with other quantitative types of courses, e.g. results of AG213 Statistics for agriculture should be compared with results of EC203 Economic statistics, or ST131 Introduction to statistics. Opting for Diploma is a choice given to students on their way to degree programmes, and all courses taken for diploma are cross credited for continuing to degree programmes. U.S.P. has undergrad and postgrad programmes in Agriculture which are nested, so the 12 core courses that you do for the Diploma are the same 12 courses, plus another 12 courses that you will do for the Bachelor of Agriculture programme, Prof. Umar explained. Those students who have financial difficulty to continue who have completed the 12 core courses required for the Diploma programme can graduate if they have completed - this is within the provisions of the University, It is in the student's interest to at least have a certified qualification if for whatever reason the scholarship is withdrawn or for whatever reason the student is unable to continue. This does not stop the student from continuing to the Bachelor's degree within the given timeframe of three years. The staff of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) conducted a tree planting at the Vailima Reserve last Friday as one of its final activities to finish off the year. The tree planting, which is an initiative of the SPREP Le Coral Social Club, brought together SPREP staff and their families in an effort to contribute to Samoas 2 million tree campaign and support the current restoration works at the Vailima Reserve. One thousand trees were planted by the SPREP family, making it a total of 3,000 trees planted since the initiative first started in August 2018. The Le Coral social club aims to plant 5,000 trees in total during their tenure as the staff social club with an aim of continuing it as an on-going activity by staff. President of Le Coral Club, Christian Slaven, said, Planting trees is one way to address the issues of global warming and biodiversity loss. We want to encourage our SPREP staff and community to take responsibility, take action, and plant a tree. Tree planting not only contributes to reversing biodiversity loss, it is also a good form of exercise and a great way to be in direct contact with nature. The tree planting was organised in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Too many job seekers make the assumption that a job interview is an opportunity for the interviewer to make you feel like youre unqualified and unwanted. Or to catch you off-guard with slippery-slope questions such as Whats your biggest weakness? and Whats your favorite animal and why? Sometimes thats the case and theyre just testing you with an age-old stumper: How well do you think on your feet (or in a chair) when tossed an oddball question by an impatient interviewer whos having a bad day and cant wait to make up his or her mind about you? But instead of being nervous about how you might handle this moment of truth because you really want this job, try this: Be more confident by being more prepared. Youve worked hard to get this far. Youve networked. Youve done your homework. Youve done all the right things. Youve got the chops. Advertisement As much as your innate personality allows, I want you to take control of the interview. Im hoping youre the one weve been looking for Think of it from the interviewers point of view: OK, whatever your name is, I need to fill this spot and I need to do it now. You seem qualified enough, so Im hoping youre the one weve been looking for because all the others werent. Or: Im a department manager and HR has me scared to death about what I legally can and cant ask. I am so nervous about interviewing that Ill go right away to that lazy ice-breaker: So tell me about yourself. Or: Go ahead, wow me with your talents and experience and how they directly apply to this position. While youre at it, show me youre someone Id enjoy working with, and that you understand and respect the culture of our workplace. And, oh yeah, convince me that you actually want the job and youre not just wasting my time. How to take charge? First, walk into the interview room with a quiet confidence, shake hands firmly and begin the conversation with pleasantries in a polite, respectful manner. Mention that youre grateful to have this opportunity to talk about how youre the candidate theyve been looking for backed up by the goods, of course. When any interviewer says, in one form or another, So tell me about yourself, what theyre really asking is: Why are you the perfect candidate and not the others? Why should I hire you? Your time to sell yourself and your experience This is your moment, your time to shine, your time to sell yourself and your experience, education, qualifications, skills, smarts, and savvy and talk about what makes you, you. Dont wait to be asked questions that you already know the answers to. Be proactive, engaging, dynamic, self-assured, deeply interested in the job. And yes, it is quite appropriate to bring a short list of questions. It shows you did your homework. Just because Im suggesting that you be assertive, dont get carried away. Dont be a cocky jerk, acting as if you own the place. But do take control of the interview as if you had called the meeting. Seize the opportunity from the start. This is where the subtlety of people skills comes into play. Make sure youre a good listener, that you respond intelligently and confidently to any and all questions. Make sure your interviewer is favorably responding to you what youre saying and how youre saying it. Pace yourself. Speak clearly. Smile. This approach rings true no matter if youre talking to a stuffy HR professional, a small-business owner, or a one-person shop thats looking to expand. If you ever walk out of that interview thinking, Darn, I never got to mention how much I want this job, then shame on you. Instead, I want you to walk out thinking to yourself: There was nothing else Id couldve said, nothing else I shouldve said, nothing else I shouldnt have said. At the end of your interview, make sure theres no reason to think theyd want to hire anyone else. Theyd be fools not to hire you, right? Blair, co-founder of Manpower San Diego and author of Job Won; pblair@manpowersd.com Twitter: @PhilManpowerSD Carlsbad has approved plans for a deeper look at what it would take to place the downtown railroad tracks below street level. The City Council unanimously voted recently to spend up to $375,000 to have the San Diego Association of Governments consider two alternatives a short trench or a long trench and complete about 10 percent of the preliminary engineering, with the goal to break ground on the project by 2023. Im really excited, said Councilman Mark Packard, the citys representative on the North County Transit District board. Ive worked for a long time on this. The vote Nov. 27 was one of Packards last actions as a council member. He chose not to seek re-election at the end of his fourth term this year. Advertisement SANDAG allocated $5.6 million in transportation funds in 2010 to study and design a second set of tracks for a section of the century-old railroad from the southern end of Oceanside through Carlsbads downtown Village. So far, about two-thirds of the rail corridor has been double-tracked between downtown San Diego and the Orange County border. Carlsbads City Council agreed in 2014 to contribute up to $250,000 so that SANDAG would expand the double-tracking study to include a look at the economic effects of trenching. Trenching through Carlsbad could cost as much as $335 million but could also benefit the citys economy by as much as $22 billion over the next century, that study showed. Carlsbad is using money from its general fund to plan the project, but so far no source has been found to pay for construction. Still, because of the projects many benefits, its a likely candidate for regional, state and federal transportation grants. It will come down to finding the funding, SANDAG Principal Planner Linda Culp said Thursday. Trenching the tracks would improve safety, reduce noise, ease downtown traffic and boost the local economy, various studies have shown. A big downside of the project, in addition to the cost, would be the lengthy construction, which would include building a temporary shoo-fly track to carry train traffic while digging the trench. Solana Beach is the only other city in San Diego County to trench its tracks so far, and by most accounts it was a big success. The citys small Cedros Avenue Design District near the tracks is thriving, and the area has not had a single train fatality since the project was completed in the late 1990s. Elsewhere in the county last year alone there were about 22 train-related deaths. The money approved by Carlsbad would pay for the further evaluation of two alternatives which are called the short trench only through the Village or the long trench south to Tamarack Avenue. The short trench alternative would pass under Grand Avenue, Carlsbad Village Drive, and Oak Avenue, with pedestrian overpasses at Beech Avenue (Carlsbad Village Station) and Oak Avenue. The long trench would continue south under Tamarack Avenue. Both alternatives require replacement of the Carlsbad Boulevard bridge over the tracks. Included in the work will be a closer look at rights-of-way, topography, existing utilities, traffic signals, groundwater, storm drainage, and more. We think it will take 10 to 12 months, Culp said. SANDAG is generally on board with the idea of trenching the tracks and expects to hire a consult to help flesh out the Carlsbad project, she said. The next step in the process, once the alternatives analysis is done, would be to proceed to 30 percent engineering and to obtain environmental clearances for construction, according to a Carlsbad staff report. Preliminary plans call for the tracks to be at least 26 feet below street level, which prevents any chance of a collision between an automobile and a train. The depth also makes it unlikely that a pedestrian could trespass on the tracks. Trains are not required to sound their horns to cross beneath an overpass, as they are for at-grade crossings, and the trench muffles the sound of the locomotive and the cars, greatly reducing the noise overall. And vehicles would never have to stop for a passing train in the trench, which is a benefit to downtown transportation. Dozens of commuter, passenger and freight trains pass through Carlsbad daily. Rail traffic is expected to double by 2030 as the areas population continues to grow and commuter service increases. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl December 17, 1957 Evening Tribune 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. Tuesday, December 17, 1957 In 1957, Convair's San Diego-built Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile was test-fired successfully for the first time, at Cocoa Beach, Florida. The Air Force announced that the Atlas traveled several hundred miles and landed in a targeted area. Convair workers applauded when news of the successful test was announced at the plant here. Here are the first few paragraphs of the story: U.S. LAUNCHES ATLAS AND ITS BIG SUCCESS Giant Goes Hundreds of Miles Theres Joy At Convair By Jack Gregg CONVAIR WORKERS TROOPED out of Plant 1 at lunch hour today with grins on their faces. The chatted excitedly. All had smiles when asked by reporters about the successful launching of the San Diego-built Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile today in Florida. But they kept the their comments general because of strict security regulations. Were all happy about it. Were always glad to see things come off right, Jacob Weber, of 3659 Mississippi St., said. Weve Been Waiting for a Long Time But thats about all we can say, he said. Earl F. Ellis, of 3335 Vultee St., Point Loma, said, Weve all been waiting a long time for this. I personally believe actions speak louder than words and this ought to be good proof of it, Ellis said. A secretary who works in the Rock, the big cement structure on the east side of the highway, said, People went mad in our office. There was lots of cheering and commotion. She is Mrs. Helen Novak, of 3421 Ullman St., Point Loma, who works on the F106A program. Two Tell of Spontaneous Cheers Mrs. Novaks fellow secretary, Mrs. Rita Obrachta, of 1225 W. Spruce St., said first news of the Florida launching was received by radio. Two timekeepers in Plant 1, C.L. McNulty Jr., of 537 W. 9th Ave., Escondido, and Mrs. Ruth Ersland, of 3835 Baker St., told of the spontaneous cheers in their section when the announcement was heard. Most of the workers from the Atlas section itself in Building 4 would offer no comment. Tight security regulation sealed their mouths. But the smiles on their faces gave at least a little insight of what the days events had brought. 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. Twice a day in eastern Tijuana, the creaking of a metal gate and the appearance of a small white box truck sends out a reassuring message to hundreds of hungry migrants housed inside the makeshift shelter known as El Barretal: its meal time. For two weeks now, volunteers from the World Central Kitchen have come laden with freshly prepared food assembled across town: trays of salad, frittatas, enchiladas, ratatouille, hearty ham-and-cheese sandwiches on brown bread. Its the latest project of celebrity chef Jose Andres nonprofit organization that strives to feed the hungry, wherever and whenever and however disaster strikes. Since launching in Tijuana two weeks ago, volunteers have been delivering close to 3,400 meals a day here in a protected courtyard, mostly to women and children. On Wednesday, children clamored to carry boxes of apples, and pass out the portions of the midday meal; scrambled eggs served over stewed pinto beans, topped with caramelized onions, shredded Monterrey jack cheese, lime-marinated avocado and chipotle cream. Advertisement The verdict: Delicioso, said Yonari Perdomo, 25, from the Olancho region of Honduras. 1 / 18 Gisell Cuen (right) from World Central Kitchen along with a volunteer pass out sandwiches and orange slices for lunch at El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 18 Sarah Keeney (right) and Katherine Clements (left), with World Central Kitchen head out towards the main living area to pass out orange slices at El Barretal migrant shelter. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 18 A volunteer at El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana helps pass out hot meals consisting of a three cheese enchilada and fruit. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 18 Young men at El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana return back to their living area after receiving a sandwich and orange slices from volunteers from World Central Kitchen. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 18 Lionel Estevan Perez (age12) from Nicaragua sits on a concrete curb as he eats a hot meal served by World Central Kitchen at the El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 18 At El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana, men wait in line to receive a hot meal consisting of a three cheese enchilada and fruit. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 18 Gisell Cuen (left) from World Central Kitchen passes out sandwiches and orange slices to a young boy for lunch at El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 18 A volunteer at El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana helps pass out the hot meals consisting of a three cheese enchilada and fruit. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 18 Lionel Estevan Perez (age12) from Nicaragua eats his apple that was part of the hot meal served by World Central Kitchen at the El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 18 A volunteer at El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana helps pass out the hot meals consisting of a three cheese enchilada and fruit. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 18 Volunteers prep food that will used in a hot entree and served at the El Barretal migrant shelter. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 18 Chef Ruffo Ibarra from Tijuana volunteered his services as well as recruited several other local chefs to volunteer their cooking skills with World Central Kitchen. The organization has been preparing two meal a day for the migrants from Central America at El Barretal migrant shelter. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 18 A young boy at El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana is given orange slices and a sandwich from volunteers with World Central Kitchen. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 18 Lead chef Brenden Darvy with World Central Kitchen sautAed the onions that will be used for the hot entree meals for those at El Barretal migrant shelter. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 18 Gisell Cuen (left) from World Central Kitchen works with a volunteer from the shelter to prepare to pass out orange slices to the children. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 18 Local chefs from Tijuana work along side with volunteers to prep and cook meals for the migrants from Central America at El Barretal migrant shelter. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 18 Chef Ruffo Ibarra from Tijuana volunteered is services as well as recruited several other local chefs to volunteer their cooking skills with World Central Kitchen. The organization has been preparing two meal a day for the migrants from Central America at El Barretal migrant shelter. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 18 Young men at El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana receive a sandwich and orange slices from volunteers from World Central Kitchen. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) This organization always brings very good food, said his wife, Melany Murillo, 30, who is five months pregnant. Its not just good, but balanced, with vegetables, bread, eggs, beans, and once a day, we get an apple or an orange. A much-celebrated chef with restaurants from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Puerto Rico, Andres created World Central Kitchen on the heels of a visit to Haiti following the countrys 2010 earthquake. His teams of volunteers have since responded to earthquakes, hurricanes, mudslides, wildfires, volcanoes and a tsunami with one purpose: providing disaster victims with healthy, balanced meals. When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico last year, he was soon on the ground, building a network of 18 kitchens that served up to 150,000 meals a day. The effort earned Andres a James Beard Humanitarian of the Year award and a nomination for the 2019 Nobel Prize. Tijuana was no natural disaster, but a human one, as the city found itself overwhelmed with close to 6,000 migrants who arrived last month as part of a large Central American caravan. Many of the migrants had planned to turn themselves in to U.S. authorities and petition for asylum at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, but U.S. authorities have said they dont have the facilities to rapidly process such a crush of applicants and are requiring that they wait in Mexico. World Central Kitchen thought it might be able to help out, and approached state and local officials to see where they were most needed, said Nate Mook, the executive director. Were used to responding to this many people, this is what we do, he said. This is an emergency at the moment. The ultimate goal is to build a kitchen at or near the shelter, to allow the migrants to do their own cooking for as long as the need is there, under supervision of a paid chef, Mook said. As World Central Kitchen has moved in, other groups are also providing meals to the migrants, including the Mexican Navy, which has been on site, and religious organizations and others whose deliveries draw long lines of men outside the shelter. The decision was that World Central Kitchens efforts would focus on families in the caravan, mainly women and children, but also the fathers and husbands who are accompanying them. As of last week, it was serving about 1,600 lunches and 1,800 dinners. They love eggs, they love rice, they love beans, said Gregg Malsbary, who took leave for a week from his job as executive chef at University of Minnesota to oversee meal preparations for the migrants. Theyre craving fresh vegetables and fruit. Unlike Mexicans, Central Americans have little fondness for chili and other hot ingredients, and the chefs have taken care to plan their menus accordingly. Its pretty toned down, the menus are pretty subtle, Malsbary said. They are also limited to cooking with ingredients that are locally available. One recent menu item was a baked frittata, with refried beans stewed down with garlic, tomato and spices. We served that with Oaxacan cheese, melted down over the top, fresh avocado, diced and chopped and on top cilantro, he said. They loved it, they absolutely loved it, they went nuts, they said it was the best lunch they ever had. A Spanish-born U.S. citizen, Andres has been an outspoken supporter of immigrants, and a vocal critic of President Trump. He pulled out of a lease in 2015 to open a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel after Trump criticized Mexican immigrants while on the campaign trail. But World Central Kitchen staff and volunteers steer clear of politics, even as Trump has repeatedly criticized the Central American caravan. Regardless of what the situation is, they are hungry, said Samuel Bloch, who is overseeing the Tijuana project. Our operation here is focused on feeding vulnerable families. While World Central Kitchen is the catalyst and organizer of the emergency food projects, it relies heavily on networks of chefs and local volunteers. Among the first points of contact in Tijuana was Javier Plascencia, member of a prominent Tijuana restaurant family and a well-known chef who has been key to building up the citys culinary reputation. The Plascencias immediately offered space inside an unfinished commissary facility that it plans to open next month in Colonia Cacho to supply its Giuseppes Restaurants. That options ends Friday, and but another offer has come through, from the Borquez family, owners of the Bol Corona restaurants who are allowing World Central Kitchen to set up at a shuttered downtown eatery. Tijuana has wonderful people that are always willing to help out, Javier Plascencia said. We dont like to see whats happening in Tijuana, especially with kids being outdoors and without a home this was the human thing to do. Another key supporter has has been Maribel Moreno, director of the Baja Culinary Festival, who reached out to her contacts among local restaurants, chefs, food suppliers and scores of others on both sides of the border. Among those Tijuanenses participating in meal preparation this week were chefs of upscale restaurants and employees of a taco restaurant, who chopped red and green peppers for a ratatouille while a loudspeaker blasted Norteno music. On Wednesday morning, the volunteer kitchen staff included two dozen teenage girls from Sunset Bay Academy, a therapeutic boarding school in Playas de Tijuana where most of the students come from the United States. They cut tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce; assembled ham sandwiches, and wrapped paper napkins around plastic utensils. Especially for the holidays, its nice to be able to do something for others, said Sarah Martynov, a 17-year-old senior from Atlanta. Also helping out were U.S. retirees living in a coastal residential enclave near Rosarito Beach. You watch this on the news, and whether you politically agree or not, people still need to eat, said Kathleen Strauss, retired from her job as a nurse at San Diego State University. Instead of feeling bad all the time about the situation, this is an open avenue to come and help. For information, go to https://www.worldcentralkitchen.org/ or write to: maribel.mm.pr@gmail.com sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com @sandradibble A Carlsbad, Calif., priest accused of grabbing a seminary students groin in a restroom stall during a night of heavy drinking was convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery Monday. The jury verdict against the Rev. Juan Garcia Castillo came after three days of trial in San Diego County Superior Court last week that delved into the nuances of Catholic philosophies and provided a small glimpse into the social lives of priests. Jurors deliberated roughly two hours before reaching their decision. The evidence spoke for itself pretty loudly, and the jury ended up doing the right thing, Deputy Dist. Atty. Joshua Brisbane said. Advertisement Castillos attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Castillo faces up to six months in jail when he is sentenced Jan. 18. The 33-year-old victim a former Navy lawyer who left his career to join the priesthood had met Castillo just hours before the night in question at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Carlsbad, where Castillo was an associate priest. Castillo, 35, invited the victim and a fellow seminarian out for drinks that Saturday night, on Feb. 3, and for hours the priest pushed Long Island iced teas on them, according to testimony. Feeling sick from the alcohol, the victim went to the restroom and started to vomit in a toilet shortly before 1 a.m. Castillo followed him in. The victim testified that Castillo approached him from behind in the stall, reached around and grabbed his groin. He told the priest to go away, but Castillo came in a second time, pulling and massaging the students genitals in a sexual way, the student testified. The student again told him to leave. Castillo testified that he went in the bathroom because it appeared the victim would be sick, and that he had only been trying to put pressure on the students stomach to stop the vomiting. He testified that his mother had taught him that trick as a child. The two texted at length in the hour or so following the incident, with the student angrily informing Castillo he would be reporting what happened and Castillo responding with mixtures of confusion and apologies. Castillo testified that some of the texts including ones in which he promised to go to confession were not genuine but sarcastic, and that his apologies were only for his role in getting the victim drunk and sick. Castillo was removed from his post at the Carlsbad parish on Feb. 4. He was responsible for covering the cost of his legal expenses. Davis and Figueroa write for the San Diego Union-Tribune. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com Powerful and potentially destructive waves are expected to hit Californias coast through Tuesday, bringing dangerous conditions that have prompted forecasters to urge surfers and swimmers to stay out of the ocean. A deep low-pressure center in the Gulf of Alaska and storm-forced winds are generating the Pacific swell, creating the potential for spectacularly large and potentially dangerous waves, said Tom Fisher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Generally speaking, stay out of the water, said Joe Sirard, meteorologist with the weather service. Its just too life-threatening. West-facing beaches will be hit hardest, with waves in Ventura County expected to reach 8 to 12 feet, with sets up to 15 feet. In Los Angeles County, waves will be between 6 and 10 feet, with sets up to 12 feet at their peak Monday afternoon. The weather service issued a high surf advisory until 10 p.m. Tuesday. Advertisement Its not just the high waves that can make for a dangerous beach visit, Fisher warned. The Pacific swell causes strong rip currents, which can swiftly carry swimmers out to sea. Inexperienced swimmers and surfers should stay out of the water, stay off rock walls and jetties and stay well back from the waters edge, Fisher said. Never turn your back to the ocean. Boaters should be cautious too, Fisher said. Although the waves may seem calm in the harbor, large breaking waves will appear closer to harbor entrances in Morro Bay and Ventura Harbor. Small boats that come near the shore could capsize. We may have damage to piers and coastal structures, Fisher said, and we may have some beach erosion, where waves break into areas of sand and walk paths that normally dont get it. Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego was closed Monday after high surf began spraying onto public areas of the pier, said Monica Munoz, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. As of 5 p.m., there was no damage, but the pier was still closed and would remain so until the surf quiets, she said. A couple of surfers had to be rescued from the water, she added. The weather service warned that powerful waves are capable of sweeping people into the frigid, turbulent ocean water, and that the shock of the cold water can cause cardiac arrest. If people decide they want to go on the jetties and rocks, theres very good possibility theyll be washed off rocks, Sirard said. In Northern California, waves were barreling as high as 50 feet on Monday, the weather service said. Farther south, waves as high as 30 feet could strike San Luis Obispo and the Santa Barbara coast north of Point Conception. A high-surf warning is in effect in those areas until 9 a.m. Tuesday. Northern California and west-facing beaches will experience the most intense waves because they will bear the brunt of the swell. A high-surf advisory is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday along the North Bay, Big Sur and Monterey Bay. Despite the big waves, the World Surf League on Sunday canceled this weeks Mavericks Challenge because of less-than-optimal conditions. The wind is good and conditions will be clean, but the swell will be dropping through the day on Thursday and we wont have the consistency we need to run an excellent event, the surf league said in a statement, adding that consistent 25-foot waves are ideal. alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com Twitter: @r_valejandra A Carlsbad priest accused of grabbing a seminary students groin in a restroom stall during a night of heavy drinking was convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery Monday. The jury verdict against the Rev. Juan Garcia Castillo came after three days of trial in Vista Superior Court last week that delved into the nuances of Catholic philosophies and provided a small glimpse into the social lives of priests. Jurors deliberated roughly two hours before reaching their decision. The evidence spoke for itself pretty loudly, and the jury ended up doing the right thing, Deputy District Attorney Joshua Brisbane said. Advertisement Castillos attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Castillo faces up to six months in jail when sentenced Jan. 18. The. Rev. Juan Garcia Castillo (Photo courtesy Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego) Castillo was removed from his post at the Carlsbad parish Feb. 4, the same day as the incident. He also had to cover the cost of his legal defense. Bishop Robert W. McElroy said Monday that after reviewing the facts regarding the allegation of sexual assault against Father Castillo, the diocese of San Diego removed him from ministry in the diocese immediately and permanently. We are deeply saddened by the victimization of one of our students and the damage to society and the Church that it represents, McElroy said. The 33-year-old victim a former Navy lawyer who left his career to join the priesthood had met Castillo just hours before the night in question at St. Patricks Catholic Church in Carlsbad, where Castillo was an associate priest. Castillo, 35, invited the victim and a fellow seminarian out for drinks that Saturday night, on Feb. 3, and for hours the priest pushed Long Island iced teas on them, according to testimony. Feeling sick from the alcohol, the victim went to the restroom and started to vomit in a toilet shortly before 1 a.m. Castillo followed him in. The victim testified that Castillo approached him from behind in the stall, reached around and grabbed his groin. He told the priest to go away, but Castillo came in a second time, pulling and massaging the students genitals in a sexual way, the student testified. The student again told him to leave. Castillo testified that he went in the bathroom because it appeared the victim would be sick, and that he had only been trying to put pressure on the students stomach to stop the vomiting. He testified that his mother had taught him that trick as a child. The two texted at length in the hour or so following the incident, with the student angrily informing Castillo he would be reporting what happened and Castillo responding with mixtures of confusion and apologies. Castillo testified that some of the texts including ones in which he promised to go to confession were not genuine but sarcastic, and that his apologies were only for his role in getting the victim drunk and sick. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis After his bid for a seat on the county Board of Supervisors ended in disappointment in the primary election, Omar Passons was at a career crossroads, and took the path less traveled. Its an odd sort of thing, the 43-year-old former candidate said about taking a job as the director of Integrative Services in the San Diego Countys Health and Human Services Agency, where he started Nov. 9. Usually you dont run for office and then go join the staff in the place you ran for. At least I dont think it normally works that way. Passons ran to represent District 4, but was eliminated in the primary. Former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher advanced to the November election, which Fletcher won. Rather than being one of the countys policy-makers, Passons will be carrying out the policies of the board members, whom he sometimes criticized during his campaign. Advertisement And hes fine with that. I absolutely love the work that I do, he said about the job, which involves coordinating the delivery of the countys health, housing and social services. It was almost too good to be true. Heres this great opportunity to come in and work with people committed to the same issues that you are, to do so in a leadership capacity where the leaders there want innovation and thoughtful approaches. Passons is a land-use attorney with a masters degree in public health and has served on nonprofit boards and as president of the North Park Town Council. He also is a former foster child and said his passion is in creating a better world for young people. Before running for office, he was vice president of community development and policy for the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation and had served as a health policy analyst with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He also served on the San Diego Mayors Workforce and Economic Development Advisory Committee and was on the board of directors for Voices for Children and United Way of San Diego County. Oddly, because Ive been involved in the city of San Diego for so long, a lot of the relationships Ive developed in various places are paying dividends in the work now, he said, adding the connections are important because San Diego County cannot do it all alone. During his campaign, Passons promoted a plan for children he called StrongStarts4All, a housing plan he called Housing4All and a homeless plan called Hope4Homeless. While those didnt come to fruition, he still speaks passionately about what the county can do in those areas. During his campaign, Passons was at times critical of the board, but doesnt see see any awkwardness in his new role. I think its OK to have reasonable disagreements on policy direction, he said. When I said on the campaign trail that the county could do more to support children, that was my role as a candidate. Passons said his new role is to carry out the countys vision to make all San Diegans healthy, safe and thriving by delivering the most-efficient services possible, politics aside. San Diego has a lot of people who, whatever their political orientation, they do want everybody to have a fighting chance, he said. They do want fewer people to be homeless. I grew up here, he continued. There is a civic fabric to our community that spans the region in ways that gets underappreciated. Passons said the county has an important role in addressing generational poverty and the social determinants of health, which includes the environment, housing, education, economic stability and social support networks. Addressing what he called the upstream effects of homelessness, mental health and other societal issues, Passons said the county must look at prevention and the reduction of adverse childhood experiences rather than just crisis management. Growing up in foster care, Passions didnt know his biological mother until receiving an email from her when he was 29. He learned she had mental health issues and had been homeless. It set me on a cascading path, he said about being inspired to learn more about homelessness in the region. To walk where she walked and to see the trash and needles and despair. Just what people were really facing in a real way. Passons became involved with Catholic Charities and Rachels Womens Center, and he said the needs of homeless people are never far from his thoughts. I passed a guy on my way to work the other day who was very down on his luck, he said. Late 60s, above-the-knee amputee. I had this thought, which I have consciously every day, Are we going to do something today that will help get this guy off the street? After he lost the election in June, Passons said he took some time off and traveled to Europe with his wife, but then returned to decide what his next chapter would be. His options included returning to law or working in the nonprofit field, but he was intrigued about how else he might contribute to county services. He had conversations with county Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer and HHSA Director Nick Macchione, and Passons said he began to have a greater appreciation of county services and saw how he could contribute to the agency. After Passons hiring, Macchione said in a news release that he saw his community connections and foster care experience as among the reasons he would be a good fit to lead Integrative Services. I walk into that county building every day with just an unbridled sense of opportunity, Passons said. I know that sounds corny, but I really feel it. Homeless Playlist On Now San Diego hepatitis outbreak continues to grow: 481 cases On Now Homeless entrenched in booming tent city along Santa Ana River On Now San Diego mayor agreed to homeless hub, then delayed, advocates say On Now Homeless outreach in San Diego On Now Video: Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #8 On Now In poverty himself, 'Water Man Dave,' is the fearless saint of San Diego's homeless 5:41 On Now Video: Homeless living in cars find safe havens 2:21 On Now Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #7 On Now Pitching a tent plan for San Diego's homeless On Now Homeless efforts get $80M boost for various services gary.warth@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @GaryWarthUT 760-529-4939 Samsung has been named Russia's favorite brand for the eighth year in a row. Russian research firm Online Market Intelligence on Friday released the top 20 brands in the country based on an online survey of 1,500 consumers in major cities like Moscow and St. Petersburgh. Samsung topped the list with 18.3 percent of the votes, easily beating its U.S. rival Apple, which came in third tied with Nike with 9.6 percent. Adidas ranked second and Sony fifth. LG dropped one spot from last year to eighth, although the support rate for it rose slightly from 4.3 percent to 4.6 percent. U.S. diplomats held talks with Taliban delegates on Monday in the United Arab Emirates to discuss ways to end the war in Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman and Afghan government officials said. Saudi, Pakistani and UAE officials also were participating in the meeting, one of several held between U.S. diplomats and representatives of the Afghan insurgent group in recent months, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement emailed to reporters. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE were the only nations that recognized the Talibans radical Islamist government when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until its ouster in late 2001. There was no official confirmation from the presidential palace in Kabul whether any government official would participate in the meeting. But Afghanistans national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, said in a tweet that he met Sunday in the UAE with officials from the three countries and the United States. Advertisement Mohib said he discussed President Ashraf Ghanis road map for peace, which allows Taliban representatives to take part in the political process and run for office. The plan also raises the prospect of constitutional changes while maintaining what the government describes as the countrys achievements since the militants were driven from power in Kabul by Afghan resistance forces and U.S. airstrikes. Mohib said he had discussed the direct engagement of the Afghan government with the Taliban for an intra-Afghan dialogue. Shah Hussain Murtazawi, a spokesman for Ghani, said the U.S.-Taliban meeting was being coordinated with the Afghan government. The Afghan government supports any effort and action that paves the way for an Afghan-led peace process, he said. Ultimately, it is the Afghan government that signs and parliament that approves any peace agreement. A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul described the meeting as part of efforts by the United States and other international partners to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at ending the conflict in Afghanistan. The Taliban has repeatedly refused to deal directly with Ghanis government, which the group considers a U.S. puppet that is racked by internal divisions and regarded as inefficient. Zalmay Khalilzad, the new U.S. envoy for Afghanistan, will lead the talks in the UAE, officials said. He has held at least two meetings with Taliban officials in Qatar, where the group maintains a political office. The Taliban said last month that its representatives met with Khalilzad for three days in Doha, the Qatari capital. He has traveled to the region and spoken with a number of diplomats and leaders since he was appointed as a special envoy by President Donald Trump in September. The Afghan-born diplomat recently suggested the formation of an interim government instead of holding a presidential election as scheduled in April. The aim would be to allow the peace process to succeed and then hold the vote with the Talibans participation. But members of Ghanis administration have rejected the idea, insisting on going ahead with the election despite widely mismanaged parliamentary polls in October that were held after more than three years of delay. Ghani is set to run for re-election and has picked an advisory board on peace while Khalilzad pushes the U.S.-led efforts. Some factional leaders, including his archrival for the presidency, former national security adviser Hanif Atmar, consider Ghanis move a political maneuver aimed at bolstering his re-election bid. Some members of the advisory board have said they will not participate, as they were selected without even being informed. The main stumbling blocks in past rounds of talks between U.S. and Taliban representatives have been conditions set by the two sides on how to end the war. The Taliban has insisted on a pullout date for U.S.-led troops before any talks with the Kabul government and has demanded that Washington not oppose the establishment of an Islamist government. U.S. officials have been pushing to keep some troops and at least a couple of bases in the country. Published by the Washington Post. Following months of controversy and sexual harassment allegations, San Diego labor titan Mickey Kasparian lost his bid Friday for president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135. Kasparian was once a powerful political kingpin in San Diego, leading Local 135 since 2003 and previously served as president of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, a group of the largest unions in the area. He received 34 percent of the nearly 3,500 votes cast in Fridays election. Replacing him is Bruce Todd Walters, 51, the former vice president of Local 135 whos been critical of Kasparians leadership. He said the groups 12,000 members, made up of supermarket employees and pharmacy workers, are ready for a positive change. Advertisement We have a really good idea of where the members are at and what they want, Walters said. The amount of attention and money thats been spent on politics and scandals is wasteful ... the focus needs to go back to representing members. In 2017, Local 135s legal expenses rose to more than four times normal levels as it fought lawsuits that accused Kasparian of sexual misconduct. In one case, a retired Local 135 employee said she was pressured into a long-term and unwelcome sexual relationship with Kasparian, her boss. Another accuser said Kasparian pinned her to a sofa in his office and attempted to sexually assault her. All the lawsuits were privately settled and the details of those cases have not been made public. Kasparian denies all wrongdoing. Kasparian did not return calls and messages seeking comment. Expenses filed with the Department of Labor that year reported the union spent nearly $830,000 on legal services, up from an average of $203,000 annually over the preceding five years. The same documents indicated that the union reduced spending to help members with contract negotiations and enforcement, and also cut expenses for political campaigns and lobbying. Sara Kent, a San Diego political activist and critic of Kasparian, said the former leader is a Napoleon-esque local tyrant who did not deserve the power he had accumulated. People are becoming more aware and invested in local leadership, and are pulling together to hold elected representatives accountable, even when there are real risks of retaliation, Kent said in an email. We will continue to remove those who abuse their power and replace them with ethical public servants. Local 135s leadership comprises three paid positions president, secretary treasurer and recorder as well as nine executive board members who meet once a month to vote on spending and discuss union operations. A slate of nine women and three men, all running as Team Todd won seats on the board. Secretary treasurer Richard Barrera was ousted by Grant Tom, a union staff member and representative since 2001. Barrerra, who was paid $151,000 in the position and also sits on the San Diego Unified School Board, declined to comment. Walters, who takes the paid position on Jan. 1, said his first order of business will be to reunite Local 135 with the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, which acts as the local affiliate of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the largest federation of unions in the country. As we got separated from other unions we lost support and thats a really scary thing, Walters said. Politically (the unions) align their campaigns together, and thats what got Mickey (Kasparian) in trouble. He wanted to do things his way. In the June primary, Kasparian and his organizations decided to back former Assemblywoman Lori Saldana for county supervisor instead of former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, who was supported by the Labor Council, the Democratic Party and allied groups. More recently, Kasparian proposed a merger with a UFCW local in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Under the deal, which was delayed, Kasparian would have been able to assume the presidency of the new organization without standing for election for another three years. Tom Lemmon, business manager of the San Diego Building Trades Council, which is part of the AFL-CIO group, said hes happy to have Local 135 leadership back on board. Were better together, Lemmon said. We are really looking forward to the future with a united labor movement in San Diego that centers the needs of working people and the communities in which they live and work. Contact Lauryn Schroeder via Twitter or Email. A distraught mother who police said threatened her baby with a pair of scissors while sitting in a bathtub in Barrio Logan late Sunday was taken into custody after a police officer was able to get her to drop the shears. Police were called by a family member who was concerned the woman had left her apartment and was walking around while carrying her baby near Main Street and Sampson Street around 11:15 p.m., police Lt. Andra Brown told San Diego News Video. Police searched the area and couldnt find the woman, but discovered she had returned to her home. They found her inside with her baby boy, who is 4 or 5 months old, Brown said. She was seated in her bathtub and she had the baby in her arms and she was holding scissors to his head, Brown said. Advertisement An officer negotiated with the woman and got her to drop the scissors and eventually to hand over the baby, who was not injured. Brown said the standoff lasted about 20 minutes. Thats a real testament to the negotiating skill of our officers, she said. The woman will undergo a mental evaluation and face several charges, Brown said. Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com Firefighters rescued a woman found dangling out of a second-story window early Monday after a fire broke out in her Lakeside apartment complex. The blaze, which was reported around 3:40 a.m., caused about $250,000 in damage to the complex on Mapleview Street near Channel Road and sent two residents to the hospital, said Lakeside Fire Protection District Division Chief John Hisaw. In all, 16 residents in six apartments were displaced. Investigators with the sheriffs bomb-arson unit were called to try to determine what sparked the blaze. Advertisement A fire at a Lakeside apartment complex displaced 16 people, caused $250,000 in damage and sent two residents to the hospital, authorities said. (Courtesy of Lakeside Fire Protection District) When crews arrived they found heavy, black smoke coming from the front door and windows of the second-story apartment, Hisaw said. Sheriffs deputies also responded and helped people evacuate from the complex. Firefighters rushed to bring an extension ladder to the back of the building, where they helped a woman found hanging out of a back bedroom window get safely to the ground, the division chief said. The fire was quickly knocked down but not before one of the units was extensively damaged. Five other apartments in the building suffered water and smoke damage, he said. All together, we had to cut power to six units on the north side, he said. The Red Cross was assisting the displaced residents and several pets. Firefighters escorted some residents back into their damaged apartments so they could fetch personal items before they went to temporary lodging, he said. Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com Former FBI director James Comey on Monday accused President Donald Trump of trying to burn down the entire FBI and charged that congressional Republicans were willing accomplices for failing to challenge him. The FBIs reputation has taken a big hit because the president with his acolytes has lied about it constantly, Comey told reporters, following his second closed-door interview this month with House lawmakers running a politically divisive investigation into how federal law enforcement officials handled probes of the Trump campaigns alleged Russia ties and Hillary Clintons emails. But Comey directed his vitriol not just at the GOP members of the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees, but at all Republicans - including retiring GOP lawmakers, such as Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who have openly criticized Trump but arent seeking re-election. At some point someone as to stand up and face the fear of Fox News, fear of their base, fear of mean tweets, stand up for the values of this country and not slink away into retirement but stand up and speak the truth, Comey said, without naming names. Advertisement Comey testified for nearly six hours Monday, in addition to the six-hour closed-door discussion he had with panel members earlier this month. During that session, he defended his decisions as FBI director - such as superseding then-Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch to declare the Clinton probe closed and then informing congressional leaders days before the 2016 election that it had been reopened. Comey reiterated that defense even more strongly Monday, flatly refusing to take any personal responsibility for the reputation of the FBI having suffered under his stewardship. He instead blamed Trump for lying about the FBI, attacking the FBI and attacking the rule of law in this country, and the silence from people in this building - meaning Capitol Hill - for allowing him to do it. Republicans used to understand that the actions of a president matter, the words of a president matter, the rule of law matter and the truth matters, he said. Where are those Republicans today? Republicans on the panel have been in open conflict with Comey about whether he was appropriately forthcoming with his answers, and whether his testimony contradicted former statements he has made. According to a transcript of the first round of proceedings, Comey declined to answer several questions pertaining to the FBIs probe of Trump, arguing that the details he was being asked to provide were too closely tied to special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of the Trump campaigns suspected ties to Russia. Comey also declined to say whether Trump, in firing him last year, had attempted to obstruct justice, although an FBI lawyer present at the interview appeared to confirm that the special counsel was looking into such matters. Republicans emerged from the first meeting frustrated by Comeys inability or refusal to answer certain questions, and on Monday, intimated that Comey was steering clear of topics in similar fashion. Hes been a consistent witness in the way that he answers questions, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said outside the meeting room. Meadows said Monday there were inconsistencies between Comeys testimony behind closed doors and his previous public statements. Democrats emerging from the session, and Comey himself, disputed this assessment. A transcript of the first session suggested that Comeys first closed-door testimony mirrored much of what he has said in public settings. In between the two interviews with House panels,Comey said at an event in New York that if Trump were not president, he would be in serious jeopardy of being charged by New York prosecutors in a case concerning payments made to silence women who alleged affairs with him years ago. Trumps longtime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for those and other matters that U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III called a veritable smorgasbord of criminal conduct. Comey is one of the last people the joint House panel is expected to question in the probe, which is expected to end - or drastically change in character - once Democrats take over the House majority next year. Democrats have accused the GOP of using the investigation to try to discredit the FBI and Justice Department, as a means of undermining Muellers probe. They seem to be wanting to play defense counsel for the president, said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who is currently ranking member of the Oversight committee and is expected to serve as its chairman next year. On Monday, Oversight committee member Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr., D-Mo., said the interview was the last gasp of the Republican majority in this House, to paint this narrative to protect the Trump administration and the Trump campaign. And they really dont have a leg to stand on, Clay added. The joint panel is also expected to interview Lynch behind closed doors on Wednesday. No other interviews have been announced. This story first appeared in The Washington Post Early next month, the longest serving Republican in San Diegos congressional delegation will quietly step away from the House of Representatives. For Republicans in the 49th District, which stretches from La Jolla to Dana Point in south Orange County, the transition marks the end of an era of Republican dominance. Not only is Rep. Darrell Issa their man in Congress for nearly two decades retiring, his endorsed successor was defeated by nearly 13 points. For Democrats in San Diego County and across the country, Issas departure is more than welcome. For a time, the Vista congressman was the national face of Republican antagonism toward former President Barack Obama. More recently, he was admired and despised as a staunch ally of President Donald Trump. Issa, who will be succeeded by Democrat Mike Levin of Orange County next month, did not respond to multiple interview requests, as San Diego prepares to say farewell to one of its most colorful political figures an Ohio native and high school dropout who built a multimillion-dollar personal fortune and became one of the wealthiest members of Congress. Advertisement Issa entered politics with an unknown name and rose to prominence as head of one of the highest-profile committees in the House. He may have arrived in Washington a generation too late for his political ambition and leaves Congress in some ways undone by the very image he sought to craft. Dropout to millionaire Issa, 65, grew up outside of Cleveland as one of six children. He quit high school at 17 and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the height of the Vietnam War. Two years later, after his father suffered a heart attack, he was granted a hardship discharge. After leaving the Army, Issa earned his G.E.D. and eventually graduated from Kent State University. He rejoined the Army as a reservist, serving until 1980. In civilian life, Issa invested in a company called Quantum Enterprises and, in what could be described as a hostile takeover, he acquired a struggling electronics company that made car alarms. Within a decade, Issa turned the company into a multimillion-dollar powerhouse, and produced the widely popular Viper anti-theft device that bears his voice dramatically warning would-be thieves to stand back. His fortunes secure, Issa turned his attention to public service and ran for the U.S. Senate in 1998. Despite outspending his opponent, he lost the Republican primary due to poor name recognition and issues from his past. News organizations revealed Issas previous arrest for carrying a concealed weapon, an indictment for stealing a car and allegations of arson by former business associates. Issa vigorously denied the allegations over the years and was never convicted of auto-theft or charged with arson. Political success Although the U.S. Senate bid fell short, the 1998 campaign served as a launching pad for his House campaign two years later. Running for a seat vacated by nine-term Republican incumbent in what was then the 48th District, Issa dominated the primary election in 2000 and defeated his Democratic opponent by more than 30 points in the same election that sent George W. Bush to the White House. The North County district was reconstituted as the 49th District in 2002, and Issa continued to win re-election comfortably. He won eight of his next nine House races by double digits. Until recently, his only political speed bump came in 2003, when he spent $1.7 million of his own money to fund a recall election against then-Gov. Gray Davis the first and only governor in the history of California to be recalled. Issa had planned to replace Davis but dropped out one day after Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he would seek to replace Davis. At an August 2003 press conference, he put the brightest face he could on the unhappy development and announced he would not run for governor. Once it was possible to not have to be the face of the recall, not have to be the candidate if no one else would lead, I now have the opportunity to choose between two directions, Issa said at the time. One is my service in Washington, the other was what many people assumed was blind ambition. Jack Pitney, a professor of political science at Claremont McKenna College, said Issa never saw the movie star coming. He thought hed be champion of the recall, he said. Little did he know he was doing Arnold Schwarzenegger a solid. The congressman from Vista may have arrived in Washington a decade or two late, Pitney added. The county changed, the state changed, said Pitney, a longtime Republican who left the GOP in 2017 as a Trump critic and became an independent. Darrell Issa came too late and stayed too long. Check to power The lost race for California governor did not arrest Issas political climb. He redoubled his efforts in Congress and became ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee after Obama was elected president. Two years later, when Republicans took control of the House, he was named chairman. Issa became a fixture on Fox News and developed a reputation as a fierce partisan. He called Obama one of the most corrupt presidents in history and engaged in shouting matches with the ranking committee Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. The Vista congressman relished his oversight role, enthusiastically investigating a bank-relief program, the Internal Revenue Services review of conservative organizations, the death of Americans in Benghazi and the Fast and Furious guns program. At one point, he held then-Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. The investigations drew praise from Republicans and ire from Democrats, who viewed them as partisan attacks that offered little in the way of results. Obama himself said Issas primary contribution to the United States Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere, during a visit to La Jolla in 2016. Pitney, the Claremont McKenna political scientist, said Issa could be his own worst enemy. He was too overtly partisan, Pitney said. His focus was on doing partisan warfare in Washington. Rather than go for the flashy headlines, he should have focused on the dreary mechanics of government if you can improve the efficiency of a cabinet department by 5 percent that would be huge. Danielle Brian is the executive director at the Project on Government Oversight, a non-partisan Washington D.C.-based watchdog group. She said Issas greatest accomplishments had less to do with his chairmanship of the House Oversight committee than bills promoting government transparency, whistleblower protections and open records. He was really involved in important government reform legislation, she said. Issa is also well regarded by many in the tech community for his role preventing the passage of the Stop Online Privacy Act, which critics feared would threaten free speech and give the government authority to block access to websites. He was instrumental in blocking the House majority from moving the bill quickly, said Ernesto Falcon of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Changing district While Issa became a staple in Washington D.C., his North County district was changing demographically and ideologically. In 2016, he confronted his most serious political challenge in Col. Doug Applegate, an attorney and retired Marine who came within 1,600 or so votes of unseating the incumbent from Vista. The narrow victory exposed the changing district. Part of the reason Darrell won by double digits in the past was Democrats didnt spend time, money or make much of an effort against him, said Jerome Kern, a Republican and former Oceanside city councilman. Once they saw Doug did really well Darrell was exposed as being weak. The congressmans broad embrace of President Trump also appears to have helped drive a growing distaste for Issa. Doug Applegate had support throughout the country because Democrats throughout the country disliked him [Issa] immensely, said Francine Busby, former chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party. UC San Diego political science professor Thad Kousser said Issas activism and profile made him a target. He embraced a polarizing role, and he had to live with the consequences of that, Kousser said. As he became more prominent, the (congressional Democrats) really wanted to take him out. The election of Trump and worries that the Republican-controlled Congress would repeal the Affordable Care Act led to organized protests outside Issas Vista office. On most Tuesdays since, protesters would gather by the dozens and sometimes hundreds to protect the health-care law and criticize Issa. We really wanted to know what he was thinking, recalled Ellen Montanari, who helped organize the weekly protests. Montanari said she expected Issa to move more to the center after his close race in 2016. It didnt take me long to realize that wasnt the case, she said. The protests continued month after month because they knew they had a real shot to turn Issa out of Congress, Montanari said. They were right. Early this year, Issa announced he would not seek re-election. Throughout my service, I worked hard and never lost sight of the people our government is supposed to serve, Issa said at the time. Yet with the support of my family, I have decided that I will not seek re-election in Californias 49th District. A congressmans legacy The retiring congressman is not likely to leave Washington D.C. anytime soon. In September Trump nominated him to lead the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, although he still awaits Senate confirmation. Issa is leaving San Diego politics behind with a complicated legacy. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, and Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, recalled finding common ground with Issa on only a handful of issues, such as the expansion of the San Ysidro Border crossing. I think Darrell will be remembered for a few things, Peters said. He was such a vociferous partisan with respect to president Obama. Im not sure in the end that was helpful to him or his party. I think he is someone who tried his best to work for constituents and his region away from the mic he was pretty pragmatic. Peters said he was disappointed in Issas unwavering support for Trump, especially his support for repealing the Affordable Care Act. Kern, the former Oceanside councilman, also recalls a man who was persistent in working for residents as well, especially when it came to ensuring Oceanside Harbor was dredged. He doesnt get credit for doing the work, Kern said. He was a national figure, but as far as a local elected official, Darrell was working for the city. Others point to the indelible mark he left on California. Kousser, the University of California San Diego political scientist, said Issa has been a central actor in two of the biggest political moments in modern California history. First the recall of Gray Davis, which never would have made it to the ballot if Issa had not funded the signature drive, he said. Second, his was the first political domino to fall in the 2018 wipeout. Pitney had a different perspective on Issas impact in Congress. His legacy is the aftermath of battle, he said. He was a political warrior and warriors leave memories and casualties, and ultimately he was a casualty of the war in which he participated in. New Republican party rules adopted last month for the incoming Congress are expected to block indicted members from committee work, sharply limiting the ability of Rep. Duncan Hunter to deliver specific benefits to his district at least until his trial, experts say. Hunter, R-Alpine, was re-elected to the 50th Districts seat in Congress last month despite being under federal indictment with his wife since August for their alleged theft of more than $250,000 in campaign funds. The couple denies the charges. Hunter has said he looks forward to clearing his name at trial, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 10. Advertisement After the midterm elections, the House Republican Conference revised its internal party rules for the 116th Congress, which starts in January. The changes require any member who is indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed to promptly submit their resignations from all committees. Previously, there were no House or party rules that gave Republican leadership authority to strip indicted rank-and-file members of assignments to standing committees, according to the Congressional Research Service. Political science experts said the new rules are a strong signal that party leaders do not want members who are charged with breaking the law to have a seat at lawmaking tables especially since Republicans will become the minority party in the new Congress. Hunter is not the only returning congressman who is under indictment. Rep. Chris Collins, R-New York, was also re-elected in November despite facing criminal charges related to an alleged insider-trading scheme. Members have yet to receive committee assignments for the 116th Congress. Hunter stepped down from his committees in the fall under pressure from Speaker Paul Ryan to do so. Hunter spokesman Michael Harrison said the congressman is actively working to keep his committee assignments for Education and the Workforce, Armed Services and Transportation and Infrastructure. Hunter also chaired an important subcommittee on the U.S. Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Hunter will still be able to introduce legislation, speak on the House floor, vote on legislation and provide constituent services even if he cannot serve on committees and subcommittees. But while floor speeches and votes are the most visible work performed by members of Congress, historically they find their best opportunities to secure jobs, infrastructure projects or other tax dollars for their districts in committee rooms, where legislation introduced in the House is divided up by subject matter for consideration. Committees receive far more pieces of legislation than they can work through in a two-year legislative cycle, so its up to committee chairs from the majority party to determine which bills are developed and moved forward. During the process known as mark-up, the committees hash out details in spending bills and other legislation. Committees also hold hearings and give policy guidance and work to govern agencies under their jurisdiction. As a member of the Armed Services and Transportation and Infrastructure committees, Hunter was able to steer benefits to his East County district by influencing funding bills and policies, said Charles H. Stewart III, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology political scientist who researches congressional committees. The largest authorization bills come through armed services, Stewart said. Infrastructure can also be among the largest spending bills that come through Congress. Those bills involve large employment contracts, large contracts in general and big projects and things people can see, he said. In San Diego, you cant swing a dead cat without seeing the benefits of the Armed Services Committee. Optics alone could threaten the partys reputation and the credibility of any legislation the embattled lawmakers touch, Stewart said. One reason its illegal for members of Congress to spend campaign contributions for personal expenses, as Hunter is accused of doing, is that it could give undue influence to donors such as defense contractors. It just gives ammunition in this case to Democrats and enterprising reporters, Stewart said. It just looks bad. On the House floor and in committees, Hunter and all Republicans will have a much tougher time getting legislation passed when Democrats are in the majority, said Marian Currinder, a senior fellow with the R Street Institute, a public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. If Hunter were to sponsor legislation, the only way he would get anything to the floor is to be co-sponsored with a Democrat and thats hard to imagine that being the case right now, she said. Especially with Democrats focus on campaign finance reform, ethics and good government, the idea that a Democrat is going to extend a hand to him to say, Lets co-sponsor legislation, seems kind of unrealistic. Its going to be hard for any Republican, especially one who is under indictment, Currinder said. Another roadblock to Hunters effectiveness as a lawmaker is his reported defiance of party leadership in the days after his indictment, experts said. When Hunter was indicted Aug. 21, Ryan released a statement calling the charges deeply serious and announcing that Hunter would be removed from committees until his legal troubles are resolved. But Ryan had no specific authority to force Hunter to resign from committees at the time, and multiple news outlets reported that the Alpine congressman initially refused to step down. Days later, facing a wave of political pressure and the threat threat of convening a special panel to force him off panels, Hunter requested that he be temporarily removed from his assignments. Harrison, the spokesman for Hunters office, said the congressman does not believe his legal woes have impacted his professional relationship with colleagues or that it will limit his ability to pursue legislation in the coming Congress. He believes that he will be acquitted and that he has a good case to make and he has been very up front with any of his colleagues or constituents that ask about the situation, Harrison said. He doesnt believe it will impact his ability to serve in anyway. Hunter was among the first members of Congress to endorse Donald Trumps successful candidacy for president and remains a steadfast supporter of Trumps political agenda. He voted in step with Trump 94.6 percent of the time since January 2017, according to FiveThirtyEight, a political analysis website. Hunter and his wife face a 60-count indictment for alleged fraud and misuse of campaign funds for personal expenses such as groceries, family vacations and private school tuition. If Hunter is convicted, there is no explicit law or rule that would require him to leave the House, legal scholars have said. Even if he receives a prison sentence, House rules recommend but do not necessarily require that he step down from committees or refrain from voting. If Hunter ultimately resigns or is removed from office, it would likely trigger a special election to fill the seat. morgan.cook@sduniontribune.com Migrants dont qualify for asylum in the U.S. Re More Hondurans prepare to return home: The caravan is over. Everyone is on their own now. (Dec. 7): The article about the plight of Hondurans underscores their hardships. It is impossible not to feel sorry for them. However, asking for asylum due to domestic abuse or gang violence back in their home country should be denied. Wouldnt it make more sense for them to simply move to a new safer location within their current country or to Mexico that has their culture and language, than take a very dangerous and expensive journey across Mexico? As the article pointed out, most are understandably looking for a better economic life in the U.S., but that doesnt qualify for asylum. Fred Dickson Advertisement Rancho Bernardo Without our borders, wed have no nation It always amazes me how our liberal friends think we are playing a game of Red Rover with illegal immigration. Just because they were able to sneak into our country, why are we trying to make it so comfortable for them to evade our laws? They should live in fear of deportation. Our housing crisis could be solved if we actually enforced our immigration laws. Brock Tells Cardiff When it comes to national security and the protection of American lives, there should be unity between both parties about funding for the border wall. When one party seems to fight so hard not to build a wall, that sends me a message that American lives are not its top priority. This takes no discussion. Protect American lives now. Dianna Piper San Diego Nation of immigrants should be more caring The following is a portion of Emma Lazarus beautiful sonnet that is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp! cries she with silent lips. Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! I am confused. Just where does it say we should greet them with concertina wire? Peter Stovin University City American citizens do not support caravan A national survey of 1,000 Americans who said they voted in the midterm election was commissioned by the immigration-reduction organization NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation and was conducted by Pulse Opinion Research on Nov. 7-8. Here are the poll results: Twenty-six percent chose Option 1: Stop all of them (caravan members) from entering the country. Thirty-two percent chose Option 2: Require them to remain in Mexico until their asylum applications have been decided. Eighteen percent chose Option 3: Let them enter the U.S. but detain them until their asylum applications have been decided. Eighteen percent chose Option 4: Allow them to move freely around the country until their asylum hearing at some future time. Five percent chose Unsure. Conclusion: Most Americans do not support the caravan. Jim Smith University City Couldnt we help our neighbors to the south more? A recent paper had two letters regarding helping the people in those countries who feel they must leave due to the conditions in their countries. One of them was from the president of Womens Empowerment International, explaining its program of helping the women help themselves. The other was from a person who pointed out that the biggest problem is that our big American corporate businesses leaders have failed to enter these poor nations to help develop their economies, which would provide jobs, so that they need not feel that they had to leave. These things are so simple and so obvious, surely it can be done K.L. Banks Oceanside Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Video: Drawn to America: episode 1 U-T editorial cartoonist Steve Breen is going to Tijuana to get a clearer picture of why thousands of migrants would travel thousands of miles in a caravan to seek asylum in the United States. Read about the series here. Even though there has been an increase in the proportion of donors in their 30s in the last three years, from 21.9 percent to 28.8 percent, there is still a big imbalance of age groups. Donors in their teens and 20s account for 71.2 percent of blood donations, according to the Korean Red Cross -- 31.3 percent for teenagers and 39.9 percent for 20-somethings. Most blood donors in Korea are in their teens or 20s, and if this trend continues, blood shortage is likely to become a chronic problem. As of 2016, people who are 30 or older made up 78 percent of the blood donors in Japan and 67 percent in Taiwan. In France, over-40s made up half. "It is a bleak situation as we have a decreasing young population due to the low birthrate and an increase in the older population," a Red Cross spokesman said. Korea already experiences blood shortage during the summer and winter vacations, when the young donors are away. Blood donation centers hand out gifts to attract more donors such as movie tickets or drink vouchers. The Red Cross aims to have five days' worth of blood packs at all times in accordance with guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but last year stocks fell below the threshold on 205 days. The goal is to increase proportion of blood donors over 30 to 42 percent, but it is uncertain whether that is attainable. Many people with jobs find it hard to make time to donate blood, and those who travel abroad cannot donate for a month after returning to Korea. Many others are on medication. Civil servants are allowed to take time off to donate blood, but not many of them know it. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. The total sales of Korea's defense industry dropped last year for the first time in 34 years. According to data from the Korea Defense Industry Association last Friday, the combined sales of 93 arms companies fell 13.9 percent to W12.76 trillion in 2017 (US$1=W1,135). Their net profit plummeted from W218.4 billion in 2016 to a deficit of W109.1 billion. Their operating margin shrank to a mere 0.5 percent, far below the average 7.6 percent for the manufacturing industry as a whole. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told defense companies at a meeting the same day, "We're well aware that the defense industry has difficulties with poor sales and exports. The government will strengthen diplomatic support for exports, and the military will also try to reinvigorate the domestic market." Oklahoma City, OK -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/17/2018 -- The foundational basis of Quail Creek Bank was specially designed to make their financial services centered on the requirements of their customers and bringing back the original principles of banking. Fast forward to date, the local bank continues to thrive by upholding a model which many banks have neglected as personalized solutions become a privilege rather than the order of the day. Quail Creek Bank has over time developed solutions for everyone and has a package that can be embraced depending on a client's current demands. The benefits extended to all clients at Quail Creek Bank makes first-class services more than a statement but an operational mantra which the team adheres to at all times. Regardless of the kind of account that customers at the bank operate, they are all bound to receive exemplary personalized customer services to make them feel special. Quail Creek Bank considers all their clients equal partners who deserve nothing less than the best and will go the extra mile for the satisfaction of every client. Every business requires strong financial support that will see it go through tough times without sacrificing on their day to day operational activities. Quail Creek Bank has taken the initiative to maintain contact with the current commerce environment for an understanding of all business demands. Consequently, the bank has developed special business loans in OKC that are tailored to make it profitable to run all kinds of enterprises without the burden of unnecessary financial debts. Quail Creek Bank has their business financing solutions handled by experts who have decades of accumulated experience working with a vast range of entrepreneurs and are active market researchers. A primary concern for many startups is where can I get a small business loan given how much the niche segment has for long been ignored by financial service providers. Quail Creek Bank is an answer to this bugging question which every entrepreneur who is looking to establish a profitable brand in the market faces. The small business loan package by the local bank has more straightforward qualification requirements which make it convenient for everyone after financial banking to grow their startups. Other benefits in the package also include more extended repayment periods and lower fees which can be directly financed in the loan. Clients who are after the pleasures of banking with the best banks in OKC which are highly ranked for their customer services have more than they can bargain for at Quail Creek Bank. The bank has featured in all the top list of rankings by independent organizations, regulatory bodies, and client reviews of the bank that take to account their needs. Quail Creek Bank is not blinded by the success that they have achieved and they still maintain the sanity of their primary goals. About Quail Creek Bank Quail Creek Bank is providing the residents of Oklahoma with the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of private bank membership and special business packages that will give them the pleasures of customized solutions. Contact Details Company Name: Quail Creek Bank Address: 12201 North May Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73120 Telephone Number: (405) 755-1000 Website: https://quailcreek.bank/ The upcoming New Year is the "Year of the Golden Pig" according to the Chinese zodiac. Gold and pigs both signify abundance, so that can be an auspicious combination. How can we make the most of it? There is a local legend in Masan, South Gyeongsang Province, where a royal concubine of King Garak in the Geumgwan Gaya during ancient Korea suddenly disappeared one day. The disappointed king sent his men everywhere to search for her, and one fisherman reported seeing a divine beauty in Golpo (now Masan). The king's men tried to persuade her to return, but she turned herself into a golden pig and hid between two large rocks on Mt. Ducheok (now Mt. Muhak). Located within the city, Mt. Muhak is easily accessible and has many hiking trails to suit people of different physical levels. The path to the peak, Goundae, is steep but offers breathtaking views. Goundae is famous as the place where Choe Chi-won, a philosopher from the late Unified Silla Period, lived as a hermit. The peak affords a great breathtaking view of the city of Changwon. The scene of the legend later moves to the rock island of Dotseom. After the concubine fled to Mt. Ducheok, locals started mysteriously disappearing. The king learned that the golden pig, which by that time had lost its human qualities, was harassing people, and ordered his soldiers to use arrows and spears against it. When it was attacked, however, a flash of light struck the island, which changed its shape to resemble a pig on its back -- this is what is now known as Dotseom. Ferries to Dotseom run every 30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily at a terminal in Changwon. A sign reading, "An island of the golden pig that brings you good luck" welcomes visitors as soon as they get off the ferries. Then they can see a giant 3-meter-tall statue of a golden pig, which guides visitors to hiking paths there. All the walking paths connect at some point on the island, so visitors can take any of them. The island does indeed resemble a pig. Seen from the peak of the island, reflected in sunlight or moonlight, visitors would easily understand how it came to be known as the Island of the Golden Pig. The toughened U.S. sanctions are designed to shock North Korea into returning to the negotiating table. Washington continues to demand that Pyongyang take verifiable steps toward denuclearization, and currently sanctions are focusing on the North's human rights abuses, a particularly sore point. North Korea's Foreign Ministry in a statement on Sunday complained that the U.S. slapped sanctions on the North eight times over the last six months "by fabricating all kinds of excuses." North Korea has warned that continued sanctions and pressure to improve human rights "will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula forever." Meanwhile, a seminar on human rights in North Korea sponsored by the Japanese government in Tokyo threw a sharper spotlight on Pyongyang's egregious abuses. Fred Warmbier, the father of American student Otto Warmbier who died last year after being held captive in North Korea, attended the seminar on Saturday and said Dec. 12 would have marked his late son's 24th birthday. He vowed to join hands with the families of Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s, and added that North Korea continues to torture and execute foreigners it has taken hostage. Former U.K. Ambassador to North Korea John Everard told Voice of America that the North siphons off portions of international aid for use by its military and elite. And the former U.S. representative to abortive six-party denuclearization talks, Christopher Hill, told VOA that Pyongyang's rejection of high-level talks demonstrates that it has no real intention to denuclearize. "I mean the notion of a U.S. special envoy not being able to get a meeting with a North Korean Foreign ministry makes no sense to me," Hill said. "It only makes sense in the context of North Korea not being serious." He added that North Korea fixates on a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump because he "is the only person who has kind of bought their argument that the problem here is U.S forces on the Korean Peninsula." Later this week, Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, visits Seoul to attend a second U.S.-South Korea working group meeting to discuss waiving sanctions for some inter-Korean projects and looking for ways to resume dialogue. The first meeting took place in Washington D.C. about a month ago. The minimum wage hike has actually ended up reducing the earnings of low-income workers according to a report by the Bank of Korea. The reason is that employers are simply slashing the working hours of part-time staff to save costs. It also has the knock-on effect that businesses have to raise the wages of staff who are paid above the minimum wage, resulting in declining productivity, according to the BOK. The central bank issued the report belatedly and only after President Moon Jae-in hinted recently that he may change his minimum wage policy. Does the BOK have any independence left or has it become a pro-government think tank? The Korea Development Institute, Korea Labor Institute, Korea Small Business Institute and countless other state-run think tanks have shone very little light on the side effects of the hasty minimum wage hike. Even after its devastating effect became apparent, they have been timid in their comments. But while the economists dithered, almost a million self-employed people have gone out of businesses, while hundreds of thousands of low-paying jobs have disappeared and income disparity got worse. After a 16.4 percent hike this year, the minimum wage will rise another 10.9 percent in 2019. There is no telling how many more small businesses will fold. It is too late now to do anything about next year's hike, and the government is not expected to part ways with militant unions. Much of this fiasco can be attributed to brown-nosing state-run think tanks abetting an irresponsible government. At the same time, the country listed requirements for ships to be equipped for the use of shore power in port. Joins four other ECAs ECAs are already in effect in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, North America (most of the US and Canadian coast) and the US Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands). China's ECAs take effect Jan. 1, while the shore power requirement, as pertains to cruise ships, calls for vessels built on or after Jan. 1, 2020, to be equipped for shore power connectivity. The aim of the ECAs is to improve the air quality of coastal cities and inland ports by reducing the emission of ship-generated air pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Fuel sulfur content limit 0.5% starting in January From Jan. 1, ships entering the ECAs shall use marine fuel oil with a sulfur content of no more than 0.5%. Large-scale river ships and river-sea ships shall use the fuel oil that meets the newly revised requirements specified in the national standards for marine fuel oils, while other river ships should use the diesel fuel that meets national standards. From Jan. 1, 2020, ships entering the inland river control areas shall use the marine fuel oil with a sulfur content no more than 0.1%. From March 1, 2020, ships entering the ECAs without any alternative measures such as sulfur oxides and particulate pollution control devices can only load and use the marine fuel oil that should be used in accordance with the implementation plan. From Jan. 1, 2022, ships entering the Hainan water in the coastal control areas shall use marine fuel oil with a sulfur content of no more than 0.1%. The feasibility of using marine fuel oil with a sulfur content of no more than 0.1% is to be evaluated in a timely manner to determine whether ships entering the coastal control areas will be required to that 0.1% fuel from January 2025. The implementation plan also outlined the requirements for nitrogen oxide limitations. Concerning international navigation ships, those that are built or are subject to the major modification of marine diesel engines on or after Jan. 1, 2011, where the output power of a single engine used exceeds 130kW, shall meet the requirements for the NOx emission limits in the second phase specified in MARPOL, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. Alternative measures for compliance Ships may use alternative measures such as clean energy, new energy, ship-borne power storage device or post-treatment of tail gas to meet these emission control requirements. Where the post-treatment of tail gas is used, the emission monitoring device shall be installed and the generated wastewater and waste liquid shall be treated in accordance with relevant regulations. The 'Implementation Plan for Ship Emission Control Areas in Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta and Circum-Bohai (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) Waters' is here, courtesy of Bryants Maritime Consulting. Chinas three main port areas and Taiwan are implementing a 0.5% sulphur ECA zones which are set to increase the costs of calling as container lines will have to burn more expensive low sulphur fuel in these zones and while at port. ONE is implementing a $15 per teu charge for export shipments from central China to the Asia, US and Canada from 1 January 2019. While for North China, South China, Hong Kong and Macau to Asia, US and Canada a $15 per surcharge will be levied from 15 January 2019. For all other destinations for exports from China, Hong Kong and Macau a $15 teu surcharge will be implement from 1 January 2019. For Taiwan ONE will levy a $20 per teu surcharge for import and exports to and from all destinations. Read more: Taiwan ports to enforce 0.5% sulphur cap from 2019 ONE continues to explore all avenues available to mitigate fuel consumption and fuel associated costs for the benefit of the global environment and the supply chain costs of our valued customers, the container line said. The christening was also the final event in the celebrations marking Van Oord's 150th anniversary in 2018. The vessel was moored along Wilhelminakade next to the Cruise Terminal in Rotterdam for the special event. After the christening ceremony, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch DJ duo Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano gave a musical performance. Queen Maxima toured the Vox Amalia and met its crew. She also spoke to the engineers who supervised the vessels construction and to a group of youngsters representing Generation Z, the offspring of employees and shareholders, who shared their ideas about a sustainable future. Van Oord celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018 with various activities, including the christening of subsea rock installation vessel Bravenes in May and an international symposium in the Laurenskerk in November. During the symposium, the company was awarded the Royal designation. The Vox Amalia, a trailing suction hopper dredger, has large, powerful pumps and engines that enable it to dredge sand, clay, sludge and even gravel from sea or river beds. The Vox Amalia is 158 m long, 36 m wide and has a hopper capacity of 18,000 cu m. It was built in Spain under Van Oords supervision. After the christening ceremony, the vessel will undergo trials in the Netherlands and then be deployed on dredging projects worldwide. New cruise economy sets sail From:ChinaDaily | 2018-12-16 12:37 Travel industry steps up pace with public sector to serve wave of Chinese tourists If a friend from abroad were to show up suddenly in China as a tourist, the question, "Gee, when did you land" will likely pop up based on the presumption that he or she flew into the country. But, if some tourism companies' plans bear fruit, there might soon be an alternative question: "Hey, when did you make landfall?" More tourists are expected to reach China by ship from now on - specifically cruise liners. And, as wanderlust grips the experience-hunting Chinese middle-class flush with rising incomes and bitten by the consumption upgrade bug, the domestic tourism is expected to include a lot more cruises, market insiders say. The Cruise Lines International Association says that by 2025 the number of Chinese travelers who have experienced cruises is expected to grow to 8 to 10 million. That would mark a surge from about 2.5 million Chinese travelers, around 2 percent of China's outbound global travelers last year. An estimated 300 million Chinese consumers will be able to afford cruises in the near future. "In the next 10 to 20 years, the number of Chinese who take a cruise annually is expected to surpass that of the United States," says Zheng Weihang, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association. "Growth in the world's cruise market is expected to come largely from China, "As the industry continues to grow and develop in the region, China is widely expected to eventually become the largest cruise market in the world." Fletcher Building says it has sold the Formica business for US$840 million, or NZ$1.226 billion, to Netherlands-based Broadview. The sale price is comfortably within the NZ$1-1.3 billion range the market was expecting and the date of the announcement was well short of the up to 18-month timeframe that managing director Ross Taylor suggested when he announced the decision to sell in April. Fletcher said the sale is subject to customary conditions for a sale of this nature, including regulatory approvals. The divestment of Formica completes our strategy to exit non-core businesses, having already completed the sale of the Roof Tile Group in November, Taylor said in a statement. Our five-year strategy is to refocus Fletcher Buildings capital and capability behind our New Zealand and Australian businesses with building products and distribution at our core, he said. We are pleased to have signed the agreement in line with our target timing and to have achieved a strong valuation for the business. We believe Broadview is a natural owner of Formica, being a leading player in the laminates industry. Broadview is an industrial holding company with a focus on materials technology and energy. It is listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange with a market capitalisation of about 11 billion euro. Taylor said hes confident the necessary regulatory approvals will be completed smoothly and he expects the sale will be completed within Fletchers financial year ending June 2019. He said the company will complete the sale first and then take a prudent approach to management of its balance sheet. Fletcher had term debt of $1.75 billion on its balance sheet at June 30 this year after raising $750 million in fresh capital in April. Taylor confirmed the company's intention to resume paying dividends, beginning with a first-half dividend to be declared when it announces its first-half results in February. The board will size the dividend prudently, having regard to the ongoing capital requirements of the company. Given the expected settlement timing of the Formica sale, the full-year 2019 dividend is likely to be weighted towards the final dividend, Fletcher said. The proceeds will be subject to certain deductions, including pension liabilities and other debt-like items retained in the business and transaction costs. These are expected to total about US$70 million, or NZ$102 million. Formica will also be classified as 'held for sale' and subject to an impairment test in the Fletcher first-half accounts. The regulatory approvals relate to competition regimes in a number of the countries in which Formica operates. Fletcher shares last traded at $4.83 and have dropped 33.6 percent year-to-date. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. 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Related News: Kiwi Property Group Limited (NZX: KPG) Signs Sale and Purchase Agreement with IKEA 2nd December 2021 Morning Report The New Zealand Refining Company Limited (NZX: NZR) Launches Share Purchase Plan Seeka Limited (NZX: SEK) Confirms Market Guidance Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (NZX: ANZ) Acknowledges Class Action Proceedings 1st December 2021 Morning Report Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Appoints New Chief Executive 30th November 2021 Morning Report Serko Limited (NZX: SKO) Announces Opening of NZ$10 Million Retail Offer Rua Bioscience Limited (NZX: RUA) Rua to Accelerate Growth with Proposed Acquisition of Zalm Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says her deputy and Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, did not show her the speech he gave last weekend in Washington DC where he appeared to shift New Zealand's positioning in the Pacific region more towards support for the United States and away from China. Speaking at her last post-Cabinet press conference for the year, Ardern pushed back at the suggestion she might have expected to see a speech relating to the government's flagship "Pacific reset" foreign policy being given in the capital city of its most significant military partner, the US, which also bore directly on its relationship with the country's largest trading partner, China. The US and China are locked in an increasingly tense trade war and Peters' speech follows a series of events that all point to a cooling in the relationship with Beijing. These include, in recent months: a defence strategy paper in which New Zealand explicitly criticised China's expansionism in the South China Sea for the first time; the announcement of a multi-billion dollar upgrade of air force surveillance capability to planes that could carry anti-submarine weaponry; a preliminary refusal to allow Chinese-owned Huawei to participate in the country's 5-G mobile network rollout; and an on-again, off-again first prime ministerial visit to Beijing. The official visit was to have taken place last week but was postponed, with both sides citing diary clashes. Today, Ardern said she had heard no more about dates for what is starting to look like a delayed state visit to meet Chinese president Xi Jinping in China. In last Saturday's speech at the Georgetown University Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies, Peters sought to "enlist greater US support in the region" as New Zealand expressed concerns about the extent to which the Pacific region is "becoming more contested and its security is ever more fragile". "Our co-operation and like-mindedness is now coming into sharper relief in the Asia-Pacific," said Peters. "We unashamedly ask the United States to engage more and we think it is in your vital interests to do so. And time is of the essence." New Zealand was "acutely mindful of and archly concerned by the asymmetries at play in the region at a time when larger players are renewing their interest in the Pacific with an attendant level of strategic competition". "The speed and intensity of those interests at play are of great concern to us. Our eyes are wide open to this trajectory and we know that yours are too." Ardern sought to suggest that Peters's comments could just as well have referred to the interests of other Great Powers that have interests in the Pacific. "Its not only of the US that we believe therell be an interest in different regions (sic), including the Pacific. Of course, France has an interest. The UK may take a different approach to foreign policy post-Brexit. These are conversations that I think are worth having with those with whom weve shared in the past similar values and directions when it comes to foreign policy," she said. Asked whether the speech indicated New Zealand was adopting a more pro-US stance and a less enthusiastic stance towards China, she gave an emphatic denial: "No. Absolutely not." "This is not a bidding war," she said. "This is all about making sure that where there are shared values and projects that we partner those who are able to deliver in the best interests of our region." (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Kiwi Property Group Limited (NZX: KPG) Signs Sale and Purchase Agreement with IKEA 2nd December 2021 Morning Report The New Zealand Refining Company Limited (NZX: NZR) Launches Share Purchase Plan Seeka Limited (NZX: SEK) Confirms Market Guidance Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (NZX: ANZ) Acknowledges Class Action Proceedings 1st December 2021 Morning Report Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Appoints New Chief Executive 30th November 2021 Morning Report Serko Limited (NZX: SKO) Announces Opening of NZ$10 Million Retail Offer Rua Bioscience Limited (NZX: RUA) Rua to Accelerate Growth with Proposed Acquisition of Zalm The Labour-led government has appointed Justice Helen Winkelmann to replace Dame Sian Elias as Chief Justice of New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Winkelmanns appointment at her last post-Cabinet press conference for year. Elias became NZs head jurist in 1999, ahead of the 2004 move to make a New Zealand Supreme Court the country's highest court of appeal instead of the Privy Council, in London. That makes Winkelmann the first New Zealand judge formally appointed to the chief justice role, which she will take up on March 13 next year. She was appointed to the New Zealand bar in 1985, was made a judge of the High Court in 2004 and chief judge of the High Court in 2015. Ardern said there was a "high degree of consensus" from the wide range of interested parties consulted by the Solicitor-General, Una Jagose, who recommended Winkelmann's appointment to Ardern, who will in turn recommend the appointment to the Governor-General, Dame Patsy Reddy. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Kiwi Property Group Limited (NZX: KPG) Signs Sale and Purchase Agreement with IKEA 2nd December 2021 Morning Report The New Zealand Refining Company Limited (NZX: NZR) Launches Share Purchase Plan Seeka Limited (NZX: SEK) Confirms Market Guidance Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (NZX: ANZ) Acknowledges Class Action Proceedings 1st December 2021 Morning Report Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Appoints New Chief Executive 30th November 2021 Morning Report Serko Limited (NZX: SKO) Announces Opening of NZ$10 Million Retail Offer Rua Bioscience Limited (NZX: RUA) Rua to Accelerate Growth with Proposed Acquisition of Zalm Veteran actress Saira Banu on Sunday requested a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following the release of builder Samir Bhojwani who had been arrested for usurping her and yesteryears superstar Dilip Kumars Pali Hill bungalow here. A post from Dilip Kumar's official Twitter handle read: "Request from Saira Banu Khan: The Hon'ble PMO India, Shri Narendra Modi sir, land mafia Samir Bhojwani released from jail. No action taken despite assurances by (Maharashtra) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Padma Vibhushit betrayed, threatened by money and muscle power. Request meeting with you in Mumbai." He also said the electoral defeat of BJP in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh has nothing to do with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. : Against the backdrop of recent poll victory of the Congress in three Hindi heartland states, Union minister Ramdas Athawale Sunday indicated that party president Rahul Gandhi has evolved into a matured leader. "Rahul Gandhi has achieved a good victory in three states. He is no more a 'Pappu' now but has become a 'Pappa'", Athawale, whose party RPI(A) is a member of the NDA, told reporters in Kalyan in Thane district. Gandhi was often termed as a "Pappu" (greenhorn) by trolls on the social media. "The defeat in the polls is that of the BJP and not of Narendra Modi", Athawale said. The Dalit leader also advocated that Shiv Sena retain its alliance with the BJP. "It will be loss of the Sena if it doesn't continue with the alliance", he said responding to a query. "I appeal to Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to fulfill dreams of Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. He (Sena) should not think of contesting the polls alone", the Minister of State for Social Justice said. Athawale further said that the Congress should not remain under impression that it would win the 2019 polls merely by raking up the Rafale deal. Page Content GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten, drs. Jorien Wuite, has been busy developing relationships and creating opportunities at a round-table, lunch meeting and state dinner for the Cape Verde presidents official visit to the Netherlands. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands hosted President Jorge Carlos de Almeide Fonseca and First Lady Ligia Dias Fonseca of Cape Verde on a two-day State Visit to The Netherlands on December 10th and 11th to promote and celebrate diplomatic, economic and cultural ties. Of particular interest were security, climate change and the maritime or blue economy. As representatives of the Caribbean Countries in the Netherlands, the three Ministers Plenipotentiary were invited to the Round-Table Meeting at the National Maritime Museum, the State Banquet at the Royal Palace and the working lunch hosted by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Upon the request by both a Cape Verdean official and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Plenipotentiary Jorien Wuite attended the Round-Table meeting about the Blue Economy. The Blue Economy refers to the sustainable use and conservation of marine, inland aquatic and coastal resources for food security, job creation and sustainable economic development. The Cape Verdean Islands are pro-active in their efforts to ensure a continued global platform for the vulnerabilities and opportunities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), or as Cape Verdean State Secretary of Maritime Economy Paulo Veiga, stated Big Ocean States. The Round-Table conference consultation, with Cape Verdean delegates, knowledge institutes, business representatives and the representatives of the Cabinets of the Ministers Plenipotentiary in the Netherlands, centered around the three subjects of maritime development, sustainable energy and sustainable tourism. As Minister Sigrid Kaag, The President of the Cape Verde and King Willem Alexander joined the second part of the Round-Table deliberations, three participants were requested to provide summaries to the dignitaries. Minister Plenipotentiary Wuite was requested to do this on the subject of sustainable tourism and highlights were shared related to the critical involvement, opportunities and partnerships of Cape Verdean (small) businesses and communities in order to secure that tourism is supported and sustained. As Cape Verde is much aware and also sensitized through Sint Maartens Hurricane Irma impact, the need for economic diversification was emphasized. Minister Wuite recognized the shared characteristics and heritage of both countries, and their similar challenges as SIDS as she acknowledged Sint Maartens enormous economic development through Tourism. Wuites contributions were appreciated as she was also approached about the intention to include Sint Maarten in a follow-up meeting in the near future. In recognition of similar heritage and ties, Wuite invited the Cape Verdean officials to join her on a special diplomatic visit to Sint Maarten during the 50th Anniversary of Carnival as Cape Verde enjoys life with similar cultural festivities. Minister Wuite also attended and spoke during the government working lunch about Climate that Prime Minister Rutte hosted for the Cape Verdean delegation. For further information: Mrs Kelly Busby, Senior policy officer Education, Culture, Protocol & Press: KBusby@kgmsxm.nl Page Content PHILIPSBURG On Friday December 14th, a high level delegation representing CARICOM paid a working visit to Sint Maarten to engage in discussions to further formalize the application of Associate Membership to CARICOM by the Government of Sint Maarten. The Honorable Secretary General Ambassador of CARICOM Irwin LaRocque led the CARICOM delegation. Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin and Minister of TEATT Stuart Johnson represented the Council of Ministers during the meeting and discussed areas of mutual benefit and potential cooperation while seeking Associate Membership within CARICOM. CARICOM Heads of Government earlier this year mandated Secretary-General Ambassador Larocque to begin the process of negotiations with the Dutch Territories in order to better determine their expectations of Associate Membership, and what benefits the relationship could yield for the Community. Prior coming to Sint Maarten the CARICOM delegation visited Aruba and Curacao. The Secretary General Ambassador of CARICOM shared with the Government of Sint Maarten that Associate Membership allowed Sint Maarten access to the majority of meetings and opened the door to regional organizations such as CDEMA, Climate Change Center and CADI. It is worthwhile to note that Sint Maarten already benefits from its association in organizations such as the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). The Secretary General Ambassador of CARICOM Irwin LaRocque also paid a courtesy visit to His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday before concluding his working visit to Sint Maarten. 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Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe337e550)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe2f92820)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe337e550)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe2f92820)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe34b91d0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe2f92820)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe2f92820)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe2f91c70)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe34795d8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe34795d8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe3903ab0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe3934f68)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe3903ab0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe3934f68)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe38eb150)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe3934f68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe3934f68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe2f915b0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe3934f20)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe3934f20)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 France to introduce tax on large internet, tech firms Paris, Dec 17 (AFP) Dec 17, 2018 France will introduce its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday amid difficulties in finalising a new EU-wide levy. France has been pushing hard for a new so-called "GAFA tax" -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- to ensure the global giants pay a fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in Europe. "The tax will be introduced whatever happens on January 1 and it will be for the whole of 2019 for an amount that we estimate at 500 million euros ($570 million)," Le Maire told a press conference in Paris. The low tax rates paid by US tech giants in Europe has repeatedly caused anger among voters in many European countries but the 28-member bloc is divided on how to tackle the issue. Ireland, which hosts the European headquarters of several US tech giants, leads a small group of otherwise mostly Nordic countries that argue a new tax could lead to reprisals against European companies and stoke anger in the US. Any tax changes must be approved unanimously by member states. France and Germany agreed earlier this month to introduce a new joint measure in 2021, which would give the Paris-based OECD time to work on a new global solution. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which groups major world economies, is working on a proposal for a new international scheme that would regulate taxation on tech firms. Policymakers across the world have had difficulty in taxing the US-based giants who dominate their sectors internationally, but who often route their revenues and profits via low-tax jurisdictions to reduce their liabilities. France's move to introduce the tax on January 1 could be driven by domestic budget concerns, with the finance ministry looking for new sources of revenues and savings. Under pressure from "yellow vest" protesters, President Emmanuel Macron announced a series of measures last week for low-income families which has left a multi-billion-euro hole in the 2019 budget. Some other EU member states such as Britain, Spain and Italy are also working on national versions of a digital tax, with Singapore and India also planning their own schemes. Dutch storage battery maker considering plant in Poland Warsaw, Dec 17 (AFP) Dec 17, 2018 Dutch storage battery start-up Lithium Werks is in advanced talks with Poland for a billion euro plant like the one it is building in China, its founder told AFP on Monday. Kees Koolen said Europe was trailing behind Asia in the renewable energy storage sector, which is set to boom as economies transition from fossil fuels to curb global warming in the coming decades. "Europe needs a lot of these factories and we are inviting each country to talk with us... we are in advanced talks with Poland," Koolen, formerly the CEO of Booking.com and COO of Uber, told AFP in an interview. He said that Lithium Werks was scaling up its production of industrial-scale lithium iron phosphate batteries able to store large amounts of energy generated by sprawling wind and solar farms. "The value of a gigafactory (making Lithium storage batteries) would be over a billion euros," Koolen added, estimating that the plant itself would generate 2,500 direct jobs plus another 10,000 to 12,000 indirect positions. The CEO said the scale of the investment in Europe would mirror one his company is making to build a lithium storage battery plant in the Chinese county of Jiashan near Shanghai, in the Yangtze River Delta. "It's similar to that in China. So that was 1.6 billion euros (1.8 billion dollars)... initially it will be smaller, but in the end, it will be bigger," he said, adding his company was drawing on both corporate loans and investors to back the project. - 'Far behind' - The Polish government did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on the prospective investment. But fresh from hosting the UN COP24 climate talks that ended on Saturday in southern Poland, Michal Kurtyka spoke at the Lithiuum Werks event in Warsaw. While Kurtyka, who is secretary of state in Poland's environment ministry, refused to comment on the talks with the Lithium Werks, he said industrial-scale lithium batteries were the "common denomiator" for any transition to renewable energy. Koolen said Europe needs to act fast to catch up with Asia in producing industrial-scale lithium batteries. "We should build some large (storage) battery companies here because all of the battery technology and progress comes from east Asia now and there is one company in the US," he said, referring to the Elon Musk's California-based Telsa. "In Korea, Japan and China you have...a few big companies that are dominating this market for ten years already," Koolen said. "If we don't step up as Europe, we'll fall so far behind that we cannot catch up anymore." mas/ach Canada mulls canceling Saudi arms deal over Yemen, Kashoggi murder Montreal, Dec 17 (AFP) Dec 17, 2018 Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. "The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. "We inherited actually a (Can)$15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Can$1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticized by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. - Historic Canadian arms deal - London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armored personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia. The deal, worth US$11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawa's ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canada's rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. Canada mulls canceling Saudi arms deal over Yemen, Khashoggi murder Montreal, Dec 17 (AFP) Dec 17, 2018 Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. "The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. "We inherited actually a (Can)$15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Can$1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticized by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. - Historic Canadian arms deal - London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armored personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia. The deal, worth US$11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawa's ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canada's rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. Kosovo says army 'irreversible' ahead of UN meeting Pristina, Dec 17 (AFP) Dec 17, 2018 Kosovo's president said the country's decision to build an army was "irreversible" before heading to a UN Security Council meeting on Monday about the move, which has drawn the ire of former war foe Serbia. The Kosovo parliament's Friday vote to transform a lightly-armed emergency force into a standing army was carried out with strong support from the United States, which hailed the move as historic. But the decision has angered Belgrade and its key ally Russia, who both refuse to recognise the independence of the former Serbian province. At Serbia's request, the UN Security Council will hold a public meeting on the issue Monday. It will be the second meeting after a closed-doors emergency session was held Friday. Before travelling to New York late Sunday, Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci told reporters that "regardless of upcoming discussions, the Kosovo army is an irreversible process". "The right of Kosovo institutions to form a Kosovo army is historic, right and in accordance with the will of the people of Kosovo, all ethnicities," he added. Since breaking away from Serbia in a 1998-99 guerilla war, Kosovo's security has been protected by international peacekeeping troops. Belgrade insists the army violates a UN resolution that ended the war. Serbia's foreign minister Ivica Dacic said Sunday that it was "important that the voice of Serbia and condemnation of Pristina's activities be heard". Earlier, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic lashed out at Kosovo for "crossing the line" with the army move, while also blaming the US and other western countries who lent their support. While it will take years for the army to be operational, Belgrade has cast it as a dire threat to a minority Serb population still living in Kosovo. NATO and the European Union also criticised the vote as hasty and lacking the consent of Serbs, whose MPs boycotted the parliamentary session on the issue. Kosovo's independence, declared in 2008, has been recognised by more than 100 countries. But it remains shut out from the UN, with Serbia's Russian and Chinese allies ready to veto any membership bid. burs-ssm/dl Air strikes kill 62 Al Shabaab militants in Somalia: US military Washington, Dec 17 (AFP) Dec 17, 2018 The US military said Monday it has killed 62 militants from the jihadist al-Shabab movement in six air strikes in Somalia. Four strikes on Saturday killed 34 militants and another two on Sunday killed 28, the US Africa Command said in a statement. The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 militants. All six airstrikes were "conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks," the statement said. Air strikes kill 62 Shabaab militants in Somalia: US military Washington, Dec 17 (AFP) Dec 17, 2018 The US military said Monday it has killed 62 militants from the jihadist Shabaab movement in six air strikes in Somalia. Four strikes on Saturday killed 34 militants and another two on Sunday killed 28, the US Africa Command said in a statement. The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 militants. The strikes were conducted with "our Somali partners to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as safe havens to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said, noting that no civilians had been killed or injured. The action brings to 45 the number of strikes the Pentagon has conducted against Shabaab so far in 2018, Manning said. Last year, the figure was 35. Manning attributed the increase to operations becoming more "efficient." "We're getting better. And because we're getting better we're able to ... find, fix and eliminate those terrorist organizations," Manning said. The surge in US operations in Somalia came after President Donald Trump in March 2017 loosened the constraints on the US military to take actions against alleged terrorists when they judge it is needed, without seeking specific White House approval. American forces are partnering with African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali national security forces in counterterrorism operations, and have conducted frequent raids and drone strikes on Shabaab training camps throughout Somalia. As of August, the Pentagon assesses there to be between 3,000 and 7,000 Shabaab fighters and 70 to 250 Islamic State Somalia fighters in the Horn of Africa nation. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. Yellow Vests Protests If Macron Fails, Europe Fails French President Emmanuel Macron has tried to calm protesters by raising the minimum wage, among other concessions. But if the yellow vests continue eroding his authority, it's not just France that will suffer. And Germany is partly at fault. Von Henrik Enderlein War and Pestilence The Ongoing Fragmentation of Yemen There are hopes that a cease-fire could end the fighting in Yemen's civil war. But a visit to the front near Hodeida shows that even if the violence stops, it will be difficult to keep the country together. und Daniel Etter Von Christoph Reuter Shaheed Alhafed, December 16, 2018 (SPS) Sahrawi Association of Landmine Victims (ASAVIM) has reiterates call on the international community and its relevant bodies, in particular the United Nations, in order to exert pressure on Morocco to comply with conventions on banning mines and cluster munitions (Ottawa and Oslo), in a statement. The statement called for allowing international organizations to clean the buffer zone as it poses risks to citizens and their livestock, and dismantling the Moroccan military wall dividing the territory of Western Sahara and separating its people in addition to the fact that the majority of incidents related to mine explosions occur in the adjacent areas. It confirmed that, after 27 years of cease-fire in the region under the United Nations responsibility, mines continue to claim lives in Western Sahara, one of the most contaminated areas in the world. The statement appealed to citizens to exercise maximum caution and avoid mine suspected places. ASAVIM) had learned about incidents of mine explosions in places of the liberated territories of Western Sahara. An explosion occurred on December 13, 2018 in the area of "Um-Degan" in a vehicle carrying three people, resulted in the death of citizen Mahfoud Shakrad, and serious injuries to his brother Sid-Ahmed Shakrad, in addition to the driver, Ambarak Meskeh, who also suffered injuries. This happened when they were on their way to make sure of an explosion they had heard in the same area. The second explosion took place on 14 December 2018 in a vehicle in the area of "Akhneig Lajawad." Until now, ASAVIM has not received the details of the incident. (SPS) 062/SPS Sidney (Australia), December 17, 2018 (SPS) - Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA) on Wednesday held its annual assembly in Sidney, Australia, evaluated its work in the past year and drew up a schedule for the next year, and elected a new leadership. In a statement, AWSA welcomed the recently concluded first round of negotiations held on 5-6 December 2018 in Geneva on the UN mandate to conduct a referendum on the sovereignty of Western Sahara. AWSA reaffirmed its solidarity and support for the people of Western Sahara who have suffered much during four decades of occupation of their homeland. (SPS) 062/SPS Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. In this edition of Cigar Spirits, Im looking at three wheated bourbons from three different states: West Virginia, Florida, and Kentucky. All bourbons must be made with a mashbill thats a majority corn, but what sets a wheated bourbon apart is that wheat (and not rye) is the secondary grain. Generally, with age, wheated bourbons, including highly sought-after bourbons like Pappy Van Winkle and W.L. Weller, are considered sweeter and less spicy than their more numerous rye counterparts. Smooth Ambler Big Level Wheated Bourbon Smooth Ambler has bottled well-received bourbon and ryes sourced from other distilleries for years under their Old Scout line. Big Level is the first bourbon produced at their West Virginia distillery. Specs: Aged at least five years, bottled at 100-proof, and made from a mashbill that is 71% corn, 21% wheat, and 8% malted Barley. Batch 21. Price = $55. Nose: Charred oak, menthol, and a touch of alcohol heat. Palate: Caramel, cinnamon spice, malted milk, cherries, and burnt corn. Finish: Pepper and green oak. Verdict: Youthful and unique. Tasty now, but still with an edge that could be smoothed out with more barrel time. Cigar pairing: Best smoked with a spicy Dominican like the Fuente Opus X or La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero. St. Augustine Distillery Florida Port Finished Bourbon Not that long ago, you could count the number of whiskey distilleries in the United States in the dozens; now that figure is well over 1,000. St. Augustine Distillery is one of the many new craft distilleries. Unlike many new operations, St. Augustine isnt sourcing whiskey from elsewhere. Instead, its producing an in-house Florida-made bourbon. Specs: This special edition 102-proof malted bourbon is sold only at the gift shop. Its made by taking St. Augustines Florida Double Cask Bourbon (distilled from corn, wheat, malted barley, and aged first in half-size 25-gallon barrels, then full-size 53-gallon barrels) then aged further in barrels that were used to make port at the nearby San Sebastian winery. Price = $40 for 375 ml. Nose: Clove, fruitcake, honey, and oak. Palate: Leather, cereal grains, and cherries. Finish: Tannins, oak, white pepper, and grains. Verdict: There is a lot going on with this bourbon, including a delicious nose. Its a gutsy product from a craft distiller, though youd be unable to miss the youthfulness, which creates a slightly harsh edge. Id be really interested to try St. Augustine bourbon with four or even six years in the barrel. Cigar pairing: Spicy Honduran cigars like the Camacho Corojo, H. Upmann Yarguera, or CLE. Rebel Yell Single Barrel 10 Year Kentucky Bourbon The storied Rebel Yell brand has been around for decades and is known for wheated bourbon. The brand started at the famed Stitzel-Weller distillery, home of bourbon like Weller, Van Winkle, and Old Fitzgerald. The brand is owned by Missouri-based Luxco, but reportedly the bourbon is now produced on contract at Heaven Hill, with the 10 year Single Barrel variety being the top offering in the line. Carol service of St. Theresas Church, Thimbirigasyaya View(s): St. Theresas Church, Thimbirigasyaya will hold their Little Flower in Bethlehem carol service on Thursday, December 20. This years event is centred around the deep spirituality and immense love that St. Therese had for the Child Jesus thus giving rise to her popular name Little Flower of Jesus. The Little Flower in Bethlehem carol service will be a delightful evening of praise, featuring over 60 voices singing popular carols and melodies in seven languages, conducted by the renowned choral director Francis Almeida. The congregation is invited to be dressed in blue and white/silver to match the theme colours. Pakistan Govt. awards Medicine scholarships to Sri Lankan students View(s): Pakistan through its High Commission in Sri Lanka has awarded higher education scholarships to nine Sri Lankan students to follow medicine in top Pakistani institutions under Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme (PTAP) for Sri Lanka. Pakistan High Commissioner Dr. Shahid Ahmad Hashmat met the students at the High Commission premises and congratulated them on their selection for higher education in Pakistan. The High Commissioner emphasised the importance of collaboration between the two friendly countries for the upliftment of people. He said that these scholarships were offered with the objective to support Sri Lankan students to continue their higher studies, create new professional relationship and bilateral communication between the institutions of the two countries. The Tomorrows Schools Independent Taskforce is proposing significant changes to the way New Zealands schools are run. Education Minister Chris Hipkins says they will also look at how schools are governed and managed to ensure every student receives the best quality education in future. We set up the taskforce, as part of our education conversation with all New Zealanders, to get an independent view of the state of compulsory schooling, says Chris. They have delivered the report and bold recommendations which I hope will prompt wide and deep discussion about what our schooling system should look like for the next 30 years. We know, from the 43,000 New Zealanders who responded that people want change. Much has changed since the last major schooling system review took place 30 years ago. For example, there is greater diversity across our student population, and our schools are dealing with more complex issues, including student and teacher wellbeing, than was the case back then. The next four-and-a-half months, until April 7, 2019, provides an opportunity for the wider public discussion we are seeking. Now is the chance for all New Zealanders to have their say on building a schooling system that meets the needs of all students, educators and parents, and that is fit for purpose for the 21st century. The taskforce will lead the consultation, and report on the results, and the government will make decisions on implementing the review in mid-2019. The Foreign Residents Department of Torremolinos town hall held an English language informative meeting aimed at the town's expat community on Wednesday. The meeting, chaired by Aida Blanes, councillor for Foreign Residents, focused on the legal aspects and advantages of joining the local population register (padron). The councillor explained that registration gives the possibility of access to council grants and discounts in taxes (IBI), tuition, scholarships and school transportation, as well as reductions on water and refuse collection bills. She also stressed the importance of registering on the census for those who wish to exert their right to vote in next year's municipal and European parliament elections. "Registering on the padron, which is compulsory for those that have lived in Spain for more than six months, is the first basic step that you should complete before carrying out any other administrative procedures. Registration is necessary for NIE application, vehicle registration and civil unions," the councillor explained. Maria Jose Carmona (foreigners office), and Silvia Beramendi (padron office), answered a variety of questions put forward by the audience, which was made up of British, American and Chinese residents. Torremolinos has a foreign population of 13,113 and the British are the second largest foreign community in Torremolinos. However, only 796 Brits are registered and the town hall, which believes that the British resident population is far greater, expressed how this affects the financing available to the council. "Our annual budget is based on the padron, so the more people registered, the more money we will have to improve our town," Maria Jose Carmona said. Four girls, aged 12 and 13, were taken to hospital with burns on Friday after an explosion in the chemistry laboratory at their school, Mayfair International Academy. The explosion happened at around 2pm, when, according to school sources, the students were conducting chemistry experiments under teacher supervision. These tests had already been carried out safely on other occasions. The four girls suffered second degree burns to their faces and were rushed by ambulance to the Costa del Sol Hospital, where three of them were admitted in a stable condition while the fourth required intensive care. Another 13-year-old student and the teacher of the class also suffered minor burns to their hands. The National and Local Police also attended the scene of the explosion, along with the Helicopteros Sanitarios emergency services. This page no longer exists or may have been moved.If you believe this is a mistake please email BBC Two is to transmit a one-hour exclusive access documentary, produced by Gold Star Productions, following the notorious Babes in the Wood murder case and the work of the Crown Prosecution Service. The Babes in the Wood: The Prosecutors special is the final episode of the three-part The Prosecutors series following the work of the Crown Prosecution Service and will air on January 7th at 9pm. For 32 years, the families of nine-year old friends Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows have been fighting for justice for the unsolved double child murder. For this hour-long documentary, Gold Star Productions had exclusive access to the work of the CPS during the 18 month run up to the trial. It charts how police and scientists used cutting edge methods to uncover new evidence, which was enough for the CPS to pursue a fresh action. Following the re-investigation and proceedings from an early stage, and sharing the experience of the childrens families, this film charts how the last chance at finally finding justice for Karen and Nicola was achieved. As a result of the change in the double jeopardy laws, a retrial of acquitted Russell Bishop was possible, and this week saw him receive a guilty verdict and a sentence of at least 36 years in prison. This programme follows the fight of Michelle Hadaway and the Fellows family whose lives were changed forever on 9th October, 1986, when nine-year-old friends Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows went out to play and didnt come home. In the hours and days after their disappearance, the whole estate turned out to look for the two girls only to have their hopes dashed when they were found lying dead in undergrowth in Wild Park, on the outskirts of Brighton. Both had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Police arrested a man the girls liked and trusted, twenty-year-old Russell Bishop and in 1987 he was put on trial. But the jury took less than two hours to acquit him of the murders. Police had no other suspects and under the law at the time, Bishop could not be retried even if new evidence were to be found until 2005, when the double jeopardy law was abolished, rekindling the hopes of the families. The hour long documentary charts how police and scientists used cutting edge methods to uncover new evidence, which was enough for the Crown Prosecution Service to pursue a fresh action. Following the re-investigation and proceedings from an early stage, and sharing the experience of the childrens families, this film charts how the last chance at finally finding justice for Karen and Nicola was achieved. Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, said: This is a historic case and the unique access from Blue Ryan and Sara Hardy is testament to documentary making at its very best. Their care for the families has been exemplary and as a result, BBC Two has a unique film which gives an extraordinary insight into the traumatic events of the past 32 years which has led to the families finally getting justice. Gold Stars Director, Sara Hardy, said: Michelle Hadaway and the Fellows and Heffron families have never given up the fight for justice for Karen and Nicola. Their strength, perseverance and relentless pursuit of the truth has been realised this week. Gold Star Director, Blue Ryan, added: The CPS and Sussex Police has been crucial throughout the making of the film and the behind-the-scenes access they have allowed gives this documentary a unique insight into the day-to-day workings of the criminal justice system through one of the most notorious double jeopardy cases in the UK. BBC Twos series transmitted the first two episodes of the three-part series earlier this year with this special scheduled to be shown following the verdict, which was reached this week. The Babes in the Wood: The Prosecutors, a 160, is a co-production between Gold Star Productions and The Open University. It was commissioned by Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two and Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. Pictured: Susan Eismann, Barrie Fellows and Michelle Johnson-Hadaway. Share this story The Creative Cities Convention is inviting cities to bid to host the convention in 2020. The two-day event features talks and debates with a focus on future growth of the digital media industry. For the upcoming 2019 convention, Cardiff, Bristol and Glasgow made bids with Cardiff ultimately being chosen to host the 2019 convention. Cardiffs bid was produced by Cardiff Council and major local independent production company Boom. Ruth Pitt, director of CCC comments, This is a fantastic opportunity for independent producers or local authorities keen to bring the conversation around British broadcasting and production to their city. Its a chance for any interested city to promote their creative media sector and bring some of the top talent in the industry right to their doorstep. We want to visit a different city each year so we can dig deep into the big issues that concern content producers and distributors, whoever and wherever they are. Cities that wish to bid to host CCC in 2020 can express their interest here Share this story . , . ... "Y'all know how long this year has been? Pose premiered six months ago today." My adorable friend Alex Smith from AIDS United posted that statement on December 3 on Facebook, and when I read it, I thought: No. That can't be right. I love that show, but it was like, last year, wasn't it? It's not that I didn't believe Alex, but I had to Google it to make sure. Alex was right: Pose, the FX series exploring the ball culture in 1980s New York, fabulously featuring transgender and gay actors of color, and beautifully and fearlessly depicting the AIDS crisis, debuted June 3, 2018. Holy crap. The realization was way harsh, but then, this year has truly been eternal. I swear, I've aged five years in 2018. I don't look it though, since I moisturize. It might be too easy to blame my rapid decline on the current U.S. president, but I can't help it. When he was elected, like many people in our community, I was all about voicing my anger and standing up in resistance to his bombastic brand of leadership. As a Mexican-American, gay, creative artist living with HIV and a liberal Democrat to boot, I'm so many things that the administration seems to detest. Just by existing, I'm a living, breathing protest. Since the president took office, every day brings new crazy, unbelievable things to be angry about. Attacks on the free press, attacks on women, attacks on minorities, on trans people, on gays. New policies that strike out former safeguards, rolling back Environmental Protection Agency protections, threats to HIV funding, immigrant children in cages. The Kavanaugh hearings. Russian collusion. The freaking wall. The unending list of things he says should make us Americans terrified. My personal pet peeve is the president's grammatical errors on Twitter. He may have gotten a degree at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, but he wouldn't have made it through Mrs. Tyo's English class at Cortez High. I mean, shouldn't the leader of the free world be able to spell "smoking?" Add to all that the rise in hate crimes, injustices in courts, violence against more and more trans brothers and sisters, public shootings, public shootings, public shootings, and on and on, and what started as a raging anger fire has become more of a dull, heavy weight. An anger anvil, if you will, that I drag around with me every day. With every something new that pisses me off, I add it to the anvil and it grows. Hauling that thing around is exhausting, and I don't have the energy that I used to as a young whippersnapper in 2017. My hope has waned. Gosh, remember hope? Remember when that was Obama's slogan? Ah, Obama. We were so innocent then. I got a mini puff of hope in November; the fact that so many Americans showed up at the midterm elections in November (though it seems like months and months ago) gave me a glimmer. And the Dems taking over the House was a sweet treat. Maybe in the coming year they'll be able to balance out the unbalanced, to add some reason to what feels increasingly and incredibly unreasonable. It can't all be bad, right? I am ever the optimist, and I believe in choosing joy. After all, it's the holiday season, hoop-de-doo and hickory dock. There are things in the coming year to look forward to, I know it, things that give hope. Give me a sec, and I'll come up with some. I know I can do it. Okay, just another sec. Hmmm. Okay, got it. Undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U), the campaign sharing the science that people living with HIV with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus sexually, is life-changing news for those of us living with the virus. The campaign started out as basically a one-man band of Bruce Richman and has grown into a global movement, sharing hope and health, and transforming the landscape of HIV prevention. The steadfast work of the Prevention Access Campaign to spread the message of U=U and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) makes the idea of a world where the HIV epidemic is a thing of the past within reach, and that's something to be excited about as we head into 2019. Expanding on that, the activists and advocates in the HIV and LGBTQ+ communities who continue to resist and protest give me life. They are strong and passionate when I'm weary. They pay attention, show up, and speak out. Because of these sexy folks, this administration won't get away with what they're trying to get away with. They can't erase us if we are right in front of them. Those activists and advocates are heroes to carry us into a stronger future. And speaking of heroes, those Parkland, Florida kids! After 17 people were murdered by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland last February, the students took the tragedy and turned it into a national rallying cry for sensible gun laws. I marvel at them, their passion and tenacity, and they inspire me for sure. If those young people are tomorrow's leaders, then America's gonna be alright. Creative people of all sorts. There's a great line in the musical Rent where a character says, "The opposite of war isn't peace; it's creation." My family and friends, the talented artists, actors, writers, comics, and musicians who are in my circle -- and anyone who creates anything, from novels to knitting -- give the world beauty and tangible joy. Creating in any way is a present to the future. Speaking of creativity, Season 2 of my HIV musical comedy web series Merce comes out next year, and it's a personal source of hope and joy. One of the reasons my producing partner Tyne Firmin and I forged this series is to show a different view of someone living with HIV, someone who isn't sad or sick or tragic, and who has a colorful, fabulous life. The production, in its campy, bawdy, funny way, shows a very unconventional family of people who, with all their challenges and faults, love deeply. Merce is a form of hopeful artistic protest, and I'm profoundly proud of it and excited that it's returning soon to a small screen near you. You know what else gives me optimism for 2019? Humans. Yesterday, I was walking home from the grocery store, and this dude in his car stopped to let me cross. He had the right of way, but he stopped, smiled, and waved me on. That one-on-one human interaction, kindness, and civility on a personal level lifted my spirit. Nice folks are all around, and if I don't see one, maybe I can be one. As I write these last few paragraphs, I realize the tension in my shoulders has eased. I could go on and on with things that give me hope and that I'm grateful for in my life. I need to hold on to those thoughts when the craziness becomes overwhelming. And on days when things get so bad that my shoulders won't leave my ears, I'll just remember that Pose is set to come back in 2019. Werk! ShopTalk studio refreshes Chase brand identity ShopTalk, the London-based design studio, has given Chase Distillery a brand refresh for its potato vodka range, timed to coincide with the distillery's tenth birthday. Chase, is a family-run distillery that operates out of its Herefordshire farm, and asked ShopTalk to create a brand identity that would bring cohesion to its range of vodkas and make a virtue of its field-to-bottle production values. The new brand and packaging design also needed to celebrate the Britishness of the farm, distillery and vodka and marry nostalgia with modernity. Rooted in integrity The Chase family has farmed the Herefordshire landscape for generations. William and James Chase, father and son, are proud of the fact that they grow, distil and bottle their vodka and wanted to communicate that on pack. It was also important that the refresh set Chase vodka apart from mass-produced brands and expressed that it is a high-quality artisanal spirit worthy of its higher price point. The ten-year anniversary, and the introduction of one bottle for all variants, provided the perfect opportunity for a complete reappraisal of the brand. James Wood, ShopTalks co-founder and creative director, says: We began our Chase vodka challenge with a research trip to the farm. What became quickly apparent was William and Jamess love of quirky British iconography. The premises were laden with vintage enamel signage, as well as rustic wooden potato crates and jute sacks. We knew from that moment we wanted to capture the fact that Chase is a cutting-edge, premium distillery with real provenance and pedigree. Message in a bottle To achieve this, playful references to Britishness have been introduced. The label on the front of the bottle has been fashioned to look like a postage stamp as an homage to the Penny Black, first introduced nearly 180 years ago. Subtle tyre tracks run across the label hinting at the nations motoring legacy and the Chases love of classic farm vehicles. A Union Flag beneath the label leaves the consumer in no doubt as to the provenance of the product. Luxury paper stock has been used for the label to communicate the vodkas high-end credentials. A core monotone colourway nods to Chase Farms history, with hints of colour introduced to differentiate the Original, Oak Smoked and flavoured varieties. Further quality cues include copper detailing, which also echoes the vast distilling units. Embossing on the label and glass amplify the bottles premium look and feel, and potato roots etched across its body celebrate the farms pride in produce. Finally, a Made in Herefordshire quality stamp brings home the pedigree of the range. A chip off the old block James Wood says: Weve been Chases brand guardians for two years, and in that time weve made it our mission to really understand who they are, how they see themselves and their consumer. That collaboration and trust has meant that weve been able to create a brand that communicates what Chase represents as a family, farm and spirit brand. James Chase, the distillerys head ambassador, says: ShopTalk has taken the time to fully understand us. Our new identity offers real clarity across all points of sale, and celebrates the fact that we are a modern distillery with a proud British history. Were sure our customers will love the new look and feel, too. Chase Vodka is available online at www.chasedistillery.co.uk, drinks specialists and larger supermarkets, from 37 for 70cl. 17 December 2018 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, editor Sazerac and Casa San Matias launch mezcals Sazerac has launched Los Vecinos del Campo, a family of mezcals in partnership with Casa San Matias. The spirits are produced by 10 families in the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca who have been using traditional methods to create rich agave spirits for generations. The name Los Vecinos del Campo is a nod to those families and their communities, as it translates to Neighbours of the Field. Carmen Villarreal, CEO and owner of Casa San Matias, says: While in Oaxaca, I learned the importance of supporting communities. By offering well-paid jobs, promoting their values and sharing profits of their work back into the community to support health, education and wellness, we can help communities for generations. We are excited that our friends at Sazerac share our enthusiasm for representing Mexican culture and tradition and rewarding the families and communities that make Los Vecinos Mezcal. Megan Hurtuk, marketing director for Los Vecinos, says: Over the past several years, we have fallen in love with mezcal and the people who bring it to life in Mexico. We are thrilled to partner with Carmen and do our part to strengthen the long-term sustainability of the category and support the people in Oaxaca who put their hearts and souls into these beautiful spirits. Los Vecinos del Campo Mezcals hail from the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca and are produced by a group of 10 master mezcaleros who use processes passed down by their ancestors to distil the small batches of mezcal. Los Vecinos del Campo is releasing its Espadin 90-proof expression in several markets, while two other expressions, Tobala and Ensamble No. 1, will be released in 2019. Los Vecinos Espadin is available in 750ml bottles at a RRP of $34. 13 December 2018 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, Editor Dec 16 2018 7:07 pm By Esther Rubin. It took Bikur Cholim of Philadelphia twenty years of perseverance, lobbying and cajoling, but now, finally, cholim from all over the world will be able to have a user-friendly experience as they access one of the most prestigious medical centers in the world. Until last week, being a frum patient at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) was not such a user-friendly experience. There was no access to kosher food nor other frum amenities for caregivers. This made it difficult for religious patients and their families. Already twenty years ago, we realized how vitally important a kosher pantry would be for frum patients, said Mrs. Malkie Schwartz, co-head of Bikkur Cholim of Philadelphia. We started lobbying the leadership of the hospital back then, but, due to layers of bureaucratic red tape, we were met with all kinds of obstacles. This past Thursday, however, we finally celebrated the ribbon cutting on an absolutely state-of-the-art, new Bikkur Cholim room that offers so many amenities for the frum patient. HUP can now be an appealing option for any frum patient from anywhere in the world who desires to access the amazing network of HUPs world renowned specialists. Mrs. Schwartz together with co-head of Bikkur Cholim of Philadelphia, Mrs. Susie Wohlgelernter, and their group of volunteers have been serving cholim in CHOP, Lankenau and HUP for decades. The new Bikkur Cholim room contains a supply of nutritious meals, snacks and even cholov Yisroel ice cream, something that is very hard to come by in Philadelphia. Mrs. Mindy Oppenheimer was instrumental in cutting through the red tape and lobbying the hospital. Many frum doctors in HUP also helped lobby the hospital. Notable among those involved in making the pantry a reality, were HUP President Regina Cunningham and Pastor Jim Browning, who was willing to give up his own office so that Jewish patients would have access to kosher food. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rebbetzin Choni Levene, rebbetzin emeritus of the Lower Merion Synagogue, Philadelphias largest Orthodox shul, expressed the gratitude of the Jewish community. Bikkur Choim was found to extend kindness and consideration and to fulfill the needs of patients and their families, she said. For over twenty years, under the caring, dedicated leadership of Malkie Schwartz and Susie Wohlgelernter, volunteers all over the Philadelphia area have been bringing food, support, solace and comfort to the sick and those who love them. We thank the administration of HUP, and in particular Mindy Oppenheimer, Simcha Zevitt, Carolyn Jackson, Chaplain Jim (Browning) and Paula Yudenfriend, for allowing and facilitating our ability to provide for the special and particular needs of your Jewish patients. This year was an eventful year for magazines. From the ceasing of production of NME and US Glamour to Oprah covering British Vogue, 2018 was far from quiet. Image Credit: Charisse Keninon via Unsplash With so many amazing covers and such a huge variety this year it was hard to nail down our faves. Here are our picks of the best fashion magazine (with one exception) covers from this year: British Vogue, Oprah Winfrey (August 2018) The fashion world let out a collective gasp when British Vogue unveiled the cover of their August issue this year. Covering the fashion bible dressed in ethereal Stella McCartney and plenty of bling, was none other than the Queen of America herself, Oprah Winfrey. Elle UK, Slick Woods (September 2018) For their first-ever sustainability special issue, Elle magazine chose model Slick Woods as their cover star. It's rare to see someone looking natural and happy on the cover of a glossy magazine as well as one that's promoting shopping consciously , so this one had to make the list! Cosmopolitan UK, Tess Holliday (October 2018) There was an uproar mainly from Piers Morgan ) when Cosmopolitan featured plus-sized promoted obesity Good Morning Britain model Tess Holliday on its October cover. People claimed itand an unhealthy lifestyle. Editor Farrah Storr defended the cover onsaying: "I am celebrating her. I'm not celebrating morbid obesity ." Whatever your thoughts on this cover, it definitely got people talking. Dazed, Lila Moss (Winter 2018) 2018 is the year that Lila Moss appeared on our radars. The 16-year-old daughter of Kate Moss and Jefferson Hack was unveiled as the face of Marc Jacob's beauty earlier this year, before her first solo magazine cover was revealed. Like her mother, Moss is a total natural in front of the camera - something tells us that this will be her first cover of many. NME, Stefflon Don (March 2018) Since its launch back in 1952, The NME (New Musical Express) has been one of the biggest names in music journalism. It came as a shock to the magazine world when it announced that it would be were ceasing print publication. The last issue went out with a bang, choosing up and coming rapper Stefflon Don as the cover star, dressed in a crown and union jack bodysuit. NME certainly won't be forgotten any time soon. Vogue Spain, Lupita Nyong'o (November 2018) Lupita Nyong'o is a woman who is made for magazine covers, and her Vogue Spain cover is one in a long line of breathtaking covers shes dropped this year. As the new ambassador for Calvin Klein, she's naturally wearing clothing by the brand - but she totally makes it her own, which earns her a spot on this list. Grazia, Winnie Harlow (October 2018) Model Winnie Harlow is no stranger to the magazine front cover, but this Grazia one is possibly her best ever. Dressed in Tommy Hilfiger, it's the simplicity of the whole design that catches the attention of the reader. Vogue US, Emily Blunt (December 2018) Beate Peter, Manchester Metropolitan University Police chiefs recently warned that illegal raves are once again on the rise. A Sky News investigation found that more than 680 reports of unlicensed music events were recorded in 2017, up 9% on the previous year. Many media outlets have connected this rise to the number of nightclubs closing around the country. Matthew Smith Matthew Smith demonised criminalised Matthew Smith criminalising in general Matthew Smith Another club culture commercialised relatively commercialised Back to roots politicised Matthew Smith traveller organised traveller spiralled Matthew Smith Raving for well-being Matthew Smith because it travellers Matthew Smith seems stigmatised and de-stigmatise learn prioritise travelling internalised With the release of The Last Kingdom Season 3, The National Student sat down with Millie Brady and Emily Cox to chat about playing their strong female characters. And the conversation may have strayed now and then to animals and art Millie Brady joined by her co-stars Eliza Butterworth and Timothy Innes. Image credit: Noura Abou Zeinab Millie, who plays Aethelflaed, shares how her character is quite ruthless, despite being in an abusive and toxic relationship. It is really important to show all aspects of the character on TV because I think it is sort of unhealthy just to have a hero that everythings gone great for, she says. It is a lot more real to show someone who has come through the horrors of life and is able to move through it and move with it. And thats one of the main things that drew Millie to the character. The character of Aethelflaed is not simply a hero, shes got so many layers and she feels very real. Millie adds, I think its just very important that all our heroes have such a rich history and also the storyline of each character is quite complicated and none of them is just your stereotypical hero or baddy. Not only does she appreciate history but has a passion for art: I think most actors are creative and Ive always been interested in art. Millie studied art history at school and shares that her mom is also an artist. Having grown up around art, she explains, it has always been a massive part of my life. Im massively into all aspects of the creative world. One of her recommendations is the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the V&A. Millie also attended the Kahlo exhibition in Budapest which she says was next on the bucket list. Another strong and more familiar female role in The Last Kingdom is the character of Brida, played by Emily. Emily says, I never thought of her being so strong. I was just thinking about trying to get what she wants and try to find out what her goals are and fighting for them. She continues to emphasise the importance of speaking up for what you want and to stand for your dreams: It is important for everyone to do that. I dont think it is something specifically important to women. It is important to believe in yourself and not to think you are worth less than other people. Emily Cox with her co-stars Harry McEntire, Toby Regbo and Alexander Dreymon Image credit: Noura Abou Zeinab As well as standing up for what she believes in, Emily is an animal lover, having shot both a film and a TV series with animals. Her latest one is a film called Wuff, which is due to come out in Germany. The cool thing about filming with animals, which was the same in The Last Kingdom, is that stuff just happens and youre kind of not prepared, she says. You cannot control things and have to react to things that happen in the moment. Season 3 of The Last Kingdom is now on Netflix. Be right back while we binge-watch. The Downriver Community Band isnt afraid to rock out. At the groups annual Christmas concert, the usual holiday standards will fill the air at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Southgate. Eventually, though, an insistent backbeat will come rollicking into the mix as the band launches into several tunes by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Todd Pushman, one of the tuba players in the Downriver Community Band, said the idea came from the groups energetic, young conductor. Our conductor, Patrick Jensen, is big into rock and roll, he said. Hes an outstanding conductor. Hes got a great future ahead of him. I only fear losing him to a professional group or a university who would be very lucky to have him. The Downriver Community Band started off as an adult education class with Woodhaven Community Schools, Pushman said. Shortly thereafter, the band broke off into a separate entity and now performs about a dozen concerts each year. With about 60 members, including retirees, tradesmen, teachers, doctors and lawyers, the group will celebrate its 30th anniversary in April. Most of its concerts are played Downriver, but the group also has performed in places as far-flung as Washington D.C. and Hawaii. I feel the Christmas concert is one of our best concerts of the year, Pushman said. Its at a perfect time of the year (and) is a balance of wonderful and moving music. People will leave with warm thoughts of Christmas after the concert. Pushman said the group is open to anybody interested in playing no auditions or chair tryouts. He joined the band after graduating from Riverview Community High School in 1987, then playing in the Michigan State Marching Band for four years. The Downriver Community Band practices at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Davidson Middle School and emphasizes playing for fun. People in DCB have become my best friends, Pushman said. Youll frequently find us at a local watering hole after practice. Nothing like burning off excess pressure every Tuesday night on a tuba with good friends. A 26-year resident of Southgate, Pushman works as a program manager on Fords mobility team. He said the concert usually draws a few hundred people to Christ the Kings main campus, 15600 Trenton Road. The Christmas concert will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 23. Headbanging optional. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Mostly clear. Low 42F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 42F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy with periods of light snow after midnight. Low 1C. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of light snow after midnight. Low -3C. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. : . . . : , 14 ? : . . , , , . , - , 8,5 . . , , . , - , . - . off road, .., . . 2009 2013 . . . , . . , , , , . - , - . , . , 2003 10 - , , 1989 . A Discussion with Rape and Sexual Assault Survivors episode 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, 1 2 / 3 1, 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. B ill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook. Sam Dillinger, a Titusville native, has launched an international web-based business that allows him to chat online and use Skype to walk customers through their own do-it-yourself repairs, among other services. By Trend Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Dear Nursultan Abishevich, on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my sincerest congratulations to you and the people of your country on the occasion of Independence Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ilham Aliyev said in his letter. By moving forward along the path of comprehensive and stable development, Kazakhstan has made great strides in strengthening statehood, ensuring economic progress of the country and improving people`s well-being in the years of independence. Your country plays an active role and enjoys influence in international and regional organizations. I am confident that based on mutual trust and support, Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan friendship and strategic partnership will continue developing to the benefit of our peoples who share common historical roots and national and spiritual values, the Azerbaijani president added. Dear Nursultan Abishevich, on this remarkable day, I wish you the best of health, success in your endeavours, and the brotherly people of Kazakhstan everlasting peace and prosperity, said President Aliyev. By Trend Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday met with a visiting Iranian official over the formation of the Syrian constitutional committee, said the presidential media office, Trend reports citing Xinhua. During the meeting, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Iranian Foreign Minister's special assistant for political affairs, informed Assad of the preparations for a meeting by Russia, Iran and Turkey in Geneva in the next few days, following the agreement on the final structure of the constitutional committee. Ansari highlighted Iran's keenness to coordinate with the Syrian government which "showed great flexibility" in reaching the agreement to form the constitutional committee. For his part, Assad hailed the efforts made by Iran for the formation of the constitutional committee despite the "big obstacles placed by the countries that support the terrorists." The president also underlined the efforts of Russia and Iran to stop the interference of Western countries in the Syrian political track through supporting a political process led by the Syrians without any form of foreign intervention. The formation of the constitutional committee was agreed upon during inter-Syrian talks, brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey, in Russia's Sochi in January. The constitutional committee is expected to have 150 members from both the Syrian government and opposition. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said he hopes the Syrian constitutional committee will start functioning by the end of 2018. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the list of members of the Syrian Constitutional Committee is ready and will be handed over to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura early next week. How an abstract painter used printmaking to follow and break with the artistic trends of her times Who was Toeko Tatsuno? Why should you head out to the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama to see her latest retrospective? Photo: Kei Okano For one thing, Tatsuno was a driving force in Japanese Modernist painting. In 1995, she become the first woman and the youngest artist to have a solo show at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. As well as being a professor at Tama Art University, she was an active member in the acclaimed Shiseido Tsubaki Association from 1996-2001. Shiseido even commissioned her to produce prints and sent her to France to learn stone lithography. Almost everything in Toeko Tatsuno On Papers: A Retrospective 19692012 is displayed chronologically so viewers can see the similarities and changes in her work over time. Sketches are positioned near more finished and larger pieces, offering a window into the artists mind. Because of the insights they provide and their usually more affordable prices, works on paper can form the backbone of individual or institutional collections. In that sense, this show is a good education on what an aspiring collector should look for when purchasing art. In many ways, it also surveys trends in modern art over the past fifty years. Curator Itaru Oura noted that among Tatsunos early work at the beginning of the show, a painting of stones was significant as an indicator of motifs to come. She started her trajectory like many career artists in Japan, by studying at the Tokyo University of the Arts. Like other art students, her early work from the 1960s imitated artists popular at that time: In the late 60, she mixed painting and silkscreening in the style of Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and Brice Marden. In the early 70s, photography blurring the lines between reality and imagination increased in popularity. This development could also be seen in printmaking with the use of photo negatives in silkscreens and lithographs. In her first show after graduation, Tatsuno established herself with prints using photographic negatives. Similar to the work of Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, her politically relevant silkscreens 73-1 and 73-2 trap a piece of the vernacular and include what looks like an English newspapers headline about Nixon. While the piece of torn newspaper and the tape are reproductions, and the graph behind it is indicative of a change in Tatsunos style. Photo: Kei Okano The 60s and 70s also saw the rise of Minimalist artists like Sol LeWitt, who used a shallow field of focus, a homogenous surface, and usually a monochromatic palette. Tatsunos work reflects this trendwith her own twist: She based her abstracts on objects from everyday life, such as composition notebooks scored with lines. This was also the era in which photocopy machines were becoming ubiquitous, and Tatsuno played with graphs to create abstract shapes within the lines, or layered lined pages to produce something more than the original images themselves. Take, for instance, Work 77-D-10. The simplicity, conceptual aspects, and minimal and tones greatly appealed to the art world. In the 80s, Tatsunos prints became more painterly but were still largely restricted to graphic stripes. She remained open to new trends and materials, however. She made sketches with oil sticks, which are larger than oil pastels and more like oil paint. She began doing one half of a work as a print and one half as a drawing. The stripes gradually disappeared and mark-making came to the fore. Stripes became curvilinear, and objects like plants in her home or studio started appearing. Critics complained that she was no longer doing Minimalistic work, but Tatsuno insisted there was a reason for this new style. With hindsight, it seems as if she might have been searching for fresh expressions uniquely her ownones that suited her lifestyle as an artist outside of the incubator of university. Tatsunos sketch-based abstractions of familiar objects on paper led to the larger, vibrant paintings for which she is now renowned. Colored squares on graph paper, views from the studio window, bent straws, stacks of pillowsanything could be sketched. These images would then evolve into more abstract geometric forms, and this step-by-step progress is intriguing to see. Photo: Ichiro Otani Locus Chain, the next generation blockchain technology and digital currency platform developed by Korean group Bloom Technology, has announced plan to establish the most innovative digital asset exchange Locus DAX in Dubai. Bloom technology South Korea, the parent company of Locus Chain Foundation is a well reputed IT Company with technical offices in South Korea, Japan, UAE and Mauritius. Sheikha Moaza Obaid Suhail Al Maktoum, the co-founder of the newly-establishing Digital Asset Exchange and Sang Yoon Lee, CEO of Locus Chain Foundation jointly announced the name of the new Digital Asset Exchange Locus DAX (Locus Digital Asset Exchange), during the signing ceremony. Sheikha Moaza expressed delight at the establishment of the innovative Digital Asset Exchange in Dubai using the Locus Chain Block Chain Technology. "We strongly believe that our exchange can bring in several foreign investments into the UAE economy, especially Dubai which has been a fascinating business hub for the entire world," stated Sheikha Moaza, who has been a senior advisor of Locus Chain Foundation, Singapore since its inception. Being the world is completely transforming into digitalization so quickly, the government and private organisations in the region are seriously implementing blockchain technology and started to use digital payment systems. Locus DAX will be one of the first Digital Asset Exchange in the region, she added. Yoon Lee said: "Under the strategy of building an e-government system by 2020, the UAE is more active than any other country in introducing blockchain technology. Now, I am very excited about the fact that the establishment of 'Locus DAX' is at its final stage, and I believe that this digital currency exchange in Dubai will soon catch the attention of the global blockchain market." We look forward to train and hire ambitious local citizens to be part of our team. Our expertise from South Korea and Japan offices will be training the locally hired staff for the exchange, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi Airports announced its participation in the celebrations of Bahrain's National Day by organizing a number of activities and events. These fall in line with the organizations vision for providing a fun and comfortable experience for passengers and participating actively in important national occasions across the region, a statement said. Employees of Abu Dhabi International Airport participated in an event throughout the airports facilities, distributing flags and sweets amongst travellers coming from Bahrain on National Day at arrivals and departures terminals. Bryan Thompson, chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: Our participation in these celebrations affirms the strong relations between the UAE and Bahrain, and the profound sentiments that bring the two countries people together. Thompson added: By celebrating Bahrains National Day, we have ensured that passengers from Bahrain feel at home from the first moment they arrive in Abu Dhabi. We look forward to sharing more national occasions with them and expressing our strong bonds between us at all times. TradeArabia News Service The Merchant House, part of the Campbell Gray Hotels group, and a luxurious all-suite boutique hotel in Manama, Bahrain, said it has started taking bookings even as it gears up for the propertys official opening next month. The Merchant House is the latest addition to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) portfolio. A first of its kind in Bahrain, The Merchant House, is Campbell Gray Hotels debut property in the GCC, following on from the success of Le Gray in Beirut. Located in the heart of the city alongside the vibrant Bab Al Bahrain Souk overlooking the citys financial district, the hotel development is playing a significant role in the regeneration of the area and its immediate surrounds. The luxurious, all-suite boutique property is set to become the hottest address in town. The Merchant House features 46 suites, each with an open plan kitchen and dining area, as well as open plan sitting rooms. Designed for both business and leisure, The Merchant House is one of the most interesting new additions to the charming city of Manama, said the statement from Campbell. Its pivotal position alongside Customs House, which serves as the impressive entrance to Bab Al Bahrain Gateway to Bahrain means that guests at The Merchant House will find themselves fully immersed into local Bahraini life as they are afforded the opportunity to enjoy a true taste of its culture and traditions. The location places guests just steps away from the atmospheric Manama Souk, a maze of market shops selling everything from spices to souvenirs and home decorations. At The Merchant House, the emphasis is on personalised service and individual preferences. Guests can be amongst the first to enjoy the authentic service of this unique hotel and take advantage of its introductory offer of BD99 ($261) for the first night and the second night complimentary. Reservations are now being accepted for arrivals from January 14. The Merchant House joins Campbell Gray Hotels impressive line-up of luxury properties in Malta, Beirut, Liberia, and most recently, The Isle of Islay, Scotland.-TradeArabia News Service Doha - The power of technology, the importance of innovation and the need for a multilateral approach to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals were key themes raised by UNDP chief Achim Steiner at the 18th Doha Forum in Qatar on 15-16 December. Over the past two days there were many engaging, challenging, and thought-provoking conversations on how to address the challenges faced by our world today, said Mr. Steiner. One of the most common questions I was asked as Administrator of UNDP was whether achieving the Sustainable Development Goals was a realistic objective. My answer was simple: the SDGs are not just a slogan but a framework for managing our complex future. If we embrace new technologies and explore new ways of working, we can realize this ambitious agenda, he said. Mr. Steiner joined UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his meetings with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Mr, Steiner also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. In his keynote address, Mr. Guterres said platforms like the Doha Forum, which nurse the exchange of ideas, are lacking in number, but vital. Perhaps the most precious and increasingly scarce resource in our world today is dialogue, he said, and added that more exchanges like those taking place at the Forum are needed, but dwindling trust is paralyzing the conversation. While in Doha, Mr. Steiner and Mr. Khalifa Al-Kuwari, Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development, signed a Partnership Framework Agreement for the next four years where they agreed to partner to advance the Sustainable Development Goals globally. Qatar was also announced as one of UNDPs core funders, with a contribution of $16 million over two years. An additional $20 million was committed to help fund UNDPs Accelerator Labs and become a launch partner. We are very grateful to Qatar, not only for this generous contribution, but also for the partnership we are now developing to drive the 2030 Agenda. new and exciting opportunities await, added Mr. Steiner. Amman/Geneva - United Nations Agencies and NGO partners today released the 2019/2020 Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), a USD 5.5 billion plan designed to support national efforts in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq deal with the continued impact of the Syria crisis. These neighboring countries have remained incredibly generous in hosting large refugee populations since the start of the crisis - offering asylum and protection, making their public services available to refugees, and enabling more and more refugees to participate in the local economy despite the toll it has taken on their own development trajectory. Nevertheless, dealing with such an extremely high number of refugees remains challenging. Some 5.6 million Syrian refugees are currently registered across the region with around one million newly born in displacement. These one million children have largely been born into a situation where poverty and unemployment are common, early marriage and child labour occur, and an education is not always secure said Amin Awad, UNHCR Director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria and Iraq. It is critical that the international community continues to recognize the plight of Syrian refugees and provides vital support to host governments and 3RP partners to help shoulder this massive burden, while waiting for voluntary return in safety and dignity he added. Vulnerable host communities who have welcomed Syrian refugees so graciously also face deepening socio-economic challenges, 3RP partners seek to directly assist some 3.9 million host community members, particularly through livelihoods and economic opportunities, basic services and supporting the work of local institutions and municipalities. Communities in the region hosting refugees from Syria have shown tremendous generosity, yet are increasingly themselves under strain. As an international community, we must do our utmost to show solidarity with these vulnerable hosts who are giving so much despite themselves having to make ends meet, said Mourad Wahba, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States. Our collective response must also ensure that host countries are supported to pursue development -- to withstand the crisis while also keeping an eye on the future. In 2019, 3RP partners plan to implement a wide-ranging response targeting over nine million people across the five countries. Such support includes helping to address ongoing protection challenges for refugees, getting more children into some form of education, enhancing basic services and economic opportunities, especially for women, and leveraging the expertise of 3RP partners to strengthen the response capacity of national and local actors. Since its inception in 2015, the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) has been at the forefront of responding to the impact of the Syria crisis in five neighboring refugeehosting countries. Some USD $12 billion has been channeled through the 3RPs 270 humanitarian and development partners since 2015 to help address the challenges facing refugee and vulnerable host communities, in support of national efforts. Visit www.3rpsyriacrisis.org for more information. Contact Sarah Bel, Communications Specialist, UNDP Geneva, sarah.bel@undp.org MSME Scheme publicity drive team arrives in Bihar, hold talks with entrepreneurs 01 Dec 2021 | 11:52 PM Patna, Dec 01 (UNI) A high powered central publicity drive team, after covering Haryana and Uttar Pradesh reached Bihar on Wednesday to create awareness about the scheme. The held a discussion with entrepreneurs to know their problems and thier redressal. see more.. Congress doesnt have the capability to take on BJP: Meghalaya TMC president 01 Dec 2021 | 11:36 PM Shillong, Dec 1 (UNI) Newly elected President of the All India Trinamool Congress, Charles Pyngrope on Wednesday said, Congress "doesnt have the capability to take on the BJP" for the next 10 years as the party has "almost given up hope" at the present moment. see more.. World AIDS Day: Dronacharya awardee S Gurung flags off Red Run Marathon 01 Dec 2021 | 11:13 PM Gangtok, Dec1 (UNI) World AIDS Day was launched by Dronacharya awardee Sandhya Gurung here today. She flagged off the First Red Run Marathon. see more.. Naveen asks people to be alert & follow covid safety norms to counter third wave 01 Dec 2021 | 9:49 PM Bhubaneswar, Dec 1 (UNI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today appealed to all the people of Odisha to be alert and follow the Covid safety norms and cooperate with the enforcement machinery to counter the possible third wave of covid. see more.. Kremlin refutes reports on plans of Russia-Belarus further integration within union state Moscow, Dec 17 (Sputnik) Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Moscow was not considering the possibility of further integration with Belarus within the existing Union State. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that his country was not to lose its sovereignty commenting on the new tax regulations in the Russian oil sector. According to Lukashenko, the changes envision a deeper integration and threaten Belarus' independence. "This topic is not on the agenda in such a wording. It was not discussed. And there is no discussion on this," Peskov told reporters, answering the question whether Moscow considers the option of creating a unified state with Belarus under the presidency of Russian President Vladimir Putin after 2024. Number of worldwide administered Covid-19 vaccine doses surpasses 8 bln: JHU 02 Dec 2021 | 8:54 AM Washington, Dec 2 (UNI/Sputnik) The number of the worldwide administered doses of vaccines against the coronavirus has surpassed 8 billion, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) says. see more.. National security advisers of Pakistan, Russia discuss defence, cybersecurity cooperation 02 Dec 2021 | 8:47 AM Islamabad, Dec 2(UNI) The national security advisers of Pakistani and Russian on Wednesday held wide-ranging talks in Moscow in what is being seen by many as major leap forward towards strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries. see more.. Disney elects woman as chairman for first time in its 98-year history 02 Dec 2021 | 8:46 AM (Repeating with changes) Washington, Dec 2 (UNI) For the first time its 98-year history, Walt Disney has elected a woman as its chairman. see more.. Disney elects woman as chairman for first time in its 98-year history 02 Dec 2021 | 8:41 AM Washington, Dec 2 (UNI) For the first time its 98-year history Walt Disney has elected a woman as its chairman. see more.. New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday welcomed Zambia as a member of the International Solar Alliance and expressed hope for an early ratification of the Framework Agreement by Zambia. Interacting with the Parliamentary delegation from Zambia led by Dr Patrick Matibini, Speaker, National Assembly of Zambia who called on him, here Monday, he also assured that India would do its best to promote renewable energy including solar technologies to enhance incomes and to safeguard global environment. On India-Zambia bilateral cooperation, he noted that it extended to a variety of sectors such as health, education, capacity building, energy and infrastructure. India, he said, is willing to extend cooperation in mutually identified areas. Mr Naidu also welcomed frequent exchanges between the two Parliaments and said such interactions would be beneficial in sharing experience & learning from each others best practices. He said the Indian Parliament would be happy to associate with the Zambian Parliament in any specific area, including training of its officials in the institutional or technical human resource development. He also thanked Zambia wholeheartedly for its continued support to Indias candidature to various international forums and UN agencies. He conveyed his best wishes for the peace, progress and prosperity of Zambia and well-being and good health of the friendly people of Zambia. Referring to the warm and friendly relations shared by the two countries, he said both India and Zambia are working together for the mutual benefit and prosperity of their people. Mr Naidu said India was one of the first countries to recognise Zambia after its independence in 1964. 'Our warm and friendly bilateral relations have evolved and strengthened over the years and the visit of President of India to Zambia this year has given a fresh impetus to these ties,' he added. The Vice President appreciated Zambias unwavering commitment to democracy since its Independence and the peaceful transfer of power in Zambia after every election. He also lauded Zambia for maintaining friendly and cordial relationships with all the 8 nations that surround it. UNI SD SHK2024 Mysuru, Dec 17 (UNI) The death toll in the Sulwadi Maramma Temple food poisoning incident in Chamarajanagara district has gone up to 14 with one more women dying in a private hospital here on Monday. Hospital sources said 35-year-old Mallibai breathed her last on Monday as she failed to respond to the treatment . Incidentally husband Krishna Naik had also died in the same tragedy when over 100 people eat prasad which was contaminated, allegedly due to some one mixing poison in it. The couple leaves behind two daughters. GLO.ACT supports the first conference on Consular Assistance: Trafficking in Persons, Gender Violence and Related Issues Federal District, Brazil - 17 December 2018 - The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants ( GLO.ACT) organized alongside the Consular Assistance Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the first conference on Consular Assistance: Trafficking in Persons, Gender Violence and Related Issues, between 27 and 29 November 2018. Brazilian living aboard, estimated to be 3 million people living across 50 countries, often faces immigration difficulties, may be subject to trafficking in persons, labour exploitation, gender violence and mental health problems, among others. To improve assistance to Brazilians who are at risk abroad, the conference provided training for consular staff and psychologists working in the Brazilian consulates and embassies, on the proactive identification of victims of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) as well as the provision of assistance and mental health care. The aims of the conference were to sharing best practices, gather of contributions for the development of a protocol of assistance to victims of TIP, strengthen the coping/assistance network for Brazilians in situation of vulnerability overseas; understand the main problems of mental health and gender violence that often affect TIP victims, as well as the assistance that may be offered and, above all, to strengthen consular ties with civil society to better serve the Brazilian community abroad. The conference included roundtables and workshops conducted by the NGO 'Theater of the Oppressed' and, vitally, the event was live streamed; ensure that all Brazilian consulates and embassies across the world could participate, thereby expanding attendance and allowing participants overseas to interact, ask questions, and provide comments. During the opening of the conference, Political Officer of the Delegation of the European Union to Brazil, Ms. Cecile Merle, described the impact that GLO.ACT has had in fighting TIP and the Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) in Brazil, as well as the Europeans Unions commitment to continue to combat these crimes. According to the Consular Assistance Division, TIP cases are most recurrent across in Europe, the United States, Canada, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname, Japan, Australia, and Lebanon. In the United States, home to approximately 1.1 million Brazilians, most of the problems that reach the consular posts are related to domestic violence, especially in the cases of Brazilian women married to foreigners and labor exploitation. "Lack of language proficiency, inability to get into the job market, financial dependency, lack of a support network and cultural clashes with the spouse's family bring vulnerability to women. An additional vulnerability is if there are children, which prevents divorce and the return to Brazil, explained H.E. Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Lopes da Silva, Director of the Consular Department and Brazilians Abroad. In South America, the most serious cases involving TIP for the purpose of labour exploitation and gender violence, take place in the so-called Arc of the Guianas because of mining. "We have at least 30,000 Brazilian miners there and behind them is an entire Brazilian community providing services and commerce of all kinds, including prostitution" shared the diplomat. In verified cases of exploitation at work, irregular immigration leaves many Brazilians exposed to work without labour guarantees and legal security. In Europe, with home to approximately one million Brazilians, registered cases of TIP are mainly related to case of sexual exploitation. In Japan, consular agents deal predominantly with cases of mental health, involving drug and alcohol abuse, and violence against women. In Australia and Lebanon, the most recurrent problems are cases of violence against women in marriages with foreign spouses, which can result in disorders such as anxiety and depression. The Ambassador went on to highlight that the first generation of immigrants usually deals with unexpected problems: "Few migrate under ideal conditions, in the employment of dreams. They face many difficulties and insecurities, undergo difficult situations; informal jobs with heavy hours, without legal security, violent husbands who blackmail the visa. Many migrate without knowing any of this." The conference ended with a declaration made by the coping/assistance network for Brazilians overseas that are at risk, which included the commitment to combat TIP. A publication of articles written by consular staff and associates who participated of the event has also been planned. These will serve as inputs for the develpment of a standardized protocol of assistance for TIP victims and related issues such as gender-based violence and other forms of abuse for consular staff. Finally, the conference served as a mechanism to continue to strengthen cooperation between the consulates and civil society in their dedication to provide assistance to Brazilian nationals at risk in foreign countries. 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. To read the declaration made at the conference click here For more information, please contact: Ms. Fernanda Patricia Fuentes Munoz National Project Officer Liaison and Partnership Office in Brazil fernanda.fuentes@unodc.org https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/ Email: glo.act@un.org Twitter: @glo_act Additional information: http://www.itamaraty.gov.br/pt-BR/notas-a-imprensa/19787-i-conferencia-sobre-assistencia-consular GLO.ACT supports training on Trafficking in Persons for prosecutors and investigators Karachi, Pakistan 17 December 2018 - UNODC, under the framework of GLO.ACT (The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants), organized a two-day workshop for prosecutors and investigators from 11 to 12 December 2018. The workshop provided participants with multi-disciplinary training on issues such as victim identification in trafficking in persons (TIP) cases, financial investigation, asset recovery as well as raising awareness about the methods criminals use to launder money and finance terrorism. The aim of the training is: To build the capacity of Pakistani law enforcement agencies, especially focusing on prosecutors and investigators. To discuss ways to improve cross-border management, fight transnational organized crime, explain a the need for a victim centered approach to prosecutors and investigators, highlight the situation on human trafficking and migrant smuggling in the country, and discuss the framework with a focus on international best practices along with human rights. For two days experts shared their knowledge with and trained participants on a wide-range of subjects including: victim identification and protection, human security and human rights, human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Trainers explained new legislations promulgated in May and June 2018, on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM). Moreover, the trainers explained how to identify TIP victims and provide appropriate assistance and protection to victims. The training was highly interactive in nature, and group work was a key feature of the workshop. Participants were split into three different groups made up of the various law enforcement agencies represented. This arrangement enabled trainers to encourage participants to share their best practices with each other. In addition, each group had to pick one case to present to all the other participants. Upon conclusion of the training, participants received training certificates and, when asked, expressed their confidence in being able to solve problems based on the new approaches and ideas introduced to them during the course. The participants brought a wealth of experience to the workshop, thus helping to making the training realistic, practical and innovative. Participants included 25 law enforcement representatives from different agencies, including the FIA, the National Accountability Bureau, the Anti-Narcotics Force, the Sindh police as well as the Pakistan Railways Police. UNODC is including Pakistan Railways Police regular in their trainings programmes since railways is one of the most common modes of transport used by criminals to move their human trafficking victims and to smuggle migrants. 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: Ms. Shahida Gillani, National Project Officer Email: Shahida.gillani@un.org For more information, please visit: www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/ Email: glo.act@un.org Twitter: @glo_act Nation-wide awareness raising campaign in Pakistan, please like and share: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNODCCOPAK.GloAct/ Twitter: @GLOACTPakistan Published: December 17, 2018 Lessons from a Life on the Water Social Media Story At UTs 147th commencement on Dec. 15, Professor Heather Masonjones shared life lessons from her work as a marine biologist. Choose your buddies well. These are the people in life who support you along the way, whether family or friends or life partners. Our dive buddies keep us safe, they have our backs. But the best buddies challenge us to keep exploring. They push us to travel to interesting places to dive, bringing far shores in focus, Masonjones said. This is why I am so proud to be a part of an institution through our new Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry that now funds these types of opportunities for students across all four colleges, creating a culture of scholarship that brings ideas and students together across disciplines to create new knowledge, get invested, get braver and do big things. Masonjones is the recipient of the 2017-2018 Louise Loy Hunter Award, which is given annually by its previous recipients to a UT professor for excellence in teaching and cumulative contributions in service and scholarship. Her second piece of advice was to make waves. Masonjones has made her own waves by providing the scientific support for establishing a new national park in the Bahamas, an accomplishment she said would never have been possible without the help of the 30 undergraduates who have been involved in this project over the last six years. Helping undergraduate students find their passions and launch themselves at the world is my passion, my happy place, and conducting science with them has been one of the biggest joys of my life, she said. I havent just collected students and their stories, I have collected honorary family members, raising my own children right alongside yours on research boats in the bay and out in wild places. Be shore of yourself. You are the most connected generation yet seen on the planet. Studies show that the best way to change minds and hearts, is to talk to people not tell them what to do. Ask them, share ideas and move towards solutions, Masonjones said. Be honest with yourselves and those around you, give new ideas shared by others a chance, but use evidence and solidly vetted information to make the decisions that matter. Brave the depths. Confidence comes from knowing what to do and how to handle new situations. We only get that from trying. And failing. And trying again, Masonjones said. Facing what scares us dead on, not backing down, and owning that fear until it becomes a manageable part of the background as we move forward towards new challenges that builds resilience. Alyssa Diane Garcia, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, delivered the challenge to the graduating class. She argued that a college education truly is priceless. I couldnt go to the store and pick up the feelings of safety and belonging I felt when this community helped me mourn the loss of my father and grandmother. You couldnt have placed an Amazon order for the friends sitting next to you right now. We certainly couldnt pull up to the first window and get a room full of support and love from everyone here, Garcia said. No matter how it came to be, we are realizing the dream our younger selves have set for us. To see social media images from the December commencement, visit www.ut.edu/commencement/classof2018. UT Graduates by the Numbers: Total graduates = 667 Countries represented = 52 % of graduates from Florida = 48 Undergraduate students Total bachelors degree candidates = 530 Summa cum laude (GPA 4.0) = 2 Magna cum laude (GPA 3.75 or higher, but less than 4.0) = 44 Cum laude (GPA 3.5 or higher, but less than 3.75) = 69 Top 3 most popular undergraduate majors in this class = Finance, Marketing and Management Graduate students Total masters candidates = 137 With honors (GPA 3.9 or higher, but less than 4.0) = 8 With highest honors (GPA 4.0) = 16 MBAs awarded = 48 John Quarles was recently selected as Innovator of the Year at UTSA for his work in MedCognition, an augmented reality tool to train first responders. (Dec. 17, 2018) -- For users using virtual reality they may get feelings of dizziness, nausea and loss of equilibrium and balance. Although it may appear to be symptoms of an oncoming illness, the diagnosis is possibly a state of cybersickness. Thanks to research by cyber experts at The University of Texas at San Antonio, this experience might be relegated to cyber past. John Quarles, associate professor in the department of Computer Science at The University of Texas at San Antonio, has won a grant from the Intel Corporation to create an algorithm called Cyberwell that automatically reduces the negative side effects of virtual reality on the end user. We are studying what is causing (cybersickness) and how we can predict it earlier, says Quarles about the focus of the research. What are the aspects of each individual that we can use to predict better and personalize reducing cybersickness. Cybersickness is similar to motion sickness and symptoms may even include dull headaches. It occurs when there is a conflict or mismatch between the visual system, what the user of VR perceives, and the vestibular system, the system that is responsible for balance and spatial orientation in a person. Imagine you are driving in a virtual car. You think you are driving forward in a car, but your sense of balance will tell you that you are not driving forward, Quarles explains. There is a conflict between two sensory systems, theoretically thats what makes you nauseous. The need to mitigate the effects of cybersickness is urgent. Although heavy game users may have grown accustomed to simulated environments, its the rest of the population which will experience unease. According to Quarles, among non-heavy users of VR or games, between 50% to 80% of people will experience some discomfort. The high incidence of side effects in simulated realities can serve as a barrier for VR penetration which can be used beyond the gaming world and serve as a medical or educational training tool. Already, UTSA has the Dex Lab where students can simulate work with chemicals in a virtual environment to learn about lab safety. The UTSA Cyberwell approach to treat cybersickness will be undertaken by Quarles with the collaboration of UTSA Professors Paul Rad, Dakai Zhu, Yufei Huang. This group, which brings multidisciplinary approaches to the work including artificial intelligence and bioinformatics, will design a series of experiments that will measure participants physiological responses including electrical brain activity through EEGs and galvanic skin responses during a VR simulation. The feedback will be tracked and inputted into a computer program which will then utilize deep learning models to recognize the patterns that indicate when cybersickness is about to occur. The end goal is that the virtual simulation will immediately make individual adjustments to personalize cybersickness reduction. Some of the adjustments will include reducing the field of vision or blurring the periphery in the environment. The work will be conducted in the San Antonio Virtual Environments (SAVE) lab located in UTSA. The Intel Corporation only awarded 7 grants with UTSA receiving $200,000 for its machine learning approach. Quarles and the rest of the team expect results by the summer of 2019. The need for a cybersickness solution is greatly needed. The virtual reality industry is projected to be valued at $40 Billion by 2020 according to the Orbis Research group. Much hope is that the UTSA Cyberwell algorithm will be rolled out into any VR platforms to help grow the industry beyond its gaming scope. I want it to be used to teach kids and STEM, says Quarles about why he works towards a cybersickness cure. UW Receives Grant to Enhance Dementia-Capable Care in Albany County Christine McKibbin, left, director of the Wyoming Center on Aging; Katelynn Bourassa, a recent UW psychology Ph.D. graduate; and Duane Cox, a study participant, observe a mock testing situation at the center. The Wyoming Center on Aging and the UW Department of Psychology recently received a grant to provide community-based services for people with dementia and their family caregivers in Albany County. (UW Photo) The University of Wyoming recently received a grant to provide community-based services for people with dementia and their family caregivers in Albany County. The UW Department of Psychology and the Wyoming Center on Aging received a $866,453, three-year grant from the Administration for Community Living to partner with local organizations to enhance dementia-capable care -- the ability of organizations to meet the needs of people with dementia and their family caregivers. The goal for most people who have Alzheimers disease or a related dementia is to remain in their homes and communities, says Robin Barry, the grants project director and an assistant professor in the UW Department of Psychology. This funding will allow us to help make that a reality for more people in Albany County. Between 2000 and 2010, Wyoming experienced an influx in the number of aging adults, Barry says. The population of 50- to 59-year-olds grew 45.9 percent, while the population of those over the age of 60 years grew 32.7 percent. Aging is the No. 1 risk factor for Alzheimers disease and related dementias, Barry says. With an aging population, a greater proportion of our population is going to be diagnosed with some form of dementia. Our communities need to be ready to meet the needs of people with dementia. The grant focuses on three main groups: people with dementia, especially those who live alone in the community; people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who may have dementia or be at high risk of developing dementia; and family caregivers who are assisting people with dementia or adults An exciting aspect of the project is the focus on partnering with the community and using programs that have been found to work, Barry says. All of the programs will be offered out of a new Alzheimers and Dementia Support Center at the university. Barry and her project team will provide services for those with dementia who live alone, including connecting them with ongoing support. For those who are in the early stages of dementia, the team will provide a counseling program that is aimed at care planning and can help people with dementia and their family members deal with the stress of a diagnosis. The project team will provide training and programming from the National Task Group on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Dementia Practices to health care providers, direct support providers and family caregivers to increase their knowledge and understanding of dementia for people with IDD. The team also will provide care consultation to family caregivers of adolescents and adults with IDD to screen for dementia, if needed, and link them with resources to reduce stress. The team will offer two programs for family caregivers of people with dementia: Tailored Caregiver Assessment and Referral (TCARE) and Care Partners Reaching Out (CarePRO). TCARE assesses family caregivers needs with regard to their well-being and caregiving situation, and helps to connect them with the right community supports at the right time to reduce their stress and improve their own health. CarePRO is an educational and supportive group for family caregivers of people with dementia. Additionally, the team will offer community and first responder educational training to help identify people in the community who may have dementia and to help connect them to the Alzheimers and Dementia Support Center to receive support and referral for care. Community partners that will collaborate on the grant include the Alzheimers Association, Wyoming Chapter; the Eppson Center for Seniors; Ark Regional Services; LIV Health; and the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities. For more information, call Barry at (307) 223-5219 or email rbarry2@uwyo.edu; or call the Wyoming Center on Aging at (307) 766-2829 or email wycoa@uwyo.edu. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Substantial numbers of prisoners of conscience in China have had their organs harvested was the unanimous finding made by an independent peoples tribunal in England. Speaking after three days of hearings and evaluating evidence, former English judge Sir Geoffrey Nice QC said that the China Tribunals interim judgment was one beyond reasonable doubt. We, the tribunal members, are all certain, unanimously, beyond reasonable doubt, that in China forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience has been practiced for a substantial period of time, involving a very substantial number of victims by state organized or approved organizations or individuals, said Mr. Nice during his closing statement given in central London on December 10. The judgment, Mr. Nice said, was driven by the evidence presented to the tribunal that showed clear certainty that organ harvesting in China has been committed on a very large scale over a long period of time. The tribunal heard testimonies from some 30 witnesses and experts that included refugees, former inmates of Chinese prisons, doctors, and investigators. One of those who gave testimony was Dr. Zhiyuan Wang. See him featured in this documentary below: Given that it was a draft judgment, Mr. Nice said that they will deliver a final judgment in the northern spring next year. He said that the tribunal remains open to further witness testimonies and evidence, as well as any input over the matter from the Chinese government. The interim judgment has been made in the hope that it could save innocents from harm, Mr. Nice said. We can properly remind ourselves of past atrocities where states sought destruction of parts of their communities and we can remind ourselves of the part played in those events as they unfolded when others were silent, he said. Mr. Nice led the prosecution of Slobodan Milosevic, former president of Serbia, at the UNs International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia between 1998-2006. Watch Mr. Nices closing remarks in this video below: The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC) established the tribunal to investigate if any criminal offenses have been committed by state or state-approved organizations in China concerning forced organ harvesting. ETAC is a coalition of lawyers, academics, ethicists, medical professionals, researchers, and human rights advocates dedicated to ending forced organ harvesting in China. A member of the coalition is Heather Draper, a Professor of Bioethics at the University of Warwick. Professor Draper said that the tribunal was charged dispassionately to decide whether any criminal offenses contrary to international law have been committed in Chinas transplantation practices. It is an independent process, with tribunal members recognized on the international stage to be of the highest integrity, and headed by Sir Geoffrey who has great human rights expertise. It is, therefore, an important process for all members of the international transplant community, said Professor Draper in a statement. Many have refused thus far to engage with the evidence of grossly unethical practice in China prepared by ETAC and others, she said. Yet, it is impossible for bioethicists, practitioners, and recipients to defend organ transplantation as a practice while ignoring this evidence. Watch this End Transplant Abuse video on some of the evidence collected on organ harvesting in China: Also on ETACs International Advisory Committee are David Kilgour, former Secretary of State for the Asia-Pacific, investigative journalist Ethan Gutmann, and human rights lawyer Dr. David Matas, who co-authored a report that estimated there are 60,000-100,000 organ transplants performed annually in China. The source of the organs, the report said, came from Falun Gong practitioners held in prisons and killed on demand. Other prisoners of conscience Tibetans, Uyghurs, and House Christians have also been targeted by the communists as a source of bodily organs, only to a lesser extent, their report said. All three men have in the past been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their work investigating organ harvesting in China. In June 2016, a U.S. House of Representatives resolution was unanimously passed that urged the Chinese government to stop harvesting the organs of prisoners of conscience, and end the persecution against Falun Gong. The European Parliament passed a similar resolution in 2013. Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our weekly email On the occasion of the conference held at Marrakesh celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN member states will have to vote on the Global Pact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. According to the Special Representative of the Secretary General (Louise Arbour), the aim of this Pact is to facilitate the movement of workers from poor countries to rich countries. The demographic data indicate that if [the rich countries] want to maintain their current economic levels or to grow their economy, they will have to accept well trained foreign workers to respond to the demands of the labour market. So declared Louise Arbour. According to the UN press service, its about regulating migration so that it works for the whole world. Germany was the first state to implement this policy. In 2015, she welcomed more than a million migrants, some of whom were coming from Syria [1]. But two years later, Germany has still not managed to integrate them. The popular discontent with this massive flow of migrants induced the German Federal Chancellor, Angie, to announce her intention to quit politics. At present, the seven rich States - Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland - reject the initiative of the UN Secretary General. Others, notably Belgium, Bulgaria and Italy, could also be on the verge of rejecting it. According to the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz whose country represented the European Union in the negotiations held in New York, but is now opposed to the text the philosophy that underlies this Pact is removing distinctions between different types of migrants (legal v. illegal; humanitarian v. political). As a consequence, the Pact will have immediate repercussions on social rights, both in the territory of the Host State and in the countries that decide to lead immigrants to the border. This pact has its origins in Appendix 2 of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, drafted under the leadership of Peter Sutherland [2]. On 21 June 2012, this high ranking personality, Peter Sutherland, participated in a hearing in the UK House of Lords and declared that every individual must be endowed with the opportunity to study and work in the country of his choice something that is incompatible with any policy regulating immigration and that migrations creates the crucial dynamic for economic development, despite what the Host States might say about it. Consequently, concluded Sutherland, the European Union must undermine the homogeneity of the nations that are part of it [3]. The Global Pact for Safe Orderly and Regulated Migration does not provide any measure that bind States or measures that directly limit their sovereignty. This derives from the method dear to the disciples of Karl Popper, the thinker of an open society and without borders: to declare rights (not in the sense of positive rights but the option to acquire positive rights). The rights are optional in the sense that they can be asserted through judicial appeals and then will be imposed on the national legislations. This is the strategy that the NGO Pueblo sin fronteras (funded by the speculator George Soros) is applying. It is organizing caravans of migrants from Central America to the United States. The Pacts philosophy also favours the use of migrants as a weapon of war [4]. Nato already tested this out to unleash war in Kosovo, to deprive Syria of its defences or to prepare a military intervention against Venezuela. Sutherland, who died at the beginning of this year, was himself a former director of the Nato thinktank, the Bilderberg Club. This strategy has been validated by another one of George Soross NGOs: the International Crisis Group, whose President is Louise Arbour. Today we witness a coming and going: Westerners are sending arms to the regions that they destruct and in exchange welcome the refugees that are forced to flee their homes [5]. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. By The Associated Press Dec. 17, 2018 | 10:20 AM | FRANKFORT Kentucky's Democratic Attorney General says he will oppose a recent federal court ruling that struck down the federal Affordable Care Act. Former President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010. The law allowed Kentucky to expand its Medicaid program to give health coverage to more than 400,000 people. Friday, a federal judge in Texas ruled the law was invalid. But the law will remain in place while the ruling is appealed. The case was brought by a group of state attorneys general. Beshear and another group of state attorneys general intervened several months ago to fight the lawsuit. Beshear is running for governor in 2019. Asked about it on Monday, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin told a Lexington radio host everything Beshear does is for political reasons. Embed from Getty Images Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt has won the 2018 Golden Boy award thus cementing him as the most promising player under the age of 21 in Europe. By virtue of votes from an international panel (35 journalists from 20 nations), the assured defender powered to the award over fellow shortlisters Justin Kluivert, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Patrick Cutrone and Vinicius Junior. Tuttosport tell us De Ligt had a striking 75-point lead over his nearest rival (Alexander-Arnold), though without knowing the precise ranking system used we cant really tell if thats profound or otherwise. De Ligt is the second Dutch player to win the prestigious youth award, following fellow Ajax alum Rafael van der Vaarts success in the inaugural 2003 vote. Kylian Mbappe won it last year and things have gone fairly well for him since, as they tend to do for Golden Boys. Basically, we give it a year (tops) before De Ligt is a fully-fledged Barcelona player. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Wrexham groups urged to bid for share of 60,000 seized from criminals This article is old - Published: Monday, Dec 17th, 2018 A 60,000 fund boosted by money confiscated from criminals has been launched to help tackle the growing threat of youngsters being groomed and exploited by vicious drugs gangs. According to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, the ill-gotten gains of villains will be recycled for the benefit of the community in a series of crime-fighting initiatives across North Wales. The Your Community, Your Choice Awards are again putting up the Community Fund for local groups and Mr Jones is urging local groups across Wrexham and the wider region to bid for the cash. Its being organised jointly by Mr Jones, North Wales Police and the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT). The money for the awards comes partly from money seized by the courts through the Proceeds of Crime Act with the rest from the Police Commissioners Fund. Each of the regions six counties will have up to 2,500 apiece for two groups with 5,000 each for two organisations that operate in three or more counties. In addition this year, thanks to additional funding from the police and crime commissioner and North Wales Police, there will be two new grants of 10,000. The larger grants are designed to fund projects addressing issues related to the emerging threat of County Lines, where young people are being coerced and threatened with violence to take part in illegal activity across the region. The deadline for applications is January 18 and the successful groups will be chosen by public vote. Entry forms are available on the North Wales Police website with a link to it on the Police Commissioners website. A shortlist of applicants will be chosen by a special panel and voting opens on February 4 and runs until March 1 with that vote deciding the winners. Mr Jones, a former police inspector, said: I decided to give more money this year because of the growing threat of the County Lines phenomenon which involves the criminal exploitation of children and young people. These drugs supply networks are often run by criminals from out of the area via a mobile phone line who use associates or even coerce vulnerable people to act as local dealers to deal drugs for them. Violence and intimidation is a common theme in these abhorrent networks which have become known County Lines. There is a great deal that third sector organisations and community organisations can do, especially in terms of raising awareness amongst the potential victims themselves. It is vitally important that warn youngsters of the very real dangers of being ensnared by these vicious gangs. County lines is a growing scourge, not just here but also across the UK, it getting to grips with it is a major priority in my Police and Crime Plan. His message was backed by Assistant Chief Constable Neill Anderson who said: The Your Community Your Choice fund hits at the very heart of what were trying to achieve. There are so many worthy community groups out there, and this initiative is about the police and the community working together to actually make things safer for the public of North Wales, with the added benefit of course is that some of the monies comes from criminals. All of this chimes perfectly with the commissioners Police and rime plan and the forces objectives. Whilst there is lots of enforcement activity on going with County Lines, and weve been very successful in that regard, this is about prevention. There are groups out there that I think could help young people to stay on the right path and not get pulled into any of these County Lines drugs supply networks. Once theyre sucked in, theyre exploited and their lives are made hell. The impact on them is just terrible and there are links here to modern day slavery. PACT project manager Dave Evans said: Every applicant must look at the commissioners Police and Crime Plan and consider how their proposal can support one or more of the five priorities that are contained in the introduction within that plan. They also need to talk to their local Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team through their PCSO or directly through their local inspector who will need to endorse and support their application before it comes to the Police and Crime Commissioners panel. This is a win-win for society because its bad money being turned into good. This is now the sixth year that weve been running this fund and every year the quality of applications is getting better and better and the impact that money is having in the communities is absolutely fantastic. Weve seen first-hand the benefits that the communities are seeing from this money both on a community basis and in an individual basis. The people of North Wales have a say in all of this. They are the ones who decide who is going to be successful in each category. The more votes that you can secure through your network of supporters as an applicant the better. Its all down to the applicants to make sure that they encourage their supporters to vote for their particular project. Completed applications must be returned by e-mail to yourcommunityyourchoice@nthwales.pnn.police.uk by 5pm on the closing date of January 18. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) New research from Florida State University shows that African American children are less likely to get their flu shot than white children. There has always been a gap when it comes to the number of African American children who get vaccinated compared to white kids - according to Doctoral Candidate Benjamin Dowd-Arrow. "Starting in 2014, this gap just considerably widened and it appears that the trend is that it will continue to widen," said Dowd-Arrow. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 172 children have died from this year's flu season. Dowd-Arrow encourages parents to make sure their kids get their flu shot. Dowd-Arrow said the reason that African American children are not getting vaccinated is their parents aren't aware of the significance of vaccinations, parents are not taking their kids to get vaccinated and in some cases, the families lack healthcare. "Certain populations in certain groups, especially in low income areas, tend to not have full information or access to the information," said Dowd-Arrow. "That can be changed with education programs through the health department, through schools, and towns to show that vaccines are safe because there is a fear in the general public that vaccines can cause worse disorders." One medical expert is determined to reverse this trend. She wants parents to know that even if you don't have a health care provider for you child they are welcome at the Leon County Department of Health. "The Health Department provides vaccinations as well. We provide them through several different programs, we have them for individuals who are children. We especially target individuals who are without a health care provider," said Nursing specialist Ann Waltz. For other ways to learn more about how to get help and how to get vaccinated you are encouraged to visit leon.floridahealth.gov. Police said after the incident, that they are searching for Horace 'Chucky Ross, as a person interest in this shooting. He is considered harmed and dangerous, according to Pelham police. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 01:28:55|Editor: yan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian experts have managed to conduct checks on the first Airbus passenger plane that was delivered to Iran following the International Iranian nuclear deal clinched in 2015, CEO of Iran Air, Farzaneh Sharafbafi, said on Sunday. "Relying on the power of domestic experts, we were recently able to conduct the overhaul of the first Airbus after numerous flights," Sharafbafi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. The major checks cost around 11 days, covering a large majority of the aircraft's components, she said. U.S. president withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal in May and returned comprehensive sanctions against Tehran. Accordingly, the international passenger plane manufacturers refrained from delivering planes to Iran and offering the services thereof, in the fear of falling prey to the punishments by Washington. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 01:43:56|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Vice President of University of Zurich (UZH) Christian Schwarzenegger speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Zurich, Switzerland, on Nov. 22, 2018. The University of Zurich (UZH), Switzerland's largest and one of the world's most prestigious, is gearing itself as an international hub seeking a greater presence in China's academic community, said Schwarzenegger. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) ZURICH, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The University of Zurich (UZH), Switzerland's largest and one of the world's most prestigious, is gearing itself as an international hub seeking a greater presence in China's academic community. UZH's Vice President Christian Schwarzenegger said in a recent interview with Xinhua that having a climate such as some countries speaking of visa restrictions on Chinese scientists may not be wise "because science is an international-oriented branch of activity." "For us banning Chinese students or reducing the number of foreign students and the foreign staff is not on the agenda. On the contrary, we have an internationalization strategy, and we are trying to become a real international hub," said Schwarzenegger. UZH is looking for the talents of intelligent people with new ideas, and good ones develop in an environment where there is diversity, with many people coming from different backgrounds, with courses in sciences, economics, and law conducted in English, he said. He noted that the Chinese government has invested in educational infrastructure and developing universities that are making gains with better positions in world rankings and academic associations. "So, for us, China is a very important area...We want to be more present in the Chinese academic community," said Schwarzenegger, noting that China is, with North America, one of UZH's "focus areas for internationalization." "One of my tasks is to set up good partnerships including closer partnerships, not only student exchanges but also scientific cooperation and maybe making a step forward doing joint research projects," he said. The UZH vice president said that Chinese students at the university are regarded highly. "Chinese students are highly motivated. They are focused. They do more than traditional Swiss students to achieve their goals because they come with more determination in their studies." UZH currently has about 350 Chinese students, and it could certainly increase that number, he said. "Currently we are talking with Beijing (Peking) University about cooperation in business and management," Schwarzenegger explained. "There is a lot of cooperation going on, so we need to educate the next generation of managers, and these managers need knowledge about China and the Chinese market." He said UZH is trying with Peking University's Guanghua School of Management to have cooperation in management education, expanding into banking and finance. "Switzerland is the hub for the finance industry," he said, noting that Chinese banks are now present in Switzerland and there is a "lot of demand for education in the field of banking." Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 03:09:08|Editor: mmm Video Player Close NICOSIA, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations envoy discussed here with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades the modalities of resuming Cyprus peace negotiations on Sunday. "There was a discussion on the terms of reference for the resumption of negotiations and the crucial issues of the Cyprus problem," government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said after a two-hour meeting between Anastasiades and Jane Hol Lute, a personal envoy of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Lute will be meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on Monday. Prodomou said that Lute will have a second meeting with Anastasiades before she ends a five-day mission in Cyprus. He revealed that the UN envoy did not bring any written proposals on how to resume negotiations and on how they will be conducted. Negotiations between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities ended inconclusively in July 2017, after Turkey said it was not ready to rescind intervention rights in Cyprus and to pull out occupation troops from the eastern Mediterranean island. Turkey occupied the northern part of Cyprus in a 1974 military operation, in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time, turning an internal dispute between the two communities of Cyprus into an intractable international problem. Salome Zurabishvili (Front) delivers a speech during her inauguration ceremony in Telavi, Georgia, on Dec. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Presidential Administration of Georgia) TBILISI, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Salome Zurabishvili was sworn in on Sunday as Georgia's fifth president, also the country's first female president. Addressing the audience at the grand inauguration ceremony in the western city of Telavi, Zurabishvili vowed to protect the rights and freedoms of all Georgian citizens and guarantee the country's rule of law after taking a presidential oath. "Today, when I became the fifth president of Georgia, I am proud that we were able to transfer the presidential power in a peaceful and civilized manner. This is another democratic step forward," Zurabishvili said. "My goal is to do my best to develop our state, to make our European future irreversible and to prevent any obstacle in this process," said Zurabishvili, who promised to make the integration process with Europe a priority. Around 1,800 people took part in the ceremony, including 150 representatives from around 55 countries and international organizations. Zurabishvili, born in France in 1952, served as foreign minister of Georgia from 2004 to 2005. Georgia held its fifth presidential election on Oct. 28. As many as 19 candidates nominated by political parties and six independent candidates ran for the presidency. Zurabishvili won the presidency after a runoff. The election marked the last direct election to choose a head of state in Georgia. In the country's next presidential election, set for 2024, an electoral board of 300 lawmakers and regional officials will cast their votes to find a winner. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 10:30:11|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Foreign investors are playing a more important role in China's A-share market in recent years, which will improve market functioning and boost performance of large-cap equities and consumer stocks, China Daily reported Monday. Holdings of foreign investors in the A-share market accounted for about 2.5 percent of total market capitalization as of June this year, up from 2.1 percent and 1.3 percent by the end of 2017 and 2016, said the report, citing data from Aberdeen Standard Investments, a London-listed global asset manager. "We expect the proportion to rise in the following years, considering A shares' inclusion in major global indexes such as the MSCI Emerging Markets Index," Nicholas Yeo, head of China Equities at Aberdeen, was quoted as saying. The trend will likely help improve corporate governance in mainland-listed companies, because foreign investors prefer such companies to make their long-term investments sustainable, Yeo said. Foreign investors could help solve the twin problems of the Chinese stock market -- the lack of long-term investments and the prevalence of short-term speculative trading, the report quoted Zhang Xia, chief strategy analyst at China Merchants Securities, as saying. Typically, foreign investors adopt long-term investment strategies, and prefer large-cap stocks and consumer stocks, likely to help those stocks register good performance in the future, Zhang said. Chinese policy makers have been taking moves to increase foreign investors' interest in A shares, including reducing trading suspensions. Compared with 2015, overall suspensions have declined by 80 percent this year, the report said, citing market data. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 10:40:13|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Zhang Dailei, Zhang Jiawei LONDON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- There are "all sorts of opportunities" for Britain-China cooperation as China continues its reform and opening-up, said Britain's Prince Andrew in a recent interview with Xinhua. The Duke of York said he was impressed by all the three Chinese entrepreneurs who entered the global final of Pitch@Palace, an initiative founded in 2014 by him and now an annual event at which budding entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a roomful of potential supporters from the business community. On the sidelines of the contest, which was held at the St. James's Palace in downtown London, Prince Andrew told Xinhua that all the Chinese entrepreneurs are excellent and the event is about showing the great innovation around the world at the moment. "China has got just as much innovation as anywhere else," said the prince. Recalling his first visit to Beijing in 2004 as a "fascinating experience," he said he began to see the innovation that was going on in China during his following visits. "It's just got bigger and bigger, and more and more. China has opened up more and more," he said. He said he believes China is always an innovative country and keeps encouraging innovation progress. "So it is a great privilege and a pleasure to be able to bring Pitch@Palace to China and to have Chinese partners that want to expand that around China," he said. "It is not only about ... 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 school system to think about being an entrepreneur and solving problems in an entrepreneurial way," he added. Prince Andrew has visited China regularly since 2004, and set up an account on the Chinese social media site of Weibo. During his latest visit to China, Prince Andrew led a British delegation to Shanghai for the China International Import Expo (CIIE), a platform for Chinese businesses, investors and consumers to connect with overseas companies and forge long-term partnerships. "I was very impressed with what I saw there, and the interesting thing is that I've been going to China long enough now to see the change from an economy that was looking at exports, to an economy that is looking at consumption and looking at imports," he said. He said he believes the great transition means China will continue the process of development and it gives the two countries more opportunities to work together. "I think there are all sorts of opportunities that we thus far haven't ... found," he said. The prince said that right from the first visit to China he realized the importance for Western people to understand China's development and that the best way of learning is to go to China. "There is no point in trying to learn about China in London. Turn the telescope round, go to China, learn about it, and learn about the UK from a Chinese perspective. It's the fastest way to learn about China," he told Xinhua. He stressed that the more knowledge people or nations have of each other, there are more chances for people to reduce misunderstandings. "We need not to be afraid of asking permission to find out why people think like that, or why we think like this, so it's about that human interaction," he said. Citing the saying that it takes a lifetime to learn China, the prince said that every time he goes to China he wants to find somewhere new to go, so that he can learn something new about the big country. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 10:55:16|Editor: mmm Video Player Close RIYADH, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia rejected on Monday recent moves of the U.S. Senate over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Press Agency reported. The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to recommend ending U.S. military assistance to the Saudi-led operation in Yemen, and accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement in the death of Saudi journalist Khashoggi. The positions of the U.S. Senate were based on "unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdom's internal affairs, undermining the Kingdom's regional and international role,"the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement said that the murder of Khashoggi is a deplorable crime which does not reflect the Kingdom's policy. Meanwhile, it also reaffirmed its commitment to continue to further develop relations with the United States. Khashoggi has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. The Saudi authorities said he died in a "brawl" in the consulate, and denied that the Saudi crown prince had ordered the killing. The U.S. Congress has urged a thorough investigation into his death, and threatened to take more actions against Saudi Arabia, such as sanctions and suspension of military support for the Saudi-led attack in Yemen, if those responsible were not held accountable. However, the Trump administration has been reluctant to further punish the Saudi government. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 11:20:21|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Losang Jamcan (2nd L), director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress, takes part in discussions with experts and scholars from Nordic Institute of Asian Studies at Copenhagen University in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Dec. 14, 2018. A Tibetan delegation of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) visited Denmark from Dec. 13 to 16 and briefed Danish lawmakers and officials on Tibet's historic achievements in economic and social development. (Xinhua/Fu Yiming) COPENHAGEN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Tibetan delegation of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) visited Denmark from Thursday to Sunday and briefed Danish lawmakers and officials on Tibet's historic achievements in economic and social development. The delegation, led by Losang Jamcan, director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress, met with Danish lawmakers, government officials, think tanks and local Chinese compatriots. Losang Jamcan introduced major economic and social developments in Tibet since its peaceful liberation over 60 years ago, and during 40 years of China's reform and opening-up, and in particular, after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He also talked about his personal experience living and working in Tibet, conveying real voices of the people from the snowy plateau. Moreover, he revealed the ulterior motives of the Dalai Lama group, who has been visiting different countries and peddling the idea of "Tibet independence," saying it aims to split Tibet from Chinese territory under the guise of religion. "The contradiction between us and Dalai group is neither a national or religious issue, nor a human rights issue, but a major issue of principle concerning national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said during talks with former Speaker of Danish Parliament and former President of the General Assembly of the United Nations Mogens Lykketoft, several members of Foreign Policy Committee of Danish Parliament, and State Secretary of Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lone Dencker Wisborg. Losang Jamcan also expressed hope that the Danish side will recognize Dalai Lama's anti-China separatist nature and earnestly respect China's core interests and major concerns. The Danish officials welcomed the Chinese delegation's visit on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Denmark and China. The Danish side reiterated adherence to the one-China policy, saying Denmark recognizes Tibet as a part of Chinese territory, opposes any form of "Tibet independence," and appreciates China's promotion of Tibet's development and great achievements in improving people's standard of living there. The delegation's overall introduction will help the Danish community better understand Tibet, said the Danish officials, adding that Denmark is willing to maintain frank exchanges with China and continuously enhance mutual understanding and trust. During discussions with experts and scholars from Nordic Institute of Asian Studies at Copenhagen University, the delegation briefed them on the history and present situation of Tibet, as well as China's system of regional ethnic autonomy. During discussions with representatives from overseas Chinese associations such as the Council for Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification of China, Losang Jamcan said that Tibet is seeing rapid economic growth and social cohesion, with the Tibetan people working diligently for greater socioeconomic development. Representatives from overseas Chinese associations, proud of the achievements of their motherland, said they are willing to continue to play a positive role in promoting China-Denmark ties and contribute to China's development and prosperity. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 11:30:24|Editor: mmm Video Player Close MOSCOW, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RSMF) will receive about 100 new pieces of armament by the end of 2018, commander of the RSMF Sergei Karakaev said on Monday. In an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Karakaev said the Yars missile systems are included in the new armament. According to Karakaev, the Dombarovsky division is set to be the first in Russia to be armed with the new Avangard hypersonic missile systems in 2019. Within the framework of the state armament program, the most advanced Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is planned to be deployed in missile regiments of the Uzhur division in 2021, said Karakaev. In his annual address to the Federal Assembly on March 1, President Vladimir Putin said Russia has been modernizing its strategic arsenal in response to the U.S. global deployment of missile defense systems. In this photo handed out by Sri Lankan President's Media Division, re-instated Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (4th R) takes the oath of office before President Maithripala Sirisena (1st R) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Dec. 16, 2018. (Xinhua) COLOMBO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Leader of Sri Lanka's United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was once sacked from the post of prime minister in late October, was sworn in as the prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena again on Sunday, ending a nearly two-month political crisis which erupted after his surprising dismissal. Wickremesinghe took his oath at the Presidential Secretariat in the capital of Colombo, as hundreds of his supporters gathered outside. UNP lawmakers told journalists that Wickremesinghe's appointment had restored democracy in the country and the new government would now work towards strengthening the economy and unveiling new proposals. Sri Lanka had been in a state of political turmoil after Wickremesinghe was suddenly sacked from his post late October and was replaced by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. A new caretaker government was also sworn in thereafter. The UNP said Wickremesinghe's dismissal by Sirisena had been unconstitutional as he held a majority at parliament. Rajapaksa on Saturday stepped down as the prime minister after the Supreme Court last Friday ordered to continue a temporary suspension on him and his government till the case was further heard in January. Rajapaksa, noting the Supreme Court verdict, said he was stepping down to pave way for the establishment of a new government under President Sirisena. A new cabinet under President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is expected to be sworn in on Monday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 13:25:39|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close BRASILIA, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Self-professed Brazilian medium and psychic healer, popularly known as Joao de Deus (John of God), turned himself over to the authorities on Sunday, local media reported. Born Joao Teixeira de Faria, the 76-year-old magnate accused of sexual abuses by more than 300 women had been on the run since an arrest warrant against him was issued on Friday. Faria surrendered to local authorities in Abadiania, a town in Goias state, some 100 km west of capital city Brasilia. A judge ordered his arrest after the suspect began to withdraw millions of dollars from his bank accounts in the wake of revelations he took advantage of numerous women, news network O Globo said. Faria amassed a fortune over the years by touting his supposed healing powers. He ran a clinic in Abadiania that drew famous personalities. Prosecutors say 330 women have brought charges against Faria, who denied any wrongdoing last week. His alleged victims include women from the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Australia and Belgium, who sought his help. According to Brazilian magazine Veja, Faria owns 27 properties, as well as dozens of automobiles, a plane and a gold mine, mainly through donations. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 14:05:44|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close By Levi J Parsons SYDNEY, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- For many Chinese students studying in Australian universities, taking part in the country's unique summer-time Christmas celebrations is a joyful and special experience. "The first time I saw a Santa here, he was wearing a singlet with shorts!" said media arts and production student at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Cheng Qianhe, who was still grappling with the concept of a white-bearded good Samaritan from the North pole, his army of elves and the magical round-the-world journey that takes place on Christmas eve. "I heard that a Santa cosplayer got sunstroke because it's too hot," he told Xinhua. Although the rest of the world imagine woolly sweaters and reindeer when they think of the Christmas season, for Aussies nothing signals Christmas but sun, sand and surf. "It is much hotter than I thought," human resource management student at UTS Zhao Jiabao said. "Christmas in summer time is very strange." "But I think reindeer are cute and the character of Santa is very kind-hearted." Despite many differences with other countries in the Northern Hemisphere when it comes to celebrating Christmas, some long-lasting traditions remain in place, possibly making Australia's holiday even stranger. With dinner guests wearing board shorts and flip-flops, and temperatures often reaching around 40 degrees Celsius on Dec. 25, most families will still persist on serving a piping hot, whole-roasted turkey with baked winter vegetables. Willing to ignore this oversight of culinary logic and jump on board with Australia's ill-fitting Christmas menu, master of finance student at UTS Ding Zixuan said "I will stay at home on Christmas and bake a turkey." "I can accept that Christmas is so hot here, to me Christmas is all about parties and gifts and I like that some parents dress up as Santa to make children happy." Every Chinese student that Xinhua spoke to said Christmas reminded them of Spring Festival, the Chinese lunar new year. "It's like the western version of Lunar New Year," Cheng said. "It's all about family and being together." Although Santa and his reindeer may not have a great deal in common with lanterns and lion dancers, the most important part of the two holidays, according to the students, is being around the ones you love. "They are similar because in both Christmas and Spring Festival people will stay with their families and celebrate," University of Sydney master of media practice student Ren Menglin said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 14:55:52|Editor: Liu Video Player Close MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least eight Taliban militants, including two local insurgents' commanders, were killed and 10 others wounded following a clearance operation in Afghanistan's restive northern province of Faryab, an army official said Monday. "Eight Taliban militants, including two of their commanders, were killed and 10 others wounded, during an operation resulting in the full clearance of Khwaja Sabz Posh of Faryab province," Ghulam Hazrat Karimi, a press officer of army's Division 20 Pamir, told Xinhua. The operation is still ongoing, said the officer but did not provide details if security forces or civilians sustained casualties. Militants fighting government forces in the region were not available for comment. Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where Taliban have been recruiting from among the youth. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 15:46:01|Editor: ZX Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China plans to build or renovate about 21,000 toilets at tourist destinations next year, said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The move is part of the "toilet revolution" ongoing in China's tourist industry since 2015 that bids to provide tourists with modern and clean toilets. Announced at a conference held in south China's Guangdong Province on Saturday, the ministry said the country built or upgraded nearly 24,000 restrooms for tourists this year, including about 15,000 in its less-developed central and western areas. Between 2015 and 2017, China invested 1.64 billion yuan (about 237.8 million U.S. dollars) to install or renovate over 70,000 toilets for tourists, it said. Advanced technologies have been used in the new toilets to improve their hygiene standards, save energy and water, and make them more accessible. For example, earlier this year, a mobile navigation app was launched to help tourists find nearby toilets in scenic areas, covering all 5A and 4A level scenic spots in China. To boost domestic tourism, China aims to install or upgrade a total of 64,000 toilets for tourists from 2018 to 2020, according to a three-year action plan released by the government. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 16:06:03|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HERAT, Afghanistan, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least seven militants including two local leaders of the Taliban, who served as education chief and shadow district governor, were killed as military aircraft targeted the militant group in Shindand district of the western Herat province on Monday, said a statement released by the army. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 16:26:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HERAT, Afghanistan, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least seven militants including two local leaders of the Taliban were killed as military aircraft targeted the militant group in Shindand district of the western Herat province on Monday, a statement of army said. "Acting upon intelligence report, the fighting aircraft targeted a Taliban vehicle in Zirkoh area of Shindand district early morning, killing seven insurgents including Mullah Ghulam Sakhi, the chief of education commission of the armed outfit, and Mullah Najibullah, the shadow governor for Shindand district on the spot," the statement said. Taliban outfit has not commented on the report. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 16:26:08|Editor: ZX Video Player Close GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-financed drug rehabilitation center in southern Philippines' Sarangani province has been completed and handed over to the local government, officials from China and the Philippines announced on Monday. The facility, called SOCCSKSARGEN Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, is located in Sarangani as the first Chinese-aid construction in the Philippines. The Chinese embassy said the center, which has a floor area of 6,707.6 square meter, can accommodate approximately 150 beds in its administration and clinic building. There is a multi-purpose covered court, dormitory building, workshop building and visitor's hall in the center undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). "It's a center of hope and new life. The completion of the center fully demonstrate that Chinese government will never let Filipinos down," said Jin Yuan, Chinese embassy's Economic and Commercial Counsellor. "Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte prioritize the economic growth and people's well-being, and China is and will always be a good neighbor, heartfelt friend, close partner of the Philippines," he said, adding that China firmly supports Duterte's effort in improving people's health. The drug rehabilitation center project, broke ground in January 2018, was initially expected to be completed within 21 months. "Thanks to the cooperation between the two countries and the hard-working of Chinese, local workers, the term shortened to nearly 11 months," said Yao Shanfa, the project director of CSCEC. According to Yao, the center will offer inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient aftercare, drug dependency examination, drug testing and counseling services for Filipinos, especially southern Philippine drug addicts after being operational by January 2019. "The construction company hired hundreds of local workers and use local equipment to ensure that residents around the province benefit from the construction of the project," Yao added. Francisco Duque, the secretary of the Philippine Department of Health, also attended the inauguration and hand-over ceremony on Monday to unveil the facility along with Chinese officials. "It is further declared that the state shall provide effective mechanism and measures to reintegrate into society the individuals who have fallen victims to drug abuse or dangerous drug dependence through a sustainable program of treatment and rehabilitation," Duque said. In October 2016, Duterte visited Beijing and reached an agreement with China on the building of drug rehabilitation centers in the Philippines. China firmly supports the Philippine government's efforts in fighting against illicit drugs and drug-related crimes. In 2017, the Chinese and Philippine governments announced that China would help to build two drug rehabilitation centers in Sarangani and Agusan del Sur in southern Philippines. The Philippine government under Duterte launched the anti-drug campaign when he assumed the presidency on June 30, 2016. According to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the country's anti-drug law enforcement authority, there are estimated 3.7 million drug addicts in the Philippines. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 16:46:15|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close PYONGYANG, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Untop leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the country's national memorial day, the Korean Central News Agency reported Monday. Kim paid homage to the statues of Kim Il Sung, his grandfather and the founder of the DPRK, and his father Kim Jong Il. He then entered the hall where the embalmed body of Kim Jong Il lies, the report said. Kim Jong Il passed away on Dec. 17, 2011, which was later marked as a national memorial day in the DPRK. Kim called on the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) to adhere to the philosophies of Kim Jong Il and fulfill their duties as Kim Jong Il's revolutionary soldiers, the report added. The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun is a building in northeast Pyongyang that serves as the mausoleum for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 17:36:21|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Damage is seen on a building in the southern suburb of Faliro in Athens, Greece, on Dec. 17, 2018. A makeshift explosive device went off early Monday at the premises of Greek media group SKAI in the southern suburb of Faliro in Athens, causing material damage but no injuries, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. (Xinhua/Lefteris Partsalis) ATHENS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A makeshift explosive device went off early Monday at the premises of Greek media group SKAI in the southern suburb of Faliro in Athens, causing material damage but no injuries, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. "This is a cowardly attack by dark forces against democracy. However, they will not achieve their goal. They will not terrorize people," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a written statement. Cabinet ministers, as well as Speaker of the Parliament Nikos Voutsis also condemned the attack in e-mailed press releases or statements to the media. "Democracy and pluralism cannot be silenced," conservative main opposition New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said when visiting SKAI headquarters. Other opposition parties released similar press statements. SKAI is one of the largest media groups in Greece. It was not the first time that SKAI group, which controls SKAI television channel, SKAI radio station and Kathimerini newspaper among others, has been targeted in terror attacks in recent years. Warning telephone calls had been made to other media outlets before the blast and the building was evacuated. This is the usual modus operandi of domestic terrorist groups to avoid casualties. Politicians, police, media and financial organizations have been targeted a number of times in similar attacks for decades in Greece which suffers from domestic terrorism. No claim of responsibility has been made. According to police sources, at least two perpetrators were involved in the attack, leaving a backpack with about five kilos of explosives at a sidewalk next to the building. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 17:41:21|Editor: ZX Video Player Close WELLINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC) is well prepared for a busy summer with more resources to respond to growing domestic and international visitor numbers, said Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage while launching a new visitor behavior campaign on Monday. The "Visit the Kiwi way -- Look after our place" campaign aims to help all visitors to understand the need to have as little impact as possible on the wild spaces and natural areas, Sage said in a statement. The campaign encourages people to travel responsibly and do the right thing with practical advice on how to behave in nature in relation to safety, littering, toileting, wildlife interactions, and drone use. About 3.9 million New Zealanders and 1.4 million overseas tourists visit the country's conservation areas at least once a year, statistics showed. In addition to enhanced and increased visitor information, DOC will be spending an extra 3.6 million NZ dollars (2.45 million U.S. dollars) this summer to maintain facilities on public conservation land. This includes cleaning toilets, dealing with toilet waste, track maintenance and compliance, Sage said. The funding will see additional rangers employed around the busiest spots, involved in visitor management while also sharing local heritage and nature-based stories and information with visitors, she said. In the past three financial years, DOC has invested more than 42.4 million NZ dollars in capital expenditure to improve visitor assets including roads, toilets, car parks, and campsites, the minister said. The campaign messages include "Give wildlife space," "Never feed our birds - even if they ask!" "Take your litter with you," "Poo in a loo," among others. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 18:16:28|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Beijing and its neighboring Hebei Province have for the first time joined hands to provide corn for wild birds that migrated to a nearby reservoir, so they can survive during periods of cold and food shortages this winter, local wildlife authorities said Monday. Guanting Reservoir, which borders Yanqing, a district of Beijing, and Huailai County in the city of Zhangjiakou, Hebei, is one of the major places that wild birds flock to in the winter in north China. Nearly 10,000 wild birds, mainly grey cranes, have been spotted taking a rest here since the beginning of winter. Due to cold weather and a large number of birds, a food shortage in the winter is inevitable, according to the Beijing Wildlife Conservation Association. As such, the association decided to partner with the provincial wildlife conservation association of Hebei and the forestry department of Huailai County to provide much-needed food for grey cranes. Based on a preliminary investigation, the departments plan to feed the birds every three weeks. The feeding frequency will change depending on the weather and the number of birds. They said that 750 kg of corn has already been distributed, and another 3,000 kg of corn will be provided in the future. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 18:16:28|Editor: ZX Video Player Close MOSUL, Iraq, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- At the first anniversary of full liberation of Iraq from Islamic State (IS) militants, many children born during the IS rule of Mosul still live without national identities, which threatens to isolate and make them vulnerable to extremist ideas. Thousands of children suffered from the chaos in Mosul when it was under control of IS militants. Many births were registered with IS papers and others refused to do so. Therefore, after the liberation, most of the registered and non-registered could not get national IDs due to administrative complexities and security reviews. Muthanna Fadhil Younis, 37 years old, a father of two daughters, had thought he was lucky for getting the old document of Iraqi health ministry when his youngest daughter was born in early months of IS rule of Mosul. The extremist group had continued using the old government's documents for registering the new births, but later changed to their own papers signed by the self-proclaimed state. "I thought I was lucky ... but later I found it was not enough. I was shocked by the complicated process of issuing a new national ID for my daughter," said Younis whose daughter Asil was born in early 2015, just months after IS groups seized Mosul. "The birth of a child during the period of Daesh (IS group) is a big problem, because people realized that the existence of IS document would create difficulties and security review that would take a lot of time," Younis said. "After the liberation, I've tried to get an ID for my 3-year-old daughter but it wasn't easy as a lot of people take long and complicated procedures at the ID office and intelligence service, so I have to try many times while I have to work for the living of my family," said Younis, working as a wireman and lives with his family in a small rented house in the eastern side of Mosul. "I call on the government to simplify the procedures of issuing new IDs for children. Without IDs, they can't join schools, and then will be easy prey to extremism and terrorism," Younis said. Ahmed Fat'hi, another citizen in Mosul, has similar problems as he got married in 2013 before the fall of Mosul to IS group, but he didn't update his and his wife's IDs from "single" to "married" because of the unrest. After the fall of Mosul, they had children without IDs while their IDs remain registered as "single". After Mosul's liberation, Fat'hi and his family could not get new IDs because he has to go through long and expensive procedures. "They (government employees) also asked me to show my mother's ID, who was killed by a huge blast during the battles, and asked me instead to issue a death certificate for her by proving the existence of her tomb. But her body was gone by the blast and has no tomb," Fat'hi said. With anger, Fat'hi blamed the complicated procedures and finally abandoned the idea of issuing new IDs for his family members, which threatens his children's future as they are not Iraqi citizens' yet. Fat'hi said that he didn't register the births of his children in the hospital which were under control of IS militants, because he believed that the militants would soon be dislodged from the city. "I never thought of registering my children in hospitals controlled by IS militants, in order to avoid interrogations by the security forces after liberation," Fat'hi added. Yasir Noor al-Din, who was sitting in front of his badly damaged house in the old city of Mosul, told Xinhua "we've got fed up with the complexities of our children's IDs, just to prove that they are our sons." He said that the problem affects their children, marriage documents, death certificates and other documents issued under IS rule. Many people of the old city in western Mosul lost their official documents, either taken by IS militants who used them to escape the troops' checkpoints, or lost by the devastation of their houses. "Many people are suffering from such problem, especially in the badly damaged neighborhoods in Mosul," the Noor al-Din concluded. Sukaina Mohammed, head of women and child office in Nineveh's provincial government, told Xinhua that the three years under IS control made changes to Mosul society and security review is important. "Legal and security procedures are necessary, as many women claimed that their husbands went missing or dead, but no one said that some of the deaths were Daesh members. Some women were married to foreigner from Daesh organization," she said. "There are solutions for such problems, but three years of Daesh rule made the solutions difficult. A large number of people and various kinds of problem made the security review very difficult. It needs longer time," she added. Abdullah al-Jubouri, a security expert, told Xinhua that there are two kinds of children born under IS rule. Firstly, those whose fathers were either killed or escaped the city and some of them are foreigners. This kind of children don't get national IDs only in limited cases according to the Iraqi law. Secondly, children born under IS rule and have IDs organized and stamped by IS group. The problem of this kind can be solved by collecting intelligence information. "We have to sort out those who are Daesh members, cooperatives or normal citizens. That's why it takes long time to issue national IDs for them," Jubouri said. However, Jubouri warned that those children of IS militants will constitute a danger in the future. "Without IDs, children of Daesh members will be deprived of access to education and all health and social services, and that would isolate them and let them feel that they do not belong to any country, making them vulnerable to the influence of the terrorist organizations," Jubouri said. Jubouri recommended formation of committees from various departments to carry out a program that would rehabilitate those children and their family members to immunize them from ideological deviation. "Those children have done nothing wrong to have fathers being Daesh militants. The children are victims and we must help them to integrate into the society and not leave them to be exploited by the terrorist groups," Jubouri concluded. In June 2014, the IS group took control of large swathes of territories in western and northern Iraq, about 40 percent of the country's land at its peak. However, the Iraqi forces, backed by tens of thousands of volunteers, known as Hashd Shaabi paramilitary units, as well as the U.S.-led air support, managed to dislodge IS militants from their strongholds across the country. On Dec. 9, 2017, former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 18:26:30|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ISTANBUL, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish prosecutors on Monday issued detention warrants for at least 47 suspects, including serving soldiers, over their alleged links to a group believed to be behind a failed coup in 2016. Police launched simultaneous operations in 14 provinces and northern Cyprus to catch a total of 27 suspects on the orders of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the northwestern province of Balikesir, the Hurriyet daily said. Some soldiers serving in the Turkish armed forces were targeted as well in the operations, the report said. Additionally, police are hunting 20 military personnel in a separate operation ordered by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the northwestern province of Canakkale, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The suspects have allegedly contacted via pay phone with the network headed by U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen. The Turkish government blames Gulen and his network for masterminding the coup bid in July 2016, in which 250 people were killed, and has been pushing for his extradition. Ankara has been tightening operations against suspects linked to the Gulen movement. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 18:31:31|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close People inspect the damaged building after Israeli soldiers destroyed the house of Ashraf Naalwa at Shweikeh neighborhood in Tulkarem in West Bank, Dec. 17, 2018. Israeli soldiers destroyed on Monday the house of Ashraf Naalwa, who was recently killed by Israeli soldiers after being accused of killing two settlers in the West Bank two months ago. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh) TULKAREM, West Bank, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli soldiers destroyed on Monday the house of Ashraf Naalwa, who was recently killed by Israeli soldiers after being accused of killing two settlers in the West Bank two months ago. Witnesses said that the army used a bulldozer to knock down the walls of the first floor of the Naalwa's three-storey house, located in the Shweikeh neighborhood in Tulkarem in West Bank, based on a decision of an Israeli court. The army started the operation at 3 a.m. local time and ended at 9 a.m. Clashes broke out during the entry of the army to the neighborhood. The residents threw stones at the Israeli soldiers, while the army responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets, causing several minor injuries, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Neighbors of the house were also evacuated as the area was declared a closed military zone. The Ministry of Education has called off schools in the neighborhood. Israel plans to demolish more Palestinian homes in the coming days as promised by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel usually allows the demolition of homes of those it accuses of attacking Israelis. According to Israeli rights group Btselem, "demolishing homes as a form of collective punishment is one of the most extreme measures that Israel has employed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the occupation began in 1967." Israeli security bodies have repeatedly defended the policy as a deterrent measure, however, legal experts say it is a retaliatory move which breaches the international law. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 18:31:31|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States army said Monday it conducted a total of six airstrikes over the weekend, killing 62 al-Shabab militants in a region southwest of the capital, Mogadishu. The U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said no civilian was killed in the latest strikes which were carried out on Saturday and Sunday in coordination with Somali government in the vicinity of Gandarshe, about 48 km southwest of Mogadishu. Africom said its special forces conducted four airstrikes targeting al-Shabab militants in Gandarshe on Saturday where 34 militants were killed while 28 other militants were killed during two strikes carried out on Sunday in the same location. Gandarshe is a small coastal village between Mogadishu and Marka that has been used by al-Shabab to launch attacks in Mogadishu since the terrorist group was ousted from their strongholds in Mogadishu in 2011. Africom said on Saturday that its special forces conducted an airstrike in Gandarshe on Saturday, killing eight al-Shabab terrorists. The U.S. army said these airstrikes were conducted to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven "to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks." Africom, which has in the past conducted counterterrorism airstrikes against the terror group in Somalia, said the group uses portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 18:41:32|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Lyu Qiuping MONTEREY, United States, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- After doctors checked on him and a nurse gave him an infusion, Mike, a 65-year-old stroke patient, moved from his bed to a wheelchair. Mike, whose real name was not revealed for privacy, would mostly sit quietly away another dull day at the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) in Monterey, California, until Cody came in. "He's cute," Mike struggled with his first words in the entire morning, petting Cody with his left hand and smiling a little. Cody is a therapy dog. Therapy dogs are the stars when their handlers take them on visits to schools, hospitals or nursing homes. They provide both physical and mental nourishment, doing more than merely accompanying. TREATMENT Cody, a 13-year-old Bichon Frise, has completed more than 700 hours of visits at the hospital and a local nursing home in Monterey over the past 12 years. The youngest patient he has visited was a three-year-old boy from Spain who was hospitalized in 2014, said Julianne Craig, Cody's owner and the coordinator of the CHOMP therapy dog program. Without disclosing the Spanish boy's conditions, Craig recalled he was too sick to be willing to talk. "The boy was lying there, and you could tell he was seriously ill, very sad." Craig placed Cody on bed next to the toddler. To cheer up the boy, Craig guided Cody to do some tricks. Cody did a hula dance, spinning around with his front paws up in the air. But he wobbled around due to the lumpy bedding, and watching this, the little boy sat up and started talking in Spanish, laughing. "This was one of our most touching experiences. I can still remember his happy face," Craig said. CHOMP started offering free dog therapy services in 1999 and now has over 30 dog teams. Among them is a three-legged Chihuahua, who is particularly welcomed by those with amputations. "She couldn't be more perfect for the job as she tends to evoke empathy," Craig said. Therapy dogs have shown up at multiple public spaces, consoling vulnerable or anxious people. A group of 13 therapy dogs visited the Squirrel Hill neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to comfort the community, the day after a mass shooting killed 11 people there in late October. Therapy dogs also have their days in Kent County courts, Michigan, to be with children and vulnerable adults testifying or talking with prosecutors. Katherine McKee, a therapist, said dog therapy helps lower blood pressure and release endorphins that have a calming effect, and therefore, lessen the onslaught of depression. Interacting with puppies also reduces feelings of isolation, alienation, and anxiety, she said. McKee is the clinical director of College Living Experience (CLE), an organization that provides transitional support for young adults with learning differences and various other exceptionalities. Her golden retriever Joy is a therapy dog at CLE. McKee remembered how Joy comforted a student who refused to talk or even cry after losing her grandmother. "By petting and cuddling with Joy, the student finally let out her feelings and managed to process her grief," said McKee. Data show nearly 10,000 therapy dogs are registered at Pet Partners, the largest non-profit organization registering therapy dogs and other therapy animals in the United States. TRAINING A dog has to be properly trained before being registered as a therapy dog. Ratna Anagol, a certified dog trainer, has trained more than 100 dogs that have passed the therapy dog certification at her training facility in Pacific Grove, California, over the past seven years. "They'd better start training as puppies, or no older than 16 weeks," she said, adding that a certified therapy dog has to be at least one year old. According to Anagol, dogs of any breed can serve as therapy dogs, but golden retrievers, golden poodles, Samoyed and Bernese are among the most easily-trained breeds. According to register organization Therapy Dog International (TDI), a dog has to pass 13 test items, including getting around people, resisting food temptation and reacting to unusual situations, for certification. RISKS Despite their apparent treatment effect, therapy dogs sometimes may pose a threat to human health. For example, a research study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, showed that kids who spend more time with therapy dogs are more likely to be infected with the superbug bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In CHOMP, as part of the measures to protect people from additional health threats from therapy dogs, the hospital requires handlers to present evidence of dog vaccinations, such as against rabies, and DHPP, a combination vaccine targeting four different viruses, said Brenda Moore, a communication staffer. Dogs are prohibited from entering some hospital sections, including the intensive care unit, the infusion center, and the surgical areas. Dog handlers need to prove they are healthy, too. CHOMP also offers free flu shots and other vaccinations to therapy dog handlers. "Frequent visits to patients are more likely to expose ourselves to viruses and sicknesses, too," said Craig, emphasizing the significance of the preventions. While acknowledging the dog therapy effect, Mario Ruiz, director of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit of CHOMP, said that for example, the presence of Cody helped reduce Mike's anxiety and loneliness in the hospital. "A hospital is not a fancy place, and patients will feel comforted by petting dogs and interacting with them," said Ruiz. He also said Mike petting Cody with his stroke-affected right hand was a good form of exercise. Mike has to stay in the hospital for another week before going home. After Cody left, Ruiz said, "I hope he can come to visit again soon." Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 18:51:34|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close by Raimundo Urrechaga HAVANA, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's reform and opening-up provides inspiration for the world in how to improve lives of hundreds of millions, according to a renowned Cuban political observer. China's reform and opening-up, launched in 1978, represents the "most significant and far-reaching process" any country has ever undertaken, Jose Luis Robaina, a researcher at Cuba's Center for International Policy (CIPI), told Xinhua. Impressed with the significant changes in China in the four decades, Robaina, who lived in Beijing when the process kicked off, referred to the reform and opening-up as "something that has no equal in any nation in history." "Today it is the world's second-largest economy and the leading trade partner for many countries in Latin America, Africa and Europe," he said. Spearheaded by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, the policy represented a "significant step" in improving people's quality of life through "ambitious economic development." The reforms that opened up opportunities for foreign investment have been a tremendous success and have yielded significant results, said Robaina. As China's economic influence grew around the world so did its political influence, the observer said, adding that China has become one of the principal political players in the world. According to Robaina, China's continuing efforts to expand its reform and opening-up promise to help it achieve more. The goal of eradicating absolute poverty by 2020 is an important part of this process, which would lead to a "true milestone" in the country's development, said Robaina. Noting that "getting (people) out of poverty is a very important, praiseworthy, meritorious first step," he said that "it is necessary to keep evolving so the Chinese people could attain what they call a modestly prosperous society." Further opening up China's economy on the basis of reciprocity benefits all participants in the international arena, Robaina said. "I look to China's future with great optimism." Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 18:51:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The ministers from the six Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) countries underlined here on Monday the vital need of maintaining an open world economy and upholding the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core. In a joint press communique released after the conclusion of "the 4th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting," the ministers from China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam reaffirmed that the LMC will be based on the principles of consensus, equality, mutual consultation and coordination, voluntarism, common contribution and shared benefits. They also reiterated respect for the United Nations charters and international laws, and in the spirit of friendship, openness and inclusiveness. The ministers agreed to promote the synergy of national development strategies, bring into full play resource endowment and competitive advantage, promote rational flow and optimal allocation of production factors, and start discussion on concretization of jointly building a LMC Economic Development Belt for mutual benefit and shared prosperity, the communique said. According to the communique, the ministers agreed to conduct high-quality production capacity cooperation and speed up the formulation of cooperation plan on connectivity among the Lancang-Mekong countries and development plans of cross-border economic and production capacity cooperation. The ministers expressed the readiness to work together for the complete success and positive outcomes of the fifth LMC foreign ministers' meeting to be held in December 2019 in China and the third LMC leaders' meeting in January 2020 in Laos. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 19:01:37|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close WELLINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand-based Rocket Lab has successfully launched NASA CubeSats to orbit on first ever Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) mission. Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle successfully lifted off on Sunday from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. By 56 minutes into the mission, the 13 satellites on board were individually deployed to their precise, designated orbits, a Rocket Lab statement said on Monday. Until now, launch opportunities for small satellites have mostly been limited to rideshare-type arrangements, flying only when space is available on large launch vehicles. This mission, awarded under NASA's VCLS agreement, marked the first time NASA CubeSats received a dedicated ride to orbit on a commercial launch vehicle, the statement said. The mission, designated Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-19, took place just over a month after Rocket Lab's last successful orbital launch. It has launched a total of 24 satellites to orbit in 2018, according to the company. Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said the ELaNa-19 mission represents a forward-thinking approach from NASA to acquiring launch services and recognizes the increasingly significant role small satellites are playing in exploration, technology demonstration, research and education. "The ELaNa-19 mission was a significant one for NASA, the Rocket Lab team and the small satellite industry overall," Beck said, adding, "To launch two missions just five weeks apart, and in the first year of orbital flights, is unprecedented. It's exactly what the small satellite industry desperately needs, and Rocket Lab is proud to be delivering it." The next Rocket Lab Electron vehicle will be on the pad at Launch Complex 1 in January 2019. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 19:01:37|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at the 4th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Luang Prabang, Laos, Dec. 17, 2018. Senior officials from China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam agreed here Monday to deepen cooperation under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in the sub-region. At the "4th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Minister's Meeting," the ministers decided to promote greater cooperation in new areas and new initiatives for mutual benefit and shared prosperity, featured with high-quality production capacity cooperation and the building of the LMC Economic Development Belt. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith co-chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. (Xinhua/Li Gang) LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials from China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam agreed here Monday to deepen cooperation under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in the sub-region. At the "4th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Minister's Meeting," the ministers decided to promote greater cooperation in new areas and new initiatives for mutual benefit and shared prosperity, featured with high-quality production capacity cooperation and the building of the LMC Economic Development Belt. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith co-chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. The LMC has seen rapid development and positive outcomes, heading into a fast-growing period. It has added momentum for China-ASEAN cooperation and made the relations between the regional countries even better, said Wang. As international rules are being threatened by unilateralism and protectionism, Wang underlined the need for the six countries to deepen partnership to jointly build the LMC Economic Development Belt, promote high-quality production capacity cooperation and foster new growth areas to promote sustainable development and prosperity in the sub-region. Hailing China as the closest friend and partner of Mekong River countries, the ministers expressed appreciation and gratitude to China for its contribution, especially through the LMC framework to enhance economic integration. The ministers agreed to continue to synergize LMC development with the development strategies of each country, strengthen infrastructure construction and sub-regional connectivity, while exploring cooperation opportunities of improving production capacity and promoting inter-regional cooperation. The six countries along the Mekong (known as Lancang in the Chinese stretch), namely China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, officially started the LMC process in March 2016. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 19:21:39|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ANKARA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish government has granted citizenship to a total of 72,000 Syrian refugees, Hurriyet daily reported on Monday. Turkey issued citizenship to 36,000 Syrian adults and 36,000 children, said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu addressing lawmakers at the parliament. Some 380,000 Syrian refugee babies were born in Turkey, the minister said, expressing his individual wish to issue them citizenship as well. "That will be the biggest investment in our brothership for another century," he stated. A total of 28,000 of them had the right to use vote in June 24 elections and 36,000 Syrian refugees are now eligible to cast votes in upcoming local elections in March 2019, he added. Turkey has been hosting a large number of refugees since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The number of registered Syrian refugees in October stood at 3.59 million, according to the UN refugee agency. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 19:26:42|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ROME, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Six people died in a head-on collision between two cars after one of them drove the wrong way on a state road junction in northern Italy, Italian news agency ANSA reported early on Monday. The fatal crash, in which both cars caught fire, occurred Sunday night in the Valtellina area near the city of Sondrio in the northern Lombardy region, close to the border with Switzerland. According to photos and video of the scene released by local media, firefighters and police were standing among several covered-up bodies lying on the asphalt road near two crushed and charred cars. The victims, one driving a Fiat Panda and the other five aboard a Fiat 500X, were two women and four men aged 20-52. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 19:26:43|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia filed criminal charges on Monday against Goldman Sachs and two former executives over state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal. In a statement, Malaysian Attorney General Tommy Thomas said Goldman Sachs and its former bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng are were charged under Malaysian laws over their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud the Malaysian government. "The charges arise from the commission and abetment of false or misleading statements by all the accused in order to dishonestly misappropriate 2.7 billion U.S. dollars from the proceeds of three bonds issued by the subsidiaries of 1MDB, which were arranged and underwritten by Goldman Sachs," Thomas said. Leissner had previously pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiring to steal money from 1MDB. Ng was arrested in Malaysia and is pending extradition to the United States. The two former Goldman Sachs bankers conspired with Malaysian businessman Jho Taek Low or Jho Low and former general counsel of 1MDB Jasmine Loo, who were also charged, to bribe Malaysian public officials to procure the participation of the bank in issuing the bonds, according to the statement. "Goldman Sachs benefited by receiving underwriting and arranging fees of approximately 600 million U.S. dollars which was several times higher than the prevailing market rates and industry norms," said Thomas. Tommy added that the scheme was designed to seem legitimate to defraud the Malaysian government and the purchasers of the bonds, but the accused had knowingly "misappropriated and fraudulently diverted" funds. He also said Malaysian prosecutors will seek fines against Goldman Sachs and the accused individuals in excess of the 2.7 billion U.S. dollars allegedly misappropriated plus an additional 600 million U.S. dollars in fees that Goldman received for its work on the deals. According to the charge sheets filed in a Kuala Lumpur court, the primary target is Goldman Sachs International (UK) which had arranged the sale of the three bonds with two being issued in 2012 and one in 2013. Goldman Sachs had been reported as saying it believed the charges were "misdirected' and said it looked forward to presenting its case while reassuring that it would cooperate with all authorities on the matter. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 19:36:44|Editor: ZX Video Player Close HEFEI, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Wherever Pan Liyue goes, she never lets her smartphone out of her sight. When a new message comes in, she picks up her phone, unlocks the screen, opens WeChat and replies to the message quickly. Pan, 37, is from Xiaogang Village in east China's Anhui Province. Three years ago, her husband became comatose after a construction accident. The burden of the whole family suddenly fell upon Pan's shoulder. Besides taking care of her husband 24 hours a day, she also has three children to raise, leaving her no time to work. An online shop that opened in August has rekindled the passion and hope in her. Xiaogang village became well-known in 1978 after 18 of its farmers made a secret pact to resist the country's egalitarian agricultural system. With the land contracted to each household, the villagers only needed to hand a certain percentage of their produce to the government and were able to keep the rest of the harvest. Farmers showed great enthusiasm in carrying out intensive farming after they were allowed to own their own fields -- commonly through a collective, the village affairs committee. Forty years later, the local government has sought another way to mobilize the initiative of its villagers, by helping them open their own online shops. The rural empowerment project, launched jointly by the government and e-commerce platforms, aims to empower farmers with branding and marketing. Anyone in Xiaogang can apply for an online space for free and receive free training. "So far, all of the households have opened their own shops. Tourists and passersby can scan the QR codes at their front doors and place orders," said Shen Renlong, chief of the village committee of the Communist Party of China. At the village's product display center, the locally produced rice, black peanuts and sweet potato starch noodles are delicately packed and exhibited along with drinks, liquor, quilts and handicrafts with local features. Entrusted by the government, the e-commerce platforms are responsible for quality control, production, delivery and after-sales service of the products. The main task of the farmers is publicizing the products on their own social accounts, answering potential customers' questions and maintaining their e-shops. Pan sells more than 100 products in her shop, and she knows each and every one of them well. "How convenient it is to just move your fingers on the phone to run a shop without leaving your home," she said. Though the income is still limited so far, she takes care of every customer with sincerity. "An order placed always brings me a sense of achievement," she said. Shen said because of the recent tourist boom, the village received nearly 800,000 tourists last year. Incoming people push up the sales. It has become trendy among tourists to scan QR codes to have some local specialties delivered to their homes in addition to sightseeing and having a taste of the local cuisine. Yan jinchang is one of the 18 farmers who signed the secret pact 40 years ago. He now lives with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren under the same roof. His family members opened a home-based restaurant, which can accommodate more than 100 diners simultaneously. At the entrance of the restaurant, a huge poster with QR code stands out to catch the customers' attention. "Anyone who is interested in the products displayed in the restaurant, or likes the taste of the farm produce, can scan and buy them," Yan said. Pan said her revenue has climbed to 16,000 yuan (about 2,300 U.S. dollars) since the opening of the e-shop. "I earned a total commission of nearly 900 yuan as of the end of last month," she said. She always adds her customers as friends on WeChat if possible. "Even though unfortunate circumstances fell on my family, I still need to face life actively and be grateful." Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 19:51:48|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's reform and opening-up that started 40 years ago was the start of its endeavor to achieve common development as well as closer ties with the rest of the world. What China could do to serve the world formed part of the deliberations when the reforms were still being discussed. In October 1977, then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping told foreign guests that only when China changed its backwardness would it be able to make greater contributions to mankind. OPEN DOOR FOR COMMON DEVELOPMENT Senior U.S. diplomat Charles W. Freeman Jr. was immediately aware of a "revolution" underway in China in the summer of 1979 when hearing the words "sole proprietor" from a Beijing street vendor from whom he bought a bowl of noodles. He predicted China's rapid rise when he was back in Washington. However, he said he had underestimated the consequent changes in China. Actually, no one could foresee in December 1978 when China launched its reform and opening-up that the country's sole proprietors would have increased by over 500 times and privately-owned enterprises by 338 times. With an annual average growth of 9.5 percent, China now makes up around 15 percent of the global economy, up from 1.8 percent. Now every part of its identity, such as being the world's second-largest economy, or largest trading country in goods, shows that the once poor, populous Asian nation has become a driving force in global development and progress, with enormous contributions and influence thanks to the "China Miracle." The reform and opening-up launched the modernization of China and has changed the whole world, said three-term Spanish Ambassador to China Eugenio Bregolat Obiols. Poverty alleviation is an important episode in China's success story, said United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner. "The achievement China made is outstanding in both scale and time. No other country has done it before," he said about China lifting some 700 million people out of poverty and contributing over 70 percent to global poverty reduction. Both China and the world benefit from the efforts, said former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in late November, while praising China's reform and opening-up for having brought about incredible achievements. Currently, the world's future common development is taking shape partly with China's shift to high-quality growth in its new round of reform and opening-up, a growth based on innovation, coordination, green development, openness and sharing. NEW PATH OF COOPERATION AMID CHALLENGES South Asia's island state Maldives opened its first cross-sea bridge to traffic in August 2018. The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge in the Indian Ocean is a Belt and Road flagship project. In regions beyond, plenty of similar projects are forging closer bonds between countries and peoples while substantiating win-win cooperation marked by mutual benefit. The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has evolved into the largest platform for international cooperation five years after its launch, epitomizing China's thinking concerning development, diplomacy, global vision and international responsibility -- a sum total of the four decades of the country's reform and opening-up. The reform efforts also helped China develop its answer to a frequently asked question in the West: Does the awakened lion in the East bring opportunities or harbor threats for the world? The Chinese answer features a commitment to the path of peaceful development and breaking away from the old Western mindset of power resulting in hegemony, and a strong political will to seek shared benefits through consultation and collaboration. China aims for a new type of international relations as well as a common community with a shared future for mankind. Aftab Siddiqui, founder of Britain's China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Working Group, said China's increasingly deep involvement in international affairs over the years has helped it exert global influence, in addition to setting an example in terms of its peaceful approach, which pursues consensus while objecting to interference in other country's internal affairs. Amid new challenges stemming from a changing world, China has never stopped seeking solutions. Among them was the conclusion that peace and development are both major global trends or the vision of a common community with a shared future for mankind. The past was a testament to China's growth reinforcing the promotion of global peace and development. China's approach of aligning the country's interests with the rest of the world's is a bid to build a more inclusive, democratic, open, innovative, and efficient multilateral world, the Spanish foreign policy magazine Politica Exterior has said, and is inspiring an increasing number of people worldwide. MUTUAL LEARNING, CONNECTIVITY The International Free Trade Zone in Djibouti takes up an area about a tenth of the coastal country in Northeast Africa. It is being co-built with Chinese enterprises. The billboard at the entry reads "Time is Money" and "Efficiency is Life," the same slogans that were once popular in China. The aim is to build a sea transport, financial and trade center in East Africa. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said, "Understanding the path China traveled, historical decisions made, and their effects on the course of China's economy can inform decision-makers hoping to achieve similar outcomes in their countries and for their populations." China's development path offers "an option other than the Western modes," said Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore. "Importing no foreign mode while exporting no Chinese mode -- this is itself something globally significant," he added. China's "journey" has repeatedly demonstrated that all roads lead to modernization and that globalization is no Westernization. As the old saying goes, the feet know where the shoes bite, i.e. every country should determine its own development path based on history, reality and the experiences of civilizations. Martin Jacques, a professor at Cambridge University, noticed a need for Western countries to learn more, saying China, with its new perception of socialism, has offered the world "a new example" and "a new possibility." The past four decades of China's reform and opening-up have seen common development and progress in its in-depth interactions with the world. The process also testifies to China's confidence and capability to promote global growth and to contribute to a better tomorrow for mankind. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 20:01:53|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ZAGREB, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Croatia will almost double the quota for foreign workers in 2019, daily Vecernji list reported on Monday. According to the government plan that should be finalized by the end of the month, the state will issue 63,600 work permits for foreign nationals next year. The overall annual quota for foreign workers in Croatia for 2018 is 38,769. For the first time, the daily reported, Croatia will import 200 foreign nurses and medical technicians. Since Croatia joined the European Union in 2013, around 1,000 nurses have left the country for a better working opportunity in the western and northern Europe. Croatia is facing a labor shortage in many sectors. Workers are most wanted in the construction industry, tourism, and hospitality. Croatian Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli announced last week that the quota for foreign workers in tourism will be increased by several thousand next year. The worker's unions in Croatia are not happy with the government's plan. "The competitiveness of the Croatian economy cannot be built on a low paid labor," Kresimir Sever, president of the Independent Croatian Unions told Vecernji list. The Croatian government decided in November to raise the minimum monthly net wage in the country from 2,751 kuna (about 420 U.S. dollars) to 3,000 kuna (about 460 U.S. dollars). It is one of the government's measures to prevent people from leaving the country. It is estimated that at least 250,000 Croatians have left the southeastern European country within the last five years. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 20:06:54|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close SHEBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Militants affiliated with the Taliban have kidnapped two local government officials in Afghanistan's northern Jawzjan province, an official said Monday. "Taliban group kidnapped executive manager of Muradian district and one of his colleagues in an area along the way between Muradian and Aqcha districts, late on Sunday and taken them to unknown place," Kamaludin Yawar, a provincial police official, told Xinhua. Police started investigation into the case, the official said, adding that efforts are underway to ensure the safe release of the abductees. Taliban militants are yet to claim responsibility. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 20:21:56|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The new Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, pledged Monday continued United Nations support for Iraq in its post-conflict recovery. "I am delighted to be here in Baghdad and ready. We will continue our efforts in support of Iraq as the country recovers from the fight against terrorism and looks towards a brighter future," a statement by UN mission to Iraq quoted Plasschaert as saying. "It is my intention to make the wellbeing of the Iraqis a top priority, and work towards that goal in the security, humanitarian, political, economic and development fields," she said. Also on Monday, the Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim received Plasschaert at his office on the occasion of starting her tenure in Iraq, a statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said. Al-Hakim congratulated Plasschaert for assuming the new post in Iraq and expressed "his hope for further cooperation with the United Nations in all areas, particularly in support of displaced people and projects of supporting women and children and other topics that support the Iraqi government and society." For her part, Plasschaert, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), thanked the Iraqi minister for the cooperation and coordination with UNAMI, confirming the continued support of the United Nations for Iraq in all fields to contribute to its lasting stability, according to the statement. Plasschaert, 45, a Dutch politician and diplomat, brings over 20 years of political and diplomatic experience, having served in several high-level government and parliamentary positions. She served as a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2010, and was also Minister of Defense of the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Hennis-Plasschaert on Aug. 31, 2018 as his Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the UNAMI to succeed Jan Kubis who has served in the post for almost four years. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 20:26:57|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HARARE, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in a collision Sunday involving two commuter buses along the Harare-Nyamapanda highway has risen to 14, Zimbabwe police said on Monday. The head-on collision occurred 49 km from Harare along the highway to Mozambique, and 12 people died on the spot while two others died later in hospital, police commanding officer for Murehwa District Frank Masuka told state broadcaster ZBC. An infant and two older children were among the deceased, Masuka said. At least 12 people are listed as in critical condition while 17 other survivors are in stable condition, according to the ZBC. Zimbabwe has experienced a spate of road accidents in recent weeks, with a total of 103 people having so far died in four major accidents in the past month. Police have blamed most of the accidents on speeding. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 21:14:41|Editor: ZX Video Player Close The upper part of the combo photo taken in 1981 shows Wang Shungao at a heat and power plant in Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province. The lower part of the combo photo taken on Dec. 13, 2018 shows Wang Shungao at a construction site in Luohu District of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. The 55-year-old Wang Shungao came from Wangtan Village of Mazhai Town, east China's Zhejiang Province. He went to Shenzhen in 1982 to build Guomao Mansion, Shenzhen Grand Theater and many other landmark buildings. He met his love at work and decided to stay here. He used to be a carpenter and an electrician, and now he is the security officer at construction site. Migrant workers have contributed their strengths and talents to the development of cities in the past 40 years of China's reform and opening-up. They worked very hard to improve their professional skills and thus change their life. At the same time, the cities they worked in have also accepted them as citizens and rewarded them in various ways. (Xinhua/Ma Ping) Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 20:57:01|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and 40 others injured in a road accident which happened in Daman district of southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Monday, a police official said on condition of anonymity. A passenger bus collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction Monday afternoon, leaving more than 40 dead and injured, he said. Qayum Pukhla, the head of provincial health department in Kandahar city, confirmed that three dead bodies and 40 injured persons including women and children had been taken to hospital, with some in critical condition. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 21:52:07|Editor: ZX Video Player Close KUNMING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Global food giant Nestle's coffee center and Yunnan Agricultural University signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to improve coffee plants in the city of Pu'er in southwest China's Yunnan Province. The move will improve the yield of coffee and the quality of coffee beans, as well as to reinforce the Yunnan coffee industry's competitiveness and sustainable development. Nestle said it would purchase around 10,000 tonnes of coffee beans in Pu'er between 2018 and 2019, the largest coffee plantation center in Yunnan. Nestle will also transplant new coffee plant varieties to different places in Yunnan to find out the best variety in six years or longer, according to Wang Hai, general manager of the coffee center, which started operation in Pu'er in 2016. "The cooperation between Nestle and the university will combine international and indigenous technology to raise Yunnan coffee's prestige in global markets, and benefit more local coffee growers," said Lu Han, head of Pu'er municipal coffee and tea industry bureau. Located in the global golden growth zone of Arabica coffee beans, Pu'er has 52,600 hectares of coffee plantation areas and an annual trading volume of 100,000 tonnes of coffee. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:02:09|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MADRID, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two suspected extremist sympathizers were detained on Monday in separate operations in different parts of Spain, the Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed. The Mossos D'Esquadra (Catalan regional police) detained a man named Khalia Makran who is of Dutch origin, in an operation close to the city of Tarragona (northeast Spain). The police had been looking for Makran following the discovery of pro-extremist messages he had painted on the wall of the hotel bedroom where he had been staying at the nearby town of Vilaseca. The second arrest took place in the town of Vitoria, northern Spain, with the detainee described as a 36-year-old Algerian man who is suspected of working to recruit for the Islamic State (IS). The suspect used his position as president of a cultural association to distribute extremist propaganda. The Interior Ministry said that he had told associates it was "very easy" to make home-made bombs and he had been attempting to recruit fighters. The ministry added that he had previously shown a "violent attitude" towards the police, on one occasion waving a knife and shouting "I am going to kill policemen," and on another "attempting to assault" a pair of police officers on duty. Spain has been on a level 4 of alert (on a scale of 1 to 5) against a possible terror attack since 2015. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:07:10|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close CAIRO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Arab Parliament (AP) called here on Monday on the U.S. Senate not to interfere in Saudi Arabia's internal affairs and to respect the kingdom's sovereignty. The AP expressed its rejection for the U.S. Senate's resolution that contradicts with the principle of respect for states' sovereignty and non-interference in their internal affairs, said Mishaal bin Fahm al Salami, chairman of the AP. The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to end military support for the war in Yemen and blamed Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia on Monday slammed that U.S. Senate's resolutions were based on unsubstantiated claims, warning that the kingdom would not tolerate any "disrespect" of its rulers. "The U.S. Senate sent the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-U.S. relationship," Saudi Foreign Ministry said. "The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the U.S. to avoid any significant negative impact on this important strategic relationship," the ministry added. The AP affirmed solidarity with the kingdom and rejection of any attempts to undermine or threaten Riyadh's stability, either through the practice of extortion, exercising political pressures, or repeating false allegations. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:12:10|Editor: ZX Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Liu Xinyong, Fang Dong and Cheng Yunjie BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- With the first pile driven into the foundation in Shanghai, Baosteel broke ground on Dec. 23, 1978, just one day after the Communist Party of China (CPC) closed its epoch-making meeting that ushered in the era of reform and opening-up. "As a college student back then, I clearly remember a celebration was held in Beijing for China's annual steel output exceeding 30 million tonnes for the first time," said Chen Derong, who majored in steelmaking in 1978 and this year became the chairman of China Baowu Steel Group, Baosteel's parent company. Last year, China produced over 830 million tonnes of steel amid the country's resolute steps to cut excess production capacity to raise the industry's product quality and competitiveness. "This year, the output could exceed 900 million tonnes," Chen said. The exponential growth in the steel industry not only bolstered China's galloping economic growth but also epitomized the new wonders in human history brought about by the reform and opening-up. UNPRECEDENTED FEATS China's brisk economic growth over the past decades is undoubtedly one of the country's most stunning feats. Compared with global growth, China's economy was in the fast lane between 1978 and 2017, expanding at an average annual rate of 9.5 percent, outpacing annual global growth at about 2.9 percent in the same period. Reform and opening-up have "produced the greatest economic achievement in human history," said John Ross, a researcher with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. Back in 1992, the researcher predicted that China's economic reform would produce rapid economic growth. Ross even launched a website to share his observations on China-related issues. China's growth rate over the past decades was "the fastest growth ever experienced by a major economy in the whole human history," Ross said. The view was shared by Shanghai-based researcher Song Luzheng, who said achieving the fast growth was only one of China's "unprecedented miracles in human history," with others being the largest economic and social transformation, and "the largest industrialization at a fast pace," amid the country's peaceful rise. To make the economy more balanced and sustainable, the country has continued to optimize its economic structure toward a growth model driven more by consumer spending, innovation and services while weaning it off over-reliance on exports and investment. Another remarkable achievement was poverty reduction, Ross said, pointing out that China's commitment to lifting all its rural poor out of poverty by 2020 "carries great significance for China and even the whole world." The World Bank data showed that China lifted 853 million people out of poverty from 1981 to 2013, accounting for more than 70 percent of the world's total poverty reduction figure, which Ross described as "an overwhelming contribution to world poverty relief." Through its reform and opening-up and massive poverty relief efforts, China has found a poverty alleviation path with its own characteristics, offering "Chinese experience" for the poverty relief of other countries, according to a document released in November after a meeting held by the Chinese government and the World Bank. CHINESE LOGIC There are several factors behind China's economic and social marvels. Tu Xinquan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said the most important reason behind China's economic and social marvels is the leadership of the CPC. With the landmark decision to start the reform and opening-up, the CPC was able to bring the nation's development back on the right track, which needed political courage and wisdom, Tu added. Tu also attributed the stunning progress to Chinese people being both industrious and frugal, which allows the people to create and accumulate wealth. "Meanwhile, the favorable conditions created by the reform and opening-up gave full play to such traits of the people," Tu said. Song Luzheng also mentioned factors including a large and educated workforce, a high savings ratio, as well as the country's distinctive political system that allows it to push reforms in the long-term interests of the nation and the people. The miracles the country attained in past decades are unparalleled compared with the history of Western modernization. "The biggest difference between the modernization paths of China and Western countries is the way of accumulating capital," Tu said. "It is undoubted that China's rise is peaceful as it did not take advantage of or bully other countries," Tu said, calling China's development "a precious model in which the prosperity has been achieved through peaceful and fair approaches." INCREDIBLE AND INCLUSIVE A winner-takes-all approach has never been an option for China, which pursues open, innovative and inclusive development that benefits everyone. Shanghai Volkswagen, now known as SAIC Volkswagen, is a perfect example of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the rest of the world after the reform and opening-up. When the joint venture was established in 1985 after years of negotiations between the Chinese and German sides, annual production of Shanghai Santana vehicles was just 1,733. In 2017, the company produced and sold more than 2 million cars, the largest among all automakers in China. On July 18, 2018, the company's 19 millionth car, an orange Touran multi-purpose vehicle, rolled off the production line. China's fast-growing and open consumer market provide manufacturers and service providers with an enormous opportunity, said Morgan Stanley economist Robin Xing. "The reform and opening-up integrated the country's huge labor market into the global industrial chain, which boosted the productivity of the world economy while bringing a low-cost advantage," Xing said. China has emerged as the biggest driver of the global economy, contributing 27.8 percent of world growth last year, more than the contribution of the United States and Japan combined. In 1978, the ratio was just 3.1 percent. Between 1979 and 2017, the country's average annual contribution to global growth was 18.4 percent, the second largest in the world. While achieving development of its own, China has constantly provided aid to developing countries, such as those in Africa, with no political strings attached and built a large number of infrastructure and industrial projects, said Lian Ping, an economist with the Bank of Communications. Looking ahead, China should open wider to the outside world, and meanwhile contribute more to the world, Tu Xinquan said. The CPC has vowed to adhere to a path of peaceful development and build a community with a shared future for humanity. Having grown up with reform and opening-up, Baosteel has not only experienced the achievements of the past 40 years but also been a part of them. "At least six out of the 10 tallest skyscrapers in Shanghai were built with our steel," Chen said with pride. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:17:11|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BEIRUT, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The advisor to Lebanese foreign affairs minister, Ola Boutros, said Monday that the number of Palestinian refugees who moved from Syria to Lebanon have started to decrease gradually, local media reported. "Palestinian factions launched an initiative to guarantee the return of Palestinian refugees who moved to Lebanon back to their camps in Syria," she was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper. Boutros said that Iran is building over 30,000 residential units in Syria for Palestinians whose houses have been destroyed to return to Syria. She added that camps in Lebanon have become very crowded and they cannot host more refugees. Lebanon is hosting 976,000 registered Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), while the government estimates the true number of Syrian refugees in the country at 1.5 million. To secure the return of the Syrian refugees to their homeland, Russia has drafted a strategy and presented it to the Lebanese authorities. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:17:11|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close JAKARTA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian and Singaporean air forces on Monday concluded the Joint Fighter Weapon Course (JFWC) drill that lasted for two months, reinstating 38 years of military cooperation between the two neighbor countries. "I believe the materials trained in the military drills would be useful for further assignments in the respective air forces. The drill would further strengthen friendship and connections between personnel involved in the drill," Indonesian Air Forces Chief of Staff Yuyu Sutisna said in his remarks to close down the drill in Riau province's air force base. The JFWC drill trained air force personnel of the two countries in air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks. The drill began in early October, and was filled with various training programs comprised of Basic Fighter Maneuver (BFM), Air Combat Tactic (ACT), Surface Attack Tactic (SAT), Large Force Employment (LFE) and Mission Orientation Training (MOT). Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:22:12|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is on a duty visit, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday met with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam who is on a duty visit to Beijing. During the meeting, Xi heard a report from Lam on Hong Kong's current situation and the HKSAR government's work. Xi said that over the past year, Lam had led the HKSAR government to firmly defend the policy of "one country, two systems" and the HKSAR Basic Law and made plans for Hong Kong's long-term development. Xi also praised HKSAR government's active participation in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as its efforts to solve the problems concerning the interests of local residents and create conditions for the growth and development of young people. "The central government fully endorses the work of Chief Executive Lam and the work of the HKSAR government," Xi said. Xi noted that compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao, like the people in the mainland, are the creators of the "great miracle" delivered by the nation's reform and opening-up. Xi said, "we will unswervingly adhere to the policy of 'one country, two systems' and support Hong Kong and Macao to integrate their development into the development of the country, to cultivate new advantages, play a new role, realize new development and make new contribution." Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:32:13|Editor: yan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chui Sai On, who is on a duty visit, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday met with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chui Sai On, who is on a duty visit to Beijing. During the meeting, Xi heard a report by Chui on Macao's current situation and the Macao SAR government's work. Xi said that over the past year, the Macao SAR government, under Chui's leadership, had faithfully fulfilled its duties, been prudent and steady in its work style, and implemented the "one country, two systems" policy and the Macao SAR Basic Law. The Macao SAR government had improved the institutions and mechanisms for safeguarding national security, proactively taken part in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and in the Belt and Road Initiative, promoted the proper diversification of the economy, improved the livelihood of the people, and strengthened the disaster prevention and reduction system, winning the praise of the Macao society, Xi said. "The central government fully endorses the work by Chui and the Macao SAR government," he said. In the process of reform and opening up of the new era, Hong Kong and Macao still have a special status and unique advantages, and can still play an irreplaceable role, Xi said. Xi said he believed the compatriots of Macao would seize the opportunities, expand the space of development and foster new drivers of growth by integrating the SAR's own development into the development of the country, and greet the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland with new achievements. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:37:15|Editor: yan Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chui Sai On, who is on a duty visit, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang on Monday met with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chui Sai On, who is on a duty visit to Beijing. Vice Premier Han Zheng attended the meeting. During the meeting, Li heard a report by Chui on Macao's situation and the SAR government's work. Li said Macao had seen a relatively rapid growth in its economy and a consistent improvement in people's lives. The unemployment rate in Macao remains low and the per capita gross domestic product of Macao ranks high globally. Li said that he hoped the SAR could continue its economic restructuring, optimize its business environment and integrate the SAR's development into the development of the country. Chui said Macao would actively take part in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:37:16|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese farmers had hoped for an increase in their exports after the opening of Nasib border crossing, but their hopes were dashed as Syria imposed additional fees on each container that crosses its borders. As the only functioning crossing between Jordan and Syria, Nasib is vital for goods transport from Lebanon and Syria to Jordan and the Gulf states. "We were very happy when we heard that Nasib border has opened. But we could not benefit yet, because we are paying an additional 1,500 U.S. dollars for each container that goes through Syrian borders," said Ibrahim Tarshishi, head of the farmers' syndicate in Bekaa. Tarshishi told Xinhua that each truck that goes through the Syrian borders should pay 800 U.S. dollars in taxes, 300 dollars as application fee, and 300 dollars for additional weight. He added that the containers would be examined on the borders for a long time which affect the efficiency of the export. "Our containers take four days to reach Jordan instead of 24 hours and this is bad for our products," he said. The border crossing was closed in 2015 when the Syrian rebels took over the Nasib area and the crossing in the countryside of Daraa province in southern Syria. The Syrian army re-captured Daraa and the border crossing in July after the rebels in the province surrendered and agreed to evacuate to rebel-held areas in northern Syria, mainly the northwestern province of Idlib. Jordan and Syria officially celebrated the reopening of the Nasib border on Oct. 15. However, when it reopened, a Syrian source was quoted by media as saying that the Syrians have focused on the need for direct dialogue with Lebanese authorities on the use of Nasib border. Antoine Howayek, head of the Lebanese Farmers' Association, told Xinhua that the increase in the cost of export is political. "The Syrian authorities requested direct contact with the Lebanese government which did not happen and as a result, the cost has increased," said Howayek. "Our exports went down from 530,000 tons to 350,000 tons yearly after the closure of Nasib border and I don't think we are capable of using this border again," he said. Howayek said that farmers are resorting to maritime transport to export their products which is subsidized by the Lebanese government. Tarshishi reiterated Howayek's remarks, saying that farmers prefer to export their produce by sea which costs less than exporting through land due to the government's subsidy. Tarishishi said that the subsidy by the government for the export by sea will end this month. Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has previously announced that he will not initiate any direct dialogue with Syrian authorities. Hariri, a long-time supporter of the Syrian opposition, announced earlier in August his unwillingness to visit Syria or meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad under any circumstances, even if that would cost him his position. Meanwhile, caretaker Minister of Agriculture, Ghazi Zeaiter, told Xinhua that the Lebanese government should be in direct contact with Syrian authorities which is in the interest of both sides. He added that his ministry is in contact with Syrian authorities with regard to farmers' export through the borders and he was informed that the fees imposed by the Syrians were reduced. "Syrian authorities are being very responsive and they are facilitating our work," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 22:57:20|Editor: yan Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The visit of the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to Damascus could be a prelude to restore normal Arab relations with Syria, said analysts. It was the first visit of an Arab leader to Syria since the eruption of the Syrian war more than seven years ago. On Sunday afternoon, after al-Bashir's plane landed in the capital's international airport, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received him and headed together to the country's main presidential place in Damascus. Syria's state news agency SANA said al-Bashir came on a "working visit," which lasted for a few hours, after which Assad again accompanied his Sudanese counterpart to the airport. The official media reported that the two leaders agreed that the crises in many Arab countries require new approaches based on the respect of the sovereignty and the policy of non-interference in their internal affairs. Al-Bashir wished Syria a quick recovery, hoping that its people can determine their own future without foreign interventions. The Sudanese president also highlighted his country's support to Syria, saying Sudan is ready to provide whatever needed to support the territorial integrity and unity of Syria. For his part, Assad said al-Bashir's visit will give a strong push toward restoring the bilateral relations to what they were before the war. However, the visit seemed to have more depth to it, as it was read by analysts as the beginning of restoring Arab relations with Damascus given the variety of relations al-Bashir enjoys with regional and Arab countries. Osama Danura, a Syrian political expert, told Xinhua that the visit of al-Bashir is a "breakthrough" in the Arab-Syrian relations. "The visit reflects the desire of Arab countries to restore their relations with Damascus and Syria could open the door for meetings with other Arab leaders," Danura said. The analyst further elaborated that al-Bashir has relations with several regional countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both powers have supported rebel groups throughout the crisis in the hope of toppling the Assad rule. In the first place, al-Bashir came to represent his own country, said Danura, noting that he also took into consideration the timing when several Arab countries are sending signals to Damascus to restore relations and the possible return of Syria to the Arab League. Meanwhile, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper said Monday that the surprise visit has a "political and security indications" with the increase of reports about the return of Syria to the Arab League. Throughout the Syrian crisis since 2011, most Arab countries have cut or downgraded their diplomatic relations with Syria. But in recent months, reports emerged that some Arab countries had requested the resumption of their diplomatic relations with Syria. The fresh nudge in the diplomatic relations comes amid a succession of victories of the Syrian army, which enabled the Syrian government to control much of the country. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 23:07:22|Editor: yan Video Player Close PARIS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- France would break a promise to keep the European Union's budget deficit ceiling next year after President Emmanuel Macron unveiled 10 billion euros (11.33 billion U.S dollars) worth of tax cuts and spending increases to quell public anger at weak purchasing power and soaring living costs, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Monday. In an interview with French business newspaper Les Echos, Philippe expected the deficit to stand at 3.2 percent in 2019, above an initial target of 2.9 percent percent. "We are assuming a slight increase in the deficit due to the acceleration of the tax cut. But we are paying attention to the public accounts, and we are taking a series of measures..." he said. In order to rein in the country's budget gap, the prime minister said the government would squeeze public spending by between 1 and 1. 5 billion euros. Besides, Macron's executive staff would also seek to generate 1.8 billion euros via an increase in tax receipts of big companies by limiting the reduction in the corporate income tax rate to enterprises with a turnover of less than 250 million euros next year, Philippe added. Created on social media, the "Yellow vests" movement which got its name from the high visibility vests drivers keep in their cars, started on Nov.17 and lured people of all ages and backgrounds. With no leader, it had turned into a bigger movement denouncing a squeeze on household spending, and forcing Macron to reconsider one of his major reforms. The French president offered an increase in minimum wages and tax breaks a week ago. He also decided tax-free status of overtime hour, cut taxes for pensioners and end-of-year bonus offered to workers, to abate the anger of thousands of people who opposed his economic policy and end waves of streets protests that had put the country's economy in tatters. Violent demonstrations in France over the last month was estimated to cost 0.1 percent of French economic growth for the final quarter, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in a recent interview. Since the movement began, domestic retailers had lost about 1 billion euros. The hotel sector witnessed a decline in bookings by 15 to 20 percent. In addition, the food sector could report 13-billion-euro loss due to the blockage of transport and shopping centers, according to official data. (1 euro = 1.133 U.S. dollars) Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 23:17:25|Editor: yan Video Player Close ZAGREB, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A strike over unpaid wages in Croatia's biggest shipyard, Uljanik, was put on hold on Monday after two weeks, with the strike committee announcing that it reserves the right to call it again at any time, Croatian news agency HINA reported. Workers at Uljanik have received a minimum wage only for September and October. They are now asking for the difference between the minimum and full wage, as well as the wage for November. "The workers have returned to work, but they are visibly dissatisfied and angry with this situation. This agony has been going on for too long, and there's no news of any progress regarding a final restructuring plan and a strategic partner," strike committee chairman Boris Cerovac told HINA. The Croatian shipyard has had financial difficulties and the management needs a partner who is willing to invest in the company. Shipbuilding is an important industrial sector in Croatia. The shipyards and their subcontractors are responsible for up to 10 percent of employment in the country, 10 percent to 15 percent of Croatia's exports, and over the last ten years two percent of its GDP. Since Croatia joined the European Union in 2013, the state hasn't been allowed to subsidize shipyards, which were all restructured and transformed into private companies. In Uljanik, the state still has a minority equity stake. The government here claims that the survival of the shipyard is in the government's interest but it cannot help anymore. According to estimates, Croatia has spent over 30 billion kunas (4.7 billion U.S. dollars) to save its shipyards in the last 17 years. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 23:27:26|Editor: yan Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with delegates attending the third Understanding China Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on Dec. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday met with delegates attending the third Understanding China Conference, pledging to press ahead with reform and opening up. After listening to the speeches of former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and former Director-General of the World Trade Organization Pascal Lamy, Li answered their questions and gave his opinions. Li said he appreciated the delegates' efforts to promote China's exchanges with the world. He said this year coincided with the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. Over the past 40 years, China has achieved remarkable development progress, which was underscored by the Chinese people's hard work. "China's past achievements were realized by the reform and opening up, and future progress can only be made by further reform and opening up," he said. China will continue to deepen reforms, further press ahead the opening up, and commit itself to developing an open economy at higher level, he said, reiterating China's stance to create a fair business environment for domestic and foreign companies, and strictly protect intellectual property rights. "China has the conditions and ability to cope with various risks and challenges, and promote its economy to achieve high-quality development," Li said. The Chinese premier said that under the complex international situation, people should adhere to multilateralism and free trade, while treating problems in globalization and world trade from a development perspective. China supports the reform and improvement of the WTO rules, Li said, urging for relevant reforms to be conducted while making rules that "stick to the general direction of trade liberalization, accommodate all parties' concerns and interests, safeguard the development rights of developing members, and facilitate the narrowing of the North-South gap." Stressing that China would be a developing country for a long period, Li called on the world to understand more about a true China, hoping the delegates could be a bridge of communication and cooperation between China and the world, and make greater contributions to the common development of China and the world. The delegates congratulated China on its achievements in various fields such as economic development, poverty relief and education, saying all countries should work together to promote the reform and improvement of global rules, safeguard multilateralism and free trade. The three-day conference, which kicked off on Dec. 16, gathered nearly 600 people, including 40 global politicians, strategists and entrepreneurs. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 23:37:30|Editor: yan Video Player Close MOSCOW, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Russia expects Ukraine to provoke it militarily on the border of Crimea in the last 10 days of December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have amassed around 12,000 troops and a great amount of equipment on the contact line with the insurgent region of Donbass, Lavrov told Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. Instructors from the United States, Britain and other countries are actively helping them, while a U.S. drone is constantly flying over the region, he said. Ukraine introduced martial law in its Russian-speaking regions for 30 days, which is to expire on Dec. 26, following the seizure of three Ukrainian warships by Russia in the Black Sea due to their alleged breaching of Russia's border. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said at a press conference on Sunday that martial law will be lifted unless "a large-scale aggression, invasion by the Russian troops" takes place. Poroshenko said that in the last 30 days Russia had amassed 300 tanks 18 km on the Ukrainian border, 80,000 servicemen and numerous artillery pieces in addition to a sharp increase in military presence in the Sea of Azov. Crimea was incorporated into Russia in March 2014 following a local referendum, which neither Kiev nor Western countries recognize. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 23:47:33|Editor: yan Video Player Close JUBA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Monday protested fresh sanctions imposed by the United States on two South Sudanese and a retired Israeli military officer. The U.S. Treasury Department on Dec. 14 imposed sanctions on the trio, accusing them of prolonging the five-year-old conflict in the east African nation by supplying weapons and profiting from the war. The three are South Sudanese nationals Gregory Vasili and Obac William Olawo, and Israel Ziv, a retired Israel Defense Forces major general. Mawien Makol, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the latest sanctions "unjustified," adding that they were meant to derail the recently signed peace agreement. "Such acts does not serve well the good relations which the people and government of South Sudan always wish to exist between the two people and government," Makol told reporters in Juba. "The government of the Republic of South Sudan would like to register its concerns and protest in the strongest terms against these unjustified unilateral sanctions, and on other USA statements designed to undermine implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan," Makol said. South Sudan has been embroiled in over five years of conflict that has taken a devastating toll on the people, creating one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world. A peace deal signed in August 2015 between the rival leaders under United Nations pressure led to the establishment of a transitional unity government in April, but was shattered by renewed fighting in July 2016. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and forced millions of others to seek refuge in neighboring countries. The government and several armed factions signed another peace deal in September, and it appears to be holding as fighting has been reduced across the country. Makol said the government is committed to the implementation of the new peace deal, adding that Juba is ready for diplomatic dialogue with the international community and the U.S. government to seek removal of the sanctions. "The government of the Republic of South Sudan has endeavored to promote diplomatic dialogue with the government of the United States of America, and welcomes any proposals on improving bilateral relations, and requests the U.S administration to engage in a more positive manner, than doubling on threats of sanctions and embargoes, which serves no useful purpose," Makol said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 23:52:34|Editor: yan Video Player Close RIGA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Riga Vice Mayor Andris Ameriks resigned on Monday amid an unfolding corruption scandal in the Latvian capital's municipal transport company. Ameriks told reporters he was resigning in order to protect his own name and the reputation of his party Honor to Serve Riga (GKR). He denied any personal involvement in the corruption scandal at Rigas Satiksme transport company. Latvian media reported earlier that eight arrests were made and over 30 searches conducted in Latvia and Poland this week as part of a sweeping probe launched by Latvian anti-corruption operatives into procurement deals organized by Rigas Satiksme. The executive board of Rigas Satiksme resigned after the scandal broke and the company's former CEO Leons Bemhens was taken under arrest on Friday. On the same day, the opposition in the Riga city council unsuccessfully tried to unseat Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs, blaming him for yet another corruption scandal associated with the city's government. Ameriks underlined at Monday's press briefing that he had nothing do with Rigas Satiksme' procurement deals and possible illegalities currently probed by the anti-corruption agency. Ameriks voiced confidence that the investigation would prove him innocent. Ameriks' GKR party is expected to propose a new candidate for Riga vice mayor in a few days. Meanwhile, the center-right opposition in the Riga city council has stepped up calls for Mayor Usakovs of the leftist Harmony party to resign. Opposition politicians claim that the city council's ruling coalition of Harmony and GKR has been running the city in a non-transparent manner, fostering massive corruption. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 23:52:34|Editor: yan Video Player Close GENEVA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) warned Monday at the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the multilateral trading system is in "a deep crisis" and the United States is "at its epicenter." At a WTO review of U.S. trade policies, held every two years, EU Ambassador to the organization Marc Vanheukelen regretted that protectionist "rhetoric has turned into reality," adding that "the repercussions of tariffs and other restrictions are being felt at the heart of this organization, and more generally in global growth prospects." The EU also regretted that by deciding to use tariffs as a "central plank" of its new trade policy, and by suggesting that trade wars can have winners, the United States is putting the global trading system at risk. It warned that U.S. ambivalence about WTO rules "casts a long shadow to the future." The United States on Monday underwent the first session of its 14th WTO Trade Policy Review, which will continue on Wednesday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-17 23:57:37|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Justice Lee Adoboe ACCRA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Sub-Saharan Africa will need at least 20 million jobs annually to meet the demands of a fast growing population, Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said here on Monday. Opening the IMF's "Future of Jobs in sub-Saharan Africa" conference, she said the growth in job demands will thicken with the projected growth in population. Lagarde, who arrived in Ghana late Sunday for a three-day official visit, projected that sub-Saharan Africa's population will increase from the current level of 1 billion to 1.7 billion by 2040. "The labor force will increase at double the rate of the last decade. As a result, sub-Saharan Africa needs to create 20 million jobs per year to keep up with its growing labor force," Lagarde said. If successful, she said, the continent would enjoy a long period of high growth, one of the demographic dividends of the continent's population growth. Though the advancement in artificial intelligence and robotics are poised to transform the job market dramatically, as is already happening in some places, Lagarde was confident that like previous industrial revolutions, technology will improve living standards over the long run with new jobs emerging to replace old ones. "Others fear that automation will replace humans in a variety of tasks, leading to job losses and rising inequality. I must confess that I am more of a techno-optimist. I believe we can run with machines, not against them," she said. Lagarde lauded the signing of the Continental Free Trade Agreement by African leaders as a positive first step toward creating an integrated pan-African market in response to the challenging external environment. With this, Lagarde said, sub-Saharan Africa would be able to harness successfully new technologies and create an emerging vibrant middle class. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 00:27:40|Editor: yan Video Player Close RIYADH, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen announced on Monday that the Yemeni government will take control of the ports of Hodeidah soon, Al Arabiya TV reported. The Spokesperson of the coalition, Turki Al Maliki, told a press conference that the United Nations and the international community would be responsible for implementing the Stockholm agreement. The agreement was part of the UN-led talks ended last Thursday with a series of agreements that, if implemented, would alleviate Yemen's humanitarian crisis and could pave the way for a negotiated peace. Maliki said that the Houthi militias were now being tested by the international community to implement the agreement. He also stressed that the Houthis were able to finally sit at the negotiating table because of the military pressure on all fronts. The coalition said that they support and are committed to all efforts in reaching a political solution. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 00:27:40|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close HARARE, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank (AfDB) on Monday donated 1 million U.S. dollars toward the cholera fight in Zimbabwe. The funds, which will be administered by the World Health Organization (WHO), will be used to procure and distribute emergency response equipment and supplies, and for training of staff and volunteers in infection control. Speaking at the grant signing ceremony, AfDB country manager Damoni Kitabire said the funds were in response to Zimbabwe's appeal for assistance to combat the outbreak, which first broke out in Harare in September and has since spread to 17 other districts throughout the country. The outbreak killed at least 50 people and infected more than 10,000 others. Another outbreak in Mt. Darwin in the northeastern part of the country in late November killed three people and infected close to 200 others. "This support to Zimbabwe will complement government's efforts and assistance by development partners, as well as the WHO, to avert a national and regional social and economic catastrophe by making it possible to prevent further deaths from cholera as well as containing its spread beyond the current affected areas," Kitabire said. He said the financial assistance was also timely as it would help mitigate the further spread of the disease during the rainy season and the festive season which is usually characterized by increased movement of people. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube thanked the AfDB for the donation, adding that the corporate sector in Zimbabwe had since September donated 13 million dollars toward the cholera fight, with 3 million dollars being mobilized through crowd-funding. He said the government's focus is on increasing investment in clean water and sanitation in urban areas to prevent occurrence of the disease in the future. WHO country representative Alexander Gasasira commended the Zimbabwean government for its strong response to the outbreak. He said due to the strong response, the number of cases, which were initially as high as 2,000 a week, has drastically come down to between 80 and 90 a week. "This great achievement that has been registered to date would not have been possible without the strong commitment from government leadership, health workers right down to the community," Gasasira said. He said the WHO stands ready to continue working with Zimbabwe in building its capacity to prevent future cholera outbreaks. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 00:27:40|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A business partner of Michael Flynn, U.S. President Donald Trump's former National Security Adviser, was charged Monday with acting as an unregistered foreign agent lobbying for Turkey in the United States, the Washington Post reported. The associate, Bijan Kian, appeared in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia on Monday morning, where he was charged with violating the U.S. Foreign Agent Registration Act and " conspiracy for attempting to get Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen extradited from the United States," the Post said. Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin, who paid Kian and Flynn, was also charged in the indictment, but he remained abroad, the newspaper added. The Turkish government has accused Gulen, now living in exile in the U.S. state of New Jersey, of masterminding a failed coup attempt in 2016 to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and urged his deportation to Turkey. Flynn is subject to the ongoing investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Flynn admitted that he lied to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigators about his conversation during the presidential transition with then Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. On Friday, Mueller released FBI memos indicating that Flynn lied about his contact with Kislyak not only to the FBI agents, but also to a number of Trump administration officials before he was approached by the FBI, according to a report by CNN. Flynn is expected to be sentenced this week and the Mueller team has insisted on its recommendation that Flynn receive no jail time given his cooperation during the investigation, CNN said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 00:32:41|Editor: yan Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is on a duty visit, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang on Monday met with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is on a duty visit to Beijing. Vice Premier Han Zheng also attended the meeting. During the meeting, Li heard a report on Hong Kong and the SAR government's work. With the international situation undergoing complex changes, Hong Kong's economy has maintained steady growth, which was not easy to achieve, Li said. Li noted that the HKSAR government had led the people of all sectors to participate in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road, promote innovative technologies and solve public concerns. Li expressed his hope that the HKSAR government would continue leading the society to maintain steady economic growth, improve people's livelihoods, and implement beneficial policies. He also called for efforts to accelerate the building of an international innovation and technology hub, foster new economic growth drivers, and strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong. Lam said Hong Kong would keep developing the economy, improve people's wellbeing, and take part in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 00:37:43|Editor: yan Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) said on Monday that Fastjet Tanzania, a low-cost airline, no longer qualifies to operate in the country due to frequent cancellation of flights. TCAA Director General Hamza Johari told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam that the airline also owed huge amounts of money to service providers, including the TCAA. Johari said Fastjet owed 606 million U.S. dollars to TCAA through provision of services, including security. He urged all service providers that were owed by Fastjet to send their invoices to the TCAA so that the authority could order the airline to pay its debts. The TCAA gave Fastjet 28 days to submit its financial and business plans. Johari said currently the airline had insufficient planes for flights, a situation that had led the airline to lose qualifications to do business in the country. "We are calling upon people to look for alternative airlines as Fastjet cannot operate," he said. Dublin, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Plant Breeding and CRISPR Plants Market by Type (Conventional and Biotechnological), Trait (Herbicide Tolerance, Disease Resistance, and Yield Improvement), Application, and Region - Global Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The plant breeding and CRISPR plants market is projected to reach USD 14.6 billion by 2023, from USD 7.6 billion in 2018, at a CAGR of 13.95%. The plant breeding and CRISPR plants market is driven by various factors such as increasing demand for improved crop varieties using modern breeding technologies and advancements in breeding techniques. However, the inconsistent regulatory implications on genetic modification techniques across regions may hinder the growth of the market on a global level. In terms of type, the biotechnological method is projected to witness the fastest growth from 2018 to 2023. With the improving economic conditions of the Asian and African countries, the adoption rate of biotechnological methods remains high. Though the price for conventional breeding techniques is projected to be feasible in developing economies such as Thailand, Nigeria, Philippines, Kenya, and Indonesia, the declining prices of genetic services are projected to bridge the price gap between conventional and biotechnological methods. This is projected to enhance the growth opportunity for the biotechnological methods segment during the forecast period. Further, though the US appears to be a mature market, the withdrawal of regulations on CRISPR-edited corn has boosted the growth opportunity in the country. In terms of trait, the herbicide tolerance segment is estimated to have the largest market share during the forecast period. According to the USDA, an increasing number of producers have been adopting herbicide-tolerant seeds for corn and rice cultivation in the country. Players such as Syngenta and BASF are focusing on developing plant breeding technologies, such as Clearfield technology to develop non-transgenic and hybrid pesticide-tolerant plant varieties. Moreover, the recent product launches on commercial seeds majorly involve herbicide tolerance as one of the major traits. Hence, the herbicide tolerance dominated the market and is projected to record the fastest growth compared to other traits during the forecast period. North America is estimated to dominate the plant breeding and CRISPR plants market in 2018. According to ISF, in 2016, North America, especially the US, led the commercial seeds market. Also, the US was the second major exporter of commercial seeds across the globe, according to ISF statistics in 2016. As per the USDA estimates, the US contributes nearly 54% of the global R&D invested for crop seed development every year. The increasing industrial value for corn and soybean in the US is encouraging breeders to adopt advanced technologies for better yield, owing to which the adoption rate for genetics in this country remains high, and hence, North America dominated the market for plant breeding and CRISPR plants in 2018. The global market for plant breeding and CRISPR plants is dominated by the in-house plant breeding market rather than service providers. Companies such as Bayer (Germany), Syngenta (Switzerland), KWS (Germany), and DowDuPont (US) utilize combinations of both traditional and molecular breeding to develop various seed traits, whereas companies such as Eurofins (Luxembourg) and SGS (Switzerland) provide services to certain seed companies. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 1.1 Objectives of the Study 1.2 Market Definition 1.3 Study Scope 1.4 Periodization Considered 1.5 Currency Considered 1.6 Stakeholders 2 Research Methodology 2.1 Research Data 2.2 Market Size Estimation 2.3 Data Triangulation 2.4 Research Assumptions 2.5 Limitations 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Opportunities in the Plant Breeding Market 4.2 Plant Breeding Market, By Type, 2017 4.3 North America: Plant Breeding Market, By Trait and Country, 2017 4.4 Plant Breeding Market, By Application and Region, 2017 4.5 Plant Breeding Market, By Key Country 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Evolution 5.3 Macroeconomic Indicators 5.3.1 Fluctuation in Climatic Conditions 5.3.2 Growing Usage of Commercial Seeds 5.4 Market Dynamics 5.4.1 Drivers 5.4.1.1 Rise in Demand for Improved Crop Varieties Using Modern Breeding Techniques 5.4.1.1.1 Increasing Importance of Improved Crop Varieties for Sustainable Crop Production 5.4.1.1.2 Exponential Fall in the Cost for Genomic Solutions 5.4.1.2 Technological Advancements Ensure Strong Market Growth 5.4.2 Restraints 5.4.2.1 High Cost of Modern Breeding Methods as Compared to Conventional Breeding 5.4.2.2 Infrastructural Restraints 5.4.2.2.1 Lack of Laboratory Infrastructure 5.4.2.2.2 Limited Availability of Validated Markers 5.4.3 Opportunities 5.4.3.1 Increasing Investments From Seed Companies 5.4.3.1.1 Private Sector Investments in R&D 5.4.3.1.2 Public Sector Investments in R&D 5.4.3.2 High Prospects in Emerging Markets 5.4.3.3 Supportive Regulations for Molecular Breeding 5.4.4 Challenges 5.4.4.1 Lack of Technical Awareness Can Affect the Adoption of Modern Plant Breeding Methods in Emerging Economies 5.5 Patent Analysis 5.6 Regulatory Framework 5.6.1 Introduction 5.6.2 North America 5.6.2.1 US 5.6.2.2 Canada 5.6.3 European Union 5.6.4 Asia Pacific 5.6.4.1 Australia 5.6.4.2 China 5.6.4.3 Japan 5.6.4.4 India 5.6.5 RoW 5.6.5.1 Brazil 5.6.5.2 South Africa 5.7 Upcoming Technologies 5.7.1 Crispr 5.7.2 Computational Breeding 6 Plant Breeding Market, By Process 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Selection 6.2.1 Mass Selection 6.2.2 Pure Line Selection 6.3 Hybridization 6.3.1 Pedigree Method 6.3.2 Bulk Method 6.3.3 Single Cross 6.3.4 Double Cross 6.3.5 Three-Way Cross 6.4 Mutation Breeding 7 Plant Breeding Market, By Type 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Conventional Breeding 7.2.1 Technological Advancements has Been Pulling Down the Growth of Conventional Breeding Technologies 7.3 Biotechnological Method 7.3.1 Hybrid Breeding 7.3.1.1 Hybridization is the Most Practiced Biotechnological Plant Breeding Technique in Developing Nations 7.3.2 Molecular Breeding 7.3.2.1 Unregulated Environment for the Molecular Breeding Technique has A Positive Impact on Its Adoption Rate Globally 7.3.3 Genetic Engineering 7.3.3.1 Stringent Regulations on GM Crops Have Been Restraining Private Investments in Genetic Engineering 7.3.4 Genome Editing 7.3.4.1 The Withdrawal of Regulations on Crispr-Edited Corn has Boosted the Growth Opportunity in the Us 8 Plant Breeding Market, By Trait 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Herbicide Tolerance 8.2.1 Herbicide-Tolerant Seed Lines are Being Extensively Developed By Key Players Through Hybrid Breeding 8.3 Disease Resistance 8.3.1 Increase in Industrial Demand for High-Quality Field Crops has Heightened the Adoption of Molecular Techniques 8.4 Yield Improvement 8.4.1 Rise in Concern for Food Security has Augmented the Demand for High-Yielding Crop Lines 8.5 Other Traits 9 Plant Breeding Market, By Application 9.1 Introduction 9.1.1 Cereals & Grains 9.1.1.1 Corn 9.1.1.1.1 Corn Accounted for the Largest Share Among Cereals & Grains 9.1.1.2 Wheat 9.1.1.2.1 Wheat Accounted for the Largest Share in Europe Due to Its Largest Production in France and Germany 9.1.1.3 Rice 9.1.1.3.1 The Rice Segment is Projected to Grow at the Highest CAGR Due to the Increased Significance of Biotechnological Breeding in Asia Pacific 9.1.1.4 Other Cereals & Grains 9.1.2 Oilseeds & Pulses 9.1.2.1 Soybean 9.1.2.1.1 Biotech Soybean is the Major Oilseed Produced in South American Countries 9.1.2.2 Cotton 9.1.2.2.1 India and China Account for the Highest Production in Biotech Cotton 9.1.2.3 Other Oilseeds & Pulses 9.1.3 Fruits & Vegetables 9.1.3.1 Adoption of Molecular Breeding Techniques Would Be Rising in Fruits & Vegetables Due to the Decreasing Cost of These Techniques 9.1.4 Other Crop Types 10 Plant Breeding Market, By Region 10.1 Introduction 10.2 North America 10.2.1 Us 10.2.1.1 Withdrawal of Regulations on Crispr Edited Crops has Encouraged the Market Growth 10.2.2 Canada 10.2.2.1 Extreme Climatic Conditions in the Country Encourage the Adoption of Advanced Technologies for Crop Breeding 10.2.3 Mexico 10.2.3.1 Untapped Opportunity in Biotechnological Breeding Technologies 10.3 Europe 10.3.1 Germany 10.3.1.1 Increasing Investments By Domestic Seed Manufacturers for Plant Breeding Have Been Driving the Market Growth 10.3.2 France 10.3.2.1 Rising Seed Trade Activities in France Leading to an Increase in Demand for Better and High-Yielding Crop Varieties 10.3.3 Netherlands 10.3.3.1 Importance of Horticulture in the Dutch Seed Market has Been Shifting the Focus of Breeders Toward Vegetable Crops 10.3.4 UK 10.3.4.1 Approximately USD 45 Million Was Invested in Plant Breeding By Private and Public Sectors in 2016 10.3.5 Rest of Europe 10.4 Asia Pacific 10.4.1 China 10.4.1.1 The Chinese Plant Breeding Market is Driven By the Increasing Government Support and Funding 10.4.2 India 10.4.2.1 The Indian Market is Projected to Witness the Fastest Growth in the Coming Years 10.4.3 Australia 10.4.3.1 Australian Plant Breeders Adopt Biotechnological Methods to Export High-Quality Cereals and Oilseeds 10.4.4 Japan 10.4.4.1 Increasing Research Activities on Plant Breeding Drives the Growth of the Japanese Market 10.4.5 Rest of Asia Pacific 10.5 Rest of the World (RoW) 10.5.1 Brazil 10.5.1.1 Brazil is the Second-Largest Producer of Biotech Crops 10.5.2 Argentina 10.5.2.1 Argentina is One of the Largest Exporters of Ge Commodities 10.5.3 South Africa 10.5.3.1 Favorable Regulations in the Country to Drive the Growth of the Biotechnological Methods Segment 10.5.4 Others in RoW 11 Competitive Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Company Share Analysis 11.3 Competitive Scenario 11.3.1 Agreements, Collaborations, Partnerships, and Joint Ventures 11.3.2 Expansions & Investments 11.3.3 Mergers & Acquisitions 11.3.4 New Product/Technology Launches 12 Company Profiles 12.1 Seed Companies (In-House Breeding) 12.1.1 Bayer 12.1.2 Syngenta 12.1.3 KWS Group 12.1.4 Dowdupont 12.1.5 Groupe Limagrain 12.1.6 Advanta Seeds (UPL) 12.2 Service Providers 12.2.1 Eurofins 12.2.2 SGS (Traitgenetics) 12.2.3 Pacific Biosciences 12.2.4 DLF 12.2.5 Land O'lakes (Forage Genetics International) 12.2.6 Evogene 12.2.7 Benson Hill Biosystems 12.2.8 Equinom 12.2.9 Bioconsortia 12.2.10 Hudson River Biotechnology For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/qdn3p5/global_plant?w=12 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 00:47:45|Editor: mym Video Player Close Delegates attend the signing ceremony of the agreement on the establishment of Friendship Cities between China's Shandong and Thailand's Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 17, 2018. A visiting Shandong government delegation signed the agreement with Thailand's Bangkok Metropolitan Administration on Monday. (Xinhua) BANGKOK, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A visiting Shandong government delegation signed an agreement on the establishment of Friendship Cities with Thailand's Bangkok Metropolitan Administration on Monday. Yu Guoan, vice governor of Shandong province, said during the signing ceremony that the Friendship Cities established on Monday points out the direction of mutual cooperation in the future. He expected the two sides, Shandong and Bangkok, to jointly boost cooperation in economy and trade, ocean, environmental protection and culture. He urged the Thai side to follow the latest developments in Shandong and join the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform cooperation. Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang noted that Bangkok and Shandong province have good foundations for further cooperation and the Bangkok government would consider relevant suggestions to boost more cooperation in city planning and environmental protection. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lyu Jian and Pinit Jarusombat, former deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and President of Thai-Chinese Cultural Relationship Council. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 03:08:14|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem (C) speaks during a conference at Damascus University in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 17, 2018. Walid al-Moallem said on Monday that the priority of the Syrian government is to liberate Idlib Province, state news agency SANA reported. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani) DAMASCUS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said on Monday that the priority of the Syrian government is to liberate Idlib Province, state news agency SANA reported. There is coordination between Syria and Russia in the efforts to liberate Idlib from the "terrorist groups," al-Moallem said. His remarks about Idlib come as Turkey, Iran and Russia will soon meet in Geneva to discuss the Syrian issues, including the formation of a constitutional committee. Turkey and Russia brokered a deal in September to impose a demilitarized zone in Idlib and its surrounding areas. However, violations are still being reported on an almost daily basis. The extremist groups such as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the umbrella group of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, refused to withdraw from the zone. Speaking of the liberation of all Syrian areas, al-Moallem said any independent or federal Kurdish entity in northern Syria is rejected, in a sign that the Syrian government will shift its focus to Kurdish-held areas in northern and northeastern Syria. The Kurdish self-administration in northern Syria recently urged the Syrian government to respond to the Turkish threats of renewed a military campaign against the Kurdish militia in eastern Syria. The Syrian Kurds are part of the Syrian social fabric, and the Syrian government is ready to launch dialogues for the interest of the state, al-Moallem said. The Syrian minister also warned that foreign forces illegally operating in Syira without the permission of the Syrian government should end their occupation, referring to the Turkish and the U.S. forces. File Photo: A homeless man begs in a street in New York, the United States, March 16, 2007. (Xinhua/Hou Jun) WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of homeless people in the United States has risen, though slightly, for the second consecutive year in 2018, data released Monday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) showed. The HUD said in its 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress that "552,830 persons experienced homelessness on a single night in 2018, an increase of 0.3 percent since last year." It added that homelessness by veterans fell 5.4 percent year-over-year and declined 2.7 percent annually for families with children. Specifically, the number of homeless people living in shelters was 358,363, a decrease from the 2017 figure of 360,867 and continuing a downward trend since 2015. For the unsheltered, the number increased to 194,467 from 190,129 in the previous year and has been on the rise since 2016. The report attributed the rise of homelessness to two primary factors: a 2.3 percent increase of unsheltered homelessness, and the nearly 4,000 persons staying in emergency shelters due to hurricanes, wildfires, storms and other disasters. "Our state and local partners are increasingly focused on finding lasting solutions to homelessness even as they struggle against the headwinds of rising rents," said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. "Much progress is being made and much work remains to be done but I have great hope that communities all across our nation are intent on preventing and ending homelessness." Meanwhile, Matthew Doherty, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), said that his agency acknowledged that "a lack of housing that people can afford is the fundamental obstacle to making further progress in many communities." Because of customers' hesitation in buying homes, homebuilder sentiment, a parameter gauging the willingness for building new residential houses, has declined to a three-year low, according to a report by CNBC citing the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. The index dropped four points in December to 56, the lowest reading since May 2015 and well below the 74 level in December 2017. "We are hearing from builders that consumer demand exists, but that customers are hesitating to make a purchase because of rising home costs," CNBC quoted NAHB Chairman Randy Noel as saying. Rents in Los Angeles have increased 35 percent since 2012, the New York rents have grown 20 percent, and in Seattle, up 64 percent, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Reis Inc., which provides commercial real-estate data and analytics. Consequently, according to the WSJ report, overall homelessness in New York increased 2.8 percent this year, and the number of homeless in Seattle and surrounding the adjacent King County rose 4 percent this year. In Los Angeles, however, homelessness fell 4.7 percent for the first time after a four-year rising streak. Barbara Poppe, who was the USICH's executive director during the administration of former President Barrack Obama, told the WSJ that a lack of affordable rental homes has underpinned homelessness since the mid-1980s and has become "a critical shortage" affecting "every jurisdiction across the country." Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 03:23:20|Editor: yan Video Player Close VILNIUS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia met here on Monday on closer cooperation and security issues. At a meeting of the Prime Ministers' Council under the format of the Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM), Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and his Latvian and Estonian counterparts Maris Kucinskis and Juri Ratas discussed cooperation in the field of energy, transportation, said a statement from the Lithuanian government. The issues discussed included synchronization of the Baltic States' electricity grid with the continental European system, as well as Rail Baltica project connecting Finland and Poland. "The Rail Baltica project is a priority for Lithuania," said Skvernelis. The prime ministers also talked about security in the eastern Europe. "All of us meet the commitment to allocate two percent of GDP to defense. Matters of security remain a priority for us," Skvernelis was quoted as saying in the statement. The three prime ministers expressed their intentions to "cooperate more actively in the field of crisis management," especially relating to cyber and information threats. "It has been agreed to devote special attention to the implementation of the decisions on air defense," said the statement. The prime ministers also agreed to keep one time zone after the European Union drops clock-changing policy, though it remains to be decided whether the Baltic states would choose summer or winter time. Estonian PM expressed willingness to have the same time zone with neighboring Finland. "Our interests would be met if Finland chose the same regime, but this has not been achieved yet," Ratas told local journalists on Monday. This is the last meeting of the Council under Lithuania's presidency. Next year, Latvia takes over the leadership of BCM's meetings. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 03:58:26|Editor: yan Video Player Close ATHENS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Greek political leaders and journalists' unions on Monday strongly condemned the pre-dawn bomb attack against local media group SKAI headquarters as an "attack on democracy," as an unidentified individual made a new threat which eventually proved to be a hoax. The makeshift bomb device which went off at the premises of SKAI, one of the largest media groups in the country, in the southern suburb of Faliro in Athens, shattered windows at the building's facade, without causing any injuries. The offices housing SKAI television channel, radio station and Kathimerini newspaper and website had been evacuated as two warning telephone calls had been made to other media outlets before the blast. This is the usual modus operandi of domestic terrorist groups to avoid casualties. Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos expressed his unequivocal condemnation of the attack in a telephone call to Kathimerini Executive Editor Alexis Papachelas, according to a press release issued from his office, In an e-mailed statement to the press, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras labeled the attack a cowardly strike by dark forces against democracy, underlining that Greek society will not be terrorized. Cabinet ministers and opposition political parties, as well as journalists' unions made similar remarks, as a yet unidentified person posted a warning of an imminent second blast at SKAI on the Greek police's twitter account. No claim of responsibility has been made for the morning explosion, as police were checking for leads footages from security cameras and a car which was found torched in a nearby district a few hours later. According to police sources, at least two perpetrators were involved in the attack, leaving a backpack with about 10 kilos of explosives at a sidewalk next to the building before fleeing on a motorcycle. It was not the first time that SKAI group has been targeted in recent years, until Monday it was mainly with petrol bombs and hand grenades. "As we have proven for decades, the employees at the radio station, the television station and the website of SKAI will not be gagged and we are not bent by any threat. SKAI will continue to perform its journalistic mission with professionalism and objectivity," read a statement by employees of media group. Politicians, police, media and financial organizations have been targeted many times in such attacks for decades in the country which suffers from domestic terrorism. In 1995 MEGA channel TV station's offices were hit with two rockets while the evening news report was on. "November 17" far-left terrorist group, which was dismantled in 2002, was linked to this attack, as well as dozens of bombing hits and assassinations which left 23 dead since 1975. Greek journalist Pavlos Tsimas currently works for SKAI. "This attack does not concern only SKAI and SKAI's journalists. All journalists consider it as an attack against them... Personally it is the second time I am having this experience. Twenty-three years ago I was in my office at MEGA when the November 17's rocket hit MEGA. There was no warning back then and luckily there were no casualties," he told media outside SKAI's headquarters on Monday. "If we think about who is the enemy of terrorism --democracy. We can understand that it is only reasonable that mass media are considered as enemies of terrorists. Terrorists hate the press for the same reason they hate democracy," he stressed. In 2009 terrorists opened fire outside the premises of ALTER television station without causing injuries, while in 2010 a journalist was shot dead outside his home. Another far-left guerilla group, the so-called "Revolutionary Sect", claimed responsibility for both attacks. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 04:03:28|Editor: yan Video Player Close TUNIS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Nak-yeon will start on Tuesday a three-day official visit to Tunisia, the presidency said Monday. "The visit of Lee Nak-yeon will strengthen the relations between the two countries," the Tunisian presidency said in a statement. This visit coincides with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tunisia and ROK. During his visit, Lee will discuss with Tunisian officials about the potential for bilateral cooperation in various fields. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 04:18:31|Editor: yan Video Player Close CAPE TOWN, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 21 boys have died in South Africa as a result of botched circumcision since the summer initiation season began in November, authorities said on Monday. The Eastern Cape province, a hotbed of illegal circumcision, reported 17 deaths, while the North West and the Western Cape provinces reported two deaths respectively, according to the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, or better known as Contralesa. An investigation has been launched into circumstances leading to the fatalities, said Contralesa. The deaths were reported despite an intensified crackdown on illegal initiation schools in a bid to achieve the goal of zero deaths during the initiation season. Contralesa blamed the government for what it said "a lack of support and resources in programs aimed at reducing the number of casualties." The situation entailed the need for the government to declare initiation-related deaths "a national disaster," Contralesa spokesperson Xolile Ndevu said. Ndeve criticized the government for failing to direct resources to curbing initiation deaths. Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape Province urged families, communities and traditional leaders to work hand in hand to ensure the creation of a conducive environment for a successful and safe initiation season. The government alone cannot resolve this issue, provincial spokesperson Mamkeli Ngam said. Circumcision is viewed as a sacred practice in African cultures, marking a male's transition from child to adulthood. According to the tradition, young males have to be circumcised as the passage to manhood. Every year dozens of boys die and many more are hospitalized in South Africa as a result of botched circumcision. In the last 10 years there have been more than 1,000 penile amputations. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 04:18:32|Editor: yan Video Player Close BERLIN, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The state office of criminal investigations in Frankfurt (LKA) has started investigations into five police officers over forming a right-wing radical network, a spokesperson of the LKA confirmed earlier media reports on Monday. The five police officers had allegedly exchanged right-wing extremist and racist images, videos and content in a WhatsApp chat group. In addition to the LKA investigation, the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt is also looking into the case for incitement to hatred and the use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations. On Saturday it became public that a threatening letter had been sent to Seda Basay-Yildiz, a lawyer of Turkish origin who represented one of the victim families in the trial against the NSU terror group which conducted a series of racially-motivated murders and bombings. The letter to the lawyer has been signed with "NSU 2.0". The accused officers are suspected of being responsible for sending the threatening letter to Basay-Yildiz and have been suspended from their duties. Among other things, the letter mentions the "slaughter" of her two-year-old daughter. One of the police officers is said to have requested the lawyer's data via a police computer in order to send the letter to Basay-Yildiz's home address. Janine Wissler, parliamentary party leader of the Left party, announced that she would request a special meeting of the committee of home affairs next Wednesday and demanded that the responsible interior minister in Frankfurt, Peter Beuth (CDU), should "urgently explain" when and how the minister had been informed about the incidents. File Photo: U.S. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz (L) and FBI Director Christopher Wray take the oath before testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "Examining the Inspector General's First Report on Justice Department and FBI Actions in Advance of the 2016 Presidential Election" on the Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 18, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen) WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The word "justice" has been chosen as word of the year in 2018 by Merriam-Webster, a well-known U.S. publisher of dictionaries and other reference books. "Our Word of the Year for 2018 is justice," Merriam-Webster said in a statement Monday. "It was a top lookup throughout the year at Merriam-Webster.com, with the entry being consulted 74 percent more than in 2017." The publishing company said that concept of justice "was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year," and that whenever the word has been subject of discussion, "the question of just what exactly we mean when we use the term justice is relevant, and part of the discussion." According to the statement, the word justice has appeared in many news stories involving the U.S. government's executive branch charged with law enforcement duties, such as the Department of Justice (DoJ) that is often abbreviated to Justice. Meanwhile, the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, which is being carried out by the DoJ, has also generated numerous news reports throughout the year, thus giving "justice" constant exposure. President Donald Trump's alleged obstruction of justice, which the Mueller investigation has especially been looking into, has also contributed to the presence of the word. In addition, Merriam-Webster also pointed out that the word justice, as a synonym or title for "judge," has also been frequently used in news reports on Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation as an associate judge of the U.S. Supreme Court, a decision by Trump which stirred controversy, and which the Senate approved by a 50-48 margin in October. "The word and the concept of justice has been at the center of so many of our national debates in the past year: Racial justice. Social justice. Criminal justice. Economic justice," said Peter Sokolowski, editor at large of Merriam-Webster. "Any conversation about these topics can naturally lead to seeking a clearer idea of what we mean when we speak of justice." Merriam-Webster has been publishing words of the year since 2003. The word "surreal" won the title in 2016, and for 2017 the choice was "feminism." Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 05:03:37|Editor: yan Video Player Close ALGIERS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- An Algerian migration official on Monday called for a balanced strategy that combines humanitarian and security challenges to deal with illegal immigration, state-run radio's Channel III reported. "Algeria will not make any concession when it comes to securing and protecting its borders as part of the fight against illegal immigration," Channel III quoted Hassan Kacimi, director of Migration Operations at the Algerian Interior Ministry, as saying. "Each country must draw up a general migration policy," he noted. According to Kacimi, Algeria is facing a new wave of illegal immigration from the countries of sub-Saharan African region. He also warned that illegal immigrants may be influenced by extremist ideas, while hailing the role of the Algerian army in securing borders. Thousands of illegal immigrants have so far been repatriated by Algeria. Months ago, Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, called on Algeria "to stop massive expulsions of migrants, especially from sub-Saharan Africa." "This expulsion campaign would lead to a rise in racism and xenophobia against sub-Saharan Africans," she warned. Dublin, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Saudi Arabia Fitness Services Market Outlook to 2022 - By Revenue Stream (Gym Membership and Personal Training), by Organized and Unorganized, by Region, Gender and Membership Subscription" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Saudi Arabia Fitness Services Market Outlook to 2022 covers market size by organized and unorganized fitness services providers along with market segmentation by revenue stream, market structure, region, gender, and membership subscription. The report also covers government rules and regulation, future outlook and projections analysis along with analyst recommendation and macroeconomic variables highlighting the major opportunities and cautions. Market Size: Saudi Arabia fitness services market has witnessed a tremendous growth in the past few years witnessing a strong double digit growth from 2012 to 2017. Rapidly rising obesity rate, heart problems, and increase in the consciousness about the personal health have propelled momentum to the market. Male population between 15 to 44 years has increased at a rate slightly over 2% from 2012 to 2017; similarly, female population between the same age group has witnessed a growth of close to 2.0% from 2012 to 2017. Growing youth population in the country, along with ease in laws for women has benefitted the market. Market Segmentation By Market Structure: The organized sector has contributed major revenue share to the overall Saudi Arabia Fitness Services market. In terms of membership subscription, unorganized sector has contributed majority share as compared to organized sector. This sector includes various entities such as men's gym, women's gym, mixed gym and CrossFit centers, indulged in providing all kinds of fitness services including Yoga, Pilates, Zumba and Personal Training. Unorganized centers have been better able to make use the opportunity and enter the fitness industry because it offer reasonably lower membership fee and are easier to set up. By Region: Riyadh has accounted for the maximum number of organized fitness centers in KSA, primarily for being the commercial capital of the country. It is followed by Makkah mainly because of the urban and wealthy population live in this region. Major fitness centers place high preference to location around these two provinces. These regions are followed by Dammam and Medinah in 2017. Other regions include Tabuk, Asir, Jawf, Hail, and Jizan. By Gender: Males have undoubtedly dominated the fitness service market. More than half of the total individuals who attended gyms in 2017 were males while the rest were females. With conservative norms still in place especially for women in Middle Eastern countries, the proportion of women attending fitness services has been low. However, with the changing lifestyle, trends, mentality and health consciousness among the population, along with lifting of bans on women population, this scenario is gradually changing. The demand for female specific fitness centers has already started picking up and this trend is assumed to continue in the future. By Membership Subscription: Membership packages offered for three months have contributed a major share to the overall revenue generated through fitness services in 2017 as it offers the option of experimenting with several gyms for short durations and trying new activities such as Yoga, Pilates and Mixed Martial Arts. Additionally, these packages are very suitable for people joining gyms for the first time. The second most preferred package has been the one-year package because of various reasons including tier pricing which makes the one year packages economical in relation to the other membership packages. Additionally, better offers, discounts and promotions offered by fitness centers on buying the long-term packages have attracted consumers in huge number. Competitive Analysis: Competition Stage and Company Positioning: The overall competition stage of the industry has been fragmented. The organized and unorganized gyms provide gym services along with supplementary facilities such as Spa, Sauna, Swimming Pool, Showers, Lockers facility and others. Few of the major organized players include Fitness Time, Body Masters, 9 Round, The Power Gym, Gold's Gym, and Fitness First. The major unorganized players have been Tytans Fitness, Bwell Center, Areka, Fitness Inn, and Fitness World. Future Projections: Saudi Arabia Fitness Services market's revenue has been anticipated to grow at a double digit CAGR during 2017 to 2022E, which shall cordially be supported by the increase in the number of health and fitness centers in the country during the same period. Growth during this period is expected to be supported by the rising number of obese population, increasing demand for personal training, expanding geographical presence of major fitness centers, diversifying services portfolio and others. Increase in health awareness would supplement growth in the market. Many new services and new technologies are expected to be launched in the forecast period having a positive impact on demand for fitness services. Key Topics Covered in the Report Saudi Arabia Fitness Services Market Evolution and Potential Saudi Arabia Fitness Services Market Size And Segmentation Emerging Trends and Developments in Saudi Arabia Fitness Service Market Issues and Challenges in Saudi Arabia Fitness Services Market Customer Pain Points and Decision Making Parameters Saudi Arabia Fitness Services Market Government Regulations Investment Model for Saudi Arabia Fitness Services Market Competitive Landscape of major Players in Saudi Arabia Fitness Service Market Saudi Arabia Fitness Services Market Future Outlook and Projections, 2018E-2022E Analyst Recommendations Macroeconomic Factors in Saudi Arabia Fitness Services market Key Segments Covered Market Segmentation by Market Structure (Organized & Unorganized) By Revenue Stream By Membership subscription By Region (For Organized) By Gym Type (For Organized) Market Segmentation By Gender (Male & Female) Market Segmentation By Revenue Stream (Membership Subscription & Personal Training) Market Segmentation By Membership Subscription (12 Months, 6 Months, 3 Months and Others) Market Segmentation By Region (Riyadh, Mecca, Madinah, Dammam and Others) Key Target Audience Men's Fitness Service Centers Women Fitness Service Centers Mixed Fitness Service Centers CrossFit Centers Major Fitness Equipment Manufacturers Investors Time Period Captured in the Report: 2012-2017 - Historical Period 2018-2022 - Future Forecast Companies Covered: Organized Fitness Services Providers: Fitness First Gold's Gym Fitness Time World Gym Active Time Arena MMA Fitness Bodyline VIP center Central care Al Manahil Al Multaka Interval Plus CrossFit NuYu Curves Spectrum Wellness for Women Kore Lava Fitness Glow Fit Kinetico Fit Zone Pulse Studio Studio 55 9 Round The Power Gym Body Masters Muscles Factory Fitness Maker Unorganized Fitness Services Providers: G-Fit Bwell center Fitness Inn Areka Tytans fitness Iron hill Cross Fit Fitness World Marom Club Rio gym For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wgfqf9/saudi_arabia?w=12 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 05:23:41|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Monday called on the international community to implement the Global Compact on Refugees as soon as possible. "The Global Compact on Refugees, and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration adopted last week in Marrakech, deliver on the promise made by all governments in the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants two years ago," said Mohammed at an event to mark the adoption of the Global Compact on Refugees. The Global Compact on Refugees was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Monday, which Mahammed said was an "important step." "In recent years, we have seen a contagion of closed borders, contrary to international refugee and human rights law. Millions of refugees are facing years in exile, or risking their lives on dangerous journeys to an uncertain future," she said. Mohammed added that the adoption of the compact was "a global commitment" to step up and shoulder the responsibilities towards refugees, to find solutions that respect their human rights, to provide them with hope and to recognize the legal responsibility to protect and support them. It was "a critical piece of the global response needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and to leave no one behind," she noted. The Global Compact on Refugees "sets out concrete measures to share the responsibility and ease the pressure on the small number of countries that host the majority of refugees," she said. "This will strengthen the provision of vital services like education, water and health to refugees and to all members of the community," the UN deputy chief added. This compact "has the potential" to change the lives of refugees and their children's future, she noted. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 05:33:44|Editor: yan Video Player Close PRAGUE, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Czech Republic will vote against on Wednesday the global migration pact at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, said Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek on Monday after a government's meeting which debated its attitude toward the pact. In November, the Czech government decided that the country will not join the pact. No Czech representatives therefore was in a UN conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, where the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was adopted by over 150 countries earlier this month. The compact was agreed upon by the UN member states on July 13, 2018. It is the first-ever inter-governmentally negotiated agreement to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner. The UN General Assembly will uphold the pact in a final vote on Wednesday. The vote against the pact was demanded by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Before Monday's government meeting, Petricek said that the Czech diplomats had been instructed to abstain from the vote at the UN General Assembly. However, if the government wants the Czech Republic to vote against the pact, it will change the instruction for diplomats accordingly. The United States, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Bulgaria and Austria also rejected the global migration pact. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 06:03:51|Editor: yan Video Player Close VALLETTA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Monday that his government welcomed a report by the Venice Commission on the Rule of Law in Malta and would hand it to the steering committee in charge of coordinating an update to Malta's Constitution. The Venice Commission, or the European Commission for Democracy through Law, is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters. The commission recently made a stinging assessment of the state of the rule of law in Malta. It said Friday that the Office of the Prime Minister was at "the centre of power", and warned of imbalances this could cause. Other important roles such as that of the President, Parliament, Cabinet, the Judiciary, and the Ombudsman, were too weak in their institutional position to provide sufficient checks and balances, the commission warned. In a recorded message, Muscat emphasized that the laws and structures that were scrutinised by the commission had been in place for generations and were simply inherited by his administration. He then gave an overview of the government's reforms in the sector since 2013. Muscat said the ball was now in the court of the Constitutional Convention steering committee -- headed by Maltese President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca -- to implement the required changes. Muscat had previously pledged to implement the recommendations made by the commission. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 06:23:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close ALGIERS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Algeria an the Republic of Korea on Monday signed five memorandums of understanding covering various fields, as part of the visit of ROK Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon to the North African nation, APS news agency reported. The signed agreements concern the domains of environment protection, the modernization of customs, investment cooperation and renewable energies. These agreements were signed in the presence of Lee and his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Ouyahia during the fifth bilateral Business Forum. Earlier in the day, an association pact was signed between the ROK auto giant Hyundai and the Algerian company of Global Group over the establishment of a truck and bus plant in Batna Province, 425km southeast of the capital Algiers. Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-18 06:43:57|Editor: ZD Video Player Close LONDON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May Monday faced a second no confidence vote at Westminster in the latest row over her Brexit deal. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, tabled a confidence vote that would enable Members of Parliament (MPs) to decide if they have confidence in May as prime minister. Media reports later said a vote of no confidence in the Conservative government had also emerged as a new threat to May, with the risk of a snap general election if she loses. Corbyn told the House of Commons his move followed the failure of May to allow a debate by lawmakers on the Brexit deal she has struck with Brussels, accusing the prime minister of cynically running down the clock towards the Brexit deadline. May told MPs that the vote on her deal would not take place until the week commencing Jan. 14, just 10 weeks before Britain leaves the European Union (EU) on March 29. Parliament only sits until Thursday when it goes into holiday recess until Jan. 7 Corbyn is now awaiting a decision on when a no confidence debate will take place, but he said the government's refusal to allow a debate before the recess would demonstrate that May does not command the confidence of the House of Commons. In a later development the Daily Telegraph reported Monday night that Labour may go further, and table a motion of no confidence in the government, not just May, if the original motion is not held Tuesday. The Telegraph pointed out that a vote by the House of Commons of no confidence in May's Conservative government would be substantially more significant than a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, as it would trigger a general election. With opposition MPs, such as the Scottish Nationalist Party, likely to support Corbyn, May's minority government would have to depend on the 10 MPs from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). If it progressed to a vote of no confidence in the government, the DUP is likely to support the government, as are Conservative MPs, knowing that it could pave the way for a Labour government if Corbyn wins the vote. Corbyn told MPs the confidence motion was aimed specifically at the prime minister and not at the government as a whole, adding it was the only way he could think of ensuring a vote on the Brexit deal takes place this week. He added: "The prime minister has obdurately refused to ensure a vote took place on the date she agreed, she refuses to allow a vote to take place this week and is now, I assume, thinking the vote will be on January 14 -- almost a month away. This is unacceptable in any way whatsoever." He tabled the motion to parliament, saying "that this House has no confidence in the prime minister due to her failure to allow the House of Commons to have a meaningful vote straight away on the withdrawal agreement and framework for future relationships between the UK and European Union." Earlier in the debate, Corbyn told MPs Britain faced an unprecedented situation after the prime minister had led the country into what he described as a national crisis. Referring to May's latest meeting with EU leaders, Corbyn said the European Commission has been categorical, saying it will not renegotiate the deal struck with May. He said: "The deal is unchanged and not going to change. This House (of Commons) must get on with the vote and move on to consider the realistic alternatives." May, who just survived a no confidence vote among her own Conservative MPs, in a speech confirmed the parliament intended to return to the Meaningful Vote debate in the week commencing Jan. 7 and hold the vote the following week. She told MPs: "When we have the vote, MPs will need to reflect carefully on what is in the best interests of our country. We asked the British people to take this decision, and the British people responded by instructing us to leave the European Union." She ended her message with a plea to politicians: "At this critical moment in our history, we should be thinking not about our party's interests, but about the national interest." May will chair a meeting of her senior ministers at Downing Street Tuesday morning when top of the agenda will be a discussion on increasing preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Coronavirus: Copiii care sufera de astm trebuie vaccinati prioritar (experti) Copiii care sufera de astm necontrolat au un risc mai mai mare de a fi spitalizati daca se imbolnavesc de COVID-19 si din acest motiv trebuie sa aiba prioritate la vaccinarea impotriva noului coronavirus, potrivit unui studiu realizat de revista [citeste mai departe] Freehold, NJ, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- MEDIFIRST SOLUTIONS, INC. (OTC: MFST) (the Company or Medifirst): Speaking at the American Pain Association (APA) symposium held on December 12th at the PCOM Medical School in Philadelphia, Bruce J. Schoengood, President of Medifirst Solutions, applauded the passage of the Farm Bill by the Senate. Stated Schoengood, We believe that this historical legislation will make it easier for CBD manufacturing and distribution companies like Medifirst to enter the market and provide access to Hemp and CBD products for people in need and will open the door for further research and insurance coverage for CBD. This symposium was part of the APA National Medical School Educational Tour Initiative, started to educate, advocate and fight the deadly opioid epidemic that has been responsible for killing thousands and putting innocent youths and children at serious risk. Topics discussed included the challenges and strategies for stemming the Opioid Epidemic and exploring the role of CBD products in pain management. Speaking at the Symposium, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, President of the American Pain Association said, There is still lot of stigma and poor education among physicians and the public about CBD products and its full potential is not being realized. I believe the research has clearly shown the benefits of Cannabis products in various medical conditions including pain management. Many doctors and patients, I believe, incorrectly still feel that CBD is more harmful than opioids. It is my position that there is no reason to categorize CBD as a scheduled drug as it has no addiction potential. The American Pain Association is currently initiating several studies on CBD in conjunction with various prestigious Medical school faculties across North America. Continued Dr. Gupta, Many patients cant afford CBD and as a result, they choose harmful opioids just because they are paid by their insurance plans. That is why I am in discussions with insurance companies to address these most important issues and concerns. If Insurance companies are willing to pay for harmful opioids, they should consider paying for harmless yet effective alternatives like CBD. The passage of the Farm Bill is a significant step in helping patients and in curbing the opioid epidemic. Richard J. Hollawell, a trial attorney in Philadelphia, presented at the conference. He believes that although most medical professionals are doing a great job, some may be potentially harming patients by over prescribing harmful opioids. Stated Hollawell, I believe these practices are not being monitored effectively by the DEA and Medical Licensing Boards. There are practitioners whose patients have died from opioids, but they continue to practice without any enforcement action. Often, the families of these patients are filled with guilt and shame in dealing with addiction. They feel that it was their loved ones fault and therefore many do not pursue legal action. I believe there are unethical practices within the medical community that must be stopped as they are hurting the reputation of many good doctors, healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies. The next symposium of the American Pain Association (APA) National Medical School Tour will be held on December 18th at Rutgers RWJ Medical School. Doctors and healthcare professionals and interested people are welcome to attend on Tuesday, December 18, 2018, 5-8pm at RWJ University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ. Please note that Dr. Sanjay Gupta of the APA is not related to Dr. Gupta of CNN. About The Time Machine Laser Medifirst Solutions, Inc., in response to its Premarket Notification 510(k) submission for The Time Machine Series Laser, received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its infrared Time Machine TTML-8102000 Laser Thermal Therapeutic Device. The Time Machine Series Lasers Model TTML-8102000 - 810/830nm is intended for use in temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain, stiffness, minor arthritis pain, muscle spasm, temporary increase in local blood circulation and temporary relaxation of muscles by means of topical elevated tissue temperature from infrared spectral emissions. The hand-held laser device, with pin-point accuracy, often gives patients immediate results with no redness, swelling or down-time. This unique laser device offers medical professionals an affordable and effective tool to enhance their treatment protocols for their patients and provide new revenue streams for their practice. Visit www.medifirstsolutions.com for more information. Follow on Twitter @Medi_First and for Facebook visit Medifirst Solutions. Forward-Looking Statements: The statements in this press release that relate to the companys expectations about the future impact on the company's results from new products in development are forward-looking statements, and may involve risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. Such risks and uncertainties are described in greater detail in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Since the information in this press release may contain statements that involve risk and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the company's actual results may differ materially from expected results. We make no commitment to disclose any subsequent revisions to forward-looking statements. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to buy any securities of any entity. NEW DELHI: Leaders from various political parties are likely to be on stage to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Congress chief ministers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on Monday. However, the event which is being planned to showcase the 'Opposition strength' will have some conspicuous absences. Among those who are giving the event a miss are Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee, who had earlier floated the idea of a federal front of regional parties, has been seen recently exchanging bonhomie with Naidu, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Telangana CM Chandrashekar Rao but the same warmth has not been seen for the Congress. Reports though say that TMC MP Nadimul Haque will be attending the ceremony on behalf of the party. Apart from Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the key leaders expected at the events are Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, DMK president MK Stalin, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and NCP president Sharad Pawar. The show of strength assumes significance as it comes after Congress wrested power from the BJP in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It is also important as it comes at a time when hectic parleys are on to stitch a grand alliance to fight the BJP. Speaking about the event, Rajasthan Deputy CM-designate Sachin Pilot emphasised that the gathering of opposition leaders in Jaipur will give a glimpse of the 'future of politics' in the country. "Even non-Congress parties now want to see Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister. It is not only going to be an oath-taking ceremony but it will also give a glimpse of the future of politics in this country. This is an indication of how the politics will turn in upcoming times," he said on Monday. "Keeping in mind the Lok Sabha elections, we need to further strengthen the Congress party. The non-BJP front is becoming stronger. The oath-taking ceremony will also be a testimony of opposition unity. BJP government is weakening the democratic institution and people want this trend to be stopped and changed," he added. New Delhi: Kangana Ranaut's upcoming war-drama 'Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi' is one of the most anticipated projects. The film has been in news ever since the project was first announced. Kangana essays the role of the mighty warrior queen Rani Laxmibai and will bring forward the story of a true hero. The film teaser was unveiled by the makers this Independence Day and fans couldn't hold their excitement. And now, the first official trailer of the film is all set to arrive tomorrow, i.e. on December 18. The screening of trailer took place today and Kangana, who plays the warrior Queen, Rani Laxmi Bai in the film, attended the event with producer Kamal Jain. Kangana, who is a stunner in every sense of the word, looked absolutely pretty in a light peach-coloured printed saree which she teamed with nude pumps and kept her make up minimal. Take a look at her photos here: Kangana has also finished shooting for black thriller-comedy 'Mental Hai Kya' also starring Rajkummar Rao. The film is produced by Ekta Kapoor and directed by Prakash Kovelamudi and is slated to hit screens on March 29, 2019. She has also completed a portion of Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's 'Panga' in which she will be seen playing the role of a kabaddi player. Ahmedabad: A girl in Rajkot robbed her won house to fund her boyfriend's pilot training course. The duo was studying chartered Accountancy and had met at a coaching class. The girl Priyanka, 20, stole Rs 21 lakh cash along with jewellery for her boyfriend Het, 20, who wanted to become a commercial pilot. The course fee was nearly Rs 20 lakh. Priyanka used duplicated key of cupboards and robbed her own house when her mother and sister were out of town. The couple has been arrested and all the stolen cash and jewellery have been recovered from Het's possession. He had left Rajkot and moved to Bengaluru following the robbery. Priyanka vandalised the house to make it look like a burglary. The incident took place on November 29. Punjab Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday welcomed the Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. In a statement released by his office, Singh added that the Congress party of the Gandhi family had no role to play in the rioting that took place in 1984. The statement released by the Punjab Chief Ministers Office said that Singh welcomed the conviction of Sajjan Kumar, terming the 1984 riots as a case of justice finally delivered to the victims of one of the worst instances of communal violence in independent India. The Punjab Chief Minister, however, asserted that neither the Congress party nor the Gandhi family had any role to play in the rioting. He further lashed out at the Badals for continuing to drag their (Gandhis) names into the case at the behest of their political masters the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Punjab Congress party chief Sunil Kumar Jakhar also welcomed the Delhi High Court verdict, saying that though justice was delayed, it was delivered finally. He said, Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), however, continued to target the Gandhi family, with senior party leader and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal suggesting the probe into the 1984 carnage would ultimately lead to the Gandhi famly. It is Sajjan Kumar today, it will be Jagdish Tytler tomorrow then Kamal Nath and eventually the Gandhi family. I want to thank PM Modi that on Shiromnai Akali Dal's request in 2015 he set up an SIT to probe 1984 massacre. It's a historic judgement. Wheels of justice have finally moved, said the SAD leader. Another Akali Dal leader, Manjinder Singh Sirja, said that their "fight" would continue till the Gandhi family was "dragged to court and put in jail". "We thank the court for giving us justice. Our fight will continue till Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler get a death sentence and Gandhi family is dragged to the court and put in jail," said Sirja. Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hit out at the Congress party yet again on Monday, accusing it of knowingly misleading the people of the country over the issue of Rafale fighter jets deal between India and France. Targeting the Gandhi family, the Defence Minister said that they had shown amazing audacity by not listening to the verdict of the Supreme Court. The Congress is knowingly misleading people on pricing of Rafale jets, said the Union Defence Minister, citing the Supreme Court order, which has dismissed all petitions seeking a probe into the Rafale fighter jets deal. She further said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA government at the Centre had given the pricing details of the fighter jets to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), adding that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) would also have a look at it. We have given the price to the CAG. In a Parliamentary system the CAG looks into it and then its report goes to PAC. The PAC will have a look at it and then it will become a public document. It is a process and it has commenced, said the Union Defence Minister. We explained the process through which information comes to Parliament. In that, the past tense, future tense, present tense and present continuous tense has come into play. That is post the decision, is it not? Therefore how is it going to affect verdict? she added. After the Supreme Court ruling on the Rafale issue last week, Nirmala Sitharaman had said that it was a win for the government and the courts observations had put allegations pertaining to the deal to rest. The Congress, however, continued to attack the government over the issue despite the Supreme Court ruling. Addressing a press conference, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and PAC chairman Mallikarjun Kharge had alleged that the government had lied to the court, claiming that the pricing report was neither with the CAG nor was it submitted before the PAC. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed the claims of the Congress party, with Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accusing the grand old party and its president of showing disrespect to the top court. During a press meet, Prasad had asked, Do Rahul Gandhi and Congress party consider themselves above the law? Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday welcomed the Delhi High Courts order reversing the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Shortly after the High Court convicted Sajjan Kumar in connection with the case, the AAP leader took to microblogging site Twitter saying it has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. I welcome Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riots case. It has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power, tweeted the Delhi Chief Minister. Kejriwal further said, Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also welcomed the verdict of the Delhi High Court, asserting that the party would continue to fight for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Speaking to mediapersons, SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, We thank the court for giving us justice. Our fight will continue till Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler get a death sentence and Gandhi family is dragged to the court and put in jail. Union minister and senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal also reacted to the verdict, saying that everyone knows what happened in 1984 and we have been fighting for justice for the victims relentlessly. This came after the Delhi High Court reversed a lower court order, which acquitted Sajjan Kumar, awarding life imprisonment to him. The court also extended the life imprisonment of two other convicts from three years to 10 years. While announcing the verdict, the court observed, In the summer of 1947, during partition, several people were massacred. 37 years later Delhi was the witness of a similar tragedy. The accused enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial. The Delhi High Court on Monday reversed a lower court order, which had acquitted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The High Court convicted Kumar and sentenced him to life imprisonment, asking him to surrender by December 31. Reacting to the verdict, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal welcomed the decision, saying that justice was long awaited. Heres a look at who said what: Captain Amarinder Singh, Punjab Chief Minister: It is a case of justice finally delivered to the victims of one of the worst instances of communal violence in independent India. But neither the Congress party nor the Gandhi family had any role to play in the rioting. The Badals continued to drag their names into the case at the behest of their political masters, BJP. Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister: I welcome Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riots case. It has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister and SAD leader: It is Sajjan Kumar today, it will be Jagdish Tytler tomorrow then Kamal Nath and eventually the Gandhi family. I want to thank PM Modi that on Shiromnai Akali Dal's request in 2015 he set up an SIT to probe 1984 massacre. It's a historic judgement. Wheels of justice have finally moved. Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister and BJP leader: Judgement of Delhi High Court is an extremely welcome development. For many of us who are witnesses, it was perhaps the worst kind of genocide that we ever saw. Congress governments in that period repeatedly indulged in coverup exercises. Sunil Kumar Jakhar, President of of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee: Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Shiromani Akali Dal leader: We thank the court for giving us justice. Our fight will continue till Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler get a death sentence and Gandhi family is dragged to the court and put in jail. Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP leader: 1984 massacre is a permanent blot on Delhi. Though much delayed but High Court judgment on Sajjan Kumar is landmark. State power cannot be used to massacre innocent citizens. Had exemplary punishment been given to perpetrators of 1984 riots - nobody would have repeated it in 2002. New Delhi: India and Maldives on Sunday signed four agreements on the sidelines of the visit of Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to India. The agreements included cultural cooperation, IT and electronics cooperation and on improving the ecosystem for agribusiness. The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region as New Delhi extended lines of credit worth $1.4 billion to the archipelago nation following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Solih. Here is the list of agreements signed between India and Maldives: S. No. Agreements/MoUs/Joint Declaration of Intent Signed on the Indian side by Signed on the Maldives side by Agreement on the Facilitation of Visa Arrangements Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister Shahid Abdulla, Minister of Foreign Affairs Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation Arun Goel, Secretary, Ministry of Culture Shahid Abdulla, Minister of Foreign Affairs Memorandum of Understanding for Establishing Mutual Cooperation to Improve the Ecosystem for Agribusiness Akhilesh Mishra, Ambassador of India to Maldives Fayyaz Ismail, Minister of Economic Development Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the field of Information & Communications Technology and Electronics Akhilesh Mishra, Ambassador of India to Maldives Mohamed Aslam, Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure Maldives President Solih is on a three-day visit to India, also, his first foreign visit since assuming office on November 17, 2018. Earlier in the day, Solih was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan during which PM Modi greeted him with a hug. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after Solih's predecessor Abdulla Yameen imposed an internal emergency in February this year. Solih defeated Yameen in the elections in September to take over as President. (With inputs from agencies) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again raked up the Kashmir issue to target India. Taking to microblogging site Twitter on Sunday, the Pakistan Prime Minister cited the recent incident of death of civilians, who allegedly pelted stones on Indian forces during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader further threatened that his government would raise the issue with the United Nations, accusing India of human rights violations. Imran Khan also urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to fulfil its commitment of a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. Strongly condemn killing of innocent Kashmiri civilians in Pulwama IOK by Indian security forces. Only dialogue & not violence & killings will resolve this conflict. We will raise issue of India's human rights violations in IOK & demand UNSC fulfil its J&K plebiscite commitment, said Imran Khan. Condemning the recent encounter in Pulwama, which was carried out by a joint team of Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir police, the Pakistani Prime Minister said that Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future. The death of civilians in Pulwama during an encounter on Saturday has triggered outrage in the Kashmir Valley, with several political parties criticising the same. Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik also ordered a probe into the incident on Saturday. He also appealed to people to stay away from encounter sites. As the encounter began in Sirnoo village in Pulwama district on Saturday, there were reports of some locals protesting against the same and pelting stones on forces. The forces had to resort to tear-gas shelling and open fire to control the protesters, which allegedly resulted in deaths of at least seven civilians. Expressing grief over the loss of lives during the clashes, the Governor directed the security forces to minimise collateral damage during anti-terror operations. He also reviewed the security scenario in Kashmir, including details of the counter-infiltration and counter-terrorist operations undertaken recently. New York, New York, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Have you ever dreamed of visiting the wondrous pyramids of Egypt, the exquisite Old City of Jerusalem, or the legendary Treasury, carved entirely from a sandstone rock face in Petra, Jordan? On Beyond Cruises by Group IST's new small ship itinerary, Gods, Kings, and Pharaohs , you have the perfect opportunity to visit all three of these bucket list UNESCO World Heritage sites on one mega yacht cruise! In Israel, starting from January 19, 2019, Beyond Cruises' passengers will depart from Israel's Herzliya Marina, the first time ever a commercial vessel has been allowed to use this posh private marina for a port of call. Passengers will continue their Bucket List experience when they board this modern, elegant 50 passenger Mega Yacht, Harmony V, as they embark on this intimate journey through three countries, Israel, Egypt and Jordan, steeped in history, archaeology and the story of human civilization. Start checking off your bucket list in the ancient yet modern city of Jerusalem for a three-day pre-cruise excursion exploring the historic pilgrimage sites holy for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Visit the Old City, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Via Dolorosa, the Kotel (Western Wall) and its tunnels, the Tower of David, and wander through the old city market (Souq). In the evenings, allow time to dine at one of the trendy new restaurants in the new city market, Machane Yehuda, and then hit the hot new Jerusalem bar scene at night. Then on to Tel Aviv, the city that never sleeps, and the Herzliya Marina just north of the city. Set sail on the Mediterranean Sea and down through the historic Suez Canal to Egypt, site of enduring monuments, colorful pharaohs, and legendary gods. Visit Cairo, Egypts timeless capital, and take an excursion to discover the world-famous Pyramids of Giza and the awe-inspiring Egyptian Museum. Before departing Egypt, guests will take a two-day land excursion to Luxor, known as the greatest open-air museum in the world. Once the southern section of the ancient capital of Thebes, the Karnak and Luxor Temples, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, and the Temple of Hatshepsut are only a few of the breath-taking sites to visit in Luxor. The cruise finishes in Jordan, a country with spectacular beauty, glorious monuments, sun scorched dunes and man-made oases. Discover the marvels that await in the world-famous city of Petra and see the Ancient City, the Royal Tombs, and the fabled Treasury, built as a tomb for the Nabataean King Aretas IV. Travel from Petra to Amman and stop in city of Madaba, known for its Byzantine-era mosaics, including the oldest surviving map of the Holy Lands on the floor of St. George's Church. Your once in a lifetime bucket list experience culminates with a night in the Jordanian capital of Amman, itself home to historic ruins like the Citadel, the Roman Temple of Hercules, and the 8th-Century Umayyad Palace Complex. 8-Day/ 7-Night Gods, Kings, and Pharaohs Sailing Dates Aboard the 25 Cabin M/Y Harmony V- (from Herzliya/Tel Aviv, Israel to Aquaba, Jordan) January 19, 2019 February 2 & 16, 2019 March 2, 2019 This new itinerary will serve to compliment Beyond Cruises already enticing roster of iconic and exotic destinations including Cuba, Iceland, the Adriatic Sea, Greece, Dubai, Thailand, Vietnam, the Mekong River, the Rhone River, the Marne-Rhine Canal, Bali, Costa Rica and Panama, India, Spain & Portugal, the Seychelles and Kenya. For more information and reservations contact your local travel agent or call 1 800 833 2111 and refer to booking code: MELMED18 -Ends- About Beyond Cruises Beyond Cruises passion remains unchanged since its inception: an alchemy that blends enriching oneself educationally and exploring the true identity of a destination, while enjoying the comforts and unique benefits of a small ship-sailing the seas. About the M/Y Harmony V The 50 passenger Harmony V is a modern elegant yacht with a sleek high-tech look very similar to the private yachts found in the famous ports of the world. The ship features a spacious lounge with classy seating, and an American Bar which leads into a dining area decorated with warm colors. The 2,150 ft.2 sundeck offers a shaded outdoor area (also convertible into indoor dining area) for all day dining and a bar as well as sun chairs and loungers. The swimming platform on Harmony V stern also allows for easy access to the ship and for a wide range of sea related activities. Beyond Cruises New 2018/2019 Brochure- https://www.beyondcruises.com/images/Brochures/Beyond%20Cruises%20Brochure%20Web%209-27-18.pdf Follow Beyond Cruises on Social Media: @BeyondCruises @BeyondCruises @BeyondCruisesUS Beyond Cruises US Editorial Contact: The Bradford Group Bianca Pappas/ Daniel Kastanis Tel: (212) 447-0027 Fax: (212) 725 8253 E-mail: info@bradfordglobalmarketing.com Attachments Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, who was detained by the country's intelligence agencies in 2012 and subsequently sentenced to three years' imprisonment by a military court in 2015 for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by the military court on December 15, 2015. His three-year jail term ended on December 15, 2018 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. "Ansari is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said. He claimed that Ansari was an "Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents." Ansari went 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. He entered Pakistan 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, on Thursday heard an appeal filed by Ansari through his lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar. Anwar informed the bench that both the Ministry 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. 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. Bhopal: Sworn-in as CM of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath's first order of business on Monday was to waive off farm loans of up to Rs 2 lakh taken from nationalised and/or co-operative banks. Soon after, however, he took a veiled dig at migrant workers from UP and Bihar while explaining why employment for locals in his state is top priority. Speaking at a press conference, the veteran politician said that waiving off farm loans was a promise made before MP elections and he has fulfilled it. He then said employment was another promise made and he will strive to provide people of Madhya Pradesh with jobs. "Our schemes of providing incentives of investment will only be imposed after 70% people from Madhya Pradesh get employment. People from other states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh come here and local people don't get jobs. I have signed file for this," he said. Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath: Our schemes of providing incentives of investment will only be imposed after 70% people from Madhya Pradesh get employment. People from other states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh come here & local people don't get jobs. I have signed file for this pic.twitter.com/qjORqyBuFc ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 Kamal Nath's remark on job-seekers from UP and Bihar is unlikely to go well with politicians from the two states - as has been previously seen in the case of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Here too, migrant workers were targeted - either through force or through words, prompting political leaders from UP and Bihar to issue sharp rebuttals. In Gujarat, thousands of migrant workers from Bihar had to flee after being threatened with dire consequences. The matter was eventually brought under control by the state administration. As such, Kamal Nath may well find himself on a sticky wicket on the opening day of his new innings which began at an oath-taking ceremony in Bhopal. It was an event which was also attended by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav who had previously accused BJP and RSS of targetting migrants from UP and Bihar in Gujarat. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to life. While holding Kumar guilty, the HC reversed the earlier trial court's judgement in which he had been acquitted in the case. Kumar has been asked to surrender by 31 December 2018. Kumar had been acquitted by a trial court, however, Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and two others were held guilty in the case relating to the murder of five members of a family in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984 after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal had been sentenced to life while former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar had been awarded a three-year jail term. The convicts had challenged their conviction and sentencing by the trial court in May 2013. Appealing against Kumar's acquittal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had alleged that the accused were engaged in "a planned communal riot" and "religious cleansing". A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel had on October 29 concluded hearing arguments on the appeals filed by the CBI, riots victims and the convicts, and reserved the judgement. Mumbai: A massive level-3 fire broke out at a hospital in suburban Andheri area of Mumbai on Monday, leaving five people dead and more than 100 others injured. The mishap took place at ESIC Kamgar Hospital. A number of doctors, nurses, and patients are feared trapped inside the hospital premises, the fire department said. Mumbai: 1 person has died in the fire that broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital in Andheri earlier today. 47 persons rescued till now. Further rescue operation underway. 10 fire tenders conducting firefighting operations. 1 Rescue van, 16 ambulances also present pic.twitter.com/pknta0DH4l ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 As many as 10 fire tenders have been pressed to conduct the firefighting operations. A rescue van and 16 ambulances are also present at the spot to provide necessary assistance. Mumbai: A Level-3 fire breaks out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital in Andheri, rescue operations underway. No casualty reported. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/r84978rs9Z ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 As per officials, the injured have been rushed to Cooper Hospital, P Thakrey Hospital (Trauma), Holi Spirit Hospital and Seven Hills Hospital for treatment. "The cause of the fire is not known yet. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is responsible for the fire audits, whether they carried out fire audits or not, that will be investigated," Mumbai Mayor, V Mahadeshwar said. London: Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle's estranged father Thomas on Monday pleaded with his daughter to stop "ghosting" him and get in touch with him over Christmas. Thomas, who has not spoken to the new member of the British royal family since she got married to Prince Harry in a grand ceremony at Windsor Castle in May this year, said he had been texting his daughter every day and writing letters to her but she has been ghosting him - a term used when someone ends all communication with another person. "I'm not sure why it's happening. I have been trying to reach out for several weeks, every day I try to text her, but haven't received anything back," the 74-year-old retired Hollywood lighting director told ITV's "Good Morning Britain" in an interview from his home in San Diego in the US. "I love you very much, you're my daughter and I would really like to hear from you. Whatever differences we have, we should be able to work them out," he said, making a direct plea. Thomas dismissed accusations that the 37-year-old former actress was rude in reference to media reports of a feud between her and sister-in-law Kate Middleton, but admitted that she could be a controlling person. "I don't believe them (the reports) I think they're gossip. Meghan has never been rude to anyone; she learned to respect everyone. She's always been a very controlling person and that's part of her nature but she's never been rude," he said. "The ghosting, I don't completely understand. She's always been in charge, that's her nature, but not been rude," he added, during the first interview since the news of his daughter's pregnancy broke in October. Thomas, who has never met his son-in-law, said he remained hopeful he would be able to meet his future grandchild, who is due next spring. Thomas said his daughter would make a great mother and is just desperate to reconnect because there has to be a place for him as her father and grandfather of her children. He even made an indirect request to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry's grandmother, to step in, saying: "I would appreciate anything she (Queen) can do and I would think that she would want to resolve the family problems. "All families, royal or otherwise, are the same and should be together at the (Christmas) holidays." The former husband of Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, did not attend his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry as he was recovering from heart surgery. He had become the subject of controversy after it was revealed that he had staged photographs with the paparazzi in return for money a few days prior to the wedding. During the interview, Thomas said he had apologised 100 times for that. "That's not worthy of being shunned or ghosted. That's ridiculous," he said. Thomas, who ITV said had not been paid for the interview, suggested the royal couple may have been influenced by press reports about him. He said, "The unfortunate thing about my daughter and Harry is that they believe everything they read in the papers. "For the first year, they were telling me never believe those things but now they're believing it and thinking I'm saying a lot of things that I'm not saying." Kensington Palace, the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's office as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, did not comment on the interview. New Delhi: With barely days left for Aanand L Rai's 'Zero' to hit the screens, the lead actors Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif are leaving no stones unturned to promote the film at every corner of the world. Only yesterday, Shah Rukh was in the 'City Of Nawab' where he promoted the film along with his co-star Anushka Sharma. And now, a day later, the hit trio along with filmmaker Aanand L Rai was in the national capital for the same. Shah Rukh, Katrina and Anushka were all smiles as they posed for the shutterbugs. While Katrina donned a dark brown outfit for the occasion, Anushka looked gorgeous in an orange polka-dotted dress. Take a look at their photos here: The story of 'Zero' revolves around Bauua Singh, a small town man who is vertically challenged and his journey of falling in love. On his way to finding love, he comes across two ladies Aafia (Anushka Sharma), a physically disabled scientist and Babita Kumari (Katrina Kaif), a leading Bollywood actress who is alcoholic. Recently, 'Zero's song 'Husn Parcham' was unveiled on the social media and Katrina stunned everyone with her sizzling hot avatar. The earlier songs, 'Mere Naam Tu' and 'Ishqbaazi' have also received a thumbs up from the audience and are performing well. The film is all set to arrive in theatres on December 21, 2018. New Delhi: Popular contestants of Bigg Boss 11 Vikas Gupta and Shilpa Shinde are at loggerheads again. Shilpa has been badmouthing Vikas ever since they entered the Bigg Boss 12 house as guests but he never retaliated. However, now the things seem to have hit the roof as the actress has called Vikas a 'tv mafia' on social media. Now the producer took to his Twitter page to share his side of the story. His tweet read, "Please think before you tweet ShilpaJi You told me never to trust these two completely even after bigboss vikas Ji and you got influenced to this level that you are ending up damaging all that you have built up after such a long time. Atleast care about the people who love you." Check out the tweet below: Please think before you tweet ShilpaJi You told me never to trust these two completely even after bigboss vikas Ji and you got influenced to this level that you are ending up damaging all that you have built up after such a long time. Atleast care about the people who love you https://t.co/W3YhFblcyv Vikas Gupta (@lostboy54) December 16, 2018 Shilpa and Vikas had solved their differences inside the Bigg Boss 11 house and the two have gone on record to say that they are neither friends nor enemies, they are colleagues who respect each other immensely. The two even posted heartfelt wishes for each other on their birthdays. It came as a shocker for their fans to see them lock horns again. Canberra: In a first an Australian body has been chosen to take over day-to-day operations at the European Space Agency's (ESA) deep space tracking centre, it was announced on Friday. The station at New Norcia, 130 km northeast of Perth, will be maintained by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) with the ESA to continue remotely controlling its spacecraft and satellites via the station. The ESA control centre in Germany uses a 35-metre antenna at the station to track, control and receive data from its spacecraft exploring the solar system. The CSIRO's takeover, which will begin in March 2019, marks the first time that an Australian organisation will manage day-to-day operations at the New Norcia station. The CSIRO currently manages the Canberra Deep Space Communication Centre on behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Friday's announcement came days after the government said that South Australia has been chosen as the home of the Australian Space Agency, which has been tasked with tripling the value of Australia's space industry to 12 billion Australian dollars (8.66 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030. Germany recently agreed to a one-time compensation to all those who fled the Nazis as children during the late 1930s and the 1940s. The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany announced that Berlin had agreed to pay 2,500 Euros to all the victims who had to flee Nazi Germany and are still alive today. The number of people is reported to be close to 1,000. Of these, it is reported that half are residing in UK while the others are mainly in the US and Israel. The compensation assumes significance because many of the children who fled Nazi Germany never returned and never saw their parents again. These children were permitted to enter UK as refugees and their transportation was arranged by Jewish groups inside Hitler's Germany. Most of these survivors are currently in their 80s and agree that the monetary compensation is an admission of all that they had to suffer as children. Facebook temporarily banned Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for posting anti-Muslim posts, the media reported on Monday. According to a report in The Times of Israel, Yair's Facebook account was blocked for 24 hours on Sunday after he called for "avenging the deaths" of two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers who were killed at the West Bank shooting last week. "Unbelievable. Facebook blocks me for 24 hours for simply criticizing it! Thought police," Yari wrote on Twitter. Facebook is yet to comment on this. After the controversial Facebook post was removed, he wrote that the social media giant was "trying to shut our mouths in the only place where we have the right to express our opinions". Yari also posted a screenshot of the original post along with new posts criticising Facebook. "Do you know where there are no terror attacks? In Iceland and Japan. Coincidentally there's also no Muslim population there," he posted. This is not the first time Yair has been in the spotlight. According to The Jerusalem Post, in 2017, Yair posted a diagram featuring antisemitic tropes such as Jewish billionaire George Soros, who funds left-wing causes and organizations in several countries. "The post depicted Soros controlling the world via other conspiracy theory figures like lizard people, known as Reptilians, and the Illuminati or Freemasons," the report added. BENSALEM, Pa., Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Law Offices of Howard G. Smith reminds investors of the December 24, 2018 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors that purchased Jianpu Technology Inc. (Jianpu or the Company) (NYSE: JT ) American Depositary Shares ("ADS") in and/or traceable to the Company's initial public offering (the "IPO") on or about November 16, 2017. Jianpu investors have until December 24, 2018 to file a lead plaintiff motion. Investors suffering losses on their Jianpu investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com . On November 16, 2017, Jianpu conducted its initial public offering of American depositary shares at a price of $8.00 per share. On November 21, 2017, however, Chinese regulators banned the issuance of new online peer-to-peer licenses, citing improper and illegal practices by lenders such as Qudian and PPDAI. On this news, Jianpus share price fell more than 30%, to close at just $4.90 per share on November 24, 2017, thereby injuring investors. The complaint filed in this class action alleges that the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Prior to Jianpus IPO in 2017, the China Banking Regulatory Commission and other regulators issued rules in 2016 requiring peer-to-peer (P2P) lending companies to appoint institutional banking custodians and disclose usage of deposits. The country also set out to create the Financial Stability and Development Committee to oversee reform and industry policy. These government changes combined to result in a large reduction in the number of current and potential peer-to-peer lending providers, the main source of Jianpus revenue. Based on these facts, Jianpus public comments and the Companys IPO Registration Statement are alleged to be false and materially misleading. If you purchased shares of Jianpu during the Class Period you may move the Court no later than December 24, 2018 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff if you meet certain legal requirements. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com , or visit our website at http://www.howardsmithlaw.com . This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. UN reported on victims among civilians in Donbas over three months Open source Over three months, from August 16 to November 15, 14 civilians died in combat actions in eastern Ukraine. 36 more were injured, as Fiona Frazer, the Head of UN Monitoring Mission, said during the presentation of the 24th report, 112.ua reported. As the Monitoring Commission noted, the number of victims decreased by 50% compared with the previous reporting period. During the period from August 16 to November 15, the Monitoring Commission recorded 50 victims among the civilians (14 died and 36 wounded), which is by 50% less compared with the previous reporting period. Two consistent agreement on restoration of ceasefire influenced that, Fiona Freyzer noted. Over 3,000 civilians died in eastern Ukraine since Donbas war began. 7,000-9,000 civilians sustained injuries. December 17, Russian-backed militants violated ceasefire 16 times. On December 15 one Ukrainian soldier died in the enemys attack. Over 2900 Ukrainian servicemen died in Donbas since the beginning of combat actions. The Ukrainian leader is sure that Putin did not even expect Ukraine to be able to collect the evidence of the Russian aggression in the Kerch Strait so fast Russian leader Vladimir Putin avoids talking to his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko, specifically about the release of the Ukrainian sailors detained in the Kerch Strait. This is due to the fact that the truth lies with Ukaine, and the Russian side has nothing to respond, and there's no way to justify its actions. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that as quoted by his press service. 'When I dialled him during the act of aggression [in Kerch Strait] so as to talk to him, he refused - and not because, as he put it, of the electoral process in Ukraine. He refused to speak because he has nothing to say. The entire truth, including the evidence of the aggression, lies with Ukraine', Poroshenko said. The Ukrainian leader is sure that Putin did not even expect Ukraine to be able to collect the evidence of the Russian aggression in the Kerch Strait so fast On November 25, 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. 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. 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: Detained Ukrainian sailors tell Russia they are POWs Related: Ukrainian Ombudswoman asks Russias FSB to allow her visiting Ukrainian sailors The Ukrainian Orthodox council has elected a leader of the country's newly-established independent Orthodox church. The decision to cut ties with Moscow has caused a split within the Ukrainian church hierarchy Ukraine on Saturday formally created a new national Orthodox church, breaking away from Russia's influence, as worsening political and military tensions between the two neighbors spills over to religion. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko confirmed the decision following a historic synod at Kyiv's Saint Sophia Cathedral when the country's Orthodox Council voted to establish the independent church. Related: Branch of Constantinople Church created in Ukraine, - MP Boyko Poroshenko added that Metropolitan Epifany, of the Kiev Patriarchate church, was chosen as head of the new church: "This day will go down in history as the sacred day ... the day of the final independence from Russia," Poroshenko told a crowd awaiting the council's decision in central Kiev. Several thousand people had rallied outside the cathedral ahead of the synod in support of the move, which the Ukrainian president pushed for as part of his 2019 re-election campaign. Attending Saturday's synod as a non-voting observer, Poroshenko told senior priests that the new church was "a question of our Ukrainian national security, of our statehood." The founding of a new Ukrainian Orthodox church had been in the works since Russia's 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea following a pro-Western uprising in Kyiv. Related: Tomos about autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church to be solemnly presented on Christmas Eve Moscow has also been widely accused of backing pro-Russian separatists battling the Ukrainian military in eastern Ukraine, a conflict that has killed 10,000 people, according to United Nations estimates. A fresh crisis, last month, that saw Russia seize three Ukrainian navy ships and arrest 24 sailors in the waters around Crimea sent relations to new lows. Approved by Constantinople The church's establishment received a boost in October when the spiritual leader of the global Orthodox Church Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople recognized Ukraine's independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. In doing so, he revoked a 332-year-old ruling that had placed Ukraine under the Patriarchate of Moscow. That decision led the Russian Orthodox Church to break off all ties with Constantinople, fearing that Kyiv would force Moscow-loyal churches and monasteries into its control. Related: Bartholomew congratulates on election and blesses celebrant of Ukraine's Orthodox Church Epifaniy The Constantinople Patriarchate's leaders based in Istanbul, Turkey are widely considered to be the most influential in the global Orthodox hierarchy, which boasts some 300 million followers. Around half of them, however, are aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, which is considered to have close ties to the Russian state, especially under President Vladimir Putin's leadership. Rift within Ukraine's church hierarchy Despite the support of three Ukrainian church branches, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine of the Moscow Patriarchate which comprises most priests, churches, and monasteries, has boycotted the meeting and has recommitted itself to Moscow's dominion. The Russian Orthodox Church still considers Ukraine its territory. If the attempt to create a unified Ukrainian Church is successful, it would be among the largest in the Orthodox world in terms of numbers of believers. Some 67 percent of Ukraine's 45 million population adheres to one or more strands of Orthodox Christianity. The restrictions will be prolonged for another six months, - RFE/RL reporter in Brussels The ambassadors of EU member countries approved the extension of economic sanctions against Russia for another six months. Rikard Jozwiak, the reporter of Radio Liberty tweeted this on Monday afternoon. EU ambs have now given green light to prolong the economic sanctions against #Russia for another six months. Should be official later this week. #Ukraine #Crimea Rikard Jozwiak @RikardJozwiak December 17, 2018 Previously, Donald Tusk, the leader of the European Council confirmed that the EU made an official decision to extend the economic sanctions against Russia because of the zero progress in the implementation of Misnk agreements. German Chancellor Angela Merkel claimed that her government would speak for the extension of sanctions against Russia at the EU summit. German Chancellor Angela Merkel claimed this in Bundestag, answering the questions of parliamentarians, TASS reports. We will call a spade a spade. We will speak for the prolongation of the sanctions, Merkel said. She has also expressed concern about the Russian actions. We will reject actual claims (of Russia, - 112.international) in the Sea of Azov, the Chancellor added. Earlier, US State Department spokesman Heather Nauert urged Europe to do more to support Ukraine and fully impose sanctions against Russia. The State Department also said that they condemned the Russian attack on Ukrainian sailors in the Sea of Azov. Donald Trump had intended to meet with Putin in Argentina at the G20 Summit, but decided to cancel the meeting due to the Russian aggression in the Sea of Azov. On December 12, the European Parliament passed the document, which foresaw the increase of sanctions pressure on Russia unless the Ukrainian sailors are released. Even after 2019, the gas transit from Russia via Ukraine should remain at a decent level, German economy minister says The implementation of the Nord Stream II project is still possible, as long as Ukraine's vital interests are observed. Peter Altmayer, the German economy minister said that in his interview with Reuters. 'The project may be approved if, at the same time, Ukraine's vital interests are kept. One of them lies with the assumption that even after 2019, the gas transit from Russia via Ukraine should remain at a decent level', the minister said. According to him, the negotiations are now taking place on this matter, and the talks are quite complicated. 'We will not cut the dependence from Russia by undermining such project as Nord Stream II and then still getting the Russian gas from other pipelines. One can only speak of greater energy independence when we (apart from providing a long-term gas supply) create the infrastructure in Germany to get the liquefied natural gas', the minister said. As is known, Russia's energy monopolist Gazprom and its partners are intended to begin the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, which cost ten billion dollars in April 2018. It is expected that the 1,200 km-long gas pipeline will be laid through the Baltic Sea, and will connect Russia and Germany, bypassing Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries. The capacity of the gas pipeline will be twice as much as the first Nord Stream's. 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 and 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. It is noted that Ukraine is ready for the large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation The possible ground aggression of Russia in Ukraine will turn out to be a catastrophe for the federation. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov made such statement as the press service of the ministry reported. Currently, we are in the situation of martial law, in expectation, whether the aggressive actions from the side of Russia will continue. It is very important for us to be ready for any aggressive actions, which can occur from the side of the enemy. If it commits the ground aggression against Ukraine, military law will be continued, we will mobilize all the forces. For Ukraine, it will be a very difficult challenge, but for Putins Russia it will be a catastrophe. We are ready for such challenges in full, Avakov noted. At the same time, the minister expects that the ground aggression of Russia against Ukraine will not happen. I really hope that it will not take place; military law will end by the New Year, and we will return occupied territories by the efforts of the diplomats, Avakov said. As it was reported, President Poroshenko said that Russian troops still might invade Ukraine. But if Russia does not do it, martial law will not be prolonged. 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: Russian Foreign Minister says Poroshenko prepares provocation on Crimean border Given the tough situation in the area of Kerch Strait in the Sea of Azov, President Petro Poroshenko supported the offer of Ukraine's national security and defense council; it stipulates that the Ukrainian Parliament should consider the option to impose the martial law in Ukraine. On November 28, the Uriadovy Kurier, the official outlet of the Ukrainian Cabinet, published the presidential decree No.392, which activates the decision of the National Security and Defense Council in Ukraine about the 30-days-long martial law in Ukraine. Ukrainian political prisoner Stanislav Klykh wrote a message from the Russian colony, which says about a deterioration of his health condition and suspicion of cancer. Acting Minister of Health Ulana Suprun reported this on Twitter. He feels very bad. There is a suspicion of cancer. He hopes for exchange prior to the New Year and plans to continue his hunger strike again. The Ukrainian thanks for the sent letters and asks to send him more, Suprun claimed. Related: Rally in support of captured Ukrainian sailors takes place in Kyiv The letter has been published on Facebook by Russian activist Maria Ryabikova. Klykh says that there is suspicion of gangrene and cancer. He also has high blood pressure, a dentist inserted a filling but it fell out. Stanislav Klykh was detained in Russia in September 2014, when he came to Russia to visit his pregnant girlfriend. Related: Russia not ready to discuss release of political prisoners, - Poroshenko The Russian jury said Klykh and another Ukrainian political activist, Mykola Karpyuk both allegedly joined the Viking unit, which fought on the side of Chechen nationalists as they sought independence from Russia in the 1990s. The jury accused Karpyuk and Klykh of killing and wounding dozens of Russian servicemen. Klykh was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The two Security Service operatives were among the Ukrainian sailors seized by the Russian Spetsnaz last month Open source The agents of the SBU, Ukraine's state security service who were among the Ukrainian sailors captured by the Russian Spetsnaz last month were on counter-intelligence missions. This is mentioned in the SBU response to the request of the UNN news agency. 'The officers of Ukrainian special service, captured by the Russian side in Kerch Strait on November 25, carried out the missions for counter-intelligence provision of the naval unit of Ukraine, as it is foreseen by the law on the SBU', the message says. At that, the Russian side did not offer to exchange the detained SBU agents. Previously, Dmitriy Polyanskiy, the Russian permanent representative in the UN claimed that the two Security Service operatives were among the Ukrainian sailors captured in the Kerch Strait. The Russian media revealed one of the names, Lieutenant Andriy Drach who was captured among the crew members of Nikopol boat; the other name remained undisclosed. Previously, the Ukrainian State Security Service reported that the former servicemen of this agency were among those who captured the Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait. Commissioner of the Ukrainian Parliament for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denisova appealed a Russian ombudsman with a claim to better detention conditions of the Ukrainian political prisoner Roman Sushchenko, Denisova claimed on Facebook. I have urgently sent a message to Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia Tatiana Moskalkova to immediately take measures to provide Ukrainian citizen Roman Sushchenko with appropriate conditions of detention and medical care, Denisova claimed. Earlier, Roman told about the detention conditions in the strict regime colony. A few words about my routine. Since the last transfer I have experienced a culture shock, primarily associated not with the conditions and "charms" of moving under duress (the Stolypin car, unsanitary conditions, matchbox-sized cockroaches, ubiquitous rodents of all stripes, mold, moisture, total darkness, malnutrition, and cold), but with an attitude towards people who have changed their social status by court decision, Sushchenko claimed. As is known, Ukrainian Roman Sushchenko, the reporter of Ukrinfiorm news agency, was detained in September 2016 in Moscow and accused by the FSB of espionage. For this, he faces 20 years in prison. Ukraine has appealed to Russia with a demand to release the Ukrainian journalist multiple times. Related: Ukraine offers two options of prisoners exchange at Minsk Talks, - official Moscow City Court of Russia has sentenced Roman Sushchenko, the citizen of Ukraine to 12 years in the hard labor colony for the espionage. Russias FSB believes that Sushchenko came from Paris to Moscow to visit his cousin in September 2016 to collect information on Mariupol attack. The court session against Sushchenko took place in the closed regime and the court announced only introductory and resume parts of the decision. Toronto, ON, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toronto Community Housing Corporation engaged an external firm to conduct an independent, third-party review into the procurement of a contract with Orchango, a management consultant agency. The contract was intended to support the implementation of the reorganization of Toronto Community Housing. While that review is ongoing, the TCHC Board of Directors has issued the following statement: The Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) Board of Directors has learned the process to award the RFP to Orchango was flawed and did not follow existing TCHC regulations. We hold ourselves to higher standards and, as a result, the Board has directed TCHC to terminate the contract with Orchango effective immediately. As the review into this matter is ongoing, current CEO Kathy Milsom and the employee who oversaw this RFP process have been placed on administrative leave. This is not disciplinary action, but part of a prudent effort to ensure the independence and integrity of the ongoing review. To maintain stability and continuity for our employees and tenants, Vice President Sheila Penny will be acting President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Her immediate focus will be ensuring the momentum that has begun at the corporation to improve the services we provide to our tenants continues. We remain committed to transparency regarding this process and will keep our employees, tenants and the public updated on a resolution to this matter. As we strive to modernize our organization, the health and well-being of tenants will continue to be our first priority. About Toronto Community Housing Toronto Community Housing (www.torontohousing.ca) is Canada's largest social housing provider. We provide homes for nearly 60,000 low- and moderate-income households in neighbourhoods across the city. Earlier, the U.S. Department of State adopted a decision on the sale of Javelin anti-tank rocket systems to Ukraine Open source The U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker claimed that information on delivery of military equipment to Ukraine will become known soon. He claimed this during the briefing in Brussels, Evropeiska Pravda reports. We have an opportunity to sell additional equipment. A corresponding announcement will be made, Volker noted. Related: Pompeo promises military aid for Ukraine, - Poroshenko He added that Congress will be informed about the first tranches of military aid in the coming months. Earlier, the US Senate passed a defense budget bill for the 2019 fiscal year in the amount of 716 billion dollars. Prior to this, the Armed Forces Committee of the House of Representatives of the US Congress presented the draft law "On the US budget for 2019 for the needs of national defense," which involves the allocation of 250 million dollars to Ukraine. Related: EU to allocate $4,5 million for humanitarian aid for Donbas residents The document includes major fundamental provisions of the bill on "Cooperation with Ukraine in the cyber-security sphere," which in particular provides for strengthening defensibility against cyber-attacks, securing governmental computer networks, reducing dependencies on Russian informational and communicational technologies, aiding in participation in information exchange programs. Press conference of Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, December 16, 2018 Twitter Poroshenko Russia shows it is not ready to discuss the release of Oleg Sentsov, Roman Sushchenko, and other political prisoners, as President Poroshenko said at the press conference in Kyiv on December 16, broadcasted by 112 Ukraine. I can note that for today, the Russian side shows that it is not ready to discuss it. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian side raises this issue at the agenda almost every day, Russia demonstrates that it is not ready for the talks, the President stated. The Head of the State noted that anti-Russian sanctions are a motivation to release the prisoners or at least start negotiations. When we had an opportunity to talk with Putin, we received signals that after the trial of Sentsov and Sushchenko we might have an exchange and they even named those who Russia was ready to exchange for Sentsov and Sushchenko. I supported this. For today, the ball is on Russias field. I think the whole world sees that Russian Federation and its President are responsible. He keeps political prisoners in Russia and occupied Donbas and Crimea illegally, Poroshenko concluded. Earlier, the EU decided to prolong anti-Russian sanctions for half a year. Open source Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised that Russia would not fight with Ukraine, as he said in an interview for Komsomolskaya Pravda. We will not fight with Ukraine, I promise, Lavrov said. Besides, Russias Foreign Minister stated that Russia could not accept the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donets Peoples Republics as in this case they would leave Ukraine, which they should not do. Recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republic and declaration of war, I can't imagine how Russia will start a war with Ukraine, sometimes it is a manifestation of nervous breakdown and weakness, Lavrov said. 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: Poroshenko instructs to check all Ukraine's officials for having relatives with Russian citizenship 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. 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. Related: Detained Ukrainian sailors tell Russia they are POWs 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: U.S., Canada discuss Russian aggression in Ukraine Related video: Open source Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Ukraines authority allegedly intended to commit an armed provocation on the border with annexed Crimea in late December, as he stated in the interview for Komsomolskaya Pravda. Poroshenko plans a provocation on the border with Russian Federation in late December, Lavrov said. At the same time, Lavrov stressed that Russia was ready to give a determined response in case of Ukraines provocation on the border with Crimea. According to the Russian Minister, the British and American instructors help the Ukrainian military to deploy around 19,000 soldiers and a significant amount of equipment on the contact line. As it was reported, President Poroshenko said that Russian troops still might invade Ukraine. But if Russia does not do it, martial law will not be prolonged. 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: Russia might set up provocations after Kerch shooting, - Border Guard Service 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. 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. Related: Ukraine condemns Russian provocations, attack on OSCE 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 video: From August 16 to November 15, physical assaults on lawyers were conducted, and forcibly gave confessions Open source 32 transgressions of right for a fair judicial proceeding have been recorded in Ukraine from August 16 to November 15. Head of the UN Monitoring Mission for Human Rights Fiona Frazer claimed this during the presentation of the 24th report of the mission, according to 112.ua. In particular, for three months in Ukraine, lawyers were attacked, forcibly giving confessions and a long-term pre-trial detention as a means of pressure were carried out against them. Related: OSCE drone records two militants howitzers in Luhansk region Besides, people on the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk/Luhansk Republics, DPR and LPR, are affected by the decisions and structures of the administration of justice imposed in violation of the Minsk agreements and the Constitution of Ukraine. As we reported earlier, within the period on August 16 November 15, 44 cases of human rights violations were recorded in annexed Crimea. Related: UN Monitoring Mission - 12 civilians die over three months in Donbas According to Fiona Frazer, these violations include arbitrary use of legislation on countering extremism in Crimea, which suppresses dissidence, inspired fear and do not let people use freedom expression, freedom of association, peaceful assembly and other human rights. Ukraine's President is convinced that the EU will find an opportunity to show a consolidated position Press conference of Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, December 16, 2018 Twitter Poroshenko The European Union will support Ukraine if Ukraine follows democratic policy and progresses in reforming, as Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, said at the press conference in Kyiv, broadcasted by 112 Ukraine. As long as Ukraine shows European, democratic policy, as long as Ukraine progresses in reforming, as long as it demonstrated responsible attitude to the enhancement of the defence aspect, I stress and I am convinced that the EU will find an opportunity to show a consolidated position, Poroshenko said. Earlier, the U.S. State Department Representative Heather Nauert urged Europe to provide more support for Ukraine and impose anti-Russian sanctions fully. Besides, the State Department informed that it condemns Russias attack at the Ukrainian sailors in Azov Sea. The U.S. President Donald Trump said that he canceled a scheduled meeting with Putin at G20 Summit in Argentina until Ukrainian sailors and vessels are returned to Ukraine. Related video: The respective agreement was signed by the European Commission and the Ukrainian government within the 5th session of Ukraine-EU Association Council in Brussels on Monday The European Commission has approved the issuance of 37 million Euros to fund the 2018 Program of Technical Cooperation. This is part of the comprehensive procedure foreseen by the provisions of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. The respective agreement was signed by the European Commission and the Ukrainian government within the 5th session of Ukraine-EU Association Council in Brussels on Monday. According to Yevropeiska Pravda, the funding is supposed to cover the needs of Ukrainian institutions in the strengthening of democratic principles, human rights and basic freedoms. The assistance will be provided in the following areas: - strengthening of the institutional capability of the Ukrainian government to implement the EU norms in the Ukrainian law in such fields as the environment, energy, transport, sanitary and phytosanitary control, accounting, standardization, e-communication and security; - development of the Ukrainian legal framework; - the increase of role of the government and the NGOs in human rights protection activities. Besides, part of the sum will go to cover the needs of Ukraine's participation in the EU's Horizon 2020 program. Previously, Petro Poroshenko said EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is only completed by 15 percent. The Agreement took effect in September 2017. A meditation and sharing support group focused on the practice of Buddhist teachings and the 12 steps of recovery while integrating the Dharma and the basic goodness of meditation. The Heart of Recovery is a meditation and sharing support group with the purpose of bringing together the practice of meditation, the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings, and the Twelve Steps of Recovery with the goal of integrating the basic sanity of the Dharma and the basic goodness of meditation with our commitment to abstinence. We welcome all those who wish to share in these common interests. The Heart of Recovery is a meditation and sharing support group with the purpose of bringing together the practice of meditation, the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings, and the Twelve Steps of Recovery with the goal of integrating the basic sanity of the Dharma and the basic goodness of meditation with our commitment to abstinence. We welcome all those who wish to share in these common interests. NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP announces that a federal securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of investors that purchased or otherwise acquired Cheetah Mobile Inc. (Cheetah or the Company) (NYSE: CMCM) American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) between April 26, 2017 and November 27, 2018, inclusive (the Class Period). Investors who have incurred losses in the ADRs of Cheetah Mobile Inc. are urged to contact the firm immediately at classmember@whafh.com or (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774. You may obtain additional information concerning the action on our website, www.whafh.com . If you have incurred losses in the ADRs of Cheetah Mobile Inc., you may, no later than January 29, 2019, request that the Court appoint you lead plaintiff of the proposed class. Please contact Wolf Haldenstein to learn more about your rights as an investor in Cheetah Mobile Inc. ## Follow the firm and learn about newly filed cases on Twitter and Facebook. ## The filed complaint filed in this class action alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: Cheetah Mobiles apps had undisclosed imbedded features which tracked when users downloaded new apps; Cheetah Mobile used this data to inappropriately claim credit for having caused the downloads; the foregoing features, when discovered, would foreseeably subject Cheetah Mobiles apps to removal from the Google Play store; accordingly, Cheetah Mobiles revenues during the relevant period were in part the product of improper conduct and thus unsustainable; and as a result, Cheetah Mobiles public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On November 26, 2018, BuzzFeed News reported that certain Cheetah apps were exploiting user permissions as part of an ad fraud scheme. Specifically, the article claimed that certain Cheetah apps tracked when users downloaded new apps and used this data to inappropriately claim credit for having caused the download. On this news, Cheetahs share price fell $3.32 per share or nearly 37% over the next two trading days to close at $5.48 per share on November 27, 2018, thereby injuring investors. Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation. If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this case, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at classmember@whafh.com , or visit our website at www.whafh.com . ## Follow the firm and learn about newly filed cases on Twitter and Facebook. ## Contact: Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP Kevin Cooper, Esq. Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis Email: gstone@whafh.com , kcooper@whafh.com or classmember@whafh.com Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774 Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES MONTREAL, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued earlier today under the same headline, a number appeared incorrectly in the first paragraph. The price for the 5,250,000 Units in the first paragraph should have been $0.58 per Unit, not $0.85 per Unit as the original release said. The corrected release follows: PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V: PYR) (OTCQB: PYRNF), a TSX Venture 50 high-tech company, (the "Company", the Corporation or "PyroGenesis") a Company that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma atomized metal powder, plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch products, is pleased to announce today that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") for gross proceeds up to $3,045,000, by issuing 5,250,000 Units at a price of $0.58 per Unit for which it has received conditional approval from the TSXV. The timing of this financing may seem a bit unusual given recent press releases, said Mr. P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. However, management decided to take advantage of this proposal given the opportunities before us, all of which we expect will become much clearer within the next 3 weeks. Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company and one full common share purchase warrant (Unit Warrant), each full Unit Warrant entitling the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.85 until December 18th, 2020. The Corporation will pay a finders fee of 7% on a portion of the proceeds of this Private Placement. The Corporation will not issue any finders compensation warrants in connection with this Private Placement. The proceeds from the Private Placement will be used by the Corporation for general corporate purposes. The Private Placement is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) as well as other customary closing conditions. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States, unless an exemption from such registration is available. About PyroGenesis Canada Inc. PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a TSX Venture 50 high-tech company, is the world leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes and products. We provide engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research, as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense, metallurgical, mining, advanced materials (including 3D printing), oil & gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization. Our core competencies allow PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches, plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and engineering services to the global marketplace. Our operations are ISO 9001:2015 certified, and have been since 1997. PyroGenesis is a publicly-traded Canadian Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker Symbol: PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace. For more information, please visit www.pyrogenesis.com This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward- looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Corporation's ongoing filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com , or at www.otcmarkets.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. SOURCE PyroGenesis Canada Inc. For further information please contact: Clemence Bertrand-Bourlaud, Marketing Manager/Investor Relations, Phone: (514) 937-0002, E-mail: ir@pyrogenesis.com WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, attorneys with First Liberty Institute and Jones Day, jointly representing The American Legion in The American Legion, et al. v. American Humanist Association, et al., urged the Supreme Court of the United States to protect the Bladensburg WWI Veterans Memorial in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Todays brief argues that the nearly 100-year-old memorial is constitutional and discusses whether the so-called Lemon test should be abandoned. A copy of the brief can be found here : The Supreme Court should honor the way Gold-Star mothers chose to remember the service and sacrifice of their sons who died defending our freedom, said Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of First Liberty. If this gravestone is bulldozed to the ground, its only a matter of time before the wrecking ball turns on Arlington National Cemetery and the hundreds of memorials like this one across the country. Michael Carvin, lead counsel for the case, partner at Jones Day, and First Liberty network attorney, said, We should all seek to preserve and honor the way these Gold-Star mothers and The American Legion chose to remember the service and sacrifice of the 49 fallen servicemen of Prince Georges County. As todays brief explains, the Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial is a cross-shaped memorial erected in 1925 by The American Legion to honor 49 Prince Georges County men who gave their lives while serving in WWI. Mothers who lost their sons in World War I designed the memorial to recall the cross-shaped grave markers standing over the countless American graves on the Western Front of that war. For more than 90 years it memorialized the service and sacrifice of those 49 men without complaint. But in 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit declared that the memorial violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, the brief suggests that the so-called Lemon or endorsement test ought to be abandoned and replaced with a more historically-grounded test that protects religious liberty by preventing the suppression and compulsion of religious exercise. Oral arguments in the case are expected in the early spring of 2019. To learn more, visit FirstLiberty.org/Bladensburg . About First Liberty Institute First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans. To arrange an interview, contact Lacey McNiel at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453. Contact: Lacey McNiel, media@firstliberty.org Direct: 972-941-4453 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9784aec9-be21-4338-b773-b5a5fe06cdca Strategic Support Morocco has long been a Saudi ally. It depended on support and weapons from Saudi Arabia during its war in Western Sahara from 1975-1991, and in 2015 it joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, contributing a squadron of warplanes to the effort. As a Sunni country, moreover, Morocco is wary of Iran and its revolutionary ambition to spread Shiite Islam. Rabat severed relations with Iran in 2009, accusing Tehran of trying to convert Moroccan Muslims to Shiism. After resuming ties in 2014 under the condition that Iran stop proselytizing on its territory Morocco again broke things off with the Islamic republic this year over allegations that Hezbollah was arming the Polisario Front, with Tehrans sanction, through the Iranian diplomatic mission in Algeria. Iran vehemently denied the accusation, as did Algeria, though it harbors Polisarios exiled government and has supported the group to pressure Morocco, with which Algeria has had border disputes and rocky relations. Many have questioned Irans interests in the Morocco-Western Sahara dispute. But a clear strategic logic supports the notion that Iran has been backing Polisario. According to Morocco, Irans support for the group began in 2016, shortly after the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen began. Supporting Polisario would give Tehran a way to try to coerce Rabat into withdrawing from the Saudi coalition effort against the Houthis, an Iranian proxy. If that was Irans strategy, it seems to have worked. Morocco withdrew its squadron from Yemen in April, after Houthi forces downed one of its F-16s, citing the growing risk in Western Sahara, where Rabat claimed Polisario forces were trying to declare a regional capital. The Moroccan government announced it would not tolerate such a move and again suspended relations with Iran the next month. Then in August, it reinstated military conscription. The decision was doubtless meant in part to divert the growing number of unemployed youth in the country from more radical activities but it was also a way to augment Moroccos forces along the border with and in the occupied zones of Western Sahara. Other Forces at Play Despite Moroccos decision to pull out of Yemen, however, Iran is still on weak footing in the Middle East. The Saudi coalitions recent offensive in Hodeida succeeded enough to compel the Houthis to attend peace negotiations in Sweden, after they refused to participate in the previous round of talks in Switzerland in September. The development may well signal to other Iranian proxies that their benefactor, tied down as it is closer to home, lacks the clout to secure their interests . And its probably part of the reason Polisario opted to take another shot at peace talks with Morocco. Irans weakness isnt the only factor at play, though. After all, the conflict between Morocco and Polisario started long before Irans alleged support for the movement in Western Sahara did. By far the greater consideration for Polisario is Algeria. Its a critical ally, since it hosts Polisarios exiled government. But in November, Morocco offered to hold talks with Algeria without any preconditions or restrictions on what topics they would cover, indicating that it is open to a compromise over the border issue. Algeria has yet to respond to the suggestion, but Morocco seems eager to reach a resolution. (On the other hand, Algeria did participate in the talks with Polisario as a neutral party, a designation Rabat objected to because of its claims that Algeria has actively participated in the conflict.) Were Algeria able to secure favorable terms with Morocco over their border and territorial disputes, it may have less reason to maintain its support for Polisarios fight in Western Sahara. For Polisario, losing Algerias backing would be a far heavier blow than losing Irans. Moroccos interest in negotiating with Algeria suggests that larger forces may be at work here. For example, the United States, a close ally of Morocco (which was the first state to recognize U.S. independence) could be leaning on Rabat to resolve its differences with Algiers and reduce Algerias incentive for cooperating with Iran. The last thing Washington wants is for cozy relations between the two to pave the way for a Hezbollah presence in North Africa. The U.S. has taken similar steps elsewhere in the world, such as in the Horn of Africa . Washington probably had a hand in arranging the detente between Ethiopia and Eritrea earlier this year in a bid to secure access to the Red Sea that doesnt depend on Djibouti, which is becoming increasingly crowded with foreign competitors. Estimados amigos, Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia. Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro. Gonzalo Raffo de Lavalle Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras. Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada. Helenio Herrera History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. Karl Marx If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Sun Tzu We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity. Paulo Coelho One of the best things about the holidays in New York is getting to see all the extravagant, over-the-top Christmas decorations at places like Dyker Heights and that house in the Bronx. Photographer Scott Lynch spotted one such holiday display in Brooklyn this week... except something feels slightly off about it. This one just seems weird as hell. This house is located in Crown Heights on Bergen Street, between Nostrand and New York Avenues. "The best part of this is that it's only house on the (very long) block with any decorations at all, other than, like, a wreath here and there," Lynch noted. No music though! I can get the twisty lights that are stand-ins for Christmas trees, as well as the bushels of blue lights beneath them in place of normal shrubbery. But what is up with the long streamer lights hanging down across the entire brownstone? And why is the word "believe" written three times with nothing else there? What are we supposed to believe in? Should I just assume this is Cher-related? (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) And are those repurposed bootleg C3POs sitting on top of the house?! (Scott Lynch/Gothamist) I would love to hear what the neighbors think about this one. Police are looking for a person who left a sealed bucket containing a live cat on a lower Manhattan street corner. And this was the second time a cat in a sealed bucket was left in the neighborhood. According to the NYPD, on December 13th, they received a call from the Animal Haven Shelter who said that someone put a sealed bucket at the corner of Hester and Centre Street around 7:40 p.m. The bucket, which had a hole in the lid, contained a malnourished cat. Apparently an employee knew to take the bucket in because a cat had been found in a similar sealed bucket last month. In an Facebook post from November 17th, the shelter wrote: BREAKING: We don't even know how to caption this photo (scroll through). Staff isn't left speechless that often anymore but when morning kennel went to move what appeared to be just an empty bucket on the side of our building near the back door, they were shocked to see a tiny eye looking back up at them. Yes, believe it or not but someone left an innocent cat in a bucket outside our door overnight. Luckily the sweet thing who we have named Sage is safe and sound now but we can only imagine how scary the ordeal must have been. Also to make matters even worse the bucket was left next to our trash so it's a miracle that Sage wasn't picked up by our garbage collector and never seen again. Please spread the word that if you ever need to surrender an animal, please contact us directly. Staff is working to find out who is responsible via our security cameras. If you have any information, please contact us at dogsandcats@ah-nyc.org or at 212.274.8511. You can also DONATE to Sage's care now. #animalhaven A few days ago Animal Haven shared video of an employee using pliers to remove the lid of the second bucket (second in the slideshow), noting, "This poor kitty is in bad shape and, needless to say, is terrified. We have contacted the police, but we're asking that everyone in the vicinity of our shelter in Soho PLEASE keep your eyes out for any suspicious buckets or containers like the ones in these photos!" The police released surveillance footage of the man who left the bucket on December 13th. Animal Haven executive director Tiffany Lacey told Gothamist that this was the same man who left the bucket in November. The bucket had been near the back door for a while, and then, "Luckily a very aware staff member thought it was strange and looked in and saw the eye peering out," she recalled. Besides the incidents being very disturbing, Lacey said it was "so weird" the man left the bucket on the corner last week, "It could be taken with the corner trash!" If the person wanted to abandon the cats to the shelter, "he could have put the bucket in front of the door," she said. The black cat found last week has been named Charlie; he is "very scared" and has some scratches but she expects a full recovery for him. The ASPCA is also now involved to see if they have get any forensic evidence to further the investigation. Sage, the cat found in November, has been adopted, Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential. Even on a regular day, Governor Andrew Cuomo can lay it on pretty thick when it comes to the last New York governor to make it to the White House. But Monday wasnt a regular day: Hunter Colleges Roosevelt House for Public Policy, which is literally located in FDRs and Eleanors former house, invited Cuomo to speak on the topic of what FDR would do today. New Deal reference: check. Four Freedoms reference: check. Fear itself reference: check. Hundred Days reference: BIG check. Speaking at the New York City Bar Association to a friendly audience, Cuomo used the occasion to outline his agenda for the first hundred days of 2019. It was essentially a preview of his upcoming inaugural and State of the State addresses next month. "We have a Democratic Senate, a Democratic Assembly, now is the time to make these changes, Cuomo said. There are no more excuses, my friends. Based on the goals mentioned in his speech, if Cuomo has his way, by April 10th he and the legislaturewhich now has friendly super-majorities in both chamberswill have passed: A broad slate of election and campaign finance reforms, including automatic voter registration, early voting and, as Cuomo put it, a "ban any corporate contributions to any political candidate, period." A law legalizing recreational marijuana (though Cuomo prefers to call it adult marijuana). Ethics reforms, including strictly curtailing legislators outside income. An Equal Rights Act for women, and a law codifying Roe v. Wade into state law. A Green New Deal that would make New Yorks electricity 100% carbon neutral by 2040 and ultimately eliminate the states entire carbon footprint. Expanded firearms regulations, including a ban on "bump stocks" that can essentially convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic ones and a "red flag" law that would block would block people deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others from having a gun. Elimination of cash bail. Increased spending on affordable housingmore than this state has ever invested in the history of the State of New York, he saidand reforms to rent regulation that include ending vacancy de-control. The New York DREAM Act, which would make undocumented residents eligible for tuition assistance at in-state schools. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination, or GENDA, which would protect LGBTQ New Yorkers from discrimination and hate crimes. The Child Victims Act, which would raise the statute of limitations for victims of child abuse to pursue criminal and civil legal actions against alleged perpetrators of abuse. Our burden is to prove the positive, to dispel the skepticism about activist government and to show that the Democratic party is more than words, Cuomo said, and end that skepticism that says all we do is promise, promise, promise, but we never deliver. The 45-minute speech listed these and other proposals, but didnt give details on most of them. For instance, a pledge to provide a dedicated funding stream so the MTA has the funding it needs mentioned congestion pricing as the only alternativebut even when fully implemented, the process of taxing all drivers in Manhattans business district is projected to generate $400 million in annual revenue, much less than is needed to stem a $1 billion deficit in 2020 alone or to fund the $40-60 billion outlined in the MTAs proposed Fast Forward plan. Cuomo also alluded to cutting middle-class taxes; protecting workers in the gig economy who lack health insurance, paid family leave, workers compensation and other basic rights; and ensuring that every child, rich and poor, black and white, urban and rural receive the same quality education. But these pledges were especially vague. And some big-ticket items werent mentioned at all, including the New York Health Act, the proposed single-payer healthcare plan backed by almost all Democrats in the Assembly and Senate, and financial support for his fiscally beleaguered host, the state university system. Still, many in the audience applauded loudly and frequently. He laid out a bold, progressive agenda, said Andrea Miller, president of the Institute for Reproductive Health, policies that New Yorkers have been hungry for for years that have been held back by the state senate in particular. Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the NYCLU, was glad to see Cuomo set the bar for himself and the legislature highall the way in the stratosphere with FDRs historic Hundred Days. We will be pushing hard to insure the governor and the state legislature come together on what we need, which is what FDR would do, she said. Albany has historically been a cesspool of transactional politics, but with New York having become a blue state, well find out whether the principles embodied in the legacy of FDR will carry the day. But many were also critical, especially in the educational community. Distributing the money between schools within districts is not the problem, said Jasmine Gripper, legislative director for Alliance for Quality Education, whose lawsuit more than 15 years ago helped realign how the state funds public education. The problem is that under Andrew Cuomo, the state doesnt provide enough funding to meet the growing needs that result from growing poverty and increased numbers of English language learners. Fred Mogul is the state politics and health reporter for WNYC. You can follow him on Twitter @fredmogul. El gobierno del Peru condena el retiro de la personeria juridica a organizaciones defensoras de los derechos humanos efectuado por la Asamblea Nacional de Nicaragua. ?https://t.co/ulkAq4KMvr pic.twitter.com/DcaqA9GID3 With just a few weeks left in the year, advocates for the Fair Fares program are asking the city: Wheres the plan? When Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council agreed on a budget for 2019, it included $212 million to fund a program to provide half-priced MetroCards to low income New Yorkers. But ever since the July handshake deal, the de Blasio administration hasnt released any information about the program, how to apply, when it goes into effect, or which MetroCards will be available for a discount. We write now with deep concern that, with less than a month before the scheduled launch, we have not yet seen a plan to offer all eligible New Yorkers an opportunity to enroll in Fair Fares, the Community Service Society wrote in a letter to the mayor, which was signed by dozens of advocates and dated December 12th. The Fair Fares program is fully funded and we expect it to be fully implemented in a timely way. At an MTA board meeting in November, the MTA's Senior Vice President for Operations Support, Tim Mulligan, revealed that program will only include 7-day and 30-day passes, not single rides, which advocates say most low income New Yorkers rely on. Of all New Yorkers, those in poverty can least afford to lay out money for transit fares a full week or month in advance. The City and MTA should take the steps necessary to extend Fair Fares to as many ticket options as possible to meet the needs of eligible riders, Community Service Society wrote in its letter. The Community Service Society came up with the idea for half-price MetroCards and had advocated for it for over three years. New Yorkers living at or below the federal poverty levelwhich represents an annual income of $25,100 for a family of fourwould qualify for the program, which is expected to be administered by the citys Human Resources Administration. The mayors office, which had initially opposed the program, hasnt returned emails for comment. In a statement, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson apologized for the delay. I hear the advocates concerns, and we are working to address them, Johnson said. An MTA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Update: The Mayor's office said in a statement, "We hear the advocates concerns and are taking them seriously. Were prepared to launch the program in January and will have details to announce soon." Stephen Nessen is the transportation reporter for WNYC. You can follow him on Twitter @s_nessen. Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Creemos en la descentralizacion y esta se debe realizar de manera equilibrada en costa, sierra y selva. Por eso, vamos a brindar el presupuesto necesario para que los proyectos que se estan realizando sean culminados. #GOREEjecutivo pic.twitter.com/1tz4Szk6H1 12:45 | Chiclayo (Lambayeque region), Dec. 17. The Lord of Sipan discoverer said November figures showed that over 180,000 visited the site until such month, noting the annual average is 160,000. "We look forward to luring a total of 200,000 tourists this year, which would be a record since the museum opened," he affirmed. Alva explained that growing visitor numbers are due to active promotion by the museographic complex and a campaign offering free admission to museums on the first Sunday of each month. "This is important because even though we won't see economic benefits, museum visits are a priority in Peru ()," he noted. Exhibition in Panama According to the researcher, an itinerant exhibit of Lord of Sipan Tomb replicas is slated to take place in Panama next February in order to promote Peru's northern tourist attractions. "We seek to promote and capture the interest (of Panamanian travelers), as well as note the availability of direct flights between Chiclayo and Panama City," he added. The museum which houses the tomb of the Moche ruler and other elite ancient people has gained renowned prestige in its 16 years of existence and has become an undeniable icon of regional identity. Lord of Sipan The Lord of Sipan dubbed the King Tutankhamun of the Americas is compared to the Egyptian mummies studied by prominent Egyptologists. The discovery marked archaeology's history in Peru and the Americas. This was the first time the magnificence and majesty of the only governor and warrior of ancient Peru found to date were revealed. His tomb was uncovered in 1987 and has been exhibited at Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum for more than a decade. (END) SDC/JOT/RMB/MVB The Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, located in Peru's northern Lambayeque region, expects to attract a record crowd of 200,000 domestic and foreign visitors in 2018, Museum Director Walter Alva affirmed.Published: 12/17/2018 Smell & Tell with Michelle Krell Kydd Olfactory humanitarian by arwulf arwulf From the December, 2018 issue Michelle Krell Kydd's free "Smell & Tell" sessions usually meet downtown on the fourth floor of the Ann Arbor District Library. I've been to several of them with my perfume-collecting, oil-blending wife, Lindsay. Each time, we are given fragrance-dipped strips of blotter paper and invited to share our olfactory impressions. Close your eyes and breathe, she urges us. How many different scents are you smelling at once? What are you inhaling? What's it doing to your mind? Dreams and memories resurface. The imagination stirs. It's a pleasant workout for the brain's limbic system. One fragrance made me think of pear trees and wild roses reflected upside down in still water, as described in a poem by Friedrich Holderlin. Lindsay's comment on the same blend was "this smells like the incense they used to sell at the Grande Ballroom." Kydd, whose powers of olfactory discernment are extraordinary, describes herself as a walking smellopedia. A veteran of the beauty and perfume industries, she has an unusually expansive range of expertise. Rarely does one encounter an individual so well versed in chemistry, botany, brain science, cognitive psychology, communication, and human nature. She is robustly bookish; Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is one of the dedicatees of her blog (glasspetalsmoke.blogspot.com), which touches upon topics as diverse as the music of Brian Eno and Clancy's Fancy Hot Sauce (which she calls "The Umami Mother Lode"). Among perfumers, musical terminology abounds; one whiff of perfume is like a chord made up of top, middle, and bass notes. A pretty fragrance is like a melody, familiar yet different every time. Our first "Smell & Tell" session dealt entirely with oak moss derivatives. We marveled as she explained how the essence of lichen is refined and blended into exquisite perfumes. Another evening was devoted to an earthy scent derived from the roots of a tropical bunchgrass known as vetiver. After being given little cups of vetiver tea to drink, we sampled a heady selection of ...continued below... elegant, vetiver-based perfumes. Months later, Kydd conducted a "Scent Hike" out of doors at County Farm Park, assisted by county parks naturalist Shawn Severance. Again attendees were invited to sip tea-this time brewed from various plants and flowers growing all around us."Smell & Tell" is predicated upon the idea that comparative discussion based upon personal impressions can engender tolerance and compassion in the world. Kydd's mission is to expand individual and collective consciousness through community-building exercises in which everyone's perspective is accepted, respected, and embraced. Sensory evaluation builds mindfulness. Words can engender clarity, neutrality, or confusion. We're not here to agree on everything. Each of us plays a role in constructing reality. We are connected, she says, like one human organism.Kydd's "Smell & Tell" series returns to the downtown library December 19. [Originally published in December, 2018.] YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Leading scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences were invited by the China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research foundation to visit Armenia. Within the framework of the visit with their Armenian colleagues Dr. Xiao Bin, Dr. Bao Yi and Dr. Wu Hongwei participated in an academic seminar "China, Eurasia and Armenia: Views from Yerevan and Beijing." It is worth mentioning that Chinese initiative One Belt, One Road provides a lot of opportunities to other states to get Chinese investments, but they are not any big Chinese investments in Armenia, even if we compare with other South Caucasian countries. Professor Wu Hongwei emphasized that the Chinese-Georgian relations have developed dynamically, and the Chinese side is making huge investments there. He expressed hopes that through the information and contacts with Armenian specialists obtained during the visit, it will be possible to draw new recommendations through which it will be possible to develop economic relations with Armenia. In turn, Dr. Bao Yi presented her research on China's humanitarian cooperation with Central Asian countries and noted that this successful experience can also be used in the South Caucasus. Dr. Xiao Bing introduced his paper on promotion of the cooperation of international capacity under One Belt, One Road initiative in the era of technological transformation. The head of the ARMACAD, Dr. Khachik Gevorgyan told about the prospects of the ARMACAD in the development of Sino-Armenian academic relations in the framework of the One Belt, One Road. The organizer of this academic event, Dr. Mher Sahakyan, head of the China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research, foundation, spoke about the prospects for the development of the Armenian-Chinese relations in the framework of the Chinese initiative. As he noted, if a branch of one of the leading Chinese banks opened or if Armenia and China establish a joint bank, the result will be significant financial investments in Armenia. The financial field of the country will be diversified, and if Dram-Renminbi conversion is implemented, bilateral trade between Armenia and China will be realized in their own currencies. He recommended, that Armenia can try to stand a Regional member of the Asian Infrastructure bank and after get sovereign backed or non-sovereign backed loans for its state-owned noncommercial organizations, private organizations, and international organizations which works in the territory of Armenia, that they invest this money in Armenian North-South Road Corridor, which will significantly enhance Armenia's capabilities to be involved in the Silk Road Economic Belts China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Belt. Armenia and China can also start cooperation in UN peacekeeping missions, as both states are interested in it. Dr. Mher Sahakyan, also talked about the possibility of creating an Armenian-Chinese joint military-industrial center in Armenia, which will produce military robots, drones and so forth. He also noted that Armenia can negotiate with China for its participation in the Digital Silk Road, Armenia and China can also cooperate on the research of the development of the 5G. After the academic seminar Chinese and Armenian scholars agreed to strengthen cooperation between the Armenian Foundation China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, to conduct joint research and make recommendations for the development of Armenian-Chinese relations. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. On December 17, as of 08:00, some highways are difficult to pass in Armenia. The ministry of emergency situations told Armenpress that the Vardenyats Pass is open only for passenger vehicles, Sotk-Karvachar highway is difficult to pass. Alagyaz-Artik highway is partly covered with clear ice. The ministry urges drivers to use winter tires while travelling to provinces. The Georgian authorities inform that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Anna Hakobyan, spouse of Armenias acting prime minister, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of My Step and City of Smile Foundations, had meetings with Swiss-Armenian philanthropists, businessmen and chairmen of foundations in Geneva on the sidelines of her visit to Switzerland, reports Armenpress. During the meetings Anna Hakobyan was accompanied by Charge d'Affaires of Armenia to Switzerland Anahit Harutyunyan and CEO of My Step Foundation Hovhannes Ghazaryan. On December 14 Anna Hakobyan was hosted by CEO of the Armenian Foundation and the Alliance Armenia Foundation, Swiss-Armenian businessman Vahe Gabrache. During the meeting the Swiss-Armenian philanthropists introduced their activities both in Switzerland and Armenia, expressing readiness to assist in implementation of new programs. The Armenian foundations in Geneva are united and always unite across one common idea. This is the reason that the Swiss-Armenian community is so strong, Vahe Gabrache said, adding that there is an accepted opinion that Armenia needs the Diaspora, but the Diaspora must operate inside Armenia, and this is the reason that I have applied and received Armenian citizenship. He said he has been encouraged by the recent velvet revolution in Armenia and made a decision to apply for the Armenian citizenship and carry out activities in the homeland. On the same day Anna Hakobyan met with chairman of the Boghossian Foundation Albert Boghossian. During all these meetings Anna Hakobyan thanked for the participants for carrying out activities in the community, assisting Armenia and its people with various programs for dozens of years, as well as introduced the activities of the two Foundations led by her. Based on the results of the meetings a number of agreements were reached, as well as several proposals for future cooperation were made. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. A big smear campaign is being carried out against Lusavor Hayastan (Luminous Armenia) Party, party leader Edmon Marukyan said on Facebook. He claims that the smear campaign involves great funds, fake social media accounts and media resources. Theyve commenced an attack, he said. People are calling, asking in a surprised way what has happened. I am explaining, but I see that no, this smear campaign is gaining great momentum. Have you declared war against us? Have you forgotten who we are, and who you are? You will wear out and go, Marukyan said. Marukyan says this smear campaign began after his question to Bargavatch Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) party leader Gagik Tsarukyan during the live televised debates before the general election. I had one question for Gagik Tsarukyan, because he is part of the old regime. He claims they too are revolutionaries, that they have sent water to the revolutionaries. And can you imagine, in addition he is also disputing our activities. I have very calmly asked my question to Gagik Tsarukyan, I said that when you returned to politics in 2017, you absorbed the votes of Yelk [faction], became the second force. Businessmen have withdrawn from politics in New Armenia, why have you come to politics? I am explaining that politics and casinos are incompatible. There is no need to enter parliament in order to protect businessmen in New Armenia. So, people didnt stomach my arguments, Marukyan said, noting that now some are claiming that his party is a fake opposition. He argues that this is an attempt to deviate Lusavor Hayastan from its agenda, but they will not succeed. They are writing Facebook posts full of personal insults. They are saying that [I] should be deprived of my mandate. My mandate was given to me by the people, no political force can deprive me, he said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan As local elected officials continue to raise questions about Amazon's proposed, heavily-subsidized new campus in Long Island City, tech competitor Google announced it would continue to expand its New York City footprint by 1.7 million square feet, with lease agreements in Hudson Square. Google, which already owns 111 Eighth Avenue and bought the Chelsea Market building for $2.4 billion earlier this year, said that it hoped to occupy the two spaces on Hudson Street by 2020 and the redeveloped St. John's Terminal at 550 Washington Street by 2022. The news follows rumors that Google was looking to find space for up to 12,000 more employees in New York. Ruth Porat, SVP and CFO of Google and its holding company Alphabet wrote a blog post explaining the deal: Today were taking the next step in our commitment to our New York City presence by investing over $1 billion in capital improvements to establish a new campus, Google Hudson Square. The over 1.7 million square-foot campus is a result of lease agreements at 315 and 345 Hudson Street and a signed letter of intent at 550 Washington Street. When we came to New York City almost two decades ago, it was our first office outside of California. Its now home to more than 7,000 employees, speaking 50 languages, working on a broad range of teams including Search, Ads, Maps, YouTube, Cloud, Technical Infrastructure, Sales, Partnerships and Research. New York City continues to be a great source of diverse, world-class talentthats what brought Google to the city in 2000 and thats what keeps us here. Earlier this year, we announced the $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market and shared plans to lease additional space at Pier 57. We hope to start moving into the two Hudson Street buildings by 2020, followed by 550 Washington Street in 2022 once the building is complete. Google Hudson Square will be the primary location for our New York-based Global Business Organization. Porat's blog post also detailed the company's partnerships with the community, though a recent NY Times article quoted a handful of community members who are not enamored by the tech giant; for instance, since Google offers free food to its employees, Bowery Kitchen Supplies co-owner believes his business's sandwich counter "has lost thousands of dollars a month in sales." The neighborhood, west of Soho, will also be welcoming Disney, which will be demolishing all the buildings on an entire block (bounded by Spring, Vandam, Hudson and Varick Streets) for a new 1 million square foot complex. City Winery, which occupies a two-story building at the corner of Vandam and Varick, plans to move out by January 1, 2020. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. More than 100 residential buildings will be built in the new Jamaiyat Al Riyadh district of Aleppo within four years, the projects architect Aymad Ali told reporters. We are now reconstructing more than 300 buildings that were damaged from bombings, which is around 1000 apartments, he said, according to RIA Novosti. We are also building 110 new buildings, that will house 5000 apartments, Ali said. Back in 2012, 360 new buildings were built in the area but failed to be housed due to battles. The new buildings ended up being hiding locations for militants. Now, the area is the largest construction site in Syria, encompassing more than 50 hectares. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Today, Pope Francis is turning 82 years old. Ahead of the birthday, the first to congratulate the Pope were children under the care of a free health clinic in Vatican. The party included a surprise birthday cake for Pope Francis. Joined by the childrens families, the Pope spent about an hour with children receiving care at the Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary, CNA reported. Im happy to be with you. I wish you a Merry Christmas, a good holy Christmas to all, and I thank you very much for what you do, really, the Pope said, as quoted by CNA. And, also, I hope that there is no indigestion with that cake so big! The Pope thanked all of the doctors, nurses, and volunteers of the clinic, as well as the collaboration of the kids, and of the dads and the moms of the children. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. An on-duty soldier of the Artsakh Defense Army has been wounded in a shooting. Rafik Vahanyan, 19, suffered a gunshot wound around 15:50, December 16, while on duty in an unnamed military base in the southern direction, the Artsakh military said. The wounded servicemen was immediately transported to the military hospital, he is in a moderate condition. An investigation is underway to determine details of the incident, the military said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. President Bako Sahakyan today visited the Artsakh Republic State Service on Emergency Situations, his Office told Armenpress. The President introduced newly appointed director Levon Mnatsakanyan to the Service's staff wishing him efficient work. The Head of the State thanked former director Karen Sargsyan for the carried-out activity and wished him success in the position of the Artsakh Republic President's representative at large. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans spokesperson Arman Yeghoyan has addressed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenkos statement on why the Armenian premier is not raising the weapons supply issue to Azerbaijan also before Russia. Addressing Mr. Lukashenkos statement, I find it necessary to make several important notes. Unfortunately, Mr. Lukashenko continues the practice of disclosing the content of closed meetings. Unfortunately, Mr. Lukashenko has disclosed from yet another closed meeting only what he himself had said, and did not disclose what answers he had received from the Armenian prime minister. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has always raised the problematic issue of the weapons sold to Azerbaijan by Russia during discussions with the Russian president, including in particular during the meeting mentioned by Mr. Lukashenko. Armenia is set to continue discussions within the framework of the CSTO in the direction of ensuring the complete fulfillment of mutual allied obligations of the organizations member countries, Yeghoyan told ARMENPRESS. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Ambassador to the United States Varuzhan Nersesyan on December 13 met with Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress. The Ambassador congratulated Frank Pallone on re-election, wishing him success in the Congress works. The officials discussed a number of issues relating to the agenda of the bilateral relations. They attached importance to the opportunities to boost the bilateral commercial, investment fields at the current stage of fundamental democratic and economic reforms in Armenia and highlighted the unique role of the US Congress in this regard. Ambassador Nersesyan and Congressman Pallone agreed to continue the regular contacts to discuss the ongoing actions aimed at deepening the bilateral partnership. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Premier Nikol Pashinyans spouse Anna Hakobyan has had several community meetings on December 16, the last day of her visit to Switzerland. Hakobyan is the President of the Board of Trustees of My Step and City Of Smile charitable foundations. Accompanied by Armenias charge d'affaires to Switzerland Anahit Harutyunyan, Swiss-Armenian philanthropist Vahe Gabrash, architect Irma Avagyan, Fragman Association director Raffi Garibian, Hakobyan visited the Streetlights of Memory memorial dedicated to the Armenian Genocide. Hakobyan was introduced on the history behind the construction of the monument and the difficulties that the community passed through prior to its opening. The Armenian premiers wife thanked the community for the efforts in the work and said that she is impressed by the memorial, since it stands out with its kind, its design and story. She then visited the Armenian Topalian College of Geneva to participate in the students graduation ceremony. Ani Mesropyan, the colleges principal and president of the Hakob Topalian foundation, introduced the Armenian Sunday schools activity. She said that Armenian children from not only Geneva, but also from a number of cities of France are learning to read and write in their mother tongue at the college. Hakobyan thanked the schools principal and the academic staff for their patriotic work and noted that the college is fulfilling the most important mission teaching the native language to Armenian children and connecting them with their homeland. As part of the visit, Anna Hakobyan also visited the Armenian Embassy in Switzerland. She was also interviewed by Ardzagank, an Armenian newspaper published in Geneva. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian had a private meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze in Tbilisi on the sidelines of his visit to Georgia, the Armenian Presidential Office told Armenpress. PM Bakhtadze thanked President Sarkissian for participating in the oath taking ceremony of the new President of Georgia and stated that its a pleasure to host the Armenian President in Georgia. Armen Sarkissian said its also an honor form him to be in a neighbor and friendly Georgia at this stage of key events for the country. At the meeting the Armenian President and the Georgian PM exchanged views on the current agenda of the Armenian-Georgian relations and emphasized the importance of further deepening the productive cooperation in different sectors. They in particularly touched upon the issues on developing the commercial ties and the cooperation in education and cultural spheres. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. We are commencing demonstrations from tomorrow, that will not stop even for a single day, Georgias Strength is in Unity opposition leader Grigor Vashadze said. At the same time, he said that the non-stop demonstrations will be peaceful and within the law, Gruziya Online reported. They are demanding early elections of parliament, as well as an entire shakeup of the electoral administration. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Russia are preparing a document that will guarantee the more transparent work of biological laboratories in Armenia in terms of guaranteeing the absence of any threats and risks, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in a live press briefing in response to a question from Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. Asked how Russia is planning to solve the issue of existence and active activities of foreign laboratories in post-Soviet countries, including in Armenia and Georgia, Lavrov responded that Russia is currently finalizing the preparation of a document with Armenia that will make the activity of the biological laboratories more transparent in terms of guaranteeing the absence of any threats or risks. The document will guarantee the absence of foreign military and the transparent work of biological laboratories in terms of absence of threats and risks, Lavrov said, noting that a similar agreement is also being processed with Kazakhstan. He also said that Georgia has invited a group of diplomats to get familiarized with the activities of foreign bio-labs in Georgia. We have thanked them, weve said that it isnt up to diplomats, but its up to experts to understand what is being done in those labs, to what extend the tests create a threat for Russia and generally the neighboring countries, Lavrov said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan The NYPD will not discipline the police officers who helped pry Jazmine Headley's 18-month-old son from her arms, after a "strenuous review" conducted by the Internal Affairs Bureau found no wrongdoing on the part of the police. In a statement released late Friday, Police Commissioner James O'Neill conceded that "clearly something went wrong" during the "chaotic" arrest of the 23-year-old mother. But he pinned the blame on actions taken by Human Resources Administration personnel before police arrived on the scene. "This review shows that prior to the incident depicted on public video, NYPD officers are working with the client to de-escalate the situation," the commissioner said. Widely-seen cell phone video taken at the Boerum Hill benefits offices begins as Headley is laying on the ground, surrounded by HRA security guardsknown as "peace officers"and two uniformed police officers. A police officer repeatedly attempts to yank the child away from Headley, at one point lifting the woman into the air as she desperately holds on to her son. The same officer later pulls out a stun gun and waves it at the crowd and distressed mother. Over the weekend, Headley told the Times that she'd arrived at the assistance office determined to reclaim child care vouchers that the city had recently cut off after she began a new job as an office cleaner. After waiting for hours, she took a seat against a wall of the office with her sondrawing the attention of one of the security guards. "I should've left, and I didn't because if I would've left, my son would not have the things that he needs," she said. "My main objective was to get there, handle business and get home." She remembers "being talked to very viciously" by security guards and asking to speak with a supervisor. She says that the guards returned with two police officers and that what happened next was a blur. According to the NYPD's investigation, an HRA officer escalated the dispute by pulling Headley to the ground. A law enforcement source told the Times that police body camera footage shows a security guard threatening to separate Headley from her child if she doesn't leave the office, then lunging at her after a tense verbal exchange. "Everyone tumbles down," the source said. Headley was subsequently arrested on charges of resisting arrest, acting in a manner injurious to a child and criminal trespass. The charges were eventually dropped, and a judge ordered her released from Rikers Island after five days. Two HRA peace officers, Toyin Ramos-Williams and Betinna Barnett-Weekes, were suspended for 30 weeks without pay for their role in the incident. Greg Floyd, president of the Teamsters Local 237, which represents the security guards, has blamed Headley for the encounter, claiming that she bit an officer and used her child as a shield. A photo shows bite marks on one peace officer's arm, and the officer was reportedly taken to Methodist Hospital by an EMT crew. Internal agency reports from the Human Resources Administration that were leaked to the Daily News and the Post state that there was a chair available when a private security supervisor asked Headley to move up off the floor where she was sitting. The reports assert that she became very loud, irate and was using profanity towards the security supervisor. Despite the alleged biting, Headley was not initially charged with assault, but with resisting arrest, acting in a manner injurious to a child, obstructing governmental administration and trespassing. The Brooklyn D.A. later dropped all of the charges against Headley, after the video went viral. An NYPD spokesperson said the department did not interview HRA officers or personnel as part of their review, at the request of the Brooklyn District Attorney. The Mayor once again has deferred to the NYPD to police themselves. Think about the message this sends to the force. You can do anything & face no consequences. If someone sues, the city (read: taxpayers) will pay out on your behalf. Eric Garner's killer is still on the force. Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) December 17, 2018 Mayor Bill de Blasio, who did not publicly address the incident for three days, has faced repeated challenges over the last week to more forcefully condemn the police officers' actions. During his weekly appearance on the Brian Lehrer Show on Friday morning, the mayor lashed out at those critical of his silence, attacking a "wildly inaccurate" Times editorial and the "simplistic analysis" of those in his own party questioning his professed commitment to police reform. He has so far refused to say whether the officers should face discipline and insisted earlier in the week that "by the time the NYPD arrived, the situation was already out of control." According to an NYPD spokesperson, the two police officers were cleared following a review of publicly available video, 911 calls, interviews with Headley and her mother, and body camera footage. The department has so far declined to name the officers or release their body camera recordings, citing a lawsuit brought by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. As a result of the investigation, the department said that it would review tactics for NYPD officers in situations when a person is holding a young child and create guidelines for interactions between the NYPD and the HRA. In her interview with the Times, Headley said that the harrowing experience with police officers and city workers was not uncommon for New Yorkers seeking social assistance. Its the story of many other people, its not just my story," she said. "My story is the only one that made it to the surface." YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Fish reserves in Armenia continue to decline, and failure to take actions can also jeopardize the reproduction season, Bardugh Gabrielyan, Director of the Fishery and Hydro-Ecology Center of Armenia has warned. Crayfish is one of our commercial bio-resources. Regrettably, its reserves are declining. Today they are estimated at around a bit more than 2300 tons. Last year it was 2600, and 4500 the year before, he said at a news conference. Gabrielyan says the carp reserves are also dropping, with current estimated around 35-40 tons. Like each year, we allow unlimited hunt for carps this year also because we find it an imported, undesired species for Lake Sevan, he said. The common whitefish, however, has increased, but fishing of this species during the egg-laying season can cause irreversible consequences, he said. It is sold openly and everywhere, and also its caviar, and it is very surprising that no prohibition actions are taking place, he said. Bu hunting a single fish today, we are losing thousands of fishes, he warned. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. 2018 was quite a difficult year for Iran from economic, political and security perspectives, Armen Israyelyan expert on Iranian studies, told a press conference in ARMENPRESS, adding that the current situation around Iran is not only linked with the US sanctions. There is an impression that the whole Iran has a common position on the US sanctions, but this is not so at all. In most cases the external issues are a result of the domestic problems. For instance, in summer the opposition forces launched no-confidence process against the President of Iran. And this was linked with the developments taking place both in Iran and outside the country, he said. Armen Israyelyan said overall Hassan Rouhanis government managed to settle the financial crisis. It also managed to make radical changes in the Central Bank and the public administration system. Talking about the Armenia-Iran relations, the expert noted that the year was quite interesting for the two countries. After the revolution in Armenia the leaders of the two countries met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which was followed by their telephone conversations, and the Iranians Presidents special envoy also arrived in Armenia. As for the economic relations, Armen Israyelyan said the positive figures are maintained. This year the turnover of goods exported from Iran to Armenia increased by nearly 48%. But this is not enough. The trade turnover of the two countries doesnt exceed 300 million USD, which is less as the two countries have a great potential to further increase it, the expert said, stating that the political messages from Iran and Armenia show that both are ready for long-term and prospective cooperation. Political scientist Liana Hovhannisyan touched upon the US sanctions on Iran, stating that the US has expectations from the regional countries in this regard. She said it was not a coincidence that during the regional visit of US presidents advisor John Bolton the issues linked with Iran were also on the agenda. While examining the statement of the US official in the three countries of the region, we see that if there are talks in Azerbaijan to jointly restrain Iran, this emphasis doesnt exist in case of Armenia, which shows that the current leadership of Armenia have presented some reservations which has been perceivable, she said. The political scientist highlighted that the US-South Caucasus relations in 2018 have been quite active. And this activeness was mostly demonstrated in the second half of 2018 when US high-ranking officials visited South Caucasus. These were mainly cognitive visits, the US administration wanted to know the position of the authorities of the South Caucasian countries on different issues. During his regional visit US presidential advisor John Bolton made a number of important highlights. If in Georgias case more importance was attached to the security cooperation, in the case of Azerbaijan the energy cooperation was emphasized. And as for Armenia, the main highlights related to democracy, development of civil society and fight against corruptionl, the political scientist said. As for the Armenian-American relations, Liana Hovhannisyan said the year was active. The United States positively reacted to the recent domestic political developments in Armenia. The next key factor was the appointment of new ambassadors from both sides which will give new impetus to the relations. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today the delegation that arrived in Armenia on behalf of Catholicos of Great House of Cilicia Aram I. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia, greeting the members of the delegation, Nikol Pashinyan recalled with warmth his visit to Antelias, Lebanon this year and the meeting with the Catholicos, during which issues of pan-Armenian importance were discussed. Member of the delegation His Grace Bishop Shahe Panossian noted that the delegation has arrived in Armenia on behalf Catholicos Aram I to congratulate Nikol Pashinyan on the successful results of the parliamentary elections. Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia has also sent a written message from the spiritual center of the Diaspora and conveyed congratulations to you and the entire Armenian people, wishing that in the future all the works will be accomplished with the same success, leading Armenia to new heights under your leadership, he said, handing the written message of the Catholicos to Nikol Pashinyan. Nikol Pashinyan thanked for the congratulations and the warm wishes, conveying his warm greetings to Aram I and our compatriots in Lebanon. Bishop Shahe Panossian informed that the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia plans to pay a visit to Armenia in January, 2019. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan After two weeks of intense and often heated negotiations at Katowice, Polandand despite the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)delegates representing close to 200 countries settled on a Paris Rulebook, but failed to reach a comprehensive agreement on cutting the use of fossil fuels and doing more to address deforestation. Vulnerable island statesfrom the Pacific to the Indian Oceans and to the Caribbeanwhose future ironically now lies in the hands of those who couldnt care less, made emphatic and emotional presentations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. APIA - In a time when the world critically needed leadership by the planets biggest carbon emitters, everyone failed to show-up. Five Pacific Island leadersSamoa prime minister Dr Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama, Cook Islands prime minister Henry Puna, Tuvalu prime minister Enele Sosene Sopoaga and Vanuatu foreign minister Ralph Regenvanuensured the region was represented at the important summit. Dr Sailele Malielegaoi used the conference to again call for oceans to become an integral part of the continuing climate change agenda. 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. Australias role within the region was not lost on the Tuvalus Enele Sosene Sopoaga, who called for genuine partnerships to address the effects of climate change in the Pacific Islands. We cannot be regional partners under this step-up initiative genuine and durable partners unless the government of Australia takes a more progressive response to climate change. They know very well that we will not be happy as a partner, to move forward, unless they are serious, Mr Sopoaga said. And Vanuatu foreign minister Ralph Regenvanu raised eyebrows when he singled out the United States and its negotiators at the climate change conference in Poland. It pains me deeply to have watched the people of the United States and other developed countries across the globe suffering the devastating impacts of climate-induced tragedies, while their professional negotiators are here at COP24 putting red lines through any mention of loss and damage in the Paris guidelines and square brackets around any possibility for truthfully and accurately reporting of progress against humanitys most existential threat, he reportedly said. It was a trailblazing performance on the international stage by the Pacific Island leaders, whose populations continue to be challenged by a human-induced phenomenon i.e. climate change that is not of their doing. Sadly, the Pacific Islands biggest neighbour in Australia clocked off, even before the climate change summit began in Poland. The climate change challenges that small island states in the region have to tackle have become miniscule to the Scott Morrison government in Canberra. All that talk last month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders summit in Port Moresby - where American vice president Mike Pence and the Australian prime minister announced renewed focus on the region to stymie the influence of Chinese in the Pacific -appears to be nothing but more rhetoric from the regions two powers. Thanks to the now concluded UN climate change conference in Poland, we should now know who our real friends are, and move forward to harness opportunities that could come from such partnerships. Considering the steps that China is taking to embrace the 2015 Paris Agreement, perhaps, it would not hurt sassing Chinese innovation in energy solutions that would mitigate the effects of climate change in the Pacific Islands. China is a world leader in solar energy and has already built capacity of approximately 130 GW, which is reportedly greater than America (about 60 GW) and Japan (46 GW). There are opportunities for Pacific Island economies including Samoa to tap into Chinas solar energy expertise and innovation. Most countries that attended the COP24 in Katowice, Poland arent satisfied with the outcomes from that international summit. While the jury is still out on the Paris Rulebook - which a lot of nations are hoping will progress movement to the targets set in the 2015 Paris Agreement - we in the Pacific Islands can only hope for the best and do what we can (in our own backyards) to make our Pacific and the world a better place for us and the generation to come. Indonesias Defence Ministry has said Canberra should brief it on its plans, noting that no one can forbid them from doing what they are doing, as long as it is not built in our territory. Earlier this month Abdul Kharis Almasyhari, chairman of Indonesias parliamentary commission on defence, security and foreign affairs, urged President Joko Widodo to lobby against the PNG naval base, which he said would increase political tensions and that foreign powers should not militarise the Asia-Pacific. SYDNEY - Indonesia is eyeing nervously plans by Australia and the US to upgrade Papua New Guineas Lombrum naval base, a key US staging post during World War II, with policymakers warning it could further escalate tensions in the region. Australia will invest millions of dollars in upgrading wharf facilities on Manus and is gifting new patrol boats to the PNG Defence Force Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir also told The Weekend Australian the government did not have a clear picture of plans for the Lombrum base, and could not take a position until it did. The essence of what the MPs are saying is they want to ensure there is no power projection in the region and that there is continued stability, and that is in line with our foreign policy, he said. But other MPs have also spoken against it, including politicians from within the ruling coalition government who fear tensions between China and the US currently engaged in a trade war and ongoing struggle for regional supremacy could spill into conflict. Satya Widya Yudha, a government-aligned MP and deputy chair of the parliamentary commission, said: The parliament regrets the plan to build a military base in Papua New Guinea just like we regret Chinas plan to build a military base in one of the islands in the Pacific. We feel that all countries should prioritise diplomacy and not exert military control which could destabilise the region. The Pacific Ocean is a major trade route which should be accessible to all. The presence of a military base will lead to an escalation of tensions and eventually disrupt trade relations and security on a global scale. A parliamentary spokesman for Mr Jokowis Peoples Democratic Party of Struggle described the plan as a worrying development that could threaten regional stability. Evan Laksmana, a senior researcher with Jakartas Centre for Strategic and International Studies, says while Indonesia-Australia defence co-operation has increased in recent years, Australian strategic planning should not assume passive neutrality on the part of Indonesia in thinking about a future regional conflict. Indonesia has a direct stake in ensuring stability in the archipelagic sea lanes that facilitate navigation from the Timor Sea and Arafura Sea to the Pacific Ocean through the Seas of Sawu, Banda, Seram, and Maluku, he said. Any military conflict involving the US, Australia and China would also have to go through Indonesias strategic geography one way or another, he wrote in the Lowy Institutes Interpreter website this week. Canberra was already upgrading the Lombrum base on Manus Island in collaboration with the PNG government when US Vice-President Mike Pence announced at the APEC conference in Port Moresby last month that Washington would join the effort. The joint redevelopment of Lombrum built by the US in 1944 would provide a handy refuelling stop but, more critically, a strategic maritime surveillance point for both countries as China continues to build up its presence across the Pacific islands. It follows months of speculation that Beijing was interested in building its own deepwater port on Manus, and amid concerns over Chinas increasing economic influence over Pacific Island nations. To counter that, prime minister Scott Morrison last month unveiled a new Pacific pivot policy, including a $2 billion regional infrastructure fund. Most damage done to the community was by the births of about 37 children to local women and refugee men, Mr Pokarup said. "The social fabric of our society has absolutely been broken. We need to tell the Australians to get this project out as soon as possible," he said. Mr Pokarup said the refugees should be sent back to Australia and Manus Island should be compensated. Ben Pokarup is secretary of the Maus Manus Development Forum and chair of the Manus Island Tourism Association. LORENGAU - The social fabric of Papua New Guinea's Manus Island has been broken by Australia detaining refugees there, a community leader says. The depressed economic state of Manus Province, which he said Australia had not done enough to help, had led local women into prostitution. "Young girls have resorted to exchanging sex for money and phones, and other materials that can attract a young lady," Mr Pokarup said. Issuing some of the refugees with driver's licenses had also caused problems, he said, with a local woman killed this year in an accident involving a refugee driver, who police allege had been drinking. "I was at the courthouse yesterday to witness cases that refugees violated traffic regulations and rules," Mr Pokarup said. "But the cases were thrown out because there were no proper police reports to make sure they get the punishment for the offences they committed." The refugees' plight, however, is not lost on Mr Pokarup, who says "the good thinking people of Manus" sympathise with about 600 men indefinitely detained there for almost six years. "They are human beings and they are psychologically tormented. We cannot keep human beings with that kind of mental sickness. They need to go back to Australia." The association of Manus with the controversial detention scheme had also destroyed the island's reputation in the eyes of the international community, according to the leader, limiting its potential as a tourism hub. While acknowledging Australia had helped Manus to develop a tourism plan, Mr Pokarup said no one was interested in going to a place they understood as "a shit hole". "Bird watching, surfing, island hopping, trekking, diving and snorkelling" are just some of the tourism activities available on Manus, which the leader said was owed assistance to develop "post-detention economic activities". "When the agreed funds for the project came in it was a slap in our face," he said. "The agreed funds were shared to other parts of Papua New Guinea and not to Manus. We got the crumbs." Investment was not only needed to fulfil the province's tourism potential but also to develop sustainable projects in rural areas like rice and cocoa production. "And also the fishing industry; we have 40% of the total Pacific tuna rim right here on Manus Island." Money was also owed the province to build roads and jetties, and for its health service to be "upgraded to an international level because we are hosting this international project". "We need some post detention economic activities that must emerge and must be here to stay," Mr Pokarup said When thousands of diseased and bloated pig carcasses floated down a tributary of the Huangpu River in Shanghai in early 2013, after being dumped upstream by farmers, the stench turned Zheng Lixing's stomach. "If you were there, you wouldn't have been able to eat for a few days," says Zheng, a native of Shaanxi province in northwest China with a doctorate in polymer science from Tianjin University of Science and Technology. The experience got him concerned about the state of the agricultural sector in China, which, for centuries before its industrialisation, was an agrarian society. Three years later, with two million yuan from their own pockets and investors, Zheng and four other university graduates from Shaanxi returned home and acquired 13 hectares (32 acres) of farmland in Liquan county. They wanted to show local farmers the benefits of switching to organic methods. The quality of the soil is poor, he says, and will take another few years to recover fully. Soil contamination, caused by pesticide and fertiliser use, but also industry and waste disposal, is a big threat to China's food security. Zheng's farm uses only organic fertilisers, such as chicken and pig dung, and no chemical pesticides. As a result, however, crop yields are low, and this puts other farmers off following their example. "We won't break even until the end of this year," he says, adding that the neighbors may have a change of heart when they see how better-quality products can fetch higher prices. Zheng is among a rising number of educated urbanites in China choosing to wave goodbye to city life and head back to the land. The modernisation of farming in China is on the government's agenda. In March, President Xi Jinping said more effort should be made to encourage talented university graduates and overseas returnees to move to rural areas to revitalise them and boost innovation. The drive to boost the rural economy includes tax breaks, easier financing, and other support measures for rural entrepreneurs. Story continues About 60% of China's population lives in towns and cities, a huge increase from 26% in 1990. However, that is still well below the average of 75% in the developed world, and "reverse urbanisation" is picking up as infrastructure improves in remote areas. Last year the Ministry of Agriculture announced that seven million people had returned to the countryside from cities, although it did not give a time frame for the migration. Of these, 60% had done so to work in agriculture, it said. Ma Yanwei, who acquired an 11-hectare farm in Inner Mongolia's Alashan prefecture in 2015, says the government is supporting local farmers with water conservation methods in the arid region, which is on the fringe of a desert. "Although Alashan is under threat from desertification, the air and soil are very good. Local farmers use underground water for irrigation. But they plant corn, which consumes a lot of water," says Ma, who graduated from Beijing Normal University with a doctorate in ecology. "After digging ditches around a patch of land, they water all the land before moving on to another patch, wasting a lot of water through evaporation. Only the roots need to absorb water." The local government provides piping, which Ma teaches local farmers to use. With holes in the hosepipes spaced 20cm (8 inches) apart, they are rolled out alongside the base of crops, and water drips from holes. This method uses only half the amount of water, he says. A native of Harbin in China's northeast, his previous job at a Beijing-based environmental organisation brought him to Alashan in 2004. "It is beautiful and the locals are friendly," he says. Also helping others to adopt environment-friendly farming techniques is Yixi Kanzhuo, who graduated from Beijing's University of International Business and Economics with an executive MBA. The Dalian native worked for the See Foundation, China's largest NGO dedicated to environmental protection, before moving to Yushu in Qinghai province, in the country's northwest. "I always went to Qinghai for the foundation. I met a native there who has about 1,300 hectares of land situated 4,500 meters (14,800 feet) above sea level. I moved to Qinghai in 2015 and married him last year," she says. Like many ethnic Tibetans in the area, her husband abandoned his land after the government launched a policy around 2005 to move nomads into towns. "It's a desolate area. When I first came here, transport was inconvenient, with no motorways or asphalt roads. But since a national park was established last year, basic infrastructure is being built," she says. The couple are building a home on their farm, which is 300km (185 miles) from the nearest town, as they attempt to revive largely deserted pastures on the plateau, and help those who have fallen into poverty since the relocation. "They haven't returned to their farms They originally led self-sustainable lives by raising livestock and making clothes from wool." Yixi says. Since the move, they have been living in government-built houses in towns that lack basic services, such as medical facilities, elderly care, rubbish disposal, and running water, she adds. They were promised an annual subsidy for relocating, but some families claim they are not receiving as much as they were told they would. Tibetans generally have high birth rates, and families, often of seven or eight people, quickly became destitute. "Before 1985 each nomad [in Yushu] owned more than 100 yaks. They were never worried about money because they just had to sell a yak when they needed it. "Before his whole family relocated to town a decade ago, my husband lived on the farm until he was 15 and his life was carefree. But after being relocated, people were cut off from their [traditional] way of life and couldn't find work," Yixi says. She and her husband built their home using a traditional mortar made of soil, glutinous rice, and quicklime, she says, to show others how it was possible to return to their pastures and carve out a sustainable lifestyle. The couple have organised a cooperative with seven other families, with 300 head of livestock, so "everybody can take turns grazing the livestock throughout the year to help conserve the pastures". Their farm will observe local customs, she adds, eschewing mass slaughter of livestock in deference to Tibetan Buddhist culture. "Most of the produce is for sale locally, because outsiders are not keen on yak meat, suyou [fat distilled from yak and sheep's milk] and qula [the residue from making suyou]. Our produce will include Armillaria luteo-virens [an edible mushroom], which thrives during the rainy season on the high plateau, and butter made from yak milk, which non-locals will like," Yixi says. "Our venture is not simply about agriculture. It's about how people can live harmoniously with nature. We want to build living quarters for visitors, who will be able to ride horses, meditate, do yoga and live a tranquil life on the farm. "We can train locals in how to serve visitors and cook food for them. The scenery is beautiful here, as we are near the source of the Yellow River. A road leading to our farm will be completed next year and [the government] will start building a small airport in Yushu next year." For a city dweller, life in the remote countryside took a lot of getting used to for Yixi. "When I first arrived, I went for as long as 20 days without washing my hair," she says. In spite of the hardship, she says her new life is much better than when she lived in the big city. "To earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan [US$2,900 to US$4,350] a month, people have to commute through the crowded subway every day and spend all their salary on living expenses. They only live for work. There's no dignity," she says. "I hope our kids will be born in the house. They will be able to grow up surrounded by nature and lead a happy life." In Shaanxi, Zheng says he dreams of growing high-quality produce for export, like Japanese and Western farmers. "China is so big that it can sustain any kind of fruit. We can't sell the grapes we produce, even though they only cost several yuan a bunch. Japanese ones sell for several hundreds a bunch," he says. "There is a success story in another town in Shaanxi, where 20 million yuan was spent to establish a vineyard. The grapes sell in Hong Kong for more than 200 yuan a kilogram." This article first appeared at SCMP.com. Copyright 2018. Read the original article here. Follow SCMP on Twitter or Facebook. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has delivered the governments mid-year economic and fiscal outlook. Images: Getty The federal government expects to deliver a $4.1 billion surplus in 2019-20, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has revealed in the governments mid-year budget outlook. The governments forecasted deficit for this year has also been slashed from $14.5 billion to $5.2 billion, the federal governments Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) reported. Additionally, larger individual and company tax collections have delivered the government $8.3 billion more than anticipated. Frydenberg described these results as the welcome dividends of sound budget management while pledging to reduce net debt from 18.2 per cent of GDP to 1.5 per cent in 2028-29. Todays MYEFO is a strong demonstration that the Liberal and National parties government and their economic plan is working, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said today. This will be the first budget surplus since the last year of the Howard government. Frydenberg also noted the Womens Economic Security Package which would deliver $119.2 million in support of women and the unemployment rate, which is at its lowest level since 2012. $9.2 billion set aside The MYEFO also revealed the government has put $9.2 billion aside for spending projects or tax cuts due to be announced by next years election campaign. Frydenberg didnt reveal what the $9.2 billion would fund, with the sum classified as decisions taken but not yet announced. What we are saying is that we will approach all these issues in careful, considered, methodical way, just as we have done to date, he told reporters. Wage growth revised down It wasnt all good news. The MYEFO revealed wages growth has been revised down to 2.5 per cent from 2.75 per cent in the May budget. However he predicts wage growth will strengthen in 2019/20 to 3 per cent. This figure still represents a downgrading from the May budgets forecast of 3.25 per cent. Frydenberg noted other economies like the US, Canada and New Zealand are experiencing similarly muted wage growth. Story continues Whats new? The government also announced a $2 billion Australian Business Securitisation Fund allowing small banks to lend to small businesses. $1.3 billion was injected into the Community Health and Hospitals Program, and non-government schools received an additional $3.2 billion in funding over the next 10 years. Frydenberg also promised an additional aged care package, bringing aged care spending to $23.5 billion in 2021/22. Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news. Now read: Negative gearing splits the nation Now read: More Aussies want to retire than ever, but have less to retire with Now read: Whats on these Aussie CEOs Christmas lists? * Australia govt says will slash 2018-19 budget deficit * Forecasts 2019-20 budget to be first surplus in 10 years * 'War chest' may fund tax cuts ahead of tough 2019 election (Adds details, quote from an analyst) By Colin Packham SYDNEY, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Australia's government on Monday forecast the strongest budget outlook in 10 years, arming embattled Prime Minister Scott Morrison with a war chest which could fund possible tax cuts ahead of an early 2019 election which he is forecast to lose. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Australia's budget deficit for the fiscal year to June 2019 would be slashed to A$5.2 billion ($3.7 billion) from the A$14.5 billion projected back in May. Australia will then deliver a budget surplus by 2019/20, ending more than a decade of deficits. "The combination of a growing economy with a record number of people in work is helping both sides of the ledger, increasing our revenues while also decreasing our expenditure," Frydenberg told reporters in Canberra. Morrison's conservative government touted the improved numbers as evidence of its economic competence over the Labor opposition, which according to opinion polls is set for a landslide victory in the next election due by May 18, 2019. Keen to campaign on his economic record, Morrison last month brought forward Australia's annual budget to April 2019 instead of the end of May when it is normally released. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann hinted tax cuts will be a centrepiece of the government's bid for re-election, and economists said Morrison now has sufficient resources. "The budget numbers actually look quite conservative. We've been tracking the rolling revenue figures and they could have predicted even better figures," David de Garis, a director of economics at National Australia Bank, told Reuters. "It's possible they have built in room for some pre-election tax cuts. With the housing market suffering, there's a good case for fiscal stimulus next year." Story continues ANGRY VOTERS Despite unemployment running at a six-year low and the economy growing at a pace the envy of many nations, voters are angry that former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was ousted in a backbench revolt in August, ushering in Morrison as the country's sixth different leader in the last decade. Morrison subsequently lost his parliamentary majority when Turnbull left politics and a series of party defections now means he is reliant on seven independents for his government's political survival. Morrison, who lacks the personal appeal of Turnbull, has struggled to unite his fractured coalition, while a series of policy missteps and scandals has seen his efforts to campaign on economics and security issues overshadowed. The latest scandal came just hours after the announcement of Australia's budget outlook, when a Cabinet minister resigned after a media report that he used a website to meet a younger woman while away on a Hong Kong work trip. Even when voters tune into the government's economic message, Morrison's narrative seems to be failing to cut through, amid stagnant wage growth, high costs of living and falling house prices. "The government is running on a message that 'you've never had it so good'. This just doesn't stack up and the government's message will anger many people," said Nick Economou, senior lecturer in Australian politics at Monash University in Melbourne. ($1 = 1.3930 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Wayne Cole and Colin Packham; Editing by Peter Cooney, Stephen Coates and Michael Perry) Business Kazakhstan seeks to strengthen economic cooperation with UAE Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin paid an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he took part in the events within the framework of the National Day of Kazakhstan at the Expo 2020 Dubai. The ceremony of raising the Scammers are posing as the corporate regulator. Images: Getty Scammers impersonating the banking watchdog are asking victims to hand over sensitive personal information in what has been described as a sophisticated scam. The investment scam targets Australians keen to trade stocks, foreign exchange and cryptocurrencies. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is warning Australians about fraudsters claiming to be from ASIC and acting in connection with Luxembourg Offshore Banking, which they present as associated with a company in Australia. However, Luxembourg Offshore Banking is operated overseas and its activities are scams, ASIC said. Luxembourg Offshore Banking will offer a fake investment program called ExpertKonek to victims. ExpertKonek is purportedly offered through an online trading platform relating to foreign exchange, cryptocurrencies and foreign exchange. In order to activate the trading account, victims are prompted to hand over passport photocopies and proof of address like utility bills. To prop up the fraud, the scammers pretend that withdrawals are being processed or withheld by ASIC. These are sophisticated scams convincing people to part with their money and provide personal information, ASIC commissioner Sean Hughes said. The public need to be extremely cautious of these scams and contact their financial institution if they believe their money may be at risk. ASIC said anyone who has received unexpected contact of this sort should hang up or delete the email and block the sender. If you believe your bank account or personal details have been compromised you should also contact your financial institution immediately. Horror month for scams continues This scam is only the latest in a long line this month. Just last week scammers demanding bitcoin payments and threatening to detonate bombs triggered international havoc. Government agency, Scamwatch is also warning of scammers targeting Aussies keen to find Christmas bargains. Scammers are building fake shopping websites and also offering holidays that are just too good to be true. Story continues Scammers posing as the Australian Tax Office also continue to wreak mayhem after swindling taxpayers out of $800,000 in November. These scammers call victims to demand the payment of fake tax debts while threatening jail or heavy fines for non-payment. Its OK to hang up and phone us on 1800 008 540 to check if the call was legitimate or to report a scam, ATO assistant commissioner Kath Anderson said. While phone scams are the most common at the moment, scammers are constantly changing tactics. Taxpayers should still beware of unsolicited emails and SMS, with more than 6,000 people handing over their personal or financial information to scammers since July this year. Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news. Now read: Jetstar taken to court for misleading customers about refunds Now read: Negative gearing splits the nation Now read: Bitcoin scammers wreak havoc with bomb threats Chris Dawson has been granted bail after he was charged with murdering his wife Lynette decades ago. The former rugby league player and teacher intends to plead not guilty to killing Ms Dawson who was 33 when she disappeared from Sydneys northern beaches in 1982. Her body has never been found. At Sydneys Central Local Court on Monday, magistrate Robert Williams granted the 70-year-old bail under strict conditions. Dawson must reside with his wife on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, report daily to a local police station, surrender his passport and provide security worth $1.5 million. Chris Dawson has been granted bail after he was charged with murdering his wife Lynette. Photo: AAP Crown prosecutor Craig Everson last week said the case against Dawson was based upon a number of strong circumstances and the conclusion that his wife died in January 1982 was irresistible based on the evidence. But Dawsons defence lawyer, Greg Walsh, argued there had quite clearly been an orchestrated campaign to portray this man as being guilty. He said the Crowns entirely circumstantial case was far from strong and there was evidence Ms Dawson had been seen alive following her alleged murder. The case has become known around the world after being featured on The Australian newspapers investigative podcast The Teachers Pet. Academy award-winner Geoffrey Rush on Monday faced fresh allegations of inappropriate behaviour by an actress, amid his defamation battle with an Australian newspaper over separate claims. Australian actress Yael Stone, who stars in Netflix hit "Orange is the New Black", told The New York Times that Rush had danced naked in front of her in their dressing room, when she starred opposite him in the theatre production "The Diary of a Madman" in 2010 and 2011. The 33-year-old also says he used a mirror to watch her as she showered, and sent her erotic text messages. Rush said in a statement published by the US newspaper that Stone's allegations were "incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context". "However, clearly Yael has been upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work," the Australian actor added. "I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused her any distress. This, most certainly, has never been my intention." Stone told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she did not complain at that time, wanting to protect her budding career. She said while she had been uncomfortable with Rush's behaviour, she rarely chided him and played a "court jester" role instead. "(I was) very inexperienced, he was this person who is an internationally lauded star, he's pretty much won every award you can win," she told ABC, in an interview to air Monday. "I was just there to serve him, and I think I probably took that too far and too literally." Stone said she was speaking up so other young performers would not feel they have to stay silent if they went through similar experiences. "It's become clear that it's in the public interest I talk about these matters. Whenever women, particularly, speak about issues like this, their career generally suffers," she said. "I've factored that into my calculations and if that happens I think it's worth it. I have a very young baby girl and I want to say to her one day, 'You know, it was hard, but I did it anyway'." Rush, 67, is suing Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper after a front-page story in November last year reported that the Sydney Theatre Company received a complaint about him when he was working there. The case, which is being held in the Federal Court, has heard allegations that he inappropriately touched a female co-star during an Australian rendition of "King Lear". "I believed that he had done it deliberately," Eryn Jean Norvill told the court. These latest allegations by Stone were published in a Times opinion column about the legal challenges of going public in Australia amid the global #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. Rush won the Best Actor Academy Award in 1997 for his role in "Shine" and is one of the few stars to have also won a primetime Emmy and a Tony Award. Australian actress Yael Stone told The New York Times Geoffrey Rush had danced naked in front of her in their dressing room Stone stars as Lorna Morello in the Netflix hit 'Orange is the New Black' Anti-government protests in Hungary hit the country's public broadcaster on Monday, with the opposition galvanised by the furious reaction to a controversial new labour law. Several thousand demonstrators gathered in the evening outside the Budapest offices of the MTVA broadcaster after two opposition MPs broadcast footage of themselves being thrown out of the building earlier in the day. One of the lawmakers had called for people to gather under the slogan: "If they throw us out the door, we'll come back in through the window". The MPs had demanded access to the studios to read out a petition against the government and what they call its "slave" labour law. MTVA security guards forcibly ejected independent MPs Akos Hadhazy and Bernadett Szel. The two MPs filed a complaint with police posted in front of the building and said as MPs they had a right to enter a public establishment. "This is not a private television station for Fidesz," the party of rightwing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, "but the television of the Hungarian people, financed by the people's taxes," said the MPs, who streamed the altercation live on Facebook. An anti-government protest on Sunday evening drew 15,000 people. The petition the lawmakers wanted to broadcast includes a demand to overturn the labour law - which has stirred protests by relaxing restrictions on overtime and by providing for delayed payments. A third MP was taken to hospital on Monday after another altercation with security at the building. The rallies were the latest in a wave of protests that has seen opposition parties join forces against Orban's nationalist government. A fierce nationalist, Orban has riled his EU opponents and domestic critics with a tough anti-immigration stance and populist rhetoric. - 'We are fighting the Orban regime' - The new legislation has triggered days of protests -- backed by the opposition -- since it was adopted on Wednesday. Demonstrators have clashed with police over the law, which they say undermines workers' rights. The opposition petition also demanded the annulment of another controversial law adopted on the same day, which paves the way for new "administrative courts" to oversee cases concerning matters such as public procurement or electoral disputes. Justice Minister Laszlo Trocsanyi, a close Orban ally, will oversee the courts. That prompted opposition warnings the premier could have near-total political influence over the judicial system. The petition also calls for more independence and objectivity in public media outlets and also demands that Hungary join an EU public prosecutor's office, a move the government has rejected. After the TV station refused to broadcast the petition on Sunday evening, some protesters threw smoke bombs at police, who responded with tear gas. Around 10 MPs from various opposition parties stayed within the MTVA building for much of Monday, pressing staff to read out the petition. They later left the building at the police's request, emerging to cheers from protestors. One of those who was inside the building, MEP Peter Niedermueller from the liberal DK party, said the protest aimed was at "restoring the freedom of the press". "It's ridiculous that the majority of the country doesn't even know what's happening in Budapest because public TV, on all its channels, is only talking about preparations for Christmas," he said. "Today we are not just fighting the two controversial laws but the whole of the Orban regime," ex-Prime Minister and DK leader Ferenc Gyurscany told the private Klubradio station. - Opposition unity - Apart from the opposiotion, unions have also backed the demonstrations against the reforms, which hike the annual overtime hours that employers can demand from 250 to 400 hours and allow payment to be delayed by up to three years. Tamas Szekely from Hungary's main confederation of trade unions told the rally on Monday that they would organise a general strike if the reforms are signed into law. The government says the changes are needed by employers short of manpower and will benefit those wanting to work extra hours. Over the weekend protestors also gathered in other parts of the country. In the third-biggest city Szeged, the socialist mayor called on businesses not to comply with the new overtime law. Anti-government protests filled the streets of Budapest on Sunday Riot police sprayed tear gas at demonstrators outside parliament in Budapest during this protest on December 14 Opposition groups have united in protest against the Hungarian government's reforms A Chinese man has been hospitalised with a severe fungal infection in his lungs caused by sniffing his socks each day at the end of work. The man, from the city of Zhangzhou in southeastern Chinas Fujian Province, would return home from work and change into more comfortable clothing, but would also sniff his smelly socks which he had been wearing all day. As a result he caught an infection from a fungus that had developed in his footwear from his sweaty feet and spread to his lungs when he breathed in the spores. A Chinese man has been hospitalised with a severe fungal infection in his lungs caused by sniffing his socks each day. Source: AsiaWire/Australscope The man was admitted as an emergency case to the hospital in Zhangzhou where an X-ray confirmed him suffering from a severe lung infection and he has been kept in for treatment. They confirmed it was caused by his frequent sniffing of his own socks. People with a foot fetish have been known about for many years although a fascination with socks is less well-known. But earlier this year a 21-year-old girl in America revealed she had attracted a Sock Daddy who was prepared to pay large sums for her sweaty socks. Saffron farmers in southern Morocco have long taken pride in the coveted spice they produce from the purple-petalled Crocus sativus, but some are worried knockoff versions are threatening their business. "The pure saffron of Taliouine is the best in the world, according to experts," local grower Barhim Afezzaa boasted, proudly noting his spice's designation of origin (PDO) label. But the 51-year-old is worried that "counterfeit" crops are tarnishing Taliouine's reputation and its PDO -- which guarantees a product's origin and uniqueness. In small plots below the snowy peaks of Mount Toubkal, saffron cultivation in Taliouine has remained largely unchanged for centuries. The flower requires drastic climate conditions -- hot summers and cold, wet winters -- and it can only be harvested during a month-long window from mid-October to mid-November. Workers start at dawn each morning, meticulously picking the delicate flowers by hand and placing them in wicker baskets. The purple blooms are picked before they fully open to ensure quality. Once dried and sorted, the flower's crimson stigmas and styles are turned into saffron -- the world's most expensive spice -- popular with top chefs across the globe. Morocco is the world's fourth largest producer of saffron, behind Iran, India and Greece, according to the figures published in 2013 by FranceAgriMer, France's specialist institute of agriculture and fishing. - 'From father to son' - The spice is both a source of pride and a lifeline in the Berber city of Taliouine, which, along with a neighbouring town, produces 90 percent of the kingdom's saffron. Some 1,500 families in Taliouine depend on sales from the crop to survive. Knockoff versions "damage the image of this culture handed down from father to son, which is our pride", said 24-year-old Driss, a member of a local collective in the area. Saffron's rarity and its painstaking cultivation help explain its price -- it takes nearly a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of flowers to create 12 grams of the spice. In Morocco, PDO-certified saffron sells for about three euros ($3.5) a gram, according to Dar Azaafaran, or The House of Saffron, which works with 25 local cooperatives. To maintain their PDO-label and association with Dar Azaafaran, producers submit their harvest for various tests that check for moisture content, taste, colour and smell. Counterfeit saffron can sell "for less than a euro a gram at the famous Derb Omar market in Casablanca", said Dar Azaafaran's head Ismail Boukhriss. Local producers say counterfeiters often use chemical dyes and remains of other plants in an attempt to pass poor quality saffron off as a top-shelf spice. Boukhriss said that while authorities hold PDO-labelled producers to a high standard, "the informal market is not subjected to the same controls". The National Food Safety office told AFP that some "non-conformities" were detected in bulk sales of saffron which had not been properly packaged or labelled. It advised buyers to only purchase "products labelled and packaged by approved and authorised sellers". Some say salesmen working to sell saffron outside the PDO-approved collective networks are to blame, while other small growers sell to middlemen to avoid payment delays common to larger groups. Saffron farmers in southern Morocco are proud of the coveted spice they produce Some of Morocco's saffron farmers are worried about knockoff versions of the spice impacting on their business Morocco is the world's fourth largest producer of saffron, behind Iran, India and Greece, according to FranceAgriMer, France's specialist institute of agriculture and fishing The purple-petalled Crocus sativus, from which saffron is produced, requires hot summers and cold, wet winters and can only be harvested during a month-long window from mid-October Once dried and sorted, the flower's crimson stigmas and styles are turned into saffron -- the world's most expensive spice Saffron farmers in southern Morocco are proud of their protected designation of origin label, guaranteeing a product's origin and uniqueness A Texas mum whose two toddlers died after she left them inside a hot vehicle overnight has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. Amanda Hawkins, 20, learned her punishment on Wednesday for the June 2017 deaths of her two daughters in Kerrville, about 100 kilometres northwest of San Antonio. Hawkins pleaded guilty in September to two counts of child abandonment and endangerment, and two counts of injury to a child. She received two 20-year sentences for each daughters case, which shes ordered to serve consecutively. Hawkins left one-year-old Brynn Hawkins and two-year-old Addyson Overgard-Eddy inside her vehicle while she visited friends at a Kerrville home on June 6, 2017, according to police reports. It stated she was smoking marijuana with friends in a shed outside the home that night. Amanda Hawkins has been sentenced to 40 years behind bars. Image: B exar County Sheriffs Office Witnesses reported hearing the toddlers crying inside the car, where temperatures reached into the high 20s. Hawkins retrieved the girls from the car the following afternoon when the temperature inside the car was estimated to have been 48C, according to a vehicle interior temperature scale. She bathed the children and searched on the internet how to treat heat stroke before taking the toddlers to the hospital, prosecutors said. The girls were pronounced dead at a San Antonio hospital two days later. Addyson Overgard-Eddy (left) and Brynn Hawkins both died two days after they were left in the hot car. Image: Facebook/Amanda Hawkins The most compelling piece of evidence was the slow and painful deaths these children endured with cramps, headaches, seizures, anxiety and wondering wheres mummy,' Kerr County Judge N. Keith Williams said. Hawkins apologised for her actions before Williams issued his sentencing decision. Theres not a day that goes by that I think about what I should have done, Hawkins said. Its heartbreaking, and it will affect me for the rest of my life. Japanese police were investigating Monday the cause of a powerful blast that ripped through a restaurant in the country's north overnight, injuring 42 people and damaging surrounding buildings. The explosion in the city of Sapporo on Sunday night started fires and caused the partial collapse of some neighbouring buildings, forcing dozens of residents into shelters, officials said. The cause of the blast was still under investigation, police said, but there were reports that it may have been a gas leak. Some reports said fumes were leaking from spray cans that had been collected for disposal at a real estate company in the building. But investigators were also looking into at least nine propane tanks installed in the building for the various businesses located inside. Numerous customers at the restaurant on the building's first floor said they smelled gas at the time of the explosion, Kyodo News agency reported. The blast produced large flames and sent plumes of smoke rising in the night air, with witnesses describing a terrifying boom. The two-story wooden building, which also housed a clinic, was seriously damaged, a Sapporo fire department official told AFP. Police said 42 people had been injured, but there were no fatalities. Among the injured were several children, as well as a man who suffered burns and a woman who jumped from the building to escape, breaking her leg in the process. "There was an enormous sound, 'bang', then when I looked up at the sky it was filled with plumes of smoke," an elderly woman said in footage on public broadcaster NHK. "The ceiling fell, then the entire second floor collapsed and we were all stuck. We managed to escape after everyone kicked through the wall," a person who was in the restaurant at the time told Kyodo. The fire from the blast spread to neighbouring buildings, and debris blasted out by the explosion shattered the windows of nearby apartments and restaurants, according to local reports. "We are investigating details about the damage together with police at the scene," the fire department official said. The blast happened around 8.30 pm (1130 GMT), and the city government opened a shelter to house dozens of people whose homes were damaged. The explosion also caused a temporary black-out, with 250 buildings losing electricity, but power was later restored, he said. The three tenants in the building were poorly prepared for possible fires, Sapporo fire department official Takashi Shida told AFP. "We instructed them to improve these points during an on-site inspection in October but they had not made progress," he said. Many small and medium-sized older buildings in Japan are built partly or entirely from wood and are vulnerable to fires. In February, 11 people were killed in Sapporo after a fire broke out at a home for elderly people with financial difficulties. Firefighters work at the scene after an explosion at a restaurant in Sapporo, in the northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 16, 2018 The explosion tore through a building in the city of Sapporo, starting fires and causing the partial collapse of some surrounding buildings Italian fashion label Prada has said it will set up an advisory council on diversity issues after being forced to pull monkey-like keychain figurines from its shelves over accusations of racism. The so-called "Pradamalia" creatures -- featured prominently in the window display of its Soho store in New York -- sparked outrage for their exaggerated red lips that brought blackface caricatures to mind. "We would like to convey our deep regret and sincere apologies for the Pradamalia products that were offensive. They have been removed from the market and will not be sold," Prada said in a statement released Sunday on Twitter. "Going forward, we pledge to improve our diversity training and will immediately form an advisory council to guide our efforts on diversity, inclusion and culture," the label said. "We will learn from this and do better." The problematic custom of blackface dates back to about 1830, and so-called "minstrel shows," when white performers caked their faces in greasepaint or shoe polish and drew on exaggerated lips in a caricature of blacks. The stereotypes portrayed -- that blacks were somehow inferior, ignorant, lazy and even animalistic -- cemented racist attitudes for decades. Some of those images still exist today. The problem for Prada began with its Soho store display -- one lawyer who passed by the store slammed the figurines as racist in a Facebook post, posting several photos of the controversial objects. At first, the company defended itself, saying its "Pradamalia" were "fantasy charms composed of elements of the Prada oeuvre," and adding: "They are imaginary creatures not intended to have any reference to the real world and certainly not blackface." But when some consumers called for a boycott of the label, Prada went farther in its apology. "The resemblance of the products to blackface was by no means intentional, but we recognize that this does not excuse the damage they have caused," it said Sunday, adding that it would probe how the problematic product reached the market in the first place. Prada also said it would donate any proceeds from Pradamalia already sold to a "New York-based organization committed to fighting racial justice, which is a value that we strongly believe in." Prada is hardly the first company to get tripped up on issues of race and racist imagery. Dolce and Gabbana was forced to apologize to Chinese customers last month after it posted short clips on Instagram showing a Chinese woman eating pizza, spaghetti and a cannoli with chopsticks that some deemed culturally insensitive. It escalated when Stefano Gabbana allegedly used poop emojis to describe China and hurled insults at the country and its people. In the United States, television news personality Megyn Kelly lost her morning talk show in October after questioning on air if blackface was always problematic. Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada's company is in hot water over products seen as perpetuating racist stereotypes Children have been told boys can have periods too in a new school sex education program designed to become more inclusive for transgender and non-binary students. A UK council approved the new curriculum to be rolled out in lessons, in a bid to tackle stigma surrounding menstruation. Primary school students at the Brighton & Hove City Council schools will now be taught menstruation must be inclusive of all genders and trans boys and men and non-binary people may have periods. Children have been told boys can have periods too in a new school sex education program. Source: Getty The Sun reports as part of the move to be more inclusive, school toilets will also be fitted with bins for used pads and tampons to allow trans pupils to access the lavatory they feel more comfortable using. Approving the initiative, the council said it was also important for all genders to be able to learn and talk about menstruation together. Our approach recognises the fact that some people who have periods are trans or non-binary, the council spokesman added. The Brighton council approved the curriculum change in recognising that some people who have periods are trans or non-binary. Source: Getty The council spokesperson said through effective education on menstruation and puberty it hopes to ensure no young person feels shame in asking for a pad or tampon inside or outside of school if they need them. The move comes after reports that a high school in the district had 40 pupils who do not identify as [the] gender presented at birth. The move to alter the sex education guidelines to include trans and non-binary children has been described as insanity by Tory MP David Davies. Learning about periods is already a difficult subject for children that age, so to throw in the idea girls who believe they are boys also have periods will leave them completely confused, the politician argued. UK school toilets will be fitted with bins for used pads and tampons to allow trans pupils to access the lavatory they feel more comfortable using. Source: Getty Free tampons at Australian school toilets In an Australian-first policy of its type, Labor is promising free pads and tampons in public primary and secondary school bathrooms. I dont want girls and young women to go through what can often be very embarrassing, very challenging [situations] for them, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said last month. An Indonesian court Monday delayed the trial of a Polish man who faces up to 20 years' jail for alleged links to Papuan separatists because he did not have access to a translator. Jakub Fabian Skrzypski was detained and charged in August after meeting suspected rebels in the restive province of Papua, according to prosecutors, who said he made contact with them in a bid to spread information about their fight for independence. Jakarta is deeply sensitive about Papua, where a low-level insurgency against the central government has simmered for decades, and routinely blames separatists for violence in the region. The Indonesian island region shares a border with independent Papua New Guinea (PNG), just north of Australia. Skrzypski was due to stand trial with a Papuan man on Monday in Wamena, where he was arrested, but proceedings were called off because the court failed to book a flight for a translator, the town's prosecutor Ricarda Arsenius said. The trial will resume on January 8. Skrzypski faces a range of charges under Indonesia's criminal code, including a plot to overthrow the government and joining an outlawed rebel group, according to a copy of the indictment seen by AFP. Prosecutors said the Pole had met with leaders of the Free Papua Organisation (OPM) and was found with documents and video detailing the Papuan struggle for independence. It is also alleged that Skrzypski and his co-defendant discussed the possibility of procuring arms from Poland. Police previously said they had confiscated from Skrzypski and three Indonesians more than 130 rounds of ammunition, but no mention of that was made in the indictment. Skrzypski's lawyer Latifah Anum Siregar said the Pole, who was living in Switzerland before his arrest, denied any wrongdoing. In a letter sent to the Swiss newspaper Le Temps in September, Skrzypski said he was merely a tourist in Papua. "They (the investigators) are telling stories about ammunitions, but I've never seen or possessed any. "They are trying to accuse me of an attempted coup, but all I've done was meeting some indigenous Papuans, who were not armed," he said in the letter. Papua, a former Dutch colony, declared itself independent in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control of the region two years later on the condition it hold an independence referendum. About 1,000 handpicked Papuans unanimously chose to be part of Indonesia in the UN-backed referendum, which is widely considered a sham. The region, one of Indonesia's poorest, has been the site of a long-running insurgency ever since, and has experienced several spasms of violence this month. At least 16 employees of a state-owned company, who were building bridges in a major infrastructure push for the impoverished region, were killed by separatist rebels in early December. At least four more workers remain missing, while a soldier was also killed by the rebels, authorities said. Indonesian security forces have long been accused of rights abuses against Papua's ethnic Melanesian population including extrajudicial killings of activists and peaceful protestors. Papua declared itself independent in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control of the region two years later Clashes erupted Tuesday morning in Yemen just minutes after a ceasefire deal took effect in the country's flashpoint port city of Hodeida, a pro-government official said. The official told AFP that sporadic clashes in the east of the Red Sea city -- whose port serves as a crucial gateway for humanitarian aid -- are ongoing despite a truce deal that was to be implemented at midnight local time (2100 GMT). The United Nations said on Monday that the deal was to be implemented at midnight, even though the agreement reached in Sweden was announced on Thursday between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Huthi rebels and included an "immediate ceasefire" in Hodeida and its surroundings. Shortly before the agreement was to take effect on Tuesday, Yemen's internationally-recognised government called on its forces to "cease fire in Hodeida province and Hodeida city", according to a copy of a statement received by AFP. The Huthi rebels also said they would commit to the agreement. A UN official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the delay to the halt in hostilities was necessary for "operational reasons". An official in the Saudi-led coalition confirmed the timing to AFP, adding that details on implementing the truce deal "were not clear at the beginning". The coalition "has no intention of violating the agreement... unless the Huthis violate and dishonour it," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Residents in Hodeida and the surrounding areas have reported fierce fighting and air strikes in recent days, as clashes continued between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Huthis. At least 29 fighters, including 22 Huthi rebels, were killed on Saturday night in Hodeida province, a pro-government military source told AFP. Two Hodeida residents reached by telephone told AFP that they could hear intermittent clashes to the east and south of the city on Monday. A pro-government military official said that there were sporadic clashes, adding that a fire erupted in one of the factories in the east of the city due to strikes on Sunday night. - 'Continuous fighting' - Doctors Without Borders (MSF) voiced alarm about "the continuous fighting" in the devastated city. The medical aid group said its teams on the ground were treating victims of gunshots, shelling and air strikes, urging warring parties "to respect the presence of civilians and health infrastructures". UN envoy Martin Griffiths said on Sunday that the UN was working with both sides to ensure the ceasefire accord was "implemented timely and properly". The truce is supposed to be followed by the withdrawal of fighters from Hodeida. A prisoner swap involving some 15,000 detainees is planned and a "mutual understanding" was reached to facilitate aid deliveries to Yemen's third city Taiz -- under the control of loyalists but besieged by rebels. The two sides also agreed to meet again in late January for more talks to define the framework for negotiations on a comprehensive peace settlement. The coalition official told AFP Monday that the agreement stipulated the rebels should withdraw from all ports in Hodeida by midnight on December 31 and that both pro-government forces and Huthis pull out of the city completely by midnight on January 7. Impoverished Yemen has been mired in fighting between the Huthi rebels and troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since 2014. The war escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition stepped in on the government's side. The conflict has since killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher. UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Sunday that "much worse" lay in store for the impoverished country in 2019 unless its warring parties strike a peace deal and head off a humanitarian crisis. Severe food shortages mean that a high number of Yemenis have been dying in "very dramatic circumstances", Guterres told a news conference in Doha. Diplomats said Guterres may propose a surveillance mechanism comprising 30 to 40 observers. Yemeni pro-government forces have been battling to capture the Red Sea port city of Hodeida from Huthi rebels Chronology of the conflict in Yemen, with map and details of humanitarian crisis A Huthi rebel delegation returns to the Yemen capital on December 14, 2019 from peace talks in Sweden The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted by a wide majority a Global Compact on Refugees aimed at improving efforts to manage large refugee movements -- but without the support of the United States and Hungary. The refugee pact, which did not provoke the controversy unleashed over a similar pact on migration, was approved by 181 countries. Only two voted no -- the US and Hungary. Three others abstained -- the Dominican Republic, Eritrea and Libya. Much like the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration -- the refugee pact is not legally binding. The two global agreements stem from the so-called New York Declaration adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in September 2016, with the goal of better handling migrant and refugee flows worldwide. The compact -- written under the auspices of the Geneva-based UN refugee agency (UNHCR) -- hopes to ensure an adequate international response to large-scale refugee movements and extended displacement of refugees. General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa told AFP the pact would help "strengthen the assistance to and protection of the 25 million refugees globally" and was based on burden -- and responsibility-sharing. "Refugee-hosting countries continue to show extraordinary levels of generosity and commitment to refugee protection," said Espinosa, who is from Ecuador. "It's a known fact that low and middle-income countries host over 85 percent of all refugees. I believe that we must support the communities and states that host refugees." In voting no, Hungary said no new agreement was needed. The US said recently that it backed most of the refugee pact, but not the part aimed at limiting detentions of asylum seekers. - Four goals - Ahead of Monday's vote, two countries facing massive population flight addressed the assembly. Syria said the debate should not be politicized and asked the UNHCR to do more to help Syrian refugees return to their war-wracked country. Crisis-hit Venezuela, which has seen massive flight as its economic quagmire has deepened, urged the assembly to ensure that the new pact did not become a way for other countries to intervene in internal matters. The document has four key objectives: ease pressure on refugee-hosting nations; improve refugee self-reliance; expand access to third countries for refugees via resettlement; and, support conditions for refugees to go home. The compact is meant to set up a framework; national and regional solutions are supported, and it discusses financing and possible partnerships, as well as data sharing among nations. It also includes systems to monitor progress, including a Global Refugee Forum held at ministerial level every four years. Unlike the talks on the migration pact, the United States remained in the negotiations for the refugee pact. The final text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Legal Migration was agreed on in July, and it is to be formally ratified by the General Assembly on Wednesday. Since July, a number of countries have either quit the pact or expressed serious reservations, including Hungary, Australia, Israel, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Latvia and Italy. In Belgium, the migration pact sparked the collapse of the country's coalition government. About 165 countries reaffirmed their commitment to the migration pact earlier this month in Morocco. The UN says there are about 25 million refugees globally -- here, a refugee family from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) wait in a makeshift shelter before their registration at a settlement in western Uganda Maria Fernanda Espinosa, President of the United Nations General Assembly, says the new refugee pact will help strengthen assistance to refugees worldwide, and help protect them Venezuelans fleeing their country have faced serious difficulties this year -- here, residents of the Brazilian border town of Pacaraima burn tires and belongings of Venezuelan migrants after attacking their two main makeshift camps in August 2018 A UN migration pact -- parallel to the refugee pact adopted by the UN General Assembly -- has sparked violent demonstrations in Belgium, and the collapse of the country's coalition government New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday called for the legalization of recreational marijuana use in his state -- a move that would add America's most populous city to the growing list of places that allow the drug's use. The announcement marked a shift for the Democrat, who was re-elected for a third term as governor of a state that is home to about 20 million people. "Let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana, once and for all," Cuomo said in a speech at Hunter College in Manhattan about his priorities for 2019. Cuomo had long opposed the legalization of marijuana, but during his re-election campaign earlier this year, when he faced competition from the left in the form of actress Cynthia Nixon, he said he was open to the possibility. On Monday, he listed the arguments for decriminalizing marijuana use that Nixon had made. At the time, she said the only people still being arrested for smoking a joint in New York were minorities. "The fact is we have had two criminal justice systems -- one for the wealthy and the well off, and one for everyone else," Cuomo said, decrying a system he said had "for too long targeted the African-American and minority communities." New York state includes New York City, which is the most populous American city with some 8.5 million residents. If the state were to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2019, it would be a boost to supporters of legalization nationwide. Canada, which borders New York, in October became the world's first major economy to fully legalize cannabis. Since Colorado decriminalized recreational pot use in 2014, nine other states and the federal capital Washington, DC have followed suit. Those states are Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. In November, Massachusetts became the first East Coast state to open pot shops for those over the age of 21. In New Jersey, another neighbor of New York, lawmakers are expected to move towards legalization in 2019. Most other states allow for limited use of medical marijuana. It remains outlawed under federal regulations. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he hopes to see the recreational use of marijuana legalized in his state in 2019 In 2019, Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to make it easier for New Yorkers to vote. The Democratic governor outlined his legislative agenda Monday and proposed a series of voting reforms that aim to improve the electoral process. Invoking FDR, Cuomo outlines 'aggressive progressive agenda' for 2019 Promising to fight back against the Trump administration and deliver justice for New Yorkers Many of the proposals aren't new. He wants to adopt automatic voter registration, a policy to automatically add new voters to the rolls and give them the option to opt out if they wish. He supports same-day registration, which would give non-voters wishing to cast a ballot a new option to register. Early voting was mentioned. Democrats in the state Legislature have long pushed to adopt early voting, which would give voters access to the polls days before Election Day. Consolidating the federal, state and local primaries has been proposed before. Democrats wanted to move the primary to late June, while Republicans advocated for an August date. Because neither side was willing to budge, there have been separate dates for the federal primary and state and local primary elections since 2012. There are some new proposals on Cuomo's agenda. He proposed allowing votes by mail. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 22 states allow voting by mail. Vote-by-mail involves sending ballots to voters and they have the option of mailing the ballot back, or they can submit their ballot at a polling location on or before Election Day. The National Conference of State Legislatures described vote-by-mail as "absentee voting for everyone." Cuomo also called for designating Election Day as a state holiday. Proponents of voting reforms want to declare Election Day a national holiday so that it would give voters more time to cast their ballots. "Let's make a real statement about the importance of voting," Cuomo said Monday before announcing his support of making Election Day a state holiday. Outside of voting reforms, Cuomo outlined a few campaign finance and ethics reforms in his remarks Monday. A couple of the proposals aren't new. He reiterated his support of closing the LLC loophole, which allows wealthy individuals to create several limited liability corporations to circumvent the state's campaign contribution limits. For state elected officials, Cuomo wants to ban outside income. A compensation committee recently recommended a pay raise for state lawmakers and statewide officials, including the governor. One of the panel's recommendations was a limit on outside income. Cuomo would go further and ban any outside income. Additionally, Cuomo is eyeing a ban on corporate contributions to political candidates. Since running for governor in 2010 and in his two re-election bids, he has received millions from corporate entities and LLCs. The Let NY Vote Coalition, which has been advocating for election reform, praised Cuomo's proposals. Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/NY and a member of the coalition, lauded the governor for including automatic voter registration, early voting and one primary election date in his agenda. She urged Cuomo to work with legislators to pass "the strongest reform package possible." "New Yorkers need at least two weekends to vote early, flexibility to change parties and full restoration of rights for people on parole," Lerner said. "It's time to see if a unified Democratic government can truly deliver on progressive voting reforms." The voting reforms proposed by Cuomo will receive a warm reception from the Democratic state Legislature. Beginning in January, Democrats will control the state Senate. In the past, the GOP-led state Senate has blocked many of these reforms. Democrats, some of whom have sponsored bills to adopt early voting, automatic voter registration and other reforms, likely won't stand in the way of Cuomo's plan. The new legislative session opens in January. Cuomo will commence his third term as governor with an inauguration address Jan. 1 on Ellis Island. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Her name is Crystal, and she shattered a glass ceiling. Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, a Buffalo Democrat, has been named majority leader by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. She will be the first woman and the first African-American to serve in that role. "Throughout my career I have fought so that everyone regardless of zip code, school district, race or background has access to the tools and opportunities they need to succeed," Peoples-Stokes said in a statement. "I look forward to using my new role as majority leader to continue fighting for New York's families." Heastie announced the appointment Monday. Peoples-Stokes, a former Erie County legislator who was elected to the state Assembly in 2002, succeeds former Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle, a Rochester-area Democrat. Morelle won the 25th Congressional District race to fill the seat left vacant after former U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter's death. With Morelle's departure, the No. 2 spot in the Assembly was available. Peoples-Stokes campaigned for the position, and her efforts were successful. Her appointment ensures an upstate legislator will remain in that post. "Crystal is a trusted colleague who I have known for many years, and her experience and dedication to improving the lives of all New Yorkers is why I know she will make an ideal partner in leading the Assembly majority," Heastie said. As majority leader, Peoples-Stokes will oversee day-to-day operations of the Assembly. Her main responsibility will be managing floor debates. Prior to the appointment, she chaired the Assembly Governmental Operations Committee. Last year, she was elected chair of the New York State Legislative Women's Caucus, a group of bipartisan women lawmakers. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Last month, I touched briefly upon the prominence of the Greek Revival style of architecture throughout our region, a topic worth fleshing out further this month. The historic pathways along which architectural styles moved in New York state served to bring people and ideas to our area. The westward route from Albany to Buffalo, on which the Old Genesee Road, Erie Canal, and, much later, the Thruway are based, merely embraced and accommodated an earlier ancient overland trail. Travelers from New York City and New England moved up the Hudson Valley, west through the Mohawk and the aforementioned trail, and then down along the shore of Lake Erie on their way to New Connecticut, as Ohio was known in the very early years of our nation. With these travelers came the religious and educational ideals that were born in the homogeneous culture of New England, destined to be transformed by the more diverse landscape and populations arriving in upstate New York. New York City, Philadelphia and other urban areas were the first places to build in the Greek Revival style, as the architects employed by the new government turned to the classical world to find inspiration. In order to create a truly new American architecture, they adapted ancient Roman and Greek examples to the new world. These buildings were large-scale and monumental early versions of the style, almost experimental in their tentative use of the column orders (Ionic, Doric, etc.) and trim treatments. In the 1820s, the Hudson Valley became the home of increasingly rich landowners from New York, who built their sprawling estates in the latest fashions brought from the cities. As the New Englanders crossed the Hudson and connected with these New Yorkers, the two groups moved west and merged and developed their styles. After the opening of the Erie Canal, a refined and polished type of Greek Revival architecture eventually emerged in the Finger Lakes and points further west. The stylistic attributes of the wealthy Hudson Valley mansions were scaled back, and the smaller homes and farmsteads in central New York took on more dignified and original versions. One of the ways in which this style was disseminated so widely was by pattern books. Pattern books were printed instructions, with illustrations, for the building of homes and other structures. When travel and commerce increased with the Erie Canal, pattern books reached farther. With few architects around to accommodate the demand for new homes, carpenters went to work with their pattern books. One of the most influential pattern books in central New York in the second quarter of the 19th century was Minard LaFevers "The Modern Builders Guide," printed in 1833. LaFever was a carpenter in the Finger Lakes in the 1820s. He met and married his wife in Newark and may have designed many of the regions buildings that bear his stylistic signature. One example is the house at 68 South St., at one time known as the Baldwin House. Built in 1838, the overall form of a central, two-story, four-column Ionic porch flanked by lower wings was a clear take on a design found in LaFevers 1833 work. Also inspired by LaFever are the 1.5-story Greek Revival cottages with decorative cast iron grills over the frieze windows frequently spotted in Finger Lakes towns and hamlets. LaFever most definitely maintained upstate contacts after he left for New York City. It is likely, but not proven, that he furnished or oversaw design work at the myriad homes and barns that bear his architectural style. Forms inspired by LaFever and other Greek Revival pattern books can found throughout the Finger Lakes. A leisurely drive along the highways between and around the lakes will reveal the sheer numbers of this type of home. Hopefully, it will also add a new dimension to the landscape, showcasing the bold effort made by skilled carpenters working from pattern books using available materials. Lumber was not purchased at Lowe's; timbers were cut and hewn by hand from nearby woods. Bricks could not be brought by the trainload from factories in Ohio, but were made from the local soil and cooked in neighbors kilns. Learning and understanding the evolution of the built environment teaches everything one needs to know about a landscape, the people who inhabited it, and the values they held. Those same buildings can teach us about ourselves as well, because those same values are reflected by the buildings we choose to leave standing. Andrew Roblee, of Auburn, is an historic preservation planner and serves on the board of the Preservation Association of Central New York. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SAN FRANCISCOAt noon on Monday, December 17, sex workers, allies and local residents will gather at 630 Valencia Street, San Francisco, to demand that San Francisco Mission District Police prioritize sex workers safety. The protest, organized by Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) and US PROStitutes Collective (US PROS) and endorsed by Rad Mission Neighbors, is part of an observance taking place around the world for the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers. The protesters have come together in solidarity to honor sex workers lost to violence and to renew their commitment to the struggle for empowerment, visibility, and rights for all sex workers. San Francisco Police Department and District Attorneys Office announced a policy on Jan. 11, 2018 that is supposed to protect the citys sex workers from being arrested or prosecuted for prostitution if they report being victim to or witnessing violent crime. Rachel West of US PROS, who was part of the working group which got the policy enacted, commented, The formation of the Mission police captains Sex Work Abatement Unit to aggressively arrest sex workers, clients and others associated with sex workers contradicts SFPDs recent Prioritizing Safety for Sex Workers Policy. Police crackdowns create a hostile and dangerous climate for sex workers who will be much less likely to report violence, rendering the policy useless. Women of color, trans and migrant women are being particularly targeted for arrest. Though Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill AB 2243 put forward by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) that provides immunity from prosecution for prostitution to sex workers who come forward to report serious crimes, its restricted to extortion, stalking, or a violent felony, which falls short, said Maxine Doogan of ESPLERP. There are a whole host of crimes that were victims of, non-violent felonies like theft, that should be covered. ESPLERP had sought to gain access to equal protection under the law in their 2016 federal case to invalidate Californias prostitution law in ESPLERP v Gascon [16-927]. The International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers was started in 2003 in response to Gary Ridgeways killing spree from 1982 through 1998 in King County, Washington. Ridgeway may have killed as many as 90 women, many of whom were prostitutes (sex workers), who he deliberately targeted ... because they were easy to pick up without being noticed. I knew they would not be reported missing right away and might never be reported missing. I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught. Most of the women out there in the Mission are mothers, working to support families at a time when poverty and homelessness are at record highs, said event organizers. If women are running from the police and fearful of arrest, then violent crimes go under-reported, unaddressed and unpunished. Sex workers are part of our families, neighborhoods, and communities and deserve to be safe. Rad Mission Neighbors, which is endorsing the event, is a growing network of neighbors who dont support the stepped up arrests of sex workers in the Mission and are calling for an alternative approach. US PROStitutes Collective is a multiracial network of women who work or have worked in the sex industry and campaigns for decriminalization of prostitution and resources so that on one is forced into sex work through poverty. The Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project is a diverse community-based coalition advancing sexual privacy rights through litigation, education, and research. Freaky Finds You Might See After Storm Waves: Ghost Forests, Shipwreck on Oregon Coast Published 12/16/2018 at 6:09 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Oregon Coast) Waves some 30 feet or more are set to make landfall this weekend on the Oregon coast, bringing with it lots of erosion. A few more days of 20-foot seas are predicted. The sands have already been battered quite a bit for the last week or so, after a long, long stretch of nice, calm weather where sand levels probably didnt change much. (Above: wreck of the Emily G. Reed). Your favorite beach may have a whole new look to it when this is over. During the winter, sand levels can really dip, even though this year that scouring action may have been off to a slow start. So what will you see? Weird structures hidden beneath the sand show up, like 4,000-year-old tree stumps, or even older. Or wild treasures, like nearly 200-year-old cannon, an old mail truck from around the '30s, parts of a 100-year-old shipwreck, and more. Sand levels sometimes plunge as much as 30 feet, as they did back in 2007 when those historic cannon were discovered. Bedrock can be exposed as well. When you see bedrock like this or gravel beds during the winter, this is also a good sign for agate hunting. The now-rescinded predictions of over 30-foot waves typically cause damage to structures and they sometimes hurt or kill people. Much of the time, someone gets injured because theyre walking on a beach or cliff area when they shouldnt be. One wild exception to this was a large wave that came over a seawall in Lincoln City one recent winter and smacked a second story balcony. What is very likely is youll still have some massive erosion on many beaches, and these could uncover some fascinating treasures. Heres a list of the wild things to look out for on the Oregon coast once the storm action has subsided: Ghost Forests at Newport, Seal Rock. Moolack Beach at Newport and the Curtis St. access at Seal Rock are rather famous for their extremely old ghost forests. These are stands of trees that had been preserved by encroaching swampland, rising sands or even a massive tsunami. More than twice as old as the Neskowin ghost forests that you can see most of the year, these pop out only rarely. Even rarer are the ones found just north of Cape Kiwanda at McPhillips Beach. Seeing bedrock there is a freaky delight. Other ghost forests can pop up at Arch Cape and Hug Point as well, which appear a little more frequently than those down south. They too are about 4,000 years old. Red Towers. These seem to appear around Hug Point and Arch Cape more often than other spots, but you do see them around the rest of the Oregon coast. These really surreal, Dr. Suess-esque red towers are conglomerations of iron and other elements that form kooky reddish structures beneath the sands. They are odd-shaped structures that resemble mushrooms at times. Seaside geologist Tom Horning said the sand towers only a couple feet high, if that are basically beach sand cemented by red iron oxide. When beneath the sand, they stay strong enough to not be destroyed by the tough objects that batter them. Once exposed they deteriorate soon. Minerals cement the sands together to form reinforced, irregular bodies within and under the beach, Horning said. Not uncommonly, the tops of the towers are exposed first, and rocks will wear these away, creating little pot-hole craters that make attractive landforms for photographers. Secret Shipwreck of Rockaway Beach. About two blocks south of the main wayside in Rockaway Beach you want to keep an eye out for the rusted bones of a shipwreck that only appeared a couple of times between the 50s and the early 2000s. Now, as climate change starts to rake away more sand than its putting back, its been seen a few times since 2007. The Emily G. Reed crashed into the mouth of the Nehalem River back in 1908 as it struggled to look for the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse near Cannon Beach. It was still operational back then, but it was about 30 miles to the north. The Reed had set sail from New Castle, South Wales, and was at sea 102 days before it wrecked here on Valentines Day, February 14. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Should Beaufort County elected officials demand that every alleged incident of Child Rape be investigated in Beaufort County? Yes, without fail, irrespective of the parties involved; this heinous crime must be investigated, and the truth be known, and responsible parties prosecuted. In a new twist, a U.S. District Court judge has ordered special counsel Robert Mueller to hand over all secret documents related to the questioning of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.Flynn's legal team claims the Federal Bureau of Investigation urged the retired United States Army lieutenant general not to bring a lawyer to an interview with agents at the White House in January 2017. Flynn has since pleaded guilty to one count of lying to prosecutors and is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday.U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on Wednesday ordered Mueller to turn over all documents and "memoranda" related to Flynn's questioning by 3 p.m. Friday. Sullivan is the same judge who overturned a 2008 conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens after government misconduct was revealed.Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe set up the White House interview with Flynn, suggesting he not have a lawyer present.McCabe wrote, according to newly filed court documents.FBI officials also decided not to warn Flynn that he could face perjury charges if he made false statements during what appeared to be an informal interview.In his ruling, Judge Sullivan also ordered the Flynn teamMueller's team recently filed court documents that say Flynn provided "substantial assistance" to Mueller's investigation and as a result, the special counsel asked that Flynn serve no jail time for making false statements to the FBI. The filing states:attorney Brandon L. Van Grack, who works on Mueller's team, wrote in the documents.The filing says that Flynn sat for 19 interviews with the special counsel and the Department of Justice during the investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. This week, it has become clear that House Democrats will likely be forced to vote to impeach President Trump in 2019 on allegations of conspiracy to violate campaign finance law, obstruction of justice, and suborning of perjury. The case that Trump committed such violations isn't implausible, at least after developments this week concerning American Media Inc. (AMI), parent company of The National Enquirer, and Michael Cohen. That doesn't mean there's enough evidence to prosecute - but it does mean that there may soon be. And it doesn't mean that there's enough there to impeach - but it's likely that Democrats will do it anyway.Here's the quick breakdown on each potential charge:Campaign Finance Violation. The case here is that Trump worked with Michael Cohen, pushing Cohen to pay off former Trump paramour Stormy Daniels in the midst of an election cycle after hearing via AMI that Daniels was looking to tell her story. The alleged crime would be that the Daniels hush money was a campaign expenditure, given that it would not have existedHow do we know that Trump wouldn't have paid off Daniels outside the campaign? AMI has now admitted that it paid former Trump paramour Karen MacDougal $150,000Cohen has said that his payoffs were made at Trump's direction, as well.Trump's defense that he would have paid off Daniels "irrespective" of the election thus relies on him calling AMI and Michael Cohen liars - or at least pointing out his long history of hush payments outside of the election. The only alternative defense Trump can offer is that he relied on his lawyer, Cohen, not to violate campaign finance laws; Cohen failed, but that's not his fault. The problem is that today, Trump stated in an interview that Cohen was responsible more forand handledThe crime of suborning perjury requires these elements, according to the Department of Justice:Cohen is already setting Trump up for this, having pled guilty to perjury himself in his testimony before Congress. Now all he has to establish is that Trump instructed him to lie for him. Trump's defense: Cohen is lying to procure a better deal from prosecutors. It's not merely Cohen who puts Trump in the line of fire for suborning perjury: Michael Flynn, who has pled guilty to lying to the FBI, could theoretically do the same, although we've seen no indicators that Flynn will blame his lying to the FBI on Trump.The crime of obstruction of justice under 18 USC 1503 requires that the perpetratorSimilar crimes involve witness tampering (18 USC 1622). If Trump pressured or threatened Cohen to push him to lie to investigators, or encouraged anyone else to do so, such charges could come into play. Cohen may testify to such activity still. And Trump tweeted last week,Because these charges may end up being plausible, House Democrats will be hard-pressed not to push for Trump's impeachment. The Democratic base has wanted Trump impeached from the very first day. If Trump is guilty of any criminal conduct - or even if he's innocent, but indicted - the clamor will be too great to ignore.But is this stuff impeachable?In 1997, the answer would have been yes.After Bill Clinton's impeachment and acquittal, the answer is pretty obviously no.Clinton was impeached on obstruction and perjury based on his testimony and pressure on others regarding their testimony on Monica Lewinsky. The Senate acquitted him. The political lesson taken from this was that impeachment was deemed inappropriate in cases in which the president's ability to operate was not threatened by the criminal activity under consideration. The same lesson applies here.We will hear clamor from Democrats that this is different - it truly isn't. The campaign finance piece of the puzzle is the most dicey to pin down; it's not clear that hush money payments can even fall under the rubric of campaign expenditures, which they would have to do in order to become illegal campaign expenditures. Clinton suborned perjury and obstructed justice about ancillary matters; at most, that seems to be what Trump has done here as well.The hue and cry by the media will be about the hypocrisy of Republicans who voted to impeach Clinton but won't vote to impeach Trump. But here's the reality: the Clinton impeachment hearings changed the standard for impeachment. Up until then, both parties seemed to agree that criminal activity by a president was impeachable; Republicans were behind the attempted impeachment of Richard Nixon that ended with his resignation. But Democrats broke that bargain in 1998 and 1999. That led directly to Trump's election. He campaigned openly on the fact that he didn't have clean hands, and didn't pretend to. Hell, Democrats supported Bill Clinton's similarly corrupt wife in 2016. To now turn around and pretend that they want to restore honor to the Oval Office by upholding a standard for impeachment simply rings false. Democrats aren't interested in restoring a moral framework. They're interested in Republicans restoring a moral framework while Democrats continue to ignore such a framework for their own beloved politicians.That's unworkable. And it means that Trump isn't going anywhere. Instead, he'll likely be impeached by a Democratic House if the expected indictments drop, and then acquitted by the Senate. At that point, the Southern District of New York will threaten Trump with criminal indictment upon him leaving office, which means that he won't be able to resign without the possibility of jail time. That means 2020 will be a battle over whether Trump should go to prison. The Democratic slogan will becomeand the Republican slogan will becomeBuckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy two years. The employee uprising over Google's secret "Project Dragonfly a plan to release a censored, surveilling search engine for use in China has reportedly attained its goals: some of the engineers on the covert team Project Dragonfly team have been re-tasked to other projects, and the remainder have been denied access to the critical data-set that made the project possible. While the project sparked open dissent from thousands of googlers, and waves of resignations, the turning point seems to have been the project's decision to bypass Google's Privacy and Security team, which was described in detail by the departed security engineer Yonatan Zunger; and which led to the creation of a six-figure strike fund raised by Google Site Reliability Engineer Liz Fong-Jones. The decision to bypass the Security and Privacy team led to Project Dragonfly being denied access to data from 265.com, a large Chinese web-portal that Google bought in 2008; this data was being used as a "honeypot" to help the Dragonfly team tune the censorship systems in their product. This data was reportedly key to the creation of Project Dragonfly. Now, deprived of this data and with their headcount in decline, the project is according to internal Google sources dead. The internal dispute at Google over the 265.com data access is not the first time important information related to Dragonfly has been withheld from the company's privacy team. The Intercept reported in November that privacy and security employees working on the project had been shut out of key meetings and felt that senior executives had sidelined them. Yonatan Zunger, formerly a 14-year veteran of Google and one of the leading engineers at the company, worked on Dragonfly for several months last year and said the project was shrouded in extreme secrecy and handled in a "highly unusual" way from the outset. Scott Beaumont, Google's leader in China and a key architect of the Dragonfly project, "did not feel that the security, privacy, and legal teams should be able to question his product decisions," according to Zunger, "and maintained an openly adversarial relationship with them quite outside the Google norm." Last week, Pichai, Google's CEO, appeared before Congress, where he faced questions on Dragonfly. Pichai stated that "right now" there were no plans to launch the search engine, though refused to rule it out in the future. Google had originally aimed to launch Dragonfly between January and April 2019. However, leaks about the plan and the extraordinary backlash that ensued both internally and externally appear to have forced company executives to shelve it at least in the short term, two sources familiar with the project said. Google did not respond to requests for comment. Google's Secret China Project "Effectively Ended" After Internal Confrontation [Ryan Gallagher/The Intercept] Since protests over changes to Nicaragua's social security system began last April, over 300 people have been killed and, at a minimum, 500 people have been incarcerated for their part in calling out Presidential Daniel Ortega's corrupt self-serving bullshit. There's a lot to be angry about in the Central American nation. Non governmental organizations have been doing what they can to bring the wrongs committed by the Nicaraguan government to light. In a bid to shut NGO cake holes, Ortega and his cronies have begun to strip the outfits of their legal status. From the Associated Press: Nicaraguan police have raided the offices of five nongovernmental organizations and an independent media outlet, alleging that they participated in seeking the government's overthrow. The raids were the latest strong-arm actions taken by the government of President Daniel Ortega. Since popular street protests destabilized his government in April, Ortega has reconsolidated power and methodically pursued perceived enemies. Police on Thursday forced open doors and carried off documents and computers from the Nicaragua Center for Human Rights, Segovias Leadership Institute, River Foundation, the Center for Communication Research and the Foundation for Municipal Promotion and Development. The Nicaraguan government and police have had much to say about the raids or the closures of the NGOswhen you're rolling with a dictatorship, you're not accountable to anyoneuntil the people rise up en masse to topple your government, I guess. Oh, and that 'independent media outlet?' It was called Confidencial: a joint that produces a website and two news programs. Claiming that organizations that disagree with the government's agenda are anti-government. Silencing or attempting to destroy the credibility of independent reportage. It's all a play from the totalitarian dictatorship playbook that we've seen before. Nicaragua's just a ways further down the road then we are. Image: by C recordyus (talk contribs) Own work based on: Law About Characteristics And Use Of Patriotic Symbols of Nicaragua, Public Domain, Link A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression. News / National by Staff reporter GOVERNMENT has assured the family of a lawyer, Miss Lucia Duve, who was allegedly killed in a crime of passion by her boyfriend last month, that justice will prevail.Tashinga Musonza (29), an Airforce of Zimbabwe pilot allegedly fatally assaulted Miss Duve (32), a Gweru-based lawyer who was working for a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) accusing her of cheating on him with his colleague (name withheld).A postmortem report showed that Miss Duve had a fractured skull, blood clots in her brain and that her lungs were affected by the attack among other injuries.The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, together with Minister Local Government, Public Works and National Housing July Moyo visited the Duve family in Suburbs suburb, Bulawayo on Thursday to console them following their loss."It's sad that you lost your beloved daughter under such unfortunate circumstances but be strong and we pray that God offers you all the comfort that you deserve during this difficult moment," said Ziyambi."As the Ministry of Justice, we will do everything to make sure that justice is served and the matter is dealt with in a more transparent and fair trial. We will be following on the case with keen interest as we don't want this to be repeated to anyone else."The Minister said Government doesn't condone violence against women. "We know people fight but as Government we don't support this kind of behaviour, especially in this era. We want to assure you that this kind of conduct is not part of our systems, but an individual," he said.When the family said they were never informed about the suspect's court appearances and only heard from other people who are not prosecutors, Ziyambi said they will recommend that the case be transferred to Harare.Moyo said the Airforce of Zimbabwe does not condone such attacks."One of the lessons they are taught during their last days of the training is how to relate and engage with the opposite sex or their spouses. I assure you this is not how the whole institution behaves, but this is one rotten apple," he said.Lucia's father Mr Godwin Duve said:"My religion emphasis on reconciliation, no matter how bad the situation. We have nothing against the Airforce. I feel much better now after your visit. I had lost confidence in the justice system looking at how the case had been handled. I find comfort now that we know that government will assist."Mr Duve said the Musonza family had earlier tried reaching out to them but the deceased's family refused due to the pain they were still going through.He said they had set conditions through their church for a meeting, but did not state the conditions.Mr Duve said initially he thought that his daughter died due to a minor fight but was shocked when he asked the UBH doctor to explain the post mortem findings to him. He said the report shows that there was an intention to kill her in the attack."My Lucy had a small body and all those countless blows inflicted pain that I can't imagine. I wish the killer could have just shot her dead instead of putting her through that," said Mr Duve."The last moments we spent with her were at the church music competitions that we had in Gweru just recently. When we met she was the usual boisterous Lucy and we took pictures with her together with the choir. We went to her place and had supper and we departed for Bulawayo."That was the last time we saw her alive. On 24 November she wanted to come to Bulawayo for her brother's birthday but discovered she had forgotten her purse with money at home and she had to turn back. Probably if she had come that day she would be alive with us," he said. News / National by Staff reporter THE Bulawayo Publicity Association (BPA) has taken Standard Chartered Bank of Zimbabwe (StanChart) to court for allegedly allowing unauthorised signatories to illegally withdraw more than $78 000 from its bank account.BPA through its lawyers Webb, Low and Barry Law Firm, filed summons at the Bulawayo High Court citing Standard Chartered Bank of Zimbabwe as the defendant.The association said StanChart negligently failed to verify the forged signatures of people who withdrew $$78 219 from its account over a period of four years."Between January 6, 2012 and November 2, 2016, unauthorised persons, using a forged signature of one of the authorised signatories, illegally withdrew funds in the sum of $$78 219 from the bank account of the plaintiff held by the defendant," said BPA lawyers.The association said StanChart breached its contractual and statutory obligation by failing to verify the signature and allowed an unauthorised person to conduct several illegal withdrawals."In terms of section 15 of the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act, the defendant is required, among other risk management measures, to verify the identity of customers by means of an identity document as well as checking whether signatures of authorised persons match the signature being used to perform a transaction.""The plaintiff made various demands to the defendant to reimburse them the money stolen through their negligence but no payment has been made," said BPA lawyers.The association wants the bank to pay back the money with prescribed interest calculated from June 29, 2018 to the date of full and final payment including the legal costs.StanChart has not yet responded to the summons.In February this year, BPA lost $15 000 to a bookkeeper who forged signatures and withdrew the money.Late last year, police said the bookkeeper Jackie Kennedy from Paddonhurst suburb was on the run and it has not yet been established if she had been apprehended.Established more than 80 years ago, BPA provides personal information service to Inquirers about Bulawayo.Its role is to market the city's tourism potential and attracting travellers to different destinations in surrounding districts. News / National by Staff reporter President Mnangagwa yesterday said Vice President Kembo Mohadi was unable to attend the 17th Zanu-PF Annual National People Conference as he is unwell.Mohadi and his wife are absent from the conference that is underway at Umzingwane High School, Esigodini as the Vice President was being attended to in Harare.The Chairperson for Zanu-PF Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri had announced that the VP was away on assignment but it was later clarified by the President. He said the VP indicated that should he get better, he would attend the conference."Hatinavo pano. Hanzi na chairman pane kwavatumwa, ah bodo, vakati batikanei. Vanga vachiti kana vakazwa zvakanaka vanokwanisa kuzosvika. Variko kuHarare. (VP Mohadi is not here. The chairperson has said he is away on assignment but he said if he gets better, he will come to the conference. He is in Harare)," the President said. Mohadi has been in and out of hospital following the bombing incident that occurred in June this year at White City Stadium in Bulawayo which saw him sustaining some injuries.On the day he survived the bombing, the Vice President was detained at Mater Dei Hospital in the city before being taken to South Africa for further management. News / National by Staff reporter UNDETTERED Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education officials continued to search for their missing colleague whose vehicle was swept away in heavy rains on Monday and ended up finding the body yesterday after police had called off the search.Mr Richard Nyandoro, an Education Ministry accountant was travelling with Ms Samukeliso Dlamini, who was the Gwanda District Schools Inspector (DSI) when their vehicle was swept away following heavy rains on Monday evening at Mamsisi River Bridge in Ntalale Ward, Gwanda South.Their vehicle was found by villagers on Tuesday morning along the river about 200 metres from the bridge lying on its roof.Ms Dlamini's body was recovered on Wednesday at around 6PM in a dam about eight kilometres from the bridge where the incident occurred as they were driving from Ntalale where they had gone on duty.Since Monday efforts to locate Mr Nyandoro had been fruitless.The police sub aqua unit from Bulawayo decided to abandon the search on Thursday at around 6PM after a two day search.Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director Mr Lifias Masukume said a team comprising Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education officials, Gwanda Assistant District Administrator, community members and Nyandoro's relatives continued with the search yesterday morning which led to recovery of the body.A Ministry official found the body on the edge of the Mhenebolamba Dam.Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele said police were called to the scene."I can confirm that the body which was still missing has been found at the dam. Police have been alerted to attend the scene, "he said.Ntalale Ward councillor, Mr Coster Ndlovu who spent the whole day on Thursday at the scene said police called off the search at around 6PM.He said the sub aqua team advised villagers to visit the nearest police station if anything arose."I spent the whole day at the scene where the sub aqua team was conducting the search. They searched the entire dam but found nothing. As villagers we ended searching from the dam going back to the bridge where we had started."The sub aqua team told us that they were calling off the search as they had done their best without luck. They told villagers to visit Guyu Police Station once we discovered anything and then they will be summoned. They also tasked us as community leaders to mobilise community members to continue with the search, "he said.Meanwhile, teachers have bemoaned the death of their colleague, Ms Dlamini.The Zimbabwe Teachers' Association chief executive officer, Mr Sifiso Ndlovu, said it is sad that the Ministry lost the only female DSI in the province at a time when Government is advocating for gender balance through putting women in decision-making positions."This loss came as a blow to both Government and us because we have lost a hardworking woman who had put women on the map. This is a time when Government is advocating for gender balance through women empowerment," he said.Mr Ndlovu said it is the union's desire to see more women in the Ministry taking up leadership positions."Ms Dlamini was a dedicated worker and l believe this incident caught her by surprise. I encourage my colleagues that as we are carrying our professional duties let's be careful about our lives. Life lost cannot be compensated," he said.Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president, Dr Takavafira Zhou said the fact that the two met their fate on duty makes them academic heroes."We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and the education fraternity at large. Their loss is our loss and their untimely death has robbed the education sector and the nation of dedicated cadres," said Dr Zhou. News / National by Staff reporter THE widow of national hero Chenjerai Hunzvi, Jenny Hunzi, passed away on Friday and has been declared a provincial heroine.She will be buried at the Mashonaland East Provincial Heroes Acre on Tuesday.While details surrounding her death were not available yesterday, news of her passing on was announced by Zanu-PF National Chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri yesterday during the close of the party's 17th Annual National People's Conference in Esigodini."I have been asked to make an announcement; a very sad announcement. But that is how God works and we have to accept it as it is.Yesterday we lost the wife to a national hero who is interred at the Heroes Acre, Hunzvi," said Muchunguri-Kashiri."She passed on yesterday while we were here. We have been advised that she has been declared a provincial hero and she will be buried on the 18th. So for those who can travel to Mashonaland East, they can do so and mourn with others."Chenjerai Hunzvi was chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association and was a key figure in the Fast-Track Land Reform programme that saw more than 300 000 black families benefit from land once held by just 6 000 white farmers.Chejerai Hunzvi died on 4 June 2001. News / National by Staff reporter THE $173 million digitisation programme that is expected to help improve the quality of the country's broadcasting services is now 35 percent complete and is anticipated to be over by 2021, an official has said.In an interview, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr Nick Mangwana, said the project whose estimated cost was $173 million had so far received $63 million from Treasury.He said the country was working on renewing the country's radio transmission."The digitisation project is about 35 percent complete with digitisation of two out of six studios completed, the head-end and satellite uplink for signal distribution has also been completed. On the transmission side the digitisation of 18 out of 48 transmitters has been completed while five out of 25 transmitter sites have been renewed among other completed and works in progress."The significant progress has been made considering the size of this project which apart from migrating from analogue to digital television broadcasting and expanding the television network is also renewing the country's FM radio transmission network to ensure universal access to national radio services as well as addressing issues relating to content generation," he said.The Permanent Secretary said digitisation would increase the country's capacity when delivering broadcasting services to communities in the country compared to the analogue technology."Digitisation increases the country's channel capacity for the delivery of television services to the public. Viewers will have more choice in terms of both service providers and programming, which is what viewers really want. The analogue technology was very limited in this regard," said Mr Mangwana.He further said every area in the country would receive improved picture quality with clear TV signals."Picture quality is very much improved with the use of High Definition (HD) and the reception quality has very significantly improved with no experience of showers or degraded pictures. Other value added services such as the use of Electronic Programme Guides can be provided.These are the inherent features of the digital television technology in every part of Zimbabwe," he said.Mr Mangwana said the digital platform would help in the creation of business opportunities and employment."There are also social and economic benefits arising from the need for content on the digital platform arising from increased channel capacity. These channels need to be filled with content. This presents a business opportunity to the creative arts industry which will produce and supply content to the broadcasters, creating employment in the process," he said.Mr Mangwana said six studios were going to be digitalised, four at Pockets Hill in Harare and two at Montrose in Bulawayo. He said six content production facilities would also be installed in Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls, Gweru, Masvingo and Mutare.He added: "The scope of the project includes the digitalisation and expansion of Montrose television studios from one to two studios and provision of other related facilities, towards making Montrose an epicentre of broadcasting in the Southern region. Other parts of the country will be installed with content production facilities that could be evolved to the same in each province over time".Mr Mangwana said the inclusion of engineers was to close the skills gap in the broadcasting sector and reduce contractual costs."A total of 33 engineers are attached to the project and 26 were recruited to the project for training in order to close the skills gaps within our broadcasting institutions. These engineers are involved in the installation of the new equipment and also receive training in operation and maintenance of the equipment. These engineers have now mastered the skills in this regard and have started taking over some of the works from the contractor, which will reduce the contractual cost of the project and also save on foreign currency," he said.He, however, said ZBC had refurbished two other studios using internal resources and forex was a challenge hence the delay in finalising the project. News / National by Staff reporter Long-suffering Zimbabweans are once again facing a bleak Christmas and New Year season - with the majority of the country's citizens jobless, penniless, hopeless and unable to afford even the most basic of goods to enjoy a modicum of festive cheer.Apart from having to forget about the Fat Man in the red jumpsuit, Father Christmas, and forgoing goodies that have traditionally been associated with the festive season, most families won't even have bread - following the recent warning by the National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe (NBAZ) that flour stocks in the country are critically low.This prompted a dejected schoolteacher to tell the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that "the Grinch has now stolen Christmas for good" - blaming the government for its poor stewardship of the country and the economy since the nation's independence in April 1980."Our children will never understand the true spirit of the festive season, and how can they."Their parents have no jobs and no money. Nothing! It's only those few at the top who are eating," the Harare educator said ruefully.To compound the problem, many shops around the country are battling to get their deliveries of goods due to the worsening fuel crisis, which has also thrown into chaos people's travelling plans for the festive season.Zimbabwe has remained in the grip of a ginormous economic crisis despite the country's holding of relatively peaceful national elections on July 30 - which, it had been hoped, would bury many of the problems that were encountered during the ruinous rule of ousted former president Robert Mugabe.But it hasn't proven to be, with the common refrains among ordinary Zimbabweans being "suffer continue" (the suffering continues) and "zvaka-presser" (things are hard and our pain endures).This has seen President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa coming under growing pressure to set aside their political differences and work together in a bid to try and turn the country's worsening economic situation around."This year is probably going to be one of the worst Christmases that Zimbabwe has endured, as the festive season has turned into a nightmare on the basis of price increases and the shortages of basic commodities."The key components of the festive season are access to food and transport to visit family and resorts, and none of these things are within reach of citizens."This again is a stolen festive season which reflects the miserable state of our socio-economic circumstances," Harare-based political analyst and media consultant, Rashwheat Mukundu, told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday.On her part, Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) executive director, Rosemary Siyachitema, blamed the high prices of basic goods obtaining in the country for souring the festive season."Prices have gone up compared to last year December ... and all products in the food basket have increased in terms of prices."When basic commodities go up, especially when the pockets of families have not increased, it calls for concern for what kind of Christmas the families are going to have."Indeed it is not a plentiful Christmas like what we are used to, and it is going to be difficult as families have already started to make future budgets for increasedprices of school uniforms and rent, among other expenses," Siyachitema said.She also said the cost of living in the country, which is measured by looking at the minimum monthly needs for a family of six - had increased from $666,93 in October this year to $697,76 by the end of last month.In the meantime, a survey by the Daily News on Sunday shows that many retailers and producers have sharply hiked their prices ahead of Christmas. This includes prices of pork products, mealie-meal, beef, eggs, rice and chicken.Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers president, Denford Mutashu, attributed the price "madness" to the prevailing tough economic conditions in the country."There is need to focus on addressing the issue from a value chain perspective, in order to balance viability and productivity."Retailers and wholesalers are price takers and the moment our suppliers increase their prices, we simply pass this on to the consumer - even though margins may remain the same," Mutashu said.Apart from the high prices in supermarkets, some of the basic consumer goods - such as cooking oil and bread - are still in short supply, as manufacturers struggle to meet market demand due to myriad problems, including foreign currency and raw material shortages."There is low agriculture output of soya beans and this year the country has produced 60 000 tonnes, which is a fraction of the yearly requirement of 400 000."This has caused us to look to the region for supplies, but again shortages of foreign currency have reduced the imports," Oil Expressers Association of Zimbabwe president, Busisa Moyo, said.Last Thursday, NBAZ president Ngoni Mazango said bread supply could not be guaranteed this Christmas as the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) had not supplied bakers with foreign currency to pay off legacy debts."Bakers are not getting enough flour and so I cannot guarantee that we will have enough bread for Christmas."We are not getting enough foreign currency and the legacy debt has not yet been paid. So, suppliers have also cut off supplies until it is paid."We have engaged RBZ before and they have all the information, but with the situation, I think there is need to re-engage," Mazango said.Other political analysts said it was unfortunate that the Esigodini Zanu-PF conference was not likely to come up with any "tangible resolutions" that would mitigate the country's economic crisis."Christmas cheer will be in even shorter supply this year for obvious reasons."The prospects for a meaningful and sustained broad-based recovery also look dire."What we know thus far (on the resolutions proposed by Zanu-PF at its conference) is sadly underwhelming ... endorsement of ED's 2023 candidature and the call to raise the minimum age for presidential candidates to 52, et cetera."These issues bear limited relevance to the ordinary man or woman in the street ..."These resolutions are also counter-intuitive to the fundamental undertaking that Zimbabwe's second republic would constitute a break from the past," Piers Pigou, a senior consultant with the International Crisis Group, said. News / National by Staff reporter The MDC will decide at a special meeting the fate of vice president Elias Mudzuri, who is under mounting pressure to step down.The meeting of the national council, which has the power to demand that the Harvard-trained engineer step down, raises the prospect of a decisive showdown with a man girding his loins to challenge Nelson Chamisa in the 2019 congress.The party's highest decision-making body outside congress, the national council, will deliberate on the issue during its last meeting of the year in Harare.Mudzuri was installed VP just after the 2014 MDC congress through an edict by the now late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Mudzuri was installed VP together with Chamisa.Knives are out for Mudzuri after he angered MDC officials and party supporters for attending a meeting of Parliament leaders with President Emmerson Mnangagwa at his State House offices.The MDC are on record saying they do not recognise Mnangagwa as the legitimate president of Zimbabwe, alleging he stole the July 30 presidential poll.Mudzuri attended the State House meeting in his capacity as the leader of the opposition in the Senate. However, his colleagues in the National Assembly and Senate snubbed the meeting.Furious fellow MDC MPs, among them Charlton Hwende and Murisi Zwizwai angrily confronted Mudzuri at a local hotel in the capital over the issue.Following the meeting with Mnangagwa, Mudzuri was later forced to leave an MDC demonstration gathering at Africa Unity Square in a huff after being booed off stage by opposition supporters at a Harare rally.Mudzuri was forced to abort his address, as tempers flared over his meeting with Mnangagwa.In the end, and very ominously for him, he failed to even chant the party's slogans, as his voice was drowned out by the heckling from the rowdy crowd - which broke into a derogatory song "tengesa uone mashura" (just sell out and see what will happen). As a result, an emotional Mudzuri had to leave the venue altogether.Since then pressure has been mounting for the former Harare mayor, who is said to be eyeing to challenge Chamisa for the MDC presidency at the party congress next year to resign.MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume told the Daily News that all Mudzuri needed to do was to "do things that will stop the booing.""It is natural that supporters either cheer or boo their leaders and senior party leaders know that all they need to do is to act in a manner that will turn the jeers into cheers because for now the party is focused on the debilitating economic meltdown in the country," Mafume said.While Mafume tried to play down the agitation in the party, insiders say even Mudzuri himself wants the matter to be resolved once and for all.Mudzuri, the well-placed sources said, has not been attending party functions of late including the last national standing committee meeting arguing that he needs to have his name cleared first."He also did not attend a meeting that was held by the president (Chamisa) with district and provincial chairpersons for the same reason. The president acknowledged that the matter needs to be resolved so the national council meeting provides the right platform," a national standing committee member said on condition of anonymity.The MDC youth assembly has been on the forefront demanding that Mudzuri be axed from the party for his alleged transgressions.Youth assembly secretary-general Lovemore Chinoputsa said party youths are looking forward to the national council in the hope that the matter will be raised."We expect that to be discussed because as you know we have formally complained as a wing that we are not happy with his conduct hence we look forward to the national council determining whether he was wrong or right," Chinoputsa said, adding "we, however, as the youths are not calling for his expulsion from the party but that the truth be established as to why he behaved like that."On his part, Mudzuri said he was on holiday and was not prepared to discuss the matter."My children are all here and we are holidaying so just leave me alone. I did not attend the meeting (with provincial chairpersons) because I am on holiday and I will come to attend party meetings when I want," Mudzuri said. News / National by Staff reporter President Emmerson Mnangagwa, blew his gasket on Wednesday and put his ministers on notice, after he received damaging reports that some of them were demanding bribes from investors to facilitate meetings with him and deputy president Constantino Chiwenga.So rampant was the corruption by his lieutenants that Mnangagwa told stunned Zanu-PF bigwigs during the party's central committee meeting in Harare that in one of the more egregious cases, a Cabinet minister had demanded a whopping R5 million bribe from a foreign investor to arrange a meeting with him.An insider who spoke to the Daily News yesterday said Mnangagwa was "fed up" with claims of corruption involving senior government and Zanu-PF officials - and was determined to "deal decisively" with all those caught on the wrong side of the law.The allegations of sleaze involving bigwigs are not new. In 2012, ousted former president Robert Mugabe also told Zanu-PF delegates at the party's conference in Gweru that two Cabinet ministers had demanded US$10 million from South African investors.Addressing the central committee on Wednesday, ahead of this year's Zanu-PF conference in Esigodini - which kicked off in earnest yesterday - Mnangagwa told mortified party heavyweights that some of his ministers were involved in serious corruption despite his efforts to curb the scourge."They say before I take you to the president pay up. One person told me that he was charged R5 million to be able to see me. He was told that three quarters would go to the president while the other quarter is for the fixer."So corruption, corruption, corruption ... down with corruption. Being asked to pay to see Vice President Chiwenga or Defence minister (Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri) we do not tolerate that," he fumed."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.Mnangagwa's shocking revelations come at a time when his government has stepped up its anti-corruption crusade - which his critics, however, say is currently targeting only small fish, as well as his rivals from the vanquished Generation 40 (G40) faction.The G40 faction was involved in a ferocious tussle with Mnangagwa and his backers during Zanu-PF's deadly factional, tribal and succession wars - which ended last November following the military intervention which ousted Mugabe from power.Mugabe's 2012 rant over graft came after former South African president Thabo Mbeki had provided him with evidence that showed that two Cabinet ministers had demanded a US$10 million bribe to facilitate a US$1 billion investment by African National Congress (ANC)-linked investors.The two ministers, just like in the current R5 million bribery case, told the investors that Mugabe was to receive half of the bribe."I was getting complaints from outside. Former South African president Thabo Mbeki was saying some of their people in the ANC wanted to come intending to do business and this is what they have been told ... 'If you want to do this business, you bring US$5 million and from that US$5 million we take US$1 million that we will take to the minister to give to the president'", Mugabe said then."If I get information stating that so and so minister is doing this, he (that minister) goes. Unfortunately, sometimes complainants do not want to identify the ministers fearing persecution, but that is happening in the ministries," he added.However, Mugabe - whose 37-year iron-fisted rule was stunningly ended by last November's military intervention - did not prosecute a single case involving some of his ministers, despite regularly promising to act on corruption.Meanwhile, Mnangagwa also took a swipe at senior Zanu-PF officials on Wednesday, accusing them of promoting factionalism in the former liberation movement."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, hardworking leaders and servant leaders."The most important is loyalty to the party and unity among us, hard work and harmony towards common goals," Mnangagwa said.Zanu-PF is meeting at Esigodini at a time that the party's notorious succession demons have resurfaced, with its senior officials locking horns over who should take over from him - a few months after the 76-year-old strongman won a hotly-disputed five-year mandate from Zimbabweans to lead the country.The fresh fissures in the former liberation movement come as Mnangagwa has recently called his restless lieutenants to order, insisting that they should focus on unity and rebuilding the country's wobbly economy - rather than be fixated on politics, as they tend to do.The new party cracks also come as Zanu-PF has experienced a number of factional, tribal and succession brawls over the past few years - including a mini-split following its acrimonious 2014 congress, as well as the chilling poisoning of Mnangagwa by his internal rivals during a youth interface rally in Gwanda last year.During this difficult period, Mugabe had - until last November's military intervention ended his ruinous rule - studiously refused to name his successor, amid claims that he was preparing his erratic wife Grace to succeed him.Mugabe eventually fell from power when the country's increasingly disaffected military launched Operation Restore Legacy, which saw him being put under house arrest - before the nonagenarian resigned dramatically moments before Parliament started damaging impeachment proceedings against him. News / National by Mandla Ndlovu MDC-T National Spokesperson Linda Masarira has defended MDC leader's wife Nelson Chamsia from social media critics who are mocking her of being 'old and ugly'.Social media critics commenting on images from the MDC gala dinner held on Friday last week had no kind words for Mrs Chamisa and described her as either 'dirty, unbathed, old or ugly'.Said Linda, "I think Zimbabweans have totally lost it. It's just totally unacceptable to abuse or insult anyone by her looks. What is wrong with us? Why do we pride ourselves which such toxicity and vile language to another sister?"Leave Mrs Chamisa to be herself. Enough of this life monitoring, hate speech, insults and being life prefects to other people. We have better issues to discuss as a people than to spend time judging peoples looks. I stand with Mrs Chamisa, leave her alone and stop insulting her and how she prefers to dress herself."Linda Masarira has carved her identity as a gender activist who leaves no stone unturned in defense of women's right and dignity. Earlier this year she criticised MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa for promising to give his Zanu-PF rival Emmerson Mnangagwa his sister if he manages to get 5% of votes in the recently held elections.Masarira said Chamisa's comment showed that he had no regard for women in the country."It shows that he has no regard for women in this country. And you can compare it with the way he has treated women in his own party, the way he treated Madam Thokozani Khupe. It really shows that he has no regard whatsoever for women because you cannot trade your own sister for political mileage. Even if he wants to call it a joke, you cannot joke about such sensitive issues in this day and age." Linda said. News / National by Staff reporter Govt to address 'condom gloves'The government said yesterday that it had begun addressing the dire situation at public hospitals including bringing in critically short medicines and equipment, which has led to embarrassing claims that doctors are now even using condoms as surgical gloves during medical procedures.However, striking doctors retorted immediately, telling the Daily News that they were not convinced that authorities were serious about turning around the untenable situation within the public health sector.The doctors' strike which entered its third week at the weekend, after they failed to agree with the government regarding their grievances and demands has further crippled operations at the country's dying public hospitals.Health and Child Care deputy minister, John Mangwiro, told the Daily News yesterday that the government had started bringing in vital medicines and equipment in a bid to normalise the precarious situation within the public health sector."If you check with NatPharm, you will realise that medicines and equipment have been acquired."Equipment and drugs are in short supply, but I can tell you that just like you saw on TV, where the minister was distributing stuff ... a lot more is coming. The president said as much at the Zanu PF conference" Mangwiro said.This comes after doctors claimed that they were now resorting to using condoms at most public hospitals, due to shortages of disposable surgical gloves."We are forced to compromise beyond our limits, and doctors are asking as to when this bush medicine we are practising will end," Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) treasurer, Prince Butawo, said.He said doctors were finding it difficult to perform procedures such as digital rectal examinations (DRE) which could not be done without gloves."So, instead of using bare fingers, we have now resorted to the use of condoms for us to perform such procedures."There are a lot of other things, for instance, gynaecology in women, where we now also have to use condoms instead of gloves."Even when somebody comes with a bladder problem, we are forced to send the patient away to look for a urine bag from pharmacies because hospital pharmacies do not have them in stock," Butawo said further.ZHDA secretary-general, Mthabisi Bhebhe, weighed in saying there was also a critical shortage of KY jelly which is required for lubrication."We are forced to improvise using condoms because our hospitals do not have the KY Jelly used for lubrication."Even for strapping, we are using insulating tape and also our hospitals do not have plasters," Bhebhe said.The striking doctors are protesting the severe shortages of pharmaceutical drugs at public hospitals as well as the selling of available drugs in foreign currency by retail pharmacies, the poor state of the country's hospital infrastructure and their "falling" salaries which they now want the government to pay in foreign currency.Zimbabwe's health delivery system has for a while now been battling myriad problems, as a result of the country's worsening economic climate.In the past, major referral hospitals have had to suspend many services as a result of shortages of drugs including painkillers.At the peak of its economy, Zimbabwe made minimal imports of essential drugs due to the then healthy state of the local pharmaceutical industry which was dominated by CAPS Holdings. News / National by ZimLive In the week that President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised he would release a commission of inquiry report into the August 1 street killing of six civilians by the military, the commander of the unit that carried out the massacre in Harare has been promoted.It was announced on Monday that Mnangagwa had promoted Brigadier General Anselem Sanyatwe, the commander of the Presidential Guard, to the rank of Major General.Also promoted is Brigadier General Thomas Moyo, the head of Military Intelligence, who has assumed the rank of Major General.Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda conferred ranks to the newly-promoted Major Generals. The Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, Lieutenant General Edzayi Chimonyo, witnessed the event."You need to do more than you did before because rank comes with responsibilities," General Sibanda told Moyo and Sanyatwe.Sanyatwe commanded the National Reaction Force deployed on the streets of Harare on August 1 to quell an opposition protest against delays in releasing results of the Presidential Elections held on July 30.Journalists filmed as soldiers opened fire on protesters, killing at least six civilians and wounding dozens more.Sanyatwe testified before the commission that was led by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, denying that his men were responsible for the killings.Mnangagwa was presented with the commission's report last week and pledged to make it public this week. News / National by Collen Ncube The Harare City Council has resolved to also penalise government departments who owe the city in a bid to match the harsh treatment by government entities such as the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) over debts it has emerged.Speaking at full council meeting in Harare earlier today, Acting Finance Director Mr. Stan Ndemera said, "We owe ZIMRA about 171 million which they then divided by 24 months the amount is $4,2 million every month over and above our monthly obligations of $1,5 million. If we add the two amounts that's $6 million this will cripple all the operations of the council."We wrote back to ZIMRA putting things into context to say we are definitely not in a position meet that payment plan , the least we can do is to continue to pay our current obligations and add $500 000 towards legacy debt so that we all operate, they also owe, we also owe. They are also failing to pay their dues" he added."The principal amount we owe ZIMRA is $20 million the rest are penalties and interests."Government departments owe city of Harare City Council is $25 millionCouncillor Mapfume said, "Let's seat down with them on the capital figure, we might as well change our policies and charge penalties so that any department that punishes us like that , we also pass a resolution to also punish them.""The capital amounts are almost the same, surely there is a basis of seat down with regulatory authority." News / National by Satff reporter The United States of America will officially open its $292 million embassy campus on January 10 and start operating from the site on January 21.It sits on 116-acre site in Bluffhill and will accommodate over 350 embassy staff. The campus is self-sustainable with its own water source and power generation as well as solar power.The multi-building campus includes a chancery building, support services annex, warehouse, utility building, the Marine Security Guard Residence and fitness facilities for the embassy community.The campus also has an art collection, curated by the Office of Art in Embassies and features 29 works from artists from both the United States and Zimbabwe.The art collection includes a seven by 20-foot drawing by artist Robert Pruitt titled "Forever's People" which depicts a grouping of seven figures that express a blending of references to place, history and culture to bridge together identities of the United States and Zimbabwe.American embassy officials have described the campus as a symbol of America's commitment to Zimbabwe with its perimeter modelled to resemble the Great Zimbabwe ruins in Masvingo as homage to the country's heritage. Canada has been granted consular access to Michael Spavor, the second Canadian detained in China this week. Canada's ambassador to China John McCallum met with Spavor on Sunday, according to a statement from Global Affairs Canada. "Canadian consular officials continue to provide consular services to him and his family and will continue to seek further access to Mr. Spavor," the statement said. Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were taken into custody earlier this week in Beijing, days after the RCMP arrested a top Chinese business leader transiting through Vancouver at the behest of the United States. The U.S. wants Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, to be extradited to the U.S. to face fraud charges. McCallum met with Kovrig, who is on a leave of absence from Global Affairs Canada, on Friday. He served as a diplomat in China until 2016 and has been working for the International Crisis Group, a non-governmental agency. China says he was arrested for harming its national security. According to today's statement, consular visits generally aim to assess the well-being of the person being detained, clarify the reason for the detention, provide guidance on legal issues and act as a link between the detainee and loved ones. Officials are working to get further access to both detainees. Reason for detention unclear Global Affairs would not disclose the reason for either Kovrig's or Spavor's detainment, citing provisions of the Privacy Act. But according to the Beijing News, a state-run Chinese newspaper, the two were detained on suspicion of engagement in activities that endanger China's state security. If that is the case, then it is an extremely serious situation, according to Sida Liu, a professor from the University of Toronto who specializes in China's legal system. In an ordinary criminal case in China a suspect is put into a detention centre and their family is notified within 24 hours, Liu told CBC's News Network. They are also given access to a lawyer within 48 hours, Liu said. Story continues Watch: Law professor on legal challenges faced by 2 Canadians detained in China: "But that's for ordinary criminal cases. There's a big exception for national security." Liu said those conditions would not apply in the cases of the two Canadian detainees. "The two Canadians can be detained for much longer ... and there is no guarantee that the lawyer would be involved at this point." In an interview on Friday with the Canadian Press, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized China's actions, calling them "not acceptable." When asked if the detention of the two Canadian men was intended as retaliation, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said they were being handled according to Chinese law. Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also urged China on Friday to end the "unlawful detention" of the two Canadians. "We ask all nations of the world to treat other citizens properly and the detention of these two Canadian citizens in China ought to end," Pompeo said in Washington, alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. Pompeo moved to temper an earlier statement by U.S. Donald Trump this week, who mused he might intervene in the Meng case if it helped him get a trade deal with China. Pompeo said the extradition request for Meng isn't being used as political leverage in the trade talks with China. In Washington, the arrests dominated questions Pompeo and Freeland took after a meeting that also included Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis. The two foreign ministers tried to distance the extradition process that is now in the Canadian courts from politics. Freeland said Friday's discussions focused on upholding the rule of law, and ensuring Meng's right to due process is respected and that the ongoing legal process remains free of politics. "Canada, in detaining Ms. Meng, was not making a political judgment. In Canada there has been, to this point, no political interference in this issue at all. For Canada, this is a question of living up to our international treaty obligations and following the rule of law," Freeland said. "The extradition process is a criminal-justice process. This is not a tool that should be used for politicized ends." 'Canada's being used and manipulated' But critics say Canada is being disingenuous in insisting the arrest is not about politics. The arrest of a Chinese tech executive is yet another example that the U.S. is creating "a new Cold War" in international trade, says economist Jeffrey Sachs, who adds that Canada is abetting its southern neighbour. Sachs said it's a "pretty well-known American approach to use its power to try and break the economic momentum of a rival," adding that it now sees China as a substantial rival. The fraud allegations against Meng centre around the relationship between Huawei and a Hong Kong company called Skycom, that did business in Iran. According to U.S. prosecutors, Skycom was a "hidden" subsidiary of Huawei. Meng once served on Skycom's board of directors but she says Huawei sold its interest in Skycom and she stepped down from the board. Iran is subject to U.S. sanctions and banks can be found criminally liable if they help move money out of a sanctioned country and into the broader global banking system. Watch: Jeffrey Sachs on Huawei executive's arrest Sachs believes the arrests are a consequence for Canada's recent involvement in Washington's campaign to levy heavy-handed punishment on Meng over perceived Iran sanctions violations. "I think Canada's doing the bidding of United States policy that is not well-controlled or well-modulated," he said. "Maybe Canada's being used and manipulated, not only vis-a-vis China, but for the United States to try to show anyone: 'You dare cross us on any business with Iran, you're going to pay a price.'" With files from Justin Li and the Canadian Press Awsh Hammoud takes great pride in the mission she's embarked on to learn English. "When I first go to school, zero [English]," said Hammoud. "Six months, level one. Three months [later, I reached] level two." Hammoud, who was part of the first influx of Syrian refugees who came to Windsor three years ago, said she's been attending Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LNIC) classes every day for the past year but challenges still remain. "Shopping, she's okay. But when she wants to go to a doctor, she needs a translator to help her," said Syrian Community Centre president Musaab Almasalmeh, serving as Hammoud's translator. Sanjay Maru/CBC Her husband, Maohamad Nassan, said he was encouraged to move his family out of Syria after civilian protests broke out in the spring of 2011. From there, he moved his family to Lebanon and proceeded to file a United Nations application, permitting him to move his family to "any country," his translator said. In February of 2016, Nassan and his family were in Windsor. He said the first thing which stood out to him is how "nice the Canadian people" were. "They were very kind. They treat [us] very well." Today, Nassan works as a bricklayer, a small pivot from his job as a flooring installer back in Syria. But his profession, he said, is the main reason why he hasn't been able to join his wife in LNIC classes. "He doesn't have enough time to learn English, so he's learning English from his work," said Nassan's translator. As for his favourite thing about living in Windsor, he said it's the assurance that his family is happy and healthy. "Everything is okay. My kids are studying in a safe country. They are happy here," said Nassan, adding he has no regrets about moving to Canada whatsoever. Sanjay Maru/CBC The couple's eight-year-old son, Abdallah, has no recollection of life in Syria. He said he's made a lot of friends at Marlborough Public School in Windsor, but his best memory of Canada is a recent vacation to Niagara. Story continues "There's lots of toys. You have to walk and walk and then you see bubble guns and then you could make bubbles," said Abdallah. Canada providing a better life for refugee's disabled child For Mahmoud Ezzat, his main reasoning for moving to Canada was to provide an education for his children and have "a decent life." But there was another reason why Ezzat wanted and needed to come to Canada. It had little to do with him, but everything to do with his eldest son. Sanjay Maru/CBC Mohamed Ezzat, 13, was born two months prematurely. His brain had not fully formed, prompting his family to send him for treatment in Syria and Jordan. But since moving to Canada, Mohamed has undergone spinal surgery in London, Ont. and another surgery is scheduled for next spring. Like Nassan's family, Ezzat said language barriers are his biggest challenge in terms of navigating through life in Windsor, but he's just happy to live in a country where he's "safe" and "happy." According to the Syrian Community Centre, the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County (MCC) was assigned by the federal government to manage the 2015 influx of Syrian refugees in the region. The MCC helped pay for Ezzat's first year of rent in a publicly-funded apartment unit and a specialized wheelchair for his son. "Since we came to Canada, they offered us everything. We're happy. We're comfortable. They provide us with a shelter things that we never dreamed of getting back home." The IDW About a year ago I discovered a group that goes by the name IDW (Intellectual Dark Web). The IDW includes people like Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and others. I like to listen to commentaries on political topics. Since these issues are what most of the group spoke about, I was intrigued from the beginning. After a long while of following the group, I ended up stumbling upon video lectures and debates from Jordan Peterson. My initial thoughts My first impression of Jordan Peterson (through watching his lectures) was good but very different from what it is today. I remember admiring his speech and communication skills. With other members of the group I tended to pay attention to the content of what they were saying; with Jordan Peterson, initially, I was most interested in how he spoke and held himself in a conversation or debate. In tense debates he would stay very calm, watch his words, and answer questions competently. Since most people, including me, struggle to stay composed during tense situations, he stood out to me. Reading his book Although I did care primarily, at first, about the demeanor of his speech rather than the content, I still recognized that he was extremely intelligent; I knew right away I could learn a great deal from him. I discovered his book, 12 Rules for Life, and ended up reading it. Once I read it, I realized that the Bible heavily influences his writing and life. He references the Bible many times in his writing and uses it to draw many conclusions about life. Although he referenced the Bible multiple times, I was not quite sure exactly if he was a Christian or what he valued from the bible; I had no idea if he valued all of the Bible or only parts? I wanted to learn more about his faith to see how closely his and mine aligned if at all. Differences in faith I decided to watch some more videos and debates of his recently. I focused of finding some that had to do with Christianity; it didnt take long to discover more about his faith. He calls himself a Christian and although I would refute that, that is beside the point. The more important issue is (for this article) is where his values lie. It is clear that he shares the same Judeo-Christian values that I do. After reading his book, watching more lectures of his, and learning more about what he believes, I noticed more and more through his conversations with people that his values were influencing what he was saying and what he believed. Christian Teachers Ive known that having good Christian mentors or teachers to look up to in life is a positive thing, but listening to Jordan Peterson has shed a new light on that for me. He often speaks about the importance of relationships, strong families, and taking responsibility. I noticed after finding out where his values came from that much of what he speaks about and defends is taught in the Bible. Jordan Peterson is just another example of how important it is to be able to defend my faith. The composure he keeps combined with his beautifully articulated sentences when speaking just add another level to what I can learn from him. Jordan Peterson has taught me, along with many other things, the importance of communicating what I believe in while doing it with kindness and boldness. His value of Christian beliefs is clearly seen in all of his work; it is energizing seeing someone who is so popular spreading good messages to both kids and adults. Jackson Laninga is a Press Service International young writer from Auckland, New Zealand It was years ago. But its hard to forget the time you had to tell your team leader that you are experiencing sexual harassment. Id had weeks of inappropriate sexual comments from a male team member. This wasnt innocently showing interest in a girl. I was receiving overtly sexual comments, and when I reacted against them, he told me to stop being so serious. Cant you take a joke? hed say. It was so persistent that I knew my comfort level didnt interest this man. I had told him verbally more than once that what he was doing wasnt right. It was time to come forward. But I could hardly believe this was happening, especially because it had been happening in a Christian ministry. Here, we prayed together and talked about faith together. This was one place youd hope this behaviour wouldnt happen. Sadly, it can and it does. How does this happen? When the #MeToo movement hit in 2017, it was a wake-up call for anyone who didnt already know that sexual abuse is rampant. The #ChurchToo movement a Christian sister to the original concept just reminded Christians that they werent immune. Thousands of women and men told their own stories of abuse and harassment in Christian spaces, using the hashtag #ChurchToo. Like many others, it made me wonder: how do Christians not see or believe that this happens in their own churches? There are lots of reasons. It couldnt happen here mentality Like anyone, Christians can simply have their blinders up. We think of our churches, Christian charities and other Christian organisations as places of trust and honesty, and that everyone is trying to do the right thing. Reporting serious misconduct is a big deal in any context, but especially in a culture where its often not even on the radar. Disbelief Given that sexual misconduct almost always happens in private, there are rarely witnesses to corroborate. Sexual abuse also classically involves a power imbalance, making it easier to believe the accused than the victim. Without absolute proof, other Christians can easily second-guess themselves and not report their abuse. This, then, allows it to continue. Shame Plain and simple. Christians havent always spoken up because they feel embarrassed or afraid. Skewed values The Bible can be weaponized by humans to cause harm. This could include ideas of radical forgiveness (pressuring an abuse victim to return to their abuser), or men thinking they have the right of sexual dominance over women. Others have the (frankly concerning) theology that criticising Christians or the church is the same as criticising God. So they stay silent, or try to keep it in-house and the abuse continues. Good intentions, lack of plans Even if the victim is believed, many Christian churches dont have a structure in place for what happens next. Across the West, churches tend to believe that they are safe spaces for victims of abuse but, ironically, dont have any policy for addressing issues when they come up. Whether it was knowingly or not, the result has been the same: Christians havent supported victims. And it can have extreme results. In one disturbing article I read, titled Sex Offenders Groom Churches, Too, many sex offenders practised criminal behaviour in churches because they believe religious people are even easier to fool than most people. And as more pastor sex scandals emerge across the Western church, it could be the tip of the iceberg. What do we do? The hashtag may fade from memory. But the truth is, theres no reason to believe this kind of behaviour has gone from the church. To prevent it, we need to act to make our Christian communities safer. Our first response needs to be to take allegations seriously. Reports should be taken seriously in the first instance. This isnt the same as taking a side, but it is giving the victim the dignity of having their concerns followed up and investigated. Historically, victims have tended to be ignored or dismissed, even though the rate of false reporting is very low. When victims come forward, their case needs to be listened to and acted upon to find the truth. Forgiveness cant be demanded. Keeping the peace can seem like a Christian thing to do, but not if its covering up a worse sin. I remember being asked if I could forgive my accuser, but it was partly motivated out of protecting my accusers reputation. Demanding forgiveness because it maintains the peace is another kind of abusive behaviour. Talk about abuse and harassment, even if you dont believe its happening. Christian communities need to be more open about these topics. When we never discuss them, its even harder to discuss them when it matters. Shame is also a powerful motivator to silence when victims are in these situations. Appearances can indeed be deceiving. Know how to respond. Considering our climate, not having a plan in place to deal with reports of abuse is no longer okay. Church leadership needs to consider very carefully how theyll respond. But its not just at a corporate level. If we havent already, its up to each of us to educate ourselves on warning signs and how to respond. Who would you go to? What would you do if it were you? Are you confident youd be believed? Whats clear is that the church hasnt dealt well with abuse, and now the problems are coming home to roost. We need Gods wisdom to ensure that this kind of behaviour cant continue among Christian communities. If theres ever a time to be wise as serpents, innocent as doves (Matthew chapter 10 verse 16), its now. Cheryl McGrath is a communications professional with a background in editing and publishing. She works as a copywriter for World Vision Australia in Melbourne, and blogs at Twenty-Six Letters ( twentysixletters.org). You can follow the blogs Facebook or Twitter. Remarks: My favourite Adele song to date. It was the #1 song in the US and UK for most of this month, November 2021. See also: songs: the 2020s Adele: Hell... 3 days ago Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Dozens of journalists covering anti-government protests in France and Belgium in November and December of 2018 suffered attacks by the demonstrators and the police, according to press and social media reports. The demonstrations, dubbed yellow vest protests after the high visibility gear worn by the participants, started as an online movement in May 2018 and led to the street demonstrations against rising fuel prices and the cost of living beginning November 17, 2018. On November 18, the TV industry news website TeleLoisirs reported that a protester threw what appeared to be an egg on the head of Raphael Maillochon, a correspondent for the BFMTV TV station, the previous day in Paris as he was preparing for his live transmission. On November 19, the local radio station Bip in Besancon, eastern France, said in a press release that a group of demonstrators insulted its crew, a reporter, and cameraman (whose names it did not disclose) covering the protests on November 17 in the city, and the cameraman was subject to racial slur. On November 20, the French edition of the news website Huffington Post said that around 50 protesters demonstrated in front of the headquarters of BFMTV TV station in Paris, chanting negative slogans about the journalists and calling them liars. On November 20, correspondent Vinciane Votron of the Belgian public TV channel RTBF reported live that the protesters were aggressive toward her and her crew, but did not provide specifics, in Feluy, Belgium. On November 24, French public TV channel France 3 reported that in Toulouse, southern France, a crowd of around 200 protesters followed and harrassed a crew of two reporters for BFMTV TV, Jean-Wilfried Forques and Maxime Sounillac, while the police did not intervene to protect the journalists. The same day, protesters threw projectiles at a crew from CNews TV station in Toulouse, France 3 reported, without naming the crew. The Huffington Post reported, also without giving names, that demonstrators hit journalists of from Midi-Libre, a daily newspaper in Beziers, southern France. On November 25, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir reported that Patrick Lefebvre, a journalist working for the Derniere Heure daily newspaper in Charleroi, Belgium, was arrested while covering the demonstrations. The journalist told the newspaper that while he was filming the protest, the police first warned him to leave the premises and when he continued reporting, they took him to a police station and held him for the night. On November 30, Belgian public channel RTBF reported that police briefly arrested Remy Buisine, a French reporter for the news website Brut, on November 30, 2018, in Brussels while he was streaming live coverage on Facebook. On December 8, two photographers working for the Le Parisien daily newspaper were hit by flash guns in Paris. Yann Foreix was rushed to the hospital for a check-up after being hit in the s neck and the other journalist, who was not named, was hit in their knee, the newspaper reported. On the same day, Boris Kharlamoff, a journalist for the audio press agency A2PRL, published a photo on his Twitter account showing a wound and saying police fired flash balls at him although he wore his press badge. Also on December 8, the weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche reported that its photojournalist Eric Dessons suffered a broken arm when police special forces clashed with demonstrators. The journalist, who wore press identification, was hospitalized and underwent an operation, the newspaper said. The same day, French news agency Agence France-Press (AFP), without citing names, reported that one of its photographers suffered light wounds in Puy-en-Velay, in southern France; a journalist and a cameraman for the news website Explicite were shot by flash balls in Paris; and a video team for the daily newspaper Le Figaro was jostled by protesters in the capital. AFP also reported that several journalists complained about police confiscating their protective equipment, exposing them to physical harm. Reuters reported on December 10 that one of its camera operators, who it didnt name, was wounded as he was hit by a flash ball in Bordeaux covering the protests on December 8. The daily newspaper, Liberation, quoted Wilfrid Esteve, the head of the photo agency Hans Lucas, as saying that police targeted around 15 of its reportersalthough they were wearing press badgeseither by shooting flash guns or grenades or confiscating their protective equipment. It did not provide names of the 15 reporters. Liberation said one of its reporters, Nicolas Descottes, was wounded in the face due to flash balls, and another two, Stephane Lagoutte and Cyril Zannettacci, were also hit by police flash balls during the demonstrations on December 8. On December 10, four French journalists unions asked to be urgently received by President Emmanuel Macron in the wake of the police violence against reporters and photojournalists during the demonstrations, daily newspaper Le Figaro reported. On December 11, the daily newspaper Ouest France reported that following the union protest, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who oversees the police, issued a communique asking journalists to file official complaints about the police, which he said would be promptly investigated. On December 14, 2018 the daily newsparer Le Monde reported that 24 journalists and photographers had already filed complaints against the police. Its Raining Money in Hong Kong Thanks to Alleged Crypto Millionaire A Hong Kong neighborhood got the surprise of a lifetime recently: a young man was throwing HKD 100 (cca. USD 12.80) bills from a rooftop to the general hysteria of onlookers. The total amount of money thrown is currently unknown, as onlookers claim millions, while the police at the scene had collected only around HKD 5,000. However, the literal airdrop has garnered a lot of controversy due to the fact that the man behind the apparent PR stunt is Wong Ching-kit (24), a controversial and alleged crypto millionaire, who announced that "December 15th, is FCCs big day" as it started "the trading race." Source: Facebook However, the next day, on Sunday, Ching Kit was arrested. ____ ____ Wong is a controversial figure, however: he is the owner of Facebook page Epoch Cryptocurrency, which promotes various cryptocurrencies and miners, and hes best known as Coin Young Master online. He also claims to be a Robin Hood-like figure, robbing the rich to help the poor in his own words. Wong has given media interviews under various different names, shilling initial coin offerings (ICOs) and miners, including a HKD 27,500 computer he claimed could be used for cryptocurrency mining. This is also why the community was not so quick to hail him a hero after word of his shenanigans got out. Hes been arrested, is known by the authorities and runs a pyramid scheme. He is a thief and that money hes throwing is hard earned innocent peoples cash, writes Reddit user u/masterflex11. Apparently, the Chinese community is well aware of him - news outlet Hong Kong Finance has previously written about him and his unsavory modus operandi. The amount of money thrown into the air also remains a mystery: although many reports are claiming he threw millions into the air, others are bringing that number much lower, from HKD 5,000 up to HKD 200,000. However, there are no official reports to corroborate any of these claims. But many are taking their lesson from this event by calling upon the infamous John McAfee, whose Twitter bio simply reads: If you believe that anyone, at any time, for any reason, ever, gives money away to total strangers, then you deserve to get scammed. Catriona Elisa Gray from the Philippines was crowned as the Miss Universe 2018, beating 93 contestants from other countries. She was crowned by Demi Leigh Nel-Peters from South Africa, the Miss Universe 2017 title winner. India was represented by Nehal Chudasama in the beauty pageant. Nehal Chudasama failed to enter the final 20 of the Miss Universe 2018 competition. After Lara Dutta had won the crown in 2000, no Indian contestant has been able to win the Miss Universe title in all these 18 years. About Miss Universe 2018: Tamaryn Green from South Africa and Sthefany Guterrez from Venezuela were the first runner-up and second runner-up at Miss Universe 2018 competition. Spains Angela Ponce created history as the first transgender woman to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant. The event was hosted by Emmy Award-winning comedian Steve Harvey. Miss universe 2018 Catriona Elisa Gray has a Master Certificate in Music Theory. She also works as an HIV/AIDS advocate and volunteers at an NGO as a teachers assistant. The countries of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia participated for the first time in the Miss Universe competition. This was the 67th edition of the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Universe 2018 was held at in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand on 17th December 2018. For the first time, the competition was judged by an all-women jury. Total 94 countries participated in the competition. The 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place between 2 and 15 December 2018 in Katowice, Poland, is the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24). It is also referred to as the Katowice Climate Change Conference or Katowice Climate Talks. The most important outcome of COP24 was that the countries have agreed on rules for the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Main Outcomes of COP 24 in Katowice: The participating nations agreed on the rules to implement the Paris Agreement that will come into effect in 2020. The rules are regarding how the member nations will measure the carbon-emissions and report on their emissions-cutting efforts. This rulebook can be called as the detailed operating manual of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The members of the conference did not agree to welcome the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on 1.5C. The US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait refused to welcome the IPCC report. The parties to the conference agreed to record the pledges in a public registry, as per the existing interim portal. The public registry will continue to include a search function, although many attempts have been made to get it deleted. It was also agreed among the members that future pledges should cover a common timeframe from 2031. The number of years for the timeframe will be decided later. Many difficult matters could not reach an agreement and have been postponed to next year for resolution. This includes questions such as ways to scale up existing commitments on emission reduction, different ways of providing financial aid to the poor nations, wording that prevents double counting and whether member nations are doing enough to cut their respective emissions. The Indian government will soon inaugurate the information fusion centre (IFC) to boost the maritime security and Information exchange in the for the Indian Ocean Region(IOR). The Information Fusion Centre (IFC) for the Indian Ocean Region will be set up by the Indian Navy at the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurugram, Haryana. About Indian Navys IFC-IOR: Indian Navys IFC-IOR will share information on white shipping, or commercial shipping with the countries in the region to improve maritime security and tackling piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean. It aims to become a maritime information hub for the entire region. Only those countries will be served by this centre that have signed White Shipping Information Exchange agreements with India. Around 21 countries have such agreement with India till now. The IFC will generate a seamless real-time picture of the nearly 7,500-km coastline of India by linking all the coastal radar chains. The entire Indian Ocean region will be benefited by mutual collaboration and exchange of information through the setting up of IFC-IOR. it will help in understanding the major concerns and threats prevalent in the Indian Ocean region. India has also signed the ascension agreement to the Trans Regional Maritime Network (T-RMN). T-RMN will allow information exchange on the movement of commercial ships on the high seas. The T-RMN agreement is being steered by Italy. The information about the commercial ships is available primarily through the Automatic Identification System (AIS) fitted on merchant ships. It Automatic Identification System (AIS) chips have been made mandatory by the International Maritime Organisation for ships with more than 300 gross registered tonnage. These AIS chips contain information like name, MMSI number, position, course, speed, last port visited, destination and other vital data. The various AIS sensors read the information from these AIS chips and obtain the information. Maldives: Free trade agreement between Maldives, EU, UK in the works December 17,2018 | Source: The Edition President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Thursday, announced that efforts to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) were underway. Speaking at a function held in Gemanafushi, Gaafu Atoll to celebrate Fishermens Day, President Solih stated that ensuring a fair price for Maldivian fish exports was a top priority for the government. According to the President, the 22% tariff imposed on exports to Europe was a burden on the local economy and would be best solved by signing a free trade agreement with the EU and the UK. President Solih expressed his belief that such an agreement would be easily achievable if diplomatic ties are strengthened. Stating that due to changes in the international fisheries industry Maldivian fishermen do not receive the same premiums as their foreign counterparts, the president assured that the government would negotiate solutions for the issue. A free trade agreement was established between the Republic of China and Maldives during the administration of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. Myanmar: On International Migrants Day, a sea change for Thai fishing? by Jason Judd December 17,2018 | Source: The Nation Tomorrow, December 18, the world observes International Migrants Day. Its a day to recognise the contributions and struggles of those who have left home in search of work that provides fair income and safe working conditions. Jobs that help put food on the table and protect their families. In short, what the International Labour Organisation calls decent work. International Migrants Day is a day to shed light on the one million or more Thais who work overseas those fishing in Malaysia, farming in Israel, or building in Qatar for example but also on the more than three million migrants working in Thailand in fishing, farming, or construction. Their labour makes a vital contribution to the Thai economy. In fact it is hard to imagine the growth or survival of these industries in Thailand without the labour of migrants. Lets look at the fishing sector. Nearly 90 per cent of the 60,000 fishers in the Thai commercial fishing industry are migrants from Myanmar and Cambodia. The Thai government followed the ILOs Work in Fishing Convention when setting standards in labour law for work in fishing one of the worlds most arduous and dangerous occupations. The convention calls for, among other things, the regular payment of wages, written work agreements, adequate food and water, and safety training for fishers. In Thailand, these basic workplace standards are already required by law in commercial fishing. They are the product of reforms introduced since the global media turned its attention to labour abuses in the Thai fishing industry in 2014. With its recent decision to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention, and its adoption of the ILOs Forced Labour Protocol in June this year, the Thai government has chosen to lead the region. The November vote by the National Legislative Assembly to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention puts pressure on Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines with a combined US$12 billion in seafood exports last year to follow the Thai example. Thailand also has an opportunity to lead with support at the new Southeast Asia Forum for Fishers, organised by the ILO. The Forum brings together governments, employers, and unions from the regions major seafood producers to reduce and eliminate forced labour in fishing. Thailands decision to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention also sends an important signal to the governments of Myanmar and Cambodia. These countries are home to tens of thousands of fishers the Thai industry hopes to recruit, and their governments are looking for evidence that Thailands commitment to decent work in fishing will be long lasting. This commitment means more than rulemaking. Next up is stronger and more consistent enforcement of the rules, which is more likely when migrant workers are able to organise themselves and bargain with their employers. Effective enforcement is good for workers and the Thai industrys reputation around the world, and ultimately for the many vessel owners who follow the rules, by enabling a fair competition with a level playing field. In Thailand this year, International Migrants Day is more than a day for migrants wherever they are in the world, and wherever they call home. It is a day for all of us to think about how labour and livelihoods connect us all. Bamboo Airways receives first aircraft, to take off earlier than planned Bamboo Airways, has advanced its maiden flight by two days to December 27. Photo acquired by VnExpress Vietnam's newest airline, Bamboo Airways, has advanced its maiden flight by two days to December 27, its CEO said Sunday. Speaking to VnExpress, Dang Tat Thanh said the private carriers first aircraft, an Airbus A319 leased from an Irish company, has arrived in Hanoi. Earlier, Trinh Van Quyet, chairman of FLC, the company that owns the airline, had said the first flight would be on December 29. Bamboo Airways received the aviation license to become Vietnam's fifth airline early last month. But it is still awaiting an aircraft operator certificate and permissions for parking and selling tickets. It is also leasing an Airbus A320 from the same Irish company, and the airplane is expected to arrive later this month or early next month. Bamboo Airways is allowed to operate 10 aircraft on both domestic and international routes and to carry passengers and cargo on its flights. It plans to fly on 100 routes, connecting Vietnam's major cities with popular domestic and international tourist destinations. The carrier was founded with a charter capital of VND700 billion ($30 million), which it increased recently to VND1.3 trillion ($55.68 million). It has signed deals to buy 24 Airbus A320neo and 20 Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft worth a total of $8.6 billion. The other four carriers in Vietnam are Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific and VASCO. The retail market of Vietnam has already seen many names from Japan with various forms of investments. Photo by VnExpress/Nhat Nam Sumitomo Corp. will open its first supermarket in Vietnam this month, targeting increasingly well-off middle-class consumers. Fujimart Vietnam Retail, a joint venture between Sumitomo and Vietnams BRG Group, has announced it will open its first supermarket in Hanoi by the end of this year. The corporation also plans to open two outlets in the capital city next year. "Although the retail sector is very competitive, the macroeconomic situation shows that the Vietnamese market is still growing at a double-digit rate. With a positive economic outlook next year, we expect living standards to continue rising," said a Sumitomo representative. In Vietnam, the middle and affluent class, categorized as those earning $714 a month or more, would double to 33 million, about a third of the population, between 2014 and 2020, the Nikkei Asian Review reported recently, citing a study by the Boston Consulting Group. The supermarket will follow the Japanese model, where prepared foods will be made in-store, and temperature control will keep food fresh, the representative said. Sumitomo Corporation, a 100-year-old Japanese trading, investment and real estate corporation, has been in Vietnam since 1995. It has also operated for 50 years in the retail industry. In Vietnam, through its subsidiary fund ACA Investment, the corporation also has a stake in Bibomart, a retail brand for moms and babies. Prior to this project, Sumitomo has cooperated with four Vietnamese investors, including the BRG Group, in implementing a $4 billion smart city investment project in Hanois Dong Anh District. Vietnams retail market has already seen many names from Japan in various forms of investments, including Aeon, Takashimaya and 7-Eleven. VCCI chairman Vu Tien Loc says there are positive changes in the local business climate this year but much more could have been achieved. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman said the business community appreciated the Governments reform efforts in the past year, which resulted in two bright spots: administrative reform with 50 percent reduction of business conditions and initial efforts in ushering in e-governance and digital economy. However, the results have not been as expected, Loc said at the 2018 Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) held recently in Hanoi, According to a VCCI survey, as of September this year 58 percent of businesses applied for conditional business licenses, with 42 percent of them saying they had difficulties. Only 13 percent of registrations were applied online. The tax payment process has been somewhat streamlined, mainly due to the use of information technology, but the tax laws remain unclear, causing inconsistent interpretation by enterprises and tax authorities. The one-stop-shop mechanism is being established in some places. Dialogues between provincial governments and enterprises are also being organized. Concepts like co working space and business coffee shop have been introduced in many localities to connect local authorities and business people and enterprises with each other to exchange ideas and experiences. But these models have not become popular yet or achieved any great change. The rate of enterprises being audited twice or more in a year is still 40 percent. Inside a Samsung smartphone factory in Vietnam. "These figures show that the business environment has improved, but there are still many obstacles and the gap between authorities reports and reality is big," Loc said. To continue improving the business environment and promoting business development, VCCI leaders proposed a number of solutions to the government such as paring conditions for business investment and simplifying administrative procedures. Besides, VCCI representatives also offered suggestions to improve transparency at ministries with respect to inspections and information. Though Vietnam has taken many measures to improve its business environment, the results have been below expectations. It needs to improve its business environment more quickly, especially in the context of its new free trade agreements, if it does not want to fall far behind the leading ASEAN economies. "We support the government's aggressive reform programs, with two key cutting-edge administrative procedures and e-government," Loc said. Bagasse used to generate power at Lasuco, Thanh Hoa Province. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Tran Vietnam has the potential to add hundreds of megawatts of power from biomass if it makes changes to its energy policies. Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation (Lasuco) is willing to double its bagasse-fired power generation period to 300 days a year once the tariff is increased to match other renewables like wind and solar, Le Van Tam, its chairman, said. Lasuco has installed a bagasse-fired power generation system in its sugar production line in the central province of Thanh Hoa. It can generate more than 20 MW of electricity at the peak of the sugarcane crushing season. Half the output is used for the sugar mills operation and the rest is sold to the national grid through the Vietnam Electricity group (EVN). The company has been making a loss of VND600 (2.5 US cent) per kWh of electricity it sells to the grid. The feed-in tariff (FiT) fixed for bagasse-fired power based on combined heat power (CHP) technology stands at 5.8 cents per kWh while the cost is 8.3 cents. Lasucos case finds mention in a newly released report by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and German agency for international cooperation (GIZ). "Vietnam has huge untapped potential for biomass energy, and with some simple changes in policy we can see 737 MW of clean energy resulting in significant emissions reductions," Adam Ward, Vietnam country representative of the GGGI, said. Biomass energy potential of Vietnams sugar industry. Source: GGGI and GIZ report/December 2018 The current FiT of 5.8 cents is insufficient to capture the potential 737 MW capacity in the sugar industry, and at this rate, no further capacity is estimated to be economically viable to add to the existing 352 MW of installed capacity, the report said. At 7.4 cents currently fixed for non-CHP biomass power, the report shows an increase in capacity to 514 MW using multiple fuels while net present values are still negative in a single-fuel scenario. To capture the full 737 MW potential, the FiT should be 9.35 cents and rely on multifuel instead of single fuel generation, it noted. Pham Quoc Doanh, chairman of the Vietnam Sugarcane and Sugar Association, said the FiT rate for bagasse-fired power of 5.8 cents squanders away an opportunity to produce power amid the increasing demand in the country. The price of 7.4 cents mentioned in the Prime Ministers Decision 24 dated March 24, 2014 on mechanisms to support biomass power projects has not yielded fruitful results since straw- and sawdust fired power generation remains sluggish. The FiT rate for biomass energy in Vietnam is very low, less than half the rates in Thailand (13 US cents) and the Philippines (12.4 US cents), the paper said. Even compared with the rates for other renewables in Vietnam, biomass suffers: they are 9.35 cents for solar energy, 8.5 cents for onshore wind energy and 9.8 cents for offshore and 10.5 US cents for electricity from waste. Not surprisingly, Vietnams installed capacity to produce energy from biomass is very low: 352 MW compared with Thailands 3.3 GW and Indonesias 1.7 GW. Thailand has been leading Southeast Asia in biomass energy due to its abundant resources, available grid connection and favorable policies. The report criticized the "unfair treatment" for different types of renewable energy, resulting in unequal opportunities for independent developers as well as investors in biomass energy. It said besides the tariff increase, the power purchase agreement also needs to be revised to improve the bankability for investors and address the issues of dispute resolution, extension rights, grid connections, and termination rights. It also called for greater use of multiple fuel sources together with bagasse to extend the run time of the energy plants. In its revised Power Development Plan 7 (PDP7), Vietnam has set targets for various sources of renewable energy, with biomass accounting for 2.1 percent of total production by 2030. It envisages the total renewables installed capacity to reach 12 GW by 2025 and 27 GW by 2030, the latter representing 21 percent of overall power capacity. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Make America Great Again rally in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S., October 13, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Joshua Roberts Shameless, immoral, inhuman: Vietnamese Americans are protesting President Trump's push to deport thousands of Vietnamese immigrants. Protesters took over the streets of Little Saigon in Orange County, California last Saturday, rallying against the Trump administration's push to deport thousands of Vietnamese immigrants, the Los Angeles Times reported. Hundreds of people carried signs saying, "We stay together," "Protect the Vietnamese community," and "Deporting Vietnam war refugees is shameful, immoral, inhuman." The protestors said they aimed to raise awareness of the growing concern that the latest push by the Trump administration would separate families. Rally organizers said representatives from the U.S. and Vietnam met in Washington last week to talk about the re-interpreting of an agreement the two countries signed in 2008 under President George W. Bush. According to the pact, no Vietnamese immigrants who came to the U.S. before July 12, 1995 would have to return, even if they had a criminal record. The date is when the two countries formally established diplomatic relationships. The Department of Homeland Security has said its target is convicted criminals. "We have 7,000 convicted criminal aliens from Vietnam with final orders for removal," spokeswoman Katie Waldman said in a statement, adding that people ordered removed by a federal immigration judge were "noncitizens who during previous administrations were arrested, convicted." However, protesters in Little Saigon, home to the largest Vietnamese community in the U.S., argued that the majority targeted for deportation were war refugees who had sided with the United States and they should be given a second chance. The gathering is considered the first to be organized over growing concerns of deportation facing Vietnamese community members. Tracy La of VietRISE, a grass-roots organization, told the Los Angles Times that she and team members had organized the rally in just two days because "we knew a lot of people of all ages are outraged at whats happening. Knowing that a huge number of our community members are in deportation limbo compels us to act and to share our demands. No one will listen unless you speak up." According to figures from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as of last December there were over 8,600 Vietnamese nationals in the United States subject to a final order of removal. At that time 7,821 of these individuals had criminal convictions. However, it is unclear how many immigrants arriving at the U.S. before 1995 face possible deportation. According to ICE, 35 Vietnamese nationals were deported in fiscal year 2016. That number more than doubled the year after. As of April this year, 76 nationals were deported to Vietnam. Saigon police have arrested a taxi driver for coercively taking $215 for a $0.60 fare from a South Korean tourist. Truong To Chung, 55, was detained based on video footage captured by the victims friend showing the driver had charged them more than 30 times the metered fee. Truong To Chung, 55, is held at police station for overcharging, stealing $215 from South Korean tourist. Photo by VnExpress/Quoc Thang When a taxi that Fan Jining, 36, and his friend had taken from the War Remnants Museum in District 3 to the city center broke down midway Wednesday, they got off and took Chungs car. When the taxi stopped at Cong Quynh Street in District 1, the meter read VND14,000 ($0.60) but the driver asked the South Koreans to pay VND400,000 ($17.21). However, Fan refused and insisted on paying the meter fare. As he tried to pay, Chung grabbed ten VND500,000 notes from his hand. Fan began shouting, but the driver used an iron bar to threaten him and fled. Fans friend had filmed the incident on his mobile phone, and they reported the robbery to the police. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest metropolis, is one of the most visited destinations in the country, with seven million foreigners arriving in the first 11 months of 2018. Taxi scams are less frequent than they used to be, but foreigners are still targeted by unscrupulous drivers in certain areas. Buddhist prayers by Vietnamese lensman one the best shots of the year: NatGeo Buddhist Prayers captures the scene of hundreds of Buddhist followers praying with floral garlands and colored lanterns. A photo taken by Tran Tuan Viet of a Buddhist ritual has been selected among 70 best shots of the year by National Geographic. Buddhist Prayers captures the scene of hundreds of Buddhist followers praying with floral garlands and colored lanterns on the Quan Am Bodhisattva Buddha Day on October 29 last year at the Dien Quang Pagoda in the northern province of Bac Ninh. The three-hour ritual, a prayer for peace and health for all of humankind, begins at sunset. Viet, whose Instagram user name is vietsui, posted the photo on Your Shot Photo Community of the U.S.-based Natgeo magazine on June 13 this year and it was applauded by photo editors of one of the worlds most prestigious magazines. The top 70 Natgeo best shots of 2018 were selected from 1.2 million photos taken by thousands of photographers from across the world and posted on Your Shot Photo Community. Viet, 35, a native of the central province of Ha Tinh, is a passionate photographer who travels around the country taking pictures of landscapes and cultural features. Many of his shots have been featured by Natgeo. Last May, the Vietnamese photographer defeated 4,800 other rivals to claim the first prize in the travel category of the 2018 photo contest organized by the U.S.-based Smithsonian magazine for his photo of the traditional incense-making craft in Quang Phu Cau Commune, Ung Hoa District in Hanoi. It set a contest record, drawing more than 50,000 views. Vietnam is a predominantly Buddhist nation. It is estimated that over 70 percent of the Vietnamese population are either Buddhist or follow Buddhist practices. Dien Quang Pagoda in Bac Ninh Province is around 50 kilometers ( 31 miles) to northeast of Hanoi. Sun Group last week opened Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel in Sa Pa, the gateway to mountainous northern Vietnam. Designed by Bill Bensley, "the king of exoticluxury resorts" as he was dubbed by Time magazine, and managed by Sun Groups strategic partner, AccorHotels, under its MGallery brand, this superlative boutique hotel has set a new benchmark for luxury tourism in Sa Pa, which offers access to Mount Fansipan, "the roof of Indochina" at 3,143m. The MGallery collection features numerous iconic, artfully designed hotels, many of which have hosted world famous leaders, celebrities and authors. By taking inspiration from each hotels distinctive surroundings, every MGallery hotel tells its own unique story. The Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel is no exception. Private firm Sun Group is a leading investor in hotels, resorts, and recreation and amusement places in Vietnam. Hotel de la Coupole is the first international first five-star hotel to debut in Sa Pa town. As the first international five-star hotel to open in Sa Pa town in Lao Cai Province, Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel fulfills the Sun Groups dream of restoring Sa Pa back to its heyday, when the town was a retreat for French people in the Tonkinese Alps. Featuring 249 modern and elegant rooms and suites in six categories, Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel offers guests breathtaking views of Sa Pa valley, the mountains and the nearby town square. Inspired by French motifs du jour, while always looking to add a Sapa twist, Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel is both a fabulous tribute to a bygone era and its mountain setting. While its evocative facade and nostalgia-tinged ambience revive the splendors of 1920s French Indochina, the vibrant colors, patterns and textures of its interiors are inspired by the hill tribes, who live all around the mountains of Sapa, and the lush sophistication of French haute couture. Thousands of vintage collectibles and hill tribe accessories were collected by Bill Bensley to create what will be a truly unique guest experience in one of the most heavenly destinations in Asia. With this exquisite detail and sumptuous overall design from Bensley, and the superlative AccorHotels services under the MGallery Brand, Hotel de la Coupole re-affirms Sun Groups ambition to "stand on the shoulders of giants" by always partnering with world-renowned architects and premier hospitality brands. Guests will also discover that F&B is at the heart and soul of Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel. At Chic, a French restaurant with haute couture inspired decor, customers can dine in a grand yet intimate setting with refined French dishes infused with local ingredients and a carefully-curated wine list, comprising specially procured French labels. Featuring both a cozy interior and an open rooftop with a fireplace and offering views of the mountains, Absinthe offers a selection of tapas, wines and locally inspired cocktails. Downstairs, Cacao features a variety of freshly baked patisseries, handmade macaroons and specialty coffees, teas and a signature hot chocolate, the perfect treat in the cool mountain air. Rooms with wide open doors that overlook Sa Pa valley, mountain views and town square. Leisure facilities include a heated indoor pool called Le Grand Bassin, a fitness center, Nuages Spa and Bobbins kids club. As the only international luxury hotel in Sapa, the resort offers a 435sqm ballroom that can host up to 570 guests in theatre style with four meeting rooms and two board rooms that can host small meetings and conferences. The hotels guests are just a few short steps from the hustle and bustle of Sapa Market with its range of handicrafts and souvenirs. They will also be able to explore the mountains, visiting the Sapa Love Market where Mong and Dao ethnic groups go courting on Saturdays. As part of a network of luxury accommodation, amusement and recreation facilities that Sun Group is developing in Sa Pa, Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel also offers guests a unique, VIP journey to the very top of Sa Pa. From the hotel, guests will be ferried to Muong Hoa cable car station from where they can make a seven-minute trip to the Fansipan cable car station, enjoying the spectacular beauty of Hoang Lien Son range with its rolling mountains, forests and valleys from a great height. At the top of Fansipan, dubbed "the Roof of Indochina", guests will be bowled over not only by the spellbinding scenery but also a complex of Buddha statues and pagodas. At the grand opening ceremony, Jean-Pierre Joncas, general manager of Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel, said: "I am excited to launch the first international luxury hotel in Sapa that fuses high-fashion glamour with colorful hill tribe-style. Renowned for its picturesque beauty, Sapa is famous for its rugged scenery and rich cultural diversity. "Guests staying at the hotel can bask in the picturesque beauty of Fansipan Mountain with a ride up the Fansipan cable car, which offers enthralling views of Muong Hoa Valley and the Hoang Lien Son Mountain range." Dang Minh Truong, vice president, CEO of Sun Group, agreed wholeheartedly, adding: "Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel marks a new beginning for Sun Group on this journey to accompany Lao Cai Province and bring Sa Pa tourism to a new standard of development. Heated pool named Le Grand Bassin at Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel. "We believe that the impressive design of the hotel, together with its one-of-a-kind services will bring guests unforgettable experiences, and lead Sa Pa tourism to new heights of development, showcasing its attractiveness and position in the region and the world." With Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel, truly a masterpiece of hotel design, Sun Group has taken another major step toward restoring Sa Pa as a leading global tourism destination. Along with the Fansipan cable car system and a series of unique tourism products accessible by the Muong Hoa cable car system, such as the Sun World Fansipan Legend complex and the pagodas built on top of Fansipan mountain, Sun Group has quite literally taken tourism in Sapa to new heights. In the near future Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery by Sofitel will help put Sapa, and Lao Cai Province, on the map as a luxurious destination known throughout the world, just as the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort and JW Marriot Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, also developed by Sun Group, have helped fly the flag for luxury tourism in Danang and Phu Quoc. Tourists row a boat on the iconic Hoai River in the ancient town of Hoi An. Photo by Shutterstocks/Phuong Nguyen U.S. travel magazine Travel+Leisure lists the ancient town of Hoi An among the 50 best places to touch down next year. With only two weeks left to go until the year-end, vacation enthusiasts around the world have made travel plans for 2019. The prestigious magazine asked travel experts, reputed writers and hospitality professionals to weigh in with travel experiences around the world and share their opinions on the worlds top trending destinations in 2019. Hoi An in Central Vietnam, 30 kilometers south of Da Nang, has received high marks alongside others such as Cambodia, Singapore, Langkawi in Malaysia and Uttarakhand in India. Travel+Leisure also lists a few options for tourists in Hoi An. Co Mai (Madam Mai) Restaurant is in a 200-year-old merchants house and a must-visit place for signature dishes that will help you gain an insight into Hoi Ans spice trade history. The ancient town of Hoi An is seen from above. Photo by Shutterstocks/Anthony Tran At Tadioto Hoi An, owned by artist Nguyen Qui Duc, try some Japanese fare and shots of rare sake and whisky, while the menu at T-Room Gin Bar includes gins infused with native vanilla, cardamom and black pepper. The list also features several European destinations such as Berlin, Cambridge in the U.K., Helsinki and Ischia in Italy. Last year was a good one for Hoi An, with the UNESCO world heritage site garnering accolades from global travel magazines and retaining its popularity on the global tourism map. Travel + Leisure had also included Hoi An in this years list of 15 best tourism cities around the world to explore. It was voted as the best choice for budget-conscious foreigners seeking to settle down in Vietnam by Canadas The Travel website. It said an apartment close to the river in Hoi An would cost just $458 a month and monthly food expenses, $450. Thus, monthly living costs in Hoi An would be managed within $1,000, it said. Hoi An ranked second in a list of the 10 safest and most exciting places on this earth for solo travelers compiled by travel editors at Momondo, a U.K.-based travel site. Life on the shelf: China's bachelors saving face, cash with Mekong brides Increasing numbers of woman -- and teenage girls -- are kidnapped, tricked or forced into marriage in China from neighbouring countries. Photo by AFP/ Peter Parks Divorced, in his 40s and fearing a solitary future, Zhou Xinsen went online like thousands of other Chinese men. He was looking for an affordable and fast solution to bachelordom -- a Vietnamese bride. He was among millions of his gender struggling on the sidelines of China's ultra competitive marriage market, where a decades-long one-child policy and sex-selective abortions of daughters has resulted in a massive gender gap. "It's very hard for people my age to find a Chinese wife," 41-year-old Zhou says. Single men, many in remote rural villages, are known as "bare branches", a pejorative term in a country where pressure to marry and extend the family tree is sharp. Running out of time, Zhou forked out nearly $20,000 to find his second wife -- a 26-year-old from Vietnam who he relocated to Jiangsu province. "For people my age, time is bought with money." Having fixed his romantic quandary, Zhou then opened his own match-making business, taking a small slice from China's multi-million-dollar annual trade in overseas brides. He charges around 120,000 yuan ($17,400) to connect Chinese men with Vietnamese brides via his website, which shows photos of women aged 20-35 "waiting to be married". While many unions flourish, others quickly lurch into crisis with women disappointed at swapping village poverty in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar for life in rural China. Photo by AFP It's "profitable", he says, remaining coy on the amount of money he has made. A portion of the money from matches is meant to be funnelled back to families in poor Mekong area countries. While many unions flourish, others quickly lurch into crisis with women disappointed at swapping village poverty in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar for life in rural China. Those costs rose to between $22,000-29,000 in parts of the country last year, according to state media. Problems start when the brides feel duped about what they are getting into, says Zhou, who sends a monthly remittance to his wife's family of $175 as a show of goodwill. "This is nothing to us, but for them it's lifesaving," he adds. Family business Chinese men face a barrage of economic, psychological and cultural pressures to find a wife, says Jiang Quanbao, a Professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University's Institute for Population and Development Studies. China's single men are often older, divorced, disabled or too poor to pay the traditional "bride price" -- a dowry in gifts or cash -- for a Chinese wife. Beijing switched from a one-child to a two-child policy in 2016, but experts say it may take decades to see a rise in the number of women of marriage age. Photo by AFP "Marriage is not only a personal matter, it concerns an entire family... especially the parents," Jiang told AFP. As women -- especially in the cities -- push back marriage while they work, study and enjoy single life, China's villages are fast losing their female population. Sons left unmarried become an issue of family "face" in tight village communities, says Jiang. That crushing social expectation has driven a grim trade in brides. Increasing numbers of women -- and teenage girls -- from neighbouring countries are kidnapped, tricked or forced into marriage, according to several rescue groups across the Mekong who spoke to AFP. "Buying a woman who has been kidnapped becomes a kind of hopeless choice," Jiang adds. Last year Chinese police rescued women sold into forced marriages in Henan, Anhui, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, as the buy-a-bride trade billows out to the eastern provinces. Crime and deception Under Chinese law, the abduction and trafficking of women or children is punishable by five to ten years jail. But critics say the law needs updating as the trade surges. "It's extremely profitable and there's no incentive at all for traffickers to stop," Mimi Vu of the Vietnam-based Pacific Links Foundation, which works to prevent human trafficking. "The demand is there and the money, the profit is there to be made." Beijing switched from a one-child to a two-child policy in 2016, but experts say it may take decades to see a rise in the number of women of marriage age. That means the bride trade is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon. Zhou describes his work as "a public service" in a country where there are 33 million fewer women than men. But the outcomes for Chinese men are often far from perfect, with money warping motives throughout the system. Cautionary tales -- of dodgy brokers, trafficked women and brides pocketing money then fleeing -- abound on Chinese social media as the market widens. "It is an industry, and many of them (marriages) are fraudulent," one Weibo user wrote recently. "It's time the government takes care of this business." Another man in Hubei told state media he paid a broker $8,700 to meet a young Vietnamese woman who left him after three months, later aborting their baby as she went on the lookout for another husband. "Now I have neither a wife nor the money," he told the Chutian Metropolis Daily. "I'm a laughing stock in the village." Washington is concerned the pipeline, which will bypass Ukraine by running under the Baltic Sea, will strip Ukraine of important transit revenues and says Moscow is using the project to divide Europe. Germanys economy minister said he believed the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline can go ahead while preserving Ukraines vital interests, but that Berlin is also in talks to diversify its energy supply with liquefied natural gas. U.S. President Donald Trump in July accused Germany of being a captive of Russia due to its energy reliance and urged it to halt work on the $11 billion, Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that is to be built in the Baltic Sea, according to Reuters. Berlin and Moscow have been at odds since Russia annexed Crimea four years ago, but they have a common interest in the Nord Stream 2 project, which will double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream 1 route from next year. Washington is concerned the pipeline, which will bypass Ukraine by running under the Baltic Sea, will strip Ukraine of important transit revenues and says Moscow is using the project to divide Europe. Read alsoHow to stop Nord Stream 2 and destroy Russian-German alliance bound with gas and corruption Personally, I believe that this project can be justified if Ukraines vital interests are preserved at the same time, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told Reuters in an interview conducted on Friday for publication on Sunday. And one of these vital interests is that even after 2019, substantial gas transit through Ukraine will take place from Russia. There are discussions about this at the moment, he said, adding that the detail of the talks was very difficult. Ukraine derives up to 3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) from transit charges. Read alsoEU might need to switch to firewood if Nord Stream 2 project halted, MFA Russia warns We will not reduce dependence on Russia by torpedoing a pipeline such as Nord Stream 2 and then sourcing gas from Russia from other pipelines, Altmaier said. Greater independence is only conceivable if, in addition to the long-term supply of gas, we also create an LNG infrastructure in Germany. Washington has touted liquefied natural gas (LNG), delivered by U.S. companies, as an alternative to Russian gas. Altmaier said German government members were agreed they wanted to build the infrastructure to import LNG soon, and we are currently in the process of clarifying the location issue with private investors. Read alsoNord Stream 2: Is Europe aware of the Russian noose? Turning to Britains departure from the European Union, Altmaier said an EU summit last week showed a deal on Britains withdrawal from the bloc could not be renegotiated but on the other hand, that the European Union is ready to provide clarification. Between these two poles ... there is a certain amount of tension that can only be overcome by Britain putting proposals on the table that, as far as I can see, are not yet available, he added. Ukraine licensed to export poultry, eggs to Singapore Forms of veterinary certificates for poultry exports are to be approved. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Food prices not to increase in Ukraine before spring 2019 economist Producers usually revise prices in February-March, the expert said. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Nearly 2,800 cars with foreign registration legalized in Ukraine under new rules Fiscal Service A total of UAH 187.1 million (US$6.7 million) had been channeled into the national budget since November 26, the Service said. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter PM explains when Ukraine to receive EUR 500 mln from EU Groysman noted that Ukraine was scheduled to receive the second tranche of the EU's macro-financial assistance in early 2019. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukraine is to pay off $17 bln in debt over next two years central bank In 2019, state banks must pay about $1.1 billion on eurobonds. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter A young woman, allegedly linked to ISIS, is arrested in 2015. EFE All of a sudden, the WhatsApp group had no one in it. Its members promptly erased themselves when National Police busted a network of extremists who were attracting around 30 women from the Spanish exclave cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa to either marry or become the sex slaves of Islamic State fighters in August 2014. Women are targeted with romantic propaganda showing images of heroic Mujahideen and princes This was Operation Kibera. It was a real digital scare, says a spokesman from the anti-terrorist unit. The operation had far-reaching consequences, most recently leading to the arrest in France of a cell sending money to Syria. But the Jihadist networks are growing wise to police tactics and are becoming increasingly good at hiding their activities online, according to investigators. Last September, Spain's High Court (Audiencia Nacional) dealt with two cases which highlighted the role of women in Jihadist cells. One was Operation Kibera, in which four women and a man named Yawad Mohamed were given prison sentences of up to five years for sending female volunteers to Iraq and Syria as ISIS recruits. The other case jailed two friends, Sanae Boughroum and Laila Haira, for running an indoctrination network. Both networks were active between 2014 and 2015, after ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi proclaimed the Islamic State and the terrorist network reached its height in Syria and Iraq. Nadia, a woman arrested in Operaction Kibera, with the ISIS flag During that time, Jihadist propaganda and funding was intense and almost 40,000 people, mostly men, left for various conflict zones around 220 of them were either Spanish or residents in Spain. The story is very different today. ISIS has lost control of the areas it took and is now struggling to keep control of a handful of strongholds along the Euphrates River between Syria and Iraq, and a few largely deserted areas in both countries. Its impossible to go there now, say police sources. Almost all of those who are there who are under surveillance want to come back. Now we are focusing more on the returns than the trips to conflict zones. But getting out of there is not easy. They have to get through a triple filter of Kurdish militias, government forces and the international coalition. As Islamic State is not a centralized entity, it is difficult for police to ascertain who is in charge of recruiting volunteers. Still, what happens in the conflict zone has an obvious impact on the activities of the cells. In 2012, for example, women rarely traveled to Syria and Iraq. The fighters were predominantly men with military training. But when the Caliphate was declared, more people started to go out to fight and the numbers of women also multiplied, though according to police analysts, their role was to satisfy the sexual needs of the fighters. By 2015, ISIS was losing ground and women began to fight often in suicide missions. Women were filmed in palaces to create the illusion they were going to live a life of luxury. In reality, they didnt even have enough to eat Police source Islamic State has a vast communications department, says a police spokesman. The Jihadist network generates global content that is then adapted by local producers according to the country and the gender being targeted. While men receive more violent content designed to radicalize them faster, the women are given more romantic material, showing heroic Mujahideen or princes they might aspire to marry. The first women who went out to the conflict zones were filmed in palaces to create the illusion they were going to live a life of luxury. In reality, they didnt even have enough to eat, says a police source. The indoctrination network intercepted by Operation Kibera was cleverly designed to identify potential recruits. First, WhatsApp groups of 30 to 40 women were set up and topics of supposed interest to women such as cooking and religion were discussed. Every now and again, a picture of Mujahideen fighters or Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territories would be thrown in and reactions gauged. Those who showed an interest were then contacted individually and subjected to indoctrination sessions to encourage them to go out to the conflict zone. These communication channels are still active today, according to police sources, though without the level of success they enjoyed in 2014. The idealization of ISIS four years ago no longer exists, says a police spokesman. Successive defeats have brought the reality home, but Islamic State can still attract sympathizers and it still has fans that we need to control. After the Islamic State was declared, many women traveled to conflict zones to fulill the sexual needs of the fighters Besides being a highly successful propaganda machine, the Jihadist network has legal advisors to help it become familiar with the workings of police investigations and adapt its methods accordingly. Many of those involved have been ordinary criminals and they are quite precocious. Jihadist ideals carry a lot of weight. Far from preparing them to fit back into society, their time inside increases their aversion to the system. They get to know it and are familiar with its cracks, says one investigator. In a bid to evade detection, the Jihadist network has channeled its funding away from Western Union and MoneyGram and now uses Hawala, a system that uses intermediaries and avoids having to physically transport the money. The Jihadist threat is much more clandestine nowadays, says one police chief, who stresses the need to launch a de-radicalization program. The bad guys know how to hide themselves better, the organizations survive but we are noticing they are becoming more isolated. They are under a lot of social pressure and there is a growing lack of confidence among them. Once we came across a gathering of women discussing cooking and showing each other clothes all with their faces completely covered. As soon as Jihadism was mentioned, several left the group, something that wouldnt have happened before. Police sources indicate that on the border of Jordan, around one in four women coming from a conflict zone asking for political asylum refuse to take off the veil for the police report. It doesnt mean they are all terrorists. But they are very radical, says the police chief. English version by Heather Galloway. The language was the biggest challenge. Some people are able to pick up languages very quickly but I am one of those who struggles a lot more. Even to this day I never relax fully or feel absolutely fluent in Spanish I still make too many errors and get upset when I do. So explains Alastair Binns, a 42-year-old Englishman who moved to Spain in 2007. His experience is one that, no doubt, many who have taken the plunge and embarked on a new life in another country have had to deal with. But despite the linguistic difficulties, Alastair has thrived since moving here from China, driven by his and his wifes desire to leave what they called the Asian expat bubble, and find a place where they could become a true part of the community and interact more freely with the locals. My first perception was of this lovely group of people who were very smiley and open but I didnt have a clue what they were talking about They chose Andalusia as their destination and spent six months renovating a house in the Subbetica mountains in Cordoba, turning it into a casa rural. I didnt speak a word of Spanish, he explains about his arrival in the country. My first perception was of this lovely group of people who were very smiley and open but I didnt have a clue what they were talking about. Undeterred, Alastair signed up for classes in the village, where his classmates were older Spanish ladies who were learning to read and write, while he was learning to speak. I was the only male, and the only person under 70 in the class! he recalls. Once he and his wife had got their casa rural up and running, Alastair went in search of new employment. He found a position with a UK company that had recently offshored its collections and credit-control department, and was tasked with recruiting new staff and setting up the firms processes. In 2010, and with a baby on the way, the couple moved to Madrid in search of new opportunities. His first job involved selling wine to fellow Britons, and then he moved to American Express, where he took on a phone sales position, convincing restaurants, hotels and other businesses to accept the companys credit card. Six years later he is now managing a team of 30 people, with another 30 on the horizon. The weather and lifestyle are beautiful, the people are very open, warm and welcoming, and life is built on being outside and socializing Has anything disappointed him since he moved to Spain? Nothing, comes his reply. Foreigners here are integrated with the locals, and its very different from expat Asia. Before moving here I didnt know anything about Spain. The weather and lifestyle are beautiful, the people are very open, warm and welcoming, and life is built on being outside and socializing. What advice does he have for a person planning on living here? The language is key, at least the basics. But in the big cities there are jobs that you can do without Spanish. The key is finding them, getting into them and then you can learn it while you are working. But of course, no matter how long you live in Spain, there are some things that newcomers will always struggle to get used to. I still dont like the timetable, he says. I will happily get up at 6am but if I do that I dont see anyone for about three hours! I am also happy to go to bed at 9.30pm, but if I do that I end up having dinner alone. My body clock isnt suited to a Spanish lifestyle, thats for sure If you have an interesting story to tell about your life in Spain, send us an email at englishedition@elpais.es UK PM Theresa May and Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez in Brussels. Fernando Calvo (EFE) Madrid and London are negotiating a bilateral treaty to maintain local voting rights for the 280,000 British nationals living in Spain and the more than 115,000 Spaniards residing in the UK, said diplomatic sources. On March 30, 2019, the UK will exit the European Union and British migrants will lose their right to vote in municipal elections. The Spanish and British parliaments must ratify the deal once it is signed by Madrid and London Whether or not British Prime Minister Theresa May secures parliamentary approval for the Brexit deal, UK nationals will no longer be considered EU citizens after that date. If there is agreement on the transition period, UK citizens in Spain will preserve most of their rights intact until December 2020, but this does not extend to voting in the municipal and European elections of May 26, 2019. Once it is signed, the deal will be in the same category as any other international treaty and will require ratification by the Spanish and British parliaments. This will probably not happen in time for the May 26 elections next year, diplomatic sources have admitted. In order to work around this problem, the Spanish Foreign Ministry is considering the option of making the agreement go provisionally into force as soon as it is signed by both governments. Largest community Spain is home to the largest community of British migrants in the entire EU. This group of around 280,000 people also represents the second-largest community from a European country living in Spain, after Romanians. Countries with voting rights On May 26, 2019 the citizens of 39 countries, besides Spaniards themselves, will be able to vote in local and European elections: the other 27 member states of the EU, Norway, Iceland, Cape Verde, New Zealand, South Korea, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. The reciprocal rights agreement that Madrid and London are working on is similar to what Spain already has with a dozen countries including Norway, Iceland and several Latin American nations. But there is one added feature to this particular draft deal: citizens will not only be able to vote in local polls, but also be elected to office. This additional right recognizes the fact that there are already British nationals who are working as elected councilors in several Spanish municipalities. According to data compiled by the center-right party Ciudadanos, there are currently 37 British councilors in Spain: 19 in the Valencia region (which is home to 31.4% of the UK community in Spain), eight in Andalusia (home to another 31%), with the rest spread out in the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia. Collateral damage Losing their voting rights is just one of the collateral damages of Brexit, in the words of Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell. There are other rights that the British community is considerably concerned about, such as residency, work and access to the public healthcare system. Borrell said last Thursday that the Spanish government will work closely with the UK Embassy in Madrid to encourage British nationals who are not yet registered in Spain to do so. The minister estimated that there are still several tens of thousands of Britons living in Spain whose presence is not reflected on any municipal register. The Foreign Ministry is also planning to reinforce its presence in the UK by opening a new consulate in Manchester. English version by Susana Urra. CDR members protest in Catalonia. Jaume Sellart (EFE) Do you know any community that has achieved any rights by sitting on the sofa at home? This is one of the messages that has been sent out by the self-styled Committee for the Defense of the Republic (CDR), a pro-independence protest group that has already staged a number of demonstrations in Catalonia. Outside of Catalonia the Cabinet meeting in Barcelona could look like an attempt to ease tensions but here our people are in prison, on trial, in exile CDR member Marta As the Spanish central government prepares to hold its weekly Cabinet meeting in Barcelona on Friday, December 21, the CDR has been busy rallying supporters on social media. Using the message service Telegram, CDR groups across Catalonia have called on people to bring Barcelona to a standstill. One message claims: The revolution of smiles is over. Now is the time for action. Last week, the radical separatist group called for a battle on the day to stop the meeting going ahead. The separatist organization believes the Cabinet meeting is a provocation given it coincides with the first anniversary of the December 21 regional elections, which were called by the central government of then-Popular Party (PP) Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after the regions powers were suspended. But there is concern within the CDR that the situation could get out of control. The group has warned members that protesters could face up to four years in prison if judges and prosecutors find that they have endangered the meeting. The activists aim to push the protest to the legal limit but with no clear leaders that may prove difficult. The power of the CDR resides in its anonymity and the directives they receive just moments before protest action, the group told EL PAIS at a meeting in the Guinardo neighborhood in Barcelona, held to discuss the upcoming Cabinet meeting. They explained that the CDR tries to avoid having leaders but admits that sometimes it is inevitable. The activists said that the revolution of smiles is over but disobedience has many ways of being public without violent. The Cabinet meeting will be held in Casa Llotja de Mar. In a message on Telegram, the CDR group in Girona claimed that December 21 will be the moment to return to the streets and return the spirit of October 1 the date of last years illegal referendum on Catalan independence. The CDR are not allowed to use social media to share messages that cause confusion, criminalization or fear and insisted that while each group has separate demands they work in a coordinated fashion. According to the separatists, the goal is to cause chaos peacefully. In any protest there is self-defense and civil disobedience, said Marta, a CDR member who did not want to use her real name. Outside of Catalonia the Cabinet meeting in Barcelona could look like an attempt to ease tensions but here our people are in prison, on trial, in exile. Catalan business sector push for Sanchez and Torra to meet M. N. The Catalan Public Works Ministry, which is part of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), has invited Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Catalan premier Quim Torra to attend an awards ceremony and dinner on Thursday, December 20 the night before the Cabinet meeting. "It is very important for us for the two leaders to be part of this event to give an image of stability and normality that could favor everyone," says Josep Sanchez Llibre, the head of the ministry. Around 600 Catalan business people are expected to attend the dinner. Government sources have not confirmed whether Sanchez will take part. Marta believes Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of the Socialist Party (PSOE) has chosen to hold the Cabinet meeting in Barcelona to provoke the pro-independence movement and justify the application of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. This emergency measure, which suspended the regions autonomous powers, was invoked by Rajoy following the unilateral declaration of independence last year. Marta says the meeting is also being used to push forward elections so that the PSOE gets the best results at the expense of Catalonia. Meanwhile, the co-founder of the terrorist group Terra Lliure, Fredi Bentanachs, has called on demonstrators to protest peacefully on December 21. In a video, Bentanachs said: We cannot go to a protest to break windows, knock down barriers things that do not help us and only serve to validate claims by those who support Article 155 that we are violent. The plan for December 22 is to get as close as possible to the meeting venue in Llotja de Mar. The union Intersindicato, which has very few members, has called on its workers to strike between 12.30 and 2.30pm. A strike between 10am and 2pm has also been called at universities across the region. Thousands of students are expected to fill the streets of the Catalan capital and follow the instructions shared by CDR on social media. More than 9,000 law enforcement officers will be on duty in Catalonia to safeguard public security on the day. English version by Melissa Kitson. The 2018 Miss Universe pageant held a particular relevance for Spain: for the first time in the history of the competition, there was a transgender contestant, Angela Ponce, a native of Seville. The 27-year-old did not make it past the first round, which eliminated 74 out of the 94 contestants, but Ponce nevertheless received a heartfelt tribute from the judges and audience gathered inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand for the final round of the competition. Angela Ponce Ponce, who is an LGTBQ+ activist, became the center of attention when a pre-taped segment was broadcast showcasing key moments of Miss Spains life and efforts leading up to her participation in the beauty pageant, which was won by Catriona Gray of the Philippines. Following the video, Miss Spain walked out on stage holding up her sash and received a standing ovation. Ive always thought that dreaming is a very positive thing, she was heard saying in the three-minute segment. A voice-over told the audience that Angela is changing history as the first transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe. Despite the achievement, inclusion is not complete, added the narrator. A few months ago, Miss Colombia asserted that the beauty competition is for women who were born women. Many people dont have information about what it is to be a transgender woman, to have that part of you telling you that your identity is female, says Ponce in the video. In order to eradicate intolerance, I think it is very important to teach those values from a young age. It is my hope that one day we will be able to live in an equal world for everybody. Reality is going to change for many people, and if I can bring this to the world, I dont need to win Miss Universe. I just need to be here, she adds. While Ponces claim to the Miss Spain throne raised very few eyebrows, things changed when she was named Spains Miss Universe candidate on June 29. Particularly in Latin America, where the beauty pageant has a strong following, Ponce was ridiculed and hounded on social media. English version by Susana Urra. Police at the Kharkiv airport have detained a resident of Dnipro who is reasonably suspected in being involved in murdering Vitaliy Oleshko, a civil activist from Berdiansk who has served in Donbas under codename Sarmat, as one of those who had ordered that crime, Viacheslav Abroskin, first deputy head of the National Police of Ukraine, has said. "Officers of the criminal police detained a resident of Dnipro yesterday when he tried to cross the state border at the Kharkiv international airport. He is reasonably suspected in and is one of those who ordered the murder of the civil activist, an Anti-Terrorist Operation veteran, Vitaliy Oleshnko, who was killed in Berdiansk on July 31, 2018," Abroskin wrote on his page on Facebook on December 17. He did not reveal any details of the detainee. At the same time, the press services of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has said that the suspect was identified by border guards when he was trying to board the plane due to fly from Kharkiv to Istanbul. "When checking the IDs of a Ukrainian national, born in 1984, the law enforcement officers established that he had been wanted under Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (premeditated murder). The man was trying to leave the country on board the KharkivIstanbul flight," the press service of the State Border Guard Service said. Oleshko (codename Sarmat) was show dead with a shotgun made of a hunting rifle on July 31 in downtown Berdiansk. The police detained five suspects in Oleshko's murder: four in the town of Vasylyivka in the Zaporizhia region, and one in Berdiansk. MP Anton Gerashchenko of the People's Front faction said that Oleshko's murderer was a former sniper from the special police unit Tornado who had also served in the Anti-Terrorist Operation. Four other detainees, sportsmen from Dnipro and its region, were his partners in crime. On August 20, Abroskin said that the police detained several more people involved in the murder of Oleshko, and five persons detained earlier, including the organizer of the crime, were kept in custody. On September 15, the police reported they detained a person suspected in organizing the premeditated murder of Oleshko. On September 27, the person suspected in murdering Oleshko confessed that he had committed the crime by order of the owner of the Mojito restaurant in Berdiansk, Zaporizhia region. The permanent representatives of the European Union states approved a six-month extension of the economic sanctions against Russia that expire on January 31, 2019; the relevant political decision was made at a European Council meeting on December 13, an EU source told Interfax. Approval was given without a discussion at a meeting in Brussels, the source told Interfax. Unlike packages of Ukraine-related sanctions, decisions on economic sanctions are made on the basis of assessment of the implementation of the Minsk Agreements by the leaders of France and Germany as participants in the Normandy Format, the source said. Political decisions on such sanctions are made by EU heads of state and government, the source said. The established legal procedure has been initiated, and a legal act will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union following the approval of relevant measures by the Council of the EU, the source said. The lawyers for the Ukrainian sailors arrested in Russia will meet with their clients before the end of the year, and there are no doubts that the sailors will insist on recognizing them as prisoners of war, Nikolai Polozov, who leads the defense team for the Ukrainian sailors, said on Monday. "In line with the schedule of investigative procedures, all lawyers will see their clients before the New Year's," Polozov said at a news conference in Kyiv. He said he was sure that, as well as the eight sailors who have already recognized themselves as prisoners of war, the rest will also insist on this status. "The sailors have all chances only if they maintain a common position," Polozov said. "The investigation will be trying to set them against each other... The defense team will try to keep the sailors from these actions," he said. Lawyers have met and will continue to meet with the sailors at the Federal Security Service (FSB) investigative directorate, Polozov said. Courts are very likely to extend the duration of the investigation and the sailors' arrests in January 2019, Polozov said. The Russian border guard used weapons to stop three Ukrainian naval vessels, the Yany Kapu tug and the Berdyansk and the Nikopol armored gunboats, on their way from Odesa to Mariupol near the Kerch Strait on November 25. The ships were convoyed to Kerch. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal investigation and charged the 24 Ukrainian sailors with "conspiracy by a group of persons or an organized group to illegally cross the border in a violent way or with the threat to use violence" (Part 3 of Article 322 of the Russian Penal Code). Courts in Simferopol and Kerch remanded the sailors in custody until January 25, 2019. Early on November 30, 21 of them were transported from Crimea to the Lefortovo facility in Moscow, and the remaining three, who were wounded, were admitted to the infirmary of the Matrosskaya Tishina detention facility. Kyiv calls the detained sailors prisoners of war. The FSB says they cannot be regarded as POWs, as they are charged with a crime and Russia and Ukraine are not in a state of war or military conflict. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov has commented on a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the Ukrainian army's alleged preparation for an attack on the Russian Armed Forces. The "exposure" by the Russian Foreign Minister of an "offensive by the Ukrainian army together with U.S. and British instructors on the Russian Armed Forces, scheduled for the last ten days of December" together with other statements by him, like the "Nazi" and "neo-Nazi regime," etc., can be commented with one phrase sheer nonsense," Turchynov wrote on Facebook on Monday. Earlier, Lavrov told the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda: "[Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko said he won't extend martial law unless there is some provocation on the contact line in Donbas or at the administrative border with Crimea. We have some information, as our official representative Maria Zakharova has said repeatedly, that the Ukrainian military has concentrated about 19,000 troops and a large amount of hardware at the contact line and that UK and U.S. instructors are assisting it in that." "Some new information we have received, which we are inclined to trust, indicates that Poroshenko is planning an act of provocation at the border with the Russian Federation for the end of December. He will face a response he won't find funny. Our country is our borders. We won't allow him to try to pursue some interests of his own and violate the rights that the Crimeans defended in full compliance with international law," Lavrov said. "According to our information, they are discussing provocation at the border with Crimea with their Western overseers," he said. Later on Monday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman responded, saying Lavrov, "How can I comment on the Russian foreign minister's words? My first reaction to your question is: he invented this himself and then came up and voiced it. [...] The only thing he hasn't done yet is the implementation of his absolutely inadequate plan," Groysman said at a joint news briefing with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice President Federica Mogherini in Brussels. "I think this is yet another attempt by Russia to vindicate its barbarity and undisguised military aggression," he said. Groysman suggested Lavrov facilitate the liberation of the Ukrainian sailors detained following the November 25 incident in the Kerch Strait and "the withdrawal of Russia's Armed Forces from Ukrainian territory." "I think then his contribution to peace and diplomacy would be very significant and would deserve respect around the world," he said. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Over Three Million Families to Receive in Their Post Boxes Invoices from the State from Which They Will Learn How Much Free Medicine, Education, and Salaries of Government Officials Cost' On Tuesday, December 18, at 10.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Over Three Million Families to Receive in Their Post Boxes 'Invoices from the State' from Which They Will Learn How Much 'Free' Medicine, Education, and Salaries of Government Officials Cost." Participating will be Dmytro Boyarchuk, Executive Director of the Case Ukraine Center for Social Research, an expert of the Price of the State project; and Valeriy Makovetsky, head of the Foxtrot Group of Companies, chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Foxtrot retail network (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation by calling +380 67 465 5426 (Natalia Krasnenkova), +380 97 394 4956 (Anastasiya Bondarchuk). On Tuesday, December 18, at 11.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Kyiv and Kyiv region in the All-Ukrainian Project Portraits of Regions," during which the results of a large-scale opinion poll conducted in Kyiv and the Kyiv region from November to December 2018 as part of the All-Ukrainian Project Portraits of Regions will be announced. Participating will be Oleksiy Antypovych, head of the Rating Group Ukraine, and Lyubomyr Mysiv, deputy director of the Rating Group Ukraine. Journalists, experts, and representatives of NGOs, political parties, government bodies are invited to attend (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. For additional information, please call +380 44 254 3693, +380 44 254 3694, or visit www.ratinggroup.ua. KYIV. Dec 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) Ukrainian politicians and civil activist Mykola Tomenko and Mykola Katerynchuk as well as their political parties have made the decision to support Anatoliy Hrytsenko, leader of the Civil Position party, as a candidate for president of Ukraine in the presidential elections in 2019. "It is not right to get united against somebody right now. We need to get united for the values, the program, for our country. And such a constructive ideological union will bring its positive result. Our proposal to get united has received a real response from Anatoliy Hrytsenko's team. We have known each other since long ago; therefore, our team has decided to support Anatoliy Hrytsenko in the presidential elections, and, by uniting out teams, proceed jointly to the parliamentary and local elections," Mykola Tomenko, leader of the Civil Movement Native Country and former deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, told a press conference at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on December 17. Mykola Katerynchuk, leader of the European Party of Ukraine and a former member of the Ukrainian parliament of several previous convocations, said that on December 14, his party's political council decided to recommend that Hrytsenko should be supported as a candidate for president of Ukraine at his party's assembly scheduled for January 2019. "We will support Anatoliy Hrytsenko as a candidate from the united democratic opposition. We believe that while the combat actions are in progress, a president must have military specialization and education, experience, and an analytical vision of the situation so that the state could perform its function to protect its citizens and secure peace in the future," he said. Katerynchuk said that while Hrytsenko served as minister of defense [from 2005 to 2007], he demonstrated "the highest qualities of good faith, professionalism, and intolerance towards corruption," and the priorities of his activities included improving the defenses of Ukraine, raising the standards of living of military personnel, and how they perform their duties. The bill of indictment against prominent Iranian lawyer and civil rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh has been delivered to the Revolutionary Court, her attorney, Payam Derafshan, disclosed on December 15. Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, head of Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, is expected to preside over Sotoudeh's hearing. However, Moghiseh is the same judge who was sued by Sotoudeh's lawyers Derafshan and Mohammad Moghimi last September. The lawyers filed a lawsuit against Moghiseh accusing him of unlawful sentencing and displaying a lack of impartiality in their clients case. Derafshan published details of the lawsuit on his Instagram account on September 29. His post stated that in 2015, Moghiseh sentenced Sotoudeh to five years in prison for espionage even though she was on trial for propaganda against the state, which carries a maximum one-year prison sentence. Even if she had committed espionage, the maximum penalty for that charge is three years in prison, noted the lawyers, according to the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). Derafshan said there are only two cases against his client. One is related to a complaint tabled by an interrogating judge in the city of Kashan and the other to Sotoudeh's membership in LEGAM, a group whose Persian acronym stands for banning the death penalty step by step. Moghiseh sentenced Sotoudeh in absentia to five years imprisonment in a legal case incompatible with the indictments issued against her, Derafshan said. Sotoudeh was originally charged with insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Derafshan noted. "But the head of Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran has issued a verdict that is exclusively for criminals suspected of espionage." The lawyers protested the verdict, but Moghiseh announced that from the court's point of view, the charge against Soutodeh was espionage. Sotoudeh, 55, has represented imprisoned Iranian opposition activists and politicians following the controversial June 2009 Iranian presidential elections as well as prisoners sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were minors. Her clients have included Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and anti-compulsory hijab activists known as the Girls of Revolution Street. Since December 2017, scores of Iranian women have been arrested for peacefully protesting Irans compulsory hijab law by removing and waving their headscarves on busy streets. At least three of the women have been officially charged for acts of civil disobedience. Sotoudeh was first arrested in September 2010 on charges of spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security and was imprisoned in solitary confinement at Evin Prison. In January 2011, Iranian authorities sentenced her to 11 years in prison, in addition to barring her from practicing law and from leaving the country for 20 years. An appeals court later reduced the prison sentence to six years and her ban from working as a lawyer to 10 years. The Iranian Bar Association allowed Sotoudeh to represent suspects in cases not directly related to political charges or the country's security affairs. After being released in September 2013, she was arrested again on June 13. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Iranian authorities have escalated their crackdown on lawyers. Over the past month, Revolutionary Courts have sentenced at least three lawyers to long prison terms for human rights activism and security forces have arrested another lawyer, HRW said in a statement on December 13. Now Iran is not only arresting dissidents, human rights defenders, and labor leaders but their lawyers as well, criminalizing their fundamental freedoms, said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW. Lawyers should be the cornerstone of protecting the rights of the accused, but in Iran, they are just another enemy of repressive authorities. Extending the third line of Tehran's underground metro is in limbo since a shopping center, Atlas Mall, has received the license for building a six-level parking garage on the route of the line, the Tehran municipality's transport deputy has disclosed. Atlas Mall is owned by the "Ansar Bank" which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. The construction of the extension is halted since the location of a tunnel on its route is occupied by Atlas Mall for its future parking garage, said Mohsen Poor-Seyyed Aqaei, adding, "The whole project for the extension will be held until a substitute route is found." Tehran Mayor's deputy for transport also believes that lucrative building benefits have led Atlas Mall to allocate the spot to its six-level parking garage, with 1400 spaces. The commercial complex, comprising of nineteen floors, including eight floors for offices, four floors for shops, and stores, one ground level restaurant, and a six-level parking garage, is built on a deep foundation that will practically not allow any underground railway route built near its surroundings, Poor Seyyed Aqaei has lamented. Meanwhile, Poor-Seyyed Aqaei has admitted that attempts to find a substitute route for the line have failed, so far. Atlas Mall project has been one of the most controversial projects in recent years in the Iranian capital city, Tehran. The mall has secured a license to build its parking garage at a spot already legally endorsed for building a new tunnel for extending the Third Line of Tehran's underground railway. Meanwhile, scores of experts and members of the Tehran City Council have protested building the highrise tower, since it will limit the view of the nearby Niavaran palace-museum. Moreover, they believe that excavating for the foundation of the towers has led to cracks on the palace's south wing. Iranian Parliaments National Security and Foreign Policy Commission has rejected a proposal to take Foreign Minister Javad Zarifs case to the Judiciary for his recent comments on massive money laundering operations by some institutions in Iran. On November 11, Zarif had said that those who profit billions of dollars from money laundering are spending millions of it to prevent the passage of bills requiring more financial transparency in Iran. After Zarifs comments, Irans conservatives unleashed a campaign against the foreign minister, culminating in a move for his impeachment. Many of Zarifs colleagues and others came to his defense, insisting that money laundering does in fact exist in Iran. The atmosphere was tense for a week until most of those MPs who had signed the request for his impeachment began to withdraw their support for the move. As a result, ultraconservative MPs, opposed to Zarif and his boss President Hassan Rouhani proposed to take the foreign ministers case to Irans Judiciary. On Sunday, Ali Najafi Khoshroodi the spokesman of parliaments National Security Commission announced that members of the Commission are opposed to bringing complaints against Zarifs money-laundering claims to the Judiciary. Zarif had leveled accusations of vast money-laundering operations against unnamed state-owned institutions in a bid to urge the lawmakers to swiftly pass a series of four bills proposed by the Rouhani administration to align Irans legislation with required international standards against money laundering and financial support for terrorism. The international Financial Action Task Force or FATF has demanded that Iran should fall in line or it would be penalized as a pariah state having no access to proper banking relations and international credits. Rouhani's proposals, if adopted, would pave the way for the country to meet FATF requirements -- as well as those of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes -- in the hope of reducing international pressure on Irans deteriorating economy. Despite the decision not to pursue a legal case against Zarif, opposition to President Rouhani's four proposals (collectively known as the Palermo Bills in Iran) has not yet died down. Many prominent Friday Prayer Leaders, who are all appointed by the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and known to reflect his positions have repeatedly denounced the passage of the Palermo Bills. Tehran's interim Friday Prayer Leader, mid-ranking cleric Kazem Seddighi, who had earlier called the bills "humiliating", insisted on Friday, December 14, that the endorsement of the bills equals "self-imposed sanctions". Claiming that Iran has been capable of bypassing U.S. sanctions, Seddighi maintained, Joining FATF will increase the enemy's information about our banking sources." With the decision of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy commission, Zarif, at least for the moment, is not vulnerable to attacks by conservative MPs', but, it is yet to be seen whether the hardline Judiciary would independently follow up the foreign ministers case, or not. FATF has given Tehran until February to either endorse UNTOC or be added to its blacklist of countries refusing to cooperate in the fight against money laundering and financing terrorism. The International Monetary Fund is urging Tehran to endorse the bills. Iran and North Korea are the only countries on the FATF blacklist, but the Paris-based organization has suspended countermeasures against Tehran while it works on reforms. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli agents continue to operate inside Iran to prevent the progress of the Islamic Republics nuclear ambitions, Israeli media reported. Netanyahu was speaking to a large group of diplomats on December 16 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. We are fighting all over the world in regards to Irans nuclear program Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Times of Israel. At a well-publicized appearance last April, Netanyahu announced that Israel was able to get hold of and smuggle 100,000 documents from Iran, which was essentially an archive encompassing the countrys nuclear program. The Israeli prime minister strongly opposed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal made by the Obama administration and he has found a staunch ally in President Donald Trump, who last May withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Irans Supreme Leader and top officials routinely call for the destruction of Israel and label it a cancer in the region. Iran also assists militant anti-Israeli groups, such as the Hezbollah, Hamas and others. Israel views a possible Iranian nuclear weapon as a detrimental threat to its existence. There are conflicting reports from Iranian sources on why a regional commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) lost his life. The public relations office of IRGC ground forces announced that General Ghodratollah Mansouri was killed by accident while cleaning his personal weapons. According to the statement, he was wounded from the head. Earlier, the Young Journalists' Club (YJC) reported that Mansouri died "after a long illness", but deleted its report after the IRGC statement was issued. YJC is connected with IRIB, the state broadcaster under the control of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. A local news website in Mashad also reported that the general died in a hospital in the northwestern city after an illness, without mentioning any details. The unit he was commanding is based in Khorasan-Razavi Province, bordering Afghanistan, with Mashad as its capital. The IRGC commander's death has already become controversial with some Iranians expressing doubt on social media whether it was in fact an accident. Mansouri was a veteran of the Ian-Iraq war in the 1980s and according to the Associated Press he also participated in military operations in Syria and Iraq. The chief commander of IRGC, General Mohammad Ali Jafari has issued a statement expressing condolences. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.17 By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend: Trend's exclusive Interview with Tobias Baumann, Executive Director of AHK Azerbaijan Question: Which measures are being taken to increase trade turnover between the countries? Answer: Currently Azerbaijan is the largest and most important trading partner of Germany in the South Caucasus and the sixth largest supplier of crude oil to the country. With the recent launch of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), Azerbaijan is also a key strategic partner of Germany and Europe in diversifying sources of energy supplies. Coming to statistics, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Germany has recovered by around 80% in the first ten months of 2018, amid higher oil prices and firming currencies, compared to the same period of 2017. The "Made in Germany" brand stands for high quality and enjoys an excellent reputation in the Azerbaijani market. The machinery, plants, and equipment remain the largest group of imported goods from Germany. We expect this demand to increase even further, due to the fact that starting from May, 2018 imports of equipment to Azerbaijan in reconstruction of oil refineries is exempted from customs duties. The close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany is observed through the organisation economically significant events and trade fairs supported by both countries. The German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) is the official representative of Messe Munchen in Azerbaijan and Georgia. We provide the companies from both countries with the technical support and facilitate their participation in the trade fairs in Munich as exhibitors and/or visitors. Moreover, every year in October-November our Chamber organises a traditional German-Azerbaijani Business Forum. This is a unique business platform bringing together companies from Germany and Azerbaijan to present new projects and to define opportunities for further cooperation and partnership. It is also worth mentioning that recently in November Azerbaijan organised an export mission to Berlin, Germany, with representatives of 28 companies involved in production of food products, textile and furniture industries. We are now planning export missions to Germany as well as delegation trips of German companies to Azerbaijan in 2019. On 5-8 February 2019, the trade fair "Z and Intec" - the flagship of Saxony's industry trade fairs - will take place in Leipzig, Germany. On this occasion, the AHK Azerbaijan organises a business delegation trip to the "Z and Intec" Trade Fair on 4-7 February 2019 for high-level representatives of Azerbaijani organisations and enterprises operating in Machine and Tool Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering industries within the framework of the Industry-Specific Sales Promotion Tool. Q.: What are the priority areas of cooperation between Germany and Azerbaijan and what is being done for further development of this cooperation? A.: As the main growth driver of the Azerbaijani economy, oil and gas sector obviously tops the priority areas of cooperation between the two countries. Considering that the international oil companies are the main clients of German companies operating in the country, the new exploration and development projects will create long-term prospects for German companies as contractors of the oil majors in 2019-2020. Furthermore, digitalisation has recently become a crucial topic of the oil and gas sector. In this view, the upstream industry also opens up great opportunities to German companies offering information technologies and digital services in this industry. Within the diversification policy of the government, the current focus of the development strategy is maximising integration of Azerbaijan's upstream-midstream-downstream oil and gas value chain. Hereby petrochemical industry is the field with great prospects for cooperation with German companies. Going forward, development of the long-term energy strategy remains one of the key priorities in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani government aims to attract new sources of private investments into the energy sector in 2020 2022 by ensuring a more effective, flexible and transparent legislation and regulatory frame work. With that, there will be new chances for German companies to further position themselves in the market as providers of technology, equipment and expertise. Q.: Are German businessmen interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan? If yes, in which areas? A.: In the background of its energy diversification strategy, Germany is considerably interested in the further development of the SGC project. A number of global and well-known German companies are already actively involved in the construction of SGC by providing services, expertise, machinery, and key pipeline materials at the various phases of the project. We are witnessing a growing number of long-term partnerships as well as successfully established joint ventures between German and Azerbaijani companies. A more promising economic outlook and the government's ongoing strategy of diversifying the economy will pave a way for the German manufacturers of machinery and equipment, as well as chemical products and raw materials in the non-oil sectors, including construction, infrastructure, transport, and building materials. To summarise, all the steps mentioned above are implemented or are planned to be realised in order to strengthen the relationship between Azerbaijani and German businesses and to further stimulate trade between two countries. German companies can offer their relevant expertise and knowledge particularly in the electricity and renewable energy sectors to increase the efficiency of the energy system in Azerbaijan, which is also among the main priorities of the Azerbaijani government in the following years. In this context, they can be involved in the repair process of existing solar, wind, and bioenergy plants along with the development of feasibility studies on new plants. Q.: Azerbaijan is actively attracting foreign capital in the field of pharmaceuticals. To this end, the PiIlahi Industrial Park has been established, where factories for the production of medicines are being built together with Iranian and Russian partners. Are German companies interested in investing in this area in Azerbaijan? Are there any negotiations? A.: The Azerbaijani market for medical and laboratory equipment and pharmaceuticals is still an import market, but the Pirallahi Industrial Park, founded in 2016, is expected to become an important center for the local production of pharmaceuticals. Germany together with Switzerland and Turkey account for the most important supplier countries for pharmaceuticals, measured by the value of imports. As the adverse effects of the earlier collapse of oil prices and exchange rate vulnerability began to recede, imports of pharmaceuticals have been on the rise again since 2017. To the best of our knowledge, German pharmaceutical companies are interested in this sector and are observing the market considering the possible market entries in 2019-2020. However, we have no relevant knowledge to date on direct investment plans of any specific German company in production capacities at the Pirallahi Industrial Park. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 Trend: Vice president of BP in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey region (AGT), Head of planning and commercial operations Niall Henderson visited Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) and met with BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov. The meeting was attended by BP International Relations Manager for AGT region Gunesh Aliyeva and the Higher School key staff members. Talking about long-term cooperation between BP and BHOS, Rector Elmar Gasimov said that the Higher School has developed close partnership relations with the company. Having noted that BP successfully implemented the nationalization program in the oil and gas industry in Azerbaijan, the Rector informed that 11 BHOS graduates are currently working at the company. In his words, the Higher School has established fruitful cooperation with Heriot-Watt University (UK) and the BHOS teaching programs are based on the university curriculum. Niall Henderson expressed his gratitude to the BHOS Rector for the meeting and told about social projects implemented by BP in the region including programs aimed at support of education and exchange of curricula and training programs. Rector Elmar Gasimov invited the guest to conduct lectures and master classes for the BHOS Chemical Engineering students. Niall Henderson accepted the offer with gratitude and said that he would be pleased to meet young engineers studying at the Higher School and share his expertise, job experience and history of his career and professional growth with the undergraduates. He also added that BP provides training courses on application of digital technologies, utilization of artificial intelligence and adapting to rapidly changing modern world. In his words, such training programs can be also arranged for the BHOS students. In the course of his visit, BP AGT Vice president, Head of planning and commercial operations Niall Henderson was given a tour around the BHOS campus and its facilities. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 Trend: Attaching great importance on customer satisfaction and providing high-quality service to its customers, Azercell LLC, the leading mobile operator of the communication market in Azerbaijan, continues to enhance its dealer and service network. Regardless of the service type, subscribers satisfaction and loyalty to company products play a vital role in establishing a more sustainable model of consumer relations. For this particular reason, during its operation, Azercell has been applying innovative methods on customer service in the country. Every year the company arranges a meeting with the managers of all the dealers and shops to discuss the results of the current year, the quality of the service provided to the subscribers and future perspectives. This year, the event took place in Gabala. The dealers and representatives of Exclusive shops located in Baku and regions joined the event. The discussion was enriched with proposals and recommendations for further improvement of the service quality in 2019. Professional sale manager from Turkey made a presentation for the participants. Remarkably, Azercell Academy organizes workshops for the dealer staff of the company. The International experts from various countries conduct special trainings on customer satisfaction and sale. Currently, Azercell has 138 dealers in Baku and 168 dealers in regions and 19 Exclusive shops which provide high-quality service to its subscribers. For more information, please contact [email protected] The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 48 per cent share of Azerbaijans mobile telecom market Azercells network covers 80 per cent of the territory (excluding 20% per cent of the occupied territories) and 99,8 per cent of population of the country. Currently, 4,5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, Metro coverage, 24/7 call centre service, 7 day/week Front Office service, M2M services, one-stop-shopping approach Azercell Express offices, mobile customer services, Online Customer Care and Social Media Customer Care services, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc. Azercell deployed first 4G LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International Investors in People Standard. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 Trend: Bakcell, the First Mobile Operator and the Fastest Mobile Internet Provider of Azerbaijan took part in a career fair organized for the students of the Azerbaijan Technical University. At least 70 companies have participated in the career fair, jointly organized by the Azerbaijan Technical University and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. The fair provided students with career, job and internship offers along with an opportunity to engage in professional communication with human resources specialists from various companies. During the event Bakcell representatives have provided extensive information about the job openings and internship opportunities at the companys sales and marketing departments, and held job interviews with the potential candidates. Well-known for its large-scale corporate social responsibility activities, Bakcell keeps the education and professional development of Azerbaijani youth in a constant spotlight, and contributes largely to increasing the employment rate among the young specialists. Only during the current year, Bakcell has participated in several job and career fairs, to announce new vacancies and hold job interviews. At the same time, the company has announced its summer internship program and successfully implemented other important projects, aimed at supporting the career and education of youth. Bakcell will continue its successful activity, aimed at supporting younger generation in their education and career building, thus contributing to bright future of Azerbaijani youth. Bakcell, the First Mobile Operator and Leading Mobile Internet Provider of Azerbaijan, offers a wide range of products and Services to users of modern mobile communications Services. The company provides its customers with the best-in-class 4G mobile internet. The 4G services of Bakcell are already available in Baku and Absheron peninsula, as well as central parts of more than 40 regions of Azerbaijan. With more than 7000 base stations, Bakcell network covers 99% of the population and 93% of the land area of the country (except for the occupied territories). In 2017, Bakcell network has been recognized as the Best in Test in Azerbaijan by P3 Communications, being one of the most trusted independent authorities in mobile benchmarking. Bakcell has also been recognized as the Fastest Mobile Network in Azerbaijan. This award, presented by world-famous Ookla company, recognized Bakcells commitment to delivering fastest speeds to customers all across Azerbaijan. For more information about Bakcell products and services, please visit www.bakcell.com or call 555. For press releases please see www.bakcell.com/az/news (or www.bakcell.com/en/news for press releases in English). If you are not a Bakcell subscriber, but wish to find out about Bakcell and its products and services, please call 012 498 89 89. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 28 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Dec. 17. 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. 17 Trend: President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev has attended a ceremony to give out apartments to servicemen in Sabunchu district, Baku. Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and First Deputy Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Colonel General Najmaddin Sadikov reported to President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state viewed conditions created in the apartments. Ilham Aliyev then met with servicemen and their families, and made a speech at the event. President Ilham Aliyev then handed apartment certificates to a group of servicemen. On behalf of his fellow servicemen and on his own behalf, Reserve Colonel Lieutenant of medical service Rafig Guliyev thanked President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: After the restoration of Azerbaijans independence, a judicial system peculiar for a democratic society was created in the country under the leadership of national leader Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Justice Azer Jafarov said at the 2nd Eurasian legal summit held Dec. 17 in Baku, Trend reports. He noted that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the judicial system was improved in accordance with international standards. Legislation has been updated, the independence of the judiciary has been strengthened and the relevant infrastructure has been modernized, he said. The ongoing judicial reforms are positively evaluated by the Council of Europe, the EU, the World Bank and other authoritative international organizations. The procedures applied in the country for electing judges are recommended by the Council of Europe to other countries. He also emphasized that double standards and non-observance of the principles of international law are sometimes observed in the world. Despite that the resolutions of the UN Security Council related to the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijans territories by Armenia contain an unequivocal demand for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces, the occupier country isnt forced to do so, he said, adding that similar documents are also accepted by other authoritative international organizations. 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. 17 Trend: The world-wide renowned books on "The International Economics: Theory and Politics" (P.R. Krugman, M. Obstfeld and M.J. Melitz), "Macroeconomics" (O. Blanshar) and "Fundamentals of Microeconomics" (K.E. Keys, R.C. Feyr and Sh. E. Oster) had been translated into Azerbaijani. The translation and publication of the books had been implemented by the financial support of the company BP-Azerbaijan. In the translation process, the short vocabulary consisted of economic terminology and word combinations had also been developed. The books that will play an important role in the teaching of economics in the country were presented to the public. The UNEC staff played the leading role in translating the book "International Economics: Theory and Politics" into Azerbaijani. The scientific editor of the translation of the book, which is published in a refined style and of high quality, is the pro-rector of UNEC on International Relations and Programs, the associate professor Anar Rzayev. In the book on economics used in the prestigious universities of the world, the authors had demonstrated the scale economics through traditional ideas and comparative analysis of the international trade sources. The book contains the most important innovations in the international economy. The readers will get acquainted with many interesting examples and concrete points that reflect the theoretical views of real-life events. The UNEC teachers and students will be able to get the book at the University's 24/7 library. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 Trend: Russia has invested over $4.2 billion in Azerbaijans economy, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev said, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan. Mustafayev made the remarks during the 17th session of the State Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia. The delegations of the State Commission co-chairs Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Minister of Economic Development of Russia Maksim Oreshkin attended the meeting. Before the meeting of the intergovernmental commission, Mustafayev met with Oreshkin. During the meeting, trade and economic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as prospects for further cooperation were discussed. During the meeting, Mustafayev noted that trade and joint investments are important areas of Azerbaijani-Russian relations, adding that Azerbaijan invested more than $1 billion in the Russian economy, and Russia invested more than $4.2 billion in Azerbaijans economy. Azerbaijan is considered one of the investors in the Russian region of the North Caucasus, he said. The most successful initiatives implemented by Azerbaijani companies in Russia, include the construction of sanatorium Istochnik in Yessentuki vity, a canned fruit and vegetables plant in Krasnodar city, a hotel and sanatorium complexes in Zheleznovodsk and Kislovodsk cities, and other projects, he noted. About 760 companies with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan, Mustafayev said, adding that Russian companies are also participating in projects implemented in Azerbaijan as contractors. Mustafayev also said that the Azerbaijani business center, opened in May this year in Astrakhan city with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, is of particular importance in expanding economic ties. The Azerbaijan-Russia and Russia-Azerbaijan working councils play an important role in the development of cooperation between the businessmen of the two countries, he noted. In 2019, it is planned to open two wine houses of Azerbaijan in Moscow, he said. At the next stage, it is planned to open wine houses of Azerbaijan in Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg cities. The minister added that the sphere of transport and transit traffic is one of the successful areas of bilateral cooperation. Mustafayev noted that cargo transportation via the International North-South Transport Corridor grew 100 times. It was said that the construction of a bridge across the Samur River, being implemented jointly with Russia, continues. Mustafayev also spoke about Azerbaijani-Russian cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), tourism, education and other areas, and also noted the importance of connecting the Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran energy systems. The number of Russian tourists coming to Azerbaijan in the first nine months of this year increased by 20 percent compared with the corresponding period last year, he said. The Azerbaijani minister stressed that interregional relations are one of the priority areas of bilateral ties between the two countries. Mustafayev added that Azerbaijan established trade and economic ties with about 80 federal subjects of the Russian Federation. Agreements on trade, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation were signed with approximately 20 subjects of the Russian Federation, he said. In turn, Oreshkin noted that the year 2018 was successful in terms of the development of economic ties between the two countries, and expressed confidence that Russian-Azerbaijani relations will expand further. Oreshkin noted that there is a positive trend in the development of relations in the field of trade and investment. At the end of the meeting, a protocol was signed following the 17th session of the State Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia. The document was signed by the State Commission co-chairs - Shahin Mustafayev and Maksim Oreshkin. The document, which reflected the issues and directions for the future activities of the Commission discussed at the meeting, provides for the expansion of cooperation in the trade and economic, industrial, agricultural, transport areas, in the field of ICT, tourism, healthcare, etc. As part of the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was also signed between the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of Azerbaijan and the All-Russia Business Association Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia). Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 Trend: If there is a special purpose vehicle (SPV), there will be no need for physical transfer of money, Irans former ambassador to the UN office in Geneva Ali Khorram said in an interview with ILNA, Trend reports. He said that SPV is a mechanism that doesnt neutralize US sanctions, but simplifies financial and banking relations. In fact, this mechanism will work similarly to SWIFT, he added. After withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the US wanted SWIFT to end its cooperation with Iran, and this was done, so the EU intends to find an alternative to SWIFT for Iran, Khorram said. SPV is a bilateral mechanism that will benefit both Iran and the EU, he noted. If Iran sells any product to the EU, countries of the EU will pay money to Iran through this mechanism. If Iran buys any product from the EU, it will also pay for it by using this mechanism. SPV doesnt provide for the sale of oil in exchange for goods and products, as it was proposed by Russia, China, India, Japan and South Korea, he added. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend: Kazakhstans KTZ Express JSC and Russias RZD Logistics JSC, a multimodal logistics operator, are working on projects for container transportation from China to Europe by transit through Kazakhstan and Russia, Vyacheslav Valentik, director general of RZD Logistics JSC, told Trend. He noted that the main task is to increase the transit through Kazakhstan by four times, as well as to increase the general transit through Central Asia. Valentik reminded that during the 23rd International Exhibition for Transport and Logistics Services and Technologies TransRussia/TransLogistica 2018, RZD Logistics JSC and KTZ Express JSC signed an agreement on the mutual development of rail traffic in international transportation. "The cooperation will allow both parties to expand the geography of their own services through the mutually beneficial use of complex of logistic and forwarding services for transportation in Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and other countries of Central Asia," he said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Tehran, Iran, Dec.17 Trend: Iran has suggested the development of joint industrial investments and joint production between the ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization) members, especially in the field of vehicles. During the 25th Meeting of the ECO Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representative from Iran Chamber of Commerce Industries Mines and Agriculture, Mohammad-Reza Karbasi, has criticized the unilateral US sanctions and suggested the development of joint investment and joint production that can be put on ECO agenda, Trend reports via Donya e Eghtesad. The ICCIMA deputy head for international affairs, Mohammad-Reza Karbasi, has referred to potential in these fields and suggested for further cooperation among ECO member countries. "So far the ECO members have not fully used all the capacities, especially in tourism, oil and gas", he insisted. The Iranian official requested all the members to have active role in these events, by acknowledging the upcoming International ECO Energy Conference and Iran Health International Fair. The 25th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Economic Cooperation Organization has taken place at the International Trade Center (ITC), in Tashkent. Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan Adkham Ikramov, has noted the necessity for cooperation. "Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce is ready to cooperate with ECO members to draft the road map for tourism development," he said. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan representative, Azarakhsh Hafizi asked for implementation of special tariffs and support of businessmen regarding to foreign currency rate fluctuation. The ECO meeting, was attended by representatives of the chambers of commerce and industry of the organizations member states Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: In January-November 2018, the number of Turkish citizens arrived in Russia through the Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) in search of work fell by 3.09 percent compared to the same period in 2017, ISKUR told Trend Dec. 17. In January-November 2018, 2,825 Turkish citizens arrived in Russia through ISKUR. In November 2018, 291 Turkish citizens visited Russia through the Turkish Employment Agency. In November 2018, a total of 2,122 Turkish citizens went abroad searching work via ISKUR. According to the Agency, in January-November 2018, 22,285 Turkish citizens left the country via ISKUR, which is 19.64 percent more compared to the same period in 2017. In November 2018, 108,954 Turkish citizens were provided with work in Turkey, which is 11.9 percent more compared to the same month 2017. In Turkey, in November, among those provided with jobs, 64 percent accounted for men, while the number of women accounted for 36 percent. Among those employed in November 2018, 99.2 percent accounted for the private sector. In January-November 2018, as a whole, 1,099,623 people were provided with jobs in Turkey. A total of 3.296 million people were registered as unemployed in Turkey in November 2018. Fifty-one percent of them are women and 49 percent are men. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: In January-November 2018, the number of Turkish citizens who visited Israel through the Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) for the purpose of employment, decreased by 69.44 percent compared to the same period in 2017, the Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) told Trend Dec. 17. ISKUR noted that during the reporting period 33 Turkish citizens arrived in Israel through the Agency. The Agency also noted that Turkish citizens didnt visit Israel via ISKUR in November 2018. In November 2018, a total of 2,122 Turkish citizens went abroad searching work via ISKUR. According to the Agency, in January-November 2018, 22,285 Turkish citizens left the country via ISKUR, which is 19.64 percent more compared to the same period in 2017. In November 2018, 108,954 Turkish citizens were provided with work in Turkey, which is 11.9 percent more compared to the same month 2017. In Turkey, in November, among those provided with jobs, 64 percent accounted for men, while the number of women accounted for 36 percent. Among those employed in November 2018, 99.2 percent accounted for the private sector. In January-November 2018, as a whole, 1,099,623 people were provided with jobs in Turkey. A total of 3.296 million people were registered as unemployed in Turkey in November 2018. Fifty-one percent of them are women and 49 percent are men. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Taleh Mursagulov - Trend: Azerbaijan is one of the most active participants of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Metin Karimli said Dec. 17 at an event entitled Basics of creating labor remuneration systems for civil servants in Baku, Trend reports. He noted that Azerbaijan is engaged in expanded cooperation with the ILO. For four years, jointly with the ILO, we have conducted more than 20 international conferences, seminars and trainings covering various topics, said Karimli. He also added that with the support of experts of the organization, a number of strategic documents are being prepared in Azerbaijan. Also, self-employment program is one of the examples of our successful cooperation, he said. As many as 140 trainers were prepared as part of the self-employment program. About 7,000 families annually participate in this project. He noted that Azerbaijans cooperation with the ILO is taking place within the social dialogue in the sphere of modernization of the legislative base as well. Azerbaijan became a member of the ILO in 1992. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @TalehMursagulov Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend: The close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany is observed through the organization of economically significant events and trade fairs supported by both countries, Executive Director of the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) Tobias Baumann told Trend. He stressed that AHK Azerbaijan is the official representative of Messe Munchen (one of the world`s leading organizers of trade fairs) in Azerbaijan and Georgia. "We provide the companies from both countries with the technical support and facilitate their participation in the trade fairs in Munich as exhibitors and/or visitors," Baumann said. He went on to say that every year in October-November the chamber organizes a traditional German-Azerbaijani Business Forum. "This is a unique business platform, bringing together companies from Germany and Azerbaijan to present new projects and to define opportunities for further cooperation and partnership," he pointed out. Baumann reminded that in November Azerbaijan organized an export mission to Berlin with representatives of 28 companies, involved in food, textile and furniture industries. He pointed out that in 2019 export missions to Germany as well as delegation trips of German companies to Azerbaijan are planned. "On February 5-8, 2019, the trade fair Intec and Z - will take place in Leipzig, Germany. On this occasion, the AHK Azerbaijan organizes a business delegation trip to the Intec and Z trade fair on February 4-7, 2019 for high-level representatives of Azerbaijani organizations and enterprises operating in machine and tool manufacturing and mechanical engineering," he said. Baumann noted that all these steps are implemented or are planned to be implemented in order to strengthen the relationship between Azerbaijani and German businesses and to further stimulate trade between the two countries. In January-October 2018, trade turnover between the countries amounted to $1.21 billion, of which $678.9 million accounted for exports from Azerbaijan. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS LV Monogram canvas Infringement of Article 8(5) of Regulation No 207/2009 LV argued that given the high degree of similarity between the marks at issue and the strength of the earlier mark, the use of the contested mark gave the intervener [Bee-Fee and Fulia] an unfair advantage and was a detriment to their earlier mark. Bee-Fee Group Mark Fulia mark Infringement of Article 75 of Regulation No 207/2009 This looks familiar Photo: Christian Holmer [Oops!] The Court examined the similarity of the signs at issue, comparing the visual, phonetic, and conceptual elements and found that, for the English-speaking part of the relevant public, the signs at issue [both Bee-Fee's and Fulia's] had an 'average degree of visual and phonetic similarity'. Despite being conceptually dissimilar, the degree of similarity was held to be average, not at most very low, as the Board of Appeal considered in the contested decision.In relation to the repute of the earlier mark, the contested decision found that the evidence showed use of the word mark LOUIS VUITTON and the Monogram canvas essentially for leather goods, bags in particular, and that, the applicant had produced no convincing evidence as regards the reputation of the earlier mark as such. LV alleged that in this assessment the Board of Appeal openly infringed the principle that distinctive character may arise from use as part of a registered mark or in conjunction with a registered mark, if, as a consequence of that use, that sign may serve to identify, in the minds of the relevant persons, the goods to which it relates as originating from a particular undertaking. Thus, LV argued the lv element is the predominant and most distinctive element of the Monogram canvas and is the element that consumers will immediately perceive and most easily remember.EUIPO and the intervener [s] evidently agreed with the approach taken in the contested decision and argued that the fact that the name Louis Vuitton or the Monogram canvas has a reputation does not mean that the earlier mark has a reputation. EUIPO claimed, that the earlier mark was rather lost in the overall impression produced by the various elements of the pattern.The Court disagreed with the contested decision, the EUIPO and the interveners, stating that the mark stands out on the canvas. Therefore the Board of Appeal had erred in discounting the possibility that the reputation of the earlier mark could be proved in the documents produced by LV and had conducted an incomplete assessment of the reputation of the earlier mark and, in addition, distorted the clear sense of some of that evidence.Furthermore, LV argued that the Board of Appeal erred in finding that there was no link between the marks or that it would have had to find that there was a link between the marks at issue, regardless of the closeness between the goods or services concerned. The Court noted that, although the Board of Appeal examined the possibility that the public concerned would establish a link between the marks at issue, it first based its analysis on an incorrect assessment of the similarity of the marks at issue [average, not at most very low].LV argued that the Board of Appeal could not simply state that it was not bound by previous EUIPO decision-making practice or earlier national decisions, and should have examined, or even specifically identified, earlier decisions relied upon by them. Since the Board of Appeal decided to take a different view from the one adopted in previous decisions, in relation to the reputation of the earlier mark, it should have provided an explicit statement of its reasons for doing so.As a result, the Court found that the Board of Appeals assessment as regards the application of Article 8(5) of Regulation No 207/2009 to be "vitiated by several errors or lacunae, relating to the comparison of the signs at issue, the existence of the reputation of the earlier mark, the strength of that reputation, and the importance that must be attached to the lack of similarity of the goods or services concerned in the present case."(para 112, both decisions)Both the contested decisions were annulled, and LVs claims upheld. Identical lawyers. Identical judges. Identical pleas in law. Similar marks. Dissimilar Goods. Identical outcomes. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Huseyn Hasanov, Rashid Shirinov Trend: At a government meeting, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Dadebay Amangeldiyev reported on the ongoing work on the construction of a power line on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) route, Trend reports citing the Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary state news agency. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, in turn, noted that the laying of the next stage of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, as well as power transmission and fiber-optic communication lines between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, will be a new important chapter in the history of Turkmenistan. The Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper noted that the implementation of the above-mentioned projects will not only open up broad prospects for the development of the economies of the participating countries, but will also contribute to strengthening and intensifying international cooperation and accessing its new relevant areas. In February 2018, the governments of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed an agreement on the construction of a power line along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) route. Turkish Calyk Holding company expressed its interest to take part in the construction of this 500-kilovolt power line. Turkmenistan is a traditional supplier of electricity to neighboring Afghanistan. In order to increase supplies, additional stations and high-voltage power lines were built in Turkmenistan. The country also exports electricity to Iran. Turkmen Energy Ministry has earlier stated that there are great opportunities for the supply of Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan, Pakistan and India through Afghanistan. Turkmenistan plans to produce up to 27.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity by 2020 and up to 35.5 billion kilowatt-hours by 2030. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.17 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Iranian crude exports will remain a key source of market uncertainty in 2019, according to Fitch Solutions Macro Research (a unit of Fitch Group). "The US adopted a softer approach to sanctions than had been anticipated by the market, granting waivers to eight buyers of Iranian crude. The waivers will expire in May and the Trump administration has offered no concrete guidance as to whether the waivers will be extended, or what conditions must be met by the buyers to secure them," Trend reports citing the companys outlook. In Iran, production has been hit by US secondary sanctions; shrunken export volumes will continue to back-in supply over the coming quarters, according to Fitch Solutions. As for the OPEC decision to cut oil output, the company believes that the exclusion of Venezuela and Iran, where production is set for further (involuntary) declines, will demand deeper cuts from other producers and offer greater fundamental support to the market. Regarding the oil prices, Fitch Solutions, holds to its current forecast for global benchmark Brent, at an annual average of $75 per barrel for 2019. "Our outlook is unchanged in the wake of the OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting on December 7, during which the members of the Declaration of Cooperation (OPEC+) decided to collectively reduce output by 1.20 million barrels per day from October 2018 levels (September for Kuwait). The cut will take effect on January 1, 2019 and will be subject to review after six months," said the report. Of the total, 0.80 million b/d will be provided by OPEC and 0.40 million b/d by non-OPEC. "The size and nature of the cut agreed by OPEC+ supports our price outlook for 2019. The headline number fell slightly short of our expectations (1.26 million b/d). In some ways, though, the cut was more substantial than we were anticipating. Crucially, it excludes Iran, Libya and Venezuela. Mismanagement and chronic underinvestment has driven Venezuelan production into heavy decline, with output falling by more than 550,000 b/d over January to November," the company said. Fitch Solutions believes that ongoing cohesion within the group will be key to maintaining a floor under Brent. "Questions continue to be asked over the role and relevance of OPEC, with Qatars decision to exit the group adding further fuel to the fire. In our view, that decision is better viewed through the lens of Qatars strained relations with Saudi Arabia, its relative lack of influence within OPEC and its strategic focus on LNG," said the report. OPEC and its collaboration with Russia has been one of the key factors driving prices higher over the last two years, according to the company. Fitch Solutions expects believe that its decision to remove 1.2mn b/d of supply from the market has done little to move Brent back towards its early- October highs "However, it has stabilized prices in the low-60s, following eight weeks of heavy selling pressure. Had the group OPEC+ not taken action, the downside to Brent would have been substantial, in our view. In putting a floor under the market, the group can maintain prices at a level that is fiscally acceptable to most members and can stimulate demand in emerging markets (EMs)," the report reads. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.17 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Russian initiated Turkish Stream project and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe are not competitors, said Denis Manturov, Russian Industry and Trade Minister. Turkish Stream and TAP are not competitors: the two infrastructures, which cross different countries, can in some ways be called complementary, Italian La Stampa newspaper quoted Manturov as saying. At the same time, it is incorrect to state that the Turkish Stream is an alternative to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline project, according to the Russian minister. He noted that TAP can transport not only Azerbaijani, but also Russian gas. Earlier, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also said that TAP may be filled with Russian gas as well. TAP project is 80 percent complete already. I think we have the necessary technical conditions to fill this pipeline with Russian gas. I believe that this will be beneficial for the European economy and the entire region, said Tsipras, adding that Greece will promote this position in the meetings with European partners. TAP worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries. The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south. TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers). TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent). Turkish Stream project envisages construction of two branches of the main gas pipeline under the Black Sea, the capacity of each branch being 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas. One branch is meant to supply gas directly to the Turkish market and the other for the supply of gas by transit through Turkey to Europe. The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey also stipulates that these two offshore branches should be built by December 2019. On Dec.8, 2016, South Stream Transport B.V., 100-percent subsidiary of Gazprom, signed a contract with Swiss Allseas Group on constructing the first line of the Turkish Stream gas pipelines offshore segment. Later in February 2017, the two companies inked an agreement on constructing the second line of the pipelines offshore section. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.17 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG and the Greek National Natural Gas System Operator (DESFA) SA have signed an agreement on the maintenance of Greek section of the TAP pipeline, Trend reports citing TAP AG consortium. The agreement was ratified by the competent Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) on December 12, 2018, according to a message on the consortiums website. According to the agreement, DESFA will be responsible for the maintenance of TAP facilities along the 550km of the Greek section of the pipeline, extending from Kipoi in Evros close to the Greek-Turkish border, to Ieropigi, Kastoria, on Greeces border with Albania. The maintenance agreement covers a period of five years, following the beginning of TAPs commercial operation in 2020, while the contract also includes pre-operational support. TAP worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries. The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south. TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers). TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent). --- Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.17 By Azad Hasanli Trend: Bringing Azerbaijani banks and regulations in this sector in line with the international financial reporting standards will make it possible to ensure an increase in foreign investments in the countrys banks, Zakir Kazimov, chairman of the committee on internal audit, accounting, taxes and reporting of the Azerbaijan Banks Association (ABA), said in an interview with ABA newspaper, Trend reports. He said that thanks to this, foreign investors will trust the banking system of Azerbaijan and work freely. In November 2018, the Azerbaijani Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FIMSA) made changes to a number of regulatory acts, including the rules for regulating credit risks regarding related borrowers, the rules for determining limits on open currency positions in banks, rules for calculating capital and its adequacy, and others, he added. Kazimov noted that the new rules were adopted by the FIMSA after discussions with representatives of the banking sector and take into account their proposals. The regulator is in talks with market participants to amend the prudential regulations, he said. He also commented on the Rules for calculating capital in banks and its adequacy. Kazimov reminded that the adopted new rules provide for the allocation of systemically important banks in a separate category. According to the current rules, the tier 1 capital adequacy ratio should be 5 percent, and for aggregate capital this figure should be 10 percent, he said. The new rules of the FIMSA provide for more stringent requirements for systemically important banks. Thus, capital adequacy ratio requirements for such banks will increase every six months. For example, until June 1, 2019, the tier 1 capital adequacy ratio for systemically important banks must be at least 5 percent, and for aggregate capital at least 10 percent, he said. From June 1, 2019, these figures should be 5.5 and 11 percent, respectively, and from January 1, 2020 - 6 and 12 percent, respectively, he noted. For ordinary banks, these requirements wont change and will amount to 5 percent for the tier 1 capital adequacy ratio, and 10 percent for the aggregate capital adequacy ratio, he said. It is important that banks have sufficient capital so that they can cover losses when they face them, he added. Among other innovations, Kazimov mentioned a different approach to lending to related parties. Thus, if earlier banks had to classify these loans as investments and deduct this amount from capital, now the FIMSA has abolished this rule, he said. The FIMSA discussed this issue with the banks, and they asked that loans issued to related persons not be deducted from capital, he noted. The regulator agreed with this approach. We studied international experience - the Basel Committee has recommendations in this regard, but no strict rules. At the same time, there is no such practice in other countries as well. Kazimov stressed that if the rules related to banking activities in Azerbaijan are closer to the requirements of the Basel Committee, countries that adhere to the same principles will be more willing to cooperate with Azerbaijan and invest their funds. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: The discussions between Iran and the Central Bank of Iraq to carry out financial transactions by using rial and dinar are under completion, chairman of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce Yahya Al-e Eshaq said. There are no problems with export of Iranian goods to Iraq, Trend reports referring to Tasnim News Agency. Thus, during eight months of this Iranian year (started on March 21, 2018), the products worth $8 billion were exported, Al-e Eshaq said. The discussions were held with the Iraqi side to simplify export procedures, he added. If an agreement is reached following the talks between Iran and the Central Bank of Iraq, the banks of the two countries may open a letter of credit to each other, Al-e Eshaq said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Azad Hasanli - Trend: The administration of Baku Boulevard has announced a tender to purchase two monitors. The tender participation fee is 500 manats. Those willing to participate in the tender must submit applications before 17:00 on January 18, 2019, and tender offers until 17:00 on January 25, 2019. Opening of tender packages will be held at 12:00 on January 28. Address: 2A Neftchilar Avenue, Baku, Azerbaijan Phone: (+994 12) 404 95 96 Contact person: Elvin Ibrahimov --- Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: In the first seven months the current Iranian year (started March 21), over 4.704 million Iranian citizens visited foreign countries, Vali Teymuri, the deputy chairman of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran, said, Trend reports via ISNA. Teymuri noted that compared to the previous Iranian year, this year number of the international trips made by Iranian citizens has decreased. He added that during the reported period, Iranians mainly visited Iraq, Turkey, the UAE, Georgia, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia (in condescending order). However, some of these countries are not the final destination for Iranian citizens, because countries like Turkey, the UAE and Qatar are usually chosen as transit countries by Iranians, Teymuri said. Many Iranians note their destination as Istanbul or Dubai, but in fact, at least 70 percent of them visit other places, he noted. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: The first tourist train from Almaty arrived in the Turkistan region of Kazakhstan, Trend reports with reference to Kazakh media. The high-speed train between the two cities will run on Fridays and Sundays. Passengers traveling in this train will be able to get acquainted with the sights of Turkistan during two days. The opening ceremony of the tourist route was attended by the Deputy Governor of the Turkistan region Yerbol Taszhurekov, leadership of the Turan Express company, tourism specialists and media representatives. In his speech, Taszhurekov noted that the tourist route will contribute to a further increase in the number of tourists in Turkistan. Later an information tour was organized for the guests who arrived by the train. Tourists visited the ancient cities of Otrar and Sauran, and then got acquainted with the state historical and cultural reserve Azret Sultan museum. It is worth noting that the launch of the Almaty-Turkistan tourist train was held within the framework of the memorandum of cooperation signed between the Turan Express company and the Passenger Transport and Road Department, the Tourism and External Relations Department, and the Internal Policy Department of the Turkistan region. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend: A documentary film about Samarkand and Bukhara, shot by the French film crew at the end of summer in Uzbekistan for the Doc TV series of the ELEPHANT channel, gathered a record TV audience during the broadcast, Trend reports referring to Uzbek media. The first series of the film Samarkand - the Uzbek pearl of Amin Maaluf, shown on the TV program Invitation to the Journey, tells about the history and art of the Great Silk Road, as well as about the heritage of the Temurid period. Due to the increased interest in the story (over 500,000 views per show), the film will be broadcast on the ARTE online platform until Jan. 12, 2019. The film is planned to be translated into Uzbek and Russian languages in the near future for broadcast on the TV channels of Uzbekistan. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- After giving more than five hours of testimony before two House committees on Capitol Hill Monday, frustrated former FBI Director James Comey took shots at some of President Donald Trump's most recent tweets. "This is the president of the United States calling a witness who is cooperating with his own Justice Department a 'rat.' Say that again to yourself at home and remind yourself where we have ended up," Comey said, referring to a tweet from the president calling his former personal attorney Michael Cohen a "rat." Cohen was sentenced to various crimes including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress after flipping on his former boss and cooperating in multiple investigations. "Republicans used to understand that the actions of a president matter, the words of a president matter, the rule of law matters and the truth matters,"Comey said, taking a more political tone Monday afternoon than he did last Friday following his first round of testimony in front of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees. "Where are those Republicans today? At some point, someone has to stand up. Comey said questions during the closed-door hearing once again focused on Hillary Clinton's email server and the Christopher Steele dossier. "I find it frustrating to be here answering questions about things that are far less important than the values this country is built upon." When asked if he thought Monday's testimony was useful or merely a political maneuver by House Republicans, Comey said he couldn't say. But Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, a member of the House Oversight Committee, told reporters Comey was not being forthcoming enough. "I can tell you that consistently the FBI has had legal counsel there to try to discourage the answering of certain questions that might be good for the American people to know and, yet, oftentimes they will suggest that its part of an ongoing investigation and discourage the witnesses from testifying," Meadows said. But the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, said that the hearing was a waste of time taxpayer money. "Basically what weve been hearing is what weve been hearing over and over," Cummings said. A transcript of Comey's testimony should be released Tuesday. House Republicans also plan to question former Attorney General Loretta Lynch this week, according to congressional aides. Comey, who has been highly critical of Trump since his firing last year and spoken repeatedly to other congressional committees and news outlets about his experience, reached an agreement with Republicans to appear behind closed doors, provided they release a transcript of the hearing within 24 hours and allow him to speak publicly about the session after meeting with lawmakers. He had initially mounted a legal challenge to the subpoena. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. I don't know how many young women come to this blog or how many are parents of teenage or young adult women, but here are some safety tips from Kelsey's Army: T I P S 1. Trust your instincts - If something feels wrong then something probably is wrong.2. Know your surroundings - know who and what is around you.3. Always have a plan for where you would go and what you would do if a situation arises.4. Be willing to make a scene in order to be noticed.5. Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.Remember the acronym TIPS:ake Chargenform others of your whereaboutsrepare for any situationurvival Mentality (role play situations so you will respond should they happen)For more information, go to Kelsey's Army Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Huseyn Hasanov, Rashid Shirinov Trend: Personnel changes have been made in the industrial sector of Turkmenistan, Trend reports citing the published orders of the country's president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Deputy Prime Minister Karim Durdymyradov, who supervised the industrial sector, was dismissed for serious shortcomings in work. He is temporarily substituted by the Deputy Prime Minister Mammetkhan Chakiyev, who also remains the superviser of the transport and communications industry. Another decree dismissed Hoshgeldi Mergenov from the post of the Industry Minister also because of serious shortcomings in work. He is temporarily substituted by the Deputy Minister of Industry Takhyrberdi Durkhanov. The Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper quoted Berdimuhamedov as saying at the government meeting on Saturday that Durdymyradov had held the post of Deputy Prime Minister for about a year, but as a result of improper control and irresponsible attitude to work, the activities of the supervised ministries and sectoral departments have deteriorated dramatically. Noting the unresolved financial issues of the Garlyk mining complex for the production and enrichment of potash fertilizers, as well as the unresolved financial issues of ministries and departments, the president of Turkmenistan stressed that cases of theft of state property, bribery and falsification of figures were revealed among the heads of the supervised industries. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: Turkmenistan plans to hold the 1st Caspian Economic Forum in its coastal resort Avaza on August 12, 2019, the Caspian Sea Day, Trend reports citing the Turkmen government. It is worth noting that on the initiative of Turkmenistan, the decision to hold the forum was made at the 5th Summit of the Heads of State of the Caspian littoral states held on August 12 this year in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The issue of preparing for the Caspian Economic Forum was recently discussed at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan. According to the Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary state news agency, the President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed that the development of fruitful cooperation with the countries of the Caspian region is among the priority vectors of Turkmenistan's foreign policy, based on the principles of positive neutrality, good neighborliness and mutually beneficial partnership. "The strategic importance of the Caspian Sea in regional and interregional geopolitical and geo-economic processes, its role as an important transit and transport and logistics hub necessitate the further integration of efforts of the Caspian states for the implementation of key areas of cooperation with a view to a long-term perspective," the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper quoted Berdimuhamedov. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: An exhibition of Turkish export goods, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan and the Turkish Meridyen International Fair Organization, is being held in Ashgabat, Trend reports via the information from the organizers. The event is attended by the representatives of the Turkish state agencies, heads and specialists of 70 companies. The participants include manufacturers of electric equipment (Vatan Kablo A.S., Cagdas Pano, Askomak Gida Degirmencilik), pipe and plumbing products (Elmas Irrigation Systems). STK Makina and Pimak Professional Kitchen present various technologies for import-substituting production. Astas Tekstili and Oztas Ic Giyim exhibit products of the textile industry, while Monty Parfum present perfumery products, and EM-KA Celik Konstruksiyon, Cemina and Dogus Firca represent the sphere of production of building materials, metal structures and accessories for various objects. Turkish companies Sistem-Suntek Sera, Metas, Erenoglu Muhendislik, Genc Gucsan, etc also present their products and technologies. Presently, there are about 600 Turkish companies operating in Turkmenistan, which were entrusted with such major projects as the construction of an international sea port in the city of Turkmenbashi and the international airport of the capital of Turkmenistan, highways, interchanges and overpasses. In addition, Turkish companies are actively involved in the construction of chemical industry facilities in Turkmenistan. There is also a productive cooperation in the field of electricity, where Turkish companies implement a project to modernize the power supply systems of Ashgabat, and build large power plants in the regions. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid Meeting of the Prime Ministers of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan will take place tomorrow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan reported, Trend reports referring to 24.kg. According to it, the second meeting of the Council of Heads of Border Regions of Uzbekistan and Plenipotentiary Representatives of the Government of Kyrgyzstan in the border regions will be held in Osh city. The heads of the Cabinet of Ministers of the two countries will chair the meeting. Earlier, following the negotiations of the working groups of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, two more sections of the state border have been demarcated. Tehran,Iran, Dec.17 Trend: A total of 60M was supplied to Iran's Integrated System for Hard Currency Transactions (NIMA) on Dec.15. Iran Finance Minister Farhad Dejpasand has announced that the foreign currency market in the country is moving towards balance, Trend reports via IRNA. "A total of 60M was supplied to NIMA on Saturday, the figure was very good and more than expected," Dejpasand said. The Central Bank of Iran (CBI), has started the Integrated System for Hard Currency Transactions (NIMA) to register the currency revenues returns from the exports and supply of foreign currency to importers that lead to drop of foreign currency rate in market. "I insist that the stability of foreign currency market is more important than other issues, especially since our exports are related to imports, if we create stability in market, all would profit from it," he added. The official noted the improvement of foreign currency market is the result of collaboration with private the sector. "The private sector has a progressive role in economy during the sanctions period. Iran needs private sector to pass the obstacles," said Dejpasand. He also spoke of the negotiations between country's private sector and China. "To improve the relations with China, the government had held separate sessions with chambers of commerce, there are a good opportunities to develop ties," he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: Fishermen have caught 1,800 tons of shrimp off the coast of Iran's Hormozgan Province, Director General of the Fisheries Organization of Hormozgan Mohsun Yektapour said. During shrimp season (from Oct. 2 to Nov. 13), 1,100 fishermen used 129 boats to catch shrimp, Trend reports referring to IRNA. Last Iranian year (started March 21, 2017), 2,030 tons of shrimp were caught off the coast of Hormozgan. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: The Iran Railway Company has become a member of the Railway Union of the CIS countries, Babak Ahmadi, deputy director for trade affairs of the Iran Railway Company, said. The impact of the sanctions on the railway sector is minimal, Trend reports referring to Mehr News Agency. Good programs are being implemented through the private companies, Ahmadi said. As for the problems with the Russian railcars, Iranian railcars will be fully used to transport cargoes in the next few months, he added. He added that trucks are not good for the transportation of cargoes in the CIS area. Therefore, it is necessary to work on the transportation of cargo by railcars, Ahmadi said. Irans Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi said on Sunday that the two countries have the potential to raise their commercial exchanges to 20 billion dollars in the coming years, Trend reports referring to IRNA. Addressing Conference on Boosting Iran-Iraq Economic Ties in Basra, he added that currently Irans non-oil exports to Iraq stands at $10 billion, to which exports of gas and electricity should be added. Referring to operation of five consulates in Najaf, Karbala, Basra, Erbil and Suleimanieh, he highlighted significance of economic relations with the neighbors, and said, We believe that Iran needs Iraq and Iraq needs Iran in this respect. As Iran stood alongside Iraq in fighting Daesh terrorists, it will also stay beside the brotherly and friendly country in reconstruction era, he said. Describing border of Basra as the line of friendship and boosting economic ties, he said that Basra can serve as a center for influential economic measures for bilateral economic relations. Serious involvement of Iranian companies in Iraqi projects will help increase trade between the two countries, he said. Conference on Boosting Iran-Iraq Economic Ties attended by officials and dozens of economic activists from the two countries opened in Basra on Sunday and will continue until Monday. Consul General of Iran in Pakistans Karachi Ahmad Mohammadi said that Iran's exports to Pakistan have increased by around 60 percent during current Iranian year (started March 21, 2018) as compared to the previous fiscal year, Trend reports referring to IRNA. He made the remarks while talking to Iranian traders visiting Pakistan to participate in three-day 14th Build Asia Exhibition in Karachi. Eight Iranian companies are taking part in the event held at Karachi Expo Center. Expressing his views, Ahmad Mohammadi said that it is very encouraging that neighboring states of Iran are importing our products. He said that neighboring countries, specially Pakistan, can be a good destination for Iranian products. Speaking on the occasion, Commercial attache of Iran in Pakistan's Karachi Mehmood Haji Yousefipour said that Iran exported $864 million worth of goods to Pakistan during the current Iranian year. He said Pakistan is the seventh most favored destination for Iranian products. Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar has inaugurated three-day exhibition on Saturday. The mayor said that the world was attaching importance to Karachi city owing to the ongoing many mega projects. He said that delegates from Iran, China and Turkey were participating in the exhibition. Khursheed Nizam, the president of event organising firm said that about 250 delegates from 20 countries were attending Build Asia Exhibition. He said that companies from Iran, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Oman, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, the UK and the USA were attending to showcase construction material and machinery. A seminar on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is being organized at the exhibition to highlight importance of the projects, he added. The exhibition is showcasing construction machinery and material, steel, PVC, marble and furniture. The exhibition is aimed at reducing the cost of construction through use of advanced technology,' he said. Foreign dignitaries and representatives of Pakistan Stone Development Company, Constructor Association of Pakistan and All Pakistan Marble Industries Association are attending exhibition. The organisers are expecting that over 50,000 people will visit three-day Build Asia eve. Baku, Azerbaijan, December 17 By Azer Ahmadbayli Trend: Following a series of recent terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, which resulted in the deaths of servicemen and civilians, Israel has once again become embittered from within. We remember the disagreements arisen among the Israeli leadership after the November rocket attacks on the South of Israel from Gaza, on how to proceed, and as a result of which Defense Minister Lieberman resigned. Anyway, despite the high viability of all structures of state power, those events were a strong emotional shake-up for the entire Israeli society: people discussed them ardently, split into supporters and opponents of a particular opinion, and even there were comments that citizens in the north were not able to understand the southerners who live in permanent tension because of recurrent threats from Gaza. Nobody put the Israeli unity under doubt at that time, but some negative background was there. And this time again, in a few hours after the latest terrorists attack (in Givat Assaf) the atmosphere heated up quickly. On Thursday in Jerusalem, near the Prime Ministers residence, several thousand people took the streets, requiring tough response to violence. Israeli media reported Dec. 14 that there were clashes in Ramallah between local residents and Israeli soldiers searching for terrorists involved in the latest attacks. Also, in some areas, mass fighting erupted between young Jews and Arabs. The Israelis were throwing stones at vehicles with Palestinian license plates, damaging many cars. The National Union party presented an ultimatum to Prime Minister Netanyahu saying that chairman Uri Ariel and MK Bezalel Smotrich would stop voting with the ruling coalition until the Prime Minister urgently meets several security demands. Withdrawal of the National Union from the coalition will deprive the latter of the parliamentary majority, Israeli media outlets said. On Friday, near Beit El, another stabbing attack was committed against an Israeli serviceman. In fact, the recent terrorist attacks pursued the same goal to cause anger in society and disagreements in the government of Israel and to strengthen the contradictions between the supporters of the moderate and hard liners, to create an unstable environment in which a hasty decision can be made, and which can once again somehow discredit the state of Israel. After the occasionally voiced mutual accusations of betrayal of the interests of Palestinian unity, both of the major rival Palestinian movements were finally unanimous in the assessment of the attacks expressing their full satisfaction, regional media said. Hamas: A new page is opening in the fight against occupation through fire and blood. Fatah: Shaheeds (martyrs), who shed blood for their native land, are heroes. With their blood they draw a map of our homeland. In all this chaos, however, there is a certain order, or rather, a consistent line to aggravate the situation in Israel at the right time. Let's not forget the events of November. Then, after the shelling of Israeli territory and the demand of Defense Minister Lieberman to immediately commence a ground operation to clean up Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu at a closed meeting of the Cabinet said that he would not sanction such an operation as there are some circumstances he cannot disclose, but soon important political steps will be taken in the region and therefore now is not the time to play hardball. We can only guess what steps the Israeli Prime Minister was talking about, but it is clear that to reach his goal he needed complete political stability in the country, which was blown up by the recent terrorist attacks. Assessing all the recent precedents the rapprochement with Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf states, granting permission by Oman to use its air space for Israeli aircraft, the recent visit of the President of Chad (a major Muslim country), the comments of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the Emir of Bahrain about the establishment of closer ties with the Jewish state, and a number of other signs it can be assumed that the "important steps" referred to by the Israeli Prime Minister lie in the plane of recognition of the state of Israel by some Arab nations with the further establishment of diplomatic relations. This, in turn, would radically change the architecture of the Arab-Israeli decades-lasting enmity relations and, in particular, the fate of the Palestinian question. Its clear that neither Fatah nor Hamas want to allow this course of events to happen. The Arab coalition launched new airstrikes in Yemen's Al Hodeidah despite the agreements that were reached during the negotiations in Sweden, a source in Yemen's Ministry of Defense told Sputnik on Sunday, Trend reports. According to the source, the bombing affected the Isa area of Al Hodeidah. The source added that the coalition had also launched an airstrike in the province of Al Bayda, leaving two children killed, as well as bombed the northern province of Saada, located on the border with Saudi Arabia and considered to be a stronghold of the Houthi movement. The strike comes after one-week UN-mediated talks on Yemen crisis settlement finished earlier in December. The sides agreed on a governorate-wide ceasefire and withdrawal of forces in Al Hodeidah, the establishment of a UN-chaired committee to monitor the process, a prisoner exchange, and humanitarian corridors to the city of Taiz. Saudi Arabia rejects the position of the US Senate, blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday, Trend reports citing Sputnik. On Thursday, the US Senate passed a resolution that blamed the Saudi Crown Prince for Khashoggis assassination, and also warned the kingdom against purchasing arms from Russia or China. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejects the position expressed recently by the United States Senate, which was based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdoms internal affairs, undermining the Kingdoms regional and international role," the statement reads, as quoted by the Saudi Press Agency. At the same time, Riyadh noted that the country maintained strategic ties with the United States, and was committed to further develop them. "The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership, represented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque and the Crown Prince, and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature," the statement stresses. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, known for his criticism of Saudi policies, went missing on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia's acknowledgement that the journalist had been killed inside the consulate came after two weeks of denials and growing pressure from Western allies to provide explanations. On October 26, the Saudi prosecutor general acknowledged that the journalist's murder was premeditated. However, Riyadh maintains that the killing had nothing to do with the Saudi royal family, describing it as a rogue operation. The Qatar Petroleum (QP) state-owned company reached an agreement with Italys Eni oil and gas company to buy 35 percent of the project, which includes three offshore oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, Qatari Energy Minister and QP CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "We are pleased to sign an agreement to acquire a 35-percent stake with a major player in the energy market, such as Eni, to participate in the development and production of three oil fields in Mexico. It will be another step in expanding the international reach of QP and its presence in Mexico," Al-Kaabi said on Sunday. The agreement provides for participation in oil production in the fields of Amoca, Mizton and Tecoalli, situated in the Bay of Campeche in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico. Al-Kaabi said that oil production in the Bay of Campeche was expected to start in mid-2019. The Qatar Petroleum expected that by 2021, together with Eni they would be able to produce up to 90,000 barrels of oil per day in this place. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin here Sunday, with both sides agreeing to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation at all sectors, Trend reports citing Xinhua. Both Wang and U Kyaw Tin are here to attend the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers' meeting to be held on Monday. China is ready to be Myanmar's reliable partner of cooperation, promote high-level exchanges, strengthen cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative and enrich the content of China-Myanmar comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, said Wang. Both sides should actively implement the recently-signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly build the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, improve related plans and push forward major projects, Wang noted. China will also support Myanmar to properly solve the northern Myanmar issue following the "Panglong spirit," said Wang. On the Rakhine issue, China hopes that Myanmar and Bangladesh will maintain communication and cooperation and realize repatriation of the first batch of displaced persons from Bangladesh at an early date. To this end, China will provide necessary assistance and related organizations of the United Nations should also play a constructive role, he added. For his part, U Kyaw Tin said his country is satisfied with the development of the Myanmar-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the relations of the two countries have entered the best period in history. State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International cooperation, the union minister said, adding that Myanmar has formed a steering committee to push forward cooperation programs within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. The LMC mechanism has brought benefits to peoples in the region and Myanmar is looking forward to deepening communication and coordination with China under the mechanism, he said. Close allies of UK Prime Minister Theresa May from the Conservative Party are preparing a second Brexit referendum behind her back, Trend reports citing Sputnik. According to the Sunday Times newspaper, UK Minister for the Cabinet Office, conservative David Lidington, held talks with members of the Labour Party on Thursday, trying to build an inter-party coalition to organize a new vote. At the same time, May's Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell has said that holding a second referendum was "the only way forward." "Barwell and Lidington are working in tandem. Others in No 10 are aware of what is happening," a senior Conservative Party member said, as quoted by the publication. Lidington and his supporters plan to offer voters a choice between the deal negotiated by May and a "no-deal" Brexit. However, officials expect the House of Commons to amend the referendum legislation to also include in the ballot paper the possibility of remaining in the European Union. The idea is reportedly supported by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Amber Rudd, Justice Secretary David Gauke and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley and Minister for Scotland David Mundell is also on the side of Lidington, the newspaper said. The publication also noted that former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, after a recent conversation with May, told friends that May personally opposed the vote, but would support the second referendum if the parliamentarians vote for it. The Sunda Rimes reports come after May said Friday that she would continue negotiations with Brussels on the future Brexit agreement in order to obtain additional guarantees for the deal, which are necessary for approval in the UK Parliament. The United Kingdom must leave the European Union by March 29. In October, London and Brussels agreed on a text of the agreement defining the conditions for UK exit from the bloc. But lately, there have been problems with the approval of the "divorce agreement" in the UK Parliament. The Italian government is confident that the European Union wont open a disciplinary procedure over its budget after the ruling coalition agreed to revise it, an economy undersecretary said on Monday, Trend reports referring to Reuters. We are optimistic, Massimo Garavaglia told state-owned radio RAI. Italys coalition government has agreed on the numbers and contents of the budget it will propose to Brussels in a bid to avoid disciplinary action over its plans to hike deficit spending next year, a League party spokeswoman said earlier on Monday. Israel is aiming to ensure its military superiority with an investment in quantum technology, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post. The defense ministry announced a NIS 100 million investment in an innovative research fund focused on quantum computing. First announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in May, the project is a collaboration between the Defense Ministrys Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (MAFAT), the Higher Education Committee and the Israel Science Foundation, and will help enhance Israels intelligence gathering capacity. I welcome the establishment of the innovative research fund, which will continue to place Israel at the top of global technology and research, Netanyahu said on Sunday. From the cyber power to the quantum superpower, we will continue to lead significant breakthroughs for the State of Israel. A quantum computer works with particles that can be in superposition two or more quantum states added together to become another one. Rather than representing bits, such particles would represent qubits, which can take on the value 0, or 1, or both simultaneously. This allows these computers to solve problems that current computers cannot, and could have important defense applications, such as allowing the military to break complex encryption and cryptographic codes used to protect military secrets. If you have a quantum computer, you could decipher encrypted messages, Dr. Liat Maoz, a strategic consultant working with Israels Council for Higher Education, told The Jerusalem Post. Most encryptions are very, very hard to decipher, but quantum computers would be able to decipher them much quicker. She said quantum communications would also allow for a completely secure communications line. Anyone who tries to eavesdrop on a call that is on a quantum communication line would be immediately discovered, Maoz said. Israel is not the first country to enter the quantum technology race. The global race is already underway and various countries are investing huge sums in developing the field and if we do not run forward, the State of Israel will be left behind, said Prof. Yaffa Zilbershatz, chairwoman of the Council for Higher Educations Planning and Budgeting Committee. China and the US have made substantial investments and advancements in some area of quantum research. Last year, China announced that it would be building the worlds largest quantum research facility in the Hefei province. Costing over $10 billion, the 370,000 sq.m. laboratory is expected to be completed by 2020 and will see Chinese scientists work toward major advances in quantum technology in areas including computers, sensors and cryptography. In the United States, the National Quantum Initiative Act proposes spending some $1.275 billion over five years to support research and development in the field, a substantial increase from the $200 million that the US has been spending on the topic until now. Tamir Libel, a former research fellow at Institut Barcelona dEstudis Internacionals, told the Post that the quantum race is one of status or prestige between the major powers. If China invests a lot in exotic and emerging technology, that may have major implications for security and the US, Europe and Israel cannot stay behind. He compared the quantum technology race to the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States, which was considered important because it showed the world which country had the best science, technology and economic systems. If China is moving forward, then none of the military leaders in the world can stay behind when it comes to military research and development, Libel said. He added that if one considers the investment made by the National Security Agency in collecting and encrypting certain types of technologies over the last 20 years, quantum computing would be a major benefit. Furthermore, it could significantly contribute to challenges of highly secure encryption for communication satellites. He explained that when operating in regions protected by GPS jammers, Scud missiles, for example, cannot receive GPS signals, precluding accurate timing for these missiles. Quantum computing could be used as an alternative method for synchronizing between systems, said Libel. Instead of relying on GPS signals for Scud or atomic missiles, you could use quantum computing to find accurate timing for the navigation system. According to a release by the Defense Ministry, Israels NIS 100 million has been allocated to the fund over five years. The aim of the program is to support outstanding research groups at Israeli universities that will engage in research and development in the field of science and quantum technology, the statement read. Some NIS 75 million will be used to award significant grants to researchers to finance research and purchase or upgrade equipment required for the research. The remainder of the amount will be directed to the development of the field according to the considerations of the Ministrys Research and Development department. MAFAT head Brig.-Gen. (res.) Dr. Danny Gold said on Sunday that Israel knows how to provide creative solutions to the complex challenges facing the defense establishment. Israel, which has become a superpower in cyberspace, is looking at quantum as a strategic goal to become a major player in the global market, he said. Syrian President Bashar Assad has held talks with his Sudanese counterpart, Omar Bashir, to discuss bilateral relations, as well as the situation in Syria and in the Middle Eastern region in general, the press service of the Syrian president said Sunday, Trend reports citing Sputnik. Assad greeted the Sudanese president at the airport. The press service published photos of the meeting. "The presidents held talks on bilateral relations, development of the situation in Syria and the region," the press service said. This is the first visit of Bashir to Syria since the eruption of the Syrian conflict in 2011. Syria has been in a state of conflict since 2011, with the government forces of President Bashar Assad fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of a countrywide ceasefire in Syria, while it also provides humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians and is actively engaged in dialogue on a settlement to the Syrian crisis. Police and fire officials on Monday were searching for the cause of a dramatic explosion in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo that collapsed a building and injured 42 people, Trend reports citing Reuters. Media reports said the Sunday night incident may have involved propane gas tanks in the building where the blast occurred. Sapporo police and fire officials said it was too early to say anything certain about the cause of the explosion. Video posted on social media showed flames shooting up into the sky and debris-strewn streets. I heard a bang which sounded like thunder, and my condo was shaken, a man who lived nearby was quoted as saying by the Japan Times. One man suffered burns to his face but his life was not in danger, the police said. Most of the others were treated for superficial injuries. Kyodo news agency reported that fire inspectors two months ago found that most of the buildings tenants lacked evacuation gear as well as devices to warn of electrical short circuits. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said for the first time that his Liberal government is looking for a way out of a multibillion-dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia, Trend reports referring to Aljazeera. Speaking in a TV interview that aired on Sunday, the comments represented a notable hardening in tone from Trudeau, who previously said there would be huge penalties for scrapping the $13bn agreement for armoured vehicles made by the Canadian unit of General Dynamics Corp. Last month, Trudeau said Canada could freeze the relevant export permits if it concluded the weapons had been misused. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," Trudeau told CTV. He did not give further details. Political opponents, citing the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Yemen war, insist Trudeau should end the General Dynamics deal, which was negotiated by the previous Conservative government. In October Trudeau maintained that he was reluctant to cancel the controversial contract with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the Khashoggi case as it would cost Canada C$1bn ($747m). Trudeau said that the "difficult" contract was made in a way that "makes it very difficult to suspend or leave the contract". "I do not want to leave Canadians holding a billion-dollar bill because we're trying to move forward on doing the right thing," Trudeau said in October. "So we're navigating this very carefully." Relations between Ottawa and Riyadh have been tense since a diplomatic dispute over human rights earlier this year. Ottawa says it has been consulting allies on what steps to take after Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. "The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," said Trudeau. Human rights groups have been issuing letters to Trudeau since 2016, asking him to cancel the controversial arms deal with Saudi Arabia. "To provide such a large supply of lethal weapons to a regime with such an appalling record of human rights abuses is immoral and unethical. The spirit and letter of both domestic export controls and international law support this view," said the letter signed by representatives of human rights organisations such as Amnesty International. "We believe the regime's integrity has been utterly compromised with the government's decision to proceed with the largest arms sale in Canadian history to one of the world's worst human rights violators." There is a "reasonable risk" that Canadian-made military hardware is being used against civilians, the letter noted, considering Saudi Arabia's "abysmal and worsening human rights record, both within Saudi Arabia and in neighbouring Yemen". 1. Comments must not be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted. 2. Comments must not involve little more than name-calling and insulting remarks. 3. Comments must not be made by "anonymous" or "unknown". 4. Comments must not try to sneak in some free advertising for themselves (like spam). I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published. Brazils Embraer (EMBR3.SA) said on Monday it had finalized the terms of a proposed deal to sell 80 percent of its commercial aviation business to Boeing (BA.N), Trend reports referring to Reuters. As announced, the terms of the deal remain unchanged from when the joint-venture was first announced in July. The deal still needs approval from the Brazilian government. Flight tests of the most advanced Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) will begin in "the nearest perspective," Strategic Missile Force Commander Colonel-General Sergei Karakayev said in an interview with Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Trend reports referring to TASS. According to Karakayev, the necessary infrastructure for the flight tests of Sarmat ICBM is being constructed at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in north Russia. "Flight tests of the complex will start in the nearest perspective and its success will provide for the serial production of its components," he said. The rearmament of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces with the most advanced Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will begin with the the Uzhur-based strategic missile force division in 2021, Karakayev said. "W plan to start the rearmament with this missile complex starting in 2021 in the Uzhur-based missile force division, which currently has in operation its predecessor - the Voyevoda missile complex," Karakayev said. Russia is developing the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile system to replace its most powerful Voyevoda ICBM. In 2018, the Sarmat successfully passed pop-up tests. The RS-28 Sarmat is the Russian promising silo-based missile complex with the heavy liquid-propellant ICBM capable of carrying nuclear charges. Russia has been developing the Sarmat since the 2000s to replace the R-36M2 Voyevoda ICBM operational in the countrys Strategic Missile Force since 1988. It weighs about 200 tonnes and has a throw weight of about 10 tonnes. According to earlier reports, the serial production of the Sarmat ICBM is expected to begin from 2020 and in 2021 the first regiment armed with this missile is expected to assume combat duty. Russias Federal Security Service has curbed the activity of an interregional criminal group manufacturing arms at clandestine workshops, the FSB press center said on Monday, Trend reports referring to TASS. "The activity of two illegal workshops on modernizing weapons and manufacturing ammunition has been stopped," the FSB stressed. The operation was carried out jointly with the Interior Ministry and the National Guard. The criminal groups suspected organizer and active participants have been detained in Moscow, the Moscow, Bryansk, Kaluga and Nizhny Novgorod Regions. The investigators have seized a large amount of firearms, munitions, explosives and exploders from the suspects. A criminal investigation will be launched. Israeli and Russian militaries are cooperating closely again following the downing of the Russian intelligence plane off the coast of Syria in September, Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Jewish Agency head Isaac Herzog on Monday, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post. At the beginning of a meeting with Herzog in Moscow, Lavrov said that representatives of the IDF and Russian Army general staffs have met several times, that the meetings were professional, and that he hopes the cooperation will continue in a way that does not endanger the lives of Russian soldiers, does not create problems for the efforts of the Syrian Arab Republic and us to fight terrorism, and in a way that ensures the security of Israel, which we believe is very important for an overall settlement. Lavrov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke briefly on the phone recently, and there's the possibility of a meeting again.' The two leaders met last in November on the sidelines of a ceremony in Paris marking the end of World War I. It is Israel's appreciation of the Red Army's contribution to the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, however, that Lavrov underlined in his brief photo-op with Herzog before the meeting. After Herzog said that his father -- former president Chaim Herzog who was a British soldier during World War II and who met red Army troops in German upon liberation had a great deal of respect for the heroism and bravery of the Red Army in the Great War, Lavrov said that this respect for the Red Army's contribution is something we should cherish. He said Israels appreciation of the Red Armys role is especially important in light of intensified attempts to challenge the outcome of World War II, and to challenge the crimes committed. And we highly appreciate that Israel is very firm in not allowing this to happen. This was a reference to efforts in former Soviet dominated countries of eastern Europe such as Poland, Hungary and the Baltic states to tear down monuments to the Red Army in their countries and in their narratives of World War II equate the crimes of the Communists to those of the Nazis. Lavrov said he once against wanted to express our appreciation for the decision by your parliament to declare May 9 as an official holiday in Israel. May 9th is Victory in Europe Day, and the Knesset established it is an official holiday in 2017. Diplomatic officials have said Israels recognition of the Red Armys crucial role in defeating the Nazis has played an important role in the development of strong Israel-Russian ties, as Moscow feels its part in the defeat of the Nazis and its sacrifice has been badly downplayed by the West. In 2012, Israel dedicated a monument in Netanya to the Red Armys defeat of the Nazis, one of the only countries outside the former Soviet bloc to have done so. Herzog told Lavrov that he welcomed progress in the Israeli-Russian dialogue, and that it would be very important for Netanyahu and Putin to meet once again to deal with specific strategic issues. He said that Israel was worried about the fact that there is a clear violation of the border between us and Lebanon by Hezbollah -- I think the message has to be clear both to Iran and its agent Hezbollah, as well as to other agents of Iran in the region such as Hamas. Following this meeting with Lavrov, Herzog posted a tweet saying that he talked with the Russian diplomat about the justification for Israels actions on its northern borders, about the strategic need for diplomatic progress with the Palestinians, and that an arrangement in Gaza is not possible if Hamas carries out murderous attacks in Judea and Samaria. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: As part of the operations held in Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist group, 23 terrorists were eliminated last week, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish Interior Ministry. On Dec. 14, Turkish Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu said that up to 700 PKK terrorists remain in the southeastern mountainous parts of Turkey. Soylu noted that considering the intensity of military operations of the Turkish Armed Forces and severe weather conditions, it can be assumed that all PKK fighters will be completely eliminated during this winter. The minister underlined that Turkey is determined to fight PKK. Earlier, Soylu said that for the last two years (2017-2018), the Turkish Air Force eliminated 732 PKK militants. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has lasted more than 25 years, claiming more than 40,000 lives. PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu CPM has come out strongly against the decision of a collective of Muslim organisations led IUML to hold awareness discourses in mosques against the LDF decision to hand over Waqf Board appointments to the Kerala PSC. Srinagar: A complete shutdown is being observed in Kashmir valley today for third straight day against the killings of seven civilians in southern Pulwama district on the weekend. All shops and other commercial establishments are closed in Srinagar summer capital of the Himalayan state, and elsewhere in the valley while public transport is off the roads. Educational institutions are closed while the exams scheduled at the Kashmir University and other universities on Monday have been postponed. Joint Resistance Leadership an amalgam of separatist leaders headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik has called for shutdown and a march to Badami Bagh army base in Srinagar today to mourn the killings. On Saturday, seven civilians were killed and over 35 others injured after government forces fired at the protesters near the site of a gunfight that left three militants and a soldier dead in Sarnoo village of Pulwama. Srinagar December 17: Police arrested the Chairman of Hurriyat-M Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the Chief of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Muhammad Yasin Malik after they tried to lead a march towards Indian army headquarters in Badami Bagh, Srinagar, today. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was arrested after he defied his house arrest and tried to march towards Badami Bagh army base in Srinagar as a mark of protest against the civilian killings by Indian troops in Pulwama on Saturday. As Mirwaiz came out of his Nigeen residence and tried to march along with dozens of his supporters towards the Badami Bagh base, a police contingent deployed near his residence thwarted the march and detained the Mirwaiz and his supporters. Muhammad Yasin Malik, who had gone underground to evade arrest, was also detained when he took out the march from Gaw Kadal area of Srinagar along with his supporters. As he reached Budshah Bridge, police swung into action and arrested him along with many of his supporters. The protesters said that police fired teargas shells to foil the protest. Call for the march towards the army headquarters was given by the Joint Resistance Leadership against the massacre of around a dozen Kashmiri youth by Indian forces in Pulwama on Saturday. Vietnams medicinal plants: the green gold mine in danger VietNamNet Bridge - The rich medicinal plant treasure of Vietnam is in danger. From the northern mountainous provinces to the Central Highlands, the plants are being overexploited for export to China. With its unique natural conditions, Vietnam has thousands of medicinal plants including many rare and precious ones considered green gold. Cao Bang, Lang Son, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Lao Cai and Son La are called the herbal land. Hoang Lien National Park is one of the herbal land areas. Scientists have found 2,024 higher plant species, including 66 species listed in Vietnams Red Book. Pham Xuan Phong, deputy chair of the Sa Pa district Oriental Medicine Association, said that locals had to spend a few hours to collect a bag of herbs in the forests, but now, they find plants only after several days of searching. In many districts of Cao Bang province and other northern mountainous localities, plants are exploited every day by locals to sell to Chinese businessmen. With its unique natural conditions, Vietnam has thousands of medicinal plants including many rare and precious ones considered green gold. Cao Bang, Lang Son, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Lao Cai and Son La are called the herbal land. Nong Thi Ca, a collector of medicinal plants in Thach An district of Cao Bang province, confirmed that in the past, she could collect several tons of na day (Kadsura coccinea) and cha vang (Jasminum subtriplinerve) herbs from Tay ethnic minority, a day. But now, she only buys hundreds of kilograms a day. According to the Cao Bang provincial Oriental Medicine Association, there are tens of establishments that collect medicinal plants and sell tens of thousand of tons of medicinal plants to China across the border gates. A report said there are over 600 precious plant species in the province, but these are now in danger. A local man told reporters that in Cao Bang and Lang Son, in border districts, Vietnamese merchants join forces with Chinese businessmen to set up medicinal plant collection stations. The merchants take orders from Chinese businessmen and then inform locals about the amount of plants they want. According to the man, the Chinese not only order the plants known as precious medicine, but also plants with medicinal functions that local people were unaware of. Tran Van Tuyen, chair of the Lang Son provincial Oriental Medicine Association, estimates that about 300,000 tons of local herbs are exported to China each year. Tran Van On from the Hanoi University of Pharmacy said that over 60 medicinal plant species with high economic value are being purchased by Chinese businessmen at the low price of tens of thousands of dong per kilogram. RELATED NEWS Vietnams priceless herbs now developed in scientific way Research projects to develop herbal medicine in Vietnam Mai Lan 750 benefit from free eye camp in Kanchanpur A total of 781 people have benefited from a free eye camp in Shuklaphanta Municipality-4 in Kanchanpur district. (Adds contradictory output figures from budget) MEXICO CITY, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Mexico aims to lift oil and gas production by almost 50 percent in the next six years and in January will award infrastructure and drilling contracts to develop 20 fields, state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos said on Saturday. Octavio Romero, chief executive officer of the company generally known as Pemex, said the new government would increase exploration investment by around 10 percent annually to reverse dwindling output as he presented a new plan for the industry. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1, wants to revive Pemex, which has become heavily indebted as crude output fell from a peak of nearly 3.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2004 to less than 1.8 million in October. "It's a new Pemex rescue," Lopez Obrador said alongside Romero in the port of Ciudad del Carmen in the southern Gulf of Mexico shortly before his government was due to present its first budget with Pemex's finances under close scrutiny. Under the plan, Mexican crude output is due to climb to some 2.624 million barrels bpd by the end of 2024, while gas production will also rise by about 50 percent. Output will stabilize in the coming months and start to pick up toward the end of next year, the Pemex CEO said. However, projections presented in the government's first budget later on Saturday suggested output would continue falling until 2020. Mexico's previous government sought to increase production by opening up production and exploration to private capital. But the decline has yet to bottom out. Lopez Obrador, an admirer of Lazaro Cardenas, the president who nationalized Mexico's oil industry 80 years ago, was opposed to the 2013-14 constitutional overhaul of the industry carried out by his predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto. The veteran leftist says he will respect 110 private oil contracts awarded under Pena Nieto, but this month challenged oil majors to start pumping oil quickly, offering them a three-year "truce," without giving further details. Story continues In the meantime, Mexico will speed up exploitation of 20 mostly offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexico, Romero said. To this end, contracts for the necessary infrastructure will be awarded on Jan. 15 and to drill wells on Jan. 31, he added. Most of the fields are offshore and the government plans to issue "integrated" infrastructure contracts, Romero said. The drilling of the wells would be "turnkey" contracts that made the companies or consortiums responsible for delivery. Pemex will be responsible for the engineering and supervision of the services. By December 2019, the 20 fields should yield 73,000 bpd of output, Romero said. Energy Secretary Rocio Nahle told reporters in the city that priority would be given to Mexican firms in the contracting process, based on a restricted list of invitees. Romero said nine companies had expressed interest in drilling the offshore wells, and five others had done so for the four onshore fields. All are majority Mexican-owned, he said. (Reporting by Dave Graham; editing by Jonathan Oatis, Cynthia Osterman and James Dalgleish) More From CNBC The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released an urgent report that should serve as a wake-up call. (Actually, it's more the equivalent of a slap in the face). The upshot: If humanity doesn't act fast to stop global temperature rise, we could see truly terrible effects of climate change as soon as 2040. The world economy needs to shift at a scale and speed that the authors say has "no documented historic precedent." If greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current clip, we could experience a 2.7-degree Fahrenheit warm-up by 2040, according to the study. Flooded coastlines, mass die-off of coral reefs, increased droughts, wildfires, food shortages, and, of course, resultant poverty and human suffering make the laundry list of negative effects we could see in as little as two decades' time in that scenario. Meanwhile, for those who prefer to think in terms of dollars and cents, the report's authors provided some prognostications. They estimated that 2.7 degrees of warming would result in $54 trillion in damage, and if the atmosphere warms 3.6 degrees and beyond, that would increase to $69 trillion. An unprecedented level of economic transformation is a tough ask. The idea that we literally have no more time to waste doesn't play well with the fact that the political climate at the federal level makes American action through policy writ large look like a tragically remote possibility. A small green shoot pokes through drought-cracked ground. Image source: Getty Images. The smart money addresses the problem As tempting as it may be to panic or despair, though, I try to remember that at least there are pretty powerful forces that are still working to make progress in fighting climate change. For example, many state and local governments have been picking up the slack. California is probably the most impressive current examples from that sphere; Gov, Jerry Brown recently issued an executive order committing the state (the fifth largest economy in the world) to cutting its net output of greenhouse gases to zero by 2045. Story continues Meanwhile, as ironic as it might be given that industry and the cult of "shareholder value above all other considerations" have played a major role in putting us in this predicament, many modern business leaders and some renowned shareholders recognize the current danger and are taking action. BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street are among the giant investors pushing for better environmental policies at corporations, and increasing numbers of influential shareholders are divesting from fossil fuel companies (investors representing $6 trillion recently committed to do so), sending a powerful message -- so powerful that this divestment movement has started appearing in the risk factors of oil companies' SEC filings. Increasing numbers of businesses report on their emissions progress and other environmental metrics in detailed sustainability reports. Specifically, the Governance & Accountability Institute reported that 85% of S&P 500 companies issued sustainability or corporate responsibility reports in 2017, a huge increase from less than 20% in 2011. Many companies have signed on to official climate-change-fighting commitments, too, joining organizations such as the We Are Still In, We Mean Business, and RE100 coalitions. What can individuals do? There are things we as individuals can do, too. We can be thoughtful about our driving and air travel, curtail our meat consumption, look into renewable energy options for our homes, and so forth. As individual investors, we can double-check our stocks to make sure our companies are trying to be part of responsible change. We can also be on the lookout for shareholder resolutions related to climate change during proxy season, and vote in favor of climate-friendly proposals. I could close this article with some data to reassure folks that investing in an environmentally friendly manner doesn't necessarily mean investors will lose money and that they can even make money following this path. That's true and I've written about it plenty of times, but in light of the UN's report, I think there's only one point to make right at this moment: If our society doesn't do its part in putting the brakes on climate change, it is in effect divesting from future health, well-being, and prosperity. Real leaders in business and investing understand exactly what's at stake. More From The Motley Fool Alyce Lomax has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Editors note: This article is part of InvestorPlace.coms Best Stocks for 2019 contest. Eric Frys pick for the contest is Syrah Resources (OTCMKTS:SYAAF). The Second Electric Revolution is underway. This revolution is taking several different forms and its offering a variety of investment opportunities. That said, finding the best way to invest in this mega-trend is a mega-challenge. Heres why: InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Many of the companies leading the electrification boom are Chinese, and their stocks trade only in Shanghai or Shenzhen. Many market leaders in the battery and electrification industries are subsidiaries of much larger companies, so there is no way to invest in them directly. Many market leaders are actually losing money. Tesla (NDAQ: TSLA ) is one high-profile example, but it is hardly alone. Innovation is both expensive and risky. The electrification boom is a battleground of competing technologies and continuous innovation. Todays market leader could be tomorrows Betamax. I refer to this dynamic as first-mover disadvantage. For these reasons, I focus primarily on the companies that are providing essential resources to the electrification boom. Next-generation electrification technologies require large quantities of battery metals like lithium, cobalt, copper and nickel. The average electric vehicle (EV), for example, uses almost half as much copper as the average American house. Thats why, generally speaking, I believe select low tech mining companies provide a better play on the electrification boom than cutting edge companies like TSLA. One of the most compelling investments in the mining sector is Syrah Resources (OTCMKTS:SYAAF). And because of its leading position in the industry, it is also my pick in InvestorPlaces Best Stocks for 2019 contest, which I am thrilled to be joining this year. Story continues Graphite Is Gold This up-and-coming Australian company operates the worlds highest-grade graphite mine. Its called the Balama Mine, and it sits in Mozambique home to about 50% of the worlds known graphite reserves. Nearby South Africa holds about 25% of the worlds reserves. Even though graphite has not attracted as much attention as other battery metals, it is just as essential for current battery technologies perhaps even more essential. Heres why All four of the leading EV battery technologies use slightly different combinations of metals to create their cathodes. But the anode material in all four is 100% graphite. That makes graphite agnostic about which battery chemistry becomes the most popular or prevalent. Syrahs Balama operation, which came into production a few months ago, contains a vast graphite resource with a projected mine life of more than 50 years. According to Mining Global, Balama possesses such enormous potential that it could provide 40% of the worlds natural graphite within three years. Thats the good news. The other news is that SYAAF is essentially a one-mine company, and that mine sits in Mozambique. Given the recent difficulties that several mining companies have encountered in other African nations like Congo, Mali and Zambia, investing in any Africa-based mining operation might feel too adventuresome for some investors. That sentiment is entirely understandable. On the other hand, I should point out that Mozambique has maintained political stability for the last 30 years, and it features one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. SYYAF Stock Is Benefitting from the Second Electric Revolution Now lets dive into the companys investment profile. As one of the worlds largest graphite miners, SYAAF is in a great position to benefit from the Second Electric Revolution. The reasoning is elegantly simple. EVs use a LOT of graphite. Just one of TSLAs EVs contains about 200 pounds of graphite, which is roughly 10 times the amount of lithium or cobalt it also contains. Therefore, as the EV boom gains momentum, the demand for graphite will soar. The electric vehicle is not the only transformational technology thats bursting onto the scene so is energy storage. The leading energy storage technologies also require graphite. And this source of demand is just beginning to take off. Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that the global energy storage market will double six times between now and 2030 from a starting point of less than five gigawatt hours (GWh) to 305 GWh. An estimated $103 billion will be invested in energy storage over that time period. So when you add together these two rapidly growing sources of graphite demand EVs and energy storage you get an astonishingly large growth projection. According to SYAAFs forecasts, the combined global demand for graphite from the EV and energy storage sectors will total at least 650,000 tonnes by 2025. Thats the base case. The high case calls for demand to total more than 1.3 million tonnes by 2025. Demand growth of this magnitude would require a near-doubling of global graphite production from current levels. And more importantly, this demand projection is not particularly vulnerable to future battery chemistry changes. Syrah aims to play a big role in supplying this future graphite demand. The company is on track to produce at least 250,000 tonnes of graphite next year and then ramp to up to 350,000 tonnes over the following two years. An Opportunity We Cannot Miss in SYAAF Despite this upbeat outlook, SYAAFs stock has been a poor performer during the last several months. Thats because the company has encountered numerous challenges and setbacks this year, which have prevented it from achieving its production targets. Syrah has overcome those difficulties and is now on track to fulfill the production goals it set for itself one year ago. And yet, the stock remains very depressed. This disconnect has created an outstanding investment opportunity. As the company ramps up production, earnings should ramp up as well. According to analysts, SYAAF should earn about 5 cents per U.S. share in 2019 and 22 cents in 2020. Assuming Syrah can achieve earnings of this level, the stock is currently selling for just 6X 2020 earnings. Thats a huge discount. Obviously, this stock is not risk-free. Many factors could change between now and 2020. But SYAAFs earnings potential is significant, which means its stock has the potential to produce exceptional returns over the next couple of years. Eric J. Fry has been a specialist in international equities for nearly two decades. He is known for his extraordinary long-term track record, which includes numerous 10-bagger calls. And Erics track record on the short side is just as remarkable. Now, the author, former hedge fund manager, and world-renowned analyst brings you the power of expensive, institutional-quality research in his recently-launched newsletter, The Speculator. Click here to learn more. More From InvestorPlace Compare Brokers The post Best Stocks for 2019: Syrah Resources Provides a Compelling Play appeared first on InvestorPlace. Investing.com - Cryptocurrency prices were higher on Monday as the sector pushed for a Christmas rally before the end of the year. Bitcoin rose 4.5% to $3,430.10 on the Investing.com Index as of 9:05 AM ET (14:05 GMT). Digital coins have fallen dramatically in recent weeks traders worry about increased regulatory scrutiny and volatility. Cryptocurrencies overall were higher, with the total coin market capitalization at $108 billion at the time of writing, compared to $104 billion on Sunday. Ethereum, or Ether, increased 3.5% to $89.83 and Litecoin was at $28.05, up 9.8%, while XRP jumped 4.2% to $0.30275. Japans Financial Services Agency published a draft report on Friday which contains a number of recommendations aimed at the digital currency sector. Among them is a requirement for exchanges to increase management of customer property, including keys. The FSA also states that exchanges need to have net assets equal to the currency and repayment funds in the event of a hack. The regulator has been working to implement ways to handle security breaches in the sector after two hacks of major Japanese exchanges: Coincheck in January and Zaif in September. In other news, Hong Kongs financial regulator is tightening down on digital coins. The Securities and Futures Commission will soon require local investment funds to obtain a license if more than 10% of the assets they manage are made up of cryptocurrencies. The rules are being introduced due to concerns over fraud and money laundering. Related Articles Litecoin Climbs 10% In Rally Bitcoin climbs above $3,400, headed for biggest daily rise in nearly three weeks KIBIS Brings Blockchain to Kiosks to Transform Self-Service Payments The first 737 MAX airliner was delivered from Boeings new Zhoushan factory in a ceremony to Air China on Saturday. This comes amid the 90-day truce in the U.S. and Chinas trade war. The 100-acre completion site is the first of its kind for Boeing and is part of the U.S. aerospace companys plan to deepen its connection to what will soon be the biggest aviation market in the world. The factory is a joint venture between the company and Chinas Commercial Aircraft Corporation (COMAC). Production starts with exteriors made in Seattle, before going off to China for interior fitting, Simply Flying reported. The Boeing delivery center takes control over product quality and then hands over the finished jets to clients. The location in China allows Boeing to speed up delivery and easy access to maintenance. According to Simply Flying, critics believe the new plant will take away jobs from U.S.-based workers, though more workers will also be required for transportation and management. CNN reported that Boeing estimates China will need 7,680 new planes worth $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, plus $1.5 trillion in commercial services to support the new fleets. This will help the company stay aligned with European competitor Airbus. Meanwhile, China is set to surpass the U.S. as the worlds largest air travel market by 2022, according to the International Air Transport Association. FILE PHOTO: Canadian businessman Michael Spavor arrives next to the former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman (not pictured) after a trip to North Korea, at Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing, China January 13, 2014. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo By David Ljunggren and Ben Blanchard OTTAWA/BEIJING (Reuters) - Canadian diplomats gained consular access on Sunday to the second of two men detained by China over the past week, Canada's foreign ministry said in a statement that gave few details, as China said it was ensuring their rights were protected. John McCallum, Canada's ambassador to Beijing, met Michael Spavor, the Canadian ministry said. Spavor and Michael Kovrig were both picked up after Canada arrested a senior Chinese executive on a U.S. extradition request. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - who said on Friday the detentions were unacceptable - told CTV his government was taking the situation very seriously. "We have engaged with the Chinese officials to determine what exactly conditions are they being detained under? Why are they being detained?" he said in an interview aired on Sunday. McCallum met Kovrig for the first time in Friday. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that China should free the two men. China says they are both suspected of engaging in activities that endangered national security, but has given no details. Speaking in Beijing on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China and Canada had "smooth" consular communication on the cases of the two Canadians and confirmed China had arranged consular access for both of them. "At the same time, the lawful rights of these two Canadians have been guaranteed," Hua told a daily news briefing, without elaborating on where they are being held, under what exact charges and under what conditions. Spavor, a businessman, and Kovrig, a former diplomat now working for a think-tank, were detained after Canadian police arrested Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's [HWT.UL] chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on Dec 1. U.S. prosecutors accuse Meng of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating U.S. sanctions. Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei's founder, has said she is innocent. Story continues China has demanded Canada free Meng and threatened unspecified consequences if it does not. Hua said it did not matter what "grandiose pretexts" Canada and the United States came up with, their case against Meng "showed contempt for the rule of law" and people around the world were ridiculing it for them. 'CORRECT MISTAKES' Many Canadians have been writing to the Chinese embassy or writing open criticism in Canadian media to express their opposition to the government's "irrational, illegal methods", she added. "The Chinese side strongly urges Canada to immediately correct its mistakes, and release the detained Chinese citizen." A Canadian court last week granted Meng bail. If a Canadian judge rules the case against Meng is strong enough, Canada's justice minister must next decide whether to extradite her to the United States. If so, Meng would face U.S. charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions, with a maximum sentence of 30 years for each charge. On Monday, influential Chinese state-backed newspaper the Global Times said in an editorial that an escalation in the dispute with Canada could be coming. "In the struggle with Canada, China needs to prepare for the possibility of conflict escalation," it said. "Beijing must take the contest seriously and maximize the support of international public opinion, leaving Western media no smear to slander its counterattacks as 'degradation of China's opening-up'." Trudeau told CTV that Canada would continue trying to build up trading ties with China. "We need to do so in a way that is true to our values and stands up for Canadians' interests, and getting that balance right is complex. (It) has been made more difficult by recent trends," he said. (Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Peter Cooney and Michael Perry) Tika R Pradhan is a senior political correspondent for the Post, covering politics, parliament, judiciary and social affairs. Pradhan joined the Post in 2016 after working at The Himalayan Times for more than a decade. - Joint venture with leading construction equipment group SANY - Expansion of service business with HORIZON - Manufacturing alliance with BEINEI - Revenue of half a billion euros expected in 2022 COLOGNE and BEIJING / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2018 / DEUTZ AG is restructuring its market presence in China, entering into partnerships with three major Chinese companies - SANY, HORIZON and BEINEI - in order to benefit from the high-growth Chinese market. "China is the largest individual market for engines in the world," says Dr Frank Hiller, Chairman of the DEUTZ Board of Management. "Thanks to its new partners, DEUTZ now has the ideal production network for efficiently supplying local customers with DEUTZ drive systems. At the same time, we have access to an extensive service network that we will systematically enhance with digital solutions." DEUTZ and SANY, China's largest construction equipment group, signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing. The two companies are forming a joint venture in which DEUTZ AG will be the majority shareholder with a stake of 51 per cent. Initially, the plan is to supply SANY with around 75,000 new engines for off- and on-road applications in 2022. These engines will comply with the China 4 and China 6 emissions standards. One of the leading engine manufacturers in the off-highway segment, DEUTZ AG is thus stepping up its activities in the on-highway segment as well. DEUTZ AG's initial investment in the new joint venture is in the mid double-digit millions. "We chose DEUTZ because it is one of the world's top engine manufacturers," says Lincoln Liang, a member of the Sany Group's board of directors. "In this joint venture, we will benefit from working with an agile company that is looking to the future and driving forward technological innovation. DEUTZ thus brings to the table exactly what we need for our engine development." In addition, DEUTZ AG is entering into a cooperation agreement with HORIZON in order to strengthen its position in the attractive service business as well. With more than 80 branches, HORIZON is the largest player in the Chinese construction equipment rental business. It will become a local service partner for DEUTZ, servicing engines in the field and taking over the aftermarket sales business in China. HORIZON is also the ideal partner with regard to digital fleet service solutions. Story continues Another element of the new strategy for China is a local contract manufacturing alliance with engine manufacturer BEINEI. This will act as a production hub for the Asian market. The DEUTZ management team is to oversee the manufacturing of approximately 20,000 engines in 2022 at a new factory in Tianjin. In October 2018, DEUTZ AG sold its shares in DEUTZ Dalian, the Chinese joint venture that it had entered into with First Automotive Works (FAW). The new strategy now enables DEUTZ to fundamentally overhaul its market presence so that it can meet the growing demand for sophisticated engines not only in China but also in other Asian markets. On the back of its three pillar growth strategy, DEUTZ is aiming to generate revenue of around half a billion euros in China in 2022.[1] For further information on this DEUTZ AG press release, please contact: Leslie Isabelle Iltgen Senior Vice President Communications & Investor Relations Tel: +49 (0)221 822 3600 Fax: +49 (0)221 82215 3600 Email: Leslie.Iltgen@deutz.com [1] Whether this revenue will be fully consolidated is still to be reviewed. SOURCE: DEUTZ AG Dividends play an important role in compounding returns in the long run and end up forming a sizeable part of investment returns. Historically, A2B Australia Limited (ASX:A2B) has been paying a dividend to shareholders. Today it yields 3.8%. Lets dig deeper into whether A2B Australia should have a place in your portfolio. View our latest analysis for A2B Australia How I analyze a dividend stock When assessing a stock as a potential addition to my dividend Portfolio, I look at these five areas: Is its annual yield among the top 25% of dividend-paying companies? Has it paid dividend every year without dramatically reducing payout in the past? Has it increased its dividend per share amount over the past? Is its earnings sufficient to payout dividend at the current rate? Based on future earnings growth, will it be able to continue to payout dividend at the current rate? ASX:A2B Historical Dividend Yield December 17th 18 Does A2B Australia pass our checks? A2B Australia has a negative payout ratio, which is usually not ideal. When considering the sustainability of dividends, it is also worth checking the cash flow of a company. A company with strong cash flow, relative to earnings, can sometimes sustain a high pay out ratio. Reliablity is an important factor for dividend stocks, particularly for income investors who want a strong track record of payment and a positive outlook for future payout. Not only have dividend payouts from A2B Australia fallen over the past 10 years, it has also been highly volatile during this time, with drops of over 25% in some years. These characteristics do not bode well for income investors seeking reliable stream of dividends. Relative to peers, A2B Australia has a yield of 3.8%, which is high for Commercial Services stocks but still below the markets top dividend payers. Next Steps: After digging a little deeper into A2B Australias yield, its easy to see why you should be cautious investing in the company just for the dividend. But if you are not exclusively a dividend investor, the stock could still be an interesting investment opportunity. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, I urge potential investors to try and get a good understanding of the underlying business and its fundamentals before deciding on an investment. Ive put together three essential factors you should further research: Valuation: What is A2B worth today? Even if the stock is a cash cow, its not worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether A2B is currently mispriced by the market. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business take a look at who sits on A2B Australias board and the CEOs back ground. Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here. 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. Eni SpA E has inked a sale and purchase agreement to sell a 35% participating interest in Area 1, offshore Mexico, to Qatar Petroleum. Located in the shallow waters of the Campeche Bay, Area 1 will continue to be operated by Eni. The area is estimated to hold 2.1 billion barrels of oil equivalent (90% oil) in the Amoca, Mizton and Tecoalli fields. Eni and Qatar Petroleum are already partners in Block 24 in Mexico, located in the deep waters of Cuenca Salina Basin. Eni is the joint venture operator with 65% participating interest share. Eni won 100% participating interest in Area 1 in a competitive bid in September 2015.The Production Sharing Contract was inked in December 2015. In July, the Development Plan for Area 1 was approved by Mexicos National Hydrocarbon Commission (Comision Nacional de Hidrocarburos, CNH). Till date, the company has drilled five successful wells in the area. Operations in Area 1 are expected to commence in mid-2019 as development will be phased. Initially, there will be an early phase where the production plateau will be 8,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd). The development will be through a Well Head Platform located on the Mizton field. Production will be transferred onshore through a 10 multiphase line and then processed at an existing Pemex facility. The production of the full field will commence in early 2021, utilizing a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading facility (FPSO) with a treatment capacity of 90,000 bopd. Two additional platforms will be installed on the Amoca field and one on the Tecoalli field. Oil production for Area 1 will plateau at 90,000 bopd and 65 million standard cubic feet per day (Mscfd) and eventually reach a total of 102,000 barrels of oil equivalent from 2021. Recently, Eni decided on the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the development of Area 1, with capex estimated at $2 billion. Enis presence in Mexico dates back to 2006,where the company operates through the wholly-owned subsidiary Eni Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V. since 2015. Besides Area 1, the company currently holds rights in five exploration and production blocks in the Sureste Basin Area 7, Area 10, Area 14, Area 24 and Area 28. It is the operator in all the blocks. In October 2018, Eni signed an agreement to swap participating interest with Lukoil. Eni will farm out a 20% stake in the Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) for Blocks 10 and 14 as well as acquire a 40% stake in Lukoils PSC for Block 12. This agreements effectiveness is subject to the receipt of relevant authorizations from the Mexican authorities. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Currently, Eni SpA 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 United States. 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. 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 Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) : Free Stock Analysis Report SunCoke Energy, Inc. (SXC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eni SpA (E) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (COG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Denise Williams listens during her trial for the murder of her husband Mike Williams, in Tallahassee, Florida. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, Pool, File) Denise Williams listens during her trial for the murder of her husband Mike Williams, in Tallahassee, Florida. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, Pool, File) After a spellbinding five-day trial that featured tales of infidelity and a multimillion-dollar insurance payout, a jury convicted a Florida woman of helping mastermind the killing of her husband nearly two decades ago. Jurors found Denise Williams guilty of three counts, including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, for her role in a case that has recalled the plot of the Hollywood film classic Double Indemnity. The 48-year-old Williams was found guilty after testimony by a key witness, the man who shot her husband Mike Williams on a cold December morning on a large lake west of Tallahassee. Jurors deliberated eight hours before reaching a verdict. Denise Williams, who could spend the rest of her life in prison, is to be sentenced at an unspecified date next year. Mike Williams disappeared nearly 18 years ago to the date of his wifes conviction. He left early on the morning of Dec. 16, 2000, to go duck hunting, and initially some speculated he had fallen from his boat and that his body had been devoured by alligators. His disappearance triggered a massive search by authorities. But Brian Winchester, who had been Mike Williamss best friend, said he and Denise Williams were having an affair and that they planned the killing. Denise Williams ultimately received $1.75 million in life insurance payments, including a $1 million policy that Winchester himself had sold Mike Williams. In the film Double Indemnity, an insurance agent helps his lover kill her husband in order to cash in on a life insurance policy. Winchester said he planned to make it look like Williams had drowned. But after pushing him overboard, Williams did not get dragged underwater by his duck-hunting equipment. So Winchester said he shot him in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun. He then dragged his body to shore, put him in the back of his truck and drove back to Tallahassee. He eventually buried him later in the day alongside a small lake located north of town. Without a body, Denise Williams petitioned to have her husband declared dead due to accidental drowning. Winchester and Denise Williams married in 2005 but the relationship soured and they divorced in 2016. The case broke after Winchester kidnapped his ex-wife at gunpoint in 2016, authorities said. He eventually made a deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for that crime. But Winchester ultimately led authorities to the remains of Mike Williams. Ethan Way, an attorney for Denise Williams, told jurors during closing statements that his client was innocent and that there was no tangible proof that Denise Williams helped plan the slaying of Mike Williams. Instead, he maintained that Winchester was lying in order to avoid murder charges and get revenge on his ex-wife. They gave a free pass to a murderer and got nothing else, Way told jurors in his closing statement. State Attorney Jon Fuchs told jurors it turns my stomach that prosecutors gave Winchester immunity in the case, but he said it was important to give closure to other members of the Williams family who had suspected for years that Mike Williams did not drown. Fuchs said that Winchester would still be in prison for a long time. Right before he ended, Fuchs took something out of his pocket and placed it before the jury: It was the wedding band that Mike Williams was wearing the day he died. Some friends and relatives of Mike Williams sobbed quietly after the verdict and louder yet after the jury left the courtroom. Cheryl Williams, the mother of Mike Williams, thanked prosecutors for their work on the case. I am just happy we were able to do our job as a team and bring justice to Mike and his family, Fuchs said afterward. He added its not every day in your career that you get to be involved in an unsolved homicide thats 17 years old and through team effort able to make an arrest and ultimately get a conviction. Way said Denise Williams was stunned by the verdict and he vowed to appeal it. Its terrible, its the wrong verdict on the facts, Way said. But I think you have to respect what the jury does. Obviously, I dont believe shes guilty of any of the three counts. I dont think anyone on the defense team does. Gary Fineout reports for the Associated Press. Apex court Justice Rana hearing starts The Parliamentary Hearing Committee has started the process of hearing of the Supreme Court Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana, who was recommended for the top job of the apex court. G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference on the final day of the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 1, 2018. REUTERS/Martin Acosta By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - General Dynamics Corp on Monday put pressure on Ottawa over the sale of armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia, warning that the federal government would incur "billions of dollars of liability" by unilaterally scrapping the deal. The remarks by the Canadian unit of General Dynamics - which one defense expert called unusual - reflect increasing tensions over a $13 billion agreement that is becoming politically awkward for the Liberal government. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in an interview aired on Sunday, said for the first time that he was looking for a way out of the deal. Political opponents, citing the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Yemen war, insist Trudeau should scrap a pact that was negotiated by the previous Conservative government. "Were Canada to unilaterally terminate the contract, Canada would incur billions of dollars of liability to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada," the company said in a statement. "Terminating the contract would have a significant negative impact on our highly skilled employees, our supply chain across Canada, and the Canadian defense sector broadly," the statement added. Canadian allies such as Germany have already halted weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. Ottawa is reviewing arms exports to Saudi Arabia, but Adam Austen, a spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, said no final decisions had been taken. Trudeau previously said there would be huge penalties for walking away from the deal. Last month, he said Canada could freeze the relevant export permits if it concluded the weapons had been misused. David Perry, defense analyst at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada normally kept a very low profile. "I can't imagine they are anything other than extremely worried," he said in a phone interview. Story continues Doug Wilson-Hodge, manager of corporate affairs at the firm's Canadian unit, declined to elaborate when asked why it had issued the warning. Trudeau often stresses the importance of human rights, and continuing to sell arms to the Saudis could leave him open to accusations of double standards. But abandoning the deal could kill thousands of jobs in the struggling city of London, Ontario, where his Liberals will need to do well in a federal election next October. "We are in constant contact with the company, and are committed to the workers at the London facility as well as the suppliers in London and across Canada," Austen said. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Cooney) Facing charges: Goldman Sachs Investment banking company logo seen displayed on smart phone. Photo: Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Malaysias attorney general has filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs (GS) related to the theft of billions of dollars from the countrys development fund. Charges were bought on Monday against Goldman Sachs investment bank and its former employees Tim Leissner, Roger Ng. Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, and Jho Low. Two former employees of Malaysias sovereign fund 1MDB, were also charged. The charges relate to the long-running scandal centring around 1MDB. Authorities around the world have been investigating claims that billions were stolen from 1MDB for several years. Earlier this year former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was arrested on anti-corruption charges as part of a probe into 1MDB. The Financial Times estimated that as much as $4.5bn has been stolen from the fund. Malaysian authorities on Monday accused Goldman Sachs of helping to facilitate the stealing of $2.7bn from government-backed bond issues that raised $6.5bn. The three bonds were issued by 1MDB, a government-owned strategic development fund, in 2012 and 2013. Goldman Sachs helped arrange the issues. Malaysias attorney general accused two Goldman employees involved in the deal of conspiring with 1MDB employees to bribe Malaysian public officials in order to procure the selection, involvement and participation of Goldman Sachs in these Bond issuances. Goldman received $600m for helping to underwrite and arrange the bond issues, which the attorney general said was several times higher than the prevailing market rates and industry norms. Leissner and Ng are also accused of receiving some of the stolen funds and structuring the bond issue knowing that the proceeds would be misappropriated and fraudulently diverted. Leissner, one of Goldmans former top bankers in Asia, has already pleaded guilty to money laundering charges related to the 1MDB cases in the US. Tommy Thomas, Malaysias attorney general, said in a statement on Monday that the charges represented grave violations of our securities laws. Story continues Prosecutors will seek criminal fines against the accused well in excess of the $2.7bn misappropriated from the Bonds proceeds and $600m in fees received by Goldman Sachs, and custodial sentences against each of the individual accused: the maximum term of imprisonment being 10 years, Thomas wrote in a statement announcing the charges. If no criminal proceedings are instituted against the accused, their undermining of our financial system and market integrity will go unpunished. A Goldman Sachs spokesperson told Yahoo Finance UK: We believe these charges are misdirected, will vigorously defend them and look forward to the opportunity to present our case. The firm continues to co-operate with all authorities investigating these matters. Jho Low, who was charged on Monday, has become the face of the 1MDB scandal. His lavish spending and lifestyle was documented in the book Billion Dollar Whale, released earlier this year, and a luxury yacht he used to own is currently on sale for $130m. Low also helped to finance the Leonardo DiCaprio film Wolf of Wall Street. (Bloomberg) -- Google will invest more than $1 billion to expand its New York City presence, the search giant said in a blog post Monday. The Alphabet Inc. division said it had reached lease agreements at 315 and 345 Hudson St. and signed a letter of intent at 550 Washington St. to make up the new 1.7 million-square-foot (158,000-square-meter) campus, to be called Google Hudson Square. Google aims to move into the new Hudson buildings by 2020 and the Washington Street location by 2022, Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said in the blog post. The move could allow the company to more than double the current 7,000 people it employs in the city over the next decade. The Google expansion joins a flurry of other announcements from the U.S.s largest tech companies, as they seek to show off investments in their home country. Amazon.com Inc. recently announced it had split its new second headquarters in half, between the Washington, D.C., suburbs and Long Island City, in the New York borough of Queens. The online retailer initially intends to develop about 4 million square feet of commercial space in New York to accommodate 25,000 new workers. Apple Inc. said last week it would invest $1 billion to grow its operations in Austin by constructing a new employee campus in the area, large enough to house 15,000 additional employees. It also announced plans to expand in New York, Pittsburgh and Boulder, Colorado, in the next three years and set up new sites in several other U.S. cities. New York is the largest market for technology talent behind San Francisco, according to a report from brokerage CBRE Group Inc. that looked at the U.S. and Canada. New York had 254,270 tech employees last year, with the labor pool growing 17 percent from 2012 through last year. The city also has the highest annual asking rent for office space, at $74.88 a square foot, as of the first quarter. Googles New York investment also follows other new offices and data centers opened this year outside of its California headquarters in locations including Detroit, Boulder, Tennessee and Alabama. Story continues Googles first foray into New York, 18 years ago, was far less dramatic than Mondays announcement: a one-person sales team working out of a Starbucks on 86th Street. A more official office, in Times Square, followed soon after. The companys New York employees focus on maps, advertising, YouTube, cloud computing, technical infrastructure, sales and research. And its real estate purchases rank among the largest ever in Manhattan. In 2010, Google bought 111 Eighth Ave., its New York headquarters, for $1.8 billion. Earlier this year, it paid $2.4 billion for the nearby Chelsea Market. Google has agreed to lease offices at Pier 57, under development along the Hudson River. It also plans to fund construction of a landing dock for water transit and provide community space for culture and education programs at the project. (Updates with Googles history in New York in last three paragraphs.) --With assistance from Lily Katz. To contact the reporters on this story: Natalia Drozdiak in Brussels at ndrozdiak1@bloomberg.net;Olivia Carville in New York at ocarville1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Daniel Taub, Pierre Paulden For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2018 Bloomberg L.P. Alphabet's Google plans to invest more than $1 billion on a new campus in New York. That would be the second major technology company, after Amazon, to pick America's financial capital to expand and create thousands of jobs. The 1.7 million square-foot campus will be called Google Hudson Square, according to a company blog post on Monday. Google hopes to start moving into the building by 2022. Its the latest tech giant to announce that it would be building new campuses. Apple announced last week it would spend $1 billion to build a new campus in Austin, Texas. Last month, Amazon.com said it would open offices in New York and the Washington, D.C. area, creating more than 25,000 jobs. Mountain View, California-based Google's move to invest in prime real estate on the Lower West Side of Manhattan also underscores the growing importance of New York as a hub for innovation and an incubator for technology companies. New York is quickly becoming a hub for technology as the city provides a better option to other places that would require more investment. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Google was nearing a deal to buy or lease an office building in New York City that could add space for more than 12,000 new workers. Google's first New York office at 111 Eighth Avenue is one of the city's largest buildings that it bought in 2010 for $1.77 billion, according to Reuters. Earlier this year, the company announced a $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market. It also has leased space on Pier 57, off the Hudson River. With investments in Google Chelsea and Google Hudson Square, the company said it would more than double the number of employees in New York over the next 10 years. Related Articles China Mobile Limited (HKG:941) is a company with exceptional fundamental characteristics. Upon building up an investment case for a stock, we should look at various aspects. In the case of 941, it is a notable dividend payer that has been able to sustain great financial health over the past. Below is a brief commentary on these key aspects. For those interested in digger a bit deeper into my commentary, read the full report on China Mobile here. Flawless balance sheet average dividend payer 941s strong financial health means that all of its upcoming liability payments are able to be met by its current cash and short-term investment holdings. This indicates that 941 has sufficient cash flows and proper cash management in place, which is an important determinant of the companys health. Investors should not worry about 941s debt levels because the company has none! It has only utilized funding from its equity capital to run the business, which is rather impressive for a HK$1.5t market cap company. Investors risk associated with debt is virtually non-existent and the company has plenty of headroom to grow debt in the future, should the need arise. SEHK:941 Historical Debt December 17th 18 941 is also a dividend company, with ample net income to cover its dividend payout, which has been consistently growing over the past decade, keeping income investors happy. SEHK:941 Historical Dividend Yield December 17th 18 Next Steps: For China Mobile, Ive put together three essential factors you should further research: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 941s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 941s outlook. Historical Performance: What has 941s returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Other Attractive Alternatives : Are there other well-rounded stocks you could be holding instead of 941? Explore our interactive list of stocks with large potential to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! 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. Bangladesh marks Independence Day The 48th Independence Day of Bangladesh was observed here on Sunday. The gala organised by the Embassy of Bangladesh in Kathmandu, witnessed cultural performances depicting the art, culture and identity of Bangladesh. China Lesso Group Holdings Limited (HKG:2128), which is in the building business, and is based in China, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the SEHK over the last few months, increasing to HK$4.44 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$3.92. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether China Lesso Group Holdingss current trading price of HK$4.06 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at China Lesso Group Holdingss outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. View our latest analysis for China Lesso Group Holdings Whats the opportunity in China Lesso Group Holdings? According to my relative valuation model, the stock seems to be currently fairly priced. In this instance, Ive used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stocks cash flows. I find that China Lesso Group Holdingss ratio of 4.71x is trading slightly below its industry peers ratio of 9.21x, which means if you buy China Lesso Group Holdings today, youd be paying a fair price for it. And if you believe China Lesso Group Holdings should be trading in this range, then there isnt much room for the share price grow beyond where its currently trading. In addition to this, it seems like China Lesso Group Holdingss share price is quite stable, which could mean there may be less chances to buy low in the future now that its fairly valued. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta. What does the future of China Lesso Group Holdings look like? SEHK:2128 Future Profit December 17th 18 Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the companys future expectations. With profit expected to grow by a double-digit 15% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for China Lesso Group Holdings. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in 2128s positive outlook, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at 2128? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the true value? Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping tabs on 2128, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for 2128, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on China Lesso Group Holdings. You can find everything you need to know about China Lesso Group Holdings in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in China Lesso Group Holdings, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. 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. Dec 17 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. - Kimberly-Clark Corp, the maker of Kotex tampons, said it has voluntarily recalled several lots of its product because of a defect that caused them to unravel upon removal, leaving pieces inside consumers' bodies. https://nyti.ms/2QEcUa3 - President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Ryan Zinke was resigning as interior secretary after a troubled tenure, but the investigations into Zinke's actions are likely to continue, according to Delaney Marsco, the ethics counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan watchdog group. https://nyti.ms/2QCA5le (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom) (Bloomberg) -- Qatars sovereign wealth fund, famous for investments in Londons Shard and Tiffany & Co., is quietly expanding its venture capital unit to invest in U.S. startups, according to people familiar with the matter. The Qatar Investment Authority, created to handle the windfall from the countrys gas and oil exports, has invested in companies including Foursquare Labs Inc., biotech firm Rubius Therapeutics Inc., Homology Medicines Inc., Thoughtspot Inc. and Grail Inc., said the people, asking not to be identified because the deals are private. They didnt disclose the value or timing of these investments. The QIA is better known for its trophy assets, such as holdings in Hollywood, London residential property and global banks, rather than its technology investments even after investing $100 million in Uber Technologies Inc. in 2014. Saudi Arabia has since grabbed the spotlight for technology deals after pumping $3.5 billion into Uber and allocating $45 billion to SoftBank Group Corp.s Vision Fund. A spokeswoman for Rubius confirmed that QIA is an investor. Representatives for Foursquare, Thoughtspot and Homology declined to comment on shareholder stakes, while Grail and QIA didnt respond to emailed questions. Appetite for Risk Still, the QIAs growing investments in startups and the appointment of two royals in their 30s to run the $320 billion fund, marks a growing appetite for risk. The fund in 2017 said it would open an office in San Francisco to focus on the technology industry. So far, some of these investments are proving successful. Homology Medicines and Rubius both went public this year and are valued at about $900 million and $1.3 billion, respectively, after raising a combined $411 million from investors, according to their offering prospectuses. Foursquare Labs is on track to hit $100 million in revenue this year, while Grail is weighing an initial public offering. The cancer-testing startup backed by two of the worlds richest men is one of the worlds most highly-valued biotechnology startups, with a private valuation of about $3.2 billion, according to data from Pitchbook. Story continues --With assistance from Archana Narayanan. To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Aly Sergie in Doha at msergie@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nayla Razzouk at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net, Stefania Bianchi, Shaji Mathew For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2018 Bloomberg L.P. Are you lost in the wild? Sorry, but the page you're looking for has not been found Try checking the URL for errors, goto home or try to search below. Bibeksheel Sajha presses Minister Pokhrel to resign The Bibeksheel Sajha Party (BSP) on Sunday demanded the resignation of Minister for Education Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokhrel for his dubious role in delaying endorsement of the Medical Education Bill, WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed a court decision against Obamacare as "a great ruling for our country," while a U.S. government official said the decision by a Texas judge would have no immediate impact on health coverage. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday said that Obamacare, known formally as the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), was unconstitutional based on its mandate requiring that people buy health insurance. In a decision that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court, O'Connor sided with a coalition of 20 states that argued requiring people to pay for insurance coverage is illegal because a change in tax law last year eliminated a penalty for not having health insurance. "It's a great ruling for our country. We will be able to get great healthcare. We will sit down with the Democrats if the Supreme Court upholds," Trump told reporters during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on a rainy Saturday. Trump offered no details on the potential for healthcare talks with the Democrats, who are poised to take majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives in early January. The Senate will remain in Republican hands. O'Connor's decision was issued the day before the end of a 45-day sign-up period for 2019 health coverage under the law. The head of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the Affordable Care Act, said there were no changes and exchanges were open for business. "We expect this ruling will be appealed to the Supreme Court," CMS Administrator Seema Verma wrote on Twitter on Saturday. "Pending the appeal process, the law remains in place. "There is no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan, she said late on Friday. HIGH POLITICAL STAKES Since the law's formative stages amid concern about millions of Americans lacking health insurance, Republicans have opposed Obamacare, calling it a costly and unneeded government intrusion into Americans' lives. Trump campaigned against it in 2016. Story continues They have repeatedly tried, but failed, to repeal the law, which was the signature domestic policy achievement of former Democratic President Barack Obama. Even with control of both chambers of Congress and the White House in 2017, Republicans could not push through a repeal. The O'Connor ruling underscored the high political stakes involved in the divide over healthcare, especially for Trump and his fellow Republicans ahead of the 2020 presidential election. If the Supreme Court were to uphold O'Connor's ruling, it would go a long way toward dismantling Obamacare. That would be a political victory for Republicans, but it would also likely strip millions of Americans of their health coverage, a policy problem for which Republicans have offered no clear solution. About 11.8 million consumers nationwide enrolled in 2018 Obamacare exchange plans. The Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act in 2012. Two days after the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections, a Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll found that healthcare was the top issue Americans wanted the U.S. Congress to address. 'SILLY, IRRESPONSIBLE' On Friday, O'Connor ruled that after the enactment last year by Trump of a landmark tax bill, the ACA's individual mandate requiring most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a tax could no longer be considered constitutional. He said because the individual mandate was an "essential" part of Obamacare, the entire law, rather than just the individual mandate, was unconstitutional. Timothy Jost, a health law expert and emeritus professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law in Virginia, said it was silly and irresponsible for OConnor to find that the individual mandate could not be separated from the rest of the ACA. He said judges who find that portions of laws are invalid are required to do as little damage as possible to the rest of the law, and OConnor had ignored that principle. Jost noted that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear any appeal in the case, is considered the most conservative federal appeals court in the country. But, OConnor is so far off the reservation here that virtually any (appeals) panel will reverse him, Jost said. Jost noted that in the 2012 case in which the Supreme Court upheld the ACA, a lower appeals court had found the individual mandate unlawful, but ruled it could be severed from the rest of the law. That ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is at least as persuasive and probably more persuasive than a decision by a single judge in Wichita Falls, Texas, Jost said. He said the U.S. Supreme Courts conservative wing has been skeptical in the past of striking down entire laws because of a single problematic provision, and at least a bare majority of five justices would likely agree that OConnor was wrong. (Reporting by Caroline Stauffer, Dan Wiessner, Lesley Wroughton, Katanga Johnson, and Kevin Drawbaugh in Washington; additional reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis) Call for restoration of Hindu state More than 500 Nepali Congress Mahasamiti members have launched a signature campaign, demanding that Nepal be restored as Hindu state. In recent weeks, new pressures have been placed on Pakistan's once-vibrant civil society. The government expelled 18 international NGOs and placed new restrictions on the leaders of the Pashtun Tahfuz Movement (PTM), a civil rights initiative. Pakistani authorities even called on journalists to make their reporting more positive in a media environment reeling from censorship. These developments come after several years of Pakistani state crackdowns on dissent that have even resulted in weakening major political parties. The space for the country's liberal and progressive voices has shrunk considerably. What explains these developments, and what does it all mean for Pakistan moving forward? Panelists for this latest episode of the AfPak File Podcasts are Abubakar Siddique, editor of RFE/RLs Gandhara website, Rabia Mahmood, a researcher for Amnesty International; Amber Rahim Shamsi, a journalist for Hum News; and Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia with the Wilson Center. Muhammad Tahir, RFE/RLs media manager for South and Central Asia, moderated the discussion. The views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL. An unusual consensus emerged recently between artificial intelligence researchers, activists, lawmakers and many of the largest technology companies: Facial recognition software breeds bias, risks fueling mass surveillance and should be regulated. Deciding on effective controls and acting on them will be a lot harder. On Tuesday, the Algorithmic Justice League and the Center of Privacy & Technology at Georgetown University Law Center unveiled the Safe Face Pledge, which asks companies not to provide facial AI for autonomous weapons or sell to law enforcement unless explicit laws are debated and passed to allow it. Microsoft earlier this month said the software carries significant risks and proposed rules to combat the threat. Research group AI Now, which includes AI researchers from Google and other companies, issued a similar call. Principles are great they are starting points. Beyond the principles we need to be able to see actions, said Joy Buolamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League. None of the biggest makers of the software companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon.com, Facebook and IBM has signed the Safe Face Pledge. Tech giants may be reluctant to commit to a pledge like this, even if theyre concerned about negative consequences of the software. Thats because it could mean walking away from lucrative contracts for emerging technology. The market for video surveillance gear is worth $18.5 billion a year, and AI-powered equipment for new forms of video analysis is an important emerging category, according to researcher IHS Markit. Microsoft and Facebook said theyre reviewing the pledge. Google didnt comment. There are going to be some large vendors who refuse to sign or are reluctant to sign because they want these government contracts, said Laura Moy, executive director of the Center on Privacy & Technology. Microsoft is still selling facial recognition software to governments, a fact that the ACLU took the company to task for last week. It asked Microsoft to halt the sales and join the organizations call for a federal moratorium on government use of the technology. The use of facial recognition for surveillance, policing and immigration is being questioned because researchers, including Buolamwini, have shown the technology isnt accurate enough for critical decisions and performs worse on darker-skinned people. Providers have responded differently to the scrutiny. Microsoft is defending government contracts generally, while asking for laws to regulate the space. Amazon took issue with research by the ACLU into the Rekognition program it sells to police departments, but the company has also said its working to better educate police on how to use the software. Companies including Microsoft, Facebook and Axon, a maker of police body cameras, have formed AI ethics boards and Google published a set of more-general AI principles in June. The Safe Face Pledge asks companies to show value for human life, dignity and rights, address harmful bias, facilitate transparency and make these commitments part of their business practices. This includes not selling facial recognition software to identify targets where lethal force may be used. The pledge also commits companies to halt sales of face AI products that are not subject to public scrutiny, inspection, and oversight. There are also commitments to internal bias reviews as well as checks by outside experts, along with a requirement to publish easy-to-understand information on how these technologies are used and by which customers. Startups Simprints Technology, Robbie AI Inc. and Yoti Ltd. were the inaugural signers of the pledge. Its kind of the wild West when it comes to use of automated facial analysis technology, and its also an area thats shrouded in secrecy, Moy said. The Safe Face pledge tries to address both areas, but Moy believes new laws are needed. Thats where Microsoft is focusing its attention. The company last week detailed the laws it would like to see passed. Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith put the chances of federal legislation in 2019 at 50-50, most likely as part of a broader privacy bill. But he said theres a far better shot at getting something passed in a state or even a city next year. If its an important enough region, say California, that would probably be enough to make software sellers change their products and practices overall, he said. In the meantime, Microsoft said it will turn down some AI contracts where it has concerns, and already has. Smith wouldnt specify which deals it has rejected, and he has also said Microsoft will continue to be a key vendor to the U.S. government. Weve turned down business when we thought there was too much risk of discrimination, when we thought there was a risk to the human rights of individuals. In contrast, Amazon thinks its too soon to regulate. There are many positive and important uses of this technology that are being implemented today, to include preventing human trafficking, reuniting missing children with their parents, and improving security, the company said in a statement. It is too early to come out with blanket statements supporting broad regulation, given this technology is in the early stages of deployment, and we have received no indications of misuse. Still, the company said it will work with governments on standards and guidelines for the technology to maintain privacy and civil liberties. Facebook said its committed to using the technology responsibly and supports thoughtful proposals. The social-networking company, which uses face recognition to identify people in photos users post, said its eager to work with Microsoft and others on ideas. While employees and customers can pressure companies to act ethically with regard to AI, more attention needs to be focused on laws and government oversight, said Ryan Calo, a law professor at the University of Washington, who is on the board of AI Now and gets funding from Microsoft. Without broad regulation, if some companies refuse to sell the software, others will step in. We have been attempting to get companies to cease providing tools to the government, rather than trying to ensure the government doesnt do things we dont agree with, Calo said. They are government agencies we ought to be able to police them. We cant ask technology companies to make it all go away. Rudy Giuliani, an attorney for President Donald Trump, has categorically ruled out the possibility of a presidential interview with special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump has submitted written answers to questions. Drake Power Plant, the steam-billowing behemoth of downtown, will be gone no later than 2035. That was the responsible 2015 decision of the Ci Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Editor's note: This is part 1 of The Gazette's 4-part "Shattered Lives" series on domestic violence in El Paso County. This story has been updated to reflect the new total of 43 domestic violence homicides in the county between 2013 -2018 after the El Paso County Sheriff's Office amended its numbers. Angie Ragsdale begged her sister-in-law not to marry Gregory Lorbiecki in 2000, describing their previous three-year, off-and-on-again relationship as tumultuous. But Karyn Ragsdale Lorbiecki was strong-willed and ready to start a family. Ragsdale thinks thats why Karyn stayed with Greg, despite the warning signs that the relationship wasnt the fairy tale shed hoped. Sixteen years later, Greg would shoot Karyn to death in their Widefield home. Hes now serving life in prison. El Paso County is rife with similar sad stories and has one of the worst records of domestic violence in Colorado. Colorado Springs police respond to about 35 to 40 domestic violence calls a day about 5 percent of their calls for service. Thats thousands of more calls than in Denver, despite Denvers slightly larger population. Police records show domestic violence accounts for less than 3 percent of calls for service in the capital city. In the last fiscal year, which ended in June, Denver did file 657 more misdemeanor domestic abuse cases than the 2,791 filed in 4th Judicial District, which encompasses El Paso and Teller counties, a Gazette analysis of state court case filings showed. But thats still a lot of cases for this district, double the number of theft cases and about 12 times more than most other misdemeanors. Karyn Lorbiecki with kids Karyn Lorbiecki sits with her two children in the early 2000s. She was shot and killed by her husband on Nov. 23, 2016. The 4th District also has a higher number of requests for protection orders from abuse than any other district in the state, in excess of 2,000 requests annually. That number is two times that of the next highest district, 17, which covers Adams and Broomfield counties. The 18th Judicial District which includes Arapahoe and Douglas counties and is most comparable in size to El Paso had 340 filings in the same time frame. There was no comparison for Denver, which keeps its records separate from the state and says it does not track specific domestic abuse protection orders. Denver also apparently doesnt track the number of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking survivors whose addresses it agrees to shield through the Address Confidentiality Program, but a spokeswoman said numbers were pretty low. Out of 40 requests this year, only two fell in that category, she said. El Paso County has 16, the Assessors Office said. Because as much as 75 percent of abuse goes unreported, those numbers account for just a fraction of the abuse occurring, domestic violence experts say. Officials say they dont know why domestic violence is thriving in the community; there are no running themes relating to economic status or military experience. But a new task force headed by Mayor John Suthers is working to answer that question and take steps to reduce and prevent domestic violence. A deadly cycle Violence Free Colorado, formerly the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence, reports that the numbers of domestic violence-related homicides have spiked more than 60 percent since 2015. Locally, the Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County Sheriffs Office have reported a combined 43 domestic violence-related killings since 2013. Seven of those deaths occurred in 2016, accounting for 22 percent of homicides that year. At the same time, domestic violence was behind 19 percent of Denvers homicides. Although 2016 wasnt the deadliest year in terms of domestic violence agencies reported nine abuse deaths in 2017 and another eight this year it was the year with some of the most starkly vivid deaths. That year, Julie Tureson was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend James Woo, who left her body in a storage unit before trying to board a flight to Hong Kong. Darnell Reedy was stabbed to death by his wife during a feud. Karen Canfield and Valerie Hills were shot and killed by their husbands, who then killed themselves. Alicia Christmas-Moore was gunned down by her ex-husband, who died in a shootout with police. Janice Nam was shot to death by her estranged boyfriend, Glen Galloway, who skipped town before he could be sent to jail on a stalking charge and returned six months later to kill her and another man. And Karyn Lorbiecki was killed by her abusive husband, Greg. Her story is a textbook example of the hidden cases of domestic violence happening every day in the community. A lifetime of abuse Its difficult to predict when offenders may turn homicidal, but Karyns family said the warning signs came early. Four months into dating, Greg Lorbiecki was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after destroying their shared apartment in a fit of rage and reportedly holding Karyn in the bathroom at gunpoint. Angie Ragsdale recalls Lorbiecki serving time for the crime, but his criminal record doesnt indicate if he was charged. 121718-news-defining-domesticviolence The urn of Karyn Lorbiecki sits at her sister-in-law Angie Ragsdales home in Colorado Springs. As a joke, Greg would leave Karyns car running overnight so that it would be dead when she tried to leave for work. Then Karyns pet bird, Andrew, disappeared. Greg told her he released it because he was mad at her. Family secretly moved Karyn to a new apartment while Greg was at work, but the couple soon got back together. Then Greg left Karyn, for four months, and the family thought it was over. Karyn, who was 30 at the time, announced she was pregnant and she and Greg married that month. Most of her family refused to attend the small ceremony, but Ragsdale recalls Greg smashing the cake into Karyns face, even though she asked him not to. After marriage, Greg would randomly change the house locks. Hed take the keys to their vehicles so she couldnt drive. Hed break her phone. During one fight, he drove their Suburban through the closed garage door; in another he threw a wrench at Karyns car as she tried to flee. (He was arrested in that incident, but the case was dismissed when Karyn declined to testify against him.) As a long-haul trucker, Greg would be gone for a week at a time, but when he once returned home early to find his family had gone out to eat at a restaurant, he unhooked the stove and moved it to the garage because, if youre not going to cook, we dont need a stove. Another time when Karyn hosted Easter, Greg told her the food was awful and went out for fast food instead. He would just do shit like that all the time, and we wouldnt find out about it until things got really bad, Ragsdale said. Then Karyn would cry, call and ask for help and wed try to help her and do whatever, but shed go right back to him. What domestic violence looks like Why did Karyn stay through all of the abuse that eventually led to her death? Why does any victim stay, as they often do? The question blames the victim for the abuse, rather than the abuser, and dismisses the many reasons why victims feel the need to stay. The first and simplest reason is love, according to 30-year domestic violence educator and victims rights champion Jean McAllister. Nobody would stay with someone who punched them in the nose the first time they met them and kept doing it every day, McAllister said. The relationship devolves over time. It starts with affectionate gestures like picking a partner up from work or offering to drive them to the store, and turns into victims being unable to travel anywhere without their abuser. But offenders frequently cycle back to the good times to remind their partners of their initial bond, McAllister said. Thats how it was with Greg and Karyn, too. He took her out. They went to the movies and to concerts with their children. He bought her the latest technology and paid for their $225,000, five-bedroom home with a hot tub off the deck. After one fight over Gregs infidelity, Greg took the family on vacation to Las Vegas. On the way, Ragsdale said Karyn texted her, Hes really sorry now. Im not going to leave him now that hes sorry and now that hes being nice. And the kids love their dad. McAllister says its an easy trap for anyone to fall into. Most of us can think of times when we have let something go too far, maybe not violence, but something with someone we cared about because we cared about them. We do that all the time we let our kids get away with too much, we have a good friend that drinks too much and we dont talk to them about it, we let friends borrow money and not return it, McAllister said. We love them and theyre family members so we dont want to make a problem about it. The same compromises are made in intimate partner relationships, McAllister said, only, those bonds are much deeper and much more difficult to sever. Other reasons to stay Victim blaming also negates the very definition of domestic violence, which is a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviors designed to keep victims in the cycle of abuse. The abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual or financial. What are the usual signs? It can be tampering with a partners cellphone to disconnect them from their family or the outside world, breaking sentimental valuables, child or pet abuse, or verbal harassment, said Rachael Powell, a deputy district attorney with the 4th Judicial District. Its everything you can imagine and everything we havent heard about before, Powell said, and it affects people of all ages, races, religions, genders and economic statuses. This pattern works to break down the victims sense of self-worth and identity to keep them dependent on their abuser. SherryLynn Boyles, executive director of domestic violence center TESSA, said victims begin to second-guess whats right or normal in a loving relationship. They question whether the abuse is their fault or whether their partner could change. Because the majority of domestic violence victims are financially dependent on their abuser, they question whether they can care for themselves or their children on their own will they be homeless, can they put food on the table? Sometimes their partner threatens to have their children removed altogether. And perhaps most detrimental, victims begin to question whether they can leave safely. Research shows that women who attempt to leave a battering relationship are more likely to be seriously injured or killed than those women who stay. Its not uncommon that families think, If shed just leave shed be safe, but the reality is thats not true, its actually the opposite. Shes more likely to be hurt when she leaves, McAllister said. Amy Pohl with Violence Free Colorado said 75 percent of domestic violence victims who have been killed were in the process of leaving. In a relationship dependent on one persons control over the other, leaving is the ultimate act of defiance. Its the point at which most relationships turn physically violent, even deadly, if it hadnt already. Even law enforcement openly acknowledges that domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous. Does that mean that survivors shouldnt leave? Absolutely not, Pohl said. It means there is a lot of safety planning that needs to be done. Thats where TESSA and other domestic violence organizations come in. They help victims form a plan for how to leave safely. They can help petition for a protection order, secure finances or provide housing. The last night of peace Karyn had no plan for leaving and apparently did feel trapped, her family says. Greg was threatening her. He verbally abused their son, who had high-functioning autism. He would punch and paddle their 15-year-old daughter. The daughter told Ragsdale that Karyn once said, I would leave if I could, but if I left he would kill me. Instead, Karyn tried to control the abuse from inside the relationship, something experts say victims often do, thinking they can mitigate or even stop the violence. Because Greg was away for work four days a week, Ragsdale said she believes Karyn thought she could handle it. The day before Greg returned home that final time, Karyn reportedly told her daughter, Well, its our last night of peace. Tragically, she was right. Greg came home early for the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 22, 2016. They went out for ice cream and listened to 80s music in the basement while playing ping pong. The children said their parents danced together, which was rare. The daughter remembers going to bed happy around midnight could things finally be getting better? She woke 45 minutes later to find Greg smashing Karyns head against the tiled shower wall. By this point, she was trained not to call police when her parents fought Greg always told her if he was arrested hed come after her next but shed say Karyn looked so dazed it scared her. Greg smashed her cellphone so the girl snatched the house phone and ran. Shed later tell Ragsdale she could feel Gregs fingers around her ankle as she raced up the stairs but somehow he didnt catch her. She ran around the corner and called 911. During the reprieve, Karyn reportedly ran to her sons room and hid with him in bed, but Greg found her and dragged her to near the front door where he held her hostage until police arrived. Ragsdale said police told her they heard Greg say, Im going to decide how this ends, before he shot her. Unanswered questions Ragsdale said she remembers once warning Karyn to get rid of all guns in the house, because if you dont, Im going to be raising your kids. She adopted her niece and nephew this year. While they miss their mom, I think theyre actually happy to not live like that anymore, Ragsdale said, adding that the children are thriving. The oldest will graduate high school this May with a year of college credits, and her brother started high school this year more social than ever before. Ragsdale said Greg has never explained why he killed Karyn. She watched video of him at the police station, hours after the shooting, and he had his feet up on the table and his arms resting behind his head. At one point, it looked like hed fallen asleep. He would decline to give a statement. At his sentencing, she said Gregs attorney told him to write an apology to read to the court. But he only held up a single piece of paper with three dots drawn in the middle an ellipsis. Carrie Scott, Karyns best friend since they were 12, said Gregs silence spoke volumes. The thing that bothers me the most is that well never know why, Scott said. Contact the writer at 719-636-0362 or find her on Twitter: @njKaitlinDurbin. Data expert Burt Hubbard contributed to this report. English Lithuanian Siauliu Bankas AB, company code 112025254, address Tilzes st. 149, LT-76348 Siauliai, Lithuania. Following the supervisory review and evaluation process of Siauliu Bankas AB (SREP), the Bank of Lithuania reduced the additional capital requirement from 1.9% to 0.9% which applies to risks that have been recognized as significant during stress testing in the process of self-assessment as well as assessment of internal capital adequacy (Pillar II). The following minimum equity requirements shall apply to the Bank: - a common equity Tier I capital adequacy ratio of 8.4%, - a common capital adequacy ratio of of 11.9%. Also, Siauliu Bankas AB was advised to retain 1% excess of the established capital requirement which should be included into the banks capital planning and risk management systems, involving risk management system and planning of recovery. In addition, commercial banks operating in Lithuania will have to accumulate 0.5% of countercyclical capital buffer by the end of 2018 (currently applicable buffer rate is 0%). Deputy Chief Executive Officer Donatas Savickas provides the additional information and is available on tel. +370 41 595602. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE:BOSS, C.BOSS), is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr. Thomas Bond to the Yield Growth Board of Directors and appointed him as Chairman of the Board of Urban Juve Provisions Inc., which is 100% owned by Yield Growth. Thomas Bond has over 35 years experience partnering with entrepreneur businesses to build and deliver the operational and financial infrastructure to support annual double-digit revenue growth. During that time, he has held C-level financial and operational positions with companies engaged in cosmetics, apparel, and construction including M.A.C Cosmetics, Cover FX Skin Care and Tridel. Thomas was with M.A.C Cosmetics from 1993 until its sale to Estee Lauder in 1999. He started as the CFO and in 1994 the COO role was added to his portfolio. From 1993 to 1999, annual revenues at M.A.C Cosmetics grew from $12 million to over $300 million. His achievements included building an executive team that could support the growth objectives, opening M.A.C owned retail stores, diversifying the business geographically by expanding into the U.K., France, Italy and Hong Kong, and mitigating the retailer concentration risk in the U.S. by adding distribution agreements with a number of major department stores. He was personally responsible for leading the discussions with Estee Lauder and negotiating the final sale agreement. After the acquisition, he continued to provide full time consultant services to M.A.C Cosmetics until 2002. M.A.C Cosmetics is named one of the top three global makeup brands, with an annual turnover of over $1 billion and 500 independent stores. M.A.C Cosmetics is headquartered in New York City and became part of the Estee Lauder Companies in 1998. The Estee Lauder Companies reported net sales of $13.68 billion for fiscal year 2018. After M.A.C Cosmetics, Thomas joined Cover FX Skin Care Inc., a startup cosmetics company based in Toronto, as a shareholder and the CFO and COO. During his tenure, Cover FX expanded rapidly by entering into agreements with Shoppers Drug Mart, Sephora in the U.S., and Harvey Nichols in the U.K. In order to accelerate the rate of growth additional capital was required, so in 2011 a controlling interest was sold to L. Catterton, the largest and most experienced consumer-focused private equity company in the world. Today, Cover FX products are being distributed in 1875 stores in Canada, the U.S., U.K., the Middle East, Australia, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Latin America. From April 2013 to the present, Thomas has consulted with the CFO Centre Canada and for four of those years provided CFO/COO consulting to a company in the apparel industry owned by Birch Hill Equity Partners. Thomas holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto and is a CPA. C.A. In addition to his appointment as a Director of Yield Growth, he has also been appointed to its Audit Committee and Compensation Committee effective today. "Thomas is an excellent addition to what is already an exceptional team with big company depth," says Penny Green, CEO of the Yield Growth Corp. "Thomas brings extensive financial, operational, and strategic experience. This, combined with his deep knowledge of the cosmetics industry and experience scaling high-growth companies, will be a huge asset to both Yield Growth and Urban Juve. About The Yield Growth Corp. & Urban Juve The Yield Growth Corp. is a diverse team of business executives dedicated to rapid, sustainable financial growth for businesses with viable models for success. The teams experience spans across venture capital, international investor relations, licensing, intellectual property strategies, and corporate governance best practices in North America. Its directors and officers have experience at multi-billion dollar international companies including M.A.C Cosmetics, Aritzia, Skechers, Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Yield Growth owns 100% of Urban Juve Provisions Inc., which has a catalogue of over 50 wellness formulas. Urban Juve is the organic synthesis of ancient knowledge and modern techniques. Ayurvedic knowledge delineates three general categories or skin types, which Urban Juve has translated as Vitalize, Balance and Align, each with its own dedicated range of skin and body care formulations. Urban Juve has registered for sale with Health Canada 26 products containing cannabis sativa hemp oil and has filed 11 provisional patent applications in the United States. Urban Juves products are sold in Canada, with distribution agreements signed for the United States and Italy. For more information about Yield Growth, please visit www.yieldgrowth.com or follow on Instagram @yieldgrowth . Visit www.urbanjuve.com and #findyourjuve to learn, engage and shop. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a59aa647-0e70-4840-ae15-4f4c3a83fc43 Investor Relations Contact Kristina Pillon invest@yieldgrowth.com 1-833-514-BOSS 1-833-514-2677 1-833-515-BOSS 1-833-515-2677 The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking information and statements (collectively, forward looking statements) under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates, forecasts, beliefs and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to: risks related to the development, testing, licensing, intellectual property protection, and sale of, and demand for, Urban Juve products, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals where applicable, and the state of the capital markets. Yield Growth cautions readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements provided by Yield Growth, as such forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future results or performance and actual results may differ materially. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Yield Growth expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements containing any forward-looking information, or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Chitwan will be developed into model district: CPN Chair Dahal Chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday said Chitwan, which is rich in natural heritages, should be developed into a model district. LAS VEGAS, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nevada Gold & Casinos, Inc. (NYSE MKT: UWN) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended October 31, 2018. Financial results for the three and six months ended October 31, 2018 are impacted by the sale of the South Dakota route, which closed June 30, 2018, and the agreement to sell Club Fortune, signed on July 27, 2018. Only two months of South Dakota operations are reflected in the current year and the Club Fortune operations are segregated as discontinued operations with the associated assets and liabilities classified as Held for Sale. For the second quarter of fiscal 2018, the Company reported net revenues of $14.4 million compared to $16.0 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2018. Operating expenses were $13.8 million compared to $15.0 million in the prior year period. Operating income was $0.5 million compared to $1.0 million, and net income was $0.5 million, or $0.03 per share, compared to net income of $0.6 million, or $0.04 per share, in the prior year period. Net revenues from the Washington state gaming operations increased to $14.4 million, from $13.8 million in the prior year period, and adjusted EBITDA increased to $2.0 million compared to $1.7 million in the prior year. Increased poker revenue and a higher table games hold percentage, although in the normal range, was responsible for the majority of the revenue gain. Operating cost increases were primarily attributable to the increased minimum wage. South Dakota slot route operations provided no revenue or EBITDA in the current quarter compared to revenue of $2.2 million and adjusted EBITDA of $0.2 in the prior year quarter. Corporate adjusted EBITDA was ($0.7) million compared to ($0.6) million in the prior year and on a consolidated basis adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was $1.4 million compared to $1.3 million in the prior year. Club Fortune revenues were $3.2 million compared to $3.4 million in the prior year period, and adjusted EBITDA decreased to $0.2 million compared to $0.4 million in the prior year. The Company paid down $1.1 million in debt during the fiscal year. The unrestricted cash balance at October 31, 2018 was $9.8 million, and total outstanding borrowing was $6.9 million. On December 3, 2018 the Company filed a preliminary proxy statement concerning the merger / acquisition transaction with Maverick Casinos, LLC. On December 5, 2018 the Nevada Gaming Control Board unanimously recommended approval of the Club Fortune sale transaction with Truckee Gaming, LLC. The matter now moves to the Nevada Gaming Commission for final consideration on December 20, 2018. The Company anticipates closing on the Club Fortune sale on December 31, 2018, and the Maverick merger / acquisition transaction in the first calendar quarter of 2019. For the six month period ended October 31, 2018, net revenues were $29.2 million compared to $31.0 million in the prior year period. Operating expenses were $28.5 million compared to $29.8 million in the prior year. Operating income was $0.7 million compared to $1.2 million in fiscal 2018. Net income was $0.5 million, or $0.03 per share, compared to $0.8 million, or $0.04 per share, in the prior year. Conference Call The Company will host a conference call at 4:30 PM ET (1:30 PM PT) the same afternoon to discuss the financial results and provide a corporate update. The call can be accessed live by dialing (888) 394-8218. International callers can access the call by dialing (323) 701-0225. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available after 7:30 PM ET and can be accessed by dialing (844) 512-2921. International callers can access the replay by dialing (412) 317-6671; the pin number is 5792658. The replay will be available through December 24, 2018. New Revenue Recognition Standard On May 1, 2018, the Company adopted accounting standard update No. 2014-09 (ASC 606) (new revenue standard). The Company adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method and recognized the cumulative effect of the initial application of the new revenue standard as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of May 1, 2018. The new revenue standard also resulted in reclassifications to and from revenues, promotional allowances and operating expenses. Pursuant to ASC 606, food and beverage and other complimentaries are now included as revenues within their respective categories, with a corresponding decrease in casino revenues, as the offsetting amount historically included in promotional allowances has been eliminated. In addition, the cost of providing these complimentary goods and services are now included as expenses within their respective categories. Financial results for the three and six months ended October 31, 2017 have not been restated and are reported under the accounting standards in effect during that period. The Company has provided a reconciliation between the new revenue standard and the old revenue standard for the three and six months ended October 31, 2018 at the end of this release. Non-GAAP Information The term "adjusted EBITDA" is used by the Company in presentations, quarterly earnings calls, and other instances as appropriate. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income before interest, change in swap fair value, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, goodwill and other long-lived asset impairment charges, write-offs of project development costs and acquisition expenses, sale related expenses, litigation charges, non-cash stock grants, non-cash employee stock purchase plan discounts, amortization of deferred rent, and net losses/gains from asset dispositions. Adjusted EBITDA does not take into account greater or less than expected hold percentages in the gaming operations. Adjusted EBITDA is presented because it is a required component of financial ratios reported by us to our lenders, and it is also frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties, in addition to and not in lieu of, U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") results to compare to the performance of other companies that also publicize this information. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income as an indicator of our operating performance or any other measure of performance derived in accordance with GAAP. The following tables reconcile net income from continuing operations to Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations for the three months and six months ended October 31, 2018 and 2017: For the three months ended October 31, 2018 October 31, 2017 Net income from continuing operations $ 344,900 $ 626,148 Adjustments: Net interest expense and change in swap fair value 75,322 104,187 Income tax expense 97,933 257,359 Depreciation and amortization 114,218 224,651 Sale related expenses 715,614 - Loss on sale of assets 23,335 5,465 Stock compensation 12,201 65,382 Amortization of deferred rent (18,371 ) (2,675 ) Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations $ 1,365,152 $ 1,280,517 For the six months ended October 31, 2018 October 31, 2017 Net income from continuing operations $ 430,494 $ 699,162 Adjustments: Net interest expense and change in swap fair value 182,548 256,202 Income tax expense 122,140 293,277 Depreciation and amortization 244,657 562,589 Sale related expenses 1,197,815 - (Gain) Loss on sale of assets (34,356 ) 5,465 Stock compensation 24,771 67,171 Amortization of deferred rent (33,256 ) (1,952 ) Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations $ 2,134,813 $ 1,881,914 Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We use words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "future," "intend," "plan," and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, our ability to increase income streams, to grow revenue and earnings, and to obtain additional gaming and other projects. These statements are only predictions and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are identified and described in the Company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Nevada Gold & Casinos Nevada Gold & Casinos, Inc. (NYSE MKT:UWN) of Las Vegas, Nevada is a developer, owner and operator of nine gaming operations in Washington (wagoldcasinos.com) and a locals casino in Henderson, Nevada (clubfortunecasino.com). For more information, visit www.nevadagold.com. Contacts: Nevada Gold & Casinos, Inc. Michael P. Shaunnessy / James Meier (702) 685-1000 Stonegate Capital Partners Preston Graham (972) 850-2001 Nevada Gold & Casinos, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended October 31, October 31, October 31, October 31, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Revenues: Casino $ 11,491,669 $ 14,205,937 $ 23,504,388 $ 27,457,249 Food and beverage 2,520,548 2,470,121 5,009,925 4,830,535 Other 342,237 387,414 720,310 799,011 Gross revenues 14,354,454 17,063,472 29,234,623 33,086,795 Less promotional allowances - (1,043,293 ) - (2,064,685 ) Net revenues 14,354,454 16,020,179 29,234,623 31,022,110 Expenses: Casino 5,169,139 7,974,289 11,342,078 15,691,086 Food and beverage 2,244,719 1,293,078 4,448,208 2,534,873 Other 55,040 24,082 113,820 49,936 Marketing and administrative 4,393,961 4,357,146 8,868,945 8,716,577 Facility 437,086 461,798 885,559 881,581 Corporate 1,398,801 691,976 2,630,530 1,331,361 Depreciation and amortization 114,218 224,651 244,657 562,589 Loss on sale of assets 23,335 5,465 (34,356 ) 5,465 Total operating expenses 13,836,299 15,032,485 28,499,441 29,773,468 Operating income 518,155 987,694 735,182 1,248,642 Non-operating income (expenses): Interest income 8,438 14,211 16,875 26,675 Interest expense and amortization of loan issue costs (88,591 ) (163,820 ) (208,443 ) (324,335 ) Change in swap fair value 4,831 45,422 9,020 41,458 Income from continuing operations before income tax expense 442,833 883,507 552,634 992,440 Income tax expense (97,933 ) (257,359 ) (122,140 ) (293,278 ) Income from continuing operations 344,900 626,148 430,494 699,162 Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes 194,190 12,829 56,752 63,816 Net income $ 539,090 $ 638,977 $ 487,246 $ 762,978 Per share information: Income from continuing operations per common share - basic and diluted $ 0.02 $ 0.04 $ 0.03 $ 0.04 Income from discontinued operations per common share - basic and diluted $ 0.01 $ - $ - $ - Net income per common share - basic and diluted $ 0.03 $ 0.04 $ 0.03 $ 0.04 Nevada Gold & Casinos, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheets October 31, April 30, 2018 2018 (unaudited) ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 9,784,582 $ 9,508,931 Restricted cash 2,726,550 2,369,063 Accounts receivable, net of allowances 291,101 345,403 Prepaid expenses 1,034,600 1,058,726 Inventory and other current assets 345,337 341,299 Assets held for sale 13,890,758 607,180 Total current assets 28,072,928 14,230,602 Real estate held for sale 750,000 750,000 Goodwill 14,092,154 14,092,154 Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization 2,274,504 2,289,485 Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation 3,142,651 3,254,367 Deferred tax asset 568,216 704,044 Assets held for sale - 13,597,772 Other assets 213,692 204,672 Total assets $ 49,114,145 $ 49,123,096 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 1,424,200 $ 1,350,263 Accrued payroll and related 1,997,081 1,810,626 Accrued player's club points and progressive jackpots 2,606,088 2,273,655 Liabilities held for sale 925,544 902,720 Total current liabilities 6,952,913 6,337,264 Long-term debt 6,822,924 7,895,240 Other long-term liabilities 603,951 637,207 Total liabilities 14,379,788 14,869,711 Stockholders' equity: Common stock, $0.12 par value per share; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 18,743,185 and 18,715,985 shares issued and 16,875,382 and 16,848,182 shares outstanding at October 31, 2018, and April 30, 2018, respectively. 2,249,191 2,245,927 Additional paid-in capital 27,583,038 27,557,151 Retained earnings 14,096,060 13,644,239 Treasury stock, 1,867,803 shares at October 31, 2018, and April 30, 2018, at cost. (9,193,932 ) (9,193,932 ) Total stockholders' equity 34,734,357 34,253,385 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 49,114,145 $ 49,123,096 The amount by which each line item in continuing operations in our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three and six months ended October 31, 2018, was affected by the new revenue standard as compared with the accounting guidance that was in effect before the change was as follows: For the three months ended October 31, 2018 As Reported - With Adoption of ASC 606 As Adjusted - Without Adoption of ASC 606 Effect of Accounting Change Increase/(Decrease) Revenues: Casino $ 11,491,669 $ 12,466,911 $ (975,242 ) Food and beverage 2,520,548 2,520,548 - Other 342,237 342,237 - Gross revenues 14,354,454 15,329,696 (975,242 ) Less promotional allowances - (975,242 ) 975,242 Net revenues 14,354,454 14,354,454 - Expenses: Casino 5,169,139 5,990,982 (821,843 ) Food and beverage 2,244,719 1,454,091 790,628 Other 55,040 23,825 31,215 Marketing and administrative 4,393,961 4,393,961 - Facility 437,086 437,086 - Corporate 1,398,801 1,398,801 - Depreciation and amortization 114,218 114,218 - Loss on sale of assets 23,335 23,335 - Total operating expenses 13,836,299 13,836,299 - Operating income $ 518,155 $ 518,155 $ - Net income $ 344,900 $ 344,900 $ - semwal wrote: In 1981 children in the United States spent an average of slightly less than two and a half hours a week doing household chores; by 1997 they had spent nearly six hours a week. INCORRECT PORTIONS HIGHLIGHTED....EVEN "A " HAPPEARS TO HAVE PROBLEMS......SEE HIGHLIGHTED PORTION.... A. spent an average of slightly less than two and a half hours a week doing household chores; by 1997 they had spent nearly six hours a week... . CORRECT...IT COVERS TIME BEFORE AND AFTER 1997....1997 IS THE EVENT THAT CHANGED THE PAST PERFECT TO SIMPLE PAST.... B. spent slightly less than an average of two and a half hours a week doing household chores; by 1997 that figure had grown to nearly six hours a week.. C. had spent slightly less than two and a half hours, on an average, per week doing household chores, whereas nearly six hours a week were spent in 1997 D. spent an average of slightly less than two and a half hours a week doing household chores, compared with a figure of nearly six hours a week in 1997 E. spent an average of slightly less than two and a half hours a week doing household chores, that figure growing to nearly six hours a week in 1997 In average by In average by In average by had grown by 1997 by 1997 that figure had grown to Y hours per week Life is a highway I wanna ride it all night long Signature Read More Forget the grammar option A isn't logical. If you say "In 1981", you can use average figure, but if you say "By 1997", you have to use the absolute total figure. For e.g.2010 my wife spent anof $1000 a month on beauty products;2012 she had spent $2000 a month.This is completely illogical, if she was spending 1K a month in 2010 and by 2012 she was spending 2K a month, when did she started mooching off the extra $1K. Clearly if we use the "By 2012" construction we need the total amount she had spend. For e.g.2010 my wife spent anof $1000 a month on beauty products;2012 she had spent $24000 of my hard earned cash.If we want to specify the increase in spending then we must use the construct2010 my wife spent anof $1000 a month on beauty products;2012 that figure had grown to $2000 a month.So lets get to the options one by oneA) Wrong due to above reasonC) Use of "whereas" suggests a contrast, now to contrast properly we require that the two parts of the comparison have the same construct. 1st part is in active voice (had spent), but the 2nd part is in passive voice (were spent).D) What are the 2 things compared here, it appears that "household chores" are compared with "a figure" which is incorrectE) The use of Growing suggests an ongoing event, but actually the sentence is referring to a past date. So a Past tense is required here.B) In 1981 XYZ spent on average X hours a week doing something; by 1997 that figureto Y hours a week. - Sounds logical, only concern you might have would be with the Past Perfect tense "had grown". Now Past Perfect is used when there are 2 events that happened in the past and we wish to specify the sequence of those 2 events. The earlier event uses a Past Perfect tense. Here the 2 events are1) Growth in the figure2) Start of year 1997The growth happened before 1997 (), so the use of Past Perfect is justified here.. So B is the correct answer._________________ Hi bhavik1995,The scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. The most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, but the CATs from , and are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you use the CAT correctly).Before I can offer you the specific advice that youre looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:Studies:1) How long have you studied?2) In a prior post, you noted that you had taken the Official GMAT, but you did not list your Score. When did you take the GMAT and what was your Score (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?3) What study materials have you used so far?4) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?Goals:5) What is your goal score?6) When are you planning to retake the GMAT?7) When are you planning to apply to Business School?8) What Schools are you planning to apply to?GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,Rich_________________ Feasibility study of medical course begins in Jumla A taskforce to conduct the feasibility study of MBBS programme at Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS) in Jumla arrived here Saturday. We are familiar with the concept of more milk equals more income. However, if additional milk comes with higher expenses, it may not be profitable. In periods of tighter margins, taking the time to evaluate the ration and looking for places to fine-tune ingredients without forfeiting production is a sound investment. Bill Weiss, The Ohio State University, discussed Cutting feed costs without cutting milk during the December Hoards Dairyman webinar. When evaluating feeds to include in a ration, he said to determine the cost of the nutrient in the feed, not just the cost of the feed. What is it providing to the cow, and what is that cost? Weiss described bargain feeds as those that have a higher nutrient value than market price dictates. These included corn grain, corn silage, corn gluten feed, dried distillers grains (DDG), expeller soybean meal (SBM), hominy, whole cottonseed, and wheat midds. However, feeds determined to be overpriced may have intrinsic value that is needed by the cow, such as the lysine found in blood meal or the sugar found in molasses. The quality of alfalfa hay is a huge factor in determining if its nutrients are worth the expense. Other feeds on this overpriced list include canola meal-expellers, canola meal-solvent, fishmeal, and tallow. Consistent feed quality has an impact as well. It can affect production and feed efficiency. Regardless of the price paid for hay, moldy feed is not a bargain. It either should be discarded if inedible or if it is not going to give your cows the best chance to convert that subpar feed into top production. This also applies to homegrown feed. You may not have written a check for it, but if the quality is low, production will suffer. Weiss stressed, Yield beats average-quality feed, but great quality beats yield. What he was referencing was that if you want four cutting of alfalfa versus three, you will have more yield. But, if the quality is just average, you may have wasted time and resources making that fourth cutting. If you are feeding a high-quality feed in very low amounts, you might be wasting your dollars. However, High-quality feed fed at a high ration inclusion rate is worth it, stated Weiss. When cows are grouped by production needs you can better manage your feed inputs. He demonstrated that feeding three rations (as compared to one ration) allowed the ingredients to be better balanced per group. The most productive cows were reaching their potential, while the lower producers were not wasting feed. All groups considered, it was a difference of 8 pounds per cow that could be saved by grouping and feeding for production. The downside is that more labor is needed to manage the pens as well as preparing and managing three rations. Weiss encouraged producers to feed to nutrient requirements or overformulate just a bit, rather than underfeed. It can be quite expensive in the long run, he said. Vitamins and minerals can be overfed up to 20 percent, but not more. Feed additives can be beneficial in rations. However, only thoroughly vetted research should be considered. And, some additives work better in certain farm situations. The true cost of additives should be evaluated on your farm. Remember that some additives may work better in early lactation cows rather than for mid-lactation cows, or for younger cows compared to older ones. Money spent on additives should be focused on the cows that see the greater (or greatest) return. Wasted feed and shrink can deplete feed inventories. Spoiled silage has the same purchase cost as top-notch forage when it is in your bunk. Preserve it to maximize quality. Weather can play a role as wet distillers grains can spoil after just two weeks. Wet feeds are not stable and can impact palatability. Protect and cover dry hay to minimize spoilage and shrink. While we often tell children to eat everything they are offered at mealtime, cows should not eat to an empty bunk. It might indicate that there is not enough feed available to them, and that they could be eating more feed and therefore producing more milk. However, excessive amounts of feed should not remain once all the cows have eaten. Three to 5 percent weigh backs is very achievable, concluded Weiss. The link to the archived webinar is at on.hoards.com/WB_121018. The presentation was sponsored by QLF. This webinar and all previous ones can be found at hoards.com/webinars. Join us next month: Dairy policy analyst Mark Stephenson, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presents The dairy situation and outlook for 2019 on Monday, January 14, at noon (Central time). For the past four years, dairy markets have been stuck in a relatively small range of prices that dont cover the full costs of production for most producers. Will 2019 be the breakout year that we hope it is? Well examine the market fundamentals we face and see whats in store. The January webinar is sponsored by Chr. Hansen. Register at www.hoards.com/webinars. The author is the online media manager and is responsible for the website, webinars, and social media. A graduate of Modesto Junior College and Fresno State, she was raised on a California dairy and frequently blogs on youth programs and consumer issues. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Four arrested for womans murder in Tokha Police have arrested four people from Kathmandu in connection with a murder of a woman in TokhaMunicpality, Kathmandu. It would be a much wiser idea for the world at large to support the Iranian Resistance instead, specifically the Peoples Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), who not only promote a peaceful attitude towards their neighbouring states but also advocate for a non-nuclear Iran with respect for human rights. Unlike the mullahs. The MEK is the largest opposition group in Iran and, also, unlike the mullahs, enjoy wide-ranging support amongst the Iranian people. In fact, MEK support among the Iranian people is so high that the MEK has been the organising force behind many of the countrys nationwide anti-regime protests this year. Even if the international community are unwilling to recognise the MEK as the true voice of the Iranian people, the Regime has. There is a growing acceptance among the mullahs that the MEK is responsible for mobilising the Iranian public and will continue to do so. Thats why the mullahs are so desperate to suppress the MEK into silence, either through domestic repressions, such as the mass arrests of protesters or through targeting dissidents abroad, as with the terror plots planned by the mullahs against the MEK in the West. Back in March, on the occasion of the Iranian New Year, the mullahs targeted the MEK in Albania, where many MEK refugees fed to escape the Regime. The Regime wanted to attack a New Years gathering held by the MEK in Tirana but was thankfully stopped by Albanian authorities. In June, the Regime tried to bomb a MEK rally in Paris, with 100,000 people in attendance, including over 600 foreign dignitaries. This plot involved an Iranian diplomat from Vienna, who recruited the would-be car bombers. Four people including the diplomat have been arrested and France has said that the Regimes Intelligence Ministry is responsible. Then, in August, two Iranian agents were arrested for spying on the MEK in the US, including taking pictures and making notes that would then be passed onto the mullahs in order to plan attacks. This should be enough on its own to make the international community realise that they should be supporting the MEK and not the mullahs, or at least that they should withdraw support for the Iranian Regime. Member of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki, the former European Minister of Poland, recently wrote that after the Paris attack and Frances investigation the stage was seemingly set for the entire EU to adopt economic sanctions that France had already imposed on the [Iranian] Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and its agents. But nothing came of it, largely Czarnecki asserts because it would mean a lack of access to the Iranian markets and because Europe is less familiar with the MEK. (Although, this is strange because the MEK headquarters is in France.) So, perhaps, Europe just needs to know more about the MEK and how it is the force capable of bringing freedom and democracy to Iran. Well, then they should listen to their members of Parliament, international experts, and the Iranian people. But despite, or more likely because of, the suppression in Iran, the Iranian people and their organised opposition, namely the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), continue to protest and call for the end of the Regime. So, looking ahead to 2019, what should the international community do in relation to Iran? Simply, they should listen to the Iranian people and their resistance. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a simultaneous conference across 50 cities in Europe, North America, and Australia, on Saturday, December 15, for Iranian communities around the world to express their support for the NCRI and call on the international community to stop the mullahs from exporting terrorism and abusing human rights. The first step for the international community to take is to show unified strength in the face of Irans failed terror attacks, regional aggression and ballistic missile tests. In 2018, the Regime saw a lot of pushback on their malign behaviour mainly from the US after pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal but they need to see more, especially from Europe. Sanctions must be enforced by all nations in order to prevent terror attacks on their soil; after all, no amount of economic gain is worth a loss of life. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, criticised the EU for appeasing that Regime and implored them to adopt a firm policy, which does not give in to the Regimes threats. She said: We say to EU leaders that if you dont want to stand alongside Iranian people, at least dont put your citizens lives at risk. After all, there have been at least two foiled terror plots by the Regime in Europe in 2018; one in March in Albania, targeting an Iranian New Year celebration by the MEK, one in June in Paris, targeting an NCRI conference attended by 100,000 people. Then, in October, Danish authorities revealed a Regime plot to assassinate another Iranian opposition leader. The Regime is so desperate to silence its opposition that it will even do so in Europe. It must be made to stop. Hamid Bahrami, a human right activist and former political prisoner from Iran, wrote: To solve the crisis, in 2019, the international community must resolve to support the Iranian people. Backing Iranians legitimate demands will get the regime and its repressive forces stuck in a perilous situation. Only people of Iran can hold the regime to account and end this long cancer. Massoud believed that the MEK represented the principles and ideas that he believed in and that it was the best chance to bring freedom and democracy in Iran, so he joined the MEK in 1967. Once in the MEK, Massoud had direct contact with the MEKs founder and leader Mohammad Hanifnejad, who appointed Massoud to the MEKs ideological group, where he was responsible for studying and documenting the MEKs ideological principles. Massoud later became a member of the MEKs Central Committee. Imprisonment In 1971, Savak, the secret police of the Shah regime, conducted a series of raids in order to round up the entire leadership and Central Committee of the MEK. During their imprisonment, every member of the MEK who had been arrested was brutally tortured and sentenced to death. Eventually, the Shahs Regime was forced to commute Rajavis sentence to life in prison because of the efforts of Rajavis older brother Kazem, a world-renowned legal expert based in Geneva, who launched an international campaign that received support from many parliamentarians and political leaders, including Francois Mitterrand, the future President of France. In 1972, all of the MEKs leadership, bar Massoud, had been executed, so he assumed leadership from behind bars and helped to steer the MEK over the next seven years. A coup by Marxist separatists in 1975 nearly destroyed the MEK, but Massoud was able to restore the organization and set out the MEKs guidelines. The 1979 revolution He even helped to direct the growing peoples protest to topple the Shah in the late seventies, with the MEK as one of the largest groups calling for regime change and the release of all political prisoners from Shahs prisons. The Shah grew significantly weaker as the protests continued and eventually in January 1979, the Shah fled the country and his prison authorities released the last of the political prisoners, including Massoud. Less, than a month later the Shah Regime fell. Sadly, this was not the start of a glorious new chapter in Iran, as the revolution was hijacked by powerful cleric Ruhollah Khomeini, who established a brutal theocracy in place of the brutal monarchy. Massoud spent much of 1979 focusing the MEK on protecting the freedoms and rights of the Iranian people, with the goal being to prevent the mullahs from imposing their outdated beliefs and spent most of the early eighties raising awareness on the threats of extremism. Well look more about how Massoud and the MEK tried to stop the mullahs in our second article later this week. Gyawali to urge US officials not to view Nepal with Indias lens Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali has said he will urge US officials not to view Nepal through the Indian lens, as the perception in Kathmandu has often been. - Philippines bet Catriona Gray was announced as the winner in the prestigious Miss Universe 2018 - She spoke with the media about her winning performance during the Coronation Night - Catriona also shared what her mother told her during the competition PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Newly-crowned queen Catriona Gray finally expressed her side about her overall winning performance in the recently-concluded Miss Universe pageant. KAMI learned that the Pinay beauty queen bagged the highly-coveted crown during the Grand Coronation Night today, December 17 in Bangkok, Thailand. Catriona nailed both the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and her wit was evident in all the interviews that she had on stage. After the crowning moment, the Philippines bet had her first interview with ABS-CBN News while already wearing the much-deserved crown. Although a lot of people said that she will win the competition, the beauty queen admitted that she was not expecting it since she knew South Africa and Venezuela are strong contenders. Until the final moment, Catriona expressed that it was a guessing game for her and all that was in her mind was to make the Filipino people proud. The girls that I was with South Africa and Venezuela they were such a high caliber too. So it was still a guessing game for me. I didnt know she quipped. Waiting for the announcement, I was just praying and I was just looking at the people because that is why I am here. As long as I make them proud, then I have done my duty, she added. The newly-crowned Miss Universe also explained that she saw her parents watching from the audience area especially her mother whom she saw crying during the final moments of the contest. Catriona even shared that her mom used to watch Miss Universe pageants and she told the Pinay model that she dreamed of her winning the crown in red dress. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! Ive seen my mom and dad already. My mom was in tears and she told me, I dreamed you would do this, she stressed. Because I dont know if everyone knows, back when I was 13 years old, my mom used to watch Miss Universe all the time and then she said, I had a dream that you won Miss Universe in a red dress, she added. With regards to the Question and Answer portion, Catriona uttered that she does not remember the things that she said on stage when asked by host Steve Harvey. She emphasized that things went too fast during the Coronation Night and it was her desire to show the judges who she is that was continuously running in her head. I dont even remember what I said now. Because when youre up there on stage, everything just goes by on a blur, the Miss Universe 2018 further said. I just wanted to be myself. I wanted to show the judges who Catriona is. I am not just a pretty girl in a pretty dress. I wanted to show them a bit of my character she added. Here is the video of the interview: In a previous article by , a video of the dramatic reaction of Catriona when her name was called as the winner circulated online. Catriona Gray is now the fourth Miss Universe from the Philippines after Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margie Moran in 1973, and Pia Wurtzbach in 2015. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! 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 - Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has established her signature move which is the slow-mo turn - It became the subject of publics witty mind as a netizen thought of what it represents - There was also a funny symbolism of the national costume of Catriona PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed A lot of netizens just could not get enough of how the newly-crowned Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray makes her famous slow-mo turn extra-iconic. KAMI learned that the Pinay beauty queen introduced her signature twirl to public which evidently became one of the factors why she won the highly-coveted title. Since the beginning of her Miss Universe journey, Catriona has been making headlines especially with her choice to represent the Philippines in every dress or accessory she wears. One example of this was her outfit when she arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on November 29 which was a Thai-inspired jumpsuit plus ornamental shell earrings. During the preliminary competition, the Bicolana model wore a unique evening gown created by Mak Tumang who drew inspiration from the iconic Ibong Adarna myth of the Philippines. Because of the symbolisms that Catriona promotes in her wardrobes, a lot of social media users thought of how they would interpret the slow-mo turn of the beauty queen. Until a netizen posted a hilarious message which revealed what seemed to be the symbolism of the said signature move. May meaning pala yung pa slow-mo ni Catriona. Nire-represent pala nun ang internet sa Pinas, the netizen wrote. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! After this funny realization was posted online, a social media user also poked fun at the supply of electricity in the country and related it to the national costume of Catriona. He said the reason why the beauty queen experienced a technical glitch in her parol was because the electricity in the Philippines could not reach far places. So yung national costume nya na parol, kaya hindi umilaw kasi representation ng electric services sa pinas? Di kaya umabot sa malayong lugar? he commented. Here is the video of the famous turn: In a previous article by , the epic reactions of celebrities upon hearing the anme of Catriona as the winner were reported. Catriona Gray is a Filipina-Australian model and actress who has been an advocate of education for children. One of her projects was to help the kids of Tondo, Manila to have an access to pre-school education. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! 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 Hopping on For Sushma Giri, getting to the office was always a hassle. She would take the public bus, which never seemed to arrive on time, and a taxi was always too expensive. ICYMI: Here are some of top stories of the day Here are some of the news stories you might have missed throughout the day. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Eat, drink and be merry! Sip cocktails inspired by Jonathan Gold. Savor Creole creations. Swing by Swingers for a bite. Holiday music shows benefit wildfire victims, womens shelters and homeless issues. MoMA's Contenders wraps this week, while Rooftop Cinema screens Brazil. Ongoing Jonathan Gold-inspired Cocktail Menu Otium -- 222 South Hope St., downtown L.A. Last week, chef Timothy Hollingsworth and bar director Chris Amirault debuted 14 cocktails in homage to the late writer's most memorable food reviews. The new drinks include Little Sister (Sipsmith gin, Bitter Suze, barley tea, flower wines and pineapple), The Bazaar by Jose Andres (Fino sherry, lime, banana floss, almond charcoal) and, naturally, Otium (Hibiki Harmony, lemon, yuzu honey, almond, Japanese bitters). COST: $13 - $18 each; MORE INFO MONDAY, DEC. 17; 7 - 10 p.m. Reveillon! A Creole Christmas Feast in LA's Little New Orleans Harold & Belle's Creole Restaurant -- 2920 W. Jefferson Blvd., Jefferson Park Celebrate Christmas in L.A. like you're in LA. Savor the tastes of New Orleans with traditional Creole dishes including charred oysters, crawfish etoufee and soft-shell crabs. They go well with famous NOLA cocktails, like the Sazerac, the Vieux Carre and the Cafe Brulot, made with French brandy. Presented by the Pacific Food & Beverage Museum. COST: $79 - $89; MORE INFO MONDAY, DEC. 17; 7:30 p.m. School Night Holiday Benefit Bardot -- 1737 Vine St., Hollywood This special edition of the weekly music showcase benefits Elizabeth House, a women's shelter for at-risk, pregnant women and their children. The night features live performances by Moby, Trace and Rett Madison, and DJ sets by Whitney Day, Raul Campos and Chris Douridas. The event is 21+. Advance tickets are sold out, so get on the waitlist. COST: $25; MORE INFO MONDAY, DEC. 17 - TUESDAY, DEC. 18; 7:30 p.m. MoMA Contenders Hammer Museum -- 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood The Museum of Modern Art's film series, which screens important films from the last 12 months, concludes this week. On Monday, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, a film about celeb biographer Lee Israel, is followed by a Q&A with star Melissa McCarthy and Roxane Gay. The series wraps with Sorry to Bother You and a Q&A with director Boots Riley. COST: $20; MORE INFO THROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 23 Winterfest at Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park (Gate 6) -- 285 West Huntington Dr., Santa Anita The SGV's winter wonderland has something for all ages. In addition to a skating rink, there are horse drawn carriage rides, Santa's Village with gingerbread-making, a petting zoo, carolers, giant inflatables, pony rides, craft activities, music, seasonal and holiday foods and more than 80 vendors. Fest packages are available. COST: $5 admission (includes hot cocoa and a cookie); MORE INFO TUESDAY, DEC. 18; 7:30 p.m. Brazil LEVEL -- 888 S. Olive St., downtown L.A. Amid all the holiday fare -- Elf, Love Actually, It's a Wonderful Life, etc. -- we spotted this classic sci-fi flick directed by Terry Gilliam. The 1985 dystopian work satirizes the bureaucratic, industrialized society and stars Jonathan Pryce and Robert De Niro. The screening is 18+. COST: Tickets start at $17; MORE INFO Through DEC. 30 The Wonderful Winter Of Oz Pasadena Civic Auditorium -- 300 East Green St., Pasadena Inspired by the British pantomime tradition, this is a raucous, silly, family-friendly production. Dorothy gets swept away by a freak Kansas blizzard on Christmas Eve and lands in a world of munchkins and witches. The cast, led by teen dance star Mackenzie Ziegler and comedian Phil LaMarr, is joined by guests Kermit The Frog and Wilshire The L.A.F.D. Fire Dog as Toto. COST: Tickets start at $40; MORE INFO TUESDAY, DEC. 18; 8 p.m. Nortec Collective The Roxy Theatre -- 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood For nearly two decades, the ensemble has been mixing norteno and banda with electronic beats. The collective plays an all-ages show with Grenda and Julio Y Su Teclado Magico. COST: $20 - $25; MORE INFO TUESDAY, DEC. 18; 6 a.m. - 2 a.m. Swingers 25th Anniversary Swingers Diner -- 8020 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Grove The diner (not the movie) celebrates 25 years in the business. Sean MacPherson's retro Americana breakfast joint and late-night gathering place offers 25% off all day long at the original Beverly location. The first 100 dine-in patrons get a free, commemorative T-shirt, too. COST: Varies; MORE INFO TUESDAY, DEC. 18; 8 p.m. Father John Misty: The California Wildfires Benefit Theatre at Ace Hotel -- 929 S. Broadway, downtown L.A. To help those suffering because of the recent California wildfires, Father John Misty and Goldenvoice team up for an intimate night of music. The all ages show features sets by FJM, HAIM, Jeff Bhasker, Jonathan Wilson, Lucius, Mac DeMarco, Nate Ruess, Rivers Cuomo, Rostam, Tim Heidecker and Weyes Blood. Net proceeds go to The Southern California Disaster Relief Fund, which supports low-income families affected by the SoCal wildfires. COST: $59.50 - $199.50; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19; 8 p.m. Ho Ho Ho Improv Diary Show M.i.'s Westside Comedy Theater -- 1323-A ("A" stands for alley) Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica Every third Wednesday of the month, two brave souls read from their teen diaries. Going a step beyond Mortified, the improv team then performs scenes inspired by the readings. This month's holiday show features comedian Louise Woods and writer Patrick Tamisiea revealing their youthful angst. COST: $5; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19 - THURSDAY, DEC. 20; 9 p.m. Thom Yorke The Orpheum Theatre -- 842 S. Broadway, downtown L.A. The Radiohead frontman plays two solo nights in L.A. in the middle of a month-long winter tour. The shows come on the heels of Yorke's score for the remake of the horror film Suspiria. The shows are technically sold out, but where there's a will.... COST: $55.50 - $65.50; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19; 7 - 10 p.m. LAND'S 2018 Holiday Moveable Feast Segovia Hall at the Ace Hotel -- 929 S. Broadway, downtown L.A. The contemporary public art organization LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division) holds a family-style spaghetti dinner by chef Michael Cimarusti. Artists' multiples, editions, publications and merchandise will be for sale and Mark Hagen's Ars Moriendi will be on view for the first time in Los Angeles. COST: $65 - $80; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19; 7 - 10 p.m. L.A. Gives Back 3 Catch One -- 4067 W Pico Blvd IHEARTCOMIX presents a special holiday auction and show that benefits the L.A. Downtown Women's Center and My Friend's Place -- organizations that are addressing the homeless crisis in L.A. The event features five rooms of music curated by Brownies & Lemonade, Emo Nite, Ninja Tune, Adult Swim, Ham On Everything, Mad Decent, Late Night Laggers and Restless Nites. There are also live performances by a super secret lineup. The event is 18+. COST: Tickets $25 - $35; MORE INFO Winter(fest) is coming -- to the OC this week, running from Dec. 20-Jan. 6. (Photo: Winterfest) THURSDAY, DEC. 20 - SUNDAY, JAN. 6, 2019 Winter Fest OC Orange County Fair & Event Center -- 88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa SoCal's largest winter experience opens this week with 40,000 square feet of new attractions and returning activities. The fun includes an outdoor ice-skating rink, ice tubing at Snowflake Summit, snow play, a larger Festival of Lights tunnel and a SoCal Dickens Village. COST: Tickets start at $10; MORE INFO THURSDAY, DEC. 20; 7:30 p.m. Peter Harper NOOR at Paseo Colorado -- 300 E. Colorado Blvd #200, Pasadena The Harper family's youngest son turns away from art and teaching to take up the family business, music. (His parents own the Claremont Folk Music Center and you might have heard of his siblings -- Ellen, Joel and Ben.) He's playing his blend of American folk soul with a full band. COST: $8; MORE INFO THURSDAY, DEC. 20; 8 p.m. Fishbone - Crazy Glue Xmas The Regent Theater -- 448 S. Main St., downtown L.A. Time to party at ground zero and usher in the holidays with ska-punk veterans Fishbone. The Expanders, Law and Bite Me Bambi round out the nill. This event is 18+. COST: $20.50 - $25; MORE INFO THURSDAY, DEC. 20; 8:30 p.m. Merry Axed-Mas: Deleted Scenes from Christmas Movies UCBT Sunset -- 5419 W. Sunset Blvd., East Hollywood Our fave Christmas movies have tons of memorable scenes. These aren't those. Watch as performers Steve Szlaga, Colin Murphy, Sheila Carrasco, Charlie Faith and Rebecca Warm, among others, recreate deleted Christmas scenes from movies like Home Alone and Elf. COST: $7; MORE INFO How are you spending your week? Let us know on Twitter @christineziemba and @LeoHasACat. You made it! Congrats, you read the entire story, you gorgeous human. This story was made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism costs $$$$$. And now that LAist is part of KPCC, we rely on that support. So if you aren't already, be one of us! Help us help you live your best life in Southern California. Donate now. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Jk, giving back never goes out of style. Last week, we gave you some ideas for gifts that have a uniquely L.A. bent. But perhaps you're feeling altruistic this year and want to add giving back to your community to your list of holiday to-do's. Here are some ways to share the spirit locally: 1. Donate a book to kids in need According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 19.9 percent of children in the Golden State lived in families who couldn't make ends meet in 2016. Better With Books provides age-appropriate literature to just such kids -- sign up to help them set up their holiday book drive on Dec. 23, or donate some of your favorite kids' reading materials. 2. Host a donation party for baby items Want to give back to the littlest guys this season? Host a donation party through Baby2Baby, which gathers items for infants, kids and families. 3. Buy a gift for a differently abled Angeleno Hope House for the Multiple Handicapped Inc. helps people with co-occurring autism, intellectual disabilities and mental health issues. Their residents have compiled a wish list for the holidays with gifts ranging from dominos to a fedora hat to a body pillow, and you can purchase and send one directly. 4. Help a rescued pit bull Pitties are still among the breeds most commonly dropped off at shelters, and it's no different here in L.A. Consider donating to Angel City Pit Bulls, which helps to rehab the loving animals and find them forever homes. 5. Provide underserved L.A. kids with toys The Los Angeles Fire Department and ABC7 have partnered to put on a toy drive for kids in need. Spark of Love needs financial donations and toys, which can be dropped off at your local fire station. 6. Assist sick children from low-income families Children's Hospital Los Angeles provides a way for you to give to kids whose families are facing financial hardships, but who may be suffering from acute or chronic illness. 7. Toys for Tots: a list of locations Toys for Tots is one of the largest opportunities to give toys to children whose families can't otherwise afford them. Click here for a list of where you can drop off donations locally. 8. Adopt-A-Family for the holidays Families Forward Learning Center lets you give gifts and a holiday meal for a whole family. They provide services to low-income folks in Pasadena with young kids. 9. Put your art to work The Art of Elysium pairs artists with communities or individuals in need, bringing the healing power of art as far and wide as possible. Donate your time, your talent or your money to help keep these programs going. Don't see what you want here? Check out our list of ongoing efforts to help victims of the Woolsey fire, or read up at Big Sunday for a looong list of other ways to give this holiday season. Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. Donate now. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe The city of Los Angeles gets about 12 percent of its water from underground sources. A big gulp of that groundwater comes from the San Fernando basin. But for decades, parts of this basin have been polluted with toxic contaminants released by manufacturing industries, including aerospace company Lockheed Martin. It's left the water and its wells unusable. Now, through a settlement with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Lockheed Martin is going to clean up 1.5 billion gallons of groundwater per year, pumping it in North Hollywood and treating it in Burbank before handing it over to the DWP. So, what will that cleanup operation mean for drought-prone L.A.? In the short term, not a lot. Currently, the Valley's aquifers account for less than 10 percent of L.A.'s water. But that could change if they're cleaned up. There's about 3 million acre feet of groundwater under the Valley, and about 1 million of it could be usable. But how did our groundwater get so toxic in the first place? To put it simply, more people and industry. Back before the San Fernando Valley was a sprawling suburbia, it was sprawling farmland watered by wells and the L.A. Aqueduct. But as the city's population grew in the last century, it also became the site of industrial operations, some of which started putting cancer-causing solvents like TCE and chemicals like PCE into the groundwater. It's kind of a tough thing to say, but the industries that helped the U.S. win WWII and defense manufacturing during the Cold War also left a terrible legacy of pollution. Lockheed Martin was one of many polluters across the Valley and was based at the site of today's Hollywood Burbank Airport from the 1920s on, building planes and later testing aerospace components well into the '90s. It was a source of excellent middle-class jobs and contributed to making the San Fernando Valley a vibrant attractive suburb. But all the while, the Lockheed plant was polluting, and not enough was done to stop it. They didn't even detect it until 1980, as part of a national testing program for water quality. That's when officials discovered they had tainted groundwater. Not just from Lockheed, but one-quarter of the water wells in the San Fernando Valley had levels of these chemicals higher than what the state said was safe. Lockheed has been working with other jurisdictions whose water was polluted, starting in the cities of Glendale and Burbank, where the company built treatment plants to clean the water. But the underground plume of pollution moved into North Hollywood, which is L.A. city territory, said Paul Liu, a manager for water resources in the DWP. But the North Hollywood treatment plant was at full capacity, so rather than increase the size of that plant, Lockheed is promising to build a pipeline to take the water to its Burbank treatment plant, where it has the capacity to treat the tainted water and return it to LADWP. That's what the settlement accomplished. (Courtesy LADWP) Right now, contaminated water comes out of tainted aquifers, gets treated, then put into local water systems. It's going to be decades before it's removed enough of the tainted water and replaced the water in the aquifer with new storm runoff for us to be able to pull water directly from the aquifer and use it with just the standard water treatment like chlorination. Increasing L.A.'s groundwater storage is an important part of the city's conservation efforts. Any water that LADWP can store underground for future use reduces what we have to purchase as imported water from the Colorado River or the State Water Project from Northern California. L.A sees underground aquifers as a needed place to hold any excess water we can catch as storm runoff or excess water that comes to us on the L.A. Aqueduct in heavy snow or rain years. Meanwhile, L.A. County plans to increase the amount of storm runoff through money raised on the new Measure W parcel Tax. Mayor Eric Garcetti called the agreement historic, but that might be a stretch. This settlement takes care of just one piece of the pollution plaguing Valley aquifers. The 1.5 billion gallons of water that comes from this settlement annually is about a year's supply for 7,000 households, roughly 1 percent of LADWP's water customers. The utility says the water supply represents about $170 million in savings on future imported water purchases. There are other polluters, so despite this deal, it will still be decades before water utilities can pull unpolluted water out of the ground. This action is more of a continuation of one company's existing efforts to clean up the water. It's a good thing that Lockheed is working in collaboration with the city to remove pollutants in the underground water, but they were the ones who put it there. Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. Donate now. In search of judicial independence Through the promulgation of the 2015 constitution, Nepal emerged as a federal country. While power at the executive and legislative level was divulged in the local, provincial and federal tiers, one significant arm of the government continues to remain non federalised in federal Nepal: LOS ANGELES, Calif. National civil rights and personal injury attorney Carl Douglas (Douglas/Hicks Law) is calling for a boycott of Walgreens (#BoycottWalgreens) stores after executives declined to temporarily remove armed guards from stores following the tragic fatal shooting death of a 21-year-old homeless man by an armed guard in their store. Jonathan Hart, who was also known as Sky Young, was fatally shot Dec. 2 inside a Walgreens store at Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood. Jonathan was leaving the store after a shoplifting dispute when an armed security shot him in the back of he neck. A video from an eyewitness shows that after shooting Jonathan, the unidentified guard stood over him and failed to offer any life saving first aid. At a news conference on Tuesday, attorney Carl Douglas said Walgreens only has armed security guards at certain 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. Jonathan was not shoplifting, he continued. 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. LOS ANGELES Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) Dean C. Logan announced that 33 community meetings will take place across Los Angeles County to give residents the opportunity to discuss potential Vote Center locations to be placed within their neighborhoods in 2020. In March 2020, Los Angeles County will implement a new voting model utilizing vote centers in compliance with the California Voters Choice Act passed in 2016. Vote Centers will offer an 11-day voting period in convenient and accessible locations within the County and allow all voters to visit any site in the County to vote regardless of their residential address. ADVERTISEMENT The first community meeting was held on Friday, November 16, at theSalvation Army in Compton. Every community meeting will provide an overview to the Voting Solutions for All People voting experience, and will allow community members to ask questions and about Vote Centers locations as well as provide input. The mission of the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk is to serve Los Angeles County by providing essential records management and election services in a fair, accessible and transparent manner. For more information, visit lavote.net and follow us on Twitter @LACountyRRCC. CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF VOTER MTGS Sunday, December 16, 2018 People around the world brave journeys across borders of all sorts in order to seek a better life. We're familiar with migrants crossing the deserts of the U.S./Mexico border. We watch asylum seekers cross the Mediterranean in rickety boats. But did you know migrants also cross the Italian alps in the depths of winter, hoping to seek asylum in France? CBS' Seth Doane took the journey with a group a migrants. -KitJ https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2018/12/crossing-italian-alps-to-seek-asylum-in-france.html Monday, December 17, 2018 Admir Skodo on Migration Information Source reports on changes in Swedish immigration policy: " In 2015 a record-breaking 162,877 asylum seekers entered Sweden, which along with Germany was the preferred destination for a wave of Syrians, Afghans, and others who reached European soil in search of protection and better lives. In response, the Swedish government introduced border controls, followed in mid-2016 by a highly restrictive asylum and reunification lawa major policy shift for a country that has long prided itself on its generous asylum stance. Even as asylum applications and grants plummeted, concerns over immigration grew among the Swedish public. The nationalist, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats received 17.6 percent of the vote in September 2018 elections, while the center-left Social Democrats, in power for much of the 20th century, posted their worst results since 1908. Three months after an election that gave neither the center-left or center-right a majority, the country still struggled to form a government." KJ https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2018/12/sweden-by-turns-welcoming-and-restrictive-in-its-immigration-policy.html Sunday, December 16, 2018 The Missouri Supreme Court held that a prosecutor's office screening procedure effectively prevented imputed disqualification when a defendant's appellate counsel moved to the office. Counsel moved for disqualification in a subsequent post-conviction action Application of the appearance of impropriety test conclusively shows that Wolpinks conflict should not be imputed to the entire [Prosecuting Attorney's Office]. The uncontroverted evidence shows the PAO implemented a thorough and effective screening process as required by Lemasters. Id. at 425. Notably, neither Respondent nor Skinner took issue with the scope or implementation of the screening process, and nothing in the evidence suggests anyone in the office failed to comply. To the contrary, the evidence shows Sauls, counsel for the state in Skinners case, and Wolpink worked on separate floors and never had a single conversation about Skinner or his case. Sauls also testified he had no knowledge of any confidential information Wolpink may have obtained during her previous representation of Skinner. As a result, there are no facts that if known to a reasonable person would create an appearance of impropriety and cast doubt on the fairness of his trial to Skinner. Id. at 424. The lower court had erred in ordering disqualification by disqualifying Relator, Respondent infringed upon Relators ability to carry out her duties as a public officer. State ex rel. Griffin v. Smith, 258 S.W.2d 590, 593 (Mo. banc 1953), overruled on other grounds by State v. Honeycutt, 96 S.W.3d 85 (Mo. banc 2003). The harm, however, does not stop at Relator. Respondents order also affects the people of Jackson County. By virtue of her position as an elected prosecuting attorney, most, if not all, of Relators duties involve a good faith exercise of the sound discretion. State on inf. McKittrick v. Wallach, 182 S.W.2d 313, 319 (Mo. banc 1944). At every turn, she must choose a course of action or non-action. Id. As a result, the people of Jackson County believed that Relator, once elected, would exercise her discretion to the dictates of [her] own judgment and conscience uncontrolled by the judgment and conscience of any other person. Id. In essence, by electing Relator, the people of Jackson County decided Relators decision-making skills i.e., her discretion best represent their interests. By disqualifying Relator and appointing the AGO, Respondents order unjustifiably circumvents the voters choice to have their interests represented by Relator in Skinners case as in any other. The screen must be effective and may not always suffice To be clear, the Court does not hold a screening process will always be sufficient to dispel an appearance of impropriety. Id. at 425. For instance, as this Court explained in Lemasters, when it is the prosecutor herself, i.e., the boss, who supposedly is being screened from the remainder of her employees, rather than one assistant being screened from the others even a thorough and effective screening process may not be sufficient to remove the appearance of impropriety. Id. (citing State ex rel. Burns v. Richards, 248 S.W.3d 603, 605 (Mo. banc 2008)). Furthermore, when this issue is considered on appeal, the trial courts ruling on a motion to disqualify is reviewed for abuse of discretion. Id. at 420. Accordingly, a situation may arise in which there is very little (yet sufficient) evidence to support the satisfaction of the appearance of impropriety test. Then, under the standard of review, an appellate court would be required to defer to the circuit court. Id. Neither of these situations is present here. The lower court This Court does not believe Respondent intended to cause such harm. Indeed, it appears Respondent did not believe there was any harm at all. At the hearing on Relators motion to reconsider, Respondent asked Relator, Whats the big deal? Why are you guys [(i.e., Relator)] so adamant about who represents the State on this case? But whether Respondent recognized it, the harm caused by his order is both substantial and irreparable. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/12/the-missouri-supreme-court-held-that-a-prosecutors-office-screening-procedure-effectively-prevented-imputed-disqualification.html Sunday, December 16, 2018 The New York Appellate Division for the First Judicial Department affirmed the dismissal of a defamation claim against a law firm Plaintiff alleges, inter alia, that he was defamed by defendants in interviews with journalists, an article, and press releases in which defendants made comments about litigation between him and Elizabeth Elting, whom they represented. Plaintiff and Elting co-founded a Delaware company and had litigated for years over control of the company. Most recently, a Delaware court had granted Elting's petition for the appointment of a custodian to sell the company to resolve the deadlock between her and plaintiff. In its August 13, 2015 post-trial decision, the court mentioned Elting's pending motion for sanctions against plaintiff, which the court said "raises very serious issues of spoliation and discovery abuse." In its July 20, 2016 decision on the sanctions motion, the Delaware court imposed sanctions against plaintiff equal to Elting's costs on the sanctions motion and one third of her litigation costs for the entire case, a total of more than $7 million. The statements at issue Defendants' comment about plaintiff's "massive spoliation" or "spoliation in droves" is protected under Civil Rights Law 74 as a fair and true report, even if the Delaware Chancery Court did not use defendants' exact words in its decision (see Holy Spirit Assn. for Unification of World Christianity v New York Times Co., 49 NY2d 63, 67 [1979]; see also Russian Am. Found., Inc. v Daily News, L.P., 109 AD3d 410 [1st Dept 2013], lv denied 22 NY3d 856 [2013]). The court concluded that plaintiff had intended and attempted to destroy "a substantial amount of information," and detailed plaintiff's responsibility for the deletion, in violation of court order, of approximately 41,000 files from his computer. Plaintiff argues that defendants overstated the matter, because his spoliation proved largely reversible. Indeed, of the 41,000 files deleted, 1,000 were permanently destroyed. However, plaintiff did not cause the recovery of the data; rather, it occurred in spite of him. Moreover, he lied under oath about his spoliating conduct. As the court observed, an unsuccessful spoliator is still a spoliator (see TR Invs., LLC v Genger, 2009 WL 4696062, *9, 2009 Del Ch LEXIS 203, *28 [Del Ch 2009], affd 26 A3d 180 [Del 2011]; see also Victor Stanley v Creative Pipe, Inc., 269 FRD 497 [D Md 2010]). Defendants' comment that plaintiff was "holding Elting hostage" is protected under Civil Rights Law 74. During the interviews at issue, defendants cited the section of the post-trial decision in which the court used similar language in summarizing Elting's position (see Greenberg v Spitzer, 155 AD3d 27, 52 [2d Dept 2017]). Defendants' statement that "no rational person would ever want to partner with [plaintiff]," which is nearly a verbatim quotation from the court's decision, is protected under the statute. Plaintiff argues that defendants' comment that "[s]ome of the stuff, which I'm not at liberty to share with you, is so egregious that it really makes the jaw drop" should not have been found to be nonactionable opinion (see Sprecher v Thibodeau, 148 AD3d 654, 656 [1st Dept 2017] ["comments made to the media by a party's attorney regarding an ongoing lawsuit constitute nonactionable opinions"]), because it suggests that the comment is based on undisclosed defamatory facts (see e.g. Restatement [Second] of Torts 566]). However, the complaint does not allege, as required, that the words of which plaintiff complains are defamatory (see CPLR 3016[a]). In any event, in context, the comment can reasonably be read as part of defendants' nonactionable prediction about the sanctions decision. Moreover, it is largely nonactionable hyperbole. Another failed claim Supreme Court correctly dismissed the tortious interference with prospective business relations claim because the complaint fails to allege that plaintiff had a relationship with Bank of America with which defendants interfered. It contains conclusory allegations about a potential relationship, which is insufficient (BDCM Fund Advisor, L.L.C. v Zenni, 103 AD3d 475, 478 [1st Dept 2013]). Nor does the complaint allege, as required, that but for defendants' conduct plaintiff would have had an economic relationship with the bank (Vigoda v DCA Prods. Plus, 293 AD2d 265 [1st Dept 2002]). Forbes reported on the underlying dispute. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/12/the-new-york-appellate-division-for-the-first-judicial-department-affirmed-the-dismissal.html Every day, around 50 tons of food waste arrives at a factory outside of Jinan, China. That is equal to the weight of seven adult elephants. Once it arrives, the food waste goes through pipes and into individual cells made of wood. There, about one billion cockroaches wait to feed. People usually see these insects as dirty pests. But in China, they are seen for their environmental and economic - value. Ever-growing Chinese cities like Jinan are creating more food waste than they have room for in landfills. Cockroaches are not only able to get rid of food waste, they can become healthy food for farm animals. The insects remains are even said to offer cures for stomach problems and other health issues in humans. Liu Yusheng is president of Shandong Insect Industry Association. Liu calls cockroaches a bio-technological pathway for turning kitchen waste into something useful. The food waste arrives at the Jinan factory before the sun rises. Shandong Qiaobin Agricultural Technology Co. operates the factory. It has plans to open three more next year, and hopes to process one-third of the food waste produced by Jinans seven million people. A recent spread of African swine fever led China to ban the use of food waste as food for pigs. But cockroaches that eat the food waste can become a protein-rich source of food for pigs and other farm animals. Shandong Qiaobin chairwoman Li Hongyi describes the process as turning trash into resources. Great economic value Thousands of kilometers away, in a small village in Sichuan province, Li Bingcai has similar ideas. Li, who is 47, used to sell mobile phones. He has invested one million yuan, about $143,000, in cockroaches. He sells them to pig farms and fisheries. He also sells them to drug companies, which use the insects in medicine. And sometimes, the cockroaches provide a tasty treat for his family. Lis farm now has 3.4 million cockroaches. People think its strange that I do this kind of business, Li said. It has great economic value, and my goal is to lead other villagers to prosperity if they follow my lead. His village currently has two farms. But Lis goal is to create 20. The worlds largest cockroach farm In the Sichuan city of Xichang, a company called Gooddoctor has about six billion cockroaches. It claims it is the biggest cockroach farm in the world, and uses artificial intelligence, or AI, to both control and grow its roach population. Cockroaches live for about six months. Once they die, the insects are treated with steam. Next, they are washed and dried. Then, the clean remains are sent to a huge nutrient removal container. The extracts are then used in medicines that Gooddoctor produces. Wen Jianguo oversees the Gooddoctor cockroach center. Wen says the cockroach extracts can be used for treating ulcers, skin wounds and even stomach cancer. Chinese researchers are also looking into using cockroach extract in face treatments and hair-loss products. The South China Morning Post recently reported that about 40 million people in China use Gooddoctors cockroach extract to treat stomach problems and other sicknesses. The company sells to 4,000 hospitals around the country. The cockroaches at Gooddoctor never leave the controlled, warm, dark area that Wen oversees. But, could the farms six billion insects ever escape? Wen admits a mass escape would make for a good disaster movie. But he has taken steps to prevent that from ever happening. We have a moat filled with water and fish, Wen said. If the cockroaches escape, they will fall into the moat and the fish will eat them all. Im Ashley Thompson. And I'm Caty Weaver. Reuters reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Quiz Quiz - China Explores the Benefits of Cockroaches Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story cell n. any one of many similar sections that together form a larger structure pest n. an animal or insect that causes problems for people especially by damaging crops landfill n. an area where waste is buried under the ground kitchen n. a room in which food is cooked prosperity n. the state of being successful usually by making a lot of money extract n. a substance that you get from something by using a machine or chemicals ulcer n. a painful, sore area inside or outside the body moat n. a deep, wide ditch that is usually filled with water and that goes around the walls of a place Sangam Prasain is Business Editor at The Kathmandu Post, covering tourism, agriculture, mountaineering, aviation, infrastructure and other economic affairs. He joined The Kathmandu Post in October 2009. The great-grandson of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has been forced to defend his way of life. Ahmad Khomeini was reacting to the publication of his picture online. The image shows him standing next to a young woman at a horseback riding center. He is wearing high-end sunglasses and a Nike shirt. Iranian social-media users are condemning the 21-year-old clergyman's "luxury horse-riding" as an activity most Iranians could never experience. They say it is far too costly. Iranians are dealing with a collapse in the value of their money after the enactment of new United States sanctions on Iran. The U.S. actions are meant to punish the Iranian government for its military and nuclear efforts. The head of the Khorasan news service, Mohammad Said Ahadian, said the picture damaged "the reputation of the Imam," meaning Ruhollah Khomeini. He added that the former leader lived a simple life to demonstrate his sympathy for the poor. Ahadian called on the young mans father, Hassan Khomeini, to condemn his sons activities. Hassan Khomeini is close to critics of the Iranian leadership. Ahadian added that Khomeinis legacy should be controlled by someone else. Ayatollah Khomeini died of heart failure in 1989. He is celebrated in Iran as the founder of the Islamic republic. His supporters call him "the Imam." The head of the political desk of Moj news agency described Ahmad Khomeini as a "luxury agazadeh. Iranians use the term agazadeh to describe children of powerful or wealthy people who are believed to use their family connections for personal gain. "Your behavior is not Khomeini-like. You have nothing in common with [Ayatollah] Khomeini, you only carry his name," Amir Tohid Fazel wrote of Ahmad Khomeini on Twitter. He added, the Imam that we knew would not be horseback riding (during) people's problems." 'They attack my father through me' Ahmad Khomeini reacted to the criticism by saying his financial situation was not "special." He said the year-old picture had been put online from someone's private collection without permission. He suggested that the people who put the picture online were targeting his father. In 2016, conservatives prevented Hassan Khomeini from competing for a seat on the Assembly of Experts, a group that chooses the countrys leader. The leader, now Ali Khamenei, holds the most political and religious power in Iran. Ahmad Khomeini answered his critics on Instagram, where he has more than 650,000 Instagram followers. "My father's enemies [attack me] in order to damage him. Therefore, this is not the first time, nor the last," he wrote. He added that someone in the media wants his father to give up control of the Imams legacy. He added that he does not own a horse and is not active in "such sports." Some believe Ahmad Khomeini and his father have been treated with suspicion by Iran's conservatives because of their sympathy for reformers. Venting public anger The cost of living has sharply increased in Iran. Stores have shortages of some goods, such as medicine, according to Iranian media. Many expect the situation to get worse as U.S. sanctions take hold. Late in 2017 and early this year, thousands of Iranians protested rising prices and corruption by taking to the streets in around 80 cities. The government pushed back by arresting many people, increasing security and the blocking of mobile telephone service. Since then, there have only been a few protests, mostly by teachers and factory workers asking for higher wages. Other Iranians have expressed their anger on social media where they can criticize the rich and powerful and their children. Last year, online photos showed the luxurious wedding of Iranian model Anashid Hosseini and Amir Mohsen Moradian, the son of Irans ambassador to Denmark. The Fararu website suggested the wedding party was held when 12 million Iranians who want to get married cannot afford it. Hosseini and Moradian said the event was not costly and that they paid for it themselves. Im Susan Shand. RadioFreeEurope/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported this story. Susan Shand adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. RFE/RL and VOA each are part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story luxury n. a condition of living at great ease online adj. connected to a computer or telecommunications system reputation n. : the way in which people think of someone or something legacy n. something that happened in the past or that comes from someone in the past desk n. a table, reading table or stand according adv. as stated by or in Political cartoons date back to before the creation of the United States. Today, they remain an important part of American culture. They are protected as free speech, as part of a free press, under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Matt Wuerker is a long-time political cartoonist, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in 2012. His cartoons appear in Politico, a media company that reports on U.S. politics. He told VOA at his office, outside Washington, D.C., that he sees his job as quite unusual. Were a strange mix of things in that we are making serious commentary on serious topics, but we're doing it not so seriously. Wuerker likes the fact that he can express opinions in the same way as television commentators and those who write opinion pieces for newspapers. The difference, he says, is that, as a cartoonist, he gets to create silly pictures to get his point across. Wuerker has seen many changes in the publishing industry over the years. When he started 40 years ago, he says, political cartoons appeared as simple, black and white images in newspapers. Today, he says, they can be full of many colorful parts - or even animated. Some cartoonists have created whole illustrated stories about political subjects. Such a collection is currently being shown at the Newseum in Washington. The graphic story is told as a series called Welcome to the New World. It tells of two refugee families from Syria who came to the United States. The cartoon collection, created by Michael Sloan and Jake Halpern, won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize. Patty Rhule is vice president of exhibits at the Newseum. She said Newseum officials liked what the two award-winning cartoonists were able to create. They did a 20-part series in The New York Times following the story of two Syrian immigrants who fled the war in Syria to come to this country and start a new life with their families. Rhule said news-related cartoons have always been an important part of American culture. The countrys first political cartoon is generally considered to be one by Benjamin Franklin, a founding father. The cartoon, which showed a snake cut into parts, was published by Franklins Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper in 1754. It was meant to increase support for his plan for a union of Britains North American colonies. Rhule says she hopes this long tradition will live on for many years to come. It's always been a part of this country and the world's way of freely expressing ideas and debate. So I hope they never go away. Im Bryan Lynn. Julie Taboh reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story cartoon n. picture that looks at people or objects in a funny way topic n. a subject that is written or talked about silly adj. making fun of something; funny bubble n. round shaped part included in a cartoon that contains written text animate v. make (something, such as a drawing) appear to move by creating a series of drawings, pictures, etc., and showing them quickly one after another graphic adj. relating to visual art exhibit n. a showing or objects, such as artwork, in a public setting strict adj. severe or strong Many news stories about the United States government tell about Congress and American lawmakers. The U.S. Congress is the nations legislature. It is made of two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is called the House for short. And sometimes it is called the Peoples House. That term was chosen as a nickname because the men who wrote the U.S. Constitution in 1787 set few restrictions on who could serve there. They wanted the House to be as close as possible to everyday Americans. One of the writers of the Constitution, James Madison, wrote about the House years later. He noted, The door of this part of the federal government is open to merit of every description, whether native or adoptive, whether young or old, and without regard to poverty or wealth, or to any particular profession of religious faith. In other words, House members can be born in the United States or in any other country. They can be as young as 25 years old, or -- as some members have been -- into their 90s. They do not have to be rich. And they do not have to belong to any religion. However, in reality, for many years only free white men were permitted to serve as lawmakers. Women and other groups had limited legal rights, to say the least. However, as laws changed over time, members of the House also changed. The website of the U.S. House of Representatives notes, The Houses first African-American member was elected in 1870. The first Hispanic member took office in 1877, the first woman member in 1917, the first Asian-American member in 1957, and the first African-American woman member in 1969. The countrys Constitution-writers also made the terms for House members short, compared to the president and senators only two years. One reason is so House members would have to stay in close contact with the people who live in the area they represent. Otherwise, voters would soon have a chance to push them out of office. Speaking of voters One of the other central ideas about the House of Representatives is that known as proportional representation. The idea was that each member of the House would represent 30,000 U.S. citizens. That situation would enable states with large populations to send more lawmakers to Congress. But the Constitution-writers of 1787 struggled with how to count a states population. At that time, more than 650,000 enslaved people lived in the country. After much debate, the Constitution-writers decided the enslaved population would be only partly counted for legal and tax purposes. The decision is known as the 3/5 compromise. The first U.S. House of Representatives had 67 members. As the countrys population grew, the number of House members increased from 105, to 142, and so on. After the approval of constitutional amendments following the Civil War, most formerly enslaved people were fully counted in the states population. The House continued to grow into the 20th century. Finally, in 1929, lawmakers officially limited the total number of House members to 435. Today, each member of the House represents about 700,000 people. What do members of the House do? Members of the House, along the senators, develop national laws. They also help voters who live in their districts deal with problems related to the government. And members of the House have other important jobs. They can investigate people with government ties who are suspected of wrongdoing. For example, members of the House have looked into cases of bribery, corruption, and abuses of power. In the 1950s, the House Un-American Activities Committee demanded information from private citizens suspected of communist activity. But critics said the committee had gone too far. In time, the Supreme Court limited Congress power to investigate issues related to the law, instead of peoples private beliefs. Over its history, the House has brought impeachment charges against government officials, including presidents, more than 60 times. But only a few officials were removed from office. Of those, some were federal judges accused of being drunk at court. Power of the purse and war powers Members of Congress also have what some call the power of the purse. In other words, they control how the government spends public money. The House of Representatives website explains that the Constitution-writers wanted to put spending decisions in the hands of the peoples representatives in Congress. Similarly, the Constitution-writers did not want the chief executive to decide alone whether to take the country to war. They wanted to make war difficult to enter. They also wanted to prevent the president from going to war because of political or personal interests. So they wrote that the Congress had the power to declare war. But in truth, lawmakers have only officially declared war 11 times. The last time was in 1942. Since then, Congress has simply approved the use of military force. Im Kelly Jean Kelly. Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story merit - n. a good quality or feature that deserves to be praised profession - n. the act of declaring or saying something openly proportional - adj. having a size, number, or amount that is directly related to or appropriate for something impeachment - n. the charge of a crime done while in office purse - n. an amount of money that a person, organization, or government has available to use executive - n. a person who manages or directs other people in a company or organization As you may have seen, The New York Times ran an article yesterday about our work in Southeast Asia, China, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. We realize this article, along with other recent coverage of our Firm, has raised questions. We therefore want to take this opportunity to respond, especially as we expect The New York Times to continue to write about our Firm. We knew The Times had an agenda when a friend of the Firm forwarded us an email he received from one of the authors of yesterdays article seeking information about connections, no matter how tenuous, between our Firm and institutions that support anti-democratic activities in a certain country. He added that such tenuous connections would be of great interest to our readers. We nevertheless engaged with the journalists over the past five months to try to correct facts and help them understand our Firms approach to client service and selection. With yesterdays story, The Times selectively uses a handful of engagements and one office retreat to fundamentally mischaracterize our Firms presence in large parts of the world. In building their narrative, the reporters ignored or discounted facts that did not support their argument. They bent unobjectionable facts, used innuendo and implied causality to build a deeply misleading account of how we operate. As a global Firm, we fundamentally disagree with the assertion that our colleagues in Southeast Asia, China, Eastern Europe and the Middle East should not be serving clients where we have a demonstrated record of making a positive difference in the countries where they live, and on behalf of their fellow citizens. Together, these countries represent more than two billion people. Indeed, the authors do concede that many other businesses operate legally in these markets, but they conclude that it is somehow different when McKinsey does so because [no other firms] have the stature to confer credibility quite like McKinsey, a confidante for 92 years to many of the worlds most admired companies. A few points to keep in mind in light of this higher bar: Broad swaths of The Times narrative are at fundamental odds with how our Firm works, such as the articles insinuation that we have somehow orchestrated our work across multiple clients to support Chinas Belt-and-Road initiative. To portray us as working behind the scenes to advance any governments agenda across separate CSTs is simply untrue and impossible. We also dispute the inference that our client service on individual projects related to Chinas Belt-and-Road initiative is somehow inappropriate. Each engagement was conducted and evaluated on its merits and not in any way as part of a coordinated effort to advance the initiative. We comply with the law in all markets where we operate. Full stop. Despite The Times suggestive language about clients under sanctions, we fully comply with the requirements, and the intent, of all international sanctions something The Times itself acknowledges. We hire exceptional people. We have a robust and standardized global recruiting process, which ensures that every individual we hire into a client service role goes through a rigorous, meritocratic assessment process. As we explained to The Times, both of the individuals referenced in the article were hired through this process. To imply that either was hired for reasons other than merit is false and misleading. Liu Chunhang was hired after graduating from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. He did not work for any Chinese clients while at McKinsey. There is zero evidence his relationships were used by anyone to help develop clients or engagements. Yulia Poroshenko (the daughter-in-law of Ukraines current president) was hired from the world-leading MBA program at INSEAD Business School, before she was married and two years before Mr. Poroshenko became President. She had no visible connection to Mr. Poroshenko at the time. Like many other major corporations, including our competitors, we seek to navigate a changing geopolitical environment, but we do not support or engage in political activities. Take for example the context for two of the examples The Times cites our work in Ukraine and in Malaysia: In Ukraine, we chose to join widely-respected leaders and other international institutions to help reform an economy in desperate need of jobs and growth at a time when many saw real hope of both political and economic change. The Times suggestion that we undertook this work to polish the image of Mr. Yanukovych is deeply misleading. The local Partners who led this work were committed to the cause of reform; yet when it became clear that the countrys President would not follow through on his stated reform agenda, we made the tough decision to walk away and end our service. And let us be clear: the innuendo linking our work to Paul Manaforts reported public affairs and lobbying activities is plain wrong. In Malaysia, we evaluated the feasibility of the proposed East Coast Rail Link. Our role was limited to studying socio-economic impact and financial feasibility. We played no role in the Malaysian governments selection of China Communications Construction Company. Most importantly, in this engagement we abided by one of our values: we told our client the truth. We advised that the project was not financially sustainable as scoped and recommended an alternative approach. This alternative approach was unfortunately not adopted by the government. As a global Firm, we are proud of the positive contributions we deliver in all the geographies in which we are present. We are disappointed that The Times article ignored the work we do that makes the lives of millions of people and thousands of clients better from the impact we deliver. This work is one of the many reasons we are proud of our Firm, our impact and our people. We accept the scrutiny including from the media that comes with our work and leadership position in our profession. We also accept the commentary about the retreat in China, and we will be more thoughtful about such choices in the future. Yesterdays article, however, crossed the line into criticism that is not justified by the facts of what we do and how we serve our clients. Lenovo is adding two new laptops to its ThinkPad lineup. The Lenovo ThinkPad L390 is a 3.2 pound notebook with a 13.3 inch full HD touchscreen display with a 180-degree hinge, while the Lenovo ThinkPad L390 Yoga is a 3.5 pound convertible model with pen support and a 360-degree hinge. Theyre also the first two ThinkPads to feature Intel Whiskey Lake chips which should offer a small performance boost over Kaby Lake-R chips while also adding support for Gigabit WiFi. Both models should be available this month, with prices starting at $659 for an entry-level Lenovo ThinkPad L390 and $889 for the ThinkPad L390 Yoga. The new laptops support up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, up to 512GB of PCIe solid state storage, and both versions have two USB Type-C ports, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, HDMI 1.4 and mini Ethernet jacks, and a microSD card reader. Both also features 45 Wh batteries (although Lenovo estimates youll get up to two hours longer battery life with the non-convertible model), and both laptops come in black or silver color options. The convertible model does have a few special features beside the 360-degree hinge. It comes with a Lenovo Active Pen that fits into a garage slot in the computer when its not in use. The ThinkPad L390 Yoga also has an IR camera for Windows Hello-compatible face recognition. Both laptop models feature fingerprint sensors. While the ThinkPad L390 Yoga weighs a little more than the non-convertible model, both laptops have the same physical dimensions: 12.7 x 8.8 x 0.7. via Toms Hardware and SlashGear Chandan Kumar Mandal is the environment and migration reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering labour migration and governance, as well as climate change, natural disasters, and wildlife. Man arrested for raping minor A 21-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl at Sanibheri Rural Municipality-7. Nepali Congress fails to forge consensus on draft charter A meeting of Nepali Congress leaders ended on Monday without reaching an agreement on the party charter. Brooke Arterberry, Iowa State University assistant professor of psychology. Credit: Iowa State University Recreational cannabis is legal in 10 states and Washington, D.C., but regulations regarding potency do not exist. The results of a new study, led by an Iowa State University researcher, may prompt states to reconsider. Higher average potency cannabis at first use increases the risk for the first symptom of cannabis use disorder within a year of use, according to the study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Brooke Arterberry, assistant professor of psychology, says this is a concern given that THCone of the chemicals that determines potencyhas increased significantly, from 3.5 percent in 1994 to 12.3 percent in 2012. Arterberry and colleagues at the University of Michigan and Brown University found individuals whose first use cannabis at a national average 4.9 percent THC had 1.88 times higher risk for first cannabis use disorder symptom, while those whose first cannabis use was an average 12.3 percent THC were at 4.85 times higher risk. The study is specific to the first symptom and not diagnosis of the disorder, which requires two or more symptoms. Understanding the relationship between potency and the first symptom may provide opportunity for early intervention and prevention, Arterberry said. Symptoms of the disorder may include craving or strong desire to use cannabis, recurrent use in situations in which it is physically hazardous, or failing to meet obligations at work, home or school because of recurrent use. "THC has linearly increased over two decades," Arterberry said. "Based on the results, states may want to think about the available potency levels of cannabis products, especially with the changing legal landscape of cannabis." It is important to note the datacollected through the Michigan Longitudinal Studyis specific to high-risk individuals with a background for any substance use disorder. Arterberry says the results may be different for the general population. Risk for addiction is just one concern While there are many similarities between cannabis use and alcohol use disorders, Arterberry says we do not know as much about cannabis as alcohol. For example, alcohol is sold based on volume and there is a specific blood alcohol level for impairment. However, there are no regulations or limits on potency in states where medical or recreational cannabis is legal, Arterberry said, adding that some concentrates have THC levels of up to 80 percent. With such a range of potency levels available on the market, Arterberry says people may not understand the potential risks associated with high potency products. In addition to the risk of possibly developing symptoms of a cannabis use disorder, there are other potential harms such as increased car crashes due to impairment and emergency room visits. The problem is researchers do not know what constitutes "safe levels" of THC. Arterberry says until this is established it is difficult to create effective policies. She would like to see future research focus on potency of individual cannabis used, rather than national average potency levels. "This is the first step toward understanding the influence of potency. While more research is needed, the risk associated with higher potency highlights the need for early intervention and targeted prevention efforts," she said. Understanding the data The Michigan Longitudinal Study follows families at elevated risk for substance use disorders. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, has funded co-author Robert Zucker's work at the University of Michigan Addiction Center since 1987. The current study used data from in-depth assessments conducted at three-year intervals from ages 12-14 to ages 24-26. The annual assessments from ages 11-26 included questions about cannabis use. Only those participants who started using cannabis between 1994 and 2012 were included in the current study. Arterberry is also affiliate faculty with the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health. Hayley Treloar Padovano, Brown University; Katherine Foster, University of Michigan; and Brian Hicks, University of Michigan Addiction Center also contributed to this research. Explore further Study adds to evidence that high strength cannabis is associated with an increased risk of becoming dependent Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers have discovered that 'fully detailed' memories are stored in the /, but people access this information at different speeds and levels of detail, with people accessing memories 'forward' that is recalling older information first. They quickly skip episodic blocks of information when recalling events in summaryfor example, telling a friend about the plot of a movie they have seen, but can also delve into greater levels of detail at a slower speed when asked about a particular movie scene. Experts at the Universities of Birmingham and Kent worked with a group of volunteers, who were asked to associate word-cues with a series of short videos, as the researchers investigated the flexible dynamics of episodic memory replay. They found that memory replay does not occur at a constant speed, but changes flexibly during recall, in a study which is published in Nature Human Behaviour. Dr. Simon Hanslmayr, Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Birmingham, commented: "Think about the scene in Pulp Fiction, where Vincent (John Travolta) tells Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) about his trip to Amsterdamyou might methodically and sequentially revisit every element of that particular dialogue because it's fun to do so." "On the other hand, if a friend asks you what the movie is about you would mentally skip between key scenesomitting less important informationas you quickly summarise the action." "Our understanding of flexible episodic memory may help PTSD sufferers troubled by slow, uncompressed replay of memories which haunt them. We may be able to design therapies that speed up the replay process to recall these memories in a less disturbing way." Researchers studied a group of 24 participants in the video study, supplemented by 23 volunteers who took part in a further study enhanced by real-time, non-invasive brain scanning (magnetencephalography or MEG). The tests used six-second video clips featuring three separate but coherent sequences of a single theme, such as a ship sailing followed by a diver jumping into water followed by an octopus floating in the water. Researchers found that participants in the study were able to flexibly skip between 'sub-events' during memory replay, demonstrating different levels of information compression. The study links to earlier research carried out by Dr. Hanslmayr and colleagues, which suggests that heavily traumatized people, such as refugees fleeing war, torture and natural catastrophes may not necessarily develop PTSD. Dr. Hanslmayr worked with a group of refugeeshalf suffering from PTSD, the others notand asked them to suppress neutral memories. Results showed that participants who struggled to control these thoughts were more likely to show symptoms of PTSD. This research raised the question of whether the ability to control memories protects against developing PTSD or if the condition causes an impairment in an individual's ability to control their memories. Explore further Severely traumatised refugees may not necessarily develop PTSD More information: Speed of time-compressed forward replay flexibly changes in human episodic memory, Nature Human Behaviour (2018). www.nature.com/articles/s41562-018-0491-4 Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour Speed of time-compressed forward replay flexibly changes in human episodic memory,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-018-0491-4 Credit: CC0 Public Domain On Sep. 25, 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products entered into force. According to the WHO, illicit trade refers to "any practice or conduct prohibited by law and which relates to production, shipment, receipt, possession, distribution, sale or purchase, including any practice or conduct intended to facilitate such activity." Most research on the illicit tobacco trade so far has focused on the role of transnational tobacco companies. As the WHO Protocol is implemented, far more attention needs to be paid to how the illicit tobacco trade is evolving. My colleagues in the Global Tobacco Control Research Programme and I just published two papers to address this gap and inform the implementation of the protocol. We examine transnational tobacco companies' complicity in Paraguay's illicit tobacco trade and its evolution from the 1960s onwards, which enabled the subsequent rise of local manufacturer Tabacalera del Este, known as Tabesa. We uncovered new evidence of Tabesa's international expansion, largely through the illicit trade. Global illicit tobacco trade The illicit tobacco trade is a major problem worldwide. One out of nine cigarettes smoked worldwide is illegal. Cheaper cigarettes mean greater consumption, diseases and deaths, especially among poor and young people. Eliminating the global illicit tobacco trade by 2030 would save an estimated 164,000 lives annually: 32,000 in high-income countries and 132,000 in low- and middle-income countries. The illicit trade also undermines tobacco control efforts and deprives governments of an estimated $40.5 billion in revenue per year. It strengthens organized crime groups by providing income and money-laundering opportunities and distribution channels. It also worsens problems of weak governance and corruption. Paraguay's illicit trade in tobacco products was originally seeded by British American Tobacco (BAT) and Philip Morris international (PMI). Starting in the 1960s, both companies used Paraguay as a transit hub to illegally access the protected markets of Argentina and Brazil. The substantial market and supply system that these companies developed for cheap smuggled brands, in turn, created a lucrative business opportunity for manufacturers in Paraguay. In 1999, Brazil introduced a 150 per cent tax on exports to other Latin American countries with a view to ending the transnational tobacco scheme, through which cigarettes were sent to Paraguay and then re-sold illegally in Brazil. But Paraguayan manufacturers were ready to fill the vacuum. The role of Paraguay Between 1989 and 1994, Paraguayan cigarette production was below the domestic consumption of three billion sticks. Then, between 1995 and 1998, local manufacturing grew exponentially to over 12 billion sticks annually, despite consumption stagnating. Between 1999 and 2003, after Brazil's introduction of the aforementioned export tax, Paraguayan cigarette production expanded even further, doubling to almost 27 billion sticks by 2003, about eight times the domestic consumption. This increase can be largely attributed to the illicit trade, as legal exports remained limited. The key company behind this expansion was Tabesa. Founded in 1994 by siblings Horacio and Sarah Cartes, Tabesa is today one of Paraguay's largest companies. Buoyed by his success as a businessman, Horacio Cartes was elected president of Paraguay (2013-2018) and is now a senator. By the late 2000s, Tabesa had become a major supplier of illicit tobacco products across Latin America and increasingly beyond. Although Brazil continues to account for the bulk of Tabesa's revenues, our findings suggest the company now aspires to become a transnational tobacco company. We present new trade data suggesting Tabesa's continued growth and complicity in illicit trade beyond the immediate region including Europe and Asia. Billions of cigarettes unreported Tabesa executives have told Paraguayan journalists that they legally export to a number of countries, including Bulgaria, Curacao, the Netherlands Antilles and the Netherlands. However, between 2001 and 2016, there were no cigarette exports reported by Paraguay to Bulgaria, nor any cigarette imports reported by Bulgaria from Paraguay. In that period, Paraguay reported exports of 1.4 billion cigarettes to Curacao, 481.2 million cigarettes to the Netherlands Antilles, and 111.4 million cigarettes to the Netherlands, yet none of those countries reported any cigarette imports from Paraguay. Between 2001 and 2016, 5.7 billion cigarettes officially shipped by Paraguay to 10 markets where Tabesa exported to were unaccounted for. These discrepancies suggest illicit trade. Crucially, Tabesa has mimicked some of BAT and PMI's strategies. These include complicity in the illicit trade, relying on the same distribution networks and using arguments previously used by other tobacco companies to defend themselves against accusations of complicity in the illicit trade. An estimated 70 per cent of Tabesa's revenue comes from sales in Brazil, which the company does not officially export to. Devastating public health consequences Journalists at the Paraguayan newspaper ABC Color wrote a series of articles on our papers, for which they interviewed Tabesa CEO Jose Ortiz. Mr Ortiz now claims that many of their products millions of which have been seized by Brazilian law enforcement are counterfeited in clandestine factories. However, based on data on the company's imports of acetate tow (a fiber used for cigarette filters), cigarette paper, filter paper and other cigarette components, we estimate that Tabesa imports enough to produce 25-36 billion cigarette sticks per year. The case of Paraguay demonstrates the long shadow cast by transnational tobacco companies, whose practices have had devastating consequences in terms of public health, weak governance, corruption and organized crime. It also underlines the importance of 1) increasing understanding of the risks to global health posed by local companies aspiring to compete with transnational companies, 2) addressing the lack of independent and rigorous data on the illicit tobacco trade in the region, and 3) fully implementing the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and its Protocol on Eliminating Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. Industry interference Article 5.3 of the FCTC on industry interference in policy making is particularly salient here. The presidency of Horacio Cartes presented clear conflicts of interest. The Paraguayan parliament, where Cartes now sits, rejected a bill to enhance transparency along the tobacco supply chain. They also postponed the vote on another bill that would increase taxation on tobacco products, despite taxation being "the single most important factor driving down smoking." Cartes's successor President Mario Abdo Benitez just announced his decision to sign the FCTC Protocol on the illicit tobacco trade. Time will tell whether the new government is also committed to fully implementing it, holding the industry accountable, and addressing the deeply-rooted issues of weak governance and corruption. Explore further Study: No surge in illicit cigarettes after menthol ban This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new study reveals that during stressful moments in the operating room, surgeons make up to 66 percent more mistakes on patients. Using a technology that captured the electrical activity of a surgeon's heart, researchers found that during intervals of short-term stress, which can be triggered by a negative thought or a loud noise in the operating room, surgeons are much more prone to make mistakes that can cause bleeding, torn tissue, or burns. The results of the study, published in the open branch of the British Journal of Surgery, could lead to the development of protocol aiming to reduce acute or short-term stress on surgeons working in the operating room. Medical errors cause between 250,000-440,000 deaths annually in the U.S., with a proportion of those mistakes occurring in operating rooms. Any change in common practice that reduces the number mistakes made by surgeons due to stress would also reduce the number deaths. It's an important study published in a prestigious journal, and even more impressive is that its lead author, Peter Dupont Grantcharov, is a master's student at the Data Science Institute at Columbia University. A year and a half ago, Grantcharov had the idea to ask Dr. Homero Rivas, Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford Medical Center, to wear a Hexoskin Smart Shirt under his scrubs while he did surgeries. The shirt, designed to give athletes precise physiological data during workouts, measures the electrical impulses that trigger heartbeats. From this data, Grantcharov derived heart-rate variability statistics ? the variation in times between heartbeats, to determine Rivas's momentary stress levels. Grantcharov was also allowed in the operating room, where he collected laparoscopic video recordings of Rivas as he worked. Another researcher later reviewed the recordings and documented Rivas's mistakes using validated frameworks for assessing surgical performance. Both his stress levels and surgical errors were time stamped so that Grantcharov could correlate the two. This data yielded the somewhat alarming finding that the effect of short-term stress on surgical error is as high as a 66 percent increase. "I was surprised by that, as well as by the amount of distractions in the operating room," says Grantcharov, who did the study while working as a research assistant at the Stanford Medical Center before enrolling at DSI. "Many machines have alarms that go off periodically, equipment malfunctions, side conversations take place, people walk in and out of the ORI could go on. My hope is that other researchers will build upon our work to make further strides in learning about the causes of stress on surgical personnel. If our study helps make the OR a safer place for patients, I'd be thrilled." Grantcharov was involved in designing the study, collecting and analyzing the stress and surgical performance data as well as writing the manuscript. It was his first experience with data science, and he loved it. In point of fact, this research is what prompted him to enroll in the master's program at DSI, where he just completed his first semester. More information: P. D. Grantcharov et al. Acute mental stress and surgical performance, BJS Open (2018). Journal information: British Journal of Surgery P. D. Grantcharov et al. Acute mental stress and surgical performance,(2018). DOI: 10.1002/bjs5.104 Provided by Data Science Institute at Columbia Arrow shows a coronary artery captured in slow-flow. Credit: Mehta HH, Morris M, Fischman DL, Finley JJ, Ruggiero N, Walinsky P, McCarey M, Savage MP. The Spontaneous Coronary Slow-Flow Phenomenon: Reversal by Intracoronary Nicardipine. J INVASIVE CARDIOL. 2018 December 15 (Epub Ahead of Print). Used with permission from HMPGlobal. Patients who arrive at the hospital with heart-attack-like symptoms have had little recourse for their chest pain if scans came back clear, with no signs of blocked coronary arteries. Some of these cases are caused by a little-known phenomenon called coronary slow flow. Now, researchers at Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University), have demonstrated for the first time a simple technique to effectively treat this under-recognized condition. They published their findings in the Journal of Invasive Cardiology on December 15. "One of the biggest issues with coronary slow flow is that many cardiologists aren't familiar with it and don't know what to look for to diagnose it," said senior author Michael Savage, MD, Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. "Here we've shown that once you do recognize it, the condition can be treated with an existing and safe medical intervention that reverses the problem." Not a lot is known about the coronary slow flow. It is identified by angiogram of the heart, revealing arteries that fill with blood more slowly than normal, even in the absence of fatty plaque deposits. But what causes the condition, and why in 80 percent of cases patients experience additional episodes of chest pain, is still unknown. One association that can be drawn, says first author Hetal H. Mehta, MD, a cardiology fellow at Jefferson, is that smokers are two-to-three times more likely to experience the phenomenon. When Dr. Savage and others first saw the condition on angiograms of their patients, it appeared similar to the no-reflow phenomenon caused by microvascular spasm during coronary angioplasty procedures. Since that condition could be treated with a drug called nicardipine, Dr. Savage and colleagues decided to test it with their coronary slow flow patients. "It worked incredibly well," he said. In this study, the researchers analyzed the data and outcomes of 30 patients with coronary slow flow who were treated during cardiac catheterization with an intracoronary injection of nicardipine . They found a total of 49 blood vessels with slow blood flow. After treatment with nicardipine, all of the vessels showed normalized blood flow. "These results suggest that microvascular spasm may be responsible for this condition, which can be effectively reversed with a calcium channel blocker like nicardipine," said Dr. Savage. "It's a simple intervention that takes only a few seconds to administer, and helps diagnose the condition and treat it at the same time." Nicardipine appears to reverse the condition in the short term, but future studies are needed to explore whether the one-time treatment reverses the condition permanently, or whether patients would benefit from long-term use of an oral calcium channel blocker. Explore further A simple fix to avoid some unnecessary coronary stents Park officials rescue rhino from Susta A team from the Chitwan National Park (CNP) rescued an adult one-horned rhino from Susta in Nawalparasi district on Sunday. NOTICE: TO BE CLEAR: WE HAVE OUTLINED UNDER OUR RECORD MAINTENANCE POLICY WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL. SIMPLY PUT: IF THE COURT SAW FIT TO EXPUNGE YOUR RECORD,SO WILL WE, FREE OF CHARGE. ARRESTS DO NOT IMPLY GUILT AND CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE MERELY ACCUSATIONS,EVERYONE IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW AND CONVICTED. FCRA DISCLAIMER: MUGSHOTS.COM DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER REPORTS AND IS NOT A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY. 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WE BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO PUBLISH UNPOPULAR SPEECH. OPEN RECORD LAWS WERE WRITTEN TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC; BY INFORMING THE PUBLIC OF ARRESTS AND TO HOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ARRESTEES. MOST OF, IF NOT ALL MUGSHOT LAWS WERE CRAFTED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM FEES FOR REMOVAL OF ONLINE MUGSHOTS AND TO FURTHER PROTECT THE PRESS FROM THOSE VERY SAME "MUGSHOT LAWS".WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FOR REMOVAL OF ARREST INFORMATION AND/OR BOOKING PHOTOGRAPHS. MORE... Google will invest more than $1 billion to expand its New York City presence, the search giant said in a blog post Monday. The Alphabet Inc. division said it had reached lease agreements at 315 and 345 Hudson St. and signed a letter of intent at 550 Washington St. to make up the new 1.7 million-square-foot (158,000-square-meter) campus, to be called Google Hudson Square. Google aims to move into the new Hudson buildings by 2020 and the Washington Street location by 2022, Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said in the blog post. The move could allow the company to more than double the current 7,000 people it employs in the city over the next decade. The Google expansion joins a flurry of other announcements from the U.S.s largest tech companies, as they seek to show off investments in their home country. Amazon.com Inc. recently announced it had split its new second headquarters in half, between the Washington, D.C., suburbs and Long Island City, in the New York borough of Queens. The online retailer initially intends to develop about 4 million square feet of commercial space in New York to accommodate 25,000 new workers. Apple Inc. said last week it would invest $1 billion to grow its operations in Austin by constructing a new employee campus in the area, large enough to house 15,000 additional employees. It also announced plans to expand in New York, Pittsburgh and Boulder, Colorado, in the next three years and set up new sites in several other U.S. cities. New York is the largest market for technology talent, behind San Francisco, according to a report from brokerage CBRE Group Inc. that looked at the U.S. and Canada. New York had 254,270 tech employees last year, with the labor pool growing 17 percent from 2012 through last year. The city also has the highest annual asking rent for office space, at $74.88 a square foot, as of the first quarter. Googles New York investment also follows other new offices and data centers opened this year outside of its California headquarters in locations including Detroit, Boulder, Tennessee and Alabama. Googles first foray into New York, 18 years ago, was far less dramatic than Mondays announcement: a one-person sales team working out of a Starbucks on 86th Street. A more official office, in Times Square, followed soon after. The companys New York employees focus on maps, advertising, YouTube, cloud computing, technical infrastructure, sales and research. And its real estate purchases rank among the largest ever in Manhattan. In 2010, Google bought 111 Eighth Ave., its New York headquarters, for $1.8 billion. Earlier this year, it paid $2.4 billion for the nearby Chelsea Market. Google has agreed to lease offices at Pier 57, under development along the Hudson River. It also plans to fund construction of a landing dock for water transit and provide community space for culture and education programs at the project. Now read: The top Google search trends in South Africa for 2018 MTN has implemented new data usage notifications, marking the first step in its shift towards compliance with ICASAs End-Users and Subscriber Service Charter Regulations. The mobile operator said that from 14 December 2018, all customers would begin receiving notifications when they have depleted 50%, 80%, and 100% of their monthly data balance or inclusive data. These notifications allow users to better track their data usage and spend, allowing them to recharge when they need to and prevent out-of-bundle data usage. This change applies to both prepaid and postpaid customers. Over the past weeks we have worked around the clock to do extensive system changes to comply with the requirements of the new regulations, said MTN South Africa executive for corporate affairs Jacqui OSullivan. We are pleased that we have successfully taken a step towards complying with the new regulations, which will go a long way towards improving customer experience and helping customers to manage their data spend, OSullivan added. All South African mobile networks have until 28 February 2019 to comply with the new regulations. Under ICASAs new regulations, all Internet service providers including mobile networks are prohibited from charging subscribers for out-of-bundle usage without consent. They also require networks to offer the ability to roll over unused data, and allow for the transfer of data to another subscriber on the same network. These regulations also require that operators allow customers to transfer data to other subscribers on the same network. Now read: How to cancel your Telkom account Its time to say good riddance to 2018 and to play #WOTY, the word-nerds favorite game. The score so far: Dictionary.com has chosen misinformation as its word of the year, with representation, self-made, and backlash) as runners-up; Oxford Dictionaries chose toxic (from a shortlist that included eight other words, one of them a former Fritinancy word of the week, gammon ); Collins Dictionary selected single-use (runners-up: VAR, floss, and plogging); and Fresh Air language maven Geoff Nunberg picked nationalist . The Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum, an anonymous internet-based project, has been counting down the month of December with a daily WOTY ; contenders so far have included thoughts and prayers, amorality, and, yes, flossing. (Its a dance, in case you hadnt known.) UPDATE: Mike Pope has posted his own very comprehensive list , which includes donugs, testilying, and TEDsplaining. Bomb cyclone. The scariest term in weather (according to Fast Company) began surfacing at the beginning of the year, when a big winter storm brought ice, snow, rain, and high winds to the eastern U.S. The phenomenon, also called a weather bomb, results from extremely low barometric pressure. Bomb has been used in connection with winter weather since the 1940s. Runner-up: firenado. Caravan. In the spring it was used in reference to a protest march northward through Mexico by a group called Pueblos sin Fronteras (People without Borders). In the fall it referred to several thousand Central Americans seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Caravan has traveled far: From the Persian karvan a group of travelers on a desert journey the word moved through Arabic, medieval Latin, French, and Italian, arriving in English in the late 16th century. Read Ben Zimmers April Word on the Street column about caravan. 2016 Dodge Caravan. Introduced in 1984, the Caravan is a minivan currently manufactured by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Van is a shortening of caravan; it entered English around 1829, when it signified a covered truck or wagon. Civility. It was eulogized at George H.W. Bushs funeral service, invoked when the White House press secretary was politely asked to leave a restaurant, and dissected in the New York Times Sunday Magazines First Words column. (What Americans currently register as a loss of civility is a loss not only of civilite but also of civilitas, the nervous system of our civic life, which synthesizes relations among us, our fellow citizens, our moral obligations and our commitments to fair governance, wrote Z.Z. Packer.) And then, on December 1, P.M. Forni died. He was a member of the Johns Hopkins University faculty, the founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project, and the author of two books on civility. R.I.P. Crisis actor. In its original usage, a crisis actor was someone who took part in a simulation of an emergency or disaster. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012, conspiracy theorists appropriated the term, claiming that the shooting was a hoax and the survivors were paid professionals. It resurfaced explosively after the February 14, 2018, massacre in a Parkland, Florida, high school, when teenage students were accused of faking the whole horrifying event for their personal profit. "In the conspiracist mindset, everything is potentially a deception," David Carroll, an associate professor of media design at The New School, told NBC News. "And a supposed secret cabal that orchestrates the liberal conspiracy against the American right-wing would have to involve paid actors, who allegedly appear at staged school massacres, as an elaborate hoax performance to justify gun confiscation." Runner-up: stochastic terrorism, the use of mass communications to incite random actors to carry out violent or terrorist acts that are statistically predictable but individually unpredictable. Deepfake. If 2017 was the year of fake news it was the American Dialect Societys word of the year 2018 was the year of deepfake: shorthand for an realistically manipulated video that might combine the face of a well-known actor with the body of an obscure porn performer. Deep also showed up in other contexts, too, including the shadowy deep state and the AI-enhanced deep learning. Esports. What used to be called online gaming, or wasting time, has been elevated to a full-fledged sport with participants and spectators. The 16,000-seat Esports Arena opened in Oakland, California, in May 2018; esports will be a medal event in the 2022 Asian Games. As of February 2018, the video-game-streaming platform Twitch had 15 million daily active viewers. View my post about esports and emotes. Hippocampus. Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense. That was how, in September, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a psychologist, summarized her recollection of a sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when she and Kavanaugh were teenagers. The hippocampus, at the base of the skull, is the part of the brain responsible for memory function; its name, from the Greek words for horse and sea monster, is also the name of the genus comprising seahorses. Seahorse via Coral Key Scuba and Travel. Incel. A portmanteau of involuntary and celibate, the word describes an internet-based subculture of heterosexual men who blame women often to radically misogynistic extremes for their lack of a sex life and for their relationship failures more generally. (Weekly Word Watch, April 2018). It gained currency after a self-described incel, Alek Minassian, killed 10 people by driving a van into a busy Toronto sidewalk. On May 9, the New York Times published an article by Amanda Taub comparing incels to jihadists, calling the former the latest manifestation of a much larger movement hidden just beneath the surface of polite society across the West. They are just one part of a set of ideologies, now growing in size and influence, that speak to broader resentments among men in Western societies. Writing in May for Politico, Ben Zimmer traced the origins of incel to the late 1990s, when a Canadian woman who prefers to be known only as Alana created a personal website for dating-shy people that she titled Alanas Involuntary Celibacy Project. The title was later shortened to INVCEL, and finally to incel. Runner-up: MAGAbomber. Mood. By itself, its a nod, an endorsement, a wonderful slang word designed to express understanding, as Anne Curzan put it in a July post on Lingua Franca. As big mood, its an acknowledgment of dramatic tension or over-the-top emotion. In Old English, mod meant heart, frame of mind, spirit; courage, arrogance, pride; power, violence, and was frequently used to form compounds such as modcrftig (intelligent) and modful (proud). To be in the mood for something was first documented in the 1580s. Mood ring via Etsy. A fad in the 1970s, mood rings have thermochromic stones that change color depending on the temperature of the finger. Shadow banning. In July, some conservatives (and the president of the United States) accused Twitter of shadow banning some Republicans accounts: causing their timelines to be invisible to everyone but themselves. Twitter was not, in fact, engaging in this practice; what it was actually doing was causing some Republican officials names not to be auto-generated in the search box, effectively limiting their visibility. That is not at all shadow banning, Monica Stephens, a professor of social media at SUNY-Buffalo, told the New York Times. This all goes back to a lot of people not understanding how the social media they interact with works. Runner-up: demonetization. Shithole. Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here? asked the president of the United States in a January meeting with legislators from both major parties. He was referring specifically to Haiti, El Salvador, and the entire continent of Africa; his idea of a non-shithole country was Norway. (Guess why one of these things is not like the others.) Published reports of the usage sanitized or explicit caused a flurry of activity in dictionary offices, reported lexicographer Kory Stamper. Runner-up: feckless. Read my January 14 post about shithole. Songversation. Tech elites who are looking for more than extra zeros in their bank statements are finding it in an unlikely place, declared the New York Times style section in a June 29 story: so-called songversations, emotion-heavy gatherings that combine philosophical rap sessions with improvised music, run by a ukulele-strumming songstress who describes herself as a heartist. These soul salons are said to import the cosmic-explorer sensibility of Burning Mans dusty playa into the cozy living rooms of prominent entrepreneurs. Songversation wins my vote as Worst Portmanteau of the Year, and also Most Unnecessary Word of the Year. Runner-up: pegan. Tariff. Throughout the year, the U.S. president promised, threatened, delayed, and deferred taxes on imports from a range of countries, including Canada and China. Tariff now means a kind of tax, but as Ben Zimmer pointed out in a May column for the Wall Street Journal, the word comes to us from Arabic, where tarif meant information or notification. It became tariffa in mid-14th-century Sicilian, and arrived in English in the 16th century. Its sense of a classified list of charges made in a business is recorded from 1757. Runner-up: stunt. I want just one reporter, just one, just once to ask him how he thinks tariffs work. https://t.co/jwORaBcwM1 ana marie cox (@anamariecox) December 5, 2018 The Tariff of Abominations, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1828, sought to protect northern and western agricultural products from competition with foreign imports. (Source: House.gov) Its Southern opponents gave it the abominations label. Tender-age shelter. In June, the Trump administration set up a new policy of separating migrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. The detention facilities for young children, called cages and chain-link partitions by some observers, were officially known as tender-age shelters or tender-age facilities. As John Kelly pointed out in his (now, sadly, defunct) Weekly Word Watch column for Oxford Dictionaries, tender age has been used in reference to young, vulnerable children since the 1400s. As John McWhorter observed on CNN.com, The purpose of such language is to mask the cruel detention of these bewildered children in internment compounds, done in an effort to penalize their parents for attempting to enter America, some illegally. He called the term nefariously Orwellian. My selection for Euphemism of the Year. Treasonweasel. You could call him, as Spy magazine used to do, a short-fingered vulgarian. You could call him, as some Scots have, a tangerine wankmaggot or a bawbag. You could call him a ferret-wearing shitgibbon, an utter cockwomble, or a mangled apricot hellbeast. Lately, though, Americans on Twitter have taken to calling him, and anyone in his inner circle, a treasonweasel, an epithet that comprises a satisfying internal rhyme, a legal indictment, and a synonym for sneaky person. Runner-up: quisling. White caller crime. A new-this-year coinage to describe a bizarre trend of white people calling the cops on black people doing innocuous things in public such as reading, mowing the lawn, or barbecuing. Read my August 6 post. A homeless brothers bequest could end up funding a college education for one American Canyon mans daughter. David Washburn recently discovered that a cache of game cards that he had stored in his garage for 15 years may be worth an estimated $57,000. The cards, from a game called Magic: The Gathering, were given to Washburn by his brother, Lester McDonald. McDonald had a rough life, said Washburn. After their mother killed herself, McDonald left home at age 16. Washburn, then age 6, was adopted by a family member. Later, McDonald worked as a jockey in Santa Rosa, but after an injury he lived in a van and was homeless. The two men, actually half-brothers, grew up apart from each other. We werent estranged but we rarely saw each other or talked, Washburn said. About 15 years ago, Washburn was living in Las Vegas when acute pancreatitis left him hospitalized and in a coma for a time. To his surprise, McDonald appeared unannounced and gave him 15 binders of old Magic: The Gathering cards. The two had not seen each other in eight years. His brother was really into the card game and had spent years playing, collecting and trading the Magic cards, recalled Washburn. I want your kids to have this so they can go to college, McDonald said at the time. Washburn said he wasnt exactly sure what to make of the gift. I thought it was nice of him but I assumed it would be worthless, he said. I thought it was a silly game. I thought hed been wasting his time and money for years. I had no idea. Washburn put the cards in his garage in Las Vegas. In October 2015, his brother died of heart failure at age 58. His death certificate notes that he was still homeless when he passed away at a Tacoma, Washington hospital. Washburn later moved to American Canyon for work hes employed in the video game industry. The cards came with him. Washburn and his wife Lilli have three children but their daughter is currently the only college student. This past year, she started college at the University of San Francisco. Looking for ways to help pay for her tuition, Washburn asked a local friend, Brendon Freeman, about the cards. Freeman has played Magic: The Gathering and is knowledgeable about the trading cards. To both mens shock, it looks like McDonald was right about the cards value. After having the cards evaluated and cataloged, the two say they believe the collection is worth an estimated $57,000. Theyve already sold several cards for more than $3,000 total, said Washburn. And there are many, many more such cards to sell. When he first told me about them I was hopeful for his sake theyd be worth a couple thousand maybe, said Freeman. This was a really spectacular, wonderful find for him. Freeman explained that Magic: The Gathering is a card game using strategy kind of like a blend of chess and poker, with themes of magic, he said. Its a very complicated game with all kinds of nuances. Magic: The Gathering is about 25 years old and remains very popular, he said. There are professional tours and grand prix events. Its incredible how many people take this game extremely seriously. Its like this whole underground world, said Freeman. When Washburn showed him the collection, my jaw dropped at what I was seeing, said Freeman. I was speechless. I was so amazed because its very rare that anyone has a collection like that. The two created a spreadsheet with card name and value based on research. Many of the cards, which in the 1990s originally sold for a few dollars per pack, are not valuable, he noted. But there are a number that are coveted by collectors. Some of those cards are valued at about $1,000 to $2,000 each, he said. The market value of one of the most valuable in Washburns collection is about $7,000, he said. Called the Black Lotus, Its a card that everyone dreams of owning, said Freeman. His copy of the card is in perfect condition. To compare, in 2013, another Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus card sold for $27,302 at auction. Amazingly, while his brother was homeless and indigent for many years, somehow the cards remained well-preserved in those binders. Im glad they werent ruined, said Washburn, whose collection is now stored in a safe deposit box at the bank for safekeeping. Freeman and Washburn are looking to sell the remaining cards, hopefully as a set. Besides paying for his daughters tuition, Washburn is facing other health challenges. He has renal failure and is waiting to get a kidney transplant, he said. As to the estimated five-figure value of the collection, Im hoping its real, said Washburn. That would be awesome to help my daughter in school. Washburn said he misses his brother, even though he could be a difficult person. He wasnt literate or politically correct. He was loud and obnoxious at times. Regardless, I wish I had been a better brother to him, he said. I think of the voice mails he left that I didnt answer or the times I could have driven to look for him. That his brothers bequest will now help with his daughters education makes this troubled family history even more poignant, Washburn said. In his eyes he gave me his lifes fortune, which it is. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Science Academy suffers shortage of staff Human resource crunch at the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) has affected research and study programmes. A crash Friday night in north Napa sent one person to the hospital and resulted in a driver's arrest on a felony drunken-driving allegation, according to police. The crash occurred shortly before 10 p.m. on Trower Avenue at Highway 29, according to Sgt. Ryan Cole. Officers detained a motorist, 69-year-old Clifford Servetti of San Francisco, who was booked into the Napa County jail on suspicion of causing injury by driving under the influence. A person inside the second vehicle involved in the crash was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center for what police described as minor injuries. Further details were not available on Sunday afternoon. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ST. HELENA St. Helena firefighters are hoping their latest fundraising appeal will bring them one step closer to acquiring a new fire engine capable of defending the citys wooded outskirts. The fire department is raising money for a Type 3 Wildland Fire Engine designed to fight fires in the wildland-urban interface neighborhoods along Howell Mountain Road, Big Rock Road, Bieber Road and Spring Mountain Road. The price is $430,000, plus another $50,000 or more to outfit the engine with hose, portable pumps, self-contained breathing apparatus and other equipment. When we had our fires in 2017, all those other agencies came here, and thats the ideal engine for that kind of wildfire, Fire Chief John Sorensen said. The Type 3 is similar to the four-wheel-drive rigs used by Calfire. It would be the departments first four-wheel-drive engine. The new engine would be stationed at the main firehouse in place of Engine 217, which would be designated as a reserve and stationed at the secondary firehouse on Dowdell Lane. Engine 217 isnt that old, but it seen a lot of miles and a lot of abuse, which means a lot of problems, Sorensen said. The department previously bought a Type 6 Wildland Engine, which is smaller and lighter than the Type 3, using funds raised entirely at the annual Lobster Feed. The city can contribute some money toward the new engine, using funds it will receive from the state in exchange for serving on strike teams at other fires around California. The next payments received from the state in connection with the most recent fires will bring the fund to about $235,000. If the replacement fund and the fundraising appeal still leave the fire department short of the necessary more than $480,000, the balance will come from the 2019 Lobster Feed. Hopefully none of the General Fund will have to be used on this purchase, Sorensen said. Contributions may be made online at https://shvfd.ejoinme.org/support or mailed to the St. Helena Fire Department, P.O. Box 266, St. Helena, CA 94574. President Donald Trump is getting backlash from his own party against his administrations decision to try to deport some immigrants who entered the United States during and after the Vietnam War. In a letter addressed to Trump Thursday, two Republicans representing Southern California condemned the effort. Assemblyman Tyler Diep and Andrew Do, chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, said the policy of deporting refugees will have a severe and irreversible human impact. Diep and Do called on Trump to reverse course on his plan to reclassify immigrants who fled Vietnam and came to the United States as a result of the war that ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975. As Vietnamese political refugees who have become a county supervisor and a California state assemblyman, we are examples of how immigrants give back to this great country we call home, Diep and Do wrote. We ask that you reconsider your policy regarding the repatriation of former Vietnamese refugees. In 2008, the United States agreed to allow Vietnamese immigrants to stay in the country without fear of deportation if they arrived before July 12, 1995. The Trump administration wants to reinterpret the agreement to kick people out of the country if they were convicted of crimes. Trumps actions could alienate Vietnamese residents in Orange County and other parts of Southern California that have traditionally elected Republicans. Democrats swept the area in 2018 congressional races, making the party even more vulnerable. While the two Republicans said they understand that national security is a top priority, they said previous immigration policies were implemented because of unique circumstances of Southeast Asian refugees. Diep and Do joined Democrats who have expressed similar concerns. Reps. Jimmy Gomez and Alan Lowenthal of California were among 26 House Democrats who sent Trump a letter Thursday decrying the presidents immigration policy. A prudent investor would never consider buying shares of a company and then ignoring how the firm is performing in the marketplace. By the same token, it would be foolhardy for the state to spend $70 billion each year to educate six million K-12 students but stubbornly refuse to monitor whether those kids are receiving the schooling they need to become productive members of society. That, however, is exactly what the states politicians and educators have done for countless decades, spurning pleas for more data on how their financial inputs are affecting academic outcomes. As a state Senate report pointed out this year, Currently, 38 out of the 50 states maintain a longitudinal data system that records academic, demographic, assessment-oriented and programmatic information that follows students from early education to postsecondary education and often into the workforce. The education establishment, especially the California Teachers Association, and its political allies have not been willing to upset the status quo of ignorance, despite pleas from civil rights and education reform groups. Inferentially, they didnt want more data because it might make them more accountable for educational outcomes. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation for a data system that would reveal whether his Local Control Funding Formula is accomplishing its stated purpose of closing a stubborn achievement gap. This year, Sen. Steve Glazer, an Orinda Democrat, carried another bill to authorize a data collection system, but it stalled out in part, at least, because of Browns reluctance to act. With Brown about to depart from the governorship, the push for a new data system is being revived. Last month, the Public Policy Institute of California issued a report on Modernizing Californias education data system, saying that despite the need for an educated citizenry and workforce, there is much we do not know about how students advance from K-12 schools to postsecondary education and into the workforce and where they falter. The PPIC report laid out a roadmap for designing such a system to track students from kindergarten to high school graduation, into college or other postsecondary educations and finally into the workforce. Although California tends to go it alone on major policy issues, PPIC suggests that other states can serve as models on governance, privacy and security issues. Promoting student success and institutional effectiveness in California ultimately requires a better understanding of how prior educational experiences affect students subsequent academic achievement, work and earnings, the report concluded. The PPIC report coincided with what may be a crack in the establishments reluctance to collect more data on how the education system it controls is functioning. In the wake of the Nov. 6 election in which the establishments candidates for governor and the state superintendent of schools prevailed, formation of the Alliance for Continuous Improvement, co-chaired by Eric Heins, president of the California Teachers Association, was announced. The new coalition includes some reform groups. And while its major goal is more money for schools, its wish list also includes a comprehensive school data system. Moreover, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom is on record as supporting a longitudinal data system. This is profoundly important, and it gets lost because you dont usually get celebrated for your IT upgrades, Newsom said at a public forum in March. The PPIC report cited the gubernatorial transition as indicating the time is ripe for such a system. So it might happen after all, giving Californians a much-needed handle on whether those tens of billions of their tax dollars are doing the job. CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary. When I ran for Secretary of State four years ago as Californias first no-party-preference (NPP) candidate for statewide office, there were a few fleeting moments when I thought that I might be making history. For the most part, though, I understood the best possible outcome for my candidacy was to make it easier for the second no-party-preference candidate for statewide office in California history. Former Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, like me a Republican expatriate, decided to run for his former position this year as an NPP and began with certain advantages. Poizner benefited from the credibility that came from having previously served in the job as well as a statewide political support base and donor network from his previous campaigns. While I had finished fourth in a primary behind the preferred candidates of the two major political parties and an accused arms trafficker, Poizner qualified for the general election and lost by only a few percentage points to the Democratic Partys preferred candidate in a historical blue wave campaign cycle. Despite the disparity in the nature and scope of our respective defeats, there are lessons to be learned from our experiences that can lay the groundwork for a successful centrist candidate. Poizner received 700,000 more votes than the Republican candidate for governor. More than five million Californians voted for him, the most votes cast for an independent for any statewide position in American history. Every single one of the 24 newspapers to endorse in the Insurance Commissioners race endorsed Poizner. Only a historically deep blue Democratic wave that swept every statewide office and every competitive California congressional campaign kept him from victory. The data underneath Poizners near-miss points to the roadmap that other independent candidates can follow to victory on a more even playing field. He carried Orange and Ventura counties, traditionally swing areas such as Sacramento County and most of the Central Valley, and Republican bastions in Eastern and Northern California. His defeat was a result of large-scale losses in Bay Area counties and in coastal areas where Democrats piled up sizable margins. But those regions also represent the geographic areas where no-party-preference voters make up especially large portions of the electorate. Not surprisingly, those voters were strongly motivated to turn out against Trump and his allies, and almost certainly cast straight Democratic ballots as a statement against the President. This suggests that an NPP candidate could make significant inroads with these voters in a future election less colored by national overtones, though that landscape is unlikely to exist until Trump has left the arena, in 2022 at the earliest. The fact that Poizner came so close to victory tells us that the voters of this state are not totally entrenched within the two-party system. But they are not ready to abandon that system either. NPP candidates must recognize that the political center does not have a monopoly on smart ideas and that committed progressives and equally ardent conservatives are just as invested in the states future as we are. A new movement should look for allies among the Legislatures moderate Democratic caucus and New Way Republicans to facilitate productive trans-partisan conversation and provide common ground on which a respectful and inclusive dialogue can flourish. While we centrists believe a balanced approach is the best path forward for California, we would be foolish to ignore ideas from others who with different ideological perspectives. Those who disagree with us are neither stupid nor evil, but rather well-intended citizens who simply have a different idea on how a state can best confront our policy challenges. In California and across America, many talented people choose not to run for office because they want no part of the bitterness of partisan politics. Poizners decision to run as an independent, and his considerable success even in a loss, should be a lesson for others and pave the way for those who are willing to run and serve as non-partisan problem solvers. Its been said that there is no such thing as a raging moderate. But in 2022, a candidate who runs to represent the radical center can learn from the roadmap that the states first two NPP candidates navigated, and succeed where we came up short. Dan Schnur is a professor at USCs Annenberg School of Communications and at UC-Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies. He wrote this commentary for CALmatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias Capitol works and why it matters. The email landed in my inbox on Monday morning of last week. "The gun-grabbing tyrants are on the march," it screamed in bold text, "but their defeat is possible with your support." The note was sent from a gun rights group, and it was timed to arrive on the day I introduced AB 18, legislation that would establish a statewide gun tax and use the money to fund violence prevention programs in California. It wasn't the first such email I received. A previous message had said I could join the group and support the struggle against people like me "for the small price of a box of ammo." Needless to say, I did not contribute. As a state legislator, I have contributed to California's gun regulations, authoring a bill that closed a loophole in the assault weapons ban and voting for other common-sense laws. Most Californians support gun safety laws. But others see every measure as an assault on their freedoms and a creeping erosion of constitutional rights. Some take it very personally, and they want to make it personal in return. That's apparently what "Doe Publius" had in mind when, in 2016, he or she created a "tyrant registry" and posted 40 lawmakers' home addresses online after we voted to establish a database to track the sale of ammunition. Our addresses would come down, this person wrote, only if we repealed the law "or upon the death of the tyrant." There was nothing subtle about the message. On the blog Real Write Winger, Doe Publius wrote that because of the "anti gun, anti Liberty bills passed by the legisexuals in the State Capitol and signed into law by our senile communist governor, isn't it about time to register these tyrants with gun owners?" The screed went on: "These tyrants are no longer going to be insulated from us. They used their power we entrusted them with to exercise violence against us if we don't give up our rights and Liberty. This common sense tyrant registration addresses this public safety hazard by giving the public the knowledge of who and where these tyrants are in case they wish to use their power for violence again." After it was posted, some of my colleagues received anonymous phone calls of the "I know where you live" variety. Some reported a caller saying, "I bet you wish you knew who I am." At least one such call was answered by a lawmaker's child. Those of us who choose public service agree to relinquish a certain amount of our privacy in the interest of government transparency. We are by definition public figures, accountable to our constituents. But it seemed to many of us that a line was being crossed. While the blog didn't overtly advocate violence against us, it seemed to inch uncomfortably close. Our attorneys sent Doe Publius a letter, citing a section of California law that exempts the release of certain kinds of personal information and demanding that the post be taken down. The website publisher obliged, but the "tyrant registry" quickly popped up on another site. In the end, a federal district court ruled that posting our addresses was indeed protected speech under the 1st Amendment. The blogger did not repost our addresses. There is no doubt that the publishing of our home addresses was an attempt at intimidation. The author may also have intended the registry as a destructive call to action. None of us has any intention of retreating from gun safety efforts merely because of invective or threats. We didn't back away before Thousand Oaks, and we especially won't back away after that tragedy. Even before I introduced my bill last week, two colleagues had signed on as joint authors and six more as coauthors. Still, the intimidation campaign of recent years did prompt me to take one extra step before introducing the gun tax, a step that I didn't feel necessary two years ago. This time I asked my wife if she was ready for everything that comes with gun legislation. She said: Yes, it's the right thing to do. Assemblyman Marc Levine is a Democrat representing California's 10th District. He wrote this for The Los Angeles Times. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb joined troops and dignitaries in paying tribute to martyrs of 1971 war on the occasion of Vijay Divas (Victory Day) in Agartala. Deb along with security officials paid tribute at the martyrs column in Agartalas Post Office Chowmhumi area and expressed that India played a vital role in the liberation of that nation from Pakistan and hoped that both India under present PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart in Bangladesh under PM Sheikh Hassina grows a stronger friendly nation and develops. He added that Bangladesh has opened various trade routes for India and vice-versa. Deb said both the nations are positive and helping each others neighbour and without which there can be no development and Narendra Modi immediately after his oath as Prime Minister has tried to improve Indias relationship with all its immediate neighbours and so visited Bhutan to give a positive message. The Tripura CM also expressed that both India and Bangladesh in coming days will develop together and be stronger nations. Observed on December 16 every year, Bijoy Dibosh marks Indias decisive military victory over arch-rival Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh as an independent nation. Ex-serviceman J P Tiwari said, We are proud of this day because on this date in 1971 we badly defeated Pakistan and there were around 93,000 prisoners of war from the Pakistani soldiers. This was a historical victory and globally the message went that India is also a strong nation and no nation should dare to mess-up. Bangladeshs people gratefully recognize the role of Indian armys role in helping them defeat the brutal Pakistani army. Other then security force personnel, retired army, navy and air force officers, Bangladesh Liberation freedom fighters and civil administration official were also present to pay tribute the war heroes. It was also on this day that the largest military surrender after World War II took place, when the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command, Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora accepted the instrument of surrender from Lt Gen AAK Niazi of the Pakistan Army at Dhaka. 93000 Pakistani troops and officers surrendered to the joint command of Indian Army and Mukti Bahini. 47 years after the state of Tripura sheltered 1.8 million refugees and scores of freedom fighters when its population was just 1,5 million, sentiments for Bangladeshs liberation run high in Tripura. Bijoy Dibosh was celebrated in the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission office in Agartala on Sunday. The Bangladesh flag was hoisted in the office by the Assistant High Commissioner Kiriti Chakma in presence of other official and locals who paid floral tribute to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the nation and first Prime Minister of Bangladesh. They also maintained one minutes silence to pay tribute to martyrs of 1971 war fought for the liberation of Bangladesh from East Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion Assistant High Commissioner Chakma said that on this day he would like to recall the role of India and especially Tripura which is one of the major strengths against Pakistan. He added that the present relation between Bangladesh and India is very good and both the nations are working on further strengthening it. Meantime in a separate programme, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb joined troops and dignitaries in paying tribute to martyrs of 1971 war on the occasion of Bijoy Dibosh (Victory Day) in Agartala. Deb along with security officials paid tribute at the martyrs column in Agartalas Post Office Chowmhumi area and expressed that India played a vital role in the liberation of that nation from Pakistan and hoped that both India under present Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart in Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina grow a stronger friendly nation and develop. Observed on December 16 every year, Bijoy Dibosh marks Indias decisive military victory over arch-rival Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh as an independent nation. Bangladeshs people gratefully recognize the role of the Indian Armys role in helping them defeat the brutal Pakistani army. It was also on this day that the largest military surrender after World War II took place, when the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command, Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora accepted the instrument of surrender from Lt Gen AAK Niazi of the Pakistan Army at Dhaka. 93000 Pakistani troops and officers surrendered to the joint command of the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini. 47 years after the state of Tripura sheltered 1.8 million refugees and scores of freedom fighters when its population was just 1,5 million, sentiments for Bangladeshs liberations run high in Tripura. UN Secretary-General urges to increase testing, and not to ban travel due to omicron strain Castro becomes the first female president in Honduras Lavrov: Russia is making efforts to resolve controversial issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan EU Representative: Bayramov and Mirzoyan to meet in Stockholm on December 2 European Commission unveils its alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative Macron says UK PM Boris Johnson is a clown NEWS.am daily digest: 01.12.21 Embassy in Armenia: This year 16 Days of Activism align with US Summit for Democracy US envoy: Armenia has some of the best produce in the world Turkey already assessing economic benefits of opening Nakhichevan corridor Dollar continues increasing in Armenia All Armenian Fund: Working Group reported they received no credible evidence that funds were misappropriated Luc Pierre Devigne: EU discussing with Russia conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan Armenia former President Sargsyan: Artsakh issue is not resolved Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan deputy PMs to meet in Moscow today Russia MFA: OSCE plays useful role in promoting settlement of Karabakh conflict Armenia Inspection Bodies Coordination Bureau: We cant fine PM, parliament speaker for not wearing face masks Armenia State Revenue Committee: Indicators set by 2021 budget will be fulfilled Heavy snowfall in Armenias Ashotsk Armenia opposition lawmaker: Why should Azerbaijanis withdraw from Ishkhanasar hills? Armenia opposition MP: Iran drivers can enter Goris-Kapan road, refuel their cars with Azerbaijan fuel Armenia ex-President Sargsyan attending international videoconference (PHOTOS) Armenia PM sacks head of his staff's foreign relations department 4 more die of coronavirus in Karabakh President invites Romania colleague to Armenia Armenia revenue committee chief: Our customs officers are already on Goris-Kapan motorway 502 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh ensure about 150 pilgrims safe visit to Amaras Monastery in 1 week Armenia investigation of criminal case on high treason is over Erdogan expects to discuss Ukraine with Putin Armenia FM to head for Sweden Armenia, Greece, Cyprus special forces hold joint exercises Newspaper: Crimes with use of weapons increase in Armenia in 2021 Newspaper: Actual salaries decrease in Armenia Armenia ombudsman: Azerbaijan army is able to monitor Kapan-Chakaten alternative road as well (PHOTOS) Chairman of Armenia parliament probe committee: We will summon President and Prime Minister to ask questions Armenian analyst states reason why Iran won't renounce exit to Black Sea through Armenia's territory Charles Michel: Political dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan may lead to a sustainable settlement Putin hasn't decided if he will run in the 2024 presidential elections Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister meets with Russian deputy transport minister Central Bank of Armenia becomes member of Sustainable Banking and Financing Network (SBFN) Putin: If strike complexes emerge in Ukraine, Russia will give adequate response Lukashenko: Visit to Crimea will mean recognition of it as Russian territory Russia-based Armenian analyst: Implementation of agreements on Karabakh reached in Ashgabat not very likely Qatar calls on Persian Gulf countries to cooperate with Iran Aliyev, Pakistani minister discuss expansion of Azerbaijan-Pakistan-Turkey cooperation format Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office lodges applications with ECHR under cases of captured Armenian soldiers 53-year-old Russian woman run over by Opel driver at Sakharov Square in Yerevan Former head of ex-chief of Armenia Police is under arrest Monument to victims of events of March 1, 2008 to be placed in Yerevan Armenia PM receives representatives of Armenian Democratic Liberal Party-Ramgavar, Karabakh conflict touched upon Pace of negative saldo of migration from Armenia by air grows by 33% in 3 months PACE Committee calls on Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi 'to guarantee the right to hold Gay Pride marches' Armenia Supreme Judicial Council members discuss introduction of electronic systems with EU program reps EU Ambassador to Armenia: Soldier's Home rehabilitation center is unprecedented institution Armenia citizen commits suicide at Astghik Medical Center in Yerevan Armenia National Assembly's new probe committee holds first session NEWS.am daily digest: 30.11.21 French Senate: Paris needs to support the Armenian people Armenia Judicial Department has new chief Deputy PM: Railway roads and highways will be under Armenia's jurisdiction in case of unblocking Consular consultations held between Armenian and Kazakh MFAs Armenia ex-Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan to remain in custody ECHR obliges Armenia to make a payment of EUR 24,000 to family of pupil who died after beating in school 14 officers killed in military helicopter crash in Azerbaijan Ombudsman report on Azerbaijan army killing Karabakh civilians is disseminated at UN Armenia ruling force MP: There was no 'corridor' agenda in Sochi talks Armenian analyst: Statement signed on Nov. 26 poses risks to Armenia Ruling power lawmaker: Azerbaijanis must leave sovereign territory of Armenia Armenia health minister: Providing free medical services to country's primary figures is matter of national security Dollar still gaining value in Armenia Water tariff in Armenia to increase on January 1 Armenia parliament ruling majority does not decriminalize insult, slander Armenia premier, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus discuss bilateral relations MFA spokesman: China has expressed hope for settlement of disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan Armenia health minister: People are vaccinated to such extent that restaurants will not suffer serious economic damage Macron urges Tehran to hold constructive talks on nuclear program Political scientist: Armenia PM will continue yielding to Azerbaijan 6 people killed in Turkish storms Ruling power MP: Armenia special services were informed about transfer of terrorists from Syria to Azerbaijan Deputy defense minister does not know grounds on which Azerbaijan planes cross Armenia airspace Military helicopter crashes in Azerbaijan Armenia deputy defense minister: No official ordered not to shoot Have Azerbaijanis retreated from Ishkhanasar hills of Armenia? Explosion hits Kabul 1 more person dies of coronavirus in Artsakh Armenia migration service chief: 91,000 people displaced due to Azerbaijan military aggression against Karabakh International Court of Justice to rule on Armenia lawsuit against Azerbaijan on December 7 398 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia MFA spokesman: Sochi statement reaffirms unblocking provision, refutes corridor theses Armenian National Committee: Australia governments recognition of Armenian Genocide is matter of time World gold prices going up World oil prices on the rise Armenia ombudsman: Demilitarized security zone must be created (PHOTOS) Newspaper: Armenia parliamentary oppositions candidate to not change Newspaper: Armenia PM does not accidentally stress CSTO topic Markedonov: Moscow seeking to show Baku, Yerevan and world that it will be the main resource for conflict settlement Aivazovsky's scenic painting sold for $1,015,000 Armenia Supreme Judicial Council declares strict warning against Judge Zaruhi Nakhshkaryan France's Macron is revaccinated Shaking heads Last week, the government planned a new law that would enable it to bypass the public procurement process and pick developer for projects above Rs 50billion without bids. Six houses burnt down in Saptari A fire broke out at Bagabira village of Bode Barsayen Municipality-7 in Saptari district on Saturday night, reducing six houses to ashes and destroying properties worth around Rs 1 million. Story Highlights Since 2005, an average 30% put off care each year due to costs Rate averaged 24% earlier in the last decade Long-term increase seen most among those with private health insurance WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Gallup's annual Health and Healthcare poll once again finds roughly three in 10 Americans reporting they held off seeking some kind of medical treatment in the past year due to costs. Today's 29% saying they did this is consistent with the rate seen each year since 2005 but is up from an average 24% in the four years prior to that -- from 2001-2004 -- and from 22% in 1991. More than half of those who put off medical treatment in the past year -- equivalent to 19% of all U.S. adults -- say the delay involved a very serious or somewhat serious condition or illness. This is consistent with Americans' reports of delaying important treatment over the past decade, whereas the rate was slightly lower from 2001 to 2005. In that earlier period, as well as in 1991, no more than 16% reported delaying treatment for a serious condition. Another consistent finding over time has been the variation in rates of delayed treatment by the type of health insurance people have. Naturally, the uninsured are the most likely to forgo treatment each year due to costs, with more than half consistently reporting this over the years. Those covered by private insurance are the next-most-likely to delay treatment, while those enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid are the least likely. Most of the increase seen since 2005 in the overall rate of delayed care has occurred among the privately insured. The percentage of adults in households with private health insurance who say they delayed care in the past year rose from an average 21% from 2001 through 2004 to 30% since 2005. Meanwhile, the rate among those on government insurance programs increased four percentage points, from 18% to 22%, and the rate among those without health insurance was unchanged. Americans in all three household income groups have been affected by rising health costs, evidenced by similar increases -- of seven to 11 points in each group -- in those not seeking medical care. Americans Delaying Medical Care in Past Year Due to Cost, by Health Insurance Status Average percentage delaying treatment in past year for each time period 2001 to 2004 2005 to 2018 % % U.S. adults 24 31 Type of health insurance Private 21 30 Medicaid or Medicare 18 22 No insurance 53 54 Annual household income Less than $30,000 31 38 $30,000 to $74,999 23 34 $75,000 or more 15 22 Aggregated data from Gallup's annual Health and Healthcare poll Gallup Bottom Line After paying steep health insurance premiums, or in some cases funding their own medical spending accounts, Americans with health insurance are often still responsible for large deductibles and co-pays that inhibit them from visiting a doctor for every medical symptom. That may be an appropriate check on public demand for healthcare services, helping keep U.S. costs down, but it also prevents some Americans from seeking treatment for more serious medical conditions. Gallup's measure of delayed treatment provides one metric for tracking the net effect that public policy and financial trends in the consumer healthcare market are having on Americans' access to healthcare. Despite ever-increasing healthcare costs in the U.S., the rates of Americans' putting off care in general, as well as for serious conditions in particular, have been fairly flat over the past 13 years, after rising in the mid-2000s. That may be good news in the face of ever-increasing U.S. healthcare costs and a surge in high-deductible plans. But, this also means that the reduced percentage of uninsured Americans since passage of the Affordable Care Act, as well as provisions in the ACA law meant to contain costs, have not been enough to drive down the overall rate of unmet care. Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. Two siblings die after aunt serves poisoned chow mein Two siblings from Krishnapur Municipality-3 in Kanchanpur district died of suspected poisoning on Saturday, police said. The fate of Obamacare may once again wind up before the Supreme Court now that a federal judge in Texas has ruled that the law is unconstitutional. U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor ruled on Friday that the law's individual mandate is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court had upheld the legality of the mandate in 2012, ruling that it fell under Congress power to impose taxes. But as part of the Republican tax law passed last year, Congress eliminated the fine for not complying with the mandate. Without that penalty, OConnor ruled, the mandate is no longer a tax and thus violates the Constitution and, because the mandate cannot be separated from the rest of Obamacare, the judge said, the entire law is also invalid. The controversial ruling in the case, brought by 20 Republican-led states, means that debate over the law will once again be front and center in the nations capital and across the country as a new Congress is sworn in come January. Heres a rundown of what happens next and whats at stake: Is Obamacare dead? No, far from it. The judge did not grant an injunction blocking the Affordable Care Act from being in effect. His ruling is sure to be appealed, first to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans and potentially to the Supreme Court, and the White House said the law will remain in place as the appeal process plays out. Many legal analysts and lawmakers in both parties say the judges sweeping decision is likely to be overturned, with some dismissing the decision as a blatant example of partisan judicial activism resulting from a weaponized court system. Congress has explicitly said that it thinks the ACA can and should exist even without a federal individual mandate; it voted to do precisely that last year, Bloombergs Max Nisen noted. That seems like the precedent that should be looked to. Instead, this judge chose to rely on a creative interpretation of congressional intent when it first passed the law in 2010. Story continues Democratic leaders said they will call for a vote to intervene in the case once the new Congress convenes. "A lot of this depends on congressional intent. And if a majority of the House and a majority of the Senate say that this case should be overturned, it'll have a tremendous effect on the appeal," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. What happens if the ruling is upheld? It could create chaos across the U.S. health care system the consequences would be disastrous, The Economist said. When the Supreme Court considered the law in 2012, Obamacare was not yet in effect. Today, it is in full swing. Required coverage of people with pre-existing conditions would disappear. Young adults counting on remaining on their parents insurance until the age of 26 would be suddenly booted into uninsured status. Nearly 12 million people got health care coverage through the ACA exchanges last year, and another 15 million people have gained coverage through the laws Medicaid expansion. Those gains could all be reversed. Will Republicans come to rue this ruling? OConnors decision illustrated the fruits and possible perils of [Republicans] long-running campaign, stepped up in the Trump era, to remake the judiciary through the confirmation of dozens of conservative judges, including two appointees to the Supreme Court, The New York Times Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Robert Pear and Abby Goodnough said. President Trump celebrated the Texas decision, calling it Great news for America! But other Republicans were far more reserved, faced with the problematic prospect of a renewed Obamacare fight after the midterm election drubbing their party just took from voters worried about health-care costs and protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. Recent polls have found that the Affordable Care Act has grown more popular with Americans, with about half or slightly more now favoring the law. Support for key elements of Obamacare, like its protections for those with pre-existing protections, is significantly higher. In that context, the court ruling spells bad news for Republicans, by allowing Democrats to replay a potent health care message that helped them flip 40 House seats: that the GOP remains hellbent on gutting Obamacare and rolling back protections for pre-existing conditions, Politicos Paul Demko and Adam Cancryn wrote. Some Republicans voiced optimism that the ruling would open the door for cooperation between Democrats and Republicans to fix the health care law, but with the 2020 election cycle already under way, ramped up political bickering may be more likely than a bipartisan path forward. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. As the curtains roll down on an eventful 2018, investors aim to take stock of their portfolio to identify stocks and sectors that appear bruised and battered, but hold solid potential for 2019. Before we try to simulate this exercise ourselves, let us delve a little deep into the overall performance of the outgoing year. What Went Wrong in 2018? In the first half of 2018, the overall U.S. equity markets witnessed an uptrend as the Trump administration announced corporate tax cuts that boosted the cash flow and infused confidence for healthy capital investments. However, as the year progressed, the markets seemed to wipe out all the initial gains and went downhill in the second half due to a combination of several factors. These include volatility in oil prices, trade war with China, geopolitical conflict with North Korea and Iran, three interest hikes by Fed that make loans costlier for capital-intensive sectors, imposition of tariffs on various foreign countries to improve the U.S. balance of trade and a soft global economy. Consequently, sectors that were more exposed to the vagaries of the market witnessed a roller-coaster ride and recorded an unconvincing performance in 2018. Notable among them were oil, semiconductors, automobile, tobacco and finance sectors. Screening Stocks We have used the Zacks Stock Screener to identify a stock from each from these sectors. These stocks have declined in excess of 25% in 2018, yet possess either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and have a VGM Score of B or better for a likely healthy ROI in 2019. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. 5 Possible Outperformers of 2019 Approach Resources, Inc. AREX: Headquartered in Fort Worth, TX, shares of this unconventional oil explorer and producer of gas reserves have tanked 60.1% year to date. The Oil and Gas industry witnessed intense price volatility with an upsurge for most of the year followed by a sharp decline in the later half of the year on global woes and oversupply concerns. As the initial fears related to tough U.S. sanctions on Iran subsided with certain waivers, the industry faces a demand-supply imbalance with supply far exceeding the demand curve. The issue is likely to settle down in 2019 as OPEC has decided to cut down on its production, and the stock is expected to script a steady turnaround in its fortunes with a VGM Score of B. Earnings for fiscal 2019 for this Zacks Rank #2 stock are expected to increase 41.7% year over year as it aims to focus on creating shareholder value than drill additional wells. Story continues ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. ASX: Based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, this semiconductors manufacturer bore the brunt of the U.S. trade war with China. The stock has fallen 26.1% year to date as growing U.S. protectionism dampened investor sentiment toward the Electronics Semiconductors industry and affected the supply chain. However, as both the warring countries aim to resolve their differences with a 90-day truce to the trade war and resume negotiations, the stock looks poised to benefit from the improving market fundamentals. The industry is benefiting from an increasing need of advanced electronic equipment, including high-volume consumer electronic devices, efficient packaging and cost-effective process technologies. Further, the increasing use of graphics processors and graphics solutions in Internet of Things devices and machine learning remain key catalysts. With a VGM Score of B, this Zacks Rank #2 stock seems a solid bet for 2019. Vector Group Ltd. VGR: Based in Miami, FL, shares of this tobacco manufacturer have declined 51.3% year to date as the industry grapples with the global shift away from smoking cigarettes due to health concerns. Increased mass awareness about the health hazards due to prolonged smoking has led most consumers to shun cigarettes in favor of alternatives such as e-cigarettes. In order to capitalize on this trend, Vector Group has entered the United States e-cigarette market in limited retail distribution outlets in 2013. Earnings for fiscal 2019 for this Zacks Rank #2 stock are expected to increase 30.8% year over year. The stock has a VGM Score of A. Lithia Motors, Inc. LAD: Headquartered in Medford, OR, Lithia Motors is one of the leading automotive retailers of new and used vehicles, and related services in the United States. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has declined 39.1% year to date. The auto industry is reeling under constant threats from President Trump to impose tariffs as high as 30% on vehicles imported in the country after a series of tariffs on steel and aluminum. This has already increased the cost of production and reduced margins, prompting several firms to pass on the costs to consumers or shift their production bases. However, as trade deals are likely to be reached with Europe, Mexico and Canada to avoid any future setbacks, the industry is expected to turn the tables in 2019. With a VGM Score of A, the stock has long-term EPS growth expectations of 12.4%, while earnings for fiscal 2019 are expected to be up a modest 4.9%. Manning & Napier, Inc. MN: Based in Fairport, NY, shares of this asset management firm have tanked 50.6% year to date due to growing customer demand for passive products. As investors shift to low-cost investment strategies, margins for investment managers have been on a downtrend. Further, investment managers compliance costs have been escalating with tightening regulations to increase transparency. Also, as these wealth managers are trying to upgrade technology to keep up with the evolving customer needs, technology costs have increased significantly. However, healthy sector fundamentals should help the industry continue generating positive returns in the near future. With a VGM Score of B, this Zacks Rank #2 stock will likely push its boundaries to seek growth through diligent execution of operational plans, innovative pricing models and delivery of superior customer experience. Moving Forward As the equity markets aim to shake off the demons of 2018 driven by a resilient economy, a sneak peek at some possible outperformers backed by a solid Zacks Rank and a healthy return could be a great idea for investors. These stocks seem to hold great promise for the future and are likely to reward shareholders generously. In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top tickers to buy and hold for the entirety of 2019? These 10 are painstakingly handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. They are our primary picks poised to outperform in the year ahead. Be among the first to see the new Zacks Top 10 Stocks >> 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 Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (ASX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Manning & Napier, Inc. (MN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Approach Resources Inc. (AREX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Vector Group Ltd. (VGR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. A state-run energy company in Abkhazia is calling for the regulation of cryptocurrency mining activities to avoid the partially recognized republic being plunged into darkness this winter. According to Eurasianet, the cryptocurrency mining farms in Abkhazia, which are mostly located in abandoned Soviet factories, are guzzling a significant amount of electricity. As a result, it is feared that the shaky electrical network in the poor country which is located the eastern coast of the Black Sea may not be able to handle peak consumption in winter. This [cryptocurrency mining] puts additional load on our grid, the transmission lines and substations that are loaded to capacity even without it. If temperatures fall, there is a risk that electricity will not reach regular customers, Aslan Basaria, the head of Chernomorenergo, a state-run energy firm, said. State Intervention Chernomorenergo is consequently now calling for regulations to be put in place on cryptocurrency mining to prevent power outages during the peak consumption season. At the moment, most of the electricity consumed in the partially recognized republic comes from a hydropower complex Abkhazia shares with the country it broke away from 18 years ago Georgia. However, due to the fall in water levels at this time of year and the rise in consumption during winter, cryptocurrency mining has complicated the situation. Bitcoin Miner Electricity Part of the reason why cryptocurrency mining in Abkhazia has become increasingly popular is the fact that electricity is cheap. Cryptocurrency mining is also seen a solution to the economic woes of the tiny unrecognized republic with a population of nearly 250,000 people and a GDP per capita of approximately US$2,000. And since it is internationally isolated, with only Russia, Syria, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru recognizing it as a legitimate state, cryptocurrency also offers the secluded region a chance to plug into an international money-making network. There are also reports that crypto is assisting Abkhazia skirt international restrictions consequently attracting investment and trade. Story continues Crypto Winter Placing restrictions on cryptocurrency mining in Abkhazia would come at a particularly difficult time for the sector across the globe. Earlier this month, CCN reported that the decline in the prices of cryptocurrencies has hastened the obsolescence of older mining rigs causing millions of them to be switched off. Per research conducted by crypto exchange and derivative trading platform BitMEX, the hash rate of bitcoin has fallen by over 31% since November this year and this equates to 1.3 million Bitmain Antminer S9 miners getting turned off. Bitcoin Mining Industry Under Considerable Stress, 1.3 Million Devices Switched Off https://t.co/bR8QHlgowa CCN (@CryptoCoinsNews) December 11, 2018 The prevailing bear market has also forced one of the largest bitcoin mining firms in the world, Canaan, to postpone its public listing while also slashing its IPO target from US$2 billion to US$400 million. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Abkhazia Eyes Crypto Mining Regulations amid Fears of Winter Power Shortages appeared first on CCN. Washington (AFP) - The US military said Monday it has killed 62 militants from the jihadist Shabaab movement in six air strikes in Somalia. Four strikes on Saturday killed 34 militants and another two on Sunday killed 28, the US Africa Command said in a statement. The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 militants. The strikes were conducted with "our Somali partners to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as safe havens to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said, noting that no civilians had been killed or injured. The action brings to 45 the number of strikes the Pentagon has conducted against Shabaab so far in 2018, Manning said. Last year, the figure was 35. Manning attributed the increase to operations becoming more "efficient." "We're getting better. And because we're getting better we're able to ... find, fix and eliminate those terrorist organizations," Manning said. The surge in US operations in Somalia came after President Donald Trump in March 2017 loosened the constraints on the US military to take actions against alleged terrorists when they judge it is needed, without seeking specific White House approval. American forces are partnering with African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali national security forces in counterterrorism operations, and have conducted frequent raids and drone strikes on Shabaab training camps throughout Somalia. As of August, the Pentagon assesses there to be between 3,000 and 7,000 Shabaab fighters and 70 to 250 Islamic State Somalia fighters in the Horn of Africa nation. 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). Well use ROE to examine AKKA Technologies SE (EPA:AKA), by way of a worked example. Over the last twelve months AKKA Technologies has recorded a ROE of 17%. One way to conceptualize this, is that for each 1 of shareholders equity it has, the company made 0.17 in profit. See our latest analysis for AKKA Technologies How Do You Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for return on equity is: Return on Equity = Net Profit Shareholders Equity Or for AKKA Technologies: 17% = 41.442 273m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 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 ROE Mean? ROE looks at the amount a company earns relative to the money it has kept within the business. The return is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. A higher profit will lead to a higher ROE. So, all else being equal, a high ROE is better than a low one. Clearly, then, one can use ROE to compare different companies. Does AKKA Technologies Have A Good ROE? One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. If you look at the image below, you can see AKKA Technologies has a similar ROE to the average in the Professional Services industry classification (18%). ENXTPA:AKA Last Perf December 17th 18 That isnt amazing, but it is respectable. ROE can give us a view about company quality, but many investors also look to other factors, such as whether there are insiders buying shares. If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Story continues How Does Debt Impact ROE? Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. That cash can come from retained earnings, issuing new shares (equity), or debt. In the first two cases, the ROE will capture this use of capital to grow. In the latter case, the use of debt will improve the returns, but will not change the equity. Thus the use of debt can improve ROE, albeit along with extra risk in the case of stormy weather, metaphorically speaking. Combining AKKA Technologiess Debt And Its 17% Return On Equity AKKA Technologies clearly uses a significant amount debt to boost returns, as it has a debt to equity ratio of 1.91. Theres no doubt the ROE is respectable, but its worth keeping in mind that metric is elevated by the use of debt. Debt does bring extra risk, so its only really worthwhile when a company generates some decent returns from it. But Its Just One Metric Return on equity is a useful indicator of the ability of a business to generate profits and return them to shareholders. 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. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, youll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth and how much investment is required going forward. So you might want to take a peek at this data-rich interactive graph of forecasts for the company. Of course AKKA Technologies may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have high ROE 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. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. ARE is expanding the companys full-service life-science start-up platform, Alexandria LaunchLabs, with the opening of its first Cambridge location at the Alexandria Center in One Kendall Square. The move comes as part of the companys expansion efforts to bank on the life-science real estate industrys favorable fundamentals. Particularly, the 20,000-square-foot seed- and early-stage incubator opens with more than 10 innovative seed- and early-stage member companies. There is a high demand for this platform, as well as for its prime location in the heart of East Cambridge's Kendall Square, known as the world's most innovative square mile. This is evident from the strong pool of applicants for this facility. The company will provide flexible, cost-effective, move-in ready and well-equipped wet laboratory and office space. Further, it would offer high-quality equipment and services, mentorship and programming, in addition to seed-capital access through Alexandria Seed Capital Platform. Notably, with its prized site at the Alexandria Center for Life Science New York City and Cambridge location at the Alexandria Center at One Kendall Square, the company remains well poised to provide a solid start-up platform for life-science companies. This, in turn, will spur demand for life-science space over the long run. Given the companys expertise and robust balance-sheet capacity, it might capitalize well on the same and ride on its growth curve. Joel S. Marcus, executive chairman and founder of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. and Alexandria Venture Investments informed, Our unique, fully integrated Alexandria LaunchLabs platform and our Alexandria Seed Capital Platform will continue to fill the crucial role in aiding transformative seed- and early-stage companies in their efforts to develop novel, cost-effective therapies to ease human suffering." Moreover, recently the company announced a 4.3% sequential hike in quarterly cash dividend. In November, Alexandria announced that it has commenced development of a 175,000 rentable square feet (RSF) Class A property on its Maryland campus at 9800 Medical Center Drive. The move comes as part of its effort to enhance property base in key locations. Notably, strong fundamentals of the life-science industry are helping the companys Class A properties in upscale locations to enjoy high occupancy. Its effort to improve credit profile is also encouraging. Nonetheless, the companys huge development pipeline exposes it to the risk of rising construction costs. Alexandria currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Over the past month, shares of the company have inched up 0.3%, outperforming the industrys 0.8% decline during the same time period. Story continues Stocks to Consider Better- ranked stocks from the real-estate space include Boston Properties, Inc. BXP, PS Business Parks, Inc. PSB and Outfront Media Inc. OUT. Each of these stocks carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Boston Properties FFO per share estimates for 2018 has been revised marginally upward to $6.39 in the last 30 days. PS Business Parks Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 FFO per share moved 1.3% north to $6.45 in the past two months. Outfront Medias FFO per share estimates for the current year has been revised 2% upward to $2.09 in two months time. Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO) a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs. 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 OUTFRONT Media Inc. (OUT) : Free Stock Analysis Report PS Business Parks, Inc. (PSB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (ARE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Boston Properties, Inc. (BXP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research An American man is believed to have been killed by a remote Indian island tribe with a history of attacking visitors with bows and arrows. John Chau, 27, was killed by hostile members of the Sentinelese community on North Sentinel Island, part of Indias Andaman Islands, according to local media. The Sentinelese are thought to be the most isolated tribe on the planet. Believed to number between 50 and 150 people, the Sentinelese have lived in isolation for roughly 60,000 years. This makes them particularly vulnerable to 21st century illnesses such as flu and measles. As such, visits to the island are heavily restricted by the Indian government. It is illegal to venture within three miles of the shore. Chau, who according to local media was a Christianity missionary, paid fisherman to escort him part of the way to the island before paddling the last leg of the journey alone in a canoe. Seven of the fisherman who aided Chau have now been arrested for helping the American reach the restricted island, police officer Vijay Singh told the Associated Press. He was attacked by arrows but he continued walking. The fishermen saw the tribals tying a rope around his neck and dragging his body, local sources told AFP. They were scared and fled but returned next morning to find his body on the seashore. Although the Andaman and Nicobar Police have registered a case of murder, the Sentinelese are protected under Indian law and immune from prosecution. Kathleen Hosie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state, said it was aware of reports concerning an American in the islands. When a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, Hosie told the AP. She said she could not comment further due to privacy considerations. The Sentinelese have been known to attack anyone who approaches the island. In 2006, two Indian fishermen were killed when their boat broke loose and drifted to shore. Assessing Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limiteds (ASX:API) performance as a company requires looking at more than just a years earnings data. Below, I will run you through a simple sense check to build perspective on how Australian Pharmaceutical Industries is doing by comparing its most recent earnings with its historical trend, in addition to the performance of its healthcare industry peers. Check out our latest analysis for Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Was APIs weak performance lately a part of a long-term decline? APIs trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 August 2018) of AU$48m has declined by -8.2% compared to the previous year. Furthermore, this one-year growth rate has been lower than its average earnings growth rate over the past 5 years of 45%, indicating the rate at which API is growing has slowed down. Why could this be happening? Lets examine whats going on with margins and whether the rest of the industry is facing the same headwind. ASX:API Income Statement Export December 16th 18 In terms of returns from investment, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 9.7% instead. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 3.1% is below the AU Healthcare industry of 4.7%, indicating Australian Pharmaceutical Industriess are utilized less efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Australian Pharmaceutical Industriess debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 13% to 11%. What does this mean? While past data is useful, it doesnt tell the whole story. Companies that are profitable, but have volatile earnings, can have many factors impacting its business. I recommend you continue to research Australian Pharmaceutical Industries to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for APIs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for APIs outlook. Financial Health: Are APIs operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why weve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 31 August 2018. 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. Vienna (AFP) - An Austrian court gave hope to thousands of citizens of Turkish origin caught in a row over dual nationality Monday, handing down a favourable decision in a key test case. The Constitutional Court upheld the appeal of a man threatened with the loss of his Austrian nationality because he appeared on a purported list of Turkish voters in Austria. The ruling questioned the authenticity of the list and criticised the way officials had pursued cases against the people named. The list was leaked by the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) last year, when they were still in opposition. The authorities used it to open investigations into whether those who appeared on it had dual nationality, which Austria only allows in rare cases. However, in its decision the Constitutional Court found that the list was "not suitable for use as evidence", calling it "questionable" and "not authentic". The ruling also criticised how officials had expected those affected to prove that they had not taken up Turkish citizenship again. "The burden of proof must not be simply be passed on to the person affected," said the ruling. That denied people the "constitutionally guaranteed right to equal treatment of all citizens before the law", it said. The FPOe, part of the governing right-wing coalition since last December, has never explained how it obtained the list. But in its response to Monday's ruling, it said it refused to accept that it was not genuine. So far, 85 people nationwide have had their citizenship revoked. The issue has become a major talking point in Austria's Turkish-origin community, with several of those affected insisting that their presence on the list must be a mistake. Austria, like neighbouring Germany, invited thousands of Turkish citizens to come and work in the 1960s and 1970s, and many staying and putting down roots. Turkish immigrants and their descendants now number around 270,000 out of the population of 8.7 million. Knowledge is power and informed citizens are empowered citizens. However, many people know very little about our state and federal government. For example: According to a national survey, 22 percent of Americans think the three branches of government are Republican, Democrat and Independent. Over one third of Americans cannot identify even one branch of government. Only two percent of Americans polled could identify the five rights in the First Amendment. To foster a better public understanding of civics and the essential role the courts play in a vibrant democracy, the New Jersey State Bar Association and New Jersey Judiciary created the Benchmark Civics Project. Through the project, lawyers will receive ethics/professionalism continuing legal education credits (CLE) when they attend a training session about speaking on civics issues to community groups. Once trained, attorneys who go out and speak with those groups can earn additional ethics/professionalism CLE credits. We can all agree we want a peaceful, safer and more harmonious country for ourselves, our families and our children, said NJSBA President John E. Keefe Jr. To advance that goal, we call upon our brothers and sisters in the legal community to be stewards of truth and to help educate our neighbors and friends about the fundamental tenants of democracy. The Benchmarks Civics Project is fun, interactive and not political. Its not a lecture, but a creative program that will educate, inform and empower. The next training session for the Benchmarks Civics Project will be held Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 9-11 a.m. at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. For more information and to register, visit njsba.com. Tijuana (Mexico) (AFP) - Huge metal or concrete barricades and walls of concertina wire went up Monday on both sides of a bustling US-Mexico border crossing as a caravan of US-bound Central American migrants pours into Tijuana, the last stop before California. US authorities went so far as to briefly close the San Ysidro Port of Entry altogether -- it is one of the busiest land border crossings in the world -- as the new barriers were set up, triggering total gridlock for vehicles and pedestrians going from Tijuana across into San Diego. "It was as if time stopped. Nothing is moving. Neither cars, nor people, nor my business," said Armando Lopez, who sells newspapers, cigarettes and candy on the Mexican side. US Customs and Border Protection "suspended operations to safely place impediments at the port of entry that would restrict access to a large group attempting to run through the border crossing," the agency said in a statement, referring to the migrant caravan. President Donald Trump has characterized the caravan's journey as an invasion, making it a central plank of his anti-immigrant platform. The thousands-strong group set out more than a month ago from Honduras, fleeing poverty and gang violence and sometimes forcing its way across borders as the migrants head toward the US. Some 3,500 migrants have arrived so far in Tijuana and another 3,000 are expected to start flowing in as of Tuesday. Most of those making the trek are Hondurans. The big question is whether, once they are all together, they will try to cross over as they did from Guatemala into Mexico -- by force -- or opt instead for the long and tedious process of requesting asylum in the US. - Economy in danger - After putting the new barriers in place at the border crossing, the authorities reopened it partially to northbound traffic. On the Mexican side, too, metal barricades and concertina wire were put up. Federal police and soldiers patrolled the area. Story continues "I am OK with these defenses," said Arturo Gonzalez, a 35-year-old American who was losing his patience as he sat in his black pickup truck waiting to get into California. He works as a janitor in a school in the US but lives in Mexico because the rent is cheaper here. "Because of those Hondurans, we are paying the price. They should be thrown out," Gonzalez said. Walking swiftly through the pedestrian conduit toward California, Ana Maria Gutierrez, who is Mexican, was in a hurry to get to her job as a nurse in a psychiatric facility in San Diego. "They do not realize the impact of closing the border," she told AFP. "It is not just the economy that is in danger of dying out. We are talking about the lives of people and families," Gutierrez said before showing her papers to the US border authorities and entering California. - "Bad hombres" - Mexico and the United States share a border that stretches along more than 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) of desert and is crossed by undocumented travelers, drugs and weapons. But a million people also cross over legally each day, while trade across the frontier totals a million dollars a minute, according to government figures. At the San Ysidro port alone, 70,000 vehicles make their way into California each day, as do 15,000 students and 25,000 workers. Trump has sent about 5,800 troops to the border to forestall the arrival of the caravan. During the campaign leading to his election in 2016 he referred to Mexican migrants crossing over as rapists and "bad hombres." Trump has also issued a new order under which people who do not cross at official points of entry can no longer apply for asylum. This was challenged in court and a judge Monday night temporarily barred the Trump administration from enacting the ban. At another border crossing, between Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, US soldiers have also set up many reels of concertina wire. Amelia Prados, a Mexican who works in a bank in Tijuana, said the migrants were simply seeking to escape violence and find a better life. "The United States is defending itself from a danger that does not exist," she said. Just before boat-show season kicked off this fall, Franco Fusignani moved into the CEO position at yachting giant Benetti after 25-year veteran Vincenzo Poerio. We asked Fusignani about his vision for the venerable company and the industry overall. What changes do you think are needed in the industry as a whole? I think the most significant is to improve the quality of the final product and reduce the cost of production. One of my primary goals is to introduce new production patterns to meet these areas of change. For example, during the design phase when all the technical details are defined, we design whats requested by our customers directly with suppliers. This has proven successful in drastically reducing the time spent in the production phase by at least 10 percent. What kind of changes do you believe are necessary for Benettis next stage? Benetti is a hugely successful shipyard with a long history in Viareggio and Livorno, Italy, so to be able to ensure our longevity as a yard, we are constantly in a state of development. This is an exciting stage for us right now. To manage the kinds of orders we have under construction to date, financial rigor and strict cost control are key areas of focus for Benetti. We have meticulously planned all activities in these projects to avoid dead times and overlaps, which impacts the reduction of the working capital in each phase of the construction of the boataccounting for seven to 10 percent of the total value of the boat itself. This keeps us on time and on budget, but also increases the quality of the final product. What are your business/production goals for the company? I am a process and product quality guy. My role as CEO of Benetti is to act as the system integrator and facilitator. My focus is not on a single component but on putting everything and everyone together in the best way to meet our goals as a company. In a business such as ours, we need the right components and people who can get the job done. Story continues What is the biggest challenge ahead of you and Benetti? Well, in terms of production were certainly busy, which is a challengebut definitely one that we like. Weve recently introduced a new model in our Class product line, the Delfino 95. Weve also just launched the new Oasis 135 and Diamond 145 models, which Im confident will be some of our most successful models. On the custom side, Benetti introduced the BNow concept in collaboration with [UK-based studio] RWD, which drastically reduces delivery time. The four BNow models (50, 55, 63, and 68 meters) have incredible sales potentialin fact, the first unit was sold during the 2018 Cannes Yachting Festival. Another challenge for us right now is optimizing the weight of technical components within yachting. Lighter weight means less consumption, which eventually translates into a more cost-effective product and lower environmental impact. Were also looking for new materials to improve acoustics, reducing noise and vibration. What are you most excited about? Without a doubt, the three gigayachts that we currently have in construction at the yard! They come in at over 100 meters LOA and roughly 13,000 GT, and one of them is a complete hybrid. Upon delivery, shell be the largest hybrid yacht in the world, which were extremely proud of. Theyre all going to hit the water in the next few months. The new models were introducing are also cause for excitement. Weve worked with the top designers in the business, such as Achille Salvagni, Giorgio M. Cassetta, and the UK-based studio RWD. Weve introduced new stylistic elements to these designs while remaining faithful to the fundamental principles that underpin Benettis long history and tradition. Related stories Cyber Pirates? Here's How to Keep Your Yacht Safe From Hacking on the High Seas This Nontraditional Superyacht Design Project Includes a Firepit, Jacuzzi, and Lots of Deck Space This Superfast Superyacht Tender Has a Hotel-Caliber Master Suite on Board About a year ago, the legal department at Microsoft announced it would be shifting away from the billable hour in the vast majority of our outside counsel arrangements. In describing these intentions, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel David Howard wrote about forging a new type of relationship with the firms handling Microsofts most important legal work. Much of the discussion around this shift focused on its economic ramifications and on framing this move as another step toward the long-anticipated demise of the billable hour in favor of alternative fee arrangements. A year into this effort, the Microsoft team can attest that, while the new billing model has certainly had an economic impact on the company and its outside firms, its had a far more profound impact on the relationships between Microsofts in-house personnel and outside counsel. This impact can be seen in the ways David predicted, but also in a way we believe represents a fundamental change in the manner corporate legal work is performed and delivered. Today, Microsofts Commercial Legal Group works almost exclusively with a single outside law firm, Perkins Coie, which provides almost all the outside counsel work on a retainer arrangement with a performance bonus. While that certainly brings Perkins Coies economic interests into closer alignment with Microsofts, whats far more meaningful is how, together, we have reshaped the client-firm relationship. A year into this new arrangement, we have blurred the lines between outside and in-house counsel. Together we have developed new processes and tools that integrate Perkins Coie attorneys into the Microsoft culture and workflow, helping the Perkins Coie team cultivate a deeply ingrained understanding of Microsofts business. Today, the outside counsel team delivers legal advice in the same way the in-house team delivers itwith the same context and the same sense of Microsofts culture, priorities and appetite for risk. The Microsoft team gets answers and advice aimed at solving businessnot just legalproblems, and that means it can make faster decisions, get better results and drive more value for the enterprise. Story continues Revolutionary Times To understand why this effort is revolutionary, its important to understand that the technology that has transformed nearly every part of our lives and society has run far ahead of the legal regimes meant to regulate it. In past revolutions, it took decades for regulation to catch technology. The child labor laws, product quality standards, and fair wage and employment laws we take for granted today took 30 to 50 years to evolve. Unfortunately, todays technology is advancing at such an accelerated pace, we may be on to the next revolution before the regulation for this one is even considered. This regulatory gap is evident not just in advanced computing, but even in everyday technology. Cellular technology, for example, has existed for 40 years and has been ubiquitous for the last 20, yet lawmakers and courts are still trying to figure out what to do about it. Just this past June, the Supreme Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment requires law enforcement to get a warrant to search cell phone location recordsclearing up a single, narrow question while giving rise to a handful of new ones and leaving dozens more unanswered. Meanwhile, at companies like Microsoft, in university laboratories and on inventors laptops all over the world, the pace of technological change is only getting faster while the chasm between technology and the law only grows wider. Nowhere is that chasm more relevant, or more challenging, than in a legal department like Microsofts. Every day, in-house legal teams are asked to come up with business solutions to legal problems that have not been contemplated by current regulatory regimes or judicial legal decisions. Questions about data protection, use and ownership, including law enforcements right to access our customers data, new go-to-market motions and intellectual property considerations are all issues of first impression. With the ever-accelerating pace of change, newer technologies using advances in machine learning techniques threaten to further expose the ethical gaps in the already depleted state of our legal framework. To maneuver through issues like these, Microsoft lawyers work incredibly hard to understand and keep up with the innovation happening at the company and in the world. We can no longer work with outside counsel that are incapable of matching the in-house teams familiarity with our technology, business and markets. Tearing Down the Hourly Barrier In the past, outside lawyers did their best to understand our business, but there was no way they could get the depth of knowledge they would derive from being immersed in it every day. Immersion wasnt an optionthe hourly billing model prevented itso outside counsel delivered legal advice, and inside lawyers had to take the time and effort to figure out how it applied to their businesses. Businesses cant operate that way anymore. Our industry changes too quickly, our business grows at an ever-expanding rate and the law is too far behind. We not only need reliable legal advice fast, but we also need it to come to us in a way thats already tailored to fit very particular business contexts. That rapid rate of change, as much as the need to drive down costs or shift to a more predictable spend, is why we tore down the hourly billing model. Working together, Microsoft and Perkins Coie have created a structure that allows attorneys to spend far more time working alongside each other. Microsoft pays a flat monthly fee for Perkins Coies counsel, with a discretionary bonus at the end of the year based on performance. The firms performance is evaluated partly on hard metrics but also on more subjective measures such as ingenuity, creativity and their ability to deliver meaningful value to Microsofts business. Perkins Coie also collects and provides data that gives the Microsoft team a view across all its legal work to ensure that the companys investment supports its strategic priorities, which would have been virtually impossible under the old model. New Tools, New Perspective For Perkins Coies part, the firm has done more than merely agree to a new, potentially disruptive model. It has made significant investments to ensure its success, including building a new intake tool that allows Microsoft lawyers to open a new matter by simply filling out a few fields on a digital interface that connects directly to Perkins Coie. This tool allows the firm to quickly run conflict checks, assign new matters to the right attorneys and get projects moving within hours. Its interesting to note that Perkins Coie lawyers now refer to matters as projectsa small thing, perhaps, but certainly not a trivial one. Projects are what everyone at Microsoft works on. They are attacked with a defined scope and a clear goal with a measurable outcomehardly hallmarks of traditional law firm work. A Stronger, Richer Relationship The first year under the new model was a win for Microsoft and Perkins Coie alike. Perkins Coie hit their goals and received their performance bonus. More importantly, though, the firms attorneys clearly became more engaged with Microsofts business. Unshackled from the desire to limit billable hours, the Microsoft team is no longer discouraged from looping in outside counsel for calls, meetings and other opportunities to help them learn the nuances of Microsofts business. The Perkins Coie attorneys have started delivering legal advice that reflects those nuances and considers the companys needs and goals in ways you wouldnt usually see from an outside firm. Microsoft gets access to Perkins Coies deep bench of experts and their broad range of experience, which complement the internal teams deep knowledge of its technology and business. All this makes the Microsoft Commercial Legal group a more valuable contributor to the law department and to the entire enterprise. The result is a relationship that not only serves Microsofts legal needs but also helps build value for the business. Both of us are excited for the second year of our collaborative project. Microsoft has defined the outcomes for the next fiscal year, and Perkins Coie is busy developing new tools and resources to help meet those goals. We look forward to the daymaybe this year, maybe nextwhere the lines are further blurred and the Microsoft and the Perkins Coie teams are perceived as one unified and blended team designed to provide cutting-edge advice to our collective client. Neal Suggs is Vice President & Deputy General CounselCommercial Group, Corporate, External and Legal Affairs at Microsoft. Judy Jennison is a Partner at Perkins Coie and leads the firms relationship with Microsoft. US federal prosecutors have charged associates of former national security advisor Michael Flynn for illegally lobbying for the extradition of a Turkish national who has been a frequent critic of the Turkish government. Bijan Rafiekian, a former business partner of Michael Flynn, was charged with two counts including conspiracy to act as an agent for a foreign government. Kamil Ekim Alptekin has also been charged. Mr Rafiekian was arrested and appeared in court on Monday to face charges related to allegedly lobbying illegally to have a Turkish exile returned from the United States. Court documents say that Mr Rafjekian and Mr Alptekin "conspired covertly and unlawfully to influence U.S. politicians and public opinion concerning a Turkish citizen living in the United States whose extradition was then being sought by the Government of Turkey". The indictment against Mr Rafiekian states that he had served as vice chairman of Flynn's business group, the Flynn Intel Group, where he supervised much of the group's foreign political work for the Turkish interests. The document says Flynn and the two defendants worked in 2016 to have Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen extradited. Read more Robert Mueller attacks Michael Flynn over criticism of FBI interview "The defendants sought to discredit and delegitimize the Turkish citizen in the eyes of politicians and the public, and ultimately to secure the Turkish citizens extradition, the filing, which says that Mr Rafjekian and Mr Alptekin sought to hide the fact that Turkish sources paid the Flynn Intel Group by naming Mr Alptekin as a client, states. Although the Government of Turkey directed the work through Alptekin, the defendants sought to conceal Turkeys involvement in the efforts to discredit the Turkish citizen. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Mr Gulen of directing a failed coup in the country. Mr Rafikian, who also goes by the name Bijan Kian, also worked on the Trump transition team, where he would have had influence on Trump administration intelligence agency choices. In that role, he would have also had access to internal discussions regarding American national security policies. Story continues Flynn was forced out of his post as national security advisor in the White House just weeks into Donald Trump's presidency after it was determined that he had lied to federal investigators, Vice President Mike Pence, and other White House officials about contacts he had with Russian officials during the presidential transition period. Flynn pleaded guilty to a felony charge for those lies last December, but has more recently argued that he had been tricked by the FBI into lying about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, who was the Russian ambassador to the United States at the time. Special counsel Robert Mueller, who is overseeing an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and any potential cooperation between the Trump campaign and that country, has rejected the argument that Flynn was tricked into the myriad of lies he has been accused of. In a memo sent ahead of his upcoming sentencing, Flynn's lawyers have argued that their client should be given a lenient sentence because FBI agents did not inform him ahead of time that lying to investigators is illegal and that he did not know that he was being formally investigated. Prosecutors dismissed the idea that Flynn would not have known the stakes. A sitting national security adviser, former head of an intelligence agency, retired lieutenant general and 33-year veteran of the armed forces knows he should not lie to federal agents", federal prosecutors wrote. He does not need to be warned it is a crime to lie to federal agents to know the importance of telling them the truth". Mr Mueller's prosecutors had already asked that Flynn receive a lenient sentence, however, and asked in a filing that he receive as little as no time in prison. In making that argument, prosecutors cited Flynn's cooperation with investigators as well as his lengthy military service. Former Bitcoin Cash advocate Calvin Ayre predicts that the flagship cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, will plunge to zero in 2019 because its worthless. But never fear, he said, because Bitcoin Cash Satoshi Vision (BSV) will be there to save the day. Interestingly, Ayre insists that the Bitcoin price is being deliberately deflated right now in order to stamp it out of existence. He did not offer any proof to back up his dubious claim. I am predicting it to go to zero value [in 2019], as it has no utility, Ayre told Express UK. It does not do anything, and they intentionally are anti-scaling. Ayre whos known for his controversial bluster said Bitcoiners need not worry when their preferred crypto goes down in flames, because Bitcoin SV will happily take its place. Bitcoin the technology and economic model are alive and well with Bitcoin SV, and its going to have an amazing year, he vowed. Craig Wright: Original Bitcoin Is A Sham Despite the fact that Bitcoin Cash is a derivative of Bitcoin, Ayre insists that the original cryptocurrency is an impostor and that Bitcoin SV is the real bitcoin. Ayres fellow Bitcoin SV advocate Australian crypto entrepreneur Craig Wright agrees. [BTC] is a sham bitcoin, Wright told Express UK. SV is what bitcoin was, and is the only way it works. Reminder: Bitcoin Cash the fourth-largest cryptocurrency was created in August 2017 after the original Bitcoin underwent a hard fork. As CCN reported, a crypto civil war broke out in November 2018 when Bitcoin Cash (BCH) underwent its contentious hard fork. The fork resulted in feuding Bitcoin Cash camps: Bitcoin ABC (Adjustable Blocksize Cap) : This group adheres to the official Bitcoin Cash road map, which is supported by most node operators, and is endorsed by Bitcoin Cash proponent Roger Ver and Jihan Wu, co-founder of Bitcoin mining giant Bitmain. Bitcoin SV (Satoshis Vision): This faction is backed by Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright and Calvin Ayre, the owner of CoinGeek, the largest Bitcoin Cash mining pool. Ayre: Dont Blame SV Camp For Bear Market Story continues After the BCH hard fork, the price of the original Bitcoin tanked, bringing the rest of the market down with it. Many in the crypto community blamed Ayre for forcing the hard fork that precipitated the market crash. But Ayre denies that he staged the hard fork in order to damage Bitcoin. The hard fork was a distraction, but the downturn is because the SegWit coin thats erroneously still called Bitcoin now follows the old-fashioned financial trends, Ayre said. Its also because people wrongly focus on market cap, when it should be about scalability and actual usability. If anything, Ayre blames the Bitcoin ABC camp for the current market woes. There is no question that the hash dumping that the ABC conspirators did in violation of the Nakamoto Consensus Rules that run Bitcoin destabilized the markets even more. Ayre then reiterated his claim that unlike BTC, Bitcoin SV is a currency with real utility, and is not merely an asset. Bitcoiners: Step Aside, 2019 Will Be Our Year Meanwhile, Bitcoin evangelists remain ever-bullish about the original cryptocurrency and believe 2019 will be a watershed year. Jeremy Allaire the co-founder of Circle, a peer-to-peer payments technology company backed by Goldman Sachs predicts that bitcoin prices will rocket over the next three years. Bitcoin Price Will Soar over Next Three Years: Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire https://t.co/cJAQFUEzrj CCN (@CryptoCoinsNews) December 14, 2018 No matter what its daily price is, Allaire insists that bitcoin will play a very significant role in the future as a non-sovereign store of value. The key thing with bitcoin is that it is unique in its security and its scale, Allaire explained. As an idea that we need a scarce, non-sovereign store of value that individuals can hold in a protected fashion thats attractive all around the world. Allaire said he has no doubt that Bitcoin will survive the current downturn and will thrive over the long haul. Its certainly going to be worth a great deal more than its worth today, he said. I am long in the market. Featured image from Shutterstock. Calvin Ayre portrait from LinkedIn. The post Bitcoin Price Will Crash to Zero Says Calvin Ayre appeared first on CCN. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Even though the phasing out of new energy vehicle (NEV) subsidies may post great challenges to the market, BAIC BJEV is still optimistic about the markets future. The automakers 2018 annual sales target of 150,000 units is within reach and it aims to sell 220,000 new energy vehicles in 2019, Li Xiuyi, vice general manager of the automaker said at a conference. With the phasing out of subsidies and the improvement of technology threshold, NEVs will be granted less subsidies or no subsidy at all. But at the same time, the government has adopted multiple ways to support the development of the industry, such as no traffic restrictions, no parking fee and preferential electricity price. Without subsidies, the market will give more play to its advantages in driving the industrys development. The market without subsidies will require NEV companies of quicker response, efficient actions and richer product portfolio. Free from dependence on subsidies, the company will become more market-driven and more focused on the consumption trends. Apart from products, BAIC BJEV also plans to make improvement in technology, business model, and service, including the Darwin system, the separation between vehicle and battery, and its efforts in ride-sharing segment. By the end of November, the NEV automaker has sold a total of 128,000 vehicles. According to Zheng Gang, general manager of BAIC BJEV, battery supply shortage is the main constraint on its sales. Currently, there are about 20,000 EU5 orders to be delivered. Zheng thought the battery shortage is the pain of the whole industry. 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. Vote View Results Eat This, Not That! The New York Times reports more than 775,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and more than 48 million have had the virus. However, many others have likely had COVID but weren't tested or were asymptomatic and didn't realize they had it. While it's impossible to know if you've been infected without seeing a physician or getting tested, there are signs you've had it. COVID affects everyone differently, but according to virus and medical experts Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with, here are the Sao Paulo (AFP) - US planemaker Boeing and Brazil's Embraer said Monday they have approved the terms of a partnership to create a joint venture now worth $5.26 billion -- more than when they first announced it in July. "The transaction remains subject to approval by the Government of Brazil, after which Embraer and Boeing intend to execute definitive transaction documents," the two companies said in a statement. The news comes a week after a Brazil appeals court overturned a "hasty" suspension ordered by a lower court days earlier that would have prevented the outgoing Brazilian government of taking any concrete decision of the proposed tie-up. Embraer, the third-largest aircraft manufacturer in the world, was founded as a state group in 1969 before being privatized in 1994, although the Brazilian government retains a "golden share" giving it the right to veto strategic decisions for the company. - Boeing 'control' - Under the planned deal, Boeing is to take an 80 percent stake in Embraer's commercial business, thus allowing it to offer planes with capacity of up to 150 seats -- a market in which Boeing currently does not compete. Embraer's military aircraft business was excluded to overcome Brazilian government opposition to giving up a national champion to a foreign entity. The deal initially valued the joint venture at $4.75 million. But Monday's statement said Boeing's 80-percent stake would be worth $4.2 billion, making the whole of the merged operation worth nearly $5.3 billion. "Once the transaction has closed, the commercial aviation joint venture will be led by Brazil-based management, including a president and chief executive officer," the statement said. "Boeing will have operational and management control of the new company, which will report directly to Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing chairman, president and chief executive officer." It said the partnership "would position both companies to accelerate growth in global aerospace markets." Story continues Synergies would reduce costs by $150 million annually by the third year, it said. Embraer shares shot up five percent in beginning of trade following the joint statement. - Boeing's eye on Airbus - In their original July announcement of the joint venture, the planemakers said they expected to wrap up the transaction by the end of 2019. The tie-up is seen as a response to a similar strategic partnership announced in October 2017 between Boeing's European arch-rival Airbus and Canada's Bombardier. The Brazilian and US companies are creating another joint venture to promote their defense products and services, especially Embraer's KC 390, a military transport aircraft vehicle. Monday's statement said that operation -- which will see Boeing hold a controlling 51-percent stake -- was also subject to approval by Brazil's government and Embraer's board. The Boeing-Embraer rapprochement was struck under Brazil's outgoing President Michel Temer, who leaves office in two weeks' time. He is to be succeeded by Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician with close ties to the military who previously had a long record as a nationalist and protectionist when it came to Brazil's economy. But he changed tack to win over voters and investors in the run-up to his October election by advocating privatizations, and encouraging foreign investment. Per a Media release The Boeing Co. BA recently opened its first 737 completion plant facility in Zhoushan, China. This was a strategic investment move by the company, which aims at giving a tough competition to one of its biggest arch-rivals, Airbus SE EADSY, in one of the world's top travel markets. The Zhoushan manufacturing site, which is located about 180 miles from southeast Shanghai. Boeing sets a target to reach a total of delivering 100 planes a year from Zhoushan facility. In 2017, Boeing invested nearly $33 million to purchase a majority stake in a joint venture with state owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) in order to build the completion center, which installs interiors and paints liveries. Boeings 737 Boeing produces 52 airplanes of 737 series per month and has plans to expand production volumes to 57 a month in 2019. The company has a total backlog 4,654 airplanes of the 737 series. The backlog of 737 airplanes is expected to further increase owing to its unique features offered to customers. Also, Boeing 737 MAX is enjoying brisk demand in the single-aisle market for its fuel efficiency and low carbon dioxide emissions. Powered by Commercial Fan Motor (CFM) International LEAP-1B engines, the Advanced Technology winglet of this airplane enhances its performance. Commercial Airplane Outlook Per the long-term guidance provided by Boeing, demand for commercial airplanes is expected to double in the next two decades. The requirement for new planes will touch 42,730 by 2037. The single aisle segment is expected to witness maximum growth with a need for 31,360 airplanes. Total value of the commercial aeroplane market with commercial airplanes and services will attain nearly $15 trillion. According to the companys view, China is on course to become the largest commercial aviation market in the world. It is also estimated that the country will need nearly 7,700 new airplanes worth $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years. We believe, Boeing a premier single-aisle commercial aeroplane will be a major player with its 737 family. Price Movement In the past 12 months, Boeing has returned 7.7% versus its industrys decline of 4.3%. Story continues Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks Boeing currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other top-ranked stocks from the sector include Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT and Raytheon Company RTN, each carrying a Zacks Rank of 2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Lockheed Martin delivered average positive surprise of 13.92% in the last four reported quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 has moved 2.9% north in the past 90 days to $17.51. Raytheon delivered average beat of 6.71% in the last four reported quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 bottom line has been inched 1.8% up in the past 90 days to $10.10. 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 The Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Raytheon Company (RTN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. By Marcelo Rochabrun and Carolina Mandl SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Embraer SA will receive the same net proceeds from a deal to sell 80 percent of its commercial jet unit to Boeing Co, even though the U.S. aircraft maker increased the enterprise value which includes debt by 11 percent. Transaction costs have increased, Embraer said, and it expects net proceeds to total $3 billion. Boeing will pay $4.2 billion for its 80 percent stake. Valuation figures were disclosed in the final terms of the transaction, which would leave the listed Brazilian Embraer as a smaller company focused on defense and business jets, with a minority stake in the Boeing-led business. BTG Pactual analyst Renato Mimica said in a research note that Boeing lifted the enterprise value it placed on the entire regional jet business of Embraer to $5.26 billion but that net proceeds would be the same because of higher-than-expected separation costs and taxes on capital gains. Embraer said on a conference call with investors that it was still looking for ways to lower the separation costs. Embraer shares were up 3.3 percent in late afternoon trading in Sao Paulo. The way the companies divide up the assumption of debt was still unclear. Embraer had some $4 billion in total debt, according to its most recent financial statements at the end of September. Despite the share price gain, at least one major shareholder said the revised agreement was still lacking in necessary details on such issues as debt and taxes. Mimica said the deal value was increased by a change in how Embraer could eventually sell its 20 percent stake in the new commercial company. The option can be exercised at the deal value, adjusted for inflation, for 10 years, Embraer said. After that, Embraer can exercise the right to sell at "fair market value," which BTG analysts saw as adding value to the option. Embraer's board moved on Monday to present the deal for approval to the Brazilian government, which holds veto power over important business decisions at the plane maker. But another source close to the negotiations said they were optimistic about the prospects. Story continues It was unclear how long the government could take to make a decision, but President-elect Jair Bolsonaro and his aides have spoken favorably of a Boeing-Embraer deal. Bolsonaro begins his presidency on Jan. 1. Brazilian Treasury Secretary Mansueto Almeida said on Monday the government was likely to complete its review of the deal at the beginning of Bolsonaro's presidency. The deal is also subject to shareholder approvals at both Embraer and Boeing. Boeing shares fell 0.8 percent to close at $316.13. Separately, Embraer announced details of a joint venture with Boeing intended to promote its signature defense plane, the Embraer KC-390. Under that partnership, Embraer will have a 51 percent stake in the operation. (Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun and Carolina Mandl; Additional reporting by Paula Laierc and Marcela Ayres; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Phil Berlowitz) New US research has found that women who breastfeed for more than six months are more likely to have a smaller waist circumference years later, which could help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Carried out by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Michigan State University, the new study looked at 678 women taking part in the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) who also participated in the POUCHmoms Study seven to 15 years after giving birth. The researchers measured the women's waist circumference during the follow-up POUCHmoms Study and participants were asked to report on whether they had breastfed or not and if so for how long. The findings, published in the Journal of Women's Health, showed that women who breastfed for more than six months after pregnancy had less central adiposity -- the accumulation of fat around the abdominal area -- seven to 15 years later compared to women who breastfed six months or less. In addition to having an average waist circumference 3.5cm smaller, women who breastfed for more than six months also tended to have a lower body mass index (BMI) and systolic and diastolic blood pressures, as well as smaller hip circumference compared to women who breastfed for less than six months The findings also held true after the researchers had taken into account other potentially influencing factors such as age, race and ethnicity, pregnancy complications, socioeconomic status and healthy lifestyle factors. The new study backs up previous research which also found an association between breastfeeding and waist circumference. As pregnancy contributes to an accumulation of abdominal fat -- an indicator of cardiometabolic problems in later life which can lead to an increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease or stroke -- breastfeeding duration may be important to consider when looking at long-term maternal cardiovascular and metabolic health. The researchers also pointed out that waist circumference is a better predictor of long-term cardiometabolic and cardiovascular disease risk than BMI alone. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months for optimal infant health. LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will state her opposition to a second Brexit referendum on Monday, telling parliament such a vote would "break faith" with British people and do "irreparable damage" to politics. With May facing deadlock in parliament over her deal to leave the European Union and the bloc offering little in the way of concessions to win lawmakers over, more politicians are calling for a second referendum to break the impasse. But May and her ministers have ruled out a new ballot, saying it would deepen already ugly divisions over Britain's biggest decision since World War Two and betray voters who narrowly backed leaving the EU at a 2016 referendum. That increases the risk of Britain leaving without a deal in less than four months, a scenario some businesses fear would be catastrophic for the world's fifth largest economy. "Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum," May will tell lawmakers, according to extracts of her speech released in advance. "Another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy, that our democracy does not deliver. Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last," she will say. May returns to parliament after a visit to Brussels last week where she called on EU leaders to offer assurances over the so-called Northern Irish "backstop" - an insurance policy to prevent the return of a hard border between the British province and Ireland that its critics fear will trap Britain. But while EU leaders said they were willing to help May, they warned the British prime minister she could not renegotiate the deal, agreed earlier this year. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) A Brooklyn mother whose 1-year-old was yanked from her arms at a public benefits office during a confrontation with security guards and police said her story is disturbing, but not unique. Cellphone footage capturing the dispute at a Human Resources Administration office went viral this month after it was posted to Facebook. The mother at the center of the story, 23-year-old Jazmine Headley, spoke out about the incident in an interview published Sunday by The New York Times. Its the story of many other people, its not just my story, Headley said. My story is the only one that made it to the surface. Headley went to the Boerum Hill social services office on Dec. 7 with her son, Damone, to inquire why she hadnt received a much-needed child care financial assistance payment. After waiting for several hours, Headley decided to sit on the floor with her son because there wasnt anywhere else available, she told the Times. HRA security guards ordered Headley to get up, but she refused. I just remember being talked to very viciously, Headley told the Times. It was more or less: Youre going to do what I say, and thats it. The security guards eventually called the New York Police Department. Officers who said they told the mother that they did not want to arrest her and that she needed to leave. Police told the Times that Headley, holding her son, turned to leave when a security guard grabbed her arm and they fell to the floor. In my head, I told myself theyre not going to let me leave, Headley said. I was so afraid. What happened next has been condemned as both disturbing and troubling by lawmakers and police officials. Video shows NYPD officers wrestling Damone away from Headley as she cries out for help. Theyre hurting my son! Theyre hurting my son! Headley yells in the video, as police attempt to restrain her. Im begging you, please. Onlookers cry out in horror as the officers pull Headleys son away. One officer wields a yellow stun gun, prompting an onlooker to yell out, She has a fucking baby in her hands! Story continues Police charged Headley with several misdemeanor offenses, including resisting arrest and acting in a manner injurious to a child. Prosecutors later dropped the charges. Jazmine Headley, center, joins attorney Brian Neary and her mother, Jacqueline Jenkins, outside a courthouse in Trenton, New Jersey. Prosecutors ultimately dropped charges against Headley after a confrontation with police and security guards at a public benefits office. (Photo: Mike Catalini/Associated Press) Headley was held on Rikers Island until Dec. 11 on a warrant from an unrelated credit card fraud case in New Jersey. Damone was placed in the care of a family member during that period. HRA suspended two security guards for 30 days. The security guards who were suspended have said they were injured in the confrontation. One of them alleged Headley bit her in the arm, causing it to swell. The police department defended the actions of the two officers in the video. Other recipients of public assistance said the video sheds light on their struggle to overcome financial strain and the burden of bureaucracy just to make ends meet. Theyre always rude, Nyashia Ferguson, who recorded the viral video, told the Times. HRA office security guards think that people that are poor dont have nothing, so you can treat them any kind of way. New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D) echoed those comments. In two minutes and 26 seconds of video, we saw how our system criminalizes poverty, disproportionately punishes petty behavior and irresponsibly separates parents from children without considering the lasting damage that will occur to these parents and children, he tweeted. What happened to #JazmineHeadley is unacceptable. In 2 minutes and 26 seconds of video, we saw how our system criminalizes poverty, disproportionately punishes petty behavior and irresponsibly separates parents from children. pic.twitter.com/efqmgAdgdU NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) December 11, 2018 Head over to The New York Times to read Headleys full interview. Related Coverage NYPD Investigates 'Troubling' Video Of Cops Ripping 1-Year-Old From Mothers Arms Judge Orders Release Of NY Mom Whose Baby Was Ripped From Arms By Police Jazmine Headley's Arrest Shows What America Thinks Of Poor Black Women Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Weve lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Caltex Australia Limited (ASX:CTX), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. What Is Insider Selling? Its quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. 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. Check out our latest analysis for Caltex Australia Caltex Australia Insider Transactions Over The Last Year Chairman Steven Gregg made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$181k worth of shares at a price of AU$30.22 each. So its clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price. Its very possible they regret the purchase, but its more likely they are bullish about the company. We generally consider it a positive if insiders have been buying on market, even above the current price. In the last twelve months insiders paid AU$377k for 12.90k shares purchased. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Caltex Australia insiders. Their average price was about AU$29.23. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price of AU$26.84 attractive. You can see the insider transactions over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! Story continues ASX:CTX Insider Trading December 16th 18 There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Caltex Australia Insiders Bought Stock Recently We saw some Caltex Australia insider buying shares in the last three months. Insiders bought AU$67k worth of shares in that time. We like it when there are only buyers, and no sellers. But the amount invested in the last three months isnt enough for us too put much weight on it, as a single factor. Insider Ownership of Caltex Australia 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. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Its great to see that Caltex Australia insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about AU$11m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders. What Might The Insider Transactions At Caltex Australia Tell Us? The recent insider purchases are heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Caltex Australia we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. 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. By Ruth Anderah. Prosecution in the murder case against the son of ISO director Col. Kaka Bagyenda has revealed that the plea bargaining deal with the suspect has failed. Today both parties were meant to inform court about the progress of their discussions but instead prosecutions Joseph Kyomuhendo informed court that the negotiations have failed and asked for a full trial. On the 12th of December, Bagyende with his lawyer Nsubuga Mubiru asked High court judge Anthony Ojok Oyuko to allow him plead guilty to the charges of murdering his girlfriend Enid Twijukye in exchange of a lighter sentence. Senior criminal lawyer representing Brian Bagyenda he is insisting that, his client is still interested in the plea bargaining adding that by the time the alleged murder took place, Bagyende was on medical treatment at Butabika Hospital. Nsubuga explained that his client was under temporary insanity when the alleged offense of murder was committed. Nsubuga has now asked for a two week adjournment to see if the plea bargaining deal will be successful. Meanwhile lawyer Mungriek James, representing Bagyendas two accused has informed that his clients are not interested in a plea bargaining deal and ready to go for a full trial. Now the case has been adjourned until January 14th 2019 for hearing and further remanded until then. Bagyenda a Pharmacist together with Bainomugisha Innocent ; a cleaner and Vincent Rwahwire a casual laborer who are all residents of Kimwanyi zone in Luzira Nakawa Division, charged with the murder of Twijukye ; a 22year old former student of Ndejje University. Prosecution says the trio committed the offence at Njobe road in Luzira Nakawa Division at the home of Brian Bagyenda before dumping Twijukyes body in Namanve forest where it was later recovered by police. Related Stories. Bagyenda expected in court this morning SAN FRANCISCO (AP) In a rare step, the California Supreme Court has blocked Gov. Jerry Brown's attempt to issue a pardon to a 37-year-old Cambodian refugee who killed a woman when he was 14 years old. The court gave no reason for the rejection, but earlier noted it only had the authority to do so in the case of an "abuse of power." Brown's pardon would have effectively stopped Borey Ai's deportation to Cambodia, a nation where his mother was born but he has never seen. The governor in the last 10 months has pardoned seven ex-convicts who otherwise faced the threat of deportation to Cambodia, drawing the ire of President Donald Trump, whose administration has stepped up efforts to deport immigrants with criminal convictions. It takes at least four votes of the seven justices to block pardons. The unsigned ruling Wednesday didn't say how many justices voted to block the pardon. The governor is required to obtain the court's approval for pardons and sentence commutations for twice-convicted felons. Appellate lawyer David Ettinger said it appears the last time the court rejected a governor's pardon occurred in 1930. A spokesman for the governor, Brian Ferguson, declined comment. Ai was charged as an adult and convicted in Santa Clara County 1997 of second-degree murder and also of a separate robbery. He was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison. He spent 19 years in prison before parole officials decided he had turned his life around. He walked out of San Quentin prison in November 2016 and into the custody of waiting federal immigration agents who are trying to deport him to Cambodia. After prison, he spent 18 months in federal detention but was freed in May after Cambodia refused to accept him for now. Ai was represented by lawyers at the nonprofit legal aid organization Asian Law Caucus. "It is definitely a disappointment and definitely a surprise," said Anoop Prasad, one of Ai's lawyers. Prasad said the court didn't provide an explanation to Ai or his legal team. Prasad said lawyers are "considering other legal avenues" to reverse the state Supreme Court's decision. Prasad also said Ai is fighting his deportation in a federal appeals court. Parole officials recommended a pardon for Ai in October and dozens of advocates turned in more than 36,000 signatures asking Brown to pardon Ai. Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Aaron West objected to the pardon, arguing that Ai has been free for only months and has no track record of being a benefit to the community. Montreal (AFP) - Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. "The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. "We inherited actually a (Can)$15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Can$1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticized by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. - Historic Canadian arms deal - London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armored personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia. The deal, worth US$11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. Story continues After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawa's ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canada's rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. Canada is looking to cancel its multibillion-pound deal selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, prime minister Justin Trudeau has said. The announcement, made on Sunday in an interview with broadcaster CTV, represents a hardening in tone by the Canadian premier, who had previously warned of large penalties for Ottawa were it to scrap its $13bn (7.7bn) deal with Riyadh. We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia, Mr Trudeau said. He did not give further details, though the prime ministers office later noted Mr Trudeau has also called the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi unacceptable. Political opponents, citing the murder of Khashoggi and Saudi Arabias involvement in the Yemen war, have pressured Mr Trudeau to end the deal for armoured vehicles, which was negotiated by the previous Conservative government. Last month, Mr Trudeau said Canada could freeze the relevant export permits if it concluded the vehicles, made by the Canadian branch of General Dynamics, had been misused. Relations between Canada and Saudi Arabia have been tense since a diplomatic dispute over human rights earlier this year. In September, Riyadh expelled Canadas ambassador, recalled medical students from the country and curbed investment over tweets made by the Canadian foreign minister criticising Saudi Arabias human rights record. Then, in November, Saudi Arabia was forced to admit it was responsible for the murder of Khashoggi in its consulate in Istanbul. Republican senator Lindsey Graham says Saudi Crown Prince complicit in murder of Jamal Khashoggi to the highest level possible The killing sparked global outrage and piled pressure on major arms exporters, including the UK, to cancel sales to the Gulf state. The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and thats why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that, Mr Trudeau said on Sunday. Story continues The Danish, German, Dutch and Finnish governments have all imposed arms embargoes on Saudi Arabia over the ongoing killing of civilians in Yemen. So far, the British government has resisted joining the international efforts to stem the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe the UK has sold 4.7bn worth of arms to since 2015. Additional reporting by Reuters (Reuters) - A Glencore-controlled mining company and some of its current and former executives have agreed to pay more than $22 million to settle Canadian allegations they hid the risks of doing business with an Israeli close to Congolese President Joseph Kabila, the Wall Street Journal reported. The expected settlement between the Ontario Securities Commission and Toronto-listed Katanga Mining Ltd is related to the company's business activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2014 and 2016, the Journal reported, citing an anonymous source. A Glencore spokesman declined to comment. The Ontario Securities Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Glencore's share price rose around 1 percent by 0927 GMT, while the broader mining index was 1.4 percent higher. The Canadian regulator is expected to name several of Katanga's current and former executives in the settlement, which industrial sources said could be announced this week. Investigations have included exploring Katangas ties with Israeli businessman Dan Gertler, the report said. The settlement is also expected to allege that Katanga overstated copper production, understated mining costs and lacked proper internal financial controls, it added. A statement from Katanga in 2017 said the OSC was reviewing whether the company's previously filed financial statements "contain statements that are misleading in a material respect". Katanga had said the OSC was also investigating whether Katanga's corporate governance practices were adequate and the "related conduct" of certain unidentified company directors and officers. Glencore has faced a series of legal issues related to its activities in Congo, which is home to almost 60 percent of the world's supply of cobalt, a mineral expected to be in demand for batteries used in electric vehicles. In July, U.S. authorities demanded Glencore hand over documents about its business in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Venezuela and Nigeria as part of a corruption enquiry. Story continues Last year after an internal review into Katanga identified weaknesses in its financial reporting controls, three Glencore executives, including Aristotelis Mistakidis, the head of its copper group, stepped down from the board of Katanga. Mistakidis, one of Glencore's most senior executives, retires at the end of the year, Glencore announced earlier this month. Glencore Chief Executive Ivan Glasenberg, 61, has also said he wishes to retire by the time he is 65. Glencore's shares have fallen around 25 percent so far this year, in part, analysts say, because of concerns about geopolitical risk. Over the two previous years, the miner-trader had led a recovery of the mining sector following a deep crash in 2015-16. (Reporting by Caroline Stauffer and Barbara Lewis; Editing by Paul Simao and Dale Hudson) Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Theresa May has confirmed MPs will vote on her Brexit deal in the week commencing 14 January. The Prime Minister delayed the vote after accepting it would be defeated by the opposition and rebel MPs from her own party who are opposed to the agreement with the EU. After the announcement, Jeremy Corbyn accused Mrs May of leading the UK into a national crisis. Carly Ann Harris denied murdering her four-year-old daughter (Wales News/Getty Images) A mother who drowned and burned her four-year-old daughter as part of a sacrifice has been cleared of murder on the grounds of insanity. Carly Ann Harris, 38, killed Amelia Brooke Harris at their home after suffering a mental breakdown which, the court was told, made her believe she was saving the world. The jury returned a special verdict after hearing that psychiatrists for both the prosecution and defence agreed Harris was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, and sentenced her to an indefinite hospital order. Meghan Markles father has said he wants the Queen to step in and help mend the rift between him and his daughter. Thomas Markle said he has reached out to the Duchess of Sussex every day but has had no response from her. It is believed the pair havent spoke since Meghan and Harrys wedding in May. A satirical programme in Germany has named the UK its Golden Dumbass of the Year describing the nation as the most confused island in the world and comparing Brexit to a sickness. Heute Show awards the dubious prizes each year, also giving gongs to Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Wine bottles/photo by Bigstock Wine bottles/photo by Bigstock For those of us who lament how most restaurants in New York City can offer beer and wine with food, unlike New Jersey, theres a certain satisfaction in knowing that most New Jersey restaurants without liquor licenses allow beer and wine to be brought in as BYOB, or Bring Your Own Bottle. A lot less expensive, to be sure. Only problem was, until recently it was actually illegal for New Jersey restaurants to advertise availability of BYOB. N.J.S.A. 2C:33-27(a)(2) prohibits restaurants from advertising that patrons are permitted to bring their own alcoholic beverages either inside or outside the establishment. Its one of those laws that was long past its due date, like N.J.S.A. 51:1-13 (requiring burning a brand into a wooden container of butter or cheese) or N.J.S.A. 33-1-2 (limiting driving from out-of-state with more than one gallon of wine or 12 quarts of beer or two quarts of other liquor into the state). The law was not only frequently honored in the breach on restaurant websites and elsewhere, but you could always find any number of lists of the states BYOB restaurants on Yelp, Google or Trip Advisor. But as every lawyer should know, government restrictions on speech, even for truthful commercial speech, are protected by the First Amendment. And so in GJJM Ent, LLC, d/b/a Stiletto v. City of Atlantic City et al. (Civ. Action 17-2492 November 19, 2018), U.S. District Court Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez struck down the states prohibition against advertising BYOB as an unconstitutional infringement of First Amendment rights. Plaintiff, a club adjacent to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, contended that its fear of prosecution under New Jersey's ban on BYOB advertising prevented it from notifying its clientseither through radio, print, television, and online ads, or by exterior or interior signagethat they are permitted to bring their own beer or wine to the club. Judge Rodriguez first analyzed the ban as a pure state restriction on speech under Section 1983 and then also under the commercial speech framework set out in Central Hudson Gas & Elec. v. Public Serv. Comm'n, 447 U.S. 557 (1980). He ruled that the BYOB advertising ban on its face draws distinctions based on the message the speaker conveys and is therefore subject to strict scrutiny and is presumptively unconstitutional. Further, he cited the U.S. Supreme Courts admonition in Liquor Mart, Inc. v. Rhode Island, 517 U.S. 484, 501 (1996) (overturning a ban on publishing comparative liquor prices), in declaring that by failing to leave open satisfactory alternative channels of communication, the statute provides a complete ban on truthful, non-misleading commercial speech about a lawful product. The state presented no compelling government interest for banning BYOB advertisingwhile permitting liquor stores and restaurants with liquor licenses to advertise on-site alcohol salesand instead simply insisted that under the 21st Amendment, it has a strong interest in regulating alcoholic beverages to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the state through the promotion of temperance. Seriously? Judge Rodriguezs Central Hudson analysis was also unyielding because again, the state had little of substance to say in the statutes defense, neither asserting a substantial interest in regulating the speech at issue, nor showing that the regulation directly advances the governmental interest asserted while not more extensive than necessary to serve that interest. One might wonder why the state defended the statute at all, except that the answer is not hard to fathom: New Jerseys archaic system of strict limitation on the availability of restaurant liquor licenses has created a powerful vested interest in those who own them and the distributors who supply them. They fear any competition that would lessen the value their asset gains from government-created scarcity. As is often the case in such matters, their representatives are a powerful, effective voice in favor of the status quo before both the Legislature and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. It is hopefully just a matter of time before the states outmoded and monopolistic system of liquor regulation goes the way of taxi medallions did in the face of competition from Uber and Lyft. In the meantime, it is still difficult for many premium out-of-state wineries to sell to New Jersey residents for even a "wine of the month" club, and as for buying in supermarkets or bulk stores, dont hold your breath. At least now, your favorite BYOB can advertise the fact that you can bring your wine or beer and enjoy them while eating dinner for half the markup charged by restaurants with liquor licenses. Drink up (but dont drive!) China's push to lead the global development of electric cars is nearing a moment of truth. Two of the largest start-ups in the industry both Chinese launched new passenger vehicles in the last week. The announcements come with less than two years to go before Beijing's subsidies are set to end, and as better-known brands such as Tesla (TSLA) move into the massive Chinese market. Nio (NIO), a $7.9 billion Shanghai-based company listed in New York, announced Saturday its second line of commercially available SUVs will be available beginning June 2019. Prices for the ES6 begin at 358,000 yuan ($51,883), excluding subsidies. That's about 400,000 less than the local price tag for models sold by Tesla, which is targeting the same luxury market as Nio. In the medium-priced market, Guangzhou-based Xpeng announced last Wednesday that prices excluding subsidies for its first commercially available vehicle, the G3, will begin at 227,800 yuan (about $33,000) with deliveries starting that day. "Given the size of the market, the Chinese (original equipment manufacturers) have the opportunity to go down the cost curve and build an advantage globally," Pierre-Henri Boutot, a partner at Bain, said in a phone interview last week. "There is an inflection point coming in 2020," he said, explaining that's when he expects consumers will find battery-powered electric vehicles just as competitive as internal combustion ones from a total cost perspective. "This change will begin faster in China compared to global(ly). That's a tremendous opportunity for local OEMs," Boutot said. The question is whether the Chinese players can survive when government subsidies end, or in regions where the state has less influence. Beijing began its subsidies program in 2010 to spur the nascent industry. The central and provincial governments have spent the equivalent of several thousand U.S. dollars per vehicle and encouraged purchasing by eliminating taxes and making it easier to get a license plate. In fact, Chinese government ministries and agencies have had requirements to buy electric vehicles, Scott Kennedy, China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a November report. Story continues Beijing's plan is to end the subsidies by 2020 and it has already begun raising requirements to obtain them, especially as there are concerns of what an official called "blind" development. Shifting business models Nio and Xpeng are just two of many Chinese electric car companies that have popped up in the last few years under Beijing's support for the vehicles. Related Chinese government spending has topped 390 billion yuan, or more than 42 percent of commercial activity in the industry, CSIS' Kennedy estimated in his report So far this year, venture capitalists have poured roughly $6.7 billion into Chinese electric car companies, following investments of $4.8 billion last year and $2.4 billion in 2016, according to Pitchbook data as of Dec. 11. China's largest technology companies have also joined the race. Tencent (700-HK) is an investor in Nio, while Alibaba (BABA) backs Xpeng, which was valued at $3.6 billion during a fundraising round in August. The bet is that the start-ups can prove a new business model for the car industry. "What the industry needs to change is not just technology, but the industry also needs to change the way in which it interacts with customers. The customer experience also needs to change," William Li, Nio founder and CEO said in Mandarin during an interview with CNBC this weekend. "The number of companies that can achieve these kinds of changes at the same time is very few. I believe our direction is correct." The company's major selling points are three-minute battery swaps, a fleet of vehicles providing mobile power banks and a network of clubhouses for users, typically set in prime real estate locations in major Chinese cities. The company intends to more than double the number of its "Nio Houses" and pop-up stores to 70 from 26 by the end of 2019. However, Nio's plans to expand into the U.S. and launch an autonomous vehicle there in 2020 appear to be on the back burner for now. The company announced in late November its U.S. CEO Padmasree Warrior is leaving, effective Dec. 17, for personal reasons. When asked about the 2020 launch plan, Li declined to confirm a change, but noted that the company has not mentioned U.S. plans since its September IPO. The opportunity within China remains large. Bain has predicted penetration of battery-powered electric vehicles to reach 18 percent in 2025, and likely top 70 percent by 2040. Xpeng is trying to differentiate itself with its years-long product development process, lower price tag and integration of autonomous-driving features such as assistance with parking. The company is also rapidly expanding its physical presence from just four locations in southern China to a planned 60 to 70 stores in nearly 30 cities nationwide in the next 12 months. "A lot of these start-ups will fade away. Most will disappear," Brian Gu, vice chairman of Xpeng, said in a phone interview last week. "I actually believe subsidies may not be good for the market, because it distorts the demand curve. The product itself has to prove itself as a gas engine alternative." Gu would not share exact sales figures, but said pre-sales have increased nine times from August to November. As of Dec. 15, Nio said it has delivered 9,726 units of its ES8 SUV since deliveries began in late June. Based on November figures, that means Nio delivered 1,696 vehicles in about two weeks and is on pace to reach its target of 10,000 for the second half of 2018. "The biggest change for the industry, for Nio, is to cope with a market that is not growing," said Bill Russo, founder and CEO of Shanghai-based consultancy Automobility Limited. "I see the future of mobility (as) increasingly shared." "The global automotive industry is facing an existential crisis because it has relied on Asian and emerging markets for its growth," Russo added. "China was the growth engine for the global automotive industry. If China becomes a market industry served by electric vehicles, (traditional automakers) have the challenge of investing in the new technology." Storms with the greatest potential to disrupt travel will focus on the East and the Northwest in the days leading up to Christmas. Some of the best weather-related travel conditions are likely over the Southwest and portions of the Plains through Christmas. Delays and disruptions due to weather in these areas are likely to be brief when compared to other parts of the nation. The combination of commuter traffic around the major cities and the beginnings of holiday travel are likely to make Thursday, Dec. 20, one of the worst days to travel for the Christmas holiday this year, not including weather-related issues, according to the American Automobile Association. A record-breaking 112.5 million are expected to travel by means ranging from their car to an airliner, bus or train, AAA stated. The weather will contribute to delays and may cause a number of flight cancellations in parts of the nation during a percentage of the extended holiday. Download the free AccuWeather app to see when weather might throw a wrench into your holiday travel plans. Major rainstorm in eastern US to cause substantial travel dangers, delays A major storm is forecast to bring drenching rain and thunderstorms beginning on Wednesday near the upper Gulf of Mexico coast. However, the risk of slick roads is likely to expand northward from along the Interstate 10 corridor on Wednesday, Dec. 19, to areas from the Southeast to part of the Midwest and Northeast by week's end. There is the potential for damaging thunderstorms centered on the Florida Peninsula on Thursday. Static Thursday Travel 2 pm Enough rain is likely to fall from the storm as it moves along to aggravate the small stream and river flooding situation in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions and lead to urban and small stream flooding in New England. Motorists should expect delays related to rain, fog and low-lying area flooding to become more extensive as the week draws to a close. A swath of heavy rain is likely to shift northward along the I-95 corridor from Thursday to Friday night. Philadelphia, New York City and Boston may be hit hard with heavy rain for a time. Story continues As the storm strengthens moving northward, winds generated may become strong enough to knock over poorly-rooted trees in the soggy soil. Motorists venturing on secondary roads in wooded areas during their travels should be wary of the added risk of trees coming down during the storm. Static Friday US 2 pm At least 16 locations in the eastern U.S. have already recorded their wettest year on record, and a couple dozen more currently are experiencing the second or third wettest year on record, according to the National Weather Service. Airline delays in the East due to episodes of fog and a low cloud ceiling are likely. While the same storm will bring rain initially, a change to snow is likely on the back side from the middle part of the Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes region. The potential for rain to change to or end as snow includes the cities of Chicago, Milwaukee and Indianapolis Thursday night into Friday; Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati during Friday and perhaps Pittsburgh during Friday night. More storms to hit western US into next week The train of storms that began to affect the Pacific coast last week will continue to blast the Northwest into early next week. Each storm has the potential to increase the risk of flash flooding and mudslides, while rounds of snow over the high country raise the risk of avalanches. While the coastal Northwest will be between storms on Wednesday, snow will shift inland over parts of the northern and central Rockies with wintry travel this day. Gusty winds in these areas will cause further travel difficulties at midweek. On Thursday, the next storm in the train will hit the I-5 corridor from western Washington to coastal Northern California with drenching rain. While most of the snow will fall above pass level with the storm in the Cascades and northern Sierra Nevada, rain may end as snow late Thursday night. Snow from this storm will then spread inland over the northern Rockies on Friday. Additional storms with coastal rain and mountain snow are scheduled to roll ashore in the Northwest, including one on Saturday night. Snow may fall as far south as the central Sierra Nevada and higher elevations of the Great Basin with that storm on Sunday. Static Dec 24 Yet another storm may roll ashore on Christmas Eve. However, the latest indications are that this storm may shift farther south along the Pacific coast with rain and mountain snow showers possible over California on Christmas Day. Chance of some snow in Midwest, Northeast just prior to and during Christmas Cold winds and lake-effect snow are forecast for the eastern Great Lakes region this weekend in the wake of the big rainstorm. There is the potential for a swath of wintry travel conditions that may extend well beyond the snow belts of the Great Lakes during the first part of next week. The latest indications are that there may be two weak storms instead of one. The weaker of the two features may gather enough moisture to produce a swath of snow showers or a light wintry mix from the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley to parts of the Northeast on Monday, Christmas Eve. Rain showers would extend farther south over the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys to Texas. The timing of the storm and extent of the snow are not set in stone, as a large pool of dry and chilly air over Ontario and Quebec, Canada, at that time may suppress the storm's snowfall. A second storm may bring snow and a wintry mix over the Midwest and southern Ohio Valley during Monday night and across the central Appalachians and parts of the mid-Atlantic on Christmas Day. This wintry concoction may reach the mid-Atlantic coastline during Christmas night. Details on the extent of snow and wintry mix with both systems will be passed along as they become available in the coming days. Forecaster Challenge News Story Banner Test your weather prediction skills by clicking the image above and playing Forecaster Challenge. By Benjamin Jumbe. Kampala City Traders Association has called for sustained operations and enforcement to rid the city streets of vendors. This comes days after the minister for Kampala Betty Kamya banned street vending, directing all vendors off the streets this festive season. Speaking to KFM, the Associations chairman Everest Kayondo said continued presence of street vendors affects operations of the shop owners especially during the festive season. A congressional delegation will visit the New Mexico border station where a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl was detained before dying at a nearby hospital amid calls by her father for a transparent investigation into the circumstances that led to her death. The child, Jakelin Caal Maquin, was with her father were in a group of 163 migrants that was detained by US Border Patrol on 6 December in a remote area of the New Mexico desert. She then became sick while being transferred on a 90-minute drive from Antelope Wells port of entry in New Mexico to a station on Lordsburg. Officials say that she began vomiting and stopped breathing while in Border Patrol custody, and then suffered from cardiac arrest after being transferred to a Texas hospital. The death was not immediately reported by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to Congress, as is custom. The death has become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing debate in the United States over the treatment of migrants attempting to cross into the US after travelling through Mexico, many to get away from violent and impoverished conditions in Central America. As those members of Congress planned their visit, the father has called for a thorough investigation into his childs death. Eleven members of the House of Representatives now plan on visiting the station in Lordsburg on Tuesday, led by incoming Hispanic Caucus Chairman Representative Joaquin Castro. CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan is also expected to take a tour of the station. Read more How bad does the migrant crisis have to get for Trump to see sense We can do better as a nation, Mr Castro said recently in a statement. This is a humanitarian crisis and we have a moral obligation to ensure these vulnerable families can safely seek asylum, which is legal under immigration and international law at our borders. Jakelins father, Nery Gilberto Caal, has said that he initially told agents that his daughter was sick during the transport between stations, and that the CBP officer called ahead to indicate that she would need emergency care once she arrived. When they finally arrived, CBP officers performed emergency services on the girl before taking her to the hospital, where she was revived after a cardiac arrest but died about an hour later. Story continues The father has since said that he does not blame CBP for his daughters death, and has indicated he is grateful for the efforts to save his daughters life. But, he has contradicted the Border Patrols official account of the events leading up to her death they have indicated the she had not been given food or water for days while walking through the desert to the US-Mexico border and have said they were dropped off about a 90-minute walk from the border instead. In a statement released to the media, Mr Caal said he is grateful for the many first responders that tried to save young Jakelins life in New Mexico and Texas. Ruben Garcia, the director of Annunciation House, a non-profit organization working with the family said they wanted a full investigation that will assess this incident within nationally recognised standards for the arrest and custody of children. The family intends to assist in such an investigation into the cause and circumstances of Jakelins death, Mr Garcia added. Both father and daughter had lived together with Jakelins mother and three other children in a remote area of Guatemala. Copa Holdings, S.A. CPA posted impressive traffic numbers for November 2018. Load factor (percentage of seats filled by passengers) improved as traffic growth outpaced capacity expansion. Consolidated traffic (measured in revenue passenger miles or RPMs) came in at 1.7 billion, up 6.7% from the year-ago figure. On a year-over-year basis, consolidated capacity (or available seat miles/ASMs) rose 4.1% to 2 billion. Notably, consolidated load factor (percentage of seats filled by passengers) expanded 2.1 percentage points (pp) to 84.3%. At the end of the first 11 months of 2018, Copa Holdings generated RPMs of 19.7 billion (up 8.4% year over year) and ASMs of 23.6 billion (up 8% year over year). Consequently, load factor registered a rise of 0.3 pp year over year to 83.5%. Copa Holdings, S.A. Price Copa Holdings, S.A. Price | Copa Holdings, S.A. Quote Apart from the traffic report, the carrier was recently in news when it reached a joint business agreement (JBA) with United Continental Holdings UAL wholly-owned subsidiary United Airlines and Avianca (including several of its affiliates). The JBA, on approval from the government, is anticipated to facilitate travel experience between the United States and 19 countries in Central and South America. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Copa Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Transportation sector are Air France-KLM SA AFLYY and Spirit Airlines, Inc. SAVE, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Shares of Air France and Spirit Airlines have gained 26.7% and 49.7% in the past six months, respectively. 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 Spirit Airlines, Inc. (SAVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Air France-KLM SA (AFLYY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Copa Holdings, S.A. (CPA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Monday he would step down from a government council dealing with European Union subsidies to avert any suspicion of conflict of interest over funds for his former business group. The Agrofert group receives EU subsidies in a combination of non-discretionary direct payments for farming and for business, environmental and other projects. Babis put the group into trusts in 2017. However, his critics say he is still in control as the trusts are managed by his wife and lawyers. The European Parliament called on the European Commission on Thursday to suspend EU funding to Agrofert until a full investigation into the suspected conflict of interest had been carried out. Gunther Oettinger, the EU commissioner for budget and human resources, sent a letter setting out options for Babis to avoid conflict of interests, one of which was to exclude himself from decisions affecting his business interests. Babis, the second-richest Czech, said on Monday he would choose this option. The others were either for him to cut all ties to Agrofert or for subsidies to the group to be halted. "We have agreed at the government today that I will resign from the Council for Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) ... effective immediately," Babis said after a regular government meeting. He added he would also take no part in government decisions on EU funds. "We are acting according to the points which the commissioner states as possibilities," Babis told reporters. "Although we don't agree (that there is a conflict of interest)." Agrofert, the biggest private employer in the country, earned 4.8 billion crowns ($211 million) in profit in 2017. It said last week its Czech-based operations had received 10.24 billion crowns in subsidies in the period 2006-2017. (Reporting by Robert Muller; editing by Andrew Roche) Ken Godward, 76, was one of two patients who died after being attacked by another patient (Picture: PA) The deaths of two elderly patients who were attacked with a walking stick by another pensioner on a hospital ward were a monstrous outrage, a coroner has said. Ken Godward, 76, and Roger Lamb, 79, passed away after being beaten by Harry Bosomworth, 70, who had schizophrenia, at St Jamess University Hospital in Leeds in February 2015. An inquest heard how Mr Bosomworths behaviour had started to deteriorate prior to the incident, and that he was suffering a psychotic episode and believed that his home was being raided by intruders at the time of the attack. Recording narrative verdicts, coroner Kevin McLoughlin told Wakefield Coroners Court on Monday that there was no fault on the part of the hospital, that the incident could not have been foreseen and that the attack was only a contributory factor in each mans death. The two patients were attacked at St Jamess University Hospital in Leeds (Picture: PA) He said: That two men suffered in this way is a monstrous outrage, perpetrated in a hospital where they would have expected to have been safe. It is offensive to any right-thinking member of society that this should happen to them. We must establish how it was that a person came to be at their bedside with a weapon and be able to inflict such injuries. MORE: Driver slaps note on ambulance for making him late as paramedics battled to save a life MORE: Festive farmer spreads Christmas cheer with tractor made of 11,000 fairy lights The inquest heard how Mr Lamb had been trying to help Mr Godward when he sustained his injures. Mr McLoughlin said: That a 79-year-old man, who himself was suffering from his own illnesses, would go to the aid of a fellow patient speaks volumes. He deserves a commendation, in my submission. Earlier this year, a leaked investigation report detailed how Mr Bosomworth was admitted to the hospital suffering from oesophageal cancer. It explained how a decision was taken to stop an anti-psychotic drug despite warnings from his family. Mr McLoughlin explained that the decision had been prompted by fears that the drug had contributed to two seizures that Mr Bosomworth suffered within days of being admitted, adding that there were justified clinical reasons for not prescribing the medication. Story continues The inquest heard how Mr Bosomworth had been given a sedative drug in the early hours of February 28 after acting strangely, but was found at around 7am with his walking stick, standing close to the injured Mr Godward and Mr Lamb, wearing only his underwear. Witnesses told how Mr Lamb, a former civil servant, had blood on his face, while an injured Mr Godward was in tears. Mr Godward passed away days after the attack (Picture: PA) They both passed away days later, the inquest heard. The coroner told how Mr Bosomworth had not demonstrated aggression in the lead up to the attack, and said that nurses had treated him in the correct way and were vigilant in regularly checking on him. Pathologist Kirsten Hope said that the blunt force trauma suffered by both men contributed to their deaths. But Dr Hope said Mr Godwards immediate cause of death was a chest infection caused by Alzheimers, with Mr McLoughlin explaining how the injuries sustained in the attack had a more than minimal contribution. She said Mr Lamb also died from a chest infection, in his case caused by a fractured hip. Passing on his condolences to the families, the coroner said that such incidents are vanishingly rare and were not a cavalier oversight on the hospitals part. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Famagusta (Cyprus) (AFP) - Residents from both sides of Cyprus are coming together to restore their ancient heritage and mend ties away from politics even as peace talks remain stalled. Over the past decade Greek and Turkish Cypriots have joined forces to rebuild and restore dozens of churches, mosques and historical monuments on the Mediterranean island, after they were damaged by conflict or neglect. "We are cooperating, we are working together and we are bringing new hope to the people living on this island for a better future," said Turkish Cypriot Ali Tuncay, who sits on a bi-communal body that oversees the work. "Some of our friends are saying that we are a mini-model for the future of Cyprus," added the member of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage. John Karis, the Greek Cypriot secretary of the committee, agreed. He said the project was "vital" because it brings people together. Alongside "restoring the buildings, we also restore our history", he said. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the northern third of the island in response to an Athens-engineered military coup, after a decade of intercommunal tension and violence between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority. The last talks to reunify the island collapsed last year. A 12-member team oversees the conservation project that was launched in 2008, sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Six were picked by the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, and the other six by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an entity still only recognised by Ankara. - Church and Tanners' mosque - "This is a tangible example of the important role cultural heritage can play in reinforcing a shared identity and contributing to peace and confidence building," said Tiziana Zennaro, who heads the UNDP's Cyprus office. Zennaro spoke this week during a presentation on ruins that have been restored on both sides of a UN-patrolled buffer zone which slices through Cyprus, and conservation work that is still underway. Story continues The city of Famagusta -- which boasts an ancient walled city and breathtaking medieval ruins, abutting the buffer zone in north Cyprus -- is at the heart of the joint restoration initiative. Landmarks in old Famagusta -- including Saint Anne's Church and Tanners' mosque -- have had a makeover. Historians believe the church was built in the 4th century as part of a monastic complex, initially for the Catholic order before being given to the Maronite sect in the 14th century. A peek through the metal barriers surrounding the construction reveal the freshly painted wooden frames of stained glass windows boasting French Gothic designs. Tanners' mosque, named after tanners who worked nearby, lies across the street and was originally a small church, before the Ottomans laid siege to Famagusta. Tanners reputedly went there to avoid going to larger mosques where they feared the smell that stuck to their skin and clothes would offend other worshippers. - 'Hatred is my only enemy' - Famagusta's "Land Gate" -- the walled city's main entrance -- and the towering Ravelin Bastion that protected it from attack have also been restored. The bastion was originally built into natural rock by the Lusignans, before being fortified by the Venetians and later modified by the Ottomans. It reopened in June. "This project... creates communication and communication means understanding each other," said Turkish Cypriot poet and Famagusta resident Ruhsan Iskifoglu. A mosque in Deneia, inside the UN-patrolled buffer zone, is also being restored. Residents say it was originally built using stones from a church that was destroyed in 1571 during an Ottoman military campaign. Traces of an Islamic mural can be seen on a wall in the one-room house of worship, while on another wall hangs a frame inscribed with the words "Hatred is my only enemy" -- the words of the Turkish poet Yunus Emre. Christakis Panayiotou, who heads Deneia council, is proud of the conservation work and the cooperation that gave rise to it. "The most important thing... is to be able to show and to tell the world that we Greek Cypriots and Turk Cypriots must live together." For Meltem Onurkan Samani -- a political advisor to northern Cyprus' president Mustafa Akinci -- the restorations seek to heal "historical wounds". The EU has so far provided 14.7 million euros ($13 million) for the project, while funds have also come from local associations and NGOs. This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). Well look at DWS Limiteds (ASX:DWS) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the companys share price. DWS has a price to earnings ratio of 9.65, based on the last twelve months. That means that at current prices, buyers pay A$9.65 for every A$1 in trailing yearly profits. See our latest analysis for DWS How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio? The formula for price to earnings is: Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share Earnings per Share (EPS) Or for DWS: P/E of 9.65 = A$1.17 A$0.12 (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2018.) Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good? A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each A$1 of company earnings. All else being equal, its better to pay a low price but as Warren Buffett said, Its far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. When earnings grow, the E increases, over time. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others and that may attract buyers. DWSs earnings per share fell by 8.5% in the last twelve months. But over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have increased by 6.1%. How Does DWSs P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. The image below shows that DWS has a lower P/E than the average (22.7) P/E for companies in the it industry. ASX:DWS PE PEG Gauge December 16th 18 DWSs P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued. Story continues Remember: P/E Ratios Dont Consider The Balance Sheet The Price in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. That means it doesnt take debt or cash into account. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings. Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof). Is Debt Impacting DWSs P/E? DWSs net debt is 1.2% of its market cap. The market might award it a higher P/E ratio if it had net cash, but its unlikely this low level of net borrowing is having a big impact on the P/E multiple. The Bottom Line On DWSs P/E Ratio DWS has a P/E of 9.6. Thats below the average in the AU market, which is 15. With only modest debt, its likely the lack of EPS growth at least partially explains the pessimism implied by the P/E ratio. Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold. You might be able to find a better buy than DWS. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). 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. Dominion Energy Inc. D announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 10% hike in annual dividend to $3.67 per share. The revised quarterly dividend of 91.75 cents will be paid to its shareholders in March 2019. A Long Track Record of Dividend Hike During the first nine months of 2018, the company paid dividend worth $1,635 million compared with $1,435 million in the year-ago period. This hike marks its 16th consecutive year of dividend increase. In addition, this is the 364th consecutive dividend that Dominion or its predecessor company has paid to its shareholders. The current dividend yield will be 4.77% compared with the Zacks S&P 500 Composites 2.04%. Whats Driving the Dividend? Dominions planned investment in different segments and positive returns from the completed capital projects are expected to drive earnings at a 6-8% compound average growth rate from 2017 through 2020. Since the regulated assets contribute a major portion of the companys earnings, it provides future earnings visibility. In December 2018, Dominions 1,588 megawatt natural gas-fueled Greensville County Power Station started commercial operation in Virginia, which will also contribute to bottom-line growth. The proposed merger between Dominion and SCANA Corporation SCG is likely to be another positive for the company. The merger is expected to be completed soon, as approval from the South Carolina Commission has already been received. The companys operations provide a stable source of cash flows, which can be used to fund ongoing projects and increase the dividend per share. Dividend Hike - Common for Utilities Utilities are one of the safest investment bets, due to its domestic focus and mostly regulated assets. In addition, the demand for utilities remains immune to the vagaries of the economy, which assure steady performance from the mature utility companies and consistent dividend payment. We notice that other utilities have also raised their dividend rates during the second half of 2018. Duke Energy Corporation DUK and American Electric Power Company AEP have raised the quarterly rate by 4.2% and 8.1%, respectively, to reward its shareholders. Zacks Rank & Price Movement Dominion currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues In the past three months, Dominion's shares have gained 7% compared with its industry's rally of 5.2%. 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 American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) : Free Stock Analysis Report SCANA Corporation (SCG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Dominion Energy Inc. (D) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research LUXEMBOURG/WARSAW (Reuters) - The European Union's top court ruled on Monday that Poland must immediately suspend a law that forced some Supreme Court judges to retire, drawing a line under a dispute between Warsaw and Brussels. Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party had already agreed to scrap the law that lowered the judges' retirement age, after the European Court of Justice issued an interim judgment against the legislation in October. Monday's order made the court decision final. The eurosceptic and nationalist PiS initially pushed through a range of new powers after coming to power in 2015 that rights groups and EU officials said threatened the rule of law and increased the government's control over Polish courts. PiS originally argued the changes were needed to improve the efficiency of the courts and rid the country of a residue of Communism. But as it prepares for national elections next year, it has shown signs of softening its position on a number of issues. President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling party, said late on Monday he had approved revamped legislation to reverse the change to the judges' retirement age. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Marcin Goclowski; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Mark Potter) By Ivan Ssenabulya. Music promoters are set to petition the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga protesting the move by police to block all Bobi Wines concerts during the festive season. According to Kyadondo East MP also known as Bobi Wine, police banned all his planned concerts, without a clear explanation. Promoters under their umbrella Uganda Music Promoters and Venue Owners Network notified the speaker about the petition to be presented tomorrow. Speaking to KFM, the associations coordinator Tony Ssempijja said they are meeting today to finalize their arrangements. He says polices ban on Bobi concerts is likely to force promoters, venue owners and musicians out of the business. This comes as police blocked Bobi Wines concert in Jinja over the weekend. Related stories Mao speaks out on Bobi Wines cancelled show Luxembourg (AFP) - Poland on Monday bowed to a ruling by the EU's top court ordering it to suspend a law that had lowered the retirement age of its Supreme Court judges amid concerns about judicial independence. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) had initially ordered Poland on October 19 to suspend the law before finalising the "interim measure" on Monday. "Poland must immediately suspend the application of the provisions of national legislation relating to the lowering of the retirement age for Supreme Court judges," the ECJ said in a statement. Polish President Andrzej Duda signed the legislation reversing the retirements on Monday evening, with only hours to spare before a midnight deadline set by Polish law. On November 21, Poland's parliament passed the legislation bowing to the initial EU court ruling. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, has been locked in a bitter battle over sweeping judicial changes introduced by Poland's right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government since it took office in 2015. The showdown has led the EU to trigger unprecedented proceedings against Poland over "systemic threats" to the rule of law that could eventually see its EU voting rights suspended. In early October, the Commission took Poland's government to the ECJ for lowering the age at which Supreme Court judges must retire from 70 to 65. On October 19, the court ordered Poland to suspend the law "pending the making of an order closing the interim proceedings". The court, which upheld the interim measures on Monday, is expected to make a permanent decision in the case next year. Antananarivo (AFP) - Madagascar's second-round election on Wednesday pits two former presidents against each other in a long-awaited and bitter battle for power in which their strong personalities dominate over political policies. - Ravalomanana: milkman-turned-millionaire - Marc Ravalomanana, 69, was ousted in 2009 and is now looking for revenge at the ballot box. Born into a peasant family, he once worked as a milkman before going on to form an agriculture and food empire after creating Tiko yoghurt. He first emerged on the political stage when he became mayor of Antananarivo in 1999. Despite having no party machine behind him, the self-made business tycoon ran for president two years later, defeating the incumbent Didier Ratsiraka and taking over in 2002 following a wave of violent street protests. He was reelected in 2006 in the first round of voting and secured the cancellation of Madagascar's debt. While supporters lauded his indefatigable energy, critics accused him of acting like a dictator, with criticism building from the end of 2008. On February 7, 2009, his presidential guard opened fire on supporters of Andry Rajoelina, Antananarivo's mayor at the time, as they marched on the presidential palace. Ravalomanana was forced to hand power to the army who subsequently passed the presidential reins to his rival Rajoelina. He then went into exile, not returning to the Indian Ocean island nation until the election of Hery Rajaonarimampianina in 2014. Back at the head of his party Tiako I Madagasikara (TIM) -- or "I Love Madagascar" -- Ravalomanana has plotted a careful strategy to regain power and has studiously courted the international donor nations on which the island depends. Faced with a younger opponent, he has embraced his nickname "Daddy" and styled himself as the experienced "father of the Nation" who knows how to "build a prosperous Madagascar". "Daddy is back," he told thousands of enthusiastic supporters in the capital. Story continues Asked during the campaign how he would react to a Rajoelina win, Ravalomanana told AFP: "I would accept the results, within limits". - Rajoelina: return of 'the disc jockey'? - Andry Rajoelina, 44, had slight lead over Ravalomanana in the first round and has attracted impressive numbers to his rallies, which have featured performance artists and fireworks. His policies have attracted ridicule from his rivals, such as a proposal to fit zebu cows with trackers to battle rustling, and a scheme to convert Tamatave port into a "Malagasy Miami". Rajoelina burst onto the political scene in 2007. He was previously known for promoting parties in the capital, earning him the nickname "the disc jockey", but he caused an upset when he won the city's mayoral race. Helped by his own Viva broadcasting channel and strong communications skills, he quickly established himself as the leading voice of opposition to then-president Ravalomanana. His supporters openly defied the regime with the tacit support of the military, who helped oust Ravalomanana in 2009. Rajoelina defended his elevation to the presidential palace on the back of a coup d'etat, telling AFP: "It was a popular uprising." At the time, Rajoelina, who was in his mid-30s, struggled to lead the country out of crisis as its unelected leader. His rivals also accused him of rampant corruption, greed, and turning a blind eye to the pillage of the country's natural resources, including its precious rosewood forests. His failings won him the nickname "crayfish" -- a crustacean that walks backwards. Under international pressure, Rajoelina did not contest the 2013 election and backed his victorious former finance minister Hery Rajaonarimampianina. The two quickly fell out, and two years ago Rajoelina vowed to win back office at the ballot box. Rajoelina has been energetic on the campaign trail, bringing a sense of excitement and change to his spectacular rallies. But his policies have been criticised as unrealistic -- such as fitting zebu cattle with GPS microchips to tackle widespread poaching, and critics have questioned how he funds his lavish campaigning. "He is inconstant, easily manipulated and only seeks his own advantage," said Monja Roindefo, who served briefly as his prime minister. But Rajoelina has dismissed his critics and vowed to transform his country. "The situation is catastrophic in Madagascar, I would like to give people hope and pride," he said. "I will be a president of the poor people who protects the poor." The father of the 7-year-old who died earlier this month after being taken into Border Patrol custody is calling for an objective and thorough investigation of her death. Nery Caal Cuz, who is currently staying at a shelter in El Paso, Texas, released a statement prepared by his lawyers Saturday, about the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border together. The pair had been traveling from Guatemala in hopes of seeking asylum in the United States. While Cuzs statement said that he is grateful to the first responders who tried to save his daughter, it also contradicted several statements made by the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security had said that Cuz had signed a document stating that he and his daughter were in good health after the crossed the border. Cuzs statement said that his and his daughters first language is Qeqchi, a Mayan language, and they speak Spanish as a second language. However, the Department of Homeland Security form was in English. It is unacceptable for any government agency to have persons in custody sign documents in a language they clearly do not understand, Cuzs statement said. While the Department of Homeland Security said that Maquin had not been taking food or water for a few days, Cuz also said his daughter had, in fact, been eating and drinking in the time up to their border crossing. The statement also noted that despite media and government reports, the family has not yet been informed about the cause of Maquins death. https://www.facebook.com/homelandsecurity/posts/2256926350986655?__tn__=K-R Ruben Garcia, the executive director for Annunciation Housethe non-profit which runs the shelter said in a press conference yesterday that Maquin had appeared to be fine as the two of them were traveling through Mexico. Hes been very clear, very consistent that his daughter was healthy, and his daughter very much wanted to come with him, Garcia said. Story continues Garcia also emphasized that it is important to Cuz that there be an objective and thorough investigation into what happened to his daughter. Speaking for himself, Garcia faulted the American governments harsh policies for forcing families to take more dangerous routes into the country despite the fact that seeking asylum is legal under national and international law. What people are doing is theyre going further and further out, and that is dangerous. It is endangering the life and welfare of families and obviously of children, Garcia added While he said that Cuzs lawyers had asked him not to reveal details about the specific case, Garcia said that he knows from his experience at Assumption House that many families crossing the border illegally feel that they have no other choice. Their lives are beyond impossible. None of us in the United States can imagine, said Garcia. PARIS (AP) The man described as the father of the 29-year-old suspect in this week's deadly Christmas market attack in Strasbourg says his son subscribed to the beliefs of the Islamic State group. The interview with Abdelkrim Chekatt by the state-run France 2 television channel was shown Saturday night, two days after the son was killed in a confrontation with three police officers in his childhood neighborhood in Strasbourg following a massive manhunt. Four people died in the Tuesday night attack. A dozen others were wounded. The Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg, seat of the European Parliament, is the largest in France. It reopened on Friday after being closed during the search for the suspect. Chekatt said he had seen his son, Cherif Chekatt, three days before the attack but couldn't contact him while he was on the run. He acknowledged that his son backed the IS group. "He'd say, for example, that Daesh, fights for the just cause and all that," the red-bearded father said, using the common term in France and elsewhere for the Islamic State group. The interview, initially outdoors with the father, continued briefly inside with Cheriff Chekatt's mother, Rouadja Rouag, who expressed shock and sorrow for the deaths. France 2 said the couple had been divorced for a long time. Abdelkrim Chekatt, a French-Algerian, said he'd tried in the past to dissuade his son from backing the Islamic State, saying, "You don't see the atrocities they commit." The son would reply that "it's not them," the father said. Shortly after Chekatt's death, the Islamic State group's Amaq news agency claimed he was a "soldier" of the group. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner rejected the claim as "totally opportunistic." The father and mother and two siblings of the suspected killer were among seven people held for questioning. French media reported that the family members were released. The three others, still in custody, are unrelated but close to Chekatt. Story continues The young Chekatt had been on a French intelligence watch list for radicalism and was convicted 27 times for criminal offenses the first time at age 13 mainly in France but also in Germany and Switzerland. Investigators are trying to determine whether he had accomplices or logistical support. The father said he went to police of his own accord and on a suspicion the night of the son's rampage with a handgun and a knife. He said he told police that "if ever you locate Cherif, tell me. I'll go to him and try to reason with him to give up." He also said that if his son had told him about a project to kill "I would have denounced him, and he wouldn't have killed or been killed." Facebooks FB data-privacy problems arent showing signs of receding. The company recently announced that a software bug gave outside developers access to photos of 6.8 million users. These photos were either not posted or they have been posted in the Marketplace or Facebook Stories section instead of their timeline. In a blog post, the company stated that the glitch happened between Sep 13 and Sep 25, 2018, and involved up to 1500 apps developed by 876 developers. Facebook has fixed the bug and is alerting people potentially affected. Eroding Trust, Sorry Not Enough We're sorry this happened, Facebook said in the blog. However, a mere sorry from the company may not be enough to appease users, investors, advertisers and regulators, given the rising frequency of data-privacy issues. This has been a terrible year for Facebook, beginning from the Cambridge Analytica scandal that affected 87 million users, to September data breach in which hackers accessed 50 million accounts, to the latest software glitch. Notably, the shares of the company have lost 18.4% year to date compared with the S&P 500 Composites decline of 2.8%. It is important to note that Facebooks popularity is on the decline. Per the Pew Research Center, teens now prefer Alphabets GOOGL Youtube, Snaps SNAP Snapchat and Instagram over Facebook. Per another Pew study, 44% of younger users (between 18 and 29) have deleted the Facebook app from their phone in the past year, almost four times of the older users (65 and older). More significantly, 42% of the sampled adults have taken a break from checking the platform for a period of several weeks or more in the past 12 months. The user exodus was apparently due to the data-privacy issues. A declining user base, primarily due to eroding trust, also doesnt bode well for Facebooks advertiser base. Notably, advertising accounts for 92% of the companys revenues. Although Facebook is making significant investments to strengthen security on the platform, the latest glitch puts the companys efforts to assure users, investors, advertisers and regulators about its progress in securing the platform and user data in jeopardy. Regulatory Scrutiny Intensifying The frequency in data-privacy issues has also attracted global scrutiny and probe by regulatory authorities. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) is now investigating Facebook for allegedly violating General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that kicked in May 25, this year, across Europe. Notably, GDPR requires companies to report data breaches to authorities within 72 hours. The law also allows regulators to impose fines of up to 4% of annual global revenues for violation. According to The Telegraph, Facebook can face a fine of over $1.6 billion (1.3 billion) since it reported the glitch to DPC in November, although the company identified the bug and fixed it in September. Notably, DPC announced a probe to Facebooks data-privacy issues in September under the GDPR. Per Bloomberg, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also looking into the companys data breaches. The companys data practices have also been criticized by regulators from countries like Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Latvia, Singapore, France, Belgium and the U.K. Notably, Facebook has already been fined 500,000 pounds by the British Commissioner for misuse of user data. Zacks Rank & Stock to Consider Facebook currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Etsy ETSY, with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), is a stock worth considering in the same sector. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Expected long-term earnings growth rate for Etsy is 15%. Story continues 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 Etsy, Inc. (ETSY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Facebook, Inc. (FB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Snap Inc. (SNAP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Photo illustration: Jason Doiy/ALM It's been a pretty busy year for countries looking to wrap their heads around virtual currency. While some are still in the process of weighing their pros and cons, others have put new regulations in place to help build consumer confidence and facilitate cryptocurrency exchanges. Here's a look at some of the different approaches that governments around the world have taken to building frameworks for the future. Malaysia: Malaysia is the most recent player to toss its hat into the cryptocurrency regulation game. Lim Guang Eng, Malaysias finance minister, announced that the country would be instituting regulations for cryptocurrency exchanges and initial coin offerings during his keynote speech at the 2018 SCxSC FinTech Conference. Like other countries that have launched similar efforts across the globe, Malaysia is attempting to use regulation to build confidence among investors and create new fundraising paths. The new rules are expected to be in place by the first quarter of 2019. Specifics are still unclear, but investors will be working under a framework established by the Bank Negara Malyasia and the Securities Commission. Hong Kong: Hong Kong rolled out policies for its nascent cryptocurrency market in early November. Rather than constructing a new regulatory framework from scratch, Hong Kongs approach attempts to fold firms that are already under the purview of its Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) into the existing order. Groups that invest more than 10 percent of their assets in virtual currencies to be licensed by the SFC and trading platforms may eventually enter a regulatory sandbox.The regulations were tailored to suit the countrys ambitions towards becoming a global cryptocurrency hub and allay the SFCs growing concerns over consumer protection risks. South Korea: While perhaps not quite as far along as Malaysia or Hong Kong, South Korea seems to be on the cusp of exploring some form of cryptocurrency regulation. The country is reportedly preparing to introduce regulations on initial coin offerings, which are presently banned outright. In November, the Korean Bar Association issued a press release asking the government to provide some clarity on cryptocurrency, citing consumer protection concerns related to threats such as hacking or money laundering. One of their suggestions was to invoke preexisting frameworks like the countrys Capital Market and Financial Investment Business Act in looking at initial coin offering tokens. Australia: In April, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) instated new regulations for service providers of cryptocurrencies. All digital currency exchange providers now have to register with AUSTRAC and meet a series of government compliance and reporting obligations. Nicole Rose, AUSTRACs CEO, said in a press release that the new regulations would strengthen the agencys compliance and intelligence capabilities and mitigate the risk of cybercrime, money laundering or terrorist financing. Malta: Malta established regulations surrounding the issuance of initial coin offerings and other virtual currency earlier this year under its Virtual Financial Assets Act. Among other things, the framework sets parameters for an issuers offering of a virtual financial asset to the public and the application process for trading on a distributed ledger technology exchange. On a separate but related note, the Malta Digital Innovation Authority was also established to oversee the creation and enforcement of future policies related cryptocurrency. T. Brian Green (left) and Brian J. Sutherland of Buckley Beal A federal judge this week entered a judgment for more than $622,000, including more than $360,000 in legal fees and expenses, for a former Banks County 911 dispatcher who a jury found was fired in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The judgment more than doubled a July jury award delivered for Jandon Allen, who was fired in 2014 after she began taking medication for panic attacks and was subsequently diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders. Allen had sought time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act for treatment of what was described as an adverse reaction to her medication and was terminated two days after she requested the leave. This judgment demonstrates two things, said Allens attorney, Buckley Beal partner Brian Sutherland in an email. First, mental disabilities are real disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Employees who have them are entitled to the same protection under the law as employees with physical disabilities." Second, employers and defense counsel in this district are fooling themselves if they do not think we will vindicate the rights of our clients in costly trials like this one if necessary to secure full relief, said Sutherland, who represents Allen with colleague T. Brian Green. Banks county is represented by Michael OQuinn of McDonoughs O'Quinn & Cronin, who said Allens lawyers tried a great case and did a great job for their client. I thought this was a case where the facts were not all that great for the plaintiff, said OQuinn, noting that most of the potential jurors said theyd have a problem with a 911 operator who had panic attacks. But Mr. Sutherland and Mr. Green were able to overcome that, to their credit, he said. OQuinn said an appeal is unlikely. I think well just pay the judgment and move on, he said. As detailed in her complaint and other filings, Allen began working for Banks County in 2008 and was made a full-time employee in 2012. She was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2013 and was granted time off for surgery. Later that year, she began to suffer headaches and anxiety attacks and in early 2014 was prescribed medication for migraines. In March 2014, Allen experienced a headache, memory loss, uncontrollable crying and manic moments and texted her supervisor, Deidre Moore, to say she was going to see a doctor, her complaint said. A few days later, she experienced a severe panic attack and was hospitalized at Atlantas Peachford psychiatric hospital for about two weeks, during which she took a leave of absence under the FMLA. While at Peachford, Allen began taking Zoloft, a prescription anti-anxiety medication and returned to work. About a week later, she suffered an adverse reaction to the drug and experienced hallucinations. Emergency personnel were summoned and took her the Habersham County Medical Center. She texted her boss that she had suffered a panic attack and would see a doctor in the morning and another the next day. Moore responded that she was not scheduled to work for the next four days and that her shifts are covered until I hear from you following the doctors appointment. Allen sent a message the next day saying she was waiting for call back from her doctor at Peachford and had asked about outpatient treatment. That same day, her filings said, Moore completed and signed a memo to terminate Ms. Allens employment. Allen sued Banks County and Moore in the Northern Districts Gainesville division in 2016 for claims that would ultimately include interference and retaliation in violation of the FMLA and discrimination under the ADA. In response pleadings, Banks County argued that Allen was already afforded time under the FMLA and turned down an offer to take unpaid leave and that the county had tried to accommodate her needs under the ADA. Ms. Allen had used up all of her paid time off, and she took a short period of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the countys outline of the case said. When she returned to work, she had another episode that prevented her from being able to do her job. She was offered more unpaid time off under FMLA, but she declined it, stating she wanted to work and keep getting paid. Banks County determined that Ms. Allen could not be allowed to handle life and death emergency calls in her condition," the defense filing said. "When she declined to take leave under FMLA she was terminated, because she had no other leave that could be used to hold her job open for her. Following a three-day trial before Judge Richard Story, the jury took about a day to find for Allen on claims for discrimination, failure to accommodate and retaliation under the ADA and awarded $81,056 in lost wages and $100,000 for emotional pain and suffering on those claims and that the county interfered and retaliated under the FMLA. In a final judgment issued Thursday, Story awarded Allen the $181,056 delivered by the jury plus another $81,056 in liquidated damages under the FMLA and $360,491 in fees and expenses, for a total of $622,605. Washington (AFP) - Former FBI director James Comey lashed out at Donald Trump on Monday for telling "lies" and undermining the rule of law, and urged Republicans to stand up to the president. "The FBI's reputation has as taken a big hit because the president of the United States, with his acolytes, has lied about it constantly. In the face of those lies, a whole lot of good people... believe that nonsense," Comey told reporters in the halls of the US Senate. "People who know better, including Republican members of this body, have to have the courage to stand up and speak the truth." Comey spoke after a spurt of anti-FBI tweets from the president over the past week alleged that the investigative body abused its powers in probing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen and his former national security advisor Michael Flynn. Cohen and Flynn have both been convicted for various crimes and have both offered evidence potentially damaging to their former boss. With Cohen, Trump tweeted on Sunday: "The FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started. They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE!" In fact the FBI had a court order to search Cohen's office. As for Flynn, Trump alleged that he had been tricked into lying in a January 2016 interview with the FBI that led to his arest. "So General Michael Flynn's life can be totally destroyed while Shadey James Comey can Leak and Lie," Trump tweeted earlier this month. Comey said that politicians, and especially Republicans, have to stop remaining quiet when Trump makes false statements. "Republicans used to understand that the actions of a president matter, the words of a president matter, the rule of law matters, and the truth matters. Where are those Republicans today?" "At some point, someone has to stand up and in the face of fear of Fox News, fear of their base, fear of mean tweets, stand up for the values of this country, and not slink away into retirement, but stand up and speak the truth." Story continues Comey spoke after his second closed-door testimony in a week during which he was quizzed on his oversight of an investigation into the mishandling of sensitive emails by Trump's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton during the election. While the Justice Department has closed the issue after an internal review, Trump and Republicans seeking to protect him from the Russia collusion investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller want the Clinton probe reopened. Trump fired Comey in May 2017 after Comey refused to swear his allegiance and roll back the nascent investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Mueller is now believed to be investigating whether that firing and other actions amount to obstruction of justice by the president. PARIS (Reuters) - France agreed on Monday to a new military framework with Burkina Faso that would speed engagement of its forces to fight Islamist militants in a northern border region of Burkina where there has been a spike in violence. The arid Sahel region is suffering violence from militant groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, highlighting the difficulty international partners face in restoring regional stability. The northern region of Burkina Faso, bordering Mali and Niger, has been especially hard hit, leaving the fragile West African state struggling to assert its authority since ex-Burkinabe president Blaise Compaore was ousted in 2014 at the hands of a popular uprising. "There will be no extra (troop) involvement on the French side," President Emmanuel Macron said at a news conference with Burkinabe counterpart Roch Marc Christian Kabore in Paris. However, he said Paris was ready to send more trainers and military advisers as well as extra equipment. French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said the two sides had signed an agreement defining the legal framework for security cooperation, suggesting that French troops could provide help more quickly and easily to Burkinabe forces. Paris will provide the local army with 34 pickup trucks. France, the former colonial power in the region, intervened in Mali in 2013 to drive out Islamist militants who had occupied the north, and has since kept about 4,500 troops in the region as part of Barkhane counter-terrorism operations. It has between 250-400 special forces based in Burkina. Led by France, Western powers have provided funding to a regional force made up of soldiers from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania to combat jihadists. But the so-called G5 force has been hobbled by delays in disbursing the money and poor coordination between the five countries while insecurity has escalated. (Reporting by Sophie Louet and John Irish; Editing by Mark Potter) Singapore (AFP) - A gay Singaporean man Monday won the right to adopt a child he fathered via a surrogate in the United States, in a landmark court ruling for the conservative city-state. While Singapore is affluent and modern in many ways, attitudes towards homosexuality are routinely criticised as outdated. Gay marriage is not permitted and sex between men remains illegal under a law that dates from the British colonial era, although it is rarely enforced. In the latest case, the man -- who is in a long-term relationship -- first enquired about adopting in Singapore but was told a homosexual couple was unlikely to get permission. He found a surrogate in the United States who agreed to carry his child for US$200,000. Surrogacy is effectively banned in Singapore. A son was born and is now five years old. The man, a 46-year-old pathologist who has not been identified, brought the boy back to Singapore and applied to formally adopt him, in the hope of securing him Singapore citizenship. A district judge rejected the initial application in December last year. But he appealed to Singapore's High Court, which ruled in his favour. Delivering the verdict, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said that "the evidence has demonstrated to us that it is very much in the interests of the child that the adoption order be made". "His prospects of acquiring Singapore citizenship could be significantly enhanced by making an adoption order, which would in turn lead to an overall increase in the stability of his life in Singapore." But he noted that the decision was related to that particular case and should not be viewed as an endorsement of what the man and his partner had done. - 'Overjoyed, happy' - The man's lawyer Ivan Cheong said his client was "overjoyed and happy that at the end of a long adoption process, the child's welfare is upheld." "At the end of the day, it is about what is in the child's best interests." Story continues The pathologist will still have to apply to adopt his biological son, who currently holds American citizenship. Paerin Choa, from Singaporean gay rights group Pink Dot SG, praised the ruling. "LGBT families are families too, and they are just as able to provide a loving and caring home to raise their children in," Choa said. but Jean Chong, from Singapore-based lesbian advocacy group Sayoni, said the court decision only represented "baby steps" in the gay movement's fight for more rights. The main battleground between supporters of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and conservatives in recent years has been the ban on sex between men. The Indian Supreme Court's decision in September to decriminalise homosexual sex sparked fresh hope for change in Singapore, and a new challenge has been lodged against the city-state's colonial-era law. Chong said Monday's ruling did not provide a boost for those fighting to overturn the law, as the judge had focused narrowly on the welfare of the child rather than gay rights. By Benjamin Jumbe. The Ruling National Resistance Movement Party has scoffed at a move by a group of youths joining the PEOPLE POWER movement. It comes shortly after a group of NRM youth came out and announced they had joined the people power movement, chanting the people power slogan. Addressing journalists in Kampala the group called for the resignation of the party chairman President Museveni whom they said has overstayed in power. Now speaking to Kfm the partys deputy secretary general Richard Todwong described the announcement as a joke arguing that the group could be having different intentions. He however expresses the party leaderships willingness to reach out to them to hear their concerns. Getting a mortgage when you are self-employed can be more complicated than if you have a traditional job. Find out more here. GettyImages-886121958 Image source: Getty Images Several years ago, my husband and I purchased a home. This meant getting a mortgage, as it does for most people. But, the catch was: we were (and are) both self-employed. Unfortunately, this makes getting a mortgage a little more complicated because we don't have the traditional proof of income -- a W2 -- that most mortgage companies want to see. When you're self-employed, you can't show that an employer will pay you steady wages. You need to show your business generates sufficient income. This can be a problem for a couple of reasons, including the fact that lenders consider your income after deductions, and business owners tend to have more deductions than traditional employees. We learned a lot about the process and requirements and were ultimately able to get approved for a loan. If you're also self-employed and are thinking about applying for a mortgage, here are a few of the key things you'll need to know. The bank will want to see a lot of paperwork Applying for a mortgage always takes a lot of paperwork, especially when you are self-employed. In particular, the bank will likely want to see several years of your tax returns to better understand the income your business is earning. If your business is organized as a separate entity, such as an S corp or a C corp, you'll likely need to provide business tax returns too. This means getting even more documents together. We had to provide two years of both business and personal returns, along with copies of our personal bank statements for the past several months. The bank may not count all your income Because many self-employed people have irregular income, as opposed to just earning the same salary every month, it can be harder for lenders to determine the income to use when calculating your debt-to-income ratio. Your debt-to-income ratio is the amount of debt you have, relative to income. If it's too high, you can't qualify for a mortgage loan. Story continues When we applied for a mortgage, lenders did not count all of the income from both of our businesses, as I had experienced an increase in income shortly before we applied for our loan. Lenders were only willing to consider income we could prove we had earned for two years. For example, say you had a business that earned $60,000 in 2016 and $100,000 in 2017 and you were applying for a mortgage in 2018. Lenders likely would count your income as $60,000, not as $100,000, because you don't have two years of documented proof that you earn that much. The bank considers income after deductions Another big problem for many business owners is that many business owners deduct as many business expenses as possible from their income, because doing so reduces their taxable income so they pay less in taxes. The problem is, by reducing taxable income, they reduce the income that counts for determining if they can qualify for a mortgage. You'll need to consider this issue in the year or two before applying for your mortgage to make sure you don't reduce your income so low that you can't qualify for a loan to buy a home. Moving around money before closing can cause problems In the time leading up to your loan closing, it's also important that you try to avoid making any big changes in either your business or personal accounts. Shortly before we closed on our loan, my husband's company paid out some money to him so we could use the funds as our down payment (because we have S corps, this was called a distribution). This raised red flags with the bank, which became concerned about how the distribution of funds would affect ongoing business operations. We ended up having to get a letter signed by my husband's accountant indicating that the payout was customary and wouldn't affect the company's ability to produce income in the future. To avoid this, it's important not to make any big changes to your finances in the time leading up to closing on your loan. This means your business shouldn't move money into your personal account, and neither you nor your business should take out a lot of new debt. Getting a mortgage is possible -- but complicated If you're self employed and have two years of proof that you or your business earns a good income, getting a mortgage is definitely possible. Just be aware that it may take a little more time, the paperwork requirements may be a little more onerous, and you may not get credit for all the income you earn when determining how much you can borrow. If you're prepared for all that going in, you'll avoid unpleasant surprises and will be ready with what the bank needs to give you your loan to buy or build the home of your dreams. The Motley Fool owns and recommends MasterCard and Visa, and recommends American Express. Were firm believers in the Golden Rule. If we wouldnt recommend an offer to a close family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Ascent either. Our number one goal is helping people find the best offers to improve their finances. That is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team. (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google is investing more than $1 billion on a new campus in New York, becoming the second major technology company after Amazon to pick America's financial capital to expand and create thousands of jobs. The 1.7 million square-foot campus, called Google Hudson Square, will include leased properties at Hudson Street and Washington Street, the company said in a blog https://www.blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/google-hudson-square-our-expanded-new-york-campus post on Monday. Google hopes to start moving into the building by 2022 and plans to double its New York headcount to 14,000 in the next 10 years. The company's plans to invest outside its home base mirror those of other U.S. tech giants such as Apple Inc, which said last week it would spend $1 billion to build a new campus in Austin, Texas. Last month, Amazon.com Inc said it would open offices in New York and the Washington, D.C. area, creating more than 25,000 jobs. Mountain View, California-based Google's move to invest in prime real estate on the lower west side of Manhattan also underscores the growing importance of New York as a hub for innovation and an incubator for technology companies. With a plethora of white-collar workers and good infrastructure, the city provides a better option to other places that would require more investment. RELATED: The best places to work in 2019, according to Glassdoor: "Our investment in New York is a huge part of our commitment to grow and invest in U.S. facilities, offices and jobs. In fact, we're growing faster outside the Bay Area than within it," said Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Alphabet and Google. It is a "fairly sensible" move for Google given the amount of available talent pool, Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell said. It also makes sense for Google as New York has been the center for their core advertising business, Cordwell added. Story continues U.S. corporations are also under pressure from the Trump administration to create more jobs domestically. Companies that have moved jobs overseas or closed factories have drawn sharp rebukes from President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Google was nearing a deal to buy or lease an office building in New York City that could add space for more than 12,000 new workers. Google's first New York office at 111 Eighth Avenue is one of the city's largest buildings that it bought in 2010 for $1.77 billion. Earlier this year, the company announced a $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market. It also has leased space on Pier 57 jutting into the Hudson, which will create a four-block campus. The company's shares were down 1.2 percent at $1,038.43. (Reporting by Sonam Rai in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Sweta Singh) Legendary investors such as Leon Cooperman and Seth Klarman earn enormous amounts of money for themselves and their investors by doing in-depth research on small-cap stocks that big brokerage houses don't publish. Small cap stocks -especially when they are screened well- can generate substantial outperformance versus a boring index fund. That's why we analyze the activity of those elite funds in these small-cap stocks. In the following paragraphs, we analyze Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) from the perspective of those elite funds. Is Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) a marvelous investment now? Investors who are in the know are selling. The number of long hedge fund positions fell by 1 in recent months. Our calculations also showed that GEF isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. Why do we pay any attention at all to hedge fund sentiment? Our research has shown that hedge funds' large-cap stock picks indeed failed to beat the market between 1999 and 2016. However, we were 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'll significantly underperform the market. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 and they lost 24% through December 3, 2018. That's why we believe hedge fund sentiment is an extremely useful indicator that investors should pay attention to. [caption id="attachment_375529" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Mario Gabelli of GAMCO Investors Mario Gabelli of GAMCO Investors[/caption] Let's analyze the latest hedge fund action surrounding Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF). How are hedge funds trading Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF)? At the end of the third quarter, a total of 19 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of -5% from the previous quarter. Below, you can check out the change in hedge fund sentiment towards GEF over the last 13 quarters. So, let's check out which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves. Story continues GEF_dec2018 The largest stake in Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) was held by GAMCO Investors, which reported holding $47.6 million worth of stock at the end of September. It was followed by Arbiter Partners Capital Management with a $36.5 million position. Other investors bullish on the company included Marshall Wace LLP, Royce & Associates, and AQR Capital Management. Since Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) has faced falling interest from the aggregate hedge fund industry, it's safe to say that there was a specific group of funds that decided to sell off their entire stakes in the third quarter. Interestingly, Ken Grossman and Glen Schneider's SG Capital Management dumped the largest stake of the 700 funds monitored by Insider Monkey, comprising an estimated $2.9 million in stock. Peter Algert and Kevin Coldiron's fund, Algert Coldiron Investors, also said goodbye to its stock, about $0.8 million worth. These transactions are intriguing to say the least, as total hedge fund interest dropped by 1 funds in the third quarter. Let's also examine hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) but similarly valued. These stocks are Antero Midstream GP LP (NYSE:AMGP), Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (NYSE:SID), Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (NYSE:GOOS), and PNM Resources, Inc. (NYSE:PNM). This group of stocks' market caps are closest to GEF's market cap. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position AMGP,17,171786,6 SID,7,2815,0 GOOS,18,147533,-8 PNM,19,264822,6 Average,15.25,146739,1 [/table] View table here if you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 15.25 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $147 million. That figure was $137 million in GEF's case. PNM Resources, Inc. (NYSE:PNM) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (NYSE:SID) is the least popular one with only 7 bullish hedge fund positions. Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) 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 PNM might be a better candidate to consider a long position. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey. Related Content Hedge Funds and other institutional investors have just completed filing their 13Fs with the Securities and Exchange Commission, revealing their equity portfolios as of the end of September. At Insider Monkey, we follow over 700 of the best-performing investors and by analyzing their 13F filings, we can determine the stocks that they are collectively bullish on. One of their picks is Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV), so lets take a closer look at the sentiment that surrounds it in the current quarter. Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV) shareholders have witnessed an increase in activity from the world's largest hedge funds lately. TV was in 19 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of September. There were 17 hedge funds in our database with TV holdings at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that TV isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. According to most stock holders, hedge funds are perceived as slow, outdated financial vehicles of yesteryear. While there are greater than 8,000 funds trading at the moment, Our experts hone in on the top tier of this club, about 700 funds. Most estimates calculate that this group of people watch over the majority of the smart money's total asset base, and by monitoring their inimitable picks, Insider Monkey has deciphered a few investment strategies that have historically outpaced the S&P 500 index. Insider Monkey's flagship hedge fund strategy exceeded the S&P 500 index by 6 percentage points a 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. Ken Fisher FISHER ASSET MANAGEMENT We're going to take a peek at the fresh hedge fund action regarding Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV). Story continues What does the smart money think about Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV)? At the end of the third quarter, a total of 19 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were long this stock, a change of 12% from one quarter earlier. By comparison, 26 hedge funds held shares or bullish call options in TV heading into this year. So, let's review which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves. TV_dec2018 Among these funds, FPR Partners held the most valuable stake in Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV), which was worth $310.1 million at the end of the third quarter. On the second spot was Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust which amassed $299.4 million worth of shares. Moreover, Fisher Asset Management, Foxhaven Asset Management, and Dorsal Capital Management were also bullish on Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV), allocating a large percentage of their portfolios to this stock. Now, key hedge funds were leading the bulls' herd. ThornTree Capital Partners, managed by Mark Moore, created the most valuable position in Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV). ThornTree Capital Partners had $14.6 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Guy Shahar's DSAM Partners also initiated a $1.3 million position during the quarter. The other funds with brand new TV positions are Paul Marshall and Ian Wace's Marshall Wace LLP and Matthew Tewksbury's Stevens Capital Management. Let's now review hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV). We will take a look at Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR), Athene Holding Ltd. (NYSE:ATH), Fibria Celulose SA (NYSE:FBR), and Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE:VAR). This group of stocks' market valuations match TV's market valuation. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position JNPR,23,693266,-4 ATH,42,1775251,6 FBR,6,179071,-1 VAR,19,576016,-5 Average,22.5,805901,-1 [/table] View table here if you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 22.5 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $806 million. That figure was $1.16 billion in TV's case. Athene Holding Ltd. (NYSE:ATH) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Fibria Celulose SA (NYSE:FBR) is the least popular one with only 6 bullish hedge fund positions. Grupo Televisa SAB (NYSE:TV) 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 ATH might be a better candidate to consider a long position. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey. Related Content How do you pick the next stock to invest in? One way would be to spend hours of research browsing through thousands of publicly traded companies. However, an easier way is to look at the stocks that smart money investors are collectively bullish on. Hedge funds and other institutional investors usually invest large amounts of capital and have to conduct due diligence while choosing their next pick. They don't always get it right, but, on average, their stock picks historically generated strong returns after adjusting for known risk factors. With this in mind, lets take a look at the recent hedge fund activity surrounding Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW). Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW) was in 20 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of the third quarter of 2018. PNW shareholders have witnessed an increase in hedge fund sentiment lately. There were 17 hedge funds in our database with PNW positions at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that pnw isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. If you'd ask most stock holders, hedge funds are seen as unimportant, outdated financial tools of the past. While there are greater than 8,000 funds in operation at the moment, Our researchers choose to focus on the leaders of this group, about 700 funds. These money managers control most of the smart money's total capital, and by keeping track of their unrivaled equity investments, Insider Monkey has deciphered numerous investment strategies that have historically exceeded Mr. Market. Insider Monkey's flagship hedge fund strategy beat 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. Story continues John Overdeck of Two Sigma We're going to analyze the fresh hedge fund action regarding Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW). What does the smart money think about Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW)? At the end of the third quarter, a total of 20 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of 18% from the previous quarter. Below, you can check out the change in hedge fund sentiment towards PNW over the last 13 quarters. With the smart money's positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists a few key hedge fund managers who were boosting their stakes substantially (or already accumulated large positions). No of Hedge Funds with PNW Positions The largest stake in Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW) was held by Renaissance Technologies, which reported holding $196.7 million worth of stock at the end of September. It was followed by AQR Capital Management with a $114.5 million position. Other investors bullish on the company included Millennium Management, Two Sigma Advisors, and Citadel Investment Group. As one would reasonably expect, key hedge funds have jumped into Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW) headfirst. Element Capital Management, managed by Jeffrey Talpins, created the biggest position in Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW). Element Capital Management had $2.5 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Paul Tudor Jones's Tudor Investment Corp also made a $1.9 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The other funds with new positions in the stock are Roger Ibbotson's Zebra Capital Management, Paul Marshall and Ian Wace's Marshall Wace LLP, and David Andre and Astro Teller's Cerebellum Capital. Let's check out hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW). We will take a look at Cimarex Energy Co (NYSE:XEC), Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H), Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), and Carvana Co. (NYSE:CVNA). This group of stocks' market valuations resemble PNW's market valuation. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position XEC,23,1185374,2 H,31,826605,-7 TDY,19,436271,-5 CVNA,33,1005885,6 Average,26.5,863534,-1 [/table] View table here if you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 26.5 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $864 million. That figure was $631 million in PNW's case. Carvana Co. (NYSE:CVNA) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY) is the least popular one with only 19 bullish hedge fund positions. Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW) 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 CVNA might be a better candidate to consider a long position. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey. Related Content An "adulting conference" this week allowed Kentucky high school seniors the chance to learn how to change a tire, how to cook and other basic life skills things that they may not have learned at home or in classes. A series of photos posted by Bullitt Central High School on social media shows students learning about personal finances, resumes, and other essential skills at the event, which has drawn attention from local and national news outlets. The school is located south of the city limits of Louisville, Kentucky. Students could choose to attend three workshops out of 11 total options, the school says. The workshops were held in cooperation with numerous community partners. I saw a Facebook post that parents passed around saying they needed a class in high school on taxes and cooking, organizer Christy Hardin told Louisville's WAVE 3 News. Those skills are taught at school, she said, but the event gave students a chance to fill in gaps in their knowledge. More: Financial education stalls, threatening kids' future economic health Changing a tire, credit cards and financing were among the topics covered at the conference, WAVE reports. Some young people have left home and graduated school without having those gaps filled, according to a report this week from CBS New York, which documented a trend of millennials seeking out classes to learn basic life skills. While attending a cooking class, 29-year-old Elena Toumaras told the station she's struggling with "simple things." "I was so used to, when living at home, my mom always cooking, she told the station. An "Adulting School" in Portland, Maine, aims to use a new online format to teach millennials skills like conflict resolution, sewing and appreciation for art, the station says. Students' financial literacy has been of particular concern to some experts. In February, financial education in schools has stagnated in the U.S., with only 17 states requiring students to take classes in personal finance a number that hasn't risen in years. Story continues "The majority of U.S. states are failing our students by declining to offer these fundamental courses which are critical to their financial stability and security later in life," said Nan J. Morrison, president and CEO of the Council for Economic Education, told CNBC. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This high school taught 'adulting' for a day: How to cook, do resumes, taxes and more hong kong Asia is currently one of the most regulated continents on the planet in terms of cryptocurrency laws. Hong Kong is the latest Asian nation that is set to tighten crypto laws on traders and exchanges. The Hong Kong Securities and Exchanges Commission (SFC) is looking to tighten the current cryptocurrency laws as concerns over crypto-crime and money laundering heighten across Southeast Asia. Tightening Less-Stringent Cryptocurrency Laws Hong Kongs current stance on cryptocurrency is one of the least stringent in the region, which is a stark contrast to the more hardline approach taken by mainland China. As Hong Kong is one of the worlds leading financial epicenters, the SFC is set to reevaluate cryptocurrency laws, especially in terms of regulating the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) sector. Crypto-related commercial activities in China are pretty much banned, so some people might think that this move is long overdue. According to the SFC, if an investment fund has 10% or more of digital assets they will now need to obtain a license. And even then the companies will only be able to sell their products to professional investors. The SFC want to set up a voluntary scheme where exchanges will be able to test their digital assets in what is being deemed a temporary regulatory sandbox and will then be able to decide whether they need to seek a license. Writing is on the Wall fo Hong Kong The Hong Kong SFC have been warning the industry for many months about their plans to impose tighter cryptocurrency laws. Earlier this year in February, the SFC warned seven cryptocurrency exchanges in the wake of complaints made by investors. It is hardly surprising that Hong Kong is looking to tighten cryptocurrency laws as many major economies across the world are currently reevaluating their stance on crypto regulations. There are many pros and cons in tighter regulatory measures on the Hong Kong crypto industry. Although many consider it essential to safeguard investors and keep a lid on the industry, others believe that the new cryptocurrency laws could be costly and work against crypto firms in Hong Kong. Story continues Daiwa Institute of Research professional Daisuke Yasaku believes it might be a bad thing for Hong Kong when saying: The cost of regulations will be high. The requirements of the SFC initiative may prove too burdensome for some operators. The price of wider crypto adoption will always be high, but that is the price we pay sometimes to ensure the industry and investors are protected. Will the tightening of cryptocurrency laws in Hong Kong be a good or bad thing for the local industry? Only time will tell. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Hong Kong Regulators Set to Tighten Cryptocurrency Laws appeared first on CCN. Budapest (AFP) - Anti-government protests in Hungary hit the country's public broadcaster on Monday, with the opposition galvanised by the furious reaction to a controversial new labour law. Several thousand demonstrators gathered in the evening outside the Budapest offices of the MTVA broadcaster after two opposition MPs broadcast footage of themselves being thrown out of the building earlier in the day. One of the lawmakers had called for people to gather under the slogan: "If they throw us out the door, we'll come back in through the window". The MPs had demanded access to the studios to read out a petition against the government and what they call its "slave" labour law. MTVA security guards forcibly ejected independent MPs Akos Hadhazy and Bernadett Szel. The two MPs filed a complaint with police posted in front of the building and said as MPs they had a right to enter a public establishment. "This is not a private television station for Fidesz," the party of rightwing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, "but the television of the Hungarian people, financed by the people's taxes," said the MPs, who streamed the altercation live on Facebook. An anti-government protest on Sunday evening drew 15,000 people. The petition the lawmakers wanted to broadcast includes a demand to overturn the labour law - which has stirred protests by relaxing restrictions on overtime and by providing for delayed payments. A third MP was taken to hospital on Monday after another altercation with security at the building. The rallies were the latest in a wave of protests that has seen opposition parties join forces against Orban's nationalist government. A fierce nationalist, Orban has riled his EU opponents and domestic critics with a tough anti-immigration stance and populist rhetoric. - 'We are fighting the Orban regime' - The new legislation has triggered days of protests -- backed by the opposition -- since it was adopted on Wednesday. Story continues Demonstrators have clashed with police over the law, which they say undermines workers' rights. The opposition petition also demanded the annulment of another controversial law adopted on the same day, which paves the way for new "administrative courts" to oversee cases concerning matters such as public procurement or electoral disputes. Justice Minister Laszlo Trocsanyi, a close Orban ally, will oversee the courts. That prompted opposition warnings the premier could have near-total political influence over the judicial system. The petition also calls for more independence and objectivity in public media outlets and also demands that Hungary join an EU public prosecutor's office, a move the government has rejected. After the TV station refused to broadcast the petition on Sunday evening, some protesters threw smoke bombs at police, who responded with tear gas. Around 10 MPs from various opposition parties stayed within the MTVA building for much of Monday, pressing staff to read out the petition. They later left the building at the police's request, emerging to cheers from protestors. One of those who was inside the building, MEP Peter Niedermueller from the liberal DK party, said the protest aimed was at "restoring the freedom of the press". "It's ridiculous that the majority of the country doesn't even know what's happening in Budapest because public TV, on all its channels, is only talking about preparations for Christmas," he said. "Today we are not just fighting the two controversial laws but the whole of the Orban regime," ex-Prime Minister and DK leader Ferenc Gyurscany told the private Klubradio station. - Opposition unity - Apart from the opposiotion, unions have also backed the demonstrations against the reforms, which hike the annual overtime hours that employers can demand from 250 to 400 hours and allow payment to be delayed by up to three years. Tamas Szekely from Hungary's main confederation of trade unions told the rally on Monday that they would organise a general strike if the reforms are signed into law. The government says the changes are needed by employers short of manpower and will benefit those wanting to work extra hours. Over the weekend protestors also gathered in other parts of the country. In the third-biggest city Szeged, the socialist mayor called on businesses not to comply with the new overtime law. Particularly during my sojourns in South Africa, it may not be possible for me to perform the moderation function speedily. I regret the necessity of moderation but it has been rendered inevitable by the behaviour of a particular commentator whose contributions will always and without exception be rejected. No correspondence will be entered into regarding moderation decisions. Readers are invited to comment on blog posts. All comments require to be pre-moderated by me, and I shall reject all (a) that are not related to the Lockerbie disaster or (b) that fail to meet my -- perhaps idiosyncratic -- standards of courtesy towards other contributors. Comments will not be rejected simply because I disagree with them or because I, or other contributors, find them irritating. But comments will be rejected if they distort or misrepresent the evidence; are defamatory; or if they risk embroiling me, as publisher, in defamation proceedings. I am perfectly relaxed about being sued in respect of material which I personally have posted -- but not in respect of material that others wish to post as comments and which, in any case, I often strongly disagree with. Weve lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited (NZSE:FPH). What Is Insider Selling? Its quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. We dont think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. 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 Fisher & Paykel Healthcare The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Non-Executive Director Michael Daniell made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for NZ$1.5m worth of shares at a price of NZ$14.89 each. So its clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We generally consider it a positive if insiders have been buying on market, even above the current price. Notably Michael Daniell was also the biggest seller, having sold NZ$1.9m worth of shares. Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid NZ$2.0m for 137.16k shares. But they sold 128.00k for NZ$1.9m. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Fisher & Paykel Healthcare insiders. They paid about NZ$14.68 on average. This is nice to see since it implies that insiders might see value around current prices (around NZ$12.25). You can see the insider transactions over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! Story continues NZSE:FPH Insider Trading December 17th 18 I will like Fisher & Paykel Healthcare better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Insiders at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Have Sold Stock Recently The last three months saw some Fisher & Paykel Healthcare insider selling. NZ$272k worth of shares were sold by MD, CEO & Executive Director Lewis Gradon. But at least we saw NZ$241k worth of buying. While its not great to see insider selling, the net amount sold isnt enough for us to want to read anything into it. Insider Ownership Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon its a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Its great to see that Fisher & Paykel Healthcare insiders own 0.4% of the company, worth about NZ$28m. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders. What Might The Insider Transactions At Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Tell Us? We note a that theres been a little more insider selling than buying, recently. But the difference is small, and thus, not concerning. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Overall we dont see anything to make us think Fisher & Paykel Healthcare insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. 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. Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's eldest, Yair, tweeted on Sunday that Facebook blocked his page for 24 hours over apparent anti-Muslim posts and called the leading social network a "dictatorship". In a message posted Thursday on his Facebook page after deadly Palestinian attacks, Yair Netanyahu had called for "all Muslims (to) leave" Israel. "Do you know where there are no attacks? In Iceland and in Japan where coincidentally there are no Muslims," the prime minister's son wrote. In another post he wrote that there were only two possible solutions for peace, either "all Jews leave (Israel) or all Muslims leave". "I prefer the second option," he added. His comments came after two soldiers were shot dead on Thursday at a central West Bank bus station near a settlement. On the same day, a baby prematurely delivered after his mother was shot and wounded in a separate attack nearby on December 9 also died. Facebook deleted Yair Netanyahu's posts, prompting him to take to Twitter to criticise the social networking giant, calling it a "dictatorship of thought". Critics of the prime minister have often attacked Yair as a grown man living in the premier's residence despite having no official role and benefitting from a bodyguard, a driver and other perks. They say the parents of the 27-year-old are grooming him for future political power in an attempt to establish a ruling dynasty. By Emilio Parodi MILAN (Reuters) - An Italian judge found on Monday that oil groups Eni and Royal Dutch Shell were fully aware that their 2011 purchase of a Nigerian oilfield would result in corrupt payments to Nigerian politicians and officials. Italy's Eni and Shell bought the OPL 245 offshore field for about $1.3 billion in a deal that spawned one of the industry's largest corruption scandals. It is alleged that about $1.1 billion of the total was siphoned to agents and middlemen. The Milan judge made the comment in handing down her reasons for the September conviction of Nigerian Emeka Obi and Italian Gianluca Di Nardo, both middlemen in the OPL 245 deal, for corruption. "The management of oil companies Eni and Shell ... were fully aware of the fact that part of the $1.092 billion paid would have been used to compensate Nigerian public officials who had a role in this matter and who were circling their prey like hungry sharks," judge Giusy Barbara said in her reasoning. She also said part of the money was given to some Eni managers. Obi and Di Nardo have been tried separately from Eni and Shell, which also face corruption allegations over the same deal in a hearing that is expected to drag on for months. Eni and Shell could not immediately be reached for comment. (Writing by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Dale Hudson) FSA Late last week, the Financial Services Agency (FSA), the top financial regulator in Japan, published a draft report which outlined the new framework for addressing cryptocurrencies and Initial Con Offerings (ICOs) in the country. The report was released following with the 11th study group meeting of the agency, and it contained a cumulation of recommendations from the previous ten sessions. As a regulator, the FSA has to submit bills and stay accountable to the Japanese parliament, however, the agency is also responsible for supervising financial activities in the country, with companies seeking to issue investment vehicles and assets being required to register and get proper accreditation from the agency. This report, which has been the subject of numerous rumors, is seen by many as a definitive stance by the Japanese government on cryptocurrencies, a move yet to be made by most developed countries till date. In the report, the FSA acknowledged the fact that technological innovation is continuously changing, and it has come to see the importance of collaboration with other authorized regulatory bodies. Because of this, we urge contributors to sign up for the qualified [self-regulatory] affiliation, the document reads. This way, the agency is expected to help improve techniques following the countrys laws. Back in October, the Japan Digital Foreign Money Trade Affiliation was accredited by the FSA with the aim of effecting self-regulatory laws in a legal framework. With this accreditation, the industry body was given the means to develop guidelines for domestic cryptocurrency exchanges, including measures to ensure that money laundering and insider trading are curbed. As expected, the regulator placed restrictions on privacy coin listings, margin trading and transactions in derivatives. Zaif On the issue of ICO regulation, the FSA explained that specific tokens might be subject to regulation depending on how they are structured. ICOs would be under the purview of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Story continues The report also addressed the existence of deemed dealers, companies which have gotten the leeway to operate cryptocurrency exchanges while reviewing their applications. It points out that while a lot of these dealers have been advertising their platforms and urging people to sign up, many their customers are still unaware that they arent registered. Concerning deemed dealers, the report proposed some regulatory measures. First, it established that they should not be able to expand their portfolio of coins until they get proper registration. Also, they wont be able to get new customers or promote their services as well. They must also be made to notify their existing users of their situation viz-a-viz registration. Reports in local media show that there is little to no any opposition to the proposed measures, and this means that the content of the draft is expected to form the new regulations of the agency. Earlier in August, new FSA Commissioner Toshihide Endo had told Reuters in an interview that the agency had no plans to shut down the cryptocurrency sector. We would like to see it grow under appropriate regulation, he had added, at the time. Images from Shutterstock. The post Japanese Regulators Publish New Draft for Domestic Cryptocurrency Framework appeared first on CCN. Former Vice President Joe Biden is the frontrunner to lead the Democratic party in the 2020 presidential election - Barcroft Media Joe Biden, Barack Obamas vice-president, has emerged as an early frontrunner among Democrats vying for the 2020 presidential nomination with a dominant lead among voters in Iowa, who will be the first to state their preference next year. A new CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll finds 32 per cent of likely caucusgoers saying they back Mr Biden as their first choice, ahead of 19 per cent for Bernie Sanders and 11 per cent for Beto O'Rourke, the telegenic campaigner who came close to an against-the-odds win in Texas last month. The results have Democrats salivating about a dream ticket that matches a 76-year-old veteran, who is popular with blue-collar voters, with Mr ORourke, a 46-year-old with a knack for producing viral videos. Its early days and a lot can change but it could be a way to get past the age issue with Joe, said a Democratic strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of endorsing a candidate. Then again, its two white men. Mr Biden has not yet decided whether he will join a crowded field of contenders. However, he has done little to dispel the speculation and has touted his age as an advantage. Ill be as straight with you as I can. I think Im the most qualified person in the country to be president, he said during a speech at the University of Montana earlier this month. 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. His supporters say he is best placed to woo back the parts of the Rust Belt and middle America that were unimpressed with Hillary Clintons run and defected to Donald Trump in 2016. But doubts remain that the Democrats are in danger of losing the youth vote if they plump for Mr Biden or the likes of Mr Sanders, 77, or Elizabeth Warren, 69. The Associated Press reported at the weekend that Mr Biden was talking to friends and long-time supporters about whether he was too old to run for the White House. They have floated the idea of teaming up with Mr ORourke. Story continues Mr O'Rourke excited Democratic voters and individuals donors in Texas, a usually staunch Republican state. Beto O'Rourke is mulling a 2020 run after a strong midterm showing Credit: Sergio Flores/Reuters The three-term Congressman initially ruled himself out of a 2020 run but is now considering capitalising on his sudden national profile. He became famous for livestreaming almost every aspect of his life during the midterm campaign when he came within three percentage points of a giant-killing victory over Ted Cruz. Iowa is a critical state for would-be presidents. It represents the first votes of the election cycle as, come February 2020, party supporters gather in caucuses to select their preferred candidate. The winner has gone on to clinch the nomination in every contested primary season since 2000. Among other notable contenders, Ms Warren, the Massachusetts Senator, polled eight percent and Kamala Harris, the California Senator, won the backing of five percent of respondents in the new poll. Last week the New York Times reported that Mr Sanders and Ms Warren had met to discuss their rival presidential ambitions, but that neither had tried to dissuade the other from running, nor had they agreed to a joint-ticket. Ms Warren, a noted progressive like Mr Sanders, has drawn fierce criticism for publishing the results of a DNA test to prove that she has Native American ancestry. The move followed Mr Trump, who mockingly dubbed Ms Warren "Pocahontas", alleging such claims were false. Contracted sale of armoured vehicles is worth C$14.8bn Pressure to cancel over Khashoggi killing and Yemen war Justin Trudeau: We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Canadian Press/Rex/Shutterstock Canada is looking for a way to end a multibillon-dollar deal to sell armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, according to the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, but the country hasnt yet figured out how to leave the agreement. We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia, Trudeau told CTVs Question Period on Sunday, in the latest signal that his government is increasingly likely to terminate the contract. Following the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and mounting civilian deaths from the war in Yemen, Trudeau has been under increasing pressure from rights groups, academics and policy advisers to cancel the arms deal. Both Germany and Sweden have cancelled arms contracts with Saudi Arabia following public outrage over the brazen killing of the dissident journalist, but Trudeau has previously said that cancelling the contract would cost the Canadian government billions. Trudeaus unwillingness to cancel the deal has frustrated arms control activists. The government has clearly gotten to a point that its most pragmatic staffers and advisers must be convinced that this is too costly for Canadas reputation, said Mark Kersten, deputy director of the Wayamo Foundation and author of Justice in Conflict. But there needs to be a degree of healthy skepticism here. Weve seen this before with the Trudeau government: they say one thing and either do nothing, or the exact opposite. The arms deal, initiated under the previous Conservative government in 2014 but continued under the Liberals, supplies the Saudis with light armoured vehicles and is worth C$14.8bn ($19.8bn). At the time, it was the largest export deal in Canadas history, making the country the second-largest arms exporter to the Middle East. Kersten called Trudeaus previous public statements on the deal that it couldnt be cancelled and that the deal represented part of Canadas global reputation a comedy of cop-out excuses. Story continues Earlier this year, the Trudeau government was forced into a U-turn on another weapons deal after news broke that an order of helicopters sent to the Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, could be potentially used against civilians. The Canadian government has previously approved export licences for military goods to China and Algeria, both nations with poor human rights records. After videos of security forces attacking civilian protesters began circulating in August 2017, the government temporarily suspended permits for armoured vehicles exported to Saudi Arabia. It comes down to a deceivingly simple question, said Kersten. Do we want to be a country that has an arms trade with very unsavoury states, who may actually end up using these very same weapons to commit the kinds of atrocities and rights abuses that Canada has proposed to stand up against? Indian authorities locked down parts of restive Kashmir on Monday as police fired tear gas at protesters defying a curfew to march against the shooting death of seven civilians. Separatist leaders had urged the public to march on India's military headquarters in the disputed territory, after seven people were killed and dozens wounded in army fire on Saturday. Authorities took no chances in a region where protests frequently descend into bloodshed, barricading roads to the key army base with razor wire and armoured vehicles. A total curfew was imposed in parts of Srinagar, the main city in Muslim-majority Kashmir, to try and curb any unrest. Mobile internet services were also suspended in some areas, and train services shut down to prevent protesters from massing in numbers. "Restrictions are in place in some city areas and in Pulwama," inspector general of police Swayam Prakash Pani told AFP, referring to Srinagar and the southern district where Saturday's shooting occurred. Police fired tear gas to drive back dozens of protesters led by a key separatist leader who tried to reach the base in central Srinagar. Yasin Malik, chief of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, was detained by police. Other key separatist leaders were put under house arrest to stop them marshalling other protesters. Businesses and schools across the divided Himalayan territory -- which is administered by India but also claimed in full by Pakistan -- were closed for a third straight day, with final year school exams delayed. India's army, which has half a million troops deployed in the region, urged the public to ignore the call to protest and blamed Pakistan for stoking unrest. "Indian Army strongly condemns this call by Pak(istan) proxies and advises people not to fall prey to such designs of anti-national forces," an army spokesman said in a statement issued late Sunday. India has long accused Pakistan of funding and arming rebels fighting in Kashmir. Story continues Islamabad has denied this, saying it only provides political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris fighting for self-determination. Saturday's shooting ignited fresh anger across the region, which has witnessed its bloodiest year since 2009 and increasingly violent public opposition to Indian rule. Popular support for rebels fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan has grown in recent years and villagers, sometimes in their thousands, swarm the sites of gun battles with government forces to assist insurgents. The weekend violence also saw three armed rebels and an Indian soldier killed in a shootout. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned Saturday's violence, saying Islamabad would raise the issue at the United Nations. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained freedom from British rule in 1947. More than 70,000 people -- mostly civilians -- have died since an insurgency against Indian rule began in 1989. After the tragic death of a meteorologist in Detroit, experts shed light on the potential risks associated with LASIK eye surgery. (Photo: danchooalex) Staffers at a Detroit TV station are grieving after their popular meteorologist died by suicide last week. Jessica Starr recently underwent LASIK surgery and suffered complications from the procedure. While its unclear if the surgery was a factor in Starrs death, she repeatedly discussed her challenging recovery on social media after having the procedure done in October, per the Detroit Free Press. Starr shared information about her surgery and recovery process in a Facebook video in November. In it, she said she was back to work four weeks after her surgery but still healing. She also mentioned that she was having issues with dry eye. When the drops are in, I can see pretty clear, but then they fade quickly, she said. In the comments, she later told a fan that Im dying over herethis recovery is brutal. Starrs final tweet was in mid-November, and it addressed her recovery. Yesterday was a struggle for me, she wrote. I really wanted to come back but need more time to recover. Please keep me in your thoughts during this challenging time. LASIK eye surgery is a surgical procedure done on a persons eyes to improve their vision, according to the National Eye Institute. The surgery is done with a laser and permanently changes the shape of a persons cornea (the clear front part of your eye). The hope is that after having surgery, a person will be able to stop wearing glasses or contacts, or to reduce their use of them. As with any surgery, there are risks to having this procedure. Dry eyes can be an issue for the first six months or so after surgery, and that can reduce your quality of vision, the Mayo Clinic says. Patients may also see glares or halos, experience double vision, develop an infection or problem with excess tears, or, in rare cases, even lose their vision. Dry eye is definitely the biggest potential side effect, Mina Massaro-Giordano, MD, co-director of the Penn Dry Eye & Ocular Surface Center and a professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Its quite common after LASIK, she says. While this doesnt happen to everyone who has LASIK, having an undiagnosed underlying condition that can dry you out like thyroid disease could increase your risk, she says. Story continues We tell our patients if they dont have any dry eye beforehand, about 30 percent will develop dry eye, Beeran Meghpara, MD, a corneal and refractive surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital in Pennsylvania, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Fortunately, the majority of those are very mild. Less than one percent can develop severe dry eye. Doctors tend to treat any side effects or complications situationally, Meghpara says. For example, with dry eye, a patient will likely be given artificial teardrops to help keep their eyes moist. In more severe cases, doctors may insert a punctal plug a silicone or collagen insert thats put into the corner of the eye to keep tears in the eye longer. That usually is sufficient in the vast majority of cases, he says. Though its rare, some people can experience whats known as neuropathic corneal pain. When nerves are cut, as they are with LASIK, there are some people with severely damaged nerves that can experience intense pain, Massaro-Giordano says. After a procedure like this, some people can feel like their eyes are on fire 24/7. Ive actually seen a few patients that are in such pain that they get to the point where theyre suicidal. In those cases, Massaro-Giordano says that a patient is typically referred to a pain management specialist, who will likely give them medication to try to decrease the pain. Still, Massaro-Giordano says that LASIK for the most part is a safe procedure. Meghpara agrees. A complication after LASIK fortunately is very, very rare, he says. If youre planning to get LASIK, Meghpara recommends making sure youre screened well beforehand. Get a comprehensive eye exam with appropriate testing to make sure you are a good candidate, he says. The vast majority of complications happen in people who arent. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) The Latest on California's wildfires (all times local): 8 p.m. A California sheriff says the list of names of those unaccounted for after a deadly wildfire has increased to 870. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea says the additional 171 names came from a backlog of voicemails that detectives worked through Tuesday. Authorities stressed that many of the people on the list may be safe and unaware they have been reported missing. Honea says two more sets of human remains were found Tuesday, bringing the total number killed in a devastating California wildfire to 81. The blaze that started Nov. 8 leveled Paradise, destroying more than 13,000 homes. ___ 7 p.m. A state report says two more sets of human remains were found Tuesday, bringing the total number killed in a devastating California wildfire to 81. The so-called Camp Fire swept through the rural town of Paradise on Nov. 8. It has destroyed nearly 13,000 homes. ___ 2:45 p.m. Dozens of people who lost their homes in a deadly Northern California wildfire remain at a makeshift camp next to a Walmart in the city of Chico days after they were asked to go to a shelter. Dozens of tents could be seen in a photo posted Tuesday on Twitter by a Sacramento Bee reporter. Evacuees camping on the sprawling parking lot were asked to leave before rain arrives in the area Wednesday. But some said they preferred to stay in tents because shelters would not accept them with their pets. A note posted at the makeshift shelter says a shuttle will be available Tuesday afternoon to transport people and their pets to the Gridley Fairgrounds Shelter. The blaze that started Nov. 8 leveled Paradise, destroying 310 apartment buildings and more than 12,500 homes. ___ 1:30 p.m. Authorities say bone fragments found within the Southern California wildfire burn area were there before the blaze broke out. Los Angeles County sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida says Tuesday that a property owner discovered the human remains while surveying fire damage in the Malibu area. Story continues Homicide detectives are investigating. The coroner's office says an autopsy is planned. Three people died during the Woolsey fire, including two found in a car and one in the rubble of a charred home. The 151-square-mile (391-square-kilometer) fire broke out Nov. 8 and destroyed at least 1,500 structures. Firefighters expect to have it fully surrounded this week. ___ 12:40 p.m. Authorities are using a rapid DNA test that produces results in just two hours to help identify the scores of people killed by the Northern California wildfire. The company ANDE is donating the technology. Relatives of missing people can provide DNA samples via cheek swabs. But not enough people have been coming forward only about 60 at last count. Company spokeswoman Annette Mattern says hundreds of samples are needed. The death toll nearly two weeks after the inferno stands at 79, with about 700 people unaccounted for. ___ 12:30 p.m. Victims of a destructive Southern California wildfire have sued Southern California Edison, alleging the utility was negligent in failing to shut off power before the blaze started. Plaintiffs' attorneys say Tuesday that nearly 20 people are part of the class-action lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court. Edison says a statement it can't comment on litigation related to wildfires. The court filing accuses Edison of contributing to the fire's destruction by ignoring warnings of extreme fire weather. The lawsuit says the utility only shut power off once the fire started. The cause of the so-called Woolsey Fire remains under investigation. Attorneys are seeking compensation for plaintiffs' damaged property, lost wages and attorney fees. The fire has destroyed at least 1,500 structures since erupting Nov. 8. Full containment is expected this week. ___ 10:50 a.m. A transmission line that utility Pacific Gas & Electric Company says malfunctioned minutes before Northern California's deadly wildfire was supported by steel towers that toppled over in a fierce 2012 storm. The Mercury News of San Jose reported Tuesday that trouble on PG&E's 115,000-volt Caribou Palermo line date to December 2012, when five towers toppled. PG&E proposed replacing six towers on the line by 2013 and finished the repairs in 2016. In a regulatory filing after the devastating Nov. 8 fire, PG&E said it detected an outage on an electrical transmission line near the site of the blaze. It said a subsequent aerial inspection showed damage to a tower on the line in the town of Pulga. Another transmission line in the nearby community of Concow also malfunctioned a short time later, possibly sparking a second fire. PG&E has said it is cooperating with investigations into the fire. ___ 10:45 a.m. A top Trump administration official is accusing "radical environmentalists" of blocking thinning and grazing in forests that he says could prevent wildfires. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reiterated the administration's blame of environmental policies in a call with reporters on Tuesday. He cites "lawsuit after lawsuit" by "the radical environmental groups that would rather burn down the entire forest than cut a single tree." He appeared to make a nod at the changing climate that scientists say is contributing to hotter, bigger, deadlier and more frequent wildfires. Many wildfire experts and California's Democratic leaders counter the Trump administration's arguments, saying most of California's deadly recent fires are not in forests, and that thinning trees would not have affected those blazes. Much of the California land that has burned recently is covered with brush and grass and few trees. ___ 10:30 a.m. Newly released video shows the dramatic moment firefighters rescued three people and two dogs as thick smoke and flames fast approached in Southern California. The Los Angeles Fire Department released video Tuesday of a helicopter crew rescuing the group from a mountain peak as a wildfire bore down. The Nov. 9 video was taken as pilots David Nordquist and Joel Smith battled the Woolsey Fire, which was raging through the Santa Monica Mountains toward Malibu. The crew was making a water drop when it was asked to rescue the group. The pilots headed that way despite dwindling fuel. With smoke darkening the sky, they hunted for a landing spot among antenna towers, service buildings, cars and vegetation. They finally found a tight spot and saved the people and their pets. ___ 9 a.m. Fire officials say firefighters have gained ground against a Northern California wildfire that killed at least 79 people. The California The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Tuesday that the fire is now 70 percent contained. That's up from 66 percent Monday morning. The blaze's size remained at 236 square miles (611 square kilometers). The gains come ahead of rain forecast for the region starting Wednesday that is expected to last through the Thanksgiving weekend. The National Weather Service has issue and flash flood watch for wildfire-scarred areas. It says newly burned areas in and around Paradise are prone to downhill ash and debris flows. Officials say they worry rain could complicate the efforts of the crews searching for human remains by washing away signs of the dead or turning the dusty debris into a thick paste. ___ 12 a.m. With 79 people killed in the nation's deadliest wildfire in at least a century, there are still nearly 700 names on the list of those unaccounted for. While it's down from nearly 1,000 the day before, it is inexact, progress has been slow, and the many days of uncertainty are adding to the stress. More than a dozen people are marked as "unknowns," without first or last names. In some cases, names are listed twice or more times under different spellings. Others are confirmed dead, and their names simply haven't been taken off yet. Survivors and relatives of those caught in the fire in Northern California are using social media to get the word out. In some cases, they post that their loved ones were safe. In others, they plead for help. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea has said he released the rough and incomplete list in hopes that people would contact authorities to say they are OK. He has called it raw data compiled from phone calls, emails and other reports. Riga (AFP) - Latvia on Thursday rejected the United Nations migration pact set to be adopted next week, following similar moves by several other European countries as well as Australia and the United States. The 100-seat parliament of the Baltic EU state voted against the UN Global Compact for Migration agreed in July after 18 months of negotiations. It lays out 23 objectives to open up legal migration and better manage migratory flows as the number of people on the move worldwide has increased to 250 million, or three percent of the world's population. Latvia's outgoing centre-right Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis vowed earlier this week to "adhere to parliament's decision, whatever the outcome." Among the lawmakers who voted down the pact, Dagmara Beitnere-Le Galla from the New Conservative Party charged that the treaty was "very poorly prepared for a document that may have major implications throughout the entire world". Latvia is the latest state to either disavow or withdraw from the pact that is focused on promoting cooperation to deal with the world's growing migrant flows. It has been targeted by right-wing politicians who denounce it as an affront to their countries' national sovereignty. The United States quit negotiations early on, in last December, and was followed by Hungary seven months later. Since then, other naysayers include Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Israel, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland. Linklaters and Addleshaw Goddard have advised on the 1.6bn sale of the six-acre Battersea Power Station site to Malaysian investors. The 1.6bn deal - which relates to commercial assets within Phase 2 of the redevelopment of the land around the iconic power station - has seen the assets sold to a joint venture comprising Malaysian asset management company Permodalan Nasional Berhad and the Employees Provident Fund Board of Malaysia - a retirement savings fund. Linklaters led for the joint venture purchasers with a team headed up by real estate partner Patrick Plant, while Addleshaws acted for the Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC). The Addleshaws team was led by real estate partner Simon Tager, with support from real estate head Leona Ahmed, real estate partner Luke Harvey, and corporate partners Hugh Lauritsen and Lee Sheldon. Battersea Phase 2 Holding Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of BPSDC, which will continue to act as the development manager for all phases of the 42-acre power station development. The deal is one of several connected to the ongoing 9bn redevelopment project. Earlier this year, CMS and Shoosmiths advised BPSDC on the pre-let of the remaining 40,000 sq ft available within the power station to a private members club. The deal rounded off a series of pre-lets at the power station, which saw tech giant Apple sign up to about half 500,000 sq ft of the space available in 2016. Located atop Mount Padang in West Java, the structure is topped by an archaeological site that holds rows of ancient stone pillars. Danny Hilman Natawidjaja. WASHINGTON An enormous pyramid-like structure in Indonesia that may represent the remains of an ancient temple hid underground for thousands of years. Scientists presented evidence of the remarkable construction Dec. 12 here at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Located atop Mount Padang in West Java, the structure is topped by an archaeological site that was discovered in the early 19th century and holds rows of ancient stone pillars. But the sloping "hill" underneath isn't part of the natural, rocky landscape; it was crafted by human hands, scientists discovered. [The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth] "What is previously seen as just surface building, it's going down and it's a huge structure," said Andang Bachtiar, an independent geologist from Indonesia who supervised core drilling and soil analysis for the project. The pyramid-like structure remained hidden for so long because it has been obscured by foliage and so looks like a hill (red circle), with a megalith exposed at the top (yellow circle). Danny Hilman Natawidjaja Though the buried structure may superficially resemble a pyramid, it differs from similar pyramids built by the Mayans, Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, lead project researcher and a senior scientist with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, told Live Science. While Mayan pyramids tend to be symmetrical, this structure is elongated, with what appears to be a half-circle in the front. "It's a unique temple," Natawidjaja said. He and his colleagues suspected that the exposed megalith might be more than it appeared, because some partly exposed features in the existing archaeological site didn't quite match the standing stones. The "peculiar" shape of the hill also stood out from the landscape, he said. "It's not like the surrounding topography, which is very much eroded. This looks very young. It looked artificial to us," Natawidjaja explained. Using an array of techniques to peer underground including ground-penetrating radar surveys, X-ray tomography, 2D and 3D imaging, core drilling, and excavations the researchers gradually uncovered several layers of a sizable structure. It spread over an area of around 15 hectares (150,000 square meters) and had been built up over millennia, with layers representing different periods. Story continues Using various techniques to peer underground, the researchers found several layers of the pyramid-like structure, with each layer representing a different period of time. Danny Hilman Natawidjaja. At the very top were pillars of basalt rocks framing step terraces, with other arrangements of rock columns "forming walls, paths and spaces," the scientists reported at AGU. They estimated this layer to be about 3,000 to 3,500 years old. Underneath the surface, to a depth of about 10 feet (3 m), was a second layer of similar rock columns, thought to be 7,500 to 8,300 years old. And a third layer, extending 49 feet (15 m) below the surface, is more than 9,000 years old; it could even date to 28,000 years ago, according to the researchers. Their surveys also detected multiple chambers underground, Natawidjaja added. Today, local people still use the exposed site at the top of the structure as a sacred destination for prayer and meditation, and this could also be how it was used thousands of years ago, Natawidjaja said. Original article on Live Science. Antananarivo (AFP) - The Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is the leading global producer of vanilla and blessed with bountiful biodiversity, yet it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Here is some background as the country heads to the polls Wednesday in the second round of its presidential elections: - Fourth largest island - Stretching across 587,000 square kilometres (nearly 227,000 square miles), Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island, bigger than Spain or Thailand in size. The country lies just over 400 kilometres (250 miles) off the southeastern coast of Africa and is home to a population of nearly 25 million people (2016, World Bank), including 18 ethnic groups. Madagascar is frequently exposed to extreme weather events, such as tropical storms, flooding and drought. One of the most powerful cyclones in recent years, Enawo, claimed nearly 80 lives in March 2017. While it is renowned for its luscious biodiversity, some of this is under threat including critically-endangered lemurs, its rare and ruby-coloured rosewood trees, and several tortoise and turtle species. Wildlife smuggling and trafficking of its abundant natural wealth remains a national concern. - Political divisions - The former French colony, which gained independence in 1960, has been mired in political division and upheaval for decades. A disputed 2001 presidential election led to clashes that ended with Marc Ravalomanana, the mayor of the capital, taking power. The outgoing leader was Didier Ratsiraka, a one-time Marxist who had ruled since 1975 and went into exile. Ravalomanana was toppled in 2009 by another Antananarivo mayor, Andry Rajoelina, in an army-backed coup. But Rajoelina was barred from contesting 2013's elections over his links to the country's troubled past, as were Ravalomanana's wife and Ratsiraka. Protests erupted again in April 2018 over claims that laws due to be enacted ahead of the presidential vote would see certain candidates barred. Story continues After weeks of unrest and calls for him to quit, President Hery Rajaonarimampianina was forced to replace his government with a "consensus" administration in June 2018, which has organised Wednesday's polls. - Vanilla, sapphires, malnutrition - Heavily reliant on international aid, Madagascar has registered annual growth of more than four percent since 2016, the World Bank says. But most people have not benefited from the improved economic situation, with 76 percent living in extreme poverty. The country supplies about 80 percent of global vanilla bean stocks and is also one of the world's leading producers of sapphires. Its agriculture sector, the main source of income for most people, is vulnerable to its regular natural disasters. Rice production fell by about 20 percent from 2016 which led to significant price hikes, according to the World Bank. Madagascar has the sixth highest rate of malnutrition in the world, with nearly half of all children under the age of five suffering from chronic malnutrition according to the UN children's fund, UNICEF. It is among the nations with the highest levels of child illiteracy. Only about 13 percent of the population has access to electricity. Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro lashed out Wednesday at what he said was a plot to assassinate him directed by the White House -- and involving the right-wing governments of Colombia and Brazil. Maduro accused US National Security Advisor John Bolton of personally directing a plan to sow chaos on Venezuelan soil, with the aim of overthrowing his socialist government. The Venezuelan leader told foreign correspondents in Caracas that his government had "good information" that Bolton had been "assigning missions for military provocations on the border." "I come again to denounce the plot which is being prepared from the White House to violate Venezuelan democracy, to assassinate me and to impose a dictatorial government in Venezuela," he said. Troops were being trained in the United States and Colombia to carry out the plot, he alleged. US President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque have been sharply critical of Maduro's leftist regime, and Trump in October hinted at a potential military response to resolve Venezuela's crippling economic crisis. "Mr John Bolton has been assigned as chief of the plan, of the plot, to fill Venezuela with violence and seek a foreign military intervention, a coup d'etat, and impose what they call a transitional government council," said Maduro, who said he had corroborating foreign sources for his claims. "Brazil's military forces want peace. Nobody in Brazil wants the incoming government of Jair Bolsonaro to engage in a military adventure against the people of Venezuela," Maduro said. The Venezuelan leader had already castigated Washington in a speech on Sunday, saying it planned to carry out a coup with support from Colombia, although on that occasion he did not mention Brazil. Bolton and Bolsonaro met late last month in Rio de Janeiro -- the first high-level meeting between a senior US official and the far-right leader, who takes office on January 1. Story continues Maduro raised Washington's ire this week by announcing military exercises on Venezuelan soil with the participation of Russia, which sent two nuclear-capable long-range bombers to Caracas. The move drew condemnation from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He said the deployment was a case of "two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer". Russia sent the planes following a visit to Moscow last week by Maduro for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expressed support for the beleaguered socialist government. Maduro, 55, begins a second six-year term on January 10, having won elections in May that were boycotted by the opposition. Lilongwe (Malawi) (AFP) - Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima was elected head of the United Transformation Movement (UTM) party on Monday, paving way for him to challenge President Peter Mutharika in May elections. Chilima was handpicked by Mutharika to run alongside him in the 2014 elections on the Democratic People's Party (DPP) ticket. But Chilima quit the DPP in June to form the UTM, citing corruption, nepotism and cronyism in the ruling party. About 900 delegates gathered in Lilongwe for the UTM's first convention since the party was founded five months ago. "We cannot continue in the 'business-as-usual' manner in which our country has been run," Chilima said after being elected unopposed. "Our calling is a call to service and to reclaim Malawi." Under the constitution, the vice president cannot be sacked by the president. Chilima, 45, is seen as a young challenger to Mutharika, 79, who won the election in 2014, two years after his brother, Bingu wa Mutharika, died while serving as president. Chilima's chances of launching a serious challenge to Mutharika remain uncertain. Food shortages, power outages and ballooning external debt have hurt the president's popularity. "Chilima could be a dark horse as people are increasingly disturbed by the the current government," said Switzerland-based political analyst Onjezani Kenani. Joyce Banda, 69, is back in the country after a four-year absence, hoping to reclaim the presidency that she held between 2012 and 2014. Malawi is one of the world's most aid-dependent countries and its economy is mainly based on subsistence farming. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Janbaz Tarin, left, murdered his wife, Raneem Oudeh, centre, and her mother, Khaola Saleem, in Solihull in August (Picture: PA) A lying killer who murdered his defenceless ex-partner and her mother weeks after being dumped by his spouse when she found out he had a secret wife and children in Syria has been jailed for life. Janbaz Tarin, 21, admitted murdering Raneem Oudeh and Khaola Saleem in a frenzied knife attack outside Mrs Saleems home in Solihull, West Midlands, on August 27. After the former student pleaded guilty to two counts of murder at Birmingham Crown Court, senior detectives described how jilted Tarin went to hunt down Ms Oudeh, who was his wife under Islamic law. Ms Oudeh, described by family as always smiling, was on the phone to police when she was savagely attacked by Tarin, outside her mothers home in Northdown Road. When Mrs Saleem attempted to save her daughter from the onslaught, she too was fatally stabbed by callous Tarin who fled the scene before officers arrived. Police & forensics officers at the scene of the murders in Solihull in August (Picture: PA) The head of West Midlands Polices CID described the crime as one of the most brutal and heart-rending he had seen in 150 homicides. It came as the family of Ms Oudeh, a mother of one, revealed Tarin hassled the 22-year-old into marriage after they met at Solihull College, where he enrolled after lying about his age. Chillingly, he later told her when I saw you, I said this is mine. But after being wed, Tarin turned violent towards Ms Oudeh and the couple had split months before the killing, according to her aunt Nour Norris. MORE: Driver slaps note on ambulance for making him late as paramedics battled to save a life MORE: Festive farmer spreads Christmas cheer with tractor made of 11,000 fairy lights She said: He used to threaten her many times if you leave me, I will kill you and your family. Unfortunately she only told us that at the end because she knew, she couldnt cope with him anymore with all the violence he was giving her and she knew that the police and authority and everybody wasnt really helping her so she felt like she could say those things. Story continues One day she said to me, Auntie, I feel my lifes going to end. I said dont say that. That was few weeks before she was murdered. The split was triggered, in part, when she became aware Tarin had lied to her from the start; about being much older than he claimed, and about a secret family he had back in the Middle East. Mrs Norris said her niece got a court injunction against him, with the help of Mrs Saleem, two weeks before the killing. On at least one previous occasion he had broken into the house at Northdown Road to get at Ms Oudeh, she added. She also said Tarin was well-known to police for his violent abuse of Ms Oudeh, in the months leading up the murder. The 39-year-old said: After a few months marriage to him, she decided hes not the right man for her. Trapped in the marriage, Ms Oudeh kept a brave face on her relationship, hiding the abuse from relatives. Mrs Norris said: After she got married to him, she realised he was a good liar. Nour Norris, sister and aunt to the victims, arrives at Birmingham Crown Court (Picture: PA) Eventually, Mrs Saleem told her daughter were going to do the right thing, go to the court, get a court order, according to Mrs Norris. Thats exactly what my sister did, the right thing, she added. What any mother would do. She tried to protect her by doing the right thing. She added: They felt very strong after they had the court order, but unfortunately it wasnt enough to save their lives. Ms Oudehs son, two-and-a-half years old, is now living with Mrs Norris. Asked if she believed the police and authorities had failed to do enough that night to stop Tarin, and in the months beforehand to protect the victim, Mrs Norris replied: Yes we do. We do feel that and we feel theres a lot of women out there as well probably going through the same thing, who agree with us. Sentencing Tarin at Birmingham Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 32 years on Monday, the judge told him his crimes had devastated the victims family. Mrs Justice Sue Carr said: Janbaz Tarin, you are now 21 years old and stand convicted on your guilty pleas of the murders of your estranged wife, Raneem Oudeh and her mother, Khaola Saleem, in the early hours of Monday, August 27. Having stalked Raneem the evening before, you equipped yourself with a knife, followed Raneem to her mothers address and carried out a vicious and sustained attack on both women. After the attack, Tarin fled in his white van and remained on the run for three days until a member of the public spotted him and tipped off police. The couple met at Solihull College, when she first arrived from Syria. The Independent Office of Police Conduct is investigating the circumstances surrounding the police response to the murders, after a self-referral by West Midlands Police. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced a $5.7-billion, two-year plan Friday to revamp the country's health care system for the poor. He also said the country should consider a program for euthanasia, or voluntary assisted dying, which is currently not allowed. "Why don't we implement some program for dignified death? Why not, assisted?" said Lopez Obrador. "These are very important questions we have to resolve among all of us." The plan aims to improve hospitalization services and ensure supplies of medications for poor Mexicans not covered by one of the two main federal health insurance programs. Mexico already has one system for private-sector workers whose employers contribute health insurance payments, and another system for government employees. Farmers, the self-employed and street vendors fall outside those plans. "More than half the population has no health insurance," Lopez Obrador said. "So this program is for them. It is for everybody, but the emphasis is to care for those with no insurance, the poorest people." At present they are treated at a patchwork of state and local clinics, which often don't have the level of care or medications they need. But under the new plan they would be eligible for emergency treatment at hospitals in the two other, better-funded systems. Lopez Obrador pledged to improve funding and staffing at the federal facilities. Lopez Obrador also said the federal government would take responsibility for treating everyone in eight states in the impoverished southeast, the first to join the plan. Mexico's other 24 states would be added eight at a time, so all would be covered within two years. Lopez Obrador put special emphasis on providing medications; while Mexicans can often get diagnosis, the medicines they need often simply aren't available at hospitals and clinics. Patients are often forced to buy medications at private pharmacies with their own funds, and there have been many instances of fraud and corruption in the bidding to supply medications the government does buy. Lopez Obrador said he would invite the United Nations to oversee purchasing programs to ensure transparency. John Broadhurst has been jailed for three years eight months for manslaughter with gross negligence over the death of his girlfriend Natalie Connolly in December 2016 following a drink and drug fuelled rough sex session. Millionaire businessman John Broadhurst has been jailed for three years and eight months for the death of his girlfriend following a drink and drug-fuelled sex session. Broadhurst was previously cleared of murdering Natalie Connolly and causing her grievous bodily harm on the directions of the judge following legal submissions part-way through his trial at Birmingham Crown Court. Miss Connolly 26, was pronounced dead on the morning of December 18 2016 after Broadhurst called paramedics to their home in Kenrose Mill, Kinver, near Stourbridge. Broadhurst, a property developer said to have a fortune of around 15 million, had separated from a former partner, who was pregnant with their second child, around three months before Miss Connollys death. John Broadhurst has admitted manslaughter with gross negligence over the death of his girlfriend Natalie Connolly (pictured) in December 2016 following a drink and drug fuelled rough sex session. The court heard that Miss Connolly, who had suffered a blow-out fracture to her left eye, bruising and internal injuries, had told witnesses that she and the defendant had an interest in masochistic sex. A paramedic told Broadhursts trial that the father-of-three appeared hungover and did not seem unduly upset after finding his partners body at about 9.30am. Passing sentence on Broadhurst on Monday at Birmingham Crown Court, Mr Justice Julian Knowles told the 40-year-old father-of-three: You were capable of taking decisions and making choices. This was grossly irresponsible behaviour by you. You left that vulnerable young woman to die in the saddest and most avoidable of circumstances. You showed blatant disregard for a very drunk and injured woman. The home of John Broadhurst where Natalie Connolly was found dead in December 2016, in Kenrose Mill, Kinver, near Stourbridge. Offering mitigation before sentencing, defence QC Stephen Vullo said Broadhurst, now of Blakeshall Farm, Wolverley, had set up home with Ms Connolly in the context of a loving relationship. The couple had both been drinking heavily and had taken cocaine on the day leading up to Ms Connollys death, the court heard. Stressing that Broadhurst had been cleared of what prosecutors initially claimed was an angry assault, Mr Vullo said of Ms Connollys death: He accepts he should have recognised the risk she was in and failed to do so. Story continues He feels remorse for it and always has done. This case is about negligence and somebody losing a loved one. Natalie Connolly, a mum of one, who died following a drink and frug fuelled rough sex session with millionaire property developer John Broadhurst. Broadhurst has been jailed for three years, eight months, for her death. (Staffordshire Police) The lawyer added that Broadhurst knew his partner was bleeding but did not think she would come to any harm. The backdrop to this was a loving, and what was going to be a long-term, relationship, Mr Vullo added. Broadhurst, who was showed no emotion as he was sentenced, was told he will serve half of his sentence in prison and the remainder on licence. A family statement released by Staffordshire Police following Broadhursts sentencing said: Our lives changed forever when we found out that Natalie had died. During the last five weeks we have had to endure hearing the most horrendous and harrowing evidence of how Broadhurst left Natalie at the bottom of the stairs bleeding and in clear need for medical help. It is now clear to us that the guilty admission made by Broadhurst shows the heartless way in which he left Natalie at the bottom of the stairs, without any concern for her dignity or wellbeing. He has demonstrated what a callous, disrespectful person he really is, and has never publicly apologized or shown any remorse for the cruel way in which he left my daughter. Natalie was in the prime of her life and if Broadhurst had got the medical help from the emergency services at the time of this incident, Natalie may still be alive today. Natalie was a loving and caring daughter, granddaughter, and sister, but above all she was a loving mother to her 10-year-old daughter, who now has to grow up without her mummy by her side, through all those significant times in a young girls life. She will to have to live a life sentence without her mummy. Natalie was, and still is at the centre of our world, and we will all try to rebuild our lives knowing, we will no longer have the beauty, the joy and the happiness of having Natalie by our side. Our beautiful girl has gone forever, we will never forget Natalie she will remain in our hearts and souls forever. As a family we all have to ensure that Natalies daughter grows up, knowing how much we all loved her mummy and the very tragic and unnecessary way in which her life ended. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Bangkok (AFP) - Miss Philippines was crowned Miss Universe on Monday in Bangkok after a trailblazing ceremony praised for featuring its first transgender candidate but marred by gaffes about the English-speaking ability of two Asian contestants. Catriona Gray, 24, finished first ahead of the South African and Venezuelan finalists in the glittering televised event hosted by American comic turned TV host Steve Harvey and supermodel Ashley Graham. In the final round, Gray earned applause describing her work in the slums of the Philippine capital Manila. After winning she told reporters she would like to expand her work with an organisation in the Philippines that promotes education on HIV and AIDS. "A few years ago I lost a close friend to health complications with HIV," she said. "So spreading awareness on that cause and encouraging people to get the simple test and knowing their status is definitely one of my first projects that I'd like to pursue." Gray -- a student of music theory -- beat more than 90 contestants from around the globe in the 67th instalment of Miss Universe, which was held in the Thai capital's Impact Arena. During the competition, which was broadcast live, candidates were asked questions on press freedom, legalisation of marijuana, refugees and the #MeToo movement. This year's event drew positive feedback for themes of inclusivity and an all-women panel of judges made up of business leaders and former Miss Universe titleholders. Miss Spain's Angela Ponce made history as the first transgender candidate in a competition once owned by President Donald Trump, whose administration has attempted to block military recruitment of transgender people. "I always say: having a vagina didn't transform me into a woman. I am a woman, already before birth, because my identity is here," Ponce told AFP on Saturday, gesturing to her head. She added she wanted her appearance to be empowering and that she hoped for a "new generation of human beings who are raised a lot better, more tolerant and respectful." Story continues But issues of tolerance and respect came centre stage during the competition when Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers appeared to poke fun at Miss Vietnam and Miss Cambodia on social media for not being able to speak English. The comments went viral but Summers later posted an apology on Instagram, saying she did not "intend to hurt" her fellow competitors. Gray's victory was closely followed in the Philippines, where beauty pageants are hugely popular. Social media exploded with clips of fans jumping for joy and hugging each other as the Filipina contestant went through each successive round and eventually won. A spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte in a statement praised Gray's win for putting the Philippines on the world map "for its beauty and elegance". Besancon (France) (AFP) - A Japanese student who went missing in eastern France in 2016 was probably suffocated in her university room by her fugitive Chilean ex-boyfriend, a prosecutor said Monday. Narumi Kurosaki, 21, disappeared in the city of Besancon on the night of December 4, 2016 after having dinner with her ex, Nicolas Zepeda. Local prosecutor Etienne Manteaux said that investigators believed that she had been killed, but determining the cause of death was difficult because her body has not been found despite extensive searches of a nearby forested area. No blood had been detected in her room in the university residence in Besancon where terrified cries and the sound of a physical struggle were reported by fellow students at around 3:30 am. "Was it by suffocation? Probably. That doesn't leave blood," Manteaux told reporters in Besancon. "There are ways of killing that don't leave many traces." He said that Zepeda, who had posted videos online threatening Kurosaki, had been jealous that she had started a new relationship with another man and was "more than ever considered the main suspect in this killing". He also revealed that Zepeda had bought five litres of flammable liquid and matches at a supermarket days before Kurosaki disappeared and his hire car was returned covered in mud. In their search for her body, police have focused their efforts on the vast Chaux forest area on the outskirts of Besancon, but have been unable to find any trace of the student. Zepeda, a teaching assistant aged in his mid-twenties, left France and returned to Chile shortly after Kurosaki was last seen dining with him in a restaurant a short drive from Besancon, a town in the foothills of the Alps mountains. He has admitted going to her room afterwards -- he claims for consensual sex -- but has denied responsibility for her disappearance. -- Chilean 'reticence' -- Chilean authorities have so far declined to arrest him, despite an international arrest warrant issued by France, and Manteaux admitted that there had been a "certain reticence" to take action. Story continues A Chilean judge criticised "the scarce information related to the facts and the suspect's participation in them" in February last year during a hearing. French authorities are now set to send a request to their Chilean counterparts "in the coming weeks" to ask if a French magistrate can visit the country to interview the suspect. "What we want now is to go to Chile to interview Mr Zepeda... and to explain to the Chilean police and judicial authorities all of the evidence against Mr Zepeda," he explained. "We have done everything to try to find the body, without success. We need to accept that. We need to move on to the diplomatic stage," he added. France had not sent a formal extradition request, with most countries reluctant to extradite their own nationals for trials overseas, the prosecutor explained. Manteaux suggested the most likely conclusion was either a trial in Chile, based on evidence handed over by French authorities, or a trial in France which would judge Zepeda in absentia. - Hope and despair - Kurosaki's parents, who reportedly visited France last week, continue to hold out hope that their daughter might be seen again. "For as long as the body has not been found, they continue to cling to the hope that she might be alive," Manteaux said. "For me, who has to take an objective view of the facts, this hope seems in vain." During the press conference, Manteaux also raised the issue of why none of the roughly 10 students who heard screams on the night Kurosaki disappeared had called the police. Some had sent text messages to friends, but no-one raised the alarm, he said. Local police commander Regis Millet also revealed that police had been unable to access the GPS data from Zepeda's car because it had been erased by other customers by the time they inspected the vehicle. Kurosaki, described as a smiley, gentle individual by friends, started a relationship with Zepado after they met in Japan but the couple later split. Michelle Lee Photography/Shutterstock Parents want to believe that health products, especially the kind geared toward children and taken on a daily basis, are safe. Unfortunately, as a viral post proves, that's not always the case. A mom from Overland Park, Kansas named Samantha Andersen took to Facebook on December 11 after finding "sharp metal flakes" at the bottom of a Zarbee's Naturals Complete Toddler Multivitamin bottle. "The flakes were even embedded in the surface area of the vitamins," she wrote. "Theres 55 servings in a bottle, and [my daughter Milani]'s had about 50 so who knows how many metal flakes she ingested??" The concerned reported that her pediatrician had recommended taking Milani to the E.R. to be X-rayed. In an update to the post, Andersen reported that metal was found in her daughter's intestines, and, "Now we have to watch for bloody stools, pain or fever. The doc also told us to contact the FDA so we did that immediately. I contacted Zarbee's as well. The rep apologized and offered to mail some coupons to my house...?????? Please check your childrens containers and share my post!" Upon seeing the post, which has been shared more than 109K times, another mother named Karly Lynn Dunn revealed that she had found metal pieces and mysterious "black specks" in her supply of the same vitamins. She similarly encouraged parents to check their bottles of these chewable vitamins. Andersen told local news outlet FOX4KC that her family has used Zarbee's Naturals multivitamins for years. But upon noting that some of the gummies had clumped together, she she dumped them on a plate to separate them, and that's when she noticed the metal shavings. "My husband said, 'Take a magnet and see if it sticks,' and sure enough the magnet picked them right up," Andersen said. She reflected on the situation to FOX4KC: "Food is mass produced these days, and metal machines will break apart. And I guess pieces will fall into the production line, but there's supposed to be tools or people in place to catch those things." While Zarbee's has yet to comment, the Food & Drug Administration shared a statement with the Kansas station: "The FDA is aware and currently investigating the complaint." 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. She thought she had the perfect marriage until one day a phone call turned her life upside down. Mary Turner Thomson, 53, from Edinburgh, met William Allen Jordan, who claimed to be a CIA agent on secondment at the Ministry of Defence, online when she was a single mum with a tiny baby. But in April 2006, after 14 years marriage, a woman calmly told her she was the other Mrs Jordan before unravelling their husbands lies. Jordan a prolific bigamist turned out to have fathered at least 13 children with six women. She recalled: For more than an hour, I listened to Michelle as she pulled my life apart. She calmly told me that she and my husband, Will Jordan, the father of my two younger children, had been married for 14 years and had five children together. Hed had numerous affairs and had fathered two children with Michelles nanny. As she talked I realised that all three of us, Michelle, her nanny and I, had four-year-olds with the same father. We had all been pregnant at the same time; in fact, they had both been pregnant when Will first contacted me through an online dating agency. She says the scenes are like something straight from the BBC One thiller Mrs Wilson, inspired by the true story of war-time spy and bigamist, Alexander Wilson. Mary Turner Thomson thought she had a dream marriage to William Allen Jordan. Until his second wife called and unravelled his world of lies. Mary told the Daily Record: Watching the series has been very like looking at my own story. I met William online when I was a single mum with a nine-month-old baby. He was very charming. We started dating and he actually asked me to marry him within two weeks of meeting I said, No, but we did eventually get engaged then we were married for four years. After six months of being together, I fell pregnant, which was a huge surprise because he told me he was infertile. After duping vulnerable Mary into believing he was a secret agent he would tell her he was being deployed on a mission only to use the time to visit his other children. He even persuaded her to hand over 200,000 to pay blackmailers who he claimed had threatened to kidnap their children, Robyn, now 19 and from Marys previous relationship, along with Eilidh, now 16, and Zach, now 13, who she was pregnant with at the time. Story continues She said: I thought if we didnt give them money, they would kill the kids. I was living in abject error. The Americans lies fell apart when the other Mrs Jordan rang Mary in April 2006. He was jailed for bigamy, illegally possessing a stun gun, fraud, and other offences. He served two-and-a-half years of a five-year sentence, and was deported to the US but carried on defrauding women and was jailed. Mary says he is now free again and still living the life of a conman. Mary, now an author, added: Will was, and is, very, very good at what he does. He finds a victim, then finds a weakness and uses it. He has been doing it all of his life. I was the perfect prey a single mum who was a bit lonely and wanted someone to love me. Looking back at the way he manipulated me, the best comparison I can draw is that of a cat playing with a mouse: the cat has no emotion or compassion for the mouse; it is just a game and about control. It is fun. Will is the predator; we are the prey. I do not take it personally, because it is not personal. The cat does not choose one mouse in particular it could be any mouse that strays into its path. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Seoul (AFP) - North Korea has condemned the United States over its latest sanctions measures, warning the policy could "block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever". The warning from the North on Sunday came days after the US said it was imposing sanctions on three senior North Korean officials over human rights abuses. The sanctioned officials include Choe Ryong Hae, who has been considered a right-hand man to leader Kim Jong Un. In a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, the North praised President Donald Trump for his efforts to improve relations with Pyongyang, but said the US State Department was "bent on bringing the DPRK-U.S. relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire". The statement by the policy research director of the Institute for American Studies of the foreign ministry accused the US of "deliberate provocation" over the sanctions on the three officials. If Washington believes the policy of increased sanctions and pressure would force the North to give up its nuclear weapons, "it will count as greatest miscalculation, and it will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever", the statement added. At a historic summit in Singapore in June, US President Donald Trump and Kim signed a vaguely-worded statement on denuclearisation. But little progress has been made since then, with Washington pushing to maintain sanctions against the North until its "final, fully verified denuclearisation" and Pyongyang condemning US demands as "gangster-like". In actions required by Congress, the Trump administration said on Monday it would seize any US assets of the three officials over their roles in suppressing freedom of speech. Such restrictions may have little impact on officials in one of the world's most closed countries but will have a clear symbolic force as North Korea seeks greater acceptance by the United States. A large part of investment returns can be generated by dividend-paying stock given their role in compounding returns over time. Historically, Nanjing Sample Technology Company Limited (HKG:1708) has paid dividends to shareholders, and these days it yields 1.2%. Lets dig deeper into whether Nanjing Sample Technology should have a place in your portfolio. Check out our latest analysis for Nanjing Sample Technology 5 questions to ask before buying a dividend stock When researching a dividend stock, I always follow the following screening criteria: Is it paying an annual yield above 75% of dividend payers? Has it paid dividend every year without dramatically reducing payout in the past? Has the amount of dividend per share grown over the past? Is is able to pay the current rate of dividends from its earnings? Will it have the ability to keep paying its dividends going forward? SEHK:1708 Historical Dividend Yield December 17th 18 Does Nanjing Sample Technology pass our checks? Nanjing Sample Technology has a trailing twelve-month payout ratio of 36%, which means that the dividend is covered by earnings. Furthermore, analysts have not forecasted a dividends per share for the future, which makes it hard to determine the yield shareholders should expect, and whether the current payout is sustainable, moving forward. When considering the sustainability of dividends, it is also worth checking the cash flow of a company. A business with strong cash flow can sustain a higher divided payout ratio than a company with weak cash flow. If dividend is a key criteria in your investment consideration, then you need to make sure the dividend stock youre eyeing out is reliable in its payments. Although 1708s per share payments have increased in the past 10 years, it has not been a completely smooth ride. Shareholders would have seen a few years of reduced payments in this time. In terms of its peers, Nanjing Sample Technology produces a yield of 1.2%, which is on the low-side for Electronic stocks. Story continues Next Steps: Now you know to keep in mind the reason why investors should be careful investing in Nanjing Sample Technology for the dividend. But if you are not exclusively a dividend investor, the stock could still be an interesting investment opportunity. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, you should always research extensively before deciding whether or not a stock is an appropriate investment for you. I always recommend analysing the companys fundamentals and underlying business before making an investment decision. Below, Ive compiled three pertinent aspects you should further research: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 1708s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 1708s outlook. Historical Performance: What has 1708s returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here. 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. By Terray Sylvester PARADISE, Calif. (Reuters) - Fire crews in northern California seized on improved weather conditions on Wednesday in their six-day-old battle to suppress the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history as National Guard troops were called in to help search for victims. The confirmed death toll from the Camp Fire stood at 48 as the footprint of the fire grew by 5,000 acres to 135,000 acres(55,000 hectares), even as diminished winds and rising humidity allowed firefighters to carve containment lines around more than a third of the perimeter. "Progress is being made," said Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) at a news conference flanked by Governor Jerry Brown, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and other officials. The escalating search for additional human remains in the fire zone is focused on what little is left of Paradise, California, in the Sierra foothills about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco, which was mostly incinerated last Thursday. More than 8,800 buildings, most of them houses, burned to the ground in and around Paradise, a hamlet once home to 27,000 people. An estimated 50,000 people remained under evacuation orders. "This is one of the worst disasters I've seen in my career, hands down," Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told reporters in the nearby city of Chico. Added Zinke, "This is the worst fire I have seen. And this is from a kid who grew up in Montana." NO FINGER POINTING After touring some of California's earlier wildfire zones in August, Zinke blamed "gross mismanagement of forests" because of timber harvest restrictions that he said were supported by "environmental terrorist groups." But pressed by reporters on Wednesday, Zinke demurred. "Now is really not the time to point fingers," he said. "It is a time for America to stand together." Story continues The killer blaze, fuelled by thick, drought-desiccated scrub, has capped two back-to-back catastrophic wildfire seasons in California that scientists largely attribute to prolonged drought they say is symptomatic of climate change. But lawyers for some of the victims are pointing to lax maintenance by an electric utility as the proximate cause of the fire, which officially remains under investigation. The Butte County disaster coincided with a flurry of blazes in Southern California, most notably the Woolsey Fire, which has killed at least two people, destroyed more than 400 structures and displaced about 200,000 people in the mountains and foothills near the Malibu coast west of Los Angeles. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the remains of a possible third victim were found in a burned-out dwelling, and are investigating the case as "an apparent fire-related" death. President Donald Trump, who also has sought to blame forest management practices for California's fire woes, has declared both the Camp and Woolsey fires to be disaster areas, making federal emergency assistance more readily available. In northern California, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Tuesday night that a National Guard contingent of 100 military police trained to seek and identify human remains would join dozens of coroner-led recovery teams, cadaver dogs and forensic anthropologists already sifting through the charred, ash-strewn rubble of what was left in Paradise. 'IT'S UNREAL' Cal Fire investigator Stewart Morrow was assessing property losses in Paradise, comparing piles of scorched rubble where houses once stood with online photos of the structures before the fire. He also was keeping an eye out for human remains. "Ive been a firefighter for 20 years and Ive never seen a place so destroyed," Morrow told Reuters on Wednesday. "Its unreal." A group of three law firms representing multiple victims of the Camp Fire has filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric alleging PG&E failed to properly maintain and replace its equipment and that "its inexcusable behaviour" contributed to the cause of the Camp Fire. The lawsuit alleges that prior to the Camp Fire, PG&E began warning customers it might turn off power because of the elevated risk of wildfires from high winds but never did so. "It's important to remember that the cause (of the "Camp Fire") has yet to be determined," PG&E said in a statement. "Right now, our primary focus is on the communities, supporting first responders and getting our crews positioned and ready to respond when we get access, so that we can safely restore gas and electricity to our customers." Wind-driven flames roared through Paradise so swiftly that residents were forced to flee for their lives with little or no warning. Nearly 230 people have been listed as missing, but on Tuesday night Sheriff Honea said those numbers were highly fluid as some individuals may simply have fallen out of touch during chaotic evacuations. Anna Dise, a resident of Butte Creek Canyon west of Paradise, told KRCR TV that her father, Gordon Dise, 66, was among those who died. They had little time to evacuate and their house collapsed on her father when he ran back inside to gather belongings. Dise said she could not flee in her car because the tires had melted. To survive, she hid overnight in a neighbour's pond with her dogs. "It was so fast," Dise recounted of the fire. "I didn't expect it to move so fast." The fatality count of 48 from the Camp Fire far exceeds the previous record for the greatest loss of life from a single wildfire in California history - 29 people killed by the Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles in 1933. PG&E and another major utility, Southern California Edison , reported to regulators they experienced problems with transmission lines or substations in areas around the time the blazes were first reported. (Additional reporting by Noel Randewich and Sharon Bernstein in Paradise and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; writing by Bill Trott and Steve Gorman; editing by David Stamp, Steve Orlofsky and James Dalgleish) Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images, State of New Jersey Department of State In the face of opposition from Republicans, good-government groups and even their own partys governor, Democrats in the New Jersey state Legislature have pulled a controversial referendum that critics said could have led to a permanent gerrymander in the state. Democratic leaders in both houses of the Legislature pulled the plan that critics had likened to legislative power grabs by Republicans in Wisconsin and Michigan. One difference is that the criticism of the New Jersey plan came from prominent Democrats, including Gov. Phil Murphy. National Republicans have been mostly silent about the bills to restrict the power of incoming Democratic governors in the two midwestern states. Another difference is that the New Jersey plan would go to the voters in the form of a ballot initiative. The Wisconsin bills were passed by the legislatures and signed by lame-duck Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Opposition to the proposal came from a very unusual alliance, according to Helen Kioukis, program associate for the League of Women Voters New Jersey. It included New Jersey Republicans as well as Murphy, former attorney general Eric Holder, nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women Voters, and progressive activism groups. The uniqueness gave it its strength, said Kioukis of the coalition, which had been monitoring the legislation since summer when it was posted on the Legislatures website. Alarm bells were raised around Thanksgiving and the pushback began, culminating in a pair of hearings on Thursday held concurrently for the state Senate and Assembly versions of the bill, seemingly to make it more difficult for opponents to speak at both where the only support for the legislation came from sponsors in the Legislature. On Saturday evening, Democrats in the Legislature announced they were pulling the bill in advance of Mondays scheduled vote, with questions over whether they had enough support for it to pass. This will give us the time and opportunity to review the input we have received from the public, our legislative colleagues and others to determine if any of these ideas would improve the proposal, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney said in a statement. Story continues New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, standing by the flag at a podium, unveils his 2019 budget in the Assembly chamber of the Statehouse in Trenton in March. (Photo: Mel Evans/AP) The proposed amendment would restructure the committee that draws new districts every 10 years by giving the power to choose members to the Legislature, rather than state party leaders, and adding legislative leaders ex officio. It would mandate that at least 25 percent of districts be competitive based on election data, a formula that hasnt been tested elsewhere in the country. In Kioukiss view, it was a power grab away from voters that factored in the use of political data that her group would have opposed regardless of the party that was proposing it. Our coalition that came together within about a week shows that this is an issue thats not partisan, said Kioukis. Its about the voters, its about the people, its about protecting democracy, and were just happy that the leaders heard us. Louis D. Greenwald, the state Assemblys majority leader, defended the amendment in an op-ed published last week amid the opposition. Despite dishonest rhetoric implying the new makeup of the commission is self-serving for legislators, nothing could be further from the truth, wrote Greenwald. This critical reform will remove the politics from the process by capping the number of legislators serving on the commission. The amendment institutes a first-time-ever ban on lobbyists on the commission. The way sponsors planned to get the measure on the ballot also raised eyebrows in the state. The usual procedure for putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot requires a three-fifths majority from both chambers of the Legislature, which would permit Republicans to block the measure. So Democratic leaders planned to invoke a provision that allows a proposal that passes the Legislature with a majority in consecutive calendar years to make the ballot. Thus Democrats could pass it before Dec. 31, pass it again in the new year and see it on the ballot. Gov. Phil Murphy, center, with Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, left, and Senate President Stephen Sweeney in June, announcing a budget deal. (Photo: Julio Cortez/AP) That maneuver drew criticism from Murphy. I have as much a concern about the process as I do even about the substance, Murphy said in an interview with the New York Times. I dont like the substance, but this is classic jam something through, and I got elected to stand up against that and Im going to. Eric Holder, the attorney general under President Barack Obama and head of the anti-gerrymandering National Democratic Redistricting Committee, also spoke out against the plan. The American people want redistricting reforms that help level the playing field so that elections are decided on who has the best ideas, not which party was in charge of drawing the lines, Mr. Holder said in a statement. As currently constructed, the proposal in New Jersey fails to live up to those standards. Some analysts, however, questioned whether the Democrats plan would have been effective even if it had been passed into law. An analysis of the legislation by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project found that the Democrats could potentially end up locking themselves out of a gerrymander if there is a Republican bump following the 2020 election. The group recommended amendments that would prevent the party in power from locking in gerrymanders under the radar. Will Adler, a Princeton research specialist who works on the Gerrymandering Project, told Yahoo News that the proposed amendment would allow both parties to deny that they were engaging in gerrymandering, while not necessarily locking in a Democratic advantage. Sam Wang, a Princeton professor who co-authored the report, said he thought the coverage had been overblown because it wouldnt be an effective gerrymander for the Democrats. I would say that it mainly accomplishes nothing because it is poorly crafted, Wang told Yahoo News in an email. Since theres little payoff, it doesnt seem to be worth the amount of criticism that New Jersey Democrats are getting. It also gives a meaningless rubber stamp to a wide range of bad acts by both parties. Still, Adler understands some of the blowback to what he considers flawed legislation. I think the public is now much more aware of gerrymandering and redistricting as being an important issue, said Adler. I think people more and more believe voters should choose their politicians instead of the other way around, and this bill goes in the opposite direction of that. It requires legislators to serve on this committee. Thats not the direction the rest of the countrys moving in. The reform community is not pushing for these sorts of changes, added Adler. ______ Read more from Yahoo News: Tracey Reisman Gerber, with Porter Hedges. Tracey Reisman Gerber has joined Porter Hedges in Houston as a partner in the firms real estate section. Gerber has more than 14 years of experience in real estate law. Her primary focus is the representation of landlords and tenants in complex lease issues. Kurt Krolikowski, a Houston-based litigator, is among seven lawyers promoted to partner in Locke Lord. He represents clients in a broad range of commercial disputes, including consumer finance, energy and construction-related cases. Recently promoted partners in the firms Dallas office are Kyle Davis, who counsels clients in a variety of commercial real estate and finance transactions, and Matt Davis, who handles complex business-related and financial services litigation, including litigation involving mortgage lending practices, state and federal fair debt collection practices, contract claims and fraud. Alexis Swanzy has joined Kessler Collins in Dallas as an associate. Swanzy focuses her practice on commercial litigation. Prior to joining the firm, she had an internship at the Federal Trade Commission and externships at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas and the legal department of a real estate developer. Katrina Eash, Rex Mann and Justin Reinus have been promoted to the position of partner in the Dallas office of Winston & Strawn. Eash and Mann are trial lawyers who focus on complex commercial litigation and intellectual property litigation. Reinus advises clients on initial public offerings and other equity offerings. Alex Niebruegge has been promoted to partner in the firms Houston office, where he concentrates on energy transactions, mergers and acquisitions and other corporate matters. David Viddy Harris and Paul Klecha have joined the Houston office of Patterson + Sheridan. Harris is an intellectual property attorney, a chemist and a patent-holding inventor. He has represented clients in matters ranging from oncology, polymer formation, refinery and software to matters to small molecule pharmaceuticals. Klecha was a patent analyst at an intellectual property research and consulting firm before he attended law school. He is in the firms mechanical and chemical engineering practice group. Honor Demetra L. Liggins, a Houston partner in Thompson & Knight, has been selected to be in the 30th Class of Fellows of the American College of Bankruptcy. The class will be inducted as fellows on March 15, 2019, in Coronado, California. New Location Husch Blackwell has moved its Dallas office to the newly constructed tower at 1900 Pearl in the Dallas Arts District, effective Dec. 17. The firms new office space will allow for further growth in Dallas. For many of us, our beauty routine is something we take quite seriously. So when we heard that fashion queen Nicole Richie was giving away the secret for her flawless complexion, of course, we were going to take notes. As part of her ever-so-sassy Style NowWith series promoting products from her new lifestyle collection, the 37-year-old revealed that the trick to keeping her skin plumped and glowing is her gilded, 24-carat Manuka honey face mask. Nicole Richie uses a 24-karat gold face mask. Photo: Yahoo Lifestyle As it says on the tin, the mask is infused with 24-carat gold to help firm and illuminate skin. Plus, its loaded with the moisturising power of hyaluronic acid and soothing manuka honey. You put it on, you peel it off, and your skin is dewy and radiant. We cant imagine anything more luxe than smothering your skin in gold flakes, but Nicoles daily routine might just be it. I take a shower every night, right before I go to bed I have an entire skin care routine that consists of a face wash, a toner, a mask, lotion and face oil, she says. I step out of the shower, put on cute pyjamas and then put on a robe over it. Thats my routine, says Richie. Its this routine that inspired many of her creations for Honey Minx. The pyjamas, sleep mask, robe and the satin pillowcase I think theyre for everybody, Richie says. I cant think of somebody who doesnt want to unwind and feel good and look gorg [sic] at the end of the night. I dont know who that person is. The video is a collaboration with Style NowWith, and everything from the scarves she mentions, to the clothes and accessories shes wearing can be clicked on and purchased. This article was paid for by Working Sundays, the parent company of Honey Minx, and created by Yahoo. Prices on the Honey Minx website are in USD but can be converted to GBP. The editorial department of Yahoo did not participate in the creation of this content. About Honey Minx Inspired by her love of California, Nicole Richies new lifestyle collection, Honey Minx, integrates Nicoles passion for living her true self and expressing creativity through fashion and beauty. This collection highlights her love of eclectic pieces and soothing textures and celebrates the energy that we are given by the sun. Story continues Nicoles iconic style is translated into a full range of beauty and fashion designs, including bohemian-styled jewellery, gem-infused essential oils, dream-inducing sleepwear, luxurious skincare and, of course, accessories. Never known to shy away from something a little wild, Nicole has artfully blended her unique expression of beauty, healthy living and L.A.s laid-back artistic fashion with the ultimate in cosy luxury and style. Honey Minx is available on WorkingSundays.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK. YOKOHAMA (Reuters) - Nissan's <7201.T> Chief Executive said on Monday he hoped alliance partner Renault SA will listen to its explanation of financial misconduct by former Chairman Carlos Ghosn. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa, announcing a plan to improve the company's governance in the wake of Ghosn's arrest and ouster, also said the company did not have a deadline in mind on when to name a successor. While Nissan ousted Ghosn days after his arrest, the Renault board at a Dec. 13 meeting reiterated its decision to keep him in office. Renault directors have yet to be given access to Nissan's findings, which are being closely held by Renault lawyers. (Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) Tokyo (AFP) - The board of automaker Nissan failed Monday to agree a replacement for former chairman Carlos Ghosn after his arrest for financial misconduct, as tensions grow in the firm's alliance with Renault. The Japanese company removed Ghosn from his post last month after he was detained on allegations of under-reporting his salary. But it failed Monday to name a replacement, with CEO Hiroto Saikawa saying a committee advising the board on the decision needed more time. "It was decided that the committee wishes to continue discussions, we accepted that," he told a press conference after the board met in Yokohama. Media reports ahead of the meeting suggested the board was unlikely to reach a decision soon, in part because of open discord with French automaker Renault. Nissan itself faces charges of allegedly submitting financial documents that understated Ghosn's pay, and Renault is now reportedly seeking more sway on the Japanese firm's board. The French firm has reportedly urged Nissan to call a shareholder meeting to discuss its representation on the board and within its top management. It warned Nissan's indictment "creates significant risks to Renault, as Nissan's largest shareholder, and to the stability of our industrial alliance", the Wall Street Journal reported. Saikawa declined to comment directly on the reports, and said Nissan would look to organise a shareholder meeting after a panel examining governance at the automaker reported its findings. In a statement, Nissan said it was ready "at any time to provide a full briefing at a Renault board meeting in order to maintain an equal understanding among the Alliance partners". - Rift in the alliance - But Saikawa's comments also made it clear that relations between the partners are increasingly difficult. "We have approached Renault. But the reaction of the Renault board was to refer us to their lawyers. So now Nissan's lawyers are communicating with Renault's lawyers," he said. Story continues "My understanding is that the graphic details of the wrongdoing is not being conveyed to each and every one of the Renault board members. If we are afforded such an opportunity, we would very much like to explain." Ghosn's arrest has laid bare the rifts in the alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors that the auto tycoon helped forge -- and was often credited with holding together. While Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors quickly removed Ghosn from leadership positions after his arrest, Renault has kept him on as CEO and chairman. And while Saikawa launched a broadside against his former mentor shortly after his arrest, describing his "dark side", Renault has approached the allegations more cautiously. The CEO said he would not rush the three-person panel advising the board on the new chairman. "I don't have any deadline in mind. I wish them to spend all the time they need," he said. A newly formed committee looking into governance at Nissan is to report its findings by March, but the decision on a new chairman could potentially stretch beyond that, he said. - Ghosn remains in detention - As his former employer wrangles over his replacement, Ghosn remains in the one-man cell at a Tokyo detention centre he has occupied since his shock arrest on November 19. Prosecutors have already charged him with under-reporting his pay by around $44 million over the five years to 2015, and are also investigating claims he under-reported it further in the past three years. He will be detained until at least December 20, when prosecutors will either file new charges or request another 10-day detention period while they continue investigations. A range of additional claims of financial misconduct have been made against Ghosn, including using Nissan funds to purchase homes around the world, though prosecutors have yet to level those accusations formally. He and his former right-hand man Greg Kelly, who is also under arrest, reportedly deny any wrongdoing. The charges have sparked a legal battle over Ghosn's flat in Rio de Janeiro, with Nissan trying to prevent his family members from accessing the property and removing items. A Brazilian court authorised relatives to access the apartment, despite claims from Nissan that they were removing corporate documents. spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 12-17-2018 02:17 AM Posts: 67,593 Post: #1 Watching the Arctic amplification death spiral and unprecedented acceleration Advertisement 4 ways the melting Arctic is wreaking havoc near you The Arctic is in the throes of what sea-ice scientist Peter Wadhams called a death spiral. As the regions once abundant ice melts, giving way to a less reflective surface, the Arctic heats up faster now at a rate that is double the rest of the planet. The ice is much thinner and lighter and broken and kind of slushy, Jennifer Francis, a scientist who focuses on the Arctic at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told Grist. Its been described as rotten. The Arctic is heading toward irreversible melting and ecosystem destruction, according to the annual Arctic Report Card released on Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The researchers found that the Arctic has lost nearly 95 percent of its oldest ice. On top of that, the once-pristine region is becoming quite dirty: In addition to a growing toxic algae problem, the Arctic Ocean now has the highest concentration of microplastics of any ocean on Earth. (The tiny, barely visible plastics pose a threat to any seabirds or marine life that accidentally eat them.) For people living up north, the warming Arctic has immediate effects. Coastal Arctic communities, including indigenous peoples, are literally losing land as coastal ice (also called shorefast ice) melts. The decline of shorefast ice is exposing communities to increased storm surge, coastal flooding, and loss of shoreline, Donald Perovich, a professor of engineering at Dartmouth and a contributor to the report, said in a press conference. For Americans in the continental United States, though, these changes in the Arctic can feel far away. Its hard to imagine theyll have much effect on daily life here. However, the implications are far-reaching. Were not just talking sea-level rise: The melting Arctic is disturbing Earths weather system, causing profound changes to weather beyond the North Pole. What happens in the Arctic doesnt stay in the Arctic, said Judah Cohen, an MIT climatologist who wasnt involved in the report. more: https://grist.org/article/4-ways-the-mel...-near-you/ (Jan) temperature rises Record warmth in the Arctic this month could yet prove to be a freak occurrence, but experts warn the warming event is unprecedented Quote: The north pole gets no sunlight until March, but an influx of warm air has pushed temperatures in Siberia up by as much as 35C above historical averages this month. Greenland has already experienced 61 hours above freezing in 2018 - more than three times as many hours as in any previous year. Seasoned observers have described what is happening as crazy, weird, and simply shocking. This is an anomaly among anomalies. It is far enough outside the historical range that it is worrying it is a suggestion that there are further surprises in store as we continue to poke the angry beast that is our climate, said Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. The Arctic has always been regarded as a bellwether because of the vicious circle that amplify human-caused warming in that particular region. And it is sending out a clear warning. more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/...ture-rises The Arctic is in the throes of what sea-ice scientist Peter Wadhams called a death spiral. As the regions once abundant ice melts, giving way to a less reflective surface, the Arctic heats up faster now at a rate that is double the rest of the planet.The ice is much thinner and lighter and broken and kind of slushy, Jennifer Francis, a scientist who focuses on the Arctic at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told Grist. Its been described as rotten.The Arctic is heading toward irreversible melting and ecosystem destruction, according to the annual Arctic Report Card released on Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The researchers found that the Arctic has lost nearly 95 percent of its oldest ice. On top of that, the once-pristine region is becoming quite dirty: In addition to a growing toxic algae problem, the Arctic Ocean now has the highest concentration of microplastics of any ocean on Earth. (The tiny, barely visible plastics pose a threat to any seabirds or marine life that accidentally eat them.)For people living up north, the warming Arctic has immediate effects. Coastal Arctic communities, including indigenous peoples, are literally losing land as coastal ice (also called shorefast ice) melts. The decline of shorefast ice is exposing communities to increased storm surge, coastal flooding, and loss of shoreline, Donald Perovich, a professor of engineering at Dartmouth and a contributor to the report, said in a press conference.For Americans in the continental United States, though, these changes in the Arctic can feel far away. Its hard to imagine theyll have much effect on daily life here. However, the implications are far-reaching. Were not just talking sea-level rise: The melting Arctic is disturbing Earths weather system, causing profound changes to weather beyond the North Pole.What happens in the Arctic doesnt stay in the Arctic, said Judah Cohen, an MIT climatologist who wasnt involved in the report.more:(Jan)more: North Korea on Sunday condemned the U.S. administration for stepping up sanctions and pressure on the nuclear-armed country, warning of a return to "exchanges of fire" and that disarming Pyongyang could be blocked forever. The North's stinging response came after the United States said on Monday it had introduced sanctions on three North Korean officials, including a top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, for alleged human rights abuses. Denuclearizing North Korea has made little progress since Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump met in Singapore in June in a historic summit. The two sides have yet to reschedule working-level talks between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, which were canceled abruptly in November. While crediting Trump for his "willingness" to improve relations with the North, also known as DPRK, Pyongyang accused the U.S. State Department of being "bent on bringing the DPRK-U.S. relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire." North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement that Washington had taken "sanctions measures for as many as eight times against the companies, individuals and ships of not only the DPRK but also Russia, China and other third countries..." RELATED: Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump If the U.S. administration believed that heightened sanctions and pressure would force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons, "it will count as (its) greatest miscalculation, and it will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever - a result desired by no one," according to the statement. The foreign ministry statement was released under the name of the policy research director of the Institute for American Studies. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Josh Smith; Editing by Mark Potter) 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). By way of learning-by-doing, well look at ROE to gain a better understanding of NRW Holdings Limited (ASX:NWH). Over the last twelve months NRW Holdings has recorded a ROE of 15%. Another way to think of that is that for every A$1 worth of equity in the company, it was able to earn A$0.15. See our latest analysis for NRW Holdings How Do You Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for ROE is: Return on Equity = Net Profit Shareholders Equity Or for NRW Holdings: 15% = 42.166 AU$273m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2018.) Most readers would understand what net profit is, but its worth explaining the concept of shareholders equity. It is all earnings retained by the company, plus any capital paid in by shareholders. The easiest way to calculate shareholders equity is to subtract the companys total liabilities from the total assets. What Does Return On Equity Mean? ROE measures a companys profitability against the profit it retains, and any outside investments. The return is the yearly profit. A higher profit will lead to a higher ROE. So, as a general rule, a high ROE is a good thing. That means it can be interesting to compare the ROE of different companies. Does NRW Holdings 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. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. The image below shows that NRW Holdings has an ROE that is roughly in line with the Construction industry average (18%). ASX:NWH Last Perf December 16th 18 That isnt amazing, but it is respectable. ROE tells us about the quality of the business, but it does not give us much of an idea if the share price is cheap. If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Story continues How Does Debt Impact ROE? Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. 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 used for growth will improve returns, but wont affect the total equity. In this manner the use of debt will boost ROE, even though the core economics of the business stay the same. NRW Holdingss Debt And Its 15% ROE Although NRW Holdings does use debt, its debt to equity ratio of 0.34 is still low. Its very respectable ROE, combined with only modest debt, suggests the business is in good shape. 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 one way we can compare the business quality of different companies. In my book the highest quality companies have high return on equity, despite low debt. If two companies have the same ROE, then I would generally prefer the one with less debt. But ROE is just one piece of a bigger puzzle, since high quality businesses often trade on high multiples of earnings. Profit growth rates, versus the expectations reflected in the price of the stock, are a particularly important to consider. So you might want to check this FREE visualization of analyst forecasts for the company. But note: NRW Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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. Tshikapa (DR Congo) (AFP) - At least one person was killed and over 80 injured in weekend clashes between supporters of rival candidates just days ahead of DR Congo's crucial presidential election, sources said Monday. The country is on edge ahead of the December 23 vote to replace President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the resource-rich nation since 2001. Unrest erupted in Tshikapa, a city in the restive central Kasai region, on Sunday when the planes of two rival candidates -- opposition heavyweight Felix Tshisekedi and former education minister Maker Mwangu -- landed at the airport just a few hours apart. Sources with observers at the scene said at least one person had been killed and around 20 arrested. But others in the region said the toll could be higher. "A young local chief who was among Maker Mwangu's supporters was attacked with stones," Faustin Dostin Luange of the local community radio station told AFP. The man was rushed to hospital but later died of his injuries, he said. The attack prompted a furious reaction from other Mwangu supporters, who then attacked a motorcycle driver "whom they took for an activist of (Tshisekedi's) party and beat him to death", he said. "I have seen two bodies but the toll could rise." Other sources also spoke of two dead, and although the police confirmed the unrest, they did not give a toll. Authorities are on alert for a resurgence of communal conflict in the wider Kasai region, which descended into violence in summer 2016 after troops shot dead the Kamwina Nsapu, a local tribal chief from the Luba ethnic group who opposed Kinshasa. Rebels fighting in his name have since battled Congolese troops as well as a pro-government militia called the Bana Mura. Around 3,000 people were killed in less than a year of unrest. If you have been looking for Non US - Equity funds, a place to start could be Oppenheimer International Small -Mid Company A (OSMAX). OSMAX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We classify OSMAX in the Non US - Equity category, which is an area rife with potential choices. Investing in companies outside the United States is how Non US - Equity funds set themselves apart, since global funds tend to keep a good portion of their portfolio stateside. Many of these funds like to allocate across emerging and developed markets, and will often focus on all cap levels. History of Fund/Manager OSMAX is a part of the Oppenheimer family of funds, a company based out of Denver, CO. The Oppenheimer International Small -Mid Company A made its debut in November of 1997 and OSMAX has managed to accumulate roughly $1.54 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. Frank Jennings is the fund's current manager and has held that role since September of 2018. Performance Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 9.74%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 10.73%, 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. Over the past three years, OSMAX's standard deviation comes in at 11.91%, compared to the category average of 9.32%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 10.79% compared to the category average of 9.45%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Story continues Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In OSMAX's case, the fund lost 71.4% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 12.98%. This means that the fund could possibly be a worse choice than its peers during a down market environment. Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.78, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than 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. With a positive alpha of 1.1, managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, OSMAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.37% compared to the category average of 1.25%. OSMAX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $1,000, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment. Bottom Line Overall, Oppenheimer International Small -Mid Company A ( OSMAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Oppenheimer International Small -Mid Company A ( OSMAX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now. Don't stop here for your research on Non US - Equity funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare OSMAX to its peers as well for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike. 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 Get Your Free (OSMAX): Fund Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Gergely Szakacs and Krisztina Than BUDAPEST (Reuters) - About 2,000 Hungarians protested at the state television building to demand independent public media and courts on Monday in the latest gathering uniting a fragmented opposition in action against right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Protesters shouted "Dirty Fidesz" referring to Orban's ruling party, and held up banners like "TV has lost its public television character", saying public TV had become a government mouthpiece. They faced hundreds of police. Earlier security guards ejected two independent lawmakers from the building after they tried to get into a studio to read out a petition against what they say is an authoritarian regime. The two lawmakers were among about a dozen members of parliament who spent the night in the building demonstrating against Orban's policies, after a big protest on Sunday that took some 10,000 people to the streets. "I have mainly come to defend the independent courts," said one of the protesters at state TV, Gabor Hacsi, 35, a lawyer. He referred to a law passed last week that would set up new administrative courts that will answer to the government. "I hope we will see more protests with several thousands of people and I can only help by coming here." Sunday's march, dubbed "Merry Xmas Mr. Prime Minister", in effect united weakened opposition groups in action against Orban for the first time since 2010 when he came to power. The protests pose no immediate threat to Orban, who has strong core support which helped him return to power in April. But Peter Kreko, director of the think tank, Political Capital, said the government's reaction to the protests showed "short-sighted arrogance". He added: "This is stepping up one level in the regime's authoritarian logic." In the petition the opposition lawmakers backed the protest in calling for the withdrawal of a new labor law that boosts overtime hours, for independent public media and courts and for Hungary to join the European Union's prosecutors office. A Fidesz spokesman criticized the lawmakers for going to the state TV building and said they were abusing their parliamentary powers by seeking to "meddle in editorial operations." Independent lawmaker Bernadett Szel posted video footage on her Facebook page that showed the security guards tussling with her fellow-MP Akos Hadhazy and pushing him out of the building. Szel said she had also been ejected. Szel read out the petition to the demonstrators. Fidesz said on Saturday, in reaction to the protests, that it was "increasingly obvious that criminals have been part of the street riots organized by the Soros-network." A spokesperson for George Soros' Open Society Foundations said that Soros had not stoked the protests. (Reporting by Krisztina Than and Gergely Szakacs, Editing by Gareth Jones and William Maclean) Doha (AFP) - Outgoing UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Sunday said that peace in the war-wracked country could be won through a post-war "inclusive constitution". De Mistura is trying to set up a UN-backed constitutional committee for Syria that would include 50 members chosen by Damascus, 50 by the opposition and 50 by the United Nations, before stepping down later this month. "One can win territorially in conflict, especially if one has strong military support from friends, but the issue is can you win peace," he told an international conference in Doha. "We are getting into that phase," which includes reconstruction, rehabilitation and the return of refugees, de Mistura said. The planned constitutional committee was agreed at a Russia-hosted conference in January. The centrepiece of UN peace efforts in Syria, the committee would be tasked with negotiating a new post-war constitution that would pave the way to elections aimed at turning the page on seven years of devastating war. But it has run into objections from the Syrian government. The opposition has pushed for an entirely new constitution, but Damascus has said it will only discuss altering the current one. In October, Damascus rejected a list presented by de Mistura of 50 civil society representatives and technical experts. "You cannot win a war full stop," de Mistura stressed. But peace could be accomplished "through a credible inclusive constitution", he added. De Mistura, an Italian-Swedish diplomat who has been the UN's peace envoy since July 2014, was due to step down at the end of November, but he agreed to stay on for an extra month to lead a final push. Last month he said the UN is still hoping to send invitations to committee members by mid-December and convene a first meeting before December 31. Russia, Turkey, Germany and France have called for the committee to be formed by the end of the year. By David Alire Garcia MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican state-run oil giant Petroleos Mexicanos will focus on existing shallow water assets and refining next year at the expense of riskier, deepwater projects under a new government that has vowed to turn around the ailing company. The 2019 budget blueprint presented on Saturday by officials of leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador calls for some $23 billion (465 billion pesos) in discretionary spending for the company known as Pemex, up about 14 percent from this year. Almost half the Pemex budget is earmarked for exploration and production, mostly in shallow water and some onshore areas. Setting out his plans on Saturday, Pemex Chief Executive Octavio Romero said two previous governments had little to show for putting 41 percent of exploration funding into deep waters: "At best we'd have the first drop of oil by 2025," he said. Mexican crude output has fallen for 14 straight years. Pemex aims to increase production by almost 50 percent by the end of the six-year term of Lopez Obrador, who wants to reduce Mexico's dependence on imported fuels. To that end, the budget projects Pemex spending almost $2.5 billion on an oil refinery Lopez Obrador is building at the southern Gulf coast port of Dos Bocas. The facility aims to be able to process 340,000 barrels per day (bpd) of heavy crude. "Pemex's E&P unit and refining will total 98 percent of all capital expenditures. All other subsidiaries will get scraps," said Gonzalo Monroy, a Mexico City-based oil analyst. Another $245 million in funding is planned for upgrades to Pemex's six existing domestic refineries. The plan cuts funding for units focused on fertilizers, ethylene, drilling services and its corporate offices. The budget also provides for about $6.2 billion in so-called non-discretionary spending to cover costs like debt servicing. Pemex has financial debts of some $106 billion, among other hefty obligations, fueling concern over its credit rating. Pemex is government-owned and the senior management is hand-picked by the president, including the chief executive and the chairman of the board, who is also the energy minister. HELPING HAND Monroy identified two planned exploration and production outlays as "potential headaches" due to their complexity and cost: Chicontepec, a tight oil onshore project, and Lakach, a mostly natural gas deepwater scheme budgeted for $673 million. Lopez Obrador firmly opposed the 2013 constitutional overhaul championed by his predecessor, who ended Pemex's decades-long monopoly and allowed foreign and private producers to bid on developing oil and gas projects for the first time. The shakeup also allowed Pemex to form joint ventures, a common practice in the industry aimed at sharing risks and rewards that Lopez Obrador has yet to embrace - or reject. Earlier this month, Energy Minister Rocio Nahle said two onshore auctions scheduled for February would be canceled. Mexico's oil regulator later said auctions due at the same time for the right to partner with Pemex on seven onshore contracts had been postponed until next October. In the past three years, Pemex has inked three joint ventures, including one with Australia's BHP Billiton for the deepwater Trion project. While Pemex cedes control on these projects, it attracts significant investment from partners without having to pledge much of its own funding during the initial phase. Lopez Obrador will need to authorize more Pemex joint ventures, also known as farm-outs, to reach his goal of boosting crude output to 2.6 million bpd in six years from 1.8 million now, said Raul Feliz, an economist at the CIDE think tank. "If Pemex has to do it all by itself with this level of funding, it won't be enough," he said. (Additional reporting by Dave Graham; editing by Chris Reese) Phillips 66 PSX has released 2019 capital budget of an estimated $2.3 billion, unchanged from the estimated capex for 2018. Of the total, $1.4 billion will be allocated to growth capital and the remaining $900 million will be allocated to sustaining capital. Phillips 66 has apportioned $1 billion toward the Midstream segment, of which $847 million is for growth capital and the rest is for sustaining capital. The company will allocate growth capital for natural gas liquids (NGLs) and transportation businesses. An additional fractionation capacity of 300,000 barrels per day at the Sweeny Hub is included under the allocation. The development projects are integrated with current assets and infrastructure. This includes the expansion of the Beaumont Terminal that is underway as well as investment in organic projects. Some of these projects are Gray Oak Pipeline, South Texas Gateway Terminal, Clemens Caverns expansion, an isomerization unit at the Phillips 66 Lake Charles Refinery and the Lake Charles products pipeline. The company plans to invest $923 million in the Refining segment, with $512 million allocated toward consistency, security and environmental projects. Refining growth capital of $411 million is for small, high return, rapid payout projects to boost clean product yields. Such projects include the upgrade of the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit at the Sweeny Refinery along with low-capital, quick-payout projects. Phillips 66 has allocated $161 million of the total capital spending to Marketing and Specialties. The company will invest $97 million for growth projects and focus on enhancing retail sites in Europe. The company intends to fund $177 million in the Corporate and Other projects, related to information technology and facilities. Taking into consideration the total capex allocation for Phillips 66 Partners L.P. PSXP the total capex for 2019 would be $2.9 billion. Phillips 66 Partners total capital allocation of $601 million will be completely directed towards the Midstream segment. Phillips 66s proportionate share of capital spending by joint ventures Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC (CPChem), DCP Midstream, LLC (DCP Midstream) and WRB Refining LP (WRB) is estimated at $1.2 billion. Including these equity associates, the companys total 2019 capital program is projected at $4.1 billion. Phillips 66s share of CPChems 2019 capital expenditures is projected at $572 million, with $290 million targeted toward growth projects including the development of a second U.S. Gulf Coast petrochemicals project for additional ethylene and derivative capacity. It also includes debottleneck opportunities on existing units. Phillips 66s expected share of DCP Midstreams 2019 capital spending is $505 million, down 24.7% from 2018 levels. The amount will primarily be allocated toward growth projects that include the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline, DJ Basin gas processing plants and expansion of natural gas liquids pipeline. The companys allocation toward WRBs capital expenditures is projected at $165 million. All the three major joint ventures are expected to finance their capital spending internally. The 2019 capital budget of Phillips 66 is in sync with its long-term strategy and reflects strong portfolio of growth projects. Moreover, midstream business is in high demand in the United States due to higher requirement for fresh pipeline and infrastructure properties in the flourishing shales stemming from existing bottleneck problems. Consequently, Phillips 66 is planning to allocate most of the 2019 capital budget to midstream operations. The company is strongly committed in returning cash to shareholders through dividend payments and share repurchases. Since 2012, the company has returned $21.6 billion to shareholders through dividends, share repurchases and exchanges. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Currently, Phillips 66 carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked players in the same sector are 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. 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. 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 Phillips 66 Partners LP (PSXP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) : Free Stock Analysis Report SunCoke Energy, Inc. (SXC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Phillips 66 (PSX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A federal panel led by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos thats charged with making policy recommendations on school shootings in the wake of the massacre at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School last Valentines Day promised to have its report out by the end of the year. That means we will see the commissions report any day now. So what do we already know about what may be in it? And what should we be watching for? Heres your quick preview. The report will almost certainly call for scrapping the Obama administrations 2014 guidance dealing with discipline disparities. So what happens next? Almost every advocate watching the commission believes it will recommend ditching Obama guidance, jointly issued by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. (The Washington Post reported that this is a for-sure thing last week.) The directive put schools on notice that they may be found in violation of federal civil rights laws if they enforce intentionally discriminatory rules or if their policies lead to disproportionately higher rates of discipline for students in one racial group, even if those policies were written without discriminatory intent. You can read about the arguments for and against the guidance here. The big question will be, how do school districts react to the change? How many will decide to keep using the practices they set up to respond to the guidance, which supporters say has helped school districts revise their discipline policies to benefit of all kids? And how many will decide to make changes, in part because some educators say the guidance has hamstrung local decision-making on discipline? And will Democrats in Congress, who will control the House as of January, move to somehow formalize the guidance in law? Its unlikely that would pass a Republican-controlled Senate, but it would send a message and keep the debate going in Washington. What does the report say about arming teachers and about guns in general? President Donald Trump said that the massacre at Stoneman Douglas might not have been as bad if educators had been armed. A teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened, Trump said, referring to Nikolas Cruz, the former student who is accused of the slayings. Since this is Trumps commission, after all, its hard to imagine the report would come out against arming teachers. But its an open question how strong the language will be on this topic. Will the report encourage districts to arm educators, and point out that, under the departments interpretation of the Every Student Succeeds Act , federal funds can be used to arm educators? (Democrats who helped write the law have a different take.) The panel heard from some supporters of guns in schools, including rural district officials who worried that outside law enforcement wouldnt be able to get to them in time in the event of a shooting. But it heard from many more people who think the idea is misguided, and even dangerous. Jacki Ball, the director of government affairs for the National PTA, said she is hoping that the report reflects what the education community had to say in some way. We saw through all the listening sessions that overwhelmingly there wasnt support for arming educators in schools, she said. Does report recommend any new resources for school safety or mental health? The panel heard over and over again about the need for more mental health services in schools, from everyone from guidance counselors to Tonette Walker, the wife of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican who lost his re-election bid. It explored solutions like positive behavioral supports and interventions, or PBIS, a system of supports and strategies aimed at helping to combat behavior problems. And the commission heard about solutionslike adding locks on doorsthat can make schools safer. The National Association of School Psychologists is hoping the report will include a meaty section on mental health. Were looking to see if they address the issue of the importance of school climate and student mental health, said Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach, the director of government relations at the National Association of School Psychologists. Its not enough to have a report about how you prevent school shootings. The Trump administration has sought to zero out the $1.1 billion Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, the part of the Every Student Succeeds Act that districts can use for school safety and mental health. (The GOP-controlled Congress nixed that proposal and instead decided to beef up the programs funding.) Ball, of the National PTA, is hoping the report recommends some new resources for mental health and safety. You can talk about it all day long, but if youre not going put the resources in to implement those programs with fidelity, then what good is the recommendation? she said. What does the rollout look like? Will the report be released directly from the White House, with big fanfare or blasted out by email the during the heart of the holiday season, with no comment from the president? The release will say something about how seriously the administration is taking the process and the recommendations. At this point, though, the report will have to be released the week before Christmas, or the week between Christmas and New Years Day if the commission is to make the administrations self-declared deadline. Thats not great timing if the Trump Team is serious about getting educators to pay attention to the report and its recommendations, advocates say. After all, many district leaders and advocates are off for the holidays, Vaillancourt Strobach said. Releasing the report in late December dilutes the impact positive or negative, that the report has, she said. Maybe thats on purpose. This department is not known for being transparent. If they really want people to take this guidance seriously, why not release it a time when advocates and educators are able to devote attention to this? Ball had a similar take. Youd hope that it would be shared during a time when people could give it their full attention, she said. We should have the policy discussion, and to bury it during a holiday would be disappointing. An early morning fog rises on Feb. 17 where 17 memorial crosses were placed, for the 17 deceased students and faculty from the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. --Gerald Herbert/AP Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Username: Password: or Register Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Thread Rating: 1 Vote(s) - 1 Average 1 2 3 4 5 The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! Strategos Against Dystopia User ID: 455233 12-17-2018 02:36 AM Posts: 9,990 Post: #1 The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! Advertisement http://thesaker.is/zionism-judaism-and-t...of-israel/ Quote: There is no overall protection of non-Jewish marriage either in the Jewish state or in the militarily occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza. Israel controls all ports and points of entry and exist into the Palestinian territory east of the River Jordan. The Jewish State treats some non-Jewish marriages as neither sacred nor as the basic building block of society. On the contrary. For twelve years now, marriage between Arabs with Israeli citizenship who live in Israel proper with spouses from either the militarily occupied West Bank and Gaza or even from abroad receive no conjugal rights in the Jewish State of Israel. Therefore an Israeli Arab has no rights to create a family in Israel if his spouse is from Palestinian territories or from abroad. West Bank Arabs are not allowed to bring in spouses from Jordan or elsewhere. In other words, Israel does its best to limit demographic growth of Arabs under its control. The hardships are unbearable in most cases: some couples have to split up, others lose their homes and/or their livelihood, are split off from families etc. etc. The barrier wall built on Palestinian land to protect Israel has split towns, village, families and homes to an egregious extent. It can take up to one or two hours for people to make a one-way trip to the other side of the wall. It is clear therefore that there is a profound cruelty and inhumanity at the basis of the Israeli system and as the one example I gave demonstrated, it is not always confined to Arabs, except in 99% of the cases. What can be observed from this overview of interlocking fields of endeavor, is that the Jewish regime in Palestine has done and continues to deprive Palestinians of many of their rights in law as well as their rights as human beings. Is it unreasonable to suspect that the Jewish regime has not let up in its efforts to ethnically cleanse Palestine of its non-Jewish residents, following the huge success of the Naqba or Catastrophe, as the Arabs call it, in 1948 when 90% of the Arab Palestinian population was expelled from Jewish-controlled Palestine? I have been asked as to what I consider to be the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There will never be a freely-agreed upon political solution unless the Jews admit to their theft and destruction of Palestine which nobody can see happening. But I do see Israel bleeding its Ashkenazi or white population leaving behind a far weaker country with no proper ruling elite. In this case, I do not see how a Jewish State will survive, despite its being a creation of the international banking cartel. The author is an Israeli lawyer who has represented Palestinians in the Israeli courts. She has lived in Israel/Palestine for over fifty years and considers herself political dissident and lives in an Arab township. She writes out of her own experiences. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 474882 12-17-2018 02:39 AM Post: #2 RE: The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! Oh stop with your whiny pu$$y posts. You are still a "citizen" aren't you? Of course you are! Because you are too much of a cowardly hypocrite to refuse to be a part of what you KNOW is wrong! So shut the fu*k up about it. Strategos Against Dystopia User ID: 455233 12-17-2018 02:41 AM Posts: 9,990 Post: #3 RE: The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! Quote: Amongst the most egregious discriminatory laws are those legislated soon after the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine. There is a full list of them with comments compiled on the Israeli Arab legal site Adalah and may be accessed by anyone interested. I shall not deal with all of them naturally, but will touch on the most outstanding of them. http://www.adalah.org/en/law/index?page=4 One of the first and most crucial of such laws for the Jewish state is the Law of Return 1950. This is another oxymoronic manifestation of Jewish genius. This law says that Jews, who were not born in the Jewish state, may return to it because it is their land of birth. The term in Hebrew is moledet the root of which means to be born. What the law does is ignore the fact of birth outside of Israel of a Jew, that is, the de facto status of a foreign-born Jew, while assigning to him a de iure legal right of birth in the Jewish state. The legal right overcomes the fact. This translates into a situation that a Jew not born in the Jewish state may return to his land of birth of Israel where he was not born. An Arab Palestinian refugee, born in Palestine has no right of return to the country of his birth according to the Citizenship Law. One of the mechanisms for the application of this law is the ius sanguinis the law of blood. That is to say, that if you are born to a Jew you have acquired birthrights in Palestine whether you were born there or not. This is what accounts for the free entrance of Diaspora Jews into Israel. The Arabs acquire citizenship in Israel according to the ius soli, that is to say, because they were born in this territory on the soil, so to speak. But these are not inheritable rights. In other words, if a Palestinian Israeli family with Israeli citizenship moves abroad for a few years, any child born abroad has no automatic right of return to Israel, particularly as an adult. This is the law that forbids the return of the 1948 refugees and their descendants. But it must be understood that this law is crucial in order to have a Jewish state in Palestine. You have to keep out Palestinians to keep Israel Jewish. A second crucial law, also from 1950 is the Absentees Property Law concerned the dispossession of Arab private property within the Jewish State. The state invented a new category of persons, who, despite enjoying de iure property rights prior to the creation of the Jewish state, suddenly found themselves deprived of property rights, a status unheard of elsewhere in the world, seeing as the central significance of the scope of property rights is erga omnes rights against anyone encroaching on these property rights. Jewish genius not only managed to by-pass this exclusionary factor but transformed the de iureright into a de facto issue with the wave of a pen contingent upon a factual situation. What the Jewish law created was a new status of a present absentee for the Arab property owner another somersault defying Aristotles LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 474882 12-17-2018 02:41 AM Post: #4 RE: The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! LoP Guest Wrote: (12-17-2018 02:39 AM) Oh stop with your whiny pu$$y posts. You are still a "citizen" aren't you? Of course you are! Because you are too much of a cowardly hypocrite to refuse to be a part of what you KNOW is wrong! So shut the f*#k up about it. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 474882 12-17-2018 02:44 AM Post: #5 RE: The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! LoP Guest Wrote: (12-17-2018 02:39 AM) Oh stop with your whiny pu$$y posts. You are still a "citizen" aren't you? Of course you are! Because you are too much of a cowardly hypocrite to refuse to be a part of what you KNOW is wrong! So shut the f*#k up about it. 1. Every "nation" is a pyramid scheme that pits mankind against one another in a competition for survival. 2. Every "citizen" knowingly and voluntarily consents. So, how can you be good when you are willingly and knowingly competing for survival against one another? http://lunaticoutpost.com/thread-68921.html She Man lop guest User ID: 453356 12-17-2018 03:11 AM Post: #6 RE: The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! Where has all the billions gone that USA gave the Palestinians? Who got enriched? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 478693 12-17-2018 03:12 AM Post: #7 RE: The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! LoP Guest Wrote: (12-17-2018 02:39 AM) Oh stop with your whiny pu$$y posts. You are still a "citizen" aren't you? Of course you are! Because you are too much of a cowardly hypocrite to refuse to be a part of what you KNOW is wrong! So shut the f*#k up about it. exactly. the op loves tRump and he's one of the biggest joolovers out there. exactly.the op loves tRump and he's one of the biggest joolovers out there. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 478693 12-17-2018 03:12 AM Post: #8 RE: The modern state of Israel - more apartheid than Apartheid itself! She Man Wrote: (12-17-2018 03:11 AM) Where has all the billions gone that USA gave the Palestinians? Who got enriched? what a load of HORSESHIT what a load of HORSESHIT Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Sharon Jefferson holds her grandson, Rayray. Police say her pregnant daughter, Delashon, was fatally shot by her boyfriend in September. (Photo: Allison V. Smith for HuffPost) DALLAS Before she died, Delashon Jefferson tacked a certificate to her bedroom wall. The piece of paper, edged in gold like a diploma, was proof that her boyfriend had completed an anger management program. For Delashon, 20, it was more than that. It was a promise that her boyfriend was getting better. Lagarius Rainey, 24, wasnt going to hurt her anymore. The young Dallas couple were expecting their second child, a sister for their toddler son, whom they called Rayray. A white crib was set up in the corner of the bedroom, ready for the baby. Delashon never got a chance to meet her. Earlier this fall, police say, Rainey shot Delashon inside her bedroom when she was eight months pregnant. She was killed in front of her son. Doctors at Baylor University Medical Center performed an emergency cesarean section and rushed her baby to the neonatal intensive care unit. Rainey was arrested and charged with Delashons murder. In death, Delashon became one of the three women killed by their boyfriends, husbands and lovers every day in the United States. Domestic violence does not discriminate, and victims span all races, ages, ethnicities and religions. The suffering, though, is not equally distributed. In the U.S., black women face higher rates of domestic violence than do women of all other races, except Native women. In Dallas County, the most likely type of person to be killed by a romantic partner is a black woman, age 20 to 29, just like Delashon. Black women are four times more likely than their white peers to be murdered by a boyfriend or girlfriend, and twice as likely to be killed by a spouse. And they are seven times more likely to be slain while pregnant than white women. Experts say this is not because black men are more violent. Rather, black women are more vulnerable to domestic violence due to a constellation of factors, including high rates of poverty, lack of access to resources and systemic racism within systems designed to help victims of abuse. Story continues Since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, the central response to domestic violence in the U.S. has been criminal. Victims are told to call the cops, press charges and help prosecutors put their abusers behind bars. But relying on police can leave black women facing an impossible quandary: How can they trust a historically racist criminal justice system, one that systematically imprisoned their brothers and fathers, to protect them? Delashon holding her son, Rayray. (Photo: Facebook) Left Behind Two weeks after her daughters death, Sharon Jefferson, 44, sat on her couch and burst into tears. She was there the day Delashon died, in the house she was still living in, and she couldnt stop replaying it in her mind. The shriek of gunshots. Her daughters eyes rolling back in her head. The house was full of ghosts. Sharon wanted to move, and fast, but money was tight. The carpet in the hallway was still splotched with bloodstains when HuffPost visited in early October. Every time Sharon walked past the kitchen, she said, she expected to see her daughter standing over the stove. Delashon was always cooking, she said. Broccoli and cheese casseroles, or thick gumbo with cornbread. She described her daughter as a homebody; a generous, smiley young woman who was good at doing hair and took great pride in her identity as a mother. Sharon said she was unaware that Rainey was abusing her daughter. Shed seen him get jealous or angry on a few occasions, but she considered him to be like a son. Whatever they did, they did behind closed doors, she said. I never saw no bruises. The Relationship Delashon called Rainey husband and he called her wifey, and though they were not technically married, they had been together more or less since she was 13 and he was 17. On social media, Delashon projected an image of happy coupledom, posting dozens of photos of Rainey and herself. I LOVE MII HUSBAND HE GIVES ME LIFE, she wrote on Facebook. Once in a while, Delashon alluded to romantic problems. When she shared inspirational quotes, they were often about persevering through hard times, standing by your man. She called herself his ride or die. In real life, Rainey was frequently in trouble with the law and had a history of violence. In 2012, he was accused of armed robbery. A woman told police he showed up at her house with a gun, told her to suck his dick, punched her in the head and stole her Sony PlayStation 3, according to a court document. The state later dismissed the case after the victim changed her mind: She didnt want to testify against him. It is impossible to know when Rainey first turned violent toward Delashon. But by the time she was 16, a witness called police to report a domestic dispute involving the couple. It was 2014, and when the police arrived, Rainey was gone. Delashon told them she didnt want to pursue charges. i just wish it was me and him in dis world she wrote on Facebook the following day. Her sister, Lajoyce Robertson, 21, said Delashon didnt talk about abuse in their relationship. She kept her business to herself, she said. Domestic violence wasnt really discussed in their community, she added. Women and girls were afraid of being judged or having their partners judged. So they stayed quiet. Why Black Women Dont Report While victims of all races experience shame about domestic violence, there is a deep culture of silence in black communities, said Zoe Flowers, a domestic abuse advocate and author of From Ashes to Angels Dust: A Journey Through Womanhood. One reason is that many black women are socialized from a young age to believe they must be strong all the time. We are taught that telling your business, asking for help, showing vulnerability these are signs of weakness, Flowers said. We think we can handle whatever comes our way because that is the expectation. Many black women are also taught to protect the race at all cost, she said. That means victims of domestic violence may stay quiet to shield their communities from additional negative attention. People already feel like black men are more violent, that black women are loud ... all these stereotypes, Flowers said. You dont want to open your community up for more scrutiny. Theres also a general attitude that women should stand by their partners, no matter what, she added. Why? Because the world is hard on black men. The legal system incarcerates five times more black people than whites. Its not uncommon for black victims of domestic violence to recuse themselves from the criminal justice system, said Beth Richie, professor of African American studies and gender and womens studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There is a feeling in black communities that the only time violence against black women is taken seriously is when it can be used to feed the arrest and detention of a black man, Richie said. That belief can sometimes lead women to make decisions that are not in the interest of their own health and safety, she added. When black women do involve the police, it can open them up to arrest themselves, said Gretta Gardner, the deputy director at Ujima Inc.: The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community. Theres this pathology about black women that we are kind of combative, the angry black woman trope, Gardner said. We arent seen as true victims. Another major reason why black women dont report abuse is economic, said Lisalyn Jacobs, an expert on the intersection of race and domestic violence. Black women are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than white women. They are disproportionately single heads of households and often dont have the financial means to leave their abusers. They may not have enough for first and last months rent to get their own apartment, she said, or they may rely on their partner to provide child care. When black women call the police, some risk being evicted by their landlords due to nuisance ordinances, which penalize victims for crimes committed in their homes. Reporting an abusive partner can mean ending up homeless. Many black women have witnessed how seemingly minor interactions with police can quickly have life-changing consequences, Jacobs added. African-American communities have historically been over-policed, she said. It is completely reasonable for black women to worry that somehow the situation could go sideways and their children end up with child protective services. The date Delashon died was written on shoe polish on the back of her mother's car. (Photo: Allison V. Smith for HuffPost) Spiraling Out Of Control By the time Delashon was 18, she was desperate enough to call the police herself. In February 2016, the couple got in an argument over the phone, according to court documents. After they hung up, Delashon later told police, Rainey showed up at her house and knocked on the door. When she opened it, she said, he grabbed the back of her neck, scratching her, then pulled her out of the apartment and smacked her on the side of her head with a handgun. Delashon was able to get away and call 911 from inside her house. When she went back outside, he started shooting at her, she said. Police officers took photos of Delashons neck and filed an arrest warrant for Rainey, who had fled the scene. He left a gun behind, which police confiscated. They also asked Delashon if Rainey had impeded her breathing when he grabbed her neck, as research has found that men who strangle are more likely to go on to kill their intimate partners. She said no. The couple reconciled soon after, but the peace was short-lived. Three weeks later, Rainey assaulted Delashon again. She was spending the night at Raineys house, which he shared with his mother. Delashon later told police she was asleep in Raineys bed when he woke her, demanding sex. She said no. That upset him, she said, and so he knocked her to the ground and began beating her. Her screams got the attention of Raineys mother, who ran to help her. So did Raineys sisters boyfriend, who eventually pulled Rainey off of her. Undeterred, Rainey grabbed a gun from underneath his bed and started firing at random, threatening to shoot everyone. One bullet grazed his mothers thumb, but no one else was hit. This time, Rainey was taken to the Dallas County Jail. For the two separate incidents involving Delashon, he faced four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, charges that could bring up to 20 years behind bars. But Delashon had her own worries. The 18-year-old discovered she was pregnant. Another Chance As Rainey sat in jail, prosecutors struggled to build a solid case against him. None of the witnesses who saw Rainey assault Delashon wanted to testify against him, his defense attorney Kenneth Weatherspoon told HuffPost. Ultimately, Delashon didnt cooperate. The family members were all pretty adamant that they didnt want the state to prosecute him, Weatherspoon said. Its also highly likely that Delashon was too terrified to testify. Her sister, Robertson, said she didnt know about the charges or Delashons choice not to cooperate. But she speculated that she was probably scared. Although Delashon spoke with police on at least three separate occasions about Raineys alleged abuse, it appears she did not receive any domestic violence services. In that sense, her experience is typical. Most women killed by intimate partners in Dallas County never got a protective order or stayed at a domestic violence shelter. Especially in poor communities of color like South Dallas, where Delashon lived, victims of abuse are not likely to access resources, said Mariame Kaba, an anti-violence activist and prison abolitionist. They might not know such options exist or may feel alienated by the racial biases of people who provide services. Kaba believes community accountability is the key to addressing domestic violence. Everyone who can should sign up for training at a domestic violence organization to learn how to safely intervene when they see harm occurring in their own communities, she said. The prison industrial complex has actually de-skilled everybody in intervention, she said. It makes it so easy to pick up the phone and call 911 as your form of action. The shift has to happen on a societal level, she said, with communities addressing the internal violence instead of turning a blind eye. There is no magic bullet, Kaba said. It is us who are going to have to change the culture to keep people safe. I know thats not comfortable for people, but you know what? Its fucking uncomfortable to be abused. Sticking Together Delashon, 18 and pregnant with Raineys child, decided to stand by him. She visited him in the county jail every week, her sister Robertson said. On Facebook, Delashon posted photos of her pregnant belly, along with a quote that expressed what it felt like to have her partner behind bars. I didnt make it all this way alone, the message said. Hes been right there with me the whole time <3 incarcerated or not. Were a team. In October 2016, she gave birth to Rayray. It was a lot of work providing for a baby while his father was in jail, but Delashon embraced the challenge, Robertson said. She was a very good mother, she said. And she was handling it on her own. But she wanted her childs father to be in his life. She was going to do nothing but wait until he got out. In November 2017, Rainey was set free in a plea deal after a year and eight months behind bars. He pleaded guilty to four charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in return for four years of deferred adjudication probation. That meant his charges would essentially be dismissed if he stayed out of trouble for four years and completed the conditions of his release. Weatherspoon, Raineys then-attorney, said the deal was the best outcome that prosecutors could get, given the circumstances of the case. I think the district attorney took the position that it was probably better to get him on some type of probation instead of going to trial and not getting any kind of conviction at all, he said. In a statement, Kimberlee Leach, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County district attorneys office, said it is not uncommon for first-time offenders like Rainey to be placed on deferred adjudication. In this case, she said, all of the witnesses, including Delashon, said they wanted no jail time for Rainey and indicated they were not on board with prosecution if the case went to trial. They pleaded for him to get help (probation) and not go to prison, she said. They represented to our office that they had no safety concerns and did not want stay-away orders. They believed his issues could be dealt with through medication and treatment. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. Raineys probation conditions required him to undergo drug testing and barred him from owning or purchasing a gun. But they didnt require him to attend a batterer intervention program, a class specially designed for abusive partners. Leach said this was because his family asked that he not have to do so. Instead, the court referred him to anger management classes. That was the wrong call, said Paige Flink, CEO of Family Place, Dallas largest domestic violence agency. Anger management does not address the issues of power and control that exist in abusive relationships, she said. Batterer intervention programs do. In Flinks opinion, Rainey presented as an extremely high-risk offender: He had twice fired a gun during a domestic violence incident. The access to guns is a real problem, Flink said, pointing to a study that found victims are five times more likely to be killed if their abuser is armed. Less than a year later, Delashon was dead. Baby Delashon was delivered via an emergency C-section after her mother was fatally shot. (Photo: ) The Incident Rainey and Delashon reunited as soon as he was released. Within a few months, she was pregnant again. Her family said it was hard to tell how she really felt about Rainey. If she was in love, or worried about her future, or scared of him, or a mix of all three. Her sister said she sensed that something was wrong a few times, but Delashon said everything was OK. Out of respect, I left it alone, Robertson said. Delashon, who had dropped out of high school in 11th grade, planned to get her GED and pursue a nursing degree after she gave birth to her second child, her mother said. I was going to watch the baby while she goes to school, Sharon said. On Facebook, Rainey played the part of a committed partner and father. He posted photo after photo of Rayray and declared his love for Delashon. On Valentines Day, he bought Delashon a gift basket with a pink teddy bear. Happy Valentines Day bae we been aht Dix Shit Like 7yrs Strong , he wrote. In May, he took Delashon to the doctor for a checkup, posting a photo of the two of them in the waiting room. She was due in October. On an ordinary Sunday in September, everything changed. It is a day Robertson will never forget. As she recalls it, her sister was in the kitchen, cooking a turkey leg. Rainey was in Delashons bedroom. Rayray played with his cousins in the hallway, taking turns riding a tricycle. When the kids began to quarrel, Delashon carried Rayray into her bedroom for a timeout. She closed the door behind her. Rainey, Delashon and Rayray were in the bedroom for a few minutes, out of sight. Robertson remembered playing on her phone, wasting time. Then she heard yelling. Delashon was screaming her name, pleading for help. Robertson burst into Delashons bedroom, she told HuffPost, and found Rainey attacking her sister. She jumped on him, and then so did her fiance, 25-year-old Daveron Sanders. Rainey pulled out a gun. It is unclear where he got it. Just as he had on at least two other occasions, he started to shoot. Only this time, Robertson said, his bullets connected. Two went through Sanders shoulder. Another went through Delashons back as she was running out the door. Rayray watched everything. Delashon fell down in the hallway. Her mother ran to her and held her, squeezing her wrist to feel for a pulse. I thought Id keep her safe here, she said. I was supposed to protect her. At the hospital, doctors performed a C-section to deliver Delashons baby. At 20, Delashon died of her gunshot wounds. A New Life Almost three months after Delashons death, her family is awash in grief, throbbing with questions that can never be answered. Rainey, who has been charged with murder, is being held in jail, with bond set at $350,000. His attorney, Douglas Schopmeyer, said his client has a mental health condition and asked that judgment be reserved until he is examined by a forensic psychiatrist. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. The newborn baby girl is named Delashon, after her mother. Her family says she looks just like her. Baby Delashon has been released from the hospital and is still recovering. Her family is raising money for her online. Robertson is struggling to accept that her sister is gone for good. She tries not to think about it, she told HuffPost. Its too much. Rayray keeps asking for his mother, she said. He is too young to know, and yet he knows she is not coming back. Sharon Jefferson cannot help but wonder how her daughters death could have been avoided. Did it have to be this way? And why did no one seem to care? Right after the shooting, local news outlets descended on Sharons house, writing about the tragedy, and how her baby granddaughter was miraculously saved. Now everyone was gone. They were left to manage their pain alone. Every other day, Sharon said, she goes to visit Delashons grave and brings an offering, a bunch of flowers or balloons. She thinks about the good times she had with her daughter, cooking and going to church, running errands. The little stuff. Even though shes eager to move out of the house where her daughter died right in front of her, she is also worried about forgetting things. She has so many memories with her daughter in that house. She doesnt want to lose them. It was Delashons birthday this week, she told HuffPost in a recent phone call. That was extra hard. I take it one day at a time; I miss her so much, she said. It is hard for me to get over it. I dont think Ill ever get over my childs death. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Women are paid less than men for doing the same job, several studies have found. Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images More than three out of four companies in the UK pay their male staff more on average than their female staff, it was revealed earlier this year. The data, published by firms with more than 250 employees, found businesses highest paid jobs are mostly taken by men while the number of women decreases the further up the pay scale you go. Its clear women are being short-changed, so the next question is, what should employers do to close the yawning gap between men and womens pay? Many companies have introduced diversity training to make employees aware of gendered and racial bias in the workplace, but there is little evidence to suggest such schemes actually work. In 2016, researchers Alexandra Kalev, an associate professor of sociology at Tel Aviv University, and Frank Dobbin, a professor of sociology at Harvard University, found diversity training had negligible long-term effects . Some firms are taking a more direct approach by revising the salaries of their female staff. Earlier this year, the US cloud-based software company Salesforce announced it had spent $2.7m adjusting the salaries of 6% of its global 30,000 person workforce, to help address inequality regarding gender, race and ethnicity. Gender bias in job ads Not only men usually get paid more than women for doing the same job, even job ads are biased. Photo: Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images The gender pay gap isnt just down to being paid equally, though. Gender bias in jobs adverts also play a part, with the use of wording aimed at men decreasing the likelihood of job applications from female candidates, particularly in senior roles. Last year, research by TotalJobs found that out of 75,000 job ads, 478,175 words were thought to carry a gender bias, with ads for social care and admin roles most likely to use female-biased language, at 87% and 67% respectively. Sales and management roles were among the ads most likely to use male-biased language, such as lead, analyse, active and confident. Companies including Microsoft, Slack, Twitter and Dropbox are working to address this by using the service Textio, an online bias detector, to scan their job ads. Story continues Even adding salary information to job ads can make a difference, too. Research published this month by the global job site Indeed found that when job ads for leadership positions omit salary information, the median gender pay gap is typically 7.2% worse. The findings show that choosing words carefully can have a positive impact on inclusive hiring and gender pay equality, but its the words employers omit that can also have an impact especially when it comes to the pay gap in leadership positions, says Paul Wolfe, senior vice-president of human resources at Indeed. Genuinely fair job design, mirrored in a strong job description, which includes equal opportunity phrases will help create more diverse and inclusive organisations, which in turn is then likely to erode the gender pay gap. Vodafone and Unilever are also working to diversify their workforce through their recruitment process. Unilever uses a start-up called Pymetrics, which uses neuroscience and AI to find the right person for a position while removing gender bias which they say has helped them recruit from more diverse backgrounds. Accenture , the global management consulting and professional services firm, is attempting to close the pay gap in multiple ways. The company not only has clearly defined gender targets to increase the number of women across a range of different positions, but when it comes to recruiting, it offers referral bonuses for women and minority hires and sponsorship for the companys senior women to advance their careers. Motherhood penalty Photo: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images Another key factor when it comes to unequal pay is the motherhood penalty. In 2017, a study by the University of Paris-Saclay found mothers earn earn 3% per hour less for each child they have compared with childless women working in similar jobs. Arguably, one way to address this is to provide incentives for men to take time off for childcare so women can return to work or work more hours, increasing their chances of getting up the career ladder. Facebook, for example, offers new dads four months of paid leave. Netflix offers up to one year of paid parental leave for salaried employees on the streaming-video side of the firm. And it might seem drastic, but parenting in the workplace is also being employed by some businesses to help women juggle work and childcare more flexibly. Since 2003, Goldman Sachs has had an onsite nursery in their London offices on Fleet Street, which takes children between the ages of three months and 12 years. This is rare, though in part because it is expensive to run a creche with just 5% of businesses in the UK offering childcare in the workplace, according to 2016 figures from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development . According to the World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap Report 2017 , its going to take a further 217 years to close the pay gap. So while hiking up womens salaries and allowing kids in the office might appear radical moves, it might be these changes that make workplaces more women-friendly. To find out to navigate a toxic work environment, download Yahoo Presents Its a Jungle Out There podcast on Apple Podcasts, ACast, or Google podcasts to listen while on the go. Its been 47 months since Nick Diazs fight with Anderson Silva. (Getty Images) Its been nearly four years since Nick Diaz stepped into the octagon, and more than six years since his last win. It now looks like the wait for his return could go on even longer. The 35-year-old fighter denied a report that he had agreed to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 235 in March, according to ESPN. Per the new report, Diaz accused UFC of trying to lowball him and said he would only return to fighting once UFC finds a fighter he deems worth facing: I think its rude of the UFC to try and lowball me and expect me to negotiate a deal while Im training for a fight, Diaz said via text message. Its not gonna go down like that. If anybody wants to fight me they know where to find me. Im not a hard guy to find. Come get some. I have a lot going on trying to manage a few different businesses. Once things make sense for everybody in that they actually have some fighters that they respect and I respect, we can try and come to a deal and do a show. Thats how I feel. Nick Diazs long time away from UFC Its no secret that Diaz is enjoying a long hiatus away from fighting since his loss to Anderson Silva in January 2015, which was later turned into a no-decision after Silva tested positive for banned substances. Before that Silva fight, Diaz also lost to Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Conduit, meaning that Diazs last win was against B.J. Penn all the way back in October 2011. For references sake, Conor McGregor, Max Holloway and Ronda Rousey hadnt even signed with UFC at that time. After the Silva fight, Diaz tested positive for marijuana for the third time of his career and received a lengthy suspension that ran out earlier this year, though he was arrested on domestic violence charges soon after. Those charges were later dropped, leaving Diaz where he is now. Per ESPN, Diaz repeatedly said he had no issue with fighting Masvridal, who reportedly has already signed on to fight Diaz. UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley was floated as another possible opponent, but Diaz didnt seem very impressed with the idea: Story continues Ill walk through Woodley, Diaz said. He knows it. I didnt need to say [in response to him]. That man has a life. I fight for one, like I always have. Tyron Woodley respectfully disagrees with Nick Diaz Lets just say that Woodley doesnt think hed be such as easy an opponent for Diaz: Screenshot of Tyron Woodleys tweet This is just a suggestion, but theres definitely a way to figure out who would walk through or f up who, gentlemen. More from Yahoo Sports: Report: Redskins Smith out of hospital after post-surgery infection Alvarez punishes Fielding to win WBA super middleweight belt McIntyre: Liverpool rips Manchester United to shreds Texans Hopkins reaches 500 career catches in win Roche Holding AG RHHBY announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) designation to the companys investigational oral medicine risdiplam (RG7916) for the treatment of people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The EMA grants PRIME status to drugs that have a major therapeutic advantage over existing treatments, or benefit patients without treatment options. We note that Roche is developing risdiplam, an oral SMN2 splicing modifier, as part of a collaboration with the SMA Foundation and PTC Therapeutics PTCT. The designation is primarily based on results from Part 1 of the pivotal studies FIREFISH and SUNFISH (in children and adults with Type II and III SMA). FIREFISH is an open-label, two-part pivotal clinical trial in infants with Type I SMA. Part 1 was a dose escalation study in 21 infants, while Part 2 is a pivotal, single-arm study on risdiplam in approximately 40 infants with Type I SMA for 24 months, followed by an open-label extension. The primary objective of Part 1 was to assess the safety profile of risdiplam in infants and determine the dose for Part 2. The preliminary data from Part 1 of the FIREFISH study showed that infants with Type I SMA are meeting developmental milestones, including sitting without support. Six out of 14 infants (43%) were able to sit (with or without support), including three (21%) who achieved unassisted stable sitting after eight months of treatment. Additionally, four infants (29%) demonstrated rolling to the side along with seven (50%) kicking and six (43%) achieving upright head control. SUNFISH is a two-part, double-blind, placebo-controlled pivotal clinical trial in children and young adults (two to 25 years old) with Type II and III SMA. Part 1 determined the dose for the confirmatory Part 2. Roche completed enrollment in Part 2 in September 2018. The preliminary data from Part 1 of the SUNFISH study showed improvements in motor function in patients with Type II/III SMA. The follow up studies are ongoing for the confirmatory Part 2 portions of both the studies. Story continues Roche is also conducting a third study, JEWELFISH, which is an open-label exploratory trial in people aged 12-60 years with Type II or III SMA who have been previously treated with SMN-targeting therapy as part of a clinical study. The company also plans to initiate a new trial, RAINBOWFISH in pre-symptomatic SMA, by early 2019. Notably, Biogens BIIB Spinraza is already approved to treat children and adults with SMA, which reflects the prevailing competition in the market. Roche has a strong presence in the oncology market. In particular, the company dominates the breast cancer space with strong demand for its HER2 franchise drugs, which include Herceptin, Perjeta and Kadcyla. The company is making efforts to develop its portfolio beyond oncology, into immunology and neuroscience. Approval of new drugs and diagnostics tests, and label expansion of existing drugs bode well for Roche, given its current challenges. Year to date, shares of Roche have increased 1.6%, compared with the industrys growth of 8.4%. Roches legacy drugs like Herceptin and MabThera are facing competition from biosimilars. Novartis NVS has already launched its biosimilar version of Rituxan/ MabThera in Europe. Amgen too has got its biosimilar of Avastin. Roche Holding AG Price Roche Holding AG Price | Roche Holding AG Quote Zacks Rank Roche currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. 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 Roche Holding AG (RHHBY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Novartis AG (NVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Biogen Inc. (BIIB) : Free Stock Analysis Report PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTCT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it had built new barracks for troops on a disputed chain of islands near Japan and would build more facilities for armored vehicles, a move likely to anger Tokyo after it urged Moscow to reduce its military activity there. The announcement, from the Ministry of Defence, said Moscow planned to shift troops into four housing complexes on two of the four disputed islands, known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, next week. The news came after the Kremlin said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might visit Russia on Jan. 21 as the two countries step up a push to defuse the territorial dispute to allow them to sign a World War Two peace treaty, something the disagreement over the Pacific islands has long prevented. There was no immediate reaction from Japan. Tokyo said in July it had asked Russia to reduce its military activity on the islands, a plea Moscow dismissed as unhelpful megaphone diplomacy at the time. Soviet forces seized the four islands at the end of World War Two and Moscow and Tokyo both claim sovereignty over them. Diplomats on both sides have spoken of the possibility of reviving a Soviet-era draft agreement that envisaged returning two of the four islands as part of a peace deal. President Vladimir Putin and Abe have held numerous face-to-face meetings to try to make progress. But tensions have remained high. Tokyo says it is concerned by what it regards as an unhelpful Russian military build-up on the islands - which has included warplane, missile defense and other deployments. Moscow, meanwhile, says it is perturbed by Japan's roll-out of the Aegis Ashore U.S. missile system. Russian politicians say they fear Japan might agree to deploy U.S. missile facilities on the islands if it ever got any of them back and that Moscow could only countenance a deal if it received a cast-iron guarantee that ruled out such a scenario. In the meantime, Moscow is fortifying the islands. The Defence Ministry said on Monday it wanted troops and their families to move into the two new housing complexes on one of the four islands, Iturup (Etorofu in Japan), and into two others on the island of Kunashir (Kunashiri in Japan), on Dec. 25. It said troops were moved into two such similar facilities last year with three more barracks planned for 2019. "Also on both islands we have modern and heated storage facilities for weapons and armored vehicles," the ministry said in a statement, adding that more such facilities were planned. (Additional reporting by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Christian Lowe and Mark Heinrich) Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election included targeting African-Americans across all major social media platforms and attempting to suppress Democratic voter turnout, two reports have revealed. The US Senate commissioned both studies to better understand Russias interference operations during the presidential vote. The first report was compiled by private researchers and was expected to be released on Monday by the Senate Intelligence Committee. It says active Russian interference operations exist on social media platforms and the Russian operation discovered after the 2016 election was much broader than once thought. The study repeats several conclusions that special counsel Robert Mueller, the US intelligence community and the Senate and House intelligence committees had already made that many of the postings focused on race, that they were primarily intended to hurt Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump, and that the ultimate goal was to sow division in America. Researchers analysed more than 10 million tweets, 116,000 Instagram posts, 61,000 Facebook posts and 1,000 videos posted by the Russian government-linked Internet Research Agency (IRA) the troll factory indicted by Mr Mueller earlier this year. The most prolific IRA efforts on Facebook and Instagram specifically targeted black American communities and appear to have been focused on developing black audiences and recruiting black Americans as assets, the report says. Read more Former prosecutor explains how Trump can be indicted It adds, while other distinct ethnic and religious groups were the focus of one or two Facebook Pages or Instagram accounts, the black community was targeted extensively, with dozens. Members of the Senate committee have called for action from Silicon Valley and Congress in the wake of the reports, describing the extent of Russias actions as more comprehensive, calculating and widespread than previously thought and saying it should act as a wake-up call. Story continues Russian accounts attempted to connect with Americans and recruit assets through unconventional means such as selling merchandise with certain messages, making specific follower requests, offering jobs and even publicising helplines that could encourage people to unknowingly disclose sensitive information that could be used against them. The report was compiled by cybersecurity firm New Knowledge with data provided by the Senate committee from tech majors Facebook, Twitter and Google parent company Alphabet. Statista A spokesperson for Twitter said it has made significant strides since 2016 to counter manipulation of our service. Google declined to comment. Along with another report which is expected to be released by the panel, the study is the first comprehensive analysis of Russian interference on social media beyond what the platforms themselves have said. There are reportedly still live accounts tied to the original Internet Research Agency, which was named in an indictment by the special counsel in February because of an expansive social media campaign intended to influence the 2016 vote. Some of those accounts have a presence on smaller platforms as the major companies have tried to clean up after Russian activity was discovered. With at least some of the Russian governments goals achieved in the face of little diplomatic or other pushback, it appears likely that the United States will continue to face Russian interference for the foreseeable future, the researchers wrote. The report says none of the companies turned over complete datasets to Congress and some may have misrepresented or evaded questions during testimony about the interference, by intentionally or unintentionally downplaying the scale of the problem. One major finding of the study is the breadth of Russian interference that appeared on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook and was not as frequently mentioned when its parent company testified on Capitol Hill. The study says that as attention was focused on Facebook and Twitter in 2017, the Russians shifted activity to Instagram. There were reportedly 187 million engagements with users on Instagram, with at least 77 million on Facebook. Instagram was a significant front in the IRAs influence operation, something that Facebook executives appear to have avoided mentioning in congressional testimony, the researchers wrote. They added our assessment is that Instagram is likely to be a key battleground. Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds A representative for Facebook said the company had not seen the findings and declined to comment on its specifics. We continue to fully cooperate with officials investigating the IRAs activity on Facebook and Instagram around the 2016 election, the statement said. The second report, compiled by researchers at the University of Oxford and called the Computational Propaganda Research Project, was also partly based on data from the Senate panel. It noted peaks in IRA advertising and organic activity posts, shares and comments by users often corresponded with important dates in the US calendar, crises and international events. That report says IRA posts focused on the United States started on Twitter as far back as 2013, and evolved into a multi-platform strategy. Researchers from Oxford said organic postings were much more far reaching than advertisements, despite Facebooks sole focus on adverts when the company first announced it had been compromised, in 2017. Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said these reports are proof positive that one of the most important things we can do is increase information sharing between the social media companies who can identify disinformation campaigns and the third-party experts who can analyse them. The leading Democrat on the panel, Mark Warner of Virginia, said it was time to get serious about the issue. That is going to require some much-needed and long overdue guardrails when it comes to social media, he said. I hope these reports will spur legislative action in the Congress and provide additional clarity to the American public about Russias assault on our democracy. Additional reporting by AP Washington (AFP) - The Russian troll farm that disrupted the 2016 US presidential election sought particularly to demoralize African-Americans and deter them from voting, according to a comprehensive new report for the Senate. The primary goal of the St Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) was to deepen divisions in US society and convince Democrat-favoring liberals -- including Latinos, youths and the LGBTQ community -- not to vote, the report said. But the most extensive analysis yet of thousands of IRA ads and posts across social media platforms in 2015-2017 showed a special emphasis on provoking the anger of black Americans so that they would stay home on election day. The IRA-created account "Blacktivist" sent out messages on the Democratic candidate such as: "No lives matter to Hillary Clinton. Only votes matter to Hillary Clinton." Another IRA account, "Black Matters", posted on Facebook: "Cops kill black kids. Are you sure that your son won't be the next?" "It is evident that the campaigns sought to demobilize African Americans, LGBT, and liberal voters," said the report by the Computational Propaganda Project at Oxford University and social media specialists Graphika. "These campaigns pushed a message that the best way to advance the cause of the African American community was to boycott the election and focus on other issues instead." Separately, a portion of the 3,841 IRA accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube studied by the researchers sought to provoke Republican-leaning white Americans to get out and vote. While the study did not draw any lines between the IRA propaganda and the election results -- Republican Donald Trump stunned Clinton to take the White House -- post-election data suggests some impact. According to the Pew Research Center, white voter turnout surged in 2016 while black turnout sank by five percentage points, to 59.6 percent, from four years earlier. Story continues The IRA was set up by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessmen close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a domestic social media propaganda operation. The study showed the IRA US campaign began in 2015, aiming to mobilize conservative voters, with no specific backing for Trump at the time. But as the then-candidate gained support, and especially when he drove his anti-immigrant message, the IRA posts turned in his favor. The IRA had "coherent teams," formed around specific ideologies such as gun rights and LGBTQ issues, that directed posts using user profile data provided by advertising arms of the social media companies. After Trump took office, Moscow's operatives took aim at Special Counsel Robert Mueller, The Washington Post reported Monday. Mueller, who heads the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow, has been a frequent target of the president's ire. On Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere, the operatives leveled false claims of corruption against Mueller and alleged that Russian interference in the election was a conspiracy theory, the Post said, citing two reports prepared for the US Senate Intelligence Committee. BOSTON (AP) A once-run-down historic home that stands where a woman accused of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem witch trials settled after she was spared the noose is on the market after an extensive renovation project. The home in Framingham, Massachusetts, known as the Peter and Sarah Clayes House, hit the market Thursday with an asking price of $975,000. An open house is planned Sunday. Annie Murphy, executive director of the Framingham History Center and a member of the trust formed to save the structure that had fallen into disrepair, is confident someone who appreciates history will snap up the property. "We've already done tours, and I had people coming up to me practically in tears, they were so thrilled we had saved this house," she said. Sarah Clayes was jailed during the 1692 witch trials, which claimed the lives of 20 people, including her sisters, Rebecca Nurse and Mary Easty. She was freed in 1693 when the hysteria died down. Sarah and her husband, Peter, along with other members of their extended family, resettled on land about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southwest of Salem that in 1700 became the town of Framingham. Historians acknowledge that little, if any, of the original home built at the site in 1693 remains. The structure still standing dates to 1776. After a foreclosure around 2000, the privately owned home was abandoned and became derelict . It was vandalized and defaced with graffiti. The trust was created to make renovations that turned out to be way more complicated than anticipated, said Murphy, who herself spent hours scraping paint and pulling weeds to help her contractor husband, Ned, complete the work. The 4,253-square-foot, five-bedroom home on a little more than an acre of land has been updated with modern conveniences yet retains some old features, including much of the woodwork and floors, plaster stenciling in one room that dates to the 1820s, and restored claw-foot bathtubs. The property includes a 150-year-old American elm, a brook and the ruins of an old mill. "It's been a labor of love," Murphy said. Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. 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The Republican-controlled Senate voted on Thursday to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and separately held Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for Khashoggi's killing. The largely symbolic vote dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has staunchly backed the Saudi regime in the face of intense global outrage that analysts say has left the kingdom diplomatically weakened. "The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs," the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. On the Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks the president's prerogative to launch military action, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while another three Republicans abstained. The Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggi's murder and calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, "responsible" for it. The Saudi ministry warned that the kingdom would not tolerate any "disrespect" of its rulers. "This position by the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship," the ministry said. "The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the US to avoid any... significant negative impact on this important strategic relationship." - 'Vulnerable to pressure' - A day after the Senate vote, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo again defended US ties with Saudi Arabia on national security grounds, saying the kingdom was a bulwark against common foe Iran. Story continues The Senate resolution acknowledged the US-Saudi ties were "important" but called on Riyadh to "moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy". "Prince Mohammed and Saudi Arabia, even prior to introduction of the Senate resolution, were discovering that the Khashoggi killing had weakened the kingdom internationally and had made it more vulnerable to pressure," said James Dorsey, a Middle East expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. The resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump. But the Senate votes send a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh. Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to the Washington Post, was killed on October 2 shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation. The murder has tarnished Riyadh's international reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a "credible" probe into the murder. Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen has also prompted a harder line in Congress about the US military's role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Huthi rebels. Since the coalition launched its campaign in 2015, the conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher. SCANA Corporation SCG was a big mover last session, as the company saw its shares rise more than 6% on the day. The move came on solid volume too with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This continues the recent uptrend for the companyas the stock is now up 18.7% in the past one-month time frame. The move came after news that the state regulator, Public Service Commission of South Carolina, has approved the companys proposed merger with Dominion Energy. The company has seen no changes when it comes to estimate revision over the past few weeks, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has also remained unchanged. The recent price action is encouraging though, so make sure to keep a close watch on this firm in the near future. SCANA currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) while its Earnings ESP is 0.00%. SCANA Corporation Price SCANA Corporation Price | SCANA Corporation Quote Investors interested in the Utility Electric Power industry may consider Otter Tail Corporation OTTR, which has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Is SCG going up? Or down? Predict to see what others think:Up or Down 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 Otter Tail Corporation (OTTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report SCANA Corporation (SCG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The scientists who revealed what caused the greatest crisis in the history of life of Earth, have called for immediate action to halt the further warming of the planet through human caused climate change. Oceanographers based in Seattle said the largest mass extinction in the planets history - what has been termed the great dying - was caused by extreme global warming that saw ocean temperatures rise by as much as 10C around 252m years ago. The scientists said this resulted in the seas losing as much as 80 per cent of their oxygen. As much as 95 per cent of marine species, and 70 per cent of life on the land, perished as a result. In an interview with The Independent in their offices at the University of Washington, associate professor Curtis Deutsch and co-author Justin Penn, said the reaction to their paper in Science had been a mixture of excitement and fear - excitement at the discovery and fear of the prescient dangers if people did not act. I think this work has identified the leading factor in what led to the largest crisis in the history of life on earth, said Mr Penn, a doctoral student, asked how he hoped policy makers would respond to the discovery. The hopeful message is that despite doing do, it also identifies the solution to that problem - which is the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. So my hope is we decide to do something about it. The scientists based their discovery about the Permian period on computer modelling and calculations that took months. They also made use of information provided by chemical changes in the fossils of eel-like creatures more than 250m years old to show the extent of temperature change. It had previously been known the mass extinction was triggered after a succession of huge volcanic eruptions in what is now Siberia. While loss of life was linked to a surge in the release of greenhouse gases, it was not previously understood what made the oceans so inimical to life. This is the first time that we have made a mechanistic prediction about what caused the extinction that can be directly tested with the fossil record, which then allows us to make predictions about the causes of extinction in the future, Mr Penn wrote of their discovery, pointing out that the situation they examined 250m years ago, with the presence of increased levels of greenhouse gases and warming oceans, was similar to today. Story continues Under a business-as-usual emissions scenarios, by 2100 warming in the upper ocean will have approached 20 percent of warming in the late Permian, and by the year 2300 it will reach between 35 and 50 per cent. This study highlights the potential for a mass extinction arising from a similar mechanism under anthropogenic climate change. The scientists discovery comes as a succession of experts raise warning sounds about the imminent threat presented by climate change, something Donald Trump has called a hoax. Earlier this year, the UNs climate science body, the the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said there was barely a dozen years to make massive changes to global energy infrastructure to limit global warming to moderate levels. There is no documented historic precedent, the IPPC said. A report by the US government issued last month said climate change is already having devastating effects, and could cost the economy 10 per cent of GDP by the end of the century. Mr Trump, who withdrew the US from the Paris Accord in one of his first actions as president, said he did not believe the reports conclusions. Mr Deutsch said the similarities between today and the period when the mass extinction took place were striking, but said society could decide how to act. The response to marine ecosystems to climate change can only by countered by slowing the warming, he said. There is no way we can really pull the heat out the ocean or put the oxygen back in...Once that genie is out of the bottle, that's it." WASHINGTON The Senate released Monday a pair of reports that found Russia engaged in an all-out social media campaign on Donald Trump's behalf during the 2016 election and continued to support him after he took office. One report, compiled by Oxford Universitys Computational Propaganda Project and a social media analysis firm called Graphika, looked at millions of posts on every popular social media platform from Facebook to Pinterest that were provided to the Senate and House Intelligence Committees. The second report written by New Knowledge, a cybersecurity firm specializing in protection from "social media disinformation attacks" found that in addition to a "sweeping and sustained social influence operation," the Russians also tried to hack online voting systems and stole Clinton campaign emails, "which led to a controlled leak via Wikileaks." According to the Oxford report, Russia's Internet Research Agency "launched an extended attack on the United States by using computational propaganda." More than 30 million people shared content from the Internet Research Agency on Facebook and Instagram between 2015 and 2017. The report said those posts used text, videos, memes and pictures in a targeted effort to boost Trump at important moments in the campaign like the debates, conventions and Election Day. The Russian social media influence first focused on Twitter in 2013, but "quickly evolved into a but quickly evolved into a multi-platform strategy involving Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube amongst other platforms." In February, special counsel Robert Mueller who is leading the Justice Department investigation into Russian election meddling indicted 13 Russian nationals and the Internet Research Agency in an alleged conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. The Internet Research Agency operated a "troll farm" based in Russian President Vladimir Putin's hometown that employed hundreds of English speakers with "a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system, including... supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton," according to the indictment. Story continues The Oxford report said the Russian trolls' efforts focused on a few main objectives: pushing African-American voters to boycott the election and giving them misinformation about how to vote; getting Latino voters to distrust the U.S. government; "encouraging extreme right-wing voters to be more confrontational"; and spreading false stories and conspiracy theories. The campaign had two strategies, the report said. One was to post "clickbait" content "appealing to the narratives common within a specific group" in order to drive traffic. "Then the pages posted content that intended to elicit outrage from these groups." Efforts targeting African-Americans, Latinos, liberals and members of the LGBTQ community used different approaches with each group but the overall aim was get voters "to boycott the election, abstain from voting for Clinton, or to spread cynicism about participating in the election in general." In contrast, conservatives "were actively encouraged to get behind Trumps campaign." More: We read every one of the 3,517 Facebook ads bought by Russians. Here's what we found More: Facebook aim to fight election manipulation misses a big problem, critics say "Differential messaging to each of these target groups was designed to push and pull them in different ways. What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically, Donald Trump," the report said. The Russian campaign used a range of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and even Google+. "This newly released data demonstrates how aggressively Russia sought to divide Americans by race, religion and ideology, and how the IRA actively worked to erode trust in our democratic institutions," Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., said in a statement Monday. "Most troublingly, it shows that these activities have not stopped." "These attacks against our country were much more comprehensive, calculating and widespread than previously revealed. This should stand as a wake up call to us all that none of us are immune from this threat, and it is time to get serious in addressing this challenge," said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee. Warner said it was time for "much-needed and long-overdue guardrails when it comes to social media" and that he hopes the reports spur legislative action." Social media companies have taken steps to address the issue of Russia and other foreign powers using their platforms to spread misinformation for political purposes after sharp criticism from lawmakers and consumers in the wake of the 2016 election. But critics have wondered if those steps go far enough as evidence shows the efforts at manipulation continue. Contributing: Jessica Durando, Oren Dorell and Steve Reilly More: Meet the 13 Russians charged in Mueller probe James Comey: Russia investigation started with four Americans with ties to Trump, Russia More: Maria Butina pleads guilty to conspiracy as agent of Russia in USA This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senate report finds millions of social media posts by Russians aimed at helping Trump, GOP Cody, left, and Allison Frank, the siblings of Jordan Bleimeyer who was forced to live under the stairs in a Harry Potter room by mother Tammi. (Facebook) Siblings of a five-year-old who was starved, locked in a cupboard and forced to wear a diaper have revealed they slipped him food to help keep him alive. Wicked mother Tammi Bleimeyer forced Jordan, now nine, to sleep in the Harry Potter room of her Houston, Texas, home a crawlspace with exposed nails and wiring and a solitary mattress. When he was found he was close to death and compared to a Holocaust survivor. Today, his siblings Allison and Cody have recalled the moment they opened the cupboard and called police, saving his life. Source: Harris County Precinct 4 Constables Office Cody said he freaked out when he one day opened the closet and saw the state Jordan was in. He told the Sun Online: His face was all caved in, bruises all over, marks on him. His mouth was foaming. I have never in my life seen anything as bad as that. If we hadnt got him out that day I dont think he would have survived. Siblings of Jordan, now nine, have spoken of how they slipped him food to help keep him alive. Pictured is Allison Frank. (Facebook). Cody said he handed Jordan to his sister Allison to comfort him while he called police. Allison said: It was like I wasnt holding anything he was so light it wasnt like holding a kid at all. He was so, so white and his cheeks were sunken and he smelled terrible it was just awful. Before the pair summoned up the courage to rescue Jordan, she and Cody would have to sneak bread to their younger brother behind their mothers back. Cody said on the day of the rescue in 2014, his parents were furious that he had opened the closet door without their permission. Siblings of Jordan, now nine, have spoken of how they slipped him food to help keep him alive. Pictured is Cody. (Facebook). He said once he had seen the awful conditions the boy was being kept in, he had to save the youngster Jordan, now nine, was forced by his mother Tammi, 37, to sleep in what the family called the Harry Potter room at her home outside Houston, Texas. The tiny crawlspace under the stairs had exposed nails and wiring surrounding the lone mattress. 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. Source: Harris County Precinct 4 Constables Office The authorities first became aware of the abuse after Tammis a 16-year-old son reported her in March 2014. Story continues Tammi, who was six months pregnant at the time, fled, taking Jordan with her. 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. 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. SL Green Realty Corporations SLG debt rating for its senior unsecured borrowings has been affirmed at Baa3, by Moodys Investors Service the rating division of Moodys Corporation MCO. Further, the rating agency has maintained a stable outlook for SL Green. Simultaneously, the rating agency has affirmed all other outstanding ratings for the companys operating partnership SL Green Realty Operating Partnership L.P. Also, the outlook has been maintained at stable. Rationale Behind Ratings and Outlook Affirmation The reiteration reflects the real estate investment trusts (REIT) premium Manhattan office portfolio, solid liquidity position and a diligent share-buyback program. Nonetheless, geographic concentration of assets, weak fixed-charge coverage ratios and high leverage metrics remain concerns. Particularly, SL Greensdominance in the large and high-barrier to entry New York real estate market,with an enviable office footprint, has enabled it to enjoy high occupancy at its portfolio. In fact, the companys Manhattan portfolio was 95.7% occupied during the Jul-Sep period. Further, Moodys acknowledged the companys efforts in reducing exposure to suburban office assets. In fact, over the last four quarters, it has shed 12 suburban office properties and declined suburban exposure by nearly 50%, in terms of space. Additionally, the rating agency is positive on the companys solid liquidity position, supported by a largely undrawn revolver worth $1.5 billion, large base of unencumbered assets and manageable near-term debt maturities. Nonetheless, SL Greens two extensive development projects One Vanderbilt and One Madison Avenue will require huge capital outlays and might affect its liquidity position. In addition to this, Moodys believes the REIT's higher leverage ratios net debt and preferred to EBITDA of 9.5x, and secured leverage of 29.9% remain key concerns for the company. Moreover, its strategy to monetize assets in order to fund the companys large development pipeline and share repurchases will likely affect EBITDA and leverage metrics over the next 12-18 months. Story continues Moodys noted that share buyback has been an essential part of the companys capital strategy, with SL Green repurchasing 7.5 million shares amounting to $729 million in outlay, in the first three quarters of the year. However, the rating agency is of the view that continuous asset disposition, in order to carry out these buybacks, will further weaken the companys coverage ratio including pro-rata share of joint ventures of 2.3x. Zacks Rank and Price Performance SL Green carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), at present. Shares of the company have underperformed its industry over the past three months. In fact, its shares have declined 12.1%, while the industry incurred a loss of 1.7% during the same time period. Also, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys 2018 funds from operations (FFO) per share has been revised marginally downward over the past week. Stocks to Consider Better-ranked stocks from the real-estate space include PS Business Parks, Inc. PSB and OUTFRONT Media Inc. OUT, carrying a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. PS Business Parks Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 FFO per share moved 0.5% north to $6.45 in the past two months. OUTFRONT Medias FFO per share estimates for 2018 have been revised 2% upward to $2.09 in two months time. 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 Moody's Corporation (MCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report OUTFRONT Media Inc. (OUT) : Free Stock Analysis Report PS Business Parks, Inc. (PSB) : Free Stock Analysis Report SL Green Realty Corporation (SLG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research COLOMBO (Reuters) - The Sri Lankan rupee strengthened on Monday while bond yields dropped as a seven-week political crisis appeared to ebb after President Maithripala Sirisena reinstated the premier he had initially sacked in a widely criticized move. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was sworn into office on Sunday, held discussions with Sirisena about forming a cabinet and restoring stability in the island nation of 21 million people just off the southern coast of India. Wickremesinghe's reinstatement, which is expected to end a political crisis that began in late October when he was surprisingly sacked, is seen as an embarrassment for the president. Yields on Sri Lanka's dollar bonds due in 2022, which had risen more than 1 percent since the crisis started in October, fell 40 basis points to 7.6 percent. The rupee edged up to 179.60 per dollar from Friday's close of 179.90/180.10. "The market has taken Wickremesinghe's appointment positively. But investors will have to wait and watch whether the president and prime minister will get along with each other," a currency dealer said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media. Sirisena had replaced Wickremesinghe with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa following differences over policy matters and other issues. However, Rajapaksa failed to win a parliamentary majority and resigned on Saturday as a government shutdown loomed. Sirisena had repeatedly said he would not reappoint Wickremesinghe as prime minister. However, he had to change his stance to gain parliamentary approval for a temporary budget that is required by Jan. 1. Preparations for a vote on account will begin as soon as Wickremesinghe names a finance minister, treasury secretary SR Attygala said. The vote on account has become mandatory after parliament approval for the budget for 2019 (Jan-Dec) was derailed following Wickremesinghe's ouster in October. Sri Lanka's stock market index held steady at 0800 GMT, while analysts said cautious investors were buying risky assets before the cabinet appointments are announced. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Sherry Jacob-Phillips) In a viral Twitter thread Wednesday, Maya Hughes, a 20-year-old college student in California, revealed a wild story: In a desperate ordeal when she was 5 years old, a kind stranger helped her fly back to the U.S. from Sierra Leone. So in 2003 I was 5 years old and my mom decided out of thin air one day that we were going to Africa and we were gonna stay there for 6 months so about 4 months in something OC happened that I wont go into detail about and long story short I had to leave ASAP maya (@_themayan_) December 13, 2018 My mom has been trying to find this man for 15 years , we never got his name or anything . So like a week ago my mom found him through a family member who actually worked with him and she said he matched the description and everything maya (@_themayan_) December 13, 2018 It was a life & death type situation so my mom had to get me out but she couldnt come with me so she had to find someone ASAP in the airport to bring me back to America, Hughes wrote. She continued that someone agreed to accompany her to the U.S. even though my mom didnt know this man at all whatsoever and he even tried to sing in Krio Sierra Leonean creole to the screaming, crying 5 year old he had only met 2 secs ago to calm her. Through an unexpected chain of events 15 years later, she and her mom finally found out who the man was: Tom Perriello, who went on to become a Virginia congressman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate. He confirmed the contours of the story on Twitter on Thursday even that he sang to Hughes in Krio, albeit acknowledging that his singing was tone-deaf. One of the craziest experiences of my entire life is now a Twitter thread - and I could not be happier to know you are shining bright, @_themayan_ ! https://t.co/Sk2kWv2RhH Tom Perriello (@tomperriello) December 14, 2018 And yes, I was a bit less impulsive on the due diligence than suggested here, but the part about my (tone-deaf) singing is accurate. https://t.co/es2blEC1yM Tom Perriello (@tomperriello) December 14, 2018 The intercontinental story, 15 years in the making, is a long and winding one. Story continues In 2003, Hughes and her mother, Zainab Sesay, went to Sierra Leone, where Sesay grew up, to visit extended family for the first time since Sesay immigrated to the U.S. more than a decade earlier. But during the visit, according to Sesay, Hughes experienced a medical emergency that required her to seek immediate care in the U.S. Unable to return with her daughter because she had to address some other family matters, Sesay went to the airport to buy a last-minute plane ticket. She also needed to find an adult willing to accompany her 5-year-old back to the U.S. Out of desperation, she asked the ticket agent if she knew of anyone waiting for a flight going anywhere in the U.S. any of the 50 states, Sesay recalled saying to the agent. After some convincing from Sesay, the agent gestured toward Perriello, who at the time was working as an adviser and spokesman for a special United Nations war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone, prosecuting leaders for human rights abuses. Actually, how she stated it in Krio, Well, you know, that white guy over there is traveling, Sesay recalled. I was about to ask him the most insane question anyone could possibly ask if he could travel to with my daughter to the States. She pleaded with a distraught Perriello, she said, who resisted, explaining that he was on his way to attend his grandmothers funeral. Also, the court was about to indict Liberias then-dictator, Charles Taylor, for war crimes committed during Sierra Leones civil war. It was in some ways, the worst possible emotional space to be in, Perriello said. But sensing her urgency and desperation, as well as understanding the countrys precarious humanitarian situation, he agreed to help. After saying goodbye to her daughter and watching the flight take off, the gravity of the moment hit Sesay. All of a sudden, the adrenaline kind of went away, and I realized, Oh, my God, I just handed my only child at the time to a complete stranger. After multiple layovers and some bureaucratic complications and with the help of some kind flight attendants who gave them first-class meals and traded off babysitting duties, Perriello remembered the two made it to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, where Sesays mother, living in Maryland, drove to pick up Hughes. Hughes said she recalls a lot of chaos that day but was heartened by Perriellos kindness and efforts to soothe her. I just remember crying a lot on the plane. I remember him trying to calm me down, she said. Thats all I remember, really, just him trying to calm me down on the plane. He was really nice. A month later, Sesay returned to the U.S. Over the intervening years, the strangers wondered what happened to the others. Weve talked about it a lot, Hughes said. Sometimes I tease her that she gave me to a stranger. Perriello went on to a wide-ranging career in public service and politics, serving in Congress, leading the advocacy arm of the progressive think tank Center for American Progress, working as a State Department special envoy in the Obama administration and running for governor of Virginia in 2017. But through all that time, he said, he wondered about the young girl unexpectedly in his care on that long flight, telling the story to a few close friends and colleagues. Even recently, he recounted the complicated saga to some of his closest friends. They basically said, Yeah, were not sure we even believe this, he said. At the time, when he returned to Sierra Leone, he thought he would try to track down Hughes and Sesay. But between mourning the loss of his grandmother and Taylor being indicted and later ousted, it certainly was not something that was front of mind, he said. A colleague who knew one of Sesays cousins ended up being the missing link. According to Sesay, years ago, her cousin mentioned that she had heard a similar story through that colleague and that this could be this guy, but she didnt know his name. Without much information, Sesay wasnt sure how to find this unknown man. It all came together a week ago, when Sesays cousin, whom Sesay hadnt been in touch with for a while, was visiting the U.S. and mentioned the story again. She said, Hey, Zainab, did you ever track Tom Perriello down? And I said, Whos that? Sesay recalled. She said, The guy who you said brought Maya back. Remember? I told you hes a colleague of a colleague. I said, No, I never could find him. It was like looking for a ghost. I dont even remember the guys name. After obtaining an old email address from her cousins colleague, Sesay sat down last Monday to email Perriello, relating the entire odyssey and apologizing how out of the blue it was but wondering if there was a chance that he was this mystery person. And then she waited. On Wednesday she arrived at work, checked her email, and there it was: a response from Perriello, confirming the story, that he was in fact the stranger who safely took her daughter back to the U.S. all those years ago. I jumped out of my seat, and my co-workers are like, What the heck is wrong with you?! Perriello helped Sesay fill in the blanks of what happened between her desperately pleading with him at the airport to accompany her daughter and Hughes safely reaching her grandmother. On Perriellos end, the story had a sad twist: He got to witness Mayas reunion with her grandmother, but the ordeal caused him to miss his connecting flight to his grandmothers funeral. That really dampened my heart, Sesay said. It was horrible I didnt realize. Over the last week, theyve continued to talk via email and phone where we put all the pieces of the puzzle together, Perriello said and they said they hope to reunite in person soon. Its been an emotional week, and I think I didnt realize how much closure I needed on the experience, he said. After hearing about the whole saga from her mother on Wednesday, Hughes tweeted about it. I hadnt even realized she did what she did, going on Twitter. Heck, I didnt even know she had a Twitter account, honestly, Sesay said, adding that she is glad that the storys popularity can shed light on the kindness of strangers. All I want to put out there is what a great human being he is. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. AMMAN (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, the first such visit by an Arab leader since the start of the Syrian conflict, Syrian state media said. President Bashar al Assad welcomed him at the airport, official photos showed. Many Arab countries have shunned Assad since the conflict that began early in 2011 after protests calling for his downfall swept Syria. State news agency SANA said later the two leaders held talks in the presidential palace about developments in the region and in Syria. Assad was quoted as saying his country would remain committed to its "Arab identity" despite the conflict in which Syria had accused some Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, of fuelling it by arming rebels seeking to overthrow Assad's rule. The Arab League had suspended Syria's seat in November 2011 in response to the Syrian government's violent attacks on pro-democracy protests. Although many Arab countries have closed their embassies or downgraded their ties with Damascus, there have been growing calls in the Arab world in recent months to normalize ties with Syria and give it back its seat in the Arab League. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Catherine Evans and David Evans) Islamabad (AFP) - Talks aimed at ending the Afghan conflict were held Monday in the United Arab Emirates, the Pakistan government said, with US and Taliban representatives believed to be in attendance. Washington confirmed meetings were ongoing in Abu Dhabi "to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue toward ending the conflict", and that its envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in the region. Khalilzad "has in the past met, and will continue to meet with all interested parties, including the Taliban, to support a negotiated settlement to the conflict," it continued. It did not confirm that Khalilzad or any other US officials had met with the Taliban on Monday, and the tweet by the Pakistani foreign ministry said only that talks were being held, without specifying who attended them. However in a statement late Sunday the Taliban announced "another meeting" between the militants and the US would be held in the UAE on Monday. They issued another statement Monday repeating their long-standing refusal to meet with representatives of the government in Kabul and insisting they will only speak with US officials. Khalilzad has made several trips to the region since his appointment in September. On this trip the State Department said he is also visiting Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Qatar, and Belgium, where he tweeted that he had met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The meetings are the latest in a flurry of diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the Taliban to the table for negotiations with the Afghan government on ending the conflict which began with the US invasion in 2001. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced in late November the establishment of a 12-person negotiating team to talk peace with the Taliban. The militants have consistently refused to meet with the Kabul government, however, and civilians continue to pay a disproportionate price in Afghanistan as attacks continue. The international community remains optimistic. "The possibility of a negotiated end to the conflict has never been more real in the past 17 years than it is now," the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, told the UN Security Council in New York on Monday. Donald Trump is absolutely willing to shut down the government in order to get funding for a wall on the US border with Mexico, a top White House aide has said. Days after the president sparked outcry when he told Democrats during a dramatic Oval Office meeting he would be proud to do so, the White House doubled down on Mr Trumps position, apparently pushing the federal government closer to the brink of a partial shutdown later this week We will do whatever is necessary to build the border wall to stop this ongoing crisis of immigration, said White House senior adviser Stephen Miller. Asked if that meant shutting down some federal agencies, he replied: If it comes to it, absolutely. The comments of Mr Miller, a hardliner on immigration issues, come days after Mr Trump met with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate respectively. In scenes in the Oval Office perhaps never witnessed before by the public, the president angrily said he would be proud to shut down the government to ensure he received funding for a border wall. I will be the one to shut [the government] down, said Mr Trump, as vice president Mike Pence sat in silence. Im proud to shut down the government for border security. The presidents comments came as news broke that a seven-year-old migrant had died of while in the custody of US border agents. On Saturday, representatives for the parents of the Guatemalan child Jakelin Caal, disputed earlier reports that she was dehydrated and said she was healthy before being taken into the custody of the US Border Patrol. Ruben Garcia, founder and executive director of Annunciation House, an El Paso-based charity that helps migrants, said the girls father, 29-year-old Nery Caal, said she was healthy and had no pre-existing conditions. Hes been very clear, very consistent that his daughter was healthy, and his daughter very much wanted to come with him, Mr Garcia said during a news conference, according to The Washington Post. The family has asked for a full investigation. Story continues Mr Trump has threatened a shutdown if he does not receive $5bn in congressional funding build a wall on the US-Mexico border. He does not currently have sufficient votes from the Republican-controlled congress for that level of spending. Rather, Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer have proposed up to $1.6bn, as part of a bipartisan Senate bill. The money would not go for the wall but for fencing upgrades and other border security, the Associated Press said. At stake is the question of whether or not the United States remains a sovereign country, Mr Miller told CBS News. Whether or not we can establish and enforce rules for entrance into our country. The Democratic Party has a simple choice, they can either choose to fight for Americas working class or to promote illegal immigration. You cant do both. Meanwhile, Mr Schumer, speaking to NBC News, said: If the president wants to debate the wall next year he can. I dont think hell get it, but I dont think he should use innocent workers as hostages for his temper tantrum to sort of throw a bone to his base. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed a court decision against Obamacare as "a great ruling for our country," while a U.S. government official said the decision by a Texas judge would have no immediate impact on health coverage. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday said that Obamacare, known formally as the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), was unconstitutional based on its mandate requiring that people buy health insurance. In a decision that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court, O'Connor sided with a coalition of 20 states that argued requiring people to pay for insurance coverage is illegal because a change in tax law last year eliminated a penalty for not having health insurance. "It's a great ruling for our country. We will be able to get great healthcare. We will sit down with the Democrats if the Supreme Court upholds," Trump told reporters during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on a rainy Saturday. Trump offered no details on the potential for healthcare talks with the Democrats, who are poised to take majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives in early January. The Senate will remain in Republican hands. O'Connor's decision was issued the day before the end of a 45-day sign-up period for 2019 health coverage under the law. The head of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the Affordable Care Act, said there were no changes and exchanges were open for business. "We expect this ruling will be appealed to the Supreme Court," CMS Administrator Seema Verma wrote on Twitter on Saturday. "Pending the appeal process, the law remains in place. "There is no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan, she said late on Friday. HIGH POLITICAL STAKES Since the law's formative stages amid concern about millions of Americans lacking health insurance, Republicans have opposed Obamacare, calling it a costly and unneeded government intrusion into Americans' lives. Trump campaigned against it in 2016. Story continues They have repeatedly tried, but failed, to repeal the law, which was the signature domestic policy achievement of former Democratic President Barack Obama. Even with control of both chambers of Congress and the White House in 2017, Republicans could not push through a repeal. The O'Connor ruling underscored the high political stakes involved in the divide over healthcare, especially for Trump and his fellow Republicans ahead of the 2020 presidential election. If the Supreme Court were to uphold O'Connor's ruling, it would go a long way toward dismantling Obamacare. That would be a political victory for Republicans, but it would also likely strip millions of Americans of their health coverage, a policy problem for which Republicans have offered no clear solution. About 11.8 million consumers nationwide enrolled in 2018 Obamacare exchange plans. The Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act in 2012. Two days after the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections, a Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll found that healthcare was the top issue Americans wanted the U.S. Congress to address. 'SILLY, IRRESPONSIBLE' On Friday, O'Connor ruled that after the enactment last year by Trump of a landmark tax bill, the ACA's individual mandate requiring most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a tax could no longer be considered constitutional. He said because the individual mandate was an "essential" part of Obamacare, the entire law, rather than just the individual mandate, was unconstitutional. Timothy Jost, a health law expert and emeritus professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law in Virginia, said it was silly and irresponsible for OConnor to find that the individual mandate could not be separated from the rest of the ACA. He said judges who find that portions of laws are invalid are required to do as little damage as possible to the rest of the law, and OConnor had ignored that principle. Jost noted that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear any appeal in the case, is considered the most conservative federal appeals court in the country. But, OConnor is so far off the reservation here that virtually any (appeals) panel will reverse him, Jost said. Jost noted that in the 2012 case in which the Supreme Court upheld the ACA, a lower appeals court had found the individual mandate unlawful, but ruled it could be severed from the rest of the law. That ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is at least as persuasive and probably more persuasive than a decision by a single judge in Wichita Falls, Texas, Jost said. He said the U.S. Supreme Courts conservative wing has been skeptical in the past of striking down entire laws because of a single problematic provision, and at least a bare majority of five justices would likely agree that OConnor was wrong. (Reporting by Caroline Stauffer, Dan Wiessner, Lesley Wroughton, Katanga Johnson, and Kevin Drawbaugh in Washington; additional reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis) By Daren Butler and Phil Stewart ANKARA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turkey may start a new military operation in Syria at any moment, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, touting support from U.S. President Donald Trump even though the Pentagon has issued a stern warning to Ankara. Last week, the Pentagon said unilateral military action by any party in northeast Syria, where U.S. forces operate, would be unacceptable. But Erdogan suggested that Trump was more receptive to Turkish plans to move east of the Euphrates river than his own U.S. Department of Defense. "We officially announced that we will start a military operation to the east of the Euphrates," Erdogan said in a speech in the central province of Konya. "We discussed this with Mr Trump and he gave a positive response." The White House did not respond to requests for comment on Erdogan's assertion but last Friday acknowledged that Trump and Erdogan spoke about Syria during a telephone conversation. "Given the (Turkish) threats of marching in to deal with this problem themselves, the U.S., at every level has reached out to the Turks," said Ambassador James Jeffrey, the special U.S. envoy for Syria engagement. Jeffrey added that he believed the situation had "calmed somewhat." "I believe that we're willing to work with the Turks and with the people on the ground to find a way forward," he told a forum at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. Turkey and the United States have long been at odds over Syria policy, where Washington has backed the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia against Islamic State. Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist organization tied to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an outlawed group that has waged a three-decade insurgency in southeast Turkey. Erdogan said last week that Ankara would launch a new campaign within days against the YPG, although he has yet to give a more definitive timeline. Any new campaign is likely to be complicated by the presence of U.S. soldiers in northern Syria, who have established observation posts along the Turkey-Syria border in a failed effort to assuage Turkish security concerns. Washington has communicated the positions of those observation posts to Ankara, and warned that American forces will defend themselves if fired upon, officials told Reuters. The Pentagon on Monday denied reports that it was sending reinforcements to the border, in a sign that it is comfortable with the risk level to U.S. troops even as Ankara heightens the threat of military action. "We do not have a major military movement of forces to the northeast border with Syria," said Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning. "We've got nothing more than what is required to continue our mission at those (observation posts)." Turkey has already intervened to sweep YPG and Islamic State fighters from territory west of the Euphrates over the past two years. It has not gone east of river, partly to avoid direct confrontation with U.S. forces. The Pentagon says it has about 2,000 troops in Syria. "We can start our operations on Syrian soil at any time from locations that suit our planning. Our heroic army has completed its preparations and plans. As I always say, we may come suddenly one night," Erdogan said on Monday. Erdogan did not elaborate on Trump's response, but said Turkey would take care to avoid American casualties. MORE CONCILIATORY A source familiar with the Syria issue said Erdogan was urged by the administration to refrain from a military incursion into Syria's Manbij, a town just west of the Euphrates river held by the YPG, and was warned that the United States would defend itself if threatened. However, Erdogan has said Turkish forces will enter Manbij if the United States does not remove YPG fighters from the town, including targeting the eastern side where the YPG controls an area of more than 400 km (250 miles) along the border toward Iraq. Manbij is near an area where Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols last month. That cooperation has also been complicated as Turkey has shelled Kurdish fighters to the east of the Euphrates. The shelling prompted the United States to set up observation posts on the border between Kurdish-held northern Syria and Turkey. Erdogan's comments appeared to be more conciliatory than those of his interior minister Suleyman Soylu, who earlier accused Washington of attempting to stymie Turkey's efforts against the YPG over the last two years. "The United States thought it could deter us with the men it has nurtured," Soylu said during a visit to Pakistan, state-owned news agency Anadolu reported. "Now, they will try to hold us back east of the Euphrates. Turkey did not, and will not, allow that." A spokesman for the Turkey-backed National Army rebel group in Syria said it would ignore a request from Washington to stay out of a campaign east of the Euphrates. "We have chosen to stand side by side with (Turkey)," Major Youssef Hamoud said. Separately, Ankara has kept up regular air strikes against PKK militants based in Iraq's mountains. Baghdad summoned Turkey's ambassador on Friday after Ankara said it killed eight PKK fighters. But Turkish warplanes have since carried out further strikes. (Reporting by Daren Butler and Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Sarah Dadouch, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul and Humeyra Pamuk and Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by David Stamp and Grant McCool) U.S. President Donald Trump has told his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan that Washington is working on extraditing a U.S.-based Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating a failed Turkish coup in 2016, Turkey's foreign minister said on Sunday. "In Argentina, Trump told Erdogan they were working on extraditing (Fethullah) Gulen and other people," Mevlut Cavusoglu said, referring to the G20 summit where the leaders met two weeks ago. Turkey has long sought the extradition of Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed U.S. exile for nearly two decades. A former ally of Erdogan, he is blamed by Turkish authorities for the failed coup when rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and helicopters, attacked parliament and shot unarmed civilians. Gulen denies any involvement in the failed putsch. Trump said last month he was not considering extraditing the preacher as part of efforts to ease Turkish pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. RELATED: Failed 2016 coup against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan said last week Turkey would start new initiatives abroad to target the financing of Gulen supporters. "I have recently seen a credible probe by the FBI on how the Gulen organization avoids taxes," Cavusoglu told a conference in Doha. (Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Mark Potter) By Manojna Maddipatla and Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. health insurers, hospitals and healthcare companies fell on Monday in the aftermath of a ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly called Obamacare, was unconstitutional. Many legal experts predicted U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor's decision on Friday eventually will be reversed on appeal considering that the law has been upheld by the Supreme Court, but the uncertainty created by the ruling drove down healthcare stocks on Monday. O'Connor agreed with a coalition of Republican officials from 20 states that Obamacare was unconstitutional based on its mandate requiring that Americans obtain medical insurance. The judge refused the states' request to issue an injunction immediately blocking 2010 law that was championed by Democratic former President Barack Obama from being enforced. The White House on Friday said the law would remain in effect pending any appeal. The fall in healthcare stocks pulled the broader S&P 500 managed health care index <.SPLRCHMO> down 2.5 percent. Centene Corp fell 7.8 percent to $117.5, while Molina Healthcare slumped 10.1 percent to $118.4. The companies are among the health insurers with exposure to ACA. WellCare Health Plans and Anthem Inc declined 4.7 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Brokerage BMO Capital Markets said it expects Centene and Molina to be most affected by the ruling, as they have the highest ACA exposure, which the broker measures as an "estimate of the percentage of company revenue and earnings driven by Obamacare exchanges and/or the Medicaid expansion," referring to the government insurance program for lower-income people. "While we are disappointed in the recent Northern District of Texas court's ACA ruling, we recognize that this is a first step in what will be a lengthy appeals process," Molina Healthcare said. Story continues "Regardless, the ACA will remain in effect for 2019, and we are optimistic that it will remain in effect thereafter." The ACA required that all individuals have health insurance or pay a tax and also included payments worth billions of dollars to health insurers to subsidize insurance for low-income Americans. The Republican-led Congress last year eliminated a penalty that the ACA levied on people who opted not to obtain insurance. Obamacare expanded by millions the number of Americans with medical insurance. Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have long criticized the law, calling it a costly and unneeded government intrusion into Americans' lives. About 11.8 million people nationwide enrolled in 2018 Obamacare insurance plans. Republican state officials, led by the attorney general of Texas, filed a lawsuit last year arguing that getting rid of the penalty rendered the mandate unconstitutional. The Trump administration declined to defend the mandate, spurring Democratic officials in 16 states to intervene. 'WITHSTOOD SCRUTINY' California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a statement said the Democrats would appeal Friday's decision. "The ACA has already survived more than 70 unsuccessful repeal attempts and withstood scrutiny in the Supreme Court," he said. Most legal experts do not believe the Supreme Court would ultimately strike down the entire law, but the uncertainty could pressure stocks in the near term, brokerage Oppenheimer said. The ruling, if affirmed, would have a draconian impact on the healthcare sector and the overhang alone could trigger widespread selling across the sector, Oppenheimer analyst Michael Wiederhorn said. Most legal experts, including conservatives who oppose the mandate, believe the portion of O'Connor's ruling striking down the entire law will be reversed. Without the penalty that Congress eliminated last year, the ACA's individual mandate is "largely toothless" and not essential to the remainder of the law, said Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University in Virginia. The Supreme Court in 2012 ruled that the individual mandate was a valid exercise of Congress' taxation powers, with the law imposing a monetary penalty on people who did not obtain insurance. In Friday's decision, O'Connor said that because Congress lowered the penalty to zero last year, the mandate no longer came with a "tax" and is unconstitutional. But the judge also held that because the ACA is not financially viable without the mandate, the entire law had to be struck down. Experts said the problem with O'Connor's ruling is that Congress last year eliminated the penalty without repealing the entire law. That shows lawmakers believed the law could stand without the mandate, said Nicholas Bagley, a professor at University of Michigan Law School. But some experts noted that when Congress passed the ACA in 2010, lawmakers acknowledged that the requirement that insurers provided coverage for pre-existing medical conditions had to be paired with the mandate in order to work. Enforcing the remainder of the law without the mandate "creates a death spiral where rates will go out of control," said Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law whose work O'Connor cited in Friday's ruling. Other experts have pointed out what they said was a more fundamental problem with O'Connor's ruling: the states did not have the standing to sue in the first place. Without the financial penalty in place, the mandate does not cause any harm that can form the basis of a lawsuit, Bagley said. (Reporting by Manogna Maddipatla in Bengaluru and Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Sweta Singh, Alexia Garamfalvi and Will Dunham) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a news conference at the State Department on Dec. 14. (Photo: Jim Young/Reuters) In the eyes of U.S. intelligence officials, the evidence of the Saudi crown princes role in the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is clear and compelling. Yet, much to their frustration, top administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and even President Trump, have continued to drag their feet on making clear statements condemning Mohammed bin Salman known as MBS. Theyre definitely misrepresenting the analysis, said one former official who remains in touch with colleagues. As in the past, many intelligence officers are trying to ignore the political fray and put their nose to the grindstone, the former official said. Others wonder what they are doing all this for if policymakers are going to, at best ignore the information and at worst deny it or lie about it, the former official added. Intelligence officials also believe that by focusing on purported ambiguities in the intelligence on the Khashoggi killing, administration figures are unfairly passing the buck. The onus should be put back on the policymakers, one U.S. intelligence official told Yahoo. Theyre the decision makers. Another former intelligence official argued that, at this point, Pompeos and Kushners remarks arent surprising to the intelligence community, and the people who collect the information are less affected by the public battles. Pompeo is a tea party politician; nobody is shocked hes waving the banner, the former official said. They stay for the institution and the work politicians can accept or reject the findings. While Trump has refused to condemn MBS for his alleged role in the killing, he has pointed to measures taken against those Saudi officials involved in Khashoggis death and dismemberment. We have already sanctioned 17 Saudis known to have been involved in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi, and the disposal of his body, Trump said in a statement last month. Story continues The White House has also disputed the notion that Trump is ignoring the intelligence communitys conclusions, even if Trump has so far refused to directly criticize the crown prince. The President receives regular briefings and takes counsel from his national security advisors, including the CIA Director, and makes decisions based on a full spectrum of information, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. The CIA declined to comment. Mohammed bin Nayef, then the Saudi crown prince and interior minister, at a military parade in 2016. (Photo: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters) Its not just the White House that may make it difficult to act on the intelligence communitys findings the long-standing ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia complicate efforts to hold the Gulf country accountable. Saudi Arabia is a major customer for U.S. arms and has extensive military and intelligence cooperation with the United States. The United States has also been providing military and intelligence assistance to the kingdom in its war in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. But the nearly three-year war, which has resulted in thousands of deaths of Yemeni civilians and pushed the country to the brink of famine, has frayed the patience of U.S. officials and lawmakers. Yet when Pentagon officials complained to their Saudi counterparts about civilian deaths from airstrikes, Saudi officials said that if the United States increased its support and provided Riyadh with better targeting capabilities, fewer innocent people would be killed, said a former intelligence official. The Pentagon refused to share its advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities with the Saudis, said this person, who was familiar with Saudi activities in Yemen. Saudi pilots were literally looking out the window of planes as they were dropping bombs, said this former official. Saudi intelligence [in Yemen] was horrible. Their ops were s***ty. One of the unknowns is what impact the Khashoggi killing will have on U.S.-Saudi intelligence cooperation. Another former U.S. intelligence official said the Khashoggi killing followed an effort by the crown prince to create a shadow security service circumventing the main Saudi intelligence agency and the Mabahith, the kingdoms main internal security organization. To a lot of them, its perplexing to see that MBS and his team would do something that is that stupid, said this person, who stays in touch with contacts in Saudi intelligence. Saudi intel tries to be professional, and theyre thinking, Were going to take the fall for this? Mohammed bin Salman began to assemble this shadow security organ even before he had been named as the crown prince, said this former official. Royals were worried even then that he was going to be setting up parallel security services and tapping their phones, said the same former official. The current heads of the Saudi intelligence agencies are closely associated with Mohammed bin Nayef, the former interior minister and heir to the Saudi throne until the crown prince successfully purged him and other Saudi royals in 2017. The catastrophic decision to kill Khashoggi was driven, in part, by continuing attempts by this shadow clique to curry favor with Crown Prince Mohammed, said this person. Some people want to impress MBS so bad, to show that Saudi is so strong. Theyre not really intel pros they just want to impress him. As Trump and his Cabinet waffle over the crown prince and his connection to the killing, Congress has increasingly taken the lead in confronting the kingdom. On Thursday, the Senate passed a resolution calling for an end to U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen. The Senate also passed a resolution, proposed by Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, formally condemning the crown prince for the killing of Khashoggi. The House and Senate can put the screws to MBS and the Saudis they need to threaten the purse strings, said one of the former intel officials. They can do it without the White House. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Spending plans: Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond. Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images The UK government is preparing to spend up to 2bn on Brexit measures in the coming weeks as it looks increasingly likely that Britain will crash out of the EU without a deal on future trading arrangements. UK chancellor Philip Hammond has set aside 2bn for potential spending on Brexit preparations and the prime ministers spokesperson said on Monday this fund would be allocated shortly. A spokesperson for the prime ministers office told Yahoo Finance UK that the 2bn was for Brexit preparation generally, rather than specifically for a no-deal Brexit. However, the spending announcement comes as it looks increasingly likely that Britain will leave the EU without a deal. Prime minister Theresa May was forced to pull a vote on her draft Brexit deal earlier this month in the face of widespread opposition from politicians across the political spectrum. Last week she went to Brussels to try and negotiate a better deal with EU leaders but was rebuffed. A no-deal Brexit would mean that the UK has no agreement with the EU on things like trade, migration, and border control. Trade between the two parties would revert to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. This is likely to cause huge disruption as it would dramatically increase paperwork and therefore the time taken to cross borders. There are concerns that the UK could face shortages of everything from car parts to food and medicine. Members of the cabinet will set out plans for a so-called managed no-deal when ministers meet on Tuesday, according to press reports. Plans reportedly drawn up include an option to rent boats to ship in emergency medicine and food supplies. Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The United Nations on Monday urged donor states to give $350 million in aid for Palestinians in 2019, saying it needed more but had to be "realistic" following swathing US cuts. The UN said the appeal, down from $539 million in 2018, was due to a lack of available donor funds across the globe. It aims to support 1.4 million Palestinians through more than 200 projects. The United States has announced it will cut almost all of its aid to Palestinians, having previously provided around $500 million a year through different mechanisms including the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. The appeal for funds, called the Humanitarian Response Plan and done in conjunction with Palestinian authorities, received in the past $100 million in US funding. Jamie McGoldrick, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said due to a lack of donors the UN had to be more "realistic" when asking for funds. "We have taken this humanitarian response plan to the most focused and prioritised it could possibly be," he said at the launch of the appeal in the city Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The majority of the funds will go to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, where two million Palestinians live crammed into a small territory under an Israel blockade, with more than two thirds relying on aid. With its economy in a free fall and tensions with Israel rising, Gaza is imploding, UN envoy for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov warned in October. Last year the UN appeal received only $220 million of the funds requested. Areas that have seen major decreases in funding include water, food security and shelter, UN officials said. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted by a wide majority a Global Compact on Refugees aimed at improving efforts to manage large refugee movements -- but without the support of the United States and Hungary. The refugee pact, which did not provoke the controversy unleashed over a similar pact on migration, was approved by 181 countries. Only two voted no -- the US and Hungary. Three others abstained -- the Dominican Republic, Eritrea and Libya. Much like the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration -- the refugee pact is not legally binding. The two global agreements stem from the so-called New York Declaration adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in September 2016, with the goal of better handling migrant and refugee flows worldwide. The compact -- written under the auspices of the Geneva-based UN refugee agency (UNHCR) -- hopes to ensure an adequate international response to large-scale refugee movements and extended displacement of refugees. General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa told AFP the pact would help "strengthen the assistance to and protection of the 25 million refugees globally" and was based on burden -- and responsibility-sharing. "Refugee-hosting countries continue to show extraordinary levels of generosity and commitment to refugee protection," said Espinosa, who is from Ecuador. "It's a known fact that low and middle-income countries host over 85 percent of all refugees. I believe that we must support the communities and states that host refugees." In voting no, Hungary said no new agreement was needed. The US said recently that it backed most of the refugee pact, but not the part aimed at limiting detentions of asylum seekers. - Four goals - Ahead of Monday's vote, two countries facing massive population flight addressed the assembly. Syria said the debate should not be politicized and asked the UNHCR to do more to help Syrian refugees return to their war-wracked country. Story continues Crisis-hit Venezuela, which has seen massive flight as its economic quagmire has deepened, urged the assembly to ensure that the new pact did not become a way for other countries to intervene in internal matters. The document has four key objectives: ease pressure on refugee-hosting nations; improve refugee self-reliance; expand access to third countries for refugees via resettlement; and, support conditions for refugees to go home. The compact is meant to set up a framework; national and regional solutions are supported, and it discusses financing and possible partnerships, as well as data sharing among nations. It also includes systems to monitor progress, including a Global Refugee Forum held at ministerial level every four years. Unlike the talks on the migration pact, the United States remained in the negotiations for the refugee pact. The final text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Legal Migration was agreed on in July, and it is to be formally ratified by the General Assembly on Wednesday. Since July, a number of countries have either quit the pact or expressed serious reservations, including Hungary, Australia, Israel, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Latvia and Italy. In Belgium, the migration pact sparked the collapse of the country's coalition government. About 165 countries reaffirmed their commitment to the migration pact earlier this month in Morocco. Doha (AFP) - UN chief Antonio Guterres called Sunday for a "credible" probe into journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. "It is absolutely essential to have a credible investigation and to have the punishment of those that were guilty," Guterres said at a conference in Doha. The UN chief said he had no information on the case except what had been reported in the media. Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to the Washington Post, was killed on October 2 shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly rejected Turkish demands to extradite suspects connected to the murder of the journalist, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Turkey's foreign minister said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia has not yet shared information on a "local collaborator" in his country. Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the conference that Riyadh has neither dislosed the name nor the facial composite of a suspect in Turkey. "Why don't you share it with Turkey?" he asked. "We know that (Khashoggi's) body was cut in pieces and his body was taken out of the consulate building, but we don't know where the body is. "This is the main question, we need to find out." On Saturday, Cavusoglu said that his country would "not give up" on establishing the truth about the murder. Earlier this month, the minister said Turkey was in talks over a possible United Nations investigation into the killing which has provoked global outrage. According to Turkey, a 15-member Saudi team was sent to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi, a palace insider turned critic of the regime. Riyadh has since detained 21 people over the murder. Despite speculation that the powerful crown prince ordered the hit, the kingdom has strongly denied he was involved. The murder has damaged Riyadh's international reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan this past week appeared to be barreling forward on a collision course with President Trump. Forbidden from indicting him by their superiors in Washington, the prosecutors instead are likely to turn their guns on the presidents family and close associates and, perhaps most significantly, the business he spent his life building, according to former Department of Justice officials. In court filings, a dramatic sentencing hearing and an unusually revelatory press release, the prosecutors in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York added substantially to the mound of public evidence that the president has criminal exposure for arranging secret payments to women during the federal election campaign. In a sentencing memo, the Southern District cited Michael Cohens claims that Donald Trump, as a presidential candidate, had directed Cohen to secretly pay off two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump, in violation of campaign finance laws. In a lower Manhattan courtroom, as he pleaded with a judge for leniency, Cohen cast himself as a weak man and instrument of Trumps will. President Trump and Michael Cohen (Photos: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Shortly after the sentencing hearing concluded, Southern District prosecutors revealed for the first time that they had entered into a cooperation deal with American Media Inc. (AMI), the company that publishes the National Enquirer, which had assisted Cohen by negotiating and making one of the secret payments, $150,000 paid to Karen McDougal based on a sham contract, on the understanding that Cohen would reimburse AMI for the expense. (Despite the understanding, he never actually reimbursed AMI.) AMI agreed to help Southern District prosecutors by providing evidence in exchange for not being charged. Both Cohen and AMI said that the hush money payments, which Trump was involved with and knew about, were intended to influence the presidential election by keeping derogatory stories about Trump out of the news. Story continues I think that theyre clearly building a case, right? said Mimi Rocah, a 16-year veteran of the Southern District now in private practice. Theyre not trying to get Cohen to cooperate against AMI because AMI has a nonprosecution cooperation agreement. And theyre not cooperating AMI just against Cohen because he has already pled out. So there seem to be other targets in their sights. While it appears the Southern District is assembling a powerful criminal case against Trump, one of the targets for prosecution may be not the president himself, but the Trump Organization. A stubborn obstacle stands in the way of presenting a case against the president in court. A memorandum, written in the fall of 1973 by attorneys at the Department of Justices Office of Legal Counsel amid the Watergate scandal concluded that constitutional principles forbid indicting or criminally prosecuting a sitting president for federal crimes. That conclusion was reaffirmed in 2000 and amounts to a Justice Department-wide policy against bringing criminal charges against the president. Even though the Manhattan-based division is often cheekily referred to as the Sovereign District of New York, former prosecutors who worked there agreed that its vaunted independence would not extend to disregarding the Office of Legal Counsels written guidance on indicting and prosecuting the president. Theres no question that, as long as the [Office of Legal Counsel] memo is in place, theyre going to follow that, said Rocah. Even the Sovereign District is not going to just ignore that. Michael Cohen leaves the federal courthouse in Manhattan on Dec. 12. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Other former prosecutors from the office agreed with Rocahs assessment about the prospect of an indictment of the president. We didnt say, like, Were the Southern District, we dont have to follow any rules, you know? said Harry Sandick, another former Southern District prosecutor now in private practice. I would be surprised if the Southern District did not consider itself bound by DOJ policy at a high level. They might not do everything the way Main Justice tells them to do it, Sandick said, using an insiders reference to Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., but I think on an issue like this I would be shocked if they said, Well, our analysis is different, were indicting the president. That would be a surprise. Matthew Miller, a former Department of Justice spokesman, agreed that the Southern District was unlikely to disregard Justice Department policy on indicting the president, but I dont think its tenable for DOJ to just do nothing about him, he said. That could either be some kind of referral to Congress, or by making all the information available through an indictment of somebody else. And then they dont have to send it officially to Congress. Congress will see it all because its all in the public domain. The Southern District could not be immediately reached for comment. The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment. The former Southern District prosecutors said that the latter option, bringing further indictments, is likely more in keeping with the offices culture and its desire to keep its distance from politics. Federal investigations such as Southern Districts are secret, and any discussion of who future targets might be is necessarily speculative, but the charging documents from that office contain some strong hints that the Trump Organization and its executives could be the targets. Both Rocah and Sandick pointed specifically to allegations that two Trump Organization executives, referred to in charging documents as Executive 1 and Executive 2, had concocted a fraudulent scheme to pay Cohen back for his payment to Stormy Daniels. NBC News and the Wall Street Journal have reported that Executive 1 is the longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, who was granted immunity by the Southern District in its investigation. The identity of Executive 2 is unknown. Cohen, the prosecutors alleged and Cohen admitted, had given the executives a bank statement showing the $130,000 payment from the account of the shell company Cohen created, along with the $35 wire fee he paid. To this, Cohen added in handwriting an additional $50,000 for tech services, which prosecutors wrote in fact related to work Cohen had solicited from a technology company during and in connection with the campaign. In total, Cohen had requested $180,035 in reimbursement from Trumps private company for expenditures he had made to assist Trumps campaign. A reimbursement of campaign expenses by a private company alone could have put the Trump Organization in jeopardy, as private businesses are forbidden from contributing to campaigns (the same violation got AMI into hot water with prosecutors). However, that is not the only issue. President Trump listens to a question from a member of the media on Dec. 11. (Photo: Yuri Gripas/Bloomberg via Getty Images) What the executives did with Cohens requested reimbursement raises the specter of tax and accounting fraud, both former prosecutors agreed. According to the criminal information Southern District prosecutors filed against Cohen, the executives grossed up the amount for tax purposes, effectively doubling it to $360,000, and then they added $60,000 on top of that as a bonus for Cohen, arriving at a total payment to Cohen of $420,000. That amount would be spread out over the full year of 2017 in $35,000 installments, for which Cohen would submit invoices requesting pursuant to retainer agreement payment for services rendered. These machinations, presumably, served a dual purpose. First, they allowed the Trump Organization to maintain the fiction, on its books and before its auditors, that Cohen was simply being periodically paid for legal work on behalf of the company, rather than reimbursed for one-time campaign expenses. The Company accounted for these payments as legal expenses, the SDNY prosecutors wrote. Second, in order to maintain consistency with the Trump Organizations deceptive accounting treatment, Cohen would have to report the full amount received as taxable income on his tax returns, rather than accurately identifying it as an untaxed reimbursement. The increased, or grossed up, amounts would have been to cover Cohens resulting taxes, since the payments to him were being classified as income, rather than a reimbursement. The contortions may not just put the Trump Organizations executives at risk; they could expose the presidents cherished business as well. I think theres a possibility of the Trump Organization as a whole being charged, Rocah said. Charges against the Trump Organization seem like a way of addressing through one path what you might not be able to address through a different path, Sandick agreed. I mean it seems pretty clear to me that the Trump Organization has criminal liability here, Miller said. You have the fraudulent contract with Cohen. And then you have the fact that they used corporate money to reimburse a campaign contribution. So that looks like a couple different crimes to me. Thats one thing you could do is you could indict the Trump Organization and possibly the unnamed executive, and then in that indictment you just make all of the facts public and you name the president as an unindicted co-conspirator. An indictment premised on the disguised reimbursement to Cohen could provide prosecutors with the vehicle to name the president as an unindicted co-conspirator. On Fox News Sunday, in the course of a discussion about President Trumps prior denials that he knew about the secret payment to Stormy Daniels, the presidents personal attorney Rudy Giuliani appeared to admit that Trump was personally involved in the reimbursement scheme. The president did talk to Cohen or to people in between, Giuliani said, and they arranged to reimburse Cohen. This is after the payment was made, after it was over after the campaign was over. What may be tricky, however, is figuring out what part of the Trump Organization to charge, since its composed of many different entities operating under a single name. You hold interests as the sole or principal owner in more than 500 separate entities, Sheri Dillon and William Nelson wrote in a letter to the president dated March 8, 2017. The letter was released to the public in lieu of disclosure of president Trumps personal income tax returns. Former prosecutors pointed out that a prosecution of a business organization would not be undertaken lightly. The Department of Justices frequently revised guidelines on the subject generally tend to discourage charging organizations because of the concern about harm to third parties, Sandick said. On the other hand, its unclear how many employees the Trump Organization has, and thus could be affected, since much of their work seems to be in the area of licensing the Trump name, according to Sandick. The truth is nobody, even those of us in the alumni network, lived through something quite like this, said Sandick. I was there during 9/11 and we saw lots of huge cases, high profile things. I remember lots of big things happening in the office. But this is, kind of, of a different magnitude. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: On todays episode of Free Lunch, Ryan McQueeney discusses concerns about slowing economic growth in China and a major court ruling affecting healthcare stocks. He also highlights trending stocks Proteostasis Therapeutics and New Age Beverages. Later, he previews earnings from Red Hat, Oracle, and Micron. Want more video content from Zacks? Subscribe to Zacks Investment News now! Free Lunch is presented by Zacks Investment Research. It is streamed live, four times per week, and features breaking news and analysis from Zacks strategists. Free Lunch is available on YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitter, Ustream, and more. U.S. stocks were lower in morning trading again on Monday, underscoring fears of sluggish global economic data. Notably, investors have shown concern over weak retail sales figures from China, which saw its slowest growth in that metric in more than five years during November. Chinas economy will keep the spotlight throughout the week, as President Xi is scheduled to speak tomorrow on the 40th anniversary of the countrys economic reform. After this speech, government officials will meet at a central-planning conference that could help set the regulatory tone for the New Year and beyond. Here in the states, healthcare stocks were getting pummeled on the news that a federal judge in Texas ruled the Individual Mandate clause of the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. This provision, which requires that citizens acquire health insurance or face a fee, has faced renewed legal scrutiny after tax law changes brought said fee down to effectively $0. Ryan covers these two major macroeconomic stories on the opening segment of todays Free Lunch. He also highlights two of the mornings top trending stocks: Proteostasis Therapeutics PTI and New Age Beverages NBEV. Want to know why these tickers are moving higher today? Make sure to check out the show! Later, Ryan previews three of the weeks major tech earnings reports: Red Hat RHT, Oracle ORCL, and Micron MU. Story continues Red Hat and Oracle are set to report later today. Both companies operate in the broader cloud-computing market, but each stock presents its own unique story. Red Hat is a smalleryet importantopen-source firm that is being acquired by IBM (IBM). Its stock is trading noticeably lower than the purchase price of this deal, however. Meanwhile, Oracle is a tech giant that is struggling to find growth amid increasingly competitive conditions in its core businesses. These reports will carry serious weight today, as Wall Street still has questions about IBMs acquisition and Oracles growth prospects. But the most impactful tech report this week will likely be Microns. Once a Wall Street darling, Micron has been hammered lately. Earnings estimates have fallen off a cliff, and investors are ditching this memory chip maker left and right. Ryan takes a look at these estimates and speculates as to whether it can rebound this week on todays Free Lunch. Dont miss it! 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 Oracle Corporation (ORCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Red Hat, Inc. (RHT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. (PTI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Beijing (AFP) - The wife of a detained Chinese lawyer and three supporters shaved their heads on Monday and attempted to submit to a Beijing court a petition protesting her husband's indefinite detention. The four women went to the Hongsecun People's High Court in south Beijing in a symbolic protest against what they said highlighted the "lawlessness" of the country. "We can go bald, but the country cannot be lawless," the four women shouted outside the courthouse after they were prevented by police from entering the premises. The Chinese words for being completely bald and having a state of lawlessness -- "wufa" -- are homonyms. Their husbands were all targeted during a sweeping crackdown on activists and lawyers on July 9, 2015. Attorney Wang Quanzhang, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in the sweep aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities. Charged in January 2016 with alleged "subversion of state power", Wang is the only one of over 200 lawyers and activists arrested in the so-called "709 crackdown" who is yet to be tried or released. "My husband is being detained incommunicado without a proper explanation," his wife Li Wenzu told AFP. "I want answers as to why the authorities aren't following due process. I want to know why they aren't allowing the family's lawyer to visit Wang," she said. Li said over the past three years she has submitted over 30 freedom of information requests to police, which have been sent back unanswered. In April, Li attempted to march 100 kilometres (60 miles) to a detention facility in neighbouring Tianjin to highlight her husband's plight before she was thwarted by police. "I want to urge the Supreme People's Court to perform its supervisory duties and investigate why the second intermediate court in Tianjin that is handling my husband's case is dragging its feet," Li said. Story continues "The court has surpassed the time limit prescribed by law for dealing with such cases," she said. - Health concerns - Liu Ermin, wife of rights activist Zhai Yanmin, said she was protesting her husband's torture while in detention. "His health has deteriorated and we are still under constant surveillance," she said. The third woman was Yuan Shanshan, wife of lawyer Xie Yanyi. Xie, who defended practitioners of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, was released on bail pending trial in January 2017. He has since shed light on the torture of detained lawyers. Wang Qiaoling, wife of lawyer Li Heping, also joined the protest. Li Heping was given a three-year suspended jail term in April 2017 for subverting state power. Three years after what activists say was a coordinated attempt to quash China's rights movement, most of those detained are in prison or under house arrest. Some of them made public confessions and were sentenced in what their families say were either secret or scripted trials. Some of the cases have attracted international attention. German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Li Wenzu during a May visit to Beijing -- a rare show of solidarity from a world leader. By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday said legalizing marijuana for recreational use would be one of his top legislative priorities next year. The move, which would add New York to the list of 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia that have legalized cannabis, could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue, according to a report commissioned by the governor and released last summer. Neighboring New Jersey is also weighing whether to allow recreational use of marijuana. Governor Phil Murphy, a supporter of the proposal, and leaders in the Democratic-controlled legislature have been working on a bill for several months, though no action is expected until 2019. The added revenue could help address a number of needs, including New York City's troubled subway system, which is desperately in need of major repairs and upgrades. The legal market for marijuana in New York could be worth between $1.7 billion and $3.5 billion annually, the state report estimated. In a speech outlining his plans for 2019, Cuomo said that legalizing marijuana would contribute to a fairer justice system. Many proponents of changing the law have argued that enforcement disproportionately harms minorities. "We must also end the needless and unjust criminal convictions and the debilitating criminal stigma, and let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all," Cuomo said. The decision marks a shift for Cuomo, who as recently as last year opposed full legalization. His Democratic challenger this year, actress Cynthia Nixon, campaigned on legalizing marijuana, among other liberal positions. Democrats will control both of the state's legislative chambers next year after capturing the state Senate in November's election. Starting with Colorado and Washington in 2012, states that have legalized marijuana for adult use have typically done so through ballot measures. Vermont became the first state this year to approve recreational marijuana use via legislative action. Story continues Other states where marijuana is legal for adult use include Alaska, Oregon, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada and Michigan. In addition, 33 states - including New York - and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. During the administration of former President Barack Obama, the U.S. government largely permitted states to determine how to handle the issue on their own, but the Justice Department under President Donald Trump has allowed prosecutors to enforce federal law even in states where marijuana is legal. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O'Brien) ethereum difficulty bomb Hundreds of government buildings, schools and businesses in the United States and Canada were on Thursday targets of extortionists who threatened to detonate explosives unless they were paid thousands of dollars in bitcoin. In most of the emailed bomb threats, the sender claimed that they had an associate who had planted an explosive device at the premises of the recipient and this would go off if a payment of US$20,000 in bitcoin was not made, according to ABC News. 20,000 dollars is the price for your life. Tansfer (sic) it to me in BTC and I warrant that I will withdraw my recruited person and explosive will not explode. But do not try to deceive me my warranty will become valid only after 3 confirmations in blockchain network, one of the emailed bomb threats said. Not Credible Most law enforcement agencies dismissed the threats saying they were not credible. This included the New York Police Department which tweeted that after searches had been conducted in numerous locations that had received the threats, no explosive devices were discovered: At this time, it appears that these threats are meant to cause disruption and/or obtain money. 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. However, the counterterrorism department of the NYPD disclosed that monitoring of the bomb threats was ongoing: We are currently monitoring multiple bomb threats that have been sent electronically to various locations throughout the city. These threats are also being reported to other locations nationwide & are NOT considered credible at this time. pic.twitter.com/GowGG4oZ9l NYPDCounterterrorism (@NYPDCT) December 13, 2018 Nuisance Value Story continues But before being determined to lack credibility, the bomb threats had resulted in evacuations in some institutions, facilities and extensive sweeps of buildings. In Toronto, Canada, the King subway station had to be cleared after the bomb threat was received. The University of Washington in Seattle also conducted building sweeps before releasing information across the campus that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had deemed the threat not to be credible. Some schools across the United States also resorted to closing early while others were placed in lockdown or evacuated. Other places that were evacuated included a county courthouse in Olympia, Washington; a city hall in Aurora, Illinois and news outlets such as Utahs Park Record newspaper and North Carolinas News & Observer. It could not be immediately established who sent the hoax bomb threats or their country of origin though some media outlets noted that they were written in a choppy style reminiscent of the Nigerian prince email scam. On the other hand, an email to a middle school in St. Louis, Missouri bore an internet protocol address which was traced to Moscow, Russia. However, this was not deemed conclusive evidence of the origin as the sender could have laid a false trail to scuttle investigators. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Bitcoin Bomb Threats Target Educational Institutions, Businesses and Govt. Buildings in US, Canada appeared first on CCN. Dublin, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Philippines Logistics and Warehousing Market Outlook to 2023 - By Freight Forwarding, Warehousing, Express Logistics, E-commerce Logistics, Third Party Logistics, Balikbayan Box Segment" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Philippines Logistics and Warehousing Market Outlook to 2023 covers the overall competitive landscape; government role and regulations, SWOT analysis, growth drivers, trends and developments. The report concludes with future projections and analyst recommendations highlighting the major opportunities and cautions. Philippines Logistics and Warehousing Market Size Philippines has witnessed a growing need of maritime, aviation and land transport systems to ensure efficient flow of resources and commodities within the country as well as to other countries globally. The country is focusing on improving its trade relations which has resulted in growth in import and export in terms of value and volume. Philippines logistics and warehousing market augmented positively from 2012 to 2017 at a positive CAGR during the review period 2012-2017. Additionally, the country has witnessed increasing container freight traffic volume during the same period. By Service Mix The freight forwarding segment dominated the overall Philippines logistics and warehousing market in the year 2017, followed by the warehousing segment. Road freight has been considered as the most convenient mode of transportation of goods owing to high demand from the industrial sector coupled with booming E-commerce industry in the country. The increase in demand for transportation of goods from one place to another has accelerated the size of the freight forwarding market in the country. Moreover, the high export and import revenues have positively impacted the freight forwarding industry in the country. Philippines Freight Forwarding Market The growth of freight forwarding in Philippines was supported by development in major industries such as manufacturing, retail, wholesale, construction, agriculture and mining. In the Philippines, land transport has dominated the overall freight forwarding industry which has accounted for maximum revenue share in the overall logistics market during 2017, followed by air and water transport, respectively. Story continues The government of Philippines has initiated a Build Build Build' infrastructure program under which many projects will start construction in 2018 in the cargo transportation industry. Philippines Warehousing Market The Philippines has been considered as one of the most strategic locations in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Industrial / Retail sector is the largest contributor to the warehousing sector, followed by container freight, cold storage, agriculture and others in terms of revenues in 2017. Increasing prominence of online shopping will increase the size of E-commerce industry in the country. The companies from retail sector, FMCG sector, pharmaceutical sector, apparels and other accessories are anticipated to witness robust growth. E-commerce companies require warehousing facilities to store the products which will trigger the demand for warehousing space in coming future. Philippines Express Delivery Market The express delivery companies have created a door to door linkage across domestic and international markets and have developed advanced shipment tracking facilities to cater to time-sensitive needs of the logistics sector. Air express has dominated the express delivery market in terms of revenue during 2017, followed by road express in the Philippines. The services provided by express delivery companies such as guaranteed delivery services, door to door delivery, track orders and others will continue to drive the demand for express delivery services in near future. Philippines E-Commerce Logistics Market Philippines E-commerce industry has witnessed a moderate rise over the past three years with an increase in internet penetration into the country. Additionally, escalation in the number of smart phones in the country has augmented the online shopping. Companies such as DHL, LBC and UPS have inculcated e-commerce features in their websites in order to assist customers to order online. It has been expected that the e-commerce logistics will witness a CAGR of 24.9% during the years 2016-2020. Philippines 3PL Market Third party logistics providers are independent companies that provide multiple logistics services to a purchasing company. Some of the significant services offered by 3PL providers in the Philippines include warehousing, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, product labeling and packaging, inventory management and fleet management. Demand for 3PL (Third Party Logistics) services has been increasing in the Philippines on account of increasing need to handle increased delivery and warehousing volume, owing to booming E-commerce. Philippines Balikbayan Box Market The balikbayan boxes serve as an emotional bridge between parents and siblings who part with their families to earn a higher wage abroad collectively known as Overseas Filipino Workers. The influx of Balikbayan boxes to the Philippines has been examined to increase during the holiday season whereas, slow growth was observed in balikbayan box shipments during off-season. Comparative Landscape in Philippines Logistics and Warehousing Market The domestic express delivery firms have a stronger presence in several cities nationwide whereas, international express delivery firms dominate the Philippines express delivery market. The E-commerce logistics industry of the Philippines was observed to be highly concentrated with the presence of major players such as Lazada, LBC Express, DHL and Shopee covering around majority of the market share in the year 2017. These companies were witnessed to compete on parameters such as shipping points, coverage area, delivery assistance (last mile) and payment collection medium. The competition in the Balikbayan box market has been intensified due to rising presence of a large number of domestic and international players in the industry. Future Outlook and Projections Growing E-commerce industry has given opportunities to logistics players to expand their business across the nation and it will further enhance the demand of logistics in coming years. The logistics and warehousing companies operating within the Philippines are expected to invest on advanced technologies solutions for instance, autonomous logistics, real-time tracking, automation and robotics in order to provide an improved customer service. Key Segments Covered: Freight forwarding Market By Mode of transport Land Transport Water Transport Air Transport By Destination By International Freight Domestic Freight By Flow Corridors Asia North America Europe Middle East and others By Owned Fleet and Rented/3PL Fleet By Normal and Express Delivery Philippines Warehousing Market By End Users Food & Beverage Pharmaceuticals & Medical Consumables Textile and Footwear Electronics Chemicals and others By International and Domestic Companies By Business Model Industrial / Retail Freight Container Freight Cold Storage Agriculture and others Philippines Express Delivery Market By Type: Air Express Road Express By Delivery Type International Delivery and Domestic Delivery By Business Mode B2B, C2C and B2C Philippines E-commerce Market By Channel E-commerce merchants 3PL - Third Party Logistics companies By Time Duration One Day Delivery 2 Day Delivery Same Day Delivery and others By Area Intracity Intercity By Payment Method Cash on Delivery and others Philippines 3PL Market By Market Freight Forwarding Warehousing Philippines Balikbayan Box Market By On-season Off-season Key Target Audience Freight Forwarders Warehousing Companies Packaging and Labeling Companies Cold Storage Facilities and Transportation Companies Express Delivery Companies E-commerce Logistics Service Providers Postal, Couriers & Messengers Third Party Logistics Companies Inventory Management Companies Warehousing Automation and Technology Services Providers Balikbayan Box Shipment Companies Consulting Companies Private Equity/ VCs/ Investment Banking Companies Time Period Captured in the Report: 2012-2017 - Historical Period 2018-2023 - Future Forecast Companies Covered: Freight Forwarding and Warehousing Companies Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corporation International Container Terminal Services Inc. Lorenzo Shipping Corporation Metro Alliance Holdings and Equity Corp. Asian Terminals Inc. AAI Worldwide Logistics Inc. Kintetsu World Express Royal Cargo ABest Express Agility Panalpina Yusen Logistic Co. Ltd. All Transport Network Logistics (ATN) F2 Logistics All Systems Logistics (ASL) LF Logistics Nippon Express Expeditors Express and E-Commerce Logistics Companies LBC Express 2GO PHL Post JRS Express Air 21 DHL FedEx UPS TNT Lazada Express Shopee Balikbayan Box Jolly B Box Forex Cargo Afreight For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/s67jzv/philippines?w=12 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CONTACT: 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: Logistics Username: Password: or Register Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average 1 2 3 4 5 China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify atm LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 478838 12-17-2018 11:47 PM Post: #1 China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify atm Advertisement China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify the atmosphere https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/...xperiments "China and Russia have modified an important layer of the atmosphere above Europe to test a controversial technology for possible military application, according to Chinese scientists involved in the project..." "...total of five experiments were carried out in June. One, on June 7, caused physical disturbance over an area as large as 126,000 sq km (49,000 square miles), or about half the size of Britain. The modified zone, looming more than 500km (310 miles) high over Vasilsursk, a small Russian town in eastern Europe, experienced an electric spike with 10 times more negatively charged subatomic particles than surrounding regions." "...The US military learned from the Russian experiment and built a much larger facility to conduct similar tests. The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, was established in Gakona, Alaska, in the 1990s with funding from the US military and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency. The HAARP facility could generate a maximum 1 gigawatt of power, nearly four times that of Sura. China is now building an even larger and more advanced facility in Sanya, Hainan, with capability to manipulate the ionosphere over the entire South China Sea, according to an earlier report by the South China Morning Post. There have been concerns that such facilities could be used to modify weather and even create natural disasters, including hurricanes, cyclones and earthquakes. The ultra-low frequency waves generated by these powerful facilities could even affect the operation of human brains, some critics have said...." "We are not playing God. We are not the only country teaming up with the Russians" CHINESE RESEARCHER INVOLVED IN THE EXPERIMENT IN YOUR FACE "China and Russia have modified an important layer of the atmosphere above Europe to test a controversial technology for possible military application, according to Chinese scientists involved in the project...""...total of five experiments were carried out in June. One, on June 7, caused physical disturbance over an area as large as 126,000 sq km (49,000 square miles), or about half the size of Britain.The modified zone, looming more than 500km (310 miles) high over Vasilsursk, a small Russian town in eastern Europe, experienced an electric spike with 10 times more negatively charged subatomic particles than surrounding regions.""...The US military learned from the Russian experiment and built a much larger facility to conduct similar tests.The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, was established in Gakona, Alaska, in the 1990s with funding from the US military and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency.The HAARP facility could generate a maximum 1 gigawatt of power, nearly four times that of Sura.China is now building an even larger and more advanced facility in Sanya, Hainan, with capability to manipulate the ionosphere over the entire South China Sea, according to an earlier report by the South China Morning Post.There have been concerns that such facilities could be used to modify weather and even create natural disasters, including hurricanes, cyclones and earthquakes.The ultra-low frequency waves generated by these powerful facilities could even affect the operation of human brains, some critics have said....""We are not playing God. We are not the only country teaming up with the Russians"CHINESE RESEARCHER INVOLVED IN THE EXPERIMENT LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 478838 12-17-2018 11:52 PM Post: #2 RE: China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify atm ". The sun and cosmic rays produce a large amount of free-flying, positively charged atoms known as ions at altitudes from 75km to 1,000km in the Earths upper atmosphere. The layer, or ionosphere, reflects radio waves like a mirror. The ionosphere allows radio signals to bounce long distances for communication. The militaries have been in a race to control the ionosphere for decades. The Sura base in Vasilsursk is believed to be the worlds first large-scale facility built for the purpose. Up and running in 1981, it enabled Soviet scientists to manipulate the sky as an instrument for military operations, such as submarine communication. High-energy microwaves can pluck the electromagnetic field in ionosphere like fingers playing a harp. This can produce very low-frequency radio signals that can penetrate the ground or water sometimes to depths of more than 100 metres (328 feet) in the ocean, which made it a possible communication method for submarines. Changing the ionosphere over enemy territory can also disrupt or cut off their communication with satellites...." LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 372620 12-17-2018 11:53 PM Post: #3 RE: China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify atm "weather modifation and weather warfare is not real" according to some "progressives". LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 478838 12-17-2018 11:56 PM Post: #4 RE: China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify atm "...The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, was established in Gakona, Alaska, in the 1990s with funding from the US military and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency. The HAARP facility could generate a maximum 1 gigawatt of power, nearly four times that of Sura. China is now building an even larger and more advanced facility in Sanya, Hainan, with capability to manipulate the ionosphere over the entire South China Sea, according to an earlier report by the South China Morning Post. There have been concerns that such facilities could be used to modify weather and even create natural disasters, including hurricanes, cyclones and earthquakes. The ultra-low frequency waves generated by these powerful facilities could even affect the operation of human brains, some critics have said. Beijing and Taipei team up in space to track earthquakes But Dr Wang Yalu, an associate researcher with the China Earthquake Administration who took part in the study in June, dismissed such theories. We are just doing pure scientific research. If there is anything else involved, I am not informed about this, she said in an interview. The earthquake administration was involved because the Zhangheng-1, launched in February, was the first Chinese satellite capable of picking up precursory signals linked to earthquakes. It is operated by the Chinese military and has served both civilian and defense uses." LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 478838 12-18-2018 12:00 AM Post: #5 RE: China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify atm Americans authorities deny the existence of HAARP But the Chinese have an entire article about this Americans are such a liars and manipulators PARADISE CA DESTROYED BY DEW LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 478838 12-18-2018 06:14 AM Post: #6 RE: China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify atm LoP Guest Wrote: (12-18-2018 12:00 AM) Americans authorities deny the existence of HAARP But the Chinese have an entire article about this Americans are such a liars and manipulators PARADISE CA DESTROYED BY DEW what if those "experiments" were in November..... and what if....CA?? what if those "experiments" were in November.....and what if....CA?? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 478838 12-18-2018 06:40 AM Post: #7 RE: China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify atm what if it was a coalition of many countries?? this article is very important just saying Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Saudi Arabias plan is pretty clear. Their strategy is to cut exports to the United States in order to prevent a build in U.S. crude oil supply. Since they plan to make their move starting in January, this is likely to have a more immediate effect on prices then predictions of lower future demand. Its been over a week since the OPEC-led group of exporters announced it would trim 1.2 million barrels per day from production starting on January 1. Last weeks consolidation suggests the aggressive selling pressure has subsided, but without a bullish catalyst to shake out some of the weaker short-sellers, the market is going to have a hard time defeating the current bear market. Although U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil finished lower for the week, February WTI crude oil managed to hold the minor bottom at $50.31, while remaining well-above the main bottom at $49.60. February Brent crude oil held its minor bottom at $58.39 and its main bottom at $57.78. At the same time, WTI remained well-below its recent minor top at $63.71 and Brent under its last minor top at $63.71. For the most part, the daily ranges remained tight. However, the widest range occurred on Thursday when the markets recovered from early weakness to post its highest close for the week. Although there was no follow-through to the upside on Friday, I think the price action on Thursday should be looked at more closely because the catalyst behind that move may be what drives prices higher over the near-term. Prices Fell on Friday on Concerns Over Future Demand First, lets look at Fridays price action. WTI and Brent crude oil futures settled lower on Friday but inside the previous days session. Driving the markets lower, or preventing buyers from following-through to the upside were the reports of weaker-than-expected economic data from China and Europe. So basically the selling was fueled by concerns over future demand. The key phrase here is future demand. In other words, the reports didnt show that crude oil demand had fallen, but based on the numbers, it could fall in the future. Prices Rose on Thursday on Concerns Over Future Supply This brings us back to the news from Thursday that drove prices higher. According to Bloomberg, oil prices jumped on December 13 as Saudi Arabia prepared to slash shipments to U.S. refiners in an effort to prevent a price-killing buildup of American stockpiles. Story continues Bloombergs report went on to say that the Saudi state-controlled oil company has warned U.S. refiners to brace for a steep drop in cargoes next month, according to people briefed on its plans. Additionally, American refiners have been told to expect lower shipments from Saudi Arabia in January compared with recent months after last weeks OPEC agreement to cut production, according to the people. Other Potentially Bullish Factors On Thursday, prices were also supported by a report of a large drop in stockpiles at the U.S. storage hub in Oklahoma, as well as an International Energy Agency (IEA) warning that global supplies may be more fragile than previously thought. Stockpiles could fall at the storage hub at Cushing, Oklahoma because of lower shipments from Saudi Arabia. Additionally, a report from the IEA said that combined output losses from Iran and Venezuela could reach 900,000 barrels a day during the second quarter of next year, more than doubling the 800,000 barrels OPEC plans to remove from the world markets. Timing Suggests Bulls Should Win Battle Between Supply and Demand Saudi Arabias plan is pretty clear. Their strategy is to cut exports to the United States in order to prevent a build in U.S. crude oil supply. Since they plan to make their move starting in January, this is likely to have a more immediate effect on prices then predictions of lower future demand. If youre bullish crude oil then youre going to have to be patient. It may take a couple of weeks of bigger-than-expected drawdowns in crude oil inventory to spook some of the weaker shorts out of the market. Furthermore, since the hedge funds are short, all we need to see is a major hedge fund aggressively covering their short positions to fuel the start of a serious rally. This is because of the Herd Theory. Hedge funds dont like quiet markets. They like volatility. So if we start to see big withdrawals from inventory then this may be the catalyst that starts the next rally. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Irans revenues from crude oil and oil products surged by 55 percent between March and October, the first seven months of the Iranian year, compared to the same period of the previous year, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Monday, quoting data from the Central Bank of Iran. Between March and October, Irans oil exports revenues were helped by high volumes of exports early in the periodwith Irans oil exports at record in April and May, and later on with the high oil prices in the late summer and early fall. Iranian crude oil and oil product revenues in the first four months of the Iranian year beginning March 21 until July 23 jumped by 60 percent on the year to reach the equivalent of US$9.9 billion, according to Irans central bank. After July, however, Irans oil exports started to drop noticeably as buyers were unwilling to commit amid uncertainties over whether anyone would be receiving a U.S. waiver to continue importing oil from Iran. The U.S. pledge to drive Iranian oil exports down to zero led to fears of a supply crunch and oil prices shot up to four-year highs in early October. In early November, U.S. sanctions returned, and with them came waivers to eight key Iranian oil buyers to continue importing reduced volumes of Iranian oil until early May 2019. In October, with lack of certainty over U.S. waivers, crude oil exports from Iran to Asian countriesits biggest clientssank to average 762,000 bpd, official customs data and shipping data reported by Reuters revealed. This was the lowest monthly average for Iranian crude oil exports to Asia in five years and a 56.4-percent decline on an annual basis. The U.S. sanctions have effectively removed around 1 million bpd of Iranian oil from the market, but Iran is still estimated to be exporting more than 1 million bpd of crude oil. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: On October 15 President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the opening of the countrys first open and competitive round of bidding for energy exploration licences, with three offshore blocks being offered. Previously, Ghana had awarded leases through a closed negotiation process. All of the blocks are located in Ghanas Central Basin, with the terms of the tender mandating that bidders have the financial capacity and technical expertise to undertake the exploration and extraction. Bidders also have to present a timetable for their exploration and development programme and must detail plans for the equity component and skills transfer to local partners. President Akufo-Addo also announced a review of all licensing agreements covering blocks that were inactive, where concession holders had not undertaken the required exploratory or development work. This move could see a number of blocks re-enter the market, either through competitive bidding or direct negotiations, generating further interest in the upstream component of the industry from both independent operators and major players. International energy companies partner with domestic firms Under regulations governing upstream exploration and extraction, overseas operators are required to have a minority partner with a minimum 5% stake in the operation. One international player that is already moving into the market is ExxonMobil, which was awarded the deep-water West Cape Three Points Block in January. In October the government announced it has no objections to a partnership between ExxonMobil and domestic fuel distributor Ghana Oil Company, thereby clearing the way for the joint development of the block, possibly within the new year. At the same time, as it is opening competitive bids for the Central Basin blocks, the Ministry of Energy (MoE) has also called for bids without tenders on two other leases sited in the West Cape Three Points Block concession. Related: 2019 Will Be A Wild Year For Oil In a statement issued in late October, the MoE said it was seeking to open direct negotiations on the two blocks to accelerate upstream activities so as to increase petroleum production and drive up reserves, with offers sought from established operators experienced in deep-water extraction. Previous test drilling has highlighted oil and gas deposits, though with both blocks the reserves are not easily accessible, as they are located at depth of some 4430 metres, meaning the cost of developing these leases will be high. Gas expected to drive future growth Although the development of these offshore sites will require significant investment, rising international oil prices could well justify the expense. Furthermore, expanding domestic demand for gas is expected to incentivise gas exploration. Indeed, while development of major offshore oilfields is set to boost export earnings and stimulate investment inflows, it is Ghanas gas reserves that are expected to drive future growth in the hydrocarbons segment as power plants in particular turn to natural gas. Notably for thermal power plants in Takoradi and Tema, light crude oil was the initial go-to fuel for energy creation until the completion of the West Africa Gas Pipeline and the discovery of commercial quantities of natural gas in Ghana just over 10 years ago. Theophilus Sackey CEO of Cenpower, told OBG. With its lower environmental footprint and traditionally lower prices, natural gas is better suited to the Ghanaian electricity market than alternatives. Related: Why Russia Agreed To Additional Production Cuts In a sign that this journey has already begun, the Italian multinational Eni announced in October that it is moving to ramp up production at its Sankofa oil and gas field from a maximum capacity of 180m standard cu feet (scf) per day to 260m scf, once the necessary supporting infrastructure is installed. Furthermore, the offshore Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme field which is operated by Tullow Oil in cooperation with the government-backed Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, and international firms Kosmos, Anadarko and PetroSA began gas production in the second quarter of 2018. This expanded production is important given that the country is currently a net importer of gas, currently meeting demand via imports from Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, as well as through an agreement with Russian hydrocarbons firm Rosneft. Rising domestic production may scale back this reliance on foreign energy, as new sites are brought on-line. This move could also support an increase in domestic industrial capacity, in turn opening up new investment opportunities across the economy. By Oxford Business Group More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: When the International Maritime Organization announced it would introduce a new, lower, sulfur emission ceiling for bunkering fuel, many in the energy industry worried that demand for high-sulfur fuel oil would suffer a blow from which it would not be able to recover. But then scrubbersequipment that strips sulfur from bunkering fuelwere floated as a relatively easy to deploy alternative to switching to low-sulfur fuel. Now, however, scrubbers future is questionable. S&P Global Platts reported recently that at a maritime industry event, the MARE Forum in Houston, scrubbers had garnered significant attention, and this attention had not been particularly positive. A little over 1,500 vessels have been fitted with sulfur scrubbers as of October this year, according to the senior vice president of engineering and technology at the American Bureau of Shipping. By January 2020, when the new emission rules come into effect, the number of scrubbers both installed and ordered would reach 2,278, S&P Global Platts has calculated. And all these vessels will be producing sulfur acid-rich wastewater from the scrubbers and will need high-sulfur fuel. One port, Singapore, has already banned the discharge of wastewater from vessels fitted with sulfur scrubbers. Chances are it wont remain the only one. But theres more. Singapores Port Authority also introduced a requirement that all vessels calling at the port should use 0.5-percent sulfur fuel. Again, Singapore is by far not the only port setting new fuel requirements for vessels in compliance with the IMO rules. So, these 1,500 (and counting) vessels that already sport scrubbers or are to get one in the next year, will not just have to find a way to dispose of their wastewater without violating port regulations, but they will also need that high-sulfur fuel that the scrubbers scrub, and that will be less available after the 2020 rules kick in as most ports are preparing to offer the new, compliant fuel. In other words, scrubber-fitted vessels are facing a complex situation: not enough high-sulfur fuel and unfriendly port authorities banning the discharge of wastewater from these scrubbers. Related: The U.S. Oil Industrys Dirty Little Secret But they could just load on low-sulfur fuel, right? They sure could, but that would kind of make the investment in a scrubber meaningless. According to the chief executive of the Chamber of Shipping of America, Cathy Metcalf, the payoff period for a scrubber ranges between half a year and three and a half years. But if the vessel owners are forced to pay for costlier low-sulfur bunkering, then this period would likely extend. As if thats not enough problems already, some of the delegates at the MARE Forum warned that the scrubbers did not, in fact, reduce a vessels overall emissions because of the additional energy needed to scrub the sulfur from the fuel. When stricter environmental rules are enforced in the near future, this will also affect the benefits of opting for scrubbers instead of low-sulfur fuel. The head of S&P Global Platts Analytics, Chris Midgley, said in September that the new rules will have an impact worth US$1 trillion on the energy industry over a period of five years as well as reverberations across many other industries. Vessel owners might want to think well before opting for scrubbers lest they end up costing them more, rather than less than switching to a more expensive fuel. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Norways oil and gas major Equinor said on Monday that it had started production from the deepest subsea development on the Norwegian Continental Shelfthe Aasta Hansteen gas field, which will help boost Norways gas exports. As of Monday, gas from the Aasta Hansteen field is available to the market for the first time, and together with the Polarled pipeline to the Nyhamna terminal, the field opens a new region for gas export to Europe, Equinor said. Aasta Hansteen is located 300 kilometers (186 miles) west of Sandnessjen, far from other fields and in an area with harsh weather conditions. Gas is produced from seven wells in three subsea templates in the deepest-ever installation of subsea equipment on the NCS. Aasta Hansteen gas is transported in the Polarled pipeline to the Nyhamna terminal for further export to the UK. Condensate produced at the field will be loaded into tankers and transported to the market, says Equinor, operator of the field with a 51-percent stake. Wintershall Norge AS with 24 percent, OMV (Norge) AS with a 15-percent interest, and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS with a 10-percent stake are the other licensees in the Aasta Hansteen field. Aasta Hansteen and the 482-kilometre (300-mile) pipeline from the field to Nyhamna have the capacity to accommodate new discoveries. The first of them, Snefrid North, is already under development, and is expected come on stream at the end of 2019. Related: These Countries Found The Most Oil In 2018 Aasta Hansteen has been a complex and challenging development project, requiring us to take new technological steps together with our partners Wintershall, OMV and ConocoPhillips as well as the suppliers, said Anders Opedal, Equinors executive vice president for Technology, Projects and Drilling. Norway may be a small oil producer in the global market, but it is the worlds third-largest exporter of natural gas, and meets around 25 percent of the gas demand in the European Union (EU). Most Norwegian gas sold on the European market is delivered to Germany, the UK, Belgium, and France, where Norwegian gas accounts for between 20 and 40 percent of total gas consumption. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: State energy major Qatar Petroleum is looking to invest as much as US$20 billion in LNG projects in the United States over the next few years, Reuters reports, citing the companys chief executive. The investment is separate, apparently, from Qatars plans to boost its local production capacity from the current 77 million tons of LNG annually to 110 million tones by the early 2020s. Qatar already has a solid presence in the emerging LNG market of the United States. It is the majority stakeholder in the Golden Pass terminal in Texas, where it has partnered with Exxon and ConocoPhillips. Yet, the US$20 billion wont be spent just on LNG, Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters. Qatar Petroleum will also look into oil production in the United States. The small Gulf nation, which has been under a blockade from its neighbors led by Saudi Arabia for more than a year now, was until November the worlds largest LNG exporter. In November, Australia took the number-one spot, however, likely motivating Qatar to double down on its production capacity expansion bet. Meanwhile, the emirate also quit OPEC days before its last meeting to discuss production, in order to focus more on its natural gas plans. Since the move was surprising and came so close before the meeting, many read into it additional significance, such as a suggestion that the cartel is not as relevant for the oil market as it used to be in the past. However, Al-Kaabi now said there was another reason behind its decision to quote OPEC: the NOPEC legislation in the United States, which could make members of the group liable to anti-trust laws. The Qatar Petroleum official said the final decision on the massive U.S. investment will be made before this years end or by the end of January at the latest. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The COP24 conference in Katowice, Poland, finally reached an agreement on parts of a rulebook aimed at facilitating the implementation of the Paris Agreement targets for temperature change. Almost 200 countries signed the agreement, notably including the United States, which pulled out of the Paris Agreement, and China. The process that preceded the agreement was laborious, with a clear divide between richer and poorer countries. The former were, for instance, not too fond of the idea of a climate passport for refugees driven from their homes by climate change. The latter, on the other hand, were guarded towards climate change requirements that would cost too much in government spending. Whats more, the agreement only covers certain issues that were discussed at the talks, namely emission reporting and reporting of the steps taken to reduce them. Poor countries were granted assurances of financial aid to advance these steps. Decisions on other important topics, however, were delayed until next year, much to the chagrin of environmentalists. One of the stickiest parts of the rulebook that was left to be decided on next year was the setting up of a more efficient and transparent carbon trading market. While some countries, such as Brazil, were content with the present scheme for carbon emissions trade, the United States and others pushed for a more transparent mechanism. The majority of the rulebook for the Paris agreement has been created, which is something to be thankful for. But the fact countries had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the finish line shows that some nations have not woken up, said one climate policy expert attending the talks, Mohamed Adow from Christian Aid. Through this package, you have made a thousand little steps forward together, said Polish politician Michal Kurtyka, who led the talks. We will all have to give in order to gain. We will all have to be courageous to look into the future and make yet another step for the sake of humanity. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A report from HEC Montreal, a business school in Quebec, has revealed that while the province publicly boasts its environmentally conscious approach to energy, the locals are buying more SUVs and consuming more gasoline. Quebeckers are clearly keen on the concept of the energy transition, but their energy consumption habits prevent them from actually making it, the reports authors said, noting the per capita energy consumption level in the province remained relatively high, at 193 gigajoules. While lower than the rest of Canada or the United States, this was higher than the per capita energy consumption of Germany and Norway. On the one hand, Quebec is the envy of its neighbours, with close to 50% of the energy used here coming from renewable sources and surplus clean electricity available for export, one of the authors of the report, Professor Pierre-Olivier Pineau said. But on the other hand, Quebeckers continue to invest record amounts in buying more and more large gas-guzzling vehicles and larger and larger homes tendencies that make it harder to reach the targets that the government set, i.e. to reduce consumption of petroleum products by 40% and greenhouse gas emissions by 37.5% by 2030. Although 100 percent of Quebecs power comes from renewable sources, according to Pineau, the growing number of cars needs fuels and most of these come from Alberta and the United States. Quebecs Premier Francois Legault, CBC reports, recently angered Albertans when he said that Quebec did not need dirty oil from Alberta. Albertas Premier, Rachel Notley, responded with a comment that Legault "needs to get off his high horse." Indeed, a more moderate approach might be advisable. According to the HEC Montreal report, in the period 1990 and 2017 sales of SUVs, trucks and pick-ups had soared by 246 percent, and sales of gasoline had risen by a third over the period. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: By signing up to our newsletter, you agree for your email address to be shared with our third party mail providers. MISS Philippines Catriona Gray is one step closer to winning the Miss Universe 2018 crown, as she made it to the top 10 of this year's pageant held in Thailand.Also in the top 10 are: South Africa MISS Philippines Catriona Gray is one step closer to winning the Miss Universe 2018 crown, as she made it to the top 10 of this year's pageant held in Thailand. Also in the top 10 are: South Africa Vietnam Venezuela Costa Rica Curacao Nepal Canada Thailand Puerto Rico Gray was the fourth candidate asked to join the top 10. Earlier, she was the second bet called to advance to the semi-finals. Asked earlier what the most important thing she wants the world to know, Gray answered that in the Philippines, the lack of child support, not poverty, is the thing that kills the children's dreams. "I stand here today because someone believed in me. We owe it to our children to also believe in them," she said. Gray is a Filipino-Australian television host and model who was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2018. She also won as Miss World Philippines in 2016. (LMY/SunStar Philippines) THE Peoples Republic of China donated 110 hospital beds worth P2.75 million to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) on Monday, Dec. 17.Chinese Consul General Jia Li, who led the turnover ceremony, said THE Peoples Republic of China donated 110 hospital beds worth P2.75 million to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) on Monday, Dec. 17. Chinese Consul General Jia Li, who led the turnover ceremony, said the help from his government is a way of strengthening the relationship between his country and the Philippines. It is the symbol of our true friendship, he said in his speech. Jia said the Chinese Consulate in Cebu will continue to help Cebu City in the future. For his part, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena thanked the Chinese governments generosity and promised that the new CCMC on Natalio Bacalso Ave. will be operational before the midterm elections in May 13 next year. CCMC Hospital Administrator Kenneth Siasar is grateful to the Chinese government for acting fast on their request for hospital beds in the first quarter of this year. He said they do not have funds in their capital outlay for this year. Siasar said they also requested P100 million worth of equipment, including eight beds and lights for eight operating rooms in CCMC. He said the consul general assured him that the Chinese government will prioritize his new requests. (from PAC of SuperBalita Cebu/KAL) China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify the atmosphere China and Russia have modified an important layer of the atmosphere above Europe to test a controversial technology for possible military application, according to Chinese scientists involved in the project. A total of five experiments were carried out in June. One, on June 7, caused physical disturbance over an area as large as 126,000 sq km (49,000 square miles), or about half the size of Britain. The modified zone, looming more than 500km (310 miles) high over Vasilsursk, a small Russian town in eastern Europe, experienced an electric spike with 10 times more negatively charged subatomic particles than surrounding regions. In another experiment on June 12, the temperature of thin, ionised gas in high altitude increased more than 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) because of the particle flux. The particles, or electrons, were pumped into the sky by Sura, an atmospheric heating facility in Vasilsursk built by the former Soviet Unions military during the cold war. The Sura base fired up an array of high-power antennas and injected a large amount of microwaves into the high atmosphere. The peak power of the high frequency radio waves could reach 260 megawatts, enough to light a small city. Zhangheng-1, a Chinese electromagnetic surveillance satellite, collected the data from orbit with cutting-edge sensors. The pumping and fly-by required precise coordination to achieve effective measurement. When Zhangheng approached the target zone, for instance, the sensors would switch to burst mode to analyse samples every half-second, much faster than usual, to increase data resolution. The results were satisfactory, the research team reported in a paper published in the latest issue of the Chinese journal Earth and Planetary Physics. The detection of plasma disturbances provides evidence for likely success of future related experiments, the researchers said. Story continues Professor Guo Lixin, dean of the school of physics and optoelectronic engineering at Xidian University in Xian and a leading scientist on ionosphere manipulation technology in China, said that the joint experimentation was extremely unusual. Such international cooperation is very rare for China, said Guo, who was not involved in the experiment. The technology involved is too sensitive. The sun and cosmic rays produce a large amount of free-flying, positively charged atoms known as ions at altitudes from 75km to 1,000km in the Earths upper atmosphere. The layer, or ionosphere, reflects radio waves like a mirror. The ionosphere allows radio signals to bounce long distances for communication. The militaries have been in a race to control the ionosphere for decades. The Sura base in Vasilsursk is believed to be the worlds first large-scale facility built for the purpose. Up and running in 1981, it enabled Soviet scientists to manipulate the sky as an instrument for military operations, such as submarine communication. High-energy microwaves can pluck the electromagnetic field in ionosphere like fingers playing a harp. This can produce very low-frequency radio signals that can penetrate the ground or water sometimes to depths of more than 100 metres (328 feet) in the ocean, which made it a possible communication method for submarines. Changing the ionosphere over enemy territory can also disrupt or cut off their communication with satellites. We are not playing God. We are not the only country teaming up with the Russians Chinese researcher involved in the experiment The US military learned from the Russian experiment and built a much larger facility to conduct similar tests. The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, was established in Gakona, Alaska, in the 1990s with funding from the US military and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency. The HAARP facility could generate a maximum 1 gigawatt of power, nearly four times that of Sura. China is now building an even larger and more advanced facility in Sanya, Hainan, with capability to manipulate the ionosphere over the entire South China Sea, according to an earlier report by the South China Morning Post. There have been concerns that such facilities could be used to modify weather and even create natural disasters, including hurricanes, cyclones and earthquakes. The ultra-low frequency waves generated by these powerful facilities could even affect the operation of human brains, some critics have said. But Dr Wang Yalu, an associate researcher with the China Earthquake Administration who took part in the study in June, dismissed such theories. We are just doing pure scientific research. If there is anything else involved, I am not informed about this, she said in an interview. The earthquake administration was involved because the Zhangheng-1, launched in February, was the first Chinese satellite capable of picking up precursory signals linked to earthquakes. It is operated by the Chinese military and has served both civilian and defence uses. In the China-Russian experiment, researchers found that even with a small power output of 30MW, the radio beam could create a large abnormal zone. But they also found that the effects dropped sharply after sunrise, as the man-made perturbation easily became lost in the noise created by sunlight. We are not playing God. We are not the only country teaming up with the Russians. Other countries have done similar things, said another researcher who was involved in the project and asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. The Sura facility has also conducted joint research with France and the United States, according to papers published in academic journals. The National Centre for Space Studies, a French government agency under the supervision of the ministries of defence and research, has deployed the micro satellite Demeter to monitor Suras radio emissions. The Defence Meteorological Satellite Programme run by the US Department of Defence also contributed fly-by data in several heating experiments conducted at the Russian site before 2012. The countries were willing to collaborate in part because many scientific and technical problems remain to be solved, the Chinese researcher said. Such international cooperation is very rare for China. The technology involved is too sensitive Professor Guo Lixin For example, though there is general consensus that human disturbances can cause the irregularities, how they happened and why remains a subject of debate, with different research teams providing varied explanations. Professor Gong Shuhong, a military communication technology researcher at Xidian University, formerly the Radio School of the Central Military Committee, said he had been closely following the Russia-China heating experiment. The energy emitted was too low to trigger a global environmental event, he said. Human influence is still very small compared to the power of Mother Nature. But the impact to a small region is possible. In theory, a butterfly flapping its wings might be amplified in a sophisticated weather system and cause a storm in a distant location several weeks later. Such studies must strictly follow ethical guidelines, Gong said. Whatever they do, it must not cause harm to the people living on this planet. This article China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify the atmosphere first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Chinas home-sharing platforms, including Airbnb, will soon be covered by the public security authoritys mass surveillance network as the first regulations governing online home rentals come into force in early 2019. Chinas coastal Zhejiang province recently launched a registration policy for home-sharing businesses, requiring all platforms to submit information on apartments for rent, hosts and guests to the local public security authority from January 1. Under the policy, home-sharing platforms are required to check, register and report to the Zhejiang Public Security Department on the location of the apartments for rent as well as provide the name, contact and identity information of both apartment owners and guests. The check in and departure time of guests also needs reporting. The policy, the first of its kind in China, brings those involved in the home sharing business in Zhejiang province under the same rules that have applied to the countrys hotel industry for decades. The new policy comes amid rising concerns over potential public security challenges brought by the online home-sharing model, which allows homeowners to rent apartments to strangers without meeting offline. A notice published by the official site of the Zhejiang Public Security Department on Friday said the policy aims to safeguard the operational safety of the home-sharing business as well as protect social order. Zhejiang province pledges billions to drive tech in latest example of Beijings top down approach to innovation Online home rentals have become a choice for more travellers. But operations have brought potential risks in public security, even terrorism, due to the rapid flow of people and the lack of identity information, Wu Yizhong, an officer with the Zhejiang Public Security Department, was quoted as saying in the notice. An Airbnb spokesperson said on Monday it welcomed the regulation, and would work with the local authorities, as well as others to comply with the local rules. Airbnb is committed to working in partnership with government and we have successfully partnered with governments around the world to craft smart rules that work, said the spokesperson. Story continues US short-term rental service Airbnb started to disclose host information to Chinese government agencies at the end of March as the San Francisco-based company wants to fully comply with regulations in China. Airbnb China said in an email to hosts in March that the decision was similar to what other hospitality companies that conduct business in China do without revealing specific disclosures. According to a the latest report from Chinas State Information Center, there were about 78 million people, both hosts and guests, involved in the China home-sharing business in 2017, creating a market worth 14.5 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion). Transactions in the home-sharing business are expected to reach 50 billion yuan by 2020. This article Chinese province asks home-sharing platforms to hand over guest and host information to authorities first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. The families of four Hong Kong men sentenced to life in prison in the Philippines on a drugs charge will decide on Monday whether to apply for a judicial review or appeal against the sentence after consulting lawyers. Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun, who has been helping the families, again urged the central and Hong Kong governments to express concerns, arguing the trial was unfair and that dubious evidence was staged to save face after local media were invited on a police operation. Last Friday, Lo Wing-fai, Chan Kwok-tung, Kwok Kam-wah and Leung Shu-fook were sentenced to life in prison by a Philippine court for possession of half a kilogram of methamphetamine. They claimed they were framed and denied all charges of manufacturing illegal substances and possession of the drug, also known as Ice. The court found them guilty of possession while acquitting them of manufacturing illegal substances. The following day, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor promised to help, urging the Southeast Asian nation to guarantee fair and humane treatment for the men. Lam did not say whether she would seek help from the central government during a visit to Beijing that began on Saturday. For ordinary people like us, the amount of money is huge, Los elder sister Ivy Lo Shu-ho said on a radio programme on Monday. We dont have the financial ability [to continue]. Inmates in the Philippines need to fund their way through prison. Without money, they dont even have beds to sleep in. She said her family had already emptied their pockets since the four were arrested two years ago, estimating they had spent about HK$2 million (US$255,000). It included legal fees of about HK$1 million and the expense of supporting their relatives in prison and visiting them. They planned to crowdfund support for further legal moves with an initial goal of HK$4 million. Story continues These men are fishermen who took on a side job to drive a boat from the Philippines to mainland China. This was something normal they would do every now and then. They are simple people with no background in making drugs, To said on Monday. There were many doubts in the evidence and if it had taken place in a Hong Kong court, they would not have been convicted. To said there was evidence to prove the four had spent a few nights at hotels until someone called them to pick up a 50-metre fishing boat off the coast of Zambales province, northwest of Manila. When they tried to board the boat, they were arrested at gunpoint by officers, in the presence of a group of Filipino reporters as part of a high-profile operation led by the countrys then police chief, Ronald dela Rosa. One video clip showed officers emptying Leung Shu-fooks backpack onto the floor with no sign of drugs, To said. But after taking the backpack off camera for a second search, officers discovered the drugs. While no drugs were found on the boat, officers did find cooking materials that could have been used to produce meth but there was no trace of drugs on the utensils. To believed this was key evidence that proved it was a set-up, and suggested there had been a fear of losing face after inviting the media to follow the operation. He added that even if the drugs were not planted, it was outrageous for all four men to be convicted, since they had slept at separate hotels. How would they know what was in each others bag? To said. But the judge said since they came to the country together, they must have known. When the defence lawyer argued against the evidence, the judge demanded that Joshua Antonio a defence witness and local television reporter who had covered the arrest prove how and who had set the men up. To asked: We can only show there were doubts in the evidence. How can we find out who planted it? We have lost faith in the judicial system [in the Philippines] and there is really no way to tell what good an appeal can do. Lo said she and other family members were enraged and saddened by the decision, but she would not give up because she believed the men were innocent. This article Families of Hong Kong men jailed for life in Philippines on drugs charge vow to continue legal fight first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. More from South China Morning Post: CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma has urged the faithful to pray for the blessings they received in 2018 and for President Rodrigo Duterte.He appealed to the public not to cheer on the chief executives unflattering THERE are striking similarities but also differences between the two peoples. I try to elaborate based on a televised discussion round titled Gilets Jaunes summoned by TV France 2 and broadcast by all four other television stations including TV 5 Monde (World). It lasted 2 hours and 13 minutes, consequently that evening of Dec. 2 the entire population was informed on the revolt des Yellow Vests. I was impressed by the vivacity when the confronting opinions clashed, the competence, zeal and passion, but also the mutual respect and discipline with which the participants expounded their views. No arrogance, no indoctrination, only fairness! The problems are quite similar: High tax on gasoline and consumer products, loss of buying power, poor public services and reduction or exemption of taxes on the big fortunes that necessitate a rise of the taxes of the hard working common people. But most irritating is the misrepresentation in parliament. One advantage of the Philippines over France is transportation. A family in the faraway places can ride habal-habals and trisikads to the highway where buses frequently pass. In France each family must have their own car to reach the city where all the service rendering institutions have shifted over the past years. Schools, hospitals, markets, administrations are no more in the countryside. French President Emmanuel Macron believed to appease the spirits by adding 100 Euro to the SMIG, but the population took it with scorn. The yellow vests got even more infuriated, increased their claims and vowed to continue their struggle. One yellow vest invalidated all the justification attempts of the government representative by saying: The President has cheated us during the campaign promising to make a policy for the common people, but now he makes only the rich richer and the poor poorer. And he brought it to the point: The President must change or we change the President. And the parliament: They claim that 45 percent of the French people voted in the first round for leftists and rightists. But due to a majority-creating voting system, almost half of the population are represented in the Assemblee Nationale by a measly 25 deputies. Story continues In fact in order to free the way to new elections the President must dissolve the parliament. It was done several times before, de Gaulle did it even twice. For me, it is astonishing that no one of the highly intelligent discussants proposed changing the system from presidential-central to parliamentary-federal. Attempts at regionalization have been done since former president Charles de Gaulles abdication, but the 13 regions dont have their own parliaments, no autonomy and are just subordinate institutions to execute the laws made in imperial Paris. Here lies the root cause of all the discontent of the French and the dysfunction of their patrimony. Since regionalization in France miscarried, Filipinos should learn a lesson and shift their political system to genuine parliamentary federalism based on proportional representation of parties in parliament. They must stop the oligarchs from pushing through the hitherto proposed hybrid models that will forcibly fail. (Erich Wannemacher) AIRBOX has nine instruments designed to carry out comprehensive atmospheric monitoring. Credit: Australian Antarctic Program Everyday our atmosphere has to find a way to clean itself of the air, sea and soil pollution we throw at it. So, in order to study how this cleaning process works, the University of Melbourne's Dr. Robyn Schofield is sailing through the pristine environment of the Southern Ocean to our most untouched continent, Antarcticaan environment with the least amount of pollution on the planet. But a detailed study in this part of the world isn't feasible without a fully functioning laboratory. So, onboard the ship with Dr. Schofield is a unique, mobile, air chemistry, shipping-container laboratory, known as AIRBOX or the Atmospheric Integrated Research Facility for Boundaries and Oxidative Experiments. This custom-built laboratory is smallonly 2.5 by 2.5 by 3 metres. But within that space it has nine instruments designed to carry out comprehensive atmospheric monitoringtaking measurements in the most remote places. For this trip, the research team have also added another eight guest instruments measuring atmospheric chemistry, gases and aerosols over the Southern Ocean. AIRBOX, an unsubtle stowaway, will travel on the icebreaker RSV Aurora Australis on four voyages this summer, as part of the Australian Antarctic Program. With two expeditions on each of the voyages, Dr. Schofield and her colleagues will measure the summer season while all the Antarctic stations are resupplied. And there's a roster of expertise heading south throughout the Southern Hemisphere's summer. Dr. Branka Miljevic, from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and Jared Lewis, from the University of Melbourne, have just returned from resupplying Davis Station, one of three permanent bases and research outposts in Antarctica managed by the Australian Antarctic Division. The University of Woollongong's Dr. Dagmar Kurbistin and Dr. Schofield left in early December to resupply Casey Station in the Windmill Islands, just outside the Antarctic Circle. They will be followed by Mr Joel Ahroe, from QUT, and Imogen Wadlow, from the University of Melbourne, who will resupply Davis and Mawson in the Australian Antarctic Territory. And finally, Dr. Alan Griffiths from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and Associate Professor Helen (Clare) Murphy from the University of Wollongong will resupply Macquarie Island. One of the areas the research is focusing on is clouds. A CLOUD'S LIFECYCLE The generation of clouds, starting from an aerosol and ending with rainfall, is an important part of our atmosphere's self-cleaning. However, researchers want to know more about the process and understand how best to keep the system working in our warming climate. "Clouds are very important, as well as beautiful weather phenomena," Dr. Schofield says. "By shading and cooling the Earth's surface, cloud cover plays a direct role in rates of global climate change", explains Dr. Schofield, based at the University of Melbourne's School of Earth Sciences and an associate investigator of ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes. Clouds are 'seeded' by tiny particles in the air called aerosols. These particles can include dust, soot and salt, some of which are particularly important for supplying nutrients to the oceans. Water vapour attaches itself to the aerosol particles, condensing into a cloud droplet that is held aloft by air circulation and then grows to form a cloud, then once it gets big enough it will rain out. And the cycle starts again. Low, shallow clouds are mostly made of water droplets of various sizes. Thin, upper level clouds or cirrus clouds are made of tiny ice particles. And deep thunderstorm clouds can contain both liquid and ice in the form of cloud and raindrops, cloud ice, snow and hail. "The concentrations of aerosols in the Southern ocean and Antarctic atmosphere differs from anywhere else on Earth. Their measurement is of great interest to the international climate-modelling community and for the Australian climate more generally," Dr. Schofield says. CLOUDS AND THE CLIMATE The AIRBOX project aims to better understand where the aerosols are coming from that are influencing the clouds and how they are made. "Our ability to predict future climate change will be aided by improving our understanding of aerosols,'' Dr. Schofield says. "For example, sulfate aerosol cools the climate by directly reflecting sunlight and by being very effective at seeding clouds, which also reflect sunlight and lead to a surface cooling. Industrial and fossil fuel burning emissions of sulfur dioxide gas into the atmosphere are the primary source of sulfate particles. "By contrast, black carbon aerosols, that can come from wildfires, absorb radiation and can lead to atmospheric and surface warming." The AIRBOX contains several instruments that can characterise aerosolsincluding one that uses a laser to measure aerosol and clouds up to 10 kilometres away, as well as gases that are important in controlling aerosol formation processes like ozone. Additionally, this can also help measure greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, as well as heat and water fluxes. These instruments also measure aerosol properties, including the concentrations and sizes of particulates like dust in aerosols, and the types of particulates that contribute to aerosol formation. "Aerosol concentrations over the Southern Ocean are unexpectedly high in spring, while summer measurements indicate lower concentrations compared to further north so we are also looking at seasonal changes in cloud-seeding," says Dr. Schofield. Anyone who has ever been on a boat will know that waves are also a major source of water in the atmosphereincluding sea spray, another type of aerosol. THE 'CANARY IN THE MINE' The aim of the AIRBOX is to collect as much data from as many areas as possible on these resupply voyages. Dr. Schofield has a particular interest in mercury; the heavy-metal pollutant that's released into the environment through things like volcanic eruptions and re-released from vegetation during bushfires. It's also released to the atmosphere as a result of human activity, like gold smelting and burning fossil fuels. A team, led by Dr. John Moreau and Dr. Caitlin Gionfriddo also with the University of Melbourne's School of Earth Sciences, established that when mercury deposits on the Antarctic ice, sea-ice bacteria can change mercury into methylmercurya more toxic form that can contaminate the marine environment, including fish and birds. Then there's what the Southern Ocean itself can tell us. Dr. Schofield is collaborating with the University of Melbourne's School of Engineering, including Associate Professor Alessandro Tofoli, to measure the sea-state with cameras onboard the Aurora Australis. Professor Jason Monty, also from the Melbourne School of Engineering, is working with the AIRBOX team to characterise the ocean's heat and water exchange. The information gleaned from Antartica could help us understand our world's warming climate. "We think of the Southern Ocean as a 'canary in the mine'," says Dr. Scholfield. "If we can understand more about what's going on in our purest environment, we will have a better understanding of how to maintain the atmosphere's ability to clean itself." Explore further Drones soar up to clouds to understand ice-formation effect on climate Money sent home by Filipinos working overseas climbed 8.7 percent in October to $2.5 billion from a year ago, the fastest growth in six months, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said Monday. Espenilla said in a statement the top sources that contributed to the increase were the United States, Canada, and Taiwan. The figure brought total cash remittances in the first 10 months to $23.8 billion, or 3.1 percent higher than $23.1 billion registered in the same period in 2017. Cash remittances from both land-based [$18.7 billion] and sea-based [$5 billion] workers grew by 2.8 percent and 4.2 percent year-on-year, respectively, Espenilla said. By country source, 79 percent of the total cash remittances for the first 10 months of 2018 came from the US, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom, Qatar, Canada, Germany, and Hong Kong, Espenilla said. Personal remittances, which include non-cash items, also grew 8 percent in October to $2.8 billion from $2.6 billion a year ago, also the fastest in six months.Personal remittances in the first 10 months hit $26.5 billion, up 2.9 percent year-on-year. Personal remittances from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more rose 2.8 percent to $20.3 billion, while those from sea-based and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year increased 4.2 percent to $5.5 billion. Government economic managers expect remittances to grow 3 percent, taking into consideration the pace of global economic growth. In 2017, money sent home by overseas Filipinos reached a record $28.06 billion, up 4.3 percent from $26.90 billion in 2016. The higher cash remittances in 2017 was supported by the increase in transfers from both land-based and sea-based workers by 4 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively. Scanning tunneling microscopy was used to analyze a cuperate high-temperature superconductor modified into an insulating state by a team of researchers from Boston College and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Credit: Nature Materials Researchers from Boston College and Brookhaven National Laboratory have succeeded in modifying a cuprate high-temperature superconductor material into an insulating state, where they found an exotic liquid crystal phase. The observation of a so-called "charge-stripe" crystal phase was the first of its kind in the cuprate, part of a class of materials referred to as Mott insulators, the team reports today in the journal Nature Materials. The absence of free charge carriers denotes the material as "undoped." The process of doping introduces charge carriers and theorists have held that when doped, a cuprate would see the charge carriers order and form liquid crystal phases marked by periodic "charge-stripe" patterns. Such patterns have thus far only been experimentally observed in the superconducting state, said lead author Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Iilja Zeljkovic. Zeljkovic and the team, which included members of his lab, Boston College Professor of Physics Ziqiang Wang, and researchers from Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, used a new methodology to induce the charge ordering in the insulating state, they report in the article, titled "Charge-Stripe Crystal Phase in an Insulating Cuprate." The team applied a method of surface annealing, a head treatment used to alter the physical and chemical properties of metals, Zeljkovic said. The process allowed the team to extend the accessible doping range in the cuprate, composed of bismuth, strontium, calcium, copper and oxygen. Accessing new regions of the material, the team achieved a "lightly doped, charge-transfer insulator state," Zeljkovic said. The team analyzed the insulating state at the atomic level using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at liquid helium temperatures. "Our measurements reveal the emergence of a unidirectional charge-stripe order with a wave-length of exactly 4 atomic lattice constants," Zeljkovic said. "Our data also proves that lightly-doped cuprates have a tendency to form stripes over the bidirectional 'checkerboard' order, thus resolving the long-standing controversy in the field that could not be settled using the existing data on higher-doped samples." Zeljkovic said he and his colleagues would like to next explore the relationship of the observed charge ordered phase and the charge ordered phases observed in the superconducting state. The discovery raises the question of whether the "spin" of charge carriers also orders into periodic patterns, forming so-called spin-density waves, Zeljkovic said. Explore further Researchers examine competing states in high-temperature superconductors More information: He Zhao et al, Charge-stripe crystal phase in an insulating cuprate, Nature Materials (2018). Journal information: Nature Materials He Zhao et al, Charge-stripe crystal phase in an insulating cuprate,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-018-0243-x Credit: CC0 Public Domain Climate change could have devastating effects on vulnerable residents in the Andes mountains and the Tibetan plateau, according to researchers at The Ohio State University who have been studying glaciers in those areas for decades. Their findingsthat glaciers in both parts of the world are melting more rapidly than at any point in the last 10,000 yearsmean the water supply in parts of Peru, Pakistan, China, India and Nepal will decline, soon. "Supply is down. But demand is up because of growing populations," said Lonnie Thompson, a climate scientist at Ohio State's Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. "By 2100, the best case scenario is that half of the ice will disappear. Worst-case scenario: two-thirds of it will. And you've got all those people depending on the glacier for water." Thompson, a distinguished university professor of earth sciences at Ohio State, presented the team's findings on Dec. 14 at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C. Thompson has been studying and documenting the effects of climate change on glaciers in Peru for more than 40 years. The glaciers there supply critically needed water for people, crops and livestock. In 2016, Thompson and researchers in China and India launched a research initiative to conduct similar research on the Tibetan plateau, which holds thousands of glaciers that supply water to people in parts of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tajikistan. The international research team dubbed the plateau the "Third Pole" because it contains the largest stores of freshwater in the world outside of the North and South poles. Since then, they have drilled ice core samples from across the Tibetan plateau and the Andes mountains, examining the ice for clues about temperature, air quality and other large-scale events in history. "The last 200 years or so, we really understand," Thompson said. "Now we are looking at the last 10,000 years." What they are finding is causing him some alarm. There have been times throughout history when the glacial ice cores showed temperatures increasedduring an El Nino, for example. But within the last century, the cores from both the Andes and the Himalayas show widespread and consistent warming. "This current warming is not typical," Thompson said. "It is happening faster, it is more persistent and it is affecting glaciers in both Peru and India. And that is a problem, because a lot of people rely on those glaciers for their water." Melting glaciers can trigger such hazards as avalanches and floods. And they also can have long-lasting effects on a region's water supply. As the glaciers melt, initially those regions will have more water. But over time, as the glaciers shrink, the water those glaciers typically supply will dwindle, Thompson said. "Precipitation is down and temperatures are up and that leads to retreating glaciers," he said. "There are 202 million people in Pakistan who rely on water from the Indus Riverand that river is fed by the glacier. The effects in Peru, too, could be far-reaching, particularly on Peruvian agriculture and on the water supply in Lima, the Peruvian capital. Thompson and his team are hoping that by studying the glaciers in both areas, they will find answers to slow glacial retreator to provide new water sources to at-risk areas. "The problems are similar in both the Andes and the Tibetan plateau," he said. "The hope is that by finding solutions, we can help both places." Explore further Tibetan glaciers melting, says Dalai Lama Winter wheat is an important forage crop for Texas beef cattle producers. A new DSSAT crop model created by researchers at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton will allow researchers around the world simulate biomass production to help producers make science-based decisions regarding winter wheat forage growth. Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Dr. Jourdan Bell A new, pioneering forage wheat model could provide a valuable technique to researchers exploring the potential of biomass production for cool-season annual forage grasses, according to model developers. Researchers at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton Dr. Monte Rouquette, Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant physiologist, and Dr. Prem Woli, AgriLife Research crop modeler, recently published a paper in Agronomy Journal titled "Simulating Winter Wheat Forage Production in the Southern U.S. Using a Forage Wheat Model." It focuses on annual forage grass modeling with the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer, or DSSAT, suite of crop computer models. Research by Dr. Charles Long, AgriLife Research animal breeder and center director; Dr. Ray Smith, AgriLife Research plant breeder and Dr. Lloyd Nelson, AgriLife Research plant breeder and professor emeritus, all in Overton, also contributed to the publication. "This model using DSSAT provides an application of decades of field data from Texas A&M AgriLife Research at Overton to be used to guide future decisions on forage wheat production," Long said. "Simulating alternative outcomes for forage wheat production management options will ultimately aid producers in making decisions." DSSAT is a software application program that comprises dynamic crop growth simulation models for over 40 crops, according to the DSSAT website. The program is supported by a range of utilities and applications for weather, soil, genetics, crop management and observational experimental data. It also includes example data sets for all the crop models included in the suite. Crop simulation models, including the forage wheat model, simulate growth, development and biomass production as a function of the soil-plant-atmosphere dynamics and management. The soil-plant-atmosphere system comprises environmental factors such as soil type, weather temperatures, solar radiation, wind and precipitation and production management variables including cultivars, planting/harvesting dates and inputs such as nitrogen fertilizer, Rouquette said. Like other crop models, the forage wheat model may be used by researchers, educators or students to understand the mechanisms underlying forage wheat biomass productionor by growers or extension agents as a tool for optimizing forage wheat production, Woli said. Users can analyze "what-if" scenarios by manipulating the various factors that impact biomass production. "The techniques and algorithms used while developing this model may be tremendously useful to other researchers interested in this field," he said. "That is a significant contribution to annual forage grass modeling. A first annual forage grass model has been incorporated into the DSSAT suite." Over eight months, Woli input an incredible amount of data and calibrated the model parameters for evaluation. Woli "tinkered" with the equations and codes to create the new DSSAT forage model, Rouquette said. Rouquette said around 30 growing seasons of winter wheat forage trial results data and 74 years of weather data from Overton and Henderson were used to calibrate and evaluate the forage wheat model. "We have a lot of history of small grain plantings for forage from Dr. Nelson's variety trials here in Overton," Rouquette said. "The field data ensure simulations are accurate and verifiable based on realistic conditions producers face season to season." The forage wheat model was used by the researchers to study winter wheat biomass responses to nitrogen, as influenced by two soil types. One was Lilbert, a sandy loam soil with more organic matter and water-holding capacity. Another was Darco, a sandy soil with low organic matter and water-holding capacity. Three planting dates were set between September and December and the ENSO El Nino, La Nina and neutral weather patterns, Woli said. "By changing production factors, a model can simulate thousands of scenarios in minutes or hours compared to decades of field trials," he said. "This is significant for forage production because it tells us what the variabilities mean in the form of biomass for livestock. It's significant to researchers because until now we have only had the option of knowing what the outcome was under natural climate conditions each growing season." Of the various factors studied, Rouquette said nitrogen played the most important role in biomass production. "If you're not fertilizing in the Southern U.S., you're not growing," he said. "The ENSO was not a significant factor for winter wheat forage production in this region because wheat is drought tolerant and a cool-season forage that isn't very susceptible to drought." For instance, the simulation results showed winter wheat biomass was optimized at 120 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer per acre on the Lilbert soil, whereas the Darco soil required 240 pounds of nitrogen per acre, Rouquette said. Rouquette said the research was focused on modeling winter wheat forage production for various scenarios without consideration of whether management calibrations, such as nitrogen and irrigation, were cost-effective or prohibitive. However, he noted, forage modeling with market conditions and input cost calibrations also considered could be possible in the future to help guide producer decision-making from season to season. Woli and Rouquette are excited about the model and its continued application and improvement within the global DSSAT community, which includes thousands of scientists from more than 160 countries involved in modeling for a wide range of crops. "You have to know something about the soil type, its fertility, the typical water availability and temperature when growing anything from winter wheat to tomatoes and pecans," Woli said. "Those are the controlling factors. The model simulations let us look at the efficiency of all the factors while trying to maximize the biomass of forage winter wheat, but we hope to expand their use to other forage crops with other calibrations." Explore further Winter wheat feasible cover crop for Rolling Plains cotton A reconstruction of the studied Daohugou pterosaur, with four different feather types over its head, neck, body, and wings, and a generally ginger-brown color. Credit: Reconstruction by Yuan Zhang. An international team of palaeontologists, which includes the University of Bristol, has discovered that the flying reptiles, pterosaurs, actually had four kinds of feathers, and these are shared with dinosaurs - pushing back the origin of feathers by some 70 million years. Pterosaurs are the flying reptiles that lived side by side with dinosaurs, 230 to 66 million years ago. It has long been known that pterosaurs had some sort of furry covering often called 'pycnofibres', and it was presumed that it was fundamentally different to feathers of dinosaurs and birds. In a new work published today in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, a team from Nanjing, Bristol, Cork, Beijing, Dublin, and Hong Kong show that pterosaurs had at least four types of feathers: simple filaments ('hairs') bundles of filaments, filaments with a tuft halfway down down feathers. These four types are now also known from two major groups of dinosaurs - the ornithischians, which were plant-eaters, and the theropods, which include the ancestors of birds. Baoyu Jiang of Nanjing University, who led the research, said: "We went to Inner Mongolia to do fieldwork in the Daohugou Formation. "We already knew that the sites had produced excellent specimens of pterosaurs with their pycnofibres preserved and I was sure we could learn more by careful study." The four feather types: filaments, filament bunches, tufted filament, down feather. Scale bars for photos, are a-d: 100m, 200m, 500m and 1mm). Credit: Zixiao Yang Zixiao Yang, also of Nanjing University, has studied the Daohugou localities and the pterosaurs as part of his PhD work. He said: "This was a fantastic opportunity to work on some amazing fossils. "I was able to explore every corner of the specimens using high-powered microscopes, and we found many examples of all four feathers." Maria McNamara of University College Cork, added: "Some critics have suggested that actually there is only one simple type of pycnofibre, but our studies show the different feather types are real. "We focused on clear areas where the feathers did not overlap and where we could see their structure clearly. They even show fine details of melanosomes, which may have given the fluffy feathers a ginger colour." Professor Mike Benton from the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, said: "We ran some evolutionary analyses and they showed clearly that the pterosaur pycnofibres are feathers, just like those seen in modern birds and across various dinosaur groups. Preservation, microstructure and chemistry of the fossilized filamentous structures. Credit: Baoyu Jiang, Michael Benton et al./Nature Ecology & Evolution "Despite careful searching, we couldn't find any anatomical evidence that the four pycnofibre types are in any way different from the feathers of birds and dinosaurs. Therefore, because they are the same, they must share an evolutionary origin, and that was about 250 million years ago, long before the origin of birds." Birds have two types of advanced feathers used in flight and for body smoothing, the contour feathers with a hollow quill and barbs down both sides. These are found only in birds and the theropod dinosaurs close to bird origins. But the other feather types of modern birds include monofilaments and down feathers, and these are seen much more widely across dinosaurs and pterosaurs. The armoured dinosaurs and the giant sauropods probably did not have feathers, but they were likely suppressed, meaning they were prevented from growing, at least in the adults, just as hair is suppressed in whales, elephants, and hippos. Pigs are a classic example, where the piglets are covered with hair like little puppies, and then, as they grow, the hair growth is suppressed. Professor Benton added: "This discovery has amazing implications for our understanding of the origin of feathers, but also for a major time of revolution of life on land. Phylogenetic comparative analysis of integumentary filament and feather evolution in pterosaurs and archosaurs. Credit: Baoyu Jiang, Michael Benton et al./Nature Ecology & Evolution "When feathers arose, about 250 million years ago, life was recovering from the devasting end-Permian mass extinction. "Independent evidence shows that land vertebrates, including the ancestors of mammals and dinosaurs, had switched gait from sprawling to upright, had acquired different degrees of warm-bloodedness, and were generally living life at a faster pace. "The mammal ancestors by then had hair, so likely the pterosaurs, dinosaurs and relatives had also acquired feathers to help insulate them. "The hunt for feathers in fossils is heating up and finding their functions in such early forms is imperative. It can rewrite our understanding of a major revolution in life on Earth during the Triassic, and also our understanding of the genomic regulation of feathers, scales, and hairs in the skin." Explore further Scientists discover how birds and dinosaurs evolved to dazzle with colourful displays More information: Zixiao Yang et al. Pterosaur integumentary structures with complex feather-like branching, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2018). Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution Zixiao Yang et al. Pterosaur integumentary structures with complex feather-like branching,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0728-7 Ghosn remains in the one-man cell at a Tokyo detention centre he has occupied since his shock arrest on November 19 The board of automaker Nissan was meeting Monday to discuss a replacement for former chairman Carlos Ghosn after his arrest for financial misconduct, as tensions grow in the firm's alliance with Renault. The Japanese company removed Ghosn from his post last month after he was detained on allegations of under-reporting his salary. But it appears unlikely to agree on a permanent replacement for him immediately, in part because of open discord with French automaker Renault. Nissan itself faces charges of allegedly submitting financial documents that understated Ghosn's pay, and Renault is now reportedly seeking more sway on the Japanese firm's board. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Renault urged Nissan in a letter to hold a shareholder meeting to discuss Renault's representation on the firm's nine-member board and within its top management. It warned Nissan's indictment "creates significant risks to Renault, as Nissan's largest shareholder, and to the stability of our industrial alliance", the Journal reported. A source with knowledge of the issue confirmed Nissan had received the letter and was planning an extraordinary shareholders' meeting, though regulations on calling such a meeting make it unlikely to happen before February. Nissan itself faces charges for allegedly submitting financial documents that understated Ghosn's pay Renault's letter is the latest sign of the tensions in the alliance that groups the firm with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motorsa partnership that Ghosn forged and was often credited with holding together. While Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors quickly removed Ghosn from leadership positions after his arrest, Renault has kept him on as CEO and chairman. And while Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa launched a broadside against his former mentor shortly after his arrest, describing his "dark side", Renault has approached the allegations more cautiously. Battle over flat The decision on replacing Ghosn at Nissan is being led by an advisory committee that includes a former Renault executive, and Japanese media reports suggested it was unlikely to reach a decision on Monday. "It slows things down, but it isn't the end of the world," a source close to the issue told AFP. The arrest has fuelled anger in Lebanon, with billboards around Beirut proclaiming "We are all Carlos Ghosn" "We need to let them talk and decide properly. That's more important than rushing." The company is instead likely to announce new governance measures intended to address criticism that it failed to prevent Ghosn's alleged misconduct. Nissan announced on Monday afternoon that Saikawa would address a news conference after the meeting. As his former employer wrangles over his replacement, Ghosn remains in the one-man cell at a Tokyo detention centre he has occupied since his shock arrest on November 19. Prosecutors have already charged him with under-reporting his pay by around $44 million over the five years to 2015, and are also investigating claims he under-reported it further in the past three years. He will be detained until at least December 20, when prosecutors will either file new charges or request another 10-day detention period while they continue investigations. The charges have sparked a legal battle over Ghosn's flat in Rio de Janeiro A range of additional claims of financial misconduct have been made against Ghosn, including using Nissan funds to purchase homes around the world, though prosecutors have yet to level those accusations formally. He and his former right-hand man Greg Kelly, who is also under arrest, reportedly deny any wrongdoing. The charges have sparked a legal battle over Ghosn's flat in Rio de Janeiro, with Nissan trying to prevent his family members from accessing the property and removing items. A Brazilian court authorised relatives to access the apartment, despite claims from Nissan that they were removing corporate documents. Ghosn's arrest marked a stunning reversal of fortune for the Franco-Brazilian-Lebanese tycoon, once revered in Japan for effectively rescuing Nissan from insolvency. He helped engineer the alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi, creating a partnership that sold more cars than any other globally last year. Explore further Renault board maintains Ghosn as CEO, says pay was legal 2018 AFP The SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, is on display in a special "clean room" where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) An Israeli nonprofit on Monday said it has pushed back the launch of what it hopes will be the first private spacecraft to land on the moon until February. Officials from SpaceIL and its project partner, the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, announced that the landing craft, dubbed "Beresheet," or Genesis, will ship in February to Florida. Propelled by a SpaceX Falcon rocket launch, the robotic lander will then commence its months-long voyage to the moon. It had been slated to launch this month. SpaceIL said it had no control over the launch's delay, and that SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk, notified them that its rocket will now lift off in February 2019 without providing an explanation. Israel Aerospace Industries manager Opher Doron stressed that the small craft, roughly the size of a washing machine, faces a "difficult, arduous journey" because it will have to make several orbits before touching down on the moon. Upon landing, the craft is to relay photographs and collect data about the moon's ever-changing magnetism for research by Israel's Weizmann Institute and NASA. On Monday, SpaceIL representatives presented a time capsule that will accompany the spacecraft to the moon. A time capsule that will go inside the SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, that is on display in a special "clean room" where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The capsule, in the shape of a DVD, holds pictures of the Israeli public, interpretive drawings by Israeli children and other pieces of national memorabilia, including stories of Holocaust survivors. "We hope that far in the future, when travel to the moon is as common as trans-Atlantic travel, that children will be able to understand the lives of their Israeli ancestors through this archive on the moon," said SpaceIL co-founder Yonatan Winetraub. A crowd of Israeli reporters, clad in sanitized white coats, burst into applause as Winetraub fastened the capsule to the underbelly of the craft. SpaceIL co-founder Yonatan Winetraub, left, inserts a time capsule into the SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, that is on display in a special "clean room" where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) SpaceIL was founded in 2011 and originally vied for Google's Lunar Xprize, which challenged private companies to try to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon. But the $20 million competition was scrapped by the tech giant earlier this year when it became clear none of the five companies would meet a March deadline. SpaceIL has vowed to continue the mission and hopes that its ambitious $95 million project, largely funded by South African-Israeli billionaire Morris Kahn and other donors, will spur a new wave of commercial missions to the moon and jump-start new companies. Israel would become the fourth country to land a craft on the moon, after the U.S., the Soviet Union and China. Technicians stand next to the SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, is on display in a special "clean room" where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Explore further Israeli spacecraft gets special passenger before moon journey 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Shining light on graphene: Although graphene has been studied vigorously for more than a decade, new measurements on high-performance graphene devices have revealed yet another unusual property. In ultra-clean graphene sheets, energy can flow over great distances, giving rise to an unprecedented response to light. Credit: Max Grossnickle and QMO Labs, UC Riverside. An international research team, co-led by a physicist at the University of California, Riverside, has discovered a new mechanism for ultra-efficient charge and energy flow in graphene, opening up opportunities for developing new types of light-harvesting devices. The researchers fabricated pristine graphenegraphene with no impuritiesinto different geometric shapes, connecting narrow ribbons and crosses to wide open rectangular regions. They found that when light illuminated constricted areas, such as the region where a narrow ribbon connected two wide regions, they detected a large light-induced current, or photocurrent. The finding that pristine graphene can very efficiently convert light into electricity could lead to the development of efficient and ultrafast photodetectorsand potentially more efficient solar panels. Graphene, a 1-atom thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has many desirable material properties, such as high current-carrying capacity and thermal conductivity. In principle, graphene can absorb light at any frequency, making it ideal material for infrared and other types of photodetection, with wide applications in bio-sensing, imaging, and night vision. In most solar energy harvesting devices, a photocurrent arises only in the presence of a junction between two dissimilar materials, such as "p-n" junctions, the boundary between two types of semiconductor materials. The electrical current is generated in the junction region and moves through the distinct regions of the two materials. "But in graphene, everything changes," said Nathaniel Gabor, an associate professor of physics at UCR, who co-led the research project. "We found that photocurrents may arise in pristine graphene under a special condition in which the entire sheet of graphene is completely free of excess electronic charge. Generating the photocurrent requires no special junctions and can instead be controlled, surprisingly, by simply cutting and shaping the graphene sheet into unusual configurations, from ladder-like linear arrays of contacts, to narrowly constricted rectangles, to tapered and terraced edges." Pristine graphene is completely charge neutral, meaning there is no excess electronic charge in the material. When wired into a device, however, an electronic charge can be introduced by applying a voltage to a nearby metal. This voltage can induce positive charge, negative charge, or perfectly balance negative and positive charges so the graphene sheet is perfectly charge neutral. "The light-harvesting device we fabricated is only as thick as a single atom," Gabor said. "We could use it to engineer devices that are semi-transparent. These could be embedded in unusual environments, such as windows, or they could be combined with other more conventional light-harvesting devices to harvest excess energy that is usually not absorbed. Depending on how the edges are cut to shape, the device can give extraordinarily different signals." The research team reports this first observation of an entirely new physical mechanisma photocurrent generated in charge-neutral graphene with no need for p-n junctionsin Nature Nanotechnology today. Previous work by the Gabor lab showed a photocurrent in graphene results from highly excited "hot" charge carriers. When light hits graphene, high-energy electrons relax to form a population of many relatively cooler electrons, Gabor explained, which are subsequently collected as current. Even though graphene is not a semiconductor, this light-induced hot electron population can be used to generate very large currents. "All of this behavior is due to graphene's unique electronic structure," he said. "In this 'wonder material,' light energy is efficiently converted into electronic energy, which can subsequently be transported within the material over remarkably long distances." He explained that, about a decade ago, pristine graphene was predicted to exhibit very unusual electronic behavior: electrons should behave like a liquid, allowing energy to be transferred through the electronic medium rather than by moving charges around physically. "But despite this prediction, no photocurrent measurements had been done on pristine graphene devicesuntil now," he said. The new work on pristine graphene shows electronic energy travels great distances in the absence of excess electronic charge. The research team has found evidence that the new mechanism results in a greatly enhanced photoresponse in the infrared regime with an ultrafast operation speed. "We plan to further study this effect in a broad range of infrared and other frequencies, and measure its response speed," said first author Qiong Ma, a postdoctoral associate in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. Explore further The photoexcited graphene puzzle solved More information: Qiong Ma et al, Giant intrinsic photoresponse in pristine graphene, Nature Nanotechnology (2018). Journal information: Nature Nanotechnology Qiong Ma et al, Giant intrinsic photoresponse in pristine graphene,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41565-018-0323-8 Conchos Shiner, Cyprinella panarcys, Mexican endemic fish found in US waters for the first time. Credit: Dr. Kevin Conway Texas A&M University's Dr. Kevin Conway, Dr. Joshuah Perkin and their team have located an extremely rare find within the waters of the Rio Grande along the U.S. and Mexico border. The Conchos shiner, Cyprinella panarcys, a fish species identified for the first time on record in the U.S. in April, was found in the mainstream of the Rio Grande at the confluence with Alamito Creek in Presidio County. The discovery was made by Conway, an associate professor and curator of fishes for the department of wildlife and fisheries sciences Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections at Texas A&M University, and Perkin, an assistant professor of fish ecology for the same department. Further details are revealed in their newly published article in the Biodiversity Data Journal. "We found this fish by chance," said Perkin. "We were conducting a survey for a declining species known as the Rio Grande shiner, Notropis jemezanus, but found none of that species. In fact, it's quite remarkable that we could find a species never before detected in the U.S. but could not find a single Rio Grande shiner." Previously, the Conchos shiner was considered restricted to the upper parts of the Ri?o Conchos drainage in Mexico, extending from the Rio San Pedro at Meoqui in Chihuahua, Mexico, to the Ri?o Florido in Durango, Mexico. It is unique to see the species in other waters. According to Conway, there are two alternatives that could explain the unexpected discovery of the Conchos shiner in Texas. "Either this species is native to Texas, but its presence has simply gone unnoticed until now, or we were exceptionally lucky and managed to capture a rare vagrant outside of its natural distribution." Conway and Perkins are excited to return to the survey area. "The discovery of the Conchos shiner in the main stem of the Rio Grande downstream from Presidio, an area that is considered to be relatively well studied, tells us that we still have a lot to learn about the fishes within the Rio Grande drainage," Conway said. "This system has undergone major changes in recent years, and it is imperative that we learn as much as possible about the system now, specifically the endemic species, so that we can better manage and protect them in the years to come." Explore further 'Forgotten' fish turns up in West Texas More information: Amanda K. Pinion et al, First record of the Conchos Shiner Cyprinella panarcys (Hubbs & Miller, 1978) from the mainstem of the Rio Grande along the USAMexico border, Check List (2018). Amanda K. Pinion et al, First record of the Conchos Shiner Cyprinella panarcys (Hubbs & Miller, 1978) from the mainstem of the Rio Grande along the USAMexico border,(2018). DOI: 10.15560/14.6.1123 A commercial fishing boat in Reykjavik, Iceland. Credit: Maartje Oostdijk The ghosts of harvesting can haunt today's conservation efforts. Conserving or overharvesting a renewable resource like fish or other wildlife is often determined by habits and past decisions, according to a Rutgers-led study that challenges conventional expectations that the collapse of fast-growing natural resources is unlikely. Lead author Edward W. Tekwa, a post-doctoral associate in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, said conservation is much easier to continue once it is started. The study found that those who start conserving can often stick with it but when conservation is not in place, the opposite is true, he said. "Surprisingly, we found that people often get trapped by their past decisions," Tekwa said. "If they start out overharvesting, they tend to continue overharvesting. But once people start conserving, this behavior is also self-perpetuating and gets amplified. Policies change slowly." Overfishing has intensified over the last 50 years, and the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at why conservation succeeds or fails. Scientists at Rutgers, Princeton University and Yale University built a mathematical model and examined data, and their model explains global patterns in fisheries decisions better than any previous theory. "Our results challenge the conventional expectation that the collapse of fast-growing resources is unlikely," said Tekwa, who works in the lab of senior author Malin Pinsky, an associate professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. "But they also offer hope that conservation is much easier to continue once we start." Young haddock. This popular species ranges from Cape May, N.J., to Newfoundland and is most abundant on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. Credit: NEFSC/NOAA Understanding why some renewable resources are overharvested while others are conserved continues to be a challenge. This research suggests that short, intensive harvest-reduction efforts (such as recovery mandates) can spur conservation that is self-perpetuating. The scientists examined a global database that includes maximum sustainable yield and harvest rate data for 217 fisheries, managed by 21 national and international institutions, from 1961 to 2009. These fisheries harvest most of the catch in the developed world. Modern efforts to rebuild fish stockssuch as the 1996 and 2006 revisions to the U.S. Magnuson-Stevens Actmade conservation more likely. Such rebuilding efforts can lead to lasting conservation. The researchers found that some fisheries are more strongly trapped by history than others. Around the world, they identified 35 fisheries that were strongly affected by histories of conservation or overharvesting. Only one of these fisheries (the Patagonian toothfish) transitioned from overharvesting to conservation, while 11 fisheries remained chronically overharvested. The overharvested stocks included haddock and pollock off Northern Europe and sardinella off West Africa. The researchers suggested that these species would be good conservation priorities because they can be harvested at much lower costs if their populations are allowed to recover to higher levels. "We found that highly productive, costly-to-harvest resources are paradoxically most susceptible to strong depletion, but also most receptive to strong conservation because of prevailing economic incentives," the study says. For depleted resources to become conserved resources, institutions often need to implement fast, controlled management campaigns that reduce harvest rates below the largest sustainable catch over the long-run. Researchers believe that similar conservation opportunities may be present in many renewable resources beyond fisheries, such as timber and wildlife on land. Explore further Researchers provide fisheries a solution to overharvesting On the left, an expanded human cell with microtubules (blue) and a pair of centrioles (yellow-red) in the middle. On the right the detailed structure of two expanded pairs of centrioles. Credit: Fabian Zwettler / University of Wurzburg Going deeper and deeper into cells with the microscope; imaging the nucleus and other structures more and more accurately; getting the most detailed views of cellular multi-protein complexes: All of these are goals pursued by the microscopy expert Markus Sauer at the Biocenter of Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany. Together with researchers from Geneva and Lausanne in Switzerland, he has now shown that a hitherto uncertain method of super-resolution microscopy is reliable. Here we are talking about ultrastructural expansion microscopy (U-ExM). In a nutshell, it works like this: The cell structures to be imaged, in this case multi-protein complexes, are anchored in a polymerjust like decorating a Christmas tree. Cell structures are not distorted The interactions between the proteins are then destroyed and the polymer is filled with liquid. "The polymer then expands uniformly in all spatial directions by a factor of four. The antigens are retained and can subsequently be stained with dye-labeled antibodies," says Professor Sauer. So far, many scientists have been of the opinion that the expansion of the polymer does not proceed uniformly and produces a distorted representation in the end. "With U-ExM, we can really depict ultrastructural details. The method is reliable," says Sauer. "And it delivers a picture that is four times higher resolved than with standard methods of microscopy." Centrioles made the start The research team is currently proving this in the journal Nature Methods using centrioles as an example. These cylindrical protein structures play an important role in cell division as the Wurzburg biologist Theodor Boveri first described in 1888. Centrioles were chosen for the experiment because their structure is already well known. "This enabled us to see, in comparison to electron micrographs, that U-ExM works reliably and even preserves the chirality of the microtubule triplets that make up the centrioles," explains Sauer. Next, the JMU researchers want to use this method of microscopy to analyze cell structures of which one has not yet had such a precise picture. "These are, for example, substructures of the centriolesthe nuclear pore complexes or synaptonemal complexes. All of them are now accessible for the first time with molecular resolution by light microscopy," said Sauer. More information: Davide Gambarotto et al, Imaging cellular ultrastructures using expansion microscopy (U-ExM), Nature Methods (2018). Journal information: Nature Methods Davide Gambarotto et al, Imaging cellular ultrastructures using expansion microscopy (U-ExM),(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41592-018-0238-1 Demand for RMB from Philippine firms rises posted December 17, 2018 at 07:10 pm by Manila Standard Business December 17, 2018 at 07:10 pm Amid improving economic relations between the Philippines and China, the demand for the Chinese currency RMB among Philippine companies is beginning to gain traction. China remains one of the countrys top trading partners, and local companies that deal with China are beginning to realize the cost benefits of settling in RMB. It not only reduces costs but also lowers foreign exchange risks. From importers to real-estate developers to hotels, more and more businesses are hedging their costs by opening RMB accounts. Daiichi Properties Inc., whose developments have shaped the skylines of Ortigas Center and Bonifacio Global City, has seen a shift in its supply chain to China.As with many companies today, our materials and contractors are indirectly and directly from China. With the large amount of supplies, we source from the mainland, settling in RMB has allowed us to be more efficient in our transactions, said Daiichi Properties president Salvador Uy. COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section. Wherever you stand on Cliff Richard, his 1988 number one, with its message that "Christmas is love, Christmas is peace" and "a time to rejoice in the good that we see", succinctly summarises the common festive view of Christianity. From Christmas music to cards to charity TV adverts, we are continually reminded at this time of year of the positive values that Christianity can promote: love, peace, giving, receiving and seeing goodness in others. Many people would argue, however, that it is wrong to think of Christianity or any other faith in such purely positive terms. Religion can surely be a force for good and bad, depending on the message and the messenger. It is perfectly possible to celebrate the virtues of Christian compassion while recognising problems with everything from creationism to some religious attitudes to homosexuality. Yet according to our latest research, many religious education (RE) teachers in UK schools are encouraging pupils to take a similarly unbalanced view of their subject all year round. This is doing learners and the subject a major disservice, and needs to change. Religion and danger As RE teacher educators, we decided to find out how religion is understood and being taught in UK schools. We carried out the largest study of its kind, collating survey responses from 465 RE teachers in secondaries as well as primary, junior and middle schools across the country. As part of the research, a total of 389 teachers responded to the statement "religion is dangerous". The majority of respondents thought it was not dangerous: 37% selected "not at all" and 28% answered "slightly agree". This was regardless of whether they believed in a god or gods, were agnostic or were atheist. Indeed, of 431 teachers responding about their beliefs, only 45% identified themselves as theist. Of the remainder, 18% were atheist, 31% agnostic and the rest described themselves as "other". From the 185 teachers who added comments, 39% implied that religion is in essence good that is, to define "religion" in negative terms is wrong, for it cannot be other than positive. The following comment from a teacher in an English secondary academy sums up what was being said: "We teach general tolerance to all people, of all religions and that all religions teach peace, love and compassion, with the odd exception where there may be extremists who misinterpret their holy books, but that they exist within all religions and that they are not true followers ." It is worth reflecting on that view for a moment. It notes negative "extremist" aspects to some religions, but says that such followers are "not true followers". Rather, they "misinterpret their holy books" the implication being that a correct interpretation of the religious text can only result in "peace, love and compassion". It is not religion that is dangerous, in other words; but people who are dangerous. To quote a couple of teachers from English state primary schools: "All religions are peaceful. It's certain extremist people who misuse/misinterpret religion to create barriers and hate amongst people. I think that people choose to use religion in a dangerous way, to support their own beliefs, but that religion itself is not intrinsically dangerous. I cannot think of a religion that actively supports dangerous ideals." Put simply, this is bad education however well-intentioned. It sanitises religion. It cleanses it of negativity, destructiveness and anything antisocial, leaving it sparkling with ideals to which humankind can aspire. It also wrongly puts all religious expressions on the same footing when in reality they are diverse and multifaceted. Pick any religion and you find a spectrum of practices and beliefs and at times diametrically opposed understandings on everything from war to marriage to perspectives on what it means to be human. It is wrong, for example, to imagine that terrorists have always "twisted" their religion from its "true" form. They follow a nefarious, destructive form of religion, but it is still religion. To imply otherwise presents young people with a view that doesn't fully reflect how they experience religion in contemporary society where it can motivate great acts of kindness, but also atrocities. Alternatives So what might RE teachers do instead? Some in the profession are already setting an example by avoiding expressions like "Hindus believe" or, worse, "all Hindus believe", in favour of "while some Hindus believe, others", or "the majority of Hindus believe while a minority believe". Teachers can also embed the concept of plurality within individual religions by using terms like "Christianities" and "Islams". It is also important to make sure that the diversity of religions is reflected in classroom displays and teaching aids. If possible, for example, invite several Buddhists rather than one to talk about the concept of "rebirth". Avoid using stereotypical images, such as only showing Muslim women wearing headscarves, when it's less common in the likes of Morocco or Jordan. All religions have loving and hateful expressions: in history, Christianity has motivated great acts of human kindness, but has also been used to justify violence. Religion is no more good than bad, no more antisocial than prosocial. Young people need to be encouraged to develop a mature view which is able to encompass and reflect the best and worst of religious expression and all the shades in between. Yes, this makes the task for RE teachers more challenging not least at this time of Christian "goodwill". But it also reaffirms the educational value of the subject and its rightful place in UK curricula. Explore further Children in India exhibit religious tolerance, study finds This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A tornado in Galatia, Kansas on 25 May 2012 as it was decaying. Credit: Jana Houser. New research challenges existing assumptions about how tornadoes form. Historically, scientists assumed tornado rotation began in storm clouds, creating a funnel that travels downwards. This theory matches what storm chasers commonly observe visually in the field. Viewers often report seeing funnel clouds gradually descending until they make contact with the ground. But new research combining a new type of Doppler radar with photos and videos of tornadoes formed by supercell thunderstorms shows the opposite is true: Tornadoes materialize from the ground up. Weather forecasters typically issue tornado warnings based on radar observations of strong rotation above the ground, but the new findings suggest forecasters must re-evaluate their warning procedure, according to the researchers. "We need to reconsider the paradigms that we have to explain tornado formation, and we especially need to communicate this to forecasters who are trying to make warnings and issue warnings," said Jana Houser, a meteorologist at Ohio University in Athens who will present the new findings here today at the American Geophysical Union's Fall Meeting. "You are not going to really ever be finding strong evidence of a tornado descending, so we need to stop making that a priority in our forecasting strategies." Research conducted in the 1970s suggested tornadoes form from rotation that starts several kilometers above Earth's surface. The theory was that this funnel gradually sucked in air from below, descending until it touched the ground. Jana Houser standing next to the Rapid X-Pol radar instrument, a new type of rapidly-scanning mobile radar system, during a storm chase on 8 May 2012. Credit: Jana Houser. Most meteorologists have accepted this theory of tornado formation, but a series of new observations from rapidly scanning radars has started to change that. One of the pivotal cases contributing to the new understanding of tornado formation occurred on May 31, 2013. On this day, the El Reno tornado formed in central Oklahoma and shattered previous tornado records. It was the widest tornado ever recorded, peaking at 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles) wide, and had wind speeds of more than 480 kilometers per hour (300 miles per hour), the second-highest wind speeds recorded on Earth. Houser and a team of researchers from the University of Oklahoma happened to be monitoring the storm with a new type of mobile Doppler radar system that collected tornado wind speeds every 30 seconds. Afterwards, Anton Seimon, a geographer at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina who had chased the El Reno storm, collected hundreds of still photos and videos of the epic twister from citizens and fellow storm chasers. When Houser compared her radar data with images collected by Seimon, she noticed something odd. The images clearly showed a visible tornado at the ground several minutes before her radar picked it up. Puzzled, Houser went back through her radar data and analyzed the data taken at the ground. It is typically difficult to get good radar measurements at or near the ground, but Houser and her team had deployed their instrument on a slight rise and there were no obstructions between them and the tornado, so this time, they had data good enough to work with. She found clear evidence of rotation at the ground before there was rotation at higher altitudes. Houser then examined other sets of tornado data and found that in many cases, tornado-strength rotation develops at or near the ground first, rather than starting in the cloud itself. In all four datasets she analyzed, none of the tornadoes formed following the classical "top-down" process. "It emphasizes the fact that we need to have strong, low-level, basically near-ground level rotation, located in the right spot, at the right time, with respect to the larger parent storm circulations in order to form a tornado," Houser said. Explore further New study explains creation of deadly California 'firenado' A team of researchers who first proposed studying the effect a global trade war could have on the Midwest never imagined there would be an actual trade war underway as they conducted their research. But as 2018 played outand as the United States and China traded tariff after tariff this summerthe real-world applications of their research became more and more clear. "Our farmers in the Midwest provide food throughout the world, so if we shut down that ability for them to send their goods all over the placeif we invoke tariffs and counter-tariffsthen that really affects the demand for what they produce," said Jeff Bielicki, an assistant professor of civil, environmental and geodetic engineering at The Ohio State University.. "And we wondered: How would that affect farming and land use issues and water and energy systems in the Midwest?" Bielicki, who has a joint appointment in Ohio State's John Glenn College of Public Affairs, presented on the project on Dec. 14 at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C. The goal of their work, which is funded through a 3-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation, is to build models that could show how various trade scenariosfrom trade wars to trade alliances to other future scenarioscould affect the food, energy and water supply coming from the Great Lakes region. The five-state area includes Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The money is provided through Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems, a research partnership between the NSF and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The work brings together a team with extensive experience in quantitative and computational modeling, and social and behavioral sciences, including researchers from three colleges: Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Engineering; and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. The researchers are also working with farmers and others throughout the Great Lakes to formulate the questions that will serve as the foundations for this research. The NSF announced the grant in September of 2017; the research team's work began in earnest in January. "We're getting input from the agricultural sector, from state and regional policy organizations, from the energy sector, from people who are interested in water management, water utilities, water quality, who are engaged with Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes," said Elena Irwin, an environmental and land-use economist in Ohio State's Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics. "So we've had three meetings so far in which we've shared the goals of our project and then really started to engage the stakeholder groups in helping us to formulate and refine the potential future scenarios that our research could address." As they have held meetings and met with stakeholders across the region, a global trade war between the U.S. and China began brewing. And as that trade war has played out this year, the team has seen some of its what-if scenarios come to life. Tariffs and counter-tariffs have led to a reduction in U.S. bilateral trade in agricultural commodities, especially in the Great Lakes region, where much of the corn and soybeans sent to China is produced. And because of tightly integrated supply chains, these effects could multiply and reverberate through multiple sectors of the economy. Consumers could suffer, tooas a result of U.S. tariffsfacing higher prices and a potential reduction in the availability of beef, fruits and vegetables. In the longer run, said Irwinwho is also faculty director of the Sustainable and Resilient Discovery Themes Programmarkets would adjust. For example, less global demand for corn and soybeans and reduced availability of imported fresh fruits and vegetables might provide an impetus for Great Lakes farmers to shift from commodity crops and allocate more land to produce fruits and vegetables for regional and U.S. markets. On the other hand, the decline in access to global markets could induce farmers to invest in non-food production, for example, in energy crops like solar or wind farms. They could also reduce the overall amount of land in agricultural production. In either case, these changes in land use would affect energy and water demands and, in turn, affect air and water quality through changes in greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural run-off. The project will continue for the next three years, and the team is still building the models that will predict how future trade scenarios could affect Great Lakes farmers. Explore further Climate change will reshape the world's agricultural trade The Frick Pittsburgh continues its recent foray into fashion with exuberance, exhibiting a group of contemporary paper recreations of iconic outfits from the past. Ranging from the era of the Medici to the early 20th century with costumes from the Ballets Russes, Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art From Paper though (January 6, 2019) seems tailormade for the institution. First there were killer heels, then intimate lingerie; now period ensembles have been placed throughout the museum, creating affinities with the historical paintings. The show hits all the right notes for the Frick with its connection to history and to art, technical virtuosity, and, above all, material culture. Just as the museum presents the story of the Frick family in a house that was practically untouched after Fricks departure for New York, these trompe loeil apparel give us a glimpse of times past, allowing us to marvel at the textures and details as well as the evolution of style, especially for women. Isabelle de Borchgrave produces both useable objects for her interior design lines and objects of desire in these paper dresses. After marveling at the oversized collars, the attached roses, the intricate patterns, and the voluminous skirts, thinking about how to walk or sit in some of the more fantastic designs, we wonder about de Borchgraves techniques, how she experimented with various processes to make the paper mimic fabric surfaces, the fall of drapery, and all manners of adornment. It is a feat achieved through research and experimentation. Inspired by the Fashion Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the artist worked with her friend Rita Brown who had extensive experience in theatrical costumes and textile restoration. Brown worked on the patterns and de Borchgrave painted the dresses. For the artist, her fascinating process is really just a means to an end, or as she put it a merry and shameless sham, as she considers herself primarily a painter. As curator Sarah Hall said, she is an artist who processes her experience through the act of making. She derives the most satisfaction from covering the surfaces with color and pattern. In fact, while she uses historic sources, she is not interested in exact replicas, but proceeds in the spirit of the originals. She allows herself creative license as she indulges her love of color. In order to compare her pieces with the sources, mainly taken from paintings, color photographs of the originals have been placed with most of the outfits. That same interest in affinities, rather than copies, characterizes the installation of the work at the Frick. It is the only venue where the mannikins have been placed in painting galleries, where, in Halls words, the domestically scaled rooms and varied architecture serve to activate them in a more cinematic way and help us do a little imaginary time travelopening up a more imaginative space. For example, Madame de Pompadours wedding cake gown, taken from a painting by Francois Boucher, stands next to the Fricks Boucher. As Hall reflected, Isabelles work is more about inspirationlike the best illusionists, she both unsettles and delights us and shows us more than we would have noticed without her intercession. Since the Frick commissioned de Borchgrave to make a dress based on their painting by Peter Paul Rubens, this kind of pairing will be available periodically for viewers. In other galleries, the mannikins are arranged like models along a runway, or in the case of the bold costumes for the Ballet Russes, in an arrangement that hints at the movement of the dancers. The varied heights as well as de Borchgraves luxuriously colored fabrics create a cacophony of color and movement that animate the galleries. Mixing fashion and tableaux, the installation becomes a spectacle itself, strangely reminiscent of the Pageant of the Masters at Laguna Beach, Calif. Its difficult to know how to categorize this work. Are the outfits fashion or art? The easy answer is that they are both, or as Sarah Hall put it, they are art that is about fashion. The Frick, which has fashion in its collection, adds information about fashion history in the labels, but de Borchgrave is not about recreating fashion history a la Madame Tussauds. And if this work was placed in the context of contemporary art, there would be references to the changing ideas about the body, class, and race, so the work exists outside of categorization. Perhaps de Borchgrave, like many artists who work outside traditional mediums, needs to craft a new term that introduces the possibility of being both or neither art and fashion. Even without solving this semantic problem, there is no doubt that this is a crowd-pleasing show that can also elicit more serious consideration. The stock market closed nearly flat again Monday in mixed trading, with investors waiting for a catalyst to push the benchmark index higher. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped 3.97 points, or 0.05 percent, to 7,520.40 on a value turnover of P5.9 billion. Losers edged gainers, 98 to 93, with 45 issues unchanged. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-biggest lender in terms of assets, fell 1.5 percent to P79.80, while SM Investments Corp. of retail tycoon Henry Sy Sr. dropped 1.3 percent to P940. Conglomerate San Miguel Corp., however, climbed 6.5 percent to P151.20, while First Gen Corp. of the Lopez Group advanced 4.6 percent to P20.40. The rest of Asian markets mostly rose Monday as traders look ahead to a key meeting of the Federal Reserve, and a Chinese policy-setting conference this week. However, there is still caution on trading floors after Fridays sharp sell-off fueled by concerns over Chinas economy, and despite a tweet from Donald Trump suggesting a trade deal could be hammered out between Washington and Beijing. Hong Kong rose 0.1 percent in the afternoon, Shanghai climbed 0.2 percent and Tokyo finished 0.6 percent higher, while Sydney put on one percent and Singapore jumped 1.2 percent. Seoul and Taipei each gained 0.1 percent while Wellington added 0.3 percent. There were also gains in Mumbai. Steve Goldman, fund manager at Kapstream Capital, told Bloomberg TV in Sydney that were going to see a lot of volatility in the new year because of global uncertainty.While there are signs the worlds top two economies are beginning to move towards a resolution in their bitter tariffs spat, there are increasing concerns about the global outlook following another dour set of indicators out of China. A string of below-par readings this year have highlighted a slowdown in the Asian giant and observers are forecasting leaders will unveil fresh measures to pep up the economy, which is on course for another year of relatively weak growth. A speech from President Xi Jinping on Tuesday to mark 40 years since Chinas economy began opening up will be closely watched, and that is expected to be followed by the start of a conference setting out the countrys 2019 economic plan. We should expect a raft of stimulus measures from China policymakers in an attempt to stabilise the domestic economy, said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA. The Fed will conclude its rate-setting policy meeting Wednesday and while expectations are for another hike in borrowing costs, comments from chairman Jerome Powell will be closely watched for an idea of its plans for 2019. In light of the China-US trade row and signs of weakness in the global economy, the bank has sounded a little more dovish in recent weeks, fueling speculation it will slow down its pace of rate hikeswhich has provided some much-needed support to equities. The upcoming (Fed) meeting and Chinas policy-setting meeting, have been the most actively discussed topics around the markets, Innes added. And both events have a smoothing effect on risk sentiment. NEW ORLEANS - The Jamaican boy was having a rough adjustment to his new school in America, and his frustrated mother was ready to move him. The second-grader couldnt understand English and was losing focus. But school leaders didnt think the boys heavy accent required special help. In Milwaukee and other cities, similar scenarios often result in dissatisfied parents switching their children to new schools, sometimes more than once. The students test scores may suffer and the moves increase the churn that haunts many low-performing schools, slowing down the learning of those who switch as well as those who stay put. But the Jamaican mom received a key intervention: A personal education adviser drafted a letter on her behalf and compelled school operators to conduct a formal observation for special-education services. The cost to mom: Nothing. Access to an education adviser was one of the benefits she received as a housekeeper at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street. A year later, the boy is in the same school, getting regular help from a speech pathologist. His language skills have improved significantly. His grades went up, but now in third grade, hes struggling with reading. So Ileana Ortiz, the education adviser, focuses on reading issues when she talks with the mother during their weekly meetings during shift breaks at the Sheraton. Mom has grown as an advocate in every meeting weve had, Ortiz said. She now knows what questions to ask the school about her sons learning. Student turnover: 5 solutions Its hard for schools to perform well when many of their students shift around each year. Cities around the country have worked to tackle key challenges by: Limiting mid-year school transfers Addressing evictions and increasing affordable options Adopting unified enrollment systems Reducing discipline-related school transfers Eliminating transportation barriers Read more about these options. Guidance amid many choices In New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina wiped out the traditional school district and gave rise to hundreds of independent charter schools, Ortiz is part of a new nonprofit organization thats helping parents make sense of the citys complicated education landscape. The budding enterprise, called EdNavigator, aims to fill a critical gap in urban education reform: The dearth of one-on-one guidance for low-income parents. In a city brimming with school options but devoid of a centralized school system, the help has been welcomed. EdNavigator is only three years old, but 92 percent of parents reported being satisfied with the service. Leaders of the nonprofit say that theyre working to get more children steadily enrolled in high-performing schools or ones where students improve faster-than-average. Theyre also working to minimize the rampant school-switching thats plagued other cities like Milwaukee, where one in four children change schools during the year. Or Detroit, where about one in three are transient. Theres not a lot of movement among our parents, in part because we provide a level of support to choose a school, and a level of accountability once theyre in that school, said Gary Briggs, who leads the New Orleans-based staff as the master navigator. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel EdNavigator staff members (clockwise from left) Gary Briggs, Whitney Henderson, Rameisha Johnson, Ileana Ortiz, Summer Duperon, Caroline Cahuantzi, and Ruben Johnson gather for a weekly meeting. EdNavigator was founded to offer family-friendly guidance on education options. The nonprofit sustains itself through donations from foundations and payments from businesses that provide the service as an employee benefit. EdNavigator launched in New Orleans in 2015, starting with the hotel industry and branching out to manufacturers and universities. This year, it spread to Boston where so far it has one client, a senior living facility. To have someone who understands the education landscape and understands our industry? Thats a win-win, said Tom Jones, area director of human resources for Starwood properties, which includes the New Orleans Sheraton. Jones said workers often arrive late or leave early to deal with issues at their childrens schools from a discipline matter to a parent-teacher conference. When advisers help navigate those issues, employees are happier and less likely to leave, Jones said. Staff turnover is about 25 percent, he said, and he thinks EdNavigator might lower that. A group of professors at Tulane University are tracking EdNavigator families to see if the assistance improves student attendance, achievement or graduation rates. Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, an associate professor of education at Seton Hall University, said districts and schools have long failed to provide comprehensive, understandable information to families so they can choose good options. Programs like EdNavigator that pair better information with hands-on guidance are a valuable resource, she said. She added that focusing on helping parents navigate the system isn't enough; cities also need many more high-performing schools. "Parents may be choosing lower performing schools not because of limited information about other options, but because those schools are more realistic options for their families given a host of other considerations like proximity, transportation, and convenience," she said. Inside the workplace Mardi Gras came early in 2018, and purple, green and gold bunting was already decorating city streets when Gary Briggs, the lead navigator, entered the elegant lobby of the International House one day in January. He waved to the receptionist and took the elevator to the second floor where he settled into a nook with an armchair and spread out his laptop and papers. International House became the first hotel to engage EdNavigator two years ago. Thats when Nicole Ellzey, a housekeeper there with three children, started meeting regularly with Briggs. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Nicole Ellzey, a housekeeper at the International House hotel in New Orleans, is a client of EdNavigator. When Ellzey was unable to leave her job for meetings with teachers, adviser Gary Briggs attended for her. My youngest son was failing math, but I couldnt leave in the daytime to go and talk with the teacher about it, Ellzey said. Gary met with the teacher instead and got my sons report card. He also got the school to sign my son up for extra math help. Briggs manages the other navigators in New Orleans, but still works directly with 12 employees at International House, including Ellzey, who he checked in with that day. Other navigators work with up to 100 families each. In all, EdNavigator has 12 full-time people offering support to 19 businesses, where more than 4,300 employees are eligible for the advising services. Briggs, 30, was a natural fit for this work, both in personality and experience. He grew up attending a variety of schools in the city. Back then, before Katrina, most children had to attend their neighborhood schools in the Orleans Parish public school district. Briggs got into a private high school and then attended Texas Christian University. He returned to the city when Teach for America placed him in a New Orleans middle school, where he taught for four years. Then, a friend told him about a new adviser service. Once they explained the model, I was like, So wait, youre telling me that employers are going to pay you to provide these type of high-touch services for their employees? Id never heard of anything like it, Briggs said. Today, he introduces himself to new parents by explaining that his job is to work for them. Youre my boss, Briggs says. In the beginning, he'll ask lots of broad questions: Whats most important for me to know about your child? How many different schools are your children in? Is anybody close to completing elementary or middle school? Have you thought about what school you want them to attend next? What are your childs grades? Hell explain that parents must sign a waiver to allow him access to their childs academic reports. Theyll meet one-on-one at the employees workplace, and they can text and share documents at any time over EdNavigators secure smartphone app. On the January day, Briggs was scheduled to meet with a new International House worker who was eager to join the program. This being New Orleans, the mother and Briggs soon realized they knew each other. He had taught one of her older children in middle school. Watch: EdNavigator at work Help choosing new schools After that meeting, Briggs packed up and headed to the J.W. Marriott, where he walked in the service entrance and settled into the employee lounge. Tamyra Morris, the hotels event manager at the time, soon hustled in. Morris was in the throes of deciding where to enroll her daughter for high school. Like many parents, she wanted to shoot for the highest performing and therefore most popular schools, places like Warren Easton and Edna Karr. She had to apply through the citys common enrollment system known as OneApp. The online system asks parents to rank their school choices and tracks information about them, such as where they live and where their other children attend school. The OneApp system matches students with schools based on the parents selections and on other factors that aim to level the playing field. For example, the OneApp algorithm gave children attending schools slated to close in 2018 higher priority than others to get their first-choice picks for the 2018-19 school year. Before OneApp, the system of school choice in New Orleans after Katrina was fractured and inefficient. Charter schools had their own enrollment deadlines, and some selective schools made application requirements so cumbersome that all but the most motivated parents lost out. The navigators walk parents through their options. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel An enrollment pamphlet at the Schools Expo in New Orleans in 2018. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel An enrollment pamphlet at the Schools Expo in New Orleans in 2018. While meeting with Morris at the J.W. Marriott, Briggs suggested she consider Livingston Collegiate, a newer high school where initial test score results looked strong. Get your daughters feedback and let me know where you want to rank these schools, Briggs told Morris as they hunched over his laptop, looking at the Enroll NOLA website. The site is designed to allow parents to search for and compare school options on a variety of metrics such as performance, location and academic programs. On the same website, parents enter their options through the OneApp portal. Briggs also suggested that Morris and her daughter attend a school fair that weekend at the Superdome. Sponsored by the Urban League of Louisiana, the annual Schools Expo featured booths staffed by the leaders of almost all the citys schools. Morris and her daughter went and met staff from several schools, including Edna Karr, a top choice that hundreds fail to get into every year. Ultimately, the OneApp system matched Morriss daughter with Livingston, which she accepted. She is a freshman there this year. A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a 5th grade teacher at a Roman Catholic school did not qualify as a minister of the Catholic faith, and thus the school did not qualify for the ministerial exception to civil rights laws, allowing the teacher to pursue her disability-rights lawsuit. The teacher, Kristen Biel, alleges that she was fired from her job at St. James Elementary School in Torrance, Calif., part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, after informing administrators that she had breast cancer and would have to take time off for surgery and chemotherapy. The principal told Biel the school would not renew her contract because the teachers classroom management was not strict and that it was not fair ... to have two teachers for the children during the school year, court papers say. Six months earlier, Biel had received a largely positive teaching evaluation from the principal. Biel sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which bars employment discrimination based on disability. The school moved for summary judgment based on the ministerial exception recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 2012 decision, Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission . Under that decision, church and religious school employers are exempt from anti-discrimination laws for employees who are deemed to be ministers of the faith. The high court did not set a specific test for determining when an employee was covered by the ministerial exception, ruling that courts must examine the specifics of each case. Lower courts have been hashing out the contours of the exception, with the Supreme Court recently declining to hear the appeal of a Hebrew-language teacher fired by a Jewish day school. In its Dec. 17 decision in Biel v. St. James School , a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, in San Francisco, ruled 2-1 that Biel was not a minister of the church. The majority said that in contrast to the teacher in the Hosanna-Tabor case, who was a commissioned Lutheran minister and a called teacher of the Lutheran faith, Biel had worked as a teacher for tutoring companies, multiple public schools, another Catholic school, and even a Lutheran school. Biel is Catholic, but the school had no religious requirements for her position as 5th grade teacher, the majority said. Nor did St. James hold Biel out as a minister by suggesting to its community that she had special expertise in Church doctrine, values, or pedagogy beyond that of any practicing Catholic, Judge Michelle T. Friedland wrote for the majority. The majority acknowledged that Biel taught religion lessons to her 5th graders and sometimes participated in the schools prayers, but said that was not enough under Hosanna-Tabor to confer a ministerial exception on her employment. A rule under which any school employee who teaches religion would fall within the ministerial exception, would not be faithful to Hosanna-Tabor or its underlying constitutional and policy considerations, Friedland said. Such a rule would ... base the exception on a single aspect of the employees role rather than on a holistic examination of her training, duties, title, and the extent to which she is tasked with transmitting religious ideas. The dissenter was Judge D. Michael Fisher, who participated in the case as a visiting judge from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, in Philadelphia. He said he would apply the ministerial exception to the school. Among other reasons, Fisher said, Biel signed an employment contract indicating that she understood that the schools mission was to develop and promote a Catholic School Faith Community within the philosophy of Catholic education as implemented at [St. James], and the doctrines, laws, and norms of the Catholic Church. In considering the complete picture of Biels employment, I am struck by the importance of her stewardship of the Catholic faith to the children in her class, Fisher said. Biels Grade 5 Teacher title may not have explicitly announced her role in ministry, but the substance reflected in her title demonstrates that she was a Catholic school educator with a distinctly religious purpose. Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. earmarked P10 billion to expand the portfolio of its homegrown hotel brand to 3,268 rooms by 2020. Seda group director of sales and marketing Melissa Carlos said in a press briefing the company was set to open five hotels over the next two years that would add another 1,405 rooms. Seda Hotel is set to launch next year a second tower in Bonifacio Global City with 342 rooms, Seda Residences Makati with 293 rooms; and Seda Cebu IT Park with 214 rooms. The group will complete Seda Manila Bay in Aseana City, Paranaque City in 2020 with 350 rooms and a second tower for Seda Nuvali with 206 rooms. We are also expanding into new categories such as serviced residences, resorts, and large city formats as part of our efforts to tap the MICE market and weddings in addition to business and leisure, Carlos said. Seda currently has 1,863 rooms under its portfolio from nine properties, namely BGC, Cagayan de Oro, Davao City, Nuvali in Laguna, Iloilo, Quezon City, Bacolod, Cebu and Lio Tourism Estate in El Nido town, Palawan.Seda initially focused on serving the needs of business travelers with boutique city hotels with less than 200 rooms. Carlos said it recently ventured into large format city hotels with Seda Vertis North in Quezon City which has 438 rooms, and into resort hotels with Seda Lio with 153 rooms. Carlos said the brands flagship Seda BGC had been so successful that expansion was now underway that would add 342 more rooms in a second tower, including 48 serviced residences ranging from studios to two-bedrooms. We knew as early as our first year of operation that Seda BGC would need an expansion sooner than later, she said. Studies show that BGC in 2018 showed the highest demand among Metro Manila business areas following a net office take-up of 33 percent as of the third quarter. It was followed by Quezon City at 26 percent, where Seda Vertis North is serving the market; and the Manila Bay area or Bay City at 12 percent, where the hotel hopes to tap the market by 2020. Consultancy firm Americas Market Intelligence or AMI issued this week a lengthy report on the risks of mining in Latin America. One of the chapters focuses on security hazards and reveals that such perils are not necessarily provoked by illegal groups. According to AMI, sometimes local community members that opposed mining operations can cause security risks by deploying roadblocks and aggressive or invasive tactics at the mines perimeter. If the local or federal government does not want to get involved in the issue for political reasons, then the miner is left on its own to deal with the disruption. As an example, the consultancy firm presents the case of Gran Colombia Golds (TSX:GCM) mine in the department of Caldas which was blocked in the summer of 2017 by independent miners, whose protest actions became violent at times. Only after 42 days of rallies was the Canadian miner able to resume operations. In the Colombian context such as the one where Gran Colombia operates, AMI says it is common to see lawyers and local indigenous representatives engaging the mine in elaborate extortion schemes, usually triggered by environmental damage or the possibility of it. Similar situations take place in Chile. The document also states that mining unions in Latin America can be very aggressive as well and some of its members can become security risks for companies, particularly if they have ties with organized crime. The report details the case of unions in Mexico that were traditionally funded by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as PRI. Such labour organizations lost their main source of income when, in 2000, the party lost a presidential election for the first time in 70 years. The national mining union split into factions, some of which began collaborating with organized crime who paid their bills. Torex Golds (TSX: TXG) operations in Guerrero were undermined from an operational security perspective in recent years, owing directly from a dispute with its union, which purportedly has ties to organized crime, the document reads. Related: Bitcoin Capitulation Is Not Over Yet When it comes to organized crime in itself, AMI suggests that miners need to view such illegal groups as businesses and not as simple security threats. In the consultancys view, the reasoning behind this logic is simple. Criminal bands tend to have a hierarchy and different business divisions, each in pursuit of profits. If one business division, such as drug trafficking, is shut down by strong enforcement, revenues must be found in other areas, like kidnapping or extortion, the firms experts state in the paper. In other words, miners operating in areas under siege by organized crime need to keep track of what is happening with such organizations because even if they have never been approached or attacked by them, a change in conditions might put a target in their operations. Rising mineral prices and profits may also awaken an interest in illegal mining or in extorting a miner. In Mexico, Brazil, and Honduras, for instance, some gangs are known to extort the vendor suppliers of mines, extracting a war tax to guarantee their safety. These costs are passed onto the mine via invoices for real goods and services billed at inflated numbers. This practice is also known to take place in Venezuela. Police corruption is another risk companies need to take into account. In some countries, organized crime can only be stopped by federal police and military forces working together with a mines own security forces. AMI presents the case of the state of Guerrero, an important mining jurisdiction in southwestern Mexico. The area is also home to 20 different criminal groups, ranging from gangs to drug-producing cartels and police corruption is rampant. This means that it is common for different enterprises, amongst them mining companies, to be extorted and not finding support in local authorities. Another thing to take into account, says Americas Market Intelligence, is the fact that criminal groups sometimes control illegal miners. In Colombia, for example, cocaine producers and distributors help finance illegal mining to help launder their drug proceeds. AMI also presents the case of Guyana, where informal miners disrespect mining concession boundaries and poach gold deposits in shallow fields along river banks. Armed with fresh land title data that they obtain from corrupt government officials, unscrupulous pork-knockers purportedly poach concessions before miners are able to build proper perimeters to protect their property. Whats a miner to do? When it comes to informal miners, Americas Market Intelligence suggests that companies need to do their due diligence and know ahead of time how they operate, as well as implement a sensible policing strategy with official help. Related: Marijuana Looks For Its Next Big Win In New York AMI also recommends to thoroughly assess the presence of illicit organized crime and nearby drug-smuggling corridors in the regions where they plan to start a mining operation, because illegal groups financial interests may intercede with a future mine. Even legitimate competing interests like farming or indigenous groups may resort to violent tactics if they feel threatened by a new industrial mining project. Security threats are often the result of a much more fundamental economic threat or opportunity perceived by local interest groups, the document states. The Florida-based consultancy believes that, given how corrupt police forces are in some countries, every mine should be self-sufficient and rely on its own security personnel and strategies for protection. Directing an in-house security apparatus requires sound management and a constant feed of local intelligence that identifies both opponents and allies of the mine and monitors problems before they escalate into violence, the firms report says. Despite this recommendation, AMI suggests that self-sufficiency on the security front should not preclude miners from allying with other local businesses as well as building bridges with local political stakeholders. The more local players are aligned with the interests of the mine, the less likely they will work with or even tolerate illicit groups who oppose or threaten a mine, the document concludes. By Mining.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com This report was compiled by Lisa Andre. You can reach her at landre@leecentralcoastnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LAndreSYVNews These are the 10 most dangerous celebrities on the internet right now About P60 billion worth of economic zones and information technology centers are awaiting approval from the Office of the President. Industry sources said two property consultancy firms expressed concern over the delay in the proclamation of new economic zones. The proclamation is supposed to be announced by the President. Sources said while applications were moving, they were not meeting the expectation of investors and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. Around 17 to 22 information technology centers are waiting for the presidential proclamation. These IT centers expressed concern that the slow processing of approvals could affect the growth of the IT and BPO industry in the Philippines.The OP, however, has a standing commitment to speed up the economic zone proclamation. Sources said new IT center applications were mostly in Metro Manila. They cannot do away with Metro Manila as the prime location of most IT locators. They will have to set up their main branch in Manila and expand in the provinces as their redundant sites, sources said. Iowa Supreme Court dodges due process challenges to use of risk-assessment tools at sentencing | Main | Some of Senator Cotton's suspect claims in his latest case for amendments to the FIRST STEP Act December 16, 2018 Making the case against amendments to the FIRST STEP Act proposed by Senators Cotton and Kennedy ... UPDATED with a response on 12/17 In this post a few days ago, I provided details and links concerning three amendments that Senator Tom Cotton and Senator John Kennedy will seek to have made to the FIRST STEP Act this coming week. Unsurprisingly, advocates of significant sentencing reform are not fans of the Senators' proposed changes. The Brennan Center, for example, has this release explaining that it "strongly rejects attempts by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) to add a series of 'poison pill' amendments that would unacceptably weaken the FIRST STEP Act.... These amendments would stigmatize incarcerated people, block incentives that encourage those who need it most from participating in recidivism-reduction programming, and risk retraumatizing victims of crime." FreedomWorks has this even longer posting on this front titled "The Senate Must Reject Poison Pill Amendments to the First Step Act." Here are excerpts that provide a taste of the arguments being made against these amendments: Aside from the fact that the Cotton-Kennedy amendments have been introduced to hurt the First Step Acts prospects of passage, there are a number of problems with the amendments that weve identified. For these reasons, we encourage the Senate to reject the amendments when they are brought to the floor for a vote. Amendment 1: Excluding serious felons from early release to prerelease custody and supervised release This amendment seems to be more of the same type of objections raised by Sen. Cotton in the past regarding the exclusions list on the prison reform side of the bill. The exclusions list is already superfluous because of the risk and needs assessment, which in its operation ensures that those who have committed such heinous crimes as Sen. Cotton has identified, will not become low- or minimum-risk of recidivism in order to earn time credits.... Amendment 2: Notifying victims before a offender is allowed to transfer out of prison early This amendment masquerades as a harmless addition to promote victims rights, which is certainly a sympathetic cause. However, the amendment is not only redundant to current law and policy but its approach is also counterproductive and harmful for victims.... Amendment 3: Tracking the effectiveness of the anti-recidivism programs This amendment creates redundancy. The U.S. Sentencing Commission already provides detailed information on the recidivism rates of federal offenders. Although the measure of recidivism varies by report, the rates of rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration are accounted for in many reports. Although the rate of recidivism defined by rearrest is a common data point in U.S. Sentencing Commission reports, this is a poor measure. It is likely, though, that this measure is the one included in the amendment by its authors on purpose and for that very reason.... Additionally, the First Step Act as it stands already includes multiple mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of the anti-recidivism programming and other aspects of the legislation as well. The First Step Act includes its own reporting requirements, establishes an Independent Review Committee to report on the system, and requires a Government Accountability Office report of the risk and needs assessment and the programming together. Some of the most recent of many prior related posts: MORNING UPDATE on Dec. 17, 2018 : I have receive a one-page response to the arguments linked above in a document titled "Myths vs. Facts on the Cotton-Kennedy-Toomey-Kyl-Barrasso amendments to First Step." Here it is for downloading: Download Final Cotton-Kennedy Myths v. Facts In addition, Senator Cotton has this new commentary at the National Review making the case for his proposed amendments under the headline "Fix the First Step Act and Keep Violent Criminals behind Bars." This commentary closes with a passage that I will be discussing in a subsequent post, but here I will reprint how it starts: This week, the Senate will vote on the latest version of the First Step Act, a criminal-justice bill that would release thousands of dangerous criminals from federal prison earlier than under current law. This effort is misguided and dangerous, as I have written before. Thankfully, there is still time to limit the damage. Along with Senator John Kennedy, I have introduced an amendment to categorically exclude violent felons and sex offenders from the bills time-credit program, which can be used for early release. We also have amendments to notify victims before a prisoner is released early, and to monitor whether prisoners who are released early commit more crimes. If advocates of First Step want to protect public safety, they will support all three amendments. December 16, 2018 at 11:22 PM | Permalink Comments What America Has Done To Its Young People Is Appalling by Tyler Durden Tue, 12/04/2018 - 21:45 Authored by James Ostrowski via LewRockwell.com, Critics are perhaps too quick to judge Americas young people, citing declining SAT scores, obesity, drug overdoses, addiction to smart phones, bizarre alterations of personal appearance and high rates of (alleged) mental illness. Its just too easy to be annoyed at how some of the cashiers at the local grocery store seem unable to carry on a conversation or have chosen to mutilate their faces with pieces of metal. We are perhaps too quick to condemn the crazed behavior of young protesters in recent years without fully considering what our government, society and culture have done to these poor souls. Lets begin at the beginning. Forty percent of Americans are now born out of wedlock. Single parent families are associated with a long list of social maladies: Children who grow up with only one of their biological parents (nearly always the mother) are disadvantaged across a broad array of outcomes. . . . they are twice as likely to drop out of high school, 2.5 times as likely to become teen mothers, and 1.4 times as likely to be idle out of school and out of work as children who grow up with both parents. Children in one-parent families also have lower grade point averages, lower college aspirations, and poorer attendance records. As adults, they have higher rates of divorce. These patterns persist even after adjusting for differences in race, parents education, number of siblings, and residential location. Sara McLanahan, The Consequences of Single Motherhood, American Prospect(Summer 1994). In addition, a large number of marriages will fail. That means that close to sixty percent of children will not grow up in the classic nuclear family of the 1950s. How much of this change is due to government policies is hard to say, however, as government grows, the traditional family shrinks. When government subsidies to single parent families increase, so do the number of such families. As Jack Kemp used to say, when you subsidize something, you get more of it. Yes, culture also plays a role but dont forget that government can change the culture as well. Women tend to come out ahead in Family Courtthey get the house, the kids and much of the mans spare change thanks to unrealistic support formulas. This provides an incentive in marginal cases for women to seek a divorce. Increases in divorces made them more socially acceptable over time. Even with intact families, the idyllic norm of the 1950s, where the mother typically stayed home to take care of the kids until they reached school age and perhaps even long afterwards, has been destroyed. These days, in the typical American family, both parents work fulltime which means that a very large percentage of children are consigned to daycare. Daycare was virtually unknown in my world growing up in the 1960s. On the working class South Buffalo street where I grew up, I dont recall any mother with young children working full-time. The overwhelming majority were housewives while a few would get part-time jobs after the kids started school. I was not aware of any daycare centers in the neighborhood and certainly do not recall anyonewho ever attended one. The statistics bear this out. Daycare was once unusual for the middle class, but now over two-thirds of children lack a full-time stay-at-home parent. (Source: Center for American Progress) Like single parent families, daycare carries with it a long list of undesirable likely consequences. These include more mental and behavioral problems, more mind-altering drugs, more STDs, more obese, unhappy and institutionalized children of all ages. Mary Eberstadt, Home-Alone America: The Hidden Toll of Day Care, Behavioral Drugs, and Other Parent Substitutes (2004) (A fabulous but widely-ignored book). Thus, in the critical first five years of life, the vast majority of Americans are deprived of the obvious benefits of growing up in an intact family with the mother at home in the pre-school years. We baby boomers took this for granted. That world is gone with the wind. Why? Two main reasons: feminism and progressive big government. Feminism encouraged women to get out of the home and out from under the alleged control of husbands who allegedly controlled the family finances. Traditional mothers were derided as baby factories as if working in an actual factory making widgets was somehow more edifying than nurturing human beings at home. Second, the trend toward ever larger and more intrusive big government that started in the Progressive Era around 1916, hadnt yet weighed down the economy to the extent that two incomes were needed to support a family in the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, government grows steadily under progressive ideology, and after the twin shocks of the Great Society and the Vietnam War, by the 1970s stagflation kicked in and it became increasingly difficult to support a family with one income. Married women, whether they liked it or not or were under the sway of feminist ideology, were pushed into the labor market if only to have most of their wages seized to pay the dozens of taxes the family must pay. The take-home pay of many women is barely more than the familys total tax bill. Ironically, womens lib ended up converting women from baby factories into full-time tax livestock. It gets worse. After five years of being raised by strangers and deprived of maternal care, 90% of American youth are compelled to attend government schools for 12-13 years. As I explained in my book, Government Schools are Bad for Your Kids,government schools are rife with crime, drugs, promiscuity, mediocre education and political propaganda. Next comes college for about 70% of Americans. While many young people thrive in college, many others graduate with huge debt and poor job prospects and a hard left ideology poorly suited for success in life. Leftism teaches resentment of others, inculcates a victim mentality and teaches some students to hate their skin color while teaching others to blame the skin color of others for the difficulties they will face in life. Leftism does not inculcate the positive thinking, initiative, work ethic and perseverance in the face of adversity which are the hallmarks of successful people. Finally, we send this disadvantaged group of young Americans into a very hostile job market. Here, we saddle them with their per capita share of government debt as the guarantors of the fraudulent campaign promises of dead progressive politicians such as FDR and LBJ. A good accountant could figure how this debt translates into increased per capita taxes by dividing the number of taxpayers by the annual debt service. It is perhaps $2000 per person. Next comes student loan debt, a contrivance once again of dead progressive politicians to benefit overpaid progressive and left professors and administrators. This can easily be yet another $2000 per year. Young people are shunted into the job market because the progressive state has made starting a business extremely difficult with a bundle of taxes and regulations. The mere process of getting a job, which used to take a few days in the free market, now takes many months. Many jobs require government permission. Employers need to vet employees more carefully to avoid a plethora of costly discrimination lawsuits. Young workers productivity is largely eaten up by the direct and indirect effects of a myriad and taxes and regulations, often leaving workers with just enough to pay the bills but not move forward, have families or save for the future. As a result, a record number of young people are forced to move back in with their parents. The startling message I want to convey is that modern America treats its young people abominably from birth through young adulthood. This is largely because of the direct and indirect effects of numerous destructive progressive policies. This explains the numerous problems many young people are having. They have a right to be angry but need to focus on the true cause of the overwhelming majority of these problems: progressive big government. To the young people of America, I say: take the red pill; then, dont get mad; get even. Make life better for your own children than what progressive America foisted upon you. Posted by: LC in Texas | Dec 18, 2018 7:42:10 PM The purpose of the El Pollo Loco Survey is to collect honest and genuine feedback as possible from the customers of El Pollo Loco. https://takesurveys.onl/eplfeedback/ Posted by: Christian11 | Sep 11, 2020 2:20:18 AM Post a comment Making the case against amendments to the FIRST STEP Act proposed by Senators Cotton and Kennedy ... UPDATED with a response on 12/17 | Main | "Equitable Gateways: Toward Expanded Federal Habeas Corpus Review of State Court Criminal Convictions" December 17, 2018 Some of Senator Cotton's suspect claims in his latest case for amendments to the FIRST STEP Act As noted in an update to this prior post, Senator Tom Cotton has this new National Review commentary making the case for his proposed amendments to the latest version of the FIRST STEP Act under the headline "Fix the First Step Act and Keep Violent Criminals behind Bars." This commentary closes with a passage that troubled me, especially when I looked up the facts of the case he discusses. Here is how Senator Cotton concludes (with a few details emphasized by me for further commentary): So far the debate over First Step has been clouded by euphemism and abstraction, which has prevented the public from understanding what the bill actually does. A concrete example will help clarify the stakes. Richard Crawford is a former NASCAR driver who was convicted in August of trying to force a twelve-year-old girl to have sex with him. Crawford was sentenced to nearly 11 years in federal prison, but the statute he was convicted under does not appear in First Steps ineligible prisoners list. If the bill passes, he will therefore be eligible for time credits that would reduce his time in prison by up to one-third, or nearly four years. At the end of his prison sentence he would be moved into pre-release custody or supervised release. He would essentially be a free man. Crawfords sex crime was not obscure, low-level, or victimless. Quite the opposite. His crime had the potential to shatter a childs life. It was punished accordingly by a judge and a jury of his peers. That is how criminal justice ought to work in America. Now a group of politicians and activists are in a position to overturn that public judgment with the First Step Act. Conservatives should resist this revolution. The last few sentences of this passage initially troubled me because nothing in the FIRST STEP Act serves to "overturn" a jury conviction or even a sentencing term. Rather, the FSA creates additional incentives, through "time credits," for offenders to engage in recidivism-reducing programs. I think the FSA is popular because the "public judgment" is that it would generally be better for Crawford to be released in 2025 after having successfully engaged in this programming than to be released in 2028 without having made any effort to better himself. But even more irksome to me is how Senator Cotton portrays his poster child, Richard Crawford, because it seems a bit much to say he tried "to force a twelve-year-old girl to have sex with him" given that he was convicted based on law enforcement posing as a man soliciting people to have sex with a fictitious 12-year-old. This article about the case explains: Crawford was accused of agreeing to pay $50-$75 to have sex with a 12-year-old girl, making arrangements with a man named Mike on Craigslist. Mike and the 12-year-old girl were fictitious and used by law enforcement to catch Crawford in the act. He responded to an undercover federal agent via e-mail and text between Feb. 10 and Feb. 28. According to the agent, Crawford texted him, Love for her to be naked and ready, and asked for photos of the girl. Crawford was arrested at a location at which he agreed to meet Mike on March 1 by the Seminole County Sheriffs Office and was indicted March 30. Crawford claimed he agreed to the scenario because he didnt believe it really involved a child. His defense was detailed in a recent court filing, arguing against a lengthy sentence. "Mr. Crawford testified that he thought 'Mike,' the person he was corresponding with, was engaging in a fantasy and that he agreed to participate," the filing read. "Mr. Crawford did not believe there would be a minor present; instead, he thought there would be an adult woman, presumably 'Mike's' wife or girlfriend, and that he and this woman would act the roles in 'Mike's' fantasy." "Mr. Crawford consistently maintained that he had no intent to have sex with a minor, and if a minor had been present, he would not have had sex with the minor. A jury rejected Crawford's claims of innocence and convicted him of "attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity." But to say he tried to force a 12-year-old to have sex seems off since there never was an actual 12-year-old. Indeed, I think it fair to call Crawford's crime "victimless," though the case really serves as a great indication of how hard it is to place accurate short-hand labels on various crimes (and how easy it is for Senator Cotton to make a crime sound worse than it was is using short-hand labels). To allow Crawford, who is 60 years old and appears to have no criminal history, the chance to earn "time credits" by completing evidence-based programming to reduce his risk of recidivism seem to me sensible, not scary. (And, as I understand matters, if a risk assessment procedure were to classify Crawford as "high-risk" he would not in fact get any sentence reductions.) We will see in the coming days whether Senator Cotton gets his proposed amendments added to the FIRST STEP Act. But if Richard Crawford is the worst version of Willie Horton that he can conjure up for the coming debate, I am not at all convinced there is any need to carve out still further exceptions to the prison reform provisions that seem well-conceived to try to reduce the recidivism risk of as many federal prisoners as possible. Some of the most recent of many prior related posts: December 17, 2018 at 12:36 PM | Permalink Comments Oh goodie, an anecdote! I love anecdotes! Willie Horton Willie Horton. Posted by: Fat Bastard | Dec 17, 2018 4:04:29 PM All this illustrates is once again how malleable the term "crime of violence" has become. Now, enticement is the same thing as force. But that is not how we normally think of things. To entice something is to draw it towards one. So under the Senator's train of logic every time a woman puts on lipstick or wiggles her hips she is engaged in a crime of violence. Frankly, Cotton is just a god damn liar and people who elect god damn liars are disgusting. Posted by: Daniel | Dec 17, 2018 8:15:32 PM Sen. Cotton is just a tool of the prison industrial complex. I really hope these amendments do not get attached to the final bill. It seems to me that it would pass without these amendments, and that his colleagues realize how absurd his ideas are. It's unfortunate that sex offenses are almost always excluded from any good time credits or incentives to rehabilitate. It makes no sense from any standpoint. Mr. Berman, I'm a paralegal student and formally incarcerated person. (Just so you know who's reading your blog.) Posted by: Chris | Dec 17, 2018 11:22:41 PM There are so many different circumstances to every case. One example is three generations working on a fourth of false accusers. Women that use their children as tools against men. The people never know about the CPS records, the police reports or weather they are alcoholics or use drugs. The courts just automatically award the children to the mother and collect fees from the father. The courts have done more damage to the human race then any enemy. What America Has Done To Its Young People Is Appalling by Tyler Durden Tue, 12/04/2018 - 21:45 Authored by James Ostrowski via LewRockwell.com, Critics are perhaps too quick to judge Americas young people, citing declining SAT scores, obesity, drug overdoses, addiction to smart phones, bizarre alterations of personal appearance and high rates of (alleged) mental illness. Its just too easy to be annoyed at how some of the cashiers at the local grocery store seem unable to carry on a conversation or have chosen to mutilate their faces with pieces of metal. We are perhaps too quick to condemn the crazed behavior of young protesters in recent years without fully considering what our government, society and culture have done to these poor souls. Lets begin at the beginning. Forty percent of Americans are now born out of wedlock. Single parent families are associated with a long list of social maladies: Children who grow up with only one of their biological parents (nearly always the mother) are disadvantaged across a broad array of outcomes. . . . they are twice as likely to drop out of high school, 2.5 times as likely to become teen mothers, and 1.4 times as likely to be idle out of school and out of work as children who grow up with both parents. Children in one-parent families also have lower grade point averages, lower college aspirations, and poorer attendance records. As adults, they have higher rates of divorce. These patterns persist even after adjusting for differences in race, parents education, number of siblings, and residential location. Sara McLanahan, The Consequences of Single Motherhood, American Prospect(Summer 1994). In addition, a large number of marriages will fail. That means that close to sixty percent of children will not grow up in the classic nuclear family of the 1950s. How much of this change is due to government policies is hard to say, however, as government grows, the traditional family shrinks. When government subsidies to single parent families increase, so do the number of such families. As Jack Kemp used to say, when you subsidize something, you get more of it. Yes, culture also plays a role but dont forget that government can change the culture as well. Women tend to come out ahead in Family Courtthey get the house, the kids and much of the mans spare change thanks to unrealistic support formulas. This provides an incentive in marginal cases for women to seek a divorce. Increases in divorces made them more socially acceptable over time. Even with intact families, the idyllic norm of the 1950s, where the mother typically stayed home to take care of the kids until they reached school age and perhaps even long afterwards, has been destroyed. These days, in the typical American family, both parents work fulltime which means that a very large percentage of children are consigned to daycare. Daycare was virtually unknown in my world growing up in the 1960s. On the working class South Buffalo street where I grew up, I dont recall any mother with young children working full-time. The overwhelming majority were housewives while a few would get part-time jobs after the kids started school. I was not aware of any daycare centers in the neighborhood and certainly do not recall anyonewho ever attended one. The statistics bear this out. Daycare was once unusual for the middle class, but now over two-thirds of children lack a full-time stay-at-home parent. (Source: Center for American Progress) Like single parent families, daycare carries with it a long list of undesirable likely consequences. These include more mental and behavioral problems, more mind-altering drugs, more STDs, more obese, unhappy and institutionalized children of all ages. Mary Eberstadt, Home-Alone America: The Hidden Toll of Day Care, Behavioral Drugs, and Other Parent Substitutes (2004) (A fabulous but widely-ignored book). Thus, in the critical first five years of life, the vast majority of Americans are deprived of the obvious benefits of growing up in an intact family with the mother at home in the pre-school years. We baby boomers took this for granted. That world is gone with the wind. Why? Two main reasons: feminism and progressive big government. Feminism encouraged women to get out of the home and out from under the alleged control of husbands who allegedly controlled the family finances. Traditional mothers were derided as baby factories as if working in an actual factory making widgets was somehow more edifying than nurturing human beings at home. Second, the trend toward ever larger and more intrusive big government that started in the Progressive Era around 1916, hadnt yet weighed down the economy to the extent that two incomes were needed to support a family in the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, government grows steadily under progressive ideology, and after the twin shocks of the Great Society and the Vietnam War, by the 1970s stagflation kicked in and it became increasingly difficult to support a family with one income. Married women, whether they liked it or not or were under the sway of feminist ideology, were pushed into the labor market if only to have most of their wages seized to pay the dozens of taxes the family must pay. The take-home pay of many women is barely more than the familys total tax bill. Ironically, womens lib ended up converting women from baby factories into full-time tax livestock. It gets worse. After five years of being raised by strangers and deprived of maternal care, 90% of American youth are compelled to attend government schools for 12-13 years. As I explained in my book, Government Schools are Bad for Your Kids,government schools are rife with crime, drugs, promiscuity, mediocre education and political propaganda. Next comes college for about 70% of Americans. While many young people thrive in college, many others graduate with huge debt and poor job prospects and a hard left ideology poorly suited for success in life. Leftism teaches resentment of others, inculcates a victim mentality and teaches some students to hate their skin color while teaching others to blame the skin color of others for the difficulties they will face in life. Leftism does not inculcate the positive thinking, initiative, work ethic and perseverance in the face of adversity which are the hallmarks of successful people. Finally, we send this disadvantaged group of young Americans into a very hostile job market. Here, we saddle them with their per capita share of government debt as the guarantors of the fraudulent campaign promises of dead progressive politicians such as FDR and LBJ. A good accountant could figure how this debt translates into increased per capita taxes by dividing the number of taxpayers by the annual debt service. It is perhaps $2000 per person. Next comes student loan debt, a contrivance once again of dead progressive politicians to benefit overpaid progressive and left professors and administrators. This can easily be yet another $2000 per year. Young people are shunted into the job market because the progressive state has made starting a business extremely difficult with a bundle of taxes and regulations. The mere process of getting a job, which used to take a few days in the free market, now takes many months. Many jobs require government permission. Employers need to vet employees more carefully to avoid a plethora of costly discrimination lawsuits. Young workers productivity is largely eaten up by the direct and indirect effects of a myriad and taxes and regulations, often leaving workers with just enough to pay the bills but not move forward, have families or save for the future. As a result, a record number of young people are forced to move back in with their parents. The startling message I want to convey is that modern America treats its young people abominably from birth through young adulthood. This is largely because of the direct and indirect effects of numerous destructive progressive policies. This explains the numerous problems many young people are having. They have a right to be angry but need to focus on the true cause of the overwhelming majority of these problems: progressive big government. To the young people of America, I say: take the red pill; then, dont get mad; get even. Make life better for your own children than what progressive America foisted upon you. Posted by: LC in Texas | Dec 18, 2018 7:31:12 PM Post a comment Reuters SG Razer Inc said on Thursday that a group led by its top executives proposed to take the gaming hardware maker private in a deal that values the Hong Kong-listed company at HK$24.70 billion ($3.17 billion). The group led by Chairman Min-Liang Tan and non-executive director Kaling Lim, who own around 57% of Razer, are offering HK$2.82 a share for the remainder of the company, Razer said in a stock exchange filing. The consortium believes that Razer, with headquarters in the United States and Singapore, has suffered from low trading volumes and has been undervalued in Hong Kong. SINGAPORE (Dec 17): Following a strong year of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity largely thanks to Nesta Investment Holdings US$11.6 billion buyout of Global Logistic Properties (GLP) Singapore is forecast to see a modest cooling in total M&A, from US$36 billion this year to about US$26 billion in 2019. This is according to Baker McKenzies new Global Transactions Forecast 2019 report, which is based on forecast macroeconomic indicators from Oxford Economics along with insights from Baker McKenzie partners in 42 markets worldwide. The forecast predicts macro drivers to cool global markets in 2H19, such that M&A value falls from US$3.1 trillion this year to US$2.9 trillion in 2019. Within Asia Pacific, it anticipates much of the momentum this year to be maintained into 2019 despite slower world trade growth, with globally emerging markets looking less vulnerable to rising Fed rates in the past. In a press release on Monday, Baker McKenzie says the projections for deal activity cooling in Singapore reflect the city states particular exposure to a global trade war. Nonetheless, the firms sees scope for a rebound from Singapores relatively weaker domestic activity in 2018 with the prospects of strong domestic demand. Total IPO transaction values in Singapore are also forecast to improve to almost US$3.8 billion in 2019 from US$530.2 million this year. Baker McKenzie cautions that ongoing trade tensions nonetheless continue to pose a threat to initial public offering (IPO) activity in general. "Unless the US-China trade conflicts can be resolved soon, this will have a negative impact on IPO activity. In part, this is because the trade wars may negatively affect the business prospects and valuations of IPO candidates, but this is also because the trade wars are having a negative impact on stock markets overall, which is causing some IPOs to be delayed, or to occur at lower valuations," comments David Holland, Baker McKenzie's Asia Pacific Head of Capital Markets. Story continues Based on the firms Transaction Attractive Indicator score, which ranks key economies in terms of attractiveness in current environment for M&A and IPO activity, Singapore comes in second in the Asia Pacific region after Hong Kong with a score of 8.7. The latter economy tops the list with a score of 8.9, and is notably the regions No. 1 performer in 2018 for IPOs despite ongoing US-China trade headwinds. "Hong Kong remains an attractive IPO market for many issuers not only does it help raise their profile in the Asian market, but it also facilitates their expansion plan in Asia, says Ivy Wong, a Capital Markets Partner in Baker McKenzie's Hong Kong office. In addition, with the high liquidity of securities trading in the Hong Kong stock market, it also makes post-listing financing relatively easy and promising. Van Tu Nguyen, Duong Tuan Dat, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong and Tran Thi Phuong Thao each pleaded guilty to one charge of theft and two charges of fraudulent possession of property. Four Vietnamese nationals hatched a plan to travel to Singapore for the sole purpose of stealing from clothing chain Uniqlo, a court heard. The two men and two women targeted Singapore as they didnt need visas to travel here, and they heard that Uniqlo stores didnt attach sensor tags on many items. They wanted to sell the items back home. Using improvised shopping bags with aluminium lining to avoid setting off sensor alarms, the Vietnamese carted out 1,454 pieces of apparel worth $44,755.10 from the retail chain on a few occasions in September. The haul was so large that when police tracked the thieves down, the Vietnamese were unable to recall which Uniqlo outlets they had taken the items from. At the State Courts on Monday (17 December), the two men, Van Tu Nguyen, 30, and Duong Tuan Dat, 27, and two women, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, 31, and Tran Thi Phuong Thao, 29, were all jailed for their crimes. Each pleaded guilty to one charge of theft and two charges of fraudulent possession of property. Van, Duong and Nguyen were each jailed for one year and 11 months, while Tran was jailed for one year and 10 months. Group used special shopping bags, empty luggage bags The groups ringleader, Nguyen, would pick out the items to steal. She paid for the groups air tickets, accommodation, meals and expenses. Duong would transport the items out of the stores. Van and Tran would look after the stolen items, which would be placed in luggage bags. Van would sometimes help keep a lookout or take items out of the stores. On 15 September, the thieves went to Downtown East. Duong carried two improvised bags and walked into a Uniqlo store there with Van and Nguyen. Tran waited some distance away from the store, ready to pick up the loot in two empty luggage bags. Van and Nguyen stole 50 pieces of winter wear worth $4,995 in total. They would hand the clothes to Duong and he would place them in their special bags, exit the store, and then pass the stolen items to Tran for her to keep in the luggage bags. Duong walked in and out of the store several times. Story continues About one hour into their heist, the security panel at the store exit was activated. A Uniqlo staff member saw Duong walking out when Van shouted at him to run. The staff gave chase but lost sight of the two men. Police arrested the four thieves in their room at Hotel Re in Chin Swee Road the next day. They found 818 pieces of clothing worth $21,583.70. The culprits could only say that they had gone to various Uniqlo outlets by taxi and that only Nguyen would tell the cabbies where to go. Police also found a key to a room at Hotel 81 in Chinatown. On 20 September, officers brought Van to the budget hotel, where the group had kept four luggage bags with 636 pieces of Uniqlo clothing worth $23,171.40. Other Singapore stories: Golds and Goals moments: Man United facing bleak future 90 SCDF personnel put out Sungei Kadut warehouse fire Man who posed as HDB officer, sexually assaulted teenage girls given 20 years preventive detention The operators of motorcycle ride-sharing platform Angkas may be cited for contempt if they continue to operate despite a Supreme Court order to stop operations. Thousands of motorcycle riders continued to defy the High Courts temporary restraining order against a Mandaluyong court ruling favoring Angkas, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on Monday said. The recent ruling allows the Metro Manila Development Authority, Highway Patrol Group, and all deputized traffic enforcers to apprehend Angkas drivers. LTFRB executive director Samuel Jardin said that if a group or a party continues to defy a court order, they may be cited for contempt. Jardin said the Office of the Solicitor General can also initiate the charges against violators. We should implement the law and respect the Supreme Court order, he added.Meanwhile, various labor groups slammed the ruling to ban Angkas as well as the proposed double big plate on public vehicles. Workers are both riders and commuters, thus, imposing rigid and prohibitive rules in the streets adds more burden to the working people and reinforces class discrimination in the guise of road safety and anti-crime campaign, Partido Manggagawa said in a statement. The group said the ban on Angkas operations denies thousands of working people a faster and safer mobility in Metro Manila. Banning Angkas and requiring double big plates on motorcycles will neither improve traffic conditions and road safety nor contain criminal activities of organized crime groups. Only organized communities, a disciplined police force, and a modern mass transport system can solve these age-old public services deficit, the group said. The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines aired the same sentiment, saying workers utilize motorcycles as the most economical and fastest mode of navigating Metro Manila traffic. Major European stock markets fell on Monday, with Wall Street's main indices also touching multi-month lows, at the start of a busy week packed with central bank interest rate decisions. The London stock market, already beset with Brexit concerns, took an additional knock after British online fashion retailer ASOS issued a profit warning. London's blue-chip FTSE 100 fell 1.1 percent, as did the CAC 40 in Paris, while the DAX 30 in Frankfurt shed 0.9 percent. On Wall Street, both the Dow and S&P, which have fallen into correction territory, touched multi-month lows before paring their losses. The Nasdaq composite briefly rallied into positive territory. The US Federal Reserve will conclude its rate-setting policy meeting Wednesday and while expectations are for another hike in borrowing costs, comments from chairman Jerome Powell will be closely watched for an idea of its plans for 2019. The Bank of England will follow suit on Thursday with its latest monetary policy decision. The European Central Bank last week held interest rates steady as it ended its crisis-fighting economic stimulus known as quantitative easing (QE). - Uncertainty reigns - "There isn't a lot of mystery behind the negative bias," said Patrick O'Hare at Briefing.com. "Trade uncertainty, political uncertainty, growth uncertainty, and monetary policy uncertainty continue to provide a rationale to reduce risk exposure." There is still caution on trading floors after Friday's sharp sell-off fuelled by concerns over China's economy, and despite a tweet from US President Donald Trump suggesting a trade deal could be hammered out between Washington and Beijing. While there are signs the world's top two economies are beginning to move towards a resolution in their bitter tariffs spat, there are increasing concerns about the global outlook following another dour set of indicators out of China. A string of below-par readings this year have highlighted a slowdown in the Asian giant and observers are forecasting leaders will unveil fresh measures to pep up the economy, which is on course for another year of relatively weak growth. Trump added to the uncertainty on monetary policy by calling publicly on the Fed not to raise interest rates. "It is incredible that with a very strong dollar and virtually no inflation, the outside world blowing up around us, Paris is burning and China way down, the Fed is even considering yet another interest rate hike," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Take the Victory!" Meanwhile in corporate action, shares in ASOS plunged over 40 percent in London after the British online fashion retailer warned over sales and profits after experiencing a "significant deterioration" in trade in the run-up to the key Christmas season. ASOS chief executive Nick Beighton said November had been the "most difficult month relative to expectations for five years" -- as he blamed Brexit, weak consumer confidence and deep price discounting for the shock warning. The news sparked alarm among retailers already struggling with sales in their physical stores. As a result, shares in British clothing group Next sank 4.9 percent while bellwether Marks & Spencer fell 4.6 percent. "Looking more broadly this is also a potential warning sign for online retailers who have hitherto held up relatively well compared to traditional High Street chains in what has no doubt been a challenging year for the sector," said David Cheetham, chief market analyst at XTB online trading firm. Asian stock markets meanwhile mostly closed higher Monday as traders looked ahead to the Fed, and a Chinese economic policy-setting conference this week. - Key figures around 1630 GMT - London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.1 percent at 6,773.24 points (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.9 percent at 10,772.20 (close) Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.1 percent at 4,799.87 (close) EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.7 percent at 3,069.98 New York - Dow: DOWN 0.4 percent at 23,998.01 Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 percent at 21,506.88 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: FLAT at 26,087.98 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 2,597.97 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1345 from $1.1306 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 112.98 yen from 113.39 yen Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2603 from $1.2583 at 2200 GMT Oil - Brent Crude: DOWN one cent at $60.27 per barrel Oil - West Texas Intermediate DOWN 50 cents at $50.70. burs-rl/pma Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Monday opened the country's largest hydropower scheme, swatting aside dire warnings about the environmental impact of the $780 million project and its effect on local communities. Backed by Chinese funding, the impoverished Southeast Asian nation has embarked on a dam-building spree in recent years, as it tries to boost its energy capacity and jump-start its economy. But the 400 megawatt Lower Sesan 2 is one of several dams criticised by environmentalists for threatening crucial fish stocks along Mekong River waterways. An estimated 5,000 people -- mostly from marginalised indigenous groups -- have been resettled due to the project, according to activists, while a few hundred remain. Hun Sen strongly defended the controversial scheme at the official opening in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, saying affected villagers were compensated with houses and land. "Most people support this development project, but some villagers created a difficult situation due to incitement by some foreigners," he said, adding that the hydropower dam would help reduce electricity costs. The United Nations has previously raised concerns about the dam while some scientists had joined calls for it to be halted over fears for the region's food supply. The NGO International Rivers has warned it will have a "costly catastrophic impact on the Mekong River's fisheries and biodiversity". Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia program director with the group, told AFP the threat is "especially acute in Cambodia", where local people get up to 80 percent of their animal protein intake from freshwater fisheries. Built along tributaries of the Mekong, The Lower Sesan 2 is a joint venture between Cambodia's Royal Group (39 percent), Chinese state-owned Hydrolancang International Energy (51 percent) and Vietnam-based EVN International (10 percent). The plant will be handed over to the Cambodian government after 40 years of operation. Cambodia has also come under fire for allowing companies to clear hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest -- including in protected zones -- for everything from rubber and sugar cane plantations to hydropower dams. Rights groups say evicted villagers are often given inadequate compensation or forcibly moved in the process. Southeast Asia's dam-building boom has come under scrutiny after a collapse in neighbouring Laos in September killed dozens. Following the disaster, which sent floods of water downstream to northeastern Cambodia, Hun Sen called for more cross-border disaster management. Chinas corruption watchdog takes down self-styled Mao-tai liquor mogul who went into business for himself A former vice-governor of Guizhou province accumulated so many bottles of Mao-tai liquor through his official duties that he became a wine seller and ran four trading companies to turn them into cash, anti-corruption officials said. His wife had to pour away hundreds of bottles of expensive Chinese baijiu, the spirit distilled from sorghum, wheat or rice, before the agency closed in, Anti-Corruption Watch, published by Sichuan Daily, revealed on Saturday. Wang Xiaoguang was a former member of the Communist Partys standing committee in Guizhou and vice-governor. He made headlines on April 1 by becoming the first tiger taken down by the National Supervisory Commission, Chinas highest anti-corruption authority which was established in the autumn of 2017. Chinese cadre in hot water over orchid and banned book addiction He was kicked out of the party in September and prosecuted in Chongqing two months later. According to the commission, Wang was accused of indulging in luxury banquets and living extravagantly. In November, Xinhua, Chinas state news agency, reported that Wang had been charged with taking bribes, embezzlement and insider trading. Whenever Wang needed to entertain guests, he would ask his subordinates to provide Mao-tai for the occasion, the commission said. After the event, he would take home the unopened bottles. On average, an authentic bottle of Mao-tai for a formal dining occasion could cost more than 1,300 yuan (US$188). The anti-corruption report said: Six months before his downfall, his wife poured hundreds of bottles of expensive Mao-tai down the drain. It is estimated that the amount of liquor dumped by them was worth hundreds of thousands of yuan. Wang could collect as many as 50 bottles of authentic aged Mao-tai a month for free not including those given to him by people seeking favour from a party bigwig and vice-governor. He had collected so many bottles he started a business to turn them into cash. This meant four liquor licences and four stores in Guiyang, all operated by relatives. Story continues The report said Wang would ask his subordinates to buy from his family stores when business was slow. As all aged Mao-tai typically bears a barcode, some government officials realised that the liquor they bought for Wang had started popping up on the market again. In August, Guizhou province asked cadres to dump Mao-tai shares or not to take any part in the industry. Wang was not the only official in Guizhou to fall foul of the commission, merely the most high profile. On December 5, the provincial anti-graft agency announced that Zhao Fujun a former senior traffic police officer in the city of Liupanshui and Guo Rui, the citys deputy tourism director of Meihua Mountain area, were both under investigation for receiving Mao-tai and reselling it for profit. Two county party chiefs were also detained by the watchdog for accepting the drink as a gift. Whats next for Chinese President Xi Jinpings war on corruption? Distillers have also been targets of government anti-corruption watchdogs in recent years. Three former high-level executives of the China Kweichow Moutai Distillery, which is owned by Guizhou province, have faced corruption charges. In March 2016, Tan Dinghua, former deputy general manager and financial director, was investigated for breaches of discipline. Tan is still under investigation and has not been charged. Fourteen months earlier, Fang Guoxing, deputy general secretary and deputy general manager of the group, was dismissed, while in April 2007, Qiao Hong, then general manager of the group, was arrested. He was tried and given a suspended death sentence in 2010 for taking bribes. This article Chinas corruption watchdog takes down self-styled Mao-tai liquor mogul who went into business for himself first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Chinas central government has ordered authorities in the countrys export hub, Guangdong province, to stop producing a regional purchasing managers index for the manufacturing sector as it seeks to control the flow of sensitive economic data. The order by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) means the province will now not release purchasing managers index (PMI) data for either October or November. The move comes as Beijing looks to tighten its grip on the dissemination of economic news amid the trade war with the United States. Industry insiders and analysts raised concerns about what the move means for disclosure of the real impact of the conflict on local businesses. The demise of Guangdongs PMI came unannounced as the Guangdong government just stopped releasing the data. When an individual inquired as to why Guangdong had stopped releasing its own PMI, the Guangdong Industry and Information Technology Department issued a brief statement on December 10, buried deep in the website, saying that it had received a notice from the NBS at the end of October and was told that all PMI compilations must be conducted by the NBS. Given this directive, it decided to stop compiling and releasing the provincial PMI from November 1 on. Phone calls to the NBS information office went unanswered on Monday and the bureau has not replied to faxed questions from the South China Morning Post. The Guangdong provincial PMI, complied by the Guangdongs Industry and Information Technology Department, has been released on a monthly basis since November 2011. When the Guangdong government decided to produce its own PMI that year, it said in a statement that Guangdong, which is a global manufacturing hub, was in need of its own PMI to help inform economic policymakers, enterprises and analysts so that they could accurately predict economic performance of the province and even the whole country. Story continues For instance, Chicago used to be the heartland of US manufacturing, and the Chicago PMI is often regarded one of the most significant [US] economic indicators by economists, the Guangdong government said then. The Guangdong PMI is calculated based on a survey of 1,000 key enterprises in the province. Peng Peng, vice-president of the South Nongovernmental Think Tank in Guangdong, said the demise of the provincial PMI would be a loss to the local business community. Guangdongs monthly PMI was an important lead indicator showing Chinas real economic situation, he said. Without it, local companies would have to rely on official statistics reported by the central government via the NBS or on official views of how manufacturing companies were doing in China, he said. The owner of an export-oriented manufacturing business in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, said he was concerned by the central governments move as it suggested the economy might be in even worse shape than he thought. Timely and transparent PMI data is not only important for Guangdong companies but for all businesses nationwide, because Guangdong is Chinas main economic engine, said the person, who asked not to be identified. Im actually worried about the official move. I think the situation in the manufacturing sector will be really bad in the coming year, and that might be why Guangdongs provincial monthly PMI needed to be shut down. The Guangdong PMI for the manufacturing sector actually rose in September to 50.2, from 49.3 a month earlier. Readings above 50 points indicate the sector is expanding. It is not the first time Chinas statistics bureau has tightened control over PMIs not produced in house. The bureau in 2015 ordered a private compiler of a Chinese PMI to stop releasing preliminary readings that came out a week before the official release. The tightened control by NBS over Guangdongs PMI comes at the same time as the statistics bureau reduces the autonomy of local governments to produce their own gross domestic product data. According to a notice issued by NBS in October 2017, the NBS will compile provincial GDP figures directly from 2019 onwards, taking over the work of local provincial statistics bureaus, so that the gaps between provincial and nationwide GDP data would be smaller. The NBS notice at that time only mentioned GDP data and did not touch on other indicators such as PMI. This article China tightens control of local economic data ahead of expected weak growth next year first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. More from South China Morning Post: Deutsche Bank ready to help German companies China ambitions as trade war pushes Beijing closer to Europe, says Asia chief Deutsche Bank said it is ready to support German companies growing ambitions in China. It expects German firms to increase their investments as the US-China trade war prompts Beijing to deepen its ties with Europe, according to the banking giants Asia-Pacific boss. As the trade war with the US escalates, China has become more receptive to proposals by other foreign companies for market access, in a gesture to show the country is still opening up to the rest of the world. In October, German car maker BMW said it would pay 3.6 billion euros (US$4.2 billion) to take control of its Chinese joint venture in 2022, after Beijing announced it would scrap foreign-ownership limits on local car firms and fully open up the market by that year. The deal showed China will not change its opening-up policy, and instead will open up further and deeper, according to Premier Li Keqiang during an October meeting with BMWs chief executive officer, Harald Krueger, in Beijing. Brilliance Auto shares plunge by almost a third as BMW plans to buy control of Chinese joint venture In August, Ludwigshafen-based BASF, the largest chemical producer in the world, said it plans to build Chinas first wholly foreign-owned chemicals complex in Guangdong province, an investment expected to be worth US$10 billion by 2030. The deal is a rare one in Chinas energy and chemical sector, which is usually under the tight control of the government. The trade war is likely to encourage the European Union and China to work much more closely together. And Germany is a key country in the EU, Werner Steinmuller, said chief executive officer for Asia-Pacific at Deutsche Bank, in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post. There is a clear advantage to both sides to see increased cooperation between Germany and China. He said German companies are still optimistic about the business outlook in China and are expected to increase their investments. We are supporting our clients with their ambitions in China, Steinmuller said, citing a recent survey by the German Chamber of Commerce in China. Story continues As the survey shows, two thirds of German companies plan to invest more in China in the next two years. The Chamber released a business confidence survey last month, which indicated the majority of German companies see China as an important market with good business opportunities. Steinmuller said Deutsche Bank had advised BMWs recent deal to take control of its Chinese venture and hoped to offer support to more similar moves by German firms in China. Deutsche Bank predicts that the trade war will have a limited impact on Chinas economic growth, which it sees at around 6.2 per cent to 6.3 per cent for 2019. China is currently Germanys largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totalling 186.6 billion euros (US$230 billion) in 2017, almost a third of Chinas trade with the European Union. In July, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li met in Berlin and unveiled US$23 billion worth of bilateral deals, which included BASFs chemical complex project. Li said he expected the two countries to enhance economic and trade cooperation and open up further to each other in technology investments. Steinmuller said as China opens up further, his bank hopes to play a bigger role in facilitating cross-border transactions and the business activities of multinational companies, both inbound and outbound. We want to support the German-China corridor, Steinmuller said. Our banks first international presence in 1872 was in China, and that purpose has not changed. China is getting more open. It has made a lot of big progress, specifically in the banking industry and capital markets in the last nine months. I would welcome it if it continues the openness; not only for banks, but also for corporates. Touching on the firms China strategy, Steinmuller said the bank sees an opportunity to offer more sophisticated and tailor-made asset management products for Chinese investors, who are increasingly keen to diversify their assets because of the wealth creation in the country. In the short run, the bank has been investing in its technology platform, particularly its global transaction banking division, which offers cash management, trade finance, and securities services for corporates and institutional investors. It is also hiring staff, not only in the technology area, but also in client coverage for China. In the longer term, Steinmuller said the bank is looking forward to expanding its onshore securities capabilities when the right moment comes. Currently, Deutsche Bank has an onshore securities joint venture with Shanxi Securities, in which it holds a 33.3 per cent stake. Its asset management arm also has a partnership with Beijing-based Harvest Fund Management. JP Morgan says its still firmly on track to launch China venture next year, regardless of trade spat Last month, Chinas securities regulator gave approval for the Swiss bank UBS to increase its stake in its onshore securities venture to 51 per cent, making it the first foreign bank to control its local business venture under new rules announced by Beijing last year. JP Morgan and Nomura have also applied to set up majority-owned joint ventures. Last November, Beijing announced it would raise foreign ownership limits in financial firms to 51 per cent from the current 49 per cent ceiling. Full foreign ownership of securities firms, futures companies and fund houses will be allowed after three years. For insurance companies, the cap would be removed in five years. This article Deutsche Bank ready to help German companies China ambitions as trade war pushes Beijing closer to Europe, says Asia chief first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. More from South China Morning Post: Hong Kong lacks a dedicated climate change authority to spearhead and keep the subject high on the policy agenda, leading to a dilution of leadership despite the formation of a high-level steering committee two years ago, according to a new report. The Paris Watch Hong Kong Climate Action Report, published by NGO CarbonCare InnoLab at a United Nations conference in Poland on Thursday, said the city lacked a designated body to lead climate change policies beyond just environmental protection. Hong Kong has no dedicated climate authority, unlike Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo, the report by the Hong Kong-based NGO read. Uncertainty as to who in government owns the climate change agenda leads to a dilution of leadership on climate action, which needs to involve a broad socio-economic realignment beyond just environmental protection. It said the lack of a climate champion and corresponding deployment of resources led to the conclusion that this area of policy was not given sufficient importance. The Environment Bureau which also steers policies for waste, energy and conservation among others roles took on the biggest policymaking role, but it alone lacked the wherewithal to spur rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure including transport and buildings, and industrial systems needed to thwart runaway global warming. The latest special report by the UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in October drew attention to the need for such transitions, highlighting the pathways and effects of keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Paris Watch report also raised questions over the role and transparency of Hong Kongs Steering Committee on Climate Change, a body chaired by the citys chief secretary and set up in 2016. Officials from 13 policy bureaus and three departments are on the committee set up to steer direction, coordinate efforts and enhance public awareness on climate change though others may attend meetings on an ad hoc basis, according to the government. Story continues But since a press announcement was released of its first meeting in April 2016, the group identified no other information on its activity. The committee has no dedicated website and details of meeting agendas or minutes cannot be found in the public domain. Updates do occasionally surface. For instance, responding to lawmaker queries on Wednesday, the bureau said the committee had discussed Central Policy Unit proposals on carbon trading and agreed that Hong Kong was not yet in a position to establish its own carbon trading market at this stage. The unit recently restructured as the Policy Innovation and Coordination Office published a study last June to look into whether the city could develop its own carbon trading market and, if so, what role it could can play in the national one. Paris Watch said the city fell short in achieving its fair share of emissions reductions to help realise the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which stressed the need to limit the rise in average global temperatures to 2 degrees, while pursuing efforts to hold it at 1.5 degrees. Nearly 200 countries scrambled to draft a rule book on implementing the landmark 2015 Paris climate agreement at a two-week UN conference in Katowice, Poland this month. The governments emissions reduction target for 2030 was 3.3 tonnes to 3.8 tonnes per capita but that would exceed the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Groups recommended level of two tonnes per capita for a city with this economic output, the report said. Hong Kongs 2030 target would exceed the C40 Cities pathway by some 78 per cent, the report noted. The C40 group, of which Hong Kong is a member, is a London-based network of megacities taking action to address climate change. Everything we have heard here from scientists and politicians [in Katowice] just confirms the message that Hong Kong must plan to rapidly raise its ambition levels on greenhouse gas emission reductions, said John Sayer, CarbonCare research director. Meanwhile, lawmaker Martin Liao Cheung-kong moved a motion at the Legislative Council urging the government to be more proactive in alleviating and coping with climate change and to lead the city into a green and low-carbon society and economy. Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing said the government would come up with a long-term decarbonisation strategy for up to 2050 by 2020. Another advisory body, the Council for Sustainable Development, has been commissioned to conduct a public engagement early next year and will be tasked with identifying a specific carbon reduction target, while taking into account scientific developments such as the IPCCs latest special report. Hong Kongs total greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by about 5 per cent to 41,900 kilotonnes from 44,300 kilotonnes from 2013 to 2016, mainly attributable to a reduction in electricity generation by power plants and more use of natural gas in place of coal. The government expects emissions to peak before 2020 as more coal-fired plants are retired. This article Hong Kong lacking in leadership to deal with climate change, report warns, with no dedicated authority to tackle issue, unlike Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. A couple allegedly supplying ammunitions and firearms to terrorist groups and private armed groups in Mindanao were arrested in Nueva Ecija on Sunday. The police said the war materiel worth millions of pesos seized from the couples possession may have come from a government arsenal. The cache of ammunitions consisting of 12,893 rounds for M-60 machine gun and armalite assault rifle and two high-powered firearms were intercepted by operatives of the National Capital Region Police Office from a Nueva Ecija based couple at 6 pm on Sunday. NCRPO director Guillermo Eleazar identified the alleged illegal arms dealer as Edgardo and Rosemarie Medel, residents of Landville Subdivision, Barangay Pambuan, Gapan, Nueva Ecija. The ammunitions were placed inside a wooden box with an Armed Forces of the Philippines markings. Investigators suspect that the war materiels came from a government arsenal. The seizure of cache of ammunitions, prompted Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to order an investigation into the matter. Well investigate how these ammo ended up in the wrong hands, he said. The operation was made after NCRPO operatives acted on reports from their colleagues in Mindanao that arms supplies are being provided by the Medel couple who had also figured in previous arms transactions in Mindanao. Prior to the seizure, operatives conducted a test buy of ammunition from Medel, who told undercover security officials that they can supply as many as 10 rifles.The NCRPO operatives then initiated a buybust operations, sending undercover agents to purchase the weapons and ammunitions worth P1.2 million. At 6:30 pm, the couple arrived on aboard a white van bearing license plate REV 675 at the service station along NLEX where the transaction was made. The couple were immediately arrested after accepting the P1.2 million marked money from two undercover female operatives who posed as buyers of the weapons and ammunition purportedly to be used for the upcoming midterm elections in 2019. PNP Chief Oscar Abayalde said they have identified the couples sources, who, according to the suspects, was a retired military soldier from Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. We have names actually for verification allegedly meron siyang connection sa Fort Magsaysay, Albayalde said. The PNP chief have yet to identify the source, but said that the alleged military officer could have been keeping the firearms and ammunitions for a time when he was still in active duty and decided to dispose of them only now. When asked if the ammunitions came from the Philippine Army, Albayalde said yes, but added that he will talk to Philippine Army authorities to determine the lot numbers of the firearms which could easily be traced to the unit that disposed them. I just cannot imagine the death and destruction that will result should these war materials fall into the hands of the New Peoples Army or the Abu Sayyaf Group, Albayalde said. Mainland Chinese duo in toilet escape case not guilty as they helped fugitive Leon Li only after he got away from police, lawyer tells Hong Kong court Two mainland Chinese men accused of helping a suspect escape from police, sparking a citywide manhunt last month, did nothing illegal, their lawyer told a Hong Kong court on Monday. Sang Tian, 33, and Zhan Guiyou, 31, have been charged with aiding and abetting the escape of Dominican Republic national Leon Li, 34, who allegedly sneaked out of police custody through a toilet ceiling while receiving medical treatment at a hospital on November 14. But their barrister Cheng Huan SC told the Eastern Court that the duo could not be held liable. He said all the evidence police had against them pointed to their interaction with Li only after he had escaped. Sang was responsible for buying a plane ticket to Beijing for Li only after he had given officers the slip, and Zhan had merely exchanged business documents with him at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, Cheng said. How could someone commit an offence after someone has escaped from custody? the barrister asked. Cheng made his remarks at a preliminary hearing on Monday upon hearing that prosecutors wanted more time to seek legal advice a month after his clients had been brought to court on November 19. He opposed the request, taking issue with the time the prosecutors required to reach a conclusion on what he said appeared to be a weak case. He also urged the court to grant the two men bail. But Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen refused to grant them bail while accepting the prosecutors request to adjourn the case to January 15. While his two Mandarin-speaking co-defendants asked for the help of a court interpreter, Li did not.. The businessman faces one count of escaping from legal authority in the present case. On Monday, prosecutors laid an extra charge of failing to surrender to custody on Li, who now faces a total of three charges. Man who escaped from Hong Kong police while using hospital toilet to be remanded in custody The court previously heard that in 2015, Li had been charged for possession of a fake ID card. He was granted bail at the time and had been on the run since. Story continues The court was also told of an unresolved dispute over the different names Li had been charged under. While he had been referred to in the previous charges as Li Li-hua, he was identified as Leon Li in the latest case. The prosecutors said they would address the discrepancy at the next hearing. This article Mainland Chinese duo in toilet escape case not guilty as they helped fugitive Leon Li only after he got away from police, lawyer tells Hong Kong court first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. A huge crowd of protesters gathered outside Hungarys parliament on the evening of December 16 for the fifth night of protests against Prime Minister Viktor Orbans controversial plan to overhaul the countrys labor laws and courts. On Wednesday, December 12, Hungarys 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. Parliament also approved a labor law amendment, called a slave law by opposition politicians, that raises the maximum overtime employees can work to 400 hours a year, or one extra day a week. The legislation has sparked huge protests in the evenings following Wednesdays vote. This video shows protesters waving flags with the Parliament building visible in the background. Credit: Marta Pardavi via Storyful With the end of December fast approaching, calendars are flying off the shelves of Japans stationery stores. But instead of the pop stars, Hollywood heartthrobs, fluffy kittens and puppies of yesteryear, the calendar shaping up to be 2019s most popular features a very different kind of pin-up. Russian President Vladimir Putin is the star of the calendars selling more than any other, according to popular variety store Loft. Online retailers such as Amazon Japan are reporting a similar fascination with the Russian leader, who appears in various macho poses or looking thoughtful and statesmanlike. Young women appear to be the ones driving demand, a spokesman for Loft told the Weekly Post news magazine, yet why this should be is somewhat of a mystery. I can only guess that he appears to Japanese women to be more manly than the average Japanese politician, that he is somehow seen as exotic, a powerful man who is physically different to what they see on a daily basis, said Robert Dujarric, a professor of international relations at the Tokyo campus of Temple University. We know that it is rare for Japanese men to show off their muscles because thats just not part of the style here, its not part of the identity of Japanese men, so maybe a man who is happy to appear bare-chested is appealing. Whatever Putins personal appeal, most Japanese are likely unaware of the Russian leaders involvement in matters such as the ongoing conflict in Syria, violence in Ukraine or the recent attempted assassination of a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom, thanks to the domestic medias overriding predilection for stories much closer to home. The Putin calendars include images of him working out in a tight T-shirt in a gym, casually attired and apparently explaining a point to an interviewer, and playing with his dogs, one of which is an Akita named Yume that was a given to him by the Japanese government in 2012. Other shots show him naked from the waist up, fishing or peering through a pair of binoculars. Story continues Putins popularity has knocked home-grown acting star Kei Tanaka into second place in the calendar sales stakes, followed by Yuzuru Hanyu, the 24-year-old reigning Olympic mens figure skating champion. Adulation for the Russian leader may be ratcheted up a notch again in the new year if proposals that he visit Tokyo come to fruition. Matters to be discussed include North Korea and the question of sovereignty over a number of islands off northern Hokkaido that were seized by Soviet troops in the closing days of the second world war and whose return Tokyo has demanded ever since. These islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils, are the reason the two countries are still technically at war having failed to sign a formal peace treaty because of the dispute. This article Sales of calendars featuring Russian leader Vladimir Putin are outstripping all others in Japan first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. More from South China Morning Post: FILE PHOTO: Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi speaks at an event hosted by Middle East Monitor in London, Britain, September 29, 2018. Picture taken September 29, 2018. Middle East Monitor/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia on Monday denounced U.S. Senate resolutions calling for an end to U.S. military support for the war in Yemen and blaming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying they were based on unsubstantiated claims. The votes last Thursday were a rare rebuke to President Donald Trump, but largely symbolic. To become law, they would need to pass the House of Representatives, whose Republican leaders have blocked any legislation intended to rebuke the Saudis. "The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership ... and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature," a foreign ministry statement said. Khashoggi, a royal insider who became a critic of Prince Mohammed and began writing for the Washington Post after moving to the United States last year, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October. Saudi officials have rejected accusations that the crown prince ordered his death. The murder has sparked global outrage and damaged the international reputation of 33-year-old Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto leader, who is pushing economic and social changes in the world's top oil exporter. Saudi Arabia has also come under increased scrutiny for civilian deaths and a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where it support the internationally-recognised government against Iranian-aligned Houthis in a nearly four-year-old civil war. At U.N.-mediated talks in Sweden last week, the warring parties agreed to a local ceasefire to try to avert more bloodshed in the port of Hodeidah, which is vital for food and aid supplies. Opponents of the Senate resolutions want to maintain the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, which they consider an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran. Administration officials also see Saudi support as a linchpin for an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan yet to be disclosed by the Trump administration. And they have argued that ending U.S. support could complicate Yemen peace efforts. The Saudi statement said the kingdom "hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the United States of America, to avoid any ramifications on the ties between the two countries that could have significant negative impacts on this important strategic relationship." (Reporting by Mohamed El-Sherif, writing by Stephen Kalin, editing by Chris Reese, Larry King) Singapore allows two fathers to adopt their surrogate son in landmark ruling Singapores High Court has made a landmark ruling allowing a gay couple to adopt their five-year-old son conceived through a surrogate in the United States, on the basis of prioritising the childs welfare. In a 145-judgment released on Monday, a panel of three judges led by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon ruled the adoption bid, rejected by a lower court last year, should go through because it would increase the childs prospects of acquiring Singapore citizenship and securing long-term residence in Singapore. Singapore has a law banning gay sex and the government has said any change to legislation will need to take into account public opinion, which is deeply divided over the issue. The judgment noted the court considered Singapores public policy on same-sex families and its relation to this case as well as any policy violation if an adoption order was made. Yet neither reason was sufficiently powerful to enable us to ignore the statutory imperative to promote the welfare of the child and, indeed, to regard his welfare as first and paramount, the judgment said. The judges also stressed their decision was not an endorsement of the couples actions or a result of sympathies for the position of either party. But the courts decision is essentially Singapores first legal acknowledgement of same-sex families. The couple, James and Shawn, first applied for James to adopt their son Noel in December 2014 when he was about a year old. Their real names have not been disclosed. Noel was born in the United States to a surrogate mother after an assisted reproduction process that used James sperm. The child is an American citizen and has been living in Singapore on a dependents pass, which has to be renewed every six months by leaving the country. [We] really want Singapore to be the home of our family. Our family will celebrate this significant milestone Story continues James, father With the judgment, James can now adopt Noel as a single parent, giving him sole rights and responsibility over the boy, including applying for Singapore citizenship for him. The couple, who were at work when they heard the news at 10.25am through their lawyers, were elated. It was business as usual because we didnt want to get our hopes too high, said James, who is a doctor. Shawn works in the marketing industry. Both men are 45, of Chinese ethnicity, and are Singaporeans. The men have been in a relationship since 1998 and living together since 2005. James said the family was happy and relieved that Noel could be adopted. The fight to raise our family in Singapore has been a long and difficult journey, he said. We hope that the adoption will increase the chances of our son to be able to stay in Singapore with his family. His grandparents and us really want Singapore to be the home of our family. Our family will celebrate this significant milestone. The South China Morning Post in January reported on the familys legal limbo. Last year, the couple had their adoption bid rejected by the Family Justice Courts one day after Christmas, although District Judge Shobha Nair said Noel would be provided for, with or without an adoption order. The couple then appealed the decision in the High Court. Jamess lawyer Ivan Cheong, partner at Eversheds Harry Elias, said the case was important because it showed how the Court would take in public policy considerations. In the current case, notwithstanding that the court found that there is a public policy in favour of parenthood within the marriage and a policy against the formation of same sex units, the court found that the welfare of the child would be significantly promoted if an adoption order was made, Cheong said. At the end of the day, it is about what is in the childs best interests. The case has also provided clarity on surrogacy issues in Singapore, he said. The court found there was no public policy against planned or deliberate parenthood by singles through the use of assisted reproductive technology or surrogacy. Koh Tien Hua, partner at Eversheds Harry Elias, who was also Jamess lawyer, said this was the first time surrogacy and gay adoption was canvassed in court. The outcome showed that family is important no matter the orientation of the parent and family is the cradle of society. In his judgment, Chief Justice Menon outlined how the considerations related to fundamental values in Singapore society. The law is asked to provide the answer to a dilemma that challenges the mores of a largely conservative society, he wrote, saying the courts approach was to apply the law and not determine social policy in Singapore. The Attorney-Generals Chambers, representing the guardian-in-adoption, argued that allowing the adoption would contravene three public policies: for parenthood within marriage, and against planned parenthood by singles through assisted reproductive technology, and same sex family units. The court, however, did not think there was a clear public policy against surrogacy and said the governments position was still evolving. The Singapore courts have in the decision taken a further step away from the perception of the traditional family as the accepted model Sim Bock Eng, lawyer The court agreed there is strong evidence for public policy in favour of parenthood within marriage, but thought an adoption order in this case does not contradict public policy. Menon reasoned that the law allows single parent adoption without stating they must be married or have a partner of the opposite sex. A public policy in favour of parenthood within marriage is not the same thing as a public policy against other forms of parenthood, he wrote. The Chief Justice agreed there is a public policy against the formation of same-sex family units, saying the government tries to strike a balance by recognising homosexuals as part of society and to accept them, but not to advance their causes. Law professor Leong Wai Kum said she agreed with the decision because it seems clearly wrong not to allow a father to adopt his own biological child. Family lawyer Sim Bock Eng thought this decision, although governed by what is in the best interests and welfare of the child, endorses surrogacy and homosexual parenting. The outcome is that the absence of a traditional family unit is not seen as being to the detriment of the welfare of the child. Whilst single parent adoption was not unusual in the past, the Singapore courts have in the decision taken a further step away from the perception of the traditional family as the accepted model, she said. But lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, cautioned against reading too much into the decision. It merely reiterates the point that the court will always prioritise and give effect to what is in the childs interests. I do not see it as any ruling on policy by the courts. This article Singapore allows gay couple to adopt their surrogate son in landmark ruling first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. More from South China Morning Post: 17 Dec Here's looking at the interesting things our celebrities were doing last week. The suave-looking Elvin Ng meets the beautiful Taiwanese model-actress Lin Chi-ling at the Longines flagship boutique recently. Romeo Tan and nephew Skyler look absolutely adorable together. The highlight of JJ Lin's week must certainly be his appearance at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards and meeting pop royalty, Janet Jackson. Ian Fang is recently reminded he will hit the big 3-0 next year as he celebrated his 29th birthday. Ian Fang should learn a thing or two about turning 30 from Munah Bagharib for example; turning up at events with your own personal hand fan. Allan Wu catches up with celebrity buddies at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, including Malaysian-based actor Aaron Aziz. Sheila Sim sizzles at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in this mint Marni number. Story continues But it was a night for Jeremy Chan, who won Asian Academy Creative Awards's Best Comedy Actor for his web series, "My Agent is a Hero". Jeremy Chan's wifey Jesseca Liu couldn't help but express elation over his win, writing, "The best Christmas present! I am the proudest wife!" Congratulations! Mugshots of suspects identified as Rosemarie and Edgardo Medel QUEZON CITY, Philippines A couple was nabbed by members of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Regional Special Operations Unit on Sunday (December 16) for trading unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The suspects, identified as Edgardo and Rosemarie Medel, were arrested at North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) after police agents, disguised as buyers, negotiated a ploy of P1.2 million worth of firearms. Authorities seized from the suspects a bush master, an M16 infant Colt Defense Riffle and a 9mm pistol along with almost 13,000 pieces of ammunition. According to PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, the suspects were allegedly supplying firearms to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and several politicians in Mindanao. (Based on) the intelligence report, we have number one, ang pino-provide nila ay ang mga private armed group and also nakakarating sa Mindanao including ang enemies of the state, he said. NCRPO Director General Guillermo Eleazar also confirmed that the two suspects were the same persons reported in the past transacting arms with an inmate from the Metro Manila District Jail in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig. During the last transaction, the suspect was transacting with an inmate detained at the metro manila district jail and accordingly, merong silang contact na dadalhin sa Mindanao thru Muslim brother, Eleazar said. The PNP is now coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to determine the origin of the firearms and ammunition seized from the couple based in the LOT number and serial number written on the wooden boxes. We have names already na bini-verify allegedly meron siyang connection sa Fort Magsaysay. Iyong isa nakita namin is a retired na sinasabing contact niya. He is a retired AFP soldier, Albayalde said. The two suspects were charged with violation of Section 28 and Section 32 of R.A. 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunitions Regulations Act. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Lea Ylagan) The post Suspected Abu Sayyaf arms suppliers nabbed in Valenzuela City appeared first on UNTV News. In line with the ongoing efforts to reintegrate former rebels and their families to mainstream society, Task Force Balik-Loob and Land Bank of the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Agreement last Dec. 13 for the facilitation of loans to the former as part of the government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program. The signing of the MOA took place at the LBP main office in Malate, Manila, the TFBL said in a statement sent to reporters Monday. It was signed by TFBL chairman, Defense Undersecretary Reynaldo B. Mapagu, and LBP president and chief executive officer Alex V. Buenaventura. Under the lending program for FRs covered by the MOA, LBP may provide loans up to P100,000 to fund small and micro-enterprises, agriculture, and other means of livelihood. FRs over the age of 21 who have no pending cases are qualified to avail of the loan program. Those disqualified due to age or have pending cases can designate a family member, who will be listed as the borrower in their stead. FRs can submit their loan applications to LBP lending units across the country, including proof of identification and certification from the Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee. Aside from processing, evaluating, and approving the loan applications of FRs based on their eligibility and lending parameters, LBP will also conduct loan counseling and financial literacy seminars to former rebels prior to release of their loans. Mapagu, in his speech, thanked the Land Bank of the Philippines for supporting the governments reintegration programs under the E-CLIP. PNA The Landbanks Slogan: We help you grow, now also encompasses former rebels who wish to increase their capacity in their chosen livelihood, empowering not only himself and his family, but also his community, he said.With this signing of agreement, the Land Bank of the Philippines is a welcome addition to our list of partner agencies which will definitely have an important role in our peace and reintegration efforts for our former rebels, the TFBL chairman added. Buenaventura, for his part, expressed full support for E-CLIP, saying that it is his personal desire to uplift the lives of former rebels and ensure they dont end up living lives of poverty. We are happy to provide financing for some 5,000 FRs. Ang source ng lahat ng problema natin sa NPA ay kahirapan. I want to deal with the E-CLIP from that angle, to address the poverty of these people. I will think of our FRs and think of how our agribusiness companies can help employ them, he said. The lending program of LandBank is now one of the assistance FRs can avail of under the E-CLIP. The E-CLIP is the flagship program of the Duterte administration that seeks to effect social healing and national unity through a whole-of-nation approach towards the higher objective of having just and lasting peace. It provides social equity to former members of the CPP-NPA-NDF and the Militia ng Bayan by devising a different modality of providing benefits and services to the FRs, in order to reintegrate them into mainstream society. These benefits do not serve as an end, but rather a means to aid the FRs in securing a foothold in restarting their lives. Unlike previous government rebel reintegration programs, the E-CLIP provides a wider array of benefits based on the particular needs of FRs and their families such as financial assistance, housing, education, skills training, healthcare, legal assistance, and among others through a convergence of various national and local government agencies. The TFBL was organized to oversee the implementation of E-CLIP pursuant to Administrative Order No. 10 of President Duterte. It includes DILG, Department of National Defense, Office of the President, National Housing Authority, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace among its lead agencies, and other government agencies and instrumentalities as partner agencies that may be tapped to provide additional benefits and services to FRs. 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #50 Posted on 16 December 2018 by John Hartz Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... UN climate accord 'inadequate' and lacks urgency, experts warn Agreement will fail to halt devastating rise in global temperature, say scientists The two-week-long conference left questions about reducing greenhouse gas emissions unanswered. Photograph: Ryan Tong/EPA The world has been put on notice that its best efforts so far will fail to halt the devastation of climate change, as countries came to a partial agreement at UN talks that failed to match up to the challenges faced. Leading figures in climate science and economics said much more must be done, and quickly, to stave off the prospect of dangerous levels of global warming. Nicholas Stern, the former World Bank chief economist and author of a seminal review of the economics of climate change, said: It is clear that the progress we are making is inadequate, given the scale and urgency of the risks we face. The latest figures show carbon dioxide emissions are still rising. A much more attractive, clean and efficient path for economic development and poverty reduction is in our hands. Johan Rockstrom, director designate at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said: My biggest concern is that the UN talks failed to align ambitions with science. We continue to follow a path that will take us to a very dangerous 3-4C warmer world within this century. Extreme weather events hit people across the planet already, at only 1C of warming. UN climate accord 'inadequate' and lacks urgency, experts warn by Fiona Harvey, Environment, Guardian, Dec 16, 2018 Editorial of the Week... John Kerry: Forget Trump. We All Must Act on Climate Change. If we fail, it wont be just the presidents fault. Future generations will measure us by whether we acted on facts, not just debated or denied them. The verdict will hang on whether we put in place policies that will drive the development and deployment of clean technologies, re-energize our economies, and tackle global climate change. Every day that goes by that were paralyzed by the Luddite in the White House is a day in the future that our grandchildren will suffer. Thats not hyperbole thats science. Instead of tacitly accepting that inaction is preordained for the remaining two years of the Trump presidency, Congress should send Mr. Trump legislation addressing this crisis. It will force him to make choices the American people will long remember: Will he say no to deploying solar technology that would turn the American West into the Saudi Arabia of solar? No to turning the Midwest into the Middle East of wind power? No to a manufacturing revolution that could put West Virginia back to work in ways that his beloved coal never will? Make him choose and lets find out. Forget Trump. We All Must Act on Climate Change., Opinion by John Kerry, New York Times, Dec 13, 2018 Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Explainer: Why some US Democrats want a Green New Deal to tackle climate change (Zeke Hausfather) (Zeke Hausfather) Little Ice Age? No, try Big Warming Age (Dana) (Dana) New findings on ocean warming: 5 questions answered (Scott Denning) (Scott Denning) Climate carbon bookkeeping (Evan) (Evan) New research this week (Ari) (Ari) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #51 (John Hartz) (John Hartz) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #51 (John Hartz) Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... While some male actors have been criticized for their comments about sexual harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein fallout, one has shown an unusual combination of empathy and good sense. In a recent interview to promote the upcoming season of his hit show Luther, Idris Elba had the perfect response when asked about the #MeToo movement, the crusade started by Tarana Burke to give voice to those who have experienced sexual assault. The Sunday Times asked Elba how hard it is to be a man in Hollywood now, with #MeToo raging. Advertisement Its only difficult if youre a man with something to hide, Elba replied. This is not the first time Elba has shown hes an ally to the movementand that its easy to be one. While promoting his film Mollys Game in 2017, the actor told Den of Geek that the films timing coincided with a liberation movement by women against atrocities. And while the actor has voiced his support, he has also acknowledged that his is not the most important voice in the discussion, telling Screen Daily in January, This isnt an opportunity just to voice something; this is an opportunity to make change. The people and actors who are leading that dialogue are the ones who should talk about it and they are doing that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elbas comments are a breath of fresh air in a year that has included some, lets say, less-than-supportive comments by others. Matt Damon was one of the first to apologize for boneheaded remarks about #MeToo after imposing a hierarchy on the bad behavior victims experience (You know, theres a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?) and shifting the focus away from the issue at hand: Were in this watershed moment, and its great, but I think one thing thats not being talked about is there are a whole sload of guysthe preponderance of men Ive worked withwho dont do this kind of thing and whose lives arent going to be affected. Advertisement Damon is hardly alone there: Henry Cavill was concerned that #MeToo would interfere with his dating life, telling GQ Australia, stuff has to change, absolutely, before revealing the new set of challenges the movement presents to him, personally. Its very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place. Because then its like: Well, I dont want to go up and talk to her, because Im going to be called a rapist or something. Now? Now you really cant pursue someone further than, No. Its like, OK, cool. But then theres the, Oh whyd you give up? And its like, Well, because I didnt want to go to jail? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Damon and Cavill later apologized for their comments. Sean Penn declined to do so after suggesting that the #MeToo movements spirit is to divide men and women and that he knew of women who had lied to incriminate men, though he did not name specific examples. Advertisement Advertisement Male actors in particular have struggled to talk about sexual misconduct without sparking a backlash, even when theyre not accused of wrongdoing. But if Elbas comments demonstrate anything, its that its really not that hard to avoid the missteps of Damon, Cavill, and Penn. Elba acknowledges that sexual misconduct is a real problem, and he doesnt make the movement about himself or his friends. Those qualities, as well as his desire take a backseat to female actors leading the movement, are a good model for the men of Hollywood: Speak less, listen more, and offer support to those who have lacked it for so long. Immigration authorities intercepted eight suspected human trafficking victims who tried to leave the Ninoy Aquino International Airport posing as tourists. BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina said the passengers were intercepted at the NAIA terminal 3 before they could board their Emirates Airways flight to Dubai en route to their final destination in northern Cyprus. Medina said the passengers, who included six men and two women, all admitted during questioning that their actual purpose in going abroad is to work without proper documentation. Their names were not divulged as forbidden in anti-trafficking laws. Six of them were allegedly hired as cleaners in a restaurant while one of them was recruited as a cook, he said. Medina said that the trafficking attempt was foiled when one of the female victims was referred for secondary inspection to the Travel Control and Enforcement Unit by the Immigration officer who doubted her purpose of travel. The passenger initially claimed said she and her companions were traveling to Cyprus for a vacation, but her answers to questions during the interview were inconsistent.When she was interviewed, she admitted that she is traveling to Cyprus to work, and she voluntarily showed a message exchange between her and her recruiter discussing the amount that each of them would pay the syndicate for processing and facilitating their illegal travel to Cyprus, Medina said. The passenger likewise confessed that they only met each other at a house in Manila where they were briefed before going to the airport. All eight were later intercepted upon interview by Immigration. This incident shows that illegal recruiters and human traffickers would go to great lengths to fool our kababayans, and would entice them to pretend as tourists, especially during the holiday season, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said. Let this serve as a warning to these syndicates, your illegal ways will not pass, he said. The eight were subsequently turned over the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance and further investigation. They also alleged that Cronus had turned against them inasmuch as in former times they had been accustomed to sacrifice to this god the noblest of their sons, but more recently, secretly buying and nurturing children, they had sent these to the sacrifice; and when an investigation was made, some of those who had been sacrificed were discovered to have been supposititious. When they had given thought to these things and saw their enemy encamped before their walls, they were filled with superstitious dread, for they believed that they had neglected the honors of the gods that had been established by their fathers. In their zeal to make amends for their omission, they selected two hundred of the noblest children and sacrificed them publicly; and others who were under suspicion sacrificed themselves voluntarily, in number not less than three hundred. There was in their city a bronze image of Cronus, extending its hands, palms up and sloping toward the ground, so that each of the children when placed thereon rolled down and fell into a sort of gaping pit filled with fire. During the long and awful years of the George W. Bush presidencyand no comparison to our current, more flamboyantly destructive regime will make those years any less long or any less awfulthere was one question that used to come up again and again in my conversations with friends: What did the machinations of the Bush II White House look like behind closed doors? How many layers deep would one have to penetrate into the inner circles of power before all pretense of public service or sound conservative governance dropped away, and all that was left were the victors dividing the spoils? Advertisement Vice, writer-director Adam McKays darkly comic biopic about the rise to power of Bushs scheming vice president, Dick Cheney (played by an utterly transformed Christian Bale), spends its two hours and 12 minutes imagining various possible answers to that question. Some of those answers are grimly plausible, others gleefully absurd. But in McKays vision of the Bush administration, it doesnt take long to get to the layer where backroom deals are frankly being cut, with the neocons getting their wars, the billionaires their untaxed estates, and the evangelicals their public performances of family values. The question McKay returns to is not the one that obsessed me, about how the administrations inner circle might have rationalized their malfeasance to themselves and each other (a version of the perennial How do they sleep at night?). Rather, McKay seems in Vice to be preoccupied with how best to convey the heinousness of the Bush administration to us. Will an outlandish dirty joke get the point across? If not, what about a quick cutaway to a realistically re-created waterboarding incident? And if the destabilizing effect of that juxtaposition doesnt get you properly agitated, how about a body horrorstyle close-up of the vice presidents diseased and apparently compassion-proof but still beating heart? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKays style recalls the radically eclectic approach he used in The Big Short, his ambitious and successful 2015 comedy about the shady banking practices that led to the 2008 financial crisis. But in Vice, the storytelling becomes even more disjunctive, more multimedia, more bluntly polemical, and more playfully perverse. Characters suddenly launch into profane monologues (one of Cheneys policy proposals involves elected officials communicating with the public via their own personified penises) or inexplicably speak in pseudo-Shakespearean cadences. Naomi Watts explains each boggling news development to us in a recurring cameo as a cable-news anchor who seems almost apologetic that, yes, all this is actually happening. Another straight-to-camera narrator, a war vet and suburban dad played by Jesse Plemons, has a direct connection to Cheney thats revealed only in the final few minutes. A fake closing-credits sequence starts to roll a full hour before the movies real ending. Advertisement I spent much of Vice trying to work out why the same narrative strategies that worked so well in the raucously entertaining The Big Short suddenly felt smug and even propagandistic. These abrupt changes in tone make Vice a bracing viewing experience, even if, in contrast to the rollicking The Big Short, its rarely exactly funny. In that movie, the Brechtian fourth-wall-breaking approach served as leavening to lighten the screenplays cognitively demanding miniseminars about tranches, collateralized debt obligations, and other complex financial products. (To help the medicine go down even smoother, these lessons were administered by easy-on-the-eyes movie stars with goofy props: Ryan Gosling and his Jenga blocks, Margot Robbie in a bubble bath sipping champagne.) But in Vice, where the basic propositionthat Cheney and his entire Bush administration cohort were a pack of greedy, power-mad crooksis simple enough to have been grasped by most of this movies potential audience for nearly two decades, McKays manic style shifting mainly serves an emotional purpose: Its meant to whip the audience into a froth of anger at the cynical opportunism of the Bush years. Unfortunately, that effort often undermines Vices other, less successful project: to provide insight into the biographical motivations of Dick Cheney, who, as a pre-movie title card reminds us, is one of the most secretive public figures of modern times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If sheer physical and vocal transformation were the sole criteria for winning a Best Actor Oscar, then Bales Cheney would take it in a walk. Once hes aged, through ingenious makeup, prosthetics, and a 45-lb. weight gain, into the vice president as we know him, Bale is an uncanny double for Cheney, right down to the fixed one-side-only smirk. His voice, too, takes on that familiar dismissive snarl, the uninflected basso growl that could make even the most brazen counterfactuals sound somehow authoritative. (My then-boyfriend and I had a word for the nonsense language Cheney would spout when he went on Sunday talk shows to bamboozle the public about the latest round of war atrocities: We called it ooglety-booglety.) Even after a career notable for the extreme physical risks he takes for his roles (losing 60 pounds for The Machinist, for example), Bales disappearance into this part is almost unsettlingly complete. If it werent for the early scenes in which Bale plays the college-age Cheney looking like a heavier version of himself, I could have been convinced that the role had been cast with an unknown actor with a marked resemblance to the former vice president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That isnt to suggest that Bale succeeds merely as a Cheney impersonator. Especially in his scenes with Amy Adamswho plays the vice presidents devoted but uncompromising wife, Lynne, as a vicariously ambitious Lady Macbeth typeBale goes as far as any actor could toward humanizing a political figure who, as the film goes out of its way to show, falls several heart sizes short of the Grinch. Bale has always excelled at communicating the inner lives of men whose exteriors remain opaque, from the Dark Knight movies Bruce Wayne to American Psychos Patrick Bateman. In his few too-brief scenes with the reliably wonderful Alison Pill as the Cheneys gay daughter, Mary, Bale movingly conveys the one incontrovertibly positive quality of this often arrogant and oblivious man: He dotes on his wife and daughterswhich is why it represents such a betrayal when the elder Cheneys stand by in silence while one daughter, rising right-wing politician Liz (Lily Rabe), implicitly devalues her sisters domestic partnership in a homophobic campaign statement. Advertisement Advertisement Still, by the end of this busy yet curiously insubstantial film, Bales accomplishment, like Adams, winds up amounting to less than it should have. This may be because McKays script never misses an opportunity to drive home a point with a metatexual flourish, whether its a news clip pointing up the irony of the vice presidents rhetoric or a cut between time frames that contrasts his youthful inexperience as a Nixon aide with his self-righteous swagger during the Bush years. Vice is so weighed down with narrative embellishments that its many simpler virtues, including a perfectly judged supporting performance from Steve Carell as Cheneys pitiable yet loathsome mentor Donald Rumsfeld, get lost in the rococo encrustations. Advertisement Advertisement I spent much of Vice trying to work out why the same narrative strategies that worked so well in the raucously entertaining The Big Shortthe bold mix of truth and fiction, the use of multiple direct-to-camera narrators, the unapologetic assumption of a strong directorial point of viewsuddenly felt smug and even propagandistic, as if Michael Moore had taken to making scripted features. A part of the answer lies in the fact that, unlike the complexities of banking lingo, the depredations of the Bush White House are well known to most Americans, especially those inclined to watch a satirical movie about those years. Another possibility: As audience members have been known to shout out during improv shows (the place where McKay got his start before moving on to writing and directing TV and film comedy), maybe its still too soon. At a moment when the whole country is choking on the bitter fruit the Bush administration planted, its hard to find much thats funny about the likes of Dick Cheney. When a Manhattan judge sentenced Michael Cohen to three years in prison, the Justice Department issued what appeared to be a standard press release trumpeting the events. The announcement, however, carried an unexpected subhead, stating that the Justice Department had also entered into a nonprosecution agreement with American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer. The news was a powerful example of the strength of the governments investigationmaking clear the severity of the potential campaign finance case against President Donald Trump and securing an unusual admission of electoral interference by a national corporation. But it also exposed the Justice Departments weakest qualityits inability to impose significant (or in this case any) penalties on corporations. While its message to Trump is strong, the case tells Americas corporate entities that they can do what they wantthey have little to fear from DOJ. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Sept. 20 letter detailed the nonprosecution agreement between the Justice Department and AMI, which both parties agreed to keep secret until after the November midterm elections. The agreement recounted a yearlong scheme to use AMIs corporate activity to assist Trumps election. According to the agreement, AMIs chairman and CEO, David Pecker, made an August 2015 offer to Cohen and an unnamed campaign official to use AMI to identify and resolve potential negative stories about then-candidate Trump. In June 2016, Pecker did just that when an attorney for Karen McDougal approached Pecker about her allegations of an affair with Trump. That August, AMI purchased McDougals limited life rights to the story in an attempt to suppress the news and prevent any damage to Trumps campaign. Pecker then agreed to assign the rights to McDougals story to Cohen for $125,000 and ordered a consultant working for him to create a shell company to facilitate the payment. Pecker sent a signed assignment agreement to Cohen but (for some unknown reason) ended the deal before Cohen made the payment. Advertisement Advertisement The factual details that the government uncovered are remarkable for a number of reasons. First, they show the strength of the prosecutors investigation into Trumps activities, especially when compared with its closest analoguethe campaign finance fraud case against 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards. That case ended in a mistrial when prosecutors failed to convince jurors that payments an Edwards donor made to the candidates mistress were meant to help his presidential campaign, rather than protect his family from heartache. This cast a shadow on the Justice Departments campaign finance investigation of Trump. With Trump, prosecutors have left nothing to chance. Cohen, in his plea, swore that he made the payments at Trumps direction for the purpose of helping Trumps campaign. With AMI, the government has also secured an admission from the company that it, too, made the payments to help Trumps campaign, fully knowing they were illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This admission is all the more remarkable because it is being made by a national corporation. While the Justice Department routinely prosecutes campaign finance violations, most illegal donation cases involve instances of excessive donationssituations in which the defendants find ways to financially support a political campaign beyond the legally allowable limit often through the use of conduit donors. The Justice Department has, from time to time, charged defendants with illegal corporate donations, but these instances are rare and often involve obscure companies. AMI, on the other hand, is a national corporation that not only publishes the Enquirer, but also OK!, Star magazine, Mens Journal, and others. And while companies have regularly made admissions (or half admissions) of illegal interference in foreign governments affairs, a confession of domestic campaign finance wrongdoing by such a prominent organization is not only rare, it is not nonexistent. Advertisement Advertisement Yet the resolution with AMI falls short of a just outcome. There are no charges against AMI. The DOJ did not even require that AMI pay a fine. This all speaks to the departments reluctance to hold corporations to the same standards to which it holds individuals. The government has been gun-shy about charging corporations since its 2002 indictment of Arthur Andersen led to the loss of thousands of jobs. During the decade I spent as a white-collar prosecutor, Arthur Andersen loomed over us. It was a cautionary tale of the unintended consequences of prosecuting corporationsthat a criminal charge would inevitably be a corporate death penalty. The government has assiduously tried to avoid this Andersen effect in the intervening years. But the Justice Departments course correction has had its own ill side effectstoo many companies have been let off with a simple fine and no criminal charges, even as experts dispute the theory that criminal charges necessarily equate to the destruction of a corporation. Here, AMI played a key role in subverting a free and fair presidential election. The companys chairman and CEO initiated the offer of assistance to the Trump campaign andincrediblyhe remains in place as the head of the company. In a country where people can lose their job for smoking marijuana, David Pecker admitted to engaging in election fraud in a presidential election but gets to stay in his multimillion dollar position and his company only has to develop new compliance programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fairness, two key factors also complicated any potential case against AMI. First, its role as a media company grants it a special status in criminal investigations. The First Amendments speech and press protections are so broad and fundamental to the maintenance of a democratic republic, the Justice Department is loath to ensnare media companies in criminal investigations. Even perfunctory subpoenaswhich would be routine when directed at any other corporationrequire direct attorney general approval when issued to the press. Bringing charges against a media conglomerate like AMI would subject the Justice Department to a level of scrutiny and criticism that would likely distract from its real targets, no matter how legitimate the case against AMI might be. Advertisement Which points to the second factor: that David Pecker is a small fish when compared with Cohen and possibly Trump, the actual candidate who engaged in campaign finance fraud. It is hard to criticize the prosecutors who, along with the investigating agents, have done an incredible job finding and presenting often difficult-to-uncover evidence. The case exposes the many ways wealthy individuals like Trump can leverage their resources to abuse the electoral system. Besides the excessive political spending they made outside of the legitimate campaign finance system, Trump and Cohen employed other staples of white-collar malfeasance like shell companies to hide their expenses and attempted to shield their activity through the invocation of the attorney-client privilege. Exposing these deeds is a significant achievement for the government and, more importantly, the public. Advertisement Advertisement However, while holding Cohenand perhaps Trumpaccountable for those abuses is a key step in curbing them, society does not benefit from giving a free pass to corporations. Even the most sacrosanct privilegeslike those accorded to the attorney-client or spousal relationshipsmelt away when used to engage in criminal activity. Press protections are no different. The Constitution protects the press because of the vital role the press plays in safeguarding a free republic. Of all corporations, a news company should not expect to survive unscathed when it acts illegally to undermine democratic norms and unlawfully tip the electoral scales. The government grants companies the privilege of legal personhood so that they can avail themselves of some of the rights that individuals enjoy in this country. But they must also bear the same responsibilities. AMI used its corporate resources to illegally help Trumps candidacy. It should face more consequences. Colin Kroll, who co-founded Vine and was the CEO and co-founder of the popular mobile gaming app HQ Trivia, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment early Sunday. Police found the 34-year-olds body when they went to his home to conduct a wellness check following a call from his girlfriend. Krolls body was discovered face-down in his bedroom, where there reportedly was drug paraphernalia nearby, according to TMZ. A police source tells TMZ that law enforcement believe the drugs involved were cocaine and heroin. Advertisement He had so much talent and had accomplished so much at such a young age. It truly is a waste. At 34, imagine the things hed done and the skills he had. It would have been really fun to watch him at 50, his father, Alan Kroll, told the New York Times. He worked too many hours and too hard, he said. I think New York City got to him a little bit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kroll first made a name of himself by co-founding Vine, the once-popular app that allowed user to make six-second videos. Twitter bought Vine for $30 million in 2012 but closed it down last year. Kroll went to work for Twitter but was later fired for being a bad manager, according to Recode. Investors who considered putting money into HQ were also reportedly concerned by his reputation for exhibiting inappropriate behavior toward women in the workplace. When HQ Trivia made its debut in August 2017 it was an immediate viral hit and was valued at $100 million a few months later. But the app has been struggling to hold on to its audience lately. Kroll was named CEO of HQ Trivia in September. Advertisement Advertisement HQ Trivia and Vine co-founder Rus Yusupov tweeted Sunday about Krolls death: A Louisiana grand jury indicted a former police officer seen in a video from October aggressively slamming a black teenager to the ground twice in an administrative office of a Brusly, Louisiana, middle school, local media reported Friday. The West Baton Rouge Parish jury charged Kip Dupre with malfeasance in office, according to WBRZ. A second officer on the scene, Dan Cipriano, who also physically struggled with the student and helped handcuff him, was indicted on a charge of simple battery. Advertisement The family of 14-year-old Isaiah Johnson have said that while they are happy the officers were indicted, the charges amount to a slap on the wrist, according to the Associated Press. Both officers resigned in November after the surveillance video was sent anonymously to a local television station, sparking a police investigation. Police handed their findings to the local district attorneys office, which presented the case to a grand jury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The video, which has no audio, shows Johnson standing in front of a desk and talking to Dupre and the middle school staff. When Johnson turns to head away from the desk and toward the door, Dupre seizes Johnson by the shoulders, twists him around, and slams him to the ground. At another point in the video, Dupre is seen moving his arm and shoulder in a rapid way that suggests he is hitting the teenager. According to the Advocate, Dupre had claimed that the student reached for his weapon during the scuffle. The video appears to show Dupre handing his gun to a staff member while he and Johnson were on the ground. Advertisement Advertisement According to the familys lawyer, Johnson had been assigned to detention for cursing on the playground that morning, the Advocate reported. The conflict arose when he started to argue with administrators over the length of the detention. According to WBRZ, his family said Johnson was medicated for behavioral problems. The familys lawyer told the Advocate that the teenager had to miss school after the incident and is now attending counseling. According to WBRZ, the family have accused the staff of mishandling the situation and have argued that the school misled them about the incident. They say they plan to file a lawsuit over the way he was treated and to discuss the incident again with the police. Two business partners of former national security adviser Michael Flynn have been indicted for failing to register as agents of the Turkish government while carrying out an influence campaign that Flynn took part in just before the 2016 election, an unsealed filing from federal court in Virginia revealed Monday. The two men, Bijan Kian and Ekim Alptekin, worked with Flynn on a campaign to secure the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish spiritual and political leader who has lived in the U.S. since 1999, to Turkey. (Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan considers Gulen an enemy and blames him for a 2016 coup attempt.) Flynn and his associates, at a time that Flynn was advising then-candidate Donald Trump on national security issues, lobbied U.S. officials and legislators and placed an anti-Gulen op-ed under Flynns name in the D.C. publication The Hill on Election Day without disclosing that they were being indirectly paid for their work by Turkey. In his initial plea agreement with Robert Muellers special counsel office, Flynn admitted to having failed to properly register as a Turkish agent and to having subsequently submitted false information to the government while it was investigating the matter. (The indictment against Kian and Alptekin was filed by a U.S. attorney in Virginia, not by Mueller.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kian was the vice-chairman of the Flynn Intel Group, Flynns company; Alptekin helped broker the Turkey contract and paid the Flynn Group through a Dutch intermediary. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Flynn at one point in 2016 went so far as to raise the possibility of essentially kidnapping Gulenwho lives on a compound in rural Pennsylvaniaon behalf of his Turkish clients, but no charges related to that alleged plot have been filed. While Flynns work for Turkey appears to have been unrelated to his more newsworthy contact with Russia, the new indictment deepens the picture presented of him in government filings as someone who was willing to undermine U.S. interests for selfish reasons. Flynn is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday on an charge of lying to the FBI about a conversation he had with Russias ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential transition period about relaxing economic sanctions, a conversation which could speak to a quid pro quo agreement related to Russias hacking and propaganda attacks against Hillary Clinton. And while Mueller has not yet answered the million-dollar question of whether he believes such a quid pro quoi.e. explicit collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligencedid in fact take place, he and the DOJ have potentially set the groundwork for it by showing that figures like Flynn, ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen brazenly broke laws related to election integrity and foreign influence on other occasions. Engaging in a criminal conspiracy with Russia to win a presidential election would have been a pretty audacious thing to do; while we dont have the full story yet about what happened in 2016, what weve seen laid out by the DOJ over the past year-plus is that, at the least, there were a lot of pretty audacious criminals hanging around the Trump campaign at the time. Slates expanded voting rights coverage is made possible by the support of Slate Plus members and readers like you. New Jersey Democrats gerrymandering proposal is deadkilled not by Republican backlash, but by near-universal opposition from grassroots progressive activists who bucked the Democratic Party to defend voting rights. Democratic leaders in New Jersey hoped to push through the constitutional amendment with record speed. By approving it in December and January, legislators would have placed the plan on the ballot in 2019. If passed, the amendment would have given politicians substantially more control over the redistricting process. It would also compel mapmakers to prioritize political considerations, allowing them to create a partisan advantage for Democrats. Advertisement The precise intent and impact of the amendment sparked a lively debate among political scientists. Redistricting expert Michael McDonald argued that it would not necessarily give Democrats an unearned edge. Sam Wang of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project noted that it was poorly designed, as it could transform a moderate Republican wave into huge GOP gains in the legislature. McDonald and Wang asserted that the amendment reflected an intraparty squabble between Democratic legislators and Gov. Phil Murphy. Under the current rules, John Currie, the state Democratic Party chair and a progressive Murphy ally, picks Democratic members of the states redistricting commission. Democratic legislative leaders, who are more conservative than Murphy, feared the next map would diminish their power. Their plan wouldve let them appoint more members to the commission, helping to entrench the incumbencies of corporate-friendly machine Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of the amendments purpose, its consequences would not have been healthy for democracy. As the Brennan Center for Justice pointed out, the proposal wouldve obligated mapmakers to emphasize partisan outcomes, arguably allowing Democrats to manipulate district lines to their advantage. It could have diluted the voting power of communities of color, packing them into a few districts or cracking them throughout others to produce more Democratic seats. The amendments formula actually incentivized this unseemly strategy. Most importantly, the New Jersey proposal did precisely what voting rights advocates almost universally oppose: It gave politicians more control over the redistricting process. Any plan that hands legislators influence over redistricting will almost certainly result in a more politicized map. Thats why the gold standard of gerrymander reform is an independent redistricting commission that maximizes competitive districts. Advertisement As Democratic legislators barreled toward a December vote, New Jerseys progressive community rallied against the proposal. A huge coalition of grassroots activists, union leaders, voting rights advocates, and racial justice proponents objected to the amendment. More than 100 activists and academicsrepresenting a broad range of organizations, including the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and the League of Women Voterstestified against the amendment. They held press conferences and protests to shame Democratic leaders and demand real reform. It worked: On Saturday, Democratic legislators backed away from the amendment, canceling a Monday vote and effectively killing it. Advertisement There are two lessons in this debacle. The first is that the Democratic base really does appear to value voting rights as a matter of principle, not convenience. Even when a gerrymander mightve helped their party, progressives defended fair maps and resisted partisan manipulation of district lines. The Democratic Party cannot present itself as the party of voting rights and then jettison its support for free and equal elections when doing so might help them win more seats. Liberal voters will not stand for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second, related lesson is that Democrats cannot back away from their support for citizen-led independent redistricting commissions. Fair Districts New Jersey, a project by the states League of Women Voters, is currently pushing for this reform, which recently passed in Michigan and Colorado. These commissions create competitive elections where Democrats can win on an even playing field; Californias current map was drawn by an independent commission, and Democrats swept the states elections in November. When GOP legislatures in Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina stripped power from incoming Democratic governors, we did not see Republican activists marching at their capitols in opposition. Both parties may gerrymander, but both sides of the political spectrum are not equally to blame for the current, sorry state of voting rights. For years, the Democratic Party has promised its base that it will vigorously protect the franchise. The calamity in New Jersey demonstrates that progressives expect Democratic lawmakers to keep their word. U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor declared the entire Affordable Care Act unlawful on Friday, concluding in a widely panned ruling that Congress destroyed the law by zeroing out the individual mandate in 2017. Here are the two things you need to know about this decision: There is slim to no chance it will stand on appeal, and it should not affect your life at all. The latest challenge to the ACA is the most frivolous attack on the law so far, and thats saying something. Texas, joined by a coalition of Republican governors and attorneys general, filed a lawsuit in February 2018 asking a federal district court to invalidate the ACA. It argued that because Congress reduced the financial penalty for those without health insurance to $0, the individual mandate can no longer be upheld as a tax. It then insisted that, because the mandate is unconstitutional, the entire act must be eliminated. In a shocking move, the Department of Justice refused to defend the full ACA. Instead, the DOJ agreed that the mandate is now illegal and urged the court to strike it down, along with other key reformsincluding protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas found a receptive court, which was no accident: It filed its suit in the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, where there is exactly one judge who is not semi-retired: OConnor. A staunchly conservative jurist, OConnor is notorious for issuing nationwide injunctions against progressive policies at Texas behest, such as federal safeguards for transgender Americans. There was little question that OConnor would grant Texas request and rule that every piece of the ACA must fall. But that doesnt mean OConnor is correct, or that any other judge will agree with him on appeal. Indeed, academics across the political spectrum have repudiated Texas argument, with good reason: It just doesnt make any sense. Jonathan Adler and Abbe Gluck, two highly respected scholars on opposite sides of the last big ACA case, have teamed up this time around to explain why this case deserves to go nowhere. Advertisement Advertisement The fundamental question here is not whether the individual mandate is still constitutional when its penalty is zero dollars. Chief Justice John Roberts famously upheld the mandate in 2012 by calling it a tax; Texas now asserts that it can no longer be justified as a tax because it does not collect revenue for the federal government. Is that correct? Who cares? It doesnt really matter, because the mandate is not in force. Whether or not it may continue to exist on paper is an abstract debate. Either way, the federal government will collect no money from the zeroed-out penalty. Advertisement Why, then, did Texas bother with this suit? Because it wants to exploit the mandates evanescent status to demolish the whole law. Texas claims that the mandate is not severable from the ACAmeaning that if the mandate falls, the rest of the law must go as well. Thats nonsense. Under the long-standing principle of severability, a court must generally chop off the part of a law that violates the Constitution, leaving the rest intact. It may only strike down the remainder of the statute if Congress clearly did not intend for the legislation to operate without its illegal provision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Adler and Gluck explained in the New York Times, the mandate is obviously severable from the rest of the ACA. This, they write, is an easy case: It was Congress, not a court, that eliminated the mandate penalty and left the rest of the statute in place. How can a court conclude that Congress never intended the rest of the statute to exist without an operational mandate, when it was the 2017 Congress itself that decided it was fine to eliminate the penalty and leave the rest of the law intact? Congress is allowed to amend its own law, and the Constitution does not permit any court to undermine that power. Advertisement Advertisement Put simply, Congress decided in 2017 to repeal the penalty but keep the remainder of the ACA. OConnor now purports to overrule that decision and eradicate the entire law, insisting that, by tweaking the ACA, Congress was actually secretly voting to kill it. His ruling constitutes egregious judicial overreach, partisan activism in the guise of judicial decision-making. It is an affront to the constitutional separation of powers and an embarrassment to the federal judiciary. Advertisement Advertisement The ruling constitutes egregious judicial overreach, partisan activism in the guise of judicial decision-making. OConnor did not immediately block the ACArecognizing, perhaps, the havoc that would ensue if millions of Americans were suddenly denied health insurance because a judge unilaterally abolished Medicaid expansion, health care exchanges, and every other reform. His decision will now be appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Although the 5th Circuit is quite conservative, I struggle to believe that it will agree with OConnor. On the off chance that it does, it is implausible that a majority of the Supreme Court will uphold OConnors ruling. Roberts, having twice stuck out his neck to save the ACA, will not stoop to take this case seriously. I am not even sure that the other conservative judges will be willing to suspend their intellects to entertain this absurd lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is probably not a coincidence that OConnor issued his decision on a Friday nightthe day before open enrollment for ACA exchanges closed in most states. There is typically a last-minute surge in signups as open enrollment ends, and OConnors ruling spread confusion about the continued legality of health care exchanges. There should be no ambiguity here: The ACA is the law of the land, and will very likely remain so for the foreseeable future. OConnors decision will almost certainly be overturned on appeal. The best thing Americans can do at this point is ignore the mayhem unleashed by OConnorand vote out the GOP politicians who brought this preposterous case to his doorstep. The Washington Post got its hands on a study compiled for the Senate Intelligence Committee that describes in lots of detail just how extensive Russias efforts were to help get President Donald Trump elected. According to the report, which has not been endorsed by the Senate yet, the pro-Trump operation used every major social media platform to a much broader extent than previously believed. It makes clear that the disinformation campaign went beyond Facebook and also targeted users on YouTube, Instagram, Google+, Tumblr, and even Pinterest. Advertisement The report, which was carried out by Oxford Universitys Computational Propaganda Project and network analysis firm Graphika, shows how the Russian effort divided Americans into interest groups to more easily send them messages that were targeted to them and their interests. The efforts though particularly targeted right-wing or at least right-leaning Americans and were also clearly tied to key political events, such as debates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically Donald Trump, notes the report that will be released along with another study later this week. Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign. The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting. The report also criticizes the technology companies for the belated and uncoordinated response to the disinformation campaign and then for not being as transparent as possible with researchers trying to study the issue. This story was originally published by CityLab and has been republished here with permission from Climate Desk. The European Union has a target of making all new buildings zero-energy by 2020, but in Norway, carbon neutrality isnt enough. A consortium in Oslo made up of architects, engineers, environmentalists, and designers is creating energy-positive buildings in a country with some of the coldest and darkest winters on Earth. If you can make it in Norway, you can make it anywhere, says Peter Bernhard, a consultant with Asplan Viak, one of the Powerhouse alliance members. Advertisement Bernhard says Powerhouse began in 2010 with a question: Is it possible to not only eliminate the carbon footprint of buildings but also use them as a climate-crisis solution? It was a lofty goal. According to the European Commission, buildings account for 40 percent of energy usage and 36 percent of CO2 emissions in the EU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But after undertaking several energy-positive projectsbuilding a new Montessori school, retrofitting four small office buildings, building a few homes, and breaking ground on two new office buildingsPowerhouse has found the answer to the 2010 question to be an emphatic Yes. In 2019, the collectives biggest project to date will be opened to the public: Powerhouse Brattrkaia, in the central Norwegian city of Trondheim. Advertisement Brattrkaia is an eight-story office building that will produce 485,000 kilowatt-hours annually. For reference, the average Norwegian home uses about 20,000 kWh of power a year. (In the U.S., the yearly household average is 10,399 kWh). Brattrkaia will, in effect, become a minipower plant that can supply electricity to Norways publicly owned grid. Its surplus energy will also compensate for the power used to produce its building materials. That, says Snhetta architect Jette Hopp, is unique; prevailing definitions for energy-positive buildings dont include materials embodied energy. Is it possible to not only eliminate the carbon footprint of buildings but also use them as a climate-crisis solution? Hopp says accounting for that energy makes for a more complex development process. Recycled materials are favored above all. New materials are diligently traced. The design process is front-loaded with engineering expertise. Alliance members work together to make sure every design choice has a dual purpose. Nothing is by coincidence, says Hopp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We try to give things multiple functions, and that directly leads to less embodied energy since we dont have to double or triple up systems. Thats in the smart thinkingbut you need to have the knowledge of all the different layers of infrastructure works in order to find synergies. That meticulousness is apparent at Powerhouse Kjrbo. The retrofit project, composed of four short office buildings in a business park outside of Oslo, was the first to be completed by the collective. During Septembers Oslo Innovation Week, Bernhard of Asplan Viakwhose offices are located at Kjrbogave a detailed tour of one of the buildings. Advertisement Advertisement Motion sensors click lights on and off as people move about the building. An internal spiral staircase doubles as a ventilation shaft. Rooftop solar panels collect energy on bright days, energy wells store it, and geothermal power compensates on colder, grayer days. (Track Kjrbos performance here.) Advertisement Advertisement The building concrete frame was recycled, and the old exterior glass windows were reused to make interior partitions, which help maximize daylight. Additional insulation panels were made from old plastic bottles. Rather than use energy-intensive metal, a Japanese wood-burning technique called shou sugi ban was used to blacken Kjrbos new facade. Advertisement Advertisement Prior to refurbishment, the building consumed an average of 250 kWh per square meter, says Bernhard. That has been reduced by 85 percent. Kjrbos excess energy is used to heat another building and power a nearby hydrogen-car refueling station. Energy-positive construction has piqued other countries curiosityparticularly Germanysbut it still hasnt had its breakthrough moment. Hopp says that so far all of Powerhouses requests have come from inside of Norway. Advertisement Snhetta on its own, however, has an international reputation for pairing elements of sustainabilitysocial or environmentalwith bold yet rational design. In 2018, the architecture firm finished the retrofit of an old house on Harvards Cambridge campus, which will serve as a prototype and living laboratory for energy-positive construction. The firm also built the extension of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the pedestrianized revamp of Times Square, Calgarys new Central Library, Le Mondes new Paris headquarters, and a building in Toronto entirely dedicated to giving Ryerson University students badly needed study space. Back in Norway, Snhetta and other Powerhouse members are working on the worlds first energy-positive hotel inside of the Arctic Circle. The mock-up for the Svart hotel shows a ring-shaped building jutting out over icy waters, just a few steps away from the Svartisen glacier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Trondheim, the design of the not-yet-finished Brattrkaia shows a striking building informed by nature. The roof slopes to maximize solar harvesting. A cylindrical atrium through the center of the building brings natural light in from two sides. A slightly curved facade, paired with double-skin glass, captures Nordic winds and repurposes them for ventilation while also reducing the wind-tunnel effect on the ground. We really let the environmental aspects drive the design, says Hopp. The commitment to social and environmental sustainability is not unique to Powerhouse. Norway is wholly dedicated to reducing CO 2 emissions across the country, with the ultimate goal of decarbonizing transportation altogether. For these efforts, Oslo was elected the 2019 European Green Capital. Powerhouse isnt the only group dedicated to energy-positive construction; Haptic Architects and the Nordic Office of Architecture are planning an energy-positive airport city for Oslo. Advertisement Hopp suggests this kind of environment-focused collectivism is partly informed by Norways right to roam, a right codified by law that gives all Norwegians the freedom to pitch a tent almost anywhere they want. Hopp says Snhetta has integrated a version of the right to roambeing able to freely walk in, under, or upon a building as a member of the general publicinto their work. We believe that architecture is one of the most important cultural expressions of our time, and that it also has a social impact, she says. When you have a generous building that is also able to include society, that changes how you perceive cities and the built environment around youthe singular you as well as the plural. It makes a big difference. Due to security concerns, Senator JV Ejercito said it is likely that the Senate would remove the funding for the P20-billion surveillance and monitoring project of the Department of the Interior and Local Government with a Chinese firm. Ejercito, finance committee vice chairman and defending the DILG budget, warned this would happen if concerned government agencies will fail to satisfactorily justify the project. Some senators will introduce amendments. If not satisfied with documents and information submitted, theres a big chance that it will be taken out because of national security issues, he said. The DILG, together with China International Telecommunication Construction Corp., an affiliate of China Telecom, will implement the surveillance and monitoring project. Upon the request of Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Finance committee chairman Loren Legarda, asked the National Economic and Development Authority to submit documents pertinent to the Safe Philippines project which aims to install 12,000 closed circuit television cameras in Metro Manila and Davao City. During the budget deliberations, Recto said the contract was signed by DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano and the chairman of China Telecom, a partner of Mislatel which could be the countrys third telco. He raised alarm over the project as, according to his sources, the equipment to be used would be provided by Huawei, which appears to be banned in many countries due to hacking allegations. Would there not be a security threat if we allow China Telecom to be part of a surveillance system of the DILG and the PNP? he added. Here we are, discussing the possibility of giving China Telecom third telcom status. They will be part of the Safe Philippines with Huawei. They are blacklisted in many countries at least as supplier, he said. In a press statement Thursday, the DILG said the Safe Philippines emergency response and monitoring system is not primarily for surveillance but an integrated system to improve police response time as well as to deter and reduce crime. Ano said the project will level up the 911 emergency system of the DILG-PNP and will be used to improve public safety, evidence collection in the event of criminal activities, incident prevention measures for disaster-related mitigation and response, and police and fire emergency response in addressing traffic and criminal incidents. A similar system is in place in many cities in the world especially in large metropolitan cities like Metro Manila. It's about time we have a similar system in our country the DILG chief said in a news release. Under this project, we can reduce crime by 15 percent and improve response time by 25 percent, he said. Ano also clarified that while the Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. was one of the three bidders of the project, it did not win the bid. He said Huawei and CMEC were disqualified from the bid because they did not meet the standards and specifications of the Special Bids and Awards Committee. Only CITCC met the requirements. On Nov. 19, the DILG signed the USD396.8-million contract with the winning bidder China International Telecommunication Construction Corp. for the construction and installation of monitoring systems in Metro Manila and Davao City.Under phase 1 of the Safe Philippines Project, DILG will provide 18 local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila and Davao City with integrated operations and command centers and a remote back-up data center. Ano said all cities in Metro Manila and Davao City will have their own command centers to be located at the PNP city headquarters. Meanwhile, a national command center will be constructed in Metro Manila, while its remote back-up data center will be placed in the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. Metro Manila was identified as the pilot city for the project due to its dense population. Davao City, on the other hand, was chosen to complement the monitoring system already in place in the city. The DILG Secretary assured the public that they will take necessary measures such as installing protocols and standard operating procedures to protect the data stored in the CCTV system. "The DILG will install the necessary firewalls to protect the system from hackers and other threats. This will be installed by the DILG and funded by our government," he said. The public also doesnt have to worry about data breaches in the project as there will be no storage of classified data or information inimical to national security in the CCTV system, Ano said. The project will simply allow our police to respond to criminal activities, address disasters and traffic issues, and apprehend suspects in the event of threats to public order, safety, and security, he added. The PNP has been wanting to build a similar system since the previous administration, but it never took off because of the high cost, he added. The DILG prepared the feasibility study of the National Safe Cities Project, which was submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority in December 2016 for approval. The name was changed to the Safe Philippines Project together with the submission of the final feasibility study to NEDA, which was approved in January 2018. The Safe Philippines Phase I Project is a joint project between the governments of the Philippines and the Peoples Republic of China to ensure the effective and efficient management of public order, safety and security. People living in Metro Manila and Davao City will feel a lot more safer walking the streets at night knowing that this system is in place," Ano said. This will further empower local government units and our police to be more responsive and proactive in addressing crime-related incidents, the DILG chief said. It should be well-known by now that Russian operatives made memes and fake activist pages to try to sway the 2016 presidential campaign for Donald Trump. But what most people dont know is that they were also selling sex toys, recruiting Americans to work with them through job listings, offering free self-defense classes, soliciting photos for a calendar, and even offering counseling to followers of page called Army of Jesus who were struggling with porn addiction. Two new reports delivered to the Senate Intelligence Committeeone from the cybersecurity group New Knowledge and the other from Oxford Universitys Computational Propaganda Project and the social networkinganalysis firm Graphikaexpand what the public knows about how a Kremlin-linked troll farm, the Internet Research Agency, widened divides in American political life during and after the 2016 election. Together, the reports comprise the most extensive research yet into exactly how Russian agents instrumentalized U.S. technology companies to launch what may be largest state-sponsored effort to manipulate voters and derail an election in U.S. history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the two reports both present new findings, they both also deliver some familiar conclusions: Social media companies werent completely forthright with Congress about the extent of Russian disinformation activities when the companies testified after the 2016 election. Both sets of researchers also found that Instagram, owned by Facebook, and YouTube, owned by Google, played a far greater role in the propaganda campaign than previously thought and that Russian agents were particularly focused on and effective at exploiting long-standing racial tensions in the U.S. For example, the New Knowledge report notes that of the 1,107 videos on YouTube the researchers reviewed, 1,063, or 96 percent, were about either police brutality or the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet when YouTube testified to Congress in 2017, the company shared in a statement, These channels videos were not targeted to the U.S. or to any particular sector of the U.S. population. While that comment may be referring to paid targeted advertising, researchers with New Knowledge wrote that the testimony appears disingenuous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The researchers at New Knowledge also found that Instagramthrough which, Facebook previously reported, the IRA trolls reached 20 million users, compared to 126 million on Facebookwas actually a far more fruitful platform for engagement than Facebook was, despite the smaller number of users reached. Instagram clocked in about 187 million user engagements (meaning likes, shares, and comments) while Facebook amassed about 77 million, according to the research, which tracked Internet Research Agency accounts from early 2015 to the fall of 2017. The Russian trolls were clearly aware of their success on Instagram. The report from Oxford University found that activity on Instagram from the Russian troll operation skyrocketed after the election, from 2,600 posts a month in 2016 to about 6,000 posts per month in 2017 before the accounts were shuttered by Facebook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than any other topic matter, much of this activity focused on infiltrating racial-justice movements and prodding racial tensions, which the New Knowledge report calls an expansive cross-platform media mirage targeting the Black community. That mirage included a complex architecture of accounts across multiple platforms for single fake activist groups. One such group, BlackMattersUs, hosted accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Google Plus, Facebook, and Gmail. The faux racial-justice group also hosted a page on PayPal that it shared on its website BlackMattersUS.com, as Slate first reported in November 2017. There, the Russian trolls solicited donations from Americans interested in helping to finance their purported work supporting black community leaders. (PayPal took the account down after Slate asked the company for a response and would not disclose if any money had been donated through the account.) Advertisement Advertisement The attempt to collect funds via PayPal may well have been part of the larger ruse to appear like an authentic activist group, which the trolls went through great lengths to mimic. BlackMattersUS, which described itself as a nonprofit news outlet that delivers raw and original information on the most urgent issues important to the African-American community in America, even scraped real events planned by black activists and entrepreneurs across the country to repost on its event page, to the great surprise of the event organizers. One such event, the MLK Grande Parade in Houston, a large annual parade honoring Martin Luther King Jr., was advertised on the Russian troll site. I think its a load of BS. My name is Charlesits not comrade, Charles Stamps, who has organized the event since 1994, told me when I called him last fall and told him that BlackMattersUS was promoting his event. I dont appreciate it, and we certainly dont want to be affiliated with it. Russian trolls also concocted voter-suppression efforts that were targeted almost exclusively at the Black community on Instagram and Facebook, according to the New Knowledge report. This included memes, like one on Facebook that read Do Not Vote for Oppressors next to a drawing of Hillary Clinton and DonaldTrump holding hands. Another Instagram meme shared before the election by the account @woke_blacks read, Want a quick lesson in racism & hypocrisy? Imagine in 08 if Obama had 5 children by 3 different women & was bragging about grabbing pussies, next to the hashtag #Boycot2016. Advertisement Advertisement This May, the House Intelligence Committee released a collection of about 3,500 Facebook and Instagram ads purchased by Russian trolls to attempt to sway the 2016 election. And it was more than a year ago, in October 2017, that executives from Twitter, Facebook, and Google first testified to Congress about Russian meddling on their platforms. Since then, the story has only become more completeand more embarrassing for these powerful internet platforms, which hosted an enormous amount of inauthentic activity related to U.S. politics. We still dont know how much it swung anything. Thats the thing with propaganda: Its not obvious when it works. We have no clue how many Americans opted not to vote because of Russian voter-suppression efforts or troll campaigns that aimed to smear Hilary Clinton as a distrustful and ill candidate. But we do know that social media companies, even after testifying to Congress about the problem, have been either been underreporting the activity or not successfully looking. Yes, Facebook did set up a war room ahead of the 2018 elections and Twitter has gotten better at dismantling inauthentic accounts and botsall of this with the help of thousands of content-moderation hiresbut theres still no clear legal requirement for these companies to do better, to keep a closer eye, to disclose political-ad buyers, or to be transparent about their cleanup efforts to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With more information in its hands about how these companies built tools that allowed malicious state actors to walk through the front door and meddle with American political life, Congress has what it needs to start reining in these companies so that even after the publics attention moves elsewhere, a repeat of 2016 isnt possible. And yet: Google and Facebook spent record sums on lobbying this year, and as of yet theres no single piece of legislation on the table to regulate these companies that Congress seems likely to rally behindeven as the reasons to take the threat of manipulative social media campaigns seriously keep piling up. At this years WikiConference North America, Kevin Li, a 17-year-old freshman at Stanford, told me that Wikipedia administrators like him have three special powers. They can 1) block and unblock users, 2) protect articles from persistent vandalism, and 3) hide changes from the projects editorial history. Administrators receive this bundle of high-level technical abilities after they pass a thorough community review process. But recently, that first superpower was dialed back a bit: An administrator is no longer able to self-unblock. That means that if Administrator A is blocked by Administrator B, A can no longer lift the ban himself. It may seem like a somewhat arcane bureaucratic change, but some in the Wikipedia volunteer community are calling it the nuclear option (not to be confused with the U.S. Senate procedure of the same name). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Understanding the online encyclopedias motivations to go nuclear requires a brief history lesson. Wikipedias open platform has been challenged by vandalism since its founding in 2001. The bad edits range from the humorous (for example, suggesting actor Jeremy Renner is a velociraptor) to more serious (like the Siegenthaler biography incident). Over the past decade and a half, the length of time that vandalism remains on the site has been greatly reduced. Articles on certain high-profile subjects have been protected to varying degrees from open editing. For example, Renners page is now semi-protected, meaning that editors must have registered a user account to edit and cannot edit anonymously from an IP address. President Donald Trumps page has extended confirmed protection, also known as 30/500 protection, meaning that only editors who have been registered on Wikipedia for more than 30 days and have made more than 500 edits may modify the article. In rare circumstances where legitimate editors cannot get along due to content disputes, an article may be full-protected so that only administrators can make changes. The entry on the Vasco da Gama Bridge in Portugal has been fully protected for a cooling-off period until Dec. 24 after an edit war erupted about whether it was the longest bridge in Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Automated bots also help police the pagesfor instance, ClueBot NG quickly reverts probable vandalism based on its machine-learning algorithm and a database of common indicators like expletives and other bad words, or unencyclopedic punctuation like !!!11 There also remains a contingent of dedicated human volunteers who monitor the site, such as the 259 people who have Renners article on their watchlist. If somebody tried to make Renner into a dinosaur again, the change would be speedily reverted by A.I. or human page-patrollers. Advertisement Advertisement But those guardrails mostly protect against entry-level vandalism. Its much harder when the misbehavior is more advancedlike when the vandal uses the login credentials of an administrator. Those breaches have historically been somewhat more challenging to remediate because the vandal takes on the bundle of special admin powers. Li told me that admin breach incidents typically followed this pattern: Advertisement 1) The bad actor hacked into an administrator account, perhaps using reputable published password lists from websites that have been hacked, which include Myspace, Adobe, and Experian. 2) The bad actor wreaked havoc, using the powers of an admin account to block users and make changes to protected pages. 3) When the hacker was blocked, they used their capability to self-unblock. (Something they could do before last months nuclear option went into effect.) The hacker continued to cause harm until one of Wikipedias 34 global stewards picked up the problem and shut down the compromised account. Advertisement Advertisement In a potential doomsday scenario, a bad actor could hack an admin account and mass-block every other administrator. Weve seen that cycle play out a few times recently. For instance, a hacker used a compromised admin account and then self-unbanned to blank the main page of English Wikipedia altogether. On Thanksgiving, Siri briefly displayed a lewd image when asked about Trump due to recent Wikipedia vandalism. The persistent vandalism by several users continued throughout the weekend and included a compromised admin who had self-unblocked. Even when the bad actor has accessed an administrators account, their changes are usually quickly reversed, often within a few minutes. But like other large tech companies, Apple is increasingly dependent on the encyclopedia to provide information for its question-answer functionality. Even if the Wikipedia community quickly undoes the bad edit, these third-party tech companies could retrieve content during the short window of vandalism, and the bad information can remain on Siri, Google, or Alexa for a longer period. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enter the nuclear option. Supporters pointed out that removing a hacked administrator accounts ability to self-unblock would have shortened the damage interval in several recent situations. If an admins account were compromised and causing problems, then another administrator could block that admin. Without self-unblock, the bad actor would be immobilized. The nuclear option, therefore, leverages the power of numbers: English Wikipedias 1,194 administrators could likely detect the hacker and block them more quickly than the 34 global stewards, who have technical responsibilities across all Wikimedia projects. Vandalism issues that had previously taken minutes to fix (like the recent Donald Trump incident) could potentially be solved within seconds. Advertisement But opponents of the nuclear option pointed to a potential doomsday scenario in which a bad actor could hack an admin account and mass-block every other administrator. Without the capability to self-unblock, the administrators would be helpless. Theoretically, the bad actor could hold Wikipedia hostage for a while, or at least until a steward with greater authority exercised the power to mass-remobilize the rest of the admin community. (Sidebar: Does this sound like the most epic game of freeze tag to anyone else?) Advertisement Members of the Wikipedia community have described two credible countermeasures to this unlikely encyclopedia apocalypse: One, an administrators ability to block other administrators could be rate-limited, which would prevent a massive attack where a compromised account blocked everyone else in rapid succession. Two, the Wikimedia Foundation could release a further modification to the code that would allow a blocked administrator to block the admin account who blocked them (but not others) thereby removing the first-mover advantage. In keeping with the nuclear deterrence theme, this block-the-blocker move would essentially result in a stalemate. Even before the November decision on the nuclear option, Wikipedia had been carefully considering potential security issues with administrator accounts. A 2011 community resolution resulted in the decision to deactivate administrator accounts that had been inactive for more than one year, under the theory that these old accounts were more vulnerable to hackers. Since 2016, the site has been strongly encouraging two-factor authentication, or 2FA, for all Wikipedia administrators to add an additional degree of protection to the account. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wikipedia administrator Molly White (username GorillaWarfare) was supportive of the recent change to remove the self-unblock capability for English language Wikipedia but wished the change had not necessarily been implemented globally across all Wikimedia projects. Other language encyclopedias and wikis often have fewer administrators, and those admins might benefit from the ability to self-unblock in the event of a breach. White also said the community should think twice before requiring 2FA for everybody. Wikipedia is a global project with users from all sorts of locations and socioeconomic situations, and I think its important that we do not restrict people from editing because they cannot pay for a cellphone, she wrote in an email. The 25-year-old Boston software engineer suggested that the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation should consider providing physical security keys as a secondary authentication option. These hardware tokens often connect via USB and do not require owning a smartphone, which would keep a level playing field. Furthermore, hardware tokens seem to be effective. Since transitioning to physical security keys last year, Google has not had a single employee phishing incident. The fact that members of the Wikimedia community are seriously contemplating a security measure implemented by one of the most valuable tech companies in the world suggests that they are keenly aware of the projects central role in the information ecosystem. With Big Tech increasingly relying on its information, the open knowledge platform is positioned for an elevated role as the essential infrastructure of free knowledge. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Michal Krcmery, AmChams Director of Government Affairs, explains the impact of the new Public Procurement Act on SMEs and points out why these changes bring less transparency into the public procurement process. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Imagine running a medium-sized carpentry business in northeastern Slovakia. Besides selling your products to households or local companies, you also offer products to public institutions. You regularly participate in tenders organized by municipalities or the regional government and offer quality products at competitive rates. You were thus successful on several occasions and have won a couple of public tenders that were organized in a fair and transparent way. As a result, after approximately a decade of running your own business and employing dozens of employees in the region, you can today count several schools or municipalities from the region among your customers. In the second half of 2017 you suddenly noticed a significant decrease in the number of public tenders your company could participate in. Since all your resources are dedicated to your main business activity you were not aware of the sudden legislative changes that meant thresholds for low-value purchases of commonly accessible goods or services were increased from 20,000 EUR (+VAT) to 50,000 EUR (+VAT). In reality this meant that municipalities or regional public institutions that used to regularly call tenders were suddenly not obliged to do so and could award contracts of up to 50,000 EUR directly without a proper public tender. As a result, your company and probably many other similar businesses both from the region and throughout Slovakia were not able to compete for public contracts. New Public Procurement Act Fast forward several months and in May 2018, the Public Procurement Office presented its proposal to amend the Public Procurement Act. Besides adopting several measures which should, in principle, lower the administrative burden, the amendment also aimed to significantly increase thresholds for low-value purchases. Such changes, proposed only months after the previous increase in 2017, mean that approximately 70% of all public procurements will fall under the scope of the new legislation. What is more disturbing, such a proposal came without any analysis of the effects of the recent changes. The only available data was provided by Transparency International and the results should have served as a warning. Increase in thresholds in 2017 lead to (I) a significant decrease of average predicted savings (9,300 EUR vs 16,000 EUR) as well as a notably shorter time period for businesses to submit their offer (13 days vs. 20 days). AmChams position AmCham strongly believes that new changes in public procurement should make the process not only more efficient but also transparent. At the early stage of the interdepartmental process we pointed to the risks of increasing thresholds for low-value purchases. We accepted the political reality and the fact that both the government and the municipalities advocated strongly for yet another increase which would obviously make life easier for the public sector. In order to unite a stronger voice of the business community, AmCham, together with majority of its partner business associations from the Rule of Law Initiative, suggested a compromise solution: Should the thresholds for low-value purchases increase again, ensure ex ante publishing of all tenders in one place (such as the Public Procurement Register) This would ensure, among others: Fair competition for businesses Reasonable level of control of public institutions spending More offers for municipalities/public procurers in individual tenders Support for small and medium enterprises The system of public procurement to be more trustworthy Such a compromise was presented to the Public Procurement Office and later on discussed at the governmental Economic and Social Council. Unfortunately, the government did not accept this proposal to make also low-value purchases more transparent and passed the legislation for parliamentary approval. As a result, AmCham together with its Rule of Law partners turned its attention to the National Council. In early October, we organized a joint press conference, which was covered by several media including RTVS or TA3. We subsequently presented our case at the Parliamentary Economic Affairs Committee and called on the MPs to ensure the Public Procurement Act would find balance between efficiency and transparency. On October 16, the Public Procurement Act amendment was approved unfortunately without balancing the two principal public interests efficiency and transparency. The negative effects will be borne mostly by small and medium businesses in the regions as shown in the example above. Michal Krcmery is Director of Government Affairs, AmCham Slovakia Originally published in Connection, the magazine published by AmCham Slovakia Slovak hauliers can employ more than 2,500 new drivers now. Truck drivers in Slovakia earn less than those working in Germany or the Czech Republic. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled The strong economic growth Slovakia is experiencing this year has its downsides. While the unemployment rate remains low, logistics, similar to manufacturing and retail, suffers from the lack of employees. Logistics companies consider this modern era a challenge from every human resource department. Many companies fight for skilled workers on the market, so recruitment is now a priority, said Martina Kockova, Resource Center Lead at DHL Supply Chain for Slovakia. The company that gains the most lucrative employees gets a significant competitive advantage, Kockova told The Slovak Spectator. The hauliers are battling with competition from abroad as well. Foreign companies steal truck drivers from Slovakia for better wage conditions, caused by different tax-deductible systems, according to the Association of Road Transport Operators of the Slovak Republic (CESMAD). The same basic wage of a driver with two schoolchildren is higher in Germany and the Czech Republic, Martina Baumann, spokesperson of CESMAD, told The Slovak Spectator. Which areas need workers? In September 2018, the registered unemployment rate reached 5.38 percent, according to the latest statistics of the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (UPSVaR). That is one of the main reasons why almost all areas of transportation and logistics, including storage and handling of goods, seek out additional employees. While Slovak hauliers are currently able to employ more than 2,500 new drivers, bus service companies are looking for around 500 drivers, according to Baumann. CJEU has recently set the precedent regarding the issue of incompatibility of the Intra-EU BITS with the EU law. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled The Court of Justice of the European Union (hereinafter referred to as CJEU) has recently set the precedent regarding the issue of incompatibility of the Intra-EU BITS(1) with the EU law. In the highly anticipated Achmea decision(2), the CJEU maintained that arbitration clauses within Intra-EU BITS, such as the arbitration clause contained within Art. 8 of the Slovakia-Netherlands BIT(3), are invalid because they are incompatible with the provisions of the EU law. Prior to the accession to the EU, many European countries concluded BITS as a means of stipulation of the rules of foreign investments. The Netherlands and Slovakia (specifically its legal predecessor the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic) concluded BIT with the intention to protect mutual investments in the respective countries. Art. 8 of the BIT set out the process of dispute settlement by granting contractual parties the right to refer any dispute, if not settled amicably, to the arbitral tribunal. In 2008, Achmea B.V., a Dutch insurance company operating in Slovakia, initiated an arbitration proceeding against Slovakia in response to Slovakia tightening its regulation of the private health insurance sector. After the arbitral tribunal ruled in favour of Achmea B.V. and declared that Slovakia had breached the BIT, Slovakia initiated a setting-aside proceeding before German courts. In the course of the court proceeding, Slovakia challenged the jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal, claiming the incompatibility of Art. 8 of the BIT with EU law, specifically its articles 18, 267 and 344. Subsequently, the German Federal Court of Justice referred the question of compatibility of Art. 8 of BIT with the EU law to the CJEU. JUDr. Andrea Erbenova, PhD., LL.M. In its reasoning, the CJEU notably considered(4): (i) whether issues referred to the arbitral tribunal mentioned in the Art. 8 of the BIT relate to the interpretation or application of the EU law, (ii) whether the arbitral tribunal forms part of the judicial system of the EU, particularly whether the tribunal may be considered part of the court of the member state concerned and (iii) whether arbitral award made by such an arbitral tribunal is subject to court review in accordance with Art. 19 of the TFEU. CJEU concluded that Art. 267 and 344 of the TFEU preclude any international agreement, under which it is possible to bring proceedings against the latter member state before an arbitral tribunal whose jurisdiction that member state has chosen to accept, such as Art. 8 of BIT. Achmeas decision strongly asserts the principle of primacy of the EU law and reaffirms the obligation of the member states to uniformly and consistently apply the EU law. In its reasoning, CJEU rejected the view of the Advocate General(5), who argued that BITS, as well as arbitration agreements contained therein, are compatible with the EU law and do not undermine the principles of the European Union. On the contrary, CJEU emphasized that considering its nature and its purpose, arbitral tribunal within the meaning of Art. 8 of BIT does not form part of the judicial system of the member state and therefore cannot be regarded as court or tribunal for the purposes of Art. 267 of the TFEU. Moreover, CJEU pointed out that since the arbitral tribunal, as defined in Art. 8 of BIT, cannot be considered court or tribunal for the purposes of Art. 267 of the TFEU, BIT established a special manner of dispute settlement that prevents full effectiveness of the EU law. Mgr. Barbora Ivanova Following the abovementioned, what does the Achmea decision mean for the future of BITS and arbitration agreements contained therein? The Dutch government has already indicated(6) it will terminate BIT concluded with Slovakia as well as all BITS concluded with other member states. Several member states have challenged the awards rendered in the Intra-EU disputes in light of the Achmea decision(7). Nevertheless, there are still many Intra-EU BITS in force with arbitration clauses similar to the one contained within Art. 8 of BIT. First, despite succeeding in obtaining an arbitration award related to Intra-EU BITS, claimants might face difficulties with enforcement of such awards. In this regard, the European Commission issued a communication(8) in which it emphasised that EU investors cannot have recourse to arbitral tribunal established by Intra-EU BITS, which are incompatible with EU law and no longer necessary in the single market. Moreover, although the Achmea decision focuses on Intra-EU BITS, it also implies consequences for agreements with non-EU countries. Notably, issues may arise in connection with ratification of CETA(9) since tribunal under CETA may constitute the same impediments to the full effectiveness of the EU law as did the tribunal under Art. 8 of the BIT. The compatibility of CETA has already been questioned with the Kingdom of Belgium requesting an opinion of CJEU regarding the compatibility of Chapter 8 ("Investments"), Section F ("Resolution of investment disputes between investors and states") of CETA with the European Treaties(10). Additionally, in light of the Achmea decision, investors from member states may revaluate the placement of their business activities. The lack of protection under Intra-EU BITS and the lack of possibility to arbitrate disputes may serve as an incentive to shift the investments to non-EU countries such as Switzerland or, in the future, the United Kingdom(11). Whether the Achmea decision represents the final position of the CJEU in the matter of compatibility of Intra-EU BITS with the EU law is yet to be determined. In the future, the conclusions of the CJEU may remain unchanged, regardless of the nature of challenged Intra-EU BIT agreement or they may very well become isolated for being specifically tied to BIT. However, considering the rather straightforward position of the CJEU as well as the content of the communication, it seems that time of Intra-EU BITS and arbitration agreements contained therein might just come to an end. __________________________________________________________________________ (1) Intra EU BITS = bilateral investment treaties concluded between two member states prior to their accession to the European Union. (2) Decision of the CJEU in Slovak Republic vs Achmea BV, case No. C284/16, March 6, 2018 (hereinafter referred to as Achmea decision). (3) Agreement on encouragement and reciprocal protection of investments between the Netherlands and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic concluded on April 29, 1991 (hereinafter referred to as BIT). (4) Sections 39, 43 and 50 of the Achmea decision. (5) Opinion of Advocate General Wathelet delivered on September 19, 2017. (6) According to the letter of Minister for Foreign Trade and Development cooperation dated April 24, 2018. (7) E.g. Spain has recently challenged the Novenergia award (SCC Case No. 063/2015). Similarly, Hungary sought post-award remedies with regards to the Edenred award (ICSID Case No. ARB/13/21). (8) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council in the matter of Protection of intra-EU investment issued on July 19, 2018 (hereinafter referred to as communication). (9) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the European Union and Canada approved by European Parliament on February 15, 2017 (hereinafter referred to as CETA). (10) Request of September 6, 2017. (11) Following the public vote, the United Kingdom is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. The city has already promised to allocate 24,000. The site has not been chosen yet. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Economic migrants coming to work in Nitra will be able to visit a brand new Integration and Community Centre. It will also be open to the locals, with the aim of solving problems with foreigners, according to the project proposal approved by the city councillors. The centre will be run by the Nitra Community Foundation (NKN), which authored the project together with the city authority. The expected costs for its operation should amount to more than 95,000. It will be financed from several sources, with the city council promising to allocate 24,000, the regional MY Nitrianske Noviny weekly reported. It is not clear for now where exactly the centre will reside. Nitra will become the very first regional capital to offer comprehensive integration services, said Lubica Lachka of NKN. The city and its community cannot be indifferent to the arrival of foreigners and at the same time, their arrival cannot be met with ignorance and refusal, she said, as quoted by MY Nitrianske Noviny. Its possible that in the future foreigners will have families in the city and will become citizens who not only work, but spend their free time here. Not only providing information The main objectives of the centre is to improve the distribution of information to economic migrants, creating conditions for social inclusion and integration. It should also help remove barriers between local inhabitants and migrants coming from the EU and non-EU countries. Moreover, employers are expected to use the centres services, for a certain fee, MY Nitrianske Noviny wrote. The centre will have two employees and a basic network of external collaborators who will secure the language education of foreigners. An external company will provide consulting and training services. In special cases, there would also be personal assistance when communicating with respective authorities. The centre will operate as a first contact site, where foreigners will find all the information necessary for their initial orientation in the city in their mother tongue, reads the proposal. Language education should be merged with inter-cultural learning. It will also be used to identify foreigners and create some kind of a database. Moreover, the proposal counts on creating an informal platform of collaborating organisations, which would include the Foreigners Police, the city of Nitra, the local labour office, employers and non-governmental organisations. They should exchange information and solve problems, MY Nitrianske Noviny wrote. Thousands of foreigners come to Nitra About 10,000 foreigners come to Nitra every year, according to Lachka. This does not only include people working in the local industrial park, but also doctors, teachers, caretakers and bus drivers. They often work in jobs that are not of interest to the locals. The number of university students from abroad who want to stay here has also increased, Lachka said. We have too many economic migrants, said Nitra Mayor Marek Hattas, as quoted by MY Nitrianske Noviny. This situation has been neglected over a long period and we need to solve it. Hattas has welcomed the project, though he is aware of the fact that the city is partially substituting for the role of the state. This opinion is shared by most city councillors, according to the regional weekly. The current coalition would fail to have a majority, but neither would the opposition without the extremists, a poll suggests. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Though the ruling Smer party recorded a drop in political preferences by over 5 percentage points after the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, it has managed to halt the downward trend. This stems from an exclusive poll carried out by the Focus agency for the Sme daily between December 1 and 9 on 1,019 respondents. If the parliamentary elections took place in early December, Smer would be supported by 21.7 percent of those polled. Back in November, the party would have received only 20.9 percent. Read also: Read also: Poll: Smer would win, but opposition could form government Read more Many voters have no other party to vote for, political analyst Pavol Babos told Sme. Its the only party that works with social issues which concern either pensioners or manual workers. For Smer voters, the Slovak National Party (SNS) is their second choice. However, its chair Andrej Danko failed to attract the disappointed Smer supporters. Current coalition would not be formed The second strongest party, according to the Focus poll, would be the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) supported by 13.3 percent of respondents, followed by Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO) with 10.5 percent. The SNS and far-right Kotleba - Peoples Party Our Slovakia (LSNS) would harvest the same support as previously: 9.2 percent. Sme Rodina (We are Family) of Boris Kollar would win 9 percent, while the non-parliamentary Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) would receive 6.5 percent. Two more parties would make it to parliament: the coalition party Most-Hid with 5.2 percent and Progressive Slovakia with 5.1 percent. Read also: Read also: SNS falls in poll following the scandal of plagiarism suspicions Read more The recently established Spolu (Together) party would win the support of only 4.1 percent, down from 5 percent in November. As a result, it would not make it to parliament. The Focus poll suggests that the current ruling coalition of Smer, SNS and Most-Hid would fail to have a majority in parliament. It would occupy only 60 of the 150 parliamentary seats available, Sme wrote. However, it would not be possible to form a ruling coalition without the LSNS either. SaS, OLaNO, Sme Rodina, KDH and Progressive Slovakia would have 75 mandates. During his audience, President Andrej Kiska presented the pope with four baubles from Slovakia, which the pope wants to hang in Saint Marthas House. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Pope Francis received Slovak President Andrej Kiska on December 14. The president presented the pope with a gift from Slovakia: four Christmas tree baubles made by people from disadvantaged social groups in Slovakia. Read also: Read also: President Kiska to meet with Pope Francis Read more When receiving the baubles, the pope told Kiska that he will have them hung on the Christmas tree in Saint Marthas House, where he will be serving mass until Christmas, the TASR newswire reported. At the same time, Kiska invited Pope Francis to Slovakia. The pope was pleased to receive the invitation but immediately added that he has a busy programme. When saying goodbye in the Vatican, Pope Francis asked Kiska for a favour. He gave him two gifts: one for his father and the other for the former Trnava archbishop Robert Bezak, the Dennik N daily reported. Kiska was surprised by the latter gift. No official report, either from the Presidents Office or from the Vatican, mentions the gift. The information has however been confirmed by the presidents spokesperson Roman Krpelan. He stressed that the president is happy to deliver the gift to Bezak, who is still popular among Slovaks. video //www.youtube.com/embed/yG7POjVkdIo Bezak receives medal Kiska met with Bezak on December 17 to deliver a gift from the pope. Pope Francis sent the former archbishop a gold-plated medal of the Madonna with Baby Jesus, the Sme daily wrote. Slovak toy trains can be found in France, Germany and the United States. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Toys from Slovakia seem to be popular around the world. Together with the Czech Republic, the country is one of the quickest growing exporters of toys in the European Union, the Hospodarske Noviny daily reported. The export of toys amounts to 170 million a year, which is 10 times more than in 2005. Slovakia is currently the 12th biggest exporter of toys in Europe, which is the best placement in its history. As with most EU countries, plastic construction sets are exported the most. However, the country has the strongest position in the partial market with electric toys. Currently, Slovakia is the fourth biggest European exporter of these toys per capita. I cant assess other producers, but were doing well, Ivan Jenik, one of the producers of electric trains, told Hospodarske Noviny. Only less than 1 percent of our trains stay in Slovakia. His trains are exported mostly to France, Germany and the United States. Slovakia also has a strong position in Europe when it comes to the export of engine driven toys and models other than trains, Hospodarske Noviny reported. Interest in cheap toys drops The most difficult period for Slovak toy producers was in the 1990s when cheaper toys from abroad arrived on the market. The interest in Slovak toys disappeared for several years, Roman Pohl, owner of the Wooden Train company, told Hospodarske Noviny. People wanted a huge number of toys, without being interested in their quality. Nearly 40 percent of all toys imported to the EU come from China. As for Slovakia, the import of toys is below average. However, the actual number could be higher than shown by foreign trade statistics. Some Chinese toys may be re-exported to the local market from other EU countries, Lubomir Korsnak, analyst with UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, told Hospodarske Noviny. However, although the interest in Chinese toys has been dropping, there is not a much bigger interest in Slovak toys either, as their producers confirmed. There are only four EU countries that export more toys than they actually import. Apart from Slovakia and the Czech Republic they are Hungary and Malta, Hospodarske Noviny wrote. The Justice department will file an appeal before the Court of Appeals to revive its coup detat case against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV over his participation in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, an official said Monday. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he had discussed the matter with Solicitor General Jose Calida, and that they had agreed to file a petition questioning the decision of Makati City regional trial court branch 148 that dumped the departments motions for the issuance of an arrest warrant and hold-departure order against Trillanes. The Office of the Solicitor General will file the petition for certiorari with the Court of Appeals, Guevarra told reporters. He said the Solicitor General will challenge the decisions of Judge Andres Soriano against the department, and that the petition will be filed maybe early January.The Justice department filed its motions before the RTC after President Rodrigo Duterte in August issued Proclamation 572, which voided the amnesty granted to Trillanes over his participation in the Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 siege of the Manila Peninsula. The proclamation cited Trillanes failure to comply with the requirements for the grant of his amnesty, including the filing of his application and admission of guilt. Trillanes, a fierce critic of the President, sought relief from the Supreme Court and filed a petition challenging the proclamation. But the high court dumped his plea for a temporary restraining order and remanded the cases to the trial courts. Portugal is not yet known as a country that boasts a large variety of quality coffee. In fact, finding a good place that serves a great caffeine fix can be trickyunless youre in big cities, like Lisbon or Porto, where the specialty coffee scene is already starting to take shape, thanks to a new wave of entrepreneurs willing to look with more attention at what they put inside the cups. In the many cafes and bakeries spread all over the small and charming territory located in Peninsula Iberica (Portuguese people love coffee!), usually the coffee served is over-roasted, made with Robusta-Arabica blends without much concern for quality. But this scenario is starting to change slowlyeven in the interior of the country. Braga, a beautiful and calm city in the heart of Minho region well known for its religious tourism, now may become a destination for fans of good cups of galoes (the local term for espresso with steamed milk) and espressos, since Ricardo Ferreira and Catarina dos Santos Silva decided to open Nordico there last March. After a four year stint in Londonin which dos Santos Silva worked as a fashion designer and Ferreira as an assistant manager in a sushi restaurantthe couple decided to go back to their homeland and open their own business. After Brexit, living in London was no longer so appealing, says Ferreira. As we spent most of our time in coffee shops socializing and tasting new beverages, our knowledge of coffee grew so we thought it was a great opportunity to get back and open our own coffee shop. During their first years in London, they didnt even imagine opening their own business, but over time the couple discovered the specialty coffee scene and fell completely in love with this universe, Ferreira says. They both attended workshops and classes in roasting and latte art during the time they lived in the English capital, where the specialty coffee scene has become one of the most important in the world. There could be no better place to learn about coffee, he says. With the increase in tourism in the city of Braga, along with the growth of the Brazilian community in the city (that has an even closer relationship with the beverage), they thought a coffee shop was a good bet. Although we are more decentralized, we thought that Braga had much potential to welcome this idea since it is Portugals youngest city, the third largest in the country and before us, there were no specialty coffee shops, Ferreira says. Located in the historical area, Nordico is a cozy coffee shop where one can eat a variety of bagels, toasts, and pancakes, as well as order an espresso tonic, an iced matcha latte or even a ristrettoprepared on a La Spaziale S5. We chose to open in Rua do Anjo (Angel Street) because it is a popular zone with great potential, where some of the most alternative and modern restaurants in the city are opening, creating a new hip neighborhood, Ferreira points out. Being a developing area, too, makes rent values still attractive, as he explainsin the piece of land where they are located, besides the interior area, there is also a patio with tables and stools. The name Nordico honors their influences from northern Europe, especially those related to the coffee scene that was created there. We love the lifestyle, the minimalist way of addressing all the issues and the great weight that sustainability and equality have in those countries. We also chose to work with light roast beans, especially for our espressos, dos Santos Silva says. The coffees used at Nordico coffee vary according to the sensory profiles and may come from different roastersalthough their favorites are from Has Bean. For our espresso, we like to work with notes of chocolate and caramel, as for brewed options we like to use single origin with more citric aromas. But its not a rule, and we change every month, dos Santos Silva adds. For brewed coffees, they serve method options such as V60, AeroPress, and Chemex. Dos Santos Silva also explains that food plays an essential role in their concept, which leans towards breakfast fare like fruit pancakes and avocado toast with a poached egg. We tried to maintain a healthy and natural style of food because it is something that we feel was missing in Braga, where food chains dominate, she points out. The formula has worked, as the coffee shop seems to welcome more and more visitors. In addition to the couplewho are in charge of serving customers and preparing coffees and dishes, Nordico also has two other employees during the weekends, when the crowds are bigger. For the future, Ferreira and dos Santos Silva hope to be able to do their own roasting, but it is a plan for later: now they are very busy cooking and preparing coffeesand even helping to improve the diversity of the coffee scene in their homeland. Rafael Tonon is a freelance journalist based in Brazil. Read more Rafael Tonon on Sprudge. Photos by Nani Rodrigues. Standardbred trainer/driver Jan McPherson passed away in Florida on December 3, 2018 at the age of 85. Jan was born to Charles E. Bud and Margaret E. Peg (Evans) McPherson. He was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita (Pope); younger brother, Jerry; and nephew, Mark. He is survived by his brother, Lawrence S. Larney (Trudy); nieces, Debra (Hank) Wise, Susan (John) White and Beth Ann; and granddaughter, Jody (David) Miller, with whom he resided in Florida. Jan graduated from Ohio State University. He was a veteran, having served in the United States Army. He retired from Xenia Schools where he taught high school math for many years. His true loves were math and horses. He trained and drove Standardbreds his own and for Chip Noble Stables. Many Xenia locals knew him well and he could be seen frequenting many stores and visiting friends he loved in his hometown of Xenia. There will be no services. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Jan McPherson. (USTA) For Syria's displaced, the difficulties of life are compounded by bitterly cold winters spent in inadequate shelters writes Al-Araby al-Jadeed. After washing up her familys dishes over a plastic basin, 11-year-old Cedra sits on the floor of the dank basement in Syria to tackle her days studies. A dark staircase leads from a street in the town of Al-Bab to the gloomy space the young girl, her blind father and some 40 other families have the misfortune of calling home. Theres a single room which we use as a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom, said Cedra. She scribbled in her notepad, while crouched against a wall of bare cinder blocks and under a line of laundry trying to dry in the humid cellar. The residents of this underground camp were displaced by the Syrian war, sometimes several times, mostly from the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor. Cedras family fled the city of Deir ez-Zor in 2012, in the early stages of Syrias conflict. They took refuge in Raqqa, further west, but the city soon became the Syrian capital of the Islamic State groups self-proclaimed caliphate. The subsequent bombardment of Raqqa, which was almost completely levelled, killed her mother and brother. The girl and her father fled once more and eventually found their way to Al-Bab, a rebel-controlled area near the border with Turkey. No Money Cedra does not go school because she needs to help her blind father, but one of the other adults living in the basement has organised classes for her and a few other children. The war has set her back years in her education. Im learning how to write the letters, its only been a few days, said the girl, wearing a thick, red sweatshirt and a black headscarf. Each morning, Cedra makes the bed, tidies the room, makes tea and prepares breakfast before studying. Then its time to prepare lunch, after which she plays with the other children before getting to work on dinner. Blankets are piled up near a flimsy foam mattress in one corner of the small room. A handful of cooking utensils and a plastic broom are tucked away nearby. Life in this basement is not easy, said her father, Mohammed Ali al-Hassan, who hopes to return to Deir ez-Zor. There is nothing to do here and no money, said the greying father, who used to sustain his family by selling fruit and vegetable from a street cart. A resident of Al-Bab made his basement available to the displaced in mid-2017. The space is now divided in 42 tiny studios, one for each family. Their food and other basic needs are provided for by local charities. Disastrous Situation The initial idea was to have a temporary shelter for people while they look for a housing solution, said Abu Abdel Rahman, who was also displaced from Deir ez-Zor and acts as a kind of supervisor. The place soon filled up and few of the families ever moved out for lack of affordable options. The smallest possible accommodation involves a rent of 100 dollars. Those you see here are those who cant pay that amount. Here, everyone is experiencing a disastrous situation, said the 59-year-old, who used to work in a textile factory. Kneeling in front of a white board, a woolly hat pulled tightly down on his head, Abu Omar forms the letters of the Arabic alphabet, which his pupils recite in unison. He lost a hand and the bones in his left leg were smashed to pieces after an air strike hit his home in Deir ez-Zor. Abu Omars disabilities left him unable to work but he teaches 13 of the basements children. He said that number has dropped steadily. Many of them just have to go out and work. Because of their social condition, many families have to interrupt their childrens education, he explained. Umm Ghassaks childhood came to an abrupt end when the war erupted and now, at 23, she is already a widow. Her husband died of injuries sustained two years ago during bombardment on Albu Kamal, a former IS stronghold on the border with Iraq. We didnt have enough money to treat him, she said. The young woman and her four-year-old daughter are totally reliant on the assistance they receive. If nobody helps us, we just dont eat. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The US has reportedly warned the Syrian Coalition not to get involved with any Turkish operation that could lead to a confrontation between the two sides writes Ana Press. When the elephants dance, you must stay away from the dance floor part of a message published by the Anadolu Agency said to have been from the American administration to the Syrian Coalition, warning the Coalition against participation in the Turkish operation east of the Euphrates. The message, whose contents and language sparked widespread controversy, up to the extent of questioning its legitimacy, included a reference that the Coalition and the Free Syrian Armys (FSA) participation, in any form, in the expected operation against the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) would mean an attack on the United States and International Coalition forces and that it would lead to a direct confrontation with them. According to Anadolu, the message noted that American forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)of which the YPG comprises the backboneoverlapped with one another, and therefore it was not possible to attack the SDF without striking International Coalition forces, led by the US army. Ana Press sent a question to a number of Syrian Coalition officials to uncover the truth of the messages contents and how they were dealing with it, especially given that the Coalition had announced its official support for the eastern Euphrates operation in messages recently published by the Coalitions website. However it did not receive a response with regards to the messages truth, or the Coalitions position as to whether the message was truth. In this context, American diplomatic sources have only said, when asked about the extent of the messages precision, in statements to Ana Press, that the US-led Coalition was continuing its operations, deployment and monitoring points, and therefore was likewise continuing its relationship with forces on the ground (in a reference to the SDF). Sources said that the US was keen on its relationship with Turkey and the current coordination with them, in regards to Syria, and on addressing its security concerns, and declined to comment on the message and its contents without a confirmation or denial. Attack Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that the attack on armed Kurdish units deployed in the eastern Euphrates would begin in the coming days, according to the Anadolu Agency. Erdogan said that his country spared Idleb a major humanitarian crisis and that the time had come to eliminate the terrorist hotbed in the eastern Euphrates areas, stressing at the same time that his country would not target American soldiers in light of the presence of Washingtons bases in the eastern Euphrates area, where it offers training and support for the Kurdish units, which Ankara considers terrorists. The Turkish President added, We are not hostile to America or the American soldiers in Syria, and despite everything we consider them a strategic partner that we can work with in the future, provided that we meet on the correct grounds. But he also said, The United States has moved its relations with the separatist organization to more advanced levels with each day, to the extent that they raise the groups flags alongside their own flags. The American Position A few days ago, the US administration commented on the Turkish threats of carrying out a military operation on the eastern Euphrates, with Washington warning against any unilateral military act on the southern Turkish border. On Wednesday, the US Department of Defense issued a statement following Erdogans comments, in which they said that his country intended to carry out a military operation in the eastern Euphrates. The Department said that any unilateral Turkish mobilization in this respect would be unacceptable and expressed their concerns over this, given that it would subject American forces in the area to harm, as the statement put it. The US Department of Defense also said that the only way to address these security concerns was coordination between the two countries, especially given that the United States was working closely with the Turks. Preparations The Executive Council of the Self-Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria announced a general mobilization after Erdogans comments. The Council issued a statement last week in which it condemned the comments and their hostile threats, as the statement put it and noted that the Turkish President was trying to cut off a portion of Syria and annex it to Turkey. 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. Turkish plans to attack east of the Euphrates draws support and warnings, Russian and Syrian business grows closers and Syrians return to Hajin. Catch up on everything that happened over the weekend. 1. The Syrian National Coalition has announced its support for Turkeys plans to invade areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in north-eastern Syria. President of the Syrian Coalition, Abdurrahman Mustafa, said that the, Syrian people continue to suffer at the hands of the Assad regime and other terrorist organizations, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Hezbollah, and the PYD militias. He added that any military operation to eradicate these groups will be welcomed and supported by the Coalition. On Friday, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) said they were ready to participate in the upcoming military operation aimed at driving the PYD militia out of the area east of the Euphrates River. He pointed out that around 15,000 FSA fighters will join the Turkish armed forces in storming more than 150 PYD positions. 2. The US administration has warned against supporting Turkeys planned military operation in Syria, east of the Euphrates River, near Turkish borders. Anadolu News Agency reported that US officials are threatening the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the National Coalition not to support the planned Turkish operation. Any participation by the Syrian National Coalition or the FSA in any way is an attack on the United States and the Coalition Forces, and will lead to direct confrontation with Coalition Forces and the United States of America. That will fully destroy the relations between the US and the Syrian National Coalition and the FSA, the message read. The message continued, US forces and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) [that is, YPG/PKK] are intertwined so that Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) cannot be attacked without aggression and confrontation with Coalition Forces and US forces and advisers. When elephants dance, you must stay away from the dance floor, the US officials said. 3. Syria and the Russian Federation signed the protocol of the 11th session of the Russian-Syrian Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation at the conclusion of its activities in Damascus. The protocol, according to SANA, was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Muallem and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Yury Borisov. The two sides signed the framework agreement to implement a roadmap for trade and industrial cooperation signed by the Chairman of the Planning and International Cooperation Authority, Imad Sabouni, and the Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Georgy Kalamanov. 4. About 500 displaced Syrians have crossed into the Kurdish-held areas in eastern Deir ez-Zor province, following the fall of Hajin village, a key pocket for the Islamic State, near the Iraqi border. Zaman Al Wasl reported that the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have allowed the displaced to enter and facilitated their return, as heavy clashes enter their fourth week in the jihadist groups last major foothold. Some of the displaced were arrested by the SDF over links with ISIS, local activists said. On Friday, Hajin town was retaken by the SDF. Such a victory is a heavy blow to ISISs presence in Syria. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. No-one has claimed responsibility for the car bomb attack, which hit a bus market in the center of Afrin reports Alsouria Net. On Sunday, a car bomb exploded in the market in the center of the city of Afrin in the Aleppo countryside, causing a number of civilian casualties and inflicting major damage, according to video recordings. The explosion occurred in the al-Hal market, where a large number of civilians go to purchase fruits and vegetables, and where videos showed the remains of victims at the site of the explosion. Activists said that civilians had died, but that there was not yet a final toll of the number of dead and wounded. By midday, no entity had claimed responsibility for the explosion, but Afrin has recently witnessed an increase in the number of such blasts. On Thursday, a motorcycle exploded on Rajou street in the city center, killing four civilians and wounding nine others. Such blasts have also increased recently in the northern and eastern Aleppo countryside, which has led to a collapse of the security situation in the areas controlled by the opposition in northern Syria. The explosion that hit Afrin on Sunday came a day after Free Syrian Army factions in northern Syria announced their readiness to participate in a military operation which Turkey intends to carry out east of the Euphrates against members of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). 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 Senate may hold its own investigation into the parking of pork barrel funds in the budgets for infrastructure projects, but it will wait for the House of Representatives to finish its probe, Senator Cynthia Villar said Monday. READ: 2019 budget laden with porkPing Let the House investigate this, [and determine] how huge amount of funds were inserted, allegedly by the Department of Budget and Management, she said. Both House and Senate on Friday exposed a kickback scheme by certain lawmakers, where large amounts of funds are parked in a legislative district by well-connected congressmen. Once it conducts a probe, the Senate would scrutinize the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways and ask officials to explain any questionable budget insertions. In the House, Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said the owner of CT Leoncio Construction and Trading, which allegedly bagged millions in government contracts , would skip a scheduled hearing because of a trip to the United States. Andaya, chairman of the House committee on rules, said his committee had prepared to subpoena Consolacion T. Leoncio and others involved to compel them to attend a hearing on Jan. 3, 2019 in Naga City. He said he wanted to ask Leoncio how her company was able to win such huge government projects that were later subcontracted to other companies. Earlier, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno denied knowing Leoncio or favoring her company.Leoncio also denied that her company was a single proprietorship. Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte dismissed as absurd and baseless the allegations against Diokno. While going after Diokno, Andaya said he believed President Rodrigo Duterte had nothing to do with the alleged budget anomalies. In an interview on GMA-7, Andaya said four more mayors from the Bicol region had informed him about the parking of at least P200 million in infrastructure projects in the 2019 budget by an unnamed Cabinet official. Earlier, Andaya said a mayor from the same region had told him that a former Cabinet official running in the 2019 elections was doing the same thing. Its not only the senators who are parking funds, but members of the Cabinet also have these kinds of parked funds, Andaya said in Filipino. This is what five mayors who I talked to personally said. He declined to mention any names, however. READ: Napoles, Bongs aide get life for pork fund scam 1 hour ago From Square to Block: Another tech company changes its name SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Theres a new Silicon Valley corporate name change on the block. A month after Facebook renamed itself Meta, Square Inc., the payments company headed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is changing its name to Block Inc. Read Article StrasbourgMore than 1,000 people gathered in Strasbourg Sunday to honor the victims of an attack on the citys popular Christmas market that left five dead. People, many in tears, gathered around a makeshift shrine of flowers and candles at the foot of the enormous Christmas tree at the Kleber Square in the city center. We wanted to be here to show that we are not giving up and that we continue to live, Jonathan, 25, told AFP in the snow-covered square. The ceremony, organized by local rights associations with the approval of the city authorities, included music, singing, and several readings. The traditional minute of silence was replaced by a minute of noise, during which people shouted and applauded to express their solidarity with the victims. The crowd then spontaneously burst into a rendition of the Marseillaise, Frances national anthem. Fanaticism has struck right at the heart of Strasbourg, our open city, capital of human rights, said Christine Panzer, co-organizer of the gathering. We reject all hate speech in the fight against dark forces.Authorities confirmed Sunday evening that a fifth victim, a 36-year-old Polish national living in Strasbourg, had died from wounds sustained during Tuesdays bloodbath carried out by Cherif Chekatt. Chekatt -- who was on a French list of possible extremist security risks -- was shot dead by police on Thursday after a manhunt that involved more than 700 members of the security forces. The 29-year-old native of the city attacked Strasbourgs Christmas market on Tuesday armed with a gun and a knife. Frances interior minister on Friday dismissed a claim by the Islamic State group that it was responsible for the attack. Police have been focusing their investigation on whether Chekatt had any help in carrying out his attack or during the two days he was on the run. Earlier Sunday, police in the eastern French city, which is home to the European Parliament, released two of Chekatts close associates. With the release Saturday of his parents and two of his brothers, that leaves only one person of the seven originally detained still in custody. The Berkeley, Calif., school system and the state of Ohio recently settled two long-running special education disputes with promises that they will better serve students with disabilities. The complaint against the Berkeley district was filed three years ago with the U.S. Department of Educations office for civil rights, on behalf of students who are eligible for services under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. That law spells out particular accommodations that must be made for children who have certain disabling conditions. (Section 504 is different from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provides some funding to states and districts to carry out its mandates. For example, IDEA has 13 disability categories , while Section 504 has a broader definition of disability.) The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, an advocacy group with offices in Berkeley and Washington, said the district was improperly restricting access to Section 504 services. For example, some families that their childrens grades were too high to merit accommodations. The district was also accused of dragging its feet on Section 504 evaluations, and of keeping children out of certain district programs if they attempted to get a 504 plan. In November, the 10,500-student Berkeley district entered into a voluntary agreement with the civil rights office to strengthen its identification procedures and to provide additional training for staff on proper Section 504 procedures. OCR will provide oversight to make sure those changes take place. We are pleased that a mutual agreement was reached, because it was aligned with the direction that [Berkeley Unified School District] was already going, the district said in a statement. Failure to provide necessary special education, aids, and services is all too common and widely known to result in serious social, emotional, and educational harm to students with disabilities, said Larisa Cummings, a staff attorney for the disability rights advocacy group. Instead of continuing practices which take a preventable toll on families, we are heartened that the district has agreed to follow the federal mandate to meet the needs of students with disabilities as guaranteed by Section 504. This agreement, long overdue, can finally begin to set things right. Ohio Agreement Will Boost Inclusion Rates in Urban Districts Also in November, parties came to an agreement over a special education class action lawsuit that was first filed decades ago. Doe v. State of Ohio was certified as a class action in 1996, said Ira Burnim, the legal dirctor of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, a Washington organization that helped coordinate the legal case on behalf of the plaintiffs. The settlement focuses on 11 school districtsAkron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lima, East Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown, and Zanesville that currently have very poor academic outcomes and high levels of segregation for students with disabilities. As part of the legal action, the plaintiffs recruited Thomas Hehir, a former director of the federal office of special education programs and currently a professor at Harvard, to examine special education outcomes in the state. Hehirs report said that the high levels of segregation among Ohios urban students with disabilities contributes to their lower performance on state tests. For example, Hehirs report said that 61 percent of Ohio students with disabilities spend 80 percent or more of their day in the general education classroom. But in the urban districts, the statistic is reversed: only 39 percent of students with disabilities spend 80 percent or more of their day in general education.Those differences cannot be explained by race and income, Hehir said. Burnim said that he believes the settlement was influenced by Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District , a 2017 Supreme Court ruling requiring that schools offer students an educational program reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the childs circumstances. Ohio was in many ways committed to student achievement, including for students with disabilities, Burnim said. This settlement is really our joint blueprint for helping those students with disabilities statewide, but more particularly in those 11 districts, learn in an inclusive setting. Brittany Halpin, the spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Education, said that the agreement aligns with the states strategic plan for education . Theres good work happening in Ohios schools, and were excited to partner with educators, parents, community members and others to share best practices and get better in the interest of our students, Halpin said. Kano, NigeriaHundreds fled late Sunday after Boko Haram burned their homes near Nigerias northeastern city of Maiduguri, residents told AFP. Boko Haram fighters in several trucks stormed Maiborti village, five kilometers outside Maiduguri, firing indiscriminately and setting fire to homes, they said. A military officer who did not want to be identified said troops and fighter jets were deployed to the village and scrambled to push out the militants after fierce battle. It was not clear if there were casualties in the attack which once again highlighted the fragile security situation in the restive region. They [Boko Haram] came around 5:30 pm (1630GMT) and started firing in the village which made us abandon our homes and flee to Maiduguri, Maiborti resident Abacha Kaka told AFP. Militia leader Babakura Kolo said the jihadists were later forced out of the village by troops with aerial support. Unfortunately, the terrorists succeeded in setting fire to the village and burning it down completely, he added.Boko Haram has in recent months launched attacks in a bid to capture Maiduguri, the birthplace of its founder Mohammed Yusuf. AFP Last month, the jihadists attacked Jimmi village just outside the city, killing one person and stealing hundreds of livestock. In April, scores of Boko Haram fighters launched a gun and suicide attack on Jiddari-Polo, outside the city. The Islamist group has attacked at least 20 military bases in recent weeks, killing dozens of soldiers and carting away weapons. Boko Harams nine-year rebellion has killed at least 27,000 and forced more than two million people to flee their homes. Wonder Caves: Ideal Spot for Hikers and Cave Explorers ANNIVERSARY. Pyongyang residents bow before the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il during National Memorial Day on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on December 17, 2018. North Korea is marking the seventh anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il. AFP SeoulNuclear-armed North Korea condemned the United States over its latest sanctions measures, warning Washingtons approach could block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever. After a rapid diplomatic rapprochement this year that culminated in the Singapore summit in June between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, progress has stalled in the talks on Pyongyangs nuclear arsenal. In Singapore, the two men signed a vaguely-worded statement on denuclearization, but have since disagreed on what it means. Now Pyongyang is demanding sanctions relief and condemning US insistence on its nuclear disarmament as gangster-like, while Washington is pushing to maintain the measures against the North until its final, fully verified denuclearization. Washington last week added three senior North Korean officials to those subject to sanctions over human rights abuses, including Choe Ryong Hae, who has been considered a right-hand man to Kim. In a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, the North said Trump had repeatedly expressed his desire to improve relations with Pyongyang, but the US State Department was bent on bringing the DPRK-US relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire. DPRK is the acronym for the Norths official name. In recent months high-ranking US politicians including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had almost every day slandered the DPRK out of sheer malice, added the Sunday statement by the policy research director of the foreign ministrys Institute for American Studies. Using sanctions and pressure to drive us into giving up nuclear weapons would be the greatest miscalculation, it added, and would block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever. A second summit between Trump and Kim -- who exchanged personal insults and threats of war throughout 2017 -- is expected to be held next year, with the US leader facing criticism over the planned talks since North Korea has taken few concrete steps to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.Pyongyang has long said it needs the weapons to deter a possible US invasion and has spent decades developing them, at a heavy cost in both resources and the imposition of multiple sets of UN, US, EU, and other sanctions. But on Monday its nuclear assets were conspicuous by their explicit absence from coverage of the seventh anniversary of the death of Kims father and predecessor Kim Jong Il, on whose watch Pyongyang carried out its first two nuclear tests.Alongside extensive coverage of commemorative events across the country, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers Party, published a lengthy editorial lauding Kim Jong Ils efforts to secure a firm military assurance for peace and prosperity. A year earlier, the same newspaper praised his immortal feat in building a Juche nuclear power state. Its front page was dominated by a large picture of soldiers and officials including Kim paying their respects at his fathers mausoleum, a sprawling palace on the outskirts of the capital. It was the leaders first public activity in two weeks after visiting a shoe factory in Wonsan earlier this month. Trump played down hopes Friday for any imminent deal to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal but he also expressed optimism, saying North Koreas economy has wonderful potential and that Kim sees it better than anyone and will fully take advantage of it for his people. In actions required by Congress, his administration said last week it would seize any US assets of the three officials for suppressing freedom of speech. Such restrictions may have little effect on individuals in one of the worlds most closed countries but have symbolic impact as North Korea seeks greater acceptance by the United States. Your browser does not support the audio element. A Vietnamese artist has voluntarily run a class that turns children with hearing and speech disabilities into recognized artists who can make a living with their own creativity and improve their sense of self-worth. Over 20 such children, recently recognized as disabled artists by the Ho Chi Minh City Society of Fine Arts, are now able to make money by selling their paintings and believe they are useful people. They have been trained for two years by Saigon-based artist Van Y in a special class at 776 Nguyen Kiem in the metropolis Phu Nhuan District, where the group he leads, Mekong Art Club, is located. The class is so crowded on Sundays that students sit in rows stretching from the inside of a 50-square-meter building to the alley sidewalk. The students draw paintings in silence, at times communicating with each other by sign language and handwriting. Life-changing encounter Van Y first met the students by chance while they were busking at a public park in the city. Looking at their smart, radiant faces, he asked in sign language whether they liked painting and received a positive answer. Y then persuaded other members of his club Mekong Art Club to open a free art class for the children. He was initially shocked to find that they threw order and cleanliness out of the window by strewing paint and tools all across the floor. They also showed stubbornness and an annoying lack of discipline, engaging each other in physical fighting not amenable to being stamped out. But Y later tried to keep himself calm as he realized that the antisocial behavior was just a manifestation of their long repressed sense of inferiority and accumulative stress that had not found a suitable outlet. Unfettering instructional approach Y said he did not force the children to follow basic steps in learning painting but instead only let them play with colors and brushes in their own way. Paint anything that comes up in your mind and anything that you like or want, he told them. Very strange and unique paintings took shape in that way. The children all have their distinctive painting style and representations. The artist said he knew how to tap into their potential for creativity by combining his understanding of the mind of deaf-mute people with techniques in his profession. More than twenty of the children are considered to possess outstanding talent, have developed greater awareness of discipline and are becoming more confident in social integration. A child from Van Ys class holds her painting, bought by Tal Ben Shlomo, a Jewish painting collector standing beside her. He describes her as a talent in painting. Photo: Tuoi Tre Extend reach to other unfortunate people Y and other club members tried to have the childrens works sold by displaying the best items at exhibitions and public events. The proceeds turned out to be larger than what the children would otherwise get by hired labor and street performance. Y and the students all agree that the creators receive 50 percent of the money while another 25 percent is spent on regenerating their creativity and the remaining for charity purposes. Y faced a fierce opposition to the last division from the children, who believed they should get support from the community, rather than the other way round. At that time I explained to them why they need to help other people who live in more difficult situations. I also told them real-life plights of the blind. They later agreed, Y said. The artist advised his students against trying to beg for sympathy and money from the public as they used to do. He said as maintaining the class is costly, only he and other member of Mekong Art Club are working with the children now. The two artists can continue with the class as their families are not cash-strapped and several friends have been willing to make donations. Its strange that ever since I started managing the class, my paintings have been sold in greater numbers. That gives me more money to support the children, Y said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Your browser does not support the audio element. Many laborers in Vietnams Mekong Delta have voluntarily built houses for poor residents although they themselves also come from disadvantaged family backgrounds. The laborers, forming a community-welfare group three years ago, have put up nearly 400 houses for poverty-stricken families across their hometown in Dong Thap Provinces rural district of Lap Vo and other areas in the Mekong Delta. They replace flimsy bamboo huts and rickety houses with more solid structures with concrete support columns and corrugated iron roofs. The 52-member groups logistic unit carries construction materials on rented vehicles to the destination well in advance of the day a house is erected. Last year we made 32 houses outside Dong Thap, and now weve built houses in 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta, said Huynh Phu Quan, one of the groups leaders. We try to give help wherever there are poor people and ramshackle houses. The groups inception has elements of empathy with those weighed on by worries about shelters. Quan said he used to live in a house that gave his family great fears about their safety as it stood to collapse in storms. He realized that many people who are much poorer than him also suffered from a similar situation. He then decided to gather local men into a group to offer to create better houses. We initially thought we could only build just a few houses a year, but to our surprise, weve made nearly 150 ones every year so far, Quan said. A house we build is a happy feeling we get. Initially, Quan and other members only provided wooden buildings but as the structures were easily damaged just after several years, they turned to stronger materials such as concrete. The members receive contributions from different benefactors and make the donation use transparent before putting up houses that cost VND20 million ($860) each. It is the transparency that earns trust from the participants and explains the sustainability of the group, Quan said. Members of the volunteering group roof a building in a remote area of southwestern Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre Solidarity and endurance Many of the group members struggle for livelihood but the difficulty does not detract from their charitable efforts. An example is Tran Van Hai, an mosquito net peddler who earns around VND100,000 ($4.3) a day. Hai has been enthusiastic with joining hands with the other members in building houses and never asked for a new building in place of his own dilapidated one. There are many people poorer than me in society. I try to help as many people in trouble as possible, Hai said. What is so much calculation in the kind act for? Members of the volunteering group pose for pictures with villages in Long An Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre Hoang Minh, another member who earned the nickname whatever worker due to his willingness to do whatever he can in the community, has been always with the group since it was established. We become less tired when seeing others happy, Minh said. When working away from their hometown in Dong Thap, the group stays in a tent where they can sleep and eat instant noodles at meal time. The group leader Quan said the members public-spiritedness was sometimes surrounded by ill words saying that they care about matters unrelated to them while they are still poor. But this does not reduce their commitment, Quan said, adding that all the participants now have insurances against construction accidents. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Montreal - Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdoms role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be extremely difficult to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties. But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggis murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and thats why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that, Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. We inherited actually a (Can)$15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia, he said. We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia, he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Can$1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticized by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armored personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia.The deal, worth US$11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabias de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawas ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canadas rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. Politics -- Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held talks with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday on the occasion of the fourth Mekong Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers Meeting in Luang Prabang, northern Laos. Society -- Vietnam has set eyes on becoming the worlds factory, offering highly skilled labor and modern technology for global businesses looking for a place to base their manufacturing activities. -- Vietnams finance ministry wants to collect environmental protection fee based on the amount of exhaust fumes emitted by different vehicles, according to a letter sent to government agencies requesting support in rolling out the new regulation. Business -- Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, President and CEO of Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet, has become the first Vietnamese representative to be named in the annual Bloomberg 50 (B50) list of noteworthy global leaders selected by Bloomberg Businessweek, the worlds leading business and financial publication. -- Since the launch of Vietnams first filling station operated by a wholly foreign-invested company in Hanoi in October 2017, local petrol retailers have ramped up expanding their network of gas stations in the hope of safeguarding their market share in the face of fresh competition. -- Ho Chi Minh City has entered the year-end shopping season, which lasts from before Christmas until the Lunar New Year in February, with brands rolling out big promotions and goods becoming abundant on supermarket shelves. -- The Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment is studying a possible scheme to administer the countrys growing sharing economy with the recent emergence of sharing services such as Airbnb and ride-hailing apps like Grab and Go-Viet. -- Vietnamese commercial banks are racing to mobilize long-term capital by issuing bonds, as the State Bank of Vietnam will starting next year set a new limit on the percentage of short-term capital that local lenders can use for mid-term and long-term loans to 40 percent, from the current 45 percent. Lifestyle -- HHen Nie, Vietnams representative at this years Miss Universe beauty pageant, has advanced into the top five beauties on the final day of the competition, which is being held in Thailand. Sports -- A local businessman has proposed making association football the national sport of Vietnam in the hope of mobilizing society resources to turn the country into a global football powerhouse, following the national teams remarkable performance at the 2018 AFF Championship where they won the second regional title after ten years. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Authorities in Vietnam said Monday they had seized more than 100 metric tons of goods illegally brought to the country from China and taken into custody several people implicated in the smuggling. Vietnams Ministry of Public Security caught 24 people in the act of transferring contraband from trucks with foreign license plates onto Vietnamese trucks in the northern border province of Lang Son on December 14. Two of the people hold foreign nationality while the others are Vietnamese. Police later detained eight people on smuggling charges and kept seven trucks, including two foreign vehicles. Smuggling arrestees are seen at a police station in northern Vietnam in this photo provided by police. Trucks carrying contraband goods are seen in Lang Son Province, northern Vietnam, in this photo provided by police. The 100-ton haul of contraband, including a wide variety of goods from tobacco and automobile parts to household appliances, was worth several billion dong (VND1 billion = $43,000). Around 52,000 cases of illegal cross-border transportation of goods were booked in the first half of this year in Vietnam, whose areas contiguous to Cambodia in the southwest and to China in the north are smuggling hot spots. Topping the contraband list were cigarettes, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, candy, sugar and clothes. Vietnam customs seized nearly three million cigarette packages in 1,033 smuggling cases revealed over the past four years but only one was handled with criminal charges. The reason, the department said, was that smugglers tried to carry less than 1,500 cigarette packets, below the level where criminal charges can be pursued. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! In an interview recorded exclusively for television in New York, Orange is the New Black star Yael Stone speaks with with Leigh Sales on 7:30. Actor Geoffrey Rush has denied claims published in The New York Times. 7.30 tonight on ABC. Foxtel has revealed further details of its upcoming crime factual Ron Iddles: The Good Cop. The 6 part series, produced by CJZ, profiles 6 cases from a stellar career. Jim Buchan, Group General Manager, Factual said Of all the series weve commissioned for CI weve never achieved this degree of access to a homicide detective. Ron Iddles as one of Australias greatest homicide detectives has lived through an incredible era in Australian policing. This series delivers unique perspective into the world of criminal investigation and insight into the critical thinking and perseverance required for great detective work. We are thrilled with the work CJZ has done and the candour afforded to us by Ron Iddles a special thankyou also to author Justine Ford. Ron Iddles has often been referred to as the best homicide detective Australia has ever known, having solved 99% of the over 320 murder investigations he has investigated, spanned across 25 years in the homicide squad. Ron is an old-school cop who is tough, inventive and incorruptible. A man who solved the unsolvable with his head and his heart and a mantra of failure is not an option. How this intuitive cop put more murderers behind bars than any other homicide detective in Australia is told in this six-part, Foxtel Original series, in which Ron Iddles shares his secrets. Each episode takes us behind the scenes of one of Rons most challenging murder cases, with powerful insights from the victims families, his homicide colleagues, journalists, and even Rons informers and suspects. Many of these people have never told their story on television. This series looks at 6 cases that Ron investigated over his career and include: Michelle Buckingham: Failure is not an option 16 year-old Michelle Buckingham went missing from Shepparton, Victoria in October 1983. A few weeks later, her body was found dumped on the side of the road at Kialla, on the outskirts of town. Bonnie Clarke: The Answers in the file 6 year-old Bonnie Clarke was a very happy child living with her mum in the Melbourne suburb or Northcote. In December 1982 just a few sleeps before Christmas Bonnie was sexually assaulted and murdered in her bed. Jane Thurgood-Dove: The ABC of Homicide Jane Thurgood Dove came from a close-knit family, married her childhood sweetheart and loved her three children. They seemed like the perfect family. On November 6, 1997 a gunman shot Jane dead in the driveway of her home in suburban Niddrie with her three children in the car looking on. Marafiote Murders: It Costs Nothing to Listen In 1985, greengrocer Dominic Marafiote mysteriously went missing from his hometown of Mildura in rural Victoria. The following day, his parents, Carmelo and Rosa Marafiote, were found shot dead execution-style in their home in Adelaide. Could Dominic have killed his parents and then staged his own disappearance? Slawek Tomczyk: Dont Make The Facts Fit Your Theory Polish born security guard Slawek Tomczyk was doing his rounds one night in February 2002 when he was attached in the driveway of a reception centre in the Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne. Maria James: Every Family Deserves Answers In June 1980, mother of two Maria James was stabbed 68 times in the bedroom of the flat adjoining her second-hand bookshop in the Melbourne suburb of Thornbury. It was Ron Iddles first homicide investigation. After examining the crime scene, Ron and the investigation team realised this was no random attack. Whoever wielded the knife knew Maria. Ron Iddles: The Good Cop is more than a crime show this is a master class in detective work from Australias finest cop. Thursdays 7.30pm from January 31 on Crime + Investigation channel. Benin is home to Christianity, Islam, & Voodoo, a religion where some believe curses cause deformities. 9:40pm Tuesday on SBS. My Brilliant Friend The Best of When TV was Awesome Great American Railroad Journeys The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Little Big Shots US. Netflix is always coming up with Netflix Original series and films. However, they also add cinematic greats from years gone by on a regular basis. The following films are highly rated by critics with some winning multiple awards and are heading to Netflix on 1 January 2019. The first is a Film starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett as a couple travelling to Morocco and the chain of events that comes from an incident during their stay. There's a moving and beautiful fantasy film, described as an adult fairy tale and a cult classic movie starring John Travolta, Bruce Willis, and Uma Thurman. There is also a thrilling drama involving Bruce Willis and set in Nigeria and the moving story of a German boy who makes friends with a Jewish boy in a concentration camp in Germany. Happy New Year's viewing on Netflix! 1 'Babel' (2006) - Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal This Paramount movie tells the story of an American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) travelling in Morocco. A tragic incident involving the couple starts a chain of interlinking events that affect four families in four different countries throughout the world. There are two young Moroccan goatherds, a deaf Japanese teenager and her father, and a Mexican nanny who gets into trouble for taking the children over the border for her sons wedding without permission. 2 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006) - Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu Set during the Spanish civil war, this moving and beautiful film has been described as a fairy tale for adults. The film features Ofelia, who moves in with her stepfather, a brutal and authoritarian military officer. Ofelia finds a mysterious labyrinth in which she meets a faun who helps her to save herself and her unwell mother. The young girl ends up in the middle of a ferocious battle between good and evil. 3 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) - John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson 4 'Tears of the Sun' (2003) - Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser, Monica Bellucci 5 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' (2008) - Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, Vera Farmiga ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Mayors from rural communes across France issued a collective statement Sunday urging citizens in rural communities to speak up about the challenges they face living in the ... "We are not the yellow vests, but we share some of the same problems and demands that they're asking for," says Michel Fournier, mayor of Voivres, a small town of 300 inhabitants in Eastern France. Fournier, who is also the vice-president of the Association of rural mayors of France signed a public appeal Sunday with several of his counterparts, urging citizens in rural communities to come forward with their concerns. "Rural areas are not the same as towns and the government's policies cannot be the same," he told RFI Monday, in reference to the controversial fuel tax that sparked the "yellow vest" movement. "The government was proposing we use our bikes to cut carbon emissions; but when you have a distance of 30km to make and it's -5C outside, riding a bike is a joke," said Fournier. The movement that began as a backlash against high fuel prices--before snowballing into an all-out attack on the French government, shows signs of running out of steam into its fifth week. Yet its concern about social inequity has resonated with people in rural areas, who have long felt neglected by successive governments. What about rural France? "Every government since 2010, has done nothing to address the needs of the countryside, everything is mapped out for towns," continues Fournier. "There are no services, no reflection about what is needed; everything is centralized in the towns. It is as if France is no more than 30 big towns." Fournier was speaking on the sidelines of a mayoral conference, in which he said there was no internet connection. "It is completely unfathomable that even today telephone networks still do not reach here, and that the government has done nothing to make operators come." Story continues The unequal distribution of services has notably had an impact on access to good-quality health services. "My wife has been asking to see an optician for ages, but the earliest appointment she can get is in July 2019," says Fournier. These social disparities have led many people in rural areas to feel abandoned. "The result is that the vote of the far right is now gaining traction in rural communities," comments Fournier. Listening to the right people Another bone of contention is the government's plan to abolish council tax (taxe d'habitation) for 80 percent of households, which mayors argue would deprive them of valuable income for services. Although the government has promised to make up for the shortfall, mayors are far from convinced. "Today, no one trusts anyone," he added. Further south, in the region of Correze, mayor Jean Boinet is gearing up for the next phase of Sunday's public appeal. "We will be compiling a record of the public's experience of living in the countryside. They will be able to leave messages, complaints, at our town hall and we will transmit them to the government of President Emmanuel Macron to examine," Boinet told RFI. Social inequality, purchasing power, transport, are just a few of the issues likely to be addressed. "Right now, authorities are listening to advisors who have never stepped outside of Paris. It's time they listen to us, because mayors are in direct contact with local people," he said. Gone but not forgotten would be one way of summing up Frances yellow vest protest movement as seen by the Paris newspapers. The interior ministry counted a total of 66,000 protestors all over France on Saturday, thats about half the number who turned out a week earlier, and is a dramatic decline from the estimated 300,000 who demonstrated on the first Saturday of the movement, back on November 17. Le Monde points to the virtual invisibility of protestors in Paris, where no more than 3,000 people turned up for Saturdays fifth show of force. The police had to arrest only 179 suspected troublemakers, compared to 1,082 the week before. The centrist daily says its one of the paradoxical aspects of this movement that, despite the broadly rural origins of most protestors, the turn-out in Paris has been absolutely crucial. First of all, because the capital is the seat of central government and official home of President Emmanuel Macron. Secondly, because the yellow vest organisers knew that their media impact would remain slight if they did no more than slow down traffic at roundabouts on secondary roads. The slowdown in participation can be explained in several ways. Le Monde says some people feel that presidential promises to abandon proposed fuel taxes, increase the minimum wage and otherwise boost spending power mean that the movement has achieved what it set out to do. Then there was the fear of violence, most of the city-centre protests having degenerated into pitched battles with security forces. The Strasbourg murders would also have played a part in keeping people away. And then theres the simple fact of fatigue - five weeks is a long time at the barricades, especially with Christmas just around the corner. The end of an era The editorial in conservative paper Le Figaro is headlined The divided Republic. The right-wing daily is delighted to announce the end of a phenomenon which rocked political institutions, media, trade unions and the economy. Story continues The protestors exposed the unfair nature of the taxation system, the stupidity of some official norms; they drew attention to social and geographical rivalries, to questions of identity, of class, of security. They revealed a deep anger against a vague but powerful elite. The danger, as imagined by Le Figaro, is to suppose that France can now continue as if the past six weeks had never happened. The nation is divided, republican political institutions are under pressure. The conservative paper warns that the preparations for next years European elections will be the next crucial test. If the debate in the lead-up to those polls is not conducted at the level of the ordinary citizen, says Le Figaro, then popular anger will flare up again. Meanwhile, on the the left... Left-leaning Liberation thinks the deadline may be even closer than next summers European polls. Next month see the launch of the direct collection of income tax; 2019 is the year in which unemployment insurance, pensions and the French civil service have to be reformed. None of that is going to be easy, especially in the heated wake of the broad national debate which President Macron has promised to convene. The details of the presidential deal Speaking of promises, business daily Les Echos has the French prime minister, Edouard Philippe, explaining the details of government reaction to the protestors demands. The administration is still committed to reform, claiming that only fundamental change will address the sources of social anger. The trajectory promised by the president is not abandoned; its just going to be differently applied. And its not going to be cheap, with the minimum estimate of the cost of presidential promises running to 10 billion euros in 2019 alone. That will put France above the public spending limit accepted by Brussels, unless a lot of additional savings can be made. Internet hysteria and the historian The French historian Sylvain Boulouque has been telling the weekly magazine LObs about his misfortunes on the internet. Boulouque was invited to comment on pictures from the second weekend of demonstrations on the French 24-hour news channel BFMTV. In the course of identifying participant groups, Boulouque made a mistake: he saw what he called a monarchist flag when, in reality, he was looking at the old, pre-Revolutionary flag of the north-west French region of Picardy, frequently brandished by supporters of far-right leader Marine Le Pen. In other words, he saw right-wing extremists where there were probably just Picards. He admits he was wrong. Dangerously, however, that error has been used by what the French call the right-wing fachosphere to drown out Boulouques efforts to detail the implication in yellow vest violence of elements of the extreme right and left-wing ultras, of some ordinary protestors, and the common criminals and opportunists known as casseurs who profit from occasions of public disorder to break windows and steal things. Because he made one, insignificant mistake, he says he has become the victim of a torrent of abuse on social media. Abuse which surges in volume and intensity each time Sylvain Boulouque makes a TV appearance. He has, incidentally, been dropped as a contributing expert by BFMTV. His case is a warning against what he calls the totalitarian intimidation used to great effect by some who refuse to accept Boulouques analysis of the hidden political attachments of many supposedly ordinary gilets jaunes. And who are happy to use social media as a weapon in that intimidation. UAEs minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash brushed aside claims by the Qatari Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, that his country, currently locked up in a diplomatic row with neighbors, is keen to enter into dialogue only if Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt stop interfering in its internal affairs. Speaking at Doha Forum late last week, Sheikh Tamim said Qatar was willing to participate in dialogue only if there was non-interference in its internal affairs. The tiny Gulf country has been facing since June last year a sea/air/land blockade imposed by the Saudi-led quartet, which accused the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member of supporting terrorism and Iran, the archenemy of the regional bloc. Taking to Twitter, Gargash tossed to the bin the Qatari rulers accusation noting that it is rather Qatar, which interferes in the internal affairs of other countries of the region. This bears the fingerprints of the former emir, and in short, we will not see a fundamental change that allows the young leadership to manage things realistically, Gargash tweeted. The Emirati top diplomat also slammed Qatar for using Turkey to irk Saudi Arabia. Qatar deepened its crisis of malicious targeting against Saudi Arabia recently and played the role of inciting Riyadh with Turkey in the Western circles and international organizations. Ties between Doha and Ankara moved to next level after Turkey enabled Qatar to circumvent the blockade. Gargash also noted that Qatars attempts to find solutions through Western capitals have not succeeded and were not in themselves a convincing policy. However, Doha, under Turkish and Iranian protection, continues to work in the same desperate pattern, he said adding that the 18-month diplomat crisis will not end any time soon. The measures taken by the four countries aim to prevent the countrys political and sovereign interventions and to change the countrys destructive trend, and we realize that Doha will return to its senses and its Gulf surroundings in a timely manner, he said. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban faced fresh criticism on Monday after two of his opposition lawmakers were forcibly ejected from the public broadcaster's offices. Two Hungarian opposition MPs broadcast footage of themselves being thrown out of the MTVA offices in Budapest on Sunday morning, after they asked for access to studios to read out a petition against the government and what they call its slave labour law. MTVA security guards forcibly ejected independent MPs Akos Hadhazy and Bernadett Szel, sparking much criticism online. Visibly shocked by their treatment, the two MPs immediately filed a complaint with police stationed in front of the building. They said that as MPs they had a right to be on the premises of a public establishment and to airtime on the public broadcaster. This followed a major demonstration on Sunday, when protesters threw smoke grenades at police who responded with tear gas in Budapest on Sunday as thousands of people rallied against a new slave law passed by the government of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban. More than 15,000 people, according to local press reports, joined the demonstration the first rally since Orban returned to power in 2010 to bring together all opposition parties, from greens to the far right, under the same banner. The protest was called by unions and opposition parties outraged at reforms that hike the annual overtime hours that employers can demand from 250 to 400 hours and allows payment to be delayed by up to three years. The government says the changes are needed by employers short of manpower and will benefit those wanting to work extra hours. (RFI with AFP) Tens of thousands of protesters braved the snow to march through Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday, December 15, in a rally against attacks on opposition politicians. The demonstration was organised by the Alliance For Serbia opposition coalition in protest against a November 23 attack on Borko Stefanovic, the leader of the Serbian Left party, Radio Free Europe reported. Protesters called for the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic outside his office in the capital. Opposition leaders have pledged further protests will be held in January. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful In the opinion of experts, the sierra nevada snowpack is required to meet the demand of one-third of Californias water every year. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory undertook a study on this subject and feels there is a need to restructure the management of this all-important commodity. There must be a means to preserve the precipitation of winter for use during the summer to prevent scarcity of water and drought situations. Los Angeles Times reported on the new study. There are fears that California may not be able to rely on melting snow forever because Global warming is the villain. The study indicates that the size of the Sierra snowpack could keep shrinking unless there is a stop to the production of greenhouse gases. The reduction could be to the extent of up to 79 percent. The study focuses on global warming The study reveals the ill effects of global warming and highlights the importance of checking greenhouse gases. The researchers conducted an exhaustive study and concluded that the volume of the Sierra Nevada snowpack could reduce by 54 percent in the next 20 to 40 years and the reduction could go up to 79 percent in the next 60 to 80 years. Obviously, the authorities must assign necessary priority and take suitable action to arrest climate change. Sierra Nevada snowpack on track to shrink up to 79% by the end of the century, new study finds https://t.co/kkZpLLcYYC pic.twitter.com/OZz5UpeBRG Global Issues Web (@globalissuesweb) December 17, 2018 The study goes on to add that the effect will vary from region to region of California and will depend on the height of the Sierra Nevada. It considered 10 of the states largest reservoirs and said that reservoirs in the north will feel the effect more as compared to those in other areas. It will be up to the water managers to work out how best they can strike a balance between water storage and flood control. Global warming cannot be ignored Mercury News likens the Sierra Nevada to a giant frozen reservoir because the winter snow melts in spring and summer months to provide water to nearly one-third of California. Discuss this news on Eunomia However, global warming could play havoc with the availability of this water. This could affect the farming sector and the authorities must introduce suitable changes in the states water system that's been used for nearly 100 years. The intention must be to check global warming by restricting the burning of fossil fuels. These trap heat in the atmosphere, and the surrounding temperature rises. The shrinking snowpack will increase chances of wildfires, which will lead to loss of not just the green cover but also loss of wildlife habitats apart from damage to the infrastructure. Oman has penned two agreements granting Oman Occidental, a unit of state-run Oman Oil Co, the rights to explore for oil and gas in concessions 51 and 65. The announcement by the Gulf countrys oil ministry on Twitter says the state gave rights for concession 51 to Occidental Oman and for concession 65 to Occidental Oman and Oman Oil Co unit Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production. Concession 51 covers 10,133 square kilometers and concession 65 covers 1,230 square kilometers, the Omani state TV said in a report. Oman Occidental for the first three years of the exploration will spend $14 million, the oil ministry director of investment Salman al-Shehhi told the state broadcaster. Oman produces about 995,000 barrels per day. A major Virginia cybersecurity initiative is moving from planning to implementation stages. The Virginia Research Investment Committee (VRIC) recently accepted the blueprint for the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), which is a network of cyber research, innovation, and learning created by connecting Virginias public universities, community colleges, and businesses. The VRIC administers a fund that aims to position Virginia as a national leader in science and technology research, development, and commercialization. Virginia Tech President Tim Sands formally presented this blueprint to the VRIC on Dec. 11. The blueprint also garnered letters of support from four companies and 10 presidents of institutions of higher education. The blueprint is the culmination of five months of work involving more than 80 representatives from 50 universities, companies, government, and other organizations. One of the goals of CCI, as outlined in Virginias 2018-2020 budget, is to build a commonwealth-wide ecosystem of cybersecurity innovation, commercialization, and education that makes Virginia a leader in the intersection of cybersecurity with next-generation technologies, such as artificial intelligence, 5G communications, and the internet of things. The blueprint highlights the strength of existing research and education programs across Virginias institutions of higher education and plans to coordinate and align those programs to build a network that is greater than the sum of its parts. It also identifies opportunities for investment in drawing top talent to Virginia. To make Virginia a national leader in the new cybereconomy, we must be bold in building on and coordinating our existing strengths across the commonwealth, while also establishing new programs, said Jim Dyke, a member of the VRIC who served on the CCI blueprint executive committee. The blueprint notes that CCI success is enhanced by political and business leaders also addressing key pipeline issues, such as early childhood education, business engagement with and advocacy for K-12 education reform, and encouraging more women and minorities to enter the cyber, IT arena. CCI will consist of a hub in Northern Virginia anchored by Virginia Tech and regional nodes across the commonwealth, each led by an institution of higher education. Regional nodes will be vibrant centers of research, learning, and innovation tailored to their local ecosystem. VRIC established a working group to develop a process for certifying regional nodes, due to the full committee in March. The hub will combine researchers, innovators, students, entrepreneurs, and others, all focused on cyber-physical system security, with an initial focus on 5G communications and machine learning. Through smart investment and effective collaboration, CCI will build capabilities and programs that will make Virginia a leader in cybersecurity, attracting talent, industry, and partners from across the nation and around the world, Sands said. 10 Saudi Arabia has vehemently rejected this Monday the position expressed recently by the United States Senate, saying the position was based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdoms internal affairs, undermining the Kingdoms regional and international role. A statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry said while Saudi Arabia reaffirms its commitment to continue to further develop its relations with the United States of America, it expresses concern regarding the positions expressed lately by the US legislative body in a resolution. In a unanimous vote on Thursday, the Senate approved a resolution wherein it accused the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and called for an end to Washingtons military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The resolution, which condemned Khashoggis murder and called Prince Mohammed responsible for it, was adopted after a briefing by senior intelligence officials from the US spy agency CIA. For the CIA officials, the journalists killing would have needed the approval of MBS, the kingdoms de facto leader. The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership, represented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature, said the statement, relayed by the Saudi Press Agency on Monday. The Senates resolution also criticized the Trumps administration for continuing its backing to the Saudi-led military action in Yemen. Saudi Arabia launched a massive aerial campaign against Yemens Houthi rebels in March 2015, aimed at restoring the government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Since then, the US has been helping the Saudi-UAE military alliance with weaponry and logistical support. In this connection, the statement said that Saudi Arabia continues its efforts towards achieving a political solution, by the Yemeni parties, to the situation in Yemen based on UNSC resolution 2216, the GCC initiative and its implementation mechanism. The Kingdom also backs the outcomes of the Comprehensive Yemeni National Dialogue, including the efforts by the United Nations Special Envoy that led, with the support of the Kingdom, to the agreements that were announced recently in Sweden, the statement said adding that Saudi Arabia cooperates with relevant international organizations and bodies to deliver aid to Yemeni people in need. The statement also mentioned the Kingdoms role in areas of interest to Washington, such as supporting the stability of international energy markets, its contributions to counterterrorism efforts that have had a great impact in the demise of terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Al-Qaida and others, and standing steadfastly by the USA in confronting Irans malign activities, which it spreads through its allies and proxies to destabilize the region. The statement, underlining that the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship, said the Kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the USA, to avoid any ramifications on the ties between the two countries that could have significant negative impacts on this important strategic relationship. In a previous post I looked at the volume of wine-brand imports into the USA in 2012 ( Yellow Tail wine imports into the USA do fit a "power law" ). It might be of interest to now look at some more recent data, to see how the different brands fare through time.In the following graph I compare the lists of the top-25 imported wine brands in terms of volume sales in the USA, for 2012 (horizontally; the data come from my previous post ) and 2016 (vertically; the data come from the AAWE Facebook page ). Note that both axes of the graph are logarithmic.There are only 17 wine brands that appear in both top-25 lists (represented by blue diamonds in the graph) that is, one-third of the wine brands (one-third) were replaced in the top-25 imported volume sellers across the 4 years.Five of the top six wine brands were at the top in both years, as labeled in the graph. These brands have retained consistent sales volumes across the 4 years. Both Yellow Tail and Lindemans come from Australia, while Cavit and Riunite are imported from Italy, and Concha y Toro is from Chile.The big difference in the top grouping is that Principato drops off the list, from 3rd place in 2012 (the pink diamonds represent wine brands that appear in only one of the two lists). This Italian wine brand seems to have greatly decreased its portfolio recently, now down to just three distinct wines.The sales of the remaining 12 wine brands were much less consistent in wine sales, even though they appeared on both lists that is, the sales volume in 2016 did not necessarily reflect the sales volume in 2012. There were also another seven wine brands that have been replaced from the 2012 list.So, the answer to the title question is: reasonably consistent at the top, but not very consistent elsewhere on the top-25 list. There seems to be a lot of room for maneuvering the volume of brand sales among most of the imported wines.Finally, it is worth looking at the topic covered in my previous post, which is the fit of a Power Law to the data, specifically Zipf's Law, which refers to the "size" of each event relative to it's rank order of size. In the previous post, I noted that data for the volume of imported wine do fit a Power Law very well. That is, when you plot a graph of the logarithm of sales volume (vertically) and the rank order of the wine brands (horizontally), it forms a straight line.This next graph compares the 2012 data (in blue) with the 2016 data (in pink).This graph shows that the Power Law for 2012 was not a fluke, but was repeated in 2016. Indeed, the fit of the data to a Power Law is actually slightly better in 2016 (99% vs. 97%).I think that it is remarkable that so often in our world, complex economic data, like wine sales volumes, which are presumably subject to all sorts of market forces, actually fit very simple mathematical models. This implies that all of the different forces cancel each other out, leaving a simple pattern for us to see and interpret. In this case, for example, we should not expect Yellow Tail wines to sell any better than they already do. by Thomas R. Wells Academics have a privileged epistemic position in society. They deserve to be listened to, their claims believed, and their recommendations considered seriously. What they say about their subject of expertise is more likely to be true than what anyone else has to say about it. Unfortunately, some academics believe they have a right or even a duty to use their privileged position to shape society in the right way. They join organisations and campaign systematically for specific laws, policies, and political candidates. They tell their students who to vote for and help them organise protest marches. They launch boycotts of companies and countries they disapprove of. Such activism is an abuse of academics privileged status that undermines the respect that academic expertise should command and the functioning of academia itself. I Academics expertise derives from their membership of specialized epistemic communities (what I have elsewhere called truth machines) that develop methods to investigate particular issues or features of how the world works, whether that be the effects of international migration on labour markets or the geo-physics of climate change. The outcome of this is not that academics are guaranteed to be correct (just look at the history of science). It is that they have access to the best understanding of the topic that those people in the world most dedicated and able to investigate it have yet managed to figure out. Academics are not perfect seekers after truth. They just have better methods and answers than anyone else. If you reject what relevant academic experts claim about something like GM crop safety then the burden of proof is on you to justify why you think you know better. Epistemology can be thought of as a bet. Imagine placing a $10,000 bet of your own money on whether global warming is real or not. Would you bet with the overwhelming consensus of the thousands of specialized scientists whose work is aggregated into the IPCC reports? Or would you go with the next best alternative: some consultant hired by Exon to talk up this years snowstorms on Fox News? So much for why academic experts deserve our trust in the first place. The academic activist does not deserve this trust. They substitute righteousness for genuine expertise, all the while continuing to exploit the credibility that genuine academic experts deserve. II The first problem is that academic activists have overstepped their proper role as trusted advisers to society. Academic experts have a special epistemic authority to tell us of inconvenient but significant truths (such as climate change). That is a valuable informational service that can extend to advocating certain policy solutions. But it is the society as a whole that gets to determine the value of any particular piece of advice. Academics who believe that their ideas should rule society merely because they are true have misunderstood the division of labour in a democracy. We need specialists with appropriate training and resources to investigate complex, often non-intuitive matters of fact and to explain them to us. We dont need those specialists to decide for us what we should do with those facts. That is a conversation and a decision we can all be a part of. In a democracy the people are in charge; not Truth. When academics attempt to lead rather than merely inform the wider society they dont merely contradict the ideal of valuational equality at the heart of democracy. They also bring politics back into academia. It was a hard and continuing struggle to carve out a space free from politics where people could be free to pursue the truth even if it were inconvenient to the powerful or to the masses. When activists reach out to intervene anti-democratically in political matters, they put the whole project of impartial truth seeking in jeopardy. Academia becomes seen as nothing more than an extension of politics, of people demanding attention for their opinions, rather than an independent truth machine that serves democratic deliberation. Now when academics make a claim that is even mildly counter-intuitive or controversial, anyone who doesnt want to believe it will simply refuse to accept its epistemic authority. They will attribute such claims to the politico-moral ideology of the researchers, rather than to the objective evaluation of evidence. That is, as bullshit at best and propaganda at worst. The second problem is that activist academics misrepresent what they are doing. As academics they are supposed to be committed to following the evidence wherever it goes, to find the truth however inconvenient. This commitment to be on the side of the truth is what makes academic expertise trustworthy, in contrast to the mob of special interests and political partisans who also seek to inform society. But the activist lacks this commitment. He has finished with the journey and arrived at the final destination. He believes he has discovered all the truth worth knowing on the subject, and has embarked instead on a new political project of implementation. One of the more irritating results of this commitment to a higher Truth is that it seems to license a shameless disinterest in more ordinary truths. Activist organisations produce lots of fact-like information about their chosen cause, sometimes including lengthy research reports modeled on academic forms. But the form is deceptive. These are not works of investigation but of attention-seeking. They are what Harry Frankfurt would call bullshit. Let me add a personal anecdote. I have occasionally attended an academic conference that turned out to be activist in character. The experience was strange. In a normal academic conference people are generally grateful when you point out a problem with their ideas and arguments. (I even sometimes think of academia as a gift economy founded on the reciprocal exchange of interesting problems.) Activist academics react with consternation and hurt to the gift of a problem. But arent you on our side? For them, a conference is a political exercise; held to reinvigorate the unity, organizational structure, and motivation of the movement. The third problem is that academic activists often misrepresent what they know. Some claim things about topics that lie outside the focus of the epistemic communities in which they trained and are an acknowledged valuable contributor. Such as the physicist weighing in on global warming, or the microeconomics professor debating the economics of Brexit. They have confused what they feel to be true with what they actually know. They may well be quite sincere, but sincerity is cheap. It is wisdom that is hard to get. This confusion extends even to those topics on which the academic activists ought to be an expert. Activism has a pernicious effect on academic integrity because it stands the normal order of business on its head. The activist begins with the correct conclusion and then works backward to find the evidence that would justify it, while finding excuses to dismiss criticism and counter-evidence. Such motivated reasoning allows false opinions to masquerade as knowledge for decades. The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it. Marxism provides a classical example of this process in action (even motivating Karl Poppers account of how a pseudo-science works). Marx himself formed his conclusion about capitalism in 1848, and then spent the rest of his life putting together the argument for it. As is typical of the activist, he spent a lot of his time criticizing and feuding with other socialists who didnt quite share his Truth. His intellectual abilities and immense knowledge of political economy did not make him any more open to counter evidence. For example, he insisted on the Truth of the increasing immiseration of the working class even while, decade after decade, their living and working conditions improved. III Can academic activism ever be justified? I briefly consider three cases: the rights of academic-citizens; the ubiquity of ideology; emergencies like global warming. Academics are not only members of epistemic communities engaged in trying to understand some aspect of the world as it truly is. They are also citizens, with all the rights to freedom of opinion and speech of any other citizen. Noam Chomsky, for example, is both an activist about global justice and a researcher who has made significant contributions to the field of linguistics. Chomsky may be a good example of the academic citizen exactly because his activism seems separate from his academic authority: no one listening to a speech by Chomsky about how terribly America oppresses other countries thinks they should believe him because he is a professor of linguistics. That is, it doesnt seem particularly problematic for academics to directly engage in political activities so long as they are careful not to mix that up with their academic expertise, in their minds or those of their audience. This would be greatly helped if universities would enforce a clearer distinction between academic and personal roles. For example by requiring activist academics to be active in their own time and not to mention their university position when they do. Many of the academic sub-disciplines which have the worst reputation for activism (like gender studies, African studies, or Marxian economics) were founded in reaction to the perception that more mainstream academic fields are dominated by an implicit politico-moral ideology (such as androcentrism, eurocentrism, capitalism). Such complaints are not baseless. Yet this is nonetheless the wrong motivation to found a new epistemic community, since it will be set up as a political movement from the first and may never escape that identity. It is surely better to try to do good work within the original field that demonstrates the relevance of the things you consider important (the Darwin model), than to run off to found a new community of fellow believers (the Intelligent Design model). Activist academics believe they have an urgent moral duty to try to change society, and that this requires more than providing society with the objective facts of the matter. They need to implement their beliefs on campuses; launch lawsuits; recruit their students to join protests; and so on. They see their privileged social position as academic experts as a valuable resource in this struggle for good over evil. Most of the time, I have argued, this does more harm than good. But might there be some genuine emergencies when academic activism is justified? For example, where addressing an inconvenient truth requires an inconvenient policy. Dont the climate scientists who really understand the risk we are taking have a duty to engage in political activism to push their views about what should be done? Werent the economists who tried to protest anti-poor government austerity policies during the Great Recession right to do so? Note however that this kind of activism still follows from the research rather than leading it. These researchers did what they were supposed to do investigated how the world works with the best methodology they had available and only then discovered the urgent problem. Further, the character of the problem is not in itself controversial. That is, pretty much everyone would already agree that things like prolonged mass unemployment and megawarming are very bad indeed. Intervening in politics to articulate this problem and ones expert suggestions for what to do to prevent it does not impose ones own private moral views on others in the way that other forms of academic activism seek to do. *** As members of specialist truth machines, academics have a privileged view of how at least a part of the world really works, and thus a privileged ability to make pronouncements with high epistemic authority. Yet this also makes their pronouncements hard for the general public to scrutinise. Academic activists take advantage of this by illegitimately conflating their private moral beliefs with their special status, to produce opinions masquerading as the results of objective factual research. Unfortunately this behaviour quickly corrupts the very epistemic authority of academia which made it so attractive for activists in the first place. If academics want to engage in politics, that is their right, but they should clearly distinguish between the promotion of their personal opinions and their role as academic researchers, in their own minds and in those of their audience. Otherwise academia will become as politicised and unreliable as the billionaire funded thinktanks that churn out politically convenient truths day in and day out. Thomas Wells is a philosopher in the Netherlands. He blogs at The Philosophers Beard. by Joan Harvey When the air becomes uraneous We will all go simultaneous Yes, we all will go together When we all go together Yes we all will go together when we go Tom Lehrer, We Will All Go Together When We Go You know what uranium is, right? Its this thing called nuclear weapons. And other things. Like lots of things are done with uranium. Including some bad things. Donald J. Trump The tide has turned, the Democrats have the House, Mueller showers us with gifts each day, hope lurches upward, though past trauma urges us to perpetually rein it in. Were glued to the news, good or bad, to a level of destruction, corruption, drama, and scandal so great, its impossible to keep up with even a small part of it. We cant process it all; we can barely find effective ways to act besides logging in with the Resistance, enjoying clever tweets, and imbibing good quantities of gin. Its hard to argue with Yuval Harari that the three main threats to our existence are climate change, artificial intelligence (and with it biotechnology), and nuclear war. And yet for most of us, saving some shreds of democracy (and decency) come first. Climate change certainly is on our minds, in the news every day, present to us as we watch so many people and animals suffer and homes and habitats destroyed. Then theres AI, newest of the threats, still kind of sci-fi and sexy, and because we all work with computers and also have watched Facebook turn into a monster, the dangers of AI also do not feel so distant. But, left behind, neglected, is the oldest of these three manmade megathreats to the world, the peril of nuclear war. Its a danger that has not diminished over time and is in actuality increasing. But even though it has the potential to be the most immediately destructive, it can feel the most remote. Im one of the few people who grew up on a homesite with a bomb shelter, a dark cold cave dug into a hill on my parents property. There may still be canned goods in there from the 60s, for all I know. As little kids wed sometimes open the heavy steel door that led into the hollowed-out hill, but it was hard to imagine spending more than a few minutes in that dark, clammy, unfriendly space. And hard to imagine that if there had been a nuclear bomb and wed made it in before radiation spread, that anything at all would be okay upon emerging. (Coincidentally, the property I have now, once owned by the editor of Soldier of Fortune magazine, also had a bomb shelter on it, though reduced to rubble before my arrival.) My mother was passionate about nuclear disarmament, was a member of SANE (Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy), and was good friends with Ruth Adams, a brilliant former editor of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The first protest I remember participating in was in 1969 against an underground 40-kiloton nuclear bomb test (nearly twice as powerful as the one dropped on Hiroshima) in Rulison, Colorado. And yet even with all this personal history, I rarely give much thought to the nuclear threat. Perhaps Tom Lehrer, a major influence on my childhood (and, for better or worse, on my whole personality), is to blame; his songs about nuclear destruction were so damned cheerful. Weve lived for many decades under the threat of nuclear war but have experienced no accidents (other than those at nuclear power facilities and weapons manufacturing sites) or intentional strikes; perhaps that why it has so little reality for us. There have been many close calls, but mostly they have been invisible. For example, the Future of Life Institute, an organization that counts Max Tegmark among its founders and which is working to ensure that tomorrows most powerful technologies are beneficial for humanity, recently gave an award to Stanislav Petrov who, in 1983, chose to ignore the Soviet early-warning detection system, which had erroneously indicated five incoming American nuclear missiles. With his decision to ignore algorithms and instead follow his gut instinct, Petrov helped prevent an all-out US-Russia nuclear war.Of course the dangers of nuclear war and faulty AI are linked. And Petrov was not the only individual who has saved our lives. Vasili Arkhipov is credited with casting the single vote that prevented a nuclear attack on the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis. And there are other examples of individuals discovering computer glitches and preventing new world wars. California Governor Jerry Brown, the new Executive Chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, remarks on the distance we feel from any threat: I would say that for most people, the possibility of a nuclear accident or blundering into some kind of regional nuclear war or some kind of confrontation among the larger powers is inconceivable and totally remote from anything theyre thinking about.[2] And yet The Bulletins famous Doomsday Clock this year has been moved up to 2 minutes to midnight (it has been set as far back as 17 minutes to midnight in 1991), the closest it has been to Doomsday since 1953 during the Cold War. The clock takes into account threats from climate change as well as technology, but the risk of nuclear war still has the most weight. The shift in the clocks hands acknowledges the dangers from North Korea and from conflict between Russia and the US, as well as from the buildup of nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan and our bowing out of the Iran nuclear deal. Two recent incidents, which in normal times would have been major news and elicited enormous concern, got lost in the ongoing craziness of the moment. The first is the decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). This destructive withdrawal, which under any previous administration would have been a subject of major public discussion and debate, came and went, a tiny blip in the news. The INF, an important (though imperfect) treaty, was achieved under Reagan, of all people. The INF required destruction of US and Soviet ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, and their launchers and associated support structures and equipment; it has long been considered central to the East-West arms control regime.[3] Obviously Trumps move to end this agreement doesnt improve chances of world safety. Some have argued that he is playing into the hands of the Russians, allowing them to escape blame, and releasing them from any constraints on further weapons development. The second alarming piece of recent news involves the Saudis, who have been negotiating with our Energy and State Departments to get designs for nuclear power plants. The Saudis have warned that they will develop their own nuclear weapon if Iran acquires one. They provided financing for Pakistan to build its nuclear arms, and now many retired Pakistani professors and military personnel go to Saudi Arabia to supplement their retirement income. It is certainly quite possible they could carry information about nuclear weapons from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia; after all, Pakistani A.Q. Khan has been a prime engine of nuclear proliferation, helping build the programs in Libya and Iran. Trumps backing out of the Iran deal has made the possibility of both Iran and Saudi Arabia acquiring bombs much stronger, and movement toward reform in Iran will be lost. The politics of nuclear threat are extraordinarily complex and far beyond the scope of this column. Fortunately there are people and organizations who work tirelessly in the disarmament field, people like Frank von Hippel and Zia Mian, both of Princeton Universitys Program on Science and Global Security. Mian just received the prestigious Leo Szilard lectureship award from the American Physical Society for promoting global peace and nuclear disarmament particularly in South Asia, through academic research, public speaking, technical and popular writing and organizing efforts to ban nuclear weapons. Mian works and writes often on nuclear issues with Pakistani Pervez Hoodboy, a leading nuclear physicist and eloquent critic of many repressive structures in Pakistan. Hoodboy has suffered death threats; the only thing keeping him alive may be his international fame. While social justice structures exist and are funded in Pakistan, anti-nuclear and peace commitments are both underfunded and under attack. And the US. presence there post-9/11 has fostered a climate in which torture and killing have become increasingly acceptable. There have been huge past popular movements to fight the bomb. Before awareness of climate change and the potential of AI to destroy the world, and after the horrors of Hiroshima, nuclear annihilation was much on peoples minds. The peace movement transcended nationality, race, gender, and occupation, and elevated life and rationality above division lines. It brought in people able to think across time and across geographic boundaries, who could handle the real facts and understand the magnitude of the threats; heroes such as Randy Forsberg, Tasuzhiro Suzuki, Bayard Rustin, Frank von Hippel, Ruth Adams, and Bernard Laponche. The Peace Information Center founded in 1950 with W. E. B. DuBois at its head promoted the Stockholm Peace Appeal, a petition asking world governments to ban all nuclear weapons. The petition gathered (allegedly) an astounding 250 million signatures worldwide.[4] Later, prominent African-Americans such as Toni Morrison, Dick Gregory, Chaka Kahn, and Rita Marley participated in demonstrations against Reagans huge cuts to programs that benefited the poor while the military budget was vastly increased. These protests eventually helped push Reagan toward the INF treaty. As Russian physicist Pavel Podvig writes, Reagan did not make the double-zero proposalno medium-range missiles on either sidethat later became the INF Treaty out of the kindness of his heart. The United States and NATO were under tremendous pressure from their own publics to do something about nuclear missiles in Europe.[5] African Americans also have consistently made the connection between nuclear weapons, colonialism, and lack of funding for social programs. As Vincent J. Intondi shows in his book African Americans Against the Bomb, they recognized the racial aspect of the attack on Hiroshima that it was Japanese people, and not Europeans, who were bombed. In 1946 the NAACP called for nuclear disarmament, and major figures including Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Marian Anderson, and Charlie Parker spoke out early against the bomb. Paul Robeson tied it specifically to colonialism: Our government is getting uranium from the Belgian Congo for atomic bombs. American companies are prospecting for oil in Ethiopia and for minerals in Liberia.[6] When France chose Africa as a testing place for its first nuclear weapon, Bayard Rustin led a protest that did not succeed in stopping the test, but did succeed in tying it to colonialism and to the eventual ceasing of tests on that continent. Martin Luther King spoke against nuclear weapons throughout his career, beginning in 1957. Many of these leaders were threatened by the government for their peace efforts. In the U.S. today there are wonderful organizations and individuals working toward disarmament and attempts to avert nuclear war, but most are underfunded and unknown. Some of them are connected with nuclear facilities. Nuclear Watch New Mexico is a watchdog of the Los Alamos National Laboratory and, to a lesser extent, the Sandia National Laboratories. The Los Alamos Study Group is another group whose proximity to a nuclear facility makes abstraction impossible. Tri-Valley CARES is a sister watchdog at the Livermore Lab in California. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has done outstanding work, including dialoguing with nuclear weapons experts from China and Europe and working extensively in India and Pakistan. The Federation of American Scientists works to provide the public with factual information on nuclear weapons. The Nautilus Institute has been working primarily on the North Korean threat. The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship provides fellowships to train young scholars in policy and advocacy on peace and security issues. The National Security Archive Fund uses the Freedom of Information Act to open historic and current policy documents from US government files related to nuclear weapons, and to reveal the presidential decision-making process on nuclear use. The Ploughshares Fund has for decades been the largest donor to anti-nuclear groups. Beatrice Finn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, stresses the need for a public push to move governments toward a nuclear ban. She has hope for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a treaty that would ban nuclear weapons under international law. So far 69 countries have signed, though only 19 have ratified. Once 50 countries have ratified it, the treaty will go into effect. We need to articulate the human ramifications of nuclear war, move away from an understanding of international relations as a series of zero-sum battles, and accept that nuclear weapons know no borders. Finn puts the fight against nuclear weapons in a feminist context, urging women to Refuse to be constrained by the ruling orders lack of vision and belief in humanity.[7] Scientists, physicists, and other specialists working today towards disarmament emphasize that public pressure on our increasingly belligerent governments is essential. While adding one more worry to our already impossible load may seem overwhelming, awareness and participation are crucial. To quote Zia Mian: There is opportunity now for new kinds of initiatives and making of common cause by non-weapon states, together with social movements from inside and outside the weapon states, to confront the threat from new nuclear weapons, the sharpening of nuclear-armed great power rivalry, and arms racing. Three important players in such an effort are the United Nations, the European Union, and the countries of the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. They will find public support in the United States in the resistance to Trump and in the persistent peace groups and anti-nuclear activists who are part of the networks once inspired and led by Randy Forsberg in the 1980s in the Nuclear Freeze movement to end the arms race. Across Europe, there are still many who were involved in the mass protests of the 1980s against US and Soviet nuclear weapons. They also may find allies in the democracy movement struggling against Vladimir Putins rule in Russia.[8] The authors of the last Doomsday Clock statement stress that the Clock has moved back to a safer place in the past, and that movement toward a saner, safer world is possible again. While there are only so many threats we can mentally cope with at a time, it is still important not to forget this danger which, unfortunately, is only increasing with time. Ill let Tom Lehrer give us the last bit of advice: Well try to stay serene and calm When Alabama gets the bomb! * * * [1] https://thebulletin.org/2018/09/a-posthumous-honor-for-the-man-who-saved-the-world [2] https://thebulletin.org/2018/10/a-talk-with-the-bulletins-new-executive-chair-jerry-brown/ [3] https://thebulletin.org/the-inf-and-the-future-of-arms-control/ [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Appeal 5 https://thebulletin.org/2018/10/who-lost-the-inf-treaty/ 6 Vincent J. Intondi, African Americans Against the Bomb (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2015),23 [7] Beatric Finn ,Women Against the Bomb: How a feminist foreign policy can save the world, The Nation, December 3/10, 2018,12-15, 25. [8] https://thebulletin.org/2018/10/the-inf-treaty-and-the-crises-of-arms-control/ Seafood restaurants can be pretty predictablebasic AF crab cakes, uninspiring pairings of protein and vegetables, and over-sauced pastas with clams or shrimp. But now San Francisco foodies with a taste for fresh fish can head to Hotel G, where new restaurant Ayala is ready to save us from sad seafood woes with some innovative tweaks on crustaceans and bivalves. From the raw bar, cherrystone clams topped with caviar. (Molly DeCoudreaux) But first, we've got to hand it to Ayala for making a worthy dining destination in the treacherous landscape that is downtown SF: crammed with shoppers and aggro commuters, the workaday neighborhood isn't exactly the quaintest spot for a meal. But the corner restaurant inside the stylish boutique stay invites us to feel at home with multiple spaces to chill, whether you prefer standing to slurp down a snack and a drink beneath the arched ceilings of the raw bar or flopping into velvet banquettes in the "oysterette" lounge. The main dining room was designed in shades evocative of the ocean, and to soothing effect, with intimate two- and four-top tables lit by retro-modern globe pendant lights. Ayala, by the way, takes its name from Juan de Ayala y Aranza, a Spanish naval captain who, along with his crew, is believed to have been the first European to enter the SF Bay. Helming this ship are chef/partner Bill Montagne (formerly of New York's famed Le Bernardin) and executive chef Melissa Perfit (a Bar Crudo alum), who've whipped up a menu of dishes you've never had before: sea urchin with shiso, cucumber, and yuzu tobiko; savory nori spaghettini; and a bright tomatillo-poblano cioppino verde. If hotel restaurants are a turnoff, you might be appeased to find that Ayala manages to stand on its own (sea) legsyou could easily forget that Hotel G is there (though you wouldn't be remiss in grabbing an after-dinner drink upstairs at Benjamin Cooper). From what we could tell on our first visit in Ayala's debut week, the service is good and the food tastya solid choice for dinner whether you're out shopping in the neighborhood or venture downtown just for the occasion. (Molly DeCoudreaux) A tuft of Santa Barbara sea urchin comes with shiso, cucumber, and yuzu tobiko. // Ayala, 398 Geary St. (Tendernob), ayalarestaurant.com Angola has been admitted as an observer member of the Forum of Gas Exporting Countries (GECF), during the groups 20th ministerial meeting held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The African Chamber of Energy (AEC) praised Angolas accession to GECF as it is at the forefront of promoting the use of natural gas as an affordable and sustainable fuel of choice for sustainable development. Through the Angola LNG Project, in Soyo, Angola became an exporter of Liquefied Natural Gas. Angola has vast unexplored gas reserves that have not yet been monetized, said AEC Executive President NJ Ayuk, adding that joining the GECF is a step in the right direction. Angola was admitted to the GECF during the forums ministerial conference that brought together, besides the hosting country, representatives of Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. According to a press release from the Angolan Ministry of Mineral Resources and Petroleum, Angola was represented by Amadeu Azevedo, the national director of Petroleos. Participants noted the role of natural gas in human well-being and also in reducing the effects of the greenhouse effect, and reiterated the need of close cooperation and unity for the development of gas and gas business for the benefit of nations. Day County burglars break into homes, but often take nothing of value Weve had almost eight years of turmoil in New Mexico education. Brushing aside all the manipulated statistics and grandstanding, New Mexicos education system still ranks at, or near, the bottom of all the states in educational achievement. The leadership of the Public Education Department and its agenda have failed us, not our schools or teachers. We can do better we must do better. Lets describe an ideal secretary of education. The new N.M. secretary of education must: 1) Be a true leader, inspiring, validating, encouraging and collaborating with all our teachers, school staff, principals, administrators and district leadership with a vision of what we can be. This means telling the truth at all times instead of constantly issuing self-serving press releases. We need someone who is more interested in New Mexicos children than in padding a resume hoping to step up to a better job. 2) Defend public education. Approximately 90 percent of students in America attend public schools. Those students, parents and educators deserve strong support and advocacy. 3) Lead by example. Be a graduate of an accredited college of education with a minimum of a masters degree and a 3.0 or better GPA. Most teachers have a masters degree and many have Ph.D.s. Anyone expecting to lead an education system must have those minimal credentials as a scholar and be a lifelong learner. 4) Have the training to accurately understand data collection and its limitations and uses. One or two college-level courses in statistics and their application are essential. In todays data-driven world, this knowledge is required for fully understanding what works and doesnt work in any teacher-evaluation and school-grading system. These tasks cannot be understood or delegated to others without a basic knowledge of statistics and how to use them. Claiming to be data-driven isnt enough. One must understand what constitutes real data. 5) Foster respect for science. New Mexico is a leader in science. Students should be encouraged to take advantage of this world-class expertise. There isnt room for pseudoscience, watered-down science, or science tainted by anyones personal belief system. 6) Have a minimum of five years of teaching experience in a public school classroom. This is the only way to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to capably fill any administrative position. On the most basic level, successfully managing a classroom and successfully managing adults both require the same communication and people skills. One of the most primary of those is treating everyone with respect. 7) Believe that an important part of treating everyone with respect involves transparency and accessibility. Secrecy and stonewalling are out. Transparency and accessibility will be in. 8) Find out why we have a crisis in education and work to find remedies. Enrollment in colleges of education is down, and our educators are leaving our state or leaving education entirely. This is according to a study by The New Mexico State University College of Education Southwest Outreach Academic Research Lab, as reported in the Albuquerque Journal, Nov. 4. 9) Be recognized by students, parents, teachers and administrators as a superior teacher and leader. This recognition goes far beyond student test scores and teacher evaluations. It asks, is this person a great teacher? Can this person lead others? When our new governor takes office on Jan. 1, we hope she will give New Mexicos children, parents and educators a fresh start with a new secretary of education, a qualified candidate who will, beginning on day one, truly listen to parents, teachers, other professional licensed staff, principals and school administrators. Lets begin a meaningful dialogue that will help all of us feel valued and respected. These actions will go a long way toward improving morale in public schools that has been steadily deteriorating over the last several years. They will give our students the skills they need to thrive and succeed in todays rapidly changing world. The Coalition For Excellence In Science And Math Education (CESE) is a 501c(3) non-partisan entity. It has studied education for over 20 years and includes educators with decades of exemplary classroom experience who believe in data-driven solutions. www.CESE.org. The fallout from an alleged Halloween stunt performed by a Cibola High School teacher continued through Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and now promises to last through Christmas, Kwanzaa and into the new year. And that is in great part because the Albuquerque Public Schools administration refuses to release records that clarify exactly what happened, allowing concerned students, parents, advocates and the social media machine to create apocryphal accounts of what could have gone down in that classroom Oct. 31. APS told families Nov. 2 an unnamed teacher made a culturally insensitive remark to one student and snipped the hair of another student. It assured them the districts police department was investigating. It then denied a Journal request to see the police report, and later a district spokeswoman and the superintendent said they didnt know if there ever was one. The states Inspection of Public Records Act says police reports are public records, and Gregory Williams, a lawyer with 23 years experience and an officer with the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, questioned why the district would deny access to a nonexistent document. It begs the question of whether APS police really did investigate. Meanwhile, student McKenzie Johnson has stepped forward to say she was called a bloody Indian. And that, along with the hair snipping, has sparked protests, made the national media, and been the subject of an emotionally charged Albuquerque Public Schools board meeting, a review by the District Attorneys Office and now the state Public Education Department. There is no question that if that ethnic slur and a haircut occurred, the teacher was flat-out wrong for the words and actions that apparently stemmed from a lesson plan involving a New Orleans voodoo-like costume and impersonation of a book character. But because APS has released little information on the incident and is withholding investigation documentation from the public, there is no way to review what actually happened, much less any context to put it in. Students and teachers have identified the accused teacher as Mary Eastin, who was highly regarded by the district before the incident. Parents say she has a reputation for focusing on individual kids needs and after taking her class their childrens test scores improved. APS says she is no longer with the district but will not say if she resigned or was fired. And the lack of clarity means heated emotions from the incident continue to smolder, all while the public wonders whether APS handled the incident correctly and if a teacher was punished fairly. At a Dec. 5 APS board meeting, a woman who defended Eastin was shouted down by members of the audience who booed and shouted white privilege and white b-. There is absolutely no excuse for such behavior we are supposed to be the adults, after all. All people attempting to speak at open meetings deserve a modicum of respect. During the meeting, Superintendent Raquel Reedy apologized for the teachers actions on behalf of the district and said she is working on a cultural sensitivity plan. That should start with being sensitive to the fact that the truth is the best and only way to move forward. 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. For Tanya Cole, flowers have always been a passion in one way or another. Cole, who opened Old Town Flowers last week in the San Felipe del Norte Plaza, said she is excited to be back doing what she loves. Cole said that after getting a degree in horticulture 30 years ago, she hatched a plan to own her shop one day. I worked for other shop owners for a while, until I had a chance to buy my own shop on Central Avenue, Cole said. Not long after she had the shop up and running, Cole said, she faced a hard decision: Either keep the shop and miss out on raising her child, or give it up and be the mother she knew she wanted to be. For nine years, I was a stay-at-home mom. However, I would still arrange flowers for my friends and family members weddings and special events, she said. Cole said she always felt like something was missing. I had friends ask me if I would do it again and my answer was always yes, Cole said. My first business already had an established clientele. This time around, I am starting completely from scratch. Cole said she grows some of her own flowers and plans on getting her greenhouse at full capacity in the future. I want to bring back what my market analysis has been telling me is a dying business, she said. The art of being a local florist will always be something that is important to me. Cole said she knows she will have to compete with chain store prices and availability but is optimistic about her business plan. I want to specialize in putting together the best flower arrangements for special events, like weddings and anniversaries, she said. Now that my door is open, I cant wait to meet with the diverse group of people that come through here on a regular basis. A ribbon of strength A salon being built in the Cottonwood area spotlights the owners personal battle with cancer with logo and name. Pink Ribbon Nail Salon, which the Journal featured earlier this year, will open before Christmas, according to manager Tina Carmichael. Carmichael, who has been battling breast cancer for over a year, said starting the business was her way of having a purpose while going through cancer treatment. I remember when the doctor called me and told me I had cancer, she said. I hung up the phone and rolled up on the floor for, like, 30 minutes. It took a while for me to wrap my head around the idea I was going to die. Since her diagnosis, Carmichael has found new strength with her husband and business partner, Joe Nguyen, helping her every step of the way. Now I am busy living and want to help other women who have similar situations, she said. I want Pink Ribbon to be a place where other women can offer advice, laugh and most importantly cry because it is healing to be surrounded by those who understand this journey. The 1,800-square-foot space at 10301 Cottonwood Drive, will offer manicures, pedicures, waxing and artificial nails. Carmichael said she estimates hiring five employees when the store is fully open. Carmichael said 5 percent of the companys proceeds will go to help with her cancer treatment. I have the energy to be the boss, but I do have to take time to fight daily, too, Carmichael said. Birds of a feather A new store with refurbished old products that have been distressed and repainted with a modern aesthetic is making a mark in the Northeast Heights. Grey Heron, 9132 Montgomery NE, sells Farmhouse, Modern Farmhouse, French Country and a little Boho Chic style housewares, furniture, clothing and chalk paint supplies. Owner Kayla Miller, who opened the store in September, said she was apprehensive about starting her own store after many told her how hard it would be. Many people told me to be patient because it can take up to a year to get a good clientele, Miller said. But since Ive opened the doors, weve havent had that problem. Miller said she and her husband look for items to refurbish and put in the store. Miller said she has two storage containers full of product, with many of the floor items already sold. The floor space of Millers store is built with movable walls, so customers can experience a different theme each time they enter. We have it set up to showcase what a bedroom will look like, and then if we move a wall we will have a living room/dining room setup, she said. We want our customers to envision our products in their homes, so we set it as close a living space as we can. Miller will take older dark wood items and distress and paint them herself, offering something new and unique for her clientele. We dont order from a warehouse or distributor, she said. When it comes to our furniture, we find it ourselves and salvage it. Miller believes in her restoration technique so much that she offers all of the painting supplies she uses in the store, as well as conducting painting workshops once a month. When I first opened, I had eight classes in just a couple of weeks, and they were all filled because of the publics interest in doing refurbishing work themselves, Miller said. End of a crystal era A unique store that specializes in sacred ceremonial objects and healing crystals is closing after 25 years of business. The Crystal Dove opened in 1993 with a mission of compassion, understanding, love and healing, owner Inga Madsen said in a news release. In the past year, Madsens health deteriorated and she was no longer able to run the store, leaving its fate in the hands of her daughter, Briget Madsen. We tried to make a go of it for a while, Briget Madsen said, but when we got an offer for the building, we decided it was time to close. Madsen said that since she has taken over for her mother, many have visited the shop to share fond memories of her mothers kindness. She said that what made the shop so unique, besides her mothers presence, were the items it sold: crystals, chimes, singing bowls and sacred art. The store also offered holistic remedies and books on healing practices for body and mind. My mother, Inga, ended up here in New Mexico in kind of a roundabout way on her way back to California, but ran out of funds and ended up staying, Madsen said. Almost by fate, Madsen said, her mother wandered into what would one day be her own business. When my mother entered the picture 25 years ago, the shop was called the Rainbow Place, and in the beginning, she kind of volunteered and helped out where she could, Madsen said. After several years, the owner sold the store to her mother. The store scheduled a closing celebration for last Saturday and was expecting hundreds to attend. This place will always hold a special place for Inga and for the many who remembered her several years after their encounter with her, Madsen said. But she hinted the business may rise again. We have had so many people come in and tell us this is the only place in Albuquerque they can get the unique items the store offers, she said. So we are looking at our options and weighing what to do in the future. The Attorney Generals Office said it was left in the dark during a police internal affairs investigation into a child abuse case, potentially affecting the prosecution of a man accused of forcing a 7-year-old girl to work as a prostitute. Deputy Attorney General Clara Moran said in a letter to Albuquerque City Attorney Esteban Aguilar sent Wednesday that strict discovery deadlines in the 2nd Judicial District Court could be affected by the Albuquerque Police Departments interviews with witnesses in the case. Moran had asked the police in May to include prosecutors if police interviewed the witnesses during the internal affairs investigation, she said. Nevertheless, you never gave our prosecutors notice she said. Morans letter cited several court rules for discovery deadlines, which may have been affected by the polices additional interviews in the case. Courts have dismissed cases because those deadlines havent been met. Moran threatened to seek a court order compelling Albuquerque police to turn over documents from the internal affairs investigation if the city didnt voluntarily do so within 48 hours. A spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office said late Friday that the city hadnt turned over the documents. A subpoena is the legally proper method to obtaining it, short of voluntary compliance, David Carl, a spokesman for the attorney general, said in an email. A city spokesman said late Friday that the city is willing to work with the AG on a subpoena if that is the most effective way to produce information they need. Police and city officials announced last summer that they were launching an internal affairs investigation after the AGs office filed criminal charges against James Stewart and Teri Sanchez for alleged crimes against their 7-year-old relative, who prosectors said was forced into prostitution. Stewart has been indicted on human trafficking, criminal sexual contact of a minor and other charges. Sanchez is facing multiple counts of child abuse. For years prior to their arrests, police and a child welfare agency had received multiple tips of possible child abuse within Stewart and Sanchezs family, yet the girl was left in their custody. After one tip of possible abuse was reported to authorities, a police officer responded to the girls school where a teacher said the girl had come to class with blood-stained underwear. The bloody underwear wasnt collected, and its unclear what happened to it. The teacher said in a court hearing that the officer threw the underwear in a Dumpster, but the officer said he left the school without collecting the clothing after checking with Crimes Against Children detectives, according to a review of the case by the Civilian Police Oversight Agency. Albuquerque police Chief Michael Geier disciplined five officers after reviewing investigations by the CPOA and APDs internal affairs bureau. The CPOAs review found that only one police officer violated a policy in the child abuse case. The detective was volunteering at the childs school when a teacher raised concerns about the child to the detective, who notified the Children Youth and Families Department of the concern. The detective did not notify law enforcement, which was a policy violation, according to the CPOA. The CPOA reports to the Police Oversight Board, which on Thursday voted not to accept the CPOAs findings until the board could compare the case to APDs internal affairs investigation. Months after the police responded to the school, the office of Attorney General Hector Balderas brought charges against Stewart and Sanchez after another school official came forward with concerns about the childs well-being. Mayor Tim Keller, at a news conference last summer, said that the internal affairs investigation would be publicly released after it was completed. Last week, the Journal asked the city for a copy of the internal affairs investigation that led to the disciplinary action. Gilbert Gallegos, a police spokesman, said the city was waiting on guidance from the Attorney Generals Office about whether the investigation could be released. We are in communication with the Attorney Generals office about appropriate disclosures during a pending criminal case, Gallegos said in an email. We always take the lead of the prosecuting agency so we do not jeopardize the case. But according to an AG spokesman, the city hadnt requested input from the Attorney Generals Office about releasing the documents. The only communication between the city and the AGs office about the internal affairs investigation was the Wednesday letter in which the AGs office questioned why it wasnt notified that the investigation had been finished, Carl said. He said the AGs office couldnt comment additionally about the case because of the ongoing prosecution of Stewart and Sanchez. Tonna Burgos, Rio Rancho Public Schools executive director for student services, recently suggested to the school board the need for more counselors in schools. A former teacher, assistant principal and principal, shes been an administrator with RRPS since December 2005. I think that counselors have always been needed, she said. I think one of the things that occurred, at least for RRPS, in the state of New Mexico, is that counselors are not funded its not as if the state set aside an amount of money for you to hire counselors. Districts have to choose to use their operational funds to support those counselors. School counselors must have a bachelors and masters in counseling; the masters must include a practicum on a campus and an internship. Plus, they need to attend monthly meetings and keep up with continuing education. Cleveland and Rio Rancho high schools each have eight counselors, Burgos said, a ratio of about one counselor for every 312 students, although each grade level isnt equal. Now, granted they have 2,500 students, but theres two at each grade level they loop all four years with their (same) students, Burgos said. And when they graduate with them in their senior year, they go back down to the freshman class. That seems to be successful. We attribute that to our graduation rate having one of the highest in the state because our counselors are building relationships with their students and their families, and theyre getting to know the students over four years, she said. And then, when you look at middle school, which is a pretty volatile time, you have them coming out of elementary school, and theyre in sixth, seventh and eighth grade and sixth-grade (students) are still sort of elementary and theyre moving up to eighth grade and becoming young adults, and trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be. So, the middle schools have to have three counselors, she said. Burgos said the American School Counselors Associations recommendation, based on research, is one counselor to 250 students. In other words, CHS and RRHS should each have two more counselors. Rio Rancho Middle School has about 1,200 students and three counselors, and Eagle Ridge Middle School has more than 900 students and three counselors. Lincoln Middle School was upgraded to two counselors and has 979 students, They love their job, Burgos said of the counselors. _PhotoCredit>HANDOUT PHOTO Tonna Burgos, Rio Rancho Public Schools executive director. Examining the need for more counselors in RRPS Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal A longtime New Mexico Catholic priest announced to parishioners on Sunday that, despite his vow of loyalty to the church, he has been a whistleblower who has privately assisted victims of clergy sex abuse and their attorneys seek justice for more than two decades. Most recently, Father Vincent Paul Chavez said he has been assisting two agents from the state Attorney Generals Office in their investigation of clergy sex abuse and how the church has responded to it. Chavez, pastor of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Parish and Catholic school in Albuquerque, said during his homily at Sunday Mass that it was time to talk about the elephant in the room after learning on Saturday that the planned construction of a new cafeteria for his St. Therese school would have to be postponed indefinitely because of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy action filed by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in late November. Archdiocese officials, in citing the financial burden of priest sex abuse litigation, said in late November that parishes likely wouldnt be affected by the bankruptcy reorganization. Chavez told more than 100 people who attended the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday morning, I felt the Chapter 11 would not affect the day-to-day operation of our parishes and schools. But Chavez said he learned otherwise in an email Saturday from a top official of the archdiocese who told him that bankruptcy counsel advised putting the cafeteria project on hold. Chavez said he sent back a reply that said, This is MOST disgusting to me. Your decision sickens me. This project has been in the works for a long time. None of the monies have been borrowed or loaned from the Archdiocese. Construction was to begin in a few weeks, Chavez said, adding, I cannot help but realize and admit my personal role in the Chapter 11 status of the Archdiocese. A spokeswoman from the archdiocese could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday. During his 27-minute homily Sunday, Chavez said his active work to help survivors and their attorneys with knowledge, documents and strategies began decades ago when a victim of priest sexual abuse sat in his office after attempting suicide. Chavez said he arranged for the man to receive psychological therapy, and he encouraged the mother of the family to write a story of the abuse of her children by a notorious monster of a priest from Connecticut. He was the priest that would keep live piranha in fish tanks and further terrorize the kindergarten-age boys by threatening after a sexual molestation if they told anyone what just happened he was going to stick their fingers and hands into the fish tanks, Chavez said. My experience of the archdiocese of Santa Fe at the time was that they considered the (victims) family opportunists,' he said. What set him off on the suicide was that the archdiocese had told the family that the priest was already dead, Chavez told those at the Mass. The victim hired a private investigator and found out that the priest was still alive and living in Los Lunas under a different name. Certainly the archdiocese at the time would have known the status of a priest, Chavez said, adding that this was the first person I ever arranged to meet with a lawyer to pursue the justice issue with the archdiocese. The lawyer was the partner of now-deceased attorney Bruce Pasternack, who brought a wave of litigation against the archdiocese in the early 1990s. Chavez on Sunday voiced strong support for current Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester, whom he called a brave shepherd. But Chavez said he realized the impact his public statements could have and asked for prayers from his parishioners. I expect to be in great trouble for this presentation/homily with the church after I read it at Masses this morning even my job, position and livelihood are in jeopardy. My public admission of assisting and cooperating with attorneys for years in their civil lawsuits against priests of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the Institution of the archdiocese may be seen by the church as clearly against the Vow of Loyalty to the Church instituted by Pope John Paul II. Chavez said he was made to orally read and sign the vow before he was ordained 27 years ago. He said then-Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan ordered him more than 16 years ago to be silent regarding the issue of clergy sex abuse of children. He said Sheehan summoned him to his office when Chavez worked as a priest in Las Vegas, N.M., and said, I order you under your Vow of Obedience to me to silence. I did this and I can certainly live with my conscience on this matter, Chavez added. Sheehan, who served from 1993 to 2015, is retired and couldnt be reached for comment Sunday. He acknowledged in August that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. After Mass, Chavez told the Journal he believes there is a safety issue in continuing to use the current school cafeteria, although no accidents involving school children have occurred. He questioned whether other projects at other parishes, such as Saint Joseph on the Rio Grande or at San Jose, will also be halted. Those projects are luxuries. Our cafeteria project is to secure that children at Saint Therese Catholic School do not have to cross two city streets to and from the current cafeteria location every day. Construction was to begin in a few weeks. When the archdiocese filed the paperwork to make each of its parishes its own legal entity several years ago, Chavez recalled reading a story in the Journal in which Albuquerque attorney Brad Hall was quoted as saying the move was a device used by dioceses around the country to shield or protect assets from going to victims. On the day I read this article, I looked up the address of Brad Halls offices and drove Downtown, walked into his offices and presented my identification card, saying Mr. Hall might be interested in the contents of this file. Since then, he has given information to Hall, whose office has filed about 100 clergy sex abuse cases against the archdiocese since 2011. He said he has also worked with agents from the state Attorney Generals office, who in recent months have stepped up an inquiry into clergy sexual abuse and how church officials responded to it. At the end of his homily, parishioners applauded Chavez, who has been assigned to the parish for more than a decade. I support and respect him, Julia Archibeque said after the Mass. Here is somebody who is brave and strong enough to state his convictions. Hall told the Journal on Sunday that his office routinely gets information from lots of sources and we evaluate it and give it the weight it deserves. The US State Department had ordered non-emergency government staff and family members of government employees to leave Democratic Republic of Congo a week before a presidential election. After two years of setbacks, broken promises and delays, the Democratic Republic of Congo has started campaigns for the long-delayed Dec. 23 poll. Voters on December 23 will choose a successor to outgoing President Joseph Kabila, who has constitutionally remained in power as caretaker leader after his second and final elected term ended nearly two years ago. Washington in an e-mailed advisory to citizens, said that it had limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens located outside Kinshasa, especially in the east and the central Kasai provinces. A fire in capital Kinshasa last week destroyed thousands of voting machine and ballot boxes. Other western countries have advised their citizens against travelling to Congo, while the UN human rights chief on Friday called on Congolese authorities to halt violence ahead of the election. Twenty-one candidates are vying to replace the 47-year-old Kabila, who has ruled since January 2001, after his father, President Laurent-Desire Kabila, was assassinated. Former DRC Interior Minister Emmanuel Ramazani was nominated as a majority candidate by President Joseph Kabila on August 8. The electoral board is standing by its decision to use 106,000 touchscreen electronic voting machines supplied by South Korea, despite some opposition demands for paper ballots. Saying she was not convinced he was responsible for a 2015 homicide, an Albuquerque judge sentenced a man Thursday morning to three years in prison. During Isaiah Vasquezs sentencing hearing in state District Court, prosecutors and defense attorneys presented opposing theories in hopes of explaining the shooting death of Carla Estrada. According to police, Vasquez pulled out a gun as an argument between his girlfriend and Estrada escalated into a physical fight during a party at a home near Unser and Arenal SW. When Vasquez and his girlfriend were asked to leave the party, he fired a shot into the air before jumping into a Dodge Charger. His girlfriend hopped into the drivers seat, and she and Estrada continued to fight through the window. Attorneys disagree as to what happened next. Prosecutors contend Vasquez fired a single shot, which hit and traveled through a mans arm before hitting and killing Estrada. Vasquezs attorney said Estrada was more likely shot by someone elses bullet as partygoers fired multiple shots at the Dodge. Vasquez entered an Alford plea in August to voluntary manslaughter and shooting at or from a vehicle. Alford pleas allow a defendant to acknowledge that sufficient evidence exists to support a conviction while maintaining innocence. Under that agreement, he faced up to seven years in prison. Judge Cindy Leos imposed three years. She said, from what was presented to me today, I am not convinced that Mr. Vasquez is the one that was responsible for killing Ms. Estrada. But she said she believed that Vasquez fired from a motor vehicle. I see it as my responsibility to make sure that Mr. Vasquez isnt punished for something he didnt do, Leos said. Two New Mexico middle schools were chosen by the state Public Education Department for the National Elementary and Secondary Education Act Distinguished Schools Program, a nationwide initiative that highlights superior federally funded schools. On Friday, Santa Teresa Middle School and Rio Rancho Middle School were named National ESEA Distinguished Schools by the state department. The National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program recognizes federally funded schools for exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years, closing the achievement gap between student groups or excellence in serving populations of students including those who are homeless or migrant. Santa Teresa is being honored for closing the achievement gap between student groups, PED said. The school was given an A school grade last school year after getting a B the year prior. All the students at the schools qualify for free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision program. Rio Rancho Middle School, which got an A school grade for the last three school years, received kudos for exceptional student performance. Nearly 90 percent of the kids at the school qualify for free and reduced school meals. As a former middle school teacher who understands the importance of our students academic progress during those pivotal years, it brings me tremendous pride to see some of New Mexicos middle schools on the rise and being recognized in this way, PED Secretary-designate Christopher Ruszkowski said in a statement. My visit to Santa Teresa Middle School early this year was incredibly powerful and we as educators have a responsibility to learn from and emulate schools like the high-performing campuses in Gadsden that are showing all of us whats possible. The two schools are among roughly 100 schools across the country being honored in 2018. Each school is selected by its local state education agency. The National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program website shows six other New Mexico schools named in previous years. SANTA FE, N.M. New Mexico is reporting the first death of this years flu season. Officials at the New Mexico Department of Health in Santa Fe said Monday that a woman from Lincoln County has died from the flu. They described the woman as age 65 years or older. Her death is the first for the 2018-2019 flu season. Department Secretary Lynn Gallagher says its a reminder of the importance of getting the flu vaccine, especially for small children and the elderly. Health experts say the flu typically peaks between December and February. The state reports more than 280 influenza and pneumonia-related deaths occurred during the last flu season. Health officials recommend the flu vaccine for people as young as 6 months old. A homegrown manufacturer is adding 180 jobs to its Farmington plant, with plans for a $7.5 million expansion. PESCO, which designs and builds production equipment for the oil and gas industry, is expanding because of a new assignment to build reactor units for BayoTech of Albuquerque, Gov. Susana Martinez announced Monday. PESCO is a homegrown success story and an industry leader and Im thrilled to see their continued growth and success, Economic Development Secretary Matt Geisel said in a news release. By expanding their manufacturing facility and creating more well-paying jobs, PESCO is expanding their impact on the local economy and helping New Mexicans find good jobs. Pay generally ranges from $12 to $22 an hour, with some engineering positions earning up to $56 an hour. The additional jobs will bring PESCOs workforce to 500, the release said. PESCO President and CEO Kyle Rhodes said 70 percent of his employees are Native American. BayoTech, which spun out of Sandia National Laboratories, has been working on technology to provide mobile production units for hydrogen, ammonia and fertilizer producers. The reactors that PESCO will build are being touted as a replacement for mammoth centralized fertilizer plants. Bayotech was the first New Mexico startup to receive funding from the states Catalyst Fund, a $40 million partnership that invests in early-stage technology companies. The new units will diversify PESCOs operations, add new jobs, and contribute to New Mexicos innovation economy, the news release said. The company will get up to $2.35 million in Local Economic Development Act funds, with San Juan County acting as the fiscal agent. Our future is bright, as we look to expand, partnering with BayoTech, another New Mexico company, to bring technology developed in our state in innovative products to the chemical and agricultural industries worldwide, PESCO President and CEO Kyle Rhodes said. The local Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails is adding new space science badges and planning to develop a Girl Scouts Astronomy Club, thanks to GSUSA national cooperative agreement with funding under a five-year Reaching for the Stars: NASA Science for Girl Scouts program. This national program includes development of six space science badges and multiple train the trainer opportunities including the GS Astronomy Club Training at Goddard Space Flight Center. The badges are being developed by GSUSA and subject matter experts from SETI Institute, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, University of Arizona, ARIES Scientific and GS of Northern California, according to a news release. NASA is funding the initiative led by the SETI Institute to offer more girls opportunities to explore STEM careers. A local team will travel to NASA Goddard in Maryland for a week long training on how to develop a Girl Scouts Astronomy Club, according to a news release. The GSNMT Astronomy Club is expected to begin in the new year. Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails has teamed with the Rio Rancho Astronomical Society to develop Reaching for the Stars: A Star Party for Girls is set for Wednesday night, the local chapter said in a news release. The Star Party will be from 5:30-9 p.m. Wednesday at Rainbow Park in Rio Rancho at 301 Southern Blvd. SE. Organizers called it an exciting evening full of pizza, hands-on activities in astronomy and space science, and observation through telescopes. Scouts and those interested in joining need to register for the event. For more details, visit nmgirlscouts.org or call 505-923-2512. We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Syria over the weekend for an official visit, Syrias state-run news agency SANA reported. Omar Al Bashir was greeted at the Damascus airport by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad before they both headed to the presidential palace. Bashir became the first Arab League leader to visit Syria since civil war erupted in 2011. The two leaders held talks in the presidential palace about developments in the region and in Syria. The duo also discussed bilateral ties and the situations and crises faced by many Arab countries, SANA reported, quoting the Syrian presidency. Embattled Assad had repeatedly said his country would remain committed to its Arab identity, although Syria had accused some Arab countries of fueling the conflict by arming rebels. Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League soon after war broke out in 2011. In October, Assad told a little-known Kuwaiti newspaper that Syria had reached a major understanding with Arab states after years of hostility. SANA quoted al-Bashir as saying during his meeting with Omar Al Bashir that he hopes Syria will recover its important role in the region as soon as possible. Syrias long-running war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions from their homes. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide in Darfur, Sudan, since 2009. BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Ampla Health is offering free medical care to Camp Fire evacuees housed in shelters. The company went to the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds to visit evacuees this past weekend offering free check-ups, pediatric care and flu shots. They're also delivering long-awaited prescriptions to evacuees who have not been able to get them. "Whether they are patients of Ampla Health or not, we are seeing everyone," said Rocio Valdez, director of communications for Ampla Health. "We're not turning anyone away. They are offering help to anyone, even if they misplaced important documents in the fire. "If anyone lost their identification or insurance cards our enrollment specialists can help," she said. Ampla Health plans to keep their mobile health units at the fairgrounds Monday through Friday of this week from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Cal Fire has released a better picture of how many firefighters were injured during the Camp Fire, highlighting some more of the dangers experienced during the fire. On Nov. 8, the morning that the fire started, Cal Fire says that flames overtook three firefighters. Two inmate firefighters were also burned trying to escape the flames and ran behind barbed-wire fences. A fire captain also suffered burn injuries on that morning. The next morning, two more firefighters were injured when a propane tank exploded. CHICO, Calif. - Hundreds still occupy shelters in Butte County, which some worry may to an increase in the homeless population in Chico. Action News Now reporter Spencer Joseph spoke with many people who fear that this could lead to an increase in the problem of homelessness in the city of Chico and the surrounding areas. Outreach advocate Patrick Newman is worried that some people that may have already been on the cusp of being able to support themselves, and have now lost everything. "Residences that were housing people who were economically marginal, they are at high risk for homelessness now," Newman said. Another issue that has been brought up is the concern for existing homeless using resources for Camp Fire survivors. However, it is a very small percentage. "I think that has happened," said Angela Mclaughlin, board president for Safe Space. "I don't think anyone is denying that. I think it's been a very small percentage." Now, only time will tell how many victims of the Camp Fire may end up homeless due to the Camp Fire. "The majority of folks that were precariously un-housed are going to land here," Mclaughlin said. "It's just a matter of it starting to trickle out." REDBLUFF, REDDING, Calif.- The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and FEMA are bringing help directly to those displaced by wildfires by sending Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers to Red Bluff and Redding. The mobile centers are scheduled to visit six northern California counties, including Shasta and Tehama. They plan to help those affected by wildfires, who can't make it to a physical assistance center. Recovery specialists from FEMA will be at the centers to talk about assistance and help survivors find recovery resources. They are available to answer questions about low-interest disaster loan programs and will help business owners and residents apply. The Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers plan to be at the Tehama County Fairgrounds in Red Bluff, today, through Wednesday and again December 27-29th from 10am-8pm. They will also be in Redding at the Redding Public Library, December 20th and 22nd, as well as January 3rd-5th. CHICO, Calif. - A law firm from Southern California held a workshop Sunday in Chico, in hopes of helping Camp Fire evacuees, with a special appearance from Robert Kennedy Jr., the son of the late New York Senator Bobby Kennedy. At the Chico Guild Hall off of Nord Avenue, Kennedy Jr. teamed up with Baum Hedlund, a firm that won $289 million from Monsanto claiming their weed killer was a carcinogen. Lawyers in Chico helped victims with insurance claims and how civil lawsuits can recover damages from the fire. Kennedy Jr. says he wants PG&E to step up relief efforts for victims. "PG&E needs to step up and take responsibility in the choices it made and in investing in this community (Paradise). And making sure that it gets rebuild. Rebuild it in a way that this doesn't happen again," Kennedy Jr. said. If you are interested in knowing more about the Baum Hedlund firm, click here. A strong cold front is moving over northern California tonight and into Monday morning. As the storm passes over us it will bring moderate to heavy rain at times, gusty winds and abundant snow in the mountains above 6000 feet. Rainfall totals with this system will be mostly in the one-two inch range for the valley and with rainfall rates up this evening, ponding of water is expected especially in flood prone areas and places where there are leaf build ups. Mountain snowfall elevations will be dropping overnight from 6500 feet to 5500 feet and down to near 5000 feet by Monday morning. And a winter storm warning is in effect until Monday morning in the mountains. Snow amounts will be one-two feet by monday afternoon at the highest elevations around Lake Tahoe, and less so as elevation drops. Once this storm passes clearing by Monday afternoon will lead to fog forming in the valley south of Chico throughout the week especially in the night and morning hours. Meanwhile a much weaker storm will clip our region Tuesday and bring a few showers to the north. Same with Thursday as another weak storm passes to the north. But for the most part, after Monday the week will be dry with mild temperatures. National Weather Service Issues Winter Weather Advisory The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for parts of California. The town of Paradise also issued a warning due to heavy rainfall. There are no flash flood warnings at this time. Camp Fire Community Meeting Monday Monday, local agencies are holding a Camp Fire community meeting to cover the Debris Removal Program. It's being held at the Calvary Chapel Chico on Springfield Drive from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Chico Chamber of Commerce will hold a Camp Fire business Recovery Forum at Bidwell Presbyterian Church from 10 a.m. to noon. FEMA and Cal OES Set up Mobile Assistance Centers FEMA and Cal OES are setting up mobile assistance centers at the Tehama County Fairgrounds Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. They'll also be there on Dec. 27 through Dec. 29. At the Redding Public Library - FEMA services will be available Dec. 20 and Dec. 22 and Jan. 3 through Jan 5. Three Contractors Fired Following Photo Backlash Bigge Crane Rigging fired three contractors working on Camp Fire clean up. This was after backlash from photos they posted online, mocking the destruction. Paradise police are now working to determine if the men broke any laws - such as trespassing. Sheriff's Office Lifts Final Camp Fire Evacuation Orders Saturday, the Butte County Sheriff's Office lifted the final evacuation orders for Paradise, Magalia, Concow and surrounding communities. It has been more than a month since the fire broke out Nov. 8. Butte County Animal Control Will Close Camp Fire Animal Shelters by Jan. 4 Butte County Animal Control will close their Camp Fire animal shelters byJan. 4. Starting Tuesday, animal control will move unclaimed pets to smaller shelters. Siddharth Banerjee who was EVP Marketing at Vodafone India has stepped down sources have confirmed to Adgully. He was associated with the organisation for over 3 years. Banerjee has more than 18 years of experience in two of the most competitive industries Telecom and FMCG / CPG. Before joining Vodafone, he spent 13 years in Unilever, where he worked across Country P&L roles and Global / Regional Brand Marketing roles, with rich exposure across Developing & Emerging Markets. His last role in Unilever was as the Country Marketing Director/CMO and a member of the Management Committee at Unilever Sri Lanka. He has lived & worked across India, Singapore, the UK and Sri Lanka. Banerjee is an alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow & holds B.A. Economics (Honours) and M.B.A degrees from the University of Delhi. Brand building has become a complex exercise in todays market ecosystem, where there are several factors at play be it the pace at which technology is changing, and along with the evolving consumer behaviour and preferences. The growth of multiple platforms has also contributed to the market complexities. Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network, dwelled on the Nuts and bolts of building a successful brand in todays time in an engaging fireside chat with Gurmit Singh, Founder, Dauwau, at the inaugural edition of The Mobile Media Summit, 2018, held in Mumbai on December 12. While undermining the growing importance of digital, Bhasin informed that today, Dentsu gets 46 per cent of its revenues from digital. He then went on to state how digital has started influencing brand building endeavours. Ever since 1988, the pace of change gathered pace, he noted. This was due to factors like the advent of colour television, the Asian Games and a wider spread of television. Following this, the introduction private satellite television also changed the way brands were advertised. Bhasin pointed out that today the move is to an era of the specialist from the era of the generalists and added that silos are disappearing. What brands and clients want today is real-time instantaneous response. Hence, there is a huge focus on driving efficiencies. Today, it is a tactical world rather than merely a brand building world, Bhasin affirmed. This has also impacted the very way brand managers work. The average tenure of a brand manager today is 18-20 months, according to Bhasin, while that of a CEO is around 2 years. And the legacy agencies are struggling with this, he added. Marketers are beginning to question, why not put a brand on an e-commerce platform like Amazon or Flipkart rather that going the entire market route, as the time is cut short, plus there is instant feedback from customers. Speaking on the role of television advertising in a digital world, Bhasin pointed out that India is largely an audio-visual society, which has not changed with the advent of digital. Video is a part of our psyche. Its just the way to disseminate video that has changed, he noted. With growing efficiencies, wastage has reduced. Customising communication has always been the Holy Grail of advertising, which is now further facilitated by digital. With machine learning, such as Artificial Intelligence, Programmatic, the pace will only grow. Here, Bhasin presented some statistics to showcase the growing internet usage in India. He noted that 400 million new internet users are expected to be added in the coming 3-4 years and a majority of these users will be on mobile. Bhasin also pointed out that not all of these users will be English-focussed. Thus, digital marketers cannot afford to underestimate the power of regional languages if they want to effectively reach and engage their customers. The consumer is far ahead of the marketers and agencies, who have to catch up with what the consumers are doing, Bhasin stressed. Bhasin wrapped up the session with an important statement when he said that the curve of TV and digital will converge in the year 2020. The whole evolution will hit us in three years, he predicted. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. ISTANBUL Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he received a positive response from US President Donald Trump when he informed him that he will launch a new military offensive against a US-backed Kurdish militia if it remains in parts of northeast Syria despite a warning from the Pentagon that such an incursion would jeopardize the fight against the Islamic State. It was the second assurance that top Turkish officials attributed to Trump in as many days as they seek concessions from the United States over a raft of disputes ranging from the conflict in Syria to the extradition of Turkish coup suspects and a standoff with Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Turkey is outraged by US support for the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), labeling it a terrorist organization because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade armed campaign for autonomy inside Turkey. Ankara accuses Washington of foot-dragging on an agreement to move the Kurdish fighters east of the Euphrates River and is now threatening to go after them there, too. Turkish warplanes have also bombed Kurdish positions in northern Iraq in recent days. I spoke with Mr. Trump. These terrorists need to go to the east of the Euphrates. If they dont, we will force them out, because they are disturbing us. Since the US is our strategic ally, they need to do what is necessary, Erdogan told a crowd of supporters in a televised speech. We discussed this with Mr. Trump and he gave a positive response, he said. We can start our operation on Syrian soil at any moment along the 500-kilometer [300-mile] border, in particular without causing harm to American soldiers. We will comb every inch of Syrian territory until the last terrorist is neutralized. Erdogan spoke with Trump by phone on Friday after making his initial threat to invade an area of Syria controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the militia dominated by the YPG that has helped the US-led coalition all but defeat Islamic State in Syria. An estimated 2,000 American special forces are present in the area, and a Pentagon spokesman said last week the United States is gravely concerned about the prospect of unilateral military action in the area, deeming it unacceptable. Kurds in the SDF would abandon the fight against the Islamic State elsewhere in Syria to defend against a Turkish attack, said David Phillips, director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University's Institute for the Study of Human Rights. He also said that an incursion could actually worsen Turkeys border security and risk a direct confrontation with the United States. Expect cross-border operations by the PKK from Iraq and Syria to increase if Turkey unilaterally launches an unwarranted and unprovoked attack against north and east Syria, he told Al-Monitor. Erdogan should anticipate an American slap if US special forces east of the Euphrates are collateral damage from Turkey's offensive. In a separate development, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday Trump told Erdogan during the two leaders Dec. 1 talks at the G-20 meeting in Argentina that the United States was undertaking efforts to extradite an Islamic cleric Turkey blames for a bungled coup in 2016. President Trump told Erdogan that they have been working on that. But we need to see concrete steps because it has already been more than two years, Cavusoglu told a forum in the Qatari capital of Doha. He also said he had seen a credible investigation by the FBI into whether the Gulen movement violated US tax and visa laws, adding Turkey wants the United States to hand over a total of 84 people implicated in the coup. Prosecutors in Virginia indicted the former business partner of Trumps ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn on Monday, alleging a conspiracy to illegally influence the US government to extradite Gulen in exchange for $600,000. Flynn is co-operating with a special counsel investigating Trump for alleged ties to Russia, and prosecutors in that probe have recommended he serve little or no prison time for disclosing details about his secret lobbying work. There was no immediate confirmation from US officials on Trumps responses to Erdogan on either the prospect of military action in Syria or Gulens removal from the United States. Trump describes Erdogan as a friend and last month said ties with Turkey were at a very good moment. Both Erdogan and Cavusoglu may have exaggerated support from Trump to shape public opinion in Turkey as well as pressure Trump to meet more of their demands, Phillips said. Turkey wants Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania in self-imposed exile since the late 1990s, to stand trial for allegedly orchestrating an attempt by the Turkish military to violently overthrow Erdogan. Gulen denies involvement. A tangle of disagreements has ensnared the US-Turkish relationship. Erdogan wants Trump to punish Saudi Arabia for the slaying of Khashoggi, a Saudi critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who lived in the United States and wrote a column for the Washington Post. Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October in what Erdogan says was a premeditated attack ordered by the highest levels of the Saudi government. But Trump has stood by Saudi Arabia, signaling the oil-rich states importance for security, US trade and global energy markets outweighs any role the 33-year-old prince may have played in Khashoggis death. Trumps critics in the United States responded to Cavusoglus claim about Gulens extradition by accusing the president of seeking to placate Turkey over the Khashoggi killing. Bill Pascrell, a Democratic congressman from New Jersey, depicted Gulen as a victim for his religious beliefs. As a dissident facing religious persecution, Gulen does not deserve to be a pawn in Trumps attempts to cover up the murder of a US resident for the Saudi royal family. Political dissidents deserve Americas protections, not be subject to Trumps duplicitous schemes, Pascrell wrote on Twitter. Last month, Trump rejected news reports that his administration was considering ousting Gulen to appease Turkey over the Khashoggi case. NBC reported the White House had asked law enforcement to re-examine Turkeys request for extradition and his status as a US resident. Publicly, the United States says Turkey has not met the high evidentiary standards for Gulens extradition. The sense of community between Turkey and the United States has been eroded and the relationship is increasingly transactional. There is still rhetoric about the strategic alliance but we see that this isnt so in approach, said Ilter Turan, professor emeritus of political science at Bilgi University. In the short term, Turkey may be satisfied if the current standoff with the United States results in the SDF leaving the town of Manbij, which is on the Euphrates western banks, and if it takes steps to limit the Kurdish militants ability to operate in northern Iraq, he told Al-Monitor. Nationwide municipal elections in March may also be a factor in Erdogans sabre-rattling, Turan added. After seeing an easing in its [electoral] support, the ruling party is preparing for an emergency situation in international politics. Foreign relations are used as an instrument to benefit domestic politics. WASHINGTON US prosecutors today announced the indictment of Bijan Rafiekian (also known as Bijan Kian), the Iranian-American former business partner of Michael Flynn, on two counts of secretly serving as an agent of a foreign government and conspiring to do so. Also charged was Kamil Ekim Alptekin, a Dutch-Turkish businessman, who is charged with the above two counts, as well as four counts of making false statements. The six-count indictment was filed by prosecutors with the Eastern District of Virginia under seal on Dec. 12, and unsealed today. It alleges that Kian and Alptekin together with Person A, believed to be Flynn, who briefly served as President Donald Trump's national security adviser conspired to have the government of Turkey secretly pay for Kian and Flynns company, the Flynn Intel Group, to lobby for the extradition of Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government blamed a failed July 2016 coup attempt on Gulen and his followers, and had long sought his extradition from the United States to Turkey. However, rather than register with the Justice Department as lobbyists for Turkey, Kian and Alptekin, according to the indictment, conspired to have Alptekins company, Inovo BV, serve as the cutout. They tried to conceal from US authorities that some $530,000 in payments to the Flynn Intel Group were for work on behalf of the Turkish government, prosecutors allege. This deception occurred even as Flynn served as a top security adviser to Trumps presidential campaign and subsequently became his first national security adviser. Kian, too, served as a member of the Trump transition, as part of the team preparing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Rafiekian and Alptekin conspired covertly and unlawfully to influence US politicians and public opinion and ultimately to secure the Turkish citizens extradition, the 21-page indictment states. Although the Government of Turkey directed the work through Alptekin, the defendant sought to conceal Turkeys involvement in the efforts to discredit the Turkish citizen, it continues. As part of this concealment, the defendants used Alptekins company, Company B, rather than the Government of Turkey, to serve as Company As 'client.' Kian appeared at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, this morning with his attorney and was advised of his rights, charges and penalties. He was released on bond and is due to be arraigned Tuesday at 10 a.m. Robert Trout, an attorney for Kian, told Al-Monitor today he had no comment at this time. An arrest warrant for Alptekin was filed Dec. 12, according to court documents. Alptekin, who holds both Dutch and Turkish citizenship, is based in Istanbul. According to the indictment, Kian, who served as a director of the US Export-Import Bank during the George W. Bush administration, sketched out a prospective anti-Gulen lobbying message to Alptekin that compared the Pennsylvania-based Gulen to Ayatollah Imam Khomeini, the once-exiled Iranian ayatollah who seized power in Iran after the overthrow of the shah in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Let me give you a real life experience: 1978: A soft spoken cleric sitting under an apple tree in Neauphle-le-Chateau in France looked so harmless, Kian wrote Alptekin in an Aug. 4, 2016, email. Spoke of equality and spirituality, declared that if he were to gain power, he would go to a religious shrine and will not get into politics and government. Sound familiar? One year later, from the place under the apple tree, The soft spoken spiritual man led the Islamic Revolution in Iran. On Nov. 8, 2016 the day of the US presidential election an op-ed appeared in The Hill newspaper under Flynns byline that repeated Kians apple tree language, comparing Gulen with Khomeini. (Above: An excerpt from the indictment released today shows that language in Michael Flynn's op-ed originated with Kian.) We all remember another quiet, bearded, elder cleric who sat under an apple tree in Neauphle-le-Chateau in the suburbs of Paris in 1978, Flynn wrote. He claimed to be a man of God who wanted to topple a dictator and return the power to the people. Washington believed him. Sadly, shortly after his rise to power through the Iranian revolution, we watched in horror as our diplomats were taken hostage for 444 days in what was once one of our strongest allies in the Middle East. On Sept. 19, 2016, Kian, Alptekin and Flynn met in New York with two Turkish government ministers, previously reported by the Wall Street Journal to be Turkish Energy Minister (and Erdogans son-in-law) Berat Albayrak and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The conversation centered on the Turkish governments efforts to convince the US government to extradite the Turkish citizen [Gulen] to Turkey, the indictment states. Cavusoglu, speaking at a conference in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday, said Trump had discussed extraditing Gulen when he met with Erdogan on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in Argentina last month. Flynn, who is believed to have provided substantial evidence in the case, is due to be sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty last year to one count of making false statements a charge brought by Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russias interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Muellers team argued that Flynn has provided such substantial assistance in its and other Justice Department investigations that he should be granted a sentence of little or no jail time. On Dec. 16, Sudans President Omar al-Bashir became the first Arab leader to visit Syria since the civil war began seven years ago. From Syrian President Bashar al-Assad greeting Bashir at the airport to Bashirs comments in support of Syria retaking its important place in the region, the meeting was heavily publicized by Syrias state-run news agency, SANA. Officials said the purpose of the meeting, which lasted for one day at the presidential palace without the presence of journalists, was to discuss bilateral ties. However, such a meeting will have ramifications for Syria and Arab relations as well as for Syrias long-time ally, Iran. Iranian analyst Hassan Rostami wrote in Tasnim News Agency, Under todays situation, Omar al-Bashirs trip to Damascus is of great importance. The article noted that just eight months into Syrias civil war, the Arab League suspended Syria, applied economic and political sanctions against Syria, and asked the Syrian army to lay down their arms against the opposition. Rostami says that after seven years, Bashirs visit is taking place at a time when many Arab leaders are now reconsidering their position of wanting the overthrow of the Syrian government. Rostami noted that unlike before, no country that used to support the armed Syrian opposition which the article refers to as terrorists speaks of the Syrian president stepping down as a precondition. Instead, the article noted, Turkish officials discuss a political process in Syria while Jordan recently opened a bordered crossing. Rostami wrote, With a correct understanding of the battlefield and strategic changes in the region, Arab countries intend to normalize relations with the Syrian government. Rostami wrote that it is also possible that Bashir carried a message from Riyadh. Sudan is part of the Saudi Arabian coalition in Yemen, and the two countries have strong ties. It is not unlikely that these talks were given a green light from Saudi officials, wrote Rostami. Whatever the objectives behind the scenes, Rostami wrote, The message of this trip is clear, and it is that the crisis in Syria has come to an end and it is with the victory of the Syrian government and that the countries who wanted the overthrow of the government now have no choice but to enter talks and cooperate with it. Iranian website Rahborde Moaser wrote that Bashirs trip takes place at a time where there are reports of Syria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) re-establishing ties with the intention of first establishing economic ties and eventually reopening the UAE Embassy in Damascus that was shut down as a result of the war. The article noted that these talks between the UAE and Syria would not have taken place without the coordination of Saudi Arabia, Irans regional foe. Iran and Russia have spent considerable resources keeping afloat the Syrian government during the war. Russia has welcomed Bashirs trip to Damascus and has maintained ties with countries that had sought to overthrow Assad. Iran, on the other hand, has not issued an official reaction. Many regional countries have already reduced their support to the armed opposition, and as regional countries begin to establish ties with Syria, the costs to Iran of having an isolated ally could decrease. Two deadly attacks were carried out last week in the West Bank. On Dec. 9, seven Israelis were wounded at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Ofra, shot from a passing vehicle. A baby delivered prematurely after his mother was injured died at the hospital. Two Israeli soldiers were killed on Dec. 13 at the Givat Asaf junction, near Ofra. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Hamas he would not accept a cease-fire in Gaza while there are terror attacks in the West Bank. Speaking after the second attack in his role as defense minister, he said, I conveyed a clear message to Hamas: We wont accept a situation of a truce in Gaza and terror in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]. We will exact a high price for them," he warned. But the Hamas leadership was unmoved. At a rally to mark the 31st anniversary of the movement's founding on Dec. 16, head of its political bureau Ismail Haniyeh told the crowds, The West Bank is an integral part of the struggle and of support for the resistance. This resistance will continue. Addressing a crowd numbering in the tens of thousands, Haniyeh explained that it is a primary objective of Hamas to demolish President Donald Trumps deal of the century, and promised that the deal would die and be buried in the West Bank. Haniyeh did not try to obscure any fingerprints that Hamas left on the recent West bank attacks. On the contrary, he promised that resistance would continue, though Hamas' military wing did not take responsibility for the attacks in Givat Asaf and at the entrance to Ofra. The IDF believes that a Hamas cell was responsible for both these attacks and that they could not have been carried out without support from Gaza, Turkey and Lebanon. They required the infrastructure that the deputy head of the movements political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, created and continues to maintain. One of the people involved in the attack in Ofra was Salah Barghouti, who was killed by Israeli special forces on the evening of Dec. 12. His father, Omar Barghouti, is a senior Hamas figures in the West Bank. The older Barghouti killed an Israeli in 1978 but was released from prison in the 1985 Jibril prisoner-exchange agreement. He has since been arrested on multiple occasions and has served a total of 28 years since his initial release. Salahs brother Issam spent 11 years in Israeli prisons for various security offenses, including an attempt to abduct a soldier. The perpetrators of the Givat Asaf attack have yet to be caught, but the IDF believes that they used the same infrastructure as the perpetrators of the Dec. 9 attack at the entrance to Ofra and may even have been part of the same cell. As a result of the recent attacks in the West Bank, questions now hang over the arrangement in Gaza, an agreement with Hamas that Netanyahu diminishes by refering to it as a "truce" or "cease-fire." In fact, in the last few weeks, a series of arrangements have been implemented in Gaza that extend beyond the cease-fire to far-reaching relief for the Palestinians. Perhaps the most important of them is the transfer of $15 million per month to Hamas to pay the salaries of movement staffers in the Gaza Strip. The arrangement is a lifesaver for Hamas in Gaza, so it is surprising that Netanyahu, his security cabinet and the defense establishment did not make the arrangement conditional on a comprehensive cease-fire in Gaza and the West Bank. After all, thats what they did with Hamas in the past. As a reminder, the first agreement with Hamas was signed during the second intifada in July 2003 by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon through Egyptian mediation. Signing for Hamas was one of the movements most prominent founders, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. In this agreement, Hamas committed to stop all terrorist attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, while Israel committed to stop attacking Hamas targets in the occupied territories. The calm lasted just five weeks. The agreement collapsed following the bus attack in Jerusalem by the infamous Qawasme family of Hebron that left 22 Israelis dead. While the attack was apparently planned and carried out without the knowledge of the Hamas leadership in Gaza, Israel nevertheless responded with the assassination of a senior figure in the movements political wing, Ismail Abu Shinab. After the assassination of Sheikh Yassin in March 2004, another agreement, mediated by Egypts Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman, was reached between Sharon and the Hamas leadership led by Khaled Meshaal. It called for a halt to suicide attacks in exchange for a halt to the assassination of key Hamas figures. That deal was never put down on paper, but it was agreed that it would encompass all the territories. The commitment obligated the Hamas leadership to make a significant change in strategy that included strengthening its political wing so that it could take over the institutions of the Palestinian Authority (a process that ended when Hamas won the 2006 election). Another agreement with Hamas was reached in May 2008. It also covered the West Bank and Gaza Strip and lasted about half a year. At first, both sides considered extending it for another six months, but the agreement ended with the launch of Operation Cast Lead in December 2008, in response to incessant rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel. (The military wing of Hamas believed that it could improve the terms of the cease-fire when the initial period was over by firing rockets into Israel, but the results were disastrous.) The cease-fire agreement signed in Cairo after the January 2009 military operation also covered both Gaza and the West Bank. All this shows that each time Israel reached an understanding with Hamas, no distinction has been made between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, even after the 2007 Hamas coup in Gaza. Netanyahu and senior defense officials made a serious mistake when they failed to extend the agreement to all the territories and have Hamas agree to halt all activity against Israeli targets in Gaza and in the West Bank. The threat to withdraw from the current understandings poses a dilemma for Netanyahu. Judging by publications on the Israel-Hamas arrangement, the movement was not explicitly ordered to halt all its armed activity in the West Bank. But if Netanyahu stops the flow of Qatari money into Gaza next month or hinders any other progress in the arrangement, Hamas will certainly consider itself absolved of its commitment to Egypt regarding Gaza. It is all but impossible for Netanyahu to able to continue acting as though it were business as usual in Gaza when the Israeli public regards any easing of the closure as succumbing to terrorism. For a brief moment earlier this month, the possibility of a regional confrontation engaging Israel on two fronts appeared to increase, when Israel launched Operation Northern Shield, an open-ended action to destroy Hezbollah tunnels from Lebanon into northern Israel. [We are] operating decisively and responsibly on all fronts simultaneously [against] any party that tries to harm the State of Israel, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hours after announcing the operation on Dec. 4. The Israeli army moved artillery to the north and called up reserves, heightening the atmosphere of uncertainty. In response to the Israeli's action, Hassan Hobballah , a member of Hezbollahs political bureau in charge of the Palestinian dossier, said, Hezbollah is monitoring the Israeli movements on all fronts. We are an integrated chain, and we cannot separate Gaza from Lebanon. Our enemy is one regardless of the number of fronts involved. We will not let one front face Israel alone. Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Barim remarked, The Palestinian resistance is taking the situation on the Lebanese border very seriously. It is carefully considering the strategic position and will not give up its role in the field. A week after the start of the operation, the Israeli army said on Dec. 10 that it still had not ruled out the possibility that the operation to destroy Hezbollahs tunnels might require entering Lebanese territory. The following day, Netanyahu visited the border with Lebanon. There is great firepower here, he said, in reference to Hezbollah. We are prepared for it from all directions. Some analysts took all directions to suggest the possibility of a military escalation in Gaza or Syria in support of Hezbollah should conflict erupt between the Lebanese group and Israel. Theoretically, with Iran being the main supporter of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, Tehran could decide to launch simultaneous battles on Israel's Gaza and Lebanon fronts, which would pose a challenge to the Palestinian organizations, requiring them to either acquiesce to or reject the Iranian request. The statements out of Gaza and Beirut after the launch of Israel's tunnel operation raised questions about whether Hamas and other Palestinian factions would indeed engage. Yousef Sharkawi, a military expert from the West Bank and a retired military commander for the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Al-Monitor, The participation of the Palestinian resistance, namely Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, alongside Hezbollah is necessary to achieve a front unification policy against Israel. Hezbollah should have supported Gaza in the wars between 2008 and 2014, but it missed this opportunity. Sharkawi added, The forces targeted by Israel need to take action all at once and rain rockets from all fronts. While this would serve mutual interests, it would also have moral and national implications, because once Israel is done with Hezbollah, it would certainly move on to Gaza. The Lebanese Forces, an opponent of Hezbollah in Lebanon, assessed on its website on Dec. 4 that Israel was on its guard, and that if the situation involving Hezbollah exploded in southern Lebanon, Iran might open the Gaza front against Israel to move the confrontation into the regional realm. Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli Military Intelligence, said that Iran had an interest in escalating the situation by exploiting Operation Northern Shield. According to him, Iran could push for a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel, which would necessitate regional and international involvement and agreement, which Tehran would hope to use to ease the pressure of US sanctions against it. Eli Ben-Meir, former head of the research department for Israeli Military Intelligence, also said that he expected Iran to exploit the situation by pushing its allies into working against Israel. On Dec. 5, former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, expressing his ongoing dissatisfaction about Israel agreeing to a cease-fire with Hamas on Nov. 14 after hostilities in Gaza, said that Israel was capable of simultaneously handling conflicts on its northern and southern fronts. The military confrontation between Hamas and Israel Nov. 12-13 was the most violent episode between the two parties since the 2014 Gaza war and had raised tensions even before Israel's tunnel operation in the north. The confrontation had broken out when Hamas fighters clashed with Israeli forces that had infiltrated at Khan Yunis on Nov. 11, leaving seven Hamas members and an Israeli officer dead. Israel went on to strike 150 sites in Gaza, while Hamas and other Palestinian factions fired more than 400 rockets into southern Israel. Khalid Qaddumi, Hamas' representative in Iran, told Al-Monitor by phone, The resistance front stands united today to confront Israel. We are not advocates of war, but Israel must know that our response to any action taken against us will be painful and comprehensive. The international community needs to put a stop to [Israels] attempts to meddle with regional security, as this could possibly lead to an all-inclusive, all-scorching implosion. The United States added its two cents with Jason Greenblatt, presidential envoy for the peace process, urging Iran and its proxies to stop their provocations against Israel. Meanwhile, national security adviser John Bolton called on Iran and its agents to stop their regional provocation posing a threat to Israeli security. US National Intelligence Director Dan Coats arrived in Cairo on Dec. 5 on an unannounced visit and asked his Egyptian counterpart, Abbas Kamel, to persuade Hamas not to interfere in any Israeli war against Hezbollah. Qassem Qassir, a Lebanese author close to Hezbollah who often writes for London-based Arabi21, told Al-Monitor, The Palestinian and Lebanese resistance have deep-rooted ties. The Palestinians involvement in any Israeli war against Hezbollah is linked to two conditions namely, geographic penetration and how much time the Israeli operation in Lebanon could take. In short, he believes the Palestinians would enter a war alongside Hezbollah against Israel if the Israelis crossed into Lebanon, Hezbollah responded and the confrontation dragged on for weeks. Unsurprisingly, Iranian foreign affairs representatives have since mid-November issued various statements of support for Hamas, including defending it at the United Nations against US-sponsored condemnation for firing rockets at Israel, as well as accolades, including that Hamas has created hope for Arabs and Muslims to undermine Western projects for domination in the Arab world. Tehran also announced that it would provide financial support for the families of the Palestinians killed and for those wounded in the Great Return March on Gaza's border with Israel. It remains unclear whether such gestures will be enough to entice Hamas to stick its neck out for the sake of front unification. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government doesnt think much of the United Nations. The fact is, the prime minister decided to appoint Danny Danon as Israels ambassador to the organization, the man who dared to run against him in elections to head the Likud. Netanyahus most important speech each year takes place at the UN General Assembly meeting in September, and he always prepares a surprise for the occasion. He is like the head of the Jewish family following the tradition of hiding a piece of matzah during the Passover dinner for the kids to find. Each year, he finds a new place to hide the afikomen. Despite the attitude of Netanyahu's right-wing government toward the United Nations, it is shaken to the core every time Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas joins a UN-affiliated organization, usually one no one has ever heard of. It also jumps for joy at any abstention on an anti-Israel resolution, which means fewer votes opposing its policies. Maybe because the Israeli government doesnt think much of the United Nations, it received with deep and vocal sorrow the news of Nikki Haley's resignation as US ambassador to the world body. Haley was considered by many as representing Israel as well as her own country, so with her leaving, Israel would be losing an irreplaceable supporter. Her attempt to give Israel a parting gift in the form of a resolution censuring Hamas, for firing rockets at Israel, was seen as the first sign of salvation. Danon, Haleys loyal assistant, carefully prepared for the US ambassadors initiative during the first week of December, but he forgot the biblical maxim Let not him who girds on his sword boast like him who ungirds it! (Kings I 20:11). It appeared that Israel might be on the verge of a rare victory in New York as a result of a recent wave of adoration flowing from Arab nations as well as smart international diplomacy. All the calculations suggested that this time it would be possible to slap Hamas cheek after it had fired more than 400 rockets from Gaza toward Israeli civilian targets, including nursery schools, on Nov. 12. Haley and Danon had convinced me without much difficulty, because after 700 censures of Israel, the time had finally come for the UN General Assembly to for once censure an Arab group, a truly due condemnation. That said, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza forgot one thing that every parliamentarian in the world learns his first day on the job: You have to know the rules by heart. When the Arab nations saw that a majority of the assembly supported Haleys resolution, they quickly asked its members to take a vote on the size of the majority needed for the resolution to pass. The result was that a majority of the 193 members of the respected forum supported a resolution requiring a two-thirds majority for passage. With the situation suddenly changed, Haley made the rounds, visiting the heads of delegations, threatening here, asking there, and some say even begging, until the voting began on Dec. 6. Since 33 nations abstained from voting, and 16 delegation heads disappeared from the hall, a majority in favor of Haleys resolution emerged, 87 to 57. In the case of needing a simple majority, victory could have been declared, but the resolution failed, lacking a two-thirds majority. Not only did the assembly not bother to censure Hamas for its harm to Israeli civilians, it decided problematically to oppose censure. One could view this as the reverse of the biblical story of Balaam. The prophet Balaam was paid by a non-Israelite king to curse the people of Israel, but in the end he offered them a blessing. At the United Nations, the situation evolved counter to the Balaam incident: Instead of receiving a blessing from the United Nations, Israel received another strike. Haleys swan song turned into a victory for Hamas on the diplomatic level. Even Abbas worked against the resolution and praised its failure, and everyone knows that he wouldnt shed a tear over an international censure of Hamas. The results from a dissection of the vote are not surprising. Israel's (half-heartedly) intimate allies China and Russia voted against the resolution and maintained a longstanding tradition that does not allow Israel to criticize them too harshly. Egypt and Jordan, nations that signed a peace accord with Israel and for whom Hamas is a bone in the throat, also opposed Haleys resolution, as did all the other Arab states. Right after that vote, the assembly held a third vote, passing an Irish resolution that called on the United Nations to, among other things, insist on the realization of Security Council Resolution 2334, approved in December 2016 at the end of President Barack Obamas second term. It resolved that West Bank settlements are illegal and noted parameters for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The Netanyahu government had rejected the resolution with contempt. The recent US-Israeli failure at the United Nations was a resounding one, but Israel of course doesnt admit to failed moves. Its ambassador to the United Nations called on everyone who opposed the resolution to be ashamed of themselves. Netanyahu spoke of the glass being half full, noting that there had been a majority in favor of censure. He praised the nations that voted in support of Haleys resolution and expressed confidence that the majority would increase in the future. Its hard to tell whether the effort to present this failure as a semi-victory has convinced anyone. Abdallah al-Mualimi, head of the Saudi delegation to the United Nations, was the most pathetic of all. In an interview immediately following the vote, he claimed that if Haleys resolution had been adopted, it could have damaged the possibility of reaching a two-state solution. No more no less. Why? Hamas itself vigorously opposes a two-state solution, and on a good day its prepared to talk about an initial stage where a Palestinian state is established within 1967 borders, without noting who would be such a future states neighbor and how the organization intends to bring about its demise. Mualimi certainly knew what he was talking about, however, when he added that Haleys resolution would have drawn attention away from the Israeli occupation, the settlements and the siege of the occupied territories. Yes, the US ambassadors resolution was in the right, and it would have been right for the United Nations to censure Hamas. The way in which she and Danon tried to obtain a majority at the UN General Assembly was clumsy, however, by not being mindful of all the rules. The result was harmful and proved once again that the United Nations is an important body that cannot be ignored. When the great David Ben-Gurion, Israels first prime minister, derided the United Nations by saying UN rhymes with nothing (in Hebrew), he uttered foolishness. Today, last but not least, the Israeli delusion by which Arab nations would stand as one and vote against a Palestinian group is on a gradient somewhere between naivety and foolishness. Whoever tries to achieve peace with the Arab world while bypassing the Palestinian issue will fail. RAMALLAH, West Bank While the United States continues to freeze its financial aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) for refusing President Donald Trumps decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and his "deal of the century," the PA is boosting its relations with other countries. Its aim is to mobilize for a political role far from the US sponsorship of the peace process and to develop economic relations with these countries and ensure their support. The joint ministerial French-Palestinian committee meeting took place Dec. 8 in Paris. During the one-day meetings, spearheaded by Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and his French counterpart Edouard Philippe, 10 agreements were signed in the fields of civil defense and security, agriculture and nutrition, higher education, technical and professional education, local governance, budget support, water and the environment, and development of the private sector. This was the second meeting of the joint committee that was formed in 2015 following a decision by the Palestinian and French governments. The committee meets once every two years, and it held its first meeting in 2015 in Paris. The work of the committee comes as part of the Palestinians efforts to push France to spearhead an international political role or form an international support group to sponsor the peace process. In addition, the PA wants France to recognize the State of Palestine and increase its financial support for the PA to make up for the dwindling US aid. The Palestinians are also seeking increased support from France for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which suffered a budget crisis with Washington freezing its allocations for the agency. France has been recently seeking to move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process ahead. In 2016, France hosted an international conference to discuss the stagnant peace talks. Despite the committees interest in the economic aspects between the two countries and in seeking ways for France to support the Palestinian territories, the premiers also discussed during the meeting political issues. Hamdallah said during a press conference with Philippe that the PA backs any French role to establish an international support group, like the Paris peace conference in the Middle East that was held in Paris [on June 3, 2016] with the participation of international and European figures to revive the suspended peace process. The charge daffaires of the Palestinian Embassy in France, Nasser Jadallah, told Al-Monitor, The agreements that were signed increased French support to the PA threefold, and figures are expected to reach more than 60 million euros [$67.7 million] for the Palestinian territories. Jadallah noted that the key agreement consisted of increasing Frances contribution to the PA state budget, multiplying the grants offered to Palestinian higher education students in French universities, ensuring further support from the French Development Agency to Palestinian businessmen in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, proceeding with building the industrial city of Bethlehem and offering professional support and training to institutes and centers offering this training. Jadallah added that the agreements included completing the French Institute in Ramallah, developing the French Cultural Center and implementing projects to support agriculture and other sectors. Through joint committees with several countries, the PA is seeking to boost economic and commercial cooperation, in an attempt to split from Israel economically and increase its financial revenues. The PA has been suffering from a financial crisis, with the dwindling international support for the Palestinian budget and the United States freezing its financial aid to the PA for refusing the US administrations declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In a first-of-its-kind move, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asserted in a speech Dec. 8 that the PA wants to dispose of the Paris Economic Protocol or amend it by negotiating with the Israelis through a third party in order to force it to commit to the protocol, and is banking on a French role in this. Palestinian officials repeatedly asked France the sponsor of the protocol to open the protocol for discussion and specify the suitable mechanisms for its revision, most recently Abbas during his visit to France in September. Abbas said in his Dec. 8 speech that the PA informed the Israeli government through then-Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman of its intention to amend or eliminate the Paris protocol. He was referring to meetings between Director of Intelligence Majid Faraj and Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh with Liberman before he resigned. The Paris Economic Protocol, signed on April 29, 1994, regulates the Israeli-Palestinian economic relations in the West Bank and Gaza during the transitional phase of the Oslo Accord that was supposed to end in 1999. But it did not end and the protocol is still enforced. On Dec. 8, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Malki told the Voice of Palestine that France agreed to cooperate in reviewing the protocol for amendment and determining suitable mechanisms for review. Palestinian Minister of Economy Abeer Odeh will follow up this issue with the French, after communicating with the Israelis to find out their reaction, according to Malki. Jadallah said, This is not the first time the Palestinians call on the French authorities to interfere and pressure Israel to amend the Paris protocol. During his visit to France in September, President Abbas met with French President Emmanuel Macron to voice the same concerns and asked Macron to talk to Israel to amend the protocol. He added, The Paris protocol ended in 1999. Its perpetuation restricts the Palestinian economy and obstructs its growth. The protocol must be amended. France has promised during the recent meeting of the joint committee to pressure Israel to amend the protocol, and we have high hopes. Odeh said in a Dec. 10 press statement, The PA is waiting for practical steps from France that has given its initial approval of reopening the protocol for discussion and determining the needed mechanisms for review. She added that the Palestinians are inclined to develop the industrial sector, boost national production and promote its ability to satisfy the Palestinian market, and improve exports as a strategy to split gradually from Israel. Samir Abdullah, former minister of planning and senior researcher at the Palestinian Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), told Al-Monitor that reopening the Paris Economic Protocol for discussion is a positive step, especially in the presence of a third party to pressure Israel to abide. He noted that Israel is only committing to some provisions of the protocol that serve its interests. For instance, the protocol calls for equal treatment between Palestinian and Israeli importers and merchants at ports and airports. But this is not the case because the list of commodities in the agreement and their quality, which have been the same for 24 years, need updating. Abdullah said that the Paris Economic Protocol called for forming a joint committee to follow up on the implementation of the protocol and solving related problems. Through this committee each party would be able to review any issue related to the agreement. But the committee has been defunct for years because Israel impeded its work. With the ongoing political deadlock, it seems the PA wants to change the nature of its relations with Israel more than ever relations marked by economic and political agreements since signing the Oslo Accord in 1993. But this desire might not materialize if Israel continues to resist. The Russian and Israeli militaries recently held their first meeting in months to discuss Iran and Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets but both remained committed to their own policies on the issues. According to the press office of the Israeli army, the Moscow meeting revolved around the topic of possible improvements in their structure to reduce conflict (deconfliction) in Syria. Created in 2015 to prevent air incidents, the structure seemingly functioned fairly well for almost two years. However, the Sept. 18 Il-20 tragedy showed the mechanism is by no means flawless. Russian military leaders were generally concerned about Israels attacks in Syria, though they were not able to change anything; still, the nations pledged to continue cooperation in the deconfliction process. Taking advantage of the incident, for which Moscow blamed Israel exclusively even though the Il-20 was brought down by a Syrian missile, the Russians requested more advance knowledge about Israels incursions. According to the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, during the meeting the Russians once again demanded that the Israelis, as part of the deconfliction mechanism, increase the lead time for warnings for operations and provide more details about the targets. Israel objected to these demands. However, the press office of the Israel Defense Forces said that the meeting resulted in an agreement to continue the cooperation. In general, this means that Moscow will not hamper Israels military strikes in Syria, as in the past even though Russia is now supplying the Syrian government with the S-300 antiaircraft missile system or at least unless this does not contradict Russia's interests. Thus, Israel will have to be as cautious as possible. Russias overall attitude toward the situation in Syria has not changed. Our position remains the same. We cannot appreciate chaotic targeting by the Israeli air forces of Syrian infrastructure facilities under a far-fetched excuse of an Iranian threat, a source close to the Defense Ministry of Russia told Kommersant newspaper in the run-up to the meeting. Once the Russian-Israeli military meeting took place, the Russian and Iranian foreign ministers had their own phone conversation. Russia is strict about retaining a fine balance between its partners in the region. ALEPPO, Syria An opposition government in Idlib backed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a coalition of Islamist factions, has imposed Islamic Sharia's hirabah law, which calls for severe retribution for lawbreakers. The Ministry of Justice of the Syrian Salvation Government formed last year as an alternative to the opposition's Syrian Interim Government decreed adherence to hirabah beginning Dec. 10. Mohammed Kabakbaji, the attorney general of Idlib in the Syrian Salvation Government, told Al-Monitor the decision will be applied in the ministry's courts. Under hirabah law, perpetrators of abductions and armed robberies deserve to be executed, have their hands cut off or be exiled, depending on the crime. The government says its decree was based on the hirabah verse in the Quran: The punishments of those who wage war against Allah and His Prophet and strive to spread disorder in the land are to execute them in an exemplary way or to crucify them or to amputate their hands and feet from opposite sides or to banish them from the land. Such is their disgrace in this world, and in the hereafter theirs will be an awful doom, save those who repent before you overpower them; you should know that Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Ever Merciful. Anyone found guilty of leading or being part of a gang carrying out abductions or armed robberies in Idlib province is subject to the death penalty, whether they are civilians or part of the military. According to the text of the decision, hirabah can provide security and reassurance, and deter assaults on Muslims' sanctity. The decision comes in light of increasing robberies and kidnappings, the ministry said. Officials and workers in relief and humanitarian organizations in Idlib province are being abducted more often by unknown people, officials say. Some organizations have had to suspend work as a result. In addition, unidentified armed groups are kidnapping rich people and demanding ransoms. Opposition activists in Idlib hold armed factions responsible for a large number of these crimes, which occur most often in areas under their control, and abductors from outside the area wouldn't be able to escape because these factions have set up security checkpoints all around the vicinity. The Arabic word hirabah means "piracy" or "unlawful warfare." Kabakbaji told Al-Monitor, Hirabah can be defined as attacking passersby to steal their money by frightening them. The perpetrators force and power overwhelms victims, who are coerced into giving in to their fear and terror. This awful crime is off limits according to Islamic jurisprudence, given its severity. It is closest to armed robbery or robbery by violence and the formation of gangs of murder and abduction, which laws all around the world punish with the most severe penalties so as to deter criminals. He added, Some ill-faith people have exploited the prevailing security conditions in the country and the war against regime forces and Shiite militias, in addition to the spread of weapons among civilians. They would ... commit some crimes here and there, until they finally formed gangs and started abducting for ransom and robbing people. Kabakbaji said, They would even film themselves brutally torturing victims and send the videos to the victims loved ones, seeking ransom. In some cases, victims were murdered when a ransom wasn't provided, while others had their fingers cut off acts that criminals have filmed and posted on social media. Such social media videos are unavailable and are being removed for their violent content. Kabakbaji said "it's only natural" to punish criminals "in the same manner those perpetrators used in their crimes. He added, Punishment needs to be as severe as the circumstances require, especially since the country is at war and rebels are preoccupied with fighting and defending the country. He added, "Adopting hirabah certainly has its advantages, and its disadvantages are minimal considering the greater [good] that approving such a law serves. Peoples lives and properties will finally be protected from the greed of criminals. However, opposition-affiliated judge Hussein Hamadeh told Al-Monitor the Justice Ministry was wrong to adopt hirabah. People shouldn't be punished with such cruelty, he said, considering the high unemployment, low living standards and chaotic environment in Idlib. Lawyer Marwan Kaid also told Al-Monitor the decision was inappropriate. Hirabah punishment is part of the Islamic Sharia and doesn't align with the requirements of the current situation in Idlib. There need to be other deterrent measures, such as imprisonment for long periods of time, he said. But Issam Khatib, a lawyer working in the Justice Ministry courts in Idlib, believes differently. He told Al-Monitor, The decision to impose hirabah punishment has come at the right time. There are armed groups and gangs, namely those affiliated with the Islamic State [IS], hiding in Idlib, stealing and looting in order to survive. They attack civilians and justify their actions with incorrect interpretations of Islamic Sharia. For instance, such groups believe people in general in Idlib are apostates and thus they [the groups] are allowed to steal their money, abduct and even kill them if they [feel they] have to. Khatib said, Hirabah punishment according to Islamic Sharia has several options, including execution, hand-cutting and exile, and these sanctions can reduce the security chaos in Idlib and be a deterrent punishment to prevent the gangs from carrying out such acts. On the 13th of December, Belgium Naval & Robotics gathered its Belgian industrial and research partners as well as several elected officials to present the industrial cooperation plan that the consortium wishes to implement as part of the Belgian-Dutch mine hunter programme This plan includes 39 partnerships established with partners throughout the Belgian territory and will generate hundreds of jobs over the next 20 years. On the 13th of December, Belgium Naval & Robotics gathered its Belgian industrial and research partners as well as several elected officials to present the industrial cooperation plan that the consortium wishes to implement as part of the Belgian-Dutch mine hunter programme This plan includes 39 partnerships established with partners throughout the Belgian territory and will generate hundreds of jobs over the next 20 years. (Credit: Belgian Naval & Robotics) On the proposition made by Belgium Naval & Robotics is in particular based on Naval Group and ECA ROBOTICS acknowledged industrial and operational expertise, both in the naval sector as in mine counter measures ( MCM) activities. Naval Group and ECA Group collaborate since the 70s on naval mine clearing and on the mine hunter programme (Belgian-Dutch-French tripartite programme) With its industrial cooperation plan, Belgium Naval & Robotics offers to accompany Belgium in the strengthening of its strategic autonomy and its leadership on international level and within the NATO, in the field of MCM activities. The growth of the Belgian industrial base related to high-tech and key products for this sector will help create jobs with high added value in a sustainable way. Belgium Naval & Robotics will set up an industrial centre of excellence in Belgium, positioned on activities with very high added value. The main objective of this centre will be to ensure Belgiums autonomy and strategic excellence. The centre will also be able to accompany Belgium in the evolution of the systems in areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence or acoustic discretion and cyber security and this for the duration of the programme and beyond. These structuring partnerships have already been signed in order to accomplish this project. Belgium Naval & Robotics have already set up nearly forty Belgian partnerships around the key aspects of the programme and its future developments. The consortium now presents a plan to the Belgian authorities to create hundreds of jobs over 20 years. The activity will generate significant added value related to the number of jobs but also on a technological level and will be evenly distributed over the three regions: Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels. Flanders Ship Repair, a major partner of the project, will ensure 100% of the maintenance on the twelve vessels in Zeebrugge. Belgium will thus have full autonomy to maintain and develop its vessels and the mine warfare system for the duration of the programme. ECA Robotics Belgium can carry out the maintenance of the drones (Tools) in Zeebrugge should the Belgian navy express this wish. Turkey would have the world believe it's the savior of Afrin. Many Syrians disagree. As the anniversary approaches of Turkeys Operation Olive Branch in Syria, disturbing reports keep coming in that contradict Ankara's boasts that it is maintaining law and order in the Kurdish area. Turkey launched the operation in January to end the dominance of what it considers a terrorist group, the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). The UN has been receiving claims that the armed outfits Turkey brought to Afrin are responsible for looting, armed heists, burglaries, kidnappings and torture. Turkey dismisses these charges as outright propaganda, even though some of that criminal activity was cited in a UN Human Rights Council report submitted to the UN General Assembly in September. The report quotes witnesses who say Turkish soldiers have been in the vicinity when these crimes take place, but don't intervene. The oppression even extends to the area's olive orchards, which were the topic of debate in Turkey's parliament Nov. 16. According to official records, two deputies of the Republican Peoples Party (CHP) said they had learned of some 50,000 tons of olive oil from Afrin being smuggled into Turkey. Nurettin Macin, a deputy of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), also said more than 50,000 tons of oil have been moved into Turkey by the armed groups, even as they destroy Afrin's olive groves. Turkey has to give up these looting and booty policies, Macin said. Curiously, Minister of Agriculture Bekir Pakdemirli replied, As a government, we dont want the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] to make money from the olives. Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist group. Pakdemirli's statement implies the government is willing to look the other way while the armed outfits raid the groves, to keep the PKK from cashing in. Ahmet Kaya, a third CHP deputy, asked the minister, But isnt Afrin under our [Turkey's] control? The minister answered: Right you are. We want the revenue from Afrin to come to us in the area we control. Until now, [only] 600 tons of produce have come to our side. It is truly shameful talking about this [small quantity] when there are 200,000 tons of olive oil available. Turkey, which has no diplomatic ties with the Syrian state, on Nov. 8 unilaterally opened a border crossing it calls Olive Branch near Hammam village in the Cinderes region. All agricultural produce from Afrin officially moves through this crossing. On Nov. 16, Pakdemirli said Turkey officially planned to purchase just 5,000 tons of olives. But on Nov. 24, during the World Olive Day observance, sector representatives told Al-Monitor that the olive oil brought over from Syria has already reached 20,000 to 25,000 tons. What do Afrin sources say about the charges of looting and armed extortion? Celeng Omer, an economist from Afrin who has been studying the affair, told Al-Monitor there are 18 million olive trees in Afrin. They cover 65% of the agricultural land at Afrin. People make most of their income from olives, olive oil and soap. Production at Afrin constitutes 30% of overall production in Syria. There are also 2.5 million fruit trees. This year, 270,000 tons of olives were harvested at Afrin and 80% of that amount was sent to factories to produce olive oil estimated to total 50,000 tons. Omer said the market value of this production is $150 million, but Afrin producers this year lost about $100 million of that amount. Omer listed the damage as follows: Armed groups burned or otherwise destroyed about 12,000 olive trees in Afrin. Armed groups are preventing farmers from selling their produce to the Syrian merchants they have always worked with. Farmers are forced to sell their goods, at prices determined by the armed groups, to middlemen of the groups' choice. Most of those middlemen and merchants are Arabs; some are Turkish. They conduct serious price manipulation. For example, farmers must sell 16-kilogram (35-pound) cans of olives for $28, sometimes even as low as $20. But under Syrian government control, these same cans are sold for $50-$55. Middlemen who buy Afrin produce at such low prices move them to Turkey though the border crossing near Hammam under Turkish military control. Sometimes part of this produce is reimported to Syria through Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam crossings and sold at high prices in other cities. The Afrin local council, appointed by Turkish officials, insists on keeping 15% of agricultural produce as a tax. Moreover, people must pay bribes to the armed groups to gain access to the olive groves. In short, the $100 million loss was the result of outright armed heists, bribery and extortion. Omer listed other losses that werent included in the $100 million figure: In addition to produce being seized and prices being manipulated, many facilities have been looted. Armed groups disassembled 109 of 295 olive presses in the area and 61 others are unaccounted for. Each machine costs $200,000. Today, only 125 machines are operational. According to the information Omer provided, armed groups carted off 17 of 44 soap and olive pulp machines, each with 8,000 tons of production capacity, and carried away other presses and machinery. This loot cost $20 million. This summer, he said, armed groups forced farmers to sell 10,000 tons of wheat at low prices. The wheat ended up selling for $200 per ton in the informal market (sometimes called the underground market), skirting taxes, whereas the Syrian government paid farmers $500 per ton. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in England, reported last year that armed groups seized 75% of the olive groves in Afrin, renting out some of them. The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army issued instructions to hand over oil groves to the Turkish-appointed local councils. The observatory reported that the Sultan Murad Brigades told producers in the Sherran district that unless they hand over 30% of the olives they harvest, they won't be allowed to access their fields. The Hamza Division, another armed unit, seized the olives of the Karishma and Alaka areas and sold them. Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade did the same at Kahira village. Kurdish sources say there have been many other instances of the same nature. The observatory also confirms that local councils in other areas had informed olive press owners to hand over 15% of their oil to armed groups. For some groups, this practice is routine war booty. The Turkish government either allows or turns a blind eye to these practices to "eliminate the financial resources of the terror organization. For the people of Afrin, however, it's a merciless mechanism of armed extortion and oppression under Turkeys tutelage. A nationally-recognized product born in Alabama is coming home. Sims Food Inc. has announced it is moving production of Wickles Pickles from North Carolina back to Alabama. The transition, which began a few months ago, should be completed by the end of this year. The brand will be made at Magnolia Vegetable Processors in the Pike County city of Brundidge. The brand produces 10 different varieties distributed throughout the U.S. The company moved its processing operation to North Carolina in 2005. However, Sims Food owns a stake in Magnolia, which opened last year in a new 66,000-square-foot building. Magnolia specializes in pickled vegetable products. Wickles Pickles started as a small venture between Will Ferniany and his wife, Dana, who were making the pickles for their friends in Philadelphia. The pickle process was based on a 90-year-old family recipe handed down to Dana. Danas cousins Trey and Will Sims joined with a friend, Andy Anderson, in the 1990s to start Sims Foods. The small company started making an average of 27 hand-packed jars of the pickles a day at a small house in Dadeville. Business grew through sharp marketing and word of mouth. TVs Rachael Ray has named them her favorite pickle in an issue of Every Day Rachael Ray magazine, and more than 2 million jars were sold last year. The production move will give the partners more creative control, with more opportunities for small batches and experimentation. Anderson said it will also mean more product. In addition, Turmeric has replaced artificial food coloring, preservatives have been eliminated and a new label look is on the horizon. Weve just run the first batch of dill okra, which will be hitting grocery shelves soon, Anderson said. Dirty Dill Okra is expected to be on select shelves by the first of the year and readily available soon after. Alabamians should be able to grow and process hemp as an agricultural commodity because of the farm bill approved by Congress last week, but there are still governmental hurdles ahead before they can get started. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries will work with the federal government, the governors office, law enforcement and others in developing a plan to authorize hemp farming and processing in the wake of the decision by Congress. Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan said it will take months to get the regulatory framework approved but said theres strong interest and potential for hemp as a cash crop. Without a doubt this opens the door for I think great potential for our producers in Alabama to add another cash crop to their options, McMillan said. The commissioner said hemp farming on a significant scale probably cant happen in Alabama before the 2020 growing season. On Dec. 12, Congress passed the 2018 Agriculture and Nutrition Act, usually called the farm bill. The law, which still awaited President Trumps signature on Monday, changes the legal status of hemp from a controlled substance to an agricultural commodity. Hemp is related to the marijuana plant. But hemp contains far smaller amounts of THC, the intoxicating substance in marijuana, and is valued for the use of its fiber. Hemp stalks and hemp seeds are used to make a wide array of products, including fabric, fiber board, carpeting, insulation, livestock feed and automobile components such as door panels and insulation. McMillan said the reclassification of hemp was widely expected in the agriculture community, partly because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supported the change because of the industrys potential in his home state of Kentucky. The commissioner expects the federal government to require states to submit a regulatory plan that passes muster with law enforcement. Even though the farm bill makes it a commodity, its still different from these other commodities because of the illegal potential, McMillan said. So, we anticipate for sure that the Board of Agriculture is going to require us to have the known locations where its being grown, testing procedures to be sure its legal, and then procedures on how it will be disposed of if the tests determine its not legal. Federal law had previously allowed states to authorize research on hemp farming and the Alabama Legislature passed a bill to do so in 2016. McMillan said no hemp is being grown in Alabama as part of such a research project because of the long process of getting regulations approved by the federal government. But he said that process is finished and should be applicable to creating a regulatory framework for hemp production under the new authorization in the farm bill. McMillan said he has recommended to the staff of Gov. Kay Ivey that the governor put together a working group or task force to make sure Agriculture & Industries, law enforcement and other agencies and groups have a part in crafting a uniform state plan. Hemp is also a source for cannabidiol, a substance some people take to as a treatment for physical ailments. Cannabidiol can also be derived from marijuana and the Alabama Legislature has carved out limited exceptions to the law against marijuana possession for the use of cannabidiol. Last week, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall put out an updated public notice on the legal status of cannabidiol in the wake of the farm bill and the change in the designation of hemp by Congress. McMillan said he expects a request to the Legislature for additional funding and resources to administer a hemp program. McMillan is completing his second term as agriculture commissioner and will take office as state treasurer in January. McMillan said incoming Commissioner Rick Pate will be up to speed on the hemp program and said he does not expect the changeover to delay the process. Jeff Sessions exit from the Justice Department hasnt silenced criticism from President Donald Trump. The president said Sessions, who resigned as U.S. Attorney General in November, should be ashamed of himself for his role in allowing the special counsels investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. It looks here as though General Flynns defenses are incidental to something larger which is for the prosecution to figure out if it can find a path to Donald Trump without quite knowing what that crime might be. It stops looking like prosecution and more looking like...... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2018 ....a persecution of the President. Daniel Henninger, The Wall Street Journal. Thank you, people are starting to see and understand what this Witch Hunt is all about. Jeff Sessions should be ashamed of himself for allowing this total HOAX to get started in the first place! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2018 ....The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax, started as the insurance policy long before I even got elected, is very bad for our Country. They are Entrapping people for misstatements, lies or unrelated things that took place many years ago. Nothing to do with Collusion. A Democrat Scam! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2018 A former Alabama Senator, Sessions was an early supporter of Trump and one of his chief supporters until the two had a falling out over the independent counsel investigation. Several Trump associates have been implicated in the controversy, with the presidents former attorney, Michael Cohen, sentenced to three years in prison last week for fraud and campaign finance violations he said were done at Trumps direction. The president denies those claims. Speaking last week in Alabama, Sessions avoided the controversy and said the presidents policies which were my policies" were "good for America. Update: Miss Spain Angela Ponce failed to make the top 20. Earlier: Miss Spain Angela Ponce will make history tonight as the first transgender woman to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. The pageant airs Sunday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) on Fox. Ponce, 27, beat out 22 competitors to win the Miss Spain title in June. She has chronicled her pageant journey on her Instagram page, picking up almost 500,000 followers. According to her Miss Universe biography, Ponce has worked towards the empowerment of young women and families to be proud of who they are. She campaigns to promote gender diversity and equality. If she takes home the crown, she wants to want to spread tolerance and respect towards oneself and others globally. Angela is looking forward to making her country proud at this year's Miss Universe competition, it continued. Miss Universe changed its policy in 2012 that limited pageant participation only to naturally born women. Participation is limited to unmarried women who have never given birth or parented a child. There are also age restrictions: contestants must be at least 18 years old and under age 28 before Jan. 1 in the year they participate. Ponce and her fellow contestants will take part in swimsuit, evening gown and interview in hopes of capturing the Miss Universe crown. Steve Harvey will once again host the event, with last years winner, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa, crowing her successor. A 63-year-old woman who was missing for more than a week has been located. Birmingham police last week announced that Vannessa Thomas Powell had no communication with her family since Dec. 6, and had not reported to work since then. Powell was last seen that day leaving her home in the 400 block of 86th Street South. She was driving her 2017 Nissan Versa. Police on Monday said Powell was located on Sunday and is OK. No additional details were released. The attorney for the family of a Emantic Fitzgerald EJ Bradford Jr. lashed out at Alabama state officials Monday, calling for return to Jefferson County of any prosecution in the Riverchase Galleria shootings cases. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, along with Bradfords parents mother April Pipkins and father Emantic Bradford Sr. also renewed their demands for release to the public of all video from the Thanksgiving night shooting of Bradford at the hands of a Hoover police officer. It is deeply disturbing to the Bradford family that Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall would unilaterally and unnecessarily take the Bradford case away from Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr the first black person to hold that position, Crump said. This action could undermine any trust the black community has in this process. The election of black public servants, like Danny Carr, is a clear statement by Alabama voters that they intend to correct the darkest patterns of injustice that are woven throughout Alabamas history and ensure that all citizens are fairly represented, regardless of the color of their skin, Crump said. This action subverts the will of the voters and detours the necessary march toward justice. Attorney General Marshall has the ability to monitor the case closely and intervene if necessary and appropriate. We urge him to allow D.A. Carr to do his job, as the voters intended and not subvert the will of the voters, Crump said. If not D.A. Carr, then the Bradford family strongly urges A.G. Marshall to appoint Lynneice Washington of the Bessemer Cutoff Division of Jefferson County District Attorneys Office. Washington was the first black woman elected district attorney in Alabama, and she is a strong alternative candidate for taking over this case. Further, we are convinced that the straightest path toward justice would be to release all video footage so that everyone can see for themselves what happened in Riverchase Galleria mall. Why did one officer shoot EJ while he was running away, and the other officer did not? Crump asked. The video may provide important information that we all need to arrive at the truth. EJs death was a senseless tragedy, and we stand with the community in demanding that those in power be held accountable for their actions. We will not rest until justice has been served. The Monday press conference Monday in Birminghams Kelly Ingram Park follows Marshalls announcement last week that his office would assume jurisdiction over all of the investigations surrounding the Galleria shootings. Bradford was killed. Wounded were 18-year-old Brian Wilson and 12-year-old Molly Davis, a bystander. Marshall said he was taking over jurisdiction after the admission by Carr in a letter to Marshall of the presence of potential conflicts between himself and key parties in the case. 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. 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. Crump said the family was surprised by the news that Marshall was taking jurisdiction of the cases. They were utterly confused when this announcement came, the attorney said. Why is it someone from our community cant be fair? We reject that. Carr, after issuing a statement last week, said he would not comment further on the case. The AGs office released this statement in response to Crumps press conference: As the written correspondence reflects, Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr directly conveyed to Attorney General Marshall the presence of Carrs perceived conflicts in this matter. Attorney General Marshall acted on standard procedure to assume prosecution. The Attorney Generals Office will ensure that the Hoover mall shooting cases are handled with the highest degree of fairness and professionalism as we pursue justice for all parties. The family wants to know whoever is over this process will be accountable to the citizens of Jefferson County. This happened in Jefferson County, Crump said. Its very important to them that they dont feel the people over this process is trying to protect the police officer who murdered their child. Crump said the family is suspicious of the attorney generals Office. They feel theyre trying to protect the police officer who killed their child, he said. Bradfords mother agreed. All the family wants is for justice to be served for our son, April Pipkins said. By taking the case from Mr. Carr, we feel they are trying to protect this officer who killed my son. Crump also addressed Marshalls comments at his press conference last week when asked about the possibility of releasing video. The attorney general said the video doesnt tell the whole story. The people in our community when they are accused of crimes, one of the first things they do is release the video and show the video and say there is the proof, said Crump, who has previously seen about 30 seconds of the video in a meeting with ALEA investigators, Carr and Washington. Now why is it different if EJ Bradford is moving away from the police officer and the police officer shoots him three times in the back? We have been told there were more than one police officer there but only one police officer shot and the other one did not, he said. The video can give us very important insight as to why that happened. We believe the video is the straightest path to justice for all involved. If the video shows that nothing was done incorrectly or wrongfully, then it will speak for itself, Crump said. But if it shows that EJ Bradford was murdered, that will speak for itself and this family is demanding equal justice. He said if the video is not released, he may take legal action to get it released. Crump said the Bradford family is supportive of the ongoing protests over their sons death. The family is grateful the protesters are protesting, he said. They feel if people didnt do anything, his death would be swept under the rug. They certainly implore all the protesters to be non-violent and follow the examples of Dr. King and Ralph Abernathy and Rev. Shuttlesworth, and all the iconic civil rights leaders that protested right here in the state of Alabama, he said. They want to make sure we carry their legacy and as they fight for justice for EJ Bradford Jr. An investigation is underway after a woman was shot and killed in Southside over the weekend. The deadly shooting happened about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in the 2100 block of 17th Avenue South. Birmingham police homicide Sgt. Field Morton said investigators have not determined a motive. Authorities identified the victim as Elizabeth Peterson, 64. She was known to her friends as Liz Sutherland. Friends said she had just gotten out of her vehicle at her apartment, where she had just moved two weeks ago. Police said witnesses heard shouting and then gunfire. Friends said she worked at Childrens of Alabama and was going to graduate school to get a degree in social work. It is a terrible, terrible tragedy, said friend Squire Gwin. She was a bright light to everyone who knew her. I just thought the world of her, Gwin said. She was a joy to be around. She was infectious with her whole personality. Liz was just a very special person. She is the 103rd homicide victim in Birmingham in 2018. Of those, at least seven have been ruled justifiable and therefore will not be counted by the department in its year-end tally. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 151 homicides. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Some say your college years are the most important of your life. For this reason, many high schoolers dream of attending an elite college. These students hope that going to an Ivy League or Top-10 school will bring them prosperity later on in life. But some students seem to be proving the opposite; it doesn't matter where you go to school. What matters is the effort you put into your studies. What do you think? PERSPECTIVES According to the U.S. News rankings, the top five colleges and universities are: Three of these schools are part of the Ivy League, and two are consistently among the top universities in the country. These institutions are highly selective-Princeton only accepted 5.5 percent of applicants in its latest class-and represent the brightest young minds in the nation. Going to an elite school means you will be surrounded by like-minded individuals capable of challenging you, and, hopefully, teaching you something. The intellectual climate at top universities cannot be replicated in full at other schools. There's nothing wrong with attending an elite college, but your success in life is not predicated on a diploma from a certain school. As The Washington Post's Jeffrey J. Selingo points out, the top colleges in the country enroll less than 6 percent of U.S. college students. Surely, more than 6 percent of college graduates are making an impact across the country. Selingo refers to New York Times columnist Frank Bruni's new book for insight. In "Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be," Selingo says: Most students and parents are rightfully focused on the best way to get a job after college and believe that going to a top university will secure them the best gig. Selingo disputes: There's a financial incentive to attending an Ivy League school. According to The Washington Post's Christopher Ingraham: The fact of the matter is, no matter what your brains might be, the Ivy-League community is a strong one. The network from these schools alone might make your investment worthwhile. These schools pump out scholars and ambitious twenty-somethings, creating a never-ending cycle of successful people to help out the latest class of graduates to secure a prestigious job. Your undergrad diploma might also make a difference in where you are accepted for graduate school. Elite colleges carry a certain reputation that other schools lack, and if you would like to attend one of these elite schools for medical or law school, it can only help you to already be a part of the elite community. If you're a smart, ambitious high school student who dreams of going to Harvard, going to your state school doesn't suddenly suck all of those brains and dreams out of you. In fact, choosing to go to a public, in-state school might have much more of an impact on your life; if you don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans to pay off once you graduate, you could have a different kind of leg-up on you Ivy-League peers. According to The Atlantic's Derek Thompson: Meaning, the name of your university does not matter. What matters is your dedication to education. Sure, doors might open for Ivy-League students that might not for you, but your school will have its own alumni network to take advantage of, and if the insight above proves true, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to their success. Rather than stress about how many schools you apply to and which ones you'll be accepted to, Thompson highlights a different problem for both sides to focus on: The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. Austal USA apparently will continue its hot streak: The Department of Defense has indicated that in its fiscal 2019 budget cycle, two of three contracts for Littoral Combat Ships once again will go to the Mobile-based shipbuilder. The contracts themselves haven't been finalized or awarded, but word emerged over the weekend that the Department of Defense had "issued a fixed-price-incentive firm target modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise options for the construction of two fiscal 2019 littoral combat ships." In Australia, home of parent company Austal, the West Australian announced the news under the headline "Austal strikes again in US warships contract win." Its report said that "Austals prospects of building frigates for the US Navy have been further bolstered by an order worth up to $1.6 billion to build two more littoral combat ships." Confirmation came in tweets from Austal and from the U.S. Consulate in Perth. To be awarded two more LCS contracts before the end of the year is beyond exciting, said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. This contract directly reflects the confidence the U.S. Navy has in Austal USA and our supplier base of over 10,000 nationwide and our ability to build highly capable ships at an affordable cost. Austal USA says it has delivered eight of the ships, has six under construction and three awaiting the start of construction. On Friday, it held a keel authentication ceremony for LCS 26, the future USS Mobile. The two newly awarded ships will be LCS 36 and LCS 38. The skill, hard work, and dedication of our employees is second to none and strengthens as we continue to play an important role in helping build the Navys 355-ship fleet, said Perciavalle. The West Australians mention of a frigate program refers to the U.S. Navys plans to follow the LCS program with production of a new class of ship, the FFG(X). Several designs are under consideration, including a beefed-up version of Austals LCS. Austal officials have said that the efficiency of the companys LCS production line in Mobile would be an asset to the frigate program. San Diego is the homeport for Austal-built LCSs. Theyre being organized into units dedicated to surface combat, minesweeping and antisubmarine operations. Concerns linger that the mission modules needed to make them fully capable of carrying out those roles have been subject to delays and reduced funding. (Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore) Executive Summary Why floating solar? Floating solar photovoltaic (PV) installations open up new opportunities for scaling up solar generating capacity, especially in countries with high population density and competing uses for available land. They have certain advantages over land-based systems, including utilization of existing electricity transmission infrastructure at hydropower sites, close proximity to demand centers (in the case of water supply reservoirs), and improved energy yield thanks to the cooling effects of water and the decreased presence of dust. The exact magnitude of these performance advantages has yet to be confirmed by larger installations, across multiple geographies, and over time, but in many cases they may outweigh any increase in capital cost. The possibility of adding floating solar capacity to existing hydropower plants is of particular interest, especially in the case of large hydropower sites that can be flexibly operated. The solar capacity can be used to boost the energy yield of such assets and may also help to manage periods of low water availability by allowing the hydropower plant to operate in peaking rather than baseload mode. And the benefits go both ways: hydropower can smooth variable solar output by operating in a load-following mode. Floating solar may therefore be of particular interest where grids are weak, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of developing Asia. Other potential advantages of floating solar include: Reduced evaporation from water reservoirs, as the solar panels provide shade and limit the evaporative effects of wind Improvements in water quality, through decreased algae growth Reduction or elimination of the shading of panels by their surroundings Elimination of the need for major site preparation, such as leveling or the laying of foundations, which must be done for land-based installations Easy installation and deployment in sites with low anchoring and mooring requirements, with a high degree of modularity, leading to faster installations. An overview of floating solar technology The general layout of a floating PV system is similar to that of a land-based PV system, other than the fact that the PV arrays and often the inverters are mounted on a floating platform (figure 1). The direct current (DC) electricity generated by PV modules is gathered by combiner boxes and converted to alternating current (AC) by inverters. For small-scale floating plants close to shore, it is possible to place the inverters on land that is, just a short distance from the array. Otherwise, both central or string inverters on specially designed floats are typically used. The platform, together with its anchoring and mooring system, is an integral part of any floating PV installation. Currently most large-scale floating PV plants are deployed using pontoon-type floats, with PV panels mounted at a fixed tilt angle. Typically, the floating structure can be made of so-called pure floats or floats that are combined with metal trusses (figure 2). A pure float configuration uses specially designed self-buoyant bodies to which PV panels can be directly affixed. This configuration is the most common. It is available from several suppliers and claims an installed capacity worldwide of several hundred megawatts. Another type of design uses metal structures to support PV panels in a manner similar to land-based systems. These structures are fixed to pontoons whose only function is to provide buoyancy. In this case, there is no need for specially designed floats. The floating platform is held in place by an anchoring and mooring system, the design of which depends on factors such as wind load, float type, water depth, and variability in the water level. The floating platform can generally be anchored to a bank, to the bottom, to piles, or to a combination of the three. The developer selects a design suitable to the platforms location, bathymetry (water profile and depth), soil conditions, and variation in water level. Bank anchoring is particularly suitable for small and shallow ponds, but most floating installations are anchored to the bottom. Regardless of the method, the anchor needs to be designed so as to keep the installation in place for 25 years or more. Mooring lines need to be properly selected to accommodate ambient stresses and variations in water level. The current global market for floating solar The first floating PV system was built in 2007 in Aichi, Japan, followed by several other countries, including France, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Spain, and the United StatesMedium-to-large floating installations (larger than 1 MWp) began to emerge in 2013. After an initial wave of deployment concentrated in Japan, Korea, and the United States, the floating solar market spread to China (now the largest player), Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Maldives, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Projects are under consideration or development in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Ghana, and the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as other countries. Recently, plants with capacity of tens and even hundreds of megawatts have been installed in China; more are planned in India and Southeast Asia. The first plant larger than 10 MWp was installed in 2016, and in 2018 the world saw the first several plants larger than 100 MWp, the largest of which is 150 MWp. Flooded mining sites in China support most of the largest installations (box 1). With the emergence of these new markets, cumulative installed floating solar capacity and annual new additions are growing exponentially (figure 3). As of mid-2018, the cumulative installed capacity of floating solar was approaching 1.1 gigawatt-peak (GWp), the same milestone that ground-mounted PV reached in the year 2000. If the evolution of land-based PV is any indication, floating solar could advance at least as rapidly, profiting as it does from all the decreases in costs attained by land-based PV deployment. Most of the installations to-date are based on industrial basins, drinking water reservoirs, or irrigation ponds (figure 4), but the first combinations with hydropower reservoirs, which bring the added benefits of better utilization of the existing transmission infrastructure and the opportunity to manage the solar variability through combined power output, have started to appear (box 2). In these installations, special attention needs to be paid to possible effects on the downstream flow regime from the reservoir, which is typically subject to restrictions related to water management (in case of cascading dams), agriculture, biodiversity, navigation, and livelihood or recreational usesMarine installations are also appearingThe biggest uncertainties are long-term reliability and cost Policy and regulatory considerations Currently, even in countries with significant floating solar development there are no clear, specific regulations on permitting and licensing of plants. Processes for the moment are assumed to be the same as for ground-mounted PV, but legal interpretation is needed in each country. In some countries, drinking water reservoirs or hydropower reservoirs are considered national-security sites, making permitting more complex and potentially protracted. As highlighted in this report, floating solar deployment is expected to be cost-competitive under many circumstances and therefore not to require financial support. Nevertheless, initial projects may require some form of support to overcome barriers associated with the industrys relatively limited experience with this technology. So far, a number of countries have taken different approaches to floating PV. Typical policies currently supporting floating solar installations can be grouped into two categories: Financial incentives: Feed-in tariffs that are higher than those for groundmounted PV (as in Taiwan, China) Extra bonuses for renewable energy certificates (as in the Republic of Korea) A high feed-in tariff for solar PV generally (as in Japan) Extra adder value for floating solar generation under the compensation rates of state incentives program (as in the U.S. state of Massachusetts). Supportive governmental policies: Ambitious renewable energy targets (as in Korea and Taiwan) Realization of demonstrator plants (as in the Indian state of Kerala) Dedicated tendering processes for floating solar (as in China, Taiwan, and the Indian state of Maharashtra) Openness on the part of the entities managing the water bodies, such as tenders for water-lease contracts (as in Korea). However, for most countries hoping to develop a well-functioning floating solar segment of a wider solar PV market, the following policy and regulatory considerations need to be addressed: Unique aspects of permitting and licensing that necessitate interagency cooperation between energy and water authorities. This also includes environmental impact assessments for floating PV installations. Water rights and permits to install and operate a floating solar plant on the surface of a water body and anchor it in or next to the reservoir. Tariff setting for floating solar installations (which could be done as for land-based PV, for example, through feed-in tariffs for small installations and tenders or auctions for large ones). Access to existing transmission infrastructure: How will this be managed? Who will be responsible? What permits/agreements will be required? Special considerations for hydro-connected plants: Whether the hydropower plant owner/operator is allowed to add a floating solar installation Whether the hydropower plant owner/operator is allowed to provide a concession to a third party to build, own, and operate a floating solar plant Management of risks and liabilities related to hydropower plant operation and weather events that can affect the solar or hydropower plants Rules of dispatch coordination of the solar and the hydropower plants outputs. Market opportunities There are more than 400,000 square kilometers (km2 ) of man-made reservoirs in the world (Shiklomanov 1993), suggesting that floating solar has a theoretical potential on a terawatt scale, purely from the perspective of the available surface area. The most conservative estimate of floating solars overall global potential based on available man-made water surfaces exceeds 400 GWp, which is equal to the 2017 cumulative installed PV capacity globallyThere are individual dams on each continent that could theoretically accommodate hundreds of megawatts or, in some cases, gigawatts of floating solar installations Costs of floating solar and project structuring Capital costsLevelized costs of electricity, including sensitivity analysisProject structuringChallenges Conclusions and next steps The deployment of floating solar looks set to accelerate as the technologies mature, opening up a new frontier in the global expansion of renewable energy and bringing opportunities to a wide range of countries and markets. With a global potential of 400 GW under very conservative assumptions, floating solar could double the existing installed capacity of solar PV but without the land acquisition that is required for ground-mounted installations. At some large hydropower plants, covering just 3-4% of the reservoir with floating solar could double the installed capacity, potentially allowing water resources to be more strategically managed by utilizing the solar output during the day. Additionally, combining the dispatch of solar and hydropower could be used to smooth the variability of the solar output, while making better use of existing transmission assets, and this could be particularly beneficial in countries where grids are weak. When combined with other demonstrated benefits such as higher energy yield, reduced evaporation, and improved water quality, floating solar is likely to be an attractive option for many countries. Although the market is still nascent, there are a sufficient number of experienced suppliers to structure a competitive tender and get a commercial project financed and constructed, and the additional costs appear to be low and are falling rapidly. The priority over the next few years should be to carry out strategic deployments of floating solar at sites where it is already economic, while applying the precautionary principle when it comes to possible environmental or social impacts. This may include initial limits on the portion of the water surface that is covered and efforts to avoid installations in the littoral zone near shore, where plant and animal life may be more abundant. In addition, development of the constituent technologies and knowledge of positive and negative impacts will be greatly enhanced if early installations are diligently monitored, which will entail some public expenditure. The need for monitoring, added to the possible additional capital costs of floating solar over those of ground-mounted systems, makes early installations in developing countries a strong candidate for concessional climate financing. To support market development, an active dialogue among all stakeholders, public and private, is required to further global understanding of floating solar technologies and to spread lessons learned from early projects across a wider area. Through this market report and an upcoming handbook for practitioners, the World Bank Group and SERIS hope to contribute to this goal, and we look forward to working with governments, developers, and the research community to expand the market for floating solar by bringing down costs, supporting grid integration, maximizing ancillary benefits, and minimizing negative environmental or social impacts. In addition to the financing of public and private investments, the World Bank Group is committed to supporting the development of floating solar as well as hydro-connected solar by generating and disseminating knowledge. Publications and tools planned for the Where Sun Meets Water series are: A floating solar market report A floating solar handbook for practitioners Global mapping of floating solar potential (a geospatial tool) Proposed technical designs and project structuring for hydro-connected solar Tweet Britons whose ancestors nationality was stripped away by the Nazis reconcile their roots and gain EU passport. Berlin, Germany On a cold December evening, the third night of Hanukkah to be exact, Rabbi Walter Rothschild warms up the crowd at a synagogue in Berlin with a jab at Brexit, to the tune of Let Freedom Ring. God save our Brexit Land, saved now from Brussels hand, he sings, while wearing a necktie of the British flag. God help us all! Then, he continues to play as normal with his jazz band. The 64-year-old hails from Yorkshire, England, but he moved to Berlin in 1998 for a job with a synagogue. That didnt work out, but he stayed on in the city. Over the years in the German capital, everything was fine, he says, until Brexit. In 2016, 52 percent of Britons voted to leave the European Union in a referendum. Being a European doesn't mean you're not loyal to one country, it means you're loyal to a lot at the same time. Walter Rothschild, rabbi and musician Rothschild earns a living as a freelance writer and rabbi and didnt want to lose access to work in neighbouring countries. So he looked to his familys painful past to find a solution for this upcoming challenge. His German-Jewish grandfather spent a short time in Dachau, the Nazi concentration camp northwest of Munich, starting on November 10, 1938. The Nazis imprisoned many that day right after Kristallnacht, the night of deadly violence against Jews across the country. Upon his release from Dachau, his grandfather left with his wife, Rothschilds grandmother, to Switzerland, and the Nazis took away his German citizenship. Now Ive told you about my own trauma through my grandfather, Rothschild says. You want to know that if anything happens in one country, you can go to another, and being a European doesnt mean youre not loyal to one country it means youre loyal to a lot at the same time. Rabbi Walter Rothschild, wearing a British flag necktie, reclaimed his German citizenship in 2017 after his birth country of Britain began the process of exiting the European Union, known as Brexit [Veronica Zaragovia/Al Jazeera] Roughly 80 years after his grandfather fled Germany and lost his citizenship, Rothschild applied for, and received his German passport in January of 2017. His new burgundy booklet has Europaische Union, or European Union, written across the top. Both of his sisters also got their German citizenship, though they live in Britain and theyre not alone. The Federal Office of Administration in Cologne, which handles German citizenship requests from people living outside the country, has received a wave of applications from the United Kingdom nationals, according to a spokesperson via email. In 2017, it received 1,667 applications from the UK. Thats up from 684 in 2016 and from 43 applications in 2015. From January until October 2018, there were 1,228 applications. The office doesnt track whether the applicants are actually British or just living in the UK with a different nationality. Inundated with applications German nationals and their descendants who were stripped of their nationality for political, racial or religious reasons between January 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945 might qualify for citizenship. The Nazis listed names of an individual considered undesirable in the Reich Law Gazette. Having your name published in the Gazette meant losing German citizenship. Rothschild found his paternal grandparents names in the Reich Law Gazette and turned this in with his application. Pippa Goldschmidt, 50, has also got a new German passport. She received hers a few months ago. Goldschmidts paternal grandfather arrived in London as a refugee from Germany in the late 1930s. The Nazis also took away the citizenship of Jews living outside Germany in the early 1930s. When I went to the German consulate here in Edinburgh to apply for German citizenship, they said they were inundated with applications like mine, says Goldschmidt, who lives in the Scottish capital but grew up in London. I am not very happy living in a country that can cut itself off from its European neighbours. I think it is disastrous. Pippa Goldschmidt, astrophysicist and author The astrophysicist turned author has spent extended time in Germany on writing residencies. I feel at home there, says Goldschmidt, whose father also got his German citizenship. I dont want to be trapped in the past. For me, the point of going to Germany is because its a terrific country now. Like Rothschild, Goldschmidt also didnt want to lose the privileges that come with EU membership. The free movement of people to be able to go and live and work anywhere within the EU is such a brilliant personal right, she says. Goldschmidt wrote about her decision to reclaim German citizenship in a new book of essays by the descendants of Jewish Holocaust survivors who have done the same. A Place They Called Home was published earlier this month by Berlinica. Not all the authors in the book are British, but its editor Donna Swarthout says the geographic proximity of British Jews to Germany has helped a growing number of them to reconcile Nazi Germany with todays country. I think its really important that we speak with our own voice, that we take ownership of our narrative and that we demonstrate that we arent just victims, says Swarthout, an American-German Jew based in Berlin. We are also moving forward. And one of the ways we can do that is by becoming a German citizen and getting all of the benefits that go along with citizenship. Goldschmidt says she and her partner are closely watching the Brexit developments to determine if theyll choose to spend more time in Germany than in the UK. I am not very happy living in a country that can cut itself off from its European neighbours, she says. I think it is disastrous. Rothschild, the jazz playing rabbi, says he too plans to enjoy EU benefits, but hell return to Britain one day. He just hopes its not anytime soon. I have actually kept up the membership of my home synagogue, which means that I can get buried in the cemetery there, he says, referring to the Bradford Synagogue in Yorkshire. So my long-term plan hopefully as long-term as possible is not to be buried here [in Berlin] but where my parents are or will be. Al Jazeera investigates what life is like inside one of the worlds most congested jails. Manila, The Philippines Rogelio Reyes has learned to be a patient man. The 58-year-old economist is one of the longest-serving inmates in Manila City Jail. He has spent more than 14 years there but has never been convicted of a crime. I met Reyes inside the jail in October. Even in a crowd of more than 6,000 inmates, hes hard to miss. Hes usually marching through Dorm 7, organising the prisoners, announcing the days activities, and shouting for his deputy, Mamu. With his round belly and booming laugh, Reyes is popular among the inmates. In fact, they elected him to be their mayor. All 14 dorms in the jail have mayors, who appoint their own deputies and marshals to guard the dorms. We have a system where we share the governance, said Jayrex Bustinera, the jails chief records officer. We delegate some of the authority to the inmate leaders where inmates can police co-inmates They help us institute peace and order. Rogelio Reyes during mass at Manila City Jail; he is one of the prisons longest serving inmates but has never been convicted of a crime [Al Jazeera] Mayors like Reyes do more than just keep the peace. They prevent the jail from being overrun. Prisons in the Philippines are the most congested in the world. Manila City Jail, for example, is operating almost 600 percent over capacity. Our ideal capacity should be around 1,100 inmates. But the actual jail population is up to 6,300 inmates, said Bustinera. Conditions are so cramped that inmates sleep side-by-side on every inch of floor space. The unlucky ones sleep sitting up. Illnesses like tuberculosis and skin diseases are rampant. After spending two weeks inside the prison, every member of our crew fell ill. In such extreme conditions, it doesnt take much for tempers to boil over. We should be scared, because we can be outnumbered anytime, Bustinera admitted. Our ideal capacity should be around 1,100 inmates. But the actual jail population is up to 6,300 inmates ... We should be scared, because we can be outnumbered anytime. Jayrex Bustinera, Chief Records Officer, Manila City Jail International guidelines recommend one guard for every seven inmates, but here the ratio is one to about 200. Its the job of mayors like Reyes to keep a lid on this potentially volatile situation. He advocates for inmates with the prison authorities and ensures that all the new arrivals respect the rules. If you are angry, you will not survive, he said. If your heart is full of anger, most probably you will be in the stockroom because you will quarrel with the many inmates. Here you have to control yourself. Stuck behind bars Reyes has been in jail since 2004, when he was arrested and charged with falsifying public documents and embezzling money from Manila City Council. He has been fighting the charges ever since. But hes stuck behind bars because he cant afford bail. What shall we do? We are very helpless here in the jail The only thing we can do is to pray, pray and pray, he said. Reyes has been acquitted in more than 20 cases, but he still has over 50 pending. At the pace the court is working, he could die in jail before they process all the cases. He told me that after his 200th hearing was scheduled a few years ago, he simply stopped counting. At Manila City Jail, 90 percent of inmates are still on trial and have not been convicted of any crime. Most of them were rounded up as part of President Rodrigo Dutertes war on drugs. Almost 160,000 people have been arrested in the last two years on drugs charges. Before, the number of inmates that we had there in Dorm 7 was only 170. Now we are nearing 700, said Reyes. Conditions are so cramped inside the jail that inmates take up every inch of the floor [Al Jazeera] As the countrys over-stretched courts trudge through the enormous backlog of cases, inmates often spend years in jail separated from their families. For a person to be able to survive here in jail, the support of the family should be there, said Reyes. Most of those people who committed suicide one of the reasons is that the family had not been visiting them. And it will be very, very hard for a person if he will not have a visitor here. Even after more than 14 years behind bars, Reyes family still visit him often. He had five young children when he was arrested. Now they have children of their own. For their sake, he hopes he will be released soon. I still want to have a purposeful life, that my existence has a purpose, he said. A man has to be free and I must be free too. I hope so. Election of Andry Rajoelina as Madagascars new president would be yet another blow to the survival of nature. What links Brazil and Madagascar? Both have lent their names to fanciful films. Both are globally renowned for their biodiversity. And both face the prospect of an autocratic leader bent on destroying their nations environment for short-term gain. Unfortunately for Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro has already been elected, due to take up his presidential post on January 1. On the campaign trail, he made clear his desire to plunder the Amazon rainforest, tearing up environmental protections and regulations to advance mining and industrial-scale farming. This is a devastation not only for the Amazon, but climate change affecting the whole planet: its role in converting carbon dioxide to oxygen has earned it the title, the lungs of the planet. Yet Bolsonaros new foreign minister has claimed climate science is a plot by cultural Marxists to stifle development. The ruinous path Brazil looks set to forge may, sadly, be followed by Madagascar. The fate of its environment hangs on an election chalked for December 19th. After an inconclusive first round in which no candidate gained an absolute majority, Andry Rajoelina a DJ turned-media mogul will face off against Marc Ravalomanana, the president between 2002 to 2009. If the Malagasy people opt for Rajoelina, it will represent yet another blow to the survival of nature. Like his Brazilian counterpart, Rajoelina has a fondness for military coups. Bolsonaro has merely praised the military government that Brazil endured, but Rajoelina has been the actual beneficiary of one: in 2009, the army deposed the democratically elected president and installed him as President of the High Transitional Authority of Madagascar. Predictably, this transitionary measure lasted longer than expected comprising a reign of nearly five years. Because he has not yet taken power, we have so far heard only rhetoric from the Brazilian President-Elect. But we can see Rajoelinas predatory attitude to the environment as demonstrated by his track record. His slick, expensive campaign should fool no one into thinking he has embraced democracy or the environment. One must only look to the appalling state of the Malagasy rainforests to witness his rapaciousness. Madagascars forests harbour much of the nations abundant biodiversity, including its remarkably unique flora and fauna. Five percent of the worlds species are found on Madagascar and more than 80 percent of these live nowhere else. One of them is the Rosewood tree prized for its deep, red wood and fetching high prices internationally. Illegal logging has always been a problem in Madagascar: local law enforcement in one of the worlds poorest countries cannot match the global appetite for prized wood. However, under the tenure of Rajoelina and his hand-picked successor, the illicit export of Rosewood soared. As Madagascars rainforests resources were plundered, its natural riches were depleted. The removal of one tree leads to the felling of many others, greatly endangering biodiversity. The demise of Lemurs provides a sketch of the larger picture. All 111 species are unique to the island, yet nearly all are on the brink of extinction, making them the most endangered primates on Earth. And it is illegal logging that is destroying their habitat, the damage wrought cannot be easily reversed. Accurate numbers for timber trafficking are difficult to come by, but WWF estimated that since 2010 at least one million rosewood logs have been illegally shipped out of Madagascar. Numerous news reports and analyses document the spike in illegal logging that followed the military coup that brought Rajoelina to power. Appallingly, one of Rajoelinas first acts was to legalise the felling of precious hardwoods by executive decree. Bowing to international pressure, he soon reinstated the ban but did little to enforce it. The illicit trade flourished: after a year of Rajoelinas presidency, illegal logging led to the Atsinanana, a region of eastern Madagascar containing the Betampona and Mangerivola nature reserves, being placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. A few timber barons became enriched, as did Rajoelina himself. Upon his removal, a stash of rosewood logs was found in the presidential palace. Rajoelinas opponent, Marc Ravalomanana, is less than perfect on the environment, but next to Rajoelina he looks like a battle-hardened eco-activist. During his tenure, Ravalomanana tripled protected areas to account for 10 percent of the island and banned all commercial felling in them. From an environmental perspective, then, the rest of the world can only cheer for one candidate in Madagascar. As we have witnessed with the election of Donald Trump and then Jair Bolsonaro, leaders are coming to power who actively oppose environmental protections. Come December 19, we must hope this destructive club will not gain another member. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Iranian security forces are accusing innocent academics of being spies to cover up their own failures and insecurities. Around two weeks ago, in a move that caught many by surprise, Irans security forces arrested Iranian-Australian academic Meimanat Hosseini-Chavoshi, a widely respected population researcher at the University of Melbourne, as she was leaving Iran. They also summoned her colleague, Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, who is a professor of demography at the University of Tehran and director of Irans National Institute of Population Research, for questioning. Irans state news agency IRNA said Hosseini-Chavoshi and Abbasi-Shavazi, who had previously conducted research on population growth and fertility in Iran, were charged with espionage and intrusion in the area of population control. Iranian media reported that the scientists were allegedly producing false statistics about the rate of fertility in Iran in an attempt to obscure its population crisis. Population control has become a sensitive issue in Iran since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for population increase in a key speech in 2012, deeming Irans decades-long, state-sponsored birth control policy a mistake. Under his leadership, the state is now encouraging Iranians to have as many children as possible in a bid to increase the countrys population from around 81 to 150- 200 million in the near future. Abbasi-Shavazi and Hosseini-Chavoshis joint book on the countrys demographic challenges named The Fertility Transition in Iran won the International Book of the Year award offered by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, in 2010. However, both scientists experienced a sudden fall from grace in the following years, seemingly due to discrepancies between their policy recommendations about fertility management and the official decision to double Irans population. Once celebrated as esteemed experts, they are now branded spies and national security threats by the state, only because their scientific findings and opinions do not seem to fall in line with the governments policy plans. Manufacturing spies Like any other state, Irans security and intelligence apparatuses are working hard to prevent foreign espionage. After all, the embarrassing theft in early 2018 of Irans huge archive of nuclear plans by Israel-affiliated agents would not have been possible without foreign infiltration. However, the Islamic Republics campaign against infiltration and espionage, which was launched following a warning by Ayatollah Khamenei in November 2015, has reached extraordinary proportions, leading to what could well be described as manufacturing of spies for political purposes. Accusing academics and experts like Hosseini-Chavoshi and Abbasi-Shavazi of being spies because they hold views that contradict state ideology and official policy is not uncommon in todays Iran. For example, Kaveh Madani, a highly accomplished environmental scientist at Imperial College London and former deputy head of Irans Department of Environment, was forced to leave Iran in April, out of concerns he might be branded an infiltrator or spy by Irans security forces and end up in jail. Irans intelligence folks are very sensitive about foreign-based experts who get too close to the decision-makers and earn their trust, Madani told me. This becomes problematic, especially when the foreign-based researchers findings or opinions are in conflict with the narrative and ideological beliefs of the Islamic Republic. He added that members of Irans conservative security and intelligence community are afraid that Iranian experts with foreign affiliations could try to convince Irans top-level decision-makers to make major reforms. In January 2018, Kavous Seyed-Emami, an Iranian-Canadian tenured professor of political sociology at Imam Sadiq University who was my thesis adviser at the University of Tehran, was detained on suspicion of working as a spy under the guise of environmental activism. He was passionate about the environment and served on the executive board of Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, an environmental conservation NGO he had helped found. Seyed-Emami suspiciously died in the Evin Prison in Tehran shortly after his detention. Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi, Tehrans prosecutor general, said the scientist committed suicide after confessing his crimes while in prison. The spying allegations and the claim that he had committed suicide has been rejected by his family and colleagues. 180212105244681 My dad voted every election cycle, promoted active participation, was vehemently against war and sanctions and cared genuinely about Iran, its environment, and its people, his son Mehran told me. He added that his students, colleagues, fellow academics and friends knew exactly where he stood. I too knew how much Seyed-Emami cared about his country. We had several critical conversations on US and EU sanctions against Tehran, which he deemed unhelpful and unreasonable. Moreover, he publicly spoke about the foreign threats against Iran as recently as in March 2017 and emphasised the need to boost Irans defence capabilities to deter possible military action against it. But when security forces decided that he was a spy, Seyed-Emamis apparent patriotism proved insufficient to save his life. Scapegoating academics In some cases, the branding of certain Iranian academics as spies is not even based on the perceived ideological differences they have with the countrys leadership. At times, the Iranian security apparatus appears to use innocent academics as scapegoats to cover up its own security failures. They are also known to accuse academics who refuse to spy for Tehran of being spies for the enemy. The case of Ahmad Reza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish medical doctor and lecturer at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who was apprehended in April 2016 and later sentenced to death for spying for Israel, can be viewed as a possible example of this. In December 2017, Iranian state television aired a report in which Jalali, who previously worked on a project for Irans Defence Ministry, confessed to relaying information to a foreign intelligence service about Iranian nuclear scientists. His family, supporters and several international NGOs believe Jalali was forced to read the confession. Later on, Jalali himself sent out an audio recording from inside the Evin Prison, repudiating the confessions as coerced. His wife, Vida Mehrannia, believes the state is using her husband as a scapegoat to cover up security failures that allowed Mossad to assassinate several senior nuclear scientists between 2010 and 2012. The state is victimizing an innocent person and branding him a criminal to justify security breaches and intelligence failures that led to the assassination of nuclear scientists, she told me, the timing of the alleged espionage activities of Ahmad Reza do not even logically correspond to that of those assassinations. She added that by sentencing her husband to death, the state is also aiming to terrorise other researchers working with state organisations into complete obedience. In late 2017, Jalali claimed in a letter he wrote in Evin Prison that he was jailed after declining to spy for Iranian intelligence services. Jalali is not the only scientist to claim that he has been targeted for refusing to work for Iranian intelligence. Hamid Babaei, an Iranian doctoral student of finance at the University of Liege in Belgium, also claimed that he has been jailed for refusing to operate as an informant for Irans Intelligence Ministry. Babaei was sentenced to 6 years in jail in December 2013 for allegedly acting against national security by communicating with a hostile government. Other foreign-based or dual-national Iranian experts and specialists who have been targeted over the past years on suspicion of espionage, infiltration or soft subversion include Abbas Edalat, professor of mathematics at Imperial College London; Omid Kokabee, a laser physicist at the University of Texas; Kamiar and Arash Alaei, both medical doctors and internationally renowned AIDS specialists; Haleh Esfandiari, former director of Middle East programme at Woodrow Wilson Center; Homa Hoodfar, Iranian-Canadian anthropologist; Kian Tajbakhsh, Iranian-American scholar of urban planning; and Ramin Jahanbegloo, Iranian-Canadian philosopher. The Iranian establishments ongoing campaign against academics with foreign affiliations is a reflection of its widening threat perception and growing insecurities. Amid increasing foreign pressures and deepening divisions within the state, Iranian security forces are manufacturing spies not only to excuse their own failures but also to calm their fears about science-based views that could challenge and potentially undermine the political and ideological pillars of the Islamic Republic. Hosseini-Chavoshi and Abbasi-Shavazi were not the first victims of Irans disproportionate and at times delusional campaign against infiltration and, unless we witness some fundamental changes at the core of the Islamic Republic, they are unlikely to be the last. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Fifty-seven years ago, Adolf Eichmann, the infamous Nazi SS leader and the architect of the Holocaust was sentenced to death by the Jerusalem District Court. He was convicted on 15 counts of crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes against the Jewish people. Some six months later, on June 1, 1962, he was hanged after exhausting all avenues for appeal. Although the Israeli state inherited the British Mandate penal code, which included the death penalty for several offences; in 1954, the Knesset voted to abolish it in all cases except for war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against the Jewish people. As result of this decision, to this day, Israels civilian courts reserve the use of the death penalty for Nazis and Nazi collaborators convicted of committing murder during the Holocaust, while military courts hand out the sentence only if a panel of three judges unanimously agrees to issue the punishment. Eichmann has thus been the only person to have been sentenced to death in Israel a punishment that was widely supported because of the SS leaders heinous role in the Holocaust. Indeed, writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt, who attended the trial, described Eichmann as the embodiment of the banality of evil. For a long time in Israel, the current arrangement, which allowed the death penalty to be invoked only in extreme circumstances and with the unanimous approval of a three-judge panel, was accepted by most. Yet more recently, a pro-capital punishment camp has emerged, calling for its use against Palestinian prisoners. The political might behind this pro-death penalty movement is former Defense Minister Avigdor Liebermans Yisrael Beitenu, a small but influential right-wing outfit which brought Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse after pulling its support over the recent Gaza ceasefire. They have put forward a bill that would make the death penalty a common punishment for what they call Palestinian terrorists. Earlier this year, Netanyahu stated that he would be supporting the bill, saying that there are extreme cases of people who carry out horrifying crimes, who do not deserve to live. They should feel the full brunt of the law. 180105080331794 The bill, an amendment to the existing legislation, passed its first hearing earlier this year in January. It is currently under judicial review in the Knesset, and will then have to go through a second and third hearing before it will be passed into law. While Yisrael Beitenus decision to leave the ruling coalition in November appears to have slowed down the bills progression, with support from Prime Minister Netanyahu himself, the bill still has a good chance of passing. If the bill becomes law, it would allow the Israeli military court in the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem) to sentence those convicted of terrorism charges to death, only with the approval of a simple majority from the panel of judges. In other words, this amendment will not only give a green light to the military prosecution to demand the use of the death penalty, it will also normalise its use outside of exceptional circumstances. Liberman and other proponents of the bill describe it as a deterrent against those wanting to commit terrorist attacks. Yet in reality, this bill is an attack on Palestinian political prisoners and an attempt to crush those resisting occupation. What is particularly disturbing is that it is essentially comparing the crimes of the Nazi with Palestinians who have been arrested and accused of terrorism in the illegal Israeli military court system. This is an illegal court system which should not be operating in West Bank at all according to international law. Director of the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer) Sahar Francis explains, the occupying power is not supposed to interfere in legal issues within occupied territory and the Knesset is certainly not allowed to issue new laws in occupied territory. In addition to being illegal, the military court system is often cited as a kangaroo court that does not allow for due legal process with a 99.9 percent conviction rate. It also frequently tries and sentences children at least 8000 since the year 2000. In this context, it is alarming that Israel is now discussing to give its military courts the power to sentence Palestinian prisoners to death, but it is not surprising. The Israeli colonial regime is making use of the global rise of right-wing politics and fascism, where such draconian policies are justified and encouraged. Indeed, Israel has sentenced Palestinians to death in multiple ways prior to this, from extrajudicial executions, siege, starvation and bombing campaigns. This is simply one more effort, an effort which should be rejected by all who adhere to basic principles of human rights. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. In an interview with Al Jazeera, former Iranian president says he can improve the country and calls for regional unity. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Irans former president, has called regional powers in the Middle East to change their foreign policies, including in Syria, saying the conflict in the region was imposed from outside. The ex-president made the comments to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, less than a week after surprising Iranians by registering as a candidate for next months presidential election. Ahmadinejad had previously said he would not stand after being advised not to by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying he would instead support his former deputy, Hamid Baghaei, who also registered on April 12. The supreme leader gave me advice but he did not ask me not to run. It was just advice, Ahmadinejad said in his interview with Al Jazeera. I announced my nomination and support to my brother, Baghaei, because the situation on the international, regional as well as on internal levels has gone through many changes, he added. Everyone can play a role and I think it is possible to run the country better than it is now, Ahmadinejad said. Irans presidential election will take place on May 19. Call for regional unity Ahmadinejad called for unity among regional rivals, even though Iran is pitted against countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia over its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the war in Yemen. All countries should change their policies, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Bahrain, as well as Iran, Oman and Syria. We all have to do this by changing our current foreign policy. We have to sit with each other. Why are we fighting each other? What is the reason? he said. Ahmadinejad called the Middle Easts volatile situation a war imposed on the regions countries from external forces. It (war) has caused us a great loss and robbed us of our wealth. This is very bad. There should be a serious invitation for negotiations, peace and utmost understanding from the many participants among us. Ahmadinejad left office in August 2013 after two turbulent four-year terms, leaving Iran divided domestically, isolated internationally and struggling economically. In 2009, Ahmadinejads re-election was followed by the largest protests to hit the country since the Islamic Revolution three decades before. Election commission chief says 12-day registration for presidential candidates expected to start next week. Afghanistans presidential election will take place next year on April 20 with results due by June, the electoral authority in the conflict-ridden country announced. The 12-day registration of presidential hopefuls will start next week, Gulajan Abdulbadi Sayad, head of the Independent Election Commission, told a news conference in the capital Kabul on Monday. All necessary preparations and an action plan are in place. Soon the recruitment of staff for the presidential polls will also begin, he said. He pledged the results of the April 20 presidential polls would be out by June. 181215150403232 Afghanistans 2014 presidential election was marred by widespread claims of irregularities, which mounted until then-US Secretary of State John Kerry intervened and convinced the two main rivals current President Ashraf Ghani and power-sharing Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to form a national unity government. Ghanis office says he will seek another term. Other announced hopefuls include Mohammad Haneef Atmar, a former long-standing national security adviser who parted ways with Ghani in August citing serious differences. Taliban meeting with US Afghan Taliban representatives and US officials met in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday amid diplomatic moves towards establishing the basis for talks to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE also took part in the discussions, which follow at least two meetings between Taliban officials and US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar. 181210135032300 Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have intensified, although the Taliban have refused to deal directly with the internationally recognised government in Kabul, which it considers an illegitimate foreign-imposed regime. The Taliban say the presence of international forces in Afghanistan is the main obstacle to peace and fighting continues with heavy casualties on both sides even as the peace process gathers momentum. No direct talks with Afghan government Although the Afghan government has not taken part directly in the talks, a team from Kabul met US and Saudi officials in the UAE on Sunday, national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib said. Ghani has formed a team to negotiate peace with the Taliban but the armed group said in a statement on Monday that senior members had no plans to meet representatives of the Afghan government in the UAE. The talks in UAE will happen with the US envoy in the presence of representatives of some other countries, said Mujahid in a statement. As well as establishing direct contact with the Taliban, US officials have stepped up efforts to win support from countries with an interest in Afghanistan, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. A US Department of State spokesperson said the meetings in Abu Dhabi are part of efforts to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue that could end the conflict in the country. We have long said that the war in Afghanistan will only end when Afghans sit together with mutual respect and acceptance to discuss a political roadmap for their future, the spokesperson said. Special Representative [Zalmay] Khalilzad has in the past met, and will continue to meet with all interested parties, including the Taliban, to support a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Rights group says thousands of people have been killed since 2016 in clashes between farmers and semi-nomadic herders. Clashes in Nigeria between farmers and semi-nomadic herders have killed more than 3,600 people since 2016, according to Amnesty International. In a report released on Monday, the human rights group said that more than 2,000 people had been killed in 2018 alone, while thousands more had been made homeless. Violence between the groups is on the increase in Nigeria over access to fertile land and water, which is becoming scarce in the face of drought and rapid population growth. The upsurge in violence could affect national elections scheduled for February 2019, when Muhammadu Buhari will seek a second term as president. His campaign has been damaged by accusations he has soft-pedalled justice for one of the sides responsible for the clashes, the herders, many of whom come from the same Fulani ethnic group as the leader. The presidency has repeatedly denied those allegations. The violence is often painted as ethnoreligious: chiefly Muslim Fulani herders clashing with mainly Christian farmers. But many analysts and politicians say climate change and expanding agriculture are creating competition for land that is pushing the farmers and herders into conflict, regardless of faith or ethnicity. After a quieter wet season in the summer, analysts now fear clashes could surge again as the dry season begins, forcing herders to move south towards greener land and water supplies, often across farmland. Any increase in violence would coincide with the February 2019 vote. The Nigerian authorities failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more, Amnesty said in a statement. Nigerias military and police did not respond to request for comment. Of the 310 attacks recorded between January 2016 and October 2018, 57 percent were in 2018, the rights group said. These attacks were well planned and coordinated, with the use of weapons like machine guns and AK-47 rifles, Osai Ojigho, Amnestys Nigeria director, said. Yet, little has been done by the authorities in terms of prevention, arrests and prosecutions, even when information about the suspected perpetrators was available, she said. The farmer-herder conflict killed six times more people than the war with the Boko Haram rebellion in the first half of 2018, the International Crisis Group said in July. In some places, because of the failures of the security forces, competition over resources is used as a pretext to kill and maim along ethnic or religious lines, Ojigho said. The conflict has also been dangerously politicised by some state government officials who have inflamed tensions by embarking on a blame game along political party lines, she added. Dozens of al-Qaeda-linked fighters killed in six air strikes carried out over the weekend, preventing a major attack. The US military said it killed 62 al-Shabab fighters in six air raids last weekend in the vicinity of Gandarsh in Somalias south-central Banaadir province. The militarys Africa Command (Africom) said on Monday that four attacks were carried out on Saturday, killing 34 fighters, and two more on Sunday, which killed 28. Africa Command and our Somali partners conducted these air strikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks, Africom said in a statement. The air attacks, among the deadliest this year, did not kill any civilians, the statement said. At this time we assess these air strikes did not injure or kill any civilians. Major attack The US air strikes were aimed at al-Shabab fighters who were preparing a major attack on a Somali government military base in the Lower Shabelle region, a Somali intelligence official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, told The Associated Press. The United States carries out regular air raids in Somalia in support of a UN-backed government there, which has been fighting against an al-Shabab rebellion for years. Last month, the US military said it had killed 37 fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked group. The air raids bring to 45 the number of strikes the Pentagon has conducted against al-Shabab so far in 2018, military spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said. Last year, the figure was 35. Manning attributed the increase to operations becoming more efficient. Were getting better and because were getting better were able to find, fix and eliminate those terrorist organisations, Manning said. The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalias capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 fighters. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] Main wreckage and second black box not recovered in initial search of October crash that killed 189 people on board. A renewed search for the cockpit voice recorder of a Lion Air jet that crashed into the Java Sea on October 29 has been delayed for two days due to bad weather hampering the arrival of a specialised ship, the airline said. The crash, the worlds first of a Boeing Co 737 MAX jet, killed all 189 people on board and the main wreckage and second black box were not recovered in an initial search by Indonesian investigators. Lion Air said in a statement that it was funding a 38 billion rupiah ($2.6m) search effort using the offshore supply ship MPV Everest, which had been expected to arrive in the search area on Monday. Bad weather and heavy rain at the port of Johor Bahru in Malaysia interfered with the equipment and crew mobilisation process, delaying the ships arrival at the crash site until Wednesday, the airline said late on Sunday. Lion Airs decision to foot the bill for the search is a rare test of global norms regarding search independence, as such costs are typically paid by governments. By law, the search for the cockpit voice recorder is the duty and responsibility of Indonesias transport safety committee (KNKT), Lion Air said. A spokesperson for the transport ministry, which is responsible for KNKTs budget, said its obligation was to fund the investigation. The search for the cockpit voice recorder was the airlines responsibility, he said. Indonesian investigators said last week that bureaucratic wrangling and funding problems had hampered the search for the recorder and they had turned to Lion Air for help. Safety experts say it is unusual for one of the parties to help fund an investigation, required by United Nations rules to be independent to ensure trust in any safety recommendations. There are also broader concerns about resources available for such investigations worldwide, coupled with the risk of agencies being ensnared in legal disputes. The clock is ticking in the hunt for acoustic pings coming from the L3 Technologies Inc cockpit voice recorder fitted to the jet. It has a 90-day beacon, the manufacturers online brochure shows. The flight data recorder was retrieved three days after the crash, providing insight into aircraft systems and crew inputs, although the cause has yet to be determined. Theresa May warns parliamentarians any rerun of the 2016 referendum would break faith with the British people. London, United Kingdom British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced members of parliament will vote on her widely criticised Brexit deal in the week beginning January 14 next year. In a statement to parliament on Monday, May also rejected growing demands for a second referendum on the UKs membership of the European Union, warning it would further divide the country and break faith with the British people. The 62-year-old dismissed calls from leading public figures, including former prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major, for a rerun of the 2016 vote suggesting it would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics. It would say to millions who trusted in democracy, that our democracy does not deliver, May said. Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last. Brexit chaos Nearly 52 percent of Britons more than 17 million people voted to leave the EU during a divisive referendum held in June 2016. Turnout for the poll was more than 72 percent. The UK is now set to leave the 28-member bloc on March 29 next year, two years after it triggered Article 50 the exit clause in the EUs constitution and kick-started negotiations with European leaders over a divorce deal. But Mays proposed deal, brokered after months of back-and-forth between London and Brussels, has proved widely unpopular among parliamentarians. 181201182945771 Last week, she pulled a so-called meaningful vote on the plan, acknowledging it would have been roundly rejected by the UKs lower chamber House of Commons. The move triggered disgruntled Eurosceptic Conservative MPs to move for a vote of confidence on her leadership, which she narrowly survived in a secret ballot on December 12. In an effort to assuage critics from within her own party and across the political spectrum, May attended an EU Council summit in Brussels the following day, where she pleaded with her counterparts in the bloc to make concessions on the UK-EU withdrawal agreements contentious Irish backstop clause. EU officials refused to blink, however, and maintained that no amendments to the deal would be forthcoming. But on Monday, May told parliament she had won private assurances from her European counterparts at the Brussels summit that there was no plot to keep the UK in the backstop and that they wanted to avoid having to activate the safety net provision 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. I know this is not everyones perfect deal. It is a compromise. But if we let the perfect be the enemy of the good then we risk leaving the EU with no deal, May said. Avoiding no deal is only possible if we can reach an agreement or if we abandon Brexit entirely, she added. Deal not going to change Leader of the main opposition Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, for his part, accused May of achieving nothing at the EU Council meeting and leading the UK into a national crisis. 181214120018250 She has not made any progress at all The deal is unchanged and not going to change, Corbyn told the Commons on Monday in his response to Mays speech. The prime minister has cynically run down the clock and tried to manoeuvre parliament into a choice between two unacceptable outcomes: her deal or no deal, he added. In a bid to force a vote on her Brexit deal this week, Corbyn said he would table a motion of no confidence in May as prime minister. Crucially, the motion does not call for a confidence vote in the government as a whole, meaning Mays administration is not obliged to set aside parliamentary time to debate it. Blimey @jeremycorbyn has now tabled a motion of no confidence in the PM announcing it at the end of the statement with the PM watching and walking out at the end pic.twitter.com/rQVUTxTwRZ Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) December 17, 2018 Analysts, meanwhile, agreed Mays approach was aimed at funnelling the multi-faceted Brexit debate into a two-way choice come January. She [May] is going to try and make this a choice between her deal and no deal and say you have no alternative, you might not like what Im offering but you like the only other pathway [a no-deal departure] even less, so choose the lesser of two evils, Simon Usherwood, a reader in politics at the University of Surrey and deputy director of the UK in a Changing Europe group, said. Calls for another referendum The ongoing parliamentary standoff between May and opponents of her deal from across the political spectrum, including from within her own party, has raised the prospect that MPs will veto her withdrawal proposal come January. Thomas Cole, head of policy at the pro-second referendum Peoples Vote campaign, said it would be perfectly legitimate for the British public to have a second say on Brexit given the parliamentary gridlock. Its weighing up the promises that were made in 2016 with reality now. We all now know whats on the table and whats on offer. We can weigh that up with what we would say is the best deal the UK already has and that is as an EU member inside the EU, Cole told Al Jazeera. 181208084355355 Its clear that the promises that were made in 2016 by the leave campaign have not materialised theres not going to be these amazing new trade deals ready to go on day one when we leave the EU, nobody spoke about a transition period back in the 2016 campaign, and the issue of the Irish land border was rarely if ever discussed at all, he added. According to a recent poll by market research and data analytics firm YouGov, 55 percent of UK voters are in favour of a referendum on the proposed terms of the countrys departure from the EU. Meanwhile, some 53 percent of Britons are now in favour of remaining in the bloc, according to data gathered by the UKs National Centre for Social Research. But Usherwood cautioned that another referendum could worsen the political divide currently racking Britain. Youre likely to have all of the same problems as you had with the 2016 referendum [in the event of a second vote] about which question youre asking voters and which choice youre offering, he said. Also you have to assume that people are not that interested in the detail of whats going on and theres a whole lot of exasperation at this still not being at a conclusion. Ottawa says Beijing has allowed its diplomats access to Michael Spavor, who has been held in China for a week. Canadian diplomats have received consular access to the second of two men detained by China over the past week, Canadas foreign ministry has said. John McCallum, Canadas ambassador to Beijing, met Michael Spavor, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday. Spavor and Michael Kovrig were both picked up after Canada arrested a senior Chinese executive on a US extradition request. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who said on Friday the detentions were unacceptable told CTV his government was taking the situation very seriously. We have engaged with the Chinese officials to determine what exactly conditions are they being detained under? Why are they being detained? he said in an interview aired on Sunday. McCallum met Kovrig for the first time on Friday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that China should free the two men. Spavor, a businessman, and Kovrig, a former diplomat, were detained after Canadian police arrested Huaweis chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on December 1. US prosecutors accuse Meng of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating US sanctions. Meng, who is the daughter of Huaweis founder, has said she is innocent. China has demanded Canada free Meng and threatened unspecified consequences if it does not. On Monday, influential state-back newspaper the Global Times said in an editorial that an escalation in the spat with Canada could be coming. In the struggle with Canada, China needs to prepare for the possibility of conflict escalation, it said. Beijing must take the contest seriously and maximise the support of international public opinion, leaving Western media no smear to slander its counterattacks as degradation of Chinas opening-up. Trudeau told CTV that Canada would continue trying to build up trading ties with China. We need to do so in a way that is true to our values and stands up for Canadians interests, and getting that balance right is complex. [It] has been made more difficult by recent trends, he said. Turkish leader says US President Trump gave a positive response to Ankaras planned offensive in northern Syria. Turkey may launch a new military operation in northern Syria at any moment, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, adding US President Donald Trump had given a positive response to Turkeys plans. Erdogans remarks on Monday came days after he announced Turkish forces would launch a new cross-border operation against the US-backed Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) to the east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria. The YPG is considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara. American troops are also located to the east of the Euphrates River. Erdogan spoke on the phone with Trump on Friday and they agreed to ensure more effective coordination between their countries military operations in Syria. 181214104213461 I spoke with Trump. The terrorists must leave the east of the Euphrates. If they dont go, we will remove them, Erdogan vowed during a televised speech in the central province of Konya. Turkey views the YPG as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has battled against the Turkish state since 1984. The PKK is blacklisted as a terrorist group by the US and European Union, while the YPG is not. {articleGUID} They [YPG] are a source of discomfort with their terror corridor along Turkeys border, Erdogan said. Although Erdogan said Turkey could start an operation at any moment, he appeared to indicate there was room for negotiation with the US. Since we are strategic partners with America, then we must do what is necessary, said Erdogan. But he added the US must fulfil promises without giving further details. US support for YPG The YPG spearheaded Washingtons fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Syria under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which it leads. However, American support for the armed group strained relations with Turkey. Ankara has warned the US about observation posts Washington has been setting up in northern Syria to prevent any altercations between Turkish forces and the YPG. 181212123525008 Turkey launched two military operations to help Syrian rebels recapture territory in Syria from ISIL and the YPG in August 2016 and January 2018. The first offensive in northern Syria lasted until March 2017. The second wrapped up in March 2018 after Ankara-backed rebels captured the YPG-held enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria. Terrorist presence The National Liberation Front (NLF), made up of opposition groups in Syrias northwestern city of Idlib, said on Monday it would support the Turkish military operation. The [Syrian] regime has created a suitable environment for terrorist groups to the detriment of the Syrian people, the NLF said in a statement. We will support any operation aimed at ensuring regional stability, ending the terrorist presence, and allowing the return of displaced persons to their homes. We will not allow any group be it the PKK/YPG or anyone else to divide our country. Syrias war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 after the governments brutal repression of anti-government protests. It has since spiralled into a complex conflict and proxy war involving many armed groups and world powers. Bijan Kian and Ekim Alptekin are accused of conspiring to covertly and unlawfully influence US politicians for Turkey. Two men involved in a Turkish lobbying campaign led by former National Security adviser Michael Flynn have been charged with illegally lobbying in a case related to special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. The case unsealed Monday against Flynns former business partner, Bijan Kian, and Turkish businessman, Ekim Alptekin, accuses the two men of conspiring to covertly and unlawfully influence US politicians on behalf of Turkey. The new charges appear to shed light on the cooperation of Flynn, who last year admitted to lying about several aspects of the lobbying work. In recommending he serve no prison time, prosecutors said Flynn not only helped with the Russia probe but also an undisclosed and separate criminal investigation. Documents filed alongside that recommendation spend several paragraphs laying out the details of Flynns Turkish lobbying. Kian, whose full name is Bijan Rafiekian, was arrested and made an initial appearance on Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. He is indicted on charges including failing to register as a foreign agent. Alptekin, a dual Turkish-Dutch citizen living in Istanbul whose full name is Kamil Ekim Alpetekin, remains at large. According to the indictment, Kian was vice chairman of Flynns business group, the Flynn Intel Group. The two worked throughout 2016 to find ways to have Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen extradited from the US to Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Gulen of directing a failed coup, an allegation Gulen denies. In the indictment made public on Monday, Flynn is referred to only as Person A. Kians lawyer, Robert Trout, declined comment after Mondays hearing. Kian was released on a personal recognisance bond pending an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday. 181216120706514 Alptekin is also charged with failing to register as a foreign agent and also making false statements. The indictment describes Kian and Flynn as co-founders of Alexandria-based Flynn Intel Group, which is listed in the indictment only as Company A. It accuses Kian and Alptekin of illegally lobbying in the US to discredit Gulen and have him extradited. According to the indictment, Alptekin worked at the direction of the Turkish government, but the defendants worked to conceal that fact. Truth Campaign In the summer of 2016, when Flynn was working as an adviser to the Trump campaign, the three initiated what they called a Truth Campaign that compared Gulen to Irans Ayatollah Khomeini. On November 8, 2016 Election Day Flynn wrote an op-ed piece in The Hill newspaper titled Our Ally Turkey Is in Crisis and Needs Our Support. The column uses the same comparison between Gulen and Khomeini. The indictment notes that Flynns column uses identical or very similar language to that prepared by Kian in a draft op-ed. 181121070245348 We all remember another quiet, bearded elder cleric who sat under an apple tree in the suburbs of Paris in 1978, Flynn wrote in the op-ed, mimicking language provided to him by Kian. He claimed to be a man of God who wanted to be a dictator. Several days before the column was published, Kian crowed to Alptekin in an email about the advantageous timing of the pending op-ed piece coinciding with Election Day. The arrow has left the bow! Alptekin, who had complained a week earlier that the Flynn Group had not done enough work to honour the contract, responded that Kians op-ed was right on target. Flynn, a retired three-star general, pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about conversations he had with the then-Russian ambassador. He is scheduled for sentencing Tuesday. Kian and Alptekins prosecution is led not by the special counsel but prosecutors with the Eastern District of Virginia. UN peacekeepers say two of four tunnels found close to the border violate a resolution that ended the 2006 war. The United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon have said two of the four tunnels allegedly discovered by Israel cross the border between the two countries, violating a ceasefire agreement that ended a 2006 war. In a statement on Monday, the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it can confirm that two of the tunnels cross the Blue Line. These constitute violations of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the peacekeeping force said in a statement, referring to the agreement that ended the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. The resolution bans all unauthorised weapons between the Litani River and the UN-monitored border between Israel and Lebanon. 181216100403603 Under the resolution, Lebanons army is responsible for security on its side of the border in a zone from which any other armed force, including Hezbollah, is banned. Israel accuses Hezbollah of digging the tunnels. The Lebanese armed group has not commented on the UN operation. On Sunday, the Israeli army said it discovered a fourth tunnel which it proceeded to destroy as part of a military operation launched in early December and aimed at exposing and thwarting potential incursions into its territory. The UN peacekeepers said they would continue their technical investigations, describing the recent discoveries as a matter of serious concern, requesting urgent follow-up actions by the Lebanese authorities. In Beirut, Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said his country is committed to the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement and respect of the Blue Line. Hariri said in a meeting with General Stefano Del Col, the UNIFIL head, that the Lebanese army will conduct patrols to deal with any flaw in the implementation of the ceasefire. Wire placed along the border Earlier on Monday, Lebanese soldiers went on alert after Israeli troops rolled out barbed wire along the border. Lebanons state-run National News Agency said the incident occurred on the edge of the southern village of Mays al-Jabal when Israeli troops installed 200 meters of wire. Lebanese troops protested that the wire was placed on their side of the border. The Israeli military said its troops were placing concertina wire adjacent to the Blue Line when the standoff occurred. It said the wire was installed entirely in Israeli territory, in coordination with the peacekeepers. No violent incidents were reported, it said. UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said that after reports of a standoff between Lebanese and Israeli troops along the Blue Line, UNIFIL troops were deployed in the area to defuse the situation, prevent misunderstandings and maintain stability. 181205155316905 The situation in the area is now calm and our troops are on the ground, Tenenti said. Israel and Hezbollah, who are technically still at war, have avoided any major conflict at the border since 2006, though Israel has mounted attacks in Syria targeting what it said were advanced weapon deliveries to the group. President Michel Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, last week said he did not see in Israels military operation a threat to peace, adding Beirut was ready to remove the causes of the dispute, without adding any further information. Paris estimates it will make $570m in 2019 by introducing a new levy on large internet and tech firms from January 1. France has said it will impose its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1. French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said at a news conference in Paris on Monday that the measure would be introduced whatever happens. It will be for the whole of 2019 for an amount that we estimate at 500 million euros [$570 million], he said. Mondays move could help Paris close a multibillion-euro hole in the 2019 budget left by President Emmanuel Macrons new measures for low-income families, which were introduced last week to appease the yellow vest protesters. 180203081045740 France has long been pushing hard for a so-called GAFA tax named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon to ensure the global giants pay a fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in the European Union. The low tax rates paid by the US tech giants in the EU has repeatedly caused anger among voters in many European countries, but the 28-member bloc is divided on how to tackle the issue. Fears of US anger Ireland, which hosts the European headquarters of several US tech giants, leads a small group of mostly Nordic countries who argue that a new tax could lead to reprisals against European companies and stoke anger in the US. Any tax changes must be approved unanimously by member states of the EU. Earlier this month, France and Germany agreed to introduce a new joint measure in 2021, which would give the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) time to work on a new global solution. The OECD, a forum for major world economies, is working on a proposal for a new international scheme that would regulate taxation on tech firms. Policymakers across the world have had difficulty taxing the US-based giants who dominate their sectors internationally but often route their revenues and profits via low-tax jurisdictions to reduce their liabilities. Some other EU member states such as the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy are also working on national versions of a digital tax, with Singapore and India also planning their own schemes. French court rules against former students in discrimination case Three former students accused state of racism after they were stopped and searched by police on a school trip in 2017. Hamas chief Ismail Haniya affirmed his willingness to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at any place to discuss the internal Palestinian divide. Haniyas remarks came in a speech on Sunday during a festival organised by Hamas in Gaza City to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the movements establishment, which saw the participation of thousands of Palestinian people. Members of Hamass armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, participated in the rally in camouflage and carrying rifles while brandishing a range of weapons. The movement said the large turnout reflected widespread support despite domestic and external challenges. Palestinians in Gaza take part in a rally marking the 31st anniversary of Hamas founding [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] Haniya stressed the readiness of his organisation to comply with any requirement to restore Palestinian national unity and end the division. The Hamas leader also expressed his groups willingness to hold elections, either presidential or parliamentary. Last month, delegations from Hamas and Fatah held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo on ending the Palestinian division. The talks were one of the dozens of rounds in Cairo and several Arab capitals between Hamas and Fatah since the start of the Palestinian discord in 2007, but discussions have yet to bear fruit. In total harmony Haniya also praised the resistance in the occupied West Bank following attacks against Israeli settlers and soldiers in recent days. We place our hopes in the West Bank, which is the main area where events are occurring and the most appropriate area to resolve the conflict with our Zionist enemy, he told the crowd, which waved green Hamas flags. The West Bank has shaken and stood up with glory, strength and skill, as if it wanted to say to our people on the occasion of this glorious anniversary that it was with the resistance, in total harmony. He told the crowd the pace of attacks would continue until US President Donald Trumps policy in the region is brought a halt, singling out the decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Separate shootings last week killed two Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Ramallah, while an Israeli baby, born prematurely after its mother was critically wounded in the settlement of Ofra, later died at the hospital. Our people in the West Bank never accept humiliation, Haniyeh said, describing the recent increase in Palestinian attacks as another Intifada. Israels security forces say they arrested at least 37 Hamas operatives in connection with recent violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he issued a warning to Hamas after the deadly attacks in the occupied West Bank. We will exact a high price over them, he said. Failed operation According to Haniya, the Qassam Brigades managed to seize a security trove during the failed Israeli security operation in the Gaza Strip, without giving further details. On November 11, the Qassam Brigades announced they discovered an Israeli special forces unit infiltrating Khan Younis, east of the Gaza Strip, and killed one officer in an ensuing clash. The failed operation led to an escalation in Gaza that left seven Palestinians dead. The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas took power in 2007. UN-brokered truce is expected to start at midnight on Monday, but fighting is threatening to derail the historic deal. Yemens warring parties agreed to a ceasefire in the Red Sea city of Hodeidah last week, a major breakthrough that was expected to end violence in the flashpoint city. After a week of consultations in the Swedish town of Rimbo, representatives from the Houthi movement and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi agreed to pull back their fighters to allow the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces and the establishment of humanitarian corridors. But just a day after the historic truce was reached, clashes erupted between the opposing sides. At least 30 fighters have been killed in the past three days and the intermittent violence threatens to upend the hard-won accord. Whos fighting who and why? Since 2014, Yemen has been wracked by a multi-sided conflict involving local, regional, and international actors. The Houthis, a group of Zaidi Shia Muslims who ruled a kingdom there for nearly 1,000 years, exploited widespread anger against President Hadis decision to postpone long-awaited elections and his stalled negotiations over a new constitution. 18113009571188 They marched from their stronghold of Saada province to the capital Sanaa and surrounded the presidential palace, placing Hadi under house arrest. Prompting one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises in decades, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened on March 26, 2015, at Hadis request, after the Houthis continued to sweep the south and threatened to conquer the last government stronghold of Aden. After the coalition and local militias successfully fended off the Houthi takeover of Aden, they believed retaking Hodeidah could potentially open a pathway to Sanaa. But since late October, Western powers, outraged by the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the ensuing humanitarian disaster in Yemen, called on both sides to come to the negotiating table. After months of intense diplomacy, the office of the UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, managed to bring together the warring parties in Sweden where they agreed to a host of confidence-building measures, including a plan for the Houthis and pro-government forces to gradually leave the embattled city, a mass prisoner swap and an agreement to establish a humanitarian corridor in the province of Taiz. Whats the situation in Hodeidah right now? While the clashes have been restricted to southern neighbourhoods of Hodeidah city, the sound of gunfire and mortar fire were heard throughout much of the city on Monday. According to residents, the coalition resumed its air attacks on Friday, and tens of thousands of troops, drawn from local militias, southern separatists and units loyal to the countrys former president, had amassed on the citys outskirts. Al-Masirah, a pro-Houthi TV network, reported that at least four people, including a child, were injured in one attack on Monday. However, one source said the port, which is a major lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing starvation, was spared from the latest round of clashes. What is the ceasefire and when does it come into effect? According to the UN, a ceasefire by the parties will come into effect in the city and the three ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Saleef at midnight local time (21:00 GMT) on Monday. The Houthis will withdraw from the ports, which have been under their control since 2014, in the next 14 days and pull out completely from Hodeidah city over the next 21 days. A UN-chaired committee including both sides will oversee the withdrawal of forces. As part of the agreement, the ports will fall under the control of local forces, who would then send the ports revenues to the countrys Central Bank. Yemens Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani declined to specify whether the forces would be solely state security forces but said they would report to the central authority. The Central Bank will 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. What happens next? The deal, if implemented on the ground, will represent a breakthrough because the port is the gateway for the bulk of humanitarian aid coming into the country. By demilitarising Hodeidah, the UN will deliver aid to those living in areas whose supply routes have been cut off by fighting since June. While a second round of talks is already expected to be held in January, a smooth ceasefire could lead to a fast framework for negotiations and a transitional governing body. The Houthis, who have little to no support in the south, want a meaningful role in Yemens government and to rebuild their stronghold of Saada in the north of the country. New traditions, 3,600 degrees and countless smiles Thousands of students graduated from the University of Florida this weekend at a historic celebration that featured the first university-wide commencement ceremony at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in nearly half a century. Rock legend Stephen Stills, who spent much of his youth in Gainesville and has strong ties to UF, was the guest speaker at a stage gracing the 50-yard line in a ceremony full of pageantry, pomp and live music by the University Concert Choir and UF Wind Symphony. Cloudy skies and a few drops of rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of more than 1,000 graduates on the field and their beaming families, friends and loved ones in the stands. The weekends events marked both a return to tradition and a new chapter in UFs graduation history. In addition to returning to the tradition of all graduates joining together to receive their degrees, each of UFs colleges for the first time held its own celebration at which each student was individually recognized with his or her dean and faculty, family and friends. A Gator fan since he was a second-grader at J.J. Finley Elementary in Gainesville in the 1950s, Stills on Friday saw his dream of becoming a Florida Gator come true. The two-time Rock n Roll Hall of Famer and Songwriters Hall of Fame member was named an honorary doctor of music at Fridays doctoral ceremony. He was further honored Saturday when the University Concert Choir performed one of his famous songs, Helplessly Hoping. The former member of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, who attended Gainesville High School and whose name graces a room where the UF marching band rehearses offered graduates several bits of wisdom. If you have had in mind a certain calling, one that might require postgraduate study, or have been recruited for a top-level job, run with it, he said. But if you are not yet sure of what you intend to do, at some point, while its still fresh in your mind, make some time to rest in solitude and reflect upon the entire course of study you have just completed. How it unfolded from start to finish. Immediately after the ceremony, he took time to greet and take photos with the students in the choir. >>To view/read this speech, click here. --- Saturdays faculty speaker, College of the Arts Dean Onye Ozuzu, referenced one of Stills best-known compositions, For What Its Worth, calling it an anthem that connects us. Ozuzu urged the graduates to remember all the connections they have forged on campus, even the person you may just have smiled to, sitting at the end of the row. What you have accomplished is complete - and yet it is just beginning, Ozuzu said, and it is just that, the not knowing, that is the power of receptivity to opportunity. Sending off the graduates at the ceremonys end, UF President Kent Fuchs recited the classic Irish blessing that includes the line May the sun shine warm upon your face. As if on cue, the clouds parted just enough for the sun to break through. All told, 3,643 UF students earned their diplomas this December. They included students from 45 states and 73 countries, 296 first-generation college students, 481 students who join other Gator graduates in their families and 193 UF Online students. The youngest graduate was 19; the oldest, 65. >>To view/read this speech, click here. --- In a rousing speech at Fridays doctoral commencement at the Stephen C. OConnell Center, renowned educator and researcher Thomasenia Lott Adams, professor of mathematics education and associate dean for research and faculty development in UFs College of Education, told graduates to be heroes. You are here today because you have charged forth on a mission, she said. You pushed beyond the limits, believed in your boundless potential, and rose above the fear. The road was not always easy, the path not always clear, but here you emerge. You will leave the campus of the University of Florida changed, transformed, strong. How will you use what you have learned at UF to change circumstances for someone? How will you create a chance for someone else to succeed? >>To view/read this speech, click here. Over graduation weekend, individual recognition ceremonies celebrated students in more intimate ways. Many colleges created ceremonies around the culture of their fields of study, such as the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineerings Order of the Engineer Ceremony, during which graduates reach through a ceremonial ring and shake hands with a member of the order. Doing the honors was Josh Walden, corporate vice president and general manager of the Platform Engineering Group, who leads numerous worldwide engineering teams that are responsible for the development, manufacturing and validation of Intel's chip portfolio. Walden graduated in 1982. At the College of Design, Construction and Planning ceremony, held at the iconic University Auditorium Dean Chimay Anumba welcomed everyone to start the proceedings and thanked them for coming to celebrate with the DCP family. He then introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Paul Zwick, who is a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and is retiring this spring. My hope for the each of the graduates is that they experience good success, good fortune and an exciting career, Zwick stated. The next speaker was Fall 2018 graduate Kyle Larsen, who received his bachelors degree in construction management. Larsen served as a DCP Ambassador and as President and Secretary of the Construction Management Association of America. Larsen urged his fellow graduates to always appreciate the feelings in their lives when they find bliss, to savor those moments. Learn from the past. Live in the moment. Plan for the Future. Design it. Build it. Sustain it, Larsen said. And when it arrives in the present along with that feeling, say the only two words ever needed: thank you. For more pictures from DCP's ceremony, click here: https://dcp.ufl.edu/spotlights/dcp-recognizes-newest-class-of-uf-graduates/ Over 50 College of the Arts graduates celebrated the completion of their degree programs at the colleges recognition ceremony in the University Auditorium. Dean Onye Ozuzu presided over the ceremony, welcoming Assistant Professor of Dance Trent D. Williams Jr. to provide faculty remarks and McKenna Nelson, who received her Bachelor of Music, to present the student keynote. Nelson was selected by her fellow graduates to speak at the ceremony. Each student was recognized individually by name and degree program, and masters students were hooded by their faculty members. School of Music alumna Hye Jin Park performed on the auditoriums organ during the processional, hooding of masters students, and recessional. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Student Recognition Ceremony featured a student speaker, alumni speaker, and remarks from Associate Dean Joe Spillane and Dean David Richardson. From among those graduates, each degree program was led by a Lead Major, a graduating student of distinction who was selected by their Undergraduate Coordinator to lead their peers in the student processional onto the arena floor. These Lead Majors were then the first name to be read from their major as the graduates crossed the stage to be individually recognized. The platform party included a chair, director, or representative from each degree program, who shook the hand of each of their programs graduates as they crossed. Dean Richardson also shook the hand of each graduate who was recognized before they exited the stage. The student speaker was Lissa Khoshbakhti, who graduated with Honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a focus in Film and Media Studies and a minor in Mass Communications. As a student, Lissa was involved in the Reitz Programming Board, Theatre Strike Force's Sketch Comedy Team, and the University Film Society. Off campus, Lissa interned at CNN, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Shes planning to move to New York City in the spring, and pursue a career in Film and Television. The alumni speaker was Joan Forrest (77), who earned her bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Today, she serves as President of the St. Petersburg-based Dawson Academic, a postgraduate educational and clinical research facility, dedicated to the advancement of dentistry. Ms. Forrest also currently serves as Chair of the Deans Leadership Council. She is a past recipient of the Outstanding Female Leadership Award from the University of Florida and is a member of the Universitys Hall of Fame. Dean Richardsons remarks focused on liberal arts education, its history and mission to study and teach about nature, society, and humanity. Student singer Julia Duca (School of Music, College of the Arts) opened the ceremony with the singing of the national anthem and concluded the ceremony by leading everyone in the alma mater. Julia was accompanied by the Gainesville Brass Quintet during the alma mater, and the quintet also played during the student and platform party processionals and the platform party recessional. The webcast of the ceremony can be viewed here. Graduating UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences students were highlighted on CALS social media accounts the week of graduation. Prior to the student recognition ceremony processional, students were invited to share what exciting jobs, careers, and adventures await them after their graduation. Some of the responses included: working for Disneys horticulture unit at the 2019 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, becoming a Croc Doc, teaching English in Spain, conducting mosquito research, going to law school and graduate school, becoming an ecological field technician, operations management associate at Cargill, Washington, D.C. bound, teaching, traveling Europe, going to nursing school, and more. The Gainesville Brass Quintet played the ceremony prelude and student processional music as the graduating students entered into the Exactech Arena of the Stephen C. OConnell Center for the CALS student recognition ceremony on Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Holtons Highlanders played the music for the platform party processional. Environmental science graduating senior Ashleigh Elkins led the processional with the CALS graduation banner. Animal sciences graduating senior Alejandro Forero sang the national anthem and the alma mater. Christine Krebs, a wildlife ecology and conservation graduating senior, gave the student address. Biology graduating senior Jonathan Novak was honored as a recipient of the Emelie L. Matthews Award of Excellence, an award presented to an outstanding senior in the college of came to UF as a transfer student. UF/IFAS faculty members Kimberly Moore and Monika Oli were recognized as 2018 USDA-NIFA teaching award recipients, and their students were invited to stand for recognition. Nearly 400 CALS students graduated with their bachelors and masters degrees during the fall 2018 semester. More photos from the CALS ceremonies are available: Student Recognition Ceremony https://www.facebook.com/pg/UFCALS/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156270999268229 Ph.D. Ceremony https://www.facebook.com/pg/UFCALS/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156271023233229 UF College of Journalism and Communications Dean Diane McFarlin welcomed graduates, their family and friends to the Colleges Fall 2018 Graduate Recognition Ceremony. We are excited to have this opportunity to celebrate graduates of what we think is the best communications college in the world. Dean McFarlin recognized Stanley Schwartz, B.S. Advertising 1962, who was honored earlier as a UF Distinguished Alumnus. Public Relations Graduate Eugenia Blaubach Jimenez delivered the commencement address, and focused on the future endeavors of the storytelling graduates so every story we tell, or dont tell, matters. As graduates of this college, we share the awesome responsibility of crafting the next generation of stories. I invite you to paint more representative picture of our world. CJC alumna Gale King, B.S. Journalism 1983 and 2016 Hall of Fame member, also spoke to graduates at the ceremony, offering, Believe in you and the difference you can make in the world. The ceremony concluded with singing a rousing edition of the UF Alma Mater. The College of Health & Human Performance recognized 34 masters and 105 bachelors degree recipients in the historic Florida Gym. Dean Michael Reid presided over the ceremony and acknowledged the parents and families that have sacrificed to get their graduate to this day. He also touched on the significance of hosting the graduation in the Florida Gym, site of previous commencements, visits by dignitaries like a then Senator John F. Kennedy, and the site of concerts featuring Ray Charles, Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder and the Johnny Cash Family, to name a few. Dr. Jill Varnes, UF alumna, former HHP dean and professor, provided an address that encouraged graduates to make sure every day counts and to go after their future with passion. Whatever goal you set, it is best accomplished with a sense of optimism and a positive outlook, said Varnes. On a regular basis, we should question if what we are doing is contributing to our own happiness and that of those that we care about. Evelyn Maria Veras Cedeno, BS HE 18, was selected as the graduate speaker and spoke to her peers about equity and opportunity. When life opens up doors for you and you get through one, make sure that its big enough to bring two or three people with you, said Veras. Success should be when all people are able to obtain a seat at the table. Photos and video of the ceremony can be found online at http://hhp.ufl.edu/graduation-fall-2018. Graduates from UFs Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing and Public Health and Health Professions concluded their studies at the Health Science Center Recognition Ceremony in the University Auditorium on Dec. 14. The first-of-its-kind ceremony saw graduates of the three colleges come together to receive individual recognition, as their names were read aloud and they walked across the stage to greet their respective deans. Various programs were represented, including bachelors of science degree graduates in nursing; masters of science degree graduates in pharmacy; masters degree graduates of public health and occupational therapy; and Ph.D. graduates in communications sciences and disorders. Dave Nelson, M.D., interim president of UF Health, delivered the commencement speech, in which he encouraged graduates to be the best caregivers they can be and to think of their careers as more than just a job. Members of the EduGator community gathered at the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom for the UF College of Education Recognition Ceremony to celebrate the colleges most recent graduates. Students and their guests were welcomed by Dean Glenn Good, followed by messages of inspiration from student speaker, Lauren Schuessler (M.Ed. 18) and college alumna, Jayne Ellspermann (M.Ed. 84). Schuessler reminded graduates to, help to create bigger, brighter tomorrows for others and be limitless in your pursuit of the things that ignite your soul Ellspermann, the National Association of Secondary School Principals 2015 Principal of the Year, thanked the graduates for choosing to be the best versions of themselves, calling them the, future of education. After attendees joined in signing the Alma Mater and the ceremony came to an end, graduates lingered for photos among college backdrops and the education gonfalon with their families, friends and college faculty. The Warrington College of Business held its fall Graduate Recognition Ceremony on December 16 in the Stephen C. OConnell Center. More than 340 graduates were recognized for the completion of either their undergraduate, masters or doctoral degree in subjects like accounting, marketing, information systems and operations management and more. Dean John Kraft presided over the ceremony featuring alumni remarks by Nathan S. Collier (BSBA 74, MBA 78, JD 82), founder and chairman of The Collier Companies and namesake of the Nathan S. Collier Master of Science in Real Estate program, music by the Gainesville Brass Quintet, presentation of the national anthem by UF College of the Arts student Julia Duca and the Alma Mater by Poe Business Ethics Center Director Dr. Brian Ray. Collier shared with students some of his top leverage points for life, urging them to make plans, reflect through journaling and continually learn. You are the CEO of your life, he said. This story will be updated with more colleges commencement coverage. To view webcasts of the ceremonies, visit links on this page: https://commencement.ufl.edu/2018/fall/webcasts . Launched 42 years after start, can Rogun Dam fulfil Tajik dreams? By Population of critically endangered animal edges to extinction, as government promises soldiers in jungles by next year. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Mark Rayan Darmaraj has spent nearly 15 years tracking tigers in Malaysia. But hes only once seen a Malayan tiger, one of the worlds five remaining subspecies. That was in 2009, and the animal was in agony. Trapped in a poachers snare, its right paw was nearly severed. Darmaraj will never forget the cats roars of anguish and the fear in its still menacing eyes. Witnessing the suffering of a tiger invoked a sense of disgust and shock, Darmaraj, WWF Malaysias tiger landscape lead, told Al Jazeera. I felt numb for a while and began to think that saving tigers was a lost cause. The Malayan tiger is struggling to survive as logging and the conversion of tropical rainforest into plantation destroy its natural habitat and leave it ever more vulnerable to poachers. Conservation groups estimate there are probably fewer than 250 tigers left in Malaysia, with some putting the figure even lower, half the number that was estimated a decade ago when the then-government unveiled its National Tiger Action Plan aimed at doubling the animals population by 2020. Mark Rayan Darmaraj has worked on tiger conservation in Malaysia for 15 years and leads WWF Malaysias tiger landscape programme [Shariff Mohamad/WWF Malaysia] The tiger is at the tipping point, Darmaraj said. Its our national emblem. Its supposed to represent courage. If we let this animal slide it will show we didnt have the courage to protect our own species. We owe it to our Malayan tigers to say that we can save this species in the wild. Boots on the ground Thousands of tigers once roamed throughout the dense, forested interior of the Malaysian Peninsula, but they are now mainly confined to three protected areas: Belum-Temengor in the north, Taman Negara in the centre and Endau-Rompin to the south. A recent study by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia showed the countrys natural forests had shrunk by around 200,000 hectares between 2010 and 2015, an area equivalent to nearly three times the size of the neighbouring city-state of Singapore, located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Forested corridors meant to allow tigers to move between the major jungles a crucial element of the action plan had also been destroyed, while the expansion of logging roads into once remote parts of the forest had made it easier for poachers to explore once-inaccessible areas. The animal now sits on the brink of extinction, according to Kae Kawanishi, who heads the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers, a collaboration between the government and wildlife NGOs. There is no crisis greater than tiger extinction in Malaysias nature conservation history, the tiger biologist wrote in a letter this month to local media. She estimates there are probably only 150 of the cats left. Right now, Malaysia has no more than 100 people patrolling its jungles. These include forest rangers employed by the states where the parks are located, as well as patrols organised by WWF that are not armed and have no powers of arrest. With few rangers on the ground, Malaysia has struggled to tackle the wildlife criminals. Absolutely, without a doubt, poaching is a crisis, said Elizabeth John of wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. Snares are indiscriminate, posing a risk not only to tigers but also to their prey, she added. An image of a poacher caught on a camera trap set up by conservation researchers [Courtesy WWF Malaysia] The tiger really doesnt need any more problems. But now we are finding that their main food source is disappearing. We definitely need a lot more boots on the ground. Xavier Jayakumar became the minister of water, land and natural resources after the coalition that had ruled the country for some six decades was voted out of power in Mays general election. He says the new government is in talks to deploy the army into the jungle to search for snares and catch poachers, an approach that has helped support tiger populations in Nepal, where the population has doubled, and India, which has the most tigers of any country in the world. The first soldiers could be on patrol for wildlife by the first quarter of 2019, Jayakumar told Al Jazeera. Negotiations are in full swing and showing that we will be able to come to an agreement, Jayakumar said. Were talking about hundreds of thousands of hectares of land and very unfriendly terrain, as far as humans are concerned. The more [soldiers] the better, but it has to be divided into three areas. If I can get 500 in each of these [areas], then thats a very good start. Exploitation to conservation Some state governments across Malaysia have also started to take initiatives to protect the forests and wildlife within their borders. After lobbying from the Rainforest Trust and Rimba, a local NGO, the Terengganu state government in August declared 10,385 hectares of tropical rainforest on the northeast border of Taman Negara, the countrys main national park, a protected area for wildlife. The Kenyir State Park (formerly known as the Lawit-Cenana State Park) is thought to be home to Malayan tigers, as well as other endangered animals such as Asian tapirs and Asian elephants, but had originally been earmarked for logging. In the central state of Perak, the government committed in November 2017 to secure the Belum rainforest complex and protect vital forest links to ensure the tigers survival. The Royal Belum Declaration also promised to deploy at least three enforcement rangers for every 10,000 hectares of jungle and establish a well-equipped Rapid Response Team to achieve zero poaching in Belum by 2020. WWF says its researchers and rangers found 553 snares in Belum-Temengor over the past five years, a period during which it estimates tiger numbers have halved. Many more probably remain in the forest undiscovered. Snares made of wire cables and cheap to produce recovered from the Malaysian jungle [Courtesy Shariff Mohamad/WWF Malaysia] Evidence suggests the poachers are mostly foreigners from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, who feed into an illegal trade fuelled by people, mostly in China and other parts of Asia, who believe consuming parts of endangered animals will cure myriad diseases or improve their strength and virility. Operating in groups of no more than 10, the poachers establish makeshift camps from bamboo and tarpaulin, sometimes spending as long as four months in the jungle. The snares are cheap costing around five dollars each, according to Jayakumar and easy to make. With tigers being territorial animals, its relatively easy for the poachers to work out the best place to position the snares. Deterrent punishments As well as pushing the government to deploy more rangers, NGOs have been working with investigators and prosecutors to ensure poachers who are caught do not get away with their crimes. Without an efficient prosecution system, offenders are not sufficiently deterred from recommitting wildlife crime, said Lam Wai Yee of Rimba, which is part of the Justice for Silent Victims project designed to increase rates of successful prosecution. The initiative aims to help authorities build persuasive cases by collecting better evidence at the scene, and conducting more effective interviews with suspects. It also focusses on the scale of the illegal trade in wildlife and its consequences. Lam said two judges who had participated in the scheme told him they imposed harsher sentences as a result of what they had learned. A Malayan tiger, its right paw trapped in a snare, found by rangers in the jungle in 2009. The animal couldnt be saved [Courtesy Lau Ching Fong/WWF Malaysia] Fines for wildlife crime were increased under the previous government to a maximum 100,000 Malaysian ringgits ($23,884) and/or a three-year prison term but Jayakumar says more stringent laws in relation to the illegal wildlife trade are currently with the attorney generals chambers and should be introduced to Parliament by March. Penalties will be designed to ensure a deterrent effect and put those in the illegal wildlife trade on notice that Malaysia is taking the crime seriously. Such initiatives were too late for the tiger Darmaraj saw trapped in 2009. Specialist vets tried desperately to save the animal, but it died a week later. Conservationists hope decisive action now will ensure Malaysias remaining tigers do not suffer the same grim fate. The tiger is not just another charismatic species, Darmaraj said. When I was a kid, I used to read books that portrayed the tiger as the king of the jungle. This for me, then and even now, means that tigers are the protectors of the forest and all the beings in it. Mauritania asks for UN support to keep Mbera refugee camp running How a temporary refugee camp by the Malian border has become the fourth largest town in Mauritania. Migrant caravan: Many struggling to cross into US US authorities say nearly 3,000 people have now crossed in illegally and are being held in custody. Aid work took a hard hit this year when the US ended funding for UNRWA that helps 5 million Palestinian refugees. The United Nations and the Palestinian Authority have appealed for $350m in aid for Palestinians in 2019, saying they needed more but had to be realistic following major aid cuts by the United States. The UN said the appeal, down from $539 million in 2018, was due to a lack of available donor funds to support 1.4 million Palestinians through more than 200 projects. Earlier this year, the US cut almost all of its aid to Palestinians, having previously provided around $500 million a year through different mechanisms including the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. UNRWA supports nearly five million Palestinian refugees around the world. 181213151509683 The UNs Humanitarian Response Plan for 2019 focused on Palestinians most in need of food, healthcare, shelter, water and sanitation, said Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. McGoldrick said the UN had to be more realistic when asking for funds due to a lack of donors following the US move. We have taken this humanitarian response plan to the most focused and prioritised it could possibly be, he said on Monday at the launch of the appeal in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. McGoldrick said local aid work took a particularly hard hit this year with record-low funding. Massive US aid cuts Washington promised $365m to UNRWA in 2018 but paid only a first instalment of $60m before announcing in August that it would halt all future donations. The move was widely seen as a means of pressuring the Palestinian leadership to enter peace negotiations with Israel. Palestinian Social Development Minister Ibrahim al-Shaer said on Monday they would not give in to the pressure. 180908202336245 The position of the Palestinian people, its leadership and its government is that we will not drop our legitimate rights for aid and money, he said. The UN said the majority of its funds will go to the Gaza Strip, where two million Palestinians, more than two-thirds of whom rely on aid, live crammed into a small territory under an Israeli blockade. With its economy in a free fall and tensions with Israel rising, Gaza is imploding, UN envoy for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, had warned in October. A former French Army commander has revealed new details of a foiled military coup that was planned against Qatar by the now-blockading countries in the region in February 1996. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Paul Barril, who oversaw the thwarted operation, said that a plan to overthrow the Qatari government at the time was backed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain. The same countries, along with Egypt, severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017. The quartet has accused Qatar of supporting terrorism. Qatar has denied the charges and said the boycott aims to impinge on its sovereignty. The failed coup, dubbed Operation Abu Ali, took place during the month of Ramadan on February 14, 1996, one year after the former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani assumed the throne. It was planned in conjunction with then-police chief Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the cousin of the former emir. UAE support According to Barril, the UAE in particular had provided him with great support to carry out the operation. At the time, he had taken 40 highly trained soldiers to execute the plan. He and his team were hosted in Abu Dhabis InterContinental hotel, where many weapons were stored. They were also given UAE passports to facilitate their movement by the current Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who at the time was commander-in-chief of the UAE forces. Barril said the weapons had been transferred from Egypt and the military team that was supposed to carry out the operation included exiled Qatari officers. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia also prepared tribal fighters, while Bahrain was meant to be used as a hub for Barril and his communications team to oversee the operation unfolding in Doha via wiretappings. Barril revealed that at the beginning of 1996, he carried out a private and covert operation in which he crossed into Doha by sea to take photos of the targets among them was Sheikh Hamads residence, the countrys local television station, and state security buildings. The images were broadcast on Al Jazeera for the first time on Sunday. He had also managed to bring to the region about 3,000 Chadian soldiers to participate in the attack by striking a deal with President Idriss Deby worth $20m. Barril put the cost of the entire foiled attack at $100m. The end of the operation According to Barril, what had affected the operation was a call from former French President Jacques Chirac, who personally ordered him to stop any foolishness from happening. The decision to stop the operation from going ahead was ordered by the founding father of Qatar, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, after he was told that the operation against his son may leave about 1,000 people dead. Barril said that the plan, if implemented, would have resulted in a massacre, pointing out that his team was tasked with arresting Sheikh Hamad as well as the countrys foreign minister, among others from the ruling family. 2017 blockade Meanwhile, Germanys former Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has revealed that Qatar was on the verge of a military invasion in early June 2017, when the blockading quartet announced they had severed ties with Doha. The German politician said in an interview with Al Jazeera that former United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson played a key role in preventing the attack from taking place, at a time when Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the kingdoms de facto ruler believed he had full US backing. Gabriel had warned at the time that the rift in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) could lead to war, citing what he called a dramatic harshness in relations between allied and neighbouring countries in the Gulf. Imelda Cortez was freed after judge acquitted her of lesser charges in a case that tested countrys strict abortion ban. A Salvadoran rape survivor accused of attempting to abort her abusers baby was released on Monday after a judge found her not guilty on reduced charges in a case that tested the countrys strict enforcement of a total ban on abortion. Twenty-year-old Imelda Cortez became pregnant in 2016 after years of being raped by her 70-year-old stepfather. In April 2017, she gave birth to a baby girl in the toilet. At the time, she did not know she was pregnant, Cortez said. When she went to the hospital, a doctor accused her attempting to have an abortion and reported her to authorities. While at the hospital, she confided in officials about the years of sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Doctors and officials doubted her story, but a DNA test proved him to be the father of her child. He now awaits trial for aggravated sexual assault of a minor. Cortez was originally charged with attempted aggravated homicide, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Her lawyers insisted that there was no evidence that proved that she induced an abortion or that she intended to harm her baby. But judges have taken a rigid understanding of the countrys abortion laws since the Central American nation fully criminalised abortion in all cases in 1998, sending dozens of women to prison for suspected abortions. Lawyers have identified at least 24 women who are currently imprisoned for abortion related crimes in El Salvador [Jose Cabezas/Reuters] Imeldas case is only one, and right now shes the one who is getting attention because of the extreme cruelty involved in her circumstances, said Paula Avila-Guillon, director of Womens Equality Center, an organisation that supports reproductive rights around the world. Imeldas story is not happening in a vacuum. This is part of a systematic persecution of poor women by the government of El Salvador. Shes part of a group of women who have been wrongfully accused because of the stigma around reproductive health, she added. These laws, and the wrongful interpretation of these laws by judges who clearly dont know anything about womens issues, are causing so much damage to families and to people, said Avila-Guillon. 24 women imprisoned On Monday, the prosecutor and the defence reached an agreement to reduce the charges to child abandonment. A judge then found her not guilty of the lesser charge. Cortez, who had spent more than a year and a half in prison, was immediately released. 180215164922658 The decision of head judge is an important precedent in the fight for the rights of women, said lawyer Bertha de Leon after the decision. Through pressure from local and international human rights organisations, five women convicted of abortion-related crimes have been released in the past year, in what lawyers and activists believed could indicate a loosening of the countrys rigid legal interpretation of the total abortion ban. Its changing the perspective, Avila-Guillon told Al Jazeera. [Cortezs case] has created a lot of sensitivity about the fact that women cannot access abortion even in cases of rape. The decision of judge is an important precedent in the fight for the rights of women. Bertha de Leon, lawyer Lawyers have identified at least 24 women who are currently imprisoned for abortion related crimes in El Salvador. Most of these women, including Cortez are from poor neighbourhoods, which means they lack access to proper healthcare and often cant afford a good lawyer. In many cases, judges convict these women without solid evidence against them, according to local activists and lawyers representing the women. But the release of Cortez may show that this is changing. 180314084422511 During a preliminary hearing, Cortezs legal counsel requested that the trial be suspended for a lack of evidence. In September, a judge denied their petition. The trial was scheduled for November 12, but was postponed until December 17 when the prosecutor called in sick. Hearings for Cortez were rescheduled at least eight times, according to lawyers who say that doing so has hindered her access to justice. But on Monday, Cortez finally walked free. Outside a crowd gathered to support her, chanting, Imelda is not alone. We, the defenders, are here. Among the group were women previously imprisoned under the countrys abortion laws. Activists hope the release of Cortez now indicates a potential loosening of these harsh restrictions. We hope that the judges have the capacity to give a verdict with a human rights approach, listening to the allegations from a juridical and scientific perspective and that they dont give sentences based on prejudice, said Salvadoran activist Keyla Caceres. Saudi Arabia has denounced as blatant interference a resolution by the US Senate accusing the kingdoms Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and calling for an end to Washingtons military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen. The Senates move last week dealt a new warning to US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly signalled his backing for the Saudi leadership even amid a mounting outcry the killing of Khashoggi, a critic of the powerful Prince Mohammed, and the devastating Yemen conflict. The recent position of the United States Senate, which has been built on baseless allegations and accusations, includes blatant interference in its internal affairs and the role of the kingdom at the regional and international level, the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency on Monday. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was murdered on October 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his planned marriage. In a unanimous vote on Thursday, the Senate approved the resolution condemning Khashoggis murder and calling Prince Mohammed also known as MBS responsible for it. The senators move came after senior intelligence officials from the US spy agency CIA reportedly said that such an operation would have needed the approval of MBS, the kingdoms de facto leader. After giving contradictory statements about the whereabouts of Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia admitted that the writer 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. The kingdom has previously asserted that the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi is a deplorable crime that does not reflect the Kingdoms policy nor its institutions and reaffirms its rejection of any attempts to take the case out of the path of justice in the kingdom, the Saudi foreign ministrys statement said. Yemen war On the Senates Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks Trumps prerogative to launch military actions, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while three other Republicans abstained. Saudi Arabia launched a massive aerial campaign against Yemens Houthi rebels in March 2015, aimed at restoring the government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Since then, the US has been helping the Saudi-UAE military alliance with weaponry and logistical support. Until recently, it was also refuelling the alliances fighter jets which were responsible for more than 18,000 raids carried out on the war-ravaged country, which, according to the United Nations, is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. More than three-quarters of Yemens population some 22 million people need humanitarian assistance, while 11 million require dire help in order to survive. The Senate resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and are likely to be vetoed in any case by Trump. In its statement, the Saudi foreign ministry said: The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the United States of America, to avoid any ramifications on the ties between the two countries that could have significant negative impacts on this important strategic relationship. Sudans President Omar al-Bashir has become the first Arab League leader to visit Damascus since the war in Syria began nearly eight years ago. Syrias state-run news agency SANA said al-Bashir was greeted on Sunday at the capitals airport by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before they both headed to the presidential palace. The two leaders discussed bilateral ties and the situations and crises faced by many Arab countries, the Syrian presidency said. Photographs released by SANA showed them shaking hands at the airport in front of a Russian jet that appears to have brought the Sudanese president to Syria. Russia, a key ally of Assad, maintains an airbase southeast of the Syrian city of Latakia. SANA quoted al-Bashir as saying during the meeting that he hopes Syria will recover its important role in the region as soon as possible. He also affirmed Sudans readiness to provide all that it can to support Syrias territorial integrity. 181212081317948 For his part, Assad thanked al-Bashir for his visit, asserting that it will give strong momentum for restoring relations between the two countries to the way it was before the war on Syria, SANA said. The reason for al-Bashirs visit was not immediately clear. Al-Assad thaw? Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League soon after war broke out in 2011. Arab countries have sanctioned Damascus and condemned Assad for using overwhelming military force and failing to negotiate with the opposition. But with the war in Syria winding down in favour of Assad as his Iranian and Russian-backed forces recapture key cities and population centres, some Arab officials have expressed interest in exploring the restoration of ties. In October, Assad told a Kuwaiti newspaper that Syria had reached a major understanding with Arab states after years of hostility. He did not name the Arab countries in the interview, which was his first with a Gulf paper since the war erupted, but he said Arab and Western delegations had begun visiting Syria to prepare for the reopening of diplomatic and other missions. Just a week prior to that, Bahrains foreign ministers surprised observers by embracing his Syrian counterpart on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting in New York. The warm encounter raised questions about whether some Gulf countries, most of them sworn enemies of Assad ally Iran, are reconsidering their relations with Syria. Jordan also re-opened the Nassib crossing into Syria in October, while even neighbouring Israel has taken steps towards improving relations with the Assad government its Quneitra crossing in the occupied Golan Heights was partially re-opened that same month under Russian military supervision. Meanwhile, Turkey, the last major backer of the Syrian opposition cornered in a part of northern Syria, has said it is prepared to engage with Damascus if the Assad government held and won free and fair elections. 181216140639088 If it is a democratic election, and if it is a credible one then everybody should consider (working with him), Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the Doha Forum in Qatars capital when asked whether Turkey would work with Assad. At the end, Syrian people should decide who is going to rule the country after these elections, Cavusoglu added. Nader Hashemi, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, said Arab countries are attempting to play a role in the reconstruction of Syria. I think they are trying to, perhaps, woo Assad away from his alliance with Iran, he told Al Jazeera. The number one priority for the Assad regime today, after crushing all opposition to his rule is economic reconstruction. The West is not going to invest in that economic reconstruction but there are very wealthy Arab states that do have the financial resources, so I suspect part of the agenda here is to see whether Bashar al-Assad can be influenced financially with reconstruction aid in exchange for weakening his alliance with Iran, he added. Syrias long-running war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions from their homes. Al-Bashir has been Sudans leader since 1989 and is wanted by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands to face war crimes charges stemming from a conflict in his own country. The Taliban held a meeting on Monday with American officials in the latest attempt to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistans 17-year war. The meeting was held in the United Arab Emirates and involved Saudi, Pakistani, and Emirati representatives, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Twitter. A US State Department spokesperson said the meetings in Abu Dhabi are part of efforts to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue towards ending the conflict in Afghanistan. We have long said that the war in Afghanistan will only end when Afghans sit together with mutual respect and acceptance to discuss a political roadmap for their future, the spokesperson said. Special Representative [Zalmay] Khalilzad has in the past met, and will continue to meet with all interested parties, including the Taliban, to support a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Khalil Minawi, director of Afghanistans state-run Bakhtar news agency, said officials from the US, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE held meetings on Sunday before the Pakistani-sponsored US-Taliban meeting. While Afghan officials werent expected to attend Mondays meeting, their presence in the UAE is a significant step in efforts to get the two sides talking. So far, the Taliban have refused to hold direct talks with the Afghan government, calling it a puppet of the US and insisting only on negotiating with American officials. Washingtons envoy Khalilzad previously said he has held several meetings with all Afghans involved in the protracted conflict a reference that would include the Taliban, which controls or holds sway of nearly half of Afghanistan. 181210135032300 A Taliban statement last month said it held three consecutive days of talks with Khalilzad in Qatar, where the armed group maintains a political presence. Afterwards, Khalilzad went to Kabul where he urged Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to cobble together a team that could hold talks with the Taliban with the intent of reaching an agreement on a roadmap for the future of Afghanistan. Khalilzad said he would like to see this agreement reached before Afghan presidential elections, scheduled for April 20. Since his appointment in September, Khalilzad has tried to jumpstart peace talks and has made several tours of the region. Earlier this month, he held meetings in Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan later said Khalilzad asked Pakistan to assist in getting the Taliban to the negotiating table. Khan said Pakistan would sponsor the UAE talks and insisted a military solution is not the answer. President Donald Trump has long accused Islamabad of taking billions of US dollars while doing nothing to aid peace efforts and has assailed Khan since his election as prime minister last summer. Washington has suspended hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan. Khan, meanwhile, responded to Trumps rebukes by saying his country was drawn into the so-called war on terror although no Pakistanis were involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the war has cost Pakistan $123bn. Khan has also described the US contribution of $20bn to Pakistan as minuscule. An official told Reuters Trump didnt commit during G20 to extradite Fethullah Gulen. US President Donald Trump did not commit during a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the G20 summit two weeks ago to extradite a Muslim religious leader based in the United States, a senior White House official said on Monday. While meeting with President Erdogan at the G20, the president did not commit to extradite Fethullah Gulen, said the official, who spoke to Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity. Erdogan blames Gulen for a failed coup in 2016. Gulen denies any involvement. Turkey has long sought the extradition of Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed US exile for nearly two decades. On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Trump told Erdogan at their meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina that the US was working on extraditing Gulen and other people. Trump said last month he was not considering extraditing the preacher as part of efforts to ease Turkish pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. Erdogan said last week Turkey would start new initiatives abroad to target the financing of Gulen supporters. The announcement came as people gathered in the French city to honour the victims of Tuesdays attack. A fifth person wounded during an attack at a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg has died, according to authorities and relatives. The prosecutors office confirmed on Sunday that Barto Pedro Orent-Niedzielski, a Polish national, had died after being injured by Cherif Chekatt in Tuesdays attack. My brother Barto Pedro Orent-Niedzielski has just passed away. He thanks you for the love and strength you have given him, Jakub, the brother of the 36-year-old victim from the Polish city of Katowice, wrote on Facebook. Armed with a gun and knife, Chekatt, 29, attacked shoppers before being killed by police two days later following a manhunt. Orent-Niedzielski and his Italian friend Antonio Megalizzi had tried to stop Chekatt from entering a bar during the assault, a close friend told AFP news agency. 181213164117078 Megalizzi, 28, died from his injuries on Friday. Nicknamed Bartek, Orent-Niedzielski had lived in Strasbourg for 20 years, according to his friend. Polands foreign ministry extended condolences to his family on Twitter. Eleven people were injured in Tuesdays attack, of which many remain in a critical condition. The attack victims came from multiple countries; one of the dead was a tourist from Thailand. Another was an Italian journalist covering the European Parliament based in Strasbourg. Memorial held The news came as people gathered in Kleber Square in Strasbourg in a memorial to the victims of the attack. According to the DNA newspaper, more than 1,000 people attended the hour-long ceremony, which ended with a minute of applause and a rendition of Frances national anthem La Marseillaise. Mayor Roland Ries praised the citys resilience in the face of hardship, saying the crowd in the Christmas market on the Saturday following the attack showed the citys commitment to defending its values on which our living together is based. 170819194659243 An extensive manhunt for the attacker ended on Thursday night when the main suspect, Strasbourg-born Chekatt, was killed in an encounter with police in the city neighbourhood where he grew up. Tuesdays attack remains under investigation. The Paris prosecutors office said that two people who were close Chekatt were released from custody on Sunday in the absence of incriminating elements at this stage. Only one of the seven people authorities detained while searching for Chekatt is still being held. Chekatts parents and two of his brothers, who were held for questioning, were released on Saturday. Facebook account of Benjamin Netanyahus son blocked for 24 hours after message calling for expulsion of Palestinians. Facebook has briefly blocked the page of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus son, Yair, after he shared previously banned content calling for all Muslims [to] leave Israel. In a message posted Thursday on his Facebook page, after the latest flare-up in violence saw at least five Palestinians and three Israelis, including two soldiers, killed in recent days, Yair Netanyahu had called for the expulsion of Palestinians. Do you know where there are no attacks? In Iceland and in Japan where coincidentally there are no Muslims, the prime ministers son wrote. In another post, he wrote that there were only two possible solutions for peace, either all Jews leave [Israel] or all Muslims leave. 180403121518782 I prefer the second option, added the 27-year-old, who has faced criticism of being a grown man living in the prime ministers residence despite having no official role and benefitting from a bodyguard, a driver and other perks. Facebook deleted Yair Netanyahus posts, in which he called for avenging the deaths of the two Israeli soldiers. Yair Netanyahu, who shared a screenshot of the earlier post in violation of Facebooks community rules, took to Twitter to criticise the social networking giant, calling it a dictatorship of thought. Facebook blocked his account for 24 hours. Double standards Palestinian journalists and activists have long accused social media platforms such as Facebook of double standards regarding the enforcement of their policies, as well as an imbalance in how they deal with censorship in the Israeli-Palestinian context. Last year, a damning report by The Intercept said that Facebook is deleting content and blocking users at the orders of the Israeli and the US governments. 180119095053943 In March, dozens of Palestinian journalists rallied outside the United Nations office in Gaza City to protest against the websites practice of blocking Palestinian Facebook accounts, denouncing it as a major violator of freedom of opinion and expression. Facebook blocked roughly 200 Palestinian accounts last year and 100 more since the start of 2018 on phony pretexts, Salama Maarouf, a spokesperson for Hamas, the group that administers the besieged Gaza Strip, said at the time. He also said that some 20 percent of Israeli Facebook accounts openly incite violence against Palestinians without facing any threat of closure. In April, a report by 7amleh, the Arab Centre for Social Media Advancement, said that the cyber unit of the Israeli government officially stated that Facebook accepted 85 percent of the governments requests to delete content, accounts and pages of Palestinians in 2017. This kind of Israeli monitoring and control of Palestinian digital content on social media has become a tool for mass arrests and gross human rights and digital rights violations, the report said. UN-brokered truce between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels is expected to start at midnight on Monday. Clashes have continued in Yemens flashpoint city of Hodeidah for a third day, despite a UN-brokered ceasefire that is expected to go into effect at midnight local time (21:00 GMT) on Monday. Residents reported intermittent bouts of violence in the citys southern neighbourhoods on Monday, with gunfire and missiles being exchanged overnight between pro-government forces and Houthis rebels. Although the violence stopped this morning, it broke out again, Kamal Abdul Ghani, a local resident, told the Associated Press news agency. The pro-Houthi Al-Masirah television network reported that government forces had targeted the citys southern neighbourhoods, with four people, including a child, reportedly injured in the attack. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the report. The clashes in Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing starvation, began on Friday after the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government agreed to cease fighting and withdraw their troops, after a week of consultations in Sweden that ended on December 13. The week-long negotiations were the first between Yemens internationally recognised and Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and Houthi rebels. Ceasefire to start on Tuesday Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani confirmed on Sunday that the ceasefire would go into force early on Tuesday. According to the UN, both parties will withdraw from the city within 21 days and international monitors will be deployed. A prisoner swap involving about 16,000 inmates is also expected to be completed before January 20. Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country, has been devastated by a multi-sided conflict involving local, regional and international actors. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi rebels, who toppled the government of Hadi. A Saudi-UAE-led coalition allied with Yemens internationally recognised government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015. Since then, more than 60,000 people have been killed in the fighting and as many as 85,000 children may have starved to death. Speaking on Sunday at an event in the Qatari capital, Doha, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that if Yemens humanitarian situation did not improve, 14 million people would need of food aid in 2019, six million more than this year. There is a high level of hunger in Yemen, he said. The fact that famine was not yet declared does not in any way diminish our huge concern with the very high level of hunger that exists in Yemen with a number of people dying in very dramatic circumstances. Canadian PMs comments harden in tone after maintaining there would be huge financial penalty if contract is scrapped. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said for the first time that his Liberal government is looking for a way out of a multibillion-dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Speaking in a TV interview that aired on Sunday, the comments represented a notable hardening in tone from Trudeau, who previously said there would be huge penalties for scrapping the $13bn agreement for armoured vehicles made by the Canadian unit of General Dynamics Corp. Last month, Trudeau said Canada could freeze the relevant export permits if it concluded the weapons had been misused. We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia, Trudeau told CTV. He did not give further details. Political opponents, citing the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabias involvement in the Yemen war, insist Trudeau should end the General Dynamics deal, which was negotiated by the previous Conservative government. In October Trudeau maintained that he was reluctant to cancel the controversial contract with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the Khashoggi case as it would cost Canada C$1bn ($747m). Trudeau said that the difficult contract was made in a way that makes it very difficult to suspend or leave the contract. I do not want to leave Canadians holding a billion-dollar bill because were trying to move forward on doing the right thing, Trudeau said in October. So were navigating this very carefully. On Monday, the Canadian arm of General Dynamics warned Ottawa that the federal government would incur billions of dollars of liability by unilaterally scrapping the agreement. Terminating the contract would have a significant negative impact on our highly skilled employees, our supply chain across Canada, and the Canadian defence sector broadly, the company said in a statement. Immoral and unethical Relations between Ottawa and Riyadh have been tense since a diplomatic dispute over human rights earlier this year. Ottawa says it has been consulting allies on what steps to take after Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and thats why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that, said Trudeau. Human rights groups have been issuing letters to Trudeau since 2016, asking him to cancel the controversial arms deal with Saudi Arabia. To provide such a large supply of lethal weapons to a regime with such an appalling record of human rights abuses is immoral and unethical. The spirit and letter of both domestic export controls and international law support this view, said the letter signed by representatives of human rights organisations such as Amnesty International. We believe the regimes integrity has been utterly compromised with the governments decision to proceed with the largest arms sale in Canadian history to one of the worlds worst human rights violators. There is a reasonable risk that Canadian-made military hardware is being used against civilians, the letter noted, considering Saudi Arabias abysmal and worsening human rights record, both within Saudi Arabia and in neighbouring Yemen. An Indian court has convicted a member of the opposition Congress party, Sajjan Kumar for criminal conspiracy during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 that killed over 3,000 people. The anti-Sikh violence in New Delhi, among Indias bloodiest in modern times, followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Most of those killed were Sikhs. In a 203-page ruling, the High Court of Delhi on Monday convicted the Congress leader for the offences of criminal conspiracy, and abetment in the commission of crimes of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court has directed him to surrender before December 31. The testimony of three eyewitnesses whose family members were killed, some burned alive by the murderous mob, resulted in Mondays conviction. The court said the mass killings of Sikhs in the winter of 1984 were crimes against humanity. They will continue to shock the collective conscience of society for a long time to come, the ruling said. State-sponsored violence Several cases related to the riots are either the subject of tortuous trials or are still being investigated. But the one most keenly followed involves Kumar, who is accused of inciting violence against the community. Sikhs make up around two percent of Hindu-majority Indias population of more than one billion. 180725135014608 In 2012, Indias national investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, told a New Delhi court that Kumar incited crowds to kill Sikhs. In the 10 days that followed Gandhis assassination, New Delhi witnessed horrific scenes of violence burnings and killings. Women were gang-raped and gurdwaras (Sikh temples), homes and Sikh businesses were destroyed. These were no riots, there are certainly good reasons to call these genocidal killings, clear signs of state-sponsored violence. Todays conviction does reinforce that. This is a huge one, a cause for celebration, Manoj Mitta, journalist and co-author of the book, When a tree shook Delhi, about the 1984 violence, told Al Jazeera. The first case that was registered against Sajjan Kumar was in 1990. That six-year delay in itself points to the attempted cover-up, the complicity of the government of the day in blocking the process of justice, he added. Turning a blind eye Activists accuse the Congress party of having ignored the killing of Sikhs and say some of its leaders helped orchestrate the violence. Civil society groups found that the violence was led and often perpetrated by sympathisers of the then-ruling party, the Congress, some of whom later became members of parliament or occupied posts in government. Indias then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had apologised in 2005 for the role of Congress party leaders in the violence. On behalf of our government, on behalf of the entire people of this country I bow my head in shame that such a thing took place, Singh had said in parliament. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhis assassination, in October 1984, was carried out in revenge for her decision to send the army to flush Sikh separatists out of the Golden Temple Sikhisms holiest shrine in the northern city of Amritsar in June 1984. The Indian government estimated nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed in the riots following her death, while human rights activists say the figure was closer to 4,000. Ten government-appointed commissions and committees have probed these deadly attacks against Indias Sikh community. There have been a few minor convictions but successive Indian governments had failed to prosecute the leaders mainly responsible for killings and other abuses. Analysts said this highlighted Indias weak efforts to combat communal violence. India has a poor record for bringing political leaders to justice for their parts in communal violence. [The] 1984 anti-Sikh violence was a pogrom, which I had the misfortune to witness as a young Sikh. Its taken 34 long years to bring Sajjan Kumar to justice and I hope it provides a little succour to the many families who lost loved ones in those nightmarish days when murderous mobs roamed free in the nations capital, political analyst Krishan Pratap Singh told Al Jazeera. Among the various committees set up subsequently to probe the violence, one was to inquire into the role of police. Most investigations and victims accounts said that in many cases the police failed to file complaints against the accused. Many argue India should urgently work on police reforms and enact a law against communal violence that would hold public officials accountable for complicity and dereliction of duty. The idea of command responsibility is long overdue. If you find police officials down the line guilty of crimes of omission and commission, its owing to the directives from the top. So, conviction of foot soldiers not enough, the commanders have to be held to account, said journalist Mitta. Maysam Behravesh Maysam Behravesh is a political analyst at Persis Media and PhD candidate at the department of political science at Sweden's Lund University. He was a... more n intelligence analyst and policy advisor in Iran from 2008 to 2010. About the show A weekly programme that examines and dissects the worlds media, how they operate and the stories they cover. Watch The Listening Post every Saturday at 0830GMT Move to ban Hamas flag is in response to reports of violence and anti-Semitism at rallies in Germany, official says. The year was 1986. We tried the carrot approach, I suppose hoping that if we were understanding and big-hearted, the curse of nonstop illegal immigration would cease. President Reagan, a conservative Republican, with the acquiescence of Congress, granted amnesty to millions of foreign nationals illegally residing in the United States. The slate was wiped clean, and from then on, we were told, the government would get serious about illegal immigration. The borders would be secured, immigration law enforced. It was a sham. Mass illegal immigration continued unabated. Just another slap in the face to American citizens. The national nightmare is back. We are again told that amnesty is needed. It's as if our leaders took a collective, deluding sedative. State governments unilaterally declare "states' rights" on an issue clearly in the federal purview. We are lectured that "those living in the shadows" are the real problem, not the presence of millions of unknown lawbreakers. Twisted thinking, in effect, flips the argument in a classic psy-op deflection exercise: those breaking immigration law represent "our values," while citizens desiring serious law enforcement embody jack-booted thuggery. Immigration enforcement advocates allow themselves to be on constant defense, caving in as they offer compromise after compromise. There's a word that describes this: wimp. Republicans are as guilty as Democrats, libertarians, and so-called constitutionalists. No political party appears to possess the necessary grit to deal with illegal immigration. There's a new, belligerent foreign presence masquerading as American, demanding and getting public entitlements, insisting on sanctuary, even respect. Citizens appear shell-shocked by the sheer magnitude of the problem permitted to fester. Here are our options: we can a) continue in a lackluster mode, living with millions of unknown foreigners on our soil; b) grant another outrageous amnesty, which is virtually the same as option a (only that our leaders would feel virtuous, that they really did something); or c) change course, aggressively and unapologetically applying the spirit and letter of the law. What would be wrong with issuing an ultimatum to all those flouting U.S. immigration law a demand that they get out? There is nothing wrong with it. All violators of the law could be offered a temporary reprieve, an opportunity to do the right thing, in short order, or else. Such a reprieve might work. Many foreigners, however, might think it's a mere line in the sand. I'm far from caring why someone would or would not accept a benevolent offer. It's time we look with steely resolve to the millions of invaders and say, "If you don't take advantage of our final offer, the hammer of enforcement will fall." Such a final offer could express the following ideas: Illegal aliens would have twelve months to return to their country of origin. They must individually come forward and apply. Applications could be recorded with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Justice Department. Courtesy warnings could be issued to all member-states of the U.N., with bulletins apprising them of their nationals who apply. The U.S. could also issue notifications using the news media, National Public Radio, Voice of America, and The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. Foreign embassy and consular officials would be expected to communicate with their nationals and facilitate their repatriation. After the reprieve period ends, the full weight and thrust of U.S. immigration enforcement technology and capabilities would be mobilized to identify, apprehend, and deport illegal aliens in the United States. Those who choose to disregard the reprieve, and are subsequently deported, will be barred from entrance into the United States for twenty years. Unlike amnesty, with its open-ended work permits, path to citizenship, and free ride for childhood arrivals, the anticipated reprieve program grants only a short, defined respite from deportation enforcement. It would provide ample warning for what is coming. Illegal aliens who refuse to accept the temporary reprieve would be considered unrepentant foreign lawbreakers, with all bets off. Chuck Schumer clearly thinks he's got a winning issue with blaming President Trump for a prospective "government shutdown" Friday, if no budget bill is passed that includes $5 billion for border wall improvements. Since he promises that no such money will be forthcoming from the Senate, he obviously anticipates the public reacting in horror over the Christmas holidays as federal employees labeled "non-essential" stay home. But Rep. Thomas Massie, a libertarian-leaning GOP House member from Kentucky, has published an amazing graph that shows how meaningless this "disaster" really is for almost everybody: If Congress doesnt pass an Omnibus by Dec. 21st, we wont have a government #shutdown. Itd be hard to even characterize it as a government slowdown! I made this graphic to show what shuts down (less than 10%) and what keeps going (over 90%!). The media isnt telling you this! pic.twitter.com/LlB8KeoD74 Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 14, 2018 Clarice Feldman yesterday nailed it on who really fears a "shutdown": So, nonessential federal employees (mostly Democrats) will be out of work because the Democrats choose illegal immigration over national security. Since voters overwhelmingly want a check on illegal immigration and aren't enamored of an overreaching, often utterly incompetent and often corrupt federal labor force, how do you imagine this will play out? Schumer threatening disaster if the "shutdown" occurs reminds me of a classic scene in Blazing Saddles (a movie that could not be made today, because we have lost so much of our freedom of speech), in which Sheriff Bart takes himself hostage. (Snowflake warning: the N-word is used.) Yesterday, the Iranian government told the world that one of its veteran senior generals, General Ghodratollah Mansouri, a regional commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRG) in the important city of Mashhad, had died of an accident that supposedly happened while he was cleaning his gun. So far as I have been able to discover using a couple of search engines, this claim has been reported without skepticism or comment by the world's leading news agencies and outlets. Even Israeli outlets. Here is the tweet by which Iran made this claim: , the commander of Samen Al Aeme headquarters was shot in the head by mistake and killed while cleaning his own gun.https://t.co/8ns0kaF2JU pic.twitter.com/xNMfi69Nys Iran International English (@iranintl_eng) December 16, 2018 I am sorry, but I do not take anything the government of Iran claims at face value. For one thing, how likely is it that a general cleans his own firearm? Okay, maybe he is a firearms enthusiast and treasures his weapons. But if that is the case, how on Earth would he miss the fact that the gun was loaded? Yes, it is possible he died as claimed, but if that is so, he was a pretty reckless general. Iran's go-to culprit always is Israel when unpleasant facts need to be explained. I suppose it is possible that Israel decided to expend the resources to take out the general, though in the past Israel has focused more on nuclear scientists and the like, who pose an existential threat. Not senior commanders of the IRG. The IRG has regularly been employed against dissident demonstrators, and, as its name indicates, it is a guardian of the revolution's leadership. My guess is that if this story of a gun-cleaning accident is as bogus as it sounds to me, it may indicate that the revolutionary fervor among ordinary Iranians has risen to the point where assassinations of members of the repressive apparatus of the regime are being carried out. That would be far more serious a threat to the mullahs than an Israeli operation. Liberal opinion writer E.J. Dionne, Jr. of the Washington Post thinks so. He writes that the power and influence of the National Rifle Association has been broken. What he serves up as proof is the 2018 election, the one where the Republicans under the inept leadership of Paul Ryan lost the House of Representatives. It is worth considering Dionne's argument if for no other reason than to gain insight into the liberal mind. After all, he speaks for many on the left, and to defeat the enemy it is necessary to know them. Before he makes his case that the NRA is fading, Dionne takes the required swipe at those in flyover country, the structure of the U.S. Senate, and by implication the Electoral College. He says: And let's concede up front that the vast overrepresentation of rural states in the U.S. Senate tilts the system, undemocratically, towards those that claim that government is powerless to take meaningful steps against mass killings. That fact that Wyoming and Idaho have as many as Senate votes as New York and California underscores the challenges that remain. Interestingly, Dionne neglects to mention low-population blue states like Delaware, Vermont, Rhode Island each have as many Senate votes as to pro-NRA states like Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. So much for objectivity. Now, here is where Dionne gets down to business. He tries to drag the NRA into the Russian collusion conspiracy theory that the Democrats and their lapdog media allies have bet the farm on. He cites a Washington Post story where Maria Butina pleaded guilty of being an unregistered Russian agent. This woman is said to have 'courted' NRA leaders. According to the WaPo, this: [H]as intensified questions about what the gun rights group knew of the Russian effort to shape U.S., policy, and whether it faces ongoing legal scrutiny. Did you get that? Is the NRA under the federal microscope for possible involvement for colluding with Russia? To further augment this damning implied accusation, Dionne writes: "NRA spending on the 2016 election surged in every catagory." The bulk of this money went to supporting Donald Trump. As the Post journalists wrote, the key question which is being posed openly by Democrats but is no doubt of interest to prosecutors is "whether the group's spending spike was ties to its Russian connections." I have little confidence that it dawns on the readers of this propaganda that 2016 was a major presidential election, and all special interest groups pulled out all the stops for their candidates. But why should facts matter if they get in the way of the Democrats' fondest wish of siccing Witch-Hunter Robert Mueller on the NRA. That would be a two-fer for the left. Tie up the NRA in legal nonsense, thus distracting it from protecting our Second Amendment rights, while adding another log to fuel the Russian collusion conspiracy myth. The NRA is under incessant attack from Democrats and the Democrat media. But is it dying? Is its influence waning? I think not. The fact is the National Rifle Association is actually the foremost civil rights organization in America. Its success relies not on donations to candidates but by informing and activating its five million members to vote. By recklessly trying to tie the NRA in with the ongoing Mueller soap opera could well increase NRA's membership and strengthen the organization's resolve. If not, the country is in deep do-do. The 1st and 2nd Amendments are the foundation of our freedom, and as such, both are hated by the left. "Say it ain't so, Joe!" is one of the most famous quotations in the history of sports, but it applies well to my feelings about the report that former senator Joseph Lieberman has signed on as a lobbyist in all but name for China's ZTE Telecom. That company is considered a willing partner of the Chinese government in its mission to replace the USA as the world's superpower. Daniel Lippman and Steven Overly of Politico broke the story a few days ago: Chinese telecom giant ZTE is tapping a deeply connected Washington insider, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, as it tries to fend off ongoing concerns that it poses a threat to U.S. national security. The company the subject of a heated congressional battle earlier this year has hired Lieberman (I-Conn.) to conduct an "independent" national security assessment of its products, the former senator told POLITICO. "There are obviously still concerns about the safety of their products or the extent to which their products could be used to compromise American security in any way or even individual security," Lieberman said in an interview, adding that ZTE has "decided to really try to get ahead of those concerns and be in a position to answer them." There is nothing illegal in what Senator Lieberman is doing, so long as he registers. But for a man who has let his conscience be his guide, and who has broken with his Democrat colleagues and even supported Republican candidates, this is a disappointment. I am certain he has bills to pay, but really, is this the only way he could keep the wolf from the door? I am with the Washington Examiner, who editorialized: Let's be clear, when you are paying former members of Congress to ask "questions" on your behalf, you expect your questions to navigate the halls of power. Here, the questioner is far more important than the question itself. Tucker Carlson has repeatedly stated on his Fox News show that China and Chinese entities have bought up a huge cadre of Washington eminences as consultants, lobbyists, and friends. Our political system does allow people even foreign entities the rights to legal counsel and free speech. But when a huge crew of influential people sign up to a rival power, public shaming is in order. Let's start with a public list of all China's representatives, including those working for insider companies like ZTE. Photo credit: Official Senate portrait. More than 5,000 protesters demonstrated in Brussels Sunday, protesting the signing of the U.N. Migration Pact. The protest by mostly nationalist parties dwarfed a pro-treaty demonstration in the city center. Reuters: Belgian right-wing N-VA, which is the biggest party in parliament, pulled its ministers from the ruling coalition last week after Prime Minister Charles Michel refused its demand that he not sign the U.N. migration compact in Marrakesh. Michel had secured a large parliamentary majority in favor of maintaining Belgium's support of the U.N. text, with support from the opposition socialists and greens. Critics said the N-VA's move was the opening shot in a campaign before federal elections in May. The U.N. pact was agreed in July by all 193 U.N. members except the United States, but only 164 formally signed it at the meeting last Monday. It has run into criticism from European politicians who say it could increase immigration to Europe as the bloc has turned increasingly restrictive on accepting refugees and migrants alike since a 2015 spike in arrivals. Ten countries, mostly in formerly Communist Eastern Europe, have pulled out of the non-binding pact. For the first time, the refugee issue has brought down a government. Could this be the tip of the iceberg? If the E.U. continues to welcome agreements like the one signed in Marrakesh, the fall of Michel's government may not be the last. The astonishing disconnect between left-wing European elites and ordinary people has never been more in evidence. In effect, the elites are flipping off the concerns of ordinary people, telling them to go hang. No one bothered to ask the German people if they supported allowing a million foreigners into their countries. The same goes for the millions of other refugees in Italy, Greece, and other E.U. countries who have created a political upheaval never before seen in the E.U. I'm sure some citizens in Europe reject the migrants on racial, religious, or cultural grounds. But the majority of those joining nationalist and right-wing parties are afraid of losing their national identity. It has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with tradition and history. The U.N. Migration Pact is non-binding. But it's significant that so many countries directly impacted by the refugee flood refused to sign it. The mainstream political parties across Europe are waking up to this anti-migrant sentiment and are trying to placate the voters while maintaining a nearly "open door" policy. It won't work. Nationalist and right-wing parties will continue to grow and gain strength as dithering politicians and bureaucrats try to come to terms with the nationalist forces they've unleashed. When a seven-year-old girl died of dehydration and shock while in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody after being brought here illegally by her father, Democrats and the liberal MSM immediately began blaming her death on President Trump's border and immigration policies. The fact that the little girl hadn't consumed food or water for several days and endured who knows what other physical and emotional trauma over the grueling and dangerous two-thousand-mile journey from her home in Guatemala didn't seem to affect the narrative of Democrats and the MSM that President Trump is somehow responsible for her tragic death. What's also missing from the Democrat and MSM narrative is any mention of Obama's border and immigration policies especially his personal feelings regarding children and illegal immigration. A story on NBCNews.com on July 02, 2014 titled " Feds to Wage Ad Campaign to Stem Dangerous Treks to U.S. Border" shows that President Obama's immigration policy included advertising designed to scare people who might consider traveling to America's southern border. The story claimed that "U.S. officials struggling to deal with a crush of children and undocumented immigrants [sic] arriving on the Texas-Mexico border are waging a war of words to keep more from coming. ... [T]he federal government is trying to counter with a Spanish-language campaign essentially designed to frighten those considering the journey." The most important take-away from the story was "the warning" content of the advertising: "Those who risk such journeys could be easy prey for 'coyotes' and criminal organizations, be robbed or subjected to violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking or forced labor." Obviously, the Obama administration was well aware of the dangers awaiting anyone choosing to journey to our southern border through Mexico. In light of the outcry from Democrats and the MSM about protecting illegal alien children from what they deem Trump's "child abuse" immigration policies, it seems that President Obama understood that child abuse literally began when parents either took or sent their children on a highly dangerous journey through Mexico to our southern border. In a piece written on June 20, 2018 by Bryan Logan in Business Insider titled "Immigration lawyer recounts a conversation with Obama about the border crisis that he says 'shook me to my core,'" Mr. Logan cited a conversation he had with President Obama about separating children from parents who get caught illegally crossing our border. An excerpt from that piece explains Obama's mindset and position on the issue. An immigration lawyer on Monday sought to add some context to the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy drawing criticism over its practice of separating children from adults they're traveling with who are caught crossing the US-Mexico border illegally. R. Andrew Free argued on Twitter that the fallout from the sounds and images from locations along the southern US border and detention centers where migrants are being held were an extension of practices that began under President Barack Obama. The lawyer recounted a 2015 exchange with Obama, during which Free said he implored the president to close two detention centers in southern Texas out of concern for the women and children being held there. Free recalled the conditions he witnessed at the detention centers where some of the women and children were held. Free said he brought up those centers during his brief conversation with Obama in 2015. "It's wrong. And it's going to be a stain on your legacy," Free recalled telling the president. The lawyer said Obama's response, as he remembered it, "shook me to my core." In his tweets, Free recalled Obama's response to his suggestion that the detention centers would tarnish the president's legacy. According to Free, Obama said; "I'll tell you what we can't have it's these parents sending their kids here on a dangerous journey and putting their lives at risk." There you have it: not only does this liberal immigration lawyer point out that the practice of separating children from parents began under President Obama, but he also makes it crystal-clear, with a quote from Obama, that Obama believes that parents put their children's "lives at risk" when they decide to bring or send them to cross our border illegally not the president of the United States, the Border Patrol, U.S. Customs, or American citizens. Many in the mainstream media and on the left have been salivating since the Mueller memos were released last week. They believe that the information in the memos has brought them one step closer to achieving their ultimate goal, whereby President Trump is impeached and incarcerated. As they see it, information from various individuals is trickling in, and those on the left and their media sidekicks are predicting a very ominous future for the president. However, if the media and those on the left want to critique the information allegedly being disclosed, perhaps they should use the same lens and look at some of the allegations that have been made about the investigation and how it was conducted before rendering judgment. For example, Jerome Corsi recently filed a lawsuit against Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team. According to Fox News, Corsi filed a "criminal and ethics complaint" against Mueller's team in which he accused investigators of trying to bully him into giving "false testimony" against the president. Pursuant to Corsi's complaint, "they wanted him to demonstrate that he acted as a liaison between [Roger] Stone and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on one side and the Trump campaign on the other, regarding the release of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee." Corsi further alleged that Robert Mueller's office threatened to charge him with providing a false statement unless he provided "false testimony" against Trump and others. In addition to Corsi's allegations, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to criminal charges, alleged that he was mistreated by agents and/or investigators during a 2017 interview which ultimately led to those charges. On Wednesday, Flynn appeared before U.S. district judge Emmet G. Sullivan. (Flynn is expected to be sentenced this week.) At the hearing, Flynn's legal team made several concerning allegations: FBI agents in his case did not instruct Flynn that any false statements he made could constitute a crime and decided not to "confront" him directly about anything he said that contradicted their knowledge of his wiretapped communications with Kislyak. Earlier this week, Flynn's legal team also made the allegation that the FBI had pushed him not to bring a lawyer to his interview with agents at the White House. As a result, Sullivan ordered Mueller to turn over all documents and memos related to Flynn's questioning. This is a significant development. The allegations made by these two men are serious and should be investigated. Together, if true, they begin to paint a picture of an investigation marred by deception, lies, and questionable conduct. Sadly, many prominent Democrats and their media mouthpieces are so obsessed with bringing down the president that they are willing to overlook these "trickles of information," deeming them irrelevant and not newsworthy. In reality, these allegations are important and should be given weight even if they don't align with the Democrats' stated goals and the media's distorted narrative. After all, when Justice Kavanaugh was accused, many prominent Democrats and news outlets demanded a full FBI investigation (and to delay the hearing) despite the fact that the allegations were uncorroborated. Shouldn't these allegations justify similar calls for the sake of transparency? While many media outlets and prominent Democrats appear happy to unequivocally accept Mueller's "findings," the recent allegations must be viewed with objectivity and with the same lens. The charges are serious and compel further investigation. While everyone is busy looking at the accused, maybe it is also time to critique the accusers and investigators in light of these new revelations. Mr. Hakim is a political writer and commentator and an attorney. His articles have been published in The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, The Western Journal, American Thinker, and other online publications. https://thoughtfullyconservative.wordpress.com Twitter: @ThoughtfulGOP Two hundred years ago, Sydney was little more than a convict camp in desperate need of infrastructure, supplies and a hospital. The long journey from Great Britain across the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean in damp, unhygienic conditions of 18th-century convict ships left prisoners in poor health. Many arrived suffering from infectious diseases or other illnesses such as dysentery, smallpox, scurvy, and typhoid. One convict out of ten died during the voyage itself. The situation in the colony was no better. There were no permanent buildings, only tents and temporary structures, one of which housed a basic and inadequately equipped hospital. Food was scarce and efforts at agriculture was met with failures. Not only prisoners, but officers themselves often went to bed hungry. When British Army officer Major General Lachlan Macquarie arrived in Sydney as the new Governor of New South Wales in 1810, he decided to put things in order. First he drew up a street plan for Sydney, one that is still retained at the city center, and designed many of the colony's most prestigious buildings that stand on Macquarie Street today. One of these buildings was a hospital. Macquarie asked the British Government for funds, but the Crown refused to finance any public works in the colony, and certainly not a hospital for treating convicts. So the governor struck a deal with two British merchants, Alexander Riley and Garnham Blaxcell, and the colonial surgeon DArcy Wentworth, granting them a three-year monopoly on the import of rum and spirits in exchange for the hospital. Macquarie supplied convict labour while the traders built the hospital which became popularly known as the Rum Hospital. Unfortunately, Macquaries ambitious building program didnt go well. They rum traders expected to recoup their expenses from the sale of rum, but their over optimistic speculation fell short by a wide margin, and as profit from the rum deal fell, so did the quality of workmanship. A convict architect instructed to report on the quality of the work found serious structural faults. When Macquarie ordered the contractors to repair these defects they simply hid them away. These were not discovered until the 1980s during restoration work. The hospital was completed in 1816 and comprised of three groups of buildings, two of which survive today. The north and south wings were planned as accommodation for doctors and staff, but were surplus to requirements and were soon used for other things. The central wing housed the infirmary. It was shoddily built, with poor foundations causing subsidence and rising damp. Its walls were built from rubble that provided an ideal home for rats, bedbugs and other vermin. Health care was minimal and archaic, and with practices such as blood-letting that was extensively practiced, it gave the Rum Hospital a bad reputation. Amputations were carried out without anesthesia, and dysentery and other diseases were treated with toxic substances such as mercury chloride. One cure for tuberculosis of the neck, as outlined in the notebook of surgeon William Redfern, involved rubbing the sores with a leg cut from a live toad, which he noted would cause the parts to swell very much for about 12 hours, and give violent pain. No wonder, the convicts dreaded going to the hospital which they had nicknamed the Sidney Slaughter House. The hospitals deteriorating central wing was eventually demolished in 1879 and a new hospital was built at the site. This hospital still stands. The southern wing became the Sydney branch of the Royal Mint in 1854 and remained so until 1926. Today it houses the Sydney Mint Museum, that highlights the impact of the Gold Rush on New South Wales and the role of The Mint as a coining factory. The northern wing now houses the Parliament of New South Wales. The Sydney Hospital today. Photo credit: Steve Miller/Flickr Bankruptcy judicial proceedings for Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee are moving forward following a ruling from the Shenzhen Intermediate Peoples Court, according to news outlet iFeng. The source notes that unnamed lawyers expect the proceedings to result in a complete reorganization of the company. Gionees debt has largely been attributed to spending and gambling problems on the part of founder and chairman Liu Lirong. In spite of relatively strong sales, particularly in India, the company has been losing money at a rate of $143,804 to $28.7 million per month since its financial troubles began. Background: The ongoing case is effectively a continuation of the bankruptcy liquidation application filed by Huaxing Bank against the company and recently accepted by the court. That would seem to imply that liquidation is still one possible outcome. It also extends from financial problems brought forward by the company as far back as December of 2017. The executive finally came clean about his gambling issue in November, admitting that as much as $143.8 million of the total $2.45 billion in company debt was derived from his activities. That money was at least part of the overall amount owed to approximately 648 creditors. Its losses have not been solely monetary either, with as many as half of its 8,000 headquarter employees being placed on the chopping block as of March. Subsequent reports from the region have speculated that Mr. Liu Lirons excessive spending may equate to a figure thats closer to $1 billion. While the chairman denies that claim, it has led to further speculation that gambling is not ultimately the reason that money went missing. Some of those currently-unsubstantiated claims have gone so far as to claim that the money was intentionally lost at the casino as part of a bid to funnel the money outside of China for Mr. Liu Lirons personal use. Those activities would be illegal but are said to be widespread in the region according to some local sources. Accusations of the practice could equate to further problems for both the company and its founder if any evidence comes forward to confirm them. Gionee recently hired restructuring experts, seemingly strengthening the probability that reorganization instead of liquidation will result from the case. The chairman had previously expressed some hope that the entire ordeal could be resolved within the next few years. Advertisement Impact: There is still a possibility that Gionee will be liquidated in order to pay back debtors and that will only become more prominent if there is any basis for more recent accusations against Mr. Liu Liron. With a reorganization of the company now appearing to be the most likely outcome, theres a very good possibility that the chairman will be forced to step down or to accept more oversight as well. Regardless, Gionee may be well on its way to reentering the wider smartphone market and thats not only good news for fans in China, India, and other regions where the OEM is popular. Gionee-built handsets also make their way to other regions under rebranding, such as some smartphones made by US-headquartered BLU. So negative implications for the Chinese manufacturer can ultimately have an impact on other brands worldwide. Google has reportedly shut down its Chinese censored search engine project that it had been working on, secretly. It was known as project Dragonfly, and its employees were not happy about creating this search engine, and they felt that it raised a lot of ethical concerns. Google has shut down a data analysis system that it was using to develop this search engine, this comes after part of Googles privacy team raised some internal complaints about the system and how it had been kept secret from them. This is all according to a report out of The Intercept, who first reported the fact that some employees were working on Dragonfly, back in August. The search engine had to be different from what Google offers in other countries like the US and across Europe, due to the Peoples Republic of Chinas censorship laws which is why Google is not in China right now. Google had around several hundred employees working on Dragonfly at one point, where it was blocking out broad categories that would be censored under Chinese law. Google was using a site that it owned, 265.com, which has been active the entire time that Google has not been in China, as a search engine which will then redirect the results to Baidu (the largest and most popular search engine in China). Allowing Engineers to scrape search queries from that site for its Chinese search engine. This data would help engineers learn what users were searching for in the country, and also determine what would need to be censored, under Chinas censorship laws. This was not known to the companys privacy team, and Google was also not following company protocol with Dragonfly. Under company protocol, reviewing users search queries goes under a pretty tight review process, so that not just anyone can see what you have been searching. That was not the case with 265.com queries. The privacy team at Google only found out about this issue when it was reported in the press. Unsurprisingly, this was not the first time that the privacy team had been kept in the dark in relation to work being done on Dragonfly. Back in November, reports surfaced that privacy and security employees that were working on Dragonfly were shut out of meetings. Some that worked on the project last year stated that it was an extremely secretive project, and that is not how things are typically done at Google. Needless to say, this project drew a whole lot of scrutiny due to the way that Google was going about this project. Including how secretive and sneaky it was being about this project. Typically, projects are pretty secretive, as to prevent leaks from happening, but Dragonfly was on another level. Advertisement Background: Dragonfly has been something that the public has known about for quite some time, and many employees have been protesting this project along with some other things happening at Google lately. But now that the privacy team is in on the project, it led to a falling out, and essentially killing the project. Google saw backlash towards Dragonfly, both within the company and outside of the company. With many not liking the idea of launching a censored search engine in China, this included some human rights organizations asking Google to stop Dragonfly. When Googles CEO, Sundar Pichai testified in front of Congress last week, he was asked about Dragonfly, and basically said that there were no plans to launch a search engine in China right now. Now he did leave the door open to launch a search engine in China, but it looks like that wont be happening after all. This is a significant blow to Pichai. China is the only country in the world where Google does not exist, at all. This is due to Chinas censorship policies, which forced Google to leave China in 2010, completely. There has been rumors that Google was looking to bring certain products back to the country, including a censored Play Store though that would be a tall order, given the hundreds of Android app stores already in China. And then now with Dragonfly, the censored search engine. But it appears that wont be happening. Google really wants to get into China because, well it is the largest country on earth right now with over 1.4 billion people. Thats 1.4 billion people that are not using Google products, and the area where Google can really expand, not only search but all of its products. However, it is a hard market to crack. Not only because of the censorship laws, but also the many competitors to Google that are already in China, and are obviously much larger than Google in the country. Impact: Many employees are going to be rejoicing this news today, and its not hard to see why. Googles motto has always been dont be evil and creating a censored search engine would be Google siding with the censorship laws in China, and being evil, at least according to some. Of course, executives including its CEO, Sundar Pichai, were not really looking at that aspect of things, but looking to bring its product to more users and get more people using Search. After all, Search and Ads are still over 90-percent of Googles revenue, and if it can crack the Chinese market, that number could grow pretty astonishingly. Its unfortunate that Google is not really allowed in China, but given its censorship laws, its not all that surprising. Google will continue to make plays to get back into the country though, as Facebook is also trying to do as of late, but the question is whether it will work for Google. Advertisement A censored search engine probably would have been the right choice for Google, but the big mistake here was keeping its privacy team out of the loop, thus creating a big backlash over the product. When a team at your company finds out about something youve been working on through a report in the media, its not a good sign, and that was ultimately the downfall here. Marshalls Acton II and Stanmore II Voice speakers are now available to buy equipped with Google Assistant. The company confirmed as much today along with explaining the two products are now available to purchase directly from the companys own online store, as well as from authorized Marshall retailers. In terms of the price, the Acton II Voice Google Assistant arrives at $299 in the US, 299 in Europe and 269 in the UK. While the Stanmore II Voice Google Assistant comes in a little higher, priced at $399 in the US, 399 in Europe and 349 in the UK. Marshall continues to add voice assistant support At the start of the year Marshall confirmed its ambitions to add voice assistant models to its range of wireless speakers and this first came to realization in August when the company announced initial availability of the Acton II and Stanmore II Voice speakers. Although the major difference then was the initial models came with support for Amazons Alexa solution. The speakers announced today are effectively the same speakers but with Google Assistant support instead. Therefore, Marshall now offers consumers the option to buy these two speakers with the choice of voice assistant support to best suit the needs of the buyer. Whats more, the previous models that launched with Alexa also launched at the exact same price points in the US, so consumers are not necessarily expected to pay more for one voice assistant option over the other. Advertisement Adding voice support to already good speakers The companys Acton and Stanmore (along with Woburn) wireless speakers are fairly new entries to the wireless speaker product category considering they were only initially announced in August of 2017. However, and in spite of effectively arriving late to the wireless party, Marshall has been acting extremely quick in updating the models and providing consumers with a variety of versions to cater to the individual tastes of different consumers. For example, in addition to announcing the second-generation version of the Acton and Stanmore models that come with either Alexa or Google Assistant support, the company also launched more standard versions of each speaker that although do not support voice assistant technology, do come with some notable improvements in the sound and performance areas, including Bluetooth 5.0. Albeit not massively cheaper in price, they are more affordable than the Voice versions and considering Marshalls wireless speakers are fairly expensive to begin with, that makes the non-Voice models the best option for those who dont specifically need or want voice assistant functionality. Those who do opt for either of the Assistant-powered speaker options will be able to make use of additionally features they would not have access to otherwise. As the built-in version of the Google Assistant not only allows the user to receive feedback to questions asked, but also assist with smart home management when compatible smart home products are connected. This is all in addition to the ability to control the actual listening experiencing through compatible streaming services as well as basic play/pause and adjusting the volume commands when a device is wirelessly connected. With the overall experience largely identical to that offered to users who are more tied to the Alexa ecosystem with the Alexa models. Advertisement Choosing the right model With so many variations of similar speakers, choosing the right model might be a little harder than it should be for some buyers. To cut to the chase, if you are after a voice assistant model, then regardless of whether you opt for the Alexa or Google Assistant versions, the Action II Voice is the smaller of the two voice-enabled options available. Offering potential buyers the option to pick up a speaker that while small in size provides a bigger sound than the size might suggest. In contrast, the Stanmore II Voice is the larger option of the two and is therefore designed for those who want an even more powerful and louder sound as it draws on tweeters that are powered by a 15-watt amplifier along with a subwoofer powered by the built-in 50-watt amplifier, compared to the 30-watt amplifier powering the subwoofer included with Acton. Advertisement One aspect that should be pointed out is the wireless nature of these devices. As while the Acton and Stanmore models, regardless of whether they are Voice variants or not, are wireless in the sense that they can connect over either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and offer the option for users to wirelessly stream music to the speakers from other devices, including smartphones, they are not wireless in the sense they can be taken and used as portable speakers. As these models do require connection to a wall socket at all times. In the instance where buyers are looking for a portable solution, and one specifically from Marshall, then they would be better off considering the likes of the Kilburn II. This speaker was also announced at the same time as the new Voice models but instead comes with a battery thats rated to offer up to 20 hours of usage on a single charge, as well as Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX support, and a overall design thats built to facilitate a 360-degree listening experience. The Marshall experience Regardless of which model you do opt for, the company has been keen to ensure the experience is fairly consistent and stays true to the companys approach to audio in general. Therefore, you can expect a fairly rugged and durable build quality, a punchy and loud sound, as well as a look thats very in line with the iconic Marshall brand overall, including a textured vinyl covering. The difference with these newer speakers is that you are getting the classic Marshall look coupled with modern features making them ideal for those who prefer more of a retro design but still want an actual smart speaker. Likewise, all Marshall speakers are compatible with a companion Android app, although like the choice with speakers the right app depends on which speaker is chosen with both a Bluetooth version of the app available for non-Voice speakers and a dedicated Voice app for the Voice models. Both of which are available to download from the Google Play Store. December and its holiday seasons are here but Chrome OS news has been somewhat slow in terms of new devices for the month. A new 14-inch Acer Chromebook 514 is on the way in the budget segment starting at $349 with moderate specs, having finally received its own landing page on the companys site. However, despite being unveiled at IFA 2018 in August, thats not quite ready for purchase yet. Aside from that device, the only news on the Chrome OS front has centered around at least one more LTE-enabled Chromebook made by CTL on the Sprint network and rather disappointing initial scores for the first, as-yet-unreleased Snapdragon reference board. Googles Pixel Slate has landed on our top ten list after beginning to ship this month, knocking one other device from the ranking but for a high cost compared to other Chromebooks with comparable specs. 10. Lenovo 500e Chromebook Advertisement Lenovos Chromebook 500e and the remaining e-series Chromebooks are coming in at number ten for December with a high-value top model starting at just $319. This is one of the only Chromebooks built on a 2-in-1 platform centered around a 360-degree hinge and ruggedized to MIL-STD-810G standards. Launched in early 2018, its also one of the few mainstream Chrome OS gadgets to ship with a garaged EMR stylus for drawing or taking notes something Lenovo neglected to include in its first-ever top-tier premium Chromebook. For specifications, the 500e Chromebook is built around an 11.6-inch touchscreen display set at 1366 x 768 resolution for great portability. Inside, it houses an Intel 3450U processor clocked at a base frequency of 1.1GHz and backed by 4GB RAM and 32GB micro SD expandable storage. For connections local and wide-ranging, Bluetooth 4.2 and dual-band Wi-Fi are included. Down the spectrum from there, Lenovo also has a 300e Chromebook and 100e Chromebook starting at $219 but without the stylus and with somewhat less processing prowess. 9. ASUS Chromebook Flip C302 Advertisement ASUS makes its initial entry in our list at number nine with its Chromebook Flip C302. The latest in its Flip series, as its name implies, this is a convertible 2-in-1 Chrome OS gadget capable of being used in a tablet, tent, stand, and clamshell configuration. Its all-aluminum body measures just 1.5-inches thick in total and centers around a 12.5-inch display at 1920 x 1080 resolution, with prices starting at just $474. Weight comes in at just over 2.5lbs and Gorilla Glass reinforces the screen against damage. Price varies based on whether a user chooses the Intel Core m3, Intel Core m5, or Intel Pentium 4405Y process with RAM and storage starting at 4G and 64GB, respectively. Thats driven by a 10-hour rated battery charged via either of two included USB-C ports. Storage is expandable via the card reader. 8. Samsung Chromebook Plus/Pro & Plus LTE Advertisement As with Lenovos entry at number ten, Samsungs top-end Chromebook comes in several variants with further variations on that design. Starting from the more budget friendly side of things is the $499 Samsung Chromebook Plus, which ships in two versions. The entry version is marketed under designation XE521QAB-K01US and houses an Intel Celeron 3965Y processor with a base clock of 1.5GHz, backed by 4GB RAM and 32GB expandable storage. A 12.2-inch 1920 x 1200 touch display sits at the center of the build with a primary camera above the display and a second camera on the keyboard for use as a main shooter in tablet mode. Each of Samsungs top-end Chromebooks ships on a 360-degree hinged design for easy 2-in-1 use. Model number XE525QBB-K01US costs $599 and adds compatibility with Verizons 4G network. Yet another variant of the Chromebook Plus, model number XE521QAB-K02US, can be purchased for that same price with double the storage and an Intel Core m3 Processor with a base frequency of 1GHz and up to 2.6GHz boosted. The Samsung Chromebook Pro starts at $499 with that same processor clocked at a 2.2GHz base frequency and 12.3-inch display at 2400 x 1600 resolution. That model also bumps storage to 64GB and but keeps RAM at 4GB. A more expensive model is additionally sold with a backlit keyboard for $100 higher cost. Each version of Samsungs Chromebooks in the Pro and Plus series ships with a 2-in-1 convertible design and a garaged pressure active S-Pen Stylus 7. HP Chromebook x2 Advertisement HPs Chromebook x2 stands alone among other Chromebooks in that it is a true detachable. That means that rather than depending on a 360-degree hinge, it separates from its keyboard, attached on a hinge with pogo-pins providing the connection. The primary reason this $539 starting price Chrome OS gadget has fallen another placement on our list is due to the introduction of Googles Pixel Slate but recent reviews have also commented at how uncomfortable the tablet can be to use. Namely, reviewers are saying that this tablet has somewhat sharp edges along the bottom portion when in that mode, which makes use unwieldy if happens to be rested on the users body. Setting that aside, this is still a very solid offering from HP. It features an Intel Core m3 processor topped with either 4GB or 8GB RAM backed by 32GB storage. Display resolution for the 12.3-inch multitouch panel is 2400 x 1600 while the all-metal device itself measures just 0.3-inches thick and weighs just 1.62lbs. Bang & Olufsen speakers are included as well, while USB-C is incorporated for charging, display out, and other functions. The battery lasts a claimed 12.5-hours. 6. Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 Advertisement The Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 is the once premiere Windows computer manufacturers first premium entry into the Chrome OS ecosystem. It was first announced at IFA Berlin 2018 and, like so many in this ranking, features a 2-in-1 convertible design allowing its 14-inch 1080p touchscreen to be used in multiple modes. Designed to meet the standards of its contemporary laptops running that other operating system, its all-aluminum chassis features a backlit keyboard, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, a headphone jack, micro SD card reader, and USB 3.1 standard port. A 56Wh battery with a claimed battery life of up to 15 hours drives an eighth-generation Intel Core i3 CPU clocked at a base frequency of 3.4GHz under the hood. 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 128GB of storage space provide the backing behind that chip. A garaged EMR stylus is included for even more productivity. 5. Google Pixel Slate Advertisement Googles Pixel Slate has plenty of flaws, not least of all in terms of pricing or the added cost of a keyboard and Pixelbook Pen. Conversely, it is Googles first entry into the Chrome OS tablet category and only the second overall, bringing massive specs and premium builds to match the price. So its four variants ranging from $599 to $1599 definitely deserve a spot on our top ten. As with the Pixelbook, there are a substantial number of features that are the same across every device. But starting at the bottom model, buyers get a tablet with an Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM and 32GB storage or 8GB RAM and 64GB storage. Stepping up from there to the $799 model, the Pixel Slate ships with 8GB RAM and 64GB storage backing up an 8th Gen Intel Core m3 processor. For $999, that jumps to an Intel Core i5 processor with 128GB storage. Finally, the top price nets users a massive 16GB RAM, 256GB storage, and an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 chip. Each version ships in an all-metal midnight blue coloration and 12.3-inch 3000 x 2000 touchscreen. Both front and rear cameras enable 1080p recording and are rated at 8-megapixels, although the forward-facing Duo cam does have a slightly larger aperture. Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, two USB-C with 4K video output or for charging and data transfers round out connectivity. Dual front-facing speakers, two mics, a power button-embedded fingerprint scanner, and up to twelve-hour battery round out the common specs across each version. Each also has support for an add-on Pixelbook Pen in matching midnight blue for $99 and a magnetic folio style keyboard case for an additional $199. 4. Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 Advertisement We recently had the opportunity to try out Lenovos Yoga Chromebook C630 and a review on that device is forthcoming but during that review period, it quickly became obvious that this device represents something of a value sweet spot. Perhaps more accurately, although the devices above this will perform better in nearly any configuration, the added cost of those is substantially higher compared to the gains as compared to devices lower on this ranking. The Yoga Chromebook C630 starts out at just $539.99 and comes in two tiers with several optional configurations available for each. Regardless of which is chosen, this 2-in-1 convertible comes in an all-aluminum 4.2lb frame with an anodized midnight blue sheen and a 15.6-inch near-edgeless touchscreen. No stylus is included in the package but theres still quite a lot here to love. That display starts out as a 1920 x 1080 panel, with options for up to a 4K, 3840 x 2160 UHD panel, both are driven by Intels integrated UHD Graphics 620 chip. Thats backing up either an Intel Core i3-8130U Processor clocked at 2.2GHz and boostable to 3.4GHz or an Intel Core i5-8250U processor and both are the latest 8th-Gen chips. Storage and RAM are set at either 64GB or 128GB and 4GB or 8GB 2400MHz DDR4 RAM, respectively, and the current top model without the optional backlit keyboard is just $599. All of the modern ports, connectivity options, and a claimed 10-hour battery life are part of the package as well as two comparatively good-quality stereo speakers. 3. HP Chromebook x360 14 The HP Chromebook x360 14 is a top-tier convertible 2-in-1 with a backlit keyboard embedded in a mist blue base alongside Bang & Olufsen speakers. Two USB 3.1 Type-C ports and two USB 3.1 Type-A standard ports are included there as well. Each of those USB-C ports can be used for charging, data transfers, or video out. The upper half is comprised of a 14-inch 1920 x 1080 display panel with super slim bezels. That half of the device is offset with a ceramic white accent color. Inside, buyers will find 8GB of DDR4 2400MHz SDRAM shuttling data to and from the micro SD card-expandable 64GB eMMC drive. Thats backing up an 8th Gen Intel Core i3-8130U with a base clock of 2.2GHz and a stunning 4GHz Turbo Boost frequency. An Intel UHD Graphics 620 chip powers the visuals, allowing output at up to 4K in spite of the 1920 x 1080 resolution of the native display. At just 3.9lbs, thats a lot of hardware that should be capable of running any Android app and a huge assortment of Linux apps as those continue to roll out. 2. Google Pixelbook Googles Pixelbook launched last year for a price of $999 to start and has dominated as the number one Chromebook ever since. Topping out at $1,649 means that it is most definitely not the most high-value device on the market anymore, but it will certainly accomplish whatever a user demands of it via Linux or Android apps with the exception of triple A PC gaming. All of the variants ship with a 2400 x 1600 display embedded in an all-metal 12.3-inch rated frame. A 360-degree hinge is part of that white-on-silver package as well. Two USB-C ports, a 3.5mm jack, two top-of-the-line speakers and four noise-canceling microphones, coupled with a 10-hour battery round out the similarities between the devices Google has up for sale. The least expensive Chromebook Pixelbook delivers a generous 8GB RAM and 128GB storage backing up a 7th-Gen Intel i5 processor while a slightly more expensive model doubles the storage. The top-tier model swaps out for an Intel Core i7 from the same generation, 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage. Unfortunately, none of those configurations come with a packaged-in Pixelbook Pen costing buyers an extra $99 for that functionality. The weight is also considerably lower than many others in our list, however, at just 2.5lbs at 10.3mm thick. 1. Acer Chromebook Spin 13 Sticking it out at the top of our list for the time being is Acers Chromebook Spin 13. Although intended for business users initially and not the highest value available, the specs are comparable to Googles Pixelbook. Moreover, thats for a lower price just over $895 and with next-generation processors on board. Sold as the model number CP713-1WN-53NF, the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 that is available to the wider consumer audience ships with an 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U thats significantly better than the i5 found in Googles offering. Thats coupled with 8GB RAM and 128GB on the storage side with a 10-hour battery powering everything. A 13.5-inch 2256 x 1504 Gorilla Glass touchscreen sitting right at the sweet spot for a convertible 2-in-1 device. A garaged EMR stylus is included to work with that Wacom-enhanced panel while the same Gorilla Glass coating can be found on the touchpad just below the standard backlit keyboard. All of that is packed into a classy steel gray all-aluminum frame weighing 3.5lbs. For ports, users have two USB Type-C 3.1 ports that work for data transfers, display-out, and charging of the battery up. Thats on top of a micro SD card slot, one USB-A 3.0 port for other connections, Bluetooth,and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Posted on: December 17, 2018 5:06 PM Bishops from the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ANZP) have expressed their deep disappointment at what they say is the continued suppression of the first people of West Papua. The political status of West Papua is disputed. In the 1940s, with the collapse of the Netherlands East Indies, Indonesia claimed sovereignty over all of the former colony but the Dutch retained control over West Papua. In the 1960s, Indonesia invaded the island and a later UN-brokered peace deal resulted in 1,000 elders voting to become part of Indonesia in a disputed election. Last year, the an ecumenical pastoral solidarity group from the Christian Council of Asia visited West Papua and described grave human rights violations in the region. At the end of last week, 11 ANZP bishops and bishops-elect, including the two Primates, Donald Tamihere and Philip Richardson, and the Primate-elect, Fereimi Cama, issued a statement calling for the Indonesian authorities to halt all state-sanctioned abuse and violation of human rights. In their statement, they express their "deep disappointment" at the continued suppression of the first people of West Papua, and call on governments within their jurisdiction - New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga Samoa, American Samoa and the Cook Islands to take a four-fold course of action. These include putting West Papua on the agenda in international forums, and tracking the sale of West Papuan-sourced goods which accelerate the marginalisation of West Papuan people from their own land so that these can be banned as imports. The bishops say: we stand with our sisters and brothers in West Papua in their struggle to determine their own political destiny, and we pray that the Indonesian government will halt all state-sanctioned abuse and violation of human rights there. They call on their governments to clearly express support for the people of West Papua in the redress of their historical injustices and to continue to draw attention to the sustained ethnic violence and ongoing denial by the Indonesian government of the first peoples right of self-determination, and the abuse of their natural resources by foreign corporations. In their letter, they refer to the Oceania regional Primates Meeting or Fono that took place in Fiji in March. The meeting bought together the primates from ANZP, Australia, Melanesia and Papua New Guinea, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. The leaders heard harrowing stories of human rights violations in West Papua, the statement said. At last year's gathering, the Oceania Anglican leaders were moved by the passion of the Archbishop of Papua New Guinea, Clyde Igara, who proclaimed: I am West Papua. I am Papuan thereby acknowledging the unity and solidarity of all Papuans for the people of West Papua in their quest for independence. The bishops condemn the transfer of ownership to Indonesia, saying that the West Papuan people were given no voice in the process and that the UN-brokered agreements requirement for a ballot of West Papuans treated with lip service by the Indonesian government in an electoral process [that] was corrupt. They say: As a Church we are called to advocate for the integrity of all human life as created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). So, we add our voices to those of our Baptist and Catholic brothers and sisters, and to the voices of other faith and secular organisations who condemn the abuses of humanity and the environment which continue to occur in West Papua. . . We also endorse the resolution by the Pacific Conference of Churches, as the regional ecumenical body, to nominate two Pacific church leaders to visit governments and heads of state in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Samoa, and Fiji in the next two years to bring the concerns of the Pacific churches on West Papua to their attention. Asad Rahman, CEO of Jet Set X said: The members club in each major city is strictly limited to 120 members only with membership for a period of five years. This allows for exclusivity and premium service associated with private travel. Jetex is recognised for delivering flexible, best-in-class service to their elite clientele worldwide providing exceptional FBOs, aircraft fueling, ground handling and global trip planning. We are very happy to be the exclusive FBO for Jet Set X clients. This marks another milestone recognizing our outstanding service, said Adel Mardini, CEO and President of Jetex. During the five years, members are able to fly on a brand new, custom designed Dassault Falcon 8X at a price previously unmatched in the industry. The member can choose to either share a flight (which takes the cost of flying private to a totally new price point) or take the whole aircraft to themselves (which is significantly more cost effective than normal charter due to a new dynamic pricing model). The Jet Set X programme has been designed for those who fly First class on a regular basis, and would like to enter private aviation, and also for those who are looking for cost effective private travel. It is far more cost effective than what is currently available in the market and it is highly exclusive, with limited numbers of membership available. Jet Set X will be launching both its clubs in Dubai and London this month. Additional benefits include members with the privilege to access a Private jet faster, enjoy bespoke gourmet catering. Business travelers like to travel quickly and avoid slow security checks, arduous boarding procedures and waiting for transfer passengers - flying private jet eliminates the hassles related to flying and Jet Set X membership privileges guarantee members a seamless travel experience. Asad Rahman, CEO of Jet Set X Its like Lifetime! Or Hallmark! But wait, its got prestige movies! And hey, there are documentaries! And animated movie! And whoa, Netflix, what are you even doing? A lot. The number of annual Netflix film releases climbs to about 90. To compare, Universal, one of Hollywoods most prolific traditional studios, releases roughly 30 movies a year. The New York Times The mural, by Brooklyn artist Beau Stanton, features Ava Gardner with a radiating starburst behind her head. And in a 16-page letter sent to the LA Unified School District last month, a neighborhood coalition president objected strenuously to the starburst as a symbol of Imperial Japan. The Times art critic: Given the motifs architectural roots in Art Deco design, the prominence of stylized light beams in nostalgic wall murals is hardly surprising. Los Angeles Times 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 owner of the Pure Barre franchise in Aspen believes its upstairs neighbor threatened the buildings landlord with a lawsuit if the landlord renewed the fitness studios lease. The owner of the premises is now trying to evict Pure Barre. Simple, secure purchase & transfer Once payment is complete, we then transfer the domain to your account. Trusted by customers globally With 80+ million domains under management, we have more experience than anyone. William Barber Steven Birt Nathan Dentice Jonathan Green David Harrington Alex Kaung Desmond Liaw David Morrison Eddy So Desmond Yu We are looking forward to welcoming the new partners and their staff from Reed Smith in the New Year, said Annette Kimmitt, MinterEllison chief executive. They will add significant expertise to our disputes, regulatory, and intellectual property offerings, bringing with them excellent knowledge and experience of the Hong Kong and China markets. The people coming across will include senior associates, lawyers and with support staff (and) represent a team of 42 people in total. She said that demand is high for Australian and international expertise in Hong Kong and China, particularly because of a progressively fraught geopolitical environment. We have seen the conclusion of negotiations for a milestone Australia and Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement on 15 November 2018, she said. Hong Kong is a significant trading partner for Australia - substantial trade and investment relationships already exist between the two countries. With heightened complexity in the geopolitical realm and changing spheres of influence - we recognise the increasing demand for truly independent advice. This is particularly so in the areas of disputes and regulation. Fred Kinmonth, MinterEllison chairman and the firms managing partner for its Asian offices, echoed the sentiment. In 2018, the total market capitalisation of Hong Kong's stock market reached upwards of US$4.3 trillion yet there is also awareness of downside risk in the ongoing China-US trade wars, he said. In that context, MinterEllisons expanded expertise in the disputes and regulatory areas means our firm will have an enhanced ability to help our clients to better understand and manage complex transactions. The addition of a full-service intellectual property capability covering IP registration, commercialisation, and enforcement provides our clients with these essential services in an increasingly competitive global environment. Hergarty, who joined the firms litigation and dispute resolution practice in 2007, has had a significant role in the recent growth of her team. She will focus on expanding the firms M&A division and restructuring and insolvency services next year, Coleman Grieg said. As an employer of choice within Greater Western Sydney, Coleman Greig has consciously strived to create an employment environment in which lawyers and support staff can be confident they will be given every chance to grow and progress within their chosen field, regardless of gender, said Warrick McLean, Coleman Greig chief executive. We are proud to celebrate 100 years of women in Australian law with the internal promotion of two of our most outstanding senior female lawyers. The promotions further increase the number of women in the firms senior ranks. The average female representation in partnerships in Australia is at 25%, according to data from Thomson Reuters, Coleman Greig said. At the firm, 42% of the principals are women, with two being under 35 years old. Half of the firms management team, as well as its senior associates, are women. It said that 70% of all its employees are women. Caroline Hutchinson and Rebecca Hegarty - T. S. Eliot Thoughts After Lambeth "The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide." By TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock.com By TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock.com Australians continue to recognise the benefits of immigration despite concerns about population growth and they accept that people from other nations makes Australia a stronger nation.Some 85% consider immigrants and their diverse cultural and views a benefit to Australian society, according to the 2018 Scanlon Foundation's mapping social cohesions survey.However, there has been an increase in the number of Australians concerned about the level of immigration with 43% saying they are worried, a rise of 6% since the 2017 annual report.But 52% still agree that the current level of immigration is either about right or too low while 43% believe that the migrant intake level is too high, up from 37% last year.'There are relatively low levels of concern about immigration from many different countries, about whether immigration is good for this country, creates jobs, gives us fresh ideas. All of those indicators remain, by large percentages, very positive,' said professor Andrew Markus, from Monash University in Melbourne.He pointed out that there is, however, a perceived lack of Government planning, about perceived overcrowding and house prices. For example 54% said they had concerns about the impact of immigration on overcrowding in cities, 49% about the effect on house prices and 48% about the ability of Government to manage population growth.The report explains that when it comes to the impact of immigration on the quality of life in major cities, this is a factor that is not simply quantifiable in terms of increased population size and its impact and needs to be considered in the context of the character of individual cities and the politics of immigration in specific regions.Melbourne, for example, has experienced the fastest rate of growth and ongoing public discussion of infrastructure deficits and rising house prices, yet the indication from the survey is that in Melbourne a relatively low proportion are of the view that the immigration is too high.Indeed, in the 2018 survey some 33% to 35% of respondents in Melbourne indicated that they think that immigration is too high, substantially below the 44% to 45% national average.Markus also pointed out that over the course of 11 years of surveying, the number of people who believe that multi-culturalism is good has remained steady. It has always been in the range of 83% to 86%.The research indicates that most people regard multi-culturalism as a two-way process of change, involving adaptation by both the people already in Australia and those arriving from overseas.Indeed, some 54% believe that immigrants should change their behaviours to be more like people already in Australia while 37% said ethnic minorities should receive Government assistance to maintain their customs and condition.Just under one in five of those surveyed said they had experienced discrimination because of their religion, ethnicity or skin colour. That figure has not increased since 2016.Politicians present their views on immigration as if they are speaking for the nation, for the Australian people. The reality is that their words are directed to that segment of voters in marginal electorates that supports their party, or that may be attracted to their party, or may be lost to their party. According to Green Car Reports , the Santa Fe won't offer a third row either as a result of this decision. On the upside for North America, the company leaves open the possibility for a plug-in hybrid. As a brief refresher, Hyundai confirmed a pair of hybrids back during the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.As standard, the 2019 Santa Fe comes with a 185-horsepower Theta II GDI in the United States and 7.0-inch Display Audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Customers who dont mind spending $32,700 as opposed to the starting price of $24,750 level up to the 2.0-liter Theta II T-GDI, a four-cylinder turbo which develops 235 horsepower.The U.S. configurator for the Santa FE XL features the previous generation of the mid-size crossover utility vehicle, available in two trim levels and with the 290-horsepower 3.3-liter Lambda II GDI. This gentle giant has an indirect successor in the guise of the Palisade, going on sale for the 2020 model year with seating for eight people.Turning our attention back to the five-seat Santa Fe, senior manager for quality Miles Johnson said the fourth generation was built from the ground up to house lots of powertrain options. Considering that Toyota offers a hybridized RAV4, its high time for Hyundai to stop boasting like theres no tomorrow.Claimed to have the highest proportion of high-strength steel of any Hyundai vehicle , the Santa Fe is available with HTRAC all-wheel drive and variable torque control. The powertrain options are complemented by an eight-speed automatic transmission, which replaces the six-speeder of the previous generation.Hyundai isnt the only automaker in the U.S. that promised turbo diesel power but didnt deliver. Mazda is another example, although the gasoline-fueled CX-5 makes more sense in this part of the world. Chevrolet , on the other hand, is much obliged to sell you an oil-burning engine in the Equinox. Just this 12 th of December, Legado Motors, Inc. (LMI), the official distributor of GAC Motor in the Philippines, held a groundbreaking ceremony last December 12 in the future location of the new dealership in Tarlac City. To be located along McArthur Highway, Tarlac City, the newest 4S showroom has 1,670 sqm. Lot area is projected to have state-of-the-art design and facilities to provide exceptional automobiles and services to every customer. Less than a month since the grand launch of GAC Motor in the Philippines, Chinas fastest-growing automaker will soon establish a dealership in Tarlac and Cebu. In their thrust to widen their reach to the Filipinos, GAC is set to put up a new dealership in Central Luzon, and in Visayas as well. In attendance during the groundbreaking ceremony were Dr. Jose Chua Jr. and Dra. Juanita Chua of Dreamcar Unlimited Automotive Corporation, LMI Chief Executive Officer Mr. Wilbert Lim, LMI Chief Financial Officer Ms. Regina Lim, LMI Vice President for Sales and Operations Mr. Giovanni Frias, and GAC Motor-China Regional Sales Manager Mr. Frank Liu. As for the coming dealership in Cebu, it will be located in Mandaue City and is slated to be completed in 2019. The contract signing with the newest dealer, Mr. Vince Lim, was held at GAC Motor Metrowalk, Pasig last December 1 led by LMI Chief Executive Officer Mr. Wilbert Lim, LMI Vice President for Sales and Operations Mr. Giovanni Frias, and GAC Motor-China Regional Sales Manager Mr. Frank Liu. We want to open the opportunity for every Filipino to own world-class yet affordable vehicles. This goal is possible with the support and trust of committed dealers, LMI CEO Wilbert Lim shared. GAC Motor offers a wide range of luxury vehicles namely GA4 sedan (available in 1.5-liter manual and 1.3-liter gas turbo automatic transmissions), GS4 subcompact SUV, GA8 executive sedan (available in four and five-seater variants), GM8 premium seven-seater minivan, and the flagship model, GS8 large SUV (available in 4x2 and 4x4 variants). The longest-ever presidential TFR in South Florida goes into effect on Dec. 21 as President Donald Trump heads to his West Palm Beach resort for up to 16 days. The FAA issued the alert earlier this week. Trumps last Christmas and New Years vacation went from Dec. 22 to Jan.1. Its also not clear if hell spend the whole time there as there are some important dates in Washington right after the New Year. The alert seems to predict a standard VIP TFR for the Palm Beach area, including the 10 nautical mile no-fly zone around the resort and 30 nautical mile restricted zone with its transponder and communications requirements. Anyone planning to fly in the area should be aware of the potential for Notams that might include gateway operations. Boeing is looking to Russia to help keep the production schedule for its 787 Dreamliner assembly lines in January. The company needs to airlift engines from the General Electric plant in Columbus, Ohio, to its factories in North Charleston, South Carolina, and Everett, Washington, to prevent falling behind in orders. Theres only one aircraft in regular service that can handle the engines, which weigh as much as 36,000 pounds. Russian Airline Volga-Dnepr operates An-124 transports and takes outsized loads all over the world but it cant legally do the engine shuttle. Only an American carrier is allowed to fly point-to-point within the U.S. and Volga-Dnepr has to apply for an emergency exemption from the Department of Transportation to do the work and has asked for up to 10 flights. Failure to deliver the engines by air could delay production and subsequent delivery of Boeing airplanes, which would cause financial harm to GE Aviation, Boeing and their customers, Volga-Dnepr said in its application. The aircraft, which has payload of 330,000 pounds, and the airline were granted approval to do eight engine flights in December. For todays preposterous aviation idea, think of something an aircraft salesman would never, ever say: Were sorry, although we would like to sell you one of our airplanes, we just dont think youre qualified to fly it. OK, maybe a sales force somewhere, somehow has actually said that to a would-be customer, but Ill bet the thought has crossed the minds of a few people at Boeing recently. If youve been following our coverage of the October Lion Air crash, you will have noticed that the airline has gotten into a bit of a one-way pissing contest with Boeing because it claims Boeing was remiss in not informing customers about technical changes in the new 737 MAX series. Specifically, Boeing appears not to have documented an automatic trim and stall-protection system called Maneuvering Augmentation Characteristics System or MCAS. A preliminary reportbased on flight data recorder traces confirmed that MCAS was active during the final minutes before JT610 plunged into the Java Sea off Jakarta on Oct. 29, killing all 189 people aboard. No one has directly said MCAS is implicated or even a factor, but the airlines announced plans to cancel remaining orders for the MAX$22 billion worthputs the two companies on a legal collision course and invites news consumers to assume the worst about the accident cause. Lion Airs owner and co-founder, Rusdi Kirana, has said publicly that Boeing has treated the airline unfairly in the wake of the crash. If thats so, it might be because Boeing said if MCAS malfunctioned, standard runaway trim procedures would handle the anomaly. And thats exactly what happened on the flight before the accident flight when the crew confronted the same abnormal. Boeing has declined to comment publicly. At stake is the companys third largest customer for the MAX, behind Southwest and Flydubai, with some 200 MAX aircraft on order, according to Bloomberg. In the cutthroat competitive world of the single-aisle airline business, the 737 is a cash cow for Boeing and Airbus is ever in the wings to take disaffected customers into its fly-by-wire arms. And theres nothing like a crash with a subtext of something wrong with the airplane to give a competitor a sales cudgel. Consider what we know, without even speculating about the accident cause. Lion Air has a reputation for go-go growthand an accident and safety record so dismal that in 2009, insurance underwriters sent in a consultant to overhaul the companys safety and training culture. Buying all the latest-generation, state-of-the-art engineering will be in vain if you dont have the systems in place to prioritize safety, the consultant said. In one incident, an inspector grounded an airplane, only to have the airline go over his head to government authorities, who approved the airplane for flight, despite the squawked defect. Boeing can read accident-rate numbers as well as the rest of us, so I have to think when they sell airplanes into a safety culture known to be less than the equivalent of developed-world standards, theres a certain betting on the come to it. An aircraft manufacturer can have only so much influence over how its customers use the airplanes. If the pilot training and maintenance standards are slipshod and government oversight doesnt step into the breach, the combination is likely tosooner or laterresult in an accident. And for those who think regulators have little or minimal role, youre simply flat out wrong. The extraordinary safety record U.S. airlines have achieved is the result of manufacturers and airlines self interest, advancing technology and prodding by regulators to toe the agreed-to line, despite the expense and bother. Part of that regulation is an independent accident investigatory bodythe NTSB in the U.S.with sufficient resources to conduct accident probes free of meddling. Thats not to say no meddling is attempted, but in the U.S, the flying public can be reasonably certain an investigation is free of taint. A fully funded and fleshed out accident investigation process is simply the expectation for an air transport system aiming for world-class performance. Here, Indonesia appears not to be ready for prime time. Last week, a National Transportation Safety Committee source saidthat it didnt have the money to search and recover the cockpit voice recorder, which certainly contains information vital to a complete accident investigation. As wreck recovery sites go, the Java Sea is relatively shallow and recorders have been recovered in far more challenging locales. Giving up on it is like declaring the jigsaw puzzle complete with half the pieces missing. Ive read suggestions that Boeing will end up funding the recovery. Im sure it could write a check out of the coffee fund. And Boeing may have more of a vested interest than any other entity since how the pilots reacted to whatever emergency they confronted is a critical part of the story if Boeing wants to implyand lets be harshly honest about thisthat the pilots still had a flyable airplane they should have been able to recover. Then it will have to begin the delicate business of trying to preserve those 200 MAX orders that Lion Air placed or, at the least, keep the airplane from being tarnished enough to erode further sales. When it sent out emissaries to U.S. pilot unions to explain the mysteries of MCAS last month, it got a start on the latter. Boeing clearly has fence mending to do and part of that process is to learn what really happened to JT610. Additional info: Click here for the preliminary accident report on JT610. Now that federal Judge Reed O'Connor has ruled the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional since Congress zeroed out the penalty tied to the mandate to buy health insurance the health care law once again has to show it has an extra life in its back pocket. The big picture: If O'Connor's ruling stands or takes effect before an appeal it would kick millions of people off of private insurance and millions more off of Medicaid, and would eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions. But the ripple effects would go much further: The ACA created the FDA approval pathway for a class of cheaper prescription drugs known as biosimilars, developed the database that shines light on payments that drug and device companies make to doctors, reauthorized the Indian Health Service and required calorie counts on some restaurant menus. Even under the Trump administration, Medicare is relying on parts of the ACA, like the CMS Innovation Center, to shift the health care system toward new payment models. Between the lines: This time, the knives are coming out from all sides to defend the ACA. Democratic attorneys general have vowed to appeal. have vowed to appeal. Pretty much every trade group is befuddled by the decision. The American Medical Association called the ruling "a stunning display of judicial activism." (However, the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, a conservative group funded by dozens of major companies, viewed this as "an excellent opportunity.") is befuddled by the decision. The American Medical Association called the ruling "a stunning display of judicial activism." (However, the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, a conservative group funded by dozens of major companies, viewed this as "an excellent opportunity.") Legal experts who have opposed and supported the ACA almost uniformly agree the judge's legal rationale is flawed or "indefensible." who have opposed and supported the ACA almost uniformly agree the judge's legal rationale is flawed or "indefensible." The biggest problem is the ruling ignores a well-established legal principle that courts should be cautious about striking down an entire law because of a problem with one piece of it. Law professors Jonathan Adler and Abbe Gluck wrote about this in the New York Times this weekend. (Adler supported the 2012 and 2015 legal challenges to the ACA.) This case also has caused internal trouble at the Department of Justice. Bob got in touch with Joel McElvain, one of the three career DOJ attorneys who withdrew from this case this summer when President Trump's DOJ said it wouldn't defend the law. McElvain confirmed he resigned from the DOJ due to his objection to the agency's decision not to defend the ACA, but he declined to comment further on the case. Our thought bubble: Democrats will make the case that they are the party that protects pre-existing conditions, while Republican messaging on the case and more broadly, their health care platform will be muddled at best. While there may be some push to have solutions ready to go if the ACA ultimately gets struck down, the idea that a divided Congress is going to be able to agree on something like that is laughable. What's next: An appeal would go to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is considered one of the more conservative appeals courts. If the Fifth Circuit agrees with this latest ruling, it'd be up to the Supreme Court to decide if it wants to hear the case. The bottom line: We are still a long way from the Supreme Court intervening, and the ACA is still technically the law of the land while this plays out. Boeing has agreed to buy an 80% stake in the commercial aviation business of Brazil's Embraer at an enterprise value of $5.26 billion. Why it's the BFD: This is nearly an 11% valuation bump from when a preliminary agreement was first announced this past summer, and means Boeing will become a challenger to Airbus and Bombardier in the smaller passenger jet market. The deal comes after a legal injunction was thrown out by a Brazilian appeals court, although it still requires Brazilian regulatory approval. The bottom line: "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. ... 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, The Motley Fool's Adam Levine-Weinberg writes. Thousands of protestors in Brussels clashed with police on Sunday as they demonstrated against a UN migration pact signed by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel last week, reports the BBC. Why it matters: The mass protest near the European Union complex attracted some 5,500 people and was organized by the right-wing N-VA party, which resigned from Belgium's federal government over Michel's decision to sign the agreement. The UN pact, which aims to foster international cooperation on refugees and migration, is facing pressure from the Trump administration, which argues the document harms sovereignty and legitimizes illegal migration. Anti-migration protesters gather for a demonstration as police officers intervene with tear gas near EU buildings in Brussels on Sunday. Photo: Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Protesters clash with police. Photo: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images Belgian right-wing associations participated in the protest against a UN migration pact. Photo: Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto via Getty Images Go deeper: Axios' Deep Dive on the refugee crisis It only seems to be a time of intense challenge for democracy. Actually, we are in one of historys most vibrant periods of people power, says James Miller, author of "Can Democracy Work: A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World." The big picture: Americans may not approve of the type of democracy being practiced in, say, Hungary and Poland. But free, fair and clear majorities elected their governments, Miller tells me: "The challenge to liberals is that there has been wave after wave of something abhorrent to them these have been illiberal and anti-liberal." I spoke with Miller this week. Here is an edited excerpt: You see a certain arc to the modern phase of democracy? Yes, I see an arc that runs from the resurrection of democracy as a modern ideal in the French Revolution through to the present, where almost every existing regime claims to be a democracy of some kind (even Russia and China). Illiberal democracy is democracy, too, right? Simply sneering at our opponents in democratic societies, and labeling them "populists," as a pejorative term, and asserting that their preferred policies inexorably lead to authoritarianism, and show "how democracy dies," seems to me both historically inaccurate, and politically unhelpful. How did the U.S. get here? There was a complacency by Americans about winning the Cold War. Then [a few] blows shook the complacency of course 2001, the financial crash in 2008. The crash was incredibly important because the assumption of liberal democratic regimes is that the meritocratic elite knows what it's doing. But they blew it and made experts look bad, like Vietnam made military experts look bad. Are there clues as to where this period ends up? There are good reasons to worry about what a people trying to exercise its power directly may produce. Democratic revolts can be perverse, and illiberal, in their results. So can democratic elections. I personally believe that come what may it is not unreasonable to uphold Lincoln's characteristically American hope, especially in the darkest of times, "that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth." Is the jury still out? I am not super-optimistic. But the jury is still out. If you care for liberal democracy, you have to fight for it. We are not Hungary yet. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that he plans to work to legalize recreational marijuana next year in the state "once and for all" the latest in a string of recent policy shifts embracing legalization of the drug. The big picture: 1o states and D.C. have already legalized recreational marijuana, while it's legal in 33 states and D.C. for medical purposes. One of the biggest arguments state and local government officials have for legalization is the revenue it could bring in New York, it could bring in more than $1.7 billion annually. Cuomo's reversal on marijuana is notable, as he called it a "gateway drug" publicly as recently as last year. Last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for lawmakers to legalize weed in Illinois, one of the states where it remains fully illegal. Emanuel's plan calls for the city's marijuana revenues to be paid back directly into its pensions. Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner plans to introduce an amendment to the bipartisan criminal justice reform bill being discussed in the Senate this week, which would allow cannabis-focused businesses to open bank accounts in states where marijuana has been legalized. In the midterms, three out of four state measures to legalize marijuana either medically or recreationally passed. The farm bill, which passed last week, legalized the commercial production of hemp a type of cannabis plant conflated with marijuana, though it lacks similar THC levels. Go deeper ... Great green hope: The big picture on legal marijuana U.S. intelligence says Russia sought to disrupt the 2016 and 2018 elections and sow discord. Regardless of what Robert Mueller does, Russia did it and is still at it. The big picture: Multiple high-stakes, aggressive federal investigations were spawned by an initial FBI probe of Russian government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. And fallout from Russian meddling, including Democratic talk of impeaching President Trump, is likely to remain a dominant political issue as Democrats take over the House 17 days from now. American politics have been further radicalized. have been further radicalized. The FBI's image, once unassailable, has been tarnished with Trump's base. once unassailable, has been tarnished with Trump's base. Facebook and other tech giants were thrown on the defensive. and other tech giants were thrown on the defensive. The misinformation campaigns are essentially what created "fake news," driven home by Trump on the campaign trail. are essentially what created "fake news," driven home by Trump on the campaign trail. Trump's closeness with Putin has helped drive a wedge between the U.S. and Europe. with Putin has helped drive a wedge between the U.S. and Europe. And Russia now is an easy scapegoat for officials to point at when things go wrong: vulnerabilities in technology, election surprises, etc. Russia is weaponizing technology not just to meddle in our elections, but to increase power on the global stage, Axios' David McCabe and Joe Uchill point out: Russia likes to target vulnerable populations (countries with major elections, referendums, civil wars, political controversies). vulnerable populations (countries with major elections, referendums, civil wars, political controversies). These campaigns are easier because of the U.S. government's lack of unity in confronting the practice and the platforms. That's a big win for Russia. are easier because of the U.S. government's lack of unity in confronting the practice and the platforms. That's a big win for Russia. Russia has gotten so much attention that there's less focus on Iran, where Russia has a big oil alliance another win for Russia, Axios' Kim Hart and Sara Fischer note. New evidence that the campaign is ongoing is included in a report prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee, and obtained by the WashPost: "Russias disinformation campaign around the 2016 election ... used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters interests to help elect President Trump and worked even harder to support him while in office." around the 2016 election ... used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters interests to help elect President Trump and Why it matters: "The report expressed concern about the overall threat social media poses to political discourse, ... warning that [platforms] once viewed as tools for liberation in the Arab world and elsewhere are now threats to democracy." Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, told me the resulting investigations are "playing right into the hands of our enemies, particularly Russia." Two outside research groups used data obtained from Silicon Valley giants by the Senate Intelligence Committee to paint a sweeping picture of Russias online disinformation efforts both before and after the 2016 presidential election in reports released Monday. Why it matters: "We should certainly expect to see recruitment, manipulation, and influence attempts targeting the 2020 election, including the inauthentic amplification of otherwise legitimate American narratives," said researchers from New Knowledge in the report they provided to the panel. The groups findings bolster the publics understanding of the Russian campaign and provide new details on how it operated: The Internet Research Agency troll farm focused much of its attention on black audiences, creating "an expansive cross-platform media mirage targeting the Black community, which shared and cross-promoted authentic Black media to create an immersive influence ecosystem," per the New Knowledge report. The groups cultivation of sometimes-unsuspecting on-the-ground collaborators was "substantially more pronounced on Black-targeted accounts." It engaged in voter suppression. New Knowledge said that "the suppression narratives were targeted almost exclusively at the Black community on Instagram and Facebook" in the lead-up to the 2016 election. The IRA simultaneously targeted right-leaning audiences with content raising fears of voter fraud. The group's efforts didn't slow down after they became clear to the public. "Surprisingly, these campaigns did not stop once Russia's IRA was caught interfering in the 2016 election. Engagement rates increased and covered a widening range of public policy issues, national security issues, and issues pertinent to younger voters," said researchers from Oxford Universitys Computational Propaganda Project. The researchers' findings don't necessarily represent those of the Intelligence Committee, which is in the midst of a lengthy investigation into Russian interference. The big picture: The Oxford researchers also highlighted the ways in which Facebook, Google and Twitter had made it difficult for the Senate panel and researchers to study the campaign. New Knowledge added they expect Russian efforts to use smaller social media platforms and messaging services as the 2020 election approaches. What they're saying: Senate Intel Chair Richard Burr said in a statement, "This newly released data demonstrates how aggressively Russia sought to divide Americans by race, religion and ideology, and how the IRA actively worked to erode trust in our democratic institutions. Most troublingly, it shows that these activities have not stopped." "This should stand as a wake up call to us all that none of us are immune from this threat, and it is time to get serious in addressing this challenge," said Senate Intel Vice Chairman Mark Warner in a statement. "That is going to require some much-needed and long-overdue guardrails when it comes to social media." Read the two reports in full: Moscow and Yerevan are planning to sign an agreement that will bar third countries from deploying military personnel in Armenia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. We are completing with Armenia the drafting of a document which will guarantee the absence of foreign military personnel there [in Armenia,] Lavrov told the Komsomolskaya Pravda ratio station. It will guarantee transparency in terms of threats and risks. He said that a similar deal is also planned with Kazakhstan, another member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Lavrov made the statement in response to a question about biological research laboratories which have been donated by the United States to Armenia, Georgia and other ex-Soviet states. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in October that Washington seems to be running a clandestine biological weapons lab in Georgia. It said the lab poses a security threat to Russia. It was reported around that time that Yerevan has allowed Russian officials to inspect similar U.S.-funded facilities in Armenia. The Russians voiced no concerns after those inspections. Armenia hosts an estimated 4,000 Russian troops as part of its close military ties with Russia. The current Armenian government, which took office in May, has pledged to maintain that alliance. But it has so far has announced no plans to sign the kind of a deal with Moscow that was cited by Lavrov. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 28 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Dec. 17. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov A special analytical think tank associated with Azerbaijan is being created in Ukraine, the Azerbaijani embassy in Ukraine told Azertac. At the recent meeting at the embassy, an agreement was reached on the creation of a special analytical think tank related to the Black Sea-Caspian basin. A delegation was led by the President of ANAS, academician Akif Alizade. The meeting was initiated by the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Ukraine, Azer Khudiyev. The purpose of the center is to conduct research and development works on such topics as geopolitics, politics, logistics, information exchange mechanisms, opportunities for developing mutual relations and preparing projects in the field of science and education, formats of regional cooperation and their prospects, geopolitical theoretical aspects of creating a security system , opportunities for cooperation in the framework of international projects, as well as bringing to the world community the realities about Azerbaijan. The leadership of ANAS reacted positively to the opinion on the use of its own personnel potential in this matter. The parties agreed on joint activities for the implementation of this project proposal. Ukraine and Azerbaijan enjoy sustainable prospects of bilateral relations in political, economic, energy, transport and humanitarian fields. Main goods imported from Ukraine to Azerbaijan are metallurgy products, machine building products, agricultural and industrial products, and chemical industry products. Meanwhile, Ukraine mainly imports products of the fuel energy industry, chemical industry, and agro-industrial complex. Azerbaijan is one of the main trade partners of Ukraine among the CIS countries. Azerbaijani State Customs Committee reported that trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Ukraine amounted to $343.87 million in January-June 2018, $146.57 million of which accounted for the export of Azerbaijani products. In 2001, the countries founded the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM), along with Georgia and Moldova. After its establishment, the bilateral strategic relations started to develop rapidly. In 2016, President Petro Poroshenko visited Azerbaijan, and a number of agreements were signed during the visit. Additionally, the presidents discussed an implementation of joint projects in energy, transport and agricultural spheres. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova Azerbaijani export missions continue to expand with the aim of promoting country's non-oil products abroad. Export mission of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs went to Saudi Arabia to establish cooperation. Azerbaijan Export & Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) told Trend on December 13. AZPROMO noted that the Azerbaijani delegation includes 29 companies engaged in the production of building materials, textiles, canned products, juices, as well as travel agencies, etc. The negotiations will last until December 14. "In 2018, 10 export missions to various countries were organized by AZPROMO to date," said AZPROMO. According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the trade turnover with Saudi Arabia for ten months of 2018 amounted to $ 15.476 million, which is 5.7 percent more than the same period last year. During the reporting period, Azerbaijan exported products of 727,000 dollars to Saudi Arabia, while imports amounted to $ 14.749 million. Saudi Arabia's state-owned and private companies invest $ 368 million in Azerbaijan's economy. Launched in 2016, the Made in Azerbaijan brand envisages a large-scale promotion of local non-oil products in foreign markets. Export missions are a supporting measure to identify opportunities for accessing new markets, strengthen local product positions in existing markets and provide these markets with new products. During 2018, export missions to Russia, Switzerland, China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Germany have already been sent. As many as 25 export missions are expected to be organized in 2019. Local entrepreneurs will participate in major trade fair in Russia, UAE and Germany in February. The new market at which Azerbaijan aims is South Korea, Azerbaijan will be participating in the food fair there in May 2019. Promotion of export-oriented local products under the Made in Azerbaijan brand in a wider geographic area also helps to attract foreign investment. The export of non-oil products will stimulate the expansion of the production of these products and will further strengthen the non-oil sector's share in the structure of the GDP. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov An investor from Azerbaijan is implementing a project in the Derbentsky district of Dagestan to build a modern greenhouse plant for the production of tomatoes. The complex is planned to be launched in February 2019, Trend reports, citing the Makhachkala Izvestiya. The progress of construction work and other issues related to the implementation of the project were discussed in the Government of Dagestan with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Dagestan Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov and representative of the investor side Sadig Rza. During the meeting, it was noted that investment project in Salik city was initiated by Khazar-18 LLC and provides for the cultivation of tomatoes in closed ground on a total area of 20 hectares. Currently, construction work is actively carried out using advanced European and Russian technologies and equipment. The total cost of the project is 1.3 billion rubles. After its launch, which is scheduled for February next year, the capacity of greenhouses will be about 3,500 tons of vegetables per year. As a result of the project, it is planned to create up to 150 new jobs. It is assumed that annual allocations to the budgets of all levels will amount to 33.2 million rubles. During the discussion, Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov noted the interest of Dagestan in the implementation of the project and expressed confidence that the investor will be given all the necessary support until the issue of giving the project priority status is considered. Dagestan is the largest republic of the North Caucasus. Located in the North Caucasus region, Dagestan enjoys ancient friendly and neighboring relations with Azerbaijan. Its capital and largest city Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan and Dagestan have been united by neighborly practices and brotherly relations, both economically and culturally. Dagestan's ancient city of Derbent densely populated by Azerbaijanis serves as a friendly bridge between the two nations. Earlier, Baku hosted Days of Dagestan for the first time on May 12-13, 2016, which stipulated a series of events. Dagestan presented its economy, culture, traditions and history, as well as, tourism potential. Moreover, Dagestan introduced more than 30 projects in Baku including the production and processing of subsoil resources. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova At the beginning of December, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkey held a four0sided meeting on regional cooperation in the field of ICT in Baku. The main topic of discussion was the creation of a consortium to strengthen startups' work and incomes. Initially, $ 2 million investment was made by four countries to establish the consortium, Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi told Trend. He noted that the discussions on the joint work in the markets of the four countries are underway for almost a year. This issue was also in the focus of attention at the meetings in Ashgabat and Dubai, according to the Iranian official. Iran offered such an initiative a year ago, the minister said, adding that over the past year, many discussions were held with the ministers of communication of Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey. "During a four-party meeting, Iran proposed to establish a working group and become a host of the secretariat. The proposal was supported by the working groups of all four countries. It was decided to sign a final agreement in the second half of January at a meeting in Iran," Jahromi said. The Iranian minister also noted that they also pointed to two-three issues at the four-party meeting. "There have been proposals and talks on strengthening cyber security, satellite communications, postal operations between the two countries. At this meeting, more negotiations on startups were held. It was decided that detailed talks should be held in the areas mentioned at the Tehran meeting. We are moving towards establishing joint markets in the ICT field," he said. Jahromi also called on to produce joint products with the participation of public and private sectors, make joint investments and have joint trainings. "Let's open our markets to each other, so that we can have a breakthrough in these areas," he added. At the beginning of December 2018, a roundtable on regional cooperation in ICT sphere between Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkey within the framework of XXIV Azerbaijan International Telecommunications, Innovations and Technologies Exhibition BakuTel-2018 was held. Iran attaches great importance to the regional projects and cooperation with neighbors as a solution to the U.S. sanctions. Negotiations on Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM) project on establishment of fiber-optic highway connecting Europe and Asia were also underway in Baku. Through this project, the Chinese and European communications will be connected by the north of Iran. The project was initiated by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Communications and High Technologies at the meeting within the 14th "Bakutel" exhibition-conference in Baku in November 2008 by adoption of Baku Declaration. The aim of the project is to establish a transnational fiber optic line from Frankfurt to Hong Kong, from Western Europe to East Asia. This project will eliminate "digital distinction" and open new economic opportunities for landlocked Eurasian countries. Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in the field of telecommunications and postal cooperation, intensification of experience exchange, regulation of radio frequencies in the border areas, cyber security, space industry, Iranian use of satellite resources, mobile communications and internet services is on the agenda. Recently, Azerbaijan and Iran have reached an agreement on the joint production of a satellite probing the Earth. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova Turkey and Azerbaijan, both effectively use their economic and energy capabilities, as well as the geopolitical position to expand bilateral and regional cooperation. The Azerbaijani-Turkish joint commission on international road transport held its meeting in Izmir, Trend reports referring to the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan. The meeting was chaired by head of the State Road Transport Service under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan Habib Hasanov from the Azerbaijani side and head of the General Directorate of Road Transport Regulation of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey Mahmut Gurses from the Turkish side. The purpose of the meeting was to further develop cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the field of international road transport, as well as the implementation of the requirements of bilateral agreements concluded between the two countries. The meeting discussed the current situation in the field of international road transport between the two countries, the exchange of static data on trade relations and authorization forms used by road carriers of both countries, problems faced by road carriers in the implementation of freight and passenger transport, and ways to address them. At the same time, the parties exchanged views on maintenance parity regarding the number of buses involved in passenger transportation on the Baku-Istanbul-Baku route, upcoming issues in connection with the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the discrepancy between the allowed weight of large-sized and heavy foreign vehicles traveling on public roads of Azerbaijan, and Article 211.2 of the Tax Code, simplifying procedures for obtaining visas by road carriers of both countries. The subject of discussions, in particular, were the problems of the carriers of Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic existing at the border checkpoint Sederek-Diluju while traveling to Georgia and other countries through Turkey, the number of quotas for authorization forms used for transportation in 2019, prospects for the development of transport and other topical issues. Hasanov spoke about the large-scale reforms implemented in Azerbaijan in recent years in the field of transport, innovations in the road transport structure and major regional projects. Following the discussions of aforementioned issues, as well as other topical issues on the agenda, a relevant protocol was signed between the delegations at the next meeting of the joint commission. By 2017, 144.8 million tons of cargo and 1.7 billion passengers were transported by road. In 2017, revenues from road transportation totaled about 1.2 billion manat ($710,000 million). Turkey is a partner in many strategic projects of Azerbaijan. Turkey was the first state to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 and has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity and realize its economic potential arising from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea. Two countries have gained good experience in the implementation of large-scale projects of international importance, which are well known in the region and the world. These are Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, TANAP, the Southern Gas Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. All projects initiated by Azerbaijan and Turkey are implemented successfully and serve further development and well-being of two nations. The created infrastructure opens up opportunities for further increased freight traffic. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova The volume of import-export operations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine in January-November 2018 was about $ 726 million, or $12 million more than in the same period last year, the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine told AZERTAC. According to the report, about $ 311.4 million worth of products were exported from Azerbaijan to Ukraine during the reporting period of the current year. The cost of Azerbaijan's imports from Ukraine amounted to $414.5 million. The volume of trade turnover between the countries exceeded $ 616 million in January-October 2018. Azerbaijan and Ukraine enjoy sustainable prospects of bilateral relations in political, economic, energy, transport and humanitarian fields. The trade growth started in 2005 and reached $ 1.5 billion in peak points in 2011, export products amounted $ 909 million, while import - $ 558 million. Azerbaijan is considered one of the main trade partners of Ukraine among the CIS countries. Ukraine is in the second place after Russia in terms of trade partners of Azerbaijan in the post-Soviet space. Recently, Azerbaijan and Ukraine have been engaged in active developments of economic cooperation. In June of this year, the first Trade House of Azerbaijan was opened in Kiev, analogous houses are planned to open in other cities of the country. Direct investments from Ukraine to Azerbaijan exceed $25 million, and from Azerbaijan to Ukraine - $200 million. Last year, the volume of trade turnover between the two countries reached $ 810 million, which is 2.4 times more than in 2016. Azerbaijani oil amounted to $ 376.877 million of the total $ 442.219 million worth oil imported by Ukraine in 2017. Main goods imported from Ukraine to Azerbaijan are metallurgy products, machine building products, agro-industrial products and chemical industry products. Meanwhile, the main goods exported from Azerbaijan to Ukraine are products of fuel energy industry, chemical industry products, and agro-industrial products. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend A Charity Concert and holiday fair organized by the Embassy of Hungary and Nargis Magazine and Fund took place at the State Philharmonic Hall on December 15. Two world famous Hungarian musicians, Endre Hegedus, pianist and Felix Lajko, violinist staged musical performances bringing to Baku the spirit of holiday season through their music. More than 400 people, including the children and the teachers from the Republican Boarding School No. 5, attended the event. Besides the musical experience, the guests could taste and buy Hungarian specialities, such as the famous Hungarian salami, paprika, chocolates and nicely decorated Christmas gingerbread. There was also an opportunity to taste premium Hungarian wines. All proceedings from the tickets and gift sales went for charity, 8.500 AZN were collected, and this sum is donated to the Republican Special Boarding School 5 for blind and partially sighted children. The donation will be used to buy Braille boards that will improve reading and writing skills of the children. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend European Parliament reiterated the EUs support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally-recognized borders, Trend reports on Dec. 14, referring to the statement of Sajjad Karim (ECR, UK), Chairman of European Parliaments Delegation for Relations with the South Caucasus. According to him, the EU-Azerbaijan relations have been transformed in recent times, with cooperation between the European Parliament and the countrys national assembly the Milli Majlis resuming in 2015 and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev undertaking successful visits to European institutions. When I look around Europe today, with the growing scourge of Antisemitism and Islamophobia plaguing our EU societies, I think we as Europeans can learn from the tolerance and openness that unites Azerbaijani citizens, with Christians, Muslims, Jews and Zoroastrians coexisting in harmony, the MEP said. He added that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia unfortunately remains a sticking point. Karim noted that the status quo was unsustainable and that there is no military solution to the conflict, stressing in this regard that the EP reiterated the EUs support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally-recognized borders. On Dec. 12, 2018, the European Parliament by an overwhelming majority of votes (401 for, 173 against) adopted the resolution on the annual report on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, which reiterates EUs commitment to support its partners' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Thus, the document once again expresses the EU support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in the framework of the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In 2017, the declaration of the Eastern Partnership Brussels Summit contained a similar wording. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev has attended a ceremony to give out apartments to servicemen in Sabunchu district, Baku. Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and First Deputy Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Colonel General Najmaddin Sadikov reported to President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state viewed conditions created in the apartments. Ilham Aliyev then met with servicemen and their families, and made a speech at the event. President Ilham Aliyev then handed apartment certificates to a group of servicemen. On behalf of his fellow servicemen and on his own behalf, Reserve Colonel Lieutenant of medical service Rafig Guliyev thanked President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova Direct flights will be opened between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Alizade said on the Pakistani television channel Channel 5. The parties began to work in this direction, he said during the Diplomatic Enclave telecast. Alizade expressed official Bakus interest in expanding trade and economic cooperation with Pakistan, Today, about 300 companies and entrepreneurs from Pakistan are working in Azerbaijan, the number of Pakistani tourists visiting Azerbaijan is growing, the ambassador said. The ambassador emphasized that Azerbaijan was interested in expanding cooperation with Pakistan in economic and trade spheres, adding that there are many joint projects, exhibitions, increase in trade turnover between the two countries this year, and that potential and opportunities in this area need to be thoroughly explored. The envoy talked about the products that can be exported from Azerbaijan to Pakistan and that there are about 300 Pakistani companies and businessmen operating in our country, multiple increase in the number of tourists coming from Pakistan to the country and that work on the establishment of direct air communication between the two countries is currently underway. He also informed about the conditions created for foreign investors in Azerbaijan, the activities of the agricultural, industrial and technological parks, economic zones, the international transport corridors passing through our country, the possibility of Pakistan's joining to these projects, military, technical, energy, tourism and other spheres. He added that opportunities for mutual investment have increased. Alizade responded to the question regarding the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan in the military field, saying that this area is a priority field in bilateral relations, both countries suffer from terrorism and extremism and have always supported each other. He stressed that Armenia occupied Azerbaijani territories and implemented a policy of ethnic cleansing, destruction of religious and cultural monuments and ignored the resolutions adopted by international organizations. Touching upon the current situation in Pakistan, the ambassador said that progress is being observed in Pakistan and that the new government is implementing projects in the economic, social and humanitarian spheres, all of which contribute to the development of the country and that Azerbaijan is always with Pakistan. AzerbaijanPakistan relations are considered to be of "strategic partners" nature. The strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Pakistan has contributed to the cooperation in economic, trade, military-technical, energy, tourism and other spheres. Azerbaijan took part at the international travel and tourism exhibition "Pakistan Travel Mart" that was held in Karachi in October 2018. The promotion of tourism potential of Azerbaijan, simplification of visa regime for Pakistani citizens and the launch of the ASAN Visa system increased the number of Pakistani tourists visiting Azerbaijan. Compared to 2016, the number of Pakistani people who travel to Azerbaijan has increased six-fold in 2017. In 2017, the number of Pakistani citizens, visiting Azerbaijan was between 20,000 25,000. The number of Pakistani tourists visiting Azerbaijan has increased by more than eight times over the past two years. As many as 17,558 Pakistani tourists came in Azerbaijan in 2017, 3,998 in 2016, 2193 in 2015, and 1,817 tourists in 2014. According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $8.34 million in January-September 2018. The bulk of the turnover fell on Pakistani exports to Azerbaijan. Compared to the same period of 2017, trade turnover has increased by 22.46 percent. In 2017, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Pakistan amounted to $5.2 million. Around $402,470 of this amount accounted for export of Azerbaijans products to Pakistan, and $4.8 million accounted for import of Pakistani products to Azerbaijan. Pakistan became the second country after Turkey that recognized the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991. The diplomatic relations between two countries were established on June 9, 1992. Pakistan backed Azerbaijan during and after the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Pakistan fully supports Azerbaijan's fair position in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In 2012, Pakistan adopted a resolution strongly condemning the genocide against the civilian population of Khojaly, which was committed by Armenian armed forces. Then, in October 2013, the Senate adopted a document supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The military cooperation takes a special place in Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov In recent years, Kazakhstan began to produce more than 500 types of products not previously manufactured in country, and export about 50 new types of goods. From April 1, 2009, in the Republic of Kazakhstan, at the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the First Five-Year Plan of the State Program for Industrial-Innovative Development was launched. At present, the Second Five-Year Plan is being implemented. The presentation of the Industrialization Map projects and the awards ceremony for the winners of the Paryz and Altyn Sapa awards took place in Astana on December 11. During the presentation, Nazarbayev summarized some of the results of the implementation of the State Program for Industrial-Innovative Development. During the years of industrialization, we launched 1,250 new enterprises, of which only this year 100 were launched. More than 300,000 jobs were created. Today, 110 countries in the world consume our products, said the President. Kazakhstan is carrying out large-scale work on improving the conditions for doing business, improving the investment climate and the judicial system, due to the constant attention of Nazarbayev to the course of diversification of the countrys economy. Last year, at the initiative of the President, the Third Modernization of the country was launched. This year, the Head of State announced the implementation of the Five Social Initiatives. Remarkable, that main leitmotif of the current Message to the people of Kazakhstan, voiced by the President in October 2018, is an increase in the well-being and quality of life of Kazakh people. During the presentation, 28 new projects of the Industrialization Map were presented, six of which are supported by the Baiterek holding. Among the projects successfully implemented are projects in the fields of energy, engineering, food industry, infrastructure development, transport and logistics industry and digitalization. In accordance with the instructions of the Head of State, technological re-equipment of industry with elements of the fourth industrial revolution is an important component of the industrial program. Kazakhstan's economy should switch to a fundamentally new development model that ensures competitiveness in the global market. It is necessary to fully use and build up the existing economic potential in the framework of the EAEU and Chinas One Belt, One Way International Initiative. During the Tele-bridge, the Head of State paid particular attention to the successful implementation of the state housing program Nurly Zher, which is operated by Baiterek Holding. Kazakhstan became a World Trade Organization (WTO) member on November 30, 2015. The country officially entered into a Customs Union with Russia and Belarus on July 1, 2010. Since that time, Kazakhstans trade policy has been heavily influenced by regulations promulgated by the Customs Union and its governing body the Eurasian Economic Commission. On May 29, 2014, Kazakhstan and its Customs Union partners signed a treaty to create a common economic space known as the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The EAEU is expected to further integrate their economies, and provide for the free movement of services, capital and labor within their common territory. The government of Kazakhstan has asserted that EAEU agreements comply with WTO standards. Kazakhstans government is optimistic that further integration within the EAEU will make Kazakhstan more attractive for foreign investment by expanding market access to those countries. Kazakhstan is a signatory of the Free Trade Agreement with CIS countries. In addition, as a member of the EAEU, Kazakhstan is party to the Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and Vietnam. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend U.S. President Donald Trump has told his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan that Washington is working on extraditing a U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, Turkeys foreign minister said on Sunday, Trend reports citing Reuters. In Argentina, Trump told Erdogan they were working on extraditing (Fethullah) Gulen and other people, Mevlut Cavusoglu said, referring to the G20 summit where the leaders met two weeks ago. Erdogan said last week Turkey would start new initiatives abroad to target the financing of Gulen supporters. I have recently seen a credible probe by the FBI on how the Gulen organization avoids taxes, Cavusoglu told a conference in Doha. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Kazakhstans KTZ Express JSC and Russias RZD Logistics JSC, a multimodal logistics operator, are working on projects for container transportation from China to Europe by transit through Kazakhstan and Russia, Vyacheslav Valentik, director general of RZD Logistics JSC, told Trend. He noted that the main task is to increase the transit through Kazakhstan by four times, as well as to increase the general transit through Central Asia. Valentik reminded that during the 23rd International Exhibition for Transport and Logistics Services and Technologies TransRussia/TransLogistica 2018, RZD Logistics JSC and KTZ Express JSC signed an agreement on the mutual development of rail traffic in international transportation. "The cooperation will allow both parties to expand the geography of their own services through the mutually beneficial use of complex of logistic and forwarding services for transportation in Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and other countries of Central Asia," he said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Iran Railway Company has become a member of the Railway Union of the CIS countries, Babak Ahmadi, deputy director for trade affairs of the Iran Railway Company, said. The impact of the sanctions on the railway sector is minimal, Trend reports referring to Mehr News Agency. Good programs are being implemented through the private companies, Ahmadi said. As for the problems with the Russian railcars, Iranian railcars will be fully used to transport cargoes in the next few months, he added. He added that trucks are not good for the transportation of cargoes in the CIS area. Therefore, it is necessary to work on the transportation of cargo by railcars, Ahmadi said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Iranian crude exports will remain a key source of market uncertainty in 2019, according to Fitch Solutions Macro Research (a unit of Fitch Group). "The US adopted a softer approach to sanctions than had been anticipated by the market, granting waivers to eight buyers of Iranian crude. The waivers will expire in May and the Trump administration has offered no concrete guidance as to whether the waivers will be extended, or what conditions must be met by the buyers to secure them," Trend reports citing the companys outlook. In Iran, production has been hit by US secondary sanctions; shrunken export volumes will continue to back-in supply over the coming quarters, according to Fitch Solutions. As for the OPEC decision to cut oil output, the company believes that the exclusion of Venezuela and Iran, where production is set for further (involuntary) declines, will demand deeper cuts from other producers and offer greater fundamental support to the market. Regarding the oil prices, Fitch Solutions, holds to its current forecast for global benchmark Brent, at an annual average of $75 per barrel for 2019. "Our outlook is unchanged in the wake of the OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting on December 7, during which the members of the Declaration of Cooperation (OPEC+) decided to collectively reduce output by 1.20 million barrels per day from October 2018 levels (September for Kuwait). The cut will take effect on January 1, 2019 and will be subject to review after six months," said the report. Of the total, 0.80 million b/d will be provided by OPEC and 0.40 million b/d by non-OPEC. "The size and nature of the cut agreed by OPEC+ supports our price outlook for 2019. The headline number fell slightly short of our expectations (1.26 million b/d). In some ways, though, the cut was more substantial than we were anticipating. Crucially, it excludes Iran, Libya and Venezuela. Mismanagement and chronic underinvestment has driven Venezuelan production into heavy decline, with output falling by more than 550,000 b/d over January to November," the company said. Fitch Solutions believes that ongoing cohesion within the group will be key to maintaining a floor under Brent. "Questions continue to be asked over the role and relevance of OPEC, with Qatars decision to exit the group adding further fuel to the fire. In our view, that decision is better viewed through the lens of Qatars strained relations with Saudi Arabia, its relative lack of influence within OPEC and its strategic focus on LNG," said the report. OPEC and its collaboration with Russia has been one of the key factors driving prices higher over the last two years, according to the company. Fitch Solutions expects believe that its decision to remove 1.2mn b/d of supply from the market has done little to move Brent back towards its early- October highs "However, it has stabilized prices in the low-60s, following eight weeks of heavy selling pressure. Had the group OPEC+ not taken action, the downside to Brent would have been substantial, in our view. In putting a floor under the market, the group can maintain prices at a level that is fiscally acceptable to most members and can stimulate demand in emerging markets (EMs)," the report reads. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Iran has suggested the development of joint industrial investments and joint production between the ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization) members, especially in the field of vehicles. During the 25th Meeting of the ECO Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representative from Iran Chamber of Commerce Industries Mines and Agriculture, Mohammad-Reza Karbasi, has criticized the unilateral US sanctions and suggested the development of joint investment and joint production that can be put on ECO agenda, Trend reports via Donya e Eghtesad. The ICCIMA deputy head for international affairs, Mohammad-Reza Karbasi, has referred to potential in these fields and suggested for further cooperation among ECO member countries. "So far the ECO members have not fully used all the capacities, especially in tourism, oil and gas", he insisted. The Iranian official requested all the members to have active role in these events, by acknowledging the upcoming International ECO Energy Conference and Iran Health International Fair. The 25th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Economic Cooperation Organization has taken place at the International Trade Center (ITC), in Tashkent. Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan Adkham Ikramov, has noted the necessity for cooperation. "Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce is ready to cooperate with ECO members to draft the road map for tourism development," he said. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan representative, Azarakhsh Hafizi asked for implementation of special tariffs and support of businessmen regarding to foreign currency rate fluctuation. The ECO meeting, was attended by representatives of the chambers of commerce and industry of the organizations member states Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The first tourist train from Almaty arrived in the Turkistan region of Kazakhstan, Trend reports with reference to Kazakh media. The high-speed train between the two cities will run on Fridays and Sundays. Passengers traveling in this train will be able to get acquainted with the sights of Turkistan during two days. The opening ceremony of the tourist route was attended by the Deputy Governor of the Turkistan region Yerbol Taszhurekov, leadership of the Turan Express company, tourism specialists and media representatives. In his speech, Taszhurekov noted that the tourist route will contribute to a further increase in the number of tourists in Turkistan. Later an information tour was organized for the guests who arrived by the train. Tourists visited the ancient cities of Otrar and Sauran, and then got acquainted with the state historical and cultural reserve Azret Sultan museum. It is worth noting that the launch of the Almaty-Turkistan tourist train was held within the framework of the memorandum of cooperation signed between the Turan Express company and the Passenger Transport and Road Department, the Tourism and External Relations Department, and the Internal Policy Department of the Turkistan region. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Production at the Iranian gas field South Pars, located in the Persian Gulf, is planned to be increased by 56 million cubic meters per day by the end of March 2019. "Gas production at South Pars will reach 630 million cubic meters per day," said Mohammad Meshkinfam, managing director of the South Pars oil and gas company, Iranian media reported. He noted that this would be a new record in Irans gas production from this offshore gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar. "With the coming of the winter and the need to ensure stable and uninterrupted gas supplies to the country, the development of new gas fields is accelerating," Meshkinfam added. He reiterated that the two offshore platforms belonging to the 14th phase of the field will soon be put into operation, each of which will add 28 million cubic meters of gas per day. Currently, Iran produces a total of 580 million cubic meters of sour gas per day from various phases of the field. According to the International Energy Agency in 2016, Iran ranked third in the world, having produced 190 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Iran ranks first in the world in terms of mastering the largest gas reserves. With a total volume of 188 trillion. cubic meters of natural gas reserves in the world, 34 trillion cubic meters refers to Irans recognized reserves, representing 18 percent of the total world reserves, 51 percent of the Middle Easts total reserves, and 40 percent of the total natural gas reserves of the oil-exporting countries (OPEC). Irans gas reserves are located in gas fields, gas caps, or oil fields. Iran is among the countries that have many common oil and gas fields with neighboring countries. From the number of 28 common oil and gas fields of Iran with its neighbors, 18 fields are oil, 4 - gas, and 6 - both have oil and gas. So there are common oil fields with Iran and Kuwait, Qatar, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Turkmenistan. Some of Irans common gas fields with neighboring countries are the Salman (with Saudi Arabia), Mobarak (with the UAE), Hengam (with Oman), Farsi (with Saudi Arabia), Gunbadli (with Turkmenistan) and South Pars (with Qatar) fields . The South Pars gas field is one of the common Iranian fields with its neighbors, and the world's largest purely gas field, which is located in the border area between Iran and Qatar in the waters of the Persian Gulf. This oil and gas field is capable of providing the necessary energy for 10 percent of the total population of the planet. This supergiant oil and gas field, which is called the Northern Dome in Qatar, is located on an area of 9,700 square kilometers and contains approximately 8 percent of the total gas resources of the world. The 3700 square kilometers of field is located in the territorial waters of Iran, which contains about half of the country's total gas resources. This part of the South Pars field contains 14 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and together with 18 billion barrels of gas condensates. Iran daily extracts more than 500 million cubic meters of gas from this field to meet the growing demand for natural gas, for entering oil producing wells, for producing liquefied natural gas, and for export, as well as for supplying gas condensates as raw materials for petrochemical complexes. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Devin McCraney pocketed money from Beaumont ISD in large chunks, taking roughly $220,000 at a time via wire transfer on 18 separate occasions between August 2010 and October 2013. Now the imprisoned former chief financial officer is chipping away at the $4 million he owes the district, mostly in checks ranging from $25 to $450. The most recent check, cashed on Nov. 27, was for $227.38, district financial records show. All of the money collected will be added to BISD's general fund, district spokeswoman Nakisha Burns said. McCraney, 39, was convicted of federal conspiracy and embezzlement charges in 2014 alongside former district comptroller Sharika Allison. Both were sentenced to time in federal prison and ordered to pay millions in restitution. McCraney got 5years and 8 months to serve and is scheduled for release on Sept. 27, 2019. He will be placed on supervised release for three years. McCraney has made 14 payments to BISD this year, at least three times the amount he's paid any year since reporting to an Oakdale, La., federal facility in October 2014. A prison official said last week that McCraney could not be made available for comment. Unpaid restitution following McCraney's release from prison will be docked at a monthly basis at a rate of at least 10 percent of his gross income, per U.S. District Judge Ron Clark's September 2014 order. Any inheritance, settlements, tax refunds or monetary gifts will also be taken as restitution, according to the order. The district has not received any payments from Allison, who owes the district $1.3 million, according to court records. Allison, formerly incarcerated at a Bryan prison, was released at the end of February, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records. The 48-year-old was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in prison. Allison and McCraney were shown in court to have stolen more than $4 million. In a September 2016 deposition, taken in a separate lawsuit involving former auditor Gayle Botley, who handled BISD's annual audits during that period, McCraney testified that he had the power to move money from BISD bank accounts to his own external accounts by wire transfer, modify bank statements and adjust entries in the district's ledger, all without oversight. He said he shredded transfer receipts to conceal the theft. Either McCraney or Allison made five wire transfers from April 2012 to August 2013 to a bank account listed under the name Milimann Consultants, according to previous Enterprise reporting. Allison filed an "Assumed Business Name Record" for Milimann Consultants on April 27, 2012. She and McCraney knew BISD regularly did business with Milimann USA, according to a court stipulation she signed. The Enterprise was not able to reach Allison for comment last week. Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Hernandez said "the district has been operating on a balanced budget each year from tax collections and state revenue." Auditors from the Whitley Penn public accounting firm presented BISD's annual financial report at the Nov.15 board meeting, issuing a"clean report" for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The district's ending net worth on June 30 was $39.2 million. The general fund, the district's main operating fund, reached $43 million in the last fiscal year, up $3.9 million over the previous year. BISD spent less than it made, the audit said. More money should still be rolling in, per court order. Patricia Lambert, another former BISD administrator convicted of stealing from the district, still owes roughly 92 percent of the $500,000 restitution she was ordered to pay. The former assistant superintendent was sentenced in June 2016 to more than three years in federal prison for stealing half a million dollars from the Central High School booster club and student activities funds. Her first payment to the district was received on Sept. 27. She has paid twice more since, including on Nov. 27, bringing her total restitution paid this year to $38,839.66. Lambert, 64, was transferred this fall to a halfway house in Houston. She receives a monthly retirement benefit of $2,414.85 from Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana and $1,638.89 from Teachers' Retirement System of Texas. About $1,000 a month is redirected from her retirement checks. Lambert declined to comment when reached by email. The court also is taking a quarter of her husband Howard Lambert's wages from Memorial Hospital in Lake Charles. With Alvin Braziel's execution Tuesday night in Huntsville, 13 men have been executed by the state of Texas in 2018 more than the last two years. Braziel was convicted of murdering Douglas White and sexually assaulting his newlywed bride, Lora White, in a botched robbery as the couple enjoyed an evening jog in a Dallas-area community college in 1993. Braziel wasn't caught until new DNA evidence pointed to him as the main suspect in 2001. He was serving a five-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a child when he was convicted in Douglas White's murder. He was immediately sentenced to death. EXECUTION SET: Second-to-last 'Texas 7' escapee gets March execution date Prior to Braziel's execution, 12 others including a Houston serial killer have been given a lethal injection for capital murder in 2018. Texas executed seven people each in 2017 and 2016. There are already five executions scheduled for 2019, the soonest of which is for Blaine Milam on Jan. 15. Milam killed a 13-month-old girl in Henderson in 2008, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. See the slideshow above to see all 13 men who were executed and the crimes that sent them to death row. 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 Click the photo to write a caption and have a chance to win a free subscription to the Norfolk Daily News. A Texas school district recently cut ties with a child language specialist because she refused to sign an oath in her contract barring her from boycotting anything "intended to inflict economic harm" to Israel, according to a report from The Intercept. Bahia Amawi, who is a U.S. citizen with a master's degree in speech pathology, had contracted with Austin-area Pflugerville Independent School District since 2009, working with children in the area's growing Arabic-speaking population, the Intercept reported. RELATED: UH employee faked speaker's signature on no-boycott Israel form, officials find The new clause in her contract comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the "Anti-BDS" bill into state law in May 2017. It prohibits all state agencies "from contracting with, and certain public funds from investing in, companies that boycott Israel." Amawi was named in a lawsuit filed on her behalf Sunday in federal court in the Western District of Texas. The document claims that the law violates her freedom of speech, and the lead attorney said it could set a dangerous precedent if left unchallenged. "We've had a long proud history of being able to protest the U.S., and what the state of Texas has done is affect the ability of one to protest," Floyd said. The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement is a Palestinian-led effort inspired by the South African Anti-Apartheid movement of the 1980s. It targets Israel's human rights abuses against Palestinians, including land occupation, discrimination and denying refugees the right to return to their homes, according to bdsmovement.net. Several lawmakers have publicly spoken out against BDS. Sen. Chuck Schumer called it anti-Semitic, and at least 24 other states have imposed anti-BDS legislation, according to palestinelegal.org. Amawi supports the global movement, telling the Intercept that she avoids purchasing products from Israeli companies in Israel or the occupied West Bank an area included in the anti-BDS law. She said she couldn't sign the contract because she would be "betraying Palestinians suffering under an occupation that I believe is unjust and thus, become complicit in their repression," the Intercept reported. She continued: "But I'd also be betraying my fellow Americans by enabling violations of our constitutional rights to free speech and to protest peacefully." Amawi believed she was the only certified Arabic-speaking speech pathologist in the district, and her absence could leave dozens of young children without adequate attention, the Intercept reported. RELATED: Texas campus free speech is a political priority. A no-boycott Israel law, then, gives some pause. Floyd added that other school districts and universities have struggled with this issue. He said as it stands, the anti-BDS law could set the stage for more severe free speech violations in the future. "You can see a state having laws that makes it illegal to speak out against our own government," he said. "There's a very slippery slope here." Floyd also said Tuesday he had not been notified of an responses to the lawsuit. Pflugerville ISD and Attorney General Ken Paxton were both named as defendants. District spokeswoman Tamra Spence said Monday that the district could not comment on the specifics of the lawsuit but defended the decision not to extend Amawi's contract. "PfISD followed state law (Chapter 2270 of the Texas Government Code), which does not allow school districts to hire a contractor unless the contract contains a written verification that the contractor does not boycott Israel and will not boycott Israel during the term of the contract," Spence said in an email. "The plaintiff did not agree to the contract as written; therefore, it was unable to be executed in accordance with Texas law." 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 Chapel Hill, N.C.-based University of North Carolina System appointed A. Wesley Burks, MD, CEO of UNC Health Care, dean of the UNC School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs at UNC-Chapel Hill. He will assume the new roles Jan. 15. Dr. Burks is currently executive dean for the UNC School of Medicine. He is also the Curnen Distinguished Professor in the pediatrics department. He joined UNC in 2011, initially serving as physician-in-chief of the North Carolina Children's Hospital. He became chair of the pediatrics department in 2012. Dr. Burks has prior experience working at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Medical Center and Little Rock-based Arkansas Children's Hospital. He is well-published in the pediatric allergy and immunology arena, and he is a past president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Dr. Burks succeeds William L. Roper, MD, who announced plans earlier this year to retire May 15, 2019. However, Dr. Roper was appointed interim president of the University of North Carolina System, effective Jan. 1, 2019, and he will leave his dual roles as CEO of the health system and dean of the medical school. A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the entire ACA is unconstitutional, and a fight against the ruling is expected to ensue, according to The New York Times. Eight things to know: 1. The Dec. 14 ruling is on Texas v. United States, a lawsuit filed by 20 states seeking to undo the ACA. States joining the lawsuit with Texas are Wisconsin, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia. 2. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in his ruling said the individual mandate requiring people to have health insurance "can no longer be sustained as an exercise of Congress' tax power," according to the Times. The judge said that "the individual mandate is unconstitutional" and the rest of the ACA is invalid. 3. The case centers on the involved states' claim that the ACA is unconstitutional because the tax law signed by President Donald Trump in December 2017 eliminates the ACA's individual mandate penalty. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled the individual mandate penalty was a tax. Since the mandate to have health insurance stands, but the "tax" was eliminated, the states argue the mandate is unconstitutional. The lawsuit also argues that the entire ACA is unconstitutional because the mandate is not severable from the rest of the law. 4. The U. S. Justice Department said in June it would not defend major provisions of the ACA, including the individual mandate and provisions guaranteeing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Subsequently, 16 states and the District of Columbia received permission to intervene in the case and defend the health law. 5. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who initiated the coalition, pledged to "continue the fight" after the Dec. 14 ruling. "Today's ruling is an assault on 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, on the 20 million Americans who rely on the ACA for healthcare and on America's faithful progress toward affordable healthcare for all Americans," he said. "The ACA has already survived more than 70 unsuccessful repeal attempts and withstood scrutiny in the Supreme Court. Today's misguided ruling will not deter us: Our coalition will continue to fight in court for the health and well-being of all Americans." 6. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the Dec. 14 ruling: "Today's ruling halts an unconstitutional exertion of federal power over the American healthcare system," he said. "Our lawsuit seeks to effectively repeal Obamacare, which will give President Trump and Congress the opportunity to replace the failed social experiment with a plan that ensures Texans and all Americans will again have greater choice about what health coverage they need and who will be their doctor." 7. The legal path of the case moving forward remains unclear, according to The Washington Post. Timothy Jost, a health law expert who is a professor emeritus at Lexington, Va.-based Washington and Lee University, told the publication that since Judge O'Connor granted summary judgment in the case and not an injunction, "it's unclear whether this is a final judgment, whether it's appealable, whether it can be stayed." 8. The White House has issued a statement, cited by the Post, saying, "We expect this ruling will be appealed to the Supreme Court. Pending the appeal process, the law remains in place." Access the full Times article here and the full Post article here. Emily Rappleye and Ayla Ellison contributed to this report. More articles on leadership: 4 ways leaders can overcome their fear of failure Public health will frame gun debate for House Democrats next year NewYork-Presbyterian CIO Daniel Barchi on the strategic initiative he'll tackle in 2019 The District of Columbia attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against St. Louis-based Ascension on Dec. 14, claiming the Catholic health system's move to shutter Washington, D.C.-based Providence Health System violates the terms of Providence's hospital license, according to The Washington Post. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of District Mayor Muriel Bowser, said the hospital closure plan must be approved by local health officials, according to the report. Providence Health System the city's oldest continuously operating hospital primarily serves the city's underrepresented and low-income populations. Ascension announced in September it planned to close Providence Health System's emergency room by Dec. 5 and end all acute care services by Dec. 14. However, under pressure from city officials, Ascension agreed to keep the system's ER open through April and maintain 10 out of 238 beds for patients who need to be admitted. Ascension officials claim the move to shutter the hospital is necessary, as Providence Health System has continued to struggle financially in recent years. "Providence and Ascension remain committed to the District and are pleased to be able to respond to the community need for this extended period," Patricia Maryland, president and CEO of Ascension Healthcare, said in a news release obtained by The Washington Post last week. The D.C. City Council has also passed legislation empowering officials to force hospitals to remain open, the report states. To access the full report, click here. A judge denied Blue Cross Blue Shield plans' interlocutory appeal of an opinion and order ruling that how they do business may be an automatic violation of federal antitrust regulations. Here are four things to know: 1. On Dec. 12, Judge David Proctor of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit denied BCBS' petition for permission to appeal the district court's previous memorandum opinion and order. 2. In an April 5 ruling, Judge Proctor said provider- and member-sponsored litigation claiming the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and its 36 members worked together under competitive restrictions, when considered altogether, may be a "per se" violation of the Sherman Act. The Sherman Act is the federal law banning unlawful trade restraints. 3. Specifically, the litigation argues BCBS insurers unlawfully conspire to divide markets and avoid competition with one another. As a result, consumers face higher prices and providers are paid less, the litigation alleges. 4. Of the Dec. 12, decision, Scott Nehs, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, told Becker's Hospital Review: "The decision not to accept our appeal at this time was not unexpected, as pre-trial appeals are rare. This is another step in a very long process and we look forward to continuing to defend our case in the U.S. District court. We remain confident that we will ultimately prevail." Editor's note: This article was updated to correct information about the judge's decision. More articles on payer issues: CMS' final rule on risk adjustment payments: 3 things to know BCBS of Wyoming customers overcharged due to banking error ACA plan enrollment falls 11%: 3 things to know Mario Molina, MD, served as CEO of Molina Healthcare from 1996 until the board unexpectedly fired him and his brother John Molina, the company's CFO, in 2017. Dr. Molina and the company are still at odds, according to the Los Angeles Times. Here are five things to know: 1. Dr. Molina acquired 16 medical clinics in California from Molina Healthcare after he was fired. The clinics operate under the name Golden Shore Medical Group. 2. Molina Healthcare imposed a low reimbursement rate on Golden Shore Medical Group this year, and contract negotiations for 2019 have reached an impasse, according to Dr. Molina. 3. Molina Healthcare has decided to let its contract with Golden Shore Medical Group lapse as of Feb. 1, according to the Los Angeles Times. If the contract isn't renewed, 79,000 patients who see Golden Shore Medical Group's physicians will have to find new physicians. 4. Regarding Molina Healthcare denying better contract terms for Golden Shore Medical Group, Dr. Molina told the Los Angeles Times: "It appears to be not so much a business decision, but a spiteful, personal decision. They're effectively trying to drive us out of business." 5. A Molina Healthcare spokesperson told the Long Beach Post that the company's top priority is "ensuring our members have access to reliable, high-quality care." Golden Shore Medical Group requested "an insupportable out-of-market rate increase," the spokesperson said regarding Molina Healthcare's decision not to renew its contract with the medical group. Access the full Los Angeles Times article here. Access the full Long Beach Post article here. More articles on payer issues: CMS' final rule on risk adjustment payments: 3 things to know BCBS of Wyoming customers overcharged due to banking error ACA plan enrollment falls 11%: 3 things to know As pressure mounts to reduce patient length of stay, skilled nursing facilities are particularly feeling the pinch of escalating drug costs, according to Skilled Nursing News. Transitional Care Management, a skilled nursing facility with two locations in Illinois, saw the average price of medications per patient rise to $48 per day in 2018, compared to about $40 in 2017. This equates to about $18,000 to $20,000 extra costs per month for the facility. "Our referrals are getting more and more complex. We're getting surviving cancer patients, organ transplant patients, that have more expensive medications and more complex medical systems that we have to put in place," Transitional Care Management COO Mike Filippo told Skilled Nursing News. Ecumen, a nonprofit senior housing and healthcare organization with nine facilities in eight states, spends $10,000 per month on inhalers alone for Medicare Part A patients. Since ACOs and managed care plans continue to force skilled nursing facilities to keep patient lengths of stay short and shift low-acuity cases to home health settings, skilled nursing facilities must shift their focus to managing their unique supply requirements to remain financially sustainable. "It's a huge piece of our world that probably doesnt always get the attention it deserves," Monica Schreck, vice president of clinical operations at Symphony Post Acute Network, told Skilled Nursing News. Read the full report here. After they suffered setbacks at the European Parliament, which voted at the level of committees for the renewal of the EU-Morocco farm & fisheries deals recognizing Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara, the Polisario separatists, relayed by Algerian media, rushed to distort the remarks made lately by US National security advisor John Bolton on Washingtons review of UN peacekeeping missions. Speaking last week at the Heritage Foundation on Trump Administrations new Africa strategy, which puts the interests of the American People first, both at home and abroad, Mr. Bolton said Washington will no longer support unproductive, unsuccessful, and unaccountable UN peacekeeping missions. Contrary to the press reports circulated by the Algerian propaganda outlets and the secessionist bloggers through their social media networks, Ambassador Bolton, one of the White House hawks, has not called for the holding of a referendum in the Sahara. He cited the case of MINURSO deployed in the territory since 1991 due to the absence of a political solution to this regional conflict. 27 years of deployment of this UN peacekeeping force, 27 years and its still there, said Mr. Bolton, wondering whether there is not a way to resolve this issue. Our objective is to resolve conflicts, not freeze them in perpetuity, added the US national security advisor. And of course, the Polisario and Algeria tried to exploit the criticism voiced against UN conflicts management in a bid to shy away from their responsibilities in perpetuating the Sahara conflict. Instead of concentrating on the realist autonomy plan offered by Morocco for the Sahara and the strong message sent by Mr. Bolton, they wasted their energies on playing the blame game. John Boltons remarks confirm the rightfulness and the merits of the stand of Morocco, whose King Mohammed VI, has reached out to neighboring Algeria to open a direct and frank dialogue to settle all pending differences including the Sahara conflict, but to no avail. The Algerian State, which arms, funds and shelters the Polisario separatists, has been recognized by the United Nations as a party to the regional dispute over the Sahara and as a main stakeholder in the process aiming to find a lasting political solution to the conflict. This explains Algerias participation in the Geneva round table on the Sahara, held dec.5-6 under the aegis of the UN Secretary Generals personal envoy Horst Kohler. The huge financial and military resources devoted by the Algerian authorities to keep this issue going on for political purposes could have been much more productively used for the regional development and economic betterment. With the current dynamics of global geopolitics and economics, it is time for the Algerian authorities to listen to the voice of reason and be pragmatic because the Trump Administration said it will not continue funding the UN peacekeeping missions that are unable to meet their own mandate or facilitate lasting peace. In March, the United States has made the renewal of the MINURSO mandate conditional on political progress. Morocco has already shown its good-faith and readiness to open a new chapter in the political process. The ball is now in the other parties court. Emory Healthcare hospitals in Atlanta are using an electronic intensive care unit that lets physicians and nurses in Australia communicate with physicians and patients via televisions, the American Medical Association reports. Emory launched an eICU network in 2014. The eICU team monitors critical care units at five other hospitals from its base at Emory St. Joseph's Hospital. An independent study by Abt Associates for CMS found the system lowered Medicare spending and was linked to a drop in readmissions. However, eICU physicians started to experience burnout as they rotated day, night and weekend shifts. That's when Emory leaders came up with the idea to have staff in Australia. The physicians and nurses based in Australia's Royal Perth Hospital start a 7 a.m. shift as their Atlanta-based colleagues start work at 7 p.m. The Australia team can access EHRs of ICU patients in Georgia, including X-rays and data from bedside monitors. The concept was tested at Macquarie University's MQ Health in Sydney for six months in 2016 and tracked staff sleep cycles, mood changes, cortisol levels and overall quality of life. Researchers are still analyzing this data, but feedback indicates the project is successful. "Everyone who has gone over has asked, 'When can I do it again?'" said Timothy Buchman, MD, PhD, Emory's critical care center director. The program relaunched this spring and was moved to better sync time zones for staff. For the next two to three years, staff will work on eight- to 16-week rotations. "Our foray into Australia has opened many areas of opportunity to the telemedicine experience," Dr. Buchman said. With two manufacturing facilities in Shannon and Oranmore, Ireland, Zimmer Biomet celebrated 10 years of Irish operations, according to The Clare Champion. Along with its manufacturing plans, Zimmer Biomet operates a professional education center in Ireland. The center gathers healthcare professionals from around the world. Zimmer Biomet is among the leading employers in Ireland. Medical devices and diagnostic products make up 8 percent of the country's merchandise exports, according to Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland. "As a global leader, Zimmer Biomet is a significant contributor to that number and a great example of successful investment in Ireland," Mr. Shanahan told The Clare Champion. "In terms of economic impact, the company's two locations mean that the benefit is spread across Shannon and Galway, providing a substantial number of jobs and creating considerable benefit for both communities." Trevor Annon, chairman and founder of Mount Charles, Sandra Moore MBE, CEO of The Welcome Oganisation and Gavin Annon, head of sales and marketing at Mount Charles Healthy fast-food chain Freshly Chopped has open its flagship store in Belfast and has pledged to donate its leftover food to the homeless. Freshly Chopped is owned by foodservice giant Mount Charles, who will be partnering with Belfast-based charity The Welcome Organisation for the venture. The Welcome Organisation provides a range of potentially life-saving services to the homeless and will be distributing unused food from Freshly chopped every night. Freshly Chopped's new store is located on Donegall Square West and follows on from the launch of their outlet at Ulster University's Belfast Campus in October. Gavin Annon, head of sales and marketing at Mount Charles, said the company feels a big responsibility to minimise food waste wherever possible. "This new commitment with The Welcome Centre will mean that no good quality, fresh produce from Freshly Chopped that could be eaten will go to waste," he added. "We know that homelessness in Belfast is a serious issue and were glad to play a small part in helping feed people in real need. Sandra Moore, chief executive of The Welcome Organisation, thanked those at Freshly Chopped and Mount Charles for their support in the venture. "We couldnt deliver the level of service we do for people affected by homelessness without the support of the public and the support of our local businesses," she added. By donating food, Freshly Chopped will be helping us feed some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. The food will be used in our Drop-in Centre, were we provide meals, tea and coffee, showers, laundry services and much more to up to 100 people every day of the year. As well as our Drop-in Centre we also have a Street Outreach service our Outreach team is on the streets of the city 17 hours a day from 7am-2am every day. "We also provide Crisis Accommodation for Women, a Floating Support service for people who have been homeless but have now found accommodation and our Welcome Home furniture and arts project. The support from Mount Charles and Freshly Chopped will allow The Welcome Organisation to continue delivering it's potentially life-saving, on-the-ground support to some of the 18,000 people who present as homeless every year in Northern Ireland. Freshly Chopped has also pledged to open six stores across Northern Ireland over the next three years, creating around 150 jobs. Around 2 billion worth of infrastructure projects have stalled due to the collapse of Stormont, a senior business figure has said. But Gordon Milligan, who chairs the Institute of Directors (IoD), said he believed that civil servants were doing a good job in the absence of ministers. However, speaking to the BBC's Inside Business programme yesterday, Mr Milligan warned the deadlock was having an increasing impact. "We're missing ministers taking those decisions and that is holding the economy back, there's no doubt about that. It's holding back growth in the economy, it's holding job creation back. "I also think the permanent secretaries and the senior civil servants have been doing an incredible job, a very positive job for Northern Ireland in the absence of an Assembly. "I think increasingly we are missing ministers to take those key decisions." Mr Milligan said the impasse was holding up a series of key projects. "There is at least 2bn worth of infrastructure projects in the system either waiting approval, planning permission etc," he said. "Just think of the impact that can have, the positive impact that could have on the economy, whether it's job creation, construction jobs, legacy jobs. "You are talking about projects like the North-South interconnector, Casement Park, the Belfast Transport Hub, among others. There is also the new power station in Belfast Harbour estate." Stormont collapsed in January 2017 when the late Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness resigned amid the fallout from the RHI scandal and equality issues. Subsequent attempts to get the institutions up and running again have broken down over a series of issues, including an Irish Language Act. Last month the Belfast Telegraph reported that a backlog of 164 big decisions had built up across eight of the nine Executive departments. The backlog includes strategies, business plans, planning applications and public appointments. It affects everything from health and business to policing and the environment. In some cases legislation has been waiting on ministerial approval for more than 600 days. The NI Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions Act was introduced by Secretary of State Karen Bradley to allow senior civil servants to make decisions in the absence of Stormont ministers. Yesterday, the Dean of Belfast spoke out about the ongoing impasse, saying he feared it could be exploited by criminal groups. Stephen Forde said that if decisions can no longer be taken by politicians, then other groups will look to exploit the vacuum of power. Speaking to the BBC, he said that a lack of political leadership had left communities "less stable, less secure". "There's always a danger, if people aren't given leadership by their politicians, that they'll sometimes turn to those who come up with easy answers, people who have their own agenda," the Church of Ireland cleric said. "If nobody can make decisions about how the police are funded or how policing is to be done, then there will always be somebody else to step into that gap. "So who, then, is going to make the decisions and how are things going to be taken forward?" Dean Forde also called for greater consultation over the 500m regeneration project near St Anne's. Tribeca Belfast, which aims to reflect the development's location as the 'Triangle beside the Cathedral', is the largest single regeneration project in the city centre. The 12-acre site is located beside St Anne's Cathedral bounded by Royal Avenue, Donegall Street, Lower Garfield Street and Rosemary Street. The Dean added: "What's important for any such development is that there is engagement with the people in the area who are most affected by it." He is preparing for his annual Black Santa charity sit-out and said that the benefits system was not working. He said that he often finds homeless people sleeping on the steps of St Anne's. "Sometimes the stories are really tragic and it really shows you that the system is not working," he added. "In the 21st century, it should not be the case that in one of the most affluent countries in the world we have people sleeping in doorways. There are problems with the system when people find themselves without employment and it's a long wait for finance to come through." A Dunmurray funeral director has been made national president of the British Institute of Funeral Directors (BIFD). David Capper was installed in October. He will be responsible for representing the funeral directors of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England in meetings across the UK. The announcement was made following a BIFD conference and banquet in October, which was held at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire. Mr Capper previously held the position of vice president in the organisation. He said he had always been interested in becoming a funeral director and got his opportunity aged 19 at Holmes of Dungannon. Mr Capper opened Elwood & Capper Independent Funeral Directors with business partner Brian Elwood in 2005. Two years ago, he completed the British Institute of Funeral Directors diploma. There have recently been calls for the introduction of professional qualifications across the industry to protect standards. In Scotland, the law is being changed to require a professional qualification, something that Mr Capper believes Northern Ireland will be following suit with in the near future. He said: "Being installed as the president of the BIFD is an honour. "I will do my very best to uphold all that the institute stands for and believes in during my time in office. "I have always had an interest in the funeral business. It wasn't a morbid fascination - it just something that I really wanted to do." The number of major business deals in the UK could be more than halved in the event of a no-deal Brexit, a law firm has said. (stock picture) The number of major business deals in the UK could be more than halved in the event of a no-deal Brexit, a law firm has said. Figures released in the fourth edition of Baker McKenzie's Global Transactions Forecast, issued with Oxford Economics, indicate that a no-deal scenario would see merger and acquisitions (M&As) activity drop from 2,338 deals in 2018 to 1,041 in 2019. Values would also decline by 64% next year. The UK initial public offerings (IPOs) values are also forecast to plummet by 60% next year in the event of a no-deal. Throughout 2018, the UK has seen a rise in M&A value, which is expected to reach 169.5bn by the end of the year - a 56% increase on last year's 108.2bn. There has also been a 20% increase this year in the value of inbound deals to almost 104m. If the UK proceeds with its exit deal, Baker McKenzie has predicted a fall in M&A value to around 113bn in 2019, declining further to 108bn in 2020. Tim Gee, M&A partner at Baker McKenzie, said: "A no-deal Brexit environment will result in a notable decline in M&A over the next period, before confidence reasserts itself. If a change in government happens, however, this will be the biggest downside risk to activity and the negative impact on M&A will be extended." In the Republic, deal activity could reach 9bn in 2019, assuming a no-deal Brexit is averted. However, M&As and IPO values could fall by 40% in a no-deal Brexit scenario. Despite Ireland's economic growth being strong in 2017 and reaching 3.9bn and rising to 8.5bn in 2018, deal-making was not as strong as during 2015 and 2016, when it reached 46.2bn and 11.9bn respectively. The forecast predicts M&A value for 2019 to reach 8.6bn before falling to 5bn in 2020. After a year of no listings in 2018, Baker McKenzie predicts IPO value of 260.8m in 2019 and 72.2m in 2020. Cloche hats were very fashionable during the 1920s, and the Queen clearly knows how to work vintage - for her Christmas choice of 2011 is a lesson in retro revival Matching was the theme again in 2005, this time in a muted peach outfit - but that doesn't stop the Queen showing a stylish flourish with the bow detail on this hat As the Noughties dawned, she went for a bright colour-match combination, with her trademark black leather handbag The Queen has been rocking bold block colour way before it became mainstream fashionable, and in a sea of Nineties beige, she radiated in purple in 1992 The hat selected by the Queen in 1983 feels just as fitting for a winter wedding as it would have been for royalty to attend a Christmas Day church service - we'll go for faux fur now, of course If you're planning to head out to a Christmas service, winter wedding or any other occasion that might call for a classic, formal hat this festive season, there can be no one better to take inspiration from than the Queen. After all, we see Her Majesty more often in a hat than out of one. Every year she attends church on Christmas Day, she always, always wears a hat, so we've taken a look back at some of her best festive headwear through the years and asked milliner Awon Golding to talk us through the Queen's style evolution in hats. Seventies Expand Close In 1978, the royal hat of choice was a felt pillbox hat PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp In 1978, the royal hat of choice was a felt pillbox hat In 1978, the royal hat of choice was a felt pillbox hat. "It's a style she'll come back to many times in her life," says Golding. "It was popularised in the Sixties by Jackie Kennedy. "We'll see throughout the Queen's sartorial life that she consistently wears hats that are swept up and away from the face. When meeting with dignitaries, it was important they could see her eyes, and that the official photographs were able to capture her whole face." Eighties Expand Close The hat selected by the Queen in 1983 feels just as fitting for a winter wedding as it would have been for royalty to attend a Christmas Day church service - we'll go for faux fur now, of course PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The hat selected by the Queen in 1983 feels just as fitting for a winter wedding as it would have been for royalty to attend a Christmas Day church service - we'll go for faux fur now, of course The hat selected by the Queen in 1983 feels just as fitting for a winter wedding as it would have been for royalty to attend a Christmas Day church service - we'll go for faux fur now, of course. "This feathered pillbox is decorative, featuring a coque feather trim and delicate veiling. From the photo it looks like the hat itself is also covered in what could possibly be pheasant feathers," says Golding. Nineties Expand Close The Queen has been rocking bold block colour way before it became mainstream fashionable, and in a sea of Nineties beige, she radiated in purple in 1992 PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Queen has been rocking bold block colour way before it became mainstream fashionable, and in a sea of Nineties beige, she radiated in purple in 1992 The Queen has been rocking bold block colour way before it became mainstream fashionable, and in a sea of Nineties beige, she radiated in purple in 1992. "This exaggerated Breton is made in matching purple tweed to the Queen's coat," explains Golding. "Once again, we see the sweeping uplift of the brim, exposing the face and framed by her signature curled hair." The Nineties really was a time when the Queen began to match her coat and hat colours. Golding says her 1999 sculptural beret in blue wool would have a canvas base to it, which would be covered and lined with fabric. Early Noughties Expand Close As the Noughties dawned, she went for a bright colour-match combination, with her trademark black leather handbag PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp As the Noughties dawned, she went for a bright colour-match combination, with her trademark black leather handbag The Queen always needs to look her best on Christmas Day, because many people see her outside the church at Sandringham, and hand over flowers. As the Noughties dawned, she went for a bright colour-match combination, with her trademark black leather handbag. This 2001 hat is made from parasisal, a type of milliner's straw, and sinamay, a popular hat-making foundation made from the stalks of the abaca tree, and would have been hand-dyed to match the Queen's outfit, "perfectly mirroring the turquoise and cobalt of the jacket and dress", says Golding. The new millennium saw the Queen start to experiment with bolder hat choices, textures and accessories, and her 2002 choice stands out. "This fuchsia tweed and black fox fur Cossack is both elegant and warm," says Golding. "More than likely this would have a felt body underneath with fabric and fur blocked and sewn on top." Mid-Noughties Expand Close Matching was the theme again in 2005, this time in a muted peach outfit - but that doesn't stop the Queen showing a stylish flourish with the bow detail on this hat PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Matching was the theme again in 2005, this time in a muted peach outfit - but that doesn't stop the Queen showing a stylish flourish with the bow detail on this hat Matching was the theme again in 2005, this time in a muted peach outfit - but that doesn't stop the Queen showing a stylish flourish with the bow detail on this hat. "This peach bloom felt and silk hat is another classic shape for the Queen," observes Golding. "Her Majesty's ubiquitous hat pin is clearly visible here, holding the hat in place." We're enjoying the red and grey feather explosion of 2008. "This hat is made from a soft grey melusine fur felt, with crimson velvet trimming and button, and matching coque feathers," notes Golding. It is also, of course, perfectly coordinated to the Queen's coat. Recent years Expand Close Cloche hats were very fashionable during the 1920s, and the Queen clearly knows how to work vintage - for her Christmas choice of 2011 is a lesson in retro revival PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cloche hats were very fashionable during the 1920s, and the Queen clearly knows how to work vintage - for her Christmas choice of 2011 is a lesson in retro revival Cloche hats were very fashionable during the 1920s, and the Queen clearly knows how to work vintage - for her Christmas choice of 2011 is a lesson in retro revival. "This ivory velour felt cloche with asymmetrical brim and exaggerated crown is trimmed with a matching waffle weave lavender tweed trimband and felt and fabric twist," says Golding. The burnt orange hat of 2017, made from a sinamay base covered with matching orange fabric, features an elegant handmade floral sinamay and wire trim. "You can see the end of the hat pin here - almost all the Queen's hats feature one or two hat pins to hold the hat in place in all circumstances," explains Golding. So what will it be in 2019? We can't wait to see. Prime Minister Theresa May throws a ball for a border collie called Blitz as she and her husband Philip leave following a church service near her Maidenhead constituency Theresa May will today hit out at calls for a new Brexit referendum, claiming such a move would send a message to millions of voters that democracy does not deliver. The Prime Minister will use an address to the Commons to say that another national poll on EU withdrawal will do "irreparable damage" to the integrity of British politics. Mrs May will say: "Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum. "Another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy, that our democracy does not deliver. "Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last. "And another vote which would further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it." Mrs May is set to address MPs in the wake of a bruising EU summit in Brussels last week, during which European leaders largely rebuffed the Prime Minister's calls for reassurances on her withdrawal agreement. The statement to Parliament will follow days of speculation that some Cabinet ainisters and key aides to Mrs May are now manoeuvring for a fresh Brexit poll. Her de facto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and chief of staff Gavin Barwell both dismissed reports they are planning for a new referendum. The Prime Minister also became embroiled in a highly personalised war of words with one of her predecessors, Tony Blair, over his calls for a fresh Brexit vote. Mrs May accused the ex-Labour leader of insulting the British people and undermining Brexit negotiations with calls for a new referendum. Mr Blair hit back by saying that Mrs May's stance was "irresponsible". Labour former Foreign Secretary and prominent People's Vote campaign supporter Dame Margaret Beckett said the case for a new Brexit poll was "becoming overwhelming". Dame Margaret said: "It is highly significant that Downing Street felt it had to issue these advance extracts of her statement to the House of Commons on Sunday night because officials know the prospect of a People's Vote is being discussed not just in Westminster but in the corridors of Whitehall too. "The case for the public being given the final say is becoming so overwhelming that people from all parties and of none now recognise that this is the best way forward for our country. "A new public vote would be different from the referendum in 2016 because we now know more about what Brexit means. "It is vital that leaders who care about the national interest begin preparations for a people's vote that can sort out the Brexit mess, give our politics the clarity it needs to move forward and our country the opportunity to move on from the bitter divisions of the past three years." As Cabinet members tried to dampen talk of a fresh Brexit poll, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox indicated he could support a free vote for MPs on Brexit options. Asked about a free vote, Dr Fox told the Andrew Marr Show: "That's not something we have considered. "I have to say, personally, I wouldn't have a huge problem with Parliament as a whole having a say on what the options were." Dr Fox signalled he thought there could be EU movement in the new year regarding anxieties Brexiteers have that Britain could be "trapped" in the Northern Ireland backstop. He said: "It's very clear that the EU understand what the problem is. "And it's a question now, without unpicking the whole of the withdrawal agreement, can we find a mechanism of operating the backstop in a way that actually removes those anxieties. "It will happen over Christmas. It is not going to happen this week. "It is not going to be quick. "It will happen sometime in the new year." Meanwhile, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister and Tanaiste Simon Coveney said Brexit could be delayed if the UK came up with a significantly different proposal. Mr Coveney told RTE: "If there is an entirely new proposal coming from the UK then I think undoubtedly you would need a lot more time for that to be considered on the EU side and that would probably involve an extension of Article 50, or pulling Article 50 for the moment. "But I think that would be a big decision for Britain to make and Theresa May has said that she does not want to do that." The backstop would leave Northern Ireland in a customs union with the EU post-Brexit, if no solution can be found to avoid a hard border on the island. Theresa May's chief Brexit negotiator has been pictured with documents hinting at a new plan to solve the Irish border backstop issue. Olly Robbins was photographed outside the Cabinet Office holding a file with papers exposed revealing a "separate agreement" on the backstop - a major bone of contention in the Brexit negotiations. The backstop would keep Northern Ireland in a customs union with the EU after Brexit, in the event no solution is found to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. Mr Robbins' papers were blowing in the wind when the picture was snapped, revealing the bottom right-hand corner of a page on the backstop. The page references the "separate agreement" on the backstop, which the UK wants to implemented "for the shortest possible period". Last week, the issue resulted in Theresa May calling off a Commons vote on her Brexit deal as it was facing being rejected by the majority of MPs. Since calling off the vote, Mrs May has faced a no confidence vote in her leadership by members of her own party - which she won - and met with EU officials in an attempt to find a solution to backstop issue. If you want to read the final deal for leaving the EU read on, thanks to the very silly Olly Robbins who was holding this document as he walked past Downing St with that half silly smile he has, what a silly man he is. pic.twitter.com/VJV3lOzadT PoliticalPics (@PoliticalPics) December 17, 2018 The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Jucker, however, said the Brexit deal is "not open for renegotiation", but that "clarifications" could be offered. He said: There is no room whatsoever for renegotiation but of course there is room, if used intelligently, to give further clarifications and interpretations without opening the withdrawal agreement. Everybody has to know the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened. In a commons statement on Monday, Mrs May said the EU had assured her the backstop was "not a plot to trap" the UK. "EU leaders could not have been clearer: They do not want to use this backstop, they want to agree the best possible future relationship with us, there is no plot to keep us in the backstop," she said. "These commitments have legal status and should be welcomed as they go further than the EU ever previously has in trying to address the concerns of this house." She added that and MPs would resume the debate on her Brexit deal on January 7 and a new vote on the deal will be held the following week, beginning January 14. Richard Pengelly has apologised to the families of patients mistreated at Muckamore Abbey Hospital, saying he is "appalled and angered that vulnerable people were let down". (Liam McBurney/PA) The head of the Northern Ireland health service has apologised to the families of patients mistreated at Muckamore Abbey Hospital, and said he is "appalled and angered that vulnerable people were let down". Speaking following a meeting with the families, Permanent Secretary Richard Pengelly made a number of commitments over care provision. He was accompanied to the meeting by Chief Social Worker Sean Holland and Chief Nursing Officer Charlotte McArdle. Mr Pengelly said: "It was important to me to apologise to families face-to-face for what happened to their loved ones while in the care of Muckamore Abbey Hospital - rather than through a press statement. I am both appalled and angered that vulnerable people were let down." He said the Department was responding to damning revelations included in a report into procedures for caring for adults with learning difficulties, which was given to families last week and reported by the BBC. Commissioned by the Belfast Health Trust, the report looked at safeguarding procedures over five years up to 2017 and discovered a "culture of tolerating harm". The findings included the lives of patients being "compromised", safeguarding procedures not being followed, a seclusion room that wasn't monitored, and the likelihood that patients would be harmed by their peers. Mr Pengelly said one the aim was now for Muckamore Abbey to no longer serve as a residential facility, and that "no one should have to call Muckamore their home in future, when there are better options for their care". He said he had outlined this aim to the parents of patients. That means Muckamore returns to being a hospital providing acute care, and not simply a residential facility," he said. To make that happen will require investment in both specialised accommodation and staff training to meet the complex needs of people who no longer need to be in hospital. This process is expected to be completed by the end of 2019, something which means finding alternative accommodation for patients who have been long-term residents at the facility despite not requiring in-patient treatment. Mr Pengelly added: I fully recognise that the December 2019 deadline for the resettlement process will be challenging, but the Department owes it to patients and their families to be demanding. Since revelations about treatment of patients at the home came to light there have been calls for a public inquiry. Mr Pengelly said he wished to assure the families that he has "not ruled out any options regarding further scrutiny of the serious failings at Muckamore". Active investigations into wrongdoing are ongoing by both the PSNI and the Belfast Trust as employer. The ongoing police investigation clearly takes primacy over any other process at present," he said. Mr Pengelly also said he would be having regular meetings with the families to keep them updated on developments and address any new concerns they may have. Pope Francis hailed on Sunday the Marrakech Pact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration adopted last week, expressing hope that the global pact would help to better handle migration flows and incite the international community to assume its responsibility towards those forced to flee their homes. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which aims to be a reference framework for the international community, was adopted last week in Marrakech, Morocco, said the pope in front of thousands of people gathered at St. Peters Square. He hoped that the non-binding accord would serve as a reference point for the international community. I hope the international community, thanks to this deal, can act with responsibility, solidarity and compassion toward those who, for various reasons, had to abandon their countries, he said. The Global Compact on Migration was formally adopted in Marrakech at the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Migration held Dec.10-11. The Conference, opened by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, was attended by at least 150 Member States, as well as more than 700 partners, including representatives of civil society, the public sector and migrants. The family of a Belfast couple who never spent a day apart for 40 years and died within hours of each other are taking comfort from their "beautiful love story". Elizabeth (Liz) McCartan (58) and Davy Scott (64) both passed away on Friday morning and will be buried together tomorrow afternoon. "My heart is breaking because I want them to be here, but at least they are together," Elizabeth's devastated sister Kathryn McCartan said. "This is a sad, but beautiful love story; it's like Romeo and Juliet." Elizabeth, a Catholic originally from the Ormeau Road, met her Protestant partner at a dance hall in the late 1970s. In recent years they both suffered health problems, although Davy had become increasingly ill over the past few weeks. His devoted partner of four decades feared he was dying when his health deteriorated rapidly on Thursday and she called an ambulance. Davy's brother John (54) rushed to his bedside after he was admitted to hospital. Liz was too ill to be there herself. John left at 6am on Friday but returned just over two hours later at the request of doctors. "They said his heart was weak and that it didn't look like he was going to make it," John recalled. Concerned family members, including Liz's three brothers and two sisters, desperately tried to contact her with the news, but with no success. Rosario Lavelle (52) went straight to her sibling's Edinburgh Street home, which the couple had only moved into around six months ago. She explained: "The wee dogs, Ella and Scoles, came running down the stairs and there were wrapped Christmas presents everywhere. "I was calling and calling Liz's name, but she didn't answer. Then there she was, lying dead in her bed. "One of the dogs was trying to wake her and the other just sat with his wee paw on her shoulder." Meanwhile, John had only stepped through the hospital doors with his brother Francie when he received the news that Liz had passed away. He added: "Then, as soon as our bums hit the seats, we were told that Davy had died. "It was no more than five minutes after we found out Liz had passed. Me and Davy were very close and in a way I think it was a godsend, because one could not have lived without the other." Kathryn (55) is also consoled by the fact that the couple "went together". "This is what they would have wanted," she added. Kathryn has taken in the couple's dogs, who are pining for their owners. "I couldn't let them go anywhere else," she said. "Liz and Davy loved animals, especially these dogs. "They lost their first dog Cheeky last year when she was 11 and took that very bad." Rosario paid tribute to the "generous souls" who wanted for nothing and "gave everything" to those who needed it. "They were the best people you could ever meet, they'd have given you their last penny," she said. "They didn't need a thing because they had each other. "When I checked her wardrobe I realised she had given away half her clothes to Romanian families in need." Liz's mother Joyce passed away just a few months after she presented the then US First Lady Hillary Clinton with a teapot during the 1995 presidential visit to Belfast by her husband Bill. The peace campaigner's teenage son Gary was murdered by the UVF in the family's Ormeau Road home in May 1987. Yesterday Gary's daughter Katriona Fields (31) spoke fondly of her "brilliant" aunt and uncle who were always "very generous" to family members, including dozens of nieces and nephews. "They loved every single one of us, they were just the best," the mum-of-four said. "My wee four-year-old said she doesn't want them to be angels, she wants them here." The couple will be laid to rest in identical coffins in Roselawn Cemetery following a service at the family home at 12.45pm tomorrow. The ashes of their beloved pet dog Cheeky will be buried with them. A Catholic police officer has described how he has had to cut ties with some family members and his home city of Derry for the job. But the officer - speaking to BBC Radio Foyle - said it was worth it. His comments come as the police admit they find difficulty recruiting people to the ranks from a Catholic and nationalist background. In the past, PSNI recruiting events in the north west have been targeted by dissident republicans. The officer said how in his younger days he spent some time "slagging" the police and felt it time he "put his money where his mouth was" by signing up. He said he only ever wanted to serve the people of Derry. "You have to be from the city to understand the people," he told the BBC. Senior police have said a return of the controversial 50/50 recruitment - which was used to try and balance representation within the PSNI ranks - may have to return in order to get more Catholics on the thin blue line. Read More The officer said he didn't worry about the perception people had of him as a member of the PSNI, however threats to his family were a worry. Police in Derry, the man said have had members of their family targeted because they could not get to a certain officer. The officer said that while his family had never been singled out, "that is not to say never and it is there at the back of your mind". "Once you join the job, for someone from Derry, it is very hard for them to socialise with family or come back into the city," he said. "I joined for my reasons ... there are people that are afraid. Lots talk to us and do want to do the job but they are afraid of the comeback with their family living in Derry. "At the end of the day I weighed up my options and I accepted that. I've made sacrifices including not coming home to Derry, not meeting members of my family and that's not just for myself, that's for my family too. In the past there have been issues, but that is always going to be the case... the job takes up so much of your time and I have my close family." "There is a perception we bully, harass people and that is not the case. We do things for a reason. Everything is recorded we don't just stop people, we have to have a reason. "As police officers we get it from both sides.. we just deal with what ever comes before us." The man said he had a genuine love for the job as a police officer but "you have to be prepared to act". He said there was a need for the political institutions at Stormont to get back up and running to help community development. "If they can't get it together at Stormont how do we sort it out at grassroots? I always say we have to integrate schools... the only difference is if we go to a church or a chapel and that shouldn't be a major issues that it comes down to religion." A Northern Ireland man who allegedly tried to choke a woman before attempting to vomit in a police van claims he had been poisoned, the High Court heard today. Robert McCamley is also accused of being disruptive when he was brought to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Co Derry. The 35-year-old, who faces separate allegations of blackmailing a disabled man, was refused bail. McCamley, of Glenshesk Park in Portrush, is charged with common assault, criminal damage and disorderly behaviour over the latest incident on December 9. Crown lawyer Jonny Connolly said a woman told police called out to Drumard Drive in Coleraine that McCamley had repeatedly attempted to choke and restrict her from breathing. He also allegedly threw her against objects, causing injuries to her back. McCamley was detained but then taken to hospital for medical attention. It was claimed that he started shouting in the accident and emergency department, resulting in him being taken to a police cell van. Mr Connolly alleged the accused threw away a vomit dish he was holding and stuck two fingers down his throat in an attempt to be sick in the rear of the vehicle. During interviews he denied any criminal damage, assault or disorderly behaviour. Defence barrister Aaron Thompson confirmed McCamley's claims of being poisoned by methadone without consent by the alleged victim. The court heard he had been out on bail at the time while facing a blackmail charge. It was alleged that he went to the home of a man on the north Antrim coast in August and demanded 200, telling him he would be shot if the money wasn't handed over. According to the prosecution he took the man's television, 25 in cash and a mobile phone. Police arrested McCamley at his home later, seizing a television, phone and money. He denied the allegations, telling officers he had been invited into the man's home where they had a conversation about a 200 debt owed to him. He claimed to have taken the items because the complainant had no money. At a previous hearing it emerged that the alleged blackmail victim has a conviction for indecent images. Defence counsel argued that the claims against McCamley had been "manufactured" by the complainant in a bid to get out of the area without others finding out his background. Denying bail, Mr Justice Horner cited the risk of re-offending. However, the judge held out the possibility of future release if a residential course is on offer to help McCamley "escape the consequences of drink and drugs". Jeremy Corbyn has demanded a Commons vote on Theresa Mays future after she confirmed a showdown on her Brexit plan would not take place before Christmas. The Labour leader tabled a long-threatened motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister after she set out the timetable for MPs to pass judgment on her deal with Brussels. The Prime Minister said the Commons would have the chance to debate her Withdrawal Agreement in the week MPs return to Westminster after Christmas on January 7. The crucial vote which was postponed earlier this month to avoid a heavy defeat will take place the following week. Mr Corbyn told Mrs May: A responsible prime minister would, for the good of this country, put this deal before the House this week so we could move on from this Governments disastrous negotiation. He said it was unacceptable to delay the vote and confirmed he was tabling a motion that this House has no confidence in the Prime Minister. Today the Tories have been dragged kicking and screaming to announce a date to vote on Theresa May's botched Brexit deal. pic.twitter.com/imLLe7akAY Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 17, 2018 The wording of the motion, targeted at Mrs May rather than the Government as a whole, would not trigger the process set out under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act which could eventually lead to a general election. But Labour said it was clearly a confidence motion and should be allocated time for debate by the Government. A House of Commons spokesman said: By established convention the Government always accedes to the demand from the Leader of the Opposition to allot a day for the discussion of a motion tabled by the official Opposition which, in the Governments view, would have the effect of testing the confidence of the House. It will be for the Government to determine whether to schedule time for debate on this. Setting out the timetable for the Brexit vote, Mrs May told the Commons: It is now only just over 14 weeks until the UK leaves the EU and I know many members of this House are concerned that we need to take a decision soon. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) The Prime Ministers statement came as: Cabinet ministers openly speculated about how to proceed if the deal is rejected Brussels appeared to dispute claims that negotiations were continuing over the terms of the deal Planning for a no-deal Brexit was being stepped up, with the Cabinet discussing the next phase in ensuring we are ready for that scenario on Tuesday The Prime Minister warned MPs that rejecting her deal would not result in an alternative miraculously appearing. Avoiding no deal is only possible if we can reach an agreement or if we abandon Brexit entirely, she said. In a warning to campaigners calling for a second referendum, she said it would break faith with the British people and do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) But one of Mrs Mays closest allies said all options should remain open if the deal is rejected. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said it would be important to find out the will of Parliament on how to proceed, while Business Secretary Greg Clark also appeared to back an indicative vote to find out what if anything MPs could support. Mr Clark told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that if the deal was rejected we cant just have continuing uncertainty, and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with. Ms Rudd told reporters she hoped the Prime Ministers deal would be supported in the vote expected in January, but if not, we need to find out where the will of Parliament is and nothing should be off the table. Expand Close Amber Rudd (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Amber Rudd (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mrs Mays official spokesman told a Westminster media briefing there were no plans for an indicative vote on a range of Brexit options, but did not definitively rule the option out. There was confusion over efforts to secure further guarantees over the controversial Northern Irish backstop measure designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland. Downing Street said talks by officials were continuing at all levels to seek further clarification and assurances on the terms of the existing deal and particularly the nature of the proposed backstop as agreed at the European Council last week. But European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas said no further meetings between the EU and the UK to discuss the Brexit deal are expected. The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible we will not reopen it, it will not be renegotiated, he said. Meanwhile, Mrs May rejected reports that predecessor David Cameron was giving her advice on handling the Brexit process. She told the Commons: He is not giving advice, the last time I spoke to him was when we actually agreed the Withdrawal Agreement, when I spoke to two former prime ministers as a matter of courtesy to indicate to them what had been negotiated with the European Union. The Prime Minister received support from an unexpected quarter as Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, ringleader of attempts to oust her last week, congratulated her on winning the confidence of the Conservatives in this House last week, adding that he wanted to assure her that she therefore commands my confidence too. He had previously said that despite seeing off the motion of no confidence by 200 votes to 117 she should resign as soon as the Queen has a moment in her diary to see her. The project is the first of its kind in a UK prison Inmates at one of Northern Ireland's prisons are being encouraged to take up "dog therapy" to deal with mental health and addiction problems. Prisoners at Magilligan will soon be meeting 'Jingles', a four-month-old black Labrador, who will become an Assistance Dog for inmates at the north west facility. Expand Close 'Jingles' will work with prisoners to help reduce stress and help combat addiction / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 'Jingles' will work with prisoners to help reduce stress and help combat addiction Assistance dogs have been proven to address and promote positive changes in behaviour, reduce stress and reliance on medication, while enhancing the development of social skills, self-esteem and self-confidence. In the first ever project of its kind in a UK prison, Magilligan has teamed up with the charity Assistance Dogs Northern Ireland (ADNI) to train up Jingles to work with prisoners. Jingles has been assigned to a Senior Prison Officer who explained that she will have plenty of time to get to know her new furry friend. He comes to work with me every day, and home again in the evenings," she said. "I have taken on the role as his carer and trainer on a 24/7 basis. Even as a young pup, Jingles has already been assisting with challenging interviews within the Prisoner Development Unit and in residential locations. "Hes also been on family induction visits as part of his socialisation and, now that he has settled in and has had the opportunity to get used to his new surroundings, hes going to be involved in therapy sessions in the new Well-Being Hub. Jingles will undergo intensive training for 12-14 months before he is put to work helping Magilligan's prisoners. Magilligan Prison Governor Richard Taylor said: Many of those people who come into our care have mental health and addiction issues, and with numerous pieces of research highlighting the therapeutic benefits of animals it made perfect sense for us to work alongside Assistance Dogs NI. "Together we are supporting and challenging prisoners in our care as part of the commitment to reduce re-offending and help build a safer community. Geraldine McGaughey, Chief Executive Officer at Assistance Dogs NI, said: We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Prison Service. The benefits of a dog interacting with a prisoner can build self-confidence and self-esteem and ultimately play a part in rehabilitation. DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds called for clarity about what concessions the Prime Minister is seeking from the EU (Parliament/PA) DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds has called for clarity about what concessions the Prime Minister is seeking from the EU. The Northern Irish partys 10 MPs are adamantly opposed to the inclusion of any backstop in the withdrawal treaty because they believe it could separate the country from the rest of the UK. The EUs response to the summit was not surprising, but the Prime Minister must decide whether she will stand up to such tactics or once again accept a deal on Europes terms aloneNigel Dodds Mr Dodds said: There is a need for clarity from the Prime Minister about exactly what she is asking for to deal with the key concerns about the legally binding indefinite nature of the backstop with no right for the United Kingdom to exit on its own terms. The EUs response to the summit was not surprising, but the Prime Minister must decide whether she will stand up to such tactics or once again accept a deal on Europes terms alone. He made the call following a statement from the Prime Minister to Parliament. This is a difficulty of the Prime Ministers own making. The reaction by the EU is unsurprising. They are doing what they always do. The key question is whether the Prime Minister will stand up to them or whether she will roll over as has happened previously. https://t.co/skapL3XV9p Nigel Dodds (@NigelDoddsDUP) December 14, 2018 The North Belfast MP said: Following the summit last week the European Council have talked about clarifications and reassurances but ruled out renegotiating, contradicting or reopening the legal text. They also even struck out text which stated the backstop didnt represent a desirable outcome for the EU27. The DUP is threatening to vote down the Prime Ministers Brexit plan unless there is significant change. The backstop is an insurance policy if no better trade deal is struck, designed to preserve a frictionless Irish border. It would keep Northern Ireland bound by some of the EUs regulations in exchange for an open frontier. Following the declaration that a vote on the Brexit deal would take place in the House of Commons in the week starting January 14, SDLP MLA and Brexit spokeswoman Claire Hanna called for a second referendum to be held on Brexit. Many people had their faith broken the day Leave decided to run a disingenuous campaign built on untruths," she said. The SDLP have said repeatedly that we will support any opportunity to stop Brexit including another referendum, as the fact remains that the UK Parliament is in deadlock with no majority for any form of Brexit, and no pathway to resolving this. The problem isnt with the current deal on the table, but with Brexit itself. There is no magical way to reconcile Brexiteer promises with the UK Government's legal obligations to the island if Ireland. In this context it is appropriate to go back to the public on how to proceed. More democracy cannot be undemocratic." The grieving husband of an Antrim mum who died suddenly last week has thanked everyone who is supporting his family. Keelan Burns said he will ensure their young son will always know how much his mother loved him. Laura Burns (32) was in bed with one-year-old Lorcan, who has cerebral palsy, in the early hours of December 9 when she developed a severe migraine. She lost consciousness and her heart stopped beating. Despite the efforts of staff at Antrim Area Hospital, where Laura was a nursing sister and ward manager, her condition deteriorated and her life support was turned off last Monday. She was buried in her wedding dress on Friday after colleagues formed a guard of honour. A fundraising page set up in Laura's memory to benefit Antrim Area Hospital ICU and children's charity The Buddy Bear Trust has raised nearly 12,000 so far. Writing on social media yesterday, Keelan thanked all those who had supported the family. He promised Laura: "I will make sure that Lorcan will always know who his mummy was and how much you loved him." The graffiti was daubed on a door in a block of flats in Bangor. Police said a resident of a block of flats in Bangor was left upset after a "nasty" homophobic message was daubed on a door. "All queers out" was daubed on the door in the the Rathgill area of the seaside town. "This is very upsetting and frightening for the resident," said police. "Police have a zero tolerance attitude to hate crime and hate incidents just like this." A DUP councillor condemned the incident. "This is vile, bigoted behaviour," Tom Smith tweeted. "It is outrageous that one of our citizens should be treated this way. These acts of homophobia and hatred must be condemned by all. We must refuse to tolerate them within our community." There was revulsion at the incident on the PSNI Bangor Facebook page when the incident was "Horrible nasty bullies," was one comment while another took a different view. "Lol isn't the point that they already are "out"? Maybe he's encouraging folk to embrace themselves in owning their own queerdom?" the man joked. Police added: "If you know anything about this, or witnessed it, we want to hear from you. Please contact Ards Police on our non-emergency number 101. Serial for this is 996 of 16/12/2018." Barney Dobbin, who died in a climbing accident in Ecuador Tributes have been paid to a young man from Northern Ireland who died in a climbing accident in South America. Barney Dobbin (25) was killed after reaching the summit of Mount Chimborazo, the continent's highest mountain. Mr Dobbin, who came from Artlone, a small townland between Randalstown and Toome, was a teacher at the British School in Quito, Ecuador. The family have been devastated by the news, local councillor and family friend Henry Cushinan said last night. "He had been training for the climb which took his life for the past year with a team of climbers, having started mountain climbing a few years ago prior to traveling abroad," he said. "The mountain they were to climb - Chimborazo - is technically the highest on earth as it lies on the equator and so reaches farther from the centre of the planet. "Although she is distraught, in her sadness Barney's mother is immensely proud of her son, as he succeeded in reaching the summit. "It's a testament to his determination and spirit." Barney's uncle, John Dobbin, offered a moving tribute to the young teacher. "Barney touched the lives of so many across the globe, and the world has lost a mighty fine son," he said. "He explored, discovered, feared not, respected, applauded, loved and cherished all that our mighty planet and inhabitants had to offer. "On his last day on earth he was as close to the stars as was humanly possible. This was his ultimate and brilliant final achievement. "He is now the largest star of all, shining brilliantly and beautiful within our hearts. "He was a true son of Ireland who proudly carried his flag to far-off lands respectfully and was moulded from the love of his parents. "The world is a much smaller and poorer place without Barney." The British School in Quito added its voice to the tributes. "It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of our much loved colleague Ciaran Barney Riley-Dobbin. "Barney was a wonderful teacher and friend and will be greatly missed by everyone in the BSQ family and beyond," the school posted on its Facebook page. The Dobbin family are working closely with the Kevin Bell Trust to arrange the repatriation of Mr Dobbin's body from Ecuador. Mr Cushinan added: "My heart is with the family at this very difficult time. "The Dobbin family wish to pay tribute to this wonderful group who have been an invaluable help to them at this most distressing time. "Due to their efforts and expertise, it is hoped that the family will have Barney returned to them early next week." It's the second tragedy to hit the Dobbin family in recent years. In 2016, Barney's aunt, mother-of-five Lorraine Clyde (56) from Antrim, and work colleague Michelle McStravick were killed in a car crash just a mile from the family's home. Both women were care assistants in Coleraine and were travelling to work when the accident occurred. Morocco, France, Spain and Belgium have just set up a joint security cell, tasked with foiling any terrorist attacks during the years end holiday season. According to local daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, which is reporting the news this Monday, the joint security cell is already operational and works around the clock. The daily, quoting security sources, said the cell is working at the highest level of coordination between the four countries security and intelligence services, both domestic and foreign. The cell focuses on updating databases and exchanging information on terrorists and extremists who may pose a threat during the holiday season. The setting up of the cell came following the publishing of an Interpol security report, warning of possible terrorist attacks by elements belonging to the terrorist group Daesh. These terrorists are reportedly preparing to carry out attacks in several European countries. The alert launched by Interpol coincides with a travel warning that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) addressed to Americans wishing to travel to Europe for the holiday season, the daily stated. The US State Department also issued a travel warning advising US citizens not to travel to Europe at years end, because of the serious terrorist threats on several European countries. According to Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, last week attack in Strasbourg, perpetrated by a French national of Algerian origin, has probably incited French security services to strengthen their cooperation with Morocco in the fight against terrorism. The Strasbourg attempt raises again questions about the existence of loopholes in the French anti-terrorism system that failed to anticipate the attack, the newspaper quoted security sources as saying. The paper recalled that French, Belgian and Spanish security services rely, largely, on the preventive information provided by the Moroccan counterterrorism services as these services have, on several occasions, played a strategic role in helping these countries thwart terrorist attacks. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responds to a statement by Prime Minister Theresa May about last weeks EU summit in the House of Commons, London (PA) Jeremy Corbyn accused Theresa May of leading Britain into a national crisis over Brexit as he warned her deal has lost Cabinet support. The Labour leader said the cold reality was Mrs May achieved nothing last week after returning to Brussels to seek further assurances over the Irish border backstop. He also claimed Mrs May was cynically running down the clock on the March 29 Brexit deadline to force MPs to decide between her deal or no deal, and asked the PM to confirm if her deal has Cabinet confidence. Theresa May said EU leaders "could not have been clearer... There is no plot to keep us in the backstop" #Brexit Jennifer McKiernan (@_JennyMcKiernan) December 17, 2018 Mrs May faced shouts of resign from some Labour MPs as she updated the Commons about her trip to Brussels and insisted there is no plot among EU nations to keep the UK in the backstop. She also confirmed the Withdrawal Agreement debate is expected to return in the week of January 7, with a vote the following week. The PM was later rebuked by senior Tory MP Justine Greening for criticising colleagues for proposing alternatives to the deal, such as a second referendum. Mr Corbyn, replying to Mrs Mays statement, told the Commons: We face an unprecedented situation the Prime Minister has led us into a national crisis. If any more evidence was needed of why we face this grave situation, the Prime Minister demonstrated it at last weeks summit. There were some warm words drafted and the Prime Minister even managed to negotiate those away to be replaced by words about preparing for no deal. The deal is unchanged and not going to change. The House must get on with the vote and move on to consider the realistic alternatives. There can be no logical reason for this delay except that in taking shambolic government to a new level, the Prime Minister no longer has the backing of her Cabinet. Corbyn now responding to Theresa May's latest Brexit statement: "the Prime Minister has led us into a national crisis". Jennifer McKiernan (@_JennyMcKiernan) December 17, 2018 Mr Corbyn later demanded Mrs May answer three questions: One, does her deal still have the confidence of the Cabinet? Two, is Cabinet collective responsibility still in operation? Three, does it remain Government policy to avoid a no-deal outcome? Mrs May hit back at the Labour leader, accusing his party of having no alternative and putting its own interest ahead of the British people. She said: Does the deal still have the confidence of the Cabinet? Yes. Does the Cabinet collective responsibility still apply? Yes. Does the Cabinet want to avoid no deal? Yes, the Cabinet wants to make sure we leave the European Union with a good deal, and that is this deal. The real indecision is the indecision at the heart of a Labour Party that has no plan and no alternative. And the national crisis is an opposition that is irresponsible, that puts its party interest first before the interests of the British people. Expand Close SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford responds to Prime Minister Theresa Mays statement (PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford responds to Prime Minister Theresa Mays statement (PA) The SNPs Westminster leader Ian Blackford later quipped: We thought the Prime Minister had reached rock bottom, but shes still digging. Mr Blackford ended his comments by calling on Mrs May to stop operating in isolation and meet opposition leaders to discuss a way forward. The PM said she was happy to meet Mr Blackford but warned they would have a fundamental difference of opinion on Brexit. Former cabinet minister Ms Greening said: At the moment we have no deal and no plan B. This is a constitutional crisis because this House is not being allowed to express its will on behalf of our communities, who around the country are telling us that they reject this deal that is why MPs want to be able to vote against it. So can I say to the Prime Minister, its pointless criticising other members in this House who are coming up with other solutions whether a second referendum, whether Canada, whether Norway we are as a Parliament trying to find a solution through the political cul-de-sac and mess that we now find this country in. Ms Greening accused Mrs May of not allowing debate something the PM dismissed. DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds also pressed Mrs May to tell MPs exactly and precisely what she is asking the EU for, to deliver on the key concerns about the legally binding, indefinite nature of the backstop with no right for this country to exit it on its own terms. MI5 is to be asked to set out what it knew about the activities of Stakeknife, a high-level British mole who operated inside the IRA. A report in the Sunday Times revealed that the security service will be asked to provide police with a statement detailing its knowledge of crimes committed by Stakeknife, said to include up to 17 murders. It follows the discovery of a cache of secret documents at MI5 headquarters in London by police officers from Operation Kenova. The 35m probe launched in June 2016 is investigating a range of alleged activities including murders, kidnaps and tortures linked to Stakeknife dating back to the 1970s. Operation Kenova - led by Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Jon Boutcher - is investigating whether MI5 intelligence handlers took no action to prevent 17 IRA murders in order to protect the identity of their valuable agent. Led by Stakeknife, the IRA's internal security unit, known as the 'nutting squad', is believed to have murdered at least 53 people that it claimed were informers between 1978 and 1995. A source told the Sunday Times that Kenova had uncovered documents "which are very telling about the role that our man played in certain things". "They are documents that the service has kept that they probably should have got rid of. Boutcher has upset quite a few people at the service. "He is not in a cosy relationship with them. The victims' families are his priority. "People were doing things that may have been deemed operationally necessary at the time, but may no longer be acceptable," the source told the newspaper. It has been widely reported that Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci was Stakeknife. Former bricklayer Scappaticci (72), who now lives in England, denies the allegation. Last week Scappaticci appeared in a London court charged with possession of extreme pornography, including images of animals. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. Mr Boutcher said Scappaticci's conviction was secured after material was seized as part of Operation Kenova. A team of more than 50 detectives is involved in the inquiry, which is expected to last at least five years. A town hall clock has fallen silent in the run-up to Christmas so the chimes don't interfere with a local pantomime. The bells of the clock from the landmark building in Ballymena can usually be heard ringing out across the town, but next week all will be quiet. However, the familiar chimes will be back in action to herald Christmas Day. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said: "The town hall chimes will be hushed this year - oh yes they will - so as not to disturb our festive panto performances of Puss In Boots (left). "Our council elves have already tied up the ropes and there will be silent nights in Ballymena until the final pantomime performance on December 22. "The chimes will be back in action to ring in Christmas." Ballymena newsagent Eugene Diamond said the chimes were a well-known and popular feature of the town. However, he was sure nobody would take offence at them being switched off for just a short period of time. He said: "Although it does maybe sound a bit strange not hearing the chimes for a few days, it is good that people are enjoying themselves at the town hall with the panto. "Having said that, I'm glad to hear that the chimes will be back on to ring in Christmas Day and the New Year." Councillor Audrey Wales said: "I think people will support the fact that the 'elves' have tied up the ropes. "We don't want to spoil the panto for the children and I welcome the fact that they will be on again to ring in Christmas Day. "I would like to wish our citizens a very happy Christmas and a very happy, prosperous and peaceful new year". DUP MP Emma Little Pengelly has called on Westminster to take control over Northern Ireland affairs so that civil servants - such as her husband - do not have to take "unacceptable life or death" decisions. She said she witnessed at first hand the "huge pressure" civil servants - such as her husband, the Department of Health's Richard Pengelly - were under. January will mark two years since Northern Ireland's devolved institutions collapsed. In October, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Karen Bradley passed legislation in Westminster to give civil servants more powers to make decisions in the continued absence of ministers. It followed after a court ruled mandarins could not approve a controversial plan for a waste incinerator on the outskirts of Belfast. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Piennar's Politics show South Belfast MP Ms Little Pengelly was upfront about her husband's position. She was asked if she wanted direct rule. It came after reports Boris Johnson was proposing to introduce such a measure if he were the Prime Minister. Ms Little Pengelly said that while they were committed to devolution and wanted the restoration of Stormont, the DUP had been calling for direct rule to ensure decisions made were democratically accountable while they remained in cold storage. "I don't believe senior civil servants should be put in that position," she said. "Ultimately they are trying to make decisions in difficult budget environments. Some of the decisions require discussions and explanation.. that should rightly be going through scrutiny committees and debated on floor of Assembly. And yet you've got senior civil servants trying to deal with life and death issues, very tricky situations without that minister or democratic accountability. That is unacceptable." She said that while it was "deeply disappointing" there was no Northern Ireland Assembly, there needed to be democratically accountable ministers taking decisions. In the absence of that its absolutely unacceptable that we have senior civil servants who are effectively making decisions. There is a significant issue here about democratic deficit and democratic accountability. Weve urged the government to step in. We dont desire direct rule, of course not, were a party of devolution. But in the absence of getting those institutions up and going in Northern Ireland we believe there should be ministerial decision-making from Westminster. Pressed on if the DUP would join with Labour in a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May, the MP would only say the party would consider the options before them but could not support the current withdrawal agreement. She would not be drawn on if the party had held discussions with Labour. The widow of a murdered loyalist has settled her legal action over his body parts being retained for 12 years (stock photo) The widow of a murdered loyalist has settled her legal action over his body parts being retained for 12 years. Agnes Coulter sued the PSNI and the State Patologist, claiming psychological distress at discovering her late husband Jackie's tissue samples had been kept. Mr Coulter was shot dead by the UVF on Belfast's Crumlin Road during a violent paramilitary feud in August 2000. Her lawyers were seeking damages at the High Court, alleging there was no legal power for the retention which only came to light more than a decade later. But following negotiations Patrick Lyttle QC, for Mrs Coulter, confirmed a resolution to the action. She is to receive costs under the terms of an undisclosed settlement where no liability was admitted. Congratulating the parties on reaching the outcome, Mr Justice McAlinden said it had been "a sensitive and difficult case in a difficult legal field". In 2012 police apologised for the distress caused to families when it emerged that body parts and tissue had been kept in more than 60 cases. The samples were retained for investigative purposes in murders, suspicious deaths and road traffic accidents. At the time Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton, now the Chief Constable, said the force had acted within the law but accepted relatives should have been informed. Northern Ireland's then State Pathologist, Professor Jack Crane, had explained how material was to help determine the precise cause of death and for evidential reasons. Opening the lawsuit, however, Mr Lyttle described the situation as "appalling". He argued: "The left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing." According to the barrister police were in breach of their statutory duty. "It was a complete and total shambles," he insisted. "Between 2000 when this tissue was taken and 012 when it was finally sent back, did anyone in either the police service or the pathology service ever turn their mind in any shape or form to whether this material was relevant, and whether it should be sent back to the family." Mr Lyttle contended that the response of the PSNI at the time of the revelation, when it maintained the retention was lawful, amounted to "weasel words". Counsel for the State Pathologist, Brett Lockhart QC, took exception to the characterisation, claiming it suggested an element of bad faith. But based on the sensitivities of the case, the judge refused to find that the "emotive language" had been out of place. He pointed out that Mr Hamilton's statement in 2012 amounted to "a contrite admission on the part of the authorities that things weren't done as they should have been done". The case had been listed for up to three days before the settlement was reached. A woman aged in her 70s was left badly shaken after a masked man broke into her home and forcibly took her handbag from her. It happened in Madrid Street in east Belfast on Sunday evning around 8pm. Sergeant Grant said: We received a report shortly after 8pm that a masked man had entered a house and used force to take a handbag from the female occupant of the house. We believe this occurred around 7:45pm. While the woman, aged in her seventies, was not physically injured, she was left badly shaken by the incident. The suspect is described as being tall, of thin build and was wearing a dark-coloured jacket and what was described as a scary mask. I want to appeal to anyone who was in the Madrid Street area last night, between 7:45pm and 8:05pm and saw any suspicious activity, or who knows anything about this to get in touch with us on the non emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1195 of 16/12/18. "Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime." Garda inspects the digger which was used to rip out the ATM during a robbery at the Bank of Ireland on Main St Ballybay. Picture Credit:Frank McGrath Thieves used a digger to steal an ATM from the wall of a bank in Co Monaghan. Gardai are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which occurred at a Bank of Ireland in Main Street, Ballybay, at around 3am yesterday. Three masked men are believed to have been involved in the raid, which only lasted minutes. The digger was towed to the scene by a tractor and trailer and a large SUV with a trailer carried the stolen ATM away. Many locals came out to witness the aftermath. "The damage that these guys inflicted last night is just incredible," Mary Nolan said. Thomas O'Brien said something similar had happened previously. "About three years ago, criminals pulled two side-by-side ATMs out of a bank in Cootehill," he said. "I suppose small villages and towns are the most vulnerable to these type of crimes due to a small police presence." Prime Minister Theresa May is likely to face another tough week ahead of the festive break (Mark Duffy/UK Parliament/PA) As Cabinet tensions on Brexit continue, Theresa May is likely to face another tough few days ahead of the Christmas break. Here is how this week is expected to play out for the Prime Minister and Britains departure from the EU. Commons statement On Monday, Mrs May is set to face the Commons for the first time since last weeks bruising EU summit. The PM will use a statement to Parliament to condemn calls for a second Brexit referendum, saying a new poll would do irreparable damage to the integrity of British politics. Her address comes after close allies de facto deputy Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington and chief of staff Gavin Barwell distanced themselves from reports that they were manoeuvring to bring about a fresh referendum. Cabinet meeting Ministers are likely to be keen to make their views known at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with several having already staked out strong Brexit positions. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Britain would prosper even if it quit the EU with no deal, while Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd has argued firmly against leaving the bloc without an agreement. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox indicated he could support MPs being given a free vote on Brexit options. PMQs The last Prime Ministers Questions of the year is scheduled for Wednesday at 12pm. It will likely mean more tough questions for the PM from both the opposition and within her own ranks. 100 days to go Wednesday also marks 100 days until the date the UK is due to leave the EU, on March 29 2019. Expand Close Wednesday marks 100 days until Brexit (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Wednesday marks 100 days until Brexit (Victoria Jones/PA) Despite the impending deadline, it is still unclear whether the UK will leave under the terms of a deal, with no deal, or even whether it will leave at all, after the European Court of Justice said Article 50 could be revoked unilaterally and continue as a full EU member without seeking approval from Brussels. The European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said all the information that is generally useful for the preparation of no deal will be published on Wednesday. Pre-Christmas vote? The House of Commons is due to rise for Christmas on Thursday, but there is still the question over whether there will be a vote on Mrs Mays Brexit deal before then. The PM has been urged by former minister Jo Johnson not to run down the clock on giving MPs a proper say on Brexit, after she postponed last weeks crunch vote. Labour has said it will try to force a Brexit vote before Christmas, and shadow communities minister Andrew Gwynne said a confidence vote could quickly follow. The National Galleries of Scotland met an auction sale price to secure Dalis Lobster Telephone (Greg Macvean/PA) One of Salvador Dalis famous lobster telephones will go on display in Scotland this week after being saved for the nation. The sculpture, one of the most recognisable artworks of the Surrealism movement, has been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland after matching its auction sale price of more than 850,000. The purchase was possible after the UK Government imposed a temporary export bar on the piece to give buyers a chance to keep it in the UK. Lobster Telephone will go on display at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh thanks to cash from the Henry and Sula Walton Fund (753,000) and Art Fund (100,000). The sculpture was made in 1938 for Edward James, Dalis main patron in the 1930s. Dalis Lobster Telephone typifies the spirit of the movement in its witty, subversive eccentricityStephen Deuchar, Art Fund Eleven of the plaster lobster receivers were made to fit telephones at his homes in London and West Sussex. Commissioned from London design firm Green & Abbott, four were painted red and seven were painted white. Eight of the artworks can be found in museum collections around the world. Simon Groom, director of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: Object sculptures where the artist takes an existing, manufactured object and transforms it with a slight addition or alteration were popular among the Surrealists, but are now incredibly rare. They turned convention upside-down, saying that anything could be art, and that art and life were not separate. Dali created something incredibly rich, imaginative and funny with the most economical of means. This type of work had a huge impact on later artists, including Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst. Were immensely grateful to the Walton Fund and the Art Fund for their help in acquiring the work. Expand Close Lobster Telephone is on show in Edinburgh (Greg Macvean/PA) Greg Macvean Photography / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lobster Telephone is on show in Edinburgh (Greg Macvean/PA) Henry Walton was a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh and Sula Walton a renowned child psychiatrist. Passionate devotees of the arts, they established a fund to help the National Galleries of Scotland acquire major works of modern art. Stephen Deuchar, director of Art Fund, added: Dalis Lobster Telephone is amongst the most famous of all Surrealist objects, typifying the spirit of the movement in its witty, subversive eccentricity. Art Fund is proud to help the National Galleries of Scotland add this important work of art to their internationally renowned Surrealism collection. Prime Minister Theresa May listens as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responds to her statement about last weeks EU summit in the House of Commons, London (House of Commons/PA) Downing Street has denied a Labour claim that it was forced to announce a date for the meaningful vote because of the threat of a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister. A source said it was incorrect that the threatened procedure, which the opposition announced shortly before Mrs Mays statement, forced a late change to her address to the Commons. Today the Tories have been dragged kicking and screaming to announce a date to vote on Theresa May's botched Brexit deal. pic.twitter.com/imLLe7akAY Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 17, 2018 Jeremy Corbyn told MPs after Mrs Mays statement that the Government had been dragged kicking and screaming to announce a date to re-start the debate. The Downing Street source said that a copy of her statement was sent to the opposition at 3pm give or take, about 30 minutes before she got to her feet, under the terms of an existing agreement. That was after reports had begun to emerge that Mr Corbyn was planning to table the motion if there was no date in her speech. The source insisted the statement was not sent late to Labour, adding: It was a copy of the statement drafted well in advance of that briefing (on the confidence motion) from the Leader of the Oppositions office becoming public, and the statement that was sent to him reflected an already-drafted and already-agreed decision. Asked about Labour claims that its manoeuvre forced the Government to give a date, the source added: They are, sadly, incorrect. Instead of pushing for a motion, Mr Corbyn instead criticised the delay between Januarys meaningful vote and the date it had been due to be held in December, before the Government pulled in the face of massive opposition. He told MPs: It is disgraceful that a month has been wasted since we were due to vote on 11 December, there can be no further attempts to dodge accountability to Parliament. Week of Jan 14 was always likely to be the governments chosen timescale - by acceding to it, Labour is allowing them to waste another month. And when there are only three months left to avert disaster, thats really not excellent tactics. https://t.co/JMKFpuf7cQ Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) December 17, 2018 The Parliamentary merry-go-round was criticised as woeful by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has been critical of both the Governments approach to Brexit and Labours role in opposition to it. She said on Twitter: This shambles of a government is driving the UK towards disaster, and the official opposition seems content to just stand back and watch. Week of Jan 14 was always likely to be the governments chosen timescale by acceding to it, Labour is allowing them to waste another month. And when there are only three months left to avert disaster, thats really not excellent tactics. John McAfee speaks at the China Internet Security Conference in Beijing on August 16, 2016. Photo: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images In May of 2017, a 26-year-old social-media marketer named Peter Galanko made an investment in Verge, a little-known cryptocurrency trading under the symbol XVG. At the time, the great cryptocurrency mania, which saw Bitcoin climb 25-fold by the end of the year it would fall all the way back to a fifth of its December 2017 peak by the end of 2018 had only just started to heat up. Verge was just one among thousands of nearly indistinguishable digital currencies that traded at a fraction of a penny. But soon after Galanko got in, Verge took off like a runaway balloon, corkscrewing up to half a cent by late August. Galanko, whod taken to styling himself @XVGWhale on Twitter, had more than quadrupled his money. But now he had an idea for how he could do even better: He needed John McAfee. The Rocky Mountains were dappled in autumn yellow as Galanko and his girlfriend set out on the two-day cross-country trip from Colorado to rural Tennessee. Their destination was the home of McAfee, the 72-year-old antivirus software multimillionaire who, after escaping from a police investigation into the violent death of his neighbor in Belize in 2012 and boasting in graphic detail about his adventures with the powerful drug bath salts, had transformed himself into a public figure who many see as a well-respected cryptocurrency soothsayer, as Slate magazine put it. In mid-July, McAfee had tweeted that Bitcoin, then trading at around $2,300, would be worth $500,000 by 2020, and that if it were not, I will eat my dick on national television. By the end of August, the price had more than doubled, and many took this as evidence of McAfees foresight. Galanko figured that a good word from McAfee about Verge whose market would be easier to influence than Bitcoins vastly larger one could send the value of the cryptocurrency dramatically higher. McAfee had promised an hour of his time, according to a long video Galanko later posted about the encounter on YouTube, but appeared perplexed when the couple showed up at his door. Who are you? he asked with a baffled expression. I didnt invite anyone over today. Galankos spirits sank, but not for long: a grin spread across McAfees weather-beaten face as he let on that he was just playing one of his trademark pranks. With a hearty handshake, he invited them inside. At first Galanko felt anxious, intimidated by McAfees fame and force of personality as well as by the homes contingent of armed security guards. But as they settled down to talk, Galanko was soon drawn in by McAfees skillful storytelling. The evening rolled by in whiskey and conversation. Galanko and his girlfriend wound up staying for a week. The men shot guns together, and Galanko tweeted snapshots of himself riding in the back of McAfees car and of McAfee cooking breakfast. It was an amazing opportunity hes a genius, Galanko later gushed in the video. (He declined to talk to New York for this article.) The only thing missing was the thing hed come for. When Galanko asked McAfee to publicly endorse Verge, he demurred, explaining that he was already committed to a rival coin. But a couple of months later he came around, tweeting on December 13 to his 700,000 followers that Verge cannot lose. McAfees praise was like a match to a rocket fuse. Verges price nearly doubled overnight, and by the end of ten days it was up 2,500 percent, making it one of the most successful cryptocurrencies of 2017. A single dollar invested at the beginning of the year was worth more than $10,000 by the end of it. Among the self-promoting experts who appeared to offer investment advice during the great crypto boom, McAfees only real competition was James Altucher, the lifehacking guru turned Crypto Genius whose advertising plastered every nook and cranny of the web in late 2017. But McAfee had the better tech credentials (having founded a software company that sold to Intel for $7.7 billion in 2010), the larger Twitter following (700,000 versus 200,000), and the bigger personality (he has bragged about using cryptocurrency to pay for drugs, porn, and hookers). He was also the only one slated to be played by Johnny Depp in a movie about his life (Depp has since been replaced by Michael Keaton). Recently a drug-crazed libertine on the lam, McAfee had turned himself into a drug-crazed libertine genius who had seen the future of tech once and was going to do it again. Like Donald Trump, he used social transgression to earn himself a rabid fan base that reads his dont-give-a-fuck attitude as intoxicatingly badass and authentic but while Trump once bragged that he could kill someone and his base wouldnt care, McAfee may have actually done it. For his fans, McAfee represents the incarnation of libertarian id fulfilment living proof of what a person can achieve if unconstrained by bosses, teachers, wives, and moms. His place in their hearts was pithily summarized in a tweet that Peter Galanko sent shortly before his first meeting with McAfee: You are a pioneer and symbol of freedom. Combine a volatile, libidinous personality with a throng of admirers who mistake their heros disorder for genius, and you have the makings for a chaotic denouement. In McAfees case, the events that would ensue included death threats, lawsuits, SEC investigations, billions of dollars of investor value created and destroyed, a not-entirely-in-jest presidential bid, and shitstorms both literal and figurative. McAfees path to cryptocurrency was circuitous. He first became a household name thanks to the eponymous antivirus software firm that he founded in 1989, and which made him rich when he sold off his shares in the mid-1990s. When Bitcoin, the first decentralized cryptocurrency, was created in 2009 by a still-anonymous software engineer going by the pen name of Satoshi Nakamoto, McAfee was living in the desert of New Mexico, where among other things he attempted to create a sport called aerotrekking based on ultralight aircraft flying low over mountainous terrain. Then he moved to Belize, claiming that the fallout of the 2008 economic crisis had wiped out 96 percent of his net worth, a story which made him a perfect media symbol of the era. (It turned out to be a ruse to avoid a multimillion-dollar wrongful death suit filed by the family of a passenger on a McAfee aircraft that flew into the side of a canyon in Arizona the pilot, who was McAfees 22-year-old nephew, also died in the crash.) In Belize, he lived in luxury, hung out with gangsters and prostitutes, started ingesting powerfully mind-altering bath salts and, according to his driver, Tom Mangar, ordered a beating that left a man dead. Mangar told me that after McAfee got into a dispute with a black Belizean neighbor named David Middleton in 2011, McAfee called Mangar and asked him to hire three thugs to beat Middleton up. Mangar obliged, and the ensuing attack was so violent that Middleton died in hospital. (I detailed the incident in my 2016 Showtime documentary, Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee. McAfee denied Mangars account and created a website which he said would refute the documentarys claims, but has yet to offer any substantial evidence there, although he did complain that director Nanette Burstein had paid certain interview subjects for their participation.) Things didnt get really hot, though, until his white American neighbor was murdered in 2012, a crime for which McAfee was last month held legally liable on default in a civil wrongful-death suit filed in Florida by relatives. McAfee went on the run with the help of Mangar, to whom hed promised $100,000 and a truck if hed get him out of the country. After turning the escapade into an international news sensation, McAfee was arrested in Guatemala and then deported back to the U.S. Once safely home, he stiffed Mangar, who claimed he had to give up his own car to pay back debts hed incurred during the escape. Mangar, enraged, decided to go public with the story of Middletons death. Moves to Portland, Montreal, and eventually rural Lexington, Tennessee, followed, as did a sex worker named Janice Dyson, whom McAfee began calling his wife. McAfee recorded videos of himself shooting off guns, and on social media recounted run-ins with shadowy hit men who he believed were trailing him. By now, having turned 70, he was visibly frail and rheumy-eyed, with a noticeable slowness to his speech. But McAfee wasnt finished yet. He began a methodical and savvy reboot of his public image. Recognizing that the straight-shooting do-gooder image hed cultivated when he first moved to Belize where he talked about trading carefree wealth for a life spent helping search for herbal medicines in the jungle was out the window, he instead began shaping a new persona. He bragged that he had faked a heart attack to avoid deportation from Guatemala and claimed that he had bugged a huge number of public officials in Belize. In 2013, he released a widely watched YouTube video in which he snorted white powder and cavorted with a bunch of scantily clad women while advising viewers to uninstall McAfee AntiVirus from their computers. Meanwhile he pushed back hard on the truly damning allegations, telling every journalist he talked to that he had not been involved with the death of his neighbor, but was the victim of an elaborate plot by the Belizean government. The press played along. They mostly avoided hard questions and IDd him using value-neutral labels like security software pioneer and eccentric millionaire. McAfee was occasionally described as controversial, but just as often was a genius and brilliant. McAfee during a blockchain conference in Thailand in January 17, 2018. Photo: Taylor Weidman/Bloomberg via Getty Images By the beginning of 2015, McAfee was back at full throttle. He went into business with a tech incubator called the Round House in the Alabama town of Opelika, a six-hour drive from Lexington. This is a new phase in my life getting back to building things, he told USA Today. Under the aegis of a company called Future Tense Central, McAfee started scouring the area for cybersecurity products to acquire. One of the first additions to his portfolio was a program called D-Vasive, the brainchild of a local septic-tank cleaner named John Clore. As McAfee went about his work, he was trailed by a camera crew shooting a reality show for Spike TV. To amp up the stakes, he decided to run for president on the Libertarian ticket, and wound up doing surprisingly well, with a third-place finish. The payoff for McAfees efforts came in early 2016, when an investor named John ORourke put him in touch with Robert Ladd, the president of a penny-stock company called MGT Capital Investments, Inc. Ladd and ORourke both felt that McAfees notoriety could bring MGT some much-needed attention. Until recently the company had been in the online fantasy-gaming business, but Ladd had sold off those assets. At this point MGT was essentially an empty shell company with only one thing going for it: It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which lent it respectability and access to a large base of potential investors. Ladd approached McAfee and suggested that he come aboard as the companys chairman and CEO. With a bold-faced name at the helm, MGT would be rebranded as a cybersecurity company. As was alleged in a subsequent investor lawsuit, the deal offered McAfee a salary of $250,000, a consulting fee of $250,000, and a bonus based on future stock price. In addition, MGT would buy D-Vasive and another of the companies in Future Tense Centrals portfolio. To make the deal work, MGT needed more money, so a group of investors led by Florida speculator Barry Honig agreed to front $850,000 for the venture in return for 18.8 million shares of MGT stock. None of MGTs products ever made it to market, but that wouldnt have mattered to Honig, whose specialty was penny-stock pump and dumps the practice of manipulating the share price of thinly traded stocks so as to make them seem like exciting investments to gullible investors, then taking a profit. This time, the operation would be supercharged by the high profile and media savvy of John McAfee. But according to the lawsuit, Honig and his co-investors were the suckers, because MGT under McAfees management never issued the shares he was promised. The deal was inked that May, and over the course of the next eight days, MGT shares climbed more than eightfold, from 37 cents to $4.15 per share (Honig & Co.s shares at this point would have been worth $80 million). While insiders pumped the stock, as the SEC charged in September 2018, the press ran headlines like John McAfees Mysterious New Company Is the Hottest Stock In America Right Now. The run-up earned McAfee a bonus of $600,000; Clore, too, stood to profit handsomely. When McAfee called to tell him about the deal, a faulty coupling had just doused him in raw sewage. Im riding in the truck covered in feces, he calls me up and says he has this potential deal for you, are you interested? I say, Hell, yeah. Im kind of in shock because Im covered in feces. Behind the scenes, though, McAfees focus was less than laser sharp. For one thing, despite his public claims to have fucking invented cybersecurity, he had never really been very technically sharp. Veteran computer-security researcher Dr. Vesselin Bontchev, who studied McAfee anti-virus software back when McAfee was writing it, opined on Twitter that McAfee was the same technically incompetent schmuck that he is now. Its not age or drugs that have damaged him he has always been this way. Massive drug use was not helping, either. For a while, after falling off the wagon, McAfee had pretended to be a teetotaler, but now he was drinking lustily in public. He was still on bath salts, too this time a variant of bath salts called alpha-PHP that he ordered from a supplier in China. Among the drugs symptoms are delirium, hypersexuality, and persistent paranoia. Before an important shareholder meeting in September 2016, he spent four straight days on a alpha-PHPfueled sex binge. A rift opened up with Honig and the other backers, as alleged in the lawsuit, when McAfee decided that, given the run-up in share price, the terms of the deal inked in May were now too generous to the investors. When Honig went to meet with McAfee at MGTs headquarters in Durham, North Carolina in October, he was greeted by a whiteboard on which a single number had been written: $11.655 million. McAfee told Honig that he and the other investors would need to invest this much more money if they wanted to get the shares allocated to them in the agreement. While Honig was pondering that demand the next day, his lawsuit claims, McAfee texted him to clarify his position. If Honig and the other investors did not meet his demands, he wrote, I promise you it will be the last time that you and I ever speak. Honig didnt bite, but it hardly mattered. The spike in MGTs share price was melting away. Five days later, the New York Stock Exchange announced that it intended to delist MGT. The companys stock price nose-dived, taking with it the fortunes not only of principals like Honig and McAfee but of smaller shareholders like John Clore. Im back to square one, noted Clore ruefully. Have to go back to pumping shit. MEANWHILE, BACK IN crypto world things were getting heady. After bumping along below $500 for several years, the price of Bitcoin started to tick upward in the second half of 2016, and in January 2017, it crossed above $1,000. As the market soared, it spurred developers to introduce new cryptocurrency tokens, the so-called altcoins. Among the raft of new offerings entering the market was Verge, a copy of an earlier coin called Dogecoin that had originally been intended as a comic riff on the ubiquitous Shiba Inu meme but then wound up climbing in value. Retaining no trace of the originals whimsicality, Verge was built around security features aimed at protecting users identities. McAfee had appointed Bruce Fenton, the Executive Director of the Bitcoin Foundation, to MGTs Cryptocurrency Advisory Board a month after taking over in 2016, and a couple of weeks later he announced plans for MGT to build a Bitcoin mining operation. As time went by, the company got more machines and spent less time talking about its security products, none of which ever came out anyway. Now, as he touted the altcoin boom as a way to turn MGT around in May 2017, the Zen-like detachment from money that McAfee had claimed in 2009 disappeared. The new public persona was pure Ayn Randian Ubermensch. I dont know anyone more capable than me, McAfee bragged to Bloomberg News. I have never lost in terms of business and I certainly dont intend to start now. His famous Bitcoin price call came six weeks later. The thing about Bitcoin mining, though, is that its the least sexy part of cryptocurrency. It involves employing large quantities of computer hardware to turn vast amounts of electricity into heat under the guise of solving math problems, with Bitcoins being produced from time to time as a side effect. From an environmental perspective, its the digital equivalent of mountaintop-removal coal mining. The profit margins tend to be narrow, and as a pure business endeavor, its as entertaining as running a server farm. The real action is in speculation. Prices swing wildly for unknown reasons. To endure a terrible loss, and then see it mysteriously transform into a terrific gain, is intoxicating. And then theres the potential for profitable shenanigans. Many cryptocurrency exchanges are virtually unregulated, and awash with price-manipulating strategies that are banned on stock and commodities exchanges. As Bitcoins price climbed and climbed through 2017, a familiar bubble psychology took hold. People heard stories of others doubling, tripling, quintupling their money and told themselves there was still time to get in. Just as with every other recent bubble gold, tech stocks, subprime mortgages greed crowded out reason. The difference this time was that there was no underlying asset; the mania was for inscrutable abstract ideas that rose only because they had a reputation for rising. The complexity and opacity of cryptocurrencies, the near-total lack of regulatory oversight, and the willingness of many investors to suspend critical thinking all contributed to a fantastical fluorescence of scams. Not for the first time, a concept born of the desire for openness and transparency had drawn opportunists operating without moral or ethical restraint. The world of cryptocurrencies, in other words, had become a sort of digital Belize, a place where unscrupulous schemers could do anything to everybody and no one could do anything about it. For many small investors, the persistent taint of skullduggery surrounding cryptocurrency was less a deterrent than an attractant a tantalizing hint that, as in Las Vegas, all sorts of delicious but not entirely ethical fun might take place. Whereas pump and dump is illegal in regulated markets, in crypto it went on openly, with investors posting invitations for co-conspirators to join flash mobs to drive up the price of a coin and then all (theoretically, at least) sell and book profits together. Those who complained about the legality or ethics were accused of spreading FUD, or fear, uncertainty, and doubt i.e., being buzzkills. Amid this crowded bazaar of dubious dealing, it was a major challenge for new altcoins to distinguish themselves from thousands of competitors. One trick was to have someone famous shine a spotlight on you for a moment to create the sensation that you might have some upside, enough to draw in some buyers, who would send the price up, which would draw in more buyers, and so on. Floyd Mayweather, DJ Khaled, and Paris Hilton all touted cryptocurrencies. The practice alarmed the SEC enough that last November it issued a statement reminding the public that endorsements may be unlawful if they do not disclose the nature, source, and amount of any compensation paid, directly or indirectly, by the company in exchange for the endorsement. (The SEC went after Mayweather and Khaled and reached settlements with both men, with Mayweather agreeing to pay $614,775 and Khaled $152,725.) Though McAfee had not been an early adopter of crypto, by chance he had happened to craft the perfect persona for touting it. He had both a credible claim to technical expertise and enough of a moral taint to come across as savvy. Just as candidate Trump claimed that he alone could clean up the swamp because he had decades experience buying off politicians, McAfees self-advertised misbehavior made him plausible as a guide to a marketplace awash with con artists. More to the point, his predictions kept on turning out to be right. After his bullish Bitcoin pronouncement was followed by a steep rise in the market, he doubled down, saying the price would go to $1 million. Sure enough, it rose even more. He started recommending other coins, first on a weekly basis, and then every day. John McAfee Appears to Move Cryptocurrency Markets With a Single Tweet, marveled a Motherboard headline, over an article which declared that tweets from McAfee were reliably correlated with price spikes that sent cryptocurrencies worth pennies even fractions of a penny temporarily shooting upwards in value anywhere from 50 to 350 percent. McAfees power was incredibly valuable, and he felt he deserved to capture that value. During Galankos visit with him last fall, he demanded that Galanko pay him for supporting Verge. Galanko declined, according to screenshots of their conversations that were posted on his Twitter account and later taken down. He was an investor and an enthusiast, but not a member of Verges development team. He explained that since all Verge holders would benefit, he shouldnt have to pay out of his own pocket. Months later, McAfee brought up the subject again. Galanko responded that he would talk to the developer of Verge and other investors to see if they could put an offer together. But before he could do that, McAfee began promoting Verge anyway. Three days after his December 13 tweet he did a phone-in interview with The Larry and Joe Show, a YouTube series about cryptocurrency, on which he said that in a few months it is going to be the sickest coin on the friggin market. In the wake of McAfees recommendation, Verges share price climbed 1,800 percent. On December 21, according to the screenshots on Galankos Twitter account, McAfee texted Galanko that he deserved to be compensated. No-one offered me a fucking penny for 2 billion dollars in market cap increase, he wrote. (In the previous eight days, the total value of all outstanding Verge coins had climbed from $130 million to $2 billion.) McAfee added that other altcoins had paid him millions for their support and that if he was not compensated with 2,500 coins of the cryptocurrency Ether (trading symbol $ETH, an amount then worth $2 million) he would retract his endorsement. People will see that my power to demolish is ten times greater than my power to promote, he wrote. I promise that VERGE will be one quarter of what it was before I promoted it. The next day, per the screenshots, McAfee wrote again to press his demand: Its after 5. Heres my tweet thats ready to go; I apologize to my followers, for my support of Verge. It was based on a huge miscalculation. The number of Verge coins in circulation cannot ever justify a price of greater than $0.005. I am extremely sorry for my error. Peter I supported Verge based on your request. I expect reasonable compensation. Galanko felt cornered. He had never discussed a specific price for McAfees endorsement, and couldnt afford what McAfee was asking. He consulted with the founder of Verge, Justin Vendetta, a.k.a. Sunerok, but Vendetta said he didnt have the necessary resources, either. So Galanko texted McAfee an offer worth $70,000. McAfee fired back: Im sorry. Your proposal is unacceptable. He then made a counterproposal dramatically lower than his first demand. If you send $100,000 in Ether I will not tweet, but do not ever ask for my help again. Otherwise, if you believe you will recover after my tweet then you are smoking something I will give you one hour to consider. Galanko refused. On December 27, McAfee took to Twitter to declare that his Twitter account had been hacked and that some of his past recommendations had not been written by him. I have haters. I am a target, he wrote. People make fake accounts, fake screenshots, fake claims. He suggested that Verge was overvalued, and two days later attacked it more directly: I recommended Verge when it was less than a penny saying it might rise 100% to two pennies. The price has been wrongly pumped beyond reason. Having started the day at 17 cents, Verge finished it at 14. Nearly $300 million had been wiped off its market cap. Galanko decided to fight back. On December 30 he tweeted screenshots of the text messages McAfee had sent him the week before, explaining: I didnt want things to go in this direction, but this is the reason for the #McAfee $XVG FUD. He told me the day before I met Sunerok, that he wanted $1.1 million worth of $ETH, within 24hrs. We didnt pay him. Hence FUD. These are real, he may claim fake or hack. Now it was on. McAfee likes to project an air of devilish insouciance, but when he feels attacked he can fight like a honey badger. Whatever happened next happened behind closed doors. Neither man has spoken about it in public, or agreed to discuss it with New York. But Galanko soon after deleted his December 30 tweet, and on January 3, he posted a brief clip to YouTube that he had shot in a darkened room. In it, his pale, smooth-cheeked face appears dimly illuminated by a single lamp and his cell-phone screen, as if during an air-raid blackout. Hey whats up YouTube, he began. Im just making this video because a few minutes ago somebody logged onto my Twitter account the most recent tweets on my page are not mine. He turned the phone to the camera to show a cracked screen displaying his Twitter feed and claimed that he could not access his own account. This right here is a fake tweet, its not mine. Post it on Twitter, post this video on Twitter, peace out. When he resurfaced on Twitter the next day, it was under a new handle, XVGWhaleReal. His old one, XVGWhale, had been deactivated. I would never FUD $XVG myself, he wrote. Im seeking legal action against the hackers. Galanko and McAfee never cooperated again. IN RETROSPECT, McAfees tiff with Galanko was like two men dueling on the deck of the Titanic. The decline of cryptocurrencies continues to this day, and the giddy sense that anything is possible has vanished. How much of Verges decline is actually due to McAfees influence and how much to the general crash of cryptocurrencies is impossible to say. Maybe McAfees crypto-power was just lucky timing all along. A tweet that he sent out last December 7 sounds like its from a different era: Those of you in the old school who believe this is a bubble simply do not understand the new mathematics, he wrote. Bubbles are mathematically impossible in this new paradigm. This is nonsense, of course. Its entirely mathematically possible that the price of Bitcoin will go right back to where it started: zero. Altcoin developer Jackson Palmer thinks crypto prices will play out like they have after past spikes, with people gradually losing interest as the hype leaks away. I think its just a slow decline, he says, and then hopefully we get back to the technology. As for McAfee, the deflation of the cryptocurrency bubble has done little to crimp his style. He continues to churn through a series of ventures, making great promises, then leaving them to crash or fizzle and recede into the flotsam of past escapades. He declared that he would start to charge $105,000 per tweet to endorse cryptocurrencies; a month later, he announced he was launching his own cryptocurrency. Nothing came of either idea. Later, McAfee offered $250,000 to anyone who could crack an unhackable cryptocoin wallet he was backing. It was hacked within days. McAfee refused to pay up. His personal life, too, has been full of incident. At one point he interrupted intercourse with Janice to pull out a gun and shoot up a crawl space after suspecting that it had been infiltrated by assassins then bragged about it to the media. This past June he was hospitalized, unconscious for two days after, he claimed, My enemies maged [sic] to spike something that i ingested. In September he posted a video on Twitter stating that, yes, he had taken bath salts, every fucking one of them. His controversial genius persona is now so firmly established that such antics only reinforce the brand. The press gamely play along, with varying displays of credulity: An entertaining tale, after all, is an entertaining tale. When McAfee announced that he had decided once more to run for president, The Week reported it as an eye-roll-inducing publicity stunt from everyones favorite wacky uncle. One look at this eyepatched man, wrote Kathryn Krawczyk beneath a picture of campaign manager Rob Loggia looking like a strung-out pirate, and youre surely intrigued. At first McAfee, too, took a light approach, treating his candidacy as another of his signature pranks. Lets be real, he tweeted. No sane person could believe I could ever become President. But within 24 hours he pivoted, writing: Those who believe my presidential run is a publicity stunt take note: I ran a serious campaign in 2016 under the Libertarian banner, at great cost in time and resources. I am twice as committed this time. Anyone who thinks otherwise does not know me. He might be in earnest, and he might even have a chance; at this point in the history of the United States, its not clear if anyone is unqualified to be commander in chief. If he really wants to be president, though, his accumulated legal troubles could create headwinds. In 2014 he lost the aerotrekking wrongful-death lawsuit and was slapped with a $2.5 million judgment that he has been eluding ever since. And in September the SEC announced that it was filing charges against Barry Honig, Robert Ladd, and eight other associates for their role in pumping-and-dumping the companys stock. As alleged, Honig and his associates engaged in brazen market manipulation that advanced their financial interests, declared the SECs Sanjay Wadhwa in a press release, while fleecing innocent investors and undermining the integrity of our securities markets. McAfee wasnt named in that complaint, but New York attorneys from the Rosen Law Firm launched a class-action suit based on the SEC filing that added McAfee to the list of defendants on the basis of his role as the companys CEO. When confronted about his deceptions, McAfee tends to claim that he was only joking, or else responds with threats. Sometimes he does both. As I was preparing this article, McAfee emailed me: Give it up asshole. You couldnt distinguish a joke from a turd. You are still on my sue you radar. I promise, Jeff, I am going to financially destroy you. If its the last thing I do. You manufacture your own truth and peddle it. Be careful signing for letters at the post office. Such tactics are unlikely to work against the SEC or against the plaintiffs attorneys who have their sights on McAfees earnings. Nor, in the long run, will they help to support the market value of the enterprises that McAfee promotes. The price of MGT Capital now stands at $0.09, a 98 percent drop from its 2016 high. Over on Facebooks $MGT Stock Discussion Board, which once buzzed with McAfee fans enthusing over the prospect of huge profits but then fell into disuse, the SEC filing caused a reawakening. Sorry to say this stock has always been a scam, wrote Facebook commenter Cheryl Emerson. Get out as soon as you can. Over on McAfees Twitter feed, however, enthusiasm has been running as high as ever. In October, McAfee posted a 36-second video clip of two of his security guards writhing on the floor after undergoing mandatory Tazering as part of their employment test. The tweet garnered 130 comments and 228 likes from his 858,000 followers within three hours. Ever attentive to his base, McAfee responded to many of the comments individually. holy fucking shit lol love it, wrote @ColCustard. I would take a taser for McAfee to get a gig on his campaign team, even if I was the cleaner, wrote @thumbtacklist. badass, wrote @luc_he. hahahaha Youre freakin nuts John!! wrote @Cryptoholdings. you are one of a kind mr. PRESIDENT. LOL, wrote @cadillacjoe2001. You crazy fuck, @Cryptopatrick77 wrote. To which McAfee replied: Indeed. A 21-year-old man has been jailed for life with a minimum of 32 years for murdering his wife and her mother, after his secret second family was discovered. Janbaz Tarin admitted murdering Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem, outside Mrs Saleems home in Northdown Road, Solihull, West Midlands, shortly after midnight on August 27. Tarin, of Evelyn Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham, had armed himself with a knife after a public row with Ms Oudeh, who was his wife under Islamic law, before driving to the scene and launching his attack. He later fled, leading police on a three-day manhunt before his dramatic capture by officers. It emerged Ms Oudeh had dumped her husband in the weeks before his attack, after learning he had three children and a secret wife in Afghanistan. Sentencing Tarin at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, the judge told him his crimes had devastated the victims family. Mrs Justice Carr said: Having stalked Raneem the evening before, you equipped yourself with a knife, followed Raneem to her mothers address and carried out a vicious and sustained attack on both women. Jilted Tarin first met Ms Oudeh at Solihull College and had also lied to her about how young he was, before marrying her. He was abusive towards her in the relationship, and she had previously contacted the police about his violent behaviour, but when she discovered his web of deceit, Ms Oudeh dumped him. But he repeatedly hassled his ex-partner, relentlessly stalking and pursuing her, prosecutors said. Ms Oudeh, who had a two-year-old son from another relationship, had recently secured a non-molestation order against Tarin, with the help of her mother, before the sustained and brutal attack. In the weeks before her murder, Ms Oudeh told family members he had threatened her, saying if you leave me, I will kill you and your family. On the night of August 26, Tarin followed Ms Oudeh and her 47-year-old mother as they went for an evening out at the Rotana Shisha lounge. CCTV captured the moment Tarin, who worked as an agency driver for Rentokil, went inside and sparked a confrontation, as he snatched his estranged wifes phone. Opening the case, Annabel Darlow QC, said: The defendant was seen to slap Mrs Saleem across the face with an open hand during the confrontation and threatened to kill Raneem. He was kicked out by staff, but was moments later seen driving past in his van indicating as he did so a cutting motion across his neck towards Raneem. Tarin left, went to his fathers supermarket, and secreted a 12-inch steak knife in his waistband before leaving. At the shisha lounge, Ms Oudeh had made the first of three calls to police that night, reporting Tarin had attacked her. Leaving the bar in her mothers Honda CR-V, she then arrived at her flat in Kingsdown Road, Birmingham, but rang police again, telling them she did not feel safe and would leave. Expand Close Mohamed Saleem, husband and step-father to the victims, arrives at Birmingham Crown Court (Aaron Chown/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mohamed Saleem, husband and step-father to the victims, arrives at Birmingham Crown Court (Aaron Chown/PA) Ms Darlow said: Raneem asked the police whether or not they were going to take action and was told that they would need to see her first. She expressed concern that the matter was going to be left until the following day, pointing out that the police were not coming quickly enough. She pointed out that the defendant had followed her from her mothers to a restaurant and had waited for her. Ms Oudeh, with her mother in their car, were viewed on CCTV leaving for Mrs Saleems home, and at 11.48pm Tarins could be made out, following close behind. At 12.26am having already driven to Northdown Road Ms Oudeh, still with her mother, made the last of her calls to police, telling them she would be at the Solihull address. Ms Darlow said: She indicated that she was not going to stay at her home address because she did not have a key and was worried that if she stayed, the defendant would come and hurt her. Ten minutes later police rang Ms Oudeh back, telling her officers would call her the following morning to go through the incident. In what would be her last words, she asked the operator: I just wanted to ask you, will he be arrested tomorrow or not? Miss Darlow said: Screaming can then be heard in the background to the call, with the words Hes there, there, there. Further screams are heard before the call goes silent. Expand Close Nour Norris (left) and Mohamed Saleem, the sister and husband of Khaola Saleem, during media interviews at West Midlands Police HQ (Aaron Chown/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nour Norris (left) and Mohamed Saleem, the sister and husband of Khaola Saleem, during media interviews at West Midlands Police HQ (Aaron Chown/PA) The women both died of multiple stab injuries in a frenzied attack captured by CCTV footage so extremely graphic it could not be played in open court, but clearly identifying Tarin as the attacker. Tarin fled, dumping his van, and hid from police for three days, triggering a huge manhunt. A tip-off by a member of the public later led to his capture. Ms Oudeh was only in the UK having fled the war in Syria, and had reunited with her mother and stepfather who had lived in Solihull for 16 years. Ms Oudehs half-sister, 15-year-old Kinaan, was babysitting in the house that night when she heard screaming outside, and witnessed part of the attack, leaving her unable to sleep at the family home. In a victim impact statement read to court, she told the court: Ever since that deadly night, I still can hear the painful scream. Every time I walk past my home I can still see my sister falling for the last time, and my mother on the floor. Of Ms Oudeh, she added: She loved her only child more than herself, always putting him first. But now all I can see from this disgusting world is just pure darkness. In mitigation, Tarins barrister Ali Bajwa QC told the court his clients wife in Afghanistan was the result of an unhappy and forced marriage when he was just 13. He told the court Tarin had three children, all aged under five, and had come to the UK aged 15, despite hearsay evidence he was now older than his 21 years. After sentencing, Ms Oudehs aunt, Nour Norris, criticised the police for not doing more to protect her niece. Asked if she believed the police and authorities had failed to do enough, Mrs Norris replied: Yes we do. We do feel that and we feel theres a lot of women out there as well probably going through the same thing, who agree with us. She added the family felt even more let down by the fact Tarin was on the run for three days, before his capture. The system and support available normally works. Sadly, in this case, it wasn't enough to prevent the double murderDet Chief Supt Mark Payne, West Midlands Police The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the circumstances surrounding the police response to the murders, after the force referred the incident itself. Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Payne, head of West Midlands Polices CID, said: This was a man who sought out two defenceless women and took a weapon in order to end their lives. Im glad today the courts have recognised the severity of what went on. Mr Payne said: Ive been a police officer for 24 years and this is the first time Ive come across a double murder in these circumstances. He added: If theres learning (from the IOPC), well take it on board. They say you cant teach an old dog new tricks, but that clearly doesnt apply to Kelly Slater. The 46-year-old surfing legend pulled off an unbelievable recovery during a ride at the Billabong Pipe Masters in Hawaii, somehow getting back onto his board after falling off mid-barrel. The manoeuvre, in a match-up against Brazils Filipe Toledo, was so remarkable that even Slater himself seemed surprised that he had pulled it off as he raised his arms to accept the cheers of the crowd. And it was further proof for many that the 11-time world surfing champion is the greatest of all time. This guy is a freaking wizard. How do you do this @kellyslater !?!?! #GOAT https://t.co/RE6bcyj6G4 Michael Yani (@Themichaelyani) December 17, 2018 U gotta be 11 time world champion to pull this out https://t.co/913cWq8z8O Yohana Menezes (@yohanamenezes_) December 17, 2018 Why Kelly Slater is the greatest surfer ever: falls off his board in the middle of a barrel, and somehow gets back on it and rides out the wave. How is this even possible? https://t.co/oNxIqirH4s Trevor Branch (@TrevorABranch) December 17, 2018 In an Instagram post, Slater said: Well, that was interesting. I thought I just fell straight onto my belly and bodyboarded out. Didnt realize I had to grab for it! Haha. To see if Slater can pull off more magic when he goes in the semi-finals of the Masters, check out the World Surf League Facebook page, where the event is streaming live. Janet Fein could not be blamed for finally relaxing, after bringing up five children and retiring at the age of 77 from her secretarial job, but thats not her. Ms Fein, now 84, returned to studying and will accomplish a long-held goal this week when she graduates from the University of Texas in Dallas with a bachelors degree. I didnt have anything to do in retirement and I didnt think that playing bingo was up to my speed, said Ms Fein, who studied sociology because she felt it was substantial. She said she enjoyed all the reading and writing papers. With each class I already knew a lot, but then I also learned a lot. And that made me happy, she said. Janet Fein, 84, the oldest of nearly 2,800 students who will graduate from @UT_Dallas this week, is the epitome of perseverance. Congratulations, Janet! https://t.co/ZtGwp2ruIZ UT System (@utsystem) December 17, 2018 People 65 and older make up less than 1% of US college students. In 2015, they accounted for about 67,000 of about 20 million college students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Keeping oneself active and vital and giving yourself something to look forward to like that is just a really positive move, said Dr Carmel Dyer, executive director of the UTHealth Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Ms Fein took part in a state programme that allows people aged 65 and older to take up to six credit hours for free at public universities in Texas. About 2,000 people took advantage of the offer last year, according to the Texas Higher Education Co-ordinating Board. Ms Fein said she wanted the degree with all of my heart and kept going to classes even as she went from living on her own and driving herself around to needing a walking aid and oxygen, and eventually moving to a home for the elderly. Then her knees gave out, so she did a term of independent study and took online classes to fulfil her degree requirements. She did not give up in the midst of her challenges, she just kept plugging along, said Ms Feins college adviser, Sheila Rollerson. Expand Close Janet Fein said bingo wasnt for her (pjrimages/etty) Getty Images/iStockphoto / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Janet Fein said bingo wasnt for her (pjrimages/etty) Tracy Glass, 40, befriended Ms Fein after they both took front-row seats in a class. I sat right next to her and over the course of the semester built a fast friendship with her, said Ms Glass, who said Ms Feins firsthand memories of world events like the womens movement enlivened discussions. Carol Cirulli Lanham, a senior lecturer in sociology, said: She would speak up a lot in class and I think that it just made for a more interesting class because she literally remembered some of the times we were talking about. Ms Fein, who grew up in the Bronx in New York City, said that at school she just wanted to leave and get a job. After leaving at the age of 16 she went to work as a secretary at a dress manufacturer. She married, spent 18 years staying home with her children and worked at several jobs over the decades, including a 20-year stint as a secretary at a Dallas orthopaedic hospital, the job she retired from in 2012. She also worked on her associate degree for two decades before earning it in 1995. Renee Brown, a certified nursing assistant who is one of Ms Feins carers, said Ms Fein had inspired her. At 53, she plans to enrol in a programme to become a licensed vocational nurse. She said, Renee, you can do it. If I can do it you can do it and you will feel so good about it, Ms Brown said. Candles are lit for the victims of the attack (AP) Polands president has said a Polish victim of last weeks shooting attack in Strasbourg, France, had been trying to protect other people. Barto Orent-Niedzielski died on Sunday after being shot in the head during Tuesdays attack, bringing the number of victims to five. Expand Close French President Emmanuel Macron pays his respects to victims of the attack (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp French President Emmanuel Macron pays his respects to victims of the attack (AP) The 36-year-old from Katowice, Poland, lived in Strasbourg, where he worked at the European Parliament and as a journalist. Polish president Andrzej Duda wrote on Twitter that I knew him by sight. I am shocked. I had not realized that he was the one mortally wounded protecting other people. Honor to his memory. RIP. According to some reports, Mr Orent-Niedzielski fought the gunman and stopped him from entering a crowded club, possibly preventing more deaths. Sri Lankas president has accused newly reappointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of corrupt leadership in a scathing speech. President Maithripala Sirisena, who administered the oath that returned Mr Wickremesinghe to office, voiced doubts about their ability to work together and signalled the two-month political crisis is far from resolved. He told the prime minister and a group of his politicians that he cannot find people of honesty and integrity to help him take the country forward. With the issues we have, I am not sure what guarantees we have that we could go on this journey together, Mr Sirisena told Mr Wickremesinghe. Mr Sirisena abruptly dismissed Mr Wickremesinghe on October 26 and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place, with Mr Wickremesinghe insisting his removal was unlawful. But Mr Rajapaksa continued to hold office with Mr Sirisenas support, and his opponents went to court. Expand Close Supporters of ousted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe celebrate outside the supreme court complex in Colombo (Eranga Jayawardena/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Supporters of ousted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe celebrate outside the supreme court complex in Colombo (Eranga Jayawardena/AP) The Court of Appeal suspended Mr Rajapaksa and his cabinet from functioning in their offices. Mr Rajapaksa asked the Supreme Court to lift the suspension, but it refused and extended the suspension until mid-January, forcing Mr Rajapaksa to resign on Saturday. Sri Lanka had been without a government from the time Mr Rajapaksa was suspended by the Court of Appeal and was facing the danger of being unable to spend government money from January 1 without a budget. The swearing in of Mr Wickremesinghe took place privately, with only a few politicians in attendance and media not permitted. Now I will assume duties of the office of prime minister It initially indicated an end to the impasse, but Mr Sirisenas speech is a sign of more acrimony, possibly leading to early parliamentary elections. Mr Wickremesinghe spoke separately at his official residence and refrained from responding to the president. Now I will assume duties of the office of prime minister, he told his cheering supporters. Unfortunately, during the past few weeks, the progress of this country and the development programs that we undertook were stalled, he said. Not only that, the country went backward. Today we commit firstly to bring back normalcy and resuming the development program. In a televised speech, Mr Sirisena said his reasons for firing Mr Wickremesinghe included a lack of interest in helping investigate an alleged insider trade during a bond issue, in which a former Central Bank governor who is a close friend of Mr Wickremesinghe is implicated. He also said Mr Wickremesinghes ministers alienated Buddhist monks by having them arrested for keeping unlicensed captive elephants at temples. Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist nation with an influential clergy. Mr Sirisena also criticised Mr Wickremesinghe for investigations into alleged abuses during the long civil war that ended in 2009. The president said Mr Wickremesinghe had only government soldiers arrested but had not looked into prosecuting former Tamil Tiger rebels he said were hiding in foreign countries. My view is that we should prosecute everyone, or else we should negotiate with the international community and free our soldiers (from accusations), he said. The Philippines Catriona Gray is crowned the new Miss Universe 2018 in Bangkok as her parents watch on (Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP and @MikeInCambodia/Twitter) Footage of Miss Universe 2018s parents reacting to their daughters victory has gone viral on Twitter. Catriona Gray, of the Philippines, was named Miss Universe 2018 in Bangkok, beating contestants from 93 other countries. When the big announcement was made, one audience member caught the reaction of Grays parents on film. I sat next to Catriona Grays parents, and this was their reaction when their daughter, Miss Philippines, won Miss Universe. pic.twitter.com/1Wu9ysdhEA Michael in Cambodia (@MikeInCambodia) December 17, 2018 Grays father is Australian and her mother is Filipina she was born and grew up in Cairns, Australia, and studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the United States. Your parents are absolutely lovely!!! So glad I captured this moment for all of you. Michael in Cambodia (@MikeInCambodia) December 17, 2018 The video has been viewed more than 750,000 times and received more than 100,000 likes on Twitter, with hundreds leaving comments as well. Yessss!!!! So blessed!!!!! Michael in Cambodia (@MikeInCambodia) December 17, 2018 The office of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte was quick to congratulate Ms Gray, the fourth Filipina to be named Miss Universe. Michael Gove and Boris Johnson are frontrunners to replace Theresa May if she leaves Michael Gove and Boris Johnson are frontrunners to replace Theresa May if she leaves Matthew Parris on Saturday in his latest despairing Times column about Theresa May asked: "At what point does tenacity become rigidity become mulishness become a frozen panic?" Unlike Mr Parris - a fine journalist whose usual milk of human kindness has been curdled by his hatred of Brexit - I really don't want to be mean about Theresa May, even though I am a distressed Leave voter who fears she's on course to trap us in the worst of all possible worlds. Like many others gazing in horror at the shambles of the Brexit negotiations, the Parliamentary stalemate and the spectre of Jeremy Corbyn, I'm not hard-hearted enough to ignore her dedication and be indifferent to her plight. But the brutal truth is that not only has she made a hash of the Brexit negotiations, but that she was always unfit to be Prime Minister, especially at a critical moment in the history of the United Kingdom when the main qualities required included imagination, heretical instincts and a desire to get the hell out of the European Union as fast and as straightforwardly as possible. How did she become leader? Essentially, she had luck. I don't believe that David Cameron was running away from the job, but old-fashioned gentlemanly values caused him to think that having lost the referendum it was his duty to resign. Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, both rich in imagination, both given to challenging orthodox thinking and both sharing a deep dislike of the EU establishment, messed up spectacularly. Of those still standing for the leadership, Mrs May's record was the most substantial as the longest-serving Home Secretary for 60 years. A conscientious constituency MP, she had set up effective structures for encouraging women, but she didn't get close to anyone. This only child, orphaned in her early 20s and unable to have children, seemed and still seems to need no one, except her husband Philip. She had no friends and just two counsellors - her thinker Nick Timothy, and her enforcer Fiona Hill - who alienated her colleagues with their bullying and had to be sacked after the disaster of her snap general election last year. Nobody seemed to know her. The Westminster bubble discussed her incessantly, even before the leadership election, but couldn't get to the essence of the person within that stiff, flawless exterior, although there were some warning bells evident in her control freakery and addiction to unattainable targets. Behind her back people called her the Ice Maiden or the Sphinx, or compared her to the inscrutable Soviet spymaster Karla in John le Carre's novels. She was notorious for seeing off critics by facing them down with long silences or boring them senseless with constant repetition. Once she'd been elected, although people were prepared to believe this Remainer's promise that she would honour the outcome of the referendum, there were warning signs. A Gove or a Johnson would probably have found tough, hardened horse-traders who would have demanded from day one noisy preparations for a no-deal, but Mrs May relied almost exclusively on civil servants - steeped in the EU culture - to do the deal with Brussels and seek accommodation rather than confrontation at all times. There was no one to scoff at the peculiarly English notion that compromise is all and the truth always lies in the middle and threaten to walk out unless the EU came up with a good offer. So we are where we are. "Does she hear?" asked Parris. "Does she see? Does she know? Is there anyone at home?" He was echoed at the weekend by the absurd Jean-Claude Juncker, who after a few drinks blurted out that what she was saying was "nebulous" (i.e. indistinct, vague, hazy, or cloudy). In one of the better jokes that ensued, Mrs May's attempt to get him to retract the accusation was described as "the nebulous in pursuit of the bibulous" (i.e. excessively fond of alcohol). Parris is hoping for a group of Parliamentary centrists to make common cause and somehow keep the UK in the EU. Leavers like me certainly don't want that. But most of us can probably all agree that May should be persuaded or forced out of her job. As we approach Christmas, many people will find it hard to believe that we will have been without an Executive at Stormont for two years. As we approach Christmas, many people will find it hard to believe that we will have been without an Executive at Stormont for two years. The Christmas lights are shining at the big house on the hill, but the politicians who are well-paid to do their jobs there are not at home. There are obvious reminders of their infuriating absence, if only we take the trouble to identify them. These were well-expressed by the Dean of Belfast, Stephen Forde, in a plain-speaking interview. He issued a stark warning about the risks of politicians being "on the margins". He talked vividly about the benefits scheme not working, about finding homeless people sleeping on the steps of St Anne's Cathedral, and about the risks of other people turning to criminality. He said: "There's always a danger, if people aren't given leadership by their politicians, that they will sometimes turn to those who come up with easy answers, people who have their own agenda. If nobody can make decisions about how the police are funded, or how policing is to be done, there will always be somebody else to step into that gap." We all know the risks of more sinister forces filling that gap. The chair of the Northern Ireland Institute of Directors, Gordon Milligan, has revealed that some 2bn worth of infrastructure has stalled since the collapse of Stormont. This is shocking, and recently this newspaper added to the long list, by mentioning the 164 decisions still in limbo. The negative impact of all of this can scarcely be understated. This affects the NHS, schools, heritage projects and many other important subjects which need urgent attention. Already the MLAs have been given one pay cut, and rightly so, but the bad-tempered impasse continues, and people are wondering how we can get out of this mess. It is important that public figures speak out strongly, as the Dean has done, but there is an onus on the public also to make their voices heard. They need to show their deep discontent with the pathetic performances, or non-performances, of our politicians. People deserve better, and it is time they began to demand it. It is remarkable that there have not been more voluble protests on the ground, but these may come the longer that Stormont remains in mothballs. The current situation is a disgrace and it cannot be allowed to fester indefinitely. Belfast school one of 13 premises which are currently ranked among the lowest in Northern Ireland. A Northern Ireland school has been given just one out of five on the food hygiene ratings system. Malone College was slapped with the score following an inspection by Belfast City Council earlier this year. The system, known as Scores on the Doors, lists the south Belfast school as one of the 13 premises which are currently ranked among the lowest in Northern Ireland. It applies to any business which prepares and offers food for consumption, not just restaurants. Only one score of zero, the lowest possible, is currently in force and applies to Cafe Onion, a Chinese restaurant on the Stransmills Road in Belfast. The rating of one out five means that "major improvement" is necessary for it to be given a higher score. An inspection in February stated that food hygiene and safety at the school was "fair" but found that structural compliance was "poor" and there was "little" confidence in management. The website information was last updated on December 11 this year and the score remained at one. However, school principal Katrina Moore told Sunday Life it was due a reinspection which should take place before the end of the year. Other premises given a score of one include Kebab Express on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast and The Chip Company, near Queen's University. Malone College was founded in 1997 and has more than 500 pupils at its site in Finaghy in the south of the city. In March this year it was ranked 165th out of Northern Ireland's 191 secondary schools in the Belfast Telegraph's GCSE league table. It was also placed 133rd out of the 159 schools for which data was available in the newspaper's A-level league tables. In September this year it was awarded School of Sanctuary status, which is given to educational establishments which provide a safe place for those facing violence in the home or their country of origin. President Trumps attorney Rudy Giuliani. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images In an interview yesterday, George Stephanopoulos asked President Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani if Roger Stone ever gave Trump a heads-up about forthcoming WikiLeaks email publications. No, he didnt, no, he replied. But then Giuliani seemed to reconsider his certitude almost immediately. He blinked, and then softened his denial I dont believe so before immediately transitioning into a conditional defense of the very charge he had been asked to deny: But again, if Roger Stone gave anybody a heads-up about WikiLeaks leaks, thats not a crime. It would be like giving him a heads-up that the Times is going to print something. One the the crime, this is why this thing is so weird, strange. The crime is conspiracy to hack; collusion is not a crime; it doesnt exist. If you understand the facts and the law in this case, this much should be clear: Trump is almost certainly guilty of both collusion and a crime. And Giulianis backpedalling defense reveals that he is no longer confident Trumps denials will hold. The Trumpian mantra, collusion is not a crime, is a misleading legalism. Think of collusion and crimes as two large circles in a Venn diagram with a small overlap. Trump is being investigated for many crimes, and his campaign obviously colluded with Russia in multiple ways. Some of the alleged crimes, the overlapping portion of the Venn diagram, involve cooperating with the Russian election intervention. At least one such crime has already been identified by the special counsel, back in July: conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. Specifically, the indictment explained, the object of the conspiracy was to hack into the computers of U.S. persons and entities involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, steal documents from those computers, and stage releases of the stolen documents to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Muellers investigation began by tying together the email hackers with Russian intelligence and WikiLeaks. Stone is the most obvious link in the chain that would connect Trump himself to the conspiracy. Stone, working through intermediaries, communicated with WikiLeaks during the election. Stone also spoke regularly with Trump throughout the campaign. At the time that Stones reported contacts with WikiLeaks were occurring, the United States government had already identified Russia as the culprit in the hacking of Democratic emails. Trump recognized this fact by publicly calling on Russia to hack other missing Democratic emails. Last months draft offense of Jerome Corsi, one of the back-channel contacts between Stone and WikiLeaks, gave some hints of how the collusion worked. As Ryan Goodman and Bob Bauer explained, WikiLeaks had obtained a Democratic email that appeared (or could be twisted) to imply that the campaign had concerns about Hillary Clintons health. WikiLeaks let the Trump campaign know about its plan to release this email, and the Trump campaign accordingly circulated rumors about Clintons health in order to maximize the impact of this disclosure. The only real mystery remaining in the conspiracy is whether Mueller can implicate Trump himself. This probably requires Mueller to prove that Stone informed Trump about his doings during the campaign. For Stone to have undertaken the effort to establish a back channel to WikiLeaks and not tell Trump about his good works would have been totally bizarre, knowing anything about how either man operates. During the campaign, Stone was jockeying among many advisers for Trumps ear and approval. Neither man has any discretion or respect for legal or ethical scruples. Stone has publicly vowed not to roll on Trump, insisting, John Dean I am not, a historical comparison that implies that Stone possesses incriminating information against the president of the United States. (John Dean was the former lawyer for President Nixon, and who testified against his bosss criminal acts.) Assuming Stone maintains the omerta this is one of the few pieces of mafia lingo Trump has not yet used in public Mueller would have to find evidence of their communication some other way. Maybe Trump told another one of his advisers who is now cooperating with Mueller. Or maybe some electronic record of the communication exists. Giulianis comments seem to indicate that he knows that Trump did have a heads-up from Stone, but does not know if Mueller will be able to prove it. Hence his competing impulses to deny the accusation but to prepare a fallback defense in case that denial becomes inoperable. Giulianis argument to Stephanopoulos is that working with WikiLeaks would be just like talking with the New York Times. Of course, the New York Times does not routinely engage in criminal acts in order to obtain its news reports, and it is also not the tool of a hostile foreign intelligence service. Giulianis defense has retreated right up to the line where it crosses into a confession of guilt. Supporters of Bangladeshs opposition National Unity Front display pictures of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia as they march during a rally in Dhaka, Dec. 16, 2018. If it wins this months national polls, Bangladeshs opposition will stop enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings as well as lift press restrictions and impose term limits, its leaders said Monday in unveiling their platform. Leaders of the National Unity Front (NUF) alliance also urged police not to carry out what they claimed were government orders to arrest opposition candidates, as they made campaign pledges while presenting their manifesto for the Dec. 30 general election. Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances will end completely, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, one of NUFs ranking leaders, told a news conference in Dhaka. Arrests by plainclothesmen will not be allowed. The Digital Security Act will be scrapped, he added, referring to a recently passed law, which has drawn widespread criticism from human rights and press advocates who have complained that it restricts free speech online. Manna said the NUF would work to prevent a repeat of what opposition leaders described as despotic rule under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government has not been challenged in elections since 2008. We will strike a balance of power between the president and the prime minister, Manna said, underscoring the need for a rule that would deter a prime minister from running for office for more than two consecutive terms. Under a government led by NUF, Bangladeshis facing fabricated cases filed under Hasinas government would be compensated, he said. Expeditious actions will be taken against police officials aiding in the filing of false cases, he said. Since the schedule for Bangladeshs 11th general election was announced on Nov. 8, opposition leaders have accused the government of cracking down on its supporters to prevent them from campaigning. Kamal Hossain, the NUF chief, alleged on Monday that the ruling Awami League was misusing the police against the opposition. The election is only 12 days away. But the police have been arresting the opposition candidates and the leaders. This magnitude of arrest is unprecedented, Hossain told reporters, alleging that more than 1,900 opposition leaders and activists had been arrested during the past two to three days. The candidates are frequently attacked, he said, without providing evidence. I urge the police: You must not carry out the illegal orders of the government, Hossain said. Executing an illegal order is an offence. NUF also pledged to increase the minimum wage of garment factory workers. Exports of textiles and garments provide the principal source of foreign exchange earnings for Bangladesh, generating U.S. $28.1 billion from 2016 to 2017. The nation of 163 million people is the worlds second-largest apparel exporter of western fashion brands, after China. They forget the issue once in power Rights activists and political analysts hailed the NUFs commitment to stop extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Bangladesh security forces routinely targeted opposition members through enforced disappearances in 2017, with reports suggesting that more than 80 people vanished in this way last year, global rights watchdog Amnesty International said in its annual report in February. Human Rights Watch, in its World Report 2018, which gauged conditions for human rights last year in 90 countries, said it had documented more than 300 cases of forced disappearances involving security forces since 2009. Before every elections, the political parties pledge to maintain zero-tolerance for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. The Awami League also made such commitment before the 2008 elections. So, we cannot be so optimistic about the commitment made in the election manifesto, Bangladeshi human rights activist Nur Khan told BenarNews on Monday. But I would say, commitments to stop extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the election manifesto is a progress, he said. All political parties should make a formal announcement that they will not indulge in extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, no matter who goes to power, he said. Rights groups and media organizations have criticized Hasinas government for recently intensifying attempts to curb press freedom by strengthening the nations defamation laws with a new Digital Security Act and proposing another piece of legislation, the Broadcast Act 2018, aimed at regulating broadcast news portals. But Hasina, who is seeking a third consecutive term as prime minister, has denied the accusations. On the Digital Security Act and freedom of expression issue, I think, the NUF can rescind [the act] or amend or enact a fresh law keeping popular sentiment in mind, Nur Khan said. Nizam Uddin Ahmed, a professor at Chittagong University, agreed with Khans views that Bangladeshi political parties would often make promises to protect human rights during electoral campaigning. But our experiences show that they forget the issue once in power, he told BenarNews. A mannequin resembling a sniper appears beside a sign of the Maute Muslim militant group during the clean-up of Marawi city in southern Philippines, Oct. 19, 2017. Philippine security forces captured a couple suspected of supplying sophisticated weapons and ammunition to Islamic State-linked Filipino militants who seized the southern city of Marawi last year, police said Monday. The couple, identified as Edgardo Medel, 46, and his wife, Rosemarie, 34, were caught Sunday night during an entrapment operation in Valenzuela, a suburb north of Manila, national police chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said. Officers seized two assault rifles, nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, two assault rifles and hand guns that the couple allegedly tried to sell to undercover police agents, he said. I just cannot imagine the death and destruction that will result should these war materials fall into the hands of the New Peoples Army, Abu Sayyaf Group, and terror groups, Albayalde said in a statement, referring to communist guerrillas, among other armed groups. Citing an intelligence report, Albayalde said the couple was supplying unlicensed firearms and ammunition to followers of the Maute clan, Abu Sayyaf militants and unnamed rogue local politicians in the south. Police conducted a controlled purchase following a tip that the couple had provided weapons to militants, Philippine media reported. After making the buy, police arrested the couple who brought their three children with them. The children were turned over to social workers. The Maute clan helped Isnilon Hapilon, the local Islamic State (IS) commander, plan and carry out the attack on the Islamic city of Marawi during a five-month siege that saw the military engage the gunmen in street-by-street gun battles. The battle ended in October last year, with the death of Hapilon and the top lieutenants of the Maute clan. The Abu Sayyaf is known as one of the most brutal militant groups operating in the southern Philippines and has engaged mostly in banditry, kidnapping and bombings. One of the groups leaders, Hapilon, was named the emir of IS in the region. He planned and carried out the 2017 attack on Marawi. Mark Navales in Cotabato contributed to this report. Coach Chuck Washington of Kappa Phi Sigma Chapter is pictured with (from left to right) Miracle Academy students, Benson Smalls, Brycen Middleton, Brandon Watts, I'vree Brown, Ararna McBee, Ki'Ara Watts and Rep. Willie Ford of Kappa Phi Sigma Chapter. By Colleen Rerucha '06 Just weeks into her college career at Bowling Green State University, a nervous then-freshman Ameera Venkataraman attended a networking event hosted by the College of Business, uncertain of what to expect and even more unsure of how to network. But it was there, at the Supply Chain Management Institute dinner, where a chance meeting with an employer would shape the course of Venkataramans professional experience at BGSU. She met a recruiter from Honda of America at the networking dinner and struck up a casual conversation. She didnt think much of it until the same event a year later. He remembered me my sophomore year. We had a conversation and he said lets take this to an interview the next day at the job fair, Venkataraman said. That next-day interview at the Career Expo led to the first of two internships at Honda for the supply chain management student, and an eventual full-time position with the company waiting for her after graduation. I surprised myself. I remember looking back, I was scared a lot to go to the student organization meetings, to raise my hand and participate, she said. Im really glad I did because it led me to opportunities that I didnt foresee happening. Although the meeting may have felt like pure luck to the then-freshman, College of Business Dean Ray Braun said it was anything but. We are committed to creating opportunity for our students. Through our Business Career Accelerator, the College of Business works with more than 1,000 companies, hosting networking events and connecting our students with potential employers on a daily basis, Braun said. Ameera recognized that and took full advantage as a freshman. We are incredibly proud of her success. Alumna Maryrose Sylvester '88 shared her core pieces of advice with the Bowling Green State University Class of 2018 on December 14 at the Stroh Center. Sylvester, who also was awarded an honorary degree, a Doctor of Business Administration, addressed the candidates from the Graduate College and the colleges of Business; Health and Human Services; Musical Arts; Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering; and BGSU Firelands. "I am so truly honored to be here tonight receiving this incredible recognition," she told the crowd at the Stroh Center. "I've worked in business for more than 30 years, so it's been a long time since I sat in your seat, but it feels like it was yesterday. My memories are fond and my pride runs deep: Bowling Green State University was essential in building my foundation on so many fronts. Academically, interpersonally and ethically those core elements have served me well and will do the same for all of you. "College, in general, is unlike any other experience you'll ever have in life. It's a self-contained world, where most of your problems only last 16 weeks and success comes with a clear road map. Life after college as I'm sure you've heard doesn't quite work that way. The real world is messy and unpredictable and chaotic. Life is more like a mosaic, a work of art created one piece at a time, combined to depict something unique." Sylvester said when she was asked to speak at commencement, she started thinking what to say to help prepare the Class of 2018 for the rest of their lives. "My career has given me the chance to live in all kinds of interesting places, from Cleveland to Budapest to Boston to name a few. I am a listener, a learner and a leader. I am a woman who has succeeded in a male-dominated industry. "What I thought I'd do today is share with you five pieces that have been core to my mosaic and that I wish someone would have told me at age 22: Remember, time is your most precious gift, so don't let the world distract you from spending your time on what matters. You don't know everything, so always keep learning. Never underestimate the power of hard work to solve problems, but always balance that hard work with a strong sense of moral character and an ability to empathize with others. And never be afraid to fail spectacularly and learn from it." Sylvester is president and CEO of Current, a first-of-its-kind startup within the walls of GE that blends advanced LED technology with networked sensors and software to make commercial buildings, retail stores, industrial facilities and cities more energy efficient and digitally productive. A 1988 graduate of the procurement and production management (supply chain management) program in the College of Business, she has gone on to an international career with General Electric (now called GE Lighting), beginning with her 1987 internship at GE Motors in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After graduation, she joined GE Lighting in 1988 in the sourcing operation, and has held positions of increasing responsibility. Sylvester and her Falcon Flame husband Mike '88, and their three daughters live in Newton, Massachusetts. On this exclusive, members-only event, Bill breaks down what you need to know about The Real Joe Biden. Who is he and how will he directly affect you and your family? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Watch this very, very large space. Photo: David Sundberg/Esto/Courtesy of NYCEDC I suspect that plenty of New Yorkers who can easily pick out Mogadishu or Vladivostok on a map couldnt find their way to Sunnyside Yard. Its a grayed-out zone in the heart of western Queens, a walled-off, whale-shaped expanse with its tail in Long Island City and its snout nuzzling Woodside, 180 acres in all. This is a busy place Amtrak, LIRR, and New Jersey Transit come to maneuver, switch directions, and submit to repairs but it could be much, much busier. Hudson Yards, too, was once a big blank nothing that nobody knew, and look at it now, a bristle of fresh new towers packed with elevators that glide frictionlessly up into the clouds. But that monster project is puny by comparison; Sunnyside Yard is seven times bigger. On a brisk winter morning, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen escorted me to the roof of a building in Long Island City to look out over this hectic blank slate and visualize the neighborhood it could become. The biggest surprise is that it will be a hilltop town, because of what lies beneath. Streets and parks will arch over the thicket of trains, tracks, and sheds, meet the few automobile bridges that now span the site, then puff up between them like a quilted comforter. A 30-foot drop separates the edge from some surrounding streets, a topographical given that, depending on how its handled, can yield dead ends and forbidding walls or moments of stunning drama. Last spring, the city hired Vishaan Chakrabartis Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) to figure out how to fill that acreage to imagine what New Yorks next iteration might be like. That was an odd choice, in a way. As Manhattan director of city planning during the Bloomberg years, Chakrabarti helped lay the groundwork for the megadevelopment at Hudson Yards, which the de Blasio administration is treating as the negative model for Sunnyside. The mayor is insisting on plentiful affordable housing rather than mostly ultra-deluxe condos. Instead of a forest of glass, the city is hoping for what Glen calls a chunky and funky texture: a mixture of heights, types, and densities. Instead of turning the whole project over to a single developer, the city expects to pay for a platform over the tracks and then distribute the lots atop it like fancy chocolates, one at a time. But Chakrabarti comes to the project with an encouraging mixture of realism and imagination. The plan is a year away from submission, so for now he and his team are still tossing around ideas and trying to estimate out how many thousands of affordable apartments the site can accommodate without resorting to the usual phalanx of towers standing shoulder to shoulder like riot cops waiting for trouble. Instead, Chakrabarti is mulling a kind of Little Berlin, with low-rise apartment buildings snaking around linked courtyards and abundant open space apportioned into squares, ball fields, playgrounds, and linear parks. The current bridges carry heavy traffic, and avenues at the edge of the zone would link new commercial areas to Northern Boulevard and Queens Boulevard, but tucked within could be curbless, largely carless streets where slow-moving, driverless vehicles navigate around pedestrians (if the technology ever manages to make such interactions safe). This all sounds like the plan is heading towards an appealingly complex, grainy neighborhood in fact, it sounds suspiciously like an architects pleasant fantasy. Its hard not to worry. When stakes are high and intentions are pure, the system tends to respond with a mixture of venality, hype, and habit. (Brooklyn offers another case study in what to avoid: the perpetually troubled 22-acre development that started out 15 years ago as Atlantic Yards and, with only five of 16 towers now done, has since been rebaptized Pacific Park. The latest, more or less meaningless deadline for completing the rest is 2035, by which time they may have renamed it after yet another ocean.) Open land in New York is like sunken treasure: It offers irresistible rewards, but reaping them is slow, costly, and parlous. The sites immensity makes it virtually impossible for any one private developer to swallow the whole site, or even for a consortium to take on the risk of building the massive platform. Only government can shoulder that multibillion-dollar burden when the revenue to offset might be decades away. Thats good news because it means the city will set the table before developers sit down to eat. In some places the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront, for instance developers build parcels of parkland piecemeal, designing them as amenities for the people who pay the rent. At Sunnyside Yard, all the virtuous but unprofitable parts of the project transit connections, streets, parks, infrastructure, and affordable housing will take precedence over glossy towers. Or thats the hope, anyway. Construction is slow, but time moves quickly, even when youre looking into the distant future. A decade ago, it might have seemed prudent to include another high-end shopping mall or a convention center. No longer. Tech companies werent yet gobbling up urban real estate. Automated vehicles were still a crackpot concept. By the time the first backhoe shows up in Sunnyside, conditions will have shifted again. You can hedge against that outcome by leaving room for change, but flexibility has its limits. Urban planning is like any other kind; you reason your way to difficult decisions that the next generation will look back on as blinkered and foolish, while the gods chortle away. The de Blasio administration is aiming to set the plan irreversibly in motion, but not build a thing, before its term ends in 2021. Check back in a couple of decades to see how it all worked out. Media Advisory, December 17, 2018 Contacts: Paulo Lopes, (202) 849-8398, plopes@biologicaldiversity.org Mary K. Reinhart, (602) 320-7309, mkreinhart@biologicaldiversity.org Federal Judge to Hear Border Wall Challenge in D.C. WASHINGTON The Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups will present arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit against the Trump administrations border-wall construction in New Mexico. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is presiding over the case. The judge will hear arguments from both sides during the proceeding and could issue her ruling at any time following the hearing. The lawsuit challenges the administrations use of a long-expired waiver to sweep aside 25 laws that protect clean air, clean water, public lands and endangered wildlife. Trump cant ignore dozens of bedrock environmental laws, no matter how desperate he is to build his destructive border wall, said Jean Su, a Center attorney. Its time to stop Trumps reckless executive overreach before he inflicts more damage on people and wildlife in the borderlands. We look forward to arguing the merits of this case. What: Federal court hearing challenging Trumps border wall. Where: U.S. District Courthouse, 333 Constitution Ave. N.W., Courtroom 17 6th Floor. When: Tuesday, Dec. 18, 10:30 a.m. Media Availability: Attorneys and conservation advocates will be available for interviews outside the courthouse, before and after the hearing. Background The Department of Homeland Security exempted itself from dozens of laws to rush border-wall construction in New Mexico. But the waiver authority, granted by Congress more than 10 years ago, no longer applies. The border-wall project includes 20 miles of new 18 foot-high steel bollard walls, which obstruct the natural migrations of wildlife. Dozens of rare wildlife species, including the aplomado falcon and Mexican gray wolf, make their homes in this region of New Mexico, as do kit foxes, bighorn sheep and ringtail cats. The area is also within historic jaguar habitat. A 2017 study by the Center identified more than 90 endangered or threatened species that would be threatened by proposed wall construction along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. Beyond jeopardizing wildlife, endangered species and public lands, the U.S.-Mexico border wall is part of a larger strategy of ongoing border militarization that damages human rights, civil liberties, native lands, local businesses and international relations. The border wall impedes the natural migrations of people and wildlife that are essential to healthy diversity. Diabetic kidney disease, also known as diabetic nephropathy is one of the most significant complications in terms of mortality and morbidity for patients with diabetes. Globally, the diabetic nephropathy market is witnessing significant growth due to rise in the incidence of diabetes and obesity in different regions of the world. The global diabetic nephropathy market is likely to reach USD 3,145.9 million in 2020 (Persistence Market Research). At such rate, monitoring and management becomes crucial for diabetic patients. Recently, Proteomics International licensed their diabetic Kidney disease predictor test (PromarkerD) in the USA and Mexico. During his interaction with BSA, Dr Richard Lipscombe, CEO of Proteomics International talks about their star product, plans to launch in other countries and the future of diabetic kidney diagnosis. Excerpts from the interview Diabetic Kidney management and monitoring is becoming a huge problem around the world. What brought Proteomics International to translate into creating PromarkerD? Proteomics International has focused on applying our technology to precision and personalised medicine since 2007. The standard tests for diagnosing kidney disease have been around for over 50 years and can only diagnose problems once they are already present. The existing tests cannot predict who will get sick into the future. Consequently the diabetes consultants connected to our research network were seeing an ever increasing number of people who already had chronic symptoms. Proteomics International was approached to see if we could find better biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease using our technology. Working with our clinical team, we followed the progression of the disease over a four year timeframe in a community based study of people with diabetes. At the end of this, we looked at all the variables that changed and were able to hone in on a small subset of biomarkers that correlated with the disease. Can you tell us more about your lead product, PromarkerD? How does it work to detect Diabetic Kidney Disease in patients? What is the successful ratio in people with pre-diabetes? PromarkerD is a blood test that measures a panel of three proteins found in the circulation. This protein fingerprint is combined with clinical parameters such as age and cholesterol levels and then the PromarkerD algorithm calculates a risk score showing who is likely to get diabetic kidney disease in the near future. In clinical studies, PromarkerD correctly predicted 86% of otherwise healthy diabetics who went on to develop chronic kidney disease within four years. The test is yet to be evaluated in people with pre-diabetes, however, clinical studies published by others have suggested kidney disease may begin at the pre-diabetes stage, hence PromarkerD may be useful for this group too. Are there any unique challenges to managing diabetic kidney in Australia, where your company is based? The problem with managing kidney disease in Australia is no different from other parts of the world with one-third of all adults with diabetes having chronic kidney disease the risk is that health systems will soon be overwhelmed by the numbers requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Proteomics International have just licensed the PromarkerD test kit in the USA and Mexico. Can you talk about the data that you have developed over the course? The results from the clinical studies on PromarkerD were presented at the American Diabetes Association Annual Scientific Sessions last year and published in the prestigious journal Diabetes Care in November 2017. The data covers two independent cohorts and over 1000 participants followed for four years. What are the plans of launching the product in other parts of the world? Have you faced any regulatory challenges while licensing contracts? Following the licences in the USA and Mexico, and the launch in the Dominican Republic early this year, PromarkerD is attracting attention from around the world. Proteomics International is now targeting the major healthcare markets of Japan, Europe and China. For new technologies there are special regulatory pathways called Laboratory Developed Tests or LDTs, and Proteomics International is following this route for PromarkerD in target countries. Nowadays, personalised medicine and its extensive use is highly prevalent. How do you expect Proteomics International to benefit from this trend? Indeed, we see the personalised medicine market more than doubling in size within the next 4 years. This is exactly where Proteomics International's technology platform is focused, both for developing new tests or helping to monitor drug therapies. For example, diagnostic tests can be essential for the safe and effective use of therapeutics (companion diagnostic), or may help weigh up the risks and benefits of a treatment without restricting drug access (complementary diagnostic). A test like PromarkerD could act as a complementary diagnostic for the more than 20 new drugs being developed for diabetic kidney disease. Proteomics International's diagnostics development is made possible by the companys proprietary biomarker discovery platform called Promarker, which searches for protein fingerprints in a sample. This disruptive technology can identify proteins that distinguish between people who have a disease and people who do not, using only a simple blood test. It is a powerful alternative to genetic testing. Does Proteomics International aim to develop blood tests for other diseases as well? What is in the pipeline?Are there any big milestones coming up on the companys roadmap? Yes, we have an ongoing biomarker discovery and diagnostics development program, that employs the same Promarker technology platform used to create PromarkerD. The pipeline is targeting new diagnostic tests for chronic diseases with unmet medical need including endometriosis, infections from the Giardia parasite, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Endometriosis affects one in ten women in their reproductive years and both incidence and health burden are comparable with diabetes. The current gold standard for detection is invasive surgery. Giardia affects about 280 million people worldwide, and the risk for human health is to detect human infective strains of the Giardia parasite that can jump across from animals. Milestones - both these tests are at the proof of concept stage and we expect key results over the next six months. How do you think the future of diabetic kidney diagnosis will develop? If nothing is done, diabetic kidney disease could overwhelm our health systems across the Asia region, USA and Australia and Europe. According to the International Diabetes Federation there are now 425 million adults with diabetes. Kidney disease is one of the major complications of the disease and affects approximately one-third of all diabetics. Since 1990, chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to diabetes alone has climbed from 35th to now the 16th leading cause of death and years of life lost due to premature mortality in the USA. Kidney disease not specifically attributed to diabetes (although this could still be the cause) is ranked 9th, with the combined US healthcare spending attributed to CKD exceeding US$100 billion annually. These statistics are only going to get worse. Better diagnosis means early intervention and the potential to stop the disease progressing to a dangerous and or fatal stage. PromarkerD could help transform diabetes management globally. Further experiments were conducted on cell lines and mechanism of disease was elucidated. A team of researchers at the Department of Medical Genetics, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal led by Dr Girisha KM, Professor and Head Department of Medical Genetics, has discovered a rare disease affecting bone growth in children. The condition decreases the height of the individuals by abnormal development of bones. The team also found the genetic basis of this condition. The work has been published online in the renowned journal, Human Mutation published by Wiley, USA. Giving details of the discovery Dr Girish said, Two patients from two different families were referred by child specialists when they noticed that the children were gaining height slowly as compared to other children of similar age. The clinical genetics team of experts at Manipal comprising Dr Girish Katta and Dr Anju Shukla, initially could not identify any known genetic condition. Hence, they started to look for yet unidentified cause of this condition. The team used a state of art technique called exome sequencing that analyzes all the genes in an individual, Dr Girish said. The clinical team was ably assisted by Neethukrishna Kausthubham as a bioinformatics expert and Dr Srilakshmi Bhavani at Manipal looking into the mechanisms of the disease and correlating with the childrens condition. Once the team identified the gene, they were further assisted by the German team comprising Dr. Kerstin Kutsche and Dr Leonie Von Elsner. Further experiments were conducted on cell lines and mechanism of disease was elucidated. The overall work had inputs from Dr Geert Mortier from Antwerp University in Belgium. The research spanned over three years. Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Dr H Vinod Bhat remarked; This work illustrates the Universitys commitment to foster collaborations with international universities to take MAHE to the global level in research. Dr Pragna Rao, Dean KMC, Manipal said that the German and Belgian partners are visiting professors of KMC, Manipal. She added, The experiments also suggest that this condition is potentially amenable to treatment. Pro Vice Chancellor Dr Poornima Baliga congratulated the genetics team, which has already contributed to the discovery of nearly 15 new disorders from MAHE. Icelands latest Christmas advert was banned from TV recently, but was subsequently viewed more than 20 million times online and declared the best Christmas ad by The Independent. The advert featuring an animated orangutan named Rang-tan focuses on the devastating effects of deforestation and the use of palm oil. It finishes with a promise that Icelands own-brand products are free from palm oil. Icelands advert was deemed too political because it originally appeared on the Greenpeace website. Clearcast, the reviewing body for advertisements, have drawn upon the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising as reason for the ban, stating: An advertisement contravenes the prohibition on political advertising if it is an advertisement which is inserted by or on behalf of a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature. The decision made by Clearcast has sparked a national discussion, with the public asking how the advert or Iceland could be considered political. But what does being political mean and why does it matter? First, although palm oil use is an environmental issue, it has political connotations with international trade amongst South-East Asian countries and their internal politics. An environmental issue can quickly become political when western countries begin to impose their trading standards on others, limiting the use of a product such as palm oil or single-use plastic. Second, according to Clearcast, Greenpeace is a political organisation as it claims to work to bring about change through political lobbying, citizen action and consumer pressure. Many environmental organisations use political lobbying as a means to protect the earth, but lobbying is also used frequently by businesses all over the world as a strategic action to change policy. With its use of lobbying in common with normal businesses, the question of whether Greenpeace is especially political remains open. Third, is Iceland political for broadcasting an advert from Greenpeace, or for the content and topic of the advert? Politicising business actions and strategy is not new. In the past, a major hotel brand opened branches around the world as a way to combat communism and, more recently, Ben and Jerrys launched a campaign tackling climate change. When the US backed out of the Paris Agreement, businesses also rushed to promise that they would still commit. In many aspects, businesses are confronted with increasing societal pressures and demands to take responsibility for issues of public concern. This is exactly what Iceland has done in banning palm oil from their products. Deforestation is intrinsically linked to climate change and biodiversity loss both topics that are regulated by international accords and political agendas. Clearly, Iceland have taken their own strategic actions (banning palm oil from their products) to the next level by involving the public, and targeting children with the tone of the advert. By using an advert made by Greenpeace rather than making their own, they have sent a message that they are linked with the organisation, further cemented by their use of an animatronic orangutan across London to publicise the advert. While Icelands decision to remove palm oil from its own-brand products has been applauded, the way they communicate about deforestation has raised questions. Its unclear what their goal is. While the goal of Greenpeace and other NGOs is to change legislation, what is Iceland trying to achieve by focusing on deforestation? Will competitors follow suit? Whether this advert will trigger more of an effect than previous attempts at tackling deforestation remains to be seen. But perhaps we will see more businesses develop palm-oil free products or more consumers turn to palm-oil free products, which would certainly be considerable results. Trump eats a pork chop on a stick at the Iowa State Fair in 2015. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images Sixty-seven percent of Iowa Republicans would vote to reelect Donald Trump if the 2020 presidential election was held today, according to a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll. That may sound like bad news for any Republican planning to mount a long shot primary bid against Trump. But in the same poll, nearly two-thirds of Republicans said challengers to the sitting president should be welcomed. The poll, which surveyed 450 registered Republicans in the state that holds the nations first caucus, found that Trump has an 81-percent approval rating among Iowa Republicans. That could actually provide a bit of encouragement to the likes of John Kasich and Jeff Flake, two Trump rivals whove publicly toyed with a primary bid. Yes, 81 percent is high, but its less than the 88 percent approval rating Trump received from Republicans nationwide in a recent Fox News poll. Unlikely as a primary challenge may seem, the topic came up with two Republican Senators Sunday. Both seemed open to the idea. Appearing on CNNs State of the Union, Maine Senator Susan Collins, who has voted with Trump less often than all but one Republican Senator, said she sees nothing wrong with an active 2020 Republican primary. Its always interesting when we have primaries because a lot of times it allows different viewpoints to surface, she said. It can help influence public policy down the road and its healthy for our democracy. Asked if she would support Trumps reelection, Collins dodged. Im going to talk about 2020 in 2020. That is a lifetime in politics, she said. Retiring Senator Bob Corker, who has been among the Senates most vocal Trump critics despite voting with him 84 percent of the time, was asked on MSNBCs Kasie DC if he thinks Trump should be primaried. I do think that weve got to remember what the Republican Party is, he said. When pressed to answer the question, he said he wants to get away from the Senate and think about it more. What is happening right now is not the standard Republicanism that weve had in our country for many, many years, he said. But even Corker seemed to acknowledge that any challenge to Trump would be largely symbolic, serving to remind people what Republicans have been about for generations. Trump, meanwhile, doesnt seem to be worried about a possible primary. Last week, when the topic of potential challenges from Kasich or Flake came up during a Fox News interview, Trump said, I hope so. Bookers religiosity could freak some people out on both the left and right. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images In a potentially vast field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, one aspirant stands out for having said: I love you, Donald Trump, because, well, thats what Jesus would do. That would be New Jersey senator Cory Booker, the former Newark mayor who bids fair to become the most overtly Christian Democratic presidential candidate since Jesse Jackson and perhaps even Jimmy Carter, at a time when his party is trending irreligious and the opposition claims a monopoly on all things biblical. What makes Booker different from many left-of-center figures who are personally religious is that he purports to be progressive because of his faith, not despite it or incidentally alongside it (e.g., the way John F. Kennedy referred to his own faith as an accident of birth). If this becomes central to his identity as a presidential wannabe, it will be provocative to both the Christian right and to secular Democrats. And that could be both a benefit and a handicap for Booker 20. Booker is not one of those churchgoing pols who rarely talk about faith the other six days a week (in the genteel tradition of both mainline Protestants like Hillary Clinton and Catholics like John Kerry). As Jack Jenkins noted earlier this year, it permeates his rhetoric: Asked about his tendency to fuse the political with the spiritual, Booker shrugged. I dont know how many speeches of mine you can listen to and not have me bring up faith, he said. He noted he had just come from a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting where he had lifted a line from his stump speech: Before you tell me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people. The sentiment, along with a message of unity that he brands as a new civic gospel, is generating buzz among Democrats. But Bookers brand of public religiosity is especially attractive to an oft-forgotten but increasingly powerful group: the amorphous subset of religious Americans sometimes known as the religious left. Like most black (and many white) politicians, Booker has often invoked the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the closest thing the religious left had to a saint during its heyday in the civil-rights and antiwar struggles of an earlier generation. But hes also associated himself closely with a leader frequently regarded as Kings present-day heir, the Reverend William Barber II, founder of North Carolinas Moral Mondays movement and currently co-director of a revived version of Kings Poor Peoples Campaign. Like Barber, Booker is adamant about demanding that Christian witness include solidarity with all marginalized communities, most notably LGBTQ folk. This enrages some conservative Christians, who if asked would probably deny that Booker (who is also pro-choice, to the point where Breitbart.com published a post calling him NARALs puppet) is a real Christian at all. This is the sort of thing that separates him from Christian left figures like Jim Wallis who are progressive on economic but not cultural issues. But he wears his religiosity on his sleeve just enough that hes clearly distinguishable from Barack Obama, who treated separation of church and state as almost a sacred thing, and rarely attended religious services after being elected president (and getting burned, as it happens, for his once-close association with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright). Religion, as I suggested at the top of this post, is Bookers rationale for bipartisanship, as he explained to Franklin Foer: My faith tradition is love your enemies. Its not complicated for me, if I aspire to be who I say I am. I am a Christian American. Literally written in the ideals of my faith is to love those who hate you. Other ostensibly Christian Democratic pols have not exactly rushed to Bookers defense on this point. But if Booker does make his brand of Christian progressivism a signature of his campaign, will it help or hurt him? Thats not easy to say. Certainly it would make Booker more easily identifiable in the herd of 2020 candidates, by separating (to use a biblical metaphor) this sheep from the goats. You often hear of Democratic presidential candidates having to pass the test of sounding authentic in a black Baptist church in South Carolina (there was a famous incident in 2004 when an enthusiastic minister asked Joe Lieberman if he loved Jesus, leaving the Orthodox Jewish candidate to simply smile). Booker wont have that problem (hes a member of a National Baptist congregation in Newark, and was raised in the AME church), and it may help him not only against white candidates like Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden but against fellow senator Kamala Harris, who says she split time between a black Baptist church and a Hindu temple growing up, but sounds devoutly Californian now. The Christian left may be much smaller and less powerful than the Christian right, but it does offer Booker a national identity and a warm welcome wherever the more liberal mainline Protestants and Catholics meet. On the other hand, God talk and especially the more exuberant variety espoused by African-American Christians as well as their white conservative Evangelical rivals can be off-putting to the unchurched. Over a half-century ago Jimmy Carter lost a significant number of traditionally Democratic voters (he ran behind George McGoverns 1972 performance in some liberal precincts) who found his particular form of religiosity alien. Now the religiously unaffiliated represent (according to Pew) a solid third of self-identified Democrats and those who lean that way. Concerns about Bookers churchiness could merge with other progressive misgivings about him, notably his past coziness with Wall Street and support for subsidized school choice (extending beyond the charter public schools that many Democrats support to private-school vouchers). He could most definitely come across as a dangerous throwback to those who think a secular-minded democratic socialism is the future. Its also entirely possible Booker could tone down the religious talk; much of his new civic gospel and talk of loving ones enemies can easily be secularized into nontheological, New Age-y do-gooderism. Jonathan Van Meter recently wrote a long, perceptive profile on Booker accentuating his upbeat approach to public life (its titled Can I Get a Hug?) without mentioning his religion. But if Booker goes in the other direction in a presidential run, his campaign could become more interesting and complicated than the obvious effort to elect a second African-American president with an unusual background and a hard-to-put-your-finger-on-it ideology. Yes, if he stays single he could become the first single president since Grover Cleveland (a distinction that has led to rumors he is gay, which he has denied). But as an outspoken Christian progressive hed provide a different sort of challenge to the heathenish Donald Trump and his conservative Evangelical supporters. Just dont expect Love your enemy to be on his campaign signs. 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Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION A panel at the Niskanen Centers conference on the Republican partys future after Donald Trump, Tuesday, December 11. Photo: Will Wilkinson This week, the Niskanen Center, a libertarian-leaning Washington think tank, held a conference on the future of the Republican Party, called Starting Over: The Center-Right After Trump. In my one opportunity to offer a comment, I helpfully suggested that the Republican Party as currently constituted needed (this is a direct quote) to die in a fire. The surprising thing is that many of the attendees in the room, including people who work at the Niskanen Center itself, told me afterward that they agree. Economist William Niskanen worked for the Reagan administration, and then proceeded to chair the Cato Institute, a redoubt of the firm anti-government verities that define conservative economic thought. Toward the end of his life, though, Niskanen began to express some doubts about the efficacy of supply-side economics, the unquestioned foundation of the Republican domestic platform. Cutting taxes without cutting spending, Niskanen observed, simply hadnt worked. The small-government movement needed to convince voters to reduce their demand for the services financed by federal spending, he wrote. Until that time, some increase in federal taxes appears to be a necessary part of a fiscal policy to balance the budget. Niskanens observation that tax rates needed to reflect actual rather than desired spending levels is banal to right-of-center economists in almost any country. But it was (and is) absolute heresy on the Republican right, which has elevated anti-tax absolutism into a theological principle. The Niskanen Center, founded in 2015, four years after Niskanens death, drew upon his heresies as a basis for an unconventional and less dogmatic approach to libertarian economics. And in the Trump era, its heretical tendencies have blossomed. Rather than going along with Trump, or waiting him out so things can go back to normal, Niskanen has used the shock of his ascension to rethink the ideas that brought the American right to this point. The center has developed something that for more than a generation has been almost totally nonexistent in American politics: a right-of-center program that is detached from the conservative movement. Niskanens scholars have criticized the failures of conservative policy you might expect climate science skepticism, the Republican health-care plan a heterodox center-right think tank to criticize. But Niskanen has gone beyond point-by-point rebuttals and has developed a broad and deep argument with the movements core assumptions. Last year, Will Wilkinson argued against small-government monomania and in favor of a social safety net to increase the publics tolerance for the dislocations of a dynamic free-market economy, and identified libertarianism with hostility to democracy, resulting in persistent Republican efforts to find ways to keep Democrats from voting, and to minimize the electoral impact of the Democratic ballots that are cast. Brink Lindsey attacked the notion that downward redistribution picks the pockets of makers and doles it out to layabout takers. These are frontal assaults on the basic orientation of the libertarian political project. By recognizing the value of social transfers as a backstop to a free-market system, and acknowledging that the rights obsession with the protection of property has made it hostile to democracy itself, they forced themselves to rethink not only the methods but also the goals of libertarian politics. Wilkinson, late last year, stepped away from libertarianism, acknowledging that according to libertarians own data, countries with larger welfare states also had more freedom. This revealed a pretty major intellectual mistake lurking within the ideal-theoretic version of libertarianism that the most prominent institutions of the freedom movement were built to promote. Jerry Taylor went a step farther. During his previous time at the Cato Institute, he had seen libertarians refusing to accept climate science, because it implied the existence of a problem that would require more government to solve. Versions of this pathology were everywhere. Over and over again, libertarian friends and colleagues were engaged in fierce, uncompromising debate about empirical matters that had nothing to do with libertarian principles or commitments, he wrote. Is the Keynesian multiplier consequential? Is Thomas Piketty correct that returns to capital are greater than the rate of growth? Do tax cuts pay for themselves? The answer had to support the anti-government agenda. Taylor concluded that strong ideological precommitments were themselves the problem. I have abandoned that libertarian project, he wrote recently, because I have come to abandon ideology. But this is not to say Taylor or his colleagues have given up on a public philosophy. Instead, they have tried to map out a program for maximizing human freedom that follows the facts. This week, following its conference, the Niskanen Center published its manifesto, signed by four of its senior staff. Titled The Center Can Hold: Public Policy for an Age of Extremes, it synthesizes two years of heresies into an impressively coherent approach to governing. While defending the benefits of creative destruction and free trade, which permit new business ideas to replace old ones, Niskanens paper concedes that the simple small-government vision fails to capture important facts about political and economic life. Merely ending de jure racial discrimination does not wipe away a racial caste system that permeates multiple institutions in American life. You can get very strong intergenerational transmission of subordinate status, the paper importantly allows, even in the absence of contemporary unjust acts. The libertarian dream of a meritocratic capitalist system has to account for massive inequality that was originally produced by brute force, which requires a strong presumption for widespread opportunity and an openness to redistribution. In theory, it argues, market forces do a better job than central planners. In reality, though, most of the regulations conservatives target are those that advance legitimate social objectives protecting health, safety and the environment and impose costs on existing firms. The regulations most in need of scaling back are those imposed by state and local governments, and which protect incumbent owners of businesses and land. That is, regulations can be either good or bad, but in general, Republicans are attacking the good ones while leaving the bad ones in place. Judging by Niskanens overview of the landscape, it is difficult to identify any aspect of public policy in which the Republican Party is making the world a better place. And this is both the most thrilling and discouraging thing about its critique. The Niskanen Center is not playing the influence game, jostling to bring a slogan or campaign plank to the attention of the next Republican candidate. It is operating from the starting point of what a well-functioning right-of-center party ought to stand for, rather than how the current one can be tweaked. The pathological character of the Republican Party is the most important problem in American politics. It has taken decades to develop to its current deformed state, and will not be solved quickly. There is no way to imagine the current incarnation of the GOP getting to the place Niskanen envisions any time soon. Niskanens manifesto contains multiple points of overlap with the prevailing orientation of the Democratic Party, and almost none with the prevailing orientation of the Republican Party. One can imagine a future in which the Democrats move toward socialism, opening a void in the center for the ideas espoused by Niskanen to take hold in something that perhaps shares the name, but otherwise none of the important ideological traits, of todays Republican Party. That distant point probably lies years, even decades, away. It can only happen after todays Republican Party is destroyed, rendered incapable of wielding power at the national level, and its governing philosophy discredited completely. The Niskanen Center is the one institution planning for what can follow after the cleansing fire. U.S. president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty Images New Knowledge, an Austin-based cybersecurity company, published a report on Monday about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The extent to which such meddling affected the races outcome is still up for debate, but if nothing else, the tactics used by the Internet Research Agency the Putin-linked, St. Petersburgbased firm that coordinated the efforts lend insight into what the meddlers were thinking. Black Americans were a point of special focus, according to a New York Times analysis of the findings a fact that echoes past reporting on Russian attempts to exacerbate Americas racial divisions. From the Times: The report says that while other distinct ethnic and religious groups were the focus of one or two Facebook Pages or Instagram accounts, the black community was targeted extensively with dozens. In some cases, Facebook ads were targeted at users who had shown interest in particular topics, including black history, the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X. The most popular of the Russian Instagram accounts was @blackstagram, with 303,663 followers. In particular, the report identifies 81 Facebook pages created by the IRA, 30 of which targeted black Americans and amassed 1.2 million followers. Perhaps surprisingly, this more or less mirrored the companys Facebook targeting of the political right, which took the form of 25 pages en route to 1.4 million followers. But the goal was not division for its own sake. An electorate polarized along racial and political lines was part of a voter-suppression effort aimed at ensuring that conservatives backed Donald Trump in large numbers and that black people did not vote at all or, if they did, voted for Jill Stein instead of Hillary Clinton: While the right-wing pages promoted Mr. Trumps candidacy, the left-wing pages scorned Mrs. Clinton while promoting Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate. The voter suppression effort was focused particularly on Sanders supporters and African-Americans, urging them to shun Mrs. Clinton in the general election and either vote for Ms. Stein or stay home. The Russians seem to have internalized the same lesson that modern-day Republicans inherited from Jim Crow segregationists: Black voters, who today overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates, are the enemy, and discouraging their political participation is a more reliable way to cement GOP wins than most viable alternatives. These alternatives include convincing skeptics that conservative ideas are actually good. In many recent cases, Republicans have failed to convince so much as a simple majority, losing the popular vote in six of the last seven presidential elections, ceding historically vast ground to Democrats in November in Congresss more majoritarian body the House of Representatives and maintaining their slim Senate advantage due to the anti-democratic biases of a system that grants asymmetrical power to the least populous states. The threat to dominance posed by their lack of popularity is real, and Republicans know it, and they have responded by trying to thwart black votes. Many of their recent efforts are part of the well-documented fallout from the U.S. Supreme Courts gutting of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, which cleared the way for many states and districts mostly in the former Confederacy to change their voting laws without federal preclearance for the first time in decades. States like Georgia and North Carolina have gone to extreme measures to lock in Republican power the latter through racist gerrymanders and restrictive voting covenants that, according to one federal court, [targeted] African-Americans with almost surgical precision; and the former, most notably, in the recent election of Brian Kemp. The Republican governor-elect served until November as Georgias secretary of state, a position he used to purge 1.4 million voters from the rolls, place holds on 53,000 voter registration applications most of which were filed by black applicants and advise on the shuttering of more than 200 voting precincts, mostly in poor and rural areas. I dont know a single black person in Georgia that doesnt believe that race was stolen, LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, told Mother Jones of Kemps election. This approach is not revolutionary. The previous decades segregationists were driven by a similar ethos, noting correctly that their way of life could only be guaranteed at the ballot box by keeping black people away from it. This was accomplished through poll taxes and literacy tests as well as intimidation and physical violence. Black voting-rights workers and would-be voters alike were harassed and threatened by white police, denied work and housing, stripped of public assistance benefits, chain-whipped by Klansmen, murdered in broad daylight by prominent politicians, and shot during drive-bys in their cars and at restaurants to deter them. Rarely was anyone punished for these crimes. Mondays revelations about Russian efforts to suppress black votes express a similar understanding of political power in the United States. It was not a sophisticated understanding no insider knowledge of polling trends or special access to U.S. voting infrastructure was required. Nor did it need to be. Russian meddlers had to know this one thing about American politics and exploit it. Black people are now beset by suppression efforts on multiple sides, from a hostile foreign government in addition to their own elected officials. It is a mantle carried Stateside by Republicans, but became entrenched much earlier by segregationists who wished to maintain a racist status quo. As such, it remains fertile ground for anyone seeking to shift the course of an American election. Russia may have taken advantage of these fault lines to help elect Trump in 2016. But U.S. history could not have provided them with a better blueprint. The government is likely to introduce amendments to the Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), making Aadhaar linking with a bank account or mobile phone voluntary. This would provide legal backing for the voluntary use of Aadhaar for these services, which will allow you to link Aadhaar with these services. The government also wants to bring in an amendment to legally recognise 'virtual token', which was introduced by the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) to stop the Aadhaar misuse. The proposal in this regard has been moved by the Electronic and IT Ministry. If the amendments are introduced, people will have an option to choose Aadhaar as KYC verification for these two services. The decision to introduce amendments to the Aadhaar Act was taken after thoroughly deliberating on the Supreme Court's September 26 verdict, a report published in the Economic Times said. While pronouncing the judgment on the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar, the five-judge bench, headed by CJI Dipak Misra, had struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act on September 26. The section essentially allowed not only the state but also anybody corporate or person or private entity to demand Aadhaar. This provision allowed statutory support to mobile companies, private service providers, banks, payments services to seek an individual's Aadhaar card for identification. Also read: Aadhaar-Voter ID linking to be made mandatory? Election Commission mulls taking legal route The SC order, however, had left room for the government to legally back specific services that it wants to link with Aadhaar. As per the report, the government didn't want to bring back Section 57 of the Act, which is why the amendments are now being introduced. Both the Telegraph Act and the PMLA already allow the government to access services during a public emergency or in case of money laundering for terror activities. After the SC verdict, the government is also expected to bring in changes around the Aadhaar database and civil liabilities for its misuse, the report adds. The government is also in the process of moving Data Protection Bill, recently submitted by Justice Srikrishna Commission, which would address the 'privacy' concern about the Aadhaar usage. The Justice Srikrishna panel on data protection had recommended sweeping changes to this framework to make data collectors liable for harm caused to an individual "as if the consent form were a product". Making consent the touchstone and "lawful basis" of processing personal data, the panel had suggested a revamp in the consent mechanism under the new data protection framework, asserting that consent has to be free, informed, specific, clear and capable of being withdrawn, for it to be valid. Edited by Manoj Sharma Watch video: A month after it granted interim stay on the sale of drugs and medicines online, the Madras High Court today issued a blanket ban on the same. This is to continue till a regulation is notified by the Central government. The order was passed by Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayanan. This hearing took place after a writ plea submitted by the Tamil Nadu chemists and druggists association stated that medication sold online have chances of being fake, expired, contaminated or unapproved. The counsel for the petitioner stated that while there have been multiple amendments made to laws for pharmacies, there has been no provision for online sale of drugs and medicines. The petitioners also added that according to the law, shipping, mailing or providing door delivery of prescribed medicines is not permitted. The court eventually took into account that the life of a patient is of foremost importance and that medicines bought online can be a potential threat to the buyers. The online pharma companies had contested in the court saying that most of them are licensed holders and some were just aggregators. The petition filed by Zaheer Ahmed had said the online illegal sale of medicines would lead to a drug epidemic, drug abuse and mis-utilisation of habit forming and addictive drugs. It had claimed that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and an expert committee appointed by the drug consultative committee have already concluded that the online sale of medicines is in contravention of the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the other allied laws. Still lakhs of drugs are being sold on internet every day, it had said, adding that some of the drugs/ medicines contain narcotic and psychotropic and some can cause antibiotic resistant-bacteria which is a threat not only to the patient but to the humanity at large. "It is a matter of public knowledge that e-commerce websites have been caught on numerous occasions of selling fake products. Unlike consumer items, drugs are extremely potent substances and consuming wrong dose or fake medicine can have fatal consequences on the patient," it had mentioned. The petition had said that as of now there is no mechanism to control the sale of medicines on the Internet and this puts the health and life of people at a high risk and affects their right to a safe and healthy life under Article 21 of the Constitution. A large number of children use the Internet and they could be victims of wrong medications, it had said. "Online pharmacies are operating without a drug licence and cannot be regulated in the present regime. Unregulated and unlicenced sale of medicines will increase risk of spurious, misbranded and sub-standard drugs being sold," the plea had said. It had claimed that the online pharmacies are selling prescription medicines in large numbers without a valid prescription which was a dangerous trend. The plea has sought direction to the authorities to take action against the entities distributing, selling or exhibiting drugs on the internet. A man originally from Manitoba is hoping to find his half brother whom he believes still lives in the Westman area before Christmas. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us A man originally from Manitoba is hoping to find his half brother whom he believes still lives in the Westman area before Christmas. Craig Reid is searching for his brother Darryl, whose last name is unknown. The two were born to the same mom Jacqueline Welschlau, who lived in Fort Garry, Winnipeg, until her death in 2016. Welschlau was from England. SUBMITTED Craig Reid, originally from Manitoba, is searching for his half brother Darryl, who he believes still lives in the Westman area. "I want him to be in my life. I hope he wants to meet me too," Reid said. "I want to start a relationship, hes family, hes my brother." Darryl would be 58 years old now, he said. The two were both put in foster care as children, and grew up with separate families, never crossing paths. Darryl was adopted by his foster parents on May 24, 1967, and lived in western Manitoba. Reid moved to Olds, Alta., where he has lived since the late 1980s. Reid has been searching for his half brother since May, when he found out about him from the Winnipeg department of family services. According to a document he was provided, Darryl was living west of Winnipeg. "Im assuming (hed be) in (either) Portage la Prairie, Brandon (or) Virden," he said. Since he was little and growing up in foster care, the now 55-year-old said he always wondered if he might have a brother or a sister out there. Now that he knows he has one, he has had time to imagine what he might be like. "I picture him like Daryl from The Walking Dead," he said. "Im not a very big fellow, and I know hes probably a lot bigger than I am, and thats the way I see him." Although Reid has had a foster family growing up, it hasnt been the same as having someone who is blood-related, he said. "I got shifted all over the place, so for me someone who is not blood is really not family." Reid read from a document he was provided to The Sun on Sunday, that described his half brother when he was younger. "He was active, blonde and blue-eyed. Assessment at age four (found) he was quick, alert, and self-confident and also note he was anemic." If he doesnt get to meet him this year, he hoped that it might work out for next year. Theyre both born in July, so maybe they could celebrate together, he said. "Id like to have our birthdays together. Wouldnt that be something?" he said. "I ride motorcycles. Im a biker. I dont know what he does, but maybe hes a biker or a fisherman. I could go down there and go fishing with him." For anyone with information, Reid asked to be contacted directly by text or phone at 403-559-8443. "It would mean a lot," he said. "I want to meet him. I want him to be in my life. I want him to be a part of my life. Hes my brother and hes family." mverge@brandonsun.com Twitter: @Melverge5 OTTAWA - Canadians worried about federal deficits should look at the country's strong standing with international credit-rating agencies for some reassurance, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec.12, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Canadians worried about federal deficits should look at the country's strong standing with international credit-rating agencies for some reassurance, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says. In a wide-ranging interview, Trudeau said Canada's triple-A rating with agencies like Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's should provide comfort to taxpayers who fear his government has been accumulating too much debt. Trudeau insisted Canada's high rating scores mean experts have confidence in his government's approach to the economy. He made his argument as critics, and especially the Conservatives, warn Ottawa should be curbing deficit-spending in the stronger-than-expected economy. Debate over the state of Canada's books could turn into a key ballot-box issue ahead of next October's federal election and it could become particularly interesting if the Liberals are forced to navigate a downturn between now and then. "This question around deficits, obviously, has been one that has led to a lot of conversations, a lot of attacks or critiques from our political opponents, the legitimate questions from journalists and, quite frankly, worries from Canadians," Trudeau said in an interview last Friday with The Canadian Press. "Who are the experts in terms of sustainability of a fiscal plan? I'd suggest that the international bond ratings agencies S&P, Moody's and those folks know what they're talking about ... The fact that the international ratings agencies are giving us a thumbs up right now should reassure people." Asked about the next downturn or recession, Trudeau argued his government's moves to boost immigration and to make investments in areas like skills training, infrastructure and a lower-carbon economy have made Canada more resilient against future shocks. He also said his government's child-benefit enhancements and income-tax reductions for middle earners have also improved the resilience of Canadian households. The Trudeau Liberals were elected in 2015 on a pledge to run modest annual shortfalls of no more than $10 billion and to balance the books by 2019. Instead, they've posted yearly deficits almost double that size and no longer have a timetable to return to balance. After taking office, the Trudeau government shifted its focus to keeping the government's debt burden as measured by Ottawa's net debt-to-GDP ratio on a slight downward track. Experts, however, have cautioned that the debt-to-GDP ratio will be thrown off course in a downturn, leaving Ottawa to search for another so-called "fiscal anchor" to keep spending in check. Trudeau said the debt-to-GDP is a "benchmark we're going to stick to." He was also asked if the public should expect the next Liberal election platform to focus on debt-to-GDP rather than another promise to balance the books. "We're certainly going to be making decisions about how to demonstrate our fiscal responsibility and nothing has been finally decided yet, but I think the debt as a share of GDP is a very handy and important way of measuring how sustainable a fiscal plan is," he said. Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said Trudeau's comments raise doubts about the Liberals' debt-to-GDP anchor. "He is shifting the goal posts... He called the debt-to-GDP ratio a 'handy' tool he didn't say it was the anchor to which he remains committed," Poilievre said Monday. "Now he's making a new promise, which is I'll try not to get our finances downgraded by the ratings agencies." Poilievre also argued there's no evidence to support Liberal assertions that deficit spending has helped boost Canada's growth. He credited the improvements to big external factors like the booming American and global economies, rock-bottom interest rates and housing bubbles in Vancouver and Toronto. Canada is now ill-prepared for economic trouble, he insisted. "He's squandered everything we had in the name of sunny ways and now we're not ready for the stormy days," Poilievre said. Doug Porter, the Bank of Montreal's chief economist, cautioned about paying too much attention to credit agencies because their long-term focus means ratings often lag developments. They usually make changes only after there's been a problem for a while and "things have deteriorated fairly extensively," he said. "If you're going to hang your fiscal hat on the credit ratings, then the story can change pretty abruptly if the credit-ratings agencies have a rethink," Porter said. Porter said he's a "bit concerned" Ottawa's deficit outlook hasn't improved more, given the health of the economy. The federal government, he added, will need fiscal room to cushion the blow from the next downturn. Canada has had a triple-A credit rating with Moody's since 2002 a time period that has spanned both Liberal and Conservative governments in Ottawa. A report last month by the agency said the rating was due, in part, to "stable" debt ratios for all levels of government, which were supported by a low federal debt burden that's expected to gradually decrease over the next few years. Ottawa projects the federal debt-to-GDP ratio to gradually fall from 30.9 per cent in 2018-19 to 28.5 per cent in 2023-24. The government is predicting annual deficits of $18.1 billion in 2018-19, $19.6 billion in 2019-20 and $18.1 billion in 2020-21. Last week, Moody's announced a downgrade to the Ontario government's rating to Aa3 from Aa2. It cited the province's $14.5-billion deficit projection for 2018-19 and an outlook of more shortfalls in the coming years. Follow @AndyBlatchford on Twitter The Kotak Mahindra Bank stock fell in trade today after the Bombay High Court rejected its stake sale dilution announced in August and said it would hear the case next on January 17. The stock fell up to 3.66% to 1,209.30 compared to its previous close of 1,255.25 on the BSE. The large cap stock has been losing for the last two days and fallen 4% during the period. Also read:Kotak Mahindra Bank denies talks with Warren Buffett, says unaware of Berkshire interest in buying stake The stock has gained 20.09% since the beginning of this year and risen 17.77% during the last one year. 22 of 34 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or 'outperform', nine "hold" and two "underperform" or one "sell", according to analysts' recommendations tracked by Reuters. The RBI has given December 2018 as deadline for Kotak Mahindra Bank's promoters to pare their stake in the lender. The bank's promoters need to bring down ownership from 30.02% to just under 20% by December. Also read: Kotak Mahindra Bank surpasses Maruti Suzuki in market cap to enter top 10 club In case, the deadline is not met, the bank could seek an extension of the deadline to March 31, 2019, to lower promoters' stake. The RBI had asked the bank to lower the promoter holding to less than 20 per cent by December 2018 and 15 per cent by March 2020. In August, it had tried to lower the holdings through a complex perpetual non-cumulative preference shares sale but did not make the regulatory cut. The private lender on December 10 challenged in court the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) decision to not allow its promoter to issue preference shares to reduce stake in the private-sector lender but the court refused to stay the apex bank's decision to not allow promoter stake sale in Kotak Mahindra Bank, news channel CNBC TV18 reported on Monday. In the petition, the bank sought widening of the definition of the paid-up equity capital to include these preference shares as well beyond the present equity voting capital. It also questioned the laws related to the capping of the shareholding at a more fundamental level, asking if there was a legal basis to have shareholding caps. Meanwhile, the Sensex and Nifty were trading higher by 325 points and 83 points at 36,288 and 10,888, respectively in afternoon trade. Edited by Aseem Thapliyal WHITEHORSE - A familiar, if somewhat unconventional, holiday event resumes for its 27th season in Whitehorse but the man who's better known as Garbage Truck Santa worries he's celebrating on borrowed time. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. xA garbage truck decorated with Christmas decorations is shown in this undated handout photo. A familiar, if somewhat unconventional holiday event resumes for its twenty-seventh season in Whitehorse but the man who's better known as Garbage Truck Santa worries he's celebrating on borrowed time this year. City worker Wayne Henderson has decorated an old packer-style garbage truck with thousands of Christmas lights and, for the next four days, he'll drive it around Whitehorse spreading joy and handing out candy canes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - CKRW, Tim Kucharuk WHITEHORSE - A familiar, if somewhat unconventional, holiday event resumes for its 27th season in Whitehorse but the man who's better known as Garbage Truck Santa worries he's celebrating on borrowed time. On Monday, Wayne Henderson began his annual rounds at the wheel of an old packer-style garbage truck decorated with thousands of Christmas lights and an intimidating set of caribou antlers. "It lightens my day to do this for people. It's just something that I'm giving back to the city," said the semi-retired sanitation worker. Henderson will drive the big rig around Whitehorse for four days, spreading joy and handing out candy canes. There will be no garbage pick up with the holiday rig. He used to decorate a city garbage truck until 2012 when the city's older-model packer trucks were sold and the newly purchased garbage trucks could not operate with the lights or antlers. Henderson kept the tradition alive by borrowing a packer-style truck from a local trailer park and continuing his regular visits to daycares, schools and seniors centres. But the owner of the trailer park and garbage truck could put both on the market by next year, said Henderson. "I know it's a while 'till next year and I don't know when (the owner's) going to sell the truck, and (for) how much," he said. Henderson is mulling a fundraiser in hopes of buying the truck and saving the annual holiday event. "If I can just keep the tradition going for another few more years," he said. The rolling ritual was inspired in 1991 when Henderson was regularly greeted on his rounds by a youngster who delighted in the arrival of the big rig. Henderson hopes to hit the 30-year milestone and then hand the annual tradition over to his son. "It's in my heart. That's what keeps me going." ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The premier who sanctioned the controversial Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject in Newfoundland and Labrador says she had no inkling how excessively over-budget it would become. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale announces a deal to finance the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project during a news conference in St. John's on December 10, 2013. The premier who sanctioned the controversial Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject in Newfoundland and Labrador says she didn't think to verify cost estimates for what has become the province's largest-ever public expenditure. The 824-megawatt hydroelectric dam on the lower Churchill River in Labrador has essentially doubled in costs to more than $12.7 billion, and an ongoing inquiry has heard from dozens of witnesses who have suggested the risks were intentionally downplayed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Kennedy ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The premier who sanctioned the controversial Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject in Newfoundland and Labrador says she had no inkling how excessively over-budget it would become. "If they had said, 'This thing is going to be years late and it is going to cost billions of dollars more than the estimate,' I can guarantee you, sir, there would be no Muskrat Falls with my name on it," former premier Kathy Dunderdale told the inquiry into cost overruns Monday. "There is no joy in having a failed project to your name." The 824-megawatt hydroelectric dam has essentially doubled in costs to more than $12.7 billion, and the inquiry has heard from dozens of witnesses, some of whom have suggested the risks had been intentionally downplayed. Taking the stand for the first time Monday, Dunderdale said she had no reason to question what she was being told by executives of Nalcor Energy, the Crown corporation overseeing the Labrador project. She said she did not consider it necessary to ask government staff to separately review and verify Nalcor's work. "We hired these people ... to do this work on our behalf, and until I had a reason to believe they weren't doing that in a responsible and comprehensive way, I don't know (why) I would ask somebody else to double check their work," she said. She said she understood the cost overruns could reach hundreds of millions, not billions. In his questioning of Dunderdale, inquiry co-counsel Barry Learmonth asked whether she felt the government had a responsibility to look at the numbers with extra scrutiny. "You're the government, you're in charge of protecting the people's money," Learmonth said. "Don't you acknowledge there's a strong obligation of the government in this situation to provide oversight over Nalcor, not simply to accept what they're telling you?" Dunderdale said her government provided more oversight of Nalcor than other Crown corporations, but she had no reason not to trust Nalcor. She also suggested that Stephen Harper's federal government "thoroughly reviewed" the business case for Muskrat Falls, based on the federal loan guarantee that was signed between the two governments before sanctioning. "I was told they were doing analysis, but I wasn't there," Dunderdale said. First power from Muskrat Falls is expected next year, with full power available in 2020. The dam on the lower Churchill River will send power to Newfoundland and later Nova Scotia through subsea cables. In 2012, Dunderdale announced Muskrat Fall's sanctioning with a celebration at the Confederation Building in St. John's, speaking to the "lasting benefits to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador." Since the inquiry began in September, witnesses have raised red flags about early analysis of project risks, and information shared with the public. High-ranking advisers working for Nalcor have suggested that certain cost estimates were intentionally suppressed to secure Nova Scotia's Emera as a partner. Dunderdale's government hired Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) in the pre-sanction period to review Muskrat Falls. The former premier pointed to MHI's work as an independent set of eyes supporting the project's go-ahead. Earlier this fall, the inquiry heard from three men who worked on the MHI analysis who testified that a strategic risk analysis was not done because the requirement was removed by government -- something Dunderdale denied prior knowledge of when questioned by Learmonth on Monday. "I (was) not aware until very recently that MHI was asked to remove risk analysis ... but I can say to you that a great deal of time was spent discussing risk," she said. "Risk mitigation was a theme that moved through the whole discussion of the development of Muskrat Falls." Learmonth also asked Dunderdale whether she was concerned that former Nalcor CEO Ed Martin did not clearly present her with a report on risk of possible schedule overruns and associated costs. Dunderdale said she couldn't recall exactly which reports were discussed, saying she might have had a conversation about it and forgotten the details, and she did not agree with Learmonth's suggestion Nalcor intentionally suppressed costs to get the project sanctioned. Dunderdale said she would not have treated Nalcor's reports any differently from reports coming from her finance department. She said Nalcor was created to undertake energy development work in the province, in areas where government lacked expertise -- although the company has been criticized for appointing executives with oil and gas backgrounds and no prior experience in planning a hydro project. Dunderdale's testimony will continue throughout the week. OTTAWA - Federal foot-dragging over secrecy is risking the right to timely justice for a man accused of trying to spy for China on Canadian shipbuilding plans, his lawyer charges. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Arctic offshore patrol ship components are seen under construction at the Irving shipbuilding facility in Halifax on Friday, March 4, 2016. The lawyer for a man accused of trying to spy for China on Canadian shipbuilding plans says federal foot-dragging over secrecy is endangering his client's right to timely justice. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan OTTAWA - Federal foot-dragging over secrecy is risking the right to timely justice for a man accused of trying to spy for China on Canadian shipbuilding plans, his lawyer charges. In a letter filed with the Supreme Court of Canada, lawyer Frank Addario says Ottawa's failure to resolve questions around disclosure of sensitive information is imperilling naval engineer Qing Quentin Huang's charter guarantees. Addario suggests the case could be dismissed because of the delays since the wrangling about documents is beyond the reach of the Ontario judge responsible for ensuring Huang, a Canadian citizen, has a trial within a reasonable time. "The government has no sense of urgency to resolve the disclosure issue," Addario's letter says. The Supreme Court will decide in coming weeks whether to hear the government's challenge of a Federal Court of Appeal ruling that could result in new details of the criminal case being released to the defence. The case has provided the public with a rare glimpse into how Canada's spy service monitors telephone communications at the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa. The concerns about Huang's legal rights come as relations between Ottawa and Beijing are seriously tested by the arrest in Vancouver of a Chinese executive of Huawei Technologies and China's subsequent detention of two Canadians for alleged security infractions. Canada is also weighing the potential security risk of allowing Huawei to supply components of the country's planned 5G mobile telecommunications networks. Huang worked for Lloyd's Register, a subcontractor to Irving Shipbuilding Inc. He was arrested five years ago in Burlington, Ont., following a brief RCMP-led investigation dubbed Project Seascape. Huang was charged under the Security of Information Act with attempting to communicate secret information to a foreign power. Police said the information related to elements of the federal shipbuilding strategy, which includes patrol ships, frigates, naval auxiliary vessels, science research vessels and ice breakers. Huang, who is free on bail, maintains his innocence. However, criminal proceedings have been largely sidetracked by a parallel process over national security playing out in Federal Court. The court battle reveals the Canadian Security Intelligence Service obtained a warrant in March 2013 to intercept telecommunications at the Chinese Embassy. Huang was not a target of the warrant and had never been under CSIS investigation. However, the spy service advised the RCMP of phone calls Huang allegedly made to the embassy and claimed he "offered to provide Canadian military secrets" to the Chinese government. That prompted the police investigation resulting in Huang's arrest. The federal prosecution service disclosed to Huang redacted copies of the CSIS warrant and a spy service affidavit sworn in support of the application to obtain the warrant. But Huang argued the documents were so heavily censored he could not test the validity of the warrant or make full answer and defence. The prosecution service contended that virtually all of the redactions were covered by a section of the Canada Evidence Act that allows the government to shield information from disclosure due to national security concerns. The dispute is still making its way through the courts, with the ultimate word on the possible release of additional information to come from the Supreme Court, given an appeal the government filed in August. In his letter, Addario asks the high court to dismiss the appeal, saying the government filed it several weeks late. He opposes any time extension, objecting to the "protracted and obscure" proceedings that have twice led to adjournment of Huang's criminal trial. The government is "frustrating" Huang's right to a timely trial, and the federal decision to wait over 80 days to request a hearing in the Supreme Court serves as "an example of the tempo of these proceedings," Addario writes. Addario declined to comment on the case. Federal lawyers have not replied to his letter in court. Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter The town of Roth in Germany had a nice tradition of asking children to hang messages for Santa on the towns Christmas tree, writes Brian Keegan That was, up until this year when the practice was threatened. The reason given was the EUs general data protection rule: GDPR. Obviously, the children were going to have to put their names and addresses on their messages to Santa, so the man in the red suit wouldnt get confused on Christmas Eve and put the wrong presents down the wrong chimneys. Keeping Santa on the right track might have broken data privacy rules. This was of course nonsense. There was no difficulty under GDPR in providing addresses like this, provided of course that the kids have permission from their parents. Nevertheless, heres a sharp example of the old maxim that bureaucracy can be blamed for most things. Watching the confusion across the water in the British parliament this week, it appears that blaming bureaucracy is popular in all walks of political life. The European Court is a favourite target of the Brexiteers, fearful of how their rulings impinge on British sovereignty. Last week the same courts delivered, and in record time, a judgement which clarifies that the UK could unilaterally decide not to leave the EU after all. However, it comes with the condition that the decision to rescind Brexit is taken before March 29. The European courts can and do serve as a useful curb on the excesses of national governments. For example, the rulings of the European courts typically go in the citizens favour when it comes to tax matters. From time to time individuals and businesses bring their cases before the EU Court of Justice to complain of unfair treatment under national law. Cadbury Schweppes successfully argued its entitlement to have a base in the IFSC in Dublin which could operate independently of its UK- based parent. Marks & Spencer won its claim to have losses in a French subsidiary set off against profits which were being taxed in the UK. Nor is it just mighty multinational household names that take cases to the European courts against their governments, where local law seems to be in contravention of EU norms and understandings. Individuals too, have at various times ensured that they can claim personal tax allowances against their income in another EU member state, or even that their lottery winnings would be tax-free as if they were living full-time in the country where they had drawn the numbers. Bureaucracy has many drawbacks but at its best, it offers significant protection to citizens, as the European courts do, and will be essential to protect the interests of EU citizens and businesses in our future dealings with the UK. One of the challenges of Brexit, hard, soft or otherwise which has yet to crystalise is the impact on bureaucracy. We already know that our own civil service, between Revenue and other agencies, will be hiring about 1,000 additional staff to deal with the new restrictions and controls on trade between the UK and the rest of the EU. This, in turn, will increase the impact of Brexit on business, which for many traders will be an exercise in managing complexity. The risk of bureaucratic overload is even greater because the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit is increasing. A no-deal Brexit will both accelerate the introduction of trading controls and add to their complexity. The Christmas tree in Roth is an extreme example of bureaucracy running out of control. That must not be allowed happen as we deal with Brexit. - Brian Keegan is director of public policy and taxation at Chartered Accountants Ireland A trawl through the corporate landscape of 2018 throws up drama and despair, much of it around the uncertainty of Brexit, writes John Daly In tandem with the headlines, however, a traditional aspect of business life, corporate slang, thrived over the past 12 months. Whether you opened the kimono to drink the Kool-Aid, or were forced to paradigm core competencies in a new swim lane, youll doubtless have spent more than one occasion trying to decipher and make sense of the latest commercial vernacular. As always, we have much to thank our North American brethren for these illuminating additions to the Irish business lexicon. But we are fast-becoming adept at adding our own pages to the ever-expanding bible of modern office-speak. In this era of constant change, its little wonder that game changer and disruptor emerged as slang front-runners over the year. First cousins in their pole positions as influencers or leaders in a chosen field, they reigned supreme for outside the box thinking. With competition ever more intense in this always-on, 24-7 world, incentivising your tribe became a key corporate aspiration, moving the traditional carrot and stick approach from the 1990s into a more contemporary angle. In a rising economy, with the urge to go it alone, through a variety of start-up models, becoming the norm, we welcomed mumpreneur, seniorpreneur, photopreneur, and hairpreneur. In fact, any preneur you care to mention was welcomed into the corporate fold. Closely related to this new commercial clan were ninja and guru, both nouns acclaiming their individual specialities: Shes an absolute ninja at spreadsheet presentations. Ideas equating weight loss with accomplishment abounded in the corporate jungle, particularly the use of lean as the definition of a business model of frugality and focus. It also became a rallying cry to bring a project in under budget: This one will go down to the wire, so lets all keep it lean, okay? The notion that business was a journey, a commercial Camino, if you like, also added its inclusions to the years slang: This is a detour for our brand, but were all still on the same journey. Naturally, any such trip, trek, or expedition will require a roadmap, and particularly on those unexpected occasions where speedy exits from a burning platform are required. Much office slang is instructional, so when youre told, Lets capture this, it simply means to take notes. Mind you, sometimes you may need to drill down deeper, if theres no obvious low-hanging fruit to pick. In effect, further analysis of that market is needed, as theres no easy alternative. If you cant remember when was the last time people at your business meeting or important event were riveted to what was being said, youre probably not alone, says Karen Friedman, author of Shut Up and Say Something: Business Communication Strategies to Overcome Challenges and Influence Listeners. The inclination toward vagueness or slangspeak is as confusing as it can be misleading: It is absolutely critical to be as direct, to the point, and concise as possible. Brian Fugere, author of Why Business People Speak Like Idiots, makes a similar point. If you think you smell something at work, theres probably good reason bull has become the official language of business. Every day, we get bombarded by an endless stream of filtered, antiseptic, jargon-filled corporate speak, all of which makes it harder to get heard, harder to be authentic, and definitely harder to have fun, he says. Perhaps, in the end, we would all be better taking it offline in a come to Jesus meeting. And Ill let you figure out that one by yourselves. The UK is set to remain part of the Common Transit Convention (CTC) after Brexit, limiting the friction on trade flowing across Europe. The convention reduces the need for additional customs checks on goods passing through a country en route to their final destination. The CTC covers the European Union, European Free Trade Association states Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, as well as Turkey, Macedonia and Serbia. The UK has been invited to remain in the CTC even if there is a no-deal Brexit in March 2019. British Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mel Stride said: "We are a great trading nation and our goods are in demand all over the world. That's why we are committed to ensuring that trade can continue to flow with as little friction as possible when we leave the EU. "Membership of the convention will support traders both under a new trade agreement with the EU, or in the unlikely event of no deal. "This gives businesses the continuity and certainty they need to plan for the future." The CTC means goods do not need to complete import and export declarations each time they cross a new border and traders only have to make customs declarations and pay import duties when they arrive at their final destination. The UK Government hopes it will make border clearances easier at key ports and airports, such as Dover and Holyhead. PA A Cork woman has paid tribute to her brother after he risked his own life in a selfless act of brotherly love. Deirdre Cole will be spending Christmas recovering at her home in Bishopstown following a kidney transplant at Beaumont Hospital. Her donor, who just so happens to be her brother, is also recuperating after an emotional and exhausting couple of months. David Cole who is vice-principal at Cork Educate Together secondary school, kept his intention to donate a surprise until it emerged he was a suitable match. This is one of the two best Christmas presents Ive ever received, Deirdre said. The other gift was my now seven-year-old Andy who was born on Christmas Eve. Deirdre recalled how her journey began more than five years ago. I was trying for a second baby at the time. However, when my kidney function dropped considerably, I was told I wouldnt be able to have anymore children. I would also need a transplant. That was when I decided to move back home. It was good to be near family and the house is just across from Cork University Hospital. David stepped in to help his sister just before she was about to commence dialysis. Before my transplant, I wasnt living, only surviving. I stopped going out for fear I would get sick. My child still needed looking after so I needed to get the most out of my kidney. I didnt think that anyone in my family was a match. Most of my family members were either the wrong blood type or had been ruled out due to illness. I was planning to do a paired match scheme in Coventry. My son Andy and I were in a field playing fetch with the dog when David called me. I felt this outpouring of emotion and immense gratitude. I was trying my best to act as natural as possible to avoid Andy noticing anything. She later explained the situation to her son. I had to eventually tell him, as there was a possibility I might disappear one night. He told his teachers that mummy was going to be away for a few weeks to get a new kidney. We knew he had a good understanding of the whole thing. David and I felt it was important for him to know and be a part of this. Knowing that David was going into this healthy was the hardest part for me. There were lots of tears in the hospital. She recalled waking up after the operation. David walked across the hall to see me, against his partners wishes. I think his initial thoughts were Ive given my sister a part of me, please let her be okay. On our third day post-op, we had such a bad fit of the giggles, we both had to call nurses to get tablets for the pain. It was partly down to the relief of having everything over with and being able to sit down together and talk to each other. The pair inspire each other every day. Growing up, we had a typical brother-sister relationship. I was the middle one, always looking for the attention and he was the one who got it, she joked. Were trying to see now who can take the most steps after the operation so were as competitive as weve always been. Yesterday he walked 1.6 kilometres while I only walked around the block. Deirdre is looking forward to a bright future with her partner and son. Ive told him that soon Ill be a turbo-boosted mum and we will be able to do all the things we couldnt do before now. One of the most emotional moments for the siblings was reading a poem written by Andy about the experience. The piece centred around how an ordinary man became extraordinary by donating a kidney to his sister. Both siblings will be concentrating on their recovery this Christmas. This Christmas we will be battening down the hatches as were still both only recovering. However, its the Christmases to come that Im really looking forward to. David has gifted me a future something I wasnt sure Id ever have. Deirdre admits she has difficulty finding the words to thank her brother. Ive written a note to my brother but its hard to find words that come close to just how grateful I really am. Before, this experience I probably took family for granted. Now, I realise its true importance. She urged those without donor cards to consider donating. You cant take your organs with you. When the time comes, they are no good to you anymore. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a family member whos a match. This could mean the difference between life and death for someone. Deirdre extended her gratitude to those who supported them. Wed like to thank Educate Together, Davids wife Aran and the school where she works, St Angelas, my partner Brian and his workplace the Port of Cork. I also received great support from my own employers Failte Ireland. Evening Echo By Sarah Slater A mother who lost one daughter to a rare disease, and now has another battling cancer, still wants to help others faced with debilitating diseases despite her life being in turmoil this Christmas. Tina McElligott, from Kilflynn, Co Kerry, passed away last February following her lifelong battle with the rare disorder, Alpers disease. The 17-year-old suffered dozens of life-threatening seizures daily as a result of the disease and Tina, fondly known as princess, confounded medics by living as long as she did as the majority of sufferers normally do not survive past the age of 12. Tina died in her mother Mags and father Martins arms. Their cousin Sarah Crowe, died from the same disease last year. Alpers is a progressive neurological disorder and symptoms include increased muscle tone with exaggerated reflexes, seizures and loss of cognitive ability. But now Mags is facing the heartache of knowing her daughter Gene, who lives in Perth, Australia, has been diagnosed with bowel cancer. Gene McElligott Mags campaigned vigorously to legalise medicinal cannabis oil remedies for Tina and others and Tina was seizure-free for eight months following a medicinal cannabis oil treatment at the Kapala Clinic in Spain funded by public donations to the gofundme.com crowd funding page. The Kerry mum now sells Billy's bud hemp oil and is the only agent in the Republic of Ireland selling it at moment. Mags wants to help other people with different conditions and wants medicinal cannabis legalised here as Charlotte Cadwell, Billys mum, has managed to secure legalisation allowing this in the UK and Northern Ireland. Life has been so different without Tina who was my princess and this Christmas will be tough without her. Now, my other daughter is going through a battle with cancer and its just so tough on her and us all." - Mags McElligott. "Of course Genes cancer is a worry, to lose one daughter and I just cant let anything happen to her. Ive been out with her in Australia already this year as and Im hoping to visit her next month to give some support. Its been a very tough year but, hopefully, the new year will be a bit better. I must admit I was in disbelief that Tina was really gone when she passed away first. I carried on as if she was going to walk back through the door. "I eventually got so low that I took to the bed and wouldn't get up only when I felt like it. I was crying so hard on the pillow holding on to a T-shirt Tina last wore and ended up sleeping with it every night." Mags said that she has found that talking about her loss has helped her to cope with it. She said: Thankfully my sister Dea is helping me every day to cope with my loss and the cancer battle my other daughter is going through. Talking has and is helping me cope and it is a wonderful thing to do. "I want others to realise that and Im hoping to open a cafe next year in honour of Tina and in her name close to where we live. One day I decided to power hose the front of our home and I stopped for a minute and looked up at a site next door that we had bought a few years ago for Tina so she could be near to us. There is an old house which is around 100-years-old on it. So I called my husband and told him I had a great idea about refurbishing the house. He said he thought I was going mad. But the next I knew he was stuck in the middle of it stripping the cottage while I was taking all the plaster off it in an effort to keep ourselves busy and to stop ourselves thinking about losing Tina. At the moment we're waiting on planning permission to extend it and to make sure all the work on the building is right. We are going to call it Tina's Tonic Cafe in Kilflynn as Charlotte came up with the name. "Tina was a tonic, a very honest funny girl and said things as they were." "Thats why I want to open this cafe because Tina and I always chatted about how we felt about everything and I think it is good for others to do the same. Mags added that Christmas will never be the same again for the McElligotts as it was Tinas favourite time of the year. It's almost Christmas and Tina and I loved it. She loved the lights and every day I would add extra decorations for her. Tina would say go on Mam put up more as she wanted to see what her Dad would say. "Well I'll be putting up the lights this Christmas, as I know she would be mad at me, she would make me put them up at the end of October some years and I would, to please her. But it won't be the same, as she always helped me dress the tree in the kitchen. I visit her grave every day but I cannot feel her there like I feel her in the house we hope to open as a cafe. I don't know when her cafe will open as it all depends on planning and money but if its the last thing I do it will open. The president of the High Court has dismissed concerns by the HSE that a familys installation of CCTV cameras in their elderly mothers home with a view to ensuring appropriate care of her amounts to abuse. The HSE applied for a declaration under the Enduring Powers of Attorney Act that cameras are not an appropriate personal care decision and also sought orders for destruction of footage taken prior to its application. The HSEs safeguarding team for vulnerable adults considered installation last month of cameras in the shower, living room and bedroom breached the womans constitutional rights to bodily integrity, privacy and dignity as her personal intimate care was being recorded and thus constituted abuse. The woman, aged in her eighties, has dementia and other health issues and is non verbal. She is subject of a HSE home care package under which she gets a number of hours of care daily from the HSE via agency workers. Her family pay for additional hours of daily private care. Her adult children, who visit her daily, said the CCTV was to ensure, if their mother suffered a fall or any injury as a result of personal care by non-family members, they would know how that occurred. They said they would not look at the CCTV footage unless there was any such injury. The family have not made any allegations against those involved in their mothers care, the court heard. The HSE brought the application after a daughter of the woman, who holds an enduring power of attorney concerning her mother, had notified the HSE via email of the cameras and the intent behind those. In his decision, Mr Justice Peter Kelly said the woman is fortunate to live at home where she gets excellent care and support from her family. Abuse of the elderly is unfortunately a daily occurrence he sees regularly in court and which he was sure happens outside court a good deal more regularly. There was nothing surreptitious about installation of the cameras, he said. The daughter, conscious of GDPR obligations, had notified the HSE in advance of the familys intention and carers were also told. A HSE Home Support Services Manager had said the HSE safeguarding team had advised, in the context of safeguarding vulnerable adults, location of cameras in the bedroom, shower and living room was deemed abuse and the cameras should be taken down. It was also indicated the cameras could result in withdrawal of care services. If there is any allegation, daylight is the best disinfectant, the judge said. He sympathised with the family who have shown such care for their mother and said it was very high handed of the HSE to allege abuse when it had not responded to the daughters email or visited the house. The HSE application was unjustified and unjustifiable, the family were rightly upset and annoyed about it and he would dismiss it, he said. The HSE had outlined the designation of abuse was set out in a policy document concerning the safeguarding of vulnerable adults but the cameras had precisely that objective, to safeguard the woman and those looking after her. He also could not understand how there could be objection to the carers work being recorded if it was of a high standard, as it should be. The HSE was prodigalwith a claim of abuse when no such abuse could be regarded as having taken place and when the CCTV was installed with the womans best interests in mind. This application was improperly brought and he would mark the courts displeasure by awarding costs to the family at the highest level, solicitor and own client basis, against the HSE. Noting the family stopped the CCTV recording when the HSE initiated this application, he said they may resume the recording. Govt notifies rules for in-flight calls, internet access through mobiles Loading the player... Govt reforms bringing desired results, note ban served purpose, says Venkaiah Naidu Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the reforms like GST, the law on black money and insolvency code started by the Modi government are bringing desired results and asserted that India has got a bright future. Naidu further said that as more and more people are coming into the banking fold, the tax rate will come down. Defending the Prime Minister's controversial note ban decision of November 2016, the Vice President said the purpose of demonetisation has been achieved as the money that was kept under pillows and hidden in bathrooms has reached the banks. Delhi High Court dismisses Vodafone plea for tax refund of over Rs 4,759 crore The Delhi High Court has dismissed telecom major Vodafone's plea seeking directions to the Income Tax Department to expeditiously process its claim for refund of over Rs 4,759 crore in respect of returns filed for the assessment years (AYs) 2014-15 to 2017-18. A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Prateek Jalan declined to grant any relief to the company, saying there was merit in the tax department's argument that substantial outstanding demand was pending against the company and there was likelihood of more demands being made after the assessment for the AYs in question were scrutinised. Railways to run 800 special trains during 2019 Kumbh Mela To facilitate pilgrims arriving in large numbers during the Kumbh Mela in 2019, the railways has proposed running 800 special trains from various stations of Allahabad district, an official has said. These trains would be in addition to the regular trains run by the North Central Railway (NCR). 5,000 Compressed Bio Gas plants will be set up by 2023, says Dharmendra Pradhan Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said around 5,000 Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plants will be set across the country by 2023. He said these plants meant for extracting biogas from agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste will have an estimated annual CBG production of 15 million tonnes Government notifies rules for in-flight calls, internet access through mobile phones People will soon be able to make calls and access the internet through their phones during air travel and ship voyage within Indian territory as the government has notified rules for providing such services. Indian and foreign airlines and shipping companies operating in the country can provide in-flight and maritime voice and data services in partnership with a valid Indian telecom licence holder.These rules may be called the Flight and Maritime Connectivity Rules, 2018. Naresh Goyal's "turnaround" man, Nikos Kardassis quits Jet Airways Nikos Kardassis, the former CEO of Jet Airways, who made a come back to the carrier in an advisory role and was tasked to turnaround the cash-strapped airline, has once again parted ways with it, a source said. The Greek-American aviation veteran in his third come back to the Naresh Goyal-controlled Jet Airways in May this year was roped-in to revive the fortunes of the full service carrier. The former chief executive parted ways with the airline after Goyal initiated discussions with his investment partner Etihad Airways for further stake sale to garner funds Nissan meets to replace Ghosn, as tensions with Renault grow The board of automaker Nissan will meet today to discuss replacing former chairman Carlos Ghosn after his arrest for financial misconduct, as tensions grow in the firm's alliance with Renault. The Japanese company removed Ghosn from his post last month after he was detained on allegations of under-reporting his salary. Micromax strengthens international play, to foray into South Africa Handset maker Micromax is foraying into the South African market as it looks to further bolster its international operations, which it expects to contribute as much as 20 per cent to its overall revenues by next fiscal. The company is also looking at expanding its range of consumer durable products like television sets and smart accessories to Russia and Middle East. Apart from India, it already operates in Russia, Middle East, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A woman in a fatal "love triangle" told the man she cheated with that she loved him and would do anything to have his arms wrapped around her. Claire McGrath (30) has been giving evidence in the Central Criminal Court trial of 40-year-old Keith Connorton of Deerpark Avenue, Tallaght. Mr Connorton has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Graham McKeever (32) at the accused man's home on February 18, 2017. Ms McGrath has told the trial she was in a relationship with the accused for three years but was "cheating" with the deceased and invited him to stay at their home that night. The fatal fight broke out after Mr Connorton returned home and found them. Ms McGrath today told defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC that she exchanged texts and Facebook messages with the deceased in the days leading up to his death. Mr O'Higgins read messages sent by the witness to Mr McKeever, starting with one which she signed off: "Love you. xxx." She called him "sexy man" in a follow-up text and added: "I have a surprise for you but I will keep it for your eyes only." In further texts she complained that he wasn't responding to her, accused him of not giving her a chance and said she was "sick" and "gutted" and couldn't stop crying. "I can't believe you would say such lovely things and then drop me," another text read, followed by, "Please talk to me baby" and "I love you too much." She also told him he was the only thing, apart from her son, that made her happy and added: "I would do anything to have your arms wrapped around me." She told Mr O'Higgins that at the time Mr McKeever was the only thing keeping her from a breakdown over the break-up in her relationship with the accused. She said the messages showed her insecurity and she shouldn't have sent them as they gave Mr McKeever false hope. She told Mr O'Higgins that she said what she needed to say to keep the affair going and added: "Listening to it I hear how desperate I sound and I'm ashamed of myself." Earlier in her cross examination, the witness agreed with Mr O'Higgins that due to her drug use there may be aspects of her evidence that she has "imagined". She said she does not believe she is a reliable witness and added: "I said that from the beginning." Her memory, she said, is patchy and the sequences of events don't match up. She has no short-term memory, she said, and little long-term memory. "I don't remember my childhood," she added. Mr O'Higgins asked her if, as the prosecution has suggested, she is changing her version of events because she is in a relationship with the accused, who is also the father of her child. She said no, that a man has died and if she thought "for a second" that Mr Connorton was the kind of "thug" he is being made out to be she would not let him near her child or want him in her life. Ms McGrath also rejected a suggestion by Brendan Grehan SC for the prosecution that the accused told her to lie to gardai about what happened in the apartment. She said she was with the accused the day after the stabbing when Gardai saw them together and questioned them on the street before arresting Mr Connorton. She agreed that she hugged the accused, he told her he loved her and she told him she had told the truth and so should he. Mr Grehan put it to her that she said this because Mr Connorton had tried to get her to go along with a story that the deceased had broken into their home. She said this was not true and that she told him to tell the truth because he had asked her how they could explain what happened. Ms McGrath will continue her cross examination tomorrow in front of Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of nine men and three women. A Dublin woman accused of a social media harassment campaign directed at a BBC childrens television presenter has been given two months to decide how she will plead. Blogger, comedian and actress Frances Winston, 45, is accused of harassing CBeebies star Ferne Corrigan online. At her second hearing today before Judge Michael Walsh at Dublin District Court she was given a warning, sought by gardai, to remind her she had to obey a bail condition banning her from contacting Ms Corrigan on social media. Ms Winston, who has an address at Rathgar Road, Dublin 6, was ordered to appear again in two months when she will be expected to enter a plea. Defence solicitor Colleen Gildernew told the court she did not think the bail term had been breached technically but she took no issue with the warning being given to her client. Disclosure of evidence, including typed statements, was ordered. She faces a single count under Section 10.1 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act in which it was alleged on an on-going basis between February 19, 2016 and May 20, 2017, at various unknown locations she harassed Ferne Corrigan. At her first hearing in September, Detective Sergeant Jonathan Kelly told the court Ms Winston, was charged at Irishtown Garda station after which she made no reply. Ferne Corrigan, host of My Pet And Me and Ferne and Rorys Vet Tales, was not present for the hearing. The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed the case should be dealt with at district court and not in the circuit court, which has tougher sentencing powers. After hearing an outline of the case against the accused, Judge Walsh had accepted jurisdiction. Detective Sergeant Kelly told the court it was alleged, The defendant engaged in an online campaign of harassment against a named individual who is not resident in the State, and used various social media platforms to harass this individual in a very public way. Judge Walsh had asked if they were connected and the Garda said they were not directly linked but he added, The injured party is the daughter of the defendants former partner. The defence solicitor had successfully resisted the gardas application for an absolute ban on her client using social media of any type. The judge agreed to her request that the order in relation to using social media would be limited to the injured party. He has also warned that if Ms Winston were foolish enough to make contact it could lead to further charges. Ms Winston cannot have any contact with the injured party, or members of her family and her friends, by any means. He warned her she could not contact Ferne Corrigan and this included social media, emails, any manner whatsoever. She was also told to reside at her current address and she had to give gardai her phone number. The judge has ordered gardai to hand over copies of all the communications which included various emails to the defence. Legal aid was granted to Ms Winston in September after the judge noted from the defence solicitor that she was employed but not above the threshold. Ms Winston was cast to play murder plotter Sharon Lying Eyes Collins in a 2017 TV3 reconstruction of that case. Gardai are appealing to the public for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 17-year-old Adem Shehu, missing from Roundwood, Co. Wicklow since yesterday. Adem is described as approximately 5-foot-10 in height with short brown hair and brown eyes. Gardai are appealing for witnesses following a serious assault on a man in his 20s in Kilcormac, Co. Offaly. The incident took place around Saturday where, at around 6pm, an ambulance was called to Munny, Kilcormac, following a report of a man being discovered with serious head and other injuries. Gardai investigating the murder of Kane McCormack have made an arrest. Officers arrested a man in his 20s as part of the investigation into the murder of Kane McCormack last year. The 24-year-old, who lived in Clonee, Co Meath, was shot dead in a killing believed to be linked to the Hutch/Kinahan feud and his body was found in a field at Walterstown, Dunboyne, on December 1, 2017. Detectives from Ashbourne along with the officers from the Garda Bureau of Criminal Investigation and armed support unit carried out two early morning searches in Clondalkin, west Dublin, today. The arrested man is being detained at Ashbourne Garda Station. Investigators will use a DNA database in an effort to identify the mother of a dead baby girl found wrapped in a cloth on a beach in north county Dublin. A female volunteer cleaning Bell's Beach in Balbriggan, Dublin, on Saturday morning, found the baby partly buried. Gardai have named the baby as 'Belle'. A post-mortem examination showed that the baby was stillborn and was on the beach for less than 24 hours. The body will remain with the coroner until she is released for burial. Gardai and the local authority are expected to arrange the funeral. In a fresh appeal made yesterday to help find the mother, Sergeant Fiona Savidge of Balbriggan Garda Station said the mother's health and welfare is their primary concern: "The safety of Belle's mum is of paramount importance. The post-mortem results showed that it was the birth of a baby girl; she was full term and unfortunately baby Belle was stillborn." The name is significant in that the location where Belle was found is Bell's Beach, along with the fact we are in the festive period. The name Belle is also significant in that it's the French name for beautiful," Sgt Savidge explained. "I want to thank everyone in the general area for their assistance and for the number of phone calls that have been received by Balbriggan Garda Station." Eilidh McNab, area manager for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in north Dublin, said: "We are here to ask the mother to please seek medical attention. "She will know that the gardai in Balbriggan will have named her beautiful baby 'Belle', and we want her to seek medical attention and receive the care, support and attention she needs and deserves." Gardai are trying to establish how the baby came to be on the beach but say they are satisfied she was not washed up. Officers will also search through local CCTV to try to identify the mother or who was involved in the incident. Master of the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, Dr Rhona Mahony, said she is concerned that the woman might be experiencing complications: We understand she is going through a terribly difficult time. I imagine she is very confused, distressed and frightened; she may feel overwhelmed. I hope she will feel able to contact someone. It's about her; making sure she is safe; making sure she is ok. She is concerned that the woman could be suffering from excessive bleeding and feeling unwell: Our primary concern is caring for her. There is no question of anyone giving out to her. We are concerned for her physical health; her mental health." A number of people living in Balbriggan are arranging a candlelight vigil in the town square for the baby and to show support and love for the mother. Anyone with information is asked to contact Balbriggan Garda Station on 018 0666 000 or Tusla on 0818 776315. A mother has pleaded not guilty to the murder of her three-year-old son in Dublin. Maha Al Adheem, with an address at Riverside, Poddle Park, Kimmage, Dublin 12 is charged with murdering Omar Omran on July 10, 2017, at the same address. Women who experience a concealed pregnancy or birth should not be pathologised or criminalised, a leading midwifery lecturer at the University of Limerick (UL) has said. Dr Sylvia Murphy Tighe, Course Director of Midwifery at ULs department of nursing and midwifery, who has conducted extensive research into the subject, claimed maternity care guidelines on crisis pregnancies are out of date and should be revised. Professional practitioners should receive improved guidelines from the HSE in how to deal compassionately and effectively with women who are in distress during a crisis pregnancy, she said. Dr Murphy Tighe said that a climate of stigma and fear, surrounding concealed pregnancies, remains. A law from 1861 which appears under the Offences Against the Person Act, states that, any anyone who secretly disposes or endeavors to conceal a birth, shall be guilty of an offence, punishable by up to two years imprisonment. Dr Murphy Tighe argued this merits review by the Law Reform Commission, as women I have interviewed about concealment feel they may be criminalised. She conducted interviews with 30 women about their personal experiences of concealing a pregnancy which formed a study published last year, entitled The Keeping It Secret Study (KISS). Most of the women said they had concealed their pregnancies out of fear. Some were in abusive relationships and more had been raped or sexually abused. Some of the women explained they felt pathologised, instead of being offered therapeutic or counselling for having experienced significant traumas in their lives. Dr Murphy Tighe said most of the women she spoke to had felt the Samaritans was the only service they could reach out to for help. While more needs to be done to improve services, Dr Murphy Tighe said the HSE was to be commended for introducing a national helpline for women experiencing distress about their pregnancy. The Irish Family Planning Association's (IFPA) National Pregnancy Lo Call helpline 1850 49 50 51 offers free...confidential and non-directive pregnancy counselling services for women and their partners. The service is operated by professional and accredited Counsellors at ten locations nationwide. The IFPA which states, on its website, that it is a pro-choice organisation adds we always support a womans own decision. It also states it offers accurate, honest and clear information about all your pregnancy options - abortion, parenting and adoption. Dr Murphy Tighe organised a symposium on December 6 last at the University of Limerick which centered around women experiencing concealed pregnancies. The discussion gave an opportunity to consider state failures in recognising the needs of women, their infants and families and the trauma involved, she said. Politicians have stuck its head in the sand over the matter, she added. By encouraging ongoing dialogue and discussion into a sensitive subject we are acknowledging that more needs to be done to provide support and therapeutic services for women. If you have been affected by this story you can contact the Irish Family Planning Association's National Pregnancy Lo Call helpline 1850 49 50 51; and or, the Samaritans (freephone) 116 123 or text 087 2 60 90 90 (standard text rates apply; or email jo@samaritans.ie (ROI) jo@samaritans.org (NI) A Limerick apartment linked to a convicted brothel keeper and her son was acquired with the proceeds of crime, the High Court has ruled. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart made the orders in favour of the Criminal Assets Bureau concerning the property in proceedings against Brazilian born Aulicete Walsh and her son Maicon Morelli, who is the apartment's registered owner. The exact location of the apartment cannot be identified for legal reasons. In her judgment, Ms Justice Stewart said she had "no hesitation" in finding that property was acquired with the proceeds of crime. The Judge said that Mrs Walsh "had put a great deal of effort into continually flouting the law and engaging in brothel keeping". She had also engaged in a lifestyle, which included the purchase of holidays and relatively new cars , through criminal activity all of which was based on a business model that takes advantage of vulnerable young women to make a profit. In 2017 Mrs Walsh was convicted of brothel keeping in Ennis and Limerick in May 2015, and was given an eight-month prison sentence. Mrs Walsh aged 55 years with an address at Clarina, Co Limerick, was previously convicted of brothel keeping and fined 750 in 2012 at Newcastle West District Court. The apartment in question was purchased by a bank draft in 2014 for approximately 34,000. The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) , arising out of a Garda investigation into brothel keeping, obtained orders freezing the property. CAB claimed the property was purchased with the proceeds of crime by Mrs Walsh and transferred into her son's name. Ms Walsh at an earlier court sitting CAB sought orders under Section 3 of the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act. Both mother and son opposed CAB's application. They argued that just over 20,000 used to buy the apartment came from legitimate income. If the property, which the court heard has increased in value, is sold by CAB they claimed that they should receive a percentage of the proceeds of that sale. Mrs Walsh claimed she put 10,000 she earned doing jobs such as house cleaning, minding children, working in butchers, bakers, a clinic and restaurants in Co Galway in to the apartment. Mrs Walsh came to Ireland from Brazil in 2006. and subsequently married an Irish man. Mr Morelli, who now resides in Brazil, claimed he was given money by his late father in Brazil which he brought to Ireland and put towards the purchase of the apartment. He also claimed he put money, which he earned from doing various jobs when he lived in Ireland and money he saved himself in to the acquisition of the property. Mr Morelli said he has never been involved in any serious criminality, and had nothing to do with his mother's brothel keeping activities. Dismissing the claims of both the mother and the son, the Judge said the respondents had failed to show the property was not bought with the proceeds of crime. The judge said this was due to the inconsistency with Mrs Walsh's evidence, her attempts to conceal the status of the property when interviewed by the Gardai, and the failure to provide financial and account evidence to support their claims about the property. While Mrs Walsh had "some legitimate income," it was clear she and her husband "lived a lifestyle which required significant funds, funds that could not have accrued from her meagre income." Any legitimate income expended by Mrs Walsh in purchasing the property would not have been available for that use were she not availing of her ill-gotten gains to support her daily life and preferred lifestyle, the Judge added. In the circumstances the judge said she was prepared to granted the orders sought by CAB. Sherry Smith/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- As congressional Democrats call for investigations, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus planned to inspect the U.S. Customs and Border Protection station where a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl was in U.S. government custody just before she died. Among their other questions, members of the caucus say they want to find out details of the medical attention provided and whether or not Border Patrol is equipped for the challenges it faces -- challenges Rep. Lou Correa, a Democrat from California's 46th District, said are different now. "In the past, most migrants were males, single," Correa said in a phone interview with ABC News. "Today, I think that's merged into something different. We truly may have, and do have, a humanitarian refugee crisis at our southern border." People attempting to cross the border now pose a "whole different set of issues and a whole different set of needs," said Correa, who's expected to become chairman of the House Oversight homeland security subcommittee in the new Congress in January. At least eight caucus members will head to the border station in Lordsburg, New Mexico, where Jakelin Caal Maquin was taken after she and her father were apprehended on the evening of Dec. 6 in a remote area of New Mexico desert. Officials said the father and daughter attempted to access a port of entry as part of a large group of around 160 migrants. The group was apprehended by four agents, officials said, none of whom were medical staff but were trained to provide medical examinations. After a little more than eight hours in Border Patrol custody, Maquin started suffering seizures and later died of septic shock, fever and dehydration in a children's hospital where she was airlifted, according to a DHS account. Caucus members expect to tour the facility and meet with CBP officials for a detailed briefing, Correa said. According to a press release, the caucus intends to find out "how these stations are equipped to protect the health and safety of those seeking refuge at our borders." Among other questions, Correa said the caucus will focus on the experience of border patrol agents. "What is it that they're seeing, as workers, the boots on the ground?" Correa asked. "They're the ones essentially facing these challenges. What is the mission, what are the resources, have things changed?" Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, shared similar concerns in a letter to Customs and Border Commissioner Kevin McAleenan on Monday, asking why the government wasn't better prepared to deal with such situations. "Not ensuring that basic necessities are provided to young children who have made the long and arduous journey through the desert, violates legal requirements, national standards, and fundamental decency," Feinstein wrote. On Friday, DHS officials said the DHS Inspector General would launch a probe to understand the circumstances surrounding Maquin's death, which came just days after her birthday. Attorneys for Maquin's family said in a press conference Saturday that autopsy results were not made public by either the El Paso County medical examiner or the Providence Children's Hospital in El Paso, where Maquin died. According to an unclassified government report obtained by ABC News, Maquin appears to have been one of four people who died this month trying to cross the Mexico border, and one of more than 260 this year. The figure represents migrant deaths recorded by border officials within their area of responsibility and is not exclusive to people in U.S. custody. The questions outlined by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus ahead of their trip follow comments McAleenan made at a Senate hearing last week, at which he said the agency's short-term holding cells are "incompatible" with the current task of holding families and children. The stations were built "decades ago to handle mostly male single adults in custody, not families and children," McAleenan said while testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee. McAleenan has come under fire from Democrats over his choice to not tell the committee about Maquin, who died in the days before his Senate hearing. In a letter responding to Rep. Kevin Yoder, the chairman of the House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee, McAleenan defended the decision, saying it wasn't confirmed at the time that Maquin's mother had been notified and he didn't want to "risk politicizing the death of a child." McAleenan said he welcomed the review and report by the DHS inspector general. While reasonable concerns on the timelines of notification have been raised, and will be addressed, I am proud of our agents in the field, their efforts to rescue this little girl, and the professionalism and dedication with which they carry out their mission every day, he said. In addition to Feinstein, another Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee who questioned McAleenan during the oversight hearing last week criticized him for not disclosing information about Maquin's case. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, said in an interview on NBC on Sunday that McAleenan should've disclosed more information during the testimony. "I look at the face of that sweet little girl, 7-year-old Jakelin Caal. She looks like the faces of the kids that were in my daughter's second-grade class. And he came and testified before us," Klobuchar said on NBC's "Face the Nation." "But he didn't even mention that this had happened." Klobuchar questioned whether McAleenan's choice not to tell the committee, saying CBP is required by law to disclose any deaths of people in its custody to members of the Senate and House within 24 hours. Congress needs to "get to the bottom of that," Klobuchar said. While the law doesn't apply to McAleenan's public, televised testimony, two other members of Congress, Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said in a letter Friday that CBP "failed to follow the reporting requirements" of notifying Congress within the 24-hour window under the law. On Sunday, a vigil was held for Maquin in El Paso, where she was hospitalized before she died. Protesters held signs calling for justice for her and an end to deaths at the border. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The ministers from the six Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) countries underlined on Monday the vital need of maintaining an open world economy and upholding the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi(left 3) meets with 5 other ministers from the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) countries at the sideline of "the 4th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting", Luang Prabang, Laos, December 17 2018. [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn] In a joint press communique released after the conclusion of "the 4th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting," the ministers from China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam reaffirmed that the LMC will be based on the principles of consensus, equality, mutual consultation and coordination, voluntarism, common contribution and shared benefits. They also reiterated respect for the United Nations charters and international laws, and in the spirit of friendship, openness and inclusiveness. The ministers agreed to promote the synergy of national development strategies, bring into full play resource endowment and competitive advantage, promote rational flow and optimal allocation of production factors, and start discussion on concretization of jointly building a LMC Economic Development Belt for mutual benefit and shared prosperity, the communique said. According to the communique, the ministers agreed to conduct high-quality production capacity cooperation and speed up the formulation of cooperation plan on connectivity among the Lancang-Mekong countries and development plans of cross-border economic and production capacity cooperation. The ministers expressed the readiness to work together for the complete success and positive outcomes of the fifth LMC foreign ministers' meeting to be held in December 2019 in China and the third LMC leaders' meeting in January 2020 in Laos. A lawsuit filed in the District Court of Northern California has accused the Cupertino-headquartered Apple Inc of lying about the screen sizes and pixel counts of the displays in its iPhone X series smartphones, the CNET report said. The suit filed by two plaintiffs alleged that Apple misled the customers by lying about the screen sizes of iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max devices by counting non-screen areas like the notch and corners. According to the suit, the screen size deception is simply based on Apple cutting corners. Apple calculates the screen size of phone by including non-screen areas such as corners and the cut-out notch at the top of the screen. Also Read: Lost your phone? Here's how you can recover WhatsApp account The plaintiffs also allege that the new line of iPhones do not have the "advertised screen resolution because they do not have the advertised number of screen pixels." According to the complaint, the iPhone X is advertised as having 2436*1125 pixels, but in fact does not use true pixels with red, green, and blue subpixels in each pixel. Instead, the iPhone X has only false screen pixels, with just two subpixels per false pixel (2436*1125*2 = = 5,481,000 subpixels) and it does not actually have any subpixels at all in the notch at the top of the screen or in the display-area corners. In contrast, the iPhone 8 Plus has a higher quality screen than iPhone X, with more subpixels (1920*1080 pixels*3 subpixels per pixel = 6,220,800 subpixels). The plaintiffs' lawyers didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Also Read: OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition Vs OnePlus 6T: How do these phones differ Earlier, some Apple users jointly filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of "secretly throttling" older iPhones to force customers to upgrade to a newer iPhone, calling it "one of the largest consumer frauds in history." Edited by: Udit Verma A man who sexually assaulted his 15-year-old daughter while she was napping in the bed he shared with his partner has been sentenced to four years in prison with the final 18 months suspended The 37-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the anonymity of his daughter, was convicted by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury of sexually assaulting the girl as she and her younger sister took an afternoon nap with him before a trip to the cinema. He had pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault at an address in Dublin, on July 26, 2015. It was the second time the case had gone to trial. The court heard at an earlier hearing last July, that the man told gardai that he was groggy when he went to bed with the two girls and mistook his daughter for his partner. At the previous hearing a victim impact report was read into the record by Karl Finnegan BL, prosecuting, in which the teenager stated that she had looked up to her father as a child. I thought he was smart but I now think of him as a stranger. He is separate from the Dad I looked up to, the teenager said. She said she was jealous of her friends' relationships with their fathers and wished she could have a good relationship with her father She said after the abuse she felt dirty, couldn't sleep and found it hard to trust others. I have fond memories of my Dad that I try to hold onto. Once we were a happy family. I wanted my father to finally face the truth, the girl said referring to the jury's verdict. Today, Judge Martina Baxter described the victim as an articulate and bright young woman and said the offence represented the most substantial and grave breach of trust. She was vulnerable and she was a child. She was asleep in the bed he shared with his partner, Judge Baxter said before she noted that the teenager had to testify twice and be cross-examined by his defence team on each occasion. The judge said the man had both a self-serving and self-pitying approach to the case with not much regard to the impact the offence had on his own daughter. He was supposed to be her father and her protector, Judge Baxter said before she added that the man has now acknowledged he was in the wrong, although he had trouble accepting that previously. He exploited her youth and innocence for his own gratification and acted in the most disgusting manner on a sleeping 15-year-old child, Judge Baxter said before she suspended the final 18 months of a four year term. She ordered that the man undergo 18 months Probation Service supervision upon his release from custody. The president of the High Court has urged the Medical Council to be "scrupulous" when examining future registration applications after a doctor registered to practise here, who was suspended in England last May for nine months for serious misconduct, allegedly gave different names and dates of birth to the authorities. It is also alleged, when filling in the annual form to re-register here in 2017 and 2018, that Dr Karim El Awad Mohamed had not declared conditions had been attached to his UK registration pending an inquiry. The Medical Council's attention was drawn to the doctor through "happenstance" because another consultant obstetrician, Dr Peter McKenna, had, while giving evidence during a High Court case, become aware the respondent doctor was suspended in England and had contacted the Council, Mr Justice Peter Kelly noted. Following inquiries by the council, it applied last week ex parte on a one side only represented basis for a suspension order and the judge on Monday continued that. The doctor was not in court and was not represented but the judge was satisfied he was aware of the application. The order provides the doctor is suspended and prohibited practising medicine pending steps, or further steps, under Part 7, and, if applicable, Parts 8 and 9, of the Medical Practitioners Act In making the suspension order under Section 60 of the Act, the judge said, while he had heard the application in private, he was giving his ruling in public. The doctor was registered on the general register here and, while he has worked in a department of obstetrics and gynaecology in Limerick hospital and other public hospitals, he is also free to work in the private sector, the judge noted. Given the "dishonesty" to date and the ineffectiveness of just notifying the order to the public health authorities here, he was giving his ruling in public because he was satisfied that was necessary for protection of the public. The doctor was suspended in England in May 2018 for nine months arising from findings of misconduct against him in disciplinary proceedings. Conditions had been earlier imposed on his UK registration. Suspension Also on Monday, a suspension order was separately made against Dr Patricia Sverani Black, registered to practice medicine here, due to patient safety concerns arising from her alleged prescription practices, including prescribing "very large quantities" of diazepam and dalmane and anti-psychotic medication. The suspension was also sought over alleged breach of an undertaking given by her in June 2018 concerning her prescription practices. Among the concerns expressed by the Council was that Dr Black was allegedly prescribing large quantities of medication in circumstances where she had no particular qualifications in relation to treatment of people with drug addiction but was providing services to people who travelled long distances to see here. The judge had made an order ex parte against Dr Black last week and she was not in court or represented when the matter returned before him on Monday. He was satisfied she was aware of the application. The judge made the suspension order in public, saying that was necessary in the interests of the public and of patient safety. It suspends her registration pending steps under Part 7 and, if applicable, Parts 8 and 8 of the Act. In his ruling, the judge said there was a clear breach by Dr Black of an undertaking by her not to prescribe a range of drugs and the Council did not accept her explanation she understood the undertaking referred only to "new" patients. She had also contacted a Medical Council official, referring to him as a "psychopath" and "sociopath" and had sent a "bizarre" letter to a solicitor for the Council, referring inter alia to her concern over the Tuam babies issue and accusing him of being "inhumane" and treating some patients as not worthy of being cared for. A murder trial jury has heard that a doctor who admits stabbing her three-year-old autistic son in their south Dublin home had told gardai that a power had made her go to a drawer and remove a knife. The Central Criminal Court has heard that the boy was stabbed 20 times, mainly to the trunk of his body. Four stab wounds had penetrated his lungs and heart, severing a vital artery, the court heard. It was during the opening of the trial of Maha Al Adheem that a prosecuting barrister told the court that expert psychiatrists for both the prosecution and defence are in agreement that the accused fulfils the criteria of not guilty by reason of insanity in this case. Ms Al Adheem (43), with an address at Riverside, Poddle Park, Kimmage, Dublin 12 is charged with murdering Omar Omran on July 10, 2017 at the same address. She pleaded not guilty when arraigned before a jury this morning. Opening the case for the prosecution today, Michael Delaney SC told the court that there will be no substantial controversy between the prosecution and defence on the facts of the case. The defence of insanity has been raised on behalf of Ms Al Adheem, the barrister said, and if this is accepted by the jury it would result in a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. This is not the equivalent of an outright acquittal, he added. Counsel told the jury that the facts of the case are particularly distressing and profoundly sad so they must strive to be clinical in their assessment of the evidence. Your deliberation are likely to boil down to what you make of the expert evidence concerning the state of mind of the accused woman at the time she killed her son, said Mr Delaney. Outlining the facts of the case, Mr Delaney said Ms Al Adheem spent the early part of her life in Kuwait and lived there until she was 15 years of age. The Gulf War had broke out at this time and the accuseds family moved to Iraq where she remained until 2006. Ms Al Adheem studied medicine between 1994 and 2003 and ultimately qualified as a doctor in Iraq. However, her studies were delayed in part as she was diagnosed with suffering from depression and schizophrenia in 1996. The barrister said that due to the conflict taking place where Ms Al Adheem had studied and started to practice as a doctor, her family moved to Syria in 2006 and remained there until 2010. He said the court will hear that Ms Al Adheem came to Ireland in 2010 as part of an arranged marriage to a man called Khalid Omran who was living in Dublin at the time. The pair got married in January 2010 and Ms Al Adheem moved to Ireland in November of that year, he said. This was not a happy marriage and they separated in May 2014, only a few months after their only child Omar was born. Their son had developmental delay and he was non-verbal, Mr Delaney said, and he was diagnosed with autism when he was just over three years of age. This all forms part of the background to the case, he indicated. Although Ms Al Adeem qualified as a doctor she did not practice medicine in Ireland as it was not possible with everything going on in her life. In March 2017, a month after her son was diagnosed with autism, Ms Al Adheem was admitted to the psychiatric department of St Jamess Hospital with suicidal thoughts and was detained there for five days. She was diagnosed with suffering from an adjustment reaction and the opinion was that she was under a considerable amount of stress as a single mother who was having difficulty accessing services for her special needs son. The accused was living in her one bedroom apartment in Kimmage with her son at the time, the court heard. He said the court will hear evidence that in the months prior to the alleged offence based on accounts provided by neighbours, Ms Al Adheem was becoming preoccupied with a black cat with no tail, who was wandering around her apartment complex. She associated this cat with an evil spirit that was making bad things happen and one of these things was a male presence engaging in sexual acts with her in her bed at night, said Mr Delaney, adding that the accused told her neighbours about this. On the day of the killing, Mr Delaney said Dublin Fire Brigade got a 999 call from a female at 6.40pm who stated that her baby was dead and then hung up. The person who took the call phoned the woman back but she hung up again. Paramedics were dispatched to the scene and were unable to get access to the accuseds apartment on the second floor. There was no answer when they knocked on the door and they went around the side to get access to the balcony but the balcony door was locked and the curtains drawn. They returned to the front door of the apartment and used a sledgehammer to break the door. Garda Diarmaid Kelly was the first person to enter the hallway where he saw the accused who began moving back to the living area. She was observed putting her hands up and had blood on her clothing, said Mr Delaney, adding that she held her thigh as if she was injured. It became apparent at the same time that Omars body, which had multiple stab wounds to his chest, was lying on a single bed in the bedroom. Rigor mortis had set in which appeared to suggest the death had occurred sometime earlier. Ms Al Adheem told those in attendance at the scene that she had stabbed her son and then herself and she wanted to die. Medical personnel at the scene tried to examine the accused, she was reluctant at first but eventually allowed this to be done. She had a number of superficial wounds to her abdomen. Ms Al Adheem was brought to St Jamess Hospital where it was confirmed that her injuries were not serious and she was transferred from A&E to the psychiatric part of the hospital where she remained until she was discharged two days later. Omars body was removed from the apartment the following day and a post-mortem was conducted by Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Linda Mulligan. Mr Delaney said the evidence will be that Dr Mulligan identified 20 stab wounds, mainly to the trunk of his body. Four stab wounds were significant as they had penetrated his lungs and heart, severing a vital artery. There were also signs of defensive injuries to the boys right hand. Dr Mulligan found that sustaining these injuries was not compatible with life and the child would have had no prospect of survival. The cause of death was massive blood loss as a result of multiple stab wounds. A silver kitchen knife was found towards the head of the bed and Dr Mulligan considered that this knife could have caused Omars injuries, the court heard. Mr Delaney further stated that Ms Al Adheems treating psychiatrist said she was fit for interview following her discharge on July 12 and she was then arrested for her sons death. The accused was taken to Crumlin Garda station where she was interviewed on four occasions and the jury will hear evidence of what was said in the course of those interviews. In those interviews she spoke of the black cat without a tail wandering around the apartment complex and that a man through the cat was sleeping with her, said counsel. The court will also hear evidence, the lawyer said, that Ms Al Adheem gave an account to gardai concerning what happened that day. The accused told gardai that she and Omar were in the sitting room at midday when she grabbed a knife and stabbed him in the bedroom and then stabbed herself before she passed out. When she "came around" she called 999. She said a power had made her go to a drawer and take out a knife and stab her son, said Mr Delaney, adding that this was something the accused had been heard to repeat on a number of occasions. Ms Al Adheem was transferred to the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum shortly after having been charged with the offence. The court will finally hear evidence, Mr Delaney said, from two psychiatric consultants who are not responsible for Ms Al Adheems care but will give independent evidence about her mental state at the time of the alleged offence. The barrister said the defence of insanity is being raised in this case and both expert psychiatrists are in agreement that the accused fulfils the criteria of not guilty by reason of insanity in this case. Anne Rowland SC, defending Ms Al Adheem, made a number of admissions of fact to the court on behalf of her client. These included that the accused rang emergency services at 6.40pm on July 10 and reported that her three-year-old son had been killed. Ms Rolwand further admitted that the accused had blood on her right side when gardai arrived at her apartment on the day of the killing and she told them she had stabbed herself and her son. Ms Rowland said the body of the deceased was removed to the Mater Hospital and then to the city morgue where an autopsy revealed stab wounds to his trunk. These stab wounds were inflicted by Ms Al Adheem, she said. The barrister also said her client was interviewed on four occasions by gardai and during the course of these interviews she made admissions about her son. The trial resumes tomorrow before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of nine men and three women. It is expected to last three days. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has denied claims British Prime Minister Theresa May "loathes" him, insisting their relationship has not been damaged by the ongoing Brexit stand-off pitting Ireland and Britain against each other. In response to the deepening stalemate between the countries over Brexit, unnamed British government sources claimed at the weekend Ms May "loathes" Mr Varadkar. The allegation mirrors a growing anxiety among the Conservatives party hierarchy over the central role of Ireland and the Northern Ireland backstop in blocking any Brexit deal with the EU. However, asked about the claims, Mr Varadkar said he does not believe they are accurate and claimed he does not understand why Ms May would feel this way. "I'm not sure if the feeling's true, and I'm not quite sure where that particular idea comes from. I do see the same anonymous source [who made the "loathes" claims to a Sunday newspaper] claimed the communications between London and Dublin had been outsourced to the deputy prime minister and the Tanaiste. "That's patently not the case because as recently as last week we spoke on the phone. So I really don't know where that particular idea came from," Mr Varadkar said. During the same media briefing, the Taoiseach repeated his view that while any decision on holding a second Brexit referendum is up to Britain, "if they change their mind that's their decision too". We're not asking them to do that, we're not pressuring them to do that, but that fact is that the United Kingdom can take a no deal scenario at any stage off the table," he said. Meanwhile, cabinet is expected to discuss the full details of its Brexit no deal plans this morning before they are published on Thursday at a Brexit stakeholders meeting. The plans are expected to include details on how Ireland will stockpile medicines, up to 45 new emergency laws which will be needed if there is no deal, and "infrastructural works" for Dublin Port and Rosslare. Asked if he is confident enough preparation is taking place, Mr Varadkar said: "Yeah I am, we had a meeting in Government Buildings only yesterday on some plans we were making for a no deal scenario, and also a deal scenario." A large yellow bus with "Bollocks to Brexit" written on the side is driving around Dublin today. It is part of a Remain campaign trying to get a second referendum on Brexit. The "Bollocks Bus" has been making its way around the UK and has been spotted at the Guinness Storehouse, in Ballymun and other areas of the city today. It is due to travel to the Irish border and Belfast this afternoon. The bus has been touring the UK and the EU over the past 10 days - including stops in London, Dover, Holyhead and Brussels. It is due to arrive in Scotland tomorrow, before driving back through England towards London again. Today, Theresa May is due to update MPs on Brexit plans in the wake of last week's European Council summit. The British Prime Minister failed to secure any substantial concessions to the withdrawal agreement, although EU leaders said they're happy to offer further clarity on elements of the agreement. Amid continuing strong opposition in Westminster to the deal with the EU, Mrs May is expected to again rule out any prospect of a second referendum on Brexit when she addresses the House of Commons this afternoon. The protection to not testify against ones spouse should extend beyond societys 1992 definition of the nuclear family, lawyers have told the Court of Appeal. The case concerns a Circuit Court ruling on whether two women could be compelled to give evidence against their partners, with whom they were in ongoing relationships but were not married at the time. Both men had been charged with a single count each of attempting to pervert the course of justice in 2012. The effective evidence against them, as alleged, was to be found in statements made by their partners, which were sought to be admitted under 16 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. The mens details cannot be published as they were acquitted by direction of the trial judge. At trial, defence lawyers successfully challenged the admissibility of the evidence on the basis that the women were in ongoing relationships with the accused and, as such, they couldn't be compelled to testify against them. It was submitted that although the women were not spouses within the meaning of the Criminal Evidence Act 1992, they were in ongoing relationships and should be regarded as same. The Court of Appeal heard that there would have been no doubt about what the word spouse meant in 1992, but since then, it had not been defined. Counsel for one of the acquitted men, Philip Sheahan SC, said it was "absurd" to think that spousal protection did not extend beyond the definition of the nuclear family in 1992. Counsel for the other acquitted man, Paddy McCarthy SC, said there was one definition of marriage in 1992 but weve come a long distance since then. In the Circuit Court, Judge Thomas Teehan ruled that the evidence of the two mens' partners was inadmissible. He accordingly directed the jury to acquit the two accused. The Director of Public Prosecutions has moved to appeal the men's acquittals under Section 23 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2010 The appeal was originally moved with prejudice. However, the men had since married their partners - "happily so," according to one of their barristers - and a retrial will not now arise. The case was thus advanced "without prejudice" on a point of law. Generally, spouses cannot be compelled to give evidence against their partners as it forces them to choose between giving truthful evidence, thereby jeopardising their relationship, and giving unreliable evidence. The European Courts have recognised that in such a circumstance, there were two competing public interests, namely the prosecution of serious crime and the protection of family life from state interference. Counsel for the DPP, Anthony Salmon SC, submitted that if the Circuit Court Judge's ruling was to be repeated in other trial courts "as is inevitable, it would have consequences for very many prosecutions". Mr Sammon said the Oireachtas had numerous opportunities to extend the definition to include girlfriends, co-habitees and civil partners but had not done so. President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, said the court would reserve its judgment. A publican in Kerry has called for the closure of the Dail bar. Killarney publican Sean O'Mahony brought the proposal before a recent meeting of the Kerry branch of the Vintners' Federation. Up to 35 nurses in the Mater University Hospital in Dublin have been told they cannot work over the coming weeks due to a backlog in processing work permits. Some of the affected staff members have been working for a number of years in the health service, according to SIPTU. The trade union is calling on the Government to intervene and expedite processing the required documentation for non-EU nursing staff. SIPTU's John McCamley said: SIPTU representatives are calling on the Minister for Health, Simon Harris and the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI), Heather Humphreys to intervene in order to expedite the processing of DBEI documentation for non-EU nursing staff working in the Mater hospital. It is particularly troubling that staff who have come to Ireland to help keep the health service going throughout the Christmas period have been told that they cannot work due to administrative delays. During the winter months our health services can be pushed to the brink, so to remove nursing staff from critical areas because of backlogs seems like an unnecessary self-inflicted wound. Update: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have responded to the news saying that the timing of this so close to Christmas makes this situation all the more serious. Albert Murphy, the INMOs Industrial Relations Officer for the Mater said: These vital workers are stuck in a visa limbo. It is deeply unfair to put them in this position, especially so close to Christmas. They work hard to care for patients and deserve the certainty that they will still have jobs to go to. Theres a huge shortage of nurses in Ireland, yet it appears that we may be locking out highly skilled staff due to a bureaucratic backlog. The Department of Health spend millions on agency nurses and overseas recruitment every week, yet the Department of Business is forcing qualified nurses out. He added: It seems the governments left hand doesnt know what the right one is doing. Simon Harris needs to pick up the phone to Heather Humphreys and get this mess sorted out urgently. Nurses and patients deserve better. The Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to life imprisonment for criminal conspiracy to commit murder. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel also convicted Kumar for the offences of abetment, delivering speeches instigating violence against Sikhs and disrupting communal harmony, saying "truth will prevail and justice will be done". The court said the life sentence awarded to the Congress leader would be for the "remainder of his life" and directed him to surrender by December 31. Also Read: American Sikh community thanks PM Narendra Modi for Kartarpur corridor The bench also said Kumar will not leave the city of Delhi from now till December 31. With the direction, the court said it has partially allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation's appeal against Kumar's acquittal by the trial court in a case related to the murder of five members of a Sikh family -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh -- in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984, after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. In the same case, the high court upheld the convictions and awarded varying sentences to former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. They were also convicted for criminal conspiracy to burn down residences of Sikh families and a gurdwara in the area during the riots. The court also directed them to surrender by December 31 and not leave the city before that. With the direction, the bench dismissed the appeals of the five against their conviction and punishment awarded by the trial court. The trial court in May 2013, while acquitting Kumar, had awarded life term to Balwan Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a three-year jail term to Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. Though the high court upheld Balwan Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal life sentences, it extended the sentences of Yadav and Kishan Khokar to a 10-year jail term. The high court had on March 29 last year issued show cause notices to 11 accused, including Yadav, in five other 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases which were earlier closed. The matter is being heard by another division bench. The accused, who were acquitted of the charges, were asked as to why should the court not order reinvestigation and retrial against them as they faced allegations of "horrifying crimes against humanity". Also Read: Govt reforms bringing desired results, note ban served purpose, says Venkaiah Naidu Also Read: Kerala teenager launches his own software development company in Dubai Watch News Blast: Jeremy Corbyn has demanded a Commons vote on Theresa Mays future after she confirmed a showdown on her Brexit plan would not take place before Christmas. The Labour leader tabled a long-threatened motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister after she set out the timetable for MPs to pass judgment on her deal with Brussels. Raising a point of order in the Commons, he said: "It's very clear that it's bad, unacceptable that we should be waiting almost a month before we have a meaningful vote on the crucial issue facing the future of this country. "The Prime Minister has obdurately refused to ensure a vote took place on the date she agreed, she refuses to allow a vote to take place this week and is now, I assume, thinking the vote will be on January 14 - almost a month away. "This is unacceptable in any way whatsoever. "So, as the only way I can think of ensuring a vote takes place this week, I'm about to table a motion which says the following: 'That this House has no confidence in the Prime Minister due to her failure to allow the House of Commons to have a meaningful vote straight away on the Withdrawal Agreement and framework for future relationships between the UK and European Union.' "That will be tabled immediately, Mr Speaker." Blimey - @jeremycorbyn has now tabled a motion of no confidence in the PM - announcing it at the end of the statement with the PM watching and walking out at the end... pic.twitter.com/rQVUTxTwRZ Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) December 17, 2018 The effect of Mr Corbyn's motion in Mrs May is disputed, with Labour believing it would be a confidence motion under the procedures of the House. It will be for the Government to determine whether to schedule time for debate on Mr Corbyn's motion, according to the House of Commons authorities. Commons Speaker John Bercow said Mr Corbyn's point of order required no response from him but was on the record. Mrs May left the chamber after the Labour leader raised the motion. Mr Bercow later confirmed he would be "happy to chair debates over Christmas" if MPs gather enough support to pass a motion to restart the Brexit debate. He was replying to veteran former minister Frank Field (Birkenhead), who asked if there was "a way of moving to a vote" on Mrs May's agreement after the Government postponed the debate last week. Mr Bercow said it was "always possible to table a motion in this House", but added he was neither "exhorting" nor "discouraging" the Independent MP to do so. He said: "My role is to serve this House. I would be perfectly happy to chair debates over the Christmas period. I would be perfectly happy to come back on January 2 and sit in this chair. "Millions of people are going to be working on January 2, we could do that, but it's not for me to say when the House should sit when it should debate and when it should vote." He added: "I am here to serve and if the House decided that it wanted to proceed at a different rate, a faster pace, then it would be my responsibility to be here and I would gladly accept that responsibility." "If any more evidence was needed of why we face this grave situation, the Prime Minister demonstrated it at last week's summit. "There were some warm words drafted and the Prime Minister even managed to negotiate those away to be replaced by words about preparing for no deal." "This is a constitutional crisis and the Prime Minister is the architect of it." Jeremy Corbyn says Theresa May is "leading the most shambolic and chaotic government in modern British history". pic.twitter.com/1eeQrdnsdR Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) December 17, 2018 Mr Corbyn said the "cold reality" was Mrs May achieved "nothing" last week after returning to Brussels to seek further assurances over the Irish border backstop. He went on: "The deal is unchanged and not going to change. The House must get on with the vote and move on to consider the realistic alternatives." Mr Corbyn accused Mrs May of cynically running down the clock on the March 29 Brexit deadline. Mr Corbyn demanded Mrs May answer three questions as he quizzed her over the latest Brexit negotiations. He said: "One, does her deal still have the confidence of the Cabinet? "Two, is Cabinet collective responsibility still in operation? "Three, does it remain Government policy to avoid a no-deal outcome?" British MPs are increasingly talking about the prospect of a second referendum to resolve the deadlock in Parliament over Theresa May's Brexit deal. How would a second referendum come about? Holding a referendum requires an Act of Parliament. The most obvious way would be for the British Government to table a simple stand-alone Bill, as was the case for the 2016 referendum. However, Theresa May has made clear she is firmly opposed to the idea. An alternative route could be for MPs to try to amend another piece of relevant legislation. How long would that take? In the case of the 2016 referendum, it took seven months to get the Bill through the UK Parliament - although in practice it could be done much more quickly. The British Electoral Commission then has a statutory duty to assess the referendum question to ensure it is intelligible and free from bias - a process which would normally take up to 12 weeks, although again it could be shortened. The legislation would specify the length of the referendum campaign. All recent campaigns have lasted at least 10 weeks. Overall, the British Institute for Government estimates the whole process could take up to five months. What would that mean for the Brexit timetable? On current plans, Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, so it could not be completed by then. Therefore, for a referendum to be held, the Government would have to go to Brussels to ask for an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process - something the EU may or may not grant. Jean Claude Juncker What would be the question on the ballot paper? This is where it gets complicated. Generally referendums offer a simple choice between two options - as in 2016 when it was Leave or Remain. However, most British MPs accept that there would have to be at least three options - leave with Mrs May's Brexit deal, leave without a deal, or remain in the EU. How would that work? Various ideas have been floated. One would be for voters to rank the options in order of preference. If none of the options gained an overall majority of first preference votes, the one with the fewest votes would be eliminated and its second preference votes would be distributed among the other two. Alternatively, voters could just be given one choice. If none received an overall majority, the one with the fewest votes would again be eliminated, but under this scheme the other two options would then go forward to a final ballot a week later. A third way could be to have a two-question ballot. The first would ask if voters wanted to Leave or Remain. The second would ask them to choose between a deal and a no-deal Brexit in the event that there is still a majority for Leave. Where do the political parties stand? The Conservatives officially oppose a second referendum, arguing that voters made their views clear in 2016 and that another ballot would simply exacerbate the bitter divisions opened up by the Brexit debate. However, a growing number of mainly Remain-supporting backbench Tory MPs are warming to the idea, believing it offers a way out of the current impasse. The British Labour party says it wants a general election, but if that is not possible all options are on the table - including a second referendum. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, a longstanding Eurosceptic, has, however, shown little enthusiasm for the idea, while some of his supporters fear it could alienate traditional Labour voters in Leave-supporting areas. The last 24 hours have shown that Theresa Mays Brexit deal is dead in the water. She's failed to deliver any meaningful changes. Rather than ploughing ahead and recklessly running down the clock, she needs to put her deal to a vote next week so Parliament can take back control Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 14, 2018 However, he is facing a groundswell of support from within the party for another vote, including from many of the young Momentum activists who propelled him to the leadership and who are passionately opposed to Brexit. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the SNP - which opposes Brexit - will back a second referendum in the Commons, although she angered some in her party who wanted to make their support conditional on a second referendum on Scottish independence. PM has tried, credit to her for that, but, as expected, the EU is not open to renegotiation. Its time to stop this pretence, bring the vote to Parliament and then, when the deal is rejected, seek to bring majority behind a second EU vote. Anything else now is just wasting time. https://t.co/a7qIpjtWgE Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) December 14, 2018 Are there any precedents for a second referendum? In the UK, not really. However in other countries, where referendums are more common, there is a history of giving voters a chance to think again. In Ireland, for example, in 2009 voters supported ratification of the EU Lisbon Treaty, having rejected it at the first time of asking. Similarly, in 2002, the Nice Treaty was accepted on the second occasion. PA Latest: Theresa May has set the timetable for a decisive showdown with MPs over her Brexit deal in January. The British Prime Minister said the Commons would have the chance to debate her Withdrawal Agreement in the week MPs return to Westminster after Christmas on January 7. The crucial vote which was postponed earlier this month to avoid a heavy defeat will take place the following week. Mrs May told the Commons: It is now only just over 14 weeks until the UK leaves the EU and I know many members of this House are concerned that we need to take a decision soon. She added: I can confirm today that we intend to return to the meaningful vote debate in the week commencing January 7 and hold the vote the following week. Mrs May's announcement came after UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had threatened to table a motion of no confidence in her if she did not set a date for the vote. Mr Corbyn said the vote should have been held before Christmas, accusing Mrs May of dither and delay. He told her: A responsible prime minister would for the good of this country put this deal before the House this week so we could move on from this Governments disastrous negotiation. This is a constitutional crisis and the Prime Minister is the architect of it. She is leading the most shambolic and chaotic government in modern British history. Theresa May's statement came as: Cabinet ministers openly speculated about how to proceed if the deal is rejected Brussels appeared to dispute claims that negotiations were continuing over the terms of the deal Planning for a no-deal Brexit was being stepped up, with the Cabinet discussing the next phase in ensuring we are ready for that scenario on Tuesday. The British Prime Minister warned MPs that rejecting her deal would not result in an alternative miraculously appearing. Avoiding no deal is only possible if we can reach an agreement or if we abandon Brexit entirely, she said. And in a warning to campaigners calling for a second referendum, she said it would break faith with the British people and do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics. But one of Mrs Mays closest allies said all options should remain open if the deal is rejected. UK Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said it would be important to find out the will of Parliament on how to proceed, while British Business Secretary Greg Clark also appeared to back an indicative vote to find out what if anything MPs could support. Parliament should be "invited" to have a say over Brexit options if Theresa May's deal falls through, says Business Secretary @GregClarkMP #r4today#r4today | @bbcnickrobinson | https://t.co/xvQMoTx9uA pic.twitter.com/5esAxfbCOv BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) December 17, 2018 Asked whether he was tempted to give MPs a range of options to vote on, Mr Clark told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think, obviously, its important, once the Prime Minister has finished her negotiations with other European leaders and the Commission, that Parliament votes on that. If that were not to be successful, we do need to have agreement we cant just have continuing uncertainty, and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with, and thats something that I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics. But he cautioned against a second referendum, saying it would continue the uncertainty for many more months. "We need to find out where the will of parliament is." Work and pensions secretary @AmberRuddHR agrees with colleagues calling for MPs to vote on all Brexit options. The PM will tell MPs a second referendum would "break faith" with people - latest here: https://t.co/jfxabjwywj pic.twitter.com/iPgMtaYIGL Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) December 17, 2018 Ms Rudd told reporters that she hoped Mrs May's deal would be supported in the vote expected in January. But she added: After that we need to find out where the will of Parliament is, where the majority of MPs will vote in Parliament and nothing should be off the table, we should consider all options. (PA Graphics) Mrs Mays official spokesman later told a Westminster media briefing that there were no plans to stage an indicative vote on a range of Brexit options, but did not definitively rule the option out. He said that all Cabinet ministers who have spoken publicly on Brexit in recent days had made clear their commitment to getting Mrs May's deal through the UK Parliament, which remains the Governments priority. But there was confusion over efforts to secure further guarantees over the controversial Northern Irish backstop measure designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland. Downing Street said talks by officials were continuing at all levels to seek further clarification and assurances on the terms of the existing deal and particularly the nature of the proposed backstop as agreed at the European Council last week. But European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas said no further meetings between the EU and the UK to discuss the Brexit deal are expected. He told a press conference in Brussels: The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible we will not reopen it, it will not be renegotiated. As President Tusk said, the European Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage so no further meetings with the United Kingdom are foreseen. He added that talk of a second referendum was an internal matter for the UK. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Mrs May had turned to former British prime minister David Cameron for advice on how to give MPs a greater role if her Brexit deal is rejected. Mrs Mays spokesman said: To my knowledge, Im not aware of any advice in that way. A source said the pair talk occasionally but Mr Cameron does not have any role advising her.- Press Association Theresa May confirms Brexit vote to be held before January 21 Update 4.05pm: The meaningful vote on the Brexit withdrawal agreement will happen in the week of January 14. The British Prime Minister has said she still wants further assurances on the Brexit backstop from EU leaders. While British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says that Theresa May achieved nothing during last week's trip to Brussels. Theresa May has led UK into "national crisis", she "achieved nothing" in Brussels - Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responds to PM's statement#Brexit updates: https://t.co/JSIsoIyi3E pic.twitter.com/A2qNwjSBYD BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) December 17, 2018 He has called for a vote on the deal to happen this week and threatened a no confidence vote in Theresa May if it does not. Mr Corbyn accused Theresa May of leading Britain into a "national crisis" over Brexit. Mrs May told the House of Commons a second Brexit referendum is not going to happen - and urged MPs to get behind the deal on the table. "I know there are a range of very strongly-held personal views on this issue across the House and I respect all of them," said Mrs May. But expressing our personal views is not what we are here to do. We asked the British people to take this decision. She added: "I know this is not everyone's perfect deal. It is a compromise. "But if we let the perfect be the enemy of the good, we risk leaving the EU with no deal." Mrs May stressed that the UK Government had prepared for a no-deal Brexit and "tomorrow the Cabinet will be discussing the next phase in ensuring we are ready for that scenario". UK PM Theresa May says #Brexit debate will be held week beginning 7 January 2019, with meaningful vote by MPs the following week Updates: https://t.co/frUlM4dw1R pic.twitter.com/9yuWfuea2d BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) December 17, 2018 She told MPs that "avoiding 'no deal' is only possible if we can reach an agreement or if we abandon Brexit entirely." No other deal was going to "miraculously appear" if her agreement is rejected, she said. And warning against a second referendum, she said it would "break faith with the British people" and do "irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics". PA & Digital Desk A deal ensuring flights between the UK and Switzerland continue post-Brexit is to be signed by the UK's Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. The bilateral transport deal will replace the current agreement the UK and Switzerland share through an arrangement between Swiss authorities and the EU. In 2017 6.8 million passengers travelled by air between the countries, according to the Department for Transport (DfT). Mr Grayling said: "The UK aviation sector is the biggest in Europe and will play an even more crucial role as we further develop as an outward looking global nation. "These agreements will ensure Britain continues to prosper as we leave the EU and I'm confident the UK will reach a mutually beneficial deal, whilst we continue to prepare for all eventualities." He is travelling to Switzerland on Monday to sign the agreement. The move came as the British Government sought to calm fears that a no-deal Brexit could have a major impact on travel plans. Downing Street dismissed as "untrue" reports that people would be advised not to book holidays after March under proposed contingency guidance plans being drawn up for a no-deal scenario. Mr Grayling has also written to all Tory MPs insisting that people can have confidence about their travel plans. He wrote: "Within the EU, both we and the Commission have been clear that in all circumstances there will be an agreement between the UK and the EU after Brexit, enabling routine aviation between UK airports and the EU to continue as normal. "In the event that there wasn't an implementation period, the arrangements default to a bilateral level, and I have discussed the future of aviation with virtually all of my member state counterparts. "All are prepared to put in place rapid arrangements if needed, but none believe this will be necessary. "Your constituents can therefore be confident in booking holidays for next summer." There have been 10 flight agreements recently agreed by the Government with countries including the US, Canada and Brazil to replace their EU equivalents. On Monday the Government is also launching the Aviation 2050 consultation. One of the proposals is a commitment to sign more air service agreements with countries around the world "in an effort to boost trade and tourism", according to the department's statement. Other proposals include requirements to reduce emissions and noise levels. Plans to embed noise exposure levels in the planning approval process and the introduction of noise caps which will be "regularly reviewed and enforced" are part of the Aviation 2050 strategy. The appointment of a chairman for the new Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise is also part of the consultation. Commenting on the plans, shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said: "Labour supports responsible and regulated growth in UK aviation. Any future expansion must be within our environmental and legal obligations. "It's not good enough for the Government to leave these imperatives to the market. "The aviation industry needs clear and ambitious objectives from Government on carbon, noise and air quality overseen by a strong regulator to ensure growth within environmental limits." John Stewart, chairman of HACAN, which represents residents under the Heathrow flight paths, said: "We welcome the proposal to reduce noise levels. The challenge for the Government and the aviation industry will be to ensure that local communities notice a real difference on the ground." The crash of a Boeing plane that killed 189 people in Indonesia is spiralling into a $US22 billion ($30.6 billion) feud between the aircraft maker and one of Asia's most influential aviation bosses. In a rare public dispute between the plane maker and one of its biggest customers, the head of PT Lion Mentari Airlines has threatened to cancel an order for billions of dollars of jets because of what he says is Boeing's unfair reaction to the crash. Lion Air has threatened to cancel an order for billions of dollars of jets from Boeing. Credit:AP The man standing up to the US aviation giant is Rusdi Kirana, Lion Air's owner, and while he was little known to the public outside South-East Asia before the crash, he's something of a legend in the industry. Eighteen years after he and his brother rented a Boeing 737-200 to start a service from Jakarta to Bali, Kirana, 55, has turned Lion Air into Indonesia's largest airline, with one of the biggest order books in the world. "He is, by virtue of the significance of Indonesia, right now probably the most important aviation figure in South-East Asia," said Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation consultancy Endau Analytics in Kuala Lumpur. Airlines have been put on notice that they must be fairer with travellers over refunds, with Jetstar facing an almost $2 million fine for misleading its customers about their legal rights. All four of Australia's major airlines have entered court-enforceable undertakings with the consumer watchdog to change their refund policies after they were caught lying to customers about access to refunds when a flight was delayed or cancelled. All major Australian airlines have changed their refund policies after the ACCC's investigation. Credit:James Davies For too long the airlines have been ignoring consumers' rights for refunds, said Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims. You cannot say there are no refunds - no matter how cheap the ticket is, no matter what ticket you buy. The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea challenging the LIC move to acquire 51 per cent stake in the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). Justice Vibhu Bakhru rejected the petition by the All India IDBI Officers Association, which had opposed the move of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on the ground that change in shareholding could take away the public sector bank status of IDBI. The association was concerned that taking away public sector status of IDBI could affect the employment conditions of its staff. LIC had earlier told the court it wanted to acquire 51 per cent stake in the IDBI as the state-run insurance company has been toying with the idea of having banking operations since 2000. LIC said it had in the past made several attempts to have a bank of its own, but its endeavours had "failed" as "nothing fructified". Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for LIC, had also said it has applied for a banking licence. Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing the bank, said that consent of employees was not required while changing the status of the company by government's dis-investment. IDBI, in which the government holds 85.96 per cent stake, had posted a net loss of Rs 2,409.89 crore in the quarter ended June 2018. It had posted a gross non-performing asset (NPA) of about Rs 57,807 crore. The association, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, had claimed that the change in shareholding was not in public interest as it "exposes the investments made by the public in the IDBI and corrodes the ability of the LIC to pay back its policy holders since it will have to invest an amount of Rs 13,000 crores to acquire the 51 per cent stake". Also Read: Govt plans new route to ensure Aadhaar linking with bank account, mobile phone Also Read: SBI, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank to hire 1 lakh people this fiscal to push new-age banking: report President Donald Trump is criticising Saturday Night Live on Twitter again after a Christmas-themed spoof on the sketch-comedy show focused on him. On Sunday, Trump called SNL and its NBC network "Democrat spin machines". This week's episode, hosted by Matt Damon, opened with an It's a Wonderful Life-themed sketch that imagined a White House without Trump. Alec Baldwin returned to play the president once again. In the black-and-white bit, Trump complains, "I don't think I can do this anymore... Sometimes I wish I were never president." Having made short work destroying $300 million in shareholder wealth this year, including $100 million wasted on WetnWild Sydney alone, Village Roadshow chief executive Graham Big Bucks Burke boarded QF11 direct to Los Angeles for another of his Hollywood sabbaticals on Saturday. We suspect itll be another all-stops Hollywood wine and dine number, from Beverly Hills restaurant Spago to the George Clooney-hangout Craigs, with no expense spared. Hollywood-bound, Graham Burke. Credit:John Shakespeare But is there something else going on at the six-decade-old cinema operator and Hollywood financier, founded and controlled by the wealthy Kirby clan? We had heard the companys annual general meeting, held in late November, was not the quiet affair Burke and his chairman Robert Kirby hoped it would be. An elderly woman has died after a house in North Strathfield was engulfed in flames on Monday night, and her son hospitalised after trying to rescue her. Agnes Lai, 97, was rescued by firefighters in breathing apparatus from the home on Lorraine Street, but had suffered critical injuries and was unable to be revived. Her son Basil, who lives across the street, tried to extinguish the fire and suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation in the process. He was taken to Concord Hospital and released on Tuesday morning. The first of eight fire crews arrived at the home just after 10.40pm to find the single-level house well alight, a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said. Chris Dawson will spend Christmas with his family in Queensland, after he was granted bail in a Sydney court on Monday. Wearing prison greens and with his head down, Mr Dawson appeared via audio-visual link from Silverwater Jail, where he has been in custody since he was charged with the murder of his wife Lynette earlier this month. Mr Dawson's bail is subject to strict conditions, including that he surrender his passport, report daily to police and not to go further than 20 kilometres from a residence in Coolum except when required to attend court. He is not to make contact with any person who has provided a statement to police and will also provide $1.5 million in order to secure his release. The NSW government has been urged to improve the public's ability to scrutinise transport projects after an inquiry found the delivery of WestConnex by a corporate entity weakened the "accountability and disclosure rules" for the $16.8 billion toll road. The parliamentary inquiry into WestConnex also found that the government had failed to "adequately consider alternative options" at the start of the project, undermining the justification for the 33-kilometre motorway and heightening community opposition. But despite calls for the final stage of WestConnex to be cancelled, the committee chaired by Reverend Fred Nile determined in its report released on Monday that it should be built because the benefits of the entire project would not be realised if it was dumped. WestConnex has faced stiff opposition from residents in Sydney's inner west. Credit:Steven Siewert Cancelling the third stage would also expose taxpayers to "enormous" costs because construction contracts had already been signed. On Friday, the government awarded the $3.9 billion contract for a complex underground junction at Rozelle in Sydney's inner west as part of the third stage. A man from Wollongong's south will spend at least nine months in jail for impersonating a police officer and extorting money from a man who he lured into a compromising position using a fake profile on the gay meet-up app, Grindr. Jayson Hastie, 25, attracted the attention of an older man using an account under the name of 'Alex'. He spent two weeks wooing his victim, exchanging several sexually explicit messages and phone calls. Hastie, from Albion Park, was a no-show at a planned meet-up on March 21, but made it to the rescheduled rendezvous at Bass Point two days later. The victim was greeted by one of Hasties friends, before Hastie arrived a short time later, climbed into the backseat of the victims vehicle and introduced himself as 'Alex'. A Queensland senior constable has been stood down from duty after allegedly leaking the details of a domestic violence victim to her abuser. Senior Constable Neil Punchard, 52, was stood down from official police duty, after accessing a confidential police database to find information about a domestic violence victim and passing it on to her former husband and abuser. Police charged Senior Constable Punchard with computer hacking on Friday. Senior Constable Punchard allegedly told the abuser that domestic violence victim Jodie* would "f---ing explode" when she realised her ex had her address. The Road Policing Command Officer was disciplined and dropped a pay point but was not charged with a criminal offence until Friday. A woman has been charged with the murder of a four-month-old baby almost a month after the child died of injuries at a Queensland hospital. The baby girl was taken to Logan Hospital with life-threatening injuries last month. The girl was transferred to Queensland Children's Hospital in a critical condition but died on November 20. Police, at the time, interviewed a woman, 35, and a man, 37, as detectives from the Logan Child Protection and Investigation and homicide squads began piecing together what happened. The Waterford West woman was charged with murder on Monday - almost a month later. A drunk driver who was speeding when he lost control of a car and hit a pedestrian walking on a footpath has been sentenced to 4 years in a West Australian prison. Walsh was uninjured in the crash. Shane Laurence Walsh, 27, failed to negotiate a bend, mounted a kerb and struck 62-year-old Peta Anne Agostinelli as she walked in Shoalwater in March. Walsh, who had an alcohol reading of 0.193, reached speeds of 107 km/h before he lost control and was travelling at 67 km/h at the time of the crash, the WA Supreme Court heard on Monday. Defence counsel Seamus Rafferty said his client had written a letter to the victim's family that demonstrated his "utter remorse (for the crime) in his sober state". The ACT and Northern Territory have lost a bid for a binding vote on restoring territory rights on euthanasia at Labor's national conference in Adelaide. Instead, delegates voted to "encourage" all federal Labor parliamentarians to support reinstating voting rights for the territories when the matter comes before the federal parliament. Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Tasmanian Opposition Leader Rebecca White and WA Premier Mark McGowan during the first day of the Australian Labor Party Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Sunday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The original motion, moved by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and seconded by Northern Territory Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Mansion, called on the conference to support a binding vote on all federal Labor politicians to support repealing the Andrews Bill, which was introduced to bring an end to the Northern Territory's assisted dying scheme in 1997. It read: "Labor believes this democratic right should be held by all Australians irrespective of the state or territory in which they reside. This conference believes it is unacceptable that as a result of the Andrews Bill Australians who reside in the ACT and NT have less democratic rights than other Australians." The last time the Nationals were in crisis over a sex scandal, Andrew Broad reached for the words of American evangelist Billy Graham, who had died in North Carolina just hours earlier. "When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost," the Nationals MP tweeted in February. "Telling words for the leadership of the National Party." Resigned from the frontbench: Nationals MP Andrew Broad. Credit:Rebecca Hallas The words were a direct hit on Barnaby Joyce as the deputy prime minister battled to save his job amid a messy affair with staffer Vikki Campion. The public rebuke was the beginning of the end for Joyce, who was gone within days. Nine months later, Broad's own character is up for judgment. The Nationals MP is facing allegations that go not just to character but conduct as a federal MP and member of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's ministry. Timing is everything in a budget plan that reveals a $9.3 billion gain this year but reserves firepower for the coming election. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has significant room for an upside surprise next year, in a bid to prove to jaded voters that a budget surplus is on the way. Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Parliament House in Canberra. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen He has also squirrelled away $8.9 billion in revenue decisions most likely tax cuts and another $1.4 billion in spending measures that are being kept secret for the campaign ahead. This does not necessarily mean an early election but certainly means Frydenberg and Prime Minister Scott Morrison can announce good news for voters at any point between now and the scheduled date for the federal budget, April 2. One person is convicted of escaping lawful custody every week in Queensland. Figures released following an LNP question on notice tabled in the Queensland Parliament revealed 54 people were convicted of "escape by persons in lawful custody" in 2017-18. There were 54 people convicted of "escape by persons in lawful custody" in Queensland last financial year. Credit:Greg Henderson In 2016-17, there were 68 people convicted of the charge. However, there have been no escapes from high-security jails in Queensland in more than 20 years, since Brenden Abbott went on the run from Sir David Longland Prison at Wacol in 1997. Election signs will be banned from roundabouts and the time they can be displayed slashed, under an advertising shake-up proposed by a major south-east Queensland council. Moreton Bay councillors last week voted to tighten election sign regulations, with the proposal to go out for public consultation from January 7 next year. Moreton Bay Regional Council mayor Allan Sutherland said the council had resolved to tighten election sign laws. Credit:AAP Image/ Dan Peled The move comes after a Supreme Court challenge to the Moreton Bay Regional Council's election advertising rules, which was being pursued by a handful of LNP candidates, including current Queensland deputy leader Tim Mander. The case was put on hold during negotiations with the council. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two former executives on Monday for their role in the alleged multibillion-dollar ransacking of state investment fund 1MDB. Attorney-General Tommy Thomas said the government was seeking several billion dollars in fines from Goldman Sachs for breaches of securities laws that involved it making false and misleading statements to investors. Construction workers chat in front of a billboard for state investment fund 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2015. Credit:AP He said his office will seek prison sentences of up to 10 years for the former Goldman executives, Roger Ng Chong Hwa and Tim Leissner, who is married to model Kimora Lee Simmons. London: Britain's government is trying to hose down speculation that it is considering a second referendum on Brexit, as ministers assert that Prime Minister Theresa May's deal could still pass through parliament with a few changes. May delayed a vote last week on her agreement to leave the European Union because she was set to lose in parliament and has tried to secure "assurances" from the bloc to try to better sell it to sceptical MPs. She then survived an attempt by Euro-sceptic members of her Conservative Party to roll her, but had to concede she would not contest another general election. Brussels said last week it was ready to help but warned her that she could not renegotiate the deal. With less than four months before Britain is due to leave in March, Brexit, the biggest shift in trade and foreign policy for more than 40 years, is proving anything but smooth, complicated by the deep divisions in parliament and across the country. He says he is innocent, but he and one his lawyers, Thomas Pavlinic, declined to discuss the case. Attempts to reach other family members, including his wife, son and other siblings, were unsuccessful. "I will not comment," Grazioplene said in a phone call on September 6. "The charges are false and incorrect. Nope." Last year, the army convened a hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland, in which Elmore testified. The service determined that there was enough evidence to hold a trial, but the case was dismissed because of a decision in another case - United States v Mangahas - by the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. It found that a five-year statute of limitations applied in the Mangahas case, which centred on an allegation of rape from 1997. A military judge, in response, dismissed the case against Grazioplene, saying the clock had also run out on prosecuting the general. However, on December 3, a grand jury in Prince William County, Virginia, indicted Grazioplene on multiple counts of rape and incest, after a four-month investigation, and he was arrested in Gainesville, Virginia, on December 7. There is no statute of limitations in Virginia on rape charges. With a new case pending, Elmore and her attorney, Ryan Guilds, declined to comment further beyond what they said in interviews before the new charges were filed. Officials in Prince William and with the army also declined to comment on the case and on whether they were co-operating. Elmore said her memories of abuse start when she was three years old. Her first recollection of it is her father molesting her while she was sitting on a washing machine in her maternal grandmother's home in LeRoy, New York, she said. "It was just him and myself, and I can picture it. The laundry. The stairs. The stone," she said. "I couldn't understand what was happening, but I knew I was terrified." Over the next 15 years, the family moved around as Grazioplene was stationed in New York, Kansas, North Carolina, Germany and Virginia. Elmore said the abuse escalated to include "night visits" to her bedroom. The army charged Grazioplene with rape in the period from 1983 to 1989. Prince William authorities are focused on the years 1988 and 1989, when the family lived off-base in Woodbridge, Virginia, and Elmore was a high school junior. The Grazioplenes moved back to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before her senior year, and the abuse continued there, she said. She moved away in the summer of 1989 to attend Campbell University, a private Christian school less than 50 kilometres away. Elmore said she was in college before she first told others about what had happened to her. One early confidant was Christopher Herring, a high school friend who had a "very short but kind of intense" period of dating with Elmore in the autumn of1989, he said. Herring, now an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, said she was sweet but sometimes sullen. He learnt from her at some point that she had been abused at home, he said. "I didn't poke too much more into it because, quite honestly, I was probably afraid of what I might learn," Herring said. Elmore also confided in Grazioplene's younger sister, Elizabeth Powley, who confronted her brother, she said. "He said it was the worst thing he could have ever done to anybody, and that it was not happening still," Powley said. "To this day, I will die not knowing why my brother did this." After college, Elmore took a financial job in Charlotte and grew increasingly estranged from her parents. She married and had a son but was divorced by the age of 30. Two friends contacted by the Post - Nikki Cross of Durham, North Carolina, and Julie Adams of Mebane, North Carolina - said Elmore described being abused by her father while they were co-workers. Cross said she worked with Elmore in a Durham office of financial services company Wachovia for a few years beginning about 2001, and they often talked about their Christian faith. One day, Cross said, Elmore said she'd been sexually abused as a child and was considering going to a support group for victims at Crossroads Fellowship Church in Raleigh. She elaborated in later conversations. "I was so floored," Cross said. "It's really hard to even go back and think about this, because it's just so deep and dark." Adams said she grew close to Elmore as they opened the Abbot Downing office in Raleigh in 2011. "She indicated that she had been sexually abused by her father, and I think that's as graphic as the details got at that juncture," Adams said. Elmore remarried in 2006 and said she began considering reporting her father to authorities in January 2015. The tipping point, she said, was a phone call in which her parents again expressed frustration that she would not forgive them, as Grazioplene said, " 'The only thing worse that I could have done to you is murder you,' " she said. Elmore's second husband, Michael Willauer, said they were in a car during the call, and he heard the conversation. Elmore said she called Fort Bragg and, within hours, investigators asked her to come in for an interview. The following day, she travelled to the base accompanied by Adams and years of evidence she said she had collected, including some letters that her mother had written to Powley, her aunt. "Jim has ... made an attempt at sexually molesting Jennifer," one 1986 letter from Ann Marie Grazioplene to Powley reads. "She was sleeping, thank God, and I caught him before he got started." Powley confirmed receiving it. In a 1990 letter written from college, Elmore wrote to Powley and apologised for how she had "so bluntly revealed everything to you". Elmore added that she felt she had "no right to feel that I could make such crude accusations and have you condemn Dad, as we both agreed I subconsciously wanted." Elmore's attorney showed the letters to the Post. Speaking last spring, Elmore said she was grateful to the army for pursuing her case. Her husband choked up while describing his wife's fight to be heard. "It has been a progression, and it's been an attempt over and over again to honour the truth in countless ways," he said. "And being left with no other choice but this one." Through tears, Elmore agreed. "I want to be heard," she said. "I want to matter enough that the truth matters." An international team of palaeontologists, which includes the University of Bristol, has discovered that the flying reptiles, pterosaurs, actually had four kinds of feathers, and these are shared with dinosaurs pushing back the origin of feathers by some 70 million years. Pterosaurs are the flying reptiles that lived side by side with dinosaurs, 230 to 66 million years ago. It has long been known that pterosaurs had some sort of furry covering often called pycnofibres, and it was presumed that it was fundamentally different to feathers of dinosaurs and birds. In a new work published today in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, a team from Nanjing, Bristol, Cork, Beijing, Dublin, and Hong Kong show that pterosaurs had at least four types of feathers: - simple filaments (hairs) - bundles of filaments - filaments with a tuft halfway down - down feathers. These four types are now also known from two major groups of dinosaurs the ornithischians, which were plant-eaters, and the theropods, which include the ancestors of birds. Baoyu Jiang of Nanjing University, who led the research, said: We went to Inner Mongolia to do fieldwork in the Daohugou Formation. We already knew that the sites had produced excellent specimens of pterosaurs with their pycnofibres preserved and I was sure we could learn more by careful study. Zixiao Yang, also of Nanjing University, has studied the Daohugou localities and the pterosaurs as part of his PhD work. He said: This was a fantastic opportunity to work on some amazing fossils. I was able to explore every corner of the specimens using high-powered microscopes, and we found many examples of all four feathers. Maria McNamara of University College Cork, added: Some critics have suggested that actually there is only one simple type of pycnofibre, but our studies show the different feather types are real. We focused on clear areas where the feathers did not overlap and where we could see their structure clearly. They even show fine details of melanosomes, which may have given the fluffy feathers a ginger colour. Professor Mike Benton from the University of Bristols School of Earth Sciences, said: We ran some evolutionary analyses and they showed clearly that the pterosaur pycnofibres are feathers, just like those seen in modern birds and across various dinosaur groups. Despite careful searching, we couldnt find any anatomical evidence that the four pycnofibre types are in any way different from the feathers of birds and dinosaurs. Therefore, because they are the same, they must share an evolutionary origin, and that was about 250 million years ago, long before the origin of birds. Birds have two types of advanced feathers used in flight and for body smoothing, the contour feathers with a hollow quill and barbs down both sides. These are found only in birds and the theropod dinosaurs close to bird origins. But the other feather types of modern birds include monofilaments and down feathers, and these are seen much more widely across dinosaurs and pterosaurs. The armoured dinosaurs and the giant sauropods probably did not have feathers, but they were likely suppressed, meaning they were prevented from growing, at least in the adults, just as hair is suppressed in whales, elephants, and hippos. Pigs are a classic example, where the piglets are covered with hair like little puppies, and then, as they grow, the hair growth is suppressed. Professor Benton added: This discovery has amazing implications for our understanding of the origin of feathers, but also for a major time of revolution of life on land. When feathers arose, about 250 million years ago, life was recovering from the devasting end-Permian mass extinction. Independent evidence shows that land vertebrates, including the ancestors of mammals and dinosaurs, had switched gait from sprawling to upright, had acquired different degrees of warm-bloodedness, and were generally living life at a faster pace. The mammal ancestors by then had hair, so likely the pterosaurs, dinosaurs and relatives had also acquired feathers to help insulate them. The hunt for feathers in fossils is heating up and finding their functions in such early forms is imperative. It can rewrite our understanding of a major revolution in life on Earth during the Triassic, and also our understanding of the genomic regulation of feathers, scales, and hairs in the skin. Latest News Rate action continues with NAB next to make major move Major rate action as cheapest fixed rates become most expensive AFG buys out BrokerEngine Big news for brokers as aggregator purchases majority stake in key workflow management tool One of Australias largest broker groups is to donate more than 10,000 meals to OzHarvest charities this Christmas, helping to feed people in need over the festive period. Brokers with Aussie Home Loans have prepared more than 200 food hampers and provided almost 400 premium leg hams for OzHarvest charities, in addition to making cash donations. Their contributions will provide more than 5,500 meals, with CEO James Symond donating an additional 5,000 meals on behalf of Aussies industry and business partners. The donations mark 20 years of Aussie Home Loans feeding people in need at Christmas through a number of charity initiatives. James Symond commented Were really proud to be celebrating 20 years of supporting Australians through food donations, after starting with one charity in 1998 with the Exodus Foundations Christmas Day lunch in Sydney. In April this year, the group extended its commitment to OzHarvest until 2020, following its participation in the charitys Cooking for a Cause program, Night Noodle Markets and CEO Cook Off. Our whole team has embraced our Christmas initiatives and our partnership with OzHarvest, now in its third year, and participate in these activities with genuine enthusiasm, Symond added. Many of Aussies 220 stores across Australia are also participating in Christmas food drives for OzHarvest and making donations to their local charities. OzHarvest is Australias leading food rescue organisation, collecting more than 180 tonnes of quality excess food from donors Australia-wide each week. In addition to the CSR donations it receives, OzHarvest receives food from supermarkets, hotels, airports, wholesalers, farmers, corporate events, catering companies, shopping centres, delis, cafes, restaurants, and film and TV shoots. Recently the organisation opened Australias first rescued food supermarket the OzHarvest Market in Sydney, based on a take what you need, give if you can philosophy. OzHarvest founder and CEO, Ronni Kahn, said We love the great contribution the Aussie team make to OzHarvest each year, especially at Christmas when there are so many people struggling to put food on the table. The hams are always big hit with the charities we support. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Industry body International Copper Association (ICA) India Monday said it welcomes the NGT order, which allowed reopening of Copper's Tuticorin plant. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Saturday set aside the government order for closure of the copper unit at Tuticorin, which was at the centre of massive protests over alleged pollution, saying it was "non-sustainable" and "unjustified". In May, the state government had ordered permanent closure of the company's copper unit after 13 people, among protesters, demanding its shutdown on environmental concerns, were killed in police firing. Copper had challenged the order in the NGT. "It is a very positive move. We welcome the order. Due to the closure the import and prices of copper had gone up," Sanjeev Ranjan, ICA India managing director said. The closure of the plant had adversely impacted copper consuming industries like consumer goods, electrical and electronics, automobile, and players were bound to import the metal, he said. ICA believes reopening of the smelter unit will bring relief to the downstream and ancillary industry, the MD added. Due to the closure, domestic chemical and fertilisers industry was also impacted, he said. ALSO READ: Vedanta gains 6% after NGT orders reopening of Sterlite copper plant Copper's 4,00,000 tonne per annum plant in Tuticorin met over 30 per cent of the of India's copper demand. It also produced sulphuric and phosphoric acids as a by-product which are key raw material for manufacturing of fertiliser, the company said. It also said that "due to the shutdown in the last six months... import of the metal (copper) has seen a surge. While premium on copper has gone up by 10-15 per cent, the import of the metal has shot up 2.5 times to nearly 30,000 tonne per month". The closure has led to a spike in prices of phosphoric and sulphuric acids, adversely affecting the downstream chemical and fertilisers industry, it noted. "The plant met 80-90 per cent of demand for sulphuric acid in the country and 15 per cent of the phosphoric acid demand. The closure of our plant has led to a sharp surge in demand, thereby driving up prices," its CEO P Ramnath said. ALSO READ: TN will challenge NGT order for reopening Sterlite plant in SC: Palaniswami In the last six months, prices of sulphuric acid have shot up from Rs 3,000/tonne to Rs 12,000/tonne, and a tonne of phosphoric acid costs Rs 53,000 as compared to Rs 43,000 a tonne six month earlier, a rise of 23 per cent, he said. ITC may step up its foreign presence in the hotels space, says managing director Sanjiv Puri. It is presently building one at Colombo, Sri Lanka, its first foreign venture in the segment. Apart from 300 rooms, this will have 48 serviced apartments. It is slated for launch in 2020, the investment being about $300 million (Rs 21 billion). Said Puri, when asked if theyd look beyond Colombo: It is possible we might look at countries adjacent to India West Asia, etc. These are the primary regions of interest, as of now. These could, he indicated, be more ... NMDC Ltd on Monday filed a case against Karnataka Government for claiming for larger share of revenue from the sale of iron ore from the Donimalai mine in the state. It may be recalled that last month, NMDC had decided to suspend iron ore mining from Donimalai after the Karnataka government imposed 80 per cent premium on sales of the mineral from the mine. While an NMDC spokesperson was not available for comment immediately, industry sources have confirmed the development and have said the matter is posted for January 10 at the Karnataka High Court. A source close to the ... The Delhi High Court made significant observations on Monday while convicting Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case of anti-Sikh violence of 1984 and sentencing him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life: This was an extraordinary case where it was going to be impossible to proceed against A-1 (Sajjan Kumar) in the normal scheme of things because there appeared to be ongoing large-scale efforts to suppress the cases against him by not even recording or registering them. Even if they were registered they were not investigated properly and even the investigations which saw any progress were not carried to their logical end of a charge sheet actually being filed. The accused in this case have been brought to justice primarily on account of the courage and perseverance of three eyewitnesses -- Jagdish Kaur whose husband, son and three cousins were the five killed; Jagsher Singh, another cousin of Jagdish Kaur, and Nirpreet Kaur who saw the Gurudwara being burnt down and her father being burnt alive by the raging mob. It is only after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) entered the scene, that they were able to be assured and they spoke up. Admirably, they stuck firm to their truth at the trial. In India, the riots in early November 1984 in which in Delhi alone 2,733 Sikhs and nearly 3,350 all over the country were brutally murdered (these are official figures) was neither the first instance of a mass crime nor, tragically, the last. The mass killings in Punjab, Delhi and elsewhere during the country's partition remains a collective painful memory as is the killings of innocent Sikhs in November 1984. There has been a familiar pattern of mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2008, in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh in 2013 to name a few. Common to these mass crimes were the targeting of minorities and the attacks spear-headed by the dominant political actors being facilitated by the law enforcement agencies. The criminals responsible for the mass crimes have enjoyed political patronage and managed to evade prosecution and punishment. Bringing such criminals to justice poses a serious challenge to our legal system. As these appeals themselves demonstrate, decades pass by before they can be made answerable. This calls for strengthening the legal system. Neither "crimes against humanity" nor "genocide" is part of our domestic law of crime. This loophole needs to be addressed urgently. The law and order machinery clearly broke down and it was literally a "free for all" situation which persisted. The aftershocks of those atrocities are still being felt. Thirty-four years after the gruesome killings, the on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in an anti-Sikh riot case of 1984 here and sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life, holding that the violence was a "crime against humanity" engineered by politicians with assistance from police. Setting aside the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar, the court convicted him and five others saying that the "criminals" had escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades. "This court is of the view that the mass killings of Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere in November 1984 were in fact 'crimes against humanity'. They will continue to shock the collective conscience of society for a long time to come," a Bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Vinod Goel said. Sajjan Kumar was asked to surrender by December 31 and directed not to leave Delhi. Kumar will challenge the order of the in the Supreme Court, his counsel Anil Kumar Sharma said. "Remedies have not been exhausted. We respect the judgment but our right is to move to the Supreme Court as the first appeal as a matter of right or otherwise also. We feel that the Honourable Judge has not agreed with our point. Therefore, in order to put forth our point we will move to the next forum," Sharma told reporters here. He further said that the case against Kumar was one of "no evidence." "According to us, this case was a case of no evidence because Kumar was named in the case in 2000 for the first time whereas prior to that complainant had given an affidavit before Ranganath Mishra Commission where our name was not featured and no role was assigned to us. Abruptly in 2000, our name comes. Other evidence came after 26 years and third after 28 years. We find it a good cause of appeal," he added. "In the summer of 1947, during partition, this country witnessed horrific mass crimes where several lakhs of civilians, including Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus, were massacred," the Bench said. "Thirty-seven years later, the country was again witness to another enormous human tragedy. Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, on October 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards, a communal frenzy was unleashed." "For four days between November 1 to November 4, all over Delhi, 2,733 Sikhs were brutally murdered. Their houses were destroyed. In the rest of the country, too, thousands of Sikhs were killed," the Bench observed in its 203-page order. The court said: "A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency." The court convicted the Congress leader under various counts of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including murder, criminal conspiracy, delivering provocative speeches instigating violence against Sikhs, mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house and injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class. The CBI had filed an appeal challenging the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar and said that the trial court "erred in acquitting Sajjan Kumar as it was he who had instigated the mob during the riots". In October, the High Court reserved its order on the pleas challenging that trial court judgement on Sajjan Kumar but convicted the other five in the killing of five people in Delhi Cantonment area following Indira Gandhi's killing. The HC Division Bench upheld the trial court April 30, 2013, judgement convicting five other accused -- former councillor Balwan Khokhar, former legislator Mahender Yadav, Krishan Khokar, Girdhari Lal and Retired Captain Bhagmal -- for their involvement in the case. The five have filed appeals against their conviction. Khokar, Bhagmal and Lal, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, are currently in jail while the HC has asked Yadav and Krishan to surrender by December 31 and not to leave Delhi. The HC enhanced the punishment of Yadav and Krishan to 10 years in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 100,000 on each convict. Sajjan Kumar and the others were charged with the killing of five Sikhs -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh, who were members from the same family -- by a mob in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar area on October 31, 1984. The HC said the accused had been brought to justice primarily on account of the courage and perseverance of three witnesses: Jagdish Kaur, whose husband, son and three cousins were the five who were killed; Jagsher Singh, another cousin of Jagdish Kaur, and Nirpreet Kaur, who saw the Gurudwara being burnt down and her father being burnt to death. The court appreciated the CBI saying it was able to win the confidence of the witnesses who spoke up and remained glued to truth at the trial. The death toll in Mumbai's hospital fire shot up to six, while another 147, mostly patients and staff, were rescued from a massive blaze that engulfed the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Andheri (East) here on Monday, BMC Disaster Control said. The number of fatalities is likely to increase further as several injured persons have been admitted to various hospitals in serious condition even as the firemen battled the conflagration to bring it under control after three hours. The fire, caused by a suspected short-circuit, was first noticed in the upper floors of the five-storied building with a glass facade in the MIDC area -- the industrial hub in the north-western suburb -- around 4.15 p.m. At least 12 fire tenders, 15 water tankers and other specialised equipment were rushed to battle the blaze and those trapped were taken out via ladders from the third and fourth floors as the flames quickly spread horizontally and vertically. Rescue operations were hampered due to snapping of power supply from the building as a precautionary measure and by 7 p.m the blaze was stated to be "under control", with cooling operations taken up. Of those rescued, 19 have been admitted in Juhu's Cooper Hospital, including two brought dead, 40 in Holy Spirit Hospital, 44 in Seven Hills Hospital including three dead, 39 were taken to Prabodhankar Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital, Jogeshwari, three in Hiranandani Hospital and two in Siddharth Hospital, for treatment. Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who visited the spot along with other senior officials, said the fire would be probed and strict action taken against the guilty if any lapses found. Thick dark clouds of smoke were seen billowing from long distances in the suburbs and the rescue operations resulted in massive evening peak-hour traffic jams on the busy Andheri thoroughfare connecting north-south and eastern Mumbai. ministers and leaders fanned out across the country on Monday to accuse the Congress of spreading "falsehood" with an "amazing audacity" over the Rafale issue, while the opposition party gave privilege notices against Prime Minister and his government -- only to be countered with a notice against Rahul Gandhi by the ruling party MPs. HRD minister Prakash Javadekar was in Lucknow to accuse Congress of committing a "sin" by "playing in hands of those who are playing with the security of the country", while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a press conference in Guwahati to ask the opposition party and its president to apologise about what he called were "false" allegations on the "The actual pain of the Congress is 'how come their (BJP's) shirt is whiter than ours'," Javadekar said at one of the 70 'expose the Congress' press conferences planned by the ruling party across the country in a single day. The party MP Poonam Mahajan alleged in Pune that the Congress was levelling "false" allegations to clean its own "stains" from the Bofors scam. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was in Mumbai to allege that Congress "knowingly" misled the people over the fighter jets' pricing and to allege the Gandhi family of "not listening" to the Supreme Court verdict. Textiles Minister Irani rushed to Kolkata to level similar allegations. Union minister Jitendra Singh was in Chandigarh to seek an apology from the Congress, while the spokesperson Sambit Patra, in Bengaluru, accused Gandhi of having spoken "three lies" on the and also asked the Congress chief to listen to his "conscience and resign" over conviction former MP Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 riots case. The "three lies", Patra said, were allegations of faulty pricing, faulty procurement and commercial favouritism benefiting industrialist The Congress has been alleging irregularities in the multi-billion dollar purchase of the Rafale aircraft from French firm Dassault, but the government has been denying all the charges. Ambani has also denied the allegations. The BJP's multi-pronged attack followed the Supreme Court ruling on Friday that there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France. The court dismissed all petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 580 billion deal. ALSO READ: Gujarat CM seeks Rahul apology on Rafale Gandhi and his party have, however, stuck to their allegations of corruption in the purchase and demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). In Parliament, Congress gave notices of breach of privilege in both Houses, demanding an explanation from the government on why it provided the Supreme Court "wrong" information on the While Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sent the notice to the chairman of the Upper House, Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge Kharge gave the notice in the Lower House. In Lok Sabha, Congress leader Sunil Jakhar also gave a notice, which he said was being moved against the prime minister for allegedly misleading the Supreme Court and Parliament in connection with the recent judgement on the Rafale deal. During the Zero Hour, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she has received the notice for privilege motion and the matter was under her consideration. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma alleged the government was guilty of committing breach of privilege of both Houses of Parliament by claiming that the CAG report on Rafale aircraft pricing was presented to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. The government has already moved the Supreme Court seeking correction in the judgment, saying "misinterpretation" of its note "resulted in a controversy in the public domain" and it did not say the CAG report was examined by the PAC or a redacted portion was placed before Parliament. Separately, three MPs -- Anurag Thakur, Nishikant Dubey and Sanjay Jaiswal -- moved a notice of breach of privilege against the Congress president, alleging he spoke "falsehood" and "misled the House" over the fighter aircraft deal in his speech during a debate in July on the no-confidence motion against the Modi government at that time. In Rajya Sabha, Azad was countered by slogan-shouting from members of treasury benches, when he said he has given a notice for taking up of a discussion over the government allegedly misguiding the Supreme Court over the purchase of Rafale jets from France. The Lok Sabha was adjourned thrice since it met in the morning, before being adjourned for the day, as the treasury and the opposition benches sparred over the Rafale jet deal issue with both sides raising slogans against each other. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said it was unfortunate that the opposition members were not allowing the Lok Sabha to function. The BJP workers and leaders also held protests in several parts of the country against the Congress party over the Rafale issue. The march by separatists to the Army's Chinar Corps headquarters in against the killing of seven civilians during an encounter was foiled after authorities imposed restrictions in district and parts of on Monday, officials said. Shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in the city, while security personnel patrolled sensitive areas here to thwart any untoward incident. The separatists, under the banner of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had Saturday asked the people to march to the corps' headquarters at Jammu and Kashmir's Badami Bagh area. The call for the march came after seven civilians died and several others were injured allegedly when security forces opened fire at a mob that thronged the site of an encounter in south Kashmir's district in which three terrorists and a soldier were killed on Saturday. The separatists had also called a three-day strike following the incident. Roads leading to the Chinar Corps headquarters here were sealed and restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed in district and eight police station areas of Srinagar, the officials said. was suspended in during the night as a precautionary measure, they said The officials said curbs have been imposed in the territorial jurisdictions of Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Safakadal, MR Gunj and Ram Munshibagh police stations of the city. Partial restrictions were in place in Maisuma and Kralkhud police stations as well, they said. The restrictions have been imposed as a precautionary measure to avoid any untoward incident, the officials said. The roads leading to the Badami Bagh area have been sealed and no movement of people or transport is being allowed towards the installation, they said. The police on Sunday had issued an advisory, saying traffic would not be allowed to ply on Pantha Chowk- Sonwar-Dalgate Road stretch. "People who intend to travel to south are advised to take Bypass Road. Similarly, people coming from south shall take the Bypass Road to reach city centre. People who have to travel from Nishat and adjacent areas to reach city centre shall adopt Boulevard-Badyari Road," according to the advisory. No traffic would be allowed to ply on Gupkar Road stretch from Grand Place crossing, it said. "Commuters are requested to use alternate routes to reach their destinations. Any inconvenience caused is highly regretted," the advisory issued by Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic (City), Srinagar, read. The has also 'advised' people not to pay heed to the "misleading call" by the JRL. The is always with the people of and would foil all such evil attempts of terrorist-separatist- nexus to pit the civilian population against the security forces. The public is once again advised not to pay heed to this misleading call by JRL, an Army spokesman said Sunday. Security forces make every attempt to avoid any loss of civilian lives in cross-fire and minimise collateral damage to property, he had said. Loss of any civilian life is always painful for the security forces. However, the vested interests are continuously at work to instigate and mobilise gullible youths to encounter sites. The call given by JRL for march to Badami Bagh Cantonment is another such attempt. "The strongly condemns this call by Pak proxies and advises people not to fall prey to such designs of anti- forces, the spokesman had said. During the unrest of 2016, separatists had called for a similar march to the Chinar Corps headquarters and then also authorities had undertaken similar measures to foil their plans. The officials said shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in the city due to the strike. They said public transport was off the roads while fewer private cars, cabs and auto-rickshaws were seen plying in some areas. Security forces have been deployed in strength at sensitive places to avoid any law and order problem, they said. When I was growing up, someone was always asking a member of our family, Where are you from? Usually, it was my mother. She has high cheekbones, deep, wide-set eyes and light brown skin with prominent freckles. Since we grew up in an area with a small black population, her appearance drew more notice than I think it would have elsewhere. Whoever was asking usually wanted to claim her as their own. Once, my sisters, our mother and I were in an epic, four-way fight in the car while holiday shopping. As our mother steered us out of the parking garage, the lot ... slowed down India's economic growth at a time when the world economy was growing and it impacted the GDP significantly, former Governor said. Rajan said he has seen studies which reaffirm that banning of high-value currency notes in late 2016 impacted India's growth significantly. "I think the net impression is that it (demonetisation) had a significant effect on our growth. And now, I have seen studies which reaffirm that. It has slowed down (our growth)... the world (economy) was growing faster in 2017, we slowed down," Rajan told NDTV news channel in an interview. The growth was not only impacted due to but also because of implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said. In 2017-18, the Indian economy grew by 6.7 per cent. "That was the twin blow of and GST (that impacted India's growth). And before anybody accuses (me) of being anti-GST, it's a good idea in the longer run, but it has short-term teething effect," Rajan noted. When asked if he was asked to implement demonetisation during his tenure as the Governor, Rajan said he was asked for his opinion on banning high-value currency notes from the system, which he thought was a "bad idea". Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised interview on November 8, 2016, had announced to ban the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes from the system aimed at curbing black money, fake currency and terror funding, among others. Rajan headed the Reserve Bank for three years -- from September 2013 to September 2016. Expressing his views further on the GST, the former Governor said that the reformist tax system could have been implemented in a much better manner. On whether GST should have one rate rather than five different slabs, he said it is a matter of debate. "In my view, which is an alternative view, once you do it, you find out the problem then you start fixing it one by one. So, this (teething problem) was inevitable," Rajan said. On fraudsters list, Rajan said that it (report) had a list of the largest frauds. "I'm unaware of where those cases stand...The reason I'm worried is if one gets away with immunity then others may follow," he said on the list of fraud cases he had flagged to the Prime Minister's office. He also said that a defaulter is different from a fraudster. "If you start putting defaulters in jail then nobody will take any risk," Rajan added. In September this year, Rajan in a note to Parliamentary panel had said that a list of high profile case related to banking frauds was sent by him to the PMO for a coordinated action. In the note to Chairman of Estimates Committee Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajan had said that the size of frauds in the public sector banking system has been increasing, though still small relative to the overall volume of NPAs. The goods and services tax (GST) rates for items such as computer screens and power banks are likely to be slashed from 28 per cent to 18 per cent at the GST Council meeting on Saturday. However, the Council would refrain from reducing the rates for big-ticket items such as cement and auto parts, which are part of the 35 items that fall in the top slab. Thomas Isaac, finance minister of Kerala, told Business Standard any rate cut at this point of time would not be right, and should be avoided. We are rushing through rate cuts, and it was visible in the July meeting. ... The department of telecommunications (DoT) has set for itself an ambitious target of completing the procedure for auctioning 5G spectrum by August next year. Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop done with states and union territories, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said on Monday: We expect to complete due process by July-August 2019. I cannot say whether spectrum auction will happen by then, but we will be ready after the second half of 2020. It did not mean the whole country would be in 5G but it would be available in certain pockets, she said. The DoT ... The Central Goods and Service Tax (CGST) department has detected a fraud of Goods and Service Tax (GST) and (ITC) in the metal scrap business across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The fraud amount is likely to around Rs 2 billion, an official said. According to officials, the fraud was committed during the past one-and-half years through bogus business and fake invoices and e-way bills. An official associated with investigation told PTI, "In the case, more than 11-billion of metal scraps business of more than 400 firms across three states are under the purview of our investigation. We suspect illegal benefit of Rs 2 billion through " He, however, said the real fraud amount would be known after the investigation. So far, statements of 14 people have been recorded, the official added. Meanwhile, a CGST press release said officials have raided 17 places in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, one place in Bhopal and two places in Jabalpur during the past four days. Besides, two campuses in Mumbai, five in Thane in Maharashtra and five places in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district were also raided, it added. Though markets are on edge and the arrest of a top Chinese executive threatened to spark a crisis, there are signs the US-China trade war can be resolved without further collateral damage to the global The whole world is watching the talks between and Beijing, hoping a 90-day tariff truce will hold and the sides can end a dispute that threatens hundreds of billions of dollars in trade. In recent days the small signs of progress, and perhaps more importantly the absence of new threats from Donald Trump, have cheered investors worldwide, reversing some of the bloodletting that erased all of 2018 gains on Wall Street. And the arrest in of a senior executive amid US charges the company violated sanctions on raised fears the renewed tensions could disrupt the talks -- but so far this does not seem to have happened. "What is clear is that both Trump and the Chinese are trying to separate the issues," said Edward Alden, a trade expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. In fact, on Friday announced that starting January 1 it would suspend the additional punitive tariffs on US autos imposed in retaliation for Trump's tariffs on China, cutting them to 15 per cent from 40 per cent. And the talks last week produced reports the country would restart purchases of soybeans from American farmers and ease investment rules for US companies. "China wants to make a big and very comprehensive deal. It could happen, and rather soon!" Trump tweeted on Friday, applauding the decision on car tariffs. The ceasefire began after Trump met with Chinese leader in Buenos Aires on December 1 and agreed to hold off on further tariffs or retaliation at least until March 1. That means Trump will hold off on plans to more than double import taxes on $ 200 billion in Chinese goods at the start of the year and will also refrain from imposing tariffs on the remaining $ 246 billion in Chinese products the imports each year. Trade experts and observers agree the timeframe will not allow for a comprehensive trade pact between the world's two biggest economies. Instead they say they hope to see a deal to roll back the tariffs and continue negotiations on the Chinese policies that have long been irritants to relations with Washington: forced transfer or theft of American technology, restrictive investment rules and industrial subsidies. "You can't solve every problem with China in 90 days, but progress could be made institutionalizing" changes to Beijing's policies, Jake Colvin, vice of the National Foreign Trade Council, told AFP. But he cautioned that both sides "need to figure out a path to a win-win outcome. They both need to be able to say they gained something." US Trade Representative is leading the negotiating team, which includes Treasury Secretary and trade advisor "The basic problem here is that the and China don't trust each other," Alden told AFP. "The best hope is a partial deal that addresses some of the US concerns and then the negotiations to continue while the progress is closely monitored." Navarro, an anti-China firebrand, last week warned that US negotiators would hold "tough" with China, and said the key would be to "trust but verify." But he also cautioned against watching day-to-day reports instead of focusing on March 1, "when we'll have a complete offer from China." Ironically, that would put the two sides essentially back where they started before Trump took office. and had for over a decade conducted regular trade negotiations to resolve disagreements, and when progress was slow -- a frequent complaint -- or talks failed, the filed complaints with the But Trump, who uses uncertainty as a core negotiating strategy, jettisoned diplomacy and went straight to hardcore tactics. He takes credit for bringing to the table and for raising $ 11 billion in tax revenue from the tariffs. However, he seems to ignore the fact the taxes were paid by US businesses and consumers, not by China, and the trade battle already has had an impact on the US and Chinese economies, in addition to stock markets. Still, the fact that Trump put Lighthizer -- a veteran of 1980s trade talks with -- in charge of the negotiations is seen as a good sign. "Bob Lighthizer is the only serious trade negotiator this administration has," Alden said. "And there is more substantive progress in the past two weeks than there was in the previous two years. Discussion about wargaming and military history, primarily WWII in North Africa. Also discussion about AFV's and artillery. Kamal Nath, who took over as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, has the reputation of being a go-getter. He ceased to be an industrialist when he plunged into politics as a Sanjay Gandhi loyalist. Now 72 years old, the long-time member of Parliament from Chhindwara will need all his skills to deliver on the promises made by the Congress to the farmers and youths during the Assembly elections that helped them oust the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Since his appointment as the Madhya Pradesh Congress chief about seven months back, fully immersed himself in the poll campaign in the state where the party was out of power for 15 years. The Congress won 114 seats, two seats short of majority in a tight contest, while the BJP finished a close second with 109 seats in the 230-member House. This is an apparent reason for Congress President Rahul Gandhi choosing over party leader as Chief Minister. The party is dependent on Independents to cross the half-way mark even as Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party have extended support of their three MLAs. is seen as someone who can deftly manage allies and supporting parties. He also faces the challenge of delivering the state to the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP's vote share in the Assembly polls is slightly more than that of the Congress and this points to the enormity of the task ahead in future electoral battles. A former union Minister, Kamal Nath is the senior most member of the Lok Sabha, having won nine elections and is expected to use his organisational experience to strengthen the party at the grassroots. He has undertaken several welfare initiatives in Chhindwara, a seat he retained despite a near sweep by the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He will be expected to emulate this at a larger level. In the faction-ridden state unit, Kamal Nath's seniority and acceptability across different factions are an advantage. His appointment also signals that Congress President Rahul Gandhi is in no hurry to usher in a generational change and will take decisions according to the demands of the situation. Kamal Nath has been a union Minister in different Congress-led governments and has also held organisational posts, including being in-charge of Gujarat and Haryana in his nearly four decades of political career. A friend of the late Sanjay Gandhi, he was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1980. He was Minister of Environment and Forests as also Textiles Minister in the P.V. Narasimha Rao government. Kamal Nath was a key member of the two UPA governments and was Commerce and Industry Minister in 2004-09. In UPA-II, he held the portfolios of Road Transport and Highways, Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs. As India's Commerce minister, he championed the cause of developing countries at WTO ministerial meetings. And everyone admits that Kamal Nath is one of those politicians who has friends across the political spectrum. Indias top daily soap opera producer believes the traditional television screen will remain its cash cow even as its own foray into streaming content has drawn backing from Asias richest person, Mukesh Ambani. I dont see the TV screen fading in India like what happened in the US, at least for the next five years, as we have low subscription fees here, Sunil Lulla, chief executive officer of Balaji Telefilms Ltd., said in an interview in Mumbai last week. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Muslim inmates from internment camps in far western China hunched over sewing machines, in row after row. They were among hundreds of thousands who had been detained and spent month after month renouncing their religious convictions. Now the government was showing them on television as models of repentance, earning good pay and political salvation as factory workers. Chinas ruling Communist Party has said in a surge of upbeat propaganda that a sprawling network of camps in the Xinjiang region is providing job training and putting detainees on production lines ... A group of dissident Pakistanis, mostly living in self-exile, has called on the country's government to "choke funding and support" of militant groups, including terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa, that are operating openly in The dissident members participated in a three-day deliberative conference here and expressed grave concern over the growing authoritarianism, expansion of military's control over public policy and weakening of civilian institutions in "May the people of always be blessed and may they find a way forward from this authoritarian nightmare that continues to damn our country," former Pakistan to the US Husain Haqqani said on Sunday at the conclusion of the conference. Organised under the banner of South Asians Against and for Human Rights (SAATH) and co-hosted by Haqqani and US-based columnist Mohammad Taqi, the participants in a resolution said the results of the 2018 elections in Pakistan lacked credibility and were seen as one of the most politically engineered polls. "The polls raised hopes of positive change among PTI supporters, but as widely predicted, those hopes were dashed during the first three months of the new government," said the resolution. Calling on the government to "choke funding and support" of militant groups operating openly in Pakistan, the participants demanded that action be taken against hate groups and extremist organisations like the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), Lashkar-e-Jhangv (LeJ) among others, ostensibly being mainstreamed by the security establishment. They denounced the growing tendency of the State to use the superior judiciary and the National Accountability Bureau for political witch-hunts. This was the third SAATH conference. The first two conferences were held in The new government of Prime Minister has exposed itself through a series of U-turns, immature claims and outlandish promises, which has become a source of alarm at home and abroad about the government's capacity and aptitude to tackle Pakistan's complex problems, as well as their spill-over in the South Asian region and across the world, it said. "2018 will be remembered as the year when the Pakistani media witnessed a tight squeeze before and after elections, editorially as well as financially. The security establishment's interference reached new heights to target media houses, journalists, TV anchors, as well as social media activists," the resolution said. Welcoming the opening of the Kartarpur corridor for the Sikh community, the conference called for more people-to-people contact, trade and travel with Pakistan's eastern and western neighbours. Haqqani said there was something wrong in the way Pakistan is being run politically and economically. "That needs to be understood, that needs to be critiqued and that needs to be figured out," he said. Haqqani said there is more to Pakistan than just institutions: the Pakistan military and the Pakistani intelligence service. The participants also condemned the "enforced disappearances" of activists and ordinary citizens. They called for the rights of the people to be fully respected and inclusion of their representatives in any decision-making regarding projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). ALSO READ: IMF to check Pakistan's debt sustainability before granting loan: Official The UN declared JuD a terror organisation and also individually designated Saeed as a terrorist in December 2008. The US has already put a USD 10 million bounty on his head. Saeed, who orchestrated the November 2008 terror attack in which 166 people were killed, roams around freely in Pakistan despite being a designated terrorist and has made many anti- remarks and speeches. The lead attorney for the group of Apple Inc device assemblers seeking at least $9 billion in damages from Qualcomm Inc said on Sunday the contract manufacturers are not in settlement talks with the mobile chip supplier and are "gearing up and heading toward the trial" in April. The conflict is but one aspect of the global legal battle between regulators, Apple and Qualcomm, which supplies modem chips that help phones connect to wireless data networks. Last week, Qualcomm secured a preliminary victory in a patent lawsuit in China that would have banned sales of some ... Malaysia on Monday filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs Group Inc related to its dealings with the sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, and Goldman Sachs fired back that the previous Malaysian government had lied to the bank. Malaysia authorities charged the bank and two former Goldman employees in connection with an investigation into suspected corruption and money laundering related to the scandal. Attorney General Tommy Thomas said in a statement that it will seek jail terms as well as billions in fines from Goldman Sachs and four other individuals who allegedly diverted about ... has condemned the US over its latest sanctions measures, warning the policy could "block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever". The warning from the North on Sunday came days after the US said it was imposing sanctions on three senior North Korean officials over human rights abuses. The sanctioned officials include Choe Ryong Hae, who has been considered a right-hand man to leader In a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, the North praised President Donald Trump for his efforts to improve relations with Pyongyang, but said the US State Department was "bent on bringing the DPRK-US relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire". The statement by the policy research director of the Institute for American Studies of the foreign ministry accused the US of "deliberate provocation" over the sanctions on the three officials. If Washington believes the policy of increased sanctions and pressure would force the North to give up its nuclear weapons, "it will count as greatest miscalculation, and it will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever", the statement added. At a historic summit in Singapore in June, Trump and Kim signed a vaguely-worded statement on denuclearisation. But little progress has been made since then, with Washington pushing to maintain sanctions against the North until its "final, fully verified denuclearisation" and Pyongyang condemning US demands as "gangster-like". ALSO READ: China, North Korea officials meet amid stalled nuclear disarmament talks In actions required by Congress, the Trump administration said on Monday it would seize any US assets of the three officials over their roles in suppressing freedom of speech. ALSO READ: Mike Pence, Shinzo Abe discuss bilateral trade & policies on North Korea Such restrictions may have little impact on officials in one of the world's most closed countries but will have a clear symbolic force as seeks greater acceptance by the United States. has rejected as "interference" a US Senate resolution to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and another holding its crown prince responsible for the murder of critic "The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs," the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. Though largely symbolic, the US Senate vote on Thursday dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has staunchly backed the Saudi regime despite global uproar over the Yemen conflict and the murder of journalist Khashoggi. On the Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks the president's prerogative to launch military action, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while another three Republicans abstained. The Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggi's murder and calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, "responsible" for it. The Saudi ministry warned that the kingdom would not tolerate any "disrespect" of its rulers. "This position by the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship," the ministry said. "The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the US to avoid any... significant negative impact on this important strategic relationship." The Senate resolution acknowledged the US-Saudi ties were "important" but called on Riyadh to "moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy". The resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump. But the Senate votes send a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh. Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to the Washington Post, was killed on October 2 shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation. ALSO READ: Senate votes to end military aid to Saudis in Yemen over Khashoggi murder The murder has tarnished Riyadh's reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a "credible" probe into the murder. Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen has also prompted a harder line in Congress about the US military's role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Huthi rebels. Since the coalition launched its campaign in 2015, the conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher. The United States said on Monday that China's "unfair competitive practices" were harming foreign companies and workers in a way that violates World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but said that Washington would lead reform efforts. US trade ambassador Dennis Shea also expressed deep concerns about the WTO dispute settlement system having "strayed far from the system agreed to by members" and said that the Appellate Body had overreached in some legal interpretations. He was addressing the start of a two-day review of US trade policies, held every two years ... If theres one thing that unites supporters of Brexit and its opponents, the passionate and the apathetic, it is the plaintive question: when will it end? No one can deny that the process of leaving the EU has been extremely trying for the patience of all concerned. It has been a waiting game since the day after the referendum was held on June 23 2016. There was the wait for a new prime minister in 2016, followed by the wait (complicated by the Gina Miller court case) to trigger article 50 that provides a two-year period for organising an orderly exit. From the EU perspective, ... Shares of Vedanta surged 6% to Rs 214 on the BSE in early morning trade after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered reopening of the companys copper plant. The NGT vide its order dated December 15, 2018 has allowed us to resume operations of our Copper Smelter at Thoothukudi and directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to pass fresh order of renewal of consent and restoration of electricity supply for our operations within 3 weeks from the date of the order, Vedanta said in a regulatory filing on Saturday. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor A day when Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been convicted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra has accused Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath of being involved in the case, demanding he be expelled from the party. Stating that Kamal Nath's name has cropped up along with affidavit and evidence submitted in a report to the Nanavati Commission, Patra also demanded that Rahul Gandhi should step down as Congress president. "Rahul Gandhi should resign as Congress' chief. Kamal Nath ji's name crops up along with affidavit and evidence in a report submitted to Nanavati Commission," he said. "A man involved in anti-Sikh riots has been made the MP (Madhya Pradesh) CM. Mr Rahul Gandhi must expel him from the party," Patra demanded. Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court convicted Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment. A fine of Rs 5 lakh was also imposed on him. The court had asked Kumar to surrender before December 31. The High Court reversed the trial court verdict of 2013 and sentenced Sajjan Kumar and five others in a case related to the killing of five members of a Sikh family in Delhi's Cantonment area in November 1984, following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. After her assassination by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984, around 3,000 people were killed in anti-Sikh riots when mobs targeted innocent people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court asked Kumar to surrender before December 31 and imposed a fine of Rs 5 Lakh on him. Today's verdict reversed the 2013 trial court judgment which had acquitted Kumar. While pronouncing the judgment the judge observed, "In the summer of 1947, during partition several people were massacred. 37 years later Delhi was the witness of a similar tragedy. They accused enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial." The judgment was pronounced on the appeal challenging the Congress leader's acquittal. On October 29 the Delhi High Court had reserved the order in the case after the culmination of arguments. "We welcome the judgement, however we hoped for a death sentence for Sajjan Kumar," said BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa. The case pertains to the murder of 5 Sikhs in the Delhi Cantonment area during riots of 1984. Earlier in 2013, the Karkardooma trial court had acquitted Kumar and convicted five others in the case. The appeal in High Court was filed by those convicted in the case, investigative agency CBI and the family of victims. The trial court had awarded life imprisonment to former Congress councilor Balram Khokhar, retired naval officer Bhagmal and Girdhari Lal. A three- year jail term was awarded to Kishan Khokhar and former MLA Mahender Yadav. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck Germany conducted the 5th Edition of "Merck Africa Asia Luminary" presided over by The President of The Republic of Senegal, H.E. MACKY SALL and in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Senegal in Dakar. During the Luminary, Dr. Rasha Kelej , CEO of Merck Foundation emphasized, "I am very proud that many First Ladies have partnered with Merck Foundation and accepted to be the Ambassadors of our unique and historic campaign "Merck more than a Mother" to empower infertile women and eliminate the stigma around infertility in their countries." The First Ladies took the pledge during the opening ceremony of the Merck Africa Asia Luminary 2018. The pledge was taken by: H.E. MARIEME FAYE SALL, The First Lady of Senegal along with H.E. NEO JANE MASISI, The First Lady of Botswana; H.E. DENISE NKURUNZIZA, The First Lady of the Republic of Burundi; H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central Africa Republic; H.E. HINDA DEBY ITNO, The First Lady of Chad; H.E. REBECCA NAA OKAIKOR AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana; H.E. AISSATA ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU, The First Lady of Niger; H.E. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of Sierra Leone and H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Lady of Zambia The First Ladies also discussed the strategy to build healthcare capacity in the fields of cancer, infertility, diabetes and hypertension in their respective countries in partnership with Merck Foundation. The First Lady of Botswana, H.E. NEO JANE MASISI, emphasized, "This campaign is very critical for my country and for Africa at large. I am fully supporting this initiative as the First Lady of Botswana. I firmly believe in the importance to empower infertile women, who are mistreated and discriminated against in many cultures for not being able to have children and start a family." The First Lady of the Republic of Burundi, H.E. DENISE NKURUNZIZA emphasized, "Thanks to Merck Foundation for this unique campaign. It is the first time we have an initiative that empowers infertile women and takes care of them". H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central Africa Republic said, "I happily accepted to be the ambassador of Merck More than a Mother in 2016. This is a historic campaign that I launched with them in my country". The First Lady of Chad, H.E. HINDA DEBY ITNO said, "Through this platform, together with all other ambassadors we can create a culture shift across Africa to empower childless women by creating awareness and a cultural shift". The First Lady of Ghana, H.E.REBECCA NAA OKAIKOR AKUFO-ADDO said, "I along with Rebecca Foundation will work closely with Merck Foundation to empower women and adolescents; we will tell women to value themselves, as they are more than just mothers, they are productive members of the society." The First Lady of Niger, H.E. AISSATA ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU emphasized, "I have also accepted to be "Merck more than a mother" ambassador in Niger to help raising awareness about infertility prevention, management, male infertility and to break the stigma around infertile women to empower them, as they are not just child bearers." The First Lady of Sierra Leone, H.E. FATIMA MAADA BIO said, "I have heard and witness the stories of infertile women in my country, the attitude of the people towards these women is not progressive or informed. I am honored to be the Ambassador of Merck More than a Mother, through this campaign I intend to help the women of my country." The First Lady of Zambia, H.E. ESTHER LUNGU said, "Zambia will launch Merck More than a Mother campaign in the country and I am happy to be their Ambassador. There is a serious need for a cultural shift about infertility and its prevention, we will make this happen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Cabinet has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Afghanistan for cooperation in the field of human resource development. The MoU is aimed at facilitating students and faculty of educational institutions in Afghanistan to register and use the SWAYAM courses. It would also facilitate them to upload the courses developed in Afghanistan on Study Webs of Active -Learning for Young Aspiring Minds programme or SWAYAM. "The required training to students and faculty from Afghanistan would be imparted by MHRD, Government of India," read a press statement. Through this MoU, the Government of India would provide access and share the technology of other major Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Initiatives in such as National Digital Library of India (NDLI), Virtual Labs, Spoken Tutorials. The MoU also proposes the establishment of a Joint Master Degree Programmes between Indian and Afghanistan Universities and Institutions. Ministry of Human Resource Development will also assist the Ministry of Higher of Afghanistan in the areas of Curriculum Development and Capacity Development of Teaching Staff. "Through this MoU, both the countries agree to sign an agreement on mutual recognition of academic qualifications. This is expected to promote student mobility under Study in India program, by attracting more foreign students to come and study in Afghan Institutions," stated the press release. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Parliament cannot be stopped from examining the Rafale deal asserted former finance minister and senior advocate P. Chidambaram on Monday while citing that authority of the Supreme Court and Parliament are very different. Chidambaram took to micro-blogging site Twitter and wrote, "The jurisdiction of the SC and the domain of the sovereign Parliament are very different. Nothing can stop Parliament, present or future, from examining the Rafale deal." He also claimed that the verdict of the top court was constrained by its 'jurisdictional limitation' and said, "The judgment of the SC was constrained by its jurisdictional limitations. See the last sentence of the judgment as well as several other observations. Therefore, the issue of Rafale remains wide open.' Senior Congress leader Chidambaram also took a dig at Prime Minister Modi's comment questioning Congress's faith in Supreme Court. "Congress does not believe in SC", says PM Modi. Wrong. Congress believes in SC, but Congress does not believe in misleading SC," he wrote. The comments by former finance minister Chidambaram comes after, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack at the Congress for allegedly considering itself above every institution and the people of the country. Taking a jibe at the recent reaction of the Congress on the Supreme Court's verdict on the Rafale deal, he said that one should "Stay alert and safe from such people and parties." (ANI) The fresh controversy started after discripancies were pointed out in certain paragraphs of the apex court judgement on Rafale issue. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had raised questions over the claims of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) examining the CAG report, claiming that PAC Chairman Kharge had seen no such report. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Science in Shanghai has been a top priority, as for several years, the city has been achieving high rankings in the academic ability survey 'Pisa' done by OECD organisation. Chinese Physics Olympics is one of the largest academic achievement contests in the world. Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the organisers of the ceremony conducted a contest. In the final round of this prestigious contest, Casio's scientific calculator was adopted as the official model. Talking about the scientific calculator, Xiao-Lin Chen, a professor of Physics at the Peking University said, "As physics is the theme of the contest, first of all, I want students to become fonder of physics and for the future. Our aim is to grow the spirit of physics to develop the ability to discover problems in the world and solve them by knowledge of physics." Scientific calculator has a stable market and is being used by many students. "Casio has been developing its global sales activity in the world. Casio China has a partnership with prestigious 'Physics Contest' and 'Science Olympics'. In this year's physics contest participants, including 9,20,000 students, came from high school level and has now become one of the largest world contests. Casio continues to make efforts to contribute to further improving Chinese academic ability through physics and science contests," said Yoichi Iwamaru, Vice President of Casio China. During the award ceremony at the end of the tournament, selected students were invited and medals and certificates were given to participants in recognition of their success and performance. 80 per cent of the top 50 participating students in the physics contest tend to enter elite universities. This is a very important step for their career as the success in this competition will guarantee them a promising future. Development of has a major role in creating a better society and Japan's company's support for the global educational project is making it a great success. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terming it a case of justice finally delivered to the victims of one of the worst instances of communal violence in independent India, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday welcomed the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 riots case. Reacting to the Delhi High Court judgement awarding life term to the former the Congress MP, Singh asserted that the conviction vindicated the stand he had been taking since those dark days of the violence perpetrated on thousands of innocent Sikhs in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Commenting further on the High Court verdict, the chief minister said, "The reversal, by the High Court, of the earlier acquittal of Sajjan by a trial court had once again proved that the judiciary in India continues to stand tall as a pillar of the nation's democratic system". Hailing the long-awaited verdict, Singh also said that he had been naming Sajjan Kumar, along with a few other former Congress leaders including Dharam Das Shastri, HKL Bhagat and Arjun Das, for the past 34 years, based on the information he had personally received from victims in refugee camps in Delhi during the riots. Singh also said that he had been calling for the strictest of punishment for the handful of individual Congress leaders who had been involved in instigating the riots. "These leaders, who included Sajjan Kumar, did not have any official party sanction and deserved to be punished for their horrendous crime", the Chief Minister said. He however reiterated his stand that neither the Congress party nor the Gandhi family had any role to play in the rioting and lashed out at the opposition, Shiromani Akali Dal, saying that "It continues to drag their names into the case at the behest of their political masters - the Bharatiya Janata Party, who were clearly shaken by the clear mandate given by the people to Rahul Gandhi's leadership in the recent Assembly elections in three states". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court on Monday framed charges against Army Major Nikhil Rai Handa in Shailja Dwivedi murder case. The hearing in the case will begin on January 19. Handa has been framed under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police reveals that a night before the incident, Handa had watched various videos on YouTube on how to kill someone, which indicate his intention to murder Shailja Dwivedi, who was his colleague's wife. On June 29, a Delhi Court had sent Major Handa to 14-day judicial remand, after he was under the police custody for four days. Major Handa was arrested June 24 after Shailja's body was found with her throat slit in Delhi's Brar Square area. He killed her after she allegedly refused to marry him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Court has clearly stated that political patronage was provided to anti-Sikh riots convicts, said HS Phoolka, one of the petitioners in 1984 anti-Sikh riot case, while responding to a question about political observations made by the Delhi High Court judge while pronouncing the conviction of Sajjan Kumar and five others. Speaking to ANI soon after the pronouncement of the verdict, Phoolka said, "Yes it has been clearly mentioned that there were political benefits provided (to the accused)". He was responding to a question about to observations made by the court about political patronage to the convicts including senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar. A Delhi High court on Monday reversed the trial court verdict of 2013 and sentenced Sajjan Kumar and five others in a case related to the killing of five Sikh's in Delhi's Cantonment area in November 1984, following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. "We are very thankful to the Indian judiciary. Sajjan Kumar has been awarded with life imprisonment. Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar have also been sentenced to life imprisonment. Kishan Khokkar and former legislator Mahender Yadav have been sentenced to 10 years in prison," added Phoolka while elaborating on the judgement. The victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots also hailed the verdict, "It was not a riot but a massacre in broad daylight. My father and brother were killed in front of my eyes. For three days I was somehow hidden in a house. It has been 34 years and we have not got any justice. Sajjan Kumar must be sentenced to death," said one of victims who lost his family when a mob attacked his house in Delhi's Tilak Nagar area during the 1984 Sikh-riots. Another victim Dara Singh termed the verdict as a ray of hope and said, "We are happy with this victim. Other convicts must also be brought to justice. Life imprisonment to Sajjan Kumar has given us a hope of justice now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gushing winds at nearly 75 kilometres per hour (kmph) have wreaked havoc along and off central Andhra Pradesh coast, with trees and mobile towers being uprooted due to the cyclonic storm 'Phethai'. Strong wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph will prevail during the subsequent nine hours, with the cyclone likely to weaken into a deep depression, according to a statement issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The cyclone crossed Andhra Pradesh coast, 25 km south of Yanam and 40 km south of Kakinada between 1.30 pm and 2.30 pm today. It lay centered at 2.30 pm over coastal Andhra Pradesh, close to Yanam and 25 km south of Kakinada. It is very likely to move northeastwards and emerge into the west-central Bay of Bengal off Kakinada coast during the next three hours, the IMD said. "Thereafter, it is very likely to continue to move northeastwards, weaken further and again cross Andhra Pradesh coast close to Tuni, during the late evening, as a deep depression with a wind speed of 55-65 kmph gusting 75 kmph," it added. Real-Time Governance CEO Babu A said that over 25,000 people were shifted to relief camps. In addition, people residing in cyclone-prone areas have been alerted. Several areas in East Godavari district received heavy rainfall, and stray incidents of uprooting of trees and electric poles were reported at some places. As the officials were alerted well in advance, they restored the power supply by replacing the damaged poles immediately. In the view of the rainfall due to the cyclone, the Indian Railways has cancelled 22 passenger trains, rescheduled one and partially cancelled one train. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the west-central Bay of Bengal and along and off north Andhra Pradesh during the next 12 hours, as torrential rains are likely in the region. The IMD has also issued an orange warning for coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam district of Puducherry, with rainfall likely to occur at most places. Andhra Pradesh cabinet minister Nara Lokesh has been monitoring the relief efforts from the RTG Command Centre here and is coordinating with multiple departments to avoid loss of life and property. "Been monitoring the relief efforts from the RTG Command Centre and coordinating with multiple departments to avoid loss of life and property following #CyclonePhethai's landfall. The experience of managing #Hudhud and #Titli is definitely coming in handy," Lokesh tweeted earlier today. Taking cognizance of the situation, the Indian Navy has started preparing for rescue operations post-landfall. The Navy has announced that helicopters and aircraft will be flown to undertake an aerial survey for relief and rescue operations. Moreover, the state government, in its advisory, has asked people not to come out of their houses until the storm crosses the coast. It further asked residents to move to rehabilitation centers immediately and people in the lowland to immediately move to safe places. Banana farmers and horticulture farmers have been advised to cover the grain with tarpaulin to avoid damage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the country's national memorial day, the Korean Central News Agency reported Monday. Kim paid homage to the statues of Kim Il Sung, his grandfather and the founder of the DPRK, and his father Kim Jong Il. He then entered the hall where the embalmed body of Kim Jong Il lies, the report said. Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, pays homage to the statues of Kim Il Sung and his father Kim Jong Il at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Monday, December 17, 2018. [Photo: IC] Kim Jong Il passed away on Dec. 17, 2011, which was later marked as a national memorial day in the DPRK. Kim called on the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) to adhere to the philosophies of Kim Jong Il and fulfill their duties as Kim Jong Il's revolutionary soldiers, the report added. The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun is a building in northeast Pyongyang that serves as the mausoleum for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Foreign Affairs Minister of Denmark Anders Samuelsen arrived here early in the morning for a two-day official visit and is scheduled to meet Minister of commerce and industry Suresh Prabhu at Udyog Bhawan in the evening. Later, Samuelsen will be holding talks and exchange Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj at the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan in the capital. The Danish Foreign Minister will be emplaning for Denmark on Tuesday afternoon. (December 18). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conard Sangama on Monday threw light on complications being faced by rescue teams to evacuate 13 trapped miners. He also highlighted that the high water level is making the operation difficult. As many as 13 miners have been trapped in a coal pit, full of water, at Ksan near Lytein River under Saipung police station in East Jaintia Hills on December 13. Despite the difficulties, the rescue operation is still underway. "It is a very difficult and complicated situation. NDRF ( Disaster Response Force) is trying to save them but it looks very difficult," said Sangama while sharing details of the rescue operation. "No matter how many pumps we put, water force is too much to bring it down to a level where we can enter and save them. We are trying really hard but the water level is really high," said the chief minister while explaining the situation. He further informed, "I spoke to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju the day after this incident took place and requested him to send more professional help. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and Maldives have agreed for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the field of visa arrangements, agri-business, and culture. The two countries exchanged the documents of agreement here on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Making his first visit to a foreign country after elected as President on November 17, the Maldivian President along with First Lady Fazna Ahmed met Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House in the afternoon. The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Ibrahim Solih took to Twitter saying, "PM @narendramodi warmly received President @ibusolih ahead of delegation level talks. During his visit to the Maldives for the President's inauguration in November, PM had extended an invitation to President Solih to make a State Visit to India." "It is a matter of great pride and honour for us that you have selected India as your first visit to any foreign country. Your visit would further help in strengthening the deep bond of trust and friendship that India shares with the Maldives," Prime Minister Modi said in his statement. The Indian Prime Minister added that the deep friendship is not only reliant on the close geographical location between the two Asian countries but also history, culture, trade and social relationships. Noting the faith in democracy and development by the people of the two countries, Prime Minister Modi also said that the bilateral visit of President Solih to India would mark the beginning of a new chapter in the deep bond shared between India and Maldives. "Dear Excellency, I applaud the vision of people-centric development of your government. Being a close friend and neighbour, I wish for their success of Maldives," the Prime Minister said. They agreed to work together to create institutional linkages and to establish a framework of cooperation in the following areas including health cooperation issues particularly cancer treatment, mutual legal assistance on criminal matters, investment promotion, human resource development, tourism. The two leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthening and reinvigorating the traditionally strong and friendly relations between India and the Maldives, nurtured by geographical contiguity, ethnic, historical, socio-economic and cultural ties between the peoples of the two countries. They also reiterated an abiding faith in, and commitment to democracy, development and peaceful co-existence. Modi also congratulated the people of Maldives for their successful and peaceful transition to democracy. He applauded the President of Maldives on his vision for inclusive, decentralised, people-centric governance, and development that is sustainable. Recalling his government's policy of 'Neighbourhood-First,' Prime Minister Modi reiterated India's assurance of all possible support to the Maldives in realising its aspirations for socio-economic development, and strengthening of democratic and independent institutions. In this regard, the Prime Minister announced the provision of financial assistance up to USD 1.4 billion in the form of budgetary support, currency swap and concessional lines of credit to fulfill the socio-economic development programmes of the Maldives. President Solih reaffirmed his government's "India-First Policy" and commitment to working together closely with New Delhi. He appreciated the generous assistance provided by the Government of India to the Maldives and identified various areas for developmental cooperation, including private sector involvement in development of housing and infrastructure, water and sewerage systems in the outlying islands, healthcare, education, and tourism. Both leaders emphasised the need to improve connectivity between the two countries through the establishment of enabling infrastructure that would promote the exchange of goods and services, information, ideas, culture, and people. The Prime Minister informed the decision by the Government of India to provide 1,000 additional slots over next five years for training and capacity building in diverse fields including judicial, policing and law-enforcement, audit and financial management, local governance, community development, informtion technology, e-governance, sports, media, youth and women empowerment, leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, art and culture. Recognising the importance of facilitating people-to-people exchanges and travel, the leaders welcomed the new agreement on visa facilitation signed on Monday. The Prime Minister noted that the new agreement will address the common concerns and ensure that people-to-people contacts are enhanced. The Maldives is one of the very few countries with which India has a visa-free arrangement. India also promised a maritime cooperation to the Maldives, and also welcomed Male's entry into the Commonwealth and praised the growth of Maldives from one among the least developed countries (LDC) to a middle-income group of countries. Prime Minister Modi welcomed Maldives' decision to re-join the Commonwealth. The Prime Minister also welcomed the Maldives as the newest member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. Maldivian President Solih expressed his gratitude for the warm hospitability extended to him and his delegation by India. "This beautiful nation remains close to the heart of so many Maldivians," he said. President Solih in his speech said that the agreements signed would pave the way for greater cooperation between the two Asian countries. He added that an important aspect of their bilateral discussion was on mutual aspirations and need for regional stability, and strengthening the maritime security. Both leaders agreed on the importance of combating the impact of climate change, especially detrimental to developing countries, and small island developing states, and the need to work towards strengthening the global response to climate change, through the UNFCCC, and the Paris Agreement. The two leaders underscored the need for strengthening and reform of multilateral financial institutions and enhancing the voice and participation of developing countries in international economic decision-making. President Solih reiterated his country's support for India's candidature for permanent membership of an expanded and reformed UN Security Council. Maldives also reiterated support for India's candidature for a non-permanent seat for the year 2020-21. On behalf of the Maldivian people, President Solih also invited both President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Modi to officially pay a visit to the Maldives next year. Earlier, the Maldivian President met President Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He also participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rajghat in New Delhi. Solih is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with President Kovind and Vice President Naidu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday. On December 18, Solih will undertake a visit to Agra and then emplane for the Maldives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Monday welcomed the release of Indian Hamid Nehal Ansari, who was incarcerated in a Pakistan jail. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the release of Ansari comes as a "great relief for the family members." "We have received a note from Pakistan today that they are releasing Indian Hamid Nehal Ansari tomorrow. It is a matter of great relief, especially for the family members, that six years of incarceration of the Indian civilian in Pakistan jail is coming to an end. We hope that Pakistan would respond and organise an early visit of the Joint Judicial Committee so that the issues of prisoners can be dealt with in a humanitarian and timely manner," Kumar asserted. Addressing the issue of mentally unsound prisoners lodged in jail, Kumar said, "We also await Pakistan's response to the visit of Indian medical team to meet mentally unsound prisoners with a view to facilitate their nativity verification and subsequent repatriation." Furthermore, the MEA spokesperson expressed hope that Pakistan will release other Indian civilians and fishermen whose nationalities have been confirmed and have completed their sentences, despite which they continue to languish in Pakistan jails. A teacher at the Mumbai Management College, Ansari had gone missing after being apprehended by the Pakistani intelligence agencies and local police from Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in November 2012. The news of Ansari's arrest became public after his mother Fauzia Ansari filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court here. On January 13, the Court was informed that Ansari was in the custody of Pakistani Army and was being tried by a military court. The Pakistani security agencies had claimed that Ansari had used fake identity card in the name of "Hamza" and he had entered Pakistan through Afghanistan without travel documents. They charged him for "anti-state activities". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India has welcomed Zambia as a member of the International Solar Alliance, with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu expressing hope for an early ratification of the Framework Agreement by Zambia. During a meeting with a Parliamentary delegation from Zambia here on Monday, led by Patrick Matibini, the Speaker of Zambia's National Assembly, Vice President Naidu also welcomed frequent exchanges between the two parliaments and said that such interactions would be beneficial in sharing experience and learning from each other's best practices. He further mentioned that the Indian Parliament would be happy to associate with the Zambian Parliament in any specific area, including training of its officials in the institutional or technical human resource development, according to an official press release. "India-Zambia share warm & friendly relations based on common values such as commitment to democracy, liberty, equality and rule of law," the Vice President tweeted. Vice President Naidu also stated, "India was one of the first countries to recognize Zambia after its independence in 1964. Our warm and friendly bilateral relations have evolved and strengthened over the years. The visit of the President of India to Zambia this year has given a fresh impetus to these ties." He further reiterated India's commitment towards promoting renewable energy including solar technologies "to enhance incomes and to safeguard global environment". The leaders of Zambian freedom struggle, such as Kenneth Kaunda, drew inspiration from India's struggle for freedom, particularly from the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Apart from this, India has extended lines of credit to the nation for its developmental needs, including USD 75 million for developmental projects in Zambia and a grant of USD 5 million for projects in health, education and social sectors announced during former Vice President Hamid Ansari's visit to the nation in 2010. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Russian and Indian troops, participating in the Indra Navy 18, on Monday concluded the joint exercise in the Bay of Bengal. The sea phase of the India Russia Maritime Bilateral Exercise, which involves Russia's Pacific Fleet ships, started in the Bay of Bengal on December 13 near the Indian port of Visakhapatnam. During the exercise, 10 ships of the two navies operated together as a Composite Task Force. The exercises included Visit, Board, Search and Seize (VBSS) drills, underway replenishment at sea, anti-submarine warfare manoeuvres and firing on aerial targets. "The exercises at sea were progressed despite the deteriorating weather conditions further enhancing the interoperability between both the navies," read the Indian Navy statement. One submarine and several aircraft from the Indian Navy also participated in the exercise. "The 10th edition of the exercise provided another opportunity to both the navies to operate with each other and exchange best practices," tweeted the spokesperson of Indian Navy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It was due to the patronage given by Gandhi family to the perpetrators of 1984 anti-Sikh riots that justice was derailed, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal said on Monday. Launching a scathing attack on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi soon after the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Badal said: "Look at the extent of patronage where one accused is being sworn in as Chief Minister, the other accused is being given life sentence by the court." "This is the extent of political patronage of Gandhi family. I think the Gandhi family has a lot to answer for. Today I demand an answer from Rahul Gandhi who said a few days ago that Congress had no hand in genocide," added Badal. "It is Sajjan Kumar today. It will be Jagdish Tytler tomorrow, then Kamal Nath and eventually, the Gandhi family will be answerable. I demand that action must be taken against Sonia Gandhi who must have been in compliance with all that Rajiv Gandhi was planning and perpetrating," said the Union Minister. Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the trial court verdict of 2013 and sentenced Sajjan Kumar to jail for life in one of the most important convictions in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. The senior Congress party leader was found guilty of inciting crowds to kill Sikhs in Delhi in 1984 following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Recalling the horrific incidents of November 1984, she said, "Congress leaders, at the behest of then Prime Minister, went to Sikh houses along with the police. Even today when I think of all that happened, it gives me goosebumps. Children were crying. They could not utter a word. I still remember it today." "The houses were marked with the help of the police. Sikhs were taken out of houses and were killed. We were trying to protect ourselves and were saved by the almighty. Thousands of innocent were brutally killed before their families," Badal claimed. She also credited the commission made by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "It was during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government that Nanavati Commission was formed, which recorded the details of 1984 riots. "I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government at the Centre for considering the demand of SAD for an SIT that was formed in 2015. The victims once again got their statements recorded." Hailing the HC judgment as historic, she also asserted that the wheels of justice are 'now functioning again to provide justice' to the victims. Expressing some apprehensions over Sajjan Kumar being represented by the son of Kapil Sibal in the court, Badal said, "The intervention of senior Congress party leaders comes only when some sort of Gandhis' interest is there. Kapil Sibal's son Amit Sibal is the main lawyer for Sajjan Kumar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, termed the killing of seven civilians in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district "unacceptable." "It is always praiseworthy when our armed forces eliminate militants but it pains when innocent civilians are killed. Killing of more than 7 civilians in Pulwama, Kashmir is unacceptable," read a statement from Azad. Furthermore, the senior Congress leader demanded a probe in the matter in order to avoid such a situation in the future. "The matter should be probed and security forces should be asked to avoid firing on civilians so that Pulwama like situation does not arise in future," he asserted. Apart from the death of seven civilians and one security personnel, three terrorists were also killed in the encounter, which broke out on Saturday in Pulwama's Monghama area of Sirnoo village. Moreover, police said incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amidst the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court's verdict on deal, (BJP) lawmaker said that should decide if Centre had misled the judiciary and whether the error made in the affidavit was mala fide. Reacting to leader Anand Sharma's statement that Center had deliberately misled the apex court, Swamy told ANI: "Sharma is no one to say anything on the Government's intentions. It is for the to decide or to say that you misled us or your error was mala fide in affidavit. At first, Prime Minister should order a probe to see who drafted it whether it was a bureaucrat or our politician." Swamy's remarks came after discrepancies were pointed out in certain paragraphs of the apex court judgement on issue. President had raised questions over the claims of (PAC) examining the CAG report, claiming that PAC Chairman Kharge had seen no such report. Further speaking on the Opposition alliance ahead of the general elections, Swamy said, "A coalition with ideological differences won't be able to stay for long and it will soon start falling apart." Praising his party, Swamy asserted: "After Vajpayee's rule UPA again came to power as his 'India shining' campaign was not enough to win the election. We also need a glue of 'Hindutva' to form the government at the Centre again and make our party workers work." Taking a jibe at over their continious attack on surgical strikes Swamy said, "What can you expect from Congress, they have developed a habit of questioning everything patriotic about this country. They even question surgical strike and sacrifices of our jawans." Sharpening his attack on the Congress leaders, especially Sidhu, who already received criticism for attending Prime Minister Imran Khan's oath-taking ceremony in and for embracing Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Swamy said, "Congress leaders like Navjot Singh is creating an impression that he is an anti- as he cares more for our enemies than our own people," he said. Maldives President Ibrahim Mohammad Solih met with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to discuss bilateral ties between the two South Asian countries here on Monday. The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs took to Twitter saying, "Reinvigorating traditionally strong and friendly relations. EAM @SushmaSwaraj called on President of #Maldives @ibusolih Warm and productive discussion on all aspects of bilateral ties, including development cooperation, human resource development & people-to-people exchanges." Earlier in the day, the Maldivian President received a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the Capital and then participated in a wreath-laying ceremony. Later, Solih is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House and exchange agreements. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The latest incident in the dispute over Passamaquoddy tribal members from the U.S. fishing in Canadian waters of Passamaquoddy Bay resulted in five fishermen from Maine being detained and fined and their boat, catch and some lobster traps being seized. While similar flare-ups having occurred during the past few years, as lobster fishermen from Sipayik say they have the right to fish anywhere in the bay, this time the boat's captain is critical of how he and his crew were treated by Canadian fisheries officers, although those allegations are denied by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). And tribal leaders are not pleased about the incident taking place now, as the Passamaquoddy in Canada are negotiating with DFO about entry into the fisheries as part of their path toward federal recognition. On December 6 tribal member Sugum Francis was hauling traps in the bay about a mile from his Sipayik home aboard his boat the Miss Tiffany I. With him were his son Dakota Soctomah, sister Philomene Look, cousin Cote Choneska and a friend, Ralph Green, a non-tribal member from Princeton. He says around 1 p.m. three rigid-hull inflatable boats suddenly "came from out of nowhere," and Canadian fisheries officers, who he says were armed and wearing black masks, boarded his boat. He says he and the crew members were handcuffed with a covering placed over their heads so they could not see and were taken away in the boats to St. George. "If we'd have fell over, we'd have been dead," Francis says, with all of them handcuffed behind their backs. They were put in RCMP cruisers and transported to a holding place. He's not sure where they were then taken, but he says they were "put in a cold, wet cell with no pillows, no blankets, no food," except for a small meal that evening. They weren't allowed to make a phone call until his sister was able to call about 10:30 that night, to let the families know they were still alive, Francis says. "They just treated everybody horrible." However, Todd Somerville, DFO's area chief, conservation and protection, for Southwest New Brunswick, disputes some of Francis' statements, saying, "I have the utmost confidence that our officers handled themselves with the utmost professionalism." He adds, "For anyone in our custody, their treatment is very humane." While officers were armed, he says they were not wearing balaclavas or masks. Handcuffing is standard procedure, but he says those being detained did not have anything placed over their heads. Fisheries officers conduct man-overboard drills, and he says they would have been looking out for the safety of the detainees while they were transported by boat. Somerville says, "Our officers would not have kept them from making a call once they were at the RCMP station in St. George." He also says the holding cell is clean and blankets and food were provided. Of the court appearance the following day, Francis says the case was done "in five minutes. They said if we didn't plead guilty we would have to stay there." They were told that a bail would be set that would be too high for them to pay, so they decided to enter guilty pleas, he says. Somerville says all five detainees, who are U.S. citizens, pled guilty in Saint John provincial court on December 7 to charges under the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act related to entering into and fishing in Canadian waters. The captain was fined $3,000 and each of the crew $500. They were then returned to the border at Calais the evening of December 7. According to Francis, the officers told them that they were not being arrested but rather being detained for their own safety. Francis' boat is still in DFO custody at one of its detachments until the fines are paid, Somerville says. The catch aboard, worth $131, was seized, and the 35 traps still in Canadian waters will be recovered later by fisheries officers. Ready to give up fishing Having gotten out of prison in 2016, Francis says he went right into lobstering, getting a tribal fishing license through Indian Township. "This is the longest I've ever not been in trouble, but this is the worst trouble I've ever been in," he says. "It ruined our Christmas, I know that." Last year fisheries officers also confiscated his traps at the end of the year, but he says he was able to get them back later. He understands that tribal leaders, since the incident, have been discussing revoking his lobster license. "They can't leave us out to dry. I need some help in this matter," says Francis, who says he is looking at getting an attorney. He points out that one of the tribal chiefs told him that the Passamaquoddy have an inherent right to fish in Passamaquoddy Bay. And he notes that he was picked up by DFO just off Pleasant Point, about a mile from his doorstep. "I've been fishing there my whole life." "They can have my boat, and they can have my license," Francis says following the incident. "I'm done. I'm not going through that again. That's not my idea of a good life. It was embarrassing. It was degrading." He adds, "It was just wrong -- everything -- especially for a non-arrestable offense." Francis is not the first Passamaquoddy to be summonsed for fishing in the Canadian waters of Passamaquoddy Bay. Last year Adam Newell of Sipayik and four other tribal members aboard his boat were summonsed by Canadian fisheries officers for fishing without a license, and Fred Moore III and Kani Malsom have in the past had their traps seized by DFO. Newell comments, "I believe it's within our treaty rights to have access to the resources of Passamaquoddy Bay." He also believes the tribal government should be providing more support for Francis with the most recent incident. Ongoing negotiations with DFO Noting that the incident is a sensitive subject, Hugh Akagi, sakomak of the Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) Nation in Canada, says that Passamaquoddy chiefs, vice chiefs and some councillors from Sipayik, Indian Township and the Skutik band based in St. Andrews met the day after Francis and his crew were detained to discuss the issue and to be prepared for potential scenarios. "This might derail some of the negotiating process," says Akagi of the incident's possible effect on discussions with DFO. "It's probably not a good case to have in court now. It could work against us." The tribal leaders discussed possible actions to be taken, with Akagi noting that the crew's tribal fishing licenses could be revoked, if approved by the tribal government. "It needs to go back to the council," he says, but he stresses that "we need to find ways to avoid conflict" with the Canadian government. Pointing out that the negotiating process for federal recognition in Canada of the Peskotomuhkati Nation is complicated, Akagi says mandates from the federal government are needed to even begin negotiations. Having discussions on parks and fisheries has been approved, and a framework for negotiations was hammered out in a year, which was fairly quick, compared to that for other tribes. Any agreements will need to be approved by the Canadian government and also presented to the Passamaquoddy communities. Concerning the negotiations on the fisheries, he says, "We're not negotiating the right. It's about implementation and access." Akagi has pointed to binding agreements signed in the mid-1700s between the British and the Passamaquoddy, and Canada's Constitution Act of 1982 states that the country will respect the treaties that were signed. In addition, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld Native fishing rights in its 1999 Marshall decision. Because of the treaties, Akagi says Passamaquoddys at Sipayik believe that they have the right to fish anywhere in Passamaquoddy Bay, as the tribe's traditional territory stretches from the Penobscot River in Maine to Point Lepreau in New Brunswick. However, issues involving the rights of Passamaquoddys living in Maine in the framework agreement for recognition in Canada will require careful negotiation. Akagi says of the ongoing negotiations with DFO, "We would like the food fishery to be first on the agenda, then approach the commercial fishery. Once money appears, it changes the conversation." While the Passamaquoddy have treaty rights that are non-negotiable, Akagi says that there is "a big difference" between communal rights and individual rights. "We're promoting the food fishery and commercial fishery as communal. The right belongs to all the nation," he says, noting that any fishery has to benefit community and the people. "Individual rights for individual wealth are not part of our strategy," says Akagi, adding that the discussion "will be a difficult conversation." Last March, the Fundy North Fishermen's Association hosted a meeting to address issues raised by fishermen in New Brunswick who were concerned about Passamaquoddy fishermen being able to fish in Passamaquoddy Bay under a fisheries management plan with DFO. The association has been working to build a relationship with the Passamaquoddy and meeting with them in an effort to avoid any conflict. Newly-elected President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih received a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Monday morning. Marking a maiden visit to India, the new Maldives President arrived in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon (local time) for a three-day official visit. Official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar personally took to Twitter saying, "Welcoming a special friend. President @ibusolih of #Maldives receives the ceremonial reception @rashtrapatibhvn forecourt in the presence of #PresidentKovind and PM @narendramodi #NeighbourhoodFirst" The new Maldives President is also scheduled to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Rajghat, followed by a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, later in the day, before holding delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi at the Hyderabad House. Exchange of agreements and press statements will be held after his meeting with Prime Minister Modi. Solih is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on the same day. On December 18, Solih will undertake a visit to Agra and then emplane for the Maldives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbai's ESIC Kamgar hospital, which was engulfed in flames earlier today, did not obtain a final No Objection Certificate (NOC), Deputy Fire Officer of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), MV Ogale, said on Monday. "They (hospital authorities) have applied for the final NOC but compliances were not in line with the provisions of the act and hence they have not been given final NOC by us. Our building proposal department has also not given final occupation certificate," Ogale told media here. As many as six people lost their lives while 106 others sustained injuries after the massive fire broke out here today. Ten fire tenders were pressed into service and the firemen are making efforts to douse the blaze. A rescue van and 16 ambulances are at the spot to provide necessary assistance. Mumbai's Mayor V Mahadeshwar said the cause of the fire is yet to be revealed. "Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation is responsible for the fire audits, whether they carried out fire audits or not, that will be investigated," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEC Technologies India Private Limited, together with NEC Corporation, hosted the sixth edition of NEC Innovative Solutions Fair 2018 in Mumbai, wherein the company exhibited NEC's state-of-the-art and solutions that help in co-creating the future. Giving an overview of NEC's portfolio of at the site, Takashi Niino, President and CEO of NEC, said: "I feel that the potential for co-creation between NEC and Indian companies is especially great due to a meeting of minds. Our two cultures are open to exploring advanced digital technologies without prejudice, hesitation or fear." Themed 'CurioCITY', the event showcased six display areas divided into thematic zones-- safer cities, smart transportation, digital governance, digital enterprises, smart connectivity, and skill creation. Participants found different kinds of future solutions at each booth and enjoyed first-hand experience modules and solution demonstration. Highlights of the event included NEC's world-leading facial recognition solution and their real-life application. Various sessions and seminars were also attended by industry leaders and NEC global management. "India is currently advancing very fast and developing its economy, but still has many challenges. The solution that we are providing and showcasing here with NEC technology is going to help India solve some of the local problems. The purpose of this event is to let Indian customers and partners of NEC know what all of NEC is doing in different parts of the world," said Sandeep Khurana from NEC Technologies India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress party on Monday posed 11 questions on Rafale jet deal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking their answers or clarifications from him. These questions have been posed to Prime Minister Modi by Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala through his Twitter. Surjewala's first question pertains to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). "The Supreme Court decision in Rafale is based on CAG report, but CAG had not given any report, neither it was placed in Parliament nor in Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Why such a big fraud with the Supreme Court," Surjewala asked. In his second question, Surjewala, while referring to the agreement between Reliance and Dassault Aviation, said, "The top court's decision is based on the fact that Reliance had an agreement with Dassault since 2012. However, Reliance Defence Limited was formed on March 28 2015." In his third question, he alleged that the Apex Court's decision is based on the fact that former French President Francois Hollande stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi government had favoured Reliance. "While Hollande reiterated his statement, President Emmanuel Macron also had said that he cannot refute his statement," said Surjewala. The Congress spokesperson claimed that the government had submitted in the Apex Court that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has nothing to do with the Rafale deal. However, he said that HAL and Dassault had entered into an agreement in March 2014 which was certified by both Dassault CEO and Foreign Secretary. Surjewala's fifth question pertains to the alleged objections raised by the Law Ministry that the Centre "hid" from the court, while his sixth allegation is that the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has given its nod for procuring jets after the government decided to buy 36 jets, which Surjewala claims, is the breach of procedure. In his ninth question, the Congress leader said that the Central government's decision to buy 36 jets instead of 126 is a big compromise with the security of the nation and the Central government has not given any reason for the same in the Supreme Court. "The government said that buying 36 Rafale jets is a profitable concern, while the Congress government was buying each Rafale for Rs 526 crore, Modi government brought it for Rs 1,670 crore each and thus cheated Rs 41, 205 crore of the public money," said Surjewala. On Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking a probe into the Rafale deal, saying it does not find any substantial material on record to show that this is a case of commercial favouritism to any party by the Government of India. The Centre on Saturday filed an application seeking a correction in the order to make it clear that the pricing aspect, examined by the CAG has not been looked into by PAC as yet. In its application, accessed by the ANI, the Union Government pointed out that error in two sentences appeared to have occurred. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A flying spell from Indian pacer Mohammed Shami helped the visitors bowl out the Australian team for a total of 243 runs on Day Four of the ongoing second Test here at the Perth Stadium on Monday. After going wicket-less in the first session, India looked in deep trouble but a spirited bowling brought the team back in the competition. Australia, who were 190 for four till Lunch, lost wickets in quick succession as they managed a 287 -run target for India to chase. Top-order batsman Usman Khawaja and Australian skipper Tim Paine stitched a 72-run partnership for the fifth wicket, helping their side to put a decent total on the board. The partnership was broken by Indian pacer Mohammed Shami who came out with a brilliant spell post lunch. Paine was trapped by Shami in a vicious short ball which balloons off his gloves and was caught easily by Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the slips. Opening batsman Aaron Finch, who had retired hurt on Day Three, walked on to the crease after the dismissal of Paine. Shami bowled a short delivery to him which was angling down the leg side. Finch gloved the ball which went straight to the Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. The glorious spell by Shami continued as he picked up the most crucial wicket of the day in the form of Usman Khawaja (72). Australia had added just eight runs to their post lunch total when they lost their three top batsmen. Another Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah joined the party as he clipped off the stumps of right-arm bowler Pat Cummins (1) with a beautiful back of a length delivery. India bowlers were all over the Australians at the moment. Star bowler of the day Mohammed Shami struck again with his short length delivery. Nathon Lyon (5) chose a wrong shot to tackle the delivery and ended up giving an easy catch to Hanuma Vihari at the deep point. Australian pacers Mitchell Starc (14) and Josh Hazelwood (17) tried to spoil the Indian party with a quick partnership of 36 runs but Bumrah, with a super quick delivery, came to the team's rescue and sent Starc back to the pavilion. Shami, with a six-wicket haul, emerged as the most successful bowler for India in the second innings. While Bumrah picked up three wickets, Ishant Sharma contributed one wicket for his team. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Communist Party of India-M (CPI-M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the name of the prime minister candidate will be decided only after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Yechury's remark comes a day after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M K Stalin proposed the name of Rahul Gandhi as the next prime minister. "It (proposing Rahul Gandhi's name) was only Stalin's opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, we learn from our country's history. A formation that forms an alternative government at the centre comes into existence only post-election," Yechury told media here. Stalin, while addressing a public rally on Sunday in Chennai, had proposed the Congress president's name as the prime minister candidate. "From the soil of Tamil Nadu, I propose the name of Rahul Gandhi for the prime ministerial candidate. I propose we will install a new Prime Minister in Delhi. He has got the ability to defeat the fascist Modi government," he had said. Soon after this, CPI leader D Raja said a decision would be taken collectively by all parties. "DMK president MK Stalin has proposed Rahul Gandhi should become the prime ministerial candidate in 2019. All other parties, particularly secular democratic parties, left parties will have to give consideration and deliberate on this issue. Let us see in the coming days how things are going to unfold," Raja told ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has taken note of the issue raised by Bollywood veteran Dilip Kumar's wife Saira Banu with regard to their ongoing property issue, an official from the Maharashtra Chief Minister's office said on Monday. "Prime Minister's Office has taken note of veteran actor Dilip Kumar's tweet alleging threat from one builder (Samir Bhojwani)," the official told ANI. Furthermore, the official said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured assistance in the matter. On Sunday, Saira Banu had tweeted to Prime Minister Modi, requesting him to meet her during his visit to Mumbai. "Request from Saira Banu Khan: The Hon'ble @PMOIndia Shri @narendramodi Sir, Land Mafia Samir Bhojwani realeased from Jail. No Action Taken despite assurances by CM @Dev_Fadnavis Padma Vibhushit betrayed, Threatened by money n muscle power. Request meeting wth u in #mumbai," Banu tweeted from the verified handle of Dilip Kumar. Earlier, the 74-year-old lodged a police complaint alleging Bhojwani was threatening and harassing her and Kumar over the property issue. In an FIR lodged on January 4, Banu alleged that Bhojwani, on the basis of forged documents, illegally staked ownership of a land in Pali Hill, Bandra, the rights of which were acquired by Dilip Kumar on September 25, 1953. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan's Deputy Chief Minister designate Sachin Pilot on Monday emphasised on the gathering of opposition leaders in the state capital for the swearing-in ceremony of the new government and asserted that it will offer a glimpse of the 'future of politics' in India. Speaking to media ahead of his oath-taking ceremony, Pilot said, "Even non-Congress parties now want to see Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister. It is not only going to be an oath-taking ceremony but it will also give a glimpse of the future of in this country. This is an indication of how the will turn in upcoming times." He also reiterated his commitment towards farmers and youth. "Today marks the beginning of a new era. It is a big day for the state and its people. Public and voters have bestowed their faith in Congress and our work will start from today itself. This is an important day for the present and future of Rajasthan. Our priority is farmers and youth. Soon after the oath-taking ceremony, the cabinet formation will take place and the government will start working," he said. He also took a dig at central government, while asserting that Congress will start strengthening itself further for the General Assembly elections. "Keeping in mind the Lok Sabha elections, we need to further strengthen the Congress party. The non-BJP front is becoming stronger. The oath-taking ceremony will also be a testimony of opposition unity. BJP government is weakening the democratic institution and people want this trend to be stopped and changed," he said. On December 11, the Congress bagged as many as 99 seats out in the 200-member assembly. The party's ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) managed to win one seat to get the magical 100-mark required to form the government. While rival BJP declined drastically from 163 to 73 seats, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party managed to bag six seats and had also offered support to the Congress. The remaining 20 seats were won by independent candidates. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After the massive success of 'Not in This Lifetime' tour, Guns N' Roses might surprise their fans again! Band members Axl Rose and Slash have been teasing fans with a possibility of coming up with a new album, and now guitarist Richard Fortus revealed in a recent interaction that the band is going to try to do another record, reported Loudwire. In a recent interview with host Favazz of KSHE95, the 52-year-old guitarist was asked about the possibility of a new record from the rock band, to which he responded, "We're going to try and do another record and get it out soon." Favazz then said that he hoped it'd be great, Fortus added saying, "How could it not be? The band is so great right now." Fortus further stated that 'some new music' may release before the end of 2019 and also hinted at another tour, depending on how quickly new music is released. Earlier this year, Slash told Classic Rock Magazine that, "Now that we've mended fences and gotten back together and done this, we're going to keep it together." "Axl's got a ton of shit that he recorded already, so we're just going to get in there and just start getting into that thing, and then if we do a record and then do a tour, I could see that cycle going on endlessly," he added. Piquing the curiosity of their fans, Rose also spoke with Iceland Magazine, hinting for a new record. "Right now our focus is on touring and the shows but everyone seems to be getting along so you never know," said Rose. Meanwhile, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators just released 'Living the Dream' album a few months back. On the other hand, Duff McKagan has a solo album coming out soon and Fortus revealed in his interview that he's working on producing an album for rock band titled Psychedelic Furs early in 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabia strongly rejected the US Senate's resolutions to end military support for a "Saudi war" in Yemen and to hold the Kingdom's crown prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) accountable for journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder, calling them "blatant interferences in the Kingdom's internal affairs". The US Senate had passed the resolutions on December 13. "The Kingdom...expresses its concern regarding the positions that were expressed by members of an esteemed legislative body of an allied and friendly government," the statement released on Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry's Twitter account mentioned, referring to the United States. The Kingdom reiterated that Khashoggi's death is "deplorable" while noting that the crime "does not reflect the Kingdom's policy nor its institutions." "Accordingly, the Kingdom reaffirms its rejection of any attempts to take the case out of the path of justice in the Kingdom," the statement remarked. Saudi Arabia highlighted its keenness in "preserving its relations" with the USA throughout the statement, underscoring all the efforts that have been undertaken by Riyadh to push back terrorist activities and maintain peace regionally, in the "Arab and Muslim worlds" and internationally. The statement further shed light on US-Saudi relations and stated: "The Kingdom has also steadfastly stood by the United States of America in confronting Iran's malign activities, which it spreads through its allies and proxies to destabilise the region." "The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership, represented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque and the Crown Prince, and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature," the statement strongly noted while referring to the US Senate's decision. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Saudi-led Arab coalition has issued 157 permits to convoys headed towards Yemen in the last three days. The convoys hold medical aid, food supplies and oil amongst other resources to bring respite to the nation suffering from a starvation crisis that has sent alarm bells ringing internationally. 19 permits were issued to vessels to dock in Yemeni ports, 12 air permits have been given while 16 vessels bearing aid have been allowed to the country as of yet, according to Al Arabiya. Earlier, the United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Mark Lowcock, on Sunday told Al Jazeera that the ceasefire brokered between pro-government forces and the Houthi rebels in Hodeidah must quickly be "translated into a real change on the ground". Both the sides reached the ceasefire in Sweden on Thursday. "People I've listened to - parents of starving children, people who have fled from their homes, sometimes multiple times - they're not seeing yet any tangible benefit," Lowcock noted. Clashes had erupted in Hodeidah despite the ceasefire on Friday. The Arab Coalition and the Houthi militia have been regularly clashing in the war-torn nation which is also facing an acute food crisis. Several human rights organisations have called for the cessation of hostilities in the region and have asked the United States to take action to save Yemeni lives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Farm at San Benito, is a paradise that embodies the true essence of Filipino wellness. Its nurturing touch and natural treatments that heal from within, preserve the cultural antiquity of traditional Philippine healing. The treatments incorporate a science-based, evidence-based approach to optimal health with the expertise of the country's best integrative doctors. This year on its 16th anniversary, The Farm at San Benito added five more awards to its roster of international accolades: The Luxperience 2018 Connections Award, the 2018 Asian Lifestyle Tourism Award for Best Wellness Resort in Southeast Asia, the World Luxury Hotel Awards, the 2018 AsiaSpa Awards for the Couples Treatment of the Year, and the Best Overseas Hotel, a Voyage Best Hotel and Resort Value Award in China. Luxperience Awards, granted by Luxperience Australia, recognizes the leading organizations who set the bar for high-end and experiential travel. On September 16, The Farm received the prestigious Connections Award, an award presented to companies who not only sustained, but also expanded the market through successfully launching effective multi-platform marketing strategies including traditional, events, social media, and online marketing. In the same month, The Farm at San Benitowas named Best Wellness Resort in Southeast Asia at the 2018 Asia Lifestyle Tourism Awards. This honour is given to industry leaders and best performing destination across Asia Pacific. Following its success in the 2017 World Luxury Hotel Awards, The Farm at San Benito came back as the 2018 winner, reinforcing its position amongst the best on the world. In November of this year, The Farm at San Benito won the Couples Treatment of the Year Award at the 2018 AsiaSpa Awards. The awards acknowledge the best spas, hotels and resorts in the world, and the publication aims to bring to its readers the best pampering and healing destinations around the globe. The Farm closes 2018 with the Best Overseas Hotel title accorded by Voyage Best Hotel and Resort Value Award, China's luxury travel magazine designed for high net worth travellers and professionals. The Farm at San Benito is honoured to have been recognised for its continuing excellence and innovation in the spa and wellness industry. In addition to receiving numerous international prestigious awards, The Farm at San Benito has more reason to celebrate, as the Philippines is now on the map of top medical destinations in the world - a great way to share traditional Filipino healing with science-based programs and state-of-the-art facilities. To date, The Farm at San Benito has received a total of 59 international awards including "Best Medical Wellness Resort" from SENSES Germany. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami reiterated that the state government will knock the doors of the Supreme Court against the order of Green Tribunal (NGT) to reopen the Vedanta Group's Sterlite plant at Tuticorin. Speaking to the media, the Chief Minister said, "Sterlite is a private company. Since they have violated the law, the government has closed it. The NGT's verdict has asked to open the Sterlite Company. We state government will approach the Supreme Court against the verdict." On December 15, the green tribunal set aside Tamil Nadu government's order for closing Sterlite plant. NGT directed the state government to roll-out fresh orders for the renewal of consent for Vedanta's copper smelter plant within a span of three weeks. It also directed the firm to spend Rs 100 crore in a period of three long years for the welfare of the people residing in nearby areas. "We allow this appeal, set aside the impugned orders and direct the TNPCB (Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board) to pass a fresh order of renewal of consent and authorisation to handle hazardous substances ... within three weeks from today," the NGT said in its order. On May 22, 13 people were killed and more than 60 injured in the alleged police firing during the violent protest against Sterlite plant in Tuticorin. The people were protesting against the construction of the Sterlite copper plant, claiming that it was polluting groundwater, and was hazardous for the environment. Taking note of the people's demand, the Tamil Nadu government on May 28 ordered the closure of the plant. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least two children were killed and about half a dozen injured after a wall of a private school building collapsed in Sector 49 in Noida on Monday. The incident occurred around 10 am. All injured children were rushed to a nearby hospital. However, two of the injured succumbed to injuries later. Taking cognizance, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a probe into the matter. He has also directed the District Magistrate to oversee rescue and relief operations. "A case has been registered and action against the school owner would be taken after the investigation," said Superintendent of Police Sudha Singh. The cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress party will do what is in public interest and the manifesto will be its priority, said Rajasthan Chief Minister designate Ashok Gehlot on Monday. Gehlot will take oath as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan at the historic Albert Hall later today. "Once the cabinet is decided, the Chief Minister will work on its advice. Once it's done, we'll do what's in public interest, the manifesto will be our priority," Gehlot told ANI. Deputy Chief Minister designate, Sachin Pilot, expressing similar sentiments, stated that Congress will work to meet people's expectations. "This is a new beginning for the state and people. They trusted us and our work begins today. As soon as the cabinet is formed we'll begin working on promises made to the people. We'll work to meet their expectations," Pilot said ahead of his swearing-in ceremony. Several senior Congress leaders, including party president Rahul Gandhi, will attend the event. A phalanx of opposition leaders including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, DMK president MK Stalin, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and NCP president Sharad Pawar are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Gehlot. In the recently-concluded Assembly election in Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi led-Congress had bagged 99 out of 199 seats to wrest power from the BJP in the state. Rajasthan assembly has 200 seats, but election on one seat was put off due to the demise of one of the candidates. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharti Airtel announced that its board will meet on 20 December 2018 to consider various fund raising options for the company as the board may deem appropriate. The announcement was made on Saturday, 15 December 2018. Reliance Industries will be watched. With reference to the outcome of a litigation by Airtel and Idea challenging the amendments made by TRAI to the Telecom Tariff Order 1999, Reliance Jio Infocomm, subsidiary of the company, had impleaded itself in the case to put forth its point of view. The order passed by the TDSAT has no impact on Reliance Jio Infocomm. The announcement was made on Saturday, 15 December 2018. Cadila Healthcare announced that Zydus Cadila has received the final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) to market Albendazole Tablets USP (US RLD ALBENZA tablets), 200 mg. It will be manufactured at the group's formulations manufacturing facility at SEZ, Ahmedabad. This medication is used to treat certain tapeworm infections (such as neurocysticercosis and hydatid disease). The group also received a tentative approval for Pregabalin Capsules (US RLD Lyrica) in the strengths of 25 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg, 225 mg and 300 mg. It will be manufactured at the group's formulations manufacturing facility at Moraiya, Ahmedabad. Pregabalin is used to help control certain kinds of seizures, painful nerve diseases and fibromyalgia. The group now has 239 approvals and has so far filed over 340 ANDAs since the commencement of the filing process in FY 2003-04. The announcement was made on Saturday, 15 December 2018. Wipro and Saxo Bank Group (Saxo Bank), a leading multi asset trading and investment specialist with more than 25 years of Fintech innovation, announced a strategic partnership. Saxo Bank has chosen Topcoder, a Wipro company and the world's largest talent network and crowdsourcing platform for data scientists, programmers and designers, for the execution of digital transformation initiatives at the bank. This engagement will enable Saxo Bank to provide its customers unparalleled access to global financial markets, cutting-edge technologies and industry-leading expertise. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 14 December 2018. Fortis Healthcare will be watched. The Supreme Court maintained a status quo on sale of Fortis Healthcare to IHH Healthcare Berhad. With reference to the Supreme Court order dated 14 December 2018, Fortis Healthcare clarified on Saturday, 15 December 2018, that it is not a party to the judicial proceedings in which the order has been passed. The ex-promoters are no longer a part of Fortis and the judicial proceedings were in matters solely related to them - specifically, in connection with alleged transfer of their shares to Indiabulls Housing Finance, in respect of which contempt proceedings had been sought to be initiated and the transfer itself being sought to be set aside. The company also emphasized that this order does not impact the preferential allotment that was made to Northern TK Ventures (a wholly-owned subsidiary of IHH Healthcare Berhad) by Fortis on 13 November 2018, in accordance with applicable law, and for which requisite disclosures were made to all relevant regulatory authorities - consequent to which IHH Healthcare Berhad owns 31.1 % equity stake in Fortis. The company is currently evaluating the order and seeking appropriate legal advice. The company said it would subsequently decide its future course of action, also apprise all stakeholders, as may be required. Solara Active Pharma Science (Solara), a leading active pharmaceutical ingredient provider, announced the successful completion of US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) inspection at Solara Research Centre(SRC), Chennai with zero 483s inspectional observations. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 14 December 2018. Future Consumer announced that it has sold its stake in Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) for Rs 44.39 crore. Consequently, ACK has ceased to be a subsidiary of the company with effect from 14 December 2018. Further, ACK has allotted 4,977 Compulsory Convertible Debentures ("CCDs") to the company for an aggregate amount of Rs 49.77 crore in lieu of the outstanding loans granted earlier, shall be convertible at the expiry of three years at the then prevailing fair value of ACK. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 14 December 2018. Huhtamaki PPL has filed a detailed application with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) in pursuance of the compliances under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, which application is pending before MPCB for its review. In the light of the aforesaid application, at the hearing held on 14 December, 2018, the company has withdrawn its appeal before the National Green Tribunal, Pune, with liberty to file a fresh appeal, if required, depending upon the outcome of the MPCB's review, which has been accepted by the National Green Tribunal, Pune. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 14 December 2018. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ministry of Tourism has taken various steps to promote Medical Tourism Medical Tourism holds immense potential for India. The Indian systems of medicines, viz. Ayurveda, Yoga, Panchakarma, Rejuvenation Therapy etc are among the most ancient systems of medical treatment in the world. India can provide medical and health care of international standards at low costs. India excels in the state of the art medical facilities, reputed health care professionals, quality nursing facilities and traditional healthcare therapies. The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India on medical visa during 2016 and 2017 were estimated at 4.27 lakh and 4.95 lakh respectively, registering a positive growth of 15.9%. The Ministry of Tourism has taken various steps to promote Medical Tourism which inter-alia includes launch of campaigns in the international markets including for medical tourism under the Incredible India brand-line; conducting Road Shows, Know India Seminars. Ministry produces brochures, CDs, films and other publicity material for promotion of Medical & Health Tourism. The film on Medical Tourism film was aired in the Middle East and North African Market. On social media Medical Tourism is being promoted across various platforms. In order to provide dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical Tourism, a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been constituted. Department of Commerce and Services Export Promotion Council have launched a Healthcare Portal www.indiahealthcaretourism.com, as a single source platform providing comprehensive information to medical travellers on the top healthcare institutions in the country in various languages. The e-tourist visa regime has been expanded to include medical visits as well. Medical and Medical attendant visa has been introduced to ease the travel process of Medical Tourists. The maximum duration of stay in India under the e-Medical visa is a longer duration of six months. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare Ltd is quoting at Rs 7790, up 0.31% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 22.24% in last one year as compared to a 4.56% jump in NIFTY and a 15.39% jump in the Nifty FMCG. GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare Ltd is up for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 7790, up 0.31% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.53% on the day, quoting at 10862.4. The Sensex is at 36213.08, up 0.7%. GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare Ltd has gained around 8.94% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty FMCG index of which GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare Ltd is a constituent, has gained around 2.94% in last one month and is currently quoting at 30371.5, up 0.5% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 10946 shares today, compared to the daily average of 78730 shares in last one month. The PE of the stock is 38.42 based on TTM earnings ending September 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IL&FS Engineering & Construction Co has received a letter dated 14 December 2018 from Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation informing the Company of the decision of the competent authority to terminate the contract for construction of Seven Elevated Metro Stations, and Three At-Grade Stations (North South Corridor) viz. congress Nagar to Khapri and Viaducts between Ch: 7/850 to 8/030 and Ch: 8/574 to 9/692 in Reach-1 of Nagpur Metro Rail Project. The reason for termination is the alleged slow progress. Following such termination, all bank guarantees provided by the company (Rs 93 crore) would be encashed by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Make in India initiative aims to create a conducive environment for investment, development of modern and efficient infrastructure The 'Make in India' initiative was launched in 2014 with the objective of promoting India as an important investment destination and a global hub in manufacturing, design and innovation. This initiative aims to create a conducive environment for investment, development of modern and efficient infrastructure, opening up new sectors for foreign investment and forging a partnership between Government and industry through a positive mind set. Some of the major achievements under Make in India initiative are: Six industrial corridors are being developed across various regions of the country. Industrial cities will also come up along these corridors. India has become a net exporter of electricity - 7203 MU exported to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar during 2017-18. One of the world's largest 648-MW solar power plant in Tamil Nadu was commissioned on 21 September 2016. Two path breaking prototype locomotives of WAGC3 & WAG11 class of 10,000 and 12,000 hp respectively were developed indigenously by converting existing diesel locomotive to upgraded electric locomotive. Asia's largest MedTech Zone (AMTZ) has been set up in Andhra Pradesh. 88 cold chain projects were commissioned during June 2014 to August 2018, thereby, creating additional food processing capacity of 3.9 lakh tones. Three textile mega clusters in Bareilly, Lucknow and Kutch are being set up, thereby benefitting 14505 artisans. Major ports in India have added capacity of 92.19 MTPA during FY 2017-18. Total turnaround time at these ports has reduced by 33% from 96 hrs in FY 2014-15 to 64.32 hrs in FY 2017-18. Initially under Make in India initiative action plans for 25 sectors had been prepared and which after review is now focused on 27 sectors. Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion coordinates action plans for 15 manufacturing sectors while Department of Commerce coordinates 12 service sectors. Investment promotion activities after launch of Make in India initiative are being undertaken by several Central Government Ministries, Departments and various State Governments from time to time. RBI Regional Office-wise (one regional office may cover one or more states) FDI equity inflow reported in the country during April, 2015 to March, 2018 is as follows: Sr. No. Regional Offices of RBI States Covered 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 Total 1 Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh 1556 2195 1246 4998 2 Guwahati Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura 10 2 13 25 3 Patna Bihar, Jharkhand 43 10 10 63 4 Ahmedabad Gujarat 2244 3367 2091 7701 5 Jammu Jammu & Kashmir 2 0 0 2 6 Bangalore Karnataka 4121 2132 8575 14829 7 Kochi Kerala, Lakshadweep 90 454 208 753 8 Bhopal Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh 80 76 28 184 9 Mumbai Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu 9511 19654 13423 42588 10 Bhubaneshwar Orissa 6 12 65 83 11 Jaipur Rajasthan 50 165 117 333 12 Chennai Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry 4528 2218 3475 10221 13 Kanpur Uttar Pradesh, Uttranchal 80 8 90 177 14 Kolkata West Bengal, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar Islands 955 50 218 1223 15 Chandigarh Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh 27 6 108 141 16 New Delhi Delhi, Part Of Up And Haryana 12743 5884 7656 26282 17 Panaji Goa 18 83 43 144 18 Region Not Indicated Region Not Indicated 3936 7162 7491 18589 Grand Total 40001 43478 44857 128336 figures in US $ Million, Source: Foreign Direct Investment - Data Cell, DIPP Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Contact: Mostly, the Rude Pundit doesn't give a shit what you have to say, but, if you have to say it, you can write to Lee Papa here: rudepundit(at)yahoo(dot)com Government has taken various measures to help rubber growers The Government has taken various measures to help rubber farmers struggling due to price fall of natural rubbers. Domestic rubber prices are highly sensitive to import of natural rubber. To regulate the import of natural rubber, the Government has increased duty on import of dry rubber from 20% or Rs 30 per kg whichever is lower to 25% or Rs 30 per kg whichever is lower from 30 April 2015 in order to create demand for locally produced rubber. The Government has also reduced the period of utilization of imported dry rubber under advance licensing/ authorization scheme from 18 months to 6 months. Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has imposed port restriction on the import of natural rubber by restricting the port entry to Chennai and Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) since 20th January, 2016. Rubber production incentive scheme is under implementation in the major rubber growing state of Kerala for providing financial support to rubber growers under which the difference between the scheme reference price of Rs 150 per kg and the daily market price is credited to the bank account of the farmer directly on the basis of purchase bills. The Minister of State for Commerce & Industry C R Chaudhary has also informed that the Government has no proposal for opening of industrial parks for rubber based units. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sadbhav Infrastructure Project announced that National Highways Authority of India has declared 14 December 2018 as "Appointed Date" vide its letter dated 14 December, 2018 for Sadbhav Jodhpur Ring Road (SJRRPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company in accordance with the Concession Agreement dated 6 February, 2018. Project description is as follows - Four Laning of Dangiywas (km 96.595 of NH-112) to Jajiwal (km 283.500 of NH-65 Nagaur Road) section Package-I (Design length 74.619 km) of Jodhpur Ring Road (In Principally declared NH) in the State of Rajasthan under NI-IDP Phase-VII. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Motors Ltd is quoting at Rs 175.25, up 4.97% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 56.81% in last one year as compared to a 4.56% gain in NIFTY and a 19.51% gain in the Nifty Auto. Tata Motors Ltd rose for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 175.25, up 4.97% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.53% on the day, quoting at 10862.4. The Sensex is at 36213.08, up 0.7%. Tata Motors Ltd has dropped around 5.07% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Tata Motors Ltd is a constituent, has dropped around 1.31% in last one month and is currently quoting at 9271.5, up 0.61% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 199.73 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 135.82 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark December futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 175.35, up 4.72% on the day. Tata Motors Ltd is down 56.81% in last one year as compared to a 4.56% gain in NIFTY and a 19.51% gain in the Nifty Auto index. The PE of the stock is 24.01 based on TTM earnings ending September 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Zee Media Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 24, up 1.27% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 42.79% in last one year as compared to a 4.55% slide in NIFTY and a 23.15% slide in the Nifty Media index. Zee Media Corporation Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 24, up 1.27% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.52% on the day, quoting at 10861.9. The Sensex is at 36211.18, up 0.69%. Zee Media Corporation Ltd has slipped around 5.14% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Media index of which Zee Media Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has slipped around 4.65% in last one month and is currently quoting at 2562.55, up 0.45% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 1.34 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 1.9 lakh shares in last one month. The PE of the stock is 22.1 based on TTM earnings ending September 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday demanded that action be taken against the Gandhis, alleging that the family extended political patronage to the perpetrators of the 1984 Sikh massacres. Harsimrat Badal told mediapersons here that, as enumerated by the Delhi High Court while convicting Gandhi family loyalist Sajjan Kumar in a case of mass murder, Congress president Rahul Gandhi should tell why he lied that the Congress was not involved in the genocide. Addressing the media along with senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders Bikram Singh Majithia and Daljit Singh Cheema following the Delhi High Court judgement against Sajjan Kumar, the Union Minister said it was made possible due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to reopen old cases which had been closed by the Congress and the constitution of a SIT (special investigation team) to investigate them afresh. Stating that not only Sajjan Kumar, but the entire Congress party had been placed in the dock due to the verdict, Harsimrat Badal said, "Now the courts have also made it clear that justice was denied to the 1984 victims due to political patronage. Action should now be taken against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who should be questioned about her role as accomplice of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984 massacres." "Similarly, Rahul Gandhi should also tell the people why he lied some months ago that the Congress party did not have any role in the 1984 genocide," she added. Asserting that Monday's verdict against Sajjan Kumar has given hope to the victims, Harsimrat Badal said, "I am hopeful that Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath will also meet the same fate soon." She condemned the Congress for continuing to patronise Kamal Nath by making him the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. She also thanked the Delhi High Court for the "historic verdict" saying people's faith in the judicial process had been further strengthened. "The SAD raised this issue with PM Narendra Modi in 2014 and formed the SIT which reopened old cases leading to the conviction of two accused, Naresh Yadav and Yashpal, in one of the 1984 cases," she pointed out. Asserting that she had seen the 1984 tragedy up close and was lucky to survive unscathed, Harsimrat Badal said she could understand the grief of the widows who were waiting for justice, 34 years after the tragedy. "I have worked in the refugee camps as a young girl trying to reunite families torn apart by the tragedy. I even chose to speak on this issue during my maiden speech in Parliament," she said. Majithia said it was unfortunate that Sajjan Kumar was defended in court by Amit Sibal, the son of senior Congressman Kapil Sibal. "This apparently can happen only due to personal intervention of the Gandhi family, Majithia, who is the younger brother of Harsimrat Badal, said. Akali Dal leader Cheema said that since the court had made an observation that the Congress party is patronising the accused, the Election Commission should de-recognize the party immediately. --IANS js/oeb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two children were killed and three injured here on Monday when a part of a school wall collapsed on them, police said. The tragedy occurred at the KM Public School, a play school in Sector 49 while some construction work was underway. The school was being run on rented property, an official told IANS. Senior Superintendent of Police Ajaypal Sharma said five children were pulled out of the rubble and rushed to a hospital where two succumbed to their injuries. --IANS md/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four transgenders, who were denied permission to visit the Sabarimala temple a day ago, on Monday approached a Kerala High Court-appointed top police official here and insisted they wanted to go to the shrine wearing sarees. After meeting Director General of Police A. Hemachandran, Ananya told the media that they have placed their demand before the DGP, and wished to pray in the dress of their choice -- a saree. "He (Hemachandran) has said he will check with the other two committee members and get back to us. "We have insisted on the dress of our choice for the darshan -- to be allowed in saree when visiting the temple," said Ananya. On Sunday, the four-member transgender team, who came from Ernakulam was stopped by the police at Erumely, the first base camp of the temple town. The police first told them that if they changed into men's attire, they would be allowed. However, later the police refused them permission to visit the Lord Ayyappa shrine. Ananya said they were subjected to ridicules, threats and were asked to return by the police. From there the team went and complained to the Kottayam Superintendent of Police, A. Harishankar. On Monday, they arrived in the state capital to meet Hemachandran. The Kerala High Court on November 27 had set up a three-member observer panel to oversee the Sabarimala pilgrimage season, after numerous complaints surfaced against the manner in which the police was acting in the temple town. Besides Hemachandran, the panel also consisted of P.R. Raman and S. Sirijagan (both retired high court judges). The temple town has witnessed protests by Hindu groups since the September 28 Supreme Court verdict that allowed women of all ages to enter the temple, including those hitherto banned girls and women aged between 10 and 50. --IANS sg/in/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar made his first public appearance in two months, inspecting an under-construction bridge near Panaji, Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar now wants the former Defence Minister to unfurl the tri-colour on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day on December 19. In his tweet on Monday, Chodankar said that Parrikar should on Wednesday, December 19, show the "same spirit" as shown on Sunday while inspecting a bridge and honour Goa's Liberation. "Will appreciate @goacm effort to personally visit & inspect the bridge, if the same spirit is displayed on 19 Dec to unfurl our tricolor & deliver #LiberationDay address & honour Goa's Liberation. To unfurl tricolour is much easier & honourable job than visiting bridge," Chodankar said. On December 19, 1961, the Indian armed forces liberated Goa from 451 years of colonial Portuguese rule. On Sunday, images of Parrikar wearing medical paraphernelia -- a ryles tube running from the nasal passage into the stomach -- while inspecting a bridge near Panaji, came under both praise from his supporters as well as criticism from several top political leaders across the country. "He has a tube inserted through his nose into his digestive tract. How inhuman to force him to continue working & doing photo ops. Why can't he be allowed to deal with his illness without all this pressure & tamasha?" Omar Abdullah had tweeted after the images went viral, even as several state BJP leaders and ministers praised Parrikar for his spirit. Parrikar is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi since February. He returned from New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on October 14 and since then Sunday was the first instance when Parrikar moved out of his private residence for an official visit. His surprise bridge inspection trip also comes at a time when the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court is due to pronounce its order vis-a-vis a petition filed by a local politician Trajano D'Mello, who has sought that the court direct the state Chief Secretary to evaluate the former Defence Minister's health by a panel of expert doctors and release the medical report in public domain. The government has maintained that the petition was political in nature and argued for Parrikar's right to privacy. --IANS maya/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress veterans Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel were on Monday sworn in as new Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, ending BJPs rule in the Hindi heartland. The occasions were marked by opposition bonhomie, with a host of prominent opposition leaders sharing the stage with Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Coming days after leaders of 21 opposition parties on December 10 resolved to work together to "defeat the BJP-RSS", the swearing-in ceremonies turned into a platform to showcase the opposition unity ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. However, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Akhilesh Yadav-headed Samajwadi Party -- both of which supported the Congress in government formation in Madhya Pradesh -- were conspicuous by their absence. Gehlot, along with his deputy Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan, Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh and Baghel in Chhattisgarh were administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Governors in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a number of opposition leaders. Among those present from the "anti-BJP camp" included NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, NC patriarch Farooq Abdullah, LJD leader Sharad Yadav, and DMK leaders M.K. Stalin and Kanimozhi. The RJD was represented by Tejashwi Yadav, Trinamool Congress by former Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha chief Babulal Marandi as well as AAP leader Sanjay Singh were among those present. Congress General Secretary and former Union Minister Gehlot took over the reins of Rajasthan for the third time, while Sachin, who won his maiden Assembly elections, is Gehlot's "co-pilot" after being sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister. Riding on huge anti-incumbency against the Vasundhara Raje-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, the Congress with farm loan waiver as its major poll plank came to power in the state winning 99 of the 199 seats at stake. In Bhopal, nine-time MP and former Union Minister Kamal Nath became Madhya Pradesh's 18th Chief Minister, on a day the Delhi High Court convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, prompting attacks from the BJP which alleges Kamal Nath's involvement in the riots in the national capital. With the BJP and ally Shiromani Akali Dal attacking the Congress for its choice in Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath responded to the charges alleging "politics" behind the attacks. "I took oath in 1991 and several times after that, no one said anything. There is no case, FIR, or charge-sheet against me. Today they are raking up this matter. You can understand the behind this," said Kamal Nath. Credited with steering the party to victory in the saffron stronghold, Kamal Nath, immediately after assuming power, cleared files for waiving loans of farmers to the tune of Rs 2 lakh each. With this, the Congress which won won 114 seats in the 230-member House, delivered its pre-poll promise of cancelling farm loans within 10 days of coming to power. In Raipur, state Congress President Bhupesh Baghel, credited for powering his party to a landslide victory, became the third Chief Minister of the tribal-dominated state Baghel, who represents Patan Assembly constituency in Durg district, was administered the oath of office and secrecy in the presence of Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and a host of other top Congress leaders. Besides Baghel, Ambikapur MLA T.S. Singh Deo and Durg Rural lawmaker Tamradhwaj Sahu took oath as ministers. After the swearing-in ceremony, Gandhi took to Twitter to thank the people of the state and vowed to build a "new Chhattisgarh". Baghel, had taken over the reins of party nearly a year-and-half after the top state leadership was wiped out in a Maoist attack in 2013, including the then state unit chief Nand Kumar Patel and party veteran Vidya Charan Shukla. He led from front in scripting the rout of Raman Singh-led BJP which was in power for 15 years, enabling the Congress to win 68 seats in the 90-member Assembly. With the 2019 Lok Sabha polls only months away, the Congress's victory in the three Hindi heartland states is being perceived as a big boost for the grand old party in taking on the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah led BJP. --IANS and/vsc/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With 460 leopard deaths, India in 2018 recorded the highest mortality rate of the particular big cat species across the country in the past four years, Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said on Monday. According to official records, a total of 431 leopards died in 2017. These included 159 incidents of poaching. Some 450 big cats died in 2016 and 127 of them were found poached. In 2015 (399) and in 2014 (331) died. "The highest leopard mortality rate was recorded in Uttarakhand with 93 deaths. This is followed by Maharashtra (90), Rajasthan (46), Madhya Pradesh (37), Uttar Pradesh (27), Karnataka (24), and Himachal Pradesh (23) among others," WPSI programme coordinator Tito Joseph told IANS. "Poaching, road accidents, and human-animal conflict are the main reasons for this increased mortality rate. In 2018 only, 29 leopards were killed by villagers and eight leopards considered to be maneaters were killed by the forest department workers," he said. Mortality is a category when a leopard or tiger is found dead due to diseases or unknown causes, shot by forest department or police, killed by villagers, killed in road or train accident, killed in rescue operation or during treatment, infighting, accidental electrocution. Earlier, IANS reported that as many as 106 leopards died in the first two months of 2018 in forests across the country -- a number that conservationists and officials said was "alarmingly high". Union Minister Harsh Vardhan had on March 9 informed the Parliament that his ministry was aware of the deaths and that the matter was being dealt with. Leopards have been targeted by poachers for their hides and other body parts. However, habitat loss, especially due to farming, has posed a new threat to them. According to experts involved in tracking the illegal wildlife trade, an animal skin changes a lot of hands before it reaches a possible market in China where it can fetch around Rs 50 lakh -- sometimes even higher than that. The Indian leopard is listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. --IANS sd/in/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress veteran and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Monday called for a probe into the Saturday's killings of seven civilians in Jammu and Kashmir and asked security forces to avoid firing on civilians. "It's always praiseworthy when our armed forces eliminate militants but it pains when innocent civilians are killed. Killing of more than seven civilians in Pulwama, Kashmir is unacceptable. "The matter should be probed and security forces should be asked to avoid firing on civilians, so that Pulwama like situation does not arise in future," said Azad in a statement expressing his grief over the civilian killings. Eleven people, including seven civilians, an Army soldier and three militants, were killed and over three dozen civilian protesters sustained injuries on Saturday in clashes with the security forces in Pulwama district. --IANS and/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan on Monday said most of the states have not utilised the infrastructure for Bharat Net broadband project. Speaking at a seminar on National Digital Communications Policy, Sundararajan, however, noted the Union government has invested heavily in the project. "If you look at the utilisation, I think Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka and Rajasthan are to be commended. Many states have done an outstanding job, particularly the ones that I mentioned. "But in all the remaining states there is almost practically no utilisation," she said at the seminar attended by representatives from states and Union Territories. A presentation by the official showed that the disparity in the number of Gram Panchayats where the infrastruture has been laid and the Panchayats where services have been used showed that the difference was highest in Uttar Pradesh. Out of the 27,919 Gram Panchayats in Uttar Pradesh connected through fibre cables, only 151 Panchayats have utilised the services, it showed. Karnataka was the best perfomer with 4,716 Panchayats out of the total fibre connected 6,110 Panchayats using the infrastructure. --IANS rrb/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Monday gave notices of privilege motion against Congress President Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha over the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal. The notice was given by BJP MPs Anurag Thakur, Nishikant Dubey, Dushyant Singh and Prahlad Joshi, accusing the Congress MP of "misleading" the House in a speech delivered in the lower house on July 20. In his notice Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi had said that the UPA government agreed to purchase the aircraft at Rs 529 crore and Prime Minister Narendra Modi went France and "by magic the aircraft started costing Rs 1600 crore." Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi's statement was untrue. "The price comparison given by Rahul Gandhi is a figment of imagination, incorrect and utter falsehood. It was an attempt to mislead the House. By uttering falsehood before the House, Rahul Gandhi is guilty of breach of privilege," Thakur said in his notice. During a debate on no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that Defence Minister Nirmala Sithraman had lied to the country by claiming that India was bound by a secrecy clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal. The Congress has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Rafale deal. The first week of the House was a washed out over the issue. --IANS bns/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A self-proclaimed Brazilian medium and psychic healer, who has been accused of sexual abuse by over 300 women, has turned himself over to the authorities. Born Joao Teixeira de Faria, 76, had been on the run since an arrest warrant against him was issued on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency. Faria surrendered to authorities on Sunday in Abadiania, some 100 km west of capital Brasilia. A judge ordered his arrest after the suspect began to withdraw millions of dollars from his bank accounts in the wake of revelations that he took advantage of numerous women, news network O Globo said. Faria amassed a fortune over the years by touting his supposed healing powers. He ran a clinic in Abadiania that drew famous personalities. Prosecutors said that 330 women have brought charges against Faria, who denied any wrongdoing last week. His alleged victims include women from the US, Italy, Switzerland, Australia and Belgium. According to Brazilian magazine Veja, Faria owns 27 properties, as well as dozens of automobiles, a plane and a gold mine, mainly through donations. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Cabinet on Monday approved setting up of two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, at a cost of Rs 1,264 crore and at Bibinagar, Telangana, at a cost of Rs 1,028 crore. An official releae said that AIIMS will be set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). It said that each new AIIMS will add 100 UG (MBBS) seats and 60 B.Sc (Nursing) seats, will have 15-20 super specialty departments and around 750 hospital beds. Each of the new AIIMS would cater to around 1,500 outdoor patients per day and around 1,000 indoor patients per month. The setting up of new AIIMS involves creation of hospital, teaching blocks for medical and nursing courses, residential complex and allied facilities/ services, broadly on the pattern of AIIMS, New Delhi and other six new AIIMS taken up under Phase-I of the PMSSY. The release said that the objective is to establish the new AIIMS as Institutions of National Importance for providing quality tertiary healthcare, medical education, nursing education and research in the Region. "The timeframe for establishing the new AIIMS-Tamil Nadu and AIIMS-Telangana will be 45 months, broadly comprising a pre-construction phase of 10 months, a construction phase of 32 months and stabilization/ commissioning phase of three months. Cost of construction and running of the new AIIMS would be met by the Central government under the PMSSY. The PMSSY aims at correcting the imbalances in the availability of affordable tertiary healthcare facilities in different parts of the country and augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the under-served states. AIIMS in Tamil Nadu was announced in the Budget speech in 2015-16 and the Finance Ministry had conveyed its in-principle approval for establishment of AIIMS in Telangana in April 2018. --IANS ps/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Monday apprised of joint issue of postage stamps by India and South Africa on the theme "125th Year of Mahatma Gandhi's Pietermaritzburg Station Incident and Birth Centenary of Nelson Mandela". The MoU in this regard was signed on July 24 this year. The joint stamps were released on July 26. The commemorative postage stamps depict images of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. --IANS mak-ps/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A city in northern China has banned Christmas sales and decorations to keep the city clean for an upcoming award function. The authorities in Langfang, however, clarified the move is not targeted at Christmas. An officially atheist country, China dissuades its people from celebrating Christmas, calling it a Western religious culture which has a wrong influence on its youth. Christianity is one of the five recognised religions in China. The Urban Management Bureau of Langfang in north China's Hebei province issued a notice on Sunday that bans Christmas trees on streets, the Chinese state media reported. Stores are not allowed to put up posters, banners or light boxes about Christmas sales. Outdoor performances to celebrate the holiday or promote sales are also prohibited. City peddlers are forbidden from selling Christmas related items like Christmas apples, Santa costumes and stockings or Christmas trees, the Global Times said. All bureau employees are required to be on duty from December 23 to Christmas Day to inspect Christmas-theme promotions, the notice said. The notice, which has been circulating online, said that religious activities in public spaces such as parks and squares around Christmas must be closely monitored and reported to senior authorities. An employee from the bureau, who demanded anonymity, told the Global Times on Monday that the action was not targeted at Christmas but was an effort to pass the annual rating of "National Civilized Cities". The National Civilized City award, presented every three years based on annual ratings, represents the highest honour to a city as it has strict standards in a variety of aspects, including the city's social development, economy, infrastructure construction and public services. "Managing roadside stalls and migrant vendors is our routine work. Christmas is a time when such illegal activities are prevalent," the employee said, noting that retailers usually seize on the holiday to sell goods, sometimes in unlawful ways. Last year, a Chinese university Shenyang had banned Christmas celebration on the campus. --IANS gsh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Monday submitted a notice of breach of privilege against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly misleading the Supreme Court in Rafale fighter jet deal. In his notice, the MP accused Modi of deliberately "misleading" the apex court and the Parliament by presenting "wrong facts" about the fighter jet deal. The notice was submitted to Lok Sabha Secretary General Snehlata Shrivastava. "Under rule 222 or the rule of procedure of Lok Sabha, I submit to give a notice of breach of privilege against Narendra Modi ji for having deliberately misled the Supreme Court and the Parliament in connection with the recent judgment on the Rafale fighter jet deal," said the notice. "It is clear now that to defend the controversial stand on the pricing details and guidelines of the defence deal, the government has presented wrong facts before the Supreme Court. And on that basis, the court made an assertion," it added. Venugopal said the basis of Supreme Court verdict on the Rafale deal was based on report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which in non-existent and not shared with Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament. "This is a serious misrepresentation of the vital and significant fact to the Supreme Court. Thus, the government mislead the Supreme Court over the Rafale deal by placing wrong facts in the affidavit under oath, to hide their dubious role and also cast aspersion on Parliament." Venugopal said that the judgement of the Supreme Court, as regards the pricing aspect, is based on the statement of the government that the CAG report had been examined by the PAC. "If the CAG report is in fact available, the same ought to have been presented before the Parliament and it is the Parliament which should have referred the same to the PAC. "Since the PM and the Ministry of Defence have told the Supreme Court that the CAG report is available and the same was shared with the PAC without placing the same before the Parliament, it amounts to breach of privilege," Venugopal said in his notice. The Supreme Court had last week dismissed four petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters in ready-to-fly condition, holding that the decision-making process is not in doubt and that it cannot go into the question of pricing and choice of Indian offset partner by the French manufacturer Dassault. --IANS rak-bns/ps/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stating that conviction of party leader Sajjan Kumar in an 1984 anti-Sikh riots case should not be politicised, the Congress on Monday raked up the 2002 Gujarat riots demanding punishment for BJP leaders alleged to be involved in the communal violence that claimed over 1,000 lives. On a day when the Delhi High Court convicted and sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment, Congress leader and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal pointed finger at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was at the helm of Gujarat during the 2002 riots. "Kumar doesn't hold any office nor was given ticket by the party to contest polls, whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who were involved in the riots, have been given positions of power. The one who was the Chief Minister then has become the Prime Minister now," Sibal told the media here. While Modi, the then Gujarat Chief Minister, was given a clean chit by the special investigation team (SIT) in connection with the 2002 Godhra riots, it has been challenged before the Supreme Court which has adjourned the matter till January. The clean chit to Modi has been challenged by Zakia Jafri -- widow of Congress leader and former member of Parliament Ahsan Jafri -- who was killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre, one of the worst incidents during the riots. Reacting to Kumar's conviction, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi also said that the matter should not be politicised. "His conviction is not a political issue, the cases have been on for over 20 years and there have been several convictions and acquittals. This should not be seen in a political context and people should not try to seek political mileage from it," Singhvi told the media here. Kumar was sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life, with the Delhi high Court holding that the violence was a "crime against humanity" engineered by politicians with assistance from police. --IANS and/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Monday pressed for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 36 Rafale fighter jets deal with Frances Dassault Aviation. Terming the Rs 59,000-crore deal a "mega scam", the CPI-M said the Narendra Modi government was trying to "hide behind half truths and lies". The party has put forth 10 points which it said needed to be probed. "Prime Minister Modi announced the deal for 36 aircraft on April 10, 2015, whereas the Defence Minister-headed Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) only accepted that the IAF needed 36 Rafale jets on May 13, 2015. "There is no official communication from the IAF or the Ministry of Defence (MoD) about 36 jets before Prime Minister made the announcement. How was the decision announced even before the government accepted that IAF needed 36 Rafale jets?" it said. The party also demanded to know as to in what capacity National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval became part of the deal negotiating team in Paris on January 12-13, 2016, as also why the government signed the deal with no sovereign or a bank guarantee. "Eurofighter, which had qualified during the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) trials in 2011 along with Rafale, had offered a 20 per cent discount to India over its bid price. Why did India not insist on a similar discount for Rafale or explore the option of going for Eurofighter instead?" it said. It further said that the "multiple objections" made by "three members of the Indian negotiating team" about the Rafale deal -- and which were overruled by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the Prime Minister -- should be made public for transparency. --IANS mak/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cyclonic storm 'Phethai crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast in East Godavari district on Monday, causing widespread rains, uprooting trees, paralyzing transport and damaging crops. 'Phethai' made the landfall near Katrinekonda in East Godavari district with a wind speed of 80 kmph and re-emerged into the Bay of Bengal before crossing the coast between Kakinada and Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry in the same district. Authorities heaved a sigh of relief as no loss of life was reported till Monday evening. The coastal region was also spared of major losses, barring damages to standing crops over hundreds of acres. According to officials at the Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, the severe cyclonic storm weakened due to unfavourable environmental conditions and crossed the coast as cyclonic storm. After crossing the coast, it moved towards Odisha. The incessant rains accompanied by gusty winds lashing the coastal district since Sunday inundated low-lying areas, disrupted electricity and drinking water supply throwing normal life out of gear. The cyclone also paralysed road, rail and air traffic in the region. East Godavari District Collector Kartikeya Mishra said electricity supply was disrupted to 99 villages and it would be restored soon. Over 5,000 people from some coastal and low-lying villages were shifted to relief camps opened by the East Godavari district administration. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu monitored the situation from Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) control room in Amaravati. Home Minister N. Chinna Rajappa, who monitored the situation at the Collector's office in Kakinada, said all measures were taken to tackle the situation. He said efforts were on to restore normalcy in the affected areas. RTGS officials said the measures taken by the authorities and the precaution by people ensured that there was no loss of life and also minimised the property damage. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and naval helicopters were on standby along with 10,000 government employees as part of disaster preparedness. Rescue workers were busy removing fallen trees, electric poles and debris from roads to restore vehicular traffic. Turbulent weather conditions forced the authorities to cancel 14 flights to the port city of Visakhapatnam and divert many others to Hyderabad. Over 700 passengers were stranded at Visakhapatnam airport due to cancellation of flights. A holiday was declared for all educational institutions in the coastal region. Authorities also suspended long-distance bus services and cancelled over 50 trains as a precaution. The cyclone, the second to hit Andhra coast this year, had its impact on seven out of nine coastal districts. The rains inundated roads and low-lying areas in Vijayawada, bringing vehicular traffic to a halt. 'Phethai' also had impact on neighbouring Telangana state with heavy rains lashing many districts. Paddy, cotton and other agriculture produce brought by farmers to the markets for sale were damaged. The weather in Greater Hyderabad was cloudy and chilled. Parts of the city experienced showers. --IANS ms/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Monday held Sajjan Kumar and five others guilty in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case and sentenced the Congress leader to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. The court asked Sajjan Kumar to surrender by December 31. A bench of Justice S. Muralidhar and Justice Vinod Goel overturned a trial court judgement that had acquitted the Congress leader. "In the summer of 1947, during partition, this country witnessed horrific mass crimes where several lakhs of civilians, including Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus were massacred," the bench said. "Thirty-seven years later, the country was again witness to another enormous human tragedy. Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, on the morning of October 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards, a communal frenzy was unleashed." "For four days between November 1 to November 4 of that year, all over Delhi, 2,733 Sikhs were brutally murdered. Their houses were destroyed. In the rest of the country too, thousands of Sikhs were killed," the bench observed in its 203-page order. The court said: "A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes, enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency. "The criminals escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades. "It took as many as 10 Committees and Commissions for the investigation into the role of some of them to be entrusted in 2005 to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), 21 years after the occurrence." The court convicted the Congress leader under various counts of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including murder, criminal conspiracy, wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot, mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house and injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class. The CBI had filed an appeal challenging the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar and said that the trial court "erred in acquitting Sajjan Kumar as it was he who had instigated the mob during the riots". In October, the High Court reserved its order on the pleas challenging that trial court judgement on Sajjan Kumar but convicted the other five accused in the case related to the killing of five people in Delhi Cantonment area following the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. The HC Division Bench upheld the trial court April 30, 2013, judgement convicting five other accused -- former councillor Balwan Khokhar, former legislator Mahender Yadav, Krishan Khokar, Girdhari Lal and Retired Captain Bhagmal -- for their involvement in the case. The five convicts have also filed appeals against their conviction. Sajjan Kumar and five others were tried in the case involving the killing of five Sikhs -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh, who were members of the same family -- by a mob in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar area following the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. The case against Sajjan Kumar and others was registered in 2005 on a recommendation by the Justice G.T. Nanavati Commission. --IANS akk/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least six persons were killed and 147 others, mostly patients and staffers, injured in a major fire that engulfed the state government-run Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital at Andheri East here on Monday, officials said. A majority of those injured, who have been admitted to various hospitals in the suburbs, were patients and staffers. By late on Monday night, around a dozen were treated and discharged. Informed official sources said the toll might increase as some of the injured were in a critical condition. The fire was first noticed near the operation theatre of the five-storey hospital located at Marol MIDC, an industrial hub in Andheri East. The blaze quickly spread horizontally and vertically, trapping around 155 people. Panicking, some patients and staffers did not wait for help and jumped out of the fourth floor window. They suffered fractures, and at least one was killed. The fire brigade team rushed to the spot with 12 fire tenders, 15 water tankers and other specialised equipment to battle the blaze. The firemen also used ladders and ropes to bring down the wailing and screaming victims trapped on the third and fourth floors of the hospital. Leaping flames, resulting in thick black cloud of smoke, besides a precautionary power cut, rendered the rescue operation difficult but the blaze was controlled in nearly four hours, said the BMC Disaster Control. A majority of those rescued had suffered burn wounds or suffocation symptoms. They were admitted to half-a-dozen government and private hospitals in Andheri, Vile Parle, Jogeshwari and Goregaon. Nineteen were taken to Cooper Hospital, Juhu, 39 to Prabodhankar Thackeray Trauma Hospital, Jogeshwari East, 40 to Holi Spirit Hospital, Andheri East, 44 to Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri East, three to Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, and two to Sidhharth Hospital, Goregaon. Preliminary reports suggested that the fire might have erupted due to a short-circuit in the hospital building with a glass facade. State Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who visited the mishap site, along with senior officials, promised a detailed probe and strict action against those guilty of lapses. Meanwhile, thick clouds of smoke emanating from the fire-hit hospital travelled quite a bit, reducing the visibility in the area and leading to peak-hour traffic jams. Mumbai has witnessed over a dozen major fires in residential and commercial premises claiming over 50 lives and injuring many more besides damage to properties. --IANS qn/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Essex India, a Hyderabad-based prop-tech company, aiming to disrupt home-buying and selling process in residential real estate market, plans to expand its operations to four cities in next six months. Essex, incubated out of Way2online, a leading marketing technology and data-driven company, is looking to expand operations to Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. Nirbhay Taneja, Co-Founder and CEO, Essex, told reporters here on Monday that by December next year, they plan to have presence in eight major cities in the country. The company using its innovative technology solutions will address real estate-related vertical issues, helping developers to liquidate properties in short time. It also wants to standardise operations and take care of trust-related issues from buyer's perspective. The CEO said for buyers they would offer free services including legal diligence, document related services and financial assistance through all major banks. The company will be charging 3 to 5 per cent commission from the developers. It aims to capture 5 per cent of the marketing and sales opportunity estimated at Rs 30,000 crore. Raju Vanapala, Way2online Founder-CEO, told IANS that there are plenty of gaps in real state. Small-time and mid-range developers do not have marketing team and marketing budget, leading to problems in liquidating their property. There is an estimated Rs 4.5 lakh crore unsold property in top eight cities in the country. "Imagine marketing spend of these players. 7-8 per cent of this comes to Rs 30,000 crore and our whole intent is to access this large market." As real estate is second-largest revenue generator for Way2Online and the company is sitting on huge consumer data, it decided to foray into the business, addressing the gaps with its innovative technology solutions. --IANS ms/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A powerful explosion shattered windows and damaged the premises of a Greek television station early on Monday but left no casualties, police said in a statement. The blast occurred at Skai TV Headquarters here around 2.35 a.m., which followed two anonymous phone calls that warned that explosions would take place in 45 minutes and it would not be a prank. Police had evacuated the building and secured the perimeter, Efe news reported. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras issued a statement describing the incident as "a cowardly attack" against democracy, and vowed that its perpetrators "will not achieve their objective." Security cameras detected two individuals arriving at the premises, leaving a backpack in front of the building and fleeing on a motorcycle, Police chief Aristides Andrikopulos said, adding there was no evidence pointing to any specific group. --IANS in/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facebook temporarily banned Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for posting anti-Muslim posts, the media reported on Monday. According to a report in The Times of Israel, Yair's Facebook account was blocked for 24 hours on Sunday after he called for "avenging the deaths" of two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers who were killed at the West Bank shooting last week. "Unbelievable. Facebook blocks me for 24 hours for simply criticizing it! Thought police," Yari wrote on Twitter. Facebook is yet to comment on this. After the controversial Facebook post was removed, he wrote that the social media giant was "trying to shut our mouths in the only place where we have the right to express our opinions". Yari also posted a screenshot of the original post along with new posts criticising Facebook. "Do you know where there are no terror attacks? In Iceland and Japan. Coincidentally there's also no Muslim population there," he posted. This is not the first time Yair has been in the spotlight. According to The Jerusalem Post, in 2017, Yair posted a diagram featuring antisemitic tropes such as Jewish billionaire George Soros, who funds left-wing causes and organizations in several countries. "The post depicted Soros controlling the world via other conspiracy theory figures like lizard people, known as Reptilians, and the Illuminati or Freemasons," the report added. --IANS na/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four persons were killed when a speeding vehicle hit the road divider in Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh on Monday morning, police said. The accident took place on the Ayodhya-Lucknow highway. One critically injured person has been admitted to the King Georges Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow. Prima facie, an official told IANS, the accident appeared to have happened because the driver of the vehicle dozed off while driving. --IANS md/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Google on Monday announced to invest $ 1 billion to establish a new campus in New York City. The 1.7 million square-feet campus called Google Hudson Square will be the primary location for the company's New York-based Global Business Organisation. According to Ruth Porat, Senior Vice President and CFO of Google and its parent company Alphabet, it hopes to start moving into the two Hudson Street buildings by 2020, followed by 550 Washington Street in 2022 once the building is complete. "When we came to New York City almost two decades ago, it was our first office outside of California. It's now home to more than 7,000 employees, speaking 50 languages, working on a broad range of teams including Search, Ads, Maps, YouTube, Cloud, Technical Infrastructure, Sales, Partnerships and Research," Porat said in a statement. Earlier this year, Google announced the $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market and shared plans to lease additional space at Pier 57 in the city where it came in the year 2000. Since 2011, Google has contributed more than $150 million in grants and employee-matched giving to New York non-profit institutions. "With these most recent investments in Google Chelsea and Google Hudson Square, we will have the capacity to more than double the number of Googlers in New York over the next 10 years," said Porat. Google is growing faster outside the Bay Area and has opened new offices and data centres in locations like Detroit, Boulder, Los Angeles, Tennessee and Alabama. Amazon last month announced plans to split its second headquarters between Long Island City, Queens and Virginia. Apple last week announced it would expand its presence in several cities across the US, including New York City. It also revealed plans for a new $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas. --IANS na/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Google on Monday introduced a new feature in its Maps where commuters in Delhi will be able to see auto rickshaws under the "public transport" mode in Maps. By selecting the mode, commuters will be able to view suggested routes for the ride as well as the estimated auto-rickshaw fares, making it easier for them to plan their trips, Google said in a statement. The new feature can be found within the "public transport" and "cab" modes in Google Maps and is based on the expected trip route and the official fare model shared by the Delhi Traffic Police. "Currently, for an unfamiliar journey, commuters often overpay and don't have an idea about the distance or best route. "The feature will also help the users plan their journey better, so they could look at the expected cost of the auto-rickshaw ride and decide whether they want to take it all the way, or perhaps take a different mode of transport instead," explained Vishal Dutta, Product Manager, Google Maps. Google, however, did not inform whether the feature, currently available in Google Maps app for Android devices, will be rolled out to other cities in the near future. To use the feature, update Google Maps to the latest version. Open the app, search for a destination, then tap on directions and go to the public transport tab. Commuters will be able to see the autorickshaw result in the "Also Consider" section. After choosing the mode of transport (auto-rickshaw icon) on the screen, you can see the estimated price of the journey and the route's traffic information. Then tap 'Navigate' to start the trip. The same option can also be accessed via the "cab" mode on Google Maps, said the company. --IANS na/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday said Rahul Gandhi should apologise and resign as AICC President for his lies on Rafale fighter jets deal. Rupani -- who was addressing the media here as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s plan to hold press conferences at 70 locations across the country to counter the "Congress conspiracy" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government on Rafale deal -- accused the party of running a misinformation campaign against the Union government. As the Supreme Court on December 14 gave clean chit to the Modi government on the procurement of Rafale jets from France, the Chief Minister said: "This is victory of truth and defeat of lie. The Supreme Court decision proved that there were no irregularities in the deal. The Congress tried to mislead the people." He said Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the nation and armed forces for misleading people and resign from his post for dishonouring the Supreme Court verdict. He alleged that the UPA government ignored the requirements of the defence forces by not finalising the Rafale deal for seven years. On the Congress demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry into the deal, he said since the apex court has already given a clean chit, there is no need for a JPC probe. He, however, said the government is ready to debate the issue in Parliament. --IANS cd/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij kicked up a new controversy on Monday when he demanded that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi should be "punished posthumously" so that families of about 3,400 Sikhs, who died in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, get justice. In his tweet, Vij said that the Delhi High Court has sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was one of the accused of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, to life imprisonment. "This has provided little relief to affected Sikh families, but justice will be delivered when Rajiv Gandhi will be punished. Then Rajiv Gandhi had supported the massacre by saying 'Jab koi bada ped girta hai to dharti hilti hai'," Vij, who is a senior BJP leader in Haryana, said in his tweet in Hindi. The Minister, who is known for making controversial comments, said that along with the "Bharat Ratna" conferred on Rajiv Gandhi, all other honours should be withdrawn from him. Vij also demanded that Rajiv Gandhi's name should be removed from all the schemes being run after his name. He said not only one or two persons but the entire Congress Party is guilty of the massacre of thousands of Sikhs. "Justice is incomplete until everyone gets sentenced," he added. Haryana has a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government since October 2014. The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. --IANS js/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) About 10,000 people have been rallying over the weekend in the Hungarian capital here against new labour laws, which have been labelled "slave laws" by opponents, media reported. According to the new rules, companies could demand up to 400 hours of overtime a year and delay payment for it for three years, the BBC reported. The crowds had marched towards parliament and the state TV headquarters, in what was the fourth and largest protest since the laws were passed last week. Police had to fire tear gas to disperse protesters near the TV station. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the labour reform would benefit workers as well as companies who need to fill a labour shortage. Sunday's demonstrations were led by trade unionists and students and the event was dubbed "Happy Xmas Prime Minister". Orban is being seen by his opponents as becoming increasingly authoritarian. Such demonstrations have been rare in Hungary, where Orban's policies enjoy widespread support, despite repeated condemnation from other EU nations. In elections held earlier in 2018, Orban's Fidesz party won a two-thirds majority in parliament, which he often uses to force his agenda through. Last week's vote on Labour laws was particularly contentious. Opposition politicians caused chaos in parliament, preventing the Speaker from reaching the podium while blowing whistles to disrupt proceedings. In the end, the law was pushed through. That evening, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament building, and protests have continued since, the BBC report said. The labour shortages the government seeks to address with the new law are rooted in long-term trends. Hungary's population has been in decline for years, as deaths outpace births, according to the European statistics agency. Its unemployment rate, at 4.2 per cent in 2017, is one of the lowest in the EU. Hungary is also experiencing a "brain drain" as well-educated people take advantage of free movement within Europe. The problem is serious enough to have prompted a 2015 programme to encourage young people to return home, offering housing and employment support. The governing Fidesz party has said the protests are the work of foreign mercenaries paid by Hungarian-born US billionaire George Soros, who has denied it saying the Hungarian authorities were using him as a scapegoat. --IANS in/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and the Maldives on Monday agreed to deepen cooperation to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih here. "President Solih and I agree that to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region, we need to deepen our cooperation," Modi said while jointly addressing the media with Solih after the talks. "Both India and the Maldives share equal interest and stake in the development and stability of our region," he said. Stating that the security interests of the two countries are related to each other, Modi said that there is also unanimity on the sustainability of this region and to be conscious of each other's interests and concerns. "We will not allow the use of our countries to harm each other," he said. The Prime Minister also called for boosting commercial relations and bilateral trade. "I welcome the growing opportunities for investment by Indian companies in the Maldives," he said. On his part, Solih said that during the discussions, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to democracy. "We agreed on the mutual need for regional stability and security in the Indian Ocean," he said. The Maldives President also said that both sides discussed cooperation in health, education and commerce among other areas. Solih arrived here on Sunday on a three-day visit to India, his first foreign visit since assuming office on November 17. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after Solih's predecessor Abdulla Yameen imposed an internal emergency in February this year. Solih defeated Yameen in the elections in September to take over as President. --IANS ab/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Monday expressed relief at Pakistan's decision to release on Tuesday an Indian national lodged in a Pakistani jail for six years on alleged espionage charges. "We have received a note from Pakistan today (Tuesday) that they are releasing Indian national Hamid Nehal Ansari tomorrow," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to media queries. "It is a matter of great relief, especially for the family members, that six years of incarceration of the Indian civilian in Pakistan jail is coming to an end," Kumar said. "We would like Pakistan to take action to also end misery of other Indian nationals and fishermen whose nationality has been confirmed and who have completed their sentences, but continue to languish in Pakistan jails." Kumar said India also awaited Pakistan's response to the visit of Indian medical team to meet mentally unsound prisoners with a view to facilitate their nativity verification and subsequent repatriation. "We hope that Pakistan would respond and organize an early visit of the Joint Judicial Committee, so that the issues of prisoners can be dealt with in a humanitarian and timely manner," he said. Ansari, an engineer and business professional, had gone to Kabul in Afghanistan on November 4, 2012, on a tourist visa for a job in aviation. He entered Pakistan on November 12. He was in touch with a Pakistani girl on Facebook and had gone to Pakistan, where he was arrested and sentenced to three years in jail. In 2016, he had to face physical attacks by other prisoners in the Peshawar Central Prison where he was lodged. --IANS ab/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With digital transformation rapidly re-defining the regional landscape in India -- amid humongous amount of data being generated -- many more enterprises this year looked at embracing agile, scalable and cost-friendly Cloud offerings, searching for providers with deep technological expertise to help transform their businesses. However, while improving IT security and increasing business agility remained among the top expected benefits of Cloud by Indian enterprises, the challenges related to costs and complexities with infrastructure cannot be ignored, suggested a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC). Compared to the Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) markets where more than 14 per cent of organisations are in the latter stages of Cloud maturity, only 10 per cent of the Indian organisations are currently in the advanced stages, IDC said, adding that most organisations in India have plans to spend maximum of their new Cloud spending on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications over the next year. According to Sashikumar Sreedharan, Microsoft India's Managing Director for Enterprise Commercial Business, end-customers are not only migrating workloads to the Cloud but also investing in Cloud to support new capabilities as they evolve their businesses. "In fact, many customers are opting for a 'Cloud-first' approach in acquiring new IT assets. With this, Indian enterprises are now understanding the importance of incorporating Cloud technologies in their digital journey," Sreedharan told IANS. Nearly 88 per cent business leaders from India, polled in the Microsoft's "Asia Digital Transformation Study", acknowledge that Cloud technology is a critical enabler that will fuel their digital transformation. "A whopping 92 per cent of them believe that every organisation needs to be a 'digital organisation' to drive growth and innovation for their business," added Sreedharan. Microsoft estimates that the move to digital is a massive $100 billion plus opportunity in India. For Oracle, 2018 saw strong Cloud adoption by the Indian firms, both big and small. "We expect this to pick up further pace in 2019. Hybrid IT environments are on the rise, and we expect this trend to continue through 2020 as well, with Indian businesses moving to the Cloud in a phased manner," said Shailender Kumar, Regional Managing Director, Oracle India. Most Indian businesses are currently looking to adopt Hybrid Cloud and the trend continued this year. Hybrid Cloud is a computing environment that uses a mix of on-premise, private Cloud and third-party public Cloud services, with orchestration between the two platforms. Nearly 43 per cent of Indian enterprises will adopt Hybrid Cloud by 2020 -- from 13 per cent as of today -- and the country will lead the world in Hybrid Cloud usage and adoption over the next two years, a global report by enterprise Cloud computing leader Nutanix predicted this month. For India, 91 per cent of respondents agreed that Cloud computing has increased the efficiency of their IT departments. "As billions more people, places and things become connected to the Internet, and more and more enterprises move their systems, software and processes to Cloud providers, the need to connect, communicate, manage and align these varying components takes on a new perspective," explained Neville Vincent, Vice President, ASEAN, ANZ and India at Nutanix. Gartner also predicted that that Hybrid Cloud solutions will continue to drive overall adoption in India. However, according to Oracle's Kumar, hybrid IT environments also bring to the fore security and interoperability risks. "Hence, businesses are now demanding a far more secure, next generation, truly enterprise-grade Cloud," Kumar told IANS. Jagjit Arora, Senior Director-Sales, VMware India, said that almost all organisations across sectors are in the process of digital transformation. "From our conversations with customers across sectors, I know that appetite for Cloud in India is increasing and evolving. Customers' interests are shifting to multi and Hybrid Clouds driven by the flexibility, agility and scalability," said the VMware executive. There may be a tectonic shift in Cloud adoption in India and the government too has joined the bandwagon. According to Teresa Carlson, Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector at Amazon Web Services (AWS), retail giant Amazon's Cloud arm, in just about two years', there has been a significant change on Cloud adoption in the public sector in India. "The state governments are moving really faster on adopting Cloud than the US state governments when they were exposed to the Cloud computing eight years back," Carlson told IANS. The company launched AWS Asia Pacific (Mumbai) Region with two availability zones in 2016. "For the first time since launching the Mumbai region services, AWS has seen a 70 per cent increase in the accounts of Indian companies," said Amazon Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Werner Vogels. The momentum, said Cloud providers, is only going to increase, with more and more industry specific use cases coming to the fore. (Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in) --IANS na/vm/hs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global software major's philanthropic arm Infosys Foundation has contributed Rs 2.2 crore to build amenities like classrooms, toilets and water purifier plants in rural schools in Karnataka, it said on Monday. "As part of the 'Swacch Bharat Abhiyan' (Clean India Mission), the Foundation has aided the construction of classroom building, toilet blocks, bore wells and water purifier plants in five state-run schools in Mulbagal taluk of Kolar district," a Foundation statement said. Mulbagal is located in the mining district of Kolar, about 100 km from here. The Foundation, led by Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy's wife Sudha Murty, had earlier contributed funds to build schools, road construction and public libraries across the southern state. Set up in 1996, the philanthropic arm of the IT major has been supporting several programmes on education, rural development and health in the state. --IANS bha/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said it is "ironical" that Kamal Nath took oath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on a day when the Delhi High Court sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for life in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. On Monday, the Delhi High Court convicted Sajjan Kumar and five others in an anti-Sikh riot case, holding that the violence was a "crime against humanity" engineered by politicians with assistance from police. "It is ironical that this issue (1984 riots) has been highlighted in a big way on a day when Kamal Nath has taken oath," Jaitley said in an interaction with CNN-News18. A few Sikh leaders have alleged Nath too was party to the riots that broke out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. "There were two versions -- the victims' version and the accused's version. After 30 years such problems arise. The witnesses die or you lose them. So after this delay, the truth can't be easily proven. The Sikh community's perception is that they have seen it (Nath instigating mobs), while Kamal Nath says he was there to save people," Jaitley said. He said the Congress party did not seem to have any regret on this. "Rahul gandhi who tweets all the time, doesn't even welcome the court's decision. No Congress leader spoke on verdict.oo It proves that they don't have any regret on the matter," he said. --IANS mak/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, his family mausoleum, to mark the seventh death anniversary of his father Kim Jong-il, according to state media. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim Jong-un placed floral tributes in front of the statues of his father and his grandfather Kim Il-sung, the founder of the country, and later paid tribute to his father's embalmed body, reports Efe news. Kim Jong-un said at an event at the palace, attended by members of the Workers' Party, that his government had adhered to the ideology of Kim Jong-il and had "resolutely struggled to carry out his last instructions for the last seven years". The leader urged his party to fulfil its obligations and duties as Kim Jong-il's "revolutionary soldiers." KCNA and state daily Rodong Sinmun on Monday published a photo of Kim Jong-un standing by as soldiers paid homage to the statues of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-il ruled the country for 17 years, from 1996 to his death in 2011, after which his younger son Kim Jong-un became the leader. North Korea also celebrates the birth anniversary of Kim Jong-il every year in a festival called the Day of the Shining Star. --IANS ksk/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Legislators are servants and not slaves of people, the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday said. It gave the ruling while dismissing a petition filed last month by a ruling ally, which sought disqualification of two former Congress legislators who quit their party to join the BJP in October this year. While imposing a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioner, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Justices R.M. Borde and Prithviraj Chavan expressed their displeasure at political parties burdening courts with petitions for political objectives. The court said there was nothing in the Constitution which takes away the right of an elected member to resign from his seat. "Denial of such a right to an elected member would be destructive of the principles of democracy. A legislator is a servant but not a slave of the people. It is true that frequent resignations and frequent by-elections are a drain on the finances of the State and may prove irksome. "But that is no reason to compel an elected member who has no desire to continue his membership to continue as such. A person, after getting elected, may, for variety of reasons, desire not to continue as a Member," the order said. In its petition last month, the MGP sought disqualification of now former Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte and setting aside of Speaker Pramod Sawant's acceptance of their resignations claiming the two had been lured by the BJP using unfair means. The petition also said that the two had been lured into a switch-over in order to ensure that the Congress -- which after the defection has 14 MLAs, the same number as the BJP -- cannot claim a majority and a right to form a government. The Court saw little merit in the petition. "We must place on record our displeasure for filing petitions by political parties with a view to achieve their political objectives and usurping the precious time of the court which, otherwise, can be utilised for disposal of the matters brought before the court by the needy and poor," it said. --IANS maya/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Monday directed all the agencies concerned to take concrete steps to ensure women's safety in the city, including deployment of more female Civil Defence Volunteers (CDVs) in schools to instil a sense of security among girl students. Baijal's instructions came as he chaired a meeting of the "Task Force on Women Safety Issues" at his office here. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary, GNCTD; Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women; Principal Secretary (Home), GNCTD; Commissioner of Police, Delhi; Secretary (Education); Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Women Safety), Commissioner (Transport), GNCTD; and other senior officers. At the outset of the meeting, Baijal directed Secretary (Education) that regular inspections should be made by officers in schools to identify and address security deficiencies there. "Obtain feedback from students, teachers, ex-students and ex-teachers to make reforms for the betterment of schools as well as students," he said. He also stressed that the audit of private security guards deployed in various schools be made on regular basis to ensure the safety of girl students, Baijal's office said in a statement. The Lt. Governor, it stated, further directed the Social Welfare Department to make arrangements for auditing all the children homes as well as shelter homes by a third party under their jurisdiction to ensure safety and security of the inmates. He also directed the Transport Department to expedite installation of emergency buttons in DTC buses connected with the Delhi Police Headquarters and instructed the Delhi Police to enhance its visibility around the schools and colleges. "Instructions were also given to Delhi Police by the Lt Governor for deployment of women police personnel at facilitation desks wherever feasible, speedy investigation in cases related to women and children, increase of women personnel in Delhi Police and further improving Himmat Plus App," Baijal's office said. Stressing on the need for a change in mindset, he directed the departments to keep up their efforts on generating awareness and sensitisation programmes towards women safety. --IANS sd/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Lok Sabha was on Monday adjourned for the day after passage of the Transgenders Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 amid din as the opposition members created pandemonium in support of their various demands, including a JPC probe into Rafale fighter jets deal. After a washout of the first week's business, the House witnessed some legislative business on Monday even as it saw three adjournments due to the ruckus created by the Congress, AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members. Earlier in the day, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, commonly known as Triple Talaq Bill, was introduced in the lower House. As soon as the transgenders rights' bill was passed, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day. The AIADMK members created ruckus over the Cauvery water issue, while the TDP demanded special status for Andhra Pradesh. The Congress members protested demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale jets deal and accused the government of misleading the Supreme Court on the issue. The House earlier witnessed two adjournments in the pre-lunch session. --IANS rak-bns/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Lok Sabha was on Wednesday adjourned till 2 p.m. as AIADMK and TDP members created ruckus in support of their demands. However, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan conducted the Zero Hour amid the protests and "The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018" was introduced. Soon after the House reassembled at noon after the first adjournment, the AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering. The AIADMK is protesting over the Cauvery water dispute while the TDP is demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh. Mahajan requested the protesting members to return to their seats but they did not relent. As she asked BJP MPs to table the papers for the legislative business, AIADMK member G. HariA threw some torn papers and a file in the air. Amid the din, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the Aadhaar Bill which was opposed by Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, Congress' Shashi Tharoor and Revolutionary Socialist Party leader N.K. Premchandran calling it a "violation of Supreme Court judgement". "This is complete violation of the Supreme Court ruling. Why private agencies are being authorised to use Aadhaar for authentication?" Roy asked. Expressing strong opposition against the bill, Tharoor said: "This bill enables private organisations to get Aadhaar details which is violation of Supreme Court judgement. The bill is immature in protecting the right of privacy. The bill must be withdrawn." Saying the bill "fringes the right of privacy", Premchandran said: "Kindly see the definition of Aadhaar. The original Aadhaar definition has been changed... Since it is violation of Supreme Court judgement, I strongly oppose the bill." Clarifying the importance of the bill, the Law Minister said: "It is not mandatory for all to give Aadhaar details for authentication or KYC... We are not violating the Supreme Court judgement." The Speaker tried to conduct the legislative business but the agitating members continued their protest, forcing her to adjourned the House till 2 p.m. Earlier, the House was adjourned till noon. Soon after the House assembled for the day, Mahajan wished the House a happy New Year and started the Question Hour amid the din. Mahajan expressed dissatisfaction over the behaviour of the members and called it "unruly". "This is not done. Please go to your seats. Your problem will not get resolved like this. You should talk to the Minister and not protest like this. You are not sending a good message to your constituencies too. This unruly behaviour is not proper," she said. As the din continued, Mahajan adjourned the House till noon during Question Hour. --IANS rak-bns/mr (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 Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 that provides for protection of rights of transgender persons and their welfare was passed amid din by the Lok Sabha on Monday. Seeking passage of the Bill, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot said the Bill was important in view of the rights of the transgenders and urged the members to pass it. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2016 and as per the demands of the members, the Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment. Gehlot said that as many as 27 suggestions made by the standing committee were accepted in the Bill amid protests by the Congress, AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members on different issues. Amid the din Congress' Shashi Tharoor, Biju Janata dal (BJD)'s Bhartruhari Mahtab, Natinalist Congress Party (NCP)'s Supriya Sule and Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s Kakoli Ghosh spoke and presented their concerns on the various clauses of the Bill. They also sought some amendments but were rejected. According to the 2011 Census, the number of persons who do not identify as "male" or "female" but as "other" stands at 4,87,803 -- 0.04 per cent of the total population. This "other" category stands for transgender persons. In 2013, the government set up an expert committee to examine issues related to transgender persons. The committee stated that transgender persons faced issues of social stigma and discrimination which affected their access to education, healthcare, employment and government documents. In 2014, the Supreme Court recognised transgender person's right to self-identification as male, female or the third gender. Further, the Court directed the Central and state governments to grant legal recognition to transgender persons, address issues of social stigma and discrimination, and provide social welfare schemes for them. --IANS bns-rak/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court on Monday banned the sale of medicines online till the central government notifies the regulations. The court set January 31, 2019 as the deadline for the central government to notify the rules. The court passed the order on a plea by the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association. According to the Association, online purchases may be convenient but there exists the risk of unlicensed online outlets selling fake/expired/unapproved medicines. Reacting to the court order Pradeep Dadha, Founder and CEO, Netmeds.com, said, "We would be filing an appeal and taking the required recourse available under the law. The benefits of affordable and accessible medicines through our services have been appreciated by customers across the country, and as a fully licensed pharmacy, Netmeds.com is committed to adhering to all the guidelines and standards as prescribed under the Drugs and Cosmetic Act of 1940." --IANS vj/oeb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Malaysian authorities on Monday filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs bank and two former employees in connection with the 1MDB state investment fund scandal. Malaysia filed the charges against Goldman Sachs and its former bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, reports the BBC. Leissner served as Goldman's South East Asia chairman, and left the bank in 2016. Mr Ng was a managing director at Goldman until his departure in May 2014. Malaysia has also brought charges against former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) employee Jasmine Loo and financier Jho Low. Malaysia's attorney general Tommy Thomas said in a statement: "The charges arise from the proceeds of three bonds issued by the subsidiaries of 1MDB, which were arranged and underwritten by Goldman Sachs." The US bank has been under scrutiny for its role in helping to raise funds for the 1MDB. It is being investigated in at least six countries. Goldman Sachs called the charges "misdirected" and said it continued to co-operate with all authorities. The scandal has prompted investigations around the world and played a role in the election defeat earlier this year of Malaysia's former prime minister, Najib Razak, who is accused of pocketing $700 million from the fund he set up. --IANS ksk/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Modi government's gross mishandling of the situation in the Kashmir Valley is hurting India, the CPI-M said on Monday, adding that the killing of unarmed protesters by security forces was "unacceptable". "The BJP is interested in the continuation of the situation to aid its larger political agenda of communal polarization in view of the general elections," the Communist Party of India said in a statement after a two-day meeting of its Central Committee here. "No political accountability, no responsibility for the mess it has created. Its gross mishandling of these issues is hurting India," it added. The CPI-M expressed serious concern over the deteriorating conditions in the Kashmir Valley, where seven civilians were killed in firing by security forces on civilian protesters on Saturday. "This is unacceptable. The Modi government is simply not interested in starting a political dialogue it promised four years ago," it said. "Over 300 civilians have died in the last three years. "Unfortunately, no enquiry has been conducted into these deaths and no one responsible has been held accountable. This situation will only lead to further alienation of the people." The CPI-M urged the Indian government to start immediately a process of dialogue with all stakeholders, a promise it said was made by the Modi government earlier. --IANS mr/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Buoyed by increasing domestic demand on the back of infrastructural development, state-run National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) plans to embark upon a Rs 25,000 crore brownfield and Rs 20,000 crore greenfield expansion in the next few years, its Chairman and Managing Director T.K. Chand said, adding this should eventually improve the bottomline by Rs 1,100 crore. The Navratna public sector undertaking (PSU), under the Union Ministry of Mines, had substantially increased its turnover and net profit in the last year and is looking at a sharp growth in both its topline and bottomline by end of the current financial year. "We are expecting topline (revenue) to be somewhere between Rs 11,500 crore and Rs 12,000 crore by end of this current fiscal, clocking over 25 per cent growth over last year. Similarly, our net profit is likely to touch Rs 1,800 crore by the end of this fiscal, up by about 35 per cent from a bottomline of Rs 1,342 crore in the last year," Chand told IANS in an interview. The company has clocked about Rs 6,014 crore in revenue from operations and Rs 1,197 crore of net profit in the first half of the current fiscal despite volatility in alumina and aluminium markets amidst a US-China trade war and challenges in availability of coal to meet its energy needs, he added. Chand said focusing on cost reduction for specific consumptions of high-value raw materials like caustic soda, coal, petro-coke and others, along with an emphasis on lowering energy consumption and ramping up production, have been paying a dividend to the metal maker. It switched over to spot sales of alumina, instead of making long-term contracts, which gave it a better realisation, he said. "We have planned around Rs 25,000 crore of brownfield expansions, which include additional one million tonne alumina refinery capacity, increasing of the smelter's capacity by five lakh tonnes at Angul and ramping up of CPP (captive power plants) by addition of two units of 660 MW each. All these will be completed between 2019 and 2021," he said. These expansions are expected to take its aluminium production from existing 4.4 lakh tonnes to one million tonnes and also help it to register revenue of Rs 18,000 crore, he said, adding that "in the second phase, we will take up the Rs 20,000 crore greenfield expansions by adding another smelter and captive power plants". Speaking on challenges related to availability of coal for its captive power plants, he said there were shortages of fossil fuel and the aluminium maker sourced electricity from the state grid to run its plants. "We hope, during the winter season, the coal supply is steady." The Utkal-D and E coal blocks were allotted to the company in the year 2016. Mine opening activities for Utkal-D are expected to start in second half of 2019-20. "Opening of the new coal block by middle of next year and producing about two million tonnes of coal annually, instead of buying it from Coal India, will translate into savings of Rs 560 crore. Moreover, a new alumina refinery with additional one million tonne capacity, which will be commissioned in 2021, will also add a net profit of Rs 350 crore. We are also putting two wire rod mills which will add Rs 120 crore to the profit in future," he told IANS. The 2.7 lakh tonnes per annum (tpa) caustic soda project in a joint venture with Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd. (GACL) at Dehej is in an "advanced stage" and is schedule to befin operating from next year and this would potentially add to "net profit by around Rs 80 crore", he said. The alumina and aluminium market is fiercely competitive and a long-term strategy is essential to face the uncertain price fluctuations, changing regulations and policies, he said. Chand said the company is in the process of setting up the Angul Aluminium park in a joint venture with Odisha industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation to promote downstream industries and is also preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for establishing aluminium downstream projects for which land had already been identified. "We are also looking to add high-end aluminium products in our portfolio which will give us better realisation. NALCO has signed a MoU with Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd. for establishment of a plant for making metal for defence, aerospace, automobile sectors," Chand added. (Bappaditya Chaterjee's visit to Bhubaneswar was at the invitation of the Odisha government. He can be reached at bappaditya.c@ians.in) --IANS bdc/vm/hs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UK-based restaurant owner Asma Khans book "Asmas Indian Kitchen" has been launched here for Indian readers with veteran food writer Marryam H. Reshii discussing her journey and experience of touching lives through her food and the emotional experiences of her customers. The author runs an award-winning restaurant, Darjeeling Express, which started as a supper club in her Kensington home and went on to open the award-winning restaurant in Soho. Khan's remarkable all-women team of housewives run the kitchen at Darjeeling Express, offering home-style food, cooked with passion. "Over the years, I have discovered that food is a wonderful unifying force, providing a way for immigrants to make connections in a new country. Breaking bread with others leads to conversations about 'home', no matter how far away that place might be or how little knowledge of a country or culture people may have. I am always willing to share a plate of parathas with those who knock at my door," said Khan at the launch of her book at Oxford bookstore here on Sunday evening. In the book, Khan reveals the secret to her success, telling her immigrant's story and how food brought her home. The recipes pay homage to her royal Mughlai ancestry and follow the route of the Darjeeling Express train from the busy streets of Bengal, through Calcutta, where she grew up, and along the foothills of the Himalayas to Hyderabad. Starting with simple midweek feasts for two, the book reveals the way to quick and easy cooking with less spice for Family Feasts. The book is billed as more than just a collection of delicious and accessible recipes. It is said to be a celebration of heritage, culture, community and quality. "Asma's Indian Kitchen" has been published by Pavilion Books, London. --IANS ss/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Before opening the final chapter, "Game of Thrones" makers will be treating fans with a reunion episode. But actor Jason Momoa says he won't be a part of the special episode. HBO channel confirmed the news of the special episode, but it won't air on the network. It will only be available as part of the complete series home video box set, which will package all eight seasons together. Asked if he will make an appearance in the reunion episode, Momoa told IANS exclusively: "I don't think so." Momoa played the role of warlord of the Dothraki people Khal Drogo in the series, which brings the story from George R.R. Martin's novels about the quest to claim the Iron Throne alive. The final season will arrive in April next year. At the moment, Momoa is riding high on success of his superhero film aceAquaman". The Warner Bros project explores the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry (Momoa) and takes him on the journey of his lifetime -- one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be -- a king. The film released in India on December 14, a week ahead of the US release. It opened in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. At a press conference in Manila, Momoa said that he relates to the diverse ethnic background of Aquaman. "Like Arthur, I was a half-breed, split between Iowa and Hawaii, so I could definitely identify with that. And from the Philippines to Hawaii to Tahiti and Fiji, many islands have their celebrated water gods. That resonated with me instantly," the actor said. --IANS sug/rb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on December 17, 2018 2018/12/17 Q: Recently, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said that China is poised to take over Zambia's national power and utility company in order to collect on Zambia's financial obligations which are worth $6 to $10 billion dollars. In response to this, Zambia's presidential spokesperson Amos Chanda said that the figure of between $6-10 billion given by Bolton was wrong. He added, "it is regrettable that such information can come from such a high-ranking official. In fact, the power company is not within the scheme of Zambia's debt to China". What is your comment? A: I have also seen relevant reports. You may share the same feeling with me that this is not the first time for US officials to be slapped in the face on such kind of issues. We hope that they can learn lessons from that, reflect on themselves and refrain from having a loose tongue in the future. Q: US National Security Adviser John Bolton in his recent speech on the US new Africa strategy said that the ultimate goal of the Belt and Road Initiative is to advance Chinese global dominance. What is your comment? A: We have said many times that the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China is an initiative for international economic cooperation which has nothing to do with geopolitics, let alone a strategic tool for competing with others. The goal of jointly advancing the Belt and Road Initiative is to inject new impetus into the world economy, promote the common development of all countries and alleviate the imbalance in development through the equal-footed and mutually beneficial cooperation of all relevant parties. During the past five years since its inception, the Belt and Road Initiative has been widely supported and participated by the international community and achieved remarkable outcomes. Many developing countries, including the African countries, have taken an active part in the Belt and Road Initiative and a lot cooperation projects have taken root and borne fruits in Africa, which has greatly improved the welfare of the African people. These cooperative partners are in the best position to make comments on the Belt and Road Initiative. Actually, leaders of some African countries have already made clear their position on it. When conducting cooperation with other developing countries, China always follows the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, inclusiveness, real results and good faith, never interferes in the internal affairs of these countries and attaches no political strings. The international community has a fair judgment in this regard. We hope that the US and other countries can view China's cooperation with African countries and other developing countries in an objective way. It is advisable for them to provide tangible assistance to the developing countries as China has done rather than make irresponsible remarks with tinted glasses. Q: On December 15, the second China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue was held in Kabul, Afghanistan. The three sides also signed a MOU on Counter-Terrorism. Do you have more information to share? A: On December 15, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, after attending the second China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Kabul, gave a joint press conference, during which he briefed the journalists on the consensus reached by the three parties in the following six aspects. First, enhancing trilateral cooperation is highly relevant to promoting the common development and safeguarding the common security of the three countries and upholding peace and stability of the region. The three sides agreed to make the best use of the Foreign Ministers' Dialogue as well as the strategic dialogue, counter-terrorism and security consultation and practical cooperation dialogue under this framework to step up communication and coordination and plan for and advance trilateral cooperation in various areas. Second, the three parties are willing to strengthen coordination, seize the important opportunity facing the reconciliation process in Afghanistan and strive to bring the Taliban back to the negotiating table at an early date. Afghanistan is willing to continue to advance the previous peace initiative and endeavor to restart the peace talks. China and Pakistan firmly support the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process as well as Afghanistan's principal role and will continue to leverage their respective strengthens to play a constructive role in this aspect. Third, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to further improve their bilateral ties and promote good interactions in such areas as politics, military, economy and security. They are committed to resolving differences through friendly consultations. As for those differences that cannot be addressed for the time being, the two sides should properly manage them so as to avoid impacting the improvement of their bilateral ties. As a friend to both Afghanistan and Pakistan, China appreciates this and stands ready to provide support and assistance for them to improve bilateral relations. Fourth, the three countries agreed to boost trilateral cooperation. In addition to such "soft" projects as exchanges between and training of personnel, we will vigorously explore such "hard" projects as livelihood and transport infrastructure. Fifth, the three parties agreed to jointly advance the Belt and Road Initiative and promote the connectivity and economic development of the region. Both China and Pakistan support Afghanistan in leveraging its geographic advantages to serve as a hub in connecting all countries in the region and benefiting from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and other regional cooperation projects. The three parties agreed to expand trilateral cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Sixth, the three sides agreed to earnestly implement the MOU on Counter-Terrorism inked during this Dialogue, strengthen dialogue on counter-terrorism policies, promote counter-terrorism practical cooperation, step up counter-terrorism exchanges and cooperation under multilateral frameworks and firmly crack down on terrorist organizations such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. China will provide support and assistance for Afghanistan and Pakistan to advance counter-terrorism cause and step up counter-terrorism cooperation. This China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue is successful. We are willing to maintain close communication with Afghanistan and Pakistan to implement the relevant consensus reached at this meeting. Q: The Canadian government said that their diplomats here have now been granted consular visits to both of them. Can you give us more details on these meetings? Where did they take place? Do you have any further details on the crimes they might be suspected of? Can you tell us where they are detained and what their health conditions are? A: Last week, my colleague Lu Kang has answered many questions you raised about this matter. The relevant situation is very clear. Compulsory measures have been taken on these two Canadian citizens in accordance with the law on suspicion of engaging in activities that endanger China's national security. Regarding these two cases, China and Canada maintain unimpeded consular communication. The Chinese side arranged for the Canadian personnel to conduct consular visits to the two persons in accordance with the law, and provided necessary assistance for the Canadian side to perform normal consular duties. At the same time, the legal rights of these two Canadian citizens are also guaranteed. Q: A New York Times report said that an international manufacturing certification organization will be looking into possible forced labor in Xinjiang. What is China's comment? A: I have not seen the report you mentioned, but I noted that now foreign media have untrue reports on the vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang. I hope that the media can report and view the relevant issue in a objective and all-round manner instead of levying groundless accusations against China based on speculations and hearsay. Q: What outcomes have been reached at the just concluded 2018 UN climate change conference (COP24) in Katowice? What is the significance of this meeting? What role did China play? A: On December 15, the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wrapped up in Katowice. Following two weeks of in-depth negotiations, the conference adopted a package of rules on the implementation of the Paris Agreement as scheduled, making further arrangements on comprehensively implementing the Paris Agreement and stepping up global climate action. This COP24 in Katowice is an important meeting in the global climate governance process. Relevant parties of the international community have made positive efforts to help the meeting achieve comprehensive and balanced outcomes. The meeting successfully conveyed the positive message of adhering to multilateralism and strengthening global action, boosted parties' confidence in the climate governance multilateral mechanism and provided new drivers for various parties to promote global governance and move towards global green and low-carbon development. The Chinese government has always taken combating climate change as an inherent requirement to realize sustainable development and part of the responsibility for building a community with a shared future for mankind and been actively engaged in global cooperation on climate change. On the eve of COP24 in Katowice, President Xi Jinping at the G20 Buenos Aires summit called on parties to continue to provide political driving force for international cooperation on climate change with a sense of responsibility for building a community with a shared future for mankind, which demonstrated China's support to COP24 in Katowice and provided key political guidance and driving force for the success of the meeting. China, France and the UN co-hosted a climate change conference and reaffirmed the firm commitment to implementing the Paris Agreement, which sent out a positive signal to promote international cooperation on climate change. At the COP24 Katowice meeting, the Chinese delegation was deeply engaged in consultations on various issues for discussion and actively communicated with parties with a positive and constructive attitude, making key contributions to bridging differences between parties and ensuring the success of the meeting. The conclusion of the implementation rules for the Paris Agreement has laid a solid foundation for its implementation and opened up a new era for cooperation on global climate change action. China stands ready to join hands with other parties to play a constructive part in the global climate multilateral process, effectively implement the rules for the implementation of the Paris Agreement and promote the global green, low-carbon and sustainable development. Q: What did you mean by saying untrue reports? Can you tell us what specific reports you are referring to? A: I have not seen the report you mentioned, but I noted that recently foreign media have made some false reports on Xinjiang which are totally based on hearsay and rumors that are fabricated out of thin air. We believe that the international media shoulder the responsibility to present the true picture of China to the rest of the world. We hope that the relevant foreign media can report the true situation in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region and other places in China in a more active, all-round and objective fashion. We are willing to continue to maintain good communication with foreign media and better help you to learn about the true situation. Q: On Friday, the Canadian Foreign Minister and Defense Minister held a "2+2" ministerial dialogue with the US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense in Washington D.C. When speaking of the detention of the Chinese executive, the Canadian Foreign Minister said that "Canada was acting with its treaty commitments and in line with the rule of law, and both the US and Canada uphold the rule of law and rules." US Secretary of State Pompeo said that "the unlawful detention of two Canadian citizens is unacceptable. They ought to be returned." What is China's comment? A: As for Canada's illegal detention of Chinese citizen at the request of the US, my colleague has answered a swarm of questions from reporters and clarified China's stern position last week . What I want to say is, after all these things that have happened, it is surprising that the United States and Canada are still praising themselves as law- and rules-abiding countries. In my opinion, this is nothing but a modern version of "The Emperor's New Clothes." Whatever dignified excuse they may use or whatever "legitimate" cloak they may try to put on, they will be ridiculed for all these flagrant disregard for facts and the contempt of the rule of law. In the past few days, many Canadians with a sense of justice have written to the Chinese Embassy in Canada or spoken through the Canadian media to publicly criticize the Canadian side for being unreasonable and illegal. Many people in the US, including the well-known economist Jeffrey Sachs, also sharply pointed out the essence and consequences of this matter in a published article. The Chinese side strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately correct its mistake, release the relevant Chinese citizen and effectively safeguard her legal and legitimate rights and interests. We also strongly urge the US to immediately withdraw the arrest warrant against the relevant person. Non-Congress political parties on Monday hailed the Delhi High Court ruling holding Congress leader Sajjan Kumar guilty in the 1984 killing of Sikhs and sentencing him to imprisonment for life. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Arun Jaitley said the conviction was "a delayed vindication of justice". "Justice for the victims of 1984 was buried by the Congress. The NDA restored fairness and accountability... The Congress and the Gandhi family legacy will continue to pay for the sins of the 1984 riots," Jaitley tweeted. The Congress, he said, had repeatedly tried to cover up the truth. "But today, he (Sajjan Kumar) has been convicted." BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav welcomed the verdict and thanked Home Minister Rajnath Singh for reopening the cases "deliberately suppressed by the previous government". Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) head Arvind Kejriwal too hailed the ruling. "It has been a very long and painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual may be," he said. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj called the 1984 killing of Sikhs following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards a "permanent blot on Delhi". "Though much delayed, the High Court judgment on Sajjan Kumar is a landmark. State power cannot be used to massacre innocent citizens. Had exemplary punishment been given to perpetrators of the 1984 riots, nobody would have repeated it in 2002." National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said: "Justice delayed but not denied." Welcoming the verdict, Akali Dal leader and Delhi MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the next in the list after Sajjan Kumar were Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath. Sajjan Kumar and five others were tried in a case involving the killing of five Sikhs -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh, who were from the same family -- by a mob in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar. The Congress leader has been asked to surrender by December 31. --IANS nks/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It's been a fairly turbulent year in the state, both security-wise and politically. It saw more violence compared to last year, even though the security forces killed many militants, including some top commanders of militant outfits. There were 587 incidents of violence during 2018 compared to 329 last year. Official figures say 240 militants were killed during the year against 200 last year. Casualties among civilians and the security forces have also been comparatively higher. Thirty-seven civilians and 86 security men were killed in 2018 against 36 civilians and 74 security personnel killed last year. Permanent peace eluded the state in 2018 as it has during more than 30-years of strife. According to senior intelligence officers, there are still around 240 militants, including foreigners, who are active in the state. "The number keeps on varying depending upon infiltration of new militants from across the line of control (LoC) and recruitment of local youth into militant ranks", said a senior intelligence officer. Summing up the security scenario, Lieutenant General A.K. Bhatt, who commands the Srinagar-headquartered 15 corps of the Indian Army and is the senior-most army officer in the Valley, said: "The security forces have a limited role in controlling the ground situation in the state. The final solution has to be political." On the political front, there was a dramatic turn in June when the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suddenly announced in New Delhi that it was withdrawing from the ruling coalition in the state, headed by the Peoples Democratic Party. The announcement was not unexpected as the two ideologically opposed parties were ruling the state for four years through an uneasy arrangement that appeared brittle from day one since the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed announced it in 2015. With the withdrawal of BJP support, the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition fell and Governor N.N.Vohra dismissed the government, even though the state assembly was kept in suspended animation for any future alliance to stake claim to power. Vohra was subsequently replaced by Satya Pal Malik who became the first politician to be made the state governor. As compared to his predecessor, Malik chose to speak to media as often as he could to put forth his view point, sometimes to the embarrassment of both New Delhi and Malik himself. The fist thing the new governor did was to announce local urban bodies and panchayat elections in the state. Both these democratic processes were concluded peacefully throughout the state and their conduct is considered a feather in the administration's cap as the elected government had been shying away from conducting the elections. With the imposition of governor's rule, the PDP started suffering desertions as some of its dissident legislators launched an open rebellion against the party leadership. In the forefront of the dissidents was senior Shia leader and former state minister Imran Ansari who finally joined the Peoples Conference (PC) headed by Sajad Lone, himself a former minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government. Sajad's PC started emerging as the possible Third Front that could, in future, pose a challenge to both the PDP and the regional National Conference (NC) headed by Farooq Abdullah. Ever since the elected government fell, rumours started doing the rounds in the state that dissidents in the PDP, the NC and even the Congress party were waiting in wings to join the Third Front. The visit of BJP general secretary Ram Madhav to the state and his meetings with Sajad Lone and dissidents kept fuelling these rumours even when Madhav said there was no immediate move to form a government in the state. The fear of their flock being poached pushed the arch rivals, the NC and the PDP, come close to each other. In a surprise move, Altaf Bukhari, senior PDP leader and former minister emerged as the contender for the Chief Minister's post with outside support by the NC. With the NC's 15 and the PDP's 29 seats, the two parties hold a simple majority in the 87-member state assembly. The NC and the PDP said they had decided to sink their differences to protect the special status of the state as article 35-A and other constitutional provisions were being challenged to dilute this. There were also reports that the Congress was in the loop to shoot down horse-trading in the state. The PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, sent a fax to the Raj Bhawan seeking an appointment with the Governor to stake claim to power. The fax was never received as the Governor said later the fax operator at the Raj Bhawan was off duty due to a holiday. Amid claims and counter-claims, Governor Malik, in a dramatic move, dissolved the state assembly on November 21, justifying this by saying that he wanted to "prevent horse-trading". The possibility of any dialogue between the centre and the separatist leadership remained a distant possibility during the year. In all likelihood, this will have to wait till a new government takes office at the centre after the 2019 general elections in the country. Elections to the state assembly are also likely to be held simultaneously with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections around April-May next year. (Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in) --IANS sq/vm/hs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With development topping his agenda, a series of engagements have been lined up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Maharashtra on Tuesday, an official said here on Monday. The highlights will be laying the foundation stone for two metro corridors in Thane district and launching of a housing project for the economically weaker sections and the low income group under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). In Kalyan, Modi will attend a function related to the Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro 5 and the Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander Metro 9 corridors that would ease the transportation problems in these bustling towns in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) adjacent to the island-city. He will also launch a housing scheme involving 90,000 homes for the poorer sections of society at the venue, constructed under the PMAY here by the City and Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (CIDCO). Thereafter, he will fly down to Pune and lay the foundation stone for the Pune Metro Rail Phase 3 and address a public meeting. Interestingly, the ruling NDA ally Shiv Sena has been kept out of the crucial events in Thane amid the ongoing war of words between the two parties. Earlier in the morning, Modi will attend and address the Republic Summit organised by Republic TV, a private news channel. Thereafter, he will go to Raj Bhavan and release a book titled 'Timeless Laxman' based on the life and little known facets of the legendary cartoonist, the late R K Laxman. The book has been penned by his daughter-in-law, Usha Srinivas Laxman. Laxman, famed for his creation, The Common Man, through whose eyes he chronicled Indian history and regaled millions daily in 'The Times Of India' and other publications for nearly seven decades, passed away in January 2015 in Pune. Modi, who will reach Mumbai Tuesday morning around 8 am shall be received by Maharashtra Governor C. V. Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis besides other dignitaries and will depart for New Delhi from Pune the same evening. --IANS qn/oeb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Traffic movement between Manesar and Gurugram was hit as a huge portion of the Rampura flyover on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway broke off and fell amid a busy Monday rush, police said. "The concrete chunk fell from the middle of the four-lane flyover, luckily no one was hurt," said Jitender Yadav, an eyewitness. About a six square feet portion of the Rampura flyover in Haryana fell off around 9 a.m. The flyover is nearly 46 km from Delhi. "The effected portion of the expressway (on the Jaipur-Delhi route) have been cordoned off," Manesar traffic police chief Munesh Kumar told IANS. "We have deployed extra police on and near the flyover and the heavy traffic was diverted to the service lanes. "Light traffic is passing on the elevated road using the two lanes. "Traffic passing under the effected flyover have been completely stopped following instructions issued by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)," Kumar added. "The situation during the day may worsen after heavy traffic hits the road after 11 a.m.," said Vijay Yadav, former sarpanch (village head) of Rampura said. The flyover was opened for traffic nearly two years ago. A portion of another flyover near Manesar and Hero Honda Chowk had fallen down earlier in 2018. NHAI senior officials did not respond to phone calls made by IANS. --IANS pradeep/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Real Betis registered a 3-1 win over Espanyol to extend their La Liga winning streak to three matches, while handing their opponent their fifth defeat in a row. The opening minutes, however, witnessed back and forth movements without posing any real danger to either goal, until Real Betis was awarded a penalty kick in the 16th minute on Sunday night. On their first real chance, forward Sergio Garcia got Espanyol on the scoreboard in the 23rd minute on a shot that got past net-minder Pau Lopez, reports Efe news. Despite falling behind on the scoreboard, Betis continued their aggressive approach and their perseverance was rewarded in the 42nd minute, when Lo Celso redeemed himself for the squandered penalty kick as his close-range shot drew his team level. Betis forward Cristian Tello found the back of the net in the 86th minute to make the scoreline 2-1. In the dying minutes, Espanyol Costa Rican defender Oscar Duarte added to his team's woes, scoring an own goal while attempting to clear a cross by Lo Celso. After the win, Real Betis temporarily holds the fifth spot in La Liga standings with 25 points, while Espanyol sits in the 11th spot with 21 points. --IANS kk/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sachin Pilot, who played a crucial role in the Congress returning to power in Rajasthan, is a suave, urbane and charismatic leader who is equally at ease with rural masses as in TV debates. Pilot, 41, who took oath on Monday as Deputy Chief Minister of the state, was appointed Rajasthan Congress chief in 2014 to revive the party in the state after it suffered its worst defeat by getting only 21 seats in the 200-member assembly. He worked meticulously over the last nearly five years in cooperation with senior state leaders to ensure that the BJP is voted out of power. But the verdict was not entirely to the party's satisfaction and it fell two seats short of majority. It was the nature of the verdict, with the Congress dependent on a bit of external support, that perhaps was a factor in party President Rahul Gandhi choosing seasoned Ashok Gehlot over Pilot in the leadership sweepstakes. But Pilot staked his claim strongly and the power sharing formula was worked out after prolonged discussions extending over three days with both the leaders staying put in Delhi to convey their views. During the campaign, Pilot highlighted the "agrarian distress" and unemployment as key issues as he also sought to harp on anti-incumbency against the Vasundhara Raje government. The big challenge now for Pilot and Gehlot is to deliver the state to the party in the Lok Sabha polls five months away. That will call for coordinated efforts in governance and early fulfilment of key promises. BJP's better-than-expected performance shows that it is capable of bouncing back in the Lok Sabha polls and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to run an intensive campaign. Son of former union minister Rajesh Pilot, Sachin is a prominent next-generation leader who has an easy connect with people and is approachable and affable. The Congress will require a sizeable backing from the youth for winning the Lok Sabha polls and as such younger leaders such as Pilot are likely to be in the forefront of the party's poll effort. Pilot has multiple interests including aviation and received his private pilot's license (PPL) in 1995. He is also a keen sportsman and has been commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Territorial Army. Born on September 7, 1977, he studied at St. Stephen's College (University of Delhi) and later pursued MBA from Wharton Business School where he specialised in multinational management and finance. At 26, he was the youngest MP when he first got elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from the Dausa in 2004. Upon his re-election to Lok Sabha in 2009 from Ajmer, he was appointed Minister of State (MoS) for Communication & Information Technology and sought to bridge the technology gap between rural and urban areas. In 2012, he became Minister of State (Independent charge) of Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Pilot was selected as one of the Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2008. Pilot is married to Sara, daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah. --IANS ps/vsc/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sachin Pilot, who played a crucial role in Congress' return to power in Rajasthan, is a suave, urbane and charismatic leader who is equally at ease with rural masses as in TV debates. Pilot, 41, who took oath on Monday as Deputy Chief Minister of the state, was appointed Rajasthan Congress chief in 2014 to revive the party in the state after it suffered its worst defeat managing only 21 seats in the 200-member Assembly. He worked meticulously over the last nearly five years in cooperation with senior state leaders to ensure that the Bharatiya Janata Party is voted out of power. But the verdict was not entirely to the satisfaction of the Congress as the party fell two seats short of the majority. It was the nature of the verdict, with the Congress dependent on a bit of external support, that perhaps prompted party President Rahul Gandhi to choose Ashok Gehlot over Pilot in the leadership sweepstakes. But Pilot staked his claim strongly and the power sharing formula was worked out after prolonged discussions extending over three days with both the leaders staying put in Delhi to convey their views. During the campaign, Pilot highlighted the "agrarian distress" and unemployment as key issues as he also sought to harp on the anti-incumbency against the Vasundhara Raje government. The big challenge now before Pilot and Gehlot is to deliver the state to the party in the Lok Sabha polls that is five months away. That will call for coordinated efforts in governance and early fulfilment of key promises. The BJP's better-than-expected performance shows that it is capable of bouncing back in the Lok Sabha polls and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to run an intensive campaign. Son of former Union Minister Rajesh Pilot, Sachin is a prominent next-generation leader, who has an easy connect with people and is approachable and affable. The Congress will require a sizeable backing from the youth for winning the Lok Sabha polls and as such younger leaders such as Pilot are likely to be in the forefront of the party's poll effort. Pilot has multiple interests, including aviation, and received his private pilot's license (PPL) in 1995. He is also a keen sportsman and has been commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Territorial Army. Born on September 7, 1977, he studied at St. Stephen's College (University of Delhi) and later pursued MBA from Wharton Business School in the US, where he specialised in multinational management and finance. At 26, he was the youngest member of Parliament when he first got elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Dausa in 2004. Upon his re-election to Lok Sabha in 2009 from Ajmer, he was appointed Minister of State (MoS) for Communication and Information Technology and sought to bridge the technology gap between rural and urban areas. In 2012, he became Minister of State (Independent charge) of Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Pilot was selected as one of the Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2008. Pilot is married to Sara, daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah. --IANS ps/in/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leading industry chamber Ficci on Monday announced that it has elected Sandip Somany as the association's President for 2018-19, following its 91st annual general meeting here last week. In a statement, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) also announced that the current Joint Managing Director Apollo Hospitals Sangita Reddy has been elevated as Ficci Senior Vice President for next year, while Uday Shankar has joined the chamber as Vice President. "Ficci has elected Sandip Somany, Vice Chairman and Managing Director HSIL (Hindustan Sanitaryware and Industries Ltd), as its President for 2018-19, after the conclusion of its 91st annual general meeting on December 14-15," it said. "He was previously working as the Senior Vice President Ficci." Somany takes over as President from Rashesh Shah. The statement also said the new Vice President Uday Shankar is currently the Chairman and CEO of Star India and President of 21st Century Fox Asia-Pacific (Only Asia). --IANS bc/in/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabia on Monday denounced the US Senate's resolutions to end American military aid for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen and to blame the country's Crown Prince for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said: "The Kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate," the BBC reported. It said that such a position "was built on untrue allegations and affirms a total rejection of any interference in its internal affairs. "The Kingdom has previously asserted that the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi is a deplorable crime that does not reflect the Kingdom's policy nor its institutions and reaffirms its rejection of any attempts to take the case out of the path of justice in the Kingdom." The Senate on December 13 voted to recommend ending American military assistance to the Saudi-led operation in Yemen, and accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement in Khashoggi's murder. The vote was the first time any chamber of US Congress had agreed to pull US forces from a military conflict under the 1973 War Powers Act. Some of President Trump's fellow Republicans defied him to pass the measure with Democrats by 56-41. The US was yet to publicly respond to the Saudi statement. Khashoggi was killed on October 2 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, the BBC reported. Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has said Khashoggi was killed on the orders of a rogue intelligence officer. Turkish officials however say they have evidence, including gruesome audio recordings, that the journalist was killed by a team of Saudi agents on orders that came from the highest levels. His body has not yet been found. --IANS ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. Saudi Arabia on Monday rejected recent moves by the US Senate over the murder of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Senate on December 13 voted to recommend ending American military assistance to the Saudi-led operation in Yemen, and accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement in Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October, reports Xinhua news agency. The positions of the US Senate were based on "unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdom's internal affairs, undermining the Kingdom's regional and international role", the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement said that the the journalist's murder was a deplorable crime which does not reflect the Kingdom's policy. Saudi authorities have said he died in a "brawl" in the consulate on October 2 and denied that the Crown Prince had ordered the killing. The US Congress has urged a thorough investigation into his death and threatened to take more actions against Saudi Arabia, such as sanctions, if those responsible were not held accountable. However, American President Donald Trump's administration has been reluctant to further punish the Saudi government. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shoolini University, a research based private university with a focus on biological sciences, will set up Yogananda Ville to carry out research in the fields of yoga and naturopathy. The Yogananda Ville will be set up at the university campus in Solan district of adjoining Himachal Pradesh, around 75 km from here, a spokesman for the university said here on Monday. The Yogananda Ville will encompass an international hostel, a meditation hall, an academic block, meditation huts and caves, and recreational facilities. The Ville will provide eastern look and feel with western facilities, the spokesman added. "It will, therefore, be a spiritual institute wherein scholars from both East and West will jointly investigate the principles of kriya yoga by the application of modern physical tools for its acceptance as the supreme science for leading a balanced life. The Yogananda Ville is planned to be established on five acres of land," he added. The spokesman said that the university has signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Tarwinder S. Sabharwal, Founder, Sevak Construction Company, Mumbai, in this regard. A grant of Rs 5 crore has been sanctioned to the university for the construction of the Yogananda Ville, including a hospital for yoga and naturopathy and collaboration for research. "This is the highest grant ever given to any nascent private university in India in general and in Himachal Pradesh in particular," the spokesman said. The university has made rapid strides to become a leading centre of research in yoga and naturopathy besides DNA sequencing, cancer and material diseases, biosensors, food microbes, nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical sciences. The university has also been given Rs 80 lakh for the establishment of a 100-bedded hospital (naturopathy and yoga) by the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy under the Union Ministry of AYUSH. "It has been felt that the university should also play a key role in investigating the role of yoga in general and transcendental meditation in particular for studying metabolic changes in human biology. The university has already constructed three huts for pursuing research in meditation and kriya yoga," the spokesman added. -- IANS js/oeb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday targeted the Congress for "knowingly misleading" the people over the pricing of the Rafale fighter jets and hinting at corruption in the deal. Addressing the media, she accused the Congress and the Gandhi family of displaying "amazing audacity" by not heeding the Supreme Court verdict in the Rafale case on December 14. "The Congress is knowingly misleading the people... in the pricing of the Rafale jets," Sitharaman said at the Bharatiya Janata Party state headquarters here. Her media briefing was part of the ruling BJP's series of interactions planned all over India to defend the Rafale deal, now under attack from the Congress. --IANS qn/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in Mumbai's hospital fire shot up to six, while another 147, mostly patients and staff, were rescued from a massive blaze that engulfed the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Andheri (East) here on Monday, BMC Disaster Control said. The number of fatalities is likely to increase further as several injured persons have been admitted to various hospitals in serious condition even as the firemen battled the conflagration to bring it under control after three hours. The fire, caused by a suspected short-circuit, was first noticed in the upper floors of the five-storied building with a glass facade in the MIDC area -- the industrial hub in the north-western suburb -- around 4.15 p.m. At least 12 fire tenders, 15 water tankers and other specialised equipment were rushed to battle the blaze and those trapped were taken out via ladders from the third and fourth floors as the flames quickly spread horizontally and vertically. Rescue operations were hampered due to snapping of power supply from the building as a precautionary measure and by 7 p.m the blaze was stated to be "under control", with cooling operations taken up. Of those rescued, 19 have been admitted in Juhu's Cooper Hospital, including two brought dead, 40 in Holy Spirit Hospital, 44 in Seven Hills Hospital including three dead, 39 were taken to Prabodhankar Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital, Jogeshwari, three in Hiranandani Hospital and two in Siddharth Hospital, for treatment. Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who visited the spot along with other senior officials, said the fire would be probed and strict action taken against the guilty if any lapses found. Thick dark clouds of smoke were seen billowing from long distances in the suburbs and the rescue operations resulted in massive evening peak-hour traffic jams on the busy Andheri thoroughfare connecting north-south and eastern Mumbai. --IANS qn/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rome, Dec 18 (IANS/AKI) Nations will not be able to stop the "insidious" spread of terrorism and cross-border crime and keep citizens safe unless human rights are upheld, Italy's head of state Sergio Mattarella told diplomats in Rome. "We cannot fight the insidious spread of transnational crime and terrorism without a robust network in place that unites all countries in all continents," Mattarella said. Mattarella was addressing the diplomatic corps during a traditional exchange of Christmas greetings. "This grave danger continues to be apparent, right up to the killing in Strasbourg of five people, including a young Italian compatriot, Antonio Megalizzi," he said. Mattarella was referring to the gun attack on a Christmas market in Strasbourg, eastern France, on 11 December by a North-African descended suspect, Cherif Chekatt, 29, whom police shot dead in the city two days later. "We cannot guarantee security to populations unless we respect human rights: we need more fairness and freedom in order to make the world a safer place," Mattarella added. --IANS/AKI vin/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Sushant Singh Rajput has said that he was really happy with the audience response to his recently released film "Kedarnath" because whenever an audience appreciates a movie, then it encourages an actor to do better. Susuhant was interacting with the media at Star Screen Awards 2018 here on Sunday. Director Abhishek Kapoor's romance-drama "Kedarnath" features the actor opposite debutant Sara Ali Khan. It set against the backdrop of the disastrous 2013 Uttarakhand floods. The movie has managed to collect a total of Rs 42 crore after the end of its first week. Talking about the film's success, Sushant said: "I am really happy with the audience response to the film. When an actor's work gets appreciated then it feels good because through that he gets an encouragement. "The kind of minute detail we have shown in the film, they are getting connected to it and appreciating it. As an actor or as a filmmaker, all we want is that whatever we wanted to say should reach towards the audience without any obstacle." Sushant's former girlfriend of six years Ankita Lokhande is also gearing up for her Bollywood debut in "Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi"/ Last week, casting director Mukesh Chhabra shared her first look from the film on his Instagram and captioned it: "Here is the official look of actress Ankita Lokhande as Jhalkari Bai in her debut film - 'Manikarnik'a. A woman soldier in Rani Laxmibai's army, Jhalkari Bai eventually rose to the position of an advisor to the Queen." Sushant commented on the post: "It looks absolutely great Ankita. I am extremely happy to see this. May God bless you with lots of success and happiness." Ankita replied" "Thank you Sushant. I wish you the same." Talking about the incident, Sushant said on Sunday: "I saw the picture and I really liked it.I wanted to congratulate her on that so, I did it." When asked Sushant whether he congratulated Ankita personally on her Hindi film debut, he said, "I am the same person on digital platform and in my real life so, whatever comment I made on that post was not to show off for people but I really wanted to congratulate her. She also replied to my comment then, I feel there wasn't need for any separate conversation." Sushant will be seen in Tarun Mansukhani's "Drive" and Abhishek Chaubey's "Son Chiriya". --IANS iv/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday called on visiting Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih here and discussed all aspects of bilateral relations. "Warm and productive discussion on all aspects of bilateral ties, including development cooperation, human resource development and people-to-people exchanges," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after the meeting. Earlier, Solih was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan where Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted him with a warm hug. Modi and Solih were scheduled to hold delegation-level talks following which a number of agreements were expected to be signed. Solih arrived here on Sunday on a three-day visit to India, his first foreign visit since assuming office on November 17. --IANS ab/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Steel and thyssenkrupp on Monday said Andreas Goss, currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the steel division of the German multinational conglomerate, will chair the management board of the planned European steel Joint Venture (JV) between the two companies. Two steel giants had signed definitive agreements in June 2018 to combine their European steel businesses in a 50/50 Joint Venture. The proposed new company, to be named thyssenkrupp Tata Steel B.V., headquartered in Amsterdam area, will be positioned as a leading pan-European flat steel producer. "Andreas Goss, currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of thyssenkrupp's Steel division, will be the future Chief Executive Officer of the planned JV and chair the management board of it," a statement said. Hans Fischer, currently the CEO of Tata Steel Europe, will be the Deputy CEO and Chief Technology Officer of the JV and Sandip Biswas, currently the Group Executive Vice President Finance of Tata Steel Ltd, is the designated Chief Financial Officer. Premal Desai, currently the Chief Financial Officer of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, will be the Chief Strategy Officer of the company. The Joint Venture is subject to merger control clearance in several jurisdictions, including in the European Union. Until the completion of the JV process, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe and Tata Steel in Europe will continue to operate as separate companies. --IANS bdc/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A district level leader of the Trinamool Congress was beaten to death in West Bengal's Hooghly district and one person has been arrested in this connection, police said on Monday. Sheikh Mukhtar of Madhurpur was beaten to death on Sunday. Based on his family's complaint, Sheikh Akhtar Ali Khan, 45, has been arrested, a police officer said. A family member of the deceased alleged that the incident was a result of the party's internal feuds but the police said they were looking at all possible angles. --IANS bnd/ssp/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a complete washout of the first week of the winter session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed little business although it passed the Transgender Persons Rights Bill and introduced the Triple Talaq Bill amid din. Throughout the day, the Congress, the AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members protested near the Speaker's podium over different issues and forced three adjournments before the passage of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016. Soon after the House met for the day and then reassembled at noon after the first adjournment and during the post-lunch session, the Congress, the AIADMK and TDP members were on their feet. The Congress members were demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale jet fighter deal with France while accusing the government of lying before the Supreme Court. The AIADMK members wanted Karnataka to take back its proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu, while the TDP members raised several issues related to special status to Andhra Pradesh. In the noon, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, commonly known as the Triple Talaq Bill amid a ruckus and despite opposition from the Congress. As the din continued, Prasad sought permission from the Chair to introduce the Bill. Congress member Shashi Tharoor opposed it claiming it was targeted at a particular religion and hence unconstitutional. "The bill was based on the ground of a specific religion and it was violation of Sections 14 and 21 of the Constitution. This is a misconceived bill," he said. His objections were rejected by Prasad. "The Bill was brought in as per the direction of the Supreme Court to protect the rights of Muslim women. Several Muslim women suffered due to instant talaq. "This bill is in the nation's interest and constitutional. The objection is baseless," Prasad said and then introduced the bill. The government could not pass the bill in the Rajya Sabha during the previous monsoon session. Later it issued an ordinance on September 19 making Triple Talaq a criminal offence. During the Zero Hour, Shiromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandu Majra raked up the High Court verdict against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that came earlier in the day while the BJP's Ganesh Singh demanded early construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urged the protesting members to go back to their seats but they did not relent. She then adjourned the House till 2 p.m. When the House again met post-lunch, scenes were no different. Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot sought cooperation from the opposition members and started discussion on Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 that provides for protection of rights of transgender persons and their welfare. He said the Bill was important in view of the rights of the transgenders and urged the members to pass it. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2016 and as per the demands of the members, the Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment. Gehlot said that as many as 27 suggestions made by the Standing Committee were accepted in the Bill. Congress' Shashi Tharoor, Biju Janata Dal (BJD)'s Bhartruhari Mahtab, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)'s Supriya Sule and Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s Kakoli Ghosh spoke and presented their concerns on the various clauses of the Bill including its definition. They also sought some amendments but were rejected. During the discussion, when Kakoli Ghosh was speaking, some of the protesting members tore a piece of paper and threw it in the air. "This is not the way," Mahajan remarked on the behaviour of the members. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar too, objected and said the behaviour of the members was not dignified and was contempt of the proceedings. "The government is ready to discuss every issue including Rafale," he said. But the opposition members did not relent and continued with sloganeering. Amid the din the Bill was passed with voice vote. While protesting, the Congress members were holding placards which read the "government which lies to the Supreme Court has no right to continue". They were countered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who demanded an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi citing the apex court's clean chit to the government in the case. The BJP members also held up a printed placard mentioning "Congress party is a liar, Rahul Gandhi should apologise". As soon as the Bill was passed, Mahajan adjourned the House for the day. --IANS rak-bns/in/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Coptic Solidarity Presses for Urgent Protection of Egypt's Imperiled Coptic Christians WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- Coptic Solidarity urgently calls on the US Department of State and legislators to publicly condemn the rash of fatal attacks and collective punishment inflicted on Egypt's Copts, and to pressure the Egyptian government to fully prosecutes perpetrators of these crimes. Photo: Coptic father and son murdered outside a Coptic church in Minya on December 12, 2018, by the policeman charged with protecting the church and worshipers. Within the last week, the already besieged Coptic community in Egypt has been further terrorized through a series of attacks including: On December 12, On December 12, a Muslim policeman charged with guarding a church in Minya shot and killed two Copts --a father, 49, and his son, 21. Eyewitnesses report a minor verbal dispute ensued before the officer shot the two men. Video surveillance footage of the incident shows the killer-cop brandishing his gun moving around, cursing the two bleeding Christians who were still moving on the ground. Two other police officers arrived but merely watched without providing help to the critically wounded victims as a normal human being would in such situations. The office of the prosecutor is reported to have charged the murderer with "beating that led to death" with a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, compared to "murder" which could lead to a death sentence. On December 9, a brand new and only Coptic church serving 2,500 Copts in the village of Koum al-Raheb in Samalout, Minya On December 9, a brand new and only Coptic church serving 2,500 Copts in the village of Koum al-Raheb in Samalout, Minya was closed by police and the keys confiscated by the local authorities, after Muslim mobs protested its presence during the inaugural mass. Muslim mobs attacked Copts' homes on the 10th, imposing collective punishment on the Coptic villagers simply for exercising their right to religious freedom. A reconciliation meeting concluded with the closure of the church pending the authorities' decision on its "legality." On December 10, On December 10, fire broke out in a church of another village in the same governorate, which was quickly blamed on an electrical malfunction--a manufactured "culprit" repeatedly used to explain numerous cases of church fires. A Coptic man, Abdo Adel, 43, in Egypt's Minya governorate, A Coptic man, Abdo Adel, 43, in Egypt's Minya governorate, was sentenced to three years in prison after he was found guilty of "insulting Islam in the first degree." Adel's "crime" was to publish a post on Facebook in July that Muslims said insulted Islam. Adel was arrested on July 6th, and a mob of about 90 Muslim villagers attacked Coptic homes to exact collective punishment. The police released most of the perpetrators after a "reconciliation session." Such attacks and perversions of justice perpetrated both by the Egyptian society and government are compounded by the use of "reconciliation sessions" which force Copts to forgo their legal rights, and by the government which refuses to fully prosecute or carry out sentences on those who attack Copts and their properties. Noticeable is the total lack of coverage by government-controlled media or any ranking official, which underscores the deliberate oppression and humiliation of the Copts, whom the government treats as mere Dhimmis, not citizens in their own homeland. Coptic Solidarity holds the Egyptian government fully culpable and responsible for fostering this culture of impunity that encourages the increasing numbers of heinous attacks on Copts. Coptic Solidarity urgently calls on US government officials and legislators to unequivocally condemn such religiously-motivated violence and urge immediate protection for Copts in Egypt. Coptic Solidarity is hosting a rally on December 21, to urge the US Administration and Egyptian government to urgently take action to protect Coptic Christians. The rally will start at the main gate of the White House from 11 AM - 1PM and move to the Egyptian Embassy from 1PM -2PM in Washington, DC. The location of the Egyptian Embassy is 3521 International Court, NW Washington, DC 20008. (WB) LGBT Catholic leaders say they are troubled over news that surfaced earlier this month that Pope Francis stated in a recently published book that gay men serving as priests worries me and that homosexuality has become fashionable in some societies. Reports of Francis latest comments on homosexuality and gay priests first surfaced in the Italian press on Dec. 1 when a Rome newspaper quoted from an advance copy of a book consisting of a four-hour interview the Pope had with Spanish priest and author Fernando Prado. The book, The Strength of Vocation, which discusses the challenges faced by priests and nuns, has since been published in several languages. The Popes candid remarks in the book on homosexuality and gay priests has created a stir among some LGBT Catholic activists who had been hopeful that Pope Francis earlier comments and positions about gays indicated he might move to change the Catholic Churchs longstanding hostile teachings on the subject. When asked by Prado about people with homosexual tendencies who are in the priesthood and religious life, Francis stated, Its something that worries me because perhaps at some point it has not been dealt with well. Added Francis, That of homosexuality is a very serious matter that must be discerned adequately from the beginning with the candidates, if this is the case. He was referring to men who are candidates for the priesthood. We must be demanding, he continued. In our societies it even seems that homosexuality is fashionable and this mentality, in some way, also affects the life of the Church. In a comment that Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of the LGBT Catholic organization Dignity USA, found most troubling, Francis told his interviewer about a clergy member who confided in him that he discovered there were many young men studying to become priests who were gay. The pope said the clergymen told him this was not so serious, and that it was only an expression of affection, a view that Francis called a mistake. It is not just an expression of affection, Francis continued. In the consecrated life and in the priestly life there is not a place for this kind of affection. For this reason, the Church recommends that people with this rooted tendency are not accepted in the ministry or in the consecrated life, Francis said. Priests, religious men and women should be urged to live in celibacy in full and, above all, to be perfectly responsible, trying not to create scandal in their communities or in the holy faithful people of God by living a double life. In a statement posted on Dignity USAs website, Duddy-Burke said the Popes comments suggest that he is in need of education about the LGBT community. It is very damaging and unsupported by the facts for the Pope to suggest that gay people are less able than others to commit themselves to religious and ministerial life or they are somehow a threat to the church and its members, she said. His comments reinforce negative and long discredited stereotypes that have led to discrimination and violence against our community, Duddy-Burke said. Furthermore, they are demeaning to all the lesbian sisters and gay priests and brothers who have faithfully served the church for decades, and to all who are currently preparing for such ministries. Concerning Francis comment that homosexuality is seen by some as fashionable, she said the Pope seems to be mistaking genuine but limited progress in achieving basic civil and human rights for LGBTQI people in some countries as a frivolous fad or trend. Added Duddy-Burke: Nothing could be further from the truth. LGBTQI identities are not a matter of fashion but of fundamental human qualities that are intrinsic to the sense of self. Rather than belittle such progress, the Pope should examine how the Catholic Church has contributed to the unjust oppression of LGBTQI people for centuries, and how its unsung LGBTQI clergy and vowed religious men and women have contributed immeasurably to the good it has done, she said. The Mount Rainier, Md., based LGBT Catholic group New Ways Ministry took a more measured position in two articles posted on its website, which were written by its associate editor Robert Shine. Shine quoted from a number of Catholic commentators, including LGBT supportive priest James Martin SJ. Martin said some media reports were concluding incorrectly that Francis comments in the newly published book suggest that he is against allowing gays to become priests. According to Martin, Francis isnt opposed to gay men in the priesthood but only to priests who are not celibate. Yet the language about homosexuality being merely fashionable (unless he means more acceptable in the public sphere) is both wrong and hurtful, the New Ways Ministry article quotes Martin as saying. If he means that one is gay simply because its fashionable, this goes against every reputable psychologist, and, more important, the lived experience of LGBT people, the article quotes Martin as saying. Yet Martin added that Pope Francis recently told a gay friend in a widely reported remark, God made you that way, which Martin said appears to be closer to what Francis believes. Martin, who Francis appointed in 2017 as a consultant to the Vaticans Secretariat for Communications, told America Magazine Francis should work to avoid making statements without thinking them through to clarify what he really means. We all speak off the cuff, but I suppose when youre the Pope those off-the-cuff remarks are more likely to cause damage, American Magazine quoted him as saying. Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani has suggested that the US President had spoken with his former attorney Michael Cohen past January 2016 about a Trump Tower in Moscow. In an interview on Sunday, Giuliani referred to Trump's written responses to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, saying the conversations about the proposed Moscow project might have gone as far as the tail end of the general election period, CNN said. "According to the answer that he gave, it would have covered all the way up to November of -- covered all the way up to November 2016," Giuliani said. "Said he had conversations with him -- but the President didn't hide this." When asked to clarify his remarks, Giuliani told CNN later Sunday that Trump told Mueller's team that he spoke to Cohen about the proposed Moscow project but did not specify exactly when those conversations took place. Giuliani said Trump doesn't really remember when the conversations took place but was safe in what he told Mueller because he gave a general affirmative answer that that the discussions happened sometime during the 2016 campaign. Giuliani added that the conversations could have been in June or July of 2016. "Up until November 2016, they could have had a conversation about Trump Tower Moscow, and it went nowhere," Giuliani told CNN. "It was a real estate project. There was a letter of intent to go forward, but no one signed it," he said. CNN has previously reported that Trump's lawyers balked at answering any questions that ran past the election because they believed they could argue the transition period after Trump's victory was covered by executive privilege. When Cohen pleaded guilty to a charge from Mueller's office last month, he said he lied about Trump's knowledge of the proposed Moscow project. He had previously claimed such discussions ended in January 2016 -- ahead of the formal start of the primaries. But in his admission of guilt, Cohen called the previous statement a lie on Trump's behalf. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Turkish government has granted citizenship to a total of 72,000 Syrian refugees, Hurriyet daily reported on Monday. Turkey issued citizenship to 36,000 Syrian adults and 36,000 children, said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu addressing lawmakers in parliament. Some 3,80,000 Syrian refugee babies were born in Turkey, the minister said, expressing his individual wish to issue them citizenship as well. "That will be the biggest investment in our brotherhood for another century," Xinhua quoted Soylu as saying. A total of 28,000 of them had the right to vote in the June 24 elections and 36,000 Syrian refugees are now eligible to cast votes in upcoming local elections in March 2019, he added. Turkey has been hosting a large number of refugees since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The number of registered Syrian refugees in October stood at 3.59 million, according to the UN refugee agency. --IANS in/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US has said that it welcomes Pakistans efforts to promote peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, a media report said on Monday. The acknowledgement on Sunday came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Pakistan had arranged another round of talks between the US and Taliban officials but he did not say when and where, the Dawn report said. But Voice of America (VOA) radio's Dari service reported on Sunday that US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad is likely to meet Taliban representatives in Islamabad on Monday. Previous talks were held in Doha, Qatar. "The US welcomes any actions by the Pakistani government to promote greater cooperation, including fostering negotiations between the Taliban, the Afghan government, and other Afghans," a US embassy spokesperson in Kabul told VOA. Khalilzad, had met, and would continue to meet, all interested parties, including the Taliban, to support a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the spokesperson added. VOA reported that two weeks ago the special representative had asked Pakistani authorities to facilitate the Afghan peace process. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that Pakistan had asked the Taliban "to lay down their arms and prepare for talks". Qureshi said that while "Pakistan can help with these talks, the Afghan government, the Taliban and other groups must begin their own compromises and dialogues"., Dawn reported Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump wrote to Prime Minister Khan, seeking his help to bring the Taliban to the table for negotiations. The prime minister told reporters in Peshawar on Friday that the US had changed its tune by requesting help instead of saying Islamabad was not doing enough, as US officials have previously insisted. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley ruled out a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal saying the Supreme Court verdict in the case is a "clean chit" to the Modi government, his predecessor P. Chidambaram on Monday wondered if the issues not decided by the apex court will go "unexamined". Batting for the apex court's Friday verdict dismissing petitions seeking a probe into the alleged procedural and financial irregularities in the Rafale deal, Jaitley in his blog on Sunday had questioned the powers of a parliamentary committee to "review issues already decided by the Supreme Court". Taking to Twitter, Congress veteran Chidambaram questioned Jaitley's assertions. "Finance Minister (Jaitley) asks 'Is a Committee of Politicians fit to review issues decided by SC? "When Government/ Parliament amended the Atrocities Prevention Act to overrule the judgment of the SC, was it not a review by politicians of a judgment of the SC," asked Chidambaram. "Besides, several issues in the Rafale deal were not decided by the SC. Who will examine those issues? Or will they go unexamined?" he added. Chidambaram's attack comes amidst the Congress' persistent demand for a JPC probe into the deal which it claims to be the country's "biggest defence scam". The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) too has joined the chorus for a JPC, alleging the Narendra Modi government was trying to "hide behind half truths and lies" in the deal to purchase 36 fighter jets from France, announced by the Prime Minister in 2015. --IANS and/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior took oath as the chief minister on Monday while state party chief was appointed as his deputy in a ceremony that turned into a show of strength for Opposition unity. Governor Kalyan Singh administered oath of office to Gehlot at the historic Albert Hall here. took oath as a minister and was subsequently appointed as the deputy chief minister by the governor in the presence of a large number of leaders from various political parties. Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, outgoing chief minister attended the event. Nationalist Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Conference and Rashtriya (RJD) were also present. (Secular) and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's (JMM's) Hemant Soren, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) were among others who attended the event DMK president M K Stalin, who had on Sunday proposed the name of Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the proposed anti-BJP front, was also there at the ceremony. Gehlot has become the fourth leader to hold the chief minister's post for a third time. The Congress leader became the chief minister for the first time in 1998 and held the post again in 2008. was wearing a 'safa' or a traditional turban as a mark of victory of the Congress in the state. The state Congress president had pledged in 2014 to not wear the traditional headgear till the party returns to power. The venue was overcrowded and a large number of supporters of both Pilot and Gehlot gathered at the event. Several MLAs and senior leaders were seen jostling to reach their place where seating arrangements were made for them. Senior Congress leader and MLA B D Kalla, Independent MLA Babu Lal Nagar, who had turned rebel after being denied ticket by the Congress, were among others who were stuck in the crowd before they could reach their place. Enthusiastic party workers shouted slogans in support of both Gehlot and Pilot and climbed on to chairs to have glimpse of the event. Prior to the oath ceremony, Gehlot and Pilot and other leaders welcomed Gandhi, and others at the Jaipur airport, from where they left to the Albert hall, an iconic structure located in the heart of the city. This is for the first time that the oath-taking ceremony of the chief minister took place at the hall. Traditionally, such ceremonies are held at Raj Bhawan. Raje, however, had taken oath outside the Assembly building in 2003 and 2013. Elaborate security arrangements were made for the ceremony and there was a seating arrangement of nearly 11,000 people. Traffic congestion was witnessed on JLN road, Tonk Road and other roads during the event. A BJP Monday sat on an indefinite hunger strike against being nominated for the CM's post in Madhya Pradesh, alleging that the was involved in the riots. Nath will be sworn in as chief minister of on Monday. Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga started his hunger strike at Tilak Nagar in west where several families affected in the 1984 riots live. Protesting the Congress's move in selecting Nath for the chief minister's post, he said, "I am sitting on an indefinite hunger strike against Rahul Gandhi's decision to nominate him as CM. He (Nath) is the same person who was involved in the riots against Sikhs in " He said his hunger strike will continue till Nath is replaced by someone else as chief minister of Several BJP leaders are supporting Bagga's protest. BJP and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said the has "hurt" sentiments by appointing Nath as chief minister. Ten monuments have been adopted under the central government's 'Adopt A Heritage' project, the Ministry of Culture informed the Parliament Monday. The project had come under scrutiny after the Red Fort was adopted by cement manufacturers Dalmia Group. Responding to a query in the Lok Sabha, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said the 'Adopt A Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan' scheme, launched in September, 2017, was a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), states and Union Territories. He said it envisages development and maintenance of tourist amenities at heritage sites and makes them tourist-friendly, as well enhances the tourism potential and cultural importance in a planned and phased manner. "The project primarily focuses on providing basic amenities that include cleanliness, public conveniences, safe drinking water, ease of access for tourists, signages, illumination and wi-fi," the minister said. Sharma said the Archaeological Survey of India has identified 100 monuments as 'Adarsh Smarak' for upgradation of existing facilities like wi-fi, cafeteria, interpretation centre, brail signage and modern toilets on the basis of actual requirement and feasibility on a case-to-case basis. He said the 10 sites include - Red Fort (Delhi) and Gandikota Fort (Andhra Pradesh) adopted by Dalmia Bharat Limited; area surrounding Gangotri Temple, Trail to Gaumukh in Uttarakhand and Mt Stok Kangri Trek, Ladakh adopted by Adventure Tour Operators Association of India; Jantar Mantar, Delhi by Apeejay Park Hotels; Surajkund in Haryana by Bliss Resorts; and Qutub Minar, Delhi, Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra, Leh Palace, Leh, Jammu & Kashmir and Hampi (Hazara Rama Temple), Karnataka adopted by Yatra Online. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Neither 'crimes against humanity' nor 'genocide' is part of the domestic law on crime and this loophole needs to be addressed urgently, the Delhi High Court said on Monday. While calling for strengthening of the legal system to ensure that perpetrators of mass crimes are made answerable, a bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted and sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, 73, to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which he had been acquitted by a trial court in 2013. The bench said that the riots "answer the description" of crimes against humanity as in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination, there was "mass killing" of Sikhs in Delhi and the rest of the country, "engineered by political actors with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies". It said that criminals responsible for the mass crimes have enjoyed political patronage and managed to evade prosecution and punishment. "Bringing such criminals to justice poses a serious challenge to our legal system. As these appeals themselves demonstrate, decades pass by before they can be made answerable. "This calls for strengthening the legal system. Neither 'crimes against humanity' nor 'genocide' is part of our domestic law of crime. This loophole needs to be addressed urgently," the high court said. "In India, the riots in early November 1984 in which in Delhi alone 2,733 Sikhs and nearly 3,350 all over the country were brutally murdered was neither the first instance of a mass crime nor, tragically, the last," the court said, adding that such cases require a different approach to be adopted. It also said that India has been no stranger to such mass killings since the time of partition in 1947 and the common feature of each has been the "targeting of minorities" in attacks "spearheaded by the dominant political actors" being "facilitated by the law enforcement agencies". "The mass killings in Punjab, Delhi and elsewhere during the country's partition remains a collective painful memory as is the killings of innocent Sikhs in November 1984. There has been a familiar pattern of mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2008, in Muzaffarnagar in U.P. in 2013 to name a few. "Common to these mass crimes were the targeting of minorities and the attacks spearheaded by the dominant political actors being facilitated by the law enforcement agencies," the bench said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The killing of over 2,700 Sikhs in the national capital during the 1984 riots was a "carnage of unbelievable proportions" and the way the Delhi Police acted at that time established their "apathy" and "active connivance" in the brutal murders, the Delhi High Court Monday said in stringent observations. The high court, which convicted and sentenced senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life term for "remainder of his natural life" in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, blasted the Delhi Police for its "abject failure" in probing the violence following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It said that police had "indeed turned a blind eye and blatantly abetted the crimes committed by the rioting mob" and the probe conducted by them in these cases was a farce. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel noted it was "extraordinary" that despite there being as many as 341 deaths in the Delhi Cantonment area alone over the span of four days beginning November 1, 1984, only 21 FIRs were lodged, of which only 15 pertained to deaths or murders. "Ultimately, only five bodies were recovered and that too was because of the intervention of Army," the high court said, adding, it is "trite" that for each incident involving offence of murder, a separate FIR had to be registered. In its judgement, the bench said, "What happened in the aftermath of the assassination of Indira Gandhi was indeed carnage of unbelievable proportions in which over 2,700 Sikhs were murdered in Delhi alone". Referring to the case on killing of five Sikhs, the bench said, "The law and order machinery had clearly broken down and it was literally a free for all situation which persisted." It said there was no question of clubbing many complaints pertaining to several deaths in one FIR and it was strange that despite the widespread killing and bedlam in the area, no mention of this was found in the daily diary register (DDR) maintained by the police. "It is clear, therefore, that in those chaotic conditions, the local police force was inadequate for the task at hand," the bench said, adding, the DDR was completely silent about the commission of any cognizable offence although as many as 30 murders had occurred in Raj Nagar area itself. "These circumstances establish the apathy of the Delhi Police and their active connivance in the brutal murders being perpetrated," the bench said. The case relates to killing of five Sikhs in Raj Nagar part-I area in Palam Colony in South West Delhi on November 1-2, 1984 and burning down of a Gurudwara in Raj Nagar part II. The high court said aftershocks of atrocities against the Sikhs were still being felt and the need for proper probe in these cases was also acknowledged by the apex court which had in January this year constituted a special investigating team to investigate as many as 186 cases. "As pointed out by the trial court, the state machinery came to a complete standstill in those two or three days when the rioting mobs took to the streets and indulged in acts of violence and killings, and setting properties on fire," it said. The court noted that the "mayhem, destruction, and murders" that rocked Raj Nagar area ensured exodus of Sikhs and many of the males were either killed or were put in such a fear that they were scared to be seen in long hair and beards. "There was a two-pronged strategy adopted by the attackers. The first was to liquidate all Sikh males and the other was to destroy their residential houses leaving the women and children utterly destitute. The attack on the Raj Nagar Gurudwara was clearly a part of the communal agenda of the perpetrators," it said. The high court directed 73-year-old Kumar and other five convicts to surrender by December 31, 2018 and not to leave Delhi. Six accused, including Sajjan Kumar, who was a Member of Parliament at that time, were sent for trial in 2010 and three years later, the lower court had convicted five of the accused but acquitted the Congress leader of all the charges. The high court convicted Sajjan Kumar for criminal conspiracy and abetment in commission of crimes of murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of communal harmony and defiling and destruction of a Gurdwara. The bench also upheld the conviction and varying sentences awarded by the trial court to former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony. The high court said Kumar's life imprisonment will be for the remainder of his life and asked him to surrender by December 31. It also asked him not to leave Delhi before that. The conviction of five others -- former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal, former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar-- were also upheld by the high court. The high court was hearing the appeals filed by the CBI, riots victims and the convicts, challenging a trial court's judgement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which Kumar was acquitted. The high court had on March 29 last year issued show cause notices to 11 accused, including Khokhar and Yadav, in five 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases which were earlier closed. The riots broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four persons were killed and three others seriously injured when a truck collided with a car and then rammed into a tea stall in Bihar's Katihar district in the early hours of Monday. The accident took place when the urea-laden truck hit the car, coming from the opposite direction on NH 31, and then rammed into the roadside stall, Kursela Police Station SHO Chittaranjan Kumar said. The truck was on its way to Purnea while the car was proceeding to Khagaria when the incident occurred between 2AM to 4AM, near a State Bank of India branch on Kursela chowk. Two persons of a family, who were travelling in the car, died on the spot while two others of the same family were injured, he said. The tea seller of the roadside shop died on the spot while another person, standing at the tea shop, was seriously injured, the SHO said. The driver of the car was also among the deceased, the SHO said. The injured were initially rushed to Kursela primary health centre from where the doctors referred them to Purnea and Siliguri. The deceased have been identified as Akash Kumar Singh (22), Baby Kumari (45), tea seller Dino Mandal (55) and the driver of the car, the SHO said. All the four bodies have been sent to Katihar sadar hospital for post-mortem, he said. The truck driver fled the spot. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 400 people of several villages of a block in Howrah district were affected by a skin disease suspected to have been caused by a fungus, officials said Monday. The state health department sent a medical team to four villages of Shyampur-i block during the day. "The medical team was sent after we were informed that around 400 of people of the area were affected by some skin disease," Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Bhabani Das said. It appears that the infection was caused by a type of fungus, Das said and assured the affected people not to panic. She said the report of the team would be sent to the department concerned and the next course of action would be decided after examining it. The four villages where the team visited are Malanchaberia, Kathilabar, Shibpur and Shyampur. Health department sources said how such a large number of people have got infected is being examined. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five persons were killed and over 100 patients and visitors suffered injuries in a fire at a government-run hospital in Mumbai Monday evening, officials said. As many as 108 people, including patients, were trapped inside when the fire broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri, an official of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. "They were subsequently rescued from different floors by firemen using ladders," he said. "The building is a ground plus five-floor structure and the blaze erupted on the fourth floor," the official said. "Fifteen innjured were rushed to the Cooper Hospital, where two were declared brought dead," the official said. Those injured were taken to five other hospitals in the city, he said. The deceased are yet to be identified, the official said, adding the cause of the fire was not yet known. The fire brigade got a call at around 4 pm about the blaze. Ten fire tenders and 15 ambulances were rushed to the spot where firefighting operations are still on. "Most of the rescued and injured people are in stable condition," the official said. Fire Brigade chief P S Rahangdale said smoke engulfed the entire building and fire brigade personnel were searching all floors to see if any patient or visitor was still trapped. He said the fire was confined to the third floor of the structure from where doctors, nurses and patients were rescued. "Fire fighting operation is in progress. Eight to 10 persons were rescued from the common passage that connects the hospital building to an adjacent under-construction building," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A massive fire swept through a government hospital in Mumbai Monday evening killing six people and leaving 141 patients and visitors injured, officials said. A total of 147 people, including patients and visitors, were rescued after the fire broke out at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri, said an official of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). They were subsequently shifted to different hospitals, he said. The official said 19 of them were taken to civic-run Cooper Hospital where two were declared brought dead. Another 33 were shifted to Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri where three were declared dead, he said. Forty were taken to Holy Spirit Hospital, Andheri (East), where one of them was declared brought dead, the official said. Some of the injured were discharged, while the others were undergoing treatment in different hospitals with some of them in the ICU, he said. A fire brigade official said the blaze at the hospital was reported at 4.03 pm and it was extinguished at 7.35 pm. "The building is a ground plus five-floor structure and the blaze erupted on the fourth floor," the official said. The deceased are yet to be identified, he said, adding the cause of the fire was not yet known. Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar said it was under investigation. "At present, our priority is to ensure patients sent to hospitals get proper treatment," the mayor said. Recalling the horror, a patient, Santosh Kadam, said, "I was on the fourth floor and was going to the ground floor to get my MRI done. "Suddenly, nurses and other staffers started shouting and told us to vacate the building since a fire had broken out. I along with my other relatives came down safely." Another patient Girish Patel said, "I saw smoke emanating from the third and fourth floors. There was thick layer of smoke. People panicked and started running helter-skelter before hospital staff came and advised us to vacate the floor quietly." According to another civic official, over 160 patients were admitted in the hospital at the time of the blaze. Milind Ogle, the deputy chief fire officer of the MIDC area, told PTI, "Our team had found some lacunae in an under-construction building coming up adjacent to the hospital and suggested their rectification." "The hospital administration was in the process of complying with our suggestions. Meanwhile, this incident took place in the old hospital building," Ogle said. The 325-bed hospital was constructed in 1970s, the officials said, adding police and hospital authorities have vacated the building till further notice. Fire brigade personnel had to break the glasses of the building's facade to evacuate stranded patients, they said. Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Sharma said an inquiry will be launched in association with the fire brigade department to ascertain the cause of the fire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy near Neduntheevu for allegedly fishing in the island nation's waters, an official said here Monday. The fishermen from Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near Neduntheevu late Sunday when they were arrested by Lankan Navy personnel, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department, Assistant Director, Yuvaraj, said. The Sri Lankan navy also seized their boat, he said, adding that the fishermen had allegedly went to sea despite an advisory issued by the authorities in view of rough weather conditions. The fishermen have been lodged at a camp in Karainagar in Sri Lanka, Yuvaraj said. In recent months, fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been being chased away for fishing in the island nation's waters and this is the first arrest in some months. On December 11, over 3,000 fishermen from the state were allegedly chased away by the Sri Lankan navy personnel when they were fishing near Katchatheevu islet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The AAI employee union will intensify its agitation against the government's move to privatise six of its airports following the AAI seeking bids from interested parties, a union member said Monday. Last month, the government cleared a proposal for managing six AAI-run airports - Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Ahmedabad and Jaipur - on (PPP) basis. However, Airports Authority Employees Union (AAEU) is opposing the move, which comes ahead of the general polls next year, on the ground that the (AAI) has invested huge money on these airports and it will not be able to get any return on the investment. "We are opposed to privatisation and we will continue opposing it. We will intensify our agitation with more demonstrations as the government is going ahead with its proposal despite just about four months left in the general polls," the union member said. "The NDA does not seem to be confident of retaining power and that is why its government at the Centre is putting every thing on the block and expediting the sale process as well," alleged the member. Significantly, apart from attempting to handover these public airports to the corporate entities, the government is also in the process of privatising profit-making Pawan Hans. It also attempted to privatise Air India earlier this year, but could not succeed. As part of an open international competitive bidding process, the AAI has sought bidders for carrying out operations, management and development of the six airports. The AAI will choose the bidders to operate these six on the basis of "per-passenger fee" and finalise the bids on February 28. "We are not fighting for our jobs. We are fighting for passengers. The privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports has only led to high cost and this burden is being faced by the passengers who are forced to shell out huge money in the form of various fee," the member alleged. Earlier last week, hundreds of AAI employees from across airports in the country observed a three-day relay hunger strike to protest the move. The AAEU, which represents 9,000 employees, had staged protests across the country on December 4 also against the government's decision. In similar but separate tender documents issued on December 14, the AAI said that the successful bidders would be decided on the basis of fee that would be charged from each domestic passenger. The deadline for submitting the bids is February 14 and the winning bidders would be finalised on February 28. According to the AAI, the move to manage the six airports on a PPP basis is part of initiatives to provide world class infrastructure and services to stakeholders. Leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP and the Punjab Congress Committee Monday welcomed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Delhi High Court sentenced Sajjan Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. Sunil Kumar Jakhar, president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. "Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice," the Congress MP told reporters outside Parliament. He also said Congress leader Kamal Nath's name never figured in the list of those involved in the riots. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the verdict convicting the 73-year-old Congress leader's conviction. "It has been a very long and painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe," Kejriwal said on Twitter. His AAP colleague and Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka also welcomed the judgement and thanked everyone for their support and help. BJP spokesperson Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, who is sitting on a hunger strike to Nath being named chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, said they will appeal in the apex court for death sentence to Kumar. Nath is scheduled to be sworn in as chief minister in Bhopal later in the day. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony. The high court said Kumar's life imprisonment will be for the remainder of his life and asked him to surrender by December 31. It also asked him not to leave Delhi before that. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US military said Monday it has killed 62 militants from the jihadist al-Shabab movement in six air strikes in Somalia. Four strikes on Saturday killed 34 militants and another two on Sunday killed 28, the US Africa Command said in a statement. The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 militants. All six airstrikes were "conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Amnesty India Monday demanded an independent investigation into the recent death of seven civilians in clashes that followed an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. Seven civilians died Saturday when security forces opened fire at a mob that had thronged the site of the encounter in the south Kashmir district in which three terrorists and an army man were killed, police said. The militants killed included army deserter Zahoor Ahmad Thoker, who belonged to Simoo village, where the gunfight took place. "Authorities must conduct a full and independent investigation into the incident, and those responsible must be prosecuted in a civilian court of law," said Asmita Basu, the Programmes Director of Amnesty India. Governor Satya Pal Malik had reviewed the law and order situation on the day encounter and ordered a probe by Kashmir's divisional commissioner into the civilian deaths. "The intentional use of firearms should be done only when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life, and law enforcement officials should distinguish between persons engaging in violence and peaceful demonstrators," Basu added. On Saturday, a police spokesman had said while the army operation was going on, the crowd "came dangerously close from different parts to the encounter site" and, therefore, security forces had to resort to firing. More than 3,600 people have been killed in clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria since 2016, Amnesty International said on Monday, blaming the government's failure to punish the perpetrators for fuelling the violence. The international human rights organisation said more than 2,000 were killed in 2018 alone, while the bloodshed had made thousands of other people homeless. Violence between farmers and nomadic herders is on the increase in Nigeria over access to fertile land and water, which is becoming scarce in the face of drought and rapid population growth. "The Nigerian authorities' failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more," Amnesty said in a statement. It said that of the 310 attacks recorded between January 2016 and October 2018, 57 percent were in 2018 and were most frequent in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba and Plateau. The rights group also accused Nigerian security forces of not doing enough to stop the killings. "Security forces are often positioned close to the attacks, which can sometimes last for days, and yet have been slow to act," it said. In some cases, forces were warned of an imminent raid but did nothing to prevent the killings, looting or burning of homes. "The Nigerian government has displayed what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population," said Osai Ojigho, Nigeria's director of Amnesty International. "Our research shows that these attacks were well planned and coordinated, with the use of weapons like machine guns and AK-47 rifles," Ojigho said. "In some places, because of the failures of the security forces, competition over resources is used as a pretext to kill and maim along ethnic or religious lines," she said. "The conflict has been dangerously politicised by some state government officials who have inflamed tensions by embarking on a blame game along political party lines." The Nigerian army on Monday rejected the Amnesty report, accusing the global watchdog of "unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military". Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement that Nigerians should ignore the report which he said was intended to "destabilise and dismember" the country. "The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues," he warned. The farmer-herder violence is putting further pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari, who is battling a nine-year insurgency by the Boko Haram jihadist group in the northeast. The 76-year-old retired general has come under fire for his inability to end the country's security challenges as he seeks a second term in February elections. Boko Haram has stepped up attacks on farmers and loggers in recent months, accusing them of passing information about the group to the military. In the latest attack, four farmers were shot dead as they slept in rice fields in a village outside the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, survivors and local militia said on Monday. Last month, the insurgents killed nine farmers and abducted 12 others in Mammanti village, near Maiduguri. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mamata Banerjee, who is being seen as a major centre in the country's political power-play ahead of next year's general elections, is now the only woman chief minister in India. The year started with three women chief ministers but after the recent elections, Banerjee is the only one to be in office. While, Vasundhara Raje Scindia lost power in Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir's Mehbooba Mufti resigned in June after ally BJP withdrew support from her government. "Each woman chief minister, including me has won elections and then lost. Once you have lost, you have to leave. I am happy that Mamata Banerjee represents all of us women at the moment as the chief minister of Bengal and of course as a part of the opposition, she will have a role in the upcoming elections," Sheila Dikshit, who was the longest serving chief minister of Delhi, serving from 1998 to 2013, told PTI. Banerjee, the eighth and current chief minister of West Bengal since 2011, is the first woman to hold the office. Known for her fiery speeches and keen political acumen, people close to her refused to comment on her achievements through the prism of her gender, but chose to highlight her political activism instead. "She has led struggles for people's issues over decades, including a historic 26-day hunger strike. She has served as a seven-term MP, a three-time Union Cabinet Minister and twice-serving chief minister. Her courage, conviction and accomplishments are her credentials," said Derek O'Brien Trinamool's Parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha, listing Banerjee's achievements. Banerjee's political rivals too seem to see her as a politician first and a woman later. CPI(M)'s lone politburo member Brinda Karat said that Banerjee's style of governance did not benefit women. "In it is not biology but ideology and political programmes that determine whether women as chief ministers are successful or not. What is of concern to me is that the number of women MLAs have decreased. There is no use having a woman on top and no women at lower levels of governance. "As far as Mamata is concerned, her is one of authoritarianism and women cannot benefit from that," she said. Ahead of the 2019 elections, Banerjee is being seen as one of the major centres of power in the nation's electoral She has floated the idea of federal front in an effort to bring the regional parties together to take on the BJP. From holding meeting in Kolkata with Telangana's K Chandrashekar Rao, to supporting Arvind Kejriwal's sit-in at Delhi Lieutenant Governor's home, Banerjee is leaving no stone unturned. Recently, the Congress even attacked her after she stopped short of congratulating the party or its chief for victories in the three Hindi heartland states. Congress leaders said these victories are giving sleepless nights to Banerjee's supporters, who want her to be the next prime minister. Political analysts that PTI spoke with said that while as Bengal chief minister she has emerged as a force to reckon with, her role in the national level will depend on her final equation with the opposition leaders. "Its too premature to comment on her role in the opposition. However she is and will always remain a significant player," said a senior political analyst, who didn't want to be named. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bajaj Auto said Monday it has launched the updated version of Platina 110 bike, priced at Rs 49,197 (ex-showroom Delhi). The new version comes with various features like anti-skid braking system and tubeless tyres as standard fitment. "The Platina 110 now joins the highly successful existing Platina 100 ES to offer a premium option to 100cc consumers," Bajaj Auto President Motorcycle Business Eric Vas said in a statement. The model already comes with spring-on-spring suspension with Nitrox gas charged shock absorbers to absorb jerks from all types of roads. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladesh's main opposition alliance unveiled its poll manifesto Monday, promising to safeguard the opinion and rights of people if it was voted to power in the December 30 general elections. The National Unity Front (NUF), a political alliance of opposition parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of imprisoned former prime minister Khaleda Zia, promised to ensure "peoples' ownership". "When the people no longer have control of the government, it is taken over by vested interests and various domestic and foreign groups... you have felt this in your bones," NUF convenor and eminent jurist Kamal Hossain said. The NUF, in line with the constitutional principle, would not only ensure peoples' ownership over the government but also the stake of defeated parties in the governance process, he said. "If we win the election and are given the responsibility, the Jatiya Oikya Front will govern for the welfare of all citizens. Our principles will be unity, integrity and lack of vengeance. "The NUF government will safeguard the opinions and rights of those it defeats in the election as well," Hossain said. Though the BNP is part of the NUF alliance, it will release its manifesto separately on Tuesday, the day Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League plans to unveil its manifesto. The Awami League is focusing on new voters considering their stake in the voters list, a ruling party leader told PTI. The BNP's manifesto will be released in the absence of Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, who has been termed as the party's "fugitive" acting chief. Rahman, who lives in London, was given life imprisonment for masterminding a grenade attack on an Awami League rally in 2005 in which 24 people were killed. According to the election commission officials, around 100 million people are eligible to cast their votes in December 30 general elections. Zia, 73, who is serving a 10-year jail sentence on corruption charges, has been barred from contesting the polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-owned Bank of Baroda will close down three overseas branches in Africa by June. The bank in a regulatory filing said that as per the government guidelines for rationalisation of overseas presence, increase in efficiency and profitability of the overseas offices, it will close down branches in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Ghana by June 30, 2019. The three branches contribute less than a percentage each to the bank's consolidated business. Revenue from Ghana business stood at Rs 75.31 crore, Trinidad and Tobago Rs 23.90 crore and Guyana Rs 26.38 crore, the bank said without specifying the period during which the revenue was generated from these entities. Rationalisation of public sector bank (PSB) branches is part of the government's initiative, approved on November 2017 as clean and responsible banking initiative. As on January 31, 2018, PSBs had about 165 overseas branches, besides subsidiaries, joint ventures and representative offices. State Bank of India has the largest number of overseas branches (52), followed by Bank of Baroda (50) and Bank of India (29). The state-owned banks have the largest number of branches in the United Kingdom (32) followed by Hong Kong and the UAE (13 each) and Singapore (12). Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar in March said the PSBs will consolidate 35 overseas operations without affecting international presence of Indian banks in these countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Schools run by the West Bengal government will soon have to put up a notice in classrooms, with detailed information about the curricula and chapters that would be taught by the teachers during a particular semester, an official said. A notification has been issued by the department of school education, asking all state-run schools to abide by the instruction from the next academic session, he said. "The new rule is aimed at giving the students a clear idea about what they will learn before the next summative internal assessment test. It will also apprise the teachers of the lessons they need to cover in a given period," the school department official said. Three summative assessment tests are held every year in state-run schools - one during March-April, second around July-August and the third in November-December. "Ideally, the schools can also put up the same notice somewhere on its campus, where the parents have access. The notice will have to be updated from time to time so that students have no confusion about their academic progress," the state official said. The government's move came in the wake of frequent complaints by students that teachers do not cover syllabi properly, he said. "While the students claim that syllabus has not been covered in classrooms, the teachers allege that those complaining either skip schools or remain hooked to their mobile phones during lessons," he maintained. The school department has also stressed the importance of holding regular parent-teacher meetings for the overall benefit of the students, the official said. "The parents should have knowledge about the performance of their wards, their strengths and weaknesses," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a bid to boost the garment industry in the state, the West Bengal government would assist in the creation of a common facility centre for kids clothing, Finance Minister Amit Mitra said on Monday. Kids garments hold a lot of potential in the developed markets like the USA, Mitra said at a West Bengal Garments Manufacturers and Dealers Association (WBGMDA) meet here. The minister urged the association to explore the developed countries rather than restricting itself to only a few markets. A meeting with the association and government officials will soon be held to draw the broad contours for the common facility centre, he said. The state government is likely to fund setting up of the centre that would have focus on testing, design, branding and technological interventions. The garment industry is a major employment generator in the state and once infrastructure for the sector improves, job opportunities will increase further, officials said. The WBGMDA estimates around 50,000 industry units in operation in West Bengal, employing about 50 lakh people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said it was the "best time" for India to hold talks with Pakistan as the neighbouring country's new Prime Minister Imran Khan is being touted as a "proxy" their army. If initiated now, she said, the talks between the two neighbours at this time could prove "beneficial". "If Imran is a proxy of the Pak army then this is the best time to talk. When Imran Khan says he is ready to talk, to open corridors, then I think army is also on the same page...," Mufti said at the 'Agenda Aaj Tak' event here. She said the "best bargain" for India, vis-a-vis the Kashmir issue, was during the time when Pervez Musharraf was the President of Pakistan as during that time ceasefire was initiated at the border and the Muzaffarabad route was opened up. "The talks could be beneficial now....why should we not talk?" she asked. The PDP leader also said her party will "join hands" with any political party that will support the "resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue." "If we can join hands with the BJP, we can do so with anyone for resolution of the J-K issue," she said. Mufti said her Peoples Democratic Party (PDS) going with the BJP, during the last political regime in the state, was "suicidal" and that she was "disappointed" that this experiment to begin the political process in the state did not work. Asked if she had any lessons to learn, Mufti replied in the negative. "They (the BJP) didn't teach me any lesson. I stood my ground...(in taking decisions). We experimented (through the PDP-BJP alliance) for the people of Kashmir but that did not work," she said. She said there was a huge difference between former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's regime and the current one under PM Narendra Modi. "Vajpayee was spontaneous and down to earth...he never looked back or over his shoulder. He was a statesman. Today's NDA is more focussed in winning elections," Mufti said. "God save! they have not given voting rights to cows," she said in an apparent dig on the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (WB) New comprehensive legislation introduced in the U.S. House Thursday seeks to enshrine into law U.S. policy against anti-LGBT human rights abuses overseas. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) introduced the legislation, known as the Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality, or GLOBE Act, on the heels of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a historic U.N. document affirming basic human rights for people across the globe. Titus in a statement billed the legislation as an attempt to codify into law Obama administration policies against anti-LGBT human rights abuses at a time when LGBTI individuals continue to face violence, hatred and discrimination around the globe amid perceived inaction from the Trump administration. We in Congress will not stand idly by as the administration fails to acknowledge and respond to the plight of vulnerable populations, including LGBTI people, Titus said. The GLOBE Act builds on the accomplishments of the Obama administration and the work of various members, groups and coalitions to establish a broad set of directives to reinstate our leadership in advancing equality. The findings of the legislation document continued anti-LGBT human rights abuses overseas, including laws criminalizing homosexuality in Uganda, Nigeria and Egypt and laws in at least eight countries punishing being gay with the death penalty. The bill also notes authorities in the Russian semi-autonomous Republic of Chechnya last year were reportedly complicit in the round-up, torture and murders of men perceived as gay. Meanwhile, President Trump infamously told the U.N. General Assembly in September the United States will honor the right of every nation in this room to pursue its own customs, beliefs and traditions, which critics have interpreted to mean the country has abandoned its role in advocating for international human rights. Trump has also said nothing about the reported anti-gay human rights abuses in Chechnya, although an international report is expected next week on the atrocities. The GLOBE Act breaks down its approach to combating anti-LGBT violence overseas in several ways for both documentation and response and is hailed as a vision bill that would provide a comprehensive roadmap for U.S. policy. Mark Bromley, chair of the Council for Global Equality, said the GLOBE Act is a fitting tribute to International Human Rights Day and to the 70th anniversary of U.S. leadership in support of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It affirms that countries that persecute their LGBTI citizens share neither our values nor the commitment to democratic principles that is in our countrys strategic interests, Bromley said. We applaud this effort and urge bipartisan support for this bill. First, with respect to documentation, the bill would codify the recording of anti-LGBT abuses in the annual State Department report on human rights in countries overseas. The GLOBE Act would also require the secretary of state, with the USAID administrator, to produce an annual strategic review of anti-gay criminalization laws. With respect to response, the bill would also codify the U.S. LGBT international envoy position at the State Department, which has been vacant since Randy Berry, now U.S. ambassador to Nepal, left the position. The GLOBE Act would also establish an interagency group to respond to urgent threats directed at LGBT people, a process started during the Obama administration within the National Security Council. The GLOBE Act would also codify the Global Equality Fund in the State Department and the LGBTI Global Development Partnership at USAID to assist human rights defenders overseas. The bill would also codify non-discrimination in service delivery for all programs and services funded by U.S. assistance through any foreign affairs agency, contractor or subcontractor. The bill would also require the president to submit to Congress a list of foreign individuals responsible for or complicit in anti-LGBT human rights abuses. Individuals on the list would be ineligible for U.S. visas, making them ineligible for entry to the United States and subject to removal. Additionally, the bill expresses the sense of Congress individuals on the list should be considered for sanctions designations. The GLOBE Act would require PEPFAR, a federal program that provides retroviral drugs globally to combat HIV/AIDS, to monitor those non-discrimination provisions as well as criminal sanctions overseas for the use of PEPFAR-funded communities, such as condoms. The bill would also overturn the Global Gag Rule and the Anti-Prostitution Pledge, widely criticized on U.S. assistance overseas implemented by the Trump administration. Under the rubric of immigration reform, the legislation would codify LGBT people as a group eligible for asylum and refugee determinations under the Immigration & Nationality Act. The bill repeals a one-year filing deadline for all asylum cases and mandates equal treatment in all U.S. immigration proceedings for immigrants with unmarried same-sex partners who come from countries where same-sex marriage isnt legal. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress the United States should engage with international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Bank, to protect international LGBT rights, and prioritize efforts within the State Department to ensure foreign governments dont impede assignment of LGBT U.S. citizens serving abroad and support visa requests for their partners. David Stacy, government affairs director for the Human Rights Campaign, said the positions articulated in the GLOBE Act stand in contrast to the silence from the Trump administration. While Donald Trump and Mike Pence remain recklessly silent on anti-LGBTQ atrocities around the globe, its crucial that the United States Congress fill the void and make clear LGBTQ rights are human rights, Stacy said. Congress must send a powerful message that the United States will continue to be a global leader in advancing the human rights of all people including LGBTQ people. Introduced at the close of the 115th Congress, the legislation has six co-sponsors who are all Democrats: Reps. Eliot Engel (N.Y.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Alan Lowenthal (Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Nita Lowey (N.Y.), Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.). Noel Clay, a State Department spokesperson, said the department has a policy of not commenting on pending legislation when asked about the GLOBE Act, but added the U.S. government is committed to defending LGBT human rights abroad. More broadly speaking, the United States continues to stand up and speak out to protect and defend the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of people everywhere including LGBTI persons, Clay said. Advancing universal human rights is in our national interest, and as Secretary [Mike] Pompeo has said, LGBTI persons deserve the same respect, freedoms and protections as everyone else. id="post-53572335" class="post-53572335 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-homepagenews category-news category-political-news tag-david-stacy tag-dina-titus tag-globe-act tag-mark-bromley"> (WB) New comprehensive legislation introduced in the U.S. House Thursday seeks to enshrine into law U.S. policy against anti-LGBT human rights abuses overseas. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) introduced the legislation, known as the Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality, or GLOBE Act, on the heels of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a historic U.N. document affirming basic human rights for people across the globe. Titus in a statement billed the legislation as an attempt to codify into law Obama administration policies against anti-LGBT human rights abuses at a time when LGBTI individuals continue to face violence, hatred and discrimination around the globe amid perceived inaction from the Trump administration. We in Congress will not stand idly by as the administration fails to acknowledge and respond to the plight of vulnerable populations, including LGBTI people, Titus said. The GLOBE Act builds on the accomplishments of the Obama administration and the work of various members, groups and coalitions to establish a broad set of directives to reinstate our leadership in advancing equality. The findings of the legislation document continued anti-LGBT human rights abuses overseas, including laws criminalizing homosexuality in Uganda, Nigeria and Egypt and laws in at least eight countries punishing being gay with the death penalty. The bill also notes authorities in the Russian semi-autonomous Republic of Chechnya last year were reportedly complicit in the round-up, torture and murders of men perceived as gay. Meanwhile, President Trump infamously told the U.N. General Assembly in September the United States will honor the right of every nation in this room to pursue its own customs, beliefs and traditions, which critics have interpreted to mean the country has abandoned its role in advocating for international human rights. Trump has also said nothing about the reported anti-gay human rights abuses in Chechnya, although an international report is expected next week on the atrocities. The GLOBE Act breaks down its approach to combating anti-LGBT violence overseas in several ways for both documentation and response and is hailed as a vision bill that would provide a comprehensive roadmap for U.S. policy. Mark Bromley, chair of the Council for Global Equality, said the GLOBE Act is a fitting tribute to International Human Rights Day and to the 70th anniversary of U.S. leadership in support of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It affirms that countries that persecute their LGBTI citizens share neither our values nor the commitment to democratic principles that is in our countrys strategic interests, Bromley said. We applaud this effort and urge bipartisan support for this bill. First, with respect to documentation, the bill would codify the recording of anti-LGBT abuses in the annual State Department report on human rights in countries overseas. The GLOBE Act would also require the secretary of state, with the USAID administrator, to produce an annual strategic review of anti-gay criminalization laws. With respect to response, the bill would also codify the U.S. LGBT international envoy position at the State Department, which has been vacant since Randy Berry, now U.S. ambassador to Nepal, left the position. The GLOBE Act would also establish an interagency group to respond to urgent threats directed at LGBT people, a process started during the Obama administration within the National Security Council. The GLOBE Act would also codify the Global Equality Fund in the State Department and the LGBTI Global Development Partnership at USAID to assist human rights defenders overseas. The bill would also codify non-discrimination in service delivery for all programs and services funded by U.S. assistance through any foreign affairs agency, contractor or subcontractor. The bill would also require the president to submit to Congress a list of foreign individuals responsible for or complicit in anti-LGBT human rights abuses. Individuals on the list would be ineligible for U.S. visas, making them ineligible for entry to the United States and subject to removal. Additionally, the bill expresses the sense of Congress individuals on the list should be considered for sanctions designations. The GLOBE Act would require PEPFAR, a federal program that provides retroviral drugs globally to combat HIV/AIDS, to monitor those non-discrimination provisions as well as criminal sanctions overseas for the use of PEPFAR-funded communities, such as condoms. The bill would also overturn the Global Gag Rule and the Anti-Prostitution Pledge, widely criticized on U.S. assistance overseas implemented by the Trump administration. Under the rubric of immigration reform, the legislation would codify LGBT people as a group eligible for asylum and refugee determinations under the Immigration & Nationality Act. The bill repeals a one-year filing deadline for all asylum cases and mandates equal treatment in all U.S. immigration proceedings for immigrants with unmarried same-sex partners who come from countries where same-sex marriage isnt legal. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress the United States should engage with international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Bank, to protect international LGBT rights, and prioritize efforts within the State Department to ensure foreign governments dont impede assignment of LGBT U.S. citizens serving abroad and support visa requests for their partners. David Stacy, government affairs director for the Human Rights Campaign, said the positions articulated in the GLOBE Act stand in contrast to the silence from the Trump administration. While Donald Trump and Mike Pence remain recklessly silent on anti-LGBTQ atrocities around the globe, its crucial that the United States Congress fill the void and make clear LGBTQ rights are human rights, Stacy said. Congress must send a powerful message that the United States will continue to be a global leader in advancing the human rights of all people including LGBTQ people. Introduced at the close of the 115th Congress, the legislation has six co-sponsors who are all Democrats: Reps. Eliot Engel (N.Y.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Alan Lowenthal (Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Nita Lowey (N.Y.), Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.). Noel Clay, a State Department spokesperson, said the department has a policy of not commenting on pending legislation when asked about the GLOBE Act, but added the U.S. government is committed to defending LGBT human rights abroad. More broadly speaking, the United States continues to stand up and speak out to protect and defend the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of people everywhere including LGBTI persons, Clay said. Advancing universal human rights is in our national interest, and as Secretary [Mike] Pompeo has said, LGBTI persons deserve the same respect, freedoms and protections as everyone else. The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will stage a demonstration in front of Parliament on January 8, demanding a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy. BJD's vice-president Prasanna Acharya, who is also president of the party's farmers' wing, told reporters that the Centre had betrayed the farmers of Odisha with the false assurance to increase the MSP of paddy. Holding the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre responsible for the miseries of farmers across the country, he alleged that the prime minister had no time to discuss the issue with the members of the all-party House Committee of the State Assembly. "We will urge the Centre to hike the paddy MSP in accordance with the recommendation of the MS Swaminathan Committee," Acharya said. The BJD members will leave for New Delhi from Bhubaneswar in a special train on January 6 to participate in the demonstration, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP and the Akali Dal Monday launched a broadside against the Congress after the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and questioned it for picking Kamal Nath as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, saying Sikhs consider him "culpable" in the violence. As the anti-Sikh riots came to haunt the party, the Congress said the case should not politicised, while Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said justice was done but asserted the Gandhi family's name should not be dragged into the matter. The AAP, meanwhile, blamed both the Congress and the BJP for the 34-year-long wait of the victims for justice. BJP chief Amit Shah said there was no doubt of the complicity of the Congress and alleged its "leaders and workers went on rampage raising provocative slogans" and "murdering men in cold blood". He alleged in his tweets that the victims had lost all hope of justice because those responsible for crime against them enjoyed political patronage of party leadership. BJP leader Arun Jaitley welcomed the conviction and also hit out at the opposition party for choosing Nath, claiming Sikhs consider him "culpable" in the violence against the community. Nath, who took oath as chief minister of the central Indian state Monday, has always denied any role in the riots against Sikhs following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984. Jaitley dubbed Kumar a "symbol" of the anti-Sikh "genocide" and said the country had never seen murders on a bigger scale than this. His cabinet colleague Prakash Javadekar said the conviction was a "jolt" for the Congress and demanded action against Nath for his alleged involvement in the riots. Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said hailed the verdict and said UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi should be questioned about her alleged role as an accomplice of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the "massacre". "I am grateful to the high court that it has given a landmark judgement and it gives us confidence that yes if Sajjan Kumar today and Jagdish Tytler tomorrow and it will be Kamal Nath after that. Eventually it will be the Gandhi family who will be answerable," she said. The Congress, however said the a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case should not be politicised and the law should take its own course. "It should not be linked to the political atmosphere prevailing in the country. The law should take its course, there are appeals," senior party leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said. He said there were verdicts in the past where people were found guilty, while others have been absolved. "This should not be politicised and political benefit should not be derived from this," Singhvi said. Amarinder Singh hailed the conviction, saying justice was finally delivered to the victims of one of Independent India's worst instances of communal violence. He said neither the Congress, nor the Gandhi family had any role to play in rioting. He lashed out at the Badals, saying they were "continuing to drag" their names into the case at the behest of their political masters who were shaken by the mandate given to Rahul Gandhi's leadership in the recent Assembly polls. Congress leader Kapil Sibal said political colour should not be given to the issue as it was a court decision and added that Kumar did not hold a position of power in the party. "What decision has been taken by the court is a legal process. We have seen how cover up is going on in the Sohrabuddin case... and what about Justice Loya's death," he asked, referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case and the death of Justice B H Loya who was hearing the case. The president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Sunil Kumar Jakhar, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. Shiromani Akali Dal member Prem Singh Chandumajra during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha demanded that the riots should be declared as a genocide. Another SAD leader and Delhi MLA, Majinder Singh Sirsa, said the judgment had "given us big satisfaction". AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the verdict. "It has been a very long and painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe," the Delhi chief minister tweeted. The AAP alleged that the BJP which was in power between 1998 and 2004 "did nothing" towards ensuring a concrete probe in the matter. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said that justice to victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was delayed but not denied. Delhi BJP spokesperson Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, who is on a hunger strike to protest against Nath's nomination as chief minister, said they will appeal in the apex court for death sentence to Kumar. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh called it a "historic day" and said Rahul Gandhi should expel Nath and Tytler. The Punjab Congress Committee, the Maharashtra Sikhs Association (MSA) and the victims and their families also welcomed the court's decision. Jagdish Kaur, who lost her 19-year-old son in 1984, said 34 years is a long time but she was determined to "unmask the accused". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 100 BJP workers, including three nominated Puducherry MLAs, were detained here Monday when they attempted to stage a "siege protest" against the Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi for 'maligning' Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale issue. RAFALE Raising slogans against Gandhi, the workers attempted to take out a procession to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office for laying siege to it when they were taken into custody, police said. The BJP members were protesting against the Congress, accusing it of "plotting a conspiracy" against Modi and his government over the Rafale fighter jet deal with France despite the Supreme Court giving a clean chit. Among those detained were the three MLAs V Saminathan, also the president of the BJP's Puducherry unit, K G Shankar and S.Selvaganapathy. Saminathan said though the apex court had ruled unequivocally that there was nothing wrong in the deal, the "frustrated Congress has been maligning" the Prime Minister and the NDA government by making false charges. The Supreme Court on December 14 dismissed petitions challenging the deal between India and France for purchase of 36 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force. Citing the court order, the BJP has demanded an apology from the Congress and Gandhi for levelling allegations against Modi over the deal. The Congress, however, has reiterated its allegations of corruption and charged the government with presenting "wrong facts" before the Supreme Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hailing the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case, the BJP Monday demanded the removal of Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister who they alleged was involved in the riots. The demand came on a day when Nath took oath as the state's 18th chief minister, while Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court. "The way Delhi High Court verdict has come indicting Sajjan Kumar, it is very clear that it is not an order against Sajjan Kumar but an order against the Congress party," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here. "Look at the double face of the Congress party. Only today the Congress has made him (Kamal Nath) the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi should immediately remove him from his position," Patra added. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader alleged that the Nanavati Commission, constituted by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to probe the riots, had named Nath with evidence. Patra also sought Rahul Gandhi's resignation as the party president as the judgment was also against the Congress, which, he alleged, had shielded the accused for decades. While Sajjan Kumar has been imprisoned for life, "Gandhi has been imprisoned in his own conscience as it will continuously prick him all through his life, that his party members massacred thousands of Sikhs and he kept quiet," he said. "I want to tell Rahul Gandhi to listen to your conscience and resign as the Congress chief," Patra demanded. On the issue of Rafale fighter jet deal, Patra said truth had triumphed after the Supreme Court set aside the PILs challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 fighter jets. The BJP leader said the PILs were "Politically Inclined Litigations". "Rahul Gandhi has lied through his teeth on the Rafale issue. The three Supreme Court judges in their 29-page judgment have categorically concluded that they did not find any reason for any intervention by the court after its findings in all three aspects and having heard the matter in detail," Patra said. The three allegations, Patra said, were faulty pricing, faulty procurement and commercial favouritism benefiting industrialist Anil Ambani. Patra said the three charges were rejected by the top court which also examined the pricing details and did not find anything wrong. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP moved the Calcutta High Court on Monday with a fresh plea, challenging the West Bengal government's denial of permission to the party's proposed 'rath yatra' in the state. The state government had held a meeting on the 'rath yatra' with a three-member BJP team as per the HC's direction, following which it informed the party on Saturday that permission could be granted for the 'yatra'. Representing the saffron party, lawyer Saptangshu Basu mentioned the matter before the court of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and sought permission to file a fresh petition. Justice Chakraborty allowed the BJP to file the petition and asked its lawyer to serve copies of it to the state government and other respondents in the matter. The petition is likely to be taken up for hearing on Tuesday before Justice Chakraborty's court, Basu said. The party had proposed to take out three 'rath yatras' in different parts of the state ahead of the Lok Sabha election in 2019. The BJP moved a division bench of the Calcutta High Court after a single-judge bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty refused permission to the party to hold the yatra. The division bench had on December 7 directed the West Bengal chief secretary, the 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 'yatra' by December 14. The dates of the meeting and decision-making were later postponed by a day each by the court. In the letter to BJP on December 15, the West Bengal government said, "The areas proposed to be covered by the yatra are, because of publicity and propaganda, gradually turning into communally sensitive pockets. Intelligence reports indicate that public perception is that the religious overtones of the yatra will be turned into communal propaganda." In the letter, the government mentioned that intelligence inputs were obtained from district magistrates, commissioners of police, superintendents of police and the assessment of the Intelligence Bureau on the routes proposed by the BJP for the yatra. The large number of convoys in the yatra would create a chaotic situation and cause traffic disruption on arterial roads and highways, the government said. According to the original yatra schedule submitted by the BJP, party national president Amit Shah was to kickstart the campaign titled 'Save Democracy Rally' from Cooch Behar district on December 7, from Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district on December 9, and from Tarapith temple in Birbhum district on December 14. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi on Monday accused the BJP of "playing a divisive game" in Assam and said as per the Assam Accord the names of every Indian whose name was in the voter list should be in the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He said as per the accord the cut-off date to be eligible for Indian citizenship was March 24, 1971 but many of whose name did not figure in the citizens register in Assam came before that period. Gogoi, the former chief minister of Assam, said of the 40 lakh persons whose names did not figure in the complete draft of NRC published on July 30 more than 30 lakh were Hindus and a large number were Bengalis. Accusing the ruling BJP of playing "a divisive game of pitting Hindus, Muslims, Assamese and Bengalis against each other" in Assam, Gogoi told reporters, "The way they have prepared, (the NRC draft list) they are depriving genuine Indians citizenship." Asserting that the Congress will return to power in the 2021 assembly election in his state, Gogoi said he will then ensure that genuine Indian citizens, whose names figured in the voter list, were not stripped of their rights. "Suppose your name is not in the NRC, but is in the voter list, then which one is valid? That your name is in the voter list is proof of your Indian citizenship. Only an Indian citizen can be a genuine voter," the Congress leader said. Asserting that names of people or their descendants whose names appeared in the NRC 1951, or in any of the electoral rolls upto March 24, 1971 cannot be left out, Gogoi said, "Please don't project the recent developments over NRC as the fight between Bengalis and Assamese." "The way they (BJP government) are going for it shows that while the intention as envisaged in the Assam Accord was right, the way it is being implemented is wrong," Gogoi, who was here to attend a debate on the issue of NRC by 'Molded and Minority Development Council' said. Asked about the demand of BJP in West Bengal that NRC exercise be carried out in the state, Gogoi said, "Why should I comment on whether NRC should be carried out in your state (Bengal)? That will be decided by the people of Bengal." He said BJP leaders like Amit Shah were creating "all sorts of confusion". Gogoi said despite provocations from some quarters people of all communities were living peacefully and in harmony in Assam and both Assamese and Bengali were being spoken by respective linguistic communities in the state. As Gogoi was leaving the venue, representatives of two fringe outfits 'Amra Bangla' and 'Banglapaksha', screamingly asked Gogoi to speak on the recent killing of five persons in Tinsukia." Gogoi responded saying he was no more the Assam chief minister and so could not reply. On November 1, five Bengali-speaking people, including three of a family were gunned down in Tinsukia by six assailants. While the Assam police had maintained that it was the handiwork of the proscribed ULFA(I), the outfit had denied it. Civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad said there was a sinister political gameplan "to keep us divided and bring out the worst in us." "Don't make it an Bengali-Assamese issue," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to take out rallies across West Bengal to protest against the Trinamool Congress government's decision to deny permission for its 'rath yatra'. As part of its protest programme, the party has organised a "ganatantra bachao (save democracy) andolan" in Arambagh area of Hooghly district on Monday. The BJP leaders have also threatened to organise a "civil disobedience" campaign in the state if they were stopped from holding the protest rallies. "We will take out rallies across Bengal to protest against the state government's decision. We will inform the masses about the undemocratic atmosphere prevailing in the state and the need for the 'save democracy' rally at this hour. "If we are stopped or denied permission to hold such rallies, then we will be forced to organise civil disobedience movement," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said at a press meet here. Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani was also present at the meet. "It seems that the state government is afraid to see the voices of democracy coming together to fight against the government," she said. The Mamata Banerjee-led government had on Saturday denied permission for the BJP's 'rath yatra' on the ground that it might cause communal tension. The yatra, touted as the saffron party's "save democracy" programme, was scheduled to start from Cooch Behar district. BJP president Amit Shah, who had set a target of 22 Lok Sabha seats in the state, was scheduled to flag off three chariots from as many places. The chariots were meant to travel across all 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state over the next one-and-a-half months. At the conclusion of the 'yatra', the party had planned a massive rally here, which was likely to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Brazilian federal police, now cooperating with a longtime Italian demand, released a photo montage of Cesare Battisti, an Italian sought by Rome for four murders attributed to a far-left group in the 1970s. The series of 20 images show the 63-year-old Italian with a variety of accessories -- a beard, a mustache, glasses or a hat -- to help citizens or police identify him. Italy has repeatedly sought the extradition of Battisti, who has lived in Brazil for years under protection accorded him by former leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, now in prison for corruption. But during the country's recent presidential campaign, far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro -- now president-elect -- vowed that if elected he would "immediately" extradite Battisti. On Friday, Bolsonaro reiterated on Twitter that Italy could "count" on his cooperation. President Michel Temer on Friday ordered Battisti's extradition to Italy, where he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for the four homicides. Battisti was last seen two weeks ago in the small coastal city of Cananeia, a police commissioner told the G1 site. He is now considered a fugitive. An Italian military plane has been standing ready at Guarulhos International Airport near Sao Paulo to transport him to Rome. Battisti was convicted in Italy in 1979 of being a member of the outlawed Armed Proletarians for Communism, but escaped from prison. He was subsequently convicted in absentia of having killed two Italian police, taking part in the murder of a butcher and helping plan the slaying of a jeweler who died in a shootout that left his 14-year-old son paralyzed. Battisti admitted to being part of the group but denied responsibility for any deaths. He reinvented himself as an author, and in 2004 skipped bail in France, where he had taken refuge, and went to live clandestinely in Brazil until his 2007 arrest in Rio de Janeiro. After four years in custody, Lula issued a decree refusing his extradition and he was freed, angering Italy. Battisti, who has a five-year-old Brazilian son, last year told AFP he faced "torture" and death if he were ever returned to Italy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who lost badly in his tussle for power with Ranil Wickremesinghe, is not ready to bury the hatchet with the triumphant Prime Minister, saying they do not see eye to eye on a number of issues, including on the release of LTTE political prisoners. An embarrassed Sirisena, whose controversial actions plunged the island nation into an unprecedented political turmoil for nearly two months, reinstated Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister on Sunday, after sacking him on October 26 and appointing ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place and also dissolving Parliament, some 20 months early. Sirisena was left with no other option following two separate decisions by the Supreme Court, which nullified his illegal moves. Addressing the members of his United National Front, Sirisena, 67, reiterated that he does not like Wickremesinghe, despite having to reappoint him as the Prime Minister, Colombo Gazette reported. He said that there were several issues between him and Wickremesinghe, 69, since 2015. He accused Wickremesinghe of abusing his powers as Prime Minister before Wickremesinghe was sacked in October. Sirisena claimed that Wickremesinghe even usurped some powers of the President. He accused Wickremesinghe of failing to follow his instructions not to arrest monks and members of the military, the report said. The President insisted that if members of the Sri Lankan military are to be arrested for committing war crimes, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members and their supporters overseas must also be arrested for the same. Sirisena also said that if the former LTTE (Tamil Tiger) cadres are to be released on the basis they are political prisoners then the military officers in prison must also be freed. President Sirisena's prime ministerial appointee Rajapaksa led the military campaign to crush the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009 when he was the president of Sri Lanka. He said he and Wickremesinghe differed on several differences since 2015. Sirisena said he offered to reappoint Wickremesinghe as the prime minister as he respects parliamentary traditions and democracy. "A statement I made to say that I would not appoint Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister is a personal view of mine. That is my personal political view, but as a leader who respects Parliamentary traditions and democracy, I decided to invite Wickremesinghe and offered him the premiership, the President said. President Sirisena claimed that the power to name a Prime Minister is vested with the Executive President according to the Constitution. "Considering the request of the 117 MPs, they being the majority in Parliament and I being a civilised leader who respects Parliamentary democracy and traditions, I agreed with their decision," he said. Ex-strongman Rajapaksa resigned from the post on Saturday, a day after the apex court refused to stay another court order restraining him from acting as the prime minister. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said abolishing the executive Presidency and bringing about a political solution will be part of the agenda of his new Government. In a special statement after being appointed as Prime Minister, Wickremesinghe said that discussions are ongoing with a number of political parties in respect to abolishing the executive Presidency. "We will have discussions with the Tamil National Alliance (Sri Lanka's main Tamil party) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna to bring about a political solution in which all citizens can live in harmony in a unitary state," he said. The Prime Minister said that his party is to form a broad alliance to protect democracy and it is only through a democratic environment in which the voice of the people is considered and the rights of the people are protected. He also urged all sides to forget all differences and join hands with him in the broad alliance, for the sake of the motherland, democracy, rights of the people and to bring about a free country for the unborn generation. He said the Prime Minister should have the maximum confidence of Parliament, Colombo Page reported. Without a majority support a prime minister cannot bring forward the country. Similarly, the prime minister and the ministers should vacate their posts when a no confidence motion was passed in Parliament against them, Wickremesinghe said, referring to the repeated no trust votes against disputed prime minister Rajapaksa. "In terms of the Constitution no one has the power to dissolve Parliament until four and half years have lapsed after a Parliament is formed. It can only be done on a resolution passed by two-thirds majority in Parliament," the prime minister said. He recalled that on the day he was illegally sacked by President Sirisena, he had said that the fight was for the sake of democracy, justice, protection of the Constitution, adherence of the rule of the law and civilized and moral conduct of society. "I also said that we would win this fight," Wickremesinghe said. "Even today I am telling the same thing. I will tell the same tomorrow too. I will abide my word. I will do what I say. I say only what I can do," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court on Monday asked the High Speed Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) and the city collector to file an affidavit stating by when they would initiate proceedings in Mumbra area for the project. The court also suggested a construction company at Mumbra township in the neighbouring district and the NHSRCL to consider settling the matter of A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Revati Mohite-Dere was hearing a petition filed by the construction firm 'Atlanta Limited', challenging a notice to stop work on a land now reserved for the project. The company had moved HC in September against a notice issued on May 2 by the Municipal Corporation (TMC), asking it to stop the construction work on its three hectare land near Mumbra. According to the notice, the building was coming up on the land reserved for the project spread across three districts of Maharashtra. The bench on Monday suggested the parties to settle the matter amicably. "They (NHSRCL) cannot change the alignment of the track now. So, eventually they will have to acquire land. It is best to sit together and settle the matter. The authorities will pay the company compensation as per fair market price," Justice More said. Senior counsel M M Vashi, appearing for the petitioner, told HC that they were ready to settle the matter. The bench then sought to know from the NHSRCL and the Thane city collector by when it would initiate proceedings for It posted the petition for next hearing on January 14. According to the petition, the company has already constructed two residential towers on the land and work on the the third tower is underway. Vashi said the project was issued commencement certificate and all other requisite permissions were taken. The Centre's ambitious Rs 1.10 lakh crore bullet train project was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in September last year. The bullet train will run at a speed of 320-350 kmph, with 12 stations across its 500 km stretch. For the project, around 1,400 hectares of land will be acquired in Gujarat and Maharashtra, 1,120 hectares of which is privately owned. Around 6,000 land owners will have to be compensated. Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza. Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres. Three employees of the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), including a mining supervisor, were killed allegedly due to asphyxiation in a non-functional tunnel of an underground coal mine in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, a company official said Monday. The accident took place on Sunday evening in Bagdewa coal mines of SECL, which is a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, when mining work was underway, SECL's Area General Manager, Korba, J P Dwivedi said. The deceased were identified as mining supervisor Laxmikant Prasad (42), workers Ramadhar (35) and Ajay (33), he said. Work was underway in the underground mine to approach a new coal patch panel from the existing one. "In between these two panels, there was an old non-functional panel which was closed earlier after coal reserves had exhausted there. The old panel had to be crossed while approaching the new one," Dwivedi said. As per information, Prasad entered the non-functional panel where the oxygen level was very low without any safety apparatus and fainted, he said. In a bid to rescue him, Ajay and Ramadhar went inside and they too fell unconscious, the official said. Soon after being alerted, the three were pulled out and taken to a local hospital where they were declared dead, he said. Upon investigation, it was found that there were no harmful gases inside the closed panel but there was deficiency of oxygen that resulted in their death, he said. Dwivedi said it was known to all workers that there was oxygen deficiency in the closed panel and without taking due precaution it was not permitted to go there. "Ventilation was sufficient in the existing working panel," he said. Prasad was a competent person and his responsibility was to look after the safety of other miners working under him as well as himself, he said. "Why he had gone to that place which had oxygen shortage without any safety apparatus, it was not immediately known," the official said. He said SECL's employees were aware that they had to cross the prohibited panel while approaching the new panel for which additional safety arrangements were being made. The SECL ordered an internal inquiry into the incident and the Directorate General of Mines Safety was also conducting an independent probe into it, Dwivedi said. The exact cause of the mishap will be known after the findings of the inquiries are out, he added. A case was registered at the Bakimongra Police Station in connection with the incident and the police also launched a probe into it. Chhattisgarh's chief minister-designate Bhupesh Baghel expressed condolences over the death of the three workers and announced a compensation of Rs 75,000 to the kin of each of the deceased. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union cabinet Monday approved establishment of two new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) -- one each in Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The Tamil Nadu AIIMS would come up at Madurai at a cost of Rs 1,264 crore, while the Telangana's one would be built at Bibinagar at a cost of Rs 1,028 crore, an official statement said. The two new institutes will be set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). "Setting up of new AIIMS would not only transform health education and training but also address the shortfall of health care professionals in the region," and official statement said. The new AIIMS will provide super speciality health care to the population while creating a large pool of doctors and other health workers in this region that can be available for primary and secondary level institutions and facilities being created under National Health Mission (NHM), the statement said. Each new AIIMS will add 100 UG (MBBS) seats and 60 BSc (Nursing) seats and will have 15-20 super specialty departments. Each new AIIMS will add around 750 hospital beds, it said. As per data of current functional AIIMS, it is expected that each new AIIMS would cater to around 1,500 outdoor patients per day. Establishment of new AIIMS involves creation of hospital, teaching block for medical and nursing courses, residential complex and allied facilities/services, broadly on the pattern of AIIMS, New Delhi, and other six new AIIMS taken up under Phase-I of PMSSY. The proposed institution will have a hospital with capacity of 750 beds which will include emergency/trauma beds, AYUSH beds, private beds and ICU speciality and super speciality beds. In addition, there will be a medical college, AYUSH block, auditorium, night shelter, guest house, hostels and residential facilities. The recurring cost on these Institutions shall be met through grant-in-aid to them from plan budget head of PMSSY of Ministry of Health. The timeframe for establishment of the new AIIMS will be 45 months, broadly comprising a pre-construction phase of 10 months, a construction phase of 32 months and stabilization/commissioning phase of 3 months. Construction of new AIIMS is fully funded by the central government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. "The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. "We inherited actually a (Can) dollars 15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Canadian dollars 1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticised by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armoured personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia. The deal, worth USD11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawa's ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canada's rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. "The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. "We inherited actually a (Can) dollars 15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Canadian dollar 1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticised by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armoured personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia. The deal, worth USD 11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawa's ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canada's rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advocate General of Chhattisgarh Jugal Kishore Gilda has resigned from the post with the change of government in the state. Gilda said he has submitted his resignation letter to Governor Anandiben Patel on Sunday in which he mentioned that he was quitting from the post as a new government is being formed in the state. "As a healthy convention followed by many illustrious Advocate Generals of various States after independence, which ripened into a custom, I am tendering the resignation from the post so as to pave the way for the new Chief Minister to make an appointment to the post of Advocate General," he said in the letter. Gilda, who has been regularly appearing for the state in the Supreme Court, acknowledged the cooperation he received from Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues. While sharing his experience of appearing in the Chhattisgarh High Court and the apex court, the advocate in his letter said the prestige of the Office of the Advocate General and its independence has been duly recognised. "I have a feeling that there should not be any interference in the working of the Advocate General and its office by any extra constitutional authority," he wrote in the letter. Gilda has been Advocate General since January 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Monday questioned those advocating a muscular policy and military approach in Jammu and Kashmir over the death of seven civilians after an encounter between security forces and Hizbul Mujahideen militants. "Seven civilians, including five teenagers, were killed in J&K. What did they die for? Will those who advocate a muscular, militaristic approach to J&K, please answer the question," he asked on Twitter. The former Union home minister has been attacking the NDA government on its Kashmir policy, accusing it of adopting a muscular approach in the state that will not work. The seven civilians died Saturday when security forces opened fire at an unruly mob that thronged the site of an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district in which three terrorists and an Army man were killed, police said. The militants killed included Army deserter Zahoor Ahmad Thoker, who belonged to Simoo village where the gunfight took place. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to cooperate on counter-terrorism and coordinate to call on the Taliban to return to the negotiating table and to move ahead the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday. On December 15, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the second China, Afghanistan and Pakistan trilateral foreign ministers' dialogue in Kabul where a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on counter-terrorism was signed between the three countries, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said here. Wang met Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Salahuddin Rabbani, his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts respectively as the three sides agreed to use the existing dialogue mechanism to enhance coordination and promote cooperation, Hua said. "It is important for the three parties to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation and to enhance communication to move forward the trilateral cooperation," she said. The three sides will coordinate to call on the Taliban to return to the negotiating table, Hua said. The three countries will seize the opportunity and move ahead the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned reconciliation process with Afghanistan playing the primary role, she said. It was decided that Afghanistan and Pakistan will further improve their bilateral ties and engage in more sound interactions and resolve their differences through friendly consultations and avoid hurting bilateral ties, Hua said. China is a friend to both Afghanistan and Pakistan and would like to play a constructive part to help improve their bilateral ties, the spokesperson said. "The three countries have also decided to expand soft approach such as exchanges and training, and explore hard projects like livelihood and transportation and infrastructure," Hua said. It was also decided that the three sides will enhance regional connectivity and economic development within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, she said, adding that Afghanistan could benefit from regional cooperation projects including the multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor by leveraging its unique geographic advantages. They agreed to expand counter-terrorism cooperation by implementing the MoU on counter-terrorism signed during this second dialogue to enhance policy coordination, practical cooperation, exchanges and cooperation under the multilateral frameworks, she said. "China will support Afghanistan and Pakistan in moving forward counter-terrorism cooperation," Hua said. The Taliban are fighting to flush out international forces and re-establish their regime in Afghanistan after their ouster in 2001. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : The Congress Legislature Party meeting will take place at the 'Suvarna Vidhana Soudha' here on Tuesday amid simmering discontent within the party on a host of issues, including the much awaited cabinet expansion, party sources said. The Suvarna Vidhana Soudha is modelled on the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat at Bengaluru. The meeting is also expected to discuss issues related to alleged discrimination faced by party MLAs under the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, they said. Recently many local party leaders and MLAs had petitioned the state leadership about the 'discrimination' meted out to them under the coalition government and the style of functioning of some JD(S) Ministers, including Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's brother and PWD Minister, H D Revanna. However, Kumaraswamy will not attend the CLP meeting tomorrow. Earlier, Siddaramaiah had said that the Chief Minister would be attending the meeting to hear the concerns of Congress MLAs. The meeting has assumed significance ahead of the cabinet expansion slated for December 22. Despite repeated reiteration by Congress leaders that the expansion will take place on the scheduled date,party MLAs are sceptical about it happening till the Lok Sabha polls early next year. Recently two factions of the party- one of the Congress' old guard and the other of MLAs from north Karnataka, had met separately during the ongoing session,with the aim of mounting pressure on the leadership. One group of about eight to 10 senior MLAs and former Ministers, including Roshan Baig, Ramalinga Reddy and M T B Nagraj had met last week and expressed their dismay against the party leadership in the state, especially Siddaramaiah. With a growing number of aspirants and limited ministerial berths, the Congress leadership in Karnataka, including KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao and CLP leader Siddaramaiah are scheduled to meet party President Rahul Gandhi on December 21 to finalise the list for the cabinet expansion. With just a few days left for the expansion of the H D Kumaraswamy cabinet, top party sources said that the state leadership was also likely to discuss the possibilities of a cabinet reshuffle with Gandhi. According to the pact reached between the two partners at the time of formation of the coalition government in May, there are now six vacant ministerial positions left for the Congress and two for the JD(S). This will be the second expansion of Kumaraswamy's ministry,who currently heads the 26-member cabinet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The commerce and industry ministry is working on a new policy to boost the fast-growing online retail as well as protect the interest of small retailers, sources said. The government has already set up a group of secretaries to look into the issues of the sector. The ministry is committed to preparing the policy to boost the growth of the sector, sources said. The move came after concerns were raised on some proposals of the draft policy, which was prepared after consultations with several stakeholders, including industry chambers. The draft policy had suggested several steps to promote the growth of the sector. It had stated that online retail firms may have to store user data exclusively in India in view of security and privacy concerns. It had also said that any group company of an online retailer or marketplace may not be allowed to directly or indirectly influence the price or sale of products and services on its platform, a move that could completely restrict e-tailers from giving deep discounts. The draft had suggested to introduce a pre-set timeframe for offering differential pricing or deep discounts by e-commerce players to customers. Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu informed the formulation of e-commerce policy is under consideration of the government for which no timeline has been fixed. Traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has time and again raised concerns over heavy discounts being provided by certain online- CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that they have written to finance and commerce ministers suggesting them to take steps to check these discounts as they are leading to predatory pricing. "We have recently met officials of the ministry, who are making the new e-commerce policy. We have urged to put certain clauses to check e-commerce firms giving huge discounts and freebies as it is damaging the trade fabric of the country," he said. He added that e-tailers are giving discounts for the last four-five years and these were seriously damaging small Framing of a new policy also assumes significance as rich member nations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are pushing to frame global norms for e-commerce trade. In a scathing attack on the Congress, Defence Minister Niramala Sitharaman Monday alleged that the opposition party was "knowingly" misleading people over the Rafale jets' pricing. Lashing out at the Gandhi family for alleging corruption in the defence contract, she said "amazing audacity" was shown by them "in not listening" to the Supreme Court's verdict in the Rafale deal case. "The Congress is knowingly misleading people on the pricing of the Rafale jets," Sitharaman told reporters at the BJP office in Mumbai. "The stance of the country's 'first family' in not listening to the apex court's order on the Rafale deal case petition can be termed as, with due respect, amazing audacity," the minister said. She was speaking as part of the BJP's move to hold pressers in 70 cities across the country on Monday to attack the opposition party against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's verdict on the controversial Rafale jet deal. Sitharaman said, "We've given the price to the CAG, in a parliamentary system the CAG looks into it and then its report goes to PAC. The PAC will have a look at it and then it'll become a public document. It is a process and it has commenced." "In the affidavit we've given the data and the information. We think there's an interpretation problem, we would like you (court) to look at it and correct it. That's our appeal to the court, we'll wait for them to take the call," she said. The minister further said they have explained the process through which information comes to Parliament. "In that the past tense, future tense, present tense and present continuous tense has come into play. That is post the decision, is it not? Therefore, how is it going to affect the verdict?" she said. The Supreme Court on Friday had said there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, and dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal. There was no substantial evidence of commercial favouritism to any private entity, the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had said on the issue of an offset partner in its ruling on a batch of petitions. Notwithstanding the court's verdict, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had said there was massive corruption in the contract and wondered why the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report "cited by the Supreme Court" on it had not yet been shared with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. Gandhi had also reiterated the Congress' demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the fighter jet deal and claimed that if it was conducted, names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Anil Ambani will come to the fore. He said the apex court in its verdict cited that a report by the CAG on the Rafale deal was submitted to the PAC but asserted that no such report was given to the House panel headed by Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge. Kharge also said PAC did not receive any such report. The Congress has repeatedly criticised the deal for the 36 Rafale jets, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government. However, both government and Anil Ambani's Reliance Group have rejected Gandhi's allegations of any wrongdoing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Monday said the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case should not be politicised and hit back at the BJP alleging that names of its leaders in high positions had cropped up in 2002 Gujarat riots. The party also defended Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath after he was targeted by the BJP and the Akali Dal, saying there was no case against him, and noted that Kumar did not hold any party post and was not given a ticket for decades. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was more vocal on the issue as he hailedthe conviction of Kumar, describing it as a case of justice finally delivered to the victims . He claimed it was a vindication of his stand as he had been naming Kumar as well as a few other former Congress leaders based on information he received from victims in refugee camps in Delhi during the riots. In a statement, the chief minister stressed that neither the Congress party nor the Gandhi family had any role in the rioting, and alleged that vested political interests were trying to draw their names into the controversy. As the anti-Sikh riots returned to haunt the party after the Delhi High Court on Monday convicted the Delhi Congress leader for conspiracy to commit murder in the case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life, Congress leaders here said that the law would take its own course. "It is a legal, judicial issue. It must be allowed to take its own course, it has taken its own course, and it is taking its own course....How can you politicize it and make a crass, cheap political comment as you just heard from the BJP," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters. He said the accused may or may not have a right of appeal and the prosecution has a similar appellate right, but the names of a chief minister being sworn in Madhya Pradesh should not be dragged into it. He was speaking after the BJP and the Akali Dal questioned the Congress for picking Kamal Nath as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, claiming Sikhs consider him "culpable" in the violence. Another Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "Don't give it a political colour as it is a court decision." He also brought up the issue of the 2002 riots in Gujarat and alleged that a number of BJP leaders were named in the cases. "Charity should begin at home," Sibal said. Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that many of the leaders of the BJP have been "involved directly or indirectly in the Gujarat riots". Singhvi said the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh has no case against him. "There is no conviction, no allegation, no judicial proceedings, no result, no legal proceeding. I think the country asks people much closer associated with the Gujarat riots, who then occupied chief ministerial chair and MoS Home Affairs chair and today occupy PM's chair and president of the BJP, what about them? What about those cases?," he asked. "What about the cover up being tried repeatedly, what about your association with Maya Kodnani? So, I think you have to stop politicizing it because your association with such terrible events is much-much closer than the people against you are making an allegation like a CM being freshly sworn in Madhya Pradesh," he said. "It should not be linked to the political atmosphere prevailing in the country. The law should take its course, there are appeals," Singhvi also said. There have been verdicts in the past where people have been found guilty, while others have been absolved. "This should not be politicised and political benefit should not be derived from this," Singhvi said. Kapil Sibal said Sajjan Kumar does not hold a position of power in the party. "What decision has been taken by the court is a legal process. We have seen how cover up is going on in the Sohrabuddin case... and what about Justice Loya's death?" he asked, referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case and the suspicious death of Justice B H Loya who was hearing the case. Sunil Kumar Jakhar, president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. "Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice," the Congress MP told reporters outside Parliament. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. "Sajjan Kumar is neither a post holder in the party nor a Minister nor given a ticket for decades. Here you have he prime minister, the president of the party, ministers; you don't ask them a question, you ask a question to us?," Singhvi said. "I said the prime minister should distance himself from Maya Kodnani and all those people. Sajjan Kumar was not given a ticket. He does not hold any office whereas other people who were accused of riots were given positions in Gujarat. All those people were reinstated in Gujarat," Sibal said. In April, the Gujarat High Court acquitted former Bharatiya Janata Party minister Maya Kodnani, who had been convicted in the Naroda Patiya case of 2002 Gujarat riots and sentenced to 28 years in jail by the trial court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Monday termed the Congress' demand for a JPC probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal as a "political grandstanding". She said the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) probe into the Bofors deal in 1980s was of little value. Speaking to reporters at the BJP's Mumbai office, the defence minister said, "To ask for a JPC (in Rafale deal), is more for their (Congress) political grandstanding rather than for genuinely knowing (truth) post the Supreme Court's verdict." She was speaking as part of the BJP's decision to hold pressers in 70 cities across the country to attack the main opposition party in the backdrop of the Supreme Court's verdict on the controversial Rafale jet deal. The SC had on Friday said there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, and dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 58,000-crore deal. She said, "If you want to just look at the earlier history of JPC on defence related matters, you have the Bofors related JPC, which was headed by then minister B Shankaranand." "It ended up calling the kickbacks, which was given for Bofors deal, as a 'winding up charge'. It was told that they (agents in Bofors deal) had an office here, they had to wind up so we had to give them money'. "So, kickback was converted into winding up charge. It was the outcome of that (JPC)," she said. "Subsequently, not only Win Chaddha (a key figure in the Bofors deal), but (Italian businessman) Ottavio Quattrocchi's involvement was also found (in the Bofors deal)," she added. "He (Quattrocchi) had no office here (India) and did he not get entitlement for winding up charge then? What was the money given to him?" Sitharaman asked. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Monday alleged that the Congress was involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and it should accept the verdict of the Delhi High Court punishing party leader Sajjan Kumar for his role in it. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader alleged that the Congress had a history of dividing people on religious and caste lines. "It is a known fact that the Congress was involved in 1984 riots. It should accept the (verdict of the) Constitutional institution," Adityanath said at a press conference here. The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted the senior Congress leader for conspiracy to commit murder in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. On the Bulandshahr violence, the chief minister said all those involved in the incident would be arrested and punished as per law. "Law is equal for all. Law will take its own course. The government acted very swiftly in the matter. All those involved will be arrested and punished," he said. There is no law and order problem in Uttar Pradesh and other BJP-ruled states in the country, Adityanath claimed. Violence broke out in Bulandshahr town of UP on December 3 over alleged cattle slaughter, leaving a police inspector and a youth dead as a mob went on a rampage torching a police post and clashing with police, which had to open fire to control the situation. Adityanath also attacked the Congress for not accepting the Supreme Court's order on the Rafale deal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thirty-four years after the anti-Sikh riots, the Delhi High Court Monday sentenced Congress veteran Sajjan Kumar to life in the first conviction of a politician in the communal frenzy, holding it was perpetrated by those who enjoyed "political patronage". The reversal of 73-year-old Kumar's acquittal by a trial court cast a shadow on the swearing-in of fellow Congress leader Kamal Nath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh with the BJP and ally Shiromani Akali Dal demanding answers from the Congress leadership when Sikh groups have alleged his culpability in the riots. Nath has denied any role in the riots and nor he is an accused in any riots case. Describing the riots as "crimes against humanity", the high court awarded Kumar life term for "remainder of his natural life", convicting him of criminal conspiracy and abetment in commission of crimes of murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of communal harmony and defiling and destruction of a Gurdwara. The case in which Kumar was convicted related to killing of five Sikhs in Raj Nagar part-I area in Palam Colony in South West Delhi on November 1-2, 1984 during the deadly riots in the national capital and other parts of the country. According to official accounts, 2,733 Sikhs were killed between November 1 and 4, 1984 following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards on October 31. Observing it was "undeniable" that it took over three decades to punish the accused in the case, the court said it was important to assure the victims that despite the challenges faced by the court, "truth will prevail and justice will be done". The court directed Kumar, who was then a Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi, and other five convicts to surrender by December 31, 2018 and not to leave the city of Delhi. There was no immediate reaction from Kumar. But his lawyer Anil Sharma, who represented Kumar, in the high court told PTI the Congress leader intends to move an appeal in the Supreme Court against the verdict. Sharma said Kumar is in the capital itself and since he has been given time till December 31 to surrender efforts would be made to challenge the conviction and the sentence before that day.. If no appeal would be filed before December 31, Kumar would surrender, he added. Six accused, including Kumar, were sent for trial in 2010 and three years later, the lower court convicted five of the accused but acquitted the Congress leader of all the charges. Quashing the acquittal on appeals by the CBI, a bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel said the accused in the case were brought to justice "primarily on account of the courage and perseverance of three eyewitnesses" -- Jagdish Kaur, her cousin Jagsher Singh and Nirpreet Kaur. Jagdish Kaur's husband, son and three cousins -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh -- were the five killed in the instant case. Nirpreet Kaur had witnessed the Gurdwara being burnt down and her father being burnt alive by the raging mobs, the bench also noted. Jagdish Kaur and Narpreet Kaur said although 34 years is a long time, they were determined to "unmask the accused" and their their fight for justice will go on. "This verdict has brought some relief. No one should face the kind of injustice we have faced all these years," said Jagdish Kaur. The BJP and SAD hailed the verdict calling it historic and targeted the Congress while the opposition party cautioned against politicising the legal process in the anti-Sikh riots cases. Senior BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley utilised the verdict to take a swipe at the Congress for choosing Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister, claiming that Sikhs consider him "culpable" in the violence against the community. "It is an irony that the verdict has come on a day when a Congress chief minister, who is held culpable by the Sikh community, is taking oath," Jaitley told reporters in an apparent reference to Nath. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra demanded Nath's removal as chief minister. Nath hit back at the BJP over their offensive against him. "When I took oath earlier, nobody said anything. The issue (1984 anti-Sikh riots) is being raked up despite no case, FIR or chargesheet against me," Nath told reporters in Bhopal shortly after he assumed office. "You see there is a hidden hand," said alluding to the BJP. Union minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the verdict has given confidence that the law would soon catch up with other Congress leaders allegedly involved in the "genocide". Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh hailed the verdict as a case of justice finally delivered to the victims of one of independent India's worst instances of communal violence. The Congress leader reiterated his stand that neither his party nor the Gandhi family had any role to play in the rioting. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the anti-Sikhs riot case should not be linked to the political atmosphere prevailing in the country. "The law should take its course." The high court also upheld the conviction and varying sentences awarded by the trial court to former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. The high court also convicted them for criminal conspiracy to burn down residences of Sikh families and a gurdwara in the area during the riots. The trial court in 2013 had awarded life term to Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a three-year jail term to Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. Following the high court verdict, life term of Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal has been upheld and the sentence of Yadav and Kishan Khokar has been enhanced to a 10 years in jail. The bench, in its judgement, observed, "While it is undeniable that it has taken over three decades to bring the accused in this case to justice, and that our criminal justice system stands severely tested in that process, it is essential, in a democracy governed by the rule of law to be able to call out those responsible for such mass crimes. "It is important to assure those countless victims waiting patiently that despite the challenges, truth will prevail and justice will be done." The bench noted that after the "horrific" mass killings witnessed during the 1947 partition, the country again saw an "enormous human tragedy" when 2,733 Sikhs were "brutally murdered" in a "communal frenzy" that was unleashed between November 1-4, 1984. "Their (Sikhs) houses were destroyed. In the rest of the country too thousands of Sikhs were killed. A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes, enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency," it said. "The criminals escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades," the court said. The high court said it took as many as ten committees and commissions for the investigation into the role of some of the perpetrators to be entrusted in 2005 to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), 21 years after the occurrence. It said that only after the CBI entered the scene, that the witnesses, represented by senior advocate H S Phoolka, were able to be assured and they spoke up. "Admirably, they stuck firm to their truth at the trial. This court is of the view that the mass killings of Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere in November 1984 were in fact 'crimes against humanity'. They will continue to shock the collective conscience of society for a long time to come," the court said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Assam chief minister and Congress leader Tarun Gogoi on Monday said the party is not in favour of anyone indulging in crimes, while referring to the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Gogoi said he could not comment on the conviction of Kumar as it is the domain of the court to decide whether someone is guilty or not. "We are not in favour of anybody indulging in crimes." Gogoi told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here. The Delhi High Court earlier in the day sentenced Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Prakash Javadekar said Monday the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a "jolt" for the party and demanded action against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath for his alleged involvement in the riots. The Delhi High Court sentenced Sajjan Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. "The 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a one-sided massacre...the Delhi High Court convicting Sajjan Kumar in this case is a severe jolt for the Congress," Javadekar told reporters here. He said the Congress need not give clarifications on this, instead should take action against its another senior leader Kamal Nath, the newly sworn-in CM of Madhya Pradesh, who was also allegedly involved in the riots. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court Monday put an Army Major on trial for allegedly killing another officer's wife he was obsessed with and destroying evidence in the case. Special Judge Rakesh Syal framed the charges against Major Nikhil Handa under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) after the accused pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The court has fixed the matter for January 19, when it will start recording the prosecution evidence. In the charge sheet, the Delhi police had alleged that it was a pre-planned murder. It had claimed that a night before the incident, the accused had watched various videos on 'Youtube' on how to kill someone, which indicates his intention to murder the woman. The police claimed that the accused was "obsessed" with his fellow officer's wife and wanted to marry her. Major Handa, who is married with two kids, knew the women and her husband, also a Major in the Army, since 2015 when both of them were posted in Nagaland. If convicted for murder, he may get a maximum of death penalty in the case. Handa was arrested in June from Meerut for his alleged involvement in the killing of another Major's wife in West Delhi. The woman's body was found with her throat slit near the Brar Square in the Delhi Cantonment area. Initially, the police was informed that a woman had died in an accident. Later, when they inspected the body, it was found that her throat was slit, the police had said. The accused had allegedly run a car over her face and the body in order to make the incident appear as an accident, the police has alleged. The woman was dropped at the Army Base Hospital in her husband's official vehicle by a driver. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A special court Monday fixed December 26 for pronouncing its order on an application filed by the ED seeking declaration of beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya as a "fugitive economic offender" and confiscation of his properties. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed an application before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court requesting it that Mallya, facing charges of financial irregularities, be declared a fugitive under the Fugitive Economic Offenders' Act, 2018. Under the provisions of the Act, once a person is declared a "fugitive economic offender", the prosecuting agency has the powers to confiscate his properties. After hearing detailed arguments over the plea, PMLA Judge M S Azmi said an order on the application will be given on December 26. Mallya, through his lawyer Amit Desai, had sought dismissal of the plea and termed the new Act as "draconian" in nature. Desai Monday countered ED's claims that the liquor baron had left India for Geneva in March 2016 with "300 luggage bags" under the garb of attending a conference but in reality he was fleeing the country. "The ED should find out from the airline provider how many bags he (Mallya) had before making such wild allegations," Desai said. Desai also submitted an affidavit on behalf of his client which included the minutes of a meeting held in Paris on December 2, 2015 which he claimed was attended by Mallya. According to the affidavit, it was in this meeting that it was decided to hold the March 2016 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Mallya, who is currently in the United Kingdom, has been charged by the ED of defaulting on bank loans to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. The 62-year-old businessman is also facing money laundering charges. A court in London has ordered his extradition to India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Czech cyber-security agency on Monday warned against using the software and hardware of China's Huawei and ZTE companies, saying they posed a threat to state security. "The main issue is a legal and political environment of the People's Republic of China, where (the) aforementioned companies primarily operate," the Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency said in a statement. "China's laws, among other things, require private companies residing in China to cooperate with intelligence services, therefore introducing them into the key state systems might present a threat," the agency added. Huawei's Czech branch slammed the report and asked the agency to offer facts instead of tarnishing its reputation, said the Czech Agency (CTK). The warning comes on the heels of a Czech intelligence report which warned about increased spying activities of Chinese diplomats in the EU and NATO member state of 10.6 million people. Huawei has faced increasing scrutiny over its alleged links to Chinese intelligence services, prompting countries including the United States, Australia and Japan to block it from building their next-generation, super-fast 5G internet networks. But the Czech Republic's western neighbour Germany refused to follow suit earlier this month, saying it had no evidence Huawei could use its equipment to spy for Beijing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One of the world's most famous Surrealist art works, the Lobster Telephone, has been bought by the National Galleries of Scotland to stop it leaving the country, according to a media report on Monday. Salvador Dali's Lobster Telephone was sold at auction but was "saved for the nation" after UK museums were given the chance to match the sale price. The famous sculpture will now go on display at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, the BBC reported. It was bought for 853,000 pounds, most of which came from a private fund. Dali's sculpture is one of the most instantly recognisable pieces of Surrealism, the art movement that explored the world of dreams and the subconscious mind. The art work consists of an ordinary, working telephone, with a plaster lobster resting on the receiver. It is one of 11 lobster telephones made for Dali's patron Edward James in the 1930s. James was born in 1907 at his family's summer house, Greywalls, at Gullane, in East Lothian. His family was immensely wealthy, owning a vast estate at West Dean in West Sussex. The lobster receivers were made to fit to telephones at James's house in Wimpole Street, central London, and at West Dean. Four of the lobsters were painted red, and seven were painted white. The Lobster Telephones are now almost all in museum collections around the world. The Tate Modern in London has a red version on a black telephone. The white version acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland had remained with the Edward James Foundation in West Sussex. It was sold at auction but because of its "artistic and historical importance" it was subject to an export license deferral. This allowed the National Galleries to match the amount it had sold for, the report said. The Henry and Sula Walton Fund provided 753,000 pounds of the money, with the rest coming from a grant from the Art Fund, the national fundraising charity for art. Simon Groom, director of modern and contemporary art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: "This major acquisition cements our position as one of the world's greatest collections of Surrealist art." He said object sculptures were popular among the Surrealists but were now incredibly rare. "Dali created something incredibly rich, imaginative and funny with the most economical of means," he said. The Edward James Foundation retained one red lobster telephone and one white version. Eight others are in museum collections in Australia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, the USA and the Tate in London. One is in a private collection abroad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- The Board of Directors of Datamatics Global Services Limited ('DGSL'), and Lumina Datamatics Limited ('Lumina') in their respective board meetings today, approved a proposal to merge the two Companies into DGSL. The merged Company would then be vertically split into two Companies, namely, Datamatics Global Services Ltd. and LDR E-Retail Ltd. Thus, the shareholders of DGSL will have an identical shareholding pattern in both DGSL and LDR E-Retail Ltd. The latter will be renamed as Lumina Datamatics Limited. The scheme is subject to regulatory approvals and proposes an appointed date of April 1, 2019. The board was of the view that the businesses of two companies serve completely different market segments and have different offerings. The de-merger will allow the managements of each Company to focus and pursue growth strategies tailored specific for the segments they serve. The de-merger will also give direct visibility of the opportunity and assets for both the companies which will further unlock value for the shareholders by way of separate listing. DGSL is a Technology and BPM services company that builds intelligent solutions enabling data-driven businesses to digitally transform themselves through Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Mobility and Advanced Analytics. Lumina is engaged in the business of providing e-retail and digital publishing services in content development, design and composition, content transformation, e-books and new media, rights and permissions, QA services, project management, consulting and information services, publishing and e-retail software development and implementation, digital assets management and storage, adaptive assessment system, site merchandising, market intelligence and e-commerce data publishing & e-retail solutions to clients. Lumina is already one of the 5 largest Companies in this field. The consolidated income of DGSL for FY 17-18 was Rs.935 crores and FY19H1 was Rs.552 crores. The consolidated income of Lumina for FY 17-18 was Rs.237 crores and FY19H1 was Rs.130 crores. The consolidated income of DGSL (excluding Lumina) for FY 17-18 was Rs.698 crores and FY19H1 was Rs.423 crores. Mr. Rahul Kanodia, Vice - Chairman & CEO, Datamatics said, "Both the businesses are witnessing steady growth and de-merger will further help us to bring focus, sharpen our future strategies and unlock value for all stakeholders." Katalyst Advisors LLP, headed by Mr. Ketan Dalal is the transaction advisor to DGSL, Lumina and LDR. About Datamatics Global Services Datamatics (BSE: 532528 | NSE: DATAMATICS) provides Intelligent Solutions for data driven businesses to increase productivity and enhance customer experience. The company's portfolio of service offerings spans across Information Technology Services, Business Process Management, Engineering Services and Big Data & Analytics all powered by Artificial Intelligence. It has established products in Robotics Process Automation, Advanced Analytics, Business Intelligence and Automated Fare Collection. Datamatics services over 450 customers globally across Banking & Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, International Organizations and Media & Publishing. Headquartered in Mumbai, the Company has presence across 4 continents with major delivery centers in the USA, India and Philippines with an employee base of 10,000. To know more about Datamatics, visit http://www.datamatics.com. About Lumina Datamatics Lumina Datamatics is a trusted partner to several companies in the global publishing and retail industries, addressing their needs in content, technology and commerce. As a strategic partner, Lumina Datamatics helps its clients improve their business competitiveness and achieve operational efficiency. The benefits delivered by its relevant solutions include reduced time to market for new products and services, increased efficiency in business processes, as well as deep reader and buyer insights. For publishers, Lumina Datamatics manages end-to-end publishing processes-from content creation till product delivery. Added to these are capabilities to generate feedback from readers and buyers. This is achieved mainly with the combination of deep domain expertise and innovative application of technology tools and platforms. For retailers, Lumina Datamatics provides a competitive edge to increase sales through advanced content solutions, business intelligence with content, and e-commerce technology platforms. Lumina Datamatics has a geographically diverse portfolio with a footprint across four continents-Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe. To know more about Lumina Datamatics, visit https://luminadatamatics.com/. Safe Harbour Some of the statements in this update that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include our financial and growth projections as well as statements concerning our plans, strategies, intentions and beliefs concerning our business and the markets in which we operate. These statements are based on information currently available to us, and we assume no obligation to update these statements as circumstances change. There are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, the level of market demand for our services, the highly-competitive market for the types of services that we offer, market conditions that could cause our customers to reduce their spending for our services, our ability to create, acquire and build new businesses and to grow our existing businesses, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, currency fluctuations and market conditions in India and elsewhere around the world, and other risks not specifically mentioned herein but those that are common to industry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British actor-comedian David Walliams has said he was starstruck by Jennifer Aniston while working on Netflix film "Murder Mystery". The 47-year-old comic said he initially had no idea what to say to the "lovely" Hollywood star, reported Contactmusic. "She is a dream. I was so starstruck because she's so, so famous. I was like, 'Oh my God, it's Jennifer Aniston. What do I say to her?' But she's so charming and lovely," Walliams told Heat magazine. The "Britain's Got Talent" star revealed his friends were hoping that he may start dating Aniston during the filming. "Some of my friends were saying, 'You should go out with her' but I think it would be a bit of a comedown from Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux. I wouldn't wish that on her," he said. "Murder Mystery" also stars Adam Sandler. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Shiromani Akali Dal member in the Monday demanded that the 1984 should be declared as a genocide and accused the Congress of protecting the guilty. The member Prem Singh Chandumajra made the remarks during the Zero Hour, soon after the sentenced Congress leader to life imprisonment in a 1984 case. Innocent Sikhs were killed and the riots should be declared as a genocide, he said, adding that everybody should welcome the court's verdict. He also said that someone facing allegations of being part of the riots is going to become the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, an apparent reference to Congress leader During the Zero Hour, BJP members raised slogans demanding that the guilty in the riots should be punished. Delhi BJP activists Monday staged a protest near the Congress headquarters here against Kamal Nath being nominated as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, who they alleged was involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The protesters, including many riot victims and their family members, tried to march from Taj Mansingh hotel towards the Congress headquarters on Akbar Road but were stopped enroute by the police. The protesters raised slogans against the Congress and its leaders and demanded Nath's replacement in the Hindi heartland state. "There are witnesses against Nath who led the mob in anti-Sikh riots. Still (party chief) Rahul Gandhi chose to make him the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, thereby opening the old wounds of the victims and their families," alleged Delhi BJP vice president Rajeev Babbar who led the the protest. The protesters also torched an effigy of Nath during the demonstration. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, cross-border terrorism and attempts to radicalise youth will top the agenda of the annual conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police to be held at the site of the tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat, beginning December 20, officials said Monday. Issues like clashes due to communal tension, circulation of communally sensitive and pornographic materials through social media are also expected to be discussed at the three-day meeting, a Union Home Ministry official said. The 182-metre 'Statue of Unity' of Patel was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat's Narmada district on October 31. Taller than the Statue of Liberty in the US, the Statue of Unity has been built on islet Sadhu Bet near the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The top police officers of the country will be closeted for multiple sessions of discussions on issues concerning the country, including militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, cross-border terrorism, attempts to radicalise youth, Naxal menace and the situation in the Northeast, the official said. The Statue of Unity has been chosen as the venue as the alma mater of the top police leadership of the country, the Indian Police Service (IPS), has a close association with Patel as their training academy in Hyderabad is named after him, they said. The IPS academy is named Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel National Police Academy. Patel was the country's first home minister and the Home Ministry is the cadre controlling authority of the IPS. The DGPs and IGPs will be hosted in the 'tent village' that is being set up near the statue in Kevadiya village. The conference is an annual affair where senior police officials of the states and the Centre meet and discuss issues related to internal security, crimes and related challenges, another official said. The Modi government has been organising this meeting outside the national capital since it came to power in 2014. The last four such conferences were held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, Hyderabad and Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district. The Statue of Unity was first conceptualised by Modi during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister. He had laid the foundation stone for it in 2013. Patel, also India's first deputy prime minister, is credited with merging of over 500 princely states into the Union of India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra government Monday urged the Bombay High Court to dismiss a petition challenging the extension in service granted to Director General of Police D D Padsalgikar. Appearing for the government, Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni told the court the state had been well within its powers to seek such extension and that the same had been duly approved by the Union government. Kumbhakoni told a bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice M S Karnik that Section 16 (1) of the All India Service Rules provided that a senior officer holding a crucial post can be granted extension of three months in service. The Centre also has the power to relax the rules in public interest and grant a longer extension in cases where the officer is indispensable, or is in the middle of some crucial work, he said. Kumbhakoni also cited a previous judgment of the Supreme Court that had permitted such extension up to two years in cases of DGPs and other senior officers in order to maintain stability, and in public interest. "In light of the above provisions, we applied for extension of the DGP's service months before he was to retire. The Centre accordingly granted two extensions of three months each," the state's top law office told the bench. "We are not in conflict with any statutory or central rules. Therefore, the objections raised in the petition should be dismissed," he said. The bench was hearing a plea filed by a Thane-based lawyer, R R Tripathi, who has opposed the extension granted to the DGP on the ground it was "illegal". Padsalgikar was due to retire on August 31, but was granted an extension of service for three months at the time. On November 30, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis granted another extension of three months to the senior IPS officer. The bench later directed the state government to file an affidavit detailing the arguments it made in court Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) leaders on Monday said the conviction of by the in a case should not be politicised and the law should take its own course. The on Monday convicted the Delhi leader for conspiracy to commit murder in the case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony. "It should not be linked to the political atmosphere prevailing in the country. The law should take its course, there are appeals," senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said. There have been verdicts in the past where people have been found guilty, while others have been absolved, he told reporters. "This should not be politicised and political benefit should not be derived from this," Singhvi said. Kumar does not hold a position of power in the party, his colleague, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, added. "What decision has been taken by the court is a legal process. We have seen how cover up is going on in the Sohrabuddin case... and what about Justice Loya's death?" he asked, referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case and the suspicious death of Justice B H Loya who was hearing the case. "Don't give it a political colour as it is a court decision," he told reporters. Sibal also brought up the issue of the 2002 riots in Gujarat and alleged that a number of BJP leaders were named in the cases. "Charity should begin at home," he said. Sunil Kumar Jakhar, president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. "Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice," the Congress MP told reporters outside Parliament. Party leader refused to comment when asked for his reaction. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. The government expects to complete processes for by August and the services will be rolled out by 2020, Telecom Secretary said Monday. "Trai has given a preliminary set of recommendations, which the working committee at the is looking at. Task force has also given broader set of (spectrum) bands on which we have to work. Everybody has said that since ecosystem is not ready, will be ready after July-August next year," Sundararajan told reporters on the sidelines of a workshop with states and Union territories. Amid a raging financial crisis in the industry, India's largest telecom operator Idea has urged the telecom department not to hold till 2020 on the grounds that fresh need for quality radio waves will arise only once the ecosystem is ready. "We expect to complete due procedure by then (July-August 2019). I cannot say whether it (spectrum auction) will happen by then, but we will be ready post-second half of 2020. When we say 2020, it doesn't mean the whole country will have 5G but it will start. Field trials are going on," Sundararajan said. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of (Trai) on Sunday recommended auction of about 8,644 MHz of telecom frequencies at an estimated total base price of Rs 4.9 trillion, which includes radio waves for 5G services. The 5G committee of the telecom ministry has said about 6,000 Mhz of spectrum can be made available without delay for the next generation mobile service. The panel has spotted spectrum for 5G services across 11 bands, of which four bands -- premium 700 Mhz band, 3.5 gigahertz (Ghz), 24 Ghz and 28 Ghz band -- can be made immediately available for the service. During her speech at the workshop on the implementation of the National Digital Communications Policy, Sundararajan said that the roll out of 5G services in the country will have an impact of USD 1 trillion on the economy. The workshop was attended by most of the states and Union territories. The Editors Guild of India has condemned a recent Kerala government directive which it said imposes "undue restrictions" on the media, and called for the order's revocation. A controversy erupted over the Kerala government issuing guidelines on media's interaction with the chief minister, cabinet ministers and celebrities within the Secretariat and other public places. According to the circular issued by Additional Chief Secretary Subrata Biswas, the chief minister and ministers would inform the Public Relations Department (PRD) in advance, if they are planning to interact with media at public venues. The Guild, in a statement, said that the circular issued by the Kerala state Home Department on November 15 is a "brazen attempt" at restraining the movement of media persons while they are discharging their professional duties. It urged the state government to revoke the circular without any delay. The circular prevents the media from approaching the chief minister, other ministers and higher officials except through the Information and Public Relations department of the state, the Guild noted. "This is regressive and a direct assault on press freedom as it forbids journalists from seeking comments from ministers and senior officials, imposes curbs in their movement inside the government secretariat and makes senior government representatives attending public functions out of bounds for them," it said. The circular had said media creates "unnecessary crowd" at airports, railway stations, guest houses and other public places to get response from prominent persons on various issues. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar Monday announced Rs 10 lakh each as compensation for the next of the kin of those who died in the massive fire at ESIC Hospital, Mumbai, a statement said. "Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident, Rs 2 lakh each for those who have serious injuries and Rs 1 lakh each for those with minor injuries," a labour ministry statement said. At least six people died and 141 were injured as a massive fire swept through the state government-run Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital at Andheri East here. A total of 147 people, including patients and visitors, were rescued after the fire broke out at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri, said an official of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). While the exact cause of the blaze was being ascertained, the preliminary report said that building material, kept at the ground floor of the hospital for renovation work caught fire, the ministry said in the statement. It further said that five persons were reported to have died due to suffocation in the accident while several admitted patients and their attendants were rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals with the help of firefighters, doctors and staff of the hospital. Deputy Medical Superintendent, Reshma Verma was also taken to a nearby hospital as she fainted due to suffocation while rescuing the admitted patients, the statement said, adding that a detailed report was awaited. The labour minister held a meeting with officials of his ministry and ESIC here and directed them to extend all the possible help to the kin of the victims. A team of doctors from ESIC, Delhi was rushed to Mumbai for this purpose, the statement said. Gangwar along with Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment and Director General, ESIC would be visiting the hospital on Tuesday to oversee relief work and meet the victims and their families. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Asia Holding, the holding company of the bankrupt that was controlled by the Ruias, Monday told the Ahmedabad bench of NCLT that it was "highly unusual" for lenders to not even consider its debt settlement proposal which was higher than its rival offer. The Asia Holding had proposed to the committee of creditors (CoC), led by State Bank of India, to pay an upfront Rs 543 billion to retake the management of Essar Steel, but approached the (NCLT) after not receiving any reply from creditors. Arguing for Essar Steel Asia Holding, counsel Mihir Joshi said their proposal "ensures full repayment to all the creditors, including operational creditors," and therefore, it is "highly unusual" that the lenders are not considering it. During the last hearing, lenders and ArcelorMittal, which offered a Rs 420-billion bid to take over Essar Steel and was accepted by the CoC, had opposed the debt recast plan offered by Essar Steel Asia Holding claiming that it was against the order as well as the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Essar Steel, which runs a 10-million-tonne steel mill in Gujarat, owes over Rs 490 billion to over two dozen banks led by the State Bank and has been under the bankruptcy proceedings since last June. As per ArcelorMittal's resolution plan, Rs 420 billion will be paid to the secured lenders, while an additional Rs 80 billion will be pumped in as working capital. The NCLT is also hearing petitions filed by close to 30 operational creditors of Essar Steel seeking settlement of their dues from These operational creditors have moved the NCLT against the resolution plan offered by the world's largest alloy maker as it denies those operational creditors with over Rs 10 million dues any settlement. (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 Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) on Monday said the country's will surge to 7 per cent for the October-December quarter. The release of the estimates, done by the city-headquartered policy bank using in-house modelling method, comes days after official data showed merchandise exports growth slumping to 0.8 per cent for November on a base effect. The estimate said merchandise exports will go up to $82.39 billion for the third quarter of the fiscal year, as against $77 billion. Non-oil exports will grow 7.20 per cent to $71.45 billion during the same period, as against the $66.65 billion in the year-ago period. In a statement, the bank said it has developed an in-house model to generate an export leading index (ELI) for India to track and forecast the movement in exports on a quarterly basis. The ELI modelling will keep getting updated and the findings will be released by the bank on a regular basis, the statement added. The model and forecast have been reviewed by a standing technical committee of domain experts, it said. The country's exports growth slid sharply to 0.8 per cent in November from October's 17.86 per cent growth in what was attributed to base effects. There was a double-digit contraction in exports of gems and jewellery and engineering goods in November, which impacted the overall growth. : A large number of farmers Monday appealed to the district administration to prevail upon the Tamil Nadu government to cancel the proposal of a greenfield project to make the highway between Karur and Coimbatore six-lane. The farmers affiliated to various political parties such as the CPI and the CPI-M, under the aegis of the committee for protection of rights of farmers of Kongu region, submitted a petition claiming that nearly 3,000 acres of fertile land would be acquired for the project. This would lead to loss of land belonging to many farmers and deprive them of their livelihood, the farmers said in the petition. They said the government can instead consider expanding the existing Karur-Coimbatore Road, a distance of 131 km. The farmers, numbering nearly 300, led by former CPI-M MP P R Natarajan and CPI leader S Palanisamy, also accused the government of trying to help corporates by implementing the project. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While the results of the farmers protest in Delhi are yet to be seen at a wide scale, a conversation has definitely started with chefs and experts discussing the ways to tackle the issues faced by farmers. Speaking at the recently concluded Tasting India Symposium here, eminent environmentalist Sunita Narain said that in a country like India agricultural and pastoral activities are equally important for the livelihood of a farmer. "Very poor farmers depend on the cattle and livestock they keep. The form of agriculture in the country is agro-pastoral, in which the pastoral part is as critical as growing food. "If you demonetise and take away the value of meat of a poor farmer, you're taking away their income. So, the question, as an environmentalist, has to be where you grow the meat, (and) how you grow the meat," she said. She added that food businesses also needed to turn their focus towards the farmer. "We still haven't found a right way to build a food system, which actually secures the livelihood of small farmers. All food businesses become focused on safety, hygiene, infections. And that turns them against the farmers, not for the farmer," Narain said. In another session, chef Anahita Dhondy emphasised on producing millets as it could save a lot of water, especially in drought-prone areas. She said that apart from being "healthy and nutritious", millets were sustainable and consume only one-tenth of the amount of water needed for a crop like rice. "It's very healthy and nutritious. And we can possibly solve a little bit of the problem in the world if we start using more millets and less wheat or rice in meals." Chef Ravitej Nath, meanwhile, highlighted the disparity between the price a farmer gets for the produce and what a customer pays for a dish. Elaborating the way a produce reaches the market, Nath said that the farmers sow the seeds, take care of it for three-four months and, if lucky, they harvest it. It goes through three or four middlemen and reaches the market in Delhi, where they are auctioned, he continued. "Then, it goes through three-four hands, reaches your hotel and gets to the chef (who cooks it). Then, we are able to sell it for, say, about 800 rupees or 1,200 rupees as an appetizer. And the farmers, probably gets Rs 2, Rs 3 or Rs 5 maybe! "So, at one end, you have chefs, hotels and restaurants making money. And, on the other hand, farmers (are) committing suicide!" Nath lamented. And that kind of imbalance is needed to be addressed, he added. Puneet Jhajharia, co-founder of CropConnect, attributed some of the problems faced by the farmers to the ignorance and lack of awareness among the consumers. Pointing out to the preference of the buyers who choose vegetable that appear good, Jhajharia said they must realise that such glow was a result of fertilisers. "We, as consumers, don't even understand what natural produce is. Because of our ignorance, the farmers have to pay the price," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four men died while one was injured when a car in which they were travelling hit a divider on Ayodhya-Lucknow highway early Monday morning, police said. Low visibility due to fog was stated to have been the cause that led to the accident, they said. The deceased were identified as Kedar Yadav (60), Kamla Yadav (35), Firtu (32) and Chandra Shekhar (38), the police said. The injured person was referred to a hospital in Lucknow, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) France will push ahead with its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday, as the European Union struggles to finalise a new EU-wide levy. France has been driving hard for a new so-called "GAFA tax" -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- to ensure the global giants pay a fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in Europe. "The tax will be introduced no matter what on January 1 and it will be for the whole of 2019, for an amount that we estimate at 500 million euros (USD 570 million)," Le Maire told a press conference in Paris. In addition to taxing direct sales, France will also require the companies to pay a levy on "advertising revenues, websites and the resale of private data," he said, after a meeting with Russia's economic development minister Maxim Oreshkin. Under EU law, American technology titans like Google and Facebook can choose to report their income in any member state, prompting them to pick low-tax nations like Ireland, the Netherlands or Luxembourg. Such firms, on average, pay a nine percent levy, compared to 23 percent for other businesses, according to Margrethe Vestager, the EU competition commissioner. The low tax rates have caused anger among voters in many European countries, but the 28-member bloc is divided on how to tackle the issue. Ireland, which hosts the European headquarters of several US tech giants, leads a small group of otherwise mostly Nordic countries that argue a new tax could lead to reprisals against European companies and stoke anger in the US. But Paris argues the measure would be a vote-winning accomplishment for mainstream EU politicians before the European Parliament elections next May, in which anti-Brussels populists could do well. Any tax changes must be approved unanimously by member states. France and Germany had agreed this month to introduce a scaled-back measure that would come into effect in 2021. It would set a three per cent levy on advertising sales only, and would come into effect only if a broader deal is not reached. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which groups open-market democracies, is trying to forge a global solution to ensure internet groups are taxed in the countries where they do business. Le Maire said he was still hopeful an EU-wide agreement could be reached by March. It would target companies with worldwide annual turnover above 750 million euros, mainly US giants such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Airbnb and Uber. "We are fully determined to win a unanimous European decision," he said, adding that Paris and Berlin would work together to convince those in Europe still opposed to the tax. Policymakers across the world have struggled over how to tax the US-based giants who dominate their sectors internationally, but who often route their revenues and profits via low-tax jurisdictions to reduce their liabilities. EU member states such as Britain, Spain and Italy are also working on national versions of a digital tax, while Japan, Singapore and India are planning their own schemes. The head of Google France, Sebastien Missoffe, said this month his firm was ready to pay a new tax, but pointed to the difficulty of assessing how much any one country might receive from worldwide advertising. "The issue isn't one of knowing how much Google will pay, but where Google will pay," he said. France's move to introduce a tax applicable from January 1 comes as the government is seeking revenue to pay for a series of financial relief measures to ease the "yellow vest" protests which have roiled the country for the past month. The package will cost around 10 billion euros (USD 11.3 billion) and push the deficit well above the EU-mandated three percent of GDP unless new cost savings and revenue are found. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five land mafias who fraudulently sold flood-prone and farm land to people were Monday booked under the stringent Uttar Pradesh GangstersAct by the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration, officials said. Chandra Pal of Noida, Mohd Naushad and Mohd Rizauddin Ansari from Delhi and Suraj Sharma and Mahesh Chandra Sharma from Ghaziabad were booked by the police. The accused allegedly sold flood-prone land along the Hindon river as well as agricultural land in Shahberi to unsuspecting people, a police officer said. They also failed to get the requisite permissions from the concerned authorities, the officer added. Based on a report by Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma, District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh pressed the charges under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, an official statement said. The district administration is committed to ensure strict action against criminals. Therefore, similar action will be taken against mafias and criminals in future as well, Singh said. The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration, where law and order has been a major concern, recently announced attaching properties and stopping financial transactions of the nearly 600 people booked under the Gangsters Act since April 2017. The UP GangstersAct provides special provisions for the prevention of and for coping with gangsters and anti-social activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It was announced earlier this month that horseman Trevor Williams has been voted in as the new president of the Manitoba Great Western Harness Racing Circuit. Williams, who is a bank manager by trade, has said that the provincial industry has a lot to look forward to. Williams and the Manitoba Standardbred industry were recently featured in a piece by Pembina Valley Online. A Sustainability Review for the Manitoba Horse Racing Industry that was recently released by the Province of Manitoba has stated that the economic impact of horse racing in Manitoba is upwards of $142 million. In addition, the important industry provides hundreds of jobs for the province, generates direct tax revenue, and is an important contributor to the provincial economy in both urban and rural settings. The study also touched on the fact that it might be advantageous for the Manitoba harness industry to race in a larger market like Winnipeg along with its current rural presence. "Racing in Winnipeg would be a huge plus for us, Williams told Pembina Valley Online. That being said, we want to keep our rural connection, our rural roots, that have got us where we are today." In speaking about racing at the rural tracks in 2019, Williams said that "all the towns seem excited for another year. He went on to add that nothing will change for 2019, and we should have dates released fairly soon." (With files from Pembina Valley Online) The Governing Body of DU's Dyal Singh College sealed the office of principal IS Bakshi despite the Delhi High Court putting a stay on the decision of the body asking him to proceed on leave. In September, the governing body of the college, under its chairman Amitabh Sinha, had sent principal Bakshi on leave and initiated a probe against him for alleged financial and administrative irregularities. In October, the body had also sealed Bakshi's office and asked him not to enter the college to ensure that the probe is not affected. Sinha's tenure ended in the first week of November. Bakshi had approached the Delhi High Court which put a stay on the Governing Body's decision on December 14, following which Bakshi joined office. Bakshi said on the intervening night of December 16 and 17 two students and some security guards climbed up the college gates and locked his office and put up a notice which read that the Governing Body has not yet received a copy of the court order. The notice stated that Bakshi's office will remain locked. The Governing Body shall decide the future course of action after receiving the order copy, the notice said. "When I came to college on Monday, I saw my office had been locked and the notice had been put up. I asked for the keys but did not get them despite waiting for two hours," he said. Bakshi said he somehow got his office opened and also gave a police complaint at the Lodhi Colony police station accusing some security guards of trespassing. "I had mailed a copy of the court order to the Governing Body members. I have also informed the university of the developments," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is considering framing an e-commerce policy, Commerce and Industry Minister told Parliament Monday. No deadline, however, has been fixed for the policy formulation, he said further. Stakeholder consultations on 'Framework for National Policy on e-Commerce' with representatives from government ministries, RBI, industry bodies, e-Commerce companies, telecom and IT companies and payment companies were held in April and July this year, Prabhu said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "The formulation of in under consideration of the government for which no timeline has been fixed," he said. The minister was responding to a question related to the time by which the draft is likely to be put in place along with details of two rounds of stakeholder consultations done so far. On the regulatory aspects, Prabhu said e-commerce activities are governed by relevant acts/regulations in the country including Act, Companies Act and Consumer Protection Act. E-Commerce companies with foreign direct investment are also governed by the Foreign Exchange Management Act. The e-Commerce sector in India also falls under the purview of the Competition Act, he added. "It lays down the framework for regulating anti-competitive agreements, including vertical restraints. The conduct of certain e-Commerce players who enjoy a position of dominance in the relevant market may also be brought under the radar of Indian if they abuse their dominant position," the minister informed the lower house. Besides, proposed merger or amalgamation of e-Commerce firms whether in India or off-shore which may have an impact on the competition in India, remains liable for notification under the law, if they fall within the thresholds prescribed under the Act, he added. : The Karnataka government Monday informed the assembly that it was mulling creating an industrial node in association with the Centre in about 12,000 acres of abandoned land ofBharat Gold Mines Limited in Kolar Gold Fields. Industries Minister K J George stated this during question hour in response to a question by KGF MLA M Roopa. George said a meeting was held on November 13 under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister on creating the node, akin to the Tumakuru industrial node under the Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridor, in association with the union government. At the meeting, it was decided that the Commerce and Industries department would negotiate with the Ministry of Mines regarding the transfer of unencumbered clear vacant land to the state government to develop the industrial node. A committee, led by the Commissioner for Industrial Development, Director (Mines and Geology) and Deputy Commissioner, Kolar, has been asked to obtain a 'clear report' in four weeks on the status of vacant unencumbered lands that would be taken over for development of the node, he added. The union government had closed the operations of BGML in 2001. To Roopa's question on the fate of 20,000 to 30,000 BGML workers affected by the closure,George said the responsibility actually lies with the centre. However,the proposed node would provide employment opportunities to them once again, he said. Noting that according to the Centre,there is liability worth Rs 1,600 crore linked to BGML land at KGF, the minister said "we are ready to pay that. But we want encumbrance from the government of India. We are waiting for the report from our officers committee...after that we will decide," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Filmmaker Peter Jackson has revealed that working with disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein on "Lord of the Rings" franchise was a "unpleasant experience". Based on the novel "The Lord of the Rings" by J R R. Tolkien, the franchise had three films subtitled -- "The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001), "The Two Towers" (2002) and "The Return of the King" (2003). According to Independent, Weinstein wanted to take the franchise away from Jackson and give to Quentin Tarantino. "What we got was a real bully, a very unpleasant experience. Purely because they had this mafia thuggery, and that's no exaggeration. We ultimately left them and were happy to leave them. Me and Fran (Walsh, Jackson's wife and co-writer) promised never to work with them again. I haven't spoken with Harvey for 20 years," Jackson said. When asked whether justice will be served in Weinstein's case, the filmmaker said, "It's up to the courts and the justice system to find out what's true. If he's done anything like what he's been accused of justice should be brought, it's black and white for me." Weinstein, a heavyweight Hollywood producer, had a spectacular fall from grace after the New York Times and the New Yorker revealed that he harassed numerous women. After the report many women from the industry, including Hollywood biggies such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Lupita Nyong'o opened up about facing harassment at the hands of the producer. Weinstein had allegedly convinced Jackson to blacklist Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino from his films. Both the women later revealed that they were harassed by the producer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court Monday sentenced Congress veteran Sajjan Kumar to life in the first conviction of a politician in the deadly anti-Sikh riots in 1984, holding it was perpetrated by those with "political patronage" and pushed for a new law for speedy prosecution of genocide and mass killings. Calling for strengthening of the legal system to ensure perpetrators of mass crimes are made answerable, the court said neither 'crimes against humanity' nor 'genocide' is part of the domestic law of crime and this loophole needs to be addressed urgently. It also named 2002 post-Godhra Gujarat riots and Muzaffarnagar riots in Uttar Pradesh in 2013 among other mass killings since 1947 where minorities are targeted. The reversal of 73-year-old Kumar's acquittal by a trial court cast a shadow on the swearing-in of Kamal Nath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh with the BJP and ally Akali Dal taking on the Congress leadership over allegations of his culpability in the riots levelled by Sikh groups. Nath said there was no FIR or charge sheet filed against him and questioned the 'politics' behind raising of the issue now. Describing the riots as "crimes against humanity", the high court awarded Kumar life term for "remainder of his natural life", convicting him of criminal conspiracy and abetment in commission of crimes of murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of communal harmony and defiling and destruction of a Gurdwara. The case in which Kumar was convicted related to killing of five Sikhs in Raj Nagar part-I area in Palam Colony in South West Delhi on November 1-2, 1984 during the riots in the national capital and other parts of the country following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards on October 31. According to official accounts, 2,733 Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone and nearly 3,350 all over the country between November 1 and 4, 1984. Observing it was "undeniable" that it took over three decades to punish the accused in the case, the court said it was important to assure the victims of the "mass killings" that despite the challenges faced by the court, "truth will prevail and justice will be done". The court directed Kumar, who was then a Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi, and other five convicts to surrender by December 31, 2018 and not to leave the city of Delhi. There was no immediate reaction from Kumar. But lawyer Anil Sharma, who represented Kumar in the high court, told PTI the Congress leader intends to move an appeal in the Supreme Court against the verdict. Sharma said Kumar is in the capital itself and since he has been given time till December 31 to surrender efforts would be made to challenge the conviction and the sentence before that day.. If no appeal would be filed before December 31, Kumar would surrender, he added. Six accused, including Kumar, were sent for trial in 2010 and three years later, the lower court convicted five of the accused but acquitted the Congress leader of all the charges. Quashing the acquittal on appeals by the CBI, a bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel said the accused in the case were brought to justice "primarily on account of the courage and perseverance of three eyewitnesses" -- Jagdish Kaur, her cousin Jagsher Singh and Nirpreet Kaur. Jagdish Kaur's husband, son and three cousins -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh -- were the five killed in the instant case. Nirpreet Kaur had witnessed the Gurdwara being burnt down and her father being burnt alive by the raging mobs, the bench also noted. Jagdish Kaur and Narpreet Kaur said although 34 years is a long time, they were determined to "unmask the accused" and their their fight for justice will go on. "This verdict has brought some relief. No one should face the kind of injustice we have faced all these years," said Jagdish Kaur. The BJP and SAD hailed the verdict calling it historic and targeted the Congress while the opposition party cautioned against politicising the legal process in the anti-Sikh riots cases. The court said the 1984 anti-Sikh riots "answer the description" of crimes against humanity as there was "mass killing" of Sikhs in Delhi and the rest of the country, "engineered by political actors with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies". It further said India has been no stranger to such mass killings since the time of partition in 1947 and the common feature of each has been the "targeting of minorities" in attacks "spearheaded by the dominant political actors" being "facilitated by the law enforcement agencies". "The mass killings in Punjab, Delhi and elsewhere during the country's partition remains a collective painful memory as is the killings of innocent Sikhs in November 1984. There has been a familiar pattern of mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2008, in Muzaffarnagar in U.P. in 2013 to name a few. "Common to these mass crimes were the targeting of minorities and the attacks spearheaded by the dominant political actors being facilitated by the law enforcement agencies," it added. A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes, enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency and managed to evade prosecution and punishment, the court said. "Bringing such criminals to justice poses a serious challenge to our legal system. As these appeals themselves demonstrate, decades pass by before they can be made answerable. This calls for strengthening the legal system. Neither 'crimes against humanity' nor 'genocide' is part of our domestic law of crime. This loophole needs to be addressed urgently," it added. The high court also upheld the conviction and varying sentences awarded by the trial court to former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. It also convicted them for criminal conspiracy to burn down residences of Sikh families and a gurdwara in the area during the riots. The trial court in 2013 had awarded life term to Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a three-year jail term to Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. Following the high court verdict, the life term of Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal has been upheld and the sentence of Yadav and Kishan Khokar has been enhanced to a 10 years in jail. "While it is undeniable that it has taken over three decades to bring the accused in this case to justice, and that our criminal justice system stands severely tested in that process, it is essential, in a democracy governed by the rule of law to be able to call out those responsible for such mass crimes," the court concluded. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court Monday banned online sale of medicines till the Union Health Ministry and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation notified the proposed Drugs and Cosmetics Amendment Rules, 2018 in the gazette at the earliest by January 31. Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana directed online pharmacy traders to obtain licenses as per the prescribed rules that are going to be notified within a duration of two months. On the request made by the counsel for online traders, the judge directed the authorities concerned not to give effect to the order till December 20. The judge passed the order on a petition moved by the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Organisation, which sought banning online sale of medicines. Recently, the court reserved its verdict on the plea. Justice Sathyanarayana, who disposed of the petition Monday, noted that though there was a statute, regulatory rules were yet to be notified, in the wake of advancement of technology. "Unless the legislation keeps pace with technology, the commerce based on technology has to lag behind," the judge said. While the draft rules are published in the gazette, they are yet to be notified. Once it is notified, there is bound to be disagreement between law makers, drug companies, online traders and finally the consumers. In the absence of any Central or State government legislation or rules, online sale of prescription of drugs could hardly be curbed, the judge said. The government had already been given a longer rope by a previous order passed on December 20, 2016 by a division bench. Though around two years had passed, the rules are still at the draft stage, Justice Sathyanarayana said. The central government should notify the rules at the earliest in the interest of public and the online drug trade, the judge said. The Delhi High Court had on December 13 stayed the sale of drugs and prescribed medicines by online pharmacies. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao of the Delhi High Court passed the interim order on a plea seeking a ban on "illegal" sale of drugs and medicines online. On October 31, the Madras High court passed an interim order prohibiting online sale of medicines by unauthorised traders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry governments to notify draft rules on running of Spas, within three months. Justice R Mahadevan gave the direction while disposing of a batch of pleas seeking to restrain the police and other authorities from interfering with their businesses, recently. The judge, however,made it clear that the petitioners, under the guise of carrying on their business activities, shall not indulge in any unlawful or illegal activities opposed to law or public order. The judge was disposing of petitions from some spas challenging police interfering with their businesses. The judge said the petitioners, on receipt of notice from the respective police stations, must appear, along with the required documents such as educational and trade certificates. The petitioners shall not advertise anything, which attracts penal action under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Thecertificates of the people employed at the spas are to be verified by competent authorities. Spot verification is to be done by police only when concrete material is available, the judge said. If the spas fail to produce license when demanded or continue to run their activities without license, action shall be taken for their closure immediately, the judge added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Monday dismissed a plea challenging the LIC move to acquire 51 per cent stake in the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). Justice Vibhu Bakhru rejected the petition by the All India Officers Association, which had opposed the move of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on the ground that change in shareholding could take away the public sector bank status of The association was concerned that taking away public sector status of could affect the employment conditions of its staff. LIC had earlier told the court it wanted to acquire 51 per cent stake in the IDBI as the state-run insurance company has been toying with the idea of having banking operations since 2000. LIC said it had in the past made several attempts to have a bank of its own, but its endeavours had "failed" as "nothing fructified". Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for LIC, had also said it has applied for a banking licence. Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing the bank, said that consent of employees was not required while changing the status of the company by government's dis-investment. IDBI, in which the government holds 85.96 per cent stake, had posted a net loss of Rs 24.0989 billion in the quarter ended June 2018. It had posted a gross non-performing asset (NPA) of about Rs 578.07 billion. The association, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, had claimed that the change in shareholding was not in public interest as it "exposes the investments made by the public in the IDBI and corrodes the ability of the LIC to pay back its policy holders since it will have to invest an amount of Rs 130 billion to acquire the 51 per cent stake". The petition had stated, "The said investment will be made from the funds of 38 crore policy holders of the LIC who have invested their hard earned money to secure their own futures. The said investment made by the LIC will adversely hamper its own abilities to pay its insurance holders." Hours after taking oath of office Monday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath cleared the proposal of waiving farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh as promised by Congress president Rahul Gandhi ahead of assembly polls. After Nath signed the relevant file, Rajesh Rajora, Principal Secretary, Farmers' Welfare and Agriculture Development Department, issued an order in this regard. The order stated, "Madhya Pradesh Government has taken a decision to write off short-term crop loan of eligible farmers up to the limit of Rs two lakh, as on March 31, 2018, from nationalised and cooperative banks." Addressing a public rally on June 7 at Pipliya Mandi in Mandsaur district, Gandhi had announced his party would waive farm loans within 10 of coming to power in the state. "Here Kamal Nath (MP Congress president) and Jyotiraditya Scindia (the state Congress poll campaign committee chairman) are sitting. The day the Congress comes to power in MP, count 10 days, I say with guarantee that farmer loans will be waived within 10 days. It won't take even the eleventh day," Gandhi had said at the rally. Later, this announcement was included in the Congress manifesto, titled 'Vachan Patra'. The Congress president had reiterated the farm loan waiver promise repeatedly during the campaigning for the November 28 assembly elections. Soon after Nath signed the file, Gandhi tweeted: CM, Madhya Pradesh, waives farm loans. 1 done. 2 to go. Six farmers were killed in police firing at Pipliya Mandi during an agitation in June last year. The Congress won 114 assembly seats and secured the support of seven more MLAs - SP (1) and BSP (2) and four independents - to cross the majority mark of 116 in the 230- member Assembly. Nath was sworn in as the 18th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh this afternoon. Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to the 72-year-old Congress veteran who was at the forefront in steering the party to a win in the assembly polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court Monday directed the representatives of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the state BJP to remain present in court next month to explain why their workers continued to put up illegal hoardings on public roads and spaces. A bench of justices A S Oka and S K Shinde directed the representatives of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS and the ruling BJP to remain present in the court on January 22. In November, another bench led by Justice Oka had issued show-cause notices to the NCP, the BJP, the RPI and the MNS, asking them to explain why their workers put up illegal hoardings and banners on public roads despite the state's rules and previous HC orders prohibiting the same. The representatives of the NCP and the RPI gave oral undertakings to the bench Monday, assuring that their workers would not put up hoardings and banners on roads and public places without requisite permission from the authorities concerned. The NCP also informed the bench that it had decided to take punitive action, including temporary suspension, against party workers who flouted norms on displaying hoardings and banners, among other things. The court was hearing a PIL filed by NGO Suswarajya Foundation raising the issue of illegal hoardings and banners put up by political parties. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) THE REVITALISATION of the Civil Service Association (CSA) was at the fore of recent discussions between the association executive and Deputy Governor Anya Williams. They met on November 1 to speak on the topic along with other key matters regarding the TCIs public sector and civil servants. Williams said it was a pleasure to meet with the executive members of the CSA. "The executive fully recognises the concerns raised by the civil service regarding their value and the work required of them and will be working to fill a number of vacant positions over the course of the weeks ahead, she said. "It was important to discuss with them as I intend to do with the entire civil service, the ongoing work to develop and implement a number of key policies and programmes across the civil service designed at further enhancing the work and well-being of the civil service. As well as the revival of the CSA and hosting of the next election, another topic discussed was the completed work and financial modelling Increment Policy. This is being presented by the Deputy Governors Office to Cabinet for approval and consideration, a November 7 statement said. The ongoing work of the Benefits Committee on the introduction of new long term benefits programmes to replace the former TCIG gratuity and pension scheme was reviewed. As was the work of the Civil Service in Action Committee to launch a civil service community works programme and to host the next Civil Service Week. This was previously scheduled to take place in September 2017 but was cancelled due to passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria. The deputy governor highlighted the success of a number of policies and programmes in the civil service. The Professional Development Programme, which is in its fourth year of operation, continues to provide much needed opportunities for staff, she said. It allows them to obtain full scholarships to the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College and grant funding for overseas and online study programmes. She added that the new recruitment strategy continues to attract a high level of interest from new entrants to join the civil service. Williams also highlighted the "significant promotions that continue to be made across the civil service. General meetings with the civil service were held throughout November to provide update on all of these matters and address concerns. The Air Force flew its first military flight, an AN-32 transporter aircraft, using blended bio-jet fuel in Bengaluru Monday, a statement said. The Experimental Test Pilots and Test Engineer from Air Force's testing establishment ASTE, flew the aircraft in a combined effort with DRDO, Directorate General Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum. On July 27, Air Force Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had announced intention to promote bio-jet fuel. Addressing a seminar on promoting indigenous technologies, Dhanoa had stated that Air Force intended to fly the AN-32 with 10 per cent bio-jet fuel during next year's Republic Day celebrations. Indian Air Force carried out extensive engine tests on the ground. This is now followed by flight trials using 10 per cent bio-jet blended ATF. "This fuel is made from Jatropha oil sourced from Chattisgarh Biodiesel Development Authority (CBDA) and then processed at CSIR-IIP, Dehradun," the statement said. In August, commercial airline Spicejet flew country's first ever bio-jet fuel-powered flight between Dehradun and Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Superstar Shah Rukh Khan says he wants his daughter Suhana to learn the craft of acting before venturing into films as he does not want her to simply assume that she is talented. Shah Rukh says Suhana came on the sets of his latest "Zero" and observed how things function. "She came on sets because learning acting has a lot to do with spending time on the sets and learning production. She did the same in London and while she was here. "She said she still has two weeks to go back to London and we were shooting a song for 'Zero' in the coming two weeks. So she came here to have that experience," Shah Rukh said in a group interview. The "Raees" star said he wanted his daughter to observe a film set, including his co-stars Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, and learn the nuances. "I wanted her to see Anushka and Katrina perform live as both are such different kind of actors. Katrina has her own charm and Anushka has her own way of enacting things. So I wanted her to spend time (on sets). So what they did is they put her onto me as an assistant director. "But I think ground experience is good for actors or any kind of job, only as an internship. But you have to finish your education first. If you have the opportunity to study, it formalises and makes your craft better. So, I want her to study first for some time." Shah Rukh says Suhana will train for three-four years more, doing plays and theatres. "In India, I think we don't learn acting, we just assume that we are talented. Like if you drive very first, it first mean you are going to become a Formula 1 driver. You'll have to finally learn it. So I want her to have a formal training in acting. The experience matters a lot," he added. "Zero" is scheduled to release on this Friday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With Maldives reeling under mounting Chinese debt, India Monday announced a USD 1.4 billion financial assistance to the island nation and inked four pacts with it after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih held "successful" talks with an aim to reset ties. The two countries also agreed to remain mindful of each other's concerns and aspirations for the stability of the Indian Ocean region and not allow their respective territories to be used for any activity inimical to their interests. In his media statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Solih's victory in the presidential election in Maldives and assured him that India will always stand behind the island nation in its quest for peace and development. "India will always stand by you in your government's ambitious efforts to change the lives of the Maldivian people. For the social and economic development of Maldives, India will extend budget support, currency swap and lines of credit worth USD 1.4 billion," Modi said. He said there are "infinite possibilities" in expanding ties between the two neighbours. Solih's visit here within a month after taking charge of the high office is seen as an effort by his government to repair ties with India which came under severe strain during the presidentship of Abdulla Yameen, who was known to be close to China. "The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region through coordinated patrolling and aerial surveillance, exchange of information and capacity building," said an Indian-Maldives joint statement. The resolve by the two sides to deepen maritime ties in the Indian Ocean assumes significance as China has been ramping up its military presence in the region. The statement said the two leaders also recognised that the security interests of both the countries were interlinked and reiterated their assurance of being mindful of each other's concerns and aspirations for the stability of the region The four agreements signed between the two countries will provide for easy facilitation of visas and cooperation in areas of cultural, agri-business and information technology. In the talks, Solih reaffirmed his government's 'India-First Policy', and commitment to working together closely with India. The Maldivian President also reiterated his country's support for India's candidature for permanent membership of an expanded and reformed UN Security Council. Maldives also reiterated support for India's candidature for non-permanent seat for the year 2020-21. The two leaders also emphasised on their unwavering commitment and support to increased cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations both within the region and elsewhere. "Both sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation on issues of common concern, including piracy, terrorism, organised crime, drugs and human trafficking," said the joint statement. It said Modi and Solih also emphasized the need to improve connectivity between the two countries through the establishment of enabling infrastructure that would promote the exchange of goods and services, information, ideas, culture and people. Highlighting the need for expansion of trade ties, Modi said there were increasing opportunities for Indian companies in the island nation and that a transparent, accountable and rules based governance system are giving a positive signal to Indian businessmen. According to the statement, both sides agreed to work together to create institutional linkages and to establish a framework of cooperation in areas of health, mutual legal assistance on criminal matters, investment promotion and tourism. In his statement, Modi also complimented Maldives' decision to re-join the Commonwealth and also welcomed it to the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) family. Solih arrived here Sunday on a three-day state visit, his first foreign trip after assuming office in the island nation a month ago. Modi had attended Solih's swearing-in ceremony on November 17. Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Solih and discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interests. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after the then President Abdulla Yameen imposed emergency on February 5 this year. India had criticised his decision and asked his government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The emergency lasted for 45 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Monday expressed relief at Pakistan's decision to release Hamid Nihal Ansari after six years in jail and urged Islamabad to take action to free other Indian nationals, including fishermen, who have completed their sentences. "We have received a note from Pakistan today that they are releasing Indian national Shri Hamid Nehal Ansari tomorrow. It is a matter of great relief, especially for the family members, that six years of incarceration of the Indian civilian in Pakistan jail is coming to an end," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court on December 15, 2015. He was released from a Pakistani prison after a court-mandated jail-term came to an end. He entered Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. According to official sources, India issued a total of 96 notes verbales to Pakistan seeking consular access to Ansari and the decision to release him was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi. "We would like Pakistan to take action to also end misery of other Indian nationals and fishermen whose nationality has been confirmed and who have completed their sentences, but continue to languish in Pakistan jails," the Spokesperson said. He said Indian also awaits Pakistan's response to the visit of Indian medical team to meet mentally unsound prisoners with a view to facilitate their nativity verification and subsequent repatriation. "We hope that Pakistan would respond and organize an early visit of the Joint Judicial Committee so that the issues of prisoners can be dealt with in a humanitarian and timely manner," Kumar said. Though Ansari's jail term ended last week, he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. The sources said 96 notes verbales were issued to Pakistan seeking consular access and clarity on the charges against him, on which India received no satisfactory response. They said considering that his jail term was coming to an end on December 16, India upped the ante at multiple levels in the preceding weeks, seeking to ensure Ansari's release and quick repatriation to India. Ansari went 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced USD 1.4 billion financial assistance to Maldives after he held extensive talks with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during which both sides vowed to deepen security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. The two countries also inked four pacts, including one on visa facilitation. "We held successful talks in a cordial atmosphere. We vowed to strengthen ties," Modi said in his press statement, with Solih by his side. He also said the security interests of the two countries were intertwined and both sides will work together to further strengthen cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. "We will not allow our countries to be used for activities which can be harmful to each other's interests," Modi asserted. The prime minister said India is extending USD 1.4 billion as budget support, currency swap and line of credit for the social and economic development of Maldives. "We want greater trade ties with Maldives. There are increasing opportunities for Indian companies in the island nation," he said. On his part, Solih said the two sides agreed to strengthen maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region through coordinated patrol and aerial surveillance. Solih arrived here Sunday on a three-day state visit, his first foreign trip after assuming the charge of the top office in the island nation a month ago. Modi had attended Solih's swearing-in ceremony on November 17. Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Solih and discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interests. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after then president Abdulla Yameen imposed emergency on February 5 this year. India had criticised his decision and asked his government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The emergency lasted for 45 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and Maldives inked four pacts including in the areas of cooperation in culture, agribusiness and information technology and for easy facilitation of visas. Welcoming the pact on facilitation of visa arrangements, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih expressed satisfaction that this will facilitate many Maldivians who send their children to school in India, to be able to accompany them, a joint statement. It added that the pact will also facilitate easier visa arrangements for Maldivian citizens and their families to come to India for medical treatment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that the new agreement will address the common concerns and ensure that people-to-people contacts are enhanced. The Maldives is one of the very few countries with which India has a visa free arrangement. The other agreements were on cultural cooperation, establishing mutual cooperation to improve the ecosystem for agribusiness and joint declaration of intent on cooperation in the field of information & communications technology and electronics. According to the statement, both sides agreed to work together to create institutional linkages and to establish a framework of cooperation in areas of health, mutual legal assistance on criminal matters, investment promotion and tourism. Solih arrived here Sunday on a three-day state visit, his first foreign trip after assuming office in the island nation a month ago. In a joint press statement, Modi said it was matter for honour and pride that Solih chose India as the country for his first foreign visit, On his part, Solih reaffirmed his government's "India-First Policy" and commitment to working together closely with India. Modi also announced that India would provide 1,000 additional slots over next five years for training and capacity building in diverse fields including judicial, policing and law-enforcement, audit and financial management, local governance, community development, IT, e-governance, sports, media, youth and women empowerment, leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, art and culture. Modi and Solih reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment" and support for increased cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations both within the region and elsewhere. Both sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation on issues of common concern, including piracy, terrorism, organised crime, drugs and human trafficking. It was also agreed to intensify cooperation in the areas of training and capacity building of Maldives Police Service and Maldives National Defence Force. Both leaders agreed on the importance of combatting the impacts of climate change, especially detrimental to developing countries, and Small Island Developing States, and the need to work towards strengthening the global response to climate change, through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. The two leaders underscored the need for strengthening and reform of multilateral financial institutions and enhancing the voice and participation of developing countries in international economic decision-making. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India is "overtly cautious" about China's sensitivities on and Tibet, but does not show the same deference to New Delhi's sovereignty concerns, a parliamentary panel has said, urging the government to contemplate using all options in its China policy, including ties with In a report tabled in Parliament, the Committee on External Affairs noted that India does not accord any diplomatic recognition to despite the flourishing nature of exchanges between the two sides. The ministry has argued that it does not want to "upend" this policy of the in deference to China's sensitivity on the matter, the report said. "It comes as a matter of concern to the committee that even when India is overtly cautious about China's sensitivities while dealing with Taiwan and Tibet, China does not exhibit the dame deference while dealing with India's sovereignty concerns, be it in the case of or that of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," the report said. The committee said that given China's muscular approach of late while dealing with some issues pertaining to India, it is difficult for it to be content with India continuing with its conventionally deferential foreign policy towards China. "Dealing with a country like China essentially requires a flexible approach. The committee strongly feels that the government should contemplate using all options including its relations with Taiwan, as part of such an approach," the report said. The committee also noted that significant inroads had been made by China in India's neighbourhood and their impact on the country's outreach activities in those countries. The panel said that despite the ministry's "ambivalence" on whether this reflects some sort of a deliberate encirclement policy of India by China, it was inclined to see it as nothing less than a "veiled containment policy". On China's One Belt One Road initiative, the panel said that its details are unravelling, and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the BRI has been rooted in opaqueness and appears to be a vehicle for Chinese "hegemonic, geo-political, financial and commercial interests". The committee said that India, as a responsible member of the comity of nations, had earnestly pointed out the fundamental flaws in BRI related to lack of universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality. The panel said that it was perturbed to note that despite India's strong sovereignty objections to China-Pakistan Economic corridor (CPEC), it is being openly "trumpeted as a gift to Pakistan by China". The panel said that it wants India to take up the matter of CPEC at various international fora, so as to make its opposition clear and to simultaneously put pressure on China for making it realise its double standards. India stands ready to work with Maldives to strengthen maritime security and help expedite inclusion of its Indian Ocean neighbour in the Commonwealth again, President Ram Nath Kovind said Monday. Welcoming newly-elected Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Kovind said along with strengthening bilateral relations, both countries must also enhance partnership on global issues. "Climate change needs urgent attention and action. We are deeply concerned of its impact, and especially so on Maldives and other small island states that are most vulnerable to it," he said. The president said India is honoured that Solih has chosen to visit the country on his first State Visit and that too, within a month of assuming office. Later, speaking at the banquet hosted in the honour of Solih in Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening, Kovind said peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region is a shared responsibility of both countries. "India accords the highest importance to its relations with Maldives and wishes to see a democratic, stable, prosperous and peaceful Maldives," he said. The president said terrorism, piracy and drug trafficking are a constant threat to peace-loving societies of both countries. "India stands ready to work with Maldives to strengthen maritime security and to bring progress and prosperity to our people," he said. Welcoming Maldives into the Indian Ocean Rim Association as its newest member, Kovind said India invites the country to join the International Solar Alliance and strengthen global efforts to tackle climate change. "We are encouraged by your government's decision to rejoin the Commonwealth. We will work together with Maldives to facilitate and expedite the process," he said. Kovind said India appreciates Solih's vision of inclusive development based on the laudable principles of good governance. "Your government's vision of a transparent and rules-based approach to growth and development has given a boost to investor confidence in your country. We compliment your government's ambitious plan to transform the lives of the Maldivian people by giving a human face to the task of economic development," he said. Kovind said India would be privileged to work with him in support of his national plans and priorities outlined in his 100 days agenda. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There has been a 16 per cent growth in arrivals for treatments in 2017, the ministry of tourism informed Parliament Monday. Replying to a query in Lok Sabha, Tourism Minister KJ Alphons said arrivals in India on visa during 2016 and 2017 were estimated at 4,27,014 and 4,95,056 respectively, registering a positive growth of 15.9 per cent. " tourism holds immense potential for India. The Indian systems of medicines, viz Ayurveda, Yoga, Panchakarma, Rejuvenation Therapy, etc, are among the most ancient systems of medical treatment in the world. India can provide medical and health care of international standards at low costs," Alphons said. He added, "India excels in the state of the art medical facilities, reputed health care professionals, quality nursing facilities and traditional healthcare therapies." Asserting that the government is taking various steps for promoting medical tourism, Alphons said that India conducted road shows, 'Know India' seminars and also made a film which was aired in the Middle East and north African markets. The government had earlier said that the value of medical tourism in India is likely to reach a whopping $ 9 billion by 2020 as compared to $ 3 billion in 2015. India and the US are contesting seven disputes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in areas including poultry, steel and export incentives, Parliament was informed Monday. These seven cases "pertain to poultry and poultry products from the US, countervailing duties against India's export of steel products, measures against import of solar cells and modules under National Solar Mission," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The other cases include the US's Sub-Federal Renewable Energy Programmes, United States' measures concerning non-immigrant visas, India's export promotion schemes and United States' tariff hike on steel and aluminium products, he said. The US has challenged certain export promotion schemes of India and "there will be no effect to the GST refunds provided to the exporters under the GST Act as GST issues have no linkage with this dispute," he added. India considers that it does not provide any WTO non-compliant subsidies for exports, he added. Replying to a separate question, the minister said that India's trade deficit with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) members stood at USD 105 billion in 2017-18. RCEP mega trade pact aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights. The bloc comprises 10 Asean members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six FTA partners - India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. To another question, Chaudhary replied that the ministry has received proposal from Maharashtra for handing over some pieces of salt department lands at Mumbai to Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai for public purposes. "One proposal from the Revenue and Forests Department, Government of Maharashtra has been received regarding transfer of 80.98 acres of salt pan land ... to Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) for dumping of refuse, solid waste treatment plant and allied processes," he said. The land, he said, requested for transfer by Maharashtra is under litigation with regard to ownership issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Olivia Rose DEPUTY Governor Anya Williams was on Thursday (December 13) invested with an MBE at Buckingham Palace in London for her outstanding service to the Turks and Caicos Islands. A Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) is an award given by the Queen to an individual for sterling contributions to the community or local hands on service. Governor John Freeman congratulated the Deputy Governor on her award on Thursday. He said: "This signal honour is in recognition of her service over many years to the Turks and Caicos Islands. "As deputy governor she has shown great professional application and dedication to these Islands where she was born and grew up. "As governor it is a great pleasure to draw attention today to the recognition which the award of an MBE reflects. "I congratulate her and thank her for her continuing service to these Islands. Williams, who was born in the Turks and Caicos Islands, has been a community crusader, civil service cheerleader and chief morale booster. As head of the TCI civil service, she is on call 24/7 with responsibility for all public services and 1,700 staff - all while balancing life as a wife and mother-of-three. Williams has graduate and MSc degrees in accounting and has worked as permanent secretary in the Governments finance office. She was appointed to the position of deputy governor by William Hague in an open competition in October 2012. Her position may be considered the most senior civil service post as the deputy governor heads the public service, the line manager for permanent secretaries, and is a non-voting member of Cabinet. She also acts as governor when John Freeman is away from the territory. A week-long festival to promote Indian culture, films and bilateral tourism between India and Indonesia that would strengthen the diplomatic ties between the two nations was inaugurated in country's cultural capital Yogyakarta on Monday. The India Culture Week (ICW) from December 17 to 23 is being organised by the Indian Embassy in collaboration with the Provincial Government of Yogyakarta Special Region, and Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga. The ICW will showcase different facets of Indian tourism, arts, culture, music, dance, food, yoga and Bollywood films spread over the entire week. "It will also help in promoting Yogyakarta as tourism destination, the embassy said in a statement. A tourism event titled "India-Indonesia Tourism Seminar" will also be held on Tuesday to promote bilateral tourism and widen new avenues in the sector. Several prominent Indian tours and companies in addition to nearly 30 local travel agents from Yogyakarta and around are expected at the event which will provide Business-to-Business meetings opportunity as well to tour and travel companies of Yogyakarta. Special photo-exhibition on "Islamic Monuments of India" and "The 70th Anniversary of India-Indonesia Diplomatic Ties" is also part of the ICW. The photo-exhibitions showcases facets of shared Islamic Heritage and key milestones in the diplomatic relations between India and Indonesia. In addition, an Indian Film Festival is also being organised that will feature several Bollywood movies. "It is expected that the week-long events planned under the India Culture Week would facilitate a better understanding and appreciation of India in the hearts and minds of Yogyakarta residents," the embassy said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The father of Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari Monday expressed happiness over his son's release from a jail in Pakistan and thanked the Indian government. Nihal Ansari said he and other members of the family were eager to see Hamid. Talking to PTI, he said, "We are thankful to the government of India and Pakistan as well for every effort... Our family is waiting for Hamid." Hamid Ansari, arrested in Pakistan in 2012, will reach home via Wagah border Tuesday. The 33-year-old Mumbai resident was 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. His jail term ended on December 15 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court granted the Pakistan government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 26-year-old Indian construction worker in the UAE has lost his appeal against a 15-years of jail term, months after he was convicted for getting drunk and stabbing to death a colleague while injuring another fellow Indian who tried to intervene, according to a media report. The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the accused of premeditated murder and murder bid in October, the Gulf reported on Sunday. The Indian national, who has not been named, stabbed to death his colleague on December, 2017 at a labour accommodation, the report said. The accused attacked the victim's roommate as well when he tried to stop him. Dubai Police's forensic examiner said the victim succumbed to severe stab wounds in the heart and chest. The convict, who has not been named, appealed after the primary ruling before the Appeal Court and sought to have a reduced jail term. However, on Sunday, presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif rejected the appeal and upheld his 15-year jail term. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The has to compete on everything to boost manufacturing as the protection provided by the government in terms of raising tariffs is temporary in nature, a top official said Monday. Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Secretary Ramesh Abhishek said that the Centre and the states need to work together to provide necessary support to industry to enhance their competitiveness. "Lot of work has been done on removing, for example, inverted duty structures. Lot of protection is being given to the in terms of more tariffs but this is not something that can last forever. "All this protection is temporary. Ultimately, we have to compete on everything... to make industry competitive, the governments have to provide the necessary support," he said. He was speaking at a CII- national forum. Abhishek said that the new industrial policy, which would be soon approved by the Cabinet, talks about increasing competitiveness of industry, skilling of youth, and adoption of modern technologies. Speaking at the function, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said that to incentivise and encourage Indian companies to compete globally, the ministry is working on various fronts like creation of new policies, improving ease of doing business, and scrapping irrelevant regulations. He said that India has not realised its full potential of exports and cooperation with neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are must to boost shipments. Delhi Labour Minister Gopal Rai Monday inspected the Hotel Taj Palace here and found irregularities in the payment of salaries to workers of its engineer-wing by an outsourcing company, an official statement said. The hotel spokesperson, however, maintained that they were complying with the minimum wage regulations. The Delhi government has launched a 10-day special drive to check the implementation of minimum wages rules by both private and public institutions in the city. After his inspection, Rai told reporters that in the engineer-wing of the 5 Star hotel, some people gave complaints that the outsourcing company was just paying them Rs 10,000 in violation of the laid down rules. "They (hotel management) do not have record of payment of salary of workers. Secondly, I felt by talking to the workers that they were threatened by the outsourcing company. We will also call them to record their statements separately," he said. Later in the evening, the government issued a statement, saying, "Irregularities were found in the work of a company at the engineer wing of the hotel. The company is not paying minimum wages. "In view of the irregularities, representatives of Hotel Taj have been asked to appear with all necessary documents before the deputy labour commissioner concerned on December 28," it said. A Taj Hotel spokesperson said, "We are 100 per cent compliant on the applicable minimum wage regulations set by the government. As per our vendor policy, they are obligated to comply with all the statutory laws, including the compliance on minimum wages". As part of the drive, teams of labour department have inspected 103 institutions across the city. The minimum wages applicable in Delhi from November this year are Rs 14,000 per month for unskilled workers, Rs 15,400 per month for semi-skilled workers and Rs 16,962 monthly for skilled workers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said it was time India focussed on its rise as a soft power and use it to combat the biggest menace humanity is facing in the present times - terrorism. He also said that public opinion world over should be built to isolate nations which shelter terrorists. Speaking at a conference on soft power organised by India Foundation, Naidu said that India has always been one of the foremost cultural forces in the world. "It is time that we focus on India's rise as a soft power nation and the need for an India-centric discourse on soft power; how to maximise and deploy soft power assets, particularly to furthering national, regional and global interests. "It was 'Vishwaguru' who provided cultural, spiritual & intellectual leadership. Knowledge-seekers from other countries used to come to Indian universities like Takshashila and Nalanda," he said. He said that soft power was one of the "newest frameworks to understand and leverage India's role in international order". Explaining what soft power was, Naidu said it was the ability of nations to shape preferences and influence behaviour of other nations through appeal and attraction as opposed to coercion. It consists of three major categories - a nation's culture, its political values and its foreign policy, he said. He further said that as India continues its rise in the international order, it is important that there is a recognition of the cultural impact that the nation has had on the world, and leverage it in a way that is best for the nation. "From Yoga to Bollywood; Bharatnatyam to Buddhism; cuisine to tourism, India has in its possession an immense amount of soft power to expand global outreach. Soft Power is non-coercive. It has power to create an attraction and influence opinions in a rather unobtrusive manner," he said. He said that India never had ambitions of hegemony at any time and always believed in a peaceful co-existence in an equitable world order. India always believed in using soft power for the welfare and betterment of the entire humanity, he said. "India's soft power should be used to combat the biggest menace humanity is facing in the present times - terrorism. India must use its moral and cultural strength to influence public opinion to establish a truly peaceful, just and more equitable world order. Public opinion world over should be built to isolate nations which shelter terrorists as terrorism is the enemy of mankind," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP leader Monday welcomed the conviction of leader Sajjan Kumar in a case and also took a swipe at the opposition party for choosing Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister, claiming that Sikhs consider him "culpable" in the violence against the community. Kamal Nath, who took oath as chief minister of the central Indian state on Monday, has always denied any role in the riots against Sikhs following the assassination of Indira Gandhi in October 1984. The has maintained that due process of law is being followed and the issue should not be politicised. Jaitley dubbed Kumar, who was convicted by the Delhi High Court in a case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life, a "symbol" of the anti-Sikh "genocide" and said the country had never seen murders on a bigger scale than this. He also alleged that the and its ruling Gandhi family were involved in a "cover-up". The decision may be delayed but at least the process of justice has started, he said, hoping that there will be more verdicts as many cases are being heard on a day to day basis. "It is an irony that the verdict has come on a day when a Congress chief minister, who is held culpable by the Sikh community, is taking oath," Jaitley told reporters in an apparent reference to Nath. A commission appointed by a Congress government gave a clean chit to the then dispensation, and it was the Nanavati commission constituted by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government of the BJP-led NDA that collated riot cases police station vise, Jaitley said. The Narendra Modi government formed the Mathur committee and a SIT was later constituted to reinvestigate many riots cases, the Union Finance minister said. Convicting Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 case, the Delhi High Court said the riots were a "crime against humanity" perpetrated by those who enjoyed "political patronage". Congress leaders on Monday said the conviction of Sajjan Kumar by the Delhi High Court in a 1984 case should not be politicised and the law should take its own course. Jesuit authorities for 20 US states have released the names of 89 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as 1950. The disclosures by the Jesuit provinces of Maryland and USA Midwest are the latest chapter in the ongoing sexual abuse scandal roiling the Catholic Church and come after 153 Jesuits were publicly identified by two other provinces earlier this month. Maryland released 24 names with allegations dating back to 1950 and USA Midwest released 65 names dating back to 1955. Many of the individuals are deceased, and some were previously publicly known to be accused of sexual assault. "On behalf of the Midwest Jesuits, I apologize to victim-survivors and their families for the harm and suffering you have endured. Many of you have suffered in silence for decades," Brian Paulson, head of the province headquartered in Chicago, said in an open letter. Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with some 16,000 members worldwide. They operate 30 colleges and 81 schools in the United States and Canada. The names made public Monday included dozens of priests with multiple allegations of abuse who served in educational institutions. The priest with the most recent allegations was Donald McGuire who died in federal prison in 2017 while serving a 25-year sentence. His was among the names that had been previously publicized. Numerous men have accused McGuire of molesting them when they were boys. The first allegations dated to the 1950s, when he worked at a Jesuit private high school in Chicago, and went as late as 2005. "Most of the Jesuits on our list entered religious life from the 1930's through the early 1960's. In retrospect, our evaluation of candidates, as well as the training, formation, and supervision of Jesuits was not adequate," Paulson said. Paulson added that the organization had learned from its mistakes, and has improved training for Jesuits and was holding them accountable if abuse allegations are made. The latest revelations came as religious orders -- which do not fall under the same church hierarchy as diocese -- are starting to face similar scrutiny as the rest of the Catholic Church and embarking on efforts at transparency. Earlier this month, provinces overseeing Jesuits in more than 20 western, southern and central US states released lists of 153 members accused of child sexual abuse. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares of declined over 4 per cent after the company's former Nikos Kardassis, who made a comeback to the carrier in an advisory role, has once again parted ways with it. The airline, after a negative opening on the BSE, further slipped 4.55 per cent to Rs 248.10 per share. At 1324 hrs, the scrip was trading at Rs 249.7, lower 3.94 per cent from the previous close. On the Natio nal Stock Exchange, the stocks slumped 4.57 per cent to the low of Rs 248. The Greek-American veteran in his third comeback to Naresh Goyal-controlled in May was roped in to revive the fortunes of the full-service carrier following its dismal financial performance since January this year. "Kardassis, whom Goyal roped in to help him in the airline's turnaround plan, had gone on leave to his native place in November but after that, he did not return," a source privy to the development told on Sunday. The former chief executive officer parted ways with the after Goyal initiated discussions with his investment partner for further stake sale to garner funds, said another source. Troubled carrier said Monday that a of specific transactions is being carried out following directions from (SBI). The full service airline is grappling with financial woes and is looking to raise funds. "As per the directions of State Bank of India, a of specific transactions of the company for the period April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2018 is in progress. "The company is fully cooperating with the auditors and providing them all the information, as is being sought in this connection," said in a regulatory filing. SBI, the lead banker to the airlines' over Rs 80 billion loans, has mandated EY to conduct the of its books, sources said last week. The airline has been in the red for three consecutive quarters. Sources had said the audit was ordered following a complaint of alleged financial irregularities in accounts by a whistleblower. In August, the government had ordered an inspection of books and papers of the airline. Last month, chief executive officer Vinay Dube said the airline was in active discussions with various investors to secure sustainable financing. Union minister Jitendra Singh Monday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces after the Supreme Court "exposed his lies" on the Rafale jet deal. Addressing a press conference here, Singh said the Congress chief should reveal his source of information for allegations regarding the fighter jet deal and his party should give answers to the people of the country. The Union minister was speaking as part of the BJP's move to hold press conferences in 70 cities across the country to attack the opposition party against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's verdict on the Rafale jet deal last week. "The Supreme Court has exposed their lies," the minister said, adding Congress's "misinformation" regarding Rafale jets' pricing, procedure and offset partner, has been exposed. He claimed Gandhi led this "misinformation campaign" from the front. "So, question arises that after Supreme Court's verdict, should he not own the moral responsibility and resign from his post," he said. The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the pleas challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 Rafale jets, saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision making process" warranting setting aside of the contract. The Congress has repeatedly criticised the deal for the 36 Rafale jets, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government. The government has, however, denied any irregularity in the deal. "Gandhi should apologise to the people, whom they misled with their misinformation campaign, to the prime minister for whom he used such words like chowkidar chor hai...Should he not tender an apology to country's armed forces whose morale they tried to lower by creating a perception that there were irregularities in this deal," Singh said. Accompanied by Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon, Singh said that the government had always maintained that it was ready to debate on all issues in Parliament, but the Congress did not allow it to happen. "They have washed out every session. Outside the Parliament, they tell the media that government does not allow debate, but inside the House, they disturb the proceedings. They don't have courage and conviction to engage in a debate," Singh claimed. He also slammed the Congress for making the "sensitive" issue a matter of public debate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Governor has recommended the Centre to impose President's rule in the state after the expiry of six-months of Governor's rule on December 19, officials said on Monday. A communication from the governor's office has been sent to the Union Home Ministry which will be taken up by the Union cabinet before the expiry of the governor's rule on December 19, they said. After the cabinet nod, the same would be signed by who will issue a proclamation which declares that the powers of the Legislature of the State shall be exercisable by or under the authority of Parliament. The state plunged into a political crisis in June this year after the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government was reduced to minority following withdrawal of support by the 25-member BJP in the state. In such cases, since the state has a separate Constitution, six months of governor's rule is compulsory under Article 92 of the Constitution, under which all the legislature powers are vested with the governor. The governor has to dissolve the Legislative Assembly after the tenure of six months is over and the state will directly come under the President's rule for following six months during which elections have to be declared in state. In case the elections are not declared, President Rule will be can be extended by another six months. No Presidential proclamation shall in any case remain in force for more than three years except for the intervention of Election Commission of India which has to certify that the continuance in force of the Proclamation is necessary on account of difficulties in holding general elections to the Legislative Assembly. Since the state does not come under President's rule under Article 356 of the Constitution and is promulgated under Section 92 of the state Constitution, all the decisions taken thereof shall have a concurrence of the President under Article 74 (1)(i) under which council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head will aid and advise the President. The governor on November 21 dissolved the 87-member state assembly after the PDP, supported by the Congress and their arch rivals Conference, had staked claim to form the government. Simultaneously, the two-member People's Conference led by Sajjad Lone had also staked claim to form a government with 25 members of the BJP and other 18 unknown members. The governor had dissolved the assembly citing horse-trading and lack of stablity to form a government as the reasons. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union has accused the varsity of dropping the subscription of important journals over paucity of funds. Making the announcement at a press conference, the students body shared documents of the Library Advisory Committee meeting held last month. Prior to holding the presser, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) said it had got a letter from the administration advising them not to hold the press conference outside the library since such activities within 100 metres of the administration block have been prohibited by the Delhi High Court. The JNUSU, however, said the press conference was held 800 metres away from the administration block. It alleged that seven subscriptions were dropped by the varsity. These include EBSCO -International Security and Counterterrorism, Wiley Subject Collection Journal, Nature Journals, Sage Journals, Cambridge Journal, Cell Press Journal and Science Direct, the JNUSU said. It accused the varsity administration of cutting down library funds from Rs 8 crore to Rs 1.7 crore. The university, however, rubbished the claims. It said it had been allocating to the library every year an amount of Rs 1.70 crore for books and journals from its grant received annually from the University Grants Commission (UGC). "However, in the year 2012, the UGC gave one time bulk grant to JNU under the 12th Plan for five years from which an extra amount was allocated for the next five years. Now that the 12th plan has ended the library is running with its regular annual grant," the varsity had said earlier. "At the moment, some of the journals that were freely available through INFLIBNET and paid by the UGC are under review and the situation is expected to be sorted out soon," a varsity official said. The JNU students union, however, expressed fear that the journals might not be renewed next year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president N Sai Balaji has accused the administration of "lying" about the agency which had been tasked to hold the varsity's online entrance examinations. He said he had filed an RTI seeking details of the tender bids for holding the examination for academic year 2019-20. He said he had filed the RTI in October and received a reply on December 10. In the RTI, Balaji had sought to know the name of the agency which was selected for holding the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) online entrance examinations and also asked for the copy of all the bids for the tenders received. The JNUSU president was told that the information was not available and could not be provided at this point of time as the bid evaluation was under process. "After the academic council meeting on December 7, the varsity had said that the National Testing Agency had agreed to conduct the computer-based entrance examinations. Either they were lying then or the RTI reply is a lie," he said. Balaji said he had also sought for a copy of advertisement for the tender bids for holding the online entrance examinations. "The RTI reply said the tender documents were uploaded on the Central Public Procurement Portal which is in the public domain. But the details have not been uploaded on the website," he alleged. The JNUSU chief also questioned the varsity over its claims of paucity of funds. "If the varsity is facing paucity of funds, how is it conducting the online entrance examinations which require a huge amount of funds?" he said. He claimed the cost of holding online entrance exams at more than 72 centres was anywhere between Rs 8 crore to Rs 11 crore, whereas the cost of holding the examinations using paper was around Rs 3 crore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Loans of up to Rs two lakh of Madhya Pradesh farmers will be waived, with Chief Minister Kamal Nath Monday signing a file to the effect. The move follows a promise by Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the poll campaign that if people of Madhya Pradesh voted for Congress, then they would implement farmers' loan waiver within 10 days of coming to power. Nath was sworn in as the state's 18th CM Monday. After Nath signed on the file pertaining to waiving off farmers' loans of up to Rs two lakh, Principal Secretary, Farmers' Welfare and Agriculture Development Department, Rajesh Rajora issued the loan waiver order. The order said: Madhya Pradesh Government has taken a decision to write off short-term crop loan of eligible farmers up to the limit of Rs two lakh, as on March 31, 2018, from nationalised and cooperative banks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The newly sworn-in Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath has a strong connect with the industrial town of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh where he was born and also had his Now that a "son of Kanpur" has become the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, the locals are celebrating blissfully along with the likes of his classmate RP Awasthi, a businessman who runs a confectionary shop in Khalisi Lines. Kamal Nath, was born on January 18, 1946 in a reputed family in Khalasi Lines of McRobertganj and had made headlines in politics also when he was here, Awasthi recalled. The new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh has deep ties with Kanpur which is also known as the Manchester of the East. The Kanpurites are taking great pride in the fact that the chief minister belongs to Kanpur, he said. Awasthi said Kamal Nath did his early schooling here and he was his classmate. But soon he left for the coveted Doon School and they lost touch. He, however, returned to Kanpur and completed his studies in law from DAV College during which they met each other many times. Soon after getting the law degree, he left the city and got active in politics and since then they drifted apart, Awasthi said. Harprakash Agnihotri, the district president of Congress, said Kamal Nath completed his Bachelor of Commerce from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata before returning to Kanpur and got the degree in Law from DAV. Agnihotri added Nath was an ambitious and forward thinking person from his early age and always had an interest in the politics. He got the chance to hear senior national leaders, top office bearers and senior colleagues of Congress district committee many times and he met Sanjay gandhi at the Doon School and became good friend with him, Agnihotri said. He was very impressed with the vision and philosophy of Congress, Agnihotri said. As soon as the of victory of Congress in Madhya Pradesh came and Kamal Nath's chances of becoming the chief minister started making rounds, the city folks started celebrations over the success of the "son of the town". 72-year-old Kamal Nath was sworn in as the 18th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh after the Congress named the nine-time Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara to head the state Congress Legislature Party, following hours of hectic parleys held by party chief Rahul Gandhi and party leaders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde, named an accused by the Pune Police in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima, Monday denied all charges against him, urging the Bombay High Court to quash the FIR against him. Even as the police argued before the court that it had ample evidence that "implicated" Teltumbde in the case, the latter told a bench of Justices B P Dharmadhikari and Sarang Kotwal that he was not part of anything illegal and all his social and financial dealings had always been "above board". Teltumbde's lawyer, senior advocate Mihir Desai, told the bench that on December 30 and 31 last year, his client was in Goa and not in Pune, or anywhere close to the site of the violence near Koregaon-Bhima. Desai argued in support of a petition filed by Teltumbde through him seeking that an FIR registered by the Pune Police in October naming him as a co-accused in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon-Bhima case be quashed. "I (Teltumbde) wasn't present at the site of the incident. I have been available for questioning, but the police is yet to summon me," Desai said. "The police is only placing reliance on a bunch of letters that are not signed. I have also never been a part of any fact finding committee for Gadchiroli (a Naxal-affected district in eastern Maharashtra). And in fact, I have never been to Gadchiroli," he added. Desai also argued that even if one were to assume hypothetically that Teltumbde was part of a fact finding team for Gadchiroli that did not make him a "terrorist". Advocate Aruna Pai, who appeared for the Pune Police, however, objected to Teltumbde's plea, saying there was adequate incriminating evidence against the activist but he was yet to be arrested as the police were "busy" probing other accused. The bench has heard a bunch of petitions filed in the case by Teltumbde, and his co-accused activist Gautam Navlakha-- arrested in August by the Pune Police for his alleged links to "Maoists" and an event, Elgar Parishad, held on December 31 last year. Delhi-based Navlakaha was subsequently put under house arrest on the Supreme Court orders. However, on October 1, the Delhi High Court ordered Navlakha's release. As per the police, the Elgar Parishad event was funded and supported by Maoists. At the event, held a day before the January 1 caste clashes at Koregaon-Bhima, located on the outskirts of Pune city, the activists made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements that contributed to the violence, the police said. Several activists were named in the FIR. Some of them, including Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj, P Varavara Rao and Navlakha were initially put under house arrest on the directions of the Supreme Court. However, all of them except Navlakha were re-arrested and taken into custody by the Pune Police recently. In October, another FIR was registered by the Pune Police on the same issue, naming eight more activists including Teltumbde and Stan Swamy. Teltumbde and Swamy are yet to be arrested in the case. While Teltumbde has been named as an accused, the Pune Police told the HC last week Swamy was still just a "suspect". The bench reserved its verdict on Teltumbde's plea and as a consequence, the interim protection from arrest granted to him previously will be extended until the verdict. Last week, Navlakha was granted similar protection till January 14. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) K T Rama Rao, the son of TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, took over as the party's working president on Monday, a move seen by many as his virtual anointment as the heir apparent. Amid much fanfare, Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, assumed the new responsibility at Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters here. State Home Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali, and senior leader and the chief minister's nephew, T Harish Rao, were among those present. Thousands of party workers, holding placards and some dancing to drumbeats, took part in a rally led by Rama Rao to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) headquarters. The activists hailed Rama Rao, who had held key portfolios in the first TRS government, as a "visionary" leader. The 42-year old, who was considered as the number two in the party for the past couple of years, had played a key role in the thumping win of the TRS in the recent Assembly polls. Rama Rao said the party president had given him an important responsibility to make TRS an "unconquerable force in the future, as time has come for him (Chandrasekhar Rao) to be involved in government administration, in taking forward the welfare and development schemes undertaken on a large scale by the state government". Rama Rao, known to be a suave and articulate leader, has been appointed as the working president as Chandrasekhar Rao would be focusing on national politics, a release from the Chief Minister's Office had said last week. Rama Rao, who was the minister for IT, industries and municipal administration in the previous government, won from the Sircilla constituency for the fourth time in the recent Assembly polls. After doing MSc in biotechnology from the University of Pune, Rao went on to obtain an MBA degree in marketing and e-commerce from City University of New York. It has been a meteoric rise for Rama Rao since he took the political plunge in 2009 after quitting the lucrative job in the United States. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lack of synergy and miscommunication between various wings of security forces led to mayhem in South Kashmir's Pulwama district Saturday that resulted in the death of seven civilians after an encounter with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, officials said on Monday. The lack of synergy was to the extent that civilians had almost reached the Army vehicles engaged in encounter and there was serious apprehension that the mob could harm the personnel or loot the weapons, they said. This had prompted the security forces to open fire at the unruly crowd which approached the encounter site at Sirnoo village from multiple directions Saturday, they added. Even the governor's advisor K Vijay Kumar, in his address to senior police officials Sunday, stressed on ensuring effective coordination and synergy between security agencies, besides exercising restraint to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage during anti-militancy operations and security related drills in the valley. According to an internal probe, the day for the crack team began early Saturday morning and a hideout was raided in an area adjacent to Simroo village, which is the native area of Zahoor Thoker, an army deserter-turned-militant. He is wanted in several cases of killings of security forces, including rifleman Auranzeb in June and sub-inspector Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir in October. After drawing a blank from the first hideout, the crack team of security forces did not come up with anything at the second hideout as well but established contact with holed up terrorists in a couple of houses near an orchard. "This was the third place raided by the crack team and here they were fired upon by the holed up militants," a senior security official said. In the ensuing encounter, Thoker, who had gone missing in July last year from his camp in Gantmulla area along with an AK-47 rifle, was killed along with his two other accomplices. However, the crack team had not made adequate arrangements to ensure complete sanitisation of the encounter site because of paucity of time, the officials said. People started thronging the encounter site as the outer cordon, which was to be thrown around by the CRPF and the local police, was not in place due to lack of communication, they said. As many as 20 people sustained bullet injuries Saturday out of which seven civilians died, including 28-year-old MBA graduate Abid Hussain Lone, who had come home along with his Indonesian wife and three-month-old baby. By the time, local police along with the CRPF could reach the spot of the encounter, the damage was done and people were seen running helter-skelter rushing the injured people to the hospital in Srinagar, a distance of 34 kilometres. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was recently reinstated as the premier by President Maithripala Sirisena, said Monday he would register a new political alliance 'National Democratic Front' (NDF) to contest future elections. Addressing his first rally of United National Party (UNP) supporters after his re-appointment, Wickremesinghe said that Parliament can vote with two-thirds to hold elections. "We are currently working on forming the National Democratic Front (NDF) to face the next election," he said. "We are ready to hold elections constitutionally," Wickremesinghe said. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said abolishing the executive Presidency and bringing about a political solution will be part of the agenda of his new Government. An embarrassed Sirisena, whose controversial actions plunged the island nation into an unprecedented political turmoil for nearly two months, reinstated Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister on Sunday, after sacking him on October 26 and appointing ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place and also dissolving Parliament, some 20 months early. Sirisena was left with no other option following two separate decisions by the Supreme Court, which nullified his illegal moves. The president said he offered to reappoint Wickremesinghe as the prime minister as he respects parliamentary traditions and democracy. Ex-strongman Rajapaksa resigned from the post on Saturday, a day after the apex court refused to stay another court order restraining him from acting as the prime minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ANOTHER day, another fire in Grand Turk, this time in North Back Salina where a building that housed several businesses was demolished by an early morning blaze. Police and persons out of the capital reported on Thursday morning (December 13) that the fire was discovered at about 3.30am and fire fighters were immediately called to douse the flames. Emergency officials were unable to save the building which housed a restaurant, a bar and a mechanics shop as they met the entire structure completely engulfed in flames when they arrived on the scene. They were finally able to extinguish the fire at 6.24am, police reported. No one was reported injured in the incident. Investigations are ongoing. Left parties on Monday welcomed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case. "The law has taken thirty-four long years to finally catch up and deliver justice," said the CPI(M) in a statement. The party demanded that all victims of communal violence whether they are from 1984, 2002 or other such incidents should get justice. "Political leaders who led, backed and shielded the mobs must be brought to justice," said the party. CPI national general secretary D Raja said though the court took 34 years to nail the culprits, finally justice has been delivered. "Law takes its own course. It took a long time but finally justice has been delivered," he said. Kumar was Monday sentenced to life in prison by the Delhi High Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The average of students getting campus placements from management, technical and engineering institutions is less than 60 per cent, Parliament was informed on Monday. The information was shared by Union Minister of State for HRD Satya Pal Singh in response to a written question in Lok Sabha. "As per the placement data of students available with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), average of the graduates from management, technical and engineering institutions has not reached up to 60 per cent," Singh said. "To encourage 100 per cent placements to the graduates, has launched outcome-based model curriculum for UG and PG level courses in engineering and management programmes to make it industry oriented. Institutions have now been made responsible for arranging internships of their students so as to enhance their employability," he added. Lt Governor Anil Baijal Monday asked the Delhi government to audit all third party-run children homes and shelter homes in the city to ensure the safety and security of the inmates. Baijal also instructed officials concerned to deploy more female civil defence volunteers and guards in schools to instill a sense of security among the girls students, an official statement said. The move comes a day after the sixth anniversary of the 'Nirbhaya' gang rape case. The lieutenant governor issued a number of directions as he chaired a meeting of the 'Task Force on Women Safety' here. "The LG directed Social Welfare department to make arrangements for auditing all the children homes as well as shelter homes run by third party under their jurisdiction to ensure safety and security of the inmates to avoid any untoward incidents," the LG's office said in the statement. It further stated that he also directed the secretary to ensure that regular inspections are carried out in schools to identify and address security deficiencies in the institutions. According to the statement, Baijal directed him to obtain feedback from students, teachers, ex-students and ex-teachers to make reforms for the betterment of the schools as well as the students. It added that the LG asked the Transport department to expedite the process of installing emergency buttons in DTC buses connected with the Delhi Police headquarters. A 23-year-old paramedical student was gang-raped in a moving bus in Delhi six years ago on 16th December, and she later died at a hospital. The incident triggered massive 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.) A local court Monday fixed January 5 as the next date for hearing Ludhiana city centre scam case which allegedly involves Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, his son and son-in-law, among others. District and Session Judge Gurbir Singh will hear arguments on the reply filed by former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini here. In a plea on November 28, Saini had requested the court to make him a party in the case as he was the chief director of the vigilance bureau when an FIR was registered in this connection. In his reply on Monday, Saini submitted that the state government was repeatedly changing its stand on who was the actual complainant in the case. The former DGP further submitted that one of the accused (Amarinder Singh) was not only the chief executive of the state but also the minister in-charge of vigilance and prosecution departments when the irregularity was done. "The respondent state is arguing in favour of and in defence of the accused. An extraordinary situation has been created here," he submitted in his reply. His reply came after the state representing the vigilance bureau, on December 7, had submitted that Saini was "neither an informant, nor a complainant and has no locus standi to file the petition". Earlier, District and Session Judge Gurbir Singh had dismissed pleas of MLA Simarjit Bains and former SSP of the vigilance bureau K S Sandhu to make them party in the case. They had opposed the closure report filed by the vigilance bureau that gave a clean chit to Amarinder Singh, his son and other accused in the case. The Rs 1,100 crore scam case, alleging that a private builder was favoured during Amarinder Singh's term as the chief minister in 2003, was filed in 2007 when the SAD-BJP coalition was in power. Overruling its 100-page charge sheet filed initially, the state vigilance bureau in August last year had filed a closure report in the case, saying a reinvestigation of the matter found nothing to substantiate the charges against Amarinder Singh, his son Raninder Singh, son-in-law Raminder Singh and 33 others. The case had been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Though the charge sheet was filed earlier, the charges were yet to be framed against the accused. Touted as one of the biggest projects in the state, the Ludhiana city centre plan was rolled out in 2006. To be spread over 25 acres of land, the project proposed to have shopping malls, 12 multiplexes, residential apartments, helipad and parking slots. The project site on Pakhowal Road of Ludhiana is currently in ruins. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Parliament proceedings were disrupted for the fourth consecutive day Monday over the Rafale jet deal and Cauvery issues, leading to adjournment of Rajya Sabha for the day soon after it met, and Lok Sabha after passing a bill on transgender rights amid adjournments. In Rajya Sabha, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House within minutes of assembling as Members of Tamil Nadu parties - DMK and AIADMK -- stormed into the well and Congress and treasury benches raised slogans. Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has given a notice for taking up of a discussion over the government allegedly misguiding the Supreme Court over the purchase of Rafale jets from France. He was countered by slogan-shouting from members of treasury benches who demanded an apology from the Congress after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the deal. AIADMK and DMK members were in the well seeking a permanent solution to the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Lok Sabha was adjourned thrice since it met in the morning, before being adjourned for the day. The treasury and the opposition benches sparred over the Rafale jet deal issue with both sides raising slogans against each other. While the AIADMK raised issues related to construction of a dam over Cauvery river, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) sought special status for Andhra Pradesh. Congress members raised the issue of government's stand in the Supreme Court over the Rafale deal and accused it of misleading the top court. BJP members, who were on their feet, raised slogans such as "Rahul Gandhi apologise" to counter the Congress offensive. Monday was the fifth sitting of the Winter session. While on Tuesday last, the two Houses were adjourned for the day after obituary references to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Cabinet Minister Ananth Kumar and other sitting members, little business was transacted in the two Houses on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which makes the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offence, was introduced in Lok Sabha after it met in the noon on Monday. It seeks to replace an ordinance issued in September. Amid slogan shouting, Congress' Shashi Tharoor opposed the introduction of the bill, terming it as unconstitutional. When the House met again after a second asdjournment, The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill was moved for passage. Amid din, five members participated in the debate questioning the provisions of the legislation. The 27 amendments moved by the government, along with some others moved by opposition members, were considered amid noisy scenes. The bill was later passed and the House adjourned for the day. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra Sikh Association (MSA), a nodal body of the Sikh community in the state, has welcomed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Delhi High Court on Monday sentenced Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment for criminal conspiracy to commit murder. The MSA in a statement said it was hopeful that other culprits in the case would also be awarded punishment soon. MSA convener Bal Malkit Singh said the association had several times submitted memorandums to various top leaders and dignitaries, demanding speedy justice in the case. "We hail the justice granted to the Sikh community, although delayed by 34 years. The painful stories that we heard bring to fore the ugly memories and pain of untold dimensions. We hope that all the criminals will be sentenced soon," Singh said in the statement. In February this year, the MSA had held a protest at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai to demand justice for the victims. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Announcing the verdict, the Delhi High Court said Kumar's life imprisonment will be for the remainder of his life and asked him to surrender by December 31. The court also asked him not to leave Delhi before that. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mahindra & Mahindra said Monday it has inked a share subscription agreement with its Finland-based associate firm Sampo Rosenlew to increase its stake to 49.04 per cent from the existing 35 per cent for Rs 37.74 crore. "The company has signed a Share Subscription Agreement with Sampo Rosenlew Oy, Finland, an Associate of the Company ("Sampo") and has agreed to subscribe to 822 equity shares and 192 compulsorily convertible preference shares. Pursuant to this, the voting rights of the Company in Sampo would increase from 35 per cent to up to 49.04 per cent," a BSE filing said. According to statement total acquisition cost is Euro 46,59,534 (equivalent to around Rs 37.74 crore at the foreign exchange rate of Rs 81 per Euro). It will acquire 822 equity shares at Euro 3,333 per share and 192 CCPS at Euro 9,999 per CCPS. The acquisition of share would be completed in four weeks. The Sampo was founded in 1853 and is based out of Pori, Finland. Sampo is a manufacturer of combine harvesters and forest machinery with market presence in Europe, CIS and Algeria. Sampo is a European combine harvester company, well-known for mid-sized combine harvesters in the markets of Europe, Eurasian countries and North Africa and is also a joint venture partner for combine harvesters in Algeria. Together with its existing strategy in the core markets, Sampo is developing a new range of combine harvesters for developing markets and for specialty crops. The Company and Sampo will jointly focus on the combine & specialty harvester business in Asia, Africa and Eurasian Economic Union countries and Latin America. The Sampo had a total revenue of Euro 52 million during the period October, 2017 to September, 2018, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Maxim India, the most popular men's lifestyle magazine in the country, published monthly by Burda Media India, achieved a distinction of India's first progressive 3D mainstream magazine cover - courtesy OnePlus, India's No 1 premium Smartphone brand. The cover uses special lenticular printing technology, popular with big-budget movies and limited special interest media projects. Lenticular printing technology uses special lenses to create the illusion of depth and progressive movement, when the image is viewed from different angles. It is an expensive, specialised process that needs special high-resolution filters to create this 'movement' and '3D animation'. The issue, featuring Radhika Apte, is a limited edition worthy of collectors and highlights the Alpha upscale positioning of Maxim, its diverse content and the way it has continued to focus on an optimal mix of print and digital. Bjrn Rettig, CEO, Burda Media India, said, "Burda Media always seeks to push the boundaries of innovation in print, digital and other media. We're uniquely positioned to offer our partners out-of-the-box solutions, and this 3D cover is one example of that. We have a large repository of editorial talent and we work with some of the most accomplished creative people in the country, which allows us to customise media offerings and ensure they are dynamic and singular. All our brands are market-leaders in their categories, and we're slowly expanding our reach to cover different areas of luxury and lifestyle." Maxim India, is the first mainstream national consumer magazine to launch a limited edition progressive 3D cover. No other B2C magazine with all-India distribution has done this before. Launched in 2006, Maxim India is the biggest men's lifestyle magazine in India, published monthly by Burda Media India. Burda Media's brands are market-leaders in their categories, and now strategically expanding its reach to cover different areas of luxury and lifestyle. Vivek Pareek, Editorial Director, Burda Media India and Editor-in-Chief, Maxim, said, "We are very proud to partner again with OnePlus, a powerful youth brand, and innovative to its core. This 3D cover, a first for a national consumer magazine in India, highlights our dedication to offer tech-savvy readers something memorable. This form of execution - a first-of-its-kind, has delighted us that this has come out so well, and excited at how well it's being received." About Burda MediaBurda Media has a large repository of editorial talent and works with some of the most accomplished creative people in the country, which enables to customise media offerings and ensure they are dynamic and singular. Burda Media India Private Limited is the largest travel publisher in India with a portfolio of pan-platform, luxury and premium brands that include Travel+Leisure India & South Asia, Discover India, and asiaSpa India. Hubert Burda Media, headquartered in Munich, is an international technology and media company with over 600 brands and products that are oriented to the needs of consumers. Burda has 185 million users and approximately 46 million paying consumers. Its commercial success is driven by over 11,000 employees around the world. Burda is active in 20 markets, including Germany (where it is one of the country's largest media groups), elsewhere in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Hubert Burda Media's portfolio ranges from leading magazine brands, digital platforms to innovative technologies such as its web browser Cliqz. A culture of entrepreneurship and innovation is the driving force behind the organisation, which builds on its original roots and values as a family-owned company. About OnePlus OnePlus is a global mobile technology company challenging conventional concepts of technology. Created around the 'Never Settle' mantra, OnePlus creates exquisitely designed devices with premium build quality and high-performance hardware. OnePlus thrives on cultivating strong bonds and growing together with its community of users and fans. For more information, please visit oneplus.com. Source: Burda Media India Pvt. Ltd. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle's estranged father Thomas on Monday pleaded with his daughter to stop "ghosting" him and get in touch with him over Christmas. Thomas, who has not spoken to the new member of the British royal family since she got married to Prince Harry in a grand ceremony at Windsor Castle in May this year, said he had been texting his daughter every day and writing letters to her but she has been "ghosting" him a term used when someone ends all communication with another person. "I'm not sure why it's happening. I have been trying to reach out for several weeks, every day I try to text her, but haven't received anything back," the 74-year-old retired Hollywood lighting director told ITV's "Good Morning Britain" in an interview from his home in San Diego in the US. "I love you very much, you're my daughter and I would really like to hear from you. Whatever differences we have, we should be able to work them out," he said, making a direct plea. Thomas dismissed accusations that the 37-year-old former actress was "rude" in reference to media reports of a feud between her and sister-in-law Kate Middleton, but admitted that she could be a controlling person. "I don't believe them (the reports) I think they're gossip Meghan has never been rude to anyone; she learned to respect everyone. She's always been a very controlling person and that's part of her nature but she's never been rude," he said. "The ghosting, I don't completely understand she's always been in charge, that's her nature, but not been rude," he added, during the first interview since the of his daughter's pregnancy broke in October. Thomas, who has never met his son-in-law, said he remained "hopeful" he would be able to meet his future grandchild, who is due next spring. Thomas said his daughter would make a great mother and is just desperate to reconnect because there has to be a place for him as her father and "grandfather of her children". He even made an indirect request to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry's grandmother, to step in, saying: "I would appreciate anything she (Queen) can do and I would think that she would want to resolve the family problems. "All families, royal or otherwise, are the same and should be together at the (Christmas) holidays." The former husband of Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, did not attend his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry as he was recovering from heart surgery. He had become the subject of controversy after it was revealed that he had staged photographs with the paparazzi in return for money a few days prior to the wedding. During the interview, Thomas said he had "apologised 100 times for that". "That's not worthy of being shunned or ghosted that's ridiculous," he said. Thomas, who ITV said had not been paid for the interview, suggested the royal couple may have been influenced by press reports about him. He said: "The unfortunate thing about my daughter and Harry is that they believe everything they read in the papers. "For the first year, they were telling me never believe those things but now they're believing it and thinking I'm saying a lot of things that I'm not saying." Kensington Palace, the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's office as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, did not comment on the interview. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Having a daughter makes men less likely to hold traditional attitudes towards gender roles, a trend that became particularly pronounced when daughters reached school-age, a study has found. Researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) analysed the effects of becoming the parent of a daughter on both men and women. A representative sample of parents from a survey spanning two decades in the UK between 1991 and 2012 were assessed on whether they supported the notion of the 'traditional male breadwinner', with the wife as a homemaker. Researchers found strong evidence that having daughters decreases fathers' likelihood to hold traditional attitudes towards gender roles, a trend that became particularly pronounced when daughters reached school-age. They found that father's likelihood to support traditional gender roles typically declined by eight per cent when their daughters were in primary school and by 11 per cent when their daughters reached secondary school. Comparatively, the effect of having a daughter on mother's attitudes was not significant, confirming findings from previous studies that having a daughter affects men and women differently. In addition to changes in attitudes amongst fathers, the authors found behavioural change occurred, as parents of school-age daughters were less likely follow a traditional gender division of work. While researchers do not directly test the underlying reasons for their findings, they note that instead of the change occurring at the time of the birth of their daughter, the significant attitude change occurs in fathers around the time their daughters reach school age. This coincides with the period where children experience a stronger social pressure to conform to gender norms, researchers said. "Through parenting, fathers of daughters may develop a better understanding of women's and girls' disadvantages in society, resulting in a significant shift in their attitudes towards gender norms," researchers said. Mothers, on the other hand, hold less traditional attitudes to start with and appear to be less affected by parenting daughters. This may be because they 'have already been exposed to situations of disadvantage first-hand,' researchers said. "Traditional attitudes towards gender roles can be a barrier to achieving gender equality inside and outside the workplace, so our evidence that such attitudes can change over time is very encouraging," said Julia Philipp, a PhD candidate in LSE. "The study shows that attitudes rather than fixed over time, can change later in life. This is a very promising finding that suggests that exposure to others' circumstances can help shape behaviour," Philipp said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) THE BEREAVED husband of a New York lawyer who was mysteriously slain while on vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands is still looking for answers. Marie Kuhnla, 62, a Long Island public defender of Wantagh, was travelling with a co-worker and one or two others who reported her missing on October 15. Her body was later discovered in bushes near the Club Med resort just after 7am the following day. She was subsequently pronounced dead. The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force has since ruled the death of the tourist as a murder and investigations are underway. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the lawyer were not immediately clear and have left her grieving family with many unanswered questions. Her husband, Rick Kuhnla, who was visibly overcome with emotion spoke of his relationship with his wife of 38 years during an exclusive interview with ABC news on Tuesday (December 11). He said: "She was murdered. I could at least say it now. I couldnt say it a month ago. He added that he is very suspicious of the manner in which authorities in the TCI are handling the investigation. "Their only industry there is tourism, he said of the TCI. "You would feel [the local police would] be motivated to solve it quickly, but you cant help but think they want to sweep it under the rug. Kuhnla said he is very frustrated with how little is being done to catch his wifes killer. The Royal TCI Police Force in a statement on Tuesday said that the department "extends its sympathy to the family and friends of Maria Khunla and would wish to reassure them and the public that we continue to investigate this terrible crime and are working with international partners to find the person or persons responsible. "This is a complex case and naturally we cannot release confidential information, however, we can state that we are exploring a number of lines of enquiry here in the Turks and Caicos and elsewhere. "We will utilise all available means including sophisticated forensic science in our efforts, the statement added. The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police is still appealing to anyone overseas or locally with information to contact the Serious Crime Unit or call Crime Stoppers on (649) 232-9151. (By Olivia Rose) The Meghalaya government Monday sought the Union Home Ministry's help to rescue 13 miners who were trapped in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district for the past five days, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said. The decision to seek MHA help comes after the initial rescue operations proved to be futile and the exercise to pump water out of the 370-feet-deep mine yielded little result, he told newsmen here. The miners were trapped on December 13 after water from nearby Lytein river had gushed into the illegal rat-hole mine at Ksan area Lumthari village, a senior district official, who is supervising the rescue operation, said, adding that the miners are now feared dead. "I have spoken to the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and requested him to send in more professional teams and the best equipment they have," Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told mediapersons at the sidelines of a programme here on Monday. The union minister, he said, has taken up the matter with experts and soon more assistance would arrive at the accident site. Conrad said rescue teams are trying their "level best" but the situation was "very difficult" as no matter how many pumps they used the flow of water was so high they were unable to bring it down to a level where they would be able to rescue the trapped miners. He assured the government will engage "whoever it takes and will try its level best to save the lives of the people who are trapped inside". Rescuers are using the sonar system and underwater cameras to detect the 13 miners but due to poor visibility in the water, the trapped miners could not be located, officials said. Sonar is an acronym for Sound Navigation and Ranging and is a technique that uses sound propagation, usually underwater to navigate, communicate with or detect objects on or under the surface of the water. The NDRF teams, which are involved in the rescue operation, along with the SDRF, have suggested to the district administration to call in Oil Natural Gas Corporation to deploy submersible water pumps to reduce the water level. According to an expert in the water resources management, over 5 lakh litres of water, reaching up to 70 feet, was estimated to be present in the main shaft of the mine. Meanwhile, the district superintendent of police Silvester Nongtyngnger said the actual number of victims could not be ascertained officially as there was no record of the miners engaged at any particular point in time. A person identified as Krip Chullet has been arrested in connection with the incident. He was allegedly involved in hiring labourers, overseeing the work and sending them down the shaft. In 2014, the National Green Tribunal had imposed a ban in Meghalaya on rat-hole coal mining a technique that entails digging small vertical pits to reach the mineral pockets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was taken into preventive custody after he tried take out a march here on Monday against the killing of seven civilians during an encounter in Kashmir's Pulwama district, officials said. The action was taken as Farooq tried to defy house arrest and take out the march to the Army's Chinar Corps headquarters in the Badami Bagh area here, they said. The separatists, under the banner of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), comprising Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had called for the march against the killings. Seven civilians died and several others were injured allegedly when security forces opened fire at a mob that thronged the site of an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district in which three terrorists and a soldier were killed on Saturday. Mirwaiz stepped out of his Nigeen residence to lead his supporters towards the Chinar Corps headquarters, a police official said. The separatist leader was, however, taken into preventive custody by police personnel posted outside his residence, the official said. Mirwaiz was shifted to the Nigeen police station. Before being taken to the police station, Mirwaiz said the security forces have "become a killing machine". "The killing of 10 Kashmiri's including an 8th standard student, young fathers, sons and brothers, is deeply saddening. After indiscriminate killings, civilians are branded as over ground workers and terrorists which is preposterous in itself, but what is worse is that this propaganda is used as a means of endorsing and justifying the civilians killings by armed forces," he said. Mirwaiz alleged that the government had overplayed the "terrorist/Pak proxy/instigators card and no one was buying this narrative except some people in India at whom it is aimed for electoral gains". Extending his condolences to the bereaved families, the Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman said people are not even allowed to express sorrow and mourn these brutalities as the "tormentors give no space to grieve collectively and express the overwhelming emotions at these killings". "We can only express our sorrow and outrage by stopping our daily business, as each day we lose valuable lives. "Shutdown is the only collective response left with us to express our condolences our sorrow our solidarity and our outrage to such atrocities. Every other space for expression of our emotions is barred by force," he said. The JRL had also called a three-day strike following the Saturday incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Mumbai Police Monday said they will examine the contents of a speech given by controversial Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide at a BMC school at Sewree in Central Mumbai. Bhide, who is accused of inciting caste violence near Koregaon-Bhima village in Pune district earlier this year, was in the city Sunday. "We will examine the contents of Bhide's speech, which was recorded by the Police and if we found anything inflammatory, action will be taken accordingly," an official said. As the event was organised inside a school hall, it did not require police permission, he said, adding the organisers had obtained permission from the BMC for using the hall. Initially, the event was scheduled to be held in Lalbaug in central Mumbai, but it was subsequently shifted to a school in Sewree (west) after police didn't grant a permission, a police official said. "We also received an application from the Bhim Army, which sought an action against Bhide, organisers of the event, BMC officials and headmaster of the school for giving permission for Bhide's speech at the school hall," he said. Supporters of Bhim Army had staged protests outside the hall, following which at least 28 of them were briefly detained under section 151 of CrPC, he said, adding no offence was registered against them. Nitin Chougule, a senior leader of Shivapratisthan, had claimed that the protest were politically motivated. "The violence near Pune had taken place almost a year back. No one could prove Bhide Guruji's involvement in it, still he has been frequently accused of being anti-Dalit," he had said. Bhide was booked by the Pune rural police in the wake of caste clashes near Koregaon-Bhima village in January this year. The violence had broken out when dalit activists had assembled to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Koregaon-Bhima battle in which Army of the Peshwas was defeated by the British forces, which according to some History accounts, comprised a large number of Dalit soldiers. The Mumbai police had denied permission for Bhide's lecture on "history of forts" in January this year, immediate after the Bhima Koregaon violence, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The NC demanded Monday a time-bound inquiry into the killing of seven civilians at an encounter site in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district and urged the administration to put an end to use of lethal weapons for dealing with law and order situations. Incidents like these does not auger well for a democratic country, National Conference general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said. "I urge the Governor's administration to initiate an inquiry into the incident and depute a fact-finding team to the place where the gory incident took place," Sagar said. The civilians died on Saturday when security forces allegedly opened fire at a crowd that tried to storm the site of an encounter in which three militants and an army man were killed, police had said. Provincial president of the party Nasir Aslam Wani said the probe should be time-bound and the perpetrators be brought to book. "The incumbent administration must initiate a time-bound inquiry into the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice," Wani said. Sagar said the Centre should put a stop to "civilian killings in Kashmir" and immediately initiate reconciliatory process. He said it was "unfortunate" and "criminal" that militants and protestors are being dealt with the same yardstick. "The Governor administration should make sure that non lethal weapons like water cannons are used to quell the protests. Incidents like these will not help to bring peace to the valley. Such horrendous incidents will push the already aggravated and aggrieved people especially the youth to wall," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that six months after giving birth, she's looking forward to spending more time with her daughter Neve over the Christmas break and thanking everybody who's helped her juggle responsibilities. Ardern spoke to The Associated Press on Monday as she carried around a box to hand-deliver holiday treats of coffee and peanut brittle to reporters at Parliament. She was keeping alive a tradition in New Zealand that would be hard to imagine in some countries due to the sometimes acrimonious relationships between journalists and politicians. Ardern is just the second world leader in modern times to give birth while in office. She said she's had lots of feedback about being a role model. "But my focus needs to be on furthering the agenda, and the work program, and all of the big challenges we were elected to address," she said. "For me, the added bonus is that I get to be a mom as well." Ardern's partner Clarke Gayford is the primary caregiver for Neve. He has recently returned to work as a presenter on a television show about fishing. "Filming for him is a sporadic thing," Ardern said. "So when he's away, we work around that. But primarily his number one job, still, is dad." Several lawmakers in New Zealand have also recently given birth, and Ardern said she gave plenty of credit to Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard for making the Parliament a more baby-friendly place. "He's really tried to set the tone," she said. "He's tried to create a flexible environment." She said she has little planned for the holiday period other than spending time with her family, and so will be letting Neve set the routine. She said Neve is growing fast. "She can sit for a few seconds before she topples over. So she's partially sitting up. She's 6 months this week, it's moved really quickly. But it's a lovely stage," Ardern said. "I'll be spending a lot of time with her over the holidays and that's the thing I'm looking forward to the most." New Zealand's parliament is in its final sitting week for 2018 and resumes in February. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Odisha Police has arrested two persons, including a Nigerian citizen, from New Delhi for duping a woman of Rs 41 lakh. The two had lured the woman from Puri district of the state to deposit the amount in a number of accounts on different occasions in lieu of valuable gifts like laptops and ornaments, police said. The arrested duo was brought here on transit remand and produced before a Puri court on Monday, said a release issued by the crime branch headquarters. The accused are Nwabueza Chukwudi Vincet (35), a Nigerian, who was residing in Uttam Nagar area of New Delhi and Piyush Arya (22), also a resident of the national capital. On suspicion that she was being cheated, the woman had reported the matter at the cyber police station here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nissan board members meeting Monday failed to agree a replacement for former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who is under arrest on allegations of financial misconduct, the firm said. "It was decided that the committee wishes to continue discussions, we accepted that," Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa said at a press conference after the board met in Tokyo. Media reports ahead of the meeting had suggested the firm would be unable to agree a replacement for Ghosn immediately, in part because of open discord with French automaker Renault. The two firms, along with Mitsubishi Motors, are part of a key auto alliance forged by Ghosn that has suffered growing public tensions since his arrest on November 19. Renault is now reportedly seeking more sway on the board of Nissan, which itself faces charges of allegedly submitting financial documents that understated Ghosn's pay. Saikawa declined to comment directly on the reports, which said Renault was urging Nissan to quickly organise a shareholders meeting to discuss the issue. He said such a meeting would only be called after a special committee looking into governance at Nissan had reported its findings. In a statement, Nissan said it was ready "at any time to provide a full briefing at a Renault board meeting in order to maintain an equal understanding among the Alliance partners. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The board of automaker failed Monday to agree a replacement for former chairman after his arrest for financial misconduct, as tensions grow in the firm's alliance with The Japanese company removed Ghosn from his post last month after he was detained on allegations of under-reporting his salary. But it failed Monday to name a replacement, with Hiroto Saikawa saying a committee advising the board on the decision needed more time. "It was decided that the committee wishes to continue discussions, we accepted that," he told a press conference after the board met in Yokohama. Media reports ahead of the meeting suggested the board was unlikely to reach a decision soon, in part because of open discord with French automaker itself faces charges of allegedly submitting financial documents that understated Ghosn's pay, and is now reportedly seeking more sway on the Japanese firm's board. The French firm has reportedly urged to call a shareholder meeting to discuss its representation on the board and within its top management. It warned Nissan's indictment "creates significant risks to Renault, as Nissan's largest shareholder, and to the stability of our industrial alliance", the Wall Street Journal reported. Saikawa declined to comment directly on the reports, and said Nissan would look to organise a shareholder meeting after a panel examining governance at the automaker reported its findings. In a statement, Nissan said it was ready "at any time to provide a full briefing at a Renault board meeting in order to maintain an equal understanding among the Alliance partners". But Saikawa's comments also made it clear that relations between the partners are increasingly difficult. "We have approached Renault. But the reaction of the Renault board was to refer us to their lawyers. So now Nissan's lawyers are communicating with Renault's lawyers," he said. "My understanding is that the graphic details of the wrongdoing is not being conveyed to each and every one of the Renault board members. If we are afforded such an opportunity, we would very much like to explain." Ghosn's arrest has laid bare the rifts in the alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors that the auto tycoon helped forge -- and was often credited with holding together. While Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors quickly removed Ghosn from leadership positions after his arrest, Renault has kept him on as and chairman. And while Saikawa launched a broadside against his former mentor shortly after his arrest, describing his "dark side", Renault has approached the allegations more cautiously. The said he would not rush the three-person panel advising the board on the new chairman. I don't have any deadline in mind. I wish them to spend all the time they need," he said. A newly formed committee looking into governance at Nissan is to report its findings by March, but the decision on a new chairman could potentially stretch beyond that, he said. As his former employer wrangles over his replacement, Ghosn remains in the one-man cell at a Tokyo detention centre he has occupied since his shock arrest on November 19. Prosecutors have already charged him with under-reporting his pay by around $44 million over the five years to 2015, and are also investigating claims he under-reported it further in the past three years. He will be detained until at least December 20, when prosecutors will either file new charges or request another 10-day detention period while they continue investigations. A range of additional claims of financial misconduct have been made against Ghosn, including using Nissan funds to purchase homes around the world, though prosecutors have yet to level those accusations formally. He and his former right-hand man Greg Kelly, who is also under arrest, reportedly deny any wrongdoing. The charges have sparked a legal battle over Ghosn's flat in Rio de Janeiro, with Nissan trying to prevent his family members from accessing the property and removing items. A Brazilian court authorised relatives to access the apartment, despite claims from Nissan that they were removing corporate documents. The NCP Monday said the Congress has declared that opposition parties would pick their prime ministerial candidate post the general polls if they were to form government, so there was no need to debate the issue. The Sharad Pawar-led party's remark came a day after DMK president M K Stalin pitched to make Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as the next prime minister of the country in case the opposition parties form an alliance government in 2019. "The Congress itself has declared it (the prime minister) will be decided after the (Lok Sabha poll) results," NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik said. He said it was good to see that Stalin supported Gandhi. "But when the Congress and other like-minded parties themselves have talked about it, there is no point in debating the issue now. All parties will take the decision after polls," Malik added. In a dramatic assertion, Stalin had on Sunday vowed to make Gandhi the country's next prime minister and lauded the latter for having the ability to defeat the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. He was speaking at a rally followed by the unveiling of a bronze statue of DMK patriarch and his father late M Karunanidhi at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam in Chennai. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had earlier maintained that the party never "officially" said its president Rahul Gandhi should be the prime minister if an opposition alliance formed the next government. The decision on who would be the prime minister in the event of an opposition alliance winning next year's Lok Sabha poll will be taken by its constituents, he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre Monday approved release of additional assistance of Rs 1,292 crore to Odisha and Tripura, which were hit by cyclone and floods respectively. In a statement, the Home Ministry said the additional assistance of Rs 1,023.59 crore will be released to Odisha, which was affected by cyclone Titli early this year, and Rs 268.63 crore to Tripura, hit by floods and landslides during monsoon. The decisions have been taken at a meeting of a high level committee, chaired Home Minister Rajnath Singh and attended Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior officers of the ministries of home, finance and agriculture also attended it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TURKS and Caicos Islanders can apply for tertiary education scholarships in several new areas of study, thanks to changes in the National Scholarship Policy. Following a skills audit in February this year, the Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services has decided to add six new priority areas to the available study options. They are logistic management and communications, science and technology, disaster management and social sciences, business, finance and management, planning and engineering, and performing and visual arts. In addition to these new broad areas of study, new programmes were identified under existing areas of priority such as education, health, law, technical and vocational. In a statement on November 13, the ministry reminded applicants that in order to allow the Education Advisory Committee to make an informed decision all the required information must be submitted. Several previous applicants failed to submit TCI national status cards, acceptance letters from institutions applied to and transcripts from the last institution attended. Students who were not successful in receiving a scholarship this academic year are encouraged to reapply for academic year 2019/2020. Submission of all required information is due by April 30, 2019, for both local and international applicants. "The Ministry of Education wishes to encourage all Turks and Caicos Islanders to further their education and enrol into tertiary studies, the statement read. As part of this mandate, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government in recent years attained full membership to the University of the West Indies. This enables Turks and Caicos Islanders who are not beneficiaries of a scholarship to be able to attend any of the University of the West Indies campuses in Jamaica, Barbados or Trinidad and Tobago at a reduced tuition fee. The UWI Open Campus also provides an opportunity for students to pursue tertiary education while remaining in the TCI through online courses of study. For courses that are offered at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCICC), at any level, applicants will be referred to the TCICC. Cyclone Phethai barrelled through coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday, triggering heavy rains, uprooting trees and electric poles, and claiming one life, officials said. A boat carrying seven fishermen went missing in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam, even as Phethai crossed the coast in East Godavari district and moved towards Odisha after weakening gradually, the Chief Ministers Office said Monday night. Train and air services were also disrupted because of the cyclone. State HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao apprised Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of the situation during a review meeting the latter conducted late in the night at the Real-Time Governance Centre (RTGS) at the state Secretariat. No further details have, however, been disclosed. East Godavari district bore the brunt of the storm as it made landfall near Katrenikona in the afternoon, forcing evacuation of 20,000 people, who have been sheltered in relief camps. Howling winds that gusted up to 85-90 kmph uprooted electric poles and trees in Katrenikona, Tallarevu and Malkipuram in East Godavari, disrupting power supply. No casualties were, however, reported. A man named R Durga Rao aged 28 was killed when a loosened soil hurtled down a hillock following heavy rains in Vijayawada city, according to sources in the state's Disaster Management Authority. Krishna district Collector B Lakshmi Kantham announcednan immediate relief of Rs 50,000 to the deceased's family. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu later told reporters his government could restore normalcy within hours after the cyclone crossed the coast. At the same time, Naidu lashed out at the Centre, saying it remained "totally indifferent" even as the state government undertook various measures to handle the cyclone. A report on the damage caused by the cyclone would be sent to the Centre, he said. Krishna district Collector B Lakshmi Kantham announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 to the deceased's family. Deputy Chief Minister (Home) N China Rajappa is camping at Bhairavapalem village in East Godavari district to oversee relief and rescue operations. The Real-Time Governance Centre said 'Phethai' weakened after making landfall. Chief Executive Officer of the RTGS Babu Ahamed said pracautionary steps taken by the authorities had minimised damage to life and property. He said trees were uprooted in some 20 places and rescue teams had cleared the debris in 15. Spare electric poles were kept ready, he said. The South Central Railway cancelled and rescheduled several trains, while air traffic to and from the port city of Visakhapatnam was hit by turbulent weather conditions. Some flights had to be cancelled or diverted to Hyderabad. Over 20 express and passenger trains were cancelled, SCR's chief public relations officer M Uma Shankar Kumar said. An Indigo flight from Bengaluru that was to land in Visakhapatnam on Monday morning was diverted to Hyderabad. An Indian Airlines flight on way to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad was sent back, while an Indigo flight from New Delhi was diverted to Telangana capital, according to Visakhapatnam airport director. A Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam Spicejet flight was cancelled while several others of different airliners were rescheduled. Educational institutions were closed in coastal districts as a precautionary measure. Yanam, an enclave of the Union Territory of Puducherry in AP's East Godavari district, was pounded by very heavy rains under the influence of the cyclone. Regional Administrator D Subramaneswar Rao told PTI that the heavy rain caused inundation of paddy fields besides disrupting normal life. Puducherry Health and Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao coordinated relief and rehabilitation works. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Monday arrested one more accused in alleged Rs 126-crore land fraud case linked to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), officials said. Satendra, a native of Bulandshahr, was arrested from Modinagar in Ghaziabad for alleged fraud and corruption in the land deal, a senior police officer said. His arrest comes close on the heels of the arrest of two directors of Data Infrastructure Ramesh Bansal and Satendra Chauhan which is a key firm named in the FIR over the land fraud. "Satendra is one of the accused in the case. He had got the land registered in his name for Data Infrastructure private limited. His is the fourth arrest and the police would ensure that others are also nabbed soon," Circle Officer of Greater Noida 1st Nishank Sharma said. According to the police, the accused YEIDA officials, including a former CEO, in tie-up with some private firms had purchased around 57 hectare "useless" land in 2014 from seven villages of Mathura in lieu of compensation to their owners by the authority. But the compensation amount was much higher than what was defined by the authority for such purchases. Also in doing so, the accused not only caused loss to the YEIDA but also made personal gains fraudulently, the police said. In June, the YEIDA had submitted a complaint against 21 people at the Kasna police station in Greater Noida over the alleged land fraud in 2013-2014. One of the accused is a former IAS officer P C Gupta, who was also the chief executive officer of YEIDA during the time the case transpired. Gupta, who was appointed to the post in 2013, was held in June this year from Datia in Madhya Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) on Monday said it will provide "intelligent artificial limbs" to 42 differently abled persons in Assam. The project will be completed in three phases in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts of ONGC's operational areas. "Under the CSR project, 42 divyangs (differently abled) of Sivasagar and Charaideo districts who have lost their limbs will be fitted with superior quality intelligent artificial limbs," the company said in a release. Among them, nine persons were fitted with artificial limbs on Monday at ONGC headquarters in Sivasagar district, completing the first and second phases of the CSR project. The beneficiaries of the two phases of the project were selected through the district administration, Sivasagar and Nazira sub divisional administration, the release said. Initial registration, testing and evaluation for the final and third phase of the project have also been carried out on Monday, the company said. ONGC said the artificial limbs with built-in smart robotics are agile, strong and light weight, which will help amputees regain independence and mobility. "Such projects are of extremely critical nature, which can totally change the life of the victim and help make him independent, confident and earn his own livelihood or support his/her family," ONGC Executive Director (Assam Asset) S D Maske said. The company is keen to continue the endeavour till it covers all the amputees of its operational areas, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A cameraman of a Pakistani television channel was assaulted by security guards of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif here on Monday. The incident occurred outside the Parliament when the ousted premier arrived to meet his younger brother Shehbaz, who is facing a probe by the National Accountability Bureau. A TV footage showed cameraman Syed Wajid Ali of a private media channel, Samaa TV, lying on the ground outside the Parliament building after being knocked down by a security guard of Sharif when he came in the way of the PML-N chief to record his movements. Another guard is then seen rushing towards the cameraman and kicking him squarely in the face. The guard then escapes the scene in one of the vehicles. The cameraman was rushed to a hospital. Doctors said he is out of danger. Condemning the incident, Pakistani journalists staged a protest at the Parliament and demanded arrest of the guards. While one of the security personnel involved in the attack has been arrested, the guard who kicked the cameraman is currently on the run. Following the attack, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser banned politicians from bringing their security guards inside the parliament's premises in the future. "No matter how big a leader somebody is, they should leave their security (protocol) outside the parliament," he said. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry condemned the incident, saying, "The government (Sharif) has ended, but their Mogul-like mentality has not. Meanwhile, Sharif also condemned the assault in a statement, saying he was "deeply saddened" by it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There are a total of 4,219 women's-only colleges and universities in the country, the HRD ministry told the Parliament on Monday. The information was shared by Union Minister of State for HRD Satya Pal Singh in response to a written question in Lok Sabha. "The total number of women's colleges or universities functioning in the country teaching arts, science, commerce and medicine is 4,219," Singh said. Uttar Pradesh has maximum women's-only institutions at 843 followed by Rajasthan (684) and Tamil Nadu (383). "The government is taking steps to upgrade the existing colleges to model degree colleges and autonomous colleges to universities, including women varsities, through the centrally sponsored RUSA scheme. The government is also supporting construction of hostels under the equity initiative of the scheme," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India issued a total of 96 note verbales to Pakistan seeking consular access to Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari and the decision to release him was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi, official sources said. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court on December 15, 2015. He was released from a Pakistani prison after a court-mandated jail-term came to an end. Though his jail term ended last week, he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. Official sources said 96 note verbales were issued to Pakistan seeking consular access and clarity on the charges against him, on which India received no satisfactory response, the sources said. They said considering that his jail term was coming to an end on December 16, India upped the ante at multiple levels in the preceding weeks, seeking to ensure Ansari's release and quick repatriation to India. Ansari went 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. He entered Pakistan from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, whose three-year jail term ended on Saturday, days after a top court gave one month deadline to the government to complete formalities to deport him. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was 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. Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal claimed that Ansari was an "Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan." Ansari, who was "involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents, is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India," the spokesperson said. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2012 for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. His jail term ended on December 15 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court granted the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, who was detained by the country's intelligence agencies in 2012 and subsequently sentenced to three years' imprisonment by a military court in 2015 for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by the military court on December 15, 2015. His three-year jail term ended on December 15, 2018 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. "Ansari is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said. He claimed that Ansari was an "Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents." Ansari went 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. He entered Pakistan 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, on Thursday heard an appeal filed by Ansari through his lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar. Anwar informed the bench that both the Ministry 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. 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. Pakistan on Monday welcomed a new round of talks sponsored by it between the Taliban and US officials, in the United Arab Emirates, in an attempt to end the bloodshed in neighbouring war-torn Afghanistan. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said on Twitter that the latest round of talks were being held in the UAE. He also said Pakistan along-with the international community and other stake-holders was committed to peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan to end the 17-year war. "Along with international community and other stake-holders, Pakistan is committed to peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Talks are being held in the UAE. We hope this will end bloodshed in Afghanistan and bring peace to the region," Faisal tweeted. The Taliban on Monday said that they were holding "another" meeting with US officials in the UAE, which also include representatives of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE. According to diplomatic sources, Pakistan had helped in arranging the direct talks between the US and Taliban, creating a ray of hope for end of conflict, after US President Donald Trump wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, earlier this month, formally seeking Islamabad's help in arranging the talks with Taliban. US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, reportedly, already held two rounds of talks with Taliban leaders in Qatar. This is the second time that Pakistan has arranged direct talks between the US and Taliban representatives after a similar initiative fell apart after an open meeting in 2015 at the hill resort of Murree, near Islamabad. Khan, after taking office in August, had made it clear that Pakistan wanted to establish peaceful ties with all its neighbours. Trump had earlier this year accused Pakistan of doing nothing despite take billions of dollars from the US. Washington had also suspended millions of dollars in military aid to Islamabad. In one of the America's longest war, the US has spent over USD 1 trillion in Afghanistan since the coalition forces ousted the Taliban in 2001. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 40-year-old para-teacher died during a night-long sit-in outside the house of a Jharkhand minister here, with protestors claiming that he died due to cold, officials said Monday. The deceased, a contractual teacher, was identified as Kanchan Das, they said. The para-teacher was declared dead by doctors Sunday and other protesters claimed that he had died of cold on Saturday night, an official said. Dumka Civil Surgeon A K Jha said they had information that one para-teacher has died in the course of agitation Saturday. The para-teachers across the state have been agitating for the last three months for regularisation of their services along with other demands. They had been staging indefinite rotation dharnas outside Jharkhand Welfare Minister Louise Marandi's house since November 25. Das along with six others had joined the dharna Saturday, spent the night outside the minister's house and did not wake up Sunday morning, other members of the agitation said. He was rushed to a hospital where the doctors declared him dead. Asked about the cause of death, AK Jha said, "We are waiting for the post-mortem examination report. Then only we can confirm the exact cause of death." He said the report was likely to be available on Monday. The post-mortem was conducted by a medical board comprising a forensic expert and the board was constituted by the district administration Sunday, Jha said. Dumka Superintendent of Police Y S Ramesh said the sit-in agitation ended Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the minister condoled the para-teacher's death and talked to Dumka Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar in this regard. Referring to the problem of the para-teachers, Marandi said Chief Minister Raghubar Das was abroad presently and she would discuss the matter with him once he was back. "We want to have a constructive discussion on the problems of the para-teachers," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Olivia Rose THE UNITED Kingdom has assured leaders of its overseas territories that all current European Union (EU) funded projects will continue to be financed until 2020 - one year after the impending British exit from the union. This was announced at the recently concluded Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) meeting in London where Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson joined her counterparts to discuss a number of pertinent issues. Speaking at a press conference held at the Hilly Ewing building in Providenciales on Tuesday (December 11) the premier gave an update on discussions during her week-long trip to London. She said: "There was an update on post-Brexit initiatives and as we are all aware there remains great uncertainty. "Today there should have been a vote on the deal offered by the EU to the UK but it was postponed amid criticism for the prime minister. The United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) recently discussed interests including EU funding and relations post Brexit, the relationship between the UK government and the overseas territories. UK territories benefit significantly from projects and initiatives funded under existing EU agreements which include funding for the education sector, infrastructure, marine biodiversity and security. "This issue remains a great challenge and evasive one for the UK, the premier said. "TCIs impact comes immediately by way of loss of access to funding that supports major sectors and the environment. "We have and continue to receive a commitment from the UK to have all funding of projects now underway funded until 2020. "The UK will leave the EU on March 29, 2019, with or without the deal. That is perhaps the one thing that is certain at this time. "I have reported several times on this issue to the people of the country and will update further next year February following our UKOTA ministerial forum in Tahiti on our membership in the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA). On June 23, 2016, the people of Britain voted for a British exit or Brexit from the European Union in a historic referendum. The announcement prompted jubilant celebrations among Eurosceptics around Europe and sent shockwaves through the global economy. Although Britain will leave the EU in 2019 the shift has already changed the financial dynamics of the entire world. It has since resulted in the slowing down of commerce in the UK and brought the British pound down to its lowest in history last year, not to mention the escalation of the volatility of the financial markets. The premier earlier this year explained how the Turks and Caicos Islands and all other overseas territories will undoubtedly be affected by the decision. She said: "The Turks and Caicos as a beneficiary of EU funding continues to have this as an immediate concern and to a lesser extent the freedom of movement. The French government is set to rush tax cuts and a rise in the minimum wage through parliament in a bid to end the "yellow vest" protests which appear to be waning after a month of disruption. The measures announced a week ago by President Emmanuel Macron will be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday and put to the National Assembly and the Senate for votes before Christmas, officials said. But in the meantime, the protesters must dismantle their road blocks, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Monday, warning that "we can't continue to paralyse the French economy. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has acknowledged that the concessions, worth some 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion), would mean France will breach the public deficit cap of 3% of gross domestic product set by EU rules. "We accept that there will be a small increase in the deficit because of more rapid tax reductions," Philippe said in an interview in the financial newspaper Les Echos on Monday. "But we are careful with government spending, and we are taking a series of measures touching on businesses and spending worth some four billion euros. That should allow us to hold the deficit at about 3.2% for 2019," he added. A planned reduction in the corporate income tax rate will be restricted next year to companies with a turnover of less than 250 million euros. France repeatedly failed to keep its budget deficit under 3 percent until 2017, and the deficit for next year was originally forecast to be 2.8% of GDP. "We have made mistakes. We haven't listened enough to the French people," Philippe also said, speaking of the month-long grassroot "yellow vest" movement that has sparked nation-wide demonstrations, along with traffic blockades and destruction of motorway toll booths. The Vinci motorway company, which operates some 4,400 kilometres (2,700 miles) of roads, on Monday said damage had cost it "tens of millions of euros", with at least six buildings torched, 15 toll stations destroyed, and 33 vehicles wrecked. Arson attacks continued overnight with two more motorway toll stations set on fire in southern France, near Beziers and Manosque, officials said. Pre-Christmas sales have also been badly hit with the National Council of Commercial Centres reporting a drop of two billion euros in shopping, with businesses unlikely to make up the shortfall by December 25. "We have understood the message sent by the French people: They want us to go faster when it comes to improving purchasing power and they want to be associated to the decision-making process," Philippe added. The prime minister specifically said he would consider one of the main demands made by protesters who have called for citizen initiated referendums, on the Swiss model. "I don't see how we could be against the principle of it. Referenda can be a good tool in a democracy, but not on every issue or under whatever circumstances," Philippe said. The president of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand said Sunday he was ready to see the referendum issue debated. But "rules must be established", he told France 3 television, for example as regards voter turnout to ensure that "popular expression is not betrayed by minorities". And one should make sure that the referendum is "appropriate" to avoid people asking for example that "pensions be tripled" or that "this or that minister be sacked because of a wrong decision", he added. The new measures "will be discussed on Thursday by the Assembly and on Friday by the Senate," Ferrand said while urging members of parliament not to delay these "urgent social measures" by introducing too many amendments. They include a 100-euro increase for five million minimum wage earners, removal of a planned tax increase for a majority of pensioners, and tax-free overtime for all workers, and could be adopted by Christmas, he added. The government has also announced a three-month consultation with civil society groups, mayors, businesses and the "yellow vests" to discuss other reforms. Macron had until now styled himself as a determined pro-business reformer who would not yield to pressure from protests as his predecessors did. But the protests, backed by a majority of French people, and criticism of Macron's management style has seen the president's public opinion approval rating drop to 23 percent. "He has lost of major part of his political capital," the left-wing Liberation newspaper said Monday under a headline reading: "The first day of the rest of his mandate". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Peoples Democratic Party on Monday protested at the Jammu and Kashmir secretariat here against the killing of seven civilians two days ago. PDP MLC Firdous Tak led the protest, accompanied by former party MLAs Aijaz Ahmad Mir and Yawar Mir, besides over half-a-dozen other activists who were carrying placards that read: "save Kashmir and stop killing innocent Kashmiris". They protesters chanted slogans while marching through the corridor up to the office of Governor Satya Pal Malik. Seven civilians had died on Saturday when the security forces opened fire at a mob who were protesting the killing of three militants in an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. "We staged the protest inside the secretariat to seek an end to the unabated civilian killings in the Kashmir," Tak told reporters outside the civil secretariat. "Our only aim behind the protest was to wake up the state and the central governments as innocent civilian killings are taking place in Kashmir on a daily basis," he said. Tak said the country cannot be a mute spectator and needed to wake up and denounce this violence and wave of innocent killings. "We are requesting the Centre, state administration and the governor to intervene and save the precious lives.... We have to save Kashmir as there has been enough of bloodshed," he added. The separatists have called a three-day strike and people staged protests in Mandi area of Poonch district against the Pulwama incident. The protesters marched in the main town and adjoining villages and later dispersed off peacefully, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Philippines' Catriona Gray was named Miss Universe 2018 in a competition concluding Monday in Bangkok, besting contestants from 93 other countries and delighting her home country. The 24-year-old Gray wore a sparkling red dress she said is inspired by a volcano in the Philippines as she was handed the crown to the delight of a roaring crowd that generally favoured Southeast Asian contestants. She said she wore red because "when I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress." She said her mom cried when they saw each other after she won the competition. Gray edged out first runner-up Tamaryn Green of South Africa and third-place Sthefany Gutierrez of Venezuela. She succeeds Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa. In the Philippines, pageants are a popular attraction, and Gray's countrymen cheered wildly and jumped for joy when she was declared the winner. Celebrations were especially buoyant in Oas town in the northeastern province of Albay, from which Gray's Filipina mother hails. The office of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was quick to congratulate the winner. Gray is the fourth Filipina to be named Miss Universe. "Ms Gray truly made the entire Philippines proud when she sashayed on the global stage and showcased the genuine qualities defining a Filipina beauty: confidence, grace, intelligence and strength in the face of tough challenges," he said in a statement from the presidential palace. "In her success, Miss Philippines has shown to the world that women in our country have the ability to turn dreams into reality through passion, diligence, determination and hard work." An early round of questioning touched on the issue of drugs, where Duterte's aggressive 'war on drugs' has taken thousands of lives, many in what critics charge were extrajudicial executions. Duterte raised even more controversy when he recently joked that he smoked marijuana to deal with the busy schedule of meetings with other Asian leaders at a regional summit. Asked what she thought about legalizing marijuana, Gray said: "I'm for it being used for medical use, but not so for recreational use. Because I think if people will argue, then what about alcohol and cigarettes? Everything is good but in moderation." This year's Miss Universe competition included the first-ever transgender contestant, Miss Spain Angela Ponce. She said in a video presentation that it was not important for her to win but was more important for her "to be here." One of the few controversies of this year's contest involved Miss United States Sarah Rose Summers seeming to mock contestants from Cambodia and Vietnam over their English language skills. Summers apologised. The finale was again hosted by Steve Harvey who infamously announced the wrong winner in the 2015 contest. Harvey joked briefly about the incident in exchanges with contestants and said "You all can't let that go" and "I'm still here." The theme of the 67th Miss Universe pageant was "Empowered Women" and was judged by seven women including former pageant winners, businesswomen, and a fashion designer. The contestants spent nearly a month in Thailand to compete in preliminary rounds wearing elaborate national costumes, visit famous tourist sites and even met the country's prime minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Physical torture of inmates in West bengal, no medical aid for HIV patient in Odisha and no treatment for mentally challenged women in Uttar Pradesh were some of the key findings by the women's commission during inspections of shelter homes in these states. The inquiry committee appointed by the National Commission for Women inspected five Swadhar Greh in West Bengal, eight in Odisha, eight in Karnataka and five in Uttar Pradesh. Out of 26 Swadhar Greh, only one is running as per the guidelines of the scheme, according to the report submitted to the NCW by the inspection committee. These rehabilitation centres were either Centre-funded or NGO-run short-stay homes for sexually abused and destitute. In Uttar Pradesh, mentally challenged inmates were found living at these homes but there was no sign of any treatment for them, "who are rolling on the floor at the time of inspection". In West Bengal, the inmates complained that they are subjected to physical torture by the counselor of the Swadhar Greh. "Seven of the inmates are mentally challenged women and the Swadhar Greh is like a congested prison. The building, kitchen and rooms are dirty and unhygienic," the report on the condition of the shelter home in West Bengal said. In Odisha, one inmate with a child, a trafficking case, complained to the committee that she is a HIV patient and the NGO is not providing any medication to her. "Though, she wants to go back to her parents, she was forced to stay back in the Greh by the NGO," the report said. In Karnataka, no psychological counselling was made available to inmates in depression and no sign of vocational training to the inmates, were among the key findings. One Swadar Greh in Karnataka just existed on paper. "As per the address of the location of the Swadhar Greh given by the state government in the authenticated list, the Committee went to inspect the Swadhar Greh located in a posh locality of Bangalore city. But surprisingly there is no Swadhar Greh existing in the address and only the board of the organization was placed and the room was locked," the report said. Women's commission Chairperson Rekha Sharma proposed introduction of a system like uploading the up-to-date data of inmates on the website of Women and Child Development Department. She also suggested mandatory inspections by district monitoring committees every three months and submitting of reports to the government. She suggested that counselors in the Swadhar Greh with Masters in Social Work or Sociology qualification cannot give any psychological counseling to the inmates, which is very much essential as most of the inmates will be in the condition of distress and anxiety. "Hence counselors with the qualification of clinical psychology have to be appointed as counselors," she said. "Mentally challenged women have to be sent to the mental rehabilitation centre for better care. Old women who are above 60 years have to be sent to old age home," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held wide-ranging talks with Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih with an aim to begin a new chapter in bilateral ties which came under strain under the previous regime in Male. Solih arrived here Sunday on a three-day state visit, his first foreign trip after assuming charge of the top office in the island nation a month ago. Modi had attended Solih's swearing-in ceremony on November 17. "PM @narendramodi warmly received President @ibusolih ahead of delegation level talks. During his visit to Maldives for the President's inauguration in November, PM had extended an invitation to President Solih to make a State Visit to India," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Solih and discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interests. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after then president Abdulla Yameen imposed emergency on February 5 this year. India had criticised his decision and asked his government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The emergency lasted for 45 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The is not in favour of projecting a prime ministerial candidate of the proposed anti-BJP front before the Lok Sabha polls, a top leader said on Monday, arguing that too many contenders might hurt electoral prospects. On Sunday, president M K Stalin proposed the name of Congress president as the prime ministerial candidate of such a grouping. "If somebody proposes, we can't do anything. We are not opposed to it," Communist Party of India general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy told PTI. "We think...who should be prime minister...that should be discussed in post-election period instead of now...," he said when asked for his response on Stalin's remark. He said Stalin might have made the proposal as Gandhi is the president of the biggest opposition party. "Different people have got different type of ideas. Our party has said this earlier also... this should be decided in the post-election period," Reddy said. The party's opinion, Reddy added, is that it is more convenient if the PM is decided after the elections. ALSO READ: How the 3 state elections might affect the 2019 national election Too many aspirants for the post should not create problems for the unity of the anti-BJP) parties, he said. ALSO READ: After huge election debacle, BJP plans series of meetings before 2019 polls Stalin made a strong pitch for the Congress chief as the PM candidate of the opposition for the 2019 polls, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" government. BJP national General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav Monday came down heavily on the Congress alleging that of lies is in its DNA. The "lies" on Rafale deal which were spread by Congress president Rahul Gandhi were aimed at weakening national security and breaking the morale of the soldiers, Yadav claimed. " of lies is in the DNA of the Congress. The lies it spread on Rafale deal was ripped apart by the verdict of the Supreme court," Yadav told a press conference. "Lies don't have feet and they cannot stand once the truth comes out," the Rajya Sabha MP said. A decision was taken to purchse Rafale fighter jets after the Kargil war, "but the UPA government kept it in the cold storage for 10 years in cold storage", he said. After the Narendra Modi government decided to purchase the aircraft, the Congress raised question, Yadav said adding that the Supreme Court looked into all the documents in this regard and said it was the right decision by the government, giving rest to all apprehensions. "The country will become strong when the military becomes strong. The Modi government is committed to strengthen the army and adorn it with modern weapons," he said. Stating that the Modi government is committed to national security, Yadav said the Congress has become "restless" following the arrest of Christian Michel in connection with the Augusta Westland scam. "From the beginning itself, the Congress has been indulging in irresponsible behaviour. They stand with the anti-national forces in the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University). The people of the country can't imagine such irresponsible behaviour by such public representatives," Yadav said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : The 34-year-old Pondicherry University has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Universite Paris Est Cretteil (UPEC), France, for collaboration in academics and research. Assistant registrar of the Pondicherry University K Mahesh said in a press release here Monday that the varsity was the first Indian partner of the UPEC. Under the MoU signed recently, the two institutions would jointly exchange students, faculties and host events and programmes on research, the release said. An eight-member delegation of the French university, led by its vice-president (international affairs) Laurent Thevenet and comprising director of international affairs Joanna Belo, among others, hoped that the MoU would further enhance the relationship between France and Puducherry, the release said. Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University Gurmeet Singh said in the release that the MoU marked the role of international cooperation for a globally competent academic and research set-up in the university. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A strong parental relationship can override the stress caused by experiencing violence or poverty in childhood, a study has found. To study the impact of the caregiver relationship, researchers from Emory University in the US used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe activity in the amygdala, a key area of the brain that processes fear and emotion. They showed children aged 8-13 a series of photos of adult faces that were either neutral or expressing fear. The amygdalae of children who had experienced violence in their lives grew more active in response to both types of faces, which suggests that these children may engage emotional, fight-or-flight responses even for social cues that are not particularly threatening. This may be an adaptive response to growing up in an unpredictable or dangerous environment. In children who had not experienced violence, amygdalae were more only active in response to the fearful faces. In another part of the experiment, the researchers had children and their mothers collaborate on a challenging Etch-a-Sketch task and rated the mothers' expressions during the interaction. Then they had the children look at photos of faces. When the mothers had been more positive towards their children, the amygdalae of the younger children, aged 8-10, showed a decrease over time in response to the fearful faces. This suggests that in young children, the relationship with a mother affects the brain's response to potential environmental threats. The same effect was not observed in older children. The findings build on earlier research by the same team, which established that the physical distance between young children and their mothers can influence how the children assess danger. In the previous study, young children who were physically nearer to their mothers were better able to differentiate between safe and threatening stimuli. Once again, older children didn't show the same effect. The findings indicate that even if a child grows up in a stressful environment, parental relationships can protect them, said Jennifer Stevens from Emory University. "Interventions such as parent training designed to help parents respond positively to young children, might be especially important in situations that are really challenging or where there are low resources," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after DMK president M K Stalin proposed the name of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate, the TMC leadership on Monday distanced itself from the statement, saying any such announcement would be premature. A Trinamool Congress leader said the decision on who should be the prime minister should only be taken following a discussion among Opposition parties after the Lok Sabha election results were announced. He added that any unilateral announcement could send out a wrong message. "Not only TMC, but other Opposition parties, too, are of the opinion that any decision on the PM candidate should be decided only after the Lok Sabha election results. Any announcement on the PM candidate right now would be premature as it would divide the Opposition camp," a senior TMC leader told PTI on condition of anonymity. Stalin had on Sunday made a strong pitch for the Congress chief as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" Narendra Modi government. Top leaders of 21 Opposition parties, barring the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, had met in New Delhi last week and vowed to forge a united front to fight and defeat the BJP in the 2019 general election. The Bharatiya Janata Party had mocked the meet and said they should first declare a prime ministerial candidate before thinking of ousting the Modi government. Richwood, TX (77531) Today Mostly clear early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Areas of dense fog. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mostly clear early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Areas of dense fog. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. A day after DMK president M K Stalin proposed the name of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate, the Trinamool Congress leadership on Monday distanced itself from the statement, saying any such announcement would be premature. A TMC leader said the decision on who should be the prime minister should only be taken following a discussion among the Opposition parties after the Lok Sabha election results were announced. He added that any unilateral announcement could send out a wrong message. "Not only the TMC, but other Opposition parties, too, are of the opinion that any decision on the PM candidate should be decided only after the Lok Sabha election results. Any announcement on the PM candidate right now would be premature as it would divide the Opposition camp," a senior TMC leader told PTI on condition of anonymity. Stalin had on Sunday made a strong pitch for the Congress chief as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" Narendra Modi government. Distancing of the TMC from the Rahul-for-PM view is politically significant as, after the Congress and the AIADMK, the TMC is the third-largest party from the Opposition in the Lok Sabha with 34 MPs. It has 13 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who was invited at the swearing-in ceremony of Congress leader Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister, did not attend the program and senior party MP Dinesh Trivedi attended it instead. BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha mocked the TMC for dreaming that their party leader would be the next prime minister. "Leaders of the TMC are dreaming that a leader from their party would be the next prime minister. The problem with this so-called Opposition alliance is that everybody is a PM aspirant. The people of this country understands everything," Sinha said. The state Congress leadership, too, has been vocal against the TMC for not giving credit to Gandhi for the massive victory in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls. The Congress had last week asked if Trinamool leaders were having "sleepless nights" fearing that their dream of Banerjee becoming the prime minister might not fulfilled. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind would arrive in Hyderabad on December 21 for his four-day customary southern sojourn. Kovind would stay at Rashtrapati Nilayam in the city, one of the Presidential Retreats, from December 21 to 24, according to an official release Monday. Telangana government Chief Secretary S K Joshi held a meeting with officials on Monday on the preparations for the President's visit, it said. Kovind would arrive at Hakimpet Air Force station here at 5 PM on December 21, it said. The President will attend a programme at Karimnagar on December 22. He will host a 'At Home' at the Rashtrapati Nilayam on December 23. Kovind would return to Delhi on December 24, the release said. It is customary for the President to visit Rashtrapati Nilayam and stay there at least once a year and conduct official business from there. Located at Bolarum, Rashtrapati Nilayam building was taken over from the Nizam of Hyderabad after India attained independence and handed over to the President's Secretariat. Constructed during 1860, the building has a total land area of 90 acres. A single storied building, it contains in its premises 11 rooms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Monday he will speak to legendary actor Dilip Kumar and his family to allay their fears over a property issue involving a city-based builder. Saira Banu, veteran actress and Kumar's wife, had Sunday sought a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will in Mumbai Tuesday, to discuss the issue following the release of the builder, Samir Bhojwani, from jail. Bhojwani had falsely claimed ownership of the two plots on which Kumar's bungalow has been built. The 96-year- old actor's bungalow is located in the upscale Pali Hill area of suburban Bandra. Banu's request for a meeting with PM was shared on Kumar's official Twitter account. "Request from Saira Banu Khan: The Hon'ble @PMOIndia Shri @narendramodi Sir, Land Mafia Samir Bhojwani released from jail. No action taken despite assurances by CM @Dev_ Fadnavis. Padma Vibhushit betrayed, threatened by money and muscle power. Request meeting with you in #Mumbai," the tweet read. Banu had also tagged Fadnavis in her tweet. Asked about the apprehension expressed by the star couple following the release of Bhojwani, Fadnavis told PTI, "I will speak to them and try to sort out the issue." In December 2017, Banu had lodged a police complaint alleging Bhojwani was threatening and harassing her and Kumar over the property issue. Following the complaint, the Mumbai police had arrested and booked Bhojwani. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Monday gave notices of breach of privilege in both Houses of Parliament, demanding an explanation from the government on why it provided the "wrong" information on the deal. While of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sent the notice to the chairman of the Upper House, Congress' in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge Kharge gave the notice in the Lower House. "I have given a breach of privilege notice against the government and in particular against Law Minister as it was the that gave the go ahead for presenting the affidavit before the Supreme Court," he said. This is the first time that a government has provided wrong information to the Supreme Court, he said. "This is why our demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) becomes more relevant. We demand that a JPC be formed to probe the theft in the deal," Azad said. "We have no faith in this government as it is misleading the by giving false information and is also misleading the people of the country," he alleged. The Congress, through its notices, is demanding answers from the law minister on why the government provided wrong information to the about the CAG report on the pricing issue, he said. The Sunday urged the Supreme Court to recall its Rafale judgment and issue notices to the for contempt of court and perjury, alleging the Centre provided false information to the apex court. Senior alleged that the government was guilty of committing breach of privilege of both Houses of Parliament by claiming that the CAG report on Rafale pricing was presented to the of Parliament. The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed pleas alleging irregularities in the Rafale deal, saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision-making process" warranting setting aside of the defence contract for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets. In its judgment, the court made a reference to a CAG report on the deal. It said the CAG report was examined by the of Parliament. But the Congress insisted that the government presented "wrong facts" before the court during the hearing of pleas challenging the deal with France, which gave the government relief in the cases. On Saturday, the Centre moved the Supreme Court seeking correction in the judgment, saying "misinterpretation" of its note "resulted in a controversy in the public domain". The Centre made it clear that it did not say the CAG report was examined by the PAC or a redacted portion was placed before Parliament. It clarified the note had said the government "has already shared" the price details with CAG, written in past tense and "is factually correct". Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Monday demanded that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi resign from his post, alleging that he "mislead the nation" on the Rafale deal. Addressing a press conference here, Rupani said Gandhi made the issue concerning national security a tool to grind the Narendra Modi government. The chief minister was speaking as part of the BJP's move to hold press conferences in 70 cities across the country to attack the opposition party against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's verdict on the Rafale jet deal last week. "Even if all thieves come together and call the chowkidar a thief, the people will not accept it," Rupani told reporters here, referring to Gandhi's barb against the prime minister. Rupani said only "those who are afraid of the 'chowkidar' make repeated noise about thieves. But, the people know the truth". "The Supreme Court judgement is a slap on the face of the Congress and those misleading the nation. Now, Gandhi should quit as the president of the Congress for misleading the nation," Rupani said. The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the pleas challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 Rafale jets, saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision making process" warranting setting aside of the contract. The Congress has repeatedly criticised the deal for the 36 Rafale jets, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government. The government has, however, denied any irregularity in the deal. Rupani also came down heavily on Gandhi for raising questions over the deal even after the apex court held that there were no irregularities in it. The Gujarat chief minister said there should be no doubt on the decision-making process in the procurement of Rafale jets from France. "We are ready for a debate on the issue. After the Supreme Court made it clear that there is no irregularity, there should be no question of a probe into the matter," Rupani said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a sharp attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi, BJP MP Poonam Mahajan Monday accused him of making a desperate bid to clean the Bofors scam's "stains" on his party and family by levelling "false" charges in the Rafale jet deal. She said Gandhi should apologise to the Supreme Court and the country's people over the "false allegations" he made pertaining to the French aircraft deal, or else the Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP's youth wing, will agitate outside the Congress' offices across the nation. "We are reaching out to people to let the countrymen know that there is an attempt on part of Gandhi to mislead the country and how by levelling false allegations, how the defence secrets are being exposed and how the Congress is politicising the issue," told reporters here. "According to us, Gandhi is trying to clean the Bofors scam's 'kalank' (stain) on his party and family...and while doing this there is a desperate attempt on his part to create political havoc, and he is doing it by levelling false allegations in the Rafale deal," Mahajan alleged. Gandhi had been alleging wrongdoings in the Rafale deal. "But now, the Supreme court gave its verdict on Friday. Will Gandhi now apologise to the court and the country?" she sought to know. The BJYM chief was speaking as part of the BJP's move to hold pressers in 70 cities across the country on Monday to attack the opposition party against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's verdict on the controversial Rafale jet deal. The SC had on Friday said there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, and dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal. There was no substantial evidence of commercial favouritism to any private entity, the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had said on the issue of an offset partner in its ruling on a batch of petitions. Notwithstanding the SC verdict, Rahul Gandhi had said there was massive corruption in the contract and wondered why the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report "cited by the Supreme Court" on it had not yet been shared with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. Gandhi had also reiterated the Congress' demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the fighter jet deal and claimed that if it was conducted, names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Anil Ambani will come to the fore. The Congress has repeatedly criticised the deal for the 36 Rafale jets, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government. However, both government and Anil Ambani's Reliance Group have rejected Gandhi's allegations of any wrongdoing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP Monday demanded Rahul Gandhi's resignation as Congress president for spreading lies against the Union government on the Rafale fighter jet deal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also accused the Congress of rejecting the verdict given by Supreme Court that seemingly gave a clean chit to the Narendra Modi-led government on the alleged scam "BJP demands resignation of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. What the Congress party and its president told the people was nothing but a bunch of lies," BJP's Jammu and Kashmir in-charge, Avinash Rai Khanna told reporters here. Khanna said despite the apex court's verdict on the matter, the Congress was indulging in a "vicious" campaign. "Congress is running away from a healthy discussion on the topic and only resorting to baseless allegations. Congress has rejected the verdict given by the Supreme Court," he said. "The Congress party's president has been misguiding and misleading the people of the country purely on the basis of inaccurate, illogical and baseless arguments," he added. Khanna said the SC observed that the Rafale deal was transparent and finalised as per rules. "Apex court has given a message that the matters related to national security should not be brought to the court just on the basis of unfounded doubts and misleading items," he said. Khanna further accused the Congress chief of "misleading" the people for the sake of "political benefits". "This is a very serious matter that an elected representative of the country, who is also the president of a national party is misleading the people of the country," he said, adding that such campaigns malign the image of the country at the international level. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Monday sought Congress president Rahul Gandhi's resignation from the party post, saying he stands "exposed" after the Supreme Court verdict on the Rafale deal. Shekhawat alleged Gandhi "knowingly" spread "lies" to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over the multi-crore Rafale deal in which the Congress has alleged irregularities. The SC had last week said there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, and dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal. "Gandhi knowingly spread lies about Rafale deal to tarnish the image of the Modi government. It was a politically motivated conspiracy which has been now exposed following the SC verdict," the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare told reporters here. He said the apex court's verdict on Rafale has proved no irregularities were committed in striking the deal which was in national interest. "By questioning the deal on the basis of some false and unfounded claims, Gandhi and his party played with national security and even tried to stall country's development. "Since Gandhi now stands exposed, I expect him to tender his resignation (as Congress chief). I wonder why he has not resigned yet," the BJP leader said. "Rahul Gandhi should also tender an apology to the countrymen for misguiding them for his own political ambitions. He must also seek forgiveness from our soldiers," the minister said. Shekhawat's press conference was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s move to interact with the media in 70 cities across the country in a bid to "expose" the Congress following the SC verdict on the Rafale deal. Defending the Modi government on the rejoinder it submitted to the SC about the CAG report, Shekhawat claimed the Congress was trying to sensationalise the issue. "There was an issue related to interpretation. The government has now told the apex court through the rejoinder that the CAG has not submitted its report on the deal, and thus, there is no question of sending that to the PAC for scrutiny," said the Lok Sabha MP from Rajasthan. Asked about the BJP's loss in three Hindi-speaking states in assembly polls, Shekhawat claimed the Congress was successful in making people believe in their "lies". "But now, when their lie has been exposed after SC ruling, people of these states are feeling that they were cheated by Congress. People now seek answers from the party leader," Shekhawat said. Responding to a query about the farm sector, he claimed that though the Modi government took several steps for the welfare of agriculturists, it will take another five years to change the scenario across the country. "We are working to double farmer income by 2022. But, Indian agricultural sector is very vast. Farmers today are suffering because of wrong policies of past Congress governments. It will take another five years to fix it," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court Monday issued notice to the CBI on a plea seeking probe by an independent agency into the allegations of bribing voters of R K Nagar constituency by AIADMK during the 2017 bypoll. The court found fault with the police for not mentioning the names of the accused in the FIR though names of three people were referred in the complaint by the returning officer in connection with the alleged malpractices ahead of the April 12 bypoll, leading to its cancellation. A division bench, comprising Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice P Rajamanickam, issued the notice returnable by January 10, 2019, to all the authorities concerned in connection with the petitions seeking a CBI inquiry. The court had earlier asked the Tamil Nadu government whether it had challenged its single judge order quashing an FIR related to alleged distribution of cash to the voters. The bench was hearing petitions by M P Vairakannan and then DMK nominee Marudu Ganesh, who had initially sought registration of the FIR. "The investigating officer has submitted in the status report that they had so far examined 882 witnesses and recorded their statements. But even then, they claim that the accused are still unidentifiable," the bench said. The matter relates to searches and seizure of documents by the Income Tax department in various places on April 7, 2017 allegedly related to bribing of voters, which led to the cancellation of the polls then. On a direction by the Election Commission, the returning officer of the constituency lodged a police complaint on April 27, based on which the FIR was registered. Tiruvallur AIADMK MLA Narasimhan had filed a plea seeking quashing of the FIR. After going through the submission of the Public Prosecutor A Natarajan who submitted that 882 witnesses were examined in the above case, the bench said, "Had you informed the fact that even after examining 882 witnesses you were unable to identify the accused, the single judge would not have quashed the FIR." The bench, while referring to the quashed petition, also observed, "We do not understand how the petition was even numbered by the registry when the de facto complainant was not made a party to the plea." "Any person can set the criminal law in motion, but to move a quash petition they must have locus standi. When the accused column in the FIR is mentioned as unidentified persons on what locus standi the petitioner moved the plea," the bench said. Though the public prosecutor sought two more weeks for submitting status report, the bench declined. The bench then issued notices to government pleader in-charge Jayaprakash Narayan, the ECI, Income Tax department and Public Prosecutor A Natarajan and the CBI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Miscreants on Monday snatched Rs 1.5 lakh from the sub-divisional officer of Chaibasa soon after he withdrew the money from the branch of a nationalised bank in Dumka district, a senior police officer said. The SDO, Paritosh Kumar Thakur had withdrawn Rs two lakh from Jermundi Bazar branch of Bank of India this afternoon, sub-divisional police officer Animesh Naithany said. He kept Rs 50000 in his pocket and the rest in a hand bag which was snatched away by two motorcyle-borne miscreants as soon as he emerged from the bank, Naithany said. All adjoining police stations have been alerted, while efforts are on to identify the culprits from CCTV footages, the SDPO added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Monday suspected a political motive behind Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's maiden visit to Surat ahead of the 2019 general elections. While Rupani came down to the capital of Odisha to address a press conference on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal in the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgment, Patnaik flew out to Gujarat the same day to attend a festival of Odia migrant labourers in Surat. Denying it was a "coincidence", Rupani hit out saying Patnaik remembered the people of Odisha staying in Gujarat "after being in power for 19 years". However, he stressed that his Odisha visit had nothing to do with "Gujarat is not going to polls but assembly election in Odisha is round the corner. I welcome him on his maiden visit," Rupani said. Patnaik's Surat visit attained political hue because the textile city houses about 10 lakh Odias including seven lakh alone from Ganjam, the home district of the chief minister. These migrant labourers will return to Odisha to cast their votes. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra on Sunday described Patnaik's Gujarat visit a "political gimmick". Replying to a question on Odisha government rejecting the Ayushman Bharat programme, Rupani alleged that by doing so, Patnaik was depriving Odias residing outside Odisha of healthcare benefits. The benefits of the state-sponsored Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana cannot be availed by the beneficiaries beyond the state's boundaries, he said and urged Patnaik to be part of Ayushman Bharat programme. Claiming that the Gujarat government was equally concerned about the wellbeing of the Odia speaking people in Gujarat, he said, the BJP regime in Gujarat had provided them with good homes under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana and Mukhya Mantri Awaas Yojana. Reacting to Rupani's statement on Patnaik's Surat visit, BJD spokesman P K Deb said, "Why is Gujarat Chief Minister here in Odisha when our CM is scheduled to visit Surat today? It seems BJP is terrified of CM Naveen's visit". Rejecting Rupani's claim that the Odias living in other states cannot avail the benefits of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, Deb said "The non-resident Odias are also entitled to get benefits from Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana wherever they are in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The World Economic Forum said Monday that it had reached an agreement to allow sanctioned Russian tycoons to attend next month's Davos meeting, clearing Moscow to also send a full government delegation. Russia warned last month that it would not send a delegation to the luxury Swiss ski resort town to mingle with the global business elite in January if top Russian oligarchs facing US sanctions were kept out. The pressure appeared to work, with WEF announcing the sanctioned tycoons would now be welcome to attend the conference. "I am pleased that after discussions with all relevant parties, careful consideration of international legal frameworks and strong support from the Swiss government, we are able to host business and political leaders from all G20 countries," said Alois Zwinggi, WEF's head of compliance, in a statement sent to AFP Monday. He stressed that this was "essential", since to "address the pressing global challenges, we need all relevant parties at the Annual Meeting." Following the shift, he said WEF was "pleased to learn that Russia also will send a high level governmental delegation to Davos." "Should the delegation include individuals under sanction, all necessary measures have been undertaken to ensure that their presence would be fully compliant with current legal conditions," he added. Moscow hailed the "We welcome the fact that the Davos Economic Forum and its leaders have heard our position," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. But while Peskov confirmed that the government would resume preparations for the forum, he said was too early to say who will head the Russian delegation. He spoke after The Bell, a respected Russian media outlet, reported that Kremlin-backed tycoons Oleg Deripaska, Viktor Vekselberg and Andrei Kostin would be allowed to take part in the forum, but only on a number of conditions developed with the help of US lawyers. Those conditions reportedly include not permitting any payments related to the tycoons to go through US banks, and blocking them from taking part in any meetings organised by Americans at the forum. "Contacts with American entrepreneurs can be easily replaced by entrepreneurs from other countries," Peskov said when asked to comment on the reported conditions. Spokespeople for the three tycoons, who were hit with US sanctions earlier this year, have yet to comment on the development or say whether they will attend the meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On a day when Congress formed governments in three states, the party's celebrations were dampened due to the court verdict against its leader Sajjan Kumar in an anti-Sikh riots case as the BJP and the Akali Dal mounted an attack on the new Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, alleging his name too had cropped up in the violence. The Congress put up a show of opposition unity, with top leaders of various parties joining Rahul Gandhi at each of the oath-taking functions in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. However, the Delhi High Court verdict sentencing Kumar for life eclipsed the celebrations. The conviction came 34 years after the riots that followed the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and TV channels aired the about Sajjan Kumar and subsequent reactions to it throughout the day. Congress leaders were busy fending off attacks from the BJP and other parties. Union Minister Arun Jaitley dubbed Kumar a "symbol" of the anti-Sikh "genocide" and said the country had never seen murders on a bigger scale than this. He also hit out at the opposition party for choosing Kamal Nath, claiming Sikhs consider him "culpable" in the violence against the community. But the Congress defended Kamal Nath, saying there is no case against him. It said Kumar's case should not be politicised and the law should take its own course. The party said Kumar had not been given any party post or ticket for decades. The Congress wanted to use the victory in the three states for a major show of strength ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi had taken a number of top opposition leaders along with him and was seen being photographed with them on the stage and travelling in a bus while going at the swearing-in venues. Those present at the swearing-ins included former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Devegowda, Sharad Pawar (NCP), N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), H D Kumaraswamy (JDS), Farooq Abdullah (NC), Sharad Yadav (LJD), Stalin and Kanimojhi (DMK), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) and TMC's Dinesh Trivedi. Besides, he also took Hemant Soren (JMM), Jiten Ram Manjhi (HAM), Babu Lal Marandi (JVM), PK Kunhalikutti (IUML), Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF), Raju Shetty (Swabhimani Paksha), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Jose K Mani (KCM) and NK Premchandran (RSP). The Congress is seeking to make 2019 polls a Modi versus all issue, and is hoping to unite all opposition parties to defeat the BJP. Gandhi also thanked the people of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, for electing Congress governments and for believing in the party and vowed that they will fulfil their responsibilities. His remarks came after senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel were sworn in as chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, in separation functions in the respective state capitals. "CM, Madhya Pradesh, waives farm loans. 1 done. 2 to go," he said, while referring to the promise of farm loan waiver. He later tweeted the order and said Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan will follow suit. "Thanks to the people of Rajasthan for believing in the Congress. Congratulations to the leaders and workers of the Congress for the success of their struggle," he tweeted. "It is an honour for the Congress party to serve Rajasthan. We will fulfil our responsibility," he added. The Congress president also tweeted photographs from the swearing-in ceremony and of a bus in which top opposition leaders were seen sitting with him. "My greetings to people of Madhya Pradesh. You have given a big message by helping the Congress, which works on the path of honesty and love, emerge victorious. "You progress is our pledge. We will serve with all our dedication. Congratulations to Congress workers and leaders. May your voice remain loud and stron," he said in another tweet. "Thanks to the people of Chhattisgarh. We will now move shoulder-to-shoulder to build a new Chhattisgarh. The government will specially focus on farmers, youth and women. Heartfelt greetings to all the Congress workers who have helped in the victory of the party with their hard labour after tiding difficult times," he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Security has been tightened around the Sterlite Copper plant here following information that attempts were on by some outfits to organise a major protest in the backdrop of the NGT setting aside a Tamil Nadu government order permanently closing it,officials said Monday. Besides, security was also strengthened in other parts of the district, including at the Collectorate here where a large number of police personnel had been posted, as a precautionary measure in view of the violent protests witnessed in May this year demanding closure of the plant. Thirteen people were killed in police firing on May 22-23 after the 99-day long protest by the locals against Sterlite turned violent and government properties came under attack. The proesters were demanding closure of the plant citing pollution concerns. While the Tamil Nadu government had on May 28 ordered permanent closure of the plant in the wake of the protests, the National Green Tribunal on Saturday set it aside, allowing an appeal by the Sterlite. The state government has said it would file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the NGT order even as opposition parties attacked it for "negligent" handling of the issue. An official Monday said there was information that some religious and political outfits were trying to coordinate and organisea major agitation here against Sterlite. Police personnel from five neighbouring districts of Virudhungar, Dindigul, Sivaganga, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli have also been deployed in the district to meet any situation, police said. Outsiders were being monitored to find if the locals werebeing instigated, they said. Meanwhile, a group of students, affiliated to the Democratic Youth Federationand the Students Federation of India, staged a protest in front of a college here demanding that a resolution be passed by the state assembly for continued closure of the Sterlite unit, police said. A report from Coimbatore said 20 activists of "Makkal Adhikaram", a fringe outfit, were arrested there when they attempted to stage a demonstration condemning the NGT order. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) leader was Monday arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district for his alleged links with terrorists, the police said. The TeH was founded by hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in 2004 after parting ways with Jamaat-e-Islami. At present, it is being headed by his lieutenant Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai. Noor Mohammad alias Fayaz Malik of Fiqsoo-Thatri village of Doda was an alleged over-ground worker (OGW) of militants, a senior police officer said. "Mohammad was wanted in a militancy related case... The arrested accused is a self-styled leader of TeH, Doda and has previously remained an associate of Geelani," the officer said. Terming the arrest as a "major breakthrough", the officer said Mohammad was active in radicalising the youth of the valley and encourage them to join militancy. He also had close links with Qamar-ul-Zaan, a terrorist who was recently arrested in Uttar Pradesh besides a local active militant Usama -bin-Javed, who hails from Dachhan area of Kishtwar, the officer said. "Reportedly the arrested OGW is running a school at Thathri in Doda," he said further. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Multiple committees and commissions were set up for conducting inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the violence that took place in 1984 in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Delhi High Court Monday said. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel noted that at first, the Marwaha Committee, headed by Ved Marwaha, began recording statements of victims as well as police officers involved. The bench also said that even before the committee could complete the exercise, the Centre set up a one-man Commission under the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1952 comprising Justice Ranganath Misra. The statements recorded by the Marwaha Committee were to be handed over to and examined by the Justice Ranganath Misra Commission but for unexplained reasons, this was not done, the bench noted. It also noted that later the inquiry was taken up by the Jain-Aggarwal Committee, which in its report of 1992, had recommended further investigations into the cases concerning the attack on the house of one Jasbir Singh, whose house was looted and the incident involving the deaths of the five members of a Sikh family -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh. A supplementary charge sheet was filed on February 26, 1993 in the case relating to attack on Jasbir Singh's house, against four accused, however, it also ended in their acquittal by a judgment dated April 30, 1994. In May 2000, the Justice Nanavati Commission was constituted. Its report was submitted on February 9, 2005. The Nanavati Commission was of the view that there was credible material against Sajjan Kumar and Balwan Khokhar for recording a finding that the two of them were probably involved, as alleged by the witnesses, the bench said. It also said that the recommendation of the Commission was to take further action after examining cases where the witnesses have accused Kumar specifically and yet no charge sheets were filed against him and those cases which were terminated as untraced. The high court noted the role played by the various Commissions in its judgment convicting and sentencing Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to imprisonment for the remainder of his life in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The eastern chapter of All India Sikh Students Union (AISSF) on Monday hailed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sought his immediate arrest. Kumar (73) has been awarded life term by the Delhi high court for conspiracy to commit murder. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed in several parts of the country, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Bokaro in Jharkhand (then undivided Bihar) was among the areas, apart from Delhi, where the Sikhs were massacred in large numbers. "We welcome the Delhi High Court verdict on Kumar and demand his immediate arrest. The Congress leader should not be given any time for surrender," Satnam Singh Gambhir , the AISSF president (eastern region), said. He also demanded similar punishment for "other culprits who were involved in the genocide". Appreciating the Union government for constituting a special investigation team (SIT) to look into anti-Sikh riots case, Gambhir said the probe was completed in record time. "The SIT completed its probe within three years of its formation as the team members had taken up their task very seriously," he said. The AISSF leader, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Jharkhand High Court in 2013 leading to formation of a one-member commission, demanded a similar SIT for probe into Sikh killings in the state. "No progress has been made by the commission of Justice (Retd) D P Singh since its formation in 2015. The commission hasn't spoken to any victim in Jharkhand," he claimed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said Monday the concept of socialism was better than capitalism, but he kept China out of this proposition. "The concept of socialism is better than capitalism. But socialism in China is not in better position," the Dalai Lama told reporters in reply to a question on China. "Power is centralised there (in China). It should be rather decentralised. We all need peace to lead a good life," he said outside the Mahabodhi Temple in Gaya district, where he offered prayers. The Nobel Peace prize winner will stay for 23 days at a Tibetan monastery at Bodh Gaya. Buddhism is a religion which is based on scientific reasons, he said and added that he had been working on the scientific aspect of the religion for the past four decades and had been spreading the same to others. He will inaugurate a newly-built Tibetan Buddhist temple and a residential premises at Bhola Bigha in the district on Wednesday. He would also inaugurate a three-day conference on monastic code starting Saturday at the Indo-Thai Society. The spiritual leader would deliver discourse from December 28-30 A special prayer will be organised on December 31 for his long and healthy life. The Dalai Lama will return on January 8 and again come to Bodh Gaya on February 19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sanitary ware firm HSIL's CMD Sandip Somany has been elected as the new President of Ficci, the chamber said Monday. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of the Apollo Hospitals Group, has now been elevated as the Senior Vice President of Ficci, whereas Uday Shankar, Chairman and CEO of Star India, has joined the chamber as the Vice President. In a statement, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) said, Somany will be working closely with the government and business leaders towards spearheading the country's economic growth. He was previously working as the Senior Vice President of the chamber. "I look forward to engaging with industry stalwarts and leaders to foster an ecosystem of innovation and growth, together building consensus between industry and policy," he added. Somany holds a degree from the University of California, (US) and has a Bachelor's degree from the Delhi University. Reddy graduated in Science from the Women's Christian College in Chennai. Shankar, a former journalist, holds an M Phil in Economic History from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in the food poisoning incident at a temple in Chamarajnagar district has gone up to 14, with traces of substances dangerous to human beings found in the 'prasad' (offering) served to the affected, Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara said Monday. Samples of prasad were collected and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory and traces of monocrotophos and organophosphate that are dangerous to human beings have been found in the food, deputy chief minister G Parameshwara said. Parameshwara, who holds the Home portfolio, told the assembly session in Belagavi that seven people had been taken into custody in connection with the incident, adding that some had left the village and search was on for them. "Who did it, the motive behind will come out, and the investigation is on..I believe in one or two days, truth will come out," he said. Noting that prasad served at temples are considered very sacred in Hindu belief, Parameshwara said the incident at the Kichchugutti Maramma temple in Sulvadi village during the groundbreaking ceremony for the temple tower on Friday was "painful." About 150 people were said to have been served with vegetable rice prepared nearby and within half-an-hour people who consumed it started falling ill. "Immediately those ill were rushed to hospitals nearby..11 people died while 125 of them are undergoing treatment. Two died later in hospital and one more last night. Now total death toll stands at 14," he added. Intervening, Opposition BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa said it looks like a "planned conspiracy." He asked the government to take strict action and be "merciless" against those involved so that such incidents did not recur. Hanur MLA Narendra said two children were among those who died. Those still in hospital included 15 children. He requested the government to go to the bottom of the case and take strict action. According to health officials, Malli Bai, 35, who was in a critical state, died in a hospital last night. The health department said in a statement that 45 of those admitted were in the intensive care unit, including 24 on the ventilator. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against seven people from the temple management under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code, according to police. Police have said they are probing suspected foul play in the incident. The villagers have urged the government to take over the temple management as there are reports that factional feud within the temple management led to the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudan's President Omar al-Bachir visited Damascus on Sunday, the Syrian presidency said, in his first such visit to the war-torn country since the start of the conflict. "President Omar Hassan al-Bashir... arrived this afternoon on a visit to the Syrian Arab Republic," the presidency said. President Bashar al-Assad went to meet his Sudanese counterpart at the Damascus airport on Saturday afternoon, the presidency said. They discussed the "situations and crises faced by many Arab countries", it said. The two leaders also stressed the need to build "new principles for inter-Arab relations based on the respect of the sovereignty of countries and non-interference in internal affairs". The Arab League suspended Syria's membership at the end of 2011 following months of brutal repression of anti-regime demonstrations and an opposition movement supported by Gulf monarchies. A Sudanese official late Sunday said that Bashir had returned to Khartoum "from an important visit" to the Syrian capital. The Sudanese president last visited the Syrian capital in 2008 for the Arab League summit which was held there that year. Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011. It has since spiralled into a complex conflict involving jihadists including the Islamic State group and world powers. The International Criminal Court has issued warrants for Bashir's arrest over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. But the Sudanese leader jetted into Jordan last year to attend an annual Arab League summit, and Amman did not arrest him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Taliban say they are holding "another" meeting on Monday with US officials, this time in the United Arab Emirates and also involving Saudi, Pakistani and Emirati representatives in the latest attempt to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 17-year war. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid offered no further details. Khalil Minawi, director of Afghanistan's state-run Bakhtar agency, also confirmed the meeting. He said on Twitter that officials from the United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE held meetings Sunday ahead of "the Pakistani-sponsored U.S.-Taliban meeting." While Afghan officials are not expected to attend Monday's meeting, their presence in the UAE is a significant step in efforts to get the two sides talking. So far, the Taliban have refused to hold direct talks with the Afghan government, calling it a puppet of America and insisting only on negotiating with the U.S. While the U.S. State Department has neither denied nor confirmed previous meetings with the Taliban, Washington's special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad previously said he has held several meetings with all Afghans involved in the protracted conflict a reference that would include the Taliban, who control or hold say in nearly half of Afghanistan. Washington has spent $1 trillion in Afghanistan since the US-led coalition ousted the Taliban in 2001. The war there has become America's longest war. A Taliban statement last month said they held three consecutive days of talks with Khalilzad in Qatar, a Mideast country where the insurgent group maintains a political office. Afterward, Khalilzad went to Kabul where he urged Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to cobble together a team that could hold talks with the Taliban with the intent of reaching an agreement on a "roadmap for the future of Afghanistan." Khalilzad said he would like to see this agreement reached before Afghan presidential elections, scheduled for next April. Since his appointment in September, Khalilzad has tried to jumpstart peace talks and has made several tours of the region. Earlier this month, he held meetings in Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan later said Khalilzad asked Pakistan to assist in getting the Taliban to the negotiating table. Khan said Pakistan would sponsor the UAE talks and insisted that a military solution is not the answer. President Donald Trump has long accused Islamabad of taking billions of US dollars while doing nothing to aid peace efforts and has assailed Khan since his election as prime minister last summer. Washington has suspended hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan. Khan meanwhile has responded to Trump's rebukes by saying that his country was drawn into the war on terror although no Pakistanis were involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and that the war has cost Pakistan USD 123 billion. Khan has also described the US contribution of $20 billion to Pakistan as minuscule. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is likely to cut jobs next year as part of its wider cost efficiency plans. However, the UK-based luxury carmaker refused to comment on reports in a section of the UK media over the weekend that the changes under its Charge and Accelerate transformation programmes could affect thousands of workers. "Jaguar Land Rover notes media speculation about the potential impact of its ongoing Charge and Accelerate transformation programmes," a JLR statement said. "As announced when we published our second quarter results, these programmes aim to deliver GBP 2.5 billion of cost, cash and profit improvements over the next two years. Jaguar Land Rover does not comment on rumours concerning any part of these plans," it noted. In October, the company posted a pre-tax loss of 90 million pounds as the sales of its luxury brands fell sharply in recent months. The JLR had blamed ongoing uncertainty over the future of diesel vehicles in Europe and around Brexit negotiations for its loss-making quarter. As part of its focus on improving profitability and cash flow, the JLR launched its two initiatives called "Charge" and "Accelerate", to identify short-term cost and cash flow improvements as well as longer-term operating efficiencies. "Total profit, cost, and cash flow improvements of GBP 2.5 billion over the next 18 months are targeted. As part of this, the company has taken action to reduce planned spending by about GBP 500 million to GBP 4 billion per year this financial year and next," the JLR had said. UK workers' union, Unite, attacked British government policy for the troubles being faced by the country's largest automotive manufacturer. "The government's demonisation of diesel, it's botched handling of Brexit and economic global uncertainty has seriously dented the hard work of Britain's car workers in making their industry the jewel in the UK's manufacturing crown," a Unite spokesperson said. "Unite is not aware of any further job losses to those already announced and planned for early in the New Year at Jaguar Land Rover...Unite will continue to press the carmaker for assurances over the jobs and skills of our members, who have worked tirelessly over the past decade to make the company the global success story it is today," the spokesperson said. The JLR, which is the UK's largest automotive manufacturer, has the largest number of retailers for its cars in Europe, with around 800 outlets across 42 countries. Its CEO, Ralf Speth, has repeatedly warned the UK government against a "bad Brexit deal", which could cost the company billions per year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A facial recognition tool developed by the Telangana police has helped in reuniting a missing Assam girl with her family, officials said Monday. Anjali Tigga of Boginodi in Assam's Lakhimpur went to Delhi in search of livelihood. However, in September last year she went back to Assam without informing her parents and started working near Sonitpur. Railway police spotted her wandering on the streets and handed her to the Child Welfare Committee, who admitted Anjali to a shelter home at Tezpur. Her parents had filed a missing complaint with the police in August last year. Darpan, the face recognition software, maintains a database of children and persons lodged at various rescue homes across the country. It tries to match photos of those missing with those lodged at the homes. With the help of Darpan, launched in August this year, Anjali was traced to a Children's Home in Sonipur of Assam's Tezpur district, Telangana IGP (Law and Order), Woman Safety Wing, Swati Lakra said. Police subsequently approached her parents and informed them of Anjali's whereabouts and got the girl reunited with her family Sunday, Lakra said in a release. Lakra said several other photographs have also been matched and the verification process was underway to identify these children and reunite them with their families. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian telecom export body has requested National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to ban purchase of equipment from Chinese companies like Huawei, ZTE and Fiberhome for government networks, claiming that they can pose a serious national security threat. "Ban the procurement of any Chinese telecom equipment in any government telecom network (centre or state), including power, rail, defence and PSUs. We believe that indigenous equipment makers already have the products, IPR as well as manufacturing capability and capacity to address these needs," Telecom Export Promotion Council (TEPC) Chairman Shyamal Ghosh said in a letter to Doval. The TEPC has been set-up by the government to promote telecom export from India. Telecom industry body COAI, however, said that the TEPC demand to impose restrictions on Huawei and other Chinese firms is without any merit. "We are also surprised to note that such allegations have been posed by TEPC without any proof and background check," COAI said in a letter to telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan. When contacted, Huawei said it has not received any official communication and the statement issued against it is not backed by any proof. "As a leading global supplier of telecom equipment, we remain committed to developing trusted and secure solutions for our customers. We continue to receive full support from the government and industry partners alike. Having a proven track record of doing business in the country, we continue to work closely with Government of India and other industry stakeholders," the Huawei spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that privacy and security are always first priority at Huawei. Ghosh, former telecom secretary, shot off the letter following recents move by developed countries like the US, Japan, Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia and New Zealand to block purchase of equipment from companies such as Huawei, ZTE and Fiberhome, particularly for 5G networks. "While it is common knowledge that telecom equipment from China pose severe security threat (especially for India), recent decisive actions by technologically savvy countries have confirmed this," Ghosh said. He cited case of Estonia that faced DDOS (Distributed Denial of Services) attacks in 2007 and case Stuxnet which target SCADA systems and is alleged to have affected Iranian nuclear programme. "It is in this context that I would like to bring to your kind attention, the perception of our members to a rising security threat of Chinese telecom equipment vendors being used in our telecom networks," Ghosh said. He said that India is transforming into digital nation for which telecom network should be purchased from trusted source. The TEPC Chairman alleged that there has been a sustained effort by Chinese equipment vendors to win all government and security-sensitive projects such as in power, railways, oil and gas, defense etc at any cost, by offering predatory pricing, so as to gain control of strategic assets in the country. "Also, by offering low prices and long-term financing ,backed by their state owned banks, they are winning major part of the capex spends of private telecom operators in India," Ghosh alleged. He said that with mounting international pressure against Chinese telecom equipment vendors, there is a strong possibility that they will increase their focus on India to garner more business and further aggravate cyber security risks in the country The TEPC requested Doval to create a phase-wise plan to replace all Chinese equipment from any security-sensitive network and any incremental procurement and upgrade should be done based on Indian equipment wherever possible or from a trusted partner country until Indian products become available. "Private telcos should be strongly advised to avoid the use of any Chinese equipment in any security-sensitive area," Ghosh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Protesters threw smoke grenades at police who responded with tear gas in Budapest on Sunday as thousands of people rallied against a new "slave law" passed by the government of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban. More than 15,000 people, according to local press reports, joined the demonstration -- the first rally since Orban returned to power in 2010 to bring together all opposition parties, from greens to the far right, under the same banner. The protest was called by unions and opposition parties outraged at reforms that hike the annual overtime hours that employers can demand from 250 to 400 hours and allows payment to be delayed by up to three years. The government says the changes are needed by employers short of manpower and will benefit those wanting to work extra hours. Sunday's protest ended up at Parliament Square, where protesters chanting "Orban get lost!" have been gathering since the law was adopted on Wednesday. Protesters led by two opposition lawmakers later marched to Hungary's public television headquarters to read a petition but were refused access. Protesters then hurled missiles and smoke grenades prompting police to respond with tear gas, as they have done in previous days. "They don't negotiate with anyone. They just do whatever they want. They steal everything. It's intolerable. It cannot go on," said one protester, Zoli, a transport worker. Protests in the past week have been the most violent in Hungary for over a decade with dozens arrested and at least 14 police injured. Other reforms passed by parliament, which is dominated by Orban's ruling party, include a bill paving the way for new "administrative courts" to oversee public administration cases. The justice minister Laszlo Trocsanyi, a close Orban ally, would oversee the courts, leading some to warn the premier could have near-total political influence over the judicial system. Anger over the legislation has prompted opposition parties across the spectrum, who accuse Orban and his ruling Fidesz party of steering Hungary toward authoritarianism, to join forces. Pro-government public and commercial media have portrayed the protesters as anarchists and "mercenaries of George Soros". The Hungarian-born US billionaire Soros has long been accused by Orban of plotting to destabilise Hungary. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Eighty fishing boat groups were Monday provided with 200 ISRO developed satellite enabled communication devices by the Tamil Nadu government, that will provide them real-time alerts on cyclone and weather updates. Chief Minister K Palaniswami distributed the gadgets to seven fishermen from Chennai, Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari engaged in deep sea fishing, marking the roll out of the devices, at the Secretariat here. Touted as the Indian version of the American GPS (Global Positioning System), the NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) enabled communication devices provides fishermen with real-time updates. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System constellation of eight satellites, named "NavIC", provides position, navigation and timing services over India and its neighbourhood, according to ISRO. A senior government official, when asked about the features of the device, said that the gadgets are basically 'receivers',which emit a beep signal when alerts are received. "The devices are the size of a soap box and are Bluetooth enabled...the alerts can be accessed by downloading the NavIC App in android phones...the alerts will appear in Tamil," he told PTI. "These ISRO gadgets have been distributed free of cost...there are also no recurring costs...these have to be maintained properly," he said, adding that the devices would come in handy for those going for deep sea fishing. During cyclone Ockhi last year, several fishermen went missing and the Tamil Nadu government faced criticism that timely updates about the storm was not communicated to them to enable them return home. The state government had announced in the 2018-19 budget that the gadgets would be provided to fishermen engaged in deep sea fishing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former RBI Governor has cautioned that transfer of excess reserve to the government may bring down rating of the central bank. Ratings downgrade of the RBI from 'AAA' would make borrowing costlier for the central bank and will have implication for the entire economy. Asked if the transfer of excess reserve by the RBI to the government could lead to a downgrade of the rating, Rajan said: "It could...it depends on how much. It may not be an issue now...may be an issue at some point of time. That's one concern". This is something both the government and RBI should discuss before reaching some conclusion, he told NDTV channel in an interview. "We are 'Baa' country. We are barely investment grade. Sometimes, we need to undertake international transactions which require a really high credit rating. For example, swap we did in 2013. So, for that, we need unimpeachable balance sheet. Why don't we keep the RBI as an unimpeachable balance sheet with AAA credit rating that requires certain amount of equity," he said. Highlighting that profit of the central bank largely comes due to devaluation of Indian currency, Rajan said keeping a portion for the contingency reserves, RBI usually pays entire profit. "RBI can pay profit and not whatever it holds for contingency reserves for movement up and down. For example, rupee that depreciated could also strengthen...so we should accommodate for that," he said. There seems to be a tussle going on between the RBI and government over various issues, including the transfer of excess capital of the apex bank. Last month, the RBI board decided to set up a high-level committee soon for examining the Economic Capital Framework (ECF) to determine the appropriate levels of reserve the central bank should hold. Asked whether he also faced pressure when he was the governor, he said there is always a pressure on the central bank to pay the government more. "I had it as well. I wrote a letter to the RBI when I was Chief Economic Advisor saying perhaps the RBI should look at how much it needs to hold. When I came to RBI as governor I set up a committee which essentially said we have enough capital to pay out our entire profit." "The three years that I was Governor, we paid the highest dividend in RBI's history to the government. The issue at stake is not that anymore. The issue is more than that. It's not just the profit, they want the excess. And the Malegam Committee had opined that you cannot pay more than the profit," he said. Rajan, who was RBI governor for three years till September 2016, is currently teaching at the Chicago Booth School of Business. The over-a-century-old Ujjayanta Palace of Tripura's Manikya Kings, which houses the state museum, would be equipped with digital galleries in a bid to boost tourism, a state minister said on Monday. The palace, built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya during 1899-1901, served as the state legislative assembly till 2011. "We would soon install digital galleries in the state museum, which would make use of projectors. I think this initiative would also attract more tourists in the museum and help promoting tourism industry in the state," Tripura Higher Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath told reporters. An official of the Tourism Department added that the visitors would feel like walking around the gallery with life-like illusions. "We are planning to introduce a battery car from the main gate up to the museum for the elderly and kids, covering about half km. "We also are sensitising tourists guides, tightening security at the museum, and restarting the light and sound show soon to attract more tourists," Nath said. He said the state government wants to make this the "best museum in the country" and that Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb would soon convene a meeting of officials and experts in this regard. Nath said that in the last five years, 9,50,000 tourists visited the museum, of which over 4,000 were from abroad. The palace was converted to state museum in September 2013. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A ceasefire in Yemen's battleground port city of Hodeida and its surroundings will start on Tuesday, a UN official said, after renewed fighting threatened the hard-won accord struck in Sweden. The deal announced on Thursday between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Huthi rebels included an "immediate ceasefire" in Hodeida, whose Red Sea port serves as a crucial gateway for humanitarian aid. The UN official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the delay to the halt in hostilities until midnight (2100 GMT) on Monday was necessary for "operational reasons". Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani, who led the government's delegation to the peace talks, also told state-run television late Sunday that the ceasefire would begin at midnight Monday. Residents in Hodeida and the surrounding areas have reported fierce fighting and air strikes in recent days, as clashes continued between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Huthis. At least 29 fighters, including 22 Huthi rebels, were killed on Saturday night in Hodeida province, a pro-government military source told AFP. Two Hodeida residents reached by telephone told AFP that they could hear intermittent clashes to the east and south of the city on Monday. A pro-government military official said that there were sporadic clashes, adding that a fire erupted in one of the factories in the east of the city due to strikes on Sunday night. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) voiced alarm about "the continuous fighting" in Hodeida. The medical aid group said its teams on the ground were treating victims of gunshots, shelling and air strikes, urging warring parties "to respect the presence of civilians and health infrastructures". UN envoy Martin Griffiths said on Sunday that the UN was working with both sides to ensure the ceasefire accord was "implemented timely and properly". The truce is supposed to be followed by the withdrawal of fighters from Hodeida within days on both sides. A prisoner swap involving some 15,000 detainees is planned and a "mutual understanding" was reached to facilitate aid deliveries to Yemen's third city Taiz -- under the control of loyalists but besieged by rebels. The two sides also agreed to meet again in late January for more talks to define the framework for negotiations on a comprehensive peace settlement. Impoverished Yemen has been mired in fighting between the Huthi rebels and troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since 2014. The war escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition stepped in on the government's side. The conflict has since killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher. UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Sunday that "much worse" lay in store for the impoverished country in 2019 unless its warring parties strike a peace deal and head off a humanitarian crisis. Severe food shortages mean that a high number of Yemenis have been dying in "very dramatic circumstances", Guterres told a conference in Doha. Diplomats said Guterres may propose a surveillance mechanism comprising 30 to 40 observers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UN-brokered agreement to halt hostilities in Yemen's Hodeida and its surroundings starts on Tuesday, a United Nations official said on Monday after renewed clashes in the flashpoint city. When asked if the ceasefire in Hodeida province starts midnight Monday, the UN official, who requested anonymity, told AFP: "it is true". The announcement of the ceasefire date follows Yemen's warring sides clinching a deal in Sweden on Thursday, under which an "immediate ceasefire" was to be implemented in Hodeida. The UN source said the delay until 2100 GMT on Monday was necessary for "operational reasons". Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani, who led the government's delegation to the peace talks, told state-run television late Sunday that the ceasefire takes effect at midnight Monday. Residents in Hodeida and the surrounding areas have reported fierce fighting and air strikes in recent days, as clashes continued between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels. At least 29 fighters, including 22 Huthi rebels, were killed on Saturday night in Hodeida province, a pro-government military source told AFP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Metro Unit of Delhi Police has arrested two persons for allegedly stealing ruscards from a mobile tower, police said Monday. The accused have been identified as Bijender (42) and Harender (32), they said. On December 2, a complainant who works with a private telecom company alleged that five ruscards were stolen from one of their mobile towers at Kanhaiya Nagar Metro Station. Based on a tip off, a trap was laid near DTC bus stop at Badarpur where the accused had come to sell the stolen ruscards, Dinesh Kumar Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways and Metro) said. Subsequently, a raid was conducted and the accused were apprehended and three stolen ruscards were recovered from them, he said. The accused were working as labourers in a private company, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two children were killed and three injured after a wall of a school building collapsed here Monday, prompting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to order a magisterial-level probe, even as the police booked six people in this connection, officials said. The wall of the private primary school collapsed on the children at around 9.30 am allegedly due to the impact of some construction activity, involving use of a heavy machine (JCB), in the adjoining plot in Salarpur village, the police said. "The children were rushed to a hospital for treatment where two were declared dead, while three others undergoing treatment," the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ajay Pal Sharma, said. The deceased were identified as Bhupendra Singh, 10, and Vivek, 7, the police said. Six people, including KM Public School's principal Sanjeev Jha, its manager Raghvendra Solanki, owner Amit Bhati, his relative Deshraj Bhati and Sumit Bhati (Deshraj's son) and an unidentified JCB operator have been booked in this connection, they said. They have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), among others, the police said. The deceased's parents briefly disrupted the traffic on the Dadri-Noida road this evening near the village, demanding compensation. "The crowd was pacified and normalcy restored soon," a police officer said. Later, an official spokesperson of the state government in Lucknow said, "The chief minister has directed Noida District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh to probe causes of the collapse and submit a report". The DM, who along with SSP Sharma, had visited the hospital and met with the victims and their families, said a magisterial-level probe has been ordered into the incident. The chief minister has asked the DM to submit a report within a week. "We will send a preliminary report also to the government and other details would also emerge soon," he told PTI. Singh said the district administration was also looking into the demand of the families seeking compensation. "Their demands are under consideration," he said. According to the FIR, the school building was "too old and deteriorated". "The construction work in the plot adjoining the school was being done without any official approval from the authorities concerned," it stated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were killed and as many as 106 patients and visitors suffered injuries in a fire at a government-run hospital in Mumbai Monday evening, officials said. As many as 108 people, including patients, were trapped inside when the fire broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri, said the official of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). "They were subsequently rescued from different floors by firemen using ladders," he said. He added, "The building is a ground plus five-floor structure and the blaze erupted on the fourth floor," official said. "Of the 108 injured patients and visitors, 15 were admitted in Cooper Hospital where two were declared brought dead," said the civic official. Apart from Cooper Hospital, those injured were taken to different hospitals in the city. 40 persons were admitted at the Holy Spirit Hospital, 23 in P Thackeray Trauma Hospital and 30 in Seven Hills hospital, he said. The deceased are yet to be identified, the official said, adding the cause of the fire was not yet known. The fire brigade got a call at around 4 pm about the blaze. Ten fire tenders and 15 ambulances were rushed to the spot where firefighting operations are still on. "Most of the rescued and injured people are in stable condition," the official said. Chief of Fire Brigade department of the BMC P S Rahangdale said smoke engulfed the entire building and fire brigade personnel were searching all floors to see if any patient or visitor was still trapped. He said the fire was confined to the third floor of the structure from where doctors, nurses and patients were rescued. "Fire fighting operation is in progress. Eight to 10 persons were rescued from the common passage that connects the hospital building to an adjacent under-construction building," Rahangdale said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Malaysia's Healthcare Bhd said on Monday its open offer to buy an additional 26 per cent stake in Healthcare Ltd will not proceed as per the timeline following a court ruling. Cash-strapped accepted IHH'S investment offer in July after an extended bidding war for control of the company which operates about 30 private hospitals in India. Under the deal, will pay Rs 40 billion for 31 per cent stake, and then bid for another 26 per cent as per Indian regulations, offering up to Rs 33 billion. The on Friday ordered status quo be maintained with regard to sale of the controlling stake in Fortis, after Japan's Co Ltd filed a contempt plea against Fortis founders Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh, according to a CNBC TV18 report. Daiichi argued that Singh brothers created encumbrances on 1.2 million shares of Fortis in violation of court orders, the report added. The court has issued notices to the Singh brothers. Meanwhile, Fortis said on Saturday it was not a party to the judicial proceedings and that the proceedings were solely related to the ex-promoters, who are no longer a part of the company. said the order does not impact the share subscription with Fortis which was completed on Nov. 13. Shares of Fortis fell as much as 3.7 per cent to Rs 136.20 in heavy trading, with more than 3.1 mln shares changing hands by 0806 GMT, compared with their 30-day average of 2.6 mln shares. After Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikars much discussed visit to inspect two under- construction bridges, the Congress Monday said he should show the same efforts to unfurl the tricolour on December 19 to mark the Liberation Day of Goa. Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule on December 19, 1961. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar said the party will appreciate if the chief minister unfurled the tri-colour on December 19 and delivered the Liberation Day address. "To unfurl the tricolour is a much easier and honourable job than inspecting bridges," Chodankar said. Earlier in the day, the BJP accused the Congress of politicising the health condition of Parrikar. On Sunday, Parrikar inspected two under-construction bridges on Mandovi and Zuari rivers. This was the first time the CM was seen in public since returning to Goa on October 14 post hospitalisation in Delhi's AIIMS. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The principal of a secondary school here has been suspended for allegedly beating up students for not greeting him with "As-Salaam-Alaikum". Principal secretary and nodal officer of the district, Dimple Verma on a visit to the Bilhari Secondary School in Tilhar area Sunday was told that principal Chand Mian was demanding that he be greeted with "As-Salaam-Alaikum" and he would beat up those wishing him "good morning", an official said. "As-Salaam-Alaikum" is a greeting in Arabic which means "Peace be upon you". The greeting is a religious salutation among Muslims. Class VI student Priyanshu, who met the senior officer along with other locals, told her that since the children were not being able to say "As-Salaam-Alaikum" they were beaten up. He also showed injury marks on his neck to the visiting official, Chief Development Officer Prerna Sharma said. The student was sent for medical examination and the preliminary inquiry report has been handed over to Basic Shiksha Adikari (BSA) Rakesh Kumar. "Principal Chand Mian has prima facie been found guilty of the charges and suspended...further inquiry is on," Kumar said. Meanwhile, Chand Mian has rejected the allegations and said that he was being defamed as part of some conspiracy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States military's Africa Command says that it has carried out six airstrikes in the Gandarshe area of Somalia which killed a total of 62 extremists from the al-Shabab rebel group. In a statement issued Monday, the US military said it carried out four strikes on December 15 in which 34 people were killed and two more on December 16 which killed 28. It said all strikes were in the Gandarshe coast area south of the capital. It said that no civilians were injured or killed. The US military statement said all six strikes were carried out in close coordination with Somalia's government. It said the airstrikes were conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The American Sikh community has expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the laying of the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor in Punjab. "We the Sikh diaspora are thankful to Narendra Modi and his government for realising the long-cherished dream of Sikhs in India and abroad and laying the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor on November 26, 2018," the 'Sikhs of America' organisation said in a resolution addressed to the prime minister. "Since the foundation stone was laid on the Pakistan side also, Sikhs across the globe are looking forward to the much-anticipated pilgrimage," said the resolution. A copy of the resolution was presented to senior officials of the Indian Embassy here at an event organised by Sikhs of America in the Maryland suburb of Washington. The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of the Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak - with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will only have to obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1522 by Guru Nanak. "For the last few months, good has been coming for the Sikh community in India and abroad," Jasdip Singh chairman of Sikhs of America said as he praised the role of the Indian government in bringing to justice some of the accused involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. "We are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. However, there is lot to be done," Singh said, hoping that in the coming weeks and months other politicians involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots would also be brought to justice. He said the government had addressed most of their concerns including removal of some Sikhs from the visa blacklist. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In January, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) greets marchers in Denver ahead of the annual parade to mark the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In November, Polis became the first openly gay person to be elected a governor in the United States. (David Zalubowski/AP) Over the past month, attention has been lavished on the diversity of the incoming freshman class of the House of Representatives. Less noticed is another critical first: Coloradans voted into office Jared Polis, the first openly gay governor elected in U.S. history. Twenty-five years ago, Colorado voters also made history in the battle over gay rights. But they did so for the opposite reason, approving Amendment 2, an amendment to the Colorado constitution that prohibited all gay rights laws in the state. So how did Colorado go from being, in the words of author Armistead Maupin, the South Africa of the U.S. for gays to electing an openly gay governor? One clue: Polis, in addition to being openly gay, is a multimillionaire. Colorados evolution from Amendment 2 to Polis reveals how gay rights activists found an unlikely ally in their war with the Christian right: corporate America. In 1992, few people would have guessed Colorado would one day elect an openly gay governor. In fact, it seemed far more likely that the state would blaze the way for a national rollback of gay rights. The conservative Christians who drafted and campaigned for Amendment 2 used a powerful slogan, No Special Rights, which suggested gay men and lesbians sought not equal but special rights. This slogan, combined with an ad campaign that used lurid images from San Franciscos gay pride parade, enabled Amendment 2 to defy pollsters and secure victory by a 53 percent to 46 percent margin in November 1992, even as Bill Clinton and Democratic Senate candidate Ben Nighthorse Campbell carried the state. Emboldened by this victory, conservative Christians sought to take the Colorado Model nationwide. Amendment 2 clones sprung up in states ranging from Oregon to Michigan to Florida. At a meeting of Christian right organizations, one of the authors of the amendment promised the crowd, There is a national movement coming out of Amendment 2. Amendment 2 did produce a national movement, but not of the sort the Christian right intended. Calls to boycott Colorado, led by the Denver-based organization Boycott Colorado, began within a few days of the amendments passage. Soon national groups like the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force joined the effort. Multiple organizations canceled conventions in Colorado; a major publishing company changed its plans to relocate to Denver; and the city councils of New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta endorsed the boycott. Many of these cities supported the boycott for material reasons as well as ideological ones. When Ed Rendell, then the mayor of Philadelphia, declared that he would not attend a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors held in Colorado, he quickly added: As a statement of denouncing bigotry and affirming civil rights, I will personally request that the conference be moved to Philadelphia, the birthplace of civil rights. Colorados loss could be Philadelphias gain. Affirmative hatred is bad business, declared one pro-boycott activist, and the numbers seemed to bear him out: The estimated impact of the boycott grew from $20 million at the end of 1992 to $120 million by the end of 1993. Surveying the damage, a Denver Post reporter concluded: Amendment 2 may be the biggest public-relations disaster ever to hit Colorado. Colorados business community had always been lukewarm toward Amendment 2. Though the pro-amendment campaign included some small-business owners, most of the states larger businesses opposed the amendment as unnecessary. Denvers Chamber of Commerce even paid for a newspaper ad in which companies with branches in Colorado, such as Apple, denounced the amendment. But in 1992, most of the states business community was focused on defeating a different initiative, one that they felt cut taxes too sharply. Defeating Amendment 2 was secondary. The boycott refocused their attention. The states business community now turned sharply and vocally against the amendment. This was true even in the arch-conservative community of Colorado Springs, home to dozens of evangelical Christian ministries, some of the nations largest evangelical churches and Colorado for Family Values, the evangelical-led organization that had drafted Amendment 2. Even there, business leaders attacked the amendment and the extremists who sponsored it. The citys Chamber of Commerce touted Colorado as a tolerant, caring place to live, while the chambers president declared that diversity is important in the community and the work force. Dozens of executives rallied behind an effort called Come Together Colorado that would have repealed Amendment 2. They were less interested in advancing gay rights than in protecting their citys reputation as a good place to do business something they were quite open about. Colorado Springs, said one employer, cannot afford divisiveness, misdirection or intolerance if its serious about recruiting investments. Meanwhile, as clones of Amendment 2 appeared around the nation, liberal groups used the Colorado boycott to recruit allies from the corporate world. A briefing book published by the American Civil Liberties Union suggested that organizers make the anti-gay initiative an economic development issue as a way to seek out allies. They could do so by emphasizing the negative impact an anti-gay initiative can have on the states economy. This was a conscious strategy on the part of activists. As one leader in the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force put it, the boycott was a way to send [a] message to other states: Should they pass another initiative, it will be a high price to pay for discrimination. One anti-gay leader scoffed at this strategy: What are they going to do? Boycott the whole country? But it worked. No Special Rights initiatives were put forward in eight states in 1994: Idaho, Oregon, Arizona, Maine, Missouri, Michigan, Florida and Washington. Six failed to even make the ballot. The two that did, in Oregon and Idaho, went down to defeat. Two years later Amendment 2 itself was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in Romer v. Evans Convincing corporations that social conservatism was bad business was only the first step. Some Colorado executives went a step further by using their wealth to actively advance gay rights. Foremost among them was software entrepreneur Tim Gill. Gill, himself openly gay, responded to Amendment 2 by creating the Gill Foundation. The foundation headquartered in Colorado Springs, in a direct rebuke to that citys conservative element disbursed millions of dollars to organizations throughout Colorado with the aim of raising the profile of gay philanthropy. One of Gills allies: Jared Polis, then a wealthy entrepreneur. Polis joined Gill and two other wealthy Coloradans in what was sometimes called the Gang of Four, a group dedicated to shifting Colorado leftward, particularly by funding opposition to socially conservative Republicans. In the decades since, the corporate world has only become more vocal in its opposition to local laws that target sexual nonconformity. For instance, North Carolinas bathroom bill, which would have (among other restrictions) required transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding to the sex listed on their birth certificates, triggered a massive boycott that cost the state billions. Boycotts and targeted philanthropy were effective because they exploited a divide in the conservative coalition, between those who prioritized social issues and those who did not. Even for most Colorado business leaders who opposed gay rights, the issue was of secondary importance to them not worth losing money to a boycott or rejecting a donation from the Gill Foundation. This, then, was the Colorado Model that emerged from Amendment 2: not a national campaign against gay rights, but a strategy to split social conservatives from their allies in the business community through a careful application of threats and incentives. That Polis, a wealthy businessman and outspoken advocate of gay rights, should be the one to realize the culmination of this model seems fitting. The American Sikh community has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for realising the "long-cherished dream" of Sikhs by opening the Kartarpur corridor, which will facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims to the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on November 26 laid the foundation stone for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor which is expected to be completed within six months. The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of the Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak - with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. It will facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will only have to obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1522 by Guru Nanak. "We the Sikh diaspora are thankful to Narendra Modi and his government for realising the long-cherished dream of Sikhs in India and abroad and laying the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor on November 26, 2018," said the 'Sikhs of America' organisation. "Since the foundation stone was laid on the Pakistan side also, Sikhs across the globe are looking forward to the much-anticipated pilgrimage," it said in a resolution addressed to the prime minister. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for Kartarpur corridor on November 28. A copy of the resolution was presented to senior officials of the Indian embassy here at an event organised by the Sikhs of America in the Maryland suburb of Washington. "For the last few months, good has been coming for the Sikh community in India and abroad," Jasdip Singh chairman of Sikhs of America said as he praised the role of the Indian government in bringing to justice some of the accused involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. "We are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. However, there is lot to be done," Singh said, hoping that in the coming months others involved in the riots would also be brought to justice. He said the government had addressed most of their concerns including removal of some Sikhs from the visa blacklist. Last month, Prime Minister Modi invoked the fall of the Berlin Wall and hoped the Kartarpur corridor would act as a bridge between India and Pakistan. "Had anyone ever thought that the Berlin Wall would fall. May be with the blessings of Guru Nanak Devji, this Kartarpur corridor will not just remain a corridor, but act as a bridge between the people of the two countries," Modi said at a function to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. Kartarpur Sahib is located across Ravi river in Pakistan and is about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. The demand to build a corridor linking India's border district of Gurdaspur with a historic gurudwara in Pakistan was a long-pending demand of the Sikh community. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP leader and outgoing chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday greeted Congress leaders and newly appointed CM Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot at their oath ceremony here. She also affectionately met her nephew and Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and the warm gesture caught the attention of the guests and people around. Raje shared stage with the leaders of various political parties and shook hands with Congress President Rahul Gandhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stocks of Vedanta Monday rose over 2 per cent after the NGT set aside the Tamil Nadu government order for closure of the company's copper plant at Tuticorin. On the BSE, the stocks after opening at Rs 214.25, higher 6.48 per cent from the previous close, finally settled at Rs 205.65, up 2.21 per cent. The stock advanced 1.88 per cent to close at Rs 205.40 on the NSE. Intra-day it was trading at Rs 213.30, an increase of 5.80 per cent. In terms of the equity volume, over 19 lakh shares were traded on the BSE, while over 2.7 crore units changed hands on the NSE. The NGT on Saturday, set aside the Tamil Nadu government order for closure of the copper unit at Tuticorin, which was at the centre of massive protests over alleged pollution, saying it was "non sustainable" and "unjustified". A bench headed by NGT Chairperson A K Goel asked the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to pass a fresh order for renewal of consent and authorisation to handle hazardous substances, subject to appropriate conditions for protection of the environment in accordance with law within three weeks from Saturday. In May, Vedanta's Sterilte Copper had to close the smelter plant following the state government order. The company had challenged the order in the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Earlier, Sterlite Copper CEO P Ramnath had said that the plant met over 30 per cent of the of India's copper demand. Sterlite Copper's plant closure had led to a spike in the prices of phosphoric and sulphuric acids, adversely affecting the downstream chemical and fertilisers industry, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Dubai-based businessman and accused in a money laundering case connected with the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal moved a Delhi court Monday seeking anticipatory bail. Rajeev Saxena, a director of two Dubai-based firms UHY Saxena and Matrix Holdings filed application through his advocate before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, saying he was anticipating arrest. The court sought response from the ED by December 24, when it will next year the matter. The court has already issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Saxena in the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Dubai-based businessman and accused in a money laundering case related to the Rs 36-billion VVIP chopper deal moved a Delhi court Monday seeking anticipatory bail. Rajeev Saxena, a director of two Dubai-based firms UHY Saxena and Matrix Holdings filed application through his advocate before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, saying he was anticipating arrest. According to the agency's lawyer, the government is working to extradite Saxena back to India. The move comes a fortnight after the alleged middleman in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, Christian Michel, was extradited from the UAE to India. According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), both Michel and Saxena, along with others, were part of a chain through which the "proceeds of crime" were laundered. On Saxena's application, the court sought response from the ED by December 24, when it will next hear the matter. The court also asked senior advocate Geeta Luthra, appearing for Saxena, to take instruction from her client as to when he may come to India and join the probe. Michel, a British national, was extradited from Dubai to India earlier this month and is currently in the CBI custody in a related case. The court has already issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Saxena in the case. However, the accused has filed an application before it seeking cancellation of the NBW. The accused, a non-resident, currently residing in Palm Jumeriah, Dubai, has been living in the UAE for last 26 years. In his application, Saxena said that "he undertakes to appear before this court. However, the applicant is filing the instant application as he apprehends his arrest by the respondent". "It would be a travesty of justice to allow the respondent (ED) to confine the applicant to any form of detention," the application said. It claimed that even as per ED's charge sheet, the other accused who have committed more grave offence than Saxena, such as Gautam Khaitan and SP Tyagi, are out on bail and "there can be no justification to deny the applicant grant of anticipatory bail". Saxena claimed he had no antecedent in any crime or illegal activities in the past and asserted that he was "innocent". He also told the court that he was seeking the relief on medical grounds as he was "an extremely sick person with advanced terminal diseases", including an advanced stage leukemia (blood cancer). Maintaining that AgustaWestland had paid Euro 58 million as kickbacks through two Tunisia-based firms, the ED has alleged that "these companies further siphoned off the said money in the name of consultancy contracts to M/s Interstellar Technologies Limited, Mauritius and others which were further transferred to M/s UHY Saxena and M/s Matrix Holdings Ltd, Dubai and others". Saxena is one of the accused named in the charge sheet filed by the ED. Michel, former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, ex-IAF chief S P Tyagi and Saxena's wife Shivani Saxena were also named by the agency. It was alleged by the probe agency that the two Dubai-based firms were the entities "through which the proceeds of crime have been routed and further layered and integrated in buying the immovable properties/ shares, among others" in this case. "Saxena has transferred proceeds of crime from M/s Interstellar to his Dubai based companies M/s UHY Saxena and M/s Matrix Holdings Ltd," ED said in its charge sheet. The agency claimed its probe had found that AgustaWestland, United Kingdom, had "paid an amount of Euro 58 million as kickbacks" through two Tunisia-based firms. On January 1, 2014, India had scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of kickbacks of Rs 423 crore paid by it to secure the deal. The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry on Monday directed all chief secretaries to install CCTVs and ensure proper care of women residing in Swadhar Grehs across the country, amid reports of physical torture and absence of medical aid in these shelter homes. WCD Secretary Rakesh Srivastava wrote to all chief secretaries in the country and asked them to give a list of functioning Swadhar Grehs in their respective areas and verify their "performance and existence with due diligence". "Outsiders, men should not be allowed inside these homes especially after the evening. Moreover, these approved homes should be located in accessible areas so that the women do not have to travel to remote locations," Srivastava said. The directions come after the National Commission for Women-led inspections revealed physical torture of inmates in West Bengal, no medical aid for HIV patients in Odisha and no treatment for mentally challenged women in Uttar Pradesh among other findings. The inspections were made at five Swadhar Greh centres in West Bengal, eight in Odisha, eight in Karnataka and five in Uttar Pradesh. Out of the 26 Swadhar Grehs, only one was found running as per the guidelines of the scheme, according to the report submitted to the NCW by the inspection committee. These rehabilitation centres are either Centre-funded or NGO-run short-stay homes for sexually abused or destitute women. Taking note of the condition of these shelter homes, Srivastava asked the chief secretaries to ensure swift action was taken to avoid repetition of the unfortunate events. He also asked the chief secretaries to ensure CCTVs are installed in all Swadhar Grehs and ensure proper rehabilitative care for the women. He also said only female employees should be employed in these homes to ensure safety of the inmates. "A fool-proof mechanism to verify beneficiaries' age may be put in place to ensure proper assistance to minors, particularly those who are victims of sexual exploitation," he said. Tie-ups with local hospitals was also recommended to ensure "distressed women who need special counselling have access to clinical psychologists". He also directed women above the age of 60 years to be shifted to old-age homes with elderly-friendly facilities. The NCW report found that in Uttar Pradesh mentally challenged inmates were found living at these homes but there was no sign of any treatment for them, "who were seen rolling on the floor at the time of inspection". In West Bengal, the inmates complained that they were subjected to physical torture by the counsellor of the Swadhar Greh. "Seven of the inmates were mentally challenged women and the Swadhar Greh is like a congested prison. The building, kitchen and rooms are dirty and unhygienic," the report on the condition of the shelter home in West Bengal said. In Odisha, one inmate with a child, a trafficking case, complained to the committee that she is a HIV patient and that the NGO was not providing any medication to her. "Though, she wants to go back to her parents, she was forced to stay back in the Greh by the NGO," the report said. In Karnataka, no psychological counselling was made available to the inmates in depression and no sign of vocational training to the inmates, were among the key findings. One Swadhar Greh in Karnataka just existed on paper. "Based on the address of the Swadhar Greh given by the state government in the authenticated list, the committee went to inspect the centre located in a posh locality in Bangalore city. But surprisingly there was no Swadhar Greh existing in the address and only the board of the organisation was placed, the room was locked," the report said. Women's commission Chairperson Rekha Sharma proposed introduction of a system like regularly uploading the up-to-date data of inmates on the website of Women and Child Development Department. She also suggested mandatory inspections by district monitoring committees every three months and submitting of reports to the government. She said counselors in the Swadhar Greh with Masters in Social Work or Sociology degree cannot give any psychological counseling to the inmates, which is essential as most of the inmates are in the condition of distress and anxiety. "Hence counselors with the qualification of clinical psychology have to be appointed as counselors," she said. "Mentally challenged women have to be sent to the mental rehabilitation centres for better care. Old women who are above 60 years have to be sent to old age homes," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tragedy has been the calling card of the 'Tilak Vihar Widow Colony' for 34 years but on Monday the many grim stories were edged faintly with what could pass off as happiness -- Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was convicted for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The colony, set up to house the families of those killed in the violence that followed prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination on October 31, 1984, was back in the with the Delhi High Court convicting the leader and sentencing him for life. Long used to journalists queuing up outside the confining streets of the colony near west Delhi's Tilak Nagar locality every anniversary of the assassination and the violence that claimed nearly 3,000 lives over three days, the people of Tilak Vihar wearily recounted their stories and their wait for justice. The story turned a page for them on Monday. "Main khush haan iss verdict toh (I am happy with this verdict)," said Popri Kaur in Punjabi, weeping inconsolably, for her husband who was pulled out from their home in Sultanpuri by a mob armed with sticks 34 years ago and for the fact that justice was finally being done. The memories were back, as intense as they were in the immediate aftermath of what is one of the worst riots in post independent India. "It was the last time my children saw their father, and the last time I saw my husband," said the 65-year-old, adding that she never even got the satisfaction of seeing his body. The mother of six is one of the three witnesses in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases involving senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who is the most high profile leaders to be convicted. She alleged that she was offered money and received death threats to change her statement. "Sajjan Kumar was in the car when my husband was dragged out of our house in Sultanpuri. I saw him. Today, I was sitting in my house when my daughter called and said, 'Sajjan Kumar has been convicted'," Popri Kaur told PTI. Her sobs hang heavy in the air over the colony, which has 944 flats. Like many other refugee colonies, it tells its story of despair -- peeling paint, crumbling plaster, unlit rooms, dingy staircases. Unable to move past its name, the 'widow colony' has for the longest time been the sitting story for justice 'not delivered'. Though happy with the high court verdict, Popri Kaur said she wanted capital punishment for Sajjan Kumar. "With life imprisonment, he can meet his family, his children. I can't meet my husband, my children can't meet their father because he killed them," she said. As the media crowded around the block of flats, senior BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was sitting on an indefinite hunger strike not far from Popri Kaur's one room tenement against Congress leader Kamal Nath being named chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. According to Bagga, Nath is culpable in the violence. He alleged that Nath "murdered Sikhs" and "burnt Gurdwara Rakab Ganj". Nath has maintained that he played no role in the violence and that there are no charges against him. But Amarjeet Singh was not going to let Nath spoil the day. Sitting on a folded bed, busy reading today's newspaper, Amarjeet Singh said he is not bothered about Nath and wished only to read Tuesday's headlines. "Son, you don't know how long I have waited to read the story that is going to make to the front page tomorrow," he said with a smile. Amarjeet Singh, 63, lost his brother in the riots. His only problem with the verdict, he said, is that the court gave Sajjan Kumar "15 days" to surrender. "Why give him that much time. He should be behind bars immediately," he said. The high court directed 73-year-old Kumar and other five convicts to surrender by December 31, 2018 and not to leave the city of Delhi. The bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted the Congress leader for offences of criminal conspiracy and abetment in commission of crimes of murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of communal harmony and defiling and destruction of a Gurdwara. Popri Kaur echoed Amarjeet Singh and said Kumar should surrender immediately. "He might flee or bribe the system and go scot free yet again," she said as her 40-year-old son interjected, trying to make her understand why this was not possible. "Not possible? What else has happened in the past 34 years?" she chided him, looking at the garlanded photo of her husband atop a TV screen running of the conviction with Kumar's photograph. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat's Patidar leader Hardik Patel Monday asserted that he would give up his demand for reservation if two crore jobs were created for the youth and farmers were paid suitable price for their produce. Stating that youngsters in the country were facing unemployment while farmers were committing suicide, he urged the government to address the woes of these two sections. "We do not need reservation if there are two crore jobs for the youth and farmers are paid suitable price for their agriculture produce," he said at the 'Agenda Aaj Tak' function here. Slamming the Modi government over "growing" unemployment and farmer suicides, the young leader of the Patidar community in Gujarat also demanded loans for farmers. "If the government can waive off loans of industrialists like Ambani, why cannot it give loans to farmers?" he said. Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani, who shared the stage with Patel, objected to be labelled as a "Dalit leader". Batting for a casteless society, Mewani said, "I fight for ASHA workers, police constables, other workers, Dalits and minorities in Gujarat. Why cannot you call me a youth leader? The Dalit leader is a tag given to me by the media". "Every government should have its priority to stop farmers suicides and provide employment to the youth. The trend of demand for reservation by different castes is due to unemployment," he said. Patel said he would question the ruling dispensation, irrespective of the party, if it failed to act upon the issues of farmers and youth. "I will raise my voice if the new Congress government in Madhya Pradesh fails to fulfil its promise of farmers' loan waiver in the state," he said. He alleged that the Gujarat government had "snatched" the land of Patidars in the state and handed it over to industrialists. Mewani said farmers should not be "forced" to part ways with their land. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two days after the West Bengal government denied permission for its 'rath yatra', state Bharatiya Janata Party president Dilip Ghosh said Monday he and his supporters would "seek revenge" for every "injustice" meted out to them. Addressing the BJP's "ganatantra bachao (save democracy) andolan" in Arambagh town of Hooghly district, Ghosh alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government had refused to give permission as it was afraid that its "wrong-doings" might get exposed at the rally. The state government had on Saturday disallowed the Bharatiya Janata Party's proposed rally on the ground that it might lead to communal tension. "We would seek revenge for each and every injustice meted out to our party workers. We will speak to them in the language that the TMC understands. The ruling party doesn't believe in democratic rights," Ghosh said. The saffron party has decided to take out rallies across the state to protest against the Trinamool Congress government's decision. Earlier in the day, Ghosh said at a press meet that the BJP would be forced to organise a "civil disobedience" campaign if they were stopped from holding the protest rallies. "They (the state government) are afraid that they might be unmasked if we conduct the yatra. At our protest rallies, we will inform the masses about the undemocratic atmosphere prevailing here and the need for the 'save democracy' rally at this hour," he said. The state BJP chief also alleged prejudice on the part of the ruling party. "We are a nationalist party, not a terrorist organisation. We are denied permission, but other organisations are allowed to hold their programmes." BJP president Amit Shah, who had set a target of 22 Lok Sabha seats in the state, was scheduled to flag off three chariots from as many places as part of the party's "save democracy" programme. The chariots were meant to travel across all 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state over the next one-and-a-half months before concluding in Kolkata, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was likely to address a rally. Ghosh hit out at the TMC for describing the victory of the Congress in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as a "victory of democracy". "The Congress has won elections in three states. It's not like that they've got a huge vote share, just that they've got a few more seats than the BJP. But, the biggest joke is that the TMC, which doesn't have any stake in national politics, are celebrating the win," he said. West Bengal, once known for its culture and values, has become a "bomb-making and hooch-manufacturing" industry under the TMC rule, Ghosh claimed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik was detained Monday after he tried to march towards the Army's Chinar Corps headquarters to protest the killing of seven civilians allegedly in security forces firing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Malik and his supporters assembled in Maisuma area of the city and tried to march towards the headquarters at Badami Bagh, a police official said. He said as the protestors reached near Budshah Chowk, police swung into action and took Malik and few others into custody. They were lodged at the Kothi Bagh police station. Police also used tear smoke shells to disperse the protestors, the official said. The civilians died on Saturday when security forces allegedly opened fire at a crowd that tried to storm the site of an encounter in which three militants and an army man were killed, police had said. According to a JKLF spokesman, "Malik led enthusiastic men, women, young and old of the area in large numbers and started his march towards Badami Bagh cantonment. "The main feature of this peaceful protest rally was the presence of women who were wearing white shrouds and holding placards illustrating slogan 'Indian oppressors, kill us all'." Separatists under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) - comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Malik had Saturday asked people to join the protest march against the civilian killings. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Parliamentary delegation from Zambia headed by the speaker of its National Assembly called on Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu in Parliament House on Monday and discussed issues of bilateral interests, an official statement said. The two sides focussed on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fields of health, education, capacity building, energy and infrastructure. Vice President Naidu also stressed the need for combating terror, the statement said. Welcoming the delegation, led by Zambia's National Assembly speaker Justice Patrick Matibini, Naidu said the two countries share historically warm and friendly relations based on common values such as commitment to democracy, liberty, equality and rule of law. Recalling the visit of Zambian President in April this year, Naidu said the visit has given a fresh impetus to the bilateral relations. Welcoming Zambia as a member of the International Solar Alliance, Naidu expressed the hope for an early ratification of the Framework Agreement by the government of that country. He also expressed India's willingness to contribute towards the promotion of solar technology including renewable energy and investment in the solar sector so as to mitigate energy deficit, enhance income generation for the poor and safeguard global environment. Naidu thanked Zambia for its continued support to India's candidature to various international forums and UN agencies. He expressed the hope that Zambia would extend its support to India's candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the period 2021-22. He also pointed out that terrorism has emerged as a major global challenge and said that the UN should take concrete steps to combat the menace. The Vice President shared his views with the visiting delegation about functioning of India's parliamentary democracy and expressed the hope that the they would benefit from their visit as Parliament is in session. During the interaction when it was pointed out by the visiting delegates that English is the official language of Zambia, Naidu stressed the need for promoting mother tongue and culture. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TOKYO/ZURICH (Reuters) - ABB will sell 80.1 percent of its Power Grids division to Japan's Hitachi, the Swiss engineering group said on Monday, adding it would return net cash proceeds of $7.6-7.8 billion from the deal to shareholders.The Zurich-based company, which said the transaction put the Power Grids business's enterprise value at $11 billion, also said on Monday it would be modifying the structure of its remaining businesses.That reshuffle will result in roughly $500 million annual run-rate cost reductions following $500 million in restructuring charges.ABB will initially retain 19.9 ... By Aditya KalraNEW DELHI (Reuters) - Dubai's DP World has approached an Indian court to quash an antitrust investigation recently ordered to probe its alleged anti-competitive behaviour at the country's largest container port in Mumbai, a legal document reviewed by Reuters showed.The Competition Commission of India (CCI) last month said it suspected alleged antitrust violations by DP World and Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk at the terminals they operate at state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).The CCI's probe followed a complaint by Singapore's PSA International Pte Ltd, which had ... By Aditya KalraNEW DELHI (Reuters) - Dubai's DP World has approached an Indian court to quash an antitrust investigation recently ordered into its alleged anti-competitive behaviour at the country's largest container port in Mumbai, a legal document reviewed by Reuters showed.The Competition Commission of India (CCI) last month said it suspected alleged antitrust violations by DP World and Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk at the terminals they operate at state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).The CCI's probe followed a complaint by Singapore's PSA International Pte Ltd, which had alleged ... By Norihiko ShirouzuYOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd investigators are examining former Chairman Carlos Ghosn's use of an internal 'CEO Reserve' fund and the role of subsidiaries in the Netherlands and other countries as part of a probe into alleged financial misconduct, two people with knowledge of the inquiry told Reuters.Ghosn and close associates spent money from a fund that some insiders dubbed 'the CEO Reserve' to help pay for residences used by the Ghosn family as well as for other personal expenses, the people said.Investigators are separately checking whether capital ... By Kylie MacLellan and Elizabeth PiperLONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday she would bring her Brexit deal back to parliament for a mid-January vote, pledging to get assurances from the European Union before then to break a deadlock over Britain's fraught efforts to quit the bloc.With just over 100 days until Britain is due to leave the EU, May faced accusations from some lawmakers that she was trying to force a deeply divided parliament into backing her deal by running the clock down to exit day. A mid-January vote could oblige lawmakers to make a decision between her ... By Emilio ParodiMILAN (Reuters) - An Italian judge found on Monday that oil groups Eni and Royal Dutch Shell were fully aware that their 2011 purchase of a Nigerian oilfield would result in corrupt payments to Nigerian politicians and officials.Italy's Eni and Shell bought the OPL 245 offshore field for about $1.3 billion in a deal that spawned one of the industry's largest corruption scandals. It is alleged that about $1.1 billion of the total was siphoned to agents and middlemen.The Milan judge made the comment in giving her written reasons for the September conviction of Nigerian Emeka Obi ... MUMBAI (Reuters) - The new leader of the state of Madhya Pradesh is to waive up to $5.3 billion of farm loans, becoming the latest area to offer relief ahead of a national election next year as farmers reel from losses caused by falling crop prices.Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party lost the central state to Congress last week dealing Modi his biggest defeat since he took office in 2014 and boosting the opposition ahead of the vote next year.Congress leader Kamal Nath, who became chief minister of the state on Monday, decided to write off farmers' loans up ... NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's biggest iron ore miner NMDC Ltd filed a case in a court in Karnataka on Monday, objecting to the state government's demand for higher share in sale of iron ore, Rajender Kataria, the state mining secretary, told Reuters.The court will hear the matter on January 10, Kataria said. The Karnataka government intends to auction the iron ore mine because the company refused to pay an additional levy on the sale of its ore, he said. (Reporting by Neha Dasgupta and Nidhi Verma; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is ... By Nidhi Verma and Neha DasguptaNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's biggest iron ore miner NMDC Ltd on Monday sued Karnataka to block demands for a bigger share of revenue from the sale of iron ore from a local mine, said a senior state-level official. Rajender Kataria, the state's mining secretary, told Reuters on Monday a court will hear the matter on Jan. 10. Karnataka plans to auction the Donimalai iron ore mine as NMDC, majority owned by the Indian government, refused to pay an additional levy on ore sales from the mine, he said. NMDC, which has suspended its operations at the site due to the ... India will give financial assistance of $1.4 billion to the Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, the biggest aid yet to the Indian Ocean island nation that is grappling with debt from a Chinese building spree. Modi made the announcement after talks with Maldives' new president, Mohamed Ibrahim Solih, who defeated the pro-China strongman Abdulla Yameen in a surprise election result in October and is trying to reset ties with India. During a five-year construction boom in the Maldives, China built a sea bridge connecting the capital, Male, to the main airport ... Nissan Motor's CEO called on directors at alliance partner Renault to heed its reasons for sacking former Chairman Carlos Ghosn over alleged financial misconduct amid tensions over how to handle the fallout from his arrest. Renault's interim chairman Philippe Lagayette said on Friday that its board had not considered replacing Ghosn, who was ousted by Nissan days after his arrest in Japan in November, as head of the French carmaker. Ghosn has denied wrongdoing, media reports say, although he has not made any public statements since his ... LONDON (Reuters) - India's Reliance, operator of the world's biggest refining complex, and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia will explore joint investments in refining and petrochemicals in the two countries, Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said.Al-Falih tweeted that he met Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and they discussed joint investment opportunities and cooperation in petrochemicals, refining and telecoms in their two countries.Reliance's two oil refineries in western India have a combined capacity to process 1.4 million barrels per day of crude and the company has ... By Arnab Paul(Reuters) - Indian shares rose on Monday, continuing their positive momentum from last week, with gains across most sectors led by financials as investors remained bullish heading into the last couple of weeks of calendar year 2018. The broader NSE Nifty was up 0.55 percent at 10,864.95 as of 0610 GMT, while the benchmark BSE Sensex was 0.70 percent higher at 36,214.98.Both the NSE and BSE indexes are on track for a fifth straight session of gains, extending an upward momentum from last week buoyed by state election results and the appointment of Shaktikanta Das as the Reserve ... By Fathin UngkuSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's exports fell for the first time in eight months on a year-on-year basis in November with shipments to China, its biggest market, continuing their decline on slowing growth in the world's second largest economy.The contraction comes as economists grow increasingly worried about the impact of Sino-U.S. trade tensions on demand from China, with many expecting the dispute to hurt the city-state's trade dependent economy in months to come.Singapore's non-oil domestic exports fell 2.6 percent in November year-on-year, a sharp contrast to the 1.2 ... JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Naspers and Canada's state pension fund have invested $540 million in Indian educational technology startup Byju's, the South African internet giant said on Monday. Bengaluru-based Byju's launched a learning app in 2015 that offers tools for school students in India, a country with the world's largest number of children in primary education.The latest investment values the firm at around $3.6 billion, Indian media reported."The investment will drive the Byju's team to further innovate, explore and set new benchmarks for tech-enabled learning products," Naspers said ... Commuters in the national capital can now view "auto-rickshaw" routes as well as fares on app, tech giant Google Monday said. "Starting today, commuters in Delhi will be able to see a new public transport mode in -- auto-rickshaws. By selecting this mode of transport, commuters will be able to view suggested routes for the ride as well as the estimated auto-rickshaw fares," Google said in a statement. The new feature will reflect fares based on the official fare model shared by the Delhi Traffic Police, it said. This feature will be available in the app on the Android devices. The idea is to incorporate one of most commonly used modes of public transport in Google Maps and share transparent information about the price of journey, Google Maps Product Manager Vishal Dutta said. "Currently, for an unfamiliar journey, commuters often overpay and don't have an idea about the distance or best route," he added. Dutta said the feature will also help the users plan their journey better. "...so they could look at the expected cost of the auto-rickshaw ride and decide whether they want to take it all the way, or perhaps take a different mode of transport instead -- like a bus or the metro," he explained. Google Maps provides globally over a billion kilometres worth of transit results every day and has schedules for over three million public transit stops worldwide, the statement said. Loneliness, as a leading cause of depression and obesity, is believed to cost 6,000 per person in health and social care services. Loneliness is especially prevalent during the winter holidays, perhaps intensified by the short days, bad weather and the impression that everyone else is enjoying the festive season with family and friends. While loneliness is experienced by all ages, it is especially pronounced in older people. In the UK, 51% of all people aged 75 and over live alone and approximately 6% of older adults leave their house once a week or less. An increasing ... A recent court ruling may help some tax evaders go scot-free for concealing foreign income or assets. At the very least, the judgement passed by the Delhi High Court earlier this month is likely to make it difficult for the taxman to question overseas earnings and assets prior to March 31, 2005. This includes money in tax-haven banks, overseas properties and interests in offshore trusts and applies to non-resident Indians as well. The ruling was passed on a case filed by 84-year-old Brahm Datt. The case Datt, who was working in Jordan and Iraq between assessment years (AY) 1984-85 and 2003-04, had filed tax returns in India for income generated in India. In his statement, he told tax officers that while he did not maintain any account with a foreign bank in his personal capacity, as a non-resident Indian (NRI) he had contributed about $2-3 million at the time of settling of an overseas trust out of income earned from sources outside India. On March 24, 2015, the Income Tax Department sent Datt a notice under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act for initiating reassessment proceedings for AY 1998-99. Datt then moved the court questioning whether such a notice can be issued for a particular AY for concealment of foreign income since six years had lapsed. The taxman's stand Section 148 of the Act allows the tax department to send out Income Escaping Assessment notices to taxpayer. The time limit for the issue of such a notice is six years from the end of the assessment year (AY) for which income has escaped assessment. A report in The Economic Times added that this provision in the law applies to income that was earned in India but on which no tax was paid. In 2012, an amendment to the IT Act increased the time limit for issuing such notices for undisclosed income earned outside India or assets acquired abroad to 16 years. In other words, the taxman can issue Income Escaping Assessment notices for AY 2012-13 anytime till March 31, 2019, when it comes to a taxpayer's income in India. But for income from abroad, the department is empowered to send out such a notice any time before April 1, 2029. Since Datt was an NRI, the tax department believed the 2012 amendment to the Act would apply. The Court's ruling The Delhi High Court, however, held that such a notice for AY 1998-99 cannot be issued on 2015 as the prescribed period of six years had lapsed in March 2005. "This ruling will help assesses who had concealed income before the 16-year time limit came into effect on July 1, 2012, but had not received any notice within six years - between 2006 and 2012 - for income earned in any year prior to 2005," senior chartered accountant Dilip Lakhani told the daily. However, the good news is that the ruling will reportedly also spare taxpayers - residents as well as NRIs - with legitimate income from harassment by income tax officials. Tax evaders still need to beware According to Lakhani, the taxman still holds an ace up its sleeve to crack down on tax evaders. The department can decide to invoke the Black Money Act to chase evaders at any point in time "as there is no time limit on issue of notice under this Act". A senior professional dealing in foreign exchange laws and PMLA further told the daily that the tax department has been sending notices to even those who had invested abroad under RBI's liberalised remittance scheme. In at least three cases that the source is advising, notices have been served to individuals who had invested in Resurgent India Bonds that were issued by SBI in 1998. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in an August circular also made it clear that cases involving foreign black money would be kept out of the purview of the June amendment in the income tax law that increased the threshold monetary limits for the tax department to file appeals at various levels, from appellate tribunals to the Supreme Court, in order to reduce the number of pending tax litigations. (Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal) Watch Video: Popular porn website Pornhub has released its report on user behaviour and countries providing most traffic on the platform. Pornhub's 2018 Year in Review report highlights India in the list of countries spending more time on the website than ever. It has ranked India on number three -- just behind the United States and the United Kingdom -- in the top 20 list of countries generating the most traffic for the erotic website. While the average time of the countries combined on the website is around 8 minutes and 23 seconds, India ranks second last with an average time of 8 minutes and 23 seconds. Top search category for India was 'Indian', reveals the report, adding that men accounted for more than double the users (70%) than women (30%) when it comes to its user base in the country. Over 63,992 new visitors land on the website every minute, watching on an average around 2.07 lakh videos, says the data. Breaking down data for each minute spent on the website, the company says 12 new videos are uploaded in every 60 seconds, which is around two hours of content. As per the company, the 7,708 GB of data is transferred on the website in a single minute. In terms of content, around 10,498 hours of videos are seen every minute on the site. India is a huge market for the company, considering the number of users watching porn in the country. Some telecom companies, including Reliance Jio and Vodafone India, even blocked the website, along with over 800 others, to stop its customers from accessing them. The issue pertains to a September 28 judgement of the Uttarakhand High Court, which directed all internet service providers (ISP) in India to abide by the Union government's order to ban hundreds of pornographic sites. Acknowledging the difficulty faced by its Indian users in accessing the website, Pornhub found an alternative and created a separate domain -- '.net' instead of '.com' -- specifically for the Indian internet users. Also read: Pornhub changes website address for Reliance Jio customers after ban Shares of Jet Airways (India) tumbled over 4 per cent on Monday after media report suggested that Nikos Kardassis, the former CEO of beleaguered airline, who made a comeback to the carrier in an advisory role, has once again left the company. Weighed down by the development, shares of Naresh Goyal-led company declined as much as 4.55 per cent to touch an intra-day low of Rs 248.10 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange, after making negative opening at Rs 253.80 against previous closing of Rs 259.95. On the National Stock Exchange, stocks of the company were trading at Rs 250.30, down 3.69 per cent. The Greek-American aviation veteran, the two-time chief executive officer of Jet Airways, had returned to the airline as an advisory role this year and was tasked to turnaround the cash-strapped airline. Also Read: Naresh Goyal's "turnaround" man, Nikos Kardassis quits Jet Airways The former chief executive parted ways with the airline after Goyal initiated discussions with his investment partner Etihad Airways for further stake sale to garner funds, said a source privy to the development. Amid persisting financial turbulence, the airline has been implementing a turnaround plan, which includes both cost saving and revenue enhancement. The company is going through tough phase after it reported three back-to-back quarterly losses and a net debt of Rs 8,052 crore as on September 30. In a separate development, State bank of India, the country's largest lender, has ordered a forensic audit of the company, according to PTI report. SBI, which is the lead banker to Jet Airways' over Rs 8,000-crore loans, has mandated Ernst & Young to conduct a forensic audit of the airline's books, the agency quoted as saying. The exchange has also sought clarification from Jet Airways (India) with reference to news. Meanwhile, the benchmark index BSE Sensex was trading at 36,210.79, up 247.86 per cent, or by 0.69 per cent. Edited by Chitranjan Kumar Watch video: Shares of Tata Motors jumped over 5 per cent after a media report suggested that the company's luxury unit Jaguar Land Rover said that plans to cut thousands of jobs early next year, as part of a turnaround strategy. Reacting to the news, shares of the auto major gained as much as 5.39 per cent to touch an intra-day high of Rs 175.90 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange, after opening marginally higher at Rs 167.40 against previous closing of Rs 166.90. In a similar trend, stocks of the company were trading at Rs 173.00, up 3.62 per cent on the National Stock Exchange. According to a report in the Financial Times, Jaguar Land Rover, Britain's biggest carmaker owned by Tata Motors, will announce the measures in January as part of a three-year cost-cutting program. The company, which employs 40,000 in the UK, has decided to cut down its workforce to combat Brexit's impact on business, declining sales in China and a fall in demand for diesel cars. For the three-month period ending 30 September 2018, JLR's retail sales declined 13.2 per cent year-on-year to 129,887 vehicles due to fall in sales in China, where demand was adversely impacted by consumer uncertainty following import duty changes and escalating trade tensions with the US. The company reported revenues of 5.6 billion pound and a pre-tax loss of 90 million pound, mainly reflecting lower sales. Earnings before interest, tax and depreciation (EBITDA) were 511 million pound, equivalent to a margin of 9.1 per cent. Meanwhile, Tata Motors reported a loss of Rs 1,048.80 crore for the second consecutive quarter ended September 30, dented by weak performance by JLR which contributed to the bulk of the earnings. The company had posted a profit of Rs 2,482.78 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. The benchmark index BSE Sensex was trading 239.01 points, or 0.66 per cent, higher at 36,201.94. Edited by Chitranjan Kumar ABB, a pioneer in power grids and electrification manufacturer, on Monday signed a deal with Japan's Hitachi to sell its Power Grids division at a transaction enterprise value of USD 11 billion for 100 per cent of power grids. The joint venture will be headquartered in Switzerland, with Hitachi retaining the management team to ensure business continuity. The Zurich-based company said that it will report Power Grids in discontinued operations in Q4 2018 until closing. Effective April 1, 2019, ABB will simplify its organizational structure by shaping four customer-focused, entrepreneurial businesses - electrification, industrial automation, robotics & discrete automation and motion. Here are three things you should know about the deal: Hitachi to become owner of Power Grids Initially, ABB will retain a 19.9 per cent equity stake in the joint venture, allowing a seamless transition. The transaction agreement includes a pre-defined option for ABB to exit the retained 19.9 per cent share, exercisable three years after closing, at fair market value with floor price at 90 per cent of agreed Enterprise Value. Hitachi holds a call option over the remaining 19.9 percent share at fair market value with floor price at 100 per cent of agreed Enterprise Value. Power Grids will strengthen Hitachi as global leader in energy infrastructure With the acquisition of Power Grids business of ABB, Japanese conglomerate Hitachi will expand its global footprint as a leader in energy infrastructure, having access to new and growing markets as well as financing. Hitachi intends to accelerate Power Grids to the next stage of its development, building on the solid foundation achieved under ABB's previous ownership. Who will make how much from deal As per the deal, the agreed price represents a transaction Enterprise Value of USD 11 billion for 100 per cent of Power Grids, the equivalent to an E V/op. EBITA multiple of 11.2x, before share of corporate cost. ABB will initially realise a levered consideration of nearly USD 9.1 billion from the sale of 80.1 per cent of Power Grids, including pre-sale net leverage (intercompany loan net of cash transferred), before one-time transaction and separation related costs as well as cash tax impacts. Edited by Chitranjan Kumar The RBI and the government are already locked in a battle to address the many issues where they have differences. Now, the demand for an appellate tribunal for the decisions of the Reserve Bank of India, might further heat up the tussle between the two. Currently, except for the RBI there are appellate tribunals in the financial system for other bodies. The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) is the common tribunal for challenging the decisions of the market regulator Sebi, insurance regulator IRDAI and pension regulator PFRDA. The Income Tax and DRTs also have an appellate tribunal, which hears the matters of the affected parties. The new bankruptcy code or the NCLT matters have NCALT to decide on the decisions, if challenged, of NCLT and bankruptcy. The decisions of the appellate authority can then be challenged in the Supreme Court. But there is no appellate authority for the decisions of the RBI. The decisions of the RBI are final and can only be challenged in the High Courts or higher civil courts. ALSO READ: Loans and liquidity will keep RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das busy The finance minister Arun Jaitely recently said that the regulators (referring to RBI) that are not answerable to any appellate should involve other stakeholders for better decision making. Though he was pulling up RBI here, which under the former Governor Urjit Patel did not consult the government on some issues, there are some who say the government may reopen the debate on the recommendations of Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) committee, which had recommended a financial sector appellate tribunal for all the regulators including RBI. The FSLRC clearly said that the financial sector appellate tribunal will hear appeal against the RBI for its regulatory functions. Take for example, Kotak Bank, which had no option but to move the Bombay High Court against the RBI after its promoter Uday Kotak was banned from reducing its stake through a preference share. For RBI, this appellate matter is very touchy. The former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan had very strong views on such an appellate tribunal. He had earlier said that the country should not end up in 'Appellate Raj' after escaping the license permit raj. The proposal for a single appellate tribunal has actually been in cold storage because of the tough stand taken by the RBI in the past. There are many who say this may change after the aggressive stance of current government. The industry has been lobbying of late for such a tribunal, where they can appeal for relief against the RBI's orders. ALSO READ: SBI took action against 1,287 officials over fraud in past three years Among all the public sector banks in India, State Bank of India (SBI) saw the highest number of employees penalised for their involvement in bank fraud over the course of past three years. From 2015 to 2017, action was taken against a total of 1,287 SBI officials for case of bank fraud amounting to Rs 1 lakh or more, according to data furnished by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Looking at the entire Indian banking sector, though, the number of SBI employees falls short of what ICICI Bank had to show by a big margin. The private lender took action against its 2,236 employees for individual cases of bank fraud, showed an answer presented before Rajya Sabha by Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, based on data provided by the RBI. Punjab National Bank (PNB), which is still recovering from the Rs 14,000-crore Nirav Modi fraud, reported the third highest number of employees involved in fraud cases in the country during the three years. In total, 1,127 PNB employees had to face the music between 2015 and 2017 over charges of fraud. ALSO READ: SBI customer? Your old debit card may get blocked soon The SBI has been engaged in legal battle with Vijay Mallya as the leader of consortium of banks which lent to the fugitive liquor baron. The ICICI Bank, on the other hand, was plunged into controversy when its last CEO Chanda Kochhar faced charges of quid pro quo earlier this year over loans granted to Venugopal Dhoot-led Videocon group. The PNB went through a rough patch this year after several of its employees were found in cahoots with absconding diamond businessmen Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the biggest ever bank fraud of the country. During 2015-17, a total of 728 employees of Central Bank of India faced action in cases of bank fraud, whereas Bank of Baroda saw 674 such cases. In the past three years, 13,949 officials of 60 public and private banks were penalised for defrauding bank assets. Notably, the number of bank fraud cases saw a steady decline over the course of past three years. A total of 5,785 bank employees were charged with fraud in 2015, which came down to 4,360 in 2016. It further fell to 3,804 cases of individual bank frauds in 2017, Shukla's written answer to Rajya Sabha showed. ALSO READ: SBI, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank to hire 1 lakh people this fiscal to push new-age banking: report Google has launched an artificial intelligence program in Thailand to screen for a diabetic eye disease which causes permanent blindness. The eye screening program in Thailand follows a similar Google program in India and highlights a push by big tech companies to show the social benefits of new AI technologies. Also Read: Here's how you can delete yourself from the internet "As a society, we have a responsibility to use AI in the best possible way," Kent Walker, the company's Senior Vice President for Global Affairs, said in speech at a Google event in Bangkok on Thursday. The event also highlighted other social benefits of Google's AI projects, such as stopping illegal fishing in Indonesia. Google's Thailand diabetes program was announced in partnership with a Thai state-run Rajavithi Hospital. This followed a joint-study which found the AI program to have an accuracy rate of 95 percent when it comes to disease detection, compared with 74 percent from opticians or eye doctors. Also Read: Apple faces lawsuit over alleged false screen size of iPhone X, pixel count claims The program analyses patients' eye screen results to assess if they are at a risk of vision loss, which will enable them to have preemptive treatment. Thailand is one of the world's most important sugar producers and high sugar consumption is common amongst its 69 million population. The Thai government has been campaigning against behavior that can lead to diabetes and has made the diabetic eye screening one of the country's national health indicators since 2015. Thailand has only around 1,400 eye doctors for its 5 million diabetic patients, who are all at risk of the vision loss, Paisan Ruamviboonsuk, Ravajithi Hospital's assistant director, told reporters. Also Read: Lost your phone? Here's how you can recover WhatsApp account Paisan said the program is intended to achieve a nationwide eye screening rate of 60 percent, which is also the Thai government's target. In October, Google said it would grant about $25 million globally next year to humanitarian and environmental projects seeking to use AI for good. The Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to life imprisonment for criminal conspiracy to commit murder. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel also convicted Kumar for the offences of abetment, delivering speeches instigating violence against Sikhs and disrupting communal harmony, saying "truth will prevail and justice will be done". The court said the life sentence awarded to the Congress leader would be for the "remainder of his life" and directed him to surrender by December 31. Also Read: American Sikh community thanks PM Narendra Modi for Kartarpur corridor The bench also said Kumar will not leave the city of Delhi from now till December 31. With the direction, the court said it has partially allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation's appeal against Kumar's acquittal by the trial court in a case related to the murder of five members of a Sikh family -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh -- in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984, after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. In the same case, the high court upheld the convictions and awarded varying sentences to former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. They were also convicted for criminal conspiracy to burn down residences of Sikh families and a gurdwara in the area during the riots. The court also directed them to surrender by December 31 and not leave the city before that. With the direction, the bench dismissed the appeals of the five against their conviction and punishment awarded by the trial court. The trial court in May 2013, while acquitting Kumar, had awarded life term to Balwan Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a three-year jail term to Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. Though the high court upheld Balwan Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal life sentences, it extended the sentences of Yadav and Kishan Khokar to a 10-year jail term. The high court had on March 29 last year issued show cause notices to 11 accused, including Yadav, in five other 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases which were earlier closed. The matter is being heard by another division bench. The accused, who were acquitted of the charges, were asked as to why should the court not order reinvestigation and retrial against them as they faced allegations of "horrifying crimes against humanity". Also Read: Govt reforms bringing desired results, note ban served purpose, says Venkaiah Naidu Also Read: Kerala teenager launches his own software development company in Dubai Watch News Blast: The American Sikh community has expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the laying of the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor in Punjab. "We the Sikh diaspora are thankful to Narendra Modi and his government for realising the long-cherished dream of Sikhs in India and abroad and laying the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor on November 26, 2018," the 'Sikhs of America' organisation said in a resolution addressed to the prime minister. "Since the foundation stone was laid on the Pakistan side also, Sikhs across the globe are looking forward to the much-anticipated pilgrimage," said the resolution. A copy of the resolution was presented to senior officials of the Indian Embassy here at an event organised by Sikhs of America in the Maryland suburb of Washington. The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of the Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak - with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will only have to obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1522 by Guru Nanak. "For the last few months, good news has been coming for the Sikh community in India and abroad," Jasdip Singh chairman of Sikhs of America said as he praised the role of the Indian government in bringing to justice some of the accused involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. "We are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. However, there is lot to be done," Singh said, hoping that in the coming weeks and months other politicians involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots would also be brought to justice. He said the government had addressed most of their concerns including removal of some Sikhs from the visa blacklist. Also Read: Govt reforms bringing desired results, note ban served purpose, says Venkaiah Naidu Also Read: BEML pitches for indigenisation of six bullet train rakes Buoyed by the NGT order allowing the reopening of its Tuticorin plant, Sterlite Copper CEO P Ramnath on Sunday said the company will now approach the Tamil Nadu government for consent to resume operations at the unit. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Saturday set aside the Tamil Nadu government order for closure of the copper unit at Tuticorin, which was at the centre of massive protests over alleged pollution, saying it was "non-sustainable" and "unjustified". In May, Vedanta's Sterlite Copper had to close the smelter plant following the state government order. The company had challenged the order in the NGT. On his next move after the NGT order, Ramnath told PTI, "We will approach the Tamil Nadu government based on this order next week. We will approach for consent to operate, and immediately, we will ask them for access to the plant because the order also mentions the district collector should give access to the plant." "Our aim is to make the plant operational as soon as possible," he added. The company has been abiding with all environmental laws, Ramnath said adding "we have always been saying that we are a compliant company and make sure environmental laws are followed." The company's 4,00,000 tonne per annum plant met over 30 per cent of the of India's copper demand. It also produced sulphuric and phosphoric acids as a by-product which is key raw material for manufacturing of fertiliser. On the impact of the closure of the plant, Ramnath had earlier said that "due to the shutdown in the last six months.. the import of the metal (copper) has seen a surge. While premium on copper has gone up by 10-15 per cent, the import of the metal has shot up 2.5 times to nearly 30,000 tonnes per month". Sterlite Copper's plant closure has led to a spike in prices of phosphoric and sulphuric acids, adversely affecting the downstream chemical and fertilisers industry, he had said. "The plant met 80-90 per cent of demand for sulphuric acid in the country and 15 per cent of the phosphoric acid demand. The closure of our plant has led to a sharp surge in demand, thereby driving up prices," Ramnath added. In the last six months, prices of sulphuric acid have shot up from Rs 3,000/tonne to Rs 12,000/tonne, and a tonne of phosphoric acid costs Rs 53,000 as compared to Rs 43,000 a tonne six month earlier, a rise of 23 per cent, the CEO said. In a bid to accelerate their digital transformation and adoption of new-age banking practices, public sector banks (PSBs) like SBI, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank are reportedly in the process of recruiting as many as one lakh people in this financial year. In fact, the PSBs have more than doubled their hiring plans, The Economic Times reported. "State-owned banks are turning competitive after battling mammoth bad assets," Sabyasachi Chakraverty, business head - banking & financial services at recruitment firm TeamLease, told the daily, adding that the hiring outlook for the government lenders is also brightening. As per the firm's estimates, barring lateral hires, these banks collectively hired 95,000 personnel in the past two years at positions like the clerk, management trainees and probationary officers. Also Read: American Sikh community thanks PM Narendra Modi for Kartarpur corridor But the PSBs are now tapping talents across the hierarchy with specialised functions such as wealth management, analytics, strategy, digital and customer services. What's more these lenders now have fewer clerks - around 20% of their total employees fall in this category, barring SBI, where 45% of employees are clerks than officers. "The need is to change the culture of PSUs to drive business, and this has been seen in their hiring patterns. They are now focusing on hiring talent in line with the new age as well as private/multinational lenders. This, in turn, should yield results over a period of time," explained Chakraverty. The daily added that given the increasing complexities in the sector, the PSBs are even hiring talent from private players - where employees are given targets to grow the banks. And this development has spawned designations such as chief ethics officer, chief marketing officer, chief investment officer, chief learning officer, head of analytics and digital marketing campaigner, all boasting salary levels as high as Rs 50 lakh a year. Consider Syndicate Bank, which is reportedly recruiting 500 people this financial year. "We need new type of manpower as they will be put in new areas like digital marketing and stressed asset recovery. Remunerations are also attractive at the first three entry levels compared to foreign and private lenders," Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, CEO, Syndicate Bank, told the daily. He added that while specific niche, strategy-based hiring is on the rise, the average age of employees is falling - from 46.5 years two to three years ago the average age at the bank has come down to 37 years. Similarly, the Bank of Baroda plans to hire 500 people to strengthen their portfolio management services or wealth management, divisions. The buzz is that legal professionals are also in demand as it focusses on efforts to recover bad loans. But, according to TeamLease, the PSB recruitment drive is being spearheaded by the country's largest lender, SBI. Besides fresh hiring, the bank is also looking to appoint 5,000 people through lateral hires in preparation for the potential business expansion on the cards over the coming quarters. (Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal) Also Read: Govt reforms bringing desired results, note ban served purpose, says Venkaiah Naidu Also Read: Kerala teenager launches his own software development company in Dubai WATCH NEWS BLAST: The European Union said on Monday that the World Trade Organization (WTO) was mired in a "deep crisis and the United States is at its epicenter," and it called on the Trump administration to put forward concrete reform proposals. EU Ambassador Mark Vanheukelen, speaking at a WTO review of U.S. trade policies, also criticized limitations on the U.S. procurement market, in particular through "Buy American" legislation, and its "heavy restrictions" on maritime transport. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Ciaran Cannon, has today launched an initiative to help returning emigrants start and develop businesses in Ireland. Back for Business is specifically designed for recently returned emigrants who have lived abroad for at least a year and have returned in the last three years. Those planning to return in the near future will also be considered. The programme was run on a pilot basis last year to support entrepreneurial activity among those recently returned or planning to return to live and set up business in Ireland. The call is open today for applications for the 2019 programme, which will run from February to July 2019. The closing date for applications is 25 January. Those interested in learning more can download a brochure and register their interest in receiving an application form from www.backforbusiness.com. Last year, the 38 participants on the pilot programme, which ran from November 2017 to May 2018, reported positive results: At the end of the six months programme over half of them were trading, Six had become exporters for the first time 46 people were employed between them, and 100% said they would recommend the programme to others Launching the programme, Minister Cannon said, "More and more Irish emigrants are returning home to Ireland to live and to work and as we have seen in the pilot, this is an initiative that can make a real difference to returned and returning emigrants who have a keen desire and ambition to be entrepreneurs. It is designed to support them to go beyond just creating a job for themselves and to aim higher and create a thriving business that can provide employment for others and value added in their local community." Source: www.businessworld.ie Facebook's lead regulator in the European Union, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), on Friday began an investigation into a number of breach notifications received from the social networking site. "The Irish DPC has received a number of breach notifications from Facebook since the introduction of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) on May 25, 2018," a spokesman for the commissioner said in a statement, referencing Europe's new privacy regulations. "With reference to these data breaches...we have this week commenced a statutory inquiry examining Facebook's compliance with the relevant provisions of the GDPR." Facebook said on Friday it had fixed a bug that may have exposed the private photos of up to 6.8 million users, the latest in a string of glitches that have caused regulators around the world to investigate its practices. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Chinas trade surplus with Canada for the first 11 months of 2018 shrank 40% year-on-year thanks to a pickup in Canadian exports to China. The trade surplus reached $6.1 billion, down from $10.3 billion in the same period last year, according to data from Chinas General Administration of Customs. Through November, the value of Chinese goods and services exported to Canada increased 11% year-on-year to $32.3 billion, while the value of Canadian goods and services exported to China jumped 41% to $26.1 billion. Graphic: Gao Baiyu/Caixin China is Canadas second-largest trading partner after the U.S. In 2017, China imported 4.3% of total Canadian exports. Plant and agricultural products top Canadas export list to China. The products made up about 20% of exports to China in 2017. Natural resources, commodities and minerals are the other major Canadian exports to the country, according to the Chinese government (link in Chinese). Major Chinese exports to Canada include mechanical and electrical products, furniture, as well as toys and textiles, according to the Chinese government. The two countries trade relationship has come under rising uncertainty following the recent arrest in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., a major Chinese manufacturer of networking equipment. Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken a strong stance against the arrest and has requested the immediate release of Meng. By Tang Ziyi / Dec 17, 2018 12:29 PM / Politics & Law Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak Tuesday at an official gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Monday. The meeting will take place at Beijings Great Hall of the People at 10 a.m. to honor the 1978 debut of former leader Deng Xiaopings policies that are credited with driving rapid economic growth in once poverty-stricken China. Partnership between the National Research Council of Canada, the Regie du batiment du Quebec and Universite Laval December 17, 2018Trois-Rivieres, Quebec A collaborative effort was launched between the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the Government of Quebec and Universite Laval to find a solution to the problems stemming from the presence of pyrrhotite in concrete. The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Andree Laforest, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Minister Responsible for the SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean Region today announced the creation of a research chair between the NRC and Universite Laval with the purpose to eliminate the problems caused by pyrrhotite damage to concrete. This project, valued at $4.9 million, will run for four years. Funding will be provided by the NRC and the Regie du batiment du Quebec (RBQ) and its partners, including the Societe d'habitation du Quebec (SHQ) and Garantie de construction residentielle. This project will help professors at the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of the Universite Laval and co-holders of the research chair, Josee Duchesne and Benoit Fournier, as well as NRC scientists, to establish acceptable limits for the content of various sulphurs, including pyrrhotite, in Canadian concrete aggregates. It will also enable the development of fast, inexpensive and reliable test methods for detecting potentially hazardous sulphide levels in concrete aggregates; and identify preventative measures for the safe use of sulphur concrete aggregates. The ultimate goal of this research chair will be to provide technical solutions to the Canadian Standards Association so that it can update the standards on concrete aggregates. The results of this collaboration will be realized once the standards have been updated and incorporated into national codes. National Research Council Canada NRC is the Government of Canadas largest research organization. This is a key element of the Innovation and Skills Plan and the commitment made in the 2018 Budget to help Canadian researchers build a more innovative economy. To help position Canada as a global leader, the NRC is expanding its collaboration with regional ecosystems and with universities, polytechnic institutions and colleges, building partnerships across the country. Regie du batiment du Quebec With a presence across Quebec, the RBQs mandate is to oversee the quality of construction work and the safety of people in the fields of construction, electricity, plumbing, gas, oil equipment, pressurized devices, elevators, ski lifts, amusement parks and rides and swimming areas. RBQ oversees the enforcement of the Building Act and its related regulations in the various technical areas of its jurisdiction. It is also responsible for regulating new residential buildings. Universite Laval Driven by innovation and the pursuit of excellence, Universite Laval is one of Canadas leading research universities, ranking 8th with $356 million in research funding last year. It has 3,730 professors, lecturers and other academic and research staff who share their knowledge with over 43,000 students, 25% of whom are enrolled in graduate studies. The oldest francophone university in North America, Universite Laval has so far trained more than 300,000 people who each contribute in their own way to the advancement of society. news, crime A Canberra man who bashed and waterboarded a man was, last week, given a heftier sentence in the ACT Court of Appeal. Barry Avery, 36, had pleaded guilty to the charges of unlawful confinement, trafficking in a controlled drug, blackmail, and other property and drug offences. He was given a 16 month sentence with a 12 month non-parole period. The Crown appealed the sentence for unlawful confinement saying it was manifestly inadequate. In April 2017 Avery and three friends, who each received various sentences for their role in the attack, forced the victim into a car and drove him to Avery's house in what would be a three-hour long ordeal. While duct-taped to a chair the men interrogated the victim about missing drugs and money. The victim was repeatedly bashed in the head while the men giggled and at one point he had a baseball bat pressed into his neck with enough force to lift him from the ground and stop him breathing. Avery pushed scissors into the victim's neck and pierced his skin before striking him in the temple and rendering him unconscious. Finally the victim had a towel placed over his head and with his head held backwards the men poured water over his face eight times in the span of several minutes. The sentencing judge described what the victim had endured as a terrifying experience and that the attack had elements of torture. The appeal judges found Avery had been the instigator of the offence and described it as a vigilante type offence. They said the humiliation of the victim, the use of weapons and the physical harm that came to the victim were all factors for consideration. The panel of three judges determined to increase the overall sentence to two years and 11 months. Avery had already been released from prison in May and therefore the rest of his sentence is suspended which will expire in 2020. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Assam Rifles has released an employment notification calling out aspirants to apply for the posts of Technical and Tradesmen. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. The trades available include engineering, translation, pharmacy, veterinary and chores such as washing, cooking and sweeping. In total, there are 749 vacancies open and are distributed in various states of the country. The selection process comprises a written test and an interview. Selected candidates can earn up to industry standards. The last date to apply for this government job is Jan 14, 2019. Indian Air Force Recruitment 2018 For Airmen Assam Rifles Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Technical and Tradesmen Organisation Assam Rifles Educational Qualification Class 10 or 12 passout from a recognised board Experience Freshers can apply Skills Required Physical fitness Job Location India Salary Scale Industry standards Industry Defence Application Start Date December 15, 2018 Application End Date December 14, 2018 Age Limit: 18 to 28 years Also Read: CRPF Recruitment 2018: 359 Constable Vacancies Open How To Apply For Assam Rifles Recruitment 2018 In order to apply for Assam Rifles Recruitment 2018, follow these steps: Step 1: Log on to the Assam Rifles official website. Step 2: Click on the relevant link. Step 3: The application form will open. Step 4: Enter your details in the fields provided. Step 5: Submit the details and complete the application process. Follow the link - https://www.assamrifles.gov.in/DOCS/NEWS//Advt 2018-19.pdf to read the detailed official notification. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has released an employment notification calling out aspirants to apply for the post of Apprentice in graduate and technician levels. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. The period of training will be one year. The trades available are mechanical, production, mechatronics, industrial, electrical, electronics, civil and computer science. Selected candidates can earn a stipend up to INR 6,000 per month. The last date to apply for this government job is Dec 22, 2018. Air India Express Limited Recruitment 2018 For Cabin Crew BHEL Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Apprentice Organisation Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Educational Qualification Class 10 passout with an ITI certificate in relevant field Experience Freshers can apply Skills Required Trade skills Job Location Trichy (Tamil Nadu) Salary Scale INR 4,000 to INR 6,000 per month Industry Electricals Application Start Date December 12, 2018 Application End Date December 22, 2018 Age Limit: 18 to 27 years Also Read: West Central Railway Recruitment 2018 For 3553 Apprentices How To Apply For BHEL Recruitment 2018 In order to apply for BHEL Recruitment 2018, follow these steps: Step 1: Log on to the NATS official website. Step 2: Click Enroll. Step 3: The registration form will open. Enter your details in the fields provided. Step 4: Follow the subsequent pages and complete the registration process. Step 5: Log on to BHEL official website. Step 6: Log in using your credentials and complete the application process. Follow the link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jqbPndIf-TJTj0UuKMp375K8qWW2ts6F/view to read the detailed official notification. By Trend Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain. On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my congratulations to you and all the people of your country on the occasion of National Day of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Ilham Aliyev said in his letter. I believe that Azerbaijan-Bahrain bilateral relations will continue developing and expanding in the spirit of friendship and cooperation. On this remarkable day, I wish you the best of health and happiness, and the friendly people of Bahrain everlasting peace and prosperity. By Trend In the first seven months the current Iranian year (started March 21), over 4.704 million Iranian citizens visited foreign countries, Vali Teymuri, the deputy chairman of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran, said, Trend reports via ISNA. Teymuri noted that compared to the previous Iranian year, this year number of the international trips made by Iranian citizens has decreased. He added that during the reported period, Iranians mainly visited Iraq, Turkey, the UAE, Georgia, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia (in condescending order). However, some of these countries are not the final destination for Iranian citizens, because countries like Turkey, the UAE and Qatar are usually chosen as transit countries by Iranians, Teymuri said. Many Iranians note their destination as Istanbul or Dubai, but in fact, at least 70 percent of them visit other places, he noted. The once honored Right Leaning "Weekly Standard" is folding its tent for good this month after decades of publishing. It is a magazine that had been the cornerstone of conservative thought for so long, yet has recently become Washington's outpost for snobbery and arrogance. It was written by those like Bill Kristol that feel he and his 'Never Trumper" friends and colleagues know what the "great unwashed" in "flyover country" should think and how we should vote. Kristol, like so many of those that we now mock with the title of "Swampers," do not believe in our traditional Republican spiritual and moral values like the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, prayer in public school, or any other of the values laid down in our party platform. To describe themselves as "economic conservatives" and "social moderates" are just weasel words for what the average American on The Right would say really describes them as fence straddling hypocrites, willing to say and do anything and stand for nothing. Nothing that is unless it allows them to appear as Republicans (in name only), yet trying to be everything to everyone. It sure wasn't to support this outsider Donald Trump, the man that single-handidly steam rolled them out of power.Kristol, like so many of those that we now mock with the title of "Swampers," do not believe in our traditional Republican spiritual and moral values like the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, prayer in public school, or any other of the values laid down in our party platform. To describe themselves as "economic conservatives" and "social moderates" are just weasel words for what the average American on The Right would say really describes them as fence straddling hypocrites, willing to say and do anything and stand for nothing. Nothing that is unless it allows them to appear as Republicans (in name only), yet trying to be everything to everyone. We have always been the party of Judeo-Christian values that believe in our Constitution as one upholding the traditions and beliefs of our Founding Fathers. Fifty of the 55 signers of that sacred document were professing Christians, and meant for it to stand fast over time, to be followed by originalist, textualist, conservative judges and legislators. Mr. Kristol and even most of his friends on The Left believe that our Constitution should be seen as a "Living Breathing Document" Translation: No set values or standards. "Out with the old, and in with the new" philosophy. That is if it will help get one elected and holding onto power. That alone is why "The Weekly Standard", far from being "standard" for years now, will soon disappear. I personally say to Mr. Kristol, you brought it on yourselves. Bill Reesor Republican Party Delegate Hamilton County Ooltewah Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips has announced he and Deputy Commissioner Dustin Swayne will leave state government in mid-January after many years of service to the citizens of Tennessee.The two executives have formed a consulting practice called SATRDE, which will focus on guiding both public and private organizations in developing 21st-century business and workforce strategies through digital transformation.Governor Bill Haslam named Comm. Phillips interim commissioner for TDLWD in March 2013 and then appointed him commissioner in June 2013. Early in his career, Comm. Phillips worked in the state's budget office for seven years before entering the private sector in 1981.Then in 1991, he went on to start a successful international surgical instrument company. This year Comm. Phillips marked 15 years of service with the state of Tennessee.It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development for nearly six years, Comm. Phillips said. The leadership style and support from Governor Haslam enabled the departments many talented, knowledgeable and dedicated individuals to be creative and innovative in developing new and improved techniques with which to serve our citizens.Comm. Phillips appointed Dep. Comm. Swayne, a fourteen-year veteran of the Department, as deputy commissioner in April 2013. Dep. Comm. Swayne previously served as assistant commissioner of the Departments Workforce Services Division and spearheaded the creation of the states mobile American Job Center Unit and Reemployment Services program.During their time as leaders of TDLWD, Comm. Phillips and Dep. Comm. Swayne introduced digital technology and the concept of agile management within in the Department. They co-founded the OneTouch Customer Service/Business Management System that has achieved national recognition for its creative and innovated techniques in improving the way government does business. This ticket-based system streamlined processes, eliminated paperwork, improved the customer's experience, and combined real-time measured outcomes for continuous improvement. Over 825,000 customers were served through this system that has received over 2 million customer tickets since its creation. Statistics show 94.2 percent of those tickets were resolved with a single touch to the department earning a customer satisfaction score of 87 percent.Burns has worked extremely hard during the last six years to streamline and improve the many different programs his Department oversees, Governor Haslam said. Labor and Workforce Development is a much more efficient and technologically advanced agency than it was in 2013 and thats because of the culture both the commissioner and his deputy commissioner created there.Under Comm. Phillips and Dep. Comm. Swaynes leadership, the state increased its Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund from $774 million in 2013 to $1.18 billion in 2018. The department realigned Tennessees 20-year-old workforce system and transformed it into the most fully aligned WIOA system in the United States. The realignment has garnered national recognition for its enhanced fiscal integrity and innovative approaches to better provide Tennesseans with employment and training services. All of these accomplishments took place as Tennessee experience historically low unemployment.Comm. Phillips and Dep. Comm. Swayne will continue in their positions at TDLWD through mid-January. Big Brush Creek ROOTS Music Festival and Camp Out will be held May 24-27 on the 1,170 acre Big Brush Creek farm. The venture producing Big Brush Creek ROOTS Music Festival and Camp Out started out with a three year plan, but the land is so big, their vision has turned into a perpetual development plan. This boutique ROOTS music festival featuring one of the most diverse talent lineups, is sculpting land now for year two, three and beyond. The second natural amphitheater was just excavated now, even though it wont be used until 2020. Theres room for 10 stages with no sound bleed many years from now, said veteran Festival Producer Hal Davidson. Boutique because its intimate and one-of-a-kind. This unique music festival and camp out is being carved out of the SE Tennessee countryside in one of the most beautiful parts of the state in the Sequatchie Valley, North of the town of Dunlap, about 55 minutes North of Chattanooga. Sparse traffic, access to major highways and a cooperative county government are contributing to this new venue becoming the place to getaway, said officials. Stompin in step with the states emphasis on festival tourism and roots music, Dunlap already presents three festivals downtown, now welcoming a weekend long camp out music festival on one of its residents sprawling green spaces. Cooperation between Big Brush Creek LLC, Festival Factory, LLC (the events long term producer) and the festival friendly Chamber of Commerce, EMS, and County Executives office- all endorsing the passage of a beer permit, has culminated in a Bud Light sponsorship from Budweiser of Chattanooga. Bledsoe Telephone Cooperative Fiber Optic is also a sponsor, connecting to the fiber optic lines already on the land. Wi-Fi is the goal and looks probable. More sponsors are on the way. Large scale excavation is manicuring the farms festival landscape, making large spaces for people to enjoy the freedom of this natural ponderosa. Big trucks, large earth moving equipment and experienced land designers have been at work for weeks. This is going to be one of the most magnificent festival properties anywhere, Mr. Davidson proclaimed and quipped, This wonderful little camping event is the next jewel in the countys crown of destination festival tourism. Were having fun moving dirt! This roots format is a mix of bluegrass, newgrass, jambands, reggae, funk country, jazz fusion, new country, and some rock music on one stage presenting 35 hours of live music over the entire Memorial Day weekend. Every band was selected on exactly what the lineup is and when they perform out of hundreds of entries. We intend to present the most incredibly diverse lineup in a natural, secluded place. The full talent lineup is booked except a couple loose ends, Mr. Davidson said. Multi-genre performers from Tennessee and surrounding states booked are: Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Unspoken Tradition, Dr. Bacon, Glade City Rounders, Trongone Band, Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, Lauren Morrow of Whiskey Gentry, Jordan Foster Band, Tennessee Jed, Time Sawyer, Cody McCarver performs his new gospel album on Sunday morning, Ashleigh Caudill, Urban Soil, High South, Flux Capacitor, Plainview Vibes, Southern Proof, Matt Rogers, Joe Hott and the Short Mountain Boys, The Sofia Goodman Group, Faust N the Family Bargain, Natchez Tracers, Lazaris Pit and more coming. All of these bands were invited due to the level of their music, theyre all great, Mr. Davidson said. "Part of the marketing emphasis is to keep prices very reasonable on everything, said Mr. Davidson. Early Bird weekend passes are $49 for four days. Add the camping option for a Combo Pass, for a total of $79. You can actually afford to bring your family or a group of friends without hocking your car, Mr. Davidson said. Its the price of a campground with 25 free concerts. A 16 oz. Bud Light is $5. A bottle of water is $1. Bring an RV, its an extra $50 during the Early Bird period until Jan. 31. After that, its $60 extra to bring a RV. A festival hand tie dyed T-shirt (no two are the same) is $15 on the website, and includes shipping. Merchandise vendors can take advantage of a spacious rental spaces starting at $250 for all four days, including worker passes and camping in the concert area. Sponsorships for companies and organizations are available. All rates are found on the website, bigbrushcreek.com. Guests from major cities can take advantage of the festival bargains. Your brain can enjoy the event more knowing it was cheap to be there, said Mr. Davidson. Where can you get away for the weekend with music for $79? Kids camp for free, under six free festival entry with an adult and over age 6 cost is $10 a day. People are increasingly fed up with high festival prices, so were proud to bring a great festival at low price, Mr. Davidson said. Mr. Davidson is the promoter of Stompin 76 in Galax, Va,, the legendary bluegrass festival featuring the biggest names of our time, and a three-day ticket for just $12. Over 100,000 attended, it worked. See www.stompin76.com. Big Brush Creek is not intended to be an attendance monster, but it does possess the same spirit of a country atmosphere, freedom, amplified music and good times for all, said officials. Festival Factory is a U.S. festival production company specializing in multi-day music/ camping festivals. 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! By Trend An exhibition of Turkish export goods, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan and the Turkish Meridyen International Fair Organization, is being held in Ashgabat, Trend reports via the information from the organizers. The event is attended by the representatives of the Turkish state agencies, heads and specialists of 70 companies. The participants include manufacturers of electric equipment (Vatan Kablo A.S., Cagdas Pano, Askomak Gida Degirmencilik), pipe and plumbing products (Elmas Irrigation Systems). STK Makina and Pimak Professional Kitchen present various technologies for import-substituting production. Astas Tekstili and Oztas Ic Giyim exhibit products of the textile industry, while Monty Parfum present perfumery products, and EM-KA Celik Konstruksiyon, Cemina and Dogus Firca represent the sphere of production of building materials, metal structures and accessories for various objects. Turkish companies Sistem-Suntek Sera, Metas, Erenoglu Muhendislik, Genc Gucsan, etc also present their products and technologies. Presently, there are about 600 Turkish companies operating in Turkmenistan, which were entrusted with such major projects as the construction of an international sea port in the city of Turkmenbashi and the international airport of the capital of Turkmenistan, highways, interchanges and overpasses. In addition, Turkish companies are actively involved in the construction of chemical industry facilities in Turkmenistan. There is also a productive cooperation in the field of electricity, where Turkish companies implement a project to modernize the power supply systems of Ashgabat, and build large power plants in the regions. Senator Lamar Alexander announced Monday he will not seek re-election in 2020. Afterward, Governor Bill Haslam said he would seriously consider seeking the seat. Senator Alexander, 78, said, "I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate in 2020. The people of Tennessee have been very generous, electing me to serve more combined years as Governor and Senator than anyone else from our state. "I am deeply grateful, but now it is time for someone else to have that privilege. I have gotten up every day thinking that I could help make our state and country a little better, and gone to bed most nights thinking that I have. I will continue to serve with that same spirit during the remaining two years of my term. Senator Bob Corker said, One of the highlights of my time in the Senate has been working with Lamar Alexander. I often tell him he is the legislator of the decade because of the effective way he has worked across the aisle to pass legislation that directly affects the lives of so many throughout our state and around the country. As one of the finest statesmen our state has ever seen, Lamar will leave behind a remarkable legacy. "I know he will press through the next two years with great vigor, and I look forward to all he will accomplish on behalf of Tennesseans as he completes his service in Washington. I thank Lamar for his friendship and am excited for Honey and him as they begin to think about their next chapter together. Governor Bill Haslam said, It is almost impossible to measure the impact of Lamar Alexanders commitment to Tennessee. His time as governor paved the way for the economic position we enjoy today as a leading state for business, and his educational reforms were ahead of his time. As a senator, he has distinguished himself as a national leader, while always reminding everyone that our founders designed our government for most of the power to be delegated to the states. No one has served our state longer as a governor and senator, and few, if any, have served it better than Lamar. Lt. Governor Randy McNally said, Lamar Alexander is a Tennessee legend. The foundation of Tennessee's modern success as a state and a people was built upon his wise governance. All Tennesseans owe him a great debt. Lamar, along with Howard Baker and Winfield Dunn, was responsible for the modern rebirth of the Republican Party. But he always put principles over party, people over politics. Lamar always did what was best for Tennessee. As a young legislator, I was honored to work with then-Governor Alexander and was consistently impressed with his diligence and integrity. His mentorship of me and countless others has been invaluable. Though he may not be running for re-election, I have no doubt Lamar will continue to serve our state with distinction for the next two years as Senator and as elder statesmen beyond that. We will need him. Governor-elect Bill Lee said, Senator Lamar Alexander has faithfully served Tennesseans at the state and federal level for decades. A seventh-generation Tennessean and principled conservative, our state benefited from his thoughtful leadership. I am thankful for Lamars friendship and wish him the best. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann said, Throughout his illustrious career as a public servant Senator Lamar Alexander has proven that he is second to none. Lamar is a fine example of a statesman, a scholar, and a longtime voice of the Volunteer State. I believe that he has been successful in his mission to make our state and country better, and on behalf of all Tennesseans, I thank him for that. I will certainly miss his friendship and partnership in the halls of Congress, and congratulate him on an unparalleled legacy of public service. Congressman Scott DesJarlais said, Senator Alexander has given his life to public service, and Tennesseans will remember his many contributions as our state's Governor and Senator, as well as U.S. Education Secretary and President of the University of Tennessee, leading efforts to improve rural health and education. I have enjoyed our work together and look forward to collaborating over the next two years. Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said, "Senator Alexander has been the definition of a statesman throughout his life of service to our nation and state. His work at all levels of government has made the lives of Tennesseans and Americans better. He represented Tennessee as Governor and Senator for more combined years than anyone else in our state's history, and we owe him a debt of gratitude. His leadership will be missed, and we wish him and Honey our best." Heather Herring, a senior health science major and McNair Scholar, recently presented her research at the 128th Meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science, which was held at Austin Peay State University. Ms. Herrings research, Effects that Sleep has on Mental Health in College Science Students, investigated the correlation between sleep and mental health in science students at Lee University. Ms. Herring used anonymous surveys to measure students mental health and sleep patterns and used the data from these surveys for her research. Ms. Herring won first place in the Health and Medical Science division of poster presentations. This achievement was especially impressive because Ms. Herring was also the only undergraduate presenter in this division. Dr. Joseph Daft, assistant professor of biology & health science at Lee, and Dr. Pamela Hobbs, lecturer of biology & health science at Lee, are Ms. Herrings McNair faculty mentors and directed her in her research. For more information on the Tennessee Academy of Science, visit http://www.tennacadofsci.org/annual_meeting/general_info.php. For more information on Lees McNair program, visit http://leeuniversity.edu/mcnair/. Chattanooga State Community College has selected 15 highly motivated and dedicated student ambassadors to help represent the college during admission, recruiting, orientation, and community events. This elite group also maintains positive relationships between students, faculty, staff, and members of the community while encouraging school spirit and participation in student life. The following students were welcomed as ambassadors during ceremonies that also included their families and ChattState personnel. McKenzie Bramlett, Chattanooga, is a Central High School grad majoring in Early Childhood Education Britten Bryant, Chattanooga, is a Ooltewah High School grad majoring in Pre Law Alan Eady Jr., Memphis, is a Cover High School grad majoring in Computer Engineering LaTerranique Ford, Chattanooga, is a Central High School grad majoring in Psychology James Fry, Chattanooga, is a Linton High School grad majoring in History Tyler Gentile, Dunlap, is a Sequatchie County High School grad majoring in Theater Noah Harris, Fort Oglethorpe, GA, is a Lakeview-Fort Oglethrorpe High School grad majoring in Accounting Gabrielle Humble, Chattanooga, is a Ooltewah High School grad majoring in Secondary Education - English Chelsea Isbill, Chattanooga, is a ABEKA Christian Academy grad majoring in Media Technology Hayley McNeal, Chattanooga, is a Soddy-Daisy High School grad majoring in Nursing Tatum Morgan, Chattanooga, is a Central High School grad majoring in Secondary Education - History Jordan Petty, Fort Oglethorpe, GA, is a Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe l High School grad majoring in Political Science Ester Ryabchuk, Chattanooga, is a Central High School grad majoring in Nursing Savannah Stull, Chattanooga, is a Ooltewah High School grad majoring in Psychology Rachel Woodward, Chattanooga, is a Central High School grad majoring in Early Childhood Education Student ambassadors are selected based on attributes of T.I.G.E.R.S Team player, Intelligent, Gifted, Enthusiastic, Responsible, and Socially-skilled. Students exude enthusiasm about ChattState, accept the time commitment required, work well with others, communicate well, exhibit responsibility, dependability, and flexibility, and maintain good academic and judicial standing. For more information about ChattState student ambassadors, contact Kisha Caldwell, director of Recruiting and Orientation Services at 697-3250 or email kisha.caldwell@chattanoogastate.edu. A community event with a cause, featuring Monday Night Social and El Bandito, will be held at The Camp House on Jan. 11, National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, from 7-9 p.m. Doors will open at 6 p.m. "Second Life Tennessee is raising awareness in this community with music, vendors and local nonprofits coming together to show their support," organizers said. "Second Life Tennessee is committed to ending human trafficking through policy, prevention and survivor services. Second Life Tennessee hosts community events like this one to invite more advocates into the SLTN mission; to stop the trafficking of people." Vendors will be Elea Blake Cosmetics, Hattanooga, The Hart Gallery, Laura Beth Micheal, Ivory and Oak and more. All proceeds go toward the survivor services program. The world has a new Miss Universe. Miss Philippines Catriona Gray took home the crown on Sunday night in the 67th annual pageant, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. But who is the 24-year-old woman who beat out 93 other contestants in the biggest beauty pageant in the world? Heres what we know about Miss Universe 2018 She is the fourth winner from the Philippines Gray is the fourth woman from the Philippines to win the Miss Universe title. The Southeast Asian country now has the fourth-highest number of winners in the world. Pia Wurtzbach won the contest in 2015, while Margarita Moran won in 1973 and Gloria Diaz in 1969. Venezuela and the United States are tied for the most Miss Universe winners, with seven each. There have also been five winners from Puerto Rico. Her dress was inspired by a volcano During the competition, Gray donned an eye-catching red gown with a thigh-high slit. But the dress was more than just a stunning outfit. It also paid homage to the Mayon volcano in her home country of the Philippines. Designer Mak Tumang explained the connection in an Instagram post, writing that prominent and iconic Mayon Volcano is the penultimate inspiration for this creation Catriona can be considered as the modern-day Daragang Magayon. She embodies the Filipinas beauty, intelligence and burning passion. This lady is definitely on fire! Shes a pageant pro Theres no pageant title bigger than Miss Universe, but this isnt the first time Gray has won a crown. In addition to being named Miss Universe Philippines, which allowed her to advance to the Miss Universe pageant, she was also crowned Miss World Philippines in 2016. She competed in the 2016 Miss World pageant, where she finished in the top five. She has a U.S. connection Gray is the daughter of a Filipina mother and an Australian father. She was born and attended school in Australia and represented the Philippines in the pageant. But she also has a U.S. connection, having studied music theory at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In addition to music, Gray loves Filipino food like adobo and balut as well as adventurous activities like ziplining. Shes a volunteer teachers assistant at Young Focus, an NGO, and also an HIV/AIDS advocate at Love Yourself PH. During the question and answer segment of the contest, she was asked about what lessons shes learned and how shed apply those to her time as Miss Universe. She talked about her time spent volunteering with underprivleged populations in the Philippines. I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila, and the life there is poor and very sad. And Ive always taught to myself to look for the beauty of it and look in the beauty of the faces of the children and to be grateful. And I will bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining and to assess where I could give something, where I could provide something as a spokesperson. And this I think if I can teach people to be grateful, we can have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster and children will have smile on their faces. Her mother knew she would win the crown Becoming Miss Universe is no easy feat, but there was one person who always new Gray would take home the crown: her mother. More than a decade ago, her mother saw her daughter winning the pageant. When I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress, Gray told the AP after her win. She said the two cried when they saw each other after she won. My heart is filled with so much gratitude, she added. British school district to teach 8-y-o kids that 'all genders' can have periods Christian Post Contributor | 17 December, 2018 by Samuel Smith As more girls today are seeking to "transition" to become transgender boys, a town in England has advised its sex education teachers to tell students as young as nine that "all genders" can have periods. The Brighton & Hove City Council has recently issued new guidelinesadvancing what is referred to as a "#periodpositive charter approach" that supposedly is designed to eliminate the stigma around menstruation. The council's new guidelines were issued on Dec. 3 and will impact what is taught to students as early as grade four (8-9 years old). The guidance states that "trans boys and men and non-binary people may have periods." "Language and learning about periods is inclusive of all genders, cultures, faiths and sexual orientations," the guidance reads. "For example; 'girls and women and others who have periods.'" The council has ordered that waste "bins for used period products" should be "provided in all toilets" for children. After initial criticism of the guidelines, the city council, which oversees dozens of area schools, defended the new guidance in a statement to Mail Online, saying that the council is only "encouraging effective education on menstruation and puberty." The council's guidance comes as previous reports indicated last month that there were over 40 students at a secondary school in Brighton who identify as a gender different than their biological sex. "[W]e hope to reduce stigma and ensure no child or young person feels shame in asking for period products inside or outside of school if they need them," the statement from the Brighton & Hove City Council reads. "We believe that it's important for all genders to be able to learn and talk about menstruation together ... Our approach recognizes the fact that some people who have periods are trans or non-binary." Among critics of the guidance is conservative parliamentarian David Davies. Davies told the Daily Mail that the new Brighton & Hove guidance is "insanity." "Learning about periods is already a difficult subject for children that age, so to throw in the idea girls who believe they are boys also have periods will leave them completely confused,' Davies was quoted as saying. Read more about "British school district to teach 8-y-o kids that 'all genders' can have periods" on The Christian Post. Is Isaiah 7:14 a messianic prophecy? Christian Post Contributor | 17 December, 2018 by Brian G. Chilton More and more scholars are becoming skeptical of Messianic prophecy in the Hebrew Biblethat is, the Old Testament. Michael Rydelnik notes that "Although evangelical scholarship still recognizes that there is something messianic about the Hebrew Bible, for the most part it sees it as a story that finds its climax in Jesus, not as predictions that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled" (Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, 3-4). Yet, such skepticism is not justified. Sure, some passages in the Hebrew Bible have been stretched beyond its scope, something that can become a dangerous trend. Nevertheless, certain passages in the Hebrew Bible enjoy a status of being both Messianic in context and in its history. One such Messianic prophecy is found in Isaiah 7:14. Four schools of thought have developed on how one should interpret Isaiah 7:14. Some hold to direct fulfillment indicating that the text only speaks to the fulfillment found in Messiah. Others hold to a historical fulfillment which claims that the text only addresses a birth of a child in Isaiah's day. A third view holds to a double fulfillment in that the prophecy was fulfilled to a degree in Isaiah's day and later in the Messiah. A fourth view is espoused by Arnold Fruchtenbaum. He calls it double reference (Fruchtenbaum, Yeshua, 364). A double reference "states that the one piece of Scripture actually contains two prophecies, each having its own fulfillment" (Fruchtenbaum, Yeshua, 364). After researching the passage, I must agree that in Isaiah 7:14 one finds a double reference. Although Isaiah 7:14 is among the most controversial of Messianic prophecies (Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, 147), several good reasons exist to accept the prophecy as Messianic in scope. 1. King Ahaz and House of David. To understand the passage, one must understand the chapter in which Isaiah 7:14 is found. Isaiah comes to King Ahaz while Ahaz and King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel were reigning. Yahweh (the personal name for God) tells Isaiah to bring his son Shear-jashub with him to meet Ahaz (Is. 7:3). Yahweh speaks to Isaiah again telling him to ask Ahaz for a sign (7:10-11) but Ahaz refuses (7:12). After Ahaz refuses, Isaiah turns his attention to the house of David (7:13) asking if they would try the patience of Yahweh. It is then that Isaiah delivers the Immanuel prophecy. From keeping the text in context, Yahweh through Isaiah is addressing two distinct groups of people. On the one hand, he is addressing King Ahaz. On the other hand, he is addressing the house of David. The Immanuel prophecy is given to the house of David and not to King Ahaz. King Ahaz's sign was found in Isaiah's son Shear-jashub who already reached the age of accountability and chose to do what was right. Ahaz was much older and still chose to do what was evil. Thus, Ahaz's kingdom was coming to an end. 2. Singular and Plural Language. A close examination of the Hebrew text shows a difference in the language used directed toward Ahaz as opposed to the house of David. When Isaiah is addressing Ahaz, he uses singular language and uses plural language when speaking to the house of David. As Fruchtenbaum noted earlier, the text appears to be giving two differing propheciesone to Ahaz and one to the house of David. Since the Immanuel prophecy is directed to the house of David, it is not necessary to hold that the prophecy only addresses Ahaz and even his time. 3. Present and Future Language. In the Immanuel prophecy, Isaiah uses the Hebrew imperfect verb yitten, which means "he will give," to describe the timing of the prophecy. The imperfect verb in Hebrew describes something that is incomplete and will transpire at some point in the future. Thus, the sign for the house of David was a sign given by God to transpire at some point in the future. When? The text does not say. Therefore, it is completely appropriate to think that the text could find its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah. Read more about messianic prophecy on The Christian Post. Pakistani Christian woman tortured, starved 4 years in solitary confinement on false blasphemy charge Christian Post Contributor | 17 December, 2018 by Samuel Smith A Pakistani Christian woman who was jailed on a false blasphemy charge recounted in a recent interview how she spent four years in solitary confinement and was periodically starved because of her faith in Christ. Going by the pseudonym "Saima," the woman from the 97 percent Muslim-majority Asian nation detailed in an interview with the BBC how she was accused of desecrating Islam's holy book. She said that the accusation she destroyed a copy of the Quran was made by her Muslim neighbors after their children had gotten into a petty fight. In Pakistan, defiling the Quran is a violation of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which are frequently used by Muslims to settle scores or persecute members of religious minority groups like Christians. Defiling a Quran is a violation of Pakistan's legal code section 295-B and is punishable by life imprisonment. Life in prison is exactly what Saima was sentenced to by a Pakistani court. But after four years locked away in chains in a tiny prison cell, Saima's conviction was overturned. "Even now I feel like I am in jail," Saima told the British news outlet. "You can see the scars on my legs from when I was chained." Saima recalled that at times, prison guards would withhold food from her specifically because she is Christian. "They would say, 'You disgraced our religion,'" Saima recalled. Despite the reversal of her conviction, Saima now lives her life under threat of severe persecution like many other Pakistani blasphemy victims. As reports indicate that over 70 people accused of blasphemy have been killed by lynch mobs in Pakistan (including a Christian couple burned alive in a brick kiln) since 1990, Saima explained that she is now living her life under another name since her release from prison. "I don't even go and visit my family in case it becomes dangerous for them too," she said. "Life has become like death," she added. "[P]eople come here and talk to me about what happened, I get happy that they're listening to me, but then what? Nothing changes." International human rights activists have long called for Pakistan to change its often abused blasphemy laws. At least two politicians who advocated for reform have been assassinated. One of laws' victims is Christian mother Asia Bibi (also known as Aasiya Noreen), a poor farm laborer from the Punjab province who was accused by Muslim co-workers of insulting Muhammad in 2009. Although she denied the accusation, she was sentenced to death by hanging in 2010. Under section 295-C, the use of derogatory remarks toward Islam or its prophet Muhammad is punishable by death. After spending nearly a decade in prison, Bibi was acquitted by the Pakistan Supreme Court in October. She has since been freed and is now in hiding with her family. However, Muslim radicals affiliated with groups like the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Party took to the streets to call for Bibi's death and the death of the Supreme Court justices who granted her release. TLP, which staunchly supports the blasphemy laws, signed an agreement with the government that requires the Supreme Court review Bibi's acquittal. Bibi is not allowed to leave Pakistan until the verdict is reviewed. The review process could take months or years. Pakistan ranks as the fifth worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA's World Watch List. This week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the State Department designated Pakistan as a "country of particular concern" for religious freedom, a designation that signifies countries where the government "has engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom." Read more about Christians in Pakistan on The Christian Post. NAIROBI, Kenya, December 17, 2018 (Morning Star News) Shakira Wanyenze, a 31-year-old Muslim woman, had no idea that missing a ride back to her town in eastern Uganda from Kampala would change her life. That day, June 17, Wanyenze decided to stay the night at the home of a relative in Kampala. She thought the relative, whose name is undisclosed for security reasons, was a Muslim. The relative told her she had put her trust in Christ for her salvation, and after a discussion that lasted late into the night, Wanyenze decided to do the same. After many hours of resisting the Christian faith, something convicted me that my life was heading for destruction, and therefore I need to put my faith in Jesus, Wanyenze told Morning Star News by phone. I was prayed for that night and had an overwhelming peace after accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Mother of four children between the ages of 5 and 9, for months Wanyenze managed to keep her faith a secret from her husband, Ismail Kawanguzi, when she returned home to Buyaga town council, Bulambuli District nearly six hours by car from Kampala. Her husband began to become suspicious on Nov. 30 when he came home to find her praying with her children. My husband arrived home at around 8 p.m. on the 30th and heard me concluding the prayers using the name of Jesus, she said. When he interrogated me to give reasons why I was using the name of Jesus, I kept quiet. He was very tired and went to bed, she said. The following morning around 10 a.m., he repeated the same words of the previous night, and I still kept quiet, Wanyenze said. Her husband began slapping her, she said. After he had slapped her several times, she began screaming for help, and he took a large wooden board and struck her hand, causing two fingers to bleed, she said. I fell down, and he started to strangle me, Wanyenze told Morning Star News. Fortunately, neighbors arrived and rescued me and took me to a clinic at Buyaga town council for treatment, and I was discharged after two days. The neighbor who took her to the hospital then took her to a church pastor (name undisclosed for security reasons). The neighbor was later shocked to hear that Wanyenze's husband had purchased a coffin, and rumors spread that he was planning to kill his wife. The neighbor took their four children to the church site. The pastor has since received threatening messages from Kawanguzi, such as, If you continue housing my wife in your house, then let it be known to you that soon I will be coming for your head, the church leader told Morning Star News. Apart from such threats to my life, I am also concerned about my church, the pastor added. Please, we need prayer from God to give us direction on how to handle this delicate situation and the support for the young family of Kawanguzi, especially the young innocent children. The assault was the latest of many in eastern Uganda that Morning Star News has documented in the past six years. Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Ugandas population. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Pixabay The Philippines Catriona Gray won last nights Miss Universe pageant. Steve Harvey hosted the event again; competitors from ninety-four countries and territories participated. Among them was Spains Angela Ponce. She earned the title of Miss Spain in June, defeating twenty-two other competitors. She is also the first transgender woman to compete in the pageant. Emergency contraception in vending machines I recognize that Jesus statement, He who created them from the beginning made them male and female (Matthew 19:4), is an unpopular position these days. Our culture celebrates the courage of those who transition from male to female or vice-versa. For me to suggest that sex reassignment surgery (known today as gender affirmation surgery) may not be in a patients best interest is to risk being branded intolerant and prejudiced. This despite a review of more than one hundred international medical studies of post-operative transsexuals that found no robust scientific evidence that gender reassignment surgery is clinically effective. The director of the study stated: There is a huge uncertainty over whether changing someones sex is a good or a bad thing. I could point to numerous other studies (such as this report) that suggest similar caution. However, my purpose today is not to debate transgender issues. It is to note that engaging in such a debate demands a level of courage that was not necessary even a few years ago. Our culture has moved rapidly to codify a host of unbiblical moral positions. For instance, sex outside of marriage is now so normalized that many universities are making emergency contraception available in vending machines on campuses. To speak up for biblical truth on moral issues risks the wrath of the public. Jobs are being lost and teachers suspended for taking such stands. To fulfill Gods calling leads to lives of unparalleled purpose and eternal significance. But such a commitment always comes at a cost. The privilege of obedience Christmas is the story of surprising obedience. Mary agreed to become the mother of the Son of God before she was married to Joseph, risking his rejection and being branded as an adulteress. Joseph agreed to marry her and raise her son as his, risking a lifetime of social ostracism. What if they had refused? What if Noah hadnt been willing to build the ark, or Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees, or Moses to talk to a burning bush? What if David had run from Goliath, or Peter had chosen fishing over preaching, or Paul had remained a Pharisee? The fact is, God doesnt need our obedience. His eternal plans include our free decisions to accept or reject his will for our lives. He knew what Noah would do before he asked him to do it. He knew that Josephs brothers would sell him into slavery and used their sin to bring him to Pharaohs palace. He knew that Judas would betray Jesus and used his sin to bring our Savior to the cross for our salvation. Why, then, should we choose obedience? The simple answer: obedience positions us to experience what grace chooses to give. But theres a catch. The lure of the popular In his brilliant sermon, The Inner Ring, C. S. Lewis perceptively observed that popularity is one of the most attractive features of promiscuity. He noted: When promiscuity is the fashion, the chaste are outsiders. They are ignorant of something that other people know. They are uninitiated. The popularity of a sin tempts us to believe that if everyones doing it, it must be acceptable and worth doing. The Israelites faced this satanic strategy when they conquered the land of Canaan. Because they did not drive out their enemies as commanded by God, they were constantly tempted to do what their enemies did. If Baalism works for them, it will work for us, or so they thought. Doing what God wants usually means refusing what the world wants: All that is in the worldthe desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of lifeis not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:16-17). You cannot outgive God If you want today to count on earth and in heaven, choose obedience. A life of eternal significance is waiting on the other side of sacrificial faithfulness. And know this: no matter where you are or what youve done, its never too late to turn to God. When Jonah was called to go to Nineveh, he refused. When God sent a great fish to swallow up Jonah (Jonah 1:17), he repented. His prayer of confession and obedience is one of the most moving in Scripture (Jonah 2). Frederick Buechner: No matter how deep [the fish] dove and no matter how dark the inside of its belly, no depth or darkness was enough to drown out the sound of Jonahs prayer. . . . the intractable and waterlogged old man called out from sixty fathoms, and Yahweh heard him, and answered him. (Then Buechner notes with his typical humor that Jonahs relief at being delivered from the whale can hardly have been any greater than the whales at being delivered of Jonah.) Our post-Christian culture demandsand needscourageous Christians. Where is your Nineveh today? Engineering and industrial solutions powerhouse Bilfinger has signed an agreement with Egyptian Maintenance Company, the country's leading maintenance solutions provider, to deliver advanced maintenance and modernisation solutions. The co-operation agreement comes in line with country's drive for optimisation and modernisation of its industrial assets and is focused on delivering advanced solutions to help end users and operators reduce maintenance cost, increase energy efficiency and maximise assets' life cycle returns. "The partnership is a great strategic fit, building on Bilfinger's know-how and innovative solutions such as BMC, BTC and BCAP and leveraging EMC's unparalleled capabilities and highly qualified resources in the country and beyond," remarked Ali Vezvaei, the president and CEO of Bilfinger Middle East. Bilfinger is a leading international engineering and industrial services provider. The group enhances the efficiency of assets, ensures a high level of availability and reduces maintenance costs, he stated. The portfolio covers the entire value chain from consulting, engineering, manufacturing, assembly, maintenance, plant expansion as well as turnarounds and also includes environmental technologies and digital applications he added. Mohamed Shimy, the chairman of EMC, said: "We are very pleased to establish an important partnership with a globally recognised company like Bilfinger. This resonates well with our vision of protecting our customers' assets, while creating shareholder value and maintain a leading market position." Bilfinger is primarily active in Continental Europe, Northwest Europe, North America and the Middle East. The company delivers its services in two business segments: Engineering and Technologies and Maintenance, Modifications & Operations. Process industry customers come from sectors that include chemicals & petrochem, energy & utilities, oil & gas, pharma & biopharma, metallurgy and cement, said the statement from Bilfinger. With its 36,000 employees, Bilfinger upholds the highest standards of safety and quality and generated revenue of 4.044 billion in financial year 2017, it added.-TradeArabia News Service California pastor says large church ignored his family because of disabled child Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A California pastor shared his familys experience of being ignored at a large church due to one of the children having a disability. Anthony Kidd, the preaching pastor at Community of Faith Bible Church in South Gate, said the experience happened at a large church in the suburbs where he was invited to speak, but did not name the church. As we waited several minutes to enter the worship hall, we were surrounded by hundreds of people who were excitedly conversing among themselves. But for some reason, no one spoke to us, Kidd recalled in a blog-post for desiringGod.org earlier this week. Maybe it was because we were visitors, or maybe it was because were a large family of seven, or maybe it was because of something else. Maybe it was because we were different. Different because we had a child who was obviously not typical. The pastor then shared what one of his five children told him: Dad, they acted like they didnt even see us. Kidd said that he has spoken with other families with disabilities who told them that they, too, are often overlooked, even in their own churches. The pastor said he wants to ensure that no group feels overlooked or rejected at his own congregation because they are different. Unfortunately, too many churches have not yet seen the need to be intentional at reaching out to the oft-slighted disabled people among them, he reflected. Apart from ADA compliance, some churches do very little, if anything, to show the familial love of Christ to disabled members who long to be a vital part of their local church, he added. Its a failure of leadership, but one that can be corrected by seeing the whole body as essential to a God-honoring, Christ-exalting, Gospel-saturated church. He added that while most church leaders wouldn't deny that the church should be inclusive for all Christians, there's a glaring gap when it comes to applying that thinking when dealing with disabled members. Kidd then made several pleas to pastors, asking them to intentionally seek out those in their congregations who are living with or caring for the disabled. Make them as much a part of the congregation as any other group in your church, he said. Model compassion for your congregation by spending time with the disabled of your church. Kidd insisted that no matter how busy pastors already are, they must understand that they cannot fully glorify our great God if we continue to marginalize those who are the weakest and most needy among us. Other Christian parents, including Ellen Stumbo, a pastor's wife and mother of a special needs child, have also argued that churches are strongly lacking when it comes to welcoming and embracing people with disabilities. My heart breaks as a member of this beautiful church when I see us failing the most vulnerable, Stumbo wrote on her website in 2014. When I see our ignorance crush a people group that needs us to come along their side and offer support, rather than judgment, of what we perceive to be a lack of faith. Chris Pratt says God brought girlfriend Katherine Schwarzenegger into his life, gifts her Jesus present Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment "Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt celebrated his relationship with girlfriend Katherine Schwarzenegger on her birthday, saying he's grateful that God brought her into his life. Happy Birthday Chief! Your smile lights up the room. Ive cherished our time together, Pratt wrote on Instagram Thursday. Thrilled God put you in my life. Thankful for the laughs, kisses, talks, hikes, love and care, he added. The message was posted along with a collage of photos that Pratt put together of his new love. One of the photos appeared to be a gift from the actor and showed Schwarzenegger gratefully holding a wooden frame of Jesus with 1 Timothy 1:14 on the inscription. Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus, the frame read. Pratt and Schwarzenegger, the oldest daughter of actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver, have been linked together since June, according to People magazine, which reported that the couple spent Father's Day together. The 39-year-old actor and the 28-year-old author were spotted kissing after attending a Sunday service in California with Pratt's 5-year-old son, TMZ reported in July. Both Pratt and Schwarzenegger have been vocal about their faith in public forums. The lifestyle blogger was raised Catholic but in recent years has attended nondenominational Christian churches with her mother, brother Patrick, and now with Pratt. Pratt, who starred in "Avengers: Infinity War," has made it a goal to share his faith with others. The actor recently accepted the Generation Award at this year's MTV Movie and TV Awards and used the platform to share nine points of advice, including Christian guidance. "God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that, I do," he said. 'A church without Putin, Moscow poison': Ukraine elects new Orthodox bishop in major Christian rift Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Ukrainian leaders celebrated the election of a new bishop separate from the Russian Orthodox Church on Saturday, though the latter has warned of all-out persecution. Metropolitan Epiphanius was celebrated at St. Sophias Cathedral in downtown Kiev by hundreds of other bishops, priests, and church figures, The New York Times reported. The newly independent Ukraine Orthodox Church is expected to officially be granted autonomy in January, despite the wishes and protests of the larger Russian Orthodox Church. Ukrainian President Petro O. Poroshenko, quoting national poet Taras Shevchenko, declared that Ukraine will no longer drink Moscow poison from the Moscow cup." He added that citizens should remember the day as the final acquisition of independence from Russia. Poroshenko added that he will travel with Metropolitan Epiphanius in January to Istanbul, the church's historical foundations, to collect the autonomy order, known as the Tomos of Autocephaly. What kind of church is this? the president prompted. This is a church without Putin. What kind of church is this? It is a church without Kirill, he added, referring to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. What kind of church is this? It is a church without prayers for the Russian government and Russian military. The rift between the Russian and Ukrainian church, one of the biggest in the Christian world in centuries, formed in the wake of the continuing war in Ukraine against Russian separatists. The violence in the country escalated in 2014, following the annexation of Crimea by Putin, which has been strongly condemned by Western world leaders. Kirill, on the other hand, warned of "all-out persecution" for Russia-supporting Orthodox believers in Ukraine, however. The Russian church leader sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as well as to European political leaders and Pope Francis, asking for protection of believers in Ukraine. "The interference by the leaders of the secular Ukrainian state in church affairs has recently assumed the shape of undue pressure being exerted on the bishops and priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which can be defined as the start of all-out persecution," Kirill said in an official statement on December 14, as translated by Radio Free Europe. The major disagreement already caused the Russian Orthodox Church to sever its ties with the central Orthodox Church community back in October. The move was in protest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople's decision to recognize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as independent from Russia. "We now stand before a new church reality: we no longer have a single coordinating center in the Orthodox Church and we must very clearly recognize that," Metropolitan Ilarion, the Moscow Patriarchate's head of external relations, said at the time. "The Constantinople Patriarchate liquidated itself as such a center." Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America, commented on the issue in a letter back in September. "We are deeply aware of the pain and trauma in the life of Orthodox people caused by ecclesial schism which weakens Orthodox witness and evangelism in society. Such pain and trauma have been wounds in the life of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine for several decades," wrote Tikhon in the letter that was shared with The Christian Post. "Schism, division, and mutual antagonism are not only canonical problems they are pastoral and spiritual challenges demanding the healing power of Christ and Christian faith." Chinese police raid children's Bible class, shut down underground megachurch Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Chinese Communist authorities reportedly raided a childrens Bible class Saturday morning, shutting down a large underground church and confiscating 4,000 books. The latest raid, according to South China Morning Post, happened at Rongguili Church in Guangzhou, which became the third prominent Protestant unregistered church to be closed by officials this season. Over 60 officers stormed the class, investigating the church until the evening and confiscating church property, including 4,000 books. A Rongguili church member, who wasnt named, shared what happened when police came: They read out law enforcement notices declaring our venue was an illegal gathering [that had engaged in] illegal publishing and illegal fundraising and confiscated all Bibles. Officers recorded the identity of the worshipers, including the children, and took their phones. They then verified our identities again and warned us not to return [to the church] before letting us go, the person said. The only arrest in this case was of a parent who attempted to photograph the scene. Rongguili Church was set up in 1978 and attracts 5,000 worshipers every week, standing as one of Chinas leading underground churches. The Yuexiu district ethnic and religious affairs bureau announced that since all activities at Rongguili Church have been suspended, believers should look to worship at the 15 other registered Protestant churches in Guangzhou. Just last week in another major raid, 100 Christians, including Pastor Wang Yi and his wife, Jiang Rong, were detained at Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu. After the raid, the church released a letter claiming that three believers were tortured by police while in custody. Bob Fu, founder and president of persecution watchdog ChinaAid, condemned what he called "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, Fu said at the time. ChinaAid calls upon the international community to condemn these arbitrary arrests of innocent religious believers and urges the Chinese regime for their immediate release. Early Rain Covenant Church also reported that its Bible classes were shut down by Communist Party authorities. The Legal Learning Center in Xinjin County, an affiliate of the church, said that it has been targeted since Dec. 9. "More than 50 students from the seminary and humanities college have been detained at the Legal Learning Center in Xinjin County and will be deported to their hometowns," ChinaAid reported. "Pastors, elders, and deacons were seized, the four dorms of the college were broken into, and all students living there were forcibly taken away without any legal papers and or excuses." The raids have drawn international attention and many are calling for prayer amid the crackdown on believers. Ben Sasse, the junior senator from Nebraska, urged on Twitter: Christians, please pray for Pastor Wang Yi and the persecuted church in China. Christian mother says she was fired from Girlguiding UK for allowing kids to use 'love my God' oath Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Christian mother has claimed that she was fired from Girlguiding U.K. after she allowed children to use the phrase love my God when making pledges to join. Girlguiding U.K, the countrys leading organization for girls and young women, has insisted that the woman resigned, however. Emma Jeffery told The Daily Mail that she was not trying to shove religion down peoples throats just offering them a choice. The phrase love my God had been replaced in the Girlguiding oaths in 2013 with the more secular develop my beliefs. Jeffery says that she was initially allowed to offer parents of girls to choose which phrase to say as part of their promise, but argues that in November she was told by County Commissioner Karen McFarlane that such an arrangement breaches the rules. The mother of two, who had been a leader at 1st Abbeydale Rainbows group in Gloucester, was told that she had to agree to leave out references to God in the text, or leave the organization. The very name Rainbows is taken from the story of Noahs Ark, it was given to Noah as a gift from God, she said, in reference to the Biblical story in Genesis. If the Scouts dont feel the need to be so didactic about their promise, why does Girlguiding have to be so inflexible? A Girlguiding spokesperson clarified that the 100,000 volunteers at the organization are "expected to follow our policies and volunteer code of conduct at all times," however. "Were aware a Girlguiding leader resigned from her role following a complaint made that she wasnt using the standard wording of the Promise," the statement continued. "The leader was not withdrawn from Girlguiding. The complaint is being handled internally." Some parents have come out in support of Jeffery, including Lisa Kerr. We love the fact that Emma gave our daughter the option when she did her promise of using the old one or the new, Kerr said. As a Christian family, our daughter wanted to say the promise where she can publicly promise to love my God. Girlguiding U.K. attracted controversy back in November 2017 as well, after it said that transgender members born as male who identify as female will be allowed to use the same shower and tent space as girls. "Some people may not feel comfortable sharing accommodation so in this case an alternative option should be provided. This should be done discreetly, in conversation with the young person and, if appropriate, their parent or carer," the organization clarified at the time. David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth in South Wales, spoke out against the move at the time. "If transgender girls who are physically male are going to be sharing facilities, it's going to make some girls threatened and uncomfortable and the Guides shouldn't be doing that," Davies argued. Christmas Miracle': Chicago church facing auction saved by last minute $2 million donation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A congregation in Chicago, Illinois that was facing an auction on their building has been saved by a last-minute $2 million donation from an unnamed group. Holy Trinity Hellenic Orthodox Church was scheduled to go on auction last Friday due to several issues including being $8 million in debt after a bank foreclosed on the property. However, around midnight last Thursday, the church received a phone call from a group offering $2 million to help the congregation buy their property from the bank. Parish Council President Stanley Andreakis, told the Associated Press in comments published Sunday that the donation was a Christmas miracle. We feel like kids. You wake up at Christmas and you have a present, explained Andreakis. You are like, I get to keep my church. The Rev. Nicholas Jonas, presiding priest for Holy Trinity, took to social media on Sunday to warn that while the $2 million helps, the church has not been saved yet and supporters must continue to stay vigilant. Most importantly, EVERYTHING STILL DEPENDS ON THE BANK 100%! An offer was made but it depends on the bank to be realistic and empathetic in their response, posted Jonas to Facebook. Right now we need to embrace and enjoy the GIFT OF TIME!!! We must continue to fervently PRAY FOR OUR HOLY TRINITY! Founded around 120 years ago, Holy Trinity has endured a recent series of setbacks, including declining membership and attendance attributed to changing neighborhood demographics. Another source of trouble for Holy Trinity has been recent litigation between the church and its school the Hellenic American Academy, also called the Socrates School. Metropolitan Nathanael, head of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, said in a statement published by pappaspost.com last month that the Church was doing what it could to help the embattled congregation. The Metropolis has been working with the Church (Holy Trinity) on this matter for years, and that as the new Metropolitan, I established a special ad hoc committee, per Archdiocesan regulations, to determine the best path forward for the Church given the recent turn of events, stated Metropolitan Nathanael. Hillary Clinton as Satan Fighting Jesus: Russia FB Ads Pitting Americans Against Each Other Exposed Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment U.S. Congress released on Wednesday more than 3,000 Facebook ads that Russian operatives apparently purchased or posted during the 2016 presidential campaign season, many of them inflammatory in nature designed to pit Americans against each other on a variety of social issues. The Washington Post reported that the ads were designed to promote various messages and opposing viewpoints, and produced fake information about rallies with the apparent intent to push Americans toward physical conflict. One of the fake groups for instance was called "Heart of Texas," which promoted a "Stop the Islamization of Texas" rally for May in Houston, while another fake group called "United Muslims of America" promoted the counter "Save Islamic Knowledge" rally at the same place and time. Other posts quite literally demonized Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by portraying her as Satan, in what appears to be a mixed martial arts fight with Jesus Christ, with the caption reading "'Like' if you want Jesus to win.'" Another similar post by the "Army of Jesus" group, which amassed a following of over 217,000 people, showed Satan arm-wrestling Christ, with the former declaring "If I win Clinton wins!" and the latter replying, "Not if I can help it!" Other fake pages promoted Democratic candidates, such as Vermont junior senator Bernie Sanders. A group called "LGBT United" even featured a coloring book in support of Sanders, depicting him as a muscular hero. The ads also sought to inflame American sensitivities on topics such as gun rights, illegal immigration, economic hardships and racial issues, explicitly calling on people to attend political rallies on a number of occasions. "The strategy is to take a crack in our society and turn it into a chasm," said Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), whose home state includes the headquarters for Facebook, Google and Twitter, added that the revelations herald "cataclysmic change." "What we're talking about is a cataclysmic change. What we're talking about is the beginning of cyberwarfare," Feinstein said. "What we're talking about is a major foreign power with sophistication and ability to involve themselves in a presidential election and sow conflict and discontent all over this country. We are not going to go away, gentlemen. And this is a very big deal." Thousands of ads were apparently bought by 470 accounts, stemming from a "Russian troll farm in St. Petersburg." The Russian-designed posts reached up to 126 U.S. million residents. Although the accounts in question have now all been shut down, Facebook, Twitter, and Google officials were called to testify before Congress. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a letter to investors that his company will double it's 10,000 strong force of employees and contractors working on safety and security issues by the end of 2018. "We're investing so much in security that it will impact our profitability," Zuckerberg wrote. "Protecting our community is more important than maximizing our profits." Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, insisted that Congress' efforts are not aimed at re-litigating the 2016 U.S. presidential election. "This isn't about who won or lost. This is about national security. This is about corporate responsibility. And this is about the deliberate and multifaceted manipulation of the American people by agents of a hostile foreign power," Burr said. President Donald Trump meanwhile continues denying Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign helped him defeat Clinton, even as former campaign manager Paul Manafort surrendered to federal authorities late last month amid the ongoing probe. How do we know Jesus is the Messiah? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Theologians are explaining how it is possible to know that Jesus Christ was and is indeed the long-awaited Messiah. In an interview this week with Desiring God, Reformed theologian D.A. Carson explained that it is vital to understand that Christ is not the surname of Jesus but a title. "Christ was not initially, at least in any sense, a family name; it was a title," Carson explained. "Its disputed today whether it ever becomes fully a name anywhere in the New Testament. My own view is that it never loses its titular function even if it does pick up some naming function in the later New Testament books." The word "Christ" is a English rendering of the Greek word christos, which means "someone who is anointed." Throughout the Old Testament, priests, prophets, and kings were all anointed and designated for a particular task, pointing to Jesus who is today regarded as the great high priest, the fulfillment of the prophets. In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to in the New Testament as Christian and in most cases, it means the promised Davidic king. "Its a way of alluding to the coming or dawning kingdom. In some passages, the title gets blurred over to a larger sweeping expectation of Gods promised Redeemer, Gods promised revelation of himself," Carson said. Isaiah pointed to this, the Reformed theologian explained, when prophesying about Jesus, that he shall be called 'Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.'" "Even though Messiah is not used there, because Messiah is regularly used for the Davidic king, this becomes a passage that is espousing a messianism that is an expectation of a redeemer to come, whos in the line of David." "Thats how the term Messiah works. When we say Jesus Christ, we should be thinking in our mind Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the promised Priest, King, Prophet; Jesus the one who is anointed by God to bring about our redemption. He is Jesus, who has been set aside by God, anointed by God the ultimate Redeemer, the ultimate anointed One, the ultimate Christ." Aside from the prophetic language pointing to Jesus as the promised Messiah, the events of Jesus' life fulfilled the actual prophecies themselves. That Jesus was born in Bethlehem and of a virgin was are but two of the prophecies from Micah and Isaiah among over 300 that were fulfilled ages later through Christ, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association observed in a 2015 post. "In biblical times, building foundations were built from stone, starting with a single stone placed in the corner as a guide for the entire structure. The cornerstone was essential to the structure of the building and ensured each wall would be balanced, straight and solid," BGEA continued. Thus, when the Word of God says that Jesus was sent as the cornerstone for the world but would be rejected in the process, he fulfilled the prophecy in Psalm 118 where the writer proclaims that "the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lords doing; It is marvelous in our eyes." During his earthly ministry Jesus cites these exact words when speaking with religious leaders in Matthew 21. Jesus was also from Judah, the kingly tribe, Got Questions ministries notes, mentioning the requirement that the Messiah be a king. "To those of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, the proof that He is the Jewish Messiah seems overwhelming," the ministry said, noting that, in general, most Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah. Yet that is because both Isaiah and Jesus prophesied a spiritual blindness upon Israel as a judgment for their lack of faith. The Jews were looking for an earthly king, not the ruler of a spiritual kingdom. Justice is Merriam-Websters Word of the Year for 2018; did evangelicals give it a boost? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Justice is blind. Justice is served. Justice is, according to Martin Luther King Jr., where the arc of the moral universe bends toward. It is also Merriam-Websters word of the year for 2018. Merriam-Webster released an announcement on Monday stating that Justice was the most looked-up word in 2018 on their website, having seen a 74 percent increase compared to 2017. The concept of justice was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year: racial justice, social justice, criminal justice, economic justice, stated the dictionary company. In any conversation about these topics, the question of just what exactly we mean when we use the term justice is relevant, and part of the discussion. Merriam-Webster concluded that news events like attorney Robert Muellers investigation and the heated debate over the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh were contributing factors. Justice has varied meanings that do a lot of work in the languagemeanings that range from the technical and legal to the lofty and philosophical. For many reasons and for many meanings, one things for sure: justice has been on the minds of many people in 2018, continued Merriam-Webster. Other heavily searched entries on the dictionary website included Nationalism, Pansexual, Lodestar, Epiphany, Feckless, Laurel, Pissant, Respect, Maverick, and Excelsior. Stan Lees motto and salutation excelsior spiked following his death in November. He used the word to conclude each of the monthly columns he wrote for Marvel Comics, noted the dictionary site. Justice has been a word found in the center of major debates and discussion points among evangelical Christians during 2018, and the social justice debate was #9 on The Christian Post's top 10 stories of 2018. In August, influential California Pastor John MacArthur criticized what he called evangelicals' "newfound obsession with the notion of 'social justice'" in a series of blog posts. That was followed by a statement signed by other evangelical leaders. Specifically, we are deeply concerned that values borrowed from secular culture are currently undermining Scripture in the areas of race and ethnicity, manhood and womanhood, and human sexuality. The Bible's teaching on each of these subjects is being challenged under the broad and somewhat nebulous rubric of concern for 'social justice, read the statement in part. Others evangelicals criticized the statement. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, responded that he believed people who would say [they oppose social justice] don't really believe it [because they] don't act that way when it comes to the issues they care about and in most cases rightly care about. In almost every case, we are not really talking about 'social justice' and we are not even talking about social engagement broadly. We are almost always talking about race, said Moore. I don't even want to concede to the conceit that what we are talking about is a broader issue of social engagement because again, that is almost never the case. Some of the very people who would say this are the people who have talked about, and rightly so, abortion and the systemic public problem of abortion. In September, the National Association of Evangelicals decided to update their For the Health of the Nation public policy guide to include a new category titled Racial Justice and Reconciliation. "The United States has a tragic history of genocide against Native Americans, the cruel practice of enslaving Africans, and the unjust segregation and exploitation of immigrants and the descendants of slaves," noted the updated guide. "While the United States has made significant strides toward legal and social equality in principle, the legacy of racism and implicit racial bias still leaves many Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics and other ethnic minorities vulnerable to a variety of social ills." Many evangelical pastors preached or wrote on the issue of justice in 2018, including Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, Trip Lee and Bartholomew Orr. Preaching in April at the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission MLK50 conference in Memphis, Chandler expressed concern about some of the inconsistencies among his God-fearing flock when it comes to racial issues. "If I preach the sermon out of the book of Isaiah on justice, my inbox would fill with their glee that I would broach the subject. But if I applied it to the subject of race, then all of a sudden I was a Marxist or I've been watching too much of the liberal media. If I spoke on abortion, I was applauded as courageous, as a ferocious man of God, and yet when I would tackle race I was being too political," Chandler said. At the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, Kentucky, Virginia pastor David Platt remarked, "Churches can be the most powerful impetus for justice in our culture on the issue of race if we will humble ourselves before God and one another, if we will repent and pray and work together for justice in a way that brings great glory to our God." Nick Vujicic hails Operation Care helping 15,000 homeless in Dallas, washing feet, sharing Gospel Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Evangelist Nick Vujicic has hailed the work of a ministry which helped 15,000 homeless people in a single day in day in Dallas, Texas. Vujicic, known around the world as the "limbless evangelist," said in a Facebook video that when it comes to quantity, Saturday was the single most impactful day for homeless people in the country here in Dallas. He added that a thousand homeless veterans came through to be served. They get their feet washed, massaged, all the homeless people hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the reason for Christmas." They get optical, they get medical, they get other information, he added. It is so incredible we are here and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with so many people. Fifteen thousand people were impacted here in one day in Dallas, Texas, he emphasized. Fox News reported that the 15th annual Christmas Gift celebration by Operation Care was one of the largest Christmas events for homeless people. The homeless people, including families, spoke of their gratitude at receiving gifts, such as brand new shoes, they otherwise would not have been able to offer their children. Connie Brown, one of the volunteers, revealed that four years ago she was a homeless person receiving care at the event. "I found myself in a situation that I never thought I would be in," Brown recalled. She has since opened up her own business as a bakery, and is looking to give back. "A lot of people think about homeless living under a bridge or on the streets, but homeless can be somebody at work and you never know that they're homeless. So when they leave their 9-5 you dont know where they go. That's what happened to me. So when I talk to the people here at this event, I have a chance to have a face, I have a chance to talk to them as a human being," the woman added. On its website, Operation Care says that it seeks to share the Gospel and to help people get the vital services that they need so they can leave their desperate situations and build a better future for themselves. When it comes to its foot washing offer, the ministry explains: "Servanthood is the hallmark of Operation Care International. We are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, whose leadership was characterized by serving others. Before he went to the Cross, Jesus washed his disciples feet, a wonderful picture of how He washes away our sins. We emulate our Servant Leader by making this simple act the trademark of this ministry." Christian speaker Staci Wallace also thanked Vujicic and the many others who helped make the Christmas Gift celebration a success. God did it! He helped us stage the worlds largest birthday party for Jesus in the world through Operation Care International! Wow! What a day. What an honor to serve so many of Gods favorites! Wallace wrote on Facebook. Thank you Nick Vujicic for being so generous and thank you Orville Rogers for serving our country in WWII. (101 years young) And thank you Susie for Dreaming big and never giving up! she added, referring to Susie Jennings, Founder and President of Operation Care International. Shell Oman Marketing Company, a leading downstream fuel marketing company in the sultanate, has signed an agreement with Port of Duqm Company (PDC) to develop fuel bunkering facilities and services. The agreement establishes bunkering terminal to provide different grades of quality fuels and lubricants as well as other ancillary facilities to marine liners calling at Port of Duqm, said a statement from PDC, a 50:50 joint venture between the Oman and Port of Antwerp Consortium. The port has entered an early operations phase with a fully functional port and commercial quay capable of handling heavy lift project cargo, general cargo, dry bulk and containers. With its deep draught (18 m), lengthy quay walls and expansive basin, Port of Duqm has the accoutrements of a world-class, multipurpose commercial gateway. It has a current capacity of 100,000 to 200,000 TEUs, four million tonnes of dry bulk, and one million tonnes of project, break bulk and heavy lift cargos. The development of marine business at the Port of Duqm will reinforce the strategic partnership between Shell Oman Marketing and Port of Duqm Company, remarked Dr Mohammed Mahmood Al Balushi, CEO of Shell Oman, after signing the bunkering terminal agreement with Reggy Vermeulen, the chief executive of PDC. "Due to the strategic and geopolitical location of the port on the international shipping lines, it is hoisted in the coming years to transform into a regional hub attracting large investments and projects while driving the diversification of the sultanates economy and enhancing its global competitiveness," stated Al Balushi. "We are committed to play a crucial role in the attainment of this vision by delivering global fuel technology and operational excellence to local and international marine customers in Duqm as part of Shells global network," he added. Vermeulen said this new agreement with Shell Oman underlines the clear ambition of Port of Duqm to become a future bunker hub serving the entire region. "With new global bunker regulations coming into effect as from 2020, Port of Duqm plans to take full advantage of its prime location as well as the availability of the right fuel specs and offer prime bunker services accordingly," he noted. Shell has a long-established reputation as a reliable partner of choice in the marine industry. Backed by decades of experience, dedicated global Shell Marine experts work to offer the highest value for customers. On a global scale, Shell operates in over 130 ports around the globe providing customers with wide range of marine products and services. This expertise combined with state-of-the-art global technology and innovative eco-friendly practices is expected to result in the successful delivery of fuel solutions to local and international marine liners in Duqm.-TradeArabia News Service Russia Probe Not a 'Witch Hunt,' Clinton Investigator Ken Starr Says Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Ken Starr, who investigated President Bill Clinton leading to his impeachment, said President Donald Trump's characterization of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation as a "witch hunt" is not correct and that it is Trump's "moral obligation" to testify. "I think there may be a moral obligation, frankly, because he is the president of the United States," Starr, former solicitor general of the United States, told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. Calling it "definitely a serious case," Starr told host Margaret Brennan, "We know that from the indictments and guilty pleas that have already been obtained." Trump has called the investigation a "witch hunt" in public statements and on Twitter. "When and where will all of the many conflicts of interest be listed by the 13 Angry Democrats (plus) working on the Witch Hunt Hoax. There has never been a group of people on a case so biased or conflicted. It is all a Democrat Excuse for LOSING the Election. Where is the server?" he tweeted June 7 in reference to the investigation. Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections has thus far netted six guilty pleas (one of which has been sentenced), 23 defendants, and 79 criminal charges. While Mueller's investigation has progressed over the last one year, a recent poll by NBC NewsWall Street Journal showed that 53 percent of voters have at least "some" confidence that it's a fair investigation and 40 percent have little or no confidence in its impartiality, according to The Hill. Starr added that he "greatly respects" Mueller. "Now, these are charges, presumption of innocence in the United States, and that's a very precious right that we have. These charges are going to have to be proven. But what this (evidence) shows is that Bob Mueller is very seriously looking at a variety of issues and questions," he added. Starr acknowledged that Trump "clearly has the authority to direct the firing, if not a direct firing himself," but added that that would "certainly" be "a political firefight of the highest order." "You have people in both parties saying, this is an authorized investigation, let it run its course," he pointed out. However, firing couldn't be seen as "obstruction of justice," Starr added, and continued that he disagrees "with those who seem to find obstruction of justice in almost anything that the president has done." Brennan asked Starr, "If you were consulting with President Trump's lawyers, would you advise him to sit with council, and sit with Bob Mueller?" "I think they'd better be cautious," Starr responded. "And I think they are being cautious. First, we have to remember, this is the president of the United States and this is an authorized law enforcement investigation. So that makes the situation unique. Looking at it simply from the perspective of a defense lawyer, you never want your client, unless you have an extraordinarily high level of confidence, to be exposed in this way." He added, "So there are only two perspectives here, the president, you're talking to the president of the United States, but he also is the at least the subject of a serious investigation. So I think caution is the rule of thumb here." NBC NewsWall Street Journal also showed 37 percent of voters said they believe that President Trump's campaign colluded with Russia, while 34 percent said they do not believe the campaign worked with Russia. And 28 percent said they don't know enough to have an opinion. Russia targeted blacks, Latinos, Christians, in campaign to boost Trump, report finds Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Russian-backed social media accounts conducted a widespread effort to target African-Americans, Latinos, and devout Christians to aid the Trump presidential campaign, according to recently released report. The Computational Propaganda Research Project released a major analysis on Monday titled The IRA, Social Media and Political Polarization in the United States, 2012-2018 that detailed the actions of Russias Internet Research Agency. According to the report, which was made for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, from 2013 to 2018, the IRAs social media content was seen by tens of millions of people in the United States on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Between 2015 and 2017, more than 30 million American users of various political backgrounds shared content from Facebook and Instagram accounts created by the IRA. Russian-backed social media content was designed to interfere in several US elections, most notably the 2016 presidential election, by doing things that included campaigning for African American voters to boycott elections or follow the wrong voting procedures in 2016, encouraging extreme right-wing voters to be more confrontational, and spreading sensationalist, conspiratorial, and other forms of junk political news and misinformation to voters across the political spectrum. The top 20 IRA Facebook pages represented efforts to influence a diverse range of Americans, with pages including Army of Jesus, LGBT United, Brown Power, United Muslims of America, Defend the 2nd, and Born Liberal. The largest IRA page, Being Patriotic, had over 6.4 million likes and more than 4.4 million shares. Army of Jesus, an IRA targeting Christians, was the 6th largest with about 2.3 million likes and over 650,000 shares. The report found that the IRAs not only promoted Trump, but also sought to discourage LGBT individuals and African Americans from voting for Hillary Clinton and instead told them to vote for third-party candidate Jill Stein. Content referred to President [Bill] Clintons [1996] signing into law of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as an attack on the gay community, and in another, argued that Hillary supports Muslims, who the post insinuates are anti-gay, explained the report. Attacks on Clinton and calls for voter disengagement were particularly clear in Blacktivist during September, October, and November 2016, with statements such as NO LIVES MATTER TO HILLARY CLINTON. ONLY VOTES MATTER TO HILLARY CLINTON (Blacktivist, 29 October 2016), another one argues that black people should vote for Jill Stein (Blacktivist, 7 October 2016), or not vote at all, with the claim: NOT VOTING is a way to exercise our rights (Blacktivist, 3 November 2016). Since the election of Donald Trump, there have been many revelations about the interference of Russia-backed Internet trolls and social media accounts who supported Trump. In 2017, Congress released approximately 3,000 ads promoted by Russian social media accounts that served to polarize the American public with inflammatory imagery and captions. One of the headline-grabbing memes from the Army of Jesus IRA account showed a demonic Hillary about to do battle with Jesus Christ, with the caption "'Like' if you want Jesus to win.'" "Army of Jesus" started late in 2016, just before the election, the report noted. Another post by the "Army of Jesus" group showed Satan arm-wrestling Christ, with the former declaring "If I win Clinton wins!" and the latter replying, "Not if I can help it!" The report found, however, that most of the "Army of Jesus" posts had positive messages, and the page only grew in popularity after the election. "These posts are rather different to others that targeted conservatives and right-wing users. Instead of negative messaging about immigrants and antagonism towards liberals, these messages involved a more conciliatory discourse centered on Christianity as a means to heal the divides that crystallized in the US by the end of 2016. These posts encouraged users to put less faith in politics and instead be faithful to God: 'America is in trouble and the solution is not in the politics, not the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. The only hope for this nation is GodLike if you agree!'(Army of Jesus, 6 November 2016)," the report stated. Although the accounts in question have now all been shut down, Facebook, Twitter, and Google officials have all testified before Congress regarding the Russian interference. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), member of the SSCI, said in a statement last year that the revelations about the ads heralded "cataclysmic change." "What we're talking about is a cataclysmic change. What we're talking about is the beginning of cyberwarfare," stated Feinstein. "What we're talking about is a major foreign power with sophistication and ability to involve themselves in a presidential election and sow conflict and discontent all over this country. We are not going to go away, gentlemen. And this is a very big deal." Follow Michael Gryboski on Twitter or Facebook UK judge accuses Iranian who raped girl of faking conversion to Christianity to avoid deportation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A U.K. judge has said that he will not deport an Iranian asylum seeker who raped a girl, even though he suspects his professed conversion to Christianity is not genuine. The 28-year-old Iranian man, who wasnt named, was sentenced to five years in prison after raping a 17-year-old girl in 2012. Louis Kopieczek, the immigration tribunal judge, shared last week his suspicions that the asylum seeker has since claimed he converted to the Christian faith in order to avoid deportation, given the danger for Christians and other religious minorities in Iran. Kopieczek noted that even if the conversion was not genuine, however, the Iranian's social media accounts, which include hundreds of Bible verses, would make it very dangerous for him to return to Iran: "In all the circumstances, I am satisfied that the appellant has established that there is a real risk that on his return he would be questioned about the details of his asylum claim and that questioning would reveal that he has posted on Twitter... [and] interrogation would involve a real risk of ill-treatment amounting to a breach of [his human rights]." Kopieczek warned: Even in relation to someone who could be said to have made up stories to make their asylum case better, the point is that the authorities would regard it as besmirching their name and accusing them of human rights violations. In 2015, the asylum seeker was found by then Home Secretary, Theresa May, to be a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to the public, the Telegraph pointed out. The Home Office had tried to position that his social media activity was not anti-Islamic in nature. The man, whose Twitter account had garnered 5,000 followers and 86,000 likes, had made himself too visible to Iranian authorities who would question the Christian imagery he used, Kopieczek ruled, however. There have been numerous cases where Muslims converting to Christianity when they come to Europe have been accused of only trying to help their asylum application chances. Pastor Gottfried Martens of Trinity Lutheran Church in Berlin, which in September 2015 saw a huge spike in membership due to mass conversions of Iranian Muslims, admitted that could be the reality in many cases. "I know there are again and again people coming here because they have some kind of hope regarding asylum," Martens said at the time. "I am inviting them to join us because I know that whoever comes here will not be left unchanged," the pastor added, however. He insisted that even if many Muslim men and women are indeed only pretending to have been converted, he believes that the Gospel message is still changing their hearts. Faith leaders counter critics of prison reform bill: 'The opposition's solution is to do nothing' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Criminal justice reform activists and faith leaders can smell the end zone as they sit on the 5-yard line of passing what could be the most comprehensive prison reform bill in decades. But a few staunch tough-on-crime conservatives in the Senate stand in their way. Pushing to get the FIRST STEP Act passed in the final weeks before the end of the current Congress, conservatives, faith leaders and former federal prosecutors gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday to issue one last call for conservatives in Congress to back the bipartisan legislation. The bill would primarily create more opportunities for federal prisoners to earn time credits by participating in recidivism reduction programs to help better prepare them for life after their release. The bill would enable evidence-based rehabilitation programs like the Prison Fellowship to be utilized in federal prisons nationwide. Among a number of other things, the bill would reduce some mandatory minimum sentences for low-level, nonviolent drug crimes that have led to disproportional sentences for thousands across the country. Although the bill is backed by strong conservatives like Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Tim Scott of South Carolina, other conservative senators like Tom Cotton of Arkansas and John Kennedy of Louisiana have maintained their opposition. Another version of the bill passed in the House earlier this year. The opposition to this bill is to do nothing, said Bernard Kerik, former New York City police commissioner and former head of the New York City Department of Corrections, at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center. And I got news for you: prison is a training ground for criminality. As a majority of prisoners in the U.S. will be released from prison at some point, the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that about 76 percent of released prisoners are re-arrested within five years. Part of the reason for that, according to Kerick, who himself spent over three years in a federal prison on felony tax and false statement charges, is because federal prisons just simply dont have any quality recidivism reduction programming available. He said that the only real programs available when he was in prison involved things like playing checkers, chess, knitting and even navigating the internet. They were not programs that reduced recidivism or got people jobs after prison, he added. They learn how to steal, cheat, lie manipulate, gamble and fight. They think that a verbal altercation has to end in a beat down or somebody getting cut. That is not what I want back in my community, Kerick explained. I want people that learn respect, discipline, and work ethic, and they're going to go back home and get a job and take care of their families and never come back to prison. That is what this bill does. That is the primary thing this bill does and this is the time to do it. The opposition, their solution is to do nothing, he added. We have done nothing long enough. It is time for a change. James Ackerman, CEO of the evangelical prison ministry Prison Fellowship, said during the press conference that his organization offers the Prison Fellowship Academy at over 80 prisons in 27 states. The programs, he said, are designed to address the criminogenic thinking and behavior of prisoners with a curriculum that is grounded in a biblical worldview. He said the programs are game changers and put people on a new path to reduce crime. However, he emphasized that Prison Fellowship doesnt have any academies in federal prisons. But the FIRST STEP Act will allow this to happen, Ackerman said. A vote against the FIRST STEP Act is a vote against the faith community. Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center and the Parents Television Council, joked that the only time conservatives and liberals come together to support a piece of legislation in Washington is either when the Earth has spun off its axis or when it makes common sense for what we are supporting. Bozell urged the conservatives in the Senate standing against the bill to put their pride aside. Everyone has been giving numbers. I scratch my head and [think to] myself: When incarceration rates have gone up 800 percent in a 40-year period and you got recidivism of over 76 percent over a five-year period and spending $7 billion a year on a prison system, it is not working, Bozell asserted. We have to say to our friends on Capitol Hill who are not with us: You must put your pride aside. Within this city, there is a dirty little secret I am going to share with everybody. Nobody likes to means-test a program in this town, he added. No one likes to look and see the effect of what was done because everyone wants to think that their program was a good program and if it isnt working just throw more money at it. When you clearly means test this and clearly see it's not working and see the solutions at the state level are working, you have no excuse other than pride. I would ask the few holdout conservatives: Please put away your pride and in this Christmas season listen to the better angels of your nature. One example of a state where many of the measures included in the FIRST STEP Act have made a difference is Texas. In the Lone Star state, they have reduced crime rates to the lowest point since the mid-1960s, closed eight prisons and saved billions of dollars. They have set the blueprint for what we can do at the federal level, Mark Holden, general counsel for Koch Industries and chairman of Freedom Partners, said. For too long at the federal level, really nothing has happened. Brett Tolman, a former U.S. attorney in Utah who is known for prosecuting the kidnapper of Elizabeth Smart, held up a statement signed by about 172 former prosecutors calling for the passage of the FIRST STEP Act. Other signatories of the statement included former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson. Over 100 former U.S. attorneys and assistant U.S. attorneys, conservatives prosecutors, tough-on-crime individuals, why would they sign a letter asking for this bill to be passed? Tolman asked. The reason is that they know the criminal justice system wields enormous power to affect the lives of those that are within its crosshairs. If that power is wielded in a bad way, [it can be] abusive or over burdensome or over criminalize and over incarcerate. These are the same folks that dont want those unjust results. Paula White-Cain, a Florida televangelist who headed the Trump campaigns evangelical advisery board and works with the White House Opportunity and Faith-Based Initiative, read from a statement signed by over 3,072 faith leaders of various denominations from across the country calling on the passage of the FIRST STEP Act. This legislation will improve public safety by implementing the use of risk assessment and individualized prison program plans and opportunities for supervised release, White said. The sentencing reforms will restore more proportional sentencing and enhancements and allow for greater judicial flexibility in certain cases. Bishop Harry Jackson, who pastors Hope Christian Church just outside of Washington, D.C. and leads a network of over 7,000 churches, said the bill represents part of a solution to what he calls the biggest civil rights issue of our generation. America is only 5 percent of the worlds population but 25 percent of the incarcerated populations. The over-criminalization of the black communities and Hispanic communities is an egregious abuse of power in my way of thinking, Jackson said, adding that his church has trained over 500 people to go into prisons to minister to prisoners. This is a beginning step of reformation. Jackson assured that there is an army of local churches that want to do more to help prisoners. He said he doesnt understand why more legislation isnt acted on right now. Philanthropist Doug Deason of the Deason Foundation assured that what is in the FIRST STEP Act has already been proven to work while what is happening at the federal level has proven to simply trap people with no ability to rise above. I would like to point out to the critics and the opposition in the Senate that specifically in the GOP platform, we put language in 2016 that is better than what the Democrats have and is better than what we had in 2012, Deason said. It specifically calls for not only sentencing reform but prison re-entry reform. It is a mandate to our politicians to act upon these issues. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been studying the effect of screen time for children. The preliminary results are in and theyre not good. The NIH report shows that nine- and ten-year-old children who spend more than two hours in front of a screen each day score lower on thinking and language tests. This is troubling since the average tweenager spends up to six hours a day on their tablet or phone. In addition, scientists have found that children with daily screen usage of more than seven hours show premature thinning of the brain cortex. This is the outermost layer that processes information from the physical world. While its too soon to know with certainty that screen time usage caused the changes to the childrens brains, scientists will be monitoring this relationship carefully. Are your children addicted to technology? The NIH report is just one example of the growing effect of technology on our children. Another study related smartphone use by children to sleep deprivation and other problems associated with poor attention spans. This is alarming since two-thirds of children take their smartphones to bed with them. One group of scientists found that the more time four-year-olds spent interacting with media, the shorter their sleep was at ages four and six. A study published by Harvard Medical School has shown that blue-tinged light emitted by devices such as smartphones and tablets suppresses the production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone vital to good sleep. Counselors warn that digital addiction is a growing problem. The compulsion to continue playing video games or using technology is escalating. China has identified internet addiction as one of its main public health risks. In some parts of Asia, digital addiction rates may be as high as 26 percent. Among American children between the ages of eight and eighteen, around 8 percent could already be classified as addicted. A 2010 study found that children in this age group spend more than seven hours a day consuming media. Experts warn that victims of digital addiction can experience destructive dependence, extreme change of personality, isolation, and physical signs during withdrawal. Its not surprising that researchers encourage parents to limit and monitor their childrens screen time. Practical ways to manage technology In The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place, Andy Crouch offers practical commitments parents can make to help their children and family manage technology. Among them: Turn off technology one hour a day, one day a week, and one week a year. Use screens for a purpose and together rather than aimlessly and alone. Dedicate car time to conversation with no technology. Be sure spouses have each others passwords and parents have complete access to their childrens devices. I would add this: community is vital to our souls. We were made to do life together. Every image of the church in the New Testament is collectivea vine with many branches, a body with many parts. By contrast, technology isolates us. For every family that plays a video game together, there are multitudes of children (and parents) who play them alone. A computer or handheld device is intentionally isolating. Its hard for two people to use one keyboard or focus on the same screen. Such isolation can be devastating. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that loneliness undermines health and is linked to early mortality. It is worse for longevity than being obese or physically inactive. While technology can foster a sense of community through social media, its no substitute for in-depth personal relationships. Nothing replaces spending time with those we love. A screen is not a parent. We are familiar with his evil schemes Heres the bottom line: God intends parents to be the pastors of their families. We cannot delegate their souls to their teachers at school, ministers at church, or friends online. Fathers are told to bring [children] up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). We are to value our children as a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3). One of the many reasons I admire the Jewish culture is its commitment to the home and family. The father is responsible for teaching the Torah to his children. The parents are responsible for modeling Jewish faith and culture. The survival and prosperity of the Jewish people across forty centuries are largely due to this passionate commitment of each generation to the next. The family is Gods invention and design for us (Genesis 1:28). But the devil hates all that God loves. If he can use technology to isolate children from their parents and infect them with pornography, violence, and digital addiction, he will. Paul said of Satan, We are familiar with his evil schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11 NLT). Can you say the same? Originally posted at Denison Forum. Coptic Christians mourn father and son killed by police officer A Christian father and son have been shot dead by an Egyptian police officer, according to International Christian Concern (ICC). Coptic Christians Imad Kamal Sadeq, 49, and his son David, 21, were shot by Robi Mustapha Khalifa, who was stationed as a security guard at the Nahded-al-Qadasa church in Minya, Upper Egypt. He is in custody being questioned while authorities reviewed CCTV footage from the church's security cameras. Citing a local source, ICC said the two men were engaged in construction work on their nearby home and a dispute arose between them and Khalifa, who had refused to move his motorbike when they asked. Video footage of the December 12 incident posted on social media shows that the police officer walked over to the men's home with his weapon drawn. After what appears to be a brief conversation, they were shot in the street. A local Christian told ICC: 'A day before the incident, the killer had threatened them. Their family is now ruined [homeless].' The funeral was held on Thursday at Minya's St Bishoy and St Paul Coptic Orthodox Church and was attended by thousands of people who protested against the lack of protection offered by the state. Witnesses described angry exchanges between some 2,000 mourners and policemen guarding the funeral in Minya. 'One, two, where are the rights of the martyrs?' the crowd chanted. The head of the local diocese, Archbishop Macarius, who led the funeral prayers, demanded a response from authorities. 'We call for all armed police officers assigned to guard churches to be checked. Are they qualified to carry live ammunition, so that they don't become a source of danger rather than protection,' Macarius tweeted. He also urged President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to intervene personally to tackle the poor healthcare, education and employment prospects of Christians and Muslims in Minya. Copts, who make up around 10 per cent of the population, have long complained of discrimination. They have also frequently been attacked by Islamist militants who see them as infidels, prompting authorities to place armed guards outside churches and monasteries. Last Wednesday's killing angered local Copts still reeling from the death of seven members of their community in an Islamist militant gun attack in November. Claire Evans, ICC's regional manager for the Middle East, said: 'It is extremely worrying that a police officer, one specifically tasked with the security of a church, would be the perpetrator of such a violent act of persecution against Christians. Historically, the authorities are rarely held accountable for using their position to harass, intimidate, and even attack Christians. Tensions in Minya remain high as Christians are extremely concerned that they will be further singled out by the local authorities. We must keep Egypt's Christians, and specifically the victims' family, in our prayers.' Additional reporting by Reuters. Forgotten and forsaken? Africa's humanitarian crises Two weeks ago the United Nations released its annual report on the state of the world's emergencies. Its forecast, outlined in the Global Humanitarian Overview 2019, makes for grim reading. The report reveals that there are now more crises affecting more people and lasting longer than a decade ago. Meanwhile, next year 131.7 million people will need humanitarian assistance, worth $21.9bn, to help them stay alive. Of the eight countries that need more than a billion dollars of aid next year, six are in my home continent, Africa. For myself and my colleagues at Christian Aid, this comes as no surprise, sadly. For some time, we have been sounding alarm bells about these crises on the continent many of which are under-reported and vastly under-resourced. The primary area of concern right now, for me, is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This is home to an acute, protracted crisis that has left nearly 13 million facing food shortages, including over 4 million children who are malnourished. In the DRC, conflict keeps popping up almost everywhere, from Kasai to the Kivus. It's one of the world's forgotten crises, making it extremely challenging to raise funds for it. Meanwhile, the country is battling an Ebola outbreak that it is ill-equipped to handle, while elections taking place later this month risk sparking further violence. The second area of concern is north-east Nigeria, where ongoing Boko Haram insurgency has wreaked intolerable damage. In 2019, some 7 million Nigerians will need assistance, the vast majority women and children. Although the government is making progress reclaiming territory from insurgents, returning home is still not an option for most of the massive displaced population, due to severe insecurity. The ever-present danger means it is an incredibly difficult place to deliver aid. Thirdly, South Sudan: a country that marks the fifth anniversary of a deadly civil war this last weekend (December 15). Despite some recent positive moves towards political reconciliation, hunger and hardship continue to be rife. Years of violence have left 7 million civilians in desperate need, including some 4.5 million people who have been uprooted from their homes. We are also concerned about the Sahel, the western belt of Africa: mainly Burkina Faso and Mali, where the humanitarian situation has severely deteriorated. A combination of drought, jihadist insurgency and inter-ethnic conflict makes it very hard to access vulnerable communities. With the vast scale of need, one thing is certain: we cannot afford to keep providing food and shelter and water while turning our backs on the root causes of these catastrophes. Conflict is the defining factor in all these crises in Africa and indeed, those in Yemen and Syria, to name a few. Where there is conflict, there is poverty, death, disease and displacement. Today, more people are being uprooted by war and armed violence than ever before, says the UN. That's why our New Year's resolution as an international community should be to roll up our sleeves and engage in the often complex, messy, long-term business of peace-building. This means investing more funds in addressing the structural drivers of violence and war, whether local or global. Causes such as political instability, weak governance, civil unrest, inter-ethnic tension, religious ideology or competition for natural resources triggered, for example, by climate change. Unless we address the conflict that wrecks lives and drives families from their homes, we will never see sustainable, meaningful change. But where there is lasting peace, people can return to their land, be self-reliant and truly experience a life of dignity, equality and justice. I have witnessed, first-hand, the efforts of colleagues and Christian Aid partners who collectively are bringing relief to hundreds of thousands of people in Nigeria, the DRC, the Sahel and South Sudan, and helping to build their resilience to crises so they're better equipped to cope when disaster strikes. But this important work would be worth little without peace-building work we do in many of these fragile communities for instance in South Sudan, where we partner with groups such as the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC), who strive determinedly to build harmony, reconciliation and sustainable peace. Yes, the scale of the task can often feel overwhelming. But we must be relentless in our quest for peace, for the sake of our global neighbours in Africa and beyond. Let's make sure they are neither forgotten nor forsaken in 2019. Maurice Onyango is Christian Aid's head of humanitarian programmes for Africa, based in Nairobi. Christian Aid's Christmas appeal focuses on efforts to tackle conflict. For more information visit www.christianaid.org.uk/christmas Peace pilgrimage will mark 30th anniversary of Lockerbie bombing Commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie terrorist attack are to include a 'Walk of Peace' pilgrimage and a church service. Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988 in an attack that claimed the lives of 270 people. Of those, 259 were aboard the aircraft, while another 11 were killed on the ground. The Walk of Peace will take place on December 22 when scores of people are expected to silently climb Burnswark, an ancient and dramatic landmark south east of the Dumfries and Galloway town. Very Rev Dr Alan McDonald, a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland who has family links to the area, is taking part and said he hoped that a powerful message of peace and hope would be spread across the world. He is also leading a special remembrance service at Tundergarth Parish Church on December 21. The building, which has a Book of Remembrance, is close to where the nose cone of the jet blown up by a terrorist bomb came to rest. McDonald said: 'The people who have been organising this service, and the walk up a neighbouring hill the next day, wanted something that would focus on hope and the future. 'We have put together a service with the theme 'The Pilgrimage to Peace'. 'Hopefully, it will link together with the physical pilgrimage that will take place the next day. 'We will seek hope and peace for all on December 21-22.' Scottish harpist Wendy Stewart is performing at the church service, which starts at 3pm. Rev Adam Dillon, Clerk to the Church of Scotland Presbytery of Annandale and Eskdale, said: 'The horror of the night will live on in the memories of those who lived in Tundergarth and Lockerbie. 'This 30th anniversary gives the communities a chance to focus on looking forward - drawing on the resilience and temerity that has been required of them since 1988. 'My thoughts and prayers remain with all affected.' Libyan Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi was the only person to be convicted of blowing up the aircraft. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment but was released from a Scottish prison in 2009 on compassionate grounds. Megrahi died at his home in Tripoli in 2012 aged 60. Ukraine church council names new leader in decisive split from Moscow Ukraine chose the head of a new national Orthodox church on Saturday, marking an historic split from Russia which its leaders see as vital to the country's security and independence. President Petro Poroshenko said 39-year-old Metropolitan Epifaniy of the Kiev Patriarchate church had been chosen as head of the church by a 200-strong council, comparing the move to Ukraine's referendum for independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. 'This day will go into history as a sacred day ... the day of the final independence from Russia, Poroshenko told thousands of supporters, who shouted 'Glory, glory, glory.' 'And Ukraine will no longer drink, in the words of Taras Shevchenko, "Moscow's poison from Moscow's cup,"' he said, quoting the country's national poet. Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed following Moscow's seizure of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine imposed martial law in November, citing the threat of a full-scale invasion after Russia captured three of its vessels in the Kerch Strait. The Ukrainian Orthodox church has been beholden to Moscow for hundreds of years and Ukraine's leaders see church independence as vital to tackling Russian meddling. Kiev says Moscow-backed churches on its soil are a Kremlin tool to spread propaganda and support fighters in the eastern Donbass region in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people. The churches strongly deny this. Epifaniy was chosen by a council at the St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. He said on Sunday at his first service as head of the church: 'We must complete the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy...pray for an end to the war [in eastern Ukraine], and for a just peace in Ukraine.' Patriarch Filaret, a long-time campaigner for an independent Ukrainian church who many had assumed would be elected as its first head, was granted the lifetime title of Honorary Patriarch. A triumphant Poroshenko arrived in the morning, shaking hands with people, clenching his fist and crossing himself. The new church may boost the pro-Western leader, who lobbied hard for its creation and faces a tight election race in March. 'It is a church without a prayer for Russian power and the Russian army that kills Ukrainians,' Poroshenko told the crowd after the announcement was made. But Russia bitterly opposes the split, comparing it to the Great Schism of 1054 that divided western and eastern Christianity. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill made a last ditch appeal this week against the process. On Saturday, the Russian church called the council a failure because only two members of the church it supports in Ukraine had attended the meeting, according to Interfax news. Spokesman Metropolitan Hilarion said the plan 'to persuade the canonical Ukrainian church to participate in the creation of the new structure failed...with the exception of two traitors' Bishops Simeon and Aleksandr, who attended the council. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is expected to confirm the council's decisions in January. 'Rough pressure' Ukraine won approval for the new church in October from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, the seat of the global spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians. 'We want to support the process of Ukraine's split from Moscow and for us to have our own church, which is not governed from the Kremlin,' said Lyudmyla Alekseyeva, 66, a pensioner who had come to the event with her daughter and granddaughter. 'The church should not depend on those who fight against us in the Donbass.' Supporters wore ribbons in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag, with the message 'We are going our own way.' Many had waited outside in freezing temperatures while the council deliberated. Religious divisions deepened in Ukraine after 2014 and two Orthodox factions vied for dominance. The church known as the Moscow Patriarchate, aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, sees itself as the only legitimate church in Ukraine. The rival Kiev Patriarchate was born after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its popularity has grown since 2014. It favours European integration and championed the independent church but the Moscow Patriarchate denounces it as schismatic. Ukraine's state security service raided Moscow Patriarchate church properties in the run-up to the council, but denied the raids were an attempt to silence opposition to independence. Patriarch Kirill had appealed to world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, ahead of the council. 'Recently, the intervention of the leaders of the secular Ukrainian state in church affairs has acquired the character of rough pressure...which allows us to speak about the beginning of full-scale persecutions,' he said. Additional reporting by Reuters. World leaders still need to do more on climate change after UN talks end with weak commitments After two weeks of polarised talks in Poland, Christian Aid is warning that the latest commitments by world leaders still fall far short of what is needed to stop catastrophic climate change. COP24 came to an end in Katowice on Friday without any firm commitments to implement national carbon emission reduction plans by 2020 - one of the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Without these, Christian Aid said it would be impossible to close the gap between the goal of 2C global temperature rises with the current trajectory of between 2.7C and 3.5C of global heating. Mohamed Adow, Christian Aid's International Climate Lead, said it was 'vital' that all countries deliver their revised plans at the special UN Secretary General summit in 2019. Mr Adow singled out the USA, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait for particular criticism, saying they had 'acted like an axis of evil' to stall international agreement on climate change. The US has said it will withdraw from the process, while all four countries have refused to welcome a scientific report saying that reliance on coal and other fossil fuels will have to be dramatically scaled back to stop temperature rises of more than 1.5C. When it came to financial assistance for poor countries struggling to meet the costs of climate change adaptation, he suggested the World Bank may not deliver on its recent pledge of $100bn over the next five years. 'But rich countries have been allowed to count almost anything and everything as climate finance, including commercial loans. This puts into question the sincerity of the $100bn pledge for poor countries,' he said. Alden Meyer, director at non-profit science advocacy group, the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Reuters that the 'political will is missing' at the international level. Simon Stiell, Environment Minister of Grenada in the Caribbean, told Reuters that the pledge of financial assistance 'is barely scratching the surface of what we really require'. Perkins+Will, a global interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, has announced the appointment of Martin Smith as the new director of corporate interiors for the Dubai office. One of the Middle Easts leading architecture firms, Perkins+Will said Smith brings with him over 18 years of professional experience working within the real estate and construction industries, including 13 years local experience gained in the GCC. His experience draws on several international projects across multiple sectors, from the management of large-scale development programmes to leading corporate fit-out projects. Commencing his career in the UK, Martin worked with a major contractor on several prestigious residential, commercial and healthcare projects. He transferred to the UAE in 2005 to work on the Dubai Festival City Waterfront Centre project. Smith holds a degree in construction engineering management from Loughborough University. After transitioning to a leading project management firm in 2008, Smith worked on the commercial offices component of mixed-use Dubai Trade Centre District, now known as One Central. He has also led various corporate real estate projects for international energy companies and investment banks. Most recently he led the flagship retail mall project at Dubai Hills Estate. Smith's role at Perkins+Will will focus upon expanding the companys regional interior design business. He will report directly to Managing Director, Roger Wilson. Welcoming the appointment, Wilson said: "We are delighted to make this addition to the Dubai studio. Smith comes to us with a wealth of experience across multiple end-market developments and has an exceptional track record of executing prestigious projects in the region." "I very much look forward to seeing what we can achieve together, and Im sure his addition to the team will enable us to reach our growth targets in the regions interior design space," he added. Originally from North Wales, Smith lives in Dubai with his wife and two small children. On his new role, Smith said: "I am thrilled to join Perkins+Will, a company known and respected for delivering world-class design services globally across many end-markets and projects. Im excited to be a part of its vision for growth, including expansion into Saudi Arabia." "Ive admired Perkins+Will from the outside for many years and Im delighted, therefore, to have been chosen to join the company in the next exciting phase of its journey. I greatly look forward to working with the team and collaborating with clients to achieve further success in the years to come," stated the top official. We plan to expand our corporate interiors offering in the region by offering design, fit out and refurbishment services that are second to none, he added.-TradeArabia News Service A springboard into the art world 40 years of Christies Education To mark the 40th anniversary of Christies Education, as well as the opening of a new London campus, six well-known alumni reflect on their time as students and how the experience has served them in their high-profile careers Founded in London in 1978, Christies Education now has campuses in New York, Hong Kong and Dubai and has recently opened a brand new campus at 42 Portland Place in London. With emphasis on both art history and the market, the courses at graduate and postgraduate level have, for 40 years, allowed a unique insight into the art world. Many alumni have gone on to forge high-profile careers in the art world, including Jussi Pylkkanen, Christies lead auctioneer and Global President. After reading English Literature at Oxford University, Pylkkanen recalls how he planned to realise a lifelong ambition to work in the art market. My grandfather, who had been a Professor of the Arts in Finland, had always seen London as the epicentre of the global cultural community, whether it be in the fine arts, the decorative arts, theatre, literature or film, Pylkkanen recalls. Whilst still a student I had written an article about the world record-breaking sale of Andrea Mantegnas Adoration of the Magi, which I had come to view at Christies King Street. Seeing the picture, and visiting the global home of auctioneering, made a lasting impression and cemented in my mind that one day I would like to become a specialist at the firm. For the young Pylkkanen, enrolling on a year-long course with Christie's Education was the logical next step. It was a similar story for these other Christies Education alumni, all of whom now occupy prestigious roles within the art world. The alumni Jussi Pylkkanen (Global President, Christies): I did the Fine Art course at Christies Education in 1984. Helen Allen (Executive Director, The Winter Show): I did the Christies Fine Art and Connoisseurship programme in London in 199495. Tobias Meyer (art dealer in New York and former principal auctioneer and Head of Contemporary Art at Sothebys): I left school aged 18 in 1981, and as Id been going to auctions since I was 14, my father suggested the Christies course. Jennifer Roberts (Chief Executive Officer of Design Miami): I studied Early Renaissance to Modern Fine and Decorative Arts from 199596 in London. Emily Sharpe (Editor, Fairs and Special Projects, The Art Newspaper): I did two courses in London. In 2002-03, I did a postgraduate Diploma in Art and Architecture from Antiquity to the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Then in 2003-04, I did an M.Phil in History of Art and Connoisseurship. Mashonda Tifrere (author, songwriter and founder of ArtLeadHER, a platform dedicated to promoting female artists): [I took] the Art Business programme. I began classes in New York City in 2016. Inside the new Christies Education premises in London What are your abiding memories of your time as a Christies Education student? Jussi Pylkkanen: My year spent at Christies Education at South Kensington was challenging but superb. I will be eternally grateful to Robert Cumming, Patrick Bade and the senior staff of the Christies Fine Art Course for their dedication and patience, which was certainly necessary when trying to teach me the difference between the great British silversmiths of the 19th century, the Cubist pictures of Picasso and Braque, or the great British architects of the 18th century. Emily Sharpe: I have fond memories of our field trips a morning spent at Salisbury Cathedral; a curator leading us into the bowels of the British Museum; or a day spent at Broughton Hall, shown around by the owners. Through the course I also met a diverse group of people that Im certain I would not have met on my own. Jennifer Roberts: It was the first time I had been able to take classes devoted to furniture and decorative arts, and I loved it. One of the highlights was studying the many incredible estates, collections and museums housing fine and decorative arts. It trained my eye and taught me how to look at objects. I cant speak of my time there without mention of the friendships that formed. More than 20 years later, I am still in touch with a number of classmates. Tobias Meyer: At that time it was not as formal as it is now. I was so happy because finally I was in a world that was interested in the same thing as me. I had found my niche. Mashonda Tifrere: I have so many excellent memories. I remember hustling through the cold New York City streets that first day of class. I settled into my chair, apprehensive because I hadn't been in a classroom for nearly 20 years, but also excited to see what the professor had in store. Helen Allen: I have so many lasting memories, most of which revolve around the deep friendships I developed during the programme. I loved our field trips, our tea breaks, the amazing guest speakers. The Common Room at the old Christie's Education HQ on Old Brompton Road, London, circa 1979 Which aspect of studying at Christies has been most useful in your subsequent career? Tobias Meyer: To have open eyes and be curious. The curriculum covered everything from Giotto to Rothko and theres a lot to be seen and learned. Although my real passion was French furniture, I was interested in contemporary art because I liked the idea of not knowing about something. Emily Sharpe: Both in terms of contacts as well as insight into the mechanics of the art world, the access that Christies Education provides is invaluable. That has helped me many times throughout my career. Jennifer Roberts: My education at Christies afforded me many opportunities to work in different fields in the fine and decorative arts market. I was able to identify many more avenues to explore within the art world, from auction houses to publishing to startups and eventually fairs. Mashonda Tifrere: As a student of the Christie's Art Business programme, I had unbelievable access to the facility, its faculty, and the actual auction house. It was incredibly useful to gain knowledge about some of the most important art transactions in the world. This level of information is what every art entrepreneur needs as a springboard into the real art world. Helen Allen: Perhaps the work ethic I honed and the network that I began developing as a result of the programme. Jussi Pylkkanen: On a daily basis I still put to good use what I learnt at Christies in 1984 as I meet collectors from around the globe here in our salerooms and on my frequent travels. The communal dining space at the new premises at 42 Portland Place, London Would you recommend Christies Education? Jennifer Roberts: It is truly the chance of a lifetime to have access to collections in ways that you may not on your own, and to create relationships that last a lifetime. Lastly, I look to hire Christies alum as they will have a solid foundation and a good work ethic assuming they made it out in one piece! Helen Allen: Absolutely and wholeheartedly! I adored my time at Christies Education and really appreciate having been exposed to areas of study that I would not have otherwise. Mashonda Tifrere: Christie's is a legendary institution, and the lessons provided are packed with the most valuable information from the most respected professionals in the world. Tobias Meyer: The opportunity to be in London or New York at the centre of the art world means you can see an enormous amount. Not simply looking at books, but at the real thing. Seeing Christies Education on the CV of someone gives you some kind of assurance that this is not the first time that they have thought about going to an auction. Emily Sharpe: The sheer practicality of Christies Education courses are its strength. They offer both academic and hands-on tuition. I was able to up my game in terms of connoisseurship, while learning about the business side of the art world. Jussi Pylkkanen: No young persons education is complete without a year or two on Christies Fine Art Course. Christies Education graduates line up outside Rockefeller Center in New York As the fourth-largest city in the nation, Houston is no stranger to crime, from the weird to the tragic. In 2018, a slew of gut-wrenching crimes broke our hearts. The year opened and closed with vicious murders in January to a graphic, devastating child slaying just weeks ago. In January, Michelle Lam stood before the press, comforted by her brother, Richard Lam, asking the public to find the three suspects who ransacked the home of Bao and Jenny Lam, both 61. The couple was bound and shot, execution-style, in their Spring home before the attackers fled with valuables and Bao Lam's Porsche. TRAGIC: 7-year-old migrant girl held at US border dies in custody The search was short lived: Aakiel Kendrick, Erick Peralta, Khari Ty Kendrick were arrested and charged with murder. In the summer, prominent Houston cardiologist Dr. Mark Hausknecht was biking in the medical center when a fellow cyclist shot and killed him. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo identified Joseph James Pappas as the suspect. Pappas' mother was one of Hausknecht's former patients who died during surgery over 20 years ago, providing a motive in the killing. Pappas eventually committed suicide before police could apprehend him. Sadly, many of this year's slayings involved children, either as victims or witnesses. Drive-by shootings took the lives of an 8-year-old boy and a 16-year-old teen. Later in the year, a man, Felix Ruiz, stabbed his wife to death in front of their six children. He then went on to cut his neck in a suicide attempt. Ruiz had a long history of domestic violence against his common-law wife, 34-year-old Sofia Martinez. The most recent murder to truly shock Houston involved the brutal decapitation of a 5-year-old boy. A Houston mother, Lihui Liu, in November allegedly drowned then decapitated her 5-year-old son, Jiandong Xu. The boy's father found his body in a trash bin next to the house. Lui, 43, was booked for capital murder. Through a translator, she admitted to drowning the boy but didn't talk about the decapitation. Her husband said she'd been depressed and had, in months prior, attempted suicide. Those are just some of this year's tragic events that shocked Houston in the last 12 months. See the full roster in the gallery above. Elizabeth Conley, Chronicle / Houston Chronicle The Emancipation Economic Development Council nonprofit, promoting the Emancipation Avenue corridor in Third Ward, has appointed an executive director, Cary Yates, and deputy manager, Alicia Neal, to oversee new programs spurred by the Texas Historical Commission and the Kinder Foundation. In October the community-led nonprofit received a "Texas Main Street City" designation from the state historical commission. It grants the group access to the state agency's services for design and historic preservation, planning and economic development projects through the Emancipation Avenue Main Street program. Dec. 4 At 2:44 a.m., officers were dispatched to 6701 Chimney Rock in reference to a burglary of a building in progress. Upon arrival, Officers observed three male suspects inside the closed business. Sergeant Hollie, Ofc. Barrientos, and Ofc. Clisham were able to place all three males in custody. All three males were charged with burglary of a building. At 2:37 p.m., Cpl. Kramer was dispatched to Walgreens at 5002 Bellaire Blvd. in reference to a shoplifter. The suspect was found in the 5100 block of Bellaire Blvd. The stolen property was located in the suspects backpack. The suspect was arrested and charged with class C theft. Officer Lysack assisted with the case. At 4:41 p.m., Officer Lysack was dispatched to 5867 Bissonnet St. in reference to a robbery of a person. Officer Lysack met with the victim who advised three unknown suspects walked up behind him, hit him on the back of the head, and then kicked him while he was on the ground. The suspects stole a cellphone which had fallen out of his pocket and fled westbound on Bissonnet Street. Dec. 5 At 2:14 a.m., Officer Clisham initiated a traffic stop in the 4800 block of Bellaire Boulevard for stopping past designated stopping point at a red light. After making contact with the driver and further investigation, the driver was placed into custody and charged with driving while intoxicated. At 4:20 p.m., Officer Liccketto was on a harassment call and observed a white Honda accelerating at a high rate of speed in the 5400 block of Valerie Street. Officer Liccketto attempted to stop the vehicle but the vehicle refused to stop. After a brief pursuit the driver was arrested for evading in a motor vehicle and a passenger was charged with possession of marijuana. Officer Lysack assisted with the case. At 6:07 p.m., Officer Vorhees was dispatched to the Bellaire Fire Department Lobby in reference to an identity theft in the 5100 block of Maple Street. Officer Vorhees met with the victim who stated an unknown suspect used his identifying information to open a Best Buy credit card account. Dec. 7 At 8:44 a.m., Officer D. Rocha initiated a traffic stop in the 4900 block of Bellaire Boulevard on a 1997 black Nissan four-door vehicle for unconfirmed insurance. The driver was identified by his Mexico identification. The driver was subsequently found to have a Texas drivers license issued to him. The driver was also found to be driving while his license is currently suspended. The driver was arrested for driving while license suspended / enhanced with no valid insurance. Officer M.Rodriguez assisted on the scene. Dec. 8 At 6:54 p.m., Officer Younger made contact with two suspects with a disabled vehicle in the 7000 block of West Loop South East Service Road. Both suspects were identified and found to have warrants for their arrest. One of the suspects was found to have drugs hidden on their person. That person was charged with possession of marijuana and an additional warrant will be filed after testing is completed on the located synthetic marijuana. The second suspect was also arrested on their warrants. Corporal Kramer assisted with this investigation. At 5:52 p.m., Officer Marcotte initiated a traffic stop in the 7500 block of IH 610 West Service Road on a 2012 Ford pickup for failure to display license plates. The driver gave a false name and date of birth and was arrested for failure to identify to a police officer. Dec. 9 At 6:21 a.m., officers responded to the 4900 block of Pine Street in regards to an unconscious and not breathing female. Bellaire Fire Department transported the female to Methodist Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Corporal Clawson, Officer Clisham, and Officer Norman assisted in this case. At 10:08 p.m., Officer Younger initiated a traffic stop in the 5200 block of Bellaire Boulevard on a vehicle for failure to stop at designated point and for having defective passenger side brake and tail lights. Officer Youngers traffic stop investigation found the driver being placed into custody for his third offense of driving while intoxicated. Officer Younger was assisted by Bellaire Corporal Kramer with this investigation. Dec. 10 At 3:33 p.m., Officer Schwausch was dispatched to the 1100 block of Sheffield Street in reference to a package theft. The suspect was seen leaving the scene in a dark colored Dodge Charger. Meadowlake Pet Resort & Training Center has opened its second Houston area location at 6393 Richmond Ave. in the Galleria neighborhood. The facility provides multiple services for both cats and dogs, including grooming, overnight stays, daycare and training. According to a press release, the new 19,000 square foot location can accommodate 75 pets for daycare and nearly 150 for lodging. Our biggest service is our overnight lodging, Laura Koch, Executive Manager for Meadowlake Pet Resort & Training Center said. We have a large ratio of staff to pets. The pets are getting hands on care many times a day. Overnight lodging includes outdoor bathroom breaks, large suites with privacy panels, and soothing music playing in the background. The pets will also receive wellness checks each day, and there are many different activity packages to choose from. We know that not every pet likes to do the same thing. We think it is important for the client to choose, Koch said. Dog daycare is also an option at Meadowlake Pet Resort and Training Center, where the dogs can play with each other all day long. In order for your pet to be approved for daycare, they need to be spayed and neutered and have their vaccinations up to date. The dog will also need to be evaluated to find out what their play style is. Daycare is intended for social dogs, not to make dogs social, Koch said. The evaluation is free, and if the pet passes, the client will get a week of free daycare to try the facility out. Meadowlake also offers a wide range of grooming services, including baths and haircuts, spa blueberry facials, nail trims and even pedicures. Training lessons are also available, both private and in group settings. According to Koch, the most popular training session is the overnight Lodge and Learn. The trainers get the dogs out every day for training sessions. At the end the client learns how to keep up with everything at home, Koch said. Even after your pet graduates, there is the option to have continued education classes. Meadowlake is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 to 4 p.m. Staff members are at the resort 365 days a year, taking care of the pets that are at the facility. The first location is located at 13500 Furman Road, Houston. The resort is holding a grand opening on Jan. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. for humans only, Koch noted. Tours will be offered of the facility, and there will be opportunities to meet with the staff members. There will also be coupons and raffles. Holiday pet safety Koch offered tips for keeping pets safe during the holiday season. All decorations should be thought out carefully and be put out of reach of your pet, or be sure to monitor the pet when they are around the decorations. Tinsel and garland can be bad if they chew on it, Koch said. You should also be aware of glass ornaments that can break. The biggest risk during the holiday season is choking hazards. Koch suggests giving your pet a chew toy or treats to chew on to keep them occupied from wanting to chew other objects. When having guests for a big holiday dinner, Koch says to make sure to be an advocate for your pet, and tell the guests to not feed your pets table scraps. Even the safe food items can produce a belly ache when given in quantities they are not use to, Koch said. People tend to travel during the holidays to visit friends and family, and they may want to bring their pets with, but Koch notes that travel can be stressful for pets. Finding a facility like ours where they can be safe is typically the better option, Koch said. For more information visit www.meadowlakepetresort.com or call 713-814-4629. rebecca.hazen@chron.com The number of remotely monitored patients worldwide grew by 41 per cent to 16.5 million in 2017 as the market acceptance continues to grow in several key verticals, said Berg Insight, a leading IoT market research provider in a new report on mHealth. This number includes all patients enrolled in mHealth care programs in which connected medical devices are used as a part of the care regimen. Connected medical devices used for various forms of personal health tracking are not included in this figure. Berg Insight estimates that the number of remotely monitored patients will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.0 per cent to reach 83.4 million by 2023. The two main applications are monitoring of patients with sleep therapy devices and monitoring of patients with implantable cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices. These two segments accounted for 82 per cent of all connected home medical monitoring systems in 2017. The number of remotely monitored sleep therapy patients grew by 37 per cent in 2017, mainly driven by Philips and ResMed that together dominate the sleep therapy market. The CRM market is led by companies such as Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Abbott that started to include connectivity in CRM solutions more than a decade ago. Telehealth is the third largest segment with 0.8 million connections at the end of the year. Leading telehealth hub vendors include Tunstall Healthcare, Resideo (Honeywell), Medtronic, Philips and Qualcomm Life. Other device categories including ECG, glucose level, medication compliance, blood pressure monitors and others accounted for just over two million connections. The most promising segment is medication compliance, which we expect will become the second most connected segment in the next five years, said Sebastian Hellstrom, IoT analyst at Berg Insight. More than 60 per cent of all connected medical monitoring devices rely on cellular connectivity today and has become the de-facto standard for most types of connected home medical monitoring devices. The number of mHealth devices with integrated cellular connectivity increased from 7.1 million in 2016 to 10.7 million in 2017. The use of BYOD connectivity will increase the most during the next six years, with a forecasted CAGR of 48.2 per cent. BYOD involves low cost and the technology is mostly adopted in patient-centric therapeutic areas such as diabetes and asthma that have younger patient demographics compared to many other chronic diseases. Many of these patients prefer to use their own smartphone as the interface instead of carrying around a dedicated device for remote monitoring, concluded Hellstrom. TradeArabia News Service Dec. 6 An officer was dispatched to the 2900 block of Amherst in regards to a Burglary of a Motor Vehicle that had already occurred. At 1:55 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence located in the 3300 block of Robinhood in regard to a report of burglary of a motor vehicle. Officers were dispatched to a burglary of a motor vehicle that already occurred in the 3000 block of University Blvd. Dec. 7 At 6:58 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the West University Place Public Works storage lot in reference to a theft of a trailer which had already occurred. An officer was dispatched to the 3100 block of Plumb for a report of a package theft. Dec. 8 At 1:59 a.m., an officer observed a vehicle stopped southbound in the 5700 block of Academy with its lights on for approximately 10 minutes with a person in the drivers seat possibly sleeping. Officers made contact with the occupant (Jean Corona) and after further investigation the occupant was arrested for the offense of public intoxication. An officer observed a vehicle traveling southbound in the 5600 block of Weslayan strike the curb two times. A traffic stop was conducted and after further investigation, the driver was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated. Dec. 9 An officer observed a vehicle traveling northbound at a high rate of speed in the 6300 block of Weslayan. The officer conducted a traffic stop and upon further investigation, the driver was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated. An officer observed a vehicle traveling westbound in the 4000 block of Amherst without headlights on as required. A traffic stop was conducted and after further investigation, the driver (Sally Dwyer) was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated. *** UPDATE: The charge against Sally Dwyer was dismissed on Aug. 19, 2019, according to court records. *** Dec. 11 At 7:31 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 4100 block of Southwestern St, in reference to a fraud report that had already occurred. Dec. 12 At 11:28 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in reference to a theft of two packages which have already occurred. At 2:57 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in reference to a case of criminal mischief of a motor vehicle that had already occurred. Dec. 13 An officer observed a vehicle traveling southbound in the 6700 block of Buffalo Speedway with defective license plate lights. A traffic stop was conducted and after further investigation, the driver (Christopher Sutherland) was arrested for outstanding warrants out of the City of Houston Municipal Court. During a search incident to arrest, a possible illegal substance was located on the suspect and will be forwarded to the forensic lab for testing. At 8:16 a.m., an officer observed a vehicle traveling southbound in the 5500 block of Wakeforest with an expired motor vehicle registration. A traffic stop was conducted and after further investigation the driver (Arthur Amaya) was arrested for the violation of driving while license invalid. An officer was dispatched to the 4100 block of Bellaire for a FSGI that had already occurred. At 2:58 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 2600 block of West Holcombe in reference to a subject trespassing and possibly urinating on private property. Officers arrived in the area and located the subject. After further investigation the subject was taken to the Judge Ed Emmitt Mental Health Diversion Center due to his mental health history. An officer was dispatched to a residence located in the 4000 block of Case in regard to a burglary of a motor vehicle that had already occurred. An officer was dispatched to the 5300 block of Mercer in regards to a Burglary of a Motor vehicle that had already occurred. Dec. 14 At 12:07 a.m., an officer observed a vehicle failing to stop at the designated stopping point in the 3700 block of Rice and Auden. A traffic stop was conducted in the 6000 block of Auden. After further investigation, the driver was issued a citation for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and the passenger was found to be in possession of a vape pen containing possible illegal substance which will be forwarded to forensic lab for testing. Qatar Petroleum is buying stakes in three offshore oil blocks in Mexico from Eni SpA, as the Arab country signs another global expansion deal after leaving OPEC. Eni and the government-owned energy company in Qatar, the worlds biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, will produce about 90,000 barrels of oil a day from the Amoca, Mizton and Tecoalli fields in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of 2021, Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, Qatars energy minister, said in Doha. The fields hold 2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, he said at a press conference with Eni Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi. The companies are already working together on a separate offshore block in Mexico, according to press releases from both companies. Eni gained approval for the developments earlier this year and needs the Mexican authorities to sign off on Sundays deal. Global oil majors that have for years produced in U.S. waters are being attracted to the Mexican side of the Gulf as the government opens new blocks for development. Middle Eastern producers are exploring opportunities for offshore developments in the Americas and Africa as well as looking at prospects for shale oil developments in the U.S. Growing production from outside OPEC is challenging the producers group. Qatar Petroleum is now operating in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Oman, Congo, South Africa, Cyprus and Mozambique. The Middle Eastern country, which has been facing a blockade led by OPEC members Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, said this month it was leaving the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to focus on its gas business. Last week, Qatar Petroleum agreed to acquire a stake in a Mozambique energy project. The company is exploring for oil and gas in Cyprus, Argentina, Morocco and other countries. It plans to pump $20 billion in U.S. fields and will expand its local LNG output by 43 percent to 110 million tons per year in 2025. Eni has made offshore discoveries from the Americas to Africa and the Mediterranean. The Rome-based company has ceded stakes in natural gas fields in Egypt to BP Plc and Mubadala Investment Co. and is working with Russias Lukoil PJSC in Mexico. Eni, which this year won rights to develop crude and gas deposits in Abu Dhabi, also wants to partner in LNG expansion projects in Qatar, Descalzi said. Qatar isnt worried that Australia became the worlds top LNG producer as the Arab country will regain the No. 1 position after completing expansion projects, Al Kaabi said. 2018 Bloomberg L.P. Houston has held the title Energy Capital of the World for at least a century, but many local business leaders worry the globally recognized title could soon be under siege. The energy mix is changing, and it could be changing even faster than we thought even a few years ago, said Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, or GHP, the business advocacy group for the region. Wed like to be known as the New Energy Capital as well. Some GHP member companies have sounded alarms as renewables such as solar and wind keep growing at a rapid clip. In January, Harvey convened a small group of eight to 10 executives from local renewable energy companies to discuss ways GHP could attract what the group is now calling new energy companies to Houston. A group of players were saying, Were doing interesting things but no one in Houston seems to know it, or notice, or care. In fact, its not even clear whether what were doing is even being appreciated by Houston, Harvey recalled. The group Harvey put together grew rapidly to include representatives from about 40 companies, including traditional oil and gas majors like Chevron. On HoustonChronicle.com: Crudes plunge brings back bad memories The goal is to recruit renewable energy companies to the region. There are also discussions on creating awareness campaigns, bringing major renewable energy conferences to Houston, and finding ways to add renewables to existing conferences, such as the oil industrys venerable CERAWeek that occurs in Houston each spring. GHP has also dusted off the failed bid the city developed to entice Amazon to move one of its headquarters offices here, hoping to apply lessons learned about attracting tech companies and tech talent away from places like the Silicon Valley and Boston. Houston running late to game The group has yet to achieve any major milestones and Harvey is the first to admit that Houston is behind. Our first concern is that Houston have a healthy, dynamic economy, Harvey said. And we dont want to be in a position where we have not picked up on emerging technologies. John Berger, founder and CEO of Houston-based Sunnova Energy Corp., has been a longtime vocal critic of those in Houston who are too slow to recognize the prominent future of solar energy. I think we need to take this very seriously, Berger said, cautioning that the region cant just put our hands in our pockets. Berger founded Sunnova six years ago. The privately held company provides residential solar and battery storage to 60,000 customers in the U.S and its territories, including Guam, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. Berger said hes seeing a convergence of technologies in solar and energy storage that could be as disruptive as the Apple iPhone. And Houston, he said, needs to be onboard when that happens. Michael Skelly, founder and chairman of Clean Line Energy Partners, a Houston company that builds transmission lines for wind and solar projects, said Houston has come a long way, but desperately needs more renewable companies in its roster. Were in the top five cities on wind and were not even in the top 10 on solar, said Skelly. And if you believe, as many people do, that renewables are going to be a bigger and bigger part of the energy mix, being in the very top cities is very important. Skelly said he believes Houston still has time to make gains. But it better keep moving. Right now, its a jump ball and its not clear who is going to win, but theres a big prize. That prize is indeed sizable: Global investment in renewables is expected to reach nearly $230 billion in 2018, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan. On HoustonChronicle.com: Solid growth ahead for Houstons economy According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, renewable power grew by 17 percent in 2017, the largest increase on record. Wind provided more than half of the growth of renewables, while solar contributed more than 30 percent despite accounting for just 21 percent of the total. Costs to produce electricity from renewables is dropping significantly, to the point where some analysts predict they could significantly displace hydrocarbons. The cost of producing electricity using solar photovoltaics decreased by 69 percent between 2010 and 2016, edging it closer to fossil fuels. Onshore wind costs fell 18 percent over the same period, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency, or IRENA, which has 159 member countries. Installed capacity of renewable energies - such as solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal - has been growing 8 percent to 9 percent annually since the start of the decade, more than double the growth for legacy energy sources. Just last year, 167 gigawatts of renewable capacity were installed globally, which IRENA said is enough to power all of Brazil. Large-scale projects, motivated by climate change concerns as well as affordability, are in the works that will take large chunks away from the oil and gas industry. For example, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are planning massive offshore wind projects that combined will produce 1,200 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 500,00 homes. And California, the fifth-largest economy in the world, recently approved an ambitious goal to eliminate all fossil fuels from its electric grid by 2045. Beyond that, electric cars are increasingly becoming more affordable and more popular. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, sales of electric vehicles in the United States have increased 35 percent in just the last year as 123,000 new electric vehicles were registered in the first half of 2018 compared to 91,000 over the same period in 2017. Sales of the vehicles have more than doubled since 2015. The next five years The International Energy Agency, or IEA, predicts the fastest growth to date for renewables will be over the next five years with more than 1 trillion watts of electricity generated by renewables coming online. Thats roughly the amount of power Russia consumes annually. Renewables are expected to grow 20 percent by 2023 when they will account for 12.4 percent of global energy demand, according to the IEA. The fastest growth will be in the electricity sector where renewables are expected to provide almost 30 percent of power demand in 2023, up from 24 percent in 2017. In all, renewables will account for 70 percent of the global growth of electricity during that span led by solar and followed by wind, hydropower, and bioenergy, IEA said in a market forecast released in October. None of this means hydrocarbons are going completely away anytime soon. Hydrocarbons are going to be a very critical part to our economy for a very long time, said Jason Schenker, an economist and futurist and president of Prestige Economics. Hydrocarbons are an extremely efficient form of energy and its difficult seeing this changing anytime soon. Schenker said he believes Houston will find a way. Id be worried about Houston if Houstons nickname was Coal Town, Schenker said. What Houston does best Houston has been the epicenter of the oil industry ever since sometime after the 1901 Spindletop gusher near Beaumont. The Houston region is home to more than 500 oil and gas exploration and production companies along with 4,000-plus businesses that provide various direct services and support to the industry. The city also has a bevy of refineries as well as petrochemical plants that are taking advantage of an abundance of cheap natural gas that some say could supply them with hydrocarbons for 100 years or more. There are more than 100 companies involved in some aspect of solar power have offices in Houston, including Sunnova, Distributed Power Partners, EDP Renewables, First Solar, Texas Solar Outfitters and VERT Solar Finance. There are 30 wind-related companies, most of which are tied to manufacturing and not power generation. They include Clean Line Energy, Pattern Energy, EDP Renewables, Quanta, GE Renewable Energy, and Shell Wind Energy. Wind is king in Texas, which has 22,599 megawatts of installed wind power. The Lone Star State has more wind capacity than all but five countries, including the rest of the U.S. The states with the next largest wind capacity are Oklahoma at 7,495 megawatts, Iowa with 7,308 megawatts, and California with 5,555 megawatts of installed wind capacity. Major oil companies such as Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron and BP, are looking at a future of declining oil demand and increased pressure from greenhouse gas rules. In turn they are investing more in renewable energy technologies and projects. Most of their largest investments, however, are outside of Houston and nearer to new energy hubs. How energy companies provide energy in the future is evolvingand fuel sources are getting increasingly diversified, said Barbara Burger, president of Chevron Technology Ventures, who is known as Chevrons tea-reader in the new energy space. Burger said Chevron is reaping benefits from being part of the GHP new energy group, rubbing elbows with pure-play solar, wind and storage companies. Everybody in oil and gas in Houston knows each other, Burger said, adding that being part of a group that includes pure play solar, wind and storage companies means we can really test each other. Houston has led the world for decades in technical innovations that have revolutionized the oil and gas industry. But it has lagged in embracing wind, solar, energy storage and other so-called new energies. The city of Houston does little to encourage residential solar systems and minimal solar research is done here, especially compared to new energy tech hubs like the Silicon Valley and Boston. There is also very little venture capital available in Houston targeting alternative energy, leaving Austin as the top in the state for such startups. On HoustonChronicle.com: Amazon HQ choice show Houston is low on high-tech labor But what Houston does best - developing largescale projects both on-and-offshore - may be its niche in new energy. We found that Houston might have already found its way to having a very interesting position in the new energy space as being a developer-operator, Harvey said. Those could include large-scale offshore wind projects where the oil and gas industry has expertise in drilling and construction. Thats kind of where the big bucks are, Harvey said. Onshore, Houston is filled with workers skilled in finding productive land, putting together parcels, negotiating with property owners and navigating permitting processes. Sunnovas Berger said awareness of Houstons capabilities is key. I think the first thing is that we need to have a sign out front that says, We love solar, we love batteries, and we love electric cars, Berger said. I think the other thing the city can do is embrace companies like Sunnova and tell them youre wanted here. Berger said while some express concern that Houstons talent pool may not be geared toward new energy, hes finding it to his liking. We have a lot of former oil and gas people here at Sunnova and we work hard to get more of them every day, Berger said. The skills they have are very valuable. What Berger wants more than anything is for Houston to be known for more than oil and gas. We want Houston to be all of it, he said, adding that people are finally starting to listen. Im pretty optimistic about where Houston is moving, Berger said. If you dont take an action, you take an action. Ive seen more and more of the leadership (in Houston) finally get that. john.roper@chron.com twitter.com/@jcroper80 Lil Wayne fans lined up before sunrise for a chance at free tickets to see the rapper in Houston. A long line snaked around the Sprint store at Westpark and Buffalo Speedway starting early Monday morning. There were college kids. People with babies. People with dogs. Folding chairs and blankets. Police patrolled the area as puzzled non-Wayne fans carried groceries from the nearby Kroger to their car. GIDDY UP: RodeoHouston is mixing country with pop, hip-hop and EDM Lil Wayne announced the free show last week as part of a Tidal competition. He performs tonight at House of Blues. It's unclear how many tickets were initially given away. House of Blues has a a capacity of 1,000 people. But just after noon Monday, Tidal tweeted that fans would have to move to a new location. "Weezy's Houston fans don't play! Thanks to everyone who came out! Due to overwhelming demand, we've moved the ticket pick up for @LilTunechi's Houston show. TIDAL members will get an email with the new pickup location. #TIDALXLilWayne" The new location was eventually revealed to be House of Blues. Fans raced over there, and a long line quickly materialized there, too. Houston was selected as part of the Tidal X: Lil Wayne I Ain't Sh*t Without You Fan Appreciation Tour contest. Fans voted for their cities, and four were selected. The tour kicks off in Houston, followed by Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Chicago. Wayne will perform new songs, classic hits and promises a few surprises. Lil Wayne released 12th album "Tha Carter V" in September. He performed last month at Travis Scott's inaugural Astroworld Festival. For 15-year old Boy Scout Daniel Morgan, taking care of the American flag is second nature. For his project to earn the highest rank in Scouting, Eagle Scout, Morgan wants to give his community an opportunity to follow suit. He set up a GoFundMe page to raise $2,000 to purchase and install a metal box where people can leave old and worn U.S. flags to be ceremonially retired through burning. The fundraising goal was met in just one month through funds provided by 52 contributors. This project is a way of collecting old and worn out flags that shouldnt be flown due to age and condition, said Morgan, a Friendswood High School freshman. My dad is active duty Army, and hes taught me to be respectful of the flag, and this project also provides a service to the community by picking up these flags and disposing of them properly, he said. I thought this project was a good choice for those reasons. With the citys approval, the collection box will be installed on a concrete slab behind City Hall, and Morgans Scout group, Troop No. 452, will collect the flags each week and conduct retirement ceremonies. We will fold them up correctly and then take these flags to our Boy Scout campouts and retire them, Morgan said. Morgans troop has been sending letters and emails to residents through the city to bring awareness to the project. In one week, $1,600 was raised on Morgans GoFundMe page, with many visitors leaving encouraging messages. Now that the money has been raised, Morgan and his troop will take the next step. The funds raised will go to buy the metal box, which will be roughly 5 foot tall and a little over a foot wide, and the labor needed to pour a concrete slab. The box looks like a large mail box with an opening flap, said Morgan, who is predicting a Spring 2019 completion date for his project. Leftover funds will be used for upkeep of the box and nearby area. This is a worthwhile project that can benefit all flag-flying Friendswood residents, Mayor Mike Foreman said. Im thrilled that Daniel came up with this unique and useful idea. During his research for the project, Morgan discovered that there were not many places where residents had access to properly dispose of old flags. When is a flag ready for retirement? Flags that are flown eventually age, fade and fray. Most people can usually tell when the American flag looks like it shouldnt be flown anymore, Morgan said. According to page 76 of the BSA Handbook, a national flag that is worn beyond repair may be burned in a fire. The ceremony should be conducted with dignity and respect and the flag burned completely to ashes. Flags made of nylon and other synthetic materials will be retired but then recycled. The flags collected weekly by Morgans troop will be retired individually in a campfire ceremony. This includes the cutting of the thirteen stripes one by one (top to bottom) while reciting words that represent each one, and then throwing each stripe into the fire in a certain order. Then the Scouts place the field of stars into the fire as one piece. To Morgan, who joined the Boy Scouts when he was 10, the flag should be protected and kept pristine, like the uniform of a scout member, soldier, or anyone who wears a uniform in service. Its a symbol of our country, and needs to look right and look its best when it is being flown, he said. yorozco@hcnonline.com Galveston County Judge Mark Henry on Monday called on the county's auditor and purchasing agent to resign, blaming them for the theft by cyber scammers of more than $500,000 from the county earlier this year. At a county commissioners meeting Monday, Henry said County Auditor Randall Rice and County Purchasing Agent Rufus Crowder should be held responsible for the June discovery of a wrongful electronic payment of $525,282.39 to a scammer posing as a county contractor. The scammer was pretending to represent Lucas Construction Co., a Houston company doing road work for the county. The cyber thief has not been caught and the lost funds have not been recovered. While the stolen funds are a tiny fraction of Galveston County's $149 million budget, similar cyber attacks have raised the alarm in other Texas localities, including in Harris County, where $888,000 was nearly stolen by a person posing as an accountant with a Hurricane Harvey contractor. The city of El Paso was also robbed of $3 million in 2016 from a phony vendor. Henry, in holding Rice and Crowder responsible for the scam, compared their lack of oversight to a person foregoing their tax payments. He noted that tax offenders typically suffer punishment, including the loss of their home. "I find it unacceptable that homeowners are held to a different standard than county employees," said Henry, a conservative Republican who has led the county since 2011. "As a result of that, I'm calling for the resignation of the purchasing agent and the county auditor for their involvement and their refusal to take any responsibility for what has happened here." The county judge acknowledged that he doesn't have authority to force out the two officials, as neither reports directly to the county judge and commissioners court. Henry said he would direct their boards to hold them responsible. "The purchasing agent reports to a purchasing agent board and the auditor reports to a state district judge board, so all six state district judges appoint him and can remove him," Henry said. Rice did not respond directly to Henry's demand, but he did point out that an investigation conducted by a private firm, the Dawson Forensic Group, absolved a single office or person for blame in the scam. "I think that the report was fairly accurate... the conclusion they had was that everything that had been done was done according to the constitution of the state of Texas and the appropriate procedures were followed that were existing at the time and since that time, we've added additional procedures and policies in place and we're continuing to work to improve all of those things to further protect the county," Rice said. Crowder did not respond to a request for comment. The Dawson Forensic report, which was released publicly on Dec. 3, provided a detailed account of the scam and the county's lack of safeguards in protecting this kind of cyber attack from happening. The scammer created fake email addresses to pose as both a county employee and as a representative for Lucas Construction Company, and used a form obtained through the county's website to request a change on the bank account information for the road contractor. The scammer requested that instead of paying with a paper check, the county should send funds to an account through an electronic transfer. The scammer used email addresses that were nearly identical to the real email addresses used by the county and the contractor. The report stated that the county purchasing department lacked validation processes to ensure that the new bank account was valid. Investigators also concluded that the county's treasurer, auditor, purchasing agent, and information technology office had "coordinated the design of new processes" to identify potential technological issues that will help identify future problems as they occur rather than after an attack. Rice declined to elaborate on what changes the county auditor's office has implemented since the scam, for security reasons. "The more that we tell the bad guys that we've done, the more they have opportunities to come up with ways to fight them, to build around them," Rice said. Henry acknowledged that the report by Dawson Forensic did not assign blame for the scam, something he hoped to rectify with his comments on Monday. Henry was also annoyed that Rice had emailed the county on Dec. 10 requesting the surety bond for his office be reduced from $100,000 to $5,000. A surety bond is a contract that ensures the government that an agency can perform its duties. "He doesn't want taxpayers to have any recourse if he makes another mistake in the future," Henry said. "I find that extremely unacceptable and a slight to the taxpayers in this county who are forced to pay their taxes every year." In a related matter, the county commissioners voted unanimously Monday to raise the surety bonds held by the county treasurer to the maximum amount, $500,000. Certain public officials in Texas are required to procure bonds before taking office. The premiums of the bonds are paid for by the county. The county had intended to pursue claims against the surety bonds held by the county auditor and purchasing agent as well, but only had the authority to do so for the county treasurer. Henry said after the commissioners' court meeting that he hoped to establish a committee to offer recommendations to the county on how to further guard against a future cyber attack, evidently finding the changes Rice has implemented in the county auditor's office insufficient. "We can't get to that level of detail," Henry said. "That's why, I told commissioners' court, if the auditor's going to acknowledge that he can't do his job, maybe we should hire another auditor to audit the auditor." Nick Powell covers Galveston County for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and send him tips at nick.powell@chron.com Having cancer is challenging at any age, but Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana and Macys 11th annual Believe campaign helped make the holidays brighter for one 17-year-old Heights resident. Claire Sonne has cancer. She also loves musical theater. On Friday, Dec. 7, she got to step back from her illness for a few hours and into a scene from the iconic musical Phantom of the Opera. The wish began when Claires mother Donna Wright informed her they were going to Memorial City Mall to do some holiday shopping: an Uber would pick them up shortly. Instead, a limousine showed up. At Macys Memorial City, Claire thought seeing the vocal duo Le Sorelle shopping was a coincidence, but they actually were there to perform just for her. Well, I had never met either of the sisters before, but I am a very huge fan of Phantom of the Opera, Claire said. They sang one of my favorite songs from Phantom of the Opera, and they were absolutely amazing. Claire also enjoyed a full glamorous makeover. Although she wasnt used to seeing herself in so much makeup, she said she really liked the look. She and her family ate a French-themed meal in the Macys back-of-house that was decorated to look like the Paris Opera House. They open the door, and it was like the opening of Phantom of the Opera, and I just about had a heart attack. I was so excited, Claire said. Earlier this year, a pain in Claires shoulder thought to be a torn rotator cuff would not heal. An MRI in February revealed that she had a tumor that had gotten so large, it fractured her arm. She had malignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage and quickly had a port put in to give her heavy-duty chemotherapy treatments. Though afraid, Claire made a conscious decision to stay upbeat. Just going into it, I told myself that I needed to stay positive, and theres no real point in being negative through it because its just going to make things harder for yourself, Claire said. Honestly, staying positive through the entire thing just made the whole thing easier. Because of her treatment, Claire has been completing her studies through a special program with the Houston Independent School District. She plans to return to Incarnate Word Academy in January, where she is president of the Thespian Society. Claire said being involved in theater gets her mind off the gravity of her situation. It helps me kind of get out of my own head and get into the world of the show, she said. Claires special day was part of one of 25 special Wishes Across America that came true for young patients on Dec. 7 thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Macys. The foundation started in 1980 from a friendship that allowed 7-year-old leukemia patient Christopher James Greicius to fulfill his wish of being a police officer for a day. Christopher passed away later that year, but his legacy lives on in the young lives that are touched each year by Make-A-Wish. Today, Macys is one of Make-A-Wishs largest corporate sponsors and since 2003 has donated more than $112 million. More than $17 million has come from the Believe campaigns. Believers of any age can write letters to Santa at Believe stations in Macys stores across the country or online at www.macys.com/believe as part of this years campaign. For every letter received through Monday, Dec. 24, Macys will donate $1, up to $1 million, to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Claire is about seven weeks out of chemotherapy and will continue to go through regular monitoring for several spots on her lungs. She had surgery to repair her arm and is still going through physical therapy. But Claire and her mother are hopeful, grateful for Make-A-Wish. It was very rewarding because its been so challenging going through the treatments and just all the pain and agony that shes been through and just to see her having fun, happy, not thinking about cancer, is just fantastic, Wright said. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com People visiting the Katy Rice Festival next October may be among the first to enjoy civic and visitor centers across from Katy City Hall. Katy City Council awarded a construction contract on Dec. 10 to Nash Industries Inc. of Houston, which submitted a bid of $2.149 million to build the centers. The project is funded by 2016 bonds, a $1.5 million grant from Convention & Tourism Bureau Hotel Occupancy Tax Funds and insurance monies received to cover damages caused by Hurricane Harvey flooding. In 2000, voters authorized $16 million in permanent improvement bonds with the following purposes: Civic center, streets, drainage improvements and water and sewer, said a city spokesperson. While authorized in 2000, not all of the funds were issued (including the $3 million for the civic center, which was later issued in 2016). The community center will be located at 910 Ave. C in the renovated former city hall complex and the visitors center will involve a reconstruction of the annex building at 5718 Second St. The project includes demolishing the south portion of the former City Hall complex that contained offices, said Kayce Reina, city of Katy director of tourism, marketing and public relations. The former city council chamber building will be part of the community center. Reina said the project has an aggressive timeline. The goal is to be completed by near years Rice Festival or by the holidays, she added. The construction contract includes incentives if the work is finished quickly and penalties for delays, she said. The Dec. 10 action is the latest in a series of contracts to create the public square envisioned by residents and city officials in 2013. City Council on Sept. 10 agreed to pay $104,080 to demolish the water plant ground storage tank, the water plant control building, the well pump and related appurtenances in the Katy Downtown Square as part of Phase 3. That was funded by Convention & Tourism Bureau Hotel Occupancy Tax Funds. The elevated tank will remain as part of the public square. On June 11, Katy City Council authorized the mayor to sign a professional services agreement with LJA Engineering for the third phase of Katy Town Square. Downtown redevelopment has included other projects. Officials dedicated a new city hall in June 2016. Next was a multiphased street project to make Second and Third streets one way. Downtown parking also was reconfigured. karen.zurawski@chron.com UPDATED Nov. 19 Katy Police are searching for four suspects they believe were involved in three of the four armed robberies that have occurred in the city since the beginning of the month. Assistant Chief Tim Tyler said that since Dec. 1, Katy has had at least four armed robberies, including one carjacking where underage suspects are alleged to have stolen a woman's car. Those suspects were caught, but police are currently investigating at least three armed robbery incidents involving three males and a female that occurred all within one hour of each other over the weekend, according to a news release from the Katy Police department. The incidents occurred between 8:50 and 9:37 p.m. in Saturday, Dec. 15, all within a three-mile radius of each other, the release said. Only one incident occurred at Katy Mills Mall. The first incident occurred at a laundromat on Katyland Drive, Tyler said. The second incident occurred at the Katy Mills Mall parking lot section 5C, he added. And the final incident on Saturday occurred just a few blocks down the road at the Walmart parking lot. In all cases, the suspects allegedly used a gun and stole wallets, cell phones and purses from the victims, Tyler said. The four suspects involved in Saturday's crime spree are said to be driving a light grey Nissan passenger car, Tyler said. In a news release, Katy police warn people to "remain vigilant" when shopping at Katy Mills Mall after reports surfaced of armed robberies in the area. Another warning came from deputies at the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Constables Office came after a Facebook post regarding an alleged armed robbery near Katy Mills Mall went viral on Sunday. It's not confirmed whether the post, which describes in detail an armed robbery incident, actually took place due a similar post with a word-for-word account describing the same incident occurring four years ago, but it received so much attention that it was eventually shared to a Katy community Facebook group. A LOOK BACK: The most shocking crimes that happened in Houston's suburbs in 2018 Thats where Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Constable Wayne Thompson responded to it confirming that there had been at least a handful of armed robberies since November. We have been in contact with the city of Katy Police and can confirm there have been four since Thanksgiving, Thompson said. No injuries or deaths have occurred. Thompson said his agency was not aware of the incident alleged in the viral Facebook post, but said he had reached out to the city of Katy Police to offer additional patrols for the Katy Mills Mall area during the holidays. Its not unusual at this time of year for this type of thing at any mall, Thompson said regarding armed robberies, adding that while some of the parking lot of the mall is located in Fort Bend County, there are parts of it inside Harris County. The mall itself is within the city of Katy. Thompson advised the public to remain vigilant, park in lighted areas and have your keys ready and walk in groups if possible. The message was also copied to the Fort Bend County Constables Office Precinct 3 Facebook page. michelle.iracheta@chron.com Bottled Blonde, an Arizona-based pizza and beer mini-chain, is heading to Washington Avenue. The eatery is set to open its doors at 4901 Washington Avenue, according to Swamplot. The kitchen at the casual joint, with a high-energy vibe and cocktail waitresses dressed in skimpy outfits, doles out Italian favorites from house-made spaghetti and meatballs to stone-oven pizzas, while the bar serves up an extensive roster of beers, including 25 on tap, and cocktails aplenty. Caterpillar, a leading manufacturer of construction equipment, said one of its companies, MaK Middle East, has launched a new programme aimed at providing remote location engine overhauling options to shippers operating in areas such as West Coast of Africa and Caspian Sea. The company, a direct distributor of Caterpillars medium speed engine brands; MaK, CM and EMD, as well as Napier and KBB turbochargers; has a dedicated workshop facility in Dubai Maritime City providing engine component overhaul and repair. The company also serves as a base for the supply of new spare parts and components used in the repair, maintenance, upgrading and refurbishment of vessel, rig and power plant engines. As the authorised MaK marine dealer in the Middle East region, the Dubai-based group is also able to provide customers with various MaK factory-certified engine upgrading and conversion options that not only meet MaK requirements, but also Marine Classification Society and IMO requirements. Alan Naisby, the managing director of MaK Middle East and MaK Asia, said: "Customer satisfaction is our highest priority at MaK Middle East. We want customers to be positive about their current MaK engine experience so they are motivated to specify MaK engines in the next vessels they buy or build." "Specifically tailored to customers who cant afford downtime or who are operating in a remote location without local access to a qualified workshop, we have created an appropriate manufacturer-quality solution, the MaK Service Exchange Program," he stated. "Covering cylinder heads, fuel pumps, injectors, and turbochargers, all components are rebuilt to manufacturer standard using new replacement parts to ensure reliability and durability for the next 15,000 hours," he added. Naisby said the beauty of the programme was the peace of mind it provided to the vessel operator. The combination of factory overhauled components and installation by the manufacturer is a winning recipe for operators under charter in locations far from a qualified workshop, he stated. "Customers like the comfort of knowing the integrity of the installed components will help to avoid engine breakdowns, off-hire time or even the complete loss of a charter," he said. Cores removed from a vessel are returned to Dubai within 90 days where they are overhauled and held as service exchange unit inventory ready to support the next customer, explained Naisby. In the case of cylinder heads, pumps, and injectors, all wear components are replaced 100 per cent with new to ensure the overhauled component can run problem-free to the next overhaul interval, he stated. "MaK Middle East has a professional and dedicated service team, which is trained to provide efficient onboard replacement of major components including cylinder heads, fuel pumps, injectors, and turbochargers. Typical time to perform the work on an offshore vessel is around two weeks," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Katy Business Association / Katy Business Association The Katy Business Association presented $500 donations to award-winning nonprofits at its Dec. 8 annual Christmas celebration and named its Business of the Year. The charity honorees are The Pregnancy Help Center of West Houston, helping families who face an unplanned pregnancy since 1989; Katy Cares, specialized therapeutic housing for single mothers and their children; and The Katy Police Officers Association, helping enhance local law enforcement by providing equipment, training and meeting other unbudgeted needs. No one wore a red suit and hat or sported a white beard, but the spirit of Christmas occupied the police department of the Katy Independent School District in early December as a steady stream of visitors left the building with gift-filled bags. Since 2002, the police department has operated the Santa Cops program, but this year it collected a record 1,072 gifts, said Liz Loocke, police services specialist and program director. Its a blessing, said Veronica Bautista, who came by the department Dec. 6 to pick up gifts for six children. Its the second year the family has participated in the program through Bear Creek Elementary. Another family from Franz Elementary came to pick up Christmas gifts for a 7-year-old girl. By mid-day Thursday, more than 200 gifts had been given to participating families. Bautista thanked Carol Gallagher, Bear Creek Elementary school counselor, for her support. A 27-year counselor, Gallagher said, Needs have increased through the years, especially after Hurricane Harvey. We select families based on needs. Were aware of many families who did not need help before need help now. Counselors work with teachers to identify students in need, explained Loocke. She receives those names and coordinates gift collection for the children. Parents supply a childs age, gender and clothing sizes. Anonymous donations can come from groups/businesses that sponsor children such as Landrys League, First United Methodist Church of Katy and Brazos Valley Credit Union, she said. The gift limit is $100. Nov. 30 was the deadline to donate wrapped gifts in large plastic bags and labeled with a number identifying the student recipient. Every year each school is allotted slots in the program, continued Loocke. Schools that dont have a need give their slots to a sister school for the holidays, she said. For example, Hurricane Harvey hit the Bear Creek area hard which may have had more needs than some other communities in the district of 80,000 students. Parents receive letters telling them when the gifts may be picked up. Some parents come with their kids to pick up the gifts. Gallagher said she likes the fact that the Santa Cops program also provides clothing: pants, shirts, shoes and jackets to children in addition to gifts. They are so excited when they come to school wearing new clothing or shoes. Its a huge blessing to participate in the program. The department almost didnt organize Santa Cops last year because of Harvey, said Loocke. But counselors encouraged them to move forward with more need than ever among some students. Last years gift total of 917 was a record until this year. Prior to 2017, the program on average reached between 500 and 600 children, she said. The program started in-house and served about 30 students 16 years ago, she said. The goal: To help kids in need in the district to have a really nice Christmas that they otherwise wouldnt have, said Loocke. One of the rewarding parts of my job is to call families and ask if this would be helpful to them, Gallagher said. Families are grateful that their children will have something for Christmas, she added. Our community is generous and wants to help and do what it can to meet the needs of the family, she continued. A new family at the school, for example, came too late to be included in the Santa Cops program, but several staff members will step up to help them, said Gallagher. Last year several childrens gifts came from a junior high orchestra or choir. Its awesome for our older children to participate and help younger students and to start a habit of lifelong giving. Gallagher thanks people who contribute to the program and encourages her students to write notes of appreciation to the police officers. As of Dec. 7, she said she already had received several thank-you notes with pictures drawn by students. Its an amazing thing, said a smiling Bautista as she left the building with gifts for her children. Its just amazing, agreed Gallagher, who added, Its Katy ISD. karen.zurawski@chron.com Alan Warren, Staff Photographer / Houston Community Newspapers People still have time to submit the name of a volunteer and a Katy-area elected official as nominees for the annual Stan C. Stanley Eagle Leadership and Economic Development Awards. Organized by the Katy Area Economic Development Council, the awards originally had a December nomination deadline. We extended the deadline last year and had the event in January and are doing so again, said Lance LaCour, president/CEO, Katy Area EDC, on Dec. 11. The inmate mistakenly released from the Montgomery County jail last week has been apprehended. The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office sent out an alert Friday in search of Edward Manning, 30, who had been released in place of another inmate with the same last name. A tip through Crime Stoppers led to Manning being apprehended without incident by the SWAT along with the Violent Offender Task Force at an apartment complex in the 5300 block of Coke Street in northeast Houston. A group of residents wanting to do something special for a neighbor with a sick family member started the Christmas light displays that now win recognition every year for Pecan Grove. The tradition started in the early 1980s, according to Paula Gibson, secretary/Community Affairs, on the board of the Pecan Grove Plantation Property Owners Association, who heard the story as a member of the Pecan Grove Womens Club board. Neighbors decided to do something nice for them. They decorated the whole area. They were doing it for love of street and neighborhood, said Gibson, a four-year member of the HOA board. She laughs after being told that people say deed restrictions are the reason for the holiday lights. Everyone says that. I wish it were. Truly, its not. No one know for sure when the holiday lighting contest began, according to Gibson, who figures it was about 1990. Now each of the HOA board members are assigned a section each year on a rotating basis to judge the lights. Each section will have first-, second- and third-place awards. Homes also will be recognized for Best Use of Lights Theme and Best in the Eyes of a Child Theme. Judging occurs between Dec. 10-17 and winners receive yard signs as well as gift cards. There also are two overall awards: Neighborhood Street with Best Overall Lights and Neighborhood cul-e-sac with Best Overall Lights. Gibson drives through her section as least four times to judge houses and has some help in making her selection for Best in the Eyes of a Child Theme her grandchildren who live in Pecan Grove: five girls ranging in age from 4 years old to sixth grade. I have a really good group to judge. I take my girls and we drive around and look at all the houses. They tell me which is the prettiest. I go over it and put a lot of thought in it. We just try to be very fair and very appreciative of what anyone does, said Gibson. Some line the driveway and sidewalk. As long as they make an effort we appreciate it. A new feature is owners placing arches over their driveways and decorating them with lights. A lot of people put music to their lights, said Gibson who added that those homes rate highly with visitors to the subdivision. Some homeowners hire characters to bring their themes to life, ie Mickey and Minnie Mouse or the Frozen sisters Anna and Elsa. After Gibson selects her winners, she visits the home, rings the doorbell and places the wooden Christmas ornament in the yard. She remembers one woman who had been trying for 11 years to win before she won. Its so much fun to do. I love sharing it with everyone. We have people who literally come from all over, said Gibson. There are those who say, she added, When I was a kid my parents used to take me to Pecan Grove to see the lights. Now I take my kids. Among the regular visitors are Austin High School seniors and representatives of ProGrad, the nonprofit that plans safe graduation night activities for seniors. Beth Hall, who has a son whos a senior this year, said the hayride is the biggest fundraiser for Austin ProGrad. People pay in advance for Friday and Saturday night hayrides on three weekends in December that may include up to five or six trailers/wagons at one time. Each trailer can accommodate 20 people. Hall said the rides are about 45 minutes long and include Christmas music and hot cocoa. We try to make them as comfortable and homey as we can. Its amazing we pull it off every year and its all done by volunteers, said Hall. Both Hall and Gibson mention the ho, ho display on Plantation Drive with snowmen, talking Santas and music that just plays and plays. People come from everywhere to see that one house, said Gibson. Homes that win recognition four consecutive years are placed in the hall of fame, she explained. To remain in the hall of fame, the homeowners must continue to decorate their homes. The hall of fame now has 16 houses, she added. The homeowners association adds to the festive display each year with help from members of Boy Scout Troop 1656. Gibson explained they put up more than 400 wreaths on light posts every year and then take them down after the holidays. All entrances are decorated, too. karen.zurawski@chron.com Houston Police Department An off-duty Aldine ISD police officer is accused of running into a pedestrian outside an east Houston Panda Express, and then driving away. The officer, identified as Omario Gatheright, was in one of the school's police patrol cars when he crashed into a woman late Sunday in the 13400 block of Topeka, officials said. A repeat thief from Houston is behind bars for another mis-steak. Police in Montgomery County skewered 52-year-old Michael Cordova with felony theft charge Sunday after he was caught with $1,100 in allegedly pilfered beef, pork and shrimp. Cordova and a pal were pulled over after a Montgomery County Constables Office Precinct 3 sergeant spied someone in their ride toss an aluminum can out the window, according to a news release. A report of stolen meat was made from a Kroger grocery store on Riley Fuzzel Road as the sergeant grilled the duo over the chucked can. The license plate on their car matched the vehicle involved in the meaty caper in Spring, police said. A search of the car uncovered a trunk packed with raw grub, according to authorities. The sergeant also found a fatty roast stuffed in the glove box, a pair of T-bone steaks under the drivers seat and a bottle of wine to wash the bounty down. Cordova was arrested in connection to the theft while his unidentified driver was temporarily released due to previous medical issues that needed to be addressed, according to police. An arrest warrant for the driver is still simmering. The meat, which included 17 bags of shrimp, four racks of ribs and more than two dozen steaks, was returned to the Kroger where a seasoned employee dished on the juicy heist that hit at least three stores, including his. He said they had no choice but to dump the spoiling flesh. It went into the trash unfortunately, the employee said, declining to identify himself. I donate everything thats edible, but you cant take a chance serving food like that. The staffer said meat thefts like this one are a daily woe. Ive seen them in pants, bras. They get creative, he said. You can just stuff anything you want into your pants and walk out the door. Cordova was convicted of theft in 1991, 2004 and most recently served 180 days behind bars in 2017 after stealing an inedible five-gallon bucket of paint, according to Harris County court records. nicole.hensley@chron.com MurjanAl Sharq Marine Contracting (MSMC) has taken delivery of three Damen vessels: a Stan Tug 1606, a Shoalbuster 2509, and a Stan Pontoon 4512 equipped with a Damen DOP Pump to complete an extensive oil pipeline dredging and installation project. For Damen, this marks the successful conclusion of a coordinated construction and delivery contract involving three shipyards in the Netherlands, China and the UAE. The delivery ceremony of the Shoalbuster 2509 at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem was attended by MSMC chairman Abdullah Natheer and general manager Chris Clark. Based in Saudi Arabia, MSMC provides marine construction and maintenance, dredging, diving and subsea services. The company will be using the three new vessels on an oil pipeline trenching project. The overall aim of our clients project is to improve the efficiency of old wells, explained Clark. We will be dredging a 5km trench and installing a new trunk line to tie in wells that have been recently upgraded. After that we have a pipe pull, followed by backfill operations. For the first kilometre of the trench, MSMC will mobilise the Multi Cat 1908 Murjan 40 and DOP 250 purchased from Damen in 2017. The remaining 4km of trench will be dredged by the new Stan Pontoon 4512, supported by the new Stan Tug 1606 (named Murjan 22) and the new Shoalbuster 2509 (named Murjan 41). Shallow water skills The most notable aspect of the project is the sheer diversity of conditions that will be encountered. Water depth, for example, ranges from 0 metres at the shore to just 7 metres at its deepest point. Furthermore, geotechnical conditions are highly variable. Any challenges posed by the working environment will be met by the flexibility of the Stan Pontoon 4512 facilitated by a 170-tonne Heila and a 100-tonne Liebherr crane. We worked closely with Damens engineers in the Netherlands and at Albwardy Damen [the construction shipyard] to customise the Pontoon specifically for this job, continued Clark. For trenching, we can work as a backhoe dredger, or use the DOP in various configurations. And then for backfilling operations we have a mass flow excavator. Versatile platform For mooring, depending on the conditions and client requirements, the Stan Pontoon can use its 4-point mooring system in addition to its three hydraulically-driven 18-metre long spud poles. The substantial 515m2 deck space also means that there is ample space for various 20-foot and 40-foot containers for day and night accommodation, workshop and control room facilities. Because of the versatility and modular capacity of the Pontoon, we will get full use of it by changing its capabilities. That's the main idea increasing the bottom line for our client. A remarkable feat Although the Stan Pontoon will play a pivotal role in the pipeline project, the two new supporting vessels contribution is not insignificant. The Stan Tug 1606, which was built at Damen Shipyards Changde, will provide support in the shallowest waters. Built at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld, the Netherlands, the Shoalbuster 2509 named Murjan 41 will be called upon for support tasks further from the coast and for its 30-tonne bollard pull during pipe pulling operations. Most vessels with a 2-metre draught are not going to give you 30 tonnes of bollard pull. But that is the unique thing about the Shoalbuster, it can maintain its bollard pull even in shallow waters its a remarkable feat. For MSMC, these latest three deliveries represent a continuance of its productive relationship with Damen, as Natheer concluded: They give us access to their engineering and technical team people who really know what they're talking about when it comes to designing vessels for actual projects, this results in smooth execution of the work for our clients. Their whole team has been outstanding. Referring to the local service that Damen will be providing MSMC, Damen regional sales director Middle East Jeremy Elschot said: We are very proud to support the latest three vessel contract with a 3-year Damen Support Programme, this includes a 24/7 support line with monthly visits to analyse vessel performance, train the crew and support the full life cycle of the vessels on the job. We would like to thank Murjan Al-Sharq Marine Contracting for their continuous support and trust in Damen Shipyards. We are very proud to work together locally in Saudi Arabia and look forward to a long term successful partnership. TradeArabia News Service Two people died Sunday night in a shootout that also wounded a 16-year-old passerby who was walking down the sidewalk in the Alief area, police said. An unknown number of people began firing at each other in the 11900 block of Huntington Glen around 11 p.m. After considering four options that could potentially relocate the home campus for more than 3,500 future high school students, Fort Bend ISD trustees recently set upon the complicated process of re-zoning school attendance boundaries for five south side high schools. District officials say boundary shifts are needed to balance enrollment between underutilized high schools and fast-growing Ridge Point High School in Sienna Plantation, where enrollment is currently at 108 percent over capacity. For trustees, the next step in the process involves gathering community input and district officials hosted a series of three meetings at Marshall, Travis and Elkins High Schools on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings (Dec. 10-12). Superintendent Charles Dupre opened the meeting at Elkins High School by acknowledging the arduous road ahead. What we are engaged in is perhaps one of the most complex and difficult things we have to deal with as a district and that is determining school boundaries, Dupre said. No matter when we do it and what area of the district we have to work with it is always challenging because people love their schools. They love their communities and change is hard for anyone. The meetings featured a pre-recorded video narrated by consultant Scott Leopold of Cooperative Strategies outlining four proposed options for rezoning attendance boundaries. Scott Ellison, father of two children and a resident of Missouri Citys Quail Valley, was among the hundreds that came to the meeting at Elkins to voice concerns that his children could lose the opportunity to attend Elkins High School, where he had hoped his son could study Mandarin Chinese and take other advanced foreign language classes. Three of the four rezoning options would mean Ellisons children would attend Marshall or Willowridge High School where certain academically elite classes arent currently offered. Like many others, Ellison was disappointed trustees werent at the meeting to talk with parents. The people who are supposed to be making these decisions are not here listening to what we have to say. Theyre going through some consultant and that doesnt fix the problem, Ellison said. The consultant will put everything on a piece of paper and it wont communicate how passionate we are about our educational system. Ellison said he was planning to move his children to a private school if trustees voted to re-zone his neighborhood out of the Elkins attendance zone. Currently, Elkins High School is currently at 91 percent of its enrollment capacity and isnt expected to become overcrowded until approximately 2025. However, district officials say the classroom space available at Elkins and the three other high schools is needed to help relieve massive overcrowding at Ridge Point High School in Sienna Plantation, a master-planned community located near Missouri City. Ridge Point High School is currently at 108 percent of its enrollment capacity and is expected to increase to more than 4,000 students and 167 percent capacity by 2025. Hightower High School is expected to remain between 78 percent and 85 percent of its enrollment capacity over the next ten years. Marshall and Willowridge High Schools have low enrollment numbers and are expected to remain in the 45 percent to 55 percent enrollment capacity over the next decade. There are reasons why Willowridge and Marshall are underutilized. It partly has to do with what trustees have done in the past and partly that the district has not been educating kids across the district equally, Ellison said. Once they start doing a better job of educating students, they wont have a problem with underutilization because parents will want to move to those neighborhoods. The enrollment balancing act During discussions leading up to Fort Bend ISDs $992.6 million bond election approved by voters last November, trustees and administrators sought answers to balance enrollment between high schools that were underutilized on the districts southeast side and fast-growing Ridge Point High School. One answer, all agreed, was to attract students by creating new programs to bring to Willowridge, Hightower and Marshall High Schools. Over the coming year, superintendent Charles Dupree told trustees said he and his staff would begin working to determine what types of special programs would be best for Marshall, Hightower and Willowridge students. One option would be the creation of an early college high school at Marshall and/or Willowridge High Schools, Dupre said. Another creative alternative mentioned for Marshall High School was a law academy program that would offer a high academic law track, along with a program for court reporting and a para-legal program that would offer certification and the chance to enter the workforce immediately after graduation as a possibility. These programs could be an academic-based program or a trades-based, career and technology-based program, Dupre told trustees at the May 14 board meeting. We believe this is another important program we need at Fort Bend ISD, that would allow students to graduate high school with an associates degree. The planning process continues for new programs for Willowridge, Hightower and Marshall High School. But, decisions are needed to manage overcrowding at Ridge Point High School before school starts next year. Some contend rezoning creates boundaries Sienna Plantation Phyllis Parker said she had endured the process of rezoning schools many times over the years with her children. Follow the money, because every time there is a re-zoning, theres always the money neighborhoods that get the great schools and then they zone out the lower income areas. I think its not fair because it pits all the community against one another, Parker said after the re-zoning presentation at Elkins High School. We want Fort Bend ISD to do better planning because they are trying to build a new high school just to appease Sienna Plantation residents. I think that is biased and wrong. Ashley Barras, a new homeowner who moved with her husband and two young children to Fort Bend County last year, said she now felt cheated for supporting the November bond election, which promised numerous upgrades for schools her children may now not be zoned to attend. Fort Bend ISD has an awesome reputation and we were very strategic about buying a house near what we thought were the best schools, Barras said. But, we are very fed up at this point. If we had known that trustees planned to re-zone us to different schools far from our neighborhood, we wouldnt have voted to approve the bond. Online Surveys District officials are asking parents and residents to participate in an online survey posted on the district website to offer feedback on the four re-zoning options. Staffers will review the survey answers and say the four options could be changed if needed. The survey deadline is January 2. Trustees are expected to review the survey results at their January board meeting and a final vote is expected at the February trustee meeting, according to agenda documents. If approved, re-zoning could be put in place for the 2019-2020 school year. For more information, visit www.fortbendisd.com/boundaryplanning. knix@hcnonline.com The removal from the ballot of a person who had filed candidate papers to run in the Nov. 6 Woodlands Township Board of Directors election has spurred a series of minor changes to how the township handles candidate filing applications and notifications if the application is rejected. In a 6-1 vote during the Dec. 5 meeting of the township board, small changes to the election procedures focused on candidate applications and notification were approved. Township Director Bruce Rieser voted no on the proposed changes, saying he was, very uncomfortable with this. The changes were spurred by the removal of Luis Granados, a nearly 30-year resident of The Woodlands, from the Nov. 6 ballot. Granados had filed candidate papers in August to contest incumbent Director John Anthony Brown. Granados, however, did not fill out two critical boxes on his candidate filing form where the length of his residency in both Texas and The Woodlands were required to be entered by him. On Wednesday, during the townships only meeting in December, the issue came to the forefront of discussions at the request of township Director John McMullan, who had asked to have an agenda item on the schedule to discuss the situation and possibly develop new or amended township election policies to avoid another incident such as what happened to Granados. Granados application was accepted by township officials in August when he submitted it, and his name was then listed on the townships website in the area where the names of candidates for the election are updated daily during the filing period. However, prior to administering the annual draw for ballot places, Granados was informed by township officials that his candidate filing application had been rejected by officials at the Texas Secretary of State office because he had not filled out the residency boxes. Granados name was taken off the Nov. 6 ballot, and in the subsequent election, Brown then running unopposed was re-elected with 100 percent of the votes. The removal of his name from the ballot surprised Granados, who said in an interview with The Villager that he had asked an employee of the township an unidentified employee who does courtesy notarization of the candidate forms whether he needed to fill in the boxes with his length of residency or not. The woman, Granados claimed, said he could leave the boxes blank. He turned in the form, it was notarized and accepted. After he was informed he had been removed, Granados said he was not to blame for the incident and cited the township employee, as well as another official Karen Dempsey as being responsible for the blank boxes. Granados claims were contested by township officials, with Nick Wolda the spokesperson for The Woodlands telling The Villager that it is illegal for township officials to give candidates any advice about applications. Wolda also said the township did not order Granados name removed from the ballot, but said it was officials from the Secretary of States office. Dempsey said the incident was unfortunate due to the timing of the rejection. We did not notice this fatal flaw (with the application) until the drawing, Dempsey told the board in reference to the timing of Granados being removed from the ballot. Granados filed an appeal of his removal with the Texas Secretary of State office in October, but it was rejected by state officials who said there was no indication of any foul play or criminal election activity. Because no wrong-doing was found by state officials, Granados appeal was rejected and not forwarded to the state Attorney General for further investigation. Township board Chairman Gordy Bunch said the incident is the first of its kind in township history, as never before had a candidate been removed from the ballot for any township election. This is the only time this has happened in the history of The Woodlands, Bunch said. Nobody here wants to disenfranchise anyone. McMullan said he was disappointed with the incident, especially because Granados name had been listed as an official candidate on the township website, which affected residents who may have thought he was a candidate and not been aware hed been removed. McMullan also said he wanted better procedures in place to prevent such an incident from occuring again. This is not about one candidate, McMullan pleaded. A much larger group of people was affected by this. Lets make the procedure better. Township President Don Norrell said he had developed a new plan that would hopefully prevent an incident like what happened to Granados from happening again in the future. The new policy will have two township staff members who are familiar with election law and procedures review all applications and focus on the non-optional areas of the form that must be filled in by a candidate. Under the proposal, township officials will send a notice by mail to applicants who have filled out an incomplete form informing them it had been rejected, although, Norrell said, officials cannot state why the application was rejected. The township will also try to notify applicants of a rejected form by other means, such as a telephone call or an email. Norrell said the names of candidates who have filed that are posted online will also have a disclaimer that the list is unofficial and the candidate names only mean theyve submitted an application. He also said after the ballot drawing is completed, then the online list will indicate that the candidates are officially candidates. We will still not give advice to applicants, Norrell stressed, referring to laws prohibiting such assistance. We will review (applications) and if we have sufficient time, we will get that (rejected application) back to the applicant. jeff.forward@chron.com Dubai-based global marine terminal operator DP World said an international joint-venture formed with industrial engineering specialists SMS group will revolutionise the way that containers are handled in ports. As part of its plan to deploy disruptive technology to radically improve operations, DP World will apply the new intelligent storing system at Jebel Ali Terminal 4, in time for the Dubai Expo 2020 world fair. The High Bay Storage system was originally developed by SMS group subsidiary Amova for round-the-clock handling of metal coils that weigh as much as 50 tonnes each in racks as high as 50 m, said the Dubai group. Amova is the first company to transfer this proven technology to the port industry. Instead of stacking containers directly on top of each other, which has been global standard practice for decades, the system places each container in an individual rack compartment, it stated. Containers are stored in an eleven-storey rack, creating 200 per cent more capacity than a conventional container terminal, or creating the same capacity in less than a third of the space. DP World said thanks to the racks design each container can be accessed without having to move another one, enabling 100 per cent utilization in a terminal yard. The system brings big gains in speed, energy efficiency, better safety and a major reduction in costs. Costs are further cut by the ability to shorten the time taken to load and unload mega-ships by as much as 30 per cent. Group chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: "DP Worlds experience and expertise in moving cargo coupled with the technology of Amova will ensure the system is remarkably efficient and relevant for present and future operations." "As a world first in our industry, we are tremendously excited by its potential and groundbreaking features. Our engagement in new technologies is a major priority and we have become known for seeking ways that transform the way goods are moved across the world. Innovation is part of our DNA and at the heart of our success," he added. SMS Group CEO Burkhard Dahmen said: "Our subsidiary Amova has optimised this technology in industrial applications for the metals industry over several decades." "The application for container terminals is a direct result of our New Horizon strategy, in which SMS transfers technology from the metallurgical sector to other industries," he noted. Dr Mathias Dobner, the CEO of the DP World-SMS Group joint venture, said: "This new container handling technology allows cities to use their expensive and sensitive land and waterfront areas more effectively." "Our system will significantly increase the productivity of handling ships on the quay. This means that quay walls can be shortened by a third. This disruptive innovation will greatly improve the financial performance of container ports, and well as their overall appearance," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The earnings of GCC petrochemical companies for the year surged by 2 per cent to $7.57 billion compared to the last year's figures of $7.45 billion, said a report released ahead of ArabPlast 2019 in Dubai. A leading industry expo in the region, ArabPlast 2019 is set to take place from January 5 to 8 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. With the industry experiencing a steady growth, plans are already in place for a massive investment in the downstream sector, with more than $200 billion expected to be ploughed into new refining and petrochemicals ventures in the GCC by 2025, stated the report by Ubhar Capital. Borouge, Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), National Industrialization Company (Tasnee) and Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) have announced their association with the upcoming event. Borouge is a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative, value creating plastics solutions. Established in 1998 as a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), one of the worlds major oil and gas companies, and Austria-based Borealis, Borouge produces 4.5 million tonnes of polyethylene and polypropylene solutions per year for packaging, infrastructure, energy, mobility, agriculture and healthcare applications. While Borouge will serve as a strategic partner, Kizad as support sponsor, Tasnee will be the regional associate for the high-net worth event, whilst Orpic is the gold sponsor. According to Ubhar Capital, shares in petrochemical companies in the GCC performed better this year than in 2017 and the outlook looks decent for 2019. At ArabPlast 2019, Borouge, Tasnee and Orpic will highlight their commitment to innovation by showcasing their latest products. In addition, the companies will offer visitors and interested participants an opportunity to discuss business models as well as share best practices for others to adopt at their respective organisations. GCC countries play a major role in meeting global demands related to plastics and petrochemicals. This has not only increased the productivity of the industry, but also strengthened its growth, remarked Satish Khanna, the general manager, Al Fajer Information & Services, Dubai, the event organisers. According to a new report released by the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), primary chemicals consumption will grow almost 60 per cent to 1 billion tonnes by 2050, where the Gulf will account for 12 per cent of all global high value-chemicals. The petrochemical sector has considerable room for growth, and the Gulf represents the worlds fastest growing markets, said Khanna. "We are confident that having Borouge, Tasnee and Orpic associate with ArabPlast 2019, will add value to the event, as well as open doors for comprehensive cooperation and business opportunities for visitors and participants," he added. Ahmed Al Shamsi, the senior VP Regional MEAE at Borouge, said: "We are glad to participate at ArabPlast this year as a Strategic Partner where we have the opportunity to meet with the industry leaders to exchange ideas and discuss the best ways to move our business ahead." As our participation at ArabPlast this year coincides with our 20th anniversary celebration, Borouge will be able to utilise this important platform to meet with our customers, partners and peers and showcase our innovative polyolefin solutions and emphasise the many opportunities they create, throughout the value chain, stated Al Shamsi. Kizad, a part of Abu Dhabi Ports, is a major integrated trade, logistics, industrial and free zone hub, which serves companies from the aluminium industry, polymers and plastics industry, food processing, logistics, construction, and automotive sectors. With a key focus on polymers and plastics, Kizad offers access to quality infrastructure, best in class regional and global connectivity, effective policies and broad access to raw materials from the likes of Borouge. Tasnee is Saudi Arabia's first joint-stock industrial company, fully owned by the private sector with the aim of advancing the economic diversification in Saudi Arabia. In addition to the above, companies as ExxonMobil, Tawazon Chemical Company LLC, Enerplastics LLC, Basell International Trading FZE and Astra Polymers will also participate at ArabPlast 2019. This edition of ArabPlast will witness presence from of more than 900 companies from 30 countries including 14 national pavilions. "ArabPlast is an important trade fair that focuses not just on ideas and learnings, but on implementation, which offers a real shift towards action," stated Khanna, while speaking at a press conference. The press conference witnessed the presence of participants as Rahim K. Jamal, General Manager, Al Shihab Al Thahabi and Hasan Al Dalou, the sales manager, Adeka Al Ghurair Additives. "Having the big giants of the industry participate in the fair this year will not only add value to the event, but also lead to rewarding partnerships," added Khanna. Kizad CEO Samir Chaturvedi said: "Borouge is an important partner for Kizad and together we are creating more in-country value for the UAE economy. This helps build a sustainable ecosystem for the development of polymer products, with a focus on leading the conversation around polymer sustainability." "We look forward to exploring further collaboration together at ArabPlast 2019, a key event for UAEs polymer converting industry," he stated. ArabPlast is the best platform to unveil new products, witness updates of the industry, open communication channels with industry peers, and meet global decision makers in the plastics, rubber and petrochemical industry.-TradeArabia News Service The Abu Dhabi Smart Solutions and Services Authority (ADSSSA) recently hosted its inaugural Hackfest in partnership with Microsoft, a media report said. The four-day event brought together government delegates and Microsofts Artificial Intelligence experts to collaborate, envision, learn, and develop AI applications and algorithms to empower Abu Dhabis government entities and employees to achieve more, reported state-run Wam. The event, which took place at the Abu Dhabi EDITION hotel, is part of a strategic partnership between ADSSSA and Microsoft that enables both organizations to collaborate on developing an AI roadmap for Abu Dhabi and incorporate smart-technologies for digital transformation. The event demonstrated the power of AI technologies to government delegates and enabled them to experience capabilities such as machine learning, advanced analytics, cognitive services, and natural-language processing - all powered by the Microsoft Azure cloud platform that enables them to engage citizens, empower employees, optimize government operations and transform services. Dr. Rauda Al Saadi, director general, ADSSSA, said: "In line with the UAEs Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the Authority has been proactively engaged in boosting Abu Dhabis bid to move towards a knowledge-driven economy. ADSSSA remains keen to drive efforts to transform Abu Dhabi into a global hub for technological innovation and we consider the development of a strategic AI program with Microsoft as another step forward to accelerate the Emirates digital transformation journeys through the Abu Dhabi Government Entities and add value to our customer-centric approach in the delivery of services to the public. While moving closer to the achievement of our goals in this direction, ADSSSA seeks to ensure service excellence across a multitude of services provided by various government entities in Abu Dhabi." During the event, attendees were invited to present various challenges to Microsofts engineers and data scientists, and collaborate with them to develop prototype applications of quick and efficient solutions that use a combination of cloud-based AI tools. "As the region looks to the future through national Vision programmes, the Abu Dhabi government continues to show great leadership in the field of Artificial Intelligence, said Sayed Hashish, regional general manager, Microsoft Gulf. "This Hackfest initiative demonstrates the emirates efforts to draw upon the power of the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge - and bring continual improvements to the lives of the countrys citizens and residents. We are honoured to collaborate and support ADSSSAs ambitions - and will continue bringing our expertise in AI to the governments, organisations, and to the people of the UAE." The ADSSSA AI Hackfest was designed around two tracks. The first track focuses on Machine Learning and Deep Learning Scenarios to develop algorithms and design models that can provide predictive insights, better decision making, and improve government services and operations. While the other track engages government delegates to utilize Microsoft Cognitive Services in order to improve Government operations to increase accuracy, apply automation, and infuse those capabilities in Government applications, in addition to the chatbot solutions for internal and external communication channels. A recent Microsoft study revealed that more than 29 per cent of organizations in the Gulf region plan to adopt Artificial intelligence, and over half (51 per cent) named cloud computing a priority. With the rise in uptake of its cloud services and in response to the overwhelming encouragement from regional customers, Microsoft announced earlier this year that it will build two dedicated cloud datacenters, one in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi, that will deliver its trusted services to the Middle East. Governments in the region can make the most out of the Microsoft Cloud by availing themselves of enterprise-grade reliability, security and performance, combined with data residency and the broadest compliance. Twenty-eight student teams from 16 universities across the UAE have secured the funding and support needed to take their creative solutions to the next level, thanks to Expo 2020 Dubais innovation and partnership programme Expo Live. The teams, comprising about 100 students, are to each receive grants of up to Dh50,000 ($13,612), plus guidance and exposure, to advance their ideas after participating in the second cycle of the University Innovation Programme (UIP), which was conducted by Expo Live with the support of the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The latest projects to receive Expo Lives backing include a mobility device that allows people of determination to use a single wheelchair for an entire airline journey, paper that uses sand from the UAE as a replacement for wood pulp, and an auditory mobile app that enhances a users hearing capacity by sending vibrations to their brain. The successful applicants will receive guidance from Expo Live, as well as their universities, to advance research and development, create a business model, grow their team and potentially partner with other entities. Grantees may even have the chance to showcase their innovations to millions of people at Expo 2020 Dubai. Dr Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, said: The creative solutions submitted to Expo Live as part of the University Innovation Programme are a testament to the pioneering capabilities of UAE youth. It is young people with enterprising minds and an innovative outlook who will be responsible for leading the countrys transformation into a knowledge economy and in meeting the aspirations of the leadership towards UAE Vision 2021 and UAE Centennial 2071. The calibre of projects selected during the programmes second cycle reflects the high standard of tertiary education in the UAE and I sincerely congratulate each and every awardee for their hard work and achievements. My colleagues and I are extremely keen to see how their innovations will progress on the journey to Expo 2020 and beyond. Yousuf Caires, vice president Expo Live, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: This programme epitomises Expo 2020s theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, and it is truly exciting to witness first-hand the levels of innovation that are being cultivated among university students here in the UAE. Young innovators who secured Expo Lives support as part of the UIPs first cycle are already advanced in developing creative solutions to global challenges that impact our region. We look forward to working closely with grantees from the second cycle as they take their projects to the next level, and we cannot wait to see how they turn their ideas and prototypes into reality. Khalifa Universitys Geno Match, one of the groups selected during the latest cycle, is developing a method to more easily identify compatible organ donors for transplant patients in the UAE. Team members Hasan Alattas and Halima Alnaqbi said: We are absolutely thrilled to receive Expo Lives support as it will help us bring our solution to life. It is so exciting to have an idea with the potential to save lives, and we have now secured the funding and guidance necessary to advance our vision. More than 500 student groups from 57 universities across the UAE submitted applications as part of the UIPs second cycle, with proposed solutions addressing at least one of Expo 2020s three key subthemes: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. Finalists pitched their projects to a panel of judges at the Expo 2020 Dubai Visitor Centre. Applications were evaluated by a panel of judges from Expo 2020, its commercial partners and other stakeholders. Representatives from DP World, Emirates Airline, Emirates NBD, PepsiCo, SAP and Siemens offered feedback to each of the finalists on how they could improve and advance their proposed solutions. The 28 projects selected join the 19 groups that secured support during the UIPs first cycle, meaning that Expo Live has now committed grants, guidance and exposure to 47 student teams from across the UAE. Expo Live is a $100 million innovation and partnership programme launched by Expo 2020 Dubai to make a lasting social impact by funding, accelerating and promoting creative solutions that improve lives or preserve the planet, or both. Based on the belief that innovation can come from anywhere to everyone, Expo Live will continue to deploy a combination of grants, challenges, university programmes and knowledge-sharing events on the journey to 2020. TradeArabia News Service City Centre Muscat has become the first shopping mall in Oman to offer its shoppers the opportunity to charge their electric vehicles. The e-charging stations, which are free to customers, are at the parking facility on Level 1. The introduction of e-charging stations aims to contribute to reducing fossil fuel consumption and emissions of CO2 in the environment and contribute and boost green driving and a cleaner environment. The governments sustainability goals prioritize the support for electric vehicles in the Sultanate with infrastructure that will enhance convenience for early adopters. We see ourselves as their partners in driving innovation in the country and facilitating easy access to free charging units that will encourage others to consider environment-friendly modes of travel and create a culture of eco-consciousness in society, said Husam Al Mandhari, senior mall manager, Oman Shopping Malls at Majid Al Futtaim Properties. TradeArabia News Service Audi Volkswagen Middle East has appointed Deesch Papke, an industry veteran, as the new group managing director of the wholly-owned subsidiary importer organisation. In his new role, Papke will be responsible for driving the growth across the GCC and Levant for the Audi and Volkswagen brands from the AVME regional office in Dubai. With over 10 years success as CEO of Porsche Middle East and Africa, South African-born Papke, oversaw a period of exponential growth for the organisation, said a statement from the company. Starting his career in management roles for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Land Rover as well as for Volvo in South Africa and Russia, Papke acquired many years of multi-market and brand experience within the global automotive sector. His first role in the Middle East region came in 2005 with Porsche as Managing Director of the Middle East and Africa subsidiary, where Papke oversaw the extensive development of the regional operation. His career at Porsche AG also included achievements as MD for Porsche China and as the Regional Head of Overseas and Emerging Markets with Porsche AG in Germany. Papke succeeds Benoit Tiers, who moves to AUDI AG in Ingolstadt, where he will be responsible for Western European markets at the company headquarters. As Group Managing Director, Deesch Papke will be responsible for driving the growth across 11 countries in the GCC and Levant for the Audi and Volkswagen brands. Key to this will be ensuring professionalism and brand standards are maintained across the regional network, focusing on market penetration and enhancing existing facilities, said the statement. On the appointment, Papke said: "I am taking over the responsibility of AVME at an exciting time. Despite the challenging regional economy, both Audi and VW have a strong portfolio of new models to bring to the market over the next few years. I am looking forward to a period of growth and opportunity upon which we can further develop our business." Papkes move to Audi Volkswagen Middle East organisation will see him operate from the regional headquarters of the subsidiary in Dubai Airport Free Zone. His role will be to lead a team of over 100 professionals representing the Audi and Volkswagen brands and to support growth of the Volkswagen Group across 11 countries, 12 importers and 52 dealer facilities in the GCC and Levant. In addition to his mother tongue English, he is fluent in Afrikaans and German. In his leisure time, the German national enjoys watching and participating in sports. Deesch Papke is married with 2 children. "We have excellent business partners to work with in our region and I look forward to utilising my experience, in the Middle East, Germany and China, to continue to build the reputations of both brands in the region," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Balfour Beatty, a leading international infrastructure group, has appointed Matthew Steele as the managing director of its gas and water business. Steele joins Balfour Beatty from Network Rail where he was commercial and development director. Previously, he was programme director at Crossrail and head of power, communications and cooling upgrades for the London Underground. A chartered mechanical engineer, Steele has a deep knowledge of the UK infrastructure market, with over 19 years experience providing strategic direction to large cross-industry and multi-discipline teams. Balfour Beattys CEO (Rail and Utilities) Mark Bullock, said: "I am delighted to welcome Steele to my leadership team. His extensive experience in delivering critical infrastructure projects in regulated markets will strengthen our client relationships and further enhance our capability in the sector." Balfour Beattys Gas & Water business operates in the UK and Ireland, providing expertise and experience to support a stable and safe supply of these vital services, he added.-TradeArabia News Service They weren't exactly small time. But they also were not considered the worst of the worst. Broken relationships with the Juarez drug cartel, large-scale police investigations and infighting kept El Paso-based gang Barrio Azteca labeled as a "Tier 2" threat in Texas for a few years with the Bloods and the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. TOP GANGS: 14 top gangs operating in Houston and throughout southeast Texas However, in the most recent threat assessment released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the gang made a resurgence as one of the top four gang threats in the state, edging out the Latin Kings. Its new Tier 1 classification is a result of territory expansion, its propensity for violence, evolving relationships with cartels and gangs, drug and weapons smuggling, exploitation of the border and increased police reporting, according to the assessment. Human smuggling also played a role. "Barrio Azteca maintains a significant presence on both sides of the border as members continue their transnational criminal activities around the El Paso and Juarez corridor, including working with both the Sinaloa Cartel and Juarez Cartel," according to the assessment. RELATED: Mother warned police about gang threats to Lamar HS student De'Lindsey Mack in 2016 The gang, which has up to 2,500 members, managed to regain a strong influence in Ciudad Juarez and El Paso despite its fluctuating power. They have a documented presence in Midland County, and they are one of the five gangs with the most arrests for violent crimes in West Texas, according to the assessment. Law enforcement has tracked a small presence of the gang moving east. They reportedly have a presence in Harris, Montgomery, Galveston, Fort Bend counties. Click through the slideshow above to see more facts about Barrio Azteca. 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 Houston Police Department A Houston man has been charged with driving while intoxicated in connection with a wreck that killed a 22-year-old on the South Sam Houston Parkway on Friday. Christian Liddell-Campbell, also 22, is accused of drinking before getting behind the wheel of his minivan and colliding with a Camry in the 6200 block of Beltway 8, according to the Houston Police Department. Houston the home of highway spools, perpetual road construction and potholes. Thousands of Houstonians phoned into the city's 311 service in 2018 complaining about the latter, and some neighborhoods made a multitude of calls more than others. In Montrose alone, with the neighborhood's small, gridded roadways, more than 350 potholes were reported the most out of any other Houston neighborhood. TEXAS GANGS: See the 14 gangs active throughout Houston Inner-loopers accounted for the next three most pothole reports by neighborhood including the Washington Avenue/Memorial Park area, Greater Heights and Upper Kirby with a total close to 700 reports. Did your neighborhood see a high number of pothole reports? Look through the slideshow to find out. 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 A 19-year-old was charged with manslaughter Monday after an alleged drunken driving crash that killed a mother in South Houston, according to court records. Police said Erick Hernandez was driving the wrong way before he crashed in the 1500 block of College Avenue, court records show. He hit an oncoming black SUV - with a mother, grandmother and 1-year-old inside. A fake news article circulating on the internet claims that a Houston area woman killed her husband in a fit of rage by forcibly pouring hydrochloric acid into his body, a gruesome act of mariticide fit for a true-crime documentary. The made-up story, published on Dec. 13, cites an unnamed source that the author claims to be within the Baytown Police Department. It even features a real photo of a crime scene in Baytown, complete with a Baytown police patrol vehicle, crime scene tape and TV news trucks. The only problem is that the murder described in the story never took place, police said. REAL NEWS: Deputies warn public of armed robberies near Katy Mills Mall The story appears on a fake news site called NBC News 6, mimicking what a real local TV station's website would look like. Baytown Police Lt. Steve Dorris said the contents of the article are completely fabricated in an attempt to gather clicks. The only scrap of truth on the story is the photo, which shows the outside of a real Baytown crime scene in 2016 where a woman was found stabbed to death. The photo was stolen from NBC's real Houston affiliate, KPRC-TV. The author whose name appears as James Bleich has a history of writing false, salacious articles under that byline that readers believe are real, according to Snopes.com. Dorris said if any crime were to actually take place in Baytown, the city will inform local news organizations and on its official website. 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 These guys are worse than the Grinch. You order that perfect Christmas gift for a friend or loved one. You race home to pick up your package, only to find some porch pirate has snatched it before you could even wrap it. If this problem seems to happen more in Houston and other large Texas cities, you are right. Savvy businesses are increasingly turning to the cloud to reduce costs and increase business efficiency by moving from infrastructure-based operations to application-based operations. Put simply, the cloud is an offsite storage system maintained by a third party. And as the cloud becomes more sophisticated, the operational advantages are becoming clearer. No longer do businesses need to install, operate and maintain large and expensive server rooms. With real estate costs now at a premium, a server room can take up half a business floor space, if not more, and the costs involved are significant, not in the least of which are cooling and backup systems. Traditional servers are also limited in terms of storage capacity, whereas the cloud is almost limitless in terms of it capacity, meaning system crashes without a viable backup are a business problem of the past. The cloud frees up businesses to store all their business data and information off-site. While space is certainly an advantage, there are many other benefits. The cloud also allows businesses to remain agile. It means any new data, software, system improvements, ongoing work, shared files and more can be housed in an easily accessible system that can be retrieved anywhere, anytime, facilitating a more flexible, remote workforce. All operations requirements can be accessed no matter where staff are working. No longer does software have to be installed on each system or computer individually, now, it can be accessed and updated by anyone in minutes, rather than days. The cloud also has another large benefit: security. With data protection regulations being implemented all over the world, and more to come, data security and privacy is more important than ever to consumers. By storing business data in the cloud, and not on servers or individual desktops, businesses can now ensure data security and compliant storage and usage. It is predicted a decade from now, every business will operate from the cloud as it evolves to utilise machine learning, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, to become even more security-aware and efficient. In China, the government successfully transitioned to Huawei's e-Government cloud service solution, reducing redundant construction costs and saving costs by 40 per cent, improving resource utilisation by 50 per cent, and improving operating and maintaining automation to 80 per cent. Cloud Enablement Services, such as those offered by Huawei, can help businesses better achieve their goals, faster and with more efficiency with portability and flexibility, because vital business programs, information, and data can be accessed and updated from anywhere. This kind of Cloud Enablement Service helps business navigate setting up on the cloud using latest technologies, such as big data and software defined networking, to enable digital transformation. Services can include cloud consulting, assessments, planning and design, migration, disaster recovery and backup, security, operation, and maintenance. By leveraging the knowledge and technology of an established professional partner, like Huawei, even SMBs can enjoy the many benefits of the cloud in day-to-day operations. To find out more about cloud enablement, go to: http://e.huawei.com/topic/idc-whitepaper-service2018/en, or to find out more about Huaweis services: https://e.huawei.com/en/services This past August, Cyberlink was named the best ISP and Corporate Network by Swiss business magazine Bilanz. More than 1,400 businesses participated in the survey, which compares providers based on the quality and flexibility of their services, and the strength of their support organizations. It was the fourth time that Cyberlink took the top spot in the ranking, with the highest score achieved by any company in the past decade. The win comes as no surprise to Cyberlinks 2,500 customers. Initially founded as an internet service provider in 1995, the company quickly became known for its dedication to providing ultra-reliable connectivity to Switzerlands major telecommunications networks access it still delivers. Today, that same commitment to high performance is apparent in the many managed cloud services the company offers. These include cloud consulting and migration services, disaster recovery, a hosted private cloud, infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and managed security offerings. We recently connected with CTO Marc Chauvin to learn more about Cyberlinks success and its Cloud Verified service a fully virtualized software-defined data center (SDDC) based on VMware cloud infrastructure. Our recipe for success in the cloud is to use the best technology, deliver flexible, powerful and stable infrastructure; offer attractive consumption and billing options; and provide the extensive consulting expertise and dedicated service that customers need to make their cloud journey with absolute confidence, says Chauvin. We primarily serve small and medium-sized enterprises in Switzerland, but they represent myriad industries with different requirements. Our flexibility enables us to provide the solution that best meets their needs. Cyberlink operates its own cloud in Switzerland and customers can access its IaaS solutions on either shared or dedicated platforms as use cases and compliance requirements dictate. The company also provides high-performance connectivity to outside public and private clouds, ensuring that customers who want to deploy a hybrid strategy can choose the options that work best for them. Our experts are also especially strong at integrating our cloud services with additional systems, including the managed corporate networks we offer, and the major public and private clouds, says Chauvin. Our reliance on VMware, which is trusted and known throughout these environments, contributes greatly to this flexibility, which is a big part of our success. Cyberlink began basing its cloud services on VMwares technology 10 years ago. Today, both of the companys two primary data centers are Cloud Verified, and Cyberlink utilizes a wide range of VMware solutions, including NSX Data Center, vCloud Director, vSphere, and vSAN in its cloud services. Chauvin notes that Cyberlinks customers are also given the ability to use all of the security functions provided by NSX at the network level to radically simply the management of security policies. As a service provider we naturally have internal and customer-driven needs for highly available computing power, says Chauvin. VMwares solutions make that possible and being Cloud Verified fosters even greater trust in our company and shows our customers that we are committed to operating a best-in-class cloud infrastructure. Learn more about Cyberlinks partnership with VMware here. The best minds in media should be giving sustained attention to how to tell [the climate crisis story] in a way that creates change, wrote Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan in October. The question is, after two striking reports on the compounding threats of climate change in just two months, is this call to action being echoed across the media landscape? To find out, I analyzed a dataset of more than 650 climate-related articles produced in the past two months. Whether youre a climate reporter or just a concerned citizen, the last few months were a tumultuous time for climate news. On October 8, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a bombshell report on the potential catastrophes wrought by reaching 1.5 above average global temperatures; one month later, on November 23, the White House produced its National Climate Assessment, correlating many of the same dystopian predictions: mass migration, diseases, more wildfires and hurricanes, extinction of the worlds coral reefs, and resource-driven wars. We have a decade to stop this from happening. And yet most news organizations have historically fallen into the trap of relegating the updates on major scientific breakthroughs or environmental warnings to well, turn page one over. After analyzing both the size and scope of climate coverage during the past two months, heres what I found: climate change coverage has predictable peaks and valleys, but the volume and consistency of deep dives indicates that explainer journalists are maintaining the climate conversation when hard news begins to teeter. Hard news coverage appears to have increased in number and attention span by the second reports release. A note on methodology: I used data analysis software, Media Cloud, and created the keyword, climate, to generate a cache of search results dating from the IPCC reports release date on October 8 through December 1. After filtering out non-environmental pieces, I wound up with roughly 650 articles, which I later filed into a Google spreadsheet and coding program, R. Among those news outlets represented were a wide range of breakneck news giants like CNN and Fox, The New York Times and The Washington Post, among more digital-native publications like Vox. And yes, Breitbart and several other extreme commentary websites were included, as well too, for impartialitys sake. Using designations for hard or breaking news, enterprise or feature writing, and opinion, I cataloged the framing of each piece. How we frame the story could change who sees it. For instance, a newsletter reader that gets the Post through email would need updates on the IPCC report to be filed under page one every day. Of course, this cant always happen. In my example, hard coverage defined coverage on the inner-workings of the IPCC or White House reports and their release, while pieces that took a deep dive on a particular subject were labeled as enterprise. For example, I considered a story about 47,000 ticks found on a single moose due to climate change to be an enterprise story. Finally, opinion pieces generally tracked interpretations of the reports findings, from The Guardians describing the cataclysmic forecasts that policymakers may be enabling to Breitbarts denial of climate changes existence all together. Sign up for CJR 's daily email More than 30 percent of the stories released during October and November were enterprise, while 56 percent were hard or breaking news pieces. However, evident in the graph above, distribution is everything. Heres that same information laid along the same timeline: There are clear and unfortunate gaps in general coverage that cannot be ignored. Just one day after the IPCC reports release, hard news coverage fell by 60 percent. After the White House report, it fell by exactly 50 percent. Similar trends for opinion and enterprise pieces followed suit: a huge spike and a giant fall. The finding here is that maybe that drop is getting smaller, which is a good thing. But the rate at which each type of coverage declined shows us that the industry isnt generating sustainable dialogue, apart from Voxs grief counseling piece, How to deal with despair over climate change. On the other hand, media attention on the National Climate Assessment waned by only one story the following daya less than 2 percent drop. So are we seeing that fateful wake-up call that Sullivan alluded to? Its a dubious proposition without sustained observation. And other than the two reports central to our focus here, theres been a lot to cover: the Camp Fire in Northern California, a human health report on climate change by the Lancet, the election of climate skeptic Jair Bolsonaro to Brazils presidency, and so much more. Were not short of big breaking-news material, thats for sure. Then again, as global temperatures rise, more stories will appear more urgent because tragedy will be in surplus. But in the spirit of Sullivans wisdom, its our responsibility as storytellers to digest and parcel out every scrap of detail from these reports for the reader, so that we can affect the change necessary to avoid having those somewhat sexy disaster stories down the road. And we cant stop until weve tipped the scale of doubt. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Daniel Hentz is a science writer, filmmaker and graduate student at Northeastern University. He focuses on writing climate change and marine-based stories. In mid-2016, R.AGEa team of millennial reporters based at The Star, Malaysias largest English-language paperreleased a documentary on sex crimes against children. Called Predator in my Phone, it exposed how men were using popular messaging apps like WeChat and WhatsApp to reel in childrenand how, under a quirk of Malaysian law, doing so was not illegal. The story shocked the public and galvanized political support for child protectionsa rarity in Malaysia, which has a notoriously divided parliament. R.AGE followed up with an advocacy campaign, teaming with the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund to put pressure on parliament for a new law. Ten months after the story ran, the government delivered. For old school reporters, especially in the US, there is supposed to be a bright line between journalism and anything that smacks of advocacy. But in Malaysia the division is more complex. Newspaper owners, including those of the Star, are typically tied to political parties, and the quasi-authoritarian government (ousted this year after a 60-year run) often hit newsrooms with arrests, suspensions, and sedition charges for anything deemed out of line. The result is a patchwork: some mediasuch as Malaysiakini, a digital outletforbid activities like advocacy; for others, such as the Star, minding political sensitivities is more important. As the young reporters of R.AGE began forging a new journalistic modelexposing social problems, then organizing lobbying campaigns to address themsenior management had to weigh whether that fit into the Stars overall strategy. Initially, there were concerns raised by our higher-ups against how R.AGE was actively campaigning, as it was felt reporters were going beyond what they should be doing, June Wong, the Stars Chief Special Projects Officer and R.AGEs supervisor at the time, tells CJR. ICYMI: Student uncovers decades of sexual misconduct allegations against professor R.AGE was given a chance. Ian Yee, the teams editor, believes their approach appeals to young audiences. What a lot of journalists do too often is we focus on reporting the problem, he says. If you really do your research properly as a journalist, you should also know what the solution is. And if you know the solution, then I think theres sort of a moral obligation to take it to the next level. It helped that, at a company with shrinking print revenue and interest in digital growth, Yee and his team stumbled upon a new business model: R.AGEs advocacy work started bringing cash into the parent company. Yee estimates that 80 percent of the revenue R.AGE has earned is from social impact and content campaigns that his team dreams up and sells to sponsors, such as an anti-bullying campaign launched last year. At the end of the day, The Star is essentially a business, Wong Chun Wai, the papers outgoing managing director and CEO, tells CJR. The ethics could be rationalized. When lawmakers or politicians do not do their work, then the media can play its role to help our lawmakers. R.AGE started in 2005 as a classic newspaper pullout, targeting young readers with celebrity, lifestyle, and student-focused stories. Yee, who came on as a cub reporter in 2008, contributed plenty to the section but felt it could do more hard-hitting work. His proposal: switching to hardcore investigative documentariesa sort of Malaysian answer to Frontline, geared to millennials. Management wouldnt pay for it but said he could raise the money on his own. He and a couple colleagues obliged, moonlighting as videographers-for-hire. Sign up for CJR 's daily email In late 2015, R.AGE released its first documentary, exploring mysterious child deaths in an indigenous community. Predator, however, was its breakthrough, and its first foray into advocacy. The plan was not, at the outset, to pursue an agenda. It wasnt until after the piece was postedand R.AGE heard anguished feedback from viewersthat the team felt compelled to act. With advice and funding from UNICEF, R.AGE launched a website to build support for a new child-protection law, which had already been proposed in response to an unrelated pedophilia case. The site had an interactive map showing which members of parliament had expressed support; a tool enabled users to send letters to the rest. R.AGE recruited celebrities to appear on Facebook Live and helped UNICEF organize town hall events for the public. After months of lobbying, in April 2017 the law passed. Predator was nominated for a Peabody Award and won journalism awards in Malaysia and Asia. Calls to action have since become key to R.AGEs formula. Last year, R.AGE revealed that Malaysian colleges were practicing student trafficking, bringing in foreigners who wanted to go to school, and forcing them into low-wage labor. After the story, R.AGE urged students to petition their colleges to take actions against the practice. (Coincidentally or not, Yee says, the government has cracked down on student trafficking in the past year.) This year, R.AGE profiled a refugee community from Myanmar thats terrified of being sent back. R.AGE hasnt called for keeping the refugees in Malaysia but instead pushed the UN to review its profile of the groups homeland. Does advocacy money affect the teams reporting? Yees response: sponsors arent allowed editorial input in stories, and when R.AGE does a campaign, the paycheck goes to the Star, so R.AGE cannot directly profit from lobbying. All our sponsored projects clearly spell out who is involved and what their roles are, so if we ever soft-shoe our coverage in the future, our audience can take us to task, he says. If it means we have to lose a sponsor to maintain our editorial integrity, then so be it. June Wong doesnt consider the campaigns violations of journalism ethics. Journalism isnt only about reporting on both ormore sidesof a story, she tells CJR. If there is an important issue that affects society that is crying for attention and relief, and if a journalist or a group of them take ownership of it and show why and how they are doing it, it is indeed an honorable thing. ICYMI: Apple News UK editors rely on six outlets for 75 percent of Top Stories Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Saqib Rahim is a freelance reporter based in Southeast Asia. From 2008 to 2018, he was a staff reporter at E&E News, covering US energy and climate policy. The holiday season rang in with the years 9 most-brazen insurance-fraud grinches taking short sleigh rides for long prison terms after foisting outsized and elf-delusional insurance thefts. Americas extreme insurance schemers were inducted into the Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Insurance scams are an $80-billion crime annually, raising everyones premiums. Burning desire. Two firefighters died when a brick wall fell on them as they fought an arson fire. Thu Hong Nguyen set the blaze to burn her nail salon for insurance money in Kansas City, Mo. Driven to steal. A vast fraud ring run by Felix Filenger and Andrew Rubinstein stole $23 million for bogus whiplash injury claims from real and setup car crashes in South Florida. Home arsonist floored. Firefighter Patrick Wolterman died when he fell through a seared floor while combating an insurance arson set by Billy Lester Parker and Billy Tucker in Hamilton, Ohio. Maladjusted adjuster. Public adjuster Jorge Fausto Espinosa burned and flooded dozens of homes for $14 million of inflated claims in South Florida. Damage was rigged to look like electrical problems, kitchen accidents and faulty water lines. Bribes for blood. The largest doctor bribery scheme in U.S. history saw chiropractor David Nicoll stealing more than $100 million. He bribed at least 38 corrupt doctors for false testing of blood samples in Parsippany, N.J. Toddler killer. Erica White poisoned her blind and deaf toddler Tyrael McFall to death for $50,000 of life insurance in the Atlanta area. Pain for profit. Homeless people were inflicted with painful and unneeded spinal injections. Detroit-area streets also were flooded with more than four million painkillers in a $300-million Medicare plot by Dr. Mishiyat Rashid. Unsober sober homes. Yury Baumblit ran unsafe flophouses that housed homeless people and addicts in the New York City area. He pushed many into unneeded drug rehab, forced some to take drugs, and evicted anyone who didnt cooperate. Money addiction. Kirsten Wallace co-owned a corrupt sober home that stole the identities of addicts to overbill insurers in a $175-million insurance crime. It was one of the largest health-insurance plots in California history. Source: Coalition Against Insurance Fraud The commission investigating a Florida high school massacre heavily criticized the responding sheriff offices active shooter policy Thursday, saying it contributed to the failure of some deputies to run into the building and confront the gunman. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission found Thursday that Broward County Sheriff Scott Israels policy that deputies may confront active shooters rather than shall gave some an excuse for not entering the building during the Feb. 14 massacre that left 17 dead. The commission found that several deputies arrived at the school during the shooting but stayed outside, including Scot Peterson, who was assigned to the school. Israel has attacked Peterson for not entering the building but told commissioners last month he didnt want deputies engaging in suicide missions, which is why he changed the policy to say may. But the commissions law enforcement members said that could be handled by training deputies how to confront shooters in the safest way possible. May gave them (deputies) the out not to enter, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, a commissioner. They decided to be cowards instead of heroes. Israel said in a statement Thursday that he will use the commissions report as a basis to conduct our own thorough investigation, and well take appropriate steps to make any necessary improvements. Peterson retired shortly after the shooting after video showed him going to the three-story building where the shooting happened, pulling his gun and then taking cover outside. In a lawsuit filed by a victims father, Petersons attorney argued in court Wednesday that the deputy had no legal obligation to confront the shooter an argument the judge rejected. Some deputies who arrived within minutes remained outside the school, even after other deputies and police officers from a neighboring city charged inside. The commission said Israel should investigate those deputies and take appropriate disciplinary action. The commission, meeting in Tallahassee, also found Thursday that the training Broward deputies receive for confronting active shooters is inadequate, pointing to statements several made to commission investigators that they couldnt remember the last time they were trained and what it included. The commission criticized the sheriffs office and FBI for not acting on tips that suspect Nikolas Cruz was a potential school shooter, but said Broward deputies who responded to Cruzs home numerous times during his teens for minor incidents acted appropriately. Both agencies say they have taken steps to avoid a repeat. The commission also found that Cruz, a 20-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student, never met the criteria for involuntary mental health confinement and even if he did, that would not have banned him from buying the semiautomatic rifle he used. The 15-member commission includes law enforcement, education and mental health professionals, a legislator and the fathers of two slain students. The members have been meeting periodically since April and must file a report to Gov. Rick Scott, incoming Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature by Jan. 1. It is approving a 400-page report of findings and recommendations. On Wednesday, the panel recommended 13-1 that the state should allow teachers who volunteer and undergo background checks and extensive training to carry concealed handguns on campus. Supporters argued that even the best response by law enforcement will likely take two to three minutes to confront a shooter, while teachers could do so immediately. The state teachers union and PTA oppose the proposal, saying adding guns will make schools less safe and that teachers should not also have to be armed guards. There are also concerns about gun accidents and students taking guns from teachers. After the shooting, Florida law was changed to allow school districts to train and arm employees other than teachers except those who are former or current police officers, current members of the military or Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructors. Thirteen of the states 67 countywide school districts allow it, mostly in rural areas. Currently, teachers in 28 states can carry firearms, according to the Crime Prevention Research Center, a conservative nonprofit organization. District approval is required in most states and restrictions and training requirements vary. Other findings and recommendations approved this week include: That police officers assigned to schools undergo annual active shooter training, including for situation when they are alone. That neighboring police agencies have radios that can easily communicate with each other. Broward deputies and officers from neighboring cities could not communicate with each other their radios had a complicated procedure for opening channels to communicate. That school districts allow law enforcement live access to their video surveillance systems. Cruz has pleaded not guilty, but his attorneys have said he would plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. CLEVELAND, Ohio An irate customer of a popular Little Italy restaurant pulled a gun on the restaurant owners because he had to pay taxes on a takeout order, police reports say. The incident happened about 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Mia Bella restaurant on Mayfield and Murray Hill roads. The man, who police have not yet identified, walked into the restaurant to pick up an order worth about $100, according to police reports. The man became irate over the taxes and yelled at employees and restaurant owner Emigert Memeti, police reports say. Memeti asked the man to step outside so they could talk. The man pulled a handgun out of his waistband, pointed it at Memeti and screamed profanities, police reports say. A Case Western Reserve University police officer in the area told Cleveland police that they spotted the two arguing and the customer walk to his car with a gun, police reports say. They also said Memeti pulled out his gun. Memeti has a concealed carry permit, according to police reports. The officers pulled their guns out and ordered the customer to drop his gun, according to police report. The man jumped into his car and sped south on Murray Hill, according to police reports. The man ran away with the food, police reports say. CWRU police and Memeti said they recognize the man from the neighborhood and that he might be a construction worker working on one of several projects in the area. Memeti said he didnt want to comment when reached on Monday. To comment on this post, please visit our crime and courts comments page. CLEVELAND, Ohio A 37-year-old man is accused of shooting at Cleveland police officers investigating gunfire in the citys Union-Miles neighborhood. Jamell Perry of Cleveland is charged with felonious assault. He is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on $50,000 bond after his first court appearance on Monday. The shooting happened about 1:30 a.m. Saturday on East 93rd Street and Benham Avenue, police said. Two Cleveland police officers went to the intersection because of calls about shots fired in the area. A woman walking from the nearby Cheers bar reported hearing about 20 gunshots fired near the intersection and was hit in the leg by a bullet. The officers reported spotting a red Saab parked in the middle of Benham. Two men got out of the car and ran through a field toward Gibson Avenue. The officers ran after them, according to police reports. The officers spotted Perry and another man standing in a driveway on Gibson Avenue, police reports say. The officers pointed flashlights at the duo and saw Perry holding a gun, police reports say. Perry fired two gunshots at the officers, police reports say. The officers were not hit. The officers pointed their guns at Perry and demanded he drop his gun. They did not return fire at Perry, police reports say. Perry dropped the gun and took off running through a backyard, according to police reports. Officers arrested Perry one street north on Beacon Avenue, police reports say. He had an empty gun holster on his hip and a bag of marijuana in his pocket, police reports say. Officers confiscated the gun Perry dropped and found another gun in the red Audi, police reports say. Perry has twice been convicted of carrying concealed weapons and once for possessing a gun as a felon. To comment on this post, please visit our crime and courts comments page. TEMPERANCE, Michigan The family of an 18-year-old male who took his own life is calling for the removal of a churchs priest after the priest used the teens funeral to condemn suicide. The Archdiocese of Detroit released a statement Saturday saying that Father Don LaCuesta will not be allowed to preside over funerals in the near future and would get help to become a better minister in difficult situations, according to the New York Times. The archdiocese also issued an apology. But Jeff and Linda Hullibarger, the parents of Maison, 18, say the priests words only compounded the pain of losing their son. They tell The Blade they want LaCuesta removed from his position at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Temperance because theyre concerned he will cause emotional harm to more families. Maison didnt deserve this. He basically called him a sinner in front of everybody, Hullibarger tells The Times. We were just blindsided. The parents say they met with LaCuesta before the Dec. 8 funeral and asked him to celebrate Maisons life during the service, saying that LaCuesta listened and took notes. But during the service, LaCuesta reportedly turned his emphasis on how suicide is wrong, CNN reports. At one point, Jeff Hullibarger says he approached the pulpit and said, Father, please stop. He didnt miss a beat. He kept going, Jeff Hullibarger tells CNN. He said that word another handful of times. It made the worst day of our lives more worse. A copy of LaCuestas homily shows him saying: God can forgive even the taking of ones own life. In fact, God awaits us with his mercy, with ever open arms. ... Yes, because of his mercy, God can forgive suicide and heal what has been broken. He later says we must not call what is bad good, what is wrong right. Because we are Christians, we must say what we know is the truth -- that taking your own life is against God who made us and against everyone who loves us. Our lives are not our own. They are not ours to do with as we please. God gave us life, and we are to be good stewards of that gift for as long as God permits. Reports also say LaCuesta tried to end the funeral before letting Maisons parents speak, but the funeral director intervened, allowing the parents to talk about their son. Rev. Charles Rubey, founder and director of Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide, tells The Blade that LaCuesta handled the funeral poorly. For a priest to even hint that the person might not be in heaven is grossly wrong," Rubey says. Temperance is located near the Ohio-Michigan border, just north of Toledo. Inspired Organics has extended its nut butter recall to include almond butter, due to possible contamination of Listeria monocytogenes. Last week, the company recalled its brand of sunflower butter for the same reason. Listeria bacteria can, according to the company, cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. The recalled product was distributed in Ohio in 1 pound (16 ounce) jars with the best by date of February, 2020, the Lot number 239 and the UPC code 863669742540. Dont eat the product, says the company. Discard it, or return for the refund. More information is available at 1-800-729-3354. COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Barbara Sears is stepping down for a job in the private sector, one of many members of Gov. John Kasichs administration who are leaving as his second term winds down. Sears is taking a job at a Columbus consulting company, Strategic Health Care. Her last day is Dec. 31. Sears is a member of Kasichs cabinet, and the second Medicaid director after Ohio expanded the program in 2014 with the Affordable Care Act. Kasich has named James G. Tassie as interim director, starting Jan. 1. Tassie has been the agencys assistant director for three years. Ultimately, it will be up to Gov.-elect Mike DeWine, who is sworn into office Jan. 14, to decide who he wants to run the program. Ohio Medicaid has around 3 million enrollees. Its much watched by lawmakers who support and disagree with expansion, which was a key part of Obamacare, as well as lobbyists from insurance companies, doctors and nurses groups, and mental health and addiction associations. Under Sears, more health care services were transferred to managed care. Up until this summer, six large private insurers covered Ohio Medicaid recipients' physical health care. On July 1, they started covering the patients' mental health and addiction services, which had previously been paid for directly by the state. Sears is a Republican who previously had been in the Ohio House, representing the Toledo area. She had worked on health and Medicaid bills during her time in the General Assembly. She left the legislature when Kasich tapped her as his assistant for the Governors Office of Health Transformation, which was created to modernize Medicaid and contain costs. Kasich later named her the Medicaid chief. From 1986 to 2016, Sears sold health and life insurance and was a small business owner. Rotunda Rumblings So youre saying theres a chance: Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown has work to do if he wants to run for president, according to a new poll of potential 2020 Iowa Democratic caucusgoers. As reported Saturday by the Des Moines Registers Brianne Pfannenstiel, just 1 percent identified Brown as their first choice. Others who polled at 1 percent included New York Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. The poll strongly suggests Brown lacks national name ID - on a favorability question, 69 percent said they werent sure about him. His support doubled to 2 percent when caucusgoers were asked to identify their second choice. Former Vice President Joe Biden came in first at 32 percent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is second at 19 percent and Texas Rep. Beto ORourke is third at 11 percent. The poll was performed by Seltzer and Co. the venerable Iowa pollster. In case you were wondering: At the same time and in the same poll in 2006, John Edwards placed first at 36 percent, Hillary Clinton placed second at 16 percent, Barack Obama placed third at 13 percent and Tom Vilsack (the then-governor of Iowa) placed fourth at 11 percent, according to Dan Pfeiffer, a former top Obama aide. Getting his name out there: Brown conducted an hour-long town hall on Facebook live late Sunday afternoon, broadcast from his kitchen table in Cleveland. (Of note, Browns campaign Twitter account promoted the Pacific Time Zone start time for the town hall not many Ohio constituents on the West Coast.) Not taking any chances: The Ohio Senate announced Friday it will convene Dec. 27. The timing assumes Gov. John Kasich will veto at least some of the last-minute legislation the Ohio General Assembly sent to him (and Kasich has said as much). The chamber is also meeting Wednesday, as has been previously planned. In the House: The sessions penciled in for this week have been canceled. But representatives are meeting Dec. 28, and have an if-needed session on Dec. 27. I.O.U.: Officials plan to ask a state board Monday to loan the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program $2.1 million. The reasons? More-than-expected litigation, which has been costly, and a lack of revenue because the program has been delayed by months, said Mark Hamlin of the Department of Commerce. The money will be repaid with license fees. Marijuana businesses dont begin to pay those fees, however, until they receive a certificate of operation. Breathe in: Ohio medical marijuana regulators are researching potentially adding nasal sprays to the list of allowable forms of the drug, and want the publics comments, cleveland.coms Laura Hancock writes. DeWine on 60 Minutes: Republican governor-elect / Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine discussed his offices ongoing lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday evening. In the segment, a former Mississippi attorney general whos representing Ohio in the case says an eventual settlement could total $100 billion. Having viewed pharmaceutical company data tracking the distribution of pills to Ohio and elsewhere, DeWine said: Im not allowed to talk about the specifics. But I will simply tell you its shocking. Breaking his silence: Former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Richard Cordray broke his public silence on Friday with an email to supporters. Among other things, Cordray opined that Ohio is not a red state. The enthusiasm is here and it is growing. Much can be accomplished when good people are steadfast and remain willing to work together for change. Place your pre-orders now: Now that hes got some free time on his hands, Cordray also disclosed he is working on a book about his time leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to tell its story and provide a roadmap for restoring it to its full mission. Speaking of Cordray: He and DeWine, along with other state and local candidates, filed their final campaign finance reports of 2018 on Friday. With the latest numbers now on the books, Cordray and DeWine broke the 2010 record for campaign spending in an Ohio governors race, cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias reports. Murmur termer: In a Friday appearance on CNN, outgoing Gov. John Kasich said hed heard murmurs that Republican Ohio lawmakers in the lame-duck session might have passed bills limiting Cordrays power had he been elected governor. Kasich was asked about Wisconsin lawmakers doing exactly that an effort he called outrageous. Kasich made similar comments to the Columbus Dispatch, including using the murmur term. Its terrible. If they tried to do that here, Id be going crazy. You dont limit the next persons authority or power. Thats crazy, Kasich told the Dispatch. NSCL spotlights Ohio: In a recent blog post, the National Conference of State Legislatures highlighted a professional development program for Ohio House GOP caucus staff launched in August by House Speaker Ryan Smith. Through program sessions, aides have gotten tips from officials with companies including Huntington Bank and Nationwide Insurance. The piece quotes both Smith and Alyssa Sarko, a House aide who is Smiths director of special projects. Full Disclosure Five things we learned from the May 15 financial disclosure of State Rep. Dan Ramos, of Lorain. 1. In addition to his legislative salary of $65,180, Ramos disclosed receiving tax refunds totaling less than $1,000 each from the state of Ohio and the city of Lorain. He did not disclose any other income. 2. Ramos disclosed only one investment his account in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. 3. Ramos did not disclose owning any property. 4. Ramos disclosed being reimbursed by the Ohio House of Representatives $6,370 for mileage. He also was reimbursed $1,356.55 for travel by People for the American Way / Young Elected Officials Network and $527.04 in travel by the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. 5. Ramos disclosed owing at least $1,000 at some point during 2017 to ACS Education Services (a student-loan servicer), the School Employees Lorain County Credit Union, 5/3rd Bank, First Federal Savings of Lorain and DiscoverCard. On the Move Bob Paduchik, the longtime Ohio Republican political operative, will leave his post as second-in-command at the Republican National Committee in January to take a position with President Donald Trumps re-election campaign. The RNC confirmed the news in a news release on Friday, according to Tobias. Straight from the Source Having a good working relationship with the president is critical as governor.- The Ohio Republican Party in a Friday tweet about DeWines recent meeting with Trump (and a possible swipe at Kasich, whose not-so-good relationship with Trump has been well documented.) Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. PARMA, Ohio -- With the retirement of police K9 Tyson earlier this year, the Parma Police Department recently added Beny to the force. "Tyson was a great dog and made several large drug arrests," Police Chief Joseph Bobak said. "He was a very impressive canine that set the bar very high." Imported earlier this year from Slovakia, Beny is half German Shepherd and half Belgian Malinios. Police officer Bryan Bernow, who is Beny's handler, recently completed six weeks of training at Hiram's Excel K9 Services Inc. He said the canine is high energy. "Whenever I take Beny out of the police cruiser, he wants to work," Bernow said. "He doesn't care to be petted, and just waits for me to give him a task. "He's trained and certified as a dual purpose police service dog in narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, handler protection, building/area searches, tracking, article search, agility and obedience." Bobak noted that the average K9 officer tends to be cut from a different law enforcement cloth that fully utilizes the dog's abilities. He said that describes Beny's partner Bernow, who has previous K9 police officer experience. "I wanted to become a K9 officer because it is a long-term commitment with the reward of watching your partner grow and enhance the skills upon which you trained him," Bernow said. "I've seen other K9 handlers with their dogs throughout my career as a police officer and they have a bond like no other. "Also, K9 handlers and their partners are usually on the front lines of any serious incidents that may occur in the city, and I want to be there to protect the citizens of Parma." The chief said the roughly $13,000 expenditure for the purchase and training of Beny came out of his department's 2018 budget. Also, Tyson's equipment was being repurposed in a new Chevrolet Tahoe. That includes the innovative Hot-n-Pop system, which in the case of rising temperatures inside of the vehicle will roll down the windows, sound the car alarm and send the officer a notification on his pager. If the dog remains in a hot vehicle, a door will eventually pop open. Also, if the officer is in a use-of-force situation and the canine's assistance is needed, the pager has the capability of remotely opening the vehicle door to allow Beny to apprehend a subject. Bobak said Parma's four police K9s provide two vital roles in the community. "Obviously, there's a law enforcement side -- apprehending and detecting narcotics," Bobak said. "It also opens up a door for us from a public relations aspect. People love the dog, kids love the dog. One of the main assignments for all of our K9 handlers is they have to go into schools and interact with children." As for Tyson, Mayor Tim DeGeeter noted the retired police dog's many accomplishments. "I'm thankful for the nearly eight years Tyson gave the citizens of Parma," DeGeeter said. "During his partnership with officer Tom O'Grady, the two were responsible for more than 1,000 arrests and the seizure of more than $1.2 million worth of narcotics. "Also, we're looking forward to a long, productive career for Beny with Officer Bernow." PARMA, Ohio -- Construction continues on Pitt Ohio's new 100,000-square-foot Chevrolet Boulevard trucking terminal, with recently added structures turning heads for their futuristic design. It turns out that the vertical wind turbines are part of the Pittsburgh-based trucking company's $3.3 million investment to build the facility's microgrid, which will also include solar panels, in an effort to make the facility "zero net" -- not using energy from the grid. "Sustainability is our core value," Pitt Ohio Director of Sustainability and Business Intelligence Justine Russo said. "It's not just the right way of doing business, but it's also good for the community and for our employees. We're lucky our owner was very invested in scaling up, so the new Parma facility is going to have 700 solar panels and eight wind turbines. "We're really excited to see how much renewable energy we're able to create and store. And we're really hoping this will be a zero net facility that's not pulling any energy off the grid," Russo said. Utilizing both solar energy and wind energy generation through a 495-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system and eight vertical wind turbines that add 48 kW to the system, the microgrid will house 730 kilowatt hours of energy storage. The innovative system enables the trucking company to participate in net-metering programs, while also providing backup energy during grid disturbances. "Previously, we put a small microgrid in at our Harmar, Pennsylvania, facility that handles about a third of the energy requirements," Russo said. "Also, we can store the renewable energies rather than trying to use them on demand. "The goal eventually is to figure out how we can produce enough energy to charge an electric truck off the renewable energy microgrid. We are not there yet, but that's a long-term goal. That's probably the best way to reduce freight trucking carbon emissions," she said. As far as the new Parma location, the 100-dock facility is expected to be completed in June. Pitt Ohio is moving from its current Cleveland location. "We're really excited to really bring a state-of-the-art facility to Parma," Russo said. "We're looking forward to see how we can scale up not just in the freight market and bring on new business, but also how we can do it in a way that's good for the community." COLUMBUS, OhioA proposed deregulation bill intended to help Ohios landline telephone companies is on its way to Gov. John Kasichs desk, despite critics hang-ups that it would open the door to major rate hikes. House Bill 402, which passed the Ohio House and Senate by large margins last week, would allow annual base rate hikes of up to $2 per month for landlines, instead of the current limit of $1.25 per month. In addition, most, if not all, phone companies could seek state permission for unlimited rate increases starting four years after the bill becomes law. The legislation would also allow local telephone companies to merge without state approval (though federal permission is still needed), no longer require phone companies to pay triple damages for state violations, and weaken Ohios policy to ensure the availability of basic phone service everywhere in the state, among other changes. As cell-phone use skyrockets, Ohios telecom industry says state regulations -- which havent been touched since 2010 -- need to be upgraded to keep help local telephone companies in business. A 2017 Ohio Telecom Association report found that phone companies in the state have lost 80 percent of their landline customers since 2000. The bill modernizes state policy and helps level the playing field for all providers in response to explosive competition weve seen in the past decade, said Jon Kelly, outside counsel for AT&T, in written Ohio Senate Public Utilities Committee testimony late last month. When many of the current rules were written, companies like the OTA members were treated as monopolies. They no longer fit that monopoly, public utility model. Brian Hill, a Zanesville Republican who introduced the bill in the Ohio House before being appointed to the state Senate last week, testified to the Senate committee that local landline phone companies are at a competitive disadvantage with wireless companies, who dont have to follow the states outdated, burdensome regulations. Ohio is the only Midwestern state with such a tight cap on rate hikes, Hill continued, making it difficult for phone companies to pay for service upgrades. This bill will provide Ohios local phone companies with the ability to increase their service offerings to customers and expand investment into their networks in many underserved areas, Hill said in written testimony. But Terry Etter with the Office of the Ohio Consumers Counsel told the committee that telephone companies have already won significant deregulation over the past 30 years or so. The bills elimination of the laws remaining bare-bones price protection for consumers is not needed for telephone companies, Etter testified. And it would be bad for Ohioans who use and depend upon basic phone service. Basic service customers are often the elderly or the poor who are able to afford the service through federal discounts, Etter added. The Office of the Ohio Consumers Counsel, as well as AARP Ohio, have each sent a letter to Kasich asking him to veto the bill. This bill is a step backward and demonstrates that the opinions of phone corporations, able to make campaign contributions, are more important than addressing Ohios barriers to widespread broadband adoption, AARP Ohio State Director Barbara Sykes stated in her letter to the governor. Correction: An earlier version of this story stated, in error, that the bill would allow rate hikes of up to $2 per year. It would allow phone companies to, once per year, increase rates by up to $2 per month. New Avenue of Investigation for Cancer Therapy Discovered at Carnegie Mellon Qatar Project inspires CMU-Q alumnus to pursue career in cancer research December 17, 2018 A team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) has discovered a new area of research that could lead to more effective cancer treatment with fewer side effects. Ihab Younis, assistant professor of biological sciences, and Ettaib El Marabti, a 2017 graduate of CMU-Q's Biological Sciences Program, have revealed that the cellular mechanism called minor intron splicing is different in cancer cells than in normal cells. Younis' research has focused on the role of introns for more than 10 years. The genes of many organisms have stretches of non-coding DNA that interrupt the sequences that code for protein. These non-coding sequences, which are called introns, must be removed, and the remaining sequences must be spliced back together to produce messenger RNA that is ready to be translated into protein. "This research has been very much data driven," he said, noting that his initial work in the area focused on the role of introns in neurodegenerative disease. "it was noticed early on that minor introns, which make up only 0.4 percent of introns, are often inefficiently spliced. This is puzzling, since the proteins encoded by genes containing minor introns perform important roles in the cell. Our results suggested that the splicing mechanism acted like a molecular switch that could help cells adapt to stress and other changes." Younis and El Marabti then compared the minor intron sequences of healthy cells and cancer cells. They found that cancer cells appear to have a faulty splicing mechanism. This finding, outlined in a paper titled "The cancer spliceome: Reprogramming of alternative splicing in cancer," was published in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. "We do not suggest the use of this type of therapy would replace traditional therapies," Younis said. "Rather, targeting the cells in this way would work in combination for more effective treatment with fewer unfavorable side effects." "Carnegie Mellon as an institution is built on the belief that research should have an impact on people's lives," said CMU-Q Dean Michael Trick. "Ihab and Ettaib's research could have important implications in the treatment of cancer." Younis is now looking into select minor introns in cancer cells that appear to target tumor suppressors. "This area of the cancer research is very new, but the body of research is growing as more labs look at the role of alternative splicing of messenger RNA in cancer cells. It's an exciting avenue to explore," said Younis. Igniting a passion for research When he joined the CMU-Q faculty in 2015, Younis sought out students who could help him establish his research lab. El Marabti, then a third-year student, was given the task of analyzing the sequence of the genetic codes of the minor introns of normal and cancerous cells. "I learned that I love research because of this project with Dr. Younis," El Marabti said. The project grew, and in 2017, El Marabti presented his findings at the Keystone Symposium on mRNA Processing and Human Disease in New Mexico, as well as CMU-Q's research symposium, Meeting of the Minds. El Marabti took the top prize at Meeting of the Minds 2017. After graduating in 2017, El Marabti began medical school at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. The paper was completed while El Marabti was a first-year medical student. "Every time I ask him to help, he has always been more than generous with his time," Younis said. "He finishes his day at Weill Cornell and comes here to work on the computational parts of the project." El Marabti said he intends to incorporate research into his career as a physician. "I spent the summer doing research at Memorial Sloane Kettering working in a similar area," he said. "I'm not sure what field I would like to pursue when I finish medical school, perhaps oncology, but I know that research will be a part of my career." Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar offers undergraduate degree programs in biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science and information systems. Students are encouraged to participate in research to hone their skills in creative problem solving and scientific inquiry. In Jersey City, New Jersey, Bang Cookies, founded by George Kuan, has all of the ingredients of a successful business: delicious and decadent organic cookies and branding basically built for social media. "I still remember that day, when we made our first batch," Kuan, 37, tells CNBC Make It. "It was the summertime, and it was so hot in the kitchen that no joke, I was in my underwear, making the first batch in my apartment." In 2015, his small cookie business garnered attention and a bit of backlash at the local farmer's market for its provocative name: Bang Me Cookies. But that was all part of the plan, Kuan reveals. "It was just to get people to notice our company name, so that it will pique their interest, and actually have them try the product. And that worked, it actually got customers to come to our booth and try the actual cookies," Kuan says. "And then, when parents started complaining at farmers markets like 'oh this is kind of inappropriate, [but] we love your product,' we already had a transition name to Bang Cookies." Kuan is a health junkie, so fresh ingredients are a priority for him, like organic milk and eggs and Celtic sea salt harvested from the coastal areas of France. Some of Kuan's cookies even come with a boozy bang; there are several alcohol-infused cookies, like the Bourbon Walnut Toffee cookie and Cinnamon Whiskey Crackle chocolate cookie. Bang says its grown revenue by 100 percent from 2016 to 2017 is a profitable company with no debt. "If you told me about like 10 years ago that I would have my own organic cookie company ... I would have probably laughed, " Kuan says. Don't miss: People are going wild for these boozy baked goods Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook! Today's most successful leaders, from Bill Gates to Richard Branson, have one thing in common: They're all avid readers, using books to stay sharp and in the know. CNBC Make It has gathered 10 business and career books suggested by some of the world's most successful people in 2018. From former President Barack Obama to billionaire Mark Cuban, here are the books these leaders have recommended this year that will give you the edge you need. "Leadership and Self-Deception" Author: The Arbinger Institute Recommended by: Slack co-founder and CEO Stewart Butterfield What the book's about: "Leadership and Self-Deception" uses a relatable story about a man facing hurdles at work to show the ways we blind ourselves to our real motivations and hold ourselves back from reaching our goals and achieving happiness. Why Butterfield recommends it: The Slack CEO said this was the most useful book he's ever read and it's one he has recommended to his entire executive team. He said two key ideas stood out to him: one, that people at work often treat co-workers as obstacles in the way of their goals; and two, that people can create villains at work to justify the ways they fall short of their own potential. Said Butterfield, "It's crazy how much [these ideas show] up in everything in every kind of relationship that you will have." "That's What She Said" Author: Joanne Lipman Recommended by: Billionaire investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban What the book's about: In "That's What She Said," former USA Today editor-in-chief Joanne Lipman tackles gender norms in the workplace and offers solutions on gender gap issues. Using anecdotes from numerous corporate flubs, recent studies and stories from her own experience, Lipman offers a road map for empowering women. Why Mark Cuban recommended it: As a business leader, Cuban said the book provides "amazing insights" that could help anyone recognize workplace issues, communication challenges and possible solutions. "One of my most important takeaways from the book was learning that treating everyone equally doesn't mean treating everyone the same," said Cuban in a Barron's interview. "Each person has unique qualities that can benefit a company in ways I hadn't fully considered. This book helped me. It will help you, too." "The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate" Author: Fran Hauser Recommended by: Self-made millionaire and media mogul Arianna Huffington What the book's about: Through anecdotes, hard-won wisdom and time-tested strategies, Hauser's "The Myth of the Nice Girl" shows that women leaders can be both kind and strong. Why Huffington recommends it: Huffington said the book redefined the "outdated notion of what powerful leaders should look like and shows how a culture in which we no longer allow brilliant jerks to dominate the workplace will be better not just for women, but for everyone and for the bottom line." "Leadership: In Turbulent Times" Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin Recommended by: Salesforce co-CEO Keith Block What the book's about: "Leadership" poses a fundamental question: Are leaders born or made? Goodwin studies the adversities faced by four American presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. By looking at their first entries into public life, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Goodwin reveals how they saw leadership qualities in themselves and how they were perceived as leaders by others. Why Block recommended it: "As a business leader and a student of history," Block told the Wall Street Journal, the book offers "invaluable lessons for anyone who leads a team, large or small." By showcasing the skills the former presidents learned in their careers, Block said the book provides an "an essential, thought-provoking and timely guide for any leader facing any challenge." "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup" Author: John Carreyrou Recommended by: Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates What the book's about: "Bad Blood" tells the story of failed blood-testing startup Theranos and its founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who was once widely celebrated as the "female Steve Jobs." The book tells the "riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a tale of ambition and hubris set amid bold promises of Silicon Valley," according to its Amazon description. Why Gates recommended it: The book offers a number of lessons any company can learn, wrote Gates on his blog, from properly scaling a startup to building an appropriate a board of directors who'll notice red flags. But ultimately, said Gates, the book is a "thriller with a tragic ending," one he said he couldn't put down. He said the book is "full of bizarre details that will make you gasp out loud." Said Gates, the work is the perfect book to be read in front of the fire this winter. "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure" Author: Jerry Kaplan Recommended by: Venture capitalist Bill Gurley What the book's about: In "Startup," computer scientist and entrepreneur Jerry Kaplan explains how he built his computer company GO corporation in the late 1980s. His team pioneered a hand-held computer operated with a pen and faced numerous failures along the way. He also shares his encounters with computing titans such as Microsoft's Bill Gates and ex-Apple CEO John Sculley. Why Gurley recommended it: Though published in 1995, "Startup" offers a personal take on the daily struggle to launch a company from the ground up, which can still apply to today. In a tweet earlier this year, he named it a book "every entrepreneur should read." "It's a spectacular book because [Kaplan] had a tape recorder and on the way home from work every day, he dictated himself notes," Gurley said last year, according to Silicon Valley Business Journal. "It's remarkably detailed. We spend so much time analyzing success. Sometimes it's good to read how hard it can be." "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" Author: Alice Schroeder Recommended by: Golden State Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala What the book's about: "The Snowball" is one of a limited number of authorized biographies available on billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Schroeder, a former Morgan Stanley insurance analyst, so impressed Buffett with her writing, perception and business savvy, he allowed her unprecedented access to learn about his work and life. Based on numerous interviews, Schroeder provides a wide-ranging look at Buffett's personal life, investment strategy and business tactics. Why Iguodala recommended it: The basketball star said Schroeder's book on Buffett is one he can't live without. The work, at 982 pages, is "probably the longest" business book he's ever read, he said, but also one of the best. "[Buffett has] been studying money since the age of 8," Iguodala told GQ. "So that's like me I've been playing basketball since I was 6. His environment put him in that situation. He put the hard work in and made the most of his opportunities." "The Person You Mean To Be" Author: Dolly Chugh Recommended by: Wharton professor and organizational psychologist Adam Grant What the book's about: In "The Person You Mean To Be," New York University Stern School of Business social psychologist Dolly Chugh details how people can identify bias in their actions and change their actions and behaviors. In a step-by-step guide, Chugh provides a way to think about inclusion and strategies to implement it. Why Grant recommended it: "Finally: a lively, evidence-based book about how to battle biases, champion diversity and inclusion, and advocate for those who lack power and privilege," wrote Grant about the book on LinkedIn. "An unusually thoughtful psychologist makes a convincing case that being an ally isn't about being a good personit's about constantly striving to be a better person." "The New Geography of Jobs" Americans have reached consensus on the need to act in response to climate change with one conspicuous exception: Republicans. A new NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll identifies that sharp break in the evolving pattern of public opinion as scientists have amplified their warnings of rising global temperatures and linked them to a range of natural disasters. Overall, 66 percent of Americans now say they've seen enough evidence to justify action, up from 51 percent two decades ago. That figure incorporates 85 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of independents, 71 percent of women, 61 percent of men and strong majorities of all racial groups. At least 55 percent agree on the need for action in all regions of the country, and at all age, education and income levels. Resistance comes only from the one-third of Americans who identify themselves as Republicans. A 56 percent majority of the GOP says either that concern about climate change is unwarranted or that more research is necessary before taking action. The survey shows how deeply the Republican rank and file has absorbed the messages from GOP leaders and media outlets that fears about the issue have been either exaggerated or fabricated outright. Republican Congressional leaders opposed decisions by President Clinton and Obama to curb US carbon emissions in concert with action by other nations. Read More: Voters are uneasy over probes swirling around Trump, as majority question his honesty: NBC-WSJ poll President Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax," last year announced the U.S. would withdrawn from the 2015 Paris Agreement joined by 196 countries. The result makes Republicans stand out among those whose sense of urgency has not budged over 20 years and four different presidents. In 1999, the NBC/WSJ poll showed that just 15 percent of Republicans believed that climate change had been established as a serious problem requiring an immediate response. Today that proportion remains unchanged at 15 percent, while the share of Democrats and independents who expressed urgent concern has risen sharply. Opponents of action, including Trump, typically insist the financial costs of curbing climate change exceed potential benefits. But the NBC/WSJ survey shows most Americans now disagree. A 52 percent majority says that failure to address climate change will cost more through the consequences of weather-related events such as droughts or floods. Just 35 percent say that action will raise energy prices and cost more. Here, too, opinion breaks sharply by party. Some 63 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of independents say action will cost less than inaction. But just 35 percent of Republicans agree, outpaced by the 48 percent of Republicans who believe action will cost more. The telephone survey of 900 adults was conducted Dec. 9-12. It carries a margin for error of 3.27 percentage points. Stocks in Asia were mostly higher on Monday following a report suggesting further turmoil for the markets in 2019. Investors were setting their sights on key policy meetings in the coming week ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's upcoming interest rate meeting and as China on Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of the country's reforms under former leader Deng Xiaoping. President Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a major speech on Monday. It comes as Beijing's trade war with Washington spurs government advisors and think tanks to urge for urgent reforms in Asia's largest economy. The mainland Chinese markets were mixed by the end of their trading day after the country reported lower than expected economic data last Friday. The Shanghai composite rose 0.16 percent to close at around 2,597.97 while the Shenzhen composite declined by 0.309 percent to end the trading day at about 1,323.31. One investor told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday that the bargain hunting for Chinese shares has already started. "Over the next few months, if there were to be any more weakness in the Chinese market, we think that there will be more investors coming in to buy," said Khiem Do, head of Greater China investments at Barings. "The Chinese markets are actually quite cheap." Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was slightly higher in its final hour of trade. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.62 percent to close at 21,506.88 while the Topix index saw gains of 0.13 percent to finish the trading day at 1,594.20. Shares of conglomerate Softbank recovered from earlier losses during the session to gain 0.52 percent ahead of the anticipated public listing of its mobile unit on Dec. 19. South Korea's Kospi closed fractionally higher at 2,071.09. Australia's saw gains of 1 percent to close at 5,658.3, with almost all sectors in positive territory. The heavily-weighted financial subindex, however, slipped 0.11 percent, with shares of Australia's so-called Big Four banks mostly seeing losses. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group dropped 1.57 percent, Westpac shed 0.92 percent and National Australia Bank slipped 0.59 percent. Commonwealth Bank of Australia, on the other hand, recovered from earlier losses to rise 0.65 percent. "The 'Santa Rally' which had been hoped for has proven to be frustratingly elusive; and now markets are quite happy, if not desperate, for at least a dovish line to be thrown by the FOMC (and other global central banks)," said Mizuho Bank in a note on Monday, in reference to the U.S. central bank's upcoming Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Dec. 18 and 19. The Bank of England (BOE) is making plans to include the impact of climate change in U.K. bank stress tests, the Financial Times reported Monday. The stress tests largely look at a bank's capital buffers in times of severe financial stress but also include a separate "exploratory scenario" every two years. In 2017, the first exploratory scenario looked at the competition from financial technology but could concentrate on climate change in 2019, the FT said. "From the first one we learnt a lot about how the banks managed or didn't manage these types of issues," BOE Governor Mark Carney told the FT in an interview. "And it was quite instructive. And so the question is whether (climate change) is the next one, or the one after." Read the full story from the Financial Times here. Despite growing concerns that the global economy is slowing down, Boeing sent a big message to shareholders it remains upbeat about its business. The board voted Monday to raise its quarterly dividend 20 percent to $2.05 per share in 2019. "Boeing's strong operational performance, financial health and positive future outlook underpin our continued investments in our people and our workplace, in innovative products and services, and in select strategic acquisitions and partnerships that accelerate our growth strategy," said Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg. Additionally, the Dow component's board approved a $20 billion stock buyback plan, replacing its prior authorization. The company's stock, which has a market capitalization of $179.5 billion, rose more than 1 percent in after-hours trading on the news. Boeing shares have gained 7 percent since the start of the year. With Boeing delivering a record 568 commercial airplanes through the end of the third quarter this year, the company's cash flow has been exceeding expectations. As a result, many analysts had predicted the company would make a dramatic increase in its dividend. Cai von Rumohr, the aerospace analyst for Cowen and Co., told clients in late November to expect a 12 percent to 15 percent dividend hike by Boeing. He is among those on Wall Street who believe concerns about a global slowdown hurting Boeing are overblown. "Given visibility of a seven-year backlog and still-solid traffic growth, it would take a sharp economic slowdown to disrupt the favorable current production outlook," von Rumohr wrote in a research note backing his bullish outlook. Boeing's dividend increase comes as the company has ramped up production of its most popular model, the 737. The company's monthly production of 737's has gone from 47 last year to its current rate of 52 and is expected to climb to 57 by the end of next year. The production increase comes even as the Boeing continues to deal with fall-out from the crash of a Lion Air 737 Max in late October. Investigators have yet to determine an official determination of what caused the plane carrying 189 passengers to plunge into the Java Sea shortly after take-off from Jakarta. The initial investigation has raised questions about whether or not the plane's sensors and software malfunctioned, causing the 737 MAX to crash into the water. CNBC's Meghan Reeder contributed to this report. Former CBS CEO Les Moonves will not receive his $120 million severance package following a sexual misconduct probe, the company's board of directors announced Monday evening. "With regard to Mr. Moonves, we have determined that there are grounds to terminate for cause, including his willful and material misfeasance, violation of Company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the Company's investigation," the board said in a statement. The media executive resigned from his role at the company in September after a dozen women came forward alleging sexual misconduct. Moonves has denied the accusations of nonconsensual sexual relations. CBS shares were up slightly in extended trade. The stock has fallen sharply this year, declining nearly 20 percent since the start of 2018. A version of the report prepared for the CBS board said that Moonves destroyed evidence and misled investigators, The New York Times reported earlier this month. The lawyers wrote that they found Moonves to be "evasive and untruthful at times and to have deliberately lied about and minimized the extent of his sexual misconduct." Andrew Levander, Moonves's attorney, told the Times that Moonves "cooperated extensively and fully with investigators." Activist groups immediately praised the board's decision. "CBS has heard our call! No golden parachute for Moonves," the National Organization for Women's New York chapter wrote on Twitter. The group protested against Moonves's severance package last week at CBS's annual shareholders meeting. The company said that its inquiry into Moonves, CBS News and "cultural issues at CBS" did not turn up evidence of pervasive problems related to harassment and retaliation. But it noted investigators did uncover incidents of "improper and unprofessional conduct." Given the size of CBS's business, investigators concluded that the company was not providing adequate resources to its human resources department, to training and development, or for diversity and inclusion initiatives. The statement said that the company's "historical policies, practices and structures have not reflected a high institutional priority on preventing harassment and retaliation." The company said that it had already begun to take "robust steps" to improve its workplace. "Among other things, the Company appointed a new Chief People Officer, is actively engaged in ways to enhance and reimagine the Human Resources function, and has retained outside expert advisors to develop other initiatives for promoting a workplace culture of dignity, transparency, respect and inclusion," the statement said. Bijan Kian, board member of the U.S. Export-Import Bank and Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor. Bijan Kian, 66, and Kamil Alptekin were charged in U.S. District Court in Eastern Virginia with acting as unregistered agents of the Turkish government, according to court documents made public Monday. That conspiracy allegedly included a scathing op-ed article that Flynn wrote about the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, which was published on Election Day 2016. A former business partner of President Donald Trump 's first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, and another man have been indicted on conspiracy charges related to efforts to smear and win the extradition of an exiled Turkish cleric at the behest of the government of Turkey. Alptekin, a 41-year-old Turkish national who currently is in Turkey, also was charged with four counts of making false statements to the FBI, according to the indictment, issued by a grand jury last Wednesday. Kian, an Iranian-American who is a resident of San Juan Capistrano, California, appeared Monday morning in court in Alexandria, Virginia, and was released without bail. Kian served on Trump's transition team, in the division related to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. From 2006 through 2011 he was a board member of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The indictment offers new details about Flynn's work advancing the interests of the Turkish government, even as he remained one of the most outspoken and politically polarizing boosters of Trump's presidential campaign. Click here to read the indictment The two men are accused by federal authorities of attempting to "covertly and unlawfully" influence U.S. politics and public opinion in favor of extraditing Gulen, who was blamed by Turkey's president, Recep Erdogan, for an attempted coup in 2016. Cabinet-level officials in Turkey approved the budget for the project, according to prosecutors. "The defendants sought to discredit and delegitimize the Turkish citizen in the eyes of politicians," the court filing said. Flynn's firm, which had been hired by Alptekin's Netherlands-based company, was part of that alleged effort. Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, has denied that he was behind the efforts to overthrow the Turkish government. On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu claimed that the U.S. was "working on" extraditing Gulen to Turkey, The New York Times reported. Cavusoglu said that Trump made the comment to Erdogan during the recent G-20 summit in Argentina. The release of the indictment comes a day before Flynn, a 60-year-old retired lieutenant general, is due to be sentenced in federal court in Washington for making false statements to FBI agents. Flynn has been cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigations. A spokesman for the special counsel's office referred CNBC's questions to federal prosecutors in Virginia. Flynn last year pleaded guilty to lying about his conversations in late 2016 with the then-Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. But Mueller's team also noted in a sentencing memo earlier this month that Flynn also made false statements to the Justice Department related to work his company did "for the principal benefit of the Republic of Turkey" soon after the 2016 coup attempt. Police in London will deploy facial recognition technology in a two-day trial starting on Monday. Covering London's Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, the tech will scan faces in crowds and run them against a database of people wanted by London's Metropolitan Police and the courts. If the technology alerts officers to a match, police on the ground will review it and carry out further checks to confirm the individual's identity. The scanners will be deployed for around eight hours per day and positioned visibly alongside a uniformed police presence. The rollout is part of a wider policing strategy to reduce crime and violence in Westminster. Passers-by are entitled to avoid being scanned, and all footage will be deleted immediately after the trial. Faces matching the watchlist will be kept for 30 days. The Met has made efforts to inform the public about its use of the technology by handing out leaflets and placing posters in the areas where it will be deployed. Officers will also engage with members of the public to explain the process. However, the use of the technology has faced criticism, with campaign group Big Brother Watch (BBW) raising 6,685 ($8,440) in a crowdfunder to launch a legal challenge against its deployment. BBW says it used the U.K.'s Freedom of Information laws to obtain police figures which showed 100 percent of matches made by the scanners since May have been inaccurate. "The police's use of this authoritarian surveillance tool in total absence of a legal or democratic basis is alarming," Silkie Carlo, director of BBW, said in a statement. "The fact that it has been utterly useless so far shows what a terrible waste of police time and public money it is. It is well overdue that police drop this dangerous and lawless technology." Ivan Balhatchet, strategic lead for the project, said the Met Police had committed to four more trials of facial recognition technology by the end of the year. "We continue to engage with many different stakeholders, some who actively challenge our use of this technology," he said in a press release. "In order to show transparency and continue constructive debate, we have invited individuals and groups with varying views on our use of facial recognition technology to this deployment." Germany has agreed to one-time payments for survivors, primarily Jews, who were evacuated from Nazi Germany as children, many of whom never saw their parents again, the organization that negotiates compensation with the German government said Monday. The New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany said the government had agreed to payments of 2,500 euros ($2,800) to those still alive from among the 10,000 people who fled on the so-called "Kindertransport." This year is the 80th anniversary of beginning of the transport of the children to Britain from Nazi Germany and elsewhere in Europe. About 1,000 survivors are thought to be alive today, with about half of those still living in Britain, and the payment is seen as a "symbolic recognition of their suffering," Claims Conference negotiator Greg Schneider said. "In almost all the cases the parents who remained were killed in concentration camps in the Holocaust and they have tremendous psychological issues," Schneider told The Associated Press. Following the Nazis' anti-Jewish pogrom in November 1938 known as Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, the British government agreed to allow an unspecified number of Jewish children as refugees from Nazi Germany or territories it had annexed. Goldman Sachs is fighting back against criminal charges from the Malaysian government, saying it was the victim of deceptive Malaysian officials in a scandal that has rocked the bank's shares this year. The bank was criminally charged Monday by Malaysian authorities for its role in creating the state investment fund known as 1MDB. It's the first time the bank itself faces criminal charges for 1MDB, a $6.5 billion fund whose contents were plundered by a disgraced Malaysian financier and others. Malaysian officials are demanding at least $3.3 billion from Goldman Sachs for the episode. "Certain members of the former Malaysian government and 1MDB lied to Goldman Sachs, outside counsel and others about the use of proceeds from these transactions," the New York-based bank said in a statement. Authorities around the world, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore have looked into anti-money laundering breaches relating to 1MDB. Goldman Sachs shares fell, plumbing new lows for 2018, as the money laundering probe involving Malaysia's state investment fund "1MDB" took a more serious turn for the firm on Monday. Malaysia filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two employees, Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, in connection with the probe. Goldman raised $6.5 billion in 2012 and 2013 for the fund through three bond deals. In an emailed statement to Reuters, a Goldman spokesman said, "these charges are misdirected" and that the bank continues to cooperate with all authorities. Goldman Sachs shares have collapsed this quarter on developments with the probe and are now down 34 percent this year. With Monday's decline of 2.4 percent at 9:34 a.m., those losses were set to mount. The drop in the stock accelerated in early November after Malaysia's finance minister said he would seek a full refund on the $600 million in fees the country paid the bank for arranging the bond deals. Goldman also faces possible fines from a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into its role in the 1MDB scandal. Former Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein attended a 2009 meeting with Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho and an associate, who are accused with laundering billions of dollars from the fund, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Low has said he is innocent. CNBC's Hugh Son and Reuters contributed to this story. Google has set aside its controversial push to launch a censored search service in China, according to a new report by The Intercept, which first broke news of the project this summer. Alphabet's latest move comes after hundreds of employees protested the project, known as Dragonfly, and would reflect another response on the part of executives to internal disagreement with company plans. Earlier this year Google said it would not renew a government contract related to artificial intelligence, after employees spoke out against the work. Following years of being absent from China's web search market, Google had wanted to launch the Dragonfly product in early 2019, although now, amid outcry inside and outside of Google, the pressure seems to have caused leaders to "shelve it at least in the short term," said the report, which cited two unnamed sources. Many Google engineers working on the project have reportedly been reassigned to projects related to Brazil, Indonesia, Russia and other countries. A Google spokeswoman told CNBC in an email that it still wants to serve Chinese users. Last week Google CEO Sundar Pichai responded vaguely to questions about the Dragonfly project in a Congressional hearing. "Right now, we have no plans to launch search in China," he said. Read the full report here. WATCH: Google employees rip company over China search engine Sen. Lamar Alexander will not run for re-election in 2020, he announced Monday. The 78-year-old Tennessee Republican will serve out the rest of his current term. In a statement, Alexander said, "it is time for someone else to have that privilege" of representing the state in the Senate. "I have gotten up every day thinking that I could help make our state and country a little better, and gone to bed most nights thinking that I have," he said. "I will continue to serve with that same spirit during the remaining two years of my term." Alexander has represented Tennessee in the Senate since 2003. He also had stints as the U.S. Education secretary and as his state's governor. Alexander serves as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, a term limited position. His retirement will follow the departure of fellow Tennessee GOP Sen. Bob Corker, who will leave office next month. Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn beat Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen by more than 10 percentage points in the November race to succeed Corker. In a statement Monday, Corker called Alexander "one of the finest statesmen our state has ever seen" who will "leave behind a remarkable legacy." November's result suggests the Republican candidate in the 2020 race for Alexander's seat will likely enter as a favorite. Before the senator announced he would not run, nonpartisan forecaster Cook Political Report rated the seat as "solid" Republican. Bredesen, a former statewide election winner who ran as a moderate, was seen as a strong candidate with a fighting chance to snatch an open Senate seat despite Tennessee's pro-Trump leaning. But Blackburn was one of several GOP Senate candidates who outperformed polls leading up to November's elections. Republicans kept control of the Senate and will hold a 53-47 majority next month. Democrats won control of the House by gaining 40 net seats. Alexander led the Senate health committee during the ultimately unsuccessful GOP efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last year. The Republicans' health-care overhaul was unpopular, and played a role in the GOP losing control of the House. He recently helped to shepherd bipartisan bills through Congress to promote medical innovation and fight the opioid crisis. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for president in 1996 and 2000. Listen to a podcast with Lamar Alexander. Johnson & Johnson plans to repurchase $5 billion in shares after the company lost more than $50 billion in market value over two trading days following a scathing news report Friday. Reuters published an in-depth report that said the company knew for decades its talc baby powders contained asbestos and failed to disclose it. The article drove J&J's shares down 10 percent for the day. It shaved nearly $40 billion from its market value in what was its worst trading day in more than 15 years. The shares lost another 2.9 percent Monday. In total, J&J lost more than $50 billion over the two trading days. "Based on our continued strong performance and, more importantly, the confidence we have in our business going forward, the Board of Directors and management team believe that the company's shares are an attractive investment opportunity," CEO Alex Gorsky said in a statement. Nearly 12,000 lawsuits accuse J&J's talc baby powder of causing mesothelioma, ovarian and other types of cancers. Some juries have sided with J&J and others have been unable to reach verdicts. A Missouri jury in July ordered J&J to pay $4.69 billion in a case involving 22 women and their families. A judge affirmed the verdict in August, and J&J vowed to appeal it. The company has strongly denied the allegations in the Reuters story and has vigorously defended its talc baby powder. CEO Alex Gorsky told customers in video posted on its website and social media Monday that J&J stands behind its product. He said if it wasn't safe, it wouldn't be on store shelves. J&J has also started running ads in newspapers and on news websites with the tagline, "Science. Not sensationalism." The company said repurchases may be made at any time and were at management's discretion. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to pull Canada out of a multibillion-dollar arms deal with the Saudis, he said in an interview aired Sunday. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he told local network CTV, without elaborating. The deal, worth $13 billion, would supply the Saudi military with armored vehicles manufactured by General Dynamics' Canadian division. His comments represent an evolution in Ottawa's stance toward Saudi Arabia. In March of this year, the prime minister defended the deal for the armored vehicles, saying that honoring the contract, which was made under a previous government, "fully meets our national obligations and Canadian laws." And in October, Trudeau said that he didn't want to leave Canadians holding a "billion-dollar bill because we're trying to move forward on doing the right thing." He said that losing the deal would cost Canada $1 billion Canadian dollars, or $750 million, but also said that his government could freeze exports for certain weapons if it found they'd been misused. Among the vehicles slated for export, dozens are described as "heavy assault" and equipped with cannons, according to documents obtained by Canadian media. The potential decision is one that a few other governments have either taken up or are considering in the aftermath of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a U.S. resident frequently critical of the powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered by Saudi government operatives in the Istanbul consulate on October 2. The CIA has concluded the crown prince directed the murder, an allegation Riyadh fiercely denies. The killing triggered international outrage, and led a number of investors to suspend their work with Riyadh, though still more have so far chosen to carry on business as usual. It also put renewed spotlight on the Yemen War, where a Saudi-led bombing campaign has contributed to tens of thousands being killed. The UN, which calls Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis, says that the Saudi airstrikes are responsible for the majority of civilian deaths. Kroger Chief Financial Officer J. Michael Schlotman will step down from his role on April 3, when he will be succeeded by Gary Millerchip, chief executive of Kroger Personal Finance. Schlotman has been at Kroger for more than 30 years and has held the CFO role since 2000. Prior to Kroger, he worked at accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand. While under Schlotman's leadership, the company has doubled down on its digital investments, acquiring a stake in British online supermarket Ocado and meal kit company Home Chef. It's also trialed a number of partnerships, including a venture with Walgreens and Alibaba. It's been paring down its business as well, including the sale of its convenience store operations for roughly $2.15 billion earlier this year. Through its "Restock Kroger" program, it has invested in making its shelves more lucrative through analytics it can sell and use to better anticipate shoppers' needs. "Gary and Mike have a deliberate and thorough CFO transition plan with a singular focus a seamless transition," Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said in a statement Monday. In Millerchip's current role, he oversees the financial and retail services unit for Kroger's stores. He joined the company in 2010 from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Shares of Kroger closed Monday down about 2 percent, giving it a market capitalization of $23.1 billion. Year to date, the stock has gained more than 5 percent. Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. Of course, in case of need, the Fed, as a lender of last resort, can always relapse into mindless quantitative easing routines but that would again be a desperate measure of a seemingly never-ending crisis management. Markets, however, would be unlikely to greet with enthusiasm such a repeat performance. The fiscal policy lever is even more impaired. That is quite obvious from a gross public debt of $22 trillion (107 percent of GDP), and counting, and a public sector budget deficit currently estimated at about 6 percent of GDP. The latest data, released last Thursday, are pointing to a worsening trend of public finances. In the course of November, federal spending shot up 18 percent from the year earlier while revenues fell 1 percent in spite of relatively strong economic activity. For the first two months of the present fiscal year, the federal budget deficit soared 51 percent from the same period of 2017, and was running at a mind-boggling annual rate of $1.8 trillion. How, under those circumstances, can anybody expect that the financial markets could digest such a huge public sector borrowing requirement without causing considerable damage to asset prices? There are no easy solutions to that predicament, but a rapidly improving U.S. trade balance could go a long way toward preventing a major economic slowdown and providing some support to stretched market valuations. Here are a few numbers to show where the U.S. stands on that now. This year, the deficit on American foreign trade in goods and services is expected to take out of the economy more than $550 billion, or 2.7 percent of GDP. Goods trade alone is considerably worse. In the first 10 months of this year, the U.S. ran a $623 billion trade deficit with China, Europe and Japan. That amount represents 84 percent of the total gap on American international goods transactions. Passersby are silhouetted as a huge street monitor broadcasts news reporting ousted Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn's indictment and re-arrest in Tokyo, Japan December 10, 2018. Nissan failed to name a replacement for ousted Chairman Carlos Ghosn on Monday. Ghosn was apprehended in Japan last month over allegations that he had been under-reporting compensation and misusing company funds. Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa reportedly said Monday that talks to replace the embattled auto executive were ongoing, and that there was no deadline to announce a successor. The Japanese automaker instead announced the creation of a special committee aimed at boosting corporate governance. Nissan said Monday that the committee would be formed of independent third party members as well as outside directors, and will lay out recommendations on how to improve the firm's approval process for setting compensation for directors and creating "a healthy state of governance." "It has been confirmed that the proposed independent third parties are not related to or with any interest in the company, including any direct business with Nissan," the firm said in a press statement Monday. The future of the global auto alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi, which Ghosn had overseen for almost two decades, has been in doubt following his arrest. Both Nissan and Mitsubishi have ousted Ghosn, while Renault's board last week decided that he should stay in office. Last week, Renault said the board had found no irregularities in his pay packages between 2015 and 2018, and that the approval of his compensation was in compliance with the law. Nissan said it expects to receive recommendations from the special committee by March 31, 2019. A truck used to carry sand for fracking is washed in a truck stop in Odessa, Texas. Oil prices fell to a 14-month low on Monday on signs of oversupply in the United States and as investor sentiment remained under pressure from concern over the prospects for global economic growth and fuel demand. U.S. light crude ended Monday's session down $1.32, or 2.6 percent, to $49.88, settling below $50 for the first time since October 2017. The contract fell 4 percent towards $49 a barrel after the settlement, hitting the lowest level on an intraday basis since Sep. 13, 2017. Brent crude oil fell 67 cents, or 1.1 percent, at $59.61 per barrel. U.S. crude futures fell after inventories at the storage hub of Cushing, Oklahoma rose by more than 1 million barrels between Dec. 11 and Dec. 14, traders said, citing data from market intelligence firm Genscape. Traders and market participants closely watch supplies at the hub because it is the delivery point for the futures contract and underpins nearly all other regional crude grades. Russian intelligence officials waged a campaign to spread disinformation and exploit social fractures during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, two new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee show. But the social media disinformation campaign didn't end with the election of President Donald Trump. When reporters began to uncover evidence of their efforts, the Russian trolls kept trolling, according to the researchers. "As articles began to emerge about election interference pointing the finger at Russia the IRA didn't shy away or ignore it," experts affiliated with the firm New Knowledge wrote in their white paper, The Tactics & Tropes of the Internet Research Agency. Instead, they dug in, seeking to create further confusion and amplify the rifts that divided the country in the aftermath of Trump's victory. The researchers found that there were approximately 70 posts mocking the idea of Russian meddling. One account in particular, "The Red Pill," repeatedly hammered on this narrative. The Russian trolls targeted American media outlets that were covering the story, such as CNN and The New York Times, and pursued a broader assault on American information sources. The purpose of the campaign was to sow confusion and blur the lines between fact and fiction. The researchers found that the trolls accomplished their goals with "skill and precision." "It used derision and disparagement in content targeting the Right-leaning pages, to create and amplify the narrative that the whole investigation was nonsense, that [former FBI Director James] Comey and [special counsel Robert] Mueller were corrupt, and that the emerging Russia stories were a 'weird conspiracy' pushed by 'liberal crybabies,'" the researchers wrote. The trolling effort persisted after Mueller was appointed in May 2017 to lead the investigation into potential links between Trump and the Russian government. After his appointment, Mueller was personally targeted by the intelligence service, according to the researchers. "Posts designed to erode support for the Russia investigation, and some with the goal of discrediting Mueller himself, appeared on both Facebook and Instagram right-wing-targeted accounts in mid-2017," the researchers wrote in a slide show summarizing their research that was presented to the Senate committee this month. Many of the posts featured Trump's electoral rival Hillary Clinton. They came as Trump himself sought to downplay the investigation into his campaign and began referring to the probe as a "witch hunt." Saks Fifth Avenue is shutting its women's store at Brookfield Place downtown in New York, roughly two years after it opened. But the luxury department store operator will be keeping the men's portion of this location open. The women's shop is set to close Jan. 5, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC. The company said it had been using the store as a "test concept" to learn about how women liked to shop in New York. It said it "determined that [its female customers'] preferred format is a combination of our digital channels and our iconic Fifth Avenue flagship." "The decision to close this location was not easy, and we intend to transfer as many sales associates to new roles as possible," the spokesperson added. The closing of this Saks store comes as the retailer's parent company, Hudson's Bay, has been renovating Saks' flagship shop uptown on Fifth Avenue, giving its beauty department a facelift and adding more wellness options for shoppers, as examples. Also next month, Hudson's Bay will shut its flagship Lord & Taylor shop on Fifth Avenue, which is being replaced by co-working operator WeWork. Meanwhile, other department store chains Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus are growing in New York. Neiman Marcus is set to open a massive store at the new Hudson Yards development by Related in March 2019. Nordstrom earlier this year opened its first flagship men's store in the city near Columbus Circle, and will open a shop for women right next door next year. WWD first reported on the Saks Fifth Avenue store closing. A Brookfield spokesperson told CNBC the mall operator will "soon" announce a new "amenity-focused" tenant to fill the space. CNBC's Courtney Reagan contributed to this reporting. Saudi Arabia says it rejects last week's U.S. Senate resolution that put the blame for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi squarely on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The statement from the kingdom is an unusually strong rebuke of the Senate. Saudi Arabia said the resolution "contained blatant interferences" in its internal affairs and undermines its regional and international role. The kingdom has denied the crown prince was involved in Khashoggi's killing in October inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, masterminded by top Saudi agents close to Prince Mohammed. The statement early Monday says the kingdom "categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership... and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature." President Donald Trump talks via speakerphone to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to announce a deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) at the White House in Washington, August 27, 2018. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters A report compiled on online influence operations in the 2016 elections points to an "aggressive" effort by Russia to inflame sentiments on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter, with efforts dating back to as early as 2009. Russia increased those efforts as campaigning for the 2016 U.S. presidential election heated up, with the intention of boosting the candidacy of Republicans and then-candidate Donald Trump, the report says. "What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically, Donald Trump," the report says. The research was conducted for the Senate Intelligence Committee by Oxford University's Internet Institute. It describes an effort by Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA) to sow discord and polarize voters in the United States by creating and promoting news and opinion meant to amplify the most extreme views held by organizations on both the right and left of the political spectrum. The report also emphasizes that it is difficult to tell whether these campaigns genuinely persuaded individuals to vote one way or another. "Understanding precisely how social media platforms impact public life is difficult," the report says. The report gives a unique look into how the IRA was used to sow discord long before Donald Trump's candidacy, announced in June 2015, and then solidified around themes that would eventually send him to the White House. "These attacks against our country were much more comprehensive, calculating and widespread than previously revealed," said Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va. The IRA campaign began as early as 2009 in Russia, according to the report, with early tweets written in Russian and apparently tested on a domestic Russian audience, according to the report. "English language tweet activity increased somewhat in early 2014, before ramping up dramatically at the end of 2014 into 2015," the report states. The report says the IRA created Facebook posts that frequently "expressed tolerance of extremist views," by calling immigrants "parasites," and pitting groups such as veterans and immigrants against one another. The IRA also used paid Facebook and Instagram posts that mostly targeted African-Americans, followed by white voters divided into liberal and conservative segments, Latin American voters and Muslim voters, with smaller targeted campaigns. Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, center, speaks to supporters at the prime minister's official residence in Colombo on December 16, 2018. Sri Lanka's president accused newly reappointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of corrupt leadership in a scathing speech Sunday in which he voiced doubts about their ability to work together and signaled the 2-month political crisis is far from resolved. President Maithripala Sirisena administered the oath that returned Wickremesinghe to office, then gave a speech soon after the ceremony, telling the prime minister and a group of his lawmakers that he can't find people of honesty and integrity to help him take the country forward. "With the issues we have, I am not sure what guarantees we have that we could go on this journey together," Sirisena told Wickremesinghe. The swearing in took place privately, with only a few lawmakers in attendance and media not permitted. It initially indicated an end to the impasse, but Sirisena's speech is a sign of more acrimony, possibly leading to early parliamentary elections. A new Cabinet is expected to be sworn in soon. Wickremesinghe spoke separately at his official residence and refrained from responding to Sirisena. "Now I will assume duties of the office of prime minister," Wickremesinghe told his cheering supporters. "Unfortunately, during the past few weeks, the progress of this country and the development programs that we undertook were stalled," he said. "Not only that, the country went backward. Today we commit firstly to bring back normalcy and resuming the development program." In his televised speech, Sirisena said his reasons for firing Wickremesinghe included a lack of interest in helping investigate an alleged insider trade during a bond issue, in which a former Central Bank governor who is a close friend of Wickremesinghe is implicated. He also said Wickremesinghe's ministers alienated Buddhist monks by having them arrested for keeping unlicensed captive elephants at temples. Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist nation with an influential clergy. Sirisena also criticized Wickremesinghe for investigations into alleged abuses during the long civil war that ended in 2009. The president said Wickremesinghe had only government soldiers arrested but had not looked into prosecuting former Tamil Tiger rebels he said were hiding in foreign countries. "My view is that we should prosecute everyone, or else we should negotiate with the international community and free our soldiers (from accusations)," he said. Both sides were accused of grave wartime abuses. According to a U.N. report, at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed just in the final months of the fighting. Wickremesinghe had insisted his abrupt firing on Oct. 26 was unlawful. Sirisena's choice for prime minister, former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, lost two no-confidence votes in Parliament but continued to hold the office with Sirisena's support. When his opponents went to court, the Court of Appeal suspended Rajapaksa and his Cabinet from functioning in their offices. Rajapaksa asked the Supreme Court to lift the suspension, but it refused and extended the suspension until mid-January, forcing Rajapaksa to resign on Saturday. The suspension had left Sri Lanka without a government and in danger of being unable to spend government money from Jan. 1. It is also committed to repay $1 billion in foreign debts in January. "We can be proud of the way our Parliament and Supreme Court did their duties according to the law," Wickremesinghe said Sunday, adding that the Supreme Court had strengthened the freedom of the citizens by interpreting the law accurately. "We all need a normal life, we need our progress and it is to this that we are committed," he said. Sirisena was health minister in Rajapaksa's Cabinet when he defected to join Wickremesinghe and challenge Rajapaksa in the 2015 presidential election. After winning the election, he formed a government with Wickremesinghe as prime minister, but the two leaders started to have differences over economic policy and the investigations of alleged wartime abuses. Tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter did "the bare minimum" to comply with the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian misinformation on their platforms, according to two new third-party reports compiled for the committee. The reports were released Monday. The reports, commissioned by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, were conducted by two separate third-party research teams. One report was compiled by the cybersecurity company New Knowledge alongside researchers at Columbia University and Canfield Research LLC, while another was conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford in collaboration with the social media analysis company Graphika. The wide-ranging reports outline how Russian actors used social media platforms to spread divisive content in the lead-up and aftermath of the 2016 U.S. election. Once it became clear that social media platforms played a key role in the election, researchers from both reports said, tech companies did as little as they could to comply with researchers' requests. These companies may even have removed key metadata from the information they submitted to researchers, the New Knowledge report alleges. Facebook did not provide any account data to New Knowledge, and Twitter provided only shortened links, rather than data on full URLs, the report claims. Facebook submitted only organic post data from select Pages in English, the Oxford-Graphika report says, and chose not to disclose information in other languages or from Profiles and Groups created by Internet Research Agency, a business owned by a person with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said, "As we've said all along, Congress and the intelligence community are best placed to use the information we and others provide to determine the political motivations of actors like the Internet Research Agency. We continue to fully cooperate with officials investigating the IRA's activity on Facebook and Instagram around the 2016 election. We've provided thousands of ads and pieces of content to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for review and shared information with the public about what we found. Since then, we've made progress in helping prevent interference on our platforms during elections, strengthened our policies against voter suppression ahead of the 2018 midterms, and funded independent research on the impact of social media on democracy." Google made it harder for researchers to analyze its data by submitting IRA-purchased ads in image or PDF format, rather than in a machine-readable file, the Oxford-Graphika report says. Researchers claim Google should have easily been able to submit the files in a way that would be easier to analyze since the files it submitted had information "previously organized in spreadsheets." "Google's data contribution was by far the most limited in context and least comprehensive of the three," the researchers said, noting Google did not disclose account data on its ads, Google+ or YouTube. Google declined to comment, but pointed CNBC to its previous blog posts on political ad transparency and stopping the spread of misinformation. Of all the companies, Twitter provided the greatest amount of data in response to the request, according to the Oxford-Graphika report. "The average monthly Twitter post volume is over fifty thousand tweets per month, while the average monthly volume of Facebook ads, Facebook posts and Instagram posts is in the hundreds to low thousands, never exceeding the six thousand mark," according to the report. In a statement, a Twitter spokesperson said, "Our singular focus is to improve the health of the public conversation on our platform, and protecting the integrity of elections is an important aspect of that mission. We've made significant strides since 2016 to counter manipulation of our service, including our release of additional data in October related to previously disclosed activities to enable further independent academic research and investigation." Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. In a tweet that has since been deleted, the package delivery company said Sunday, "If your child addresses a letter to the North Pole, you can leave it with us. We do shredding." A tweet from The UPS Store went viral after the company's joke about shredding kids' letters to Santa this holiday season didn't quite land. Some Twitter users compared UPS to popular Christmas antagonists like the Grinch and the Scrooge, calling the tweet "dark." Others saw the humor in the tweet. @DustinGiebel The UPS Store went dark @jason_howerton The Grinch just got fired from his social media gig and UPS deleted this tweet @davepaisley "And his heart shrunk three sizes that day" The tweet, intended as a marketing tactic for The UPS Store's shredding service, missed the mark with some customers, said spokeswoman Staci Reidinger. "At the end of the day, we're not sitting here trying to offend anyone, we're trying to get people to just engage with us," Reidinger said. "And truly, we want people know that we do shredding." The tweet was part of The UPS Store's shift to a lighter, "whimsical" personality on Twitter with the goal of increasing engagement, Reidinger said. The Sunday post had more than 3,000 retweets and 11,000 likes before it was deleted Monday afternoon. Social media gives businesses the opportunity to develop their own voice, but they can also put their reputation at risk if used incorrectly. Consumer backlash comes swiftly when corporate social media accounts flub. It happened to Wendy's last year, when it tweeted an image of Pepe the Frog, a hate symbol. In 2014, United Airways posted a lewd tweet it later said was accidental. Turkey is not softening its stance on the U.S.-backed Kurds in northern Syria, whom it has threatened to attack much to the alarm of American officials. Speaking to CNBC in Doha Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu maintained that Ankara would not accept continued Kurdish paramilitary presence in the area. He argued that contrary to Pentagon warnings, Turkish actions would not endanger U.S. troops working alongside the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) that his government views as a primary enemy. "We are not risking American soldiers' lives, our target is the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and YPG terrorist organization, as it was in Afrin," Cavusolgu said, referring to Turkey's January offensive against Kurdish paramilitary units in the Kurdish enclave of northern Syria. Erdogan's focus on the Kurds as a primary threat has complicated Washington's plans in Syria, which include relying on YPG fighters to push out the Islamic State. Turkish President Recep Erdogan threatened on Friday that his forces would enter the northern Syrian town of Manbij if the U.S. doesn't remove the Kurdish fighters. "But if America believes that they are the shelter, the protector of this terrorist organization, that is something else," the minister said. "And we have the channels between the militaries to avert any friendly fire or accident, we have this channel and we have good mil-to-mil (military-to-military) cooperation as well." Pentagon: Unilateral military action is 'of grave concern' The White House has repeatedly warned against carrying out any such plan, and the threat from Erdogan prompted a call with President Donald Trump the same day during which the two agreed to "more effective coordination" between their countries' operations in Syria. At least 2,000 U.S. troops are working alongside the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the country's north. The Pentagon said 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." While Ankara and Washington are allies against IS in Syria, the two are at loggerheads over U.S. support for the YPG the backbone of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces which the Pentagon says has been vital in the anti-IS fight and in ridding much of northern Iraq and Syria of the terrorist group's presence. Turkey stresses the group's ties to the separatist PKK, a Turkish and U.S.-designated terrorist group that's carried out a violent decades-long insurgency in Turkey. Turkish army troops gather near the Syrian border at Hassa, in Hatay province on January 21, 2018. Bulent Kilic | AFP | Getty Images Twitter tanked 6.8 percent Monday after disclosing that one of its support form exposed user data to IP addresses in China and Saudi Arabia. Twitter said the it could not confirm whether the IPs were linked to state actors, according to its blog post disclosing the leak. Twitter said the data exposed included things like country codes of phone numbers linked to accounts and whether accounts had been locked by Twitter. Full phone numbers and other personal data were not exposed, according to Twitter. The company said it began working on the problem on Nov. 15 and resolved it by Nov. 16. It notified people whose accounts were affected and said they do not need to do anything further to secure their accounts, according to the blog post. The company was also called out Monday for its role in spreading misinformation by Russian actors around the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Two independent reports commissioned by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence were released Monday, revealing how a firm led by a man with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin used platforms like Twitter to influence American voters. According to the reports, all of the tech companies it reviewed failed to provide all available data on misinformation on their platforms. In response to an earlier request for comment on the report, a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement, "Our singular focus is to improve the health of the public conversation on our platform, and protecting the integrity of elections is an important aspect of that mission. We've made significant strides since 2016 to counter manipulation of our service, including our release of additional data in October related to previously disclosed activities to enable further independent academic research and investigation." Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. A view of the Boeing 737 Max plane of Air Italy during the unveiling of Air Italy's Boeing 737 Max at Malpensa airport on May 14, 2018 in Varese, Italy. An Italian airline is now caught in the middle of a simmering dispute over government subsidies between the largest U.S. airlines and state-owned Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways owns a 49 percent stake in Air Italy, which is planning to serve Los Angeles and San Francisco next year from Milan. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines say the Doha-based airline is using the carrier to offer flights to Europe, violating an agreement the Qatar government reached with the Trump administration last year. In January, Qatar Airways agreed to open its books and said it did not have plans to launch flights between the U.S. and destinations other than its home country, according to the Trump administration. Similar agreements were struck in May with United Arab Emirates carriers Abu Dhabi-based Etihad and Dubai-based Emirates. (Emirates currently flies from the New York area to Milan and Athens, an example of the so-called "fifth freedom" flights.) The four-year-old international feud is over allegations from U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines that several of their Persian Gulf rivals, known for their plush upper-class cabins, have received since 2004 more than $50 billion in subsidies from their home countries that create an unfair playing field for their U.S. competitors. "With regards to the Italian version of Qatar, we are strongly opposed, and we together Delta, American and United are very closely aligned on this issue," United's CEO Oscar Munoz said on a call with reporters last week. The expansion is an "an-in-your-face to our administration on agreements that have been reached." Some U.S. lawmakers are asking the Trump administration to step in. Eleven Republican senators, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, earlier this month sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao expressing concern about Air Italy's expansion. "Air Italy's entry into this crowded market appears consistent with Qatar Airways pattern of adding subsidized capacity in markets where demand is already well-served," said the letter. Qatar Airways and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When asked about the dispute, Air Italy emphasized that Qatar Airways owns a minority stake in the airline, but did not respond to the allegations directly. The 'Fearless Girl' statue stands at its new location in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, United States on December 14, 2018. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Wall Street firms' equity strategists see stocks posting gains for at least one more year, as earnings grind higher and the U.S. economy approaches its longest expansion since before the U.S. Civil War. Many strategists, including Bank of America's Savita Subramanian and Goldman Sachs' David Kostin, noted that investors may become more worried about the risk of an economic recession as the year goes on, front-loading the gains for the year. Still, the median strategist sees the benchmark S&P 500 index climbing to 3,000 by December 2019, implying more than 15 percent upside from current levels. To be sure, strategists' forecasts are getting further and further away, as the recent drop in stocks is making the targets appear more bullish than their outlooks suggest. The Dow has posted intraday swings of 250 points or more (about 1 percent) in 44 of the 54 days of the fourth quarter amid a spike in volatility that's making it more difficult to forecast. On a sector-by-sector basis, Wall Street's strategists still favor beaten-down information technology, health-care and financial services stocks. The sector should offer investors "superior growth" in the new year, while the recent sell-off has decoupled the tech stocks from a crowded momentum trade, J.P. Morgan strategist Dubravko Lakos-Bujas told clients. "Technology also possesses lower sensitivity to macro factors (e.g. rate, USD, oil) and should continue to benefit from elevated buyback activity," Lakos-Bujas added. "Such characteristics are typically sought after by investors in late cycle. We overweight Consumer Discretionary as a direct beneficiary of an expanding labor market and wage increases with some incremental upside from potential trade resolution." For her part, RBC chief strategist Lori Calvasina wrote that she's staying overweight on health care while market weight on utilities and REITs. Real estate, consumer staples and utilities were among the least favored sectors across Wall Street. Morgan Stanley's Wilson gets 2018 right Among the most bearish strategists was Morgan Stanley's Michael Wilson, who doubled down on his bearish 2018 call with a Street-low forecast for 2019. Wilson, who has often warned clients that he believes stocks are in a rolling bear market, sees the S&P 500 adding just 5.6 percent by the end of 2019 and finishing at 2,750. "After a roller coaster ride in 2018 driven by tighter financial conditions and peaking growth, we expect another range-bound year driven by disappointing earnings and a Fed that pauses," Wilson wrote on Nov. 26. "We think there is a greater than 50 percent chance we experience a modest earnings recession in 2019." Mike Wilson, Chief U.S. Equity Strategist and Chief Investment Officer at Morgan Stanley. Adam Jeffery | CNBC As the S&P 500 was posting its worst monthly losses in about seven years in October, Wilson broke with many strategists and firms who believed the market rout would be short-lived. At the time, Wilson wrote in a note, "The rolling bear market continues to make progress and there is growing evidence that it is morphing into a proper cyclical bear market." He was defining a "bear market" in terms of many stocks down 20 percent from recent highs, not the indexes. As early as Dec. 20, 2017, Wilson was one of the most bearish stock strategists on 2018 performance. Wilson has stood by his initial S&P 500 call of 2,750 for year-end 2018 throughout the past 12 months, making no adjustments to that price forecast. That target makes him the most accurate strategist tracked by CNBC over the past year. The S&P 500 closed Friday at 2,599.95, 5.5 percent below Wilson's target. Fears that the Federal Reserve could raise short-term rates too quickly paired with downward revisions to GDP growth caused a partial inversion of the yield curve earlier this month, a phenomenon often viewed as a recession prognostication. For 2019, economists polled by CNBC and Moody's Analytics showed The economists in the rapid update survey see fourth-quarter growth between 2.7 and 3.1 percent. Tracking forecasts for GDP take into account incoming data and are updated frequently. Chadha is biggest bull Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. 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 Apples plotted navigation into the consumer services market should generate a lot of cash for the company, but enterprises in the media space will be asking for a little more than the company customarily gives. The percentages game Apple is expected to introduce its Texture-based news and magazine service next year. This will probably cost $9.99 for all-you-can-eat access to most things, potentially with certain charging models for some titles and special supplements. There may be a few problems Apple must solve, though. When it comes to app sales, everyone seems pretty happy to pay Apple for the convenience of highly secure curated content. Apple gets to take a cut, and everybodys data is kept relatively secure (and where it isnt, Apple appears to be working on it). This Modus Operandi grew out of how Apple offered music, television, and movie shows through iTunes, when it started taking three-tenths of the cost to pay for things such as bandwidth, processing, and bill payments. The argument then was that Apple added value. Weve seen that model hit some criticism in recent months, as the sheer scale of the store and sales made through it mean many content creators feel that 30 percent is too much to charge. Theres an ongoing court case on this matter. Apple can, of course, argue that what it brings to the party in that percentage is access to a huge customer base, and you cant discount the billions it has paid to developers and various kinds of content creators so far. Connections are everything The other side of the service is connection. When you purchase an app from a developer online, you used to create a personal relationship with that developer. Thats not what happens on Apples stores, as Apple stands in between you and the person who created the content you use. Thats fine for most things I dont expect to develop a personal relationship with a DVD manufacturer, TV producer, or record label, and Ill probably turn to a service like Twitter to build a relationship or just follow an artist, writer, or actor. However, its a little different for other forms of content, particularly newspapers and magazines. Both of these forms of content need their own private and personal relationships with readers, who become their champions, their barometers of accuracy, their sources, critics and customers. We also know that the business model of more traditional media is built around highly segmented customer development and retention advertisers pay to get their message into the eyes of the loyal cohorts those media build. The problem is at least in Apple News and other Apple services theres no clear route by which publishers can assemble the kind of granular information about their readers they expect to build when publishing online or in print. Apple in the middle This puts Apple in the middle of the relationship with readers, which interrupts the personal communication you really need to build a good media outlet. It also leaves a social vacuum into which the many peddlers of fake news and prejudice-driven opinion can easily climb. There are some good reasons for Apple to put some barriers in these relationships. Privacy, security, and the ease with which some audience analytics companies were allegedly able to manufacture opinion in key elections are real problems. The tech industry is under pressure to find tech solutions to help mitigate the impact of such bad actors on public discourse. Events have proved that the same audience data gathered in relatively good faith by some online advertising giants can be abused. All the same, publishers desperately need that information to feed into existing advertising driven publishing models and if a solution isnt found that enables them to offer content profitably, then we can end up with less media, not more. And I strongly believe we need many voices to represent the diversity of public opinion and to oppose certain strains of fake news. That means a viable and sustainable business model is required. These are big challenges Apple must resolve Returning to Apple, all the feedback Ive heard is that publishers offering their content through Apple News arent making a great deal of cash in comparison to other services, which is dampening their enthusiasm to sign up for it though they do like the huge readership it brings. However, with Apple taking 30 percent of the cash before it is shared out, with little access to the precious demographic data publishers need, and no clear advertising model, Apple will face three big problems in making the service resonate with content creators: Wheres the money? Who is reading our stuff? Why do you take so much money and how does it help us write better stories? Wheres your investment in journalism? These three key questions will need to be properly resolved for the service to really succeed. There are plenty of reasons the service should succeed, of course there are. I think millions of happy Apple customers (including thousands of journalists) will want to be part of it. However, if the content creators (publishers, journalists, leafleteers, pamphleteers, and all the other people protected by the First Amendment) cant make a sustainable living from offering content through the service, it will become a philosophical desert occupied only by well-heeled media brands purveying a limited bandwidth of sentiment. The bottom line? When it comes to this particular new media service, Apple Vice President Eddy Cue will need to decide whether its goals will be to nurture diversity or to encourage further media consolidation. It will be interesting to find out. Please follow me on Twitter, and join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. May: A second referendum would further divide our country Theresa May will try to silence calls for a second referendum on Europe today, with Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, among the big hitters certain to back her. In some of her strongest language to date, the prime minister will tell MPs that another plebiscite would break faith with the British people and do irreparable damage to the integrity our politics. This newspaper revealed on Saturday that five cabinet ministers have been discussing endorsing a second referendum if all other options to avoid leaving the European Union on March 29 without a deal come to nothing In remarks that will highlight Mrs Mays great irritation at such an approach, the prime minister is expected to tell the Commons that another vote would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver; it would be likely to leave us no further forward than the last vote, and would further divide our country at the very moment that we should be working to unite it. The Scottish Tories are set to lead the charge against a referendum re-run. They have been telling the SNP that it cannot keep repeating the independence referendum until it gets the result it wants and fear that asking the country about Brexit again would undermine their case. The Times >Today: Nicky Morgans column: I wont support a second referendum even if the Government does. Heres why. >Yesterday: Cabinet 1) Hancock will urge the Cabinet to activate No Deal plans Aides of Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed he would call on colleagues on Tuesday to dramatically accelerate No Deal planning given the deadlock over the PMs Brexit deal. The Sun can reveal he activated the NHS own plans last week amid spiralling fears key medicines could be caught up in chaos at the border. One ally said: He doesnt want no deal but thinks its essential that we prepare for it as a possible outcome. The Sun >Today: ToryDiary: May must decide at tomorrows Cabinet to put no deal planning fully into effect Cabinet 2) Gauke says he would quit rather than accept No Deal Fox and Hinds support indicative votes in the Commons on a variety of plans The Times She cant keep running down the clock Daily Telegraph Leader How the Cabinet lines up Daily Mail Labour wants to force a vote on the deal The Times The Commons should vote swiftly The Times Leader In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Gauke warned that the pursuit of this outcome was not a decision the prime minister can responsibly take given the economic carnage that would ensue. The Europhile minister also warned that should parliament reject Mrs Mays compromise Brexit deal, in a vote earmarked for January, it would fuel populism and political parties offering simplistic solutions. The chances of the UK crashing out of the EU are rising, with Mrs May struggling to make progress at a European leaders summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday about potential changes to her withdrawal agreement that might persuade sceptical MPs to vote in favour of the deal. Asked if he could remain in the cabinet in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Mr Gauke said: I couldnt support a conscious decision to crash out at the end of March and I dont think there are many who could. FT >Today: Profile: David Lidington the Tory loyalist diverging from his leader over Brexit. And now tipped as her successor. Cabinet 3) Cox allegedly told colleagues the Prime Minister should be removed in quarter one of 2019 The Attorney General allegedly told Cabinet ministers that Theresa May must be removed from office after Brexit so others can take over and renegotiate her deal, The Telegraph has learned. During a conference call with Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid and Michael Gove, Geoffrey Cox is said to have told ministers that they should swallow the Prime Ministers deal for now. Three sources told The Telegraph that he then allegedly suggested during the weekend call that the Prime Minister would need to be removed for quarter one [April of next year] so we can take over the next stage. It was claimed that Mr Cox has made similar comments on more than one occasion. A spokesman for Mr Cox said: The Attorney General firmly denies any suggestion that he called for the PM to be removed. This is completely untrue. Daily Telegraph Support the Prime Minister until the end of March, then replace her George Freeman, The Times >Yesterday: WATCH: What is Foxs medical verdict on Mays deal? Its recovering. No cap on highly-skilled migrants, as the Home Office softens limits on low-skilled workers Sajid Javid, the home secretary, will announce that there will be no cap on highly skilled migrants from anywhere in the world. It will be part of an approach which he says will be based on skills, not where people come from, marking an end to EU freedom of movement. The scheme will also open the door to some low-skilled migrants from countries with no track record of abusing immigration rules. They will get short-term visas of up to a year. Once their time expires, they must leave and will be unable to return for up to a year. The Migration Advisory Committee suggested in September that there should be no route at all for low-skilled migrants, a proposal greeted with horror by business. Ministers subsequently agreed to soften the plan, with contentious discussions inside government about how to set these restrictions. The Times understands that there is also last-minute wrangling between the Home Office and the Treasury over whether so-called medium-skilled migrants will have to show they can earn 30,000 to enter. It is understood that the figure may no longer appear in the immigration white paper. The Times DUP MP calls for a return to direct rule Emma Little-Pengelly, MP for Belfast South, said that it was inappropriate for civil servants to be making life or death decisions instead of ministers. Her husband is Richard Pengelly, the most senior civil servant in Northern Irelands Department of Health. Mrs Little-Pengelly told Piennars Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday: We have said publicly . . . that we need the decision-making and democratic accountability in Northern Ireland. Its deeply disappointing we dont have a Northern Irish assembly there and we must work to continue that happening. In the absence of that its absolutely unacceptable that we have senior civil servants who are effectively making decisions. There is a significant issue here about democratic deficit and democratic accountability. Weve urged the government to step in. We dont desire direct rule, of course not, were a party of devolution. But in the absence of getting those institutions up and going in Northern Ireland we believe there should be ministerial decision-making from Westminster. The Times The DUP believe Boris Johnson supports such a position The Times The New Year is going to be even tougher for May than last week was Arthur Aughey, Belfast Telegraph Bercow is trying to stay on even longer Daily Mail >Today: Alan OKelly and Hugh Byrne on Comment: Its time for a Conservative Friends of Ireland group Clark plans to raise tribunal fines for firms that mistreat workers HS2 robbed property owners along its route to try to massage costs down Penalties on firms found guilty of mistreating staff are to rocket under the biggest package of employment reforms for a generation. Business Secretary Greg Clark will today reveal that companies found to have shown malice, spite, or gross oversight to employees will face tribunal fines of 20,000 up from 5,000. And the Government is also closing a loophole that allows agency workers to be employed on cheaper rates than permanent staff. Workers in the gig economy will also be entitled to holiday and sick pay. The measures follow the Matthew Taylor review in workers right. Mr Taylor last night told The Sun: Im 58 and this is the first time in my life a Conservative government has acted to help vulnerable workers. The Sun Bosses at HS2 have been accused of deliberately undervaluing homes and land needed for the 56 billion line in an attempt to cut costs. Businesses and householders on the route of the 250mph line claimed that they had been robbed by HS2 Ltd, the government-owned company responsible for delivering the scheme. One business owner said that he had lost hundreds of thousands of pounds after being forced to relocate without being given appropriate compensation. The comments will add to concerns over HS2s costs amid warnings that the scheme risks spiralling billions of pounds over budget Doug Thornton, the companys former land and property director, told the programme: There was a gap of almost 100 per cent in terms of the numbers, wrong numbers of properties that the organisation had not budgeted for. A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) in September said that the cost of buying land to make way for phase one of the line between London and Birmingham had tripled in four years. The Times Tube drivers pay packets rise above 100,000, even though much of the job is now automated The Times Lives at risk from delays in getting a GP appointment How we deliver health services evidently needs a rethink The Sun Says Tackling loneliness can improve health and reduce costs FT The NHS could raise 7 billion by exporting its expertise Layla McCay, The Times The services volunteer army is planned to double Daily Mail Liver disease is on the rise Daily Telegraph Private urgent care clinics tempt doctors away from A&E Daily Mail NHS guidance airbrushes fathers out of the picture, think tank warns Daily Telegraph Thousands protest against Orban Patients face a deadly postcode lottery to see a GP, with one in five waiting three weeks or more in some areas. That compares to others where one in 50 had a similar wait. Campaigners warn long delays to see a doctor are costing lives. A Sun investigation found 20 per cent waited at least 21 days to see a GP or nurse in North Norfolk. Next worst was West Norfolk with 18 per cent, South West Lincs on 17 per cent and several on 16 per cent, including the Isle of Wight and Swindon. Meanwhile, two per cent waited that long in Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley, Kent, NHS Digital figures say. Nationally, three million sick Brits waited at least 21 days in October. Medical leaders claim the figure includes those needing regular appointments for ongoing conditions. Joyce Robins from Patient Concern said: The delays put lives at risk. The Sun About 10,000 people have rallied in Hungarys capital Budapest against new labour laws, which have been labelled slave legislation by opponents. The crowds marched towards parliament and the state TV headquarters, in what was the fourth and largest protest since the laws were passed last week. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters near the TV station. New rules mean companies can demand up to 400 hours of overtime a year and delay payment for it for three years. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban says the labour reform will benefit workers as well as companies who need to fill a labour shortage. BBC News Labour should be wary of aiding Putins propaganda Edward Lucas, The Times The Kremlin wants to lead and direct rap music, in Soviet-style cultural clampdown Daily Mail Boys can have periods, schoolchildren in Brighton will be taught Gender-neutral pronoun ze to be allowed in Scrabble Daily Mail News in Brief School children will be taught that all genders can have periods in new sex education lessons, in a victory for transgender rights campaigners. The advice to teachers was approved by Brighton & Hove City Council as they try to tackle stigma around menstruation. The new advice follows a council report which said: Trans boys and men and non-binary people may have periods, adding that menstruation must be inclusive of all genders. Bins used for menstruation products will be provided in all toilets for children, according to the report. Daily Telegraph Profile: David Lidington the Tory loyalist diverging from his leader over Brexit. And now tipped as her successor. Lidington is one of the guilty men in this process. These words, spoken by Iain Duncan Smith, leaped from the pages of yesterdays Sunday Times. It is astonishing, and until recently would have been inconceivable, to hear such abuse, flung anonymously in 1940 against Neville Chamberlain and other supporters of appeasement (Michael Foot was one of the three authors), directed by a fellow Conservative MP at the loyal, amiable, capable, self-effacing and unmemorable David Lidington. Keith Simpson, who has known Lidington since they worked as ministerial advisers in the late 1980s, said of him this weekend: I dont think hes got an enemy in the House of Commons. But Lidington, a Remainer who is conventionally described as Deputy Prime Minister in all but name, now finds himself suspected, by some Eurosceptics, of colluding with Labour MPs to try to bring about a second EU referendum. This site yesterday warned of the danger of an SDP Mark Two being built from the top down, and remarked of Lidington that for such a lifelong Conservative a Tory to his bones to collude in discussing realignment [with Labour MPs] would surely be several steps too far. Lidington responded to the coverage of him in the Sunday press by tweeting, I listen to views of MPs on all sides of EU debate, and referring to the opposition he expressed in the Commons last Tuesday to a second referendum. And one of his Cabinet colleagues yesterday afternoon remarked to ConHome that if Duncan Smith were Prime Minister, Lidington, a quintessential party loyalist, would work as hard for him as for any other Conservative leader. Helping the present Prime Minister get her deal through the Commons entails finding out how Labour MPs might vote, being told by some of them that they yearn for a second referendum, and then putting it to them that since they are not going to get one, they would surely prefer to vote for Mays Withdrawal Agreement rather than allow Britain to crash out of the EU with no deal. Or as Lidingtons ministerial colleague put it: He is not a plotter. He would go to hell and explain to Satan that dominion over all creation is not on offer, and in the absence of that, could we please come to a satisfactory arrangement on the future of Dr Faustus. But Mays Cabinet is so divided that any talks held out of the public eye are in danger of being seen as suspicious. A former colleague says of Lidington: I did notice how even before Chequers in July he was doing a lot of flying around Europe without the knowledge of Boris Johnson or David Davis. Lidington accumulated a detailed knowledge of other European capitals while serving as Minister for Europe from 2010-16, a post he had also shadowed in Opposition. This is one of many reasons why he is so valuable to May. He knows the European issue inside out, and like her is a Remainer who has publicly accepted the referendum result. This should not, however, be allowed to define his whole identity as a politician. He is a One Nation Tory, a devout Anglican (though born a Congregationalist) who is a man of moral seriousness. In his maiden speech, he quoted Edward Gibbons damning verdict on one of his best-known predecessors, John Wilkes: A thorough profligate in principle as in practice His life stained with every vice and his conversation full of blasphemy and bawdy. No praise here for Wilkes as the father of civil liberty (as Boris Johnson wrote in an admiring essay). Lidington is the sort of Tory who turns out to have rather stern views, as he showed during the debate on the legalisation of same-sex marriage: I think that marriage is such an important institution in our society that its definition should not be altered without an extremely compelling case for doing so. The Bills supporters have argued that the definition of marriage has changed over the years, citing the institution of civil marriage in the nineteenth century and changes to the age at which a person may legally marry. But that is to ignore the fact that whatever changes have been made, the essential nature of marriage in this country and in Europe as a whole has been as a public institution that binds together one man and one woman, exclusively and permanently. Its purpose is not only to provide mutual love and commitment but also for the procreation and care of children. Born in 1956, the same year as the Prime Minister, he was educated at Haberdashers Askes School and at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he read history, chaired Cambridge University Conservative Association and in 1979 demonstrated his keen but wholesome competitive spirit by captaining the team from Sidney Sussex which won University Challenge. This feat he repeated in 2002, when he led Sidney Sussex to victory in the champion of champions contest held to mark the 40th anniversary of the programme. He had the intellect required for an academic career, and in 1988 received his doctorate for a thesis on The enforcement of the penal statutes at the court of the Exchequer c.1558 c.1576. But instead he entered politics, serving in the late 1980s as an adviser to Douglas Hurd at both the Home Office and the Foreign Office. At the 1987 general election he stood and lost in Vauxhall, and in 1992 he won the seat, Aylesbury, for which he still sits. He was able recently to tell his ministerial colleagues that unlike them, he was an MP at the time of Black Wednesday, and they could not have that level of chaos again, which by implication they would have in the event of no deal. From 1994 Lidington served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Howard, and from 1997 in the same capacity for William Hague. He shadowed various posts, including Northern Ireland (in which he has maintained a close interest), before being demoted by Cameron to the role of Foreign Affairs spokesman, outside the shadow Cabinet, followed by the long stint as Europe Minister. The present Prime Minister is appreciative of merit never fully recognised by the Cameroons, and promoted Lidington to be Leader of the House and then Justice Secretary, before bringing him to Number Ten at the start of this year, when her friend Damian Green was forced to resign and Lidington took over as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, though not as First Secretary of State. I am the man who stands on the stage spinning plates on the top of poles, Lidington recently told The Spectator. Every now and then the PM gives me another plate and I have to keep that going as well. In the same interview, given at the end of September, he supplied a curiously unclear answer when asked if he wants her to carry on: She will decide, in due course, what she wants to do. But now, she is focusing on the task in hand. He chairs a large number of Cabinet committees, belongs to even more, and deputises for the Prime Minister in the Commons. When she is performing there, he can usually be seen on the left-hand side of the picture, looking cheerfully supportive, though in the last week or two he has appeared markedly less perky. He has an impressive grasp of the issues in his constituency, is respected by his parliamentary neighbours, who include the Speaker, John Bercow, and is married to Helen, a primary school teacher. They have four grown-up sons. Although Lidington is unknown to the wider public, and has betrayed no sign of charismatic tendencies, he is liked and trusted by his fellow Tory MPs. As Simpson observes, Lidington belongs to the Breakfast Club of Tories who gather each morning in the Members Tea Room, where he can be found fortifying himself with poached eggs on granary toast. In Simpsons words, Its like an RAF officers mess no larks tongues in aspic for us. There could be few better places to take the temperature of the parliamentary party, while showing one is without side. Regular attenders include Andrew Selous, Alec Shelbrooke, Gavin Williamson, Mark Spencer and two or three of the Scottish Tory MPs. Steve Barclay often comes in to get a coffee and chats for ten minutes. According to The Times, Lidington belongs to a group of five Cabinet ministers the others are Amber Rudd, Philip Hammond, David Gauke and Greg Clark who lean reluctantly towards a second referendum if all other options are exhausted. But despite the convulsions of the last 48 hours, he remains a highly respected figure, about whom encouraging as well as discouraging things are said. In Saturdays Daily Mail, Peter Oborne ran through the runners and riders for the succession to May, before backing a complete outsider as far as the bookies are concerned (though in political terms, a complete insider): John Moss: The next Mayor of London needs to back redevelopment of council estates, to get the new homes we need Cllr John Moss is the Conservative Policy Forum Champion for the delivery of affordable housing, a Councillor in Waltham Forest, and the Chairman of an Almshouses Charity. The property agent, Savills, and the think-tank, Create Streets, have calculated that across London, councils could rebuild 100,000 council homes and add another 100,000 more homes in mid-rise London vernacular streets. This requires about half of Londons larger council estates to be redeveloped. The current Mayor has offered small amounts of money to support this. However, he has also put in a requirement for a ballot and these schemes are often difficult to get this going because councils almost always only look at individual estates. That makes it hard to create a timeline of decant, demolish, rebuild and re-house without adding considerably to the cost of the project. Councils need to think bigger. They need to look at this as something like that game where you have eight tiles in a block with nine squares and where you move them around to create a whole new picture. For the eight tiles, think eight different council estates, possibly not even in the same Borough, but close enough to allow residents to see them as local. The key of course is finding the empty square to allow the first move to be made. So perhaps the Mayor should run a competition open to individual councils or groups of councils, challenging them to identify 5,000 homes across their boroughs which can be demolished and replaced with 10,000 homes? In return, the Mayor could offer to fund the rent on, say, 200 homes for the people who need to move out first to create the empty square. If the net cost of renting those homes was 500 a month, then it would cost just 3,000,000 to move people off site for two and half years. Plenty of time to get a first phase built to allow them to return. If 400 homes got built in that phase, the first movers can return and the next batch of 200 households can move straight into their new homes, releasing the next phase. Each phase after that would see 200 movers and 200 new households accommodated. And there is no reason this could not be scaled up and happen across multiple sites. By opening up the first empty square, the whole process can get going. From there it just rolls on and the Mayor could even get their initial investment back from future Right to Buy sales on the re-developed estates. With the lifting of the debt cap, there is a real appetite in councils to build more homes. Any Conservative Mayor ought to be proud to support that and it would demonstrate a real commitment to helping those who often suffer the worst housing conditions. It would be a fine legacy to say they had improved the quality of housing for existing tenants and created double the number of council homes that were there before. Alan OKelly is Executive Director of the Conservative Ireland Association, an organisation that has just been recently established to create links with the Irish community, and is Deputy chairman (Political) of Putney Conservative Association. Hugh Byrne is a Wandsworth Borough Councillor. The relationship between Ireland and the UK is as complex as ever. But regardless of any current political differences, the UK has provided jobs and homes for hundreds of thousands of Irish people over the last century. Today, nearly 400,000 Irish-born people currently reside and work in the United Kingdom. This represents a huge number of people who can vote in the United Kingdom, thanks to agreements that pre-date the EU by several decades. It is also estimated that six million people in the UK can claim Irish citizenship by virtue of having at least one Irish grandparent. It is estimated that 35,000 Irishmen died fighting for Britain in the First World War and, since then, Irish people have played an important role in helping to develop the British economy: supplying labour to help to rebuild our cities after the Second World War and by contributing to the development of the NHS. Much of this immigration was driven by economic necessity, though newer waves of Irish immigrants to the UK are now more likely to work in the technology and business sectors. As a result, their aspirations tend to be aligned with the values of our party. However, for historical reasons the Irish community has tended to show an antipathy or ambivalence toward the Conservative and Unionist party, and the Irish vote is usually claimed by Labour. This is at odds with the natural tendency of Irish people to be socially and economically conservative in their thinking, with a strong focus on the family, work, and home ownership. It is more than possible to be a proud Irish person and a Conservative at the same time, despite the Partys full name. In the years following the Acts of Union until the War of Independence, over 100 Irish MPs sat in the commons, a fact frequently noted in the novels of Anthony Trollope and personified by one of his most famous characters, Phineas Finn. The Party has not yet cultivated a formal relationship with the Irish community in Britain and this is an opportunity to reach out to what can be a powerful network. Analysis which we have conducted shows that in several key marginal constituencies the number of Irish-born voters is greater than the margin needed to win the seat. The Party is missing an opportunity to engage with this community who could and would support it, given the right support and encouragement. Many are already involved in the Conservative Party, whether in local government or as constituency officers or volunteers, but we believe that the time has come for the Conservative Party to acknowledge the Irish diaspora on more formal level, which is why we have established the Irish Conservative Association. This new group will seek to build a bridge between the Irish community in the UK and the Conservative Party. We will be a member-led organisation promoting the values and ideals of the Conservative Party across the UK. This new group is open to anyone with an Irish background or an interest in Ireland. We believe that participation and inclusion will be key to our success going forward and we are proud that Maria Caufield has agreed to act as our Chair. The relationship between the UK and Ireland will always be important one, and one that has changed dramatically over time. While the debate over Brexit has increased tensions, we believe that our two countries still have much in common, not to mention our economic ties and shared border. Our aim is to foster and deepen the relationship between the Irish community here in Britain and the Conservative Party. Establishing this group will have many benefits for the party and over the coming weeks we hope to announce a variety of initial events that will take place in the new year. If you would like to get involved, please drop us a line at conservativeirelandassociation@gmail.com. Six years ago, the TaxPayers Alliance reported that in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories. Since then, the figures have varied, and some Conservative members or supporters have been selected to fill important posts. Nonetheless, it remains the case that, since it took office in 2010, our Party has punched beneath its weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply dont apply in the same number as Labour supporters. To help remedy this, every week we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives might be aware of the opportunities presented. The Crown Estate Chief Executive Officer The Crown Estate is a 14bn UK real estate business with a portfolio unlike any other. It includes some of central Londons best places to work, shop and visit as well as brilliant destinations across the country (including retail assets and Windsor Great Park). We also have a substantial rural and coastal portfolio, and play an active role in the UKs world-leading offshore wind sector. We actively manage our portfolio to deliver strong returns for the nations finances, contributing over 2.7bn in the last 10 years. We take a long term view, working alongside our customers, partners and communities to create great experiences. We call this creating brilliant places through conscious commercialism. The Crown Estate is seeking a new Chief Executive who will lead the continuing transformation of our business. We are moving from a bricks and mortar model to one that delivers services and experiences to build deep relationships with customers and community, delivering value for all our stakeholders, and seizing the opportunities that demographic, social and technology trends create. Time: Full-time. Remuneration: Remuneration commensurate with the role and responsibilities. Closes: 17 December British Business Bank Non-Executive Director The UK Government established the British Business Bank (BBB) in 2014. The British Business Bank is 100% Government owned, but independently managed. It brings expertise and Government money to the smaller business finance markets. The Bank doesnt lend or invest directly. Instead it works with over 100 partners such as banks, leasing companies, venture capital funds and web-based platforms. Businesses apply for finance through its partners who, because they work with the Bank, can lend and invest more, especially to younger and faster growing companies. In total the Bank works through more than 100 finance partners in the market, and will unlock up to 10 billion of new finance and bring greater choice and information on finance options to smaller businesses Board members promote the highest standards of corporate governance with the personal credibility and presence to engage, as needed, with Ministers and senior Government and business stakeholders. This is a collaborative Board with a constructive approach and a strong belief in the Banks mission. Time: Approx. 20 days per annum. Remuneration: 25,000 per annum. Closes: 18 December Construction Industry Training Board Trustee CITB is the statutory skills body for the construction industry in Great Britain and its purpose is to make better provision for the training and maintenance of skills in the industry. CITB raises around 200m annually via a training levy, and works closely with employers and the Government to ensure national construction skills needs are met. CITB seeks to create the culture and conditions that will deliver new ways of working, embracing new technologies, creating a demand in construction for more skills, new skills and higher-level skills. CITB aspires to be at the forefront of effective commissioning and grant practice and is undertaking a high-profile transformational reform programme in order to achieve this Trustees will bring their specific knowledge and expertise to the Board. They seek to deliver the statutory functions of the Board in the best interests of the Construction Industry as a whole and must make decisions independent of any affiliation to their own business or sector interests. Time: ~Two days per month. Remuneration: None. Closes: 20 December Consumer Council for Water Chair The Chair has the following leadership responsibilities: lead on formulation of the Councils strategy; leading the board in its relationship with the Executive, providing support but constructively challenging where necessary; acting as the public face of CCWater to raise its profile not only with consumers but also policy makers and government; campaigning on behalf of consumers and championing their views to Ofwat, policy makers and Government; ensuring that the board, in reaching decisions, takes proper account of guidance provided by Welsh ministers and/or the Secretary of State of appropriate departments; promoting the efficient and effective use of staff and other resources; and delivering high standards of regularity and propriety. Time: Two days per week. Remuneration: 33,280 per annum. Closes: 07 January Home Office Designate Commissioner for Domestic Abuse Domestic abuse is a terrible crime. Two million adults a year experience it, yet it remains largely hidden, as most victims do not speak to the police or other public bodies. And when they do the quality of the services which they receive will vary significantly according to where they live. Transforming the response to domestic abuse is a key priority for the Government, so we are establishing a Designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner, which will offer a unique opportunity to make a huge difference to victims and survivors of domestic abuse across England and Wales. The post holder will provide public leadership on issues of domestic abuse, ensure that the voices of victims and survivors are heard, and drive real improvements in the provision of services. Time: 2-3 days per week. Remuneration: 108,000-140,000 per annum pro rata. Closes: 07 January Ministry of Justice Victims Commissioner The Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Victims Commissioner or the Commissioner) is a statutory role, established in legislation under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 and amended by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. The Secretary of State for Justice (Justice Secretary) is responsible for appointing the Commissioner and in doing so must consult the Attorney General and Home Secretary. The role is independent of government The Commissioner may, for any purpose connected with the performance of their duties as above, make proposals to the Justice Secretary for amending the Victims Code (at the request of the Justice Secretary or on their own initiative); make a report to the Secretary of State; make recommendations to an authority within their remit and consult any person they think appropriate. Time: Full-time. Remuneration: 108,000 per annum. Closes: 11 January Department for International Development Independent Commissioner for Aid Impact A Board of Commissioners is being recruited to ICAI for a single four-year term from 2019. As a Commissioner you will use your professional expertise, experience and senior leadership skills to set the direction for ICAIs work, ensuring it delivers high quality, impartial scrutiny of the impact and value for money of UK aid. You will work as part of teams to generate credible assessments of UK aid spending. You will work independently to hold Government to account, reporting directly to Parliament. A full information pack, along with supporting documentation, can be found at the foot of the advert. To be successful in this role you will need to demonstrate successful leadership within your specialism with extensive experience in international development and in at least one of evaluation, audit or finance contexts as well as an understanding of public policy. Time: 70 days per annum. Remuneration: 381 per diem, plus expenses. Closes: 23 January Civil Nuclear Police Authority Independent Members The Civil Nuclear Police Authority (CNPA) is a body corporate established by the Energy Act 2004 and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The CNPA has a statutory responsibility for maintaining an efficient and effective Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC). The CNC provides an armed response capability for the UKs civil nuclear industry, operating from units based at licensed nuclear sites throughout the UK and providing armed escorts road and marine for movements of nuclear materials within the UK and overseas. The CNPA sets the strategic direction for the CNC and ensures that its policing meets the needs of the nuclear operating companies. This could mean denying unauthorised access to nuclear material or recovering control of nuclear material lost to unauthorised persons. Time: 35 days per annum. Remuneration: 17,500 per annum. Closes: 27 January In so far as Theresa May has a Brexit strategy left, it appears to be her Chicken Game thats to say, pushing a vote on her deal back until as late into the New Year as possible, in order to present MPs with a stark choice as Brexit Day looms: my deal or no deal. Conservative opposition to it, spooked by the prospect of leaving the EU with no arrangements in place at all, would then crumble and the deal would pass the Commons. Evidently, Downing Street still hopes against hope that the EU will make concessions on the backstop sufficient to speed this outcome. The Prime Minister is therefore likely to resist the pincer movement on her tomorrow from two groups in the Cabinet. The first is prepared to tolerate if not welcome No Brexit, via the means of a second referendum: an indicative Commons vote on options might pave the way for that. The second is in the same position about No Deal, and wants planning for it stepped up. Our hearts are not warmed by the prospect of No Deal. There are potential medium-term upsides to it, in economic terms, but considerable short-term downsides. Leaving the EU with no political or economic arrangements in place at all trading on WTO terms is usually conducted with side-deals that would presumably be absent in this case would obviously be a step into unknown country. But while the short-term economic consequences of No Deal might be hazardous, the medium-term political ones of No Brexit could be disastrous. There is little enough faith in our political system as it is. The spectacle of Britains pro-EU ascendancy, Tony Blair and all, colluding to frustrate the biggest vote in Britains electoral history might kill what trust remains off altogether. Be in no doubt that, in any second vote, the question, the campaigns, and the electorate would be rigged. To take one example almost at random, the losers of 2016 wouldnt dare face Dominic Cummings and his Vote Leave team again. There is another reason why the Cabinet should reject an indicative vote and go for full no deal planning tomorrow. No deal is the default. The Prime Minister has reaffirmed that Britain will leave the EU on March 29. But even if she folds, it could happen given the Parliamentary and legal difficulties integral to any attempted reverse. So it is simple prudence to prepare fully. The key element is to write to firms advising them not merely to prepare No Deal plans, but to put them into effect. This should have been done by November 27. Some Cabinet members are aghast at the irresponsibility of delay, with one describing it to ConservativeHome as a dereliction of duty. Matt Hancock is reported today to have taken matters into his own hands, given the irresolution at the top of government, and pushed the button on full NHS no deal preparations. The longer full planning is delayed, the more severe the treatment of the Prime Minister, in particular, by the inevitable inquiry into the handling of Brexit will be. She would also be well advised to take up the idea, now being punted by Penny Mordaunt, of a managed no deal. It may well not fly but, if No Deal happens, the Government must make every attempt it can to minimise the difficulties. 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. We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds.. 100% Website travimp.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 869 bytes (0.85 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-09-17, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Ashleigh Stewart, journalist New Zealand has recently returned from Baku to Wellington. During her trip to Azerbaijan, feijoa amazed her the most. She wrote about these and other impressions in the article "Baku, Azerbaijan is shaking off its Soviet shackles", published by Stuff. My guide held up a little green spherical fruit, and furrowed her brow, seemingly attempting to find the words in Azeri to describe it. As she turned it over in her palm, I couldn't help but think it looked remarkably like a certain fruit New Zealanders are genetically predisposed to fawn over. "This is very famous in Azerbaijan," Assia began. "They're grown all over, I don't know how to describe it" Could it be?! The last time I'd seen one of these was when a friend flying back from New Zealand into Dubai presented us with a singular one he'd smuggled in at the bottom of his bag - which I'd preceded to hold triumphantly in the air like the Holy Grail. "It's a little fruit, we make it into juices but you can eat it like this too" It can't be "It's called a 'feh-wa'," she finished. I stared at her incredulously. As it turns out, the humble feijoa has found quite the foothold in Azerbaijan, the small country in the Caucasus region, wedged in between Iran to its south, Russia to its north, and Georgia and Armenia to its west. You'll find it everywhere from your hotel breakfast buffet, to a restaurant menu, to distilled in a juice. In fact, the Azeri people claim their country as the second homeland to the feijoa after South America, despite the fact that New Zealand has all but taken it upon itself to endear the world to the tiny fruit. This might've been the moment, in a tiny restaurant on the Caspian Sea just outside of Baku, that I fell in love with this country. You might not know much of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, and its capital of Baku, aside from perhaps a vague recognition of its iconic Flame Towers, rising above Baku in all their glassy, bulbous glory. And indeed, the city is a sight to behold even as you first drive in from the airport. It's littered with architectural marvels. What would be a flashy headquarters of a multinational corporation anywhere else, turns out to be a humble hypermarket. Even the petrol stations look like they've been fashioned out of architectural blueprints for the future. The oil boom is largely to credit for the country's change of fortunes, but it hasn't always been this way. Azerbaijan first proclaimed its independence in 1918, becoming the first democratic state in the Muslim-orientated world, before being incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. It didn't manage to writhe out of the grasp of the Soviets until 1991, when it reclaimed its independence a couple of months before the dissolution of the USSR. But all is not quite yet well in the region. The Nagorno-Karabakh region between Azerbaijan and Armenia remains a disputed territory, and has soured relations between the two countries. You can't cross directly from one to the other - having to go through Georgia instead - and if you're heading on to either one and have stamps from the other in your passport, expect a few questions from border control officers. Luckily, it's done nothing to deter tourism, and it seems that this is where the city is looking to prop up its economy in the face of dwindling oil stocks. Well that, and the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Azerbaijan you see today - all gleaming skyscrapers, spotlessly clean streets, flashy architectural wonders and a Zaha Hadid centrepiece - is a long way from the meeting place on the Silk Road it once was. Modern-day Baku is a direct result of two-thirds of the country being utterly impregnated with oil. In fact, this country is considered one of the birthplaces of the world's oil industry - and by 1901, Azerbaijan produced more than half of the world's oil. Today, oil derricks and pumps are still dotted across the landscape, even across the city. It's even become something of a tourism draw in itself. Just outside of Baku you'll find Yanar Dag, a fire that burns permanently on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula thanks to the gas oozing from the earth, a sight which has been mystifying tourists for years. Baku itself is a seamless incorporation of the old and the new. Not far from the iconic Flame Towers - the trio of serpentine skyscrapers that also house the Fairmont Hotel - you'll find the cobblestoned streets of the UNESCO-listed old town, or the 12th century Maiden Tower. Along the sweeping Bulvar, a striking promenade that runs several kilometres along the waterfront, you'll find the almost-completed Caspian Waterfront building - which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Sydney Opera House - and the Carpet Museum; a cylindrical object built to resemble a monolithic, gleaming, rolled carpet. The Heydar Aliyev Center, built without any straight lines and housing a museum and a n auditorium, is one of the world's best examples of famed Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid's work. Hadid died in 2016. Drive a bit further into the suburbs and you'll find the historic 18th century Atesgah Mbdi, a fire temple originally built by Zoroastrians; or out to the Gobustan National Park, and you'll bear witness to more than 6000 UNESCO-listed rock engravings etched into a plateau of rocky boulders, dating back over 40,000 years. Azerbaijan even boasted the world's highest flagpole until Turkmenistan knocked it off its lofty pedestal with one three metres higher. The world's second-highest flagpole has since disappeared, and Assia tells me in a hushed voice that it's clear that th up to construct one even larger. Apparently there's even talks of a Baku Disneyland, she adds. And yet, Azerbaijan's Soviet past hasn't been erased completely. The city still bears some of the scars of that era in the form of Russian Imperial or Soviet buildings, and the sombre hilltop memorial of Martyrs' Lane. Assia recounts the Soviet period with a mix of nostalgia and solemnity. After all, her grandfather worked for and with Stalin closely, and her father was a well-respected colonel. But perhaps nothing better personifies the country's Soviet past than the trip out to the famous mud volcanoes, near Gobustan. We need to change cars to get out to the volcano site, Assia says, as most taxi drivers refuse to take their cars over the rugged, hilly landscape. As I stepped out from our Mercedes-Benz, I was expecting a hardy four-wheel-drive primed for the arduous journey. What I was met with instead, was a beat-up old Lada. These old cars ply their trade across the countryside, going where no Mercedes-Benz would dare, and hooning over a countryside that would be solely the realms of a Pajero or Hilux in New Zealand. Admittedly, it fared impressively well. These days, Baku is testament to a country flexing its muscles across a multitude of industries, free from its Soviet shackles. Assia explains that its culture revolves around looking after one another, in more ways than one. It's not unusual for strangers to chat in the street, pay for each other's bus fares, or buy each other food. "We are smiling and saying hi to each other - the tourists think we know each other. We don't know each other," she says. "These are very traditional things that can't be destroyed. We will not be under other people's influence, we keep our roots here. It's all about respect." And if nothing else, come to Azerbaijan for our cultures' mutual love for feijoas. But we still have one thing over them in the feijoa stakes; it seems they're not using them to their full capacity just yet. "So do you make feijoa crumble? And cake? What about feijoa ice cream?" I ask Assia, as we polish off a bottle of feijoa juice on our second day together. Reporting full year earnings, TUI Group saw revenue increase across its three cruise brands by 10.7 percent to 901.9 million euro for the 2018 fiscal year. Turnover was reported at 324 million euro, up 26.8 percent over the year prior. It was a strong year for TUI Cruises, Marella Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises with the company noting that investments in growing and modernizing its fleet were paying off. We will also launch three ships for our cruise brands in 2019, TUI noted, in a prepared statement. Bookings for the new ships and the existing fleet are progressing well, with a continued strong yield performance. Two ships exited our fleets (Marella Spirit and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Hanseatic) in autumn 2018. Five further newbuilds are on order for TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, for delivery between end of 2019 and 2026, as we continue to build on our leadership position in the German-speaking cruise market. Average daily rates were up across the board, with TUI Cruises reporting 178 euro per day, up from 173 euro; while the average daily rate from Marella was up from 131 euro to 141 euro. For Hapag-Lloyd, which operates in the luxury and expedition segments, daily rates rose to 615 euro from 594 euro. TUI said its cruise segment delivered a record ROIC performance at 22.8 percent reflecting the return on equity in the high-performing TUI Cruises as well as strong performances by our Marella Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises subsidiaries. TUI benefited from its first winter of operations for the Mein Schiff 6, along with the launch of the Mein Schiff 1 in May. In addition, fewer drydock days were noted. The average rate increased versus the prior year, driven by sustained growth in demand for cruise in Germany, and in particular high demand for our German language, premium all-inclusive product. Rates increased at Marella Cruises, a British brand, with the company seeing the benefits of its fleet expansion and modernization program. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises delivered a strong performance and an increase in earnings with increased occupancy and average daily rate, and a good performance offsetting the higher number of drydock days," the company reported. Genting Cruise Lines celebrated its silver anniversary with a special event held onboard Genting Dream in Singapore on Dec. 14 to commemorate the very first sailing of Langkapuri Star Aquarius from Singapore in 1993. Among the nearly 500 guests representing government, travel agents and business partners, notable attendees at the 25th Anniversary celebration included Guest of Honour, Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education. Genting Cruise Lines representatives at the event included Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Colin Au, Group President of Genting Hong Kong and other senior executives and staff members from the company. Over the past 25 years, the company has welcomed more than 6.5 million guests onboard its fleet through over 7,500 ship calls in Singapore, the company said. In the last 12 months, Genting Dream, the only ship on a year-round deployment in the city, welcomed about 400,000 cruise passengers. With the majority of guests flying in to Singapore, the transformation of the city as a turnaround port has had substantial economic benefits not only for airlines and airports, but hotels, as visitors normally stay pre or post cruise, shopping and other sectors of the tourism industry, Genting said, in a statement. Genting Cruise Lines is honoured to have played a part in the evolution of Singapore to become one of the leading cruise hubs in Asia and we remain committed to the future growth of the city and the ASEAN region to become one of the most important and vibrant cruise regions in the World, said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay. And we are proud of our latest milestone in Singapore with the arrival of our world-class, 150,695-gross ton Genting Dream, which has been named one of the top 10 Large Resort Ship by the esteemed Berlitz Cruise Guide. Cruise is one of the key pillars of Singapores tourism strategy.In the area of marketing and promotion, the Singapore Tourism Board, Changi Airport Group and Genting Cruise Lines embarked on a S$28 million collaboration in 2017 to promote Genting Dreams Singapore sailings. The three-year partnership is expected to bring in 600,000 overseas visitors and more than S$250 million in tourism receipts, added Chee Hong Tat. The emailed bomb threats, which demanded up to $20,000 bitcoin payments from banks, courthouses, schools, universities, news outlets, and organizations for not detonating bombs and later morphed into emailed threats to throw acid on victims seems to have come from sextortion scammers. Cisco Talos researcher Jaeson Schultz discovered the phony bomb threat scare campaign was an evolution of a sextortion campaign that occurred in October. He pointed out similarities between the way the emails were written, as well as the bitcoin demand. Multiple IPs involved in sending these bomb threats also sent various types of sextortion email that we saw in the previous campaign, he said. Of the 17 different bitcoin addresses used in the bomb scare scam, only two had a positive balance. However, the amounts of each transaction were under $1, so it is evident the victims in this case declined to pay the $20,000 extortion payment price demanded by the attackers, Schultz said. After the mass bomb threat campaign bombed, the attackers went back to threatening individuals this time threatening to throw acid on the victim if the attackers did not get their demanded bitcoin payment. Other cybersecurity news: New Shamoon malware variant destroyed data at Italian energy firm Last week, Italian oil services company Saipem Engineering Energy admitted that 400 of its servers were hit with a cyber attack. Come to find out, the company had been hit with a new variant of Shamoon malware. A researcher from Chronicle, the cybersecurity arm of Google owner Alphabet, discovered this variant had been uploaded to VirusTotal. While Shamoon typically is a wiper, deleting and replacing files such as it did in two attacks against Saudi Aramco, this new Shamoon variant is reported to irreversibly encrypt the files. Facebook bug exposed up to 6.8M users private photos to devs Facebook admitted that a photo API bug may have leaked users private photos for 12 days to developers. We believe this may have affected up to 6.8 million users and up to 1,500 apps built by 876 developers, the company said. Facebook is sorry this happened. Users potentially impacted by the bug will be notified via an alert on Facebook. Chinese hackers still breaching U.S. Navy contractors Chinese government hackers are still going after U.S. Navy contractors. The Wall Street Journal reported on a series on incidents over the past 18 months that focused on the Chinese trying to steal everything from ship-maintenance data to missile plans. U.S. ballistic missile defense systems failed cybersecurity audit Its not just Navy contractors who have shoddy security. U.S. ballistic missile defense systems (BMDS) recently failed a cybersecurity audit. While the Department of Defense Inspector Generals report (pdf) is heavily redacted, the IG recommended, among a long list of things, that BMDS facilities use security controls such as multifactor authentication, encrypt data stored on removable devices, and keep track of what is being copied. Creepy spying by Taylor Swift and Amazon doorbell From the creepy spying department, Taylor Swift used facial recognition on fans and Amazon wants to use facial recognition spying in a doorbell. Rolling Stone reported that at the Rose Bowl venue in California, Taylor Swift concert goers, who looked up at a display featuring Swifts rehearsal clips, had their faces captured by a hidden camera inside the display. Their images were sent to a command center to check them against a list of potential stalkers. The ACLU is not happy about Amazons disturbing plan to add face surveillance to your front door. Thanks to a patent application with nightmarish detail, the ACLU found out that Amazon wants a spying doorbell system that the police can use to match the faces of people walking by a doorbell camera with a photo database of persons they deem suspicious. Likewise, homeowners can also add photos of suspicious people into the system and then the doorbells facial recognition program will scan anyone passing their home. In either case, if a match occurs, the persons face can be automatically sent to law enforcement, and the police could arrive in minutes. 123456 is still the most popular yet pathetic password used in 2018 You need only glance at SplashDatas list of Worst Passwords of 2018 to see that some people dont seem to be getting any better at creating secure passwords. In fact, 2018 was the fifth consecutive year that 123456 and password retained their top two spots on the list. The next five top passwords on the list are simply numerical strings. Of the 25 worst passwords, the following are the top 10 worst passwords of 2018. BRIDGEPORT A tenant living on the fifth floor of Greene Homes has tried to bring a bit of the holidays to their little corner of the troubled public housing project. They hung a small Christmas wreath on their door with a sticker Give thanks next to it. Walking the site, one can appreciate that persons ability to remain thankful given the living conditions. Even with the brighter, freshly re-painted walls, the narrow halls and barred windows feel like an institution, not somewhere anyone would choose to live. And then there are the two options for getting into and out of the building unreliable elevators that are constantly breaking down, or stairwells so marinated in human waste that a private cleaning company was recently hired to power-wash away the stench. Some of the citys homeless population, according to the housing authority, either break-in to Greene Homess five high-rise buildings or are let in by relatives and use the public spaces as their bathrooms. It just gets embedded in the concrete, Diedra Perry, interim director of asset management, said Monday as she walked through one of Greene Homes structures off of Highland Avenue. Minutes earlier, Perry joined Mayor Joe Ganim and other city and Bridgeport Housing Authority officials at a press conference outside the complex where they pledged to improve the cleanliness and safety of what tenants call The Greenes. In late November, Ganim announced his administration would begin the likely years-long process of decommissioning the low-income, 1950s-era housing complex. City Hall and public housing officials attributed their decision to crime like the October 2017 murder of 18-year-old Jeri Kollock and seemingly never-ending and costly maintenance and cleanliness challenges. But the announcement raised an immediate question. If Greene Homes is not salvageable but will take years to vacate and tear down, what can be done in the mean time to make life there tolerable? Ganim on Monday said the interim goal is to improve everywhere we can. So the city and housing authority are trying to clean up the public spaces at The Greenes with a power wash and a paint job and install security cameras to battle crime, vandalism and the homeless problem. So while residents are here, were looking to make these five structures the best buildings possible, James Slaughter, the housing authoritys interim executive director, said. An irony of The Greenes is that the housing authoritys executive offices are there, yet the development is in such dire condition. Bettie Cook, who recently joined the citys public housing commission as the resident representative, lives in another authority property. Cook, who attended Ganims press conference Monday and walked through The Greenes afterward with Perry and Hearst Connecticut Media, said she would not want to live there. They waited too late to try and correct the problem, Cook said. The buildings might be sound, but they were neglected. A lost community Cook said one of the reasons Greene Homes is now getting so much attention is because of a looming inspection by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But beside her professional commitment to improve the situation for The Greenes tenants, Perry said, she has a personal reason as well she used to live there. Perry was born and reared there until she was 5, and her grandmother remained after she and her mother moved out. This is a part of my heritage and my heart, Perry said. I care about these residents, deeply. Reflecting on better times, Perry added, It was a sense of community back in the 70s and 80s. ... They dont have that any more. Tony Manley, hired a year ago as the housing authoritys director of facilities and operations, said he, too, is on a mission at Greene Homes. We want people to live in a decent environment, Manley said. Yes, it may be a little late. But nevertheless, were going to do our due diligence. ... People should be comfortable where they live. Cook said she has faith in Perry and in Manley, adding, People call me at 4 a.m. (with complaints), I call them. Ganim and the other officials had already headed back downtown to City Hall when Greene Homes residents Tasha Taylor and Yamesha Broadnax were walking home. Both young women have lived there for about a year and were aware of the proposal to tear The Greenes down at some future date. Thats a good thing, Broadnax said. They need to redo it. Asked if they felt safe, Taylor said she has not experienced any problems so far. Broadnax paused before answering. She said other than an incident over the summer I saw somebody get shot, she said she feels OK living there. Taylor said she is concerned about what the city and housing authority will do to relocate tenants if the site is decommissioned. I dont want to move from one project to another, Taylor said. Earlier, the mayor pledged to keep in touch with The Greenes about residents needs and their future. We want to communicate better with the residents here, Ganim said. Felipe Ramos, who was helping a friend fix up his car in one of Greene Homes parking lots, moved in two months ago. The problem with demolishing The Greenes, Ramos said, is there is not enough affordable housing in Bridgeport. Theres no apartment you can get. You cant afford the rent. Its crazy, Ramos said. Ramos said he is not a trouble-maker and so, for him, the development is a safe one. Were just here to live, Ramos said. This is the fifth article in an occasional series exploring wealth and income inequality in Connecticut and its impact on a state struggling to cope with massive debt. For nearly a decade, it has been the favorite argument of those opposed to higher state taxes for Connecticut's wealthy migration. Simply put, if you tax them, they will leave. For Republicans and many moderate Democrats income and wealth migration is not only a very real threat, but a problem that's already upon us as Connecticut increasingly raises taxes to cover surging pension costs. Among labor, urban Democrats and other progressives, however, the millionaire-with-a-suitcase is a myth, a fiscal boogey man used to scare liberals. But despite the preponderance of stories of wealthy residents fleeing Connecticut, the empirical evidence shows the rich tend to move less frequently than low- and middle-income residents. The need for employment is still one of the main reasons people move while home and business ownership most common among high-income households promote stability. More importantly, income migration hasn't been a big driver of states' overall economic health. One of the largest tax cuts for the rich in modern Connecticut history nearly three decades ago did not spark a influx of millionaires into this state. But that doesn't mean Connecticut has nothing to fear. Research shows the wealthy pay more attention to state tax rates than any other economic class. Although the sample size is small, the ratio of income leaving Connecticut versus that moving in has accelerated in the last few years. As decades of fiscal carelessness at the Capitol garner increasing media coverage, Connecticut's affluent can see a scenario in which they long have been targeted to pick up the tab. And as politicians raise state taxes with increasing frequency, while the highways and rail systems serving Fairfield County slow down, wealthy families say they are losing patience. "People move because of professional opportunities," said University of Connecticut economist Fred Carstensen, who heads the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis. "They retire and choose a lifestyle, which leads some to move. Taxes have ranked as a particularly strong driver. It's not that important. But it's a convenient thing to talk about." But former hedge fund manager David Stemerman of Greenwich, a Republican who centered his 2018 gubernatorial bid on a message that Connecticut taxpayers have been taken for granted for decades, said a reckoning is under way. "This assumption that the wealth in Fairfield County would always be there was built up, to some degree, by a lack of engagement from Fairfield County," Stemerman added. "But they also have the view that they've been taken advantage of. Well, the door swings both ways." Migration trends at first glance At first glance, income migration appears very real. Connecticut lost $16.33 billion in annual federally adjusted gross income between 1992 and 2016 according to an analysis of tax data prepared by regular Forbes contributor Travis H. Brown, creator of the website howmoneywalks.com It was one of 25 states that lost income during that period due to migration. There are exceptions. Hawaii, which ranks third in median household income, gained a modest $933 million in annual adjusted gross income. (The biggest winners and losers saw differentials in the tens of billions of dollars.) But many of the biggest losers on that list are states that ranked and still rank among the highest in income in the nation. Beside Connecticut it also includes California, New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts. In other words, the people moving out of rich states usually are richer than the people moving in, year after year. Not surprisingly, the reverse is also generally true. Of the 10 poorest states based on per capita income, four lost income via migration between 1992 and 2016, and only two Louisiana and Oklahoma lost more than $1 billion. Arkansas gained $2.66 billion during this period, consistently adding income most years yet still scores badly on most metrics used to measure poverty. But even after the annual exodus, the rich states usually are still rich and the poor states usually are still poor. According to statistics from the state Department of Revenue Services, the number of Connecticut households that reported earning more than $1 million erupted upward by 124 percent between 2002 and 2007, after climbing just 8.6 percent over the prior five years. This happened even while income was migrating annually out of the state. Simply put, the boom within Connecticut overwhelmed any migration trends. Embedded elites or transitory millionaires? So maybe migration hasn't been a key factor in moving a state up or down the wealth scale, at least so far. An analysis published in 2016 in the American Sociological Review concluded the wealthy generally are "embedded elites" and not "transitory millionaires." "We find that millionaire tax flight is occurring, but only at the margins of statistical and socioeconomic significance," wrote the panel of Stanford University sociologists and U.S. Treasury Department economists, who reviewed census data and 45 million tax records dating back 13 years. Researchers concluded the wealthy are sensitive to state and local tax rates, more so than the rest of the population. But they are different in other ways as well. Wealthy households "are embedded in the regions where they achieve success, and they have limited interest in moving to procure tax advantages," researchers wrote. Why so? The study found that richer people are more likely to be married (singles are twice as likely to migrate as couples) have children, and to own their own homes and businesses. It also found the business connection should not be underestimated as an impediment to moving. "When economic success is a joint product rather than a purely individual accomplishment there is a difficult network coordination problem for migration: One's own willingness to migrate for tax purposes must align with that of co-founders, collaborators and perhaps even clients," analysts wrote. "People who achieve top incomes, in this view, are deeply embedded insiders who yield remarkable returns in part because of their social placement in a localized economic world." The study found the migration rate nationally of households reporting more than $1 million in income per year was 2.4 percent which is lower than the 2.9 percent rate for the general population. Researchers did find that "Florida appears to be the core pathway for tax-induced migration," but other low-tax states are nowhere close to being equally attractive to the wealthy. Florida, which ranked 39th in per capita income in 2017 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, gained the most income through migration. But Florida generally is considered an outlier, given its extremely attractive climate. "When Florida is excluded, there is virtually no tax migration," the report states. CT gave the rich a big tax break in 1991 The 2016 study of millionaire migration found much of the growing interest in higher tax rates for the wealthy is a response to federal tax policy of the past three decades. That policy largely was "a shift away from taxation of the elite," a process "to untax the 1 percent" that includes reductions in tax rates on top incomes, capital gains and multi-million dollar inheritances. An Oct. 23 poll commissioned by Sacred Heart University and Hearst Connecticut Media Group found almost two-thirds of Connecticut voters support raising income taxes on millionaires to balance the state budget if cuts to services can't do the job. One hole in the millionaire migration theory can be found through an analysis of federal tax data and Connecticut history. One of the forgotten side effects of the establishment of a state income tax in 1991 was that it offered an enormous tax break for Connecticut's wealthiest residents who already had been paying income taxes for 20 years prior. Connecticut used to impose taxes on capital gains, dividends and interest provided a household made enough of them since the early 1970s. By 1991, Connecticut taxed capital gains at 7 percent. The top rate on dividends and interest was 14 percent. But once the state income tax was established, all earnings capital gains, dividends, interest and general wages were taxed at the same, flat 4.5 percent rate. That was huge for Connecticut's wealthiest households, which traditionally derive the bulk of their income from investments. According to a 2018 report from the legislature's nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis, a Connecticut household earning $96,000 per year generates less than 10 percent of its income from investments. For a household making more than $2 million per year, the average share approaches 79 percent. Even today, the top rate on the state income tax stands at 6.99 percent. That effectively matches the capital gains rate pre-1991 and represents only half of the top rate from back then on dividends. In other words, many of Connecticut's wealthiest households pay the same or a lesser effective income tax rate now than they would have in 1991. And when Connecticut dramatically cut taxes on investment earnings 28 years ago, did the rich come pouring into the state? According to Internal Revenue Services' tax migration data, the incomes of those moving out of Connecticut topped those of the households moving into the state for the entire decade of the 1990s. Major tax hikes coming more frequently But this doesn't mean wealth and income migration don't exist. And there are reasons, Carstensen said, why Connecticut policymakers should be concerned. For one thing, it's a short ride to any of Connecticut's borders. "We have the highest proportion of residents who work out of state of any state in the country," Carstensen said, adding that's a major reason one key metric of economic health has been sketchy. Economists look not just at overall state income tax receipts but also at what share they represent of overall household income. Total receipts fell from almost 3.9 percent of total household earnings in Connecticut in 2012 to 3.6 percent in 2014, the last year of available data, Carstensen said. Much of that decline, he added, involves Connecticut's struggles to regain financial services sector jobs lost in the last recession. Some of those displaced Connecticut residents found new jobs in New York and New Jersey. And there is another issue. The state tax hikes are coming more frequently. A poll released in the summer of 2009 by Quinnipiac University found 55 percent of voters didn't believe increasing taxes would prompt the wealthy to leave Connecticut, compared with 42 percent who said it would. But a few months after that, the legislature and Gov. M. Jodi Rell agreed upon a new budget that increased taxes by nearly $875 million. The centerpiece of that plan was a big bump in the top marginal income tax rate, from 5 to 6.5 percent. Two years later, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law a tax hike worth more than $1.8 billion per year. And while it also raised income tax rates on middle-income households, it boosted the top marginal rate to 6.7 percent. Malloy, who warned frequently about the threat of wealth migration, had inherited an unprecedented $3.7 billion deficit, equal to more than 18 percent of the General Fund, during his first year in office. A third major tax hike in 2015, worth almost $900 million per year, included another boost in the top income tax rate, up to 6.99 percent. Is income migration starting to accelerate? Income migration out of Connecticut may be nothing new, but a small sample size shows the rate appears to be accelerating. Though IRS tax migration data is available going back several decades, the federal government switched to a new measurement methodology beginning with its comparison of the 2011 and 2012 tax years. According to that new methodology, the ratio of income leaving Connecticut versus that moving into the state is larger now than it was for most of the past two decades. And the ratio has risen significantly during the last two years on record. In 2014, the ratio of income moving out of Connecticut grew 1.31 times faster than the incomes moving into the state when compared against the previous year. By 2015, the exit ratio was 1.53-to-1, and by 2016 it had reached 1.80-to-1. "There's a whole cottage industry of financial advisors that are talking to people about this (tax trend) and showing them where else they can go," said Peter Gioia, chief economist for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. "That's what is hurting Connecticut now more than anything, and I think it will continue to accelerate." Gioia also dismissed the argument that migration isn't a problem as long as Florida is the only popular destination. One attractive alternative to Connecticut is risky enough. "We're an old state and people want sunny weather," he said. Decades of pension debt take taxpayers for granted And don't underestimate the impact of growing news media coverage of Connecticut's irresponsible history of amassing pension debt, and the pressure it is putting on state finances, warned state Rep. Chris Davis of Ellington, ranking House Republican on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. "If you speak to a lot of people, especially those nearing the end of their working years, they are looking at the state of Connecticut now and they see a mindset of perpetual tax increases," said Davis. Stemerman, who lost a five-way GOP primary to former GE executive Bob Stefanowski, raised similar concerns during the campaign. "What's happened in Connecticut is now so bad that people all over the state, including Fairfield County, know something is wrong," said Stemerman. Connecticut amassed more than $80 billion in retirement benefit debt and other unfunded liabilities, with most of that damage done between 1939 and 2010. For decades, governors and legislatures routinely shortchanged contributions to pension benefits they pledged to state employees and teachers effectively mailing a bill to future taxpayers. Sometimes the fiscal abuse was extreme. For example, between 1979 and 1988, the state never contributed more than 40 percent of the recommended payment for the teachers' pension. Analysts now are projecting debt costs will skyrocket over the next decade and a half, placing extreme pressure on state programs many of which have been cut in recent years and taxes which already have increased significantly. Stemerman said those who discount the theory of wealth and income migration should not underestimate common sense. The message Connecticut sent for generations is clear: The state could afford to postpone billions of dollars in contributions thereby forfeiting billions more in potential investment earnings because its wealthy taxpayers could always make up the difference at some time in the future. "When I spoke to people about this, they were deeply disappointed, dismayed and disgusted by what they heard," Stemerman said. "They spoke about this in simple terms of fairness. They are being stuck with a bill from a failure to make responsible decisions." According to state Department of Revenue Services' data, households that earned more than $350,000 per year in 2016 just 3 percent of all filers paid 41 percent of all state income taxes. Stemerman said while he believes taxpayers across Connecticut feel taken advantage of when they hear the state pension history, the sticker shock is severe in Fairfield County because of geography. "It is part of the New York media market," he said. "They are somewhat disconnected to what is happening in Hartford. Some feel they've been taken advantage of while they were not as engaged, or paying attention, as well as they should have." Greenwich billionaire Thomas Peterffy attracted headlines in 2012 when he funded a SuperPAC that spent tens of thousands of dollars on commercials criticizing Democrats running for the state legislature. Peterffy, who grew up in socialist Hungary and immigrated to the United States in 1956, eventually would launch Interactive Brokers, an online brokerage firm based in Greenwich. "I grew up in a socialist country," he said in a Youtube video titled Freedom to Succeed. "And I have seen what that does to people. There is no hope, no freedom, no pride in achievement. The nation became poorer and poorer and that is what I see happening here." Peterffy added that "America's wealth comes from the efforts of people striving for success. Take away their incentive with bad-mouthing success and you take away the wealth that helps us take care of the needy." Peterffy moved to Florida following the 2014 elections. The most recent Forbes magazine list of the nation's 400 richest people listed nine billionaires from Connecticut, which is two more than last year. But just a few years ago Connecticut boasted 13 billionaires. Doing too much, or too little, for hedge funds? And those wary of Connecticut's rising taxes warn that a small-but-vital component of the economy, the hedge fund industry, has great potential to be mobile. According to the state's nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research, Connecticut has the second-largest hedge fund industry in the U.S. There are 211 hedge fund managers and about 700 hedge funds listed on Preqin's, a leading online industry information source. Two of the world's largest, Bridgewater Associates of Westport and AQR Capital Management of Greenwich, managed $151.7 billion and $74 billion in assets, respectively, based on 2015 data. Together they employ about 2,400 people. Connecticut has provided more than $80 million in grants to the two funds combined including more than $50 million to Bridgewater to develop a new headquarters in Fairfield County. Still, at the inaugural Greenwich Economic Forum last month, investment business leaders expressed fears that Connecticut's hedge fund industry could shrink as other states try to lure managers away. Bruce McGuire of Darien, president of the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association, said the state should be developing high-speed rail services, creating vibrant cities and offering tax incentives to preserve and grow an industry that pays more than its fair share of taxes. Instead it has allowed its highways to become congested and rail service is slower now than it was decades ago. "I live here, I spend money here, I bought my house here," McGuire, 54, said, adding that his daughter a recent college graduate went to work for a tech company in Boston. "Now I feel like I should be telling my son to go to New York, go to Boston." Easing the taxes on the rich If state officials underestimate public indignation when it comes to Connecticut's legacy of pension debt, some argue the estate tax is another major turnoff for the wealthy. The tax is applied only to estates valued at more than $2.6 million, though the maximum tax liability starting in 2019 is capped at $15 million. Still, Connecticut is one of 17 states that levies an estate or an inheritance tax, and the trend is headed away from Connecticut. Indiana and Tennessee repealed their taxes in 2013 and 2016, respectively, while Delaware's went away this year. New Jersey's estate tax will disappear starting Jan. 1. Congress recently raised the exclusion level on the federal estate tax from $5.49 million to $11.2 million. Connecticut has adopted a plan to gradually raise its exemption level up to the federal threshold by 2020. But with major state budget deficits projected between now and then, it remains unclear whether the General Assembly will stick with that plan. Eliminating Connecticut's estate tax entirely, while reducing income tax rates, were two of the key recommendations this year from the state Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Competitiveness, a 14-member panel dominated by business leaders. The co-chairmen, health care entrepreneur Robert Patricelli and Webster Bank chairman and former CEO Jim Smith, have taken heat from labor leaders and other progressives for the plan. Even though it recommends boosting the minimum wage to $15 per hour, it hinges on tax cuts that benefit the wealthy the most. To fund the tax cuts, the commission also recommends boosting sales and business taxes and cutting $1 billion from the state's operating budget. Given that most of the state's debt costs are fixed by contract, critics say this cut likely would fall heavily on municipal aid, driving up property taxes. "The commission's proposals, taken holistically, can change Connecticut's future," Smith said. Patricelli says the panel's work is not perfect, adding the group essentially had just two months to chart a blueprint for reversing seven decades of irresponsible budgeting and promoting statewide economic prosperity. "There's still room for improvement," he said. "For example, we didn't have enough time to deal with property taxes," which disproportionately burden low- and middle-income households. Governor-elect Ned Lamont, who will take office early next month, is trying to strike a middle ground. Lamont, who tapped former Bridgewater executive Ryan Drazewicz as his chief of staff, has pledged to keep income and sales tax rates stable despite inheriting major deficit projections for the next two fiscal years. But when it comes to tax relief, Lamont's focus for his first budget, due in February, is clear. "Connecticut's middle class deserves a break, and that's where we're going to concentrate the energies of this administration and the budget," he said. Labor pushes back Critics of the fiscal stability panel often point to one comment from commission member Cindi Bigelow, CEO of Bigelow Tea, who said during a Feb. 9 public hearing that "We want to make sure we are protecting the wealthy because they will just leave." The state's labor leaders, who've been among the commission's most vocal critics, argue the panel's plan is founded on the myth of income and wealth migration. Donald E. Williams Jr., executive director of the Connecticut Education Association the state's largest teachers' union said the commission report "puts coal in the stockings of the state's middle class and gives diamonds and furs to the state's wealthiest residents." Salvatore Luciano, the new head of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, said too many state officials won't tell the public the truth: The fastest-growing state expenses have nothing to do with present-day state employees or teachers. Rather they involve fixing the fiscal sins of legislators and governors from decades past. Meanwhile, spending is draining resources from transportation, education, health care, municipal aid and every other priority voters care about. Executive branch staffing during the eight years of the Malloy administration is down more than 9 percent. "That lack of spending is really what's dragging the economy," Luciano said. "Meanwhile the overall tax rate for the wealthy has gone down" compared with 1991. "People go where their quality of life is high," Luciano added. "The more austerity in our budget, the further away we are from our goal for Connecticut." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the decision of the organizers to allow Russian businessmen to attend the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos. He said that the Kremlin welcomed the fact that the Davos economic forum and its leaders accepted Russia's "position regarding the inadmissibility of selective treatment towards our entrepreneurs." Peskov said that Russian entrepreneurs will easily compensate for contacts with U.S. businessmen at the Davos forum by meeting with representatives of other countries. The spokesman also commented on media reports about five terms, under which Russian businessmen were allowed to participate in the forum. Particularly, the issue is about restricted communication with US peers during the forum, including their participation in the events organized by the U.S. side. "The forum prefers to be very cautious regarding the topic of restrictions imposed by several countries, first of all the U.S., against certain (Russian) entrepreneurs, and consequently they have made an attempt to couple their interest in continued contacts with our entrepreneurs with the restrictions in force against them," he said. "At the end of the day, contacts with U.S. businessmen may easily be replaced by (contacts) with entrepreneurs from other countries," TASS cited Peskov as saying. Head of the State Dumas Committee for Financial Markets Anatoly Aksakov, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted resolving the conflict with the organizers of the World Economic Forum was due to Moscow's perseverance. "First, what they said before was clearly a misunderstanding. Second, I think the Russian sides substantial contribution was quite solid. Third, international business was involved in this process," he said. Due to this, Russia will continue to represent its interests at the largest and most popular economic forum. "The participation of our businessmen is obviously necessary in order to, first of all, establish interaction on the sidelines of the forum, explain the situation, share impressions and agree on possible contracts," Anatoly Aksakov stressed. First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov welcomed the decision of the forum's organizers. "First, its good that common sense prevailed and our sanctioned businessmen were invited. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev took a very tough position, saying that theres no point in sending a delegation in this case, and the Davos forum could lose a lot without the Russian business. Therefore, I think, Europe will begin to see clearly, especially when it comes to sanctions against MPs," he said. The Davos forum is not an internal Swiss event, therefore the organizers in Geneva did not have any reason to be afraid of American and European sanctions. "This is an international event. Similarly, we hold OSCE forums, parliamentary meetings, where half of the people in our delegation are on the sanctions list. It's impossible to limit people's presence at international sites, otherwise there will be no place to meet," Vladimir Dzhabarov concluded. WASHINGTON - A report prepared for the Senate that provides the most sweeping analysis yet of Russia's disinformation campaign around the 2016 election found the operation used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters' interests to help elect President Donald Trump - and worked even harder to support him while in office. The report, a draft of which was obtained by The Washington Post, is the first to study the millions of posts provided by major technology firms to the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., its chairman, and Mark Warner of Virginia, its ranking Democrat. The bipartisan panel hasn't said if it endorses the findings. It plans to release it publicly along with another study later this week. The research - by Oxford University's Computational Propaganda Project and Graphika, a network analysis firm - offers new details on how Russians working at the Internet Research Agency, which U.S. officials have charged with criminal offenses for meddling in the 2016 campaign, sliced Americans into key interest groups for the purpose of targeting messages. These efforts shifted over time, peaking at key political moments, such as presidential debates or party conventions, the report found. The data sets used by the researchers were provided by Facebook, Twitter and Google and covered several years up to mid-2017, when the social media companies cracked down on the known Russian accounts. The report, which also analyzed data separately provided to House intelligence committee members, contains no information on more recent political moments, such as November's midterm election. "What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party--and specifically Donald Trump," the report says. "Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign. The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting." Representatives for Burr and Warner declined to comment. The new report offers the latest evidence that Russian agents sought to help Trump win the White House. Democrats and Republicans on the panel previously studied the U.S. intelligence community's 2017 finding that Moscow aimed to assist Trump, and in July, they said investigators had come to the correct conclusion. Despite their work, some Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to doubt the nature of Russia's meddling in the last presidential election. The Russians aimed particular energy at activating conservatives on issues such as gun rights and immigration, while sapping the political clout of left-leaning African-American voters by undermining their faith in elections and spreading misleading information about how to vote. Many other groups - Latinos, Muslims, Christians, gay men and women, liberals, southerners, veterans - got at least some attention from Russians operating thousands of social media accounts. The report also offered some of the first detailed analyses of the role played by YouTube, which belongs to Google, and Instagram in the Russian campaign, as well as anecdotes on how Russians used other social media platforms - Google+, Tumblr and Pinterest - that have gotten relatively little scrutiny. The Russian effort also used email accounts from Yahoo, Microsoft's Hotmail service and Google's Gmail. The authors, while reliant on data provided by technology companies, also highlighted their "belated and uncoordinated response" to the disinformation campaign and, once it was discovered, criticized the companies for not sharing more with investigators. The authors urged the companies in the future to provide data in "meaningful and constructive" ways. Facebook, for example, provided the Senate with copies of posts from 81 Facebook "Pages" and information on 76 accounts used to purchase ads but did not share the posts from other user accounts run by the IRA, the report says. Twitter, meanwhile, has made it challenging for outside researchers to collect and analyze data on its platform through its public feed, the researchers said. Google submitted information in an especially difficult way for the researchers to handle, providing content such as YouTube videos but not the related data that would have allowed a full analysis. The YouTube information was so hard for the researchers to study, they wrote, they instead tracked the links to its videos from other sites in hopes of better understanding YouTube's role in the Russian effort. Facebook and Google didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement, Twitter stressed that it had made "significant strides" since the 2016 election to harden its digital defenses, including the release of a repository of the tweets that Russian agents previously sent so researchers can review them. "Our singular focus is to improve the health of the public conversation on our platform, and protecting the integrity of elections is an important aspect of that mission," the company added. Facebook, Google and Twitter first disclosed last year that they had identified Russian meddling on their sites. Critics previously said it took too long to come to an understanding of the disinformation campaign, and that Russian strategies have likely shifted since then. The companies have awakened to the threat - Facebook in particular created a "war room" this fall to combat interference around elections - but none have revealed interference around the midterm elections last month on the scale of what happened in 2016. The report expressed concern about the overall threat social media poses to political discourse within nations and between them, warning that companies once viewed as tools for liberation in the Arab world and elsewhere are now threats to democracy. "Social media have gone from being the natural infrastructure for sharing collective grievances and coordinating civic engagement to being a computational tool for social control, manipulated by canny political consultants and available to politicians in democracies and dictatorships alike." Researchers also noted that the data includes evidence of sloppiness by the Russians that could have led to earlier detection, including the use of Russia's currency, the ruble, to buy ads and Russian phone numbers for contact information. The operatives also left behind technical signatures in computerized logs, such as Internet addresses in St. Petersburg, where the IRA was based. Many of the findings track in general terms work by other researchers and testimony previously provided by the companies to lawmakers investigating the Russian effort. But the fuller data available to the researchers offered new insights on many aspects of the Russian campaign. The report traces the origins of Russian online influence operations to Russian domestic politics in 2009 and says that ambitions shifted to include U.S. politics as early as 2013 over Twitter. Of the tweets the company provided to the Senate, 57 percent are in Russian, with 36 percent in English and smaller amounts in other languages. The efforts to manipulate Americans grew sharply in 2014 and every year after, as teams of operatives spread their work across more platforms and accounts, in order to target larger swaths of U.S. voters by geography, political interests, race, religion and other factors. The Russians started with accounts on Twitter, then added YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, before finally bringing Facebook into the mix, the report said. Facebook was particularly effective at targeting conservatives and African-Americans, the report found. More than 99 percent of all engagement - meaning likes, shares and other reactions - came from 20 "Pages" controlled by the IRA, including "Being Patriotic," "Heart of Texas," "Blacktivist" and "Army of Jesus." Together the 20 most popular pages generated 39 million likes, 31 million shares, 5.4 million reactions and 3.4 million comments. Company officials told Congress that the Russian campaign reached 126 million people on Facebook and 20 million more on Instagram. The Russians operated 133 accounts on Instagram, a photo-sharing subsidiary of Facebook, that focused mainly on race, ethnicity or other forms of personal identity. The most successful Instagram posts targeted African American cultural issues and black pride and were not explicitly political. While the overall intensity of posting across platforms grew year by year - with a particular spike during the six months after Election Day - this growth was particularly pronounced on Instagram, which went from roughly 2,600 posts a month in 2016 to nearly 6,000 in 2017, when the accounts were shut down. Across all three years covered by the report, Russian Instagram posts generated 185 million likes and 4 million user comments. Even though the researchers struggled to interpret the YouTube data submitted by Google, they were able to track the links from other sites to YouTube - offering a "proxy" for understanding the role play by the video platform. "The proxy is imperfect," the researchers wrote, "but the IRA's heavy use of links to YouTube videos leaves little doubt of the IRA's interest in leveraging Google's video platform to target and manipulate US audiences." The use of YouTube, like the other platforms, appears to have grown after Trump's election. Twitter links to YouTube videos grew by 84 percent in the six months after the election, the data showed. The Russians shrewdly worked across platforms as they refined their tactics aimed at particular groups, posting links across accounts and sites to bolster the influence operation's success on each, the report shows. "Black Matters US" had accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr and Paypal, according to the researchers. By linking posts across these platforms, the Russian operatives were able to solicit donations, organize real-world protests and rallies and direct online traffic to a website that the Russians also controlled. The researchers found that when Facebook shut down the page in August 2016, a new one called "BM" soon appeared with more cultural and fewer political posts. It tracked closely to the content on the @blackmatterus Instagram account. The report found operatives also began buying Google ads to promote the "BlackMatters US" website with provocative messages such as, "Cops kill black kids. Are you sure that your son won't be the next?" The related Twitter account, meanwhile, complained about the suspension of the Facebook page, accusing the tech company of "supporting white supremacy." Until recently, the phrase Fiscal Note was something of a mystery outside of politics. The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities recently looked into the matter to shed some light on the subject. One key facet of this problem is that the Office of Fiscal Analysis is asked to put together fiscal notes in a very tight time crunch, meaning that they may never capture the whole picture. The fiscal impact of a bill is too important to be rushed in this way. A fiscal note is a brief statement of the fiscal impact that a piece of legislation would have on state and local government, according to a definition found on the OFAs website. It is an attempt to put a dollar amount on a bill that reaches the floor of the House or Senate, or is approved by committee. The Connecticut General Statutes not only requires Fiscal Notes, but sets the precedent for how long the OFA has to create them in the first place. A basic time frame for preparation is one to three calendar days for bills considered in the Appropriations and Finance committees. Bills reported out of committee have only five calendar days. And all amendments must be analyzed on a very quick, as-soon-as-possible basis. These all-too-brief periods are hardly enough to do a complete and thorough investigation, let alone completely digest input from municipalities on how a bill might affect them. One aspect is particularly shocking: Municipalities have only two working days to provide the OFA with any information that may be necessary for analysis in preparation of such fiscal notes. This means that those towns and cities that dont have the information immediately accessible and ready to give to the OFA might be left reporting on important fiscal impact on the final day the OFA is putting together a fiscal note possibly after theyve already drawn major conclusions. Furthermore, this problem is manifold on amendments because of the need for quick turnarounds especially at the end of the legislative session meaning any input from a municipality could not possibly be given the due and proper consideration needed to correctly assess its fiscal impact. As a result, it is no surprise that we in Connecticut have ended up with more than 1,300 unfunded mandates that cause increases in the cost of doing business in our state. This is not to place the blame on OFA. It is not OFAs job to assess the impact of the legislation. But it is written into law that towns and cities should have a chance to give input on potentially disastrous bills that are being considered for adoption. To try to work within these time constraints, CCM recently created the Rapid Response Team as part of its Public Policy and Advocacy team. The idea is that given the short period that municipalities have to respond to OFAs fiscal notes, municipalities will have to be quick on their feet. Creating a network of individuals who will have quick access to the financial impacts of bills will greatly reduce the time in responding to OFA, but it only takes a solution so far. This brings us back to the question: why do burdensome mandates get passed in the first place? It seems as though part of the answer lies in how fiscal notes are created there just is no way to judge the impact of all bills without a rigorous methodology in place to assess the fiscal impact of a bill. But from the point of view of the municipality it is unacceptable to pass on mandates to towns and cities, some of which are struggling without having to raise property taxes past the point of no return. Municipalities simply cannot afford any more unfunded mandates. That is why I want more time. We know that unfunded mandates are costly, but two business days is hardly enough time to prove it. . CCMs Rapid Response Team is a good solution to an unnecessary problem. We need to truly study and understand the impact of bills on the docket. We need to have an agreement on a methodology to assess fiscal impact, and an agreed-upon set of standards between municipal officials and legislators. It is the only way to be just and fair in this process. This current system of completing complex fiscal analysis in a short amount of time or as soon as possible, as is the case with amendments, simply doesnt work. The obvious answer is to allow more time. The very life and well-being of our Connecticut towns and cities demand it. Susan Bransfield is first selectwoman of Portland and past president of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities. On Friday, after a 7-year-old girl died in Border Patrol custody, a White House spokesman called on Congress to "disincentivize" Central American migrants from undertaking the perilous northward trek to the United States. In fact, there is just such a plan in the works, one already presented to President Donald Trump, that has the makings of an effective long-term strategy for reducing the migrant flow, as well as tensions at the border. Trump would be wise to embrace it. The plan is the brainchild of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was sworn into office Dec. 1. He has proposed what amounts to a Marshall Plan for Central America - $30 billion over five years in job-creating economic development assistance. The details remain unknown, but the idea is eminently sensible: Along with insecurity and gang violence, the major driver of migration from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala is a massive opportunity deficit. Russia is not going to wage war against Ukraine but will respond in kind, if Kiev carries out a provocation on the border with Crimea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station. "We will not wage war against Ukraine, I promise you," the Russian foreign minister stressed. Lavrov said the Russian and US intelligence services are currently maintaining a professional dialogue. According to him, Moscow has never rejected professional dialogue with Washington in those areas, in which Russian "partners are ready to discuss the existing common threats and problems honestly and on an equitable basis." "For one, our intelligence agencies have maintained contacts. A round of negotiations on fighting terrorism has been held after a long break," Russias top diplomat said. "In a number of other areas, such as the Syrian settlement, the North Korean nuclear problem and Afghanistan, we have contacts, which do not always reveal coincidences, but which are fairly regular," Lavrov added. He believes that Washington has always seen Moscow and Beijing as competitors, regardless of the presidential administration. The Russian foreign minister reminded that during his presidential campaign, US President Donald Trump expressed his support for improving relations with Moscow. "However, of course, the United States see us, and China as well, by the way, as competitors, regardless of who is supporting friendly relations with Russia," the diplomat noted. "The Russophobic campaign has brought nothing to Washington, and in recent weeks, US propagandists have actively embarked on China, making it the main hacker, who allegedly undermines the foundations of American society," TASS cited the Russian foreign minister as saying. "It is unfortunate when the interests of the international community, global strategic stability and international security fall victim to domestic political strife. But we will be ready for dialogue even in these conditions," Lavrov stressed. The President of the National Strategy Institute, Mikhail Remizov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the risk of a direct war between Russia and NATO is minimal. "It's almost a zero risk, including because the American strategy of containing Russia has a sufficient number of other tools, and not just economic, social, informational and psychological ones, but also measures of military influence by proxies, for example, Ukraine. Therefore, if we talk about the risk of war, the risk of war against Ukraine is high enough, which, of course, will not be equivalent to a war with the West," he said. DERBY Bad Sons Beer Co. has an event on tap this weekend to help victims of the devastating California wildfires. According to Mike Student, owner and brand commander, the brewery at 251 Roosevelt Drive will join with hundreds of other breweries across the country to brew a special beer, Resilience IPA. Student said the beer will be available on draft, in crowlers and growlers from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday and 100 percent of proceeds will go to those affected by the recent wildfires. Students said Bad Sons is proud to join the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, Calif., in helping the communities surrounding that brewery who lost their homes and everything they owned. The wildfires last month claimed the lives of 86 people, and burned more than 153,000 acres, destroying more than 14,000 homes. Supporting charities has been a part of our business plan since we opened and will continue to be for as long we operate, Student said. When the Resilience IPA program was announced we jumped at the opportunity to do our part to help. Student said, in addition, all local first responders are invited to Bad Sons from noon to 2 p.m. for a free lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers and fries, and will be entered into a raffle for brewery swag. First responders will also receive 25 percent off any four-packs of beer to go. First responders are protecting our families and communities day in and day out, and we saw this as an opportunity to not only raise money for a great cause but also to say thank you to those who help to keep us safe, Student added. Sundays event will also feature live music from 3 to 5 p.m. courtesy of The Hooch. There will also be a taproom-only cask release of Spruce Tip Resilience. Mayor Richard Dziekan said hes proud to have Bad Sons call Derby home. They are setting a stellar example of a successful company giving back to those in need through many charitable Valley events, Dziekan said. For more information about the event, check out the Facebook page or visit www.badsons.com jean.sos@snet.net NCUA headquarters NCUA announced last week that it and six state credit union regulators will launch an alternating examination pilot program for a select group of federally insured, state-chartered credit unions. According to the agency, the program is based on its 2016 Exam Flexibility Initiative report, and will run for one full alternating cycle of approximately three years. The six participating state regulators are the California Department of Business Oversight, the Florida Division of Financial Institutions, the New Hampshire Banking Department, the Oklahoma State Banking Department, the South Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banking and the Texas Credit Union Department. The credit unions for the program have been chosen. The NCUA has posted frequently asked questions about the pilot program on its website. Additional information specific to each states program will be available in the near future. STORY LINK GBP/NZD Outlook: Pound to New Zealand Dollar Exchange Rate Volatility Persists as Uncertainties Leave Both Currencies Weaker Pound Sterling Exchange Rates Mixed as UK Prime Minister Rejects Calls for Second EU Referendum Another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy, that our democracy does not deliver. Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last. New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Exchange Rates Remain Unappealing Ahead of New Zealand Growth Report The NZD was hit hard during the New Zealand session on Friday on poor China data, and it failed to recover meaningfully overnight. GBP/NZD Exchange Rate Forecast: Anticipated New Zealand Growth Data Leaves Markets Jittery Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: Despite the deepening UK political and Brexit uncertainties seen last week, the British Pound to New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate recovered most of its losses. When markets opened on Monday, the volatile exchange rate fluctuated as Brexit fears weighed on Sterling while the New Zealand Dollars strength was limited by global growth jitters.Last week saw a wide movement in the volatile GBP/NZD pair. GBP/NZD opened the week at the level of 1.8545 before plummeting over four cents and touching on a 2018 low of 1.8132 in the middle of the week. GBP/NZD then rebounded strongly however, and closed the week just below the weeks opening levels at around 1.8520.Since markets opened on Monday, GBP/NZD has fluctuated near the weeks opening levels.Market uncertainty about how the Brexit process will unfold has only worsened in the past week.UK Prime Minister Theresa May, anticipating a defeat for her unpopular negotiated UK-EU withdrawal deal, delayed a key UK Parliament vote on the deal in order to attempt to negotiate additional assurances from the EU.However, Prime Minister May was unable to secure any assurances.On top of this, PM May also faced a no-confidence vote from her Conservative Party last week. While she successfully survived the vote, over a third of the party voted against her leadership and this left investors concerned about UK political stability.Sterling recovered most of its weekly losses due to market risk-aversion weakening the New Zealand Dollar, as well as relief that UK Prime Minister May had survived the no-confidence vote.Sterling ultimately remained unappealing however, and market Brexit uncertainty has deepened as UK politicians struggle to agree on how the process should proceed.UK Prime Minister Theresa May argued on Monday that the idea of a second EU referendum was harmful and could break faith with the British people. She said:The UK government also indicated on Monday that it would ramp up plans for the possibility of a worst-case scenario no-deal Brexit, which also left investors anxious and limited the Pounds appeal.Market jitters about an upcoming New Zealand growth report, coupled with signs of weakening global growth, left the New Zealand Dollar less appealing on Monday.While the risky trade-correlated New Zealand Dollar briefly surged last week, due to signs of de-escalation in US-China trade tensions, the New Zealand Dollar slumped again later in the week.The latest key Chinese data indicated that the second biggest economy in the world was slowing more than expected, which dampened market demand for risk-taking. According to ANZ Bank New Zealand economists Sharon Zollner and Philip Borkin:Concerns about slowing global growth continued to weigh on the New Zealand Dollar on Monday, leaving GBP/NZD fluctuating.On top of the usual Brexit and global growth jitters, the Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rates volatility is likely to be worse as investors anticipate major New Zealand data due for publication on Thursday.New Zealands Q3 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth data is expected to slow notably quarter-on-quarter, from 1.0% to 0.6%. If the data falls near or short of expectations the New Zealand Dollar could be in for further losses.New Zealands December business confidence report from ANZ will come in on Tuesday, followed by Westpacs consumer confidence data for Q4 on Wednesday, but these are unlikely to be as influential.Of course, an expected Bank of England (BoE) policy decision on Thursday could also prove influential for the Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate if the bank takes any surprising stances on the Brexit process and how it may impact Britains economic outlook. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound New Zealand Dollar Forecasts Dr. Oz's U.S. Senate in Pa. What to know about him and where he lives Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he did not plan to extend martial law unless there was a large scale attack from Russia. "Unless there is a large-scale aggression, an intrusion of Russian military forces into Ukrainian territory beyond the line of conflict and the Crimea administrative border, martial law will not be prolonged," the Ukrainian president said. Poroshenko imposed martial law in some areas of the country for a month after Russia captured three Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait on November 25, Reuters recalls. CHICAGO Masha Chernyak had an epiphany in the back of an Uber, while listening to her fellow passenger, an aspiring tech entrepreneur, gush about his big, game-changing idea. These guys will give me the elevator pitch for their cat-food delivery app, look me right in the eyes and say theyre going to change the world, said Chernyak, vice president of programs and policy at the San Francisco-based Latino Community Foundation (LCF). The many organizations we work with really, truly are changing the world they just dont know how to tell that story. Or theyre spending all of their time and effort on their mission and dont have the capacity or resources to get the help they need to tell that story. Chernyak told me this on the eve of the pitch night of what she called the first-ever Latino Nonprofit Accelerator. Its modeled after the technology sectors strategy of incubating small businesses by providing them support to refine their pitch to mentors and investors at whats known as a Demo Day. With help from Google.org, the San Francisco Foundation and Akonadi Foundation, the LCF has spent the last 16 months funding a small group of organizations, mentoring them on how to grow their outreach and training them on marketing, fundraising and communications skills. The problem is that, in the world of philanthropy, few funders want to give organizations money to rent space, keep the lights on or hire accountants. Giving money for marketing, photographers, videographers, web developers and designers is even less appealing. In a quest to fill this void, the LCF decided to invest in nonprofits the Silicon Valley way. During the LCFs Demo day, organizations that had spent 16 months incubating with LCF learning how to tell the story of how theyre impacting education, workforce development or civic engagement had three minutes to pitch a panel of potential business mentors and investors. By the time the demo was over, the LCF had granted the first prize of $25,000 to an organization called One Day at a Time, which teaches teens leadership and coping skills. The money will go toward continuing the groups outreach and conflict-resolution services for teens. Yes, we gave away a total of $65,000, and thats important, said Chernyak, but realistically, the money is very limited to creating postcards, one-pagers, annual reports and printing and mailing them, which is in itself huge. The big thing, though, is giving these organizations the opportunity to gain confidence, to be able to speak clearly and passionately about what they do and to inspire funders to invest in projects that are for the community by the community. The criticism that many grass-roots activists level at large philanthropic entities is that they would rather fund big, established nonprofits to go into neighborhoods to save the poor brown people than invest money in community-based groups that are already doing the work on the ground but have few resources to scale up. In fact, only 1.1 percent of philanthropic dollars are now invested in Latino-led nonprofits, according to the LCF. But if more charities take the LCFs lead by teaching community organizations to market themselves to potential funders the way that sophisticated nonprofits do, the disparity in the number of dollars going to minority-led nonprofits might finally improve. This could result in community leaders of color giving more of their beneficiaries the much-mythologized hand up rather than the less lasting handout. And in todays bootstrapping economy, it cant come a moment too soon. Esther Cepeda is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. Her email address is estherjcepeda@washpost.com. Editors note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the authors. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) The context is clear: its a state of affairs where historical facts are questioned, this time and place where unless an original document is surfaced, what we all know to be truth is deemed untrustworthy or invalid, or both. We are exasperated and exhausted. In the face of false news and alternative facts being repeated until it becomes true, one holds on to the hope that in the final analysis, what will hold water are documents, data, statistics. And so it is the worst time to have to deal with one Leon Gallery selling historical artifacts and documents from its consignors, with no apologies and no shame and worse, with pride at what theyre doing. Dont forget the marketing blitz before the auction, and the token historian(s) who will justify the fact that this auction house is putting up history for sale. And were not talking art as history. Were talking historical documents, written artifacts about historical moments from which we continue to build our identity as a people, from which we gain understanding of who we are, what has happened, and where we might be going. There is a difference between the auction of art and the auction of historical documents and artifacts. The former is the sale of collectibles, a matter of taste, heirlooms to hand down to the next generation, or symbols of an embarrassment of riches for the Imeldific elite. The latter carries with it the weight of a nations making and unraveling, our collective sense of who we are as a people. These are documents that belong to the nation, that were kept in family vaults and handed down from one generation to the next by our forebears, not with the intent of profiting from these, but of contributing to national discourse at some point. It is of course the state of national cultural and heritage affairs that has led us to this: where instead of descendants handing over these documents to government agencies with the goal of making these public, these are handed over to auction houses for sale to the highest bidder. But this falls squarely on auction houses like Leon Gallery, because there are many way to handle acquisitions like this one, so that Katipunan documents are not treated in the same way, are not put on the same level, as artworks for sale. Certainly Leon Gallery owner Jaime Ponce De Leon can start by operating and speaking with less arrogance, and even less double-speak. We after all have enough of that coming from the president. A portion of the Naik Military Agreement signed by Andres Bonifacio. The document was also sold at Leon Gallery's Kingly Treasures auction. Photo from LEON GALLERY/FACEBOOK Beyond the law The art systems in this country go largely unchecked, and the auction system is the same. In a country where even cultural institutions are rarely questioned for how it spends its funds, and cultural workers have no real recourse in the face of oppressive anti-worker policies, the wealthy in the private sector can live generally free of accountability. This does not make it right for any of them to speak with such belligerence, as if they are beyond reproach because they comply with all laws, rules, and regulations. This was how De Leon sounded when he responded to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) request that the auction house hold off on offering historical documents for its Dec. 1 auction. The NHCP request is clear: give government time to procure these documents. It is not asking to acquire it for free. All it asks is time for government to put together a budget for its acquisition, given that the 2019 budget is already with the Senate. De Leons response to this request is inexplicably defensive, taking offense as it does with what it called the confiscatory nature of the citation of the law that is the NHCP Charter. The NHCP had said that under its charter, they are empowered to acquire important historical documents, collections, memorabilia and other objects that have significant historical value. Nowhere in the NHCP Charter are they allowed to confiscate any property, and neither does the power to confiscate cultural artifacts from private ownership exist in the Cultural Heritage Act. This is precisely why Leon Gallery can get away with selling historical artifacts and documents these laws have no teeth. These depend on the cooperation of the private sector with government offices, these depend on the private owners sense of civic duty, on their sense of patriotism, to turn over these documents and artifacts to nation. Cooperation is not required, but it is hoped for. And this is why the arrogance of De Leons response is uncalled for. It is also worth noting that in a Nov. 28 news article, De Leon seemed to take the request of the NHCP well: Ponce de Leon says he will relay the governments request to the sellers, but ultimately the decision rests with those who own the historic pieces. But a day after, in a Nov. 29 article, his tone had changed: claiming confiscatory nature and undue taking of property without just compensation. De Leon also said: We must (however) decline to exclude certain memorabilia from our auctions for an undetermined period of time for the following reasons: we were not given adequate notice of these memorabilia being cultural properties nor the need of registration (we submit that notice is a basic requirement of due process). What happened in a span of a day? Was it a conversation with the consignors, or his lawyers? Was it the realization that the auction house stands to lose so much profit from the sale of these documents? Was it the realization that he could use this mileage to get an even higher final bid on these documents might as well use a controversy to ones advantage? Or was it simply the realization that, in fact, there is something fundamentally wrong with what they are doing, seeing these historical national documents as nothing more but products to be sold, lots in an auction catalogue, marketed to the countrys wealthiest? Ah, but that would mean Im giving this auction house the benefit of a conscience. Pieces from our history should after all never be treated as pieces owned, but as relics that should be turned over to the nation. Spinning these sales What might be the most distasteful part of this whole crisis and this is what the auction of historical documents actually is is how Leon Gallery spins this activity into something that is beneficial for nation. In September this year, when the Bonifacio flag was auctioned off along with other historical documents, Leon Gallery claimed this was a triumph of Philippine history. According to De Leon: I am privileged to say that the great public interest and the high prices in the Leon Gallery historical auctions have brought so many of these fantastic documents and objects out at last from the closed doors and bank vaults of a few collectors. In the Nov. 29 article, De Leon continued this spin: Just like in the last auction, there were some documents that no one knew existed, so if not for that, there are a lot of pieces of a puzzle in the last century that would have been lost because we didn't know of their existence. Actually the discovery would not have been made if not out of the enticement of a sale. What these statements from De Leon evades is the fact that these documents are surfacing from private collections only to be transferred to other private collections an anonymous new owner, and not necessarily Filipino as facilitated by an auction house that earns from this transaction. What De Leon is doing is spinning this sale as a contribution to nation, because the gallery allows historians access to these documents as it passes through their space. What De Leon wants us to believe is a narrative in which Leon Gallery is practically a hero for surfacing these documents, and in which its rich patrons are heroes too for spending on the restoration and preservation of these artifacts. What De Leon erases here is the fact that in this transaction, historical documents are seen as nothing more but products to be sold at a market, acquisitions that hold no other meaning than the price tag attached to it. Sure everythings legal. But that doesnt make this practice any less abhorrent. The only thing more disgraceful here are the historians themselves who have decided there is nothing wrong with this enterprise. Namedropped since the September auction by De Leon himself, Ambeth Ocampo had said of the September auction: Some well-meaning but misguided social media posts suggest that all historical documents should be in museums, which already have more than they can handle. Auctions have drawn these items from hiding. Let the collectors preserve the expensive deteriorating originals; historians just need the content from a high-resolution scan. It is unclear why Ocampo would think us misguided at all for demanding that these documents be turned over or sold to institutions that would make it publicly accessible. Though the bigger question is why he would stand idly by as historical documents are sold to the highest bidders, never mind that these might again be hidden from the public, never mind that it arguably becomes as with all art something that promises not much else but a return on investment. Unsurprisingly, that line about high resolution scans has been used by De Leon in defending the auction of these artifacts: Ponce de Leon said historian and Inquirer columnist Ambeth Ocampo, himself a former chair of the NHCP, had said that government did not need the original documents, but the facsimile copies should suffice. But are these facsimiles even being given to pertinent government agencies, to university libraries, or just uploaded online to be freely accessed by all Filipinos? Are these documents ever even made public, even just in terms of digital scans, before these go back into private vaults? And why does Leon Gallery pride itself in providing historians access to these documents? They presume that we trust these historians who are so privileged by the auction house. But what if we dont trust these historians? After all, why should we trust someone like Ocampo to interpret these historical documents for us, when he himself doesnt care to give us access, doesnt fight for the publics right to these historical documents? The answer is: we shouldnt. A portion of Lot 118 at Leon Gallery's Kingly Treasures Auction. This was part of a document signed by General Artemio Ricarte. Photo from LEON GALLERY/FACEBOOK Custodianship vs ownership Sadly, what we are proving here is that we cannot expect civic duty or a sense of nation to operate, not when millions of pesos in profits are at stake. We cant expect it of an auction house like Leon Gallery, and not of people like Jaime Ponce De Leon. And apparently, we cant expect it of historians like Ambeth Ocampo who is happy enough that he has access, never mind the rest of us. Sadly too, we are at a time and place when theres barely enough time to keep track of what government is doing, so that arts and culture must but take a back seat. In the process what is unfolding before us is the normalization of the process by which our history can be auctioned off, with De Leon ferreting out historical documents, based on not much else but the amount it will bring. There are many ways to handle artifacts such as these. Leon Gallery could simply facilitate a transaction between private consignors and government institutions, so that the latter might acquire these documents at a price that can be included in the national budget. Leon Gallery could decide not to put these documents up for auction, and instead assist cultural institutions in raising the funds to actually acquire these from private owners. Auction house owners like De Leon and historians like Ocampo can be the ones to speak to those who have inherited these historical documents and artifacts, and explain to them that they are not so much owners, as they are custodians. These pieces from our history should after all never be treated as pieces owned, but as relics that should be turned over to the nation that fueled it into existence. Of course this is being overly optimistic about people like De Leon and Ocampo, who are obviously happy enough with this status quo. What one banks on though is the amount of criticism this enterprise continues to generate, and the kind of backlash auction houses like this one should receive from the cultural sector it purportedly serves. As with nation, the wait need not be a long one. The World Economic Forum said that sanctioned Russian businessmen may attend Januarys Davos event. Head of compliance at WEF Alois Zwinggi said the organization was pleased that Russia would "send a high-level government delegation to Davos.' "Should the delegation include individuals under sanction, all necessary measures have been undertaken to ensure that their presence would be fully compliant with current legal conditions," the Wall Street Journal cited him as saying. Earlier, Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, construction billionaire Viktor Vekselberg and banker Andrey Kostin had been asked not to attend the prestigious economic gathering to avoid problems with American delegates. Theresa May is unusually slow to reach boiling point. Indeed, many of us wish she were quicker to express her anger at those who have been trying to frustrate her efforts to honour the outcome of the 2016 referendum and leave the European Union. But yesterday the Prime Minister's preternatural patience finally snapped, with an unprecedented attack on one of her predecessors. In a statement of withering contempt, she declared: 'For Tony Blair to go to Brussels and seek to undermine our negotiations by advocating for a second referendum is an insult to the office he once held and to the people he once served. We cannot, as he would, abdicate responsibility for this decision. Parliament has a democratic duty to deliver what the British people voted for.' 'Even if Tony Blair (pictured) had not been so discredited as a result of leading the nation into a war of choice based on (as we later discovered) fictional claims, there is still something outrageous in his one-man diplomatic mission to Brussels' This message is not, I suspect, meant only for Mr Blair. Senior members of her own party apparently including the man described as her 'deputy PM', David Lidington are attempting to push her towards a second referendum as a means of breaking the parliamentary impasse over the passing of the EU Withdrawal Agreement. Her rebuke, I like to believe, is also directed at them. Parliament has been given its instructions by the British people: it would be fatuous for it now to say: 'We don't know how to do what you asked. Please could you tell us how to proceed, as it's all too difficult.' But those MPs have not been having meetings in Brussels with the panjandrums of the European Commission, as Tony Blair has, to sew up some sort of Brexit-blocking bargain. This matters, because the former PM is taken much more seriously there than he is in his own country. A recent poll showed that only two per cent of the British population have a 'very favourable' opinion of Mr Blair. It is the sort of approval rating a mass-murderer might be expected to get which happens to be how many members of his own party describe him, in the wake of the Iraq war. Even if Blair had not been so discredited as a result of leading the nation into a war of choice based on (as we later discovered) fictional claims, there is still something outrageous in his one-man diplomatic mission to Brussels. Last week, he imperiously told the European TV station Euronews: 'I need to get the European leaders to the next stage.' Who the hell does he think he is? By what authority does he act on behalf of this country? He is not even a member of parliament, either elected or since he refused the opportunity to sit there in the revising chamber of the Upper House. His presumption is extraordinary. This came out in an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr last year, when Blair told the astounded presenter that, in promoting the campaign to prevent the UK from leaving the EU, 'I feel a renewed sense of mission'. Lovely for him to imagine that once again the hand of history has been placed upon his shoulders; but for the rest of us, the idea of Tony Blair leading the nation towards a manifest destiny clearly understood only by him is a deranged prospect. Actually, not quite all of us. He is accompanied on this 'renewed sense of mission' by two of his closest former advisors: his former spin-doctor Alastair Campbell, and his erstwhile 10 Downing Street policy chief, Andrew Adonis. 'Theresa May is unusually slow to reach boiling point. Indeed, many of us wish she were quicker to express her anger at those who have been trying to frustrate her efforts to honour the outcome of the 2016 referendum and leave the European Union' Perhaps I'm the only one who thinks this, but neither of them comes across as entirely rational. Both have been driven to something like hysteria by the 2016 referendum result. Campbell, in the very week of the ballot, demanded that it be ignored on the grounds that it was based on a false prospectus (rich, coming from the author of the Iraq 'dodgy dossier'). Lord Adonis, meanwhile whom I had hitherto regarded as entirely clear-headed and reasonable has been littering the Twittersphere with increasingly bizarre assertions. He has become convinced that the BBC's management and journalists are dedicated to the Brexit cause, referring to them as 'the Brexit Broadcasting Corporation'. And when the Financial Times (which actually hates Brexit) recently declared that Parliament should support Mrs May's negotiating terms with the EU, as the best of a bad job, Adonis tweeted that this was an attempt by the FT's editor to get a knighthood from Mrs May and/or that the paper was cravenly doing the bidding of its Japanese owners (Nikkei). Given that corporate Japan regards Brexit with undisguised dismay, this suggested that Blair's vicar on earth (I mean Lord Adonis) had gone well and truly off the deep end. It's important to understand where Blair and Adonis come from in the matter of the UK's relationship with the EU. They are among the tiny minority of the British political class perhaps only Lord Heseltine is of the same view who believe it was a terrible error for Britain not to have joined the euro. They genuinely think that this country's destiny is to be absorbed in a federal European system with, ultimately, a common government: national parliaments would become more like parish councils. I remember that the first time I had lunch with Blair after he had become Labour leader, he told me that if there was one thing he was passionately convinced of, it was that the UK should give up the pound to join the mooted single European currency. That was years before the euro actually came into being: but after it did, he told the BBC's Jeremy Paxman that it would be 'crazy' for the UK to rule it out. Blair was livid (the word barely does justice to his rage) when in 2003 Gordon Brown used his authority as Chancellor of the Exchequer to thwart him and do just that. Two years later perhaps to demonstrate his credentials to the EU after losing that battle Blair declared that our EU rebate negotiated (with such remarkable toughness) by Margaret Thatcher was 'an anomaly that has to go'. 'Senior members of the PM's party apparently including the man described as her 'deputy PM', David Lidington (pictured) are attempting to push her towards a second referendum as a means of breaking the parliamentary impasse over the passing of the EU Withdrawal Agreement And so he signed away 3 billion a year of it, in return for unmet assurances from Brussels. So far, Blair's gesture of good will to the institutions of the EU has cost British taxpayers almost 40 billion. On his many trips to Brussels since the referendum, Blair has sought to persuade the European Commission to give some sort of derogation to the UK on freedom of movement while remaining in the EU: he thinks he will, by his own charm and personality, achieve this (and thus cancel out what he believes is the main reason for Brexit). It is delusional. This is what David Cameron failed to do, despite negotiating with all the authority of being, actually, the British Prime Minister, and despite promising this to the British people ('I will deal with free movement'). As Sir Ivan Rogers (Britain's permanent representative to the EU during those negotiations) observed last week, those campaigning for a second referendum to overturn the result of the first 'seem either remarkably coy about whether they want to remain on the terms Cameron negotiated or whether some great new offer will be forthcoming notably on freedom of movement from EU elites supposedly desperate to give us something now that they were not prepared to give to Cameron. Let me puncture that fallacy. No such offer will be coming'. And, on the topic of Mrs May's immediate predecessor, let's note how impeccably he has behaved since the referendum, in refusing to do anything other than support the current occupant of the office he held even though May sacked every last Cameroon in the government as soon as she took over. Note also that Cameron has held back publication of his now completed memoirs until after Brexit has been delivered, on the grounds that his revelations might cause Mrs May's government difficulties they could do without at such a delicate stage. True, Cameron is a member of the same party as Mrs May, whereas Tony Blair was a Labour Prime Minister and remains a member of the Labour Party: in that respect he owes no loyalty to her. This underlines a point which should weigh heavily with senior remain-voting Tory MPs attracted by the idea of a second referendum. Such a course of action would achieve Tony Blair's other great ambition: the destruction of the Conservative Party. The gangsters and dealers flooding Britains streets with hard drugs will be delighted by news that Thames Valley Police plans to introduce the most lenient policy on illegal substances ever seen in this country. Users found in possession of Class A drugs including heroin, cocaine and ecstasy will be sent on their way without so much as an official caution. Incredibly, the new policy is simply to let people off for drugs offences. Their stash will be confiscated, and officers will politely recommend that the user visits an addiction advice service. Thats it. Police will not even follow up the incident, to find out how many users seek help as suggested. Users found in possession of Class A drugs including heroin, cocaine and ecstasy will be sent on their way without so much as an official caution under Thames Valley Police's new initiative I was a senior police officer for many years. The people I arrested in possession of drugs were often in a dreadful state, suffering with mental health problems that in many cases were caused by drugs. Its hopelessly naive to imagine that, left to their own devices, addicts will voluntarily seek out the help they need. But the stupidity of this insidious policy goes much deeper than mere naivety. It actively erodes the polices ability to exercise control on the streets. From long experience, I know that in almost every case where officers follow up a petty drugs seizure, more crime will be uncovered. When police search a users address, they will frequently find more drugs, other users and stolen goods. Drug arrests, even for very small amounts, usually enable police to clear up other crimes and catch other criminals. This can include the discovery of major organised crime rings. When I was in charge of the West End Central district of the Met in London, overseeing Soho, we pursued a robust drugs policy. That was a direct response to theatres and businesses who told us customers were being driven away by the fear of crime associated with drug abuse. What we discovered, thanks to a major covert operation, was that many people who claimed to be small-time users were frequently suppliers as well. They concealed their true activities by carrying only very small amounts of drugs, never enough to raise suspicion that they were the real dealers. Suspicions By studying CCTV of their activities, we exposed a sophisticated supply network. High-level dealers were bringing vulnerable people to the UK to sell drugs on the street. They never carried enough for more than one or two customers at a time never so much that it could raise suspicions that they were dealing. In fact, they always had a much bigger stash hidden nearby. This was a clever approach because, when taken to court, the seller would claim they had it only for personal use. Then theyd tell a sob story about their numerous social and personal problems, in the sure hope that the court would be lenient in its sentencing. The gang bosses knew how to exploit this. The penalties they meted out to dealers who grassed and co-operated with police were far more Draconian than anything the courts could threaten to impose. Thames Valley will record the possession of drugs as a crime, but will not take the person into custody nor give them any warning, caution or conviction Vulnerable youngsters were warned that their friends and family, often back home in another country, would be the ones to suffer if anyone stepped out of line. This is the rule of fear that enables ruthless drug lords to operate networks stretching all over the country today, the so-called county lines system. Its not new: I remember one woman, brought to Britain by a Yardie gang to sell drugs, who was terminally ill. The bosses were cynically exploiting the fact that she had less than a year to live. They knew that, if arrested, she would only ever receive a token fine. Breaking these gangs will be even more difficult under the new Thames Valley policy. Without an arrest, there can be no proper interview or investigation. The police will never find out how deep the problem is or be able to collect the intelligence to expose the truth. I suspect the real motive behind this decision is that it saves huge amounts of police time. Sadly, I am no longer surprised at these foolish and ill-considered policy decisions, dreamed up by senior officers with little or no practical street duty experience. Too many of them have spent their working lives pursuing their personal career goals rather than criminals. They have not seen the misery and suffering that drugs bring to the users, their families and communities. Drugs are pernicious and dangerous. Their misuse for personal gratification should not be tolerated. Unfortunately, this Thames Valley scheme will be hailed as a success, because it will work on paper at least. Each incident where a drug user is sent away with a gentle bit of advice, to stay out of trouble and talk to a counsellor, will be recorded as a clear-up. A tick will be placed in the box marked crime solved. The chief constable is not inventing a new law. Technically, hes not disregarding existing legislation hes in no doubt that drugs are illegal. Senior police are entitled to introduce new policies, as long as they dont completely disregard the law-books. But its impossible to avoid the conclusion that this new policy appears to normalise drug-taking, giving the impression its fine if anyone who wants to takes hard drugs. Shattered Politicians will be satisfied because they will be able to announce that crimes have been solved. Meanwhile, in the real world, more drugs will fuel more thefts, more knife crime, more shattered lives. I dont blame the police. Their resources are stretched so thin that its inevitable they will look for corners to cut. The problem isnt so much a lack of funding, as the ever increasing burden of bureaucracy. Instead of patrolling the streets, police men and women are filling out endless paperwork, or surfing the internet on a mission to protect the perpetually offended. But cutting corners on drugs crime is always wrong. It is not, as some claim, a victimless offence. On the contrary, it causes waves of suffering. Just to take one example, what happens when a traffic officer stops a driver in possession of cocaine an increasingly common occurrence? The driver might not appear to be under the influence. But if drugs kick in later and theres a fatal accident, the public will blame the officer who, minutes earlier, let that user remain behind the wheel. Effective All this is the opposite of a policy that many people, including me, see as the most effective weapon against drugs crime: zero tolerance. On a working trip to New York in 2001, I saw it in action, a policy that co-ordinated every part of the war on crime, from police to community programmes that made the city safer and cleaner. One case I watched from start to finish began with the arrest of a white-collar professional, a stockbroker, in possession of cocaine on the Metro. The initiative, launched last week by Thames Valley Police, which covers the Prime Ministers Maidenhead constituency, is the most lenient of its kind ever introduced in England He was given a choice of 30 days in Rikers Island prison or 60 hours of community service with the catch that he had to start work on cleaning up graffiti straight away. As he left the courtroom, he was handed a pair of overalls. Swift, effective justice like that works, in a way that the soft approach never will. Britain needs tough, joined-up thinking of the kind that has been so effective in New York. Without it, our streets are being given over piece by piece to criminals. Over Westminster there hovers, like Mount Olympuss mythical cloud, a mephitic stench. Back home in Herefordshire, people are happy. Travelling to London, one sees pre-Christmas smiles. Paddington station buzzes with festive anticipation. It is only in SW1 that this noisome pong has parked itself. Theresa May (pictured in the Commons) warned that a second Brexit referendum would cause 'irreparable damage' to Britain The political class is scrapping for its power and influence. It is fearful, bitter, determined to drag us all down. Third Monday in succession, Theresa May faced a Chamber that aches to block Brexit. Remainers hurled themselves at her. They were and are and will continue to be the problem. Forget all that rubbish about the Eurosceptics being the difficult ones. It was the pro-EU nutters who tried to undermine her yesterday. Again. A little knot of them perched in the top corner near their ally Bercow. Here sat the madly-expostulating Soubry, rich dullard Djanogly, Greening, Grieve, Wollaston, Lee. Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today in the Commons) abandoned an attempt to call a stunt vote of no confidence in Theresa May in less than an hour today Those last two are doctors. Lads, you wouldnt want them to ask you to cough please. Theyd never let go. I have a private game when these ageing groovers are on their feet. Which will be first to claim to speak for young people? Yesterdays contest was won by Soubry. She wont see her 62nd birthday again. Have you noticed how much younger Eurosceptic Tories are? These blue Remainers shook their heads when Mrs May attacked the anti-democratic damage a second referendum would do. That dim but vain one from Cambridgeshire, Heidi Whatnot, had barged herself on to the bench next to Dr Lee and moved the green reservation card which had been left there by another MP. She and Lee and Wollaston all laughed and pointed at the name on that green card, seemingly mocking its owner. It belonged to Stephen Metcalfe, a sturdy Leaver from S Basildon & E Thurrock. When he turned up he chose to be diplomatic and not try to ask Mrs May a disloyal question. Mr Metcalfe may not be a metropolitan sophisticate but Id prefer him as my MP any day of the decade. On the Labour benches were equally hectoring anti-Brexiteers: Bradshaw, Benn, McFadden, Sheerman, Cooper, bulging their eyes as though they had just eaten blisteringly hot-hot-hot pigs-in-blankets. You know the moment. You realise you shouldnt have holed it in one and when you next take a gulp of vino there is a sizzle as the liquid hits your poor tongue. Then we had the likes of Caroline Lucas from the Greens she certainly turns the rest of us virescent and Joanna Cherry, a squat-frog lawyer from the SNP, over-articulating when they put their questions, addressing Mrs May the way bad primary school teachers speak to half-wit pupils. They and others screamed, variously, for a second referendum, for parliamentary votes on alternatives to Brexit, and time and again for Mrs May to rule out no-deal. Why would she want to do that? John Bercow talks to the Government's front bench of Michael Gove, Penny Morduant, Stephen Barclay, and Geoffrey Cox as the Prime Minister arrives in the Commons Millions of us would love no-treaty (as it is more accurately called). It is no secret Mrs May would prefer her own, limp deal, but ruling out a clean Brexit is madness if we want to make the EU think again. These crazed anti-Brexiteers jabbed their fingers and scoffed and hyperventilated as they raged at Mrs May. What did she do? What she always does: she went into the sort of defensive ball a hedgehog will assume when being shouted at by terriers. The longer this went on, the more she smiled. There does seem to be an odd part of her that enjoys being beaten up. Did she tilt slightly towards the Eurosceptic view? Possibly, though it probably signifies little. Answering questions from Tory MPs Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest W) and Nick Herbert (Arundel & S Downs) she agreed, first, that the recent rudeness of Brussels would only make Leave voters feel they had made the right choice; and, second, that the Leave vote would increase if there were ever another referendum. Europhile Cabinet minister Amber Rudd was there but vanished after a few minutes. Advertisement A 'mysterious' shipping container perched atop a hill in New Zealand has wowed onlookers with the incredible holiday home hidden inside. The long rectangular house, created by Crossover Architects, sits halfway up a north-facing manuka-clad hill in Coromandel on the North Island and has won numerous awards, including Home of the Decade 1996 to 2005. On arrival all that is required is to winch down the sides to form the decks and provide a stage for the living area, which then appears to float above the ground. What looks to be a shipping container perched atop a hill is actually hiding a cosy home with two bedrooms inside The long rectangular house sits halfway up a north-facing manuka-clad hill in Coromandel on the North Island in New Zealand The central living room, open to the outside and the sun, is a metaphorical tent or campsite and the childrens bunk rooms at one end are enclosed and cool. Bi-fold glass doors can be drawn back so the living room becomes a veranda providing shade. As it is nestled amongst rolling hills with ocean views, the open plan living allows the home become one with the nature surrounding it. Even better, the beach is just a stroll away, making it the perfect holiday home. On arrival all that is required is to winch down the sides to form the decks and provide a stage for the living area, which then appears to float above the ground The central living room, open to the outside and the sun, is a metaphorical tent or campsite As it is nestled amongst rolling hills with ocean views, the open plan living allows the home become one with the nature surrounding it The building, that looks like a timber crate ready to be unpacked, has been designed to be functional no matter the weather. A large fireplace allows winter occupation and the open bathroom, with slatted timber floor and a movable bath on wheels, allows the ritual of showering and bathing to become an experience connected to nature. The architects have attempted to capture the essential spirit of the New Zealand holiday in the landscape. Even better, the beach is just a stroll away, making it the perfect holiday home The building, that looks like a timber crate ready to be unpacked, has been designed to be functional no matter the weather The architects have attempted to capture the essential spirit of the New Zealand holiday in the landscape 'The house offers a reinterpretation of the New Zealand building tradition the crafting of wood with structure, cladding and joinery expressed in a raw and unique way,' it reads on their website. 'With heavy vertical structural members supporting horizontal boarding, the construction is reminiscent of the "trip" dams common in the Coromandel region at the turn of last century. 'The thick cypress boards are left unlined inside; interior walls are hoop pine plywood; ceiling panels are also of hoop pine.' On departure the crate can be packed up again for protection from the elements. The open bathroom, with slatted timber floor and a movable bath on wheels, allows the ritual of showering and bathing to become an experience connected to nature Welcome to the Golden Age! Never has head-to-toe gold been so wearable. Last Christmas, we saw splashes of it on bags and blouses, but this year, the High Street has transformed into a gorgeous treasure chest, spilling over with bronzed skirts, jumpsuits, blouses and shoes. London Fashion Week saw metallic designs shining on the catwalks, with Mulberrys ruffled silk dress and matching heels taking centre stage. If youre looking for a more subtle look, try pairing silk palazzo trousers with a luxurious cream blouse, or invest in a lustrous velvet blazer to wear with a neutral top, jeans and strappy, sky-high golden sandals. Emily Blunt (pictured) wore head-to-toe gold from Dundas for the Governors Awards in LA Waiting for my latest round of Botox, I have to admit, Im excited and not just at the prospect of fewer wrinkles. Its more because the Botox isnt going to be injected. Its going to be put in my face without needles. Needle-free Botox is one of the Holy Grails of aesthetic medicine the thing for which cosmetic doctors have been longing for years. Not that there is anything wrong with needles. As a way of delivering the toxin into the muscles it is intended to weaken, needles are precise, effective and reliable and the ones used for Botox are so fine that, when used by an experienced practitioner, they give just the tiniest pinprick as they slip it into place. However, for newbies, needles can be a big stumbling block. People might be fine with the idea of laser treatment, even if this essentially burns away the top layer of their skin. And they may be OK with radiofrequency treatments, which shrink-wrap sagging skin into a neater shape. But show them a needle and theyll be out of the clinic faster than you can say onabotulinum toxin A. Alice Hart-Davis (pictured left with Dr Vincent Wong) gave her verdict on the new Med-Jet device which can be used instead of needles to administer Botox There have been various attempts over the years to create a Botox gel or cream but, so far, none of these has been as effective. Biotulin Supreme Skin Gel (37, amazon.co.uk), reportedly popular with the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex and Michelle Obama, promises similar effects to those of Botox. One of its key ingredients is spilanthol, a herbal extract that acts as an anaesthetic, temporarily numbing facial muscles. But, having personally completed a head-to-head half-face trial that pitched the gel against Botox, I remain sceptical. I ended up with an uneven brow for months for my pains because the gel had no effect on me. Revance Therapeutics, based in Silicon Valley and one of Botoxs competitor brands, attempted to create a Botox cream, but this product did not make it through industry trials. Now, though, there is the Med-Jet device, which, instead of needles, will blast the required dose of toxin into crows feet via a microscopically narrow jet of pressurised carbon dioxide. The pressure of the gas forces a tiny jet of fluid, seven times finer than a Botox needle, through the skin. Made by the Canadian company Medical International Technologies, the machine has for years been used to deliver needle-free vaccinations. The liquid to be in-jetted sits in the syringe at the top, which connects in with the gun part of the device. The man wielding the device today is Dr Vincent Wong, a highly trained doctor who runs clinics in London and Birmingham. His qualifications in medical aesthetics are extensive: he has a first-class MBChB degree, which translates as Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery; he is registered with the General Medical Council, as all doctors have to be; and he has registered with Save Face, a voluntary register of cosmetic practitioners. He also trains other doctors so, although he looks about 23, Im trusting him on this. Though it seems a bit of a leap from injecting vaccines to injecting the worlds most deadly toxin, digging around on the internet I see that Allergan, the pharmaceutical company that makes Botox, has sponsored trials before now on using this device to inject Botox into the palms of people suffering with excessive sweating. Dr Wong (pictured left with Alice) says the Med-Jet device is completely accurate and less traumatic than a needle Needle injections in the palms can be particularly painful due to the number of nerves, so this needle-free option has had some success. However, when I ask Allergan for a comment on administering Botox via the Med-Jet device, the reply is: The proposed route is not an approved route of administration the approved way to administer Botox is by injection with a needle. So its not unheard of to use this device to deliver Botox but how exactly does it work? Were replacing the needle with air pressure, says Dr Wong. A small amount of liquid in this case, Botox will penetrate the skin and have a spreading effect, which helps with the absorption rate. The jet of liquid is finer than a needle. Still, Im concerned, can it really be as accurate as a needle? To have the desired effect, Botox needs to be placed very precisely into the right muscle. Im in two minds about the spreading effect. I wouldnt want Botox to spread from its injection site in my forehead that could lead to some very strange expressions and this is part of the reason I have asked Dr Wong just to treat my crows feet. How popular are cosmetic treatments in the UK? 2.75 billion - the amount non-surgical cosmetic treatments are worth in the UK Advertisement A bit of spreading of toxin among the crows feet does no harm, as they are at least on my face such a dense mass of small wrinkles that the more of them can be blitzed in one go, the better. Oh, it is completely accurate, says Dr Wong. He shows me how the gun device is connected to a large machine containing the CO2 cylinder, where the pressure can be adjusted to deliver the toxin to the appropriate depth in the skin. And is it safe? Yes, he says. It causes less trauma than a needle because of the small size of the jet. The cost is competitive. Prices start at 290 per session, equivalent to needle Botox at other Central London clinics, and the dose is the same as you would receive through a needle, so the results should last just as long. Dr Wong asks me to scrunch up my eyes to check where he needs to place the dose along my crows feet, then presses the round nozzle of the gun very firmly right against the side of my head and warns me there will be a noise. I hold my breath and brace as theres a whooshing click. Dr Wong holds the device in place for another couple of seconds, then lifts it away. I didnt feel anything at all, except for the pressure of the nozzle. Was that it? Prices for Botox administered using the Med-Jet start from 290 per session and offer the same dose as using a needle I suppose I had been hoping for some drama or excitement, what with that massive gun and the warning of noise, but there was absolutely nothing to get excited about. The only disconcerting thing was a light spray of liquid I felt from the tip of the gun after the last blast. Was that Botox? Dr Wong says it is nothing to worry about. So, could this really take off as a new way of delivering Botox? Im not at all sure, just because it seems such a palaver (the noisy cylinder, the huge gun device), though its just as quick as using a needle. Another who doubts it is Dr Kuldeep Minocha, who has been expertly delivering cosmetic injections with needles for a dozen years. Are there really large numbers of patients who simply will not entertain the idea of anti-wrinkle injections because of needle-phobia? he asks. I doubt it. Generally, a calm, unhurried manner, careful explanation of the procedure and a hand to hold during the injection is all that is needed to relieve the first-time patients anxiety. I feel the size of the Med-Jet device alone would scare most people, especially if used around the eyes. The absorption and delivery of the drug also depends on a number of parameters, including the contact pressure applied to the skin. I didnt feel anything at all, except for the pressure of the nozzle - Alice Hart-Davis He adds: There is a level of skill and artistry required when injecting toxin. Im unsure how a device such as this will allow the practitioner to express this without changing the settings frequently. But others, including consultant plastic surgeon Gerard Lambe, arent ruling out the jet delivery of toxin. For those with needle phobias, it makes a good alternative, he says. The question about its efficacy will be judged by results at two weeks, but we know that very small amounts of toxins only need to be injected near the surface of the muscle for it to be effective. Cost and availability play a part. Only time will tell if the CO2 blast takes off widely. Dr Wong has been experimenting to see what the Med-Jet can do aside from Botox and is finding it helpful for treatments such as mesotherapy, where a cocktail of skin-nourishing ingredients is injected. It typically requires a lot of injections and, in an area such as the scalp, where the treatment can stimulate hair growth, it is painful. With the Med-Jet, patients tolerate it. Alice (pictured) says for now she will be sticking to the tried-and-trusted method of using needles to deliver Botox But the Med-Jet isnt the only machine of its type in town. There is another, the new EnerJet, in the hands of consultant plastic surgeon Olivier Amar, at the Cadogan Clinic in Knightsbridge. Although the EnerJet also uses pneumatic blasts to chase liquids through the skin, it has a different mode of action. Rather than sending one piercing shot of fluid into the body, it blasts 100 microscopically small shots of liquid perhaps a PRP mixture, perhaps a dilute form of hyaluronic acid gel, both of have skin-conditioning benefits into the skin, to lodge a couple of millimetres below the surface more precisely than any needle could deliver it. For now, Mr Amar is exploring what the machine can do for softening or remodelling old scars, as well as necklace lines on the neck, which are hard to treat with conventional fillers. But back to my crows feet. They were blitzed with four quick, pain-free jets on each side and that was that. There was no pain or bruising. The results, though, have been rather less than I was expecting. I hoped for the same softening of my crows feet I usually get with needle-delivered Botox, but, when I scrunch up my eyes, there seems to be only a small reduction in the muscle activity. The effects should last for three months. Will these in-jet-tions catch on? Well have to wait and see. As for me, Ill be sticking with the tried-and-trusted method of delivering Botox into the face, namely with a small needle. A needle is quieter, less fuss and I know that it gives the result Im after. Needle-free Botox with Dr Wong at the Renova Clinic, from 290, renovaclinic.co.uk This has been a landmark year for beauty. A year of innovation and cool new brands, of specialised skincare ingredients trickling down from medical and cosmetic clinics into everyday use, and, with the launch of the British Beauty Council, a year when finally the beauty industry was recognised as serious, big business. So its no surprise that this years beauty awards, as voted for by you, reflect that almost 12,000 votes were cast to decide the winning products. Our judges model Marie Helvin, make-up artist Ruby Hammer, cosmetic doctor Maryam Zamani and Inspire beauty columnist Elsa McAlonan put forward their suggestions for the shortlist, but the final decision rested with you, the readers. The results illustrate the complicated and often contrary relationship we have with beauty. Alice Hart-Davis revealed the outcome (pictured) of this year's best buys as voted for by almost 12,000 readers and shortlisted by Inspire beauty judges However much we like a bargain, were happy to splash out on a product we know will perform. We love to try something new, yet we retain huge loyalty for those products that have never let us down. We want serious skincare with advanced ingredients that can smooth away wrinkles and fight off the damaging effects of pollution, yet we also long for more soothing creams and cleansers, for when our skin is feeling irritable. And on top of all that, however much we think were practical at heart, we cant resist a spot of sheer glamour. SO WHAT WON, AND WHY? First are things that help us face todays world with more confidence, particularly now in our social media-focused world we feel we have to look our best all the time. Products such as Vichy Dermablend SOS Cover Stick concealer and Revlons Photoready Insta-Filter Foundation, which, thanks to a clever formula containing light-reflecting particles, does a great job of blurring lines and making your skin tone look more even. No doubt many of us were lured by its name, too it sounds as if its got our backs in those unexpected moments when friends demand an impromptu picture. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Ardens Retinol Ceramide Capsules Line Erasing Night Serum got your vote in the night cream category. The rise of retinol has been a key theme in skincare this year. Once available only through A-list dermatologists, now every company, from No7 to LOreal Paris and dermatologist brands such as Dr Murad, is adding it into its anti-ageing arsenal. To recap the science bit, retinol helps smooth lines and wrinkles and soften pigmentation. This is a powerhouse ingredient that will enhance skin health and appearance, says Dr Maryam Zamani. It tackles acne, wrinkles, pigmentary changes and skin texture. Elizabeth Ardens Retinol Ceramide Capsules Line Erasing Night Serum won the night cream category. Dr Maryam Zamani says retinol is a powerhouse ingredient for enhancing skin health and appearance (file image) Its the gentler, younger cousin of the retinoid creams dermatologists prescribe. However, it is still strong enough to cause irritation and flaking, so buying a retinol product can feel like a leap of faith one we are more inclined to take in the company of a brand like Elizabeth Arden, which weve come to trust over the years. In the Elizabeth Arden serum, retinols regenerative power is tempered by ceramides, a crucial ingredient in the fatty mix of lipids surrounding each cell, which helps improve the skin barrier. The result is an effective product skin can tolerate without protest. It also comes in handy capsules, another emerging trend, each of which provides one generous dose. Although we want effective and possibly more aggressive skincare to deal with wrinkles, another huge demand, paradoxically, is for gentler creams. An enormous number of us struggle with sensitive, irritable or intolerant skin, often triggered by stressful lifestyles. When it all kicks off, we want reliable products that will soothe, calm and protect our faces. Id wager thats why Avenes lovely Soothing Moisture Mask is a winner, and also why CeraVes Moisturising Cream landed at the top of its category, even though the product only launched in the UK in March. Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine nail varnish was a popular choice for a fabulous quick fix (file image) The CeraVe cream is about as straightforward as a day cream can be; its packaging is nothing to write home about and its as cheap as chips but, boy, its good. With key moisturising ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, which helps the skin to hold more moisturiser, and ceramides, to help keep that moisture in the skin, we know we can rely on it to do what it says on the pot. The whole Glossier phenomenon hasnt passed you by, either. This super-trendy new brand, with its low-key but pretty pink packaging, was founded by New Yorker Emily Weiss in 2010 and focuses on creating products that are inspired by the people who need them. Arriving in the UK a year ago, it has found an eager audience you clearly love the Milky Jelly Cleanser even more than Glossiers make-up, and voted it a winner. Then theres the growing concern about pollution and its effects on our skin. Beauty brands are scrambling to help out, and its good to see that No7, whose skincare has been perennially popular since its Protect & Perfect Serum shot to sellout fame in 2007, is a favourite for its Early Defence Glow Activating Serum. This offers all-round protection, including a Double Defence technology with antioxidants to protect skin from pollution and sun damage. Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour was chosen as a timeless chic for luxurious red lips (file image) The make-up winners span the spectrum, from bargain basics Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine nail varnish, a fabulous quick fix, and Avons True Colour 15-in-1 Day to Night Eyeshadow Edit, with its lovely selection of long-lasting, creaseproof shades to the timeless chic of a luxurious red lipstick, in the form of Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour. The texture may be a modern tweak on a classic formula, but it is still a little bullet of pure class. And, as greater beauty brains than mine have pointed out before now, lipstick always seems to hold its appeal and sell well in times of economic uncertainty. Leonard Lauder, chairman emeritus of the Estee Lauder brands, coined the phrase the lipstick index for this phenomenon at the start of the century, the theory being that were unlikely to splash out on a car when money is tight, but instead will treat ourselves to something small and glamorous. Another modern classic is Nars Orgasm Blush, a universally flattering pinky-peach that manages not to look too sparkly even though it is flecked with gold. How we all blushed at the name at its 1999 launch. Now, not so much. Nars Orgasm Blush which is a universally flattering addition to any make-up collections was selected as a modern classic (file image) Instead, it seems an old friend, a make-up stash staple that has stood the test of time. It suits all tones and gives a lovely glow at any time of year, agrees judge Ruby Hammer. Your make-up choices also flag up the soaring popularity of Maybellines Lash Sensational Mascara, the best-selling mascara in the UK. Great Lash used to be the brands top seller, but its nice thin formula, which gives lashes gentle definition, isnt really enough for us these days. Now weve become so used to seeing false lashes and lash extensions everywhere from the school gates to the office party, Lash Sensational ups the ante very satisfactorily. A quick nod to the enduring power of beauty workhorses like the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, which makes hair better and stronger, full stop. Invented to help Audrey Hepburns hair when it was being styled to death on film sets, it has become ever more popular. Yes, its costly, but were happy to pay when something really works. Personally, Im thrilled to see The Body Shop Body Yogurt named best body moisturiser. Its not a complex or high-tech formulation, but it is a significant step away from the heavier body balms. Lighter creams do a better job of hydrating the skin. This has a lovely bouncy gel texture; it sinks in easily and promises to keep skin hydrated for 48 hours. Its also vegan another hot ticket in modern beauty. The UK's bestselling mascara Maybellines Lash Sensational was chosen as this year's best for the illusion of long lashes (file image) For us old-stagers who remember the jibes lobbed at the eco-conscious Body Shop in the Seventies, its name is a delightful nod back to the companys roots. Then theres the ghd platinum+ black styler, which walked away with the lions share of the votes in the beauty gadget category. As with some other winners, this is so much more than a great product which does a good job. The story of how three Yorkshire hairdressers bought the rights to an innovative hairstyling tool in 2001 and built the brand into the hair equivalent of Jimmy Choo shoes has become a legend in the hair industry. The products are a highly prized commodity as all the hair salons that have had break-ins where thieves steal only the ghds can confirm. This year, ghd even saw off the challenge from the latest Dyson launch, the Air Wrap hair curler, a technically brilliant innovation but one with mixed reviews. Finally, even if youre not a perfume aficionado, Lancomes La Vie Est Belle LEclat Eau de Parfum wont have escaped your notice. Perhaps if I called it The Julia Roberts One, youd know it she has led the campaign for the fragrance since it launched in 2012, and it now outsells all Lancomes other products. LEclat is this years version, a lighter, sparkling take on the established classic. Its reassuringly familiar and a bit of frivolity, which is exactly what we need at this time of year. INSPIRE BEAUTY AWARDS JUDGES MARIE HELVIN The sheer number of votes cast is staggering, and a great reflection of the deep connection women have with products that work for them. Many of my favourites are here and, on the recommendation of Mail readers, Im looking forward to giving the others a whirl in particular the Glossier cleanser, which sounds amazing! DR MARYAM ZAMANI The winning selection of products shows Mail readers are increasingly clued up about the complexities of modern skincare. Im excited about the future there are so many technological advances still to come. I think we will soon start focusing on having healthy skin as opposed to always searching for eternal youth. ELSA McALONAN We've never had so much choice when it comes to beauty buys and with each of us spending thousands of pounds on products we need to know were getting our moneys worth. These Inspire Beauty Awards results show we want time-saving, affordable products that work. And while new brands have made their mark, we still adore our old favourites. The White House and Democratic congressional leaders are at an impasse over negotiations to avoid a partial shutdown of the federal government at the end of the week, with both sides unwilling to budge from their positions on U.S. President Donald Trumps proposed border wall, the Washington Post reported. Trump has demanded $5 billion to partially pay for a wall along the Mexican border. Congressional Democrats have rejected that request, arguing the wall is wasteful and ineffective. Congressional Republicans had been scrambling to find an alternative that would avoid a shutdown. But the White House has signaled it wouldnt support such a resolution, making it much more likely that spending for the government will lapse. Despite some backing for the wall among House Republicans, it was unclear whether Trumps plan would even have enough votes to pass the GOP-controlled chamber. And because of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate, the measure would be likely to fail there - Senate Republicans hold a 51-49 majority. Senate Democratic leaders signaled yesterday they were not budging from their negotiating position of providing $1.3 billion for border security - and they called on Trump to yield in his demands for $5 billion for the wall. While official statistics have revealed traditional names including Olivia and Amelia for a girl and Oliver and Harry are the top baby names for 2018, it's likely new parents are going to get a little more imaginative come 2019. According to BabyCenter, this year's biggest trends and news stories will have a huge impact on baby name choices around the world next year - and there are some rather unlikely contenders. Trainer brands, royals and power couples are all set to inspire new mothers and fathers in the coming year, according to the parenting website. BabyCenter believe popular culture influences will have a huge impact on baby name choices - including trainer brands, royal events and power couples (This is a stock image) FASHION-INSPIRED NAMES BabyCenter's list of predictions for the trendiest baby names for 2019 reveals you're in luck if you're an avid trainer collector. They revealed that both Van and Chuckland Taylor - another name for Converse - were among some of the baby names chosen among parents this year. And with Nike shoes having a whole host of styles including Monarch and Jordan, while Adidas has Stan, Smith and Falcon, they're guessing next year's trends will be fashion-focused, too. But with Diadora, Fila and Puma gaining popularity among shoe fanatics, could these be possible baby names to storm up the popularity ranks? According to babyCentre, unusual baby names that may top the 2019 leader board include those inspired by popular trainers ROYAL NAMES BabyCenter also predicts that royal events will have a huge impact on baby names hitting the popularity charts in 2019. With Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, welcoming their third child, Louis Arthur Charles into the world back on April 23rd, it comes as no surprise that the name Louis increased by 17 percent this year. So it's likely that his middle names Arthur and Charles will be cropping up in nurseries around you soon as well. Then we have Prince Harry's wedding to former Suits actress Meghan Markle, which saw her name increase by 49 percent for girls. 'She has since announced her pregnancy, due next year,' said babyCenter. 'We predict her baby name choice will influence parents around the globe.' Another royal event which may impact 2019's choices is the marriage between Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank which took place in Windsor back on 12th October - so could their names be topping the girls and boys leader board soon? Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex arriving at The Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium on 19th November. It wouldn't be a surprise if their choice of baby name inspires new parents across the globe Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie tied the knot in Windsor, Berkshire back on 12th October - could both of their names increase in popularity next year? POWER COUPLES Taking a look back over the past year, it seems as if love was in the air in 2018. With several A-list celebrities getting engaged, including Justin Bieber popping the question to Hayley Baldwin and Ariana Grande's whirlwind five-month engagement to Pete Davidson, could their influence over the headlines inspire new parents in the year ahead? Just like the proposal acceptances, according to BabyCenter, the answer is yes. 'With all the publicity, these power couples just might make their mark on baby names,' they predicted. Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson called off their whirlwind engagement after just five months, but did their relationship last long enough to influence next year's baby names? The women behind this year's breakout fashion brand revealed how they have grown from a kitchen table start-up to an international label in just three years. Friends Orlagh McCloskey, 29, of Derry, Northern Ireland, and Henrietta Rix, 27, of Cheshire, co-founded Rixo at their student flat in Barons Court, west London, after graduating from the London College of Fashion, where they met on a fashion management course. Their vintage-inspired dresses, tops, skirts and accessories are now stocked by Net-a-Porter and Selfridges, dominate Instagram feeds and have been snapped on style-savvy stars including Holly Willoughby, Millie Mackintosh and Michelle Williams. Friends Orlagh McCloskey, 29, of Derry, Northern Ireland, and Henrietta Rix, 27, of Cheshire, co-founded Rixo at their student flat in Barons Court, west London, three years ago. Now their designs are seen on the likes of Holly Willoughby, pictured while filming I'm A Celebrity... Early fans include Millie Mackintosh, who was one of the first big names to wear Rixo after its September 2015 launch. Pictured, the social media star in a photo shared on Instagram in June Presenter Rochelle Humes dons the Rocky two stripe trousers and blazer in an Instagram snap Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph's Stella Magazine, Orlagh and Henrietta told how they both put in 3,000 each to start the label from their living room. Funds went on essentials like laptops and a camera, while a third went towards building a website so they could sell direct to customers. They also travelled to independent shops across the country in the hope of snapping up stockists. Henrietta said: 'We knew every single boutique in the UK off by heart and each morning we would ring them and say, "Hi, can we come and show you something?" Influencer Emma Louise Connelly, engaged to Made In Chelsea star Oliver Proudlock, in Rixo in an Instagram snap shared this month. Social media has been key to the brand's marketing 'And even if someone was a tiny bit interested, we'd turn up at the shop with a suitcase.' Orlagh added: 'We were like Del Boy and Rodney'. The women also sought out influential stylists and their clients on social media, with Angie Smith, now best known as the woman behind Holly Willoughby's wardrobe, among the early fans. Shortly after Rixo officially launched in September 2015 she dressed Millie Mackintosh in a feminine pink, red and white Camellia dress and the press attention drove traffic to the website. DJ Jo Wiley dazzled in the 455 Gigi tiger print sequin wrap dress in a recent Instagram snap Henrietta and Orlagh started paying themselves a salary in 2017 and were still working out of their living room as recently in this time last year. Orlagh's bedroom served as the stockroom. 'I slept on the sofa for six months before we got [an] office,' she said. The pair, who still live together but in a different home, now have a staff, a London office and had a successful pop-up shop in Carnaby Street earlier this year. Rixo co-founders Orlagh McCloskey, left, and Henrietta Rix, centre, with Claire Miles at an event in London in November Rixo is also regularly listed in the top five best-selling brands at Net-a-Porter, which stocks the feminine dresses and separates alongside established industry heavyweights like Chanel and Givenchy. Despite their success, the women don't live the flashy, fashion lifestyle that might be expected. Henrietta said: 'In our first year we wouldn't even buy a coffee.' Orlagh added: 'I still feel guilty when we do.' A woman who tracked down her father after nearly 40 years was left devastated after he died two weeks before Long Lost Family's Christmas Reunion. Laura Aker, 40, from Kirkcaldy, was reunited with her father Andrew last year, after he flew to Scotland from Nigeria with his son Nten. Following the emotional meeting, Laura then travelled to Nigeria to spend more time with her father, along with eight of her step-sisters. However, shortly before she and Andrew were due to meet again, she discovered that he had passed away. Laura Aker (centre), 40, from Kirkcaldy, was reunited with her father Andrew on ITV's Long Lost Family last year, after he flew to Scotland from Nigeria with his son Nten (left) Laura had believed that her step-father was her biological father until the age of 13, when she learned the truth from her mother Susan. Susan had become pregnant after meeting Andrew while he was in Scotland training with the Navy. After returning to Nigeria, Andrew had written a letter to Susan promising to return to Scotland - a promise he kept nearly 40 years later on ITV's Long Lost Family. Sadly, Andrew died just over a year after that reunion, and just two weeks before Long Lost Family's Christmas Reunion. Laura and her step-brother Nten still decided to attend Long Lost Family's Christmas Reunion together (above), after their father died just two weeks beforehand During the programme, Laura's step-brother Nten said he was happy that his father Andrew had got the chance to meet Laura before he died However, Laura and her step-brother Nten still decided to attend the special reunion together following their father's death. Speaking on the programme, Nten told host Davina McCall: 'I'm happy that what he had really endlessness wanted to do before he died was to see Laura, and that happened. 'He told me on the day of the reunion, "I can die now". It was the peak of his life; it meant a lot.' Laura explained how she now has a special relationship with step-brother Nten, adding that she was excited to be reunited with all her other siblings in Nigeria. Long Lost Family's Christmas Reunion sees relatives who have been brought together by the ITV programme being reunited under one roof in a big festive celebration (above) 'When we go over for the burial, it'll be sad but exciting at the time,' she said. 'Dad always said his wish was to have all the children together. It'll be the first time the 13 of us will be together.' During the emotional reunion last year, Laura got the chance to tell her father 'I love you' for the first time. Long Lost Family's Christmas Reunion sees relatives who have been brought together by the ITV programme being reunited under one roof in a big festive celebration. Others appearing on the show include Sharon Harte, who discovered earlier this year that her birth mother had passed away, before being reunited with her four sisters. Sisters Cathie Cutler-Evans and Ann Beggs, who met as part of the series in 2017, were also guests on the programme. Long Lost Family's Christmas Reunion airs on ITV1 at 9pm tonight. Queen Silvia of Sweden has admitted it was 'a big shock' to learn of her father's Nazi links following the late businessman's death. The wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf discovered in 2002 that her late father, Walther Sommerlath, became a member of the Nazi party during the 1930s, and spoke this week the impact it had on her family. Silvia was speaking in one of a series of documentaries to mark her 75th birthday later this month when she made the admission. According to Royal Central, she told Drottning Silvia 75 ar [Queen Silvia at 75] that she didn't believe the revelations at first but 'when I got to see the evidence in black and white, I had to accept it'. Sweden's Queen Silvia, pictured in Stockholm last week, has admitted it was 'a big shock' to learn of her father's Nazi links following the late businessman's death in 1990 Silvia Sommerlath, now Queen Silvia, with her parents Walther and Alice and her brother Joerg at Arlanda airport, two days ahead of her wedding to Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1976 She added: 'Im not trying to detract from the fact that he had become a member. But you may have to think "Why did he do it?" 'He and many others did not know what would happen after. Had he known, I dont believe he would have become a member.' When she married into the Swedish monarchy in 1976, her German father denied he had ever been a member of the Nazi party. It later emerged that he had joined the movement in 1934. Queen Silvia admitted this week that she has since carried out extensive research in a bid to understand more about her father's involvement with the NSDAP since the scandal was exposed in a Swedish newspaper in 2002. Eight years later, in 2010, the revelations about Sommerlath - who was living in Brazil at the time he joined the party and only returned to Germany on the eve of war - plunged the royal family into crisis. Sweden's Queen Silvia, right, arrives with her parents Alice, center, and Walther Sommerlath, left, at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm in 1981. When she married in 1976 the Queens German father denied he had ever been a member of the Nazi party Sweden's future Queen Silvia Sommerlath holds her father's hand in a childhood photo. Revelations about Sommerlath - who was living in Brazil at the time he joined the Nazi party and only returned to Germany on the eve of war - plunged the royal family into crisis in 2010 But in 2011, a fresh report claimed that although Sommerlath belonged to the NSDAP Nazi party, he appeared to have been an inactive member and had even helped a Jewish businessman escape the Holocaust. Sommerlath resettled in Berlin and on 24 May 1939 he took over the company Wechsler & Hennig. According to Royal Central, Queen Silvia discovered in her research that her father had in fact helped Jewish Ernst Wechsler, a Jewish man, to flee Germany by trading his coffee plantation in Brazil for ownership of the firm. Queen Silvia added: 'Its been 30 years since he died so now I think it is enough. I want to say to the Swedish people that I am at ease with it. I know that my dad is not the person that people have created him to be.' Drottning Silvia 75 ar will be broadcast on SVT1 on Monday 17 December These hilarious pictures have captured the moment man's best friend attempts to catch some treats for a new calendar. Photographer Christian Vieler, who is based in Waltrop, Germany, collated the snaps for his Dogs Catching Treats 2019 calendar. The series of snaps show pooches making a real dog's dinner of catching the thrown snack, pulling some brilliant facial expressions in the process. In one picture, a Staffordshire bull terrier looks bewildered by the treats flying towards its face and doesn't even attempt to open its mouth. Another captures a hungry pug with wide eyes and its tongue lolled out to the side as the tidbit is flung towards it. Time for a treat! Photographer Christian Vieler, who is based in Waltrop, Germany has released these photos of dogs attempting to catch treats as part of a new calendar, including this hungry chihuahua It's a pug's life! The snaps capture the wonderful facial expressions of the pooches as they attempt to catch the tidbits Hair raising! This mixed breed pooch looks like it is screaming as it catches the snack. Photographer Christian Vieler takes the photos at his studio in Waltrop, Germany Christian began taking photos in this manner in 2013 after being inspired while playing around with his camera with his own dog, Lotte. He said: 'To make her move and in order to test the "freezing options" of the flash, I started throwing treats at her. 'Days later, when I cleaned my hard drive, I noticed how funny the shots were. 'I asked myself: What is the magic behind these photographs? I think the expressions of the dogs remind us of well-known feelings like desire, loss, pain or joy. And that's what we normally don't see that clear in the faces of our dogs. Tasty treat: Christian first began taking photos in this way in 2013 after testing out his camera with his own dog, Lotte, a Labrador In this brilliant snap, a Staffordshire bull terrier looks bewildered by the treats flying towards its face and doesn't even attempt to open its mouth Catch me if you can! Other shots show a golden retriever looking down its nose as it tries to spot the flying treat This labrador was photographed dribbling in anticipation. Christian ensures all the dogs are comfortable before taking pictures and uses a low-level flash so he doesn't scare them 'All models behave because I am the guy with the treats, and I have many treats in my bags.' Most of Christian's images are taken at his studio, where he ensures the dogs are comfortable and uses a low-level flash to prevent scaring them. If Christian notices a dog is uncomfortable, he'll stop shooting straight away. Dogs Catching Treats 2019 is available to buy from Christian's website for approximately 22.42 and can be shipped worldwide. Christian said: 'I think the expressions of the dogs remind us of well-known feelings like desire, loss, pain or joy' Almost got it! Christian has collated the shots for his Dogs Catching Treats 2019, which costs 22.42 He believes the 'magic' behind the photographs is that they feature expressions dogs don't often show A size 8 teenager with a flat stomach was stunned when doctors told her she was almost nine months pregnant, and suddenly produced a giant bump by re-positioning her baby. Saffron Heffer, 18, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, says she had no idea she was expecting a baby until her mother suggested she took a pregnancy test when they spotted a strange line on her stomach. Aside from the mark, which turned out to be a pigmentation line, Saffron showed no physical signs of pregnancy and had been visiting them gym and going on sunbeds completely unaware of her condition. The retail assistant put her missed periods down to the contraceptive pill she had started a few months earlier, and her cravings for Cornettos, lettuce and strawberries due to them being on offer at the local shop. Just 17 at the time, it turned out that the retail worker was 37 weeks pregnant, and the emergency midwife confirmed her baby boy was back-to-back in her womb, explaining the lack of bump. Saffron gave birth to her healthy 8lb 1oz son Oscar Heffer just six weeks later in June 2018, and despite the shock, Saffron says she loves being a mum to her little boy. Saffron Heffer, 18, from from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, says she had no idea she was expecting a baby until her mother suggested she took a pregnancy test when they spotted a strange line on her stomach (seen at New Year in 2017 when she was four months pregnant) Just 17 at the time, it turned out that Saffron, a retail worker, was 37 weeks pregnant, and the emergency midwife confirmed her baby boy was back-to-back in her womb explaining the lack of bump (seen at six months pregnant) Speaking about the moment she discovered her pregnancy, Saffron, said: 'It was a surprise for everyone. My mum was just as shocked as I am. 'I personally didn't believe it was possible to not know you were pregnant until it happened to me.' How do midwives turn a breech or transverse baby? A baby usually moves into a head-first position (facing downwards) by 36 weeks gestation. However if they are bottom first or feet first (breech position) or lying sideways (transverse position) they need to be moved after the 37th week of the pregnancy to avoid complications during birth. The obstetrician may offer ECV, a technique known as External Cephalic Version. The procedure usually begins with an injection to relax the womb, before gentle pressure is applied to the abdomen to help the baby turn in the womb until he or she is facing down head-first. The doctor or midwife will place their hands on the stomach and encourage the baby to turn in a forward or backward roll, with the aim of finishing in a head down position. The technique, described as 'mildly uncomfortable', is successful in forty per cent of first-time mothers, and described as 'generally safe'. However one in 200 babies need to be delivered by emergency caesarean section as a result of complications. If moving the baby is not successful, doctors will discuss a breech vaginal birth or a cesarean. Source: nbt.nhs.uk Advertisement She added: 'While I was pregnant and didn't know, I was going down to the gym and I was still having sunbeds. 'I was down the gym the day I found out and doing sit ups with my mum. We were laughing that my belly goes in a funny triangle shape. 'It just didn't click - even my mum said she didn't think for a moment that I could be pregnant.' The emergency midwife said her baby was in breech position, before twisting him around Saffron's stomach which 'popped' into a giant bump just days later (seen days after her bump appeared at 37 weeks) Saffron gave birth to her healthy 8lb 1oz son Oscar Heffer just six weeks later a on June 3 2018, and despite the shock Saffron loves being a mum to her little boy Recalling the months before her discovery, Saffron remembers feeling lethargic for months, with doctors telling her she was anaemic and vitamin D and B12 deficient. The teenager says she even lost weight, dropping from a size 10 to a size 8 and putting her missed periods down to starting the contraceptive pill. Saffron said: 'I was so lethargic and sleepy, I didn't want to go out, I didn't want to see anybody. 'I didn't want to spend time with anyone ever because the littlest things annoyed me and got on my nerves and I didn't know what to do. Saffron, seen at six months pregnant, was doing sit-ups with her mother who suggested she take a pregnancy test when they discovered a pigmentation mark on her stomach Saffron, seen at 37 weeks just days after her bump came in, admitted that it was a shock to discover she was pregnant and initially worried she had thrown her life away After facing her new life as a mother head-on, Saffron couldn't be more happy to be a mum to little Oscar, who she describes as the 'perfect baby' 'I lost weight. I didn't gain any at all. I was in size 10 jeans before and I found out I was pregnant and was in a size 8, and I'm back in a size 6 jean now. 'I was a size 8 throughout the whole pregnancy. Even the day I gave birth I was in my size 6-8 jeans.' WHAT HAPPENS IF A BABY IS IN THE WRONG POSITION? Babies in the womb usually grow with their head facing down and the growing bump will protrude out from the mother's abdomen. In some cases, however, babies can grow in different positions in ways which mean a natural birth wouldn't be possible unless it was moved. Most naturally rotate during the pregnancy so they are ready to be delivered naturally head-first. But others might stay in the wrong position such as breech, when they are upright; posterior, when their knees are on the mother's stomach side; or a transverse lie, in which the baby is laid horizontally. Midwives can sometimes move the baby into the right position by pressing on the woman's stomach and pushing the foetus. Women can also do certain exercises to move the baby into the right place. If the baby cannot be angled so it is head-down and in the right position for a safe natural birth, it may need to be delivered by caesarean section. Source: Healthline Advertisement Speaking about the moment her mother Melissa Heffer, 46, suggested she took a test, Saffron explained her last relationship had been a while ago so she hadn't even considered pregnancy. 'It was my mum who realised I had a pigmentation line on my stomach. My mum noticed it and told me she wanted me to do a test just to rule it out,' she said. 'I said if I was pregnant then I'd literally have to be ready to pop, and I had no stomach whatsoever.' And when her pregnancy test came back positive, Saffron booked an emergency appointment for the next day. She recalled: 'I saw the midwife, she turned him around and then I just gained a balloon. It went huge. 'She dug her hands in and said I can feel a baby but I can't tell you size-wise. She dug her hands into my stomach and twisted him round. I felt her moving him and I felt his first ever kick. 'I was still in my size 8 jeans, but it was massive, I have to admit. It wasn't straight away huge but I could see a small bump. 'It was an early pregnancy bump at first where you can't tell and then after I saw a midwife it grew hourly every day.' Saffron continued: 'When she turned him around he became very active. I could feel every movement and every kick. 'It was so strange. From feeling nothing at all to feeling everything daily is just unreal.' The new mother admits that it took her a while to adjust, recalling: 'I was absolutely shocked, I thought my life had ended. 'I was only 17 when I found out and that's a lot to take in so I was just hit with depression and thought "what am I going to do?".' Despite the shock she got when she found out she was pregnant, Saffron now loves being a mother to her son Oscar Baby Oscar is now a happy and healthy baby who Saffron says just 'sits, sleeps and cuddles' and the new mother wouldn't change a thing She continued: 'I was very stressed when I found out. Both my parents were at work so it was just me dealing with it emotionally and physically on my own. I locked myself away for at least two weeks of it.' And after contacting the father of the baby, who confirmed he didn't want to be involved in Oscar's life, Saffron realised she had to face her new life head on. She continued: 'I've been strong with other things before so I just got on with it. 'A few weeks later he was born and I wouldn't turn back now - he's beautiful.' Describing Oscar, she added: 'He's perfect. If you had to ask for a perfect baby it would be him. He's so content, he just sits and sleeps and cuddles. He's so lovely. 'I'm loving being a mum. It's so rewarding. The main thing I love is just seeing him happy. When he smiles and laughs that's when you know you're doing a good job.' Describing Oscar, Safrfon said: 'He's perfect. If you had to ask for a perfect baby it would be him. He's so content, he just sits and sleeps and cuddles. He's so lovely.' A Good Morning Britain guest has been slammed by viewers for shushing a comedian during a very heated debate about censorship. Konstantin Kisin was on the show to discuss the 'behaviour contract' he was asked to sign to prevent him from telling offensive jokes at a gig at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), as he criticised young people for taking his jokes 'literally'. Journalist Rebecca Reid suggested that the students weren't offended but just didn't 'think you were funny'. Russian-British comedian Kisin rushed to defend himself but Reid didn't let him speak, instead shushing him with a finger to her lips so she could speak. The action was branded 'downright rude' by GMB viewers, with one branding her 'Rebecca Rude'. Journalist Rebecca Reid (left) shushed comedian Konstantin Kisin (right) when he tried to defend himself when she said students didn't find him 'funny' on Monday's episode of Good Morning Britain In the 'behavioural agreement form' he was asked to sign, Kisin was expected to promise not to make jokes that involved 'Racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia or anti-religion or anti-atheism.' Speaking on GMB, Kisin argued that students are seeing offensive jokes as proof that comedians themselves are racist, homophobic or bigoted, and not taking them with the humour intended. He said: 'What this is about is people who insist on their right to take jokes literally and use it against the comedian.' But Reid disagreed, telling him: 'I think you're doing some quite complicated mental arithmetic to offset the fact that people didn't think you were funny.' The action was branded 'downright rude' by GMB viewers on Twitter (pictured), with one branding her 'Rebecca Rude' Kisin tried to defend himself before being loudly shushed by Reid. She said: 'We can both talk or I can talk but I'm not going to stop talking. You had your go, I'll have my go.' GMB viewers took to Twitter to criticise Reid for the 'rude' moment. One tweeted: 'Put a sock in it Rebecca Reid you dont know what you're talking about and you're down right bloody rude shushing the other guest.' Kisin (pictured on GMB) was asked to sign a 'behaviour contract' to prevent him from telling offensive jokes at a gig at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Rebecca (left) was trying to stop Kisin (right) from interrupting her after she tried to argue her point during the heated debate Another posted: 'Of all the rude people I have ever seen on GMB, that woman who just 'shushed' the comedian has been the rudest. My jaw hit the floor.' A third said: 'The woman talking about censor humour, how bloody rude was she by shushing the other guest with her finger. That is just rude.' 'Would have poked that woman in the eye if she had shushed me like that! Rude!!' a fourth wrote. Reid explained that while she finds offensive humour herself, she believes it is not appropriate in certain circumstances. Reid believes offensive humour is not appropriate in certain circumstances but she does find it funny herself in the right context. Pictured: Reid (left) and Kisin (right) on Good Morning Britain on Monday She said: 'When I come on here I'm not allowed to swear, right? That's the deal. No swearing on breakfast television. I wont come back if I say the F-word, I won't be invited back. 'When you go on television there are rules, there is watershed, there's things you can't say so we all agree there are things you can and can't say in a certain context. What this is is a negotiation about what you can say where. Whoever pays the piper calls the tune.' A spokesperson for SOAS Students' Union said it 'does not require speakers to sign any form of contract or behavioural agreement'. One of the world's largest publishers has announced a lucrative book deal for undiscovered funny female writers in the UK. HarperCollins is set to give the winner of the Comedy Women in Print prize, set up by author Helen Lederer earlier this year, a publishing contract and 5,000 advance. Budding writers hoping to eventually rival the fame of Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding will need to submit the first 5,000 words of their unpublished novel alongside a one-page synopsis. The team behind the prize are hoping it will 'bring female comedy writing the exposure and recognition it deserves' and nurture new talent. HarperCollins has offered a publishing contract and 5,000 advance for the winner of the Comedy Women in Print prize, set up by Helen Lederer (pictured) in August Helen Lederer launched the award amid a row over sexism in the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize, which only three women have won in its 18-year history. Bestselling author Marian Keyes accused the prize of having a 'sexist imbalance' while speaking at the Hay Festival in June, noting that she had never been shortlisted. She said: 'Male voices are automatically given extra weight. I mean, anything thats ever been said or done by a woman just matters less.' Helen Lederer set up the award amid a row over sexism in the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize, which only three women have won in its 18-year history - including Helen Fielding who for Bridget Jones (pictured) Marian is now one of the judges for the prize, alongside creative writing lecturer Jennifer Young and columnist Allison Pearson. Bestselling novelist Marian Keyes, pictured during an appearance on Lorraine, said that male voices are automatically given more weight Writing on the CWIP website, Marian added: 'There are countless hilarious, talented female writers currently producing great work. 'If existing prizes wont honour funny women writers fairly, its time to set up a new prize.' The runner up in the unpublished category will be given a free place on the University of Hertfordshires MA in Creative Writing course. As well as supporting the next generation of female authors, the prize will also champion published authors with a 2,000 prize for the best comedy fiction in print. Martha Ashby, editorial director at HarperFiction, said: 'There are so many hilarious female writers in the UK and this prize is the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on an area of fiction that is often overlooked.' The competitions for unpublished and published work both close on February 28, 2019. Marina Lewycka received the Wodehouse prize in 2005 for A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, Hannah Rothschild won in 2016 for The Improbability of Love, and Helen Fielding was given the award in 2017 for Bridget Joness Baby: The Diaries. The Prince of Wales went back to school on Monday when he met primary pupils during a visit to Gloucestershire. Charles, 70, completed a solo visit to Leighterton Primary School in Tetbury to see the new school building and watch pupils take part in a Christmas performance. He began his visit chatting to youngsters in a year five class including nine-year-old Emily, before watching a pint-sized poetry recital. The heir to the throne then enjoyed a nativity performance in the school hall where youngsters were dressed as angels, shepherds and farmyard animals. Leighterton Primary School opened in 1907 and the small village school currently has 78 pupils, aged four to 11, across four classes. Back to school! The Prince of Wales chats with Emily, nine, in a year five class at at Leighterton Primary School, Gloucestershire, where he is there to see the new school building Prince Charles shares a joke with pupils in year four at Leighterton Primary School, Gloucestershire, before watching pupils take part in a Christmas performance When headteacher Meryl Hatfield joined Leighterton Primary three years ago, she decided to ask the children to choose names for the classes. The youngsters settled on Apsemore (early years), Bowldown (years 1 and 2), Haymead (years 3 and 4) and Ridge (years 5 and 6). The children chose the class names through an election and selected them as they are names of thickets in the local area. Lessons at the school not only take place in the classroom but also outdoors, as well as in the village. Many children attending the school come from families who have a long association with both the school and the village, some as pupils themselves. The school has recently undergone a major refurbishment, with works completed in April 2017, and is now a first class facility for the children's learning journey. Dressed as angels, shepherds and farmyard animals, Apsemore and Bowldown classes performed their nativity play 'It's A Baby,' in the school hall for the Prince Charles appeared in good spirits as he chatted to the youngsters. When headteacher Meryl Hatfield joined Leighterton Primary three years ago, she decided to ask the children to choose names for the classes The prince watches a poetry performance. Many children attending the school come from families who have a long association with both the school and the village, some as pupils themselves The Prince of Wales was in good spirits in Tetbury this morning. During his visit to the school, he took a look around the new classrooms, meeting pupils and seeing some of their creative learning experiences Charles' visit today was marked with a plaque. The Prince of Wales last visited the school in 2007, as part of the school's centenary celebrations The Prince unveils a plaque commemorating his visit today. During his visit this morning, he took a look around the new classrooms, meeting pupils and seeing some of their creative learning experiences Charles meets year five pupils making Christmas decorations. Monday marks the second official day of Charles' visit to Gloucestershire, having arrived in the county on Friday A Grand Opening ceremony was held with BBC Countryfile's Adam Henson performing ribbon cutting duties. Each child was given an oak tree sapling and the emphasis was very much on celebrating the rural environment of Leighterton's surroundings. The Prince of Wales last visited the school in 2007, as part of the school's centenary celebrations. During his visit this morning, he took a look around the new classrooms, meeting pupils and seeing some of their creative learning experiences. Apsemore and Bowldown classes performed their nativity play 'It's A Baby,' in the school hall for their VIP visitor. Monday marks the second official day of Charles' visit to Gloucestershire, having arrived in the county on Friday. It was easily the biggest wedding of 2018, and Jessica Mulroney is at no risk of forgetting it any time soon. Meghan's best friend and celebrity stylist Jessica has been spotted proudly displaying photos from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal nuptials in her home in Toronto. Fans spotted two framed snaps from the big day as the 38-year-old have her 270,000 Instagram followers a peak into her home in all its festive glory. In the video which was shared as part of Jessica's Instagram story, the mother-of-three pans to her Christmas cards, decorations and the two framed images, before filming her dazzling Christmas tree and her daughter Ivy in her pyjamas. Jessica Mulroney's children played a major part in Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding in May 2018 - and she has made sure not to forget the special day by framing two portraits from the royal wedding, including this one Jessica's Eagle eyed social media followers instantly spotted the photographs in her home on the stylist's Instagram story The second photograph sees the Canadian stylist's twin sons performing their pageboy duties for Meghan as they hold the former Suits stars veil Jessica and Meghan have been friends for years after the Duchess moved from LA to Toronto to film Suits. Pictured together in 2016 But eagle-eyed followers were quick to spot two portraits from the marital ceremony placed on the mantelpiece in the Canadian style guru's home. One image captures the Duchess of Cambridge with daughter Princess Charlotte preparing to enter St. George's chapel in Windsor Castle followed by Jessica and her daughter Ivy, who was also a bridesmaid for Meghan. The second photograph sees Jessica's twin sons, Brian and John, fulfilling their page boy duties as they hold onto the hem of Meghan's veil before she walked down the aisle to meet husband Prince Harry at the altar. Jessica's video has since been erased from her social media account, as the clip only lasts for 24 hours on an Instagram Story. However, one social media user - whose handle is _duchess_of_sussex - was quick to share the video on their separate Instagram royal fan account. Jessica panned around her home to show off more frames, cards, her Christmas tree as well as other festive decorations Jessica Mulroney is believed to have attended dress fittings with Meghan Markle ahead of the big day Captioning the video the fan wrote: 'Anyone notice the two cute frames from Meghan and Harrys wedding from Jessicas Instagram story (Jessica is one of Meghans close friend). Love that she has got Michael Buble in the background and Ivy at the end. 'The first photo is of her twin sons Brian and John climbing the steps of St George's Chapel, holding Meghans veil. The second is of Jessica helping her daughter Ivy and the other young bridesmaids, including Princess Charlotte, walk into the church.' The video has thus far received almost 30,000 views since the fan account shared it on Sunday. Meghan - who is pregnant with her and Harry's first baby - and Jessica sparked up a close friendship when the 37-year-old actress moved from Los Angeles to Toronto, Canada. Their friendship blossomed when the pair met on the set of Suits, which saw Meghan play the role of Rachel Zane in the series for six years. Jessica and Meghan have enjoyed holidays together, as they jetted to Italy in 2016 just one year before she got engaged to Prince Harry The pair's friendship has even seen them enjoy a holiday together in Italy back in 2016. It was previously reported Meghan enlisted the help and support of Jessica ahead of her wedding day, as she asked her pal to accompany her to bridal dress fittings. A source previously described Jessica and Meghan's bond as more than a friendship, and has claimed Meghan has 'modelled' herself on the mother-of-three. Speaking previously to The Mail On Sunday, a source said: 'Meghan adores Jessica, not just as a friend but also as someone whose taste and style are impeccable. 'Meghan looks up to Jessica and has, to a certain degree, modelled herself on her.' A British woman who discovered that her 'perfect' CIA agent husband was actually a serial bigamist with more than a dozen children and three different wives has shared her horror at learning about his past - while comparing her life to that of a character in a TV drama. Mary Turner Thomson, 53, from Edinburgh, made headlines around the world when it was revealed that the husband she thought she knew and loved, New Jersey native William Allen Jordan, 53, was in fact a liar and a scam artist who had duped several other women into marriage, as well as fathering 13 children with six partners. The couple, who met online in 2000, were together for years before his secret past was uncovered - with Thomson admitting that, until then, Jordan, who claimed he was an active CIA operative on secondment to MI5 in the UK, seemed like the perfect husband and father. Now, Thomson is once again speaking out about her ex-husband's betrayal, comparing the scandal to that of a television drama, and detailing the painful process of finding out that she had been lied to for so many years. Mary Turner Thomson, 53, of Edinburgh, believed husband William Allen Jordan (pictured together with her two young children) was a CIA agent, but he was in fact a serial bigamist Thomson, who is pictured today with her children Moran, 14, Louise, 11 and Alexander, seven, spent years believing that Jordan was the 'perfect' husband and father 'I met William online when I was a single mother with a nine-month old baby,' Thomson said. 'He was very charming, and we sent emails back and forth. 'We started dating and he actually asked me to marry him within two weeks of meeting I said no, but we did eventually get engaged, then were married for four years.' Thomson quickly became entrapped in Jordan's web of lies, not only falling for his story about being an active CIA agent who would often have to disappear for months at a time on various 'missions' - but also believing him when he told her that he was infertile due to a childhood illness. Pictured today: Thomson, 53, of Edinburgh That fabrication was quickly exposed when, just months into their relationship, Thomson learned she was pregnant. 'After six months of being together I fell pregnant, which was a huge surprise because he told me he was infertile after having mumps as a child,' she recalled. 'I thought he was going to think I'd had an affair because he was so utterly convinced he couldn't have kids.' Throughout their relationship, Jordan would continue to manipulate his wife, with his story about having to go away on missions serving as the perfect cover for seeing his other families. He even persuaded Thomson to find more than $250,000 to pay 'blackmailers' he claimed had threatened to kidnap their children Eilidh, now 16, Zach, 13, and her daughter Robyn, 19. 'In 2004 when I was pregnant with Zach, he told me somebody he met on an undercover operation was going to kill our kids, kidnap them, rip bits off and send them to us in the post if we didn't give them money,' she explained. 'By this stage, I was four years in and completely under his control, so I sold everything I owned my house, my car, my life insurance, everything.' Jordan's ability to manipulate his wife - and a host of other women - is something that Thomson says she sees reflected in new TV drama Mrs. Wilson, which is set to premiere on PBS at the start of 2019 - and which has already been shown on screens in the UK. Happy: Thomson wed Jordan in 2002; they got engaged in 2000, weeks after meeting online. They initially had to postpone their wedding because he claimed to be away on a 'mission' Thomson compared Jordan's lies to the plot of drama series Mrs. Wilson (pictured), which is set to air on PBS in 2019, and which charts the life of a woman betrayed by a bigamist husband The show tells the true story of a woman called Alison Wilson - played by her real-life granddaughter, British actress Ruth Wilson - who discovers that her 'spy' husband has three other wives. And while the story of drama, deception, and heartbreak has gripped viewers thus far, for Thomson, it struck a little close to home. In fact, as the mother-of-three watched the wartime show unfold on her screen, it felt like her own life was being played out in front of her. Thomson chronicled her personal story of deception in her book, The Bigamist: The True Story of a Husband's Ultimate Betrayal Just like Mrs. Wilson, Thomson spent years in the dark, completely unaware of the depths of her husband's dark past - despite admitting to having a few suspicions about his behavior. But much of it, she was able to make excuses for, putting any bizarre incidents down to his high-stress job, while focusing on the fact that - when he was with her and their children - he was a good father and husband. The 'perfect' father and husband, in fact. Little did she know that he was in fact a pathological liar who had lied to her about almost every single aspect of his life and career - from his fake job as a CIA agent to his previous relationships, marriages, and children. Jordan's deception came to light at the end of 2005 when he told Thomson that he'd had a run-in with the police over what he described as a 'misunderstanding' relating to a friend's credit card. 'He assured me that as a member of the intelligence community he had a code-word that acted as a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card and that he'd used it,' Thomson said of the incident at the time. Jordan then vanished again shortly before Christmas that year and called in January to warn Thomson that the police were about to ring her. He told his wife that the police would claim he had been arrested for bigamy, insisting that the charges were an error on the part of the authorities, who had found 'papers' relating to a CIA asset named Julie, who he claimed had been posing as his wife in order to conduct spy work in the UK. Jordan is pictured with Mischele Lewis who he also duped after he returned to the US, having served two and a half years in the UK for bigamy, fraud, and possession of a firearm Jordan was arrested in New Jersey, after returning to the US and duping another woman into believing he was a spy. She called the police to have him arrested after learning of his lies Jordan even came up with an excuse for why police would tell his wife that he was a registered sex offender - insisting that the charge had been fabricated by the CIA in order to allow him to question a real criminal inside a sex offenders' wing in a jail. The truth, as she later learned, was that he had in fact been arrested and convicted of molesting a girl between the ages of nine and 13 back in 1997. But despite the incredible fabrication, Thomson believed him, and it was only when his fake 'asset', Julie Bringhurst - who was in fact another of his wives - phoned her, that Jordan's true deception was made painfully clear to her. Bringhurst, who had been married to Jordan for 16 years and had five children with him, phoned Thomson, asking if she was 'Mrs. Jordan', before saying: 'Well, I'm the other Mrs Jordan.' 'We met in a cafe and talked for about 12 hours. When she left at six in the morning, I sent him a text and dumped him,' Thomson recalled. 'I carried on talking to him to get information, but he never wavered from his story and said time would vindicate him. It was all nonsense.' Jordan was charged and jailed for bigamy, illegally possessing a stun gun and fraud. He spent two and a half years of his five-year sentence in prison in the UK, and upon release was deported back to the US. Remarkably, Jordan's crimes did not stop there. Quite the opposite in fact. After arriving back in the US, the criminal then found another woman to prey upon, Mischele Lewis, who - like the other women before her - fell for his story that he was a spy working for the British Ministry of Defense. The couple, who met online in 2013, were together for 15 months, before Lewis - like so many women before her - discovered that she had been fed a complicated string of lies. Lewis says she was planning a wedding and children with Jordan when, in late 2014, she began to realize who he really was, making the shocking discovery about his past crimes, and his past wives and children - all of whom he had covered up throughout their romance. The nurse and mother-of-two tipped the police off to Jordan's whereabouts after pulling together all the evidence she needed about his previous offenses, and he was arrested in a parking lot of a strip mall in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, in February of 2015. Jordan was later sentenced to three years in state prison. A YouTube star who boasts over 11 million subscribers and is one of Kylie Jenner's make-up artists has made an impassioned online plea to followers to stop turning up on his doorstep. James Charles, 19, who lives in Los Angeles, took to Twitter to slam his lack of privacy, revealing that he felt unsafe in his own home. The New York born-influencer frequently shares pictures of his plush California pad online, but revealed this weekend that he couldn't focus on his work because of another uninvited visitor. Taking to Twitter, the teenager told his 2.3 million followers: 'Please stop showing up at my house. I will not hug you, I will not take a photo with you, and I absolutely will not sign your palette. 'It is extremely disrespectful & makes me feel very unsafe in my own home. Respect people's privacy, it's really not that hard.' James Charles, 19, a viral make-up artist who lives in LA, took to Twitter late on Sunday night to slam his lack of privacy, revealing that he felt unsafe in his own home The YouTube star, who made history as the first ever male spokesperson for Covergirl, tweeted and asked people to stop 'showing up at my house', saying their behavior is 'disrespectful' The New York born-influencer frequently shares pictures of his plush pad in California, but revealed this weekend that he couldn't focus, hinting at another uninvited visitor He often shares glimpses inside his glamorous home in LA and recently bought his first car, posing in front of his house on the driveway He later admitted that his frustration and upset over his unwanted visitors was preventing him from working, tweeting: 'I am so annoyed. I was supposed to be done filming hours ago and now I can't even focus.' Many fans reacted with horror, expressing their sympathy about his situation, with one replying: 'It's crazy how hard it is for people to understand something so simple.' But while James - who made history as the first ever male spokesperson for beauty brand Covergirl - received a broadly sympathetic response from fans, others were less supportive with one telling him: 'Don't put your whole life on YouTube then.' Agreeing, another added: 'The fact that this even has to be said is beyond me. I feel weird going to my own neighbor's house let alone someone I don't even know.' And addressing the fact that many of James' fan base are children and teenagers, another encouraged him to call the police, adding: 'It is unfathomable that those parents took their kids to come stalk you. 'As a parent, I would never. I hope you called the cops.' He later went back on Twitter to add: 'I am so annoyed. I was supposed to be done filming hours ago and now I can't even focus' James, a YouTube star who boasts over 11 million subscribers and has done Kylie Jenner's make-up, went online to plead with folllowers to stop turning up on his doorstep The beauty guru has also done Kylie Jenner's make-up, and worked with her on Halloween looks James, seen in his swimming pool, later went back on Twitter to add: 'I am so annoyed. I was supposed to be done filming hours ago and now I can't even focus' Despite being just 19, the make-up artist boasts an enviable lifestyle thanks to sponsorships earned due to his large online following, living in a stylishly decorated pad in California But some argued that this type of behavior comes with the territory of being an online sensation. One tweeted: 'I totally agree with you but you shouldn't have showed your house to millions. This what annoys me about YouTubers/celebrities. They show their house and then act surprised when people show up at their house.' Arguing that his fans 'made him', another added: 'Don't put your whole life on Youtube then. I personally don't know who you are but just remember without your fans you'd be a nobody.' But others jumped to his defense, with one person writing: 'Just because his life is on YouTube that allows randoms to show up to his private home and demand things? 'That's really sick. Real fans would respect him & not use the 'we made you' excuse because that's really sh**** thinking anyway'. Some of the fans within his 2.3 million-strong Twitter following reacted with horror, expressing their sympathy with the online star Some fans argued that this type of behaviour came with the territory of being an online hit, with one tweeting: 'It comes with the territory kid' Agreeing, another remarked: 'People who are saying 'you chose this life' are part of the problem. Taking pictures & signing palettes is obviously fine any other time. He's meant to feel safe in the comfort of his own home, not feel like his life is possibly at risk.' FEMAIL has contacted James for comment. James first rocketed to fame back in 2016, when the then-17-year-old went viral after revealing that he'd had his high school senior yearbook photos retaken so that he could use better lighting and ensure that his highlighter 'would be poppin'. The beauty guru had already made a name for himself on YouTube and Instagram thanks to his flawless make-up tutorials and photos, and the viral fame only helped to sky rocket his public profile. Soon after, he was named as the first ever Coverboy for beauty brand Covergirl, and has since gone on to collaborate on his own make-up range with Morphe. James has also done reality star Kylie Jenner's make-up, and even worked with her on special Halloween looks, turning her into A woman who was diagnosed with leukemia and was given just a few days to live has revealed her struggle with the aggressive cancer as she celebrates being cancer-free for eight years. Ana Denae Colgin, 21, from Louisiana, was just four years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia and pneumonia after her parents brought her to the doctor because she had the flu. 'A week before the diagnosis, my whole family came down with the flu, but I was the only one who didnt get better,' Ana said. Recovered: Ana Denae Colgin, 21, was diagnosed with leukemia and pneumonia when she was four-years-old when she went to the doctor to get treatment for the flu Strength: The Louisiana-born childcare provider has now been living cancer-free for eight years despite doctors telling her and her parents that she would only have days to live Ana, who now works as a childcare provider, came down with the flu back in 2003 and never fully recovered. When her parents took her to the hospital, doctors realized that there was a major problem. Diagnosis: Ana pictured in 2003 when she was diagnosed with leukemia Ana said: 'I was feeling really weak and I started complaining a lot about my belly hurting when I woke up. I was sleeping all the time but was still tired, and my face began looking sunken and pale. 'My mom took me to the doctor and the nurse just stared at me and said, "Im so sorry". Shed never seen a child so ill before.' 'The doctor told my parents it was leukemia and it was imperative that we choose where I wanted to get my treatment right away. 'They decided on St Judes but before I could fly out anywhere, I needed blood transfusions that evening so I could survive the flight,' she said. Tests revealed that 98 per cent of Ana's bone marrow was leukemic and that she also had pneumonia. This left doctor's in a catch-22 situation whereby prioritizing one treatment over the other was likely to kill Ana. The chemotherapy would progress Ana's pneumonia, which could kill her, but they couldn't treat the pneumonia without the cancer advancing. Ana said: 'My doctor already called the staff at St Judes and gave them my complete history, so they could be ready for me. As soon as we arrived, they grabbed me and started tests right away. Devastation: Ana, pictured with her parents in 2003, when test results revealed that 98 per cent of Ana's bone marrow was leukemic and that she had also gotten pneumonia from the flu Family support: Ana pictured with her older sister in 2004 (left) and during chemotherapy on her sixth birthday (right) 'They discovered that my blood and bone marrow were 98 per cent leukemic, I had pneumonia from the flu, and I developed an infection on my lower back from where they tested the bone marrow. She added: 'If they gave me chemotherapy for the leukemia then the pneumonia would kill me. If they gave me antibiotics for the pneumonia and the infection, then the cancer would kill me.' Because of the complex situation, a team of nine doctors had to do small doses of chemotherapy before switching to antibiotics to treat the pneumonia until Ana was stable enough to receive the antibiotics alone to get rid of the pneumonia entirely. Ana said: 'They needed to get rid of the pneumonia first, so they could focus on the cancer. 'I was so weak, all I did was sleep,' she added. While she was going through chemotherapy, Ana slept completely for three days leaving her doctors and family concerned that she might not wake up. 'During this time my parents cried out to God, and they trusted in him,' she said. But to everyone's disbelief, Ana woke up looking better than before and sitting upright, and even had enough strength to tell doctors that she was hungry. She added: 'I was sitting up and coloring and I looked so much better. I wasnt completely better but the fact that I woke up was miraculous because they didnt think Id live the rest of the week.' Recovering: Ana pictured receiving chemotherapy towards the end of her battle in 2008 (left) and riding a pony at her 'end of chemotherapy' party the same year (right) Determination: Ana began taking dance classes when she was 17-years-old despite doctors warning her that if her bone strength didn't improve she could end up wheelchair-bound Ana went through chemotherapy for three years which left lasting effects on her bone strength. When she was 17-years-old, she began taking dance classes, but doctors warned her that if her bone strength didn't increase that she would be confined to a wheelchair. Determined not to let this happen, Ana began weightlifting to improve her strength. Although it took a couple of years, Anas bone strength increased, and she is now healthier than ever. Ana explained: 'I started taking dance classes a few years after I finished chemotherapy and it played a huge role in staying active. 'Unfortunately, when I was 17, my doctor told me that if my vitamin D levels didnt go up then I would be in a wheelchair in my twenties as my bones werent strong enough. 'I started weightlifting and being more active and eating a lot of vitamin D fortified foods, so when I went for a check-up a year later, my levels had stayed the same. She added: 'It was the first time my levels didnt decrease. Then when I went back the next year at 19, they were finally increasing.' Ana completed her treatment in October 2005 and was declared cancer free in 2010. However, during the treatment, a skin infection developed on Ana's scalp, and left her with a permanent bald patch on the back of her head. The final hurdle: Ana (pictured left with her boyfriend James) was declared cancer-free in 2010, but during her treatment she had developed a skin infection that left her with a bald patch on the back of her head Surgery: Ana underwent a final surgery in 2017 to conceal her bald patch (pictured) and finally leave the experience behind her Motherly-love: Ana, pictured with her mother (right) this year, said that her experience with cancer has been 'humbling' and that she feels blessed She said: 'It was an open wound and it oozed and bled, so I had to wear gauze on the back of my head. 'We found a doctor who wanted to try out a few treatments but first he put some ointment on it which healed the wound, but it killed all my hair follicles and resulted in a permanent bald spot. 'I let the bald patch deplete my confidence and Id never wear my hair the way I wanted to. I always hid the patch with a bun or ponytail. 'Even when I wore simple styles like a bun, I had to hairspray and pin over the bald spot, so it wouldnt accidentally show,' she added. Despite having her health back, the bald patch was a constant hindrance to her confidence so, in May 2017, she underwent surgery to conceal the bald patch and to finally leave the experience behind her. Ana said of her experience battling cancer: 'My journey with cancer up until now has been very humbling but I consider myself to be very blessed. 'My mental health is strengthened every day when I think of how Ive beaten the disease and Im thriving. She added: 'I needed to trust in God because Im a huge believer that I would not be here without him, not with how sick I was. You have to believe in yourself and believe that you are as strong and powerful as you feel.' Dior make-up fans have hit out at the brand's decision to use a CGI influencer as a model in its latest beauty campaign. Noonoouri may have 197,000 Instagram followers thanks to her work with KKW, YSL and Vogue; the decision to use her on Instagram as one of Dior's new 'backstage girls' caused has been ridiculed on social media. Many followers have described the campaign by the Paris-based fashion house campaign where the animation has her make-up applied by creative director Peter Phillips as 'ridiculous', 'embarrassing' and 'absurd'. Noonoouri was the newest addition to Dior's 'backstage girls' beauty campaign, in the Instagram post she has he make-up applied by the brand's make-up creative director Beauty fans took to Dior's Instagram comments to complain about the decision to use a CGI influencer, branding it 'embarrassing' and 'ridiculous' Noonoouri is based in Paris, while her animator and creator Joerg Zuber works in Germany, she was catapulted to 'fame' when Kim Kardashian West enlisted her to do a beauty review of one of her products. Instagram page 'Estee Laundry', which aims to '[air] out the beauty industrys dirty laundry', pointed out reaction to Noonoouri's latest stint asking if CGI influencers are 'slowly taking professional jobs away from actual human models and creating new unrealistic beauty ideals for women?' Posted on the make-up arm of the Dior's Instagram page, the campaign led fans to complain about wanting to see products on human skin not an animation. 'How can I compare my skin to this doll... very disappointing. Beauty standards are already messed up and now it's just worse with this.' 'Thanks... as if normal beauty standards weren't messed up enough #unfollowDior' said another. Agreeing one commented: 'What were you thinking with this advertisement?? Sorry Dior, I'm not an animation, I'm real, I'd like to see your products on real people.' Others joined in the ridicule: 'The level of stupidity here is embarrassing please stop.' 'This is ridiculous. Shame on you Dior' added another. MailOnline has contacted Dior for comment. Other fans complained it was 'digital gone wrong' complaining that the brand could 'do better' than using the CGI influencer Luxury fashion house Balmain in summer 2018 as brands turn to computer-generated (CG) personalities for inspiration, a presence that is set to be big in 2019 The backlash comes following a major analysis of beauty trend predictions, with virtual influencers listed as one to watch. An army of virtual models was summoned by luxury fashion house Balmain in summer 2018 as brands turn to computer-generated (CG) personalities for inspiration. In collaboration with British artist Cameron-James Wilson, Balmain has introduced three new CG members to front runways and campaigns. The Balmain Virtual Army includes Shudu, aka 'the world's first digital supermodel', Margot and Zhi. 'The idea of computer-generated models or celebrities we have seen in the last five years or so,' Bunny Kinney, editorial director at Dazed Media said. 'Now it's more prominent and it's an exciting development in culture.' Elsewhere Dazed Beauty recruited popular virtual artist Lil Miquela as its contributing arts editor in October 2018. ' Lil Miquela has established her presence in the fashion and beauty world since she was created in 2016. She has collaborated with Prada and Chanel, among other brands, had garnered over 1.5 million Instagram followers as of November 2018.' Crown Princess Mette-Marit has showcased her maternal instincts during a visit to a parenting event on Monday. The Crown Princess of Norway joined husband Crown Prince Haakon at the Fathers Pursuit Organisation in Oslo on Monday. The mother-of-three proved herself to be hit with the children at the event as she sat alongside a little girl and served her fizzy pop as the pair chatted. The royal couple were treated to a buffet of soft drinks, classic Scandinavian gingerbread and sweets. Crown Princess Mette-Marit looked typically chic as she attended the Fathers Pursuit Organisation in Oslo on Monday Mette-Marit, 45, looked typically chic in a navy blue top and tweed trousers for her engagement today. She kept her accessories to a minimum wearing a simple gold chain and silver bracelet this afternoon. The former waitress wore her icy blonde locks loose and opted for a neutral colour pallette when it came to her makeup. Haakon, meanwhile, looked his dapper best in a pair of navy chinos and a double breasted black blazer for today's event. The mother-of-four proved herself to be hit with the children at the event as she sat alongside a little girl and served her fizzy pop as the pair chatted The mother-of-three was elegant a navy blue top and tweed trousers for her engagement today and opted for simple accessories in the form of a gold chain The Norwegian royal family will be slowing down their engagements as they approach Christmas. The family shared a series of touching Christmas portraits last week to celebrate the festive season. Mette-Marit, joined her 45-year-old husband, and their two children together Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 14 and Prince Sverre Magnus, 13, at the royal palace In Oslo for the photo shoot today. The family was also joined by the reigning King Harald V and Queen Sonja for the portrait. Haakon, meanwhile, looked his dapper best in a pair of navy chinos and a double breasted black blazer for today's event The royal couple were treated to a buffet of soft drinks, classic Scandinavian gingerbread and sweets The group gathered in one of the grand halls of the palace where a Christmas tree had been erected in honour of the occasion. Last month Mette-Marit confirmed she is suffering from the life-limiting lung condition chronic pulmonary fibrosis, an illness she has been aware of for some time. She is thought to be in the early stages of the disease in which scar tissue forms in the lungs. The disease can cause serious breathing problems and there is no known cure. The Norwegian royal family has gathered at the royal palace in Oslo to pose for annual Christmas portraits. Back row, l-r: Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Haakon and Prince Sverre Magnus. Front row: King Harald V and Queen Sonja Mother and daughter both opted for chic roll-neck jumpers while father and son wore navy blue lounge suits for the occasion The mother-of-three released her own statement following the diagnosis where she spoke of her determination to carry on as normal. She said: 'Although such a diagnosis in times will limit my life, I'm glad that the disease has been discovered so early. 'My goal is still to work and participate in the official programme as much as possible.' Mette-Marit is a particularly rare case as the disease normally occurs in people of the age 70-75 and is very rare for anyone under 50 to suffer from it. The Crown Princess, a former waitress, met her future husband at a music festival in the 1990s when she was a single mother and married into the royal family in 2001. The Queen's pastry chefs have provided a rare insight into Christmas preparations at Buckingham Palace - including two very elaborate mince pie recipes. Palace cooks prepare two different varieties of mince pies totalling 1,200 for every event - one traditional with puff pastry and one slightly smaller pie topped with flaked almonds. In a blog post shared on the royal family's official website on Monday, Royal Pastry chef Kathryn Cuthbertson and Chef de Partie Victoria Scupham - who have 17 years' experience between them - lifted the lid on their tricks of the trade. These include the importance of having 'cold hands' when preparing the pastry, adding a healthy dose of sherry and seasoning with orange zest - just a few of the 19 different ingredients that go into the mince pies. Guests of the Queen (pictured in London last week) will be treated to a dizzying array of festive treats when visiting the royal palaces over the festive season, including two different mince pies, sables a la confiture and chocolate roulade, a new blog post reveals Fit for a queen! The Queen's cooks prepare two different varieties of mince pies totalling 1,200 for every event - one traditional with puff pastry (pictured right) and one slightly smaller pie topped with flaked almonds (left) according to a new blog post on the royal family's official website They also revealed the mincemeat is prepared 'months in advance' and stored in the pantry to give them a head start before the festive season gets underway. While Cuthbertson's top tip is to 'give yourself plenty of time', Scupham highlighted the importance of ensuring your pastry is the right consistency, adding: 'Pastry is not something that likes to be rushed.' Palace chefs regularly cater for charities and organisations with links to the royal family, and guests will be treated to iced gingerbread biscuits during one such event being held this week. Pastry chefs hard at work in the royal palace kitchens. the mincemeat is prepared 'months in advance' and stored in the pantry to give them a head start before the festive season starts For visitors to the royal palaces, another festive favourite in the palace is sables a la confiture (pictured) - better known as Jammy Dodgers - which are made with homemade jam Palace guests can also feast on chocolate roulade, which is 'cut up into slices and served to guests on silver platters', according to the blog post (pictured) Another festive favourite in the palace is sables a la confiture - better known as Jammy Dodgers - which are made with homemade jam. Lucky guests will also feast on chocolate roulade, which is 'cut up into slices and served to guests on silver platters', according to the blog post. Former royal chef Darren O'Grady has previously revealed the Queen adores dark chocolate, hates garlic - and that Princes William and Harry loves McDonald's Happy Meals. All the recipes are included in Royal Collection Trust's book, Royal Teas: Seasonal Recipes from Buckingham Palace A couple who were told they would struggle to have children went on to have twins and triplets within the space of two years. Nadia, 29, and Robbie Sherwin, 32 from Dallas, found themselves unable to conceive for a year after they married in 2012. Doctors found Mrs Sherwin had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and 37 cysts in her ovaries, making it difficult for her to become pregnant. But with the use of an injectable hormone, Mrs Sherwin conceived within a month twice, leaving medics 'dumbfounded'. Nadia and Robbie Sherwin from Dallas, US, were told it was unlikely they would be able to have children in 2013. But now, they have five children under the age of four Amari and Keona (now three), with their younger siblings, Mila, Colette and Noah Mr and Mrs Sherwin, now 32 and 29 respectively, tried conceiving for a year after their wedding day in 2012 without any success Full-time mother Mrs Sherwin and her part-time online teacher husband met in 2010. They instantly clicked and were inseparable, with Mr Sherwin proposing a year later. The couple began trying for a baby straight after marriage. But doctors were concerned when they weren't successful, considering they were both young, fit and healthy. RISK FACTORS FOR POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects between eight and 12 percent of American women. The condition is marked by chronic ovarian cysts, which are fluid-filled sacs that can form if a follicle fails to deposit an egg. While any woman can get ovarian cysts, those with PCOS also have elevated levels of the male hormone, androgen. Scientists do not know what causes this endocrine abnormality, but it often coincides with obesity and insulin resistance. Yet, like many aspects of PCOS, obesity contribute to the development of PCOS, or the relationship may go in the opposite direction, such that PCOS causes weight gain. Advertisement Tests revealed Mrs Sherwin had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which affects between eight and 12 per cent of US women, and one in ten women in the UK. Mrs Sherwin said: 'I had eggs available but my body had hormonal imbalances causing me to be unable to mature eggs on my own. 'I felt absolutely vulnerable and inadequate. Knowing that I was not able to do the one thing I knew in my heart that I was destined for broke my heart. 'Robbie felt helpless as he was not able to fix this problem for me.. We clung to each other more than ever and only made it through by never giving up hope.' Mrs Sherwin was given oral Femara and Clomid medication by her doctors to try and stimulate ovulation. After 11 months, the medication hadn't worked and Mrs Sherwin was left feeling very sick because of the side effects. Determined, the couple decided to try an injectable hormone, Gonal-F, an option when ovaries can produce a follicle - small sacs which contain immature eggs - but hormonal stimulation is not sufficient to make the follicle mature. The couple were thrilled to learn that her body responded well and Mrs Sherwin became pregnant within a month. At her first ultrasound, the couple were overjoyed to hear they were expecting twins. The couple decided to try an injectable hormone, Gonal-F, which led to Mrs Sherwin becoming pregnant within a month with twins Amari and Keona (pictured after birth) Mrs Sherwin became pregnant with triplets a month after she gave birth to twins Mr and Mrs Sherwin planned to have just one more baby, but found themselves pregnant with triplets after a month. Pictured, when Mrs Sherwin found out at her ultrasound Mrs Sherwin said: 'After finding a medication that my body responded to, we became pregnant that very first month. I was completely overtaken with joy. 'It was the most amazing and victorious feeling that I have ever felt when I received the positive pregnancy test. At our first sonogram, when we found out it was twins, we were thrilled.' WHAT IS GONAL-F HORMONE? Gonal-F injection is used in the treatment of infertility. It's used to stimulate the production of eggs in women who struggle to conceive because of problems with ovulation, and men with low hormones resulting in low sperm count. Gonal-F contains the active ingredient follitropin alfa, which is a synthetic version of a natural sex hormone called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) FSH helps stimulate healthy ovaries to produce eggs. It is available as a solution for injection in a prefilled pen or as a powder that can be made into the solution for injection. The most common side effects (seen in more than one in 10 patients) are reactions at the injection site (pain, redness, bruising, swelling or irritation). Gonal-F comes under many different branded names. The European Commission granted a marketing authorisation valid throughout the European Union to Merck Serono Europe Ltd in 1995. An estimated 2.5million babies have been brought to the world with the help of Merck fertility products and services. Gonal-F can be bought in pharmacies with the possession of a private prescription and is available in some NHS owned clinics. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines. Advertisement Amari and Keona (now three), were born via C-section in January 2015, weighing 5lb 2oz and 4lb 3oz, respectively. After Amari and Keona were born, Mr and Mrs Sherwin decided they would like a sibling for their girls and started trying again. As the twins were 18-months old, they decided to take the lowest dose possible of the injectable hormone, with the goal of having just one more baby. They were shocked to discover Mrs Sherman was pregnant within a month. Mrs Sherwin was expecting not one baby but three babies. Doctors offered the couple the option of selective reduction for Mrs Sherwin's safety during the pregnancy. There is a greater risk of miscarriage or abortion in women having fertility treatment. The couple declined, believing that they were destined to bring three more healthy children into the world. Mrs Sherwin said: 'When our doctor mentioned selective reduction for my safety, the thought seemed absolutely absurd. 'The thought of choosing which baby/babies would live made me sick to my stomach. I walked out of the doctor's office and never went back. 'We were shocked but confident that we could handle anything together. My very first thought was that this meant I would have to leave my job as a classroom Kindergarten teacher and stay home with all of the children. 'We had a strong and indescribable feeling that each of these babies was meant to be on this Earth. We live our lives confident that God does not make mistakes. 'Our triplet pregnancy was nothing short of miraculous.' Triplets Mila, Colette and Noah after their birth in 2017. Mr and Mrs Sherwin declined the doctors offer of selective reduction for Mrs Sherwin's safety during pregnancy Mr and Mrs Shewin document their family life on Instagram and YouTube pages Mila, Colette and Noah were born at 35-weeks in April 2017, weighing almost 5lbs each. Mrs Sherwin said: 'No issues, no bed rest, no complications. Our specialist was dumbfounded each time we came back for our weekly appointments. 'We carried to 35 weeks and delivered via c-section for the safety of the babies. The triplets were each in the neonatal intensive care unit for ten days, learning how to eat on their own.' Amari, now three, is the only baby that did not spend time in the neonatal intense care unit - Keona, also three, spent 13 days at the hospital growing and learning to eat and breath on her own, too. Mrs Sherwin said: 'Knowing that I responded well to the medication with the twins we took the absolute lowest dose and monitored very closely with the goal of having one healthy baby. 'This is another way we know that each one of them was meant to be here with us. My doctor was confused and shocked when we found out.' Despite being busy looking after five children, the couple wouldn't say no to having another child. Although they have their hands full, the couple wouldn't say no to having more children Fewer NHS GPs are retiring before they turn 60 than at any point since 2012, figures have revealed. A total of 588 doctors under the age of 60 claimed their pension last year, compared to 721 in 2017 and 695 in 2016. One expert said they were surprised by the falling figure and thought it could be a one-off, amid warnings that GPs are leaving the NHS in their droves. GPs could be holding off on retiring while they wait to see if there is an improvement in the staffing shortage in the coming years, it was suggested. As a result of the staffing crisis, patients are finding it increasingly difficult to get a routine appointment and many have to wait three to four weeks. The number of GPs taking their pension before the age of 60 was at its lowest last year since 2012. And a health minister said the true retirement figure could be even lower because some doctors begin taking their pension while they are still working The figures come just two weeks after it was announced around one in five doctors intend to go part-time and another fifth plan to move abroad to make more money. The numbers of doctors claiming their pensions early were revealed by health minister Stephen Hammond, according to the GP magazine Pulse. Mr Hammond was responding to Nicholas Soames, MP for Mid Sussex, who had asked a question in Parliament about the effects of changing tax on GPs' pensions. The age of 60 is considered typical for a doctor to start drawing their pension the average age of doctors drawing their pension for the first time is 58.5 years. But 2017/18 had the third lowest number of doctors retiring before 60 of any of the past eight years. The figure was highest in 2014, when it was 746, although Mr Hammond said the figure might not accurately reflect early retirement. 'Claiming an NHS pension does not necessarily mean the individual has left NHS service permanently,' he said. 'The "retire and return" employment flexibility enables NHS employers to support skilled and experienced staff who may otherwise retire and leave service to continue working longer.' The British Medical Association's Dr Chandra Kanneganti said he was surprised by the figure and did not think the downward trend would continue. 'My belief is [early retirement] will generally go up sooner rather than later,' he told Pulse. 'This may be a one-off.' BUT AREN'T PRACTICE LIST SIZES GOING UP? Britain's GP crisis was laid bare by on Friday by figures that showed practice list sizes have risen by almost 50 per cent since 2004. NHS data showed 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 prompted concern, amid warnings 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. Advertisement Dr Kanneganti said some doctors might be waiting for the general practice situation to improve before they left the job for good. The NHS has announced new plans to boost GP numbers, such as offering money to doctors willing to move from Australia to the UK. The reducing number of GPs retiring early may come as a surprise because there have been warnings more doctors are leaving the profession than joining it and they are tending to retire early because of pressure. As more doctors leave this is increasing pressure on those left behind and causing the problem to spiral. The average age of retirement for a GP dropped from 60.4 in 2012 to 58.5 last year, an investigation by Pulse found in February. It is thought many are leaving early to avoid hefty taxes which kick in when their pension pot exceeds 1million. But some are taking 24-hour retirement exploiting a loophole in which they leave for a short period of time and then return as a locum. This enables them to receive their pension payments and a salary at the same time. The pension figures follow a warning from the General Medical Council (GMC) that the NHS is at risk of a 'significant loss of doctors' soon. In a survey of 2,600 UK doctors, two thirds of 55 to 64-year-olds said they intended to retire early. The GMC said a combination of fewer experienced staff, more patients, and more people with multiple complex conditions were making work harder for GPs. Longer hours and a worse work/life balance were now facing the senior doctors, and they were also expected to do more duties normally carried out by nurses. Last week figures revealed millions of people are having to wait two weeks or more before they can see their doctor. One million English patients in October waited more than four weeks for their appointments, and a fifth five million waited a fortnight. 'Doctors are telling us clearly that the strain that the system is under is having a direct effect on them, and on their plans to continue working in that system,' said Professor Sir Terence Stephenson, chairman of the GMC. A mother and daughter with identical facial tumours have been given a new lease life after volunteer doctors removed the growths for free. The mother, known only as Valerie, was bullied for 25 years over her 8lbs (3.6kg) salivary-gland tumour, which dominated the right side of her face. She was devastated when her daughter Edith, now 12, developed a similar growth five years ago, which started as just a small lump behind her ear. Valerie (left) endured 25 years of cruel bullying over her 8lb salivary-gland tumour. She was devastated when her now 12-year-old daughter Edith (right) developed the same growth aged just seven. Barely able to make ends meet, Valerie could not afford to pay for their surgery After making an eight-hour trip to the floating hospital Africa Mercy, run by the charity Mercy Ships, Valerie returned to her village in Cameroon tumour-free. She then made the grueling journey again with Edith. The pair are thrilled with the results and say their lives have changed Barely able to make ends meet, the pair, from Cameroon, had no choice but to let the bulging masses grow until Valerie discovered the floating hospital Mercy Ships was docked eight hours away. Valerie made the heartbreaking decision to leave her daughter while she traveled to have life-changing surgery. After a lengthy six-week recovery, she returned to her village, only to make the voyage again with Edith in tow. It is unclear how much Edith's tumour weighed. Speaking of when her surgery bandages were removed, Valerie said: 'I said "Wow! Is this really me? Is this really happening to me?" It's a miracle.' Valerie, who lives in poverty, was forced to endure her growth for decades and was left heartbroken when Edith developed the same tumour at just seven years old. 'We didn't have any money,' she said. 'I lived each day as if it was my last.' Speaking of her condition, Edith said: 'I saw a small lump on my jaw and it started growing. I was scared - I was worried it would grow as big as my mother's and disfigure my face.' Valerie was operated on aboard the UK-charity's vessel 'Africa Mercy' by the volunteer surgeon Dr Gary Parker. After being away from home for a month-and-a-half, she returned to her village tumour-free, full of hope for Edith. 'When I saw my mother for the first time, I was so happy! She looked beautiful!,' the teeanger said. The pair returned to the floating hospital two weeks later, with Edith also going under the knife. 'I just knew everything was going to be okay,' Valerie said. 'I'd been through it and survived. Watching my baby being taken away, I was confident and happy. 'I was overjoyed to see Dr Gary again. He changed my life and now he was changing my daughter's.' Edith spent two months recovering aboard Mercy Ships - which has performed 95,000 operations in developing countries since its 1978 launch - before returning home with her mother. Kirstie Randall, a long-serving Mercy Ships volunteer, said: 'I'll never forget their transformation after they were treated on our ship. Valerie was free of the pain that blighted her for over 20 years. 'Edith finally got to imagine a future without being bullied over her appearance. 'I've volunteered for Mercy Ships for over a decade and it's still so rewarding to see how the charity can change the course of a person's life.' Send children to stay with a relative or have one stay the night, they suggest Researchers said people think about transport home but not the next day One in 12 parents admitted to having been too drunk or hungover to parent Parents getting drunk at Christmas parties should book babysitters for the next day, experts have warned. Hungover parents could be putting their children's safety at risk by trying to nurse their own aching head while looking after their young ones. A quarter of parents in the US said this isn't something they normally consider but admitted they don't limit how much they drink to try and avoid a hangover. And as people get older and drink less often they can forget how badly affected they will be until the next day, researchers said. Leaving children with a relative or having someone stay overnight at the house could be the safest way to navigate a night out, they added. Parents who plan on drinking at Christmas parties should hire babysitters for the next day as well as the night of the party, because they 'will not be effective' when hungover, experts say 'A parent passed out on the couch will not be effective in recognising and reacting to the everyday safety risks that occur with children,' said researcher Sarah Clark. Ms Clark, a research assistant at the University of Michigan, and colleagues surveyed 1,170 parents of under-10s about their drinking. She found one in 12 of them confessed to having been too drunk or hungover to deal with their parental responsibilities in the past. Almost a third of them (29 per cent) said they knew someone who may have put their child's safety at risk with their drinking. Some 64 per cent of parents said they would be likely to book a babysitter for the next day, suggesting more than a third would attempt to combine childcare and their hangover. WHAT IS A HANGOVER? When you drink alcohol, it gets broken down in the liver to a compound called acetaldehyde, which is a toxic compound that contributes to the feelings associated with a hangover. The more you drink the greater the buildup of toxin and, hence, the worse the hangover. The main symptoms of a hangover include: Headaches from the dilation of blood vessels Dehydration from the increased need to urinate Nausea and stomachaches from the increased acidity. Sleep also plays a major part in the severity of your hangover and the less you get the worse you will feel across the day. Advertisement 'Most parents planning to drink alcoholic beverages on a night out arrange for a designated driver and childcare for the event itself," said Ms Clark. 'Fewer parents may consider how their alcohol consumption could impact parenting responsibilities to their young children the next day.' A total of 80 per cent of parents said they drink at special events and the Christmas period is renowned for being a boozy one. Work Christmas parties, family gatherings and New Year's Eve are all prime opportunities to get the port, mulled wine and eggnog flowing. Ms Clark also found parents who said they only drink rarely were less likely to consider arranging childcare for the next day. But those same people may have a lower tolerance for alcohol and therefore be worse affected. Parents can try to minimise their risk of a crippling hangover by alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks and water, Ms Clark said. And she added: 'If alcohol use may potentially impact their ability to take care of their children the following day, parents may also consider childcare arrangements. 'Having children stay the night at a relative's home or asking a grandparent to stay overnight are options to ensure young children are in a safe and supervised environment.' Hien nguon quy cho cac cong tac nay a gan can va ho can so tien nhieu hon khoan 350 trieu USD nhung can dua tren thuc te. Anh minh hoa. Nguon: Arabnews Ke hoach cuu tro nhan ao 2019 du kien co 203 du an trien khai boi 88 nhom khac nhau can thuc hien, bao gom mot so co quan cua My va cac to chuc phi chinh phu. Ke hoach nay nham en viec ho tro cho 1,4 trieu nguoi dan Palestine ang co nhu cau cap bach ve luong thuc, cham soc suc khoe, cho o, nuoc sach va ve sinh, Jamie McGoldrick, ieu phoi vien nhan ao cua My o Dai Gaza, Bo Tay va ong Jerusalem cho biet. Hien cong tac cuu tro nhan ao ang oi mat voi nhieu thach thuc, bao gom su sut giam ky luc nguon kinh phi va hang loat vu tan cong nham vao cac oan cuu tro. Tu cach ay vai nam, My a cat giam bot kinh phi cuu tro cho Palestine, trong o gom ca khoan cuu tro chi cho mot co quan e phuc vu 5 trieu nguoi ti nan Palestine. Nam 2018, My hua cap 365 trieu USD cho co quan cuu tro nhan ao nay nhung moi chi chi 60 trieu au tien, truoc khi co thong bao hoi thang Tam rang se dung tat ca cac khoan ong gop trong tuong lai. ong thai nay uoc xem nhu la mot cach thuc buoc Palestine phai buoc vao ban am phan voi Israel. Khoang 77% so tien huy ong cho ke hoach cua nam 2019 se uoc chuyen en Gaza, la noi ang trong tinh trang toi te do bi phong toa nhieu nam lien boi Israel va cac nhom chinh tri noi bo Palestine cung voi hang loat cuoc bieu tinh va chien su tiep dien. U.N., Palestinians launch humanitarian appeal after funding cuts (Reuters) - The United Nations and the Palestinian Authority on Monday appealed for $350 million in humanitarian relief for Palestinians next year, saying that they needed more but had to be realistic in the face of "record-low" funding. The 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan outlined 203 projects to be carried out by 88 different groups, including U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations. The plan prioritized 1.4 million Palestinians most in need of food, healthcare, shelter, water and sanitation, said Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. "Humanitarian actors are facing unprecedented challenges, including record-low funding and a rise in attacks to delegitimize humanitarian action," he said in a joint statement issued on Monday, ahead of the appeal's launch in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Although "much more assistance is needed", McGoldrick said, the plan was "reflecting what we can realistically accomplish in this highly constrained context". Over the past year, the United States has slashed its funding to the Palestinians, including to the U.N. agency that provides services to 5 million Palestinian refugees. The United States promised $365 million to the agency in 2018, but paid only a first installment of $60 million before announcing in August that it would halt all future donations. The move was widely seen as a means of pressuring the Palestinian leadership to enter peace negotiations with Israel. The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - territories that Israel captured and occupied in the 1967 Middle East war. U.S.-brokered peace talks between the sides collapsed in 2014 and a bid by U.S. President Donald Trump to restart them has so far showed little progress. Around 77 percent of the funds sought in the 2019 plan would go to Gaza, the appeal organizers said, because the densely populated coastal strip faced a "dire humanitarian situation" after years of an Israeli-led blockade, internal Palestinian political divisions and casualties from demonstrations and recurring hostilities. "The humanitarian context in the oPt (Occupied Palestinian Territories) is still deteriorating due to the Israeli occupation violations in a time of lack of resources and declining funds because of the politicization of the humanitarian aid, Palestinian Social Development Minister Ibrahim Al-Shaer said in the statement. The NHS does not have enough managers and thousands more are needed to boost the quality of patient care, a researcher has argued. Professor Ian Kirkpatrick, from Warwick University, said bosses in the health service deserve more credit than they currently get. Hiring more has been proven to improve patient satisfaction, hospital efficiency and reduce infection rates. Professor Ian Kirkpatrick, an expert in healthcare improvement, said the NHS is under-managed when compared with the UK economy as a whole (stock image) Professor Kirkpatrick claimed the NHS is under-managed with 31,000 of them to a staff of roughly 1.36million. He calculated this to be roughly three per cent of the workforce, less than the national average of 9.5 per cent. For the NHS to meet the national average, it would have to convert nearly 100,000 members of staff into bosses. In a piece for The Conversation, Professor Kirkpatrick argued NHS managers had been unfairly 'bashed' by the media and politicians. 'Our latest research suggests that this negative view of managers is unwarranted,' the healthcare improvement lecturer wrote. 'Far from representing a "bureaucratic burden" on the NHS, we found that having more managers increases performance.' He based his argument on the results of study he undertook alongside two other experts from the universities of Bristol and Leeds. They looked at data from 160 English hospitals between 2007 to 2012 for the study, published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. Scores on the NHS Adult Inpatient Survey, rates of infections with the hospital bug C. diff and internal efficiency data were compared between hospitals. HOSPITALS ARE IN 'YEAR-ROUND CRISIS' Hospitals are in crisis all year round, not just in the winter, the British Medical Association warned in November. An analysis of recent data showed the summer of 2018 delivered worse levels of care to patients than five out of eight recent winters. In July, August and September this year, 125,215 patients were left waiting on a trolley for more than four hours. This was worse than every winter between 2011 and 2015. And compliance with the four-hour A&E waiting time target was lower in the summer of 2018 than the winters of 2011 to 2015, with new lows recorded in the last three winters. Dr Simon Walsh, an emergency care doctor and member of the BMAs consultants committee said: 'Behind these figures lie real stories of misery. 'Tens of thousands of patients are being left in crowded, cramped corridors, waiting for treatment while others are having to endure longer waits to even see a doctor or nurse. 'We cannot and should not allow this appalling state of affairs to continue.' Advertisement This allowed Professor Kirkpatrick and his team to compare scores on each of the measures with how many managers each trust had. 'The results showed that, across all trusts, having a higher proportion of managers had a statistically significant impact on performance,' said Professor Kirkpatrick. He revealed even a 'small' increase in managers, from two per cent to three per cent of the workforce led to improvements. They found such a jump was linked to a one per cent increase in patient satisfaction scores. While the results showed having more managers improved efficiency by around five per cent and led to a 15 per cent reduction in infection rates. Professor Kirkpatrick said raising the proportion of managers in the NHS by just one percentage point would cost the NHS less than 500million each year. He wrote: 'This seems like a small price to pay, given the size of the NHS budget (130 billion, annually) and the benefits reported in our study.' Professor Kirkpatrick said managers in the NHS may get a bad rap because doctors blame them for growing amounts of paperwork. This paperwork is generated by policies and regulations which, often, managers will be responsible for enforcing. Doctors argue the admin work takes away valuable time they could be spending with patients. And the Mid-Staffordshire scandal, in which 400 to 1,200 people may have died because of poor care, could also have contributed. Managers at that hospital trust took some of the blame for the scandal, which happened between 2009 and 2012. They were criticised for being remote and fixated on financial targets, Professor Kirkpatrick said. Having a history of migraines could actually lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in women, a new study suggests. Researchers say that women with recurrent intense headaches are 30 percent less likely to develop the disease than women without a history of them. Additionally, the prevalence of women with migraines who were later diagnosed with diabetes was cut in half. The team, led by the Institut Gustave Roussy - a cancer-research center in Villejuif, France - says the findings offer insight into the underlying causes of both conditions and could help doctors determine which patients should be screened for type 2 diabetes risk. A new study has found that having a history of migraines could decrease a woman's risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 30 percent (file image) The authors said that 'despite the high prevalence of both diseases, particularly in women, little is known about their association.' Migraines are the third most prevalent illness in the world, according to the Migraine Research Foundation, with nearly 12 percent of the US population suffering from these types of headaches. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20.1 million American adults - or 8.6 percent of the population - has type 2 diabetes. Past studies have shown that low blood sugar, known as hypoglycemia, is a precipitating factor in the onset of migraines. Additionally, because plasma glucose concentration - a measure of how much glucose you have circulating in your blood - rises with time up to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes, migraine symptoms may decrease. They say these biological factors could explain why there is an inverse association between migraine history and type 2 diabetes risk. For the study, which was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology, the team looked at 74,000 French women from the E3N cohort study. E3N is a cohort study run by Gustave-Roussy that looks at risk factors for female cancers. At the beginning of the study in 1990, all the women involved were free of type 2 diabetes. But, by the study's end in 2014, about 2,400 women had developed the condition. Almost eight times as many women with no history of migraines developed type 2 diabetes at the end of the study compared to the women with a current history. Researchers found that women with active migraines were 30 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. They also found that there was a decrease in the active migraine prevalence prior to type 2 diabetes diagnosis. In the women with both migraines and a diabetes diagnosis, 22 percent reported having migraines at the study's start. But after diagnosis, only 11 percent reported having active migraines. In an accompanying editorial, neurologists Dr Amy Gelfland and Dr Elizabeth Loder said the findings were consistent with observations made among clinicians. 'Headache practitioners have long discussed the rarity of patients with type 2 diabetes in headache clinicians,' they wrote. 'Are patients with diabetes so busy managing their diabetes that they do not pay attention to their headaches? On the other hand, is there something about diabetes that suppresses or reduces migraine?' The doctors also pointed out that despite the pain that comes with migraines, there are positive health benefits aside from the lowered type 2 diabetes risk. 'Some work suggests that those with migraine may be less likely to consume alcohol and more likely to have a healthy cardiovascular system,' they wrote. Itching could soon be relieved for millions of people by shining a light on the skin, scientists claim. Tests on mice showed they no longer experienced the annoying sensation after undergoing the treatment - and they scratched less. The results, which have been branded 'exciting', give new hope for those who suffer with chronic skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis. Itching could soon be relieved for millions by shining a near-infrared light on skin that has been treated with a chemical, exciting results from a study in Rome have found Itchy skin is a major symptom that many patients battling the conditions would describe as annoying or even life debilitating. However, the relief of scratching an itch is only temporary, as it can cause the skin to be damaged further, creating a vicious cycle. Current treatment options for relieving itchy skin relies, most often, on controlling the skin's barrier and inflammation with creams and moisturisers. This doesn't target the itch itself, and what drives a chronic itch at a cellular level is not fully understood despite years of research. Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Rome set out to target the root cause of the itch, in hope of a new treatment. They developed a chemical, called IL31-IR700, which is sensitive to light and binds to itch-sensitive cells in the surface of the skin. The team injected this chemical into the skin of mice. When the chemical-treated skin was illuminated with near-infrared light, the cells which sense itch retracted from the surface of the skin, tests showed. This made the tingling sensation of the itch stop, the researchers wrote in the report published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. Dr Paul Heppenstall, study co-author, told MailOnline: 'The infrared light activates a molecule called a photosensitizer which zaps anything in very close proximity to it. 'As a result, when the photosensitizer is on the surface of the itch neurons, it clips off their endings so that they can no longer detect the itch. 'The process is called photodynamic therapy and was originally developed to kill cancer cells. 'By applying it in the skin in a very directed fashion we can selectively ablate the neurons which are causing the itch - much like performing microsurgery using light.' To the delight of the researchers, led by Dr Linda Nocchi, the method worked well in mice with eczema. WHAT IS ECZEMA? Eczema is an inflammatory condition of the skin that leads to redness, blistering, oozing, scaling and thickening. It usually appears in the first few months of life and affects around 10 per cent of babies. Eczema's cause is not fully understood but it is thought to be brought on by the skin's barrier to the outside world not working properly, which allows irritants and allergy-inducing substances to enter. It may be genetic due to the condition often running in families. As well as their skin being affected, sufferers may experience insomnia and irritability. Many factors can make eczema worse. These may include: Heat, dust, soap and detergents Being unwell, such as having a cold Infections Dry skin Stress There is no cure for eczema, however, 70 per cent of childhood sufferers no longer have the condition in their teens. Patients should avoid known triggers for flare ups and use emollients. Source: British Skin Foundation Advertisement They found it also benefitted the rodents with a rare genetic skin disease for which there is currently no cure - amyloidosis. Amyloidosis describes a group of rare conditions which occur when a substance called amyloid builds up in the organs. It can affect a list of organs including the heart, kidneys and liver. However, cutaneous amyloidosis effects the skin in a similar way to eczema. Other types of nerve cells in the skin which allow you to feel sensations such as pain, vibration, cold or heat, were not affected by the light treatment. The effect of the treatment lasted several months, suggesting this could be a long-term fix for people who have difficulty finding treatments. 'For me, the most exciting part of this project was seeing the improvements in the animals' health', said Dr Nocchi. 'Their skin looked much better after treatment and they scratched less.' The researchers now plan on testing the method on humans. Dr Heppenstall said: 'We hope one day, our method will be able to help humans suffering from a disease like eczema, which causes chronic itching.' Because the team would need to test what the long term effects would be, both for effectiveness and safety, a treatment for humans wouldn't be available for at least ten years, Dr Heppenstall said. In April, the same group of researchers published a method to manage chronic pain with light in a similar way. The team injected the affected skin area with the chemical and illuminated it with near-infrared light. The targeted nerve cells retracted from the skin's surface, leading to pain relief. 'We think that the mechanism we've discovered might be a general method for controlling sensation through the skin,' Dr Heppenstall said. Worldwide, about 20 per cent of children and up to three per cent of the adult population have some form of eczema. 'Our goal now is to take these therapies further. We want to collaborate with industry partners to develop therapies for humans, but also for veterinary medicine, as itch is a major problem in dogs as well.' An eight-month old baby boy who was born 'without an intestine' has beaten the odds and is going home after doctors gave him less than a one percent chance at survival. When little Rowan was born three months early, his parents Daniel Breyts and Jessica Novac, were told to prepare for their goodbyes soon. Doctors told the couple from Wheatfield, Indiana, that their son had a disease that left him without a viable intestine - meaning he wouldn't be able to eat or grow and would inevitably die. But a second opinion determined the Rowan still had enough of a healthy bowel left and - after seven months of surgeries and treatments - he was declared healthy enough to go home. Rowan Breyts, eight months, was born three months early in April 2018 in Wheatfield, Indiana, weighing one pound and six ounces. Pictured: Rowan with his parents Daniel Breyts and Jessica Novac Just a few days later, doctors diagnosed Rowan (left and right at four months old) with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). NEC is a disease in which bacteria can cause a perforation in the intestines, causing waste to leak into the abdomen and lead to infection and death Rowan was born in April - three months before his due date - weighing one pound and six ounces. Just a few days later, doctors delivered a devastating diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) NEC is a serious disease that affects the intestines of babies and is most common in premature infants. The cause remains unclear, but doctors believe intestinal tissues may be weakened from a lack of oxygen and blood flow. Bacteria gets into the intestinal wall, which can eventually cause a perforation of the intestines. The intestines can no longer hold waste so bacteria and stool can leak into the abdomen which causes infection and even death. According to Stanford Health, NEC occurs in up to five percent of babies in newborn intensive care units. Onset of the disease typically occurs in the first two weeks of life and, among those diagnosed, about 25 percent die. Doctors said he would never be able to eat or grow and that he was too small for a transplant. It meant Rowan would eventually die. Pictured: Novac with Rowan After two months, Breyts and Novac contacted Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis in June for a second opinion. Pictured: Rowan Doctors agreed to take on his case and had Rowan transported to the hospital by helicopter on June 2. Just four days later, he was taken into surgery. Pictured: Rowan at seven months old Treatment primarily consists of stopping formula feedings or breast feedings to give the bowel time to rest. Babies are given IV fluids, a tube to removed excess fluid from the stomach and antibiotics to fight infection. In Rowan's case, it's unclear what assistance he had aside from IV fluids and a ventilator. If the bowel is perforated, emergency surgery is needed to resect - or cut away - the dead portion. Doctors told Breyts and Novac that Rowan had a less than one percent chance of survival. 'Without a small intestine, he could never eat. He would never grow. He was too small to hope for a transplant. It was a death sentence,' Breyts told Fox News of the diagnosis. 'We kissed him and cried, telling him how much we loved him and wished there was something we could do.' For two months, the couple waited for Rowan to pass away. But he continued to improve. 'Jess and I spoke at length and decided that he wasn't giving up...neither would we,' Breyts said. Breyts and Novac contacted Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis in June for a second opinion. Doctors agreed to take on his case and had Rowan transported to the hospital by helicopter on June 2. Just four days later, he was taken into surgery. Doctors at Riley Hospital told Rowan's parents that he still had viable bowel left. After 209 days, the couple was given permission to take Rowan (left and right) home Rowan now weighs 13 pounds and nine ounces. Breyts and Novac say they consider him to be ' a miracle'. Pictured: Rowan with Breyts '[A doctor] told me they saw a lot of pink viable intestine, which was the exact opposite of what we had been told,' Breyts told Fox59. 'She didn't understand why I was so dumbfounded by what she had just said to me. I was like: "You don't understand. The other hospital told us there wasn't any left".' According to a Facebook post from Novac at the time, surgeons removed a small section of non-viable bowel and some abscesses. In August, Novac posted that Rowan had 71 centimeters of healthy bowel left and - although normal for infants is between 100 and 120 - doctors told the couple that their son would not need a transplant or have short bowel syndrome. After 209 days in the NICU at Riley Hospital for Children, now weighing 13 pounds and nine ounces, Rowan was finally able to go home. December is his first month home and the couple is excited that he'll be with them for Christmas. 'Seeing him myself and knowing where he came from as far as how small he was and the issues that he had, in my heart he is a miracle,' Breyts told Fox 59. 'He's an honest to God miracle.' The couple has set up a Paypal account to help cover Rowan's future medical bills. Energy giant SSE has called off its planned merger with Npower, blaming the Governments price cap and challenging market conditions. SSE said it has been unable to agree terms on financial support for the new company and added that it will now consider spinning off or selling its retail arm. The tie-up to create the second-biggest energy company in the UK behind British Gas was first thrown into doubt last month, when the company warned about some uncertainty around the deal, due to the incoming cap on default tariff prices. Merger called off: SSE said it was now considering whether to spin off or sell its retail arm The deal was given the green light by the competition watchdog in October. It would have seen SSE's energy unit, which provides gas and electricity to households, removed from the main group, allowing it to focus on gas and electricity transmission. SSE said it was now considering a standalone demerger and listing, a sale or an alternative transaction for its household energy division. SSE shares fell 1.5 per cent to 1,073p in morning trading. Following further discussions [] regarding potential changes to the commercial terms of the proposed combination of SSE Energy Services and npower, the Board of SSE has today decided it is not now in the best interests of customers, employees or shareholders to proceed with the transaction, SSE said in a statement. Its chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies said it was a 'complex transaction with many moving parts'. He added: 'We closely monitored the impact of all developments and continually reviewed whether this remained the right deal to do for our customers, our employees and our shareholders. 'Ultimately, we have now concluded that it is not. This was not an easy decision to make, but we believe it is the right one. We are now exploring all the available options with a view to delivering this future in the best possible way. The firm previously blamed delays on the Government's recently introduced plans to cap energy bills at 1,136 a year. The cap which is due to come into force in January will mean suppliers like Npower and SSE will have to cut the prices they charge. Last month, SSE revealed widened losses for its household gas and electricity supplier and warned that operating profit margins would more than halve in the current financial year. It said it lost another 460,000 customer accounts as fierce competition from small suppliers took its toll. Meanwhile Npower's German owner, Innogy, also reported falling customer numbers in the UK in November. It lost around 500,000 accounts this year and warned that the supplier will make a loss for the fourth consecutive year. Price cap: Energy firms will have to cap annual bills at 1,136 from January Russ Mould at AJ Bell said it was no surprise the deal was off as it looked complicated from the beginning. He added: 'The big utility companies are under pressure from an incoming price cap on standard variable tariffs, as well as rising competition from independent operators who are gobbling up market share. 'The increasing ease with which you can switch providers has also contributed to the mass exodus of customers from the big utility firms. 'However, eight small energy providers have stopped trading this year, potentially switching consumers focus back to the larger utilities as the public starts to question if small suppliers can deliver uninterrupted energy.' Child benefit: Information is given in 'Bounty Packs' handed to new mothers, but people aren't focused on government leaflets in the days after the arrival of a baby (Stock image) New parents who don't sign up for child benefit are losing valuable credits towards their state pension, an issue that This is Money is campaigning on. Many people, predominantly women, fail to register for child benefit if they don't qualify for the payments, without realising this will damage their state pension rights when they reach retirement age. The problem has been compounded by the child benefit high earners charge that means those in households with one person earning more than 50,000 a year must start paying back the money and once they reach 60,000 they must pay it all back. Many have simply opted not to take child benefit because of this but that means that they are not building up valuable state pension credits. Read our ask an expert question below, where This is Money columnist Steve Webb explains the issue and follow our campaign at the links below: This is Money's child benefit and state pension campaign > Laura Shannon: Child benefit is the bureaucratic deep-end for busy parents > The parents facing a smaller state pension over failure to fill in a child benefit form > Help! I put my husband's name first on child benefit form and lost some state pension > Couple battle taxman's nightmare child benefit rules and win state pension credits > Mums like me are losing frightening sums in state pension > Government child benefit information about state pension isn't up to scratch, says Nicky Morgan MP > Steve Webb launches petition to win back vital state pension credits for mums My wife lost state pension due to child benefit I recently raised with my local MP how the changes in child benefit in 2013 have impacted my wifes pension contributions and how she will now need to work a further three years as a result of the poor communication of these changes. Essentially my point is that we did not receive any communication that we would need to apply for child benefit to protect National Insurance contributions even though we would not be entitled to any benefit due to my salary. Unfortunately HM Treasury relied on communicating to new mothers through Bounty Packs and HMRC communicated to existing child benefit claimants and writing to just two million of the five million-plus higher rate tax payers. I appreciate the difficulty of the task in communicating to those that could be affected. However, there should be more flexibility than the existing three months back dating especially considering the number of mothers that have been affected. We only found out about this requirement by reading a news article at the beginning of this year that was raising the issue. Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below The response from my local MP has been disappointing and he has simply forwarded the responses he has received from HMRC and HM Treasury. Before giving up on this I wanted to ask your advice and whether there is someone I could be contacting to escalate this further, or will it be a waste of my time to do any more with this? SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK YOUR PENSION QUESTION Steve Webb replies: Your wife is unfortunately one of a growing number of women who are missing out on valuable state pension protection because of changes to child benefit in 2013. As you rightly say, current rules only allow you to backdate a claim for child benefit for three months, so the years that your wife has missed out are now lost unless the government can be persuaded to change the rules. The issue is the high income child benefit tax charge which was introduced in January 2013. From this point, if the person claiming the child benefit or their partner was earning 50,000 per year or more, a tax charge was incurred. For each 100 someone earned above the 50,000 threshold, they incurred a tax charge of one per cent of their child benefit. How many parents are losing state pension credits? Some 50,000 parents could lose up to 20,000 of state pension over their retirement because they didn't sign up for child benefit, according to figures flagged up by Steve Webb last March. The number of people affected then had doubled from two years earlier, as fewer now register for child benefit following a shake-up which excluded higher earners from these payouts in 2013. But getting your name in the child benefit system is still vital for claiming credits towards your eventual state pension, currently worth 159.55 a week. Details about signing up are here. This is Money This meant that someone on 51,000 faced a tax charge of 10 per cent of their child benefit, someone on 52,000 faced a charge of 20 per cent and anyone on 60,000 or more incurred a charge of 100 per cent of their child benefit. Some people earning 60,000 or more took the view that there was no point claiming child benefit with the one hand only to incur an exactly equal tax bill on the other, so they decided to stop claiming child benefit. The problem with this is that claiming child benefit brings another advantage, namely protection for your state pension. People claiming child benefit for a child under 12 currently get valuable credits towards their National Insurance record. The risk is that if you opt out of child benefit because of the tax charge, you might also lose the National Insurance credits and end up with a smaller pension. Where families were already in the child benefit system when the change was implemented they were generally protected from the effect of this change. Even if they said they no longer wanted to receive the child benefit payment, the government effectively knew about them and awarded national insurance credits in any case. But for families whose first child was born after January 2013, they were never in the system in the first place. This meant that unless they made a claim to child benefit, they wouldnt build up credits either. Because people might be put off from claiming child benefit if they were going to incur a tax bill, the government allowed people to tick a box on the claim form to say that all they wanted was the national insurance credits, but not the child benefit. As you rightly say, the government did alert new parents to this issue through literature in the 'Bounty Packs' given to new mothers and the information is on government websites. What is the Parliamentary Ombudsman? The independent body is the final stop for complaints that have not been resolved by UK government departments, the NHS or other public organisations. It says: 'We look into complaints where someone believes there has been injustice or hardship because an organisation has not acted properly or has given a poor service and not put things right. 'We look into complaints fairly and our service is free for everyone.' The website is here. This is Money But new mothers are understandably not always going to be focused on government leaflets in the days after the arrival of a baby, so this system was hardly a fail safe way of alerting parents to the consequences of not making a claim. The one consolation I can offer is that because a full state pension is payable on the basis of 35 qualifying years, your wife may find that even without these two or three years on her record she will still reach the 35 year threshold in the normal course of her working life, though obviously we cannot be sure at this stage. My view is that it is quite wrong for the government to maintain the three month deadline for backdating of child benefit in these circumstances. The system is quite complicated enough without penalising those who failed to read a leaflet or visit a government website. It is time the Government looked again at relaxing these rules, especially since the cost to the Exchequer of doing so would in most cases not be felt for many decades. I have pressed for this change in the past and will continue to do so. You have already complained to your MP, but you still have the option to take your case to the Parliamentary Ombudsman. What does HMRC say? 'HMRC has always urged families to claim child benefit to help protect their state Pension,' said a spokesman for the taxman. 'Parents are advised to do this using the child benefit claim form included in the Bounty Pack provided to new parents, through the HMRC helpline, online at GOV.UK or through partners such as Citizens Advice. 'The child benefit claim form and guidance notes have been updated to stress further the importance of making a claim.' The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 26-year-old cruise ship passenger who was filmed going overboard off the Florida coast. The Coast Guard says its helicopters, planes, and cutters covered nearly 2,100 square miles during the 32 hours that crews searched for Thomas McElhany from Maryland. The Carnival Victory reported McElhany missing on Friday about 35 miles off Islamorada in the Florida Keys, launching the search. Coast Guard Cmdr. David Aldous said in a statement that it is always a difficult decision to suspend a search. The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for Thomas McElhany, 26, (pictured) who was reported overboard early on Friday morning from the Carnival Victory cruise ship off the coast of Florida 'He didnt fall. According to authorities, it was an intentional act,' Kimberly Wyatt, a news director who happened to be on board the cruise ship, told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday. Wyatt later reported that cameras on board confirmed McElhaney went overboard, though it has not been definitively determined if it was intentional. The ship was about 35 miles away from Islamorada in the Florida Keys when McElhany is believed to have gone overboard. Passengers aboard the Carnival Victory cruise ship were alerted that a passenger was missing at around 3.00am Eastern on Friday, according to people who were on board the ship. 'We were woken up by the public announcement system paging an individual a bit after 3am,' a passenger identified on Twitter as Diana Jorio tweeted. A helicopter, vessel and surveillance aircraft were used in the search effort. A tweet confirming the tragedy by news director Kimberly Wyatt is shown Authorities said that he did not fall, and it was an intentional act, according to journalist Kimberly Wyatt, who was on board the ship Passengers aboard the Carnival Victory cruise ship were alerted that a passenger was missing at around 3.00am Eastern on Friday, according to people who were on board the ship 'It was determined he went overboard at 5:30 am and 6:am we turned around. I was such a sad way to end an otherwise wonderful trip.' A photo of McElhany was shown on televisions all over the cruise ship. A letter signed by Captain Roberto Tine was delivered to each guest's cabin on Friday, confirming that the man was shown on camera going overboard. It added that the ship's CareTeam had been assisting the man's family on board and thanked guests for their patience. 'Please continue to keep our guest and his family in our thoughts and prayers,' it read. Wyatt tweeted that said she had seem McElhany between 1.00am and 1.30am. A letter signed by Captain Roberto Tine was delivered to each guest's cabin on Friday, confirming that the man was shown on camera going overboard. Passengers are shown holding the letter from the captain on Friday It added that the ship's CareTeam had been assisting the man's family, on board and thanked guests for their patience The Carnival Victory cruise ship (pictured) was about 35 miles away from Islamorada in the Florida Keys when McElhany is believed to have gone overboard The cruise ship participated in search efforts before being relieved by the Coast Guard, Carnival said. The ship was heading back to its homeport in Miami after a four-day cruise when the passenger was reported missing. The stops on the route included Key West and Cozumel. For confidential support in the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or click here. For confidential support on suicide matters in the UK, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here. For confidential support in Australia, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or click here. An attorney for a Louisiana teenager shown on video being slammed to the ground by police during an altercation at school says charges against two officers are a 'slap on the wrist'. A grand jury in West Baton Rouge Parish indicted former Brusly police Officer Dan Cipriano on a charge of simple battery Friday, local news outlets reported. Another former Brusly officer, Kip Dupre, was indicted on a charge of malfeasance in office. Both officers resigned in November after video from Brusly Middle School showed one officer exchanging words with the young male student. A grand jury indicted former Brusly police Officer Dan Cipriano on a charge of simple battery Friday. Ex-Brusly officer, Kip Dupre, was indicted on a charge of malfeasance in office. The student is seen speaking with faculty in the office After the student speaks to other staffers in the office, he then turns around to leave. That's when the officer wrestled the student to the ground after grabbing (pictured) him by his neck The officer is seen throwing the teenager to the ground as staffers look on After the student speaks to other staffers in the office, he then turns around to leave. That's when the officer wrestled the student to the ground after grabbing him by his neck. After a few moments, the cop gets the young man to his feet before body-slamming the teen to the floor. A short time later, a second officer rushes into the office to help handcuff the student. That officer was caught on camera slamming the teen against a desk. The video, taken by a school surveillance camera, was sent anonymously to WAFB. State police investigated and handed their findings over to the local district attorney, whose office presented the case to a grand jury. Kwame Asante, an attorney for the student, said the family at first was glad the grand jury found enough evidence to indict the officers. After a few moments, the cop gets the young man to his feet before body-slamming the teen to the floor A short time later, a second officer (right) rushes into the office to help handcuff the student Brusly Police Chief Jonathan Lefeaux had previously said he asked for the officers' resignations because he believed the incident would make it hard for them to continue working in the community. The officers then resigned But he said the family felt the evidence warranted stiffer charges. 'They feel the DA's office did an adequate job by bringing it quickly to the people but feel it was a slap on the wrist based on the tape and what they saw done to their grandson,' Asante told The Advocate. 'This young man will still be dealing with this for a long time.' It was not immediately known if either of the former officers had attorneys to represent them. Brusly Police Chief Jonathan Lefeaux had previously said he asked for the officers' resignations because he believed the incident would make it hard for them to continue working in the community. The officers then resigned. Snippets of a letter police believe was written by a man who allegedly approached a nine-year-old girl on her way to school have been released to the public. The child was riding to class in Mernda, in Melbourne's north-east, on November 14 when the man stopped her and convinced her to walk alongside him. When the girl ran away, the man dropped her bike and fled the scene on foot. Investigators have released segments of an anonymous letter they received, which they believe was written by the alleged predator. Scroll down for video Snippets of a letter (pictured) police believe was written by a man who allegedly approached a nine-year-old girl on her way to school have been released to the public Police released the snippets (pictured) hoping someone might recognise the handwriting and to give the person who wrote the letter the opportunity to come forward to scratch themselves from the suspect list Police allege the nine-year-old girl was riding her bike to school along Skeeter Drive about 8.30am on November 14 when she was confronted by the man (pictured) Mernda Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team detectives released sections of the letter in the hope the public can identify the unknown author. The nine-year-old girl was riding her bike to school along Skeeter Drive about 8.30am when she was confronted by the man. He grabbed the handlebars of the girls bike before convincing her to walk alongside him. The girl managed to run away from the man, who then dropped the bike and fled the scene on foot. The girl did not suffer any injuries. No arrests have been made. CCTV footage released by police showed the alleged offender running through a park around the time of the alleged incident The predator was wearing a blue coat or jacket at the time of the alleged incident. Police also want to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage shot in the area at the time. 'Detectives are seeking footage that shows a male wearing a blue coat or jacket especially in Skeeter, Sumner and Mernda Village drives,' police said in a statement. 'Investigators are also releasing CCTV footage of a male who they believe may be able to assist with their enquiries.' Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 A woman was raped by a man she met on Instagram after she bumped into him by chance at a gathering. The victim reluctantly let Joao Neto, 28, sleep on her sofa when her partner suggested he stay over on February 12, 2017. Neto made his way up to her bedroom in the night and raped her, despite her desperate attempts to wake the man she was romantically linked with, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. When she tried to stir her partner, who was sleeping next to her, he laughed, kissed her and fell back to sleep. The victim reluctantly let Joao Neto, 28, (pictured) sleep on her sofa after the party and he made his way up to her bedroom before raping her The Brazilian rapist, who was living in Sydney on an Australian student visa, has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison with a six-year non-parole period. The woman befriended Neto on Instagram in December 2016 before bumping into him by chance at the gathering, the court heard. On a later occasion, she allowed the man to sleep on her sofa at the request of her partner. She woke to find him touching her inappropriately while the man who she was romantically linked to slept beside her. The woman woke her partner up but he did nothing, a court heard. Neto dragged his victim to another bedroom and proceeded to rape her, pinning her down so she couldn't escape and covering her nose and mouth so she couldn't scream Neto dragged his victim to another bedroom and proceeded to rape her, pinning her down so she couldn't escape and covering her nose and mouth so she couldn't scream. He also slapped his victim during the attack, the court heard. After the attack, Neto told his victim that their encounter 'started bad but ended good'. He was found guilty of four counts of sexual intercourse without consent, and one count of common assault on September 13 of this year. Neto's girlfriend was present in court when the sentence was given. In a victim impact statement read out in court, Neto's victim described how she had no idea much a rape could break a person and her life is now 'changed, cautious and closed.' Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 17, 2018 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 17, 2018 | 11:07 AM | PADUCAH Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin is touting what he says are unprecedented economic numbers in the commonwealth. Bevin told West Kentucky Star on Monday that many indicators of economic health in the state are at an all-time high, including employment numbers and income. "We have never had more Kentuckians working. We've never had a higher per-capita income in this state. We've never had a lower unemployment in this state." He said. Bevin also said record investment dollars are pouring into the state. "We have more dollars being invested in our state, $17.3 billion in the last three years," Bevin said." "This is the kind of thing that should give us great encouragement." A new report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy challenges some of Bevin's assertions that corporate investments are setting-off an economic revival, saying the $9.2 billion in investment announcements in 2017 are not fully accurate. The report said more than 80 percent of the new job announcements were from companies already operating in the state, before the state's right-to-work law went into effect. The research also reportedly found the state added only 700 jobs a month in the 21 months since right-to-work, in contrast to the 2,100 new jobs a month in the 21 months before it passed. Bevin dismissed the report, saying the state has achieved the highest workforce participation ever and record-low unemployment. "We've never had a higher percentage of our workforce working," He said. "Not just absolute numbers of people, but workforce participation is the highest it's ever been." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son has been banned from Facebook after he posted that 'all Muslims should leave Israel'. Yair Netanyahu's, 27, took to Twitter to air his grievances that he had been temporarily blocked over apparent anti-Muslim posts, calling the social network a 'dictatorship'. In a message which was taken down by Facebook, Yair called for all Muslims to leave Israel, in the wake of a series of deadly attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and his son Yair visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem (pictured in 2015) His post read: 'Do you know where there are no attacks? In Iceland and in Japan where coincidentally there are no Muslims. In another post he wrote that there were only two possible solutions for peace, either 'all Jews leave (Israel) or all Muslims leave'. 'I prefer the second option,' he added. His comments came after two soldiers were shot dead on Thursday at a central West Bank bus station near a settlement. Critics of the prime minister have often attacked Yair (left) as a grown man living in the premier's residence despite having no official role and benefiting from a bodyguard (pictured in 2013) On the same day, a baby prematurely delivered after his mother was shot and wounded in a separate attack nearby on December 9 also died. After Facebook deleted Yair's posts, he criticised the social networking giant, calling it a 'dictatorship of thought' following his 24 hour ban. Critics of the prime minister have often attacked Yair as a grown man living in the premier's residence despite having no official role and benefiting from a bodyguard, a driver and other perks. They say the parents of the Yair are grooming him for future political power in an attempt to establish a ruling dynasty. Christmas trees are usually decorated with glistening lights, stunning baubles and sparkly tinsel, but a group of Australians have attracted attention by dressing theirs up with snake skins instead of the usual festive ornaments. Brisbane Snake Catchers shared photos of their tree on Facebook on Sunday. A group of Australians have attracted attention by dressing their Christmas tree up with snake skins instead of the usual festive decorations The tree has been decorated with the shedded skins of Taipan, king brown, tiger, death adder and scrub python snakes. Each skin has come from the business's own snake collection, and they've been combined with number of coloured baubles and a green star at the top to give the tree the finishing touch. Brisbane Snake Catchers have assured the public there was no cruelty involved in their interesting choice of decorations, as snakes slither right out of their old skin typically two to four times per year. The tree has been decorated with the shedded skins of taipan, king brown, tiger, death adder and scrub python snakes The eye-catching approach has united Facebook's snake-loving community. One Facebook user wrote: 'That's one way to keep the cat off the Christmas tree.' Another user tagged her friend and wrote: 'I can lend you some to decorate your tree if you want.' The government has spent more than a billion dollars on housing asylum seekers who have been flown to Australia for medical treatment and put up in luxury hotels. In the past five years, The Daily Telegraph reports the government has paid $1.4billion to accommodate people being flown over from offshore detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru. Some are held in high-end hotels, such as the Meriton and the Medina, while others stay in guarded townhouses, which cost about $4000 per month. The hotels, which can cost more than $300 a night, have been home to one asylum seeker for nearly three years, but stays can range from one day to 1096. Asylum seekers arriving by boat are being held in luxury apartments when they are flown from Manus Island or Nauru to Australia for medical treatment In the last five years, about 1500 individuals and family members held at offshore detention centres (pictured) were taken to Australia for treatment, with some staying in $300-a-night hotels while in the country One room at the Meriton Parramatta in Sydney's west reportedly used to home asylum seekers receiving medical treatment and their families contains a flat-screen TV, unlimited Wi-Fi and a full kitchen and laundry. About 1500 individuals and family members who were living on Manus and Nauru have been flown to Australia for medical treatment in the last five years. Luxury accommodation has not been provided to everyone, however. Those believed to pose a risk to the community are held in onshore detention centres. Of those flown to Australia, The Daily Telegraph reports just over a third were not found to be genuine refugees. The revelations come as Labor announced it would back a plan to allow asylum seekers into the country for treatment with the sign-off of two doctors a softer approach than is currently taken. Meriton and Medina hotels are often used to house asylum seekers, with some rooms costing up to $300-a-night (pictured is a room from the Meriton in Parramatta, which is understood to have been used to house an asylum seeker receiving medical treatment) The living conditions are significantly better than those experienced in the Nauru and Manus offshore detention centres Some asylum seekers are also homed in $4000-a-month guarded townhouses The party is hoping to end Australia's current policy of detaining asylum seekers who arrive via boat offshore indefinitely, but has not announced an official policy to do so. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said while the current method of housing detainees brought to the country for medical treatment is not ideal, it would become even more expensive under a Labor government. 'I remember under the Labor days that was an issue because more and more people were coming every day. We put an end to that. (Under Labor's plan) they'll all come,' he said. Morrison's comments come after another unfortunate poll result. In the IPSOS poll, conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald, Labor gained three points in their primary vote, leaving them one point ahead of the Coalition, which has fallen to 36 per cent. Twice as many high school students used nicotine-tinged electronic cigarettes this year compared with last year, an unprecedented jump in a large annual survey of teen smoking, drinking and drug use. It was the largest single-year increase in the survey's 44-year history, far surpassing a mid-1970s surge in marijuana smoking. The findings, released Monday, echo those of a government survey earlier this year. That survey also found a dramatic rise in vaping among children and prompted federal regulators to press for measures that make it harder for kids to get them. Experts attribute the jump to newer versions of e-cigarettes, like those by Juul Labs Inc. that resemble computer flash drives and can be used discreetly. A high school student uses a vaping device near a school campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts (stock image) Trina Hale, a junior at South Charleston High School in West Virginia, said vaping - specifically Juul - exploded at her school this year. 'They can put it in their sleeve or their pocket. They can do it wherever, whenever. They can do it in class if they're sneaky about it,' she said. Olivia Turman, a freshman at Cabell Midland High School in Ona, West Virginia, said she too has seen kids 'hit their vape in class.' It may be too soon to see the fallout of the Juul fad in most scientific studies, but it the trend has certainly been sufficient to get the attention of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This year past year, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has condemned the rise in teenagers using e-cigarettes as a 'vaping epidemic.' And Juul has born the brunt of his wrath. After an FDA raid on its headquarters and a series of threats from the agency, the market-dominating e-cig-maker finally promised last month to pull the sweet flavors of its pods from shelves It must also amend its controversial ads so that they didn't appear to feature nor pander to underage users. The latest data shows that little has hitherto curbed the soaring rates of teen vaping in the US. The federally funded survey released Monday is conducted by University of Michigan researchers and has been operating since 1975. This year's findings are based on responses from about 45,000 students in grades 8, 10 and 12 in schools across the country. It found 1 in 5 high school seniors reported having vaped nicotine in the previous month. Juul's electronic cigarettes look like computer flash drives and can be used discreetly by teens almost anywhere After vaping and alcohol, the most common thing teens use is marijuana, the survey found. About 1 in 4 students said they'd used marijuana at least once in the past year. It was more common in older kids - about 1 in 17 high school seniors said they use marijuana every day. Overall, marijuana smoking is about the same level as it was the past few years. Vaping of marijuana rose, however. More teens, however, are saying no to lots of other substances. Usage of alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, heroin and opioid pills all declined. Experts say it's not clear what's behind those trends, especially since the nation is in the midst of the deadliest drug overdose epidemic ever. 'What is it that we're doing right with teenagers that we're not doing with adults?' said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a federal agency that funds the Michigan study. One leading theory is that kids today are staying home and communicating on smartphones rather than hanging out and smoking, drinking or trying drugs. 'Drug experimentation is a group activity,' Volkow said. What about vaping? 'Vaping mostly is an individual activity,' said David Jernigan, a Boston University researcher who tracks alcohol use. The vaping explosion is a big worry, however. Health officials say nicotine is harmful to developing brains. Some researchers also believe vaping will make kids more likely to take up cigarettes, and perhaps later try other drugs. So far that hasn't happened, surveys show. But the Juul phenomenon is recent, noted Richard Miech, who oversees the Michigan survey. If vaping does lead to cigarette use among teens, that may start to show up in the survey as early as next year, he added. An elementary school teacher is facing charges after he confessed to stealing a nine-year-old student's violin during lunch. Authorities said that Kalif Jones, 21, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, confessed to stealing the nine-year-old boy's violin upon learning that the elementary school's security cameras had recorded the alleged theft, according to WSBTV. The incident was said to have occurred on November 13 at Brockett Elementary School in Tucker, Georgia, the school where Jones taught and the boy is a student. Authorities said Kalif Jones, 21, an elementary school teacher, confessed to taking a student's violin after learning that the incident was caught by school security cameras (file image) Jones allegedly took the violin while the boy was eating lunch in the cafeteria at Brockett Elementary School in Tucker, Georgia, (pictured) where Jones taught and the boy is a student According to the police report, the boy's mother notified school officials that the violin said to be worth $750 was stolen. The school then reviewed its security camera footage, which apparently showed Jones taking the violin, which was in its case, from the cafeteria and walking through the school with it, before eventually leaving the school with it in hand. Police reviewed the surveillance video and then interviewed Jones at his home, which was when he supposedly confessed to taking the violin because he had recently received a $700 ticket and needed money to pay it off. It is not clear what type of ticket he needed to pay off. DeKalb County Jail records show that Jones was taken into custody on November 29 and released on a surety bond the next day. He was charged with misdemeanor theft by taking. The boy's mother told WSBTV that police have since recovered the violin, but that the family is waiting for it to be returned to them. Canadian diplomats gained consular access on Sunday to the second of two men detained by China over the past week, Canada's foreign ministry said in a statement that gave few details, as China said it was ensuring their rights were protected. John McCallum, Canada's ambassador to Beijing, met Michael Spavor, the Canadian ministry said. Spavor and Michael Kovrig were both picked up after Canada arrested senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request. 'The Chinese side strongly urges Canada to immediately correct its mistakes, and release the detained Chinese citizen,' Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a news briefing in Beijing on Monday. A Canadian court last week granted Meng bail. Canadian businessman Michael Spavor arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport after a trip to North Korea in January 2014. John McCallum, Canada's ambassador to Beijing, met Spavor on Sunday, the Canadian ministry said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - who said on Friday the detentions were unacceptable - told CTV his government was taking the situation very seriously. 'We have engaged with the Chinese officials to determine what exactly conditions are they being detained under? Why are they being detained?' he said in an interview aired on Sunday. McCallum met Kovrig for the first time in Friday. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that China should free the two men. China says they are both suspected of engaging in activities that endangered national security, but has given no details. Speaking in Beijing on Monday, Hua said China and Canada had 'smooth' consular communication on the cases of the two Canadians and confirmed China had arranged consular access for both of them. 'At the same time, the lawful rights of these two Canadians have been guaranteed,' Hua said, without elaborating on where they are being held, under what exact charges and under what conditions. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig (pictured) were both picked up after Canada arrested a senior Chinese executive on a U.S. extradition request Spavor, a businessman, and Kovrig, a former diplomat now working for a think-tank, were detained after Canadian police arrested Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on Dec 1. U.S. prosecutors accuse Meng of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating U.S. sanctions. Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei's founder, has said she is innocent. China has demanded Canada free Meng and threatened unspecified consequences if it does not. Hua said it did not matter what 'grandiose pretexts' Canada and the United States came up with, their case against Meng 'showed contempt for the rule of law' and people around the world were ridiculing it for them. Many Canadians have been writing to the Chinese embassy or writing open criticism in Canadian media to express their opposition to the government's 'irrational, illegal methods', she added. Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, arrives at a parole office with a security guard in Vancouver. She was arrested by Canadian police on December 1 If a Canadian judge rules the case against Meng is strong enough, Canada's justice minister must next decide whether to extradite her to the United States. If so, Meng would face U.S. charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions, with a maximum sentence of 30 years for each charge. On Monday, influential Chinese state-backed newspaper the Global Times said in an editorial that an escalation in the dispute with Canada could be coming. 'In the struggle with Canada, China needs to prepare for the possibility of conflict escalation,' it said. 'Beijing must take the contest seriously and maximise the support of international public opinion, leaving Western media no smear to slander its counterattacks as 'degradation of China's opening-up'.' Trudeau told CTV that Canada would continue trying to build up trading ties with China. 'We need to do so in a way that is true to our values and stands up for Canadians' interests, and getting that balance right is complex. (It) has been made more difficult by recent trends,' he said. The NHS wants to double its volunteer army in recognition of the huge benefits for patient care, the Daily Mail can reveal. Officials plan to increase the voluntary workforce from the current 78,000 to 156,000 over the next three years. The news comes as support is growing for the Mails hospital volunteer campaign, which was launched at the beginning of December in partnership with Helpforce a fast-growing health service charity. By last night a total of 23,655 readers had signed up, pledging a combined total of 1,344,132 hours in help and support. The Daily Mail is asking readers to find time to help patients and take pressure off staff Kate Shaw, 31, a volunteer at the Chelsea and Westimnster Hospital. NHS chiefs believe volunteers have a huge impact on patients and hospital staff, and at the same time greatly enhance their own lives The campaign has been backed by J K Rowling, Claudia Winkleman and Sir Cliff Richard alongside Prime Minister Theresa May and the Archbishop of Canterbury. NHS chiefs believe volunteers have a huge impact on patients and hospital staff, and at the same time greatly enhance their own lives. While older volunteers stay active and connected, younger recruits gain invaluable skills and experience for their future careers. The ambition to extend volunteering is set out in NHS Englands Long Term Plan, a blueprint of the health services priorities for the next ten years. 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 Due imminently, the plan will urge hospitals to recruit many more younger volunteers, particularly those with mental health problems, learning difficulties or from deprived communities. The document will also reveal there is currently a huge variation in the proportion of volunteers in hospitals across the country. While some hospitals have one volunteer for every two permanent members of staff, others have just one volunteer per 26 employees. NHS England will address this stark difference by encouraging hospitals to offer more volunteering opportunities and by investing 2.3million in Helpforce. The NHS Long Term Plan was meant to be published this week but is now likely to be postponed until the New Year due to the Prime Ministers ongoing wrangling with MPs over her Brexit plan. It will outline what patients can expect from the NHS over the next decade, how care will improve, and how the extra 20.5billion a year promised by the Government will be spent. The section on volunteers, seen by the Mail, highlights how volunteering can benefit both patients and the volunteers themselves. It states: Staff, patients and volunteers benefit from well-designed volunteering initiatives. Volunteers contribute across a range of roles, from first responders and care companions to trust governors and link workers (who provide emotional and practical support). They enable staff to deliver high-quality care that goes above and beyond core services. Local volunteering allows older people to stay physically active and connected to their communities, and younger people to develop skills and experience for work and education. But not all NHS organisations offer these opportunities for their local community, as the ratio of staff to volunteers in acute trusts ranges from 2:1 to 26:1. Vital hospital roles include mentoring patients, providing friendship and even being a blood courier THE STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS Elaine Brettell, a widow and mother-of-two, has spent her life serving the patients of Salford Royal Hospital. The 79-year-old became a nurse cadet aged just 15, retired at 60 but joined as a volunteer on the help desk and in accident and emergency a few months later. She now works eight hours a week at the hospital, stacking trolleys with clean linen and taking food and drinks to A&E patients, and directing patients around the hospital while on the help desk. A nurse said to me the other week, Dont ever underestimate what you do here, you make such a difference. Elaine Brettell, a widow and mother-of-two, has spent her life serving the patients of Salford Royal Hospital Retired Scotland Yard police officer Hugh Arkison, 72, from Hassocks in West Sussex, volunteers for up to 40 hours a week as a driver delivering medication and supplies That was so nice to hear, Mrs Brettell said. The hospital has been my life. Its where I gave birth to my two sons my husband Ronnie was brought here after a heart attack at just 53. My parents also died here. The kindness I was shown made such a difference thats why I make a point of introducing myself to patients and families and telling them useful information, or making them tea. Being a volunteer helps me feel Im still useful and it makes my children and grandchildren proud of me, too. Retired Scotland Yard police officer Hugh Arkison, 72, from Hassocks in West Sussex, volunteers for up to 40 hours a week as a driver delivering medication and supplies. My role is to ferry around anything, and I mean anything at all, he said. One day it might be medication, breast milk or blood; another I may be needed to collect equipment such as tube-feeding equipment from a hospital and deliver it to sick children at home. Sometimes Ill deliver milk to the premature baby unit at our local hospital and think Their mums cant help them at the moment but Im carrying something that can. It makes you feel good. Mr Arkison began volunteering five years ago when he saw a charity stall in a supermarket. At the time, I was just messing about on motorboats down at Brighton, but this has given me much more of a purpose, he said. I see my role as being very similar to being a policeman; I still have to get somewhere safely and timely and ultimately Im here to help. Advertisement The section adds: We will back the Helpforce programme with 2.3million of NHS England funding to scale successful volunteering programmes across the country, as part of our work to double the number of NHS volunteers over the next three years. The document urges hospitals to give greater access for younger volunteers, particularly those in deprived areas or those with mental health issues, learning disabilities and autism. Simon Stevens, NHS Englands chief executive, said: Volunteers have made an immense contribution to the NHS since its foundation and, as part of the NHS long term plan, we want to double the numbers who give their time, skills and experience to help patients and staff. 'That is why NHS England is whole-heartedly backing the Daily Mail and Helpforces Christmas campaign to encourage more people to give back to a service that does so much for their country. Earlier this month a study by the Kings Fund found that the overwhelming majority of NHS staff believed volunteers had a huge impact on patient care. The think-tanks survey of 300 frontline health workers showed that 90 per cent thought volunteers added a lot of value to patients. Helpforce is planning to use the money it receives from NHS England to prioritise volunteering roles in end-of-life care, providing transport to appointments and in improving mobility for long-stay patients. Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett, founder and chairman of Helpforce, said: We are delighted to have this renewed commitment to volunteering from NHS England, which will help ensure that many more patients and staff can benefit from the positive impacts of volunteering. Tony Markham, 56, who delivers blood for NHS around south England. The ambition to extend volunteering is set out in NHS Englands Long Term Plan, a blueprint of the health services priorities for the next ten years 'Volunteering is good for the people being supported, health and social care services, charities, the volunteers themselves and the community as a whole. Volunteers have always been at the heart of the NHS and this important backing will help to unlock their full potential. Sir Robert Francis, author of the report into the Mid Staffordshire hospital scandal and chairman of Healthwatch, a charity which uses volunteers to seek patients views on their care, added: From our own work we know how important volunteers efforts can be, but it takes thoughtful organisation to make sure people can see the difference they are making. So it is good to see NHS England are planning to put resources into this very worthwhile project. Last night, Helpforce said 23,655 people have pledged a combined total of 1,344,132 hours of help over six months through the Mails campaign. The figures include 13,682 who have pledged three hours a week and 9,973 who have pledged one day a month. The former owners of a karaoke bar have been slapped with a $20,000 fine after details of their wild operation were exposed by the industry's governing body. Canberra's Sandbox Karaoke & Bar's previous owners were subject to a December 10 disciplinary hearing by the Commissioner for Fair Trading for a string of breaches which occurred between June and November last year. Police were called to the karaoke bar last year after two young girls, one aged just 17, were taken to a hospital because they were so drunk. Staff told officers the girls had not been checked for ID because they were regulars. The next night police returned to the bar for a compliance check and found an unconscious man lying in a pool of vomit stretching from his body to the door. Former owners of Soundbox Karaoke & Bar (pictured) were handed a large fine and banned from acquiring a liquor licence after a string of breaches were discovered by the industry's governing body During another incident, six men were involved in a wild brawl inside one of the private karaoke rooms. The fight, which was captured on security cameras, showed one of the men allegedly swinging a full bottle of wine at two other men before being restrained. Staff at the venue were in breach of their liquor licence and rick assessed management plan because they did not inform police of the violence. 'The incidents were serious and had the potential to cause more harm than they did,' the commissioner's report read. The former owners were fined $20,000 and banned from obtaining a liquor licence or permit for 18 months after the breaches were made public. The former owners were fined $20,000 and banned from obtaining a liquor licence or permit for 18 months for a series of breaches inside the establishment in 2017 The breaches included breaking the conditions of a liquor licence, supplying alcohol to an intoxicated person, supplying alcohol in unopened containers and failing to comply with an approved risk assessment management plan. The bar was also found to have allowed underage customers to drink alcohol and be inside adults-only areas of the bar, and to have conducted a prohibited promotional activity at the premises. A series of other non-compliance issues were outlined in the commissioner's report before the final decision was handed down. Soundbox Karaoke Bar has since been taken over by new owners, but retained its name. Passengers on a flight from Manchester to Prague were evacuated after touching down because a 'threatening note' was found in a toilet cubicle on-board the plane. The bomb scare prompted police to ground the flight for more than four hours as they looked through bags and interviewed passengers. A woman on-board revealed that a toilet cubicle at the front of the Jet2 plane was locked around 30 minutes before landing. Passengers on-board a flight from Manchester to Prague were evacuated after touching down because of a bomb threat Upon arrival, the captain told holidaymakers about the note that had been found by staff. Passengers were held at Prague Airport due to a bomb threat on a flight from Manchester. Beth Parkinson, 26, who is currently stuck at Prague Airport along with hundreds of others, told the Manchester Evening News about her experience on the flight. She was travelling to Prague with her partner Paul when the drama unfolded after the plane landed. Beth said: 'We were just told the flush was broken and we should use the toilets at the back of the plane. 'As soon as we landed the captain said someone had left a threatening note in a toilet and we were not to move and had to leave everything on the plane. 'It was a lot calmer than I would have thought actually. Everyone was looking around but it was quite orderly. The passengers were held for four hours and interviewed by police after a threatening note wa found in a toilet cubicle on the aircraft 'We got off the plane in about 10 minutes but then we were waiting on a bus to the terminal for around. We've been waiting inside the airport for about four hours since then. They've given us water, tea and biscuits but nobody from Jet2 is here. 'We don't know what the threat was. And we haven't been told anything.' The Jet2 flight LS887 left Manchester Airport this afternoon and landed in Prague at around 6.30pm local time. In a tweet, officials from Prague Airport confirmed that the disruption was caused by a bomb scare. They wrote: 'Hello, @PolicieCZ checked the aircraft because of potential bomb threat. At the moment all cabin baggage need to be checked, estimated time is after 10 pm. Please contact handling employees on site for further information. Thank you.' A second tweet said: 'Update: All checks are finished with negative results. The flight back to Manchester will be operated by backup aircraft around midnight. 'Departing PAX should contact their handling agents in the gate for additional info.' A teenager who drowned in floodwaters exacerbated by ex-cyclone Owen has been named as Dane Bracey. The 18-year-old, from Bushland Beach, was swimming in Big Crystal Creek in Mutarnee, north of Townsville in far north Queensland, on Sunday afternoon. The electronics technician was swept away by the rapids after jumping off a rock at a tourist hot-spot known as the 'Rock Slides'. His mother Gail Bracey said her heart had 'broken into a thousand pieces' in a Facebook post. Mr Bracey had called out for help but his friends thought he was joking around and only realised he was serious when it was too late. 'He yelled "help, help" but at that stage the friends with him thought he was just playing a joke,' district duty officer Senior Sergeant Joe Matheson told The Courier Mail. Scroll down for video Dane Bracey, 18, (pictured right) was swimming at a popular waterhole known as the 'Rock Slides' in far north Queensland's Big Crystal Creek when he was swept away by rapids exacerbated by ex-Cyclone Owen Mr Bracey's friends had believed he was joking around when he screamed 'help, help' after he jumped off a rock Bracey was found submerged downstream at a little after 4pm and despite efforts to revive him, he was announced dead at the scene 'But he went under again and his girlfriend tried to enter the water,' he said. Mr Bracey was found submerged downstream a little after 4pm and was recovered from the water. Friends and family tried CPR but he could not be revived. Writing on Facebook on Sunday evening, Mr Bracey's mother said: 'Today a part of my soul and all of my heart has broken into a thousand pieces, I don't know how I'm going to get through this. 'Our beautiful, kind and wonderful son, Dane Bracey drowned in an accident, swimming at Crystal Creek.' Mr Bracey's mother Gail paid tribute to her 'kind and wonderful' son after he died on Sunday Mr Bracey's parents Darren (left) and Gail (centre) have been left devastated by the loss of their son Mr Bracey was found submerged downstream almost half-an-hour later and was recovered from the water (pictured: the 'Rock Slides' at Big Crystal Creek) Mr Bracey had jumped off a 3m rock into the rapids at Big Crystal Creek (pictured) before he was swept away shortly after Tributes from friends and family were posted to Facebook after his mother announced the heartbreaking news. 'Dane was a gorgeous kid, with a big heart and smile,' one user wrote. 'He was the sweetest and kindest boy anyone knew,' another said. Mr Bracey's death happened after fierce storms that brought in around 253 millimetres of rain lashed Queensland on Sunday. About 50 kilometres away, Halifax received 681 millimetres in the same time period with 122 millimetres of the total falling in just one hour. Severe weather warnings were in place for the Queensland coast between Proserpine and Bundaberg. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast recorded over 120mm of rainfall on Sunday. The Bureau of Meteorology said the system made landfall approximately 70 kilometres south of Kowanyama at about 3am on Saturday morning as a severe category-three tropical cyclone. Dec 17, 2018 | By Cameron Scale is not a limitation of 3D printing. There are factory-sized 3D printers and 3D printers that can produce nanoscale 3D geometries. And then theres Shrinky Dinks. Everyone remembers those kits designed to shrink in the oven after being colored by hand. Take 3D printing, merge it with Shrinky Dinks, and the result is MITs latest breakthrough where gel scaffolds holding conductive materials and biomolecules are shrunk via acidic dehydration. See, its exactly like Shrinky Dinks. One of the biggest problems to going smaller is maintaining precision and accuracy; the smaller the features, the harder it becomes to physically manipulate objects into their intended location and orientation. Compare, for instance, the difference in difficulty between working with Legos and watchmaking. The material sciences have revealed various materials that have very defined and predictable shrinkage when carefully dehydrated, such as the hydrogel the MIT researchers worked with. Their hydrogel shrunk ten-fold in each dimension when dehydrated, resulting in volumetric shrinkage of 1,000 times and taking the resolution of the object down to the nanoscale at 50 nanometers. Its a way of putting nearly any kind of material into a 3D pattern with nanoscale precision, said Edward Boyden, the Y. Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology at MIT. They call their process Implosion Fabrication (ImpFab). It involves using lasers to optically position 3D silver nanostructures or other materials in a gel scaffold. 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. The scaffold is then exposed to an acid that dehydrates the gel into 1 cubic millimeter solid. The positioning and orientation of the inserted objects are accurately preserved, maintaining functionality at a scale thats smaller than what could be fabricated at that scale. The method evolved from expansion microscopy, a technique used in brain tissue imaging where tissue is embedded into a hydrogel and then expanded, providing high-resolution imaging on a regular microscope. Boyden took that process, flipped it and reversed it, and invented ImpFab. Daniel Oran is one of the lead authors of the paper, explaining, Its 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. Generally, the smaller (or larger) a technology can go, the greater the amount of applications it can be applied to. The researchers expect interest from the optics and medical industries, but they anticipate inquiries from unexpected avenues. There are all kinds of things you can do with this, Boyden says. Democratizing nanofabrication could open up frontiers we cant yet imagine. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Advertisement In the midst of a raging firestorm of bad press about multiple data breaches and fake news that possibly influenced the 2016 presidential election, Facebook workers were treated to an extravagant multi-million-dollar Christmas party, complete with ruddy-cheeked drummer boys, a chainsaw-carved ice sculpture of a polar bear wearing sunglasses and unlimited glazed donuts. The Menlo Park-based social network threw a two-day celebration last weekend at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco - a century-old domed theater where a single night's rental has been known to cost a whopping $300,000. The theme of the event was a winter village, and among the attractions were a thumbs up tavern,' where employees could get drinks. The social media giant spared no expense, hiring Christmas dancers, models playing the Elf on a Shelf and an ice sculptor. There was even a ski gondola hanging from the ceiling, a sweets shop offering a wide variety of desserts and candy and a photo booth. The party was held over two nights due to the massive number of attendees. The company wanted to gives its 12,000 workers employed at its Menlo Park headquarters an opportunity to blow off some steam. Even with the two separate parties, the lines were reportedly long for food and drink. The Facebook holiday party this weekend at the Palace of Fine Arts featured a ski-lift gondola (above) There was also a 'thumbs up tavern' where employees could grab some free drinks at the holiday party While Facebook has not disclosed how much money it spent on the over-the-top holiday celebration, by most conservative estimates the tech giant likely shelled out anywhere between $1.2million-$1.8million on catering alone, at the current going rate of $100-$150 per person. That number does not factor any of the entertainment, custom lighting or decor. Some users on social media called out Facebook for being out of touch by organizing the luxury party while being mired in multiple high-profile scandals. 'Paid for thanks to the unauthorized psychological experimentation they committed on you, your kids, your family, and all of yourt friends. Sickos,' one Twitter user wrote. Another chimed in: 'Facebook are traitor.' In recent years, it has become de rigueur for deep-pocketed Silicon Valley companies to organize lavish soirees for their staff during the holiday season. In 2014, Facebook rented out AT&T Park, and the following year the company threw a wild roaring '20s-style Christmas party, complete with dancing flappers, gilded palm trees and acrobats. That same year, then-Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer also organized a Great Gatsby-themed holiday party, which was widely reported to set the struggling company back $7million. Mayer, who left Yahoo in 2017, later disputed that number, insisting that the company spent closer to $2million on the festivities. At Facebook's holiday shindig this year, COO Sheryl Sandberg posed up with Nick Clegg, former British deputy prime minister who was hired in October to lead the social media company's global affairs and communications team. Sheryl Sandberg (center), Facebook's COO, is seen above at the annual company Christmas party alongside her latest hire, Nick Clegg (second from right). Marne Levine (far left), the COO of Instagram, is also seen above Also standing alongside Sandberg was Marne Levine, the Chief Operating Officer of Instagram. Facebook, Instagram's parent company, bought the photo-sharing social network in 2012 for a billion dollars in cash and stock. Levine wrote on her Instagram page: 'Big night out on the town last night with some of my beloved colleagues for the Facebook holiday party. 'Nothing like toy soldier snare drummers to get you in the holiday spirit.' If any of the employees were looking to mingle with CEO Mark Zuckerberg, they were most likely disappointed. Sandberg (center), who has been the subject of criticism this year, appears relaxed alongside Facebook employee Kelsey Anderson (left), and an unidentified woman The Lean In author has come under fire for the company's mishaps, including its failure to protect user data and its relationship with a Republican-linked opposition research firm Facebook even hired people to dress up in Christmas clothing, like the person above who is seen sitting atop a shipping container and looks like an Elf on a Shelf One of the highlights was an ice sculpture of a polar bear (as seen above). The Facebook logo is seen carved out of a block of ice on the lower right Facebook employees are seen above gathering around the ice sculpture polar bear, which is even wearing sunglasses There was a special VIP section that was cordoned off for the top executives, though it is unclear if Zuckerberg was there. Sandberg posed at the party with Clegg, 51, who succeeds Elliot Schrage. Schrage left the company following reports indicating that it dug up opposition research against liberal billionaire George Soros. Since joining Facebook, Clegg has reported to Sandberg. He will move to California with his family in the new year. Zuckerberg, Sandberg, and their company have been in the news in recent months, though the headlines were largely negative. A row of drummer boys put on a show for the Facebook employees and their guests at the holiday party The two-day bash for the company's tens of thousands of employees in the Bay Area came after a difficult year for Facebook. The image above shows 'snow' falling Those who attended the party revealed there were toy soldiers, a main street with snow, candy shops, a lodge, and a live Elf on the Shelf Partygoers said the lines were long for food and drinks - even though the event was held over the course of two days to accommodate tens of thousands of employees The Palace of Fine Arts is a historic landmark located in the Marina District of San Francisco The above image offers a better view of the gondola as Facebook employees mingle underneath it at the party This elf appears to be having a good time sitting on a shipping container as Facebook employees line up at the bar below Facebook employees are seen above walking along the main street of the 'winter village' built inside the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco Snowflakes fall from the ceiling during the Facebook holiday party. The low temperature in San Francisco last weekend was in the mid-40s - not cold enough for real snow Facebook employees are seen above mingling in the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco last weekend Facebook's top two executives - founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg (center) and COO Sheryl Sandberg (center left) - are seen in the above image. Sandberg was seen at the party, though Zuckerberg was not Facebook came under fire for its role in allowing the spread of fake news - allegedly masterminded by Russia - that is thought to have had an impact on the 2016 elections. The company has also been accused of allowing disinformation to be spread on its platform which allegedly facilitated the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. In March, it was learned that a British-based political consultancy firm, Cambridge Analytica, which had ties to the Trump campaign, misused data of tens of millions of Facebook users. In September, Facebook acknowledged that a data breach affected 50 million users. Two weeks later, the company said that data belonging to 29 million other users had been stolen. This partygoer cozies up to a Teddy Bear during Facebook's annual holiday bash in San Francisco, California last weekend The winter village looked very realistic with men dressed up in toy soldier costumes (as seen in the photo above) This partygoer gazes out from the balcony as Facebook employees mingle below on the main drag of the winter village 'Shoutout to Mark for throwin a rager,' wrote one Instagram user who attached this photo to her timeline A man dressed as the Nutcracker drummer plays his instrument at the holiday extravaganza These partygoers are seen posing in front of the Rotunda at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco On Friday, Facebook said it discovered a bug that may have affected up to 6.8 million people who used Facebook login to grant permission to third-party apps to access photos. The incident may have affected up to 1,500 apps built by 876 developers, the company said, adding that it has fixed the issue. Facebook said some third-party apps may have gained access to broader set of photos than usual for 12 days between September 13 and 25. As if those scandals weren't bad enough, last month Facebook admitted that it hired a Republican-linked public relations firm to do opposition research on company critics like George Soros and others. What is the Cambridge Analytica scandal? Consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica had offices in London, New York, Washington, as well as Brazil and Malaysia. The company boasted it can 'find your voters and move them to action' through data-driven campaigns and a team that includes data scientists and behavioural psychologists. In 2013, Cambridge professor Aleksandr Kogan used his app, This Is Your Digital Life, to ask 270,000 Facebook users questions about their personalities. By answering them, the users granted Kogan access to not only their profiles but to those of their friends. He subsequently sold that information to Cambridge Analytica for $51million. Facebook changed its rules in 2014 to limit what data such apps could access. A year later, the company learned that Kogan had sold his findings and contacted both him and Cambridge Analytica to tell them to delete the data which they promised to do. In March, Facebook made its announcement that it had suspended Cambridge Analytica after being warned of looming media reports that claimed not all of the information had been destroyed. Those reports, which were informed by the accounts of whistleblowers who worked at the firm, also revealed the true scale of the breach. It was initially estimated that the firm was able to mine the information of 55 million Facebook users even though just 270,000 people gave them permission to do so. But Facebook later since revealed the number was actually as high as 87 million. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix, after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump. The same information is said to have been used to help the Brexit campaign in the UK. Advertisement Zuckerberg, who wasn't seen at the party, may have had a good reason not to be in the mood to celebrate. The founder of Facebook lost almost a quarter of his net worth after a very bad year for the social media giant. Zuckerberg, the 34-year-old multi-billionaire, has seen his net worth drop $15billion, according to Money Magazine. Money Magazine drew up a timeline of debacles and stumbles over the course of the year that plunged the billionaire multiple notches down on the list of the wealthiest people on the planet. Beginning in March, Christopher Wylie, the co-founder of the data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, revealed that it misappropriated 50 million of Facebook users' data (revised up to 87 million later) and then used that information to target voters in the 2016 election on behalf of the Trump campaign. The Facebook founder temporarily lost $13billion on the news which forced him to concede that his company may have made a mistake in not proactively doing something about the breach. Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, testifying before Congress about the Cambridge Analytica use of user data in the 2016 election 'When we heard back from Cambridge Analytica that they had told us that they werent using the data and deleted it, we considered it a closed case,' Zuckerberg told Congress when placed on the hot seat. 'In retrospect, that was clearly a mistake.' Due to lackluster sales and poorer prospects for growth, investors soured on the platform. Zuckerberg also admitted that spending on security in light of the previous scandal would affect profits. Then came the worst single-day loss in share value in the history of U.S. stocks. Facebook provided its Q2 earnings after trading hours on July 25 while at an all-time high price of $217.50. On July 26, the shares opened 20 per cent lower. Zuckerberg lost $15.9billion by the end of the day, and another $2.2billion in following days. With an accelerating fall underway, Money points to an exodus of executive talent from acquired businesses WhatsApp and Instagram painting an unhealthy picture of the internal politics of the company with WhatsApp co-founder tweeting 'It is time. #deletefacebook' as he departed. In November, before things could settle down, the New York Times dropped a bombshell about Sandberg, the 'Lean In' author, and her role in a variety of the company's scandals: ignoring Russian hacking, playing down Cambridge Analytica's data misuse and even lying about hiring the data company to target Soros. Mark Zuckerberg's fortune dropped from $85.5billion at the end of 2017 to $52.4 billion by the end of 2018 Facebook went from a high this year of $217.50 per share down to a trading price of $144.06 amid the scandals and problems at the social media giant The platform even received criticism earlier this year from United Nations human rights experts weighing in on its culpability for the spread of hate speech leading to the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar. Zuckerberg's embattled financial empire now stands at $57billion, down from $75 billion at the beginning of the year, the biggest loss among 500 billionaires, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He still stands at number six on the Index's list of billionaires. German car parts industrialist Georg Schaeffler finds himself in second place with a loss of $13.8 billion for the year. An Afghan interpreter who earned asylum in Britain after risking his life to translate for Prince Charles and ministers faces being sent back after the Government failed to renew his visa. Nazir Ayeen, 29, fled Kabul in 2013 following death threats from the Taliban, which accused him of being a spy after he spent three years with the British Army on the front line in Helmand province. He was granted a five-year working visa but it expired on December 5, leaving him in a legal limbo and at risk of deportation back to Afghanistan, where his life would again be in danger. Nazir Ayeen, 29, who earned asylum in Britain after risking his life to translate for Prince Charles and ministers faces being sent back after the Government failed to renew his visa Mr Ayeen, who has no family, applied for indefinite leave to remain but the slow process means the Government is yet to decide whether he can stay. The loyal interpreter is now living illegally in his north London home. The Daily Mails three-year Betrayal Of The Brave campaign which was last week named Campaign of the Year at the British Journalism Awards has highlighted how interpreters left behind in Afghanistan faced death threats, were shot at and even executed on their doorsteps. Mr Ayeen told Welsh current affairs programme Y Byd ar Bedwar that despite the risks taken by Afghan interpreters, those who made it to the UK were treated the same as other refugees and asylum seekers. He said: The problem is we are not seen as people who helped the British Armed Forces, the British Government, in a hostile, dangerous land. 'My hope is that the UK Government actually comes down to the fact that interpreters from Afghanistan are not a category of ordinary people. We are the ones who risked our lives to keep the streets of London safe. Mr Ayeen, who served from 2007 to 2010 with the Royal Marines and Scots Guards, was one of hundreds of interpreters who worked alongside British troops during the 13-year war. The Afghan translators were injured in Helmand Province (shown in a stock picture) alongside UK troops He also translated during high-profile VIP visits, which included Prince Charles, then foreign secretary William Hague and then defence secretary Liam Fox. Speaking about his time on the front line, he said: Ive seen people wounded, Ive seen people shot, Ive seen people being blown up by IEDs. Explaining why he helped the British Army, he added: I had a great love to my country. To rebuild and restabilise my country was a big ambition to me. And to help a peace process and help the international forces gain their objective, to make Afghanistan more stable, that gave me the energy to keep working. He later worked as a translator for Lieutenant General Tim Radford, the commander of British troops in Afghanistan, and then as a political officer at the British Embassy in Kabul until he fled to the UK in 2013 after being threatened by neighbours in Kabul who accused him of being a spy. Lives on the line: Afghan interpreters pictured in Helmand Earlier this year, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson gave hope to translators by announcing he was tearing up the failed asylum policy which had left many abandoned, however, despite this, hundreds of interpreters are still denied sanctuary in Britain. Mr Ayeen condemned the policy, and added: I would say the American Government has looked after their interpreters really well, unlike the British Government. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: Mr Ayeen has submitted an application for indefinite leave to remain, which is currently being considered. Y Byd ar Bedwar will be broadcast on S4C tomorrow at 9.30pm. Advertisement The people of Strasbourg filled a square on Sunday to pay their respects to the victims of last week's terror attack near the city's famous Christmas market, as the death toll rose to five. Barto Orent-Niedzielski, a 36-year-old from Katowice, in Poland, died in a Strasbourg hospital on Sunday. He had been one of the dozen people wounded in the attack on Tuesday evening, Poland's state news agency PAP said. Orent-Niedzielski and his Italian friend Antonio Megalizzi had tried to stop suspect Cherif Chekatt from entering a bar during Tuesday's assault, a close friend told AFP. Megalizzi, 28, died from his injuries on Friday. Eleven people were also injured in the bloodbath, with several still in a critical condition. Nicknamed 'Bartek', Orent-Niedzielski had lived in Strasbourg for 20 years, according to his friend. His brother Jakub had been posting updates on his condition on Facebook since the attack, and suggested Saturday that the family was considering when to end Orent-Niedzielski's life support. Then Sunday, Jakub shared the following note: 'My brother Bartek Orent-Niedzielski has just left us. He thanks you for your love and the strength you brought him. People light candles and deposit flowers during a gathering around a makeshift memorial at Place Kleber, in Strasbourg, on Sunday to pay a tribute to the victims of Tuesday's attack A woman holds a sign reading 'Strasbourg stronger than hate' as she attends a gathering around a makeshift memorial at Place Kleber, in Strasbourg, on Sunday 'He will always be there, watching over us, and will continue to bring us his joy. Thanks to everyone.' The attack victims came from multiple countries: One of the dead was a tourist from Thailand. Another was an Italian journalist covering the European Parliament based in Strasbourg. The news of the latest death came after an hour-long ceremony took place in Kleber Square by the city's Christmas market, near where the gunman opened fire. More than 1,000 people attended the memorial, which ended with applause and a rendition of France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, according to the local newspaper DNA. Strasbourg mayor Roland Ries praised the city's resilience in the face of hardship. 'The presence on Saturday of an extremely large crowd in the Christmas market was an illustration of our commitment to these values on which our living together is based, which we will continue to defend against all those who want to attack it,' Mr Ries said. After the attack, French authorities launched a massive manhunt that ended Thursday night when the main suspect, Strasbourg-born Chekatt, 29, was killed in a shootout with police in the city neighbourhood where he grew up. French authorities are still investigating the attack. More than 1,000 people attended the memorial, which ended with applause and a rendition of France's national anthem, La Marseillaise People hugh each others as they attend a gathering around a makeshift memorial at Place Kleber, in Strasbourg, on Sunday People at the memorial to pay a tribute to the victims of Strasbourg's attack, which left five people dead and 11 more injured The gathering was held in Kleber Square by a Christmas market and near where the gunman opened fire last Tuesday evening Residents react during gathering being held in a central square of the eastern French city of Strasbourg, on Sunday The Paris prosecutor's office said two people close to the attacker were released on Sunday 'in the absence of incriminating elements at this stage'. Only one person of the seven detained after the attack was still being held. Chekatt's parents and two of his brothers, who had been held by police for questioning for several days, were released on Saturday. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Strasbourg Christmas market to pay his respects to the victims. The president went to the market and laid a single white rose at a nearby monument to the terrorist outrage and stood silently for over two minutes in tribute after the official re-opening of the market at 11am that morning. As he looked solemn and closed his eyes in reflection, the crowd spontaneously began singling La Marseillaise - the French national anthem - in memory of the fallen victims. A man holds a placard reading 'Goodbye Pascal' as he attends a gathering around a makeshift memorial at Place Kleber A drawing representing Strasbourg's cathedral is seen at an improvised memorial in tribute to the victims of the attack. The sign reads 'Strasbourg my love' He then hugged market stallholders, shook hands with the crowd and was handed an gift from a trader. Macron earlier met with some members of the police involved in the hunt for Chekatt for more than half an hour, including the four soldiers of Operation Sentinel who injured the gunman during the attack on Tuesday night. One of the officers recounted how one of the shooter's bullet ricocheted off his assault rifle during the gun battle. Macron also spoke with police officers who exchanged fire with the jihadist and the man who shot him dead, congratulating them for their 'courage' and their 'professionalism'. Macron, who earlier in the day took part in a European Union summit in Brussels, then met with families of the victims of the attack. French President Emmanuel Macron lay a white rose at a monument near the Christmas market in Strasbourg's Kleber square on Friday As Macron looked solemn and closed his eyes in reflection, the crowd spontaneously began singling La Marseillaise in memory of the fallen victims President Macron visited Strasbourg to pay his respects to the victims of Tuesday's terrorist attack at a nearby monument where flowers, candles and cards were laid Macron hugging a visitor to the Christmas market, as he visited the terror attack scene in Strasbourg on Friday evening President Emmanuel Macron was given a Christmas teddy bear as a gift from a visitor of the market as he met with the crowd The 29-year-old was said to be a small-time criminal turned jihadist who went on a shooting spray on Tuesday evening in Strasbourg's popular Christmas market. Chekatt, who was born in this eastern French city, killed four and wounded 12 before going to ground for 48 hours in his home district. Police finally caught up with him in a warehouse in the Plaine des Bouchers area of Strasbourg and he was killed after opening fire on a street police patrol. His victims were a Thai tourist, on holiday in Strasbourg with his wife, an Afghan who sought refuge in France some 20 years ago, a 28-year-old Italian journalist in town to cover the European parliament, and a local Frenchman who had just retired. While in Strasbourg, Macron also placed a white rose on the Kleber monument, in the centre of town, where locals have been placing flowers and lighting candles since Tuesday's deadly attack. Macron also shook hands with visitors of the Christmas market in Strasbourg as he paid his respects to the victims of Tuesday's attack Macron met crowds of people as he paid his respect at the Christmas market today after it re-opened on Friday morning Crowds of Strasbourg market visitors greeted President Macron as he walked through the market stalls and shook hands with shoppers and stall-holders Macron getting into a car and leaving after visiting the Christmas market in Strasbourg following his meeting with police officers involved in the hunt for gunman Chekatt French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner accompanied Macron to Strasbourg. But he denied the shooter was an ISIS soldier, despite the group claiming responsibility for him soon after his death, but said he was a 'man consumed by evil'. The terror group had claimed Chekatt was acting for them when he killed four and injured 12 in a gun and knife rampage on Tuesday night. Castaner dismissed the claim as 'completely opportunistic'. 'We're dealing with a man who was consumed by evil,' he said while visiting the market which re-opened this morning with a heavy police presence as cops investigated if Chekatt had any accomplices. Following the attack the threat level was raised to its highest, but the 'Vigipirate plan' - France's national security alert system - was reduced to the level second level of 'Risk Attack', the French government said. As the Christmas market reopened armed police and soldiers patrolled the area. 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 The Strasbourg Christmas market gunman was killed by police on Thursday night. Pictured: Police surround the man's body Cherif Chekatt, 29, was being hunted by French police after opening fire at a Christmas market in Strasbourg this week, killing four 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 hid out in a warehouse a few hundred yards from his parents' house where he grew up in the northeastern French city. Pictured: The aftermath of his killing A French military patrols during the reopening of the christmas market of Strasbourg, eastern France Today, the market re-opened with a heavy police presence after Cherif Chekatt was killed by armed cops last night The market was back to bustling on Friday morning after the terrorist was shot dead on Thursday night in the street Checkatt, 29, had criminal convictions in France and Germany and was radicalised in jail. Pictured: Armed police at the market Chekatt's fourth victim was confirmed dead by a Paris prosecutor on Friday afternoon and was previously described as being in a critical condition. Two were declared dead at the scene and a third died on Thursday night, with French media reporting a fifth victim remains in a brain dead state. Jubilant crowds shouted 'bravo' and applauded French police last night at the scene where Chekatt was shot dead around 9pm. More than 720 anti-terror cops had been looking for the 29-year-old for two days after he walked through a Christmas market, shooting and stabbing pedestrians before escaping wounded in a hijacked taxi. Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told a news conference on Friday that seven people are in police custody, including four of his family members. 'We want to reconstruct the past 48 hours in order to find out whether he got some support,' Heitz said. After his escape, Chekatt hid out in a warehouse a few hundred yards from his parents' house where he grew up in the northeastern French city. He was tracked down at 9pm on Thursday when police in a patrol car spotted him on a street in a district where he was last seen after Tuesday night's attack. Around 800 people had called in tips to a hotline after the authorities released his name and photo Wednesday night, including two which Heitz called 'decisive' in finding Chekatt. The information allowed police to home in on an area in the Neudorf neighbourhood, where he tried to escape into a building after being spotted by a patrol. Unable to get in the door, he turned and shot at the three officers with a handgun when they tried to approach. Two returned fire and killed him, Heitz said at a press conference in Strasbourg. 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 last night Chekatt was killed after firing on police officers, who returned fire, as a police helicopter had been circling overhead Questions remain over how Chekatt was able to evade the tight security perimeter set up around the Strasbourg Christmas market which has long been a prime target for jihadist groups. Around 500 police, security agents and soldiers control access at checkpoints on the bridges leading to the river island, a UN World Heritage site, that houses the market. The goal is to 'create a bubble with searches at the entry points,' Mayor Roland Ries said after the attack. Chekatt was flagged by French security forces in 2015 as a possible Islamic extremist. But Defence Minister Florence Parly rejected criticism that Chekatt's presence on the country's so-called 'S file' of extremists should have prompted a more proactive reaction from the authorities. 'You can't... arrest someone just because you think he might do something,' Parly told Radio Classique on Friday. Crowds play Bob Marley's I Shot The Sheriff where gunman Cherif Chekatt was killed A French news channel has caused a stir by playing Bob Marley's I Shot The Sheriff in the background to coverage on last night's killing of Strasbourg terrorist Cherif Chekatt. The song was being played by someone in crowds at the scene and was picked up by BFM TV's microphones. The channel let the tune play on air during a discussion of Tuesday's Christmas market attack which killed four and injured 12. It is believed the onlooker chose the song because of the lyric 'sheriff' sounds like the attacker's first name, Cherif. Viewers could scarcely believe their ears. One wrote on Twitter: 'Am I the only one to have heard I Shot the Sheriff behind the footage of the killed terrorist on BFM TV?' Another added: 'Surreal! I shot the sheriff is playing in the background.' BFM has yet to comment. Advertisement Police thanked people who spotted him for helping track Chekatt 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.' 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 four people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, was killed this evening Heavily armed police swooped on the Neudorf neighbourhood of Strasbourg Thursday 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 on Thursday night Checkatt, 29, had 27 criminal convictions in four countries 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 on Wednesday arrested his parents, two brothers and a friend in connection with the attack. On Friday, they arrested his third brother in Algeria to see if he was involved. The propaganda wing of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, calling Chekatt one of its 'soldiers' who responded to its calls to target citizens of nations in the coalition fighting the jihadists in Iraq and Syria. Among the 12 injured in the attack, two remain in critical condition while three others have been released from hospital, Castaner said Thursday. 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.' 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. Rescue workers walked past hooded police officers standing guard in Strasbourg, eastern France last night, 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 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 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. A relieved Strasbourg prepared to reopen its popular Christmas market on Friday after French police shot dead the gunman who killed four people there in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Cherif Chekatt was killed late Thursday after a two-day manhunt when a police patrol spotted him on a street in the district where he was last seen after Tuesday night's attack on Christmas shoppers. The lights on the market's towering Christmas tree were illuminated Friday for the first time since the attack ahead of the official re-opening of the market at 11am. 'I hope life will get back to normal but I'm not too sure,' said Franck Hoffmann as opened his wooden chalet offering Christmas candles and ornaments on Friday. 'Business isn't going to be what it was,' he predicted. Questions remained over how Chekatt was able to evade the tight security perimeter set up for an event long known to be a prime target for jihadist groups. 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 four 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 Around 500 police, security agents and soldiers control access at checkpoints on the bridges leading to the river island, a UN World Heritage site, that houses the market. The goal is to 'create a bubble with searches at the entry points,' Mayor Roland Ries said after the attack, while regional government representative Jean-Luc Marx said he had not determined 'any flaws in the security measures'. Many residents, however, were not convinced after Chekatt managed to slip through the controls with a handgun and a knife. 'It doesn't surprise me,' said Emeline, 38, who works in the city centre. 'You wear a heavy coat, put something in the bottom of your bag. You can bring in what you want.' France's anti-terror prosecutor Remy Heitz is to hold a press conference in Strasbourg on Friday while Interior Minister Christophe Castaner will attend the reopening of the market, which usually draws two million people every year. France has been on high alert since the start of a wave of jihadist attacks in 2015, which prompted a threefold surge in the security budget for the market, to one million euros. 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 Chekatt, a 29-year-old career criminal 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. Strasbourg's deputy mayor Alain Fontanel admitted that despite patrols, plainclothes police, profilers and video surveillance, 'the risks can be reduced, but not eliminated'. 'We can't pat down and search everyone, only carry out random checks,' he said, adding that huge lines at checkpoints would only create a new potential target for terrorists. 'Someone who wants to get in an area this big with a weapon can do it,' he said. Such reasoning was little comfort to the residents and tourists who flock to the Strasbourg market. 'We thought this would happen only in Nice or at the Bataclan, but here it is at home,' said Sylvain, who works at another market in the city centre. He was referring to the truck attack which killed scores at Bastille Day festivities in Nice, southern France, in 2016, and the massacre at the capital's Bataclan concert hall in November 2015. 'I'm not going to forget this anytime soon. It's too painful. I'm not even sure I'm able to cry,' he said. 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.' 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 Candlelit vigils were held in Strasbourg for the victims of the shooting on Wednesday. Four people died and 12 more were wounded President Donald Trump has accused the Democrats and Special Counsel Robert Mueller of staging an investigation into alleged Russian meddling as a way of overturning the results of the 2016 election. The President on Sunday also sought to turn the attention away from himself by attacking several of his political rivals: his former attorney, Michael Cohen; Hillary Clinton; the FBI; and two former FBI employees. Trump assailed Cohen as a 'rat' for turning on him and wrongly claimed the FBI broke into his former lawyer's office. He slammed Jeff Sessions, who resigned the day after the 2018 election at Trump's request, following a months long public and private contention between Trump and Sessions over his recusal from overseeing Mueller's investigation. Trump got in his dig at Sessions in a pair of tweets quoting Daniel Henninger of The Wall Street Journal, who was speaking about Trump's former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. President Donald Trump (seen center at the White House on Thursday) has accused the Democrats and Special Counsel Robert Mueller of staging an investigation into alleged Russian meddling as a way of overturning the results of the 2016 elections Trump railed against his former attorney general Jeff Sessions (right) in a pair of tweets looking at the case surrounding his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn (left) Trump cited an op-ed written by in The Wall Street Journal by Daniel Henninger Henninger wrote that the investigation into alleged Russian meddling is looking more like 'persecution' of the President Trump has been on a twitter rant about the Russia investigation, tweeting about it seven times on Sunday Henninger wrote: 'It looks here as though General Flynn's defenses are incidental to something larger which is for the prosecution to figure out if it can find a path to Donald Trump without quite knowing what that crime might be. It stops looking like prosecution and more looking like a persecution of the President.' Trump added: 'Thank you, people are starting to see and understand what this Witch Hunt is all about. 'Jeff Sessions should be ashamed of himself for allowing this total HOAX to get started in the first place!' Sessions has been one of Trump's favorite targets in his railings against the Mueller investigation. And Mueller's office earlier this month 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, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations during the presidential transition period with the then-Russian ambassador to the United States, 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. Trump attempted to turn the spotlight on the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's (left) email server. Then-FBI director James Comey (right) recommended no charges be filed against her Trump also railed against the text messages between former FBI agent Peter Strzok (left) and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page (right) The Justice Department's inspector general, in a report released Thursday, found no evidence the FBI intentionally destroyed text messages between Strzok and Page Trump also claimed the investigation into Russia started before he was elected and that it's a 'Democrat scam.' '....The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax, started as the "insurance policy" long before I even got elected, is very bad for our Country. They are Entrapping people for misstatements, lies or unrelated things that took place many years ago. Nothing to do with Collusion. A Democrat Scam!' he tweeted Sunday afternoon. U.S. intelligence agencies were investigating whether Russia was trying to influence the 2016 election during that year and briefed Trump on the matter after he was elected but before he took office. However, Mueller wasn't appointed as special counsel until May 17, 2017, after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017. The president also attempted to turn the spotlight on the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's email server when he wrote: 'Why didn't they break into the DNC to get the Server, or Crooked's office?' Former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen (left) and American Media CEO David Pecker (right) are cooperating with prosecutors Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign and banking violations after he created a shell company to transfer $130,000 to Stormy Daniels (right), who claims she had an affair with Trump. AMI gave $150,000 to model Karen McDougal (left) who claims she had an affair with Trump Former FBI director James Comey punched back at Trump Crooked is a term he uses in reference to Clinton. He calls her 'Crooked Hillary Clinton' during his campaign rallies. The FBI investigated Clinton's use of a private email server. While it found she was 'extremely careless,' then-FBI director James Comey recommended that no charges be filed. A subsequent report from the Department of Justice's watchdog found the FBI was not political in its investigation of Clinton, a charge some Republicans had made particularly after text messages were revealed between former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page. The two agents - who were working on the investigation and having an affair - had texted of their hopes Trump would lose the election. Trump has also railed about the text messages between Strzok and Page. 'So where are all the missing Text messages between fired FBI agents Peter S and the lovely Lisa Page, his lover. Just reported that they have been erased and wiped clean. What an outrage as the totally compromised and conflicted Witch Hunt moves ever so slowly forward. Want them!' he wrote on Sunday. The Justice Department's inspector general, in a report released Thursday, found no evidence the FBI intentionally destroyed text messages between Strzok and Page. The inspector general faulted an FBI-wide software failure that has resulted in large portions of FBI text messages not being archived, the Associated Press fact checker found. The report examined a gap in messages from December 2016 through May 2017 from Strzok and Page's phones. The FBI ultimately managed to recover thousands of the messages. Some congressional Republicans had suggested the messages were intentionally deleted. The report from DoJ said there was no evidence of that. On Wednesday, Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail for multiple crimes - including bank fraud, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. Trump has tweeted fast and furious against his former personal attorney since that sentencing. Former FBI director James Comey took to Twitter to slam back at the president and point out that the FBI's seizure of evidence in the Cohen case came about as a result of a 'lawful execution of a search warrant.' In an interview with 'Good Morning America' on Friday, Cohen expressed his wish to 'not be the villain' of the saga Trump has been on a twitter rant since Cohen's sentencing Trump also tweeted out the words of people defending him 'This is from the President of our country, lying about the lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge. Shame on Republicans who don't speak up at this moment for the FBI, the rule of law, and the truth,' he wrote. Trump also argued it was Cohen's job - as his lawyer - to know what was legal and what wasn't. The pressure appears to be on the White House as reports indicated Mueller is close to wrapping up his probe, which is examining whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to affect the 2016 election. In a separate investigation, the Southern District of New York looked into the payoffs to two women who claimed to have affairs with Trump, which he denied. Evidence in both matters was said to be found in the April raid on Cohen's office. In an interview with 'Good Morning America' on Friday, Cohen expressed his wish to 'not be the villain' of the saga and defended himself against the President, who has publicly attacked him numerous times since he pleaded guilty to a 'veritable smorgasbord' of charges in August. The crime that is most perilous for Trump - who is said to be 'privately fretting over impeachment' is Cohen's campaign violation payments. Prosecutors say a figure identified as 'Individual-1' Trump 'directed' Cohen to make a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. 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 on Twitter 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.' But Cohen told Stephanopoulos: 'I don't think there is anybody that believes that. 'First of all, nothing at the Trump organization was ever done unless it was run through Mr. Trump. He directed me to make the payments, he directed me to become involved in these matters.' Trump has reportedly told allies in his closest circle that he is alarmed by the possibility of impeachment, despite publicly stating that he isn't concerned. On Sunday he also tweeted the words of people defending him. 'Judge Ken Starr, former Solicitor Generel & Independent Counsel, just stated that, after two years, 'there is no evidence or proof of collusion' & further that 'there is no evidence that there was a campaign financing violation involving the President.' Thank you Judge. @FoxNews,' he wrote. On Thursday, the president was revealed to be the third man who attended a 2015 meeting with Cohen and American Media Inc. boss David Pecker where they forged a plan to keep Trump'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 the 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 ultimately led to Cohen pleading guilty to a felony and getting three years in jail. It also led to a cooperation agreement with prosecutors in which Pecker - one of Trump's former best friends - would not be prosecuted 'for any crimes' related to campaign finance law resulting from the meeting. AMI gave $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who says she had a 10-month affair with the president, and Cohen was involved in discussions relating to this. That could leave Trump as the odd man out if he continues his denials that he did anything wrong and never 'directed' Cohen to break the law and he is now the only person in the room who claims that the hush money wasn't used to impact the outcome of the election. Pecker agreed to flip - and is still cooperating with federal authorities. In a statement, the US 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'. The news 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. Donald Trump has revealed he will review the case of a Green Beret who is facing murder charges after he confessed to killing an Afghan bomb maker that he suspected was responsible for the death of two of his Marines in 2010. 'At the request of many, I will be reviewing the case of a "U.S. Military hero," Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder,' Trump tweeted on Sunday. 'He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas.' Golsteyn was charged with premeditated murder on Friday. He has admitted to killing the bomb maker during his 2010 deployment to Afghanistan, where he was leading a team of Army Special Forces troops. Donald Trump said he will review the case of a Green Beret facing murder charges after killing an Afghan bomb maker he suspected was responsible for the death of two of his Marines Golsteyn was charged with murder for allegedly tracking down and killing a suspected Afghan bomb maker known as Rasoul on February 22, 2010 Golsteyn's immediate commander determined that there was 'sufficient evidence' to warrant the 'charges against him', US Army Special Operations Command spokesman Lt Col Loren Bymer said in a statement. The new charges will be reviewed to determine if the case should go to trial. If Trump were to intervene, it may count as unlawful command influence that could result in Golsteyn's case being thrown out. But Pentagon spokesman Army Col Rob Manning told the BBC on Sunday that the charges against Golsteyn are a 'law enforcement matter'. 'The Department of Defense will respect the integrity of this process and provide updates when appropriate,' Manning added. Trump and other senior military and administration leaders have issued statements about military criminal cases in the past, triggering legal appeals and other complications as the courts work to insure impartial proceedings. The president, however, does have broad authority to pardon criminal defendants. Golsteyn admitted both during a 2011 CIA interview and in a 2016 Fox News segment that he killed the bomb maker, who he suspected was responsible for an explosion that killed Sgt Jeremy McQueary, 27, and 19-year-old Lance Cpl Larry Johnson. McQueary's parents spoke out in defense of Golsteyn after the charges were announced this week. Golsteyn admitted both during a CIA interview and in a Fox News segment that he killed an Afghan bomb maker he suspected was responsible for the 2010 deaths of Sgt Jeremy McQueary, 27, (left) and 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Larry Johnson (right) Debbie Kleinschmidt, McQueary's mother, said she does not believe Golsteyn should face charges for killing the suspected Aghan bomb maker 'I think that's crazy,' David Kleinschmidt, McQueary's stepfather, told the New York Post. 'I don't understand why they are bringing this up again. 'We were in a war - and things happen in war. Personally, I think they should just drop [the charges] I'm glad the guy is dead.' 'Our rules that we have to follow are not the rules that the Taliban follows,' added Deborah Kleinschmidt, McQueary's mother. 'So why punish our guy for something that the enemy is doing to us? I'm sure his family has to be stressed out beyond belief. And my heart goes out to them.' Golsteyn has said he shot the bomb maker over concerns about the safety of American soldiers and for two Afghani men who defied the Taliban when they apprehended the suspect and turned him over to US forces. 'If anything, Golsteyn may deserve a medal, not a murder rap,' said David Kleinschmidt. 'I'm glad he found the guy. I'm glad the guy's dead because I don't think he should have been in society.' McQueary was killed in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, where US-led forces were fighting the Taliban McQueary, of Nashville, Indiana, was survived by his wife and infant son (pictured together) Johnson, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was remembered by family and friends as a proud Marine and a friendly youth with a close-knit family McQueary and Johnson had been working with Golsteyn's Green Beret team in the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah when they were killed in a bazaar explosion. After the bombing, Golsteyn gathered intelligence and searched nearby homes for the terrorist. The following day, a pair of Afghan men who were cooperating with the US turned over a suspect they had tied up who they claimed was responsible for the Marines' deaths, but the man was freed almost immediately because of lack of evidence. Shortly after the suspected bomb maker's release from custody, Golsteyn allegedly tracked him down and killed him. Days later, Golsteyn led about 80 troops into a four-hour firefight in Marjah, where he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire as he helped evacuate a wounded Afghan soldier and directed air strikes against the Taliban. He was awarded the Silver Star medal. Golsteyn admitted both during a 2011 CIA interview and in a 2016 Fox News segment that he killed the bomb maker The story of the Afghan bomb maker only came out after Golsteyn told the CIA about it during a polygraph test in November 2011, two months before he was promoted from captain to major. He is pictured here in Afghanistan in 2010 The story of the Afghan bomb maker only came out after Golsteyn told the CIA about it during a polygraph test in November 2011, two months before he was promoted from captain to major. He revealed that he had killed the bomb maker just days before that medal-winning battle. The Army Criminal Investigation Command, acting on information from the CIA, looked into the incident but could never find anyone to corroborate Golsteyn's claim and couldn't find any remains of the Afghan national. Golsteyn was never charged with a war crime, and the 2015 board of inquiry didn't attempt to establish whether he actually killed the Afghan. Golsteyn (pictured alongside an Afghan soldier) was never charged with a war crime, and the 2015 board of inquiry didn't attempt to establish whether he actually killed the Afghan Golsteyn's case was only reopened in 2016 after he appeared on a Fox News segment (pictured) and said he killed the Afghan Instead, the panel considered whether he should be retained as an Army officer based on a reprimand in his personnel record. The board determined that Golsteyn was guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer and he was discharged. It also revoked Golsteyn's Special Forces designation and the Silver Star. Two years later, Golsteyn appeared on a Fox News special called 'How We Fight' and told host Brett Baier that he killed the Afghan because letting him go would have led to additional problems. 'You realize quickly that you make things worse. It is an inevitable outcome that people who are cooperating with coalition forces, when identified, will suffer some terrible torture or be killed,' he said. Golsteyn (pictured with his wife) blamed the Fox News interview for his new legal troubles but stood by his comments to Baier Golsteyn's interview on Fox News breathed new life into the case and reportedly prompted the United States Criminal Investigation Command to reopen the investigation. Speaking to NBC News on Thursday, Golsteyn blamed the Fox News interview for his new legal troubles but stood by his comments to Baier. He also insisted that he did nothing wrong on that day in February 2010 in Afghanistan. 'I have had commanders look me in the face and tell me I have done nothing wrong,' Golsteyn said. Evidence used in the trial of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing is unconnected to the case, it has been claimed. A circuit board used in the case against Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi was probably made after the atrocity, investigators say. The claims are backed by testimony from a British expert and by tests at a police forensics lab in Zurich. Documentary-maker Bill Cran and his lead investigator George Thomson, a former Scottish police officer, are re-examining the 1988 bombing and later court case for a forthcoming film. Thomson, 73, was part of Megrahis defence team who were preparing the appeal abandoned by the Libyan agent in 2009 to secure his release on compassionate grounds. This photo shows a small fragment of a circuit timer, PT/35(b), that was allegedly found among the debris of Pan Am 103 near the town of Lockerbie after the 1988 crash. According to Richard Marquise, the FBI Agent who led the US side of the Lockerbie investigation, without PT/35(b), there would 'have been no indictment'. But it is claimed fresh forensic scrutiny has established the fragment was from a type of circuit-board not patented until 1991. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi remains the only man to have been found guilty for the 270 murders but a Scottish case review in 2007 found no reasonable court could have concluded he was guilty on the evidence presented at his trial Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi pictured clutching his release papers after being released from a Scottish jail on compassionate grounds when he developed cancer Mr Cran and Mr Thomson hope to release their film next year. Much of the focus is on the tiny circuit-board fragment, said to be part of the timer that triggered the bomb. It was key forensic evidence in the case because the timers had been sold to Libya. The circuit board was linked to Swiss electronics firm Mebo, but it is claimed fresh forensic scrutiny has established the fragment did not match the Mebo boards. It also appears the fragment was from a type of circuit-board not patented until 1991. The British expert, who has asked not to be named but was interviewed for Crans film, said the fragment contained traces of copper foil, while the older Mebo timers sold to Libya did not. The Maid Of The Sea came down thirty years ago this week and a new documentary claims crucial evidence was fabricated Eyewitnesses described 12 to 14 houses on fire from jet fuel which rained down on the town Eleven people in Lockerbie were killed by the airliner, which crashed between rows of houses He said the technique of adding foil coating to circuit boards only emerged at the end of the 1980s and was not patented until 1991. The fragment of circuit board was said to match those made my Mebo and sold only to Libya and East Germany no later than 1986.Its co-founder Edwin Bollier also uncovered new evidence after winning the right to obtain Government files on the firm. The British government released this photograph of Al-Megrahi after the bombing which claimed 270 lives in 1988 Through those documents, it is claimed a named member of the Swiss secret services visited Mebo in June 1989 and took away a circuit board he passed on to US investigators. The fragment, known as PT35b, entered the chain of evidence in October 1990, and later that month the CIA returned to Mebo and obtained circuit boards. Thomson said: Somehow, the Americans knew 16 months or so before the fragment was found to send a local agent to Mebo to secure a circuit board. You have to wonder whether the investigation was following a prepared script. The Swiss documents also reveals that the Zurich lab found: The fragment used as evidence in the Lockerbie trial does not match the timers made by Mebo. Dr Jim Swire, 82, spokesman for the UK relatives among the 270 who died on December 21, 1988, said: This evidence underlines that PT35b did not come from boards made by Mebo and sold to Libya. 'We need a full public inquiry to explore this and to deliver truth and justice before its too late for those of us who have the right to know why our loved ones died. The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission is considering ordering a posthumous appeal on behalf of Megrahis family. In 2007, it found no reasonable court could have concluded he was guilty on the evidence led at trial. Police Scotland and the Crown Office said it would be inappropriate to comment on a live case. Sterling Mervyn Free, 26, is accused of kidnapping a girl, 7, from a Brisbane Kmart and sexually assaulting her in nearby The father-of-two accused of kidnapping a seven-year-old girl from Kmart and sexually assaulting her in bushland is being kept at 'Australia's nastiest prison'. Sterling Mervyn Free, 26, has been refused bail on charges of kidnapping and indecent treatment of a child under 12. Free is locked up at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre in Brisbane's west, with his lawyer confirming he will soon apply for bail. The notorious high security facility is where child killer Brett Peter Cowan and others have awaited trial while accused of shocking crimes. An ABC investigation published in June claimed the prison was 'overcrowded, increasingly violent and unsafe', citing ex-prisoners and staff past and present. Two-time Arthur Gorrie convict Kevin Davenport told the national broadcaster it was 'one of the nastiest' prisons he had been in, recounting how he witnessed a brutal dinnertime bashing. 'I have been having dinner and I have seen someone get sliced from the back of their ear to the front of their jaw and bleed in front of you and there is nothing you can do,' Mr Davenport claimed. Labelled Australia's 'nastiest jail': Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults tripled from 122 in 2013 to 472 in 2016 at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre Cowan, loathed for the 2003 rape and murder of schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, was a 'bash on sight' target for vigilantes at the jail, former inmates have previously claimed. He had reason to worry. While in custody - at a separate centre - he was scarred for life when a prisoner poured boiling water over his face and torso. Former inmate: Brett Peter Cowan spent time at the correctional facility. He was gruesomely assaulted at a nearby jail years later At Arthur Gorrie, prisoner-on-prisoner assaults tripled from 122 in 2013 to 472 in 2016, a report by the Queensland Corrective Services chief inspector said. The number of serious assaults jumped from 11 to 64 over that same period, which coincided with inmates being 'doubled up' in cells in 2013, but the chief inspector said a 'causal link had not been ascertained'. A former staffer told the ABC the jail was 'drastically overcrowded' and described it as a 'violent place'. The company that operates the prison, GEO Group Australia, declined to comment on the ABC's report. Former prison governor John Heffernan told Daily Mail Australia earlier that Free would have entered custody with a reputation which put him among the 'lowest of the low'. 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 '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.' 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 Sterling Free was arrested last Monday and charged with allegedly taking a child for immoral purposes, deprivation of liberty and indecent treatment of a child under 12 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) 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 last Monday and charged with taking a child for immoral purposes, deprivation of liberty and indecent treatment of a child under 12. Private urgent care clinics are offering an alternative to accident and emergency services for patients who pay to jump the queue. The clinics, which charge upwards of 100 for adults, are open until 11pm. But while many conditions, such as broken bones, can be dealt with at the sites, the most serious cases are still recommended for treatment in accident and emergency departments at conventional NHS hospitals. Critics say the private clinics may lure away A&E doctors from NHS hospitals at a time when many are struggling to recruit medical staff. But while many conditions, such as broken bones, can be dealt with at the sites, the most serious cases are still recommended for treatment in accident and emergency departments at conventional NHS hospitals [File photo] A survey this month of A&E doctors by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine found 80 per cent believe conditions are getting worse and cannot go on the way they are. HCA, a private healthcare company, now runs five urgent care units four of which opened this year including one for children, which charges 150 for a basic consultation. And another private healthcare firm, BMI, offers seven units, most of which have opened in the past three years. Caroline Fox, chief executive of private firm Casualty First in north London, told The Times: NHS A&Es are under pressure with long waiting times and growing demand, but for those with minor ailments patients can choose to come to Casualty First where the average wait is ten minutes. But Taj Hassan, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told The Times that patients who are in any way sick should visit A&E, adding: You might have to wait, but I would always say its better to stick with the NHS. Private urgent care clinics are offering an alternative to accident and emergency services for patients who pay to jump the queue. The clinics, which charge upwards of 100 for adults, are open until 11pm [File photo] Labour health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said: Its quite staggering that the crisis in hospital A&Es after years of underfunding, cuts and chronic staff shortages has meant the emergence of a growing market for private sector A&Es. A two-tier Health Service is opening up where the wealthy can the jump the queue and everyone else is forced to wait longer for treatment. A Department of Health spokesman said it was committed to providing a world-class NHS that is always free at the point of use. Around nine million extra appointments have been made available across England on weekends and evenings, NHS England has said. It added that every GP practice in England now offers out of hours access to services and this target was met three months ahead of schedule. Agency workers and those in the gig economy are to be given extra protection and improved rights under new workplace laws. The Government describes the measures as the biggest package of workplace reforms for more than 20 years and says they are needed to meet the changing world of work. Legislation to introduce them will be brought forward next year. Changes include employers being banned from taking a proportion of tips left to workers for good service. Agency workers and those in the gig economy are to be given extra protection and improved rights under new workplace laws (stock image) Changes include employers being banned from taking a proportion of tips left to workers for good service (stock image) A loophole allowing agency workers to be employed on cheaper rates than permanent colleagues will be closed. Companies will be banned from misclassifying staff as self-employed while controlling every aspect of their employment. All workers will receive a full statement of their rights on appointment. This will include eligibility for sick leave and pay. As expected, the Government has resisted calls to ban zero-hours contracts, but all workers will have the right to request a more stable contract. A 425-kilogram sandstone Anzac memorial which crushed a three-year-old girl to death had not been properly affixed to its base, a NSW coroner has found. Indy Lee Henderson was killed on November 26, 2016 while playing at Blackhead Bowling Club between Forster and Taree on the NSW mid-north coast at a 50th birthday party for her grandmother. In Glebe Coroners Court on Monday, deputy state coroner Liz Ryan recommended the state government amend development standards in relation to masonry structures of a height of one metre or higher to ensure regulatory oversight. Indy Henderson (pictured) was killed after the 425kg monument toppled on her in front of 80 family and friends at her grandmother's 50th birthday on November 26, 2016 The Anzac memorial (pictured) was constructed in 1997 for just $1,000 and had silicone used as its base instead of cement, which contributed to its collapse The structure, which was constructed in 1997 for just $1,000, was used as a focal point to commemorate Anzac Day. The memorial was made by stonemason John Edstein, who had decades of experience. However, when Mr Hari Gohil - a structural engineer from Sydney with over 40 years' experience - examined the headstone after its collapse, he found that the memorial wasn't made to the highest of standards. 'Simply put, the memorial had been constructed in such a way that its headstone was unable to resist the lateral forces expected to be imposed upon it,' the corner's findings read. Mr Gohil found that the metal dowels which kept the headstone aligned eventually became detached from the holes, causing it to collapse. He advised that the dowels should have been coated in something stronger than silicone, such as cement, to make sure the headstone had better support. The inquest heard the stone (pictured) at Blackhead Bowling Club on the NSW mid-north coast was fixed to the memorial's base with silicone instead of cement mortar Witnesses reported seeing Indy's head and neck sticking out from the stone as they rushed over to lift it off her Mr Edstein confirmed that he hadn't been tasked with checking the ongoing safety of the memorial and despite Mr Gohil's findings, couldn't remember if he had used silicone or cement as the headstone's base. As a result of Indy's death, the Mid North Council has inspected all monuments on its land to ensure their stability. 'We hope that the coroner's findings and recommendations will see due consideration and save other families suffering a similar tragedy,' the statement read. Outside court, Indy's mother, Tamica Harrower, read out a statement, describing her daughter as 'a happy little girl who had learned to talk at an early age'. 'She loved laughing and having jokes and conversations with people.' she said tearfully. She spoke of her and her family's grief since the incident and how Indy was 'much loved by her family,'. Family and ambulance officers, including Indy's mother Tamica Harrower, (left) tried to save the three-year-old but were unable to revive her Indy had been playing outdoors around the sandstone Anzac memorial at around 7.15pm when it suddenly collapsed, leaving her crushed beneath it. Witnesses reported that her head and neck were visible as they rushed over to lift the headstone. Ms Ryan said it was likely children had been climbing on top of the headstone shortly before it collapsed. 'This may have triggered its dislodgement,' she said. 'However, this was not a significant focus of the inquest. 'Indy's family did not lay blame on the actions of children, recognising that these ought not to have caused a properly built structure to collapse in this manner.' Family and ambulance officers attempted CPR on the three-year-old but were unable to revive her. She was announced dead at Manning Base Hospital at 8.13pm from multiple injuries to her chest and abdomen. A timber look-out platform has since been built over looking the coast line near where the tragedy took place in memory of Indy. 'I hope that visiting this special place brings comfort to Indy's family.' Coroner Ryan said as she closed the inquest. Acquisition will Enhance Market Position in Government, Maritime and Enterprise Sectors Completes Globecomm Acquisition Sydney, Dec 17, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Speedcast International Limited ( ASX:SDA ) ( OTCMKTS:SPPDF ) ("Speedcast"), the world's most trusted provider of remote communication and IT solutions, today announced that on December 14, 2018 it completed the acquisition of Globecomm Systems Inc. ("Globecomm") for cash consideration of $134 million (net of cash acquired).Globecomm is a leading provider of remote communications and multi-network infrastructure in over 100 countries and the acquisition strengthens Speedcast's global leadership with enhanced competitive positions in Government, Maritime, and Enterprise. The acquisition complements Speedcast's acquisition of UltiSat in November 2017 by doubling Speedcast's revenue in the Government sector and adding more scale, visibility and capabilities in this growth market. In addition, Globecomm will benefit from Speedcast's scale and capabilities in the Maritime and Enterprise sectors."The acquisition of Globecomm fits perfectly with Speedcast's strategy to build competitive advantages based on scale, reach and unique capabilities. Globecomm is particularly complementary as it significantly strengthens our Government division at a time when government spending globally is expected to rise. Globecomm also has a strong reputation providing remote communications and professional services to key customers in Maritime and Enterprise and will strengthen our innovation capabilities with new solutions and strong engineering expertise in growth areas such as IoT, wireless and media services" said Speedcast CEO Pierre-Jean Beylier. "I am excited about the growth opportunities created by the combination of our two companies. I welcome the Globecomm team to Speedcast and look forward to their contribution to our journey. I welcome Globecomm customers and I am confident they will find benefits from all the additional capabilities and resources our Group can offer."Speedcast is very confident of achieving a targeted US$15 million in annual cost synergies within 18 months of completing the acquisition, as communicated previously. The cost synergies are expected to be generated across the business, including through footprint rationalisation, network improvements and improved procurement.As previously announced, in connection with closing the acquisition, Speedcast completed a US$175 million incremental term loan add-on to its existing US$425 million US Term Loan B facility (due 2025). The proceeds from the term loan add-on were used to fund the acquisition consideration, pay fees and transaction expenses and repay a portion of the outstanding loans under the company's revolving credit facility.The only financial covenant in the company's debt facilities is a requirement to maintain net leverage1 at or below 4.0x EBITDA. In addition, the covenant only applies if the revolving credit facility is more than 35% drawn. Speedcast's net leverage as at June 30, 2018 pro forma for the transaction was 3.4x EBITDA.The table in link below sets out a summary of the key terms of Speedcast's seven year Senior Secured Credit Facility on completion of the acquisition.To view tables, please visit:For more information about Speedcast, please visit http://www.speedcast.com About Speedcast International Ltd Speedcast International Ltd (ASX:SDA) is the world's most trusted communications and IT services provider, delivering critical communications solutions to the Maritime, Energy, Mining, Media, Telecom, Cruise, NGO, Government, and Enterprise sectors. With more satellite capacity than any other provider, Speedcast enables faster, seamless pole-to-pole coverage from a global hybrid satellite, fiber, cellular, microwave, MPLS, and IP transport network with direct access to public cloud platforms. The company also integrates differentiated technology offerings that provide smarter ways to communicate and distribute content, manage network and remote operations, protect and secure investments, and improve the crew and guest experience. With a passionate customer focus and a strong safety culture, Speedcast serves more than 3,200 customers in over 140 countries. Learn more at www.speedcast.com. Nationals MP Andrew Broad has resigned as a minister over shock allegations he sent explicit messages to a woman nearly 20 years his junior. The federal member for Mallee quit as Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister on Monday 'due to the nature of allegations made' - less than four months after being promoted from the backbench. A 'sugar baby', known online as 'Sweet Sophia Rose', told New Idea she had been texting the 43-year-old married man, who had referred to himself as 'James Bond', while bragging about his 'important job'. She claims that after about a month of texting, the pair agreed to meet up, and the regional Victorian MP's behaviour worsened. Scroll down for video Nationals MP Andrew Broad has resigned as Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister after allegations he was sending salacious texts to a 'sugar baby' 20 years his junior While he seemed fairly plain earlier in their conversations, the woman, who goes by Amy offline, said the MP quickly became bolder and more sexual in his messages. In one, she alleges he told her he was 'an Aussie lad'. 'I know how to ride a horse, fly a plane and f--k my woman. My intentions are completely dishonourable,' he wrote. Amy claims he also told her he had 'booked a flashy room to seduce you back to', despite the young woman stating on her profile there would be no physical intimacy between her and her clients. New Idea report the pair met at the Aqua Restaurant in Hong Kong, where Mr Broad allegedly whinged about the price of a meal and bragged about his powerful position. Amy said Mr Broad 'delivered his 'election speech' on the date, detailing why he should be voted in by the public. 'He kept saying he was very important and that when he left he would have to throw away his phone,' she told the magazine. 'He referred to himself as James Bond several times.' Amy, a 'sugar baby' who is known online as 'Sweet Sophia Rose', says she received explicit texts from Mr Broad after agreeing to meet him for a date In screenshots of what Amy claims are text messages sent between the pair Mr Broad, a former wheat and sheep farmer, appears happy to capitalise on his Australian upbringing. After Amy tells him she thinks Australian accents are 'so sexy', he sends back what appears to be a sext. 'I pull you close, run my strong hands down your back, softly kiss your neck and whisper, 'G'day mate',' he writes. Mr Broad was one of the first Nationals MPs to publicly call for Barnaby Joyce's resignation as deputy prime miniser after news emerged of his affair with his much younger former media adviser Vikki Campion. Making that call, he tweeted on February 22 a quote from the late American evangelist Billy Graham. 'Quote from the late Billy Graham: 'When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost',' he wrote, adding these were: 'telling words for the leadership of the National Party'. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said Mr Broad, who is based at Mildura, would remain as the member for Mallee. The Nationals leader told reporters he would be thinking about Mr Broad's predicament over the coming weeks, and the effect it would have on his career. 'I'll be thinking about that over the Christmas period and we might have something to say about that in the year,' he told reporters on Monday afternoon. 'I have accepted his resignation. It was the right thing to do, we need to get on and focus on the people who matter most to us, those are the constituents.' Mr Broad told New Idea his accuser has been reported to the Australian Federal Police, and declined to respond to the allegations. 'I have been advised that the person making the allegations may have engaged in criminal activity,' he said. 'This matter has been reported to the Australian Federal Police and I will not be making any further comment.' An AFP spokesman confirmed to the Daily Mail it received a referral from Andrew Broad MP on 8 November 2018 and did not identify any applicable offences under Australian law. In his maiden speech in December 2013, he praised his wife. 'I want to acknowledge my wife, who is in the gallery here today,' he said. 'My beautiful wife. She can give us a wave. I did pretty well for myself, didn't I? 'But she stuck through me through this unfolding journey.' The NHS is to create a 'National Heroes' Service' by spending 10million on expanding its mental health help for military veterans. In response to concerns that as many as 5 per cent of Britain's 2.6million former servicemen and women are increasingly afflicted by post-traumatic stress disorder with some falling into addictions and homelessness as a result the extra money is to be ploughed into specialist services. It will mean expansion for the NHS Veterans' Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service, which works in local communities to assess the mental health needs of those leaving the forces, and helps find them housing and support if necessary. The new money should help extend the service to be available 24 hours a day. NHS is to spend 10million on expanding its mental health help for military veterans. Pictured, a stock image of a veteran's medals Those servicemen with greater needs are catered for by the Complex Treatment Service which should be able to double its capacity thanks to the cash. The services are provided through existing GP surgeries and hospitals. NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said: 'The NHS long-term plan will ensure that the health service will be there for those who have been prepared to give their all for their country. Ramping up services will help veterans get the specialist support they need at every level, no matter which NHS service they use across the country.' The NHS already offers veterans entitlement to priority care for conditions associated with their time within the armed forces. Health officials stress the commitment is subject to clinical need and does not allow ex-service personnel to jump ahead of those with a more urgent medical issue. In July, NHS figures revealed there were 21,190 veteran referrals for NHS psychological therapies in England in 2017/18 up nearly 2,000 from the previous year along with 2,612 referrals via the NHS Veterans' Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service which launched in 2017. The overall rate of probable PTSD among current and ex-serving military personnel was 6 per cent in 2014-16, compared with 4 per cent in 2004-06. The rise in the condition was mainly seen in military veterans who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, researchers said. The findings are from the third phase of a cohort study by King's College London funded by the Ministry of Defence. A Bay Area crane company fired three members of its cleanup crew for their 'insensitive and reprehensible' actions in the burned out aftermath of the deadliest fire in California history. Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. identified Rob Freestone as the worker who posted disturbing photos of himself and two other workers making fun of the tragedy at site of the Camp Fire disaster, according to SFGate. 'Mr. Freestone has been removed from the Camp Fire recovery effort and we are working with International Union of Operating Engineers regarding his actions,' the construction firm posted to Facebook on Saturday. Rob Freestone (shown), formerly of Bigge Crane and Rigging Co., was terminated from his cleanup duties at the site of the Paradise, California, fire after photos like this surfaced The images Freestone posted show an insensitive and disturbing behavior in the town of Paradise, California, where almost every citizen lost their home to the devastating fire. The Facebook page for the town of Paradise shared another user's post of Freestone's pictures, explaining that the town leadership contacted his employers and stating that the police would look into criminal charges. According to KRCR News, the Paradise Police Department confirmed that they will be consulting with the district attorney's office before opening an investigation. One of Freestone's posts shows two workers in safety vests smiling in the skeletal remains of a motor home with Freestone's caption reading, 'They're off on a fun filled vacation to unknown destinations in their new RV. ' Workers joking around in the burned out remains of a mobile home are seen in this pictured posted by Freestone 'Trampolines are stupid. BTW, it used to be called a Jumpoline until your mom got on it,' reads the accompanying text of a worker jumping up and down in the burnt frame of a trampoline Rob Freestone's employer were quick to remove him from the work project on Saturday after his photos emerged Hours after their first post, Bigge Crane and Rigging also announced the termination of two other employees expressing sympathies to the people of Butte County The town of Paradise took offense at Freestone's disrespectful behavior in the ashen remains of their municipality on Facebook 'Trampolines are stupid. BTW, it used to be called a Jumpoline until your mom got on it,' reads the accompanying text of a worker jumping up and down in the burnt frame of a trampoline. Another picture shows Rob Freestone impishly straddling what looks to be a fire truck mailbox with the caption, 'I got a ride on a fire truck today.' A more disturbing photograph appears to show the charred remains of a house cat with a dusty beer bottle placed near the mouth. 'Dude... I was just chilling with my homies, having a couple of cold ones, and BAM... damn fire breaks out,' the callous words read above the picture. Freestone posted a photo of a burned cat (left) with a beer bottle posed next to its mouth, and a photo of a worker (right) sitting on lawn furniture with feet in a metal tub One photo shows a relaxed Freestone (left) with his legs up on the dashboard and another of a fireproof safe (right) The images were posted over time from the middle of November into December according to the time stamps. 'We have identified three participants in this abhorrent event and their employment has been terminated, ' Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. posted on Facebook. 'Bigge expects its employees and contractors to work with the utmost integrity and professionalism.' The Camp Fire began in Butte County, California, on November 8 and would not be contained for another 17 days. It killed 86 people, many of them elderly, and wipd out more than 150,000 acres of land. It has since been classified as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state's history. At least 38 people died in the town of Paradise alone. Firefighters dismantle a burned mobile home during a search for human remains in Paradise, California, on November 14 Linda Matthews returns to the remains of her Paradise, California, home on December 5 after residents were allowed back in Rowdy pupils are pushing exasperated teachers out of the profession, with mobile phones in the classroom fuelling serious levels of disruption, a report claims. Almost two-thirds of teachers say they have considered abandoning their career because of poor behaviour, and that mobile phones and access to social media in the classroom are a particular problem. The report, It Just Grinds You Down by the influential Policy Exchange think-tank, claims 78 per cent of teachers experience pupils misbehaving with mobile phones at least once a week, with 17 per cent stating it occurs every lesson. Almost two-thirds of teachers say they have considered abandoning their career because of poor behaviour (stock image) Mobile phones and access to social media in the classroom are a particular problem (stock image) Report author Dr Joanna Williams said: Inappropriate mobile phone use disrupts teaching and learning. It is vital that schools take this issue far more seriously. While many schools ban mobiles from being used during the day, one London teacher said their school is pro-device and actually encourages children to use them during lessons to carry out research online but that this has now got out of hand. Education Secretary Damian Hinds said he backs heads who forbid mobiles. However, he ruled out copying France and imposing a law banning them from classrooms. President Donald Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen has corroborating evidence for everything he has told federal investigators, including Special Counsel Robert Mueller, with whom he sat for 70 hours in seven meetings, Cohens adviser said on Sunday. Lanny Davis, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, appeared on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday. He served as an attorney for Cohen, but is now working solely as an adviser. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion and other financial crimes. He said that more information about the extent of Cohens cooperation with the Russia investigation headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller will come to light. Lanny Davis (left), an adviser to President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen (right), says Cohen has 'corroborating evidence for everything' he told federal prosecutors Theres a lot in the Mueller memo that tells you how forthcoming, for 70 hours in seven meetings, Michael Cohen was with Mr. Mueller, Davis said. He noted how Cohen gave information to investigators about Trumps contacts with Russian officials over a Moscow Trump Tower project. Davis blasted Trump on Sunday after the President took to Twitter and labeled his client a rat. Trump also wrongly claimed the FBI broke into his former lawyer's office. Trump tweeted about the Russia investigation or those tied to it seven times on Sunday. 'Remember, Michael Cohen only became a 'Rat' after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started. They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE! Why didn't they break into the DNC to get the Server, or Crooked's office?,' Trump tweeted. In response to Trump's tweet about Cohen, Davis told Face the Nation: 'This is the top law enforcement officer in our system of government calling somebody who decides to tell the government the truth, "A rat". Davis slammed Trump (seen above at the White House on Thursday) for calling Cohen a 'rat', saying: 'That's the language of a mobster not of the president' Trump attacked Cohen again on Sunday morning as a 'rat' 'That's the language of a mobster not of the president. 'But Michael Cohen took ownership and personal responsibility for lying and he's going to jail as a consequence and he authorized me, several times, to say he wouldn't take a pardon from Donald Trump if it was handed to him.' Davis also disputed Trump's claim that the FBI unlawfully barged into Cohen's office. 'He not only consented to, he thanked them for their courtesy as they left,' Davis said of Cohen's interaction with the FBI. 'And you have a president denouncing the FBI, lying about a warrant in a legal search, and he's the top law enforcement officer of the country and who does he praise? 'He praises his people who have lied and refused to cooperate. The opposite of what a president should do.' Davis would not say what information Cohen has provided to the Special Counsel about the Russia probe. He blasted the White House for telling Cohen to lie to Congress - a crime for which he was sentenced to two months in prison, which is to be served concurrently with the three-year sentence. 'Not one person from the White House - I can tell you this - ever said, "Dont lie",' Davis said. 'He did need to be told that because he ended up lying and hes regretted it and hes going to jail for it.' Trump went on a Twitter rant against a range of political rivals as the pressure increases on the President amid reports the investigations against him are wrapping up and got in another shot at his former attorney general, Jeff Sessions. Later Sunday he wrote: 'Jeff Sessions should be ashamed of himself for allowing this total HOAX to get started in the first place!' In April, FBI agents used a series of search warrants to conduct a legal raid on Cohen's office, apartment, and hotel room, where he had been staying. The evidence gathered in that raid has been used in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and in a separate probe conducted by the Southern District of New York in its prosecution of Cohen. Trump railed against his former attorney general Jeff Sessions (right) in a pair of tweets looking at the case surrounding his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn (left) It's not the first time the president has turned his fury on federal agents. He claimed the raid on Cohen was illegal shortly after it was conducted and has repeatedly said he was the victim of a 'witch hunt.' The president on Sunday also sought to turn the attention away from himself by attacking several of his political rivals: Cohen, Hillary Clinton, the FBI and two former FBI employees. He slammed Jeff Sessions, who resigned the day after the 2018 election at Trump's request, following a months long public and private contention between Trump and Sessions over his recusal from overseeing Mueller's investigation. Trump got in his dig at Sessions in a pair of tweets quoting Daniel Henninger of The Wall Street Journal, who was speaking about Trump's former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. 'It looks here as though General Flynn's defenses are incidental to something larger which is for the prosecution to figure out if it can find a path to Donald Trump without quite knowing what that crime might be. It stops looking like prosecution and more looking like...... ....a persecution of the President.' Daniel Henninger, The Wall Street Journal. Thank you, people are starting to see and understand what this Witch Hunt is all about. Jeff Sessions should be ashamed of himself for allowing this total HOAX to get started in the first place!,' the president wrote in his tweets. The President cited an op-ed written in The Wall Street Journal by Daniel Henninger to back up his claim that the investigations against him are illegitimate Trump also tweeted that Sessions 'should be ashamed of himself for allowing this total hoax to get started in the first place' Trump has been on a twitter rant about the Russia investigation, tweeting about it seven times on Sunday Sessions has been one of Trump's favorite targets in his railings against the Mueller investigation. And Mueller's office earlier this month 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, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations during the presidential transition period with the then-Russian ambassador to the United States, 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. Trump also claimed the investigation into Russia started before he was elected and that it's a 'Democrat scam.' '....The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax, started as the 'insurance policy' long before I even got elected, is very bad for our Country. They are Entrapping people for misstatements, lies or unrelated things that took place many years ago. Nothing to do with Collusion. A Democrat Scam!,' he tweeted Sunday afternoon. U.S. intelligence agencies were investigating whether Russia was trying to influence the 2016 election during that year and briefed Trump on the matter after he was elected but before he took office. However, Mueller wasn't appointed as special counsel until May 17, 2017, after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017. The president also attempted to turn the spotlight on the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's email server when he wrote: 'Why didn't they break into the DNC to get the Server, or Crooked's office?' Crooked is a term he uses in reference to Clinton. He calls her 'Crooked Hillary Clinton' during his campaign rallies. Trump attempted to turn the spotlight on the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's (left) email server which then-FBI director James Comey (right) recommended no charges be filed Trump also railed against the text messages between former FBI agent Peter Strzok (left) and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page (right) The Justice Department's inspector general, in a report released Thursday, found no evidence the FBI intentionally destroyed text messages between Strzok and Page The FBI investigated Clinton's use of a private email server and found that, while she was 'extremely careless,' then-FBI director James Comey recommended that no charges be filed. A subsequent report from the Department of Justice's watchdog found the FBI was not political in its investigation of Clinton, a charge some Republicans had made particularly after text messages were revealed between former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page. The two agents - who were working on the investigation and having an affair - had texted of their hopes Trump would lose the election. Trump has also railed about the text messages between Strzok and Page. 'So where are all the missing Text messages between fired FBI agents Peter S and the lovely Lisa Page, his lover. Just reported that they have been erased and wiped clean. What an outrage as the totally compromised and conflicted Witch Hunt moves ever so slowly forward. Want them!,' he wrote on Sunday. The Justice Department's inspector general, in a report released Thursday, found no evidence the FBI intentionally destroyed text messages between Strzok and Page. The inspector general faulted an FBI-wide software failure that has resulted in large portions of FBI text messages not being archived, the Associated Press fact checker found. The report examined a gap in messages from December 2016 through May 2017 from Strzok and Page's phones. The FBI ultimately managed to recover thousands of the messages. Some congressional Republicans had suggested the messages were intentionally deleted. The report from DoJ said there was no evidence of that. On Wednesday, Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail for multiple crimes - including bank fraud, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. Trump has tweeted fast and furious against his former personal attorney since that sentencing. Former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen (left) and American Media CEO David Pecker (right) are cooperating with prosecutors Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign and banking violations after he created a shell company to transfer $130,000 to Stormy Daniels (right), who claims she had an affair with Trump. AMI gave $150,000 to model Karen McDougal (left) who claims she had an affair with Trump Former FBI director James Comey punched back at Trump Former FBI director James Comey took to Twitter to slam back at the president and point out that the FBI's seizure of evidence in the Cohen case came about as a result of a 'lawful execution of a search warrant.' 'This is from the President of our country, lying about the lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge. Shame on Republicans who don't speak up at this moment for the FBI, the rule of law, and the truth,' he wrote. Trump also argued it was Cohen's job - as his lawyer - to know what was legal and what wasn't. The pressure appears to be on the White House as reports indicated Mueller is close to wrapping up his probe, which is examining whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to affect the 2016 election. In a separate investigation, the Southern District of New York looked into the payoffs to two women who claimed to have affairs with Trump, which he denied. Evidence in both matters was said to be found in the April raid on Cohen's office. In an interview with 'Good Morning America' on Friday, Cohen expressed his wish to 'not be the villain' of the saga and defended himself against the President, who has publicly attacked him numerous times since he pleaded guilty to a 'veritable smorgasbord' of charges in August. The crime that is most perilous for Trump - who is said to be 'privately fretting over impeachment' is Cohen's campaign violation payments. Prosecutors say a figure identified as 'Individual-1' Trump 'directed' Cohen to make a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels,. 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 on Twitter 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.' In an interview with 'Good Morning America' on Friday, Cohen expressed his wish to 'not be the villain' of the saga Trump has been on a twitter rant since Cohen's sentencing Trump also tweeted out the words of people defending him But Cohen told Stephanopoulos: 'I don't think there is anybody that believes that. 'First of all, nothing at the Trump organization was ever done unless it was run through Mr. Trump. He directed me to make the payments, he directed me to become involved in these matters.' Trump has reportedly told allies in his closest circle that he is alarmed by the possibility of impeachment, despite publicly stating that he isn't concerned. On Sunday he also tweeted the words of people defending him. 'Judge Ken Starr, former Solicitor Generel & Independent Counsel, just stated that, after two years, 'there is no evidence or proof of collusion' & further that 'there is no evidence that there was a campaign financing violation involving the President.' Thank you Judge. @FoxNews,' he wrote. On Thursday, the president was revealed to be the third man who attended a 2015 meeting with Cohen and American Media Inc. boss David Pecker where they forged a plan to keep Trump'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 the 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 ultimately led to Cohen pleading guilty to a felony and getting three years in jail. It also led to a cooperation agreement with prosecutors in which Pecker - one of Trump's former best friends - would not be prosecuted 'for any crimes' related to campaign finance law resulting from the meeting. AMI gave $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who says she had a 10-month affair with the president, and Cohen was involved in discussions relating to this. That could leave Trump as the odd man out if he continues his denials that he did anything wrong and never 'directed' Cohen to break the law and he is now the only person in the room who claims that the hush money wasn't used to impact the outcome of the election. Pecker agreed to flip - and is still cooperating with federal authorities. In a statement, the US 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'. The news 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. Australia's leading airlines will be banned from saying their flights are 'non-refundable' in a shake-up designed to protect consumers. The change comes after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) raised concerns that Jetstar, Tigerair, Qantas and Virgin Australia were misleading customers about their rights to ticket refunds. The airlines have since pledged to review their refund policies and make it clear to consumers they are entitled to ticket refunds, including in certain cases when flights are delayed or cancelled. Four airlines will be banned from saying flights are 'non-refundable', in a shake-up which aims to prevent the airlines from misleading customers Jetstar admitted to making representations on its website that some tickets are non refundable unless the consumer purchased a more expensive fare Jetstar admitted to making representations on its website that some tickets are non-refundable unless the consumer purchased a more expensive fare. The ACCC is seeking a $1.95 million fine from Jetstar due to falsely misleading customers about their rights to refunds, the Brisbane Times reported. The fine has reportedly been agreed upon by the ACCC and Jetstar and submitted to the Federal Court for approval. Tigerair acknowledged concerns it could have made representations that refunds would only be provided if consumers paid a 'refund admin fee'. Qantas and Virgin Australia also acknowledged they could have falsely implied on their websites that some refunds are not available for certain fares, including Qantas' Red e-deal fares. The watchdog organisation pointed out that services such as flights come with automatic consumer guarantees, and these rights cannot be excluded, restricted or modified. An ACCC spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'We receive thousands of complaints about airlines each year and we know that this is an area where customers have a lot of problems with consumer guarantees.' 'Between 1 January 2016 and 14 December 2017 the ACCC received over 1400 consumer complaints about airlines. 'These included hundreds of complaints relating to consumer guarantees and excessive fees.' All four airlines will create a Australian Consumer Law page on their websites to provide a clear and concise statement of passengers' consumer guarantee rights and the steps they can take to seek a remedy where the airline's flights are significantly delayed or cancelled. The ACCC say they are satisfied with the steps the airlines are taking to improve their websites. Qantas and Virgin Australia also acknowledged they could have falsely implied on their websites that some refunds are not available for certain fares, including Qantas' Red e-deal fares ACCC Chair Rod Sims said: 'Jetstar, Tigerair, Qantas and Virgin Australia have provided substantial undertakings to the ACCC and in doing so have committed to doing the right thing by their passengers in relation to refunds and other remedies under the consumer guarantees.' Travellers should bear in mind that delayed or cancelled flights do not always constitute a failure in consumer guarantees, and are therefore only refundable in some instances. Factors that determine whether there has been a failure include the length of the delay, the reason for the delay or cancellation, and whether the airline was able to offer a passenger another flight within a reasonable time period. Theresa May's cabinet allies, including Liam Fox and Damian Hinds, have publicly called on her to put Brexit in the hands of Parliament and allow MPs to vote on a range of alternative options to her deal, from a 'Norway plus' model to a no-deal exit. Trade secretary Dr Fox and the Prime Minister's longest-standing ministerial colleague Mr Hinds are the latest cabinet members to call on Mrs May to allow the Commons to examine other options. Their appeal comes as more and more people see the defeat of the PM's Brexit deal in Parliament as inevitable. However, Mrs May has rejected all attempts to hold votes on alternatives to her deal, telling her Cabinet in a conference call last Monday that the so-called indicative votes are divisive. Theresa May has been urged by cabinet colleagues to allow the Commons to vote on alternatives to her Brexit deal Instead, Mrs May and her team want to continue negotiating with Brussels until after Christmas. Including Dr Fox and Mr Hinds, there are now eight cabinet ministers calling on the Prime Minister to agree to the indicative votes proposals. The options that could be explored by Parliament include a no-deal and a second referendum. Other ministers pushing for MPs voting on Brexit options include Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, Philip Hammond, the chancellor, David Gauke, the justice secretary, David Mundell, the Scotland secretary, Greg Clark, the business secretary and David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister. Those opposing the plan include Andrea Leadsom, the Commons leader, Sajid Javid, the home secretary and Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary. Mrs May postponed a Commons vote on her plan last week and is believed to be keen to put off the vote until after Christmas. On The Andrew Marr Show, trade secretary Liam Fox said that parliament was 'given an instruction by the referendum, not the government' Until her plan is defeated, no votes on alternatives in the Commons can take place. Appearing on The Andrew Marr show on BBC One on Sunday morning, Dr Fox was asked what would happen if the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons. He said: 'Well, in which case Parliament will have to decide on the alternatives. I wouldn't have a huge problem with parliament as a whole having a say on the options, because it wasn't the government that was given an instruction by the referendum, it was parliament.' And Mr Hinds told Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live: 'I think there is a value in, sort of, flushing out, what these various different options are that, as I say, some people support very strongly but don't have a majority in favour of them.' Tomorrow, Theresa May will also warn that a second Brexit referendum would cause 'irreparable damage' to Britain, as she tries to defuse anger at the news that her own aides have floated the idea. And Mrs May's longest-standing ministerial colleague, Damian Hinds, said that there is value in flushing out the various options In the Commons, the Prime Minister will all but rule out holding a second vote while she remains in charge. Another referendum would 'likely leave us no further forward than the last... and further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it', she will warn. Mrs May is expected to add: 'Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum, another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver.' Her intervention comes amid mounting anger over the revelation that chief-of-staff Gavin Barwell and deputy David Lidington had backed the idea of a second referendum. MPs and ministers reacted furiously to reports yesterday that Mr Barwell had told colleagues a second poll was 'the only way forward' in the light of opposition to her Brexit deal. In social media messages yesterday, Mr Barwell said he was not planning for a second referendum. The New York City man accused of sexually assaulting and killing Queens jogger Karina Vetrano claims he fears being beat up, receives contaminated food and is surrounded by masturbating inmates, all while he's incarcerated at Rikers Island. Chanel Lewis, 22, of Brooklyn, New York, is being held at Rikers Island while awaiting a retrial for the alleged sexual assault and strangulation murder of Vetrano, 30, while she was jogging near her Queens home in August 2016. A mistrial was declared in November after just a day and a half of jury deliberations resulted in jurors reporting that they were split and did not believe they'd be able to come to a unanimous decision. Chanel Lewis, 22, accused of sexually assaulting and murdering jogger Karina Vetrano, has told the New York Post that he is being traumatized by his time at Rikers Island Lewis said that prison guards are encouraging inmates to beat him up and that prisoner masturbation habits are having a detrimental effect on his food The New York Post now reports that, over a series of phone calls from Rikers, Lewis told them that he is being traumatized by his time at the famous prison. He said that corrections supervisors 'are trying to tell inmates to beat me up,' but admitted that he hadn't actually been injured. Lewis said that the correction officers were also encouraging inmates to call him names, including 'a f-t, the a-word and the p-word.' He also had several complaints about fellow inmates' masturbation habits. Lewis claimed that female corrections officers were encouraging inmates while they pleasured themselves, telling the men that they 'wanna wrap their legs around them and get an orgasm,' a statement that Lewis thought was 'really gross.' Lewis is accused of sexually assaulting and murdering Katrina Vetrano, 30, while she was jogging near her Queens home in August 2016 Vetrano was said to have fought back against her attacker until the very end, when she was strangled to death Lewis said that he 'finished her off' while confessing to Vetrano's murder in February 2017 The Post reported that Lewis was most vocal about the fact that the inmates, through their frequent masturbation, were getting their DNA in his food by passing it from their hands to those of the female corrections officers, who then transferred it to Lewis when they gave him his food and water. Lewis apparently called the female officers a 'health hazard,' noting 'Food inside the hot pot is contaminated,' and said that he wanted to be transferred to the Brooklyn House of Detention because inmates are able to draw their own water there. A spokesperson for the City Department of Corrections told the newspaper that Lewis' 'allegations are troubling, and claims about the safety and wellbeing of people in custody is something we take seriously. We will investigate this immediately.' Prosecutors have said they will move to retry Lewis, who is due back in court on January 22. Lewis faces faces life in prison if convicted of murdering Vetrano. Vetrano was punched in the face, thrown to the ground, violently sexually assaulted and then strangled in a marsh, about a block away from her house. Her body was later discovered by her father, Philip Vetrano. Lewis is being held at Rikers Island while he away retrial for Vetrano's murder Authorities said that she fought for her life until the very end, biting her attacker so hard that her teeth cracked. Despite making a videotaped confession, in which he admitted to killing Vetrano, saying he spotted her at random and snapped, Lewis pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and aggravated sex abuse. His lawyers have argued that the confession was coerced by keeping Lewis isolated during his six-hour interrogation. Lewis reportedly refused to speak with white detectives and only confessed when a black detective was brought in. His remarks to detectives that he didn't like people 'over there', referring to the largely Italian-American Howard Beach neighborhood, led to speculation that the attack may have been racially motivated. In February, a judge decided to let DNA evidence and the videotaped confession be used at trial. Lewis' attorneys previously questioned the validity of his DNA sample from a consensual cheek swab, which was compared to DNA evidence recovered from under the victim's fingernails, and the manner in which his confession was gained. Lewis told the New York Post that he is 'completely innocent.' Two Muslim brothers who claimed they were exempt from Australian law as they built a religious bushland retreat have lost their charity status and all tax benefits. The national charity regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), announced on Monday it had revoked the charity status of the Diwan Al Dawla guild. Diwan Al Dawla was established by Mustapha Kara-Ali and his brother Diaa, who then began illegally building an Islamic hideaway at Colo in the Hawkesbury region north of Sydney. Iman Dr Mustapha Kara-Ali has pleaded guilty to four counts of contempt after ignoring court orders to remove buildings and other works from a religious retreat north of Sydney. The Diwan Al Dawla guild he founded has now had its charity status revoked by the regulator Mustapha (right) and Diaa Kara-Ali (left) pictured when confronted by Hawkesbury City Council officers at the gates of their 12 hectare property in the Hawkesbury region in July. The brother sought no approval to develop the site, claiming exemption from Australian law Hawkesbury City Council has won a civil action against Dr Kari-Ali and his brother over illegal land clearing and earthworks carried out on the site. Pictured is a horse barn on the property In August the Land and Environment Court ordered them to remove buildings on the religious site and restore the property to its state before their unlawful development. Justice Terry Sheahan subsequently found the Kara-Ali brothers guilty of contempt for failing to follow the court's orders and they now face the possibility of jail. Diwan Al Dawla was registered by the ACNC on 21 October 2016 with the purpose of 'advancing religion and social or public welfare.' In revoking Diwan Al Dawla's charity status the ACNC has taken away the organisation's charity tax concessions including income tax exemption, fringe benefits tax rebates and goods and services tax concessions. The ACNC conducted an investigation into Diwan Al Dawla but is prevented from publishing its findings or the nature of the concerns due to secrecy provisions in the ACNC Act. ACNC Commissioner Dr Gary Johns said revocation of charity status was reserved for the most serious of cases. Dr Mustapha Kara-Ali (right) and his brother Diaa refused to dismantle an Islamic retreat built without council approval because they claimed not to be answerable to Australian laws This picture shows some of the work illegally carried out on a once picturesque property at Colo by the Diwan Al Dawla Islamic guild. The guild has now had its charity status revoked 'No charity is above the law,' Dr Johns said. 'The ACNC is here to ensure charities do the right thing. When concerns are reported to us, we take them seriously. We investigate and take appropriate action. 'Revocation of charity status is the most serious action the ACNC can take. 'By revoking Diwan Al Dawla's charity registration, the organisation is no longer able to access Commonwealth charity tax concessions.' The Kara-Ali brothers each pleaded guilty to four counts of contempt after repeatedly ignoring Justice Sheahan's orders to remove buildings, fences, flagpoles and other structures which were all illegally installed. The brothers believed symbols within the Australian flag and New South Wales coat of arms were an affront to their religion and anyone bearing them was a 'Crusader'. The national charity regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), announced on Monday it had revoked the charity status of the Diwan Al Dawla guild. Imam Mustapha Kara-Ali at the gates of the Southern Chariot religious site. Dr Kara-Ali says the Southern Cross is a corrupted Christian version of this celestial navigation diagram Until November the two men had refused to even attend the court case initiated by Hawkesbury City Council over the unlawful development. 'It's against our religion,' Dr Kara-Ali told Daily Mail Australia in August. 'It's against our religion to be subject to any other religion.' 'Because of the religious symbolism of the court, that contradicts with my religion. For my religion to be free I can't be dictated to by another religion.' However, the brothers have since agreed to remove buildings and other works from the property as they attempt to 'purge' their contempt before being sentenced. They were back in court last Thursday when Justice Sheahan said that process had been 'very slow'. 'Time's run out for these gentlemen,' he said. 'Tima has absolutely run out. 'The orders weren't made lightly and they were made three months ago.' Religious signs, flags and flagpoles had been removed, as well as two demountable buildings, while the work of clearing the site of other buildings and restoring vegetation would be ongoing. The Diwan Al Dawla guild carved a hippodrome out of this hillside at Colo so it could train Arabian horses. The group did not seek development approval from council to construct it Hawkesbury City Council says this structure was a boat ramp. The imam of the Diwan Al Dawla group says it is a walkway to the Colo River used for baptisms fashioned from an old spillway The court heard 5,000 seedlings may have to be planted to replace vegetation they had removed. Hawkesbury Council has submitted the pair should be jailed for their contempt and Justice Sheahan ordered that a pre-sentence report be prepared. Diwan Al Dawla bought the Colo property for $670,000 in May last year and began building what it calls the Southern Chariot religious site. The 12 hectares had been home to about 30 Arabian horses which the group wanted to use to help troubled Muslim youth, particularly from western Sydney, engage with God. A shed and two demountable buildings were erected on the site and a barn was also built. A grove of young trees including olives, figs and walnuts was planted. The Land and Environment Court found in August the sect had undertaken land clearing and earthworks in breach of planning laws and had built structures without approval. The brothers agreed they did not seek approval for the work and originally said they had no intention of doing so because they did not recognise Australian law. Justice Sheahan ordered all structures on the site be demolished within 28 days. That did not happen. This shed on a concrete slab was built without development approval by the Diwan Al Dawla guild at Colo, north of Sydney. The guild claimed it did not recognise Australian law A 'river entry ramp' which council submitted was for boats and Diwan Al Dawla said was for baptisms had to be removed in the same timeframe. Justice Sheahan also restrained the group from 'carrying out of any and all religious activities of devotion, self-discipline, ritual baptism, inter-community prayers, contemplation and religious study or for the purposes of public worship.' Dr Kara-Ali and his brother claimed the council had no power to tell them what to do because they were 'not required to comply with the law'. The brothers had said their Diwan Al Dawla guild was a 'basic religious charity' registered with the ACNC. 'Charities who meet the definition of Basic Religious Charity do not have to submit annual financial reports, and they do not have to comply with the ACNC governance standards which include... compliance with Australian laws,' Dr Kara-Ali has said. The ACNC's ruling means Diwan Al Dawla is no longer recognised as any kind of charity. The brothers are due back in court on Wednesday. California Republican Rep Darrel Issa believes Special Counsel Robert Mueller's case against Michael Flynn will soon be thrown out of court. Issa, who is retiring at the end of the year, told Fox News on Sunday that he believed the FBI had 'tricked' Trump's former National Security Adviser into not having a lawyer during a January 2017 interview. Flynn later admitted he lied to federal authorities investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 election during the conversation. Issa made the claims a day before former FBI director James Comey is set to testify again before House Republicans. Scroll down for video California Republican Rep Darrel Issa believes Special Counsel Robert Mueller's case against Michael Flynn will soon be thrown out of court Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered both lawyers for special counsel Robert Mueller (right) and former 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 Comey is being questioned by the committee regarding decisions the FBI made in 2016, including whether there was collusion between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign during the presidential election. 'Tomorrow is going to be a very different day for Comey, particularly in light of what we've learned - the misconduct during the Flynn investigation was all about, thanks to a judge that demanded to understand what happened,' Issa said. This week US District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered both the Mueller investigation and Flynn's team to turn over all documents relating to the fateful 2017 interview. Flynn alleged in a court filling on Tuesday that the FBI pushed him toward having no lawyer present for his January 2017 interview. His attorneys pointed the finger at then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe - claiming he pushed Flynn not to have an attorney present for the questioning. United States District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan demanded all sides turn over their documents relating to the interview They claimed 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.' The FBI was not obliged to make clear to Flynn that he had the right of attorney, because he was not in custody. But Issa believes the cards are stacked in Flynn's favor. 'I would not be surprised a bit if the conviction of Flynn is overturned because of the Justice Department FBI's misconduct,' he said. 'When the FBI and the Department of Justice lies to someone and tricks them into making statements, and then charges them with a lie they entrapped them.' 'This is conduct that we haven't seen in a long time.' Meanwhile, Mueller has argued that Flynn, a veteran US official, 'does not need to be warned it is a crime to lie to federal agents, to know the importance of telling them the truth'. The special counsel said that Flynn was 'undoubtedly aware, in light of his "many years" working with the FBI, that lying to the FBI carries serious consequences'. 'Nothing about the way the interview was arranged or conducted caused the defendant to make false statements to the FBI,' Mueller's Friday court filing stated. 'The seriousness of the defendant's offense cannot be called into question, and the court should reject his attempt to minimize it.' The special counsel argued that Flynn, a veteran US official, 'does not need to be warned it is a crime to lie to federal agents, to know the importance of telling them the truth' Judge 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 not indicated that he plans to do so, according to Fox News. Trump's former National Security Adviser is due to be sentenced on Tuesday. Last week Mueller's office said that Flynn's cooperation - including 19 meetings with investigators - was so extensive that he was entitled to avoid prison when he is sentenced. Mueller reiterated this desire in his Friday court filling, writing that if Flynn '"continues to accept responsibility for his actions, his cooperation and military service continue to justify' no prison time. Flynn's lawyers also asked a judge 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 Trump's 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 January 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. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI over statements he made about meeting the then-ambassador of Russia during the Trump transition 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. 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 made 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. 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 election 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.' 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. Braeside and Barramine Project Update - East Pilbara Perth, Dec 17, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Rumble Resources Ltd ( ASX:RTR ) ("Rumble" or "the Company") is pleased to announce an update on the Barramine and Braeside projects.Highlights- Rumble secures 70% ownership of E45/2032 (central Braeside tenement)- Recent RC Drilling at central Braeside E45/2032 identified four mineralised alteration zones over an area of 35km by 6km, representing a regional scale porphyry to epithermal mineralised system that significantly upgrades the Braeside Project as having camp-scale potential for multiple deposit types.- Rumble has now completed additional work on the northern E45/4368 and southern E45/4874 tenements extending the highly mineralised Braeside system to over a strike length of 60km with up to 4 sub-parallel zones over a width of 6km.Braeside Project, East Pilbara, Western AustraliaE45/4874 - Contiguous southern extension of central Braeside tenementRegional stream sediment sampling over the entire tenement has outlined:- Gold in stream anomalism - > 10 times background- Strong Pb, Zn, Cu and Ba zonation with widespread low order anomalism along the westernmost margin of the tenement.E45/2032 - Central Tenement - Four mineralised alteration zones over an area of 35km by 6km- Rumble has fulfilled its earn-in obligation to earn 70% by spending $1.5mil in exploration within 3 years and has lodged transfer paperwork.Barramine JV Project, East Pilbara, Western AustraliaE45/4368 - Contiguous northern extension of central Braeside tenementRegional soil geochemistry has outlined:- Pb and Zn anomalism over 4km in strike associated with the inferred northern extension of the major Barker Well - Gossan East mineralised structure.- Over 18km of strike potential for base metal mineralisation within the Barramine JV remains completely untested.Rumble's Technical Director, Mr Brett Keillor, said: "The recent RC drilling results reported by Rumble on E45/2032 have demonstrated the potential for porphyry related multiple base-metal deposits of varying styles. The reported soil sampling and reconnaissance work on the Barramine project E45/4368 has demonstrated the Braeside porphyry related base-metal system potentially extends over a strike of 60km."The recent RC drilling at Barker Well (E45/2032) identified very significant base metal (galena dominant) mineralisation which includes very wide widths of altered disseminated base metal sulphide zones (105m @ 0.78% Pb + Zn) and multiple sulphide zones including 6m @ 6.16% Pb and 3m @ 9.16% Pb,0.43% Zn. Regional soil geochemistry, geological reconnaissance and spectral imagery (recently completed by CSIRO) infers the main Braeside mineralised system traverse northwards into the Barramine JV ground."Stream sediment sampling within E45/4874 has shown very strong metal zonation trends across strike, reflecting the same zonation associated with the new upgraded porphyry geological model. Gold in stream anomalism (>10 times background) has highlighted a new area of interest which will be followed up by further stream sediment sampling and soil geochemistry."The regional soil sampling on E45/4368 and stream sediment sampling on E45/4874 have generated significant highly prospective trends with potential multiple targets that will be followed up in the next field season (2019)."Barramine JV Project - E45/4368 - Rumble earning 70%Regional Soil Programme and Results (see Image 1 & 2 in link below)Contiguous northern extension of central Braeside tenement E45/2032 (host to 35km by 6km porphyry to epithermal mineralised system)Regional soil sampling on a staggered 400m by 400m pattern with select 200m by 200m infill was completed over interpreted structures within Fortescue mafic dominant volcanics and volcaniclastics. Areas of shale (Jeerinah Formation) were also partly covered. A total of 286 samples were collected and assayed for gold and 32 multi-elements. The soil programme focused on the northern section of the interpreted mineralised structures due to access restraints.The maximum soil value is 844 ppm Pb + Zn (392ppm Pb, 452ppm Zn). Nine (9) samples returned > 300ppm Pb + Zn. Several anomalies have been highlighted (see image 2 in link below) with the most significant anomaly occurring over a strike of 4km.The majority of the anomalies lie close to, or over the inferred regional mineralised structure that extends north to northwest from the Barker Well Prospect (neighbouring E45/2032 tenement) into the Barramine project. The soil sampling methodology and analysis was identical to the extensive soil sampling conducted within E45/2032. The level thresholds of anomalism for the Barramine JV are approximately the same as for E45/2032.Regional geological reconnaissance along the main structure that extends north to northwest from the Barker Well mineralisation reported similar styles of alteration to the Barker Well - Gossan East Trend (in E45/2032) with wide zones of silicification and extensive pervasive chlorite alteration. Results from the regional soil sampling and the reconnaissance has extended the main mineralised structures a further 18km of strike within the Barramine JV. The Braeside porphyry related mineralised structure has been confirmed over a strike of over 60 km.Conclusions and Next StepsBase metal (Pb + Zn) anomalism defined by the regional soil sampling has extended the highly mineralised Braeside porphyry related alteration system a further 18km northwest of the Barker Well Pb Prospect. At Barker Well, recent RC drilling by Rumble (only five holes in total) has highlighted wide zones of disseminated sulphides with intense chlorite and silica alteration. Results include 105m @ 0.78% Pb + Zn with multiple sulphide zones including 6m @ 6.16% Pb and 3m @ 9.16% Pb, 0.43% Zn. The Barker Well mineralisation occurs over a strike of 500m and is completely open both south and north to northwest into the Barramine JV.Proposed exploration for 2019 season includes:- Detailed soil geochemistry along main trend.- Follow-up in situ pXRF soil sampling of anomalism generated by soil geochemistry.- Detailed prospect mapping and grab sampling of high order base metal targets.- First pass RC drilling of targets.Braeside Project E45/4874 - Rumble 100%Stream Sediment Sampling Programme and Results - See images 1 & 3 - 7 (see link below)Contiguous northern extension of central Braeside tenement E45/2032 (host to 35km by 6km porphyry to epithermal mineralised system)A total of 188 stream sediment samples were collected over suitable drainages within E45/4874. The tenement is contiguous and lies east and south of the main Braeside base-metal project (E45/2032). The sample methodology included taken the fine fraction active sediment with analysis including multi-element (aqua regia digest - 48 elements including Au) and an additional bulk cyanide leach sample for Au, Ag, Cu.Anomalous gold in stream was encountered in a large creek system some 3km to the east of the Ragged Hills Prospect (see image 3 in link below). The peak value (1.77ppb Au) for BLEG correlated with the elevated gold by aqua regia response. The maximum gold value is >10 times the background.Copper, lead, zinc and barium (see images 4 - 7 in link below) assays in streams highlighted a strong zonation west to east (approximately normal to the regional trend). These elements were strongly elevated to the west of E45/4874 and were proximal to the projected southeast extension of the highly mineralised Braeside porphyry related structural trend.Conclusions and Next StepsWide spread base metal and barium anomalism along the western portion of the tenure has highlighted the southeast extension of the highly mineralised Braeside porphyry related alteration system. The gold in stream anomalism indicates potential gold mineralisation to the east of the main base-metal mineralised trend.Proposed exploration for 2019 season includes:- Infill stream sediment sampling to outline mineralised structures.- Soil geochemistry to delineate targets.- Follow-up in situ pXRF soil sampling of targets- Detailed prospect mapping and grab sampling to delineate drill targets.To view images, please visit:About Rumble Resources Ltd Rumble Resources Limited (ASX:RTR) (FRA:20Z) is an Australian based exploration company, officially admitted to the ASX on the 1st July 2011. Rumble was established with the aim of adding significant value to its current gold and base metal assets and will continue to look at mineral acquisition opportunities both in Australia and abroad. A foster mum responsible for decades of vile abuse remains on the run from police almost six years after fleeing the country. The woman is believed responsible for unspeakable acts against numerous children right under the noses of child protection authorities. Allegations range from feeding children 'Chum sandwiches' and bottles of Tabasco chilli sauce to forcing them to soil themselves and endure vile sexual abuse. The woman fled the country in 2013 after one of her foster children reported a horrific beating that later exposed her depraved house of horrors. But Daily Mail Australia is unable to reveal the woman's name after a County Court of Victoria judge on Monday placed a gag order designed to protect her foster mum and her co-accused's identities. One of the co-accused is seen outside the County Court of Victoria (right) The suppression order comes just weeks after a County Court judge ordered the names of dogs to be suppressed from publication. In releasing the two co-offenders, whom both pleaded guilty to a series of rapes against the 14 year old girl, Judge Meryl Sexton condemned Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services for failing the victim. Judge Sexton described the foster mum as 'evil, manipulative, cruel and vindictive' and 'should never have been able to of had children in her care'. The court heard the foster mum had abused her co-offenders since early childhood and continued to hold power over them through adulthood. Under the orders of a mysterious 'psychic' named Robin, the three brutalised their young victim, who had lived with her tormentor for 10 years. The court heard the girl was forced to eat dog food, swallow oysters, have eggs smashed on her head and skol Tabasco before being sexually degraded by the co-accused, who had five of their own kids together. The brave teenager, who escaped her tormentors in 2013, only confided in police the true extent of her ordeal in the home in 2016. By then, her foster mum was long gone and remains at large. Hear no evil: A woman convicted of rapes covers her ears as she leaves the County Court of Victoria A 30-year old woman and her 28-year old partner both pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping the young girl in savage, bloody and prolonged attacks. Both were cut free back into the community after Judge Sexton declared they were both exceptions to usual sentencing practices because of their own abuse at the hands of their foster mum. 'It is one of the most exceptional cases in my long career of sex cases,' she said. Judge Sexton said she had concluded DHHS had placed multiple children with the foster mum despite having knowledge of 'long standing allegations of physical assaults' by her. The pair were each sentenced to three year community corrections orders and told to undergo between 80-100 hours of community work. The sentence outraged supporters of the young victim, who attended court to watch her abusers sentenced. One woman shouted out that an injustice had been done and questioned how the pair could have been allowed to go free. Crown prosecutor Neil Hutton had argued only jail could fit the couples' crimes. While he acknowledged the pair had been influenced by their foster mum as children, they ought to have known better by now. 'They're both adults,' he said. 'We say it needs jail.' Court heard the couple subjected their young victim to vile abuse too putrid to be repeated in writing. On one occasion, the young girl was beaten with a wooden spoon on the behind more than 150 times before being raped with it. The man is comforted by emergency workers after he was pulled from the water The male offender said he had been completely under control by his foster mum, who watched the sexual assaults take place. His barrister Katrarina Ljubicic claimed her client was the victim of years of sexual abuse by his foster mum. 'His case is so unique as to make current sentencing practices inept,' she said. She told the court the man was himself subjected to 'cruel and bizarre abuse' which saw him live under a regime of 'forced incontinence' from the age of seven until he was an adult. The court heard he was punished if he didn't soil himself and was forced to eat dog food in abuse described by his tormentor as 'a special kind of love'. Ms Ljubicic claimed the man was a 'reluctant offender' who had attempted to make his victim's suffering 'painless'. 'He didn't want to participate,' she said. 'His will was overborne.' Police refused to provide any details on the investigation into the missing foster mum, who vanished after fleeing to the United States. Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush 'danced totally naked' in front of Orange Is The New Black-star Yael Stone, and watched her in the show's shower, the actress has claimed. Stone, who stars as Lorna Morello on the popular Netflix show, came forward with the new allegations about the behaviour of the Academy Award winner, also claiming he sent her 'flirtatious' texts. The actress said the Pirates of the Caribbean actor danced 'totally naked' in front of her in their dressing room in a 'playful, clownish manner' and used a mirror to watch her showering during the theatre production in Sydney. Actress Yael Stone (pictured) has sat down for an interview with the ABC to make claims about Geoffrey Rush's behaviour Rush (pictured, left) has disputed the allegations as 'incorrect and in some instances... completely out of context' Stone told The New York Times that Rush sent her 'affectionate and flirtatious, flowery' messages. She also made other claims about his behaviour during a 2010 production of The Diary of the Madman when she was 25 and he was 56. When asked about the shower allegation, Stone said: 'I believe that it was meant with a playful intention, but the effect was that I felt there was nowhere for me to feel safe and unobserved.' In a statement, Rush disputed her claims as 'incorrect and in some instances, completely out of context'. He said she was 'upset' by the 'spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work' and 'deeply regret(ted)' if he caused her distress. Ms Stone told the Times she was 'embarrassed by the ways I participated' in the text conversations with Rush, best known for his roles in blockbuster films Shine and The King's Speech. She is the second Australian actress to accuse the Oscar winner of behaving inappropriately during an theatre production in the country. Ms Stone has conducted a TV interview with the ABC's 7.30 program scheduled to air on Monday night. In previews of the interview, Stone said, 'I immediately put myself at the bottom of the ladder. I didn't advocate for myself.' 'Geoffrey was working within the boundaries of what he felt was playful,' she told host Leigh Sales, according to a press release. In a statement to the Times, Rush disputed the claims but said Ms Stone had been 'upset' by his enthusiasm at work. 'From the outset I must make it clear that the allegations of inappropriate behaviour made by Yael Stone are incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context. 'However, clearly Yael has been upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work. 'I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused her any distress. This, most certainly, has never been my intention. 'When we performed in The Diary Of A Madman 8 years ago, I believe we engaged in a journey as artistic comrades. 'Over the years we have shared correspondence that always contained a mutual respect and admiration. Stone (left) starred as Lorna in Orange is the New Black Rush (pictured outside court) is suing The Daily Telegraph and journalist Jonathan Moran over an unrelated report he claims was 'false' and 'defamatory' 'As I have said in the past, I abhor any behaviour that might be considered as harassment or intimidation to anyone whether in the workplace or any other environment.' Stone's agent in Australia, Lisa Mann Creative Management, told Reuters the actor declined to comment further and she stood by her public statements. The allegations coincide with a defamation lawsuit Rush has filed against News Corp's Australian arm over articles it published after another actress allegedly filed an internal complaint about his actions during a production of King Lear in 2015 and 2016. Hearings in that defamation action have concluded and the judge is due to deliver findings in early 2019. Rush is suing The Daily Telegraph and journalist Jonathan Moran for defamation after the newspaper last year printed claims of inappropriate behaviour on a Sydney theatre set in 2015 and 2016. He rejected those claims as 'false, pejorative and demeaning.' Australia's tough defamation laws are said to make it difficult for people in the country to speak out about allegations of sexual misconduct by public figures in the same way they have in other jurisdictions. Stephen Miller, senior adviser to the Trump administration, went on a Sunday morning news show to give to give a forceful defense of the President's immigration policy, but his words were overshadowed by a shadow of new hair growth on his previously balding head. On 'Face the Nation' hosted by Margaret Brennan, a widow's peak appeared on Miller's head where there had been none before. Social media picked up on the discrepancy almost immediately. While Miller expounded on the necessity of the border wall to stop the 'ongoing crisis of illegal immigration' and threatened a government shutdown over funding for the wall, Twitter users instead focused on his hairline. Scroll down for video Stephen Miller in the Brady Press Briefing Room in 2017 (left) and Stephen Miller on 'Face the Nation' on CBS on December 16, 2018 (right), with a seemingly different look 'Dude is so desperate to build a wall he started building one on his head,' wrote Jess Dweck, a Tonight Show writer noted. 'Stephen Miller sporting the worst case of spray-on hair I have ever seen,' tweeted user @Futuropolist. 'The glory and horror of HDTV.' 'Fake hair on Stephen Miller? I did nazi that coming!' national security commentator Naveed Jamali posted, taking two jabs at the White House employee at the same time. Comic Patton Oswalt went with an allusion to spray painted street art with the comment, 'Banksy strikes again!' Stephen Miller was on the CBS morning show to push for Trump's border wall project and guarantee that a government shutdown was on the table - while sporting a new widow's peak Jess Dweck, a writer on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, connects the dots between Stephen Miller's policy and public appearance @Futuropolist makes the case for the new hair being potentially out of a can for the White House senior adviser on policy The national security commentator Naveed Jamali makes a pun at Miller's expense highlighting both the hair issue and the perception of the adviser's immigration policy Trump did not make any comments himself regarding his spokesperson's new look earlier. 'I do not wear a wig,"' President Trump, a target familiar with wisecracks about his own hair, once famously tweeted. 'My hair may not be perfect but its mine.' He instead stuck to his defense of his child separation policy at the border on Twitter on Sunday. 'The Democrats policy of Child Seperation on the Border during the Obama Administration was far worse than the way we handle it now. Remember the 2014 picture of children in cages - the Obama years. However, if you don't separate, FAR more people will come. Smugglers use the kids!' he tweeted. Comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani takes compares the old-time graphics tech in an original PlayStation game system and the unusual pattern on Miller's forehead Comic Patton Oswalt refers to the rogue, enigmatic street artist, Banksy, who often spray paints works of art onto bare surfaces An extra 4000 refugees will call Australia home every year and $500million will go to the United Nations to help asylum seekers if Labor wins the next federal election. Bill Shorten is also promising an urgent review of Newstart, which the party believes is too low. But the opposition leader will maintain the coalition's hardline boat turn backs policy and refuses to commit to lifting dole payments. 'You can have secure borders and you can live up to our humanitarian obligations. You just require leadership,' Mr Shorten told Labor's national conference in Adelaide on Monday. An extra 4000 refugees will call Australia home every year and $500M will go to the United Nations to help asylum seekers if Labor wins the next election, Bill Shorten has promised The two announcements go some way to soothing tensions between Labor's factions over lifting the dole and welcoming refugees. The Community Sponsored Refugee Program will over time be expanded from 1000 to 5000 places annually. The program allows state and local governments, community organisations, businesses, unions and faith-based organisations to sponsor humanitarian entrants into Australia. A Shorten Labor government will also give $500million to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees over five years. Mr Shorten said he would look to take up New Zealand's offer to resettle refugees from Nauru and Manus Island immediately on similar terms with the United States agreement. The Labor leader also promised to release the findings of the Newstart review within 18 months of taking power. 'We believe in the greatness of the Australian safety net,' Mr Shorten said. But the opposition leader will maintain the Coalition's hardline boat turnbacks policy (asylum seekers are pictured at a detention centre in Papua New Guinea) Some Left faction members were pushing for a rise in the unemployment payment, which hasn't risen in real terms since 1994, prompting advocacy groups to call for a $75-a-week increase on the current rate of $275. But Mr Shorten's factional allies appear to have secured a backroom victory on Newstart and refugees to ensure the opposition Leader has his way five months out from the federal election. The party promised to abolish the controversial Community Development Program work-for-the-dole scheme meant to help indigenous people in remote Australia. It will be replaced because Labor says it punishes indigenous job seekers compared to their city-based counterparts. Labor also committed to establishing a voice to parliament designed by indigenous people and enshrined in the constitution. On the first day of the conference on Sunday, Mr Shorten promised to subsidise the building of 250,000 new affordable homes, and a launch crackdown on dodgy bosses who steal superannuation. The top U.S. official in charge of patrolling the border said he did not reveal the death of a seven-year-old migrant girl during his testimony last week to Congress so as not to risk politicizing the death of a child. Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee this past Tuesday, according to ABC News. His testimony came three days after the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin, the Guatemalan girl who died in CBP custody after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her father. Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee this past Tuesday His testimony came three days after the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin, the Guatemalan girl who died in CBP custody after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her father A photograph was released on Friday of Jakelin, who died hours after she was arrested with her father at the border. The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol is refusing to take responsibility for her death. The child died of dehydration two days after being arrested at the border. She stopped breathing on a US government bus and was not taken to hospital for more than an hour later. Jakeline Caal Maquin died on December 8th a day after being detained on the border with her father. Her death has sparked humanitarian concerns about the U.S.' treatment of illegal migrants in their custody. Above is an illustration of her final hours The child was airlifted from the Lordsburg Border Patrol Station in New Mexico (shown) at 7.45am on December 7 but she had stopped breathing more than an hour earlier while being transported on a bus from the Antelope Wells Port of Entry where agents say she was checked over, showed no signs of illness and had access to food and water Five days after she died of cardiac arrest, news of her death became public, sparking outrage among immigration advocates. GOVERNMENT TIMELINE OF GIRL'S DEATH December 6th, 9.15pm: Jackeline is detained at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry 10pm: She is looked over by border agents who clear her and say she has no signs of ill health December 7th, 4.30am: Jackeline is put on a bus with her father to be taken to the Lordsburg Patrol Station 5am: The child begins vomiting on the bus Agents call ahead to the Lordsburg station and keep driving 6.30am: Jackeline's father tells agents she has stopped breathing 6.45am: EMTs treat Jackeline at the border patrol station 7.45am: She is airlifted to Providence Children's Hospital in El Paso, Texas December 8th: Jackeline dies in the early morning after a CT scan revealed brain swelling, liver failure, dehydration, and septic shock Advertisement McAleenan told a lawmaker that CBP was in the process of solidifying a privacy waiver when he testified on the Hill. He also said he did not have confirmation that the mother had been notified in Guatemala. [M]ost importantly, I did not want to risk politicizing the death of a child while I was imploring Senators to fix the laws that are inviting families to take this dangerous path, McAleenan wrote to Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder. McAleen said Jakelins death was a tragedy, though he defended his agency. All of the available information indicates that our Border Patrol Agents did everything in the power to rescue this little girl, and fought for her life, alongside professional first responders from Hidalgo County, New Mexico, he wrote in a December 14 letter. While reasonable concerns on the timelines of notification have been raised, and will be addressed, I am proud of our agents in the field, their efforts to rescue this little girl, and the professionalism and dedication with which they carry out their mission every day. Tekandi Paniagua, a Guatemalan diplomat based in the United States, told ABC News that Jakelins father, Nery Gilbert Caal Cruz, expressed gratitude to the border patrol officers and doctors who tried to save Jakelins life. When I spoke to the father her actually said he was very grateful for the effort of both the Border Patrol agents that assisted his daughter at the station as well as the medical staff at the hospital, Paniagua said. Caal Cruzs lawyers issued a statement to the press on Saturday in which the father said he was grateful for the many first responders that tried to save young Jakelins life in New Mexico and Texas. The lawyers demanded an investigation which will assess this incident within nationally recognized standards for the arrest and custody of children. The family intends to assist in such an investigation into the cause and circumstances of Jakelin's death, according to the statement. The lawyers criticized U.S. authorities for making Caal Cruz fill out a form in English even though he has no understanding of the language. His mother tongue is Qeqchi, a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala. Spanish is his second language. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen blamed the girl's family for her death. 'This family chose to cross illegally. What happened here was that they were about 90 miles away from where we could process them,' said Nielsen. 'It's heart-wrenching, is what it is. And my heart goes out to the family. All of DHS. You know this is just a very sad example of the dangers of this journey. A group of migrants are arrested at the border in Tijuana on December 2 by US Border Patrol Agents. 'We'll continue to look into the situation, but again, I cannot stress enough how dangerous this journey when migrants choose to come here illegally,' she said. Maquin's death is one of more than 280 migrant deaths recorded by border officials in fiscal year 2018 according to ABC News. 50 deaths this year were marked as 'water-related' - presumably people having drowned trying to cross sections of the border marked by rivers. 27 deaths were skeletal remains which were discovered by American authorities. Heat exhaustion was the largest cause in the 281 deaths which were logged until the end of fiscal year 2018, which ended on September 30. A further 32 people have died since that time with four, so far, in December. 117 migrants were from Mexico; 116 people were 'unknown'; 19 people came from Guatemala; 14 from Honduras; and eight from El Salvador. The figures paint a grim picture for the caravans of migrants making their way to the U.S. border. Thousands of families have been left out of pocket coming into Christmas after a dodgy hotel booking website dropped their reservations. HotelQuickly, a booking platform listed as an option on TripAdvisor with 640,000 followers on Facebook, sent customers an email advising their bookings had been cancelled, but claimed they would be provided with vouchers for credit on the site. Blaming the cancellations on an 'unforeseen issue', the company said they were 'working very hard to come up with a manageable solution' - but customers say they haven't heard a peep from the HotelQuickly since and are still waiting to see what's happened to the thousands of dollars they gave to the company. School teacher Debbie Hamilton told Daily Mail Australia she was planning a holiday with her husband over New Year's, and had booked accommodation at two luxury resorts through Hotel Quickly, which she spotted on TripAdvisor. Australian school teacher Debbie Hamilton (pictured with husband) is one of thousands of people left in debt after an online hotel booking website crumbled without refunding a cent Mrs Hamilton had booked accommodation at two luxury resorts, at Chiang Mai (left) and Phuket (right). Both bookings were cancelled without warning. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting either hotel has any financial difficulties or have any blame in the cancelled bookings 'I booked one hotel in August, and another in September - one in Chang Mai and one in Phuket,' the mother-of-one from Western Australia said. Mrs Hamilton was looking forward to her relaxing getaway, but says on December 9, she woke up to discover everything had been cancelled. 'I rang both hotels, and they both said the booking had been made but cancelled on December 6,' she said. 'They said they hadn't received any money from them and hadn't heard from them. 'I frantically re-booked straight away, but had to pay an extra $400 [as well as the original price] all up for the booking, as it was peak time.' Mrs Hamilton said she breathed a quick sigh of relief when she saw the $1200 she had spent with Hotel Quickly eventually returned to her in vouchers - but panicked again when she realised the vouchers were nothing but a broken link. The mother-of-one said she contacted her bank straight away, sending through emails she had exchanged with the company and stressing the 'vouchers' she had been given were broken. HotelQuickly, a booking platform supported by TripAdvisor with 640,000 followers on Facebook, sent customers an email (pictured) advising their bookings had been cancelled, but they would be provided with vouchers for credit on the site Mrs Hamilton said the experience left her feeling upset and vulnerable. 'I was in tears that whole Sunday,' she said. 'My husband said to me when I settled down: "I haven't seen you in tears for years - I didn't know what to do". 'I felt like someone had come in and burgled me. I felt very vulnerable and I was panicking that the bank wouldn't come to the party.' Mrs Hamilton isn't alone in her experience - in fact, compared to some, she got off lightly. One man said the company cancelled his hotel booking just one hour before he boarded a plane, while others have lost thousands of dollars. Gill Fernando, who reviewed the site on Facebook, said he had booked his hotel in August and paid in full, only to arrive in December to find his booking had been cancelled. On review website Trust Pilot, a staggering 87 per cent of the 943 reviews rated their experience with HotelQuickly as 'bad', the lowest possible option. Scores of people detail how they had been left thousands of dollars in debt as a result of the service in scathing reviews online. On review website Trust Pilot, a staggering 87 per cent of the 943 reviews rated their experience with HotelQuickly as 'bad' While the site appears to still be online, searches for hotels around the world on multiple dates come up with no results - meaning anyone whose vouchers did work would still be left out of pocket. Mrs Hamilton said the experience has left her shaken and very wary of using the internet to book her holidays. 'My husband and I travel regularly, and I always book accommodation through Trip Advisor, but I don't know if I can trust them anymore,' she said. 'I have a travel agent friend who always says "you should come to me" - at first you think [booking online] is cheaper, but now I think it's not worth the stress.' A spokesperson for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission told Daily Mail Australia they had received 'so many' complaints about Hotel Quickly, and advised anyone who had been affected to call their bank. 'People who have been impacted by the Hotel Quickly cancellations should talk to their bank about getting a credit card charge back or contact their state consumer affairs authority if they are having issues getting a refund,' they said. 'It is always a good idea to research online deals to determine if they are legitimate, including checking directly with the accommodation provider.' One man said the company cancelled his hotel booking just one hour before he boarded a plane, while others lost thousands of dollars (stock image) When Daily Mail Australia contacted HotelQuickly for comment, a spokesperson replied via email in broken English: 'I will escalate this to my manager and he will do the necessary [sic] to escalate this to the top management.' WHAT TO DO IF YOU'VE BEEN SCAMMED 1. Locate your confirmation email and HotelQuickly booking reference number. 2. If a payment was already processed on your booking, please contact your Credit Card provider to dispute the charge from HotelQuickly letting the credit card company know you believe the booking has not or will not be fulfilled. If a payment has not yet been charged to your account, please contact your Bank or Credit Card provider to ensure any future payment is blocked. 3. Check your travel insurance documentation to see if you may be eligible for compensation. 4. Look for alternative accommodation as soon as possible. Source: TripAdvisor Advertisement 'Please bear with me and I will be contacting you with the person who can provide you with appropriate information.' The company did not respond further. TripAdvisor confirmed they had suspended HotelQuickly from their platform after becoming aware of the difficulties in the first week of December. We are very concerned to hear about the difficulties some HotelQuickly customers are experiencing with their bookings,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'TripAdvisor works hard to ensure all suppliers displayed on our price comparison tool comply with our policies. Whenever we become aware that an accommodation supplier or online travel agent is no longer able to honour bookings or offer adequate customer support, we are prepared to take swift action to remove their prices from our site. 'In this case, we became aware of customer issues affecting HotelQuickly in the first week of December and took immediate action to suspend the company from our platform.' A pervert has been jailed for masturbating in front of a five-year-old girl in a Kmart toy aisle while on bail for making another girl, aged just four, touch his genitals. Nathan Gunn, 33, was sentenced to two years behind bars last week in the Western Australia District Court. In March, Gunn was found drunk in the toy section of Kmart at the Square Mirrabooka shopping centre near Perth, fondling himself and then sniffing his hands in front of a five-year-old girl who had briefly wandered away from her mother. Nathan Gunn, 33, was sentenced to two years behind bars for fondling himself and sniffing his hands in front of a five-year-old girl at Kmart at the Square Mirrabooka shopping centre near Perth The child later spotted him in the food court where he fled security through the loading bay before police located him. During this time he was out on bail for exposing his penis to a four-year-old girl and placing it into her hand in July last year, while she sat in a trolley as her mother momentarily looked away. At the time, CCTV was used to identify Gunn after his offending at the Coventry Village shopping complex in Morley. He was arrested and charged but was bailed. Gunn was out on bail for exposing his penis to a four-year-old girl and placing it into her hand in July last year, while she sat in a trolley and her mother momentarily looked away Gunn was also convicted in 2015 for indecent assault and indecent dealing of a child between 13 and 16. Judge Kate Glancy has described the crimes as a 'parent's . . . worst nightmare'. 'Parents of young children inevitably have to take them to the shops ... and they just have no choice but to take their eyes off their children from time to time while they're attending to their shopping,' Judge Glancy said. 'They're at the shops going about their business and some drunk man comes up and decides to sexually offend against their children ... you commit what can only be regarded by right-thinking people as disgusting offences against very small, very vulnerable children,' the West Australian Times reported. Gunn could be out of prison as early as March with parole and time served. A simplistic scam involving a group of four men masquerading as roof tilers is running rampant in Sydney's inner-west. New South Wales Police have warned of the scam, which has swindled thousands of dollars from unsuspecting homeowners in recent months. Residents at a home in Milperra, southwest of Sydney, are the latest to fall victim to the ploy, forking out thousands of dollars before the men fled. Scroll down for video Police are hoping to speak with four men they believe pose as roof tilers as part of a scam The scam begins when the four men, posing as tradesman, approach homeowners and tell them they're there to repair their roof. Pretending to be tilers, they say urgent maintenance needs to be done or there will be long-lasting damage. But to carry out the repairs, they demand an up-front payment. The couple in Milperra were approached by the men late last month, handing over their money before growing suspicious of the men. HOW TO AVOID A ROOFING SCAM - Never let anyone you don't know inside your home - Always ask for proof of identity. A business card isn't enough - Never keep large amounts of cash around the house - If you're uncertain about the credibility of tradespeople, their details can be verified by contacting NSW Fair Trading Source: NSW Police Advertisement When the residents told them to leave and demanded their money back, the four men fled. Soon after, one of the residents released all the money in her wallet was missing too. She raised the alarm and called the police, who believe the four men are the same people to carry out a similar scam in Bankstown, Burwood and surrounding suburbs. Police believe the men target elderly residents and con them into paying large sums of cash by telling them their roofs are severely damaged. Residents are often escorted to banks or ATMs and told to withdraw large sums of cash. The work they promise to carry out is never completed, and the men run with the money. Scammers speak with Irish accents and demand up-front cash for non-existent roof repairs Police are hunting for four men, releasing CCTV footage of them on their social media platform in an effort to hunt them down. They believe they were driving a a silver 1997-2003 model Daewoo Nubira station wagon, and say all of the men speak with an Irish or English accent. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A convicted murderer bashed a woman to death because she tapped him on the head with a picture frame, a court has heard. Travis Kirchner, 44, pummeled Sally Rothe, 54, repeatedly with a 40kg concrete owl pedestal in an alcohol fueled rage in Murray Bridge, South Australia in February 2018. Kirchner's motive was finally revealed to the Supreme Court on Monday, much to the relief of Ms Rothe's family. The killer had admitted his guilt but had never revealed his motive, The Advertiser reported. Convicted murderer Travis Kirchner, 44, (pictured) has finally revealed his motive for brutally murdering Sally Rothe, 54, in her home in Murray Bridge in February 2018 He described being heavily under the influence of alcohol and was suffering from drug withdrawals when he bashed Ms Rothe for around '40 seconds' after she tapped him on the head with a picture frame (Pictured: Kirchner being extradited from Melbourne in February) 'He describes (what Ms Rothe did) as a 'tap', nothing of consequence, but regrettably he responded in a manner which was explosive and violent,' Kircher's attorney Derek Kordick told the court. 'He admits assaulting her with either the concrete owl, the pedestal that the owl was on, or both for 40 seconds, maybe more it was quite intense.' He then described Kirchner as a man who cannot control his violent outbursts. Kirchner's violent tendencies were also heightened on the day of the murder as he had drunk two-thirds of 'home brewed' alcohol and was suffering from amphetamine withdrawal when he struck Ms Rothe. Ms Rothe (pictured) was helping Kirchner out by allowing him store some of his personal items including bike racks and picture frames at her house Acknowledging his state, he also admits that what Ms Rothe did (with the frame) was not cause for violent retaliation and never felt that his life was in danger. As for the reasoning for his prolonged silence around the motive, he said at the time Kirchner did not want to draw attention to the people that Ms Rothe surrounded herself with. But he was quick to diminish this statement as speculation and asked the court to dismiss it as he was under drug psychosis at the time. Prosecutor Ryan Williams said the extensive crime scene, which stretched from Ms Rothe's front gate all the way through he property to the pedestal, showed Kirchner's capability of violent episodes. Prosecutor Ryan Williams said the extensive crime scene, which stretched from Ms Rothe's front gate all the way through he property to the pedestal, showed Kirchner's capability of violent episodes Kirchner hit Ms Rothe for a good '40 seconds' with a 40kg owl pedestal, (pictured stock image) in an 'intense' attack Kirchner pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Rothe, on Sunday February 4 after an extensive five day manhunt found him in Doveton, south east Melbourne with two other individuals. CCTV footage captured showed a man matching Kirchner's description leaving the property where Ms Rothe was found dead. Detectives at the time described the murder as 'brutal and deliberate'. It had emerged Ms Rothe had only known Kirchner for a few weeks and was merely helping him out by allowing him to store personal items at her house. Justice David Peek remanded Kirchner in custody for sentencing on a date to be set. Detectives searched the property of Ms Rothe (pictured) after the murder, calling it a 'brutal and deliberate' crime Chris Dawson has been granted bail despite being charged with murdering his wife Lynette almost 37 years ago. The former rugby league star intends pleading not guilty to killing his spouse, who was a 33-year-old mother of two young daughters when she disappeared from Sydney's northern beaches in January 1982. Central Local Court magistrate Robert Williams on Monday afternoon granted bail to the identical twin, whose brother Paul also played league and rugby union before becoming a high school physical education teacher. He noted the case against him 'was not a weak one' but concluded he wasn't a flight risk, despite a prosecution argument he could leave Australia using his twin's passport. Chris Dawson's third wife Sue and his older brother Peter Dawson, a 72-year-old solicitor, offered a $1.5 million surety as part of the successful bid for bail that will allow him to return to Queensland on Tuesday. Scroll down for video Chris Dawson (pictured arriving in Sydney last week) has been granted bail after he was charged with murdering his wife Lynette decades ago The former rugby league star (left during the 1970s) intends to plead not guilty to killing his spouse (right), who was a 33-year-old mother of two young daughters, when she disappeared from Sydney's northern beaches in early 1982 The 70-year-old former Newtown Jets player, accused of murdering his first wife Lynette Dawson in January 1982, was arrested on the Gold Coast earlier this month and extradited to Sydney. Magistrate Mr Williams on Monday rejected the prosecution's argument last week that Chris Dawson could potentially flee Australia using the passport of his identical twin brother Paul. The accused wife killer is expected to be released from Silverwater jail in Sydney's inner-west on Tuesday. Chris Dawson, who lives at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, agreed on Monday to strict bail conditions, including that he report daily to police at nearby Maroochydore. Chris Dawson's former student Joanne Curtis (centre) was hired as a babysitter to his daughters Shanelle and Sherryn (left and right) and she moved into his home soon after Lyn Dawson disappeared Outside court, Dawson's lawyer, Greg Walsh, said his client had been threatened in custody. 'Im not seeking sympathy ... but theres been threats against him,' he told reporters at a media conference attended by The Australian. 'Theres been threats against his brother and myself. So theyre unpleasant ... Witness statements have been given to the police.' Two days after Lynette Dawson's summer disappearance in 1982, Chris Dawson's then 17-year-old girlfriend Joanne Curtis moved into their Bayview home and slept in the marital bed, The Australian's podcast The Teacher's Pet revealed. She had been hired as a baby sitter to the Dawson family's two young daughters Shanelle and Sherryn when she was in Year 11. Ms Curtis met Dawson in 1980 when she was a student at Cromer High School on Sydney's northern beaches. The schoolgirl, who came from a troubled home, would go on to become Chris Dawson's second wife and the mother of his third daughter, Kristen. They moved to the Gold Coast soon after Lynette Dawson's disappearance but Ms Curtis left that relationship in early 1990 and returned to Sydney, a decade after meeting her teacher and starting an adulterous relationship with him. The prosecution had argued last week that Chris Dawson could potentially leave Australia using the passport of his identical twin brother Paul Dawson (pictured is his other brother Peter) The 70-year-old former Newtown Jets player, accused of murdering his wife Lynette Dawson in January 1982, was arrested on the Gold Coast earlier this month and extradited to Sydney Chris Dawson was charged on December 6 with the murder of his wife on Sydney's northern beaches in early 1982 after fresh statements from at least two witnesses, including from Dawson's former wife Joanne Curtis. In court on Friday, crown prosecutor Craig Everson had argued Chris Dawson could leave Australia using the passport of his identical twin brother Paul. Appearing in court via video link, Chris Dawson yelled 'that's a joke' and 'you're kidding', before being reprimanded by the magistrate in a fiery bail hearing. The Dawson twins lived a few doors from each other at Gilwinga Drive in Bayview during the time of Lyn Dawson's disappearance in 1982. Lynette Dawson (left with daughter Shanelle and husband Chris) was a dedicated mother before she vanished in January 1982 Chris Dawson went to Sydney Boys High School in Moore Park during the 1960s, which future prime minister Scott Morrison would attend during the 1980s. He met his future wife Lynette at a dance in 1965 when they were teenagers and they would marry five years later in 1970. It would take them several years to conceive their first child. A decade after they married, Chris Dawson retired from playing rugby league and became a PE teacher at Cromer High School where he met and had sex with a student half his age. A year later, in 1981, the married man in his early thirties persuaded Joanne Curtis to stay over at his marital Bayview house to escape from her alcoholic stepfather. Chris and Lynette Dawson had been a marriage counselling session the day before her disappearance. The night before, Lynette Dawson's mother Helena Simms had noted her daughter sounded 'sozzled' on the telephone. Two inquests in 2001 and 2003 concluded Chris Dawson had murdered his wife but he was not charged until December 6, 2018, following his extradition from Queensland. Next 30,000 Tonne Bauxite Sale Confirmed Shipping March 2019 Sydney, Dec 17, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Australian Bauxite Limited ( ASX:ABX ) (ABx) is pleased to advise that it has been the successful tenderer for its next sale of seaborne cement-grade bauxite as follows:- Tonnage: 30,000 tonnes +/- 10% (i.e. 33,000 tonnes maximum)- Product: Cement-grade bauxite, blended to the customer's specification- Source of Bauxite: Bald Hill Bauxite Project, Campbell Town, Northern Tasmania- Dispatch Port: Bell Bay Port of Launceston, Tasmania (see Figure 1 in link below)- Loading date: Around 1 March 2019- Basis of tonnes: As measured by independent ship's surveyABx has been working with the customer over the past 3 months to achieve the optimum product specifications, which is part of the service that ABx provides for customers with specific requirements.Mine, Transport & Handling ContractsABx has started contract negotiations for the mining, processing and blending at the minesite. It also has to arrange contracts for transport to the port and handling of the bauxite at the port.ABx has long-standing relationships with experienced contractors that are well known for meeting the strict tonnage-specification targets and complying with community and landholder requirements.Port ContractsABx has contracted with QUBE Logistics at Bell Bay for the stevedoring services and stockpiling arrangements, in conjunction with TasPorts. Monson Shipping have provided Shipping Agents services and Briar Maritime have provided independent ship surveys to date.ABx's Chief Operating Officer, Leon Hawker commented; "We have a lot of work ahead to achieve on-time, on-specification delivery of bauxite produced and blended to our customer's requirements. We can ship efficiently from Bell Bay Port - an all-weather, 24/7 export port that can operate to high standards and good loading rates all year round. This is a core strength of our bauxite business."ABx's Marketing Manager, Paul Glover commented; "Our bauxite is blended specifically to suit our cement-grade bauxite customer, which is what we do for each sale. It is very clean bauxite due to efficient processing at the mine and careful transport pit-to-port.""This negotiation was longer than usual because we are trying to introduce new products to customers. We provided samples from a suite of possible products, all prepared at our laboratory, supervised by Operations Manager, Nathan Towns who is expert in sampling of bauxite to ISO Standards."Fertiliser Sales IncreasingABx is also pleased to advise that sales of fertiliser-grade bauxite are growing as the customer achieves good results by using ABx fertiliser-grade bauxite in its manufacturing of superphosphate fertiliser products. Bauxite granules reduce dust losses and improve the spreading performance of the fertiliser. Sales of fertiliser-grade bauxite are scheduled to recommence during the last week of January 2019.ALCORE Technology ProgressABx's subsidiary, ALCORE Limited is still ahead of schedule and working at full pace to get the Core Laboratory at the Research Centre in Berkeley Vale certified for production of Aluminium Fluoride samples for its four designated customers, early in the New Year.BEST WISHES FOR THE FESTIVE SEASONDirectors and staff of Australian Bauxite Limited wish all of its shareholders, partnering contractors, suppliers and landholders a safe, enjoyable year-end festive season and a prosperous New Year.To view figures, please visit:About Australian Bauxite Ltd Australian Bauxite Limited (ABx) (ASX:ABX) has its first bauxite mine in Tasmania & controls the Eastern Australian Bauxite Province. ABx's 11 bauxite tenements in Queensland, New South Wales & Tasmania totalling 662 km2 are all 100% owned, unencumbered & free of third-party royalties. ABx's bauxite is gibbsite trihydrate (THA) bauxite that can be processed into alumina at low temperature. ABx has committed a large proportion of its expenditure into Research and Development to find ways to capitalise on the main strengths of its bauxite type which is very clean, free of all deleterious elements and partitioned into layers, nodules, particles and grains of different qualities that can be separated into different product streams using physical, chemical and geophysical methods. ABx has declared large Mineral Resources in northern NSW, southern NSW, Binjour in central QLD & in northern Tasmania. ABx's first mine commenced at Bald Hill near Campbell Town, Tasmania in December 2014 - the first new Australian bauxite mine for more than 35 years. ABx aspires to identify large bauxite resources in the Eastern Australian Bauxite Province and has created significant bauxite development projects in 3 states, Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania. Its bauxite deposits are favourably located for direct shipping of bauxite to both local and export customers. ABx endorses best practices on agricultural land, strives to leave land and environment better than we find it. We only operate where welcomed. This gorgeous country home and thriving B&B could be yours for just $100. A Bethungra family have come up with an ingenious way of selling Shirley Hotel by making those in the running for the property submit just $100 each. Hopefuls can apply for ownership of the property in rural New South Wales online via the Apply For My Home website through a simple application process. A Bethungra family have come up with an ingenious way of selling their Shirley Hotel by making those in the running for the property submit just $100 each (pictured: owners Robyn and Allan Cox) This gorgeous country building currently being put to use as a thriving B&B could be yours for just $100 Hopefuls can apply for ownership of the property in rural New South Wales online The property will be awarded to an applicant who comes up with a creative idea of what to do with the Victorian-era building, which dates back to 1886 and once functioned as pub. Owners Robyn and Allan Cox, former posties from Western Australia, wrote on Facebook: 'We will be giving our lovely building away to someone who applies and gives an idea about what they would love to do with her. 'Application process will cost $100 and will be open for 3 months.' The couple bought the property for $470,000 back in 2014. They fell in love with the two-storey, 13-bedroom hotel after seeing it online and dug into their life savings to afford it. The property will be awarded to an applicant who comes up with a creative idea of what to do with the Victorian-era building The couple bought the property for $470,000 back in 2014. They fell in love with the two-storey, 13-bedroom hotel after seeing it online and dug into their life savings to afford it Due to her poor health, Mrs Cox said she struggled to maintain their strenuous B&B and decided it was time to pass on the property Mrs Cox explained why the family had chosen to purchase a country property located in a small town, 24 kilometres southwest of Cootamundra. 'We are country people at heart, out boys were born in the country, we only went to the city for work,' she told The Sunday Telegraph. 'We've worked as a family and always done things as a family and we all knew we wanted a change when we found this place all the kids invested in it as well.' Due to her poor health, Mrs Cox said she struggled to maintain their B&B and decided it was time to give up the property. Rather than simply sell, the couple came up with the unusual idea of giving it away to someone for just $100 and give the lucky winner a head-start in the business, while not losing out on any money. The Cox family are counting on at least 20,000 people to apply for the house, each paying $100 The application process will run until March 15, 2019 If they receive below 20,000 applicants, the couple will refund everyone their money The Cox family are counting on at least 20,000 people to apply for the house, each paying $100. If they receive below 20,000 applicants, the couple will refund everyone their money. The application process will run until March 15, 2019. A fight over a New York City parking spot came to a bloody conclusion when a tour bus driver stabbed a rival driver, before fleeing the scene. The stabbing occurred Sunday at about 3pm in Lower Manhattan and appeared to have kicked off because the two city tour bus drivers were targeting the same bus parking spot, the New York Daily News reported. The incident began with the two men exiting their empty tour buses to argue over the parking spot. Police secured the scene where a fight over a bus parking spot resulted in a stabbing Sunday A bus driver for the Big Bus Company got into a fight with an unknown bus company's driver, during which the second driver stabbed the Big Bus driver in the arm As the fight progressed, one of the men allegedly pulled out a sharp object and used it to stab the other man in the right arm. The attacker then boarded his own bus and drove away, leaving the other man at the scene. Police were notified about what is being called a serious assault at about 3.50pm, according to WPIX. The victim has not been named, but is said to be a 39-year-old man employed by the Big Bus Tours. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and is in stable condition. Authorities said the stabbing suspect was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black jacket and is thought to be in his 40s. They have not yet identified the suspect or what tour bus company he works for. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit nypdcrimestoppers.com. The second driver was said to have jumped back on his bus and driven away after the stabbing A man has been jailed for raping a young Canadian backpacker in his apartment after he befriended her while the pair worked together. New Zealand man Siddharth Sharma, 34, was jailed for five years and six months by Wellington District Court on Monday for the rape of the woman. The court was read an impact statement by the now 22-year-old victim in which she detailed how the two met while working in a cafe together. While working together Sharma invited her out for dinner and a movie, according to Stuff. A man has been jailed for five years and six months for raping a young Canadian backpacker in his home after he befriended her while the pair worked together (file photo) After the film Sharma invited the young woman back to his home where his roommate had told her she could sleep in their other roommate's bed as he was away. The victim agreed and as she was lying in bed Sharma started to send her text messages asking to come and hug. The court heard Sharma told the woman she could trust him. After being convinced of his trustworthiness the backpacker allowed Sharma into the bed to cuddle but when she tried to leave he grabbed her and forced her back into the bed where he raped her. The court heard at one point Sharma had his hand around the victim's throat. The pair first met while working at a cafe together in Wellington before Sharma invited the woman out for a movie and some drinks on the day of the attack (file photo) During the investigation Sharma was adamant the pair had consensual sex. Judge Jan Kelly told Sharma the victim had a right to feel safe when invited to stay in his home and that the level of violence 'inherent with rape' would have left the woman terrified. The 22-year-old backpacker was travelling alone at the time of the incident and suffered extreme anxiety and a fear of walking the street in the wake of the attack. She is now back home in Toronto and said in her impact statement she just wanted to move on from the entire ordeal. A man who strangled a mother-of-three and then wandered the streets naked has been found not guilty after being deemed insane at the time. Ian Dennis Jones, 52, admitted to killing Tanya Leah Beattie, 41, at his home in Bunbury, south of Perth in Western Australia in November 2016. But pleaded with the Supreme Court of WA earlier in December saying he was not culpable because he was not of sound mind, Perth Now reports. Ian Dennis Jones, 52, admitted to killing Tanya Leah Beattie, 41, (pictured) at his home in Bunbury, south of Perth in Western Australia in November 2016. Justice Lindy Jenkins handed down her verdict on Monday, saying 'Jones' mental impairment deprived him of the capacity to control his actions and ordered he be detained indefinitely in a psychiatric facility under a custody order.' The court heard that Jones had a long history of mental illness and in the weeks leading up to the killing was witnessed by several people acting bizarrely. The day before Ms Beattie was found dead, he was seen splashing around in mud and talking nonsensically. Ms Beattie had become an alcoholic and was abusing drugs after losing her job as a registered nurse. She came to be friends with Jones after wandering the streets drunk and passing his house on a route to her friend's home. The court heard that Jones was seen splashing in mud before wandering along the South Western Highway (pictured) naked the day after he allegedly killed Ms Beattie The pair became 'drinking buddies' with her husband even labelling him a 'cool guy' but things turned dark as Jones' erratic behaviour intensified. It was revealed that he began to believe that Ms Beattie was associated with a local bikie gang who he blamed for his son's death. On the night she died, the pair were seen arguing outside his property and high pitched screams were heard later from neighbours hours later. The day after, Jones was seen walking down a highway completely naked. After he was picked up by police and taken to hospital, Jones' mother found Ms Beattie's body as she locked up his house. Ms Beattie had a blood alcohol level of 0.269 and traces of drugs in her system, but Jones was not intoxicated. Miss Philippines was crowned Miss Universe on Monday in Bangkok after a trailblazing ceremony praised for featuring its first transgender candidate but marred by remarks about the English-speaking ability of two Asian contestants. Catriona Gray, 24, finished first ahead of the South African and Venezuelan finalists in the glittering televised event hosted by American comic turned TV host Steve Harvey and supermodel Ashley Graham. Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers, 24, made it to the round of 20 semi-finalists despite the much criticized remarks she made about Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie and Miss Cambodia Rern Sina caught on video. Scroll down for video Miss Philippines Catriona Gray waves after she being crowned as the new Miss Universe Catriona Gray, 24, a student of music theory, beat 90 contestants for the title In the final round, Gray earned applause describing her work in the slums of the Philippine capital Manila and said if she won she would try to find areas 'where I could give something, where I could provide something.' She added she would work for a world 'where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their face'. Gray - a student of music theory - beat more than 90 contestants from around the globe in the 67th installment of Miss Universe, which was held in the Thai capital's Impact Arena. During the competition, which was broadcast live, candidates were asked questions on press freedom, legalisation of marijuana, refugees and the #MeToo movement. This year's event drew positive feedback for themes of inclusivity and an all-women panel of judges made up of business leaders and former Miss Universe titleholders. Miss Spain's Angela Ponce made history as the first transgender candidate in a competition once owned by President Donald Trump, whose administration has attempted to block military recruitment of transgender people. Sarah Rose Summers, 24, made it to the round of 20 semi-finalists despite being criticized for remarks she made about Miss Vietnam and Miss Cambodia Catriona Gray (right) of the Philippines speaks while host Steve Harvey (left) listens during the interview of top three finalists of the 2018 pageant Catriona Gray mobbed by her fellow contestants after receiving the crown 'I always say: having a vagina didn't transform me into a woman. I am a woman, already before birth, because my identity is here,' Ponce told AFP on Saturday, gesturing to her head. She added she wanted her appearance to be empowering and said she hoped for a 'new generation of human beings who are raised a lot better, more tolerant and respectful.' But issues of tolerance and respect came center stage during the competition when Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers appeared to poke fun at Miss Vietnam and Miss Cambodia on social media for not being able to speak English. Miss Spain's Angela Ponce made history as the first transgender candidate in the Miss Universe competition 'I always say: having a vagina didn't transform me into a woman. I am a woman, already before birth, because my identity is here,' Ponce told AFP Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie (left) and Miss Cambodia Rern Sina (right) were referred to by Summers in a way that a popular Instagram account felt was xenophobic and condescending Summers appeared in an Instagram Live video on Miss Colombia Valeria Morales's account along with Miss Australia Francesca Hung. She starts out saying Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie is 'pretends to know so much English' but then just nods and smiles, while seemingly mocking her smile. Summers says then she feels bad for Miss Cambodia, Rern Sinat, who she said, 'doesn't speak any English and not a single other person speaks her language'. Newly crowned Miss Universe 2018 Miss Philippines Catriona Gray (left) embraces runner-up Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green (right) Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers took to Instagram to apologize for her comments after appearing to mock Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie and Miss Cambodia Rern Sinat for not speaking English in a video The comments went viral but Summers later posted an apology on Instagram, saying she did not 'intend to hurt' her fellow competitors. 'In a moment where I intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters, I said something that I now realize can be perceived as not respectful, and I apologize,' she wrote with image that appears to show her apology accepted by the other contestants. Miss Vietnam also made it to the semifinal round, but neither Summers or Nie made it to the the top 10. Companies who have cut their working week by a day have found that it resulted it higher productivity and more motivated employees. Founder of Berlin-based project management software company Planio, Jan Schulz-Hofen, introduced the four-day week to his staff earlier this year and said it is much healthier now they don't work 'crazy hours'. An insurance company in New Zealand, Perpetual Guardian, also reported a fall in stress and a rise in staff engagement after it tested a 32-hour week. Britain's Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pushing for the country to move to a four-day week by the end of the century, a drive supported by the Labour party. Companies who have cut their working week by a day have found that it resulted it higher productivity and more motivated employees The TUC argues that a shorter week is a way for workers to share in the wealth generated by new technologies like machine learning and robotics, just as they won the right to the weekend off during the industrial revolution. TUC economic head Kate Bell said: 'It would reduce the stress of juggling working and family life and could improve gender equality. Companies that have already tried it say it's better for productivity and staff well-being.' Even in Japan, the government is encouraging companies to allow Monday mornings off, although other schemes in the workaholic country to persuade employees to take it easy have had little effect. Lucie Greene, trends expert at consultancy J. Walter Thompson, said there was a growing backlash against overwork, underlined by a wave of criticism after Tesla boss Elon Musk tweeted that 'nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.' She added: 'People are starting to take a step back from the 24-hour digital life we have now and realize the mental health issues from being constantly connected to work.' A recent survey of 3,000 employees in eight countries including the United States, Britain and Germany found that nearly half thought they could easily finish their tasks in five hours a day if they did not have interruptions. Founder of Berlin-based project management software company Planio, Jan Schulz-Hofen (pictured), introduced the four-day week to his staff earlier this year But many are exceeding 40 hours a week anyway - with the United States leading the way, where 49 percent said they worked overtime. 'There has been work creep. Because you always have the technology, you are always working, so people are getting burned out,' said Dan Schawbel, director of executive development firm Future Workplace, which conducted the survey. Schulz-Hofen, a 36-year-old software engineer, tested the four-day week on himself after realising he needed to slow down following a decade of intense work launching Planio, whose tools allowed him to track his time in detail. 'I didn't get less work done in four days than in five because in five days, you think you have more time, you take longer, you allow yourself to have more interruptions, you have your coffee a bit longer or chat with colleagues,' Schulz-Hofen said. 'I realized with four days, I have to be quick, I have to be focused if I want to have my free Friday.' Schulz-Hofen and his team discussed various options before settling on everybody working Monday to Thursday. They rejected the idea of flexible hours because it adds administrative complexity, and were against a five-day week with shorter hours as it is too easy for overwork to creep back in. Clients who call on a Friday hear a recorded message explaining why nobody is at the office. 'We got an unexpected reaction from customers. Most of our clients did not complain. They were just jealous,' Schulz-Hofen said. Grey New York, an ad agency owned by WPP, launched a program in April to allow staff to work a four-day week for 85 percent of their full-time salary. Schawbel expects the idea to catch on in more companies and countries, but probably not his own: 'I think America will be the last country to give us Monday mornings off because we're so used to this way of working.' The last time Chaudhry Javed Atta saw his wife was over a year ago - the Pakistani trader in dried and fresh produce was leaving their home in northwestern China's heavily Muslim Xinjiang region to go back to his country to renew his visa. He remembers the last thing she told him: 'As soon as you leave, they will take me to the camp and I will not come back.' That was August, 2017. By then, Atta and Amina Manaji, from the Muslim ethnic Uighur group native to Xinjiang, had been married for 14 years. Mir Aman talks to AP reporters in Islamabad, Pakistan on November 29. Scores of Pakistani men, like Aman, whose Muslim Uighur wives have disappeared into internment camps in China feel helpless, fighting a wall of silence as they struggle to reunite their families Political and economic factors, including concerns about losing out on vast Chinese investments, have kept Muslim countries like Pakistan quiet about the plight of their fellow Muslims, being weaned off their faith in so-called re-education camps Atta is one of scores of Pakistani businessmen - and he says there are more than 200 - whose spouses have disappeared, taken to what Chinese authorities tell them are education centers. Beijing has been accused of interning members of its Muslim population - by some reports as many as one million - to 're-educate' them away from their faith. It is seen as a response to riots and violent attacks that the government blamed on separatists. Ethnic Uighurs and Kazakhs in China have told The Associated Press that ostensibly innocuous acts such as praying regularly, viewing a foreign website or taking phone calls from relatives abroad could land one in a camp. 'They call them schools, but they are prisons,' Atta said. 'They can't leave.' Pakistanis often rally loudly in defense of Islam and Muslims whenever they are perceived offended around the world - most recently over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. In 1989, protests spread from Pakistan elsewhere, leading to the fatwa by Iran's Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini against author Salman Rushdie for his depiction of Islam in his book Satanic Verses. Mushahid Hussain, chairman of Pakistan's Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, speaks to The AP in Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 30. Hussain said the cardinal principle of Pakistan-China relations is to refrain from commenting on anything about the other country's domestic issues Pakistani Mirza Imran Baig shows a picture with his Uighur wife, Malika Mamiti, outside the Pakistani embassy in Beijing in this file photo on September 26. Mamiti, was sent to a political indoctrination camp after returning to China's far west Xinjiang region in May 2017, Baig said But political and economic factors, including concerns about losing out on vast Chinese investments, have kept Pakistan and other Muslim countries silent about the plight in China of fellow Muslims, the Uighurs. 'Cold, hard interests will always carry the day' in international relations, said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center. 'The Muslim world's deafening silence about China's treatment of Muslims can be attributed to its strong interest in maintaining close relations with the world's next superpower.' China is financing major development projects in cash-strapped Pakistan. Islamabad says Beijing's up to $75 billion development project known the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor - part of an effort to reconstruct the historic Silk Road linking China to all corners of Asia - will bring new prosperity to Pakistan, where the average citizen lives on just $125 a month. Pakistan's Chaudry Javed Atta speaks to AP in Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 29. The last time Atta saw his wife was over a year ago when the Pakistani trader left Xinjiang region to go back to his country to renew his visa. His wife was taken to an internment camp, he said Mir Aman speaks to AP with his daughters Shahnaz (right) and Shakeela in Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 29. He said his wife disappeared when he left Xinjiang to go back home For Atta, it's not just the separation from his wife. He has also had to leave their two sons, who are 5 and 7 years old and whose passports were confiscated by the Chinese government, in the care of his wife's family. Otherwise, he said, the authorities would have put them in an orphanage. The AP has previously reported that the government is placing the children of detainees and exiles into dozens of orphanages across Xinjiang. Atta went back to China twice for a few months but both times his visas expired and he had to return to Pakistan. Getting in touch with family in Xinjiang is a circuitous route that involves reaching out to Pakistani friends still there, who then track down family members willing to talk. 'Now especially I am worried. It is now eight, almost nine months, that I have not seen my children,' he said. 'I haven't even been able to talk to them.' Last week, Atta finally talked to his brother-in-law after a friend discovered he had a heart attack and was recovering in a hospital in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. 'He said my sons were good, but he had no news of my wife,' said Atta. Who are the Chinese Muslims? Muslims are not a new presence in China. Most of China's Muslim communities, including the Hui, Uighurs and Kazakhs, have lived in China for more than 1,000 years, according to fact tank Pew Research Center. The largest concentrations of Muslims today are in the western provinces of Xinjiang, Ningxia, Qinghai and Gansu. A substantial number of Muslims live in the cities of Beijing, Xi'an, Tianjin and Shanghai. Chinese Muslim men take part in gathering for the celebration of the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, or the Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice, at the Niu Jie mosque in Beijing, China They make up about two per cent of the 1.4 billion population in China. However, as the country is so populous, its Muslim population is expected to be the 19th largest in the world in 2030. The Muslim population in China is projected to increase from 23.3 million in 2010 to nearly 30 million in 2030. Those who grow up and live in places dominated by the Han Chinese have little knowledge about Islam - or religions in general - thus view it as a threat. Beijing's policymakers are predominately Han. At the same time, radical Muslim Uighurs have killed hundreds in recent years, causing China to implement even more extreme measures to quash potential separatist movements. Uighurs in particular have long been used to heavy-handed curbs on dress, religious practice and travel after a series of deadly riots in 2009 in Urumqi, according to the Financial Times. Schoolchildren were banned from fasting during Ramadan and attending religious events while parents were banned from giving newborns Muslim names such as 'Mohammed' and 'Jihad'. Certain symbols of Islam, such as beards and the veil, were also forbidden. Women with face-covering veils are sometimes not allowed on buses. Unauthorised pilgrimages to Mecca were also restricted. Advertisement China routinely responds to queries on Uighurs by saying its policies are aimed at creating 'stability and lasting peace' in Xinjiang but President Xi Jinping's campaign to subdue a sometimes restive region, including the internment of more than 1 million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, has alarmed a United Nations panel and the U.S. government. Mushahid Hussain, chairman of Pakistan's Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said the cardinal principle of Pakistan-China relations is to refrain from commenting on anything to do with the other country's domestic issues. 'Given the relationship of Pakistan with China, and in the Muslim world in particular, the Chinese narrative is apparently being accepted across the board as the one that is correct,' Hussain said. Dozens of students are shown at their desks learning Chinese and law in the programme aired by China's CCTV that introduced the 'professional vocational training institutions' in Hotan Young Muslims read from official Chinese language textbooks in classrooms at the centre A steady stream of Pakistani men has visited Beijing in recent months , lobbying for the release of their wives to little avail. Some say they met Pakistan's ambassador to China, Masood Khalid, on multiple occasions, and were told their issues were raised privately with the Chinese. Another Pakistani man in a similar predicament, Mir Aman, went to China more than 25 years ago as a poor laborer in search of work. There, he met his wife, Maheerban Gul, they worked hard and eventually bought a hotel. The couple has two daughters, Shahnaz, 16, and Shakeela, 12, both now with their father in Pakistan. Satellite images purported to show the internment camps where Muslim minorities are held Entrance to a jail which locals say is used to hold those undergoing political indoctrination program in Korla, Xinjiang. Local laws have now been revised to allow such establishments Last year, Aman first tried to go back to China alone, but the authorities denied him entry at a border crossing without his wife. Then they returned together to Xinjiang. There, she was ordered to report every morning to the police, who gave her books on the Communist Party to read. 'When they would see anything written in Urdu, a prayer mat or something related to religion, they would seize it,' he said. 'They want to eliminate Islam.' After a few weeks, Aman was ordered to leave even though he had a six-month visa. He was told he could return after one month. When he did, his wife was gone. China has admitted to the alleged use of internment camps for Muslim minorities in Xinjiang For four months he pestered police every day, threatened to take his life in public. He was finally allowed to see his wife, who was brought to a local police station, for just an hour. They cried. When the meeting ended he was told to go home to Pakistan 'and stop making trouble for the administration,' Aman said. He has no idea where she is being held. A former McDonald's worker has been found guilty of killing a lonely Melbourne widower by beating him to death with a statue of the Virgin Mary and a tin of mangoes. Katia Pyliotis was found guilty for the 2005 murder of Elia Abdelmessih (pictured), who was found in his East Kew home with his face submerged in a bowl of bloodied liquid Katia Pyliotis was found guilty for the 2005 murder of Elia Abdelmessih, who was found in his East Kew home with his face submerged in a bowl of bloodied liquid and the bottom half of his body mostly undressed. At the time, Pyliotis was 23-years-old and worked at Kew McDonald's, where Mr Abdelmessih would dine sometimes several times a day since the passing of his wife. On September 18 that year, Pyliotis went to Mr Abdelmessih's house and bludgeoned the retiree to death before leaving his face submerged in a bowl of bloodied liquid. However, before she left the scene, Pyliotis left deposits of her own blood and DNA on a number of items in the house including at least one of the murder weapons. The court was told the can of mangoes was dented and the statue had a piece broken off - with blood stains on both. The murder remained a mystery until 2016 when Pyliotis was living in South Australia and provided police with a saliva swab after she was caught driving an unregistered car. Her DNA was matched with DNA at the crime scene, and she was extradited back to Victoria. Her blood was found at several locations inside the victim's home and inside an insulated left glove that had a tear inside it. Prosecutors were unable to provide a clear motive for the murder. The court was previously told that Mr Abdelmessih was in poor spirits after the death of his wife and lived a lonely life, paying a woman with an acquired brain injury $20 for sexual services. Her blood was found at several locations inside the victim's home and inside an insulated left glove that had a tear inside it (pictured) He became a well-known identity around Kew Junction and was known to behave inappropriately towards women. Sue Reddie was investigated by police in 2005 after she claimed she was involved in Mr Abdelmessih's murder. However, the case against her was dropped due a lack of evidence and the absence of her DNA at the crime scene. Ms Reddie died of natural causes in 2012. A former McDonald's worker has been found guilty of killing a lonely Melbourne widower by beating him to death with a statue of the Virgin Mary and a tin of mangoes (stock image) A Supreme Court of Victoria jury returned a guilty verdict on Monday afternoon after deliberating for four days. Crown prosecutor Andrew Tinney said Pyliotis at first denied knowing the murder victim, but later said she remembered the 'old man' who 'was just a bit lonely', for his visits to McDonald's and his 'big blue beasty car'. While in custody, Pyliotis was recorded during phone calls with her mother and sister, claiming 'even if I did do it, I can't remember', 'I should have reported the death when I found him' and 'when I found him, he was well and truly gone'. Pyliotis will return to court on February 28 next year for a plea hearing ahead of sentencing. It is an astonishing tale of lies and deception that gripped viewers watching the BBC drama Mrs Wilson, about a woman who discovers her 'spy' husband had three other wives. But it turns out the true story of Alison Wilson, portrayed on screen by her granddaughter Ruth, is not unique for a Scotswoman found herself caught up in a similar bewildering experience. As Mary Turner Thomson from Edinburgh watched the story of wartime 'secret agent', bigamist and serial liar Alexander Wilson unfold, it felt like her own life being played out on screen. For like Mrs Wilson, the 53-year-old thought she had the perfect marriage until she discovered her American husband, who claimed he was a CIA agent, had another wife and at least 13 children with six women. William Allen Jordan was kind, attentive and a wonderful father to their two children, but also a serial liar who had another wife throughout their six-year relationship and in 2014 was jailed for bigamy. Mary Turner Thomson, 53, of Edinburgh believed her American husband William Allen Jordan (pictured together after they got married with her two young children) was a CIA agent who was on a secondment to Britain for MI5 - but he turned out to be a serial bigamist and a conman Ms Thomson has likened her ordeal to Ruth Wilson's character in the new BBC drama Mrs Wilson Miss Turner Thomson said: 'Watching the series has been very like looking at my own story. 'I met William online when I was a single mum with a nine-month old baby. He was very charming, and we sent emails back and forth. Pictured today: Ms Thomson, 53, of Edinburgh, 'We started dating and he actually asked me to marry him within two weeks of meeting I said no, but we did eventually get engaged, then were married for four years. 'After six months of being together I fell pregnant, which was a huge surprise because he told me he was infertile after having mumps as a child. 'I thought he was going to think I'd had an affair because he was so utterly convinced he couldn't have kids.' Jordan manipulated his wife and led her to believe he was a CIA agent on secondment to MI5. Time away on missions provided the perfect cover for seeing his other families. He even persuaded Miss Turner Thomson to find almost 200,000 to pay 'blackmailers' he claimed had threatened to kidnap their children Eilidh, now 16, Zach, 13, and her daughter Robyn, 19. She said: 'In 2004 when I was pregnant with Zach, he told me somebody he met on an undercover operation was going to kill our kids, kidnap them, rip bits off and send them to us in the post if we didn't give them money. 'By this stage, I was four years in and completely under his control, so I sold everything I owned my house, my car, my life insurance, everything.' Ms Thomson is pictured today with her children Moran, 14, Louise, 11 and Alexander, seven Mary Turner Thomson, 53, of Edinburgh, is pictured with her ex-husband William Allen Jordan on their wedding day in October 2002 William Allen Jordan (pictured right) is pictured with another of his wives, Mischele Lewis (left) before he was exposed as a serial bigamist in 2004 William Allen Jordan is pictured being arrested in a car park in New Jersey, USA in 2014 after his bigamy and fraud scams came to light There was no blackmailer, no undercover missions, but there was another wife, Mischele Lewis, who phoned her in 2006: 'She said, 'Are you Mary Turner Thomson?' I said yes. 'Then she asked: 'Are you also Mrs Jordan?' I said yes, and she replied, 'Well, I'm the other Mrs Jordan.' 'We met in a cafe and talked for about 12 hours. When she left at six in the morning, I sent him a text and dumped him. 'I carried on talking to him to get information, but he never wavered from his story and said time would vindicate him. It was all nonsense.' Jordan was charged and jailed for bigamy, illegally possessing a stun gun and fraud. On release he was deported to the US. His victim, author of The Bigamist: The True Story of a Husband's Ultimate Betrayal, says: 'My mission has been to encourage other women to come forward. 'Often people say to me, 'I feel liberated if you can do it, so can I.' Saudi Arabia has rejected the US Senate resolution blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The statement from the kingdom, released on Monday morning, is an unusually strong rebuke of the Senate. Saudi Arabia said the resolution 'contained blatant interferences' in its internal affairs and undermines its regional and international role. 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejects the position expressed recently by the United States Senate, which was based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations,' the statement read. Saudi Arabia has rejected the US Senate resolution blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi (pictured) Saudi Arabia said the resolution 'contained blatant interferences' in its internal affairs and undermines its international role. Pictured is Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman It went on to hit out against the Senate for 'undermining the Kingdom's regional and international role' and attempting to 'undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature'. 'The Kingdom has previously asserted that the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi is a deplorable crime that does not reflect the Kingdom's policy nor its institutions and reaffirms its rejection of any attempts to take the case out of the path of justice in the Kingdom,' the statement continued. 'The Kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the United States of America, to avoid any ramifications on the ties between the two countries that could have significant negative impacts on this important strategic relationship.' The Senate passed a resolution on Thursday saying the Saudi Crown Prince was responsible for the killing Khashoggi in what was seen as a rebuke of President Donald Trump. Lawmakers unanimously passed the resolution, which states that the Senate Crown Prince was responsible for Khashoggi's murder and calls for the Saudi Arabian government to 'ensure appropriate accountability' for those responsible. 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. The Senate passed a resolution on Thursday saying the Saudi Crown Prince was responsible for the killing Khashoggi in what was seen as a rebuke of President Donald Trump '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. US intelligence officials have concluded that Prince bin Salman must have at least known of the plot. Defense Secretary James Mattis (right) and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) went to Capitol Hill earlier on Thursday and privately urged senators to oppose the resolution The resolution came after senators passed a separate measure calling for the end of US aid to the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Senators voted 56-to-41 vote to end US 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 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 murder 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. Podcast of Hong Kong 1-2-1 Presentation Ballarat, Dec 17, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - White Rock Minerals Ltd ( ASX:WRM ) ("White Rock" or the "Company") wishes to advise that the podcast of a presentation by its MD and CEO, Matt Gill at the Hong Kong 1-2-1 Investor Conference is now available on its website.This podcast can be found on the Company's website via the following link: http://www.whiterockminerals.com.au About White Rock Minerals Ltd White Rock Minerals Ltd (ASX:WRM) (OTCMKTS:WRMCF) is a diversified explorer and near-stage producer, headquartered in Ballarat, Victoria. The Company's flagship exploration project is Red Mountain in central Alaska. At Red Mountain, there are already two high grade zinc - silver - gold - lead VMS deposits, with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 9.1 million tonnes @ 609g/t AgEq / 13% ZnEq. The Company is also exploring its recently discovered large intrusion related gold anomaly at Last Chance, also located in the Tintina gold belt of Alaska, home to multi-million gold ounce deposits like Pogo, Fort Knox and the Donlin Project. The Company also has the Mt Carrington project, located near Drake, in Northern NSW, which is a near-production precious metals asset with a resource of 341,000 ounces of gold and 23.2 million ounces of silver on an approved mining lease, and with a Gold First PFS and JORC Reserve. A premature baby who was the size of his father's watch when he was born prematurely at just 24 weeks has tragically died in his mother's arms seven months later. Lorcan Michael O'Brien was born weighing just 705 grams on May 13 2018 at Perth Children's Hospital where he was diagnosed with chronic lung disease. Doctors would constantly say to Nikki Daly and her partner Ruairi O'Brien that their newborn son would not survive. Lorcan Michael O'Brien was born weighing just 705 grams on May 13 2018 at Perth Children's Hospital Doctors would constantly say to Nikki Daly and her partner Ruairi O'Brien that their newborn son would not survive Defying all odds, baby Lorcan was dubbed the Little Fierce One, and survived up to seven months Defying all odds, baby Lorcan managed to hold his chronic illness at bay for an astonishing seven months. He tragically passed away cradled in his mother's arms on December 4. 'Lorcan died in my arms. He passed pretty quickly. It was so hard watching him gasp for breath in front of us,' Ms Daly told Nine News. Describing him as a miracle baby, Lorcan spent every day in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as he suffered through his respiratory problems. Ms Daly and Mr O'Brien were called three times from the hospital to say goodbye to their son, who was struggling to battle his problems. Describing him as a miracle baby, Lorcan spent every day in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as he suffered through his respiratory problems Ms Daly and Mr O'Brien were called three times from the hospital to say goodbye to their son, who was struggling to battle his problems The devastating death of their beloved baby left them heartbroken but they would not let that stop them from remembering their son The devastating death of their beloved baby left them heartbroken but they would not let that stop them from remembering their son. 'We cant begin to thank everyone who has traveled this journey with us: nurses, doctors, friends, family, support groups and even complete strangers,' Ms Daly wrote on Instagram. 'My boy has brought so much joy, strength and courage to an absolutely sh*t situation. 'We will honour your memory little fierce one and live life to the fullest as you never know what awaits you at the blink of an eye. 'Thank you for choosing us as parents I hope we lived up to everything you could of hoped for in these short few months. 'We are beyond proud of you..love you sleep tight sweet angel of mine.' A GoFundMe page was created to support the family as both parents aren't working. Meghan Markle's frozen out father today revealed he texts her every day and begs her to get back in contact but his 'very controlling' daughter has never replied. Thomas Markle appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain and said he hopes the Queen will intervene to heal the bitter rift between him, his pregnant daughter and Prince Harry - the son-in-law he has never met. Explaining why he believes Meghan has shut him out Mr Markle said: 'She has always been a very controlling person and that is part of her nature - but she has never been rude. She has always been in charge'. The 74-year-old, who last spoke to the Duchess of Sussex on the eve of her wedding in May, claims he sends her text messages 'every day' and has also sent letters to Kensington Palace. He said: 'I've been ghosted. I'm not sure why it's happening. I love my daughter very much. I wish she would reach out, send me a text, anything. There has to be a place for me. I'm her father'. And in a message of reconciliation for his estranged daughter, who is believed to be around five months pregnant, Mr Markle stared down the camera and said: 'I love you very much. I would like to hear from you. Whatever difficulties we've had I hope we can work through them. We're family'. Thomas Markle (pictured today) used an unpaid interview with GMB to again beg his daughter Meghan to stop ignoring his texts and letters and 'reach out' Meghan's father hopes that the Queen might intervene to heal his fractured relationship with his daughter and son in law (pictured at the The Royal Variety Performance in November) In an extraordinary and wide-ranging interview, the retired Hollywood lighting engineer told GMB: Meghan, pictured a week ago at The Fashion Awards 2018, is pregnant with her first child but has cut off contact with her father Thomas Markle describes his youngest child as 'very controlling' and 'always in charge' Meghan has 'ghosted' her own father since she married Prince Harry in May Mr Markle texts every day and has sent letters to Kensington Palace but has heard 'nothing' Reclusive 74-year-old hopes that the Queen will now intervene at Sandringham over Christmas to repair the fissure in the Markle family Mr Markle believes his daughter's first child - due next April - could 'soften' rift and still hopes to meet his grandchild Meghan cut off contact with her father after he failed to walk her down the aisle and has rebuffed all his attempts to make contact with her since then. But Mr Markle hopes the birth of her child will break down that 'barrier', adding: 'I think she will make a great mum and maybe things will soften a bit and we will get back in contact'. He added: 'I'm certainly hoping that everything goes well that they produce a beautiful baby. I hope I'll get to see a little Meghan or a little Harry'. Mr Markle has said that this will be his first Christmas without a card, call or visit from his beloved youngest child, who will spend it with the Queen at Sandringham. Thomas Markle said he hopes Her Majesty will help him and said: 'I would be grateful for anything she can do. 'I would think she would want to resolve any family problems. All families, royal or not, need to be together, especially in the holidays'. Speaking from San Diego, Mr Markle said the rift 'can't continue forever' and he would keep trying to connect with his daughter. He went on: 'I don't plan to be silent for the rest of my life. I love my daughter very much and she has to know that, and I would really appreciate if she would call me, just reach out to me. 'There has to be a place for me. I'm here, she knows it ... I need her to reach back to me.' Thomas Markle said he was not paid to appear on breakfast TV in the UK because he just wants Meghan to hear his message of reconciliation Mr Markle told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that his daughter is 'controlling' - Piers Morgan says he believes Princess Diana would not have let the row get this far Questioned by Piers Morgan, Mr Markle denied Meghan had a tendency to dump people if she had no use for them, saying: 'That's really not a character trait. She's always been very polite to everyone, never been rude to anyone. I don't know what's really happening right now.' Piers Morgan calls out 'ghosting' Meghan and urges her to reach out to her father Piers Morgan also made a plea for his former friend Meghan Markle to heal the rift with her father Thomas. The GMB host has repeatedly lashed out at the former Suits star and accused her of 'acting her way to the top' and 'ghosting' him after she met Prince Harry. As he interviewed her father today Mr Morgan said: 'If Meghan is watching this and I feel she will because she will be intrigued. 'Come on Meghan. This is your dad and it's Christmas. 'I feel really sad about this and I hope it can be resolved because the longer it goes on the worse it can get.' He also said he did not believe this row would be allowed to continue if Princess Diana was still alive. Advertisement Mr Markle said: 'My daughter lived with me from the age of 11 all through middle school and high school until she went off to college. We're very close. 'What's happened, I'm not sure. I'd love to talk about it. I think it comes back to the fact that reporters pick up on interviews I've done and write their own stories and tell lies.' He added: 'If they are believing that, that's unfortunate. They've always told me not to believe anything.' Mr Markle concluded his interview by wishing Harry and Meghan a "merry Christmas" and saying he would spend the festive period with friends, giving out presents to unfortunate children. The pensioner has been cut off by his daughter and new son in law and said recently: 'Murderers are not punished like I've been'. Mr Markle appeared on GMB over the summer where the recluse claimed that Harry had said he was 'open' to Brexit and that people needed to 'give Trump a chance'. He also said that Meghan kept the fact that she was dating Harry secret at first, asking her father to refer to him by the codename 'H', and that Harry had already popped the question to his daughter by the time he asked for her hand in marriage by phone and when he did, Meghan was also on the line. He said he gave his permission for the couple to wed as long as Harry promised never to 'raise his hand' against his daughter and was 'grateful' to Charles for stepping in when he was forced to pull out of giving his daughter away due to heart surgery, but admitted he felt jealous. Kensington Palace declined to comment on the interview or the astonishing claims, but there is little doubt that the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex have again been left humiliated by the continuing Markle family soap opera. Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan confirmed that Meghan's father had pocketed 'a few thousand pounds' but insisted his 'ultimate motive was not money'. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand on the steps of St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Thomas Markle did not walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding Meghan and her mother, Doria, remain close and is expected to move to London to help care for her first grandchild He claimed Mr Markle had turned down significantly higher offers from the US media but chose the British programme as he wanted the 'proper chance' to put across his 'side of the story'. Mr Markle's decision to 'sell out' will be frustrating for palace officials who, after a dramatic run-up to the royal wedding, managed to pull off an extremely successful global event and had no doubt hoped to see the back of any further Markle family revelations. The fact that Mr Markle chose not to discuss the interview beforehand with his daughter is likely to be seen by many as suggesting their relationship is fractured in the extreme. Royal sources have maintained, however, they have done everything they can to help and guide Mr Markle, and say he is a proud man who finds it difficult to accept assistance from his daughter. Singapore has allowed a gay man to adopt the son he fathered with a US surrogate in a landmark ruling. The man, a 46-year-old pathologist who has not been identified, found a surrogate in the United States who agreed to carry his child for $200,000 as the practice is banned in Singapore. As he was in a long-term relationship the man was told a homosexual couple would be unlikely to get permission to adopt in Singapore. After his son was born, who is now five years old, the man brought the boy back to Singapore and applied to formally adopt him, in the hope of securing him citizenship. Singapore has allowed a gay man to adopt the son he fathered with a US surrogate in a landmark ruling A district judge rejected the initial application in December last year. But he appealed to Singapore's High Court, which ruled in his favour. While Singapore is affluent and modern in many ways, attitudes towards homosexuality are routinely criticised as outdated. Gay marriage is not permitted and sex between men remains illegal under a law that dates from the British colonial era, although it is rarely enforced. Delivering the verdict, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said that 'the evidence has demonstrated to us that it is very much in the interests of the child that the adoption order be made'. 'His prospects of acquiring Singapore citizenship could be significantly enhanced by making an adoption order, which would in turn lead to an overall increase in the stability of his life in Singapore.' While Singapore is affluent and modern in many ways, attitudes towards homosexuality are routinely criticised as outdated But he noted that the decision was related to that particular case and should not be viewed as an endorsement of what the man and his partner had done. The man's lawyer Ivan Cheong said his client was 'overjoyed and happy that at the end of a long adoption process, the child's welfare is upheld.' 'At the end of the day, it is about what is in the child's best interests.' The pathologist will still have to apply to adopt his biological son, who currently holds American citizenship. Gay marriage is not permitted and sex between men remains illegal under a law that dates from the British colonial era, although it is rarely enforced Paerin Choa, from Singaporean gay rights group Pink Dot SG, praised the ruling. 'LGBT families are families too, and they are just as able to provide a loving and caring home to raise their children in,' Choa said. But Jean Chong, from Singapore-based lesbian advocacy group Sayoni, said the court decision only represented 'baby steps' in the gay movement's fight for more rights. The main battleground between supporters of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and conservatives in recent years has been the ban on sex between men. The Indian Supreme Court's decision in September to decriminalise homosexual sex sparked fresh hope for change in Singapore, and a new challenge has been lodged against the city-state's colonial-era law. Chong said Monday's ruling did not provide a boost for those fighting to overturn the law, as the judge had focused narrowly on the welfare of the child rather than gay rights. Hillary Clinton penned a touching letter to an eight-year-old girl who lost her class election by one vote - it has emerged. According to CNN, the former Presidential candidate took time out of her busy schedule to console Martha Kennedy Morales, a third grader at a Maryland private school. After hearing about her narrow defeat through Martha's father's Facebook account, Clinton sent her a message telling the little girl 'it's not easy to run for a role that's only being sought by boys'. Clinton wrote the heartfelt letter on December 6 after hearing about Martha's election defeat two weeks earlier Martha Kennedy Morales (pictured), a third grader at a Maryland private school, lost by just one vote to a male candidate 'While I know you may have been disappointed that you did not win President, I am so proud of you for deciding to run in the first place,' Clinton wrote in her letter. 'As I know too well, it's not easy when you stand up and put yourself in contention for a role that's only been sought by boys,' she added. 'The most important thing is that you fought for what you believed in, and that is always worth it.' Martha said she was extremely touched to have received the letter and said it 'doesn't happen every day'. 'It was really touching to know that Hillary Clinton herself sent me a letter,' Martha told CNN. 'That doesn't happen every day.' 'It's disappointing to figure out that you lost something that you fought for really hard and you put a lot of effort into it,' she said Martha told CNN she was 'extremely excited' to receive Clinton's letter and the former Presidential candidate said she heard about Martha's narrow defeat through her father's (left) Facebook posts Despite Martha's disappointment, the budding politician did manage to clinch the title of vice president, and says she will stand for president again in the future. Martha also has plans to invite Clinton to visit her class government over the coming weeks. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill later confirmed that the letter is authentic. The former First Lady and Democrat candidate in the 2016 election, Clinton has taken a step away from politics since her bitter defeat to Donald Trump. She was recently pictured attending the star-studded wedding of the daughter of one of India's richest men, Mukesh Ambani, in Udaipur, India. Jyoti Singh, a physiotherapy student, was raped and left for dead by a gang of five men and a teenager on a bus in the Indian capital New Delhi in December 2012. The 23-year-old woman was coming home from the cinema with a male friend when a six-strong gang beat the man unconscious before raping and torturing her. She was assaulted with an iron bar as the private bus drove loops for 45 minutes before she was dumped on the streets. Singh suffered horrific internal injuries and died 13 days later in a Singapore hospital. The brutality of the attack, and her determination to survive long enough to identify her attackers to police, triggered angry demonstrations by tens of thousands of people in Delhi and nationwide. Jyoti Singh, a physiotherapy student, was raped and left for dead by a gang of five men and a teenager on a bus in the Indian capital New Delhi in December 2012. The victim's parents Asha Devi and Badri Singh are pictured at the Supreme Court in New Delhi in 2017 The case also put the treatment of women in the world's largest democracy in the global spotlight and led to heavier sentences for sex crimes. Four of the men were convicted in September 2013 for murder, gang-rape, theft, conspiracy and 'unnatural acts' after a seven-month trial in a fast-track court. In July, it emerged that the convicted men will face the death penalty. Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh, who have always pleaded their innocence, had challenged last year's ruling that upheld their death sentence. In July, the defendants' lawyer said they may seek a pardon from the president as a last-ditch attempt to have their verdicts overturned. Only three of them were involved in the appeal rejected by the Supreme Court. A fifth man, the suspected ringleader, was found dead in jail in a suspected suicide. A 17-year-old also involved was sentenced to three years in a detention centre and has since been released. Widespread protests and vigils took place after the 23-year-old student was brutally attacked The defendants' lawyer A. P. Singh 'injustice' had been meted out to his clients under 'political and media pressure'. Following the 2012 case and subsequent protests, some of which were violent, there were demands to overhaul the laws on sexual assaults. A panel entrusted with reviewing legislation rejected public appeals for the death penalty for rape but boosted the jail terms to 20 years. But the government then buckled under public pressure and approved capital punishment for repeat offenders. There were some 40,000 rapes reported in India in 2016, according to the most recent official figures available. Activists claim this is just the tip of the iceberg however, as many victims are afraid to report the crimes due to threats by perpetrators or the social stigma attached to sexual assaults. In recent months a string of sex attacks, mostly of children, have caused further outrage and protests. This included the attack on an eight-year-old girl from a Muslim nomadic community in January. The girl from the northern Jammu region died after being kidnapped, drugged and gang raped by several men for days at a Hindu temple. This led to the introduction of the death sentence for raping girls younger than 12. More than 1,300 people have been sentenced to death in the past decade, and India ranks 10th globally in the number of sentences handed down. India rejected a 2007 UN sponsored moratorium plea on executions amid an ongoing debate on capital punishment. More than 370 convicts were on death row as on December 2017, the last official count, down from 399 the previous year. But many were spared the noose by higher courts on appeals, including 35 who were acquitted outright. Out of the 371 death row convicts in 2017, 43 were awarded the ultimate punishment for crimes involving fatal sexual assaults. But India carries out very few hangings. Just four convicts have been executed in the last 25 years, including Dhananjoy Chatterjee in 2004 for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl. The three other hangings in 2010, 2011 and 2015 were for terrorism. The king cobra he was holding then suddenly sunk its fangs into his left arm Yuttapong Chaibooddee, 35, was performing in an animal show in Phuket This is the terrifying moment a snake charmer is bitten by a king cobra - moments before passing out and being rushed to hospital. Yuttapong Chaibooddee, 35, was performing at an animal show in Phuket, Thailand, when the venomous snake sunk its fangs into his arm. The entertainer yanked the reptile from his arm and threw it to the ground before walking away and checking his wound. Yuttapong Chaibooddee was performing at an animal show in Phuket, Thailand when the king cobra struck Mr Chaibooddee passed out just moments later and was rushed to hospital. Doctors pumped the father-of-one full of antibodies and placed him on life support machines after he stopped breathing. The snake charmer was released after three nights but even after ten days, he still has deep burn-like wound across on his left bicep, forearm, thighs and even inside his lips. Mr Chaibooddee said: 'I've been bitten by snakes many times but never had a strong injury like this. I was suffocating and then I was unconscious. 'The snake was a king cobra from the south of Thailand and it's venom was very powerful. It was unexpected. It is like a monster cobra, more powerful than others. 'I thought I was going to die. I'm so very thankful to the doctors who saved me.' The snake charmer, 35, was rushed to hospital where he was given life-saving antibodies - but he still has dramatic scars on his arm and hand Mr Chaibooddee said he knows the industry is 'high risk' and is grateful the wounds are not infected Mr Chaibooddee said he knows the industry is 'high risk' and accepts all responsibility for being bitten. He added: 'The snake's instinct is to bite. It is not the snake's fault. 'I have many wounds but they are not infected. They are healing. The scars are on my arms and legs, just from one bite. 'They show how powerful this snake's venom is. 'I was very lucky because we had the anti-venom nearby and an ambulance to take me to hospital. 'Without that, I would have died.' A South African woman who stabbed a man to death and seriously injured two others when she caught them gang-raping her daughter has seen the survivors sent to prison. The 57-year-old - who was dubbed 'Lion Mama' for the way she defended her daughter - said she was 'delighted' when a judge jailed them both for 30 years. The mother had been preparing an evening meal for her daughter at her home in a village near Zwartwater in Eastern Province, South Africa, when a friend burst in. She told her that three men had snatched her 27-year-old daughter and dragged her into a building and that she had seen them strip her off her clothing. Defender: The 57-year-old stabbed one of the rapists to death and seriously injured the two others when she caught them assaulting her daughter (file picture) When the 'Lion Mama' could not get a reply from the local police station, she picked up the kitchen knife she had been using to prepare vegetables and set off to save her daughter. She ran nearly two miles as her daughter's friend pointed out the way and when she got close to the house, she heard her daughter's desperate screams coming from inside. The mother burst through the door and caught three naked men taking turns in raping her daughter. She killed Zamile Siyeka in a hail of knife blows and seriously injured Zolisa Siyeka, 24, and Mncedisi Vuba, 31, who both collapsed to the floor in pools of blood. The mother then comforted her distraught daughter until paramedics arrived. They certified one man dead and took the survivors to hospital. The mother was dubbed Lion Mama for rescuing her daughter and killing one of her rapists, but there was outrage in South Africa when she was charged with murder. She was also charged with two counts of attempted murder of the surviving rapists. A fighting fund raised nearly 10,000 for her defence and a lawyer offered his services for free - but three weeks later the National Prosecuting Authority dropped the charge. The gang rape, that shocked South Africa, happened in September last year. Siyeka and Vuba were convicted of raping the mother's daughter at Mtatha High Court and were both sentenced to 30 years behind bars - each with five years suspended. Prosecutors at Lady Frere Magistrates Court said two of the men who survived the stabbing would still stand trial for rape (file image) Judge Mbulelo Jolwana said the fact that the mother had inflicted serious injuries on them with a knife had taught them a lesson and saved them from a life sentence. After the rapists were led away the 'Lion Mama' told local media: 'I am happy about the judgement and relieved. All I want is for people who do wrong to be punished. 'The truth finally came out and even if it was my own child who had done a serious crime then I would want them to get punished for doing something wrong and bad. 'All I wanted to do was protect my daughter and when I answered the call from her friend I didn't want to believe she was being raped and hoped it was a mistake. 'I could not believe it when I got there because even the one who has died who was doing this to my daughter I doubted that he could do something like this. 'What is killing me spiritually inside is that the girl who was trying to save my daughter has been blamed for the death to the extent that she tried to take her own life. 'I hope social workers find a safe place for her so she can carry on with her studies. I just hope and pray that this is not the end of her dreams and aspirations.' The mother has been humbled by the support she received from across the country. She added: 'It means there are a lot of people out there with good hearts who are on my side and I truly appreciate all the support we have got and it makes us strong. 'I would have thrown myself to a lion to protect my daughter and I am sure many mothers would have done the same. I hope this is a lesson people learn from.' The desperately poor woman, who lives in a tiny two room shack with her daughter and grand-daughter, said she would use money donated to secure their home. In total, 110 rapes are reported in South Africa every day, but experts believe the true figure could be as much as four times higher, with many too scared to report it. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said: 'We would have liked a life sentence but this sends a message to men this festive season not to rape women.' Advertisement Nick Clegg rubbed shoulders with fellow Facebook executives as the scandal-hit tech firm threw a two-day Christmas party in San Francisco. Bosses at the social media firm shrugged off worldwide criticism to lay on the huge bash - with employees free to wander through a huge 'winter village' set up in the Californian city's Palace of Fine Arts. Fake snow fell from the building's ceiling, while professional dancers, bands and an ice sculptor using a chainsaw entertained employees, who queued for drinks at a 'Thumbs Up Tavern'. Clegg, who was hired as Facebook's seven-figure PR boss in October, was pictured alongside COO Sheryl Sandberg, though it is thought under-fire co-founder Mark Zuckerberg did not make an appearance. Nick Clegg, who has taken up a role as Facebook's PR chief, was pictured with Sheryl Sandberg (centre), Facebook's COO, at the annual company Christmas party. Marne Levine (far left), the COO of Instagram, was also at the bash Facebook employees are seen above wandering through a 'winter village' built inside the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco There was also a 'thumbs up tavern' where employees could grab some free drinks at the holiday party Facebook is under fire around the world for spreading fake news and the harvesting of users data by Cambridge Analytica. Clegg, once Deputy Prime Minister under David Camerson, has been brought in as it bids to turn its image around. The 51-year-old looked relaxed as he partied with Sandberg and Marne Levine, the Chief Operating Officer of Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. Levine wrote on her Instagram page: 'Big night out on the town last night with some of my beloved colleagues for the Facebook holiday party. Nothing like toy soldier snare drummers to get you in the holiday spirit.' The company spared no expense for the event, hiring Christmas dancers and an ice sculptor who used a chainsaw to create a giant polar bear. There was even a gondola, drumming toy soldiers, a sweet shop with donuts and candy and snow falling from the ceiling. If any of the employees were looking to mingle with the Zuck - CEO Mark Zuckerberg - they were most likely disappointed. Sandberg (center), who has been the subject of criticism this year, appears relaxed alongside Facebook employee Kelsey Anderson (left), and an unidentified woman The Lean In author has come under fire for the company's mishaps, including its failure to protect user data and its relationship with a Republican-linked opposition research firm Facebook even hired people to dress up in Christmas clothing, like the person above who is seen sitting atop a shipping container and looks like an Elf on a Shelf One of the highlights was an ice sculpture of a polar bear (as seen above). The Facebook logo is seen carved out of a block of ice on the lower right Facebook employees are seen above gathering around the ice sculpture polar bear, which is even wearing sunglasses Sandberg posed at the party with Clegg, 51, who succeeds Elliot Schrage. Schrage left the company following reports indicating that it dug up opposition research against liberal billionaire George Soros. Since joining Facebook, Clegg has reported to Sandberg. He will move to California with his family in the new year. Zuckerberg, Sandberg, and their company have been in the news in recent months, though the headlines were largely negative. A row of drummer boys put on a show for the Facebook employees and their guests at the holiday party The two-day bash for the company's tens of thousands of employees in the Bay Area came after a difficult year for Facebook. The image above shows 'snow' falling Those who attended the party revealed there were toy soldiers, a main street with snow, candy shops, a lodge, and a live Elf on the Shelf Partygoers said the lines were long for food and drinks - even though the event was held over the course of two days to accommodate tens of thousands of employees The Palace of Fine Arts is a historic landmark located in the Marina District of San Francisco The above image offers a better view of the gondola as Facebook employees mingle underneath it at the party This elf appears to be having a good time sitting on a shipping container as Facebook employees line up at the bar below The Facebook holiday party this weekend at the Palace of Fine Arts featured a ski-lift gondola (above) Snowflakes fall from the ceiling during the Facebook holiday party. The low temperature in San Francisco last weekend was in the mid-40s - not cold enough for real snow Facebook employees are seen above mingling in the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco last weekend Facebook's top two executives - founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg (center) and COO Sheryl Sandberg (center left) - are seen in the above image. Sandberg was seen at the party, though Zuckerberg was not Facebook came under fire for its role in allowing the spread of fake news - allegedly masterminded by Russia - that is thought to have had an impact on the 2016 elections. The company has also been accused of allowing disinformation to be spread on its platform which allegedly facilitated the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. In March, it was learned that a British-based political consultancy firm, Cambridge Analytica, which had ties to the Trump campaign, misused data of tens of millions of Facebook users. In September, Facebook acknowledged that a data breach affected 50 million users. Two weeks later, the company said that data belonging to 29 million other users had been stolen. This partygoer cozies up to a Teddy Bear during Facebook's annual holiday bash in San Francisco, California last weekend The winter village looked very realistic with men dressed up in toy soldier costumes (as seen in the photo above) This partygoer gazes out from the balcony as Facebook employees mingle below on the main drag of the winter village 'Shoutout to Mark for throwin a rager,' wrote one Instagram user who attached this photo to her timeline A man dressed as the Nutcracker drummer plays his instrument at the holiday extravaganza These partygoers are seen posing in front of the Rotunda at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco On Friday, Facebook said it discovered a bug that may have affected up to 6.8 million people who used Facebook login to grant permission to third-party apps to access photos. The incident may have affected up to 1,500 apps built by 876 developers, the company said, adding that it has fixed the issue. Facebook said some third-party apps may have gained access to broader set of photos than usual for 12 days between September 13 and 25. As if those scandals weren't bad enough, last month Facebook admitted that it hired a Republican-linked public relations firm to do opposition research on company critics like George Soros and others. What is the Cambridge Analytica scandal? Consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica had offices in London, New York, Washington, as well as Brazil and Malaysia. The company boasted it can 'find your voters and move them to action' through data-driven campaigns and a team that includes data scientists and behavioural psychologists. In 2013, Cambridge professor Aleksandr Kogan used his app, This Is Your Digital Life, to ask 270,000 Facebook users questions about their personalities. By answering them, the users granted Kogan access to not only their profiles but to those of their friends. He subsequently sold that information to Cambridge Analytica for $51million. Facebook changed its rules in 2014 to limit what data such apps could access. A year later, the company learned that Kogan had sold his findings and contacted both him and Cambridge Analytica to tell them to delete the data which they promised to do. In March, Facebook made its announcement that it had suspended Cambridge Analytica after being warned of looming media reports that claimed not all of the information had been destroyed. Those reports, which were informed by the accounts of whistleblowers who worked at the firm, also revealed the true scale of the breach. It was initially estimated that the firm was able to mine the information of 55 million Facebook users even though just 270,000 people gave them permission to do so. But Facebook later since revealed the number was actually as high as 87 million. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix, after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump. The same information is said to have been used to help the Brexit campaign in the UK. Advertisement Zuckerberg, who wasn't seen at the party, may have had a good reason not to be in the mood to celebrate. The founder of Facebook lost almost a quarter of his net worth after a very bad year for the social media giant. Zuckerberg, the 34-year-old multi-billionaire, has seen his net worth drop $15billion, according to Money Magazine. Money Magazine drew up a timeline of debacles and stumbles over the course of the year that plunged the billionaire multiple notches down on the list of the wealthiest people on the planet. Beginning in March, Christopher Wylie, the co-founder of the data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, revealed that it misappropriated 50 million of Facebook users' data (revised up to 87 million later) and then used that information to target voters in the 2016 election on behalf of the Trump campaign. The Facebook founder temporarily lost $13billion on the news which forced him to concede that his company may have made a mistake in not proactively doing something about the breach. Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, testifying before Congress about the Cambridge Analytica use of user data in the 2016 election 'When we heard back from Cambridge Analytica that they had told us that they werent using the data and deleted it, we considered it a closed case,' Zuckerberg told Congress when placed on the hot seat. 'In retrospect, that was clearly a mistake.' Due to lackluster sales and poorer prospects for growth, investors soured on the platform. Zuckerberg also admitted that spending on security in light of the previous scandal would affect profits. Then came the worst single-day loss in share value in the history of U.S. stocks. Facebook provided its Q2 earnings after trading hours on July 25 while at an all-time high price of $217.50. On July 26, the shares opened 20 per cent lower. Zuckerberg lost $15.9billion by the end of the day, and another $2.2billion in following days. With an accelerating fall underway, Money points to an exodus of executive talent from acquired businesses WhatsApp and Instagram painting an unhealthy picture of the internal politics of the company with WhatsApp co-founder tweeting 'It is time. #deletefacebook' as he departed. In November, before things could settle down, the New York Times dropped a bombshell about Sandberg, the 'Lean In' author, and her role in a variety of the company's scandals: ignoring Russian hacking, playing down Cambridge Analytica's data misuse and even lying about hiring the data company to target Soros. Mark Zuckerberg's fortune dropped from $85.5billion at the end of 2017 to $52.4 billion by the end of 2018 Facebook went from a high this year of $217.50 per share down to a trading price of $144.06 amid the scandals and problems at the social media giant The platform even received criticism earlier this year from United Nations human rights experts weighing in on its culpability for the spread of hate speech leading to the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar. Zuckerberg's embattled financial empire now stands at $57billion, down from $75 billion at the beginning of the year, the biggest loss among 500 billionaires, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He still stands at number six on the Index's list of billionaires. German car parts industrialist Georg Schaeffler finds himself in second place with a loss of $13.8 billion for the year. A fireman found himself in a tight squeeze when this five-metre long python wrapped itself around his head during a safety demonstration. Khun Apichet, 40, was showing school children in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 3, how to handle the deadly snakes if they coil around their bodies. But Apichet needed a hand himself, when his boss giving the talk had to prize away the serpent which was following its natural instincts in strangling its prey. Khun Apichet, 40, had to use one arm to keep the serpent from strangling him and the other so he didn't get bit Apichet is seen looking red faced and strained as he struggles to hold back the vice-like grip of the python's body. The announcer is heard saying: 'The snake is trying to bite him, because this makes the snake feel good. 'When the snake wants to eat the people they will bite quickly and lock them in very quickly, but this one is older and has been tamed.' The 40-year-old had to be helped by his colleague who was presenting the safety demonstration The fireman can be seen keeping a tight hold of the snake's head to ensure he isn't bitten. The fireman then invites a young boy to try and put his hand between the snake and his colleague's head in order to demonstrated how powerful the python is. He adds: 'The python is old and more friendly than animals in the wild but he is still very powerful.' The snake used in the video is one that was caught from a home several years ago and has since been kept in captivity and is used in safety demonstrations. Joe Atkinson, 25, is accused of murdering Poppy Devey-Waterhouse, 24, in Leeds A 25-year-old man has been charged with murder after his straight A maths graduate girlfriend was found dead at their flat. Joe Atkinson is accused of killing Poppy Devey-Waterhouse, 24, who was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency services were called to the Richmond Hill area of Leeds on Friday. She worked as a quantitative trading analyst for bookmaker William Hill, having finished a master's in statistics at the University of Nottingham in 2016. She also had a bachelor's degree in financial mathematics, and had achieved A*s in her A-levels in both maths and further maths - as well as an A in law. Previously, Miss Devey-Waterhouse had managed 9 A*s and 3 As in her GCSEs at Frome Community College in Somerset. Yesterday, West Yorkshire Police said Atkinson, of Richmond Hill, had been charged with the murder of Miss Devey-Waterhouse, who lived with him at the same apartment. Atkinson was charged with the murder of Miss Devey-Waterhouse, who lived with him Miss Devey-Waterhouse worked as a quantitative trading analyst for bookmaker William Hill Atkinson appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court yesterday morning, wearing a grey prison tracksuit flanked by two security dock officers. He spoke only to confirm his name, age and address. No plea was entered during the short two-minute hearing. Atkinson was remanded in custody by District Judge Watkin and will next appear at Leeds Crown Court today. Members of the victim's family were visibly emotional in the public gallery during the hearing. A William Hill spokesman told MailOnline yesterday: 'We are providing support to her colleagues who are obviously very shocked and saddened. Miss Devey-Waterhouse achieved 9 A*s and 3 As in her GCSEs, as well as 2 As and 1 A at A-level Emergency services were called to a flat in the Richmond Hill area of Leeds (file picture) 'She was a very young, recently-joined member of the team, highly intelligent and she was a member of the research and development team, who work on quantitative techniques for trading.' A forensic post-mortem examination was conducted on Saturday and the preliminary cause of death was recorded as head and neck trauma. Previously, police said on Saturday that officers had been contacted at 8.53am on Friday by paramedics who received a report of a seriously injured woman. The force added that the incident was believed to be domestic related and police were not looking for anyone else in connection with it. Bob has worked at Hiscox since 2010 and held a number of senior roles during that time, having joined as Head of Strategy before going on to serve as Group Chief Risk Officer. He is already very familiar with the UK business, having spent two years as Head of Claims for Hiscox UK and Europe, where he served on the UK leadership team. In 2014 he relocated to Asia to become Chief Operating Officer of DirectAsia, a newly-acquired direct-to-consumer personal lines insurance business, and became CEO of the DirectAsia Group in January 2015. Bob succeeds Steve Langan, who moved to the USA in 2018 as Hiscox USA CEO and remains the Hiscox Groups Chief Marketing Officer. Bob will report to Ben Walter, CEO of Hiscox Global Retail, who is responsible for Hiscox USA, Hiscox UK, Hiscox Europe and Hiscox Special Risks. In his new role, Bob will lead the 800-strong UK team and will be based out of Birmingham. Commenting on the appointment, Ben said: Bob is a natural champion of the customer who will lead the UK team in its next phase of growth. We will benefit from Bobs experience navigating intensely competitive markets and developing creative partnership opportunities. Bob added: Im delighted to be returning to Hiscox UK and honoured to lead a great team which has consistently served customers superbly and created a strong market position over many years. I know from my time with the business a few years ago that we are fortunate to enjoy fabulous support from our broker partners for which we remain incredibly grateful. I look forward to working with the team and these terrific partners to build on these great foundations in the years ahead. A Christmas tree may have sparked a fire which tore through a family home and killed a mother and her two young children, it was revealed today. Justine Collison, 33, and her daughter Isabella, eight, died in a blaze in Collingham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire on Saturday. Her son Harvey, five, was taken to hospital in a serious condition but police confirmed he passed away in hospital yesterday. Friends say the children's father and Justine's husband Gavin Collison, 34, who remains fighting for his life in hospital, has 'had his world ripped away from him'. The cause of the fire remains under investigation but neighbours fear it might have been 'candles or Christmas lights' and reported seeing flames coming from the conservatory of the home. They suggested the lights could have sparked the fire after the family's Christmas tree dropped its needles. Justine Collison and her two children Izzy and Harvey all died in the fire Gavin Collison, the children's father, remained in hospital in a serious condition on Sunday A police officer stands behind a cordon following a house fire in Nottinghamshire where a mother and two children died PRIMARY SCHOOL PAYS TRIBUTE TO BROTHER AND SISTER In a moving statement Helen Richardson, Izzy and Harvey's headteacher at John Blow Primary School in Collingham, paid a heartfelt tribute to the siblings. She said: 'Izzy was a gentle and caring girl who will be deeply missed by all who knew her. She adored her younger brother Harvey, frequently asking at playtime if she and a friend could go and check if he was settling into school. 'Held in high regard by the rest of her class, Izzy was quiet and unassuming, but this did not stop her from putting her all into everything she did. She enjoyed music, dance and drama which enabled her to express her sense of fun and the creative side of her personality. 'Harvey had only recently joined our school, starting in our reception class. He was very creative, always making models in the craft corner. 'He was always kind and caring: only last week he made a handbag out of cardboard boxes for his mum, because she was always mislaying her phone. 'Harvey was a lovely, friendly child, and he will be very much missed by us all. 'It has been a privilege to know and share in Izzy and Harvey's lives, so unexpectedly cut short and they will remain with warm fondness in our hearts forever. 'We are working with the County Council to provide specialist support to any children who need it to help them cope with their grief.' Advertisement Izzy and Harvey's school today paid a heartfelt tribute to the siblings. The headteacher at their primary school said last week Harvey had made his mother a handbag out of cardboard 'because she was always mislaying her phone.' Their grandmother and Mrs Collison's mother Diane Fletcher, 53, was successfully evacuated from the building on Woodhill Road without injury. It is not yet clear if Mr Collison has been told the terrible news. The 'lovely' family had moved into the 350,000 house 18 months ago, neighbours said. Ms Collison, a teaching assistant at a special needs school, and Mr Collison, an engineer at a nearby RAF base, had been in the process of refurbishing the four-bedroom house. The parents regularly posted photographs of their children alongside social media and just less than one week ago, Mrs Collison updated her Facebook picture to a photo of Harvey and Izzy enjoying ice creams on the beach together. Earlier this year Mr Collison shared a picture of with the caption: 'A few holiday highlights from our family trip to London. Oh so tiring but worth it! #familylove.' Neighbours have paid tribute to Mrs Collison who they say was 'always smiling' and 'idolised' her children. Cath Hardy, 58, worked with mother-of-two Mrs Collison at Kisimul School in Swinderby. She said: 'You couldn't meet a nicer woman. 'She adored her children and husband, absolutely idolised them. 'I will remember her with fondness, always laughing and joking. 'She was really looking forward to Christmas. 'It's absolutely heartbreaking. As for Gavin - there are no words. 'He's lost his wife and two children. His world has been taken away from him.' Harvey, five, was rushed to hospital following the fire but police later confirmed he passed away The family (pictured, Ms Collison with Izzy, Harvey and Mr Collison) had moved into the four-bedroom house 18 months ago, neighbours said Isabella, eight, and Harvey, five, died following the devastating fire on their home in Collingham, Nottinghamshire Neighbours said they had not been told what the suspected cause of the fire was. 'At this time of year it could be candles, or Christmas lights,' said one. 'It is just such a tragedy. I can't comprehend it.' Nottinghamshire Police area chief inspector Rich Stapleford yesterday confirmed little Harvey had passed away in hospital. He said: 'Tragically a boy, five, who was rescued from the house and taken to hospital has died. 'This follows the news that a girl aged eight and a woman aged 33 died following the incident. 'A 34-year-old man remains in hospital in a serious condition. 'Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, friends and the community of Collingham at this difficult time.' The house remained cordoned off on Sunday afternoon as a joint investigation by Nottinghamshire Police and Fire and Rescue began. Neighbours described how the 'traumatised' Ms Fletcher was seen exiting the blaze 'in a complete daze but without a scratch', The Sun reported. The children's mother, Justine Collison, also died in the fire early on Saturday morning The house remained cordoned off on Sunday afternoon as a joint investigation by Nottinghamshire Police and Fire and Rescue began Diane Fletcher, the mother of Ms Collison, was successfully evacuated from the property without injury It is believed Ms Fletcher lived with the family and often looked after the children. Diane Norton said the tragedy was 'heartbreaking' and 'so desperately sad just before Christmas.' Her husband Paul and son Elliot had tried to alert the sleeping family to the blaze after seeing their conservatory engulfed in flames at around 7am. Mr Norton, 57, described seeing a 'glow' from the house after looking out of his landing window. He told Lincolnshire Live: 'It looked like the conservatory was on fire. There was lots of smoke. I shouted up to Elliot, my son, and we called the fire brigade straight away. 'We went to the front door and we were banging on the windows. Then we went round the back door.' Mr Norton and his son were still trying to enter the property when the first fire engine arrived. He said firefighters doused the flames with water before entering the property with breathing apparatus. Neighbours left floral tributes at the scene on Sunday afternoon as a police cordon remained in place Friends and family also left stuffed toys and heartfelt notes at the scene of the devastating fire One note read: 'To Harvey, I am so proud to call you my buddy partner. I loved reading with you' Paul Norton and his son Elliot, 20, banged on the door and attempted to enter the property to alert the family Harvey's pre-school teacher Rachael Walker, 48, said the tragedy will 'will hit the community really hard.' She said: 'I taught Harvey at pre-school. He just left in July to start at the local infant school. 'He was a real character, a really jolly little boy. He was always making things, which might have been something to do with his dad's job. 'It is going to be incredibly difficult for the children at school. 'Harvey had just started there and Izzy was in Year Four. I don't know how they will cope. I hope something will be put in place for them. But I don't know how you go about explaining that to four and five year olds.' Ms Walker added: 'As for what started it, we have no idea. I heard it started in the conservatory. At this time of year it could be candles, or Christmas lights. 'It is just such a tragedy. I can't comprehend it.' Harvey's pre-school teacher Rachael Walker, 48, said the tragedy will 'will hit the community really hard' Ms Collison, a teaching assistant at a special needs school and Mr Collison, an engineer at a nearby RAF base, had been in the process of refurbishing their home The house (pictured from above) remained cordoned off on Sunday afternoon as an investigation into the cause of the fire continued Neighbours paid tribute to the 'lovely' family as they arrived to lay flowers by the side of the four-bedroom home Friends, family and neighbours paid tribute to the family as they arrived at the home to lay notes, flowers and stuffed toys on Sunday. One tribute, from Daniel, read: 'To Harvey, I am so proud to call you my buddy partner. 'I loved reading with you.' Neighbour Dave Pearce, 70, added: 'They were a very popular family. The children were always very happy. It's so sad.' Another local, who asked not to be named, said: 'They were a wonderful family. The children were so polite. I don't know how Gavin will ever get over this. 'He's lost everything.' Christine Hasman, administrator for East Trent Churches, said All Saints Church will open during the day from now until Christmas for people to remember the family. She said: 'All I can say is that everybody who knows about it in the church community is shocked and saddened by the whole thing. 'It's just shocking news, especially so close to Christmas.' Emergency services rushed to Woodhill Road following reports of a blaze at a property at 7am on Saturday Robert Jenrick, the MP for Newark, said: 'My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those who died in Collingham today - and with those being cared for in hospital. 'As we approach Christmas, a family devastated by an horrific fire reminds us all of those we love and care for and the fragility of life.' Conservative councillor David Clarke, who represents Collingham on Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: 'The majority of people will be extremely shocked certainly. 'It's a fairly close knit community. I do not know the people that live there. I am sure it will impact on them and they will be traumatised by it.' The fire was quickly brought under control on Saturday and the cause of the blaze is still unknown Christine Hasman, administrator for East Trent Churches, said All Saints Church will open during the day from now until Christmas for people to remember the family Neighbours reported seeing flames coming from the conservatory of the home but the cause of the fire has not been confirmed Emergency services were in place at the scene last night and a joint investigation has been launched by Nottinghamshire Police and Fire and Rescue Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue tweeted about the tragic incident on Saturday afternoon Martin Ball, a resident of Woodhill Road, said, 'I couldn't see any smoke from my home but I saw lots and lots of vehicles arriving so I knew it was serious. 'There was five or six fire engines, with lots of police. There was even the helicopter support team there. 'The family live near to the junction and my view is obstructed by other buildings. 'It's a complete tragedy.' A celebrity faith healer accused of abusing more than 300 women during private consultations at his clinic handed himself into Brazilian police on Sunday. Joao Teixeira de Faria, who is known as Joao de Deus - John of God - came under fire when ten women in Brazil came forward to accuse him of sexually abusing them at his clinic, Casa de Dom Inacio de Loyola in Abadiania, Brazil. They announced their bombshell accusations on Brazil's Globo TV network and authorities were soon contacted by more than 300 other accusers, including de Faria's adult daughter, Dalva Teixeira. Joao Teixeira de Faria, better known as John of God, arrives to the Dom Inacio Loyola House in Abadiania, Brazil days after being accused of sexual abuse Following the claims, de Faria was given up until 3pm on Saturday to comply with an arrest warrant, however he did not surrender by the deadline and was deemed a fugitive from justice, officials said. The 76-year-old medium, who has been interviewed by Oprah and has treated Bill Clinton, surrendered on the outskirts of Abadiania, Goais, yesterday, police reported. According to a video released by the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, de Faria said: 'I surrender to divine justice and justice on Earth.' De Faria uses scissors to perform a spiritual surgery on a woman's nose at the Casa de Dom Inacio de Loyola in Abadiania, Brazil (pictured in February 2012) He reportedly spent the night at the State Delegation of Criminal Investigations in the state capital. In an interview published Friday by Brazilian magazine Veja, Teixeira said that under the pretense of mystical treatments he abused and raped his daughter between the ages of 10 and 14. His daughter Teixeira, 49, claimed during an interview with Brazilian magazine Veja, that under the pretence of mystical treatments her 'monster' father abused and raped her between the ages of 10 and 14. More than ten women in Brazil came forward to accuse him of sexually abusing them at his clinic, Casa de Dom Inacio de Loyola in Abadiania, Brazil (pictured with a patient in 2012) Victims said they were told they had a special energy or required a special cleansing and were given a private consultation with Faria. Mous (left) claims he forced her to have anal sex during her treatment Dutch choreographer Zahira Lieneke Mous (left) and nine other anonymous women made the accusations on Saturday on late-night talk show Conversa com Bial. American tour guide Amy Biank (right) claims she witnessed the abuse She said her father stopped after she became pregnant by one of his employees, but she alleges she was beaten so severely by her father that she suffered a miscarriage. Representatives for the law office representing de Faria have said that they were not making statements on the case. De Faria has been a faith healer for four decades in a small town in central Brazil and became famous for conducting 'psychic surgeries' that he claimed could cure diseases, including cancer. He attracted followers from around the world, all looking for spiritual guidance or cures for afflictions. He gained international exposure in 2012 when Oprah Winfrey visited his retreat to interview him for her talk show. In a since-deleted column on oprah.com, Winfrey wrote that she was overwhelmed by the experience of seeing him cut into the breast of a woman without anesthesia and that she left feeling 'an overwhelming sense of peace.' Following the claims de Faria was given up until 3pm on Saturday to comply with an arrest warrant, however he did not surrender by the deadline His miraculous healings caught the attention of Oprah and he was interviewed by the host in the grounds of his clinic in 2013 (Faria pictured above with Oprah) Dutch choreographer Zahira Lieneke Mous accused the medium of manipulating her into performing sex acts then raping her during a visit to his clinic, she revealed on late-night talk show Conversa com Bial. American tour guide Amy Biank also appeared on the show claiming she witnessed de Faria carry out his abuses. Nine other Brazilian women, who all chose to remain anonymous, also told the Brazilian TV network they were abused too on the premise of transferring his 'cleansing' energy, according to BBC. Some said they were seeking a cure for their depression and sexual assault trauma when the alleged abuse took place. Mous said she went to the Abadiania centre in 2014 seeking healing from the trauma of her previous sexual abuses. During her second visit she was told she was chosen to have a private consultation with de Faria. She recounted that she was told 'You feel special', according to Folha de Sao Paulo. The 76-year-old medium, who has been interviewed by Oprah and has treated Bill Clinton, surrendered on the outskirts of Abadiania, Goais, yesterday In that horrific second session she claims de Faria came close to her, smelled her skin and asked her to stand with her back facing him and led her to a bathroom. Once there he allegedly touched her genitals and forced her to have anal sex. She said didn't run away because she wanted to be trained as a medium at the center. She overcame her self-denial four years later. 'I was terrified of them sending bad spirits in my direction, wrecking my life; that I would not be able to sleep,' she said on Globo TV. Other victims said they were also abused after they were chosen for private consultations that made them feel special. They all said de Faria offered them crystals and gemstones after the abuse. From foul-mouthed tirades to disgusting threats towards women, scammers are going to desperate lengths in their attempts to con vulnerable Australians out of their hard earned savings. There are renewed warnings to be aware of scammers claiming they're from the Australian Taxation Office after the authority received more than 37,000 reports of scam attempts in November alone. More than $1.1million was handed over to scammers just last month, according to ATO Assistant Commissioner Karen Foat. One A Current Affair reporter found out first hand how threatening the scammers can be when she recently got a call. This A Current Affair reporter found out first hand how threatening the scammers can be The reporter was on the receiving end of a foul-mouthed rant where she was called a b**** and subject to vile threats when she started asking hard questions and called the scammer out on his deceitful actions. 'If you say one more word, if you say one more time it's a scammer, I will come to your place and I will rape you,' was one of shocking threats from the other end of the line that were aired on Monday night. Grandmother Debra Evans, 61, was also targeted by ATO scammers, where she was told she owed $50,000 and that a warrant would be put out for her arrest if she didn't pay up. But Ms Evans got the last word when she said she would pass on the caller details to the Australian Federal Police. 'When they say you're going to lose your home and you're to be arrested by police, that scares people,' Ms Evans said. 'I told the scammer, on the other end of the phone, 'well, I'll be waiting at home for the police with a cup of coffee'. They're low lives. They've got nothing better to do than to try to get money that they're not entitled to out of people.' One woman named Kelly claimed she was also subject to foul-mouthed rants and that one scammer boasted that they made millions each day. The Australian Tax Office received authority received more than 37,000 reports of scam attempts in November alone, according to Assistant Commissioner Karen Foat (pictured) Assistant Commissioner Karen Foat said a real ATO employee will not threaten callers regarding a tax debt. The ATO has seen a recent spate in scam phone calls using software that resembles a legitimate phone number to disguise the callers true identity. One elderly person has lost more than $236,000 to scammers since June, according to the ATO. Taxpayers should be wary of any phone call, text message, email or letter about a tax refund or debt if they werent expecting it. They should also be beware of unsolicited emails and SMS as more than 6000 people handed over their personal or financial information to scammers since July, according to the ATO. Anyone who believes they've been called by a scammer should report it to ATOs dedicated scam reporting line on 1800 008 540. Advertisement Animal rights activists stripped naked and covered themselves in fake blood in Barcelona in a protest against the use of fur and leather. Dozens of campaigners lay naked and motionless in the busy Plaza Catalunya square, one of Barcelona's main shopping and tourism destinations, beside a sign reading 'How many lives just for a coat?'. The protest was organised by the Spanish branch of animal rights group Anima Naturalis. Pictures show protesters piled on top of one another in the popular tourist destination as they insisted 'society needs to know the cruelty... in the fur industry'. Scroll down for video Animal rights activists stripped in front of shocked shoppers and tourists in the heart of Barcelona, Spain, yesterday, in a protest against the fur and leather industries Animal rights activists stripped naked and covered themselves in fake blood in Barcelona in a protest against the use of fur and leather Dozens of campaigners lay naked and motionless in the busy Plaza Catalunya square, one of Barcelona's main shopping and tourism destinations, beside a sign reading 'How many lives just for a coat?' The protest was organised by the Spanish branch of animal rights group Anima Naturalis and held in one of Barcelona's best known tourist destinations Pictures show protesters piled on top of one another in the popular tourist destination as they insisted 'society needs to know the cruelty... in the fur industry' According to local reports they wanted to 'give voice to the millions of animals who are abused and killed' in the trade'. They claimed that 32 million animals are slaughtered in the EU for fur every year. Last year, topless campaigners from the same group wore horns and covered themselves in fake blood in the streets of Pamplona to protest against annual bull runs. Anima Naturalis and PETA campaigners stripped down to their black pants and daubed themselves in anti-cruelty slogans. High profile: The gruesome-looking protest was played out in front of crows in one of the key shopping and tourism areas in Barcelona Playing dead: The naked campaigners stayed motionless as they lay on the ground covered in fake blood for their protest over the fur industry According to local reports they wanted to 'give voice to the millions of animals who are abused and killed' in the trade' The activists, who coated themselves in fake blood, have claimed that 32 million animals are slaughtered in the EU for fur every year Naked animal rights activists covered with fake blood lay on the street to denounce the use of animal skins and fur One of the protesters held up a sign (right) translated as 'How many lives just for a coat?'. Another is pictured wrapped in a towel after the protest (left) Naked activists lay intertwined in the street and covered in fake blood as they staged a protest against the use of fur and leather The protesters played dead as they lay sprawled out in the street in Barcelona. They said 'society needs to know the cruelty... in the fur industry' Wearing fake horns, they also threw red powder into the air to symbolise what they regard as unnecessary and cruel bloodshed during the annual festival which attracts hundreds of thousands of people from around the world. The San Fermin festival sees 'contestants' run through the streets whilst taunting the bulls. The protest rally called for 'a San Fermin without blood' and the abolition of bullfighting. The animal campaigners have carried out the protests in Pamplona over the last 14 years. Malaysia filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two former executives on Monday for their role in the alleged multibillion-dollar ransacking of state investment fund 1MDB. Attorney General Tommy Thomas said the government is seeking several billion dollars in fines from Goldman Sachs for breaches of securities laws that involved it making false and misleading statements to investors. He said his office will seek prison sentences of up to 10 years for the former Goldman executives, Roger Ng Chong Hwa and Tim Leissner, who is married to model Kimora Lee Simmons. Leissner took a plea deal last month with US prosecutors. He is free on $20million bail and has agreed to pay $43million. A sentencing date for him has not been set and it remains unclear if his plea deal has allowed him to escape jail time. Malaysian and U.S. prosecutors allege that bond sales organized by Goldman Sachs for 1MDB provided one of the means for associates of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to steal billions over several years from a fund that was ostensibly set up to accelerate Malaysia's economic development. Tim Leissner, pictured with hi wife Kimora Lee Simmons and their son Wolfe, is facing up to 10 years in prison in the US and in Malaysia and has agreed to pay $43million in fines already for his role in the theft The scandal, first reported by Sarawak Report and the Wall Street Journal, resulted in Najib and his ruling coalition losing power in a historic election defeat earlier this year. Najib himself is facing corruption charges. He has said that more than $700 million that moved through his bank account was a political donation from the Saudi royal family, but U.S. prosecutors say it came from 1MDB, of which Najib was the top official. U.S. legal filings that are part of a Justice Department civil case to recover assets bought with 1MDB funds allege the money was used to finance Hollywood films and spent on luxuries such as diamond jewelry for Najib's wife, a yacht, artworks and high-end properties. They used the money to shower celebrities including Leonardo di Caprio and Miranda Kerr with gifts and invest in films including The Wolf of Wall Street. Among the items purchased with the money was a transparent piano that was gifted to supermodel Miranda Kerr. She offered to give it back along with jewelry she received and is cooperating with the authorities. They can cost up to $1million The Equanimity yacht was also purchased by Jho using the stolen funds More than $200million was spent on artwork including Monet's Saint-Georges Majeur. They are fighting to recover all of the items which are dotted around the world Both di Caprio and Kerr have since returned the items they were gifted to authorities. Goldman Sachs denied any wrongdoing in response to Malaysia's criminal charges. On the run: Jho Low is also wanted by authorities in the US and Malaysia. He showered celebrities in gifts that were purchased with the stolen money 'We believe these charges are misdirected and we will vigorously defend them and look forward to the opportunity to present our case,' bank spokesman Edward Naylor said in a statement. 'The firm continues to cooperate with all authorities investigating these matters.' Thomas, the Malaysian attorney general, said $2.7 billion was stolen from three bond sales organized by subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs. The investment bank, he said, received $600 million in fees for organizing the bond deals, which was several times higher than industry norms. Leissner and Ng conspired with Najib associate Low Taek Jho, a key architect of the entire 1MDB fraud, to bribe Malaysian government officials to use Goldman Sachs as the arranger of the bond deals, according to Thomas. They and Goldman Sachs knew that the money would be stolen, he said. 'Having held themselves out as the pre-eminent global adviser/arranger for bonds, the highest standards are expected of Goldman Sachs,' the attorney general's statement said. 'They have fallen far short of any standard. In consequence, they have to be held accountable.' Celebrity-loving Jho also used some of the money to invest in films including The Wolf of Wall Street and he gave Leonardo Di Caprio gifts too Prosecutors plan to seek fines 'well in excess' of the amount allegedly stolen because of the severity of the violations of Malaysia's laws, Thomas said. Leissner, who headed Goldman's operations in Southeast Asia, pleaded guilty in the U.S. last month to money laundering conspiracy and conspiring to violate foreign bribery laws after the Justice Department charged him, Ng and Low in relation to the 1MDB scandal. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is facing corruption charges. He is pictured leaving court in September Ng was arrested in Malaysia in early November and Low, also known as Jho Low, remains at large. He has previously maintained his innocence in statements via a lawyer. 'As has been stated previously, Mr. Low will not submit to any jurisdiction where guilt has been predetermined by politics and there is no independent legal process,' a spokesperson for Low said in a statement on Monday. 'It is clear that Mr. Low cannot get a fair trial in Malaysia, where the regime has proven numerous times that they have no interest in the rule of law.' Malaysian police said in July that Low had fled Macau to an unknown destination. Before facing criminal charges, Low became well known in the New York City and Los Angeles club scenes. In 2012, he threw a lavish 31st birthday bash attended by Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt is working with Brexiteer rebels to stop Theresa May switching to a softer Brexit, it was claimed today. Tory sources said Ms Mordaunt was doing more than talking to leading rebels but was 'working with key figures' like Jacob Rees-Mogg on how to deliver Brexit - but friends of the minister dismissed the claim. Ms Mordaunt was one of a series of Brexiteer ministers who opted to stay in Cabinet despite having deep reservations over the Prime Minister's divorce deal. The group hoped to work on the plan from inside Government to ensure the best Brexit available - instead of opting to snipe from the sidelines. Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt is working with Brexiteer rebels to stop Theresa May switching to a softer Brexit, it was claimed today Hopes are fixed on the trade deal section of the talks due to begin after exit day in the spring but only if Mrs May's deal is passed by the Commons. Ms Mordaunt is also seen as a leading Brexiteer contender for Tory leader when Mrs May quits - something which could happen within weeks if her deal is destroyed. One senior Tory source told the Mirror: 'Obviously people talk to one another but there's a pretty big leap between having a chat with Jacob [Rees-Mogg] or Steve [Baker] and working with key figures in the ERG to pull together a plan that is ultimately your plan for government. 'These are the people who are literally trying to get rid of her boss.' An ERG insider added: 'Penny is the most ERG person left in the Cabinet so it's hardly surprising that she's fishing in the pool.' A source close to Ms Mordant dismissed the claims. The source said: 'Penny believes the whole party has to come together to deliver Brexit.' As Mrs May fights to survive she forged an unlikely alliance with bitter rival Boris Johnson today condemning the idea of a second referendum. Tory sources said Ms Mordaunt was doing more than talking to leading rebels but was 'working with key figures' like Jacob Rees-Mogg on how to deliver Brexit The PM is launching a searing rebuff to those mooting another national ballot as a way through the mounting political crisis - thought to include some of her own Cabinet and closest aides. In a bid to kill off the prospect, Mrs May will tell MPs it would cause 'irreparable damage' to Britain. And the warning has been echoed by Mr Johnson, who insisted anyone backing a fresh referendum was 'out of their minds' and it would create 'feelings of betrayal' among millions of voters. The united front with the former foreign secretary comes amid a desperate scramble to find a way through the Brexit deadlock. With seemingly no hope of Mrs May's deal making it through Parliament, Cabinet ministers are openly floating other approaches. A woman has been charged with the murder over the death of a four-month-old baby girl after being rushed to hospital. The four-month-old was taken to Logan Hospital in Queensland with life-threatening injuries. She was then transferred to Queensland Children's Hospital in a critical condition but died on November 20. She was then transferred to Queensland Children's Hospital in a critical condition but died on November 20 A 35-year-old woman was charged with murder on Monday. An investigation centre was established under Operation Quebec Lugano with detectives from the Logan Child Protection and Investigation Unit and State Crime Commands Homicide and Child Trauma squads involved. The infant's death came just a day after another baby girl was found dead on a Gold Coast beach in an unrelated case. That nine-month-old's body was found washed up on the beach at Surfer's Paradise on Monday, after having apparently drifted 30km from Tweed Heads. Her homeless 48-year-old father is to be extradited to NSW to be charged with her murder. The woman is expected to appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Tuesday. A British tourist has been found dead in his hotel room in Thailand, just hours after arriving. Luke Ramage, of Consett, County Durham, was reportedly found by a receptionist at his hotel in Bangkok's red light district, lying on a bed with bruises to his shoulders and legs. It was feared the 31-year-old had been murdered as there were signs of a struggle and marks that indicated he could have been in a fight. Luke Ramage was found dead in a hotel room in Bangkok's red light district after a friend raised the alarm The Bavana Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, where Luke Ramage was found dead by a receptionist hours after arriving in the country The safe in the father-of-two's room at the Bavana Hotel was left open, no valuables were inside and cigarette packs were left scattered around the floor, The Sun reported. A friend of Ramage was said to have told hotel workers he was in trouble, then disappeared before the police arrived on December 14. He had only arrived at the hotel a few hours earlier and his luggage was said to have still been in his suitcase when his body was discovered. On the day of his death, Ramage posted on Facebook that he was at the Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park - a four-minute walk from his hotel. Earlier in the day he posted that he had landed in Thailand along with a picture of himself and two friends. Ramage was due to spend time in Bangkok, before heading to the party island of Phuket, then Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos before going back to Thailand After arriving in Thailand on the day he died Luke posted a picture on Facebook celebrating the beginning of his holiday began The caption to the image read: 'Keeeeeemon. Boys on tour.' A source told The Sun said: 'The receptionist found the body. She said a friend staying in another room told them the victim had a problem. 'She went up to check and when she came back down he had disappeared. The man was dead when police arrived. There were signs of a fight. 'The safe had been opened in a suspected theft. There were only cigarettes left.' After spending time in the capital Bangkok, Ramage was planning to visit the party island of Phuket in Thailand, before heading to Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and going back to Thailand. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: 'We are in touch with the local authorities following reports of the death of a British man in Thailand'. It was feared the British tourist could have been murdered as he was found by hotel staff lying on his bed with bruises to his shoulders and legs On social media friends and family paid tribute to Ramage, who ran a cleaning services company in his home town. Jade Storey wrote: 'You my best friend, you are one of a kind, I love you like no other, I couldn't be anymore gutted. Your Mam, your family and your babies. 'This time of year was hard for you I know that, I know you were hard work and made mistakes but so does everyone Luke. 'It was only just three days ago we was putting the world to rights and it was only 2 days ago we spoke and you were having a good time. 'I love you always my bro, rest in peace my 'matey' love Jadey baby.' Fiona De Pinna wrote: 'I can't believe what I'm reading here! RIP Luke. Xx.' Angus Holmes, added: 'RIP big lad far too soon horrible news x.' Advertisement A celebrity dog which has appeared in various Chinese blockbusters has been cloned so its 'mini-me' could carry on entertaining film fans in the country when the famous pooch dies. Nine-year-old mongrel 'Juice', or 'Guozhi' in Mandarin, is a popular animal star on the silver screen, works alongside Chinese A-listers such as Huang Bo and earns up to six figures for each movie he stars in. As the one-foot-tall canine gets older and his illustrious career peaks, its owner has decided to have the pet genetically replicated so its talent in acting could be preserved and carried forward by its copy 'Little Juice', according to Sinogene, the company that carried out the cloning service. Same same but different: Nine-year-old 'Juice' (right) looks at its two-month-old clone 'Little Juice' on November 26 in Beijing Sinogene CEO Mi Jidong (second on the right) and staff of the biotech company that specialises in animal cloning hand over one-month-old 'Little Juice' to He Jun (left) on October 22. He is also the owner of 'Juice' (far left), a celebrity pooch in China He Jun, the owner of 'Juice', poses with two-month-old 'Little Juice' next to a film poster which shows its source dog Little big star: 'Juice' has starred popular Chinese comedy 'Breakup Buddies' (above) alongside A-lister Huangbo and Xu Zhen A mongrel stray adopted off the streets, Juice is unable to reproduce since he was neutered from an early age. 'Juice himself is a piece of intellectual property with social influence,' said his master, Beijing-based animal trainer He Jun. To achieve that, He went to Sinogene, China's first biotech company to provide pet cloning services. Sinogene made headlines when it successfully cloned a gene-edited beagle in May last year. A month later, it launched commercial cloning services. For at least 380,000 yuan ($55,065), pet owners can clone their pets. Juice's copy, 'Little Juice' - or 'Zhizhi' in Chinese - was born in mid-September and stayed with its surrogate mother in Sinogene's lab for about a month. The puppy was later given to He at a small ceremony at which the original Juice was present. While He has not committed Little Juice to show business just yet, he sees lots of potential. 'We believe he'll be even better than the older Juice,' He said. Juice's copy, 'Little Juice' - or 'Zhizhi' in Chinese - was born in mid-September at the lab of Beijing-based company Sinogene. The fluffy puppy melted the hearts of the public when the company released a set of pictures showing the one-month old dog He Jun poses with his dogs, nine-year-old Juice and its two-month-old clone, at his pet resort in Beijing on November 26 A framed picture shows Chinese actress Ni Ni holding 'Juice', which has been hailed in China for its talent in acting Sinogene's CEO Mi Jidong said the company's pet cloning business is in its initial stages, but he plans to expand services to eventually include gene editing. 'We've discovered that more and more pet owners want their pets to accompany them for an even longer period of time,' said Mi. China's biotech industry is growing rapidly and, compared with similar enterprises in the West, faces relatively few regulatory barriers. He Jun, the owner of 'Juice', hopes that the pet's talent could be preserved and carried forward by its copy 'Little Juice' A mongrel stray adopted off the streets, 'Juice' (right) is unable to reproduce since he was neutered from an early age But thanks to the animal cloning services from scientists in Sinogene, 'Little Juice' has been born in honour of 'Juice' Last year, scientists at Sinogene claimed they had found the key to mass-breeding extra strong and fast 'super dogs' after successfully cloning a gene-edited beagle, named Long Long. The team of researchers in Beijing say through the technology, they were able to change a dog's nature by modifying its genes, and then reproduce it through cloning. For example, they could customise a dog to make it have bigger muscles and better running ability before making copies of it, according to Lai Liangxue, the lead researcher. Welcome to the world: A staff member holds 24-day-old clone of Juice at the biotech company Sinogene on October 11 Staff from Sinogene extract a gene sample from nine-year-old Juice at He Jun's pet resort in Beijing on June 7 A Beagle which is the surrogate mother of the 24 day-old clone of Juice shares an enclosure with the puppy in Sinogen Earlier this year, a Shanghai lab produced the world's first monkey clones, two long-tailed macaques. More controversially, He Jiankui of China's Southern University of Science and Technology last month claimed he used gene-editing technology to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls. Tin-Lap Lee, an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said while China has regulations on the use of animals for lab research, there are no laws explicitly covering animal cloning. 'On the government side, the image of this cloning industry is very high-tech, and definitely...is very supportive of those high-tech industries because of their high-profit margin,' said Lee. In Juice's case, skin samples were collected from the dog's lower abdomen and within weeks, Sinogene was able to isolate his DNA and fertilise an egg. The fertilised egg is then surgically inserted into the uterus of a surrogate mother dog - in this case a beagle. A teenager who suffered years of torment from bullies for having severe overbite says she is 'loving life' after corrective surgery. Jodie Bowers, of Bedale, North Yorkshire, was 13 when medics realised her bottom jaw was 11mm further back than her top one. She was promised an operation but had to wait six years until she stopped growing before she was given the green light. During the agonising wait, she was bombarded with abusive messages and even attacked on a night out. She was forced to call the police on three occasions and had to start taking antidepressants because the bullies were making her life hell. But now after going under the knife, Jodie, 19, says surgery has transformed her confidence. Jodie Bowers, of Bedale, North Yorkshire, was 13 when medics realised her bottom jaw was 11mm further back than her top one. She had to endure a six-year wait before she was ready for surgery. The 19-year-old is pictured before left and after right Jodie Bowers is pictured recovering in hospital after jaw re-alignment surgery During the agonising wait, she was bombarded with abusive messages and even attacked on a night out Bullies flooded the teenager with messages and shared edited pictures of her She said: 'I was counting the days down until my operation. I feel absolutely incredible now. I am just loving life. 'Life is so much better, I'm going out more and I'm happy to speak for myself. 'The main thing is that I'll take photos of my side before which I never would have done before. Now I just can't wait to get out there and live my life.' Recently surgeons at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough, split her jaw apart before moving each piece into a new position. Although initially she couldn't see the results due to swelling and bruising, when Jodie first saw her reflection she burst into tears of joy. The 19-year is revelling in her new smile and can't wait to eat her Christmas dinner without cutting it into tiny pieces - like she used to. Jodie was promised an operation at 13 but had to wait six years until she stopped growing before she was given the green light (pictured in hospital straight afterwards) Although initially she couldn't see the results due to swelling and bruising, when Jodie first saw her reflection she burst into tears of joy She said: 'I was about 13 years old when my dentist noticed something was wrong. 'They referred me to the hospital where I had loads of X-rays and they came to the conclusion that surgery was the best option. 'But you have to wait until you stop developing so I had to wait until I was older. 'I never thought I was pretty and it didn't matter what anyone said, I just felt awful.' Jodie, of Bedale, North Yorkshire, spent her teenage years suffering from low confidence and banned her friends from taking photos of her sideways, as it showed off her profile. She said: 'My mouth was really crowded so I had six teeth taken out and it caused me to snore. 'I've always had to eat everything with a knife and fork, even pizza, as I needed to chop it up really small. 'But a lot of it was about the mental suffering. It caused me to have really bad social anxiety. 'I used to have a lot of panic attacks and I hated having to be the centre of attention.' Recovery: Jodie Bowers is pictured with large bruises on her face as a result of the surgery She admits that it stopped her from putting herself out there and that she dreaded having to speak in public. She said: 'I was very lucky that I went to a small school and everyone supported me. 'I think I was very lucky to have that as other people definitely weren't as understanding. She said: 'Life is so much better, I'm going out more and I'm happy to speak for myself.' 'When I was about 16 years old, I was added to a group chat on Facebook and it was just full of lads making fun of me. 'They were swapping photos of me and making fun of how I look. And one of them added me in so I could see it. 'I got the police involved and they then had to apologise to me but I've had them blocked since. 'When stuff like that happened, I would sit there and think how could anyone do something like that to someone else? 'Another time I went on a night out in Darlington and a girl swung at me. 'We were in the toilets and she made a mean comment about my jaw so I burst into tears. 'Then she started getting really angry and tried to hit me so I had to get the bouncers to escort her out as she was going crazy about it. 'And on a day to day basis, you'd notice people staring or I'd pick up on comments being made. 'Looking back now, I didn't really cope with it. Something like that would make me go home and cry. 'I got put on medication and it consumed my life. The first thing everyone saw of me was my chin. 'My mum and dad were so supportive and didn't hesitate to get the police involved.' Sam Cheatle, head of wellbeing services at Changing Faces, a charity that campaigns for people with facial disfigurements, said negative remarks were common. She said: 'Having a visible difference in a society where there is such pressure to look a certain way can be extremely difficult. 'Changing Faces provides counselling, support networks and skin camouflage services for anyone with a condition which affects the appearance of their face or body. 'The people we support often tell us about their experiences of isolation, anxiety and negative attitudes from others, such as staring and hurtful comments.' A Tigerair flight to Melbourne has returned to Sydney Airport after reports of a bomb on board the plane. Flight TT271 was forced to turn around shortly into its planned journey after a threatening note was found in the toilet and handed to the pilot. A spokesman for NSW Police confirmed to Daily Mail an emergency call was first taken at 8.30pm sparking a police operation at the airport. A TigerAir flight to Melbourne has returned to Sydney Airport after reports of a bomb on board the plane (scene pictured) Flight TT271 was forced to turn around less than an hour into its planned journey after a threatening note was believed to be handed to the pilot Tigerair confirmed the flight returned safely to Sydney Airport at 8.35pm after the plane took off at 6.40pm. Passengers left the grounded plane at about 11.30pm. They have since been told the earliest flight to Melbourne is 9pm on Tuesday. Emergency services rushed to the scene at the domestic terminal following the call. After landing, the plane was towed to the bay 58 at Terminal two at the southern end of the airport. 'The captain made the decision to return to Sydney following an incident on board,' the airline said in a statement. NSW Police confirmed to Daily Mail that a police operation is underway at Sydney Airport, adding that all threats are to be taken seriously until deemed safe TigerAir flight TT271 to Melbourne has been forced to return to Sydney Airport after reports of a bomb on board the plane TIGERAIR FLIGHT TT271: A TIMELINE About 7pm - TigerAir Flight TT271 takes off from Sydney Airport bound for Melbourne About 7.45pm - Pilot is warned of a threat on board the plane and turns it around 8.30pm - NSW Police receives an emergency call and responds to reports of threat 8.35pm - The plane lands safely in Sydney. 11.30pm - Passengers leave the grounded plane Advertisement 'In line with standard procedures, the Australian Federal Police met the aircraft on arrival. 'The safety of our crew and guests is always our highest priority and we are working with the relevant authorities to investigate the matter.' Passengers on board the flight took to social media, indicating they were unaware as to why the plane returned to Sydney. 'We flew for an hour and then we just landed back in Sydney. We havent been told why yet,' a passenger said. Another passenger told Daily Mail Australia that the crew had told frustrated people on board very little. 'Police are everywhere, but still not left the plane. So I assume [they're] still checking.' He said the other passengers on the flight appeared calm given the situation. No arrests have been made. Passengers safely left the grounded plane around 11.30pm This is the appalling moment a roof collapsed in a Russian factory today, killing three workers and injuring at least a dozen. The roof of the plant in the city of Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, suddenly caved in burying workers under debris. The three who died were on the roof carrying out repairs and they fell inside the plant, it was reported. Roof of the plant in the city of Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, suddenly caved in burying workers under debris. CCTV footage shows the moment the roof collapsed In the video people are seen on checking machinery at the start of the working day when the disaster strikes. The accident was at the Tekhnogrupp LLC company which manufacturers cooling and refrigeration equipment. An eyewitness said it was 'miraculous more were not killed' . Accident was at the Tekhnogrupp LLC company which manufacturers cooling and refrigeration equipment. Recovery workers sift through the debris The head of Moscow region's Health Ministry Dmitry Matveev said: 'Six injured were delivered to Dzerzhinskiy city hospital 'Six more people were treated at the site and did not need to be taken to hospital.' Rescue officials said they had completed efforts to pull workers from the carnage. Rescue officials said they had completed efforts to pull workers from the carnage. The roof after the incident shown One theory was that the weight of snow had caused the tragedy. But it was also claimed that roof repairs involved building blocks and insulation equipment. These are believed to put too much weight on the roof which then collapsed. A bird's eye view of the damage the manufacturing plant sustained after the accident 'Preliminary checks established that there were repair works to insulate the roof,' said a statement from the Russian Investigative Committee. 'Under the weight of the insulation materials and building blocks the roof collapsed. 'Three people that were on the roof as it was collapsing have died.' A criminal case has been opened. But head of the town's administration, Vitaly Panamorenko, said: 'There were no big snowfalls so this was not the cause. The rescue goes on. We keep situation under control.' This is the extraordinary moment a team of vets used ropes to capture an angry elephant after he went missing months ago. The young elephant had been destroying crops and raiding homes in Suriyanwewa, Walasmulla and Kuttigala, Sri Lanka, after becoming separated from his herd. He had become such a nuisance that vets from the Sri Lanka Air Force were asked to step in to help forest officials capture the elephant in a 24-hour operation. The young elephant had been destroying crops and raiding homes in Suriyanwewa, Walasmulla and Kuttigala, Sri Lanka, after getting lost months ago In the clip, a large group of people watch as the 15-year-old elephant stands in a clearing just ahead of a green truck. Five men are waiting behind the animal with lengths of thick rope - moving swiftly to avoid the elephant's angry kicks. They then begin to throw the rope around the animal's hooves one-by-one, expertly hooking each of his feet within a pre-made loop in a specialised technique. Another man then uses a long wooden stick to tighten the rope. When all four of his hooves are secured, the rescuers begin to walk the frightened beast to a waiting truck. But the elephant trips over the ropes tied to his hooves and collapses to the ground as he attempts to escape. A team of vets from the Sri Lanka Air Force were forced to step in to help forest officials capture the animal They secured his hooves with thick rope before attempting to walk him onto the back of a truck The clip then cuts to the vets encouraging the elephant into the vehicle. They throw water onto his back to keep him cool as he edges further along the back of the truck. The rescuers then secure the animal and drive away. Kuttigada Police had to seek permission from the court to get a team of vets from the Sri Lanka Air Force involved in the rescue mission. Rescuers then fastened the rope to the side of the vehicle before driving the elephant to a rehabilitation centre The officers worked alongside forest officials to safely retrieve the elephant in a 24-hour operation on December 6. It is believed the elephant was taken to a rehabilitation centre where it will be given preliminary treatment. The animal will then be released back into the jungle to reunite with its herd, officials said. Seven-year-old Guatemalan girl Jakelin Caal who died in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Lawyers for the father of a seven-year-old girl who died in the custody of US Customs and Border Patrol say he did not understand when he was asked in Spanish if his daughter was in good health and answered yes because his native tongue is Mayan. Jakelin Caal died on December 8 in a hospital in El Paso, Texas, in the early hours of the morning. She was detained along with her father Nery at 9.15pm on December 6th as they crossed into the US in New Mexico illegally. At 10pm that night, Nery was questioned about their health and, according to Customs and Border Patrol, told agents that neither he nor his daughter had health problems. He was questioned in Spanish and his answers were translated to English and marked onto a Form I-779. On Friday, officials repeatedly eschewed blame for Jakelin's death by telling journalists about the form. But in light of the fact that Spanish was not, as they claimed, his first language, it remains unclear if Nery knew what he was saying when he told the agents that his daughter was healthy. It also remains unclear what he would have told them had he understood the questions fully. 'Jakelin and her father speak Q'eqchi' and Spanish is their second language. Neither of them speaks English. Yet, CBP is relying on forms signed by her father which are in the English language. Neither of them speaks English. Yet, CBP is relying on forms signed by her father which are in the English language. Lawyers for Jakelin Caal's father in El Paso, Texas 'It is unacceptable for any government agency to have persons in custody sign documents in a language that they clearly do not understand,' lawyers Enrique Moreno, Elena Esparza and Lynn Coyle said in a joint statement. He also fought the government's initial claim that Jakelin had not eaten or drank water for 'days' before she died. 'Prior to going into CBP custody and contrary to the report that Jakelin 'had not eaten or had any water for several days,' Jakelin had not been crossing the desert for days. 'Jakelin's father took care of Jakelin - made sure she was fed and had sufficient water. She and her father sought asylum from border patrol as soon as they crossed the border. 'She had not suffered from a lack of water or food prior to approaching the border,' the lawyers said. The child's cause of death has not yet been determined and no information about her autopsy has been released. Speaking through tears in a Mayan dialect, Jakelin's mother Claudia Maquin said: 'Every time they ask me what happened to the girl, it hurts me again'. She is shown with her two sons and baby daughter Domingo Caal Chub, 61, (pictured), Nery's father, and the rest of the family are said to speak a Mayan dialect with both English and Spanish being their second languages This is the home Jakelin lived in with her father, mother, grandfather and three siblings where they survived on $5-a-day Last week, CBP officials spoke on a conference call along with officials from the Department of Homeland Security where they gave reasons including brain swelling, liver failure, septic shock and dehydration for her death. The officials repeatedly refused to go on the record with their claims. Nery is now staying at Anunciation House, a shelter for migrants in El Paso. His daughter's body is being sent back to Guatemala for burial in the village she fled. GOVERNMENT TIMELINE OF GIRL'S DEATH December 6th, 9.15pm: Jackeline is detained at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry 10pm: She is looked over by border agents who clear her and say she has no signs of ill health December 7th, 4.30am: Jackeline is put on a bus with her father to be taken to the Lordsburg Patrol Station 5am: The child begins vomiting on the bus Agents call ahead to the Lordsburg station and keep driving 6.30am: Jackeline's father tells agents she has stopped breathing 6.45am: EMTs treat Jackeline at the border patrol station 7.45am: She is airlifted to Providence Children's Hospital in El Paso, Texas December 8th: Jackeline Dies in the early morning after a CT scan revealed brain swelling, liver failure, dehydration, and septic shock Advertisement Tekandi Paniagua, the Guatemalan consul in Del Rio, Texas, told The Associates Press that he had spoken with the girl's father who said he had no complaints about how they were treated. 'When I spoke to the father he actually said he was very grateful for the effort of both the Border Patrol agents that assisted his daughter at the station as well as the medical staff at the hospital,' he said on Saturday. He said he told him that in his impoverished village in Guatemala, Spanish is needed only occasionally, such as when the community deals with schools and health care or for work, Paniagua said. Before they arrived at the border crossing, he said they had only been walking for 90 minutes with the group of 162 others. Caal asked the Guatemalan consulate in Texas, which had reached out to him, if he could see his daughter one last time before her body was sent back to her homeland. That request prompted special arrangements at a private funeral home on Friday, when he said goodbye to Jakelin. The consulate asked him if he wanted an interpreter who could explain everything, including the repatriation of her body, in Q'eqchi. He said he did. After listening to the interpreter, Paniagua said, Caal thanked the consulate and said 'he felt more comfortable in his own language.' Jakelin was her father's favorite child, according to her mother and grandfather. Jakelin's official cause of death has not yet been released The family lives in a hut in San Antonio Secortez, a mountainous hamlet which has only 420 inhabitants, and they survive on $5-a-day which they earn through harvesting corn and beans. According to the family, Nery paid a smuggler to take him and Jakelin to the border. His father Domingo, who speaks Spanish like 'most' other men in the town, told The Associated Press that he borrowed money to pay for their journey and used their plot of land as a surety. 'He was desperate,' he said. The family contradicted what his lawyers seemed to suggest by saying that they never intended to apply for asylum. Most of the men in the village know Spanish but Nery's was 'broken', according to Guatemalan officials. Jakelin's mother Claudia held back tears as she described her life in Mayan. Her grandfather, Domingo Caal Chub, 61, translated her remarks into Spanish. 'Everytime they ask me what happened to the girl, it hurts me again,' she said. More than two dozen languages are spoken in Guatemala, and the consulate tries to send interpreters as soon as possible to help detained migrants, Paniagua said. Jakelin's father is now staying at a shelter in El Paso, Texas, and has asked for privacy. Pictured is Ruben Garcia, the head of the shelter, at a news conference on Saturday A sign outside the family's home announces Jakelin's death Jackeline Caal Maquin died on December 8th a day after being detained on the border with her father. Her death has sparked humanitarian concerns about the US's treatment of illegal migrants in their custody. Above is an illustration of her final hours Jakelin was the only child her father took with him from the family when they left their home in Raxruha for the US several weeks ago But sometimes by the time they get there, the migrants have already signed forms. 'We'll ask, 'Do you speak Spanish?' And they'll say yes,' he said. 'Then we'll ask, 'But do you understand Spanish?' And often they'll say, 'No, I need an interpreter.' All ICE agents are required to speak Spanish, and they receive formal Spanish training. Reading forms in Spanish is often enough to pose basic questions. Scores of immigrant parents who were separated from their children after crossing the border in the spring said they signed forms agreeing to be deported with the understanding that their kids would be returning with them, only to find themselves deported without them. Many had to wait months before being reunited with them in their homelands. Border Patrol officials on Friday said agents did everything they could to save the girl but that she had not had food or water for days. Jakelin's family is asking for an 'objective and thorough' investigation to determine whether officials met standards for taking children into custody. Border Patrol officials did not immediately respond to the family lawyers' statement. Authorities are conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Results are expected in about a week. An investigation into her death is also being carried out by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General. Two men have drowned and one remains missing in the surf after three teenagers were pulled from the water at a popular unpatrolled beach. A group of six people started to struggle in the surf at Moonee Beach in New South Wales' Mid Coast on Monday evening. As they got into trouble, two girls, 15 and 17, and one 15-year-old boy were successfully pulled from the water. A group of six people started to struggle in the surf at Moonee Beach (pictured) in New South Wales' Mid Coast on Monday evening The three teenagers were rushed to Coffs Harbour Hospital for medical treatment. A 35-year-old man and 45-year-old man were also pulled from the water but were unfortunately unable to be revived. Another 28-year-old man wasn't pulled from the water and is still missing, despite police searching for him into the night. The search has been suspended due to the lack of light and strong surf conditions and will resume in the morning. It is believe all six people involved in the incident were from Sydney and are known to each other. Officers from the Coffs/Clarence Police District are continuing to investigate the incident and are preparing a report for the Coroner. A schoolboy whose family fled civil unrest in Bangladesh and now live in a London council flat has bagged a place at Eton. Maheraj Ahmed, 15, was just five when he fled his homeland with his mother Rani Begum, 46 and father Sharif Uddin, 48. The family were given a three-bedroom council flat in Barkingside, east London and Maheraj got a place at a school in nearby Plaistow. But instead of continuing his education in the capital's East End, Maheraj's life is about to change forever with his 76,000 scholarship to Eton College. Following in the footsteps of Princes William and Harry to name a few, the teenager will head to the elite Berkshire private school in September to study A-Levels in history, chemistry, biology and physics. Maheraj Ahmed, 15 (pictured second left) was just five when he fled his homeland with his mother Rani Begum, 46 (left) and father Sharif Uddin, 48. Now he and his sister Sanzida, 14 (second right) and brother Tanzir, seven (right) live in a council flat in east London Maheraj's life is about to change forever after bagging a 76,000 scholarship to study at Eton. He is pictured with his headteachers Simon Elliot and Gillianb Dineen He said: 'People would not think that I would have much in common with the boys at Eton but I did not find them stuck up at all, they just want to do well in life, that is all I want. 'The only difference is my motivation is maybe stronger than theirs. My family and I have had a hard life, going to Eton will give me a chance to make our lives better.' Despite living in hardship with both his parents unemployed, Maheraj, his brother, sister, mother and father are grateful for the life they have been given in the UK. He said: 'East London is a tough place to grow up. There are lots of problems here. 'My mum will not let me go out after dark because of the social problems we have here. Following in the footsteps of Princes William and Harry to name a few, Maheraj (pictured) will head to Eton in September to study his A-Levels 'We have had to move around a lot, to different parts of London, sometimes a long way from my school, which means a lot of travelling. He added: 'I do feel very grateful to this country for allowing my family and I to come here. 'I want to repay that by becoming a hard-working member of society who can contribute in a positive way. 'That is why I want to study medicine, hopefully at Oxford or Cambridge, and then become a heart surgeon. I want to give something back.' Maheraj was mentored throughout the application process by his executive headteacher Simon Elliott. He had to go through a gruelling three-day assessment at the Berkshire School, which included three entrance exams, seven interviews and a public debate. The youngster hopes to use his incredible opportunity to be able to study medicine at university and become a doctor. Maheraj said: 'The second I knew I had been accepted by Eton I knew my life had changed beyond all recognition. 'What Mr Elliott and my school have done can never really repaid. 'I can't imagine any school in the East End or any state school where you have your own mentor, who works with you every day, who pushes you and is willing you to succeed. 'It has been hard at times, balancing all of this with my revision and studies. 'Every time I feel tired, I think of how much Mr Elliott has helped me. I did not want to let him down.' Eton College in Berkshire (pictured) has educated Princes William and Harry and many British politicians His mother said: 'We are so proud of our son. Ever since he was a little boy, he has always been so smart. 'Even in Bangladesh he was top of his class and never even revised. We are very lucky because Maheraj goes to the best school in the area. 'They have changed our son's life, we are very grateful to Mr Elliott.' Mr Elliott said: 'As a headteacher in this part of the country the biggest challenge is to raise the ambitions and aspirations. 'In becoming the first student from Cumberland School to win a place at a top independent fee-paying school graduate Maheraj has set the bar for others to follow. 'He teaches them that these kinds of opportunities are not out of their reach. 'If he can do it, they can do. The impact of that on a school and a community is transformative.' A 16-year-old who stabbed to death a youth worker after being asked to stop selling drugs outside his family home can be named for the first time today. Heroin and crack dealer Charlie Hurd, now 17, knifed 20-year-old Omid Saidy in the street near Parsons Green tube station in west London on October 16 last year. Hurd was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years in a young offenders institution in June this year - but a court order prevented publication of his name until now. The killer, who will be 18 on Christmas Day, can now be identified after his appeal against sentence failed at the High Court on Friday. His criminal past included brandishing a machete during a 2016 robbery, carrying a lock knife in his sock, and taking a weapon to school when he was 12 - yet he was free to kill Mr Sandy. And four days before Omid died, Hurd's accomplice Shafiq Smith, who stabbed Omid Saidy's friend Femi Oluwafemi at the scene, had been caught with a knife but released, it emerged during the trial. Charlie Hurd, now 17, knifed 20-year-old Omid Saidy near Parsons Green tube station in west London on 16 October last year - four days after he was caught with a knife Omid's parents Virginia Jerome and Majid Saidy, pictured leaving the Old Bailey, believe their son could still be alive today if his killer had been detained Speaking after Hurd was named for the first time today, Omid's father, Majid Saidy, said: 'Hurd's appeal has simply added to our trauma but I am pleased that the reporting restrictions have been lifted so now everyone can see the face of the person who took my beloved son from us. He is an evil individual who needs to be in prison. 'I feel if you are man enough to carry a knife, let alone use it on another human being, you should do a man-size sentence. 'Once these people get to court they present as if butter wouldn't melt, the complete opposite to how they behave on the street. It is madness that knife carriers are not going to prison for a first offence, let alone a second offence. 'Shafiq Smith who was also jailed for his part in Omid's death had been caught with a knife only four days before my son's killing - I ask myself had the court kept him in prison, would my son be here today?' Mr Saidy had called his friend Omotosho 'Femi' Oluwafemi, 18, to help tackle Hurd after challenging him for dealing drugs near his home. Femi was then knifed by another dealer Shafiq Smith, 20, after arriving at the scene in Pursers Cross Road and crashing his moped in a desperate attempt to scare them off. Mr Saidy, from Fulham, suffered wounds to his neck, torso and backside and was pronounced dead shortly after 8.30pm. Hurd, from Durham, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter by an Old Bailey jury. Smith, of Wandsworth, was cleared of murder but convicted of wounding Femi with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was jailed for just over six years. Judge Anne Molyneux had called the case a 'tragedy for Omid Saidy and the family of Omid Saidy. His loss is something they will never be able to come to terms with.' These are the knives recovered at the scene of the killing in Parsons Green in west London Jurors had heard the two victims had also been carrying knives. Prosecutor Timothy Cray said: 'Should they have chased the defendants? Absolutely not, dealing with drug dealers is the work of the police and the events show how quickly violence can spread if individuals try and take the law into their own hands.' He said Mr Saidy made a decision that 'set off a chain of events' which led to 'terrible consequences for himself and for his family' by opting to confront the drug-dealing duo. 'Omid believed that these defendants were selling drugs outside his family home, he was going to confront these defendants and tell them to stop,' he said. He called Femi during the course of the chase who arrived on his moped where all four ended up at Parsons Green tube station. During the violent confrontation Mr Saidy was knifed and kicked as he lay on the floor. Despite emergency treatment he died at the scene at around 8.30pm from the loss of blood. Femi rode up on the pavement in order to try and drive the pair off but crashed into a number of parked cars. Rather than back off, Smith closed in on the fallen rider before picking him up and plunging the knife into his chest, puncturing his lung. Smith was arrested on October 19 and admitted to officers that he was at the scene - but claimed he acted in self-defence and had no idea the youngster was armed. Hurd ran towards Munster Road where he 'disposed' of the knife but was arrested by police within about 15 minutes of the brawl. Mr Cray said he also suffered wounds that were later treated with stitches, but he put photographs of his injuries on Instagram saying he was stabbed. Hurd initially denied any knowledge of the incident before claiming he was a victim of crime. Hurd, from the Durham area, denied and was cleared of murder but was convicted of manslaughter by the jury. Smith, of Wandsworth, was also cleared of murder but convicted of wounding with intent. Omid's mother, Virginia Jerome had told the court: 'October 16 2017 was the day this nightmare began. But it is not a nightmare. It is real. 'Omid was taken from us in the most cruel and senseless way. Omid was the brightest star who brought life and love to everyone around him. 'As parents we cannot come to terms with the fact that we will never see our child again. We will never see him get married or have children of his own. 'We spent his 21st birthday crying for him and no parent should have to go through what we have. He was a remarkable young man and he will never be forgotten. 'We used to have a family Sunday but it will not be the same without Omid so now we do not have it anymore.' Janusz Jelen, 34, (pictured) has been convicted of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour at Tameside Magistrates Court. He will be sentenced at a later date A boyfriend installed a surveillance camera in his lounge so he could use it to mock his girlfriend's weight and check if she was cheating on him. Janusz Jelen, 34, would log into the device via his iPhone whenever he was on his break and spy on Agnieszka Mogilska as she walked round their home. The night shift worker, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, who has been convicted of inflicting psychological abuse, would speak to her on the camera. He would tell mother-of-two Miss Mogilska to raise her arm to see if she had any fat -and to suggest she wear trousers because he claimed her 'thighs were shaking'. Jelen would also eavesdrop on conversations his girlfriend of two years was having with her friends, Tameside Magistrates' Court was told. Police were called in after the victim, a production worker at a lighting company said the she felt like she 'in a mental hospital with 24 hours a day surveillance'. Jelen was convicted of an offence of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour. The couple, who moved to the UK from their native Poland, had been dating for two years - but rows began when Jelen laughed at her about her English pronunciation. Miss Mogilska, 37, said: 'At first I felt very happy and loved but then there were allegations made every day that I am fat and stupid and that I didn't know English. 'He said my children are stupid and that they will be deported back to Poland because they don't know English. Janusz Jelen, 34, would log into the device via his iPhone whenever he was on his break and spy on Agnieszka Mogilska (pictured) as she walked round their home 'He said I would not get help here, the only help I would get is if I got with a man who was English. He gave me psychological abuse. 'I told him I would rather he had hit me in the face because that would stop hurting - but the words don't. 'He observed me through cameras, and he told me to lift my arm to see my fat. I put on shorts when it was hot and he followed me, and told me to put on long trousers because my thighs were shaking. 'I spoke English but he would laugh at my pronunciation. Several times a day he would say things about me or my children. 'The camera was installed in July 2017. He had an application on his phone which enabled him to watch the camera from work. Jelen (pictured) was convicted of an offence of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour 'When I tried to turn it off he would text me to say to put it back on and would watch all the time. I told him I didn't like the cameras and he said that it was there for my safety because he loves me. 'I felt like I was in a mental hospital with 24 hours a day surveillance. When my friends came over he was listening to our conversations. 'He didn't like some of my friends and tried to cause conflict between me and them which caused one of them to stop seeing me. 'He tried to say I had other lovers virtually all the time and if I went somewhere, he would say I was seeing other people. 'I did not pick his friends for him so he cannot pick mine. Everyone has rights to have their freedom.' Police were called in after Agnieszka Mogilska (pictured), a production worker at a lighting company said the she felt like she 'in a mental hospital with 24 hours a day surveillance' 'I would go out in the day as I didn't want to see him and he works at night. I would go out and it would cause arguments. He said he would kill my other lover and he followed me when I went to the shop. 'I asked him to take down the camera and do this so we could split up peacefully like human beings but things got worse. We were arguing non-stop and he would then apologise and give me flowers. I was fed up and went to the police. 'I did warn him beforehand that I would and he was laughing at me saying no one would help me. I went to the shop which caused an argument and he said 'you don't go to the shop at this hour'. 'When I went through the door he said 'I am going to kill you bitch and him too'. I was walking towards the shop and I was on the phone. On the way back my daughter rang me and said he had left home. 'I felt like someone was following me or watching me. At first I felt very happy and loved. There was a situation when he came in from work before I went to the police. He came in the bedroom as he thought I was sleeping with someone. ' He took my arm and pushed me and said 'who the f*** did you sleep with'? He wouldn't let me sleep in his bed or the sofa as he said they belong to him.' Her daughter, Weronica Mogilska, 18, said: 'Many times he ridiculed my mum because of her level of English and did the same with me and my sister. He would say she is stupid. Jelen (pictured) denied wrongdoing and said: 'I said once that her legs are a little bit big and we could go to the gym together which she agreed, but she stopped going so I bought gym equipment for the house' 'He criticised her saying she wasn't strict enough with my sister. He kept saying she would not manage without speaking English and said he would send her back to our grandmother in Poland. 'He would try to teach us and then he would laugh at us because it was so easy for him. It wasn't worded like a joke when he said my sister would go back to Poland. You will not teach anyone English by laughing at them. 'I didn't like the camera because it infringed my privacy. After a while I was afraid to go downstairs as I had a feeling like I was being watched. I always had the feeling that someone was looking at me. 'She just wanted to leave him and separate peacefully. She did not start arguments with him but there were arguments every day. 'When she went out he would make comments about where she had been. He would ask her where she had been tramping around. 'I was stressed out living there and my work was affected as well as my school attendance. The new offence of controlling or coercive behaviour In 2015 Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act, created a new offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship. Prior to the introduction of this offence, there was difficulty proving a pattern of behaviour amounting to harassment in a relationship. The new offence officially came into force on December 29, 2015. For the purposes of the offence the behaviour must be engaged in 'repeatedly' and 'continuously.' Charity Women's Aid, who campaigned diligently for a change in the law, said common examples of coercive behaviour can include isolating you from family and friends or monitoring you using spy tools. Advertisement Prosecuting lawyer Lucy Bridges said: 'He installed CCTV into their home so he could watch her in their home. He would say who she can and cannot talk to on social media. 'There were comments made about her weight, thighs and clothing. He made comments about what she should wear, comments about her breasts and how she is stupid and fat. 'She saw a balaclava, gloves and a stick together in the home which she believes was used to intimidate her.' Jelen denied wrongdoing and said: 'I said once that her legs are a little bit big and we could go to the gym together which she agreed, but she stopped going so I bought gym equipment for the house. 'She would say 'do you like this dress' and I would say no but I would give her my credit card to buy clothes, whatever she wanted. 'I like big bums. I said I liked hers as a compliment and it could even be bigger. I didn't call her fat, I just made a comment about her legs. 'There was a time when I was at work, I put the camera on on my break. I said 'raise your hands and wave because I am watching you'. I didn't watch everything, just occasionally on my break. 'When I was on my break I would just have a look at the camera to see her. If they were not happy about being watched they could have gone into a different room. 'I didn't try to break up her friendships. If she wanted privacy she could've gone upstairs. I never restricted her other friends. I didn't cut her friends from coming over. 'We would both be out for long hours so the camera was there for security. I worked nights so I wouldn't see anything and it wasn't for watching her. I heard conversations she had on the phone on the camera and she made comments about me. I could never say that I would kill her, I loved her. 'She was asking me at first to teach her English, I said it wasn't a problem. She kept saying I was talking too fast and she couldn't understand and she said I was just laughing at her. She started having some English lessons online but I only tried to help her. 'I never controlled her. I think she's just playing a game and she wasn't terrified.' Jelen will be sentenced later. Former Scotland Yard officer Mick Neville (seen in an undated photo) has now moved into the private sector The police chief who created the UK's first unit of 'super recognisers' has admitted one of his first private customers was an Indian businessman who wanted to find out if his fiancee had appeared in a porn film. Former Scotland Yard officer Mick Neville was inspired to set up a team of officers with a unique ability to recognise faces during the London riots, but is now in the private sector with a 40-strong team available for hire. The team's unusual assignment involved trawling through 1990s 'Asian Babes' videos to see if the worried partner's suspicions were correct, admittedly a change from their usual work of identifying suspects for police forces and governments. 'So we had to watch these films and say 'yes' or 'no', is it her? Luckily for her, she did not feature,' Mr Neville told The Telegraph. The team also received a commission from an American conspiracy theorist who was convinced the Roman Catholic Church had hired an actor to pose as a nun who saw a series of apocalyptic visions in 1917. Super recognisers are thought to comprise around 1 percent of the population, and can identify at least 80 per cent of faces they've seen. Breakthroughs achieved by super recognisers include helping to identify the Salisbury poisoning suspects from CCTV footage of them walking around the city (seen on this grab from March 4, 2018) Mr Neville screens applicants by putting them through a series of memory tests developed by academics at Greenwich University. Recruits include everyone from a session drummer and photographer to a former teacher. Who are the Met's super recognisers? The super recognisers team was first created in the aftermath of the 2011 riots, as certain officers showed an ability to spot suspects from different pieces of footage. They have an uncanny ability to recognise faces, remembering people they have not seen for decades, who have substantially changed in appearance, and who they have only fleetingly encountered. Super recognisers might assist with the matching of faces captured on CCTV footage, the comparison of faces to identification documents, or the scanning of crowds for known troublemakers, wanted perpetrators or even missing persons. They may also help with victim identification, or deciding whether a person moving between borders is using a fraudulent identity or is even a missing child. Popular tests assess participants' ability to recognise photographs of celebrities that were taken a long time before they became famous. Advertisement The programme Mr Neville set up at the Met was quickly an astonishing success, with the team of officers identifying 100 suspects a week from often grainy CCTV footage. He now works with several police forces in a private capacity, with his staff looking through many hours of CCTV to see if they can recognise anyone from an existing list of suspects. It comes amid controversy over Scotland Yard's increasing use of facial recognition technology, which will see cameras trained on Christmas shoppers for the first time. A mobile deployment of the controversial surveillance software will include covering areas in the vicinity of Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square and will be used 'overtly', the Met said, with a uniformed presence and information leaflets available to the public. Met Police said the test would run for around eight hours on each day, and all faces on the database used during the deployment are people wanted by police and the courts. However, privacy campaigners labelled the programme 'authoritarian'. Mr Neville said the technology was not perfect and still required humans with facial recognition skills to make the final link between a CCTV grab and a suspect. An award-winning Johns Hopkins rheumatologist was killed over the weekend in a hit-and-run involving three vehicles in Maryland. Dr Nadia Dominique Morgan, 35, was killed late Saturday night, according to a statement from the Baltimore County Police. Police said Sunday that 31-year-old Jason William Hines has been charged in connection with the fatal hit-and-run. Scroll down for video Award-winning Johns Hopkins rheumatologist, Nadia Dominique Morgan (pictured), 35, was killed Saturday night in a hit-and-run involving three vehicles in Maryland According to a police statement, Morgan was driving south through an intersection on a green light when a car heading east struck her, forcing it into a third vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene Police said Sunday that 31-year-old Jason William Hines has been charged in connection with the fatal hit-and-run. Firefighters are seen putting out the flames that engulfed Morgan's car According to the release, Morgan was driving south through an intersection on a green light when a car heading east struck her, forcing it into a third vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say Hines crashed into a fire hydrant and fled the scene on foot as Morgan's car became engulfed in flames. Scene photos showed firefighters working to put out the fire shortly after the crash. It's unclear whether he has a lawyer. Hines is being held at the Baltimore County Department of Corrections. He was denied bail. The driver and passenger in the third vehicle, the Acura MDX, both refused any medical treatment. Morgan was from Jamaica and a faculty member at Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center. 'We are deeply saddened by the devastating news about Dr. Nadia Morgan,' Ken Willis, a Johns Hopkins Medicine spokesman, said in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'Her death is an enormous loss to the entire Johns Hopkins Medicine family, and to the many patients and colleagues who benefited from her skills and commitment. 'She was an extraordinarily warm, talented and promising member of our community who gave so much to everyone around her,' Willis added. In a video shared by Johns Hopkins, Nadia said 'it was a dream come true' for her to work with the research facility. 'I really love interacting with my patients,' she says in the promotional video. 'It allows you the chance to get to know them, to build a rapport, to build trust as you follow them in their journey towards helping to get them better.' Morgan's father, Alton Morgan, told The Baltimore Sun that his daughter moved to the US in 2010 to do her residency at SUNY Downstate. Alton, who is a real estate attorney in Jamaica, said his daughter was an 'exceptional person'. Her aunt, Althea Morgan-Belcher, told the newspaper that Dr Morgan visited her family at least three times a year. Morgan was from Jamaica and a faculty member at Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center. In 2016, she received the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Distinguished Fellow Award Dr Morgan and her sister, Dionne were planning to fly back on Friday for the holidays. 'She was very nice, very intelligent, loved her family immensely, and was home every chance she got,' Morgan-Belcher told The Baltimore Sun. Her other aunt, Audrey McIntosh, called her niece 'an angel in the form of a human being'. Dr Morgan received her MBBS degree at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Morgan then completed her internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center; where she served an additional year as chief resident, according to her profile on the center's website. Subsequently, Morgan completed fellowship training in rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins University and obtained the Masters of Health Science (MHS) in Clinical Investigation from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2016, she received the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Distinguished Fellow Award. After she completed her fellowship training, Morgan joined the Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center as full-time faculty. Her primary research interest was in factors 'contributing to the severe fibrotic manifestations of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) in populations of African ancestry', her biography says. According to her bio, Morgan was also a member of the American College of Rheumatology and had been serving a three-year term on the colleges Registries and Health Information Technology committee. Friends and family paid tribute to the successful doctor on social media after news of her death. Wes Linda said he was 'absolutely crushed' by the news. 'Dr. Morgan was a friend and one of the brightest people I've ever known. The world has lost a true gem. One of the best people I've had the pleasure to work with over the years. Rest in Peace, Nadia. You will be greatly missed.' ICHS Class of '99 posted on their Facebook group that 'one of our sisters has fallen'. 'Dr. Nadia Morgan was doing big things as an Instructor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins. R.I.P phenomenal woman. #ICHS #Classof99,' they wrote. Diane Taylor added: 'Such a beautiful and promising soul, taken away by a selfish and careless person, may her soul RIP and God will give her family the to cope as they cherish her wonderful memories.' A nurse lost his job, wife and house after a disturbing amount of child pornography was found on two computers he tried to sell. James Hutchinson, 53, pawned the computers at a Cash Converters in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston. Staff later attempting to sell the two computers to another customer discovered Hutchinson's vile stash, which also included a series of videos. James Hutchinson was working as an aged care nurse when he downloaded over 46,000 of child pornography (stock image) Police were then notified. The one-time aged care nurse was charged in September 2014, but wasn't convicted until more than two years due to the monumental size of the find. Following his conviction, Hutchinson then failed to inform the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia about the charges. Earlier this month, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled due to Hutchinson's criminal conviction, he is disqualified from applying to be a registered nurse for six years. Hutchinson felt the banning order from the VCAT was 'appropriate', before adding he feels he has 'suffered enough.' 'I lost my wife, the house that we owned, my career and my income,' he said. James Hutchinson has been banned from applying to be a registered nurse for six years after 46,000 child porn images were found on two computers he tried to pawn (stock image) 'I will die in poverty with no children, having achieved nothing.' Hutchinson also failed in his attempt to have his matter suppressed from the public. He will be a registered sex offender until September of 2024. Eljado Prendaj, 25, struck the family's cars so hard that one was forced into the property, sending bricks and debris flying into their young son's room. Undated mug shot An illegal immigrant who led police on a 100mph chase before crashing into a family home has been jailed for a year. Eljado Prendaj, 25, struck the family's cars so hard that one was forced into the property, sending bricks and debris flying into their young son's room. Both cars were written off and the home - which suffered 40,000 worth of damage - was deemed unsafe. Southampton Crown Court heard that Prendaj, who is from Albania and was living in the UK illegally, 'drove like a man possessed' after police attempted to pull him over for 'swerving across carriageways' on the M27 near Eastleigh in Hampshire. The court heard Prendaj, who was driving a blue Ford Focus, stopped for police, but as the officers exited their vehicle to question him he quickly sped off. Police described seeing sparks coming from the car as they chased Prendaj at speeds in excess of 100mph. They added Prendaj then took a slip road towards Eastleigh where they lost sight of him around a corner. When they turned the corner they could see Prendaj's car had flipped onto its side after striking two other vehicles. Prendaj struck the family's cars (pictured) so hard that one was forced into the property, sending bricks and debris flying into their young son's room. These images were taken at the house in Eastleigh, Hampshire, shortly after the collision in November Craig Collings and his family had been sleeping when Prendaj crashed into their home at 3am on November 8, causing lumps of brick and debris to be propelled into the house just inches away from where one of Mr Collings' sons was sleeping. Describing the incident as 'one of the worst cases of dangerous driving', Judge Gary Burrell QC sentenced Prendaj to 12 months jail and told him he faced deportation. A special immigration hearing will be needed before this is decided. Judge Burrell told Prendaj he was 'crazy' to drive at such high speeds. 'You could have killed someone, you were driving like a man possessed,' he said. 'As it was you caused a lot of damage and badly frightened the Collings family and their children. It's one of the worst cases of dangerous driving.' Craig Collings (top right) and his family, whose home was damaged, are seen in an undated photo Prosecutor Roderick Blaine told the court: 'The officers saw sparks from the car which meant part of it was obviously touching the ground. 'Officers did not see what happened. They turned the corner and did not see the car as expected. But they did see the car on its side and the two cars parked outside the house had been struck. 'One of the two cars shunted into the front of the house, the other into a neighbour's fence.' In a statement, Mr Collings said both of the cars had been written off as a result of the crash and his family forced to live in a hotel. He added: 'The fire officers said the home was unsafe to live. It was examined by the housing association and it was deemed unsafe. 'We are grateful for the hotel but it's unsatisfactory for our family to be in one room of a hotel, all the children sharing one room. 'It's unfair on the children because they can't see their friends and are cooped up in the room. We are grateful to all the support from the housing association, friends and family.' The family car that was propelled into the house by Prendaj's Ford Mondeo, which reached speeds above 100mph The home is expected to cost 40,000 to repair. Pictured is a hole in the house where debris poured in Since the incident, the family have found accommodation and with the help of the community have managed to furnish it. Mr Blaine added it was estimated that the cost to fix the home would be around 40,000. Eve Shelley, mitigating, said Prendaj 'had a moment of complete panic' when he decided to speed off from the police. She said Prendaj had been concerned that officers may have found out he was living in the country illegally. 'He is remorseful and offers his sincere apologies to the family, she added. Prendaj, of no fixed address, admitted dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance. In adding to his prison sentence, Prendaj was banned from the roads for three years and ordered to take an extended retest when that time period elapses. Russia used nearly every social media platform to drum up support for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, a new report has found. Russian company The Internet Research Agency, which has been charged with interfering, allegedly used Facebook, Google and Twitter for targeted messaging. It used words, videos and images to persuade voters to back Trump, according to a report by Oxford University's Computational Propaganda Project and network analysis company Graphika. 'What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party - and specifically Donald Trump,' the report says. Russia used every social media platform to drum up support for Donald Trump (pictured at the Congressional Ball on Saturday) in the 2016 election, a new report has found 'Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign. The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting.' The report was presented to the Senate Intelligence Committee. The bipartisan panel released it publicly on Monday morning. It tracks observations like an increase in activity on election day in 2016 and during general election debates between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Activity by the group spiked the most at the end of the year when Barack Obama announced that he was opening up probes into Russia's attempt to hack the election. Russian company The Internet Research Agency has been charged with interfering. Pictured: Russian President Putin Among its findings were that conservative users 'were actively encouraged to get behind Trumps campaign' while other users were 'encouraged to boycott the election, abstain from voting for Clinton, or to spread cynicism about participating in the election in general.' Committee chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, said the data 'demonstrates how aggressively Russia sought to divide Americans by race, religion and ideology, and how the IRA actively worked to erode trust in our democratic institutions.' 'Most troublingly, it shows that these activities have not stopped,' he assessed. 'As we work to address these threats, these reports are proof positive that one of the most important things we can do is increase information sharing between the social media companies who can identify disinformation campaigns and the third-party experts who can analyze them.' The committee's vice chair, Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, likewise said the report revealed that Russian election meddling was worse than previously revealed. 'This should stand as a wake up call to us all that none of us are immune from this threat, and it is time to get serious in addressing this challenge,' he said. 'That is going to require some much-needed and long-overdue guardrails when it comes to social media. I hope these reports will spur legislative action in the Congress and provide additional clarity to the American public about Russias assault on our democracy.' Researchers also noted that the data includes evidence of sloppiness by the Russians that could have led to earlier detection, including the use of Russias currency, the ruble, to buy ads. House Intelligence ranking member Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said in a statement after the release of the report that social media companies share in the blame and must be held accountable. 'Their reluctance to conduct and publish such deep analysis themselves, to actively and meaningfully collaborate with one another to compare and publicize data and information to build out the extent of the IRA's efforts, and to otherwise make available to outside research groups comprehensive, uniform access to the data, have made our task far more difficult than it should have been,' he scolded. Schiff said the companies, which he did not call out by name, should be doing more to keep their users and the public aware of disinformation operations. It comes after President Trump and his attorney unleashed a fresh series of attacks people investigating him, questioning their integrity while categorically ruling out the possibility of a presidential interview with the special counsel for the Department of Justice's probe into Russia. Trump and lawyer Rudy Giuliani used Twitter and television interviews Sunday to deliver a series of broadsides against special counsel Robert Mueller and federal prosecutors in New York. Giuliani said he was 'disgusted' by the tactics used by Mueller in his probe into Russian election interference, including in securing guilty pleas from the president's former national security adviser Michael Flynn on a charge of lying to federal investigators. Trump, Giuliani said, would not submit to an interview by Mueller's team. 'They're a joke,' Giuliani told 'Fox News Sunday. 'Over my dead body, but, you know, I could be dead.' The special counsel, who is investigating possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, has continued to request an interview with the president. Last month, the White House sent written answers in response to the special counsel's questions about possible collusion. The White House has resisted answering questions on possible obstruction of justice. Giuliani sarcastically said that the only thing left to ask the president was about 'several unpaid parking tickets that night, back in 1986, `87 that haven't been explained.' If the president officially refuses an interview request, the special counsel's team could theoretically seek to subpoena him to compel his testimony. Such a move would almost certainly trigger an immediate court fight. The Supreme Court has never directly ruled on whether a president can be subpoenaed for testimony in a criminal investigation, though the justices have said that a president can be forced to turn over records that have been subpoenaed and can be forced to answer questions as part of a lawsuit. The special counsel's investigation has spun out charges and strong-armed guilty pleas from Trump underlings while keeping in suspense whether the president - 'Individual-1,' in Mueller's coded legalese - will end up accused of criminal behavior himself. This past week, his legal exposure grew as his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting he issued hush-money payments to women who alleged sexual trysts with Trump. Prosecutors and Cohen say he acted at the president's direction, which Trump and Giuliani deny. Trump and Giuliani have repeatedly tried to paint Cohen as untrustworthy, with the former New York City mayor calling him a 'pathological liar.' 'Which is the truth?' Giuliani said of the competing stories from Trump and Cohen. 'I think I know what the truth is. Unless you're God, you'll never know what the truth is.' Trump and Giuliani have also accused prosecutors of intimidating the president's associates into making false claims. 'Remember, Michael Cohen only became a `Rat' after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started,' Trump tweeted. 'They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE!' It comes after President Trump and his attorney (pictured) unleashed a fresh series of attacks people investigating him, questioning their integrity while categorically ruling out the possibility of a presidential interview with the special counsel It was not a break-in. The FBI executed a search warrant obtained from a judge in conducting a raid in April on Cohen's home, office and hotel room and seizing records on a variety of matters, among them a $130,000 payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels by Cohen. The application for the warrant was approved high in the Justice Department. In response to Trump's tweet, former FBI Director James Comey tweeted, 'This is from the President of our country, lying about the lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge. Shame on Republicans who don't speak up at this moment - for the FBI, the rule of law, and the truth. Prosecutors have said Trump directed Cohen to arrange the payments to buy the silence of Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal in the run-up to the 2016 campaign. Federal prosecutors in New York say the payments amounted to illegal campaign contributions because they were made at the height of election season to keep voters from learning of Trump's alleged infidelities. Giuliani has argued the payments were made to protect Trump's family, not to influence the election. 'If there's another purpose, it's not a campaign contribution,' Giuliani told ABC. 'Suppose he tried to use campaign funds to pay Stormy Daniels. It wouldn't be illegal. These are not campaign contributions.' The hush money wasn't initially reported on campaign finance documents and, in any case, far exceeded the legally acceptable amount for in-kind contributions. The federal limit on individual contributions is $2,700. Trump (pictured) and Rudy Giuliani used Twitter and television interviews Sunday to deliver a series of broadsides against special counsel Robert Mueller and federal prosecutors in New York Cohen also pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about the Trump Organization's goals to build a tower in Moscow. His representative, Lanny Davis, told CBS' 'Face the Nation' on Sunday that his written statement to Congress, which contained the lie, was published ahead of his testimony and Cohen then spoke to the White House. 'Not one person from the White House ever said, `Don't lie,'' Davis said. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee and the likely chairman come January, said he wanted Cohen to testify before Congress about what he told prosecutors. Meanwhile, Trump's fellow Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, acknowledged on CNN that 'it was not a good week for President Trump' and urged 'that the special counsel be allowed to complete his investigation unimpeded.' Trump compared his situation to one involving President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign. The Federal Election Commission docked the Obama campaign $375,000 for regulatory civil violations. The fines stemmed from the campaign's failure to report a batch of contributions, totaling 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. Trump has not yet laid out a detailed defense, though he could conceivably argue that the payments were made not for the purposes of advancing his campaign but rather to prevent salacious 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 in 2012. 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. Edwards was acquitted on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions, but jurors couldn't reach a verdict on the five remaining counts, including conspiracy and making false statements. Google announced Monday it will spend more than $1billion to build a new office complex in New York City that will allow the internet search giant to double the number of people it employs there. It is the tech industry's latest major expansion beyond the Seattle-San Francisco Bay corridor. It follows recent steps by Amazon and Apple to set up operations well outside their home areas. However, Google said it has not applied for subsidies or tax incentives for any of its properties in New York, unlike Amazon, which has been offered $2.8billion in tax breaks for the company which surpassed a $1trillion valuation in September. Google opened its first office in New York nearly 20 years ago and now employs 7,000 people in the city. With the opening of their new campus in Manhattan, the company will double their workforce to 14,000 over the next decade. Amazon has plans on creating 25,000 jobs once its offices open in Queens. But there are concerns over tech companies moving into the Big Apple, including the city's already crumbling infrastructure and the housing crisis. Google will be opening a large new campus in Manhattan and doubling its New York City workforce to 14,000 over the next decade Google said it would lease a large office building at 550 Washington St (pictured, artist rendering) in the West Village neighborhood and make it the centerpiece of the Hudson Square Campus The building has already been chosen by Google as part of its expansion plans and is located along the Hudson River. The offices will be located at 345 Hudson Street According to Vox, it doesn't actually make sense for the companies like Amazon to add major campuses to New York because the companies' presence will tend to exacerbate the city's crises of housing affordability and overburdened transportation infrastructure. Those concerns were brought up just last week by council members who met with Amazon executives. '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,' City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, said during the meeting. '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 $186billion 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. But the Council questioned why 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. Tech companies are 'coming to the realization that the Bay Area, which has traditionally been the major center of tech activity in the US, is getting expensive and crowded,' said Andrew Bartels, principal analyst at Forrester Research. Google will fashion a complex exceeding 1.7 million square feet along the Hudson River in the city's West Village neighborhood, Ruth Porat (left), senior vice president and chief financial officer, said. Google's CEO Sundar Pichai is also seen above The offices will also be located at 315 Hudson Street (pictured) 'A lot of vendors are coming to the realization that 'We can probably find top talent elsewhere at a more affordable costs, and perhaps a better style of life for employees who may be struggling to make ends meet.' The Northeast is proving to be a good match, with its large concentration of highly educated young people. New York in particular boasts key qualities, including proximity to the financial industry, a large base of existing tech workers, and the second-largest concentration of tech startups behind the Bay Area, Bartels said. Google said this year that it would buy the Manhattan Chelsea Market building for $2.4billion and planned to lease more space at Pier 57, both along the Hudson about a mile north of the newly announced complex. The tech-giant, based in Mountain View, California, will fashion a complex exceeding 1.7 million square feet along the Hudson River in the city's West Village neighborhood, Ruth Porat, senior vice president and chief financial officer, said in a blog post. A month ago, Seattle-based Amazon said it would set up new headquarters in New York's Long Island City neighborhood and in Arlington, Virginia, creating upwards of 25,000 jobs in each location. But it's not just the East Coast that is benefiting from the expansion. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, said last week that it plans to build a $1billion campus in Austin, Texas, that will create at least 5,000 jobs. And Google is expanding elsewhere, too. It plans to develop a 50-acre area into offices, homes, shops, restaurants and parks in San Jose, California, the heart of Silicon Valley. And this year Google opened new offices and data centers in cities including Detroit; Boulder, Colorado; and Los Angeles, as well as in such states as Tennessee and Alabama. 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 $1million. There are concerns over tech companies moving into the Big Apple, including infrastructure and the already looming housing crisis. Those concerns were brought up just last week by council members who met Amazon executives with protest (pictured) '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,' City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, said. Protesters are seen during the meeting Many high-tech workers are choosing to live elsewhere, forcing major tech employers to look in new places for the employees they need. Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, has more than 2,000 employees in New York. Google hopes to move into the new campus by 2020. Porat said that the company's most recent investments give it the ability to more than double the number of Google employees in New York over the next 10 years. Tech companies see New York as a way to gain a new perspective, one that is different from that of Silicon Valley, which can be seen as an 'out-of-touch echo chamber,' Bartels said. 'New Yorkers consider themselves to be more in tune with the reality of life in US urban centers and believe this helps them innovate products and services that are more closely aligned with the needs of the average American,' he said. Not all tech companies are investing in areas outside of their original headquarters, however. Microsoft is overhauling its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, with an 18-building construction project that will make room for an additional 8,000 workers. It currently employs about 47,000 in the area. A driver who was on his mobile phone minutes before a crash has admitted causing the death of the mother of Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman. Liam Rosney, 33, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Carol Boardman, 75, by careless driving at Mold Crown Court on Monday. The court heard he had taken three calls on his mobile phone, which had been on speaker mode, in the minutes before the collision on a mini roundabout in Connah's Quay, North Wales, on July 16, 2016. Liam Rosney, right, with his wife, Victoria, outside Mold Crown Court on July 9 this year Carol Boardman (pictured, with her grandchildren), 75, was on her bike when she was involved in a collision with a pick-up vehicle in Connah's Quay, North Wales, on July 16, 2016 Rosney had been due to stand trial charged with causing death by dangerous driving but pleaded guilty to the less serious charge after a jury had been sworn in. Matthew Curtis, prosecuting, said the Crown accepted the plea and did not invite a trial on the more serious offence. Mr Curtis said in the minutes before Rosney hit Mrs Boardman, who had fallen from her bike on the junction of Mold Road and Ffordd Llanarth, he took three separate phone calls while driving his Mitsubishi pick-up truck, which did not have a hands-free facility. He said: 'The phone was being used on speaker mode, not requiring the defendant to handle the phone as he was talking, but plainly to accept or reject or end calls. The call ended prior to entry on to the roundabout, we know that from billing data. 'What we will say the case is, then, is that the defendant continued to be distracted by a, the telephone calls which he had been taking, but, b, his mobile telephone, which was on the passenger seat inside his vehicle. 'We know he did not see Mrs Boardman and first realised he may have collided with her was when his vehicle was physically riding over Mrs Boardman's body.' He said a witness, Kayleigh Anders, saw the defendant looking down towards his lap and talking, which gave the impression he was still talking on the phone. Rosney and his wife Victoria, who he had been speaking to on the phone before the collision, had both originally been charged with perverting the course of justice after allegedly deleting call logs. Chris Boardman (seen on Good Morning Britain on September 14, 2016) called his mother's death 'horribly ironic' However, the charges were dropped halfway through a trial in July and the jury was discharged. Rosney's retrial had been due to start on Monday. During the original trial, the court heard his father Peter Rosney, a retired detective constable, had tried to stop officers from questioning Mrs Rosney about the crash while she was at work. Cyclist Boardman, who won individual pursuit gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, paid tribute to his mother after the crash. Writing on social media in 2016, the 50-year-old said: 'Our mum was the most positive, outgoing person you could ever hope to meet and her generosity of spirit inspired everyone she met. 'Many of our childhood memories involve my mother and the outdoors, walking out over Hoylake sandbank, swimming in the deep gullies or hunting for fossils on Llandegla Moor in North Wales. 'Wanting to share her passion for cycling, even well into her 70s, she often took groups of young novices out on their first forays into North Wales. 'She leaves behind Keith, her partner for more than half a century, Lisa and I, and a large, loving family. We cannot yet conceive a world without her in it. 'We love you, Carol, may the wind be ever at your back.' Rosney and his wife arrive at Mold Magistrates' Court in December, 2016 following the accident on July 16 that year Judge Rhys Rowlands said Rosney's guilty plea would attract some credit when he was being sentenced but 'nowhere near as much' as it would have if it had been made when he was on trial earlier this year. He said all sentencing options, including custody, would be open to him when Rosney was sentenced. The joiner was disqualified from driving and released on bail until his sentencing on January 31. Siblings of a five-year-old who was starved, forced to wear a diaper and locked in a cupboard have revealed how they sneaked him bread to keep him alive. Jordan, now nine, was forced by his mother Tammi, 37, to sleep in what the family called the 'Harry Potter room' at her home outside Houston, Texas. The tiny crawlspace under the stairs had exposed nails and wiring surrounding the lone mattress. Allison Frank (pictured) said she and brother Cody would have to sneak bread to Jordan when their mother wasn't looking Cody recalled the moment he got Jordan out of the cupboard. He said: If we hadn't got him out that day I don't think he would have survived.' Bleimeyer forced her stepson Jordan Bleimeyer to sleep in what the family called the 'Harry Potter room'. He weighed only 29 pounds when he was rescued by police (pictured) Doctors said the abused boy, who only weighed 29 pounds at the time, had nearly starved to death. They compared his state of malnourishment to a Holocaust survivor. Today, his siblings Allison and Cody have recalled the moment they opened the cupboard and called police, saving his life. Cody said he 'freaked out' when he one day opened the closet and saw the state Jordan was in. He told the Sun Online: 'His face was all caved in, bruises all over, marks on him. His mouth was foaming. I have never in my life seen anything as bad as that. If we hadn't got him out that day I don't think he would have survived.' Cody said he handed Jordan to his sister Allison to comfort him while he called police. Tammi Bleimeyer, 37, was sentenced to 28 years in prison after she starved her diaper-clad five-year-old stepson and forced him to sleep in a tiny closet Allison said: 'It was like I wasn't holding anything - he was so light - it wasn't like holding a kid at all. He was so, so white and his cheeks were sunken and he smelled terrible - it was just awful.' She also told how, before they summoned up the courage to rescue him, she and Cody would have to sneak bread to Jordan when their mother wasn't looking. Cody said on the day of the rescue in 2014, his parents were furious that he had opened the closet door without their permission. He said once he had seen the awful conditions the boy was being kept in, he had to save the youngster. Tammi Bleimeyer, 37, was found guilty of injury to a child by omission on Friday and sentenced to 28 years in jail after Cody, 21, and Allison, 19, testified against her. Bradley Bleimeyer, Jordan's father, pleaded guilty to the same charge in 2016 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The horrific case first came to light in March 2014 when Cody, who was 16 at the time, reported Bleimeyer to authorities. He said Jordan was being abused by his mother and 24-year-old stepfather, claiming the boy was forced to wear a diaper and sleep in a tiny closet under the stairs. But Bleimeyer, who was six months pregnant at the time, took Jordan from the home and refused to return when police showed up. Investigators then used cell phone records to track her to a nearby motel, where they found Jordan with Bleimeyer, according to KTRK. Jordan was found covered in bumps and bruises and severely underweight. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where a pediatrician said he had suffered 'severe physical abuse and habitual starvation'. Bleimeyer broke down in court after her sentencing. She was found guilty of injury to a child by omission on Friday Jordan was covered in bumps and bruises and severely underweight. Doctors compared his state of malnourishment to a Holocaust survivor Prosecutors later revealed that Jordan was only fed a slice of bread a day, which was snatched out of his hand if he didn't eat it fast enough Jordan was rushed to the hospital after he was rescued from the motel where Bleimeyer took him to after her 16-year-old son reported her to the police Doctors said the boy could have died within days if he had not been rescued. Prosecutors later revealed that Jordan was not allowed to eat at the dinner table with his siblings - who were all Bleimeyer's children. He was only given a slice of bread to eat a day, which would be taken away if he didn't eat it quickly enough. The boy was also allegedly drugged by his father to keep him quiet when guests were over. Jordan's 16-year-old stepbrother also told authorities he believed someone had slammed his head into the wall and even stunned him with a Taser. Officials said Jordan's health declined rapidly after Child Protective Services visited the Bleimeyer home in February 2014, according to the Houston Chronicle. CPS had been investigating the family that year and were called to the home several times. Bleimeyer's teenage son said both she and her husband Bradley Bleimeyer, Jordan's father, were abusing Jordan. Bradley was sentenced to 15 years in prison Officials said Jordan's health declined rapidly after Child Protective Services visited the Bleimeyer home (pictured) in February 2014 Bleimeyer was arrested and charged in February 2015. She was sentenced on Monday following 10 days of testimony. She broke down in the Harris County Courthouse in Spring, Texas after the verdict was read and two of her biological sons took the stand. 'It's no mystery why we're all here,' one of the sons said in a prepared statement. 'You made a big mistake, and ultimately have to face the consequences.' 'I'm up here to ask a rhetorical question of how, how could you put your children through all that? The people who should be your pride and joy.' 'You caused me feelings of sadness, anger, confusion, and emptiness. I can't say that I'll ever be the same emotionally because of this.' Jordan has since been reunited with his biological mother Wendy Hall and CPS took custody of Bleimeyer's other children. Her newborn was given to foster care. Cabinet ministers have warned Theresa May she must finally pump billions of pounds into no deal planning amid a crisis over her deal because 'we can't out this off any longer'. The Prime Minister's senior ministers will discuss the state of Britain's contingency plans for the failure of negotiations with Brussels in Downing Street tomorrow. Chancellor Philip Hammond is set to unlock another 2billion of funding for no deal projects with just 102 days until exit day. MailOnline understands Home Secretary Sajid Javid is leading a group of ministers urging the PM to activate no-deal plans. In other developments, rating agency Fitch warned no-deal Brexit would almost certainly mean Britain's credit rating would be cut again early next year. Cabinet ministers have warned Theresa May (pictured today in Downing Street) she must finally pump billions of pounds into no deal planning amid a crisis over her deal MailOnline understands Home Secretary Sajid Javid is leading a group of ministers urging the PM to activate no-deal plans One Cabinet source said the government 'cannot put this off any longer'. What no deal plans are already in place? Chancellor Philip Hammond unveiled 3billion for no deal plans at the Budget in Autumn 2017 - all of which is due to have been spent by exit day. It has been spent on: 300 extra frontline officers for Border Force, plus 1000 staff to tackle border issues 1,300 extra staff at the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Reforms to the Competitions and Markets Authority to ensure it can also act as the UK State Aid regulator Drawing up more than 100 no deal 'notice' advising different sectors how to prepare for possible problems, including at the border Replacing regulatory agreements currently dependent on the EU with UK versions in areas like nuclear cooperation Advertisement 'We must recognise that no-deal now has to be the central assumption. It could happen by design or by accident, and we have to be ready,' they said. 'The EU has to believe we will do it. At the moment they clearly do not.' Downing Street said today there will be an announcement 'shortly' on how an extra 2billion will be allocated to no-deal preparations. It emerged yesterday Mr Hammond will invite ministers to bid for a slice of the funding to get their departments ready for the prospect of exit without a transition period on March 29. Around 500million is expected to be ploughed into the Home Office to deal with potential problems at the border. Customs systems are set to benefit from another 25million in a bid to ensure the ports can function in no deal. Environment Secretary Michael Gove is set to have 400million to spend on agriculture, fisheries and food-related policy areas. Trade Secretary Liam Fox will spend 100million hiring trade negotiators around the world in case a raft of new trade deals are needed urgently. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted today the UK will 'flourish and prosper' even without a Brexit deal Ahead of Tuesday's crunch meeting, Cabinet ministers are at war as to whether there should be another Brexit referendum - or whether the Prime Minister should be making 'No Deal' a top priority. High-profile ministers including David Gauke, Amber Rudd, Greg Clarke, and Theresa May's unofficial deputy David Lidington have all stepped up discussions on whether to offer another public vote on Brexit. Among those urging the Prime Minister to boost preparations for a no deal include Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Treasury Chief Secretary Liz Truss, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted yesterday the UK will 'flourish and prosper' even without a Brexit deal. Mr Hunt told The Sunday Telegraph: 'I've always thought that even in a no-deal situation this is a great country, we'll find a way to flourish and prosper. We've faced much bigger challenges in our history. 'But we shouldn't pretend that there wouldn't be disruption, there wouldn't be risk, and there wouldn't be impact and that's why as a responsible Government we have to make all the preparations necessary.' At least 11 people have been confirmed dead after a fire tore through a large pork factory in central China today, according to Chinese state media. The authority of Shangqiu in Henan province said the blaze broke out at around 11:10am local time at the factory of Huahang Modern Animal Husbandry Group. The fire was under control as of 2:15pm local time, according to a statement issued by the press office of the Shangqiu People's Government on social media. A fire broke out at a livestock husbandry company in China's Shangqiu city today, killing 11 The local government has formed a special investigation team to probe into the incident The Shangqiu government said 11 people were working in the factory when the fire occurred. Footage and pictures from Chinese social media show huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the scene and took the workers to the hospital, the statement said. The fire occurred in the company's factory in Shangqiu, central China's Henan province All of the 11 workers have died, reported state broadcaster China Central Television Station citing the country's Ministry of Emergency Management. A special investigation team has been set up by the government of Shangqiu to probe into the matter. Situated in the Shangqiu Economic Development Zone, Huahang Modern Animal Husbandry Group specialises in butchering pigs and producing meat products. According to its website, the company has an asset of 120 million yuan (13.8 million), employs more than 400 workers and slaughters one million pigs a year. Alistair McWilliams, 32, (pictured) was found guilty of burglary at the Old Bailey following a trial lasting less than three hours A prolific thief who stole 100,000 worth of valuables from Dynamos home while the magician was away on holiday faces years behind bars. Alistair McWilliams, 32, broke into the 36-year-olds 1.4m home in, Hampstead, whilst he was in South Africa between May 12 and May 26 this year. The thief smashed a rear door of the property, then started ransacking the master bedroom. Expensive watches and other jewellery was taken, along with an iPad, headphones, laptop, bags, belts - and even a set of playing cards were among the haul. A neighbour later reported seeing suspicious activity around the property on May 15, days before ADT notified the magician - real name Steven Frayne - that an alarm had been triggered. But another resident living nearby saw no sign of a disturbance and the security firm dismissed the alert as having been accidentally triggered by an animal. McWilliams was arrested four months later after police recovered a DNA sample matching his on the branch of a tree overlooking the fence used to gain entry, the Old Bailey heard. He denied breaking in to commit the burglary, and spun a bizarre tale of disturbing three homosexual men having sex in bushes close to the unattended house. When the trio chased him for remonstrating with them he sought refuge through the propertys unlocked side gate, McWilliams claimed. Dynamo, whose real name is Steven Frayne, had his 1.4 million house in Hampstead broken into by Alistair McWilliams. One of the things he took was placing cards, often used by Dynamo in his mind-bending performances and tricks He insisted he could only have left the sample when he peered over the fence to check the coast was clear to make his getaway. But a jury dismissed his account, finding him guilty of burglary following a trial lasting less than three hours. Judge Brendan Finucane, QC, warned McWilliams he faces years behind bars when he is sentenced on Wednesday this week. McWilliams also awaits sentence for a horrific hit and run committed just three months after the raid. He admitted causing death by dangerous driving after ploughing into 77-year-old great grandfather Richard Dougherty on August 23 this year. Mr Dougherty suffered a devastating head injury when the stolen Nissan Primera being driven by McWilliams mounted the pavement as he was walking in Kentish Town. He died just over a week later. McWilliams fled the scene on foot and was arrested in September. He boasts an appalling criminal record, including dozens of thefts and at least three other burglaries, the last of which was committed back in 2006. The killer was jailed for nine years in 2013 over his role in a 200,000 smash and grab at a branch of Ernest Jones in Exeter in February of that year. Four robbers drove down from London in a Jaguar and Aldi, striking just minutes before the jewellers opened up at 9am. As two female store workers were arranging a display of luxury watches McWilliams stood guard outside with his hand menacingly held inside his jacket to warn off any have-a-go-heroes while another sat waiting behind the wheel of the Jaguar. The others began hacking at the glass door and quickly swept up 30 Rolex watches worth 208,850, none of which were recovered. McWilliams was arrested along with his co-accused four months later. The thief, of no fixed abode, denied but was convicted of burglary. Theresa May has been urged by cabinet colleagues to allow the Commons to vote on alternatives to her Brexit deal Theresa May is fighting a growing Cabinet clamour for MPs to hold 'option' votes on what to do about Brexit if her deal is defeated. Amber Rudd and Greg Clark have publicly joined calls for Parliament to be given the opportunity to express its view on a range of potential courses of action - such as a second referendum, a Norway-style relationship, or leaving without any deal. Several other Cabinet ministers including David Gauke also back the idea, while Trade Secretary Liam Fox has said he does not have a problem with it. But Downing Street insisted there are 'no plans' to hold such a vote, and it is understood Mrs May rejected the prospect during a phone call with senior colleagues last week. Sources warned the votes would inevitably be 'messy' and could intensify the crisis with MPs piling on amendments. In the clearest public statement yet, Mr Clark told the BBC today that if Mrs May's deal falls 'Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with'. He cautioned against a second referendum, saying it would 'continue the uncertainty for many more months'. Ms Rudd said this morning that Parliament should be allowed to express its will and 'nothing should be off the table'. But harder line Brexiteers believe an 'options' vote would just be cover for delaying or cancelling Brexit. They are urging a 'managed' no deal exit - which could involve paying the EU for a transition period and limited agreements to limits the worst effects of crashing out. However, Mrs May has rejected all attempts to hold votes on alternatives to her deal, telling her Cabinet in a conference call last Monday that the so-called indicative votes are divisive. Instead, Mrs May and her team want to continue negotiating with Brussels until after Christmas. Other supporters of the 'options' vote are believed to include Chancellor Philip Hammond, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, and Scottish Secretary David Mundell. But senior figures including Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. Home Secretary Sajid Javid is also not interested, urging ministers to focus on no-deal planning. Mrs May was humiliatingly forced to postpone a Commons vote on her Brexit plan last week. She has insisted the government will work over Christmas to try and seek further concessions from the EU, and then hold the showdown in January. Amber Rudd (left) and Greg Clark (right) have publicly joined calls for Parliament to be given the opportunity to express its view on a range of potential courses of action On The Andrew Marr Show, trade secretary Liam Fox said that parliament was 'given an instruction by the referendum, not the government' Appearing on The Andrew Marr show on BBC One on Sunday morning, Dr Fox was asked what would happen if the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons. He said: 'Well, in which case Parliament will have to decide on the alternatives. I wouldn't have a huge problem with parliament as a whole having a say on the options, because it wasn't the government that was given an instruction by the referendum, it was parliament.' And Mr Hinds told Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live: 'I think there is a value in, sort of, flushing out, what these various different options are that, as I say, some people support very strongly but don't have a majority in favour of them.' May will also warn that a second Brexit referendum would cause 'irreparable damage' to Britain, as she tries to defuse anger at the news that her own aides have floated the idea. In the Commons, the Prime Minister will all but rule out holding a second vote while she remains in charge. Another referendum would 'likely leave us no further forward than the last... and further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it', she will warn. Mrs May is expected to add: 'Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum, another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver.' Her intervention comes amid mounting anger over the revelation that chief-of-staff Gavin Barwell and deputy David Lidington had backed the idea of a second referendum. MPs and ministers reacted furiously to reports yesterday that Mr Barwell had told colleagues a second poll was 'the only way forward' in the light of opposition to her Brexit deal. In social media messages yesterday, Mr Barwell said he was not planning for a second referendum. Advertisement This is the remarkable moment a brave seagull swoops on a deadly bald eagle and pecks at its back in a bid to save its friend from the predator's death grip. Photographer David Canales captured the incredible sky battle while bird watching in the Prince William Sound in Alaska, USA. The 33-year-old was amazed when the brazen eagle descended on a flock of gulls and plucked one from the air, with around ten of the white birds pursuing the bird of prey. Mr Canales, of Kingsville in South Texas, USA, said: 'All of a sudden this eagle attacks and landed on this seagull, which caused quite a stir among the other birds. 'It all occurred so fast, I didn't know the scale of how dramatic the chase was until I looked through the photos hours later. 'I was also surprised that the eagle was able to carry the seagull with ease as the seagull isn't much smaller than the eagle. 'The eagle was outnumbered by hundreds of seagulls to one, yet it was able to land in the middle of all these birds and just snatch one and fly off with it.' One of the seagulls was pictured pecking at the eagle's feathers on its neck as it grabbed another bird which nibbled at its talons to try and break free Several other birds piled in to try and free their stricken friend but the eagle's talons proved too strong and it quickly flew away from the rabble The seagull eventually capitulated and its friends realized there was no hope of saving their fellow bird as the eagle sped away Despite being clenched in the eagle's powerful talons the captured seagull still attempted to break free by nibbling on its toes Donald Trump pushed the nation's high court to take up a case on the legality of Obamacare on Monday as he assailed the law that landed in limbo over the weekend. Trump said he wants to work with Democrats to pass a new law that would replace the one that Republicans attempted to gut last year with a tax overhaul bill. 'The DEDUCTIBLE which comes with ObamaCare is so high that it is practically not even useable! Hurts families badly. We have a chance, working with the Democrats, to deliver great HealthCare!' the president said. 'A confirming Supreme Court Decision will lead to GREAT HealthCare results for Americans!' Donald Trump pushed the nation's high court to take up a case on the legality of Obamacare on Monday as he assailed the law that landed in limbo over the weekend He may want to work with Democrats on health care reform, but they signaled over the weekend that they are not interested in working with him. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday pledged that his party will fight 'tooth and nail' against a Texas judge's ruling that Obamacare is unconstitutional. 'It's an awful, awful ruling. We're going to fight this, tooth and nail. And the first thing we're going to do, when we get back there in the Senate, is urge - put a vote on the floor urging an intervention in the case,' Schumer said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'If a majority of the House and a majority of the Senate say that this case should be overturned, it'll have a tremendous effect on the appeal,' he added. Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer on Sunday pledged that his party will fight 'tooth and nail' against a Texas judge's ruling that Obamacare is unconstitutional Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin warned Republicans they will face consequences for the ruling The ruling came during open enrollment for Obamacare U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor ruled on Friday that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional because of the law's individual mandate, but lawmakers and legal experts from both parties have said they expect the ruling will be overturned. That could take some time, however, and it may not be resolved before the 2020 election, which could make it a major issue in the president campaign. Texas Republican Louie Gohmert said on Fox News on Monday that 'the whole thing has to fall' because of the high court's previous ruling that Obamacare is only legal because the individual mandate is effectively a tax. 'The whole thing hung on the individual mandate,' he charged, 'and now that tax is zero, it's gone away.' Gohmert said that Republicans should pass health reform legislation now, even if it means staying in session until Christmas, while they still control the House of Representatives. 'We ought to be able to get something done. Why wait for the Democrats? Lets stay in session. The people of America have healthcare needs that are at stake. Lets stay in session. Lets get it done before the Democrats become the obstructionists. Get it passed while we get funding for the wall,' he said. Schumer and Democrats sought to blame Republicans for the weekend ruling that put the law in jeopardy. The GOP will face dire consequences for it, Schumer warned on Sunday morning 'It's an awful, awful decision. And it puts a lot of our Republicans in a box. Because they sort of were, once - you know, two-faced. On the one hand, they said they want to preserve pre-existing conditions and preserve health care. On the other hand, Donald Trump and a large number of Republicans brought this court suit. So there are going to be a good number of Republicans who are going to really have to make a decision whether to join us in this intervention or face very severe consequences,' Schumer said. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin echoed Schumer's warning in his Sunday morning television appearance. He reminded Republicans that Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm, in part, because of health care. 'I think the judge, the Republican attorneys general who brought this lawsuit, didn't do the Republican Party any favor. The largest issue in the last election, November 6 election, that moved 40 seats from the Republican column to the Democratic column in the House, the biggest single issue was the Affordable Care Act and whether it would cover people with pre-existing conditions,' Durbin said on ABC's 'This Week.' White House adviser Stephen Miller countered the Democratic argument. He said the administration wants to replace Obamacare and invited Democrats to join the effort. 'Obamacare was ruled to be unconstitutional. We've always known that Obamacare was unconstitutional,' he said on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' 'The more important question is whether Democrats are going to work with Republicans once Obamacare is ultimately struck down, which we believe it will be, to come up with a replacement plan that protects preexisting conditions.' He added: 'This president working with members of both parties would be able to replace it with something that not only expands choice, expands competition, enshrines purchasing across state lines, but also protects preexisting conditions in a much better way than the current law does.' On Friday, in a decision that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court, O'Connor sided with a coalition of 20 states that argued requiring people to pay for insurance coverage is illegal because a change in tax law last year eliminated a penalty for not having health insurance. The next step for the case is the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the most conservative appellate court in the country. If it's upheld in that circuit, it's likely make it to the Supreme Court; if the Fifth Circuit reverses the decision, the Supreme Court could turn down the case. President Donald Trump praised the decision, saying it is 'a great ruling for our country.' O'Connor's decision was issued the day before the end of a 45-day sign-up period for 2019 health coverage under the law. The head of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the Affordable Care Act, said there were no changes and exchanges were open for business. 'We expect this ruling will be appealed to the Supreme Court,' CMS Administrator Seema Verma wrote on Twitter on Saturday. 'Pending the appeal process, the law remains in place.' President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed the court ruling as 'a great ruling for our country' 2019 open enrollment is available on the healthcare.gov website. officials say the ruling will not affect current healthcare laws 'There is no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan,' she said late on Friday. Since the law's formative stages amid concern about millions of Americans lacking health insurance, Republicans have opposed Obamacare, calling it a costly and unneeded government intrusion into Americans' lives. Trump campaigned against it in 2016. They have repeatedly tried, but failed, to repeal the law, which was the signature domestic policy achievement of former Democratic President Barack Obama. Even with control of both chambers of Congress and the White House in 2017, Republicans could not push through a repeal. The O'Connor ruling underscored the high political stakes involved in the divide over healthcare, especially for Trump and his fellow Republicans ahead of the 2020 presidential election. If the Supreme Court were to uphold O'Connor's ruling, it would go a long way toward dismantling Obamacare. That would be a political victory for Republicans, but it would also likely strip millions of Americans of their health coverage, a policy problem for which Republicans have offered no clear solution. About 11.8 million consumers nationwide enrolled in 2018 Obamacare exchange plans. The Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act in 2012. Two days after the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections, a Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll found that healthcare was the top issue Americans wanted the U.S. Congress to address. A Florida science teacher has been arrested accused of trying to seduce her 12-year-old student with lewd texts and a stolen kiss. Andrea Jimenez, 47, is said to have repeatedly messaged the boy, now 13, on social media, telling him she loved him and to not message girls his own age. Jimenez is even said to have given him expensive gifts and became 'aggressively romantic in an obsessive tone', according to an affidavit. She is accused of grabbing the boy's face when he was just 12 and trying to kiss him at Doral International Math & Science Academy, near Miami. Scroll down for video. Andrea Jimenez, 47, has been arrested accused of trying to seduce a 13-year-old student she taught at Doral International Math & Science Academy in Florida Police say Jimenez - who taught the boy for two years - sent a series of lewd texts and regularly 'lured' the victim into her class after school. She is accused of writing: ''I will go to hell for u. Die for u stop eating to feed u. My love for u is so real and huge !!!' Jimenez is said to have spoken explicitly to the boy, whose parents became suspicious at all the presents appearing around their home. Cops say they downloaded the student's text messages and matched them to Jimenez's cellphone. Doral police spokesman Rey Valdez said: 'They found the gifts suspicious coming from a teacher.' Jimenez became 'aggressively romantic in an obsessive tone', according to an affidavit Doral International Math & Science Academy in Florida is understood to have fired Jimenez Jimenez is said to have repeatedly messaged the boy on social media, telling him she loved him and to have regularly 'lured' the victim into her class after school The school is understood to have fired Jimenez. In a statement they said: 'As this is an ongoing investigation, school administrators will continue to work closely with authorities. The schools top priority is the privacy, safety, and security of students and families.' ABC Action News reports Jimenez messaged the boy's mum to ask for forgiveness and to say she was sorry. Jimenez has been charged with charged with single counts of lewd and lascivious conduct and attempted lewd and lascivious conduct on a child and with certain uses that are prohibited on a computer device, Local 10 reports. Her lawyer Jude Faccidomo told The Miami Herald: 'These allegations came to light Wednesday midday. The detective advised us he was ready to make an arrest Thursday afternoon. 'I think it is safe to say that no valid investigation took place. 'Nevertheless, Ms. Jimenez cooperated fully and we are looking forward to the State Attorney doing a legitimate review of these allegations.' Jimenez was arrested and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center. Theresa May's most senior EU adviser was caught in an embarrassing gaffe today as he was pictured on Whitehall showing secret papers on the Irish border backstop. Olly Robbins' document folder was part open and exposed his documents to waiting press photographers outside the Cabinet Office. The papers discuss the Irish border backstop element of the Brexit divorce deal - the subject of fraught 11th hour negotiations last week to ease Tory rebel concerns. The gaffe comes as the EU Commission warned there would be no further negotiations because last week's summit produced all the concessions available. Theresa May's most senior EU adviser was caught in an embarrassing gaffe today as he was pictured on Whitehall showing secret papers (pictured) on the Irish border backstop The gaffe comes as Mrs may is wrestling to stop the Cabinet descending into chaos today as ministers openly float alternatives to her Brexit plan In the document is narrative about how both sides want the backstop to be temporary and how it could be averted with a trade deal or 'alternative arrangements' to keep open the Irish border. The content does not appear to break from what is publicly known about the state of the negotiations or the content of the divorce deal. But a senior civil servant brandishing papers to the cameras is an embarrassment for the Government as Mrs May fights to save her deal. Olly Robbins' document folder was part open and exposed his documents to waiting press photographers outside the Cabinet Office She left on Brussels on Friday with little to show for her efforts and amid a furious row with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. A Commission spokesman said today: 'The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible. 'We will not reopen it. It will not be renegotiated. The EU Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage so no further meetings with the UK are foreseen.' Mr Robbins document - of which only the bottom right corner can be seen - suggests a 'separate agreement' would render the use of the backstop unnecessary. This is likely to be a reference to the hopes of a permanent UK-EU trade deal. The paper also suggests both sides want any use of the backstop to be "for the shortest possible period". This is in line with political promises offered by both sides - but offers no hint of the legal assurances Mrs May has promised she will secure for Tory rebels. The gaffe comes as Mrs may is wrestling to stop the Cabinet descending into chaos today as ministers openly float alternatives to her Brexit plan. The PM is launching a searing rebuff to those mooting another national ballot, warning it would cause 'irreparable damage' to Britain. What does the exposed document say? Only the bottom right corner of Olly Robbins' document could be seen as the cover flaps in the wind. It discusses the Irish border backstop part of the divorce deal. This is what can be seen: anent is not line the y review tocol will be ratification of United Kingdom of 2020, so that the come into effect by the end of theless to permanently guarantee separate agreement to supersede the intend that any such agreement would the Protocol would not enter into force. came into force, the Union and the United Kingdom in force for the shortest possible period, and in any after the end of the transition period. Both parties intend permanently guaranteeing no hard border on the island of that point, established on a legal basis under the EU Treaties to those permanent arrangements. tocol, and the Political Declaration, note that discussions on alternative consider a full range of facilitative arrangements and technologies. The underline that any arrangements which supersede the Protocol are not replicate its provisions in any respect, provided that the underlying objectives Advertisement Mrs May's arch-rival Boris Johnson has echoed the message, insisting anyone backing a fresh referendum is 'out of their minds' and it would create 'feelings of betrayal' among millions of voters. But with seemingly no hope of Mrs May's deal making it through Parliament, Cabinet ministers breaking ranks as they squabble over what happens next. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd today risked directly contradicting the PM by insisting 'nothing should be off the table' if the government's plan is rejected by the Commons. Business Secretary Greg Clark also backed demands for MPs to vote on a range of 'options'. However, the PM's spokesman again flatly dismissed the idea of a referendum, saying: 'We're not having one.' Mrs May is understood to be resisting calls for the Commons to vote on a series of Brexit options, amid fears it would merely plunge the process deeper into turmoil. One group, including Philip Hammond, Greg Clark and Ms Rudd, are pushing for the Commons to be allowed to vote on a range of options, including holding a second referendum to a Norway-style relationship. In the clearest public statement yet, Mr Clark told the BBC today that if Mrs May's deal falls 'Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with'. He cautioned against a second referendum, saying it would 'continue the uncertainty for many more months'. Ms Rudd said this morning that Parliament should be allowed to express its will and 'nothing should be off the table'. But harder line Brexiteers believe an 'options' vote would just be cover for delaying or cancelling Brexit. They are urging a 'managed' no deal exit - which could involve paying the EU for a transition period and limited agreements to limits the worst effects of crashing out. As the wrangling continues, Home Secretary Sajid Javid is understood to be among ministers who are pressing Mrs May to activate large scale no-deal planning - on the basis that the outcome must now by the central assumption for the government. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd (pictured left today) risked directly contradicting the PM by insisting 'nothing should be off the table' if the government's plan is rejected by the Commons. Business Secretary Greg Clark also backed demands for MPs to vote on a range of 'options'. Mrs May is due to gather senior ministers in Downing Street for an informal discussion on the situation - before what could be a crucial full meeting tomorrow morning. Despite hitting a brick wall of EU resistance to improving her Brexit deal at a summit last week, Mrs May is still hoping to get tweaks and wants to delay a crunch vote on the package until after Christmas. No more talks planned on Brexit deal, EU commission says There are no more negotiations planned on the Brexit divorce deal, the EU insisted today. In a fresh blow to Theresa May, the European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas seemed to undermine her claims that talks are still ongoing. He told a press conference in Brussels: 'The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible - we will not reopen it, it will not be renegotiated. 'As President Tusk said, the European Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage, so no further meetings with the United Kingdom are foreseen. 'On the EU side we have started the process of ratification and we will follow closely the ratification process in the United Kingdom.' He added that talk of a second referendum was an 'internal' matter for the UK and that the commission has 'absolutely no comment on it'. Advertisement Labour is holding off on staging a no-confidence vote in the government until after the deal is defeated, although many of its MPs are furious that Jeremy Corbyn has not already tried to strike. In the Commons this afternoon, Mrs May will all but rule out holding a second vote while she remains in charge. Another referendum would 'likely leave us no further forward than the last... and further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it', she will warn. She will add: 'Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum, another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver.' Her intervention comes amid mounting anger over the revelation that chief-of-staff Gavin Barwell and deputy David Lidington had backed the idea of a second referendum. MPs and ministers reacted furiously to reports yesterday that Mr Barwell had told colleagues a second poll was 'the only way forward' in the light of opposition to her Brexit deal. On social media messages yesterday, Mr Barwell said he was not planning for a second referendum. Mr Lidington also raised eyebrows after it emerged he held secret talks last week with Labour MPs in favour of another poll. Despite the denials, Cabinet sources complained that the rumours had the 'ring of truth'. Boris Johnson (pictured last week) has insisted anyone backing a fresh referendum is 'out of their minds' and it would create 'feelings of betrayal' among millions of voters Remainers condemned the government for trying to 'run down the clock'. Former minister Sam Gyimah said: 'Downing St has stopped selling the PMs flawed deal. 'Instead we have displacement activity designed to distract from last weeks failed renegotiation. 'And a concerted attempt to discredit every plausible alternative as they run down the clock. This is not in the national interest.' 'I think, obviously, it's important once the Prime Minister has finished her negotiations with other European leaders and the Commission that Parliament votes on that. 'If that were not to be successful, we do need to have agreement - we can't just have continuing uncertainty and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with, and that's something that I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics.' Mr Clark also cautioned against a second referendum, saying it would 'continue the uncertainty for many more months'. In a fresh blow to Mrs May, the European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas has said no further meetings between the EU and the UK to discuss the Brexit deal are expected. He told a press conference in Brussels: 'The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible - we will not reopen it, it will not be renegotiated. 'As President Tusk said, the European Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage, so no further meetings with the United Kingdom are foreseen. 'On the EU side we have started the process of ratification and we will follow closely the ratification process in the United Kingdom.' He added that talk of a second referendum was an 'internal' matter for the UK and that the commission has 'absolutely no comment on it'. Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani suggested Sunday that the president spoke to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen about the Trump Tower Moscow project for longer that previously indicated. Giuliani seemed to indicate the president addressed the issue in his written responses to questions from special counsel Robert Mueller and that the talks went on through the 2016 general election. 'According to the answer that he gave, it would have covered all the way up to November of 2016,' Giuliani said on ABC's 'This Week.' Rudy Giuliani suggested Sunday that the president spoke to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen about the Trump Tower Moscow project for longer that previously indicated Giuliani seemed to indicate the president his discussions with his former lawyer Michael Cohen (left) in his answers to questions from special counsel Robert Mueller (right) When asked to clarify how long the talks happened give that Cohen originally said they stopped in January 2016, Giuliani responded: 'Until you actually sit down and you look at the questions, and you go back and you look at the papers and you look at the - you're not going to know what happened. That's why lawyers, you know, prepare for those answers.' Last month, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about plans to build a Trump property in Moscow. He originally told a Senate committee the project was dropped in January 2016 but later admitted that was untrue and he had continued to pursue the matter until June 2016. Giuliani said to CNN later Sunday that Trump told Mueller's team he spoke to Cohen about the project but did not specify exactly when those conversations took place. The former New York City mayor said the president doesn't remember when the conversations took place but is safe in what he told the special counsel because he said the discussions happened sometime during the 2016 campaign. Those conversations could have been in June or July of 2016, Giuliani noted. 'Up until November 2016, they could have had a conversation about Trump Tower Moscow, and it went nowhere,' he told CNN. 'It was a real estate project. There was a letter of intent to go forward, but no one signed it,' he said. Cohen told prosecutors he considered going to Moscow himself and that he raised the possibility of Trump going there during the general election campaign to seal the deal. He said he personally briefed Trump about Trump Tower Moscow on several occasions, as well as Trump family members. President Trump and his team have been on defense since Michael Cohen's sentencing on Wednesday Giuliani said he doesn't believe Roger Stone (above) gave Trump a heads-up on the hacked DNC emails Last week Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison stemming from federal charges of tax fraud and bank fraud, and campaign finance violations. Giuliani, who is representing Trump in the Russia investigation, was asked about a variety of topics that are believed to be subjects of interest to Mueller and his team during his appearance on the Sunday shows. He was asked whether the president was aware of the infamous June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between members of the campaign - including Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and then campaign manager Paul Manafort - and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. 'That is definitely he didn't know about it,' Giuliani said on ABC. 'And I think that's consistent testimony.' Giuliani also said he does not believe Roger Stone gave Trump a heads-up about the hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee that were by WikiLeaks shortly before the Democratic National Convention in the summer of 2016. But added that even if he had, it would not be a crime. 'I don't believe so,' Giuliani said. 'But again, If Roger Stone gave anybody a heads-up about WikiLeaks leaks, that's not a crime. It would be like giving him a heads-up that the Times is going to print something. Mueller's team has been examining Stone's activities to see whether he coordinated with WikiLeaks. Stone is a longtime GOP operative who has advised Trump's campaign. He has denied he knew of WikiLeaks's planned leak of hacked materials ahead of time. The former mayor also said Trump has not been subpoenaed and that he's not the secret person in court fighting off a subpoena from the special counsel's team. Mueller has been engaged in a secret fight with a witness who is refusing to testify before a grand jury about his Russia investigation. There has been much speculation and guessing in Washington about who the person may be. 'No, absolutely not,' Giuliani said when asked if the president was the secret person. Most of Giuliani's time on the Sunday morning programs was spent defending the president in the wake of Cohen's sentencing last week. Giuliani appeared on 'Fox News Sunday' and ABC's 'This Week' to defend the president after Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail and claimed Trump knew it was wrong to give hush money payments to two women during the 2016 campaign. Giuliani slammed Cohen during his TV appearances as a 'pathological liar' and charged Cohen with lying when he said Trump knew about the payments at the time. Rudy Giuliani took to the Sunday morning public affairs shows to defend President Trump 'No, the truth is actually what Cohen testified to under oath before Congress and what he repeated numerous times on surreptitious tape recordings that he made, which is that the president didn't know about this until some time into it, he did find out about it and eventually reimburse it,' Giuliani said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'Even if it were true it's not a crime,' Giuliani said of the payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal. He repeated that claim on ABC's 'This Week.' 'It's not a crime,' he said. 'Paying $130,000 to Stormy whatever and paying $130,000 (sic) to the other one is not a crime.' He also told 'Fox News Sunday' that special counsel Robert Mueller and his team would be allowed to interview Trump 'over my dead body.' He cited what prosecutors treatment of Trump's former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as the reason for his refusal. 'Good luck. After what they did to Flynn, the way they trapped him into perjury,' Giuliani said. Flynn's lawyers claim prosecutors tricked the ex-White House official into lying when he spoke to them during a White House interview. Investigators slammed back at that charge. 'Nothing about the way the interview was arranged or conducted caused the defendant to make false statements to the FBI,' a court filing said. Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations during the presidential transition period with the then-Russian ambassador to the United States, will become the first White House official punished in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. 'A sitting National Security Advisor, former head of an intelligence agency, retired Lieutenant General, and 33-year veteran of the armed forces knows he should not lie to federal agents. He does not need to be warned it is a crime to lie to federal agents to know the importance of telling them the truth,' the document from prosecutors said. Flynn lied to the vice president, the transition team and the media about his conversations, which he claimed at the time had not been about overturning U.S. sanctions. Trump had not been inaugurated as president at the time and Flynn did not have the authority to negotiate with Russia on behalf of the United States federal government. Giuliani slammed Michael Cohen (above) during his TV appearances as a 'pathological liar' and charged Cohen with lying when he said Trump knew about the payments at the time Giuliani cited what prosecutors did to Trump's former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn (above), whose lawyers claim he was tricked into lying The former New York City mayor spent much of the morning fiercely attacking Cohen as a lawyer who cannot be trusted. 'The president is telling the truth, yes. This man is lying. Now is that a big surprise to you, that Michael Cohen is lying? The man got up in front of the judge and said I was a fiercely loyal to Donald Trump. Nonsense he was fiercely loyal to him he taped him, lied to him, revealed the tape and did something a lawyer I've never heard ever did - tape record his own client,' Giuliani said on Fox. 'The man is a complete pathological liar that cannot be believed,' he added. And, on ABC's 'This Week,' Giuliani called Cohen 'pathetic.' 'Pathetic. The man is pathetic,' he said. He also charged Cohen with changing 'his story four or five times. 'So has the president,' ABC's George Stephanopoulos replied. 'The president's not under oath. And the president tried to do the best he can to remember what happened back at a time when he was the busiest man in the world,' Giuliani said. President Trump initially denied knowing anything about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels that Cohen paid and Trump eventually reimbursed him for. American Media - the parent company of the National Enquirer - paid $150,000 to McDougal to her story and then didn't publish it, a move known as 'catch and kill.' Both Daniels and McDougal claim affairs with the president, which he has denied. Prosecutors revealed this week they had agreed not to prosecute American Media Inc., assuming it's continued cooperation with investigators. American Media CEO David Pecker is cooperating. Cohen told prosecutors Trump knew of the payment to Daniels from the start and Trump was revealed to be in the meeting with Pecker and Cohen about McDougal. Giuliani was asked why the the Southern District of New York claimed in Cohen's sentencing memo that 'individual-1,' which is how Trump is referred to, directed the payment. 'There'd be no way they would know that other than taking Cohen's word for it. I mean, the conversations they had, even that tape recorded conversation that we listened to is just the two of them,' Giuliani said on ABC. 'They don't have corroborating evidence. I'm sure. They don't have corroborating evidence,' he added. 'This is a guy who stood up in court and said I'm fiercely - I was fiercely loyal to Donald Trump, that's why I did it, I was fiercely loyal to him. No he wasn't. He was taping him surreptitiously, lying to him. His client. That's outrageous. Can you imagine how a jury's going to react to that?' Former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen (left) and American Media CEO David Pecker (right) are cooperating with prosecutors Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign and banking violations after he created a shell company to transfer $130,000 to Stormy Daniels (right), who claims she had an affair with Trump. AMI gave $150,000 to model Karen McDougal (left) who claims she had an affair with Trump Fox News' Chris Wallace asked Giuliani about Trump's denial of knowledge of the payments made in a conversation with reporters in September 2016. 'That was a conversation he was asked, middle of the campaign, I was with him back then in the middle of the campaign, he's working 18 hours a day,' Giuliani said Cohen delivered a scathing tell-all interview Friday where he said his former boss 'directed' him to negotiate hush payments in order to benefit Trump and his campaign implicating his ex-boss in a crime that is putting him in jail. Cohen told ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos on 'Good Morning America' that 'of course' the President knew it was wrong to pay off two women. On Wednesday, Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail for multiple crimes - including bank fraud, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. Trump has tweeted fast and furious against his former personal attorney since that sentencing. He's also argued it was Cohen's job - as his lawyer - to know what was legal and what wasn't. The pressure appears to be on the White House as reports indicated Mueller is close to wrapping up his probe, which is examining whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to affect the 2016 election. In a separate investigation, the Southern District of New York looked into the payoffs to two women who claimed to have affairs with Trump, which he denied. In an interview with 'Good Morning America' on Friday, Cohen expressed his wish to 'not be the villain' of the saga and defended himself against the President, who has publicly attacked him numerous times since he pleaded guilty to a 'veritable smorgasbord' of charges in August. The crime that is most perilous for Trump - who is said to be 'privately fretting over impeachment' is Cohen's campaign violation payments. Prosecutors say a figure identified as 'Individual-1' Trump 'directed' Cohen to make a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels,. 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 on Twitter 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.' In an interview with 'Good Morning America' on Friday, Cohen expressed his wish to 'not be the villain' of the saga Trump has been on a twitter rant since Cohen's sentencing But Cohen told Stephanopoulos: 'I don't think there is anybody that believes that. 'First of all, nothing at the Trump organization was ever done unless it was run through Mr. Trump. He directed me to make the payments, he directed me to become involved in these matters.' Trump has reportedly told allies in his closest circle that he is alarmed by the possibility of impeachment, despite publicly stating that he isn't concerned. On Thursday, the president was revealed to be the third man who attended a 2015 meeting with Cohen and American Media Inc. boss David Pecker where they forged a plan to keep Trump'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 the 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 ultimately led to Cohen pleading guilty to a felony and getting three years in jail. It also led to a cooperation agreement with prosecutors in which Pecker - one of Trump's former best friends - would not be prosecuted 'for any crimes' related to campaign finance law resulting from the meeting. AMI gave $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who says she had a 10-month affair with the president, and Cohen was involved in discussions relating to this. That could leave Trump as the odd man out if he continues his denials that he did anything wrong and never 'directed' Cohen to break the law and he is now the only person in the room who claims that the hush money wasn't used to impact the outcome of the election. Pecker agreed to flip - and is still cooperating with federal authorities. In a statement, the US 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'. The news 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. A hitchhiker has been charged with murder after his abandoned vehicle was found covered in blood near a remote road in South Australia. A 32-year-old Afghan man was picked up by a farmer at about 10.30am near Nundroo, in the west of the state, after his Holden SUV ran out of fuel on Monday. The farmer took the man to Yalata, 60km further west, and when police returned with the man to his vehicle they noticed blood on and inside the car. The crime scene set out by police on part of the Eyre Highway in South Australia Later, at 3.30pm on Monday, a man's body was found about 100km east of the Nullarbor Roadhouse on the Eyre Highway. The 32-year-old Victorian man was charged on Monday night. He was due to appear in court on Tuesday. SA police are keen to hear from anyone who saw the two men in the car anywhere from Port Augusta, when it was last seen on Sunday evening, and the Nullarbor Roadhouse. An investigation had already commenced in the region following earlier reports of a missing man. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Vegan activists today formed a human shield in a Waitrose meat aisle to protest at the number of turkeys being slaughtered for Christmas. The 18-strong group held plates covered in blood and held placards saying: 'Humane murder is a lie' in the supermarket's Brighton store where they told shoppers: 'You can't shop in peace when you're buying death'. The Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) group walked into the store with placards saying 'It's not food, it's violence' while carrying flowers for the dead animals being sold there. Sussex Police were called at around 2.45pm yesterday but there were no arrests. Yesterday they stood in an impenetrable line trying to prevent shoppers from reaching packs of steak, mince, chicken, turkey and other meats at the Waitrose in East Sussex. 18 vegan activists formed a human guard in the meat aisle of a Waitrose store in Brighton in protest at killing turkeys at Christmas The group held placards saying: 'Humane murder is a lie' and 'It's not food it's violence', while one protester had a neck scarf made to look like it was covered in blood Police were called to the protest carried out by members of the The Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) group - but no arrests were made yesterday A protester with a loud speaker appealed to shoppers, shouting: 'Animals are not things. Lives are not commodities. It's time to end these cruel and bloody traditions. Take the death off your plate this Christmas.' Shoppers in the meat aisle admitted it was all kicking off when they tried to get some food with one angry customer calling the group: 'Intellectually barren' 'This Christmas time you might be worried about what presents to buy and how to organise family get togethers, but the animals are facing carnage. 'Around ten million turkeys are slaughtered this time of year so they can end up on your Christmas table in the United Kingdom. 'Catching and transporting birds can cause considerable pain and distress. 'Many birds may be injured whilst being removed from sheds and put into crates. Poor handling frequently results in bruising, skin grazing and broken blood vessels. 'Loaded into trucks, piled next to their friends and not knowing where they are headed, no chance of escape. 'Transport to slaughter can be long with birds experiencing extremes of temperature, stress suffocation and shock.' The protester then goes on to scream that birds are killed between nine and 21 weeks old when their natural life span is ten years. She describes how the birds are dragged headfirst through an electrically charged water bath to make them unconscious before having their necks cut. Before long, the store security staff turn up and one appears to say: 'Outside the store is different, inside the store it's people's business and livelihoods.' In footage of the protest the group don't move as a man attempts to access meat on a shelf behind them. Another shopper gets into an argument with them, calling them 'intellectually barren.' But many shoppers simply ignore them and continue shopping. Former member Morgan Kayleigh Giampaolo raided the Touro steak house in Brighton to play animal slaughter noises to diners last week, but is the daughter of a wealthy meat seller After the group started shouting an anti-meat chant, a stag party stood up and sang back 'Stand up if you love meat' as members danced around, pictured left and right A month ago the group were also out in force at a Tesco in Sussex where they occupied the meat aisle, this time a silent demo Eventually the police arrived with an officer telling the group: 'I am still going to ask you all to leave as you are not allowed to be in here. Who were the activists who stormed Waitose and a steak house? How animal rights protest group with branches across UK was founded in San Francisco Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is an animal rights protest group that was originally set up in San Francisco in 2013. Its mission is to achieve 'total animal liberation' and the creation of a law requiring 'species equality'. Associated groups then spread throughout the US, protesting against conditions at farms used by Whole Foods and organising sit-ins at Chipotle restaurants against animal violence. By December 2014 the organisation had spread across the globe, with groups established in 90 cities in 20 countries, and in the present day it has organised protests in 217 cities in 43 countries. In the UK it has branches in Liverpool, Brighton, Bristol, Coventry, London, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Cambridge, north east England, Belfast and Scotland. DxE pledge to take non-violent direct action but its disruptive demonstrations have been branded bullying. Members in the US have previously been charged with burglary and theft after raiding farms and stealing livestock. Advertisement 'I will advise you that if you don't you will be liable to arrest. 'I am just being polite and respectful. You obviously have a cause you are quite passionate about but you can do it outside.' Leaving the store, the group chant: 'It's not food, it's violence.' They then stand outside the store screaming at those entering: 'What do we want? Animal liberation. When do we want it? Now!' A spokesman for Waitrose said: 'We pride ourselves on exceptional animal welfare, with our turkeys farmed to high standards at farms we know and trust.' He added that Waitrose was Compassion in World Farming's retailer of the year and is also in the top tier of the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare. Sussex Police said in a statement: At 2.45pm on Sunday police were called to the Waitrose store in Western Road, Brighton, where 18 people demonstrating against the consumption of meat products were present. 'After commencing their action inside the store, the group moved outside. There were no arrests'. DxE is an international movement with several UK subgroups. They say their actions are done to 'denormalise activities that involve animal exploitation through non violent disruption.' Former member Morgan Kayleigh Giampaolo is the daughter of American businessman David Giampaolo, who runs Pi Capital and is Chairman of Gousto, where customers can buy steak, sausage and lamb. Morgan was among those who stormed the Touro steakhouse, playing the sounds of animals being slaughtered to shocked diners in early December. She has now cut ties with the group. David Elvin was inside the restaurant handcuffed to the dwarf dressed as an Oompa Loompa and led retaliation chants after jumping on a table. He and his hired dwarf encouraged his fellow revellers and other diners to chant 'stand up if you love meat' and 'you're not singing any more'. Irish woman jailed for at least five years for stabbing her fiance to death in 2017 A young Irish woman who stabbed her tradesman fiance to death says she will accept her sentence, but is relieved the killing led to truth about her abusive relationship coming out. Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill, 27, pleaded guilty to manslaughter after it was downgraded from murder, for David Walsh's stabbing death at their home in Sydney's south-west in February 2017. Talking to The Daily Telegraph from her prison cell at the Mary Wade Correction Centre, the 27-year-old accepts that she must serve time in jail. Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill (pictured, left) pleaded guilty to manslaughter after it was downgraded from murder, for David Walsh's (pictured, right) stabbing death Talking to The Daily Telegraph from her prison cell at the Mary Wade Correction Centre, the 27-year-old accepts that she must serve time in jail In the NSW Supreme Court, Justice Peter Johnson jailed her for eight years with a non-parole period of five years. 'I'm upset about being in prison, but I have to serve some penalty for what I did,' Cahill said. She also said that although her relationship with Mr Walsh was tainted with abuse and control, she would have never intentionally killed her boyfriend. 'I can't really remember what happened. Of course I regret it, I'm still shocked, I loved him I'm just relieved the truth about our relationship has finally come out,' the 27-year-old said. Cahill says she endured an intense relationship with Mr Walsh, 29, a boxer who abused her, kept her from seeing her friends, deleted messages from her phone and accused her of having multiple affairs. Mr Walsh's death was just five weeks after Cahill accepted his marriage proposal on New Years Eve in 2016. Days before his violent death on February 17, 2017, Mr Walsh gifted Cahill flowers for Valentine's Day with the attached message reading: 'I know I can be a c***, but I can be a good c***'. 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 the two other female housemates after they met him at the pub. In the NSW Supreme Court, Justice Peter Johnson jailed Cahill for eight years with a non-parole period of five years 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 him. 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. Prosecutors noted in court last month that Cahill told police in September 2015, after an AVO was issued against Mr Walsh to protect her, that she held no fears against him. Cahill says she endured an intense relationship with Mr Walsh, 29, a boxer who abused her, kept her from seeing her friends, deleted messages from her phone and accused her of having multiple affairs She agreed with Justice Johnson that her evidence revealed they had a 'pretty stormy relationship' and that Mr Walsh might be seen to be a 'controlling and fairly unpleasant person'. 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. But she said she stayed with him as 'I loved him very dearly' and he did have some good features. 'I was in fear of getting in more trouble from David if I told the truth,' Cahill told the court. The fatal attack occurred when an intoxicated Mr Walsh (pictured) launched an unprovoked attack on Mathew Hyde, who had been invited into the home by Cahill and the two other female housemates Mr Walsh's death was just five weeks after Cahill accepted his marriage proposal on New Years Eve in 2016 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.' The judge accepted her account of Mr Walsh's controlling and demeaning conduct, observing their marriage was 'doomed to fail'. In sentencing, Justice Johnson said the couple's relationship was 'violent and degrading' at times for no reason. 'The events of that evening were the last straw, she reacted with loss of control giving rise to substantial impairment of judgment,' he said. Gray's earliest release date will be in February 2022 when she is expected to be deported to Ireland. Danny Dyer has reignited his feud with David Cameron - lashing the former Prime Minister for deserting the country in the Brexit crisis. The EastEnders star said it is a 'f***ing travesty' the ex leader can just 'slip off' while the UK is bitterly divided. Launching into a foul-mouthed tirade against the former PM on the Sky One show Look Back to the Future, Dyer added: 'Where is he though - let's be straight. Where is he? 'Not a f***ing word from the geezer.' His colourful attack on the former Tory leader sparked cheers from the show's studio audience. Danny Dyer (pictured on the Sky show) has reignited his feud with David Cameron - lashing the former Prime Minister for deserting the country in the Brexit crisis And it comes six months after he launched into a similar foul-mouthed rant against Mr Cameron during a TV appearance. Dyer - well known for playing East End hardmen - was quizzed about his dislike of Mr Cameron during the show. He said: 'I was just a bit humpy that day - I was sitting next to Piers Morgan and it all got a bit on top and I just had abit of a vent. 'I didn't think it would go as insane as that , I just thought that it was common knowledge that the man a 'f***ing t***. The EastEnders star said it is a 'f***ing travesty' the ex leader David Cameron (pictured on Saturday in London) can just 'slip off' while the UK is bitterly divided 'He's not a t*** he's a c***, the geezer.' And he also took aim at Theresa May, describing her as f***ing useless, but loveable in a way.' Mr Cameron was widely vilified for calling the Brexit referendum and then suddenly quitting No10 the day after he lost the crunch vote. Since his departure two years ago, the UK has been left bitterly divided, the Tory party has erupted into open civil war, and the crunch Brexit talks have been hit by a string of crises. Mrs May's deal looks set to be overwhelmingly rejected by MPs when it goes to the Commons in the New Year - leaving her premiership hanging by a thread. Dyer's fiery remarks come amid reports that Mrs May is turning to Mr Cameron for advice on Brexit. The report has sparked a flurry to scathing responses from opposition MPs. Labour MP David Lammy said: 'David Cameron gambled the countrys future on Europe and lost. This is like asking the captain of the Titanic for navigation tips.' Mrs May is bracing for a stormy session in the Commons this afternoon as she faces MPs after her pleas to EU leaders to change the hated Brexit backstop were snubbed last week. The PM will warn that it would be a 'disaster' to hold a second referendum after her senior aides were found to have secretly discussed the plan. Theresa May (pictured today in Downing Street) will warn today that a second Brexit referendum would cause 'irreparable damage' to Britain, as she tries to defuse anger at the news that her own aides have floated the idea Mrs May's arch-rival Boris Johnson has echoed the message, insisting anyone backing a fresh referendum is 'out of their minds' and it would create 'feelings of betrayal' among millions of voters. But with seemingly no hope of Mrs May's deal making it through Parliament, Cabinet ministers breaking ranks as they squabble over what happens next. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd today risked directly contradicting the PM by insisting 'nothing should be off the table' if the government's plan is rejected by the Commons. Business Secretary Greg Clark also backed demands for MPs to vote on a range of 'options'. However, the PM's spokesman again flatly dismissed the idea of a referendum, saying: 'We're not having one.' Advertisement Parts of Britain will be hit by nearly two inches of rain and 65mph wind gusts tomorrow as stormy weather returns. The Met Office has issued weather warnings for Northern Ireland, South Wales and South West England - with cautions for potential flooding to homes and businesses, power cuts and disruption to train services. Heavy rain is expected between 5am and 9pm across much of South Wales as well as English counties including Devon, Cornwall, Hampshire, Somerset and Dorset - with up to 1.6in (40m) forecast to fall over the hills. Admiralty House is seen reflected in a puddle on Horse Guards Parade in London this morning The sun rises behind Bamburgh castle in Northumberland on the north east coast of England today after a chilly weekend Rain is affecting many parts of England today (pictured) although the downpours are expected to be much worse tomorrow Heavy rain is expected between 5am and 9pm tomorrow (left), while Wednesday will also be wet for many areas (right) Thursday is expected to bring sunny conditions in eastern parts (left), while rain will return for many areas on Friday (right) The Met Office has issued weather warnings for Northern Ireland, South Wales and South West England tomorrow What do the Met Office weather warnings say? RAIN AND WIND WARNING - NORTHERN IRELAND Tomorrow: 3am until 9am Wet and windy weather expected early Tuesday. Wettest in the south and west, windiest in the southeast. What to expect: Flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely. Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer. Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer. Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely. Some short term loss of power and other services is possible. It's likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities affected by spray and/or large waves. RAIN WARNING - SOUTH WEST ENGLAND AND WALES Tomorrow: 5am until 9pm Rain, heavy at times, on Tuesday giving difficult driving conditions. Windy too, especially in coastal areas. What to expect: Flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely. Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer. Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer. Advertisement The worst of the weather is expected to have cleared by mid-afternoon but further east the worst conditions are likely to be during the afternoon and early evening. The Met Office warning said: 'Another spell of wet and windy weather is expected on Tuesday when rain will be heavy at times and, given recent wet weather, likely lead to impacts in a few places. 'Over most of Wales, Devon and Cornwall the worst of the weather will have cleared by mid-afternoon whilst further east the worst conditions are likely to be during the afternoon and early evening. 'This wet weather, meanwhile, will be accompanied by windy conditions with gusts in exposed coastal locations around 50-65 mph which means that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray and/or large waves. Inland, gusts will be lower and mainly peak at 40-50 mph.' The Environment Agency has three flood alerts in place today - for the Eastern Yar on the Isle of Wight, Lower Frome and tributaries around Dorchester in Dorset and the South East Somerset Rivers around Yeovil. Natural Resources Wales has issued 16 'low risk' flood warnings for tomorrow in West, South and Mid Wales. It comes after Storm Deirdre brought snow and freezing conditions to Scotland and northern England - with hundreds of homes in the Borders, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire still without electricity last night. Up to 1,000 properties had no electricity after power lines were brought down. SSE said 'line icing' hit cables, which cannot cope with the snow's weight, coupled with rain which freezes the instant it touches a surface. Meanwhile the Met Office has warned a White Christmas is looking unlikely. Temperatures could nudge double figures at the start of Christmas week, although snow could return to the country at New Year. H e would lure victims to his home by impersonating a police officer or promising them construction work Gacy is known as one of history's most bizarre serial killers, largely because of his work as an amateur clown Gacy was arrested in 1978 and convicted of murdering at least 33 people after their bodies were found in a crawl space under his home and in a nearby river Work also led to identification of victims and missing people in 11 cases They were murdered by one of America's most notorious serial killers, but for four decades on, and they have remained nameless. Still, efforts are being made to solve the mystery of 'Killer Clown' John Wayne Gacy's six unidentified victims. Over the years, thanks to scientific breakthroughs in DNA testing, Sgt. Jason Moran has managed to identify some of the unnamed men discovered in the serial killer's Chicago home in the 1970s. Scroll down for video John Wayne Gacy murdered 33 people and became known as the Killer Clown as he would dress as a character, Pogo the Clown, at parades and children's parties. Detectives are still working to identity some of his victims 'The public would feel much more comfortable if Gacy was this type of creepy, sequestered ghoul that was unkempt and heinous,' Detective Sgt. Jason Moran of the Cook County sheriff's office told the Chicago Tribune recently. 'But instead, he dressed as a clown and bounced kids on his knee. He would knock at your door and say vote for my candidate.' Gacy's nice-guy persona masked something far more sinister. Once his victims were were safely restrained, usually in a pair of handcuffs as he demonstrated a 'trick' he learned as a clown, Gacy's smile disappeared and he became a cold, growling predator who sexually assaulted his victims before strangling many of them with a knotted rope. He buried 29 of his 33 victims in trenches underneath and around his home and dumped four others from bridges once his property could hold no more bodies. Cook County Sheriff's Police evidence technicians are seen removing of one of the 29 bodies that were found decomposed beneath the house and in the garage area of the home Workers demolish Gacy's house in April 1979. The house had to be knocked down the inside was gutted in the search for bodies Cook County Sheriff's Police carry a section of flooring at the home of John Gacy. Flooring was being ripped from the house as authorities searched for more bodies When the bodies were discovered, DNA testing was in its infancy and police relied on dental records to identify people until Sgt. Jason Moran took over the decades-old case. He discovered an innovative way to solve cold cases - by adding the DNA of long-dead serial killers into a national database. Officers at the Sheriff's Department in Cook County, Illinois, created DNA profiles of Gacy and other serial killers, and found a legal method of getting the executed killers' samples entered into databases shared with other law enforcement agencies. Thanks to scientific breakthroughs in DNA testing, Sgt. Jason Moran has identified one of the unnamed men discovered in the serial killer's home in the 1970s Cook County Sheriff's Detective Jason Moran stands near a headstone of one of the unidentified victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy at a cemetery in Hillside, Ill, who he has been working to name GACY: STORY OF A SERIAL KILLER Between 1972 and 1978, John Wayne Gacy killed 33 teenage boys or young men at his Chicago, Illinois home. He occasionally lured the men for sex by impersonating a police officer or promising them construction work. He stabbed the first victim, 15-year-old Timothy Jack McCoy, and strangled the others. Most were buried in a crawl space under his home. Four others were dumped in a river. Investigators were alerted to Gacy after a boy went missing who he had been talking with him about construction work. On searching his home, they found a series of odd items - such as clothes too small for Gacy - and the smell of decay. Gacy was executed by lethal injection in 1994. His last words were 'Kiss my ass.' Gacy became known as the Killer Clown as he would dress as a character, Pogo the Clown, at parades and children's parties. Advertisement Moran's work began seven years ago after his boss, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, made a public appeal for anyone who thought a relative was an unidentified Gacy victim to step forward and submit to a DNA test. A phone number to field calls started ringing. Emails stacked up. Moran built a database, prioritizing about 170 tips that poured in from more than 20 states, representing some 80 missing young men. Moran focused on those the same age, 14 to 24, and with similar backgrounds to Gacy victims. Many had troubled families or substance abuse problems. Some were gay. Others had worked construction for Gacy, a building contractor who sometimes lured victims by hiring them or pretending to be a police officer. He was executed in 1994. 'You're telling a story and learning someone's fate,' Moran says. 'You're doing something for a family. You're giving them a sense of peace.' Authorities had removed the jaw bones and teeth of the eight unknown victims, hoping for eventual identification. Decades later, they were buried in buckets in a single pauper's grave. In 2011, they were exhumed. Moran stashed them in a bag and flew to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, where lab workers developed solid DNA profiles for four victims. Cook County Sheriff's office officials examine containers that hold the upper and lower jaws and their teeth of the unidentified victims of John Wayne Gacy in June 2011. They were stored for many years at the medical examiner's office and in 2009 were buried in a paupers' grave Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, left, and Detective Jason Moran are seen in Chicago with three vials of mass murderer John Wayne Gacy's blood as part of the work to identify his murder victims Gacy raped and murdered young men and boys in Cook County, Illinois between 1972 and 1978. The serial killer, above in 1992, was executed in 1994 The first to be identified was William Bundy, a 19-year-old construction worker from Chicago, whose remains were identified weeks after the exhumations in 2011. A second victim, 16-year-old James 'Jimmie' Byron Haakenson, was identified in July 2017. The teenager had left his Minnesota home in 1976 and was last heard from in August of that year. Gacy is known as one of history's most bizarre serial killers, largely because of his work as an amateur clown. The Chicago-area building contractor would lure young men to his home by impersonating a police officer or promising them construction work. He often found some of the young men hitchhiking or at bus stops. He stabbed at least one of his victims and strangled the others. Most of the victims were buried under his home but others were dumped in a river. Authorities said Gacy was forced to start stacking the bodies in the crawl space under his home because he was killing so many people. While only two of Gacy's eight remaining victims have been identified since the launch of the DNA-based investigation, authorities said it had solved cold cases that were not related to the serial killer, including five missing persons who were located alive and two who had died elsewhere in the country. Two Gacy victims - William Bundy (left) and James 'Jimmie' Byron Haakenson (right) were identified in 2011 and 2016 Victims: Headshots of some of the boys and young men whose bodies were identified as victims of John Wayne Gacy For the six who remain unidentified, their remains were placed into a paupers grave. It all had to be exhumed, an 'unnerving process' for the detective, who supervised as the caskets were lifted from the soil. ' There's nothing more private,' he says, 'than someone's final resting place.' As for Gacy's other unidentified victims, Moran says he is still determined to unlock the mystery. So far, he has around 40 more leads to pursue. He already has dramatic reminders of his success: On his walls are posters of teenage boys, their faces frozen in time. Across each one in red letters is a stamp: 'Cold Case Cleared.' 'This case isn't cleared and closed it's open in that all of his victims haven't been identified,' Moran explained. He said there's no new evidence that links Gacy to additional victims but adds 'it's hard to put it past someone so evil.' 'I've solved more non-Gacy victims,' Moran said to the Tribune. Identifying the remaining victims is difficult because of the likelihood that they were people with weak family bonds, possibly runaways or wards of the state, whose disappearances wouldnt have raised alarms at a time when a million teenagers a year ran away from home, Moran says. John Wayne Gacy is seen here aged 36, covering his face as he is led to a courtroom Numbered stakes indicate where the bodies of John Wayne Gacy's victims were found in the crawl space beneath his suburban home. Twenty-nine bodies, all young males, were recovered from Gacy's home. Four others were found in Illinois rivers Gacy was executed by lethal injection in 1994, but the impact of his crimes went beyond tainting his neighborhood. As a response to widespread criticism of local police for taking years to connect the missing victims to Gacy, federal and local law enforcement agencies began sharing information on runaways and sex offenders, implemented a national hotline and launched a computer database for missing people. Police departments and schools nationwide joined forces for massive public service campaigns tasked with teaching parents and children about 'stranger danger.' Marveling at this remarkable detour from the ghastly Gacy trail, Moran recalls something he recently told his boss: 'Is it possible that an evil serial killer has done some good?' Gacy used to lure children and young men before raping and killing them. He also painted as well. Dubbed killer clown, Gacy worked as a children's entertainer and murdered at least 33 A body found off the coast of Tenerife has been confirmed as a missing British animal trainer who disappeared during a night out with friends last month. DNA testing was used to confirm that the body was that of missing Amy Gerard, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire. The family of the 28-year-old, who disappeared after leaving a bar in Puerto de la Cruz on November 30, say they are 'heartbroken'. Confirmation of the identity was announced by the Lucie Blackman Trust, which supports British nationals in crisis overseas. A body found off the coast of Tenerife has been confirmed as missing British animal trainer Amy Gerard (pictured) who disappeared during a night out with friends last month DNA testing was used to confirm the body was that of missing Amy Gerard (pictured), from Grimsby, Lincolnshire Police (pictured) discovered a woman's remains in the ocean earlier this month. DNA testing has now confirmed the body was that of Amy Gerard Her family said in a statement: 'The DNA results confirm our worst nightmare and we are all heartbroken that Amy is no longer with us. 'The police investigation is ongoing and there is no further information to share at this time.' The university graduate disappeared shortly after midnight after leaving the city's Molly Malone pub where she had been at a friend's birthday. She was filmed just before she vanished looking happy and relaxed as she danced in a circle alongside German friend Dennis Kissling to the Pogues song Fairytale of New York. Ms Gerard and Mr Kissling, colleagues at Tenerife marine theme park Loro Parque, were spotted going their separate ways after leaving the pub. Mother Julie, 59, and sister Chloe, 30, flew to Tenerife with Chloe's fiance after learning of her disappearance. Tenerife police said earlier this month her death did not appear to be the result of a 'violent act.' The university graduate disappeared shortly after midnight after leaving the city's Molly Malone pub (pictured) where she had been at a friend's birthday The remains were discovered close to the lighthouse in the town of Puerto de la Cruz (file image) and near to where Ms Gerard was last seen The Lucie Blackman Trust, set up by the family of Lucie Blackman after she was killed in Tokyo by a millionaire Japanese businessman, revealed soon after she disappeared that it was assisting Amy's loved ones. Chief Executive Matthew Searle MBE said: 'This is the worst news for the family just before Christmas. The thoughts of all of us here at the charity are with Amy's family and we continue to support them. The family have asked for privacy and we hope this is afforded them.' Her disappearance was described as totally 'out of character' by family and friends, with work colleagues insisting she had given no indication anything might be worrying her. Police were also told Ms Gerard, who was estranged from her personal trainer husband Ryan Docherty who is currently back in the UK, was not a big drinker and had not looked inebriated or tipsy when she left the pub. The spot where she was found is thought to be along the route she would have taken to walk back to her home near Loro Parque from Molly Malone. Although the message from police after the body find was that all lines of inquiry were still open, it is understood the possibility that Mr Gerard ended up in the sea by accident was top of their list of theories. This was ahead of an inconclusive post-mortem which failed to establish the cause of death. A retired Army bandsman who relies on a mobility scooter to get around, was snared by paedophile hunters as he tried to entice young children into a sexual chat over the internet, a judge was told. The organiser of vigilante group Southern Justice videoed the ambush of 69-year-old Roger King as he arrived on his scooter at his home and placed the images on Facebook after handing him over to the police. He was given a 30 month jail sentence on December 14 after a judge heard how 11 out of 12 of his perverse conversations were actually with adult paedophile hunters rather than the young girls he believed he was chatting to online. During a hearing at Reading Crown Court, Judge Paul Dugdale heard how he wiped 50 years off his Army career and masqueraded as an 18-year-old Army bandsman to lure children into sexually explicit situations. This is the moment retired Army bandsman Roger King, 69, was snared by the paedophile hunter group Southern Justice The organiser of vigilante group ambush King as he arrived on his scooter at his home and handed him over to the police King was given a 30 month jail sentence on December 14 after a judge heard how he masqueraded as an 18-year-old Army bandsman to lure children into sexually explicit situations He told police who interviewed him that he had just wanted to teach young girls about sex and received no gratification out of it. However, this was rejected outright by Judge Dugdale. The court heard that King went under an explicit name on Facebook and used a picture of a young Army musician to introduce the topic of sex to girls who told him they were underage. He would then send them sex videos he had recorded. However, the 69-year-old was unaware that he was being lured in by the vigilante group who tricked him on 11 separate occasions before going to his home to confront him. Amanda Hamilton, prosecuting, said: 'On May 14 this year police called at Mr Kings address. Two officers met a man called Lee who appeared to be the organiser of Southern Justice. 'He handed them a green folder and also played some footage of defiant Mr King being confronted and making some representations about educating children online about sex. 'Mr King was arrested and officers searching the property seized a USB storage card. 'He was interviewed the following day and he said that he had communicated with the two girls and that he said that the conversation was educational. 'He knew that it was wrong and he didnt want anyone to find out but he said he didnt gain any sexual gratification from that. The 69-year-old told police that he had just wanted to teach young girls about sex A judge heard how 11 out of 12 of his perverse conversations King had were actually with adult paedophile hunters 'Records showed that one of the fake girls, nominally called Lizzie Log, had informed Mr King she was aged 12 years. 'He sent her a fake picture of a young man in a military style uniform and quickly invited her to ask him any questions about sex she might have. 'He said all his friends used to call him Seemore Dick. He told Lizzie he was on his bed naked.' The court heard that King, who had been a bandsman in the military in his real life, told all the girls he contacted that he was an 18-year old musician in the Army. Ms Hamilton told the court that King had contacted one real girl, a 14-year-old from Leeds, who was visited by detectives after the older mans internet chat history was scoured by police. Ms Hamilton told the judge: 'She said she hadnt known how to respond to his questions and, at the time, she said she lacked confidence because she was being bullied. 'She sent a short video of herself to him and he commented that her boobies were a surprising size for her age. He invited her to ask him personal questions. Reading Crown Court heard that King went under an explicit name on Facebook and used a picture of a young Army musician to introduce the topic of sex to girls 'On March 31 she told him on one of the chats that she loved him and he later said he missed her and therefore he must love her too. On April 21 she cancelled contact with him.' The court heard how Kind, who operated from his address, had been speaking to 85 different girls aged under 16 years on online chatrooms but only the 12 mentioned in court were considered offences. Defending at Reading Crown Court, Sarah Taite, said: 'Mr Kings medical records show he has a very serious heart problem, they are investigating that with a view to heart surgery. He has arthritis and is only able to walk approximately 20 yards. 'His wife died four years ago. It was very sudden and that had an impact on his psychological well-being. Mr King was left to his own devices without any meaningful occupation. 'He had, for a long long time, been a bandsman and it was something he did on a regular basis when he left the forces and he was clearly very talented.. Sentencing Judge Paul Dugdale said: 'It may be that 11 out of the 12 people you contacted were adults but that is not what was in your mind when you were doing these acts. In your mind you were contacting children. 'Mr King, our children dont need that. They dont need anybody contacting them over the internet with that kind of conversation. 'It doesnt matter how old you are, if you are an adult our community doesnt want you contacting children with that kind of communication and people need to realise that. 'If people contact children aged 11, 12, 13, 14 years, to talk to them in the way that you did, they will go to prison. It is totally unacceptable. 'You say you contacted them because you wanted to teach them things. I dont accept that for one moment. That kind of communication with children damages them and, if in your own mind you decide that you are going to damage children in that way, you will go to prison. King was sentenced to a total of 30 months imprisonment after admitting 18 counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and one count of attempting to cause a child under the of 16 years to watch a sexual act. BT Adams, 75, is accused of repeatedly assaulting and kissing a three-year-old girl at the YMCA center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin A 75-year-old Wisconsin man who dressed as Santa for the YMCA has been charged with repeatedly assaulting and kissing a three-year-old girl at the center. BT Adams, who played Father Christmas there for a number of years, is said to have been caught on security footage repeating assaulting the youngster in November. Staff at the YMCA in Oshkosh are also said to have seen Adams taking her to the bathroom a number of times in the video. A parent alerted the authorities after allegedly seeing him kiss the toddler. Police Chief Dan Smith told KFVS12: 'On two occasions, Mr. Adams is observed with his hand having sexual contact with the three-year-old.' When interviewed by cops Adams reportedly told police the little girl tried to kiss him. He said the victim 'was coming at him and kissing him' and when asked if he was attracted to children he said it was 'not an over attraction', according to reports. Adams has been charged with two counts of first degree child sexual assault and a count of conspiracy to commit first degree child sexual assault. The 75-year-old - who has been fired - used to work in the cafeteria but asked to be transferred to the children's drop-off center in five years ago, according to staff at the YMCA. Former childcare worker Adams is said to have told police that if they found any evidence he would be 'totally shocked' because he has been able to control any attraction, Action News 2 reported. Adams dressed as Santa at the YMCA for a number of years but has been fired in the wake of the allegations against him after being transferred to children's drop-off center five years ago Staff at the YMCA in Oshkosh, Wisconsin are 'dismayed and appalled' at the allegations Police chief Smith added: 'In response to this incident, the Oshkosh Police Department provided a call-in number for any parent with concerns about their child to speak with a detective about their concerns. To date, the department has received 17 calls from concerned parents. 'That number is still available, and we ask that if any other parents would like to speak with a detective they may call.' Oshkosh Community YMCA president Tom Blaze said in a statement: 'We are dismayed and appalled upon learning of the allegations against an employee. 'Upon learning of concerns regarding their conduct, the Oshkosh Community YMCA began an internal investigation that led to contacting the Oshkosh Police Department. 'Based upon our investigation, the employee was terminated as an employee of the Oshkosh Community YMCA. We are cooperating fully with authorities as they continue their investigation. 'Our focus now is providing care and assistance to our YMCA families and staff. Those with questions or concerns regarding this situation are urged to contact the Oshkosh Police Department.' A 15-year-old and her new baby have been missing for more than 48 hours, it was revealed today. Police are hunting for Sumiyyah Amejee and her young daughter, who vanished from home in South Norwood, south London on Saturday morning. Miss Amejee was last seen with her baby in a grey pushchair and officers are appealing for information about their whereabouts. Police are hunting for Sumiyyah Amejee and her young daughter (pictured), who vanished on Saturday The young mother (pictured) has now been missing with her baby for 48 hours, sparking a police hunt In a Twitter appeal on Saturday @MPSCroydon wrote: 'Help us find Sumiyyah Amejee, 15, missing from South Norwood since this morning. 'Last seen wearing a black fur hooded coat and black Nike trainers. 'Sumiyyah is with her baby daughter who has a grey pushchair.' Police ask that anyone with information on Sumiyyah and her daughter's whereabouts should dial 101, quoting reference number 3835035/18 The body of a missing Mexican mayor has been discovered buried in a ditch six days after she was reported missing. Olga Kobel, 42, was found Sunday morning interred in one of the multiple properties owned by her accused killer, local businessman David Olivo. Kobel's body showed signs of physical violence. The body of Olga Kobel, who was the mayor the city of Juarez in northeastern Mexico, was found buried in the ranch of a local metals company owner David Olivo agreed to a $35,000 contract with a municipality in the state of Coahuila and allegedly killed the city's mayor after they had a heated discussion in his ranch Two other people, whose names were not provided by authorities, are also being investigated for their role in the mayor's disappearance and murder. The mayor of Juarez, a city in the northeastern state of Coahuila, was last seen the morning of December 10 by her husband, who is also the former mayor, Carlos Alberto Chacon Madrid. Kobel left her home at dawn to meet with Olivo over an unmet contract. Carlos Alberto Chacon Madrid served as mayor of the city of Juarez before his wife Olga Kobel According to Attorney General Gerardo Marquez, mayor Kobel had agreed to a $35,000 business deal with Olivo's metals company and was seeking to have to the money refunded. The Attorney General also said that text messages were sent from Kobel's cell phone to throw off the initial investigation of her whereabouts. Olivo, who was arrested on Saturday night, told investigators that he and Kobel had a heated conversation over their business agreement. The pair, who were also involved in an extramarital affair, according to the attorney general, then headed to Olivo's ranch, located near the Sabinas River. Marquez said that the married father-of-two shot Kobel at least 'two to three times' between 7am and 8am local time and later hid her body in the property. Attorney General Marquez credited Mexican police investigators for locating Kobel's remains after tracking her cell phone signal to the Olivo's farm. Daddy, Meghan Markle once wrote in a Valentines card to her father Thomas, I dont express myself as often as I should how much you mean to me. Everything you do for me has turned me into who I am and I am so grateful. All I want to do is make you proud and I promise, no matter what, Ill do it. Thank you for everything Daddy, I love you with all of my heart now and forever. Meghan signed the touching hand-written message Bean which was his nickname for her. She sent him a card every Valentines Day. She also sent him a card every Christmas. Before her second marriage, Meghan would send her father a heartfelt card every Christmas and every Valentine's Day. Here he is at her first wedding In a Valentine's card, Meghan writes: 'Daddy, Everything you do for me has turned me into who I am and I am so grateful. All I want to do is make you proud and I promise, no matter what, Ill do it. Thank you for everything daddy. I love you with all my heart now and forever. Love Bean And in a Christmas card she writes: Because you have always been so generous with me it brings me so much joy to be able to give you this this Christmas. I love you to no end. Meg. Inside was a gift of $2,000 for a holiday In one of those, she wrote: Daddy, because you have always been so generous with me, and taken the best care of me, it brings me so much joy to be able to give you this, this Christmas. I love you to the end, Meg. She enclosed a $2000 gift for him to have a holiday, as a small token of her appreciation for the small fortune he spent on her private education over the years. But that was then, and this is now. This is the first Christmas that Thomas Markle hasnt received a card from his little girl and its breaking his heart. I interviewed him today on Good Morning Britain and found a sad, bemused father in a state of grief for the daughter he fears he may have lost forever. Thomas Markle is not a bad man. I interviewed Thomas Markle Monday morning and found a decent man who is grieving for his relationship with his beloved daughter Hes a 74-year-old guy who was living out a quiet retirement in Mexico when his daughter suddenly began dating a Prince - and not just any Prince but one of the two most famous Princes in the world, the youngest son of Princesss Diana. In that moment, Markle Seniors life changed irrevocably. The worlds media converged on him, and he struggled to deal it. For reasons that continue to baffle me, Prince Harry let this poor guy swing in the wind. Nobody from the substantial Palace staff was sent to see him, advise him or just hold his hand as the paparazzi descended. Thomas Markle was forced to do what he thought best, and he made some dreadful errors of judgement, most notably colluding with a photographer to make himself look good in the press. I get why Harry would have hated that, he still blames the media for the death of his mother and has a visceral hatred of paparazzi that is perfectly understandable. Thomas Markle made some dreadful errors before the wedding, most notably colluding with a photographer. I get why Harry would hate that, he blames the media for the death of his mother and has a hatred of paparazzi. But Harry and the Palace have left this poor guy to swing in the wind I also get why Meghan will have felt hurt and let down by his actions. And why she was further infuriated and upset when he pulled out of coming to London for the wedding and walking her down the aisle. But I believe Thomas when he says the strain of the whole thing caused him heart problems (the Daily Mail has seen his hospital records) and I also believe it all just simply got too much for him. The consequences of that fateful week have been enormous. He told me today that Meghan hasnt spoken to him in 8 months, and has refused to respond to any of his daily text messages and regular letters begging her to forgive him. Further, Prince Harry has still never met his father-in-law, which seems utterly extraordinary. And Thomas Markle is left wondering what the hell has happened to his life. When I asked him today what message he had for Meghan, he replied: I love you very much. I would like to hear from you. Whatever difficulties weve had I hope we can work through them. Were family. He wasnt angry, or bitter. He was just sad, very very sad. In a few months, the world will get to see Meghans baby, but the man who welcomed HER into the world wont In a few months, the world will get to see Meghans baby, but unless things change, the man who welcomed HER into the world wont get to see his grandchild. Meanwhile, he continues to be pursued by the media, and continues to struggle with how best to deal with the attention. When Meghans pregnancy was announced, Thomas had seven paparazzi on his doorstep for the following week. But nobody seems to have much sympathy. Hes been positioned as a bad father who betrayed his perfect daughter, and as a result he is viciously attacked on social media and the subject of endless criticism in the media. I think the scale of the abuse he gets is grotesquely unfair. As to why he speaks out in interviews, he makes the perfectly valid point that he has no other way of responding to the myriad stories about him, many of which are untrue and cruel. And I believe he hopes Meghan will see them and feel a pang of guilt for the way she has cut him out of her lie. Thomas wasnt paid for his Good Morning Britain interview today, so money wasnt his motivation. He just wants to get his daughter back. And I hope he is successful. But for any rapprochement to happen, Meghan will have to swallow her pride and anger. She has always been a very controlling person, Thomas said today. She has always been in charge. Well, right now she is in full control of this miserable situation and showing no sign of ever talking to her father again. When I met Meghan in my local pub, I thought she was a warm, open and very bright woman. She also spoke very lovingly about her family. As I wrote last week, I find the way she ghosted me from the moment she met Harry (that same night) rude and unnecessary, and indicative of a ruthless social climber. But cutting off me, a casual friend, is an inconsequential thing with no repercussions for her other than it annoyed me and I have various platforms to whine about it. Cutting off her Dad is on a whole different scale of emotional hell, as she must surely now be discovering. If I was still in contact with Meghan, Id do what any friend of hers should be doing now, and look her in the eye to say this: Youve got everything you ever dreamed of, but please dont pretend to me that the father you loved so deeply is now dead to you or that this rift is making you happy. Do the right thing and pick the phone up to him while you still can. As your husband knows better than most from what happened to his mother, life can be cut cruelly short. Just a few weeks before I saw Meghan, in the summer of 2016, she posted a photo on Instagram of Thomas hugging her as a baby. Happy Fathers Day, Daddy, she wrote, Im still your buckaroo, and to this day your hugs are still the very best in the whole wide world. From her own words, in so many similar notes and cards, Meghans very real love for her father is unquestionable. Just a few weeks before Meghan met Harry in 2016, she posted this on Instagram of Thomas hugging her as a baby. Happy Fathers Day, Daddy, she wrote, Im still your buckaroo, and to this day your hugs are still the very best in the whole wide world. She's now thrown this very real love away That it should now all be thrown away in this brutal manner seems so pointlessly self-harming to me. Im sure Meghan still feels broken-hearted about how her father behaved towards her in the run-up to the wedding. For good reason. Im also sure Thomas feels broken-hearted about the way she has behaved towards him since. Again, for good reason. Princess Diana was known as the Queen of Hearts. Meghan, dont let yourself become known as the Queen of Broken Hearts. Call your Dad, make the peace, and go hug him again - before its too late. Theresa May was ridiculed today after it emerged she has been getting tips from David Cameron on how to push through Brexit. The former PM is said to have 'war gamed' options with Mrs May in a recent phone call as she faces the threat of being ousted. Mrs May is engaged in a desperate fight for political survival as MPs vow to vote down the deal she has thrashed out with Brussels. But Labour's David Lammy said Mr Cameron 'gambled the country's future and lost'. 'This is like asking the captain of the Titanic for navigation tips,' he said. David Cameron (right) is said to have 'war gamed' options with Theresa May (left) in a recent phone call as she faces the threat of being ousted Labour's David Lammy said Mr Cameron 'gambled the country's future and lost' It is understood Mr Cameron speaks the the PM 'from time to time', but does not consider himself an 'adviser'. Mrs May narrowly survived a Tory confidence vote last week, and is now trying to avert a major Cabinet meltdown. Ministers including Amber Rudd and Greg Clark are urging her to let Parliament vote on other Brexit options if her deal is defeated - with a second referendum on the table. But the premier has again flatly dismissed the idea of another national ballot, and aides fear a Commons free-for-all would merely plunge the situation further into chaos. Mr Cameron declared backing for his successor last week hours before she humiliatingly pulled a crunch vote on her deal. 'I hope Conservative MPs will back the PM in the vote today,' he said. 'We need no distractions from seeking the best outcome with our neighbours, friends and partners in the EU.' He has previously insisted he does not regret calling the EU referendum - despite admitting his is 'very concerned' about the Brexit chaos. The former PM has been widely lashed for calling the divisive vote and then immediately quitting after Remain lost. But he said he was right to call the referendum because he 'made a promise' to voters that he would hold one. Quizzed by reporters as he got in his car, he refused to answer questions on whether he should apologise to the British people for the political mess. Confronted about the chaos, Mr Cameron said: 'Of course I don't regret calling a referendum. 'I made a promise during the election to call a referendum and I called the referendum. 'Obviously I am very concerned about what is happening today, but I do support the Prime Minister in her efforts to have a close partnership with the European Union that is the right thing to do and she has my support.' Russia has announced plans to set up its first ever military base in the Caribbean after striking a deal with cash-strapped Venezuela. The state-sponsored TASS news agency reported that Russian experts had selected the island of La Orchila, 125 miles northeast of Caracas, as a possible military base up to 10 years ago. According to the agency, Russia will now be 'deploying Tu-160 strategic aircraft to the island', after seeking permission from Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. The deployment will represent the one of the largest semi-permanent postings of Russian military hardware to the region since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 - which marked the height of the Cold War. A Russian Tu-160 heavy strategic bomber is seen after landing in Maiquetia, Venezuela last Monday as part of an exercise in the Caribbean Venezuelan law reportedly prohibits a full-time military base from being set up within its borders. However, the deployment of supersonic Russian jets would be 'temporary' - according to official sources. 'It is the right idea to include Venezuela in long-range aviation missions,' military expert Colonel Shamil Gareyev told the Russian newspaper Novaya Gozeta. 'Our strategic bombers will not only not have to return to Russia every time, but also won't perform aerial refueling while on a patrol mission in the Americas. 'Our Tu-160 aircraft arrive to their base in Venezuela, conduct flights, execute their missions and are then replaced on a rotating basis. This is how it should be done.' The news comes just days after two of Russia's nuclear-capable Tu-160 strategic bombers flew over the Caribbean sea during a 10-hour training mission with the Venezuelan Air Force amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Washington. Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez (center) speaks as he receives a Russian military delegation in Maiquetia last week Russia reportedly struck a deal with socialist President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro (left) to use the island of La Orchila, 125 miles northeast of Caracas The flight of the jets was recorded on video, which Russia's Ministry of Defense then proudly shared on YouTube. The planes, known in Russia as 'White Swans', arrived at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas last Monday after completing a 6,200-mile journey. The Russian bombers' deployment has infuriated Washington, where US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterized the joint training session as 'two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer.' The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected Pompeo's criticism, saying it was 'highly undiplomatic' and 'completely inappropriate.' 'As for the idea that we are squandering money, we do not agree. It's not really appropriate for a country half of whose defense budget could feed the whole of Africa to be making such statements,' spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. A building tenant in Argentina is hoping his now-viral photo of two depressing plant stems being passed off as a Christmas tree may change his landlord's holiday mood. Patricio Pitaluga was totally unimpressed when he was on his way out of his apartment building in Buenos Aires, Argentina and saw his building management's version of what a Christmas tree looks like. Pitaluga, who according to his Facebook account works as a digital programmer, took to his Twitter account and posted two pictures, including one of himself standing in front of the sad white plant. 'Here with the saddest and most famous tree in the country,' @pato_pitaluga wrote on his social media feed last Wednesday. Patricio Pitaluga criticized his building's landlord for a lack of Christmas holiday spirit after a plant resembling a Christmas tree was placed in the lobby with a one garland and three ornament balls covering two stems Pitaluga even came up with a hashtag #arbolgate, which translates to #treegate in English The viral photo showed two long stems with cutoff branches covered by a single silver garland with three ball ornaments. The tinsel strand was wrapped around both stems which were planted in a stark white and gray the marble vase. Over 1,000 comments have blasted the landlord's decorations. A Twitter user wrote in Spanish that it was 'the Grinch's tree' Other Twitter users joined in on the fun, including @scr_78 who writes in Spanish: 'I will lend a couple of ornaments so that you can put them up' Pitaluga also criticized building management on a separate tweet that showed the barely decorated tree placed near a wall in the lobby. It generated over 79,000 likes and more than 9,000 retweets. Pitaluga even asked on Twitter if anyone was interested in sponsoring his building's new tree A Twitter user jokes in Spanish if The Grinch is at the helm of the landlord's office 'I pay $130 in [fees]', Pitaluga quipped. The jolly Argentine even raised the idea of searching for anyone kind enough to sponsor a new tree for the building for what is left of the holiday season. @Lauuauero perhaps isn't feeling too festive this holiday season and said the picture of the tree represented her Christmas spirit The viral tweet of the lonely plant drew more than 1,000 comments, including one social media user who compared the landlord to Dr. Seuss' fictional character, The Grinch. 'The Grinch is the administrator", @JesssMcFly snapped. 'The Grinch's tree,' @bebotamoon joked. Others chimed in as well looking to liven up the 'saddest' tree. Another user of the social media platform, @scr_78, wrote in Spanish: 'I will lend a couple of ornaments so that you can put them'. Others didn't seem too concerned with the Christmas tree's appearance. 'It's the real image of my Christmas spirit,' @Lauuaguero wrote. Get the book on John Summers HERE. This is a story of evil and profound injustice in the legal community. Explore demonic minds in the legal community that include judges. This is a story of evil and profound injustice in the legal community. Thanks to the activities of John Summers from the law firm Bell Baker in Ottawa an elderly woman's hope of every seeing her son before she dies is fading. Dezrin Carby-Samuels has sought to see her son since 12 June 2015. Raymond Carby-Samuels who had witnessed the infliction of abuse and neglect by his father Horace Carby-Samuels got Raymond evicted from his parents' home so that he would not be able to further defend his elderly Mom from that abuse.Justice Patrick Smith granted a court order giving mutual access to Raymond and his Mother seeing each other in 11 February 2016 (documented in above video). The abuse against Dezrin Carby-Samuels that worsened with the forcible removal of Raymond worsened the abuse and resulted in Dezrin not being able to talk, walk and write.John Summers through unethical activities which is the current subject of a complaint to the Law Society of Upper Canada has managed to frustrate Dezrin's access to seeing Raymond. her own son. John Summers' unethical activities includes preparing a fraudulent affidavit that falsely accused Raymond of suffering from mental illness. Mr. Summers has sought to support other such accusations without oneof independently verifiable evidence as Dezrin's health has deteriorated.As John Summers' deceit, deception and lies mount, Dezrin's health has gotten worse.We ask for members of the public to take a stand against Bell Baker's lawyer oppressing the civil rights of a defenceless elderly woman and her son seeing each other through free speech that will help liberate Dezrin Carby-Samuels from the elder spousal abuse that is being perpetuated by Mr. John Summers.The law profession is supposed to be honourable and not to be used as a tool to deprive a mother of ever seeing her son to protect ab abuser who has seized control of her money to perpetuate abuse against her wit the help of a lawyer who seems willing to support lies that undermines the course of justice.Dezrin Carby-Samuels has been made an apparent prisoner of her own home thanks through the assistance of John Summers and his dishonourable activities. Michigan high school gunman Ethan Crumbley met with parents and teachers three hours before he murdered four classmates in a rampage on Wednesday for a meeting to discuss his 'behavior'. Crumbley, 15, has been charged with four counts of murder, terrorism and other guns charges. He murdered four classmates and injured seven others on Tuesday after opening fire in the hallways at 12.50pm. At 10am that morning, his mother and father Jennifer and James were called into Oxford High School for a meeting with teachers about Ethan's behavior. It's unclear what prompted the meeting, but it was the second time Ethan had been called in in two days. On Monday, he met with teachers alone. Police say there was no record of the teenager being bullied - as other students have claimed - and prosecutors revealed at his arraignment that he had detailed in a journal found in his backpack how he wanted to shoot students at the school. Prosecutors are charging Crumbley as an adult so that he may be convicted and sentenced to life in prison. At a press conference on Wednesday, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald suggested she might also charge his parents, for not keeping the 9mm handgun that he used out of his reach. The teenager had boasted on Instagram about the gun - pretending it was his - days before the attack. Four kids died in the shooting; Tate Myre, 16, Hana St Juliana, 14, and 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin. A fourth boy, Justin Shilling, 17, died in the hospital on Wednesday morning. Christmas has arrived a bit early for a deported Mexican mother. Maria Mendoza-Sanchez returned to the United States on Saturday on a special visa for workers, 16 months after she and her spouse were ordered to return to their native country. Her husband, Eusebio Sanchez, was not eligible for the visa waiver and remained in Mexico. 'There were many nights I couldn't sleep,' Mendoza-Sanchez said in front of a bevy of media members that assembled for a makeshift press conference at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night, according to KRON4. 'There were many days I was ready to give up. This is really a dream that I never expected was going to come true.' Maria Mendoza-Sanchez is back in the United States on Saturday on a special visa for workers after a deportation order forced her to abandon the U.S. in August 2017 Mendoza-Sanchez (second from left) with her husband Eusebio Sanchez and their four children The couple's American dream crashed when it was informed in May 2017 that it had three months to abandon the family home in Oakland, California, by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] agency. Although an immigration judge in 2013 ordered the family removed, immigration officials under the Obama administration offered the couple one-year stays of deportation. The family thought their immigration fears were close to being solved under the 2014 Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program supported by Obama, which offered protection to parents of citizens from deportation as long as they arrived before 2010. But opponents of the law shut it down in courts. The family's worst fears were confirmed on election night 2016 when Donald Trump won the presidency. Mendoza-Sanchez and her husband encountered an ICE agency under the Trump administration that was not too keen to the family's wishes. Government officials had denied the family's request to delay their deportation order because the couple had entered the country illegally and spent two decades living as undocumented immigrants. A Mexican mother, who emigrated illegally to the United States in 1992, is flanked by two of her three daughters she left behind Maria Mendoza-Sanchez (center) on the day she graduated from nursing school in May 2014 Mendoza-Sanchez gets a warm hug from her old hospital co-worker Harinet Shale Mendoza-Sanchez, a nurse, saw her family split in two as she left her three daughter's behind, including a teenager, and hopped aboard a flight to Hidalgo, Mexico, with her husband and then 12-year-old son Jesus Sanchez, according to 2017 story that first ran in the San Francisco Chronicle. While looking for ways to re-enter the U.S. through legal channels, Mendoza-Sanchez applied for special waiver and was one of 65,000 chosen through a visa lottery. But since she had entered the country illegally in 1992, she was ruled not eligible for the special visa. Determined to rejoin her daughters, she applied for a waiver that granted visa worker's to skilled workers but ICE denied her petition for the visa. She took her battle to the State Department's consular's office in Mexico City, which ruled on her side based on her critical role as nurse at her former employer, Highland Hospital, where cancer patients received treatment. Mendoza-Sanchez's successful appeal granted her a three-year H-1B work visa in November which was sponsored by the Alameda Health System. Mendoza-Sanchez, who graduated from nursing school, is working on returning to her old post as an oncology nurse sometime soon. There is a chance it can be extended for another three. A Playboy model has been arrested for posing naked at the Vatican while carrying a large wooden crucifix, in the latest of a series of controversial stunts. Belgian model Marisa Papen made headlines around the world when she was imprisoned after posing naked at the Karnak Temple Complex near the Egyptian city of Luxor. One picture from the latest shoot shows a nude Ms Papen dragging a large wooden crucifix across a street in the Vatican with St Peter's Basilica visible in the background. Another picture shows Ms Papen sitting nude on some bibles on the wet cobblestones of St Peter's Square while other snaps show her tied to the cross. When police saw what they were doing officers chased after her and photographer Jesse Walker and put the pair in a cell, before releasing them ten hours later. Very cross: Police did not like this image of Marisa Papen crossing a street in Vatican City near the St Peter's Basilica carrying a huge wooden crucifix on her shoulder In one of the pictures Marisa also posed naked with candles as a man stands over her appearing to read from the Bible The couple say they were chased through St Peter's Square by the Vatican police who witnessed the photoshoot. Mr Walker said: 'I have a talented friend, Lucas, in Bali that makes beautiful high-end teak furniture. He made it (the crucifix) so it comes apart and bolts together in three pieces. A life-sized collapsible teak crucifix. 'Getting it in an out of Uber vans was hysterical, the drivers didn't know what to make of it, but you know the Italians are lovely people, so it was no big deal to them.' Ms Papen recently sparked outrage in Israel when posing in front of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall, and a few weeks later in Turkey when she lifted up her burka inside Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia, a former Byzantine church and Ottoman mosque which is now a museum, to reveal her genitals for a cheeky picture. Other pictures shared online in the past include her straddling a flagpole in Israel, and posing topless in the Dead Sea. Ms Papen was pictured sitting nude on some bibles in the middle of St Peter's Square in the Vatican As Ms Papen lay naked on a wooden floor a man dressed in holy clothes made a sign of the cross on her forehead in red paint The duo, who have previously compared themselves to a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde over their daring photoshoots, were taken to a police station where they were questioned and detained. Ms Papen said: 'I was right in the middle of putting on my underwear when two police cars suddenly arrived and another four cops approached us on foot, brandishing their batons and saying "passports please". 'There we were again, behind bars in a tiny little cell with dirt and ash on the floor. Jesse and I looked at each other and we burst out laughing.' Mr Walker and Ms Papen were eventually taken to their Airbnb rental apartment where cops found the large wooden crucifix as well as other props such as priest outfits, fake blood, rosaries and a crown of thorns. Ms Papen added: 'At first it seemed as though they wanted to take the cross with them, but then they probably agreed that it would be too much hassle to drag it down the stairs of the fifth-floor flat.' When police saw what they were doing in public officers chased after the pair and put them in a cell, before releasing them ten hours later Marisa Papen straddling an Israeli flag pole as part of a photoshoot in which she sat naked on a rooftop overlooking the Western Wall in Jerusalem The pair were taken back to the police station, but was eventually released some ten hours after their arrest after the cops took their fingerprints and mugshots at the local courthouse. Mr Walker said: 'We are willing to put it all on the line for these photoshoots even if it means jail time. It is something we thrive on and are very used to now so it is nothing new. 'I like to think ENKI and Marisa are the two most controversial artists and brand on the planet right now, and that's something I am very proud of.' Ms Papen said: 'For me, the biggest problem is with the institutions built around religion. They are driven by money and are soulless.' Ms Papen said a prime example took place on Sunday when she was on St Peter's Square and the Pope appeared from the window to give a short speech and traditional Angelus prayer. Ms Papen pictured in a carpet shop in Turkey after she was jailed for taking risque snaps inside an Egyptian temple One of Ms Papen's other controversial photoshoots included some nude pictures outside an Egyptian temple Ms Papen said: 'One of the many beggars on the square caught my eye, a barefoot gypsy lady with badly deformed posture.' 'Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she was shaking her wet paper cup for some coins. All the colourful umbrellas passed by in front of her. It was like nobody even saw her. 'I thought to myself, imagine if the Vatican was a place that actually helped people. Imagine if all these huge churches opened their doors for people in need.' At the end of 2017, just months after her arrest in Egypt, Ms Papen posed nude to raise awareness and money for wild animals in Africa and in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her 2018 nude calendar, Ms Papen teamed up with Robert Muir, the British biologist and CEO of Forgotten Parks Foundation, an organisation which protects wildlife and tries to enhance the management of 'forgotten' National Parks in partnership with governments and local communities. A Tory MP was kicked off a live TV debate on Brexit today after he 'patronised' a female politician by checking his mobile phone in the middle of the debate. David Davies, a Brexiteer, went head to head against Labour MP and Remainer Anna Turley on Sky News this afternoon to debate Britain's looming departure. But the two MPs descended into a bad-tempered argument as they clashed over what Brexit will mean for jobs and the economy. Halfway through the interview, Mr Davies adopted a bored look and pulled out and checked his mobile phone after complaining he could not get a word in. Turning to Ms Turley and presenter Kay Burley, he said: 'You carry on, I'll check my phone while you have your little chat', and pulled his mobile out of his suit pocket. Kay then interrupted to slap down the MP, saying: 'Don't be patronising. That is completely unacceptable. Please don't talk to her like that.' Mr Davies retorted: 'I am not being patronising but I can't get a word in edge ways here.' Kay hit back saying: 'Please don't talk to her in that fashion, it is not acceptable. You have had 50 per cent each.' The clearly irritated Tory MP buttoned up his suit jacket, he added: 'OK, you two carry on.' Kay then stepped in to kick him off her set, shaking his hand and steering him away with the words: 'Thanks for joining us, we really appreciate it.' MPs are bitterly divided over Brexit and Parliament is in total deadlock over what to do - despite calls from the public for MPs to stop squabbling and back a plan. Tory MP David Davies was kicked off a live TV debate on Brexit today after he 'patronised' Labour MP Anna Turley (pictured together today on the show) by checking his mobile phone in the middle of the fiery debate David Davies (pictured today with Anna Turley and Kay Burley) moaned that he could not get a work in edge ways during the showdown - but was accused of being patronising by Kay Burley David Davis then walks across the set after being asked to leave for patronising the Labour MP (pictured) The awkward encounter came after the two MPs clashed repeatedly over Brexit in the fiery afternoon showdown. Ms Turley, Labour MP for Redcar, has warned that Brexit threatens crucial manufacturing jobs in her constituency. May says Commons vote on her Brexit deal will NOT happen before Christmas Theresa May today insisted the Commons vote on her Brexit deal will not happen before Christmas - despite howls of protests from Remainers and Eurosceptics. The PM said she is still hoping to secure more 'political and legal assurances' from the EU on the Irish border backstop, and as a result the showdown in Parliament will not take place until the week commencing January 14. Appealing for MPs to get behind her plan, Mrs May said European counterparts had made clear 'they do not want to use' the insurance policy in the agreement. She also delivered a stinging rebuke to those calling for a second referendum, saying it would only lead to 'disaster'. The defiant statement to the Commons comes as Mrs May wrestles to stop the Cabinet descending into chaos, with ministers openly floating alternatives to her Brexit plan. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd today risked directly contradicting the PM by insisting 'nothing should be off the table' if the government's plan is rejected by the Commons. Business Secretary Greg Clark also backed demands for MPs to vote on a range of 'options'. However, Mrs May again flatly dismissed the idea of a referendum this afternoon. Mrs May is understood to be resisting calls for the Commons to vote on a series of Brexit options, amid fears it would merely plunge the process deeper into turmoil. Advertisement Mr Davies had insisted the UK 'will be better out of the European Union. He added: 'I find it bizarre that you say you will be losing jobs while at the same time you are saying there won't be enough people to fill all the jobs available if we leave the European Union and don't have a visa scheme.' Their showdown came on yet another day of bitter Brexit clashes in Parliament as a deal which can get the backing of a majority of MPs remains a distant prospect. Mrs May was hauled back to the Commons today to defend her deal in yet another statement to MPs after the EU summit last week - where her pleas for Brussels to ditch the hated Irish backstop were snubbed. She insisted that she is still hoping to get a legally binding change to the backstop - widely seen as an absolute must for her deal to stand any chance of getting through. Mrs May also warned it would be a 'disaster' to call a second referendum - despite reports her senior aides have been secretly discussing calling the vote behind her back. And she confirmed the Commons vote on her Brexit deal will not happen before Christmas. But Remainers and Brexiteers both rounded on the PM - lashing her deal and demanding drastic changes to her Brexit plan. Arch Remainer Nicky Morgan demanded that MPs cancel their Christmas holiday and sit throughout the festive period to thrash out a way forward. There are just 102 days to go until Brexit, but with Mrs May's deal looking set to be overwhelmingly defeated when it comes to a vote in the New Year, Britain's Brexit plans are in total chaos. Brexiteers are urging for the UK to adopt a 'managed no deal' strategy to ensure the country exits the Brussels bloc by the end of March next year. While Remainers are seizing on the chaos to ramp up their demands for another referendum - dubbed a 'Peoples Vote'. And deep divisions at the heart of the Cabinet have erupted into the open. In extraordinary scenes, ministers have been openly breaking ranks with No10 and floating alternatives to her Brexit plan. Viewers of the bad-tempered showdown were left in despair at the Brexit row - which comes as Britain is just 102 days away from leaving the EU and Parliament still in deadlock over what to do Another viewer noted that anyone tuning in to watch MPs debate Brexit were met with chaotic scenes Theresa May (pictured in the Commons today) will warn that a second Brexit referendum would cause 'irreparable damage' to Britain, as she tries to defuse anger at the news that her own aides have floated the idea With Theresa May's deal set to be voted down when it goes to the Commons in the New year, Britain faces the prospect of another referendum , a General Election or another Brexit deal Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd today risked directly contradicting the PM by insisting 'nothing should be off the table' if the government's plan is rejected by the Commons - effectively saying a second referendum could be held. Business Secretary Greg Clark also backed demands for MPs to vote on a range of 'options'. One Cabinet group, including Philip Hammond, Mr Clark and Ms Rudd, are pushing for the Commons to be allowed to vote on a range of Brexit deal options. Corbyn abandons threat to call a stunt vote of no confidence in May after less than an hour Jeremy Corbyn abandoned an attempt to call a stunt vote of no confidence in Theresa May in less than an hour today. Labour has repeatedly demanded the Prime Minister call the postponed vote on her Brexit deal before Christmas despite knowing it would be defeated by a landslide. Labour sources insisted at around 3pm Mr Corbyn would demand a confidence vote in Mrs May if she failed to set a date in her statement to MPs today. But after Mrs May said the showdown would be held in the week beginning January 14 the Labour leader never made his move in his own speech at around 3.45pm. Despite the bizarre sequence of events, a Labour spokesman insisted Mrs May only announced a date 'under threat of a motion of no confidence in her'. Downing Street said last week the vote would be held in mid January. Mrs May today only confirmed which week it would happen. Advertisement This would include the option of holding a second referendum and a Norway-style relationship - meaning MPs could seize control of the talks to push through a soft Brexit or stop it altogether. In the clearest public statement yet, Mr Clark told the BBC today that if Mrs May's deal falls 'Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with'. Although, he cautioned against a second referendum, saying it would 'continue the uncertainty for many more months'. But harder line Brexiteers believe an 'options' vote would just be cover for delaying or cancelling Brexit. Mrs May's authority was dealt a hammer blow last week after MPs mounted a cinfidence vote to try to oust her. She survived, but over a third of her MPs voted to oust her - a far bigger rebellion than Number Ten had feared. Meanwhile, Labour's position was plunged into chaos today as they announced they would mount a no confidence vote in the PM - only to abandon the stunt less than an hour later. Labour has repeatedly demanded the Prime Minister call the postponed vote on her Brexit deal before Christmas despite knowing it would be defeated by a landslide. Labour sources insisted at around 3pm Mr Corbyn would demand a confidence vote in Mrs May if she failed to set a date in her statement to MPs today. But after Mrs May said the showdown would be held in the week beginning January 14 the Labour leader never made his move in his own speech at around 3.45pm. Despite the bizarre sequence of events, a Labour spokesman insisted Mrs May only announced a date 'under threat of a motion of no confidence in her'. Downing Street said last week the vote would be held in mid January. Mrs May today only confirmed which week it would happen. In the Commons this afternoon, Mrs May also all but ruled out holding a second vote while she remains in charge. Simple vote could extend Article 50, says government lawyer Parliament could extend Article 50 to buy more time before Brexit by holding a simple vote, the governments legal advisor has said. It is believed that Article 50, the mechanism for leaving the EU, would have to be extended beyond March 29 if Britain decides to hold a second referendum. Robert Buckland said extension would not require fresh legislation, just a one-off vote in the Commons. Scrapping Article 50 altogether would, however, require new legislation, Mr Buckland told Radio 4s Westminster Hour. He said: I think the better view would be that legislation would be necessary. I think we would have to repeal the EU Withdrawal Act. Revocation is one thing but delaying Article 50 is another matter that can be done by a minister laying a statutory instrument to vary exit day its there as part of a power. Mr Buckland also suggested MPs could be given a free vote on the Brexit way forward. I think if all the parties agreed to it then its something that might well work, but I think it would be imbalanced if one party did it and the other did not, he said. Advertisement Another referendum would 'likely leave us no further forward than the last... and further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it', she warned. She added: 'Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum, another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver.' Her intervention came amid mounting anger over the revelation that chief-of-staff Gavin Barwell and deputy David Lidington had backed the idea of a second referendum. MPs and ministers reacted furiously to reports yesterday that Mr Barwell had told colleagues a second poll was 'the only way forward' in the light of opposition to her Brexit deal. On social media messages yesterday, Mr Barwell said he was not planning for a second referendum. Mr Lidington also raised eyebrows after it emerged he held secret talks last week with Labour MPs in favour of another poll. Despite the denials, Cabinet sources complained that the rumours had the 'ring of truth'. Remainers condemned the government for trying to 'run down the clock'. Former minister Sam Gyimah said: 'Downing St has stopped selling the PMs flawed deal. 'Instead we have displacement activity designed to distract from last weeks failed renegotiation. 'And a concerted attempt to discredit every plausible alternative as they run down the clock. This is not in the national interest.' 'I think, obviously, it's important once the Prime Minister has finished her negotiations with other European leaders and the Commission that Parliament votes on that. 'If that were not to be successful, we do need to have agreement - we can't just have continuing uncertainty and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with, and that's something that I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics.' Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today in the Commons) abandoned an attempt to call a stunt vote of no confidence in Theresa May in less than an hour today This is the moment a little girl was sent flying when an SUV ran her over on a zebra crossing - only to get straight back up on her feet. Dramatic CCTV footage shows the child running across a road in the town of Sulkowice, Poland, before a passing black Toyota RAV4 smashed into her. The impact sent her crashing into the front bumper of a Ford Focus stuck in traffic. Incredibly, she managed to clamber to her feet, pick up her hat and, with the help of a passer-by, make her way to safety. Despite the force of the collision, the unnamed girl suffered only minor bruising. It is not known if the driver of the Toyota faces any punishment. A little girl was sent flying when an SUV ran her over on a crossing in Poland - only for her to get straight back up on her feet. She is pictured above, moments before impact Dramatic CCTV footage shows the child running across a road in the town of Sulkowice, Poland, before a passing black Toyota RAV4 smashed into her The impact sent her flying across the road and crashing into the front bumper of a Ford Focus (left) stuck in traffic Incredibly, she managed to clamber to her feet, pick up her hat and, with the help of a passer-by, make her way to safety Jaime Arrochela Lobo (pictured in September) was convicted of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman and her 24-year-old friend while partying on his 80th birthday in March A pensioner has today been banned from every nightclub in the country after he groped two young women in a bar on his 80th birthday after a row with his girlfriend. Jaime Arrochela Lobo, who has a pacemaker, put his hand up one young woman's skirt and twice grabbed another woman's bottom on the dancefloor in a bar near London Bridge. The pensioner, who was drunk, was arrested at the scene and initially claimed he suffered from involuntary shakes because of his age. He told police: 'I got out of the house because I was a bit upset with my girlfriend. I can't say if what the two woman say is true or not because I can't remember.' He was convicted of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman and her 24-year-old friend at St Christopher's Inn, Borough, on March 25. He was placed on a twelve-month community order, which includes a condition he must not attend any nightclub in England and Wales for the next year. He must also wear an electronic tag to ensure he obeys a six-month night time curfew between 9pm and 6am and attend rehabilitation for up to thirty days. Camberwell Magistrates Court also ordered Arrochela Lobo to sign the sex offenders register for five years and pay 250 costs. The first victim told his trial: 'I felt a bit sorry for him so said: 'Hi.' I thought if I saw someone like my grandfather I'd feel a bit sorry for him. The people in the pub were in their twenties and thirties. 'I turned away and a minute later I felt his hand up my skirt inside my underwear. 'I turned around very quickly and pointed my finger in his face and called him disgusting. I was very upset and went outside to compose myself. I felt vulnerable, angry and violated.' Lobo attacked the two friends on a night out at St Christopher's Inn in Borough, central London, and told police he didn't remember because he was drunk Her friend said: 'This man came up behind me and touched my bottom so I turned around and told him not to do that. 'Later on the same man did it again. It was like a grab. It did make me feel a bit uncomfortable and violated and I was a bit angry with him. 'I did question why and old man would be there on his own in a young environment. 'I went outside and my friends very distraught, crying, lots of tears and was really upset.' Arrochela Lobo, of Paddington, west London, was arrested at the pub and told police: 'I like dancing and speaking with young girls.' He told the court he has a pacemaker and undergone surgery to replace a heart valve and suffers from involuntary shakes. Robert Mueller's special counsel probe arrested a business associate of Mike Flynn, Donald Trump's disgraced national security adviser, Monday - on the eve of the retired general's sentencing and after the president criticized the case against him. Bijan Kian, an Iranian-American who was number two to Flynn was arrested and appeared in federal court in Washington D.C. before being freed on bail. He is charged with a plot to lobby without declaring that he and Flynn's firm was working for the Turkish government, breaking the Foreign Agent Registration Act which makes it illegal to lobby for foreign governments without registering with the State Department. Kian has yet to enter a plea. Also indicted was the business partner who worked with him and Flynn, Turkish-Dutch dual national Ekim Alpetkin, who is the subject of an arrest warrant and thought to be in Turkey. Kian and Alpetkin are accused in court papers of a plot to convince the U.S. government to extradite or otherwise expel Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who is a deadly rival of the country's strongman president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mueller says in the court papers that with Flynn, who is referred to a 'Person A' they placed an op-ed in The Hill newspaper without acknowledging that it was at the prompting of the Turkish government. Flynn wrote the op-ed and his firm, The Flynn Intel Group, was paid $600,000 for their lobbying campaign - but he is not indicted himself in what appears to be a sign that he flipped on his former associates. The retired general, who is due to be sentenced on Tuesday for lying to the FBI related to his contacts with the then Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, has also admitted to lying about his role in the Turkish lobbying effort and has been cooperating with prosecutors on the probe. The special counsel has praised the former Trump administration official for his 'substantial help' in several investigations. It is believed this is one of them. Bijan Kian (left) and Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin (right) were indicted for their work with former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn on a lobbying project for Turkey The indictments are part of special counsel Robert Mueller's broader crackdown on foreign lobbying Relations between President Trump and Turkish President Erdogan have been on a rollercoaster Bijan Kian with Michael Flynn: The company the two ran - The Flynn Intel Group - was paid $600,000 by the Turkish government to influence public opinion without declaring who their paymasters were - which is illegal The timing of the arrest and indictments appears extremely pointed. Flynn is due in court Tuesday to be sentenced after the Mueller probe released documents offering insight into his prosecution which have fueled claims from Trump and his supporters that the former adviser was railroaded into a 'perjury trap'. They showed that agents did not advise him to bring an attorney and did not explicitly tell him that lying to the FBI is a felony, leading to accusations from Trump and others that the process was an abuse of power, and that Flynn's sole offense was a technical one. But Mueller hit back hard Friday with court papers saying that Flynn was a former senior military officer and government official who did not need warned lying to the FBI is a crime. His latest move Monday addresses the other aspect of the criticism - that Flynn did no other wrong - by putting him at the heart of a plot to effect change on U.S. policy as it affects a key ally without admitting who was paying for the effort to change it. The indictments are part of Mueller's look into foreign lobbying and outside attempts to influence U.S. policy abroad. TURKISH CLERIC WHO IS AT CENTER OF CASE The indictment of Mike Flynn's business partner and their associate puts a controversial Turkish cleric in the spotlight. Mohammed Fethullah Gulen has been an exile in the Salyorsburg, PA, since 2001 but remains a hugely significant figure in Turkey. He is the leader of a movement called Gulen which sharply divides opinion. To its backers it is an attempt to allow people of Muslim faith to fully participate in the explicitly, and sometimes militantly, secular Turkish government. But to its opponents it is an attack on the Turkish establishment which risks destabilizing the country. Turkish cleric and opponent to the Erdogan regime Fethullah Gulen at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania In the past Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was a significant backer, and the two were allies, both promoting a political Islam. But by 2013 their alliance had come unglued. When the military made a string of arrests among Erdogan's allies on allegations of corruption, Erdogan and other political parties responded that Gulen was behind them and trying to unseat the government. It was said that Gulen orchestrated the plot in retaliation for the Turkish government shutting down his movement's schools. Gulen protested his innocence from his U.S. home in exile but in 2016 he was accused of being the mastermind of a bigger threat to Erdogan - a botched coup. This time the Turks demanded his extradition in July 2016, but the Obama administration turned them down, setting of the lobbying effort through disgraced Mike Flynn. The truth of the competing claims about Gueln are almost impossible to settle accurately. He has spoken out against Islamic terrorism, in favor of secular democracy and Turkey joining the European Union. But secularists in Turkey see the movement as turning the country towards political Islam, and against the secularist ideals of its founder Kemal Ataturk. It has been accused of being a cult and compared to Opus Dei, the secretive conservative movement inside the Catholic Church. It the Netherlands, the Dutch government ordered an investigation by its security forces which found it was religiously conservative but did not encourage radicalization or violence, and that its members contributed successfully to society. Gulen's movement is unarguably rich, with one estimate putting its worth at a total of as much as $50 billion, spread across not just Turkey but the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia. The exiled cleric's appearance in the Flynn court case is unlikely to be his last in U.S. courts; the Trump administration has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether there could be grounds for his deportation, a move which would inevitably lead to a legal challenge - one which would force U.S. judges to consider what actually is the fiercely contested truth about the controversial cleric. Advertisement Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was indicted for his work for the Ukraine - and more significantly for those close to Trump, efforts to gain influence by Middle Eastern countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - of which the latter two have become close allies of Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law. The Turkish investigation ensnared Flynn and his two partners. The indictment alleges that Rafiekian and Alptekin made false statements about the project in filings to the Department of Justice in order to mask the involvement of the Turkish government, which had been pushing for the extradition of Gulen, identified only as a Turkish citizen in the indictment. 'The defendants sought to discredit and delegitimize the Turkish citizen in the eyes of politicians and the public, and ultimately to secure the Turkish citizen's extradition,' attorneys for the Eastern District of Virginia wrote. A representative for Alptekin, 41, said she did not immediately have a comment. A lawyer for Rafiekian, a 66-year-old former director at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, declined to comment. Turkish officials were not immediately available for comment. Erdogan has blamed Gulen for stoking a failed coup against him in 2016. Gulen denies that. Flynn's work on the Turkey project came under scrutiny after he published a commentary on The Hill on the day of the 2016 presidential election calling Gulen a 'radical Islamist' who should be extradited to Turkey. The op-ed blamed Gulen for the July 15, 2016 coup that attempted oust the Turkish president and 'urged the U.S. government to deny the Turkish citizen refuge in the United States.' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Gulen of directing the failed coup, which Gulen has denied. Gulen denies being a radical Islamist. Both he and Erdogan were allies who came to power on a platform of political Islam before falling out. Turkey has been trying to extradite Gulen since 2016 but the Justice Department has denied the request, saying it did not meet the 'legal standards' for extradition. The indictment also shows how Flynn was texting and emailing frequently about the project throughout the final weeks of the presidential campaign, when he was advising Trump on foreign relations. Along with the editorial, the Flynn Intel Group produced a report on Gulen and footage for a documentary that was never made. Of the roughly $600,000 paid to Flynn's company, $80,000 was sent back to Alptekin through his Netherlands-based firm Inovo BV, Justice Department filings show. While Alptekin has previously claimed the $80,000 was sent back to him as repayment for work that was never finished, the indictment contends the money was part of a pre-arranged plan to kick back 20 percent of the project to Alptekin. Alptekin, who was chairman of the Turkey-U.S. Business Council, has told Reuters previously that the payments to Flynn came from him personally and from Inovo, and were not from the Turkish government. During an interview with the FBI, Alptekin said that while he had discussed the project with a Turkish government minister he decided to go ahead and retain the Flynn Intel Group himself after the Turkish government 'dropped the ball'. Among other evidence, the indictment cites an email from Alptekin to Rafiekian and Flynn in August 2016 in which Alptekin says that he had spoken about the project to discredit Gulen with two Turkish ministers and had a 'green light to discuss confidentiality, budget and the scope of the contract.' The indictment also cites a Sept. 19, 2016 meeting in New York which sources familiar with the matter say was between Rafiekian and Flynn and Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and energy minister, Erdogan's son-in-law Berat Albayrak. The deal with Flynn was approved at top levels of the Turkish government, the indictment said, with Alptekin keeping senior ministers apprised of its progress. The indictment came one day ahead of the planned sentencing of Flynn, who was arrested last year over his secret dealings with Russian officials and Turkey. Flynn admitted one count of lying to the FBI in a plea deal which led to him providing "substantial" information to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election. Flynn's work with the Turks has been known since last year, when the Wall Street Journal reported that he, Rafiekian and Alptekin met Albayrak and Cavusoglu in New York in September 2016. At that meeting they discussed physically removing Gulen from his Pennsylvania home to Turkey without a legal extradition order. The Journal cited former CIA director James Woolsey, who attended the same meeting and later told reporters he found the idea possibly illegal. That conversation was followed in the ensuing weeks by visits by Rafiekian and others to see, among others, a member of Congress and a congressional staffer in an attempt, among other things, to prompt congressional hearings on Gulen. Attack: Trump has thrown himself behind criticism of the Robert Mueller special counsel probe and its dealings with Flynn after court papers showed how Flynn was not told lying to the FBI was a crime. Mueller's response has include arresting his business partner Last month, President Trump said he was not considering Turkey's extradition request. 'No, it's not under consideration,' he said of Gulen. 'We are looking, always looking, and whatever we can do for Turkey and, frankly, countries that we can get along with very well. We're having a very good moment with Turkey.' Trump said he gets along 'very, very well' with Erdogan and called him a 'friend of mine.' 'Whatever we can do, we'll do,' Trump added. 'But that is something that we're always looking at. But at this point, no.' U.S.-Turkish relations have been on a bit of a roller coaster under Trump. They were on an upswing in the wake of American cleric Andrew Brunson's release from a Turkish prison in October. And Trump reportedly fist-bumped Erdogan when they met in Brussels this past summer at a NATO meeting and praised the Turkish president who is known for his authoritarian style a leader who 'does things the right way.' But things went back downhill after Trump's refusal to lay the blame for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the feet of Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Turkish intelligence blamed and U.S. intelligence agencies suggested he was involved. Tensions between the two have also flared around Syria. Trump called his Turkish counterpart on Friday and asked him to call off Turkey's military strike against the U.S.'s Kurdish partners in Syria. It's unclear if the two leaders reached a deal but they agreed 'on the need for more effective coordination' in Syria, an official told The Wall Street Journal. Prosecutors charge the two men 'conspired covertly and unlawfully to influence U.S. politicians and public opinion' regarding Fethullah Gulen (above), a cleric living in Pennsylvania that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused of directing a failed coup Prosecutors charge that Kian and Alptekin 'conspired covertly and unlawfully to influence U.S. politicians and public opinion' regarding Gulen to try and 'ultimately' secure Gulen's extradition. The two men 'knowingly acted and caused others to act in the United States as an agent of a foreign government, that is, the government of Turkey, without prior notification to the Attorney General, as required by law,' the indictment reads. The 21-page indictment lays out how the two men established their work against Gulen, what work was performed, how they covered up the fact the Turkish government was involved and their payment for the project. The Flynn Intel Group received $600,000 for their efforts to discredit Gulen. Kian, also known was Bijan Rafiekian, is referred to in the indictment of being a co-founder of the Flynn Intel Group, which 'offered various services' to it clients based on Flynn's 'national security expertise.' Alptekin is identified as a 'dual Turkish-Dutch citizen residing in Istanbul' with 'close ties to the highest levels of the Government in Turkey.' He owned a company based in the Netherlands that paid the Flynn Intel Group for its work. The Flynn Intel Group wired $40,000 to Alptekin's company in the Netherlands in what it called a 'consultancy' fee, the indictment revealed. But it was actually payment to Alptekin's for pretending he was Flynn's client when the Flynn Intel Group knew that its client was really the Turkish government. The 'Government of Turkey directed the work through Alptekin' but the 'defendants sought to conceal Turkey's involvement in the efforts to discredit,' the indictment notes. Prosecutors also accuse the two men of 'knowingly provided false information' to the company's attorneys 'in an effort to hide' the 'involvement of Turkish government officials in the project.' Ekim Alptekin remains in Turkey Flynn is referred to in the indictment only as 'Person A.' The Flynn Intel Group is now defunct. When he pleaded guilty last December to lying to FBI gents working on the Russia investigation, Flynn also admitted to repeated violations of laws requiring firms to register their work on behalf of foreign clients. Flynn is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday in that case, the first former White House official to face the judge. Last week Mueller's office said that Flynn's cooperation - including 19 meetings with investigators - was so extensive that he was entitled to avoid prison when he is sentenced. Former FBI Director James Comey arrived on Capitol Hill Monday for round two of questions with lawmakers as he continues to be a target of President Donald Trump's ire. Comey smiled as he walked down the hallway but didn't respond to questions about the investigation into former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. One Republican warned him that tough questions awaited him behind-closed-doors. Former FBI Director James Comey arrived on Capitol Hill Monday for round two of questions with lawmakers Comey is expected to be asked about the investigation of former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn California Republican Rep. Darrel Issa said he will be asking Comey about Flynn 'Tomorrow is going to be a very different day for Comey, particularly in light of what we've learned - the misconduct during the Flynn investigation was all about, thanks to a judge that demanded to understand what happened,' outgoing Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said on Sunday. Issa sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is questioning Comey along with members of the House Judiciary Committee. Additionally lawmakers are expected to question former Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Comey superseded Lynch when he declared the Clinton email probe closed and then informed congressional leaders days before the 2016 election that it had been reopened. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee and its expected chairman in the New Year, Elijah Cummings, cast the hearings, however, as a 'waste of the taxpayer's money' to keep hearing the same answers from Comey over and over again. He said he has 'no reason to believe' that Comey and the FBI mishandled its questioning of former National Security Adviser to the president Michael Flynn, either. Comey's handling of the Flynn probe is new territory for the committee, following the ex-White House official's accusations that the Department of Justice had tricked their client into lying. Prosecutors swatted back at Flynn in a court document in which they suggested they could revise their recommendation that he serve little to no jail time in exchange for their cooperation. Trump said that he got a 'great deal' because DOJ was embarrassed by the way that it treated Flynn, a retired general, in the first place. On Monday, Cummings' colleague Mark Meadows, a conservative Republican, said as the meetings with Comey began that the former FBI director's public statements and his testimony when compared 'don't seem to reconcile' and it was necessary to bring him back in. President Trump has preserved with his attacks on the former FBI director as the Russia investigation remains in the spotlight and the president's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison. He slammed Comey after his last round with lawmakers and went after him again shortly after his Oval Office blowup with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Comey had testified before Congress that the president asked him for 'loyalty' and to let go an investigation into Flynn over his Russia contacts. Issa said on Sunday he believed the FBI had 'tricked' Trump's former National Security Adviser into not having a lawyer during a January 2017 interview. Since Comey's last sit down, a the special counsel's office released memos from the FBI about Flynn's interview when he lied about the content of calls with then-Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn later admitted he lied to federal authorities but alleged in a court filling last week that the FBI pushed him toward having no lawyer present for his January 2017 interview with agents. President Trump continues to target the former FBI director Trump tweeted late on Monday night: 'James Comey's behind closed doors testimony reveals that 'there was not evidence of Campaign Collusion' with Russia when he left the FBI. In other words, the Witch Hunt is illegal and should never have been started!' Since Comey's last sit down, a the special counsel's office released memos from the FBI about Flynn's interview when he lied to agents about his Russia dealings Asked about the contents of these conversations during the interview at his office in the White House in the days following Trump's 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 U.S. intelligence officials, proved he had. Flynn is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, the first former White House official to face the judge. Some Republicans - including Trump - claim the FBI initially didn't believe Flynn lied to them about his dealings with Russians. Comey was asked about Flynn in his last appearance before lawmakers and pushed back on that notion. 'My recollection was he was - the conclusion of the investigators was he was obviously lying, but they saw none of the normal common indicia of deception: that is, hesitancy to answer, shifting in seat, sweating, all the things that you might associate with someone who is conscious and manifesting that they are being -- they're telling falsehoods,' he said. 'There's no doubt he was lying, but that those indicators weren't there.' Last week special counsel Robert Mueller's office said that Flynn's cooperation - including 19 meetings with investigators - was so extensive that he was entitled to avoid prison when he is sentenced. Comey spent six hours being questioned by lawmakers earlier this month about the bureau's actions in the 2016 presidential election, including the investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server, the infamous Christopher Steele dossier, and the probe of Russia's actions in the campaign. On Saturday, lawmakers released a 235-page transcript of the first part of Comey's interview, which led to a tweet from President Donald Trump. 'James Comey's behind closed doors testimony reveals that 'there was not evidence of Campaign Collusion' with Russia when he left the FBI. In other words, the Witch Hunt is illegal and should never have been started!,' he wrote on Monday. Former FBI boss James Comey talks to reporters after his last closed-door meeting with lawmakers Comey tweeted his last interview with lawmakers 'wasn't a search for the truth' Lawmakers, however, expressed frustration at the many questions the former FBI director was not able to answer. Comey offered his own assessment of the hearing, tweeting that the interview 'wasn't a search for truth, but a desperate attempt to find anything that can be used to attack the institutions of justice investigating this president. They came up empty today but will try again. In the long run, it'll make no difference because facts are stubborn things.' Monday is likely to be Comey's last sit down before the GOP-led House, as incoming Judiciary Chairman - Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler - he has no interest in continuing the matter once Democrats take power in January. Additionally Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, the current chair of the Oversight committee, and GOP Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the current chair of the Judiciary committee, are joining Issa in retiring from Congress. That means some of Comey's fiercest critics will lose their perch at the end of the year. David Berry Jr (pictured) has been ordered to repeatedly watch Bambi during his year-long sentence for illegally killing deer A Missouri poacher has been ordered to repeatedly watch the movie Bambi as part of his sentence for illegally killing hundreds of deer. On Thursday, a judge ordered David Berry Jr to watch the Disney classic at least once a month during his year-long jail sentence, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Berry Jr will begin viewing the movie on December 23, 2018, while he spends the holidays at the Lawrence County Jail. His relatives were also arrested as part of the investigation. The case involves his dad, David Berry Sr, and his brothers Kyle Berry and Eric Berry. Conservation agents have called the family's former operation one of the largest deer poaching cases in the state's history. Prosecutors said the deer were killed for their heads, with their bodies left to rot. Lawrence County Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter said the deer 'were trophy bucks taken illegally, mostly at night'. 'Conservation investigators estimated that the group was responsible for killing hundreds of deer over a three-year period,' Trotter said. Berry Jr was convicted in southwest Missouri's Lawrence County of illegally taking wildlife. He pleaded guilty to taking the wildlife illegally in October. Berry Jr will begin viewing the movie (pictured) on December 23, 2018, while he spends the holidays at the Lawrence County Jail His three relatives were arrested after a multi-year investigation by state, federal and Canadian law enforcement agencies and conservation officers. The family has paid about $51,000 in fines and court costs. There were also other suspects in Kansas, Nebraska and Canada, officials said. Berry Sr and Berry Jr had their hunting, fishing and trapping privileges revoked for life by the Missouri Conservation Commission, according to a statement from the Department of Conservation. Eric had his hunting and fishing privileges revoked for 18 years and Kyle had his revoked for eight years. Jerimiah Cline was also a part of the investigation. Authorities said Cline also took wildlife illegally and assisted the Berrys. His hunting privileges were revoked for five years. Berry Jr also was sentenced to 120 days in jail in nearby Barton County for a firearms probation violation. A brazen thief was caught stealing more than 7,000 in cash from another passenger's tray as he passed through an airport security checkpoint. CCTV footage captured the thief as he approached two security scanners at the Fiumicino airport in Rome. Another passenger, standing ahead of him, had placed two envelopes of cash inside a bright yellow tray before attempting to walk through a metal detector. The man in the t-shirt, who is the owner of the 7,000, is held up at security and the man in a white shirt, who picked up the envelopes, goes in front of him to retrieve the items But he was held up by a security officer and the middle-aged thief was able to walk through a second scanner to reach the other side first. The thief, who had placed a bag and coat in another yellow tray, was then filmed waiting for his property to travel through the airport's X-ray scanners. But as he stood watching out for his belongings, he noticed the two envelopes full of cash appear on the conveyor belt. He looked around for a moment before casually picking up the money and appearing to stash it in his pocket. He picks up the white envelopes and looks around before putting them in his pocket The man casually walks away as the other man stands at the trays looking confused and worried about where his money has gone He then tied his jumper around his neck and grabbed his bag before making a quick exit. The victim, who had since passed through the security checkpoint, panicked when he noticed his money wasn't there. The passenger, from Pakistan, was going to use the cash to pay for a sick relative's medical care, Italian police said. But the thief was arrested as he was boarding a flight to Russia shortly after. He has since been sentenced to a year in prison. The man had allegedly stashed the money in a toilet roll holder and had planned to retrieve it on his return to Rome. An Amazon boss squirmed after denying the online giant is 'single-handedly killing the high street' as an MP accused it of taking advantage of low business rates. Amazon director of public policy Lesley Smith was grilled by a parliamentary committee investigating the death of UK town centres as shops close down. MPs suggested Amazon was taking advantage of lower business rates because they have out of town warehouses rather than high street shops. Ms Hayes says said high street shops complained online firms 'are paying less tax while taking advantage of the same services and infrastructure than bricks and mortar retailers'. Ms Smith insisted that her company incurs other costs, such as the need to invest in technology and delivery. She denied Amazon searched for places with low local business rates to avoid paying as much tax as competitors. Amazon director Lesley Smith denied that her company was behind the high street strife Online chiefs: (Left to right:) Lesley Smith, Director Public Policy at Amazon UK, Andy Mulcahy, from online retail association IMRG, Julie Howkins, from Hive.co.uk, and Clayton Hirst, of John Lewis Clayton Hirst, from John Lewis, told the committee that businesses like his face much higher business rates and taxes for employees compared to online-only retailers. Committee chairman Mr Betts made a formal request on the Amazon boss to provide her business rate figures and sales figures. Ms Smith said she would 'seek advice' before handing over the company's figures. She was questioned after shocking new statistics revealed 93,000 retail jobs have been lost in the past year amid a crunch on the high street. Ms Smith said she would 'seek advice' before handing over the company's figures She was questioned after shocking new statistics revealed 93,000 retail jobs have been lost in the past year amid a crunch on the high street Ms Smith denied Amazon was the problem, insisting retail is a 'changing environment' and her company was simply 'meeting customers where they want to be'. Communities Committee chairman Clive Betts MP asked the four online bosses: 'Is it true Amazon is single handedly killing the high street?' Ms Smith replied: 'I would say for Amazon that 82% of retail in the UK is from physical rather online, so only 18% is actually online of which we are a part, but a relatively small part. 'And there is a huge amount of innovation on the High Street and that's partly because customers have changed the way they shop for the same things they always have done.' Mr Betts replied: 'But 18% is 18% of sales that would otherwise be being done physically in shops.' High streets have seen widespread shop closures as customers move to online retailers But Ms Smith insisted Amazon was in fact supporting high street stores and even setting up some new shops. 'Half of the things that are bought on Amazon, are not bought from us, they are bought from third party business, many of which have got high street stores,' she said. MP Helen Hayes said shops in her constituency say customers often browse in store then, once they've chosen what they want, go home and buy it online. Ms Smith repeated her claims that Amazon helps shops. The online bosses were questioned over sports tycoon Mike Ashley's idea of a 20% tax on online sales. Drop in number of Christmas shoppers The number of Christmas shoppers heading for the high street, shopping centres and retail parks last week fell just 0.1% on the same period last year. It may seem like good news for retailers in the age of internet shopping but analysts have warned the picture is not as rosy as it appears. The drop comes on the back of a 7.6% decline in footfall to physical retailers in 2017, when transport disruption caused by snow and ice kept people from the shops, and a previous fall of 2.5% in 2016. Research by retail intelligence company Springboard showed footfall was particularly weak last Saturday as parts of the country were hit by Storm Deidre. It expects there to be an average drop in footfall over the next week of 3.5% - made up of a 3.2% fall to the high street, a 2.8% drop in retail parks and 4.8% decline in visits to shopping centres. Advertisement They all rejected the idea, with Andy Mulcahy, from online retail association IMRG, insisting it would be a 'backward step'. Explaining the success of online firms, Mr Mulcahy said British consumers were particularly open to only shopping due to good roads allowing quick delivery, trust in businesses not to defraud customers, and a history of 'distant selling'. There have been a string of high-profile store closures as shoppers desert town centres and flock to web titans instead. Analysis by the British Retail Consortium shows there were 3m people working in retail in September, the most recent month for which figures are available, down from 3.1m a year earlier. Household names Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and House of Fraser have all announced store closures, while others such as Maplin, Toys R Us and Poundworld went bust this year. Tough trading conditions triggered by the rise of the internet and a temporary squeeze on living standards after the Brexit vote are behind the crisis. And campaigners have warned that sky-high business rates make it even worse, by forcing companies to spend vast sums on tax for shops which are struggling to turn a profit. The Amazon chief insisted many of the sales made through the firm helped support shops Jessops chairman and Dragons' Den star Peter Jones said the Government needed to do more to ease the burden on retailers. 'Sadly we've spent so long looking at and focusing on Brexit, we've really tiptoed around trying to support the High Street,' he said. 'If the Government doesn't take action we're going to see many more brands on the High Street dissipate like an Alka-Seltzer in a swimming pool.' Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley has called for a tax on internet shopping to help revive the High Street's fortunes. In an extraordinary exchange with MPs this month, Ashley said the 'internet is killing the High Street'. Jane Farmer was previously found guilty of assault by beating and sentenced to 100 hours unpaid work A respected school secretary who lost her job after she was convicted of slapping a 15-year-old boy has today had her conviction overturned. Jane Farmer was previously found guilty of assault by beating and sentenced to 100 hours unpaid work after a trial at Southampton Magistrates Court, Hampshire. Farmer, who had enjoyed an unblemished 12-year career, allegedly struck the pupil while working at Arnewood School in New Milton, Hampshire. However, after appealing the conviction, Judge Christopher Parker QC today sided with Farmer and overturned the conviction. It was previously heard by magistrates in September she had been trying to help a female teacher with a disruptive pupil. Farmer demanded he leave the classroom and he accused her of striking him. The 57-year-old who denied the charge against her throughout proceedings said she was walking with the youngster to the teacher's office when she thought he looked 'unsteady on his feet'. Farmer claimed she had put her hand out to stop the boy from falling and hurting himself. Colleagues told a trial they had heard a slapping noise but did not see anything. The teenage pupil was taken to see the school nurse after the incident on January 22, and there was also no visible injury. The trial herd Farmer had lost her job at the school, which boasts an 'outstanding' Ofsted rating, and would never be able to work with children again. Farmer, of New Milton, Hampshire, has now been cleared of one count of assault by beating. The Arnewood school did not make it clear whether or not Ms Farmer would be offered her job back Ms Farmer always denied hurting the pupil and a court heard there was no injury found by the nurse and no witnesses Arnewood School sits on the edge of Hampshire's New Forest, near the Dorset border. The secondary school and sixth form teaches just over 1,000 boys and girls from the ages of 11 to 18. It is unclear whether now she has been cleared Mrs Farmer can now apply to get her job back. A spokesman for the school said: 'At the time of the incident The Arnewood School conducted an internal disciplinary hearing, which resulted in a written warning and Mrs Farmer being able to return to work. 'When criminal proceedings were brought forward Mrs Farmer was suspended and following her conviction she resigned her position. 'As she is no longer an employee of the school it would be inappropriate to comment any further.' The man who won ownership of Charles Manson's corpse on the grounds he is the killer cult leader's grandson is refusing to take a DNA test to prove they are related. Jason Freeman, 43, said he would not voluntarily take a DNA test after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Clifford Klein posed the question to him in court on Friday. The request for Freeman to prove his relation to Manson came on behalf of the only other contender to his estate, memorabilia collector Michael Channels, who was one of four trying to stake their claim to Manson's body after he died last November. Outside of court Freeman, a father of four from Bradenton, Florida, told DailyMail.com: 'There are people on the other team (Channels and his lawyers) who are trying to build a case against me. They think that a DNA test would prove something different. 'If the DNA test was a match nothing changes. If it's not a match, it does not take away the fact that this man I knew all my life was my grandfather.' Jason Freeman, 43, won the drawn out fight for possession of Charles Manson's corpse in March after the killer died of natural causes last November. He claims to be Manson's grandson but refused to take a voluntary DNA test when asked by a Los Angeles judge on Friday Manson died aged 83 after spending 47 years on death row for the 1969 murders of seven people, including heavily pregnant Hollywood actress Sharon Tate Freeman, who runs a building contracting business, added: 'If the court ordered me to take a DNA test I would. I am confident that a DNA test would prove that I am Charles Manson's grandson. 'In my eyes, my father was Charles Manson Jr. It's an open and shut case.' Wearing a shirt that read 'BE THE CHANGE', Freeman explained that his shirt 'speaks for itself. The world has to change, one person at a time.' He said he visits jail inmates to counsel them, adding: 'I want to be a guy who's going in the right direction. I want to help people. God has made the path. I'm just along for the ride.' Freeman won the drawn-out fight for possession of Manson's corpse earlier this year after Manson died of natural causes on November 19, 2017 at Corcoran State Prison, California. Manson died aged 83 after spending 47 years on death row for the brutal 1969 murders of seven people, including heavily pregnant Hollywood actress Sharon Tate. Freeman, a former mixed martial arts fighter, said he doesn't know what's included in the belongings of his grandfather. The request for Freeman to prove his relation to the murderer came on behalf of the only other contender for the estate, memorabilia collector Michael Channels (pictured), who was one of four trying to lay claim to Manson's body after he died last year Freeman, who runs a building contracting business, added: 'If the court ordered me to take a DNA test I would. I am confident that a DNA test would prove that I am Charles Manson's grandson. 'In my eyes, my father was Charles Manson Jr. It's an open and shut case' But Alan Davis, the attorney representing Dale Kiken whom Freeman appointed administrator to Manson's estate, told DailyMail.com: 'There are boxes of the stuff,' referring to the killer's possessions which were at the prison but are now in a storage facility. 'I don't know what's in those boxes. We have to make a proper inventory of everything and try to put a value on everything. 'To me, this stuff would probably be worth nothing. But to a collector, it could be worth a fortune.' Some of the most lucrative of Manson's belongings are most likely not in those boxes. They would be the rights to the journals and stories and the songs he wrote - two of which were recorded by Guns 'n Roses and The Beachboys. To allow time to inventory all of Manson's possessions and get expert valuations on them, Judge Klein continued the case to June 21 next year. Four people originally filed petitions proclaiming their right to the estate of Manson. Michael Brunner and Matthew Roberts each insisted they were his offspring but both of their claims were dismissed last July, leaving just Freeman and Channels. Freemen staked his claim by filing a birth certificate and death certificate that he insists proves he's Manson's grandson. He says that he learned about his relationship with Manson when he was 11 years old but his grandmother, Rosalie Willis, who was apparently married to Manson in the 1950s, never spoke about him. Freeman was one of the speakers at a memorial service at a funeral home in Porterville, 50 miles north of Bakersfield, where some 30 people - including Manson's one-time fiancee Afton Burton and former Manson Family cult member Sandra Good - filed past the open coffin Before Freeman won the claim to Manson's body, Matthew Roberts (pictured) was also vying for it, claiming to be his son Freeman maintains that his father was Charles Manson Jr. who couldn't live with his shameful name so he changed it to Charles White, and eventually shot himself in the head in 1993. Meanwhile, memorabilia collector Channels says he was friends with Manson for 30 years and claims to have a document written by Manson in 2002 that leaves his remains and estate to Channels. The letter allegedly written by Manson reads: 'I have disinherited both known sons and any unknown children in the present and in the future.' Freeman was declared the winner of the bitter legal fight for possession of Manson's corpse. Kern County Commissioner Alisa Knight, in Bakersfield - 100 miles north of LA - ruled: 'Freeman is hereby determined to be the surviving competent next of kin of (Charles Manson). No sufficient probative evidence was provided to the court to refute Freeman's claim.' Five days later - on St. Patrick's Day - Freeman was one of the speakers at a memorial service at a funeral home in Porterville, 50 miles north of Bakersfield, where some 30 people - including Manson's one-time fiancee Afton Burton and former Manson Family cult member Sandra Good - filed past the open coffin. Manson - whose body was kept in cold storage for four months was cremated the same day and one of America's most feared and hated killer's ashes were strewn along a creek bed in a nearby forest. Shocking bodycam footage shows a Florida woman being arrested after hurling a large rock and shouting obscenities at cops. Jessica Blick, 37, was on the phone outside a dollar store at Cape Coral Parkway when officers arrived on Tuesday night. It was not immediately clear why she had called authorities and Blick ignored the officers' requests to drop a piece of concrete she was holding in her hand. A mugshot released of Jessica Blick (pictured) by Cape Coral Police Department after her arrest. Police had used pepper-spray to subdue her, which is why her eyes are thought to be swollen Footage shows Jessica Block approaching the officer with the brick (left). She threatens him when she sees another cop approaching her from behind (right) When Blick noticed another officer approaching her from behind, she appeared to toss the piece of concrete at the cop who had asked her numerous times to put the rock down. She can be heard shouting at him: 'F**k you, you son of a b***h'. One of the officers tried to deploy a Taser on her but missed twice. Blick was then seen throwing concrete at the second officer, striking him on the shoulder, police said. Authorities said the officers placed handcuffs on Blick, but then she rolled over and kicked an officer in the thigh and groin. She was then pepper sprayed by another police officer which is why Blick's eyes appear swollen in her mugshot image. Pepper spray is known to trigger uncontrollable tearing, involuntary closing of the eyelids, redness, swelling, stinging and temporary blindness. Footage shows the officer attempting to protect himself when she threatens to hit him One of the officers tried to deploy a Taser on her in an effort to subdue her but he missed twice An officer tries to take the brick from her hand and place handcuffs on her (left). The officer eventually gets Blick on the ground and places handcuffs on her Blick faces four charges including aggravated assault, battery on law enforcement officers and resisting arrest with violence. She was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers and cleared of any physical illness or injury. She remained in Lee County Jail on Wednesday afternoon with no bail set. She is due in court January 14. The arrest was her first in Lee County, according to jail records. The reason for her call to 911 has not yet been established by police. A Spanish cyclist had to be rescued by locals after he was found trying to cross Siberia in -50C temperatures. Jose Andres Abian Pajares, originally from Zaragoza, was discovered camped in a thin summer tent on a mountain pass in the Kolyma region of Russia during freezing conditions. Three residents took him to hospital in the town of Susuman, 248 miles (400 km) north of Magadan where he set off from earlier this month on his bicycle, as he was said to be suffering from frostbite to his hands. Officials from the town told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that he 'could have died' had he not been found by the passers by. Mr Pajares flew from Moscow to Magadan in order to cycle to Lake Baikal near Irkutsk some 2,894 miles (4,657km) away and document the trip on his around the world blog of his travels. Jose Pajares (centre) with two of the men who found him camped in a thin tent in -58F temperatures in Siberia Mr Pajares (pictured), who documented on his blog his travels around the world on his bike, suffered frostbite to his hands and was taken to hospital The 47-year-old's blog follows his adventures on his bike in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Spain, Iceland, Romanian and Morocco. He was found on Monday by the men, who named him Marcus, and is likely to have to stay in Russia over the New Year as there are no flights out of the area until January. A video posted on Instagram showed the men spotting the small red tent at the side of the snow-covered road and, with a bike outside, before opening the door to find Mr Pajares inside. One of the men can be seen laughing as they approach his tent, then talk to Mr Pajares as he pokes his head out of the small tent. One of the rescuers, who gave his name as Vakha told the vesma.today news website: 'The administration contacted Magadan to buy Marcus tickets since they couldn't buy anything for the nearest dates, there were no tickets.' The cyclist will have to spend the New Year in the remote area of Siberia as there are no seats available on flights out of the region until January Mr Pajares was found in his thin tent and poked his head out to speak to three locals who found him on a mountain pass The regional airport said all flights to Moscow, which run four times a week, have been booked until early January. State-run TASS news agency quoted an unnamed Magadan official as saying: 'We have no plane tickets to Moscow. We won't be able to buy them until January, probably. 'It looks like the guy didn't have a good understanding of what the frosts in Kolyma are like.' Sanjay Dhall, pictured, co- founded Detroit Flying Cars and was injured in the crash A flying car has crashed during a high speed test run at a Michigan airport after it became 'accidentally' airborne. Only the two front wheels were supposed to have left the ground during the test at Willow Run on Friday. But the two seated aircraft suddenly took off during the test, then crashed, injuring pilot Sanjay Dhall who had to be rushed to hospital. Dhall's business partner David Han said: 'It actually took flight, which was more than what he had planned for.' But he added it would lead to 'tremendous improvements' in future prototyping. Images from WXYZ showed the car badly damaged on the runway on Friday afternoon. Emergency crews rushed to the scene after the hybrid vehicle took flight and Dhall was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital, Fox 2 Detriot reports. David added: 'He is in good spirits, and we pray along with his family for a speedy healing and recovery.' The flying car crashed during a high speed test run at Willow Run airport in Michigan The hybrid vehicle's pilot, Sanjay Dhall, was rushed to hospital following the incident on Friday The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash which badly damaged the car The flying car is made from carbon fiber and has propeller on the back and a hybrid engine Sanjay Dhall, pictured with the flying car, was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital The pair founded Detroit Flying Cars and the Federal Aviation Administration granted their Special Airworthiness certificate in July. A Facebook post reads: 'FAA grants Special Airworthiness certificate for our flying car prototype! Now we can start testing its flying characteristics. But we will be approaching it cautiously.' The vehicle is made mostly from carbon fiber and has propeller on the back and a hybrid engine, The Detriot Free Press reports. In an interview in 2017 Dhall said: 'I've always loved to design wacky things, strange things. 'I just find that there is uniqueness buried in things that don't meet the convention. If you make something wacky, there could be a hidden secret that you could unlock.' The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash and an airport spokesman said: 'By all indications, this appears to be an accident.' A desperate mother fears she will not get to say goodbye to her dying two-year-old because she cannot enter the United States under Donald Trump's Muslim ban. Abdullah Hassan, a US citizen, was born in Yemen with a rare brain condition and is now on life support in UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland, California. His mother, Shaima Swileh, is banned from entering the country before doctors switch off his life support machine because she is a Yemeni citizen. Abdullah Hassan (left with his father) was born in Yemen with a rare brain condition and is now on life support in UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, California The youngster's 22-year-old father, Ali Hassan, a US citizen whose family came to the United States from Yemen in the early 1980s, is pleading with the State Department for her to be let in from Egypt where she is currently living The youngster's 22-year-old father, Ali Hassan, a US citizen whose family came to the United States from Yemen in the early 1980s, is pleading with the State Department for her to be let in from Egypt where she is currently living. 'All she wishes is to hold his hand for the last time,' Mrs Hassan told SFGate. 'If I could take him off the ventilator and to the airplane, I would take him to her. I would let her see him. But he won't make it.' Mr Hassan's father, 41, added: 'She's crying every day. We need her to see her son one last time. To hold him for at least a minute. She's not going to see him forever. 'If he dies and we bury him without his mom seeing him, that will be a disaster.' Civil Rights Attorney Saad Sweilem, who is working with the family, said: 'Our hearts are breaking for this family. 'The loss of a child is something no parent should experience, but not being able to be there in your child's last moments is unfathomably cruel. President Trump banned people entering the US from majority-Muslim countries days after taking office in January 2017 'From the crisis at our border to the Muslim Ban, this administration is doing everything in its power to undermine immigrants' rights and uphold a xenophobic agenda that tears families apart.' President Trump banned people entering the US from majority-Muslim countries days after taking office in January 2017. It forbids travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Lawyers are hoping to secure a waiver from the State Department so Abdullah can enter. The State Department said it could not comment in the media on individual cases. The wife and the father of a Green Beret who has been charged with murdering a suspected bomb maker in Afghanistan spoke out in his defense over the past 24 hours, insisting that the former decorated officer had done nothing wrong. Major Matt Golsteyn on Friday was charged with premeditated murder of an Afghan national during his 2010 deployment, after he repeatedly admitted to killing the man who was believed to have been responsible for the deaths of two Marines. On Sunday, Golsteyn's wife, Julie, appeared on Fox & Friends Weekend to express her dismay with the decision to bring the charge against her husband for doing his job. Julie Golsteyn went on Fox & Friends Weekend to defend her husband, Major Matt Golsteyn, who on Friday was charged with murder for allegedly tracking down and killing a suspected Afghan bomb maker on February 22, 2010 The mom-of-two said the allegations her her husband are 'disgusting' and 'almost laughable' Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Fox news Privacy Policy 'He was lucky enough to survive war and has come home to be ripped apart by his own government and the Army leadership,' Mrs Golsteyn said on air. Golsteyn's immediate commander determined that there was 'sufficient evidence' to warrant the 'charges against him', US Army Special Operations Command spokesman Lt Col Loren Bymer said in a statement. The new charges will be reviewed to determine if the case should go to trial. If convicted, Golsteyn could face the death penalty. 'I know my husband, I know his heart and I know his character,' Golsteyn's wife said during the Sunday interview. 'And to think that he killed someone in cold blood ... is absolutely... I don't even have a word for it. It is just so disgusting.' Julie, who has two sons with Matt, including a two-month-old baby, called the charged against her husband 'almost laughable' and urged those in positions of leadership to 'crawl out from the blanket of anonymity' and take responsibility for what has happened to her spouse. Late Sunday morning, Donald Trump, who is known to be an avid viewer of Fox & Friends, pledged to take a look at the case against Golsteyn. 'At the request of many, I will be reviewing the case of a "U.S. Military hero," Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder,' Trump tweeted just three minutes after the program wrapped up on Fox News. 'He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas.' Donald Trump said he will review the case of a Green Beret facing murder charges after killing an Afghan bomb maker he suspected was responsible for the death of two of his Marines Matt's father, Jerry Golsteyn (left), said on Fox & Friends Monday he is 'all for' Trump, as the commander-in-chief, taking a look at Matt's case Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Fox news Privacy Policy If Trump were to intervene, it may count as unlawful command influence that could result in Golsteyn's case being thrown out. But Pentagon spokesman Army Col Rob Manning told the BBC on Sunday that the charges against Golsteyn are a 'law enforcement matter'. 'The Department of Defense will respect the integrity of this process and provide updates when appropriate,' Manning added. On Monday morning, Jerry Golsteyn appeared on Fox & Friends, describing his son 'a young man of character' and saying he is 'all for' Trump taking a look at Matt's case. 'Last time I checked, he's the commander-in-chief,' the Green Beret's father said on the program. 'If [Trump] feels that something is not going as it should go, Im more than happy to get him in there and look at the situation and make decisions.' Jerry Golsteyn said it has been very difficult for the family in light of the fact that the military had previously cleared his son of any wrongdoing, only to bring the charge against him years later. 'It was an enemy combatant,' the father said of the slain Afghant. 'He was a known bomb maker, he was identified, and actions taken were to protect the lives of the villagers and those in his unit and the people around him.' Trump and other senior military and administration leaders have issued statements about military criminal cases in the past, triggering legal appeals and other complications as the courts work to insure impartial proceedings. The president, however, does have broad authority to pardon criminal defendants. Golsteyn admitted both during a 2011 CIA interview and in a 2016 Fox News segment that he killed the bomb maker, who he suspected was responsible for an explosion that killed Sgt Jeremy McQueary, 27, and 19-year-old Lance Cpl Larry Johnson. McQueary's parents spoke out in defense of Golsteyn after the charges were announced this week. Golsteyn admitted both during a CIA interview and in a Fox News segment that he killed an Afghan bomb maker he suspected was responsible for the 2010 deaths of Sgt Jeremy McQueary, 27, (left) and 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Larry Johnson (right) Debbie Kleinschmidt, McQueary's mother, said she does not believe Golsteyn should face charges for killing the suspected Aghan bomb maker 'I think that's crazy,' David Kleinschmidt, McQueary's stepfather, told the New York Post. 'I don't understand why they are bringing this up again. 'We were in a war - and things happen in war. Personally, I think they should just drop [the charges] I'm glad the guy is dead.' 'Our rules that we have to follow are not the rules that the Taliban follows,' added Deborah Kleinschmidt, McQueary's mother. 'So why punish our guy for something that the enemy is doing to us? I'm sure his family has to be stressed out beyond belief. And my heart goes out to them.' Golsteyn has said he shot the bomb maker over concerns about the safety of American soldiers and for two Afghani men who defied the Taliban when they apprehended the suspect and turned him over to US forces. 'If anything, Golsteyn may deserve a medal, not a murder rap,' said David Kleinschmidt. 'I'm glad he found the guy. I'm glad the guy's dead because I don't think he should have been in society.' McQueary, of Nashville, Indiana, was survived by his wife and infant son (pictured together) Johnson, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was remembered by family and friends as a proud Marine and a friendly youth with a close-knit family McQueary and Johnson had been working with Golsteyn's Green Beret team in the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah when they were killed in a bazaar explosion. After the bombing, Golsteyn gathered intelligence and searched nearby homes for the terrorist. The following day, a pair of Afghan men who were cooperating with the US turned over a suspect they had tied up who they claimed was responsible for the Marines' deaths, but the man was freed almost immediately because of lack of evidence. Shortly after the suspected bomb maker's release from custody, Golsteyn allegedly tracked him down and killed him. Days later, Golsteyn led about 80 troops into a four-hour firefight in Marjah, where he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire as he helped evacuate a wounded Afghan soldier and directed air strikes against the Taliban. He was awarded the Silver Star medal. Golsteyn admitted both during a 2011 CIA interview and in a 2016 Fox News segment that he killed the bomb maker The story of the Afghan bomb maker only came out after Golsteyn told the CIA about it during a polygraph test in November 2011, two months before he was promoted from captain to major. He is pictured here in Afghanistan in 2010 The story of the Afghan bomb maker only came out after Golsteyn told the CIA about it during a polygraph test in November 2011, two months before he was promoted from captain to major. He revealed that he had killed the bomb maker just days before that medal-winning battle. The Army Criminal Investigation Command, acting on information from the CIA, looked into the incident but could never find anyone to corroborate Golsteyn's claim and couldn't find any remains of the Afghan national. Golsteyn was never charged with a war crime, and the 2015 board of inquiry didn't attempt to establish whether he actually killed the Afghan. Golsteyn (pictured alongside an Afghan soldier) was never charged with a war crime, and the 2015 board of inquiry didn't attempt to establish whether he actually killed the Afghan Golsteyn's case was only reopened in 2016 after he appeared on a Fox News segment (pictured) and said he killed the Afghan Instead, the panel considered whether he should be retained as an Army officer based on a reprimand in his personnel record. The board determined that Golsteyn was guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer and he was discharged. It also revoked Golsteyn's Special Forces designation and the Silver Star. Two years later, Golsteyn appeared on a Fox News special called 'How We Fight' and told host Brett Baier that he killed the Afghan because letting him go would have led to additional problems. 'You realize quickly that you make things worse. It is an inevitable outcome that people who are cooperating with coalition forces, when identified, will suffer some terrible torture or be killed,' he said. Golsteyn (pictured with his wife) blamed the Fox News interview for his new legal troubles but stood by his comments to Baier Golsteyn's interview on Fox News breathed new life into the case and reportedly prompted the United States Criminal Investigation Command to reopen the investigation. Speaking to NBC News on Thursday, Golsteyn blamed the Fox News interview for his new legal troubles but stood by his comments to Baier. He also insisted that he did nothing wrong on that day in February 2010 in Afghanistan. 'I have had commanders look me in the face and tell me I have done nothing wrong,' Golsteyn said. Internment camps in China's far west region of Xinjiang are being run like 'wartime concentration camps' and there is mounting evidence to suggest that Muslim inmates are being turned into forced labour. Accounts from relatives of detainees, satellite images and previously unreported official documents have revealed that a growing number of detainees are being forced to work at various factories built inside or near the camps after 'graduating' from the facilities, according to a New York Times report. Inmates told their relatives that they were forced to make clothes under tough working conditions at the factories and earned low wages. A perimeter fence is constructed around what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng in Xinjiang in China's far west region. There is mounting evidence to suggest that Muslim inmates are being turned into forced labour, reports claim Dozens of students are shown at their desks learning Chinese and law in the programme aired by CCTV that introduced the 'professional vocational training institutions' in Hotan Up to one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities are believed to be held in extra-legal detention in Xinjiang, according to previous UN estimates, prompting an international outcry. China has described the camps as 'professional vocational training institutions' used to counter terrorism while improving employment opportunities for citizens guilty of minor offences. However, Uighur activists believe that up to three million people have been detained in the camps, according to non-governmental organisation Amnesty International. There are approximately 12 million Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. Patrick Poon, China researcher at Amnesty, told MailOnline they haven't seen this many people detained in camps in recent Chinese history. 'The camps are similar to the wartime concentration camps, the scale is comparable and the repressive environment is similar,' he said. A building of what is officially called a vocational skills education centre in Hotan, Xinjiang Muslim trainees work in a factory in the Hotan Vocational Education and Training Center 'There are brainwashing political classes in the camps, where people are beaten up if they don't follow orders. The overall atmosphere is very repressive,' he added, citing accounts from ex-detainees. An AFP report in October revealed that thousands of guards at the camps were equipped with tear gas, Tasers, stun guns and spiked clubs, according to publicly available government documents. The centres should 'teach like a school, be managed like the military, and be defended like a prison', said one document, quoting Xinjiang's party secretary Chen Quanguo. To build new, better Chinese citizens, a document argued, the centres must first 'break their lineage, break their roots, break their connections, and break their origins'. In previous reports, others have said they were forced to eat pork and drink alcohol, as well as denounce Islam and profess loyalty to the ruling Communist Party. Satellite images purported to show the camps where Muslim minorities are held in Xinjiang The Hotan Vocational Education and Training Center sits behind barbed wire in Xinjiang They also found themselves incarcerated for transgressions such as wearing long beards and face veils or sharing Islamic holiday greetings on social media, a process that echoes the decades of brutal thought reform under Mao Zedong. After undergoing indoctrination at the camps, detainees are sent to the new factories built inside or near the internment camps in an emerging system of forced labour, according to the New York Times. Satellite imagery suggests that production lines are being built inside some internment camps. Another image of a camp featured in state television broadcast show 10 to 12 large buildings with a design commonly used for factories, according to the report. Commercial registration records show several companies including a printing factory, a noodle factory and at least two clothing and textile manufacturers were established at addresses inside interment camps. A Turkish researcher told The New York Times that the detainees 'provide free or low-cost forced labour for these factories,' based on the various inmate accounts he has collected through interviewing their relatives. Inmates told their relatives that they were forced to make clothes under tough working conditions and earned low wages, according to Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, an organisation in Kazakhstan that helps ethnic Kazakhs who have left neighboring Xinjiang. Muslim trainees seen working in a garment factory at the Hotan vocational centre China has admitted to the alleged use of internment camps for Muslim minorities in Xinjiang One detainee was sent from a camp to work in a carpet factory and another was sent to work at a textile factory for US$95 (75) a month. They are not allowed to leave the factories and communication with relatives, if permitted, is heavily monitored, according to a Financial Times report. However, since August, the Chinese government has defended the camps by arguing that they are vocational training centres that will provide detainees the skills needed for a job in Chinese society, including learning Mandarin. Participation is voluntary, according to state-broadcaster CCTV in a report in October, releasing footage purportedly showing 'contented' Muslim trainees wearing matching uniforms, studying Mandarin and learning trades like knitting, weaving and baking. 'Xinjiang has established a training model with professional vocational training institutions as the platform, learning the country's common language, legal knowledge, vocational skills, along with de-extremisation education,' the chairman of Xinjiang's government, Shohrat Zakir, said in an ardent defence of the use of the centres. Security guards stand at the gates of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Huocheng County in Xinjiang in September Muslims receive graduation certificates from instructors at the vocational training centre. However, reports have claimed that the detainees would then be sent to nearby factories 'Through vocational training, most trainees have been able to reflect on their mistakes and see clearly the essence and harm of terrorism and religious extremism,' he said. China has said Xinjiang faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists who plot attacks and stir up tension between the mostly Muslim Uighur minority and the ethnic Han Chinese majority. The centres first appeared in 2014, the year that authorities launched a new 'strike hard' campaign against 'terrorism' after deadly violence in Xinjiang. Zakir previously reiterated: 'Today's Xinjiang is not only beautiful but also safe and stable. No matter where they are or at what time of the day, people are no longer afraid of going out, shopping, dining and travelling.' However, critics have warned that mass incarcerations and forced cultural assimilation of China's western Muslim minorities risk further inflaming and perpetuating separatist anger. Steven Avery's lawyer Kathleen Zellner, 61, will file a 22,000-page document to the appellate court by December 20 The defense lawyer of Making a Murderer convict Steven Avery has announced that a world-renowned DNA expert is willing to test remains that will prove her client's innocence in the grisly murder case. The popular Netflix program details the allegedly wrongful convictions of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey in the 2005 murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. On Monday, Avery's lawyer Kathleen Zellner, 61, announced on Twitter that one of the world's leading DNA experts, Dr Richard Selden, is willing to test bones to prove that Halbach's remains were planted. 'Dr. Richard Selden is willing to test the bones in the Manitowoc County Gravel Pit with new Rapid DNA ID. If this testing is allowed, we believe the bones will be Ms. Halbach's,' Zellner wrote. 'This will prove the murder and mutilation occurred in the Manitowoc County Gravel Pit and the bones were planted in Mr. Avery's burn pit to frame him,' she added. The announcement comes as Zellner is days away from filing a 22,000-page document to the appellate court by December 20, which she says contains all the proof of why Avery should be freed. Steven Avery, 56, and his nephew Brendan Dassey, 29, are serving life sentences for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach, 25, in Wisconsin. But evidence presented by Avery's lawyer Thursday may clear their names On Monday, Zellner announced on Twitter that one of the world's leading DNA experts, Dr Richard Selden, is willing to test bones to prove that Halbach's remains were planted She has pointed toward Dassey's brother Bobby as a new murder suspect in the past Zellner said last month that there's much more to the story and points towards Dassey's brother Bobby as a new murder suspect. 'You must, if you can, create reasonable doubt by having an alternative theory that matches the evidence,' Zellner told told OK! Magazine. 'That's when you're most likely to win a murder case.' 'Just this week we got a tip that was just jaw-dropping. Like, woah, somebody actually knows this. We're getting close,' she added Last month, she dropped a bombshell evidence in a 20-tweet thread saying: 'Making a Murderer watchers, listen up. I'm going to walk you through what I've learned through my investigation that you didn't see in the show.' In her thread she said that victim Halbach, a photographer for Auto Trader, called the Dassey landline to ask for directions to the Avery Salvage Yard (ASY) on October 31, 2005. She said the suspect then contacted Halbach to give her the Dassey address and followed her after she left the salvage yard in her RAV4 vehicle and got her to pull over. This transpired as Avery was in his trailer at the salvage yard. 'She opened the car's rear cargo door to retrieve her camera, was knocked to the ground and struck with an object. [Halbach] was put in the rear cargo area of the RAV4 and driven back to ASY,' Zellner said. She claimed the car was later seen leaving the salvage yard and Halbach's body was burned in a burn barrel. A burn barrel at the Dassey residence was found with human bones. Zellner added the Dassey garage was never luminoled or DNA tested. The evidence from her tweets is expected to be included in her fillings along with more details from her investigation. Zellner told OK!: 'My goal is to not just to find the constitutional violation to get Steven Avery a new trial, because many people are convicted again in their second trial. I am trying to get the evidence to what I believe is the truth of what happened, so that there won't BE another trial. On Twitter she presented new evidence saying the suspect had access to the Dassey's landline phone number and knew Steven Avery. Zellner said Halbach could have been killed in a 'rage killing motivated by rejection'. Pictured Bobby Dassey Zellner shared new evidence in the case last month on Twitter pointing to Brendan's brother Bobby Dassey as a new murder suspect She posted a 20-tweet thread last month announcing the new murder suspect and hinting that it's Brendan's brother Bobby Dassey Her evidence from the tweets is expected to be part of the 22,000-page document Steven Avery was jailed after his blood was found in Halbach's car, linking him to the murder. He and Brendan Dassey were convicted of Halbach's death and are currently serving life sentences. Zellner said the suspect knew Avery's finger was bleeding 'because he observed it' and had access to his trailer to remove blood from the sink and plant it in Halbach's car. She added the suspect planted the human bones and electronics in Avery's burn barrel. 'In conclusion, the killer is the person who had the access and opportunity to plant Steven Avery's fresh blood in Teresa Halbach's car,' she said in her tweets, opening up a Q&A session with fans. Replying to fans' questions, she refused to 'rule out' Brendan's brother Bobby as a suspect. 'Do you think it was Bobby [Dassey]?' one fan asked. Zellner cooly replied: 'We cannot rule him out' adding that his garage is being searched for DNA and blood. Halbach was a photographer for Auto Trader. On October 31, 2005 she visited Avery Salvage Yard (ASY) and was killed afterwards. Zellner alluded that Bobby Dassey may be behind Halbach's murder and planted evidence against Steven Avery to clear his name The second season of Making a Murderer, which released in October, focused on Zellner's efforts to prove Avery had nothing to do with the death of the 25-year-old photographer In the show's two seasons there was no clear suspect mentioned although it did hint that Bobby Dassey may have not told the truth during trial. Zellner says the suspect was motivated to kill in a rage fueled by rejection. When a fan asked if Bobby every interacted with Halbach prior to the incident, she said confirmed that they had. While some Twitter fans believed the new theory that Bobby was behind the killings, other had doubts. 'I fully believe Bobby killed Theresa & for whatever reason Scott was involved in coverup. However, is it really believable that either would realistically remember Steven Avery's finger bleeding & think to take Steven Avery's blood from the sink?' one user asked. Zellner replied: 'Of course. The police had just been on the property and he would have been panicked to divert attention from himself.' Season 3 for the popular Netflix thriller has yet to be confirmed. Meghan Markle's estranged half-brother Thomas Markle Jr has issued another plea for family unity - and says he fears his father will spend Christmas alone without even a card from the Duchess of Sussex to console him. This comes after Thomas Markle Sr, 74, revealed in a Good Morning Britain interview on Monday that he has been making daily attempts to contact his daughter and wishes to reconcile. The pregnant royal has been estranged from her father since May and has cut other members of her family, including her half-siblings Thomas Jr and Samantha, off completely. She will spend the festive period at Sandringham in Norfolk with the rest of the Royal family, including Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Queen. But speaking exclusively to DailyMailTV, Thomas Jr, 52, of Grants Pass, Oregon, said the family had enjoyed many happy Christmases with Meghan during her childhood and says he hopes the clan will eventually be allowed back into her life. And in a bid for reconciliation, he is sending a Christmas card to Meghan at Kensington Palace saying he hopes they can put their differences aside and be the family they were before. Christmas with the Royals: Thomas Markle Jr has revealed he will be sending half-sister Meghan (pictured December 25, 2017) a Christmas card in hopes of reconciling with his estranged sibling who has cut her father's family out of her life In a heartfelt card to the duchess seen by DailyMailTV, Markle Jr expresses his hopes to 'mend our family back together for the New Year.' He also included the Markle family in his sign off Pictured above is the Christmas card he will send to Meghan He told DailyMailTV: 'I'm making a point to reach out to Meghan again with a personalized Christmas card to her saying we should all put our differences aside and remember the family we had before. 'I want to say to her, Merry Christmas to you and Harry and I hope Santa brings you everything you ever wanted.' But the window fitter added: 'I think everybody misses not being around some sort of family for Christmas, especially when it's not something they're really used to. 'I think when she sees the difference between the Christmas she spends at the Palace, and she doesn't have her family around her, I think she'll realize that she's missing something.' In the heartfelt card, seen by DailyMailTV, Thomas Jr writes: 'Dear Meghan & Harry, 'May we all have a wonderful Christmas this year, It would be nice to mend our family back together for the New Year. 'We miss you, love you and are very proud of you. 'Love Tom Jr & The Markle family.' 'I want to say to her, Merry Christmas to you and Harry and I hope Santa brings you everything you ever wanted,' Thomas Jr, 52, told DailyMailTV Thomas Jr told DailyMailTV of the large family Christmases the clan shared in the 1980s when Meghan was a child, and reminisced about the clan gathering at the home of her grandmother Jeanette Ragland for dinner. He said: '[Meghan's mother] Doria would cook the Christmas dinner. Doria and her family were probably the biggest anchors of family unity when it came to holidays. 'Their entire family would get together over at Doria's mom's house and our family hadn't done that for many years when I was growing up. We just did that a few times as young children in Chicago. 'But as far as when Meghan was a child, Doria has a big family and everybody got together her sisters, her dad, her grandfather, her mom and then of course us and Meghan. 'There was always that big family homey feeling because everybody was happy, everybody was in a good mood, everybody left their baggage outside the door and it was all about family which was pretty important. It was nice.' He said his father would make stockings for Meghan and said they would all share cookies and milk on Christmas Eve, while the house would be decorated with a 'huge, ginormous Christmas tree'. Meghan, he said, adored Christmas and would receive piles of gifts from her besotted parents both of whom instilled a love of the festive season in their daughter that still endures today. 'Doria gave Meghan a love of big Christmas family celebrations but I think we all did as well,' Thomas Jr told DailyMail.com. Meghan Markle will spend the holiday at Sandringham in Norfolk, with her husband Prince Harry, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the Queen. Markle Jr says he hopes his sister will realize 'she's missing something' when she is not surrounded by her own family on Christmas Meghan will spend her second Christmas at Sandringham House, in Norfolk, where the royals have been enjoying the Yuletide every year since 1988 'My father and Doria - the few Christmases we had together, we made the best of what we had whether it was at three different houses that year or one house.' He added: 'My dad really likes Christmas. It was the one time of the year for him to really shine and I guess if my dad had one favorite day of the year, it would be Christmas. 'He goes really upbeat and Santa Claus-y. His favorite holiday of the year is Christmas.' But the 52-year-old fears his ailing 74-year-old father might spend this Christmas alone at his Rosarito, Mexico, home without so much as a card from Meghan for company. Thomas Jr, who was reconciled with his father in a California meeting that was exclusively revealed by DailyMail.com earlier this year, says he hopes Meghan will put any animosity aside and contact him. The 52-year-old cannot join his father himself because he has already agreed to join his fiancee Darlene Blount, 38, and her son for the festivities but says Markle Sr would be welcome if he wanted to come to their home in Grants Pass. He said: 'I hope he doesn't spend Christmas by himself in Mexico and at least goes to Samantha but I think he'll probably be a little hurt if he doesn't get a Christmas card. Thomas Jr told DailyMail.com of the large family Christmases the Markle-Ragland clan shared in the 1980s when Meghan was a child revealing how Meghan (pictured with her father, and half nephews when she was young) adored Christmas and would receive piles of gifts from her besotted parents Markle Jr's plea comes just as his father, Thomas Markle Sr, revealed on Monday that he has been desperately trying to reach out to his daughter and make amends 'I sincerely hope Meghan does reach out to my dad, at least for Christmas. This family rift has been going on for quite some time now and I think Christmas is the one time of year when you do need to get together with your family - good, bad or indifferent, put everything aside and at least enjoy the holidays.' For himself, he says he doesn't believe he'll be contacted by his famous half-sister but hopes that might change in the New Year. He told DailyMail.com: 'I'd be really surprised if I got a call from Meghan at Christmas or a Christmas card but that would be really nice. 'With everything that's gone on for the last two years, I think the New Year is the perfect time for a new beginning for her, for the family. 'Just to start over, start fresh and make some sort of contact. Definitely to let my father see his grandchild when it's born. 'I would feel pretty honored if she opened up her door and invited the Markles in to see their new relative, the new baby. It would mean a lot.' To the rest of the clan, he added: 'Let's forget the rifts of the past, the bad things of the past and go on and be friendly to each other again. Let's be the family that we should be.' New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday that legalizing marijuana for recreational use would be one of his top legislative priorities next year. The move, which would add New York to the list of 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia that have legalized the drug, could bring in more than $1.3 billion in annual tax revenue, according to a report commissioned by the governor and released last summer. Neighboring New Jersey is also weighing whether to allow recreational use of marijuana. Governor Phil Murphy, a supporter of the proposal, and leaders in the Democratic-controlled legislature have been working on a bill for several months. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces Monday in New York City that he plans to make legalizing recreational marijuana a top priority for his administration The added revenue could help address a number of needs, including New York City's troubled subway system, which is desperately in need of major repairs and upgrades. In a speech outlining his plans for 2019, Cuomo told the New York City Bar Association that legalizing marijuana would contribute to a fairer justice system. He argued that enforcement has 'for too long targeted the African-American and minority communities.' 'The fact is we have had two criminal justice systems -- one for the wealthy and the well off, and one for everyone else,' Cuomo said. 'We must also end the needless and unjust criminal convictions and the debilitating criminal stigma, and let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all,' Cuomo said. Democrats control both of the state's legislative chambers after they captured the state Senate in November's election. This map illustrates which states have legalized medical marijuana, recreational marijuana - and which states currently have no legal use of cannabis New York state includes New York City, which is the most populous U.S. city with 8.5 million residents. Since Colorado and Washington state legalized recreational cannabis use in 2014, eight other states and the federal capital Washington, DC have followed suit. Those states are Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Vermont. Canada, which borders New York State, in October became the world's first major economy to fully legalize cannabis. A pro-Brexit radio caller has hit back at critics saying he believes the UK will be better able to set its own safety standards once it is not part of the EU. Listeners were left baffled last night when Robert McCulloch, 37, from Rochester, called in to James O'Brien's show on LBC radio that the best thing about leaving the EU was keeping three-pin electrical plugs. Sarcastic listeners deluged Twitter to say that Ireland and Cyprus also use three-pin devices while others said the call represented 'peak Brexit ignorance'. But Mr McCulloch, who works at Poundland, spoke to MailOnline to explain that what he believes is that those who think the UK needs the EU to provide a 'security blanket' over and above domestic regulations were mistaken. Robert McCulloch, 37, from Rochester, defended his comments about three-pin plugs made on James O'Brien's radio show last night He said: 'With British standards we have an earth wire, so if a product is overcharged it'll cause the electricity to dissipate. Under EU standards it's two pins, which have no earth.' He said companies manufacturing to EU standards had taken to replacing the earthed third pin with a plastic replica, and claimed this had even led to some products overheating or exploding. He added: 'So if we leave the EU, as long as we go back to our own standards of manufacturing quality, that'll mean we've improved safety. We're constantly told that the EU standards are better than our own. 'But it's perfectly clear British standards are higher than EU standards for manufacturing - so leaving the EU will mean we can potentially have our own high standards back again and we'll have fewer low quality goods.' He said Remainers thought of EU regulations as a 'security blanket', without noticing that in many cases, domestic laws were tighter than European ones. Many modern appliances are double-insulated, removing the need for an earthed three pin connection. And many continental plugs do have a metal earth connection, but it is built flush to the plug/socket connection rather than having its own pin. Nonetheless many experts agree that British plug and socket standards, with the longer third pin which releases internal shutters in the socket, and the earthed connection to provide additional safety against accidental electrocution, are superior to other national standards. On the show, comments by Mr McCulloch - who told MailOnline he wants a 'hard Brexit' but said Mr O'Brien was a 'fantastic person' - provoked some confusion and amusement. When asked by Mr O'Brien to name a benefit of Brexit, the caller bizarrely replied: 'We obviously use three-pin plugs in this country the EU don't.' Listeners were left baffled when a radio station caller told LBC show host James O'Brien that the best thing about leaving the EU was keeping three-pin plugs 'So basically it means our safety aspects are a lot stronger than the generalisation of the EU. But we're in the EU' Astonished O'Brien replies: 'So you think we have to leave the EU to get three-pin plugs?' Listeners took to social media to share their bemusement over the caller's unusual perspective on Brexit. They mocked the caller when they pointed out that three-pin plugs are not just a British thing, and are used in other countries. Glenn Ebrey Tweeted: 'Just had to pull over to control my belly laughs at the guy who told @mrjamesob he wants Brexit for the right to keep three-pin plugs' David Langrty wrote: 'Ireland, wake up! Apparently if we stay in the EU we may not be allowed to use the three-pin plug any longer.' @spaceangel1946 tweeted: 'This isn't even amusing now. We've reached peak igorance: The James OBrien Caller Who Voted Brexit Because Of Three-Pin Plugs.' Peter Pharos tweeted: 'I lament the day the EU took away our three-pin plugs here in Ireland...oh wait.' 'Blue passports AND keeping the three-pin plug??!! Where do I sign??!!!' @PS_Joanna said: 'Go and unplug your TV. What can you see at the end of the cable? A three-pin plug? How exactly will Brexit make a difference to that?' Ah I never knew! Replacing 2-pin continental style, I guess? Once Brexit is cancelled, UK Ireland and Cyprus should form a three-pin plug triumvirate & get rest of eU to see sense'. A fire marshal says the investigation of a blaze that killed a New York City firefighter was rigged so the blame would lay on the building's owner and not a production company owned by Edward Norton. Fire Marshal Scott Specht said in court papers that the building's owner, Vincent Lampkin, had been wrongly blamed for the fire that claimed the life of firefighter Michael Davidson, 37, in Harlem in March. Specht was what is referred to as the catching investigator, or the marshal on call, the night the blaze occurred. He had refused to sign off on an April report by the FDNY that said the blaze was caused by heat from a boiler ventilation pipe in the basement that ignited nearby combustible materials, according to the New York Daily News. Specht accused Chief Fire Marshal Thomas Kane, his deputy J.D. Lynn and FDNY Assistant Commissioner Carlos Velez of trying to dismiss evidence that Norton's movie company, Class V Films, illegally tampered with the building's electrical system. A fire marshal filed a notice alleging that Edward Norton's production company Class V Films was protected during an investigation into a deadly blaze in Harlem that killed a fire fighter The blaze was sparked in March, in April the FDNY released its report on the causes of the fire blaming issues with the building for the initial sparking and its spreading The court notice alleges that screws installed by the movie crew literally pierced electrical wires, however a source close to the investigation contends to DailyMail.com that the pierced wire did not contribute to the fire. Norton was directing and acting in the crime thriller Motherless Brooklyn. The film also starred Willem Dafoe, Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin. After weeks at the fire scene and after crews dug through the rubble, the boiler in its encasement was entirely intact, as was a two-by-four at the base of the boiler, according to the notice filed by Specht. His attorney, Pete Gleason, called the treatment of his client, who served in Iraq as a helicopter pilot for the National Guard 'deporable.' 'Specht, a combat veteran, doesn't think twice about flying his Black Hawk into harm's way and will never be intimidated by a few...bureaucrats who want to besmirch the legacy of a fallen comrade while protecting a pack of Hollywood phonies,' Gleason told the Daily News. Specht sent an email to other fire marshals which was obtained by the Daily News, that said his findings determined that Class 5 overloaded the building with combustible, oil-based set material, and hundreds of feet of electrical cable. Additionally the email claimed that there was evidence the company illegally tapped into the building's electrical system and ran cables under the boiler room's self-closing door and that the boiler room door couldn't shut. The email said the cause should remain undetermined until a more thorough investigation could take place. Fire Marshal Scott Specht (right) filed a court notice alleging the FDNY covered up the cause of the blaze that killed Fire Fighter Michael Davidson (left) by laying the blame on issues with the building as opposed to issues with the production company's use of the building However, according to the report by the FDNY, which was obtained by DailyMail.com, the other fire marshals who were part of the investigation after the first night, agreed that heat from a boiler ventilation flue pipe ignited nearby combustible materials and caused the fire in the cellar of 773 St. Nicholas Avenue. The FDNY's report added that other contributing factors included that the buildings sprinkler system, which was installed both in the first floor restaurant/nightclub as well as the staircase and apartments on the upper floors, had been shut off and did not activate to suppress the fire once it spread from the place of origin in the cellar, which was not sprinklered. The FDNY's report also found that fire resistant materials had been removed in the first floor restaurant/nightclub that exacerbated fire conditions as the fire extended from the cellar. A source close to the investigation tells DailyMail.com said that Specht initially agreed with the findings and that a week or so later changed his mind. The source contends that perhaps Specht thought he was doing the fallen fire fighter's widow a favor by laying the blame on a deeper pocketed production company as opposed to the building's owner. Specht's email to the other fire marshal's however also did note that the owner installed a circuit breaker panel himself which could be illegal. '(The building) stood since at least 1920 and to my knowledge there was never a fire incident,' the building owner's lawyer Geovanny Fernandez said to the Daily News. 'Additionally, there was significant electric usage at the site, particularly at the time of the fire when the final scenes for the location were being filmed, and to my knowledge no permits were requested.' Fernandez added that the FDNY released the site in April 2018, 10 former fire marshals representing the various parties conducted a walk-through and nine of 10 ruled out the boiler. The tenth only said he could not rule it out. However the source close to the investigation added to DailyMail.com that the issue was not the boiler itself but the boiler flue, which is why the boiler remained undamaged. Bruce Willis starred in Motherless Brooklyn, alongside director Ed Norton (together) Marvin Putnam, an attorney for Class V films, told the Daily News the allegations are 'reckless and untrue.' 'Out of respect for those involved, and to allow the FDNY to conduct a thorough investigation, Class V and Edward Norton have stayed silent,' he said. 'These allegations have insinuated that the production caused the fire and accused the FDNY of engaging in a cover-up to protect some unnamed Hollywood elites all to generate attention-grabbing press coverage. This muckraking ignores a tragic reality these are real people who have been unfairly and wrongfully accused of causing a firefighter's tragic death.' Putnam said Class V had not caused the fire fighter Davidson's death, adding that they complied with the law including obtaining permits. Putnam denied they tapped into the electrical system. 'The fact the building's sprinkler system was not properly working (was) a terrible reality that had nothing to do with the production or filming,' he said. 'We have every confidence that all of this will be confirmed after the investigation concludes.' DailyMail.com has reached out to Class V Films to comment as well. A broke barman has revealed how he felt like a 'caveman discovering fire' when he stumbled across a way to take almost a million pounds out of a dodgy cash machine before he blew it all on a playboy lifestyle. Dan Saunders was 29 when he came across a glitch in an ATM machine that allowed him to take out cash using his credit card without being charged in February 2011. Saunders, from Wangaratta, Australia, then went on a massive spending spree over the course of four months buying flights on private jets, trips to private islands and even high class escorts after withdrawing almost 1million. He eventually felt so guilty and suffered panic attacks that he turned himself in and served a year in jail. Despite the law catching up with him in the end, Saunders told the Sun Online that he has no regrets. Despite the apparent lack of cash left, Saunders is content with the amazing memories he has He had been on a night out when his card was declined as he tried to buy a round of drinks. So Saunders who at the time was earning 500 a week as a barman - headed to an ATM machine. Even though his account only had 3, he clicked to withdraw 100 anyway and it worked. A glitch meant that he was able to withdraw money from his credit card without being charged when the machines were 'offline' between 12am and 1am. He returned to his friends, but said the lure of the faulty machine was too much and he returned for more cash. 'Being able to withdraw hundreds with the stroke of a key was a very addictive thing I felt like a caveman discovering fire,' he told the Sun Online. Although the charges appeared in his account as minus figures the following day, he was still able to withdraw more money at midnight the following day. The law did eventually catch up and Saunders spent a year behind bars for obtaining money by deception and was also fined $250,000 And shockingly, his bank didn't notice. So Saunders began splashing the cash buying drinks for his friends, eating at the best restaurants and throwing raucous parties. As his account slipped further into the red, he resolved to stop when the bank put a stop to his antics but they never did. He tried to win the money he had spent by gambling but before long, he'd lost his job for gambling while on duty and been dumped by his girlfriend. But he'd become accustomed to living the high life so he continued. During the spending spree Saunders bought designer clothes and treated friends and family to whatever they fancied Dan Saunders, 29 at the time, splashed $1.6 million on expensive alcohol, trips to private islands and lavish shopping sprees 'People who think you've got money, they treat you differently,' he said, adding that cash especially attracted the opposite sex. So he continued to flaunt his supposed wealth splashing out on five-star hotel stays, Hugo Boss suits and high-end escorts. In April, he flew two escorts by helicopter to the Blue Mountains on Australia's east coast to stay at a resort costing more than 1,000 a night. But his most extravagant purchase was for a 20-seat chartered jet to a private resort island near Bali, which cost almost 50,000. He also spent some of the cash on altruism, paying off tuition fees for friends and paying for one to study in France. HOW THE ATM 'LOOPHOLE' WORKED - Saunders would transfer money from credit to his savings account while ATM system was 'offline' -The ATM would read 'transaction cancelled' - but still dished out the money - Saunders took advantage of a loophole in the system which meant the ATM couldn't record transactions during late-night maintenance - but still dispensed cash - The withdrawal would not register on his account - effectively giving him free cash - He continued withdrawing and the bank didn't catch up - instead they would call to verify it was him spending the money and wish him well - He also tricked the ATM by transferring money from his 'credit' option to his Mastercard... even though he only had one credit card Advertisement 'For me, it was never about the money. It was about experiences and what I could do with this magic ATM card,' Saunders said in a recent interview. 'I had seen people in that life across the bar and I had wanted to experience it, but the grass isn't always greener on the other side. 'I also wanted to give my friends a taste of it, so I asked them what their dreams were and made them come true. I guess you could say that my dream was to see people having a great time and living out their fantasies.' Saunders said his friends didn't believe his story about the ATM hack and he kept it a secret from his family. But then, he began having anxiety attacks and worried about getting caught. By June 2011, he had blown all the money so he contacted the bank and told them what happened. They said the police would be in touch with him but he didn't hear from them. As his conscience continued to weigh on him, he began seeing therapists and one suggested he would feel better if he turned himself in. Saunders approached numerous local newspapers with his story and even gave an on-camera interview to news programme A Current Affair. But it was three years before he was arrested on more than 100 counts of fraud and theft. He was freed in May 2016 after a year behind bars and is now back working behind a bar for 12.50 an hour. In a new interview with ACA, he said he has no regrets. 'Sure, sometimes life can seem a bit mundane and boring after what I experienced, but that's OK,' he said. 'Not everything in life needs to be totally exhilarating, and there's a lot of joy to be found in normal, ordinary life.' A knife-obsessed teenager who fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped has been jailed for three years and four months. ISIS fan Sudesh Amman, 18, shared al Qaida propaganda on a WhatsApp group used by his family. He also shared bomb making literature via Skype chat. Amman, of Harrow, Middlesex, was sentenced at the Old Bailey after he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents. ISIS fan Sudesh Amman, 18, was sentenced at the Old Bailey after he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents His stash of manuals on bomb making, knife fighting and close combat included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting and How to Make A Bomb In Your Kitchen. The North West London College student jotted down how to make explosives and outlined his 'goal' to be a martyr in a notebook, the court heard. Sudesh Mamoor Faraz Amman, 18, told his girlfriend she should kill her 'kuffar' parents and said he was planning a terrorist attack in Queensbury, northwest London, during Skype chats. The former science and maths student at North West London College scrawled notes replicating recipes for making homemade plastic explosives in a purple notebook. Amman posted a link to a pdf copy of the 'Inspire' magazine focusing on the idea of the 'Lone Jihad' in a family WhatsApp group in January this year. The document contained an article about 'the successful pressure cooker bomb' and provided detailed instructions on how to maximise casualties through the use of IEDs. The court heard he planned to conduct an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on moped. Prosecutor Kelly Brocklehurst said police were alerted by a Dutch blogger who identified extremist material in a Telegram chat in April. There was a photo of a knife and two firearms on a Shahada flag bearing Arabic words which mean 'armed and ready'. A combat knife found in the home of Sudesh Amman A BB Gun found in the home of Sudesh Amman The blogger thought the same person also posted a YouTube link to a pro-gay rights speaker at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, the court heard. Police linked the online post to Amman and arrested him in May. In a search of his family home, officers seized an air gun, a black flag and a combat knife. Mr Brocklehurst said: 'The defendant had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his strong and often extreme views on jihad, the kuffar, and his desire to carry out a terrorist attack. 'Much of his fascination with conducting an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds. 'The Crown contends that the defendant's interest in Islamic extremism and Daesh in particular is more than a mere immature fascination with the taboo and with graphic violence. He is clearly someone with sincerely held and concerning ideological beliefs which motivate him to collect and disseminate such material. 'For example, he is seen telling his girlfriend in online chat how he has declared a pledge to Islamic State and wishes to purge society and carry out acid attacks. Elsewhere he is seen telling her he prefers the idea of a knife attack over use of bombs.' Last month, Amman entered guilty pleas to six charges of possession and seven of disseminating terrorism documents. Amman denied three charges, which were ordered to lie on court file. The science and maths student had previous convictions for possession of an offensive weapon and cannabis. He was aged just 17 when he began collecting terrorist material in 2017. Sentencing, Judge Mark Lucraft QC said: 'Your interest in Islamic extremism and Daesh appears to be more than just an immature fascination with the taboo and graphic violence. 'It seems to me on the material here that you are someone with sincerely held and concerning ideological beliefs which motivate you to collect and disseminate material of the type shown. 'In online chats you tell your girlfriend that you have declared a pledge to Islamic State and that you wish to purge society and carry out acid attacks. 'You speak about preparing a knife attack and the use of bombs and ask her if you can have a knife delivered to her address. 'You speak about ISIS being the best thing about Islam as well as whether you should be an 'internet mujahidin' or a 'real one'.' The defendant smiled and waved at the public gallery as he was jailed. Muslims working for Amazon in Minneapolis say they fear being fired from the distribution center after taking breaks to pray. All workers are required to meet strict packing quotas of 240 boxes an hour but the performance of practicing Muslims is affected because they are required to pray five times a day. Amazon has refuted the claims saying the workers were given a paid prayer break of less than 20 minutes but would be allowed to take unpaid prayer breaks for longer. Demonstrators shout slogans and hold placards during a protest at the Amazon fulfillment center in Shakopee, Minnesota A group of Amazon workers in Minnesota who are Somali refugees in the Midwestern US state demand better working conditions during a protest outside one of the retailer's warehouses Dozens braved frigid temperatures to demonstrate outside of the Amazon warehouse in the Minneapolis suburb of Shakopee - home to a sizable Somali immigrant population Amazon has the warehouse associates working on a strict hourly packing quota meaning many of them are not able to find the time to take a break in order to pray The warehouse's current packing rate is 240 boxes an hour but can rise to 400 at peak times Associates are penalized if they fall behind the 240-an-hour rate. They can be written-up by a manager if they are too slow, which can lead to them being terminated In a statement, the company say that productivity expectations would be adjusted if employees wanted to take the unpaid breaks. 'We work hard every day to ensure all of our employees are treated fairly and with dignity and respect'. On Friday a group of Amazon workers, mainly Somali refugees living in Minnesota, protested outside the Shakopee center warehouse to demand better working conditions. Waving placards they said employees are having their 'bodies wear out because of the stress from increased productivity demands'. Amazon employees, as well as the local Minnesota community and politicians rallied outside of the warehouse in protest of Amazon's work conditions Representative-elect Ilhan Omar speaks during a rally at the Amazon fulfillment center in Shakopee, Minnesota Most of the 3,000 workers at the Minneapolis-area warehouse are from the East African immigrant community About 100 workers were counted to be protesting in the freezing cold conditions on Friday Workers want to be treated humanely and for Amazon to display racial and cultural sensitivity Workers at the Shakopee facility say they feel daily discrimination because of their race, ethnicity, and religion Minneapolis is a haven for East African immigrants who flock to the area because of the ample job opportunities, and because Minnesota has a robust infrastructure to accommodate them Khadra Ibhrahin, 28, told Vox she could not easily take prayer breaks because she is required to pack 240 boxes an hour. That number can jump to 400 depending on the demand. Staff are apparently penalized if they fall behind the packing rate. She said that taking breaks slows down the required rate which puts them at risk of getting fired. 'So most of the time we choose prayer over bathroom, and have learned to balance our bodily needs. 'Every time I walk through those doors, I am filled with this dread that tonight is going to be the night that I get fired.' The organizers of the protest, union-backed organisation Awood Center, which campaigns for East African workers in the state, said on Facebook: 'What a powerful show of unity and power! The East African immigrants in Minneapolis are both refugees and non-refugees, and they come from countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya Amazon warehouse workers get two 15-minute breaks and one 30-minute break each shift East African immigrant workers have been trying to raise issues with Amazon for some time Last month the workers had made history by getting Amazon executives to sit down with them and listen to their complaints Last year Muslim Amazon workers had no place to pray in the warehouse, and they complained about not being able to keep up with the job during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan 'As we chanted tonight: 'The people, united, will never be defeated!' Amazon says that 'prayer breaks less than 20 minutes are paid, and productivity expectations are not adjusted for such breaks. 'Workers are welcome to request an unpaid prayer break for over 20 minutes for which productivity expectations would be adjusted.' A company spokesperson added: 'We work hard every day to ensure all of our employees are treated fairly and with dignity and respect, including here in Minnesota where we have an open and direct dialogue with employees. 'Amazon offers a great employment opportunity with excellent pay ranging here from $16.25-$20.80 an hour, and comprehensive benefits including health care, up to 20 weeks parental leave, paid education, promotional opportunities, and more. 'We encourage anyone to compare our pay, benefits, and workplace to other retailers and major employers in the Shakopee community and across the country. 'We invite anyone to see for themselves and take a tour through our fulfillment centre tour programme.' Amazon workers have been fired for not meeting their rate in the past Amazon say that 'prayer breaks less than 20 minutes are paid, and productivity expectations are not adjusted for such breaks' Amazon also say that workers are welcome to request an unpaid prayer break for over 20 minutes for which productivity expectations would be adjusted Several Amazon employees have spoken up over the past few months about what life is like inside the warehouses that ship nearly half of all e-commerce purchases in the US A California woman said she is heartbroken after she was forced to leave her pet fish at Denver Airport last Wednesday. Lanice Powless was flying to California from Denver International Airport when she said a Southwest Airlines employee informed her that she was not allowed bring her pink beta fish, Cassie, onboard with her. Powless, who attends the University of Colorado, bought the fish during her freshman year to tackle loneliness while away from her family at school. Janice Powless (right) said she was surprised that she wasn't allowed take her fish Cassie (right) on the plane as she had traveled with him numerous times before She bought Cassie at the local Petco, but did not realize that the bond she would form with him would be so strong. Powless told ABC10 News: 'I put my finger in there, he comes up and nibbles my finger. He is a cool fish. 'I even got him a heater, because it gets so cold in Colorado. Powless said she never had any problems bringing Cassie along on her usual Southwest flight home to San Diego. 'I've taken him everywhere with me. This lady was just not having it. 'So the supervisor comes and she said 'Unfortunately, you cannot bring fish onto Southwest Airlines'. Powless explained that she asked a gate agent if she could leave her fish at the counter so a friend could come pick him up in a half an hour. Powless had to ask random passengers on other airlines if they wanted to care for her pet fish However, the agent allegedly told her no, leaving Powless to start asking random passengers on other airlines if they wanted to care for the fish. Luckily Powless claims she managed to find someone traveling on an airline that allowed fish who was willing to take Cassie. It is not known if the two have been reunited yet. 'I have traveled with it. I had it in my container too. Maybe they just didn't make a big deal out of it at the time?', Powless added. 'They were not allowing us to converse at all because they were thinking we were going to do some secret exchange throughout the airport. Southwest said they offered to change Powless' trip so she could make accommodations for her fish but she denied the offered 'Even after I was no longer in possession of the fish, they still continued to have security around us, and follow us through the airport and escorted onto our plane, as if we brought something bad onto the airport'. Powless said that some people may make fun of her attachment to the fish. But for her it is no different than having a pet dog or cat. She explained: 'Everyone's laughing at me. Yes, it's a fish. I know. But dang, it was my pet. And just because it wasn't a cat or dog, it wasn't as important?'. The Transport Security Administration website states that live fish are allowed on board as carry on bags. 'Live fish in water and a clear transparent container are allowed after inspection by the TSA officer'. However, Southwest Airlines policy allows only small cats and dogs that fit under the seat to fly. Southwest Airlines told Fox News that they offered to change Powless' trip so that she could make alternative arrangements for the fish. But it is understood she declined the offer. Newly-empowered Democrats are poised to push gun legislation once they take over Congress next year, buoyed by gains from new members who took on the NRA despite cautionary tales from the past. Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become speaker, has green-lighted the effort, Politico reported. Incoming Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.) told the publication Democrats would act quickly on the issue. Democratic House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become speaker, has green-lighted the effort to move more gun control legislation Its very important to us, its one of our top priorities. We told the American voters that we do mean to do this, and we do mean to do it,' he said. Numerous Democrats campaign on gun control, during a year marred by a series of school shootings. But amid the usual divisions and outside pressure, the Republican Congress did not produce a response. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, wants to move gun control legislation quickly Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., has said he will introduce legislation for a universal background check on gun purchases, including for private sales President Donald Trump hold a roundtable Tuesday to get a report from a commission on school safety. The administration plans to release a rule that would ban bump stocks of the kind used in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that resulted in the deaths of 58 people, according to press reports. The efforts unlikely to clear the Senate, which remains under Republican control. If lawmakers were able to reach a compromise, the White House would not likely be hospitable, after Trump campaigned claiming Democrats want to undue the Second Amendment to the Constitution. Nevertheless, gun control proponents are eager to test whether the climate has changed on the issue. California Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson is vowing to introduce his bill requiring universal background checks for gun purposes next year. Gun rights groups are fearful that such legislation could open the door to a national gun registry. The push comes after some high-profile victories by Democrats in their 40-seat House gain in November. Among the winners was Jason Crow, who defeated a Republican incumbent Mike Coffman in Colorado, home to the Columbine massacre and the 2012 move theater killings. He was featured in pre-election coverage of Democrats who were succeeding despite earning 'F' ratings from the NRA. Passengers on board a Tigerair flight that was forced to turn around after crew members found a threatening note in the toilet say they had no idea about the mid-air emergency until the plane landed. Flight TT271, bound for Melbourne, returned to Sydney shortly after take-off when a 'written threat' was discovered and handed to the pilot on Friday night. The aircraft took off at 7.05pm from Sydney Airport, where it returned at 8.35pm. Initial reports suggested the letter mentioned explosives, but the airline was unable to confirm details on Tuesday morning. One passenger said they weren't told the plane had turned around and were shocked when it landed in the Harbour City. Passengers on board a Tigerair flight that was forced to turn around after crew members found a threatening note in the toilet say they had no idea about the mid-air emergency until the plane landed The aircraft, bound for Melbourne took off at 7.05pm from Sydney Airport, were it returned at 8.35pm 'My Tigerair flight from Sydney to Melbourne just took off, we flew for an hour and then we just landed back in Sydney. We haven't been told why yet,' they tweeted. Another woman claimed passengers were kept in the dark, but said she suspected something wasn't right when she was told not to use the bathroom. 'No one knew until we landed in Sydney that we weren't in Melbourne. So we've been in the air for about an hour and a half for nothing,' she told the Herald Sun. Another passenger told Daily Mail Australia crew told frustrated people on board 'very little'. The plane was surrounded by federal police as it sat on the tarmac for about two hours, with passengers finally disembarking at around 11pm One passenger said they weren't told the plane had turned around and were shocked when it landed in the Harbour City 'Police are everywhere, but still not left the plane. So I assume [they're] still checking,' he said. He added other passengers appeared calm given the situation. TIGERAIR FLIGHT TT271: A TIMELINE About 7pm - TigerAir Flight TT271 takes off from Sydney Airport bound for Melbourne About 7.45pm - Pilot is warned of a threat on board the plane and turns it around 8.30pm - NSW Police receives an emergency call and responds to reports of threat 8.35pm - The plane lands safely in Sydney. About 11pm - Passengers leave the grounded plane Advertisement Yet another passenger told Nine News air crew 'gave us no information'. 'The stewardesses came on and made sure everyone was turning their phones off, and then we stayed on the tarmac for about two hours,' they said. A spokesman for NSW Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia an emergency call was first taken at 8.30pm, sparking a police operation at the airport. The plane was surrounded by federal police as it sat on the tarmac for about two hours, with passengers finally disembarking at around 11pm. Some frustrated passengers have claimed they were told the earliest available flight to Melbourne was at 9pm on Tuesday. Tigerair apologised to its customers, stressing safety 'is always our highest priority', but couldn't confirm if passengers weren't told of the potential threat. Flight TT271 was forced to turn around less than an hour into its planned journey after a threatening note was believed to be handed to the pilot Passengers were told the earliest flight to Melbourne is 9pm Tuesday 'The Captain made the decision to return to Sydney following an incident onboard,' the airline told Daily Mail Australia in a statement. 'In line with standard procedures, the Australian Federal Police met the aircraft on arrival. 'All guests and crew safely disembarked the aircraft and have been re-accommodated on the next available flight.' No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing. Police are understood to be reviewing security footage and speaking with passengers. Jean-Claude Juncker was once again seen struggling to navigate a small set of stairs at a key international summit today. The European Commission President, who last week told the Prime Minister the EU would offer no further concessions on her Brexit deal, was photographed seemingly losing his balance and having to be held and helped by a pair of aides. It is the latest of several high-profile events, including a NATO summit, at which the politician has looked unsteady on his feet. Today the 64-year-old was attending the High-Level Forum Africa-Europe summit, at the Spanish horse riding school in the Hofburg palace in Vienna, Austria. The summit of European and African leaders focused on the crucial matters of economic development and migration, which have come to be among the EU's defining challenges in the wake of mass migration from North Africa and the Middle East triggered by the Syrian civil war. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (in grey shirt and grey tie) stumbles as he arrives at the welcome dinner of the High-Level Forum Africa-Europe at the Spanish Horse Riding School of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, today A female aid with an 'EC' branded bag is seen seemingly leaning her body weight against Mr Juncker to steady him, as a man supports his upper body from behind The Commission President, who earns more than 300,000 Euros a year plus significant allowances and undisclosed expenses, seems to right himself in the next photograph The woman to his left continues valiantly to check her phone while helping Mr Juncker as he seems to stumble again on his way to dinner Later at the event Mr Juncker, whose previous job was as Prime Minister of Luxembourg (pop: 590,000), seemed in high spirits, high-fiving, kissing and hugging fellow world leaders. He shared an enthusiastic high-five with Croatia 's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and then shared a hug and a clinch with Estonia's Prime Minister Juri Ratas - all without leaving his seat at the dinner. It is not the first time the well-remunerated politician's health and habits have been called into question. President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (right) shares a high five with Croatia 's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at a dinner organized by the High-Level Forum Africa-Europe at the Spanish horse riding school in the Hofburg palace in Vienna Mr Juncker closed his eyes as he shared this seated hug with Estonia's Prime Minister Juri Ratas Wrapping his left arm around the Prime Minister's neck and continuing to shake his right hand, Mr Juncker continues to speak closely with Estonia's Prime Minister Juri Ratas This July the European Commission President was attending a dinner at the NATO summit in Brussels attended by US President Donald Trump and a number of other world leaders. Mr Juncker was seen stumbling and swaying to the extent that the presidents of Finland and Ukraine, among others, had to help keep the 63-year-old upright. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also stepped in to guide Juncker. Footage from the summit also shows him struggling to make it up some steps and being held by the arm, at times by two other people. Juncker took a remarkably long time to descend from a podium after a photoshoot with the other world leaders in July In May of last year he was reportedly 'drunk and bumping into furniture' at a UN Peace Summit during critical talks. Mr Juncker was said to be 'very visibly p**ed' during talks over Cyprus, which has been split between Greece and Turkey for decades, in Geneva in May 2017. A diplomat also said that the 62-year-old's familiar behaviour with some young aides was 'embarrassing'. A source told The Sun: 'He was bumping around into things, and going up to junior members of staff for conversations. It was odd behaviour, and a little bit embarrassing for everyone'. And this July he was branded an alcoholic who binges on gin and leaving his deputy to govern, in an explosive new account by Brussels insider Jean Quatremer - a French journalist who has covered the EU for years - in The Spectator. He said he had heard from sources across Europe that the EU politician is 'a little too fond of the bottle' adding that one former minister told him: 'When a bailiff brings him a glass of water at a council of ministers, we all know it's gin.' Mr Juncker has repeatedly denied claims that he is an alcoholic and insisted that his sometimes shambolic appearance is down to chronic back pain known as sciatica. He hit back at reports of his drinking in Mr Quatremer's story and denied the allegations when speaking to reporters. Asked directly if alcohol played a role in his stumbling at NATO, he said: 'I'm really impressed by the interest some people are taking in these not even marginal issues and I am asking for respect.' He added: 'I had sciatica and moreover I had cramps in my legs' adding that he 'laughed at the pettiness' of what was being said about him. Newly released police documents detail the explicit messages Arizona teacher Brittany Zamora sent to the underage student, luring him into a midnight sexual romp Text messages reveal how a former Arizona sixth-grade teacher accused of having sex with her 13-year-old student lured the boy. Brittany Zamora, a 27-year-old married teacher, was arrested in March after her victim's parents discovered explicit text messages and nude photos of his teacher on his phone and filed a police report. New documents obtained by KPNX reveal Zamora asked her students at Las Brisas Academy to text her because she would be absent and 'bored'. Messages between the disgraced teacher and one student turned 'really intense' according to the boy, who said he is unsure of how their relationship escalated. Documents show Zamora sent the boy messages which read: 'OMG, I love you,' and 'Omg lol you're so cute baby.' Another read: 'I wish you could've stayed after with me.' The student then replied: 'Me too. I wish I could just hang out with you whenever we wanted.' According to police, Zamora had sex with the student on at least four occasions, from about February 1 to March 8 - including performing oral sex on him in a classroom and in her car. The plaintiffs' court filing accuses officials at Liberty Elementary School District of failing to report the alleged abuse to the police in a timely fashion Zamora, 27, was arrested in late March after the victim's parents discovered explicit texts from the teacher on the boy's phone Zamora is also said to have sent the boy nude pictures of herself, and other sexually explicit text messages referencing sex acts. After one of their trysts, the boy sent Zamora a text saying he wanted to have sex with her again. This was her response: 'I know baby! I want you every day with no time limit...If I could quit my job and (have sex with) you all day long, I would.' The teen said Zamora had reached out to him once at midnight, drove to his grandparent's home where he would then sneak out to be with her. The first-year teacher was charged with 10 counts of sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of molestation, two counts of furnishing sexually explicit material to a minor and one count public sexual indecency. She pleaded not guilty. Court papers filed on behalf of the victims family in August allege that the school district could have put an end to the alleged molestation, given that most of the sexual encounters between Zamora and her student took place after the principal first heard about their alleged relationship from other students. It was preventable, plaintiffs attorney Michael Medina told The Arizona Republic. We want to hold the school district accountable so this never happens again in the future. Zamora, pictured in Facebook photos, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and is set to go to trial in November The boy's parents noticed he was acting strange, leading them to discover the text messages on his phone thanks to an app called Sentry Parental Control, which monitors messaging apps for 'suspicious content or behavior'. It was previously reported that on February 8, three students at the school complained to administrators about Zamora favoring the 13-year-old. Some of the students went so far as to say that she was 'dating' or 'in a relationship' with the teen. 'Everyone talks about them having an inappropriate relationship outside of class and at recess,' one of the students said, according to notes taken by Principal Tom Dickey in an interview. 'I've heard other kids in my class say that they think they are dating,' another note reads. The school district interim superintendent, Richard Rundhaug, told the Republic that they investigated the allegations at the time, but found no evidence of a romantic relationship. 'We did investigate. We determined there were some elements of favoritism, and we gave the teacher some very specific direction on not allowing that favoritism to continue, and then we monitored to make sure those directions were followed,' Rundhaug said. 'Whenever we became aware of information, our response was pretty quick,' he added. The teacher married Daniel Zamora, who she knew since she was 16, in 2015 (wedding photo) A second student later came forward to police saying he had witnessed Zamora having sex with the 13-year-old and admitted to receiving naked photos from the woman as well. The boy's parents previously claimed Zamora's husband Daniel called them and begged them not to report his wife to police after they saw her sexual texts, saying she had made a mistake The parents told police that Zamora's husband 'harassed' the father over the phone, begging him not to go to the authorities and insisting that his wife had 'made a big mistake, but that she loved the kids,' according to the documents. Daniel Zamora also allegedly suggested that he and the boy's dad 'meet up' and 'settle this,' but the parent turned down his offer and hung up on him. Zamora and her husband, who she has known she was 16, married in 2015. They don't have any children. A county lines drugs gang who flooded one of Britains most deprived towns with heroin and crack cocaine were jailed for more than 37 years yesterday. Operating under the brand name Bugsy Malone, the eight-strong gang moved into Grimsby from Manchester to target the most vulnerable in society. The gang of seven men and a woman operated for a year in the seaside town and used telephone lines called Bugsy lines to sell the drugs, Hull Crown Court heard. The gang set themselves up with business phones to advertise cut-price deals by text message. They printed business cards too. Operating under the brand name Bugsy Malone, the eight-strong gang, which included Robin Griffin (left), Bonar Kekula (centre) and John Brady (right) moved into Grimsby from Manchester to target the most vulnerable in society The gang were part of a growing problem across Humberside, its chief constable said, with others ensnaring children to do their dirty work. Chief Constable Lee Freeman said a dedicated team had identified 11 children who were being exploited by criminal gangs. Six of them have been removed from the county to keep them out of harms way. There was no evidence the Bugsy Malone gang had been using children but prosecutor Richard Thyne described the operation as a classic county lines business model. Mr Thyne said the gang, like similar outfits, moved from a big city to a coastal town where they were not known to local police. Six of the gang, including Liam Oxley (left), Gerard Downs (centre) and Lee Hughes (right), were jailed for a total of 37 years and four months yesterday by Judge Mark Bury at Hull Crown Court They used threats and promises of drugs to lure vulnerable people to give them use of their homes as bases to sell Class A drugs to local addicts. Six of the gang were jailed for a total of 37 years and four months yesterday by Judge Mark Bury at Hull Crown Court. They all admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine. The other two brother and sister Billy Griffin, 28, and 25-year-old Lauren Griffin went on the run last on Friday as they were about to appear in court on the same charge. Judge Bury said the six members of the gang he sentenced had all been motivated by money. He added: The operation was a reasonably sophisticated one. You had home-made business cards and business phone numbers. Brother and sister Billy Griffin, 28, and 25-year-old Lauren Griffin went on the run last on Friday as they were about to appear in court on the same charge He jailed one of the ringleaders Robin Griffin, 31, who also admitted a separate drugs offence, for nine years and nine months. Griffin smiled and shouted to relatives in court see you later as he was led away. Lee Hughes, 30, was jailed for seven years but asked the judge to repeat the sentence before sneering: Thats all right. Detectives investigating the gang seized drugs valued at almost 8,500 approximately 842 individual deals during their investigation codenamed Operation Mandrake. The cast of musical Bugsy Malone. Mr Thyne said the gang, like similar outfits, moved from a big city to a coastal town where they were not known to local police They also found cash, including 1,000 in a plastic tub which had been flung from a car during a police chase. Bonar Kekula, 28, who has a previous conviction for laundering drugs money, was jailed for seven years. Gerard Downs, 31, was jailed for six years three months. John Brady, 29, was jailed for five years. Liam Oxley, 31, was jailed for two years four months. All the defendants were from Manchester, apart from Oxley, whose home in Louth was taken over by the gang. Former FBI Director James Comey savaged President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers who dragged him into another closed-door interview on Monday, slamming the president for lying about the bureau's investigations and urging the GOP to 'stand up and speak the truth.' Comey exited his five and half hour session with lawmakers and immediately went on the attack, claiming the time was a repeat of his last appearance, where he was asked about Hillary Clinton's email server and the Christopher Steele dossier. 'Another day of the Hillary Clinton emails and the Steele dossier this while the president is lying about the FBI, attacking the FBI and attacking the rule of law in this country. How does this make any sense at all?,' he told reporters. Former FBI Director James Comey savaged President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers who dragged him into another closed-door interview on Monday He repeatedly urged GOP lawmakers to 'stand up and tell the truth' He then went on to criticize the Republicans that brought him to Capitol Hill. 'Republicans used to understand that the actions of a president mattered, the words of matter, the rule of law matters and the truth matters. Where there are those Republicans today?,' he asked. 'At some point, someone has to stand up and in the face of fear of Fox News, fear of their base, fear of mean tweets, stand up for the values of this country and not slink away into retirement, but stand up and speak the truth,' he added. Several of the Republican lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - the panels that questioned him - are retiring at the end of the year. Comey did not hold back his fury and frustration in the nearly 10 minutes he spoke with reporters after the session ended. He also took the opportunity to criticize the president for calling his former personal attorney Michael Cohen a 'rat.' Comey did not hold back his fury and frustration President Trump (left) called his former lawyer Michael Cohen (right) a 'rat'; the two have traded blows since Cohen pleaded guilty to crimes that implicate the President 'It undermines the rule of law,' Comey said of Trump's attacks. 'This is the president of the United States calling a witness, who has cooperated with his own justice department a rat. Say that again to yourself at home and remind yourself where we have ended up.' 'We have to stop being numb to it, whether you're Republican or Democrat, stand on your feet, overcome your shame and say something,' he added. Trump went on a twitter attack in the days after Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison. He also attacked the FBI and claimed they illegally searched Cohen's office and home. The agents had a series of search warrants when they conducted the raid that resulted in evidence used against Cohen. But it was Republican lawmakers that felt the weight of Comey's wrath as the former FBI director repeatedly went after them for not standing up the president. 'People who know better, including Republican members of this body, have to have the courage to stand up and speak the truth, not be cowed by mean tweets or fear of their base. There is a truth and they're not telling it. Their silence is shameful,' he said. Comey came to Capitol Hill on Monday for round two of a session with lawmakers after a six-hour appearance before them earlier this month. During that time he was questioned about the bureau's actions in the 2016 presidential election, including the investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server; the infamous Christopher Steele dossier which alleged Trump was vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians; and the probe of Russia's actions in the campaign. The former FBI director didn't hide his frustration at the repeat performance. 'The questions about the Hillary Clinton and Steele dossier strike me as more of the same. I didn't learn anything new in there. Maybe they did,' he told reporters after he left Monday's session. He also brushed aside a question on whether he has harmed the reputation of the FBI, which has taken a public beating in the past year. 'They got truthful testimony from me. When you're a director of an organization for 38,000 sometimes you don't know what form they filled out. That's silliness. We had to make very hard decisions in 2016. I knew we would get hurt by it. The question is, how do we reduce the damage? I would rather not be talking to you all but somebody has to stand up and speak for the FBI, the rule of law. I hope there's a whole lot more somebodies out there than just me,' he said. When a reporter from Fox News pressed him on the questions, he got in a dig at the cable news network and said any tarnish on the agency was Trump's fault. 'The FBI's reputation has taken a big hit because the president of the United States has lied about it constantly. And a whole lot of good people who watch your network believe that nonsense. That's a tragedy. That will be undone eventually but that damage has nothing to do with me,' he said. Before the hearing began, one Republican lawmaker warned Comey would face questions about the bureau's questioning of former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Comey brushed aside a question on whether he has harmed the reputation of the FBI Comey was asked about the FBI investigation of former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn (above) Since their last session, the special counsel's office had released new information about the interview FBI agents conducted with Flynn at the White House, where they asked him about his dealings with Russian officials. Comey was asked why he hadn't informed Sally Yates - the Obama appointee who was acting head of the Justice Department - and Comey's boss - before the Senate confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions - about agents' plans to interview Flynn until the day it happened. 'Because I knew that if anything came of the interview, if it advanced our investigation, the attack from the Trump administration would be that an Obama holdover had engineered it. I had to make the decision separate from her,' Comey said. 'The only opportunity would be to burn down the entire FBI. To my shock and horror, they've tried to do just that in the face of silence from people in this building,' he noted. Comey also slammed Republicans for suggesting Flynn was tricked by agents in his interview. 'They're up here, attacking the FBI's investigation of a guy who pled guilty to lying to the FBI. He should have been warned, you shouldn't lie. He should have been told, you could have a lawyer. That's nonsense. I'm very proud of the way the FBI conducted itself, agile, flexible, thoughtful, pursued the leads where you want us to,' he said. The final question to Comey was whether he had confidence in acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, who would be his boss if he still headed the bureau. 'No comment,' Comey said and left with his legal team. Former FBI Director James Comey arrived on Capitol Hill Monday for round two of questions with lawmakers California Republican Rep. Darrel Issa said he will be asking Comey about Flynn in the session Besides Comey, lawmakers are expected to question former Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Wednesday. Comey superseded Lynch when he declared the Clinton email probe closed and then informed congressional leaders days before the 2016 election that it had been reopened. President Trump has preserved with his attacks on the former FBI director as the Russia investigation remains in the spotlight and the president's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison. He slammed Comey after his last round with lawmakers and went after him again shortly after his Oval Office blowup with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Comey had testified before Congress that the president asked him for 'loyalty' and to let go an investigation into Flynn over his Russia contacts. Outgoing Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said on Sunday he believed the FBI had 'tricked' Trump's former National Security Adviser into not having a lawyer during a January 2017 interview. Since Comey's last sit down, the special counsel's office released memos from the FBI about Flynn's interview when he lied about the content of calls with then-Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn later admitted he lied to federal authorities but alleged in a court filling last week that the FBI pushed him toward having no lawyer present for his January 2017 interview with agents. Comey dismissed that argument on Monday in an echo of Mueller's team's defense of the agents' interview. 'The interview was voluntary, and lacked any indicia of coercion,' the memo from prosecutors said of Flynn. 'A sitting National Security Advisor, former head of an intelligence agency, retired lieutenant general, and 33-year veteran of the armed forces knows he should not lie to federal agents,' it noted. 'He does not need to be warned it is a crime to lie to federal agents to know the importance of telling them the truth.' President Trump continues to target the former FBI director Trump tweeted late on Monday night: 'James Comey's behind closed doors testimony reveals that 'there was not evidence of Campaign Collusion' with Russia when he left the FBI. In other words, the Witch Hunt is illegal and should never have been started!' Since Comey's last sit down, a the special counsel's office released memos from the FBI about Flynn's interview when he lied to agents about his Russia dealings Asked about the contents of these conversations during the interview at his office in the White House in the days following Trump's 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 U.S. intelligence officials, proved he had. Flynn is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, the first former White House official to face the judge. Some Republicans - including Trump - claim the FBI initially didn't believe Flynn lied to them about his dealings with Russians. Comey was asked about Flynn in his last appearance before lawmakers and pushed back on that notion. 'My recollection was he was - the conclusion of the investigators was he was obviously lying, but they saw none of the normal common indicia of deception: that is, hesitancy to answer, shifting in seat, sweating, all the things that you might associate with someone who is conscious and manifesting that they are being -- they're telling falsehoods,' he said. 'There's no doubt he was lying, but that those indicators weren't there.' Last week special counsel Robert Mueller's office said that Flynn's cooperation - including 19 meetings with investigators - was so extensive that he was entitled to avoid prison when he is sentenced. Lawmakers released a 235-page transcript of Comey's last session, which led to a tweet from President Donald Trump. 'James Comey's behind closed doors testimony reveals that 'there was not evidence of Campaign Collusion' with Russia when he left the FBI. In other words, the Witch Hunt is illegal and should never have been started!,' he wrote on Monday. Former FBI boss James Comey talks to reporters after his last closed-door meeting with lawmakers Comey tweeted his last interview with lawmakers 'wasn't a search for the truth' Lawmakers, however, expressed frustration at the many questions the former FBI director was not able to answer. Comey offered his own assessment of the hearing, tweeting that the interview 'wasn't a search for truth, but a desperate attempt to find anything that can be used to attack the institutions of justice investigating this president. They came up empty today but will try again. In the long run, it'll make no difference because facts are stubborn things.' Monday is likely to be Comey's last sit down before the GOP-led House, as incoming Judiciary Chairman - Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler - he has no interest in continuing the matter once Democrats take power in January. Additionally Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, the current chair of the Oversight committee, and GOP Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the current chair of the Judiciary committee, are joining Issa in retiring from Congress. That means some of Comey's fiercest critics will lose their perch at the end of the year. Neighbors have described the fiance of the missing Colorado mom as a 'shy,' 'old fashioned cowboy' who wouldn't 'do anything' to the mother of his daughter, DailyMail.com can reveal. Authorities say Patrick Frazee, 32, has not been ruled out as a suspect in the disappearance of 29-year-old Kelsey Berreth, who has not been seen since November 22 - but is yet to be questioned by police. Police and FBI specialists conducted a two-day search of his sprawling and remote ranch in Florissant, Colorado on Friday and sent out a public plea asking him to sit down with them. Frazee, who is believed to be the last person to have seen Kelsey, has also divided opinion in his tiny rural town, with some calling the cattle rancher a 'quiet,' 'good person' while others claim he has been known to mistreat animals. Frazee was reported to have last seen his fiance after she dropped off their one-year-old daughter Kaylee at his home on Thanksgiving Day, before she vanished. Patrick Frazee (left) from Florissant, Colorado, is yet to be questioned by police over the disappearance of his fiancee Kelsey Berreth (right) who has been missing since Thanksgiving Day Friends and neighbors of the 32-year-old cattle rancher have described his as 'quiet and shy' and an 'old fashioned cowboy' Kelsey was last seen on CCTV at a Safeway supermarket a mile from her home just after midday with Kaylee. A text was sent from her phone to her job on Sunday, November 25 saying she was taking the next week off. Frazee has also told investigators he received a text from her that day but it is not known what it said. The last trace of Kelsey's phone was that same day, 800 miles from her home near Gooding, Idaho. DailyMail.com can reveal Frazee lives with his mother Sheila, 64, on a family ranch where he makes a living by raising and selling cattle as well as horseshoeing. The 6ft 3in farrier's 35-acre ranch has a one-and-a-half story home and a 1,300 sq ft barn, according to Teller County records. In Florissant, some told DailyMail.com he was a respected horse-handler who was a good father to baby Kaylee. But Michell Guterl, 50, who has known Frazee since he was 16, said she refused to let him work on his horses because of how he handled them. Guterl told DailyMail.com at a candlelit vigil for the missing woman: 'He was a farrier, we rodeoed together. He's a horseshoer, he roped at a lot of the rodeos that we went to. I used to see him all the time. 'He worked on my horses for a real short time till he punched one in the gut with a rasp and that was about the last time I let him work on my horses. '[He did it] just because the horse won't stand still, it's kind of common, but horses are very sensitive, they can sense, and my horse was very sensitive. 'He just smacked him with a rasp, it was uncalled for.' Frazee, a 6ft 3in cattle rancher and farrier, divides opinion in the small town of Florissant, population 104, and the outlying ranches of Teller County for whom its bar, coffee shop, hardware store and grocery and liquor store are the center of rural life In Florissant, some told DailyMail.com he was a respected horse-handler who was a good father to baby Kaylee An aerial image (pictured) of police searching Patrick Frazee's property at Wildhorn Road in Florissant The alleged incident happened back when he was a teenager, but according to Guterl, Frazee's behavior wasn't a one-off. She said: 'It's a characteristic that was ongoing for years. Anytime he was at a rope and his horse didn't act right, he'd rip on his face, kick him. In the community, we were all at ropings and stuff, but if the horse doesn't do exactly what it's supposed to do you don't just beat them.' Recalling a rodeo in nearby town Cripple Creek several years ago, she described Frazee losing his cool with his horse. She said: 'One time we were at a rodeo in Cripple Creek and he got mad because his horse didn't do good and somebody didn't heel just right to help him get in the money and he got so mad he left out of Cripple Creek Rodeo, flipped his horse trailer with his horse in it and almost killed that horse. 'He got mad, tries to get his vehicle out of there and there's too many cars tightly packed in. Lots of people were there. 'He was in a rage of being mad and angry, because the heeler didn't heel and they lost out the money. It was kind of a sad deal, especially trying to get the horse out that was traumatic for everybody.' A former girlfriend who dated Frazee more than six years ago declined to speak to DailyMail.com but her current partner said: 'He cheated on her while she was in the hospital, take that for what it's worth.' Asked whether Frazee was ever abusive, he said: 'He never beat on them (girlfriends) or anything like that. On animals he was rough, he was pretty aggressive with dogs and horses. 'Patrick is a horseshoer, I heard once he was thumping on the horse "saying this is how you've got to do it," that horse reared up and kicked him right in the forehead, he got a bunch of stitches and his [then] girlfriend hauled him to the hospital to get stitches.' The man remembered Frazee from school at Woodland Park High, he added: ' He was Patrick. I'm not getting in it man. Oh yeah, he's a recluse for sure. I haven't seen him in 10 years or so.' Frazee was seen earlier this week speaking to a reporter at his home (left) and was also pictured with his daughter on the same day (right) Officers (pictured) are seen combing the area around Frazee's property in Florissant on Friday Hank Fildes, 34, who lived close to Frazee growing up said he's heard 'mixed things' about Frazee's alleged rough behavior with animals. 'It's hard to elaborate on Patrick, he was quiet and shy. He had his own friends circle and stayed close to his friends,' he said. 'He did come across, "I'm a big tough cowboy." But that's that cowboy way, got be strong. 'That's how he was raised, he raised horses. I think if you're raised country that's normal, if you're raised city it's going to seem harsh. It's not wrong in his eyes. Sometimes there's neglect and over abuse yes, he'd tread the fine line on it I'd say. You've got make a horse submit to what you want to do. You've got to be kind of firm. You shouldn't hit them.' DailyMail.com also spoke to two friends of Patrick who defended him and rejected any suggestion he was cruel towards animals. A local, who lives in Florissant, but didn't want to give his name, saw Frazee in September when he came to shoe his father's horses and said he seemed fine. He even brought baby Kaylee to work with him. The man said: 'He's an old fashioned cowboy. He's just old school, he does things the old way. He shoes horses modern, but he trains horses the way people used to do it, I wouldn't say that he's cruel or not. He's a stand up real good guy. I've just known him for years and he's a great person.' The friend said he had not met Frazee's fiancee but added: 'I know the day I saw him he was a great dad to the daughter and he's a good guy. He was fine. 'I'd be shocked, I wouldn't think he would do anything to her. He's a good person. I think when this stuff happens they immediately blame the fiance, it's always the first subject. They don't have a suspect so I imagine a lot of people already suspected him, I sure hope it's not, I'd be shocked if it was.' David Rusterholtz, 59, who runs a propane gas company in Florissant, also spoke highly of Frazee. He said: 'I know him, when we had horses he used to trim our horses hooves. He was a very nice young man, I knew him all growing up, we used to go to the Gymkhana and the rodeos when he was younger. I've known him since 2003 and I never saw him do anything inappropriate or out of order.' In a picture provided by Kelsey's cousin Jodee Garretson, the 29-year-old mom is seen (Center) with her cousin, mom Cheryl Berreth, two years ago just before Kelsey moved from Washington state to Colorado Berreth, a 29-year-old flight instructor, has been missing since November 22 On Monday police released footage of Berreth entering a Safeway in Woodland Park with her baby on November 22, which is the last visual confirmation police currently have of her Asked about the claim he was violent with horses and punched one with a rasp, he said: 'You know I've heard that same thing, I don't know. If you are in the equestrian or the livestock realm, the perception of propriety is different than for someone that is not around animals. 'For example, if you watch them out west here brand and castrate cows you will think it's brutal. Depending on how you do it with a rasp, it is all a matter of perception whether he did something inappropriate or not. 'I thought it was an over-dramatization of the story that had happened, he would not abuse an animal and he's always had a good reputation in this community.' Kelsey had been living in the mountain community of Woodland Park, about 15 miles from Florissant, in a townhouse she bought in June. Her neighbor Angie Gerber, 71, said she had assumed Frazee lived there with Kelsey and the baby, and said she saw him come and go in a red work truck. Angie was away for the Thanksgiving holiday and her last interaction with Kelsey was the week before, when she gave her a baby gate for the house. She said: 'She seemed fine. She's a gorgeous baby and Kelsey was just a great neighbor, she was always really quiet and there was never any problem at all. All of us are praying she's okay.' An employee at Starbucks said Kelsey would pull in to the drive-thru about once a week to get a chai latte while on her hour-long commute to Pueblo where she worked at Doss Aviation which trains US army pilots. On December 3, the day after Kelsey's mother Cheryl reported her missing, an aunt wrote in a Facebook group: 'Our niece is missing and has not been seen for a week. Her phone was last pinged near Gooding, Idaho. She told her ex when she dropped off their baby that she was heading to family in Washington. Please help us get the word out to the truckers in that area last week. If anyone has seen her contact the authorities immediately.' Berreth worked at Doss Aviation which trains US army pilots. A text was sent from her phone to her job on Sunday, November 25 saying she was taking the next week off She added: 'She broke up with her ex on Thanksgiving, he said she dropped off the baby and was heading to Soap Lake, Washington to visit. No one knew anything about the visit.' Kelsey's cousin JoDee Garretson, 50, confirmed to DailyMail.com that the message was posted by an aunt, who is Cheryl's sister. JoDee said she didn't know if the information was correct and revealed Kelsey's mother asked the aunt to take the post down. The message adds another dimension to the mystery surrounding this case as up until now, police and Cheryl have said Frazee and Kelsey were engaged but not living together. Cheryl told NBC News that the couple did not have a wedding date set, she said: 'The relationship has been good. They're loving. It hasn't been ideal, you know, given the economy and things. 'They had plans that haven't worked out as they would have liked. But they've dealt with that and they've made things work regardless.' She also said the couple were planning to find a home of their own, but Frazee's cattle farming job had been affected by poor prices. JoDee says she is sure her cousin did not disappear willingly and described her as a very loving mother who would never have left her daughter. She said: 'I don't think she left willingly. Kelsey's so reliable and responsible, she's a mom, she would never leave her child. She was very excited [to be a mom], and she was a great mom.' JoDee said the family want Frazee to sit down with investigators and to let Cheryl see her grandchild. Police from Teller County Sheriff's Office (pictured) talk at a sealed off area of Patrick Frazee's ranch She said: 'I can only imagine as a mom if one of my children went missing, it would be killing me not to get to the grand baby. I just can't imagine how much it would mean to hold that baby.' A search of Frazee's ranch lasted from Friday until Saturday evening. Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said officers didn't find Kelsey but no other details on what was found have been released. He also made a public plea for Frazee to sit down with investigators for questioning and said he was only in contact via his lawyer - who says he's cooperating. Police have also announced a reward of up to $25k, which has been donated anonymously, for information that leads to Kelsey being found. The Labor Party is making a renewed push to remove gender from official documents to accommodate transgender people. Documents like passports, birth certificates and driver's licences could also have numerous possible sex designations. The policy was adopted by Labor's National Conference in Adelaide on Monday and added to the party's election platform. A policy to review the use of gender on official documents was added to the party's election platform by members at the National Conference on Monday, but Opposition Leader Bill Shorten does not support it A review of gender on documents would 'promote identification options beyond binary male and female' and consider if it should be on them at all. It would: 'Ensure that all people with intersex variations are able to exercise autonomy regarding sex/gender markers, and obtain identification options that match their sex characteristics and/or gender identities, as preferred.' The policy gained support from many senior Labor figures including Senator Louise Pratt, who hoped for a review if the party is elected next year. 'We report on people's identity and what they do in the world, and sometimes it is important and sometimes it is not,' she told the Daily Telegraph. 'There are plenty of times when such information is unnecessary and stereotyping people into certain gender roles.' A review of gender on documents would 'promote identification options beyond binary male and female' and consider if it should be on them at all. The policy gained support from many senior Labor figures including Senator Louise Pratt (pictured), who hoped for a review if the party was elected next year However, the policy does not have the support of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who said the conference only offered guidelines. 'We have no plans to make changes to gender on official documentation. This is mostly a matter for state governments,' his office said. Mr Shorten made a speech at the conference calling on Labor to abandon 'culture wars' like gender and focus on core issues. The election platform 'provides members and supporters in the community with a clear statement of Labors beliefs, values and program for government'. 'The document outlines the key priorities for Labor over the coming years.' Members expect the party's leadership to enact the platform while in government, but it is not bound to do so. A gang member who was filmed pointing his gun at cops in Omaha, Nebraska, during a routine traffic stop then firing it at them before being shot himself will have his $250,000 medical bill covered by the city. John Ezell Jr. is still in custody awaiting his next court date on charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault of an officer and weapons offenses. In September, he injured officer Ken Fortune and shot at others after they stopped him in a car. He was in the passenger's seat and was seen pointing his gun at the officers in a photograph that went viral. The city of Omaha must pay John Exell Jr.'s medical bills despite him shooting three cops and then being injured by them in September this year The traffic stop happened at 4pm. Ezell and his driver initially complied but then tried to flee when they realized they were being stopped by three gang officers. The officers gave chase in their unmarked car until the suspects game to a stop sign. Then Fortune approached the suspects' vehicle on foot. Ezell Jr. shot him twice in close range then got out of the vehicle and started running. He fired his weapon at the other two police officers but was brought down by their bullets and was taken to the hospital where he spent a month before being released into the general jail population. Because he does not have health insurance, the city is 100 percent liable for his care because he was in its custody and because his injuries were caused by officers of the city. 'Since the medical need arose from an incident in which there was a shooting (involving Omaha police), that unfortunately makes us liable,' Assistant City Attorney Jeff Bloom told Omaha.com. Ezell Jr. is being held on $3million bail. After he was hospitalized, doctors discovered his blood alcohol level was 0.333. Support: Jason Watkins and his wife Clara Actor Jason Watkins has a more complicated relationship with the NHS than most. His two-year-old daughter died from sepsis in 2011 after two visits to A&E and wrongly being diagnosed with croup. But the TV and film star says he and wife Clara are still passionate supporters of the NHS, and are fully behind the Mails volunteer campaign. In an exclusive interview, he said no individual was to blame, and described how a broken system failed their daughter. Embracing more volunteers in the NHS could help to avoid similar tragedies, he suggested, by extending the net of people who care. He said: Some might be surprised by how passionately I support the NHS. Our daughter Maude died on New Years Day 2011, when she was two-and-a-half years old, despite us taking her to our GP, then to A&E twice. So many doctors were involved with her care, yet we were still sent home with her, being told she was suffering a classic case of croup. She actually had sepsis. We put her to bed, and never saw her alive again. I still defend the NHS to the hilt though, and feel it is our collective duty to think creatively about how we can make things better. Tragedy: Maude died on New Years Day 2011, when she was two-and-a-half years old The 52-year-old Bafta winner who starred in the BBCs A Very English Scandal earlier this year has become the latest high-profile name to back the Mails campaign, which was launched at the beginning of December in partnership with Helpforce. The recruitment drive for volunteers aims to fill important roles such as befriending patients, helping at mealtimes and reassuring families. Prime Minister Theresa May and the Archbishop of Canterbury as well as celebrities such as Claudia Winkleman and JK Rowling have voiced support. NHS England also yesterday announced plans to double the number of volunteers to 156,000 within three years, saying they had a massive role to play. By last night a total of 24,055 readers had signed up, pledging a combined total of 1,366,704 hours in help and support. After Maudes death, the Watkins family have worked with Sepsis Trust UK to raise awareness of the potentially deadly infection, which the Mail has also extensively campaigned for. As an actor I work in a creative industry, and this Daily Mail campaign strikes me as a different approach, one that required imagination, looking at the facts, and trying something new. I think its a brilliant initiative Jason Watkins Mr Watkins said this work has given them an insight into the NHS and areas that could be improved. He reiterated that volunteers were no replacement for an adequately funded workforce but said the extra help would be invaluable. He added: As an actor I work in a creative industry, and this Mail campaign strikes me as a different approach, one that has required imagination, looking at the facts, and trying something new. I think its a brilliant initiative. What it is doing is extending that net of people who care. He added that the NHS organised counselling for their older daughter Bessie, now 11, after Maude died, and could not have been more supportive when his wife became pregnant with their son Gilbert, now six. He said: As much as the system failed us, the NHS has been there for us, as it should be, at other times of need. Les Moonves will not be receiving any severance from CBS. The disgraced executive was set to walk away with a $120 million golden parachute if an investigation into his allegations of sexual misconduct found that there were not grounds to terminate him for cause. Moonves would have also received a additional $65 million from vesting of long-term incentive rewards had he received the $120 million as well, but will also not get any of that money. That investigation found multiple reasons however according to the network. In a statement released on Monday, CBS said that Moonves' 'willful and material misfeasance, violation of Company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the Companys investigation' justified the board's decision to oust the president and chairman earlier this year. There are few specifics at this time, but it was revealed last week that Moonves had given investigators' his son Charlie's iPad instead of his own when asked to hand over the tablet. The New York Times also revealed last week that investigators met with Moonves four times and found him to be 'evasive and untruthful at times and to have deliberately lied about and minimized the extent of his sexual misconduct.' Moonves can still fight the decision through arbitration, and in a statement on Monday his lawyer Andrew Levander said: 'The conclusions of the CBS board were foreordained and are without merit. Consistent with the pattern of leaks that have permeated this "process," the press was informed of these baseless conclusions before Mr. Moonves, further damaging his name, reputation, career and legacy.' No go: Les Moonves will not be receiving a $120 million golden parachute following his exit from CBS (Moonves and wife Julie Chen with son Charlie in 2017) Breaking it down: That means he will also not be getting an additional $65 million from vesting of long-term incentive rewards (SEC filing above) CBS hired two law firms to look into the allegations being made about the 69-year-old executive, who was named president of the company in 1995 and in 2016 also became the chairman. In the wake of the scandal, hois wife Julie Chen also left her spot as host of the network's daytime show The Talk while defending her husband. Moonves, who is worth an estimated $800 million, took home $69 million in 2017 for his work at the company. Moonves stepped down in September after multiple women accused him of either forcing himself on them or being sexually inappropriate. CBS hired two law firms to investigate Moonves following the allegations and now, a New York Times report has revealed the findings of those firms - as detailed in a draft report. In the report, investigators found that Moonves 'received oral sex from at least four CBS employees'. Investigators noted that the instances were 'transactional and improper to the extent that there was no hint of any relationship, romance, or reciprocity'. Though the lawyers were not able to speak directly with all of the women, they determined that 'such a pattern arguably constitutes willful misfeasance and violation of the company's sexual harassment policy'. The lawyers also wrote in their findings that they had received 'multiple reports about a network employee who was "on call" to perform oral sex' on Moonves. Moonves reportedly admitted to receiving oral sex from the woman but claimed it was 'consensual'. Moonves has denied having any non-consensual sexual relationships. The disgraced CBS boss' lawyer said that his client had 'never put or kept someone on the payroll for the purpose of sex'. It was also discovered over the course of the investigation that Moonves had destroyed evidence and misled investigators in an attempt to save his reputation and his severance package, according to the Times. Investigators said they found Moonves to be 'evasive and untruthful at times and to have deliberately lied about and minimized the extent of his sexual misconduct'. According to the report, Moonves' marriage to Julie Chen in 2004 appears to have caused the alleged sexual misconduct to stop. It is also revealed that in 2017, Gil Schwartz, the longtime head of communications for CBS, drafted a resignation letter for Moonves after learning one of his accusers had spoken with Vanity Fair. Moonves refused to sign the letter. The bombshell report comes nearly a week after it was revealed that Moonves lost his job after it was claimed he tried to stop Bobbie Phillips from sharing allegations of sexual misconduct by giving her a role on a CBS series. According to The New York Times, Bobbie Phillips was trying to break into the industry back in 1995 when she met Moonves at his office to discuss possible work, a fact that both parties and Phillips' agent acknowledge to be true. Halfway through that meeting, Phillips claims that Moonves exposed himself and said 'look how hard you make me'. That is when he allegedly forced himself into her mouth, stating: 'Be my girlfriend and Ill put you on any show.' Moonves denies ever forcing Phillips to perform oral sex, but does not deny that the sex act took place. The two were interrupted halfway through when Moonves received a phone call, at which point Phillips said she fled from the office. 'I felt my blood rushing in my body,' said Phillips. 'I was vibrating. I can still feel it.' The bombshell report comes nearly a week after it was revealed that Moonves lost his job after it was claimed he tried to stop Bobbie Phillips (pictured in LA in 1998) from sharing allegations of sexual misconduct by giving her a role on a CBS series Moonves began to worry about the incident approximately a year ago according to Phillips' agent Marv Dauer. 'If Bobbie talks, I'm, finished,' he allegedly wrote in a text to Dauer. Dauer is upfront about the fact that he used his knowledge of the Phillips scandal to try and get work for her and his other clients on CBS. Phillips broke down in tears and refused according to Dauer, saying she never wanted to see Moonves again or meet with any of the producers. Then, a year ago, word got out about a possible piece being written about Moonves past, and the CBS head allegedly grew concerned that Phillips would be the focus. Once the CBS board learned that Moonves offered Phillips work to stay silent he was booted, and now Phillips has also filed a $15million lawsuit. In addition to trying to silence her, Phillips is accusing Moonves of defaming her by stating the encounter was consensual. Moonves 'reopened these wounds, causing medical injuries and effectively ending her acting career' said Phillips' lawyer. More than half a dozen Cabinet ministers are pushing for Parliament to vote on 'options' for how to proceed if Theresa May's deal fails. Here are some of the possibilities that could be considered: NORWAY PLUS MPs from across parties have been mooting the idea of a Norway model. It would effectively keep the UK in the single market, with a customs bolt-on to avoid a hard Irish border, and backers say it would keep Britain close to the EU while cutting contributions to Brussels. However, critics say it has the drawbacks of keeping free movement, - and tightly limiting the possibilities for doing trade deals elsewhere. The EU is also thought to have concerns about a country the UK's size joining the EEA, while other states in the group might be resistant. SECOND REFERENDUM The so-called 'People's Vote' campaign has been pushing hard for another national vote, with cross-party backing. MPs would almost certainly want to be asked to back the idea in principle. The Article 50 process would probably need to be extended to facilitate a referendum, but the EU seems open to that possibility. However, the biggest problem is likely to be that even if the Commons can agree on holding a vote, they will be be completely split over the question. Some want it to be a rerun of 2016 with Remain v Leave. Others say it should be May's deal against no deal. There are also those who support two rounds of voting, or multiple choice. CANADA PLUS Brexiteers have been demanding the UK takes a different approach this time, seeking a looser Canada-style arrangement with the EU. The arrangement they want would be a relatively clean break from the EU, with the ability to strike trade agreements elsewhere. But it would fall far short of the low-friction access urged by Labour and large numbers of Tories. MANAGED NO DEAL Brexiteers have been floating a 'managed' no deal which could feature in the votes. It would involve the UK offering the EU billions of pounds to secure a transition period, even if there is no wider deal. However, there is little sign that the EU is ready to agree. Advertisement A boot worn by Neil Armstrong has sold for $49,000 (38,000) as part of an auction of space memorabilia. The prototype Apollo A7L lunar boot never went to the moon with the astronaut but it is believed it was used in a different flight or served as a backup. It is embroidered with 'Armstrong' on the inside of the tongue and has a silver, gold and blue exterior. Parts of the shoe are believed to have been re-purposed by the designers and used on other NASA items. A host of other items also sold at the auction including a Soviet space suit, a signed picture of Neil Armstrong and a series of Apollo 11 engineer's manuals. The total cost of the auction was $110,000 (87,000). Scroll down for video The prototype Apollo A7L lunar boot never went to the moon with the astronaut but it is thought it would have been used in a primary flight or served as a backup (pictured) This space boot prototype worn by Neil Armstrong sold for $49,000 (38,000) as part of an auction of space memorabilia in Boston, Massachusetts The pieces went under the hammer in Boston, Massachusetts, and concluded last week. Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction, said: 'It's a rare artefact that offers unique insight into the intensive design and quality assurance placed upon the very boot worn by Armstrong over the course of his quarter-of-a-million-mile journey to become the first human being to set foot on the moon.' The Apollo 11 mission allowed the first people to touch the moon on 20 July 1969. The capsule landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, carrying mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the lunar surface while Collins remained in orbit around the moon. When Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, he said, 'That's one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind.' It is embroidered with 'Armstrong' on the inside of the tongue and has a silver, gold and blue exterior (pictured) A signed copy of 'Apollo: Ten Years of Tranquillity' (pictured) went for $3,900 (3,100). The Apollo 11 mission allowed the first people to touch the moon on 20 July 1969. The capsule landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, carrying mission commander Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong signed photograph fetched $4,200 (3,300) at auction (pictured). The pioneering astronaut died in 2012, in Cincinnati, Ohio, aged 82 A collection of 52 Space Shuttle Robbins medallions (pictured) that honour space shuttles and expeditions missions, sold for a whopping $19,500 (15,400) NASA space-flown Apollo medallions (pictured) were mission-specific commemorative medallions were approved by NASA and carried aboard the mission spacecraft into orbit. Commemorative medallions were prepared for the astronauts at their request An original 1970s Soviet Sokol-K space suit with the flag of the USSR on the shoulder and Salyut program patch on the breast also featured and sold for $9,800 (7,700). It was designed to be a 'rescue suit' and was built to keep the wearer alive in the event of accidental depressurisation in the spacecraft. A collection of 52 Space Shuttle Robbins medallions that honour space shuttles and expeditions missions, sold for $19,500 (15,400). A series of Apollo 11 engineer's manuals sold for $9,800 (7,700) while a signed photograph of Neil Armstrong fetched $4,200 (3,300) and a signed copy of 'Apollo: Ten Years of Tranquillity' went for $3,900 (3,100). A series of Apollo 11 engineer's manuals sold for $9,800 (7,700) (pictured). These would have been instrumental in providing support to the astronauts on their trip to the moon These Apollo 11 manuals helped Armstrong reach the moon. When Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, he said, 'That's one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind' A host of other items sold at the auction including a Soviet space suit (pictured), a signed picture of Neil Armstrong and a series of Apollo 11 engineer's manuals. The total cost of the auction was $110,000 (87,000) A 3D-printed head can trick your smartphone's facial recognition technology into unlocking your phone. Experts showed that Android's models were the least secure, with some devices opening by simply showing a photograph of the owner. It was found that Apple, who got rid of its finger print reading ID in favour of facial recognition last year, was the most secure when tested. The findings bring up concerns over offering hackers and police an entry route into your personal information stored on your handset. Scroll down for video A test conducted by Forbes magazine showed that Android's models were the least secure, with some devices opening by simply showing it a photograph of the owner. It was found that Apple was the most secure when tested (stock image) The test was conducted by Forbes reporter Thomas Brewster, who commissioned a 3D printed model of his own head to test the face unlocking systems on a range of phones. Apple's iPhone X models software including the XR and the XS was compared against Android models Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9, LG G7 Thinq and OnePlus6. It was found that only the iPhone X models defended against the attack giving credence to Apple's claims that their software is the most secure. The worst offender among Androids was the OnePlus 6, which appeared to open almost instantly after being shown the model head. Facial biometric technology maps an individual's facial features and stores the data as a faceprint to unlock devices. It is used on many smartphone models. However, the test revealed that none of the phone makers claimed the same level of security and accuracy as Apple. Face ID uses an array of sensors to identify the user while Android phones tend to rely on the selfie camera, which appears to be less secure. The tech giant has boasted in the past that it manufactured the devices to achieve 'unprecedented levels of security' that cant be fooled with a duplicate of a face. Face ID reinvented the way we unlock our smartphones. Apple introduced it's software last year as a way to safely identify users. The technology is only available on the iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR The diagram shows how facial recognition technology works. Fortunately there is a way to solve the issue by performing a soft reset. Rest assured this is just a reboot and will not wipe any data from your handset WHAT ARE BEHAVIOURAL BIOMETRICS? Physical biometrics, such as fingerprints, facial recognition and retinal scans, are currently more commonly used for security purposes. However, behavioural biometrics - which include things like how you walk - are able to capture unique things about a person's behaviour and movement. They also include things such as voice ID and signature analysis. Researchers from the University of Manchester have developed an AI biometric verification system that measures an individual's gait or walking pattern. This non-intrusive technique can successfully verify people with 99.3 per cent accuracy after they walk over a pressure pad on the floor - and they don't even need to take their shoes off. Behavioural biometrics are already used for authentication in financial institutions and businesses. Advertisement Controversial surveillance using facial recognition technology has been rolled out by police forces in the US and across the UK in recent years. The increased use of facial recognition has sparked sharp criticism from civil rights groups who claim that there needs to be more stringent laws to protect people's rights to privacy. For example, in the US , biometrics related to human characteristics including your fingerprints and your face are not protected under the Fifth Amendment. This means that while police can't compel you to give up your pass code, they can forcibly print your fingerprint, or hold your face up to your phone to unlock it. But there's also little in the way of stopping police from 3D printing or replicating a set of biometrics to break into a phone. 'Legally, it's no different from using fingerprints to unlock a device,' said Professor Orin Kerr, at USC Gould School of Law. 'The government needs to get the biometric unlocking information somehow,' by either the finger pattern shape or the head shape, he said. Although a warrant 'wouldn't necessarily be a requirement' to get the biometric data, one would be needed to use the data to unlock a device, he said. Facial biometric technology maps an individual's facial features and stores the data as a faceprint to unlock devices. It is used on many smartphone models. Controversial surveillance using facial recognition technology has been rolled out by police forces in the US and across the UK Jake Laperruque, senior counsel at the Project On Government Oversight, said it was doable but isn't the most practical or cost-effective way for police to gain access to phone data. 'A situation where you couldn't get the actual person but could use a 3D print model may exist,' he said. 'I think the big threat is that a system where anyone cops or criminals can get into your phone by holding your face up to it is a system with serious security limits.' Advertisement Erosion of the British south coast has unveiled a treasure trove of fossilised dinosaur footprints. The remnants from the cretaceous period were previously hidden from view but the crumbling rock of Britain's south coast has allowed scientists to find and study 85 different footprints. It is thought the fossils belong to up to seven different species and date back up to 145 million years ago. They vary in size from one inch (2cm) across to more than 24 inches (60 cm) wide. Many have remained so well-preserved that fine detail of skin, scales and claws can be seen. Scroll down for video Scientists today announced they had found the largest and best preserved set of dinosaur footprints from the Cretaceous period in the UK including a print from a small theropod (pictured) Many of the footprints, which range in size from less than one inch (2cm) across to more than 24 inches (60 cm) wide, are so well-preserved that fine detail of skin, scales and claws can be seen (pictured) An illustration provided by by Lida Xing and Yujiang Han shows theropods engaging in scrape ceremony display activity The University of Cambridge researchers uncovered the footsteps and claim it is the single-most expansive, diverse and detailed collection from the Cretaceous Period. Researchers identified these historical findings between 2014 and 2018 following periods of coastal erosion along the cliffs near Hastings, East Sussex. They said the recent strong storms in the area, such as the Beast from the East, have led to significant coastal erosion as the sandstone and mudstone cliffs deteriorate. The footprints date between 145 million and 100 million years ago and include prints from the Iguanodon - a nine-foot tall (2.7 metre) dinosaur. Evidence of an Ankylosaurus, which was between 20 and 26 feet (six and eight metres) long, has also been found. Anthony Shillito, a PhD student in Cambridge's department of earth sciences, said: 'Whole body fossils of dinosaurs are incredibly rare. 'Usually you only get small pieces, which don't tell you a lot about how that dinosaur may have lived. The historical findings were found between 2014 and 2018 following periods of coastal erosion (pictured is cliffs near Hastings near where the footprints were found) More than 85 footprints made up of at least seven different species have revealed fine detail of skin and scales at the East Sussex site (pictured) A large iguanodontian footprint was among the 'treasure trove' of footprints found in Hastings, East Sussex 'A collection of footprints like this helps you fill in some of the gaps and infer things about which dinosaurs were living in the same place at the same time.' According to the university, over the past 160 years there have been several reports of fossilised dinosaur footprints along the Sussex coast. But no new major discoveries have recently been found and earlier findings were far less detailed than those described in the current research, claims the university. The university claims the area around Hastings is one of the richest in the UK for dinosaur fossils. These include the first known Iguanodon in 1825, and the first confirmed example of fossilised dinosaur brain tissue in 2016. The University of Cambridge researchers uncovered what they claim is the most diverse and detailed collection from the Cretaceous Period 100 million years ago (pictured) The footprints date between 145 million and 100 million years ago and include prints from the Iguanodon - a nine-foot tall (2.7 metre) dinosaur. Evidence of an Ankylosaurus, which was between 20 and 26 feet (six and eight metres) long, has also been found Cambridge researchers have claimed the area around Hastings is one of the richest in the UK for dinosaur fossils The university say it is likely that there are many more dinosaur footprints hidden within the eroding sandstone cliffs of East Sussex Dr Neil Davies, who conducted the study alongside Anthony Shillito, said: 'To preserve footprints, you need the right type of environment. 'The ground needs to be 'sticky' enough so that the footprint leaves a mark, but not so wet that it gets washed away. 'You need that balance in order to capture and preserve them.' Mr Shillito added: 'As well as the large abundance and diversity of these prints, we also see absolutely incredible detail. 'You can clearly see the texture of the skin and scales, as well as four-toed claw marks, which are extremely rare. 'You can get some idea about which dinosaurs made them from the shape of the footprints. 'When you also look at footprints from other locations you can start to piece together which species were the key players.' The university say it is likely that there are many more dinosaur footprints hidden within the eroding sandstone cliffs of East Sussex. The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). One of the researchers said: 'As well as the large abundance and diversity of these prints, we also see absolutely incredible detail. You can clearly see the texture of the skin and scales, as well as four-toed claw marks, which are extremely rare' A group of five islands is being developed on the Markermeer lake in the Netherlands to bring nature back to the area after it became devoid of wildlife. A nature organisation will use an innovative technique of forming the small islands with silt, a material halfway between clay and sand. The 270-square-mile (700km) Markermeer is one of Europe's largest freshwater lakes, used as a reservoir and a buffer against floodwater and droughts. Over the last few decades, sediment used to create a dyke separating the Markermeer from a neighbouring body of water sunk to the bottom of the lake. This filled the water with sediment and made the water cloudy and uninhabitable for aquatic life, bird populations, plants and molluscs. Scroll down for video A group of five islands will be developed on the Markermeer lake in the Netherlands to bring nature back to the area after it became devoid of wildlife. A nature organisation will use an innovative technique of forming the small islands with silt, which is a mix of clay and sand HOW IS THE LAKE HELPING TO RE-INTRODUCE PLANTS AND ANIMALS? The five small islands were built in two and a half years and have already served as a resting place for 30,000 swallows this year. In the water, there is home for a huge number of plankton that guarantees a large amount of food for the birds. Three wooden bird observatories, a house for the island's guardian, twelve kilometres of footbridges and unpaved roads have also been built on the main island, which is open to the public. Advertisement Park ranger Andre Donker says the engineering project will be one of the largest re-wilding operations in Europe. It is being initiated by a non-governmental Dutch organisation called Natuurmonumenten, whose works focuses on the preservation of nature. The artificial islands will cost 54 million (60 million), most of which has been donated by the public. The main island in the group of five now has wooden bird observatories, a house for the island's guardian, footbridges unpaved roads and growing vegetation. It is open to the general public but the four others are exclusively reserved for wildlife and plants. Project Head Jeroen van der Klooster said building an island with sand is a common technique used all over the world, but the use of silt in this project is unique. The team will dig a 4,000 foot (1,200 metre) corridor on the main island to allow the silt - led by strong ocean currents - to form marshy areas, fertile soil and reservoirs where migratory birds can eat. The 270-square-mile (700-square-mile-km) Markermeer lake is one of Europe's largest freshwater lakes, used as a freshwater reservoir and a buffer against floodwaters and drought Over the last few decades, sediment used to create a dyke separating the Markermeer from a neighbouring body of water sunk to the bottom of the lake. This turned the water cloudy and uninhabitable for aquatic life, bird populations, plants and molluscs The plan is among many being worked on by the Netherlands, which is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. 'Once upon a time it was teeming with fish here,' Andre Donker, the island's ranger said. He added that the area had been teeming with fish until the dyke created to separate Markermeer from neighbouring body of water, the Ijsselmeer, washed away. He said that the newly grown reeds have been the first time he has been able to see signs of increasing biodiversity. The artificial islands will cost 54 million (60 million euro), most of which has been donated by the public. The main island now has wooden bird observatories, a house for the island's guardian, footbridges and unpaved roads It is open to the general public but the four others are exclusively reserved for wildlife and plants. Project Head Jeroen van der Klooster said building an island with sand is a common technique used all over the world, but the use of silt in this project is unique The lake was once part of the Zuiderzee, completed in 1932, which closed off a huge expanse of water to keep out the North Sea and combat flooding. Vital in a country where 26 per cent of the land is below sea level, the scheme created an inland lake and polders, land reclaimed from the sea. But the environment and its wildlife suffered as a result. Mr Donker says that after the cloudy water began to negatively impact on fish and bird populations they 'had to intervene'. The five islands were built in two and a half years and have already serve as a resting place for 30,000 swallows this year. Experts recently counted 127 kinds of plants, most of which have been brought in by windborne seeds. In the water there is an 'explosion' of plankton that 'guarantees a large amount of food for the birds', says Mr Donker. Flying reptiles known as pterosaurs sported feathers 70 million years before previously thought, according to a new study. The creatures, who lived around 250 million years ago, alongside early birds and feathered dinosaurs, had the plumage to keep themselves warm. A fossil found in China was discovered alongside dinosaur remains which shows that their wings had small tufts of feathers used for insulation. An international team of palaeontologists discovered the remains in Mongolia - which had wings with four different kinds of feathers. A second fossil of the same specimen was found a couple of years ago but its importance is only now being appreciated. Scroll down for video Soaring pterosaurs sported feathers 70 million years before previously thought, according to a new study. This is a reconstruction of the studied daohugou pterosaur, with four different feather types over its head, neck, body, and wings, of a ginger-brown colour 'They are almost certainly just for insulation,' said Professor Mike Benton, a palaeontologist at the University of Bristol, UK, a member of the team that discovered one of the fossils about two years ago. It was previously thought that pterosaurs were covered in fur called 'pycnofibres' - fundamentally different to bird feathers. Palaeontologists came up with the term 'pycnofibres' to distinguish it from the hair of mammals and the feathers of birds. The wings of pterosaurs were made of skin, muscles and fibre, so they had no need of flight feathers as they would have been too small. Microscopic studies of the pterosaur feathers revealed pigment-containing structures called melanosomes, whose shape suggests both fossil pterosaurs were a 'ginger-brown' colour and located on the head, neck, body and wings of the reptile. Researchers from across the world, including the University of Bristol, found the perfectly preserved remains on a recent expedition. In the recently discovered fossil, experts found 'many examples' of the feathers - before using high-powered microscopes to examine them. The team discovered three distinct types of branched filaments which are remarkably similar to the feathers found on many dinosaurs. One type, found on the neck, branches at the end in a brush-like manner; the second type, found on the head, has side branches; and the third, found on the wing membranes, branches from the base and resembles down. An international team of palaeontologists discovered the remains in Mongolia These are the four feather types: filaments, filament bunches, tufted filament, down feather. Scale bars for photos, are a-d: 100m, 200m, 500m and 1mm Lead author Baoyu Jiang, Professor at Nanjing University, said: 'We went to Inner Mongolia to do fieldwork in the Daohugou Formation. 'We already knew that the sites had produced excellent specimens of pterosaurs with their pycnofibres preserved and I was sure we could learn more by careful study.' Dr Zixiao Yang, also of Nanjing University, said: 'This was a fantastic opportunity to work on some amazing fossils. 'I was able to explore every corner of the specimens using high-powered microscopes, and we found many examples of all four feathers.' Dr Maria McNamara of University College Cork, said: 'Some critics have suggested that actually there is only one simple type of pycnofibre, but our studies show the different feather types are real. 'We focused on clear areas where the feathers did not overlap and where we could see their structure clearly. 'They even show fine details of melanosomes, which may have given the fluffy feathers a ginger colour.' Professor Mike Benton from the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, said: 'We ran some evolutionary analyses and they showed clearly that the pterosaur pycnofibres are feathers, just like those seen in modern birds and across various dinosaur groups. 'Despite careful searching, we couldn't find any anatomical evidence that the four pycnofibre types are in any way different from the feathers of birds and dinosaurs. 'Therefore, because they are the same, they must share an evolutionary origin, and that was about 250 million years ago, long before the origin of birds.' PTEROSAURS WERE FLYING REPTILES THAT LIVED IN THE JURASSIC AND CRETACEOUS Neither birds nor bats, pterosaurs were reptiles who ruled the skies in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Scientists have long debated where pterosaurs fit on the evolutionary tree. The leading theory today is that pterosaurs, dinosaurs, and crocodiles are closely related and belong to a group known as archosaurs, but this is still unconfirmed. Neither birds nor bats, pterosaurs were reptiles who ruled the skies in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (artist's impression pictured) Pterosaurs evolved into dozens of species. Some were as large as an F-16 fighter jet, and others as small as a sparrow. They were the first animals after insects to evolve powered flight - not just leaping or gliding, but flapping their wings to generate lift and travel through the air. Pterosaurs had hollow bones, large brains with well-developed optic lobes, and several crests on their bones to which flight muscles attached. Advertisement Birds have two types of advanced feathers used in flight - the contour feathers with a hollow quill and barbs down both sides. The other type is monofilaments and down feathers - seen much more widely across dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Professor Benton added: 'This discovery has amazing implications for our understanding of the origin of feathers, but also for a major time of revolution of life on land. 'When feathers arose, about 250 million years ago, life was recovering from the devastating end-Permian mass extinction. 'Independent evidence shows that land vertebrates, including the ancestors of mammals and dinosaurs, had switched gait from sprawling to upright, had acquired different degrees of warm-bloodedness, and were generally living life at a faster pace. 'The mammal ancestors by then had hair, so likely the pterosaurs, dinosaurs and relatives had also acquired feathers to help insulate them. 'The hunt for feathers in fossils is heating up and finding their functions in such early forms is imperative. 'It can rewrite our understanding of a major revolution in life on Earth during the Triassic, and also our understanding of the genomic regulation of feathers, scales, and hairs in the skin.' 'The most logical conclusion is that feathers go all the way back, beyond even dinosaurs, to a more distant ancestor,' said palaeontologist Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh. 'The next step out on the family tree is crocodiles, so maybe, just maybe, a palaeontologist will one day find a fossil croc with feathers.' The study was published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. Israeli engineers on Monday added the final element to a spacecraft destined for the moon - a digital time capsule - and said they aimed to land the craft early next year, somewhere between the landing sites of Apollo 15 and 17. It will be the first mission of its kind since 2013 and, if it is successful, Israel will be the fourth country to carry out a controlled 'soft' landing of an unmanned vessel on the moon. Since 1966, the United States and the former Soviet Union have put around a dozen of them on the moon and China last did so in 2013. The SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, is on display in a special 'clean room' where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. WHAT IS IN THE TIME CAPSULE? The time capsule is a single, space-resilient disc, roughly the size of a CD, holding digital files of children's drawings, photographs and information on Israeli culture and the history of humanity. Advertisement 'The spacecraft is completely built, tested ... and will be ready to ship to Cape Canaveral in a few weeks,' said Ido Anteby, CEO of the SpaceIL non-profit that has led the project. Israel has launched satellites before, but this is the first longer-range Israeli spacecraft of its kind. The craft, called Beresheet, Hebrew for Genesis, is shaped like a round table with four carbon-fibre legs, stands about 1.5 meters tall and weighs 585 kg (1,290 lb) - with fuel accounting for two-thirds of that weight. It will blast off from Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the next few months after an initial December date was pushed back. The time capsule is a single, space-resilient disc, roughly the size of a CD, holding digital files of children's drawings, photographs and information on Israeli culture and the history of humanity. A time capsule that will go inside the SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, that is on display in a special 'clean room' where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. SpaceIL co-founder Yonatan Winetraub, left, inserts a time capsule into the SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, that is on display in a special 'clean room' where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. 'The capsule will remain on the moon and stay in the environment of the moon and maybe in a couple tens of years someone will send a spacecraft to bring it back,' Anteby said. Beresheet is also carrying a device to measure the moon's magnetic fields. SpaceIL is backed mainly by private donors, including U.S. casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and billionaire Morris Kahn who co-founded Amdocs , one of Israel's biggest high-tech companies. WHAT IS SPACEIL AND WHO IS THE BILLIONAIRE BEHIND IT? SpaceIL is an Israeli nonprofit organization that aims to make history by landing the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon - despite one failed attempt. It is working alongside state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries to launch an unmanned module to the lunar surface in December. The project's largest donor South African-Israeli billionaire Morris Kahn, who made most of his riches through his telecomms software firm Amdocs. Israeli billionaire investor Morris Kahn (centre) poses with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Space Division general manager Opher Doron (1st-R) during a news conference to announce the launch of a spacecraft to the moon Founded in 2011, SpaceIL originally vied for Googles Lunar Xprize, which challenged private companies to try to land an unmanned craft on the moon. But the $20 million (15 million) competition was scrapped by the tech giant when it became clear none of the five firms would meet a March 2019 deadline. Despite financial pitfalls in recent years that nearly saw SpaceILs spacecraft grounded permanently, the team is confident that they will successfully land on the moon the second time around. Advertisement SpaceIL was founded in 2011 by a group of engineers with a budget of about $95 million. State-owned defense contractor Israel Aerospace Industries has collaborated in the project. At 60,000 km (37,000 miles) above Earth, the spacecraft will split off from the Falcon launch vehicle. Technicians stand next to the SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, is on display in a special 'clean room' where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. It will at first orbit Earth in expanding ellipses and, about two months later, cross into the moon's orbit. It will then slow and carry out a soft landing which should cause no damage to the craft. 'Our landing site is located somewhere between the landing sites of Apollo 15 and Apollo 17,' Anteby said. 'It's a flat area. But still it has small craters and a lot of boulders.' Israel Aerospace Industries manager Opher Doron stressed that the small craft, roughly the size of a washing machine, faces a 'difficult, arduous journey' because it will have to make a number of orbits before landing. If successful, the team promises the landing will be a breakthrough for Israeli technology and commercial space travel. China and Russia have joined forces and are going ahead with controversial plans to heat and alter the Earth's atmosphere. This project, experts claim, has potential military applications as it can disrupt satellite communication, a distinct advantage in the event of war or espionage. Charged particles, known as ions, create a reflective layer over a specific region of land and cause a satellite communications blackout. The two superpowers have conducted several joint experiments which altered the chemical composition of the air high above Europe and China plans to expand the use of the technology. Scroll down for video Changing the atmosphere has potential military applications as it can disrupt satellite communication. The two superpowers have conducted several joint experiments which altered the chemical composition of the air high above Europe (stock) South China Morning Post reports that one experiment involved a region half the size of Britain (126,000 sq km/49,000 square miles) more than 310 miles (500 km) above Eastern Europe. Vasilsursk, a small Russian town, experienced a spike of electricity which had ten times more negatively charged subatomic particles than nearby regions. Further experiments included increasing the temperature of an ionised gas in the atmosphere by more than 100C (212F). Electrons were sent into the sky by a specialist facility in Vasilsursk which was built during the cold war. It produced microwaves at 260 mega watts - enough to light a small city - and sent these high into the atmosphere. Data on the reaction of Earth's atmosphere was then collected by Zhangheng-1, a Chinese electromagnetic surveillance satellite. It was calibrated to maximise data collection and took measurements every half a second. In a research paper published in Chinese journal Earth and Planetary Physics the results were labelled as 'satisfactory' by the authors. Professor Guo Lixin at Xidian University in China called the joint venture extremely unusual. 'Such international cooperation is very rare for China,' said Guo, who was not involved in the experiment. 'The technology involved is too sensitive.' CHINESE SPACE EXPLORATION China landed its Yutu, or 'Jade Rabbit', rover on the moon five years ago and plans to send its Chang'e-5 probe there next year. Change-5 is the follow up to the current mission and will return to Earth with the first samples from the moon since 1976. The Asian superpower is also considering a crewed lunar mission. On September 29, 2011, China launched Tiangong 1. On December 14, 2013[54] China's Chang'e 3 became the first object to soft-land on the Moon since Luna 24 in 1976 A second space lab, Tiangong 2, launched on 15 September 2016. A larger basic permanent space station would be the third and last phase of Project 921. The first section, designated Tiangong 3, is scheduled for launch after Tiangong 2. The Chinese space station is scheduled to be completed in 2020.[46] China also plans for its first uncrewed Mars exploration program could take place sometime between now and 2033, followed by a crewed phase in 2040-2060. Advertisement Charged particles, known as ions, can create a reflective layer over a certain region of land and black out all satellite communications. Military interest in the ionosphere is not new but technological advancements has made its manipulation possible (stock) Earth's ionosphere is created when the cosmic rays from space excite atoms and force electrons to separate, creating ions - charged electrons. At high altitudes this is common and can cause microwaves and radiowaves to bounce off the charged particles like a mirror. This has a significant impact on how radio signals are transmitted over long distances, Military interest in the ionosphere is not new but technological advancements has made its manipulation possible. Changing the ionosphere over enemy territory can disrupt or cut off communication with satellites, a distinct advantage in the event of war or espionage. Changing the atmosphere has sparked further fears as theorists claim the technology may be used to modify weather patterns, cause natural disasters and even interfere with proper brain function. Both the US and the Soviet Union developed sites to alter the ionosphere during the Cold War but China has redoubled these efforts and is now building its own. Purportedly, the advanced facility in Sanya, Hainan will be able to manipulate the ionosphere over the entire South China Sea. Some have raised concerns that this technology could be manipulated to modify weather and cause natural disasters, although most experts believe this is nothing more than a conspiracy theory, Extra criticism has come in the shape of claims the radiation could affect the true function of human brains. Dr Wang Yalu, an associate researcher with the China Earthquake Administration who took part in the study in June, rejected these claims. 'We are just doing pure scientific research. If there is anything else involved, I am not informed about this,' she said in an interview. Vasilsursk, a small Russian town, experienced a spike of electricity which had ten times more negatively charged subatomic particles than nearby regions. Further experiments included increasing the temperature of an ionised gas in the atmosphere by more than 100C (212F) People who hold radical political views, on both the left and right of the political spectrum, aren't as good at recognising when they're wrong. A new study, conducted by University College London, suggested that people with more radical beliefs tended to overestimate their certainty on incorrect answers. People with extreme political views were asked to participate in a learning task alongside people with more moderate views. Between the two groups there was no difference on task performance, however, the people with more radical views showed less awareness of when they were incorrect. Their study was an attempt to measure 'metacognition' the term for a person's ability to recognise when they are wrong. Scroll down for video People who hold radical political views at either end of the political spectrum aren't as good at recognising when they're wrong. A new study, conducted by University College London, found that people with more radical beliefs tend to overestimate their certainty on incorrect answers (stock image) They wanted to establish whether radical beliefs were down to overconfidence in those specific opinions, or more general differences in metacognition. To reach their conclusion, the team conducted a survey of 381 people took part to measure their political beliefs and attitude towards alternative world views. Researchers were then able to identify people at the extreme right and extreme left of the spectrum. The participants were then asked to complete a task requiring them to look at two sets of dots and judge which one had more dots. They were then asked to rate how confident they were in making their choice, and were told to judge their confidence accurately with a monetary reward. The people with more radical beliefs performed the same as the moderates, but they gave higher confidence ratings when they had made an incorrect choices. Radicals' confidence on correct answers was similar to that of moderates. 'We were trying to clarify whether people who hold radical political beliefs are generally overconfident in their stated beliefs, or if it boils down to differences in metacognition, which is the ability we have to recognise when we might be wrong,' said lead author Dr Steve Fleming from UCL. People with radical views were asked to participate in an experimental study with those with more moderate views in a learning task. The experiment was designed to test people on a task completely unrelated to politics, to home in on cognitive processes without any political motivations (stock image) 'We found that people who hold radical political beliefs have worse metacognition than those with more moderate views. 'They often have a misplaced certainty when they're actually wrong about something, and are resistant to changing their beliefs in the face of evidence that proves them wrong.' A second stage of the study assessed how participants took in new evidence. After making a judgement on the dots task, participants were shown another set of dots as 'bonus' information about the correct answer, before making their confidence judgement. The results of the study found that people with more radical beliefs performed the same as the people with moderate views, but the radicals gave higher confidence ratings when they had made an incorrect choices (stock image) If they had made an incorrect choice, the next set of dots should have weakened their confidence in their choice. For moderates who had made the wrong decision the first time, being shown this bonus information made them less confident in their choice. However, radicals held onto their initial decision even after seeing evidence suggesting it was incorrect. The researchers highlight that previous studies have found no relationship between metacognition and general intelligence. 'An important point is that our findings held true among participants with radical views at either end of the political spectrum,' said co-author Professor Ray Dolan. He added: 'Radicalism appears to reflect a cognitive style that transcends political inclinations.' In addition to this study, a further 417 people were used in a second similar experiment which replicated the findings. The findings were published in Current Biology. A roving delivery robot made the mistake of dropping off a student's takeout order well-done after it caught fire at the University of California, Berkeley. On Friday, students found a Kiwi delivery robot consumed by flames in the middle of campus. A 30-second clip of the incident shows people looking on, many with their phones pulled out, watching idly as the four-wheeled droid burns, until a passerby finally puts out the flames with a fire extinguisher. Kiwi Campus, the startup behind the device, later explained that the mishap was due to 'human error' and that it was removing all of its other robots from operation until it resolved an issue with the device's defective battery. Scroll down for video WHAT ARE KIWI ROBOTS? The delivery robots are made by Kiwi, a California-based startup that works out of University of California, Berkeley's startup incubator. Each delivery robot is a tiny, four-wheeled device that's about the size of a small dog. A Kiwi driver deposits the robot up to 300 meters away from the customer so that it can deliver the order. Users are notified via a smartphone app that their order is ready for pickup, then they lift a latch on the device to retrieve their food. Advertisement 'On the 14th of December this year, one of the batteries for our robot that was idling started smouldering, eventually leading to some smoke and minor flames,' the company said in a blog post. '...Within moments of the incident occurring, it had already been contained. '...We took this issue very seriously. Immediately upon learning of the incident, our operations team was dispatched to attend to the robot. 'We promptly pulled all of our robots from operations, suspending our service until we were able to investigate the root cause. '...At no time were customers or members of the public at risk,' the firm added. Kiwi concluded that the issue stemmed from 'human error,' as an employee had replaced the robot's battery with a defective one. This caused the battery to experience 'thermal runaway,' which occurs when a damaged battery is overcharged or exposed to excessive temperatures, causing it to continuously overheat and, in some cases, catch fire. A clip of the incident shows people looking on, many with their phones pulled out, watching idly as the four-wheeled droid burns, until a passerby finally extinguishes the flames Kiwi concluded that the issue stemmed from 'human error,' as an employee had replaced the robot's battery with a defective one, causing 'thermal runaway' to occur Thermal runaway is the same error that caused Samsung's infamous, exploding Galaxy Note 7 phone debacle. Kiwi said it has taken additional steps to make sure this 'exceedingly rare occurrence' of thermal runaway wouldn't happen again. 'To ensure this will not happen again, Kiwi has put in custom software that will rigorously monitor the state of each battery,' the firm explained. UC Berkeley students paid tribute to the scorched delivery bot by calling for a moment of silence. Some even went as far as holding a vigil for the Kiwibot to mark its demise, while others blamed finals week as the catalyst for its fatal flare up. Kiwi robots have been delivering takeout orders to hungry students on UC Berkeley's campus for nearly two years without incident. The firm has a fleet of over 100 robots and it has delivered more than 100,000 orders, according to TechCrunch. Kiwi robots are roughly the size of a small dog and are meant to make deliveries over short distances of up to 300 meters. It relies on technology similar to a Roomba, using a variety of sensors and cameras to navigate sidewalks in a way that won't disrupt pedestrians and others trying to get around. Kiwi has a fleet of over 100 robots and it has delivered 100,000 orders. They're roughly the size of a small dog and are meant to make deliveries over short distances of up to 300 meters Similar to delivery robots made by the likes of Postmates or Starship Technologies, users downloads the Kiwi app and make an order on their smartphone. A Kiwibot heads to the restaurant to pickup an order then returns to a driver, which deposits the bot up to 300 meters away from the customer. The app tells the user when the robot has arrived and the customer can then lift a latch on top of the device to retrieve their food. A new lawsuit accuses Apple of lying to consumers about how big the screens are on the iPhone X, XS and XS Max. Two plaintiffs filed the lawsuit in the Northern District of California, alleging the company intentionally misled consumers via false advertising meant to obscure the X, XS and XS Max's notch. They cite Apple's marketing images around the devices, which show the phones in front of a black background. Scroll down for video They allege Apple intentionally misled consumers via false advertising meant to obscure the X, XS and XS Max's notch, citing marketing images of the phones in front of a black background As a result, the images appear to obscure the notch, or the cutout at the top of the phone, from view - enough that one of the plaintiffs said she didn't know the iPhone XS Max had a notch when she pre-ordered it. Christian Sponchiado and Courtney Davis filed the lawsuit on Friday and are seeking class action status, as well as damages, according to the complaint. They say the images show the phones aren't 'all screen' like Apple advertised. The plaintiffs also argue that Apple lied about the screen size by including non-screen areas like the notch and the corners in their dimensions, adding that the firm misled consumers about the devices' screen resolution, too. 'Images that disguise missing pixels on the products' screens are prominent on the Defendant's website, as well as in the advertisements of retailers who sell the products,' the complaint reads. The plaintiffs argue that Apple lied about the screen size by including non-screen areas like the notch and the corners in their dimensions. They also claim that Apple misled consumers about the devices' screen resolution by lying about the devices' screen size Christian Sponchiado and Courtney Davis filed the lawsuit on Friday. The plaintiffs, which are seeking class action status, say the images show the phones aren't 'all screen' like Apple says 'These images were relied on by Plaintiff DAVIS, who believed that the iPhone XS and XS Max would not have a notch at the top of the phone.' The plaintiff even measured the iPhone X's screen size, saying it comes out to 'only about 5.6875 inches' vs. Apple's stated 5.8 inches. 'The false size representation is premised on pretending that the screen does not have rounded corners,' the lawsuit states. 'Each corner cuts the diagonal size by about 1/16 of an inch.' The 55-page lawsuit also includes a diagram showing that the iPhone X screen is advertised as 1125 pixels in length, though it actually has 120 pixels fewer as a result of Apple saying the notch has pixels. The complaint states that Sponchiado purchased a 256gb iPhone X from an AT&T store in San Francisco in 2017, while Davis bought a 64gb iPhone XS Max in September. Dairy farmer turned bush poet reflects on remarkable journey "IT was my passion and I never wanted to be the age I am now and wonder 'what if?'," says Bob Magor. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 17) It's a very merry Christmas for Filipinos indeed. Philippine pride Catriona Gray gave the country its fourth Miss Universe title on Monday eight days before Christmas. Minutes after the iconic Mikimoto crown was passed on to Gray, she dedicated her win to her fellow Filipinos. "Mga kababayan, I am so happy to give you the best Christmas gift ever! Sa lahat ng Pilipino and all the fans, thank you so much for all the love and support," she said. She also shared what was going through her mind the moment host Steve Harvey called her name. "I second guessed myself, like, 'Did he say Philippines?' It just passed so fast. I can't even wrap my mind around it," she said. The 24-year-old Filipina-Australian beauty bested 93 other candidates from different countries. She succeeded Demi Leigh Nel-Peters from South Africa. Gray is the fourth Filipino to bring home the coveted title, joining Gloria Diaz, Margie Moran, and Pia Wurtzbach who won in 1969, 1973, and 2015, respectively. Ongoing Hostilities Threaten Assyrian Areas in Northern Iraq Clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK outside Mar Sawa Church on December 13, 2018. (Barzan Sadiq) Ongoing hostilities between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) continue to threaten Assyrian areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq. The violence has significantly increased over the course of the past year and is a source of instability that threatens the safety and affects the livelihood of local populations. On the evening of December 13, 2018, clashes ensued between Turkish forces and the PKK near the Assyrian village of Annoneh (Kanimase), Barwar in the province of Dohuk, Iraq. Speaking to the Assyrian Policy Institute by phone, witnesses and local residents stated that the violence lasted for approximately five hours, beginning around 6:00pm and continuing until about 11:00pm. Video footage shows clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK near Mar Sawa Assyrian Church of the East, which was destroyed by the Ba'athist regime in 1986 and reopened decades later in 2011. "This has been happening since the 1990s. It happens all the time, even though we have no part in this conflict," an Assyrian resident of Annoneh told the API this morning. "But in the last year, [Turkish Forces] have increased the attacks on our lands. And there is nobody to stop them." The Assyrian Policy Institute was presented with video evidence which suggests civilians have also been targeted with violence. Locals also reported that they now have restricted access to their lands as a result of the growing Turkish presence. For example, Assyrians say they can no longer visit the historic Mar Qayoma Monastery situated in the mountains on the outskirts of Barwar due to the Turkish presence in the area. Dozens of attacks by Turkey against presumed PKK members each month throughout 2018 have threatened Assyrian areas in Dohuk Governorate, including Barwar and Nahla Valley. Earlier this year, the API reported on Turkish airstrikes in both regions. Some of the airstrikes and clashes have caused significant destruction of civilian property, infrastructure, and agricultural lands. Residents say that the ongoing violence has pushed many to flee, contributing to the migration of Assyrians from northern Iraq. The Turkish government attempts to justify attacks on Assyrian villages by claiming that these villages support or have a PKK presence. The PKK is a Turkish opposition group that has long maintained a presence in northern Iraq, operating near the Turkish, Iranian, and Syrian borders. Turkish authorities have actively launched operations against the PKK for more than a decade. In September, Human Rights Watch reported that "Turkish forces appear to have extended their presence into northern Iraq" since March 2018. Earlier on the same day, Turkish airstrikes targeted multiple areas in the Yazidi-majority territory in Sinjar. Read Yazda's condemnation of the December 13, 2018 airstrikes in Sinjar here. Living on the moon could be far more dangerous than thought. Researchers have revealed that lunar dust is far more dangerous than previously thought. A new study has linked it to chemicals linked to lung cancer. Scroll down for video Geologist and astronaut Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot, is pictured here using an adjustable sampling scoop to retrieve lunar samples during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972. Lunar dust can be seen clinging to Schmitt's space suit. New research finds breathing lunar dust could cause health problems for astronauts spending long periods of time on the Moon. THE 'LUNAR HAY FEVER' OF THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS When astronauts visited the Moon during the Apollo missions, the electrostatically charged lunar soil clung to their spacesuits, such that lunar dust was carried into the living environment by astronauts who had been exploring the lunar surface, the team say. Astronaut Harrison Schmitt described his reaction to lunar dust as 'lunar hay fever,' including sneezing, watering eyes, and sore throat. Advertisement 'Lunar dust represents one of the many hazards that humans will have to contend with when conducting missions on its surface,' the researchers wrote in their abstract for the research, which was presented the work at the American Geophysical Union meeting in Washington, D.C. this week. Donald Hendrix at Stony Brook University and his team studied lunar dust samples brought back by astronauts. They soaked olivine and augite, two iron-based compounds found on the moon, in a liquid that simulates human lung fluid. The team found they contain certain minerals that are known to quickly react with human cells and generate toxic hydroxyl radicals, which have previously been linked to lung cancers. After 15 minutes the two rocks had released about nine times more hydroxyl radicals per litre of fluid than quartz, a highly toxic, silicon-based compound. 'The fine metallic iron is extremely hazardous to human health,' Hendrix told New Scientist. 'Inhaled dust particles containing olivine, among other mineral phases, would stay in the human lung for extended periods of time and therefore may have long-term health implications,' the researchers wrote . Harrison Hagan Schmitt, American geologist and astronaut takes rock samples from the surface of the moon during America's last lunar landing mission of the 20th century, Apollo 17, December 1972. Schmitt described his reaction to lunar dust as 'lunar hay fever,' including sneezing, watering eyes, and sore throat. 'It is important to understand what effects lunar dust may have on astronauts if dust mitigation methods prove to be inadequate on future missions. 'Our work furthers understanding of the chemical properties of lunar dust reactivity, which could lead to medical advancements in treating those exposed to lunar dust.' Previous research has warned astronauts who spend long periods of time on the Moon are likely to suffer DNA damage from breathing lunar dust, experts have warned. A study published by the American Geophysical Union earlier this year found simulated lunar soil is toxic to human lung and mouse brain cells. Up to 90 percent of human lung cells and mouse neurons died when exposed to dust particles that mimic soils found on the Moon's surface. Lunar dust caused reactions similar to hay fever in astronauts who visited the Moon during the Apollo missions. 'Lunar dust adhering to their suits caused mild respiratory issues for Apollo astronauts returning from the Moon,' wrote the team, led by Rachel Caston, a geneticist at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in Stony Brook, New York and lead author of the new study published in GeoHealth, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. 'Chronic or longterm effects of such dust exposure could be a problem for future missions,' the team concluded. The team say prolonged exposure to lunar dust could impair airway and lung function. Bruce Demple, a biochemist at Stony Brook University School of Medicine and senior author of the new study, told the AGU's blog if the dust induces inflammation in the lungs, it could increase the risk of more serious diseases like cancer, WILL HUMANS BE BORN ON THE MOON 'IN A FEW DECADES'? Children will be born on the moon 'in a few decades', with whole families joining Europe's lunar colony by 2050, a top space scientist has claimed. Professor Bernard Foing, ambassador of the European Space Agency-driven 'Moon Village' scheme, made the comments at a conference last week. He said that by 2030, there could be an initial lunar settlement of six to 10 pioneers - scientists, technicians and engineers - which could grow to 100 by 2040. 'In 2050, you could have a thousand and then... naturally you could envisage to have family' joining crews there, he told AFP on September 22, 2017. Speaking at this year's European Planetary Science Congress in Riga, Latvia, Professor Foing explained how humanity's moon colonies could quickly expand. Children will be born on the moon 'in a few decades', with whole families joining Europe's lunar colony by 2050, a top space scientist has claimed. Professor Bernard Foing, ambassador of the Esa-driven 'Moon Village' scheme (concept art pictured), made the comments this week He likened human expansion on the moon to the growth of the railways, when villages grew around train stations, followed by businesses. Potential moon resources include basalt, a volcanic rock that could be used as a raw material for 3D-printing satellites. These could be deployed from the moon at a fraction of the cost of a launch from high-gravity Earth. The moon also houses helium-3, a rare isotope on our planet, that could theoretically be used to generate cleaner, safer nuclear energy for Earth. One of the main targets for moon colonies is water, locked up in ice on the moon's poles. Water can be separated into hydrogen and oxygen, two gases which explode when mixed - providing rocket fuel. Advertisement 'Over a long period of time, the continuing damage, irritation and inflammation would increase the risk of more serious disease, including cancer,' Demple said. 'If there are trips back to the Moon that involve stays of weeks, months or even longer, it probably won't be possible to eliminate that risk completely.' 'We found significant cell toxicity in neuronal and lung cell lines in culture, as well as DNA damage associated with the exposure,' the team wrote. As the Moon has no atmosphere, its soil is constantly bombarded by charged particles from the upper layers of the Sun that stream through space, causing lunar soil to become electrostatically charged, like static cling on clothing. When astronauts visited the Moon during the Apollo missions, the electrostatically charged lunar soil clung to their spacesuits, such that lunar dust was carried into the living environment by astronauts who had been exploring the lunar surface, the team say. Astronaut Harrison Schmitt described his reaction to lunar dust as 'lunar hay fever,' including sneezing, watering eyes, and sore throat. 'There are risks to extraterrestrial exploration, both lunar and beyond, more than just the immediate risks of space itself,' said Rachel Caston. Previous research has found breathing dust from volcanic eruptions, dust storms and coal mines can cause bronchitis, wheezing, eye irritation and scarring of lung tissue. The dust particles accumulate in a person's airways and the smallest can infiltrate alveoli, the tiny sacs where carbon dioxide is exchanged for oxygen in the lungs. Dust can also damage cells' DNA, which can cause mutations and lead to cancer, according to previous studies. Advertisement Picturesque waterways, ornate architecture, gondoliers in stripes, old cobbled streets - Venice, built on 100 small islands, is one of the most enchanting cities on earth. And so, inevitably, it's one of the most photographed. But new book Dream of Venice in Black and White is likely to banish any photo fatigue you're feeling - because it contains a stunning portfolio of 77 images of the Italian city that have a rare power and elegance. They have been taken by over 50 photographers, with some dating back 60 years, and looking at them is like seeing the city for the first time. The publisher, Bella Figura Publications, says of the tome: 'In a city noted for her luminous palette, there is elegant realism in focusing only on shadow and light. Without the distraction of color, her reality will be exposed.' Scroll down to see 15 of the beautiful images featured in the book... It is highly unusual for Venice to see snowfall. But this beautiful image shot by Fabio Bressanello shows a man walking through the city close to the Grand Canal earlier this year when it was blanketed by the white stuff Fine art photographer Giulio Zanni captured this stunning, moody image of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, in 2016. He called the image Salute Photographer Cristina Marson's sweet image shows a young girl in a boat holding out her fishing net as the vessel travels behind several tourist gondolas. The picture was taken in 2017 and is called The Fisherwoman of Dreams, or La Pescatrice di Sogni Michela Ceola's image from 2016, left, shows a gondolier trying to navigate his boat around the city's narrow canals. Pictured right is a young boy wading through flood waters in an image by Tony Sellen from 2017. High tides often mean water overflows from the Venice canals British-based street photographer Derek Snee took this snap in 2014, showing a group of youngsters sitting on steps at the city's train station, surveying the scene close to the Grand Canal A group of tourists walk in single file across a jetty in an image shot in 2015. Photographer Filippo Salavalaggio called the picture Abbey Road, Venice, in reference to the iconic Beatles Abbey Road album cover, which shows the band walking across the road, one behind the other The annual Regata Storica is one of the most traditional and important events that takes place in Venice. It sees four rowing races being contested on the city's canals. Pictured is a team competing at the 2006 regata in a picture taken by Alan Reed Angelo Rigoni has two stunning images featured in the book. They include a jaw-dropping picture of the famous Bridge of Sighs, left, and another showing a walkway off St Mark's Square that was decorated with Christmas lights. Both shots were taken in 2015 In 2016 photographer Alessandro Sarno shot this image of a couple embracing on a foggy day in Venice close to one of the city's many bridges Photographer Robert Schonfeld captured this image of an elderly couple in 2008 in the Cannaregio area of Venice as they made their way home from church During a visit to Venice in 2016, street photographer Goran Pavletic shot this charming photo of a man in a black coat and hat smoking a pipe In 2015, photographer Jose Manuel Alorda stood on the Ponte dell'Accademia bridge that crosses the Grand Canal to capture this serene image that was taken at 6am In 2017 photographer Roman Henze captured this shot of an elderly woman in a winter coat, reminiscent of the robes worn by renaissance Venetian aristocrats, walking along close to the fountain on Giudecca - a small island in Venice. He called the pictured La Serenissima - an adjective that was coined to describe the Venetian Republic but which has in recent years come to refer to the city Scrap your standard fairground rides. One theme park in Mexico is offering visitors the opportunity to become an immigrant for the night, and reenact an illegal border crossing to the U.S. with a four-hour walk over challenging terrain. Parque EcoAlberto in El Alberto, Mexico, advertises the unusual experience via its website, with the price listed as $17 ($350 Mexican pesos/13) per person. One theme park in Mexico is offering visitors the opportunity to become an immigrant for the night and reenact an illegal border crossing to the U.S. with a four-hour walk over challenging terrain There is also an 'extreme' six-hour version which costs $25 ($500 Mexican pesos/20). A description notes that the illegal border crossing experience has been running since 2004. It was apparently launched in a bid to teach young Mexicans in the area 'that they do not need to try to risk their lives looking for a better life in another country'. The blurb highlights that 70 per cent of the population in El Alberto emigrated to the U.S. in search of the 'American Dream'. Participants are warned that they should be in good physical condition and wear shoes suitable for walking in 'difficult terrain'. Participants are warned that they should be in good physical condition and wear shoes suitable for walking in 'difficult terrain'. Above, a photo from the immigrant experience More conventional activities at the eco-park include kayaking and abseiling. There is also a waterpark The border crossing experience starts at a Catholic church in the community, where participants are given a motivational talk, emphasizing that it is not a training activity and that it has the internal purpose of creating awareness'. They are then led on a route through the mountainous landscape until the experience ends with a 'big surprise'. During the event, there is no actual border crossing and no laws are broken. However, efforts have been made to make the landscape and experience as real as possible. Images from the Parque EcoAlberto website show participants in the illegal immigrant experience wearing bandannas around their eyes at one point to prevent them from seeing where they are going. More conventional activities at the eco-park include kayaking and abseiling. There is also a water park. On Sunday night's final, Sian Gabbidon was announced as the surprise winner of The Apprentice 2018, and was officially hired as Lord Sugar's new business partner, receiving a 250k injection in the process. Before the finale aired, the swimwear designer spoke to MailOnline about her rivalry with runner-up Camilla Ainsworth whose 'gourmet nut milk' brand didn't quite impress. Lord Sugar chose Sian despite describing her company as a cottage industry, and rightly so given that she had sold only 400 bespoke swimsuits during its two years trading. Scroll down for video Leading lady: On Sunday night's final, Sian Gabbidon, (right) was announced as the winner of The Apprentice 2018, and was officially hired as Lord Sugar's new business partner The multi-millionaire mogul rejected a product perfectly suited to the booming market in non-dairy alternative milk drinks a business already worth 300 million. During the tense final episode, Sian and Camilla once again let rip, with scathing comments bashing their businesses thrown across the boardroom at each other. Sian seemed to have no chance, and perhaps the most incredible thing about her victory of all: she had Kurran in her side. Sian had not only chosen Kurran voluntarily (rather than Kayode and Sabrina), she even let him direct a commercial for the swimwear that would be part of her crucial presentation to 200 industry experts. Big decision: Lord Sugar chose Sian despite describing her company as a cottage industry, and rightly so given that she had sold only 400 bespoke swimsuits during two years trading Camilla punched the air and shouted yes! when she won the toss and, like football captains in the playground, had first choice (Daniel), adding Jackie, and Kayode to form a veritable dream team even though she had Tom too. Sians selection of Khadija, Jasmine, Sabrina, and Captain Kurran looked relatively weak and potentially as argumentative as cats in a sack. Their finalists task was to launch their brand, producing a digital poster and a TV ad, then pitch their product to an intimidating audience at City Hall. Brainstorming: In last weeks interviews, Linda Plant, Claudine Collins, and Lord Sugar himself had criticised Camillas penchant for sexualising things In last weeks interviews, Linda Plant, Claudine Collins, and Lord Sugar himself had criticised Camillas penchant for sexualising things whenever she got her hands on a brand or a package (as it were). Incredibly, despite this, she briefed her team that she wanted her gourmet nut milk to have mild sex appeal, to be not sexy but cheeky, and be not overly cheeky but still cheeky. Cheeky, mildly sexy, nut milk - in a nutshell. What about Love Nuts?! Daniel proposed cheekily but too cheekily for Camilla. When she droned on endlessly about the importance of her products supposedly unique grab and go feature, every one of her colleagues unsurprisingly clamoured for one name and one name only: Grab My Nuts. First task: Most shocking of all was the revelation that even now neither Sian nor Camilla had a name for their product - even after twelve weeks in the series Not impressed: Eventually the best brand name Sian could come up with was SYO: Style Your Own. Style Your Own what?! demanded Karren Brady But amazingly Camilla turned down the appeal of Grab My Nuts and went for MLK It even though it wasnt milk and definitely wasnt spelt correctly. Sian meanwhile remained strangely un-swayed by Khadijas ideas: Swim Style, Swim by Sian, and Swim Reverse It. (Maybe stick to cleaning...) Kurrans enthusiastically advocated Bikini Hut, conjuring an image of semi-naked women and pizza: a great name in other words. Eventually the best brand name Sian could come up with was SYO: Style Your Own. Style Your Own what?! demanded Karren Brady. And how do you Style Your Own?! It doesnt say this is a premium line of swimwear to me. Camilla heard several multi-national companies had already moved into the lucrative non-dairy milk market. Admittedly none of these had MLK Its packaging, which in Toms words looked a bit cow-y or cost 3 for a small carton. Camillas commercial for MLK It showed Kayode in a boxing gym, wielding a dumbbell, and beating up nuts. Catchy: Camillas commercial for MLK It showed Kayode in a boxing gym, wielding a dumbbell, and beating up nuts. Wait! Is that how you milk a nut?! gasped Jackie (in character). No. When Camilla strode on stage at City Hall to give her presentation, the biggest disappointment was that she didnt coo Yoo-hoo ! at the audience in the manner shed greeted Claude Littner in her interview. Predictably, her speech fell apart when she attempted to address the actual facts and figures, or the exact profits from a product that would have a bumper nut content of 15% and tetra packaging. Sian told MailOnline how having a backbone, and the constant support of her boyfriend, means she can handle 'brutal' Lord Sugar. Addressing the cattiness with the Nut Milk entrepreneur, Sian admitted she didn't go on the BBC show to make friends, and asserted that it's sometimes necessary to be 'ruthless' to win. She said: 'We're business people and we're also friends, and what we're great at doing is turning into business women when we're on task and in the boardroom, and off camera everyone was friends and we were cool. Nice try: The multi-millionaire mogul rejected a product perfectly suited to the booming market in non-dairy alternative milk drinks Teammates: Camilla punched the air and shouted yes! when she won the toss and, like football captains in the playground, had first choice (Daniel), adding Jackie, and Kayode to form a veritable dream team even though she had Tom too 'But in that boardroom, we were fighting for ourselves and I came into this process on my own. 'I didn't come in it to make friends, I came in it to win, and there was no way I was gonna think "Oh I don't wanna offend anyone" I was like "this is what I have to do" and I do believe that you have to be a bit ruthless sometime. 'And, I did believe that when I was talking to Lord Sugar I wanted him to see that everything I've done was on my own and I've spent two years of my life working on this business and putting everything into it, and I wanted that to come across. Rivals: Before the finale aired, swimwear designer Sian spoke to MailOnline about her rivalry with runner-up Camilla 'But, off camera, we'd hug it out and we didn't even talk about it because we knew what it was and we knew had to do it.' Despite finding it difficult to be critiqued, Sian claimed she was prepared to handle whatever was thrown at her. 'It hurts to hear negatives about your business, but I was very confident in my business, in myself, and I had my answers ready. Here we go! Their finalists task was to launch their brand, producing a digital poster and a TV ad, then pitch their product to an intimidating audience at City Hall Pick of the bunch? Sians selection of Khadija, Jasmine, Sabrina, and Captain Kurran looked relatively weak and potentially as argumentative as cats in a sack 'In that boardroom I thought "I'm ready to take on any criticism that anybody had - whether it was Camilla, Lord Sugar, Karen, Claude or in those brutal interviews - I was ready to give an answer. I'm not gonna go home and cry about it because I'm a businesswoman and I can handle criticism. But with Camilla I thought, no I'll fight back and I'll say what I think and I'll get my point across.' In the boardroom, Lord Sugar growled that the deal shed envisaged making with the supermarkets was impossible. What do you imagine selling it to them for? he demanded. When she said 1.85p he wailed really?! No, no, no! Ive had experience of supermarkets. Theyre not waiting for Camilla and MLK It. Tricky choice: Later in the boardroom Lord Sugar summarised their flaws and it was as if hed only just realised neither of them represented a great investment Well the market Im in at the minute... she began to explain, only to be interrupted by Sugar barking: thats selling to your auntie and your uncle! He had the same problem with Sian who argued the way I work right now works fine! Youve only got one machinist and one buyer! Selling about eight pieces a week! Sugar protested. Talk about nuts! Its peanuts! When he summarised their flaws it was as if hed only just realised neither of them represented a great investment. Ouch: Sian is not on anyones radar! scoffed Camilla, as if she was. Youve only sold 400! Fight: Both sensing blood, the two women took his lead and instead of defending themselves started attacking their opponent Camilla, only three months in business, thats your problem. I dont think you have a handle on your costs...Sian you have a crowded market. That is a concern to me. Both sensing blood, the two women took his lead and instead of defending themselves started attacking their opponent. Sian is not on anyones radar! scoffed Camilla, as if she was. Youve only sold 400! Your product could be very easily ripped off Camilla! responded Sian with characteristically calm ferocity. And if the big brands are not doing what you are, maybe theres a reason for it - because the margins are not big enough! Ive been going three months, Camilla snapped back instantly. Ive made a lot more progress than you! Surprise: It was a relief but a surprise that the best candidate won, although Sugars decision to reject the chance to enter such a booming market never was clear Sian also claimed that after tearing each other apart in the boardroom, being able to hug it out and still remain friends demonstrates 'real girl power.' She said: 'For it to be an all-girl final, we were proud of ourselves for getting that far, but we came into this process on our own, and this is a competition. 'It's not like coming on a show to make friends with people, and we were fully aware of that. 'So I fully understand the girl power thing and we'll both say that to this day, but we're in a competition to win. It's what you have to do as part of the process, so we did it. Brutal: Addressing the cattiness with the Nut Milk entrepreneur, Sian admitted she didn't go on the BBC show to make friends 'I think if anything it actually shows camaraderie now that we're still friends, we've moved on, we didn't have an argument when we got outside. We hugged it out and moved on and I think that shows girl power.' Discussing her future plans, Sian didn't hold back, passionately expressing her desire to 'take over the world'. The Leeds-born designer admitted that now she's won The Apprentice the sky is the limit. She said: 'I've always just wanted to be successful. Winning this investment and having Lord Sugar as a business partner, the success level has now changed, massively. It's no longer like "I wanna earn a decent wage and be happy," I wanna take over the world now!' Sian also teased that, with Lord Sugar by her side, she's already having thoughts about expanding beyond swimwear. Girl power: The designer also claimed that after tearing each other apart in the boardroom, being able to hug it out and still remain friends demonstrates 'real girl power' Fashion empire: Despite winning the final task with her re-branded SYO (Style Your Own) swimwear label, Sian has now reverted the brand back to its original name Sian Marie 'Together, as a force, we could really do some crazy things with the business. That's what I want to do, so I'm excited. 'I think it'd be silly to rule out doing more than just swimwear. As a designer I'm not a one trick pony, I can do anything.' And the raven haired beauty admitted that she has no plans to take her foot off the pedal after winning the show, asserting that in fact she's eager to work even harder under the pressure from 'brutal' Lord Sugar. Sian said: 'We've had a catch up. I massively respect Lord Sugar. I love how honest he is and how brutal he is. 'He says it how it is and as a Yorkshire girl that's how I've been brought up. And I've got a backbone, so I can handle him. Watch out!: Discussing her future plans, Sian didn't hold back, passionately expressing her desire to 'take over the world' 'And if he says "that's a bad idea, don't do it" I have to listen to him. I'm looking forward to use bouncing off each other and making a success of the business. 'I like pressure and there's gonna be pressure, so there's no way I'm gonna be sat thinking "I've won it now, I can relax," this is gonna be the first day of the rest of my life now. This is real life. It's gonna be a crazy future.' Sian described the gruelling process of taking part in The Apprentice as 'emotional,' and credited her boyfriend with being her 'backbone' throughout. She also and admitted, without hesitation, that she's patiently waiting for him to propose after eight years together. She said: 'The whole process is emotional. You watch it on television and you think "these fools, they've come up with these names up and this that and the other," but we're all very strong candidates. Candid: Despite finding it difficult to be critiqued, Sian claimed she was prepared to handle whatever was thrown at her 'Everyone forms an opinion which is fine, but to be in it and see how hard it is, you can't even put it into words. I'm never gonna judge anyone on the show or make an opinion of them again, because I know how hard it is. 'Don't underestimate the process because it's a lot harder than it looks. Early mornings and long days. 'I have a boyfriend who's been incredible throughout this process. I've been with him for eight years and I'm very happily with him. I'm just waiting for my ring now. 'He's been amazing. I'm an only child so I'm really close to them too. And everyone has been a massive support. I couldn't have done it without him because he's been my backbone throughout. 'He's been great while I've been away. We've been together for a long time, but in your head you think "yeah he's definitely the one, no doubt about it." 'He's an entrepreneur too. He's a bar owner. That's why I think we've managed to be as happy as we are. We both work hard and the bits of time that we get off, we're out doing things and enjoying ourselves. 'We don't even argue. I know people will be like "she's lying" but we don't. We don't have time to argue, we're too busy.' And life for Sian is about to get even busier, after winning the 250k investment from Lord Sugar, as they work together on her brand. Despite winning the final task with her re-branded SYO (Style Your Own) swimwear label, Sian has now reverted the brand back to its original name Sian Marie - with Lord Sugar's approval, of course. She explained: 'The SYO brand was just part of the final task, and was right for the task. But looking at it now in the real world, I want to be the brand. 'I think it's a fab opportunity to keep my name in it and I prefer Sian Marie. It was always Sian Marie before. Lord Sugar sees the potential in it, and me.' They found love while stranded on a beach in Samoa, during filming for Australian Survivor, in 2016. And Lee Carseldine, 43, and Elena 'El' Rowland, 35, have been making their blended family work ever since - even if they live apart. El, who is mother to one son, Darcy, while Lee has two sons, Sam and Jake, explained to The Daily Telegraph that it can be 'crazy' making it work at times. 'It's not an easy thing to do:' Australian Survivor couple El Rowland and Lee Carseldine explain how they manage to make their blended family work while living apart. Lee and El are pictured with their sons Darcy, Sam and Jake 'It's crazy bringing two families together, especially around Christmas time,' she told the publication. After the couple initially moved in together, Elena is now residing in Brisbane's South Bank with Darcy, and she spends time with her son at the flat while Lee is bonding with his boys at his own home. It's a balancing act, she tells the publication, admitting: 'It's not an easy thing to do but Lee and I have got a really good balance'. El also addressed the challenges of having her very own Brady Bunch in a candid Instagram post in February. It's a balancing act, she tells the publication, admitting: 'It's not an easy thing to do but Lee and I have got a really good balance'. Pictured Lee and El She told her fans: 'A massive shout out to all the blended families out there grasping at togetherness like we are. Lee and I have tried everything, I mean EVERYTHING to unite as a family. 'There are days when I think we are winning the war on blending and others where I feel like giving up and leaving. Either way we are both willing to try anything'. Speaking to Nine Honey, El explained 'anything' includes: 'psychology sessions, Darcy and I moving out, making rules in the house, one-on-one time with kids, counselling the kids, doing super-fun things with the kids, understanding them'. Blended! El told her fans: 'A massive shout out to all the blended families out there grasping at togetherness like we are'. Pictured Lee and El Last year, the reality show lovebirds spoke with OK! Magazine about walking down the aisle. When asked about wedding plans or a marriage proposal in the imminent future, El joked: 'I'm still waiting!' The happy pair began dating after spending 55 days on an abandoned island in Samoa in 2016. Their romance was revealed late last year. And on Monday, Home and Away co-stars James Stewart and Sarah Roberts announced their engagement to New Idea. In a joint interview, the couple revealed James popped the question on November 30, surprising Sarah with a ring at the restaurant where they had their first date. 'There were tears and I haven't stopped smiling!' Home and Away co-stars James Stewart and Sarah Roberts announced their engagement on Monday. Pictured in Sydney on March 9, 2018 James revealed he had planned the proposal for six months, and decided to keep the occasion low-key to make it special and 'real'. 'My whole face was paralysed and I was so overwhelmed. There were tears and I haven't stopped smiling,' Sarah said of the proposal. While Sarah had an inkling James was going to propose, she was caught off guard as she thought the proposal may happen on her birthday or during their upcoming holiday to New York. Romance: 'My whole face was paralysed and I was so overwhelmed,' Sarah said of the proposal Didn't see it coming! James told New Idea he had been planning the proposal for six months and surprised Sarah with a ring at the restaurant where they enjoyed their first date 'I didn't see it coming this soon. When the box came out I thought, "Maybe it's a birthday bracelet", but Jimmy was nervous, a bit sweaty, and his eyes were watery. I knew something was up,' she said. James was previously engaged to his Packed to the Rafters co-star Jessica Marais and the former couple share a six-year-old daughter, Scout. The actor told New Idea that his daughter was keen for him to propose to Sarah. 'Scout is watching movies with princesses marrying princes so it was a gag for a long time where she'd say, "When are you going to do that? You better do it quick, dad! You're going to lose her!"' he said. 'You better do it quick, dad!' James also revealed his six-year-old daughter Scout (centre) - who he shares with ex-fiancee Jessica Marais (left) - was keen for him to propose While it's still early days when it comes to planning the wedding, the couple revealed the ceremony will likely take place on the east coast of Australia, Sarah added that she wants her brother to walk her down the aisle. Before finding love with Sarah, James previously dated another Home And Away co-star, Isabella Giovinazzo, but it is believed they split in mid-2017. Rumours of a romance between Sarah and James first surfaced in October 2017, with James later telling the Herald Sun: 'On screen and off screen we are... really enjoying getting to know each other and we are very special to each other.' After months of playing the role of 'dignified ex-wife', Cassandra Thorburn has finally shown her true colours. In a bitter interview with New Idea on Monday, the 47-year-old poured scorn over her ex-husband Karl Stefanovic and his new, younger wife Jasmine Yarbrough. Among other inflammatory claims, Cassandra alleged her children - Jackson, 19, River, 12, and Ava, 13 - didn't want to attend their father's wedding and even hinted that Karl's days at Channel Nine were numbered. Showing her true colours: Cassandra Thorburn unleashed a bitter tirade against her ex Karl Stefanovic on Monday - claiming their 'children DIDN'T attend his wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough and saying the bride had FIVE makeup artists flown in from Los Angeles' Cassandra told the magazine - which is owned by Nine's commercial rivals Seven West Media - that her children were 'told they never had to go' to Karl's wedding, despite being flown over to Mexico for the occasion. 'My 19-year-old [Jackson] assured me they [he and his siblings] did not attend,' she claimed. Twisting the knife further, Cassandra hinted that Karl had 'designed' the wedding so that the younger children - River and Ava - 'had to spend those two weeks with their father'. She then claimed that Jackson, who is not bound by custody arrangements because he is over 18, only attended to 'protect' his siblings. Bitter: Cassandra told New Idea magazine - which is owned by Nine's commercial rivals Seven West Media - that her children were 'told they never had to go' to Karl's wedding, despite being flown over to Mexico for the occasion Daily Mail Australia has contacted Karl and Jasmine's publicists for comment. It comes after an 'insider' told The Daily Telegraph that Karl's children 'were told they did not have to attend the wedding, but Karl wanted them on the trip'. The newspaper's source added that Cassandra had 'received a call from Jackson on the afternoon of the nuptials confirming [he and River] did not attend the ceremony.' Get over it already! Cassandra and Karl were married for 21 years before splitting in 2016 - and it seems she is determined to have the last word. Pictured in Melbourne on May 1, 2011 Despite Cassandra's implication that her children only reluctantly attended the trip to Mexico, photos taken several days before the ceremony show Jackson chatting happily with Jasmine, 34, and Karl, 44, at Los Angeles Airport. Meanwhile, Daily Mail Australia understands Ava has a particularity close bond with her stepmother, and has been seen wearing accessories from the shoe designer's popular label Mara & Mine. Also in her blistering New Idea exclusive, Cassandra alleged that Jasmine 'paid for five makeup artists from LA' to assist on her wedding day. Wedding day: Karl and Jasmine tied the knot at the five-star One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico on Saturday, December 8. Cassandra has implied that her children only reluctantly flew to Mexico for the occasion She claimed to know this because her financial affairs with Karl and supposedly still entwined, saying: 'I know, because I get the bills... I still have to pay half the bills.' Furthermore, she suggested that Karl's days at Channel Nine could be numbered by claiming executives were looking to replace him as host of the Today show. 'Karl has just been doing such a bad job at it, they are looking for a replacement,' she alleged. Hmm! Despite Cassandra's implication that her children only reluctantly attended the trip to Mexico, photos taken several days before the ceremony show Jackson chatting happily with Jasmine, 34, and Karl, 44, at Los Angeles Airport. Pictured on December 2 Karl and Jasmine tied the knot at the five-star One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico earlier this month, in front of close friends and family. By all accounts, Jasmine was a 'bridechilla' on her big day - contrary to Cassandra's suggestion. Following the ceremony, the newlyweds and select members of the bridal party flew to Los Angeles to spend a night at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Afterwards, they jetted to a ski resort in Aspen, Colorado for a so-called 'familymoon' involving Karl's children. So beautiful! Jasmine looked simply breathtaking on her wedding day in a J. Andreatta dress Cassandra's interview with New Idea came as a surprise to many industry observers, as she had previously criticised the publication for supposedly misquoting her. Last week, the magazine published an 'interview' with her, in which she apparently branded her ex-husband 'fake' and a 'narcissist'. She had allegedly made the claims at Sydney Airport, the day after Karl married Jasmine in Mexico on Saturday, December 8. The children's author later denied any 'interview or rant' took place in a statement to Daily Mail Australia. She's the glamorous WAG currently enjoying a luxurious holiday with her family in the United Arab Emirates. And over the weekend, Rebecca Judd, 34, took her husband Chris, 35, and their two eldest children Oscar, seven and Billie, four, away from the hustle and bustle of Dubai to enjoy a lavish $900 dinner experience with Arabian Adventures. The brunette and her brood travelled 50 minutes to the Dubai Desert Conservation range, a 225 km national park just outside the city. 'What an experience!' On Sunday, Rebecca Judd, 34, took her husband Chris, 35, and their two eldest children Oscar, seven and Billie, four, away from the hustle and bustle of Dubai to enjoy a lavish $900 dinner experience with Arabian Adventures Taking to Instagram to document the outing on Sunday, Rebecca shared a series of photos of her family enjoying the picturesque expanse of the Dubai sand dunes. She captioned the snaps: 'What an experience! Last night we participated in the @arabianadventure Sundowner Dune Dinner Safari. 'Our night included a falcon show, nature spotting, 4wding through the sand dunes and a sunset camel ride to our Bedouin style tent complete with bonfire and comfy cushions to enjoy a traditional Arabic style three course meal. Dinner in the desert: Rebecca Judd took her husband Chris, 35, (pictured left) and their two eldest children away from the hustle and bustle of Dubai Arabian adventure: The couple were joined by their two eldest children, Oscar, seven and Billie, four Everybody wave! Rebecca held on tight to her daughter Billie as they rode through the dunes on camels Sunset: The famous family enjoyed watching the sunset over the dunes as they rode camels 'It was something well never forget.' On Thursday, the family went first class on an Emirates flight from Melbourne International Airport. At one point Rebecca shared a photo of Tom sitting comfortably in his seat with headphones on while watching a cartoon. 'It was something well never forget': After the camel ride the family relaxed on large carpets and cushions Luxury: They enjoyed dinner in a Bedouin-style camp that featured a bonfire Dinning in style! The Judd family then enjoyed a three course buffet which was prepared by an on-site chef 'At least Tom's relaxed. Dubai here we come. @emirates @visit.dubai #visitdubai #mydubai,' the stylish brunette wrote in the caption of her Instagram Story post, on what appears to be a sponsored trip. An estimated price for return tickets to Dubai and back to Melbourne for a family of six like the Judds is valued $84,925 - according to the Emirates website - with one adult ticket priced at more than $20,000. After arriving, the family headed straight to the luxurious Palazzo Versace Dubai, where a one-night stay in their largest suite, fit for six people, costs over $3,000 a night. She took to her Instagram to share a snap of herself on the balcony of their spacious suite, along with the caption: 'Dubai is where youll find us for the next little while. I love this city and it's my 4th time here.' Comfortable: Bec shared a photo of son Tom sitting comfortably in his seat with headphones on while watching a cartoon during the flight Cassandra Thorburn has already gone on a bitter tirade against ex-husband Karl Stefanovic, and now she's turned her attention towards his Today show co-host, Georgie Gardner. In an explosive interview with New Idea on Monday, the 47-year-old suggested that Georgie was 'paid off' by Channel Nine following Karl Stefanovic's infamous Ubergate scandal, in which he was heard criticising his colleague in a private conversation. 'This was her [Georgie's] opportunity to stand up for women,' Cassandra raged, before adding: 'I guess they [Nine] threw extra money at her.' 'This was her opportunity to stand up for women!' Cassandra Thorburn (left) has suggested Georgie Gardner (right) was 'paid off' by Channel Nine after Karl Stefanovic's Ubergate scandal The mother-of-three further alleged that Georgie used her Today show 'pay-off' to move into a swanky new mansion in Sydney's Mosman. In October, approximately seven months after Ubergate, Georgie and her husband Tim Baker sold their Artarmon property for $4.2million and moved into their palatial six-bedroom Mosman home worth $6million. Back in March, Karl was overheard by an Uber driver badmouthing Georgie during a private phone call with his brother, Peter. Extraordinary claims: 'This was her [Georgie's] opportunity to stand up for women,' Cassandra told New Idea on Monday, before adding: 'I guess they [Nine] threw extra money at her'. Pictured: Karl and Georgie in Sydney on October 17, 2018 In the 'b**chy' 45-minute phone conversation, Karl 'angrily' complained about Georgie, saying she needed to 'step up... if she wanted to stay on the [Today] show.' The embattled broadcaster separated from Cassandra in 2016 after 21 years of marriage. A few months later, Karl started dating glamorous shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, who is nine years his junior. Moving up? The mother-of-three further alleged that Georgie used her Today show 'pay-off' to move into a swanky new mansion in Sydney's Mosman (pictured) Past and present: Karl split with Cassandra (left) in 2016 after 21 years of marriage, before finding love with shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough (right), who is nine years his junior The couple tied the knot in a lavish Mexican ceremony last weekend, which prompted Cassandra to launch into a furious 'tirade' against her ex-husband at Sydney Airport the day after the wedding. 'He's thrown three weddings for goodness sake. Who needs three weddings in a year? Give us a break,' Cassandra was quoted as telling a reporter. 'Three weddings and a funeral. We had a funeral and it was my dad's.' 'He's thrown three weddings for goodness sake!' Karl and Jasmine tied the knot in a lavish Mexican ceremony last weekend, which prompted Cassandra (pictured) to launch into a furious 'tirade' against her ex-husband at Sydney Airport the day after the wedding Cassandra's funeral reference concerned the death of her father, journalist Max Thorburn, who lost his battle with cancer in October. She reportedly then said: 'I've done a lot of reading about narcissism... Everything he says is about this fake person who lives in this fake castle, it's not real.' The children's author later denied any 'interview or rant' took place in a statement to Daily Mail Australia. Rita Simons has revealed her joy at finally being reunited with her twin daughters Maiya and Jaimee, 12, after they were apart for a month. The former EastEnders actress, 41, slummed it in the jungle during this year's series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! and was the fourth contestant sent home after 17 days. But the TV star went straight from the jungle to the panto stage and didn't get to see her daughters until now. Reunion: Rita Simons, 41, went straight from the jungle to the panto stage and didn't get to see her daughters until now Taking to Instagram, Rita shared a snap of herself hugging her daughters and wrote: 'Havent seen my babies for over a month! And finally I get to do this.' After flying home from Australia, Rita went straight back into work, performing in the Bournemouth panto of Sleeping Beauty. The soap star missed the start of the run due to her commitments in the jungle. For her turn on the panto stage, Rita donned a dramatic look, wearing a pair of red horns and a red and black lace caraboose outfit. Back to reality: The former EastEnders actress, 41, slummed it in the jungle during this year's series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! and was the fourth contestant sent home after 17 days Busy: After flying home from Australia, Rita went straight back into work, performing in the Bournemouth panto of Sleeping Beauty TV: The soap star missed the start of the run due to her commitments in the jungle Following her elimination from I'm A Celebrity, Rita admitted the show was harder than she had expected going in. She said: 'It was so much harder than I ever thought it would be. It's bloody hard. The thing that killed me the most, the boredom. 'I'm sitting in the camp and I am no good at sitting around. That killed me the most.' The actress was relieved to be back in the real world after her time in the jungle came to an end and told how she 'hasn't stopped eating' since the show ended. In character: For her turn on the panto stage, Rita donned a dramatic look, wearing a pair of red horns and a red and black lace caraboose outfit She said: 'I got in the shower and scrubbed my entire body twice - and hair twice. 'I got out of the shower and my hair still stank of campfire smoke, and it still does a little bit now. 'Then I ate some more and some more and some more and some more and I haven't stopped eating since.' The Hungarian Ministry of Defence has ordered 16 H225M multi-purpose helicopters equipped with the HForce weapon management system. Together with the helicopters, Airbus will also provide an extensive training and support package to ensure the highest level of operational availability. Airbus Helicopters H225M multirole helicopter (Credit: Airbus Helicopters) I am thankful for the trust that the Hungarian Government has placed in our company to support its ambitious Zrinyi 2026 armed forces modernisation programme. Our teams have witnessed the professionalism and enthusiasm of the Hungarian experts and pilots whose contribution has been key to ensuring the success of this project said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO. This new contract confirms the H225M as a combat-proven, multi-role platform operated by the most demanding military customers worldwide. The Hungarian armed forces will be able to rely on the cost-efficient H145M / H225M tandem that will enable them to cover all of the major military missions, from light utility, tactical transport, combat search and rescue up to light attack. The H225Ms selected by Hungary will be equipped with state-of-the-art communication capabilities and will be used for transport, combat search and rescue, and special operations missions. Its state-of-the art avionics and four axis autopilot, exceptional range and payload capacities, combined with a large cabin designed to carry up to 28 troops and powerful air-to-ground and air-to-surface armament as well as electronic warfare systems allow the H225M to carry out the most demanding missions. The helicopter has an all-weather capability supported by its night vision goggle compatibility. The H225M is currently in service across the globe with 88 helicopters having been delivered so far. It recently surpassed the 100,000 flight hour milestone, following its first delivery to the French Air Force in 2006. Since then the 11-metric-tonne H225M has proven its reliability and durability in multiple combat environments and crisis areas. With this contract, Hungary becomes the 9th country to have selected the H225M. A member of the multi-role Super Puma family of helicopters, this military variant is currently operational in France, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, and has recently been ordered by Kuwait and Singapore. The estranged husband of Jersey Shore's Jenni 'JWoww' Farley, Roger Mathews, is taking aim at Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi after the reality star got involved in his marital crisis, as he claimed that Snooki 'has many [skeletons] in her closet.' Mathews' salvo came the wake of a Friday incident in which police removed the 43-year-old truck driver from the family home amid a domestic dispute - leading to a restraining order being issued against him. Snooki, 31, took to Instagram with a security clip that depicted JWoww, 32, telling police officers that Mathews is 'not a bad dad' and 'should be allowed to see' their two children, daughter Meilani, four, and son Greyson, two. The latest: Roger Mathews, 43, (L), the estranged husband of Jersey Shore's Jenni 'JWoww' Farley, 32, is taking aim at Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, 31, after the reality star got involved in his marital crisis, as he claimed that Snooki 'has many [skeletons] in her closet' On Saturday, Mathews took to Instagram in response to the comments of a supportive fan, saying that Snooki has not been involved in their household - and has her own checkered past to worry about. 'Nicole has never spent a single night in our home in 8 years,' Roger wrote. 'You will see the truth come out in the end. Nicole has many Skeltons in her closet. Many.' He continued: 'I have none in mine and will own every aspect of my life. Good and bad. She should stay out of matters that do not concern her.' Mathews said in an earlier clip on the social media post - shot from the back of a police car - that it was JWoww who 'became completely, uncontrollably emotional like she always does' during the dispute, leading him to contact authorities about the issues at hand. Upset: Roger ripped Snooki for getting involved, saying that she has skeletons in her closet Better times: Roger and JWoww were snapped in NYC in April Mathews wrote in the accompanying caption that Jwoww told their two children that 'their dad is a piece of s***and shes sorry she ever had children with him.' Mathews vowed he would 'never stop fighting for [his] kids' in the clip, which came about three months after JWoww filed for divorce from him September 12. In the post Friday, Snooki said she was inserting herself into the fray to show that JWoww does everything she can to make sure her children see their father, and called out Mathews' penchant for taking to social media amid their problems. 'Because you see 10 videos of him airing out their personal business regarding their divorce, its okay to [badger] Jenni and send her death threats telling her shes an awful mom and human being?' she wrote. 'I know my sis and she is NOT the person Roger is painting her out to be.' Jwoww's team took to Instagram with their own official statement on the matter, saying that the reality star felt it was in the best interests of her and her kids 'to involve the authorities' in the early Friday incident. 'Any statements and social media posts depicting anything to the contrary are entirely false, misleading and intentionally designed to cast Jenni in a negative light,' JWoww's team said. He's filming in France for Wes Anderson's latest project. And Owen Wilson enjoyed some down time in Bordeaux, as she was spotted heading out to a bar with a pal on a night out on Friday. The 50-year-old actor joined his friend at La Brasserie Bordelaise after a long day shooting on location locally. And there were also some pretty ladies at the venue. One blonde beauty was even pictured giving him a friendly kiss. French kissing: Owen Wilson was seen meeting a woman - the friendly star stoically endured the local greeting of two kisses - in Bordeaux on Friday Greeting: He joined some young ladies for conversation; here is a woman in a beret and jeans Night out: The woman wore red lipstick and seemed to be in great spirits Fedorable: The star was seen wearing a very snazzy fedora as he walked through the town He looked dapper in a black fedora, although his trademark unkempt blonde locks were hard to miss. The Royal Tenenbaums star bundled up in a dark pea coat, and retracted his hands to keep them warm in the absence of gloves. The friendly star and his pal chatted to each other before joining some young ladies for conversation. Conversations: Owen chatted to the young ladies who were seated outside in the cold Pals: The actor looked to be collecting something from his female counterpart Info? One of the ladies appeared to hand the star a piece of paper Soiree: They shared a quick drink around a table sat on wooden slat chairs One of the ladies appeared to hand the star a piece of paper, perhaps with directions to a local church service. Wilson was shooting in Angouleme on Friday for the Wes Anderson project, which is rumoured to be a musical set in post-World War II France, according to local publication Charente Libre. Wilson has appeared in all of Anderson's films with the exception of 2012's Moonrise Kingdom and 1998's Rushmore, which Wilson co-wrote. Mingling with locals: The 50-year-old actor joined his friend at La Brasserie Bordelaise after a long day shooting locally Distinctive: He looked dapper in a black fedora, although his trademark unkempt blonde locks were hard to miss Chilly night: The Royal Tenenbaums star bundled up in a dark pea coat, and retracted his hands to keep them warm in the absence of gloves Bon soir: The friendly star and his pal chatted to each other On location: Wilson has been shooting in Angouleme on Friday for the Wes Anderson project The pair first met in a script writing class during their sophomore year at the University of Texas at Austin and went on to be roommates. Meanwhile, Wilson welcomed a baby daughter named Lyla with ex-girlfriend Varunie Vongsvirates in October but has 'refused to meet his daughter' according to Us Weekly. A source told the publication: 'He even checked the no visitation box in court in June. He does not want to visit [and does not] want any custody of her.' The source added that Wilson 'has not contacted Varunie at all' after she gave birth nor during her pregnancy, despite the fact that they 'dated for almost five years.' The actor shares his 7-year-old son, Robert Ford, with his ex-girlfriend Jade Duell. He is also the father of 4-year-old son Finn Wilson, whom he welcomed with his ex-girlfriend, Caroline Lindqvist, a personal trainer in January 2014. With production under way on MTV's reboot of The Hills, dubbed The Hills: New Beginnings, Stephanie Pratt is calling the production, 'a nightmare.' Pratt, 32, hosted an event for MeMe London in America at Switch Boutique in Beverly Hills on Saturday, where she told US Weekly that production started off fine, but quickly took a turn for the worse. 'It was really fun at first, and now its like a nightmare,' Pratt said. 'Theres a big divide,' she added, hinting there will be even more drama than the original. The Hills divided: Stephanie Pratt teased production on The Hills: New Beginnings reboot has been a 'nightmare' while teasing a 'divided' cast. 'You know, the stakes are a lot higher,' Pratt, the brother of Spencer Pratt, added. 'Weve got couples who are married with kids,' she said, possibly alluding to her brother Spencer Pratt who has a newborn son Gunner with wife Heidi Montag. 'Its not kind of just like, "Oh, you cheated at the bar,"' Pratt said. 'This is way more life-changing kind of stuff. Im scared for everyone. And for myself. Its going to be gnarly.' Nightmare filming: Pratt, 32, hosted an event for MeMe London in America at Switch Boutique in Beverly Hills on Saturday, where she told US Weekly that production started off fine, but quickly took a turn for the worse Stephanie, her brother Spencer and his wife Heidi will be joined by original The Hills cast members Audrina Patridge, Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado, Jason Wahler, Justin "Bobby" Brescia and Whitney Port. They will be joined by new cast members Mischa Barton and Brandon Thomas Lee, with MTV eyeing a 2019 debut for the series. Justin "Bobby" Brescia even teased at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in Inglewood, California last month that there might even be a new baby appearing on the show. Hills stars: Stephanie, her brother Spencer and his wife Heidi will be joined by original The Hills cast members Audrina Patridge, Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado, Jason Wahler, Justin "Bobby" Brescia and Whitney Port 'Its going to brew,' Brescia said. 'I think somethings coming. I think a pregnancy might be coming.' He wouldn't reveal which cast member might be pregnant, adding, 'I can't tell you who.' Delgado also spilled on the dynamic with new cast member Mischa Barton, who was friends with Brody Jenner during the original series. Higher stakes: 'Its not kind of just like, "Oh, you cheated at the bar,"' Pratt said. 'This is way more life-changing kind of stuff. Im scared for everyone. And for myself. Its going to be gnarly.' 'I know Brody used to be friends with (Mischa), but I only met her once 10, 12 years ago maybe back in the day when she was on The O.C.,' he said. 'Itll be interesting the way they bring her into our cast and into our friendships because were all really tight with each other, the reality star added. 'But in the end, I think we have a really cool dynamic between all of us.' The original version of The Hills, a spin-off of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, ran for six seasons between 2006 and 2010. They have been friends for years, and it appears Matt Damon has mastered a pretty good impression of Chris Hemsworth's soft-spoken Australian accent. The Hollywood actor impersonated his friend in a hilarious Saturday Night Live sketch over the weekend which saw comedians parodying possible Oscars hosts. For his segment, Matt, 48, wore a fake beard and asked the studio audience in Chris' trademark voice: 'Host the Oscars? Why would anyone want to look at me?' Seeing double! Matt Damon (left) performed a hilarious impersonation of his friend Chris Hemsworth (right) on Saturday Night Live over the weekend The sketch also saw Aidy Bryant impersonate Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby. After Kevin Hart withdrew as host of the Oscars due to resurfaced homophobic tweets, Hannah was suggested as a possible replacement. She rose to fame in America this year thanks to the popularity of her Netflix comedy special Nanette but has yet to comment on the speculation. In character: For his segment, Matt wore a fake beard and asked the studio audience in Chris' trademark voice: 'Host the Oscars? Why would anyone want to look at me?' Despite not appearing together on screen, Matt and Chris have quite the bromance. They are often seen enjoying family vacations together in Byron Bay, on the New South Wales coast, where Chris lives. The Thor star, 35, told GQ magazine in 2014 they became friends around the time he was breaking into Hollywood. Good pals: Despite not appearing together on screen, Matt and Chris have quite the bromance 'We became friends around the time I started to work, and I've really benefited from watching how he handles himself,' Chris said at the time. The father-of-three added that he was impressed with how Matt had managed to stay grounded, despite his level of fame. 'Matt's just a normal guy who has the movie-star thing figured out,' he said. Kate Hudson is the latest celebrity to join forces with WWformerly known as Weight Watchers. The announcement, made my PEOPLE on Sunday, comes just two months after Hudson gave birth to daughter Rani. 'It came at a perfect time for me,' the Fabletics co-founder told the weekly magazine. 'It's hard when you have babies. Everyone comes before you, and you have to find that time to just focus in on yourself.' Brand ambassador: Kate Hudson (above November 7) is the latest celebrity to join forces with WWformerly known as Weight Watchers Along with the desire to lose '25 pounds,' Kate went on to explain that her values fully align with WW. 'One of my passions in life is wanting people to live their most optimum life, whether it be in health or in happiness,' she said. 'And I think that one of the number one things for that is finding a community that can support you. WW is, to me, the perfect community for that.' Hudson hopes that her involvement with the wellness brand will inspire others to live a healthier lifestyle. Bundle of joy: The announcement, made my PEOPLE on Sunday, comes just two months after Hudson gave birth to daughter Rani 'I am excited to walk down a street and have someone come up and say they're apart of the community, because it means they're doing something good for themselves,' she explained. Oprah Winfrey and DJ Khaled are two other prominent WW brand ambassadors. 'I've had a better life since being a part of the WW family,' Winfrey said in a recent press release. 'It's a constant decision to remain healthy and strong and vibrant. I have a real appreciation for every day when I wake up with a healthy mind and a healthy body.' 'One of my passions in life is wanting people to live their most optimum life, whether it be in health or in happiness,' she told the magazine. 'And I think that one of the number one things for that is finding a community that can support you. WW is the perfect community for that' In that same release, WW's President and CEO, Mindy Grossman, weighed in on their partnership with Hudson. 'We're so thrilled to have Kate join us,' Grossman said. 'She carries such a powerful influence that will help us bring our mission to life across the globe, inspiring others to join our community and be their best selves.' The mom of three signed a multi-year contract and her 'For Every Body' campaign will launch globally on December 26. Josh Brolin managed to take a stab at President Trump's border wall and share a new photo of his baby Westlyn in one Instagram post Sunday. Brolin, 50, posted a festive photo of his one-month old child in a baby seat, next to his family's small Christmas tree. But the newborn's innocence was contrasted with a shot from photographer Susan Meiselas' recent series on Nicaragua, showing a man holding a gun with a white bandanna covering his mouth. The actor remarked on the state of the Southern border in a snide but informative caption. Josh's baby: Josh Brolin shares a new photo of his newborn baby while taking a jab at Trump's border wall and addressing the tenuous situation in Nicaragua 'Susan Meiselas (@susanmeiselas) took this. I took this. Imagining this morning how lucky we are as I think of the troubles in Nicaragua when she took this series on Nicaragua,' Brolin began. 'Westlyns head position, the fact that she looks Latina, I imagine her there, the holidays a background afterthought, fighting the corruption, the civil war, faceless, scared, just wanting to survive,' Brolin added. He then took on a seemingly sarcastic tone, stating, 'We are so lucky to have a perfect government without greed, without any corruption.' The Avengers: Infinity War star went on to take a jab at President Trump's proposed border wall, and the President's controversial family separation policy. Dissing Trump: The Avengers: Infinity War star went on to take a jab at President Trump's proposed border wall, and the President's controversial family separation policy. The Brolin family: The newborn Westlyn Reign Brolin was born on November 4, his first with his wife of two years, Kathryn 'Put that wall up, but please dont confuse my baby. Id like to keep her. Think. Think. Think,' the actor concluded. The newborn Westlyn Reign Brolin was born on November 4, his first with his wife of two years, Kathryn. Brolin has two adult children, Trevor, 30, and Eden, 24, from the actor's first marriage with actress Alice Adair. Brolin has long been critical of President Trump, even going so far as reading his tweets as his nefarious Thanos character from Avengers: Infinity War in June. Josh and Kathryn: Brolin (seen with wife Kathryn in June) has long been critical of President Trump, even going so far as reading his tweets as his nefarious Thanos character from Avengers: Infinity War in June Nicaragua has been a country under siege for many months, with protests against President Daniel Ortega, who proclaimed that the act of protesting itself was illegal. He also came under fire when his military forces raided the headquarters of Confidencial, one of the country's top independent news outlets. Brolin returns to portray the nefarious Mad Titan known as Thanos in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, which hits theaters on April 26, 2019. The first trailer for Avengers: Endgame was released last week, amassing a record-breaking 289 million views across all platforms in the first 24 hours. The actor is also slated to play volatile country star George Jones in the biopic George and Tammy about his relationship with Tammy Wynette. Some stars might be pleased to see an airbrush let loose on their pictures but not Nigella Lawson. The celebrity chef has criticised US TV networks that try to make her look slimmer, revealing she had to tell them not to edit out her sticking-out stomach. The 58-year-old, pictured, joins a growing number of stars to hit out at airbrushing after British actress Jameela Jamil called for it to be banned. Nigella Lawson has criticised US TV networks that try to make her look slimmer, revealing she had to tell them not to edit out her sticking-out stomach Miss Lawson tweeted: Ive had to tell American TV stations not to airbrush my sticking-out stomach. The hatred of fat and assumption wed all be grateful to be airbrushed thinner is pernicious. One fan replied: I cannot for the life of me fathom anyone ever wanting to airbrush Nigella! You are absolutely gorgeous! Miss Jamil, 32, a former Radio 1 DJ who stars in US comedy The Good Place, had tweeted: Airbrushing is used for ethnicity erasure, colourism, ageism, fat-phobia, ableism, racism and sexism to make you hate your real face and body. They're the Gold Coast family considered Australia's answer to the Kardashians. And Tammy Hembrow, 24, and her brood have demonstrated just how similar they are to America's reality TV royalty by posing for a very familiar Christmas portrait. On Sunday, Tammy's sister Emilee shared a family photograph that appears to have been heavily inspired by the Kardashian's famous 2011 Christmas card. They really ARE the Australian Kardashians! The Hembrows (pictured) have taken inspiration from America's most famous family by posing in all-white for a glamorous Christmas card The Hembrows appeared to imitate the Kardashians in the professional family photo shoot as they posed in all-white ensembles. 'A bond that cant be broken,' Emilee wrote in the caption, alongside the hashtag: 'family.' In the picture, Tammy sits on the couch in an off-the-shoulder mini dress alongside her two children, Saskia, two and Wolf, four. Seeing double! Tammy's sister Emilee shared a family photograph that appears to have been heavily inspired by the Kardashian's famous 2011 Christmas card (pictured) The fitness entrepreneur, who boasts nine million followers on Instagram, is seated next to her mother Nathalie, who is often compared to 'momager' Kris Jenner. The mother-of-seven bears a striking resemblance to the Kardashian-Jenner family matriarch with her cropped hairstyle and dark features. Meanwhile, pregnant Emilee sits alongside Tammy with her daughter, Aaliyah, who was born in 2016. Internet sensation: Fitness entrepreneur Tammy boasts nine million followers on Instagram Coming soon! Tammy's sister Emilee welcomed her daughter Aaliyah (left) in 2016 and is currently pregnant (right) with a baby boy The brunette, who is weeks away from giving birth to a baby boy, looks positively glowing in a skintight maxi dress with a thigh-high split. Tammy's sister Amy, 28, and half-sister Starlette, 18, also appear in the line-up. Amy is the oldest Hembrow and has earned modest social media fame thanks in part to her younger siblings, Emilee and Tammy. Socialites: The Gold Coast-based Hembrow family are considered Australia's answer to the Kardashians. Pictured (left to right): Emilee, Tammy, Amy and Starlette Dream team! Amy (left) is the oldest Hembrow at 28, and has earned modest social media fame thanks to her younger sisters Tammy (centre) and Emilee (right) She's the general manager of clothing brand Saski Collection and has previously worked as a marketing coordinator and graphic designer. Unlike her sisters, Amy's modelling resume is limited to a few small campaigns. The youngest of the Hembrow clan, 13-year-old Ava, was absent from the family portrait. All the credentials! Amy is the general manager of clothing brand Saski Collection and has previously worked as a marketing coordinator and graphic designer Tammy made global headlines in August for partying too hard during Kylie Jenner's 21st birthday party at celebrity hotspot Delilah in West Hollywood. The mother-of-two was identified by The Blast as the mystery blonde who was escorted from the venue in a stretcher and rushed to a nearby hospital. She was strapped face down on the gurney while being attended to by medics, possibly in a bid to conceal her identity. Her Kim Kardashian 'moment'? Tammy made global headlines in August for partying too hard during Kylie Jenner's 21st birthday party at celebrity hotspot Delilah in West Hollywood. She was pictured being escorted from the venue in a stretcher and rushed to a nearby hospital Kim Kardashian was feeling nostalgic on Sunday. Over the weekend, the 38-year-old star shared a vintage photo of herself as a youngster. It was hard to ignore the striking similarities 'Baby K' shared with her five year old daughter North in the throwback Instagram. Baby K: Kim Kardashian posts a vintage photo of a 'Baby K' in her youth on Sunday North stepping out: A number of her followers pointed how how similar she looks to her daughter North, including Instagram user bridgegenesis, who said, 'Looking like a box of North' A number of her followers pointed how how similar she looks to her daughter North, including Instagram user bridgegenesis, who said, 'Looking like a box of North.' Sampatrois added, 'Thought it was your daughter at first,' while another, dragonfire_beauty, added she changed her mind about something after seeing this pic. 'I always thought North looked a little more like Kanye than Kim,' began dragonfire_beauty. 'Now Ive completely changed my mind, shes a spitting image of you!' Earlier in the day the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star also posted a photo of her and her sister Kourtney posing at the beach in 1994, when she was 13 and Kourtney was 15. Teen sisters: Kim K also posted a photo of her and her sister Kourtney posing at the beach in 1994, when she was 13 years old and Kourtney was 15 Smiling daughter: A number of Kim's followers pointed how how similar she looks to her daughter North, including Instagram user bridgegenesis, who said, 'Looking like a box of North' who is seen above in 2016 with mom The photos came just a few days after Kim celebrated the birthdays of Kourtney's kids, Reign and Mason, who were born on the same day but five years apart. Her throwback photo with sister Kourtney features them both wearing bikinis and smiling while relaxing on the beach. While Kim was reminiscing on Sunday, on Saturday she made an intriguing revelation that she wants her husband Kanye West to leave Twitter. An insider told People that, after West re-ignited his feud with Drake on social media, she wants him to leave the social media platform. '(Kim) doesnt plan on making another comment about the drama and she asked Kanye to do the same,' an insider told the publication. 'Clearly he is not doing well again. Kim just wants him off Twitter,' the insider added. Birthday celebration: The photos came just a few days after Kim celebrated the birthdays of Kourtney's kids, Reign and Mason, who were born on the same day but five years apart (above) West also blasted Ariana Grande for commenting on West's controversial tweets, 'Clearly he is not doing well again. Kim just wants him off Twitter,' the insider added. Grande ended up apologizing for commenting in the first place, adding she, 'hated the internet' and that they should 'stop weaponising mental health.' While the brief beef between Kanye and Ariana has seemingly been squashed, it remains to be seen if Kanye will actually leave the social media website. Kanye released the new album Ye earlier this year, and he also has another new album dubbed Yahndi in the works. Karl Stefanovic's teenage son has set the record straight on conflicting reports over whether he and his siblings attended their father's lavish Mexican wedding. Jackson Stefanovic, 19, was thrust back into the spotlight on Monday after his mum Cassandra Thorburn was quoted as saying her three children had not attended the Today show host's ceremony. Ms Thorburn, 47, claimed Jackson, Ava, 13, and River, 12, were not present when their dad Karl wed fashion designer Jasmine Yarbrough, despite being in Mexico with him. While the Nine Network star refuted his ex-wife's claims, the couple's eldest son told Daily Mail Australia he and his siblings were not inside the chapel on December 8. Scroll down for video Jackson Stefanovic (right), the teenage son of Today host Karl (centre), has revealed he and his younger siblings did not attend their father's recent wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough (left) The 19-year-old told Daily Mail Australia on Monday: 'I didn't go to the ceremony, I went to say congratulations [to Karl and Jasmine] after they'd all left the chapel but it was a lot later.' 'I didn't go to the ceremony, I went to say congratulations [to Karl and Jasmine] after they'd all left the chapel but it was a lot later,' Jackson said from his mum's waterfront mansion at Cremorne, on Sydney's north shore, on Monday. 'My brother and sister didn't want to go, and I was not going to leave them on their own so I looked after them. 'I figure at their age they may not have an understanding of watching a parent get re-married. They might not understand it's just a parent moving on.' The eldest child of Karl and Cassandra, who split in 2016, also denied reports he and his English girlfriend Anna Blackwell had been kicked out of the wedding. 'I left with my girlfriend and they said it was because we were too drunk which is just stupid,' Jackson said. 'We left because it was s**t.' Making headlines: Jackson was thrust into the spotlight on Monday after his mother Cassandra Thorburn was quoted as saying her three children did not attend Karl and Jasmine's nuptials on December 8 (pictured) Despite a spokesperson for Karl claiming his children did attend, his eldest son set the record straight. (Pictured: Karl and Jasmine exchanging vows at the One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico) Setting the record straight: 'My brother and sister didn't want to go, and I was not going to leave them on their own so I looked after them,' Jackson said of siblings Ava, 12 and River, 10 When asked about the wedding experience and the trip to Mexico, Jackson spoke of his time positively. 'It was alright, I was pretty much just with my girlfriend the whole time just enjoying the country and not worrying about the wedding,' he said. However when it came to his relationship with his new stepmother, the teenager was reluctant to say too much. 'She's nice, yeah. I don't really know what else I can say,' he said. In an interview with New Idea published earlier on Monday, Cassandra was quoted as saying that her three children had not attended the wedding. 'My 19-year-old [Jackson] assured me they [he and his siblings] did not attend,' she claimed. Nine Network superstar Karl Stefanovic and his journalist wife Cassandra Thorburn (pictured) split in 2016. The couple have three children - Jackson, 19, Ava, 12 and River, 10 Her version of events: 'My 19-year-old [Jackson] assured me they [he and his siblings] did not attend,' Cassandra (pictured) told gossip magazine New Idea She then hinted that Karl had 'designed' the wedding so that the younger children - River and Ava - 'had to spend those two weeks with their father'. Jackson, who is not bound by custody arrangements because he is over 18, attended only to 'protect' his siblings, Cassandra claimed. It comes after an 'insider' told The Daily Telegraph that Karl's children 'were told they did not have to attend the wedding, but Karl wanted them on the trip'. The newspaper's source added that Cassandra had 'received a call from Jackson on the afternoon of the nuptials confirming [he and River] did not attend the ceremony.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Karl and Jasmine's publicists for comment. The World's Hottest Grandma has been very naughty this year. On Monday, Gina Stewart took to Instagram to share several raunchy holiday-themed photos from her Almost Naked calendar. In the festive pictures, the mother-of-four, 48, can be seen posing with nothing more than a red Christmas ribbon to protect her modesty. Merry XXX-mas! The World's Hottest Grandma Gina Stewart, 48, flaunted her curves in a racy Christmas-themed photo shoot this week In one particularly provocative image, the Gold Coast grandmother removes the ribbon altogether to reveal her bare chest to the world. Gina has promised that her saucy calendar will feature '14 months of glossy and glamorous' photos for her fans to enjoy. The blonde bombshell also promised that the calendar includes her 'first ever fully frontal topless photo.' Eat your heart out, Mrs Claus! In the festive photos, the mother-of-four poses with nothing more than a red Christmas ribbon to protect her modesty 'I have exclusive content in the calendar, not seen before on Instagram or elsewhere,' she previously said. Gina, who has a one-year-old grandchild, added that it would be a 'limited edition print run' so fans have to place their orders quickly. The print edition is said to have already sold out, with Gina having to send out digital copies now to keep up with demand. It's a Christmas miracle! In one particularly provocative image, the Gold Coast grandmother removes the ribbon altogether to reveal her bare chest to the world After rising to fame earlier this year, Gina has become a certified social media sensation with over 125,000 followers on Instagram. While she's admitted to having veneers and breast implants, she hasn't undergone any other plastic surgery or injectables like fillers and Botox. In September, Gina had her 'first facial treatment in years' by getting microdermabrasion at a local beauty spa on the Gold Coast. Superstar: After rising to fame earlier this year, Gina has become a certified social media sensation with over 125,000 followers on Instagram She said that it was important to find treatments that were 'anti ageing without going under the knife,' and that she was excited to try out laser treatments next. In May, Gina told Daily Mail Australia that the only products she uses on her face are coconut oil and rose hip oil. She also follows a 'chemical-free' lifestyle and only drinks alkaline water. Keeping Up With the Kardashians starlet Kylie Jenner lamented the fact she had 'no days off' while glamming up for a mystery shoot in Los Angeles on Sunday. The 21-year-old reality stunner ditched her usual wigs and extensions in favor of showing off her natural platinum bob, which was coiffed by hairstylist Tokyo Stylez. And make-up artist Ariel Tejada applied the white-robed Calabasas socialite's fully-contoured complexion and artificially plump-lipped pout. Camera ready: Keeping Up With the Kardashians starlet Kylie Jenner lamented the fact she had 'no days off' while glamming up for a mystery shoot in Los Angeles on Sunday Kylie - who boasts 172.5M followers/subscribers - later tweeted that she has already started planning her daughter Stormi's first birthday bash. However, Jenner and her rapper 'hubby' Travis Scott's privileged princess doesn't technically turn 1 until February 1. When a fan asked the Lip Kit mogul when she was going to drop a palette devoted to her baby girl, she tweeted: 'I'll do a stormi collection when she can pick her own colors...only if she wants [to].' The 26-year-old Grammy nominee (born Jacques Webster II) brought his 31-date Astroworld - Wish You Were Here Tour to California's Oracle Arena in Oakland on Sunday night. Filtered: The 21-year-old reality stunner ditched her usual wigs and extensions in favor of showing off her natural platinum bob, which was coiffed by hairstylist Tokyo Stylez White robe: Make-up artist Ariel Tejada applied the Calabasas socialite's fully-contoured complexion and artificially plump-lipped pout 'Soon!' Kylie - who boasts 172.5M followers/subscribers - later tweeted that she has already started planning her daughter Stormi's first birthday bash 'Yesss can't wait!' However, Jenner and her rapper 'hubby' Travis Scott's privileged princess doesn't technically turn 1 until February 1 (pictured December 8) When a fan asked the Lip Kit mogul when she was going to drop a Stormi palette, she tweeted: 'I'll do a stormi collection when she can pick her own colors...only if she wants [to]' On Saturday night, Kylie's brother-in-law Kanye West confirmed that he met with the Yosemite star that morning and 'it's all love' now that they 'expressed' themselves. The hot-tempered 41-year-old blamed being off his bipolar meds for his 'Twitter storm' where he accused Travis and Drake of 'selling their souls' and 'dissing' him on their song Sicko Mode. 'I'm loving the new music I've been working on. 6 months off meds I can feel me again. Remember when dark fantasy came out I used to tweet a storm also,' the 21-time Grammy winner explained Saturday. 'Bay area!' The 26-year-old Grammy nominee brought his 31-date Astroworld - Wish You Were Here Tour to California's Oracle Arena in Oakland on Sunday night (pictured December 8) 'It's all love': On Saturday night, Kylie's brother-in-law Kanye West confirmed that he met with the Yosemite star that morning and they made up after 'expressing' themselves 'I can feel me again': The hot-tempered 41-year-old blamed being off his bipolar meds for his 'Twitter storm' where he accused Travis and Drake of 'selling their souls' and 'dissing' him on their song Sicko Mode 'I cannot be on meds and make watch the throne level or dark fantasy level music.' Jenner and her family started filming the 16th season of their reality show in late August as part of their massive $100M deal with the E! Network through 2020 - according to Variety. It's hard to believe the nepotistically-privileged daughter of Kris & Caitlyn Jenner was once a regular Sierra Canyon School cheerleader until she started homeschooling in 2012. Birthday girl Ashley Benson - turning 29 this Tuesday - grabbed morning coffee and snacks with her male friend Remington Franklin in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Chronically Metropolitan actress met the 34-year-old Light Switch Digital CEO when she became a brand ambassador and collaborator with Prive Revaux Eyewear. The Anaheim-born beauty released her own line of $30 sunglasses with the David Schottenstein brand when they originally launched in June 2017. Turning 29 this Tuesday! Birthday girl Ashley Benson grabbed morning coffee and snacks with her male friend Remington Franklin in Los Angeles on Sunday Colleagues: The Chronically Metropolitan actress met the 34-year-old Light Switch Digital CEO when she became a brand ambassador and collaborator with Prive Revaux Eyewear (pictured October 4) For her outing, Ashley - who relies on stylist Tara Swennen - dressed down in a red tracksuit over a black crop-top, and her favorite $190 Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 2 sneakers. That same morning, Benson's rumored girlfriend Cara Delevingne shared a tearful post reminding her 57.3M social media followers of the 'importance of crying.' 'Even if tears don't fall from your eyes, we all have to feel at some point. We are not robots, we are not meant to be okay all the time,' the 26-year-old IMG Model captioned her post. 'I am proud of my emotions, good or bad. I want to share something I wrote whilst crying: "You don't have to cry with your eyes closed, If you open them, you will see the courage it takes to swim alone in the ocean."' 'Those eyes tho': The Anaheim-born beauty released her own line of $30 sunglasses with the David Schottenstein brand when they originally launched in June 2017 (pictured Saturday) Athleisure attire: For her outing, Ashley dressed down in a red tracksuit over a black crop-top, and her favorite $190 Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 2 sneakers 'I am proud of my emotions, good or bad': That same morning, Benson's rumored girlfriend Cara Delevingne shared a tearful post reminding her fans of the 'importance of crying' The Pretty Little Liars alum hasn't been pictured with the British heiress since November 21 at the Mandrake Hotel in London, but they kissed each other at Heathrow Airport on August 14. Ashley and Cara met on the set of the movie Her Smell, in which they play Akergirls bandmates Roxie and Cassie alongside Dylan Gelula's Dottie O.Z. Elisabeth Moss, Gayle Rankin, Amber Heard, Dan Stevens, Eric Stoltz, Virginia Madsen, and Agyness Deyn also star in Alex Ross Perry's nineties riot grrrl band drama - which hits US theaters March 29. On set fling? The Pretty Little Liars alum hasn't been pictured with the British heiress since November 21 at the Mandrake Hotel in London, but they kissed each other at Heathrow Airport on August 14 (pictured May 3) Akergirls! Ashley and Cara met on the set of the movie Her Smell, in which they play bandmates Roxie and Cassie alongside Dylan Gelula's (L) Dottie O.Z. John Krasinski has promised there will be a sequel to his critically acclaimed film A Quiet Place. So the actor/director was still out in force promoting his hit thriller during a stop by the Museum of Modern Art's Contenders screening in New York City on Sunday. The 39-year old hit the red carpet looking like the cool everyman, dressed in black jeans with a red and black plaid jacket over a dark button-down shirt. Riding the wave: John Krasinski took part in a Q-and-A during a special screening of his hit thriller A Quiet Place at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Sunday Once all the photographers got their snaps, John headed in for the screening. The event also included a question-and-answer segment that was hosted by MoMA chief curator of film Rajendra Roy. A Quiet Place focuses on the Abbott family, who lead a quiet life in the woods, evading alien creatures that hunt by sound. The story stars John opposite his real life wife Emily Blunt. Passion project: The 39-year old actor co-wrote, directed and starred in the hit thriller alongside real-life wife Emily Blunt; it's the first time he has worked side-by-side with Blunt Honoring the best: The Museum of Modern Art chief curator of film Rajendra Roy hosted the event as part of the museum's Contenders screenings The dish: The Boston native talked about how thriller came to fruition and the critical acclaim\ Kransinki, co-wrote, directed and starred in the thriller, which marked the first time he worked side-by-side with his wife on a film. It turns out he hesitated before asking Blunt to play his onscreen wife, fearing that she would say no; while Blunt had misgivings that their styles wouldn't work well with each other. 'That first day, I was nervous, because I'm a different person when I'm at work than when I'm at home with the kids just hanging out, and he is, too,' she said in an interview with USA Today. 'But he's so collaborative, and at times, it was like John and I were going to battle together. That was really kind of special.' Hit: The film cost $17-$21million to make and has grossed more than $340million since April The latest: Kransinki is currently writing the sequel to A Quiet Place Costing between $17 and $21million to make, the film has gone on to gross more than $340million worldwide, since its release in the US in April. With the success, Paramount green-lit a sequel, which was initially turned down by Kransinski; he has since changed his mind. 'Yes, there will be a sequel. I'm writing it right now. I knew the studio wanted to do it and they were looking for someone else to do it,' he admitted. 'They asked me if I had any ideas and I did, but I didn't think it would amount to anything. Three weeks later, I said this small idea could become something big.' A Quiet Place 2 is set to open in theaters May 15, 2020. Last week, she wed husband Jack Donnelly in a romantic ceremony in Mexico. But life was back to normal for Malin Akerman on Sunday, as she was seen out with co-star Carla Gugino in Los Angeles. The actress, 40, sported a stylish workout ensemble, but it was her new wedding ring that was her most glamorous piece. Girls' day: Malin Akerman, 40, spent the day with Watchmen co-star Carla Gugino, 47, in Los Angeles on Sunday Malin was styled in a sleeveless cut-off T-shirt and cut-out leggings. The pretty blonde kept her shoulder length hair hidden beneath a newsboy cap. The mother-of-one added a side bag to her look, and topped off her accessories with a necklace. Her look: Malin was styled in a sleeveless cut-off T-shirt and cut-out leggings Concealed: The pretty blonde kept her shoulder length hair hidden beneath a newsboy cap Twins: Like her pal, Carla was also styled in head-to-toe black. The actress layered a three-quarter sleeve top underneath a vest, and kept comfortable with leggings Last week, Malin was in Tulum, Mexico. The Trophy Wife star wed husband Jack Donnelly, 32, in a romantic ceremony, attended by her nearest and dearest. This was the second wedding for the star, who was previously married to Roberto Zincone, with whom she shares son Sebastian, five. Bride: The Trophy Wife star wed husband Jack Donnelly, 32, in a romantic ceremony, attended by her nearest and dearest Over the weekend, Malin, new husband Jack and her son attended the Dare to Dream Celebrity Skating Party at the Staples Center. 'I'm still floating from the wedding/ It's great,' she began, in an interview with People. 'It feels different, for sure it does. To be honest with you, it just feels like that last piece of the puzzle just clicked and it feels right.' 'When you meet someone who just, without sounding cheesy, but kind of completes you, you just feel like you can be the best version of yourself. You don't have to change. They bring out the best in you, and vice versa. It just feels right. He's a good, good man. Very good man.' Advertisement Fans of hit Netflix drama The Crown can now catch their first glimpse of Game Of Thrones star Charles Dance as he portrays Prince Charles' favourite great-uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten. The award-winning actor, 72, looked the picture of grandeur in a regal suit and tie, teamed under a statement black coat, as he was joined by co-star Josh OConnor, who plays the Prince of Wales. Photographs of the pair filming new scenes for series three of the popular drama showed them on the grounds of the University of Greenwich, London, on Sunday. The Crown Season 3: Fans can now catch a glimpse of Game Of Thrones star Charles Dance (L) as Prince Charles' favourite great-uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten, as he was joined in filming by co-star Josh OConnor (R), who plays the Prince of Wales The Queens House, Colonnades and the Old Royal Naval College all formed the background for the cameras and are used to imitate Buckingham Palace courtyard. Elsewhere, Josh, 28, was captured walking down the building's grand steps with a stern expression, while sporting a dapper navy suit with a blue shirt and burgundy tie. Numerous extras were also spotted milling around the grounds in sailor outfits, while snaps even show some of the actors taking a nap on set between shoots. Recreation: Photographs of the pair filming new scenes for series three of the popular drama showed them on the grounds of the University of Greenwich, London, on Sunday Looking the part: The award-winning actor (L), 72, looked the picture of grandeur in a regal suit and tie, teamed under a statement black coat, while Josh (R) looked dapper in a navy ensemble Spectacular: The Queens House, Colonnades and the Old Royal Naval College all formed the background for the cameras and are used to imitate Buckingham Palace courtyard Real life: Charles won't see much rest as his character - Lord Mountbatten - could be involved in huge storylines, including Prince Charles' (pictured with his relative in 1979) and a young Camilla's (Duchess of Cornwall) love affair Veteran actor Charles won't see much rest as his character - Lord Mountbatten, as revealed by The Telegraph - could be involved in huge storylines, including Prince Charles' and a young Camilla's (Duchess of Cornwall) love affair. With the third series of The Crown focusing on Queen Elizabeth II's reign in the sixties and seventies, viewers will get to see the youngsters becoming close friends and later a couple. Yet the young Prince travelled overseas to join the Royal Navy in early 1973 and their relationship then ended rather abruptly. Some have often speculated that Lord Mountbatten - a dear confidante of Prince Charles' - conspired to end the relationship so that the future monarch could eventually marry his granddaughter. In character: Josh was spotted walking down the building's grand steps with a stern expression, while sporting a dapper navy suit with a blue shirt and burgundy tie Top tips: The handsome actor, 28, was seen on set getting some direction from the production team in between takes Dapper: The third and fourth series of The Crown, which is set to follow the monarch's rule across the 1960s and 1970s, will see an older Prince Charles played by the Bafta nominee Olivia Colman, who plays the Queen, and Josh O'Connor recently recreated Prince Charles' 1969 investiture ceremony at in Caernarfon Castle. In May 1969, just two months before his investiture, Charles, then just 20 years old, received a note from his grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in which she expressed her support. She wrote: 'My darling Charles, I can't tell you what charming and heart-warming things I am always hearing about you. 'Everyone loves you and is proud of you and I absolutely know you will be able to do wonderful things for this country. Historical: Some have often speculated that Lord Mountbatten - a dear confidante of Prince Charles' (pictured together in 1975) - conspired to end his relationship with Camilla so that the future monarch could eventually marry his granddaughter On point: Numerous extras were spotted milling around the grounds in sailor outfits for the series three filming Breaking character: One actor, dressed as a sailor, quickly dropped his pose once the camera had stopped rolling Getting some downtime: Snaps captured some extras taking a nap on set between the hectic shoots in Britain's capital 'Not only in leadership but by being your own kind-hearted, loving and intelligent and funny self.' The ceremony saw Prince Charles receive the title the Prince Of Wales and Earldom of Chester, which 500 million people watched on TV in Britain and around the globe. It was in effect Charless first public step towards the Throne, and during the event the Letters Patent were read in Welsh before the Queen invested him with the girdle, sword, coronet, ring, rod and kingly mantle. The third and fourth series of The Crown, which is set to follow the monarch's rule across the 1960s and 1970s, will see an older Prince Charles played by Bafta nominee Josh. Keeping warm: In between the scenes, the extras opted to banish the Winter chill by wearing grey blankets and puffy jackets over their costumes Wow: The show is the most expensive television series ever made - with the first series costing $100million Award-winning: The first series of The Crown was one of the most critically acclaimed dramas of 2016 - winning two Golden Globes and two SAG awards, and being nominated for four BAFTAs Highly-anticipated: The new series is expected to land on the online streaming site in 2019 Broadchurch star Olivia has taken over the lead role from Claire Foy and was confirmed to be playing Queen Elizabeth II in October. The first series of The Crown was one of the most critically acclaimed dramas of 2016 - winning two Golden Globes and two SAG awards, and being nominated for four BAFTAs. The show is the most expensive television series ever made - with the first series costing $100million. The new series is expected to land on the online streaming site in 2019. He was seen jumping for joy in the studio audience as his girlfriend was crowned this year's Strictly Come Dancing champ. But Stacey Dooley has revealed her boyfriend Sam Tucknott 'nearly squashed' Mary Berry while raucously celebrating her win as he almost fell off his chair. The documentary-maker, 31, made the hilarious admission on Twitter on Sunday, joking that she would have quickly become the 'most hated woman in Britain' if any harm had come to national treasure Mary. Oops: Stacey Dooley, 31, has revealed her boyfriend Sam Tucknott 'nearly squashed' Mary Berry while raucously celebrating her Strictly Come Dancing win (above) Taking to social media, Stacey amused her followers as she tweeted: 'Sams just told me he nearly fell of his chair and squashed Marry Berry. 'I would have gone from the Strictly champ, to the most hated woman in Britain in record time.' Former Great British Bake Off judge Mary had been in the audience for the Strictly Come Dancing final and was seated just a few chairs away from Stacey's beau Sam and her mother. As she and her professional dance partner Kevin Clifton were announced the winners of Strictly 2018, Sam jumped to his feet and was seen throwing his arms up in the air celebrating. Excited: The documentary-maker's beau of three years was seen standing on his chair as he threw his arm into the air on hearing Stacey had won the BBC series Her biggest fan: Sam couldn't hide his delight as he celebrated - edging closer to Mary who was sat just in front of him He could barely contain his excitement and proved to be his girlfriend's biggest fan as he cheered her on from his seat, while Stacey's mum rushed onto the dance floor to congratulate her daughter in sweet scenes. Stacy's dance partner Kevin, meanwhile, was left in tears as he went to lift the Glitterball trophy alongside the star. It had been Kevin's fifth time making it to the Strictly final, with Stacey telling hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman she wanted to win it even more for him than for her. She said: 'I should say something quite poignant, shouldn't I? You know how highly I think of you. I think you are the biggest gem. Hilarious: Stacey left fans amused as she joked on Twitter that she would have quickly become the 'most hated woman in Britain' if any harm had come to national treasure Mary Overjoyed: An excitable Sam was seen cheering from the studio audience with Stacey's mum 'It's no surprise you have been in the final as many times as you have. It's daunting doing something you haven't done before. But he's so patient and he walks you through. You so deserve this. You so deserve this.' Through his tears Kevin had similarly kind words for Stacey, as he added: 'Thank you so much. Not just for being so amazing and dancing so well and getting this, but just for being the most wonderful person to work with, to spend every day in training with. 'Youve worked so hard, and always with a massive smile on your face. Youre just so lovely, and I think the absolute world of you, thank you so much.' He was congratulated by his estranged wife Karen Clifton following his win, with the dancer embracing Kevin as she told him: 'You did it!' Sweet: Stacy's dance partner Kevin Clifton was left in tears as he lifted the Glitterball trophy alongside the presenting star Meaningful: It had been Kevin's fifth time making it to the Strictly final, with Stacey telling hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman she wanted to win it even more for him than for her Sweet: Kevin was congratulated by his estranged wife Karen Clifton following his win, with the dancer embracing Kevin as she told him: 'You did it!' Despite receiving the lowest total points on the leaderboard, Stacey and Kevin beat the likes of Faye Tozer, Ashley Roberts and Joe Sugg to land the coveted trophy. They performed three dances on the night; a Showdance to Land Of A Thousand Dancers by Jessica Mauboy, their Favourite Dance: Paso Doble to Malaguena by Brian Setzer and their Judges' Choice: Foxtrot to High Ho Silver Lining by Jeff Beck. On the night, Stacey found herself the talk of Twitter after appearing to flash her underwear while performing the Paso Doble. As she lifted her skirt during her routine, her nude underwear was visible, with may questioning whether Stacey had actually been wearing anything underneath her dress. Showing off her sense of humor and taking the comments in her stride, Stacey joked following her Strictly win: 'Ive won strictly and flashed my knickers. A perfect Sat night.' Mishap: On the night of the final, Stacey found herself the talk of Twitter after appearing to flash her underwear while performing the Paso Doble Amusing: Showing off her sense of humor and taking the comments in her stride, Stacey joked following her Strictly win: 'Ive won strictly and flashed my knickers. A perfect Sat night' Following a raucous night of partying after the show's final, Stacey was seen arriving back in Brighton with boyfriend Sam on Sunday. The couple have defiantly brushed off speculation surrounding their romance, as sources claimed to The Sun that Sam had grown 'insanely jealous' of Stacey's close friendship with dancer Kevin. An insider said: 'Sam has been quite vocal about her dancing with a single man and was really paranoid that they were going to split because of the show.' '[Stacey] says he has become insanely jealous even though she insisted there was nothing for him to worry about.' Support: Following a raucous night of partying after the show's final, Stacey was seen arriving back in Brighton with boyfriend Sam on Sunday United front: The couple have defiantly brushed off speculation Sam had grown 'insanely jealous' of Stacey's close friendship with dancer Kevin and looked closer than ever At the time, Stacey made sure to dispel the rumours as she posted a defiant photo of the pair, who have been dating for three years, cuddling up together. The TV star, who is at the helm of her self-named documentary series Stacey Dooley Investigates, is often seen showing her affection for her beau on social media. Snaps of herself and Sam litter her Instagram page, with Stacey declaring she will 'always love' her partner in a sweet post dedicated to Sam on his 30th birthday in September. She revealed in another upload that she was 'forever grateful' for her boyfriend's 'patience' as she had been forced to miss his birthday due to her working commitments. Triumphant! Stacey had been a fan favourite throughout Strictly's 2018 series Swimwear designer Virginia Macari has responded to claims that she owes Millie Mackintosh thousands of pounds after she appeared in her swimwear collection launch. The former Irish reality star confirmed that she owes money to Millie, Irish stylist Courtney Smith and public relations agency Hannah Saunders PR for their services for an April fashion show - but insisted it isn't 24,000, which they've stated. Virginia said that 'being picked on like this is totally unfair' before commenting on Millie's fashion business, Cammac Trading Ltd, collapse earlier this year. Hitting back: Swimwear designer Virginia Macari (centre) has responded to claims that she owes Millie Mackintosh thousands of pounds after she appeared in her swimwear collection launch In March, the former E4 had to liquidate the business with a shortfall of 548,000, with herself losing 178,000 through the collapse. Speaking to the Sunday World, Virginia said: 'I think she is very professional and everything, but it is terrible that her business collapsed and that she owes more than 500,000 to her creditors. 'Honestly, what's been written about me is such a small percentage of what she owes to her creditors. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I owed that kind of money. She has been paid by me and it's been disputed. 'I am taking legal representation and advice over it. Millie liquidated her company, owing all her creditors. I would never do something like that. I take full responsibility for any money owed in my company, which is not that much at all.' Business: The former Irish reality star confirmed that she owes money to Millie, Irish stylist Courtney Smith and public relations agency Hannah Saunders PR for their services for an April fashion show Claims: Virginia said that 'being picked on like this is totally unfair' before commenting on Millie's fashion business, Cammac Trading Ltd, collapse earlier this year However, Millie's management responded to the swimwear designers claims that the money owed to her was 'not very much at all'. They told Independent.ie: 'If its such a small amount, then pay. Cammac Trading Ltd going into liquidation has nothing to do with anything. 'We've never claimed weve never had any payment. To date, 7% has been settled with no further commitment made to the remaining amount. 'The contract with Virginia is with Donna Management on behalf of the services of my client that I represent. It's not her bringing the claim forward, its me.' Settlement: Millie's management responded to the swimwear designers claims that the money owed to her was 'not very much at all' While PR consultant Hannah Saunders and stylist Courtney Smith told the publication they were 'saddened' by Virginia's claims, especially as small business owners. The comments come after MailOnline exclusively revealed last week that Millie was owed thousands of pounds from the Irish fashion designer 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. 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 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. 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. 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 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.' 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. 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.' She's currently enjoying a romantic sunny holiday together in Mauritius - but Megan Barton Hanson is battling some health woes while she's away. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the 24-year-old shared a picture of her chest which was covered in hundreds of tiny blisters. She said she had become hyper-sensitive to the sun after battling a kidney infection. Oh no! Megan Barton Hanson revealed she's covered in hundreds of BLISTERS as severe kidney infection has caused her skin to be hyper-sensitive to the sun Megan wrote: 'So if you're wondering why my IN story has been dead the last few days, I've been suffering from a severe kidney infection. 'Now got antibiotics and it's made my skin so sensitive to the sun I have actual blisters. Swear I need to do a blog of my eventful/uneventful life.' In the picture, Megan could be seen looking rather upset as she wrote: 'Sad pout.' A dream in green: Wes, 20, has also been documenting their holiday in Mauritius and before Megan's blistering incident, he shared a hilarious clip of her larking around in a neon bikini Wild: With thick stripes of suncream plastered across her face, Megan made her boyfriend laugh as she danced around while singing about her high factor Wes, 20, has also been documenting their holiday and before Megan's blistering incident, he shared a hilarious clip of her larking around in a neon bikini. With thick stripes of suncream plastered across her face, Megan made her boyfriend laugh as she danced around while singing about her high factor. Yet it seems that since the video was taken, her ailments have got worse. Megan recently hit back at trolls who branded her jaw-dropping physique 'fat' after she put on a stone because she is happily in love with Wes. Megan says it's old fashioned to believe you can't be sexy and a feminist added that she enjoys being 'womanly' and wouldn't want to be a stick because 'it's too much hard work.' In a wide-ranging interview with the Sun, the blonde beauty said: 'I'm a size 10, I lead a healthy life, I go to the gym, I eat right and yeah I've put on weight since the villa, but I'm not overweight and I'm not fat! 'Yes, I've put on a stone, but I'm comfortable with my figure. I like being womanly, and that when I wear a pencil skirt it goes in and out.' She's a Hollywood stalwart and was once the highest paid woman on television. And Dame Joan Collins, 85, had some strong opinions when she was quizzed about the campaign to ban the song Baby It's Cold Outside during an appearance on Good Morning Britain this Monday. The veteran actress sided with outspoken host Piers Morgan, claiming the world has gone PC-mad and things are 'getting worse and worse' in the wake of the #MeToo movement. 'What's going to happen to seduction?': Dame Joan Collins, 85, had some strong opinions when she was quizzed about the campaign to ban the song Baby It's Cold Outside during an appearance on Good Morning Britain this Monday Joan said the art of seduction will be stamped out as modern consent culture becomes 'out of control', decrying current cultural attitudes towards sexuality. The debate occurred following the news the 1949 Oscar-winning tune, originally performed by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban, has been banned by radio stations amid concerns the lyrics promoted date rape. Joan said the outrage was ridiculous, declaring: What's going to happen to seduction? It's becoming out of control, this has all happened within two years. 'It's getting worse and worse, it's one of the sweetest numbers, how dare they?' Susanna Reid chimed in: 'You're signed up to Piers Morgan's [school of thought] the world's gone nuts!' Long career: The Hollywood stalwart's career spans seven decades and she was once the highest paid woman on television Debate: The veteran actress sided with outspoken host Piers Morgan, claiming the world has gone PC-mad and things are 'getting worse and worse' in the wake of the #MeToo movement Controversial lyrics: Joan disagreed with Baby It's Cold Outside being banned by radio stations amid concerns the lyrics promoted date rape Piers also asked Joan about restricting the subject matter of comedians jokes for fear of offending people. The former Dynasty star declared: 'Back in the day, I saw comedians make jokes about other nationalities, you can't say anything now... 'Not even about people with frizzy hair...you can only make jokes about age! It's not welcome to me at all, but it seems to be the only thing left standing!' During her interview, Joan joked around with Susanna, who was clad in a similar floral patterned dress. Joan said: What's going to happen to seduction? It's becoming out of control, this has all happened within two years' No laughing matter: Piers also asked Joan about restricting the subject matter of comedians jokes for fear of offending people 'You are my style inspiration!': During her interview, the star got on famously with Susanna, who was clad in a similar floral patterned dress Shimmying up to her, she laughed: 'Look Susanna, we look alike... You are my style inspiration!' Joan herself has been a victim of sexual assault - and has spoken candidly about the 'unwanted advances she faced' when she was starting out in the industry. During a recent appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, she discussed the difficulties she faced early on in her seven-decade career. The legendary actress recalled a situation where a producer persistently offered to give her a lift home after work - leading her to be saved by a fellow actor, who went onto make a 'nasty pass' at her himself. Speaking out: Joan herself has been a victim of sexual assault - and has spoken candidly about the 'unwanted advances she faced' when she was starting out in the industry While the #MeToo movement has been monumental over the last year in Hollywood, and other walks of life, Joan explained that in the fifties unwanted advances by men where more brazen and common. The American Horror Story star said: 'I was very lucky because my father was an agent so when I came into the business when I was 17 years old, he warned me about all these predatory men and so did my mother. 'I was rather prepared for the advances that were most of the time, that you didnt want. They were really unwanted advances,' she revealed. Joan went on to give context to her claims, telling host Jonathan: 'My first big movie when I was 18 called I Believe In You, one of the producers used to follow me around at the end of the day to try and get me in his car to take me home because I used to come on the tube because I didnt have the money to take a car or drive. Unwanted advances: The legendary actress also recalled a situation where a producer persistently offered to give her a lift home - leading her to be saved by a fellow actor, who went onto make a 'nasty pass' at her himself 'The wardrobe department used to hide me in the wardrobe cupboards to keep me away from this guy. 'Eventually one of the actors said "Ill give you a lift home, Joanie," and gave me a lift and then he made a very nasty pass at me, really nasty. At 18, I was a virgin, not only was I a virgin but I was extremely naive and ignorant, as we all were in those days. 'All of my generation, we didnt have sex education. My fathers idea of sex education was one day saying to me, Right Ive got to tell you the facts of life".' Joan has gone on to finally find love with her fifth husband Percy Gibson, 53 - and the star gushed: 'It will be 17 years on February 17th What is the secret? I think its just that we really got to know each other before we got involved. 'We were both in the theatre. I was doing a play with George Hamilton, we were touring and we all became great friends Percy and I became great friends and friendship turned to all the other things.' She reportedly called the police on her former beau Mike Thalassitis earlier this month. But Megan McKenna appeared to put the drama aside as she arrived at Dublin's RTE Studios for her The Podge and Rodge Show appearance to promote her debut album Story Of Me on Sunday evening. The former TOWIE star, 26, turned heads on her arrival in Ireland as she slipped into a textured silver jumpsuit, teamed with a black fluffy jacket. Promotional trail: Megan McKenna arrived at Dublin's RTE Studios for her The Podge and Rodge Show appearance to promote her debut album Story Of Me on Sunday evening Mixing glamour with comfort on her display, the TV personality strolled along the streets of the city in a pair of monochrome trainers. The reality star kept accessories to a minimum as she injected a hint of gold into her appearance with hooped earrings. Complementing her stunning features, the blonde wore dewy foundation, heavy strokes of bronzer and nude lipgloss. Looking good: The former TOWIE star, 26, turned heads on her arrival in Ireland as she slipped into a textured silver jumpsuit, teamed with a black fluffy jacket Off she goes: Mixing glamour with comfort on her display, the TV personality strolled along the streets of the city in a pair of monochrome trainers The star's latest project features her debut single High Heeled Shoes, which hit number one in the country charts earlier this year. The country music star's appearance came after she accused former Love Island contestant Mike, 25, of breaking into her home and filming her naked without consent. Just hours earlier, Mike hit back after Megan called the police on her him and accused him of breaking into her house and filming her naked without her consent. According to The Sun, Mike broke into her Essex home and threatened to release footage of her undressing, which he had secretly recorded during their seven month relationship. All in the details: The reality star kept accessories to a minimum as she injected a hint of gold into her appearance with hooped earrings Radiant: Complementing her stunning features, the blonde wore dewy foundation, heavy strokes of bronzer and nude lipgloss Megan, who split with the Love Island hunk in July, is also said to have been bombarded with threatening text messages after he discovered she was going on Celebs Go Dating. Megan's representative confirmed to MailOnline: 'Megan is pressing charges against Mike. 'Megan denies these allegations entirely and she is taking legal advice on any civil action she can bring.' An Essex Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'I can confirm that we are aware of reports of allegations of domestic abuse in Loughton and our enquiries will begin once this has been handed over to us by the Metropolitan Police.' However, Mike vehemently denied the claims and reduced the allegations to an 'unfortunate retort' by his ex following the demise of their romance. A representative for Mike told MailOnline: 'Today the Sun Online has published a story accusing Mr Thalassitis of stalking and harassing Megan McKenna. 'There are further accusations of breaking into her house and filming her without her consent. 'Mr Thalassitis wants to make it absolutely clear that none of these allegations are true and are an unfortunate retort by his ex-partner following the breakdown of their relationship.' Safety fears: The country music star's appearance came after she accused former beau Mike Thalassitis of breaking into her home and filming her naked without consent Claims: The TV personality claims the former Love Island star, 25, broke into her home and threatened to release footage of her naked, which he had secretly recorded during their relationship Before Mike spoke out about the incident, an insider shared with The Sun that Megan had reportedly phoned the police after suffering harassment from her ex. A source told the publication: 'Megan has reported Mike to the police several times and has been told he is now facing arrest, she's told police that he has been stalking and harassing her. 'She also claims he has broken into her house several times. She's also told police that she's concerned that he has threatened to release footage of her naked. 'Megan thinks he's upset she's trying to find someone new on Celebs Go Dating, she has been dealing with this in private for a while now.' She's the winner of The Apprentice 2018, and was officially hired as Lord Sugar's business partner, receiving a 250,000 investment. But Sian Gabbidon, 26, had a rocky start to her partnership with the multi-millionaire businessman, 71, after he called her out for using the wrong Twitter handle when addressing him on social media on Sunday. After being crowned the champion of the BBC show, the Leeds native took to the platform and tagged Lord Sugar in a post. What a mistake! Apprentice winner Sian Gabbidon, 25, had a rocky start to her partnership on Sunday as Lord Sugar, 71, had to inform her she was using the wrong Twitter handle for him However, the tweet - which has since been deleted - featured the wrong Twitter account name, meaning the billionaire wasn't receiving her comments. Lord Sugar soon tried to rectify the embarrassing situation by publicly announcing on his social media profile the Apprentice winner's mistake. 'Sian you are using the wrong twitter handle for me it's @lord_sugar', he unapologetically wrote. Fans were quick to comment on the mishap, suggesting the Apprentice star might soon hear those dreaded 'You're fired' words she avoided on the show. Excited: The Leeds native tagged Lord Sugar (pictured) in a post after winning but it featured the wrong Twitter account name, meaning the billionaire wasn't receiving her comments Sort it out! Lord Sugar soon tried to rectify the embarrassing situation by publicly announcing on his social media profile the Apprentice winner's mistake 'Great start Sian! Fired,' one wrote, while another questioned: 'Attention to detail?' Before the finale aired, the swimwear designer spoke to MailOnline about her rivalry with runner-up Camilla Ainsworth whose 'gourmet nut milk' brand didn't quite impress. Lord Sugar chose Sian despite describing her company as a cottage industry, and rightly so given that she had sold only 400 bespoke swimsuits during its two years trading. The multi-millionaire mogul rejected a product perfectly suited to the booming market in non-dairy alternative milk drinks a business already worth 300 million. Reaction: Fans were quick to comment on the mishap, suggesting the Apprentice star might soon hear those dreaded 'You're fired' words she avoided on the show Sian told MailOnline how having a backbone, and the constant support of her boyfriend, means she can handle 'brutal' Lord Sugar. Addressing the cattiness with the Nut Milk entrepreneur, Sian admitted she didn't go on the BBC show to make friends, and asserted that it's sometimes necessary to be 'ruthless' to win. She said: 'We're business people and we're also friends, and what we're great at doing is turning into business women when we're on task and in the boardroom, and off camera everyone was friends and we were cool. 'But in that boardroom, we were fighting for ourselves and I came into this process on my own. Winner! Lord Sugar chose Sian despite describing her company as a cottage industry, and rightly so given that she had sold only 400 bespoke swimsuits during its two years trading Rivals: Before the finale aired, swimwear designer Sian spoke to MailOnline about her rivalry with runner-up Camilla 'I didn't come in it to make friends, I came in it to win, and there was no way I was gonna think, "Oh I don't wanna offend anyone" I was like, "This is what I have to do" and I do believe that you have to be a bit ruthless sometime. 'And, I did believe that when I was talking to Lord Sugar I wanted him to see that everything I've done was on my own. 'I've spent two years of my life working on this business and putting everything into it, and I wanted that to come across.' Stacey Dooley has encouraged Louis Theroux to join Strictly Come Dancing next year - and fans are fully on board with the idea. Following her triumphant win during Saturday night's epic final, the 31-year-old BBC journalist launched a Twitter campaign backing her fellow documentary maker for the 2019 line-up. Louis had tweeted his fellow broadcaster: 'Congrats, @StaceyDooley! Me next! (JK)'. Get on the dancefloor! Stacey Dooley has encouraged Louis Theroux to join Strictly Come Dancing next year - and fans are fully on board with the idea Show of support: Following her triumphant win during Saturday night's epic final, Stacey (pictured with dance partner Kevin Clifton) launched a Twitter campaign backing her fellow documentary maker for the 2019 line-up The tweet soon went viral, with fans commenting, 'PETITION FOR THIS TO BE A THING' and even the BBC replying to the post. The network's official twitter account replied with a phone emoji, suggesting all Louis need do is call them. Stacey soon jumped on the bandwagon, throwing her support behind the idea of Louis joining the line-up next year. Kicking things off: Louis had tweeted his fellow broadcaster, 'Congrats, @StaceyDooley ! Me next! (JK)' Give them a bell: The network's official twitter account replied with a phone emoji, suggesting all Louis need do is call them Support: Stacey soon jumped on the bandwagon, throwing her support behind the idea of Louis joining the line-up next year Fan reaction: The tweet soon went viral, with fans commenting in their droves She enthused: 'Louis. You waltzing in a sequin shirt, would shut down the internet and send the entire UK into complete euphoria. 2019, GIVE US ALL WHAT WE DESERVE'. Despite receiving the lowest total points on the leaderboard, Stacey and Kevin beat Faye Tozer, Ashley Roberts and Joe Sugg to land the coveted trophy. They performed three dances on the night; a Showdance to Land Of A Thousand Dancers by Jessica Mauboy, their Favourite Dance: Paso Doble to Malaguena by Brian Setzer and their Judges' Choice: Foxtrot to High Ho Silver Lining by Jeff Beck. Amazing achievement: Despite receiving the lowest total points on the leaderboard, Stacey and Kevin beat Faye Tozer, Ashley Roberts and Joe Sugg to land the coveted trophy On the night, Stacey found herself the talk of Twitter after appearing to flash her underwear while performing the Paso Doble. As she lifted her skirt during her routine, her nude underwear was visible, with may questioning whether Stacey had actually been wearing anything underneath her dress. Showing off her sense of humor and taking the comments in her stride, Stacey joked following her Strictly win: 'Ive won strictly and flashed my knickers. A perfect Sat night.' Mishap: On the night of the final, Stacey found herself the talk of Twitter after appearing to flash her underwear while performing the Paso Doble Amusing: Showing off her sense of humor and taking the comments in her stride, Stacey joked following her Strictly win: 'Ive won strictly and flashed my knickers. A perfect Sat night' Following a raucous night of partying after the show's final, Stacey was seen arriving back in Brighton with boyfriend Sam on Sunday. The couple have defiantly brushed off speculation surrounding their romance, as sources claimed to The Sun that Sam had grown 'insanely jealous' of Stacey's close friendship with dancer Kevin. An insider said: 'Sam has been quite vocal about her dancing with a single man and was really paranoid that they were going to split because of the show.' '[Stacey] says he has become insanely jealous even though she insisted there was nothing for him to worry about.' Advertisement Sam Faiers' fans have threatened to 'boycott' her ITVBe show The Mummy Diaries after she was accused of shamelessly ripping off a small family business and copying their designs for her new personalised children's clothing company. The Mummy Diaries star, 27, has been receiving freebies from Yorkshire-based website Forever Sewing for the past two years, and has posted numerous images of her children, Paul Jr., three, and Rosie, 13 months, wearing their colourful monogrammed tracksuits. After discussing working on a collaboration with the brand, the reality TV personality has now been accused of stealing their designs for her own new venture. Spot the difference: Sam Faiers has been accused of RIPPING OFF small business by copying their designs by 'disgusted' fans - (left) her new children's range, (right) the clothing brand she has been receiving freebies from for two years Controversy: Sam shared this picture of her two children wearing personalised clothing from her new clothing venture just hours ago, which is almost identical to the brand that baby Paul has been wearing over the last two years and was littered with comments from angry fans who compared the two brands And now Sam's fans have threatened to boycott her ITVBe series with sister Billie Faiers, The Mummy Diaries, and even her new clothing line. One person said: 'When "celebs" like @SamanthaFaiers get loads of free stuff from small independent retailers then rip off the exact idea and pass off as their own... Shameful !! #boycot #MummyDiaries #foreversewing.' Another show watcher commented: '@SamanthaFaiers won't be watching anymore!!!' A different user put: 'Sam Faiers asking for free clothes for her children is just shameful.I don't care that the brand got publicity,surely you want to earn and pay for the clothes on your own kids back!Have some pride and self respect for gods sake. Absolute scrounger. Hope people boycott 'her brand'.' Outraged: And now Sam's fans have threatened to boycott her ITVBe series with sister Billie Faiers, The Mummy Diaries, and even her new clothing line Another annoyed fan exclaimed: 'As if @SamanthaFaiers isnt making enough money but has RIPPED off a family business . Wont be watching her show anymore , Moneh Grabber!!' A different person said: 'Absolutely shocking move from @SamanthaFaiers !!! Should be ashamed of herself. Forever Sewing is a good, family run business who have built themselves up from the ground. Hope her brand is boycotted!' While a another account added: 'Why would she think this is ok @SamanthaFaiers so much goes into a family business and you accept their freebies then mimic and steal their business #boycott #disgraceful #workharder.' (sic) 'Boycott': One angry fan tweeted: 'I won't be watching after what you did to family business Forever Sewing is despicable. Getting free baby clothes, then copying their designs.' Sam told her fans she was setting up a new children's clothing venture named My Little Darlin' and has started an Instagram page which teases one of the designs, which is near-identical to Forever Sewing's. The page has 11.2k followers already and Sam was thought to be planning to launch in one week, but the comments section has been littered with angry posts from fans, which Sam has been deleting. Just hours after fans started calling out the former TOWIE star for her blatant copycat designs, Sam deleted all of the comments from the Instagram post in question and blocked further comments from appearing. Business: The new My Little Darlin range, run by Sam already has 11.2k followers and she has only shared one post so far Promo: Sam has been posting about her new venture in response to fans asking about the designs MailOnline has seen countless messages exchanged between Sam and the company, in which she lists an extensive amount of freebies she wants from them. The reality star states that her eldest son Paul, three, has been 'living in' the designs and has been wearing them throughout filming of her ITVBe series, The Mummy Diaries. The company has taken to Facebook to voice their feelings of betrayal over Sam's actions after learning that her new children's clothing line is remarkably similar to their own. It is a separate venture to her existing lifestyle brand, All Bits London, which she runs alongside long-term partner, Paul Knightley, 30. Shocked: Fans have been sharing comparisons between the Forever Sewing and My Little Darlin range Forever Sewing wrote on their Facebook page: 'Absolutely devastated would be an understatement that after providing Samantha Faiers clothing for 2 years now she has decided to launch her own baby clothing range... which may I add would be absolutely fine BUT to RIP FOREVER SEWING off to the degree she has is absolutely disgusting! 'Messages recorded over the last 2 years asking continuously for free clothing and sending lists upon lists all of which we have sent to her and all along she was taking them to cheap factories and matching them like for like. 'Also keeping us sweet by talking collaborations with us to work together - because she knew our brand was strong!!!! 'For a business woman who is in the public eye too! She doesnt have enough money in the bank... she has to potentially jeopardise our small family run company that we have worked all hours building!! 'I have never been so stressed, anxious, angry and upset in all my life. Enjoy Maldives Samantha, Im sure your family will be fine - lets hope your new venture doesnt affect ours!!!' Disappearing act! Within hours of fans starting to call out the mother-of-two for her blatant copying, she had deleted all of the comments from the Instagram post in question and blocked further comments from appearing Freebies! MailOnline has seen countless messages exchanged between Sam and the company, in which she lists an extensive amount of freebies she wants from them (pictured, right, Paul jr, three, in Forever Sewing's original design) 'Keeping us sweet': The reality star states her eldest son Paul, three, has been 'living in' the designs throughout filming of The Mummy Diaries and even suggests a potential collaboration with the brand A spokesperson for Sam told MailOnline: 'Samantha was provided clothing by the brand in return for free coverage on social media, over a period of years Samantha supported the brand with free publicity across social media and in the press. 'The owner of the brand has previously thanked Samantha that its from her support that the brand has grown exponentially to the position its in today. 'Samantha has planned to launch her own personalised clothing brand for a number of years which stocks a wide variety of styles and designs. There are hundreds of other retailers selling plain childrens tracksuits. 'Several months ago, Samantha contacted the brand owners to let them know out of courtesy she was launching her own personalised childrens range which they thanked her for letting them know.' 'Stressed, angry and upset': Forever Sewing wrote about feeling betrayed by Sam after learning that she has a new clothing line which is so similar to theirs Hitting back: Sam later took to Instagram stories to attempt to justify her decision, claiming she gave Forever Sewing 'tens of thousands of pounds of free publicity' over the past couple of years Sam later took to Instagram stories to attempt to justify her decision, claiming she gave Forever Sewing 'tens of thousands of pounds of free publicity' over the past couple of years. The reality star also claimed she told the brand she was launching her own similar collection months ago, and said she was 'disappointed' the owners had decided to 'slander' her on social media. Alongside a screengrab of this MailOnline article, Sam wrote: 'I never comment on stuff like this, but I felt this needed to be addressed. 'I always try and support small businesses where possible and tag brands who so kindly send things to myself and my family. 'Naturally I can't post everything but I do my best. Over the past couple of years I've provided tens of thousands of pounds of free publicity to the brand and have tagged them and secured media coverage for them. 'I've always been grateful for the gifting and naturally they understand the value that it's worth to them in terms of sales, they've advised us that a big factor that they are as big as they are today is due to my constant plugging of their brand. 'I'm not ripping off anyone's designs, if you search the internet you will see loads of similar brands selling similar products. I DM'd them back in August telling them I was starting my own personalised clothing range and they thanked me for letting them know. 'Had they come to myself or my team I would of (sic) listened to their concerns and tried to work with them to resolve this, instead I'm disappointed to see that the owners have decided to slander me across social media. 'That's all I'm going to say on the situation, sorry to bore you who don't care xx' Sam has shared a picture of son Paul modelling the range just hours ago on the brand's new Instagram page. She wrote: 'Not long to we officially launch! How cute does @harlenbodhiwhite and Paul look in our handmade 100% cotton tracksuits!' [sic] The page has been littered with angry comments from fans, which one follower has accused her of going through and deleting anything negative in a bid to protect her image. Something to say: Lots of fans felt that Sam's new clothing line was too similar to that of the brand she has been receiving freebies from They wrote: 'hun theres so many other small businesses that also do these tracksuits so are you gonna go and shame them cos they copied someones style?' 'She sent them lists of free clothes she wanted for the kids and talked about working alongside them ... instead does this.' 'She's deleting all the negative comments on this and the Little Darlins page. I liked her until she done this.' 'A clothes range she has copied from another company who have prob sent her freebies for years! Shocking!!!' Fuming: A further selection of angered posts from fans about Sam's new clothing line While it's fair to say there are numerous personalised children's clothing lines out there, Sam's range looks incredibly similar. But some have no problem with her actions. One person wrote: 'Why can't people empower others instead of slandering someone. 'Well done to @SamanthaFaiers for wanting to better her life for her and her family. Forever sewing must think they're the only company who make these tracksuit. Get a grip!' MailOnline has also contacted a spokesperson for ITV for comment. Bill Goldsmith is currently living the high life after finding fame on The Bachelorette. While catching up with his emails on Friday in Bali, the mechanical plumber shared a photo to Instagram of his laptop sitting on a table by a private swimming pool. However, if fans looked past the picturesque setting of the Balinese villa and closely examined Bill's Outlook inbox, they would find a rather embarrassing detail. Better delete that! The Bachelorette's Bill Goldsmith (pictured) shared a photo of his laptop screen while in Bali on Friday that included a rather embarrassing detail - so did you notice it? An email subject line appeared to reveal that Bill was receiving a haul of free clothes from a fashion company. In an exchange with a person named Lisa under the subject line 'Collaboration', the 31-year-old seemed to be arranging delivery of some complimentary summer items. Presumably after selecting a handful of products, Lisa asked Bill for his 'postal address' so the brand could send out his 'shirt and shorts'. On Monday, after arriving back in Melbourne, Bill took to his Instagram Story to promote a clothing label that had sent him some stock. 'How good getting back from Bali to find this,' Bill wrote, before tagging the brand. Whoops! If fans looked past the picturesque setting of the Balinese villa and closely examined Bill's Outlook inbox, they would have noticed a rather interesting email subject line Scoring a freebie, Bill? An email subject line appeared to reveal that Bill was receiving a haul of free clothes - including a 'shirt and shorts' - from a fashion company Celebrities and social media influencers often 'collaborate' with brands on platforms such as Instagram. These deals generally involve the star receiving products for free in exchange for posting about them online. Meanwhile, Bill recently returned from filming Bachelor in Paradise in Fiji. What a coincidence! On Monday, after arriving back in Melbourne, Bill took to his Instagram Story to promote a clothing brand that had sent him some stock It is believed he struck up a romance with Alex Nation on the show, as the pair were photographed kissing in a Melbourne park earlier this month. Their public display of affection will surely have angered Channel 10 executives, as the program is not scheduled to air for several months. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Bill Goldsmith for comment. He's been warned he could 'ruin his US presenting career' for good after asking to leave his role on Extra and return to the UK. But Mark Wright seemed to put his work worries to one side as he enjoyed a seven-hour session with his mates at the Bavarian village in Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park on Sunday. The TV star's appearance came as his actress wife, Michelle Keegan, 31, was seen leaving Manchester on Monday - where she has wrapped filming her new comedy series Brassic - and preparing to reunite with Mark, 31, at their marital home in Essex. He's back! Mark Wright put his work worries to one side as he enjoyed a seven-hour session with his mates at the Bavarian village in Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park on Sunday Homeward bound: Michelle Keegan, 31, was seen leaving Manchester on Monday and preparing to reunite with Mark, 31, at their marital home in Essex The ex Coronation Street star has spent the past three months filming in the northern city that was formerly her home, but is now set to enjoy Christmas with Mark. Michelle rocked a chic vibe when leaving her hotel, wearing a chocolate coloured coat and a light brown scarf, teamed with a black leather Gucci handbag. Getting into the festive spirit much like her partner, the actress kept her essentials in a bright pink shopping bag, with the words 'Celebrate Christmas' embellished on it. The Our Girl star completed her low-key look with some grey joggers and a pair of white trainers, while her brunette locks were tied in a messy bun. Family: In recent months, the former TOWIE star had discussed his hope to become a dad but he ruled out taking on the responsibility of parenthood anytime soon Rocking an appropriate Christmas jumper when touring the annual festive event in London, Mark wore a broad smile as he larked around with pals, including his cousin and former TOWIE star Elliott Wright, for around seven hours. It comes amid claims Mark asked to leave his presenting gig with US television show Extra to return home to Essex and start a family with his wife Michelle. With the host permanently based in Los Angeles to present Extra and his wife previously flying all over the globe for Our Girl, it is a credit they have gone to great lengths to keep the spark alive in their marriage. A Hollywood agent told MailOnline Mark risks ruining his US presenting career and future success Stateside if he does return to the UK. Bye bye! The ex Coronation Street star has spent the past three months filming in the northern city that was formerly her home, but is now set to enjoy Christmas with Mark Stylish: Michelle rocked a chic vibe when leaving her hotel, wearing a chocolate coloured coat and a light brown scarf They said: 'If Mark does in fact leave Extra he is abandoning his chance of ever achieving commercial success in the United States. 'He should be thanking his lucky stars that he was given this job as it is literally a once in a life time opportunity. 'With such a wide talent pool to choose from in Hollywood and New York, there are no longer second chances for a British personality who hasnt been able to click with the American television audience.' However, a spokesperson for Mark told the MailOnline the reality star-turn-presenter had no plans to quit his lucrative job in the States to have children. Getting into the festive spirit: Getting into the festive spirit much like her partner, the actress kept her essentials in a bright pink shopping bag, bearing the words 'Celebrate Christmas' Long-distance love: The pair tied the knot at Hengrave Hall in Suffolk in May 2015, but have been based on opposite sides of the Atlantic for the past year (pictured in February 2017) Meanwhile: Mark enjoyed a festive night out with his pals at the Bavarian village in Hyde Park Winter Wonderland on Sunday It comes following reports the Essex star wants to return to his hometown and focus on work opportunities based in the UK instead. In recent months, the former TOWIE star had discussed his hope to become a dad but he ruled out taking on the responsibility of parenthood anytime soon. In August, Mark told the Metro.co.uk: All I know is at the moment I want to be a dad, I know my wife wants to be a mum. 'Were not talking about when thats going to be yet. Were not even planning when that could be yet. Wed both love to be parents but theres no plans for it whatsoever. Mark and Michelle tied the knot at Hengrave Hall in Suffolk in May 2015 as part of a 1 million magazine deal. The couple have been together for six years after meeting on separate holidays in Dubai in late 2012. It's Christmas! The presenter rocked an appropriate Christmas jumper when touring the annual festive event Long time, no see! Mark wore a broad smile as he larked around with pals, including cousin Elliott Wright (left) for around seven hours They split up in October after he accused his girlfriend of not being loyal. And Love Island's Sam Bird and Georgia Steel are set to have a heated showdown when they come face-to-face at the reality show's Christmas Reunion airing on Monday. In a teaser clip posted to Instagram the 25 year-old hunk shares his feelings with his ex, 20: 'Do you not think it's a bit embarrassing that you bang on about being loyal and you wasn't loyal to me'. Tense: Love Island's Sam Bird and Georgia Steel have a heated showdownat the reality show's Christmas Reunion airing on Monday after she was accused of being disloyal with ex The pair were caught having the confrontation by their fellow Islanders who looked on with shock as Georgia said: 'I was loyal'. But Sam wasn't having any of it and reminded Georgia: 'As soon as you walk through that door at your exes house that's not loyal. No one needs to pick up stuff from someone's house at four in the morning'. When Georgia protested her innocence, Sam quipped that he didn't need to know what she needed from her former flames house, but the former barmaid continued: 'It wasn't four in the morning'. A frustrated Sam tried to keep his cool as he insisted to have proof of the time of the meeting but admitted: 'I did love you'. Honest: In a teaser clip posted to Instagram the 25 year-old hunk shares his feelings with his ex, 20: 'Do you not think it's a bit embarrassing that you bang on about being loyal and you wasn't loyal to me' Can't believe it: The pair were caught having the confrontation by their fellow Islanders who looked on with shock as Georgia said: 'I was loyal' Georgia retaliated that Sam's shouting was 'all he ever did' and one of the reasons she felt 'very, very trapped' in their relationship. Islanders Jack Fincham and Kendall Rae Knight gasped in shock as Georgia insisted to Sam: 'You were very horrible to me', before she stormed off. She ended by telling Sam: 'I'm walking away babe because I really don't care anymore darling'. Telling it straight: Sam wasn't having any of it and reminded Georgia: 'As soon as you walk through that door at your exes house that's not loyal. No one needs to pick up stuff from someone's house at four in the morning' Saying her bit: When Georgia protested her innocence, Sam quipped that he didn't need to know what she needed from her former flames house They revealed they had moved in together but bitterly split in October, with Sam revealing Georgia had stayed at her ex-boyfriend's house while dating him. She has insisted, however, that she 'never cheated' on Sam with her ex - but did admit to staying with her former flame. Sam claimed his suspicions arose after Georgia didn't return home from a PA, and he later found secret messages on Georgia's phone from her to her ex. The pair got together on Love Island's fourth series, that aired over the summer, with their relationship surviving just a couple of months on home soil. Georgia exclusively told MailOnline she did spend the night at her ex's but in the spare room, confessing she felt 'trapped' in her relationship with Sam and only stayed with her co-star to prove a point to the public. Former flame: A frustrated Sam tried to keep his cool as he insisted to have proof of the time of the meeting but admitted: 'I did love you' Gobsmacked: Islanders Jack Fincham, Kendall Rae Knight and Ellie Brown gasped in shock as Georgia insisted to Sam: 'You were very horrible to me', before she stormed off Following their break up, Sam admitted he was left 'devastated' while Georgia has said she is 'happier than ever' being a 'single pringle' - confessing she 'fell out of love' with Sam. Love Island's Christmas special will see 19 of the islanders reunite to get a grilling from show host Caroline Flack on what has gone on since they left the villa many months ago. It will feature the show's remaining four couples, show winners Jack Fincham and Dani Dyer, Megan Barton-Hanson and Wes Nelson, Zara McDermott and Adam Collard, and Kaz Crossley who will appear without her beau Josh Denzel. Many of the series' singletons will be back to discuss their time in the villa and life outside of the show, including Eyal Booker, Hayley Hughes, Kendall Rae Knight and exes Charlie Brake and Ellie Brown. Brutal: Georgia retaliated that Sam's shouting was 'all he ever did' and one of the reasons she felt 'very, very trapped' in their relationship Advertisement She will be receiving an 250,000 investment for her swimwear business from Lord Alan Sugar after being crowned the winner of The Apprentice 2018. But Sian Gabbidon, 26, seems to already be living a millionaire lifestyle complete with travel by helicopter and endless designer bags - and even has a whole room dedicated to shoes in her luxurious home. Despite admitting her victory will lead to a 'crazy future', the Leeds native regularly updates her now 83.1k Instagram followers with snaps of her glamorous lifestyle. Luxury: The Apprentive winner Sian Gabbidon, 26, seems to already be living a millionaire lifestyle filled with travel by helicopter, designer bags and a whole room dedicated to shoes in her luxurious home One photograph shows the swimwear model standing on a helipad in a skimpy white sundress as she prepares to board the helicopter. With her huge oversized sunglasses and stylish locks blowing in the wind, the young businesswoman looks quite the celebrity already. She captioned the pic: 'Throwing it way back to the South of France... helicopter vibes' in - need to go back pronto!' Expensive taste: Sian showcases her huge shoe collection, which has a whole other wardrobe dedicated to it - of which almost thirty pairs can be seen Looking good: The BBC show's champion is also regularly seen jetting around the world while posting snaps of herself in her swimwear range All in the details: In one photograph, an artistic shot illustrates the business woman sits next to a Louis Vuitton bag (right) The BBC show's champion is also regularly seen jetting around the world while posting snaps of herself in her swimwear range. Sian often showcases her expensive purchases - including lavish shoes and trainers, as well as bags and makeup. In one photograph, an artistic shot illustrates a beige 'Diorama' Dior bag - often costing a minimum of 2,600 - while in another the business woman sits next to a Louis Vuitton bag. But those aren't her only high-end purchases as Sian showcases her huge shoe collection, which has a whole other wardrobe dedicated to it - of which almost thirty pairs can be seen. Wow! Sian often showcases her expensive purchases - including lavish shoes and trainers, as well as bags and makeup High life: Sian will be receiving a 250,000 investment for her swimwear business from Lord Alan Sugar after being crowned the winner of The Apprentice 2018 'Planning tomorrow's outfit - which pair to wear?', she teased fans. Moreover, the entrepreneur offered her followers a glimpse of her elegantly decorated bedroom filled with luxurious designs and materials including a glamorous fur throw. And the Apprentice winner wasn't shy in admitting to loving her sophisticated room, writing: 'Didn't want to leave this baby this morning'. Lord Sugar chose Sian despite describing her company as 'a cottage industry', and rightly so given that she had sold only 400 'bespoke' swimsuits during its two years trading. Big spender! In another snap the star showcases a regal beige 'Diorama' Dior bag - often costing a minimum of 2,600 Gorgeous: The Apprentice winner also shared a snap of a room filled with delicate ornaments and atmospheric candles Gorgeous: The entrepreneur offered her followers a glimpse of her elegantly decorated bedroom filled with luxurious designs and materials including a glamorous fur throw Before the finale aired, the swimwear designer spoke to MailOnline about her rivalry with runner-up Camilla Ainsworth whose 'gourmet nut milk' brand didn't quite impress. Addressing the cattiness with the Nut Milk entrepreneur, Sian admitted she didn't go on the BBC show to make friends, and asserted that it's sometimes necessary to be 'ruthless' to win. She said: 'We're business people and we're also friends, and what we're great at doing is turning into business women when we're on task and in the boardroom, and off camera everyone was friends and we were cool. Stylish: Sian also shows off a Mercedes-Benz vehicle in one shot posted to Instagram, with her glitzy fake nails on display Rivals: Before the finale aired, the swimwear designer spoke to MailOnline about her rivalry with runner-up Camilla Ainsworth whose 'gourmet nut milk' brand didn't quite impress 'But in that boardroom, we were fighting for ourselves and I came into this process on my own. 'I didn't come in it to make friends, I came in it to win, and there was no way I was gonna think, 'Oh I don't wanna offend anyone' I was like, 'This is what I have to do' and I do believe that you have to be a bit ruthless sometimes.' And the raven haired beauty admitted that she has no plans to take her foot off the pedal after winning the show, asserting that in fact she's eager to work even harder under the pressure from 'brutal' Lord Sugar. 'I like pressure and there's gonna be pressure, so there's no way I'm gonna be sat thinking 'I've won it now, I can relax,' this is gonna be the first day of the rest of my life now. This is real life. It's gonna be a crazy future.' Not afraid: Addressing the cattiness with the Nut Milk entrepreneur, Sian admitted she didn't go on the BBC show to make friends, and asserted that it's sometimes necessary to be 'ruthless' to win Muriel Gabbidon, the grandmother of Sian gushed about her granddaughter on Monday, telling MailOnline: 'I'm very proud of Sian. I always knew she would make it, I knew she would be successful. She's still so young and has already achieved so much. The future is very bright for her.' 'She spoke to me on the phone last night and sounded so happy. She'll be coming to see us soon,' she added. 'She was an only child growing up and quite quiet. But she was so good at everything she did, cricket, football, everything. It's not too surprising that she has achieved this already.' She has made her mark in the political jungle, but now it seems Jacqui Lambie is heading into the South African jungle. The controversial politician is set to join the cast of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, Confidential reports. The 47-year-old is set to be 'one of two politicians promoted in a recent clue released' by Channel Ten, the publication claims. Scroll down for video Is Jacqui Lambie (pictured) heading for the jungle? Claims the controversial politician set to join the cast of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here Not entirely new to reality TV, the former Federal Senator appeared on the SBS show Go Back To Where You Came From earlier this year, and has even hinted she would like to star on The Bachelorette. Jacqui quit parliament last year when it was revealed that she held British and Australian dual citizenship. Others believed to be joining the cast include former Bachelor star Tara Pavlovic and her famous mother Debbie Newsome, as well as actor Samuel Johnson. On her way? The 47-year-old is set to be 'one of two politicians promoted in a recent clue released' by Channel Ten, a report claims Star turn: Not entirely new to reality TV, the former Federal Senator appeared on the SBS show Go Back To Where You Came From (pictured) earlier this year Limelight: The former politician has even hinted she would like to star on The Bachelorette. Pictured right, on Go Back To Where You Came From The Bachelor's Nick Cummins, Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan and former senator Sam Dastyari are all also rumoured to be entering the jungle. Hosts Julia Morris and Dr Chris Brown will return, with camp mates being touted as a 'footy legend' as well as a pair of politicians locked in a feud. The Block's Hayden and Sara Vale have hinted the are ready give reality TV a second try and may also be joining the cast. Heading in? Others believed to be joining the cast include former Bachelor star Tara Pavlovic (pictured) and her famous mother Debbie Newsome A big of Badge? The Bachelor's Nick Cummins is rumoured to be joining the cast in the jungle Them too? The Block's Hayden and Sara Vale have hinted they are ready for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here Speaking to TV Week magazine, the couple did little to dampen rumours they might be one of the celebrities to enter the South African jungle. 'It'd be quite funny,' pregnant Sara, 33, said, but added, 'They'd have to have us both on there. It would be about conquering your fears. The only thing that would get me would be the cockroaches.' The new season of 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here' is due to air in the new year starting January 13. They got engaged in April 2017. And Grant Gustin and Andrea 'LA' Thoma tied the knot on Saturday in downtown Los Angeles. The 28-year-old TV star and the physical therapist, 30, wed at the 1920's built venue the Valentine. Mr and Mrs: Grant Gustin and Andrea 'LA' Thoma tied the knot on Saturday in downtown Los Angeles Grant and LA started dating in January 2016; they announced their engagement on Instagram April 29, 2017. Grant posted a beach snap with LA as she showed off the stunning diamond ring. He stars as Barry Allen/Flash on four different CW shows: Arrow (since 2013), The Flash (since 2014), Supergirl (since 2016) and Legends Of Tomorrow (since 2016). According to E! News, guests included Melissa Benoist, Max Chucker, Chris Wood, Renee Mittelstaedt, Leela Rothenberg, Taylor Trensch, Ben Ross, Adam Kaplan, Daveed Diggs, Jared Loftin, RJ Brown and personal trainer Ryan Phillips. Fairytale kind of love: Grant and LA started dating in January 2016; they announced their engaged on Instagram April 29, 2017 Talent manager Robert Stein shared a snap from the wedding to his Instagram while posing with Grant and LA; he wrote in the caption: 'What heartfelt joy it was to watch Grant and LA, surrounded by their friends and family, come together for a loving reunion.' He continued: 'Wishing them both a Lifetime of Love and Happiness. They are so blessed to have one another to spend the rest of their lives together.' Pals Leela Rothenberg and Adam Kaplan shared snaps from the nuptials as well to their Instagram accounts. A glimpse of LA's wedding dress was seen, which she paired with a beaded headband and pulled back tresses. Sweet: Talent manager Robert Stein shared a snap from the wedding to his Instagram while posing with Grant and LA Making memories: Pals Leela Rothenberg and Adam Kaplan shared snaps from the nuptials as well to their Instagram accounts Last year they had a ceremony in Malaysia, which Grant and LA talked about while appearing on the Anna Faris Is Unqualified podcast. Grand said at the time: 'While we did have a beautiful, symbolic Kadazan ceremony to honor LA's ancestors, we still won't tie the knot until next year.' LA said: 'My mom's a Kadazan, so it's almost like Native American of America, but she's from the island of Borneo.' Of the ceremony, she said: 'We wore traditional outfits, [and] we had, like, a shaman and a medicine-man do all of the blessings.' While she said at the time she felt 'spiritually married' to Grant, LA explained that 'technically we are pretty married. We just haven't signed a document yet.' Wedding fun: Leela posed besides pals and Grant at the reception More details are emerging about the fight that precipitated a Jersey Shore star to seek police protection from her husband. Jenni 'JWoww' Farley allegedly accused her husband Roger Mathews of filming her without her consent, according to a new report from TMZ. Last week Jenni obtained a restraining order against her husband of three years following the argument that broke out between the couple after the 32-year-old felt like she was being harassed. Issues: A new report claims that Jenni 'JWoww' Farley felt harassed by her husband Roger Mathews filming her without her consent which prompted the fight that ended with the star seeking a restraining order; seen in 2016 Sources close to the pair told TMZ that JWoww allegedly informed police that she kicked her estranged husband out of their home due to him taping her against her will. After the couple's fight on Thursday night, Mathews was the one who actually called police first, claiming he did so for the purpose of preempting a 'false report.' However, police arrived at 2 AM to wake him and inform him restraining order had been granted against him. Following the police intervention, the father of two broke down on social media blaming his ex for separating him from kids. Domestic dispute: The Jersey Shore star obtained an emergency order of protection from a judge last week and kicked Roger out of the house after the incident; seen in November Roger has frequently made the couple's private issues public knowledge on Instagram. For her part, Jenni has remained mum, posting one statement about the issue asking for privacy. However, Jenni's friend and co-star Snooki posted Nest cam footage from inside the Mathews' home, showing Jenni clearly telling police she did not want her ex blocked from their children. Inside the home: Snooki released Nest footage of Jenni's conversation with police which showed the reality star wanting only herself covered by the restraining order Roger is reportedly hoping more surveillance footage from the incident is released because, according to a source, 'he has nothing to hide and believes it will vindicate him.' The emergency protective order that was issued by a judge kept Roger from not only Jenni but their two children as well. However, Jenni immediately rectified the situation with the courts to make sure her 43-year-old husband could see his kids. Together: Roger was reunited with his two-year-old the day after the incident with police Roger shared a photo on social media with two-year-old Greyson with the caption 'heart half full' over the weekend. Their four-year-old daughter Meilani, meanwhile, had to stay home with her mom due to be down with the flu. Despite being in counseling, Jenni has reportedly said there is no hope for the couple to reconcile. Katie Holmes was spotted out and about in NYC on Monday. The 39-year-old actress looked effortlessly chic in a houndstooth coat and cropped denim as she carried a large Fendi tote bag as she went Christmas shopping for daughter Suri Cruise. The sighting comes just a day ahead of her 40th birthday. Street style: Katie Holmes was spotted out and about in NYC on Monday. The 39-year-old actress looked effortlessly chic in a houndstooth coat and cropped denim as she carried a large Fendi tote bag Holmes, who appeared makeup free, teamed her patterned outerwear with black ballet flats and cat eye sunglasses. The Dawson's Creek vet was seen climbing out of a yellow cab with coffee in hand before crossing a busy Big Apple intersection. Katie recently returned from New Orleans where she was filming her latest movie, The Secret based on the iconic self-help book by Rhonda Byrne. City living: The Dawson's Creek vet was seen climbing out of a yellow cab with coffee in hand before crossing a busy Big Apple intersection Holmes' 40th birthday plans are unclear, but rumor has it that she's busy planning a Paris wedding with boyfriend Jamie Foxx. According to Radar Online, the couple are planning to tie the knot next year. 'Paris is the city where they decided to go public with their romance after years of sneaking around,' a source told the media outlet. 'Jamie's been a handful ever since they started secretly dating in 2013 but Katie's convinced him to settle down, and they're ready to make it official.' So chic: Holmes, who appeared makeup free, teamed her patterned outerwear with black ballet flats and cat eye sunglasses Katie, who split from Tom Cruise back in 2012, is aiming for a winter wedding. And after the couple say 'I do,' Foxx has ever intention of adopting Holmes' daughter Suri, age 12. 'Jamie will adopt Suri when the time is right, but not before they've said their vows,' the insider claimed. 'They know it won't go down well with Tom, but it's what he and Katie want and also what Suri wants.' She joined WW - formerly known as Weight Watchers - two months after giving birth to daughter Rani. And on Sunday night, Kate Hudson posted her Facetime with Oprah after joining the WW family. Oprah welcomed the movie star, 39, to Weight Watchers, and asked her the reason on joining. Kate said 'Well Oprah. My why really is my kids, my family, and longevity and wanting to be here as Iong as I possibly can. It's really about the holistic approach to wellness.' Fresh start: On Sunday night, Kate Hudson posted her Facetime with Oprah after joining the WW family Oprah jokingly added: 'Absolutely. And fish tacos for me. We're so excited to have you.' 'And I'm so excited to be on this Facetime with you. I love you.' to which Oprah says I love you too. Kate shared a lengthy caption about her health journey: 'Health and wellness is my number one and I always say that what works for me doesn't work for everyone.' The How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days star wrote: 'I believe that we need to celebrate diversity in how each individual wants to celebrate their bodies. We aren't all going to enjoy the same work outs, outdoor activities, foods etc.' Happy: Oprah welcomed the movie star, 39, to Weight Watchers, and asked her the reason on joining Good vibes: Kate shared a lengthy caption about her health journey Kate continued: 'I've become an Ambassador for the WW family because it is the perfect community for people to live healthy their own way and I love sharing this knowledge with you all! This is not a community for people who just want to lose weight, although leading a healthy lifestyle lends itself to such, this is a community about supporting each other through a life long journey of wellness.' Adding: 'I'm so happy to share this with everyone and I have to say, having @Oprah on my call list was a dream come true! Love you O,' adding #WwAmbassador #WellnessThatWorks.' Earlier in the day, Kate posted a side profile selfie while rocking leggings from her workout label Fabletics. She captioned it: 'The Sunday suck in.' Oprah also posted a snippet of the Facetime call to her Instagram, with the full call available on the WW Facebook page. The announcement, made by PEOPLE on Sunday, comes just two months after Hudson gave birth to daughter Rani. 'It came at a perfect time for me,' the Fabletics co-founder told the weekly magazine. 'It's hard when you have babies. Everyone comes before you, and you have to find that time to just focus in on yourself.' Sweet: 'And I'm so excited to be on this Facetime with you. I love you.' to which Oprah says I love you too Gorgeous: Earlier in the day, Kate posted a side profile selfie while rocking leggings from her workout label Fabletics Brand ambassador: Kate Hudson (above November 7) is the latest celebrity to join forces with WWformerly known as Weight Watchers Along with the desire to lose '25 pounds,' Kate went on to explain that her values fully align with WW. 'One of my passions in life is wanting people to live their most optimum life, whether it be in health or in happiness,' she said. 'And I think that one of the number one things for that is finding a community that can support you. WW is, to me, the perfect community for that.' Hudson hopes that her involvement with the wellness brand will inspire others to live a healthier lifestyle. Bundle of joy: The announcement, made my PEOPLE on Sunday, comes just two months after Hudson gave birth to daughter Rani 'I am excited to walk down a street and have someone come up and say they're apart of the community, because it means they're doing something good for themselves,' she explained. Oprah Winfrey and DJ Khaled are two other prominent WW brand ambassadors. 'I've had a better life since being a part of the WW family,' Winfrey said in a recent press release. 'It's a constant decision to remain healthy and strong and vibrant. I have a real appreciation for every day when I wake up with a healthy mind and a healthy body.' 'One of my passions in life is wanting people to live their most optimum life, whether it be in health or in happiness,' she told the magazine. 'And I think that one of the number one things for that is finding a community that can support you. WW is the perfect community for that' In that same release, WW's President and CEO, Mindy Grossman, weighed in on their partnership with Hudson. 'We're so thrilled to have Kate join us,' Grossman said. 'She carries such a powerful influence that will help us bring our mission to life across the globe, inspiring others to join our community and be their best selves.' The mom of three signed a multi-year contract and her 'For Every Body' campaign will launch globally on December 26. He had already delighted fans by joining Ringo Starr and Sir Paul McCartney on stage at The O2. But Ronnie Wood, 71, won himself more praise as he revealed 10 minutes after the trio's performance had come to an end, he decided to catch the tube home. Ditching his rock star ways for your more average commute, the Rolling Stones legend was hailed as a 'hero' and a 'mint guy' for braving public transport with the rest of the crowd. As you do! Ronnie Wood, 71, won himself huge praise from fans as he revealed 10 minutes after performing with Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, he decided to catch the tube home Filming his journey home, Ronnie took to Twitter to share a clip with his followers, where he was seen heading into the tube station at North Greenwich. Flashing a smile, he revealed: 'I'm going to the tube. It was great to play with Paul and Ringo,' before panning the camera round to capture other concert-goers making their way home and joking: 'Me and my buddies.' Attempting to go incognito, Ronnie was seen striding towards the station while wearing his hood up around his face. Fans seemed to love his down-to-earth post, with many being quick to compliment the star and one user joking: 'Just your average Londoner taking the Tube home.' Funny: The Rolling Stones legend was hailed as a 'hero' and a 'mint guy' for braving public transport with the rest of the crowd, following the iconic gig held at The O2 Is that you? Attempting to go incognito, Ronnie was seen striding towards the station while wearing his hood up around his face 'Love rock and roll!': Fans seemed to love his down-to-earth post, with many being quick to compliment the star and one user joking: 'Just your average Londoner taking the Tube home' Others penned: 'Hero!!!; Home boy!!; What a mint guy; Love it; Youre awesome.' Another fan commented: 'Only YOU could say that with such nonchalance,' while one more pointed out: 'You beat the queues! Thats pro gigging. It was incredible - thank you!!!' Ronnie had been invited on stage by Paul, 76 to join the former Beatles star and his bandmate Ringo as part of his three-hour set to perform track Get Back during his performance at The O2 in the capital. Their gig drew in a huge celebrity crowd, with Paul's daughter, fashion designer Stella McCartney, 47, taking to Instagram to praise her 'kick ass' dad while posing alongside Paul, Ringo, Ronnie and actress Emma Thompson, 59. Icons: Ringo, 78, and Ronnie, 71, joined Macca on stage to perform track Get Back at the O2, London, on Sunday as part of his three hour set Proud: Their gig drew in a huge celebrity crowd, with Paul's daughter, Stella McCartney, 47, praising her 'kick ass' dad while posing alongside Paul, Ringo, Ronnie and Emma Thompson Music legends: Paul's eldest daughter Mary shared a snap of the trio posing backstage ahead if the gig Buddies: Mary captioned the snap: #rockandroll #buddies x #thismakesmehappy Stella penned alongside her post: 'Emma Thompson a couple of Beatles a stone and moi... kick ass tonight dad x Stella.' It was the last show on the UK leg of McCartney's Freshen Up tour and was a sold-out gig. He was watched by guests including Harry Styles, Emma Thompson, Idris Elba, Simon Pegg, Chris Martin, Rami Malek, Roger Daltrey and Geri Horner. Paul performed hits from his career including A Hard Days Night, Band On The Run, Live and Let Die, Let It Be, Lady Madonna, Eleanor Rigby and Hey Jude. From one star to another: Ringo could be seen warmly greeting Rami Malek who starred as Freddie Mercury in the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic Fans: Rami clutched Ringo's hand as he watched the show from the crowds The encore saw Paul joined by Capital Childrens Choir for a special performance of his festive hit Wonderful Christmas Time, and he then invited Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood to the stage to join him for Get Back. Ronnie later took to Twitter to say he had enjoyed the show and was taking the tube home. The show was part of his Freshen Up Tour which launched in September this year in support of his latest album Egypt Station. The tour will pick up again in the new year in South America. While Paul has had a successful run with his latest performances, he's had to put a brave face on as his 10million home was broken into last week. So far, there have been no arrests but a police investigation is continuing. Her estranged husband Offset crashed her Rolling Loud set on Saturday to beg forgiveness following cheating allegations. But Cardi B has denied that the act was all a publicity stunt, according to TMZ. The 26-year-old Bodak Yellow hitmaker's denial comes after video emerged online of the rapper's publicist leading Offset onto the stage, causing many to speculate Cardi was in on the whole thing. Not true: Cardi B has denied that estranged husband Offset crashing her concert was all a publicity stunt, according to TMZ In the video, Cardi's 'publicist/friend' Patientce Foster leads the 27-year-old Migos rapper onto the stage. The MotorSport hitmaker hides his face behind a bunch of white flowers, before approaching his estranged wife shortly before her performance at the Los Angeles music festival. However Cardi -whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar- said the act was 'not staged' according to TMZ. And the I Like It rapper also defended Foster against those on social media who said she had betrayed Cardi by letting her ex hijack her show. Grand gesture? Her estranged husband Offset crashed her Rolling Loud set on Saturday to beg forgiveness following cheating allegations Set up? In the video, Cardi's 'publicist/friend' Patientce Foster [R] leads the 27-year-old Migos rapper onto the stage Smelling the roses: The MotorSport hitmaker hides his face behind a bunch of white flowers, before approaching his estranged wife shortly before her performance at the Los Angeles music festival Stanch defense: The I Like It rapper also defended Foster against those on social media who said she had betrayed Cardi by letting her ex hijack her show Friend/employee: Patientce Foster [pictured] is Cardi B's long-time publicist Taking a stand: 'You can't be mad at somebody for trying to help somebody else,' Cardi wrote on Instagram, claiming Patientce was close to both her and Offset 'You can't be mad at somebody for trying to help somebody else,' she wrote on Instagram, claiming Patientce was close to both her and Offset. Offset -whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus- left his estranged wife unimpressed as he crashed her Rolling Loud show in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. But Offset has stood by his actions as he took to Twitter on Sunday to insist Cardi B deserves a 'public apology', despite the backlash. The Migos star tweeted: 'All of my wrongs have been made public, i figure It's only right that my apologies are made public too. ' Defence: Offset has stood by crashing his estranged wife's stage as he took to Twitter on Sunday to insist she deserves a 'public apology', despite the backlash A n**** was just trying .....thank god I ain't got no balloons sheeesh' (sic), he added. During the show, Bodak Yellow rapper Cardi failed to raise a smile as Offset brought out a 'take me back' banner, made out of white and red roses, while issuing a grovelling apology. Moments later, the Bad and Boujee hitmaker made his dramatic entrance, which was met with a mixture of cheers and boos. Uh oh: The Migos rapper left Cardi B unimpressed as he crashed her Rolling Loud show in Los Angeles on Saturday evening Cardi appeared to huff and puff at the rapper's grand gesture as she pulled back from him when he tried to reach out for her hand. In his second apology in just two days, the Georgia native said: 'I just wanna tell you I'm sorry. In person, in front of the world. Whatever I gotta do to show you I love you.' While the audience booed, Offset lowered his mic to share a few words with Cardi, before leaving the stage with his bold props. Comment: Speaking on his gesture, he tweeted: 'All of my wrongs have been made public, i figure It's only right that my apologies are made public too' After the show Offset kept the party going with a soiree to celebrate his birthday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. Cardi, who was catapulted into the spotlight following her appearance on VH1's Love and Hip Hop series, headlined the festival with fellow rappers Lil Uzi Vert, Kodak Black and Kylie Jenner's ex Tyga. Despite her unimpressed display, the mother pleaded with fans to treat her ex kindly after crashing her show. Not pleased: During the show, Bodak Yellow rapper Cardi failed to raise a smile as he brought out a 'take me back' banner, made out of white and red roses, while issuing a grovelling apology Citing the negative effect on Pete Davidson, who recently said he 'doesn't want to be on this earth anymore', Cardi explained: 'I know, I see a lot of people bashing me because they're feeling because I'm defending my baby-father they're thinking I'm gonna get back together with him. 'I'm not saying that I'm going to get back together with him. I just don't like that bashing online thing. 'Just earlier, you saw just how Pete Davidson was talking about how he don't even want to be on this earth because mad people be coming to him every single day. 'I wouldn't want my baby father to have that feeling because of millions of people be bashing him every day. That's a nasty feeling. I wouldn't want that. Not impressed: While staff rolled out the sign, Bad and Boujee hitmaker Offset made his dramatic entrance, which was met with a mixture of cheers and boos Break up: Cardi B announced the split on Instagram earlier this month, after more than a year of marriage (pictured in February) 'God could give me and bring me the most perfect glamorous and fabulous man. 'That perfect glamorous fabulous perfect man is not going to love my child the same way her father loves my child. So I don't like that b******t. 'Because I know how painful it is when you have millions of people bashing you every single day. I don't like that and it doesn't make me feel any better, period', she added. Cardi B announced the split on Instagram earlier this month, after more than a year of marriage. The cheating scandal was sparked after a video leaked featuring Offset and a woman named Summer Bruni. Just a day before Cardi's performance, he celebrated his 27th birthday in another way and proclaimed his only wish for his special day was to reunite with his wife. He said in a video shared to Instagram: 'I only got one birthday wish and that's to get my wife back, Cardi. Family first: The former Love and Hip Hop star shares Kulture, five months, with her estranged husband 'We're going through a lot of things right now, a lot of things in the media. I want to apologise to you Cardi. I embarrassed you. I made you go crazy. 'I was partaking in activity that I shouldn't have been partaking in. You know what I'm saying? For breaking your heart, for breaking our promise, for breaking God's promise and being a selfish, messed up husband. 'I'm trying to be a better person. I want to get this off my shoulders. I want to get this off my back. I apologise to you Cardi. I love you. Kulture, I want to spend Christmas with you.' Hopes: Just a day before Cardi's performance, he celebrated his 27th birthday and proclaimed his only wish for his special day was to reunite with his wife (pictured in October) The MotorSport hitmaker - who has been accused of trying to arrange a threesome with two other women - insisted he 'didn't f*** that girl' but still sought forgiveness from his spouse. He added: 'I want to be able to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm sorry. 'I am sorry for what I have done to you. I didn't f**k that girl, but I was entertaining her, you know what I'm saying? I apologise, and I love you, and I hope you forgive me. My birthday wish is just to have you back.' Grace Hightower was spotted at Samuel L. Jackson's party in New York on Saturday. The 63-year-old stunning ex of Robert De Niro looked sophisticated chic in a black ruffled gown and navy blue jacket for Jackson's 70th birthday celebration. The outing comes after the shocking announcement in November that Hightower and De Niro spit after 21 years of marriage. Rare appearance: Grace Hightower, 63, was spotted at Samuel L. Jackson's party in New York on Saturday Daring to impress, the former flight attendant was all smiles as she was helped out of a car during inclement weather in the Big Apple. The fabulous fete brought out a cavalcade of stars as celebrities poured in to help commemorate the Pulp Fiction actor's milestone. George Lucas and LL Cool J cut dapper figures arriving to Cipriani 42nd Street. Judge Judy stole the spotlight in a floral sheer jumpsuit while Debi Mazar followed in a bright red and white intricate number. Stunning: The stunning ex of Robert De Niro looked sophisticated chic in a black ruffled gown and navy blue jacket for Jackson's 70th birthday celebration Impressive: Daring to impress, the former flight attendant was all smiles as she was helped out of a car during inclement weather in the Big Apple Whoopi Goldberg and Jerry Brucknheimer stopped by to join in the fun as well. Meanwhile, the Raging Bull star released a statement to People a week after it was reported that he and Hightower were no longer living together. It said: 'Grace and I have two beautiful children together. We are entering a period of transition in our relationship which is a difficult but constructive process. Man of the hour: Samuel L. Jackson looked every inch the birthday boy Fun friends: Whoopi Goldberg and Jerry Brucknheimer stopped by to join in the fun as well 'I honor Grace as a wonderful mother and ask for privacy and respect from all as we proceed to develop our roles as partners in parenting.' Page Six was first to report on November 20 that the couple had separated. The star, who shares Elliot, 20, and Helen, six, with his wife, was spotted on the red carpet last week at a MoMa event in New York City without the former flight attendant by his side. Big time guests: George Lucas cut a casual figure in jeans and check shirt Floral parade: Judge Judy stole the spotlight in a floral sheer jumpsuit while Debi Mazar followed in a bright red and white intricate number The duo were last pictured on the red carpet in June at the 72nd Annual Tony Awards in New York City. It is not the first split for the couple, who were wed in 1997, before De Niro filed for divorce two years into their union - however the arrangement was never finalised. They eventually reunited, renewing their marriage vows in 2004 in front of an A-list crowd such as Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep and Ben Stiller. Done: His outing came just a day after Robert confirmed he had split from wife Grace after 21 years of marriage, calling the split 'difficult' in a statement The Meet The Parents actor had previously been married to actress Diahnne Abbott, from 1976 to 1988. The pair had a son, Raphael, in 1976 while the Oscar-winning actor adopted Abbott's daughter Drena from a previous relationship. The Mean Streets star also has two children with ex Toukie Smith, twin boys Aaron and Julian. She recently confirmed she is pregnant with her second child. And Alex Jones, 41, looked radiant as she stepped out in style to attend celebrity chef Rick Stein's Children In Need Ultimate Christmas Party in London on Monday. The One Show presenter looked in high spirits as she arrived for the star-studded bash in a chic ensemble. Festive: Alex Jones, 41, looked radiant as she stepped out in style to attend celebrity chef Rick Stein's Children In Need Ultimate Christmas Party in London on Monday The TV star was clearly in the festive spirit, donning a red, knee-length coat and a black dress with hearts and the world 'love' written across it detailed throughout. She added to the look with a pair of black tights and matching boots for the evening. Alex revealed live on The One Show last week that she is expecting her second child with husband Charlie Tompson. The couple are already parents to one-year-old son Teddy. Party: The TV star was clearly in the festive spirit, donning a red, knee-length coat and a black dress with heart and the world 'love' written across it detailed throughout Speaking on The One Show with co-host Matt Baker, Alex said: 'Now Ive not been on the mince pies! There is a little baby look.' The TV host has been forthcoming about her and Charlie's struggles to conceive a second time. She told The Sun: 'I suppose Im older now, but we took it for granted that it would be OK. But you dont really know until you start trying how its going to go, do you? 'The majority of couples I know have had something, not always IVF, but some problem that needs to be sorted out. Family: Speaking on The One Show with co-host Matt Baker, Alex said: 'Now Ive not been on the mince pies! There is a little baby look' Bash: Other famous faces who turned out for Rick's event included actress and Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley Event: Chris Evans was also a guest at the bash, the former Top Gear host, 52, donned a festive Santa hat and a red and white jumper as he was seen chatting to a pal outside the venue Happy: The Great British Bake-Off host Prue Leith, 78, also attended the bash 'Suddenly you see someone pregnant or with a newborn and you dont really hark back to what happened before because everyones just delighted theres a baby.' Other famous faces who turned out for Rick's event included actress and Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley. The BAFTA winner, 72, wrapped up in a black coat for the winter weather and also donned a red and white patterned knee-length dress. BBC host Chris Evans was also a guest at the bash, the former Top Gear host, 52, donned a festive Santa hat and a red and white jumper as he was seen chatting to a pal outside the venue. The Great British Bake-Off host Prue Leith, 78, also attended the bash as did her Bake-Off predecessor, Mary Berry, 83. All smiles: Former Bake-Off judge Mary Berry was among the guests at the event Selfie: Joanna Lumley posed for a picture as she left the star-studded bash in south London She boasts over 2.3million Twitter followers. But Lili Reinhart threatened to leave the social media platform Monday after attacks from 'online trolls' began to wear her down. 'Taking a break from that toxic site and the people on it who feel the need to constantly attack me, my cast mates, my relationship, and Riverdale,' the 22-year-old wrote in an Instagram Story. Flower child: Lili Reinhart threatened to leave social media platform Twitter on Monday after attacks from 'online trolls' began to wear her down. Seen here November 2018 The star of the forthcoming movie Galveston began her tirade, 'Do people on twitter ever get tired of being so negative and disrespectful to literally everyone and everything?' 'Are they really that miserable?' She continued her rant about the social media network, 'There's hate everywhere. But especially twitter.' 'It's like a cesspool for evil 15 year olds who don't know what the hell they're talking about and have nothing better to do.' The big question: The star of the forthcoming movie Galveston began her tirade, 'Do people on twitter ever get tired of being so negative and disrespectful to literally everyone and everything?' Worst of the worst: She continued her rant about the social media network, 'There's hate everywhere. But especially twitter.' 'Taking a break from that toxic site and the people on it who feel the need to constantly attack me, my cast mates, my relationship, and Riverdale.' 'Hate to break it to you online trolls: Spreading your hate and overall negativity won't make you any less miserable.' She signed off: 'k bye'. The Ohio native is dating her Riverdale co-star Cole Sprouse. Rant: 'Taking a break from that toxic site and the people on it who feel the need to constantly attack me, my cast mates, my relationship, and Riverdale,' wrote the actress Home truths: Reinhart's rant continued in epic fashion Lili out: She finally signed off: 'k bye' Co-stars/lovers: The Ohio native is dating her Riverdale co-star Cole Sprouse. Seen here on the set of the CW hit The Riverdale co-stars have been together since 2017 after they were first spotted looking like a couple at Comic-Con. Recently, Lilli made given quite the speech when she showed up to Glamour's Women of the Year Summit, where she openly admitted to feeling pressured by society's 'fake standards.' If there's anything that the Riverdale star would want her fans to know, it would be that beauty is found in various different ways, adding that it's unrealistic to hold women on a pedestal that sees them develop insecurities and self-hatred. 'I could see the difference in my shape in photos and wondered if anyone else was noticing,' she revealed. 'I felt this strange, constant struggle of having to live up to the expectation of the appearance that I had already established to the world.' The TV star recalled how, after having seen a string of photos of herself on the internet, she became very conscious about her body image. Blanca Blanco has an incredible figure thanks to a healthy lifestyle. And on Monday the Mission: Possible star showed off her curves as she wore a light pink leotard while at home in Los Angeles. The award-winning actress said she was getting into a 'Christmas mood.' Bare: Blanca Blanco has an incredible figure thanks to a healthy lifestyle. And on Monday the Mission: Possible star showed off her curves as she wore a light pink leotard while at home in Los Angeles Later the looker added dark slacks and high-heeled boots to her leotard as she checked out a nicely decorated living room. There was a 12-foot tall Christmas tree with gold and silver ornaments. And behind it was a wreath with the same color scheme hanging from a mirror. Festive: Later the looker added dark slacks and high-heeled boots to her leotard as she checked out a nicely decorated living room Blanca is back in the US after a fun trip to Morocco. She was there to attend 17th Marrakesh International Film Festival in Marrakesh. On Wednesday the Awakened actress posed for portraits in the country taken by Robin Wright's brother Richard Wright in an exclusive photo essay for DailyMail.com. Good trip: She welcomed a trip to Morocco to attend 17th Marrakesh International Film Festival in Marrakesh to get her mind off her loss of her Malibu home 'I have been heart broken about losing my home but I am recovering and what gave me comfort is knowing that what happened was beyond my control, I had to accept reality and decide to focus on the solution - the solution is in my control,' she said. '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,' added the Washington native. 'The main result is that it helped clear my mind and refresh myself emotionally all while enjoying the process.' And as far as buying a new home, that is for 2019: 'I am still at a hotel and will be moving to permanent home soon. Lots of things to take care of and it will take time. I am taking baby steps and practicing on being patience.' A fun premiere: Here the leggy wonder is seen at the Vice premiere in LA last week Blanco also told DailyMail.com that she feels at home in the land. She added, 'I learned so much from this amazing culture. 'People of Marrakesh have an amazing culture, to be part of it is uplifting and exciting,' she revealed. 'There is great hospitality and feeling of care from every person I met even though I am a foreigner. I will be looking forward to coming here again.' And it's a drastic change from the fame-driven Los Angeles. 'There is a strong sense of caring in the culture,' said the Mission: Possible star. 'I have felt welcomed and respected in Marrakesh. I have enjoyed learning about their culture, traditional dances and food. Her designer pal: With French fashion designer Christophe Guillarme (L) at the premiere of Roma during the 17th Marrakech International Film Festival 'The beautiful colors every where I went where such a joy to see. 'The people I have met have showed me that even though life is tough, we have a choice to dance in the face of adversity and give to the less fortunate. 'I meet people dance with such joy and a taxi driver i met giving free rides to the disable. That was so sweet. So refreshing to see. 'Their big smiles are contagious. People seemed very organic. The respect they have for animals made my day. 'Animals were respected and treated in a caring way that made me so happy to see. Even at the hotel there was a cat that would sneak in the cafeteria every morning. They made the cat feel welcome too.' Blanca lives in Los Angeles with her longtime boyfriend John Savage of Deer Hunter fame. Their next movie together is Spychosis with Jamie Lee Curtis. She's a rising star in the world of fashion. And Lily-Rose Depp, 19, showed off her sartorial prowess as she posed on the red carpet at the premiere of her new movie 'L'Homme Fidele'at Mk2 Bibliotheque in Paris on Monday night. The daughter of Jonny Depp looked every inch the supermodel as she paired a simple blue jean with a floral yellow T-shirt and sky high black peep-toe shoes. Style sensation: Lily-Rose Depp, 19, showed off her sartorial prowess as she posed at the premiere of her new movie 'L'Homme Fidele'at Mk2 Bibliotheque in Paris on Monday night Enhancing her natural beauty, Lily-Rose opted for a simple make-up look, pairing a smokey eye with thick black mascara and a pale coral lip. Showing off her effortless sense of style, the model kept her accessories to a minimum, wearing a gold chain with a tiny blue jewel and mini hooped earrings. The style sensation was earlier spotted entering the premier as she was flocked by fans asking for an autograph. Model good looks: Enhancing her natural beauty, Lily-Rose opted for a simple make-up look, pairing a smokey eye with thick black mascara and a pale coral lip The teen looked cool as she donned a leather biker jacket and styled her sand blonde into a loose wave that tumbled down past her shoulder. Taking out the bare minimum, the Tusk star carried her belongings in a cross-body leather bag with black padding detail. L'Homme Fidele ('The Faithful Man'), is a French language film that stars the actress as the younger sister of the lead played by Louis Garrell. Style icon: Showing off her effortless sense of style, the model kept her accessories to a minimum, wearing a gold chain with a tiny blue jewel and mini hooped earrings Gorgeous from every angle: The teen star recently admitted that she is actually a very shy person - despite posing topless for V Magazine's winter issue It follows the complicated relationship of a couple after a woman leaves her partner for his best friend and then returns to him when the best friend dies. The teen star recently admitted that she is actually a very shy person - despite posing topless for V Magazine's winter issue. 'I am really shy when it comes down to it, which is why I love acting so much. It allows me to get out of my own head. I have a way easier time acting like someone else than acting like myself,' she told the publication. Doting fans: The style sensation was earlier spotted entering the premier as she was flocked by fans asking for an autograph Fan service: The model signed fans head shots of herself as she rocked a lowkey look in Paris As well as a budding career is acting, the Paris-born star is a successful model and first joined Chanel in 2014 where she starred in a number of campaigns for its fragrance line as well as walking the catwalk. Her acting career started around the same time as modelling where she appeared in the movie Tusk, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2014. Now, Lily-Rose finds herself starring alongside other breakout stars such as Timothee Chalamet, whom she has been romantically linked with recently after the pair were spotted kissing in the rain. Multi-talented: As well as a budding career is acting, the Paris-born star is a successful model and first joined Chanel in 2014 where she starred in a number of campaigns for its fragrance line as well as walking the catwalk Superstar: Her acting career started around the same time as modelling where she appeared in the movie Tusk, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2014 The pair first sparked gossip back in early October, when Depp and Chalamet were spotted putting on a cuddly display around New York. Later in the month, they put an end to the speculation as they appeared to confirm their relationship over a series of PDA-packed outings. Timothee and Lily play an on-screen couple too, in the upcoming Netflix film The King. Romance of the cards? Now, Lily-Rose finds herself starring alongside other breakout stars such as Timothee Chalamet, whom she has been romantically linked with recently after the pair were spotted kissing in the rain Julia Roberts didn't realize just how famous she was about to become until a fan pestered her for an autograph while she was in a bathroom stall. The 51-year-old actress had just starred in the 1988 film Mystic Pizza at the time of her bathroom encounter. The Oscar-winner told the story during an appearance on Monday's episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast. Strange encounter: Julia Roberts didn't realize just how famous she was about to become until a fan pestered her for an autograph while she was in a bathroom stall; shown at the Ben Is Back premiere in New York on December 3 Her breakout role: Here Roberts is seen in the 1988 movie Mystic Pizza with Annabeth Gish and Lili Taylor The Ben Is Back star had her fame awakening after returning home to Georgia to visit her mother and younger sister. The three caught a movie and Julia stopped by the bathroom afterward. 'It was after the movie was over and I was in the bathroom and there was a woman in the bathroom who said, "Hey, girl in stall number one, were you in Mystic Pizza?"' she said. What a shock: the Ben Is Back star had her fame awakening after returning home to Georgia to visit her mother and younger sister; pictured at the Ben Is Back premiere in December The pushy fan proceeded to slip something under the stall and asked the Mystic Pizza star to sign it. ''Uh, not right now,'' Julia said. 'And I thought, wait, this is different.' In 1989, a year after Mystic Pizza's release, she would star in Steel Magnolias, which garnered her an Oscar nomination and cemented her status as Hollywood royalty. A quick ascent: in 1989, a year after Mystic Pizza's release, Julia would star in Steel Magnolias, which garnered her an Oscar nomination and cemented her status as Hollywood royalty It's not just regular fans who have become starstruck around the Notting Hill star. Aquaman star Jason Momoa ran into Julia during a taping of The Late, Late Show With James Corden, which both were appearing on. The actor introduced his mother to the Ocean's 11 actress and gushed about meeting her on Instagram, including that the Momoas 'geeked out a lil.' Celebrity run-in: Aquaman star Jason Momoa ran into Julia during a taping of The Late, Late Show With James Corden, which both were appearing on A large-scale police search is set to resume for two bushwalkers missing in southern NSW. William McCarthy, 59, and Francisca Boterhoven De Haan, 60, are believed to have gone walking in the Morton National Park's Ettrema Gorge on Saturday. Police were alerted on Wednesday after Mr McCarthy failed to return to his Canberra home by Tuesday as expected. His car was found in a car park at Ettrema. Police said they hold serious concerns for the pair's welfare, especially with heavy rain forecast for the area over the next 24 hours. Pensioners living overseas will have to provide a "proof of life" certificate every two years if they want to continue to receive welfare benefits. The federal government reportedly wants to stop taxpayer's money being paid to dead people, with the measure to be announced in Monday's mid-year budget update. Social Services Minister Fletcher told The West Australian on Thursday the government could be paying pensions to 6000 Australians who were living abroad when they died. Ceasing payments could save $200 million over four years. Despite being removed from the pope's advisory group, Pell remains in charge of Vatican finances, the third most powerful position in the Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis has removed two prominent cardinals from his inner circle months after they were tainted by paedophile scandals and ahead of a Church-wide meeting on the "protection of minors" next year. Australian Cardinal George Pell and Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz were both removed from the so-called C9 Council of Cardinals, an international advice body set up by Francis himself, the Vatican said Wednesday. The last time the C9 met in September, Errazuriz, who is accused of ignoring reports of abuse in Chile, and Pell, who faces charges in Australia related to historical child sexual offences, were both absent, and the council said it was considering restructuring. Despite being removed from the C9, Pell, 77, remains in charge of Vatican finances, the third most powerful position in the Roman Catholic Church. The Church has been hit by a series of child abuse scandals in recent years, with widespread allegations of cover-ups, including against the pope himself. The pope clarified the composition of the C9 ahead of a February meeting with leaders of bishops' conferences from around the world dealing with the "protection of minors", to which victims of priest sex abuse have been invited. The meeting of bishops from around the world will also have to deal with some Asian and African bishops conferences who say they are not concerned by the "Western" abuse problem. "Februarys meeting can't resolve all the problems, because there's too much world diversity in the Church. The American (US) episcopacy is panicking, they want to be as radical (against sexual abuse) as possible, while Africans don't want any measures taken," said a source close to the pope. "A code of silence has been our culture for too long, February's meeting should mark a new beginning for bishops' responsibility, or even for a new control system," the source said. Allegations in August from a conservative archbishop that the pope had ignored abuse suspicions concerning a prominent US cardinal have triggered an internal investigation into Vatican archives ordered by Pope Francis. - Internal rift - They also confirmed a rift in the Church between some ultra-conservative Catholics and a pope they see as a dangerous progressive interested in social issues to the detriment of Church doctrine. The Church was also rocked in August by a devastating US report on child sex abuse which accused more than 300 "predator" priests of abusing more than 1,000 minors over seven decades in the state of Pennsylvania. The commission set up by Francis has said that the fight against abuse must be a Church priority and emphasised the importance of listening to victims. While Pell faces prosecution in Australia, he is also up for renewal in February as the Vatican's finance chief. Francis has in the past preferred to give the accused the presumption of innocence and has therefore not named anyone to replace Pell, despite a senior Vatican official saying this week that Church expenses were growing "unacceptably". Cardinal Errazuriz, 85, met Francis last month and subsequently announced his "withdrawal" from the advisory group Chilean Cardinal Errazuriz appears at the very least to have given Francis bad advice. The pope's mistaken defence of a Chilean bishop accused of covering up for an old paedophile priest overshadowed his trip to the South American country in January and heaped embarrassment on the Church. Errazuriz, 85, met Francis last month and subsequently announced his '"withdrawal" from the C9. A third cardinal, Democratic Republic of Congo's Laurent Monsengwo, will also no longer attend C9 meetings, effectively reducing the body to a "C6". Monsengwo, 79, has for years played an important political as well as spiritual role in the war-torn African nation, but recently gave up his position as archbishop of Kinshasa. The US embassy in Havana, seen here on September 29, 2017, after a series of mysterious health incident involving its diplomats prompted Washington to withdraw more than half its personnel Diplomats who sustained mysterious brain injuries while stationed in Cuba experienced a cluster of symptoms, including anxiety, mental fog and dizziness, that is more complex than previously reported, scientists said Wednesday. The problem began in the fall of 2016, when diplomatic personnel residing in Havana began to complain of ear pain after reporting hearing a high frequency noise, or sometimes a feeling of pressure in the ears, which followed them throughout a room. In September 2017, the United States blamed Havana for failing to protect its diplomats and withdrew more than half its staff from the embassy while expelling 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington. The new study by experts at the University of Miami and the University of Pittsburgh, published in the journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, did not solve the mystery or assign blame. But it found "measurable, quantifiable evidence that something really did happen. It is not just hysteria," said Carey Balaban, professor of otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "We don't know what they were exposed to and we certainly can't make any inferences as to whether it was deliberate or inadvertent." The symptoms of 25 people were studied in the "acute phase," meaning shortly after diplomats fell ill but before they were diagnosed, the experts said. The report details a range of symptoms that go beyond the description of elusive brain trauma, similar to a concussion without evidence of a physical impact, described by University of Pennsylvania researchers in February in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The JAMA study extended longer, following the patients for months, but also gave no concrete cause for their ailments. "We actually saw these individuals before formal diagnosis," Bonnie Levin, a professor of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told reporters. Their first complaints were "dizziness and disorientation" along with hearing concerns. However, "standard clinical hearing tests did not reveal hearing loss except for in two individuals who were determined to have had pre-existing hearing loss prior to coming to our clinic," she said. The patients did have abnormalities in balance, suggesting the inner ear was affected. They also commonly reported feeling as if in a "cognitive fog. Something wasn't right. They felt off. They felt unbalanced in their thinking," she said. - Not 'hysteria' - Other emotional concerns included anxiety and irritability, trouble regulating emotions, feeling ups and downs, moodiness, low frustration tolerance and difficulty paying attention and staying on task. When it came to performing complex tasks, patients found their working memory was not what it had been before. Researchers declined to speculate on what caused the symptoms, but said their tests ruled out any possibility that the symptoms were made up. "These individuals' symptoms were not random, were not isolated and actually fit together," Levin said. "We don't understand the exact source but we do believe that there is a common neurocircuitry or anatomic pathway that underlies this particular constellation of events which involves vestibular, cognitive and emotional changes." The researchers also gave no updates on the current health of those affected. Prior media reports have raised the possibility of microwave weapons, sonic attacks, electromagnetic pulses and other forms of directed energy. Balaban noted that there are a number of off-the-shelf pest control devices for home use that emit ultrasounds and electromagnetic pulses in the safe range for humans. "It shows you that the technology is there -- and could be placed inside a room -- that could do such a thing," he said. "The possible sources and medical science we have here do not lead to any quick and easy solution. I wish someone could tell us that right now." Martin Fayulu, one of the opposition candidates running in DR Congo's December 23 elections Three people were killed Wednesday in clashes with police on the sidelines of an opposition rally in eastern DR Congo ahead of this month's presidential elections, sources said. The violence erupted in Kalemie, a town on Lake Tanganyika, as opposition candidate Martin Fayulu was campaigning there. It came a day after two of Fayulu's supporters were killed and 43 hurt in clashes at a rally in Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo's second-largest city. Two witnesses said "live rounds" were fired after the opposition candidate arrived in Kalemie and headed to the 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 country's ruling party. "I saw people shooting and I saw a lady fall in front of me," he told AFP. He added: "Despite everything, we reached the venue for the rally, we held the rally." Fayulu's aides said three people were killed. A local doctor told AFP there were three bodies at the hospital morgue, while an emergency responder said his team had picked up four bodies. Fayulu, 62, a little-known lawmaker and former oil executive, has made a late surge after being named the joint candidate for several opposition parties. - Powder keg - The DRC is in the throes of a major campaign ahead of the December 23 election to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the vast central African country since 2001. But fears of violence run deep. Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary The nation has never known a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960. In the past 22 years, two massive wars have shaken the country, claiming millions of lives and sucking in armies from around southern and central Africa. Lower-level conflicts are burning in the centre and east of the DRC which could easily flare into fully-fledged wars, analysts warn. Kabila has remained in office as caretaker leader even though his second and final term ended nearly two years ago. Twenty-one candidates are running to replace him. As well as Fayulu, the front-runners are Felix Tshisekedi of the mainstream opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, Kabila's handpicked successor. The violence on Tuesday in Lubumbashi came as Fayulu sought to attend a rally there. A civil rights group, the Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ) said two people were killed and 43 hurt, 15 with gunshot wounds, according to a provisional toll. The police said 11 police and two civilians were injured. It did not mention any fatalities. Fayulu said on Tuesday he had been prevented by police from reaching the rally in Lubumbashi. On Wednesday, he said the authorities had blocked him from flying from Kalemie to the next stop on his schedule, the southern mining city of Kolwezi. Felix Tshisekedi "I am in Goma. They diverted us. They told us that we have no other choice, either Kinshasa, Goma or Bukavu," he said, referring to a phone conversation with the powerful National Intelligence Agency (ANR). The UN's special envoy for the DRC, Leila Zerrougui, issued a statement deploring lives lost in pre-election violence and called on the government to "take the necessary steps to avoid new incidents." - Election equipment - In a separate development Wednesday, the DRC's election commission said it had completed the deployment of voting equipment and tested it. DR Congo's election commission said voting machines had been successfully deployed across the country In a posting on Twitter, the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) said that, despite "difficulties," it could "reassure (the public) that all the election equipment has arrived across the country and in towns and, after technical verification, is in a good operational status." The technical and logistical side of the vote has become a fierce political issue. Some opposition parties are contesting the use of Korean-made electronic voting machines, saying the touchscreen devices can be hacked or the results manipulated. CENI argued in return that the machines, which also provide a printout to the voter, were completely secure and the only way to quickly tally results across the DRC, a country four times the size of France but hobbled by poor infrastructure. German automakers are likely to be big beneficiaries of Beijing's pledge to cut tariffs on auto imports from the US China has agreed to cut tariffs on autos imported from the United States, and resume soybean purchases, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Wednesday, confirming the reports that delighted investors. Ross told CNBC the moves by Beijing will "prove that President (Donald) Trump was right when he announced his summary of the talks" held recently with China's President Xi Jinping. The leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires on December 1 and agreed to a 90-day truce while they tried to find a solution to the escalating trade dispute, but they provided differing accounts of the scope of their agreement. Ross did not say when the Chinese auto tariffs will come down or whether Washington had made any offer in exchange, nor when soybean exports might resume. China raised duties on US autos to 40 percent from 15 percent as the confrontation between the world's two largest economies heated up earlier this year, and essentially halted massive soy purchases. American farmers, especially soybean farmers, have been hit hard by China's retaliatory tariffs. Senior US and Chinese officials held discussions by telephone Monday night. Media reports said China agreed to reduce the auto tariffs. Ross said Beijing's offer would help German auto manufacturers in particular as they produced vehicles for the Chinese market at US auto plants. "So that's a very direct help to us and probably will be helpful in the talks we've been having with the German auto manufacturers," he said. Noting that the differing announcements following the Buenos Aires meeting, Ross said, "The president had said there would be a relatively immediate resumption of soybean purchases. It now turns out that he's accurate." The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Chinese officials also agreed to replace the comprehensive industrial policy, Made in China 2025, which Trump officials have sharply criticized. The report said the new plan would allow foreign companies greater access to the Chinese market. Word of possible progress in the trade talks has cheered Wall Street since this week, helping stocks recoup the prior week's losses. However, Beijing has expressed outrage at news last week that a senior executive from the telecoms giant Huawei had been arrested at Washington's behest on charges of Iran sanctions violations. The United States had been poised to more than double the punitive tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods at the start of the year, but with the truce in effect that has been pushed back to March 1. ZeniMax Media, whose Bethesda Game Studios' presentation at an industry event is seen here, said it settled its lawsuit with Facebook's Oculus unit over copyright infringement ZeniMax Media on Wednesday said it struck a deal with Facebook-owned Oculus to settle a lawsuit over the video game giant's virtual reality technology. A US jury early last year ordered that Facebook and creators of Oculus Rift pay $500 million in a lawsuit that contended that Rift virtual reality gear was developed using source code illegally obtained from the Maryland-based gaming firm. The jury dismissed the charge that Oculus stole or misappropriated trade secrets but did find Oculus liable for copyright infringement and other violations. The federal court in Texas where the trial took place subsequently cut the damages award to $250 million, and the case was appealed. Terms of the settlement were confidential, according to the companies. "We're pleased to put this behind us and continue building the future of VR," a Facebook spokesman told said in response to an AFP inquiry. Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014 for more than $2 billion and now sells Rift headsets as part of the social network's push into virtual reality. ZeniMax released a statement by chief executive Robert Altman saying the company was pleased and "fully satisfied" by the deal to resolve the litigation. "While we dislike litigation, we will always vigorously defend against any infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property by third parties," Altman said. Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey departed Facebook not long after Facebook was hit with a big tab in the ZeniMax lawsuit -- and after he was criticized for covertly helping an online "troll" group that promoted memes in favor of Donald Trump during the US presidential election. The ZeniMax lawsuit accused Luckey and his colleagues who developed Rift virtual reality gear with the help of source code from the gaming firm. Luckey was ordered to pay $50 million of the jury award and another former Oculus executive, Brendan Iribe, $150 million. ZeniMax had sought $4 billion in damages in the case, in which Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg testified to defend his company. Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Yosef Cohen who was killed in a gun attack in the West Bank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he had issued a warning to Hamas after recent deadly attacks in the occupied West Bank, including two shootings claimed by the Islamist movement. Netanyahu referred to a controversial Gaza ceasefire in November that ended the worst escalation between Israel and Hamas since a 2014 war. "I conveyed a clear message to Hamas -- we won't accept a situation of a truce in Gaza and terror in Judea and Samaria," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting, using the biblical name for the West Bank, as is Israel's official policy. "We will exact a high price over them," he said of the attacks. Hamas runs the Gaza Strip but also has a presence in the West Bank. Netanyahu's comments came after two soldiers were shot dead at a central West Bank bus station near a settlement on Thursday. On the same day, a baby prematurely delivered after his mother was shot and wounded in a separate attack nearby on December 9 also died. Hamas claimed responsibility for the December 9 shooting and another in the West Bank on October 7 that killed two Israelis. The two Palestinians behind those attacks were shot dead by Israeli forces during arrest raids last week, Israeli officials said. Israel's security forces say they have also arrested at least 37 Hamas operatives in connection with recent violence. The attacks came after a deal to restore relative calm to the Gaza Strip that included Israel enabling Qatar to bring fuel and tens of millions of dollars to the besieged territory for salaries. Hardline Israeli politicians opposed the Gaza agreement and have also criticised Netanyahu over the recent West Bank violence. On Sunday, hundreds of settlers protested outside Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem to call on the government to increase security measures as well as settlement construction. Those moves would make Palestinian militants understand that "there's no point to terror and hope in it," said Hananel Dorani, chairman of settler group the Yesha council. Participating in the protest were a number of ministers, including Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of the far-right Jewish Home. A ministerial committee headed by Shaked later gave initial approval to a bill that would help legalise settlement homes built on state land without government approval. "The terrorists will know that we're here to stay," she said following the vote. "We won't be deterred by attacks." On Thursday, Shaked said that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had also approved of a way to help legalise some 2,000 West Bank homes considered illegal by Israel as they are located on privately owned Palestinian land. Right-wing Israelis often call for increased settlement construction and approvals following Palestinian attacks. All Israeli settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War. Settlements there are seen as major stumbling blocks to a peace deal since they are built on land the Palestinians want for their future state. In a voice vote with no opposition, the US Senate also approved a resolution condemning Jamal Khashoggi's murder and calling Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman "responsible" for it Saudi Arabia on Sunday rejected as "interference" a US Senate resolution to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and another holding its crown prince responsible for the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi. "The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was built on untrue allegations and affirms a total rejection of any interference in its internal affairs," the foreign ministry said in a statement posted on the official Saudi Press Agency. Though largely symbolic, the US Senate vote on Thursday dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly signalled his backing for the Saudi regime even amid a mounting uproar over the Yemen conflict and the slaying of journalist Khashoggi. On the Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks the president's prerogative to launch military actions, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while another three Republicans abstained. Then, in a voice vote with no opposition, the Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggi's murder and calling Prince Mohammed bin Salman "responsible" for it. The resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump. But the Senate votes send a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen has prompted a harder line in Congress about the US military's role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Huthi rebels. KATOWICE, Poland (AP) - The Latest on the climate talks taking place in Poland (all times local): 9:00 p.m. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore says he thinks President Donald Trump's stance on global warming may actually advance the cause of tackling climate change. Gore has spent years raising awareness of global warming and advocating prevention strategies. He said on Wednesday "it may be a perverse step forward to have Donald J. Trump as the global face of climate denial because so much of what he says is nonsense." But he told an audience on the sidelines of the U.N. climate summit in Poland he thinks conservative Republicans "are beginning to really worry that they're going to be associated with that." Gore also called out the Trump administration for joining Saudi Arabia last week in blocking the endorsement of a scientific report on the options governments have to prevent catastrophic climate change. Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) ___ 8:20 p.m. An American diplomat attending the U.N. climate talks in Poland says the United States is planning to help its allies adapt to climate change. Judith G. Garber, an assistant secretary in the State Department's environment division, said the U.S. also wants to help other countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and respond to natural disasters. Unlike scientists and nearly every other speaker at the two-week summit, Garber drew no explicit links between emissions, climate change and natural disasters. Her comments echoed the wording of previous statements from Washington and reflected the views of President Donald Trump, who has questioned whether climate change is man-made. Garber restated the U.S. intention to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate accord on curbing climate change "absent the identification of terms that are more favorable to the American people." ____ 8:00 p.m. The Polish government official serving as president of a U.N. climate summit says the international talks have entered a "critical phase" and require dedication from all involved if they are to end in success. Deputy Environment Minister Michal Kurtyka said Wednesday that ministers from almost 200 countries are working to "unlock issues which are outstanding and which require political involvement of leaders." The conference runs through Friday in Katowice, Poland. The goal of this year's annual climate event is working out ways to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) during this century. Kurtyka told The Associated Press that negotiators were moving forward on a wide array of issues. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres revisited the talks Wednesday to urge progress. ___ 7 p.m. Dozens of rich and poor countries are announcing that they will step up action to curb global warming in an effort to kick start stalled climate talks. The so-called High Ambition Coalition, which includes the Germany, Britain, Canada, Sweden, Spain and Argentina, also backed a drive to keep average temperature rise at 1.5 Celsius. The announcement at the climate talks in Katowice, Poland, comes hours after UN chief Antonio Guterres made a dramatic appeal for negotiators to find a compromise to end the meeting successfully this week. The coalition also counts several Pacific and Caribbean island nations. ___ 6:50 p.m. A Ukrainian official has used the U.N. climate summit as an opportunity to criticize Russia's annexation of Crimea. Ukraine's Minister of Ecology Ostap Semerak spoke Wednesday at the summit in Katowice, Poland, aimed at deciding on ways of counting and reporting carbon gas emissions by almost 200 participating countries, as they effort to combat global warming. Semerak urged the participants to pay attention to the count for the Crimea Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, to prevent a "double count" - because both Ukraine and Russia may report the figure from there. He said Ukraine is stepping up its efforts in fighting global warming and cutting its traditional reliance on its coal. ___ 4 p.m. Climate activists from Asia have protested on the sidelines of the U.N. climate talks against the Japanese government's financing of coal mines and power plants in the region. Burning coal is considered a major source of global warming. Japan has opened eight coal power plants since the 2011 Fukushima power plant disaster undermined public support for nuclear power. It is planning to add over 30 coal plants in the next decade. The protesters called on Japan to stop financing coal. ___ 2:50 p.m. The United Nations secretary-general has made a dramatic appeal for countries to compromise to tackle climate change for future generations. Speaking Wednesday at the U.N. climate talks in Poland, Antonio Guterres told ministers and senior diplomats from almost 200 countries that reaching agreement "means sacrifices, but it will benefit us all." The U.N. chief cited a key scientific report which found that curbing greenhouse gas emissions sooner is the most effective way to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). Guterres said failure in the talks "would compromise our last best chance to stop runaway climate change," adding: "It would not only be immoral, it would be suicidal." Guterres said that while most people in the room would not be around by the end of the century, their grandchildren would be and "they would not forgive us if uncontrolled and spiraling climate change would be our legacy to them." ___ 2:45 p.m. The United Nations secretary-general says countries must increase their contributions to international funds to help poor nations to tackle climate change. Antonio Guterres told ministers and senior officials gathered in Poland on Wednesday that failing to agree on financial support "would send a disastrous message." He also called for a strong framework to ensure transparency among countries' efforts to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris accord that aims to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). Guterres said scientists say the world has the ability to reach the target. He added: "What we need is the political will to move forward." ___ 2:35 p.m. The United Nations secretary-general is urging negotiators at the U.N. climate summit to speed up their work if an agreement is to be reached by the end of the week. Antonio Guterres told ministers and senior officials gathered in Poland on Wednesday that fresh reports highlight the urgent need to tackle global warming. The U.N. chief said he recognized negotiators had made some progress since Dec. 2 but warned that "the key political issues remain unresolved." Guterres told envoys that "we need to accelerate those efforts to reach consensus if we want to follow up on the commitments made in Paris." One of the key tasks at the talks is to finalize the rules of the 2015 Paris accord. ___ 1:55 p.m. Saudi Arabia's negotiators at the U.N. climate summit want scientists to spend more time examining global warming before countries decide on policies to tackle it. A senior Saudi negotiator told reporters that his country wants to wait for a U.N.-appointed panel to complete a further review in 2022 before countries decide whether to endorse the science. The negotiator briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to be identified by name. Saudi Arabia drew anger from environmental groups and other countries Saturday after blocking endorsement of a special report on the Paris climate agreement's target of keeping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). They were joined by Russia, Kuwait and the United States. The Saudi negotiator said his country supports the Paris agreement, despite recent comments by a former Saudi climate envoy calling it "dead." The negotiator accused some countries at the talks in Poland of trying to shift the focus away from emissions targets toward the phasing out of fossil fuels. The oil-rich kingdom is trying to pushing technology it hopes can remove carbon dioxide from fossil fuel emissions. - By Frank Jordans ___ 12:50 p.m. The head of environmental group Greenpeace hopes U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will inject a sense of urgency in the stumbling climate summit in Poland. Jennifer Morgan told The Associated Press on Wednesday that there's been a lack of leadership from major players in the talks, including the European Union. Guterres, who flew back to Poland late Tuesday amid fears the meeting could collapse without agreement, is scheduled to take the floor shortly after 2 p.m. (1300 GMT). Morgan said he "needs to make it very clear that he expects this COP to send a signal that all countries are going to increase ambition." The 24th Conference of the Parties, or COP, is meant to finalize the rules of the 2015 Paris Agreement, but Morgan said current drafts include serious loopholes. ___ 10:25 a.m. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has flown back to Poland in an effort to support struggling talks on ways of fighting climate change. Guterres was expected to make a statement Wednesday during the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, southern Poland, where negotiators from almost 200 countries are trying to work out an agreement this week on ways of keeping global warming in check. The talks hit a hurdle Saturday when the United States and three other countries blocked endorsement of a landmark study on global warming. A U.N. official who was not authorized to release the information told The Associated Press that Guterres, who opened the talks last week, has returned to Katowice to encourage progress. - By Frank Jordans ___ 10 a.m. Germany's environment minister wants more European Union funds to support regions affected by the closure of coal mines. Svenja Schulze told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. climate talks Wednesday that Germany is committed to phasing out the use of coal, though the exact deadline has yet to be determined. She praised the measures Spain has taken to achieve a so-called just transition for miners in that country. In a nod to the recent protests in France over fuel prices, Schulze warned that governments that force through measures would lose public support "faster than you can spell climate protection, and then people pull on yellow vests." The climate talks in Katowice, Poland, have entered a crunch phase, with some delegations calling for stronger leadership to ensure agreement is reached. Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech on acting for climate to participants in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech on acting for climate to participants in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech on acting for climate to participants in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech on acting for climate to participants in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech on acting for climate to participants in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech on acting for climate to participants in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech on acting for climate to participants in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Former U.S vice president and climate activist Al Gore makes a speech on acting for climate to participants in a U.N. climate summit that is to work out ways of keeping global warming in check, in Katowice, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Participants in a U.N. climate conference take photos at an installation with the COP24 conference logo, in Katowice,Poland, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's conservative government easily survived a confidence vote in parliament Wednesday that the leader had unexpectedly asked for earlier in the day. Morawiecki, with the ruling Law and Justice party, said he wanted to reconfirm that his government has a mandate from lawmakers as it pushes through an agenda that mixes conservative social values with higher welfare spending to help the disadvantaged. He also said he wanted to be sure his administration has a mandate ahead of a European Union summit on Thursday, though Poland isn't on the agenda. "I believe that our government is carrying out good reforms, that we serve Poland well, and we want to continue serving it," Morawiecki said in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament. The move seemed primarily aimed at pre-empting a confidence vote on the government that the opposition had demanded. Even though the opposition lacks the votes to topple the government, triggering a confidence vote would have allowed opposition lawmakers to dominate a debate in which they could criticize the government. Instead, Morawiecki got the most floor time and used it to hail what he views as successes of his party's three years in power, the last year with him as prime minister. He highlighted Poland's fast economic development, a rise in the minimum wage and low taxes for small businesses, among other achievements. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, second left, is applauded by members of his government after winning the confidence vote in the parliament, in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. Morawiecki's conservative government easily survived a confidence vote in parliament that the leader had unexpectedly asked for earlier in the day. Morawiecki, with the ruling Law and Justice party, had said he wanted to reconfirm that his government has a mandate from lawmakers as it pushes through its "great reforms."(AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) Still, political rivals accused the government of corruption and challenged it on many issues. One asked why Poland is importing coal from Russia, which is polluting and goes against the country's own aim of reducing energy dependence on Russia. The vote in favor of Morawiecki's government was 231 to 181 with two abstentions. Opponents described the vote as a tactical move aimed as seizing the offense ahead of elections next year for the European Parliament and for the national parliament. Michal Szczerba, a lawmaker with the opposition party Civic Platform, called it a sign of "panic" in the ruling ranks. It comes as the ruling party struggles to contain a financial scandal in the state Financial Supervision Authority, known widely by its Polish acronym KNF. The scandal was triggered by a newspaper report last month alleging that Marek Chrzanowski, the head of the KNF, had sought a multimillion dollar bribe from the owner of a troubled bank in exchange for favors. Chrzanowski, who was appointed by the Law and Justice government, is now under arrest. In recent days the justice minister ordered the detention and questioning of former employees of the KNF under an earlier government in what many consider an attempt to distract from the current scandal. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks in the parliament after he called for a confidence vote in his government, in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. Morawiecki's conservative government easily survived a confidence vote in parliament that the leader had unexpectedly asked for earlier in the day. Morawiecki, with the ruling Law and Justice party, had said he wanted to reconfirm that his government has a mandate from lawmakers as it pushes through its "great reforms."(AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, left, and his deputy, Minister of Culture Piotr Glinski listen to a parliamentary debate after Morawiecki called for a confidence vote in his government, saying he wants to be sure that his government has a mandate ahead of the European Union summit, in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, left, speaks with ruling party Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, after winning the confidence vote in the parliament, in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. Morawiecki's conservative government easily survived a confidence vote in parliament that the leader had unexpectedly asked for earlier in the day. Morawiecki, with the ruling Law and Justice party, had said he wanted to reconfirm that his government has a mandate from lawmakers as it pushes through its "great reforms."(AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, front row left, is applauded by members of his government after winning the confidence vote in the parliament, in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. Morawiecki's conservative government easily survived a confidence vote in parliament that the leader had unexpectedly asked for earlier in the day. Morawiecki, with the ruling Law and Justice party, had said he wanted to reconfirm that his government has a mandate from lawmakers as it pushes through its "great reforms."(AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) MYVATN, Iceland (AP) - The people of northern Iceland have had their travel plans disrupted with a record high snowfall this December. Roads have been shut, flights cancelled and school suspended. But for the children of this isolated North Atlantic island nation, the main worry is how the waist-high snow might affect the Icelandic Santa, Stekkjastaur, who comes to town Wednesday. Stekkjastaur, after all, has a stiff peg-leg. He is one of 13 mischievous troll brothers, called the Yule Lads, who have entertained and also frightened Icelandic children for hundreds of years. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from the brothers, who come down from their mountain cave 13 days before Christmas according to folklore. The brothers are loud, reckless, and have names like Door-Slammer, Window-Peeper, Meat-Hook, Candle-Stealer - reflecting their preferred method of pranks or criminal behavior. But they claim to be mostly rehabilitated, and Sausage-Swiper is now keen to host barbecues. Local actor playing 'Candel-Stealer', one of Iceland's 13 mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas, addresses guests at the geothermal nature lagoon by Lake Myvatn, north Iceland, Saturday Dec. 8, 2018. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason) Traditionally, they bathe once a year ahead of Christmas. Every year local actors in Myvatn, an inland community bordering Iceland's uninhabited interior, dress up in 19th-century costume and arrive as the Yule Lads to a natural lagoon heated with water from hot springs. To children in the region, their arrival marks the countdown to December 24, when Icelanders celebrate Christmas. "But, but, but - I was told we were going fishing," mumbled actor Hulda Sigmundsdottir, who plays "Pot-Licker," as she dipped her woolen sock reluctantly into the bath. In the spirit of today's global outsourcing economy, the Yule Lads have also taken on the responsibility of replying to letters addressed to Santa Claus, their foreign colleague. Soffia Jonsdottir, who is Santa's de-facto secretary in Iceland, says the Icelandic Postal Service forwards all Santa mail to the tiny outpost at Myvatn. "Santa is a distant cousin of the Yule Lads so of course we are happy to help out," she said. "We reply to every letter that has a return address." The letters arrive throughout the year and often include a wish-list, personal gift or simply a warm greeting. The Yule Lads, who speak Icelandic, admit sometime struggling with foreign languages. Fortunately the letters are not delivered to the Yule Lads' home, where they might be stolen by their evil mother, Gryla, said to be a 600-year-old woman who eats children. This dysfunctional family even has an innocently named "Christmas Cat," a giant feline with the habit of eating children - particularly those not wearing new clothes over the Christian holiday. "You find a number of parents saying that we have to tone Gryla and her family down a bit," said Terry Gunnell, a professor in folklore at the University of Iceland. "But that would take away some the genuine Icelandic Christmas which is a dark time when days pass with only few hours of sunlight." Gunnell said the Yule Lads had traditionally been used to discipline children when adults were busy preparing for the holiday. "On the old Icelandic farms, stories of dark figures kept children from running into the mountains or falling into lakes or things like that," he said. Parents used to torment children with such disturbing stories that in the 18th century, Danish king Christian VI tried to ban such un-holy tales. For the next 13 days leading to Christmas, Icelandic children will enjoy favors from the Icelandic Santas as they come down from the mountains one by one, with presents - or a rotten potato in the case of bad behavior. Five-year-old Anita Heidrunardottir, who was playing with her friends at the Managardur kindergarten in the capital Reykjavik, said she was hoping to wake up to books and mandarin oranges in her shoe in the run-up to Christmas. "My sister is scared of the Yule Lads," she said. Why? "She does not know them. That's why she is scared." Local actors playing Iceland's infamous Yule Lads drag each other for "the first bath of the year" at the geothermal nature lagoon by Lake Myvatn, north Iceland, Saturday Dec. 8, 2018. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers called the Yule Lads who arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason) This photo taken Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, shows letters sent to Santa Claus. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from the brothers, who arrive from the mountains 13 days before Christmas. Yule Lads have also taken on the responsibility of replying to letters addressed to Santa Claus, their foreign colleague. (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason) Local actors at the Dimmuborgir lava field in northern Iceland on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, pose as the Icelandic Yule Lads, a band of mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason) A local actor at the Dimmuborgir lava field in northern Iceland on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, poses as part of the Icelandic Yule Lads, a band of mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason) BOSTON (AP) - Dozens of retired state and federal judges called Wednesday on U.S. immigration officials to stop making arrests at courthouses of people suspected of being in the country illegally, saying immigrants should be free to visit halls of justice without fearing they will be detained. Nearly 70 former judges from 23 states - including federal judges and state supreme court justices - said in a letter sent to Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ronald Vitiello that courthouse arrests are disrupting the criminal justice system. "I just can't imagine that we are closing our courtrooms to people who have a right to be there. And you really are closing them if you instill fear in people so they cannot come near a courtroom," said Fernande R.V. Duffly, who was born in Indonesia to Dutch and Chinese parents and served as an associate justice on Massachusetts' highest court until 2016. The judges are urging Vitiello to add courthouses to the list of so-called "sensitive locations" that are generally free from immigration enforcement, like schools and places of worship. They say that only "unequivocal guarantees and protections will restore the public's confidence that it can safely pursue justice in our nation's courts." The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School helped organize the letter, whose signers include judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican governors. Immigration officials have said communities are forcing their hand by refusing to transfer immigrants in local prisons and jails to ICE custody. They also argue that courthouse arrests are safer for agents because people have to go through metal detectors when they enter courthouses. FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2018, file photo, acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ronald Vitiello appears for his confirmation hearing in Washington. Nearly 70 former judges, including federal judges and state supreme court justices, sent a letter to Vitiello calling for U.S. immigration officials to stop making arrests at courthouses of people suspected of being in the country illegally, saying immigrants should be free to visit halls of justice without fearing they will be detained. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) ICE says it's going into courthouses only for certain targets, like gang members and public safety threats and immigrants who have been previously deported or ordered to leave. "Arrests in courthouses are a routine practice for law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Because many jurisdictions no longer allow ICE to take custody of aliens inside of jails, courthouses are the next safest option," ICE Spokeswoman Liz Johnson said in a statement. Courthouse arrests happened under Democratic President Barack Obama, but advocates and lawyers across the country have said the practice has increased under Republican President Donald Trump, creating tensions between judges and federal agents in many states. In Massachusetts, a state court judge is under federal investigation after she appeared to help an immigrant believed to be living in the U.S. illegally evade an ICE agent who was waiting to pick him up at the courthouse, The Boston Globe reported. ___ Follow Alanna Durkin Richer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/aedurkinricher RIMBO, Sweden (AP) - The U.N. special envoy for Yemen on Wednesday gave the country's warring sides at peace talks underway in Sweden a draft agreement they need to consider before this round of negotiations wraps up the following day. 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 the contested Red Sea port city of Hodeida, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis dependent on international aid. Hanan Elbadawi, spokeswoman for U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths, said he would await the "responses from the two parties before announcing the details of the set of agreements" at the end of talks Thursday. The statement raised expectations for progress in the U.N.-sponsored talks in the town of Rimbo, Sweden, between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The government, which is supported by a Saudi-led coalition that has waged war against the Shiite Houthis, said the next round of negotiations could take place as early as January. Meanwhile, an international group tracking Yemen's civil war reported that the conflict has killed more than 60,000 people, both combatants and civilians, since 2016. Martin Griffith, Special Envoy for Yemen of the U.N. Secretary General, attends a press conference at Johannesberg Palace, north of Stockholm on Monday Dec. 10, 2018. Yemen's warring parties are meeting for a fifth day of talks in Sweden aimed at halting the country's catastrophic 4-year-old war. (Stina Stjernkvist/TT via AP) The somber figure, which did not provide a breakdown of those killed, is much higher than the U.N. figure of 10,000 civilian deaths and adds to the urgency to find a resolution for the four-year bloodletting that has also left millions of Yemenis facing hunger. In Rimbo, Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani told The Associated Press that the venue for the next round of talks, likely at the end of January, hasn't been decided yet. The U.N. draft proposal was not released to the media. A draft document obtained by the AP earlier this week showed an initial 16-point proposal to stop all fighting and have all troops withdraw to the city limits and later from the surrounding province, also called Hodeida. In his interview with the AP, al-Yamani reiterated the government's stand on several points, saying that before a political framework for Yemen can be considered, "military and security arrangements" need to be in place. The Houthis should hand over their arms, he added. "We cannot accept in Yemen a militia like the style of Hezbollah (in Lebanon) to survive within the state, and at the same time (to be) deciding the fate of their many people," he said. On Hodeida, he said his side would only agree to a full rebel withdrawal while government forces would "reposition themselves into our barracks out of the outskirts of the city." A police force would then be set-up to patrol Hodeida, he said. Later Wednesday, a rebel delegate said his side accepts some of U.N. envoy Griffiths' proposals, specifically the one on Hodeida. Abdul-Majid al-Hanash told reporters the rebels agree to halt all fighting in Hodeida, withdraw troops from the city and its port, and later also from the province, while allowing U.N. oversight and the setting up of a local administration. Al-Hanash did not say where the rebels stand on the other points in Griffiths' proposed agreement. The U.N. envoy has said he wants to "take Hodeida out of the war," in hopes that international aid delivers can be restored through the port and the country can avoid a full-out famine. About 70 percent of food aid and other imports are shipped through Hodeida's port, and reducing restrictions on aid organizations and fuel imports imposed by the Saudi-led coalition are vitally needed. The war has made Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 22 of its 29 million people in need of aid, according to the United Nations. The two sides have for months been locked in a stalemated fight over Hodeida. The mounting humanitarian needs, and outrage over the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, have galvanized international support for ending the war. The United States, a backer for the Saudis, has called for a cease-fire and reduced some of its logistical aid for the Saudi-led coalition. The new death toll figure of 60,000 for Yemen came from the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED, which said in a report Tuesday that more than 28,000 people - again both civilians and combatants - were killed in the first 11 months of 2018, an increase of 68 percent from 2017. More than 3,000 were killed in November, the deadliest month since ACLED started collecting data. The group said 37 percent of the total number of civilians killed in Yemen in 2018 died in Hodeida. The U.S.-based group said that it recorded more than 3,000 attacks on civilians, killing some 6,500, but that this figure does not include civilians killed in ground battles between the various sides. ACLED's figures also do not include the last few months of 2014, when Yemen's Houthi rebels captured Sanaa and much of the country's north, nor the casualties in 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition joined the war on the side of Hadi's government. ACLED bases its figures on press reports of each incident of violence in the war. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. CAIRO (AP) - The Latest on developments related to Yemen's four-year civil war (all times local): 9:40 p.m. Yemen's rebels at peace talks underway in Sweden say they accept some of the proposals from a draft agreement offered by the U.N. envoy earlier in the day. Abdul-Majid al-Hanash, a delegate from Yemen's rebels, also known as Houthis, says their side has accepted U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths' proposal on the contested port city of Hodeida. He told reporters on Wednesday that the rebels agree to a halt to all fighting in Hodeida, withdraw troops from the city and its port, and later from the surrounding province, while allowing U.N. oversight and the setting up of a local administration for Hodeida. Al-Hanash did not say where the rebels stand on the other points in Griffiths' proposed agreement. Houthi fighters take part in a protest calling for the reopening of Sanaa airport to receive medical aid, in front of the U.N. offices in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) The warring sides have until the closing of the talks on Thursday to consider the proposal. ___ 7:10 p.m. The office of the U.N. envoy for Yemen says the representatives of the country's warring sides at the talks in Sweden have been given a draft document of agreements they need to consider before this round of negotiations wraps up. The draft includes a proposal on a political framework, an agreement on the reopening of the airport in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and a proposal on the contested key Red Sea port city of Hodeida. Hanan Elbadawi, a spokeswoman for U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths, says the U.N. envoy is awaiting the "responses from the two parties before announcing the details of the set of agreements." She says: "We are hoping to receive the responses from two parties by the end of today, and today for us, never ends until we announce the closing (of the talks) tomorrow at 11 a.m." ___ 6:20 p.m. Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani says the next round of talks between the country's warring parties could take place at the end of January. Al-Yamani told The Associated Press on Wednesday in the Swedish town of Rimbo, where the current round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks is underway, that the venue for the next round hasn't been decided yet. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the government side are to wrap up this round in Sweden on Thursday after a week of negotiations at a castle in Rimbo. He says "tomorrow at 11 o'clock, we'll have the closing ceremony." ___ 4:30 p.m. An international group tracking Yemen's civil war says the conflict has killed more than 60,000 people since 2016. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project - or ACLED - says more than 28,000 people were killed in the first 11 months of 2018, up 68 percent from 2017. More than 3,000 were killed in November, the deadliest month since the group started collecting data. The figures include both combatants and civilians. The group said in a report issued on Tuesday that it recorded more than 3,000 attacks on civilians, killing some 6,500, but that figure doesn't include civilians killed in ground battles between the various sides. ACLED's figures do not include the last few months of 2014, when Yemen's Houthi rebels captured the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country's north, nor the casualties in 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition joined the war on the side of the government. The group bases its figures on press reports of each incident of violence in the war. ___ 3:20 p.m. A Yemeni official says the next round of peace talks between the country's warring sides could take place as early as January. Marwan Damaj, culture minister in Yemen's internationally recognized government, says the venue and the exact timing are still being considered. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the government side, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, are to wrap up the current round of U.N.-sponsored negotiations in Sweden on Thursday. Damaj says the two sides are currently discussing the U.N. envoy's proposals on the embattled port city of Hodeida and the airport in Sanaa, Yemen's capital. He says the government wants the rebels to withdraw from Hodeida, after which the sides could discuss other steps, including allowing U.N. oversight and setting up a local, pre-war administration of the city. Yemenis walk through market in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) Martin Griffith, Special Envoy for Yemen of the U.N. Secretary General, attends a press conference at Johannesberg Palace, north of Stockholm on Monday Dec. 10, 2018. Yemen's warring parties are meeting for a fifth day of talks in Sweden aimed at halting the country's catastrophic 4-year-old war. (Stina Stjernkvist/TT via AP) UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The Latest on the U.N. Security Council session on Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal (all times local): 3:05 p.m. Russia's U.N. ambassador says "Iran is ready for a dialogue," but the United States and other Security Council members appear to be more interested in further escalating what he calls "anti-Iran hysteria and to demonize Iran." Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council Wednesday that this "just exacerbates an already difficult situation in the Middle East." He said that "to lower the crisis, what we need to do is pool international and regional efforts." He said one way to start is to hold a conference with countries in the region, and then broaden it to the entire Middle East. Nebenzia said Iran is not banned from conducting ballistic missile launches and there is no proof that its missiles are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia speaks during a Security Council meeting on Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) He lashed out at the Trump administration, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listening, for abandoning the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and for "trying to punish all other member states" for implementing the agreement and the Security Council resolution endorsing it. Nebenzia said, "It's time to abandon unilateral actions," and added, "History shows that they are doomed to failure." ___ 2:10 p.m. France's U.N. ambassador says a long-term strategy in the Middle East cannot rest on "exerting pressures and sanctions" on Iran but must include "a firm and frank dialogue" with the Iranians on issues of growing concern, including their ballistic missile launches and destabilizing activities. Francois Delattre told the U.N. Security Council Wednesday that dialogue is the only way the international community can lay the foundations for a new agreement with Iran on nuclear and missile activity as well as regional stability. He stressed that "there is no other way to make sure there was lasting stability in the region or to attain the goal of Iran never obtaining nuclear weapons." Delattre's comments appeared aimed at the Trump administration, which pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and has recently re-imposed sanctions it had lifted following the agreement. The French ambassador also echoed the appeal launched by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to all countries to ensure the continuity of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal "as a pillar of international peace and security." ___ 1:25 p.m. The U.N. political chief says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling on Iran "to carefully consider and address" concerns raised by U.N. member states about its ballistic missile activities. Rosemary DiCarlo told the U.N. Security Council Wednesday that Guterres welcomes the reaffirmation of support for the 2015 nuclear deal by the remaining participants following the U.S. withdrawal in May - Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and Iran. She said "it is essential that the plan continues to work for all participants, including by delivering economic tangible benefits to the Iranian people." DiCarlo said the secretary-general regrets the Trump administration's decision to re-impose sanctions against Iran that it lifted after the 2015 nuclear deal following its withdrawal from the agreement. She said Guterres believes issues not directly related to the nuclear deal "should be addressed without prejudice to preserving the agreement and its accomplishments." ___ 11:30 a.m. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is urging the U.N. Security Council to ban any Iranian activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons and he's accusing Tehran of building "a robust ballistic missile force" that threatens the Mideast and Europe. Pompeo told the U.N.'s most powerful body Wednesday that Iran has built the largest ballistic missile force in the region and has more than 10 ballistic missile systems in its inventory or in development. The Security Council banned nuclear-capable Iranian missiles from 2010 to 2015, but after the Iran nuclear deal in 2015, the council adopted a weaker provision that "calls upon" Iran not to undertake such activity. Pompeo said that regardless of the changed language, the world "must agree to stop it now." He also urged the council not to lift an arms embargo on Iran in 2020 and to inspect ships in ports and stop them on the high seas to prevent Iran from circumventing existing arms restrictions. Iranian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Eshagh Al-Habib listens during a Security Council meeting on Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo adjusts his tie during a Security Council meeting on Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Ferenc Kosa, winner of the best director award at the 1967 Cannes film festival, has died at 81, the Hungarian Academy of Arts said Wednesday. Kosa was recognized in Cannes for "Ten Thousand Days," about the travails of a Hungarian peasant family from the 1930s onward. The film was banned for a few years by officials in communist Hungary because of its references to the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution. "Through his talent and commitment, (Kosa) played a defining role in the renovation of the Hungarian film artistry of the era," the Hungarian Academy of Arts said. "'Ten Thousand Days' belongs by now to the classical assets of not just Hungarian, but universal film history." Kosa co-wrote many of his scripts with poet and author Sandor Csoori and often worked with cinematographer Sandor Sara. Among the trio's works are "Ten Thousand Days," ''Judgment" (1970) and "Snowfall" (1974). "Kuldetes" ("Mission"), his 1977 portrait of Andras Balczo, winner of a total of three gold and two silver medals in the modern pentathlon at three Olympic Games, was a big success in Hungary but later banned for its criticism of the communist system. Upon Hungary's return to democracy in 1990, Kosa was a founder of the Socialist Party and a parliamentary lawmaker from 1990 to 2006. He played a key role in drafting Hungary's film and media laws, since greatly amended. FILE - This March 15, 2017 file photo portrays Hungarian film director Ferenc Kosa in Budapest. Kosa has died on Dec. 12, 2018, at the age of 81. He directed thirteen films between 1961 and 1988. As a lawmaker for the Socialist Party, MSZP between 1990 and 2006 Kosa played an instrumental role in drafting the country's new film act. (Attila Kovacs/MTI via AP, FILE) Kosa was born in Nyiregyhaza, northeastern Hungary, on Nov. 21, 1937. SEATTLE (AP) - Immigrant rights activists can continue to challenge what they describe as unlawful U.S. government delays in asylum cases, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle dismissed some arguments raised by the lawsuit in a ruling Tuesday, but she said the activists can pursue their claim that the delays violate the due process rights of detained asylum seekers across the country. The government sought to dismiss the case. The Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project filed the lawsuit in June against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which said through a spokeswoman Wednesday that it does not comment on pending litigation. According to the complaint, migrants seeking asylum after entering the U.S. illegally have had to wait weeks or months for their initial asylum interviews, at which an immigration officer determines whether they have a credible fear of persecution or torture in their home country. After that, there have been long delays in getting bond hearings, which determine whether an asylum seeker will be released from custody as the case proceeds. "They're doing what they can to keep people locked up for prolonged periods and block asylum seekers from moving forward with their claims," Northwest Immigrant Rights Project legal director Matt Adams said Wednesday. "What we've seen firsthand is many asylum seekers give up after they've been locked up for weeks or months without ever getting a bond hearing," and opt to be deported rather than exercise their legal right to seek asylum. The group initially filed the lawsuit in response to the administration's family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the delays had kept mothers detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, from being reunited with their children in immigration custody across the country. Those plaintiffs have since been released, but the lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of thousands of asylum seekers. File - This June 21, 2017, file photo shows a women's area at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Wash., during a media tour of the facility. The federal facility, operated under contract by The GEO Group, is used to house people detained on immigration and other violations. A federal judge says immigrant rights activists can continue to challenge what they describe as unlawful U.S. government delays for asylum cases. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle dismissed some arguments raised by the lawsuit in a ruling Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) The complaint asks the judge to order the government to make credible fear determinations within 10 days and to conduct bond hearings within seven days of an asylum seeker's request for one. The government argued that such deadlines are not required by law and that the court doesn't have jurisdiction to impose them. In its motion to dismiss, the Justice Department argued that because the detainees have only just arrived in the U.S. without being granted admission, they "lack a constitutional right to demand expedited procedures for such hearings." Pechman disagreed, saying that because the detainees had crossed into the U.S. they were entitled to greater constitutional protections than the government claimed. "Simply put, are they 'excludable aliens' with little or no due process rights, or are they aliens who are in the country illegally, but nevertheless in the country such that their presence entitles them to certain constitutional protections?" she wrote. "Plaintiffs have adequately plead that they were within the borders of this country without permission when detained, and thus enjoy inherent constitutional due process protections." ___ Follow Gene Johnson at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Outgoing U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah bemoaned the disappearance of political civility, kinship and cross-party collaboration during a farewell speech Wednesday where he called the Senate a legislative body in "crisis." Hatch, 84, will step down next month as the longest-serving Republican senator in history after serving 42 years. After helping pass a sweeping overhaul of the tax code and persuading President Donald Trump to downsize two sprawling national monuments in Utah, Hatch announced in January he wouldn't seek an eighth term. Speaking on the Senate floor in Washington, Hatch said he felt sadness about the state of the U.S. Senate and longingly remembered when lawmakers from both political parties "worked constructively" together for the "good of the country.' He called for greater unity. "The Senate I've describe is not some fairly tale, but the reality we once knew," said Hatch, who joined the Senate in 1977. "Things weren't always as they are now. I was here when this body was at its best." He added: "Our challenge is to rise above the din and divisiveness of today's politics. It is to tune out the noise and tune into reason. It is to choose a patience over impulse, and fact over feeling." Hatch has long been a staunch conservative, but worked across the aisle with the late Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Children's Health Insurance Program. He also authored landmark bipartisan legislation, increasing access to generic-drugs. FILE - In this June 28, 2018, file photo, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, attends a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Hatch bemoaned the disappearance of political civility, kinship and cross-party collaboration during a farewell speech Wednesday, Dec. 12 where he called the Senate a legislative body in "crisis." (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file) "Teddy and I were a case study in contradictions. He was a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat; I was a resolute Republican," Hatch said. "But by choosing friendship over party loyalty, we were able to pass some of the most significant bipartisan achievements of modern times. . . .Nine years after Teddy's passing, it's worth asking: Could a relationship like this even exist in today's Senate? Or are we too busy attacking each other to even consider friendship with the other side?" Hatch has also clashed with opponents in recent years. During a tax-cut debate with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio last year, Hatch said he was tired of the Democrat's "bull crap." Earlier this year, Hatch used an expletive during a speech to describe supporters of former President Barack Obama's health care law, though he later apologized. Hatch also became an ally of President Trump, who has repeatedly fought with Democrats. Hatch used his role as chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee to get a major rewrite of the U.S. tax codes to the president's desk while Trump helped Hatch downsize the monuments and get a Utah man freed from a Venezuelan prison. The theme of Hatch's speech dovetails with the goal of using a future library and think tank named after him in Utah to lead a movement toward bipartisanship and civility in politics. Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who won the election to fill Hatch's seat, highlighted Hatch's call for "mutual respect, pluralism, dignity, comity and unity" in a Tweet where he said Hatch's call for greatness is "characteristic of this man of vision." Hatch said of all the legislation he worked on, he's most proud of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was passed by Congress in 1993 to protect people whose religious observances come in conflict with government laws or agency rules. He called on the Senate to find ways to protect people's right to practice their faith while also shielding LGBTQ people from discrimination. "We must honor the rights both of believers and LGBTQ individuals," Hatch said. "We must, in short, find a path forward that promotes fairness for all." After his speech, Senate colleagues took turns giving quick tributes to Hatch. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah called him "a towering political figure" who made "an indelible mark on our state, on the United States Senate and on this nation." PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - An attorney for a man convicted 38 years after the killing of a teenager sought Wednesday to convince skeptical Maine supreme court justices to set aside the conviction. Rory McNamara, attorney for Philip Scott Fournier, said the judge erred by excluding evidence of an alternative suspect, allowing Fournier's statements to a pastor to be used as evidence, and excluding testimony about why detectives didn't arrest him when they first interviewed him. But Assistant Attorney General Lara Nomani said the judge who returned a guilty verdict and imposed a 45-year sentence was thorough and thoughtful. "The decisions that she made at trial reflect a correct understanding of the law, and show no error, much less an error that would call this conviction into question," she said. Fournier was convicted and sentenced this year for the killing of 16-year-old Joyce McLain in East Millinocket. McLain disappeared while jogging in 1980, and her body was found two days later. There was no physical evidence, including no DNA or fingerprints tying Fournier to the crime scene, but prosecutors say he confessed numerous times. Fournier's attorneys say his memories and statements about the killing were unreliable due to a brain injury. On Wednesday, McNamara faced skepticism about his contention that Fournier's statements to his minister were privileged even though he repeated the same comments elsewhere, and that the judge deviated from standards by excluding evidence of an alternative suspect. Justices also suggested they'd have to overlook previous case law by allowing a detective, who investigated the case, to testify about opinion, not facts, with regards to why Fournier was not initially charged. Fournier was 19 at the time of McLain's death and knew her and the McLain family. On the night of her death, Fournier was behaving erratically. He stole an oil truck and crashed it, suffering a skull fracture that left him in a coma for eight days. The teenager, who was from East Millinocket, disappeared after a full day of baby-sitting and piano lessons. She was wearing only sneakers and socks when her body was found. She'd been bludgeoned. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - An Arkansas court declined to weigh in Wednesday on whether several television stations should have been prohibited from airing a conservative group's attack ad against a state Supreme Court justice during her re-election bid. The Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal by Tegna Inc., which challenged a Pulaski County judge's ruling that prevented several television stations from airing the Judicial Crisis Network's ad targeting Justice Courtney Goodson before the May 22 judicial election. Goodson won re-election in a November runoff. Tegna is the parent company of Little Rock television station KTHV. Goodson had argued that the group's ad was false and defamatory. The spot criticized Goodson over gifts from donors and for a pay raise the chief justice sought on behalf of the court. Goodson later testified that she voted against seeking the pay raise. The appeals court said the issue was moot because the election was over and the ad was no longer airing. "We acknowledge an unquestionable substantial public interest in the First Amendment and prohibiting the prior restraint of expression," the court said in its ruling. "However, addressing this issue will not prevent future litigation." An attorney for Tegna said he was disappointed with the ruling and assessing the next steps. The station could appeal to the state Supreme Court. FILE - In this May 18, 2018, file photo, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson speaks to reporters in Little Rock, Ark. An Arkansas court declined to weigh in Wednesday, Dec. 12 on whether several television stations should have been prohibited from airing a conservative group's attack ad against Goodson during her re-election bid. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File) "It's a restraint of the most important speech there is, which is political speech," John Tull, Tegna's attorney, said. "If you can restrain political speech from occurring by gaining an injunction, the First Amendment is trampled at that point." A federal judge last month rejected an effort by Goodson to halt a similar attack ad and mailer from another group, the Republican State Leadership Committee's Judicial Fairness Initiative. The committee and the Judicial Crisis Network spent nearly $2.5 million combined on the high court race. Judicial Crisis did not air any ads in the race following the May election. "We are pleased with the decision today by the Court of Appeals, but we are most proud that it was Arkansas voters that decided the ultimate outcome of this case by re-electing Justice Goodson and by rejecting dark money," Lauren Hoover, Goodson's attorney, said in an email. ___ Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Authorities in New Jersey say six adults have been charged with severely beating a 3-year-old boy. Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose announced the arrests Wednesday. All six of the suspects live in the same house and police say they systematically beat the child using their fists and a belt. Prosecutors also say they poured scalding hot water on the boy as a form of punishment. They said the boy has been released from the hospital but did not give details on his condition. He and five other children who were in the home are with child protective services. All six adults are being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. They are scheduled to make their first court appearance on Thursday. ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) - The leader of the Brazilian criminal organization Pure Third Command has been captured in Paraguay's capital and will be expelled from the country. Carlos Eduardo Sales Cardoso is known as Capile. He was arrested Saturday along with five members of his family in an exclusive residential area during an operation in which 3,000 reales ($11,800) and 86 high-end watches were also seized. Paraguay's National Anti-Drug Secretariat said in a statement that police found no weapons. "This arrest marks significant damage to the hierarchical structure of Pure Third Command, an organization that gained supremacy in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, with the absolute leadership of Capile at the helm of the most reckless actions," the statement said. Capile will be transferred to Brazil to face homicide and drug trafficking charges. BOSTON (AP) - Tea will once again be thrown into Boston Harbor to mark the 245th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Sunday is the anniversary of the protest during which colonists protesting taxation without representation threw British tea into Boston Harbor in what is considered a pivotal event that led to the American Revolution. The Old South Meeting House and the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum are organizing the reenactment. It will feature more than 40 crates of loose tea was sent in from across the country to be thrown into the harbor as part of the event. Organizers are expecting thousands of spectators at the annual event, which will shut down streets Sunday night in Boston. Shawn Ford, executive director for the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, said it's important to mark the anniversary because it was the "single most important event that led to the American Revolution." "Simply put, if the Tea Party didn't happen, we could be British today," he said. "The citizens of Boston stood up and were willing to risk their lives, families, homes and fortunes based on this idea that men of this country should be free from taxation without representation." He said the destruction of tea in Boston "changed the world." Harriet Cross, the British consul general to New England, will welcome attendees to celebrate the current relationship between Boston and the United Kingdom. Scotland needs up to 900 more police officers to cope with Brexit, MSPs have been told. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents rank and file officers, warned without extra cash from the Scottish Government for more police leaving the EU would risk a catastrophic impact on day-to-day policing. In a letter sent to all MSPs before Wednesdays budget statement, SPF general secretary Calum Steele said: We estimate that Brexit alone will create demand equivalent to between 750 and 900 officers. Clearly we are aware that even if we were to start today that we could not recruit and train the number of to immediately deployable on March 29. That being said, the SPF considers that the Police Service of Scotland must be fully funded to ensure a police service of circa 17,550 officers. This would provide 716 more officers than the 16,834 by 2019-20 the SPF said is anticipated in the Scottish Police Authoritys three-year financial plan. The Scottish Police Federation says more officers will be required (PA) Ahead of todays #ScotBudget and with continued #Brexit uncertainty, our General Secretary @CalumA_Steele has written to all MSPs laying out our concerns pic.twitter.com/apCBc2sclW ScotsPolFed (@ScotsPolFed) December 12, 2018 The letter continued: We consider this to be the minimum that would be required to ensure the policing of Brexit-related issues could be delivered without any catastrophic impact on other day to day policing activities. Among the extra pressures the federation expects Brexit to bring are a need for more police officers for border policing and public order, as well as extra requests for mutual aid from forces elsewhere in the UK. The letter warns of the potential for a catastrophic funding settlement from the Scottish Government for 2019-20. It highlights the last survey of police figures, which showed there were 17,147 officers in Scotland as of September 30 2018. Cuts in officer numbers of around 400 by 2020 were announced by the force last year. Scottish Labour justice spokesman Daniel Johnson said: It is now clear that Police Scotland is suffering as a result of being starved of resources by the SNP Government. That has resulted in fewer police on our streets and crime rising for the first time in a decade. Scottish Labour has called for the SNP Government to introduce a Community Policing Fund to restore the 350 police officers that have been lost on the SNPs watch. A spokesman for Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said there are more than 900 extra officers than when Labour was last in power and Scotlands streets are safer than a decade ago, with recorded crime down 42%. He said: The Scottish Government is carefully considering the implications of leaving the EU with stakeholders, including Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority. This encompasses the possibility of requests for mutual aid from other forces around the UK. The Scottish Government has been clear that any costs related to EU exit should not have a detrimental impact on Scotlands public finances and should be met by the UK Government. He added: The Scottish Governments budget for policing in 2019/20 will be over 1.2 billion and a 3.7% increase in the SPAs budget will bring an additional 42.3 million to the service. Theresa May has told Conservative MPs she will not lead the party into the next general election. The promise came after the Prime Minister vowed to fight with everything Ive got to retain her place as Tory leader as she faced an attempt to oust her through a confidence vote. Mrs May looked set to see off the challenge to her leadership, as scores of Tory MPs made public statements of support. Conservative MPs in a meeting addressed by Theresa May in Committee Room 14 of the Houses of Parliament (Stefan Rousseau/PA) And she received an enthusiastic welcome as she addressed Conservative MPs at the backbench 1922 Committee moments before the crucial vote began at 6pm, with backers banging their desks to show their support. Afterwards, 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 that would not happen, that is not her intention. And Cabinet minister Amber Rudd said: She was very clear that she wont be taking the general election in 2022. Proud to have voted in support of the PM, thank you to the many people who have contacted my office today to urge me to do just that pic.twitter.com/pF5ChA4xHh Margot James (@margot_james_) December 12, 2018 Other MPs indicated that Mrs May had 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. Anger over the backstop among Tory backbenchers and their Democratic Unionist Party allies was the main obstacle to Mrs May getting her Brexit deal through the House of 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. As Tory MPs voted in a Westminster committee room, Croydon South MP Chris Philp said: I attended the 1922 Committee this evening. The Prime Minister pledged to find a legally binding solution to the danger of getting stuck in a permanent backstop. She also said she would not lead us into the next election. We now need to unite around Theresa May to deliver Brexit. But DUP leader Arlene Foster, who met Mrs May shortly before the vote, insisted that tinkering around the edges of the Prime Ministers EU Withdrawal 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. (PA Graphics) Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said he was not persuaded by the Prime Ministers assurances to vote for her in the ballot. He told the Press Association: It was all the same old stuff. Nothing has changed. Mrs May was informed that she would face a ballot by the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, in a phone call at 10.35pm on Tuesday. She had just returned to 10 Downing Street from a day of travels which had taken her to The Hague, Berlin and Brussels for Brexit talks with EU leaders. As day broke in Westminster on Wednesday, Sir Graham issued a press release announcing that the threshold had been reached and a confidence vote would be held later that day. Press release issued by the 1922 Committee confirming that a confidence vote would take place (PA Wire/PA Images) In a dramatic early morning statement outside the door to 10 Downing Street, Mrs May responded: I will contest that vote with everything Ive got. Warning that a change of prime minister would put the UKs future at risk and could delay or halt Brexit, she insisted she would stay on to finish the job. Mrs May said securing a Brexit deal which will deliver on the result of the 2016 referendum was now within our grasp and said she was making progress in securing reassurances from EU leaders on MPs concerns about the proposed backstop for the Irish border. Every MP in her Cabinet swiftly issued statements of support and she was greeted by loud cheers from the Tory backbenches when she faced the House of Commons for her weekly session of Prime Ministers Questions. Theresa May speaks during Prime Ministers Questions hours after being told she faces a confidence vote (Mark Duffy/House of Commons/PA) By early afternoon, the number of Conservative MPs saying publicly that they would vote for her had passed the 159 required for her to survive the attempt to oust her. The target for victory, representing half of the parliamentary party plus one, increased from 158 during the day, as the Conservative whip was restored to Burton MP Andrew Griffiths and Dover MP Charlie Elphicke. Mr Griffiths, a former chief of staff to Mrs May who had been suspended over suggestive text messages, immediately confirmed he would back the PM. However, uncertainty remained over whether public statements would translate into votes in the secret ballot taking place in a Commons committee room between 6pm and 8pm. Downing Street aides declined to discuss whether the PM would stay on if she won by only a slender margin. Failure in the ballot would trigger a leadership contest in which Mrs May could not stand. But if she wins, another challenge cannot be mounted against her position as Tory leader for a year. Husband Philip showed his support by watching Prime Ministers Questions from the public gallery, while Tory elder statesman Kenneth Clarke told MPs that a leadership contest would be irresponsible and unhelpful. None of the PMs Brexit-backing critics took the opportunity to attack her, while there were strong words of support from backbenchers including Neil OBrien (Harborough), who condemned headbangers from all sides for undermining her. But she faced a call to stand down from the Scottish National Partys leader in Westminster, Ian Blackford, who said: This Government is a farce, the Tory Party is in chaos and the Prime Minister is a disgrace Prime Minister, take responsibility, do the right thing, resign. Mrs May cleared the decks to lobby Tory MPs for their backing, cancelling a planned meeting of Cabinet and a trip to Dublin for talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar. Theresa May might have saved her job by declaring to Conservative MPs that she will not lead the party into the next general election, but she risks turning herself into a lame duck prime minister. It has long been a political convention that prime ministers do not announce retirement plans in advance, for fear that the remainder of their term in office will be dominated by speculation over their successor. Attention can now be expected increasingly to focus on whether senior Tories are preparing a bid for the leadership. And tying her future departure to the delivery of Brexit will inevitably raise questions about whether Mrs May intends to remain in place until the official date of the UKs withdrawal in March 2019, the end of the agreed transition period in December 2020 or the end of a possible extended transition in 2021 or 2022. So even if she wins this duck is lame https://t.co/EIpnWxlmo3 Sir David Hanson (@RTHondavehanson) December 12, 2018 Labour MPs immediately seized upon Mrs Mays comments to suggest that she could not remain long in 10 Downing Street. Even if she wins, this duck is lame, said former minister David Hanson. Prime Minister Theresa May walks back to Number 10 after making a statement in Downing Street (Stefan Rousseau/PA) And Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins said Mrs May was safe for another year only. Tony Blair broke the taboo in 2006 when he announced he would quit within a year, after coming under intense pressure from his chancellor and rival Gordon Brown to hand over the reins of power. In fact, the Labour PM lasted only another nine months, having faced continued pressure from media and politicians to name a precise date for his departure. She'll say anything to get to tomorrow. Nothing she says can be believed, but if she wins tonight's vote, she's safe for another year. https://t.co/ovyEtAT0vL Toby Perkins MP (@tobyperkinsmp) December 12, 2018 David Cameron declared just weeks before the 2015 general election that he would not seek a third term if re-elected as Conservative prime minister. The shock announcement sparked immediate speculation about exactly when he would quit and whether he would give a successor time to establish him or herself before the next poll, which was then expected to come in 2020. In the event he did not have a chance to quit at a time of his choosing, instead resigning on the morning after losing the 2016 EU referendum. Venezuelas socialist President Nicolas Maduro has said he has uncovered an assassination plot that leads directly to the White House. Mr Maduro appeared on state TV on Wednesday and repeated his frequent warning that a US invasion is imminent, this time giving some details but no evidence. He accused President Donald Trumps National Security Adviser John Bolton of overseeing a plot to have US-paid mercenaries replace him with a dictator. National Security Adviser John Bolton, left, sits with President Donald Trump (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) He alleged that the mercenaries are training in neighbouring Colombia. Venezuela is in a historic economic crisis after two decades of socialist rule. The United States has imposed financial sanctions on Mr Maduro and dozens of top officials to press for what it calls a return to democracy. Mr Maduros second term begins on January 10, following elections this year many foreign nations reject as illegitimate. Did the recently concluded climate talks in Katowice, Poland achieve anything at all? The world is warming up and its climate is going totally out of whack. Extreme weather phenomena such as the Kerala floods earlier this year are wreaking havoc across the world, putting people in harms way and could even signal the end of days as many religious holy books predict. And here is the funny thing we have known about humanitys impact on the planet for decades now, we have physically seen the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers and huge chunks of ice the size of a small Indian state break away from the Antarctic ice shelf. Yet when it comes to doing something about them, the solutions we know about appear impossible to implement. So every few years global leaders and scientists sit down at a place to thrash out the details on how to redress the crisis. But much like a heroin addict who finds it impossible to go cold turkey when the time comes to make tough choices, there is much hand-wringing. Here is a truism, humanity is addicted to carbon and those of us who can afford it love the good life. The use of air-conditioning, for example, the very nature of which increases the local temperature even more, cannot be begrudged by anyone who has seen a Delhi summer. Yet, as more and more Indians can afford cooling, the irony is that they are participating in the warming of the planet. Therein lies the rub. How do you and how can you deny the new middle-class in India their aspirations? Whether it is an energy-inefficient car compared to a motorcycle or new consumer durables such as a washing machine, do we say that this is not for you or do we embrace low-cost manufacturing and agree that everyone should have a level of equal access to modern conveniences? So at Katowice, the hand-wringing continued. We know that we are in the midst of a crisis but the crisis hasnt hit as yet, or rather it has in fits and starts. Sea level rises have not displaced millions till date but can politicians increase the taxes on petrol beyond a point even if they realise the carbon implications of burning more petrol and diesel? Can any politician or bureaucrat tell people that they should be judicious when they use their air-conditioning? We tried that in India and elite liberals saw that as government interference. After all the rich, whether they are nations or rich citizens, do not want to pay the price of changing their habits. They would want air-conditioning and car ownership restricted but not for themselves. So the result at Katowice, where after 13 days of talking the only conclusion was that we should try and prevent global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5C by 2030, was far from ideal. By that time it may be too late to drive more change. The global impact of a warmer world will be felt by all of us, rich and poor alike although the latter will be harder hit. It is contingent upon politicians to understand that they need to educate their people about the impact of climate change. We might feel the impact of climate change in a sputtering manner right now but by 2030 it might be too late. Each year, a thick grey shroud descends over the whole of the northern part of South Asia, on both India Gate in New Delhi and the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, as it were. Predictably, news media covers this common environmental problem as separate events: Indian smog and Pakistani smog! Quite often, what is easily forgotten is the fact that environmental problems know no boundaries. In a bid to encourage transboundary collaboration to fight air pollution last year, the then Chief Minister of Pakistani Punjab wrote a letter to his Indian counterpart, Captain Amarinder Singh, proposing regional cooperation to tackle smog. But there was no follow-up on the issue from either side and the initiative is now forgotten. We could learn something from how the US and Canada dealt with acid rain a few decades ago. In 1979, officials, scientists, industrialists and environmentalists from both countries met in Toronto to discuss threats, common challenges and sources of this particular menace. After a few years, both nations signed an international protocol (Acid Rain Treaty) on nitrogen-oxide, a major contributor to acid rain. Today, as a result of joint efforts, acid rain is not a problem anymore on the North American continent. Following local protocols are necessary, of course, but regional cooperation including sharing technology, best practices and research in a collaborative manner will go a long way in the war against air pollution in particular. Just two days after Congress leaders held a Press conference saying no CAG report on pricing of Rafale jets has been shared with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the CAG has sent a draft report on Rafale deal to the Ministry of Defence for its comment. Highly placed sources said that the CAG has asked the Ministry of Defence to revert within four weeks on the draft report. The draft report was sent to the Ministry of Defence two weeks ago. However, the report is unlikely to be tabled in the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament. The controversy erupted over the CAG report on Rafale ever since the Supreme Court mentioned about this while giving clean chit to the Government. The senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the Public Accounts Committee chairman, accused the Government of misleading the apex court. The Government lied in the Supreme Court that the CAG report was presented in the House and in the PAC, and PAC has probed it. The Government said in the Supreme Court that it (the report) is in public domain. Where is it? Have you seen it? Kharge, alleged. The Congress has been making allegations of corruption in the 36 aircraft contract saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi favoured his industrialist friends by giving them offset contracts worth over Rs 30,000 crore. According to CAG officials, once a CAG report is submitted to the President of India for approval, the Government decides on the date and time of its tabling in Parliament. After tabling in Parliament, CAG reports are sent to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is headed by an Opposition leader, for evaluation. The CAG has been conducting an audit of the Rafale deal for the last year and has gone into its pricing, bids from competitors and comparative pricing of other fighter jets available globally. Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, who was detained by the countrys intelligence agencies in 2012 and subsequently sentenced to three years imprisonment by a military court in 2015 for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by the military court on December 15, 2015. His three-year jail term ended on December 15, 2018 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. Ansari is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said. He claimed that Ansari was an Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents. Ansari went 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. He entered Pakistan 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, on Thursday heard an appeal filed by Ansari through his lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar. Anwar informed the bench that both the Ministry 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. 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. Displaying bestial instinct, two men raped a stray dog, tied the animal behind their scooter and dragged her to death in Rajendra Nagar in Ghaziabad. One of the accused was arrested on Saturday, said Ghaziabad police. After seeing two scooter-borne men dragging a dog with their scooter, some residents rushed to catch them. One of the two men on scooter fled but one was caught, said social activist Ruchin Mehra. Animal lover Ruchin, who rescued the dog, said skin of the dog was fatally ripped off. We took the body and the accused to police station where police registered a case and arrested the culprit, said Ruchin. One of the accused identified as Mohd Nafees, a resident of Gali No. 6, Shaheed Nagar, confessed to his crime. He revealed his accomplice name as Mohd Tosim, a resident of the same locality, said the senior police official, adding before dragging dog to death the accused had raped the dog several times. During interrogation, the accused said the dog had bitten several people in the locality therefore decided to throw her out of the locality. But the two men decided to teach the dog a lesson and tied the dog with the scooter and dragged her, said the senior police official. We have arrested the accused and attempts are being made to arrest his co-accused, said Inspector Sahibabad police station Ran Singh. Meeting the Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat requested that the Herbertpur-Badkot route (national highway 123) and Kotdwar-Srinagar route (national highway 119) should be linked to the all weather road project and made as per the Char Dham project. Further, in view of the 2021 Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, approval should also be granted to construction of a four-lane 2.5 kilometre bridge across the Ganga river near Jagjeetpur and a 47 kilometre long ring road in Haridwar at an estimated cost of Rs 1566 crore. In the current financial year, financial and administrative approval for work proposals amounting to about Rs 284 crore under the Central Road Fund is also awaited. Rawat further informed Gadkari that in the 123rd TSC of the central water commission, various flood protection schemes of the State have been approved. These include works costing Rs 98 crore along the Suswa river, works costing Rs 33.95 crore along the Jakhan river, Rs 34.25 core works along the Song and its tributaries and works costing Rs 46.42 crore along the Bindal river. He requested that financial approval be granted soon by the Government of India for these works. Rawat also referred to the record number of people undertaking the Char Dham Yatra this year. Stating that this Yatra is also a priority for the Union Government, he said that work is underway on the all weather road project to make the pilgrimage more secure and convenient. He informed Gadkari that large number of people coming from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi use the 111 kilometre long Herbertpur-Badkot NH 123 and 137 kilometre long Kotdwar-Srinagar NH 119. These roads need to be linked to the all-weather road project and oriented according to the Char Dham project for the convenience of the pilgrims, he said. Rawat also informed Gadkari about proposals submitted earlier under the Central Road Fund for the current financial year. These proposals amounting in cost to Rs 284.11 crore including nine road safety works amounting to Rs 25 crore and 16 proposals for bridge and road construction amounting to Rs 285 crore. The Union Minister assured that necessary action would be taken on these proposals. The International Migrants Day is observed on December 18 in accordance with the Resolution 55/93 of the United Nations General Assembly adopting a resolution on the international convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families. Odisha is known as one of the key migration source States. As per the State Department of Labour, close to 1.3 lakh inter-State workers migrate to other States to work as migrant labourers. However, unofficially, there are two million migrants working in various States in India as migrant workers. Majority of the migrant workers are from coastal region which accounts for 50 per cent of the total migrants working in textile, cotton ginning, carpet, diamond polishing, and construction sectors. Labour migration from tribal north, southern and western Odisha is mostly considered as distress family migration to work in brick kiln, construction, stone crusher, domestic work, plantation and agriculture sector within and outside of the State. On the other hand, young and adolescent groups from tribal and rural region migrate to various inter-State and intra-State destinations to work in hotel, restaurant, construction manufacturing and various service sectors. The State also has been reporting large numbers of workers who are migrating to the Gulf and other international destinations as construction workers. The Odisha Government has formulated a State action plan to reduce vulnerability of migrant workers in western Odisha and is trying to set up help desks in key destination States. The Department of Education has been working on setting up seasonal hostels for migrant children in the western districts of Odisha. Whereas the civil society organisations have been actively working on migrant childrens education at destination, awareness generation of safe migration and advocating for better and meaningful policy for the migrant workers. The Inter State Migrant Workers Act of 1979 has not been helping the migrant workers and needs amendment. The Government of India is going to discuss and pass a new law, Trafficking of Person (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill 2017 which is under debate. While the act has are some progressive provisions to curb all forms of trafficking, but still there are gaps to address the issues of labour trafficking and laws to protect the migrant labour. The UN Sustainable Development Goal also focuses its attention on reducing vulnerability of men, women and child migrants and creating an inclusive policy. The inclusive policies for migrants in cities are a key urban policy which needs to be undertaken by the Government. Governor cum Chancellor of State Universities, Draupadi Murmu today stressed on the need of all round development of students studying in colleges. While addressing students who performed well in graduation of the previous session of Ranchi, Kolhan and Birsa Agriculture university at Raj Bhavan on Monday, she said asked officials to upgrade library and laboratory. During the programme the Governor asked all the universities to pay attention to English in today's competitive age. Along with this, she asked the students to give a lot of effort for personality development and skillful communication skills. She also instructed officials to ensure that the training of martial arts in the colleges and universities is made available and asked for the health check up of all the students. The Governor said that in all educational institutes, the students will get decent and good education. She said that efforts are on to provide better academic environment and regularization of sessions in all universities. Efforts are also being made to overcome the shortage of teachers in the State, the bell-based guest teachers have been appointed. On this occasion, Vice Chancellor of Ranchi, Kolhan and Birsa Agriculture Universities were present alongwith the Principal Secretary of the Governor Satendra Singh. The Governor said that students receiving excellence in any exam conducted by any University are inspiration for other students. They are considered exemplary. She said that their suggestions on how well these students are successful in achieving excellence, what are the good in the university and what is needed to improve will serve as a good guide in the interest of the university. On this occasion, the Governor invited the opinion of all the students which need further improvement in the university in the university. The students gave their suggestions on filling up posts of teachers, development of libraries and laboratories, better communication between student-learner, debate and seminars need to be organised frequently, more emphasis is on the theory class among others. On this occasion, the Principal Secretary of the Governor, Satendra Singh said that India was Global leader in ancient times. Here were the famous educational institutions like Nalanda, Takshshila and Vikramshala. He said that all have an effort in the view of the re-establishment and the youth of India has the potential. He said that the Governor is continuously trying to improve the higher education from the beginning. Despite the High Court order, Surajit Das Gupta the self-proclaimed officiating chairman of Governing Body (GB) of Dyal Singh College Court has barred the entry of the Principal Inderjeet S Bakshi and once again locked and sealed the room without any prior notice and informing anyone. On December 14, the High Court ordered that Bakshi can join the college till next hearing. In its order, the High Court said ,Let the needful be done within two weeks. Response thereto, if any be filed within two weeks thereafter. Till further order, the operation of the order (governing body order) issued to the Inderjeet S Bakshi shall remain stayed. But the college staff members claimed that the Governing Body has again put a notice on the main door of the principal room and locked it again, even after the courts order. With reference to the order of the Delhi High Court, a copy of which has not reachd the college so far, it is observed that room of I S Bakshi has been opened without any consent of the GB, Dyal Singh College which is improper. Once receiving a copy of the order, the GB shall meet to decide upon the future course of action. Until the decision of the college is reached the room will be remain locked, read the notice signed by Surajit Das Gupta. The notice further said that the order of the GB was issued after the decision taken at the last meeting (2nd November) to restrict Bakshis entry into the college campus to ensure unhindered and unaffected inquiry into the charges against him and it still continues. When asked Bakshi said, This amounts to contempt of the court and without any notice they have locked the room again. Now the GB is acting as law unto itself and their behavior is against its faculty and staffs. As soon I witnessed the notice, I wrote a letter to the Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi and have also filed a police complaint against the guards to let the people in the mid-night. The body is literally harassing senior and elder faculty of this college. Further, some members of Academic Council (AC) have also submitted a memorandum against the chairman of governing body of Dyal Singh College. This act of Dasgupta is in violation of the Court order of 14th December 2018 which puts a stay on the decision of the Governing body. The Body on the 14th of September arbitrarily decided to send Bakshi on forced leave and locked his office. It has come to our notice that in the night of 15th December some of the bouncers of some security agency entered the college and put a lock and seal on Principals room which is a clear act of coercion, stated the memorandum. It further said that the member of the governing body is claiming himself as an officiating chairman, whereas the post of Officiating Chairman does not exist as per ordinance and statute of the University. The chairmen of GB of other colleges too, have started acting as the college is their fiefdom. Such an act is not only going to ruin the academic atmosphere of Dyal Singh College alone but also sends a wrong signal to the entire University. This kind of action is an insult to the entire teachers of Varsity and many are suffering , said Pankaj Kumar Garg, AC member who submitted the memorandum to VC. A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Patanjali and Chinas Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine during the China visit of Acharya Balkrishna of Patanjali Yog Peeth. On his arrival, the acharya was greeted by the secretary of the university Prof Chen Mingrain. In a statement issued by Patanjali Yog Peeth, Balkrishna said, The MoU inked would go a long way not just in the exchange programmes involving the students of both the universities but would also facilitate research on traditional medicines and documentation. Designated as a Medical University in Nanchang, Jiangxi is an esteemed institution of higher learning being run by the Jiangxi provincial Government. Ranchi police have arrested five persons in connection with kidnapping and gang rape of two minor girls under Namkum police station area of Ranchi district on Sunday night. Police informed that among the arrested persons are Prem Kacchap, Ravi Minz, Subhas Munda, Vikas Nayak and David Horo. One of the accused namely Manoj is still absconding in the case. One of the girls aged 17 years has alleged that arrested persons have committed the crime against her. The medical examination of the girl has been conducted for confirmation of her statement. Police said that victims, both of them residents of Doranda area, had visited the Ramta dam in Khunti district on Sunday with their boyfriends for celebration. While returning back in the evening the boys accompanying the girls had a quarrel with the accused persons on the issue of overtaking of bikes. The accused persons overpowered the boys and then kidnapped the girls. After getting information about the crime from the boys police swung into action and arrested one of the accused persons from the Kharsidag police outpost area. The remaining accused persons were also nabbed within hours of the crime in the search operation in the same area. Ranchi SSP Anis Gupta said that case of kidnapping and gang rape has been registered against the all six persons. He added he was personally monitoring the case adding ASP rank officer would supervise the same. The death of agitating para teacher Kanchan Kumar Das in Dumka on Sunday has futher poured fuel in the agitation of warring para teachers as all the main opposition parties have loudly raised their voice against the State government. Das died while staging a sit-in near the Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, Minister, Louis Marandis residence in Dumka on Sunday and in another case a female para teacher died in Ramgarh some days earlier. All the main political parties have raised their voice against the State government. Speaking on the issue Water Resource Minister Jharkhand, Chandraprakash Chaudhary said the State government should take initiative on the issue of para teachers. The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) MLA, Pradeep Yadav and the Congress Party MLA Badal Patralekh visited the residence of Late Para teacher Kanchan Kumar Das in Dumka to express grief to aggrieved family. Yadav said, The para teachers are agitating in democratic way and the government is not listening to their voice. The government is conspiring to end rights of democratic agitations. The government is showing inhumane behaviour with the people of the State. The government should give as compensation of Rs. 25 lakh to aggrieved family. Speaking on the issue JVM Spokesperson Yogendra Pratap Singh said, It is very sad that a para teacher died near the Ministers residence and another female para teacher died in Rajrappa. Somehow directly and indirectly the BJP led government is responsible for it. The main opposition leader Hemant Soren said that it is very sad to know that the death of para teacher in front of the Ministers residence. Soren further added, The teachers are foundation of education system of Jharkhand. The governments policy on the issue of para teachers will bring the State into hell. At one side the Chief Minister spending hard earned money of public on foreign tour and on other side people dying on hunger. Jharkhand government should take proper decision on para teachers issue to solve the problem. The government should give the compensation of Ra.25 lakh to the aggrieved family. Speaking on the issue the State President RJD Annapurna Devi said, The government will take how many lives of para teachers. The government has not taken initiative even after one moths of the strike. One more para teacher was died some days earlier in front of Minister Chandraparakash Chaudharys residence. The government should give as compensation Rs. 25 lakh and job to a family member of aggrieved family. Singh further said that the government should give Rs. 20 lakh as compensation to the victim family. JMM MLA Kunal Sarangi said that he will start his agitation in front of the State Assembly Building in support in support of para teachers demand when the Winter Session will be started. The CM has time for the tour of Dubai but he doesnt have time for the dying para teachers, he added. The State CPI (M) unit said on the issue that this is result of dictatorship and stubborn behavior towards plight of para teachers. The party further said, The government should talk to the teachers to sort out the problems and the party further demanded that compensation of Rs.25 lakh and a government job to aggrieved family. Meanwhile, Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, Minister, Louis Marandi said on the issue that it is very to know the death of the teacher said and when the CM will return from the tour she will talk to him to take an initiative in this regard. Hundreds of people from Sikh Community on Monday protested against Kamal Nath, after he was administered the oath of office as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, alleging that the Congress leader was involved in the anti-Sikh riots. The protest broke out at several places in national Capital minutes after the Delhi High Court convicted accused Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, while describing the mass killings as crime against humanity. Members of Sikh Community including women and children with posters in their hand and chanting slogans against Congress and its leaders took out a protest march near congress headquarters demanding action against Kamal Nath. Though the residents welcomed the High Court decision but blamed Congress party for delay in justice and still covering their Congress leaders especially Kamal Nath by appointing him as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. The protesters, including many riot victims and their family members, tried to march from Taj Mansingh hotel towards the Congress headquarters on Akbar Road but were stopped enroute by the police. The protest was also joined by Delhi BJP leaders. We are very unhappy with the Congress decision in making a person responsible for riots as a CM. Congress says that they support us but where is that support. They are just protecting their leaders, said Hemlata Kaur. Ek magrmachh fas chukka hai, Ab hum baaki magarmachho ke fasne ka intezar kar rahe hain (One big shot has been convicted and we are waiting to see when the others like him are punished. We are hopeful that it would happen under this Governments regime only, said Ganga Kaur, whose familys 11 people, including her father, were killed in the riots while protesting at Tilak Nagar adding that it is clear with CM as Kamal Nath, Congress will stand against justice for 1984 riots and protect culprits. We are definitely happy with this verdict. It would have been good if the other accused also got capital punishment only. But then we wholeheartedly welcome the courts decision, said Simranpreet, a resident of Tilak Vihar widows colony built after 1984 riots. Meanwhile, Delhi Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader, Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga also sat on an indefinite hunger strike at Tilak Nagar. Protesting the Congresss move in selecting Nath for the chief ministers post, he said, I am sitting on an indefinite hunger strike against Rahul Gandhis decision to nominate him as CM. He (Nath) is the same person who was involved in the riots against Sikhs in Delhi. He said his hunger strike will continue till Nath is replaced by someone else as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Several BJP leaders and residents of Tilak Nagar supported Baggas protest. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said the Congress has hurt Sikh sentiments by appointing Nath as Chief Minister. Claiming that there was no need of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale fighter aircraft deal as the Supreme Court had considered all aspects before giving its order, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday that the Congress was making an issue out of it by spreading lies as it wanted the Rafale deal to be cancelled even at the cost of compromising with the countrys security. When the apex court has held that there is no irregularity in the deal then where is the question for a further probe. Javadekar said while addressing media persons in Lucknow on Monday. The Union ministers press conference was part of the Bharatiya Janata Partys media blitzkrieg wherein 70 press conferences were held across the country, seven in Uttar Pradesh, to inform the people about the Supreme Court order giving a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government in the Rafale deal. Javadekar questioned the oppositions wisdom in asking for a JPC probe into the Rafale deal and said that they were forgetting a basic fact that a debate was must before a JPC was formed. The government is ready for a discussion in Parliament. But the Congress is running away from it as it knows that its lies would come out, he said. Alleging that the Congress was lying on the Rafale deal irregularities, Javadekar said that it seemed the Congress was playing into the hands of anti-national forces and trying to play with security of the he country. Without naming Pakistan, the Union minister said, Our neighbours are armed to their teeth with modern weapons. It is time we should get modern weapons also. The Congress first delayed the Rafale deal for seven years, from 2007 to 2014, and when the BJP struck a deal, it is again trying to block it, he said. The apex court has already said that the rate of the aircraft is 20 per cent cheaper than what the Congress was purchasing in 2012. Besides, Anil Ambanis company was selected by the French company along with several others. The apex court has clearly said that there was no middleman involved as it was a direct agreement between two countries, the Union HRD Minister said. Javadekar also said that the first Rafale aircraft would be delivered by March, 2019 and the remaining within the next two years. When asked whether the BJP suffered politically due to sustained campaign by Congress, Javadekar replied in the negative and said that the defeat of the party in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan was due to local issues. Though in MP, our party got five lakh votes more than the Congress and in Rajasthan both parties had almost equal vote share, he pointed out. When asked about opposition unity against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Javadekar said, All zeros cannot become heroes. Two opposition parties Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have already boycotted the oath ceremony of the new governments in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. This exposes the truth about opposition unity, he said. In reply to another question, Javadekar said the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a jolt for the party. He said that MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath should step down and face trial for the massacre of Sikhs in 1984. The court should punish Kamal Nath for Sikh genocide in 1984 after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he said. The Federation of Dehradun City Buses Association alleged that the City Patrol Unit (CPU) personnel are inclined more to impose penalties rather than performing their actual assignment. The president of the federation Vijay Vardhan Dandariyal said on Monday that the CPU personnel have restricted themselves to merely slapping chalans and doing no other work. He sarcastically remarked that instead of City Patrol Unit (CPU), it should be renamed as Challan Patrol Unit in tune with the work they are now exclusively engaged in. He wondered why costly modern equipment and vehicles are being provided to them when it remains engaged in slapping chalans. This is a sheer waste of public funds, he said. Citing an instance of a CPU sub-inspector, he said that during his service spanning four years and seven months in CPU, he has imposed 18301 penalties (challans). He alleged that as per the RTI revelation, the officer had concentrated himself on imposing penalties on the city buses alone while acting softly on Vikrams, Tata Magics and other vehicles. Dandariyal further said that instead of relying on CPU for regulating traffic, the Government should strengthen the traffic police instead and engage the CPU for the purpose it was created. He reminded that CPU had been setup for traffic management, controlling accidents and preventing street crimes. First fielding candidates against probable ally Congress in the recent Assembly polls in three Central states and then being conspicuous with their absence at the oath-taking ceremonies of Congress Chief Ministers in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, regional satraps Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have themselves mired the possibility of a grand alliance for the 2019 general elections. Interestingly, after not-so-encouraging results in the recent Assembly polls, both SP and BSP tried to distance from the Bharatiya Janata Party and immediately announced support to the Congress. But by not attending the swearing-in ceremonies of two Congress Chief Ministers on Monday, the two regional parties have probably given a clear message to the grand old party to come on their terms for the grand alliance or else they would remain aloof. While Mayawati has been silent over not attending the swearing-in ceremonies in the Hindi speaking states, Akhilesh chose to send his lone MLA in Madhya Pradesh to represent him at the function. Mayawati has dreams of becoming prime minister in case of a hung Parliament in 2019. Hence, instead of joining us to fight with the BJP in the recent Assembly polls, she preferred to align with another party Janata Congress in Chhattisgarh, said UP Congress Committee general secretary Siddharth Priya Srivastava. Akhilesh also wants Congress to come under his partys banner in the parliamentary poll akin to what we did in 2017 Assembly poll in UP, as he planned to project Mulayam Singh Yadav as the prime ministerial candidate. But now, by distancing themselves from the Congress in the Assembly polls in three states, both have a slice of reality to analyse, Srivastava pointed out. In fact, the results of recent elections have upset both SP and BSP more in UP than the BJP as leaders of both parties had targeted Congress freely, hoping that it would be at their mercy in Uttar Pradesh. Even at a recent meeting of opposition leaders over a grand alliance in Delhi, both Mayawati and Akhilesh chose to give it a miss. Hence their absence from the oath-taking ceremonies did not come as a surprise, the Congress leader said. Srivastava said that state functionaries and leaders of the party had conveyed to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi that like in the recent Assembly polls in Hindi heartland, the party should distance itself from both SP and BSP, even if they went for an alliance in the parliamentary polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh is likely to face the ire of a united opposition during the brief winter session of state legislature starting Tuesday. The government is set to face the heat over poor law and order situation, agrarian crisis and laxity in recruitment drive. The government agenda in the four-day session would be to ensure safe passage of the second supplementary budget, to be tabled in Assembly on December 19, and its seek approval the next day. An all-party meeting was convened in Lucknow on Monday in which Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath solicited support from the opposition parties for smooth conduct of the House. The government is ready to discuss all issues that the opposition feels prudent for the development of the state, Yogi said in a statement issued after the meeting. Meanwhile, opposition parties held a separate meeting to chalk out their strategy. The opposition leaders unanimously demanded the extension of the winter session so that important issues could be raised in the legislature. The government is afraid to face the legislature and the people. Hence, it has summoned a short winter session, said Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu. The Congress legislators said that issues like Bulandshahr violence in which an inspector was shot dead besides delay in payment of cane arrears of farmers and corruption in recruitment drive etc. were to be raised by the opposition during the session. Official sources confirmed that the second supplementary budget would be tabled in the Assembly on December 19 after the Question Hour. As per the agenda, on the opening day, obituary references would be taken up as a sitting BJP member, Ram Kumar Verma, of Lakhimpur Kheri had died recently. The Assembly would be adjourned for the day after paying condolence to Verma. On December 19, the government will table several ordinances and bills along with the second supplementary budget. The Assembly will pass the supplementary budget on December 20 along with the bills. On December 21, probably the last day of the session, legislations will be taken up for half day and the rest of the day will be dedicated for private members bill. However, leader of opposition and Samajwadi Party member Ram Govind Choudhury would be absent in this session due to his health problem and the party has nominated another leader in his place. The country is constantly increasing its food production capacity but on the other hand produce of farmers is getting wasted because of wrong methods of storing and handlings of the harvested grains. In order to prevent this wastage, one of the world's largest agriculture based company UPL has launched Anaj Bachao; Dana Dana Keemti hai (Protect Grains; Each and Every Grain is Precious) Campaign in Bhopal on Monday, said Ujjwal Kumar, Head, Fumigant Business, UPL. He said that the main objective of this campaign is to create awareness among the farmers for proper storage of grains and keep it safe from the insects and fungus which will increase their income as well as help the world to attain food security. Pankaj Joshi, General Manager UPL said, This campaign will cover 15 districts in Madhya Pradesh. The initiative will be organized in Bhopal, Indore, Dewas, Satna, Vidisha, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Katni, Itarsi, Khandwa, Mandsaur, Neemuch etc districts of Madhya Pradesh. UPL has already launched this initiative in Bihar, UP, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu states also, which received positive response from the farmers as well as grain store operators. Through this campaign, UPL also wants to support Central Government's ambitious project of Doubling Farmers Income. Under this campaign, the farmers will be made aware of the scientific methods of storing their grains with live demonstration at their door steps. During the demonstration the UPL team gave the training for the method of preventing food grain loss with the use of its advanced product Quickphos. The Women's Courtyard Author - Khadija Mastur Publisher- Penguin, Rs 499 This translation gives readers access to the frustrations of women who could only receive word on the world outside second-hand, from the men. It also records their refusal to submit to patriarchy, albeit lonely, says Gautam Mukherjee This is the latest translation into English of Khajida Masturs poignant book on the claustrophobia felt by Islamic women restricted within the house set during the run up to and the aftermath of the Partition. For page after page it builds a tension of living in a very proscribed universe. It records the ignominy of receiving word on the world outside second-hand, based on what the men might have said, the dynamics between the women and servants in the house, their hopes, fears, frustrations and aspirations. There is the radio of course, and newspapers. There is value in this book in terms of its relentless sociological commentary that is relevant to this day amongst the rank and file Muslim communities certainly, and even in the rigid behavior of most Khap Panchayats and other such organisations amongst the Hindus. A recent stir about Brahminical patriarchy only underlines the issue. The partition came after the daily struggle between Congress and the Muslim League in the backdrop of World War II, till the British, much weakened, finally retreated in 1947. And yes, the ruling dispensations did change on the subcontinent. This gave power to the men, excited by their emergence into independence, but did little or nothing for the situation of or attitudes towards the women, restricted still to their houses and courtyards. Daisy Rockwells rendition of the book is, as if it was written originally in English, without the awkwardness of a translation from Urdu, a much more flowery language on average. An earlier translation by Neelam Hussain titled The Inner Courtyard, published by Kali for Women in 2001, did use a more sonorous tone that Rockwell avers was not the writing style of the original. This version then, a retranslation, has been undertaken by her to expose Khajida Masturs spare and elegant writing style, this time in English. In this endeavour, The Womens Courtyard certainly succeeds even though the restrictions of a cloistered existence seem a little dated in this age of the Internet and television. The only men allowed into the womens courtyard and house were cousins and other elderly relatives. There is an outside room, off the courtyard, with a service door from the inside for refreshments and the like, and another, leading directly to the outside for the men who came and went. There is a touch of Anne Franks restricted and secret world in this story, with suppressed romances between cousins. Frank and her family were eventually discovered in their hiding place, transported, and eliminated by the Nazis. But, in this story, there is a desolate suicide, that of the protagonists elder sister Tehmina, the ending of life seen by the victim, as escape from a kind of prison and a life sentence. Aliya, the heroine of the piece, sees her elder sisters suicide however, as weakness. Rockwell, focuses on the feminist leanings of the narrative, remarkable for the milieu and time from which it has come, and likens Mastur, like others before her, to one of the Bronte sisters. She hastens to add, that though the Brontes too lived circumscribed and extremely short lives, they were certainly free to wander outside in the Yorkshire moors. But Mastur, who died at 53, said to be meek and unassuming in person, wrote with conviction on patriarchy, classism, chauvinism and misogyny. She saw them as systemic poisons that destroy and kill women intellectually, emotionally and physically. Additionally, Mastur points out the role of elderly women like her mother and grandmother in perpetuating the rigid bonds of patriarchy and class hierarchy. Here in The Womens Courtyard, liberation of sorts comes after the Partition. Aliya, the protagonist, leaves her Indian amours, unrequited as they are, and part of her extended family behind in India. She gets a job outside, once her lower middle class family moves from somewhere in Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan. She becomes the primary breadwinner there, being educated, and is able to come and go at last. Aliya teaches children during the day, and volunteers at a refugee camp in the evenings. But her mother waits up for her, and complains that she has become like her dead father, always focused on the outside world. At the refugee camp, after endless years of sheltered domesticity, a well-to-do doctor proposes to Aliya. Tempted though she is at first, she turns him down. What is the point of selling my soul for secure domesticity she thinks? Her dead sisters one time suitor Safdar appears, fortyish, after over a decade, this time in Pakistan, and proposes to her. She turns him down too. This is the ironic triumph of feminism in The Womens Courtyard, a lonely refusal to submit to patriarchy. That it flew in the face of a sensitive womans natural hopes and desires was just the price that had to be paid. Einsteins God letter sold for $3m A handwritten missive by Albert Einstein known as the God letter fetched almost $3m at auction recently. Christies auction house in New York stated that the letter, including the buyers premium, fetched $2.89m under the hammer. That was almost twice the expected amount. The one-and-a-half-page letter, written in 1954 in German and addressed to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, contains reflections on God, the Bible and Judaism. Einstein says: The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive, legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. The sentence has been hailed as evidence that the physicist, one of the 20th Centurys most esteemed thinkers, was an atheist. But Einstein at times said he was not an atheist, and resented being labelled as one. In the letter auctioned at Christies in New York Einstein, a Jew, also articulates his disenchantment with Judaism. For me, the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people, he wrote. As far as my experience goes, they are no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything chosen about them. Kevin Hart set to host 2019 Oscars Comedian Kevin Hart will host the next Academy Awards ceremony in February 2019, the Ride Along actor said in an Instagram post. I am so happy to say that the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars, Hart wrote. The Academy Awards are the film industrys highest honours. The announcement came hours after trade publication, The Hollywood Reporter, posted a story calling the Oscars host position the least wanted job in Hollywood. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the Oscars and normally announces the host, followed up with a tweet welcoming Hart to the family. Hart, 39, who also starred in 2017 film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, follows talk show host Jimmy Kimmel who took on the gig in 2018 and 2017. I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time, Hart wrote on his Instagram page. The job of hosting the Oscars is one of the most prestigious but also the most difficult in show business as hosts have to navigate the expectations of the A-list audience in the theatre and millions tuning in on television, with a combination of topical and insider jokes. Hart, who is African American, is one of just a handful of black Oscar hosts over the past 90 years, including Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, and Sammy Davis Jr. iPhone filmmaker wins Turner prize A series of short clips filmed on an iPhone featuring the Scottish countryside from a train window, a T-shirt on a radiator and a cat pawing at a lamp has helped Charlotte Prodger win the 2018 Turner prize. Prodger was named the winner of the 25,000 prize by the novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at a ceremony in London recently. The Glasgow-based artist has been making moving-image works for 20 years and is on many contemporary art radars. But she is far from being well known and the jury said her recent work represented a breakthrough into a new, more expansive way of working. Speaking after her win, Prodger said: I feel very honoured, blown away really. Its quite surreal. It feels lovely. The artist said she used an iPhone for her work because she was on her own a lot and the phone felt like an extension of her: Because of that ease of use and the way you can use it while you are going about the world. For me, everything is in there. Asked what she might do with the prize money, Prodger said: Ill live on it. Ill pay my rent and my studio rent and some bills. Maybe therell be a little treat probably a nice jacket. Dont hold me to that! The Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to life imprisonment for criminal conspiracy to commit murder. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel also convicted Kumar for the offences of abetment, delivering speeches instigating violence against Sikhs and disrupting communal harmony, saying "truth will prevail and justice will be done". The court said the life sentence awarded to the Congress leader would be for the "remainder of his life" and directed him to surrender by December 31. The bench also said Kumar will not leave the city of Delhi from now till December 31. With the direction, the court said it has partially allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation's appeal against Kumar's acquittal by the trial court in a case related to the murder of five members of a Sikh family -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh -- in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984, after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. In the same case, the high court upheld the convictions and awarded varying sentences to former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. They were also convicted for criminal conspiracy to burn down residences of Sikh families and a gurdwara in the area during the riots. The court also directed them to surrender by December 31 and not leave the city before that. With the direction, the bench dismissed the appeals of the five against their conviction and punishment awarded by the trial court. The trial court in May 2013, while acquitting Kumar, had awarded life term to Balwan Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a three-year jail term to Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. Though the high court upheld Balwan Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal life sentences, it extended the sentences of Yadav and Kishan Khokar to a 10-year jail term. The high court had on March 29 last year issued show cause notices to 11 accused, including Yadav, in five other 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases which were earlier closed. The matter is being heard by another division bench. The accused, who were acquitted of the charges, were asked as to why should the court not order reinvestigation and retrial against them as they faced allegations of "horrifying crimes against humanity". BJP president Amit Shah on Monday seized on the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case to target the Congress, saying no one had any doubt on its role in the riots and alleged its "leaders and workers went on rampage raising provocative slogans" and "murdering men in cold blood". Victims of 1984 riots had lost all hope of justice because those responsible for crime against them enjoyed political patronage of Congress leadership, Shah alleged in his tweets. The Delhi High Court's conviction of Sajjan Kumar has once again assured the victims that criminals of 1984 will not go scot free, he asserted. "No one ever had any doubt on Congress' role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Their leaders and workers went on rampage raising provocative slogans, raping women and murdering men in cold blood. Yet no one was ever punished despite multiple commissions and several eyewitnesses," Shah said. The BJP chief thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for setting up an SIT in 2015 which, he said, started re-investigation into several cases of 1984 pending for over three decades. "I am grateful to the court, which has delivered its judgment, bringing relief to the traumatised families," he added. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was on Monday convicted and sentenced to jail for "remainder of his natural life" by the Delhi High Court in connection with the killing of five persons during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. The court said the riots were a "crime against humanity" perpetrated by those who enjoyed "political patronage". Reacting to Kumar's conviction, Congress leaders on Monday said it should not be politicised and the law should take its own course. They also said Kumar does not hold a position of power in the party. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday thanked the people of Rajasthan for believing in the party and vowed that the state government will fulfil its responsibilities. His remarks came after senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot was Monday sworn in as the chief minister of Rajasthan at a ceremony here, while Sachin Pilot took oath as a cabinet minister. The party announced that Pilot will be the state's deputy chief minister. "Thanks to the people of Rajasthan for believing in the Congress. Congratulations to the leaders and workers of the Congress for the success of their struggle," he tweeted. "It is an honour for the Congress party to serve Rajasthan. We will fulfil our responsibility," he added. Gandhi also tweeted photographs from the swearing-in ceremony and of a bus in which top opposition leaders were seen sitting with him. The leaders included Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, DMK president M K Stalin, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav. Google on Monday announced to invest $ 1 billion to establish a new campus in New York City. The 1.7 million square-feet campus called Google Hudson Square will be the primary location for the company's New York-based Global Business Organisation. According to Ruth Porat, Senior Vice President and CFO of Google and its parent company Alphabet, it hopes to start moving into the two Hudson Street buildings by 2020, followed by 550 Washington Street in 2022 once the building is complete. "When we came to New York City almost two decades ago, it was our first office outside of California. It's now home to more than 7,000 employees, speaking 50 languages, working on a broad range of teams including Search, Ads, Maps, YouTube, Cloud, Technical Infrastructure, Sales, Partnerships and Research," Porat said in a statement. Earlier this year, Google announced the $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market and shared plans to lease additional space at Pier 57 in the city where it came in the year 2000. Since 2011, Google has contributed more than $150 million in grants and employee-matched giving to New York non-profit institutions. "With these most recent investments in Google Chelsea and Google Hudson Square, we will have the capacity to more than double the number of Googlers in New York over the next 10 years," said Porat. Google is growing faster outside the Bay Area and has opened new offices and data centres in locations like Detroit, Boulder, Los Angeles, Tennessee and Alabama. Amazon last month announced plans to split its second headquarters between Long Island City, Queens and Virginia. Apple last week announced it would expand its presence in several cities across the US, including New York City. It also revealed plans for a new $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas. 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.. Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company. The company primarily focuses on developing petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; explores, acquires, develops, produces, transports, refines, and markets crude oil in Canada and internationally; markets petroleum and petrochemical products under the Petro-Canada name primarily in Canada. It operates in Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Corporate and Eliminations segments. The Oil Sands segment recovers bitumen from mining and in situ operations, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, or blends the bitumen with diluent for direct sale to market. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations off the east coast of Canada and in the North Sea; and operating onshore assets in Libya and Syria. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and intermediate feedstock into various petroleum and petrochemical products; and markets refined petroleum products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through its other retail sellers. The Corporate and Eliminations segment operates four wind farm operations in Ontario and Western Canada. The company also markets and trades in crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Agilent Technologies, Inc. engages in the provision of application focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets; Diagnostics and Genomics; and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers application-focused solutions that include instruments and software that enable to identify, quantify, and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment consists of activity providing active pharmaceutical ingredients for oligo-based therapeutics, as well as solutions that include reagents, instruments, software and consumables. The Agilent CrossLab segment includes startup, operational, training and compliance support, software as a service, and asset management and consultative services. The company was founded in May 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA. Read More WellCare Health Plans, Inc. provides government-sponsored managed care services. The company operates in three segments: Medicaid Health Plans, Medicare Health Plans, and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs). The Medicaid Health Plans segment offers plans for beneficiaries of temporary assistance for needy families, supplemental security income, and aged blind and disabled residents; and other state-based programs, such as children's health insurance programs and long-term services and supports programs for qualifying families who are not eligible for Medicaid. The Medicare Health Plans segment provides Medicare, a federal program that provides eligible persons aged 65 and over, as well as some disabled persons with a range of hospital, medical, and prescription drug benefits; Medicare Advantage, a Medicare's managed care alternative to the original Medicare program, which offers individuals standard Medicare benefits directly through Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and coordinated care plans that are administered through health maintenance organizations and require members to seek health care services and select a primary care physician from a network of health care providers. The Medicare PDPs segment provides Medicare part D PDP plans to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. Its PDP plans offer national in-network prescription drug coverage, including a preferred pharmacy network. As of December 31, 2018, the company served approximately 5.5 million members in the United States. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Read More CAE Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and supplies simulation equipment and training solutions to defense and security markets, commercial airlines, business aircraft operators, helicopter operators, aircraft manufacturers, and healthcare education and service providers worldwide. The company's Civil Aviation Training Solutions segment provides training solutions for flight, cabin, maintenance, and ground personnel in commercial, business, and helicopter aviation; flight simulation training devices; and ab initio pilot training and crew sourcing services, as well as end to end digitally-enabled crew management, training operations solutions, and optimization software. Its Defence and Security segment offers training and mission support solutions for defense forces across multi-domain operations, and for government organizations responsible for public safety. The company's Healthcare segment provides integrated education and training solutions, including surgical and imaging simulations, curriculum, audiovisual and centre management platforms, and patient simulators to healthcare students and clinical professionals. The company was formerly known as CAE Industries Ltd. and changed its name to CAE Inc. in June 1993. CAE Inc. was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. Aetna Inc. operates as a health care benefits company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance, and Large Case Pensions. The Health Care segment offers medical, pharmacy benefit management service, dental, behavioral health, and vision plans on an insured and employer-funded basis. It also provides point-of-service, preferred provider organization, health maintenance organization, and indemnity benefit plans, as well as health savings accounts and consumer-directed health plans. In addition, this segment offers Medicare and Medicaid products and services, as well as other medical products, such as medical management and data analytics services, medical stop loss insurance, workers' compensation administrative services, and products that provide access to its provider networks in select geographies. The Group Insurance segment offers life insurance products, including group term life insurance, voluntary spouse and dependent term life insurance, group universal life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance products; and long-term care insurance products, which provide the benefits to cover the cost of care in private home settings, adult day care, assisted living, or nursing facilities. The Large Case Pensions segment manages various retirement products comprising pension and annuity products primarily for tax-qualified pension plans. The company provides its products and services to employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups, and expatriates. Aetna Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut. Read More American Water Works Co., Inc. engages in the provision of complementary water and wastewater services. It operates through the following segments: Regulated Businesses; Market-Based Businesses; and Other. The Regulated Businesses segment provides water and wastewater services to customers. The Market-Based Businesses segment is responsible for Military Services Group, Contract Operations Group, Homeowner Services Group, and Keystone Operations. The Other segment includes corporate costs that are not allocated to the Company's operating segments, eliminations of inter-segment transactions, fair value adjustments and associated income and deductions related to the acquisitions that have not been allocated to the operating segments for evaluation of performance and allocation of resource purposes. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Camden, NJ. Read More iShares North American Natural Resources ETF's stock was trading at $18.56 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, IGE stock has increased by 61.9% and is now trading at $30.04. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The following companies are subsidiares of Carnival Co. &: 1972 Productions Inc., 6348 Equipment LLC, A.C.N. 098 290 834 Pty. Ltd., A.J. Juneau Dock LLC, AIDA Kundencenter GmbH, Adventure Island Ltd., Air-Sea Holiday GmbH, Alaska Hotel Properties LLC, Barcelona Cruise Terminal SLU, Bay Island Cruise Port S.A., Belize Cruise Terminal Limited, CC U.S. Ventures Inc., CCL Gifts LLC, CSSC Carnival Italy Cruise Investment S.r.L, Carnival (UK) Limited, Carnival Bahamas FC Limited, Carnival Bahamas Holdings Limited, Carnival Corporation & plc Asia Pte. Ltd., Carnival Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Carnival Corporation Korea Ltd., Carnival Corporation Ports Group Japan KK, Carnival Finance LLC, Carnival Grand Bahama Investment Limited, Carnival Investments Limited, Carnival Japan Inc., Carnival License Holdings Limited, Carnival Maritime GmbH, Carnival North America LLC, Carnival Port Holdings Limited, Carnival Ports Inc., Carnival Support Services India Private Limited, Carnival Technical Services (UK) Limited, Carnival Technical Services Finland Limited, Carnival Technical Services GmbH, Carnival Technical Services Inc., Carnival Vanuatu Limited, Costa Crociere PTE Ltd., Costa Crociere S.p.A., Costa Cruceros S.A., Costa Cruise Lines Inc., Costa Cruise Lines UK Limited, Costa Cruises Shipping Services (Shanghai) Company Limited, Costa Cruises Travel Agency (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Costa Cruzeiros Agencia Maritima e Turismo Ltda., Costa Group Digital & Strategic Services GmbH, Costa International B.V., Costa Kreuzfahrten GmbH, Cozumel Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Creative Travel Lab Ltd., Cruise Ships Catering & Services International N.V., Cruise Terminal Services S.A. de C.V., Cruiseport Curacao C.V., D.R. Cruise Port Ltd., Ecospray Technologies S.r.L., F.P.M. SAS, F.P.P. SAS, Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services International Limited, GXI LLC, Gibs Inc., Global Experience Innovators Inc., Global Fine Arts Inc., Global Shipping Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Grand Cruise Shipping Unipessoal LdA, Grand Turk Cruise Center Ltd., HAL Antillen N.V., HAL Beheer B.V., HAL Cruises Limited, HAL Maritime Ltd., HAL Nederland N.V., HAL Properties Limited, HAL Services B.V., HSE Hamburg School of Entertainment GmbH, Holding Division Iberocruceros SLU, Holland America Line Inc., Holland America Line N.V., Holland America Line Paymaster of Washington LLC, Holland America Line U.S.A. Inc., Ibero Cruzeiros Ltda., Iberocruceros SLU, Information Assistance Corporation, International Cruise Services S.A. de C.V., International Leisure Travel Inc., International Maritime Recruitment Agency S.A. de C.V., Milestone N.V., Navitrans S.R.L., Ocean Bahamas Innovation Ltd., Ocean Medallion Fulfillment Ltd., Operadora Catalina S.r.L., P&O Princess American Holdings, P&O Princess Cruises International Limited, P&O Princess Cruises Pension Trustee Limited, P&O Properties (California) Inc., P&O Travel Limited, Prestige Cruises Management S.A.M., Prestige Cruises N.V., Princess Bermuda Holdings Ltd., Princess Cays Ltd., Princess Cruise Corporation Inc., Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., Princess Cruises and Tours Inc., Princess U.S. Holdings Inc., RCT Maintenance & Related Services S.A., RCT Pilots & Related Services S.A., RCT Security & Related Services S.A., Roatan Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Royal Hyway Tours Inc., Santa Cruz Terminal S.L., SeaVacations Limited, SeaVacations UK Limited, Seabourn Cruise Line Limited, Shanghai Coast Cruise Consulting Co. Lda, Ship Care (Bahamas) Limited, Sitmar Cruises Inc., Spanish Cruise Services N.V., Sunshine Shipping Corporation Ltd., T&T International Inc., Tour Alaska LLC, Transnational Services Corporation, Trident Insurance Company Ltd., Westmark Hotels Inc., Westmark Hotels of Canada Ltd., Westours Motor Coaches LLC, Wind Surf Limited, and World Leading Cruise Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.. 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]tbeat.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. BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Sherwin-Williams: Acquire Sourcing LLC, CTS National Corporation, Comex North America Inc., Compania Sherwin-Williams S.A. de C.V., Contract Transportation Systems Co., Dongguan Lilly Paint Industries Ltd, Duron, EPS (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., EPS B.V., Geocel Holdings, Geocel Limited, Guangdong Valspar Paints Manufacturing Co Ltd., Inver East Med S.A., Inver France SAS, Inver GmbH, Inver Industrial Coating SRL, Inver Polska Spoka Z O.O, Inver Spa, Invercolor Bologna Srl, Invercolor Ltd, Invercolor Roma Srl, Invercolor Torino Srl, Invercolor Toscana Srl, Isocoat Tintas e Vernizes Ltda, Isva Vernici Srl, Leighs Paints, M.A. Bruder & Sons, Omega Specialty Products & Services LLC, Oy Sherwin-Williams Finland Ab, PT Sherwin-Williams Indonesia, PT Valspar Indonesia, Paint Sundry Brands, Pinturas Condor S.A., Pinturas Industriales S.A., Piton Paints Limited, Plasti-Kote Co. Inc., Plasti-kote Limited, Productos Quimicos y Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Quest Automotive Products UK Limited, Quetzal Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Ronseal (Ireland) Limited, SWIMC LLC, SWIPCO Sherwin Williams do Brasil Propriedade Intelectual Ltda, Sherwin Williams Colombia S.A.S., Sherwin-Williams (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Belize) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Caribbean) N.V., Sherwin-Williams (Ireland) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Coatings Technology Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Company Limited, Sherwin-Williams (S) Pte. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Shanghai) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Vietnam) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (West Indies) Limited, Sherwin-Williams Argentina I.y C.S.A., Sherwin-Williams Aruba VBA, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Mexico S.de R.L.de C.V., Sherwin-Williams Balkan S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Bel Unitary Enterprise, Sherwin-Williams Benelux NV, Sherwin-Williams Canada Inc., Sherwin-Williams Cayman Islands Limited, Sherwin-Williams Chile S.A., Sherwin-Williams Coatings India Private Limited, Sherwin-Williams Coatings S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Czech Republic spol. s r.o, Sherwin-Williams Denmark A/S, Sherwin-Williams Deutschland GmbH, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands Limited, Sherwin-Williams France Finishes SAS, Sherwin-Williams Italy S.r.l., Sherwin-Williams Norway AS, Sherwin-Williams Paints Limited Liability Company, Sherwin-Williams Peru S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Pinturas de Venezuela S.A., Sherwin-Williams Poland Sp. z o.o, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Sherwin-Williams Realty Holdings Inc., Sherwin-Williams Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams Spain Coatings S.L., Sherwin-Williams Sweden AB, Sherwin-Williams UK Coatings Limited, Sherwin-Williams do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., Spanyc Paints Joint Stock Company, Syntema I Vaggeryd AB, Taiwan Valspar Co. Ltd., The Sherwin-Williams Acceptance Corporation, The Sherwin-Williams Headquarters Company, The Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company, The Sherwin-Williams US Licensing Company, The Valspar (Asia) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Australia) Corporation Pty. Ltd., The Valspar (Finland) Corporation Oy, The Valspar (France) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (France) Research Corporation SAS, The Valspar (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd, The Valspar (Nantes) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (Singapore) Corporation Pte. Ltd, The Valspar (South Africa) Corporation (Pty) Ltd, The Valspar (Spain) Corporation S.R.L., The Valspar (Switzerland) Corporation AG, The Valspar (Thailand) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar (UK) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Vietnam) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar Corporation, The Valspar Corporation Limitada, UAB Sherwin-Williams Baltic, Valspar (India) Coatings Corporation Private Limited, Valspar (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Valspar (Uruguay) Corporation S.A., Valspar (WPC) Pty Ltd, Valspar Aries Coatings S. de R.L. de C.V., Valspar Automotive (UK) Corporation Limited, Valspar Automotive Australia Pty Limited, Valspar B.V., Valspar Coatings (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Valspar D.o.o Beograd, Valspar Industries (Ireland) Ltd., Valspar Industries (Italy) S.r.l., Valspar Industries GmbH, Valspar LLC, Valspar Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Valspar Paint (Australia) Pty Ltd, Valspar Paint (NZ) Limited, Valspar Powder Coatings Limited, Valspar Rock Company Limited (Japan), Valspar Specialty Paints LLC, and ZAO Sherwin-Williams. 2 hours ago From Square to Block: Another tech company changes its name SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Theres a new Silicon Valley corporate name change on the block. A month after Facebook renamed itself Meta, Square Inc., the payments company headed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is changing its name to Block Inc. Read Article Wells Fargo & Co. is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It is engaged in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance. It firm operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, Wealth & Investment Management, and Other. The Community Banking segment offers complete line of diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses including checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and automobile, student, and small business lending. The Wholesale Banking segment provides financial solutions to businesses across the United States and globally. The Wealth and Investment Management segment includes personalized wealth management, investment and retirement products and services to clients across U.S. based businesses. The Other segment refers to the products of WIM customers served through community banking distribution channels. The company was founded by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo on March 18, 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Read More Comerica, Inc. engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, Wealth Management, Finance and Other. The Commercial Bank segment involves in the middle market businesses, multinational corporations, and governmental entities by offering various products and services such as commercial loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services. The Retail Bank segment includes small business banking and personal financial services, which consist of consumer lending, consumer deposit gathering, and mortgage loan origination. The Wealth Management segment offers fiduciary services, private banking, retirement services, investment management and advisory services, investment banking and brokerage services. The Finance segment comprises corporation's securities portfolio and asset and liability management activities. The Other category consists of income and expense impact of equity and cash, tax benefits, charges of an unusual or infrequent nature that are not reflective of the n Read More Mandom Corporation manufactures and sells cosmetics, perfumes, and quasi-drugs in Japan, Indonesia, and internationally. The company offers a range of products, including men's everyday grooming products, as well as general fashion items, such as hair styling, skin care, and body care products; and hair coloring, scalp care, and face care products under the Gatsby and Lucido brands. It also provides a range of women's grooming and fashion items comprising hair styling, body care, and beauty products that include make-up and skin care items, as well as hair coloring and treatment products under the Bifesta, Pixy, Lucido-L, and Pucelle brands. In addition, the company offers professional-use products and technologies to hair salons through distributors. Further, it provides insurance agency, travel, and general services. The company sells its products to drug stores and convenience stores through distributors. The company was formerly known as Tancho Corporation and changed its name to Mandom Corporation in April 1971. Mandom Corporation was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Osaka, Japan. Read More ConocoPhillips engages in the exploration, production, transportation and marketing of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and liquefied natural gas on a worldwide basis. It operates through the following geographical segments: Alaska; Lower 48; Canada; Europe, Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Other International. The Alaska segment primarily explores for produces, transports and markets crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Lower 48 segment consists of operations in the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment is comprised of oil sands development in the Athabasca Region of northeastern Alberta and a liquids-rich unconventional play in western Canada. The Europe, Middle East and North Africa segment consists of operations and exploration activities in Norway, the United Kingdom and Libya. The Asia Pacific segment has explorations and product operations in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. The Other International segment handles exploration activities in Columbia and Argentina. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of CVS Health: @Credentials Inc., ACS ACQCO CORP., ADMINCO Inc., AE Fourteen Incorporated, AHP Holdings Inc., AMC - Tennessee LLC, APS Acquisition LLC, ASCO HealthCare LLC, ASI Wings LLC, AUSHC Holdings Inc., Accendo Insurance Company, Accordant Health Services L.L.C., Active Health Management Inc., Administrative Enterprises Inc., AdvancePCS SpecialtyRx LLC, AdvanceRx.com L.L.C., Advanced Care Scripts Inc., Aetna, Aetna (Beijing) Enterprise Management Services Co. Ltd., Aetna (Shanghai) Enterprise Services Co. Ltd., Aetna ACO Holdings Inc., Aetna Asset Advisors LLC, Aetna Behavioral Health LLC, Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health of California Inc., Aetna Better Health of Florida Inc., Aetna Better Health of Kansas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Better Health of Missouri LLC, Aetna Better Health of Nevada Inc., Aetna Better Health of North Carolina Inc., Aetna Better Health of Oklahoma Inc., Aetna Better Health of Texas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Washington Inc., Aetna Capital Management LLC, Aetna Card Solutions LLC, Aetna Corporate Services LLC, Aetna Dental Inc., Aetna Dental of California Inc., Aetna Financial Holdings LLC, Aetna Florida Inc., Aetna Global Benefits (Asia Pacific) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bahamas) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bermuda) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Europe) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Middle East) LLC, Aetna Global Benefits (Singapore) PTE. LTD., Aetna Global Benefits (UK) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits Limited (DIFC UAE), Aetna Global Holdings Limited, Aetna Health Holdings LLC, Aetna Health Inc., Aetna Health Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Aetna Health Insurance Company, Aetna Health Insurance Company of Europe DAC, Aetna Health Management LLC, Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company, Aetna Health of California Inc., Aetna Health of Iowa Inc., Aetna Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Health of Ohio Inc., Aetna Health of Utah Inc., Aetna HealthAssurance Pennsylvania Inc., Aetna Holdco (UK) Limited, Aetna Holdings (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Inc., Aetna Insurance (Hong Kong) Limite, Aetna Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Aetna Insurance Company Limited, Aetna Integrated Informatics Inc., Aetna International Inc., Aetna Ireland Inc., Aetna Korea Ltd., Aetna Life & Casualty (Bermuda) Ltd., Aetna Life Assignment Company, Aetna Life Insurance Company, Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC, Aetna Multi-Strategy 1099 Fund LLC, Aetna Network Services LLC, Aetna Partners Diversified Fund LLC, Aetna Pharmacy Management Services LLC, Aetna Resources LLC, Aetna Risk Assurance Company of Connecticut Inc., Aetna Rx Home Delivery LLC, Aetna Services (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Aetna Student Health Agency Inc., Aetna Ventures LLC, Aetna Workers Comp Access LLC, Alabama CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Alaska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, American Continental Insurance Company, American Drug Stores Delaware L.L.C., American Health Holding Inc., Arbor Drugs, Arizona CVS Stores L.L.C., Arkansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Badger Acquisition LLC, Badger Acquisition of Kentucky LLC, Badger Acquisition of Minnesota LLC, Badger Acquisition of Ohio LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc., Beauty Holdings L.L.C., Best Care LTC Acquisition Company LLC, Busse CVS L.L.C., CCI Foreign S.a R.L. (R.C.S. Luxembourg), CCRx Holdings LLC, CCRx of North Carolina LLC, CHP Acquisition LLC, CP Acquisition LLC, CVS 2948 Henderson L.L.C., CVS 3268 Gilbert L.L.C., CVS 3745 Peoria L.L.C., CVS AL Distribution L.L.C., CVS AOC Corporation, CVS AOC Services L.L.C., CVS Albany L.L.C., CVS Bellmore Avenue L.L.C., CVS Care Concierge LLC, CVS Caremark Advanced Technology Pharmacy L.L.C., CVS Caremark Indemnity Ltd., CVS Caremark Part D Services L.L.C., CVS Caremark TN SUTA LLC, CVS Foreign Inc., CVS Gilbert 3272 L.L.C., CVS Health Solutions LLC, CVS Indiana L.L.C., CVS International L.L.C., CVS Kidney Care Advanced Technologies LLC, CVS Kidney Care Health Services LLC, CVS Kidney Care Home Dialysis LLC, CVS Kidney Care LLC, CVS Manchester NH L.L.C., CVS Media Exchange LLC, CVS Michigan L.L.C., CVS Orlando FL Distribution L.L.C., CVS PA Distribution L.L.C., CVS PR Center Inc., CVS Pharmacy Inc., CVS RS Arizona L.L.C., CVS Rx Services Inc., CVS SC Distribution L.L.C., CVS State Capital L.L.C., CVS TN Distribution L.L.C., CVS Transportation L.L.C., CVS Vero FL Distribution L.L.C., Campos Medical Pharmacy LLC, Canal Place LLC, Care Pharmaceutical Services LP, CareCenter Pharmacy L.L.C., Carefree Insurance Services Inc., Caremark Arizona Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Arizona Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark California Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Florida Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Florida Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Hawaii Mail Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Hawaii Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark IPA L.L.C., Caremark Illinois Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Illinois Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Irving Resource Center LLC, Caremark Kansas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark L.L.C., Caremark Logistics LLC, Caremark Louisiana Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Maryland Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Massachusetts Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Michigan Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Minnesota Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark New Jersey Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark North Carolina Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ohio Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Pennsylvania Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark PhC L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Redlands Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Repack LLC, Caremark Rx L.L.C., Caremark Tennessee Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ulysses Holding Corp., Caremark Washington Specialty Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Alabama Mail Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Health L.L.C., CaremarkPCS L.L.C., Central Rx Services LLC, Claims Administration Corp., Cofinity Inc., Compscript LLC, Connecticut CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood Tennessee, Continuing Care Rx LLC, Coram Alternate Site Services Inc., Coram Clinical Trials Inc., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Alabama, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater D.C., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater New York, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Indiana, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Massachusetts, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Mississippi, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Nevada, Coram Healthcare Corporation of North Texas, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Northern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Utah, Coram LLC, Coram Rx LLC, Coram Specialty Infusion, Coram Specialty Infusion Services L.L.C., Coventry Consumer Advantage Inc., Coventry Health Care National Accounts Inc., Coventry Health Care National Network Inc., Coventry Health Care Workers Compensation Inc., Coventry Health Care of Illinois Inc., Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc., Coventry Health Care of Missouri Inc., Coventry Health Care of Nebraska Inc., Coventry Health Care of Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Care of West Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Plan of Florida Inc., Coventry Health and Life Insurance Company, Coventry HealthCare Management Corporation, Coventry Prescription Management Services Inc., Coventry Rehabilitation Services Inc., Coventry Transplant Network Inc., D & R Pharmaceutical Services LLC, D.A.W. LLC, Delaware CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Delaware Physicians Care Incorporated, Digital eHealth LLC, District of Columbia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., E.T.B. INC., Echo Merger Sub Inc., Eckerd Corporation of Florida Inc., Employee Assistance Services LLC, Enloe Drugs LLC, Enterprise Patient Safety Organization LLC, EntrustRX, Evergreen Pharmaceutical LLC, Evergreen Pharmaceutical of California Inc., Express Pharmacy Services of PA L.L.C., FOCUS HealthCare Management Inc., First Health Group Corp., First Health Life & Health Insurance Company, First Script Network Services Inc., Florida Health Plan Administrators LLC, Garfield Beach CVS L.L.C., Generation Health L.L.C., Geneva Woods Health Services LLC, Geneva Woods LTC Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Management LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Alaska LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Washington LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Wyoming LLC, Geneva Woods Retail Pharmacy LLC, Georgia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., German Dobson CVS L.L.C., Goodhealth Worldwide (Asia) Limited, Goodhealth Worldwide (Global) Limited, Goodyear CVS L.L.C., Grand St. Paul CVS L.L.C., Grandview Pharmacy LLC, Group Dental Service Inc., Group Dental Service of Maryland Inc., Health Care Management Co. Ltd., Health Data & Management Solutions Inc., Health Re Inc., Health and Human Resource Center Inc., HealthAssuance Pennsylvania Inc., Healthagen LLC, Highland Park CVS L.L.C., Holiday CVS L.L.C., Home Care Pharmacy LLC, Home Pharmacy Services LLC, Hook-SupeRx L.L.C., Horizon Behavioral Services LLC, Idaho CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., IlliniCare Health, Indian Health Organisation Private Limited, Innovation Health Holdings LLC, Innovation Health Insurance Company, Innovation Health Plan Inc., Interlock Pharmacy Systems LLC, Iowa CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., JHC Acquisition LLC, Kansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Kentucky CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., LCPS Acquisition LLC, Langsam Health Services LLC, Lo-Med Prescription Services LLC, Lobos Acquisition LLC, Longs Drug Stores, Longs Drug Stores California L.L.C., Louisiana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., MHHP Acquisition Company LLC, MHNet Life and Health Insurance Company, MHNet Specialty Services LLC, MHNet of Florida Inc., Managed Care Coordinators Inc., Managed Healthcare LLC, Martin Health Services LLC, Maryland CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Med World Acquisition Corp., Medical Arts Health Care LLC, Medical Examinations of New York P.C., Melville Realty Company Inc., MemberHealth LLC, Mental Health Associates Inc., Mental Health Network of New York IPA Inc., Meritain Health Inc., Merwin Long Term Care LLC, MetraComp Inc., Minor Health Enterprise Co Ltd., MinuteClinic, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Alabama L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arizona LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Florida LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Georgia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Hawaii L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Illinois LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Kentucky L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Louisiana L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maine L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maryland LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Massachusetts LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Nebraska L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Hampshire L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Mexico L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Ohio LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oklahoma LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oregon LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Pennsylvania LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Rhode Island LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of South Carolina L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Texas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Utah L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Virginia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Washington LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Wisconsin L.L.C., MinuteClinic L.L.C., MinuteClinic Online Diagnostic Services LLC, MinuteClinic Physician Practice of Texas, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services LLC, Mississippi CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Missouri CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Montana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NCS Healthcare LLC, NCS Healthcare of Illinois LLC, NCS Healthcare of Iowa LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kansas LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kentucky Inc. (Oh, NCS Healthcare of Montana LLC, NCS Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, NCS Healthcare of Ohio LLC, NCS Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, NCS Healthcare of Tennessee LLC, NCS Healthcare of Wisconsin LLC, NIV Acquisition LLC, Navarro Discount Pharmacy, Nebraska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NeighborCare Holdings Inc., NeighborCare Inc., NeighborCare Pharmacy Services Inc., NeighborCare Services Corporation, NeighborCare of Indiana LLC, NeighborCare of Virginia LLC, New Jersey CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Niagara Re Inc., North Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., North Shore Pharmacy Services LLC, NovoLogix LLC, OCR Services LLC, Ocean Acquisition Sub L.L.C., Ohio CVS Stores L.L.C., Oklahoma CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Omnicare, Omnicare Holding Company, Omnicare Inc., Omnicare Indiana Partnership Holding Company LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania East LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania West LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of the Great Plains Holding LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy and Supply Services LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of Tennessee LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of the Midwest LLC, Omnicare Property Management LLC, Omnicare of Nebraska LLC, Omnicare of Nevada LLC, Omnicare of New York LLC, Oregon CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., PE Holdings LLC, PHPSNE Parent Corporation, PP Acquisition Company LLC, PRN Pharmaceutical Services LP, PT Aetna Management Consulting, Pamplona Saude e Beleza LTDA, Part D Holding Company L.L.C., PayFlex Holdings Inc., PayFlex Systems USA Inc., Pennsylvania CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Performax Inc., Pharmacy Associates of Glenn Falls LLC, Pharmacy Consultants LLC, Phoenix Data Solutions LLC, Precision Benefit Services Inc., Prime Net Inc., ProCare Pharmacy Direct L.L.C., ProCare Pharmacy L.L.C., Prodigy Health Group Inc., Professional Risk Management Inc., Pt. Aetna Global Benefits Indonesia, Puerto Rico CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Red Oak Sourcing LLC, Resources for Living LLC, Rhode Island CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Roeschens Healthcare LLC, RxAmerica, Schaller Anderson Medical Administrators Incorporated, Scrip World LLC, Sheffield Avenue CVS L.L.C., Shore Pharmaceutical Providers LLC, Silverscript Insurance Company, Soma Intimates, South Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., South Wabash CVS L.L.C., Specialized Pharmacy Services LLC, Spinnaker Bidco Limited, Spinnaker Topco Limited, Stadtlander Drug Company, Stadtlander Pharmacy, Sterling Healthcare Services LLC, Superior Care Pharmacy LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Administrative Services LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, T2 Medical Inc., TCPI Acquisition LLC, TargetPharmacy, Tennessee CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Company, Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Texas Health + Aetna Health Plan Inc., The Vasquez Group Inc., Thomas Phoenix CVS L.L.C., Three Forks Apothecary LLC, U.S Healthcare Holdings LLC, U.S. Healthcare Properties Inc., UAC Holding Inc., UC Acquisition LLC, UNI-Care Health Services of Maine LLC, Universal American - Medicare Part D Business, Utah CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., VAPS Acquisition Company LLC, Value Health Care Services LLC, Vermont CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virtual Home Healthcare L.L.C., Warm Springs Road CVS L.L.C., Washington CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Washington Lamb CVS L.L.C., Weber Medical Systems LLC, Wellpartner LLC, West Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Westhaven Services Co LLC, Williamson Drug Company LLC, Wisconsin CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Woodward Detroit CVS L.L.C., Work and Family Benefits Inc., ZS Acquisition Company LLC, Zinc Health Services LLC, Zinc Health Ventures LLC, bSwift LLC, and iTriage LLC. 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. Read More Earnings Growth Earnings for Esterline Technologies are expected to grow by 1.73% in the coming year, from $4.62 to $4.70 per share. Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market The P/E ratio of Esterline Technologies is 29.37, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 14.52. Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector The P/E ratio of Esterline Technologies is 29.37, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Aerospace sector average P/E ratio of about 20.63. Price to Earnings Growth Ratio Esterline Technologies has a PEG Ratio of 2.78. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued. GlaxoSmithKline Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation. The Pharmaceuticals R&D segment focuses on science related to the immune system, the use of human genetics and advanced technologies, and is driven by the multiplier effect of Science x Technology x Culture. The Vaccines segment produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, typhoid, influenza, and bacterial meningitis. The Consumer Healthcare segment develops and markets brands in the oral health, pain relief, respiratory, nutrition and gastro intestinal, and skin health categories. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom. Read More 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. Previous Next Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Read More John Wood Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, provides consulting, project management, and engineering solutions to energy and built environment worldwide. It operates through four segments: Asset Solutions Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia; Assets Solutions Americas; Technical Consulting Solutions; and Investment Services. The company offers operations solutions, including maintenance, modifications, commissioning and decommissioning, and aftermarket services, as well as industrial services, such as painting, insulation, scaffolding, rope access, E&I, asbestos removal, and civil and earthworks services; engineering, procurement, and construction management; plant operations and life extension; technology solutions; supervision and management services; fabrication and inspection services; and construction and field services. It also provides environment and infrastructure solutions comprising environmental studies and compliance, environmental remediation, public infrastructure, and geotechnical and materials services; clean energy solutions; mine planning and design, mineral processing and metallurgy, mineral resources and project assessment services; and automation and control solutions, such as asset protection and facility and process automation solutions, as well as simulation, learning, and virtual systems. In addition, the company offers subsea and export systems, including subsea, umbilical, riser, and flowline design, as well as planning, design, and development of marine terminals and pipelines; and hull and marine services. It serves oil and gas, infrastructure, industrial and manufacturing, mining, power, and government sectors. John Wood Group PLC was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Aberdeen, the United Kingdom. Read More 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 contact@marketbeat.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. iShares MSCI Finland ETF's stock was trading at $31.15 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EFNL shares have increased by 47.6% and is now trading at $45.99. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. iShares National Muni Bond ETF's stock was trading at $114.45 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, MUB shares have increased by 1.7% and is now trading at $116.45. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF's stock was trading at $108.64 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, IWD shares have increased by 44.6% and is now trading at $157.12. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The following companies are subsidiares of Textron: AAI Corporation, AAI Services Corporation, ALSTOM Gears, Able Aerospace, Able Aerospace Services Inc., Able Engineering & Component Services, Aeronautical Accessories LLC, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC, Arctic Cat, Arctic Cat ACE Holding GmbH, Arctic Cat France SARL, Arctic Cat GmbH, Arctic Cat Inc., Arctic Cat Production LLC, Arctic Cat Production Support LLC, Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Arctic Cat Shared Services LLC, Arctic Cat UK Ltd., Arkansas Aerospace Inc., Avco Corporation, Aviation Service servis letal doo Ljubljana, Aylesbury Automation, B/K Navigational Equipment sro, Beech Aircraft Corporation, Beech Holdings, Beechcraft Defense Support Holding LLC, Beechcraft Domestic Service Company, Beechcraft Germany GmbH, Beechcraft International Holding LLC, Beechcraft International Service Company, Beechcraft New Zealand, Beechcraft Service Company UK Limited, Bell Helicopter GK, Bell Helicopter KK, Bell Textron Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Bell Textron Canada International Inc., Bell Textron Canada Limited/Limitee, Bell Textron Inc., Bell Textron Korea Inc., Bell Textron Miami Inc, Bell Textron Prague a.s., Bell Textron Rhode Island Inc., Bell Textron Services Inc, Bell Textron Supply Center BV, Bell Textron Technical Services Inc., Benzlers, Brazaco Mapri Industrias, Burkland, Cessna Aircraft Company, Cessna Citation European Service Center SAS, Cessna Dusseldorf Citation Service Center GmbH, Cessna Finance Corporation, Cessna Finance Export Corporation, Cessna Mexico S de RL de CV, Cessna Spanish Citation Service Center SLU, Cessna Zurich Citation Service Center GmbH, Citation Parts Distribution International Inc., Cushman Inc., Datacom Technologies, David Brown Group, Doncaster Citation Service Centre Limited, E-Z-GO Canada Limited, Energy Manufacturing, Flexalloy, HBC LLC, Hawker Beech de Mexico S de RL de CV, Hawker Beechcraft Argentina SA, Howe & Howe Inc., Howe and Howe Technologies, Industrial Technology Inc., InteSys Technologies, International Product Support Inc., KSB Annecy SAS, Kautex (Changchun) Plastics Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Chongqing) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Guangzhou) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Pinghu) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Shanghai) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Wuhan) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex Corporation, Kautex Craiova srl, Kautex Germany Holding GmbH, Kautex Inc., Kautex Japan KK, Kautex Shanghai GmbH, Kautex Textron (UK) Limited, Kautex Textron Benelux BVBA, Kautex Textron Bohemia spol sro, Kautex Textron CVS Limited, Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG, Kautex Textron Iberica SL, Kautex Textron Italia Srl, Kautex Textron Management Services Company de Puebla S. de RL de CV, Kautex Textron Portugal Produtos Plasticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Kautex Textron de Mexico S de RL de CV, Kautex Textron do Brasil Ltda., Kautex of Georgia Inc., Kaywood Products Corp., Klauke, LCI Corporation International, LLC Textron RUS, Maag, McCord Corporation, Mechtronix, Medical Numerics Inc., Midland Industrial Plastics, MillenWorks, MillenWorks Themed Technologies, MotorFist LLC, OPINICUS Simulation and Training Services LLC, OmniQuip International, Opinicus, Optical Boring Co., Opto-Electronics, Opto-Electronics Inc., Overwatch Systems Ltd., PEINER Umformtechnik, Pirelli Tyres - General Rubber Goods (GRG) division, Premiair Aviation Maintenance Pty Ltd, Progressive Electronics, Ransomes, Ransomes Inc., Ransomes Investment LLC, Ransomes Jacobsen France SAS, Ransomes Jacobsen Limited, Ransomes Limited, Ransomes Pensions Trustee Company Limited, Replacement Part Solutions LLC, Response Technologies LLC, Rotor Blades Limited, Sukosim Verbindungselemente, TRU Simulation & Training Spain SL, TRU Simulation + Training Inc., TRU Simulation + Training LLC, TekGPS Engineering Srl, Textron Airland LLC, Textron Atlantic LLC, Textron Aviation Australia Pty. Ltd., Textron Aviation Canada Ltd., Textron Aviation Defense LLC, Textron Aviation Finance Corporation, Textron Aviation Inc., Textron Aviation Prague Service Center sro, Textron Aviation Rhode Island Inc., Textron Aviation Services de Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Capital BV, Textron Communications Inc., Textron Far East Pte. Ltd., Textron Finance Holding Company, Textron Financial Corporation, Textron Financial Corporation Receivables Trust 2002-CP-2, Textron Fluid and Power Inc., Textron France Holding SAS, Textron France SAS, Textron Global Services Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment UK Limited, Textron IPMP Inc., Textron India Private Limited, Textron Innovations Inc., Textron International Inc., Textron International Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Limited, Textron Management Services Inc., Textron Motors GmbH, Textron Motors North America Inc., Textron Outdoor Power Equipment Inc., Textron Realty Corporation, Textron Shared Service Centre (Canada) Inc., Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., Textron Sweden AB, Textron Systems Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Canada Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK (Holdings) Limited, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK Limited, Textron Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Textron UK Pension Trustee Limited, Textron Verwaltungs-GmbH, Turbine Engine Components Textron (Newington Operations) Inc., United Industrial Corporation, Westminster Insurance Company, Williams Machine & Tool, Wuxi Textron Specialized Vehicles Co. Ltd., and Zhenjiang Bell Textron Aviation Services Limited. There is not enough analysis data for OP Bancorp. 4.4 Community Rank Outperform Votes OP Bancorp has received 12 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes OP Bancorp has received 6 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment OP Bancorp has received 66.67% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about OP Bancorp and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe OPBK will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe OPBK will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. operates as an independent specialty pharmacy in the United States. The company operates through Specialty and PBM (pharmacy benefit management) segment. It provides specialty infusion pharmacy, patient care coordination, clinical, compliance and persistency program, patient financial assistance, specialty pharmacy training, benefits investigation, prior authorization, risk evaluation and medication strategy, retail specialty, and hub services, as well as clinical and administrative support services to hospitals and health systems. The company primarily focuses on medication management programs for individuals with complex chronic diseases, including oncology, immunology, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, specialized infusion therapy, and various other serious or long-term conditions. It also offers PBM services, including electronic point-of-sale pharmacy claims management, retail pharmacy network management, mail pharmacy claims management, specialty pharmacy claims management, Medicare Part D services, benefit design consultation, drug review and analysis, consulting services, data access, and reporting, information analysis, and preferred drug management programs to managed care organizations, self-insured employer groups, unions, and third-party healthcare plan administrators and worker's compensation payers. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Flint, Michigan. Read More National Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International. The Personal and Commercial segment offers personal banking services, including transaction solutions, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit, consumer loans, payment solutions, savings and investment solutions; various insurance products; and commercial banking services, such as credit, and deposit and investment solutions, as well as international trade, foreign exchange transactions, payroll, cash management, insurance, electronic transactions, and complimentary services. The Wealth Management segment provides investment solutions, trust and estate services, banking services, lending services, guaranteed investment certificates, mutual funds, notes, structured products, and other wealth management solutions through internal and third-party distribution networks. The Financial Markets segment offers risk management products and services; and debt and equity underwriting; advisory services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, and financing. The U.S. Specialty Finance and International segment provides specialty finance expertise; financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Cambodia; and the activities of targeted investments in certain emerging markets. The company also offers credit cards. It provides its services through a network of 483 branches and 1,573 banking machines. The company was founded in 1859 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Read More 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. Read More There is not enough analysis data for Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund. 4.1 Community Rank Outperform Votes Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund has received 179 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund has received 111 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund has received 61.72% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe KYN will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe KYN will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Nelnet, Inc. engages in the provision of education-related products and services, as well as loan asset management. It operates through the business following segments: Loan Systems & Servicing, Education Technology, Services and Payment Processing, Communications, and Asset Generation and Management. The System & Servicing segment specializes in student loan portfolio and the portfolios of third parties such as loan conversion activities, application processing, borrower updates, customer service, payment processing, due diligence procedures, funds management reconciliations, and claim processing. The Education Technology, Services and Payment Processing segment provides products and services to help students and families manage the payment of education costs at all levels, as well as school information system software for private and faith-based schools that help schools automate administrative processes such as admissions, scheduling, student billing, attendance, and grade book management. The Communications segment is the operation of Allo Communications LLC which provides pure optic service to homes and businesses for internet, broadband, television, and telephone services. Th Read More Vermilion Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas in North America, Europe, and Australia. It owns 81% working interest in 642,300 net acres of developed land and 87% working interest in 376,700 net acres of undeveloped land, and 613 net producing natural gas wells and 3,034 net producing oil wells in Canada; and 96% working interest in 248,900 net acres of developed land and 91% working interest in 222,100 net acres of undeveloped land in the Aquitaine and Paris Basins, and 325 net producing oil wells and 3.0 net producing gas wells in France. The company also owns 49% working interest in 930,000 net acres of land and 51 net producing natural gas wells in the Netherlands; and 36,900 net developed acres and 965,900 net undeveloped acres of land, and 61 net producing oil wells and 8 net producing natural gas wells in Germany. In addition, it owns offshore Corrib natural gas field located to the northwest coast of Ireland; and 100% working interest in the Wandoo offshore oil field and related production assets that covers 59,600 acres located on Western Australia's northwest shelf. Further, the company holds 138,000 net acres of land in the Powder River basin, and 136.6 net producing oil wells in the United States; and 951,200 net acres of land in Hungary, 244,900 net acres of land in Slovakia, and 2.4 million net acres of land in Croatia. Vermilion Energy Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More Victoria Oil & Gas Plc engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas in the United Kingdom. The company holds 57% interest in the Logbaba gas and condensate project, which covers an area of 20 square kilometers located in Cameroon; and 75% interest in the Matanda Block covering an area of 1,235 square kilometers located in Cameroon. It also supplies gas and gas condensate to industrial customers through a 50 kilometers pipeline in Douala. In addition, the company is involved in the sale of hydrocarbons and related activities. Victoria Oil & Gas Plc was incorporated in 2004 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 17) A House leader said at least six mayors from the Bicol region have approached him to reveal how a former Cabinet official "parked" around 1.5 billion under infrastructure projects in the proposed 2019 national budget. "I was able to talk to six mayors as of now, six mayors which they were personally approached to request for flood control projects. And that includes big amounts-- 200, 300 million," House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya told CNN Philippines on Monday. "They divulged to me that for one, they were not the ones who asked for it. They were approached. Secondly, it was not their priority project but just the same, sino ba namang tatanggi nga siguro sa ganoong klaseng bagay?" Andaya said. He claimed that the mayors gave him information about the former Cabinet official after a spike in the budget for flood control projects was reported. Andaya said from 79 billion in 2017, the budget for flood control projects ballooned to 133 billion this year. Parking is used to refer to the inclusion of a lump sum amount in a particular congressional district's budget. The amount, however, will be used for a different project or district. Andaya said the former Cabinet official, who he refused to name, parked funds in at least five districts in the Bicol region since he needs funds for his 2019 election bid. He said he will reveal the former Cabinet official's identity in due time, but hinted that the person involved in the so-called "parking scheme" is mum about the alleged illegal insertions in the 2019 national budget, in anticipation of the House probe on the supposed anomalies on January 3, 2019. Five Cabinet secretaries resigned in October to run for elective posts. Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, former Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go and former Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Francis Tolentino are all running for senator, while former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano is seeking a seat in congress. Meanwhile, former Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. is running for a gubernatorial post in Bohol. Not off the hook Andaya said the former Cabinet official's alleged involvement in the so-called parking scheme does not mean Budget Secretary Ben Diokno is already off the hook over the alleged budget anomalies. On the contrary, Andaya said Diokno has a lot more explaining to do on why he approved billions of pesos worth of infrastructure projects in Bicol for 2019, allegedly without the knowledge of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). "He approves each and every project," Andaya said. "Public works proposed it to him and he approved each and every one. Let there be no mistake. It is not the public works department that approved. He approved it." House leaders are accusing Diokno of "inserting" 75 billion into the 2019 budget of DPWH and that he had a hand in allocating 2.4 billion in infrastructure projects in Casiguran town and Sorsogon province in 2018. In an interview on CNN Philippines' The Source, House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez alleged that Diokno did it to support the candidacies of his in-laws, Sorsogon Vice Governor Ester Hamor, who is running for Sorsogon City mayor, and Casiguran Mayor Edwin Hamor, who is running for re-election. Suarez also accused the Budget chief of lying when he told lawmakers last week that he did not have a hand in the allocation for the said projects. "'Yung sinabi niyang he doesn't know, he's lying. He knows that," Suarez said. "He's lying so that number one, mapapaboran 'yung kanyang dalawang kandidato na manalo. Pangalawa, kikita. Malaking kita." [Translation: When he said he doesn't know, he's lying. He knows that. He's lying so that number one, his two candidates who he wants to win would be favored. Second, they would earn. Earn big.] Andaya said they would invite Diokno to the hearing on January 3 to shed light on the alleged budget anomalies. Diokno was summoned by the House for a Question Hour last week, where Cabinet secretaries found the behavior of lawmakers toward the Budget chief "unparliamentary," prompting them to threaten that they would snub future invites from the lower chamber or bolt out of congressional inquiries "the moment any sign of disrespect is given." Suarez defended the House, saying they were only exercising their duty to perform checks and balances on the executive branch of the government. CNN Philippines Multi-platform Writer Xave Gregorio contributed to this report. (see related stories on budget). (ANSA) - Rome, December 17 - Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio on Monday defended the government's budget plan, saying it aspired to deliver positive change. "The interests of the parties or of the people who used to rule are not in the budget, the dreams of those who want to change Italy are," 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Di Maio said in a video on Facebook. "Anyone who has put a drop of sweat in for the Movement did so because they believe in a dream, not because of their own special interest, and that's why we are unbeatable and unstoppable". (ANSA) - Brussels, December 17 - A European Commission spokesperson said Monday that talks between Brussels and Rome over Italy's budget plan for 2019 was continuing. The Commission rejected the government's draft budget plan, which saw Italy running a deficit of 2.4% of GDP next year to finance key pledges and boost sluggish growth, saying it breached EU rules. Premier Giuseppe Conte's League-5-Star Movement (M5S) government has proposed bring the deficit down to 2.04% to stop the EU opening an infringement procedure. "Dialogue between the European Commission and Italy about the 2019 budget is continuing," EC spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said. "Commissioners (Valdis) Dombrovskis and (Pierre) Moscovici are in touch with (Italian Economy) Minister (Giovanni) Tria. "The Commission will decide on the next steps on the basis on this dialogue". The government's budget bill will return to the Senate's budget committee on Tuesday, a meeting of party whips decided on Monday following a meeting of top members of the executive late on Sunday. As a result, the examination of the package on the floor of the Upper House looks set to be postponed for several days. (ANSA) - Rome, December 17 - A Somali man arrested on December 13 in Bari was allegedly found in a wiretap by Italian DDA anti-mafia and anti-terrorism forces to have called for bombs to be planted in churches. "Let's put bombs in all the churches of Italy. Where is the biggest church? It's in Rome?," he said, according to the wiretap. The alleged terrorist was arrested when trying to flee the Bari area on December 13. The 20-year-old is believed by DIGOS special security police in Bari to be linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) in Somalia and to be in contact with one of its operating cells. The investigation is being assisted by the FBI. Nine of Dalhousie's world-class researchers have been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) for their outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement. With six new RSC Fellows and three new Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, it is the largest cohort from Dal to ever be inducted into the RSC. The new fellows include: Dr. Janice Graham, Faculty of Medicine; Dr. Sara Iverson, Faculty of Science; Dr. Marlon Lewis, Faculty of Science; Dr. Ian Meinertzhagen, Faculty of Science; Dr. Sherry Stewart, Faculty of Medicine; and Dr. Michael Ungar, Faculty of Health. The three new college members are: Dr. Anna MacLeod, Faculty of Medicine; Dr. Sean Myles, Faculty of Agriculture; and Dr. Natalie Rosen, Faculty of Science. RSC honourees at a September luncheon. Back row (left to right): Sara Iverson, Sean Myles, Marlon Lewis. Front row: Anna MacLeod, Janice Graham, Sherry Stewart. Not pictured: Michael Ungar, Natalie Rosen and Ian Meinertzhagen. (Danny Abriel photo) According to the Royal Society of Canada, the Fellows comprise over 2,000 Canadian scholars, artists, and scientists, peer-elected as the best in their field, who are making remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life. Those named to the College represent the emerging generation of scholarly, scientific and artistic leadership in Canada. They address issues of concern to new scholars, artists and scientists, for the advancement of understanding and the benefit of society. We are extremely pleased to see so many of our faculty honoured by the Royal Society of Canada, says Dr. Alice Aiken, vice-president research and innovation at Dalhousie. To be recognized in this way is evidence of the impact each of them is making to their field. We are thrilled that they contribute to our Dalhousie community every day. Learn more about Dalhousie Universitys newest Royal Society fellows and College members: Dr. Janice Graham, Faculty of Medicine (Fellow) Janice Graham is an internationally recognized medical anthropologist who has carved new paths into the deep ethnography of science, health technologies and medicine. Interested in the cultural, technical and moral tensions of health regulation, she studies the evidence for safety and effectiveness of emerging biotechnologies, and the commercialization of publicly funded health innovation. She is currently working on transparency, openness and trust in global vaccines research. It is humbling to have been elected as a Fellow in the Royal Society of Canada I cried, says Dr. Graham. Both my parents left school at 14. They came to Canada on an immigrant farm labour program in the early 50s and I was the first in my family to make it to university. To have my work honoured in this way? I pinched myself. Dr. Sara Iverson, Faculty of Science (Fellow) Sara Iversons interdisciplinary and ground-breaking research has advanced the understanding of marine animal physiological ecology; roles of fat in mammalian reproduction, survival and life history strategies; and marine animal movement and foraging ecology. She is the scientific director of the global Ocean Tracking Network, the worlds foremost aquatic animal tracking network and a Canadian National Research Facility, which is revolutionizing the way aquatic life is studied, understood and governed under increasing environmental change. "I am extremely honoured to be inducted into the Royal Society of Canada I have been dedicated and passionate about the work I have done throughout my career and it is really exciting for it to be recognized this way, says Dr. Iverson. Dr. Marlon Lewis, Faculty of Science (Fellow) By combining insightful theory with ground-breaking measurements of light in the oceans, Marlon Lewis has pioneered our ability to remotely observe, describe and understand pelagic ecosystems. Additionally, his leadership of the development of satellite oceanography and its commercialization has substantially furthered ocean observation technology. Dr. Lewis is the very model of an influential innovator and a preeminent interdisciplinary oceanographer. It is a true honour to be recognized by the Royal Society of Canada, says Dr. Lewis. It reflects on what has been a real adventure of discovery in oceanography and as well on the excellent work of my colleagues and in particular, my students. Dr. Ian Meinertzhagen, Faculty of Science (Fellow) Ian Meinertzhagen is a pioneer in connectomics, the comprehensive mapping of brain networks. Internationally acclaimed for research on simple nervous systems his work reveals circuit models for all brains. In Drosophila he has identified neurons for motion vision. Dr. Meinertzhagens studies of photoreceptor axon growth were critical for the then nascent field of developmental neuroscience. He showed that circuits are influenced by experience, refuting a prevailing orthodoxy that insect brains are hard-wired. The election is of course a great honour, says Dr. Meinertzhagen. Just as much as for myself, the award also acknowledges the important contributions made by members of my lab here at Dalhousie, and in many cases made possible through collaborations with a large number of colleagues around the world. Dr. Sherry Stewart, Faculty of Medicine (Fellow) Sherry Stewart has made significant, internationally-reputed contributions to the understanding of, and intervention with, anxiety and addictions. She has relentlessly pursued identifying the basic personality, motivational, and situational factors underlying the proclivity to develop excessive anxiety and/or addictive behaviors (e.g., misuse of cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, prescription drugs, and gambling) using sophisticated social science lab, field, and intervention approaches. She has studied adults and adolescents in mainstream and Aboriginal communities. Twenty-five years ago as a new faculty member I had the opportunity to deliver a lecture on addiction at a Royal Society meeting where I first learned about the Society's mission, says Dr. Stewart. I am honoured to be inducted into the Royal Society and I hope to contribute to their important mandate as a Fellow. Dr. Michael Ungar, Faculty of Health (Fellow) Michael Ungars research on human resilience has been internationally recognized for broadening our understanding of how culture influences the relationship between social environments and the protective processes associated with positive child and adult development. The multi-country studies of resilience among stressed populations that he has led have been the basis for a global program of knowledge translation that is helping to inform both social policies and clinical interventions. To be invited to join a national group of leading scientific peers is a great opportunity to build networks, as well as broaden my own understanding of the many intersections between my research and theirs. It is what transdisciplinary science is meant to be, says Dr. Ungar. Dr. Anna MacLeod, Faculty of Medicine (Member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists) Known for her innovative approaches to exploring medical education, Anna MacLeod is at the forefront of her field. Her insights are sought by colleagues nationally and internationally, demonstrated by her visiting scholar appointments and speaking engagements. Dr. MacLeods award-winning contributions have elevated the discourse of medical education, incorporating critical social science perspectives and broadening theory, while making a significant practical contribution to the design and delivery of medical education locally, nationally and around the world. As a social scientist based in the Faculty of Medicine, Ive had the pleasure of working with thoughtful and encouraging colleagues whove helped me to leverage my unique viewpoint to make a strong contribution in my field, says Dr. MacLeod. Being inducted to the RSCs College of New Scholars is such an honour because it demonstrates that unique perspectives, like mine, are valued in medical education here at Dalhousie, and in Canada more broadly. Dr. Sean Myles, Faculty of Agriculture (Member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists) Sean Myles develops and uses modern genomics tools to explore the history and improve the future of agricultural species. His research has provided insights into the histories of grapes, apples and cannabis and he is at the forefront of research aimed to accelerate the breeding of these crops using genomics. "Being elected to the college is not just an honour, but most importantly, it's a great opportunity to learn how to translate my work into impacts for the betterment of Canada and the world, says Dr. Myles. I'm excited about this! Membership in the college puts me in touch with a diverse collection of Canada's leading intellectuals, which is an ideal recipe for making great things happen." Dr. Natalie Rosen, Faculty of Science (Member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists) Natalie Rosen, an associate professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, is internationally recognized for her contributions to the fields of pain and sexual dysfunction by approaching them from a dyadic perspective, and translating her findings into evidence-based interventions to improve couples health and well-being. Through enhanced knowledge of the interpersonal dynamics that maintain these problems, her work represents a paradigm shift in the way these disorders are conceptualized, studied, and treated. It is an honour to be elected to the College alongside such outstanding scholars from across the country, says Dr. Rosen. To me, membership in the College offers me a unique and invaluable opportunity to create interdisciplinary exchanges with those who have similar yet diverse research interests. This year's new Fellows and College members will be formally inducted into the RSC in November during the annual Celebration of Excellence and engagement, which will be hosted by Dalhousie University. Visit the Royal Society of Canada for more information. The hike is due to a rise in input costs and increase in fuel prices. Price hike will be applicable to all Tata cars, including the Nexon Will hike prices by upto Rs 40,000 )depending on the model and city) The hike is due to a rise in input costs and increase in fuel prices Tata Motors has announced an increase in the prices of its entire product portfolio from 1 January, 2018. The companys official release states that prices of its cars, including the Nexon, will be increased by upto Rs 40,000 (depending on the product and the city). Tata Motors has stated that the price hike is due to an increase in the cost of production and fuel. In the meantime, the company is gearing up to launch the much-awaited Harrier SUV in January. Click here for its expected prices. Heres what the company had to say in its official statement. Press Release: Tata Motors to increase prices of its Passenger Vehicles from January 2019 Mumbai, December 13, 2018: Tata Motors today announced that the Company would be increasing prices of its entire passenger vehicles range by up to INR 40,000 (depending on the model and city), starting 1st January 2019. This hike in price is due to rising input costs and increase in fuel prices. According to Mr. Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, The changing market conditions, rising input costs and various external economic factors have compelled us to consider this price increase. We are optimistic on maintaining our growth trajectory in the coming year on the back of our robust portfolio consisting of segment-leading products like TIAGO, HEXA, TIGOR and the NEXON. Early 2019 will also mark the entrance of our most awaited SUV the HARRIER. We are confident that the HARRIER will receive all the love from our existing and prospective customers and will further help us in strengthening our brand salience. Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho. Actor Alok Nath, accused of rape by writer producer Vinta Nanda has moved the court pleading for anticipatory bail. Describing Vintas allegation as malicious, Aloks lawyer is quoted as saying, She has woken up like Rip Van Winkle after 20 years to file the case. My clients reputation is affected. His liberty is affected. To which Vinta responded saying that she had no idea she was opening up a pandoras box when she spoke against Alok Nath. When I came out with the truth in October 2018, other than what he had done to me, I was only aware about Alok Nath having harassed Navneet Nishan relentlessly for over four years during the making of Tara. But soon after that, when I heard what he had done with Sandhya Mridul, Deepika Amin, Himani Shivpuriji and several others I realised that we were not the only two he had bullied. No matter how malicious Alok sees Vintas intent to be, the fact is, the issue has gone far beyond her. Says Vinta, Here is a serial offender were talking about, one who was vicious and unpardonably volatile in his behaviour with every powerful woman he encountered in his work space. Let time reveal the truth. Nazriya Nazim who quit acting post her marriage with Fahad Fazil, returned recently with Malayalam film Koode. She is presently busy in Mtown with a couple of films. The talented actress is equally popular in Tamil cinema with films like Raja Rani and Bangalore Days. The big news making the rounds is that Boney Kapoor has roped in Nazriya for his Tamil remake of Bollywood hit Pink, tentatively titled Thala 59. It is already confirmed that Ajith will be reprising Amitabhs role in the Tamil remake. Looks like Nazriya will be seen reprising Taapsee Pannus role. She has posted a picture on her social media handle saying, My face explains how much I am happy. No words to explain #AK59 #Thala 59. Though her post may suggest that she might be part of the mega venture, we still should not jump to conclusions. The reason being she is an ardent fan of Ajith and in the past few days the actress was all praise for Thala and posting pictures of the latter from Viswasam and expressing her fan moments. Watch this space for more! The 2016 Bollywood courtroom drama and social thriller garnered accolades for highlighting the importance of consent, besides receiving a National Award. Pink was also screened at the United Nations headquarters in New York. A senior officer said that they are still investigating whether Akash had brought the knife when he returned or his attackers had a knife. (Representational Image) Bengaluru: A 24-year-old call centre employee stabbed a shopkeeper to death after a fight over a trivial issue in Kurubarahalli in Mahalakshmi Layout police station limits early Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Manjunath, 45, a resident of J.C. Nagar and owner of Sai Condiments in Kurubarahalli. His son, Manoj, a BBA student, also sustained stab injuries during the fight and is currently being treated at a private hospital. The accused, Akash, is a resident of Rajajinagar and a call centre employee in Marathahalli. The police said that Akashs finger got cut during the fight and he was also shifted to a nearby hospital. According to the police, on Saturday night, Akash had gone to friend's house in Nagarbhavi and after partying all night, he was returning home on Sunday morning in his bike. He reached Mahalakshmi Layout at around 5:30 am, when Manjunath had just opened his shop. While he was cleaning its front portion, he threw water on to the road and it fell on Akash, who lost control over his vehicle and fell. He picked up a fight with Manjunath blaming him for the fall. Soon locals gathered and started beating Akash, who also fought back. Manjunaths wife, Gowramma and their son Manoj also rushed to the shop. The elders in the area managed to stop the fight and asked them to leave. However, Akash returned after 10 minutes and again picked up a fight. In a fit of anger, Akash stabbed Manjunaths chest with a knife and also stabbed his son, Manoj who came to spot with an iron rod. When the passersby tried to snatch the knife, Akashs finger got cut. The Mahalakshmi Layout police rushed to the spot and shifted all three of them to the nearby hospital where Manjunath was declared brought dead. Returned to collect helmet: Akash The police said that Akash has claimed he was beaten by 10 to 15 people and he left for hospital. However he had to return to pick his helmet. When the crowd who saw him return they thought that he wanted to continue his fight and assaulted him. He further stated that one of them had a knife and tried to stab him. He snatched it from him to defend himself from the crowd. As he swung it around, Manjunath got injured. He had no intention of killing him, Akash told police. A senior officer said that they are still investigating whether Akash had brought the knife when he returned or his attackers had a knife. Mahalakshmi Layout police have taken complaint from both parties and begun investigation. According to the police, the couple had a fight on Saturday and in a fit of rage Nanjappa grabbed a boulder and hit Lakshmana on her head. Bengaluru: The Doddabelavangala police have arrested a 32-year-old worker on charges of bludgeoning his wife to death on Saturday. The accused, identified as Nanjappa, a resident of Jodi Karepura, surrendered before the police after the incident. He killed his wife, identified as Lakshamamma (25), over a domestic row. According to the police, the couple had a fight on Saturday and in a fit of rage Nanjappa grabbed a boulder and hit Lakshmana on her head. As a result she died in the spot. Nanjappa later walked into Doddabelavangala police station and narrated the incident. The police rushed to the spot and shifted the body for post-mortem and took Nanjappa into custody for further investigation. Hyderabad: The Commissioners Task Force, West Zone, raided a brothel in Banjara Hills and apprehended three men including the organiser and two customers and seized cash, four cellphones, a used condom and an unused one from their possession and also rescued a victim. The arrested were identified as Shravani Kumari, 40, the organiser, resident of Yousufguda, M. Ramana, 31, and Vijay Shankar, police said, adding that the victim was from West Godavari district. About three months ago, Shravani Kumari took the premises at Krishnanagar of Yousufguda on rent for Rs 11,000 per month and was running a brothel with female sex workers. She used to bring girls from different localities to Hyderabad on agreement to pay Rs 30,000 per 15 days. About two weeks ago, she brought a female sex worker from West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, said DCP, Commissioners Task Force, P. Radhakrishna Rao. Based on credible information, the West Zone Task Force raided the place and apprehended the customers and organiser. They were handed over to Banjara Hills police along with the victim. 1 person dies and 47 people have been rescued till now. (Photo: ANI) Mumbai: A Level-3 fire breaks out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital in Andheri resulting in the death of one person, disaster management official said. 47 people have been rescued till now. 10 fire engines were rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control. 1 rescue van and 16 ambulances were also despatched. The fire brigade got a call around 4 pm about the blaze at the government-run ESIC Kamgar Hospital located at Marol in suburban Andheri, the official from the city civic body's disaster management cell said. The official said that many people are still feared trapped. 'Rahul Gandhi should resign as Congress' chief. Kamal Nath ji's name crops up along with affidavit and evidence in a report submitted to Nanavati Commission,' BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said. (Photo: ANI) Bengaluru: A day when Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been convicted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra has accused Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath of being involved in the case, demanding he be expelled from the party. Stating that Kamal Nath's name has cropped up along with affidavit and evidence submitted in a report to the Nanavati Commission, Patra also demanded that Rahul Gandhi should step down as Congress president. "Rahul Gandhi should resign as Congress' chief. Kamal Nath ji's name crops up along with affidavit and evidence in a report submitted to Nanavati Commission," he said. "A man involved in anti-Sikh riots has been made the MP (Madhya Pradesh) CM. Mr Rahul Gandhi must expel him from the party," Patra demanded. Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court convicted Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment. A fine of Rs 5 lakh was also imposed on him. The court had asked Kumar to surrender before December 31. The High Court reversed the trial court verdict of 2013 and sentenced Sajjan Kumar and five others in a case related to the killing of five members of a Sikh family in Delhi's Cantonment area in November 1984, following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. After her assassination by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984, around 3,000 people were killed in anti-Sikh riots when mobs targeted innocent people. The distillery at Kulali village of Mudhol taluk in Bagalkote district that was reduced to rubble after a blast KPN Hubballi: At least four people were killed and three severely injured on Sunday in an explosion at a distillery belonging to former BJP minister Murugesh Nirani and his brother Sangamesh Nirani, in Bagalkote district. The blast at the distillery unit in Kulali village of Mudhol taluk in Bagalkote was so intense that the three-storied building, in which the distillery was functioning, was reduced to rubble with pieces of iron and concrete scattered in a radius of two hundred metres surrounding the plant. The three workers, who suffered serious injuries, were admitted to a private hospital in Mudhol. The deceased were identified as engineer Sharana Basappa Totad (34) of Kalaburgi, Jagadish Pattanashetti (32) of Navalagi village, Nagappa Dombar (38) of Kulali village and Shivanand Hosamath (40) from Yadalli village. Sources said the incident occurred due to a boiler blast at an effluent treatment plant following the outflow of excess methane gas and blockage of the safety wall. The Niranis have been running the sugar factory and distillery unit which employs more than 30 workers since the last twenty years. There would have been more casualties if the distillery was located in a residential area, said sources. Meanwhile, expressing anger against the distillery management, local residents and environmentalists contended that they had violated environmental norms and blamed pollution board officials for allowing the unit to run for two years despite not having a valid license. Alleging that effluents from the factory had caused pollution in a two kilometre radius around it, they claimed that this had caused several health problems among the villagers. We have filed a petition before the National Green Tribunal(NGT) urging it to stop the pollution. The underground water surrounding the village has become contaminated due to effluents released from the factory and people are forced to drink water from the borewells which has high chemical content, asserted a resident, Anil Nishani. Some villagers even alleged that the distillery was not working properly as a leakage was reported in the last few months with even basic safety equipment like helmets and jackets not provided to the workers. Belagavi northern range IGP H.S. Revanna and Bagalkote superintendent of police C.B. Rishyant visited the blast site and said action will be initiated after obtaining a report from technical experts to know the cause of the incident. 'The 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a one-sided massacre...the Delhi High Court convicting Sajjan Kumar in this case is a severe jolt for the Congress,' Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said. (Photo: File) Lucknow: Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a "jolt" for the party and demanded action against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath for his alleged involvement in the riots. The Delhi High Court sentenced Sajjan Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. "The 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a one-sided massacre...the Delhi High Court convicting Sajjan Kumar in this case is a severe jolt for the Congress," Javadekar told reporters in Lucknow. He said the Congress need not give clarifications on this, instead should take action against its another senior leader Kamal Nath, the newly sworn-in Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, who was also allegedly involved in the riots. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. 'After joining this post (of Chief Minister), the first file I have signed is of farm loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh each, as I had promised to the farmers,' Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath said. (Photo: ANI) Bhopal: Loans of up to Rs 2 lakh of Madhya Pradesh farmers will be waived, with Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday signing a file to the effect. Addressing the media, Kamal Nath said: "After joining this post (of Chief Minister), the first file I have signed is of farm loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh each, as I had promised to the farmers." "Our schemes of providing incentives of investment will only be imposed after 70 per cent people from Madhya Pradesh get employment. People from other states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh come here (to Madhya Pradesh) and local people don't get jobs. I have signed file for this," CM Kamal Nath added. The move follows a promise by Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the poll campaign that if people of Madhya Pradesh voted for Congress, then they would implement farmers' loan waiver within 10 days of coming to power. Congress president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said, "CM, Madhya Pradesh, waives farm loans. 1 done. 2 to go." CM, Madhya Pradesh, waives farm loans. 1 done. 2 to go. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 17, 2018 Kamal Nath was sworn in as the state's 18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on Monday. After Kamal Nath signed on the file pertaining to waiving off farmers' loans of up to Rs 2 lakh, Principal Secretary, Farmers' Welfare and Agriculture Development Department, Rajesh Rajora issued the loan waiver order. The order said: Madhya Pradesh Government has taken a decision to write off short-term crop loan of eligible farmers up to the limit of Rs 2 lakh, as on March 31, 2018, from nationalised and cooperative banks. Srinagar: Among the seven civilians killed in troops firing in Jammu and Kashmirs southern Pulwama district on Saturday was an MBA pass out from a university in Indonesia. The sudden and tragic death of Abid Hussain Lone has left his Indonesian wife devastated. The couple had been married almost one and a half years and were living with their first child three month old Zaina- happily in Pulwamas Karimabad village. On Saturday, 32-year-old Abid had gone to a nearby orchard to prune trees before a gun fight broke out between militants and security forces in the area. Following clashes between irate crowds and Army troops, he was shot by the latter and died on the spot, said his uncle Ghulam Muhammad Lone. Abids young wife Saima is in shock and disbelief. On Sunday, she received a number of phone calls from Jakarta and each caller tried to console her, the family sources said. She was also informed that a protest rally was held at her native place against the civilian killings in Kashmir and among the participants were his mother and other family members. The others who died in the firing incidents included Auquib Ahmad Butt alias Murtaza, Suhail Rashid Dar, Liyaqat Ahmed Wani and Shahbaz Ahmed Najar who were studying in Class 9, 10, 12 and BA first year, respectively, Amir Palla, a mechanic by profession, and Tauseef Ahmad Mir, a casual labourer with J&Ks Power Development Department. The police officials said that they were part of a crowd which had dangerously come close to the encounter site and were hit. The locals alleged that they fell prey to indiscriminate firing resorted to by the Army amid protests and stone-pelting at two places after the encounter in which three militants and a soldier died was over. Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Satya Pal Malik, has ordered a probe into the unnecessary and avoidable loss of civilian lives. A team of police personnel took Rahul Easwar into custody from a rest house, recorded his arrest and then took him to Ranni in Pathanamthitta for producing him before a court, police said. (Photo: Facebook Screengrab/ @Rahul.Easwar.India) Palakkad: Two days after a local court revoked his bail in a case related to violent protests at Sabarimala, Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader Rahul Easwar was arrested by police on Monday. A team of police personnel took Easwar into custody from a rest house, recorded his arrest and then took him to Ranni in Pathanamthitta for producing him before a court, police said. The Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader, who spearheaded protests against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, was in Palakkad to attend a programme, they said. Soon after the arrest, Easwar told reporters that he had not defied any bail conditions. He said he came to Palakkad to attend a function organised by the Hindu Mahasabha. A court at Ranni in Pathanamthitta district had revoked the bail granted to Easwar on December 15 and directed the police to re-arrest him for defying a bail condition. He was out on bail in the case relating to violence at the Lord Ayyappa shrine when it was opened for the monthly 'pooja' on October 17. One of the bail conditions imposed by the court was that he has to report to Pathanamthitta police station every Saturday. However, on December 8, he failed to appear, police had said. Easwar was earlier arrested from Pamba following violent protests at Sabarimala. (ANSA) - Rome, December 17 - Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Monday demanded that the European Commission treats Italy and France the same when it comes to applying its budget rules. "I hope there is good sense in Brussels, not sons and step sons," Salvini told Mediaset television. "They even count the hairs on the nose of Italy but they let Macron's France do what it likes. "We have done what we had to do. If they ask for more cuts, then no more, enough". Chennai: The Madras high court has asked the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation and the City police commissioner to go for a morning walk from 6 a.m. to 7.a.m. on the Marina Beach for a month so that they can monitor the work of cleaning the Marina Beach. A division bench comprising Justices Vineet Kothari and Anita Sumant made the suggestion orally when the Public Interest Litigations filed by Fisherman Care came up for hearing. The bench said You have to regulate the street vendors on the Marina Beach. There should be a separate area for their operation. Similarly, the corporation has to work out a plan for relocating the fishermen to have their shops. As per the earlier directive of the court, the Chennai Corporation Commissioner filed a report before the bench. After studying the report, the bench said the Corporation has stated the number of employees in the cleaning work and the timing, besides the machineries used for cleaning the Marina. But, when they visited Marina Beach two to three days back, the condition was the same as earlier, the bench added and made the above suggestion. Additional advocate general S.R.Rajagopal said the corporation was working out a plan and it will file a comprehensive report on the next date of hearing. Impleading 7 associations involved in the hawking and food stalls business at the Marina Beach, the bench in its order directed them to file their affidavits and undertakings before the this court before the next date of hearing to the effect that they were willing and ready to cooperate in the matter for keeping the Marina Beach and other nearby areas of coastal line, like the Loop road in clean and proper shape. Directing the petitioner to implead the other associations of fishermen before December 20, the bench said similar direction as that of hawkers will also apply to the fishermen association. The bench said the court has given certain directions to the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation as well as for the police Commissioner for putting in their all efforts for personally supervising the cleaning and other allied regulatory works. Such work is required to be done in the discharge of their public duties at the said sites, so that, more vigorous efforts were made by all concerned working under them. The Bench also asked them to seek the cooperation of visitors so that a tangible change was seen in cleaning up of the Marina Beach and other nearby areas, including Loop road, the bench added. The bench said the Commissioner present in court prayed for two weeks time to undertake the necessary consultation process in this regard and produce on record the next status report with the affidavits on the next date of hearing. A compilation of court orders passed earlier, with regard to the area for street vending as well as for maintenance, by the coordinate Benches or single judges of this court may also be produced before us for perusal. The applicable Rules and Regulations and Terms and conditions presently in force or those in draft form and under active consideration of the state and Corporation to be issued to the hawkers carrying on business in the Marina Beach shall also be placed before the court. "We expect the state/corporation to expedite the framing of the relevant Rules and Bye Laws and schemes and notify the same as expeditiously as possible. The state will also place on record the requisite details of the funds allocated by the state government/municipal corporation for maintenance of the Marina beach till date. The details of the infrastructure to be created in the near future, the designs, plans including the allocation of funds and funds in the said area may also be placed before this court", the bench said and posted to January 10, 2019, further hearing of the case. CHENNAI: In the third launch in just over a month, the Indian Space Research Organisation will launch GSAT-7A, a dedicated communication satellite for armed forces from Sriharikota on Wednesday at 4.10 pm. The 26-hour countdown for GSLV-F11 and GSAT-7A mission will begin at 2.10 pm on Tuesday. The launch will take place from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The GSLV- Mk II rocket will launch 2,250 kg communication satellite into the temporary orbit after a flight of nearly 20 minutes. The rocket will be taken into the geostationary or circular orbit by firing the onboard propulsion system. The satellite will likely to help interlink different ground radar stations and airbases of Indian Air Force while it also expected to reduce the reliance on on-ground control stations for drones. It could help the Indian Navy to improve its range, experts said. The space agency tasted multiple success as GSLV-D2 and PSLV-C43 rockets putting their payloads GSAT-29 and HysIS into orbit respectively. It also launched its heaviest satellite GSAT-11 from French Guiana on the first week of December. The GSAT 7 satellite was the first fully dedicated military communication satellite. GSAT-7A is the 35th communication satellite built by Isro and the GSLV-F11 is its 13th flight. The rocket is having three stages, the first stage contains four liquid strap-ons and a solid rocket motor. The second stage is equipped with a high thrust engine using liquid fuel and cryogenic upper stage forms the third stage of the vehicle. Mr Mohammad Mahmood Ali is the only minister who took oath along with K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Hyderabad: Mr Mohammad Mahmood Ali is only the third Muslim home minister of the Telugu states. Mir Mohammad Ali Khan served as home minister from 1964 to 1967 in the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Cabinet. M.M. Hashim was home minister from 1978 to 1980 in the Marri Chenna Reddy Cabinet. Mr Mohammad Mahmood Ali, the only minister to take oath along with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, said he wanted to be a friendly home minister. He spoke about the possible withdrawing of cases against those who had taken part in the Telangana movement, and what changes can be brought into the Home department. Despite the fame, he remains grounded. If I had not been in politics I would have continued in the dairy business. I have more than 100 buffaloes. My son is carrying on the dairy business after I became Deputy Chief Minister in 2014, he said. Chaiwala has become PM and doodhwala has become HM, quips Mr Mohammad Mahmood Ali, the first home minister of Telangana state. His family has been in the dairy business they own the famous Babu Miya Dairy for the last 100 years. Mr Mahmood Ali said that he wanted to be a friendly home minister. In an exclusive interview to this newspaper, he said there will be no political victimisation. During the elections political leaders criticise each other. Now that the elections are over, everyone should work for the development of Telangana. He spoke about the possible withdrawing of cases against those who had taken part in the Telangana movement. Excerpts from the interview Why and when did you enter politics? I love Telangana. I entered politics in 2001 after KCR launched the TRS. Before that I was in the dairy business. My family has been in the dairy business for the last 100 years. If KCR had not launched the TRS what would you have done? I would have continued in the dairy business. Why has KCR taken only you in the Cabinet along with him? He is Gods gift to Telangana people. I am loyal to KCR. Due to his confidence in me, he decided to induct me. In the previous KCR Cabinet you were revenue minister and in the new Cabinet you are home minister. Which portfolio do you prefer? Whatever the Chief Minister asks I am ready to do. Whichever portfolio KCR allots me I will work sincerely. Are you planning to bring any changes to the police department? As revenue minister I brought several revolutionary reforms under the leadership of KCR. Just in four years the TRS government did wonders in the Revenue department which had not happened in the last five decades. I will take charge as home minister on Thursday. After Telangana state was formed, the law and order position has improved. KCR made police people friendly. I will try to further improve on that. Is there any difference in peoples lives after formation of Telangana state? In the combined state the then Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and others said if Telangana state was formed there will be darkness and law and order issues will arise. What happened in the last four-and-a-half years? No darkness. The TRS government is supplying 24x7 power supply to all sectors, the farm sector is being supplied free power 24x7. There was no law and order issue, everyone in the state is living peacefully. Are you number two in KCRs Cabinet? In the TRS or in the government there is number one only, that is KCR. There is no number two or three. You are loyal to KCR. Are you also loyal to K.T. Rama Rao? Yes, I am loyal to KCR. I am also loyal to KTR. I congratulated KTR when he was appointed TRS working president. Everyone should be loyal to the party and its leader. There is speculation that it was on the advice of the MIM that KCR allotted you the home department. Is that correct? KCR knows what to do; he does not need any advice. I am secular; in fact I have more friends among Hindus than Muslims. My dairy business depends on Yadavas who belong to the Hindu community. Do you still have the dairy business? Yes, after I became minister, my son is looking after it. Will you miss any of your previous colleagues in the new Cabinet? I dont know. It is the CMs prerogative to select ministers. Are you going to withdraw the cases registered during the Telangana movement? After taking charge I will hold a meeting with the Director General of Police and other police officials to discuss this issue. After discussing with the Chief Minister, the government will take a decision. Will the TRS government withdraw all the cases? We have to discuss case by case and its seriousness. Depending on the merit of the cases we will take a decision. Is the government withdrawing the cases registered against TRS leaders and workers or all others also? There will be no political victimisation in the TRS government. We will withdraw the cases depending on merits whether they belong to TRS or any other political party. Are you going to reopen the cash for vote case? I have to discuss all these issues with police officials after taking charge. Cyclone Phethai According to the IMD, the storm weakened into deep depression with 55-65 kmph winds and moved back into the sea. Rajahmundry: Cyclone Phethai crossed the AP coast between Yanam and Kakinada between 1.30 pm and 2.30 pm on Monday. It was much weaker than predicted, accompanied by 65-75 kmph winds and heavy rain and the damage was not as extensive as feared. There was a sigh of relief as the storm did not cause major damage or loss to infrastructure. According to the IMD, the storm weakened into deep depression with 55-65 kmph winds and moved back into the sea. It would cross the AP coast again close to Tuni in the night before weakening further. Several areas received heavy rainfall from 8.30 am to 7 pm. Ninnimamidivalasa of Visakhapatnam topped the list with 156.5 mm rainfall followed by Pachipenta of Vizianagaram 136 mm, Yendada 125.75 mm, Jogavanipalem 120.25 mm, and Bindranagar Park 119.75 mm (all in Visakhapatnam). Cyclone Phethai uprooted electric poles and trees and laid low horticulture crops in Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur. One person was killed in Vijayawada in a rain-related incident. Eastern Discom chairman and managing director H.Y. Dora said, 347 electric poles were uprooted in West and East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizinagaram and Srikakulam. He said 164 poles were restored and the remaining 183 would be restored by tonight. A total of 297 cellphone towers were damaged. The government had set up 533 relief centres in 50 mandals in the six districts and provided food to 57,892 persons. As per the information from Real Time Governance Society, crop damage on 10,856 hectares was reported from Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, East Godavari, West Godavari, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram. The quantum of crop loss was estimated at 26,232 metric tonnes or Rs 51.86 crore in value. The crops which suffered damage or loss included paddy, tobacco, maize and pulses. Horticulture crop suffered damage or loss in about 405 hectares. Teams of enumerators were pressed into service to assess the extent of crop damage or loss. Earlier, authorities deputed special officers in vulnerable areas to monitor evacuation of people in the storms path and provide them food and drinking water in relief centres. Authorities faced a tough time as villagers refused to get evacuated to safety. Mumbai: Six people were killed in a major fire that broke out at the Employees State Insurance Corporation Hospital (Kamgar Hospital) in Marol, Andheri (east) on Monday afternoon. Around 50 were feared trapped inside the building when the blaze broke out. According to sources, 147 people were injured and sent to the civic-run Cooper Hospital at Vile Parle, Seven Hills, Hindu Hruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackerey Hospital, Jogeshwari and Holy Spirit Hospital. According to primary information, it is believed that a short circuit in the operation theatre caused the fire. Around 8 to 10 persons were rescued from the staircase and seven persons were rescued from the second floor through staircase while one fireman sustained a head injury. Suresh Kothalkar, who was searching for his wife, Aarti Kotharkar (50), said, My wife had been admitted to Kamgar Hospital and she underwent abdominal surgery. Our two daughters were accompanying her. One of them has been admitted to Seven Hills Hospital and another has been admitted to Cooper Hospital. Another woman identified as Manisha (40) jumped from the third floor to escape from the flames. She landed on the second floor and fractured her right leg. She has been treated in ICU at Cooper Hospital and is recuperating. A minor, Sushmita Ashok Sutar (15), from Boisar was searching for her sister Anusha (24) at Cooper Hospital. Talking to The Asian Age she said, I was lost and couldnt see anything due to the dense smoke. I was trapped and I was about to jump but someone held me back and got me here. I am unable to find my family. Patients Priya Khamakar and Nutan Kamble suffered illnesses due to smoke inhalation whereas Sandesh Jadhav who is a fireman received head injury and was referred for a computerised tomography (CT) scan for his medical evaluation. Dr Shmruti Khetala, head of Cooper Hospitals medicine unit, where the patients have been admitted, said, Most patients are suffering from breathing illnesses since they are suffering from smoke inhalation. All other patients are out of danger and are recuperating. A news agency has reported that the 15 days prior to the mishap the hopsital had failed the safety test. The firemen too had found security system inadequate The remark by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, for which she later apologized, had led to a Nepalese lawmaker terming the lapse a casual undermining of Nepal's sovereignty. (Photo: File/PTI) Darbhanga: Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad on Monday blamed the "arrogance" of the NDA government for Nepal's ban on currency notes of denominations higher than Rs 100 and demanded that urgent steps be taken to resolve the issue. The ban was causing great inconvenience to the people living along the Indo-Nepal border, the former Union minister said. "Our relations with Nepal have been under strain on account of the immaturity and poor understanding of diplomatic matters of the current dispensation. It started with (PM Narendra) Modi's address to Madheshis during his visit to Janakpur," he told reporters here. Madheshis are Nepalese citizens of Indian origin. "The minister for external affairs offended the people of Nepal by saying Modi had addressed Indians living in Nepal. Historically, Nepal has never been a part of India. The Madheshis may have much in common with us in terms of customs but they are, nevertheless, Nepalese citizens," Ahmad said. He claimed that there were protests in the neighbouring country but the Modi government, in its "arrogance", did not pay any heed. "This has now led to the situation that Nepal, the only country other than Bhutan where Indian currency is in circulation, has disallowed transactions in high denomination notes. Millions of people live along the Indo-Nepal border and they are facing a lot of inconvenience," he alleged. A renowned Hindu pilgrimage centre believed to be the birthplace of Goddess Sita, Janakpur was visited by Modi in May. The remark by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, for which she later apologized, had led to a Nepalese lawmaker terming the lapse a casual undermining of Nepal's sovereignty. "We request the Centre to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with Nepal which has led to the embarrassing situation," the Congress leader added. Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has instructed the officials concerned to ensure that by March 31, 2019, purified and good quality water from Mission Bhagiratha will flow into every house, which will also have a tap connection. The Chief Minister said that from April 1, 2019, not a single person anywhere in the state should be seen carrying a water pot or vessel for fetching water from a source other than his or her house. He has made it clear that money is not a constraint in ensuring that water through Mission Bhagiratha reaches every habitation irrespective of whether it is in a hilly, forested or remote area. The Chief Minister held a meeting in Pragathi Bhavan on Monday afternoon to review the progress of Mission Bhagiratha and took feedback on the work being carried out in each segment. The officials concerned explained in detail the progress of the work. They informed the Chief Minister that out of a total of 23,968 habitations to be served by Mission Bhagiratha, 23,947 habitations have already been getting water. Only 21 villages are yet to get bulk supply of water and these are in hilly, forested or remote areas. They informed Mr Rao that tap connections have been provided to 95 per cent of households and the construction of overhead water storage reservoirs was on fast track. The CM was very clear that villages in Achampet and Sirpur constituencies, Adilabad, Nirmal, Asifabad and Kothagudem districts must get the purified drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha, irrespective of the financial burden that would be incurred. He said the deadline to supply water to all habitations was January 10, 2019, and by March 31, 2019, all work pertaining to Mission Bhagiratha must be completed. He said the people experience hardship if they do not get water even on one day. "When we had conceptualised and took up Mission Bhagiratha scheme, several people expressed doubts about it. They doubted whether this programme would begin and be completed. However, officials and engineers have worked hard and exhibited marvellous engineering excellence to successfully complete the project," the Chief Minister said. Thousands of kilometres of pipelines have been laid and river water is being supplied to every household in all villages, he said, adding that this great wonder no other state could do. TS has became a role model for others and many states are adopting and replicating this scheme, he said. K.T Rama Rao with T. Harish Rao after he assumed charge as TRS working president at Telangana Bhavan (Photo: DC) Hyderabad: Former minister and Sircilla MLA K.T. Rama Rao took charge as the Telangana Rashtra Samitis working president on Monday. He was escorted to the party headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, by an estimated 20,000 party workers and leaders, and the whole area was awash in pink, the colour of the party. Earlier, he had taken the blessings of his parents K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Shobha at Pragathi Bhavan. His sister and MP, K Kavitha, put vermilion on his forehead and gave traditional Harathi. Former minister T. Harish Rao, home minister Mohmood Ali, party MLAs and MLCs congratulated him on becoming working president of the party. KTR, as he is familiarly known, addressed the party workers and leaders, and said he will work as a bridge between the party and the government. He said that Chief Minister Rao will devote himself to government affairs, and so he has given responsibly for the party to him. He said in the coming days he will allot some time to meet party workers. The TRS government will continue its development and welfare agenda, he said. KTR will begin a tour of the state from December 20, starting from Warangal. In the districts, KTR will have meetings with party workers and give them the direction to steer the party to victory in the ensuing Panchayat and Lok Sabha elections. In view of the Warangal visit, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari held a meeting with district MLAs, MLCs and others on Monday. KTR will address the party workers of Palakurthy, Jangaon and Station Ghanpur Assembly constituencies. They have decided to conduct a huge bike rally from Pembarthi Kakatiya Thoranam to Preston Grounds, venue of the party workers meeting. The new party president will lay the foundation stone for the construction of the Warangal Urban district party office. Later he will address party workers from Warangal East, West, Wardhanpet, Parakala and Narasampet assembly constituencies. Hyderabad: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the Prajakutami (Peoples Front) formed by the Congress would fail at the national level in the same way it suffered defeat in Telangana state. He also came down heavily on the Congress over its allegations regarding the Rafale deal. Speaking to media persons at the BJP state headquarters in Hyderabad, Mr Fadnavis said the Congress was intentionally targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi without producing any proper evidence. He said, Mr Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders have been spreading lies about the Rafale deal for the past few months. They have dented the image of the county internationally and put national security at risk. Regarding the Rafale deal, around eight companies had floated tenders and the Congress did not open them from 2003 to 2011. Saying that there is no money for this, the UPA government closed the deal. The BJP alleged that Congress leaders were worried that there were no middlemen in the deal, as the Prime Minister directly made the agreement with France. Mr Fadnavis said, In the previous deals done by the UPA government, they made the agreements with the middlemen. About four petitions were filed against the Rafale deal was inked and some of them are sponsored by the Congress. The Supreme Court has agreed that the deal clinched by Mr Narendra Modi was better than the previous ones. Mr Rahul has to tender the apology to the people for misguiding them. Vijayawada: After wooing the Backward Classes, there seems to be a competition between the ruling Telugu Desam and the YSRC for the Muslim vote. At this juncture, MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisis open announcement that he will campaign for his good friend YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in the Andhra Pradesh polls next year is being seen as a game changer. Muslims make up 8.5 per cent of the overall population in Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had been trying to woo them intensely after he snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA by renewing his secular credentials. While it was evident that in the 2014 polls, a majority of Muslim minorities had sailed with YSRC, Naidu had been trying hard to bring them to the TD fold again. The CM went a step ahead and gave a Cabinet berth to a Muslim candidate just a few months before the polls. He also held an exclusive meeting for the Muslims. Mr Owaisi, who is known for his fiery speeches, is also known for igniting passions among his community. Political observers point out that Mr Owaisis campaign will definitely help Muslims voters consolidate against the TD. The YSRC, on the other hand has maintained that whether Owaisi campaigns against TD or not, the Muslims are already aware of Naidus poll tactics and political flip-flops about them. First of all, Jagan Mohan Reddy had not invited Owaisi to campaign for him, he didnt even do that for the bypolls for Nandyal where there are a considerable number of Muslims. Owaisi has himself volunteered to campaign against Naidu. We have to wait and see his next move and what will be the impact, former IPS officer S.M. Iqbal, who joined the YSRC recently, told the Deccan Chronicle. He said one thing was clear. Muslims are keenly watching Naidus moves since the last four and half years. What made him ignore Muslims all these years? He has suddenly found love for Muslims and offered a Cabinet berth to a Muslim just a few months before the polls. He looks at every community as a vote bank, Mr Iqbal said. The TD seems to be rattled with Mr Owaisi's move. Finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu questioned Mr Owaisis friendship with Mr Reddy, who is an accused in quid pro quo cases and was behind bars for almost 16 months. He added that Mr Owaisi joining hands with Mr Reddy would only help the BJP which had meted out a raw deal to Andhra Pradesh. He said Mr Reddy had a secret pact with the BJP. Andhra Muslims are found fairly spread over the state. However, their greatest concentration is in Kurnool district where they number around 6 lakh and form 17 per cent of the districts population. Large pockets of Muslim population are also found in Vijayawada, Kadapa, Guntur and Anantapur. Like the Muslims of North India, Andhra Muslims are concentrated in the cities with much smaller rural populations. Kadapa and Anantapur have around 30 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. North Coastal Andhra has very few Muslims. Among these 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh, the four Rayalaseema districts of Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur and Chittoor and Nellore, Ongole, Guntur and Krishna in coastal AP have a considerable Muslim population. East Godavari, West Godavari and Vishakhapatnam districts have a small Muslim population. BEIRUT - The Lebanese army and UN contingent UNIFIL in southern Lebanon have raised the alert level today after Israeli soldiers over the last few hours placed a barrier of barbed wire along the Blue Line at the border between the two countries, Lebanese news agency NNA reports. According to Lebanese media, Israel's move will raise tensions in the southern area of Lebanon next to the Blue Line. Over the past two weeks Israel has kicked off in its territory, south of the demarcation line with Lebanon, operation 'northern shield', which aims to bring to light tunnels attributed to Hezbollah, the anti-Israeli Lebanese Shiite movement. Israel has so far announced it has found four tunnels. The Lebanese government, of which Hezbollah is an integral part, has so far gained time by saying it is not aware of the presence of underground galleries that connect Lebanon to the Jewish State. A UN Security Council has been scheduled on Wednesday to start discussing the issue and Israel is preparing to bring evidence over the presence of the tunnels. UNIFIL, the contingent deployed in the south, which includes some 1,000 Italian soldiers, has asked Lebanese authorities to start investigating on the Lebanese side. Meanwhile, UN and Lebanese troops are patrolling in particular the Blue Line in the areas where Israeli soldiers are conducting excavation work. The first point that immediately came to mind is why there should be a US threat at all if Russia helps this country to build two stealth frigates in Goa? A fresh lease agreement now nee-ds to be put in place for (potential, imaginary or real) violations of an American law, CAATSA, by India. This recent newspaper headline gave an eerie feeling: Russia to help build two stealth frigates in Goa; US threat ignored for $500 million tech-transfer deal. The first point that immediately came to mind is why there should be a US threat at all if Russia helps this country to build two stealth frigates in Goa? A fresh lease agreement now needs to be put in place for (potential, imaginary or real) violations of an American law, CAATSA, by India. This law seeks to prevent countries from buying Russian weapons. What right does Washington really have, under international law, to put roadblocks in the way of a defence agreement between two sovereign nations, Russia and India? There is a 50-year-old history of defence deals between India and Russia, and while it is true that there have been considerable military sales of American weapons and equipment to India in recent years, it does not simply go that long back. And particularly so in naval matters. There are good reasons for this, and these have a lot to do with history, geography and economics. The Navy implies high-tech machines. Naval ship construction costs millions in fact billions of dollars, takes years to commission, is complex to operate, and requires highly skilled personnel in the hundreds aflat and in thousands ashore. Since the early 19th century, for almost every major power, the Navy has been the principal tool to project power overseas, to protect the sea lanes and secure trade routes. It may thus be interesting to map the American contributions, if any, to independent Indias naval inventory following the Second World War. Prior to August 1947, the exclusively British-officered and Indian lashkared (manned by other ranks) Royal Indian Navy had all its capital ships originating from British shipyards in the first three decades of the 20th century. In fact, such was the monopoly of British-built ships in the Indian Navy that even in the late 1970s, almost after eight years of Indias emphatic and comprehensive victory over Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh war, New Delhis naval inventory carried an indelible stamp of the departed British (ruling) captains on the deck. Thus were inducted the sole majestic class (renamed Vikrant) aircraft-carrier (on March 4, 1961), the Fiji class cruiser (INS Mysore); and two Leopard class frigates (INS Beas and INS Betwa): all built by Vickers-Armstrong Ltd, Tyne. Then there were the two Whitby class frigates (Talwar, Trishul) of Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead and Harland & Wolff Ltd, of Belfast make. It was British shipbuilders galore John Brown & Co Ltd, Clydebanks Panther (INS Brahmaputra); Alex Stephen & Sons Ltd, Govan, Glasgows INS Kripan; J. Samuel White & Co Ltd, Cowes, Isle of Wight-built INS Kuthar; R&W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co Ltd, Hebburns Hunt class frigate INS Godavari; Yarrow & Co. Ltd, Scotstoun, Glasgow made the Black Swan class frigate INS Krishna and INS Kaveri and Charles Hill & Sons Ltd, Bristols River class frigate INS Tir. In between, however, entered ships from the Soviet Unions shipyards into the Indian Navy, owing to the consistent implied unease of the West towards Indias defence preparedness and intermittent wars 1947-1949 (with Pakistan), 1961 (Portugal), 1962 (China), 1965 (Pakistan) and again 1971 (Pakistan). The rise of a Third World former colony was clearly a cause for concern for the Western ruling class. The foundations of history, geography and economics laid by the West should not be disturbed, or remade, by lesser mortals of the 20th century! Or so it was felt in London, Washington and other capitals. Nevertheless, to the dismay of a section of the West, the first Soviet-made Foxtrot class submarine entered the Indian fleet on July 16, 1968 along with several Nanuchka class corvettes, Osa class fast attack craft and Natya class minesweepers. By the late 1980s (on the eve of the defeat and retreat of the Soviet Army from Afghanistan; the imminent demise of the mighty Soviet Union), the defence bonds between Delhi and Moscow had strengthened to an unprecedented level. The Indian fleet possessed one Soviet-made nuclear-powered and 11 diesel-electric subs; five Kashin class destroyers; eight Petya frigates; and several Nanuc-hka and Tarantul class corvettes. There were also British vessels, but their numbers were on the wane: Two aircraft carriers, the Vikrant and Virat; and four vintage Whitby and Leopard class frigates. Significantly, however, there wasnt a single American-made combat ship in the Indian naval inventory till then. It was only on January 17, 2007, that a red-letter day arrived for the US administration as it managed to make forays into Indias naval market with a hot transfer of the 17,521-ton (full load) Austin class amphibious transport dock USS Trenton, which was later formally commissioned on June 22, 2007 into the Indian Navy, rechristened Jalashwa, and based at Vizag. Although there emerged another possibility of a second ship (from Nashville) being commissioned; it fizzled out. The Trenton, therefore, is still the sole US-made major surface ship with the Indian Navy, its old-age related problems (having been built in May 1971 by Lockheed SB & Construction Co), of poor serviceability, high maintenance costs notwithstanding. In this background, can it be a surprise if Indo-Russian naval cooperation continues unabated? Indias use of the Russian-designed and constructed ships go back four decades as Soviet/Russian vessels have proved extremely efficient, sturdy and effective in trying situations. Hence, it would be advisable for the US to go too deeply into this matter, its reported deep interest in Indias indigenous aircraft carrier-building and deck-operated, carrier-borne aircraft programme notwithstanding. The US is indisputably the most powerful global military machine, but there is a need for a balanced and nuanced approach too, especially towards friends like India. The US operates across the globe. In contrast, Indias ability and intent to operate beyond the Indian Ocean region remains a non-issue, at least for the time being. Either way, even if India goes to acquire the ability to operate beyond the Indian Ocean region, its intent is benign. Therefore, Washington need not look negatively at India if New Delhi and Moscow strike a deal for fighting ships. Its time the US understands the intricacies of geopolitics in this part of the world and learns that closer India-Russia naval cooperation poses no threat to American interests. The writer is an alumnus of the National Defence College and the author of the recently-published book China in India The tiny satellites are called CubeSats, and will collect data on phenomena such as radiation belts or on autonomous movement in space for a group of universities and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Rocket Lab, a rocket propulsion company backed by investors in Silicon Valley, has launched a batch of 13 tiny probes from New Zealand to study space. The Electron rocket lifted off on Sunday evening from the worlds only private orbital launch pad on the Mahia Peninsula, carrying a payload of 10-cm (3.9-inch) cube-shaped research satellites. The tiny satellites are called CubeSats, and will collect data on phenomena such as radiation belts or on autonomous movement in space for a group of universities and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The NASA mission has been named the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites or ELaNa-19. Rocket Labs successful launch of a rocket that deployed satellites in January after years of preparation was an important step in the global commercial race to bring down financial and logistical barriers to space. Sundays launch was the second commercial launch for the New Zealand firm after it sent up a commercial payload of seven satellites on Nov. 11. If this mission is a success then Rocket Lab expects to increase its activity 2019, with a goal of 16 missions. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today signed a HPC agreement with the C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing), an organization within the MeitY (Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology of India), in the presence of the French Minister for External Affairs Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the Secretary of the Minister of Electronics and IT India, Mr Ajay Prakash Sawhney, in New Delhi. This agreement is part of Indias NSM (National Supercomputing Mission). Were delighted to officially become today the technology partner of C-DAC for HPC-related platforms and to participate in Indias prestigious NSM (National Supercomputing Mission) program. We are honoured that our BullSequana supercomputers, will be empowering Indian academic and R&D institutions across the country to accelerate their research and at the same time support Indias ambition to be a leader in HPC. said Pierre Barnabe, Chief Operating Officer, Big Data & Security at Atos. This new agreement illustrates the strategic relationship and partnership between France and India and will enable India to leapfrog to the league of world-class supercomputing power nations. said Dr. Herman Darbari, Director General of C-DAC. This project will see Atos deploy its BullSequana supercomputers, including the recently announced BullSequana XH2000 in various academic and research institutions, making Atos a leading supercomputing provider in India. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The number of tech workers - who earn more than double the average wage - grew to 280,000 in 2017 from 240,000 in 2013. Israel is struggling to recruit enough workers to its technology sector, a report showed on Sunday, creating a challenge for an industry seen as the countrys main potential driver of economic growth over the next decade. Start-Up Nation Central, which published the report with the Israel Innovation Authority, said that while the number of high-tech workers in Israel had grown over the past five years, their percentage of the labour force remained unchanged. It is becoming increasingly clear that the required growth will not be possible if the countrys supply of tech workers is inadequate, said Eugene Kandel, head of Start-Up Nation Central Tech companies are struggling to find tech professionals, with many already finding (them) overseas. The number of tech workers - who earn more than double the average wage - grew to 280,000 in 2017 from 240,000 in 2013 but represent only 8 per cent of the workforce, down from nearly 10 per cent in 2008. This is surprising given that investment into high-tech has soared, with venture capital funding exceeding USD 5 billion in 2017 and closing in on USD 6.5 billion this year. The number of multinationals operating development centres in Israel jumped to nearly 350 in 2016 from around 50 in 2000. The sector accounts for about 45 per cent of Israels exports. But about 15,300 positions remain open. To find workers, Israeli companies are opening development centres overseas, mainly in Ukraine but also in the United States, Russia and India. Several dozen firms have also taken advantage of a rapid process established by the government in 2018 to obtain special visas for foreign tech workers. But in the long term, more initiatives are needed to increase the pool of workers, Kandel told reporters. There is great potential among women, who represent only 23 per cent of tech workers, as well the largely untapped Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish sectors. Arabs account for only 3 per cent of tech workers but this is expected to change soon as 18 per cent of all computer science students today are Arab, similar to their share of the population. One obstacle for their employment in high-tech is that they live far from the countrys centre. Aharon Aharon, head of the governments Innovation Authority, said he would launch two plans in the first quarter of 2019 - one to provide incentives in building an innovation ecosystem in the periphery and another to encourage tech companies to open branches outside of the centre. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Panasonic, Sony and Mitsubishi Electric are among those implementing practices that have been routine at many US and European companies, such as engaging designers at every step and treating packaging as part of the product. Akihiro Adachi, a 31-year-old audiovisual equipment designer at Panasonic Corp, longed for some personal space during his lengthy train rides from Osaka to Tokyo. So when his company set out to encourage innovation, he joined with some colleagues and came up with Wear Space, a headset that limits noise and peripheral vision. Many at Panasonic were puzzled. Someone said the office full of people wearing this would look weird, said Kang Hwayoung, another member of the 10-person design team. But the prototype unexpectedly won a global design award and received positive feedback from unexpected quarters, such as sake tasters who wanted to limit sensory input. The project is among a range of efforts in the Japanese electronics industry to reinvigorate industrial design. After years of losing ground to design-first rivals such as Apple and Dyson, Japanese companies are now trying to recover the processes and creative flair that produced iconic products such as the Walkman. Panasonic, Sony and Mitsubishi Electric are among those implementing practices that have been routine at many US and European companies, such as engaging designers at every step and treating packaging as part of the product. We used to have designers involved only in final stages of our product development process, just for an aesthetic fix, Yoshiyuki Miyabe, Panasonics technology and manufacturing chief, told reporters. We are revamping the process so that designers can join us from the planning phase. The Japanese government is promoting the efforts: a report in May urged corporate executives to pursue design-driven management, whereby a company leverages design as a primary driver of competitiveness. It also called for tax incentives for design-related investments and new laws to better protect intellectual property. The government is set to revise such laws next year. Of course, we had an argument over how much the government can do and should do with private-sector issues like this, said Daisuke Kubota, director at the governments design registration system planning office, who was involved in the panel. But a lot of design experts asked us for government initiatives, saying that this is really the last chance and Japan would never be able to catch up with global rivals if this opportunity is missed. Another member of the panel, Kinya Tagawa, visiting professor at the Royal College of Art and co-founder of design firm Takram, says there has been a sharp increase in major companies requesting design lectures for their executives. Im seeing a sign of change, he said. THE ROAD AHEAD All agree there is a long way to go. C-suite designers remain a rarity at most electronics companies while technologists reign supreme, company officials and industrial designers say. Japan last year received 31,961 applications for design registrations, only a fraction of Chinas 628,658 and half of South Koreas 67,374. In the heyday of the Japanese electronics industry in the early 1980s, Japan had nearly 60,000 applications every year. Tagawa said the root of todays problems was the failure of Japanese firms to absorb lessons from the software revolution, which showed the importance of user-centered design principles and easy-to-use products such as Apples iPhone. Instead, they remained fixated on engineering. Ryuichi Oya, who retired as design chief of Sharp Corp last month, says he saw that attitude up close when he moved to Sharp four years ago after a long stint at automaker Mazda Motor. Designers at home electronics companies have little say compared to engineers, he said. When engineers dismiss design proposals as too costly or difficult from an engineering point of view, designers easily succumb. Oya said he found it particularly hard to convince management of the need for a design vision. Its not about whether you like this color or that shape, he said. There have to be design principles unique to Sharp and consistent across its product line. COMPETITION Japanese designers cite the contrast with South Koreas Samsung Group, where its patriarch, Lee Kun-hee, said in 1996 that design was a core management resource imperative for a companys survival in the 21st century. He sharply boosted both the number and status of designers. At Sony, insiders say design began its return to the forefront after chairman Kaz Hirai took over in 2012. Change has been slow as the company went through a painful restructuring, but the results can be seen its approach to the revival of Aibo, a robot dog. Designers worked to craft a holistic user experience, starting from the moment a customer opened the box, tapping into a community of Aibo owners, Sony design chief Yutaka Hasegawa said. We had intense discussions over how Aibo should be packaged, to make it look closer to a living creature. Its important because opening the container box marks the customers first encounter with the dog. They decided to lay Aibo sideways with its head tilting to the left, a more expensive option than placing it face down because the interior packaging must be asymmetrical. The result was a buzz among Aibo owners, with some posting on the Internet videos showing a ceremony for opening the Aibo container. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Texting is so boring -- at least, the kind that you can do by default on all handphones, no matter how basic. It offers plain vanilla when we long for the cassata quality of a WhatsApp or a Facebook Messenger, where we can attach photos, videos or sound bytes. But these new age messaging apps have their limitations. For starters, you need an Internet connection -- which many basic feature phones lack. And the biggest hassle is that your recipient must also be a WhatsApp or FB Messenger user. But all that is about to change: 2019 should see India among a handful of nations graduating to a new multimedia avatar of the basic SMS. It's called Rich Communication Service or RCS and incredibly, is technology that was adopted, a full ten years ago, by the GSM Association, the global body of cell phone services. The main evangelist is Google and it looks like its push has finally come to shove: Three months ago, Samsung came on board to incorporate RCS into its mobile phones starting with the Galaxy S8. In the US, Verizon is the first telecom player to offer RCS, in a limited way -- on Google's Pixel 3 XL handset. Leading cloud communication player, Route Mobile is the first to bring RCS to India by joining Google's early access programme; they will offer a robust business messaging platform to help brands achieve an engaging 2-way communication with their customers, says group CEO Rajdipkumar Gupta: "It will allow brands to send interactive messages like images of their products, GIFs, videos, and location to the nearest point of sale (POS). It supports browsing and purchase of products through online payments without leaving the messaging app. Retailers can now demonstrate products, airlines can handle bookings and banks can process banking transactions all over messaging. Brands today have been looking for a more holistic mobile communication solution apart from traditional messaging. With Googles RCS, we now have one." In 2019, we can expect to graduate from SMS to RCS as more devices and services providers join in. Is it a big deal -- and if so how big? Other than the obvious advantage that you can send multimedia messages -- with animated GIFs, still photos, and videos -- to anyone with an Android device, it will let you know if the person youre texting is available, and can send you a receipt to prove they received your message. It will handle longer messages and larger files. It will also bring some group messaging features not currently possible with SMS. All this may sound much like WhatsApp today -- but Google is cannily pitching RCS to businesses as a huge value adder, For example once you have bought a flight ticket, the airline can remind you to check in for a flight and can leverage the multimedia capability to provide easy check-in complete with a boarding pass, visual flight updates, and a personalised route map of the terminal which you can follow from entry to baggage check-in to security to boarding gate, without having to look for all these signs..... The possibilities are infinite. RCS promises to live up to its name and bring a rich new level of communication your phone in the New Year. --IndiaTechOnline Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Li Wenzu said that her husband is being detained incommunicado without a proper explanation and they werent allowing the familys lawyer to visit Wang.(Photo: Reuters) Beijing: The wife of a detained Chinese lawyer and three supporters shaved their heads on Monday and attempted to submit to a Beijing court a petition protesting her husband's indefinite detention. The four women went to the Hongsecun People's High Court in south Beijing in a symbolic protest against what they said highlighted the "lawlessness" of the country. "We can go bald, but the country cannot be lawless," the four women shouted outside the courthouse after they were prevented by police from entering the premises. The Chinese words for being completely bald and having a state of lawlessness -- "wufa" -- are homonyms. Their husbands were all targeted during a sweeping crackdown on activists and lawyers on July 9, 2015. Attorney Wang Quanzhang, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in the sweep aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities. Charged in January 2016 with alleged "subversion of state power", Wang is the only one of over 200 lawyers and activists arrested in the so-called "709 crackdown" who is yet to be tried or released. "My husband is being detained incommunicado without a proper explanation," Wang's wife Li Wenzu told news agency AFP. "I want answers as to why the authorities aren't following due process. I want to know why they aren't allowing the family's lawyer to visit Wang, Li Wenzu said. Li Wenzu said over the past three years she has submitted over 30 freedom of information requests to police, which have been sent back unanswered. In April, Li Wenzu attempted to march 100 kilometres to a detention facility in neighbouring Tianjin to highlight her husband's plight before she was thwarted by police. "I want to urge the Supreme People's Court to perform its supervisory duties and investigate why the second intermediate court in Tianjin that is handling my husband's case is dragging its feet," Li said. "The court has surpassed the time limit prescribed by law for dealing with such cases," she said. Liu Ermin, wife of rights activist Zhai Yanmin, said she was protesting her husband's torture while in detention. "His health has deteriorated and we are still under constant surveillance," Ermin said. The third woman was Yuan Shanshan, wife of lawyer Xie Yanyi. Xie Yanyi, who defended practitioners of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, was released on bail pending trial in January 2017. He has since shed light on the torture of detained lawyers. Wang Qiaoling, wife of lawyer Li Heping, also joined the protest. Li Heping was given a three-year suspended jail term in April 2017 for subverting state power. Three years after what activists say was a coordinated attempt to quash China's rights movement, most of those detained are in prison or under house arrest. Some of them made public confessions and were sentenced in what their families say were either secret or scripted trials. Some of the cases have attracted international attention. German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Li Wenzu during a May visit to Beijing -- a rare show of solidarity from a world leader May had to promise the Tories that she would not be leading the party into the next General Election, scheduled for 2022.(Photo: File) London: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday blasted former UK premier Tony Blair for his Brexit meddling by pitching for a second referendum over the decision to leave the European Union earlier this week. She termed his intervention as an "insult" to the office he once held. May's comments have come after Blair, who served as Prime Minister of the UK from 1997 to 2007, said in his speech on Friday that British MPs might back a new vote if "none of the other options work". May accused the former Labour Party leader of "undermining" negotiations with the EU, describing his intervention as an "insult" to the office of Prime Minister which he once held. "For Tony Blair to go to Brussels and seek to undermine our negotiations by advocating for a second referendum is an insult to the office he once held and the people he once served," said May. "We cannot, as he would, abdicate responsibility for this decision. Parliament has a democratic duty to deliver what the British people voted for," she said. According to a report published in The Sunday Times, the Opposition Labour MPs who back the idea of a second referendum, dubbed the "People's Vote", met one of May's senior-most Cabinet ministers David Lidington. The government remains opposed to any further referendum, saying the public made a clear choice when they voted in June 2016 to leave by a margin of 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent. Prime Minister May has branded the demand as wanting to subvert the Brexit process for political interests, rather than acting in the national interest. The row played out as attempts to break the deadlock over the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement she has struck with the EU carries on. MPs were due to vote on the controversial deal in the House of Commons on Tuesday, but it was postponed when the British PM admitted it would have been "rejected by a significant margin". After postponing the vote in Parliament, she dashed to Brussels to make a renewed plea to EU leaders, in a bid to make her deal more acceptable to British MPs but the European leaders have ruled out any renegotiations. The central concern remains over the "backstop", which is aimed at preventing a hard border in Northern Ireland but critics fear it would keep the UK tied to EU rules and limit its ability to strike trade deals even after Brexit. It led to a tumultuous week for May, who faced a vote of no-confidence from her own Conservative Party MPs which she survived earlier this week. She had to promise the Tories that she would not be leading the party into the next General Election, scheduled for 2022. Hamid Nihal Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by the military court on December 15, 2015. (Photo: Twitter) Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday announced release of Indian spy Hamid Nehal Ansari upon completion of his three-year sentence. Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammed Faisal tweeted: Hamid Nehal Ansari, an Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents, is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in Mardan Central Prison 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 from Kohat in November 2012 for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan. The security agencies reported Ansari had used a fake identity card in the name of Hamza and he had entered Pakistan through Afghanistan without travel documents. They had charged him for espionage and anti-state activities. Earlier on Thursday, a two-judge Peshawar High Court bench, comprising Justice Roohul Amin and Justice Qalandar Ali Khan, heard an appeal filed by Ansari through a senior lawyer. The petition said that the federal government hasnt taken any steps for his release. Ansaris lawyer, Qazi Mohammed Anwar, said that his clients prison term will end on December 15 and he should be released on the morning of December 16. Ansari will not leave for his country immediately as the Peshawar High Court granted the government a month to complete his repatriation process. He will be handed over to Indian authorities. Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha president Vatal Nagaraj on Sunday demanded the state government conduct an investigation by a high-level agency on Kichhgutti Maramma temple prasada case. Speaking to reporters after visiting K R Hospital, here, he said, he would stage a protest in this regard, in front of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, Belagavi, where the winter session of the state legislature is underway. The culprits should be hanged and I will stage a protest during the session, he said. The government must increase the compensation amount from Rs five lakh to Rs 10 lakh for the kin of the deceased, he demanded. Nagaraj also accused Health Minister Shivananda S Patil of negligence and demanded his resignation. (by Paolo Paluzzi) TUNIS - Tunisia was on Monday celebrating the anniversary of a revolution that inspired others across the region and came to be known as the 'Arab Spring'. On December 17, 2010, street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest, leading to a popular uprising that ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The success of the 'Jasmine Revolution' helped spark ones in other Arab countries. But eight years later, many of the hopes of young Tunisians who took part in those days remain unfulfilled, especially concerning employment and dignity for the poorest regions. Unions and leftist parties have thus founded the 'Red Vests' movement and announced at a press conference last week that protests would start on Monday from Kassrine in western Tunisia against rising prices and government corruption and will take place across the entire country. ''The initiative fundamentally makes economic and social demands. It is intended to represent the poor and marginalized,'' Riyad Jarad, campaign founder, said. The 22 demands listed include economic development, more job opportunities, better public education and medical services, higher living standards and an increase in minimum wages. The 'Red Vests' hold all the country's political parties to blame for a deterioration in Tunisia's economic standards. On Friday, Tunisian authorities seized over 50,000 vests in Sfax that had been imported legally but that police say were intended for distribution for the protests planned in January. BEIRUT - A ceasefire will begin in Yemen from midnight local time in the coastal region of Hudayda and Taiz in the southwest. Reports were from UN diplomatic sources cited by al-Arabiya, which said that the foreign minister of the prop-Saudi Yemen government Khaled Yamani had confirmed the news. The agreement for the truce in Hudaydah and Taiz was reached on Thursday in Sweden, where UN-mediated talks had been held for a week between the pro-Saudi Yemeni government and Houthi insurgents, held to be linked to Iran. Initially it was thought that the ceasefire was to begin on Friday, but UN sources said that for ''operating reasons'', the suspension in hostilities would begin at midnight between Monday and Tuesday. From Friday until Sunday, about 30 people were killed in the latest escalation of violence in the country. SALT LAKE CITY Utah is the nicest state on a new naughty or nice list based on a new study. Whats happening: The mobile shopping app Ibotta which got the scoop straight from the North Pole, according to a press release ranked all 50 states on a naughty or nice list. The report identified consumer purchases of milk, cookies, carrots, candy canes and eggnog in the weeks before Christmas for the last three years. Nice: Utah ranked as the nicest state, meaning it should expect pounds of presents in Santa's sleigh, according to a press release. The report found Utahns bought more cookies, milk and carrots combined than any other state. Naughty: Maine ranked as the naughtiest state in the country since its residents bought the least amount of cookies, milk and carrots. Wisconsin, Mississippi and North Dakota ranked among the naughtiest states as well. Other state facts: Residents in South Dakota and Alaska bought the most candy canes and eggnog. Residents in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut bought the most cookie baking supplies (flour, sugar, eggs and chocolate chips) for the week before Christmas. Louisiana residents buys more packaged cookies than any other state. Ohioans spend the most money at the grocery store during the week before Christmas. Those in Oregon and Washington, meanwhile, spend the least. Cheapest days: The report identified the most affordable days to buy these holiday gifts. This is the first of nine winners in the Deseret News annual Christmas writing contest, "Christmas I Remember Best." Our instinct was only to take our children home, yet we took them into darkness, hunger, and danger. Fifty years later, I still feel the metallic taste of fear and helplessness. I bundled my sons Mark (18 months), and Sean (6 weeks) deeper into snowsuits and quilts, feeding them the last milk and snacks on the entire train. My husband Jack and I lived in Ames, Iowa, where he worked on his doctorate. We missed the West, so we decided to take our sons home to Phoenix for Christmas by train, Kansas City to Flagstaff. As I packed extras for any possibility, Jack laughed, Take the kitchen sink, why dont you? Excited and boarding, we noticed a light snow falling. Traveling, our snowfall became heavy, wet, all-consuming. It was 1967. We were headed into the worst storm in Arizonas history. It snowed 86 inches in eight days. In Nebraska, in front of us, a train derailed. We sat on the tracks for 12 hours. All the food and blankets on the train evaporated. We had both lived in Arizona. Flagstaff was good with snow. We indulged some nervous giggling as the conductors claims grew more exaggerated: They are airlifting food and hay to the Navajos, Snows 5 feet on the level in Flagstaff, Air and car traffic has ceased, The hotels and motels are full, Your seats are sold after Flagstaff to allow university students to leave town. We didnt take these announcements seriously until we crossed into Arizona. Snow reached the crossbars on telephone poles. We panicked, pondered and prayed. Pre-cellphone. No way to contact anyone. My parents couldnt get through from Phoenix. We didnt know anyone in Flagstaff. The train was a sanctuary, but we had to get off. Pulling into the station, it was Doctor Zhivago. We stood on the platform. I wondered, "Who would rescue us? How could we rescue ourselves?" Suddenly, I heard my name from the back of the crowd. I burst into tears and said, Oh Jack, theres someone here for us! An elderly couple pushed through the throng. They hugged us while she said, Karen, Im your cousin Louise and weve been waiting all day for you. Louise, my third cousin, hadnt seen me since I was 2. My mother had called her. Layton and Louise Beamer stand in for all who cared during that storm. They say extreme emergencies bring out the worst and best in us. I saw nothing but the best. The Beamers took us home, past 10-foot drifts. They fed, slept and nurtured us. My father arrived the next day the only day in a two-week period when snow stilled enough to allow passage. As we left, I hugged Louise and spoke from the heart, You rescued us. How can I ever repay you? She replied, You cant. But you can pass it along. God gave me a chance to pass it along quicker than I ever imagined. We had a lovely Christmas, returning by train to Kansas City. Trying to quiet Mark and Sean in the terminal, I visited with a very pregnant woman. She was desperate, destitute, in labor, and more alone than I had ever been. Penniless, deserted by her common-law husband, ostracized by family, rejected by the hospital (though now hospitals must take the indigent). Children underfoot, I timed her contractions. I began to sound like a midwife. Breathe deep. You are doing so well. Dont be afraid. I wont let anything happen to you. I wondered if I could deliver a child. Jack, the rancher, certainly could, but he had gone to find our car. Finally, I called the police. When they arrived I explained the predicament, then said, The hospital will take her if you bring her in. I pulled out my bank passbook. Our bank account is small. Were students, but if her family still refuses to help, we will (cover) her expenses. As the first responders carried her to the ambulance, I realized I didnt even know her name. This birth, along with the birth of Jesus and all other births, partook of both miracle and mystery. My cowboy-scholar Jack is gone now, as is the toddler Mark who did tricks for treats up and down the train. The baby Sean, too young to remember, has eight children of his own. So I keep these memories of two young mothers rescued so long ago, reflecting Mary who gave birth to Jesus. Jesus Christ, who rescued us all. As I chose a scripture for Jacks grave, John 16:22 resonated most: "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." Pass it along. NORTH SALT LAKE Seven years ago, Utah regulators sniffed something awry with the volume of pollutants coming out of the stacks of a North Salt Lake medical waste incinerator. Four years and a $2.3 million fine later, Stericycle agreed to move its burn operations to a remote location in Tooele County and away from its suburban neighbors at the Foxboro subdivision. Stericycle continues to incinerate medical waste in North Salt Lake, and while it has obtained its state permits for the planned move, no paperwork is in the hands of Tooele County officials. "We are continuing the process," said company spokeswoman Jennifer Koenig. "It's been moving at its own pace, but we continue to work on it." The Utah Division of Air Quality agreed to waive half of the company's $2.3 million fine the highest the division assessed in its regulatory history in a complicated agreement that included the move to Tooele County away from neighborhoods. Stericycle incinerates medical waste that includes pathological streams, trace chemotherapy and nonhazardous pharmaceutical waste from clients such as hospitals and nursing homes. Regulators first suspected irregularities in late 2011 and throughout 2012 during a series of three stack tests to determine the level and nature of pollutants released from the plant. Tests are supposed to be conducted at the maximum production or combustion rate and reflect normal, operational variances. According to the division, the company first attempted to blame a flawed laboratory analysis for tests that were in violation of emission limits. After the division obtained additional information, it found that a Dec. 27-28, 2011, stack test exceeded levels for hazardous pollutants, as well as nitrogen oxides, or highly reactive gases. Regulators also said they believed the company's logs were manipulated to show compliance with operating conditions. Stericycle, which operates the West's lone medical waste incinerator, was already a target for neighbors who dislike living so close to the facility. The violation generated more outcry, prompting public protests at the state Capitol, delivery of letters to Gov. Gary Herbert demanding the plant's shutdown and a march through North Salt Lake from critics joined by activist Erin Brockovich. North Salt Lake City Manager Ken Leetham said he's in touch with Stericycle officials a couple times a year for updates on their move to Tooele County, and noted residents have been quiet about the plant's continued existence in their midst. "To me it seems they are proceeding in a reasonable fashion. It is a slow process with very complex technology," he said. Leetham said while the incineration component of Stericycle will ultimately move to Tooele County, the company has expressed interest in continuing its sorting operations in the North Salt Lake area. He said about 20 percent to 30 percent of the waste the company receives in North Salt Lake is incinerated on site, while the rest is sorted and then distributed to other facilities across the country. Koenig said the company is in the design phase for the new facility that will be located on a 40-acre parcel of land owned by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration roughly 10 miles from the nearest home and 25 miles from Grantsville. "There have not been many medical waste incinerators built in the last 10 to 20 years," she said. "It (the design) is very, very specialized and specific to that site." Koenig said water supply is also factoring into the timing of the planned move. The company has the option to drill an on-site well and pump groundwater, which would have to be treated because of its high salt content or tap into water several miles away, which Koenig said would require construction of a pipeline. She added they may also obtain clean water from a third source and have it transported via truck and stored at the facility in a water tank. Stericycle successfully applied for water rights from the state and gained approval for a water distribution system for its own water distribution system for potable use. Once the company has obtained all necessary permits and approval from the governor for the move, a three-year timeline deadline begins ticking for the move to become complete. Bryce Bird, director of the Utah Division of Air Quality, said the company has not had any emission problems since it made improvements in operations, including adding an emergency generator that is large enough to power the facility. WEST VALLEY CITY A 36-year-old woman is dead and two people are in custody in the aftermath of a fatal hit and run early Sunday morning. West Valley Police Lt. Amy Maurer said Tequila Garcia, 36, was found injured in the street at 2 a.m. Sunday at 2855 W. 3785 South and efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. Police say it appeared Garcia was in an argument with two other people she lived with prior to the incident. After questioning, police arrested Andres Mendoza, 24, and Alejandra Molina, 24, for investigation of domestic violence criminal homicide. They were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. The incident remains under investigation. By Braley Dodson Daily Herald PROVO (AP) Hope4Utah's idea that it takes a village to raise a child and to save one may expand to college and university campuses. Hope4Utah's Hope Squad programs, which trains students to recognize the warning signs of depressed or suicidal peers and report the signs to an adult, are being piloted at Dixie State University and at colleges in Indiana and Nebraska. It's the next step for the Provo-based organization, which has Hope Squads in half of Utah's secondary schools and 20 percent of the state's elementary schools. "We never thought we'd be out of Provo," said Greg Hudnall, the founder and executive director of Hope4Utah. The organization, which now has Hope Squads in 300 Utah schools, expanded beyond Provo within the last five years. Hope Squads are also in 14 states outside of Utah, are in Canada, and there's talks to bring Hope Squads to Australia, Northern Ireland and Brazil. It all started after Hudnall, the former associate superintendent of the Provo City School District, had five of his students die by suicide while he was a principal in Provo. Then, in 1997, he was asked by police to identify the body of a 14-year-old student who had died by suicide in a park. Afterward, Hudnall threw up by his car and sobbed. "I remember sitting in my car and being so angry because this was such an amazing young man," Hudnall said. Hudnall vowed to do everything he could to prevent suicides. Years later, his organization has trained about 50,000 adults on suicide prevention and awareness and Hope Squads have identified more than 2,500 children in need of help. The group conducted a faith-based training at Brigham Young University the Sunday after a student died by suicide on campus two weeks ago. He said nearly every Sunday, the organization conducts training meetings at churches about the warning signs of suicide, risk factors and how to intervene. The aim is that when a student approaches a peer about suicide ideation that the peer can tell an adult, and the student can then get professional help. "The power is in the kids talking to each other and providing that support," Hudnall said. Hudnall has had his eye on expanding Hope Squads to colleges for the past three years. But college campuses pose unique challenges for the Hope Squad model. Colleges and universities can easily be 10 times larger than a high school and present a different dynamic. Some students are only on campus for an hour a day, or only have classes in a single building, presenting the question of how to assure every student can be reached. "Do I think it's possible? Yeah, I really do think it's possible, it's just trying to figure out that model," Hudnall said. It's the first full year for the college pilot programs. The plan is to spend the next couple of years with researchers to decide on the curriculum and model for college Hope Squads. Former Hope Squad members have gone on to college and asked if they can start one on their campus. Hudnall said he'd like to see Hope Squads have representation in every department at a university. The college Hope Squad curriculum so far is similar to what is presented in precollegiate schools. The suicide prevention component is the same, but there is language and topics tailored to the age group, such as date rape, eating disorders and understanding grief. In addition to a potential expansion to college campuses, there are also plans to get Hope Squads into a first responder organization, doTerra in Pleasant Grove and on an Air Force base. CLINTON A man shot and killed by police in the parking lot of the Clinton Police Department also fired his gun, according to new information in court documents. Allen Scott Culpepper, 64, was described by police as "distraught" and "suicidal" when he drove to the police station on Nov. 25 and called 911 while in the parking lot. Officers from the Clinton, Syracuse, Kaysville, and Layton police departments and the Davis County Sheriffs Office responded to the parking lot and attempted to negotiate with Culpepper for three hours. "The male was inside the vehicle with the doors locked and the windows rolled up, leaving a small crack to be able to speak with officers," a search warrant affidavit filed in 2nd District Court states. "After several hours of negotiations, officers attempted to take Culpepper into custody by using less lethal force. Officers went hands-on with Culpepper and ultimately shots were fired by both Allen Scott Culpepper and a law enforcement officer from the Syracuse Police Department. Allen Scott Culpepper was shot a total of three times," the warrant states. Syracuse police earlier said the officer who fired the shots is a 15-year veteran. He was placed on paid leave while the shooting is investigated by the Davis County Critical Incident Investigative Protocol team. Culpepper had "prior suicidal call history with Clinton police," according to investigators. LEHI A Skyridge High School student was hospitalized Monday after being hit by a bus in front of the school. The student, whose age was not immediately known, ran across the bus lane area about 7:30 a.m. in front of the school instead of using the sidewalk when he was hit, said Alpine School District spokesman David Stephenson. It was not known how fast the bus was moving at the time, but Stephenson said it would have been very slow in that area. The boy suffered a leg or ankle injury and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital to be evaluated, he said. His injuries were not considered to be life-threatening, Stephenson said. SALT LAKE CITY A plea deal might soon be on the table for a retired Army intelligence officer from Utah accused of selling classified national defense information to China. But federal prosecutors told a judge Monday that if Ron Rockwell Hansen, of Syracuse, doesn't take their offer, they will file a new indictment, which could mean more criminal charges. Meantime, Hansen's family handed reporters a manilla envelope containing photocopies of some of his military awards, including a Bronze Star, and a brief note criticizing the justice system and media coverage of the case. "The phrases used to describe his intelligence operations include words such as unprecedented and unparalleled," according to the note. "Ron Hansen's body of work and accomplishments during 27 years he served the United States of America as an intelligence officer are in fact unprecedented and unparalleled." Federal agents arrested Hansen as he prepared to board a flight in Seattle to China in June, ending a four-year sting operation. Hansen is charged with attempting to gather or deliver defense information; being an unregistered agent of a foreign government; three counts of bulk cash smuggling; eight counts of structuring money transactions; and two counts of smuggling goods from the U.S. He pleaded not guilty. He faces life in prison if convicted. He is being held in the Salt Lake County Jail. Assistant U.S. attorney Robert Lund told U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Warner that he plans to extend Hansen a "firm offer" with a "firm deadline" for a plea agreement in January. He said if Hansen rejects the offer, the government will file a superseding indictment. Lund didn't give details in court and said after the hearing that he couldn't comment on the case, though he called it "unique" due to the classified information involved. Hansen's federal public defender, Jami Johnson, told the judge that lawyers are discussing whether the case could be resolved without going to trial. Warner declined to set a trial date at the hearing. Because of the classified documents the government will rely on to prosecute Hansen, authorities have set up a secure room sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF at the FBI office in Salt Lake City. Attorneys, paralegals and investigators have had to obtain government clearance to review the evidence. Johnson said the biggest obstacle for the defense so far has been the lack of its own SCIF. Warner said he is running into bureaucracy on getting that done. "I find that unsatisfactory to be candid," he said. "This has to get done. This has to get done very, very soon." Lund said the government has provided the defense with 70,000 documents, accounting for about 90 percent of the evidence. Prosecutors continue to sift the remaining material for classified information. Hansen was hired by Defense Intelligence Agency as a civilian intelligence case officer in 2006. As part of his position, he held top-secret clearance for many years, the charges state. During his military service, the U.S. government entrusted Hansen with access to sensitive government materials, including closely held national defense information and classified documents and materials, according to the charges. Prosecutors allege Hansen regularly traveled between the United States and China from 2013 to 2017 attending military and intelligence conferences, and then provided information he learned at the conferences to contacts in China who were associated with the People's Republic of China's intelligence service. Hansen was paid at least $800,000 over the years, including receiving a $300,000 "consulting" fee, according to the charges. Court records show Hansen had also accumulated about $200,000 in personal debt and his cloud computing information technology services company reported more than $1 million in losses. The Hansen family statement says the U.S. justice system was once a "shining light" to the world, people were presumed innocent unless proven guilty and the media "were not yet slaves to ratings and market share percentages." "Unfortunately, that justice system and those champions in the media seem to be found only in fairy tales and books about lost legends," according to the statement. The note also references retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who served as Defense Intelligence Agency director in the Obama administration and National Security adviser in the Trump administration. Flynn pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lying to federal investigators about contacts he had with the Russian government last December. "Gen. Flynn is being investigated and prosecuted by the same FBI and Department of Justice as Ron Hansen. To date, Gen. Flynn has not spent one minute in jail," the family statement says. "And yet, millions of U.S. schoolchildren still recite words that end with 'And liberty and justice for all.'" Sonyaa, who is popularly known as Daayan Ruby from 4 Lions Films plays an integral character in the supernatural thriller Nazar. In an exclusive conversation with Desimartinis Sandip Pal, she revealed, she never wanted to become an actor but landed up doing what she never imagined in her wildest dreams. Quipped she, Honestly, I never thought about acting, as I always felt it's beyond my reach. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would be facing the camera." Many will not know thatm the actress is also a beauty pageant winner. Yes, people she is the former miss India New Zealand. The TV actress further added, "Like most of the people, I wanted the success, but not the struggle that comes along with it. I wanted a smooth going life, a steady job with minimal hindrances to the salary. But destiny had a different plan for me, I landed up becoming an actress." Was becoming an actor a cakewalk for her? "Its not rosy dory at all. I always knew it's definitely not easy to become an actor if you don't come from a filmy family. But I took a chance. Besides all the hard work, I believe it's also very important to be lucky. I have seen the struggles and I'm enjoying the laurels too," Sonyaa said with a beaming smile. Well we completely agree with you Sonyaa. It's not always easy, but it's always worth it. For more such Tellydom updates, keep a close tab on Desimartini.com Dialogue with Italy on budget continuing - EC Examination of bill on floor of Senate set to be postponed (ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 17 - A European Commission spokesperson said Monday that talks between Brussels and Rome over Italy's budget plan for 2019 was continuing. The Commission rejected the government's draft budget plan, which saw Italy running a deficit of 2.4% of GDP next year to finance key pledges and boost sluggish growth, saying it breached EU rules. Premier Giuseppe Conte's League-5-Star Movement (M5S) government has proposed bring the deficit down to 2.04% to stop the EU opening an infringement procedure. "Dialogue between the European Commission and Italy about the 2019 budget is continuing," EC spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said. "Commissioners (Valdis) Dombrovskis and (Pierre) Moscovici are in touch with (Italian Economy) Minister (Giovanni) Tria. "The Commission will decide on the next steps on the basis on this dialogue". The government's budget bill will return to the Senate's budget committee on Tuesday, a meeting of party whips decided on Monday following a meeting of top members of the executive late on Sunday. As a result, the examination of the package on the floor of the Upper House looks set to be postponed for several days. Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio said early on Monday that the government's key pledges will not be changed as the executive continues talks with the European Commission on its budget plan. These pledges include the introduction next year of a 'citizenship wage' basic income for job seekers and the 'quota 100' pension reform that will bring down the retirement age for many people. "I'm satisfied with the results achieved," 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Di Maio told ANSA after a meeting on the budget overnight with top government figures. "Thanks to this discussion we have reached an agreement on all the issues: (cuts in very high) golden (State) pensions to pay the debts of the public administration to creditor companies; an 'ecotax' that will only apply to luxury vehicles; the quota 100 and the citizenship wage will arrive in the way that has been announced some time ago". Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said early on Monday that the had reached an agreement for more tax cuts to be included in the budget bill. "We reached an agreement on everything," League leader Salvini said. "We reached an agreement for further tax cuts, while remaining within the limits that will probably please the EU". (ANSAmed). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned companies that attempt to block cheaper biosimilar alternatives from being made available in the US. The cost of insulin has steadily increased in the US and in a bid to tackle this, cheaper versions of insulin medications have been developed, known as biosimilars. Biosimilar medications, which include insulins, are not protected by patents, and could be used to help make significant cost savings. Last year, NHS England published a report calling for more biosimilar medication prescriptions to be made available. Currently there are few biosimilar alternatives available, and the FDA has said some companies have been using tactics to block biosimilars progressing to market. Scott Gottlieb, the FDAs Commissioner, has issued a statement vowing to crack down on any firms found to be carrying out anti-competitive tactics and pricing practices. He was warned against companies which use limited and abuse limited distribution systems to hide anti-competitive behaviour and fail to supply biosimilar developers with the reference samples required for suitable testing. Mr Gottlieb said: This is just a start. Were going to be monitoring these markets. And well be taking additional actions. Were actively evaluating how we can make it easier for biosimilar manufacturers to use reference products from outside the US, where prices may be cheaper and reference products more accessible. The FDA has already publicly released the names of companies that have been blocking access to small-molecule generics and he has vowed to do the same if the behaviour continues with biosimilars. Mr Gottlieb is also is planning to stamp out soaring insulin prices. He said: This is a watershed moment for insulin products, which millions of American take each day to maintain stable blood glucose. These products can be open to brisk competition from biosimilars. Apple told Reuters that it will deliver a software update for iPhone users in China early next week that will address the functionality of the patents in question. In a step towards settling down the patent infringement filed against it and reverse the iPhone sale ban in China, Apple has said that it will roll out a minor update to iPhones next week. The update will address concerns about its compliance with the order that banned the import and sale of iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X in the country. If accepted by the court, it will mean that Apple can continue to sell the iPhones affected by the ban. Early next week we will deliver a software update for iPhone users in China addressing the minor functionality of the two patents at issue in the case. Based on the iPhone models we offer today in China, we believe we are in compliance, Reuters quoted Apple as saying. In response, Qualcomms General Counsel Don Rosenberg said, Apple continues to disregard and violate the Fuzhou courts orders despite the planned software changes. They are legally obligated to immediately cease sales, offers for sale and importation of the devices identified in the orders and to prove compliance in court. Last week, the Fuzhou Intermediate Peoples Court in China had issued a ban on the import as well as the sale of some older iPhone models in the country after it found that Apple infringed two patents held by Qualcomm. The US-based chipmaker had alleged that Apple is infringing on patents related to technologies that boost bandwidth in phones, save power and enhance photos from dual rear-facing cameras, among other things. Qualcomm had again moved court trying to get the 2018 iPhone lineup (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR) banned in China by using the same patent infringement lawsuit that got the older generation iPhones banned in the country. To this, Apple had reportedly argued that these phones come pre-installed with iOS 12, which does not infringe any Qualcomm patent. If fact, it said that the banned phones have also been updated to iOS 12. Qualcomm's effort to ban our products is another desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world, Apple had said. All iPhone models remain available for our customers in China. Qualcomm is asserting three patents they had never raised before, including one which has already been invalidated. We will pursue all our legal options through the courts, it had said. Most recently, Apple was once again sued in the US District Court of Northern California by Plaintiffs accusing the company of misleading consumers with regards to the display on the iPhone X, iPhone XS and the IPhone XS Max devices. It is claimed that the curvature of the display impacts the total number of pixels and the overall pixel density of the display. Apples display hardware does not match the specifications the company advertises, the plaintiffs added. The Samsung has launched two flagship devices this year- Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Samsung Galaxy S9. We are comparing the two to see which one would be the right buy for you? The Samsung S and Note series is one of the most popular flagship smartphone lineups by the company. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Note 9 are also two of the most expensive and biggest devices by the company that looks a lot like each other. However, there are some key differences that may not come in notice at first but are very crucial to know before you come to any conclusion. So, lets just compare these two stylish smartphones to know which one would be the right for you in terms of specifications and features. Display Last year, when Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 8 with a 6.3-inch display, it seemed perfect to those who like to use bigger phones. This time, Samsung has given a slightly bigger 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display that offers a resolution of 2960 x 1080 pixels. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is also not far behind as it has a 5.8-inch display that offers the same resolution of 2960 x 1080 pixels as Note 9. The Note 9 might be little too big for those who are not used to gigantic phones. Both the device panel offers the same resolution and comes with the same Super AMOLED technology. Cameras The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 comes with a dual 12MP rear cameras with an 8MP sensor on the front. The AI-based rear cameras can identify up to 20 scenes and optimize the setting as per the nature of the object in order to produce the best possible image. It can also enhance the low-light images by using AI technology. On the other hand, the Samsung S9 has a single 12MP rear camera with an 8MP unit on the front. This time Samsung has placed the fingerprint sensor right below the camera, which is better than the last time. Performance and memory Both Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and S9 is powered by an Exynos 9810 octa-core processor. The Note 8 is available in two variants 6GB/128GB and 8GB/512GB, while the Samsung S9 is available in three storage models 4GB/64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. The Samsung S9 is backed by 3000mAh battery, while the Note 9 packs a 4000mAh battery. Key difference Other than the differences in their cameras, battery, and display. The biggest difference between the two is the S Pen, which comes with the Galaxy Note 9. The latest S Pen is Bluetooth enabled that can be used as a remote to click photos, control media playback, for sending live messages, and a lot more. Price The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is starting in India from Rs 67,990, while you can get the Samsung S9 4GB/64GB variant for Rs 57,900 The Huawei Nova 4 has a 25MP camera sensor on the front and Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.0.1. Huawei has launched its first smartphone with a punch hole camera, the Nova 4, in China. The lower end variant is priced CNY 3,100 ( approx Rs 32,000) and the higher variant will cost users CNY 3,400 (approx Rs 35,000) . The company has launched two variants of the smartphone, out of which the higher-end variant has a 48MP main camera and the other one has a 20MP primary sensor. In both the variants, there is a 25MP front snapper, and both of them run on EMUI 9.0.1 based on the Android 9.0 Pie. Under the hood, the Nova 4 is fitted with the Kirin 970 processor, the same that the company earlier used in the Huawei P20 Pro. However, the company has coupled 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard memory in both the smartphones. The Huawei Nova 4 has a 3,750mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. As mentioned, the smartphone has a punch hole in the 6.4-inch IPS LCD display, which offers a resolution of 2310x1080 pixels. The photography responsibilities have been given to a rear triple camera setup, which consists of the 48MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture. The main camera is mated to a 16MP ultra wide-angle snapper with f/2.2 aperture and a 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. The toned-down variant of the Nova 4 comes with a 20MP main camera with an aperture of f/1.8. The other sensors are same as that higher-end variant one. With this launch, Huawei becomes the second smartphone maker to launch a smartphone with a punch hole camera after Samsung, which launched its Galaxy A8s in China recently. However, the companys sub-brand has already showcased the Honor View 20 phone with a 48MP rear camera and punch hole front camera. Honor has not revealed complete specifications and features of the phone as its global launch is set for January 22, in Paris. Unlike the Huawei Nova 4, the Honor View20 is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 980 SoC, which is the companys latest flagship chip with dual ISP and dual NPU. Huawei says that the front camera cutout is 4.5mm in diameter and the new display design is being called Full-View Display 3.0. Honor has also introduced Link Turbo feature which is said to assess network conditions to automatically switch between Wi-Fi or 4G networks. Many considered 2018 as a watershed year for smartphone technology. While 2017 introduced features like the taller 18:9 displays, dual cameras and the likes, most presumed 2018 will be spent in consolidating the features and the technology. But boy, were we in for a big surprise! Right down from display notches, to triple and four-camera setups, and even mechanised sliders housing the cameras, we saw it all. Whether we loved them or hated them is besides the point, these are the features that were much in demand among smartphone users. However, 2018 will soon be behind us, and a new year will bring in new possibilities. With technology always evolving, these are the smartphone features and technology we believe will trend in 2019 Foldable Phones Long rumoured, much anticipated, 2019 will finally be the year when foldable phones become a reality. Samsung has all but confirmed it will launch a phone that can be opened up into a tablet and folded back to resemble a phone. Foldable phones will bring dual displays with dual batteries, and blur the line between an out-and-out tablet and a smartphone. While that certainly sounds very futuristic, it remains to be seen just how usable these foldable phones will be. The first generation of foldable phones might not live up to the hype created by the companies, but we hear even LG, Huawei and other Chinese brands are also working on their own take of a phone that folds unto itself. 5G-enabled smartphones If you had been paying attention to the recent developments in smartphone tech, 5G is a term you must have heard. The next generation wireless technology is slated to offer faster speeds, better coverage with ultra-low latencies. And smartphones coming out in 2019 (at least, some of them) will have the ability to leverage the next-gen speed. The 5G-ready phones will have a dedicated 5G model along with a revamped antenna design along with faster processors. Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Huawei and other major smartphone manufacturers will all have a 5G-enabled smartphone in 2019. However, the 5G-ready phones may not be made available globally since 5G itself will roll out on to select markets like US, UK, Europe, South Korea, Japan, China and Australia in 2019. Multi-camera setup 2018 was when dual-cameras became so commonplace that established players like Samsung and Huawei came out with triple and quad-camera smartphones. These were mostly one-off devices, but in 2019 we expect to see more than two cameras as a rule in smartphones in 2019. Dual cameras allowed phone makers to offer features like portrait mode, but with a triple or quad-camera setup, smartphone makers can offer not only a depth sensor, but also a wide-angle, monochrome and a tele-photo lens in the same device. Heck, there is a rumoured Nokia phone that will reportedly have five cameras on the back. What will be interesting to see next year though, is whether Google finally decides to use more than one camera on the back of the Pixel phone due out in 2019. Punch Hole Displays The notch became mainstream in the first half of 2018 when every other phone except from Samsung came with a wide cut-out in the display. While the notch was unanimously hated by most reviewers, it became common enough for OEMs to work on changing it. The resulting flux gave birth to the water-drop notch like in the OnePlus 6T. In 2019, we expect the cut-out to become even smaller as indicated by the Samsung Galaxy A8s where its as small as a punch-hole placed on the top left corner of the display. With OEMs gunning for edge-to-edge displays, this could be the best solution on offer in 2019. In-display fingerprint sensor Early this year at both CES and MWC, we saw near-finished modules of in-display fingerprint sensor in action. Soon enough, Chinese OEMs like Vivo, Oppo, OnePlus, Xiaomi and Huawei adopted the technology. Even with facial recognition becoming popular among Android phones in 2018, fingerprint sensors remain the most secure biometric authentication in smartphones. With the upcoming Snapdragon 855 coming with support baked in for ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, we expect a lot more flagships to remove the physical fingerprint sensor and integrate it in the display itself. TOF 3D Cameras Time of Flight cameras will be Androids answer to Apples TruDepth camera. The depth-sensing camera technology relies on the time taken by a beam of infra-red light to hit an object and come back. Based on that, it calculates over 30,000 points of a persons face to securely unlock a smartphone and to apply advanced beauty filters to photos. TOF cameras will also have applications in the field of augmented reality with phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10 rumoured to sport AR-enabled TOF cameras on the front. Textured glass designs 2018 saw a lot of phones with gradient colour finishes based on glass and other materials. However, the glass used wasnt quite as strong as the ones made by Corning for the display. That could change in 2019 as Corning announced the Gorilla Glass 6 that can be used both on the front and the back. On the back, OEMs can have a choice of offering textured finishes thanks to the new technology Gorilla Glass 6 brings to the table. Whats more, it will be more durable than any other rear glass panel so far. Dual Display phones The stupidest smartphone feature of 2018 might just become a trend in 2019 if the race to put bezel-less displays on phones become any stronger. Earlier this month, Vivo revealed a version of its flagship smartphone called NEX that has two displays on the body. The idea was to remove the front-camera without compromising the selfie-centric capabilities and the only reason for a second display to be there is to use the rear camera to take selfies. Talk about creating more problems while solving one, and Vivo is not the only phone to do so. A recently announced Meizu phone also did the same, and if the trend keeps getting stronger, we might just see more phones with two displays in 2019 as well. Subscriber content preview JANAKPUR, Nepal (AP) The competition between two Asian giants, India and China, for influence over tiny Nepal is yielding a bonanza in the form of the Himalayan mountain nation's first modern railway and possibly more to come. New shiny rails connecting the 21 miles between Janakpur in southeastern Nepal and Jay Nagar in the Indian state of Bihar are raising hopes for more business and pilgrimages. . . . Subscriber content preview BELLEVUE Aegis Living has sold two Eastside senior communities to what appears to be a new joint venture with Blue Moon Capital Partners of Boston. Brokers were not announced. Aegis Lodge, at 12629 116th Ave N.E. in Totem Lake, sold for $9.8 million, according to King County records. An Aegis-related LLC acquired the property in 2010 for almost $7.2 million. . . . Subscriber content preview FEDERAL WAY The Madrona Park senior living community, at 31200 23rd Ave. S. in Federal Way, has sold for a little over $16.5 million, according to King County records. The seller was CP Federal Way LLC, which acquired the property in 2011 for $9.2 million. . . . Riyadh warns US not to interfere in Khashoggi case Rejects Senate bipartisan resolution on prince's role in murder (ANSAmed) - RIYADH, DECEMBER 17 - Saudi Arabia has firmly rejected a bipartisan resolution by the US Senate that was passed last week blaming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a statement released on Monday morning, the Saudi foreign minister said that the ''kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership (...) and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature''. It stressed that the position taken by the US Senate had been built on ''false accusations''. The statement noted that Riyadh had already condemned Khashoggi's murder and that it rejects any attempt to take the case outside the Saudi judiciary. In recent days the Republican-majority US Senate had gone against President Donald Trump in approving the resolution against the Saudi monarchy, a strong ally of the US in the Middle East. The motion ignored warnings from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pentagon chief Jim Mattis in threatening an end to US support for the Saudi-led international coalition involved in the war in Yemen. (ANSAmed). Subscriber content preview SEATTLE A development site at 3401 S.W. Graham St. has sold for $2 million, according to King County records. The seller was High Point Lighthouse Samoan Assembly of God, which acquired the two parcels in two transactions about 16 years ago for $305,000. . . . HAL successfully conducts altitude test of light utility helicopter Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd today said it recently carried out a third test-flight of the light utility helicopter (LUH) in Bengaluru, during which it achieved an important milestone of flying at 6 km altitude. The chopper was flown by chief test pilot Wg Cdr (Retd) Unni K Pillai and test pilot, Wing Cdr (Retd) Anil Bhambhani during the flight carried out under the envelope expansion tests, HAL said, adding that flying at 6 km altitude is a critical requirement towards the certification of LUH. The helicopter exhibited satisfactory performance and handling qualities. With the completion of this milestone, LUH can now undertake high altitude cold weather trials planned in January 2019. The LUH is a 3-ton class new generation helicopter designed and developed by Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR&DC) of HAL to replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters used by Indian Armed Forces. The first flight of LUH PT-1 was carried on 6 September 2016 and the second prototype flew on 22 May 2017. HAL has an in-principle order for 187 LUH that includes 126 for Indian Army and 61 for IAF. The LUH is being indigenously developed by HAL to meet the requirements of both military and civil operators. The helicopter with glass cockpit can be deployed for reconnaissance, surveillance roles and as a light transport helicopter. The helicopter will be capable of flying at 220 kmph, with a service ceiling of 6.5 km and a range of 350 m with 400 kg payload. The LUH is powered by TM/HAL Ardiden 1U/Shakti 1U single turbo shaft engine with sufficient power margins to cater to demanding high altitude missions. "With this flight, LUH is now close to production clearance and HAL is confident of meeting the requirements of the armed forces," said R Madhavan, chairman and managing director of the aerospace major. India extends $1.4 billion aid to debt-laden Maldives India has extended financial assistance of $1.4 billion to Maldives, in the form of budgetary support, currency swap and concessional lines of credit to fulfil the socio-economic development programmes of the Maldives as it transitions into a democracy. This is perhaps the biggest financial assistance yet to the new government of the Indian Ocean island nation that is grappling with debt acquired from huge Chinese loans contracted for infrastructure building by the previous government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the decision after a meeting with the Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is on a state visit to India from 16 to 18 December. Modi congratulated the people of Maldives for their successful and peaceful transition to democracy and applauded the President of Maldives on his vision for inclusive, decentralised, people-centric governance, and development that is sustainable. Recalling his governments policy of Neighbourhood-First, Prime Minister Modi reiterated Indias assurance of all possible support to Maldives in realising its aspirations for socio-economic development, and strengthening of democratic and independent institutions. President Solih reaffirmed his governments "India-First Policy, and commitment to working together closely with India. He appreciated the generous assistance provided by the Government of India to Maldives, and identified various areas for developmental cooperation, including private sector involvement in development of housing and infrastructure, water and sewerage systems in the outlying islands, healthcare, education and tourism. Both leaders emphasized the need to improve connectivity between the two countries through the establishment of enabling infrastructure that would promote the exchange of goods and services, information, ideas, culture and people. The prime minister informed the Government of Indias decision to provide 1,000 additional slots over next 5 years for training and capacity building in diverse fields, including judicial, policing and law-enforcement, audit and financial management, local governance, community development, IT, e-governance, sports, media, youth and women empowerment, leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, art and culture. The two countries also announced a new agreement on visa facilitation, which will address the common concerns and ensure that people-to-people contacts are enhanced. The Maldives is one of the very few countries with which India has a visa free arrangement. The signing of the agreement will facilitate many Maldivians who send their children to school in India, to be able to accompany them. It will also facilitate easier visa arrangements for Maldivian citizens and their families, to come to India for medical treatment. Both leaders emphasised the need to ensure seamless movement of people between both countries. Both leaders agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region. In furtherance of the shared recognition that the security interests of both the countries are interlinked in the region, they reiterated their assurance of being mindful of each others concerns and aspirations for the stability of the region and not allowing their respective territories to be used for any activity inimical to the other. The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region through coordinated patrolling and aerial surveillance, exchange of information and capacity building. The two leaders reaffirmed their unwavering commitment and support for increased cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations both within the region and elsewhere. Both sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation on issues of common concern, including piracy, terrorism, organised crime, drugs and human trafficking. It was also agreed to intensify cooperation in the areas of training and capacity building of Maldives Police Service and Maldives National Defence Force. Both leaders reviewed efforts to promote bilateral trade and investment ties between the two countries. Prime Minister Modi welcomed the expanding opportunities for Indian companies to invest in the Maldives in different sectors for the mutual benefit of both countries. Both leaders agreed to promote closer economic cooperation in sectors such as fisheries development, tourism, transportation, connectivity, health, education, information technology, new and renewable energy and communications. Both leaders reiterated the importance of an effective multilateral system as a key factor in tackling global challenges. In this context, they also recognised the need to pursue reform of the main UN bodies, including the revitalization of the UN General Assembly and expansion of the UN Security Council. The prime minister welcomed Maldives decision to re-join the Commonwealth. He also welcomed Maldives as the newest member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. Both leaders agreed on the importance of combating the impacts of climate change, especially detrimental to developing countries, and Small Island Developing States, and the need to work towards strengthening the global response to climate change, through the UNFCCC, and the Paris Agreement. The two sides signed the following agreements/MoUs/joint declaration of iIntent during the visit: Govt sets up National Medical Devices Promotion Council The centre on Saturday announced the setting up of a National Medical Devices Promotion Council under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the ministry of commerce and industry to give a fillip to the medical device sector, which is a sunrise sector. Union minister of commerce and industry and civil aviation Suresh Prabhu, announced the decision while speaking at a programme on the occasion of fourth WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices, at Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone, in Vishakhapatnam. The medical devices industry (MDI) plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem and is indispensable to achieve the goal of health for all citizens of the country. The manufacturing and trade in MDI is growing steadily which includes a wide range of products. Although the industry has been growing in double digits, it is predominantly import-driven with imports accounting for over 65 per cent of the domestic market. As Indian manufacturing companies and startups move towards creating innovative products, the setting up of the council will spur domestic manufacturing in this sector. The council will be headed by secretary, DIPP. Apart from the concerned departments of Government of India, it will also have representatives from health care industry and quality control institutions. Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone, Visakhapatnam, will provide technical support to the council. The National Medical Devices Promotion Council will act as a facilitating body for promotion and development of the Indian MDI. It will hold periodic seminars, workshops and all related networking activities to garner views of the industry and understand best global practices in the sector and deliberate on various parameters for inclusion in the industrial and trade policies in medical devices. It will identify redundant processes and render technical assistance to the agencies and departments concerned to simplify the approval processes involved in medical device industry promotion and development. It will enable entry of emerging interventions and support certifications for manufacturers to reach levels of global trade norms and lead India to an export driven market in the sector. The council will support dissemination and documentation of international norms and standards for medical devices, by capturing the best practices in the global market and facilitate domestic manufacturers to rise to international level of understanding of regulatory and non regulatory needs of the industry. The aim is to drive a robust and dynamic preferential market access (PMA) policy, by identifying the strengths of the Indian manufacturers and discouraging unfair trade practices in imports, while ensuring pro-active monitoring of public procurement notices across India to ensure compliance with PMA guidelines of DIPP and DoP. The council will undertake validation of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and other such entities within the MDI sector, which add value to the industry strength in manufacturing to gain foothold for new entrants. It will make recommendations to government based on industry feedback and global practices on policy and process interventions to strengthen the medical technology sector, including trade interventions for related markets. The Minister of Education, Deputy Joe McHugh, has confirmed his department's commitment to the provision of a new school to replace the existing pre-fabricated buildings at Gaelscoil na gCeithre Maistri in Donegal Town. In a Question and Answers session which was conducted as Gaeilge, with the pupils of the school, the minister confirmed his department's commitment to the provision of a new school to replace the existing prefab buildings. The plea from the pupils to the minister was made in the format of a poem where the students made it very clear that their prime wish this Christmas was for a "scoil nua." Replying in Irish, Deputy McHugh complimented the pupils on their very clever presentation and assured them that it had not fallen on deaf ears. "Ni bheidh se againn inniu, ni bheidh se againn amarach ach beidh se againn," he said. "The money has been allocated and the architects are currently working on the plans. I would expect that it might go to tender late Summer. We all appreciate the urgency of this and indeed compliment the whole team in running such a great school in limited conditions. However, I can assure you all that the momentum is there," he said. Dutch water technology firm Pure Water Group delivered and installed a pilot desalination installation at the Starokrymsk filtration station in Mariupol, Ukraine. Attended by US Ambassador Mrs. Marie Yovanovich and Ukraine minister Vadim Chernysh, the official ceremony of the installation took place on 25 October. The system is based on the Evoqua USA NexED electro desalination technology, and delivered and installed by the Ukraine company HT Engineering. US ambassador Marie Yovanovich (left) and Ukraine minister Vadim Chernysh see how a produced water sample is taken by an HT Engineer. Tackle a problem together In her speech US ambassador Yovanovich said to be pleased that the people of Mariupol can enjoy drinking water of good quality. "I am really glad that a team of the Ukraine based HT Engineering, Pure Water Group from the Netherlands and Evoqua Water Technologies from the United States are showing what can be achieved when these people tackle a problem together", she said. Yovanovich continued: "The environmentally and ecologically efficient electro desalination technology is an important step towards clean water supply and living a healthy life in Mariupol." Director Johan Ossenblok at Pure Water Group interviewed by Ukraine reporters. Module technology Evoqua's Nexed module technology provides innovative features such as an advanced low-energy membrane, intelligent flow distribution, and tunable dissolved solids removal capability allowing new options for reduced energy use, costs, and facility footprint. This makes the system cost-effective and provides a consistent water quality with variable feed water parameters or partial removal of contaminants without the need for blending. Pure Water Group is a leading manufacturer of ultra pure water equipment and highly specialised in the electro deionization (ED) technology. As Evoqua 'Master service provider' it distribute modules and systems from our European warehouse to water system integrators across the world. (Photos: HT Engineering and Pure Water Group) Read also on this website Pure Water Group delivers additional CEDI water treatment units to power plant in Egypt, 17 April 2018 Pure Water Group produces customized EDI water treatment system for Australia, Argentina and Portugal, 28 June 2017 Expertise: Water technology More information Pure Water Group Sprundel, the Netherlands +31 165 348 253 www.purewatergroup.com Technology is changing the way we communicate but most business professionals would agree meetings are best done face-to-face. Its little wonder then that corporate travel is booming. It was the top growth market in Australias travel sector, jumping 11 per cent to 21.3 million journeys in the year to March 2018. Theres clearly an opportunity and a need to address this demand, providing better ways to get around and driving efficiencies. In recent Cabcharge research, 69 per cent of those surveyed agreed technology will change what business travel looks like in the future. Changing the way it feels to be a corporate traveller will be even more important. Technology is powerful because its converged so much. Its easy to forget that your smartphone is a navigation device and internet connection with a number of built-in security capabilities. You understand what it allows you to accomplish but its more than the sum of its parts. You can use these different capabilities to solve the problems facing you. Instead of a one-size-fits-all solution, designed to cover as many scenarios as possible, technology can be used to solve specific challenges. In a business travel environment this will change the corporate travel industry narrative, providing an ability to personalise travel experiences. Control and transparency The digital world has changed the benchmarks around corporate travel but not expectations. One thing thats really misunderstood is that businesses need to deal with scale. There are millions of employees across Australia who need a level of autonomy to book, schedule, organise and expense their travel. But companies still need to maintain control and oversight. Its a difficult balance. Companies that cater to corporate travel have to deal with scale efficiently the systems they provide must make travel easier to manage. This means providing frictionless services that does away with tiresome processes like manual expenses. Having to hold on to receipts until the end of the month is not only frustrating for staff but can be time-consuming and difficult for the businesses to oversee as well. The other big challenge is duty of care. Most companies will tell you their people are their most important asset. Employees need to be safe but should also have a positive experience. Thats also true when moving clients around. Travel acts as an extension of the experience the company is providing so it has to be exceptional. This is a huge shift in the view of the corporate traveller building an experience. Companies today understand the corporate traveller is a regular consumer outside of office hours, with demands and expectations that are shaped by the consumer world. It means theyre frustrated when the experience doesnt live up to these expectations. They dont want to have to wait around to have paper receipts printed. They dont want to have the annoyance of holding on to transaction records until the end of the expense run or dealing with the finance department when one gets lost. The needs of corporate travel is no longer just about pushing out a product. Its about honing in on a very specific need that somebody has finding a solution, testing it and getting feedback. Its no longer enough to have a single option and expect it to work for everybody. Technology to personalise The impact of these shifts in technology and corporate traveller needs mean old assumptions around product design must be ditched. You need to start from scratch and reconsider the entire customer journey. Were asking these questions so we can get more specific in solving needs at the right time. Technology holds the answer to solving these problems. Cabcharge is currently building what were calling the car of the future. Its about exploring what technology we could put into a car to solve your business problems or improve the corporate travel experience. This could be cameras ensuring that your staff are safe when they head home late at night. Or it would be Wi-Fi networks, allowing business travellers to work on the move. These solutions are technology agnostic the experience comes first. Were also exploring how to solve problems for drivers. How can we help them earn more money by getting them to the right places? We recently announced we are acquiring Mobile Technologies International; a company which powers the dispatch systems used by most of the taxi companies in Australia, as well as many in North America. Married with our deep data insights, were exploring how we can predict where the highest demand is and use this dispatch system to advise drivers where to go next. This helps everyone corporate travellers get where they need to go faster, drivers get more customers. These efforts will continue. Many companies are playing out scenarios where artificial intelligence is commonplace and cars drive themselves. How does the model work when nobody needs to own or drive a car? There are more questions than answers at the moment because were just at the start of this journey. But the focus must stay on the experiences we can provide using technology, not just the capability. New technology tools are the key to reshaping corporate travel but they will always be part of the journey and never the destination. The focus is still on building an unrivalled experience. About the author Deon Ludick, Chief Technology Officer, Cabcharge BEIRUT - The foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Geneva to discuss the Syrian dossier, Syria's government news agency Sana reports. Sana did not provide further details. UN special envoy Staffan De Mistura, whose mandate is about to expire, yesterday urged Russia, Turkey and Iran to contribute to peace efforts. Speaking at the Doha Forum in Qatar, De Mistura called on the three countries that exercise control over western Syria to increase efforts to favor the creation of a constitutional committee expected for several months. About one year ago, the sides agreed at talks mediated by De Mistura on the creation of a constitutional committee formed by 150 members: 50 nominated by the government, 50 by the opposition and 50 by the UN. Talks have so far led to a definitive list of 143 members but discussions are still ongoing on the seven remaining names. De Mistura is scheduled to be replaced by Geir Pedersen. He was supposed to leave at the end of November but extended his mandate by a few weeks, hoping that the constitutional committee would be created. With YOUR support, all regular contributors at Eclectablog are paid for their work. If you would like to send a check to avoid fees being taken out, send it to: Chris Savage, P.O. Box 32, Dexter, MI 48130. Otherwise, you can use this Paypal form: Basic supporter - $75 Gold level supporter - $125 Platinum level supporter - $250 Other Amount: B2B Lead Generation Service Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more. Theresa Payton, CEO of Fortalice Solutions, is one of the most influential experts on cybersecurity and IT strategy in the United States. She is an authority on Internet security, data breaches and fraud mitigation. She served as the first female chief information officer at the White House, overseeing IT operations for President George W. Bush and his staff. With the U.S. midterm elections fast approaching, both Payton's observations about the current cybersecurity threat level and her advice about shoring up the nation's defenses carry special weight. In this exclusive interview, she also shares her views on social networking, privacy, and the changing playing field for women who aspire to leadership roles in technology. TechNewsWorld: What is the chief cyberthreat to the upcoming midterm elections? Theresa Payton: My biggest worry and concern is that citizens will not trust election results and that the election process will lose legitimacy. We know that the Department of Homeland Security, working with state election officials, have raced against the clock to secure voting systems. Our U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly been on the record stating there is no evidence that cybercriminals modified or deleted any votes in 2016. The next area of concern is for the communications, contacts, and digital campaigns of candidates being broken into and doxed. While the news focuses on securing the votes and the voter databases of the midterm elections, there is not a lot of attention on whether or not campaigns take threats targeting their campaigns seriously. Nothing would hit closer to home for a candidate than if their election was hacked and they lost -- or won. "Cyber" is certainly a buzzword, but it's not a word without meaning. With the onslaught of breaches, candidates should be laser-focused on cybersecurity. TNW: What should federal officials do to shore up election security? What should state and local governments do? Where does the buck stop? Payton: It's crucial that elected officials on the left and right not politicize an issue in the short term that will have grave long-term consequences for national security. Defensively, we need to harden our election infrastructure at the local level. This is the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. DHS needs to continue to work at the local level with state election officials, but also to provide much more robust cybersecurity capabilities for protection and detection at the campaign level. We also need to be sure that the intelligence and homeland security community is effectively sharing information and tools, techniques and tactics. TNW: How serious are concerns that election interference might be caused by tampering with back-end election systems? What can federal agencies do to address the problems of outdated voting equipment, inadequate election-verification procedures, and other potential vulnerabilities? Is there an argument to be made for some level of mandatory federal oversight of state and local voter systems? Payton: There are grave concerns about election interference and the race to secure them, globally, is under way. The idea that voter databases could be seeded with falsified data or modified has been around for decades, but the technical know-how and motive has caught up with that idea. Election officials in a race towards automation and efficiency may have helped criminals along, but it's not too late if we act now. Today, there are entire countries totally relying on electronic voting: Brazil, since 2000, has employed electronic voting machines, and in 2010 had 135 million electronic voters. India had 380 million electronic voters for its Parliament election in 2004. It is easy to see why electronic voting is the wave of the future and how the United States could model its own voting system after these countries. It's faster, cheaper and more accessible for those with disabilities. Also, would you miss the experience of, or the reporting of, the every-election-day headline of "Long Lines at the Polls Today"? Probably not. That is certainly less painful than a recount though. We are headed towards electronic voting as the sole system we use despite these facts: "The U.S. intelligence community developed substantial evidence that state websites or voter registration systems in seven states were compromised by Russian-backed covert operatives prior to the 2016 election -- but never told the states involved, according to multiple U.S. officials," NBC News reported earlier this year. Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee's emails with the intention to "interfere with the U.S. election process," according to the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., and the Department of Homeland Security. As far as we know, despite the scans and alarm bells, no outside entity has changed any records in the registration database. Scams such as "text your vote" were more prevalent than ever, and will increase as electronic voting becomes more widespread. The good news is our government took this very seriously. Prior to the midterm elections, the Department of Homeland Security offered state election officials "cyber hygiene scans" to remotely search for vulnerabilities in election systems. They also conducted threat briefings and onsite reviews, as well as released a memo of "best practices" -- guidance how best to secure their voter databases. Some have called for more federal oversight and moving towards a more restrictive security model, but the states own the voting process. Providing year-round briefings from DHS, FBI, CIA, and NSA would prove to be very helpful over time. Also, we have to remember elections are decentralized. Sometimes there is security in obscurity. Each state in our country, plus the District of Columbia, run their own election operations, including voter databases. A hostile nation state could not feasibly wipe out each system with one wave of their magic wand. How we vote, though, is just one-way our elections could be compromised. Another concern going forward must be disruption of Internet traffic, as we saw occurred just days before the last presidential election cycle on Oct. 21st, 2016, when the Mirai botnet crippled part of the Internet for hours. A massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacked a host server causing major disruptions to some of the most highly visited websites in the United States. The attack was in two waves, first on the East Coast and then on the West Coast. As our country votes on Election Day in different time zones, and polling stations close at different times, the similarity is chilling. However, we need everyone to turn out to vote. The focus on bolstering our election security defenses is reassuring. What we know is the warning signs are there. As we move towards the future, and focus on creating and protecting a new system to collect our votes, we need to protect the one we already have. Two things you can be sure of after this year's election: Eventually, every vote you cast in a United States election will be electronic, and one of those elections will be hacked. No doubt about it. But the recount in 2016 in Wisconsin reminds us all why we need a backup. TNW: What are some ways candidates and campaigns can shore up their cybersecurity without draining their war chests? What are some of the practices they should implement in the very early days? A campaign that's very secure ultimately might lose due to lack of visibility. How can campaigns strike the right balance? Payton: Never before have campaigns collected so much essential information that would be lucrative to so many cybercriminals. Credit card numbers, bank account information, addresses, online identities. The assets go on and on, and cybercriminals are just like bank robbers in the old days: They follow the money. That is why in today's day and age, if you are on a campaign, whether it be state, national or local, you need to be as vigilant about protecting data as any business. Otherwise, you will lose your customers -- also known as constituents and voters. Anyone on a tight budget can follow these guidelines to protect their campaign assets: Make it as hard as possible on cybercriminals by separating donor information details onto a completely separate domain name with separate user IDs and passwords from the campaign. For example, your campaign domain might be VoteSallySue.com, but donor details would be stored at MustProtectDetails.com. Using that same practice, run all of your internal communications on a domain name that's not the campaign name -- i.e., email addresses should not be henry@VoteSallySue.com but rather henry@MustProtectDetails.com. Increase the level of protection for internal messages by using encrypted messaging platforms for internal communications, such as Signal or Threema. Also, be sure to encrypt all of your campaign's donor data. We have yet to hear a report of a campaign's donor data being hacked and used for identity theft, but we will -- of that I am sure. It would be too lucrative not to try. Once it is hacked, it will be hard to restore confidence in your operation. Just ask any major retailer, bank or organization who has recently been hacked, and they will tell you. I don't even need to use their names, you know the headlines. Train technology and campaign staff to spot spearphishing emails and scams. Oh, sure, you think everyone knows not to "click on that link," but recent studies illustrate doing just that is the No. 1 cause of breaches among employees. Another safeguard that raises the bar in terms of security is implementing two-factor authentication wherever feasible. When you use a platform that employs two-factor authentication, don't you feel safer? Possibly annoyed, as well, but certainly reassured that the extra step has been taken to secure your data. Don't you want the electorate to feel the same way? Finally, post a privacy policy that's easy to read, easy to find, and you'll find voters have more confidence in just your agenda. TNW: How well -- or poorly -- have Facebook, Twitter, Google and other tech companies addressed the problems that surfaced in 2016? Payton: I was encouraged to hear that with less than three weeks to go for the U.S. mid-terms, that Facebook has stood up a war room to combat social media community manipulation as the world heads into elections this fall and winter. They have also said they have war-gamed a number of scenarios to ensure their team is better prepared for elections around the globe. Much is at stake, so the fact that Facebook also integrated the apps they have acquired -- such as WhatsApp and Instagram -- into the mix of the war room is a great idea. If I were to give them advice, I would suggest that another great step to take would be to create a way to physically embed representatives from law enforcement, other social media companies -- including Twitter, Linkedin and Google -- and to allow election officials around the globe to have a "red phone" access to the war room. TNW: What are some of the most pressing cybersecurity problems facing social networks, apart from their use as political tools? Payton: The ability to change their business and moderator models, in real time, to morph quickly to shut down fake personas, fake ads, and fake messaging promoting political espionage, even if it means higher expenses and loss of revenue. Social media companies have made a lot of progress since the 2016 presidential elections and claims of global-wide election meddling, but the criminals have changed tactics and it's harder to spot them. On the heels of the August 2018 news that Microsoft seized six domains that Russian Internet trolls planned to use for political espionage phishing attacks around the same time that Facebook deactivated 652 fake accounts and pages tied to misinformation campaigns, Alex Stamos, the former Facebook security chief, posted an essay in Lawfare, and stated that it was "too late to protect the 2018 elections." TNW: What role should the government play in protecting citizens' privacy online? Payton: As the Internet evolves, laws and regulations must change more rapidly to reflect societal issues and problems created by new types of behavior taking place online. Never before has the world had access to statements, pictures, video and criticism by millions of individuals who are not public figures. The Internet provides us with places to document our lives, thoughts and preferences online, and then holds that material for an indefinite period of time -- long after we might have outgrown our own postings. It also provides places where we can criticize our bosses, local building contractors, or polluters. This digital diary of our lives leaves tattered pages of our past that we may forget about because we cannot see them, but they could be collected, collated, and used to judge us or discriminate against us without due process. The government needs to think ahead and determine which laws need to be enacted to protect our right to opt in and out of privacy features and to own our digital lives and footprints. TNW: What is your opinion of Europe's "right to be forgotten" law? Do you think a similar law would make sense in the United States? Payton: The European Union's "right to be forgotten" sets an interesting precedent, not just for its member countries but for citizens around the world. It is too early to know what the long-term impacts of the EU's decision to enforce a "right to be forgotten" with technology companies will be. However, it's a safe bet the law will evolve and not disappear. There are concerns that giving you or organizations more control of their Internet identity, under a "right to be forgotten" clause, could lead to [censorship] of the Internet. Free-speech advocates around the globe are concerned that the lack of court precedent and the gray areas of the EU law could lead to pressure for all tech companies to remove results across the globe, delinking news stories and other information upon an individual's request. A quick history lesson of how this law came about: A Spanish citizen filed a complaint with Spain's Data Protection Agency and indicated that Google Spain and Google Inc. had violated his privacy rights by posting an auction notice that his home was repossessed. The matter was resolved years earlier but since "delete is never really delete" and "the Internet never forgets," the personal data about his financial matters haunted his reputation online. He requested that Google Spain and Google Inc. be required to remove the old news so it would not show up in search engine results. The Spanish court system reviewed the case and referred it to the European Union's Court of Justice. Here is an excerpt of what the May 2014 ruling of the EU Court said: "On the 'Right to be Forgotten': Individuals have the right -- under certain conditions -- to ask search engines to remove links with personal information about them. This applies where the information is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive for the purposes of the data processing . A case-by-case assessment is needed considering the type of information in question, its sensitivity for the individual's private life and the interest of the public in having access to that information. The role the person requesting the deletion plays in public life might also be relevant." In the U.S., implementing a federal law might be tempting, but the challenge is that the ability to comply with the law will be complex and expensive. This could mean that the next startup will be crushed under compliance and therefore innovation and startups will die before they can get launched. However, we do need a central place of advocacy and a form of a consumer privacy bill of rights. We have remedies to address issues but it's a complex web of laws that apply to the Internet. Technology changes society faster than the law can react, so U.S. laws relating to the Internet will always lag behind. We have a Better Business Bureau to help us with bad business experiences. We have the FTC and FCC to assist us with commerce and communications. Individuals need an advocacy group to appeal to, and for assistance in navigating online defamation, reputational risk, and an opportunity to scrub their online persona. TNW: What is your attitude toward social networking? What's your advice to others regarding the trustworthiness of social networks? Payton: Social networking can offer us amazing ways to stay in touch with colleagues, friends and loved ones. It's a personal decision as to how involved you are online, how many platforms you interact with, and how much of your life that you digitally record or transact online. If you want to be on social media but don't want to broadcast everything about you, I tell my clients to turn off location tracking -- or geolocation tools -- in social media. That way you aren't "checking in" places. Cybercriminals use these check-ins to develop your pattern of life and to track your circle of trust. If a cybercriminal has these two patterns, it makes it easier for them to hack your accounts. Register for an online service that will give you a phone number, such as Google Voice or Talkatone. Provide that number on social media and forward it to your real cellphone. Avoid personality surveys and other surveys -- they are often very fun to do, but the information posted often gives digital clues to what you may use for your password. Always turn on two-factor authentication for your accounts, and tie your social media accounts to an email address dedicated to social media. Turn on alerts to notify you if there is a login that is outside your normal login patterns. The amount of personal information you choose to share is up to you -- and everyone has to find that limit of what is too much -- but at the very least, never give out personally identifiable information like your address, DOB, financial information, etc. TNW: As the first woman to serve in the role of CIO at the White House, under President George W. Bush, how did you feel about becoming an instant role model for girls and young women interested in tech careers? Payton: It's an honor to think about the opportunity to give back and to help along anyone that wants to pursue this career path, especially young women. Candidly, we need everyone to fight the good fight. My heart breaks when I see computer and engineering classes with very few women in them. We did not reach out to the women early enough, and when I talk to young women in high school and college about considering cybersecurity as a career, many of then tell me that since they have had no prior exposure they are worried about failing, and that it's "too late now to experiment." To which I tell them that it's always a great time to experiment and learn new things! Prior to taking on the role at the White House, I had been very active in women in technology groups and was passionately recruiting young women to consider technology careers. At the time I was offered the role and accepted, I candidly didn't have an immediate aha moment about being a role model for women because of that specific job. I was most focused on making sure the mission was a success. I see it now and it's an honor to be able to be a role model and I strive to live up to that expectation. The cybersecurity industry can do more to help women understand the crucial role that cybersecurity professionals play that make a difference in our everyday lives. Unfortunately, hackers, both ethical and unethical, are often depicted as men wearing hoodies over their faces, making it difficult for women to picture themselves in that role as a realistic career choice, because they don't think they have anything in common with hackers. Studies show that women want to work in professions that help people -- where they are making a difference. When you stop a hacker from stealing someone's identity, you've made a difference in someone's life or business. At the end of the day, the victims of hackers are people, and women can make a tremendous difference in this field. This is something the industry as a whole needs to do a better job of showing women. TNW: You're now the CEO of a company in the private sector. Can you tell us a little about what Fortalice Solutions does, its mission, and your priorities in guiding it? Payton: Fortalice Solutions is a team of cybercrime fighters. We hunt bad people from behind a keyboard to protect what matters most to nations, business and people. We combine the sharpest minds in cybersecurity with active intelligence operations to secure everything from government and corporate data and intellectual property, to individuals' privacy and security. At Fortalice, our strengths lie in studying the adversary and outmaneuvering them with our human-first, technology-second approaches. TNW: How have attitudes toward women in powerful positions changed -- for better or worse -- in recent years? Payton: Although thankfully this is beginning to change, I am typically the only woman in the room -- and that was common in banking as well as technology. I had to learn how to stand up for myself and ensure my voice was heard. I've had more than my fair share of times when my technical acumen has been discounted because I'm female. I've learned that grace and tact go a long way, and I'm very, very proud to say that my company is nearly dead-equal male/female. We even started an organization called "Help A Sister Up" -- you can find us on LinkedIn -- that's dedicated to advancing women in technology and serving as a rallying point for them and their male advocates. We post job openings, interesting articles, avenues for discussion. Please join us! TNW: What's your advice to girls and women entering technological fields about whether to seek employment in the private or the public sector? What are some of the pros and cons, particularly from the standpoint of gender equality? Payton: An April 2013 survey of Women in Technology found that 45 percent of respondents noted a "lack of female role models or [the encouragement to pursue a degree in a technology-related field]." It's been proven that professional mentorship and development dramatically increase participation in any given field, so the lack of women in cybersecurity is really a compounding problem -- we don't have enough women in cyber because there aren't enough women role models in cyber. While connecting with other women has had its challenges, there are wonderful women in cyber today. Look at Linda Hudson -- currently the chairman and CEO of The Cardea Group and former president and CEO of BAE Systems Inc. -- shattering the glass ceiling for women behind her. Also, up-and-comer Keren Elazari, a global speaker on cybersecurity and ethical hacker out of Israel. I've been very lucky to work with wonderful, inspiring women in cyber, but I recognize that my exposure might be more than women starting their career. This brings me to my next point: I recommend all cyber practitioners, and especially women, take advantage of all the amazing free tools out there from RSA, TED talks, and even YouTube. You can watch speeches from veteran cybersecurity professionals about their careers, hear their advice on how to succeed, and learn new skills to keep you competitive in the workplace. Consider free online courses in cybersecurity or popular programming languages like Python. Ask your colleagues to show you their favorite geek gadget or ethical hack. There are some excellent security frameworks and guidance available for free online, such as the NIST framework, CIS Critical Security Controls, SSAE 16, and discussions on GDPR. Leverage social media to hear what's on the minds of security experts. You must be a constant student of your profession in this field. Mick Brady is managing editor of ECT News Network. Enterprise IT Lead Generation Services Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more. The personal data of some 100 million people who have used Quora, a popular question and answer website, has been compromised, the company disclosed Monday. "We recently discovered that some user data was compromised as a result of unauthorized access to one of our systems by a malicious third party," wrote Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo in an online post. "We are working rapidly to investigate the situation further and take the appropriate steps to prevent such incidents in the future," he added. The intrusion -- which was discovered Friday, D'Angelo noted -- placed the following information of Quora users at risk: Account information, such as name, email address, hashed password and data imported from linked networks when authorized by users; Public content and actions, such as questions, answers, comments and "upvotes"; and Non-public content and actions, such as answer requests, downvotes and direct messages. "It is highly unlikely that this incident will result in identity theft, as we do not collect sensitive personal information like credit card or social security numbers," states a response on the company's FAQ page. Mild Breach Compared to other large data breaches -- such as the breach at the Marriott hotel chain last week, which affected some 500 million customers and enabled intruders to steal credit card numbers, dates of birth and passport numbers -- the Quora attack is relatively mild, said Ted Rossman, an industry analyst with Creditcards.com in Austin, Texas. "The Quora breach seems more contained," he told TechNewsWorld. "It was information that was already public or things that are not that sensitive, like email addresses." The risk for most Quora users isn't that severe, remarked Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at Comparitech, a reviews, advice and information website focused on consumer security products. "The stolen passwords are hashed and no payment information was breached, so there's little immediate threat to most people," he told TechNewsWorld. "However, the small portion of users who utilized Quora's direct messaging platform might have exposed private information sent to other users," Bischoff added. All personal information -- not just passwords and credit card numbers -- can be valuable to data abusers, though. "As we saw with the Cambridge Analytica fiasco, access to personal likes, tastes, and other preferences can be used against individuals," Javvad Malik, a security advocate at AlienVault, a threat intelligence company in San Mateo, California, told TechNewsWorld. Chilling Effect on Sharing Theft of data at the site also could have other consequences for Quora. "Since this is a knowledge-sharing platform, one of the risks of an incident like this is it could deter people from engaging in that kind of activity, which is productive and useful," said Thomas Jackson, chair of the technology practice group at Phillips Nizer, a law firm in New York City. "Breaches like the one at Marriott put clients at risk because so much customer data is exposed," he told TechNewsWorld. "In the Quora case, the main issue is going to be the willingness of inviduals to contribute going forward. Will it have a negative effect on postings and new signups?" Once a breach occurs, the damage is done and there's no taking it back, added Bischoff. "That being said, other than being breached, Quora did pretty much everything right," he continued. "Passwords were stored as hashes and not in plain text. Quora promptly notified users of the breach and took action to remedy the issue." Leveraging Social Media Logins Although knowledge seekers with Quora-only accounts may be at minimal risk from the data breach, that might not be the case for those who use other services, such as Facebook and Google, to log into the website. "For people who log into Quora using Facebook or Google authentication, there may be more identity information leaked, depending how much is contained in their Facebook or Google profiles," said Mounir Hahad, head of the threat lab for Juniper Networks, a network security and performance company based in Sunnyvale, California. "People need to make sure their Google and Facebook profiles contain a minimal amount of personal information," he told TechNewsWorld. "For example, neither service needs to know your exact date of birth to provide you with services." The most useful information stolen by the cybercriminals likely will be a massive list of valid email addresses, Hahad said. "Hackers will often turn around and sell this data on the underground market," he explained. "Typical buyers are those that run spam platforms that cater to people trying to push products or build botnets." What's a Consumer to Do? Consumers concerned about the risks posed to them by the Quora breach can take a number of steps to protect themselves. "They should decouple their Quora accounts from other platforms," recommended Mike Bittner, digital security and operations manager at The Media Trust, a website and mobile application security company in McLean, Virginia. "They should also change all their passwords, applying unique credentials to each one," he told TechNewsWorld, "and check their credit cards for any unauthorized charges." Maintaining unique passwords across all accounts is particularly important, noted James Carder, CISO for LogRhythm, a cybersecurity solutions company in Boulder, Colorado. "It's common for attackers to sweep other consumer platforms to test credentials they just stole," he told TechNewsWorld. Quora users also should be on the lookout for increased phishing and other attacks,he advised, as the black hats might have enough information to craft specially targeted ploys. More of the Same in the Future Until the Quora and Marriott attacks, 2018 was shaping up to be a down year for breaches, with 670 million records lost, compared to 1.58 billion in 2017, noted Terry Ray, CTO of Imperva, a web application firewall maker in Redwood City, California. "Now, with two back-to-back major breaches compromising roughly 600 million total accounts, 2018 is in striking distance of matching or exceeding last year," he told TechNewsWorld. The future doesn't look bright, unless you're a data thief. "All companies, regardless of size, should expect to be targeted by attackers and prepare themselves by knowing all the third parties they work with," The Media Trust's Bittner warned. "Attacks are not a matter of if, but when," he added. "Until companies can adequately protect their customers, this trend will not slow down, and the prognosis will not trend positively," Carder predicted. "I thought the Equifax breach last year -- where they let 150 million accounts slip out the cracks -- would be a tipping point," said Creditcards.com's Rossman, "but a year, later very little has changed. It's up to us to protect ourselves." John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John. Vucic's SNS wins local elections in 4 municipalities President at UN Security Council meeting in evening on Kosovo (ANSAmed) - BELGRADE, DECEMBER 17 - The conservative Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) under President Aleksandar Vucic won local elections by a wide margin held on Sunday in four municipalities. As Vucic noted in the late evening, in Lucani the SNS won 66.25% of the votes, in Doljevac 83.4%, in Kladovo 59% and in Kul 59.68%. ''The population do not want clashes and riots. They want work, seriousness, and responsibility,'' the president told journalists at his party's headquarters in Belgrade. ''For us,'' he added, ''these were not easy elections since they were held in a situation with pressure due to fresh tension over Kosovo'', with verbal and physical attacks against SNS activists. All polls say that SNS would win by a wide margin if national elections were to be held, with over 50%, compared with 10-15% for the various oppositions under the Alliance for Serbia (SzS). On Monday evening, Vucic will be in New York for a UN Security Council meeting called for by Serbia after Kosovo's decision to create its own army. (ANSAmed). Embattled Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned Saturday, a month-and-a-half after an investigation into a potential conflict of interest involving oil-giant Halliburton was referred to the Justice Department, The Washington Post reported. Zinke has been a controversial figure during his time at the Department of Interior (DOI), both for his ethically questionable use of his office and for his commitment to opening up public lands and waters to oil and gas drilling. "Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation," President Donald Trump tweeted, announcing the resignation Saturday. However, officials close to the situation told The Washington Post that Zinke had been given until the end of the year to either resign or be fired. Two officials further said Zinke's fall from grace occurred when the Halliburton investigation was passed on to the Justice Department. Zinke had met with Halliburton Chairman David Lesar while in office to discuss a real estate deal in Zinke's hometown that is owned by Lesar's son and could raise the value of nearby property belonging to a foundation started by Zinke and his wife. As a major energy producer, Halliburton is regulated by the DOI. "I love working for the President and am incredibly proud of all the good work we've accomplished together. However, after 30 years of public service, I cannot justify spending thousands of dollars defending myself and my family against false allegations," Zinke tweeted. Environmental groups, who have clashed with Zinke over his decisions to shrink national monuments and expand offshore drilling, among other issues, celebrated his departure, while also sounding the alarm about his likely replacement, Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Bernhardt has worked as a lobbyist for oil and gas companies including Halliburton, and is likely to continue Zinke's agenda with fewer errors and obvious ethical missteps. In this way he resembles Andrew Wheeler, the former coal lobbyist who was seen as a "smarter" threat when he took over at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after Trump's first pick for administrator, Scott Pruitt, was also forced to resign after a buildup of ethics scandals. "Zinke will go down as the worst Interior secretary in history," Center for Biological Diversity Executive Director Kieran Suckling said in a press release. "His slash-and-burn approach was absolutely destructive for public lands and wildlife. Allowing David Bernhardt to continue to call the shots will still be just as ugly. Different people, same appetite for greed and profit." Bernhardt's ascension means the top two environmental agencies in the U.S. will now both be headed by former industry lobbyists, The Guardian pointed out. Bernhardt took an ethics pledge saying he would wait until 2019 to have certain dealings with former clients, but the policies he has worked onincluding a push to weaken how the Endangered Species Act is enforcedhave still furthered their overall agendas. "It's not so much who has he helped. It's who hasn't he helped in industry so far," Bobby McEnaney of the Natural Resources Defense Council told The Guardian. "The notion that he could extricate himself from benefiting his former clients is impossible." A dispute over pay and class size in Chicago boiled over into the nations first charter school strike this month , raising questions about how teachers unions, going forward, will reconcile their longheld opposition to charters with their need to pick up more dues-paying members. The historic walkoutand the concessions won by the Chicago Teachers Union on behalf of the striking charter school teacherswas welcome news for unions, which are predicted to potentially shed substantial members and revenue after the fateful U.S. Supreme Court Janus decision earlier this year. Soon after the strike started, people began asking whether cracks were starting to show in the charter movement, the first viable public alternativeand challengeto traditional public schools. For so long the charter movement has steadily expanded in many American cities, propelled by some of the worlds wealthiest philanthropists. The Chicago teachers strike has been largely cast in the media as a major symbolic win for teachers unions and a warning sign for charter schools and their supporters. But there are equally fraughtif less examinedquestions facing unions as they simultaneously decry charters as the tools of billionaires trying to privatize public education and encourage charter teachers to join their ranks. A growing unionized workforce in the charter sector may very well require changes from teachers unions as well as charter schools. Anti-Charter Policy Pushes Unions have longed positioned themselves as the defenders of traditional public schools, and have used their considerable political and financial clout to stymie charters. In Chicago, the Chicago Teachers Union has called for a moratorium on all new charter schools. Elsewhere, unions have lobbied to block additional state funding for charter schools, backed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of charter schools , campaigned to keep caps on the number of charter schools allowed to open, and called for bans on charter management groups and companies. Unions have also sought to capitalize on U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos unpopularity and her ardent support for school choice by aggressively tying charter schools and their supportersincluding Democrats and other political liberalsto the secretary and an agenda of a corporate takeover of public education. This may present labor organizations like the Chicago Teachers Union, which represents the educators and paraprofessionals at the 15-school Acero charter school network who recently walked out, with a tough balancing act in welcoming this new breed of educator from the very sector it has long demonized. I think where I draw the lineIm not so sureI mean, were not going to organize charter schools that are whites-only or that are going to cross those kinds of lines, said Jesse Sharkey, the CTUs president. While Sharkey said he still holds a critical view of charter schools, he sees a distinction between the teachers and paraprofessionals who are trying to change it and make it better and the schools management. Another issue facing unions is whether they are willing to take on some of the charter sectors baggage. While union leaders at large have slammed the charter sector for corruption scandals and laws that allow for-profit companies to run schools, some unions have showed a willingness to organize teachers in those schools. The California Teachers Association, which, like the Chicago Teachers Union, has made organizing charters a goal , is now the parent union to the new California Virtual Educators, which represents the staff at California Virtual Academies . The network contracts with K12 Inc., the largest for-profit charter management company in the country, whose schools have a shaky academic track record . Acero, in Chicago, was formally called UNO Charter Schools. It was rebranded after a scandal that led to the network being charged in federal court with defrauding investors. Countering Membership Losses While often at odds in the political arena, teachers unions and charter advocates do have one thing in common, as both entities have recently found themselves on more uncertain terrain. The Supreme Courts Janus decision, which made it unlawful for unions to charge fees to nonmembers, could decimate union revenues. And backing among Democratic leadership for charter schools, which have long claimed bipartisan support, has been swiftly eroding. Both sides, I think, are more susceptible, more amenable to hearing the arguments of the other side today than they were five years ago, said Patrick McGuinn, a political science professor at Drew University. For unions, one way to help counter membership loss among traditional district schools is to cultivate new members in the charter sector, an effort that was already underway in Chicago. About a quarter of all Chicago charter schools have been unionized, compared to 11 percent nationally, according to data from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. However, its worth noting that charter organization may not be a strategy other state and local unions choose to pursue. Nationally, there are 3.1 million public school teachers, according to the federal government. There are only about 219,000 charter school teachers, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. In Chicago, only about 4 percent of all of the CTU members work at a charter school. Unionizing charter schools, the majority of which are single site schools, requires a lot of work and doesnt necessarily deliver big returns. But wanting to organize charter schools and actually delivering for the charter educators who took the step, sometimes amid threats of retaliation from school management, to unionize are two separate things. Elizabeth Todd-Breland, a history professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago who studies labor and education reform in the city, said the charter strike in Chicago was successfulit ended in mostly a win for the union after four daysbecause the teachers and paraprofessionals who walked out werent just asking for more pay. [T]hey also were calling for sanctuary status for undocumented students, and this is a largely Latinx student population in Acero, she said. I think thats a concern for both teachers and students but also families and the communities being served by these schools. The tentative deal, which includes pay raises for teachers and paraprofessionals, also shortens the school year and changes the way the school day is structured. Its a deal that probably doesnt sit well with many charter advocates. Contract Restrictions Stipulations like those negotiated in collective-bargaining contracts are one of the main reasons that the charter school sector has not embraced teachers unions, say advocates. Such contracts can fly in the face of the ethos of the charter movement: schools freed from district bureaucracy, so they have the flexibility to innovate. Labor contracts can be highly prescriptive when it comes to how much time teachers spend in school. Even the length and number of meetings allowed might be dictated by the collective-bargaining contract, said Katharine Strunk, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University. Those constraints can greatly restrict a schools strategies for trying to close achievement gaps, which may include offering longer school days or years, for example. A contract can limit a principals ability to meet with staff for extra training or to discuss important issues facing the school. On the flip side, said Strunk, a contract can help keep teachers from being worked into burnout. Another major sticking point for charter schools is that union contracts often dictate that layoffs must be done by seniority, with the most junior teachers let go first. You may have a fantastic first-year teacher who is killing it in the classroom, and a principal has no choice but to let that teacher go, said Strunk. That is a big problem principals have long decried. Charter school advocates are careful to say they are not anti-union, per se. Andrew Broy, the president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, said hes more concerned with one-size-fits-all contracts for district and charter schools. You simply cannot adhere to a charter model that prizes innovation at the school site if you have a single contract on top of 37 diverse schools in the city. Its not possible, said Broy. The Illinois Network of Charter Schools has been working with schools to try to improve communications between leadership and teachers to make union organizing less attractive. Theyve got to be aware that the [CTUs] agenda is not about any individual school, it is much more about stopping charter growth and imposing a single contract, said Broy. Post-Janus Calculus So, are unions going to start toning down their anti-charter rhetoric in order to grow membership in the sector? They may not have to, said Todd-Breland of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Rank-and-file charter school educators are not necessarily as committed to the charter cause as leadership or advocates. I think for a lot of charter teachers this is where they found a job, and they are dedicated to their students and their families, she said. But in a post-Janus world, that calculus could be changing, Strunk, of Michigan State, said. Unions need due-paying members wherever they can find them to stay afloat, she said. I think the union is going to really turn to the bread-and-butter issuesfighting for protections teachers want today, Strunk said. In addition to bargaining for the essentials such as salary and benefits, she said, the next generation of teachers want more professional roles and to have a seat at the table in developing a schools strategy for improving student outcomes. That can be useful for both charter and traditional public schools, she said. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who has been Capitol Hills leading Republican on education issues for years, announced Monday that hes not planning to run again when his current term ends in 2020. Alexander, the chairman of the Senate education committee, was a chief architect of the Every Student Succeeds Act , the law that replaced the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015. More recently, he helped write a reauthorization of the federal law for career and technical education that President Donald Trump signed earlier this year. And before ESSA, he also worked on bills dealing with early learning, math and science education, and more. Alexander, who was first elected to the Senate in 2002, is in his third term. He has one of the lengthiest and most high-profile resumes in public service of anyone in Washington. He served as President George H.W. Bushs education secretary from 1991 to 1993 and as governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1986, and also was president of the University of Tennessee. I have gotten up every day thinking that I could help make our state and country a little better, and gone to bed most nights thinking that I have, Alexander said in a statement announcing his decision to retire. I will continue to serve with that same spirit during the remaining two years of my term. Alexander has been chairman of the Senate education committee since 2015, and frequently worked with Democrats on legislation, most notably with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the committees ranking member. His departure after 2020 could leave a significant void in Congress when it comes to leadership on education issues. Hes a legislator at heart, said Lindsay Fryer, who served as his lead K-12 aide during ESSAs passage and is now a vice president at Penn Hill Group, a government relations organization in Washington. He didnt come to Washington to sit around and do nothing. That drove him, from my perspective. It was, what we can accomplish, lets get something done. Principled Compromises During his work on ESSA, Alexander insisted on a prominent role for states in K-12 accountability, school turnarounds, testing, and more. But, as chairman of the Senate education committee, he worked with Murray to get a bipartisan deal that ultimately passed the Senate 85-12 and the House 359-64. Alexander said in an interview shortly after the bills passage that the law was able to attract such broad, bipartisan support in part because everybody was really fed up with Washington telling 100,000 public schools so much about what to do, and it was really creating a backlash on efforts to set higher standards, namely [the Common Core State Standards] and teacher evaluation. And he said he believed the new law would reshape the K-12 landscape. What I believe is that when we take the handcuffs off, well unleash a whole flood of innovation and ingenuity classroom by classroom, state by state that will benefit children, Alexander said. He kept a close eye on the law after it passed and wasnt afraid to defend what he thought were its strongest points. Most notably, at the start of the Trump administration, he led the push to scrap the Obama administrations accountability regulations for the law, which he said went beyond the bounds of ESSA. Still, Alexander was willing to make principled compromises, Fryer added. He made sure the things that were important to him got done. He would never let the perfect be the enemy of the good. During ESSAs passage, Alexander enlisted the help of the National Education Association, a union with 3 million members typically aligned with Democrats, to get the bill across the finish line. In the past, Republicans who have chaired the education committee have been willing to meet with the union, but Alexander partnered with us, said Mary Kusler, the senior director of the NEA Center for Advocacy. It will be hard to find somebody who has the senators extensive personal background in education, but what I become increasingly concerned about is that its going to be harder and harder to find senators who are willing to work across party lines period, Kusler said. Sen. Alexander never made a name for himself by standing in the corner and throwing bombs. Sen. Alexander made a name by getting out from the corner and finding a way to meet people in the middle. Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate education committee, said in a statement that, [Alexander] has been a great partner on so many bipartisan billsfrom fixing No Child Left Behind, FDA reform, and more. Im looking forward to two more years of productive work with him. He has served our country and his state for so many years, and I wish him the best! Alexanders unwillingness to make his strong support for school choice a make-or-break issue for ESSAs passage makes him unusual among Capitol Hill lawmakers, said Martin R. West, a former senior adviser to Alexander on education. Hes one of the few people I know whos a true principled federalist, said West, who is now a professor of education at Harvard University. West recalled that staffers from other Senate offices were frequently impressed with the senators detailed grasp of the issues when they met with him. Their reaction was always one of amazement about his eagerness and ability to get in the weeds of complex policy topics, West said. No one on either side of the aisle can match the depth of his experience in education. Record of Achievements Despite their strong relationship, Alexander and Murray clashed over at least one major issue since ESSAs passage: The confirmation of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Alexander helped drag her nomination across the finish line, and Vice President Mike Pence ultimately had to break a tie vote in her favor. Murray, meanwhile, said that DeVos wasnt qualified for the job and criticized the process as rushed. Earlier this year, Alexander helped push through a rewrite of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which was written to provide states more control over CTE issues while also requiring them to make meaningful progress toward their own achievement goals. That bill passed with virtually unanimous support, including from the president. This year, Alexander also helped write a bill to deal with the opioid epidemic that among other things provides for $50 million in annual grants to help school districts with referral and treatment. Further back, Alexander was also involved in the Child Care Development Block Grant Act in 2014, which aimed to increase standards at child-care facilities and improve the alignment of child-care systems. He also worked on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in 2014, which was written to improve job-training programs. And he played a major role in a 2008 rewrite of the Head Start Act, which required low-performing programs to recompete for their grants. In particular, Alexander championed a provision to designate about 200 Centers of Excellence to serve as model programs. He was also a lead author of the 2007 America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science) Act, a bipartisan law that seeks to increase funding for basic scientific research and improve math and science education. Legacy Beyond Congress Alexanders K-12 legacy extends far beyond his time in Congress. As governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1986, he created one of the nations first state pay-for-performance programs, offering teachers who were rated outstanding as much as $7,000 a year more in extra pay. He also boosted requirements for teacher certification, created alternative schools for disruptive students and summer programs for gifted children, and extended the school year to 180 days from 175. In 1986, he was asked by then-U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett to serve on a study group on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the series of tests known as the Nations Report Card. The group recommended the creation of what came to be called the National Assessment Governing Board to oversee NAEP. As education secretary, Alexander helped push an agenda known as America 2000, which called for national standards in core academic subjects and voluntary national tests to match. He also called for $500 million for a new private school voucher program. And as a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1996, Alexander sought to scrap the federal Education Department entirely. Whats Left to Do Its unclear if Alexander will be able to check a long-standing priority off his to-do list before stepping down: reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, which hasnt gotten a makeover since 2008. At this point, advocates expect him to try, but say its a long shot. He has better chance of getting more-limited legislation making it easier for students to apply for federal student financial aid across the finish line. He may also be able to push through an update of child-abuse prevention laws or the Education Sciences Reform Act, which governs the Institute of Education Sciences, the departments research arm. Alexander could also choose to work on updating the laws governing student-data privacy and special education. If Republicans control the Senate in 2021, the Republican whos next in line to lead the committee is Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. Enzi previously served as the committee chairman from 2005 to 2007. Heinz Arnold, Editor at Large Markt&Technik Tel. +49 89 25556-1253 harnold@weka-fachmedien.de While it looked as if a slight easing could take place between China and the USA in the short term, the fronts in the trade dispute are currently hardening again. No one is likely to profit from this. At the latest since this year, it should be clear to everyone that China wants to catch up in terms of technology and is not afraid of taking the necessary measures. It should also be clear that things are not always fair. Chinese companies like to copy the technology of the leading countries in order to offer their own devices cheaper. In this way, markets can be conquered worldwide. Others have shown that this works. Around 1990 it looked as if Japan would conquer the semiconductor world. Instead, countries such as Taiwan and South Korea have risen. China now considers it essential to manufacture semiconductors in its own country. Currently, China spends more money on importing chips than on oil. But there is more to it than that: anyone who wants to play a role in the world in the future needs the small chips. Industry 4.0, AI, autonomous driving, medical technology, aerospace, and military technology only work on their basis. The USA made this clear to the world when they banned ZTE. The company almost went bankrupt. Now the USA has further escalated the dispute with China over the arrest of the CFO of Huawei, the daughter of the company founder. In many areas, Chinese technology is principally no longer inferior to western technology. In the field of 5G, China could even take the lead. This is exactly what gives the trade war between the USA and China a very unpleasant aftertaste. Vice President Mike Pence had publicly stated that "Made in China 2015" was based on the theft of American technology. Thatalone shows how hardened the fronts are. Now the impression arises that the USA is evading technical competition, is offended, and curling up in a ball. The fact that the USA is in a position to go even further is shown by its behavior towards the Chinese Fujian Jinhua, which wanted to start manufacturing DRAMs this year. Not to mention whether the accusations of stealing company secrets are true: If American equipment manufacturers are no longer allowed to supply the company, it could look gloomy for Fujian Jihuas production. And it shows what leverage the USA has because US companies are still leaders in the equipment market. On the other hand, neither US equipment nor US IC manufacturers should be thrilled to be excluded from an interesting market. The semiconductor industry is globally networked. Whoever uses rough tools to break up the networked global structures is not only harming others, but above all himself. Even if the simple slogans can be effective for the public, they are not the result of rational considerations. Will such considerations be able to assert themselves in the coming year? Wolfgang Wernsdorfer is awarded the Leibniz Prize for his research achievements in quantum physics. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2019. One of the winners is Wolfgang Wernsdorfer, a researcher at KIT. The award is worth a total of 2.5 million euros and represents the most important research prize in Germany. On the way to future quantum computers, Wolfgang Wernsdorfer's research on nanomagnets is making a significant contribution to shaping one of the key technologies of the future, Professor Holger Hanselka, President of KIT, emphasizes. Wernsdorfer is an expert in nanomagnetism, single molecule magnets, and their use in quantum computer systems. His research group focuses on molecular quantum spintronics, an area of experimental solid state physics at the interface between chemistry and materials science. The group develops fast and reliable methods to read spin states of single magnetic molecules for quantum information processing and creates the prerequisites for tomorrow's quantum technology. The researchers found out how molecular magnets behave under the laws of quantum mechanics and succeeded in measuring quantum spin states in a molecule. One example where these findings are useful is in information processing. Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which - unlike classical computers - have values between zero and one. The entanglement of qubits results in mixed quantum states that allow many calculation steps to be performed in parallel. Thus, the research group makes an important contribution to the computer of the future. Relevante Anbieter Germany's Most Important Science Prize Wolfgang Wernsdorfer receives the prize for his contribution to electronics, spin physics, and quantum computing. Since 1986, the DFG has awarded this prize to scientists annually. This year, it was awarded to ten prizewinners. The researchers can use the prize money of around 2.5 million euros for their work over a period of up to seven years at their own discretion. The Leibniz Prize is considered one of the most important science prizes worldwide and will be awarded in Berlin on 13 March 2019. Wernsdorfer, born in 1966, has been Humboldt Professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) since 2016. At KIT, Wernsdorfer is currently setting up a center for molecular quantum spintronics. Before that, he was a research associate and later director at the Neel Institute of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Grenoble, France. After training as an electrician and attending vocational secondary school, he began studying physics at the University of Wurzburg and graduated from the Ecole Normale Superieure in Lyon. The Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has announced a 10.17% decrease to next years feed-in tariff (FIT) rates for solar PV installations, which is much higher than the average decrease of 4.25% in the global PV industry. This will make 2019 a tough year for Taiwans PV industry, with wider-than-expected impacts on the whole market. The feed-in tariff is a policy designed to accelerate the development of renewable energy. It offers favorable, fixed rates for renewable energy producers, with subsidies to encourage new installations. Taiwans FIT scheme was introduced in 2010. Since then, the rates have decreased each year. In 2016, to cope with the unbalanced growth and regional development of solar PV systems in the country, the government introduced a 15% FIT markup on PV installations in Northern Taiwan, and a 6% markup for projects using high efficiency modules recognized by the Voluntary Product Certification (VPC). FITs for floating solar PV systems, meanwhile, were introduced in 2017. Since the second half of 2018, local PV companies have successively planned the construction of large-scale ground-mounted PV systems for 2019. Overall, the capacity is close to 1 GW. However, developers in this sector face myriad construction challenges. These include equipment that is resistant to salt corrosion for at least 20 years; and the costs of building substations. Indeed, contrary to the rules for rooftop PV, most ground-mounted PV systems require developers to build a booster substation by themselves, meaning the costs for grid connection account for around 25% of the total installation costs. Damage limitation In an environment where grid connection costs cannot be reduced and the FIT is greatly cut, EPC companies need to limit equipment costs by using cheaper modules and inverters, for instance, in order to maintain a high internal rate of return (IRR). EnergyTrend analyst Sharon Chen points out that current module prices are US$0.37/W on the spot market. In this situation, the IRR will be just 2.60% after the FIT cuts, while it will take 15 years for companies to achieve a break-even point. To combat this, modules prices need to be lowered to $0.30/W or less to make IRR rebound to 5%. However, we believe that even the most competitive module manufacturers in Taiwan may not be able to offer a price as low as this, let alone the prices needed for inverters, which will need to drop by more than 60% to achieve an IRR of around 5%. Overall, Taiwanese manufacturers will find it difficult to follow the global price decline trends, due to high production costs, meaning modules and inverters made by Chinese manufacturers will continue to be more cost competitive. Meanwhile, in 2019, PV projects will only receive a 6% markup on FITs when they are fitted with VPC-recognized modules and inverters. As such, companies may increase quotes to cover the associated costs of certification. However, we predict that this mechanism will actually accelerate the demise of Taiwan's manufacturers, rather than provide them with access to market, because of the cuts. Lacking Taiwans government has announced a goal to achieve a cumulative installed solar PV capacity of 20 GW by 2025, aiding foreign investments to the country and driving development of the local PV industry. It is clear, however, that it lacks the policies and measures needed to support renewable energy. Indeed, the sudden cut in FIT rates, for example, may cause development to stagnate, so that the 20 GW target becomes pointless. According to statistics from the China Economic Research Institute (CIER), Taiwan's EPC companies have considered political risks, which are the most unpredictable, more severe than the risk of natural disasters, since they cannot pass on the political risks to insurance companies. It has been a global trend to phase out FITs for solar PV projects. EnergyTrend believes that the best way is to make clear the annual decline in rates to 2025, and to use the subsidy to assist in the development of energy storage, which can supplement intermittent energy sources like solar energy. In this way, companies will also have a chance to assess the risks themselves, so that those which cannot fit in will be naturally eliminated from the industry. In the long term, the solar energy industry needs healthy and stable development. This article originally appeared on pv magazine on December 12, 2018. Please visit: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/12/12/obscured-policies-in-taiwans-fit-scheme-to-impact-on-sustainable-development-of-local-solar-supply-chain/ Erdogan: Turkey may launch Euphrates op. at any moment Ankara will do 'what is necessary' regarding terror corridors east of Euphrates River in Syria, says President Erdogan. Turkey will launch a military operation east of the Euphrates River "any moment now", President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. "TURKEY WILL DO WHAT IS NECESSARY" "We can start our operation any moment now in the Syrian territory at any place especially along the 500-kilometer border, without harming the U.S soldiers," Erdogan said at the mass opening ceremony at Mevlana Square in central Konya province. Erdogan said the army has completed preparations for the planned operation, adding that Turkey will do "what is necessary" regarding terror corridors east of the Euphrates River. "We talked with Trump. These terrorists have to go to the east of the Euphrates. If they do not leave, we will send them. Because they are disturbing us," he added. 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. OIC calls on Australia to review decision on Jerusalem Islamic body says 'illegal move' violates UN resolutions, the status of the city. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called Australia's decision to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel an illegal move that violates UN resolutions on the status of the city. In a written statement on Sunday, the Islamic body -- rejecting all attempts that would prejudice the legal status of the city -- stressed that Jerusalem was an integral part of Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967. AUSTRALIA SHOULD RESPECT INTERNATIONAL RESOLUTIONS The OIC called on Australia to respect international resolutions and to review its decision. The Palestinian National Council (PNC) also condemned the decision in a statement, calling it an invalid move that violates international resolutions. Stating that the decision was an "attack on Palestinian people living in Jerusalem", PNC called on Australia to recognize an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as capital, based on 1967 borders. On Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his country's decision to formally recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Morrison said Australia would not move its embassy until peace is established between Israel and Palestine. Tension has been running high in the occupied Palestinian territories since last year when U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might one day serve as the capital of a Palestinian state. Terrorists being buried in trenches they dig: Erdogan Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterates firm stance against terrorism. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday reiterated his firm stance against terrorism, vowing to root out terrorists from his countrys soil. FIGHT AGAINST WITH TERRORISM WILL CONTINUE Speaking at an inauguration ceremony of July 15 National Park in Esenler district of Istanbul, Erdogan said: We are always in terrorists mind. We are burying them [terrorists] in the trenches that they dig and will continue to do so. Turkey conducts anti-terror operations inside the country and northern Iraq to neutralize PKK terrorists. 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 nearly 40,000 people. Anti-terror operations targeting Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- the group behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured -- also are ongoing across the country. According to the Turkish government, FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup. Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary. UN, Palestinians launch humanitarian appeal after funding cuts UN and the Palestinian Authority on Monday appealed for $350 million in humanitarian relief for Palestinians next year, saying that they needed more. The 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan outlined 203 projects to be carried out by 88 different groups, including UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. The plan prioritized 1.4 million Palestinians most in need of food, healthcare, shelter, water and sanitation, said Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. MUCH MORE ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED Humanitarian actors are facing unprecedented challenges, including record-low funding and a rise in attacks to delegitimize humanitarian action, he said in a joint statement issued on Monday, ahead of the appeals launch in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Although much more assistance is needed, McGoldrick said, the plan was reflecting what we can realistically accomplish in this highly constrained context. Over the past year, the United States has slashed its funding to the Palestinians, including to the U.N. agency that provides services to 5 million Palestinian refugees. The United States promised $365 million to the agency in 2018, but paid only a first installment of $60 million before announcing in August that it would halt all future donations. The move was widely seen as a means of pressuring the Palestinian leadership to enter peace negotiations with Israel. The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - territories that Israel captured and occupied in the 1967 Middle East war. US-brokered peace talks between the sides collapsed in 2014 and a bid by US President Donald Trump to restart them has so far showed little progress. Around 77 percent of the funds sought in the 2019 plan would go to Gaza, the appeal organizers said, because the densely populated coastal strip faced a dire humanitarian situation after years of an Israeli-led blockade, internal Palestinian political divisions and casualties from demonstrations and recurring hostilities. Wanted terrorist surrenders to Turkish security forces Aysenur Inci was on Interior Ministrys wanted terrorist list with the bounty of 1.5 million liras. The Turkish army has dealt a heavy blow to terrorist activities, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said. Turkey conducts anti-terror operations inside the country and in northern Iraq to neutralize PKK terrorist organization. "The terror group is experiencing serious failure following our decisive fight. Their terror activities have been largely restrained. Hopefully, we will come to a position to completely neutralize them," Hulusi Akar said at an award ceremony in the capital Ankara on Friday. WE WILL PROTECT OUR BENEFITS Akar said the counter-terror efforts were "necessary and obligatory" for Turkey's security. He also stressed the importance of protecting Turkeys rights in Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. We will continue to protect our rights and benefits in Aegean, in the Eastern Mediterranean and in blue homeland'," he added. 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 nearly 40,000 people. Carbon markets reap rewards of regulation Channels: Carbon, Markets Carbon markets in North America and Europe have been buoyed by legislative changes introduced last year, and the momentum looks set to continue into 2019, the winners of Environmental Finance's Market Rankings tell Michael Hurley Increased trading activity and rising prices over the past 12 months in European and North American carbon markets have been sparked by regulatory intervention, according to the winners of Environmental Finances Annual Market Rankings. However, areas of uncertainty remain chief among which is Brexit the UKs expected exit from the European Union in March. Steffen Koehler, chief operating officer at EEX, which was voted Best Exchange for the EUs Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), says the past two years have seen a significant increase in the volume of emission allowances traded. This shows two things first, its good news for achieving our emission reduction targets. A liquid and diverse market allows efficient trading, strengthening the EU ETS. Second, it shows market participants trust in the system the market sentiment has been good over the last months. One factor contributing to this is the comprehensive policy reform of the EU ETS, he believes. These reforms, which the EU signed off in April to increase stability in the ETS between 2021 and 2030, include the introduction of the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) in January, into which surplus emission allowances removed from the market will be placed. The reforms introduced the following elements: The progressive reduction of the total quantity of carbon permits - known as the Linear Reduction Factor - will be changed, to 2.2% each year from 2021 to 2030, up from the current 1.74% a year. The number of allowances to be placed in the MSR or feeding rate will be doubled temporarily until the end of 2023. From 2023 onwards, the number of allowances held in the MSR will be limited to the auction volume of the previous year. Holdings above that amount will lose their validity. Its positive that the reform takes steps to increase not only scarcity [of allowances] in the ETS but also predictability, Koehler said. The increase of the linear reduction factor addresses the long-term, while the higher feed-in rate to the Market Stability Reserve and planned cancellation in 2023 address the short term. This adds to the credibility of the EU ETS, as it establishes clear expectations for the market. Bernadett Papp, a senior market analyst at Vertis, says a big increase in the volume of EU Allowances (EUAs) - which each represent one tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) - that were traded in response to the reforms contributed to the companys good performance. Vertis traded almost double the amount of allowances this year compared to 2017. Vertis won four titles in the EU ETS and Kyoto Project Credits (JI and CDM) categories. Papp adds that many companies were spooked by the potential for further steep price rises, and chose to purchase sooner, rather than be hit by higher prices later. Prices for EUAs have soared in recent months to about 25 in September up from less than 4.5 in May 2017. At the time of going to press, prices remain around 21. Whenever an organisation had spare money and saw the prices dropping they purchased a couple of allowances they would need in future, which has created a difficult situation for many compliance entities [which], in the last five years, were used to seeing prices between 5 and 7. The first shock came when prices passed 10 this year... Then in a matter of weeks they increased to 20. This was a shock for those installations that did not consider purchasing allowances a big task, Papp claims. Price volatility has also caused more companies to hedge their investments: Where they previously preferred to purchase allowances in the spot market, this year they have showed more interest in forwards, futures and options. Its a new development in this market. Another significant development this year is that EUAs have become financial instruments regulated by the EUs Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, says Papp. Its an invitation for many new market participants who do not have compliance obligations but find the carbon market an intriguing investment opportunity. "This year [companies] have showed more interest in forwards, futures and options. It's a new development in this market" - Bernadett Papp, Vertis This has pros and cons: one positive is that it provides liquidity in the market. The negatives are that many compliance entities are afraid of speculators those entities that dont have a compliance obligation. Supposing they purchase millions of allowances in 2018, theres a risk that they will sell allowances [only] when they think they have made enough profit, which could distort prices, warns Papp. Shaun Bainbridge, director of assurance at Lucideon, which was again voted Best Verification Company for the EU ETS, sees Brexit as the risk that overshadows everything else in the scheme. Theres been so much turmoil, with nobody knowing where the UK will go. The market needs clarity, he explains. Bainbridge says there are four possible options for the UK after March: it could remain part of the EU ETS; create its own ETS; create its own ETS and link it to the EUs; or introduce a simple carbon tax. In October, the countrys government said it would introduce such a tax in the event that the UK leaves without agreeing a deal, but added that monitoring, reporting and verification would continue to underpin this. However, its current preference is to remain a full member of the ETS until at least 2021 the duration of the so-called transition period before a permanent relationship is agreed. That would be the best option of the four, Bainbridge agrees. If the system aint broke, dont fix it! ETS Markets director Tim Atkinson believes that, so far, Brexit uncertainty has had a limited impact on the price of EUAs, which are finding support between 17 and 20 a trend that will be cemented by the introduction of the MSR in January. However, he urges UK operators to prepare for the possibility of a hard Brexit by ensuring they have a way of selling or holding any surplus allowances. ETS Markets was voted Best Advisory/ Consultancy for the EU ETS, after it came runner-up last year. Atkinson urges policymakers to step back from a market in which prices are on the up, and the scheme is at its most effective since its inception. With the exception of the UK, we have some certainty across the EU ETS. Companies can start to make decisions based on the back of that, he says. The ETS could benefit from a period of policy stability. In North America, the linked California and Quebec cap-and-trade programmes, which form part of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), were jolted in July by Ontario cancelling its participation in the programme. Ontario formally joined the WCI in September 2017, but in June the provinces populist premier Doug Ford announced his intention to withdraw from the programme. This caused disruption to plans by the countrys federal government to implement a nationwide carbon pricing system, slated to begin on 1 January, 2019. Under this plan, provinces and territories are asked to implement a system that makes sense for their circumstances - either an explicit price-based system, such as a carbon tax, or cap-and-trade. The government also committed to implement a federal carbon pricing backstop that will apply in any province or territory that requests it, or that does not have a carbon pricing system in place in 2018 that meets federal requirements. Entities that were expecting to be covered by Ontarios now defunct capand- trade programme have been rushing to understand how the federal system will work, which has sustained client demand at ClearBlue Markets, according to Michael Berends, the companys managing director of origination. ClearBlue Markets was voted Best Advisory/Consultancy for the North American Markets. Nicolas Girod, ClearBlues managing director of markets, claims that although the decision initially hit market sentiment in California, because Ontario was short on supply of emissions permits, it had almost no impact on demand. In its most recent quarterly auction, the first since Ontarios exit, California sold all its permits and raised $813 million, while Quebec a smaller market raised $167 million. It was done in a pretty clean way, and it shows on a longer-term basis that linkage and de-linkage is possible and those markets are flexible, says Girod. A lot of lessons will be learned because of this de-linkage. He believes that, in the long-term, it will make the market stronger. Berends and Girod suggest that there is scope for further linkage between schemes in both the WCI and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) market of nine states in the north-eastern US. A number of southern states are also considering joining RGGI, as is coalintensive Virginia. Meanwhile, there is potential for Mexico and Oregon to join the WCI. There have even been whispers of WCI linking with RGGI, which may be something of a dream but could happen one day, suggests Berends. In September, WCI and Europe signed an agreement, but this was more a signal of collaboration on how to harmonise the structures of the WCI and the EU ETS, rather than a statement of intent to link the two, says Girod. Randy Lack, chief marketing officer at Element Markets, winner of three titles in the North American GHG markets, says the California scheme has been characterised by a wait and see approach among traders, and has been pricing tight, following the passage in July 2017 of regulation to extend the scheme. Market participants are increasingly casting an eye towards the future, he claims. We have seen greater speculation, and more hedging. The market is expected to go negative in supply-versus-demand between 2022 and 2024, and companies with renewed confidence are now doing longer-range planning. We didnt see this in the early stages, Lack suggests. Meanwhile, 2018 has been a fantastic year for RGGI, he says. Prices have been boosted by the anticipated reduction in the number of allowances due to be auctioned next year, as well as the expected addition of New Jersey and Virginia, which will add a lot of demand, Lack says. There doesnt seem to be any downward pressure [on prices] in RGGI. Instead, there seems to be a push towards the upside, he says. On 1 January, futures contracts for December 2018 were $4.22, while at the time of publication they stood at about $5.35, Lack observes. New Jersey and Virginia potentially stepping into the market early, and adding into demand, will create a stronger 2019 than would normally have been expected, he predicts. Kevin Townsend, chief commercial officer at Bluesource, which won two titles in the North American markets, says: In the WCI market, the withdrawal of Ontario was a blow, but the California government reacted quickly, and market participants are dealing. [However,] the regulatory landscape continues to see battles over issues related to programme design beyond 2020, and theres uncertainty over various key aspects, including offsets, that have caused some uneasiness. Ontarios continued push-back against the Canadian federal programme will be something to watch in 2019, he says. Zach Eyler, vice president of greenhouse gas programmes at Ruby Canyon Engineering, which retained the title of Best Verification Company for North American markets, predicts a steady year ahead for both these regional markets. In the next 12 months we dont see much official linkage happening within North America. Mexicos pilot programme should hopefully begin early next year and we have hope for Oregon this coming legislative season. While programmes are communicating about potential links, well continue to see mostly siloed programmes across North America for now. We see potential linkage opportunities over the coming years, but not in the short term, Eyler adds. There is also positive sentiment in the international offset markets, says K. Sudheendra, a director and head of operations at Epic Sustainability Services, voted Best Verification Company for Kyoto project credits, and he expects them to grow over the coming year. Elsewhere, activity in Chinas emissions trading system has been muted, according to South Poles director of climate policy and carbon markets, Jeff Swartz. South Pole picked up awards in three categories for Kyoto Project Credits (JI and CDM). A pilot phase of Chinas national scheme was launched late last year. Starting with the power sector, it is expected the country will gradually phase in other sectors over time. However, the market has seen very little activity, says Swartz: China is slow. We had hoped to see more. The other country that is really interesting is Colombia. It is well into implementing its carbon tax this was the first year that you could use only credits [created] in Colombia, which led to a shortage of supply. Were developing a lot of projects there, mostly in the land use sector, Swartz reveals. Colombia is planning to transition to an emissions trading scheme in the next three years. How much that morphs into a kind of EU ETS will be interesting. Australia is another market that South Pole is watching with intent. Australia always presents an interesting story, and recently there have been signs of growing support from the people of Australia for carbon pricing, which bodes well for some kind of new government policy, says Swartz. Martijn Wilder, partner at Baker McKenzie, which built on the success of previous years and picked up the title of Best Law Firm in five GHG categories, agrees that demand is high in Australia. The national government's Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) under which it purchases Australian Carbon Credit Units, is currently about AUD8 billion ($6 billion) in size and is a very large demand driver, Wilder says. In addition, the country's Safeguard Mechanism imposes limits on large greenhouse gas emitting facilities to ensure that net emissions are kept below a baseline. Although this has so far been implemented with a light touch, Wilder says, "it has the ability to be increased such that it imposes far more rigorous obligation." He is hoping the Katowice climate change conference (COP 24) can drive additional demand for offsets. At the time of this articles publication, national governments were gathered in Poland to flesh out the rulebook required to implement the Paris Agreement. "We have a lot of transactions pending the outcome of Article 6, he says, referencing the section of the Agreement dedicated to market-based climate change mitigation mechanisms such as emissions trading. Where countries have set targets for emission reductions, there is still a lot of uncertainty about how trades will be accounted for," Wilder says. "What restrictions will be placed on my ability to purchase credits and have them transferred internationally? If I'm in the UK, and I wish to buy carbon credits from an activity in Brazil, whose target does that count towards? For developing countries that have targets [to reduce their emissions] but want financial assistance in return, will an international transfer under Article 6 always result in an addition to their target if the reduction occurred in a covered sector? And what happens if it was not in a covered sector? "We dont think the rulebook will be completed [at COP] but we are hoping for sufficient clarity to allow companies to do international emissions trading," says Wilder.South Poles Swartz echoes Wilders plea: We need clarity out of COP. Among the key issues that needs to be resolved is so-called double counting. Nobody wants a system with loopholes, which unfortunately you had under the Kyoto Protocol. We dont expect a lot of detail, but a list of high-level provisions - a sort of Ten Commandments for the Paris Agreement. South Pole is currently studying what projects it can develop under Article 6. Were on the cusp of developing some of the very first activities that you could consider international transfers of credits, Swartz adds. The company is particularly interested in how Article 6 might link with the International Civil Aviation Organisations scheme for offsets, CORSIA. The scheme is a potential source of high demand for what will be compliance credits post-2020, Swartz believes. CORSIA, which will look to offset aviation emissions through the process of an airline purchasing emission offsets, is expected to be introduced in phases. It will start as a voluntary scheme from 2021 until 2026, and from 2027 almost all international flights will be subject to offsetting requirements. Group violence is a common phenomenon in India. The large number of riotous situations faced by the police are simply staggering and perhaps among the highest in the world. Politics, poor governance, inability to meet rising expectations and absence of standard conflict resolution mechanisms explain much of this group violence. Yet, the role of the police and its leadership in handling and diffusing violent situations remains largely unexamined. In this paper, two cases of group violence in Bihar are presented to assess the role of local and senior police officials. The anti-Sikh riots at Palamau in 1984 and the anti-Muslim riots at Bhagalpur in 1989 provide insight into the organisational dynamics of the Indian police and help explain police performance in handling group violence. It is argued that apart from the well-known factor of political control that affects police functions in the country, organisational matters of training, resources, communications and leadership are also significant factors. The implications of the 2002 Gujarat riots are also discussed. Subscribers please login to access full text of the article. New 3 Month Subscription to Digital Archives at 649for India $20for overseas users Get instant access to the complete EPW archives Subscribe now Parking is of paramount concern to urban car owners and urban planners. The current arsenal of solutions available to policymakers addressing the increasingly urgent parking shortage in cities around the world includes better public transportation, carpooling incentives, fines for illegal parking and improved infrastructure. A new Tel Aviv University study suggests that a parking algorithm that allows drivers to "bid" for a curbside spot may guarantee more uniform parking occupancy, filling spots in less lucrative areas and relieving the pressure on high-demand neighborhoods. A smartphone app that uses the algorithm can offer a practical solution to the problem of bottleneck parking in low supply areas and empty lots outside the immediate sphere of demand. The research was led by Prof. Itzhak Benenson of the Department of Geography and Human Environment at TAU's Faculty of Exact Sciences and conducted by doctoral student Nir Fulman. It was published in IEEE ITS Magazine. "Urban parking prices are now uniform over large urban areas, but this doesn't reflect neighborhood-specific supply and demand," Prof. Benenson says. "Underpricing results in long and often unsuccessful searches for parking in areas where demand exceeds supply, while overpricing leads to low occupancy and hampered economic vitality. "Our GIS-based Parking Pricing Algorithm, a geography-specific algorithm for establishing on- and off-street parking prices, guarantees a predetermined uniform level of occupation over an entire area." Several cities around the world have initiated pilot projects that adjust curbside parking prices to occupation in real time. But these projects require street sensors that cost millions of dollars to install and operate. According to the researchers, the Parking Pricing Algorithm has been tested in the Israeli city of Bat Yam and established real-time adaptive parking prices that guaranteed 90 percent parking occupancy without the installation of heavy and expensive equipment. "If the number of free spots in one specific area decreases, their price increases. So some of the spots are always vacant, because they end up being very expensive," says Prof. Benenson. "With adaptive prices, a driver who really needs to park close to a destination can now find a space. Any resulting economic inequity is resolved by means of special 'free of charge' permits or discounts. When you have an app that informs you about parking prices when you drive to your destination, you can resolve any number of parking and traffic issues." The researchers studied the parking behavior of drivers in the field and in laboratory experiments, then compared these results with those of simulation models. "We truly believe that adaptive parking pricing is the future of cities," Prof. Benenson concludes. "This is a mechanism that can stop people from coming into the city centers and searching for a parking spot for hours on end; and nobody would be charged more than necessary. On-street parking is public property and should be managed as public property." The researchers are now exploring ways of including a balanced parking policy in Israel's Mobility as a Service (MAAS) transport policy, which proposes advantages for public transport users, car-poolers and bikers and could smoothly adopt to autonomous vehicles in the future. ### American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. TAU is ranked ninth in the world, and first in Israel, for producing start-up founders of billion-dollar companies, an achievement that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,500 US patents have been filed by Tel Aviv University researchers -- ranking TAU #1 in Israel, #10 outside of the US and #43 in the world. More than one in eight U.S. adults (12.6 percent) used benzodiazepines in the past year, up from previous reports. Misuse of the prescription drugs accounted for more than 17 percent of overall use, according to a study published online today in Psychiatric Services in Advance. The researchers defined misuse as any way a doctor did not direct, including using the drug without a prescription or more often or longer than prescribed. Misuse was highest among young adults 18 to 25 (5.6 percent) and was as common as prescribed use. Benzodiazepines are a class of medications used to treat conditions such as anxiety and insomnia. They include Alprazolam (Xanax, Niravam) diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan) and others. Researchers analyzed data from the 2015 and 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Although there were differences in the studies, research from 2013 and 2014 found about 4 to 6 percent of adults used benzodiazepines. Previous national estimates of use have not accounted for misuse. In addition to finding that overall use has increased, today's study is the first analysis to find the highest benzodiazepine use among adults 50 to 64 years (13 percent); previous studies found the highest use was among those 65 and older. Whereas women were more likely than men to report any use of benzodiazepines, men were more likely than women to report misuse. Benzodiazepine use has come under increasing scrutiny given the associated harms and safer alternatives, particularly in light of the opioid epidemic. The study found benzodiazepine misuse was strongly associated with misuse of or dependence on prescription opioids or stimulants. When asked about the reasons for misuse, nearly half said to relax or relieve tension and just over a quarter said to help with sleep. Among people taking benzodiazepines without a prescription, the most common source was a friend or relative. The authors, led by Donovan Maust, M.D., with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, suggest that patients also prescribed stimulants or opioids should be monitored for benzodiazepine misuse. They also note that some misuse may reflect limited access to health care generally and behavioral treatments specifically and suggest that some misuse could be reduced with improved access to behavioral interventions for sleep or anxiety. ### The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 37,800 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses. APA's vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information please visit http://www.psychiatry.org. New study shows that the roots used by three close species of microscopic Daphnia crustaceans to settle across the territory of Northern Eurasia differed greatly. This findings shed light on how the continental freshwater fauna was formed. They are published in PLOS ONE. Branchcrus crustaceans (Cladocera superorder), living mainly in freshwater bodies, are of interest not only to crustaceans. These microscopic animals are model objects of evolutionary biology, genetics, ecology, and other areas of the biological sciences. Most studies focus on crustaceans of the genus Daphnia. Despite being the most famous and widespread, Daphnia still holds some mysteries for biologists. For example, the distribution pattern of these crustaceans in Eurasia has been unknown so far. One of the reasons for that was lack of studies on the vast territory of Siberia. Recently, Russian scientists first collected several species of crustaceans in Siberian waters and examined them in order to learn more about the history of their settlement in the continent. Three species of Daphnia found throughout Northern Eurasia were selected for the study: Daphnia galeata, D. longispina and D. dentifera. Samples of crustaceans were collected in 35 ponds of the European part of Russia, Eastern Siberia, the Far East, Austria and Mongolia. All animals were photographed before the study in order to preserve data on their appearance, and then the DNA of some of them was extracted. Genetic comparison of populations from different regions was based on two mitochondrial genes. Mitochondria are small "energy stations" of a cell. Mitochondrial DNA in all animals is transmitted only through the maternal line, while the DNA of the cell nucleus combines the genetic material of both parents. Therefore, the kinship between different populations is easier traced using the mitochondrial genes rather than the genes from the nucleus. The data gained during the study was finally compared to the GenBank international database. Scientists identified differences in DNA in different regions of Eurasia and determined the genetic differences between populations and the approximate time of their divergence. It turned out that, despite the proximity of the three species, they were differently settled in northern Eurasia. D. galeata spread in the region very quickly and relatively recently. The species D. longispina and D. dentifera were genetically very heterogeneous. The researchers concluded that during the Ice Age they survived in fragmented populations in the so-called refugiums (shelters) in Eastern Siberia in strong isolation from each other. As a result, each species have a strong genetic diversity. "In this study, we applied phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches, based on genetic data from native lines, which reveal the links between them and reconstruct the history of species spread through the whole European Union," emphasizes Alexey Kotov, the leading researcher at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. "Although Daphnia genus is the most convenient model object for such works, we plan to study the demographic history of other genera of branch-crustaceans, as well as some other microscopic animals of continental water bodies. All these studies help us to create a single picture of what historical processes shaped the modern biological diversity of Northern Eurasia." ### The study was conducted jointly with scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution named after A.N. Severtsov RAN, Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS and Limnological Institute SB RAS. It was supported by the Russian Science Foundation. Thermal-sensing cameras mounted on drones may offer a safer and more cost-effective way to locate nests of the elusive European nightjar in forestry work and construction areas, according to new research presented at the British Ecological Society's annual meeting in Birmingham today. Ecologists from Cardiff University recently conducted a pilot study in Bryn, a Natural Resources Wales managed conifer plantation in South Wales, to test the suitability of drones to detect nest sites of the protected European nightjar. "The current methods of searching for nightjar nests on foot are expensive and can pose a health and safety risk for people, particularly when accessing clearfell worksites", said Mike Shewring, a PhD student at Cardiff University. "Nightjars are camouflaged to look just like a fallen log or dead wood. They nest on the ground and 'sit tight' when approached to avoid detection, which makes it nearly impossible to spot them during the day when they are inactive", he added. To test the new method, the team used the drones to take thermal photographs at nest sites, where observations and radio tracking previously showed European nightjars were breeding between May and August. Images were taken at various heights (10, 20 and 50 metres) at dawn, midday and dusk. The nests were observed from a distance to see if the drones caused any disturbance. From the photographs, the researchers could detect nests due to the high temperature contrast between the nightjar's body (40C) and the colder background area. Images taken at 10 metres and during cooler times of the day (dawn and dusk) proved most useful. The known elevations at which the drones were flown allowed the team to estimate the body size of the nightjars to confirm the species. "Our preliminary findings demonstrate the potential of drones for surveying nightjars during their breeding season, allowing forestry managers to locate nests more accurately and plan their works adequately. This methodology could also have wider applications, since it could technically be adapted to detect any warm-blooded species", commented project supervisor Dr Robert Thomas. All nightjars sat tight on their nests during the drone flights, as they usually do to avoid being detected by predators. "We don't know whether the nightjars perceived the drones as a predator. This would be interesting to explore in future studies to ensure that the sight and sound of drones don't have any negative impacts on the birds' stress levels or metabolism", Shewring concluded. Mike Shewring will present a poster on his work on Monday 17 December 2018 at the British Ecological Society annual meeting. The conference will bring together 1,200 ecologists from more than 40 countries to discuss the latest research. ### For patients who receive emergency department care for heart failure, early follow-up by a physician within 7 days after emergency department discharge is associated with lower rates of death or admissions to hospital, according to research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). However, the researchers found that less than half of the 34 519 patients in the study were seen by a physician within 7 days of discharge from the emergency department. "Unlike patients admitted to hospital, patients discharged from the emergency department do not receive daily assessment and investigations by physicians and nurses," writes Dr. Clare Atzema, ICES, with coauthors. "These patients are left to arrange their own subsequent care." In Canada, the direct cost of heart failure is $2.8 billion a year. There are more than a million visits to the emergency department for heart failure in North America annually. As hospital admissions are the costliest aspect of care, systems are moving toward outpatient management when possible. Of the total 34 519 patients with heart failure discharged from the emergency department in the present study, 47% (16 274) saw a physician within a week, and 83.6% (28 846) received care within 30 days. Almost one-quarter (23.5%) of patients died within a year of their emergency department visit, with the lowest death rate (21.7%, 3533 patients) in those seen within 7 days. "Given our findings, we argue that scheduled follow-up appointments for patients with heart failure in the emergency department should be prioritized," state the authors. "The most efficient way to do this is to provide an appointment before they leave the emergency department." The authors note that many patients are seen when doctors' offices are closed but that linking hospital and outpatient records electronically could help schedule appointments. ### "Effect of early physician follow-up on mortality and subsequent hospital admissions after emergency care for heart failure: a retrospective cohort study" is published December 17, 2018. A new study shows what nine different world regions have contributed to climate change since 1900, and what will happen moving forward The science is clear that human activities over the last century have contributed to greenhouse-like warming of the Earth's surface. Much of the global conversation around climate change fixates on what individual countries or regions are contributing to the problem, and what they will do (or not do) to reverse the tide. But Colorado State University's A.R. Ravishankara, University Distinguished Professor who holds joint appointments in the departments of chemistry and atmospheric science, says the full picture is longer and more complex than meets the eye. It involves a legacy of past actions, as well as irreversible commitments for the future. Ravishankara and co-author Daniel Murphy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offer a new calculation that provides the long view of what nine different world regions have contributed to climate change since 1900. They also show how that breakdown will likely look by 2100 under various emission scenarios. Their study is in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec. 17. They call their calculation "cumulative radiative forcing" because it integrates the ebb and flow of climate factors throughout the past century, rather than just a snapshot of what it is today. "Radiative forcing" is a metric that measures the sun's energy that is retained by Earth. Global warming is the result of positive radiative forcing, or more energy being retained by Earth than escaping back into space. Their study also underscores the insidious two-sided role of particulate matter pollution in the atmosphere, the result of burning fossil fuels, wildfires, and other human activities that have spewed pollution and dust into the atmosphere over many decades. Such aerosols are short-lived in the atmosphere, but they have a net cooling effect due to their interaction with sunlight and clouds. While carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linger in the atmosphere and continue contributing to warming for many years, aerosols dissipate, along with their net cooling effects, more quickly. In total, the presence of aerosols has masked some of the effects of global warming. In their analysis, the researchers found that, for example, between 1910 and 2017, China, Europe and North America each had periods of nearly no net contributions to warming. These periods were characterized by rapid industrialization and growth of GDP, when fossil fuel emissions increased but few air quality controls were enforced. The study further shows that each region's contribution to radiative forcing due to carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) emissions from 2018 to 2100 will be larger than the total warming contributed during the last century. "To date, China has contributed very little," Ravishankara said. "China has essentially paid for their carbon dioxide emissions through bad air quality." But as China implements clean air standards moving forward, and the nation's emissions increase at a slower rate, its share of contributions to climate change will increase, according to the study. North America is the largest contributor now and will remain so even in 2100. The two-sided coin of aerosols - short-lived cooling, but harmful to human health - is starkly illustrated in a separate study authored by CSU postdoctoral researcher Liji David, Ravishankara and other colleagues, to be published online in GeoHealth. The researchers estimate that more than 1 million premature deaths per year in India are due to exposure to "ambient particulate matter" - air pollution in the form of breathable particles like sulfate aerosols, dust and soot. In India, residential energy use - biomass burning in homes for heating and cooking - is the dominant contributor to this premature mortality rate. Of the estimated 1.1 million premature deaths in 2012 from small particulate matter in India, about 60 percent were due to anthropogenic pollutants emitted within the region, according to the study. Yet to date, India's contribution to climate change has been minimal as shown by Murphy and Ravishankara in PNAS, as it will be even by 2100, compared with other nations. As India implements clean air policies and works to reduce premature deaths from air pollution, its role in climate change may increase due to the aerosols playing less of a role in offsetting climate change, but human health will improve. Ravishankara stresses that people should look at effects of emissions holistically. Future climate scenarios must take into account all warming contributions to date, and the effects of those contributions moving forward. Emissions reductions would not only help climate, but also human health, he says. Aggressively reduced carbon dioxide and other emissions, for the sake of the planet and for the sake of human health, are the only viable options. "We need to ask not only what is our commitment going forward but also what is our legacy?" Ravishankara said. ### Every year, the European Commission's Health Policy Platform hosts three thematic networks, led by stakeholders. The underlying idea of the platform is to ease communication between European Commission services and health stakeholders. The chosen networks have the ultimate aim of producing a joint statement which are essentially policy recommendations to the Commission. For the first time, an EKHA ("European Kidney Health Alliance") programme has been shortlisted and voted for. One of the members of this alliance of non-profit organisations representing key stakeholders in kidney health issues is the "European Renal Association - European Dialysis and Transplant Association" (ERA-EDTA). The programme that made it onto the European Commission's Health Policy Platform is called "Improving Organ Donation and Transplantation in the EU", and its aim is to improve Europe-wide access to kidney transplantation - the best renal replacement therapy, also from the medical perspective. However, there are barriers which limit the extent to which transplantation is used. The shortage of organs, especially, remains a devastating obstacle in the EU. "EKHA proposed a thematic network which will bring together a broad group of stakeholders in the field of organ donation and transplantation to share best practices and support solutions to address main challenges faced by member states: how to increase organ availability, enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of transplant systems and improving quality and safety", explains EKHA chairman, Professor Raymond Vanholder (Belgium). ERA-EDTA is very proud that many stakeholders voted for this topic, although all the competing projects were strong and innovative, too. "This poll result clearly shows that the shortage of organs and the long waiting lists for transplantation in many European countries are generally perceived as a huge societal issue", says ERA-EDTA president Professor Carmine Zoccali. "People expect the EU government to provide solutions and to pave the way so that the best medical renal replacement treatment is equally available in all European countries. We hope that the chosen program builds bridges between the different policy areas and that we can achieve a sustainable improvement for patients on the waiting list". ### Researchers in Eindhoven have developed a new type of low-energy, nanoscale laser that shines in all directions. The key to its omnidirectional light emission is the introduction of something that is usually highly undesirable in nanotechnology: irregularities in the materials. The researchers foresee a vast range of potential applications, but first they hope their fundamental work will inspire others to further improve it and deepen the understanding. The results are published in the journal Physical Review Letters. Lack of control of the variables determining the response of a system is usually seen as a curse in science and technology. But what about a slight pinch of imperfection and disorder? Imperfections and irregularities are unavoidable in nanoscience due to our limited level of control of nanofabrication processes. Disorder is potentially detrimental to nanosystems, but if well-contained, disorder might not be an intruder after all, leading to novel physical concepts and applications. Published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters, scientists from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) have investigated the role of imperfections and disorder in nanolasers. By introducing a slight degree of disorder, they have observed a dramatic change: the laser no longer emits in one specific direction, but in all directions. Development of nanoscale lasers (smaller than the thickness of a human hair) is a very active field of research. In a normal laser, each photon (light particle) is 'cloned' many times in a medium that is located inside a cavity (e.g. a pair of mirrors between which the photon moves back and forth producing other photons with the same characteristics). This process is known as Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER). To achieve laser emission an electrical current is usually injected through the medium, or it is illuminated with high energy light. The minimum energy needed for a laser to emit is called the lasing threshold. A different kind of laser is the so-called polariton laser. This works on the principle not of cloning photons but making non-identical photons identical in much the same way as water vapor molecules, moving in all directions with different velocities, are condensed into a single drop. Condensation of photons gives rise to the intense and directional emission characteristic of a laser. An important advantage of polariton lasers is that they have a much lower lasing threshold, which makes them excellent candidates for many applications. However, a major problem of polariton lasers has been that they need to operate at very low temperatures (like vapor condensation that takes place only when the temperature is lowered) but by using organic materials, it is possible to obtain polariton laser emission even at ambient temperature. The Eindhoven researchers demonstrated last year that they can realize nanoscale polariton lasers that function at ambient temperature, using metallic nanoparticles instead of mirrors as in normal lasers. The TU/e-DIFFER researchers have now discovered a new kind of polariton laser that consists of a regular pattern of silver nanostripes covered with colored PMMA-polymer whose dye comprises organic emitting molecules. However, the silver stripes deliberately have some degree of imperfection and disorder. The emission from this non-perfect nanolaser is omnidirectional and mainly is determined by the properties of the organic molecules. This result is not expected in the framework of condensation, as omnidirectional emission requires emissions from independent organic molecules instead of the collective emission that is typical for condensation. The demonstration of omnidirectional emission defines new boundaries for the development of nanoscale lasers at ambient temperatures. The researchers think their laser may eventually be applied in many areas. Compared to a LED, the omnidirectional laser light is much brighter and better defined. That's why it is a good candidate for microscopy lighting, which currently uses LEDs. LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging) is another potential application. Current LIDAR use one or more lasers and a set of fast moving mirrors in order to cover large areas to image distant objects. An omnidirectional laser does not require the moving mirrors, thereby significantly reducing the complexity. And also general illumination is an option, says lead researcher professor Jaime Gomez Rivas. "But the research is still very fundamental. We hope that our results will stimulate other researchers to improve them by further reducing the lasing threshold or increasing the range of emitted colors." Surface Photonics Group The research group responsible for this work investigates light-matter interaction enhanced by resonant structures, such as metallic nanoparticles and structured surfaces. Strong light-matter coupling leads to new fundamental phenomena that can be exploited to tailor material properties. The group is part of the Photonics and Semiconductor Nanophysics capacity group at the department of Applied Physics and of the "Institute for Integrated Photonics" of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), and formerly part of the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER), where the experimental work in this paper was performed. ### Boston, December 17, 2018 - A study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals the best assessment tools available to establish the severity of diagnosed delirium in hospitalized patients. Delirium is a common, serious, and often preventable complication among older adult patients. This is an important step in the management of delirium in older adults because the ability to quantify severity of the condition beyond merely rating delirium as present or not will help clinicians develop and monitor more effective treatments. The quality of the tools available to measure delirium severity has been recognized as highly important for tracking prognosis, monitoring response to treatment, and estimating burden of care both during and after hospitalization. A research team including 21 scientists from Harvard Medical School, the Marcus Institute for Aging Research (Marcus Institute) at Hebrew SeniorLife, and 10 other academic organizations in the U.S. and China, searched databases including 9,409 articles that addressed measurement of delirium severity. They reviewed the full text of 228 and identified 42 different instruments to explore further. Applying pre-specified criteria related to frequency of use, methodologic quality, construct or predictive validity, and broad domain coverage, 6 final high-quality instruments were identified. They included, the Confusion Assessment Method, Confusional State Examination, Delirium-O-Meter, Delirium Observation Scale, Delirium Rating Scale, and Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale. These measures will enable accurate measurement of delirium severity to improve clinical care for this common and devastating condition. The researchers hope this work will stimulate increased usage, and head-to-head comparison of these instruments. According to senior author of the study, Sharon K. Inouye, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Aging Brain Center, Marcus Institute and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, "The time is right to advance measurement of delirium severity: Measurement is important, impactful, and efforts to stratify risk, target treatment, and monitor for outcomes are already possible and feasible with existing approaches." First author, Richard N. Jones, ScD, of Brown University adds, "Measurements of delirium severity should play an important role in the advancement of clinical care and research for persons with delirium." An estimated 12 million older Americans experience delirium each year, at a cost of over $164 billion (2011) in annual health care expenditures. Delirium is distressing to patients and families, prolongs hospital stays, delays rehabilitation, and increases risks for dementia and death. Despite its importance for patient safety and public health, delirium is often unrecognized by clinicians, and effective treatments remain elusive. Moreover, presentation of delirium is heterogeneous and multifaceted, and measurement of delirium and its severity pose unique challenges. ### Funding Sources: This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health [R01AG044518 (SKI/RNJ), R24AG054259 (SKI), K07AG041835 (SKI), P01AG031720 (SKI), and K24AG035075 (ERM)]. About the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research Scientists at the Marcus Institute seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age. The Marcus Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making. About Hebrew SeniorLife Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, the non-profit, non-sectarian organization has provided communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers since 1903. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org, follow us on Twitter @H_SeniorLife, like us on Facebook or read our blog. IOS Press, an international publisher providing content for scientific, technical and medical communities, is proud to announce the relaunch and revitalization of StemBook Amsterdam, The Netherlands, December 17, 2018 - IOS Press, an international publisher providing content for scientific, technical and medical communities, is proud to announce the relaunch and revitalization of StemBook, an online open access forum and discussion platform for the stem cell research community. It features a collection of content covering a range of topics related to stem cell biology written by top researchers in the field. The stembook.org site is being refreshed with new content that will be expanded and updated regularly. Enhanced functionality will also be introduced soon. IOS Press acquired StemBook in 2017. The project was originally conceived and launched in 2008 by a distinguished Editorial Board under the guidance of founding editor Douglas A. Melton, PhD, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard, MA, USA, and other key innovators from the stem cell research community. It was developed in collaboration with several enterprises including the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Harvard's Initiative in Innovative Computing. StemBook is designed to provide just-in-time information as well as a wealth of foundational knowledge to stem cell researchers and researchers in other specialties. Together with the newly launched StemJournal, it is one of the core components of StemHub, a new portal currently under development by IOS Press. "StemBook's mission has been and will remain to provide an interactive nexus and knowledge resource that offers opportunities for learning, interaction, synergy and community building across this highly interdisciplinary scientific domain. It is our intention to foster its continuing growth to serve the evolving needs of this burgeoning field," commented IOS Press Founder and Director Einar Fredriksson. StemBook Editor Chad A. Cowan, PhD, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and the Publisher are working closely together to expand the current Editorial Board, add new content and update previously published content to keep pace with developments in this fast-moving field. "The Editorial Board and I are extremely excited about the ongoing development of StemBook and the prospect of guiding its new content and features," noted Dr. Cowan. "We are confident that StemBook will continue to serve, support and advance the field through the publication of review articles and protocols that are cutting-edge and comprehensive." StemBook offers the following content: CHAPTERS Both invited and noncommissioned reviews submitted to StemJournal are republished as chapters in StemBook. All submitted reviews undergo a stringent peer-review process. These chapters are indexed by PubMed and the content is available on the NCBI Bookshelf. PROTOCOLS StemBook publishes validated protocols in collaboration with Stem Cell COREdinates that encompass various methods to generate, edit and differentiate induced pluripotent stem cells into various lineages. New protocols, both commissioned and unsolicited, submitted for peer review and accepted for publication in StemJournal, are archived in StemBook under the appropriate topic in the Protocols section. OTHER CONTENT News, commentaries and meeting announcements of interest to stem cell researchers are also published in StemBook, including: Journal Stream - weekly curated selections from the very latest stem cell literature Forums - discussions with and profiles of researchers and laboratories Resources - laboratory resources, funding sources, etc. Sections comprising StemBook are being expanded so that they reflect the breadth and depth of research in the field and mirror the sections covered in StemJournal: Cancer stem cells; cell maturation and aging; cellular and nuclear reprogramming; computational biology and data science; disease modeling and drug discovery; ectoderm specification and differentiation; endoderm specification and differentiation; genetics and epigenetics; genomics, proteomics and omics; germ cell and somatic stem cell biology in reproduction; imaging; mesoderm specification and differentiation; neural stem cells and development; niche biology, homing and migration; pluripotency; stem cell differentiation; stem cell homeostasis and function; stem cell renewal; stem cell immunology; tissue-specific stem cells; therapeutic prospects and clinical trials; tissue engineering, biomaterials and manufacturing; and research policies and ethical considerations. With the launch of StemJournal, an open access forum for communicating outstanding research in stem cell biology, and the relaunch of StemBook, IOS Press has opened new, dynamic channels for scientific contributions from the many fields of research on stem cells. It also paves the way for developing a much larger hub. ### New Rochelle, NY, December 17, 2018--Researchers at Columbia University used a technique with voxel printing to create digital wood - a highly complex material for 3DP printing because of its combination of internal grains and external color textures. The technique is described in an article published in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article free on the 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing website through January 17, 2019. In "Digital Wood: 3D Internal Color Texture Mapping," coauthors Fabian Stute, Joni Mici, Lewis Chamberlain, and Hod Lipson, Columbia University, New York, NY describe the inability to copy 3D objects with complex internal textures as a gap in the current 3D printing field. The researchers used destructive tomographic imaging to obtain images of a wood sample at very thin images and then feed the stack of images to a voxel-capable 3D printer. The authors also discuss less invasive and destructive methods that can be used to image the interior of materials with complex internal textures. ### About the Journal 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing is the only peer-reviewed journal focused on the rapidly moving field of 3D printing and related technologies. Led by Editor-in-Chief Skylar Tibbits Director, Self-Assembly Lab, MIT, and Founder & Principal, SJET LLC., the Journal explores emerging challenges and opportunities ranging from new developments of processes and materials, to new simulation and design tools, and informative applications and case studies. Published quarterly online with open access options and in print, the Journal spans a broad array of disciplines to address the challenges and discover new breakthroughs and trends within this groundbreaking technology. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing website. About the Publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative medical and biomedical peer-reviewed journals, including Big Data, Soft Robotics, New Space, and Tissue Engineering. Its biotechnology trade magazine GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News) was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's more than 80 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website. WOODS HOLE, Mass. --Why do we age? Despite more than a century of research (and a vast industry of youth-promising products), what causes our cells and organs to deteriorate with age is still unknown. One known factor is temperature: Many animal species live longer at lower temperature than they do at higher temperatures. As a result, "there are people out there who believe, strongly, that if you take a cold shower every day it will extend your lifespan," says Kristin Gribble, a scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL). But a new study from the laboratories of Gribble and MBL Director of Research David Mark Welch indicates that it's not just a matter of turning down the thermostat. Rather, the extent to which temperature affects lifespan depends on an individual's genes. The MBL study, published in Experimental Gerentology, was conducted in the rotifer, a tiny animal that Gribble, Mark Welch, and colleagues have been developing as a modern model system for aging research. They exposed 11 genetically distinct strains of Brachionus rotifers to low temperature, with the hypothesis that if the mechanism of lifespan extension is purely a thermodynamic response, all strains should have a similar lifespan increase. However, the median lifespan increase ranged from 6 percent to 100 percent across the strains, they found. They also observed differences in mortality rate. The study clarifies the role of temperature in the free-radical theory of aging, which has dominated the field since the 1950s. This theory proposes that animals age due to the accumulation of cellular damage from reactive oxidative species (ROS), a form of oxygen that is generated by normal metabolic processes. "Generally, it was thought that if an organism is exposed to lower temperature, it passively lowers their metabolic rate and that slows the release of ROS, which slows down cellular damage. That, in turn, delays aging and extends lifespan," Gribble says. Their results, however, indicate that the change in lifespan under low temperature is likely actively controlled by specific genes. "This means we really need to pay more attention to genetic variability in thinking about responses to aging therapies," Gribble says. "That is going to be really important when we try to move some of these therapies into humans." ### The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery - exploring fundamental biology, understanding marine biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago. America's teens report a dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just a single year, with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting "any vaping" in the past 12 months, compared to just 27.8 percent in 2017. These findings come from the 2018 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of a nationally representative sample of eighth, 10th and 12th graders in schools nationwide, funded by a government grant to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The annual results were announced today by the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, along with the scientists who lead the research team. Reported use of vaping nicotine specifically in the 30 days prior to the survey nearly doubled among high school seniors from 11 percent in 2017 to 20.9 percent in 2018. More than 1 in 10 eighth graders (10.9 percent) say they vaped nicotine in the past year, and use is up significantly in virtually all vaping measures among eighth, 10th and 12th graders. Reports of past year marijuana vaping also increased this year, at 13.1 percent for 12th graders, up from 9.5 percent last year. "Teens are clearly attracted to the marketable technology and flavorings seen in vaping devices; however, it is urgent that teens understand the possible effects of vaping on overall health; the development of the teen brain; and the potential for addiction," said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of NIDA. "Research tells us that teens who vape may be at risk for transitioning to regular cigarettes, so while we have celebrated our success in lowering their rates of tobacco use in recent years, we must continue aggressive educational efforts on all products containing nicotine." The percent of 12th graders who say they vaped "just flavoring" in the past year also increased to 25.7 percent in 2018 from 20.6 percent in 2017. However, it is unclear if teens know what is in the vaping devices they are using, since the most popular devices do not have nicotine-free options, and some labeling has been shown to be inaccurate. There was also a significant jump in perceived availability of vaping devices and liquids in eighth and 10th graders, with 45.7 percent and 66.6 percent, respectively, saying the devices are "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get. There is more information on the survey's vaping findings in this week's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. In a letter to the editor written by Dr. Richard Miech, the MTF study team lead. Dr. Miech points out that the one-year increases in the prevalence of nicotine vaping translate into approximately 1.3 million additional adolescents who vaped in 2018, as compared with 2017. The increase in vaping rates between 2017-2018 also aligns with the recently released CDC/FDA government funded National Youth Tobacco Survey. Tobacco This year's survey shows regular tobacco is still at its lowest point in the survey since it began measuring it, with only 3.6 percent of high school seniors smoking daily, compared to 22.4 percent two decades ago. Smoking tobacco with a hookah is significantly lower than five years ago, at 7.8 percent in the past year among high school seniors, compared to 21.4 percent in 2013. Opioids The alarming news about vaping is in sharp contrast to the good news about teenage opioid use. The past year use of narcotics other than heroin (i.e., prescription opioids) is at 3.4 percent among 12th graders--a significant change from 4.2 percent in 2017. Only 1.7 percent of high school seniors report misuse of Vicodin in the past year, compared to a peak of 10.5 percent 15 years ago. It is also important to note that heroin use in all three grades remains very low with only 0.4 percent of 12th graders reporting past year use. "With illicit opioid use at generally the lowest in the history of the survey, it is possible that being in high school offers a protective effect against opioid misuse and addiction," said Dr. Volkow. "We will be focusing much of our new prevention research on the period of time when teens transition out of school into the adult world and become exposed to the dangerous use of these drugs." Marijuana and Other Drugs Close to 1 in 4 high school seniors report use of an illicit drug in the past month, led by marijuana use. Rates of overall marijuana use are steady, with 5.8 percent of 12th graders reporting daily use. Daily use of marijuana has been reported by high school seniors for the past 20 years at somewhere between 5.0 and 6.6 percent. Past year rates of marijuana use are generally steady among sophomores and seniors, showing as 27.5 percent for 10th graders and 35.9 percent for 12th graders. However, there is a significant five-year drop among eighth graders--from 12.7 percent in 2013 to 10.5 percent in 2018. There continues to be more 12th graders who report using marijuana every day than smoking cigarettes (5.8 percent vs. 3.6 percent) and only 26.7 percent of 12th graders think regular marijuana use offers great risk of harm. Other illicit drugs, including cocaine, synthetic cannabinoids, and MDMA remain close to historic lows. Inhalants, the only drug category that is usually higher among younger teens, is reported at 4.6 among eighth graders, compared to a peak of 12.8 percent in 1995. Alcohol There is positive news related to teen drinking with just 17.5 percent of 12th graders saying they have been drunk in the past 30 days, down significantly from five years ago, when it was reported at 26 percent. Reports of binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks) is down significantly among 12th graders, at 13.8 percent--down from 16.6 percent in 2017, and compared to 31.5 percent when the rates peaked in 1998. These findings represent the lowest rates seen for these alcohol measures since the survey began asking the questions. "We are encouraged to see continued declines in a variety of measures of underage alcohol use," said George F. Koob, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "The new data, however, underscore that far too many young people continue to drink at a time in their lives when their brains and bodies are quite vulnerable to alcohol-related harms. We remain committed to developing and improving strategies to prevent the onset of drinking among youth, so that more young people can be spared the consequences of alcohol misuse." The MTF survey releases findings the same year the data is collected. It has been conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor since 1975. Overall, 44,482 students from 392 public and private schools participated in this year's MTF survey. Since 1975, the survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes in 12th graders nationwide. Eighth and 10th graders were added to the survey in 1991. Survey participants generally report their drug use behaviors across three-time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. NIDA has provided grant funding for the survey since its inception. ### MTF is funded under grant number DA001411. Additional information on the MTF Survey can be found at http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/MTF.html. The University of Michigan press release can be found at http://monitoringthefuture.org. MTF is one of three major surveys supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provide data on substance use among youth. The others are the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is the primary source of statistical information on substance use in the U.S. population 12 years of age and older. More information is available at: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/population-data-nsduh. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, part of HHS's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, is a school-based survey that collects data from students in grades nine-12. The survey includes questions on a wide variety of health-related risk behaviors, including substance abuse. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm. Additionally, the National Youth Tobacco Survey, a school-based survey of U.S. students in grades six-12 conducted by the CDC in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration, collects data on the use of multiple tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/surveys/NYTS/. Follow MTF 2018 news on Twitter at @NIDANews, or join the conversation by using: #MTF2018. Additional survey results can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/news. Information on all the surveyed drugs can be found on NIDA's Web site: http://www.drugabuse.gov. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found at http://www.drugabuse.gov, which is now compatible with your smartphone, iPad or tablet. To order publications in English or Spanish, call NIDA's DrugPubs research dissemination center at 1-877-NIDA-NIH or 240-645-0228 (TDD) or email requests to drugpubs@nida.nih.gov. Online ordering is available at http://drugpubs.drugabuse.gov. NIDA's media guide can be found at http://drugabuse.gov/mediaguide/, and its easy-to-read website can be found at http://www.easyread.drugabuse.gov About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov. NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health Predicting and pinpointing which farming practices are most likely to protect against environmental harm is a complex proposition, and researchers at The Ohio State University are working to fine-tune the tools that could help farmers and others prevent harmful algal blooms. This week at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) fall meeting in Washington, D.C, a team of scientists from The Ohio State University shared early results from a trio of studies that aim to improve models designed to guide agricultural practices for reducing the risk of nitrogen and phosphorous farm runoff. Such runoff leads to the growth of toxic algae in waterways. Basic models for predicting the consequences of various decisions, such as when to apply fertilizer, are available but they must be refined in order to ensure reliability and gain the trust of interested parties, including farmers and environmental protection organizations, said Jay Martin, a professor of ecological engineering at Ohio State. Asmita Murumkar, a postdoctoral researcher at Ohio State, said her work is beginning to illuminate how the timing of fertilizer application intersects with heavy rains to contribute to nutrient runoff. She's working with the Ohio Applicator Forecast, a tool that uses National Weather Service data to assign risk estimates to applying fertilizer at various times. Murumkar is hopeful that her research will help quantify what impact the tool would have on the environment under different scenarios- say if a quarter of farmers in the Maumee River watershed used it, or half. "We want to better understand how much phosphorous runoff it would reduce in the region," Martin said, adding that there's plenty of evidence that individual farm practices impact runoff from those farms, but less evidence in terms of larger-scale estimates. "We know from our previous work that fertilizer timing is important, but we want to be able to look across the whole Lake Erie Basin and know best-case and worst-case scenarios and this modeling will help address that," he said. Margaret Kalcic, assistant professor in Ohio State's Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, said farmers are encouraged to follow the "Four Rs" for right time, source, amount and place when applying fertilizer. "But 'right' is not clearly defined, and our team is working to provide our partners in Ohio, including farmers, advocates and policymakers, with better answers," Kalcic said. Added Martin, "There's more subtlety here than just watching the weather and the ground moisture and we're trying to determine the best solutions that support agricultural production and environmental protection." Grey Evenson, a postdoctoral researcher at Ohio State, will present initial findings on his work to identify the best data to use in modeling, so that it offers a more accurate picture of what is happening in fields and adjacent waterways. "We don't want to underestimate - or overestimate - the value of these best management practices. For instance, some practices may produce greater benefits than we give them credit for in the model - such as improving soil health, which leads to better water retention," Evenson said. Added Kalcic, "A lot of this work is about tuning existing models. By improving the quality of information we put into them we have greater confidence in the information that comes out of them." She said that there are many questions about the larger environmental impacts of practices such as no-till farming, which is generally thought of as environmentally friendly. "We know that no-till is good for preventing soil erosion, but there are still uncertainties about its effects on water quality in the region," Kalcic said. Graduate student Anna Apostel discussed a third project, in which she's manipulating various parameters in one model to try to determine how reliable - or not - the model is. The long-term goal is to move toward more-robust estimates of how practices contribute to water quality. Martin said adjusting parameters so that magnitudes of processes better match reality and data from observations in the field is a critical part of improving model performance. "We want to adjust our equations to better represent reality," Apostel said. The overarching goal of all the work, the researchers said, is to have models that better align with what the researchers have observed in field experiments but that can look at the issues on a broad, regional level. "We know that if you build a bad model it's not going to help anybody make any decisions," Kalcic said. "We really want to build trust in truly useful models that will help policymakers, farmers and others. The worst thing would be that people trust models that are telling them the entirely wrong message," she said. ### Funding for the new research came from the Ohio Department of Higher Education Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, NOAA National Weather Service and the National Science Foundation. Addressing water quality challenges is among Ohio State's top research priorities. In addition to studies such as the those being presented at the fall AGU meeting, faculty and staff are working with policymakers, farmers, advocacy groups and others to find solutions. Among those efforts is the Ohio Water Quality Initiative, led by the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, which aims to ensure grassroots support, strategic investments of time and money, and increased impact and relevance of its work. CONTACTS: Jay Martin, 614-247-6133; Martin.1130@osu.edu Margaret Kalcic, 614-292-9356; Kalcic.4@osu.edu Written by Misti Crane, 614-292-5220; Crane.11@osu.edu Climate change could have devastating effects on vulnerable residents in the Andes mountains and the Tibetan plateau, according to researchers at The Ohio State University who have been studying glaciers in those areas for decades. Their findings--that glaciers in both parts of the world are melting more rapidly than at any point in the last 10,000 years--mean the water supply in parts of Peru, Pakistan, China, India and Nepal will decline, soon. "Supply is down. But demand is up because of growing populations," said Lonnie Thompson, a climate scientist at Ohio State's Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. "By 2100, the best case scenario is that half of the ice will disappear. Worst-case scenario: two-thirds of it will. And you've got all those people depending on the glacier for water." Thompson, a distinguished university professor of earth sciences at Ohio State, presented the team's findings on Dec. 14 at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C. Thompson has been studying and documenting the effects of climate change on glaciers in Peru for more than 40 years. The glaciers there supply critically needed water for people, crops and livestock. In 2016, Thompson and researchers in China and India launched a research initiative to conduct similar research on the Tibetan plateau, which holds thousands of glaciers that supply water to people in parts of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tajikistan. The international research team dubbed the plateau the "Third Pole" because it contains the largest stores of freshwater in the world outside of the North and South poles. Since then, they have drilled ice core samples from across the Tibetan plateau and the Andes mountains, examining the ice for clues about temperature, air quality and other large-scale events in history. "The last 200 years or so, we really understand," Thompson said. "Now we are looking at the last 10,000 years." What they are finding is causing him some alarm. There have been times throughout history when the glacial ice cores showed temperatures increased--during an El Nino, for example. But within the last century, the cores from both the Andes and the Himalayas show widespread and consistent warming. "This current warming is not typical," Thompson said. "It is happening faster, it is more persistent and it is affecting glaciers in both Peru and India. And that is a problem, because a lot of people rely on those glaciers for their water." Melting glaciers can trigger such hazards as avalanches and floods. And they also can have long-lasting effects on a region's water supply. As the glaciers melt, initially those regions will have more water. But over time, as the glaciers shrink, the water those glaciers typically supply will dwindle, Thompson said. "Precipitation is down and temperatures are up and that leads to retreating glaciers," he said. "There are 202 million people in Pakistan who rely on water from the Indus River--and that river is fed by the glacier. The effects in Peru, too, could be far-reaching, particularly on Peruvian agriculture and on the water supply in Lima, the Peruvian capital. Thompson and his team are hoping that by studying the glaciers in both areas, they will find answers to slow glacial retreat--or to provide new water sources to at-risk areas. "The problems are similar in both the Andes and the Tibetan plateau," he said. "The hope is that by finding solutions, we can help both places." ### Contact: Lonnie Thompson, Thompson.3@osu.edu Written by: Laura Arenschield, 614-292-9475; Arenschield.2@osu.edu Brand warfare is real, and Christmas can be an important tool. "Guerrilla Marketing: Counterinsurgency and Capitalism in Colombia," a new book written by Alex Fattal, an assistant professor in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies at Penn State, explores how commercial-style branding has been deployed by both rebels and the state in Colombia's civil war. The 304-page book, published by the University of Chicago Press, details the Colombian government's efforts to transform Marxist guerrilla fighters in the FARC into consumer citizens. Fattal shows how the market has become one of the principal grounds on which counterinsurgency warfare is waged and post-conflict futures are imagined in the country. The government pulled at the heartstrings of guerrilla fighters and tried to stoke their longing to be with their families during the holidays. For example, the military lit up Christmas trees in the jungle to encourage fighters to leave the FARC. Another year, they pointed anti-aircraft beams in the sky as if they were the Star of Bethlehem that might guide the guerrillas out of FARC territory. "The campaigns were very creative and won all sorts of awards, but the book raises serious doubts about the after-effects of building an image of peace out of the hollow beams of marketing," Fattal said. "Branding is coming to occupy the center of statecraft, whether that's a real estate mogul using brand bluster to make his way to the White House or the Colombian military posturing as a humanitarian actor. What I call 'brand warfare' in the book is a phenomenon that we need to be paying greater attention to." His case study also examines the larger phenomenon of the convergence of marketing and militarism through more than three years of intensive fieldwork in Colombia, as well as research with political exiles in Scandinavia and peace negotiators in Cuba. At Penn State, Fattal's research analyzes the central role that the media plays in Colombia's armed conflict through long-term ethnographic research. This combination of subject and method has led him to a research agenda that is deeply interdisciplinary, drawing on the social sciences, humanities, Latin American studies and the documentary arts. Subjects that he examines include: the shifting strategies, tactics, and practices of warfare in the twenty-first century, the corporatization of propaganda, critical studies of consumer culture and marketing, the politics of social media, and documentary filmmaking (especially in Latin America). Questions of surveillance, disinformation, the role of the market in counterinsurgency, and the relationship between war and non-war are a few of the problems that motivate his research. ### HOUSTON - (Dec. 17, 2018) - Scientists at Rice University have developed synthetic protein switches to control the flow of electrons. The proof-of-concept, metal-containing proteins made in the Rice lab of synthetic biologist Joff Silberg are expressed within cells upon the introduction of one chemical and are functionally activated by another chemical. If the proteins have been placed in the cell, they can simply be turned on and off. "This is not a metaphor for a switch, it is a literal electrical switch built from a protein," Silberg said. The proteins could facilitate next-generation bioelectronics, including complete biological circuits within cells that mimic their electronic counterparts. The possible applications include living sensors, electronically controlled metabolic pathways for chemical synthesis and active pills that sense their environment and release drugs only when needed. The work appears in Nature Chemical Biology. "Biology is really good at sensing molecules," said Silberg, a professor of biosciences and bioengineering. "That's an amazing thing. Think about how complex the cell is, and how proteins evolve that can respond to a single prompt in a sea of information. We want to leverage that exquisite ability to build more elaborate biomolecules and use these to develop useful synthetic biology technologies." The Rice team takes advantage of those innate abilities. "Natural proteins that move electrons more or less act as wires that are always there," said Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology graduate student and lead author Josh Atkinson. "If we can turn these pathways on and off, we can make cells operate more efficiently." Rice's metalloprotein switches - so called for their iron content - are quick, Silberg said. Nature typically controls electron flow by using genetic mechanisms to control the production of the protein "wires." "It's all transcriptional," he said. "Even in a fast-growing E. coli bacteria, it takes many minutes. By contrast, protein switches function on a time scale of seconds." To make the switch - which they use in a synthetic electron transfer pathway - the researchers needed a stable protein that could be reliably split along its peptide backbone to allow for the insertion of protein fragments that complete or break the circuit. They based the switch on ferredoxin, a common iron-sulfur protein that mediates electron transfer in all the domains of life. Atkinson built switches embedded in E. coli that can be turned on in the presence (or off in the absence) of 4-hydroxytamoxifen, an estrogen receptor modulator used to fight breast and other cancers, or by bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used in plastics. Their E. coli bacterium is a mutant strain that is programmed to only grow in a sulfate medium when all of the components of the ferredoxin electron transport chain - including electron donor and acceptor proteins - are expressed. That way, the bacteria could only grow if the switches turn on and transfer electrons as planned. Silberg said the discovery should lead to custom-designed switches for many applications, including contact with external electronic devices. "It's why we've been so gung-ho about this idea of bioelectronics, a whole field that's emerging as synthetic biology gets more control over the design," he said. "Once you can standardize this, there are all kinds of things we can build with cells." That could include smart pills that release medications only on demand, or gut biome detectors that report on conditions. Or perhaps electrical circuits contained entirely within cells. "We can already map a lot of what electrical engineers do with capacitors and resistors onto metabolism, but until now, there have been no switches," Silberg said. He suggested multiple switches could also turn a cell into a biological processor. "Then we could see digital parallel processing in the cell," he said. "It changes the way we look at biology." ### The discovery fits with a new initiative led by Silberg and bioscientist and co-author George Bennett and their colleagues to promote training in the field of bioelectronics. Rice recently received National Science Foundation (NSF) support to start a graduate-level bioelectronics program to be administered by the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering. It was also part of the discussion at this year's bioelectronics-focused De Lange Conference earlier this month at Rice and will be a focus of the Gordon Research Conference co-chaired by Silberg and Rafael Verduzco of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at Rice, in New Hampshire in June 2019. Co-authors are biosciences graduate students Ian Campbell and Emily Thomas at Rice and graduate student Sheila Bonitatibus and Sean Elliott, a professor of chemistry, at Boston University. Bennett is the E. Dell Butcher Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice. The Office of Naval Research, NASA, the Department of Energy and the NSF supported the research. Read the abstract at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41589-018-0192-3 This news release can be found online at https://news.rice.edu/2018/12/17/switch-in-a-cell-electrifies-life/ Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Related materials: Silberg Lab: https://www.silberglab.org Rice Department of Biosciences: https://biosciences.rice.edu/faculty/tenure-track Wiess School of Natural Sciences: https://naturalsciences.rice.edu Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology graduate program: https://sspb.rice.edu/ Images for download: https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2018/12/1217_SWITCH-1-WEB-2e2wicx.jpg Rice synthetic biologist Joff Silberg, left, graduate student Josh Atkinson and their colleagues have developed protein switches that can be used to control the flow of electrons within cells. The synthetic proteins are one of the few remaining components needed to mimic entire electronic devices within cells. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2018/12/1217_SWITCH-2-WEB-2gpd4tz.jpg Rice University graduate student Josh Atkinson is lead author of a new paper describing a technique to use proteins as electrical switches in biological systems. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2018/12/1217_SWITCH-4-WEB-1tpd2j7.jpg Rice University scientists used E. coli bacteria as a platform to test protein switches that can be used to control the flow of electrons. Proteins placed in cells can simply be turned on and off with chemical signals. (Credit: Illustration by Josh Atkinson/Rice University) Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,970 undergraduates and 2,934 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview. David Ruth 713-348-6327 david@rice.edu Mike Williams 713-348-6728 mikewilliams@rice.edu SAN ANTONIO -- Dec. 17, 2018 -- Southwest Research Institute has received a $2 million grant from the United States Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to develop an advanced pumped heat electricity storage (PHES) system. This system offers twice the energy density of a lithium ion battery and is based on an innovative thermodynamic cycle to store energy in hot and cold fluids. "It's important, now more than ever, to invest in innovative solutions that can help deliver on the promise of effective, renewable energy," said Danny Deffenbaugh, vice president of SwRI's Mechanical Engineering Division. "This new energy storage system is a wonderful example of research that benefits the world we live in, which SwRI engineers are committed to pursuing." To implement renewables such as solar or wind energy on a larger scale, new energy storage technology is critical to match intermittent supplies with customer demand. In recent years, the energy industry as well as the Department of Energy have been investing in new energy storage methods to support on-demand availability of renewable energy that can be stored for longer periods of time. The SwRI team, led by research engineer Brittany Tom, plans to build the new grid-scale energy storage system over the next two years. "Grid-scale energy storage technologies like this one can provide more than 10 hours of electricity at full power and address a critical need for renewables on electricity grids worldwide," Tom said. "To make renewables a viable energy solution, you have to invest in new methods of energy storage." In this new system, electric energy from the grid is converted into thermal energy and stored as a thermal potential. At full capacity, the system can store energy for hours or up to several weeks before converting it back to electrical energy. The system can then provide greater than 10 hours of electricity at rated power. Tom adds that the capacity of the system can be easily extended by increasing the volume of the storage tanks. Additionally, this form of storage offers a low-cost solution when compared to the costs of operations like "peaker" plants, which generate and provide electricity during the peak demand hours of the morning, later afternoon and evening. Because it's capable of storing energy for longer periods, the PHES system can provide electricity when needed. A system like this is ideal for an intermittent resource like solar energy. Solar energy can offer plenty of supply in the daytime, but depending on the time of day or weather may not be as reliable as other energy resources. The PHES system's capacity for long-term storage makes renewable energy a much more practical option. Additionally, unlike pumped-storage hydroelectricity, which requires a specific topography to take advantage of the gravitational potential energy of water, this new storage method can fit into most rooms, allowing it to be installed basically anywhere. "This grant will further SwRI's efforts in developing a small-scale demonstration that can be scaled up to include renewable energy sources into the broader grid. I know that SwRI has been a leader in energy technology, and I'm glad to see San Antonio lead the way in helping Americans improve the ways we obtain, store and use our energy overall," commented U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro on the project. ### For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/industries/machinery. COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M University's Dr. Kevin Conway, Dr. Joshuah Perkin and their team have located an extremely rare find within the waters of the Rio Grande along the U.S. and Mexico border. The Conchos shiner, Cyprinella panarcys, a fish species identified for the first time on record in the U.S. in April, was found in the mainstream of the Rio Grande at the confluence with Alamito Creek in Presidio County. The discovery was made by Conway, an associate professor and curator of fishes for the department of wildlife and fisheries sciences Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections at Texas A&M University, and Perkin, an assistant professor of fish ecology for the same department. Further details are revealed in their newly published article in the Biodiversity Data Journal https://checklist.pensoft.net/article/29309/. "We found this fish by chance," said Perkin. "We were conducting a survey for a declining species known as the Rio Grande shiner, Notropis jemezanus, but found none of that species. In fact, it's quite remarkable that we could find a species never before detected in the U.S. but could not find a single Rio Grande shiner." Previously, the Conchos shiner was considered restricted to the upper parts of the Ri?o Conchos drainage in Mexico, extending from the Rio San Pedro at Meoqui in Chihuahua, Mexico, to the Ri?o Florido in Durango, Mexico. It is unique to see the species in other waters. According to Conway, there are two alternatives that could explain the unexpected discovery of the Conchos shiner in Texas. "Either this species is native to Texas, but its presence has simply gone unnoticed until now, or we were exceptionally lucky and managed to capture a rare vagrant outside of its natural distribution." Conway and Perkins are excited to return to the survey area. "The discovery of the Conchos shiner in the main stem of the Rio Grande downstream from Presidio, an area that is considered to be relatively well studied, tells us that we still have a lot to learn about the fishes within the Rio Grande drainage," Conway said. "This system has undergone major changes in recent years, and it is imperative that we learn as much as possible about the system now, specifically the endemic species, so that we can better manage and protect them in the years to come." ### Others involved in the discovery were Amanda Pinion, a doctoral student, and Stephanie George, a graduate student, at Texas A&M. Writer: Laura Muntean, 979-847-9211, laura.muntean@ag.tamu.edu Contact: Dr. Joshuah Perkin, 979-458-1814, jperkin@tamu.edu Researchers find an effective way to treat an underdiagnosed condition that can cause heart attack and heart-attack-like symptoms PHILADELPHIA - Patients who arrive at the hospital with heart-attack-like symptoms have had little recourse for their chest pain if scans came back clear, with no signs of blocked coronary arteries. Some of these cases are caused by a little-known phenomenon called coronary slow flow. Now, researchers at Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University), have demonstrated for the first time a simple technique to effectively treat this under-recognized condition. They published their findings in the Journal of Invasive Cardiology on December 15. "One of the biggest issues with coronary slow flow is that many cardiologists aren't familiar with it and don't know what to look for to diagnose it," said senior author Michael Savage, MD, Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. "Here we've shown that once you do recognize it, the condition can be treated with an existing and safe medical intervention that reverses the problem." Not a lot is known about the coronary slow flow. It is identified by angiogram of the heart, revealing arteries that fill with blood more slowly than normal, even in the absence of fatty plaque deposits. But what causes the condition, and why in 80 percent of cases patients experience additional episodes of chest pain, is still unknown. One association that can be drawn, says first author Hetal H. Mehta, MD, a cardiology fellow at Jefferson, is that smokers are two-to-three times more likely to experience the phenomenon. When Dr. Savage and others first saw the condition on angiograms of their patients, it appeared similar to the no-reflow phenomenon caused by microvascular spasm during coronary angioplasty procedures. Since that condition could be treated with a drug called nicardipine, Dr. Savage and colleagues decided to test it with their coronary slow flow patients. "It worked incredibly well," he said. In this study, the researchers analyzed the data and outcomes of 30 patients with coronary slow flow who were treated during cardiac catheterization with an intracoronary injection of nicardipine . They found a total of 49 blood vessels with slow blood flow. After treatment with nicardipine, all of the vessels showed normalized blood flow. "These results suggest that microvascular spasm may be responsible for this condition, which can be effectively reversed with a calcium channel blocker like nicardipine," said Dr. Savage. "It's a simple intervention that takes only a few seconds to administer, and helps diagnose the condition and treat it at the same time." Nicardipine appears to reverse the condition in the short term, but future studies are needed to explore whether the one-time treatment reverses the condition permanently, or whether patients would benefit from long-term use of an oral calcium channel blocker. ### The authors report no conflicts of interest. Article reference: Hetal H. Mehta, Mackenzie Morris, David L. Fischman, John J. Finley, Nicholas Ruggiero, Paul Walinsky, Melissa McCarey, Michael P. Savage, "The Spontaneous Coronary Slow-Flow Phenomenon: Reversal by Intracoronary Nicardipine," Journal of Interventional Cardiology, Dec 15, 2018. Media Contact: Edyta Zielinska, edyta.zielinska@jefferson.edu, 215-955-7359. Professor Ron Hui Shu-Yuen of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been named a Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Election to NAI Fellow status is 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 148 Fellows represent 125 research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes worldwide and are named inventors on nearly 4,000 issued U.S. patents. They include Nobel Laureates, recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology & Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science, and presidents and senior leaders of research universities and non-profit research institutes. Professor Ron Hui is the only Fellow named from a Hong Kong university. The Fellows will be inducted on April 11, 2019, as part of the Eighth Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Inventors at the Space Center in Houston, Texas, USA. Professor Hui is the Philip K H Wong Wilson K L Wong Professor in Electrical Engineering, Chair Professor of Power Electronics of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of Faculty of Engineering, HKU. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK. Professor Hui's ground-breaking research focuses on Power Electronics, with emphasis on energy saving and reduction of electronic waste. He has achieved remarkable records in invention, innovation, technology transfer, and publication. His achievements involve both fundamental engineering science and applications, influencing both academic and industrial worlds. Besides publishing over 260 refereed research papers in top-tier journals, he has over 55 patents adopted by industry. His inventions have underpinned the key features of the World's first Wireless Power Standard "Qi", launched by the international Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) in 2010. Noting the surge of mobile phone chargers and their e-waste problem in early 2000's, he has pioneered a series of "Planar Wireless Charging technologies". Such user-friendly technologies have been adopted into "Qi" by the WPC, now comprising over 640 companies worldwide. Professor Hui's achievements in Planar Wireless Charging Technology have been independently recognised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology IET (UK) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), USA. He received the IET Crompton Medal for achievements in Power in 2010 and the IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award in 2015. Professor Hui raised the electronic waste issues arising from electronic lighting products in early 2000. He has championed the concept of "Sustainable Lighting" that incorporates not only energy saving (as adopted in Energy Star), but also long product lifetime and recyclability of product components. He invented sustainable ballasts/drivers that outperform conventional ones with improved energy efficiency, lifetime and recyclability. He designed the world's first passive LED driver that has designed lifetime exceeding 10 years, even longer than that of the LED devices. In 2009, he published the Photo-Electro-Thermal Theory for LED Systems, unifying the interactions of light, heat and power and received the IEEE TPEL Prize Paper Award in 2010. For such contributions, he received IEEE Rodulf Chope Research & Development Award (for Sustainable Lighting Technology) from the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society in 2010. HKU President Professor Xiang Zhang congratulates Professor Hui for the distinguished award. He said: "Professor Hui is a visionary inventor and researcher. I and all of his colleagues here at HKU are delighted to see him receive yet another international accolade in recognition of his distinguished achievements. Professor Hui's election to the National Academy of Inventors is further evidence of the University's leading role in driving innovations and generating impactful research to benefit society at large." Professor Ron Hui is delighted to be elected, also noting that he is one of the few non-US based NAI Fellows. He said: "The honour is a recognition for inventions with impacts. I am thankful that many of my inventions have been adopted for applications in wireless charging of portable electronics and sustainable lighting. Our HKU power electronics team is developing more patent-pending technologies that could have global impacts. We hope these innovations can play a significant role in developing new electronic products sustainable and friendly to the environment." Academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Fellow status have been nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation. Since the induction of the programme in 2012, more than 1,000, Fellows representing over 250 prestigious research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutions have been named. Other Hong Kong academics bestowed the honour include HKU Medical Professor So Kwok Fai in 2015; and CUHK Vice-Chancellor Professor Rocky Tuan in 2017. ### HKU Faculty of Engineering The Faculty of Engineering is one of the founding Faculties of The University of Hong Kong established in 1912. Since its foundation, the Faculty kept pace with developments in the engineering world and is always in the forefront of engineering research, and evolved into one of the largest Faculty in the University with five departments providing undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees in a wide range of important fields of modern engineering, technology and computer science. The Faculty attracts the best students from the territory to study a wide range of engineering programmes. Since its foundation, the Faculty groomed more than 16,000 first-degree engineering graduates and over 10,000 postgraduate research and taught masters graduates as at 2017. Many of its graduates hold senior and prestigious positions in the engineering industry, commercial sector, education field and the government. For more information, visit https://engg.hku.hk. The National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. It was founded in 2010 at the University of South Florida to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation. For more information, please visit http://www.academyofinventors.org. Professor John Spinks, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Hong Kong, has received the U21 Award from Universitas21 in recognition of his sustained contribution to the internationalisation of HKU. Universitas 21 (U21) is a leading global network of research-intensive universities committed to promoting the value of internationalisation and multinational collaboration. The U21 Awards recognise and celebrate the work of individuals who have made a significant contribution to cross-network internationalisation in higher education. Professor Spinks joined the University of Hong Kong in 1977. In 1999, he set up a recruitment scheme for non-local students with two other colleagues and admitted 30 students from Mainland China from a pool of 100. The University now enrolls the maximum 20% of its undergraduate cohort each year from outside Hong Kong, which each year includes some of the highest achieving students in their respective countries. HKU also attracts over 2,000 visiting students to the campus each year, primarily through its extensive student exchange scheme that has now been developed with 348 partner universities across 42 countries. The global nature of the internationalisation of HKU is further reflected by the more than 100 nationalities currently on campus. One of Professor Spinks' more recent developments has been setting up the HeForShe scholarship scheme that targets high school students from some of the most disadvantaged countries in the world, many of whom have overcome significant personal difficulties to achieve academic excellence. In its first two years, students from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Laos, Nicaragua, Pakistan and Syria have joined HKU to study a range of undergraduate degrees. Professor Spinks said he is honoured to be nominated for the award, "The Universitas21 Award for contributions to internationalisation may be given to an individual, but it should more appropriately be dedicated to the entire team of committed and talented individuals in HKU who work to develop HKU's global reputation further." Professor Spinks developed excellent working links with stakeholders in countries across Asia and beyond, from ministries of education to individual high schools and their university counsellors, in order to attract talented international students to the campus and, more broadly, to expand the visibility of HKU in these regions. He has recently been involved in developing dual degree programmes with some of the top universities in the world. "Setting up partnerships with other universities around the world, and liaising with governments, educational bodies, foundations and schools, not to mention prospective students has, for me, been one of the easiest jobs in HKU, because of the shared goals amongst all these stakeholders - of which the most significant is to help move talented students along their educational careers." said Professor Spinks. ### Please see the press release from Universitas 21 for details. ADELPHI, MD. (December 17, 2018) - Creative geniuses behind digital humans and human-like characters in Hollywood blockbusters Avatar, Blade Runner 2049, Maleficent, Furious 7, The Jungle Book, Ready Player One and others have U.S. Army-funded technology to thank for visual effects. That technology was developed at the U.S. Army Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California. The ICT is funded by the U.S. Army RDECOM Research Laboratory, the Army's corporate research laboratory (ARL). Developers of that technology were recently announced winners of one of nine scientific and technical achievements by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A Technical Achievement Award will be presented at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills on February 9, 2019 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 during the Academy's annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation. The Scientific and Technical Academy Awards demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures. "Polarized Spherical Gradient Illumination was a breakthrough in facial capture technology allowing shape and reflectance capture of an actor's 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 method's evolution into a production system." The new high-resolution facial scanning process uses a custom sphere of computer-controllable LED light sources to illuminate an actor's face with special polarized gradient lighting patterns which allow digital cameras to digitize every detail of every facial expression at a resolution down to a tenth of a millimeter. The technology has been used by the visual effects industry to help create digital human and human-like characters in a number of movies and has scanned over one hundred actors including Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Zoe Saldana, Hugh Jackman, Brad Pitt, and Dwayne Johnson at USC ICT. Additionally, the Light Stage technology assists the military in facilitating recordings for its Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program through a system called The Digital Survivor of Sexual Assault (DS2A). DS2A leverages research technologies previous created for the Department of Defense under the direction of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and allows for Soldiers to interact with a digital guest speaker and hear their stories. As part of the ongoing SHARP training, this technology enables new SHARP personnel, as well as selected Army leaders, to participate in conversations on SHARP topics through the lens of a survivor's firsthand account. It is the first system of its kind to be used in an Army classroom. All four awardees were members of USC ICT's Graphics Laboratory during the development of the technology from 2006 through 2016. Paul Debevec continues as an Adjunct Research Professor at USC Viterbi and at the USC ICT Vision & Graphics Lab. Wan-Chun "Alex" Ma was Paul Debevec's first Ph.D student at USC ICT and Xueming Yu joined the USC ICT Graphics Lab in 2008 as a USC Viterbi Master's student. Tim Hawkins now runs a commercial light stage scanning service in Burbank for OTOY, who licensed the light stage technology through USC Stevens in 2008. This is the second Academy Sci-Tech award being given to the Light Stage technology developed at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies. The first, given nine years ago, was for the earliest light stage capture devices and the "image-based facial rendering system developed for character relighting in motion pictures" and was awarded to Paul Debevec, Tim Hawkins, John Monos, and Mark Sagar. Established in 1999, the Army's ICT is a DoD-sponsored University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) working in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. UARCs are aligned with prestigious institutions conducting research at the forefront of science and innovation. The ARL is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, or RDECOM, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. ### By studying the social response to India's Right to Information Act, a University of Arizona researcher has uncovered how the world's largest democracy created a culture that demands government transparency and what the rest of the world can learn from it. More than half the countries in the world have freedom-of-information legislation, and Jeannine Relly, an associate professor in the UA School of Journalism, studies the influence of those laws on democratic governance. In 2016, she received a Fulbright fellowship to spend four months in India studying the social movement surrounding India's Right to Information Act, or RTIA. "It is a very important country to follow for how citizens navigate these complexities to uphold information rights," Relly said of India, which has the world's second largest population with 22 official languages and great disparity in income levels. In 2005, India adopted one of the world's strongest freedom-of-information laws, which promises information access to those who do not read or write, offers free public records for the poor, and applies to all branches of government. India's citizens are known for their activism around the legislation. Relly and co-author Rajdeep Pakanati, an associate professor at O.P. Jindal Global University, studied India to determine what it takes to create and sustain a strong freedom-of-information culture and promote government transparency. The resulting paper, "Freedom of Information Lessons from India: Collaboration, Coproduction and Rights-based Agenda Building," was published online this week in the journal Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism. Relly and Pakanati conducted in-depth interviews with 111 people from 20 cities and towns throughout the country and found that creating a rights-based agenda was critical not only to the success of lobbying to get the RTIA adopted, but also in getting people to use it and act on the information they obtained for the greater good. They found that various groups worked together in sustained campaigns to convince citizens that access to information should be their right, legally and ethically. One newspaper, the Indian Express, adopted a "Your right to know" campaign in the early years after the RTIA adoption and invited citizens to weekly gatherings. Activists and civil society organizations go into communities and offer training on how to make a record request, sometimes staying for days or weeks in vehicles equipped with teaching props such as puppets and musical instruments. The researchers also found that the collaboration between journalists, social activists and civil-society organizations, or CSOs, was essential to the success of creating a right-to-information agenda. Most journalists do not regularly use the RTIA directly, according to a 2013 study by Relly and UA School of Journalism Director Carol Schwalbe. That earlier research found that only 2 percent of news reports in the three largest English-language dailies in India reported using the legislation in corruption investigations. "Harried work conditions were not always ideal for journalists to carry out investigations using the RTIA," Relly and Pakanati wrote. Relly's new research showed that many journalists rely on CSOs and social activists to file the RTIA requests and share the information with them. In one project with journalists and civic organizations, 11,000 requests for information were made. In another case, a social activist used social media to convince 2,000 citizens to show up at a public hospital as he requested information to hold the government accountable because of the dearth of doctors available to citizens. "Some journalists had up to 20 record requesters whom they were working with at no cost, with some journalists providing CSOs or social activists' questions to regularly file record requests on the journalists' behalf," Relly said. Another important collaboration noted by the researchers addressed the violence against RTIA requesters. More than 72 requesters have been killed and more than 340 attacked, harassed and threatened in cases reported since 2005. A Delhi-based human rights organization maintains the database "Hall of Shame," where people can file complaints if they are threatened. Many of those stories are amplified by the media. In the interviews Relly conducted, she was told many stories of RTIA requests that uncovered improprieties and resulted in citizens struggling to feed their families obtaining their due ration cards or obtaining pay for guaranteed work, and classrooms without teachers being staffed. "India is a global example of citizens in a democracy exercising their rights under the law to request information to better their everyday lives and so that they can stay up to date about government activity or inactivity," Relly said. Relly hopes that the research provides insight to activists and journalists about the sustained work and collaboration required to create a culture where citizens demand and use their right to information to improve lives. "Since issues related to corruption are an issue everywhere and can be the most devastating economically in developing nations, this type of 'people's movement' can be a catalyst to keep access to public information on the agenda and alive," Relly said. ### More than 2,500 years ago, horse riding nomads expanded their cultural realm throughout the Eurasian steppe from Southern Siberia to Eastern Europe. These tribes had in common, that they buried their dead in large burial mounds often together with elaborate golden jewellery and weapons of superior craftsmanship. Most of the organic materials are lost forever, but objects made from metals survive the millennia. Often made from bronze and gold, these treasures attract looters. During the colonization of Siberia in the 18th century, looting even became a seasonal job when gangs of diggers, sometimes up to 300 strong, excavated burials from spring to autumn each year. To transport the metals more easily, the prehistoric artworks were often molten down right at the site where they had been found. Applying high-resolution satellite imagery It has become increasingly difficult to find unlooted tombs. The prices for archaeological objects from these burials, however, have seen a vast increase. Gino Caspari from the Institute of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bern analyzed the condition of burials in a difficult-to-access region based on high-resolution satellite imagery. These data help to assess the degree of destruction inflicted upon the archaeological heritage. "We specifically chose an area of interest in Xinjiang, China. We assumed that, due to the remoteness and the heavy presence of security forces in the region, we would find a higher proportion of intact tombs", Caspari explains. However, this assumption proved to be wrong: "More than 74.5 percent of the analysed burials were already destroyed and plundered", says Caspari. Archaeological sites severely threatened Through conducting an on-ground survey, the researchers managed to show that high-resolution satellite imagery can provide an accurate measurement of the destruction at a particular site. Using time series of different datasets, looting can be effectively monitored. Caspari analysed data going back to 2003, and found out that since then the number of looted tombs increased substantially. "The last untouched archaeological sites of the ancient steppe nomads are under imminent threat", says Caspari. The research, published in the journal Heritage, allows for a consequent monitoring of archaeological heritage in remote regions of Central Asia. When looting at a site is recognized in an early stage, measures for the protection of the tombs can be put in place. ### An annual physical typically involves a weight check and questions about unhealthy habits like smoking, but a new study from UC San Francisco suggests health care providers may be overlooking a critical question: Are you depressed or anxious? Anxiety and depression may be leading predictors of conditions ranging from heart disease and high blood pressure to arthritis, headaches, back pain and stomach upset, having similar effects as long-established risk factors like smoking and obesity, according to the new research. In the study, first author Andrea Niles, PhD, and senior author Aoife O'Donovan, PhD, of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and the San Francisco VA Medical Center, looked at the health data of more than 15,000 older adults over a four-year period. They found that 16 percent (2,225) suffered from high levels of anxiety and depression, 31 percent (4,737) were obese and 14 percent (2,125) were current smokers, according to their study published in the journal Health Psychology on Dec. 17, 2018. Participants with high levels of anxiety and depression were found to face 65 percent increased odds for a heart condition, 64 percent for stroke, 50 percent for high blood pressure and 87 for arthritis, compared to those without anxiety and depression. "These increased odds are similar to those of participants who are smokers or are obese," said O'Donovan, who, with Niles, also is affiliated with UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. "However, for arthritis, high anxiety and depression seem to confer higher risks than smoking and obesity." Cancer an Exception to Conditions Impacted by Depression and Anxiety Unlike the other conditions investigated, the authors found that high levels of depression and anxiety were not associated with cancer incidence. This confirms results from previous studies, but contradicts a prevailing idea shared by many patients. "Our findings are in line with a lot of other studies showing that psychological distress is not a strong predictor of many types of cancer," O'Donovan said. "On top of highlighting that mental health matters for a whole host of medical illnesses, it is important that we promote these null findings. We need to stop attributing cancer diagnoses to histories of stress, depression and anxiety." Niles and O'Donovan discovered that symptoms such as headache, stomach upset, back pain and shortness of breath increased exponentially in association with high stress and depression. Odds for headache, for example, were 161 percent higher in this group, compared with no increase among the participants who were obese and smokers. Treating Mental Health Can Cut Health Care Costs "Anxiety and depression symptoms are strongly linked to poor physical health, yet these conditions continue to receive limited attention in primary care settings, compared to smoking and obesity," Niles said. "To our knowledge this is the first study that directly compared anxiety and depression to obesity and smoking as prospective risk factors for disease onset in long-term studies." The results of the study underscore the "long-term costs of untreated depression and anxiety," said O'Donovan. "They serve as a reminder that treating mental health conditions can save money for health systems." The two authors evaluated health data from a government study of 15,418 retirees, whose average age was 68. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using data from participant interviews. Participants were questioned about their current smoking status, while weight was self-reported or measured during in-person visits. Medical diagnoses and somatic symptoms were reported by participants. ### Funding: Niles is supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Women's Health Fellowship. O'Donovan is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Defense and a University of California Hellman Fellowship Award. Disclosures: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. About UCSF Health UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its highly innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is ranked among the top five hospitals nationwide, as well as UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. Visit http://www.ucsfhealth.org. Follow UCSF ucsf.edu | Facebook.com/ucsf | YouTube.com/ucsf RIVERSIDE, Calif. - An international research team, co-led by a physicist at the University of California, Riverside, has discovered a new mechanism for ultra-efficient charge and energy flow in graphene, opening up opportunities for developing new types of light-harvesting devices. The researchers fabricated pristine graphene -- graphene with no impurities -- into different geometric shapes, connecting narrow ribbons and crosses to wide open rectangular regions. They found that when light illuminated constricted areas, such as the region where a narrow ribbon connected two wide regions, they detected a large light-induced current, or photocurrent. The finding that pristine graphene can very efficiently convert light into electricity could lead to the development of efficient and ultrafast photodetectors -- and potentially more efficient solar panels. Graphene, a 1-atom thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has many desirable material properties, such as high current-carrying capacity and thermal conductivity. In principle, graphene can absorb light at any frequency, making it ideal material for infrared and other types of photodetection, with wide applications in bio-sensing, imaging, and night vision. In most solar energy harvesting devices, a photocurrent arises only in the presence of a junction between two dissimilar materials, such as "p-n" junctions, the boundary between two types of semiconductor materials. The electrical current is generated in the junction region and moves through the distinct regions of the two materials. "But in graphene, everything changes," said Nathaniel Gabor, an associate professor of physics at UCR, who co-led the research project. "We found that photocurrents may arise in pristine graphene under a special condition in which the entire sheet of graphene is completely free of excess electronic charge. Generating the photocurrent requires no special junctions and can instead be controlled, surprisingly, by simply cutting and shaping the graphene sheet into unusual configurations, from ladder-like linear arrays of contacts, to narrowly constricted rectangles, to tapered and terraced edges." Pristine graphene is completely charge neutral, meaning there is no excess electronic charge in the material. When wired into a device, however, an electronic charge can be introduced by applying a voltage to a nearby metal. This voltage can induce positive charge, negative charge, or perfectly balance negative and positive charges so the graphene sheet is perfectly charge neutral. "The light-harvesting device we fabricated is only as thick as a single atom," Gabor said. "We could use it to engineer devices that are semi-transparent. These could be embedded in unusual environments, such as windows, or they could be combined with other more conventional light-harvesting devices to harvest excess energy that is usually not absorbed. Depending on how the edges are cut to shape, the device can give extraordinarily different signals." The research team reports this first observation of an entirely new physical mechanism -- a photocurrent generated in charge-neutral graphene with no need for p-n junctions -- in Nature Nanotechnology today. Previous work by the Gabor lab showed a photocurrent in graphene results from highly excited "hot" charge carriers. When light hits graphene, high-energy electrons relax to form a population of many relatively cooler electrons, Gabor explained, which are subsequently collected as current. Even though graphene is not a semiconductor, this light-induced hot electron population can be used to generate very large currents. "All of this behavior is due to graphene's unique electronic structure," he said. "In this 'wonder material,' light energy is efficiently converted into electronic energy, which can subsequently be transported within the material over remarkably long distances." He explained that, about a decade ago, pristine graphene was predicted to exhibit very unusual electronic behavior: electrons should behave like a liquid, allowing energy to be transferred through the electronic medium rather than by moving charges around physically. "But despite this prediction, no photocurrent measurements had been done on pristine graphene devices -- until now," he said. The new work on pristine graphene shows electronic energy travels great distances in the absence of excess electronic charge. The research team has found evidence that the new mechanism results in a greatly enhanced photoresponse in the infrared regime with an ultrafast operation speed. "We plan to further study this effect in a broad range of infrared and other frequencies, and measure its response speed," said first author Qiong Ma, a postdoctoral associate in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. ### Gabor, who came to UCR from MIT in 2013, was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program and by the National Science Foundation Division of Materials Research CAREER award. He received some support through a Cottrell Scholar Award, and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Azrieli Global Scholar Award. All the experiments were done while Gabor was at MIT. The theoretical work was completed after he joined UCR. Gabor and Pablo Jarillo-Herrero of MIT are the research paper's senior authors. Gabor, Ma, and Jarillo-Herrero were joined in the research by Chun Hung Lui of UCR and formerly of MIT, as well as scientists at MIT; Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Institute of High Performance Computing, Singapore; UC Berkeley; and National Institute for Materials Science, Japan. More than 85 well-preserved dinosaur footprints - made by at least seven different species - have been uncovered in East Sussex, representing the most diverse and detailed collection of these trace fossils from the Cretaceous Period found in the UK to date. The footprints were identified by University of Cambridge researchers between 2014 and 2018, following periods of coastal erosion along the cliffs near Hastings. Many of the footprints - which range in size from less than 2 cm to over 60 cm across - are so well-preserved that fine detail of skin, scales and claws is easily visible. The footprints date from the Lower Cretaceous epoch, between 145 and 100 million years ago, with prints from herbivores including Iguanodon, Ankylosaurus, a species of stegosaur, and possible examples from the sauropod group (which included Diplodocus and Brontosaurus); as well as meat-eating theropods. The results are reported in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Over the past 160 years, there have been sporadic reports of fossilised dinosaur footprints along the Sussex coast, but no new major discoveries have been described for the past quarter century and the earlier findings were far less varied and detailed than those described in the current research. The area around Hastings is one of the richest in the UK for dinosaur fossils, including the first known Iguanodon in 1825, and the first confirmed example of fossilised dinosaur brain tissue in 2016. However, trace fossils such as footprints, which can help scientists learn more about the composition of dinosaur communities, are less common in the area. "Whole body fossils of dinosaurs are incredibly rare," said Anthony Shillito, a PhD student in Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences and the paper's first author. "Usually you only get small pieces, which don't tell you a lot about how that dinosaur may have lived. A collection of footprints like this helps you fill in some of the gaps and infer things about which dinosaurs were living in the same place at the same time." The footprints described in the current study, which Shillito co-authored with Dr Neil Davies, were uncovered during the past four winters, when strong storms and storm surges led to periods of collapse of the sandstone and mudstone cliffs. In the Cretaceous Period, the area where the footprints were found was likely near a water source, and in addition to the footprints, a number of fossilised plants and invertebrates were also found. "To preserve footprints, you need the right type of environment," said Davies. "The ground needs to be 'sticky' enough so that the footprint leaves a mark, but not so wet that it gets washed away. You need that balance in order to capture and preserve them." "As well as the large abundance and diversity of these prints, we also see absolutely incredible detail," said Shillito. "You can clearly see the texture of the skin and scales, as well as four-toed claw marks, which are extremely rare. "You can get some idea about which dinosaurs made them from the shape of the footprints - comparing them with what we know about dinosaur feet from other fossils lets you identify the important similarities. When you also look at footprints from other locations you can start to piece together which species were the key players." As part of his research, Shillito is studying how dinosaurs may have affected the flows of rivers. In modern times, large animals such as hippopotamuses or cows can create small channels, diverting some of the river's flow. "Given the sheer size of many dinosaurs, it's highly likely that they affected rivers in a similar way, but it's difficult to find a 'smoking gun', since most footprints would have just washed away," said Shillito. "However, we do see some smaller-scale evidence of their impact; in some of the deeper footprints you can see thickets of plants that were growing. We also found evidence of footprints along the banks of river channels, so it's possible that dinosaurs played a role in creating those channels." It's likely that there are many more dinosaur footprints hidden within the eroding sandstone cliffs of East Sussex, but the construction of sea defences in the area to slow or prevent the process of coastal erosion may mean that they remained locked within the rock. ### The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). What is real is not always as it appears. University of Central Florida researchers have found a way to hide information on materials and only make it visible to a person using the right tech. "We found we can create a surface where we preferentially control absorption of light," said Debashis Chanda, an associate professor in UCF's NanoScience Technology Center who has developed the technique. The findings were published recently in the Nature journal Light: Science & Applications. The trick is to put the information on a surface that is riddled with nanoscale patterns, which can fool the naked eye by reflecting only a solid color rather than the intended information. To get the intended information, a person must look through an infrared lens or camera tuned to the correct infrared band. And not only can information be hidden this way, the information can also be changed so that the secret messages invisible to the human eye can appear and reappear. These further developments were published recently as a cover article in the journal ACS Photonics. The applications for this technology could include anti-counterfeiting security, infrared tagging or infrared camouflages where, for instance, the presence of a designer label could be confirmed with a look through an infrared camera. It also has military applications, such as confirming which assets are friendly and which are enemy by tags on their surfaces that are only visible in a specific infrared band or by dynamically changing the information for infrared camouflage. In the Light: Science & Applications study, the researchers demonstrated that they can hide images within the infrared spectrum while the same area appears as a solid color in the visible spectrum. To do so, they created a three-level, layered, "plasmonic" system that sandwiches a polymer layer imprinted with nanoscale holes, between a gold mirror at the bottom and a gold layer at the top with holes that match the polymer layer. Images can be imprinted on top of the "plasmonic sandwich," and aspects of the holes, such as size and depth, help dictate which infrared band the image can be seen in. Without looking through an infrared camera tuned to the right band, the top of the device looks like a solid color, such as a yellow square, thanks to the unique properties that can be achieved with materials at the nanoscale. Varying the pattern characteristics allows the researchers to control the electron plasma resonance, or the electric energy, created when light hits the device. "So, by controlling this electron plasma resonance we can actually control which color of light or which band of light is absorbed and reflected," Chanda said. In the ACS Photonics study, the researchers went a step further and developed a way to erase and display the image in selected infrared bands. They did this by adding a layer of phase change material vanadium dioxide within the "plasmonic sandwich" that dynamically changes the light reflection from the surface from 100 to 0 percent and back as the phase change is triggered. "It provides an additional element of dynamic tunability where the coded information is concealed or revealed to infrared cameras," Chanda said. ### Co-authors of the Light: Science & Applications study were Daniel Franklin, now a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University; Sushrut Modak, a graduate of UCF's physics Ph.D. program; Abraham Vazquez-Guardado, a postdoctoral fellow in UCF's Nano-Optics Group; and Alireza Safaei, a Ph.D. student in UCF's Department of Physics. Co-authors of the ACS Photonics study were Sayan Chandra, a postdoctoral fellow in UCF's Nano-Optics Group; Daniel Franklin; Jared Cozart, an undergraduate student in the College of Optics and Photonics; and Alireza Safaei, a Ph.D. student in UCF's Department of Physics. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF/ECCS-1509729) and Northrop Grumman Mission Systems' University Research Program. Chanda, who is also part of UCF's Department of Physics and College of Optics and Photonics, received his Ph.D. in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined UCF in 2012. UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA. Founded in 1963 with a commitment to expanding opportunity and demanding excellence, the University of Central Florida develops the talent needed to advance the prosperity and welfare of our society. With more than 66,000 students, UCF is one of the nation's largest universities, offering more than 200 degree programs at its main campus in Orlando and more than a dozen other locations in Central Florida and online. UCF was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the nation's top 25 most innovative universities along with Harvard, Stanford and Duke, and has been described by The Washington Post as "part of a vanguard that is demolishing the popular belief that exclusivity is a virtue in higher education." For more information, visit ucf.edu. URBANA, Ill. - In biomedical research, plant breeding, and countless other endeavors, geneticists are on the hunt for the specific genes responsible for disease susceptibility, yield, and other traits of interest. Essentially, they're looking for needles in the enormous haystack that is the genome of an organism. As a frame of reference, the human genome is made up of 3.2 billion base pairs, an estimated 30,000 genes. Where do geneticists even start? For the past 15 years, many have relied on genome-wide association studies (GWAS). "I view a GWAS as a way to reduce the size of the haystack into genomic regions that potentially could contain causal mutations underlying a trait," says Alex Lipka, assistant professor of biometry in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois and author of a new Heredity study expanding the scope of GWAS. To run a GWAS, scientists conduct computationally intensive statistical analyses to scour the genetic code for differences. Specific variations in DNA, called markers, that exhibit the highest degree of statistical association are thought to be near genes that make biological contributions to the trait. Sometimes, these associated markers are clustered together in a particular region of the genome, narrowing the haystack. Lipka says the approach has been used in a wide variety of organisms to identify major genes contributing to key traits, but it falls short in detecting small-effect genes or gene interactions - a phenomenon known as epistasis - that may be just as important. "The state-of-the-art statistical approach for GWAS is to test one marker at a time for the strength of its association with the trait," he says. "If you think about the true genetic underpinnings of a trait, it's not just one gene controlling things. Multiple genes contribute to phenotypic variation in an additive manner, and are epistatically interacting with one another. What we try to do in our study is explore the use of a statistical approach that is more biologically accurate. Not only are we finding statistical models that include multiple markers at a time, we also find multiple two-way interaction effects at a time." The researchers wanted to see if their new approach, which they call SPAEML, could accurately detect the underpinnings of simulated traits with genetic sources similar to Alzheimer's disease in humans and flower structure in corn; these traits have already been described to some extent in the scientific literature. Using custom-built software, which they have made freely available to other researchers, and massive computers at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the team tested whether SPAEML could detect simulations of the traits in the dataset. "In both the human and corn datasets, we were able to identify our simulated markers," Lipka says. "And in the human dataset we were able to distinguish between additive and interacting loci." The finding does not reveal new information about Alzheimer's disease; remember, SPAEML was tested against existing knowledge of the trait's genetic structure. Instead, it represents proof-of-concept that advanced GWAS methods like SPAEML can detect multiple markers that contribute to the disease, even in small ways. The researchers point out that the collective contributions of such markers can result in massive changes that may lead to the disease. Although geneticists are well aware that complex traits are rarely controlled by a single gene, until now it had been too computationally difficult to test for multiple markers or their interactions. "The problem is the combinatorial explosion of possibilities that must be tested, because we're looking at pairs of markers," says co-author Liudmila Mainzer, technical program manager for Genomics at NCSA. "The algorithm needs to evaluate tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of models in order to select the best one. It could take years in sheer computational time, which is why no one has ever done it." It took about four years for the team to develop and refine a method that could deal with that combinatorial explosion, bringing millions of data points down to about 15,000, a number SPAEML could handle easily. Going forward, the researchers plan to unleash SPAEML on datasets with unknown genetic structures. They're already working with collaborators in the crop breeding industry and human health research to launch next steps. "This research is really hard, but it's the right way to approach this scientific problem. With access to supercomputing resources, outstanding students, and a bit of our own youthful foolhardiness - who knows, we might just manage it," Mainzer jokes. "Based on the feedback we've had so far, it has been very rewarding," ### The article, "An assessment of true and false positive detection rates of stepwise epistatic model selection as a function of sample size and number of markers," is published in Heredity [DOI: 10.1038/s41437-018-0162-2]. Authors include Angela H. Chen, Weihao Ge, William Metcalf, Eric Jakobsson, Liudmila Sergeevna Mainzer, and Alexander E. Lipka. William Metcalf is associated with the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, but all other authors have affiliations with units across the University of Illinois. The research conducted was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the University of Illinois CompGen Student Fellowship Program, University of Illinois startup funds, and the UIUC Center for Computational Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine. New research has revealed that approximately one-third (33.1 percent) of all US-born US citizens living in the US are considering leaving the United States to live abroad New research has revealed that approximately one-third (33.1%) of all US-born US citizens living in the US are considering leaving the United States to live abroad. Drawing on data collected in 2014, researchers Dr Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels from the University of Kent's Brussels School of International Studies, and Dr Helen Marrow of Tufts University, USA, identified the reasons for this as: exploration (87.4%); retirement (50.8%); leaving a bad or disappointing situation in the US (49.0%); and working (48.3%). Previous research from Dr Klekowski von Koppenfels has shown that adventure or exploration is the primary reason American migrants who are already abroad give for migration, with marriage/partnership a very close second. This new study builds on that research and examines what motivations prospective American migrants have, whether they end up leaving or not. The study also found that the aspiration to live abroad is strongly predicted by national identity. On the other hand, there is almost no correlation between political ideology - whether someone identifies as politically liberal or conservative -and Americans' aspiration to live abroad. Dr Klekowski von Koppenfels said: 'When we looked at what underlying factors played a role in Americans' thinking about migrating, we found that having a less than "very strong" American national identity was an important factor. Others that played a role were knowing other Americans who had lived abroad or having served in the US military, both of which are networks our respondents might tap into. 'While one might think that ideological orientation plays a role, at least in this pre-Trump survey, we found out that it did not, at least not directly.' The research, Modeling American Migration Aspirations: How Capital, Race, and National Identity Shape Americans' Ideas about Living Abroad by Dr Helen B Marrow and Dr Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels is published in International Migration Review. ### For further information and interview or image requests contact Sandy Fleming at the University of Kent Press Office. Tel: +44 (0)1227 823581 Email: S.Fleming@kent.ac.uk News releases can also be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/news University of Kent on Twitter: http://twitter.com/UniKent Established in 1965, the University of Kent - the UK's European university - now has almost 20,000 students across campuses or study centres at Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome. It was ranked 22nd in the Guardian University Guide 2018 and in June 2017 was awarded a gold rating, the highest, in the UK Government's Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). In 2018 it was also ranked in the top 500 of Shanghai Ranking's Academic Ranking of World Universities and 47th in the Times Higher Education's (THE) new European Teaching Rankings. Kent is ranked 17th in the UK for research intensity (REF 2014). It has world-leading research in all subjects and 97% of its research is deemed by the REF to be of international quality. Along with the universities of East Anglia and Essex, Kent is a member of the Eastern Arc Research Consortium (http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/partnerships/eastern-arc.html). The University is worth 0.7 billion to the economy of the south east and supports more than 7,800 jobs in the region. Student off-campus spend contributes 293.3m and 2,532 full-time-equivalent jobs to those totals. Kent has received two Queen's Anniversary prizes for Higher and Further Education. PHILADELPHIA (December 17, 2018) - Everyone wants a dignified death - yet few actually experience one. Despite preferring to remain at home, most older adults spend their final days in hospitals, where they often undergo medical care that neither improves survival nor quality of life. A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) describes the quality of end of life care in nearly 500 U.S. hospitals, utilizing nearly 13,000 bedside nurses as informants of quality. The study has been published online first. It will also be in a future issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The majority of nurses (58%) rate their hospital's end of life care unfavorably. The most common quality problem nurses cite (53% of nurses) is that patients often experience painful procedures that are not likely to change their clinical outcome. This finding is consistent with growing trends towards aggressive medical intervention in the final days of life, which is widely recognized as inappropriate for terminally ill individuals. More than one-third (37.7%) of nurses report being discouraged from discussing alternative care options with patients/families. A similar percentage of nurses say they often disagree with their physician colleagues about end of life care decisions - and feel decisions are not made as a team. "Even the best hospitals have significant room for improvement when it comes to providing better care for patients at the end of life" says lead-author Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing. "Hospitals are failing to capitalize on an already available cadre of skilled end of life care providers available for every patient in every hospital - registered nurses at the bedside." The study found that end of life care is best in hospitals characterized by effective nurse-physician teamwork, where authority is devolved to nurses to act in their areas of expertise, where nurses have manageable workloads, and where nurses are highly engaged in hospital decision making. "For patients and families, making health care decisions at the end of life is stressful. They want to be cared for by a team of providers that elicit and respect their care preferences. They want information about disease progression, symptom management, and the full array of care options. They want to be acknowledged as a whole person - with goals beyond prolonging life. This is at the heart of nurses' work," says Lasater. ### In addition to Lasater, co-authors included Douglas Sloane, PhD, Matthew McHugh, PhD, RN, and Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, all from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research. This study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Nursing Research (R01NR014855), and from the Versant Center for the Advancement of Nursing. About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world's leading schools of nursing, is consistently ranked as one of the top graduate nursing schools in the United States, and is among the nation's top recipients of nursing research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram & YouTube. this news is not available We are in the US and looking to become expats in 07/19. We are looking seriously at Panama and Ecuador in a mountain area for the spring like climate. We are under 65 so will need international medical insurance that will also be valid in the US as we plan to spend at least 3 months a year in the US. Any resources anyone can share would be much appreciated. Ciao Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) For Father Mark Ventura, Christmases started by celebrating Mass in the church of a remote community and ended with him giving gifts to his family in their home in the afternoon. His gifts were typically religious items, like the figurine of the Holy Family he once gave to his mother, Evangeline. But there will be no more figurines from Father Mark starting this Christmas. A new priest has taken his place in Gattaran, Cagayan where he was last assigned. Priests accompany Father Mark Ventura to his final resting place after an assailant took his life last April. On the last Mass he celebrated in the church of that town in the northern Philippines in April 2018, Father Mark did not even get to give his parishioners a final blessing. A man on a motorcycle shot the 37-year-old priest, turning his white vestment red. His body and blood laid on the altar for all to see. This shocked the entire town and shattered the Ventura family. Evangeline could not even speak about what happened. "Its really painful for me to go back and remember the pain," she said, apologizing. She never imagined her son would go out this way. Father Mark was one of two Catholic priests to fall this year, sparking outrage from the clergy, the faithful, and human rights advocates. Just two months after Father Mark, two men on a motorcycle fired at Father Richmond Nilo just as he was getting ready to celebrate evening Mass. This was also the fate of Father Marcelito Paez, who fell in December 2017. Three priests have been felled under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, attributed by critics to his fiery rhetoric against the clergy. From left to right: Father Richmond Nilo, Father Mark Ventura and Father Marcelito Paez. Critics blamed the attacks on President Rodrigo Duterte's fiery often rude and inflammatory rhetoric against the Catholic Church in the Philippines, which is highly critical of the administrations brutal drug war. Dutertes tirades range from corruption and child abuse allegations to calls for bishops critical of his administration to be taken down. Father Richmond had yet to be laid in his final resting place when Duterte brushed off this link. "Sabi nung nabasa ko sa ano, 'Stop persecuting priests.' Wala naman akong sinabi, he declared. In the same breath, Duterte repeated his claim that Father Mark was felled because of his illicit affairs a lead which the police gave more weight to than the danger the activist priest faced as a result of his anti-mining advocacy. Whatever the motive, it does not change the fact that Father Mark is gone. On the afternoon of Christmas Day, a chair once occupied by a caring, obedient and God-loving sonthe guiding light of the Ventura familywill be empty for the first time. 'I'm coming home' Like Father Mark, mining tractor operator Moises Bautista will not be coming home this Christmas. His wife, Irene Martin, is left with their two children and is struggling to fill his shoes. Their kids are craving for their fathers Christmas specialties spaghetti, macaroni salad and pancit but they will have to settle with Irenes cooking. "'Yun ang kaugalian ng kanilang ama eh. Kapag Pasko, masaya," Irene said over the phone, taking long pauses in between phrases. "Pero sa akin talaga, eh hindi masaya." Moises was working in a mine in Itogon, Benguet during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong in September, which brought heavy rains that triggered landslides in the small-scale mining community. As mud and rock rushed down the slopes, Moises called his mother, telling her not to worry as he was coming home and then his phone went silent. "Na-shock ako. 'Di ko akalain ganun-ganun na lang," Irene said glumly. It took a day before her husband was actually brought home from the rubble that buried close to 100 people, most of them living and working in an abandoned mining area. Some had taken refuge in a makeshift church supposedly without permission from the local government which caved in when a huge chunk of the mountain collapsed. Local authorities blamed the landslide on mining activities in the area the main occupation of people in the Benguet town prompting the government to halt small-scale mining operations in the Cordillera region. A landslide in Benguet is triggered by heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Ompong. Calls for the mines to reopen fell on deaf ears. Instead, the government ordered the declaration of a minahang bayan or a common area where small-scale miners can do their work. "Minero kayo noon, minero pa rin kayo ngayon, at mga minero pa rin kayo sa mga susunod na panahon," Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said. The halting of mining operations forced relatives of Irene and Moises to seek work elsewhere as tricycle drivers or carpenters. But if the mines open again, Irene said, they would still return despite the risks. 'Everything's okay' Jessica Demafelis and her sister have heard many horror stories from friends and neighbors about working abroad but this did not deter Joanna from heading out of the country. "Pinigilan po namin 'yun," Jessica recalled. "Kaso lang, 'yung sa kanya 'yung nasunod, na talagang aalis siya kasi gusto niyang maahon niya sa hirap 'yung magulang namin." Joanna had hoped for good fortune in working as a domestic helper in Kuwait. She believed this would bring her enough money to rebuild their house in Iloilo and redeem their pawned paddy field, which Supertyphoon Yolanda both destroyed in 2013. READ: A daughter's promise: The house that Joanna built Her departure for Kuwait the following year had marred Christmas gatherings of the Demafelis family at Jessicas small shack in a Las Pinas subdivision, erected on a plot of land lent to her by the homeowners association of the gated enclave. In that space, Joanna was the life of the party cracking jokes, teasing relatives and giving them gifts. She was the only one who gave everyone gifts. After she left, Jessica would only hear from her sister through phone calls, with Joanna saying that everything was well in Kuwait. Everything was well when Joannas contract was extended beyond 2015. Everything was well even when her employers barred her from coming home. Joanna always assured her sister that there were no problems except there were and that everything was okay except it was not. Then came silence. No word from Joanna since September 2016, except in dreams of family members where she was asking for help. But help did not come to Joanna until it was too late. Jessica was washing dishes as a maid when she heard Joannas name on television. Her sisters rounded hijab-wrapped face was on her social media feed. A Filipino worker had been found in a freezer, the news said. Authorities believe she had been there for over a year. "Siyempre, masakit din sa amin na nawala siya, eh siyempre wala na rin kaming magagawa. 'Yun ang nangyari sa kanya," Jessica said. Jessica Demafelis admits that she has not yet gotten over the loss of her sister, Joanna, and keeps a portrait of her prominently displayed on a table next to a plastic bamboo ornament decorated to look like a Christmas tree. The discovery of Joannas body spun the wheel of fortune in favor of her, her family and other Filipino workers in Kuwait. No more Filipino workers were allowed to head to the Middle Eastern country. All distressed laborers were returned to the county in 72 hours. Kuwait bargained for an agreement to protect Filipino workers a deal that should have long been in place before the deployment of Filipinos there, as required by law. A welfare official was recalled over her inaction on Joannas case. Donations poured in and their typhoon-battered house was repaired. The Demafelises pawned rice paddy was also redeemed. Joannas employers, Nader Essam Assaf and Mona Hassoun, were quickly arrested in Lebanon and Syria, and sentenced to hanging. But these things can only do so much to appease the grief of the Demafelis family. Before, they were certain that Joanna would one day return to the country and join them at their Christmas gathering, bringing back her laugher, jokes and even more gifts. Like in the past four Christmases, Joanna and everything she brought will be absent from her familys annual gathering at Jessicas shack and all celebrations after that. "Natupad nga rin 'yung pangarap ni Joanna, nawala naman siya sa amin," Jessica said, fighting back the tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes. In Jessicas shack, Joanna only remains as a framed portrait, prominently displayed on a table in her house next to a plastic bamboo ornament decorated to look like a Christmas tree. 'Let's put up the Christmas tree' Jessicas home in Las Pinas is in stark contrast to that of the Lirazans, the only house in their neighborhood that has remained free from Christmas decor. "Parang ayaw ko mag-decorate. Kasi siya lang naman 'yung nagsasabing, 'Ma, maglagay tayo ng Christmas tree,'" Theresa Lirazan said, referring to her son, Emmanuel. Emmanuel left his mother and father, Gualberto, abruptly in just a span of two weeks. Jumong, as he was known to his family, went from being a chubby kid beating drums in a marching band, running around in his neighborhood in Makati City, and eagerly participating in school and church activities to being lethargic, unable to lie down straight, having stomach aches, firing up with fever, vomiting black liquid and losing his left lung. Ma. Theresa and Gualbero Lirazan sit on the bed once occupied by their son, Emmanuel, before he passed on months after he received the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia. With Emmanuel gone, Theresa has decided not to decorate their home for Christmas. "Minsan sinisisi ko sarili ko. Dapat hindi ko na siya pina-inject ng Dengvaxia. Kasi hindi siya sakitinkahit lagnat, ubo, siponhindi talaga siya sakitin. Ito lang huli na umpisa nung na-inject siya," Theresa said. Theresa and Gualberto squarely put the blame for the ill fate of their son on the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia. It is the reason why the queue to the potluck table at their church organizations Christmas party will be missing Jumong, who was always first to line up. It is the reason why songs sung at Simbang Gabi gleefully heralding the coming of the Christ would now always sound different for Jumongs sister, Vangie, as the choir would be missing her brothers voice. After all, Dengvaxias manufacturer, Sanofi-Pasteur, admitted that the vaccine does cause "severe disease" among those who have not yet been infected with dengue. The Lirazans belief that the vaccine felled their child is bolstered by similar medical findings among those who passed on after they were given the anti-dengue vaccine. But Theresa and Gualberto told another tale often buried under the gruesome details of the illnesses that felled over a hundred children who were given the shot. Jumong was initially diagnosed with sore throat a far cry from severe dengue and dengue hepatitis, which took him down. When he felt like he was drowning while lying in bed and suffered from stomach aches, the hospital refused to admit him. Instead, Jumong was sent home with antibiotics that never made him better. Jumong got rushed in and out of hospitals in the span of two weeks, but he just kept getting worse until one midnight in September, the only treatment a doctor could offer was, Mommy, magdasal na kayo kasi kritikal 'yung anak niyo." "Kung naagapan lang, sana buhay pa siya," Theresa said. 'This would be the last' Lawyer Ben Ramos never beat around the bush when it comes to talking about the end of life. When the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve, Ben would wake his dazed wife and children with a reminder of their mortality. You will never know, maybe this would be the last," he would say. "Alam niya siguro, dahil sa trabaho niya, someday may mangyayari sa kanya," his wife, Clarissa, said. Ben was a human rights lawyer who represented farmers in disputes against landlords. He was also the executive director of Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group, which teaches peasants in Negros Occidental about their right to own land. People from all over the province would visit her husband, offering him just about anythingincluding bananasjust so he would represent them in court, even if he would gladly accept the cases without payment. Among Bens last clients were the nine farmers from the National Federation of Sugar Workers who were felled in a sugar plantation in Sagay, Negros Occidental. Working in Paghidaet herself, Clarissa knew that these atrocities against farmers were more common in remote towns of their province, but she never expected that, despite the threats, her husband would be shot dead in the city, near a police station. Upon hearing the news of Bens murder, Clarissa just went blank. "Hindi ko alam kung ano ang magiging reaction ko doon. Hindi ako makaiyak, hindi ako makasigaw. Wala. Talagang nagblanko ang isip ko noon," she recalled. "Isang lawyer siya eh. Parang wala na ba talagang respeto ang gobyerno?" With Atty. Ben Ramos gone, his family vows to continue what he had started. Ben was the 34th lawyer to fall under the Duterte administration, according to the National Union of People's Lawyers, where he was a founding member. The police said Bens work or his alleged involvement in gambling could be the reason for his demise. Malacanang said it was "reckless, irresponsible and baseless to blame" the government for what happened to Ben. But Clarissa believes otherwise. In April, her husband, whose hearty laugh and kooky dance moves brought joy to his familys Christmas parties, was tagged by the police as a communist rebel. "Kasalanan na ba ngayon ang makipag-usap sa mga tao at i-explain sa kanila 'yung mga rights nila? Kasalan na ba 'yun na nilalapitan si Ben ng mga mahihirap na hindi kayang magbayad ng kaso?" Theresa demanded. "Halos lahat ng mahihirap ay namamatay na sa gutom, namamatay na sa pagpaslang nila. 'Yun ba ang gusto nilang manatili sa Pilipinas? Yun bang mga sumusunod lang sa kanila o mayroon pa silang puso para sa mga mahihirap na mga tao? 'Let's eat' Liza Pasto left her home in Misamis Oriental in search for a better life up north in Bulacan, leaving her son, Vincent Beimen, who stayed in their province where he was a construction worker. With no means to return home, Liza celebrated the past three Christmases with Vincent through weepy phone calls. This Christmas would have been different, with Vincent having planned to finally visit his mother. But his mother would be heading home instead, if she gets to gather enough money to go home and see her son's body. "Malas naman 'yung Pasko ko, anak ko pa 'yung mawawala. Sabi ko, 'di bale nang walang pera, basta 'yung anak ko 'wag mawawala," Liza said, wailing over the phone. Vincent was eating with his co-workers Clifford Abales and Don Remar Andales at a neighbors house in November when the police came. According to Liza, the three were invited to the police station for questioning, but never returned home. When their relatives trooped to the precinct to inquire about their whereabouts, they were told that they had been released and gone home. But home is far from where the three were. The men were found in a ditch some 40 kilometers away from their homes in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental two days after they were brought in for interrogation. They had gunshot wounds to their heads. A bullet pierced through Vincents eye and one of his arms was broken. "Ako nga, hindi ko mapalo 'yung anak ko. Sila pa tuloy, ginaganyan nila 'yung anak ko. Parang hayop," Liza said. "'Yung mga bata na 'yun, walang blotter sa mga sityo. Bakit sila pa 'yung pinatay?" Vincents grandmother, who was taking care of him, tried confronting the police about his death, but was told that policemen were having a meeting and could not see her at the time. The police officers also did not dare face the crowd that screamed and wailed in front of the police station in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. There, the caskets of the three young men were displayed for everyone to see the alleged handiwork of the police a charge that they vehemently denied. Relatives of Vincent Beimen, Clifford Abales and Don Remar Andales put their caskets on display in front of the Misamis Oriental police station in Tagaloan town in protest. They say that police killed the three men, a charge which police vehemently deny. "Those are serious allegations which remain to be proven in the court of law," Northern Mindanao Police Spokesperson Superintendent Surki Serenas said. The death toll from extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration has reached 12,000, human rights groups claim. Most of them were carried out in the course of the administrations deadly war on drugs. Other killings, including that of the seven TBoli and Dulangan Manobo people blamed on the military, happened while Mindanao was under martial law. READ: Albayalde claims no human rights complaints filed over Mindanao martial law Only one case has been resolved, with the killers landing behind bars. Three Caloocan policemen were found guilty of murdering 17-year-old Kian delos Santos during a drug sting in 2017. For others, like Vincent, Clifford and Don, their relatives remain simply hoping for justice. 'We will continue' The sorrow of a death lingers in the family long after the burial. It is twice as bitter during the holidays, when the cold December breeze pierces through the bones and the nights, through brightened up by Christmas lights, are infinitely more silent. But life has to go on as calendars everywhere will inevitably mark December 25th and every day after that. Liza is knocking on every government agency to ask for assistance so she can go home to Misamis Oriental and see the grave of her son, Vincent. She wants to have his body exhumed and undergo another autopsy. Jessica is still monitoring developments in the case of her sister, Joanna. The death sentence has yet to be enforced on Joannas employers as they are still being held in their countries of origin. Jessica has even heard rumors that the two suspects are not even detained. But keeping tabs on her sisters case may soon become difficult for Jessica if she fails to fight off attempts to evict her from the land lent to her by the homeowners' association in a Las Pinas subdivision. She said she needs to be in Metro Manila until her sister's case is resolved and while she works to fulfill another of Joanna's dreams to have a house near Manila that they can truly call their own. In Cagayan, Evangeline and her family are shelling out from their own pockets to continue building the church and convent Father Mark started when he was still alive. "It's for his memory po, especially for his advocacy to help the poor and the marginalized," she said. When the New Year comes, Irene would only be two months away from finishing her welding course, which she hopes would provide her family a source of income away from the mines that killed her husband, Moises. Theresa and Gualberto remain as actively engaged in the battle against Dengvaxia as they are in their church organization. The couple and their daughter, Vangie, still went to its annual Christmas party and celebrated, even if at times, they still find themselves in tears over the untimely death of Jumong. Christmas this year would feel incomplete without Ben, who usually hosted family functions at his mother's house in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental. But his wife Clarissa and their three children would still sit down for a Christmas meal, minding the empty chair left by her husband. "Sa pagharap namin sa Christmas, kahit wala na siya, kahit hindi na siya kasama sa la mesa, magpa-promise kami na kung ano man ang sinimulan ng tatay nila, itutuloy nila kahit papaano," Clarissa said. CNN Philippines' Chad de Guzman and Alwen Saliring contributed to this story. Privacy Settings This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit. NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using. Monday, December 17, 2018 During this time of year, peace becomes a central themewhether at church, within families, or among other gatherings of people. Peace is in the air! Such is the case for the New Mexico Gay Mens Chorus, directed by Aaron Howe. The Journal North newspaper recently reported that Howe wants to create a space where people can acknowledge each others humanity." despite their differences. He believes that, above all, peace means looking out for the well-being of everyone.." I feel that this is such an important message, especially during this particularly divisive time. Furthermore, Howe states, When we ask for peace on Earth, were not just asking Republicans and Democrats to stop fighting, but acknowledging around the world that people need help and they need security.." For the second year, the Gay Mens Chorus began its holiday shows in the City Different (a nickname given to Santa Fe due to the diversity of people who live here). Even though the above takes place in New Mexico, the holiday season is being experienced all over. Those who dont celebrate the birth of Jesus probably cant help but be affected by the merriment of Decemberbeautifully decorated Christmas trees, special food, family gatherings, and above all, the wish for PEACE as we are looking out for the well-being of everyone.." Dear Reader, do you feel connected to the celebration of peace at this time of year? Holidays can also be quite emotionally triggering, for various reasons, and may cause some turbulence. How do you personally connect to peace during this busy season, or do you feel disconnected? Both perspectives are welcome in the comments below. Spending time with my family and writing this blog is my way of honoring this time of year. What's yours? An activist investor has launched a proxy fight it promised against Lubys board of directors, which if successful would change the leadership of the struggling Houston restaurant chain helmed for nearly two decades by Houstons Pappas brothers. Longtime restaurant investor Bandera Partners is asking its fellow shareholders to elect four new candidates to Lubys nine-member board at the companys annual shareholder meeting, expected in early 2019. The New York hedge fund, in its preliminary proxy statement filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, said it believes Lubys board needs immediate change after its stock price plummeted 69 percent over the past decade to $1.46 even as the national economy boomed. Weve owned Lubys stock for more than 10 years, and its been a very disappointing 10 years of share price underperformance and declines in book value, said Jeff Gramm, Banderas co-founder and portfolio manager. Without material changes to the board, I believe these problems are only going to get worse. Banderas candidates for Lubys board are: Gramm; his father and former Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas; Stacy Hock, chairwoman of Texans for Education Opportunity; and Savneet Singh, managing partner of New York-based Tera Holdings. On HoustonChronicle.com: Activist investor calls for fresh faces to turn around Lubys In response, Lubys recommended that shareholders re-elect eight incumbent board members and elect a new board member to replace Peter Tropoli, who stepped down to be the companys general counsel. The company, in its preliminary proxy statement filed Wednesday, did not identify their ninth nominee, who is awaiting approval from his or her current employer to serve on Lubys board, but said the board had been considering and interviewing the candidate for several months. Lubys said it had no choice but to pursue a proxy fight after Bandera refused to allow its candidates to be interviewed by the board. The company also is asking shareholders to approve an amendment that would eliminate a board rule that requires a supermajority of shareholder votes to remove members. The board has carefully reviewed Banderas nomination notice consistent with its fiduciary duties and has unanimously recommended that shareholders instead vote in favor of the nominees recommended by the company in part because Bandera refused to allow the Board to interview its candidates, a Lubys spokesman said in an email. Related: Lubys to fight activist investor seeking control of struggling restaurant chain Proxy fights, which are like political elections, have become more common in corporate America over the past decade with the rise of activist investor looking to turn around and capitalize on undervalued companies. Nationally, there are between 100 and 130 proxy fights each year, launched by hedge fund investors, disgruntled shareholders and competitors looking to take over a struggling company. Lubys, founded in San Antonio in 1947 and known for its comfort foods such as the LuAnn Platter, has struggled to retain diners in recent years amid growing competition from new fast-casual concepts that offer trendy foods and limited service that appeals to younger diners. Christopher Pappas and his brother, Harris, of the Houston-based Pappas Restaurants have led Lubys since 2001. The company moved to Houston in 2004. Lubys reported a loss of $33.6 million this fiscal year, and its stock has lost two-thirds of its value since January. The company, in its latest annual financial report, posted $365.2 million in sales over the year, down 3.7 percent from the previous year. Same-store sales fell a half percent. Lubys earlier this year issued a statement of going concern, calling into question whether it can stay in business. Bandera last month issued a public letter criticizing Lubys initiative to close and sell some of its company-owned restaurants to pay down $39.3 million of debt. Lubys owns and operates 146 restaurants nationally under the Luby's Cafeteria, Fuddruckers Restaurants and Cheeseburger in Paradise brands. Bandera said Lubys nearly $200 million in holdings, most of it in real estate, is the companys most valuable asset. Related: Luby's closes 21 restaurants amid lackluster sales Bandera, which has invested in restaurant chains such as Famous Daves BBQ, has participated in a few proxy battles, but has never led one until Lubys. The hedge fund faces an uphill battle to get its candidates on Lubys board. The Pappas brothers own 36.8 percent of Lubys stock while Bandera owns 9.5 percent. Bandera hired New York-based Kleinberg, Kaplan, Wolff & Cohen to represent the hedge fund in the proxy fight. Lubys has retained Chicago-based Sidley Austin as its attorney. Banderas co-founder Gramm is the author of Dear Chairman, a book on activist investors. He sits on the board of Indiana-based Morgans Foods with James Pappas, an activist investor and son of Lubys CEO Chris Pappas. Last year, Gramms Bandera joined James Pappas Houston-based fund, JCP Investment Management, in a proxy fight against Dallas-based Fiesta Restaurant Group, which owns Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana. Fiesta ultimately prevailed in its proxy battle with Pappas and Gramm. paul.takahashi@chron.com twitter.com/paultakahashi Sara Ramey, executive director of the Migrant Center for Human Rights, traveled all over the world before settling in San Antonio in 2014 to defend the rights of detained immigrants. This year, she represented nine families separated at the border by the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy, and shes worked with 244 immigrants since August 2017, when the Migrant Center was founded. Nearly every week, she makes the hourlong drive to the South Texas Detention Complex, a Pearsall facility southwest of San Antonio that can hold nearly 1,800 immigrants. Ramey grew up in a small town of about 11,000 in Californias Bay Area and attended the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. But she spent much of her time in college in Mexico, Spain, Costa Rica, Chile and France. After earning her bachelors in international political economy in 2005, she continued to feed her travel bug, interning at the European Parliament in Brussels and traveling to Portugal, Greece and Australia, where she studied asylum laws and volunteered on Amnesty Internationals refugee team. That gave me an appreciation of other cultures and lifestyles that has tied into the work I do now, she said. Now Playing: Sara Ramey, executive director of the Migrant Center for Human Rights, represents clients at the South Texas Detention Complex, one of the largest detention centers in the country. Video: San Antonio Express-News She returned to the United States to get her law degree from American University, becoming a licensed lawyer in 2012. She moved to Texas to do legal work for asylum-seeking immigrants. Quick Facts on Sara Ramey Favorite books: "Fast Food Nation," "The Crucible," "Pride and Prejudice" (I'm not a fan of Hemingway or Fitzgerald) and "1984" by George Orwell Favorite movies: "Lord of the Rings," "Harry Potter," "Frozen," "Coco" Music: Latin - Regaetton, bachata. Juanes, Shakira, Mana, Luke Bryant. Favorite San Antonio restaurants: White Elephant, Bakery Lorraine, Local Coffee, Panaderia, Pharm Table, 5 Points Local. See More Collapse Starting at South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, or ProBAR, in Harlingen, Ramey hopped over to the San Antonio-based Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, or RAICES, before stepping in as executive director of the Migrant Center. The center works at the Pearsall facility and the Karnes County Correctional Center, a family detention facility. READ ALSO: Trumps quest to end birthright citizenship questioned, condemned in San Antonio Ramey recently sat down with the San Antonio Express-News to talk about her work with asylum-seekers and starting her new nonprofit. Heres an edited transcript of the conversation: Q: How did you get into this line of work? A: I was offered a position at ProBAR specifically to work with all the asylum-seekers who did not speak Spanish so people coming from places like Bangladesh, Somalia, Yemen, Cameroon. In the two years I was there, I probably worked with people from anywhere between 15 and 20 different countries. They (ProBAR) basically do detention work on the border. And that is where I first saw how challenging it is for people to put together a case from inside detention. From the practical standpoint of needing to try to get evidence, when they dont have access to the internet, from when the evidence needs to be prepared in English and they dont speak English, from understanding a case so knowing what they need to explain to the judge so the judge understands their situation. Also, I really got to see how emotionally draining and traumatic it can be to be in a detention facility, when youre talking about people who have already experienced incredible trauma. Who have been tortured brutally by their government in prison for months. Had their fingernails and toenails pulled out. Had been repeatedly sodomized. And then they go through a really stressful, traumatic journey to get here, and then theyre put in detention. Q: Tell me about the Migrant Center and how that came to be. A: The need for assistance is there regardless of who the person is. But funders typically will donate to kids and families because that feels more compelling. You can think of you or me or any educated adult, if we went to a new country where we didnt speak the language and we didnt know the legal system, we would be equally lost. And so theres not a lot of funding out there (for adults), and its a real challenge to have the support for the detained adults. So our big question was, can we make something work thats sustainable, that will provide services to this underserved population? And thats still very much an open question. Were always looking at ways to structure the program that will allow us to provide at least some level of service to everyone, even if thats just the basic legal consultation so they (immigrants) know what the next steps are, how to put together their case and what legal options they have. A lot of times what well do is well help them produce research, help them gather their evidence, help them write up their stories in English, things like that. And so we are able to assist more people than the smaller number of people we can actually represent. This is one of those types of work where you can work forever and ever. Q: So from a business perspective, what has been the biggest challenge of getting the center up and running? A: As a new organization, theres a sort of knowledge gap, right? People in the community dont know who we are, and so it takes a certain amount of time to build those connections. I talked to a number of folks who are very passionate about this issue in San Antonio, and who really do want to help and dont know how to help. And we can provide opportunities for them to do that whether thats as a volunteer translator (or) theres a lady whose been communicating as a pen pal with one of my clients, providing her support throughout the process. Its really to let people know what were doing and how they can become involved. READ ALSO: Honduran women detained for nine months is denied asylum I think were stronger when we work as a community, but I would say thats probably the biggest challenge as a new organization, being known in the community. And its not just that someone has heard your name. It means they know what you do and they can trust you as an organization. Q: How do immigrants affect the workforce? A: In terms of asylum-seekers, Id say a lot of my former clients tend to work in the taxi or transportation industry. I have one former client who now owns his own business, a trucking business, and has a number of employees that will drive all around the country. Ive also had several clients go into meatpacking in Texas East Texas, North Texas and several clients who have gone into the hotel industry as well. For women, a lot of times the work they are doing is in cleaning. I have a former client whos now working in IT up in Austin, and hes supporting his wife and their daughter. I have several other clients who have now gotten married they have kids, and theyre building a life as contributing members of the community. A lot of folks will also continue to send money back home to families, which is really helpful. Q: What do you wish people in San Antonio and South Texas knew more about? Whats one thing that you wish people had more awareness of? A: I think one of the biggest challenges right now, in terms of awareness, is this public discourse coming out of Washington that says people are not really refugees that theyre not fleeing persecution, theyre just trying to come to the U.S., theyre using our asylum laws as a loophole to get in the country. I just havent found that thats true in practice. You know, Ive met with hundreds, if not thousands, of asylum-seekers over the last half decade. And there are very few people who have said that theyre coming for asylum who I think dont really have an asylum case. The vast majority of people are truly afraid. Now, that doesnt mean theyre going to win their cases. Its not that people dont have a serious, legitimate fear, and I would put money on the fact that weve deported people who have been killed after we deported them, but they dont qualify within the limitations of our laws. So even where you have a situation where people get their evidence together, prepare their case well, theres really a protection gap in the system. sfosterfrau@express-news.net | @SilviaElenaFF Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, on Sunday rejected the prospect of Trump sitting down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller. "Over my dead body," Giuliani said on "Fox News Sunday." "But you know, I could be dead." "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace followed up, pressing Giuliani on whether the special counsel wanted to speak with Trump. Giuliani did not respond directly and instead said he was "disgusted with the tactics they have used in this case." On ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," Giuliani was asked whether there were ongoing discussions about an interview. He replied that he was "not allowed" to say that. Giuliani added, "The agreement we had did contemplate that there'd be a period of time after the questions that we would have a discussion about whether there should be any further questions. So I'm not saying we are or we aren't, but that's in the agreement." Last month, Trump's attorneys submitted his written answers to questions from Mueller about the president's knowledge of the Russian government's efforts to assist his 2016 campaign. During the televised interviews, Giuliani also criticized former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who was recently sentenced to three years in prison for financial crimes and lying to Congress. Cohen said in an interview with ABC News last week that Trump knew it was wrong to make hush-money payments to two women who alleged they had affairs with him years ago. Cohen has admitted to facilitating the payments and running afoul of campaign finance law. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., who is expected to be the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee when Democrats take control of the chamber early next year, said he wants Cohen to testify before Congress in January. "I'm hoping that Mr. Cohen will come before the Congress, where he can tell the American public exactly what he has been saying to Mueller and others, without interfering with the Mueller investigation," Cummings said on CNN's "State of the Union." Trump has denied instructing Cohen to break the law. "The man is pathetic," Giuliani said of Cohen. Giuliani also called him a "serial liar." President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that he will review the case of a former Special Forces officer and Afghanistan war veteran who was notified last week that he will face a murder charge in the death of a detainee suspected of being a Taliban bombmaker. Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn was notified Thursday by the Army that he will face one charge of murder, his attorney and the Army said. The military has been investigating him since 2011, when Army officials said he confessed during a polygraph test as part of a CIA job interview to killing the suspected bombmaker in February 2010. "At the request of many, I will be reviewing the case of a 'U.S. Military hero,' Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder," Trump tweeted. "He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas." More for you Army secretary defends stripping awards from former Green Beret It wasn't clear Sunday what Trump's "review" could comprise or whether he is considering pardoning Golsteyn if the Army convicts him of murder. The White House did not respond to questions seeking clarity on the president's Twitter post. The case remains under investigation, with an Article 32 hearing expected next year to review evidence. An Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Loren Bymer, said that Golsteyn was recalled to active duty last week to face the charge. A Pentagon spokesman, Army Col. Rob Manning, said Sunday that the allegations against Golsteyn are a "law enforcement matter," and that the Defense Department will "respect the integrity of this process and provide updates when appropriate." Trump's statement alone could complicate the military's prosecution of Golsteyn. The president, as commander in chief, is expected in the military justice system to not make statements that could influence open cases. Doing so is considered unlawful command influence and can result in cases being thrown out. Golsteyn's attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, has disputed that Golsteyn's statement to the CIA was characterized accurately by the Army. The service launched an investigation into Golsteyn after the CIA alerted them to his job interview, but closed it without charging him. But the case was reopened in 2016, after Golsteyn said during a Fox News interview that he had killed a bombmaker, who had been held as a detainee, out of fear that the bombmaker would target Afghans helping U.S. troops if he were let go. Golsteyn, a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., was lauded for his performance in Afghanistan as the commander of a team from 3rd Special Forces Group in the Battle of Marja. About 15,000 coalition troops fought to take back a poppy-laden section of Helmand province that was controlled by the Taliban and laced with explosives. On Feb. 20, 2010, Golsteyn coordinated numerous airstrikes and repeatedly braved enemy fire after launching a mission to kill a Taliban sniper who nearly hit a nearby Marine, according to a military summary of his actions. He was later awarded the Silver Star for valor, and the Army was considering upgrading the award to the Distinguished Service Cross - one step down from the Medal of Honor - when the allegations against Golsteyn emerged. The accusations center on actions that occurred two days earlier. Two Marines - Sgt. Jeremy McQueary, 27, and Lance Cpl. Larry Johnson, 19 - were killed and others were wounded by a garage door that was booby trapped with explosives, prompting a search of nearby homes in which Golsteyn's unit found bombmaking materials and a suspected bombmaker, according to the results of an investigation released to The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act in 2015. Golsteyn later recounted during his CIA job interview that the U.S. troops detained the man and brought him back to their base. While detained, the suspected bombmaker unexpectedly crossed paths with an Afghan tribal leader with whom Golsteyn's team was working. When the leader expressed fear for his life, Golsteyn said, he grew concerned about the consequences of letting the suspected bombmaker go, according to Army documents. "CPT Golsteyn related there had been countless times when he detained someone and sent that person to a detention facility only to see that same person shooting at his unit weeks later," an Army investigator's summary of Golsteyn's polygraph test said. "CPT Golsteyn stated he had no qualms about what he did because he couldn't have lived with himself if [the suspected bombmaker] killed another Soldier or Marine." The Army dropped Golsteyn from the Special Forces and stripped him of the Silver Star. The service accused him in a June 2015 administrative hearing of violating the law of armed conflict, but a panel of officers determined that was unsubstantiated. It instead recommended separating him from the military for conduct unbecoming an officer with a general discharge under honorable conditions. WASHINGTON - The White House and a number of federal agencies have started advanced preparations for a partial government shutdown, as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats appear unlikely to resolve their fight over a border wall before some government funding lapses at week's end. GOP leaders are scrambling to find a short-term alternative that could stave off a shutdown, which would start on Dec. 22 absent a deal. But White House officials signaled to lawmakers Friday that they would probably not support a one- or two-week stopgap measure. Some congressional Republicans support such a "continuing resolution," but the White House rejection has dramatically increased the odds of a spending lapse. "We could be headed down the road to nowhere," said Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala. "We'll have a [continuing resolution] rather than a shutdown, I hope." Several budget experts believe a partial shutdown, which would impact agencies that manage law enforcement, homeland security, housing and other programs, could drag on for days, if not weeks. That is in part because Trump believes the final days of the existing Congress are his best chance to extract $5 billion in funds to partially build a wall along the Mexico border. In early January, Democrats take control of the House of Representatives, giving them more control over the process. Multiple agencies and senior administration officials are preparing for the possibility that about a quarter of the government - and more than one-third of federal workers - could be left without funding. The agencies themselves are providing scant information about what they will do if their funding lapses, and with the deadline days away, mass confusion remains about what would actually happen in a partial government shutdown. The Statue of Liberty, for example, closed to thousands of visitors during a brief government funding lapse in January. National parks across the country stayed open, though without visitor centers and fees and with only minimal emergency staff. National Park Service officials confirmed Friday that parks would stay open this time - but they declined to say whether the Statue of Liberty would again close. "We are not going to speculate on any possible change in government operations," Jerry Willis, a spokesman for the national park that encompasses the Statue of Liberty, wrote in a text message. He referred questions to the Park Service, where another spokesman wrote an identical message in response to an inquiry. The lack of clarity on all fronts is seizing Washington just ahead of the Christmas holiday and as Democrats prepare to take control of the House of Representatives, illustrating how jarring the transition in power could be next year. Trump and some of his conservative allies on Capitol Hill view this as their last, best chance to deliver on the long-promised wall before they lose their grip on power, and they are reluctant to let the moment pass. But Democrats feel no pressure to give in to Trump's demands weeks before they will assume control of the House. At the same time, a number of Republicans are cringing at the possibility that their two years in control of Congress and the White House could end, shamefully, in a partial shutdown of the government they command. From the sidelines, rank-and-file Republicans are urging Trump and Democratic leaders to find a compromise between Trump's demands for $5 billion for his border wall - even though he long claimed Mexico would pay for it - and Democrats' insistence that they wil spend no more than $1.3 billion on fencing. "I'm sorry that we're in this situation, because the American people deserve better from both sides," said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. "Everybody that's at the leadership level, and I include the president and the Democrats, are putting their perceived political interests ahead of a solution, and ahead of what's good for the American people. And, you know, no wonder people don't like this place." The standoff intensified following an outlandish televised meeting on Tuesday with Trump, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. During their encounter, the president and his Democratic antagonists doubled down on their demands, and Trump declared he would be proud to shut down the government over border security. There have not been any serious bipartisan talks since. About 75 percent of the portion of the federal budget controlled by Congress has been funded through next September, including the Pentagon, Veterans Affairs and the Health and Human Services Department. But the other 25 percent is operating on a short-term funding extension that runs out Friday at midnight. Unless a deal is reached, the departments of the Interior, Agriculture, State, Housing and Urban Development, Treasury, Commerce, and Homeland Security would lose funding. So would numerous smaller, independent agencies, including the Peace Corps, the Small Business Administration, the National Archives, the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration. These agencies' budgets were supposed to have been approved by last October. About 800,000 of the 2.1 million federal employees across the country would be affected since their offices would lose funding to operate. About 40 percent of them would be sent home without pay, with the rest staying on the job because their work is considered essential to the functioning of the government, according to Capitol Hill aides and the contingency plans the agencies have filed with the Office of Management and Budget. Federal agencies that will run out of funding were supposed to be notified Friday to begin activating their contingency plans. The plan provides the contours of what a partial shutdown would look like, even as the administration has issued little in the way of public guidance. One reason for the confusion is that White House budget director Mick Mulvaney has given federal agencies much more leeway to remain open during a shutdown than his predecessors did. For example, he has directed national parks to remain open as they did during the brief shutdown last January, although visitor centers would be closed because their staffs would be sent home, and law enforcement would be minimal. Some agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, have been directed to draw on reserve funding to keep employees at work instead of sending them home indefinitely without pay. It is unclear if the White House will follow a similar approach this time, as multiple officials declined to comment. And Trump on Friday announced Mulvaney would be elevated to serve as acting chief of staff when the current chief, John Kelly, steps down at year's end. A partial government shutdown could portend bigger problems for Washington into 2019, as upcoming deadlines will repeatedly require Trump and Democrats to reach deals. Capital Economics, a research firm, wrote in a note Friday that "the biggest downside risk (to the economy) is a prolonged federal government shutdown that morphs into a full-blown debt crisis sometime in the first half of next year." The White House and Congress will have to reach an agreement to raise or suspend the debt ceiling at some point next year, and Trump has not yet had to do this at a time when Democrats had any control over a chamber of Congress. Financial markets can become very unsettled when Washington dithers over raising the debt ceiling, and Trump had - before becoming president - suggested that the debt ceiling should not be raised. Even a partial shutdown would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity, with federal employees likely to be paid for staying home. Other shutdown-related expenses would include revenue from fees and costs charged contractors for stop-work orders, for example. In light of the potential for a shutdown, some Republicans have begun downplaying its impacts, suggesting that even if it did occur the public might hardly notice. "Obviously we want to avoid a government shutdown, but if you look at what the real-world consequences would be, I think this shutdown would be different because we have funded most of the government, because President Trump has said he will make sure essential services continue," said Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.). "I don't think the American people will feel an impact from this like they may have in the past. I also think that the most important thing is we've got to secure our Southern border because we have a national security crisis down there." Employees who are called to work during a shutdown do get paid but not until the government reopens. Employees who are furloughed are in theory not guaranteed to be paid once the government reopens. But after every previous shutdown, Congress has passed legislation mandating that they be paid. The Department of Homeland Security would keep 85 percent of its 300,000 employees on the job, largely because they perform law and immigration enforcement roles that are considered essential during a shutdown. So airport security screeners, the Coast Guard, Border Patrol agents, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would come to work, although their pay could be delayed. But the vast majority of Housing and Urban Development's 7,800 employees would be furloughed, as well as those at NASA. So would the workforce of the Treasury Department, which includes the Internal Revenue Service. In the short term, the effect on the IRS would be minimal since tax season is four months away - but the agency is preparing to fully implement the complex tax legislation Congress passed last year. The Food and Drug Administration would continue to respond to outbreaks of the flu or foodborne illnesses, but would send home more than 40 percent of its staff and would have to cease routine inspections. But most food inspection, for example of meat-processing plants, is done by the Agriculture Department, which would continue those operations in a shutdown. About 3,600 forecasters for the National Weather Service would stay on the job, as would 5,000 Forest Service firefighters and 16,700 federal corrections officers. But would-be homeowners would find delays as their applications for loans were backlogged by the closing of the Federal Housing Administration. With many federal workers planning to be off the job anyway to use up their annual vacation time, the impact of a shutdown on them could be blunted. Unions representing federal employees said Friday, though, that even a partial shutdown would cause significant disruptions to the operations of government. J. David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, said it was wrong to minimize a potential shutdown because it would not affect the entire government. "Picking and choosing certain agencies to stay open and leaving others to close is missing the point," he said in a statement. "The federal government and its agencies are interconnected, the services funded by taxpayers are rightfully expected to be delivered year-round." When the ghost of Jose Miguel de Arciniega returned to San Antonio for the 15th annual Founders Day festival Sunday, one of the things he noticed right off was how appearances have changed in the 182 years since Texas won its independence. I visit El Alamo on my way here, he told a crowd of 200 that had gathered Sunday afternoon at Travis Park. Its very different today. High-rise buildings towered behind the tall, festively decorated Christmas tree where Joe Arciniega sat, channeling his great-great-great-great grandfather as part of a history lesson given at the festival. A procession led by San Antonio Pipes & Drums included the Southern Winds Inter-Tribal Group, the Canary Island descendants, the 1718 founding families and the Order of Granaderos y Damas de Galvez, resplendent in period costumes. Now Playing: Chat with a ghost highlight of festival saluting San Antonio founders Video: San Antonio Express-News Jose Miguel de Arciniega was one of the more interesting and important local leaders of his era yet for some reason, one of the more obscure ones. He served as a legislator, military explorer and alcalde of San Antonio de Bexar under four governments those of Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas and the United States. He was a land commissioner for Mexico, a political chief and militia captain, known for platting and naming the city of Bastrop. Arciniegas descendant, in a talk show-style format, described a rise to leadership among inhabitants still under Spanish rule and still having to scratch out a living on an often hostile frontier. READ ALSO: Descendants of San Antonio alcalde preserve his memory Great-power politics of the day brought the future alcalde to Texas. Arciniega was born in Coahuila, New Spain on Sept. 20, 1793. His parents came to San Antonio de Bexar in 1803, the young Jose Miguel only 9 at the time. His father, a soldier, was one of 100 mounted lancers with La Segunda Compania Volante de San Carlos de Parras. The Second Flying Company was sent to reinforce Spains Texas outpost, Joe Arciniega said, because the king had grown nervous over an expansion-minded United States following the Louisiana Purchase. San Antonio managed to grow as tensions increased. Jose Miguel Arciniega acquired a tract of land for his homestead in 1811 that the Handbook of Texas said was along Alamo Street. That puts it next to the historic mission. It is also thought the tract included Rivercenter Mall and La Villita. In an interview with the San Antonio Express-News years ago, Joe Arciniega said, Legend is he built the house with stone from the Alamo. The Arciniega clan arrived amid one of the most tumultuous eras in American history. Spains time as a great power was nearing an end. Mexicos independence movement was on the rise. The coming influx of Anglo settlers would eventually wrest Texas from Mexico in 1836. That, in turn, would lead to statehood a decade later, and the U.S. war with Mexico that profoundly altered the national boundaries of North America. Jose Miguel Arciniega was well positioned to be in the middle of the tumult. He spoke Spanish, French, English and native American dialects that included Cherokee and Comanche. He also spent a lot of his time on the back of a horse and took his share of risks. The Handbook of Texas says he was sent to the U.S. border in 1816 to check on the possible illegal entry of Americans into New Spain. In 1818, he helped provide information about foreigners in Galveston and on the Trinity River. Eight years later, under an independent Mexico, Arciniega was sent to learn the intentions of the Cherokee and while there encountered the leaders of four other tribes that included the Comanche, Tahuallace, Tejas, and Caddo at Laguna de Gallinas, near Nacogdoches, according to the handbook. He was named a militia captain that year, and the next spring was elected a deputy to the state congress at Saltillo, Mexico. As an alcalde who served in 1830 and 1833, he actually had three jobs until Texas became an independent republic. A common problem was the breadth of the responsibilities, Joe Arciniega said, explaining that the alcalde was the mayor, the judge and the law enforcement combined, overseeing the executive, judicial and legislative functions of government. It was the most important position in the municipality at that time, so it was a big job, and a lot of these guys didnt want to do it, he said. Jose Miguel de Arciniega held other posts, too. One was land commissioner for Stephen F. Austins colonies in November 1830, in that position signing a four-league grant for the town of Bastrop. He and another Austin associate, Samuel May Williams, laid out the town in 1832. Arciniega bought 48,708 acres in what are now Hunt, Grayson and Harrison counties in 1835, and served as interpreter when Mexican Gen. Martin Perfecto de Cos surrendered in Bexar to the Texian insurrection in December of that year. It isnt clear if Arciniega supported the Texas Revolution. The Handbook of Texas said he was appointed a delegate from Bexar but didnt attend the 1836 convention that declared Texas an independent republic. Tapped to serve as second judge of Bexar in 1835, he is thought to have corresponded about a cholera epidemic in Brazoria with Thomas Jefferson Rusk, who would serve as the Republics first secretary of war and was a general at San Jacinto. Arciniega faded out of the records after 1836 and died 13 years later. Toward the end of Sundays program, a moderator asked if Jose Miguel de Arciniega had regrets. There was one he didnt see what was coming after Texas joined the United States. In the aftermath of the annexation to the United States, many of us who work and fight for this land, some whose families had done so for more than 100 years before, were treated as the enemy left behind. And why? the ghost said. Because of our skin color, for our accents, for our funny names, names that they could not know how to pronounce or spell. Those names meant something here Navarro, Ruiz, Menchaca and Arciniega, among others. They lost land, homes, political power, even their lives, and eventually lost the history for what we did for Tejas, he said. The names Crockett, Bowie, Travis and Houston are in history books everywhere, and justifiably so, Jose Miguel de Arciniega said as the program wound down, but those who had already put down roots many of them Hispanic had been there to help them settle. And yet the war would divide Texans into winners and losers. They had nothing to lose, not like us who had to rip our allegiances from our mother country well within her sights, right on the very land that we, our fathers, our grandfathers, lived, fought and died, he said. We had everything to lose, but we did it anyway. Makers of Tejas, to a much riskier degree, worth remembering, too, no? Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe With a broad smile, 13-year-old Sonam Hussain accepted a brightly wrapped present from a volunteer as Santa posed for photos with other children nearby at Resurgent Church on Fredricksburg Road. I didnt know the meaning of Christmas, Sonam said, after she had her turn at having her photo taken with the jolly old elf. Its good. I like Santa. It was the first time the child had ever celebrated Christmas. She was one of more than 100 refugee children and teens, now resettled in San Antonio, at the party Saturday. Her sister, Faheema, 20, explained that her family didnt celebrate the holiday in Pakistan, the land of her birth. There wasnt a Christmas tree, she said, nor were there visits with Santa Claus, who was a big hit at the fiesta. Hes the king, Faheema said of Santa, then added half-jokingly, but he didnt give me anything. Im sad. While she didnt get a present only children up to 18 received gifts Faheema did get to take a photo with Santa, which had her grinning. Sonams mother, Roshan Gul Mohammad Hussain, spoke little but smiled gently as she watched her daughters having a good time. The event was sponsored by Worldwide Languages, the Center for Refugee Services and the church. The group collaborated on a recent toy drive that received donations from local churches, clubs, military units and individual families. The gifts included toys, books and clothing. Javier Roman, who was playing Santa at the party, ho-ho-hoed as he invited everyone to snap a photo with him. And, like Santas everywhere, he had his share of wailing babies reaching for their mothers and young boys mugging for the camera, flashing peace signs. Roman and his wife, Linda, founded Worldwide Languages, which provides medical interpreters for refugees. They became aware of the refugee families needs, such as diapers, interpreters and social services. Roman said they started the celebration five years ago with 50 children; now, with the help from the other organizations, they are able to provide gifts for more than 1,000 kids at the party and other holiday events for refugee families. We saw that these families were so desperate for assistance, he said. These families need immediate things. Linda Roman said seeing the youngsters smiles when they receive a present, makes it all worthwhile. We have so many refugees now, she said. Right now, its not exactly a positive time for them. So, its nice if we can give them a little time, just a little moment where they can relax. She said the Center for Refugee Services helps refugees from more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq and Nepal. Catholic Charities arranges for refugees to resettle in San Antonio through an agreement with the U.S. State Department. In addition to English as a Second Language classes, center volunteers offer job search assistance, family counseling, and maternity help for new mothers. More than 6,000 in the resettlement community have fled persecution, famine and war to immigrate to new countries where they practice their religion and enjoy free speech without fear of reprisal. While many of the families at Saturdays party werent Christian, those who are tell stories of recriminations and not being able to worship freely. Enjoying holidays can be difficult for all faiths in the war-torn countries. In Afghanistan, we didnt enjoy some celebrations because of explosions and bombs, Fanid Khan Mohammad Khan said as his children took part in games. Were so happy that were here for this celebration. Jean Sherrill, board president for the center, said the community came through to make the toy drive for the party a success. San Antonio residents are very generous in reaching out and providing special toys for our new residents, she said. Were overjoyed with the response that weve had for donations. Volunteer Elizabeth Hart, took the photos of the children with Santa. They were printed on site and ready for the families before they left. She counted 1-2-3 before taking the photos of the children, some who said cheese in Farsi and Arabic. Can I see myself? a young boy asked Hart. There you are, she said as she lifted him up to see himself in the camera viewfinder. Fnu Jalak, from Afghanistan, watched his four-year-old daughter, Aropa, carry her gifts tightly in her arms. Christmas in his home country was different and involved visiting friends and family. Volunteers led the children to the various games and activities. They danced at the cookie walk station, fished for stuffed animals, tossed hacky sack bags and tried their hand at the ring toss game. Carl Johnson, a Boy Scout from Troop 755, chose coordinating volunteers for the event as his Eagle Scout project. The 17-year-old recruited 35 volunteers, who entertained the children, brought snacks and set up color-coordinated wrapped gifts according to ages. It made me feel like Im making a difference in their lives, Carl said. Were all celebrating together and feeling the joy. Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis A regional boss of the Zetas laughed as he used an axe to chop up a 6-year-old girl in front of her bawling parents, telling the father it was so you can remember me, an eyewitness testified Wednesday at the San Antonio trial of the accused cartel figure. Marciano Chano Millan Vasquez then ordered the girls parents hacked to death, said the witness, a 39-year-old convicted marijuana trafficker. Millan, arrested last year in San Antonio, is on trial for killing in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes, among an array of other charges. Witnesses who once worked with high-ranking Zetas have described being told of Millans involvement in massacres across Mexicos Coahuila state, but Wednesdays witness was the first to testify he saw people die at Millans hands and on his orders 18 in all. Most of them were killed in the same gory way: chopped up with an axe, he said, with the body parts then burned in barrels. The Express-News is not identifying the witness at the request of the judge and lawyers in the case due to the high potential of cartel retaliation against his family. The trafficker said he was kidnapped in February 2013 and held for 13 days, blamed for the loss of a marijuana load seized by the U.S. Border Patrol. The Zetas took him to locations in and around Piedras Negras, which borders Eagle Pass, and forced him to watch so I could tell my family that if I didnt get the money (he owed), that is what would happen to me and them, he testified, his voice breaking. The witness said Millan was the Zetas commander of operations in Piedras Negras and was present for all but one of the executions, some of which took place at two houses in Piedras Negras, a junkyard, an abandoned ranch house and near a riverbank. He cried as Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Galdo coaxed answers from him about the deaths, saying in some cases, the victims were blindfolded and kneeling, and he was also forced to kneel. His blindfold was removed so he could watch. The victims included men, women and children, he said. At one of the houses, there was a little girl, a woman and a man held captive in the patio, the witness said. A barrel containing fire was nearby. The girl was 6, he said. Chano began, the witness said. He got the axe and cut off her knee and an arm. She would cry. She would scream. The witness said Millan laughed and told the father, So youll remember me. They cut her all up in pieces and burned her. Asked if the father could look away, the witness said, No. They would grab him by the hair so he would see. Galdo asked who grabbed the fathers hair. Chano and Enano, the witness said, referring to Millan and another regional Zetas boss by their nicknames. The witness also testified about two executions of adolescents or teens who sold newspapers at stop lights in Piedras Negras. In one, four were dismembered and burned. Two were slain the same way in another incident. The Zetas suspected them of being spies for a rival cartel, he said. The witness also recounted being taken to a river bed near Piedras Negras, where Zetas delivered three men suspected of being with Mexicos military and made them kneel. The witness said Millan and other commanders were there with the cartels top leaders, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, also known as Z-40 or Cuarenta, and his brother Omar Trevino Morales, or Z-42. The witness said he heard Millan say, Hay que darles piso Weve got to kill them. The witness said he heard gunshots after he was taken away and didnt see the trio get killed. While captive, he was allowed to text his family and acquaintances to plead for money so he could be released, he said. One of his relatives sold her house to provide $20,000. It was enough to free him, but Millan told him he had to come up with another $100,000 a fine, because I couldnt come up with the $20,000 fast enough, the witness said. He had been moving marijuana belonging to Millan under duress, he said he was a low-level trafficker in the Ciudad Acuna area when he and six other men were abducted and pressed into the cartels service. The first (guy) said he didnt want to. They said, Thats fine. He turned around, and they shot him. After that, the rest of us agreed, the witness said. He said the Zetas enjoyed free rein in northern Coahuila. He recounted how twice after being stopped while delivering drug cash, he told the officers that he had a delivery for Millan, and the cops escorted him the rest of the way. At one point, prosecutors asked the witness if he could identify the defendant. The witness stood up and scanned the courtroom, not looked directly at Millan. Minutes went by before he pointed towards the defense table after further prodding and identified Millan. Galdo later asked the witness if he took so long to point out Millan because the defendant, in a suit and wearing glasses, looked different in 2013. Im afraid for my family, the witness replied, crying. He had failed to gather the $100,000 he owed after his release. He stalled his cartel bosses, then crossed into the United States with his father and was arrested in March 2013. He pleaded guilty to federal marijuana charges and awaits sentencing. gcontreras@express-news.net New York-region manufacturers reported a November slowdown from a previously brisk pace of production, while still optimistic about order activity and hiring through the first half of 2019. New orders increased only modestly in November, according to the latest monthly installment of the Empire State Manufacturing Survey published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, whose jurisdiction extends across the Connecticut border to encompass Fairfield County. Employers indicated their hiring needs remain strong, according to the New York Fed, with an employment index the lone indicator to see an increase in the survey released Monday, with declines otherwise in general business conditions, new orders, inventories and average hours worked. Connecticut manufacturing industry employment rose three straight months through October, according to the most recent estimates from the state Department of Labor, which is scheduled to publish Novembers labor update on Thursday. At an estimated 164,700 jobs as of October, Connecticut manufacturing workforces were at their highest level since September 2009. On the Indeed jobs board, more than 2,700 open manufacturing jobs are listed as available, with Danbury trailing only Windsor statewide with close to 100 slots manufacturers are looking to fill, many of them posted by staffing agencies. As Gov. Dannel P. Malloy nears the end of his final term in office, the state is gearing up a $50 million apprenticeship program to draw more graduates into the manufacturing sector. Southwestern Connecticuts largest employer is the Sikorsky Aircraft subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, with the Stratford helicopter maker getting an October boost from the Department of Defense with an additional eight Black Hawk helicopters added to a fiscal 2019 order totaling 68 aircraft. Sikorsky is also ramping up production of the big CH-53K King Stallion helicopter it will be supplying the Marine Corps, doubling production next year to eight aircraft and with an eye on producing as many as 200 in all over the lifetime of the program. And Sikorsky is readying as well to produce a new fleet of White House helicopters and rescue choppers for the U.S. Air Force in a pair of multibillion-dollar programs. In Wilton, ASML continues to staff up its Danbury Road plant where it builds machines that create circuitry on semiconductors and flat panel displays, with the companys workforce there totaling more than 1,600 people at last report. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman And people say theres never any good news. The Connecticut State Police shared a story on their Facebook page thats making lots of people happy and grateful this holiday season, the story of a little dog that got loose on I-95 in Westport on Sunday. Hours after the incident, state police posted: Who needs Superheroes when you have Connecticut State Troopers? Things got a little hairy on Route I-95 in Westport this morning when this cutie pie (ladies....Im referring to the DOG) got loose on the highway. Troop G Trooper Mike Grabowski responded and with the help of some good Samaritans, little Maggie here was rescued (after a brief but terrifying chase on the highway) and brought back safely to her human. Thank you Tpr Grabowski for going above and beyond, youre certainly a hero to Maggie and her human family today. Also, thank you to the kind people on I-95 who stopped to help! Great job everyone!!! The post drew many comments and shares. They included: Lisa Mete: My Moms dog!! So grateful and relieved Maggie is home safe and sound. People are good. Trooper Grabowski is a life saver!! Teresa Kondrat: Thank you for clarifying who the cutie was LOL. As I thought both were adorable. Sue Perkins Desnoyers: This is what I love seeing our troopers doing. Debi Hirth: CSP Grabowski is a hero. Thank you for helping this cute pup and for your service. Thank you to all the wonderful people on I95 that also helped. So glad this little one is back with her human safe and sound. Jackie Cianchetti: A hero. Just doing his job. A million thanks to a wonderful man who puts his life on the line for all of us. THANK YOU. Patricia Sentementes: Thank you officer for rescuing Maggie and to the kind people on I-95 who helped. Blessings to you all and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Melissa Fabian: Christmas came early! GREENWICH Some 500 people packed the pews at Christ Church Sunday evening for Carols by Candlelight, the Episcopal churchs annual celebration of the advent season preceding Christmas. Beginning with a half-hour English handbell prelude, the liturgical and musical service featured young and adult soloists and four of the churchs much-loved and all-ages choirs trained in the Anglican choral tradition. Renowned composer and organist Philip Moore, who hails from the medieval cathedral York Minster in England and is Christ Churchs current artist in residence, raised the rafters with his pipe organ accompaniment. There is not enough analysis data for PetroQuest Energy. 4.1 Community Rank Outperform Votes PetroQuest Energy has received 28 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes PetroQuest Energy has received 17 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment PetroQuest Energy has received 62.22% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about PetroQuest Energy and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe PQUE will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe PQUE will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Vivint Solar, Inc. provides distributed solar energy primarily to residential customers in the United States. It owns and installs solar energy systems through long-term customer contracts. The company also sells photovoltaic installation products, as well as solar renewable energy certificates. As of December 31, 2019, it had an aggregate capacity of 1,294.0 megawatts covering approximately 188,300 homes. The company was formerly known as V Solar Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Vivint Solar, Inc. in April 2014. Vivint Solar, Inc. was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Lehi, Utah. Read More 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. Read More 1 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Tenaga Nasional Berhad in the last year. There are currently 1 hold rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "hold" Tenaga Nasional Berhad stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in TNABY, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Tenaga Nasional Berhad or view top-rated stocks. The following companies are subsidiares of Sealed Air: A.P.S. (Holdings) Limited, AFP Trading (China) Co. Ltd., AFPTOH LTD, APS Automated Packaging Systems GmbH & Co. KG, APS Verwaltungs-GmbH, Air Ride Pallets Hong Kong Limited, Austin Foam Plastics Inc. (dba AFP Inc.), Automated Packaging Systems, Automated Packaging Systems Asia Holding Company Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Comerciale Importacao do Brasil Ltda., Automated Packaging Systems Europe, Automated Packaging Systems LLC, Automated Packaging Systems Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Southeast Asia Co. Ltd., B+ Equipment, B+ Equipment SAS, Beacon Holdings LLC, Biosphere Industries, BluPack (New Zealand), Blue Dot Packaging Pty Ltd., Cactus (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Cryovac (Malaysia) SDN. BHD, Cryovac Brasil Ltda., Cryovac Holdings II LLC, Cryovac International Holdings Inc., Cryovac LLC*, Cryovac Leasing Corporation, Cryovac Londrina Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal Embalagens Ltda., Cryovac-Sealed Air de Costa Rica S.R.L., DELTAPLAM Embalagens Industria e Comercio, Diversey, Diversey J Trustee Limited, Diversey Trustee Limited, Entapack Pty. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packaging Co. Ltd, Fagerdala (Shanghai) Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shanghai) Polymer Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Thailand) Limited, Fagerdala (Xiamen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Leamchabung Limited, Fagerdala Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Mexico Supply Chain S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Packaging Inc. (Indiana), Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd, Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Ltd., Getpacking.com GmbH, Invertol S. de R.L. de C.V., JSC Sealed Air Kaustik, KRIS Automated Packaging Systems Holding Company, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal Limited, Nelipak Holdings, Pack-Tiger GmbH, Polyrol Limited, Polyrol Packaging Systems LLC, ProAseptic Technologies S.L., Producembal- Producao de Embalagens LTDA, Reflectix Inc., SLD Air Packaging Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Saddle Brook Insurance Company, Sealed Air (Asia) Holdings BV, Sealed Air (Barbados) S.R.L., Sealed Air (Canada) Co./CIE, Sealed Air (Canada) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Limited, Sealed Air (Israel) Ltd., Sealed Air (Korea) Limited, Sealed Air (Latin America) Holdings II LLC, Sealed Air (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sealed Air (New Zealand), Sealed Air (Philippines) Inc., Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Sealed Air (Ukraine) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Pty.) Limited, Sealed Air Americas Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Sealed Air Argentina S.A., Sealed Air Australia (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Real Estate Pty Ltd, Sealed Air B.V., Sealed Air Belgium N.V., Sealed Air Central America S.A., Sealed Air Chile SpA, Sealed Air Colombia Ltda., Sealed Air Corporation (US), Sealed Air Cyprus Ltd., Sealed Air Denmark A/S, Sealed Air Finance B.V., Sealed Air Finance II LLC, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Funding LLC, Sealed Air General Trading LLC, Sealed Air GmbH (Germany), Sealed Air GmbH (Switzerland), Sealed Air Hellas SA, Sealed Air Holding France SAS, Sealed Air Holdings (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Sealed Air Holdings South Africa Proprietary Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK I Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK Limited, Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Sealed Air Hungary Ltd., Sealed Air Investment and Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Japan G.K., Sealed Air LLC, Sealed Air Limited (Ireland), Sealed Air Limited (UK), Sealed Air Luxembourg (I) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg (II) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Management Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Sealed Air Multiflex GmbH, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) I B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands Holdings V B.V., Sealed Air Norge AS, Sealed Air OY, Sealed Air Packaging (India) Private Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Packaging LLC, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging S.L.U., Sealed Air Peru S.A.C., Sealed Air Polska Sp. Zoo, Sealed Air Pty Limited, Sealed Air S.A S., Sealed Air S.r.l., Sealed Air South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Sealed Air Svenska AB, Sealed Air Taiwan Limited, Sealed Air UK Limited Partnership, Sealed Air US Holdings (Thailand) LLC, Sealed Air Uruguay S.A., Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Sealed Air de Mexico Operations S. de RL. de C.V., Sealed Air de Venezuela S.A., Sealed Air s.r.o., Shanklin Corp, Shanklin Corporation, TTS-Ciptec, TXAFP Asia Pacific Ltd., TXAFP GP LLC, and Trigon Industries. Police are appealing for more information after criminals stole alcohol worth more than 100,000 from a Renfrewshire farm. A Southbar Transport trailer full with whisky and gin was stolen at around 01:30 on Sunday (16 December) from Nether Southbar Farm in Inchinnan. Enquiries are at an early stage, and police are now appealing for more information. Detective Inspector Ross MacDonald of Paisley Police Office said: Initial enquiries have revealed that two white trucks were seen in the area around the time of the theft and we are currently carrying out enquiries to establish if there were involved in this incident. At this time I would urge anyone who was in the area early on Sunday morning who either witnessed anything suspicious, or who has any information that may assist our investigation to contact Paisley Police Office through 101 quoting reference number 1553 of December 16. Data from rural insurer NFU Mutual shows that rural crime cost the UK 44.5m in 2017, with the future trend showing a rise as thieves become more brazen as they target the countryside. The new owner of carcase classification body MLCSL has pledged that consistency, transparency and independence will be safeguarded through the formation of a new scrutiny committee. Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Limited (MLCSL) has been acquired by Hallmark Veterinary Compliance Services, purchased through parent company Vorenta Ltd. The deal was approved by Farming Minister George Eustice and completed on November 30. The move was first announced in March and, since then, there has been a consultation with industry. David Peace, chairman of HallMark said he had originally suggested the formation of an independent Carcase Classification Scrutiny Committee (CCSC) in response to industry concerns. He added that he looked forward to working with the committee to maintain the high standards of classification in the red meat processing sector. Mr Peace said: MLCSL has a very strong reputation and from my perspective, any initiative where we are able to work more closely with industry bodies to continue this and, potentially, enhance services further, can only be a positive move. Andrew Loftus, co-chair of the Committee, said: As an industry-led group, acting independently, we will work closely with the new owners to ensure the highest standards of classification, consistency across Britain and absolute fairness between processors and farmers. It is very encouraging that farmer and processor groups have jointly agreed a comprehensive Quality Standard which will guide our work, and which also gives producers a right of appeal, should a dispute arise. This is a new era and farmers should be in no doubt that we will protect the independence of classification for the good of the industry. 'Transparency' Nick Allen, of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said they were looking for a seamless transfer and it would be business as usual for suppliers. "It is about ensuring transparency and fairness for all involved in the meat processing sector, he said. Dafydd Jarrett, of NFU Cymru, added: The continuation of an independent, transparent and consistent grading system, with an easy-to-access appeal process is important and NFU Cymru believes that what is now being put in place will enable this to happen. AHDB believes that by moving MLCSL into the private sector with a company that has a strong track record of delivering independent services to the meat industry, it will open up opportunities for greater efficiencies and synergies that would not be possible under the current public ownership model and secure the future of independent classification in Britain. A year-long process was undertaken to identify suitable companies that met criteria set down by the AHDB Board, including value for money, a track record of delivering independent services and a commitment to the long term future of the business. The pig industry network could be expanded to help provide mental health support for farmers in the face of political uncertainty growing vegan activism. The National Pig Association (NPA) is in discussions with its allied industry members about the possibility of expanding the existing network to provide help and support for pig producers. This initiative is being developed in collaboration with the Farming Community Network (FCN), a charity that supports farmers through difficult times. NPA Allied Industry Group chairman, Hugh Crabtree said there was growing evidence that mental health issues are increasingly taking their toll on farm businesses. We all need to recognise that mental health is just as important as physical health, he said. We are acting partly because there are a number of threats on the horizon that could add to the stress that those working in the pig sector feel from Brexit disruption to instability in the market, the risk of African swine fever and activist incursion. We are keen to formalise the existing support network that is already out there among the allied businesses that work with producers, he said. NPA representatives have met with FCN to discuss how its expertise and support could be more readily utilised in the pig industry. Lizzie Wilson, NPA policy services officer said: Pig producers and stock people will all be quick to call the vet to a sick pig, but how often do you do the same for yourself? No one can do their job well if they are feeling stressed or anxious and as the NPA have seen a few times; if the welfare of the animals is poor, it generally indicates the welfare of the person looking after them is poor also. Charities such as the Farming Community Network and RABI help farmers who are suffering from mental health issues. Scottish livestock farmers and crofters are facing mixed fortunes of farmgate prices as the festive season approaches. The farmgate price for prime lambs is buoyant with strong demand driving gains in the market, which is supported by a tightness in supply over last year. This market situation will be welcomed on Scottish farms and crofts which have faced a year of volatile weather and increased input costs. Beef prices, however, are much lower than would have been hoped with prices for most of November being lower than usual and there are no signs of a pre-Christmas boost despite the expected increase in demand. NFU Scotland has been encouraging shoppers to support Scottish food and farming ahead of Christmas, and continues to encourage them to buy Scottish and local food. Charlie Adam, NFU Scotland Livestock Committee Chairman, said: The market situation ahead of the festive season has been a mixed bag for many of our livestock members. The prime lamb trade is very strong, and this is welcome following a year of challenging weather conditions. However, the lower returns in the beef market coupled with the significant increased costs of farm inputs will be presenting challenges to farm business viability and those of us working in the sector would have liked to have seen a demand driven boost in prices ahead of the festive season. NFU Scotland has been in touch with Quality Meat Scotland and the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers to convey farmer concern about the challenging returns in the beef sector. Mr Adam added: In these uncertain times, compounded by on-going political turmoil, farmers and crofters need to see returns which provide their businesses with the financial security to invest and build resilience. If Scotland is to build its food and drink turnover then our iconic beef and lamb sectors must be able to invest in business efficiency. US farmers have criticised the EU for their shameful resistance to including agriculture in a potential free trade agreement. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), a US pork trade association based in Des Moines, Iowa, said if the EU continued its resistance it would lead to food insecurity and strife. The group said it would be an enormous tactical victory for the EU if it were able to engage in trade negotiations with the US while excluding agriculture, its most protected and sensitive sector. The US and the EU have been engaged in trade talks since a meeting at the White House in July between President Trump and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. But the exclusion of agricultural goods in a potential free trade deal has proven to be controversial for US farmers. The NPPC said on Friday (14 December) that it is increasingly frustrated at the stance of Europeans who ignorantly or maliciously disparage the safety of US food products. In the US, the Government permits such practices as chlorinated chicken, which consists of dipping meat into chlorinated water to prevent microbial contamination. But this practice is banned in the EU, which fears the practice could actually worsen safety standards. Earlier this year, pig producers said that any trade agreement with the UK and US post-Brexit needs to be based on US production practices. But a House of Lords report warns of the potential increase in cheaper, lower-standard food imports to the UK which could put British farmers at a competitive disadvantage. However, the pork lobby group said: The EU model will lead to food insecurity and strife; the US model will lead to food security and a safer tomorrow. The NPPC were joined by other farm lobby groups, from dairy lobbyists to grain exporters, in calling for the EU to ease its stance on agriculture. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Rajkummar Rao and Dinesh Vijan this year delivered Stree which turned out to be one of the best films of 2018. The film that starred Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Shraddha Kapoor and Aparshakti Khurana in interesting roles was applauded by one and all. Post Stree, Rajkummar and Dinesh already have shot Made In China which stars the actor opposite Mouni Roy alongside Boman Irani. Coming together for their third outing this time around, the filmmaker has roped in Rao for a horror comedy. Confirming the same, Dinesh Vijan told Mumbai Mirror, Yes, Raj and I are back and I couldnt be happier as hes one of the most talented actors we have today. He springs a surprise with every film and this one will be no different. He plays a small-time goon whose plans go haywire when he discovers that he might be in store for some supernatural encounters. You can be sure he will be as riveting as Strees ladies tailor, chasing after a ghost. Vijan also revealed that the comic element in the project will be added by Fukrey star Varun Sharma. He added, Varun is in my comic caper, Arjun Patiala, as Diljit Dosanjh's lackey Onida Singh, a cop with an arrogant swagger and a sarcastic tongue. I was waiting to offer him another role that would bring the laughs. Dinesh also revealed that he will soon announce the name of the films female lead and she will have an important role in the film. The filmmaker recently tied the knot with Pramita Tanwar and will soon be off to his honeymoon. Ranveer In Simmba Mode This will be Ranveer Singh and Rohit Shetty's first collaboration together. At the film's wrap up party, Ranveer had this to say about director Rohit Shetty, "I hate making speeches especially during wrap-ups. But today, I want to say something. I have always been a big fan of sir [Rohit Shetty] and wanted to work with him for a very long time. And then I got my chance. My experience has been 1000 times more than what I had expected. I have never had so much blast in making a movie in all the years that I have been working. The things that I learnt are the things that I will carry forward for the rest of my life. It has been cultivated and nurtured by him." Sara Looking Cute In Polka Dot After being praised for her performance in her debut movie Kedarnath, Simmba will be Sara Ali Khan's second movie. She will be playing the love interest of the cop Sangram Bhalerao. Trailers and music videos from the movie show her to be appearing confident. Talking about Sara, Rohit had said, "She is happy to be a part of this. In fact, Sara wants to be a part of action film. I am happy to know that she wants to do all kind of cinema and doesn't want to get stuck to a film or genre." Director Rohit Shetty Poses For Cameras Bringing another cop drama after Singham, Rohit Shetty talked about how Simmba is different from the other. As reported by Times of India, Rohit said, "Creating a similar cop character would have been tough. This character is totally opposite of Bajirao Singham, he is notorious, flamboyant and the energy is totally different." Anil Kapoor At Simmba Promotions Actor Anil Kapoor attends the promotional event for Simmba today, encouraging the team and wishing them the best. He was snapped posing with the poster of the movie. Can't Wait! Simmba is the Hindi remake of the Telugu movie Temper. Simmba also Sonu Sood and Ajay Devgn, who will playing his character Bajirao Singham from Rohit's earlier film. Produced by Karan Johar's Dharma productions, Simmba will release next week, on December 28, 2018. Kangana Looking Beautiful In Pink Kangana Ranaut made an appearance at a promotional event for her film Manikarnika in a beautiful light pink saree. She looked every bit the diva that she is. Kangana has been gearing up for the release of Manikarnika on January 25, 2019 and is very excited for it. Kangana On Manikarnika's Production Due to controversial holdups, Manikarnika's release date was postponed from April 27, 2018 to the current release date. As reported by Times of India, Kangana Ranaut said this about the production of the film - "Manikarnika is the only film that has been made so quickly. Knowing that it's a prop drama, we shot and wrapped 60% of the film in October. Almost 70% of the film is in VFX." Talking about the real hero of the film, Kangana added, "We are really looking forward to showing the essence of Manikarnika's life through glimpses of the film, and eventually the story of the film which is our hero." Kangana Seems Proud To Portray Queen Laxmibai Talking about her character, Rani Laxmibai, Kangana Ranaut sounded proud to be playing the role in this statement that she made to IANS, "What was unknown about her life is that she fought for many things that are acceptable today like adoption and women empowerment. She was completely against untouchability and she neither believed in caste system." She added, "She was a visionary and I value the freedom that we have because of her a lot more." Manikarnika Trailer Will Be Out Today! Manikarnika trailer will be out tomorrow, December 19, 2018. The teaser of the film was released around two months back and it drew a lot of attention. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan lent his voice to the opening narration of the teaser. Narrating the story of Queen Manikarnika, rebellion against the British, Mr. Bachchan's voice sounded rightly in place considering that this is a period drama. Kangana Ranaut's fierce fighting scenes from the teaser caught the awe of audiences. Showing glimpses of grand sets and flamboyant costumes, the teaser has the audiences waiting for the trailer. Bigg Boss Kannada Season 6 has reached the halfway and it has been quite a turbulent journey so far. We have seen everything, right from romance to conflict, and this has added a new dimension to the show. The action continued during the latest episode which proved to be a memorable affair. Rakesh-Akshatha's Friendship Fallout Post the advice from Akshatha's mother to keep away from Rakesh, the female contestant has been trying to achieve the same religiously which is irking the North Indian lad. The small act of sharing scissors made Rakesh agitated and he ended up shouting on the contestants. This reaction from him made Akshatha shed tears for a while but she returned to normal in no time. Both contestants, who were adhesive to each other once, are now poles apart. Wildcard Entry Just to spice up the proceedings, Bigg Boss has introduced 3 wildcard female contestants. Gorgeous looking Jeevitha & Meghashree have entered the house which has been a great reason for contestants such as Naveen, Andy & Rakesh to increase the energy and participation levels in the house. While Niveditha Gowda, a former contestant of Bigg Boss season 5, is a guest inside for a span of 2 weeks. A Promise Andy, who has employed his own style of gameplay with the attack and comment game, was caught for his own mouth on Saturday. During a certain task, Andy had assured to shave half his head if Kavitha as a captain, made an unbiased decision after a certain task. Much to his dismay, Kavitha had passed a fair decision and everyone including Andy had forgotten about the vow. Kichcha Sudeep on Saturday asked the housemates to consider Bigg Boss seriously and also be watchful of their words. This prompted Sudeep to instruct Andy to keep up with his promise and thus, the latter got half his head shaved. The Eviction Though expected at the outset, the eviction of Nayana was a tad disappointing for the housemates as she was seen as a genuine and lovable person without much fights and controversies. It was Naveen Sajju who seemed have been affected the most as he wept inconsolably for some time. With the tasks, competition and seriousness getting bigger and better, the second half of the show is set to be even better JV will acquire a license to commercialise Novodiag platform in the Greater China territory 10m investment to fund the continued expansion of Mobidiag's product portfolio and further accelerate commercial development Mobidiag Ltd., a commercial stage molecular diagnostics company addressing the spread of antimicrobial resistance, today announces that it has entered into a joint venture ('JV') agreement with Autobio Diagnostics ('Autobio'), one of the leading clinical diagnostics companies in China, to commercialise the Novodiag platform in China. In addition, Mobidiag announces that it has secured a separate 10m equity investment from Autobio. Lynx Financial (HK) Ltd, served as the exclusive financial advisor to Mobidiag in this transaction. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005272/en/ Mobidiag and Autobio will jointly invest 12.3m to establish a joint venture company in China. Autobio will invest 8m in cash to hold 65%, and Mobidiag will invest 4.3m to hold 35%. Mobidiag will grant to the JV an exclusive license for human infectious disease assays (except for sepsis) for China. Initial activities of the JV will include the registration of the Novodiag platform and three assays for the rapid detection of respiratory and gastroenteric infections and meningitis with the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA, former CFDA). The JV will also finance the establishment of local facilities in China to manufacture some Novodiag components and disposables. Proceeds from the 10m equity investment will be used by Mobidiag to continue growing its product portfolio, accelerate the development of further assays for the Novodiag system and enhance its manufacturing capabilities, as well as continuing to facilitate Mobidiag's commercial expansion. The Novodiag platform is an innovative molecular diagnostics solution allowing fully automated detection of infectious diseases, including antibiotic resistances. The platform combines real-time PCR and microarray technologies, to allow direct analysis of samples placed in a disposable cartridge. It also allows for comprehensive screening of multiple or single pathogens within approximately one hour, allowing clinicians to be better informed when making time-critical decisions, helping to deliver early treatments and avoid the spread of infection. Tuomas Tenkanen, CEO of Mobidiag, said "We are excited to enter into this new Joint Venture with Autobio Diagnostics, a leader in IVD field in China. We are confident that their unparalleled access to the rapidly growing Chinese market combined with Mobidiag's deep expertise in molecular diagnostics will result in a successful partnership that will bring syndromic diagnostic panels to China at an affordable price. "The 10m equity investment strengthens our cash balance and will allow us to advance our wider strategy to grow sales internationally and launch more innovative and affordable molecular solutions to advance the diagnosis of infectious diseases and antibiotic resistances." Yongjun Miao, Chairman of Autobio said "In China, due to a lack of rapid, accurate and low cost diagnosis of pathogens, the timely and effective treatment of infectious diseases is limited and the misuse of antibiotics is not uncommon. Mobidiag's Novodiag system is low cost, easy to operate, multi-target, and has a wide application and great market prospects. The cost advantages of setting up Joint Venture in China will further enhance the competitive force of the Novodiag system. Both Mobidiag's and Autobio's teams share the same vision for the Joint Venture, and already have a common culture, and we are excited by the prospects for the future." Donald Xu, Managing Partner of Lynx Financial, commented: "This deal epitomizes the current trend in cross-border transactions in the healthcare sectors between China and western countries. The strategy of combining investment with joint venture, will be the playbook for many upcoming and innovative companies to catapult their regulatory and commercialization process, and to compete against the entrenched MNCs, not only in China market, but also the rest of the world." Notes to editors About Mobidiag Ltd Mobidiag is a commercial stage, fast growing molecular diagnostics company whose affordable, widely applicable and robust technology makes the power of molecular diagnostics available to address the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by rapid detection of pathogens and their potential resistance to antibiotics. Through its Amplidiag and Novodiag solutions, Mobidiag offers a comprehensive range of fast, reliable and cost-effective molecular diagnostic solutions for the detection of infectious diseases to laboratories of all sizes. Mobidiag is headquartered in Espoo, Finland, with subsidiaries in France, UK and Sweden. To learn more, visit www.mobidiag.com About Autobio Diagnostics Co, Ltd Founded in 1998, Autobio has become one of the leading clinical diagnostics companies in China. Autobio specializes in research development, production, marketing and service of clinical diagnostic products, including immunoassay, microbiology and biochemical products. Autobio provides comprehensive solutions for medical laboratories. About Lynx Financial Lynx Financial is a leading boutique Investment bank focusing on Life Sciences and Healthcare sectors. With offices in both China and U.S., Lynx Financial specializes in cross-border transactions involving private placement, M&A, joint venture and licensing. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005272/en/ Contacts: Mobidiag Dorothee Allard, Marketing Communications Manager +33 1 55 25 17 13 marketing@mobidiag.com Lynx Financial (Financial Advisor in China) Flora Gao, Senior Vice President 1501 Century Ave. GuoHua Life Financial Center, Suite 1001 Shanghai, China 200122 lynx@lynx-financial.com WG Partners (Financial advisor to the company outside the China region) Andrew Craig, Partner +44 203 705 9320 andrew@wgpartners.co.uk Consilium Strategic Communications Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal, Chris Welsh T: +44 (0)203 709 5700 mobidiag@consilium-comms.com Sales amendment granted for Highland Grow-Amendment to License Significantly Increases Product Availability for Medical and Adult Consumer-Use Markets TORONTO, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biome Grow Inc. ("Biome" or the "Company") (CSE: BIO) (Frankfurt: 6OTA) (OTC: ORTFF) is pleased to announce its Nova Scotia-based subsidiary, Highland Grow Inc. ("Highland Grow"), has received its sales authorization via an amendment to its existing license from Health Canada under the Cannabis Act. This authorization will allow Highland Grow to sell cannabis products to end consumers through appropriate medical and recreational cannabis channels, dramatically increasing product availability. The sales authorization will position Biome Grow to serve the rapidly growing domestic and international cannabis markets. "Biome Grow has been steadfast in its focus on a regional business strategy and building provincial brands that can serve the unique requirements of its local cannabis consumers. This new amendment marks the complete transition of Biome to a commercial cannabis enterprise in the Canadian market," said Khurram Malik, CEO of Biome. Finished product grown and packaged specifically for our customers in Nova Scotia is ready to be delivered. Highland Grow looks forward to completing the final distribution steps with the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation ("NSLC") to get this product into the hands of its local customers as soon as possible. "The Highland Grow team, has been working hard to achieve this important milestone. The company is looking forward to doing its part to eliminate the current supply shortage in our home province," added Frank MacMaster, President of Highland Grow. About Highland Grow Inc. Reflective of the beautiful and rugged northern Nova Scotia terrain, Highland is a local Cannabis grower near Antigonish that is Biome Grow's first licensed producer under Canada's Cannabis Act. Highland Grow was granted its Grow License from Health Canada pursuant to the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) on December 1, 2017. For further information, please contact: Alise Mills amills@sussex-strategy.com 778-928-0267 www.biomegrow.com About Biome Biome wholly owns five subsidiaries, including: The Back Home Medical Cannabis Corporation, a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and in the late stages of applying for a license under the Cannabis Act; Great Lakes Cannabis, a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario and in the late stages of applying for a license under the ACMPR; Highland Grow Inc., a licensed producer in Nova Scotia under Canada's Cannabis Act; Red Sands Craft Cannabis Co., a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Prince Edward Island, and; Weed Virtual Retail Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario in the business of operating a new virtual reality technology platform focused exclusively on the medical and recreational cannabis markets. Biome is a Canadian-based company with national and international business interests. Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", " expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budgets", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information concerning: Highland Grow's sales license from Health Canada and finished product to be distributed in Nova Scotia. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to Biome, including, among other things, assumptions and expectations with respect to: the Cannabis Act and its regulations continuing to exist and operate as expected; the continued existence and validity of the license granted to Highland Grow; changes in cannabis research or the general public's perception of cannabis; and the ability to operate the business as expected. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Biome, or any of its subsidiaries undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2018 / ZTEST Electronics Inc., (CSE: ZTE) today announced that it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent (the "LOI") to invest $293,200 CDN in exchange for a 27.14% equity ownership interest in Twenty49 Ltd ("Twenty49"), based in Waterloo, Ontario, and operating in the US through its wholly owned subsidiary. Twenty49 is a technology company, developing technology for 4 business units: Data420, Fiscal420 and AI420 which focus on collecting information through proprietary hardware and software, and then packaging and selling data to all operational levels of the cannabis industry; and (ii) Fiscal420 which will provide US cities and townships with the ability to automate the collection of cannabis sales taxes from all companies selling cannabis in their jurisdictions. Among other things, the LOI provides that ZTE will have certain pre-emptive rights with respect to future offerings of Twenty49 securities, and a right of first refusal on any sales or other transfers of Twenty49 shares among existing Twenty49 shareholders, as well as representation on the board of Twenty49. The LOI also contemplates that ZTE's subsidiary, Permatech Electronics Corp., will have certain rights with respect to the manufacture of electronic hardware for Twenty49 and that Twenty49 will have the right to obtain a non-exclusive license, on commercially reasonable terms, to use the distributed ledger software developed by Conversance Inc., in connection with its business. Conversance is a Waterloo, Ontario based software company in which ZTE currently holds a 25.29% equity interest. In connection with the completion of the Twenty49 investment, ZTE proposes to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 1,700,000 units (each unit consisting of one common share and one-half a common share purchase warrant) at an issue price of $0.30 per unit, for aggregate proceeds of $510,000. Each whole warrant is exercisable for one additional common share of ZTE at an exercise price of $0.40 during the period of 18 months from closing of the financing. Eligible Finders may receive up to 7% of the value of proceeds of the sale of units in cash and up to 7% of the number of units sold in the form of broker warrants. Each broker warrant issued in respect of the sale of units entitles the holder to acquire one (1) common share of ZTEST at $0.30 for a period of eighteen (18) months from the closing of the financing. All securities issued pursuant to the above referenced financing are subject to a statutory four month hold period. The completion of the strategic investment is conditional upon ZTE raising at least $350,000 pursuant to the private placement and is subject to a number of terms and conditions, including completion of satisfactory due diligence, negotiation of mutually acceptable definitive agreements, and the receipt of all required board and regulatory approvals. Steve Smith, Chief Executive Officer, of ZTE commented as follows: "Every business today is operating in the world of big data. One of the greatest tasks any industry faces isn't obtaining material on customers, products, or sales. Rather, it's drawing something beneficial from the data they're already amassing. ZTEST is pleased to be working with David Hwang and his team to assist with the launch of their proprietary software and hardware products" About Twenty49 Technologies Inc. Twenty49, based in Waterloo, Ont., and founded by David Hwang, is focused on providing a suite of technologies that enable Cannabis entities to boost operational efficiencies and increase revenues. Mr. Hwang is a physicist by training with a wide-ranging background including startup CEO (with several successful exits mostly in the Hospitality space), Hedge Fund Quant, and Cannabis entrepreneur. Mr. Hwang will be leveraging his data monetization experience in hospitality technology and simply applying these past learnings to the nascent Cannabis vertical. Mr. Hwang is a sought-after speaker on the subject of data monetization (TEDx Raleigh, BigDataTech Talks, etc.) and has received several honors including; RSPA Most Innovative Solution Award, Big Data Innovation Summit (Finalist). Mr. Hwang commented as follows: "Data is where business optimization begins. Without data, we are left to guess and blindly react rather than plan and optimize. We are very pleased to be working with the ZTEST team on improving our current software and hardware stacks. These improvements will enhance the ability of customers to collect data and benefit from world leading process improvements." About ZTEST Electronics Inc. ZTEST Electronics Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Permatech Electronics Corp. ("Permatech"), offers Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) to a wide range of customers. Permatech's offering includes Materials Management, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Assembly, Testing and Design services. Permatech operates from a 20,000 square foot, ISO 9001:2015 certified facility in North York, Ontario, Canada. The company serves customers in the Medical, Power, Computer, Telecommunications, Wireless, Industrial and Consumer Electronics markets requiring high quality, quick-turnaround, small and medium size production runs. ZTEST also holds a 25.29% equity interest in Conversance Inc. ("Conversance"). About Conversance Inc. Conversance, a private company based in Waterloo, Ont., founded by Mr. Chen, is focused on developing and marketing proprietary artificial-intelligence supported distributed ledger technologies. Mr. Chen is an electrical engineer with a strong background in radio frequency, digital signal processing, VLSI (very-large-scale integration), complex systems, chemistry and physics. Mr. Chen joined Research in Motion (now BlackBerry) in 1999, becoming a senior member of the office of the chief technology officer, where he was instrumental in many of Blackberry's key telephony innovations and patents. While at BlackBerry, the office of the CTO first began looking into blockchain in 2008. For more information contact: Steve Smith, CEO (604) 837-3751 email: stevesmith15@shaw.ca The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: ZTEST Electronics Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/530660/ZTEST-Announces-Proposed-Strategic-Investment-and-Private-Placement TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2018 / Wi2Wi Corporation ("Wi2Wi" or the "Company") (TSXV: YTY), a leading global developer and manufacturer of end to end Wireless Connectivity Solutions, high precision Frequency Control, Timing, and Microwave Filter devices announces that Ms. Carol Hess joining the board of directors. Carol Hess is a technology expert and sales & marketing executive with over 29 years of experience in the high-tech industry. Currently, she is the Vice President, Worldwide Workstation Product Management and Business Development at HP Inc. In this role, she is responsible for HP's commercial Desktop Workstation and Mobile Workstation Products from the plan-of-record, though launch, and the end-of-life. Carol also drives a multimillion dollar OEM Business for the organization. During her career at HP, Carol has held various executive management positions in Mobility, PC's, and Notebooks where she was primarily responsible for business development, planning, launching, and sustaining activity of the various product lines. Previously, she held various management positions at HP and Compaq; Director of Strategy, Planning, and Operations for the Americas Region, Director of Industry Standard Servers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), located in Munich, Germany. Carol is currently on the Board of Directors of The Greater Houston Partnership and The Texas Diversity Council. She has served the Houston Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) as Vice President of the Board of Directors through 2016. She is an executive member of HP's Houston site council and co-founder of HP's Women Employee Resource Group. Carol has received numerous civic and professional honors that include "Houston Power 50" award from the National Diversity Council in 2018; "Top 15 Business Women of Houston" award from the National Women's Council in 2017; Houston Women's Magazine "Top 50 Most Influential Women of Houston" award in 2013; Association of Women in Computing (AWC) award for "Leadership in Technology" in 2005. She is also a public speaker and a community organizer. Carol holds a Master of Business Administration Degree in Marketing and Management Information Systems (MIS) from The Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Arts in General Business from Michigan State University. "The Company welcomes Ms. Carol Hess to the board of directors. Her experience and knowledge in the high-tech industry will definitely help the Company in its future product development and growing the Company," said the Chairman of the Board Mr. Gary DuBroc. For further information, please contact: Dawn Leeder Chief Financial Officer 608 203 0234 dawn_l@wi2wi.com About IoT and M2M Essentially, IoT and M2M describe the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data. Driven by several factors including the growth in the availability of Broadband Internet, which reduces the cost of connecting, and the related increase in Wi-Fi capabilities as well as sensors built into myriad technologies, this has been described as the "perfect storm" for the IoT. Almost any device with an on and off switch that can be connected to the Internet (and/or to each other) - anything from cell phones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices, cars, as well as machine components in the engine of a jet airplane or the drill of an oil rig. According to analyst firm Gartner, by 2020 there will be over 26 billion connected devices. Others think this figure could be too conservative by a factor of four. About Wi2Wi Corporation Wi2Wi is a vertically-integrated technology company which designs, manufactures and markets high performance, low power wireless connectivity solutions, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) modules, and frequency control devices. The Company's products and services address numerous applications in the markets of Internet of Things (IoT), Machine to Machine (M2M), Avionics, Space, and Government Sponsored Projects. Wi2Wi's products and value-added services provide highly integrated, rugged, robust, and reliable multiprotocol wireless actuators with embedded software, along with customized timing and frequency control devices for customers, worldwide. The Company was founded in 2005 and is strategically headquartered in San Jose, California with satellite offices in Middleton, Wisconsin and Hyderabad, India. Wi2Wi's manufacturing operations, its laboratory for reliability and quality control, together with design and engineering for timing and frequency control devices are located in Middleton, WI. The branch office, located in Hyderabad, India, focuses on the development of wireless connectivity; both hardware and software. Wi2Wi's strategic objective is to service the unique needs of each customer by providing end to end wireless integration solutions and highly customizable timing and frequency control devices. Wi2Wi distinguishes itself from commodity grade products, with best in the market performance, highly reliable, low power wireless connectivity products with integrated software that supports broader temperature ranges and a longer product life cycle. Furthermore, Wi2Wi's end to end product solutions helps the customer substantially reduce their end product expense, certification cost, and overall R&D investment, in addition to substantially reducing the time to market. Wi2Wi has partnered with best in class global leaders in technology, manufacturing, and sales. The Company uses a wide network of manufacturer's representatives, worldwide, to promote its products and services, and has partnered with world class distributors for the fulfillment of orders along with direct sales. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including management's assessment of future plans and operations, and the timing thereof, that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks associated with the ability to access sufficient capital, the impact of general economic conditions in Canada, the United States and overseas, industry conditions, stock market volatility. The Company's actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurances 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, including the amount of proceeds, that the Company will derive there from. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect the Company's 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 ). Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements and if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable law. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included 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 policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Wi2Wi Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/530725/Wi2Wi-Announces-the-Appointment-of-Ms-Carol-Hess-to-the-Board-of-Directors 220,000 sq.m let or relet in total since the start of the year Regulatory News: Gecina (Paris:GFC) is announcing that it has signed a lease with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) for nearly 9,000 sq.m of the Ibox building, in Paris' 12th arrondissement, opposite Gare de Lyon. This new lease, effective from October 2019, follows the leases already signed with the AccorInvest, Dataiku and Exponens Conseil Expertise Comptable groups. All of Ibox's office space has now been pre-let ahead of the building's delivery. This 19,000 sq.m building, aligned with the highest environmental standards and offering an extensive range of services, perfectly illustrates Gecina's ambition to accompany the transformation of the heart of the city to serve its customers through its brand, which is currently being rolled out and was officially launched on December 6, 2018. This latest transaction takes the letting rate for the Group's assets delivered in 2018 and 2019 up to 80%. Meka Brunel, Chief Executive Officer: "We are delighted to welcome the ESMA, a major pan-European organization, and its teams to the Ibox building. This latest lease caps a historic year for Gecina in terms of lettings, with almost 220,000 sq.m let or relet in total, including around 95,000 sq.m for buildings from its development portfolio". Gecina, at the heart of urban life Gecina owns, manages and develops property holdings worth 19.8 billion euros at end-June 2018. As a specialist for centrality and uses, the Group is building its business around Europe's leading office portfolio, with nearly 92% located in the Paris Region, and a diversification division with residential assets and student residences. Gecina has put sustainable innovation at the heart of its strategy to create value and anticipate the expectations of around 100,000 customers and end users, thanks to the dedication and expertise of its staff, who are committed to an understated, fluid and inclusive city. To offer its customers high-quality services and support their changing needs, Gecina has launched YouFirst, its relational brand. Gecina is a French real estate investment trust (SIIC) listed on Euronext Paris, and is part of the SBF 120, CAC Next 20, CAC Large 60, Euronext 100, FTSE4Good, DJSI Europe and World, Stoxx Global ESG Leaders and Vigeo indices. In line with its commitments to the community, Gecina has created a company foundation, which is focused on protecting the environment and supporting all forms of disability. www.gecina.fr View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005665/en/ Contacts: GECINA Financial communications Samuel Henry-Diesbach Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 52 22 samuelhenry-diesbach@gecina.fr Virginie Sterling Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 62 48 virginiesterling@gecina.fr Press relations Julien Landfried Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 65 74 julienlandfried@gecina.fr Armelle Miclo Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 51 98 armellemiclo@gecina.fr Regulatory News: Completion of the acquisition of Sofidy announced on 20 September 2018 and issuance and admission to trading today of 244,712 new shares in consideration for the contribution of Sofidy shares today. Tikehau Capital (Paris:TKO) announced today that, following the approval from the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des marches financiers) and the competent competition authorities, it has completed the acquisition of 98.62%1 of the share capital and voting rights of the asset management company Sofidy ("Sofidy The acquisition of this real estate asset management company announced on 20 September 2018 is consistent with Tikehau Capital's strategy to expand its portfolio of real estate funds in order to improve its business mix. It enables the Group to reach out to new investor categories and extend its know-how in the field of real estate investment solutions thanks to the strong complementarities between the two groups. As part of this transaction, Tikehau Capital has today issued 244,712 new shares fully fungible with the existing shares and for which admission to trading on the regulated market of Euronext Paris has been requested (the "New Shares"). These New Shares have been issued in consideration for contributions in kind consisting of a total of 1,095 Sofidy shares (the "Contributed Shares") (the "Contribution The Contribution made concomitantly with the cash sale of 95.52% of Sofidy's share capital enabled the acquisition of 98.62% of Sofidy's share capital. In accordance with the delegation granted by the tenth resolution approved by the Tikehau Capital Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting of 25 May 2018, and having received the contribution appraisers' reports on the valuation of the Contributed Shares, the resulting capital increase of Tikehau Capital (the "Capital Increase") and the remuneration of the Contribution, Tikehau Capital's manager approved the Contribution, the remuneration of the Contribution and the Capital Increase through the issuance by Tikehau Capital of New Shares to the Contributors (as the term is defined below). As part of this transaction, Mr Christian Flamarion, founder and controlling shareholder of Sofidy, has sold, partly in cash and partly in a contribution in kind, all of its shareholding in Sofidy, through Sofidiane, up to approximately 47% of the capital and, in a transitive way through SOF DI, up to approximately 3% of the capital. In addition, AF&Co, an entity controlled by Mr Antoine Flamarion, sold the full ownership of 5.95% and the bare ownership of 10.19% of Sofidy's shares that it was holding. The main characteristics of the Contribution, its valuation and its remuneration are described below: Contributors Three Sofidy shareholders (the "Contributors Contribution Beneficiary Tikehau Capital, societe en commandite par actions (partnership limited by shares) with share capital of 1,237,754,976 euros divided into 103,146,248 shares (before completion of the Contribution) with a par value of 12 euros each, whose registered office is located at 32, rue de Monceau, 75008 Paris, France, registered with the Paris Trade and Companies Register under number 477 599 104, and whose shares are listed for trading on the regulated market of Euronext Paris ("Tikehau Capital Contributed Shares The Contributors contributed 1,095 Sofidy shares, representing 3.10% of the share capital and voting rights of Sofidy, to Tikehau Capital. Total value of the Contributed Shares The Contributed Shares were valued at their real value as agreed between the parties at 6,817,984.65 euros (the "Value of the Contribution The Value of the Contribution was assessed using a multi-criteria approach (discounted future cash flow method, analogical valuation method based on the multiples of listed companies and comparable transactions). Number of Tikehau Capital shares issued in consideration for the Contribution and amount of the Capital Increase Tikehau Capital issued 244,712 ordinary shares with a par value of 12 euros each. Capital Increase with a par value of 2,936,544 euros, with a share premium of 3,881,352.56 euros (representing the difference between the Value of the Contribution less an indemnity of 88.09 euros corresponding to the share of the fractional New Share, and the nominal amount of Tikehau Capital's Capital Increase), i.e. a total capital increase of 6,817,896.56 euros. Date of completion of the Contribution The New Shares have been issued on the date of this press release and are admitted to trading on the regulated market of Euronext Paris. The New Shares are fully fungible with the existing ordinary shares and have the same rights and obligations attached. Appraisal of the Contribution by the Contribution Appraisers Mr Eric le Fichoux (140, boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris) and Mr Dominique Leveque (8, rue Coquilliere, 75001 Paris) were appointed as contribution appraisers by order of the President of the Paris Commercial Court on 24 October 2018 to prepare the reports specified under Articles L. 225-147 and R. 225-8 of the French Commercial Code and by AMF Position-Recommendation of 21 July 2011 (n 2011-11). The conclusion of the contribution appraisers' report on the Value of the Contribution is as follows: "Based on our work and as at the date of this report, we are of the opinion that the valuation of the contribution of 6,817,984.65 euros is not over-estimated, and consequently, that the net assets contributed are at least equal to the amount of the TIKEHAU CAPITAL capital increase, plus the share premium and indemnity." The conclusion of the contribution appraisers' report on the remuneration of the Contribution is as follows: "Based on our work and as at the date of this report, we are of the opinion that the proposed issuance of 244,712 TIKEHAU CAPITAL shares in consideration of the contribution of the 1,095 SOFIDY shares is fair, from a financial point of view, to the TIKEHAU CAPITAL shareholders." In accordance with applicable laws and regulations, the contribution appraisers' report on the Value of the Contribution has been filed with the Registry of the Paris Commercial Court. The report on the value of the Contribution and the report on the remuneration of the Contribution are available to Tikehau Capital shareholders at the registered office. Copies of these reports are available on the Tikehau Capital website: www.tikehaucapital.com/fr/shareholders/publications (in French only). Tikehau Capital's share capital after the Contribution Tikehau Capital's share capital amounts to 1,240,691,520 euros divided into 103,390,960 shares with a par value of 12 euros each, with the New Shares representing less than 0.01% of Tikehau Capital's share capital following completion of the Capital Increase. In accordance with what had been announced, the Supervisory Board obtained a fairness report from an independent expert (Finexsi) on the terms of the acquisition, on the one hand, the fairness of the acquisition price and, on the other hand, the proposed exchange ratio). This transaction is not subject to prior authorisation of the AMF. This press release is published in accordance with the provisions of Article 1, paragraph 5, first sub-paragraph of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 and Article 17, first sub-paragraph of the AMF Instruction on disclosures in the event of a public offering or admission to trading of securities on a regulated market (AMF DOC-2016-04). This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation to buy or subscribe to financial securities. This press release may only be distributed outside of France in compliance with applicable local laws and regulations. About Tikehau Capital : Tikehau Capital is an asset management and investment group, which manages 15.9 bn of assets (as at 30 September 2018), with shareholders' equity of 2.3 bn (as at 30 June 2018). The Group invests in various asset classes (private debt, real estate, private equity and liquid strategies), including through its asset management subsidiary Tikehau IM, on behalf of institutional and private investors. Controlled by its managers, alongside leading institutional partners, Tikehau Capital employs 260 staff (as at 30 September 2018) in its Paris, London, Brussels, Madrid, Milan, New York, Seoul and Singapore offices. Tikehau Capital is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris, Compartment A (ISIN code: FR0013230612; Ticker: TKO.FP) www.tikehaucapital.com 1 Tikehau Capital intends to acquire the remaining Sofidy shares, i.e. 488 shares, as part of a commitment to sell and purchase signed between one Sofidy shareholder and Tikehau Capital, with the commitment to sell exercisable from 1January 2019. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005581/en/ Contacts: Press Contacts: Tikehau Capital: Julien Sanson +33 1 40 06 18 40 Image 7: Florence Coupry - +33 1 53 70 74 70 Finsbury: Arnaud Salla Charles O'Brien +44 207 251 3801 press@tikehaucapital.com Shareholders and Investors Contact: Louis Igonet +33 1 40 06 11 11 shareholders@tikehaucapital.com Joint venture with leading construction equipment group SANY Expansion of service business with HORIZON Manufacturing alliance with BEINEI Revenue of half a billion euros expected in 2022 DEUTZ AG is restructuring its market presence in China, entering into partnerships with three major Chinese companies SANY, HORIZON and BEINEI in order to benefit from the high-growth Chinese market. "China is the largest individual market for engines in the world," says Dr Frank Hiller, Chairman of the DEUTZ Board of Management. "Thanks to its new partners, DEUTZ now has the ideal production network for efficiently supplying local customers with DEUTZ drive systems. At the same time, we have access to an extensive service network that we will systematically enhance with digital solutions." DEUTZ and SANY, China's largest construction equipment group, signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing. The two companies are forming a joint venture in which DEUTZ AG will be the majority shareholder with a stake of 51 per cent. Initially, the plan is to supply SANY with around 75,000 new engines for off- and on-road applications in 2022. These engines will comply with the China 4 and China 6 emissions standards. One of the leading engine manufacturers in the off-highway segment, DEUTZ AG is thus stepping up its activities in the on-highway segment as well. DEUTZ AG's initial investment in the new joint venture is in the mid double-digit millions. "We chose DEUTZ because it is one of the world's top engine manufacturers," says Lincoln Liang, a member of the Sany Group's board of directors. "In this joint venture, we will benefit from working with an agile company that is looking to the future and driving forward technological innovation. DEUTZ thus brings to the table exactly what we need for our engine development." In addition, DEUTZ AG is entering into a cooperation agreement with HORIZON in order to strengthen its position in the attractive service business as well. With more than 80 branches, HORIZON is the largest player in the Chinese construction equipment rental business. It will become a local service partner for DEUTZ, servicing engines in the field and taking over the aftermarket sales business in China. HORIZON is also the ideal partner with regard to digital fleet service solutions. Another element of the new strategy for China is a local contract manufacturing alliance with engine manufacturer BEINEI. This will act as a production hub for the Asian market. The DEUTZ management team is to oversee the manufacturing of approximately 20,000 engines in 2022 at a new factory in Tianjin. In October 2018, DEUTZ AG sold its shares in DEUTZ Dalian, the Chinese joint venture that it had entered into with First Automotive Works (FAW). The new strategy now enables DEUTZ to fundamentally overhaul its market presence so that it can meet the growing demand for sophisticated engines not only in China but also in other Asian markets. On the back of its three pillar growth strategy, DEUTZ is aiming to generate revenue of around half a billion euros in China in 2022. [1] [1] Whether this revenue will be fully consolidated is still to be reviewed. Language: English Company: DEUTZ AG Ottostrae 1 51149 Koln (Porz-Eil) Germany Phone: +49 (0)221 822 0 Fax: +49 (0)221 822 3525 E-mail: ir@deutz.com Internet: www.deutz.com ISIN: DE0006305006 WKN: 630500 Indices: SDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005739/en/ Contacts: For further information on this DEUTZ AG press release, please contact: Leslie Isabelle Iltgen Senior Vice President Communications Investor Relations Tel: +49 (0)221 822 3600 Fax: +49 (0)221 82215 3600 Email: Leslie.Iltgen@deutz.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 17, 2018) - Opawica Explorations Inc. (TSXV: OPW) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointments of Mr. Owen King and Mr. Bradley Rourke to the Board of Directors. Messrs. King and Rourke bring valuable experience in corporate finance and capital markets to the Company. Mr. King has over 20 years of experience in the financial markets and management consulting fields. He was previously employed at Mackie Research Capital Corporation as an Investment Advisor with a focus on venture capital financings and since 2014, has worked with public companies in business development and assisting with capital raises and initial public offerings. Mr. King was most recently a director of Squire Mining Ltd. Mr. Rourke has several years of experience in raising capital for resource companies, both public and private. He was previously director of sales and a principal partner with a small firm based out of Calgary that raised over $100-million in private investment funds, mainly in the energy and real estate sectors. Prior to corporate finance, Mr. Rourke spent 10 years working in the mining service sector and he is currently the President and CEO of Rotation Minerals Ltd. Mr. Edmond Hatoum has resigned as a director of the Company to pursue personal interests effective immediately. The Company would like to thank Mr. Hatoum for his years of service to the Company. Mr. Yvan Bussieres has also resigned as a director of the Company but he remains the Qualified Person for the Company's mineral properties in Quebec. ABOUT OPAWICA EXPLORATIONS INC. Opawica Explorations Inc. is a junior resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and evaluation of gold and base metal mineral properties in Canada. The Company owns 100% interest subject to certain royalties in the Bazooka gold property located in the Beauchastel Township approximately seven kilometres southwest of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The Bazooka property comprises seven contiguous kilometres of strike length along the prolific Abitibi Gold Belt on the Cadillac Larder Lake Break. The eastern border of the Bazooka gold property adjoins Yorbeau Resources Inc.'s Rouyn Property and the western border adjoins Monarques Gold Corporation's Wasamac gold property (2,882,000 oz Au resources per Monarques NI 43-101 technical report dated October 25, 2017). The Company also holds 100% interest subject to certain royalties in the McWatters gold property in the Rouyn-Noranda area and the Arrowhead gold property in the Joannes Township, Quebec. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.opawica.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Lofthouse Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Opawica Explorations Inc. Telephone: 604-681-3170 Fax: 604-681-3552 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release. Raghuram Rajan said he has seen studies which reaffirm that banning of high value currency notes in late 2016 impacted India's growth significantly. New Delhi: Demonetisation slowed down India's economic growth at a time when the world economy was growing and it impacted the GDP significantly, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said. Rajan said he has seen studies which reaffirm that banning of high value currency notes in late 2016 impacted India's growth significantly. "I think the net impression is that it (demonetisation) had a significant effect on our growth. And now, I have seen studies which reaffirm that. It has slowed down (our growth). "...the world (economy) was growing faster in 2017, we slowed down," Rajan told NDTV news channel in an interview. The growth was not only impacted due to demonetisation but also because of implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said. In 2017-18, the Indian economy grew by 6.7 percent. "That was the twin blow of demonetisation and GST (that impacted India's growth). And before anybody accuses (me) of being anti-GST, it's a good idea in the longer run, but it has short term teething effect," Rajan noted. When asked if he was asked to implement demonetisation during his tenure as the RBI governor, Rajan said he was asked for his opinion on banning high value currency notes from the system, which he thought was a "bad idea". Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised interview on November 8, 2016 had announced to ban the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes from the system aimed at curbing black money, fake currency and terror funding, among others. Rajan headed the Reserve Bank for three years - from September 2013 to September 2016. Expressing his views further on the GST, the former RBI governor said that the reformist tax system could have been implemented in a much better manner. On whether the GST should have one rate rather than five different slabs, he said it is a matter of debate. "In my view, which is an alternative view, once you do it, you find out the problem then you start fixing it one by one. So, this (teething problem) was inevitable," Rajan said. On fraudsters list, Rajan said that it (report) had a list of the largest frauds. "I'm unaware of where those cases stand....The reason I'm worried is if one gets away with immunity then others may follow," he said on the list of fraud cases he had flagged to the Prime Minister's office. He also said that a defaulter is different from a fraudster. "If you start putting defaulters in jail then nobody will take any risk," Rajan added. In September this year, Rajan in a note to Parliamentary panel had said that a list of high profile case related to banking frauds was sent by him to the PMO for a coordinated action. In the note to Chairman of Estimates Committee Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajan had said that the size of frauds in the public sector banking system has been increasing, though still small relative to the overall volume of NPAs. The Exim Bank estimate said merchandise exports will go up to $82.39 billion for the third quarter of the fiscal year, as against $77 billion. Mumbai: The Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) on Monday said the country's export growth will surge to 7 percent for the October-December quarter. The release of the estimates, done by the city-headquartered policy bank using in-house modelling method, comes days after official data showed merchandise exports growth slumping to 0.8 percent for November on a base effect. The Exim Bank estimate said merchandise exports will go up to $82.39 billion for the third quarter of the fiscal year, as against $77 billion. Non-oil exports will grow 7.20 percent to $71.45 billion during the same period, as against the $66.65 billion in the year-ago period. In a statement, the bank said it has developed an in-house model to generate an export leading index (ELI) for India to track and forecast the movement in exports on a quarterly basis. The ELI modelling will keep getting updated and the findings will be released by the bank on a regular basis, the statement added. The model and forecast have been reviewed by a standing technical committee of domain experts, it said. The country's exports growth slid sharply to 0.8 percent in November from October's 17.86 percent growth in what was attributed to base effects. There was a double-digit contraction in exports of gems and jewellery and engineering goods in November, which impacted the overall growth. Raghuram Rajan said he sent a list of the largest frauds to the PMO. Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan said he had flagged off a list of high profile fraud cases to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), but he was unaware of where those cases stood. Rajan said this on Sunday while speaking to NDTV on a slew of issues from the Indian economy to demonetisation to the RBI-government confrontation, Rajan touched upon some of the contentious issues and also made some suggestions. #RajanToNDTV | Raghuram Rajan, on the list of high profile fraud cases that he submitted to the PMO, says "unaware of where those cases stand" Highlights here: https://t.co/O7WGIpXqpp pic.twitter.com/YzTx796sBE NDTV (@ndtv) December 16, 2018 The 55-year-old economist, who is an international academician and the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, spoke on the issue of RBI's cash reserves. He said there is always a pressure on the central bank to pay the government more. "When I was governor, we paid the highest dividend to the government. But that isn't the issue any more. The government doesn't just want the profit, it wants the excess." Rajan pointed out. There has been an ongoing tug of war between the two constitutional entities with respect to the governments demand for a substantial chunk of RBIs cash reserves. The RBI wasnt happy when the government pitched for dilution in prompt corrective action (PCA) imposed on 11 State-run banks and pushed for special provisions for MSMEs lending. Rajan suggested a solution to the ongoing fracas with the RBI. He said: "Given the controversies, it makes sense to have an external board to look at what's been done. I'm not a GDP expert but my sense is that we've gone backwards and forwards. Ultimately we have to have confidence. For the outside investor. And for policy decision," Rajan said. Speaking about defaulters and fraud, Rajan sought to differentiate between the two. He said he had sent a list of high-profile fraud cases to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) during his tenure. Speaking on a slew of issues on the Indian economy and global trends, Rajan said: "A defaulter is different from fraud. That (default) may be bad luck. If you start putting defaulters in jail then nobody will take any risk," he cautioned. On demonetisation: The 8 November 2016 decision of the government to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes had a singificant effect on growth, Rajan said. He said that when the world was growing faster, Indian slowed down. "Net impression is that it had a significant effect on our growth. There was a twin blow with the GST. GST was good in the long run, but had teething problems... I was asked about demonetisation, I said it was a bad idea," he said. On GDP revision: In the last week of November, the government put out a new set of data that tried to show that economic growth during the NDA regime was far higher than that during the 10-year UPA tenure.The Central Statistics Office (CSO) said the average growth rate during the UPA tenure of 2005-14 was 6.7 percent compared with the NDA growth rate of 7.3 percent in 2015-18. Raghuram Rajan said revisions take place all the time, and there is no problem as such in doing that. However, he said, "It needs to be explained what exactly you did, and to put out all the numbers." He termed GDP as a 'sausage put together with assumptions, extrapolations; it's complicated," he said. On IL&FS crisis: IL&FS floated by government-controlled entities, including the Central Bank of India, Unit Trust of India and the Housing Development Finance Corp in the 1980s, came under the scanner of multiple regulators, including SEBI, for alleged defaults related to financial disclosures and corporate governance. Rajan said, there were early warning signs of the financial crisis in IL&FS which should have been heeded. "We've now discovered the extent of the problem largely... My sense was that we are now where we thought they might be... The reality is if you don't recognise it you're not forced to act," he said, adding, "I dont think IL&FS is India's Lehman moment." "We need to take a close look at regulatory and supervisory structure. Regulators can't stop you from giving bad loans, they aren't bankers. But they can point out one," he said. Protecting institutions: Rajan said the government should be protecting institutions, not just for foreign investors but even for domestic investors. This is so that they can be confident and also for a sense that the rule of law is upheld. To that extent India is very well-positioned for growth, he said. "So we should be protecting institutions because we will need them," Rajan said. "We can have faith in the institutions because they are protected by our democracy. If the governments lean too much on an institution, we have faith that the well-thinking people will come to the aid of those institutions," he added. On what ails the economy: The former RBI governor pointed out three issues -- lack of jobs, agrarian distress and lack of women's participation in economy -- that was plaguing the economy. The lack of jobs, he said, was a 'very serious issue'. He pointed out that when 25 million people were applying for 90,000 jobs in the Railways, it seemed to be a reflection of the fact that the country has a real job problem pointing out that even at 7 percent growth, there are not enough jobs, Rajan said. Agrarian distress too is a huge problem, Rajan said. "This, power and banks are the main problems," Rajan said, adding, that India needed to see agriculture as a growth engine. "Lack of women participation in economy is very worrisome. We're not creating opportunities for women," he pointed out. Employment scenario: On the 'serious issue' of the job situation in India, Rajan said, there is a fear of the future. "People have lost their unionised jobs. There is a fear for their kids, no quality education. They see lack of mobility," he said. Pointing out why globalisation is unpopular, Rajan said when people are losing jobs, they don't see that goods are cheaper. "Trade is responsible for local job losses. But broadly it's technology which is responsible. Thanks to online shopping and such," he said. Nikos Kardassis, the former CEO of Jet Airways, who made a come back to the carrier in an advisory role and was tasked to turnaround the cash-strapped airline, has once again parted ways with it Mumbai: Nikos Kardassis, the former CEO of Jet Airways, who made a come back to the carrier in an advisory role and was tasked to turnaround the cash-strapped airline, has once again parted ways with it, a source said. The Greek-American aviation veteran in his third come back to the Naresh Goyal-controlled Jet Airways in May this year was roped-in to revive the fortunes of the full-service carrier following its dismal financial performance since January this year. "Kardassis, whom Goyal roped-in to help him in the airline's turnaround plan, had gone on leave to his native place in November but after that he did not return," said a source privy to the development. The former chief executive parted ways with the airline after Goyal initiated discussions with his investment partner Etihad Airways for further stake sale to garner funds, said another source. Jet Airways did not respond to queries on the issue. Amid persisting financial turbulence, the airline has been implementing a turnaround plan, which includes both cost-saving and revenue enhancement. With three back-to-back quarterly losses and a net debt of Rs 8,052 crore as on 30 September, the airline is also working on ways to raise funds and reduce costs. The UAE national carrier Etihad Airways holds 24 percent stake in Jet Airways, which it acquired in 2013. "Kardassis had in 2013 also quit the airline as its chief executive officer as he was largely kept out of discussions on the deal with Etihad at that time," said the source close to the development. Goyal had brought Kardassis on board to help him and the senior management on cost-saving and productivity improvements, in the aftermath of Rs 636.45 crore loss in FY 18, with March quarter loss alone of a massive Rs 1,036 crore. Jet Airways top-level executives led by Kardassis will spend 80 percent of their time focusing on revenue management, among others, Goyal had told shareholders while making public his re-entry in the airline's annual general meeting in Mumbai in early August. Kardassis served Jet Airways as its CEO in two stints spanning over 14 years -- the first stint being between 1994 and 1999. He returned to the carrier again in 2008, first as head of North American operations and adviser to the board before assuming the top position once again in 2009 and remained at the helm till 2013. Last month, Jet Airways chief executive officer Vinay Dube had said the airline was in active discussions with various investors to secure sustainable financing. As part of this, besides its on-going negotiations with Etihad, the airline also had "preliminary" level discussions with the Tata group in the recent past. In another development, country's largest lender SBI has ordered for a "forensic" audit of Jet Airways books between April 2014 and March 2018 for alleged financial irregularities. The forensic audit is being carried out by EY. At the same time, credit rating agency Icra has downgraded Jet Airways' long-term rating to "C" from "B" on account of delays in the implementation of the proposed fundraising initiatives and consequently aggravating further its liquidity (crisis). A special court Monday fixed 26 December for pronouncing its order on an application filed by the ED seeking declaration of beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya as a 'fugitive economic offender' and confiscation of his properties. Mumbai: A special court Monday fixed 26 December for pronouncing its order on an application filed by the ED seeking declaration of beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya as a "fugitive economic offender" and confiscation of his properties. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed an application before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court requesting it that Mallya, facing charges of financial irregularities, be declared a fugitive under the Fugitive Economic Offenders' Act, 2018. Under the provisions of the Act, once a person is declared a "fugitive economic offender", the prosecuting agency has the powers to confiscate his properties. After hearing detailed arguments over the plea, PMLA Judge M S Azmi said an order on the application will be given on 26 December. Mallya, through his lawyer Amit Desai, had sought dismissal of the plea and termed the new Act as "draconian" in nature. Desai Monday countered ED's claims that the liquor baron had left India for Geneva in March 2016 with "300 luggage bags" under the garb of attending a conference but in reality he was fleeing the country. "The ED should find out from the airline provider how many bags he (Mallya) had before making such wild allegations," Desai said. Desai also submitted an affidavit on behalf of his client which included the minutes of a meeting held in Paris on 2 December, 2015 which he claimed was attended by Mallya. According to the affidavit, it was in this meeting that it was decided to hold the March 2016 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Mallya, who is currently in the United Kingdom, has been charged by the ED of defaulting on bank loans to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. The 62-year-old businessman is also facing money laundering charges. A court in London has ordered his extradition to India. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted and sentenced to life in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots by the Delhi High Court on Monday, will move the Supreme Court against the verdict, reports said. Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted and sentenced to life in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots by the Delhi High Court on Monday, will move the Supreme Court against the verdict, reports said. Kumar's lawyer Anil Sharma told reporters that the Congress leader will move the top court against the verdict. "This was a case of no evidence. We need time to interpret the judgment. We respect Delhi High Court's judgment. The only option left to us is to go to the Supreme Court against the judgment," Sharma told ANI. Anil Kumar Sharma, Sajjan Kumar's lawyer on Delhi HC awards him life imprisonment in 1984 Anti-Sikh riots case: This was a case of no evidence. We need time to interpret the judgement. We respect Delhi HC's judgement. Only option left to us is to go to SC against the judgement pic.twitter.com/zxNU4u5PHq ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 The Delhi High Court has asked Kumar to surrender before 31 December and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him. Monday's verdict reversed the 2013 trial court judgment that had acquitted Kumar. While pronouncing the judgment, the judge observed, "In the summer of 1947, during the Partition, several people were massacred. Thirty-seven years later Delhi was the witness of a similar tragedy. The accused enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial." The judgment was pronounced on the appeal challenging the Congress leader's acquittal. On 29 October, the Delhi High Court had reserved the order in the case after the culmination of arguments. "We welcome the judgment, however, we hoped for a death sentence for Kumar," said BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa. The case pertains to the murder of five Sikhs in the Delhi Cantonment area during riots of 1984. Earlier in 2013, the Karkardooma trial court had acquitted Kumar and convicted five others in the case. The appeal in the high court was filed by those convicted in the case, investigative agency CBI and the families of victims. The trial court had awarded life imprisonment to former Congress councillor Balram Khokhar, retired naval officer Bhagmal and Girdhari Lal. A three-year jail term was announced for Kishan Khokhar and former MLA Mahender Yadav. With inputs from ANI The real question is whether the hypermasculinity in the global military can adjust to women rising up the ranks in what has been male-dominated terrain for generations. But when servicemen like Rawat high up in the ranks pass such distasteful comments, how can we expect to combat (pun intended) the disrespect women in the military face? "A major embarrassment for the country" is just one among the myriad ways Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat has been criticised since his interview to CNN-News18 on Saturday, during which he couldn't have made more disgraceful comments on women and why the Indian Army was not ready for women in combat roles. In the interview, Rawat claimed that women are not ready for combat roles in the Indian Army because the male soldiers, who are largely from small villages, would not be willing to accept a female commander. He also claimed that Indian families are not yet ready to deal with the sight of women's bodies being brought back from war zones and also claimed that there would be "ruckus" if a woman commanding officer was denied maternity leave, implying that childcare is a woman's primary responsibility. But the cherry on the cake was the general's assertion that women would complain about men peeping into their tents while they were changing clothes. "Mr Rawat, your statements are an insult not just to women but also to our brave soldiers!" Congress member Shama Mohamed tweeted. A Twitter user summarised what many were thinking: "What he means is jawans are pervert peeping toms and even the Indian Army cannot provide a safe working environment for women." Another pointed out: "If at all the women do find jawans peeping into their bathrooms while they are changing their clothes, should not those peeping jawans be thrown out instead of not allowing women in combat roles?" One also chose to remind Rawat of the roles women have played in past wars. This is clearly isn't how logic works for Rawat. On assigning women combat roles in the Indian Army, he said he was ready, but the military wasn't. The truth is India as a whole isn't, and neither is the global military in general. Women in the military the world over Even today, very few countries allow women in combat roles. These include Germany, Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden and Israel. But this doesn't mask the misogyny that's deeply ingrained in the field of defence. As is the norm in society, women in service have to work twice as hard to prove their worth and face several times the ridicule if they err in their role in any way. When performance isn't the issue, it is the lack of acceptability from their male colleagues that becomes a problem. Sweden began to recruit women in combat jobs in 1989 and began a gender-neutral draft just last year. Male and female troopers share coed dorms something that Rawal has made plenty clear that India isn't ready for and physical standards are gender-neutral. Despite this, women have yet to experience complete acceptability in service and continue to face ostracism and harassment. "The harassment stemmed from male peers being uncomfortable with a woman who had handled a stressful situation better than a man," The New York Times pointed out, referring to two specific instances. Moreover, the Swedish military has had its own form of the #MeToo movement #givaktochbitihop, which loosely translates to "stand at attention and bite the bullet" on over the year. "There is no lack of previous studies that have shown that the masculine military culture harasses women, who are not considered to belong in this male bastion in the first place," this report states on the Norwegian Army. "Not even the recruits in the more or less degenderised unit in the north completely escaped this tradition." This is despite the fact was Norway was one of the first NATO countries to allow recruitment of women in all combat roles back in the mid-1980s, decades before the US and United Kingdom, which opened infantry roles for women in October. Exceptions to the rule However, standing out as a bright spot in this male military bastion is Magnus a Norwegian special forces soldier who has trained the all-women "tough as nails" Jegertroppen unit who rebuffed any and all chauvinist concerns, such as dealing with premenstrual syndrome. Another bright spot is UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson. "Women have been involved in frontline activity in so many ways for so long. You've seen women serving alongside men in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have been part of the team. The idea that we're excluding half the population for some of these vital roles potentially holds our armed forces back," he had said while announcing the government's decision to allow women to apply for all military roles in the British armed forces. Lieutenant-Colonel Elizabeth Curtis the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division's 407th Brigade Support Battalion, which coordinated logistics support for about 1,700 US troops fighting to retake Mosul from the Islamic State had said last year that in the war in the West Asian country, women are deployed as forward as men. "Female soldiers can be seen working alongside their counterparts at tactical bases within a few miles of Mosul," she had said. As Williamson pointed out, in the Afghan war, too, women led units in commanding roles, only adding to the capabilities of the troopers deployed to combat the terror in the region. Speaking of, even a repressive country like Afghanistan encourages women to join the military and change what has, for years, been considered "a man's army". Here, men and women train separately at academies, but their regimens are similar. A conservative nation like Israel, too, has seen a spike in the number of women who want to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, since 2010. Their numbers nearly tripled from 935 in 2010 to 2,499 in 2017. Military officials and soldiers said this is because of their increasing sense of duty to defend Israel. In contrast, the US has gone the other way. It began to draft women into frontline combat squads three years ago. The significance of this move was soon overshadowed by the Marine Corps shielding a finding of a year-long study that coed groups deployed in Afghanistan to interview and search civilian women, were better at problem-solving. In hindsight, this was unsurprising as Marine Corps Commandant General Joseph Dunford was against opening infantry jobs to women. The bias against women in the US military was further cemented by Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis' less-than-enthusiastic remarks on the policy to draft women. "The question for the (defence) department comes down to whether it is a strength or a weakness to have women in the close-quarter infantry fight," said Mattis, who is ironically in charge of gender integration in the American military. Back in India, any stride the country has made since deciding to open combat roles for women in the army, induct women as sailors in the navy and also induct the country's first women as fighter pilots were negated by Rawat's latest impropriety. On 1 December, too, Rawat had said women needed "to be prepared for that kind of hardships", citing this as a reason why the army was not ready to recruit women in combat roles yet. If peeping toms are the hardships he's referring to, harassment of that kind wouldn't be anything new for women in India. Women volunteer to join the army, navy or air force for the same reasons as men: to serve their country, to protect the borders out of a sense of patriotism. So the question isn't about whether women can be effective in combat roles; it isn't about their capability; it isn't about them decreasing "military lethality"; it isn't about them crying 'harassment' every day as the Indian Army chief puts it. The real question is whether the hypermasculinity in the global military can adjust to women rising up the ranks in what has been male-dominated terrain for generations. But when servicemen like Rawat high up in the ranks pass such distasteful comments, how can we expect to combat (pun intended) the disrespect women in the military face? I wish my flights of hyperbole had been as enjoyable as army chief Bipin Rawats recent flights of logic on women in combat roles. By Nisha Susan In 2014, Air Force Chief Arup Raha said that women pilots were not suited to fighter jets. I had argued back then that he was right, women wouldnt be able to fly fighter jets. Until they trained for hundreds of hours. Just like the men. But I also tickled myself with preposterous things people could have told the child Arup Raha warning him off his Air Force dreams. A teacher telling 10-year-old Arup Raha when he was in Sainik School, Purulia that Bengalis famously disappear in airplane crashes so he shouldnt dream of flying. Or some hard-ass, reality-loving trainer at the National Defence Academy, Pune telling an 18-year-old Arup Raha that he shouldnt join the Air Force because that would distract him from his cultural heritage of writing poetry or singing Rabindra Sangeet. I wish my flights of hyperbole had been as enjoyable as army chief Bipin Rawats recent flights of logic. On 15 December, in an interview with the TV channel News18, Rawat stated his many opinions about women while deploying a Trumpian syntax. So many opinions that its hard to decide where to start discussing them. Back when Arup Rahas hot take was the subject of many hot takes, a serving major-general was quoted as saying, "As a society, we are not ready for our women in combat roles. What if they are taken PoWs?" Rawat has similar concerns and is worried that women would die. The most touching illustration of mortality that Rawat could come up with? He said, A lady who died was in service for 7-8 years. She has a kid of 2 years. He is in Delhi or Chandigarh and parents are taking care of the baby. So what I am saying is, now do you think we are ready for this? One can only guess that the he in Delhi/Chandigarh is the father of the child. What is clear is that Rawat is not ready for the idea that the grandparents are taking care of the baby. Thats just too negligent of the dead mother. Rawat agreed with the News18 interviewer that women could and do die in other situations such as road accidents but he felt the nation was not ready for women to die in combat, to return in body bags. Rawat and the rest of the leadership of the armed forces in India have no issue with women dying every week if they are non-combatant residents of the North East or Kashmir or even baby girls like Heeba, 19 months old and severely injured by pellet guns. For that matter, we dont need to face the army and its cloak of patriotism to become an unworthy dead girl. One could just stay at home and be killed by our husbands. As a 2017 British Medical Journal study indicated domestic violence was found to increase the risk of death in Indian women by nearly 40 times than among American women. While we are on the subject of American women, I have to share the amazing stream-of-consciousness style anecdote Rawat narrated about doing a course in the United States and how he had to change for the gym several times a day in unisex locker rooms. I did a course in US. We had 4 ladies and 10 male officers. So what happens is after every 3-4 hours you get a break of 1 hour in which you are supposed to have your lunch or you can go to the gym. Now when we go to the gym, we all change in the gym clothes in classroom all of us. When I was new, I would look the other way because ladies were also there but that is the culture there. They do it then even in Delhi, ladies tell me that people peep. I am talking about isolation situation when she has 100 jawans around her but it happens here also in Delhi. The mash-up soundtrack for Rawats life-changing event is a combo of maami saying Shiva Shiva and Victorians looking for sofas to faint on. Has Rawat not been living in India, where people find ways to change in close quarters all the time without shaming each other from temple ponds to railway waiting rooms and handkerchief-sized homes? Rawat would appear to be like a person whose mind, when asked about women in combat, suspects the Savita Bhabhi-style scenario. He says, now what will happen if there will be a lady officer here? Our orders are that a lady officer will get a hut in the COB, then there are orders that we have to cocoon her separately. She will say somebody is peeping, so we will have to give a sheet around her. Since we are on this topic, it might not be out of place to point out that sexual harassment in (and by) the armed forces is a giant issue, around the world. I have never understood why any woman would want to join the armed forces, but women do all the time, all around the world. Those who want to join the Indian army in combat positions might want to consider the career risks they face not from the enemy but the friendly fire of the high command. In Rawats interview with News18, as soon as he is confronted about his sexist assumptions, he promptly absolves himself and blames the sexism of the entire military machinery on the purported parochialism of the soldiers. He said, Even today, our jawans come from villages, so that acceptance will take time. Now that move is what they call in military parlance, goli dena. The Ladies Finger is Indias leading feminist digital magazine. Among the ministries that have been asked to submit details, Ministry of Railways with over 66,000 pending cases contributes the highest number. New Delhi: Worried over thousands of crores stuck in infrastructure projects due to court cases and arbitration proceedings, the government has asked 14 Central departments and two state governmentsMaharashtra and Telanganato provide details of projects, current status and total amount trapped in the work till date. A review in 2017 of projects suffered massive delays due to litigation in six ministriesshipping, power, road, petroleum, mines and railwayshad cost the national exchequer more than Rs 52,000 crore. "If we calculate the total cost in 14 ministries, it would be more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore," informed government sources said. Documents reviewed by Firstpost, reveals a missive has been recently sent to Ministries of Defence, Railway, Road Transport and Highways, Power, Housing and Urban Development, Heavy Industry, Petroleum, Telecommunication, Steel, Shipping, Coal, Water Resources, Financial Services and Health for immediate action. The information, the Cabinet Secretariat has desired, needs to be collected from all the public sector undertakings under 14 ministries focusing on category-wise amount stuck in the projects including arbitration award that has been subsequently challenged in the court. Although the government regarded to be the biggest contributor to litigation in the country, an analysis of 52 projects in 2017 revealed that average delay of more than four years in deciding the case is adding to the woes of infrastructure ministries. The feedback from the ministries will help in addressing the dispute at all three stagespre-litigation, litigation and post-litigationand to explore alternative means to resolve disputes that costing government huge amount of money. The government is currently fighting more than 1.35 lakh cases belonging to different ministries and proper mechanism may bring down the number. The cabinet meetings are closely examining the delays and have asked the concerned ministries for remedial steps wherever required, sources said. Among the ministries that have been asked to submit details, Ministry of Railways with over 66,000 pending cases contributes the highest number. Other like defence has 3,000, health 3,200, urban development 2,300, power 115, shipping 35, road transport 30, water resources 240 and steel 460 pending cases in various courts across the country. At least 80 cases in the Ministry of Steel and 200 in urban development are pending for more than 10 years. The government has recently invited the attention of all high courts on granting indiscriminate adjournments which are causing the delay in the disposal of cases and had requested chief justices to issue suitable directions to the district courts. It has also got a law passed in Parliament in July to take away the discretionary power of the courts in ordering an injunction. According to economic survey 2018, it is difficult to estimate the total costs of pendency and delays, however, since the project costs are pre-dominantly debt-financed, it is likely that project costs have increased by close to 60 percent given the average duration of court stay. The survey quoted data collected from State Bank of India (SBI) to highlight a similar grim situation in the private sector. At least 11 projects financed by the SBI worth Rs 33,540 crore sought at least 28 extension in the last three years due to legal tussle. Even the Central taxes, the survey said, is plagued by the cases and in 2017 more than 1.37 lakh direct tax cases and more than 1.45 lakh indirect tax appeals were under consideration at the level of the tribunal, high courts and Supreme Court. Together, the claims for indirect and direct tax stuck in litigation (Appellate Tribunal and upwards) by the quarter ending March, 2017 amounted to nearly 7.58 lakh crores, over 4.7 percent of GDP. Pendency, delays and injunctions are overburdening courts and severely impacting the progress of cases, especially economic cases, through the different tiers of the appellate and judicial arenas. The Government and the Courts need to both work together for large-scale reforms and incremental improvements to combat a problem that is exacting a large toll from the economy, 2018 economic survey 2018 had observed. Colossal loss due to other reasons Besides legal tussle, the government is facing huge cost overruns and delays in infrastructure projects due to problems in rehabilitation, land acquisition and approvals from stakeholders Central and state government departments. Documents reviewed by Firstpost indicates as on December 2018 around 1,471 projects were showing a whopping Rs 2 lakh crore additional burden on treasury due to delays at various stages. The government had also blamed policy paralysis in the UPA government for delays arguing that due to inadequate project preparation and lack of regulatory clearances and other delay attributable to the authority, the projects that were viable otherwise, turned unviable during execution. Four atomic projects are reporting delays of three to nine years, in railway 29 years, some projects in road and transport may take more than 11 years while some projects in power sector could be delayed 11-12 years. Various issues in 212 projects worth more than Rs 9.38 lakh crore is still under consideration of the government. Even the six new IITs announced by the NDA government may face delays. Sources confirmed Firstpost that land issues has not been resolved for proposed IITs in Bhilai and Goa. Daily bulletin: The Rafale debate will continue as Parliament meets on Monday during the ongoing Winter Session; swearing in ceremony for Congress chief ministers in three states after landslide victory; day's top stories Opposition likely to keep Rafale heat on in Parliament The developments in the Rafale case are likely to rock Monday's proceedings in Parliament after both Houses got adjourned on Friday because of the ruckus caused by the Supreme Court verdict. The apex court had ruled that the details of the Rafale fighter jet deal pricing and the government's decision-making process were in no doubt and did not need to be investigated. On Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is likely to move a privilege motion against the government in the Rajya Sabha, according to sources. The Congress is also likely to register a demand for the recall of the verdict. A fresh controversy developed as discrepancies emerged in the apex court's verdict and the submission made by the government. In its 29-page order, the court had said that the pricing details of the fighter aircraft had been shared with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had further examined the CAG's report. "Only a redacted portion of this report was placed before Parliament and is in public domain," the bench had said. However, on Saturday, while PAC chief Mallikarjun Kharge denied that a report mentioning details of the price of the jets existed, the Centre filed an affidavit seeking a "factual correction" in a paragraph of the court's judgment ruling saying that the Supreme Court had misinterpreted its earlier affidavit, clarifying in the fresh one that in its report to the CAG, the Centre had only cited the procedure followed in reaching the fighter jet deal and that it had not submitted pricing details of the jets. Meanwhile, the BJP is scheduled to hold 70 press conferences across the country on Monday to rubbish the Opposition's charges in the case. New chief ministers to take oath of office in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh respectively A show of Opposition unity is to be the underlying theme of the swearing-in ceremonies of Madhya Pradesh chief minister-designate Kamal Nath, Chhattisgarh's Bhupesh Baghel and Rajasthan's Ashok Gehlot. The ceremony of oath-taking for Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, who will be sworn in as deputy chief minister, is scheduled for 10 am. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is expected to be present. Nath will oath at the Lal Parade ground in the state, and the event is scheduled for 1.30 pm. The ceremony for Bhupesh Baghel will take place around 4.30 pm in Raipur. Leaders expected at the ceremony include former prime minister HD Devegowda, former Union minister Sharad Yadav, Congress leader Mallikarjun Khadge, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, DMK working president MK Stalin, party leader Kanimozhi, JMM leader Hemant Soren, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha chief Babulal Marandi, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and other leaders likely to attend. However, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Nath, according to reports. There was, however, no reason cited for Banerjee not going to Bhopal for the swearing-in ceremony on Monday, an official of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. Delhi court to deliver verdict on Sajjan Kumar's acquittal in anti-Sikh riots case Delhi court to deliver its verdict on pleas challenging the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, even as some members of the Opposition protested against the Congress' choice for Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath due to his alleged involvement in the case. The judgment will be delivered by a bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel, officials said on Saturday. In October, the high court had reserved its order on the pleas challenging a trial court judgment which had acquitted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar but convicted the other five accused in the case related to the killing of five people in Delhi Cantonment area following the assassination of Indira Gandhi on 31 October, 1984. The CBI has filed an appeal challenging the acquittal of Kumar and said that the trial court "erred in acquitting Sajjan Kumar as it was he who had instigated the mob during the riots". India vs Australia, 2nd Test at Perth, Day 4 Australia will resume from their overnight score of 132/4 on the fourth day of the second Test against India at the Optus Stadium in Perth. While the game is poised in the home team's favour, given anything above 250 will be difficult to chase on this pitch, a couple of early wickets could tilt the balance in Virat Kohli and Co's favour. India currently leads the four-Test series 1-0 after their 31-run win at Adelaide. Apple Music to become available on Amazon's Echo smart speakers from today Apple Music will become available on Amazon's Echo smart speakers starting Monday, signalling increasing collaboration between the tech heavyweights. Apple Music subscribers who own Echo devices will be able to listen to Apple Inc's library of 50 million songs. Earlier back in November, Amazon said it would carry more Apple products globally in time for the holiday shopping season. Sambhavtaha, Tungrus win big at Critics Choice Short Film Awards Short films Sambhavtaha and Tungrus won big at the Critics Choice Short Film Awards held in Mumbai. The ceremony was organised by The Film Critics Guild and Motion Content Group. Tungrus, a 14-minute documentary, won the Best Film Award - Non-Fiction. Rishi Chandna won Best Director - Non Fiction and Neha Mehra won the Best Editor for Tungrus. Another short film, The Black Cat bagged Best Cinematography (A Vasanth) and Best Music (Advait Nemlekar) at the Short Film Awards The short (fiction) film Sambhavtaha won multiple awards, including Best Film - Fiction, Best Actor for Vikas Patil and Best Director and Best Writer - Fiction for Gaurav Madan. With inputs from agencies Eight people were killed and 106 injured after a level-3 fire broke out at Employee State Insurance (ESIC) Kamgar hospital in Mumbai's Andheri, ANI reported. The deceased included a two-month-old baby undergoing treatment at the hospital, Hindustan Times reported. A total of 147 people, including patients and visitors, were rescued after the fire broke out at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri, said an official of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). They were subsequently shifted to different hospitals, he said. The official said 19 of them were taken to civic-run Cooper Hospital where two were declared brought dead. Another 33 were shifted to Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri where three were declared dead, he said. Forty were taken to Holy Spirit Hospital, Andheri (East), where one of them was declared brought dead, the official said. Some of the injured were discharged, while the others were undergoing treatment in different hospitals with some of them in the ICU, he said. A fire brigade official said the blaze at the hospital was reported at 4.03 pm and it was extinguished at 7.35 pm. "The building is a ground plus five-floor structure and the blaze erupted on the fourth floor," the official said. The deceased are yet to be identified, he said, adding the cause of the fire was not yet known. Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar said it was under investigation. "At present, our priority is to ensure patients sent to hospitals get proper treatment," the mayor said. Recalling the horror, a patient, Santosh Kadam, said, "I was on the fourth floor and was going to the ground floor to get my MRI done. "Suddenly, nurses and other staffers started shouting and told us to vacate the building since a fire had broken out. I along with my other relatives came down safely. Another patient Girish Patel said, "I saw smoke emanating from the third and fourth floors. There was thick layer of smoke. People panicked and started running helter-skelter before hospital staff came and advised us to vacate the floor quietly." According to another civic official, over 160 patients were admitted in the hospital at the time of the blaze. Milind Ogle, the deputy chief fire officer of the MIDC area, told PTI, "Our team had found some lacunae in an under-construction building coming up adjacent to the hospital and suggested their rectification." "The hospital administration was in the process of complying with our suggestions. Meanwhile, this incident took place in the old hospital building," Ogle said. The 325-bed hospital was constructed in 1970s, the officials said, adding police and hospital authorities have vacated the building till further notice. Fire brigade personnel had to break the glasses of the building's facade to evacuate stranded patients, they said. Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Sharma said an inquiry will be launched in association with the fire brigade department to ascertain the cause of the fire. With inputs from agencies Economic affairs secretary echoes minister to say a USD 10 trillion economy by 2030. New Delhi: Finance minister Arun Jaitley has again ignited the hopes of achieving 8 per cent plus growth rate, saying if the current rate is maintained India will surpass the 7-8 per cent economic expansion pace. Earlier, Jaitley had nearly forecasted a 7-8 per cent growth rate despite global uncertainties. He believes the country will retain the tag of the world's fastest growing major economy; also the economy is now fairly large to display a certain degree of resilience. He said the government intended to overtake the UK and come close to Japan in terms of GDP, if not per capita income, in the next few years. In Q2FY19, the country posted a 7.1 per cent growth, disappointing many. Addressing AGM of Ficci, Jaitley said despite uncertainties like trade war and rising oil prices, India maintained a growth rate of 7-8 per cent. He, however, underlined the need for more reforms to accelerate growth. The finance minister said India needs stability in reforms and policies to per quicken economic growth rate from the current 7-8 per cent, indirectly hinting at the need for the Narendra Modi governments return to power and industrys efforts towards that. Reacting to Jaitleys assertion, Pronob Sen, former chief government statistician, said the finance minister was just stating what (above 8 per cent growth) we had projected in 2004-9. He carefully avoided the term double-digit growth but said we would get out of this 7-8 per cent growth rate. Jaitley's over 8 per cent growth target also has another trigger the reversal of backdated series data, which the government had to revise since the print gave the UPA government credit for double-digit growth and invited flak for the NDA due to single-digit expansion. He advised industry and investors not to be worried about the next 5-6 months as the high-pitched political rhetoric would come as distractions in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Jaitley defended the government over standoff with RBI and denied the charges that his government is playing with autonomy of important institutions. Speaking at the event, economic affairs secretary Subhas Chandra Garg said, We can build a new economy whether you talk about 2025, 2022, 2030, a $10 trillion economy by 2030 or $5 trillion by 2025. All these are feasible. We can achieve that if we pay attention to all major traits. While the Indian economy has a large overhang of public debt, he said there is a need to focus on reducing this in the next 4-5 years. On rating agencies refraining from upgrading the sovereign rating, he said, Most credit rating agencies give a lot of weightage to the debt to GDP ratio. We focused on the fiscal deficit presently. But going forward, that is the area where we will focus, he said. Earlier in June, prime minister Narendra Modi had said the world expects India to become a $5 trillion economy soon. Garg said India can become a $10 trillion economy by 2030 by addressing some concerns. Last month at the 5th annual defence estates say lecture, Jaitley had said India has standardised itself for 7-8 % growth and stressed higher investments in infrastructure. Recently Moodys managing director and chief credit officer for Asia Pacific Michael Taylor said Indias GDP growth will slow to just above 7 per cent for FY19 and FY20. Liquidity constraints faced by some non-bank financial institutions will likely tighten overall credit supply and slow the country's economic growth rate to just above 7 per cent. It is below an estimated 7.4 per cent out-turn in FY18 and below the pickup in growth that we envisaged a few months ago, Taylor said. Moodys counterpart Fitch has slashed India growth forecast to 7.2 per cent for FY19 on reduced credit availability. Improved macroeconomic fundamentals have placed India on the growth trajectory of 7-8 per cent and the country would have to invest heavily in infrastructure over the next two decades to graduate into a middle income economy, it said. Any of these figures of growth depend upon the whole economy growing together. Just growth in one or two sector wont help. No country has sustained more than 3-4 per cent growth in farm sector, which always be a drag on the economy. Other sectors would have to grow at much higher rates to sustain high economic expansion, Sen said. While the minister said there will be a lot of 'transient populism' in the next 5-6 months due to elections hinting towards sops like farm loan waivers, the former chief statistician agrees saying there is going to be a lot of agricultural loan waiver as we approach towards the elections but doesnt see anything wrong with it inherently. If farm loan waiver is not given farmers who borrowed wont be able to get bank credit again, and the net result is they will be forced to go the money lenders to borrow at higher rates pushing them to debt traps further, he said. 104 National Parks and 544 Wildlife Sanctuaries, including Tiger Reserves, Desert and Bird Sanctuaries and Marine Parks - India has them all! India is a distinct landmass, a glorious subcontinent with vast expanses and fantastic biodiversity you wont see anywhere. With 104 National Parks and 544 Wildlife Sanctuaries, including Tiger Reserves, Desert and Bird Sanctuaries, Marine Parks and even a Floating National park - India has them all! Home to a number of magnificent species, many of which are rare and endangered, lucky visitors can see and experience the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros, Bengal Tigers, Asiatic Lions, Black Buck and the Snow Leopard in their natural habitat. Activities like jeep, elephant and camel safaris, treks, and easy accommodation make these parks perfect for the adventure seekers who want to take a trip off the beaten path. From smallest to largest - lets take a quick tour through some of Indias largest and greenest natural pockets. 1. Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh) 940 sq. km With frequent sightings of tigers, wild dogs, wild boar, sambar and spotted deer the sal and bamboo filled, Kanha National Park is packed with adventure and even a museum to learn more about the topography and other interesting aspects of the park. As evening descends and the sun slips into the shadows, unwind at Bamni Dadar - a magnificent spot to catch the sunset. Best time to visit: November - April 2. Papikonda National Park (Andhra Pradesh) 1012.86 sq. km Better known for its mythological importance in the Ramayana, this Kingdom of the Apes was popularly known as Kishkinda. Enjoy the lush greenery from the comfort of a boat trip down the Godavari winding its way through it. Spread across three districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Papikonda boasts of a range of flora from the Eastern Ghats as well as fauna like Tigers, Jackals, Panthers, Gharial, Crocodiles, Black Buck, Mouse and Barking Deer, Sloth Bears and Hyenas. Best time to visit: November - March 3. Indravati National Park (Chhattisgarh) 1258.37 sq. km Set against rolling hills punctuated by dense Sal, Teak and Bamboo forests, Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh, is one of central Indias brightest gems. Known for what is said to be the last remaining populations of the endangered Asian wild buffalo, it is also the states most celebrated tiger reserve. Flanked by the nearby Indravati river from where it gets its name, visitors can expect to see marvellous Barasinghas or swamp deer, Chausingha (Four-horned Antelope), Indian Bison, Dhole or Wild Dog), Striped Hyena, Muntjac, Wild Boar, Flying Squirrel and Porcupine. Best Time to Visit: November - June 4. Sundarbans National Park (West Bengal) 1330.10 sq. km With the largest mangrove forest in the world and the largest collection of Sundari trees, the Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal needs no introduction. For anyone wanting to experience natures circle of life - this UNESCO world heritage site is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger and other endangered species such as the Saltwater Crocodile, Ganges River dolphin, Olive Ridley, Hawksbill turtles, and the Mangrove horseshoe crab. Enjoy stunning views of the wilderness from Hiron Point (Nilkamal) and Katka viewing points or coastal trekking in the mud flats of Chargheri Char. Best Time to Visit: September - March 5. Guru Ghasidas National Park (Chhattisgarh) 1440.71 sq. km Named after the regions Satnami reformist leader, Guru Ghasidas National park is part of the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve spread between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. With dense forests of Sal, Teak and Bamboo forests, it is home to a huge variety of mammals, Tigers, Sloth Bear, Dhols, Leopards, Chinkara, and Barking deer. Bird watchers will find this area of particular interest for its sightings of Golden hooded oriole, Racket-tailed drongos, Indian pitta rufus-treepie, Lesser Adjutant, Red-headed, Cenareous, Indian White-rumped and Egyptian vultures, and flocks of migratory birds. Best Time to Visit: November - June 6. Khangchendzonga National Park (Sikkim) 1784 sq. km Indias first mixed heritage site to make it to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites lies at the heart of the Himalayan range in North Sikkim. The fact that Khangchendzonga (meaning The Home of The Gods) is an independent mountain with its own glacial system is fantastic in itself. Add to this to the fact that you can see Himalayan Tahr, Snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, Tibetan antelope, and over 500 species of birds including Osprey, Himalayan Griffon, Lammergeier, Blood Pheasants and Tibetan snow cock; this park set at 8586 meters is also perfect for the intrepid traveller. Best Time to Visit: March-May & September - Mid-December 7. Namdapha National Park (Arunachal Pradesh) 1807 sq. km With the worlds northernmost lowland evergreen rainforest that goes from 200 meters to 4500 meters in altitude, this national park in lower eastern Himalayas is a fabulous ecological hotspot. Take a safari or trek through one of the most vibrant bio-diverse parts of the country filled with four different feline species - Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard and Clouded Leopard as well as birds like Monal Pheasants, Giant Hornbill, Forest Eagle, Owl White-winged Wood Duck, Fairy Bluebird, Rufous-necked hornbill and Assam Bamboo Partridge to name a few. Best Time to Visit: October - April 8. Gangotri National Park (Uttarakhand) - 2390 sq. km A long but an easy trek, the Gangotri National Park is on the way to Gaumukh - the source of the Ganga and sits along the boundary with China. Snow-clad mountain tops, gushing springs and dense forests of Spruce, deodar, chirpine, rhododendrons, oak and fir trees make it home to Tigers, Serow, Black bear, Blue sheep, Brown bear, Himalayan Thar, Ibex, Musk deer as well as dense Alpine scrub forests quite unique to the area. Best Time to Visit: October - March 9. Desert National Park (Rajasthan) 3162 sq. km The second largest National Park on this list, its the largest of its kind extending from Jaisalmer right up to the India-Pakistan border. While the dry expanse of sand dunes cover close to 20% of the park, this exclusive ecosystem is blessed with varieties of rare animals, reptiles and birds like the endangered great Indian bustard in its natural habitat. A one-of-its-kind experience is exploring the national park's collection of fossils of animals and birds - some of which are 180 million years old. Once here, you can even learn about the six-million-year-old dinosaur fossils that were unearthed in the area. Try a safari by jeep or if youre up for a challenge even a camel back safari. Best Time to Visit: October - March 10. Hemis National Park (Jammu and Kashmir) 3350 sq km Named after Hemis Gompa, a famous Buddhist monastery south-east of Leh, this park is famous as being one of the highest sanctuaries in the world (3,300 m to 6,000 m above sea level). Dotted with rugged valleys and sparse grasslands, the upper mountain slopes have small areas of alpine vegetation. Known for being a protected home to a high density of Snow leopards and endangered mammals like Asiatic ibex, the Tibetan wolf, Red fox and Eurasian brown bear trekking is common in the area. Birders can look forward to seeing species like the Golden Eagle, Himalayan Griffon Vulture, Fork-tailed Swift, Fire-Fronter Serin, Himalayan Snowcock and Red-billed Chough. Best Time to Visit: May - Mid-October Whether you are up for a thrilling adventure safari or simply want to soak in the experience while exploring Indias flora and fauna, remember to keep this list handy. Whichever national park, you finally decide to explore, one thing is certain, these trails will leave you with memories you will cherish and a hankering to come back again. This is a partnered post. A quick rundown of the five best articles published by Firstpost today. Who is 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar? A former MP, Congress leader best known for involvement in riots Reversing the 2013 acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, the Delhi High Court convicted him to life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The high court said, "The mass killings of Sikhs between 1 and 4 November, 1984 in Delhi and the rest of the country, engineered by political actors with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies, answer the description of "crimes against humanity". Narendra Modi in Raebareli: Timing, venue and topics broached give clues about BJPs 2019 campaign strategy One of the biggest challenges before the BJP is to turn the next year's Lok Sabha election into a presidential contest instead of 543 localised fights between the MPs. It is imperative for the BJP to do so because Modi punches above his weight in the government and towers over his party. This is both a bit of a boon and a bane for the BJP. While it enables the party to exploit the prime minister's popularity in tough contests, it conversely hides the BJP's weaknesses and makes its trump card vulnerable to overexposure. Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath faces uneasy term in office as ghosts of 1984 anti-Sikh riots return to haunt him The taint of his involvement in the anti-Sikh riots, leading mobs that killed innocent Sikhs and looted shops and residential premises of members of that community, remained since 1984 but that didnt deter Congress leadership to give him important positions he got elected on Congress party ticket for 10th Lok Sabha in 1991 and for 14th Lok Sabha in 2004. He had been a Lok Sabha MP from Congress in 1984 when Indira Gandhi was assassinated and when he led riotous murderous mobs. Hockey World Cup 2018: Belgium's decade of dreams and sweat translates to golden glory in Bhubaneswar That familiarity and bonding, fostered over a decade, were on display when the team refused to buckle under last-minute eventualities. Emmanuel Stockbroekx and John-John Dohmen were injured, Simon Gougnard lost his father before the semi-final, but the team looked out for each other. Dohmen, in fact, made a short video with the family of every player and sent it to the team before the final. The future according to Yuval Noah Harari: The historian on the 21st century's biggest challenges, and how to face them On Sunday, 16 December, noted Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari used it to explain the problems that lie ahead for makers of self-driving cars. Harari the author of Sapiens, Homo Deux and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century was in Mumbai to deliver the Penguin India Annual Lecture 2018. His talk touched upon 'Challenges for the 21st Century', and if, by session's end, many people in the audience were still considering having children, it would have been a surprise. Protest against the strike that brings life to a standstill started brewing in Kerala after BJP called a flash statewide hartal on 17 November at 2 am to protest the arrest of K P Sasikala leader of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, a constituent of Sangh Parivar on her way to the hill shrine. The 28 September verdict of the Supreme Court lifting ban on the entry of women between the ages of 10-50 in the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala has not served its purpose so far but it has spurred a fierce debate against hartal, a popular mode of protest in Kerala that even judicial intervention has failed to stop. Protest against the strike that brings life to a standstill started brewing in Kerala after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called a flash statewide hartal on 17 November at 2 am to protest the arrest of K P Sasikala leader of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, a constituent of Sangh Parivar on her way to the hill shrine. It reached a crescendo on 14 December when the saffron party called for a similar statewide hartal after a 49-year-old man set himself ablaze reportedly when he was in an inebriated condition - near the partys Sabarimala protest venue in Thiruvananthapuram. People stood up against the hartal after the dying declaration of the deceased Venugopalan Nair recorded by a magistrate contradicted the partys claim that he had sacrificed his life for the cause of Lord Ayyappa. There was no mention of Ayyappa in the declaration, which was available before the BJP took decision to call the hartal. After the declaration stating that Nair had committed suicide due to disillusionment in his life were flashed by television channels, there was a clamour for withdrawing the hartal call. However, the BJP stuck to its decision and invited the ire of the people. The decision was widely viewed as part of the attempt by the saffron party to take maximum political mileage from the Sabarimala issue. Raju P Nair, state convenor of Say No to Hartal, an anti-hartal movement, described it as a desperate attempt by the BJP to create a balidani (martyr) to rally the Hindus constituting about 55 percent of the states population. The party had made a similar attempt on 1 November, when a 60-year-old person was found dead in a forest near Sabarimala. Claiming that the deceased, Sivadasan, had died in police action on 16-17 October, the BJP called for a hartal in Pathanamthitta district, where the hill shrine is located. The party dropped Sivadsan after his family members clarified that he had left his house only on 18 October, a day after the police crackdown. People have not taken kindly to the latest hartal, which is the sixth one to be called by the BJP since the apex court verdict. The BJP, which initially welcomed the verdict, came out against it after women in large numbers took to the streets against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) governments attempt to implement the order. Netizens bombarded the BJP websites terming hartals cheap politics. The party was trolled heavily on social media. Taxi and autorickshaw drivers, who usually keep off the roads during hartals, defied the BJP call and operated service in many places. The traders also opened shops in some places. The debate kicked off by the recent hartals has made political leaders to rethink on hartals. Leaders of major political parties agreed to evolve a consensus on restricting hartals at the Kerala Tomorrow Development Summit organised by the Malayala Manorama group of publications at Kochi on 6 December. Ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishan offered to take the initiative in this regard. BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai and Congress president Mullappally Ramachandran said they would cooperate with the move if other parties agree to avoid unnecessary hartals. However, anti-hartal activists are not optimistic about the exercise since similar efforts in the past have failed to yield any result. The previous Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government had even attempted a legislation to curb hartals affecting normal life. The bill introduced in the Assembly has not seen light of the day so far. The initiative came on a direction from the high court, which sought legislative remedy after judicial interventions did not make any effect on those calling hartals, particularly political parties. Judicial intervention against strikes affecting normal life started in 1997 when the Kerala high court banned bandhs. Political parties responded to the court order which was ratified by the Supreme Court by replacing "bandh" with "hartal". When hartal assumed the form of hartal, the high court declared the enforcement of a hartal call made by a party or association or organisations by force, intimidation - physical or mental - and coercion as 'unconstitutional'. The court also directed the Election Commission to de-register or cancel registration of registered parties in case of violation of the directive. As this too went unheeded, the high court issued a direction in 2004 to the state to take measures to ensure that normal life is not paralysed and that those who call hartals or strikes should not compel anyone to participate in it. The direction for legislation came ten years later. Both the government and the political parties continued to ignore it and enforced shutdowns paralysing life. The state witnessed as many as 97 hartals so far this year. Of this, the BJP accounted for the highest number of 33 hartals, followed by UDF with 27 hartals. The LDF, which was in power since May 2016, called 17 hartals, most of which against its own government. The BJP had also stood first in 2017 by organising 41 hartals. The share of the UDF and the LDF was 27 and 16 respectively. The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) had ten years ago estimated the losses by every state-wide hartal at around Rs 1,500 crore to the trade and industry alone, besides human sufferings and job losses. K Chandrababu, general secretary of the Anti-Hartal Front, a state-wide association based in Kannur, said the loss now was Rs.2,500 crore per state-wide hartal. He told the Firstpost that hartal should be totally avoided as the state cannot afford such a colossal loss. Kerala is the only state where hartal brings life to a total halt. Calling hartals on issues affecting the people as a whole is understandable. However, hartals in the state are called by political parties and their feeder organisations at the drop of a hat, he said. Chandrababu said that the menace would come to an end if three groups of people -traders, bus operators and the media-join hands. He said that his organisation was trying to bring the traders and the bus operators together for a joint action. They have been stopping services due to fear of the consequences of defying hartal. There is no need for this fear as the Supreme Court has made those calling the hartal responsible for the losses they cause to the property. If the bus operators and the traders make use of this provision none will force them to stop their operations and think twice before calling hartal again, he said. Chandrababu said that the traders and the bus operators in Kozhikode had agreed to experiment this in the city during the next hartal. He has also urged the media to join the initiative by stopping coverage for the hartal. Other forms of protest require effort to mobilise public support. All it needs to make a hartal a success is a press statement and a few musclemen. While the role of the latter has come down drastically since all service providers including the government switches into a shutdown mode after a hartal is called, the media make them shut down by creating a fear psychosis, Chandrababu added. He said that the Anti-Hartal Front would also try to take the media on board in the fight against hartal. Meanwhile, the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi, the largest body of traders in the state, is gearing up to defy the hartal. Samithi secretary K Sethumadhavan said they had called meeting of their state committee on 20 December to discuss the strategy. The flood has devastated the trading sector. Enforcing hartal on the traders when they are struggling hard to recover from the calamity is cruel and inhuman. We will not take this lying, said Sethumadhavan. The raging debate has not made any difference to the BJP, which continues to justify the extreme form of protest. Rather they are boosted by the backing they have got from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who justified the 14 December hartal saying it was forced on his party. Sex workers can be government partners in the fight against human trafficking but only if they are not its targets. By Simanti Dasgupta Hoping to protect women from sexual exploitation, Indian lawmakers are pushing a bill that amend the criminal code to harden legal and financial penalties for sex trafficking. The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, which passed the lower house of Indias parliament in July 2018 and may become law in 2019, seeks to make combat this lucrative, illicit trade. Not everyone thinks harsh deterrence will work. Days after it passed in the lower house of Indias Parliament in July, two United Nations experts said the bill leans too heavily on the criminal justice system. Without more of a human-rights based and victim-centred approach, the UN special rapporteurs on human trafficking and modern slavery warned, India risks further harming already vulnerable individuals. Indias sex trade According to the Indian government, 4,980 victims of sex trafficking were rescued in the country in 2016. Sex workers in India oppose the bill thats ostensibly meant to protect them, saying it inaccurately conflates human trafficking with consensual sex work. In major Indian cities like Kolkata, Hyderabad and Sangli, sex workers are well organised and politically engaged. Yet no sex worker groups were consulted during the drafting of the legislation. Community leaders argue that the anti-trafficking legislation promotes a dangerous idea that everyone in the sex trade is either a victim or a criminal. If this bill becomes law, the police will harass us even more, said Kajol Bose, secretary of the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, one of Indias largest sex worker organizations. The number of raids will increase and the number of clients will decrease. I believe Indian lawmakers could improve their bill by looking to the strong systems already in place locally across India that prevent forced prostitution. I conducted anthropological research with Kolkatas Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, which has a membership of 65,000 people across the state of West Bengal. The group is based in Sonagachi, Kolkatas iconic red-light district, which is tucked behind a main artery in the northern part of the city. This bustling and congested labyrinth of narrow alleyways lined by houses, most of which operate as brothels, is home to some 10,000 sex workers. An estimated 20,000 male customers visit Sonagachi daily. Most of the women I met working in Sonagachi came from poor, rural villages in India, Bangladesh or Nepal. Driven by increasing hunger and poverty in formerly agricultural regions, many arrived in Kolkata planning to enter the sex trade because they figured it was the best way to feed themselves and their families. Some can even afford to send money back to their families. Keeping Kolkatas red light district safe Other women in Sonogachi were brought there by a friend or husband, and began doing sex work because they felt they had little choice. This is the kind of exploitation that the sex workers union wants to prevent. So, in 1997, the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee founded the self-regulatory board to combat trafficking in Sonagachi. Every morning, between at 10 am, peer educators and outreach workers visit area brothels. Since the board is comprised mainly of local sex workers, newcomers to Sonagachi are easily identified. Women new to the scene are taken for medical evaluation to a local health center called the Abinaash Clinic. Durbar has run the clinic since it took over the governments HIV/AIDS prevention program in 1997. The STD testing done there prevents the spread of disease in Sonagachi. A bone ossification test, which gives an age range, helps identify minors. Underage sex workers are handed over to the Child Welfare Committee of Kolkata, a government agency. Also read 'Muktir Alo' aimed to economically liberate the women of Sonagachi. Did it succeed? Determining whether adult women newly arrived to Sonagachi have been trafficked requires a more extensive investigation. It can take days to get women to open up about how they arrived in Sonagachi and who brought them there. Many of the women and girls approached by the Durbar are newcomers not just to sex work but to city living in general. They are usually confused by and even fearful of the groups intervention. They seldom cooperate immediately. It can take days of gentle questioning before the women start talking. During that process, newcomers to Sonagachi are housed at the nearby Short Stay Home, a residence run by the Durbar Committee. Ultimately, those determined to have entered the sex trade willingly will be permitted to return to her brothel in Sonagachi. The women usually become members of Durbar and are given a photo ID card that confirms her status as a healthy and consensual sex worker which usually helps them avoid arrest when police raids occur. If the self-regulatory board concludes that a new entrant is being coerced into sex work by a trafficker, the authorities are contacted. The woman is usually placed in shelters prison-like detention centers while the government tries to get her back home. Anti-trafficking bills hurt more than they help In my assessment, the Sonagachi method is effective because it starts by recognising that sex work is a job one that must be done voluntarily, by consenting adults. Based on that reality, it puts in place protections that keep trafficked women and children from abuse. The Durbar Committee works closely with local police, alerting them to the presence of minors and trafficked women. Other red light districts in India, Thailand and beyond have sex worker unions use similar preventive measures to combat trafficking. Several lawmakers I spoke with in Kolkata during my research dismissed the efforts of Durbar. They say trafficking is rampant in Sonagachi, and that the government must step in. In my experience, most also see prostitution as a dangerous and immoral act something that only victims of coercion would do. As a result, the Indian anti-trafficking bill they crafted outlaws the sex trade and punishes all who participate in it. The proposed law, which includes social services for reintegrating trafficked women into society, may help some women. Organisations like the Durbar Committee cannot identify and protect all victims of sexual exploitation in India. Still, Indian lawmakers could learn something from the frontline community organisations already doing this work. Sex workers can be government partners in the fight against human trafficking but only if they are not its targets. Simanti Dasgupta is Associate Professor, University of Dayton This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Wiwiek Widiasati's husband Abid, father of their three-month-old baby girl, Adeefa Lone, was one of the seven civilians killed in the army firing when unruly protesters clashed with the security forces at the encounter site. Karimabad: Their love blossomed in Hyderabad, where he had found a job after finishing his MBA in Bangalore and she had just arrived from Indonesia for a six-month training programme. Wiwiek Widiasati, a resident of Sudirman in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, was training with United Health groups Hyderabad office when she met Abid Hussain Lone. They instantly liked each other and after three years of online dating, in July 2016, Abid flew to Indonesia to get married to a girl who neither knew his language nor the place he lived in. I had heard it (Kashmir) is a heaven on earth, she says. But heaven turned into hell on Saturday, 15 December, when the army along with paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police laid a massive cordon around a cluster of orchards on the edge of a small road in Sirnoo village of Pulwama. Her husband, Abid, father of their three-month-old baby girl, Adeefa Lone, was one of the seven civilians killed in the army firing when unruly protesters clashed with the security forces at the encounter site. The rumour that has gained currency in the village is that a day earlier, an informer of the security forces had followed an unidentified villager, who was bringing food for a group militants holed up in a 15-foot deep pit covered with lifeless branches of trees, making it almost impossible for the human eye to notice it. But villagers say a soldiers feet got stuck in the branches covering the hideout and the militants sitting inside fired in panic, resulting in the killing of all three of them. A soldier was also killed and another suffered injuries. On Sunday, dozens of villagers from far off places visited the site of the encounter. Curious men and women, young and old, made a circle around the busted hideout. After the encounter was over, around 7 am on Saturday morning, hundreds of protesters descended on the three sides of the site of encounter and clashed with forces. Four died here, said Lateef Ahmad, a resident of Sirnoo while pointing his finger towards two spots near the orchard. And two on the other side of the hideout. Abid, 26, husband of Wiwiek who was lovingly known as Saima because the villagers found her name too difficult to pronounce, was among the killed civilians. He had left his home at around 8:15 am, telling his wife that he would be back soon from the nearby fields. The exchange of gunfire, according to Wiwiek, continued. She had never witnessed this before in her life. This was her seventh month in Kashmir and she was leaving to Hyderabad with her husband in the last week of February, she said. As villagers rushed towards the encounter site and the cries of protesters rented the air, Wiwiek called her husband multiple times, but he didnt answer. After some time, he called back only to say, Dont worry, I wont go venture in the danger area. Early on Sunday morning, aggrieved Kashmiri women encircled the Indonesian girl. It is difficult to recognise her in a Kashmiri Peheran and a red scarf that covered her head and face. A girl, who sat next to her, tried to console her but she kept crying the name of her husband. She wails in English and only two people in the room understand what she is saying. She neither knows Kashmiri nor Hindi and there are few in this remote village of Pulwama who understand the English language. After nine calls, someone answered the phone. There was noise. I knew something had gone wrong. He had been killed too, Wiwiek said looking at her three-month-old daughter in the lap of a neighbour. Come to mother, my baby, she cries out. It is hard to even imagine how she has lived all this time in Karimabad, which is one the most volatile area of Pulwama. The husband-wife duo was leaving for Hyderabad after Wiwiek failed to adjust in the village life, despite her husbands wish to live by the side of his ailing mother. Both of them had landed jobs in Hyderabad. Now, Lone is buried in the grave and his wish has come true in a tragic way. And his wife is travelling to Jakarta, but her three-month-old daughter doesnt have a passport. On Monday, she spoke to the Indonesian embassy staff in New Delhi. They are on way to Kashmir. They need documents so that she can be provided with a passport, Wiwiek said. I am going back to my country and taking some happy and sad memories with me. On Thursday morning, the 320-feet-deep and 20-feet-wide mine in Meghalaya got filled with water, rendering 17 men digging coal inside unable to come out. The 17 miners who are trapped in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya since Thursday have not been rescued yet owing to difficulty in pumping out water. The mine, in East Jaintia Hills district, is about 800 metres away from the Lytein river. It's one of the many illegal mines operating in the region. On Thursday morning, the 320-feet-deep and 20-feet-wide mine got filled with water from the river, rendering 17 young men digging coal inside unable to come out. A 70-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a 12-member team of the State Disaster Response Force and an 11-member team of the civil defence have been trying to pump out water from the mine but incoming water from the channels that filled it in the first place is bringing their effort to nought. Confirming this, SK Shastri, commandant of 1st Battalion of the NDRF, said that while they had been using three motors to pump out water since Thursday, the district administration has now provided them five more. He said the NDRF has six divers on the spot but the water level is not suitable yet for divers to go in. He said if all the eight motors began pumping out water on Monday, water level could go down in another three days. However, going deep with the motor and the pipe is proving to be another challenging for the rescue teams. Sylvester Nongtngr, Superintendent of Police of East Jaintia Hills district, said that since the mine is illegal, no site mapping or danger assessment was done before miners went in looking for coal. CIL called for help The Meghalaya government has roped in India's largest coal producer Coal India Limited (CIL) to help with the rescue operation. The central government-owned company has been brought in due to its expertise in mining, danger assessment and rescue. A delegation led by Northeast Coal India Limited is on the spot to assess the situation. Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills, Frederick M Dopth, said he could not share much as the administration's sole focus is on rescuing the trapped men. He exuded hope that the CIL team would help them expedite the operation. However, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma has described the situation as difficult. Stating that the water level was not receding and was hampering all efforts, he told mediapersons that the rescue teams are doing all they can. He said he had spoken with Union minister Kiren Rijiju the day after the incident to request for more help. Families want bodies Meanwhile, families of these miners are losing hope of seeing them alive. Nurkamal Shah, uncle of Amir Hussain and Moinul Islam, two coal miners from Assams Chirang district who are stuck in the mine, said he would plead with their local MLA for help. He said it would be stupid to hope they might still be alive but the family is keen on receiving their bodies for last rites. Otherwise, he said, the pain and agony will never go away from their heart. He has organised a prayer meeting too in his village, Panbari. The police on Monday learnt about one more person trapped in the mine. He has been identified as Abdul Kalam from West Garo Hills in Meghalaya. With this, police have been able to identify 14 miners. However, according to an eyewitness, 17 people are trapped inside. Besides dedicating the new IIT Bhubaneswar campus, Modi will lay the foundation stone for IISER, Berhampur, Pradhan said. Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Odisha on December 24 during which he will inaugurate a new campus of IIT-Bhubaneswar and launch a host of other projects, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Sunday. Besides dedicating the new IIT Bhubaneswar campus, Modi will lay the foundation stone for IISER, Berhampur, Pradhan said. The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone and inaugurate several other development projects in Odisha, the Petroleum and Natural Gas minister said in a tweet. The Union Minister said he visited the venue of Modi's programme near the historic Barunei Hills in Khurda and took stock of the preparedness along with the district administration. Noting that the Central Government is celebrating bicentenary of the historic Paika Rebellion, Pradhan said the prime minister will release the commemorative coin, stamp and inaugurate the Chair at Utkal University in memory of the rebellion. The Paika Rebellion, also called the Paika Bidroha, was an armed rebellion against British East India Company's rule in Odisha in 1817. The Paikas were the traditional militia of Odisha who served as warriors. The tour itinerary of the Prime Minister would be announced soon, sources said. The deaths of seven civillians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district due to clashes with security forces at an encounter site has drawn sharp criticism for the Indian Army and other forces for their handling of the continued turbulence in the Kashmir valley. The deaths of seven civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district due to clashes with security forces at an encounter site has drawn sharp criticism against the Indian Army and other forces for their handling of the continued turbulence in the Kashmir valley. On Saturday, security forces killed three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in an encounter after an input about their presence at Sirnoo village in Pulwama. However, soon after the encounter ended, protestors who rushed to the encounter site clashed with the forces and were allegedly fired upon. Soon after the incident, General Syed Ata Hasnain who is a vocal defender of the army, wrote a report for Firstpost titled ' Pulwama encounter: Civilian casualties in clashes point to increased suicidal trend among Kashmiri youth'and said, "The involvement of civilians is adding a flavour of far greater negativity and opening up the security forces to greater allegations of human rights violations." He further explained, "In an effort to get to the encounter site first to help the militants escape and then to quickly retrieve their bodies for funerals civilians in large numbers arrived at the site of the gunfight. Stone-pelting mobs, with great passion and unmindful of their personal safety, attempted to resist the security forces, resulting in the death of seven civilians, in a chilling reminder that the situation in South Kashmir seems to be worsening." Retired Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju also reacted to the Pulwama violence by comparing it to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre conducted by British general Reginal Dyer. On Twitter, Katju said, "Three cheers for the Indian army which has now started killing civilians in Kashmir, like General Dyer at Jalianwala Bagh or Lieutenant Calley at My Lai in Vietnam. All Indian army officers and soldiers should be given Bharat Ratna." Congratulations to Gen Rawat whose soldiers killed 7 civilians in a Jallianwalabagh or My Lai type massacre in Pulwama, Kashmir How brave of the Indian army General !@rwac48 @Vedmalik1 @atahasnain53 @majorgauravarya @adgpi Markandey Katju (@mkatju) December 16, 2018 Hasnain responded soon after to the former judge's tweet. 1/2 Katju Saheb, Gen Rawat won't respond due to service constraints. Per force I've to clarify; not a single man out of those 7 killed was killed by an Army soldier.I would always check the facts when putting things in public domain especially if I was of your esteemed stature https://t.co/ffABbRh40V Syed Ata Hasnain (@atahasnain53) December 16, 2018 Katju also wrote to Firstpost with a response to Hasnain, mentioning that a "guerilla war is only possible with popular support". Here is the statement: "General Hasnain, like General Panag and General Ved Malik, is a highly respected retired Indian Army General, and I hold him (as well as the other generals I named ) in high regard. I have read his piece in Firspost and would like to respond: "The situation in Kashmir today is this: Due to the continuous stupidity of our political leaders over decades, the Kashmiri people are almost entirely alienated from India and bitterly hostile to it. Consequently, they are resorting to armed fights with the Indian security forces, using guerrilla tactics (of hit and run) as used by the Vietnamese people in their war against first the French, and later the Americans. "An army can fight another army, it cannot fight the masses. A tiger can kill a beast, it cannot kill a swarm of mosquitoes. So the Indian army is engaged in a war it cannot possibly win. The guerilla has the advantage of deciding the place, time, and duration of the attack. It is said, 'The people are the sea, and the guerilla is the fish which swims in it, and without the sea, the fish will die'. "In other words, guerilla war is possible only with popular support. That is support the Kashmiri militants are getting. "Presently, the number of militants may be only a few hundred, but a large number of non-militants in Kashmir are their sympathisers who give them shelter, food, and intelligence, and, as General Hasnain has admitted, the number of militants is increasing. "In such a conflict, when a non-militant is killed (as happened recently in Pulwama ) his non-militant relatives often become furious, and to take revenge they become militants. I am sorry to say but our politicians, who are the real villains, have made our soldiers into a 'Bali ka Bakra'. How this conflict will end and what is its solution I cannot say, but this much is certain: The Indian army is in for the long haul in Kashmir. "And in the meantime, my sincere advice to army personnel is to not behave like Field Marshal Keitel and General Jodl, or Generals Tojo and Yamashita, who were found guilty of atrocities and ordered to be hanged by the Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals." Highlighting that profit of the central bank largely comes due to devaluation of Indian currency. New Delhi: Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has cautioned that transfer of excess reserve to the government may bring down rating of the central bank. Rating downgrade of the RBI from 'AAA' would make borrowing costlier for the central bank and will have implication for the entire economy. Asked if the transfer of excess reserve by the RBI to the government could lead to downgrade of the rating, Rajan said: "It could...it depends on how much. It may not be an issue now...may be an issue at some point of time. That's one concern". This is something both the government and RBI should discuss before reaching some conclusion, he told NDTV news channel in an interview. "We are 'Baa' country. We are barely investment grade. Sometime, we need to undertake international transactions which require really high credit rating. For example swap we did in 2013. So, for that we need unimpeachable balancesheet. Why don't we keep the RBI as an unimpeachable balancesheet with AAA credit rating that requires certain amount of equity," he said. Highlighting that profit of the central bank largely comes due to devaluation of Indian currency, Rajan said keeping a portion for the contingency reserves, RBI usually pays entire profit. "RBI can pay profit and not whatever it holds for contingency reserves for movement up and down. For example, rupee that depreciated could also strengthen...so we should accommodate for that," he said. There seems to be a tussle going on between the RBI and government over various issues, including transfer of excess capital of the apex bank. Last month, the RBI board decided to set up a high-level committee soon for examining the Economic Capital Framework (ECF) to determine the appropriate levels of reserve the central bank should hold. Asked whether he also faced pressure when he was the governor, he said there is always a pressure on the central bank to pay the government more. "I had it as well. I wrote a letter to the RBI when I was Chief Economic Advisor saying perhaps the RBI should look at how much it needs to hold. When I came to RBI as governor I set up a committee which essentially said we have enough capital to pay out our entire profit. "The three years that I was Governor, we paid the highest dividend in RBI's history to the government. The issue at stake is not that anymore. The issue is more than that. It's not just the profit, they want the excess. And the Malegam Committee had opined that you cannot pay more than the profit," he said. Rajan, who was RBI governor for three years till September 2016, is currently teaching at the Chicago Booth School of Business. Sections that back the government Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the like think just firing from all cylinders will break militancy in Kashmir. It might, but at a terrible cost that no civilised State should bear Yet another tragedy in Kashmir, and the same inane messages and condolences from politicians, and the triumphant news reports in Pakistani press on a bloodbath, human rights excesses and the like. Among the cries and the accusations however, it is important to home in on some basic facts regarding this, and other such encounters. First, security forces killed three militants holed up in a house in the village of Sirnoo in Pulwama. That meant that there was good intelligence emanating from the area. Clearly, there are many within militancy prone areas who dont wish the terrorists well. Second, the threat was very real. Among them the militants killed was an ex-army jawan Zahor Thakor. Theres few things more dangerous than a militant trained - in effect from within the army. He knows the rules, the protocols and the innards of army operations. Third, the operation was conducted by a mix of forces that included the police and the paramilitary forces. Thats always a problem. Paramiltary forces in particular, rarely have the discipline to control fire at critical times. Fourth, security forces seem to have used a mix of pellets and bullets, as evident from the injuries at the hospital. So no, it wasnt anywhere like a panic reaction or a deliberate decision to kill civilians as is being alleged in the media. Its the fifth aspect that needs to be strongly analysed, without the ifs and buts that are usually seen in reports and commentary. A large crowd rushed towards the encounter site, protesting against the security forces deployed. This is unhappily becoming standard practice in areas such as Pulawama, Anantnag, Kupwara and other affected districts. And inevitably there are casualties. Game point to the terrorists and their sponsors, one down for the Indian government, and irreparable losses to the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters of those killed. Understand this clearly. It is the armys job to kill terrorists. That is what it is there for. There is now way on earth that a force operating against dangerous militants will simply walk away from an encounter site because the civilians object to it. A charged-up crowd that gets up close to the army vehicles is in even more danger. In close quarters, warning fire or even pellet guns rarely meet their objective. So heres the bottom line. Civilians have no business to be around a counter-terrorism operation, and certainly no business throwing stones. No amount of breast beating and crying can change that. Young men will die, and for the most futile of reasons: adding to the casualty statistics that benefit the terrorists and their sponsors across the border. No wonder the Pakistani foreign office is crowing on Twitter. Others who benefit are those who build their careers on such deaths and announce protests and marches. Its notable that Hurriyat leaders usually hold this a couple of days later. That means they will be arrested, and are in no real danger in front of a charged up-mob, who are disillusioned with them as they are with the politicians. The Hurriyat, the Peoples Democratic Party, the National Conference and all the others knee deep in Kashmir politics know this. Thats why nobody wants elections yet, notwithstanding questionable claims of being able to form a government. Yes, they can be expected to mourn as anyone should the loss of young lives. But where is the politician who can stand up and say that those who hasten to support militants are holding hostage their own people in other parts of the state? Shop keepers, the shikara operators, taxi drivers and the hundreds upon hundreds who eke out a living out of tourism in Gulmarg, Sonmarg, and other parts of the state: none of whom want any part of militancy or have any sympathy to waste on the hotheads of Srinagar and Pulwama. If Kashmir is bleeding, it is by its own hand. And what of the central government at Delhi? Certainly, its emphasis on development is sensible on the same grounds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a raft of infrastructure projects, including power and roads for Srinagar. Protesters may sneer, but it is something that will benefit all, and will by inches help bring the province to the same level of speed as other states in India. But heres the thing. Sections that back the government Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the like think just firing from all cylinders will break militancy in Kashmir. It might, but at a terrible cost that no civilised State should bear. To really deliver, aggressive operations should go hand in hand with aggressive rejuvenation projects. The "hit em and get them" policy needs to be in tandem with an energetic marketing of programmes like Udaan (a public private industry initiative to provide employment to youth) to levels where it becomes the go to option for young men and women. It means pushing other similar programmes to the limit possible using reputable NGOs and the internet to get people on board. At present, hardly anyone has even heard of these programmes. Meanwhile, spare a thought for the death of Sawar Kishan Singh Rajput from Churu Rajasthan, an army jawan who lost his life during the encounter; or for the martyrs wall of the Pulwama police. There are many others who remain unsung, and many whose opinion was not asked when terrorists mingled in a crowd or invited retaliation on civilians. They need a voice, as do the huge majority of young people who do not participate in the wasteful and unjust war that is Kashmir. When next the prime minister addresses the people, it is this segment that should be his main concern. After all, theyre all Indians. That all the seven civilians who were killed after the Pulwama encounter were fired at on their upper body raises questions over the intention of the security forces Srinagar: A small trench dug in a field at Sirnoo in the southern part of Kashmir was the hideout of three militants including former army man Zahoor Ahmad Thoker, who had joined Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) after fleeing with a gun from an army camp in Kashmir. On Saturday, a large number of army and policemen surrounded them from all sides. In the gun battle that ensued, the three militants including Zahoor were killed. Though a cordon was laid early morning, a routine now in Kashmir to foil protests around encounter sites, by the end of the day seven civilians were dead and many others had been wounded. SOPs not followed? The Saturday's encounter has raised several questions on whether or not the government forces are following their own standard operating procedures (SOPs) during encounters. As per the SOPs not only are the people to be duly warned, other measures including use of tear smoke shells have to be made to disperse the youth. The residents of Sirnoo said that they werent aware of the encounter in the area until they heard the gunshots early in the morning. Zahoors father, Abdul Majeed Thoker, said that he "heard the gunshots early in the morning before his son was killed in the gunfire along with two other militants". "We were handed over the body by the police later in the afternoon, he said. The forces have been scouting the area for the last several months. On Saturday, we were unaware of the cordon until we heard the gunshots. My other son was also picked up by the police a few months ago and they were seeking the whereabouts of my son (Zahoor). But it was only late in the afternoon that Zahoors body was handed over, said Majeed. Earlier, the police said in a statement that while they were carrying out the anti-militancy operation, "A crowd who came dangerously close from different parts to the encounter site got injured. The injured were evacuated to a hospital where unfortunately seven persons succumbed to their injuries (sic)." Ravideep Sahai, Inspector General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), says that the security forces including the CRPF, are well trained and "follow the SOPs". However, an official of the senior superintendent of police (SSP) rank admitted, on condition of anonymity, that the "SOPs were being violated". "The SOPs get violated as at times operations are being carried out in a difficult terrain. Though the security forces are required to use water cannons to disperse the crowd, we cant do see in hilly areas, the official said. 'All civilians were shot in upper body' Besides the seven civilians from the crowd who were killed on Saturday, at least 32 others were injured. Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Pulwama, Abdul Rasheed Parra, says that many of the civilians who arrived at the hospital were fired at on their upper body parts. "We had received at least 26 injured and six other people were brought dead to the hospital. Out of the injured 12 were shifted for specialised treatment to Srinagar. All those who had died had received bullets in critical areas of the body like chest, neck and head. Of those, who were referred for specialised treatment, one had received a bullet in the abdomen, one also had a shoulder injury and another in the eye. Civilian deaths near encounter sites have become routine in the state. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) figures reveal that this year up to 2 December, 37 civilians were killed. Officials said that most of these civilians were gunned down near encounter sites, where government forces claimed, "they (civilians) were trying to disrupt the anti-militancy operations". In Prichoo area of Pulwama, which is located few kilometres away from Sirnoo, Abdul Hamid, uncle of 14-year-old Aqib Bashr who was killed on Saturday, said that he had received the bullet in the head due to which he had died on the way to the hospital. Bashir was laid in the grave with a bandaged head that was soaked in blood. Another youth was hit with a bullet in the abdomen in the same area, local residents of Pirchoo said. He was later referred to the SMHS hospital where he is still recuperating. Can specialised forces help? Following the killing of civilians in Kashmir, the political parties have been seeking that the forces shouldnt not only exercise restraint but use better crowd control means by way of deploying specialised forces. However, Ravideep Sahai, Inspector General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), IG Sahai says that deployment of the specialised force like the Rapid Action Force (RAF) will not help. "In Kashmir, the situation is different than that of other parts of the country. It is a mix of militancy and law and order. We cant deploy the specialised forces like the RAF to deal with incidents of militancy, he said, adding that during the exchange of fire at an encounter site between security forces and militants, there is a chance that anyone from the crowd who is near the gun battle site might get hit by a stray bullet". Contrarily, in the Sirnoo encounter, local residents claim, the civilian deaths followed after the gun battle was over. The call for the march came after seven civilians died and several others were injured allegedly when security forces opened fire at a mob in Pulwama. The march called by separatists on Monday to the army's Chinar Corps headquarters in Srinagar against the killing of seven civilians during an encounter was foiled after authorities imposed restrictions in Pulwama district and parts of Srinagar. The separatists, under the banner of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had on Saturday asked the people to march to the corps' headquarters in Badamibagh on the outskirts of Srinagar. The call for the march came after seven civilians died and several others were injured allegedly when security forces opened fire at a mob that thronged the site of an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. Three terrorists and a soldier were killed in the encounter on Saturday. However, on Monday, several precautionary measures were put in place by the state police and administration. Roads leading to the Badamibagh Cantonment, as the camp is popularly referred to, were sealed off and mobile and internet services were suspended on Monday. The Army has also advised people not to pay heed to the "misleading call" by the JRL. "The Army is always with the people of Kashmir and will foil all such evil attempts of the terrorist-separatist-Pakistan nexus to pit the civilian population against the security forces. The public is once again advised not to pay heed to this misleading call by JRL, an army spokesman said on Sunday. Security forces make every attempt to avoid any loss of civilian lives in cross-fire and minimise collateral damage to property, he said. "Loss of any civilian life is always painful for the security forces. However, the vested interests are continuously at work to instigate and mobilise gullible youths to encounter sites. The call given by JRL for march to Badamibagh Cantonment is another such attempt. The Indian Army strongly condemns this call by Pakistan proxies and advises people not to fall prey to such designs of anti-national forces, the spokesman said. Significance of Badamibagh Cantonment A similar march had been called by separatist leaders during the unrest of 2016. They had called for a march to the Badamibagh cantonment, or Chinar Corps headquarters. Authorities had undertaken similar measures to prevent the agitation from taking place. Shops, fuel stations, and other business establishments had been shut in the city. One of the 62 cantonments in the country, the Badamibagh cantonment is the only one in the Northern Command, according to the official website. In October 2018, the Army celebrated the 72nd Infrantry Day at the cantonment in Srinagar. The Tribune had quoted the General Officer Commanding (GOC) as saying, "We are celebrating Infantry Day at a place which has a historic significance. It is here that the Indian Army began its campaign to evict Pakistani invaders and succeeded in doing so with glory. We are all grateful to our valiant martyrs, heroes and soldiers." Calling for the march, separatist leaders had said in a statement, "As the Government of India is only interested in our territory and forcibly holds on to it while systematically eliminating the people, it is better that they finish us off at once and that is why the leadership has asked the Centre to do that as we march towards their army headquarters in Badami Bagh on Monday. Or else stop the killings and massacres and resolve the dispute and save human lives." However, Economic Times said quoted Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh as saying that the police has registered an FIR regarding the civilian killings. The official statement of the state police said, "While the operation was going on, a crowd who came dangerously close from different parts to the encounter site got injured. The injured were evacuated to the hospital where unfortunately seven persons succumbed to their injuries. Others who were admitted in the hospital are stated to be stable." With inputs from agencies Senior separatist leader and Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Geelani on Sunday demanded a high-level probe under the supervision of United Nations into Pulwama civilian killing. Meanwhile, Separatists in Kashmir on Saturday called for a three-day strike against the Pulwama encounter which saw the killing of seven civilians in security forces' action. Senior separatist leader and Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Geelani demanded a high-level probe under the supervision of United Nations into Pulwama civilian killings. He also urged the agency to help resolve the long-pending Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the people. We have read in history about the heinous crimes of Changez and Halako, but the repression and oppression Kashmiris are subjected to have surpassed them as well, Geelani said in his statement on Sunday, reported Greater Kashmir. Geelani said that India claims to have the brave and disciplined army of the world, but in reality, they are so cowards and timed that they shower bullets and pellets to the un-armed people especially kids. Meanwhile, separatists in Kashmir on Saturday called for a three-day strike against the killing of seven civilians in security forces' action during an encounter in Pulwama district. The separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, also asked people to march to the headquarters of the Army's Chinar Corps at Badamibagh on Monday. "The Pulwama massacre, bullets and pellets rain! As the Government of India has decided to kill Kashmiris through its armed forces who control us, JRL and people will march towards Badami Bagh Army cantonment on Monday, 17 December to ask the government to kill all of us at one time rather than killing us daily," Mirwaiz wrote on Twitter. In another tweet, he said, "From today onwards for three days mourning and complete protest strike will be observed all across". Meanwhile, spontaneous shutdown was observed on Saturday in many areas of Srinagar and south Kashmir following the killing of civilians. Shops in several areas were shut, while a protest demonstration was taken out in Nowhatta area of the city on Saturday. Seven civilians died and several others injured after security forces opened fire on protestors near an encounter site in Sirnoo village of Pulwama district in south Kashmir. Three militants were killed in the encounter in which a soldier also lost his life while two other armymen were injured. The CAG has sent the draft report on the Rafale deal to the Ministry of Defence seeking its final comments on the matter. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Monday has filed its first draft report on the Rafale deal, days after the Supreme Court dismissed a clutch of petitions alleging irregularities in the deal. The CAG has sent the report to the Ministry of Defence seeking its final comments on the matter. It had sent the report to the Centre two seeks, and has sought a reply from it with four weeks, CNN-News18 reported. However, the report is unlikely to be tabled in the Winter Session of Parliament, the channel reported. 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 (around $8 billion). The Supreme Court on 14 December had dismissed all petitions demanding a probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal, asserting that the pricing and decision-making process of the deal were not in doubt. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "Our country cannot afford to be unprepared when it comes to fighter aircraft." The bench also observed that defence preparedness needs to be looked after. With inputs from PTI The Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, sentencing him to life. The bench observed that there had been an 'abject failure' by the agencies investigating the riots. The Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, sentencing him to life. The bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel observed that there had been an "abject failure" by the agencies investigating the riots, saying "mass killings are a crime against society". The case pertains to the murder of five members of a Sikh family in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar area on 1 November, 1984, in the riots that broke out after prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. In April 2013, a trial court had acquitted Kumar in the case but sentenced three others to life. These were former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal and Girdhari Lal. The court had sentenced two others, former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar, to three years in jail. The convicts had challenged their conviction and sentencing in May 2013, and a trial court had acquitted Kumar of all charges. On Monday, the Delhi High Court sentenced Kumar to life, convicting him "for the offences of criminal conspiracy and abetment in the commission of the crimes of murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of communal harmony, defiling and destruction of a gurdwara by burning". It has ordered him to surrender by 31 December and not leave the city. The bench also extended the jail term of Yadav and Khokhar from three to 10 years. Recalling the "communal frenzy" unleashed after the assassination of Indira Gandhi on 31 October, 1984, the court observed: "For four days between 1 and 4 November that year, all over Delhi, 2,733 Sikhs were brutally murdered. Their houses were destroyed. In the rest of the country, too, thousands of Sikhs were killed. A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency. The criminals escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades." Here's the full judgment of the Delhi High Court: Yuval Noah Harari eminent historian and the author of Sapiens, Homo Deux, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century was in Mumbai to deliver the Penguin India Annual Lecture 2018. His talk touched upon 'Challenges for the 21st Century', and if, by session's end, many people in the audience were still considering having children, it would have been a surprise. Imagine that you're the driver of an out-of-control trolley car. The only mechanism that's still working, is a lever that helps switch from one track onto another. Ahead on the tracks, you see five people tied down. You're hurtling right towards them, it's inevitable that you'll run them over except, there's another track that bifurcates to the left. Then you notice that on this track too, one person has been tied down. What should you do? Continue and cause the deaths of five people, or switch tracks and kill only one? "The Trolley Problem" has long been used as a thought experiment in Ethics/Moral Philosophy. On Sunday, 16 December, noted Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari used it to explain the problems that lie ahead for makers of self-driving cars. Harari the author of Sapiens, Homo Deux, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century was in Mumbai to deliver the Penguin India Annual Lecture 2018. His talk touched upon 'Challenges for the 21st Century', and if, by session's end, many people in the audience were still considering having children, it would have been a surprise. Not that Harari's talk was filled with doomsday prophesies. Nor did he paint a picture of the future so dystopian that it would rival the portrait of humanity presented by that other pessimistic philosopher Thomas Hobbes (who described mankind in its natural state as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"). No. But what he did say was sufficiently alarming. For instance: "Human beings are the gods on earth, but we're very irresponsible gods... Throughout history, human beings have been manipulating the world around them long before they've understood it." If that wasn't enough to send you into a funk about the wretchedness of the species we belong to, there were the challenges Harari dwelt on: Nuclear war, climate change, and technology. He stressed that none of these could be solved without global cooperation. Technology, especially, was going to change the world even more than it already had, Harari warned, and we needed to brace for it. "The last time we had a big technological revolution the Industrial Revolution it resulted in the creation of the working class," he said. But the next technological revolution would create a "non-working class". "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics will lead to the disappearance of many jobs by 2050, but the bigger issue will be retraining people for new types of jobs. You'd need to learn a lot of new skills and in some cases, change your personality," Harari said, adding, "And this will not be a long-term solution. Because one of the most important things to remember about the automation revolution is, it will not (unfold) as one watershed happening. We will have a bigger revolution by 2025, then by 2035, then 2045. So to stay relevant, people will have to reinvent themselves every few years." In a scenario like this, governments would need to step in and help people through these difficult transition phases. But even this, Harari said, would not be enough to deal with the psychological effects of the need for constant reinvention. "Will you have the mental resilience? Reinventing yourself at several phases through your life would be simply too difficult for most people. And as life expectancy increases, the age of retirement will be pushed back. People will have to fight against uselessness," Harari stressed. The biggest struggle for people in the 21st century, he concluded, would be against irrelevance. The question that naturally arose, was what the education system might do to prepare citizens for the world they would inhabit, or "what should we teach children in school now that will be useful for them over the next 50 years" as Harari framed it. "No one knows what the job market will be like in 30 years, and that's unprecedented in history," he pointed out. "Teachers and children won't know what is needed for anyone to be a fruitful member of society." The answer then, was to focus on building emotional intelligence and mental resilience. This technology-driven future would mean changes outside of our work lives too. Religion, for instance, would have to adapt; some would survive, others would go extinct. "Religion has been around for a very long time; it will merely change its face. Religions keep adapting all the time, and then they say 'We didn't change anything!' They say they're retaining the original purity but it's a way of repackaging change," Harari said. The nature of governments too would change. Harari posited the rise of digital dictatorships, by saying: "New technologies might tempt governments across the world to monitor and control people all the time. New totalitarian regimes will have technologies that weren't available to a Hitler or Mao they'll take have the ability to 'hack' human beings". 'Hacking' a human being required a good understanding of biology (especially brain science), a lot of data (especially personal data), and a lot of computing power. "These things weren't around in the times of Hitler or Stalin, so even if the Gestapo or KGB followed you around 24/7, they wouldn't be able to tell what you were thinking or feeling or predict what you would do," Harari said, adding that these resources were exactly what new leaders had/would have access to. As for the leaders themselves, Harari said citizens needed to ask politicians running for office how they intended to deal with the spectre of nuclear war, climate change and technological disruptions. "The problem (now) is no one can come up with a meaningful vision for the future. Populist regimes with their fantasies can sustain themselves for a few years. But unless we can find some meaningful vision for the future, we're headed for disaster. If a politician has nothing meaningful to say about the future, don't vote for that politician," he asserted. Those espousing isolationist politics too had no place in Harari's conception of the future. "Leaders have become far more reckless in their behaviour and far more isolationist," he said. "This is exceedingly irresponsible because in the 21st century, the idea of an independent nation is a fantasy." "Whenever a leader says 'My country first' or 'Only my country is important' we need to ask them, how their country will by themselves deal with these three issues," Harari said. "Nationalism does have an important role in the 21st century, but to be a good nationalist which means protecting your country's interests, not hating foreigners you must also be a globalist. So if you take away from this talk a single lesson, it is that our global problems demand global solutions." Lest he give the audience the impression that all was bleak, Harari clarified, "(What I've outlined in my talk) is neither inevitable nor a prophecy, these are possibilities. Technology is not deterministic. It can be used for a variety of purposes. Technology gives us the choice, but ultimately its use is in the hands of humans. We can use AI and biotechnology to create different types of society." The need of the hour, was ethical training for software engineers. "They need it even more than lawyers and judges. They shape the world. For instance, more and more today, the question of discrimination turns out to be a question of design. We need to look at how software is designed. We need to ensure that algorithms do not discriminate against other people." Harari said. It was at this point that Harari brought up his version of the Trolley Problem. "I've focused on the dangers of these technologies, but they have huge advantages. The vast majority of traffic accidents for instance, are caused by human error. If we replace humans at the wheel with driverless cars, we could save a million people a year," he said. Makers of driverless cars though, would have to think about ethics. Harari asked the audience to imagine a driverless car was going down a road, with its owner asleep in the back seat, when two children suddenly shot out in front of it. Should the car continue straight ahead (and kill the children) or veer away from them, only to collide with an oncoming truck, that was sure to cause the death of the owner? "Computers don't have a subconscious. They do whatever you programme them to do," he pointed out. So you could have the best philosophers in the world in a room and give them a year to decide [what the driverless car should do], and that's what the car would be programmed to do. If you left the decision to the makers, Harari said, they'd come up with two models of cars: "Tesla Altruist and Tesla Egoist" and leave it up to the buyer to choose, because the customer is always right. "These are questions that philosophers have been debating thousands and thousands of years, but they had very little practical import. These questions of ethics are now related to practical questions of engineering," Harari said. "We've always needed philosophers and spiritual guides, but we need them now more than ever before because we're more powerful now than ever before." (The matter of Yuval Noah Harari's lecture has been condensed and rearranged in this piece.) Active in national politics since 1970s, Sajjan's first electoral victory was at a local municipal election in 1977. The Congress leader was elected as a councillor. He later became a MP on a Congress ticket in 2004 Reversing the 2013 acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, the Delhi High Court convicted him to life imprisonment (10 years in jail) for conspiracy to commit murder in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The high court said, "The mass killings of Sikhs between 1 and 4 November, 1984 in Delhi and the rest of the country, engineered by political actors with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies, answer the description of "crimes against humanity". The high court noted that Kumar enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial. While many witnesses and survivors gave accounts of Congress leaders leading mobs targeting Sikhs, Sajjan is the first top leader of the party to be convicted. Ironically, the order comes on a day the Congress takes over three big states after its election victories last week. Among them is Kamal Nath, another Congress leader emroiled in the anti-Sikh riots. Even though there is no FIR against Nath, advocates fighting the 1984 cases have said that the Congress leader led a mob at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj, opposite Parliament House. The high court said, "The mass killings of Sikhs between 1 and 4 November, 1984 in Delhi and the rest of the country, engineered by political actors with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies, answer the description of "crimes against humanity". "Criminals have enjoyed political patronage," the high court noted and said that there was "abject police failure" as the police failed to act against the inability of the victims to file complaints. A former Congress councillor, Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal and three others were held guilty in the Raj Nagar case but a trial court had acquitted Sajjan. Today's high court judgment was a reversal of the 2013 order acquitting Sajjan. Who is Sajjan Kumar Active in national politics since 1970s, Sajjan's first electoral victory was at a local municipal election in 1977. The Congress leader was elected as a councillor. He later became a MP on a Congress ticket in 2004 when the UPA came to power after routing the Atal Bihar Vajpayee-led NDA. He won from the outer Delhi parliamentary seat. But Sajjan is best known for his involvement in the 1984 riots. He was charged with instigating his supporters after the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. The CBI had accused him and four others former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal and two others who were found guilty by the high court of killing six Sikh men during the riots. The CBI had also filed an appeal, alleging they were engaged in a planned communal riot and religious cleansing. The agency and the victims had also appealed against the acquittal of Kumar. Calling the judgment a "vindication of justice" and terming Sajjan as face of 984 riots, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "Sajjan Kumar was the symbol of 1984 riots. His conviction by the Delhi High Court is a delayed vindication of justice." Speaking on the Congress's decision to name Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh's new chief minister, he said, "It is ironical that the high court verdict has come on a day when Congress (leader Kamal Nath), whom the Sikh community accuses of being involved in the 1984 riots, is taking oath as the next chief minister of Madhya Pradesh." Jaitley said the "cover-ups" of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots are now being unmasked. "Sajjan Kumar was a symbol of 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The legacy of 1984 anti-Sikh riots hangs around the neck of Congress and Gandhi family." The trial began after a government inquiry found "credible evidence" that some Congress party leaders incited crowds to attack Sikhs during the riots and that they were not spontaneous. Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court convicted Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Bengaluru (Karnataka): A day when Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been convicted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra has accused Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath of being involved in the case, demanding his expulsion from the party. Stating that Nath's name has cropped up along with affidavit and evidence submitted in a report to the Nanavati Commission, Patra also demanded that Rahul Gandhi should step down as Congress president. "Rahul Gandhi should resign as Congress chief. Kamal Nath ji's name crops up along with affidavit and evidence in a report submitted to Nanavati Commission," he said. "A man involved in anti-Sikh riots has been made the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi must expel him from the party," Patra demanded. Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court convicted Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment. A fine of Rs 5 lakh was also imposed on him. The court had asked Kumar to surrender before 31 December. The High Court reversed the trial court verdict of 2013 and sentenced Kumar and five others in a case related to the killing of five members of a Sikh family in Delhi's Cantonment area in 1984 November, following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. After her assassination by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984, around 3,000 people were killed in anti-Sikh riots when mobs targeted innocent people. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday filed a writ petition in West Bengal High Court challenging the order of Mamata Banerjee government, which denied the permission to the party to hold Ratha Yatra in the state. The court will hear the plea on Tuesday. Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday filed a writ petition in Calcutta High Court challenging the order of Mamata Banerjee government, which denied the permission to the party to hold Ratha Yatra in the state. The court will hear the plea on Tuesday. The court has directed them to serve a copy of the petition to the state. Earlier on Saturday, BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh said, "We tried to convince West Bengal government and held talks with TMC on the order of the court. But they refused to accept our request for Rath Yatra." Ghosh was also critical of the three-page response issued by the state government, which stated that the permission for the 'Rath Yatra' was denied considering that the move could cause a chaotic situation across the state by disrupting the movement of traffic. "Since the West Bengal government has accepted the fact that Rath Yatra cannot happen here as there will be law and order problem in the state, then what is the duty of the police administration? This proves that there is a complete failure of law and order in Bengal. The situation is moving towards Article 356 (emergency provisions of the Indian Constitution)," he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 17) Malacanang has ordered the suspension of government work on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 to give employees the "full opportunity" to celebrate the holidays. The Palace on Monday released Memorandum Circular No. 54, suspending nationwide work in government offices-- including government-owned and government-controlled corporations, government official institutions, state universities and colleges (SUCs), and local government units, among others. "However, those agencies whose functions involve the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness/response to disasters and calamities, and/or the performance of other vital services shall continue with their operations and render the necessary services," read the document, which was signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. READ: DepEd: Earlier Christmas break for students this 2018 Meanwhile, work suspension in independent agencies as well as private companies for January 2 will be "left to the sound discretion" of their respective management, the document added. Gunjan is among the 25 young women who formed the first batch of women IAF trainee pilots and was also awarded the Shaurya Chakra. Actor Angad Bedi is in the best phase of his life. Father to a newborn Mehr, Angad is now readying for his role opposite Janhvi Kapoor in the Gunjan Saxena biopic. Angad is on board the film now. However, it is not clear whether he has stepped into an independent role or whether he will be replacing Dulquer Salmaan whose name has also cropped up as one of the actors in the film, informs a source close to the development of the film. Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena along with Flight Lieutenant Srividya Rajan were Indias first two women who flew choppers to evacuate injured Indian soldiers from Kargil 18 years ago braving enemy fire in northern Kashmir. While Saxenas brother and father too were in the army, a combat aviator herself she is now married to an IAF chopper pilot. Gunjan is among the 25 young women who formed the first batch of women IAF trainee pilots and was also awarded the Shaurya Chakra. Meanwhile, Angad is doing well in his career by playing important roles in films like Pink and Soorma. However, an official announcement is still awaited from Dharma Productions on the project. Sanskriti Media Nath took oath as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in the presence of several UPA leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, at the Jamboree Maidan in Bhopal. Bhopal: Hours after taking oath of office on Monday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath cleared the proposal of waiving farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh as promised by Congress president Rahul Gandhi ahead of Assembly polls. After Nath signed the relevant file, Rajesh Rajora, Principal Secretary, Farmers' Welfare and Agriculture Development Department, issued an order in this regard. The order stated, "Madhya Pradesh Government has taken a decision to write off short-term crop loan of eligible farmers up to the limit of Rs two lakh, as on March 31, 2018, from nationalised and cooperative banks." Addressing a public rally on 7 June at Pipliya Mandi in Mandsaur district, Gandhi had announced his party would waive farm loans within 10 days of coming to power in the state. "Here, Kamal Nath (Madhya Pradesh Congress president) and Jyotiraditya Scindia (the state Congress poll campaign committee chairman) are sitting. The day the Congress comes to power in MP, count 10 days, I say with a guarantee that farmer loans will be waived within 10 days. It won't take even the eleventh day," Gandhi had said at the rally. Later, this announcement was included in the Congress manifesto, titled "Vachan Patra." The Congress president had reiterated the farm loan waiver promise repeatedly during the campaigning for the 28 November Assembly elections. Soon after Nath signed the file, Gandhi tweeted: CM, Madhya Pradesh, waives farm loans. 1 done. 2 to go." Six farmers were killed in police firing at Pipliya Mandi during an agitation in June last year. The Congress won 114 Assembly seats and secured the support of seven more MLAs SP (1) and BSP (2) and four independents to cross the majority mark of 116 in the 230-member Assembly. Nath was sworn in as the 18th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh this afternoon. Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to the 72-year-old Congress veteran who was at the forefront in steering the party to a win in the Assembly polls. Fresh demands are being raised to reopen cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots including the one against Congress leader Kamal Nath, who was sworn-in as Madhya Pradesh chief minister on Monday Thirty-four years after anti-Sikh riot hit the national capital, the Delhi High Court pronounced former Congress MP Sajan Kumar guilty, putting a firm judicial stamp on a verdict which those who lived in Delhi on 30 October 1984 and in the following week, had given decades ago. He has been sentenced for life. The taint of his involvement in the anti-Sikh riots, leading mobs that killed innocent Sikhs and looted shops and residential premises of members of that community, remained since 1984 but that didnt deter Congress leadership to give him important positions he got elected on Congress party ticket for 10th Lok Sabha in 1991 and for 14th Lok Sabha in 2004. He had been a Lok Sabha MP from Congress in 1984 when Indira Gandhi was assassinated and when he led riotous murderous mobs. He, thus, is no ordinary leader of Congress. He along with HKL Bhagat (deceased) and Jagdish Tytler controlled Delhi unit of the party. They were MPs from Outer Delhi, North Delhi and East Delhi. There was no doubt in the public mind about their complicity in the riots. Justice delayed is justice denied, they say. But todays landmark judgment of Delhi High Court reversing Kumars lower court acquittal will give some closure, howsoever delayed, to the family of the victims. The Delhi High Court verdict is a big blow to the Congress. It comes at a time when the party was in a celebratory mood, having snatched power from the BJP in three Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The judgment establishes first direct and conclusive proof of Congress linkage with the 1984 carnage. So far, the Congress rivals and critics had only one circumstantial evidence in the form of a Rajiv Gandhi statement when he had said, Kuch din ke liye logo ko laga ki Bharat hil raha hai lekin jab bhi koi bada ped girta hai dharti thodi hilti hai (For some days people felt that India was shaking but when a big tree falls the earth shakes)." The remark will now find a new meaning, with newfound political connotation, particularly when the parliamentary election is only four months away. As the irony would have it, around the time the Delhi High Court delivered its verdict convicting accused Sajan, another prominent leader Kamal Nath whose name figured in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi was preparing to take over as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Notwithstanding protests by the Akali Dal, sections of the BJP and members of the Sikh community about three hours after the declaration of the judgment by the Delhi High Court, Nath was administered the oath of the Office of Chief Minister by Governor Anandiben Patel at a public ceremony in Bhopal. Though there is no substantive criminal case against the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, the taint of 1984 is going to make his position a bit uneasy. The Supreme Court appointed SIT has reopened several cases. It is because of the renewed scrutiny and reopening of the riot cases that some convictions have taken place in the past few weeks. Nath would hope that his case is not re-opened. Nath was a prominent first time MP in 1984. He was present at Gurudwara Rakabganj on 1 November 1984 when two Sikhs were burnt alive. Some allege that he was leading the mob which killed the two Sikh men but Naths defence was that he was trying to control the mob. In his book, 1984: The Anti-Sikh Roit and After, journalist Sanjay Suri presents a detailed eyewitness account of the incident of the day, I wasnt expecting to find Kamal Nath by the screaming crowd outside Rakab Ganj Sahib gurdwara, where two Sikhs had only just been burnt alive. But there he was, a little to a side, in bright white kurta-pajama, not far from the usual white Ambassador car with its mounted red light and mini flag post by the front bumper announcing its ministerial, or at least officially important, credentials.... It was the afternoon of 1 November, Indira Gandhi had been assassinated the previous day. Her body lay for darshan in Teen Murti Bhavan close to Rakab Ganj Gurdwara. Mourners had been filing past all morning crying 'khoon ka badla khoon (blood for blood)'. Rakab Ganj Gurdwara was the nearest target from Teen Murti Bhavan where the cry for blood could be turned into action. There were certain to be Sikhs there, and there was the gurdwara itself to attack.... There is also an affidavit by one Mukhtiyar Singh against Nath. The case against him in one among the 232 riot cases which have been closed. Fresh demands are now being raised to reopen those cases including the one against the Madhya Pradesh chief minister. In the parliamentary elections in the immediate aftermath of Indiras Gandhis assassination and riot, Nath was re-elected. He never looked back, entering the Parliament nine times, holding various ministerial portfolios including commerce and industry, surface transport, parliamentary affairs, urban development in UPA-I and UPA-II. Nath overcame a humble challenge from Jyotiraditya Scindia to become the Chief Minister of Madya Pradesh. But the day Nath achieved his biggest ambition in life, the ghost of 1984 anti-Sikh riots have come back to haunt him. The BJP will try hard to present the Lok Sabha elections as a battle royal wherein Modi himself is the issue and every MP across the nation will be his representative, As Opposition unity slowly takes shape keeping a resurgent Congress at the "core", Narendra Modi marked the ceremonial beginning of the BJP's 2019 campaign with a rally in Raebareli on Sunday that was significant in more ways than one. The timing, venue and the topics broached at the public gathering give us a glimpse into how the BJP sees the 2019 battle and how it prefers to fight it. The prime minister looked jaded, possibly due to his punishing schedule, but there was enough venom in his words for the Congress. He must have been aware that more than a thousand miles away in Chennai, Rahul Gandhi's name was being formally proposed as a prime ministerial candidate by a key ally in the south coincidentally on the same day. This suits Modi and the BJP. One of the biggest challenges before the BJP is to turn the next year's Lok Sabha election into a presidential contest instead of 543 localised fights between the MPs. It is imperative for the BJP to do so because Modi punches above his weight in the government and towers over his party. This is both a bit of a boon and a bane for the BJP. While it enables the party to exploit the prime minister's popularity in tough contests, it conversely hides the BJP's weaknesses and makes its trump card vulnerable to overexposure. We saw this phenomenon play out over the past few Assembly elections. In Gujarat, Modi went all out, and had it not been for his pinch-hitting, the BJP may well have fallen to the Congress and anti-incumbency. While the BJP scraped through that tough exam, it failed in the next set of elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where Modi was used comparatively sparingly. As this chart by Livemint illustrates, while the prime minister held 29 rallies in Gujarat in December last year, he addressed 15 in Rajasthan, 10 in MP and four in Chhattisgarh this year. It would indicate that the party was willing to hold back its ace. In 2019, however, the mandate is on Modi. There is no reason for him to hold back. The BJP will try hard to present the Lok Sabha elections as a battle royal wherein Modi himself is the issue and every MP across the nation will be his representative, seeking votes in his name. In its attempt to turn the Parliamentary election into a presidential contest, it will therefore help the BJP to have a recognisable face in the Opposition who can be pitted as the challenger instead of a clutch of challengers in different parts of the country that somehow dilutes the presidential nature of the battle and turns it into localised wars. In this context, let us now place the Raebareli rally in focus, and take a look at the three metrics of timing, venue and topics. The timing of the rally was important, because it was held at a moment of a spike in Congress confidence and the rearrangement of the Opposition's unity index. The unveiling of deceased DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's statue in Chennai and the swearing-in ceremonies of three Congress chief ministers in Hindi heartland states are important markers towards the formation of the Mahagathbandhan. While there are still a lot of issues to be sorted out (for example, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati didnt attend the unveiling of statue despite Sonia Gandhi's presence and Mamata, at least, wont be attending any of the three oath-taking jamborees), it is nevertheless a solidification of anti-BJP forces. To that extent, by holding the rally at this very time, Modi is sending out the message that if the Opposition is getting ready, so is he. The venue for the rally was interesting. In choosing Sonia Gandhi's home turf to begin his 2019 campaign, Modi was essentially putting down a marker that he sees the Congress as BJPs chief rival. Or rather, he would like to see Congress in that role. To understand why this is so, let us take a look at the topics that Modi picked on Sunday. Many commentators have pointed out that the BJPs campaigns have become unimaginative of late and a bit of sameness has crept into the rallies of even the BJP's best orator. There is merit in this observation. Rahul may not be the best orator, but he and his team have been able to set the terms for the debate on Rafale, for example. This is quite a contrast from 2014 when the BJP was setting the terms and the Congress was busy defending itself. The tables seem to have turned on Modi, and he desperately needs a new story to captivate his audience that will help the BJP set the agenda. There is also an indication that Modi is at his best in the role of a challenger, instead of the incumbent. The Raberali rally gave us an indication that Modi was trying to address these twin issues. He peppered the Congress with jibes on its past links with Ottavio Quattrocchi and Christian Michel and accused it of trying to project even the Supreme Court as a "liar". He charged the Congress with trying to undermine national security and held it accountable for not implementing the Swaminathan Committee report. A day earlier, while interacting with party workers in Tamil Nadu through his app, Modi had referred to the jeep scam back in the 1940s and '50s, Bofors in the 1980s, the AgustaWestland and submarine scams, and said that Congress is only interested in making money "even if it means the morale of our forces is diminished. Sadly, for the Congress, national security and the defence sector are either a punching bag or a funding source," he said. The inference is obvious. Modi has picked Congress as the Opposition flagbearer because it is easier for him to develop a counter story around the Congress' corruption and its historical role in undermining India's public institutions. With MK Stalin proposing Rahul Gandhi's name as the prime ministerial candidate, Modi's job will possibly become simpler. In the coming months, we may see a greater focus from the BJP on the Congress' past sins to activate public memory. The PAC might not summon the AG (Attorney General) and the CAG over the public auditor's report on Rafale deal, as a majority of the members, including those from Opposition parties, are not in favour of the proposal by panel chairman Mallikarjun Kharge. New Delhi: The PAC might not summon the AG (Attorney General) and the CAG over the public auditor's report on Rafale deal, as a majority of the members, including those from Opposition parties, are not in favour of the proposal by panel chairman Mallikarjun Kharge. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had on Friday claimed the Supreme Court in its verdict cited a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the deal that was submitted to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), but he asserted that no such report was given to the House panel headed by Kharge. Kharge on Saturday had said he will request all members of the panel to summon the attorney general and the CAG to ask them as to when the public auditor's report was tabled in Parliament. Responding to his remarks, senior BJD MP Bhartuhari Mahtab said PAC chairman can call the AG and the CAG in his personal capacity but not before the entire panel as the Rafale deal was not part of its agenda for 2018-2019. The CAG report on the deal has not been placed before the panel, he said. Mahtab, who is longest serving member of the panel, said the remarks of the two officials cannot be recorded if they are called in a personal capacity. Echoing similar sentiments, TDP MP CM Ramesh said if the members wish so, the panel may call AG and the CAG but only after the report was tabled in Parliament. The BJP-led NDA MPs in the panel are strongly opposed to the idea, with the ruling party members saying it was like "questioning" the Supreme Court. "The apex court has categorically given a clean chit to the government on the Rafale deal, and it is unfortunate that Congress and a seasoned politician like Kharge are politicising this sensitive issue of national security," BJP MP Anurag Thakur said. Another BJP MP Gopal Shetty sought to know how the chairman can call the two top government officials on the topic which was not in the committee's agenda and when the CAG report had not been placed before the panel. Ally SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said it would be unfair for the panel to start questioning the Supreme Court's order. In the 22-member panel, the BJP has a majority with 12 MPs and there is one member each of its allies, Shiv Sena and SAD. The Congress has three members in the panel, including Kharge. There are two TMC MPs and one member each of the TDP, the BJD and the AIADMK. The proceedings of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha was disrupted for the fifth consecutive day on Monday over the Rafale jet deal and multiple issues leading to the lower house being adjourned till Tuesday and upper house till 2 pm. The proceedings of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were disrupted for the fifth consecutive day on Monday over the Rafale jet deal and multiple issues leading to the Upper House being adjourned till Tuesday and Lower House till 2 pm. Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm on Monday amid uproar by Opposition members over various issues including Rafale and construction. A fresh bill to make the practice of triple talaq among Muslims a penal offence was also introduced on Monday. As soon as the House took up Question Hour, members from the AIADMK, TDP and Congress rushed to the Well raising slogans. While the AIADMK was raising issues related to construction of a dam over River Cauvery, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh. Congress members raised the issue of government's stand in the Supreme Court over the Rafale deal and accused it of misleading the top court. Standing at their benches, BJP members raised slogans such as "Rahul Gandhi apologise" and "Rahul Gandhi chor hai" to counter the Congress offensive. After nearly five minutes of slogan shouting from both sides, House was adjourned till noon around 11.10 am. Amid ruckus, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the triple talaq bill, making the practice of triple talaq among Muslims a penal offence. Congress member Shashi Tharoor opposed the bill claiming it is targetted at a particular religion and hence unconstitutional. "The bill was brought in as per the direction of the Supreme Court," retorted Prasad and said several Muslim women suffered due to instant talaq. The issue of Anti-Sikh riots was also raised by the members, as Sajjan Kumar was convicted to life imprisonment earlier on Monday. Prem Singh Chandumajra of SAD claimed an accused has been nominated as the chief minister of a State, referring to Kamal Nath who will be sworn-in as Madhya Pradesh chief minister shortly. Sumitra Mahajan, the speaker, did not allow him to take names. He also held Congress responsible for the riots to which Congress members objected. The speaker then adjourned the house till 2 pm. Similarly, the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were disrupted on Monday again over the Rafale jet deal and Cauvery issues, leading to adjournment of the House for the day. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House within six minutes of assembly as members of Tamil Nadu parties DMK and AIADMK stormed into the well of the House and Congress and treasury benches raised slogans. Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has given a notice for taking up of a discussion over the government allegedly misguiding the Supreme Court over the purchase of Rafale jets from France. He was countered by slogan-shouting from treasury benches demanding an apology from the Congress after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the deal. Naidu cut short Azad, saying his notice has been received but the issue pertains to a subject matter under consideration of the Supreme Court. He then went on to adjourn the proceedings till Tuesday. But before doing that he remarked, "What is going on?" AIADMK and DMK members were in the well seeking a permanent solution to the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Before the ruckus, Naidu said he has admitted a call attention notice on the destruction caused by cyclones in different states. Also, Azad's notice about price rise and the one given by Ramgopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and TMC's Derek O'Brien on the agrarian crisis were also admitted. When the House met for the day, Naidu mentioned the accomplishment of PV Sindhu who scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win the gold medal at the World Federation Badminton Competition in China. Members thumped desks to congratulate Sindhu on the feat. Monday is the fifth sitting of the Winter Session. While last Tuesday, the two Houses were adjourned for the day after obituary references to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other sitting members, little business was transacted in the two Houses on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Parliament met on Monday after the weekend. With inputs from PTI Follow LIVE updates on Parliament Winter Session Day 5 here The Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the case of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the case of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The court observed that the riots "were a carnage of unbelievable proportions" resulting in the deaths of over 2,700 Sikhs in Delhi alone. "Law and order clearly broke down and it was literally a free-for-all situation. Aftershocks of that still being felt," the high court said in the judgment. The verdict came as a setback for the Congress as politicians slammed the party over the charge of "politicial patronage", with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying that the "cover-ups" were being "defeated" with the judgment. "The judgment of the Delhi High Court is an extremely welcome development. For many of us who are witnesses, it was perhaps the worst kind of genocide that we ever saw. Congress governments in that period repeatedly indulged in coverup exercises," he said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sajjan Kumar: The coverups are now being defeated. Sajjan Kumar was a symbol of 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The legacy of 1984 anti-Sikh riots hangs around the neck of Congress and Gandhi family. pic.twitter.com/NLhsl3ONgX ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 The finance minister also tweeted that Kumar's conviction was a "delayed vindication of justice". He said, "The Congress and the Gandhi family legacy will continue to pay for the sins of 1984 riots." The Delhi High Court verdict comes ahead of the Congress leader Kamal Nath taking oath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Nath was also allegedly involved in the riots case but was acquitted of charges. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra criticised the Congress' choice to appoint Nath in the chief minister's post. He said, "Kamal Nath was named in the case when the Nanavati Commission was in charge, and the double-faced Congress has made him the chief minister of the state." Patra said that Kumar's indictment was not just that of an individual, but of the entire party. "Sajjan Kumar has been sentenced to life imprisonment, but Rahul Gandhi is imprisoned by his conscience," the BJP spokesperson said. He added, "He should resign as party president." Patra also referred to the recent Supreme Court judgment dismissing petitions demanding a probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal and said that "truth always triumphs". "Whether it is Rafale or the riots, the truth cannot be hidden. Every citizen can say today Satyameva Jayate," he said. However, according to CNN-News18 the Congress rejected the BJP's criticism of Nath's appointment and said that the party should first answer for the 2002 riots. "Answer for 2002, then we'll answer for 1984," Congress leader Kapil Sibal, according to the report. Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh welcomed the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 riots case, and termed it a case of justice finally delivered to the victims of one of the worst instances of communal violence in India. The Punjab chief minister, however, reiterated his stand that neither the Congress party nor the Gandhi family had any role to play in the rioting, and lashed out at the Badals for continuing to drag their names into the case. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the judgment should not be made into a political issue, adding that the law would take its course. Sunil Jakhar, of the Congress party, said, "No one is above law. Those involved in this crime should be given strictest punishment. Law has taken its own course. It'll strengthen people's trust in the law. Any person who has been convicted in such cases should quit their political life." Union minister Harsimrat Kaur said that the victims now "stand vindicated" and justice prevails. She also stated that eventually, the Gandhi family will also be convicted. "It is Sajjan Kumar today, it will be Jagdish Tytler tomorrow, then Kamal Nath and eventually the Gandhi family," she said. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also welcomed the verdict: "It has been a very long and painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power," he tweeted. President of the Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal said Kumar should have been given the death penalty and not just a life sentence. Another Akali Dal leader, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, thanked the court "for giving us justice". "Our fight will continue till Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler get death sentence, and the Gandhi family is dragged to court and put in jail." Former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia and Shiromani Akali Dal leader also lauded the judgment and said that Rahul, Sonia, and the Congress party will have to "answer a lot of questions". He added, "If the accused had been given the death sentence, families of the victims would get more closure." With inputs from agencies It would seem that ghosts of a past the Congress has long tried to unsuccessfully bury are haunting the party again. Congress leader Sajjan Kumars conviction may increase Rahul Gandhis discomfort over the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom an issue he has struggled to deal with but it is unlikely to be of any political consequence. It would seem that ghosts of a past the Congress has long tried to unsuccessfully bury are haunting the party again. Over 3,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone during the 1984 massacre in the aftermath of Indira Gandhis assassination. Congress, then in power, has never been able to rid itself of the blame of active complicity in what a judge on Monday has described as crimes against humanity carried out by those who received political patronage. In its ruling, a Delhi High Court bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel on Monday reversed the trial court verdict on Kumar and sentenced him to life imprisonment for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony. Ironically, the judgment was delivered on the very morning that Kamal Nath another leader whose name has been linked to the pogrom was gearing up to take oath as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Suddenly, the albatross around Naths neck is heavier. Congress, which has been trying to brazen through the volley of criticisms around Naths appointment, now finds itself on the back foot, as the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) scale up the pressure. Talking to reporters soon after Kumars conviction was announced, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley called it the worst kind of genocide that we ever saw and described Kumars conviction as delayed vindication of justice. Sajjan Kumars conviction by the Delhi High Court is a delayed vindication of Justice. The Congress and the Gandhi family legacy will continue to pay for the sins of 1984 riots. Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 17, 2018 News agency ANI also quoted Jaitley as saying that the irony is that this judgment has come on a day when the Congress is swearing in a politician, who the Sikh community believes to be equally guilty, as a chief minister. Elsewhere, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, a BJP leader from Delhi, sat on an indefinite hunger strike demanding Naths removal as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister while families of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims burnt the effigy of Nath on Saturday and called for a rollback of Rahul Gandhis decision. Protesting under the banner of 1984 Sikh Katle-Aam Peerat Welfare Society (Punjab), the agitators said Congress will pay a price next year if this demand remains ignored. SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa vowed to fight till Kumar and Jagdish Tytler get death sentences and the Gandhi family is dragged to the court and put in jail. The political rhetoric may perhaps continue but the issue at hand is whether Kumars conviction that came 34 years after he committed the crime will change the immediate political equation, or whether Rahul Gandhi will be forced to remove Nath and appoint someone else in his place as the chief minister. The chances are slim. There has been speculation from some quarters that Congress may sack Sajjan Kumar, who anyway remains of little value to the party, to reclaim the moral high ground. But whether on Kumar who is expected to move the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court verdict or more specifically on Nath, Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to give in to any kind of pressure. The party may simply withstand the pressure and seek to give some of it back to the BJP by raising a sort of an immoral equivalence between 1984 and 2002. Veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azads comments indicate that such a move may already be under way. Though Kumars conviction and Naths appointment have brought 1984 back into the political discourse, Congress under Rahul Gandhi is a different animal than what it was under his mother. For instance, Nath was sacked as Congress general secretary for Punjab Assembly elections within two days of his appointment in 2016. In 2009, the Congress withdrew Sajjan Kumars re-nomination for Lok Sabha polls after a journalist threw a shoe at then home minister P Chidambaram following the CBIs decision to give a clean chit to Jagdish Tytler. Both cases, along with Sonia Gandhis decision to appoint Manmohan Singh as the prime minister in 2004, were interpreted as Congresss sensitiveness about its past misdeeds. Under Rahul Gandhi, who had publicly denied in London last August that the party had anything to do with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, that sensitivity has been replaced by a hard-nosed cynicism. The best example of this cynicism is Rahuls decision to install the tainted Nath in the high office of chief minister. It swept away all claims of the Congresss contrition over the massacre and rendered as sham all past apologies and regrets. From that standpoint, there is little chance that Kumars conviction will force a change in Congresss new-found approach. Rahul Gandhis "new Congress" uses "realpolitik" as an excuse to tide over all moral dilemmas. As long as the voters dont have a problem with that, he is justified in his approach. Targeting Rahul Gandhi, who has been relentlessly attacking the Narendra Modi government at the Centre over Rafale deal, Smriti Irani said the Congress chief must reveal his source of information about the alleged anomalies. Kolkata: Amid the row over the Supreme Court verdict on Rafale jet deal, Union Minister Smriti Irani on Monday demanded an explanation from the Congress as to why it tried to play with matters of national security and create doubts about the credibility of the Indian Air Force (IAF) by spreading "constant lies" in the last one year. Targeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been relentlessly attacking the Narendra Modi government at the Centre over the defence deal with a French company, Irani said the Congress leader must reveal his source of information about the alleged anomalies in the deal. "For the last one year Congress has been playing with the nation's security by spreading a series of lies regarding the Rafale deal," Irani said. "However, lies do not last long. The Honourable Supreme Court has exposed the lies spread by Congress on this issue in front of the whole nation after scrutinising all the aspects of the deal," Irani told the reporters at the state BJP headquarters in Kolkata. "Rahul Gandhi must tell people, who was his source of information? Who inspired him to humiliate the Indian Air Force, and defame the country on international platforms," she added. 'A government which lies to the government has no right to continue,' said a placard which a Congress MP was holding outside the Parliament premises. The message gave a glimpse into the kind of productivity we should expect from both the Houses of Parliament. To "A government which lies to the government has no right to continue," said a placard which a Congress MP was holding outside the Parliament premises. The message gave a glimpse into the kind of productivity we should expect from both the Houses of Parliament. To no one's surprise, Rajya Sabha met for exactly six minutes before adjourning the House for the day. And proceedings at Lok Sabha, to everyone's shock, is still underway, albeit with three adjournments in four hours. Opposition disrupted both the Houses demanding JPC investigation into the Rafale deal while the BJP members raised slogans demanding Rahul Gandhi's apology. Attendance in both the Houses was sparse. Monday is the fifth sitting of the Winter session, which began on 11 December. On the first day, the two Houses were adjourned for the day after obituary references to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other sitting members. Little business was transacted in the two Houses on Wednesday Thursday and Friday. Rajya Sabha The proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were disrupted for the fifth consecutive day Monday over the Rafale jet deal and Cauvery issues, leading to adjournment of the House for the day. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House within minutes of assembly as members of Tamil Nadu parties DMK and AIADMK stormed into the Well of the House and Congress treasury benches raised slogans. Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has given a notice for taking up of discussion over the government allegedly misguiding the Supreme Court over the purchase of Rafale jets from France. He was countered by slogan-shouting from treasury benches demanding an apology from the Congress after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the deal. Naidu cut short Azad, saying his notice has been received but the issue pertains to a subject matter under consideration by the Supreme Court. He then went on to adjourn the proceedings till Tuesday, but before doing that he remarked, "What is going on?" AIADMK and DMK members were in the Well seeking a permanent solution to the Cauvery water dispute between Tami Nadu and Karnataka. Before the ruckus, Naidu said he has admitted a call attention notice on the destruction caused by cyclones in different states. Also, Azad's notice about price rise and the one given by Ramgopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party and TMC's Derek O'Brien on the agrarian crisis were also admitted. When the House met for the day, Naidu mentioned the accomplishment of PV Sindhu who scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win the gold medal at the World Federation Badminton Competition in China. Lok Sabha Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the third time amid din as belligerent Opposition members sought to raise Rafale, construction of dam across Cauvery river and other issues. As soon as the House met for the Zero Hour, more than three members from the Congress, the AIADMK and the TDP trooped int the Well, holding placards and shouting slogans. A few members from the ruling BJP were seen standing on their seats and displaying placards, demanding an apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly "lying" with respect to the Rafale deal. Despite the ruckus, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan continued with the proceedings. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced a bill to make the practice of triple talaq a penal offence even as it was opposed by the Congress. MP Shashi Tharoor opposed the bill claiming it targets a particular religion and is hence unconstitutional. Prasad said that the bill was brought in as per the direction of the Supreme Court. Several Muslim women suffered due to instant talaq. He introduced the bill in Lok Sabha. Besides, a report of the Standing Committee on External Affairs was presented and papers laid by various ministers. Members also raised various other issues. Around 1 minute into the Zero Hour, Mahajan adjourned the proceeding till 2 pm as the ruckus continued. Social welfare minister Taawarchand Gehlot introduced The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016. He explained the salient features of the bill, but Opposition members raised slogans demanding JPC on Rafale deal. Tharoor began his speech by saying he supported the members' demand for the JPC probe and his participation in the debate should not be taken as he is not supporting his party's demand. Tharoor said that the bill, in its existing form needs as many as 41 amendments. He added that the bill is incomplete and the definition of transgender persons in the bill is defective. He also ridiculed the bill's proposal to set up a screening committee to determine whether a person is a transgender. Tharoor also suggested the punishments for sexual abuse of transgenders must be the same as the case of women victims. The bill is silent on marriage, divorce and inheritance, he added. Congress members sought to raise the issue related to the Rafale deal and the government's stand in the Supreme Court. Some of their members were seen holding placards that read, "A government which lies in the Supreme Court has n right to continue". Countering the Congress offensive, a few BJP members were displaying placards demanding that Rahul apologise for "lying" over the Rafale deal. AIADMK members raised concerns about the construction of a new dam across the Cauvery River. TDP members were in the Well seeking financial assistance for Amravati. During Zero Hour, Akali Dal and BJP members sought to corner the Congress by making an apparent reference to a party leader in Madhya Pradesh for his alleged role in the 1984 Sikh riots. With inputs from PTI Nikhil Rastogi The year 2018 has been an interesting year in terms of audio. Most of the innovations have been happening over the years, but in 2018, these audio innovations have really begun to pique public interest. Here is a list of a few trends that have been prominent this year. True wire-free wireless audio Trust Apple to invigorate and challenge older ways of doing things, with its introduction of truly wire-free earphones like the AirPods wireless earphones (back in 2016) in the wireless audio category seems to have made everyone join on the bandwagon. Everyone from audio manufacturers to millennials to grandmas who confuse them with an electronic version of Q-tips that also play music, use them. So much so, True wireless experience is associated with this design with a lot of alternative brands and Chinese knock-offs also being widely available. As a side-effect, several manufacturers like Motorola, HTC, Xiaomi and now even OnePlus are following suit by removing the 3.5 mm jacks from their smartphones altogether, much to the dismay of audio enthusiasts and purists who swear by the quality of wired audio over anything else. If you are one of those kinds to lose your AirPods easily, heres a How not to lose your AirPods video to help you out. Putting AI in Audio Gone are the good old days where a speaker was just a speaker. Nowadays audio manufacturers like to shove more than just good audio into good-looking boxes, we have speakers/earphones that talk to us. (As if we are in dire need of communicating with the world already flooded with chat programs in smartphones). Sure AI (Artificial Intelligence) is cool, it will serve us humans until would finally destroy us and take over the world; but in its present state, it is only mildly amusing. AI for audio speakers right now is basically a voice-based search engine, only as intelligent as the internet it farms information out of and yet is a far cry away from Iron Mans Jarvis. The naive state of AI hasnt stopped manufacturers from putting AI into audio technology doing rudimentary commands such as play music, shopping online or even some home automation with Amazon Alexa/Google Home. However, dont expect to have meaningful conversations with it, at the most you can play music, listen to podcasts, have ebooks read out or like a secretary/assistant, the AI can make calendar appointments, check the weather, shop online or even control the lights with home automation setup which would require additional investments of course. Whatever may be the use, Artificial Intelligence in speaker technology is here to stay. It will only become more intelligent, more widespread and will be everywhere. Binaural recording Binaural recordings are recordings that are true to how a listener would hear when a performer/band plays in front of them. So imagine yourself sitting in the centre of a room/stage with the performers performing in front and side of you. The distance, the sound loudness, the nuances of the performer/instrument all would vary as they naturally perform. Binaural recording is achieved by two microphones placed in a dummys head with human-like ears to record the entire performance. This is in direct contrast to modern day recordings which are done separately for each instrument/performer, which equals to flat even sound and distance, but leads to greater control of post-recording where effects, corrections and enhancements can be made as required. This is actually not a new recording style, it was initially experimented way back in the 1960s by Sony and Aiwa (remember the old Aiwa TV ads?) and only now has been coming into the public eye with the improved recording techniques such as Neumann KU100 microphone used to record binaural sound. Watch a lovely song recorded with Binaural equipment. Please use earphones/headphones to hear this. 3D Audio 3D Audio isnt a new buzzword, audio tech companies have always been using it for representing various things. However, the form of 3D audio has changed/evolved. You hear a lot more 3D in new forms such as VR headsets, modern day games, simulations with big giants getting into with YouTube VR and Facebook 360. True 3D audio is certainly here to stay, expect only improved renditions and newer forms to take it forward. In fact, Sennheiser has introduced the worlds first 3D audio headset that can capture 3D sound when taking a video with special microphones attached to each earpiece. This is the first time, an earphone with two mics can record 3D audio without expensive equipment involved. The earphones are called Ambeo Smart headset and were used to make a very interesting thriller short film called Final Stop (wear ear/headphones to listen). What were the audio trends you thought made the most splash this year? Let us know in the comments section. Here's a list of our other year-ender stories: Best Camera phones of 2018: Pixel 3, Apple iPhone XS, Huawei Mate 20 Pro on top India's year in space: ISRO's big wins in 2018, Gaganyaan 2022 and Space startups 2018 in Wildlife: Gir lions, 'man-eater' Avni, dead elephants echo drumbeats of doom Best flagship phones of 2018: From Samsung Galaxy S9 to Poco F1 to OnePlus 6 Karan Johar produced "Kesari", based on the Battle of Saragarhi, will arrive in cinema halls on March 21, 2019. Mumbai: Akshay Kumar's much awaited film "Kesari", based on the Battle of Saragarhi, will arrive in cinema halls on March 21, 2019. Akshay and Parineeti Chopra took to Twitter on Monday to announce the release date of the film. Both the actors also shared the pictures of the their respective looks from the film. The third and final schedule of the film was wrapped up in Jaipur. The filming is now complete. "And it's a wrap for #Kesari... A film which swells up my chest with immense pride. See you in cinemas on 21st March,2019," Akshay tweeted. Parineeti Chopra will be seen playing Akshay Kumar's love interest in the patriotic drama. Dressed in a maroon kurta, the 'Meri Pyari Bindu' star looks every inch a rustic village belle. Parineeti wrote, "Anytime I watched a war movie, it was the love story of those brave men that kept me going..so proud to be a part of this epic experience!!! Thank you Akshay sir, Kjo & Anurag sir for allowing me to be a part of your vision. Anytime I watched a war movie, it was the love story of those brave men that kept me going..so proud to be a part of this epic experience!!! Thank you Akshay sir, Kjo & Anurag sir for allowing me to be a part of your vision. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/VTkzFwPA7c Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) December 17, 2018 "You all have made one of the most beautiful movies people will ever see!! People - Don't miss it on 21 Mar 2019!" You all have made one of the most beautiful movies people will ever see!! People - Dont miss it on 21 Mar 2019!!! #KESARI @akshaykumar @karanjohar @dharmaMovies @SinghAnurag79 (2/2) Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) December 17, 2018 Directed by Anurag Singh and the story is about Havildar Ishar Singh who participates in the Battle of Saragarhi, which saw 21 valiant soldiers from the Sikh regiment losing their lives, while wanting to earn the respect of his estranged daughter. Akshay Kumar plays the role of Havaldar Ishar Singh. The movie is produced by Cape of Good Hope Films and Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. Reuters The lead attorney for the group of Apple Inc device assemblers seeking at least $9 billion in damages from Qualcomm Inc said on Sunday the contract manufacturers are not in settlement talks with the mobile chip supplier and are gearing up and heading toward the trial in April. The conflict is but one aspect of the global legal battle between regulators, Apple and Qualcomm, which supplies modem chips that help phones connect to wireless data networks. Last week, Qualcomm secured a preliminary victory in a patent lawsuit in China that would have banned sales of some Apple iPhones there. Apple later said it believed it was already in compliance but would change its software to address any possible concern about its compliance. But Qualcomm was also handed a setback in an antitrust lawsuit brought against it by the US Federal Trade Commission when a judge said it will not be able to mention that Apple ditched Qualcomm chips for competing ones from Intel Corp when the case goes to trial next month. Qualcomm representatives did not immediately return a request for comment on Sunday outside of US business hours. The group of contract manufacturers which includes Foxconn parent Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, Pegatron Corp, Wistron Corp and Compal Electronics Inc became embroiled in the dispute between Apple and Qualcomm last year. In the supply chain for electronics, contract manufacturers buy Qualcomm chips and pay royalties when they build phones and are in turn reimbursed by companies like Apple. Qualcomm sued the group last year, alleging they had stopped paying royalties related to Apple products, and Apple joined their defence. The contract manufacturers have since filed claims of their own against Qualcomm, alleging the San Diego companys practice of charging money for chips but then also asking for a cut of the adjusted selling price of a mobile phone as a patent royalty payment constitutes an anticompetitive business practice. They are seeking $9 billion in damages from Qualcomm for royalties they allege were illegal. That figure could triple if the manufacturers succeed on their antitrust claims. Ted Boutrous, a high-profile partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP who is representing the contract manufacturers, told Reuters that statements from Qualcomm executives suggesting there were meaningful settlement talks with the contract manufacturers were false. To the extent Qualcomm has indicated there have been licensing discussions with the contract manufacturers, theyve basically made the same sort of unreasonable demands that got them to where they are right now, which impose significant preconditions to even discuss a new arrangement, Boutrous said. In July, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf told investors on the companys quarterly earnings call that Qualcomm and Apple itself were in talks to resolve the litigation. At a hearing in the case in San Diego on 30 Nov, one of Apples attorneys disputed that notion, saying there had not been talks in a number of months. So the parties are at loggerheads and are going ... to have to go into trial. Indo-Asian News Service Facebook temporarily banned Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for posting anti-Muslim posts, the media reported on Monday. According to a report in The Times of Israel, Yair's Facebook account was blocked for 24 hours on Sunday after he called for "avenging the deaths" of two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers who were killed at the West Bank shooting last week. "Unbelievable. Facebook blocks me for 24 hours for simply criticizing it! Thought police," Yari wrote on Twitter. Facebook is yet to comment on this. After the controversial Facebook post was removed, he wrote that the social media giant was "trying to shut our mouths in the only place where we have the right to express our opinions". Yari also posted a screenshot of the original post along with new posts criticising Facebook. "Do you know where there are no terror attacks? In Iceland and Japan. Coincidentally there's also no Muslim population there," he posted. This is not the first time Yair has been in the spotlight. According to The Jerusalem Post, in 2017, Yair posted a diagram featuring antisemitic tropes such as Jewish billionaire George Soros, who funds left-wing causes and organizations in several countries. "The post depicted Soros controlling the world via other conspiracy theory figures like lizard people, known as Reptilians, and the Illuminati or Freemasons," the report added. Meghna Bal Social media giant Facebook recently amended its community guidelines to prohibit sexual solicitation of any kind. The new standards go as far as forbidding implicit sexual solicitation through either suggestive comments or images, raising significant concerns about the state of free speech and censorship online. The enactment of two statutes precipitated the changes in Facebook's community guidelines the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (FOSTA-SESTA). While the goal of FOSTA-SESTA is to curb online sex trafficking, the statutes also, importantly, impose a limitation on the safe harbour provision in the US Telecommunications Act, 1996. Specifically, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act holds that internet intermediaries, like social media websites and internet service providers, will not be answerable for user-generated content posted on their platforms. FOSTA-SESTA culls an exception to this protection, stating that internet intermediaries would be liable if advertisements soliciting sex popped up on their pages. The controversy surrounding Facebook and FOSTA-SESTA marks the latest in what seems to be a global shift towards tighter controls on the activities of internet companies. The European Parliament recently enacted the Copyright Directive, which impels online intermediaries to screen content that may be hosted on their sites for copyright infringement. In India, online intermediaries stand to lose some leeway as well. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) is presently figuring out how to increase the extent of intermediary liability under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, which provides similar safe harbour protections to digital platforms as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The Indian government is also considering the regulation of over-the-top services in a bid to address some of the law and order implications of these applications, such as the alleged coordination of terrorist activities on encrypted chat networks. Many, including online intermediaries, dub the global crackdown on these platforms as a harbinger of doom for internet freedom. What it really is, however, is the inability of public institutions to acknowledge the limitations of their enforcement capabilities in the digital realm (or rather an implicit acknowledgement of the same). The internet is a juggernaut of activity, mostly innocuous, but nefarious enough that it overwhelms even the best-equipped institutions. To elucidate, according to Internet Live Stats, internet traffic per second stands at 65,502 GB. As such, we also see a clampdown in developed regions like the US and the EU. For a developing country like India, the problems posed by the online world are even more significant. Illustratively, National Crime Records Bureau data reveals that authorities were only able to dispose of 38 percent of the 24,187 cybercrime incidents reported in 2016 by the end of the year. Circumscribing safe harbour provisions enables governments to enhance enforcement capabilities immediately. The threat of liability compels online intermediaries to monitor platform activity and flag or remove offending content. The revision of Facebooks community standards is a manifestation of the efficacy of such a strategy. A pitfall of this approach, however, is that user rights may serve as collateral as companies might overzealously enforce such legal mandates to avoid liability or further regulation. Despite eventual compliance, however, online intermediaries do initially militate strongly against regulation, whether it be the whittling down of safe harbour rules or the institution of a data protection regime, as it poses a direct threat to their business models. Illustratively, Facebook lost USD 123 billion in value after the introduction of the General Data Protection Rules in Europe. The more users post on a particular platform, the more information the latter can collect on the former, the greater that platforms commercial prospects. Moreover, intermediaries have, to a large extent, exploited safe harbour provisions and the general lack of regulation surrounding their businesses to avoid policing platforms and to collect vast troves of user information, which is then sold to third parties. Thus, it is in the intermediarys interest to do two things. First, encourage the generation of user information. Second, resist any legislative action that would oblige it to regulate user behaviour on its website or hinder its ability to collect user information. Internet intermediaries have managed both objectives quite successfully as regulators have, till now, been more or less empathetic to these goals. Indeed, regulators have generally supported the proliferation of the internet, a medium through which much data is produced. For instance, one of the purported aims of the recently released Draft National Digital Communications Policy 2018 is to ensure that every Indian citizen has internet connectivity by 2022. These efforts have, in turn, been enthusiastically espoused by internet intermediaries. Googles tie-up with Indian Railways to provide free Wi-Fi to 400 Indian railway stations serves as a good example of such mutualism. As a corollary, regulators have been hesitant to place controls on the activities of these entities. However, the emergence of the broader perils of cyberspace, such as the proliferation of child pornography and threats to privacy or national security, leaves regulators duty-bound to intervene more invasively than ever before. Resultantly, a tension arises between governments and internet intermediaries as the formers need to regulate activities on the internet necessarily impinges upon the latters business model. Where there was once mutuality, there is now disfavour and suspicion. The US House Judiciary Committees recent examination of Googles search, filtering and data collection practices serves as a powerful illustration of this. Unfortunately, the fallout from the increasing strain between authorities and internet intermediaries entails the direct or indirect curtailment of user rights, as may be evinced by the induction of FOSTA-SESTA and the subsequent amendment to Facebooks community standards. The question that arises, then, is how regulators can expand the perimeter of regulatory activity in the digital domain while allowing internet intermediaries to continue operations and, concomitantly, limiting the encroachment of user rights? As a first step, regulators must consider the shortfalls within existing frameworks that contribute to current capacity constraints in digital enforcement. Granted that the internet, with its relentless battery of insidious elements, presents what seem to be insurmountable challenges for authorities. However, that is no excuse for regulators to arbitrarily fork over large chunks of responsibility upon private internet intermediaries. In India, one area ripe for immediate upgradations is the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1974. It was incepted at a time when digital technological capacities were nascent. As such, its provisions apply more readily to the physical world than to the intangible realm. Indian regulators must, then, work to create a procedural framework that is more directly applicable to criminal activity in the digital sphere. Similarly, internet intermediaries must accept that some ex-ante regulations are required to reign in the threats posed by the internet to society. Further, they must also accede that these prophylactic measures must extend to some aspects of their business models such as the collection of user data. Rather than resist the imposition of such rules, internet intermediaries must work closely with regulators to assist the latter in capacity-building efforts. One such measure would be to help develop cybercrime task forces as most enforcement bodies generally face a shortage of adequately trained cybercrime personnel. Moreover, voluntary interventions on the part of intermediaries must earnestly seek to solve problems rather than serve as goodwill campaigns. A recent report about Facebooks fact-checking collaboration with journalists to combat fake news indicates that the latter may often be the case. Ultimately, the mutualism between internet intermediaries and regulators that helped the internet proliferate must now be refashioned to mitigate digital malfeasance. And the underpinning ideal of such a paradigm must be to safeguard user rights, not secure private or political interests. The author is a lawyer and a technology policy expert. In May this year, I had the opportunity to meet HMD Global EVP and CMO Pekka Rantala after the launch of the Nokia 7 Plus in Delhi. During our conversation, the Finn told me that Nokia does not blindly follow smartphone trends, but goes with what its customers and fans want. This was regarding the display notch, a trend that had picked up thanks to Essential and Apple. Back then, the Nokia 7 Plus was a shining example of the HMD Globals philosophy and it turned out to be a really great smartphone in the mid-range segment as soon as it was launched. The Nokia 7 Plus, was built like a tank, looked unique with its matte black/copper finish (also came in White/Copper) and also packed in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC. It did not feature a notch, but just a taller 18:9 display. Its customers really did not care, because it looked gorgeous and unique, which is a rarity in the sea of similar, mid-range smartphones that flooded the market back around May this year. This would also include the low-cost flagship, which was launched a few months later in August, called the Poco F1, which was out to slay every smartphone in the mid-range. Long story short, it did not and it still hasnt. Just a few weeks ago, Nokia announced what everyone thought was the successor to the Nokia 7 Plus, called the Nokia 7.1 and also launched a Nokia 8.1, which everyone assumed would be the successor to the Nokia 8, going by their model names. Going by Nokia's customer-centric product ideas, it now appears that Nokia's customers want a better display (with HDR 10 support) in a smaller phone (hence the notch) and they are also looking for all of that in a stylish body. After using the smartphone for more than a week, the Nokia 8.1 indeed turned out to be a worthy replacement for the Nokia 7 Plus as I had expected it to be. Its not perfect, but its polished and premium looks are enough to attract the spec-hungry OnePlus crowd given the capable hardware that it packs in. More importantly, its a true mid-range device that makes an impression, comes with the right balance of hardware and software and easily takes down the Rs 19,999 Poco F1 with the power of its Zeiss optics and a pure Android 9 Pie experience. Nokia 8.1 Build and Design: 8/10 The Nokia 7 Plus had its set of fans and the 8.1 will also see a following with that gorgeous design that goes big on details. Nokia continues to use the dual-tone anodised metal frame that blew us away on the 7 Plus. It is now a lot more subtle, but also looks classy thanks to the 2.5D glass back that is rounded at the edges, similar to the screen on the front. The metal frame is now rounded, both around the corners and around the edges. This combined with the glass screens makes the 8.1 a really slippery smartphone. Still, dont buy a case because you will want to show off this phone, especially if you have purchased the Iron colour, which is a brand new shade from Nokia (just for this smartphone). The Blue/Silver looks a bit dull in my opinion. The shiny, exposed aluminium finish gives a unique look to the smartphone and rounded edges also give it a slimmer overall profile even though the phone is as thick as its predecessor. I also love how well polished and finished every single cavity and gap on this frame is. Its indeed in a class of its own despite having a massive display notch. I really dont know what is in there. The large notch seems to have just the essentials with the usual array of sensors, a single camera and the receiver, which strangely does not double up as a second speaker. Indeed, this is a missed opportunity as the notch on the 7.1 is literally half its size and basically does the same job. Nokia 8.1 Display: 8/10 The 8.1s display definitely beats the one on the lower-priced Poco F1. In the bright afternoon sunlight, Nokias PureDisplay keeps the colours intact and legible, theres no need to squint as you do with most other smartphones in this segment because its brightness levels are more than adequate to tackle this kind of lighting. The notched 6.18-inch display features an FHD+ resolution and is covered in Gorilla Glass. It also features HDR 10 support which is supposed to deliver richer colours and better contrast. While the colours did look a tad bit saturated, it could not deliver contrasted HDR scenes no matter which HDR video I picked to watch on YouTube. Indeed it's not about accepting HDR footage, but what you do with it that counts. And in this case, it just cannot deliver (yet). Netflix does not officially support the device either, so at the moment the HDR branding is only a gimmick. But that does not mean that this is a bad display. At its price tag, the 8.1 offers one of the best displays in its class. For once, you can head into Settings>Display>PureDisplay and actually choose between the phones default Dynamic mode colour profile (that adjusts colour, contrast and brightness as per usage) or Vivid (higher saturation) or Cinema (which adds a yellow hue making it easier and more comfortable on the eyes when viewing video). If you prefer natural-looking colours, then you can select the Basic colour profile. Nokia 8.1 Features: 8/10 The Nokia 8.1 indeed, packs in everything I could ask from a smartphone in this segment and at this price tag of Rs 26,999. I wished that it featured a dual speaker setup and may be an IP 67 rating, as everything else is pretty much taken care of. The Nokia 8.1 features a 6.18-inch FHD+ LCD display and is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass. Inside, there is a shiny-new 10 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC that is paired with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of storage (expandable up to 400 GB using the hybrid SIM tray). While Oppo offers 6 GB RAM with its R17 Pro, the Nokia 8.1 should not need much considering that it runs stock Android 9 Pie (Android One) with all of its performance optimisations. Theres a dual camera set up at the rear with a 12 MP AF + 13 MP cameras to produce bokeh images. The front-facing camera is a 20 MP unit with an AI-assisted Live Bokeh mode. Connectivity options include a dual SIM setup with dual standby supporting 4G VoLTE bands, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 and GPS/AGPS+GLONASS+Beidou. At the bottom edge, sits a USB Type-C port (2.0) and 3.5 mm headphone jack is located at the top edge. The device also features an FM Radio. The fingerprint reader sits at the back and below it is a 3,500 mAh battery that supports 18 W fast-charging. Nokia 8.1 OS and Software: 8/10 Running stock Android, the user experience was pleasant without going overboard with bloatware like most smartphones in this segment usually offer. The interface feels fluid and very Pixel-like with the same swipe to home gestures available out here as well. Its just that I noticed micro-stutters from time to time when swiping on the home screen. Guess this is something that could be ironed out with future software updates. Indeed, Android 9 Pie almost makes the 8.1 into the cheaper Pixel 3 Mini we have been waiting for. For those who love stock Android, the smartphone market offers few options like Xiaomis Mi A2, which is priced a lot lower (Rs 15,999) albeit with a less premium-looking design. As mentioned in the Display section, the addition of the PureDisplay colour profile selection is a welcomed option indeed. There are some minor customisations to the stock Android interface apart from the colour profile selector mentioned above. You can double tap to wake the device, swipe down on the fingerprint reader to pull down the notifications tray and even press down on the power button twice to launch the camera. The camera app also includes a new Pro mode that can be accessed by swiping the shutter button upwards (when held in vertically) offering manual controls (ISO, Shutter Speed, Manual focus, White Balance) for those who want more control while shooting stills. Nokia 8.1 Performance: 8/10 The performance was not really a problem with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 inside, its just that the performance jump over the 660 SoC is not too drastic. So dont expect the 710 to compete with a Snapdragon 835 or even come close to the 845 inside the Poco F1 when it comes to performance. Just take a look at the performance chart below and you will figure out where it stands. Indeed, it is in this area that a smartphone like the Poco F1 does pack in the power to run games at the highest settings, without stuttering. The Adreno 616 GPU will run games smoothly at default settings but will warm up when playing them at the highest settings. The handset did heat up while playing PUBG Mobile and also warmed up quite a bit while playing Shadowgun Legends at 60 fps (with Ultra high graphics detail) but it did not get hot enough for me to stop gaming. This a bit above average when it comes to smartphones in its class. While PUBG and Shadowgun ran smoothly without any hiccups, Asphalt 9:Legends did stutter at the highest possible settings which could be an optimisation problem since this is a brand new SoC and is only available in a few smartphones globally so far. In short, this is quite a capable gaming smartphone, but the Poco F1 is a better choice if gaming is all you want to do on a smartphone. While the Nokia 8.1 comes with a lovely PureDisplay unit, I just wished that Nokia included a second speaker at the receiver. The single speaker was not all that loud and I needed to plug in my earphones every time I wanted to catch up with my daily streaming shows. While Im glad that I can still plug in my favourite pair of earphones (comes with a 3.5 mm headphone jack), a dual speaker system would have justified that gorgeous display turning this phone into a more media-friendly package. Calls were loud and clear and I saw no dropped calls even in Mumbais overcrowded networks. Audio quality using the in-box earphones were decent and lacked bass, plugging in a better pair of earphones delivered rich audio with balanced highs and lows. Nokia 8.1 Camera: 8/10 While Xiaomis Poco F1 packs in some capable hardware, our review of the camera revealed that its implementation was lacking. The Poco may pack in 12 MP f/1.9 main sensor and a 5 MP f/1.9 secondary sensor but the results are a bit of hit and miss, and a complete miss in low light as you will see in the camera comparison samples below. The Nokia 8.1 with its 12 MP AF + 13 MP FF cameras produces some vibrant photographs and they are pretty much at par with the 7 Plus. Shooting landscapes and people in the standard auto mode delivered photos that were sharp and had just the right amount of noise in daylight. Indoors, the resolved details were a bit low, but the photos remained sharp and vibrant. The Live Bokeh mode was a bit of hit and miss. Despite the AI claims, edge detection was average. While our office is not exactly set up for photography, there is a window in front of our desks that lets in plenty of light. For some strange reason, the Bokeh mode produced dull images indoors at times. Most of the times the results were good enough, save for the edge detection which was a bit lacking through and through. Outdoor shots were also oversharpened. So yes, Nokia does need to polish this mode with upcoming software updates. Clicking selfies and portraits in the regular shooting mode, delivered punchy images with the right level of sharpness and details. What I liked about the Live Bokeh mode was that it finally saves the depth data, letting you tweak photos in the default Google Photos app after you have shot them. While the Poco F1 shot clearer photographs in the portrait mode, it completely cleaned up the faces of my subjects and delivered a yellowish tone. Nokia has added OIS to the rear 12 MP camera so this delivers crisper images in low light scenarios. While the photographs are still a bit low on resolved details, they are leagues better than the images produced using the Poco F1s camera. Video is another area where Nokias optics and software do a much better job than the Poco F1. The 8.1 uses EIS to shoot video and the stabilisation you get in all types of lighting conditions is commendable and a lot better than the jittery and jerky video quality of the Poco F1. Theres plenty of detail in the video and the audio sounds really crisp and clear thanks to Nokias OZO surround sound capture. Shooting selfie videos was also a good experience thanks to EIS video stabilisation and OZO audio capture. Nokia 8.1 Battery: 8.5/10 Packing in a sizeable 3,500 mAh battery, the Nokia 8.1 delivered more than a days battery life on a single charge. While the first two days saw the battery life drain pretty quickly, Androids Adaptive Battery feature finally learnt my usage and started delivering decent and above average battery life from the third day. So if you do buy an 8.1, I would recommend using it for a week in case the battery does not perform as expected; by when the Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness AI optimisations will have started doing their magic. With Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram and two emails accounts on sync and buzzing through the day, along with some photography, a few calls, and about 15-20 minutes of gaming, you can easily squeeze a day and a half of battery life thanks to the power-efficient 10 nm 710 SoC inside. I dont remember a single day where I was looking for a charging point, so it's easy to say that the battery life is pretty good, even if it does not stand up to Nokias two-day battery life claims. If you are into gaming expect the battery to drain out by the end of the day. Charging was not as fast as I expected it to be. Nokia offers the 18 W fast charger, but I did find it a bit slow to charge or maybe Im just a bit spoilt after the stellar charging times on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. The Nokia 8.1 easily takes more than an hour and a half to charge up to 100 percent from a dead phone which pretty much average for this price segment. Nokia 8.1 Verdict and Price in India Stuck between buying a powerful Poco and a classy Nokia 8.1? Let me break it down and make your buying decision easier. Who should buy a Poco F1? The F1 is a powerful device and comes with plenty of RAM and storage options that will be more than enough if you love to play games or store a lot of movies and photographs on your smartphone. And literally, thats about it. The Poco F1 indeed appeals to budget smartphone users (Rs 10,000- Rs 15,000) who would not mind spending a bit more. They will find its camera quality, battery life a raw power too hard to resist given its price tag. It appeals to the spec-hungry youth and indeed makes for a great smartphone if power and gaming is all you crave for. Who should buy a Nokia 8.1? The Nokia 8.1 is a premium device and is priced a lot lower (at Rs 26,999) than I expected it to be, considering that its spiritual successor is the gorgeous Nokia 7 Plus. The older phone was launched at Rs 25,999 but ended up selling at higher price tag because of higher demand and low supply. The Nokia 8.1 caters to a mid-range buyer and aims to provide a true mid-range smartphone. One that delivers a better camera, better video recording and a brand-new chipset in a package that has been designed to delight. Oh, and did I mention stock Android and faster software updates thanks to the Android One program? The Nokia 8.1 seems to have it all. Indeed, the two smartphones cannot be compared as both will appeal to different types of customers. But if I had to choose between the two, I would definitely pick the Nokia 8.1. Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison. Agence France-Presse Scientists in Finland have developed what they believe is the world's first vaccine to protect bees against disease, raising hopes for tackling the drastic decline in insect numbers which could cause a global food crisis. Bees are vital for growing the world's food as they help fertilise three out of four crops around the globe, by transferring pollen from male to female flowers. But in recent years bee populations around the world have been dying off from "colony collapse disorder", a mysterious scourge blamed on mites, pesticides, virus, fungus, or some combination of these factors. UN-led research in 2016 found that more than 40 percent of invertebrate pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, are facing extinction. The study also found that 16.5 percent of vertebrate pollinators, such as birds and bats, are under threat. Scientists warn that the die-off will result in higher food prices and the risk of shortages. Medical breakthrough The vaccine, developed by a team at Helsinki University in Finland, works by giving bees resistance to fight off severe microbial diseases that can be fatal for pollinator communities. "If we can save even a small part of the bee population with this invention, I think we have done our good deed and saved the world a little bit," lead researcher Dalial Freitak said. "Even a two-to-three percent increase in the bee population would be humongous," she told AFP. Vaccinating insects was previously thought to be impossible because the creatures lack antibodies, one of the key mechanisms humans and other animals use to fight disease. But a breakthrough came in 2014 when Freitak, a specialist in insects and immunology, noticed that moths who are fed certain bacteria can, in fact, pass on immunity to their offspring. "They could actually convey something by eating. I just didn't know what the mechanism was," Freitak said. "I met with Heli Salmela, who was working on honey bees and a protein called vitellogenin. I heard her talk and I was like, 'OK, I could make a bet that it is your protein that takes my signal from one generation to another'." The pair started to collaborate and created a vaccine against American foulbrood, the most globally widespread and destructive bee bacterial disease. The treatment is administered to the queen bee via a sugar lump, similar to the way many children are given polio vaccines. The queen then passes the immunity to her offspring, spreading it through the bee community. As well as working on vaccines against further diseases, the team has also begun trying to raise funding to make the vaccine commercially available, with "very positive" feedback so far, according to Freitak. "There are many regulatory hurdles. Four to five years until reaching the market is an optimistic estimate," she said. Crop growth affected Diseases are believed to be just one of a number of reasons for the loss of pollinators, alongside pesticides and intensive farming, which reduces the diversity of insects' nutrition. But the team believes that protecting bee populations against disease will make them stronger, and therefore better able to withstand the other threats. The European Union and Canada have voted to introduce bans on insecticides based on neonicotinoids after studies showed the chemicals harmed the ability of bees to reproduce. UN-backed research in 2016 estimated that up to $577 billion (511 billion euros) worth of food grown every year relies directly on pollinators. The study said the volume of food produced that depends on pollinators has risen by 300 percent in the last half century. As pollinator numbers have declined, some farmers have turned to either renting bees or pollinating by hand as with fruit trees in some parts of China in order to replace the processes that nature previously provided free of charge. In Helsinki the project relied on external funding, but the team has now taken up a more secure tenure at Graz University in Austria, where further research on vaccinations will begin early next year. Graz is also the previous seat of noted zoologist Karl von Frisch, whose discovery that honey bees communicate by performing the figure-of-eight "waggle dance" won him the Nobel Medicine Prize in 1973. The Associated Press Almost 200 nations, including the worlds top greenhouse gas producers, China and the United States, have adopted a set of rules meant to breathe life into the 2015 Paris climate accord by setting out how countries should report their emissions and efforts to reduce them. But negotiators delayed other key decisions until next year a move that frustrated environmentalists and countries that wanted more ambitious goals in light of scientists warnings that the world must shift sharply away from fossil fuels in the coming decade. The majority of the rulebook for the Paris agreement has been created, which is something to be thankful for, said Mohamed Adow, a climate policy expert at Christian Aid. But the fact countries had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the finish line shows that some nations have not woken up to the dire consequences of global warming as outlined in a report by the U.N Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. Officials at the talks, which ended late Saturday in the Polish city of Katowice, agreed upon universal rules on how nations can cut emissions. Poor countries secured assurances on financial support to help them reduce emissions, adapt to changes such as rising sea levels and pay for damage that has already happened. Through this package, you have made a thousand little steps forward together, said Michal Kurtyka, a senior Polish official who led the talks. While each country would likely find some parts of the agreement it did not like, he said, efforts were made to balance the interests of all parties. We will all have to give in order to gain, he said. We will all have to be courageous to look into the future and make yet another step for the sake of humanity. The talks took place against a backdrop of growing concern among scientists that global warming is proceeding faster than governments are responding to it. Last month, a study found that global warming will worsen disasters such as the deadly California wildfires and the powerful hurricanes that have hit the United States this year. The recent report by the IPCC concluded that while its possible to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial times, doing so would require a dramatic overhaul of the global economy, including a shift away from fossil fuels. Alarmed by efforts to include that idea in the final text of the meeting, the oil-exporting nations of the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait blocked an endorsement of the IPCC report midway through this months talks. That prompted uproar from vulnerable countries like small island nations and environmental groups. The final text omitted a previous reference to specific reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and merely welcomed the timely completion of the IPCC report, not its conclusions. Johan Rockstrom, a scientist who helps to lead the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, called the agreement a relief. The Paris deal, he said, is alive and kicking, despite a rise in populism and nationalism. His biggest concern, he said, is that the summit failed to align ambitions with science, in particular missing the necessity of making clear that global emissions from fossil fuels must be cut by half by 2030 to stay in line with the IPCC report. Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the talks created a solid foundation for implementation and strengthening of the Paris agreement and could help bring the U.S. back into the deal by a future presidential administration. One major sticking point was how to create a functioning market in carbon credits. Economists believe that an international trading system could be an effective way to drive down greenhouse gas emissions and raise large amounts of money for measures to curb global warming. But Brazil wanted to keep the piles of carbon credits it had amassed under an old system that developed countries say wasnt credible or transparent. Among those that pushed back hardest was the United States, despite President Donald Trumps decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord and his promotion of coal as a source of energy. Overall, the US role here has been somewhat schizophrenic pushing coal and dissing science on the one hand, but also working hard in the room for strong transparency rules, said Elliot Diringer of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, a Washington think tank. The US is still technically in the Paris agreement until 2020, which is why American officials participated in the Katowice talks. When it came to closing potential loopholes that could allow countries to dodge their commitments to cut emissions, the US pushed harder than nearly anyone else for transparency rules that put all countries under the same system, and its largely succeeded, Diringer said. In the end, a decision on the mechanics of an emissions-trading system was postponed to next years meeting. Countries also agreed to consider the issue of raising ambitions at a UN summit in New York next September. Canadas Environment Minister Catherine McKenna suggested there was no alternative to such meetings if countries want to tackle global problems, especially as multilateral diplomacy is under pressure from nationalism. The world has changed. The political landscape has changed, she told The Associated Press. Still youre seeing here that were able to make progress. Were able to discuss the issues. Were able to come to solutions. Kavya Narayanan Israeli historian, professor and author Yuval Noah Harari delivered the Penguin Annual Lecture last evening, taking off from his newest book '21 Lessons for the 21st century' that released in August earlier in 2018. Hararis books have seen widespread popularity across continents. His bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2014) is now available in 45 different languages and has sold over a million copies globally. One cant help but relate his arguments on death, war, race, economics or explosive technologies like artificial intelligence in the context of today. He walked the audience of hundreds through some of the likely possibilities for humanitys future. The more concerning, imminent ones, in Hararis view, are nuclear war, climate change and technological disruption. Weve sowed the seeds for all three possibilities over hundreds of years, and are staring at the face of some wonderful and terrifying consequences of our actions. Manipulating the world inside us For much of the past, we have seen revolutions one after another, bringing new ways of controlling and manipulating the external world. The 21st century will tip the scales a different way, the professor said. People to turn inwards for some forms of development, the professor said at the lecture. Weve learnt a lot about the design of the world around us, but we will soon learn how to design and manufacture life animals and plants and humans, even completely new life forms that never existed before." In Hararis views, the main product of the 21st century economy wont be textiles, vehicles and weapons anymore. Trade will soon see a flood of bodies and brains and minds, bringing what he believes might be the greatest revolution since the beginning of biology, of life, 4 billion years ago. A new spin on creationism Nothing fundamental changed for 4 billion years of life. For 4 billion years, all of life was governed by the laws of natural selection and organic biochemistry. Natural selection with intelligent design has been the main engine of evolutionand what will determine the future of our evolution will be the designed not by the hands of some god above the clouds, but to (humans). Science might enable us to start building inorganic life after 4 billion years of organic evolution, bringing a whole new plot twist to creationism. What will we do with such divine powers of creation? he asks nobody in particular. So far, we have been very irresponsible Gods. In the past, there has always been a gap between power (to alter natural systems) and wisdom (to thoroughly understand the consequences of those actions). We may still be far from seeing all the angles of a problem and solution, but the moves we make to manipulating the world inside us will be more costly than our toying and tweaking the world around us. Naturally, this is something that will have its own role to play in increasing global and economic division. Ghosts of problems past According to Harari, traditional acts of war and acts of socio-political dominance have come down in number so much over 70,000 years. We are now living in the most peaceful time (in mankinds history) on Earth. Yet, we havent shaken off famines, plagues and wars that we typically associate with the past. Much like the evolution of society or fashion, these problems are taking new forms urban starvation, stubborn cancers and data colonialism. These will hit us just as hard, maybe worse, than the problems over human history hit our ancestors, Harari says. War will return in an even worse form than we have ever encountered before. We should never underestimate human stupidity it has been one of the most powerful forces in shaping history it has almost equalled human wisdom in shaping the fortunes of our species, Harari says. Part of being human and intelligent today is recognising that it sometimes takes a lot of wise people to make peace, and lone fools to bring countries to their knees and start a war, Harari added. Whereas war is a future possibility, climate change is a present reality. The ecological balance of the world is on a steep decline and a combination of global idea exchange and embracing eco-friendly technologies to combat climate change is one way out. This, he says, will likely prevent economy and ecology from crashing down simultaneously in the decades to come. Picking the politician of tomorrow Harari half-joked with the audience about how climate change could even make voting a little easier during campaign and election season. "Ask them what will they do to lessen the danger of nuclear war, climate change, regulate AI and bioengineering, and their vision humanity in for 2050," he said. "And if they don't answer but keep talking about the past, then don't vote for them." As a scientist, I see a political debate focused almost exclusively on immediate local issuesignoring the larger challenges of humankind that will impact everyone, he said at the press briefing. He declared that he neither has political acumen nor do his books reflect the politics of any country today. I cant give particular political advice to any government on how to implement policies.but I do try to influence the macro-agenda of nations and humanity as a whole. AI and the rise of the useless class He believes that AI could soon bring a huge split to the world and further the divide between developed nations like America and developing ones like India and Mexico. India could use cheap labour to pick up economic momentum during the agricultural revolutionbut after AI, cheap labour will be the least important [resource]. Developed countries are better equipped to cater to the world AI will bring in. Jobs will grow and evolve at a rapid pace, and the retraining of citizens would require new jobs which will be frequent and nation-wide. Countries like India and Mexico are just years away from facing unemployment and the rise of the useless class. The only way to combat this eventuality is to prepare to retrain the job skills at a national level again, and again as and when needed. In Hararis peek into an AI-powered world of tomorrow, one of the best tools to survive is to adapt and quickly. For citizens, that means staying alert to what the rapidly-changing world needs, and for governments, providing far more opportunities for training and keeping their working class relevant. The good nationalist Were looking at an odd mix of exciting developments and grim problems in Hararis version of possible events in the 21st century. Nuclear war, climate change, technological disruption are all global challenges by nature, and cant be regulated by one government alone. The options open to governments will be to either move with the times by co-operation or be left behind in the process of science and technological change. A lot of the problems were up against can only be handled effectively without borders or isolationism getting in the way. So if you take away one thing from this talk, I think the most important global problems demand a global solution. Nationalism has its role to playIt always will, said the professor. But to be a good nationalist now requires that you be a globalist in the 21st century, the only way to ensure safety and prosperity in one nation is cooperating with people in others. Giraffes are losing their lives to tribal hunting and to souvenir hunters in yhe US. In the last 15 years, the population of giraffes has fallen by 40 percent. Now, there are less than 80,000 left and they reduce every day In 1990, I went to the dreadful Kolkata zoo. They had imported a young female giraffe from Africa, a practice we need to ban. She was utterly beautiful with her shy long-lashed eyes and graceful ballet legs. I named her Teesta after the mysterious and spectacular river. The Kolkata zoo officials and the minister promised that they were going to relocate the zoo to a larger area where the animals would roam freely. Forty years and at least 4,000 deaths later I am still waiting. Teesta is dead. The Kolkata zoo decided to relocate the giraffes to Odishas Nandankanan zoo. They loaded them into an open truck and, while they were swerving, the animals hit their heads on an electric pole and died. While the world concentrates on lions, gorillas and elephants being decimated, the giraffe is almost extinct. In the last 15 years, the population of giraffes has fallen by 40 percent. Now, there are less than 80,000 left and they reduce every day. Soon, they will only be seen in zoos and then its over. The main culprits, in this case, are the Americans. Conservation groups, like Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society International, Humane Society of the United States, International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Natural Resources Defense Council, have been petitioning the government since the last two years to protect giraffes under the Endangered Species Act. No action has been taken. What difference will it make to giraffes in Africa if America passes the Act? Because giraffes are losing their lives to tribal hunting and to souvenir hunters in America, who kill through Fedex one giraffe is killed for a carving to be made on its bone. On average, the US imports about one giraffe hunting trophy a day, and the country has imported 21,402 bone carvings, 3,008 skin pieces and 3,744 miscellaneous hunting trophies from giraffes over the last few years. Giraffe bones are now the new ivory and the USA is heavily implicated in the trade with its large market for giraffe parts. Once China gets into it as well, giraffes will be gone in six months. Africa now has fewer giraffes than elephants. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature elevated the threat level to giraffes from least concern to vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species in 2016. Giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth. Their legs alone are taller than many humans. They can run at 35 miles an hour, but who can run fast enough to dodge a hunters bullet? They are found in the dry savannas of Africa, where they roam on the open plains and sparse woodlands. They eat acacia leaves from the trees their necks are far too short to reach the ground, but long enough to reach the treetops. Their long blue tongues help them pull down 45 kg of leaves and twigs daily. Their height and eyesight make it easy for them to spot predators, like lions and hyenas, from far away. Their kicks are strong and sometimes lethal. They bellow, snort, hiss and make flute-like sounds. Giraffes are social animals and roam around in groups of females and calves led by an adult male. Giraffes can live till 40 years. The age can be found in the skin spots. The darker the spots, the older the giraffe. Female giraffes give birth standing up. Newborns fall 6 feet to the ground but within 30 minutes they are standing, and hours later they're able to run with their mothers. The gestation period for a giraffe is 457 days, which is about 15 months. Generally, only a single baby is born. A female giraffe averages around five calves in her lifetime. About 50 percent of all giraffe calves do not survive their first year. This percentage of infant mortality goes up, depending on the number of lions in the area. Recent studies show the death of 82 percent of young calves in lion-rich areas. Giraffes used to be distributed throughout north and west Africa, including the Sahara, and along the Nile river. However, today, giraffes are found only in sub-Saharan Africa. From herds of 20-30 animals in the 90s, their average herd now contains fewer than six individuals. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the creatures are undergoing a "silent extinction". A mass extinction of giraffes will disrupt ecosystems in Africa, with the lions next. In the war-torn areas of northern Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan the giraffe is seen as a large animal whose meat can feed a large number of people and all it costs is a single bullet. The giraffe is dispersed over 21 countries in state-owned national parks and private and communal lands. Out of nine subspecies fewer than 300 west African giraffes survive in Niger and less than 700 Rothschilds giraffes are dispersed between Uganda and Kenya, according to a report by wildlife experts at Elephant Without Borders. Kenya is down from 30,000 mammals in the 1990s to 5,500 today. The statistics of their survival now go from a species increasing in southern Africa over the last three decades, to decreasing by 95 percent in East Africa. The success in keeping giraffe numbers high in Southern Africa has much to do with the management of the wildlife areas. In Tanzania, the belief is that consuming giraffe brains and bone marrow could be a cure for HIV freshly severed heads and giraffe bones can fetch prices of up to $140 per piece". The giraffe is a part of the bushmeat in a number of rural African communities. Their skin is used for clothing, shoes, bags, belts, hats and covers for drums. Their hair makes jewellery, thread for sewing or stringing beads. Their tails are used to swish flies away and were originally symbols of authority. Many African governments have restrictions on hunting, banned hunting in national parks, and some have introduced a licensing system, but people continue to hunt wildlife illegally. And American tourists pay local poachers to do the hunting and send them the parts through couriers, like the Minnesota dentist who had Cecil, the iconic and protected lion in Zimbabwe, killed in 2015 and had the head shipped to him. The US is the largest importer of trophies in the world. As human populations grow increase in agricultural activities, expansion of settlements, and construction of roads the giraffe is losing its acacia trees, which are its main source of food. They face the risk of collisions with vehicles and power lines. But the species is mainly threatened by trophy hunters who travel to Africa to shoot their big-game quarry. These hunters overwhelmingly come from the US. In August, pictures emerged of a 12-year-old girl from Utah posing with her rifle beside the slumped body of a dead giraffe. "In the past few years, several gruesome images of trophy hunters next to slain giraffe bodies have caused outrage, bringing this senseless killing to light," said Masha Kalinina, an international trade policy specialist with Humane Society International. Giraffes are one of the most iconic animals in the world, but the clock is now ticking for their survival. The American government must realise the importance of banning giraffe trophies. An endangered species listing would place heavy restrictions on any American hunter wishing to travel to Africa and bring back a slaughtered giraffe. The alphabet books for children have all got G for giraffe. How will one explain to a child in ten years time what a giraffe was? To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in, www.peopleforanimalsindia.org The warning from the North on Sunday came days after the US said it was imposing sanctions on three senior North Korean officials over human rights abuses. The sanctioned officials include Choe Ryong Hae, who has been considered a right-hand man to leader Kim Jong-un. Seoul: North Korea has condemned the US over its latest sanctions measures, warning the policy could "block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever". The warning from the North on Sunday came days after the US said it was imposing sanctions on three senior North Korean officials over human rights abuses. The sanctioned officials include Choe Ryong Hae, who has been considered a right-hand man to leader Kim Jong-un. In a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, the North praised President Donald Trump for his efforts to improve relations with Pyongyang, but said the US State Department was "bent on bringing the DPRK-US relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire". The statement by the policy research director of the Institute for American Studies of the foreign ministry accused the US of "deliberate provocation" over the sanctions on the three officials. If Washington believes the policy of increased sanctions and pressure would force the North to give up its nuclear weapons, "it will count as greatest miscalculation, and it will block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever", the statement added. At a historic summit in Singapore in June, Trump and Kim signed a vaguely-worded statement on denuclearisation. But little progress has been made since then, with Washington pushing to maintain sanctions against the North until its "final, fully verified denuclearisation" and Pyongyang condemning US demands as "gangster-like". In actions required by Congress, the Trump administration said on Monday it would seize any US assets of the three officials over their roles in suppressing freedom of speech. Such restrictions may have little impact on officials in one of the world's most closed countries but will have a clear symbolic force as North Korea seeks greater acceptance by the United States. Saudi Arabia on Sunday rejected as 'interference' a US Senate resolution to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and another holding its crown prince responsible for the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi. Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Sunday rejected as "interference" a US Senate resolution to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and another holding its crown prince responsible for the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi. "The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs," the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. Though largely symbolic, the US Senate vote on Thursday dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has staunchly backed the Saudi regime despite global uproar over the Yemen conflict and the murder of journalist Khashoggi. On the Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks the president's prerogative to launch military action, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while another three Republicans abstained. The Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggi's murder and calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, "responsible" for it. The Saudi ministry warned that the kingdom would not tolerate any "disrespect" of its rulers. "This position by the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship," the ministry said. "The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the US to avoid any... significant negative impact on this important strategic relationship." The Senate resolution acknowledged the US-Saudi ties were "important" but called on Riyadh to "moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy". The resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump. But the Senate votes send a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh. Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to the Washington Post, was killed on October 2 shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation. The murder has tarnished Riyadh's international reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a "credible" probe into the murder. Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen has also prompted a harder line in Congress about the US military's role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Huthi rebels. Since the coalition launched its campaign in 2015, the conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher. Reversing the acquittal order of a lower court, the Delhi High Court has asked Sajjan Kumar to surrender by December 31. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was convicted of murder and rioting during the clashes that broke out in the wake of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been sentenced to life in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case by the Delhi High Court. The Congress leader has been sentenced for conspiracy to commit murder. The Delhi High Court reversed the judgement of his acquittal from a lower court and convicted Sajjan Kumar on Monday. The court has asked Sajjan Kumar not to leave the city and surrender by December 31, 2018. While reading the judgement, the High Court said, In the summer of 1947, during partition, several people were massacred. 37 years later Delhi was the witness of a similar tragedy. The accused enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial. It is important to assure the victims that despite the challenges truth will prevail and justice will be done, the court added. Congress' Sajjan Kumar was convicted of murder and rioting during the clashes that broke out in the wake of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. As many as 2,800 Sikhs were killed in the violence of which 2,100 were murdered in Delhi. Besides Sajjan Kumar, Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Kishan Khokkar and former legislator Mahender Yadav have been sentenced to 10 years in prison. (With inputs from ANI) The UN chief said he had no information on the case except what had been reported in the media Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to The Washington Post, was killed on 2 October shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in what Riyadh called a 'rogue' operation. Doha: UN chief Antonio Guterres called Sunday for a "credible" probe into journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. "It is absolutely essential to have a credible investigation and to have the punishment of those that were guilty," Guterres said at a conference in Doha. The UN chief said he had no information on the case except what had been reported in the media Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to The Washington Post, was killed on 2 October shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly rejected Turkish demands to extradite suspects connected to the murder of the journalist, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Turkey's foreign minister said Saturday that his country would "not give up" on establishing the truth about the murder. "We haven't received any new information or outcome of the investigation from the Saudi side," Mevlut Cavusoglu said, also in Qatar which has been the target of a Saudi-led boycott since June 2017. "Turkey will not give up on this, we will go to the end." Earlier this month, the minister said Turkey was in talks over a possible United Nations investigation into the killing which has provoked global outrage. According to Turkey, a 15-member Saudi team was sent to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi, a palace insider turned critic of the regime. Riyadh has since detained 21 people over the murder. Despite speculation that the powerful crown prince ordered the hit, the kingdom has strongly denied he was involved. The murder has damaged Riyadh's international reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals. Bangladesh on Sunday honoured 12 Indian war veterans as it celebrated the country's 'Victory Day', marking its emergence as an independent nation following the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. Dhaka: Bangladesh on Sunday honoured 12 Indian war veterans as it celebrated the country's 'Victory Day', marking its emergence as an independent nation following the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the nation to work together for the prosperity of the country as people celebrated the 47th anniversary of the day the nation won its freedom after nine months of bloodshed and struggle, bdnews24 reported. The Bangladeshi government posthumously honoured 12 Indian Armed Forces personnel for sacrificing their lives during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. In his message to the country, President Hamid said: There is no alternative to working together, irrespective of political party or philosophy, if we want to offer our people the advantages of the freedom earned by the sacrifice of millions of martyrs. I urge the people of the country to contribute more from what they have to propel the country towards prosperity and realising the spirit of the Liberation War, he said. Hamid mentioned the upcoming election, expressing hope that the polls would ensure a victory for democracy. He also hoped that the people will elect honest, eligible and patriotic candidates to continue the development of the country. In her Victory Day message, Prime Minister Hasina urged the people in the country to work together in the light of the spirit of the Liberation War and continue the democracy and development in Bangladesh. Let us all pledge to engage ourselves in the welfare of the nation; let this be our oath on Victory Day in 2018. Today, Bangladesh has become a global role model for development. It is one of the five countries in the world showing economic advancement and we have done 90 percent of it with our own funds, Hasina said. The people have been receiving the advantage of this development at the grassroots level in the 10 years the Awami League government has been in power. Bangladesh is moving forward and it will continue to do so. The next generation will have a prosperous Bangladesh, she said. Hasina pledged to make the country poverty-free and attain middle-income country status by 2021, alongside a promise to achieve developed country status before 2041. She also greeted the freedom fighters and sent flowers and fruits to the war-wounded freedom fighters at the Martyred and War-wounded Freedom Fighters' Rehabilitation Centre (Muktijoddha Tower 1) in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area on Sunday as a mark of her good wishes for them, Dhaka Tribune reported. The war in 1971 began after the sudden crackdown at midnight on March 25 that year in erstwhile East Pakistan by Pakistani troops and ended on 16 December as Pakistan conceded defeat and unconditionally surrendered in Dhaka to the allied forces comprising Bengali freedom fighters and the Indian Army. Officially three million people were killed during the nine-month-long war in one of the most heinous acts of genocide by Pakistani troops. The Bangladesh government has decided to honour over 1,600 Indian Armed Forces personnel who laid down their lives in the eastern theatre during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Vijay Diwas (victory day) is celebrated every year on this day to mark India's decisive win over Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh. Nearly 75% of small cocoa farmers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast currently earn too little to lead a decent life. Shining a light on this, Dutch institution Wageningen... Read More As the world tries to wean itself off of oil, the United States has finally become a net exporter of the commodity. That's sort of a mixed blessing, but it's a shocking turn of events for a country that was so reliant on imports for decades. In this segment from Industry Focus: Energy, host Nick Sciple and Fool.com contributor Daniel Kline discuss this significant oil milestone. A full transcript follows the video. This video was recorded on Dec. 13, 2018. Nick Sciple: First off the bat, Dan, I wanted to get your thoughts. Based on data we got released last Thursday, December 6th, the U.S. exported more oil than it imported for the first time ever in the last week of November. They exported 211,000 barrels per day. We don't have to go into investing here, but as a U.S. citizen, what does this mean? We're a net exporter of oil here in the United States now. Dan Kline: I'm a little older than you. I literally remember gasoline shortages. Now, I wasn't driving back then, but I remember the news stories. So, this is stunning. On the other hand, we are coming very late to the party. We are now the masters of something that's, what, 10 years away from being somewhat irrelevant? We're rapidly getting rid of our need for oil and gasoline. Sciple: That's true. Over the next couple of decades, we're probably going to start to see demand start to roll off. It's remarkable, how we have these supplies, particularly in the shale industry that we didn't even know we could get to for the longest time. And now, we're a net exporter. Just three years ago, President Obama back in 2015 lifted what had been a ban on oil exports going back to the 70s, as you mentioned, the oil crisis under the Carter administration. Just in those past three years, we've gone from it being illegal to export to being a net exporter of oil. It's a really interesting phenomenon going on. We'll have to see how that plays out over time. Kline: I think there is an investing takeaway -- look at research and development. If there are companies that are saying, "Hey, here's a resource that's trapped. We think we can get it out," that might be a good long-term play. 'A man involved in anti-Sikh riots has been made the MP CM. Rahul Gandhi must expel him from the party,' Sambit Patra said. 'Rahul Gandhi should resign as Congress' chief. Kamal Nath ji's name crops up along with affidavit and evidence in a report submitted to Nanavati Commission,' BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said. (Photo: ANI) Bengaluru: A day when Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been convicted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra has accused Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath of being involved in the case, demanding he be expelled from the party. Stating that Kamal Nath's name has cropped up along with affidavit and evidence submitted in a report to the Nanavati Commission, Patra also demanded that Rahul Gandhi should step down as Congress president. "Rahul Gandhi should resign as Congress' chief. Kamal Nath ji's name crops up along with affidavit and evidence in a report submitted to Nanavati Commission," he said. "A man involved in anti-Sikh riots has been made the MP (Madhya Pradesh) CM. Mr Rahul Gandhi must expel him from the party," Patra demanded. Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court convicted Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment. A fine of Rs 5 lakh was also imposed on him. The court had asked Kumar to surrender before December 31. The High Court reversed the trial court verdict of 2013 and sentenced Sajjan Kumar and five others in a case related to the killing of five members of a Sikh family in Delhi's Cantonment area in November 1984, following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. After her assassination by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984, around 3,000 people were killed in anti-Sikh riots when mobs targeted innocent people. The BJP bagged 205, the Congress 142, the AIUDF 25 and the AGP 18. Independents won 14. Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked people of Assam for their support to saffron party in the panchayat elections in which the ruling BJP has won over 41 per cent gaon panchayats and half of the zila parishads. Informing that results of Nagaon and Kamrup districts are yet to be declared, the state election commission said that the results of 20,362 out of the total 21,990 gaon panchayat wards have already been declared. The BJP has bagged 8487, the Congress got 6,740 and the AGP 1496. Independents got 2,543 wards and the AIUDF 1,001. The BPF won in 54 wards, the CPI (M) in 31, the CPI in four, the TMC in two and the CPI (ML) in four, he said. The state poll panel received results of 404 of the total 420 zila parishad constituencies. The BJP bagged 205, the Congress 142, the AIUDF 25 and the AGP 18. Independents won 14. Pointing out that results of 2,122 gaon panchayat president seats were announced, he said that the BJP got 973, the Congress 732 and independents 164. The AGP and the AIUDF got 125 each. Two of the seats went to the BPF and one to the CPI (M). Of the 2113 anchalik panchayat member seats, whose results were declared, 1,001 went to the BJP and 731 to the Congress. The AIUDF got 138, independents won in 137 and the AGP 105. One anchalik panchayat member is from the CPI (M). Lauding the performance of the party in winning over the confidence of the people, the Prime Minister said, I appreciate the entire team of Assam BJP for their excellent work across the state, which has resulted in the partys wonderful performance. I am sure the karyakartas will continue raising issues of public welfare and work towards Assams growth In his twitter message Mr Modi said, Over the last few years, the BJP and the NDA family have become the preferred choice of the northeast. We consider it our privilege that we have the honour of fulfilling the aspirations of the northeast and taking the region to new heights of progress. Baghel was perhaps the only Congress leader who dared to take on Ajit Jogi. Raipur: Chief minister-designate Bhupesh Baghel has proved himself a daring and courageous fighter by steering Congress to a landslide victory in Chhattisgarh braving all odds and adverse situations. Fifty-seven-year Mr Baghel took over the reign of the party in Chhattisgarh in January, 2013 when morale of the Congress cadres was at its lowest ebb following twin-tragedy it faced in form of massacre of 27 leaders of party being massacred in a Naxal ambush in Jheeram Ghati in Bastar district in the state barely six months ago and third successive defeat of the party in the assembly elections a month back. The never-say-die Mr Baghel, a post-graduate from Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University in Raipur, faced the challenges head-on after giving a war cry against his ex-party colleague Ajit Jogi and former chief minister and BJP strongman Raman Singh, who Congress had identified as bottlenecks in its return to power in the state. Mr Baghel was perhaps the only Congress leader who dared to take on Mr Jogi, considered as the most powerful leader in the party in Chhattisgarh then because of his purported proximity to the party high command, and later ensured exit of Mr Jogi and the latters son Amit from the party. He ruthlessly curbed infighting in the party by showing supporters of Mr Jogi the door. Mr Jogi later founded Janata Congress Chhattisgarh after breaking away from Congress in 2016 following Mr Baghels aggressive and courageous leadership. He braved all kinds of threats while pressing for a CBI probe into the 2013 massacre of 27 Congress leaders in Jheeram Ghati by Naxals in Bastr district in Chhattisgarh as he suspected a political conspiracy in the gruesome incident. Mr Baghel had hit the streets from the word go to expose various omissions and commissions in the Raman Singh government in the last five years which triggered a strong anti-incumbency leading Congress to sweep the recently held assembly polls in the state. Mr Baghel had to spend a couple of days in jail in Raipur after CBI charge-sheeted him in an alleged fake sex-CD case involving a minister in the Raman Singh government. Congress stormed to power in Chhattisgarh by security 68 out of total 90 seats, forcing BJP to contend with only 15 seats. Photos describing life of the poorest in Georgia - GeorgianJournal Baghel led a delegation of newly-elected Congress MLAs to Raj Bhavan here to submit the letter by the CLP electing him as its leader. Congress president Rahul Gandhi with senior leaders of the partys Chhattisgarh unit former Union minister Charandas Mahant, Congress OBC cell chief Tamradhwaj Sahu, party leaders Bhupesh Baghel and T.S. Singh Deo at his residence in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) Raipur: Chhattisgarh PCC president Bhupesh Baghel, who led the Congress to a landslide victory in the state, was named chief minister by the party on Sunday. The 68-member Congress Legislature Party (CLP), which met here in the afternoon, elected him its leader, paving the way for the 57-year-old OBC leader to become the third chief minister of Chhattisgarh. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who attended the CLP meet as AICC observer, announced his name as the new chief minister of the state. His appointment followed four-day-long hectic parleys and deliberations with party president Rahul Gandhi. Later, Mr Baghel led a delegation of newly-elected Congress MLAs to Raj Bhavan here to submit the letter by the CLP electing him as its leader. He is due to be sworn in as chief minister by governor Anandiben Patel at the Science College ground here at 4.30 in the afternoon on Monday. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a host of senior Congress leaders, besides the heads of some regional parties, are expected to attend his oath-taking ceremony. Later, talking to the reporters here, the chief minister-designate said he has set two things as the key priorities for his government a fresh probe to unearth the political conspiracy in the massacre of frontline Congress leaders of Chhattisgarh by Naxals in Jheeram Ghati in Bastar district in May 2013, and the implementation of farm loan waivers as promised by his party. Mr Baghel said a special investigation team (SIT) will be constituted to investigate the Jheeram Ghati massacre of 27 Congress leaders by the Maoists on May 25, 2013 to bring to light the role played by some politicians and police officers in the incident. Mr Baghel said the decision to write off crop loans would be cleared at the very first meeting of his Cabinet, which would be convened within 10 days of government formation. Mr Gandhi had promised to waive farm loans within 10 days of the Congress coming to power in the state. Huawei Nova 4 launch today: Triple-lens camera, 8GB RAM and Kirin 970 News oi-Rohit Arora Huawei Nova 4 is expected to come with 8GB RAM and triple-lens camera setup. The smartphone will also offer a bezel-less design for immersive viewing experience Huawei is expected to launch a new value flagship smartphone today in the homegrown Chinese market. The upcoming smartphone will be the successor to Nova 3, which was unveiled in India in July 2018 along with Nova 3i. Compared to the Nova 3, the Nova 4 is expected to bring some really cool features to take on OnePlus 6T and other smartphones priced in Rs. 40k to 45K segment. Based on Nova 4's recent geekbench listings and rumored specs, here's what we can expect from the upcoming value flagship handset. Kirin 970 AI CPU and 8GB RAM Huawei Nova 4 is making some big splashes in the online world since last few weeks. The smartphone has been spotted on benchmarking website- Geekbench with some powerful specifications. As per the listings on Geekbench and rumored specs, the successor to Nova 3 smartphone will come with whopping 8GB of RAM but will be powered by the same Huawei's Kirin 970 AI chipset, which powered the previous Nova 3 handset. Kirin 970 is a capable AI enabled SoC but it now seems dated when you compare it with the current flagship- Snapdragon 845. It will be interesting to see how Huawei prices the new handset as it is expected to take on OnePlus 6T which runs on Snapdragon 845 CPU and comes with 6GB, 8GB and 10GB RAM configurations. Bezel-less Punch-hole display A major highlight of the upcoming Nova 4 will be its display. The smartphone is expected to boast an edge-to-edge screen without a notch cut out. Instead, you might get to see just one hole cut in the screen for the front-camera housing. The full-screen design with one-hole cut out was recently seen in Samsung's A8S handset and is also expected to be seen in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10. Triple-lens AI camera setup Huawei Nova 4is also expected to boast a triple-lens camera setup. Unlike the recently launched Mate 20 Pro, the Nova 4 is expected to feature a three-lens camera setup comprising of a 48MP sensor, 16MP sensor and 2MP sensor. The company might also launch Huawei Nova 4i, with a similar camera setup boasting a 20MP main sensor clubbed with a 16MP and a 2MP sensor. As far as front-facing camera is concerned, the Nova 4 is expected to offer a massive 25MP selfie camera. Battery and connectivity We might not get to see a bigger battery unit as the upcoming Nova 4 is expected to be powered by the similar 3,750 mAh battery unit that powered the Nova 3. The battery unit will support 18W fast charging. Expected Price Looking at the possible spec-sheet and last year's pricing, we are expecting Huawei Nova 4 to cost around Rs. 35,000 in the Indian market if the company plans an upcoming launch. For now, the smartphone will make its entry in the Chinese market. We will keep you updated on the launch details and Huawei's plans to launch the handset in India. Image source Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Lenovo z5s with triple camera setup will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC News oi-Vivek Lenovo Z5s will launch on the 18th of December Lenovo is all set for the launch of the Lenovo Z5s and the Lenovo Z5s Ferrari SuperFast Edition in China on the 18th of December. We already know that the Ferrari SuperFast Edition of the Lenovo Z5s will be one of the first smartphones in the world with a whopping 12 GB of RAM. A leaked promotional document of the Lenovo Z5s does shed some light on the actual specifications of the standard Lenovo Z5s, which is expected to cost less than the Ferrari Edition. The leak According to the promotion document, the Lenovo Z5s will be the first smartphone from the company with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 AIE SoC, the first 10nm chipset from Qualcomm under the 700 series of chipsets. Do note that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 also powers the recently launched Nokia 8.1, which retails in India for Rs 26,999. The leaflet also confirms that the smartphone will have a screen with 92.6% screen to body ratio. The official promotional materials of the Lenovo Z5s have already confirmed that the smartphone will be available in Coral Orange, Quite Blue, and Starry Night colors with an all-glass unibody design. Lenovo Z5s expected features According to rumors and speculations, the Lenovo Z5s will feature a 6.3-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 2240 x 1080p, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass. Under the hood, the smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC with up to 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The smartphone will have a triple camera setup on the back with a 13 MP primary camera, 5 MP wide-angle lens, and a 2 MP depth camera with a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. There will be an 8 MP selfie camera at the front within the notch. The Lenovo Z5s will have a 3210 mAh battery with fast charging support (probably) with a 3.5 mm headphone jack for audio out. The device will run on Android 9 Pie with ZUI 10 skin on top. Via Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Jaitley said that having failed in their initial falsehood, the Congress is now manufacturing further lies about the judgment. New Delhi: Calling the Congress bad losers, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday ruled out referring the Rafale deal to a Joint Parliamentary Comm-ittee and said the Opposition party will prefer disruptions over discussion on the issue in the remainder of the Winter Session. He said that the CAGs view of the deal was not relevant after the Supreme Courts clean chit on the issue. The Congress wants the Rafale deal to be referred to a JPC, particularly on the price arrived at by the BJP government versus the one negotiated by the previous UPA government. After the Supreme Court has spoken the last word, it gets legitimacy. A political body can never come to a finding contrary to what the court has said, Mr Jaitley wrote in a Facebook blog titled Rafale: Lies, shortlived lies and now further lies? Mr Jaitley said that having failed in their initial falsehood, the Congress is now manufacturing further lies about the judgment. On the Congress claiming ambiguity in the courts judgment that said the deal had been examined by the CAG and was now before Parliaments Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mr Jaitley said defence transactions go to the CAG for an audit review, that are then referred to the PAC. This was factually and accurately stated by the government before the court. The audit review of Rafale is pending before the CAG. All facts are shared with it. When its report is out, it will go to the PAC. Notwithstanding this factually correct statement made, if an ambiguity has emerged in the court order, the correct course is for anyone to apply/mention before the court and have it corrected, he said. The correct picture has been presented to the court and it must now be left to the wisdom of the court to state at which stage the CAG review is pending, he added. The CAG review is not relevant to the final findings on procedure, pricing and offset suppliers. But bad losers never accept the truth. Having failed in multiple lies they have now started an innuendo about the judgment, the minister said. Mr Jaitley said on the facts the Congress lied about, the courts judgment conclusively establishes the Opposition partys vulnerabilities in a discussion on defence transactions. It will be a great opportunity to remind the nation of the legacy of the Congress Party and its defence acquisitions a great opportunity indeed for some of us to speak, he wrote. Samsung foldable phone likely to feature a whopping 6,000mAh battery News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Samsung Galaxy Fold details have emerged online. Samsung is long rumored to launch a foldable smartphone. We have been coming across several reports regarding this smartphone. And, it is touted to be launched sometime in 2019. The company has been working on the new technology for years and recent reports reveal something concrete regarding the foldable device. The latest information from a Korean market research group via LetsGoDigital has detailed how it sees the foldable smartphone industry and how the same will shape up in the near future. The report reveals a few interesting aspects about the upcoming Samsung device likely dubbed Samsung Galaxy Fold. Samsung Galaxy Fold details Going by the report, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is likely to feature two batteries in two parts. On summing up, the total battery capacity will be 6000mAh. Besides this gigantic battery capacity, the foldable smartphone will make use of the Samsung Exynos 9820 SoC or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC based on the market. It will be paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage space. While these details are somewhat practical, the only claim that appears to be unlikely is the dual camera arrangement. Given that Samsung has launched devices with triple and quad cameras recently, we cannot expect a flagship device to arrive with a 12MP + 12MP dual camera module. As it is one of the unique devices to be launched, we can expect the Galaxy Fold to be an expensive smartphone. There has been a slew of reports revealing the possible pricing of this smartphone. This smartphone is likely to use a foldable OLED display from Samsung Display, which is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Recently, there were reports that the company is in plans to produce one million foldable OLED panels by 2019. And, there are claims that its rival, LG Display might not hit the figure until 2020. Upcoming foldable smartphones We can expect foldable smartphones to be launched by a few companies in 2019. Some of the first companies would be Samsung, LG and Huawei. Even Chinese brands such as Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are working on similar devices for the next year. On the other hand, Apple and Microsoft aren't expected to launch such devices until 2020. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications 13-year old Indian boy owns a software company in Dubai News oi-Karan Sharma An Indian boy whose age is on 13 is owning a software company in Dubai. He developed his first application when he was 9-year old. A Dubai based 13-year old Indian boy developed his first mobile application four years ago. According to media reports that boy also runs a software development company of his own. Aadithyan Rajesh is his name and he is a student from Kerala. He was only nine years old when he developed his first mobile application just to beat boredom. Rajesh also designs logo and websites for clients. According to Khaleej Times, Rajesh started using the computer when he was just five and now he finally launched his own company 'Trinet Solutions' at the age of 13. "I was born in Thiruvilla, Kerala, and my family moved here when I was five. The first website my dad showed me was BBC Typing, a website for kids where young students can learn typing," Rajesh told the Dubai-based English daily. Trinet solution has a total of three employees right now, which includes friends and students from Aadithyan's school. "I need to be over the age of 18 to actually become an established company owner. However, we function like a company. We have worked with over 12 clients, and have given them our design and coding services entirely for free," he said as per PTI. It's good to see that Indian are achieving success like this in other countries, and getting known by their nation for their good work. At such a small age, this boy has owned his own company, it must be interesting to see what he is going to do further in his life. Best Mobiles in India Delhi HC dismisses Vodafone tax refund plea worth Rs 4,759 crore: Report News oi-Priyanka Dua There is another report which says that Vodafone Idea has requested the telecom ministry not to hold spectrum auction till 2020. The Delhi High Court has reportedly dismissed Vodafone's appeal seeking directions to the Income Tax department to fast-track the process of claiming for refund worth Rs 4,759 crore from the FY 2014-15 to 2017-18. According to PTI reports, a bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Prateek Jalan declined to grant any relief to the company, saying there was merit in the tax department's argument that substantial outstanding demand was pending against the company and there was likelihood of more demands being made after the assessment for the AYs in question were scrutinized. It said there is some merit in the revenue's (tax department) argument that substantial outstanding demand is pending against the petitioner. Further, the likelihood of substantial demands upon the assessee after the scrutiny for the AYs is completed, cannot be ruled out. The bench added that "The Revenue should have the right to adjust the demands against the refunds that may arise but have not yet been determined due to ongoing scrutiny proceedings." Furthermore, it noted that assessments for the years in question were either facing a special audit or pending before the Assessment Officer (AO) for scrutiny and since scrutiny assessment of earlier years had led to raising of substantial demand, the tax department had decided not to process the company's returns. Meanwhile, there is another report which says that Vodafone Idea has requested the telecom ministry not to hold spectrum auction till 2020. "For 5G to work, a robust 4G network is a must. Accordingly, telecom service providers in India are currently focused on optimizing 4G networks and making them 5G ready, for which they have sufficient spectrum," the news agency quoted an email from the operator. To recall Vodafone completed its merger with Idea Cellular to create the largest telecom company in the country. The merger is expected to generate Rs.140 billion annual synergy, including opex synergies of Rs. 84 billion, equivalent to a net present value of approximately Rs.700 billion. The entity will have 1850 MHz of total spectrum holding, over 200,000 unique GSM sites and 235,000 km of fiber, the merged company offers superior voice and broadband connectivity across the country, covering 92 percent of the population and reaching nearly 500,000 towns and villages. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Reliance Jio to tie up with Flex to produce mobile phones: Report News oi-Priyanka Dua In fact report from the research firm Counterpoint said that Reliance Jio captured 47 percent feature phone market in Q2, 2018 driven by the success of its Jiophone. With an aim to expand its market share, Mukesh Ambani- owned Reliance Jio is reportedly in talks with US contract manufacturer Flex to produce 100 million mobile phone handsets locally. According to report in ET Jio is in advanced discussions for a large order and that has caused a stir in the market, even prompting Flex to negotiate some tax benefits with the government in the SEZ where its factory is located in Chennai. "However, the company wants to be able to sell the produced units in the domestic tariff area (DTAs), without attracting the duties, at rates similar to that of FTAs," ET quoted sources. In fact report from the research firm Counterpoint said that Reliance Jio captured 47 percent feature phone market in Q2, 2018 driven by the success of its Jiophone. The report also predicts that Reliance Jio is likely to maintain the growth momentum as it refreshed its Jiophone coupled with aggressive upgrade offer of Rs. 501 and bringing popular apps including WhatsApp to Jiophone 2. IDC also said that Reliance Jio, the telecom operator and the main driver of the 4G feature phone segment with its JioPhone range of phones, remained the top vendor in the overall feature phone market. However, the 4G feature phone market saw a slight decline of 10 percent QoQ with 19.0 million units. IDC believes that this drop is due to JioPhone inventory buildup from 1Q18. Reliance Jio, as an attempt for clearing this inventory, recently introduced the "Monsoon Hungama" feature phone exchange offer and brought popular apps like WhatsApp, YouTube on JioPhone. The 2G feature phone segment continued to decline further as local players struggle for survival in this segment and segment is losing relevance due to the aggressive push in the 4G feature phone segment by Reliance Jio. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Under Secretary of the Navy Enhances Partnerships with Vital Ally in Romania Navy News Service Story Number: NNS181215-01 Release Date: 12/15/2018 10:31:00 PM By Cmdr. Paul Macapagal, Under Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs DEVESELU, Romania (NNS) -- Under Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly visited Romania Dec. 13-14 as part of a multination trip to the European region focused on strengthening partnerships and cooperation. During the two-day visit, Modly met with the U.S Embassy deputy chief of mission, chief of Romanian Naval Forces, Romanian minister of National Defense, Romanian commander of the 99th Military Base Deveselu, and other senior U.S. and Romanian military and civilian officials. "Meeting with these senior Romanian officials and listening to their views provided us with an opportunity to advance our strengthening relationship and our mutual desire for peace and security in the region" said Modly. Under Secretary Modly also toured the U.S. Naval Support Facility (NSF) Deveselu and the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System while meeting with Sailors who support both entities. "Romania is a vital NATO ally with a professional and highly credible military that is well respected throughout the world," said Modly. "We are honored to continue our long-term cooperation with this strategic ally who continues to demonstrate our shared commitment to security and the rule of law in the Black Sea region and beyond." A common theme promoted by the Romanian commander of the 99th Military Base Deveselu who is the host of U.S. personnel at NSF Deveselu is one team, one fight. "We continue to train with our Romanian allies, participate in regional exercises and stand ready to respond to regional threats," said Modly. "The U.S. stands with Romania in our commitment to regional security and collective defense." Prior to this stop, Modly was in Norway Dec. 10-13. His week-long trip to Europe is in direct support of the second line of effort of the National Defense Strategy: Strengthening partnerships and alliances. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Outcome of the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC December 15, 2018 The United States participated in COP24 to protect U.S. interests, advance a level playing field for U.S. business, and promote the U.S. balanced approach to economic growth, energy security, and environmental protection. Judith Garber, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) at the U.S. Department of State, served as head of the U.S. delegation and delivered the U.S. National Statement. The United States expresses its appreciation to Poland for its hospitality, excellent preparation, and leadership at COP24, which concluded in Katowice on December 15, 2018. The Administration's position on the Paris Agreement remains unchanged. On June 1, 2017, the President announced the United States intends to withdraw from the Paris Agreement absent terms more favorable to the American people. During COP24, the United States highlighted its balanced approach that promotes economic growth, improves energy security, and protects the environment. This balanced approach is gaining traction with pragmatic partner countries who recognize we can protect economic growth and energy security while preserving the environment. U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions have fallen by 14 percent since 2005, even as the U.S. economy has grown by 19.4 percent. This world-leading achievement and a diverse energy portfolio is possible thanks to early stage research and development and private sector finance and innovation. As U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently said, "In America [w]e've unleashed our energy companies to innovate and compete. And our carbon emissions have declined dramatically." The United States takes note of the negotiated outcome and appreciates the hard work of our negotiators. The outcome took a significant step toward holding our economic competitors accountable for reporting their emissions in a manner consistent with standards the United States has met since 1992. The United States is not taking on any burdens or financial pledges in support of the Paris Agreement and will not allow climate agreements to be used as a vehicle to redistribute wealth. We will work with our many partner countries to innovate and deploy a broad array of technologies that promote economic growth, improve energy security, and protect the environment. For press inquiries, please contact ClimateComms@state.gov. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Reopening of Port of Hodeida is Good News for Starving Yemenis By Lisa Schlein December 16, 2018 The World Food Program says reopening the Yemeni Port of Hodeida is crucial in efforts to stave off famine in that country, which has been at war for more than three years. The United Nations warns some 14 million people are on the verge of starvation in Yemen. Yemen imports 90 percent of its food, with 70 percent arriving at the port of Hodeida. Yemen's warring parties agreed to a province-wide cease-fire in Hodeida at U.N.-mediated talks in Sweden. Unfortunately, fighting broke out Friday on the outskirts of the port, a day after the truce was adopted, putting the reopening of the port in doubt. The World Food Program reports it is critical to both humanitarian operations and to the commercial sector that the agreement be salvaged. It says the port of Hodeida is the principle lifeline for two-thirds of the country. WFP spokesman, Herve Verhoosel, says the free flow of commercial food supplies into Yemen should prevent further increases in food prices, which have skyrocketed, making food unaffordable for millions. "In Yemen, 20 million people today rely on the private market," said Verhoosel. "They buy their food in the street, in the market ... And we hope that when the port will again work at normal capacity, more food will come on the private market and potentially the price of that food for those millions of people who buy it will not go up anymore." Last year, WFP was providing 3.5 million Yemenis with food rations every month. The number of beneficiaries has more than doubled over the past two years. Since August, the agency has been assisting seven to 8 million people a month. Verhoosel says WFP is scaling up its operations to reach 10 million of the most vulnerable people in Yemen this month, with plans to reach up to 12 million in the New Year. He says special attention will be given to increasing nutrition for severely malnourished children, and for pregnant and breastfeeding women. He says they are most at risk of famine and death. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 20 Afghan civilians killed in NATO air strikes IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Dec 16, IRNA -- At least 20 civilians including 12 children were killed on Sunday in airstrikes by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Afghan security forces in the east of the country. According to Reuters, local officials said the military strike which is said to be 'the latest in a series targeting senior insurgents' targeted Sharif Mawiya, a Taliban commander in Kunar Province. During attacks by Afghan security forces in the southern province of Helmand on December second, its governor who was among Taliban was killed. During this month, several other Taliban commanders were also killed by Afghan forces backed by the United States and the Afghan Air Force. This, however, poses a risk to the lives of civilians. The number of fatalities from bombings by NATO and the Afghan army has sharply increased in 2018. 'According to United Nations figures, 313 civilians were killed and 336 wounded in airstrikes by U.S. and Afghan forces in the nine months to the end of September, a 39 per cent increase from the same period in 2017.' Since 2011, Afghanistan has been engulfed by a rising wave of violence and despite the presence of foreign troops, many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy. The United States and its allies in NATO occupied the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The Taliban and other militant groups have been carrying out bloody attacks across Afghanistan, killing the military and civilians alike and taking heavy toll on women and children. 9477**1771 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address K T Rama Rao's appointment is being seen by many as a move anointing him as heir apparent to the party president. K T Rama Rao has been appointed as TRS working president as K Chandrasekhar Rao would be focusing on national politics. (Photo: Twitter | @trspartyonline) Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's son, K T Rama Rao, took over as the party's working president on Monday. Rama Rao's appointment is being seen by many as a move anointing him as heir apparent to the party president. The 42-year-old, known to be a suave and articulate leader, has been appointed as the working president as Chandrasekhar Rao would be focusing on national politics, a release from the chief minister's office had said last week. Rama Rao who was the minister for IT, Industries and Municipal Administration in the previous government, has been elected from the Sircilla constituency in the December 7 Assembly elections. The TRS won 88 seats in the 119-member Assembly. Chandrasekhar Rao took over as the Chief Minister for a second straight term last Thursday. Yemen Army targets Saudi military positions with missiles IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Dec 16, IRNA -- Yemeni Army's missile units fired four missiles of 'Zelzal 1' type at Saudi military positions south of the country in response to Saudi aerial attacks on Al-Hudaideh. Yemeni military resources announced that a number of Saudi military forces were killed or wounded. Yemen airstrike took place at a time when Yemen's army spokesman Brigadier Yahya Sare'e announced that Saudi coalition's fighters bombed Al-Hudaideh 12 times over the past 24 hours. After warring sides in Yemen agreed to a ceasefire in the flashpoint port city of Hodeidah, Saudi fighters have attacked different points in Yemen. Fourth round of Yemen peace talks ended on Thursday on December 13. 8072**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Haniyeh hails West Bank's resistance against Zionist enemy Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 06:58PM Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has commended the West Bank for its "resistance" in the face of Israeli occupation, as thousands of Palestinians marched in the Gaza Strip to express their support for the movement on its 31st anniversary. "We place our hopes in the West Bank, which is the main area where events are occurring and the most appropriate area to resolve the conflict with our Zionist enemy," Haniyeh told the massive crowd, who waived green Hamas flags on Sunday. "The West Bank has shaken and stood up with glory, strength and skill, as if it wanted to say to our people on the occasion of this glorious anniversary that it was with the resistance, in total harmony." Also present during the celebrations were Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, which showcased various military vehicles and weapons. Haniyeh affirmed that al-Qassam Brigades had succeeded in obtaining accurate information about the recent Israeli operation that was carried out by Israeli special forces in Khan Younis, describing the security assets it had obtained as priceless and useful in managing "the brain warfare" against the occupation in the next stage. Undercover Israeli special forces infiltrated into the territory in a civilian car near Khan Yunis, opening fire and killing local commander Noor Baraka when they were discovered. The unit was chased by Hamas fighters who killed a ranking Israeli officer. Israel then launched dozens of airstrikes on Gaza, drawing Hamas retaliation. During a two-day flare-up, more than 500 rockets were fired at Israel, forcing Tel Aviv to accept a hasty declaration of a ceasefire. Haniyeh noted that the latest round of confrontation between the Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza and the Israeli occupation army was a turning point in the management of the military confrontation with the Israeli side. He added that during the recent escalation of tension, al-Qassam Brigades and other resistance groups unveiled only a small part of their military capability when they responded to Israel's bombing of civilian facilities and homes. Hamas was established in 1987 soon after the first Palestinian Intifada or uprising broke out against the Israeli occupation. The movement has been administering Gaza since 2007 when it scored a surprise parliamentary victory. The resistance group also maintains a large presence in the West Bank, which is home to Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. The Gaza Strip has been under an inhumane Israeli siege since 2007 and witnessed three wars since 2008. The blockade has caused a decline in living standards as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and poverty. Haniyeh's remarks came weeks after a surge in tensions between Hamas and Israeli military forces. Last month, Undercover Israeli Special Forces infiltrated the territory in a civilian car near Khan Yunis, opening fire and killing local commander Noor Baraka when they were discovered. The unit was chased by Hamas fighters who killed a ranking Israeli officer. Israel then launched dozens of airstrikes on Gaza, drawing Hamas' retaliation. During a two-day flare-up, more than 500 rockets were fired at Israel, forcing Tel Aviv to accept a hasty declaration of a ceasefire. Hamas has also claimed a series of attacks against Israeli military forces since then, which were carried out in response to regular attacks on Palestinians. The latest attack came on Thursday, when two soldiers were shot dead at a central West Bank bus station near a settlement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Northeastern Nigeria fighting with militants leaves 12 soldiers dead Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 06:17PM At least 12 Nigerian soldiers have been killed and dozens of others have gone missing following clashes with Takfiri militants in the northeastern state of Borno. Three unnamed military sources told media outlets Sunday that the attack targeted a military base and a nearby community in the Gudumbali local government area. The fighting followed an attack on Friday by militants in the troubled area, where a splinter group of Boko Haram called "Daesh in West Africa" is influential. The poor communication network in the remote area delayed the relay of the details of the attack. The army officially said it had repelled the attack, in which it said one soldier was killed and another was injured. Militants opened fire on troops while aid materials were being distributed in Gudumbali. "The troops, however, fought gallantly and outmanoeuvred the attackers inflicting heavy casualties on them. Unfortunately, a soldier paid the supreme price during the encounter, while another was wounded in action," the statement read. In late November, about 100 soldiers were killed by Daesh Takfiri terrorists who attacked an army base in Metele, Borno. Nigeria's northeastern region has been plagued by the terrorist activities of Boko Haram and a Daesh affiliate, which broke away in 2016 and is now considered by security experts as the stronger of the two. The Abuja government in June ordered thousands of people who fled the conflict with Boko Haram to return to Gudumbali, one of the most dangerous northeastern areas. Officials cut off food and other aid to those who refused. Since 2009, militants have killed at least 20,000 dead and made over 2.6 million others homeless. In 2015, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to Daesh. President Muhammadu Buhari's security record has become a campaign issue two months ahead of an election in which he is seeking a second term. Buhari, a former general, came to power in 2015 on a platform of stamping out Boko Haram. But despite retaking swathes of territory from the group, Boko Haram continues to stage attacks targeting both civilians and military personnel. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US military caught using mockup Chinese jet for practice Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 03:38PM The US military has reportedly been caught using a full-size replica of an advanced Chinese fighter jet for training purposes, a move experts say reflects Washington's growing concerns over China's growing military prowess. The mock-up was based on the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter jet and was first spotted at a military facility near the Savannah-Hilton Head Airport in Georgia, home to the US Air Dominance Center (ADC), the South China Morning Post reported Sunday. First photographed on December 5, details about the jet were published two days later by the website TheAviationist.com. However, the report was not taken seriously until the military blog asked Colonel Emmanuel Haldopoulos, the commander of the ADC, about the report's authenticity. Haldopoulos said in response that the mock-up plane was "a full-scale replica and remained at the air base for a short period" between December 4 and 6. According to the commander, the US Marine Corps was "funding and directing the training objectives of this device, which he said was only used for ground training. On Friday, the Marine Corps Training and Education Command (TECOM) said in a statement that it was "contracted with the US Army Threat Systems Management Office to provide full-scale, realistic aircraft and vehicle mock-ups for multiple Marine Corps bases," including the J-20 model. "The initial aircraft mock-up identified was a J-20 fighter to develop as a proof of concept, with a plan to develop additional threat aircraft and vehicles in the future," the statement said. First unveiled in 2011, the fifth-generation Chinese aircraft is generally seen as a direct response to America's F-35 stealth fighter jet. TECOM said the replica jet had been involved in various experiments and military training while at the base. "[It] was moved to ADC Savannah, Georgia to evaluate the assembly and disassembly process, heat and light signatures, and prepare for movement to the chosen training area in North Carolina," the statement said. However, it claimed that the prototype was not designed for flight training missions, including dogfights. The J-20 mock-up is not the first replica foreign jet to have been built by the US military for training, but it is unusual for images of them to be so freely available. US military trainers have often used American aircraft with similar capabilities to their enemy models for the purposes of combat simulation. In the Soviet era, the US Navy Fighter Weapons School used the A-4 Skyhawk to simulate various Soviet fighters, while the F-5E was used for the MiG-21. In 2016, it was reported that the US had painted F/A-18 fighter jets with blue patterns similar to those employed by the Russian military. The full-size replica of a Chinese jet, however, suggests the US military now deems China's air force, and the J-20, as a substantial threat. Sean King, a former US diplomat who is now senior vice-president of political strategy firm Park Strategies, said it was no longer a secret that Washington sees Beijing as its primary strategic competitor. He said Washington's strategic priority had shifted from Russia to China. "The mock-up speaks to the fact that mainland China is a major US strategic rival. I would go so far as to say Beijing's our primary state actor rival," he said. "Conflict is by no means inevitable, but it's always better to be prepared. I can bet you the [People's Liberation Army is] gaming out every possible angle against [the US]." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address They have 'no rights' to recognize al-Quds as Israel's 'capital': Malaysian PM Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 03:25PM Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has denounced Australia's controversial move in recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as the so-called capital of the Israeli regime, saying that "they have no rights" to do so. The Malaysian leader made the comments on the sidelines of an event in the Thai capital of Bangkok on Sunday, a day after Canberra announced that it had formally recognized the city as Israel's "capital" and would move its Tel Aviv embassy once a peace settlement was reached. "Jerusalem [al-Quds] should remain as it is now and not the capital of Israel," Mahathir said, adding, "Jerusalem [al-Quds] has always been under Palestine, so why are they taking the initiative to divide Jerusalem [al-Quds] not belonging to them, but to divide the Arabs and the Jews? They have no rights." Australia's provocative move followed US President Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy to the city from Tel Aviv on May 14, which infuriated Palestinians and the wider Islamic world and upset Western allies. The relocation also triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries. The US president had announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's "capital" and relocate the US embassy in the occupied territories from Tel Aviv to the city on December 6 last year. On December 21, 2017, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that called on the US to withdraw its controversial policy shift, but all to no avail. Canberra's decision on recognition makes the Commonwealth of Australia one of a handful of countries to recognize the city as the "capital" of the Israeli regime, representing a change in the Oceanian country's long-held policy on the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Meanwhile, Malaysia's Foreign Ministry released a statement echoing the stance adopted by the premier regarding Australia's decision, saying Kuala Lumpur "strongly opposes" it. Israel's crackdown in Gaza left over 60 protesters dead in the impoverished coastal enclave on May 14 alone. Angered by Trump's move, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas boycotted his administration, saying Washington was no longer qualified to serve as the sole mediator in the decades-long conflict with Israel, and that an international mechanism should be devised to replace the US in the so-called peace process. Jerusalem al-Quds remains at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians hoping that the eastern part of the city would eventually serve as the capital of a future independent Palestinian state. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hamas marks anniversary with parade of new missiles Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 11:42AM Tens of thousands of Palestinians have attended a huge rally in the besieged Gaza Strip to mark the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the Hamas resistance movement. Hamas was established in 1987 soon after the first Palestinian Intifada or uprising broke out against the Israeli occupation. The movement has been administering Gaza since 2007 when it scored a surprise parliamentary victory. On Saturday, Hamas marked the anniversary of its foundation with a military parade featuring the Palestinian resistance movement's new defensive hardware. Members of the group's military movement, the Izzddin al-Qassam Brigades, showcased various military vehicles and weapons. The ceremony was held in the southern city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip which is ruled by the movement. The movement's special units staged a march-past during which truck-mounted missile defense systems were driven through the streets. The movement also honored its fighters who outed and neutralized an Israeli infiltration near Khan Yunis last month. Undercover Israeli special forces infiltrated into the territory in a civilian car near Khan Yunis, opening fire and killing local commander Noor Baraka when they were discovered. The unit was chased by Hamas fighters who killed a ranking Israeli officer. Israel then launched dozens of airstrikes on Gaza, drawing Hamas retaliation. During a two-day flare-up, more than 500 rockets were fired at Israel, forcing Tel Aviv to accept a hasty declaration of a ceasefire. The Saturday ceremony also coincided with the anniversary of the first Palestinian Intifada, which broke out in 1987 after four young Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in Gaza as well as the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy during an unarmed protest. An Arabic word that literally translates to "shaking off," Intifada has been used to refer to legitimate means of resistance against oppression across the Middle East for decades. In the Arab-Israeli conflict, it means a concerted Palestinian effort to shake off Israeli occupation and gain independence. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Heavy clashes as Saudi push in Hudaydah repelled Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 11:19AM Saudi airstrikes and fierce clashes have shaken the outskirts of Yemen's Hudaydah despite a UN-brokered ceasefire that Yemenis already feared could collapse at any moment. Residents were hoping that the ceasefire reached in Sweden Thursday would provide them a respite after months of clashes which have seen a push by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to seize Hudaydah thwarted. But heavy clashes broke out on the outskirts of Hudaydah overnight following fresh attempts by Saudi and Emirati troops and their mercenaries to advance into the city amid aerial bombings. A military source loyal to Yemen's former Saudi-backed regime told AFP that least 29 fighters, including 22 Houthis, had been killed on Saturday night. He also claimed that seven Houthi fighters had been taken captive during an attack by pro-Saudi militants in Hudaydah Province's Durayhimi district. A Hudaydah resident said the fresh fighting was "fierce" and that the sounds of fighter jets, operated by Saudi Arabia and its allies, could be heard throughout the night until Sunday morning. Yemen's army spokesman Brigadier Yahya Sare'e said on Saturday that dozens of Saudi air raids had targeted residential neighborhoods across the impoverished country and dropped cluster bombs on citizens' farms in Hudaydah. In a statement carried by Yemen's official Saba news agency, Sare'e said Saudi mercenaries, supported by heavy shelling of artillery and rockets, had tried to infiltrate into Durayhimi from several directions. "They tried to sneak into the positions of our forces but the army and Popular Committees responded, killing and wounding a number of them," he added. Later in the day, the coalition's jet fighters also launched new airstrikes on the Yemeni town of Bayda, leaving three people, including two children, killed. The clashes came after Yemen's Houthi movement and the former Saudi-allied regime agreed Thursday to cease fighting and withdraw their forces from Hudaydah following week-long peace talks in Sweden. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the ceasefire agreement would see "a mutual redeployment of forces from the port and the city," with the UN playing "a leading role" there to facilitate humanitarian access. The truce was the first significant breakthrough in Yemen's peace process, which is aimed at ending the Saudi war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country to the brink of famine. However, Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam said on Friday there was no sign that the Saudis were "going to stop their aggression against the innocent people of Yemen despite the ceasefire deal." Abdulsalam called on the Yemenis to remain vigilant, especially in Hudaydah and Tai'zz, and continue supporting the Yemeni army and popular committees. 'Ceasefire date set for Tuesday' On Sunday, a spokesperson for the Houthi leadership said the UN had set the Hudaydah ceasefire date for December 18. "The Houthis received a message from the UN, setting the date to begin the ceasefire between the warring parties in the city of Hudaydah on December 18," he told Doha-based Al Jazeera broadcaster. The chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of Yemen, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said he hoped that the opposite side would observe the Hudaydah truce. "We hope that the US-Saudi-UAE coalition and its allies in Yemen will commit to the date of the ceasefire in the field, as a beginning of ending the aggression," he tweeted on Saturday. Hudaydah, a lifeline for millions of Yemeni people, is the entry point for most of the country's commercial goods and vital aid. The port has seen some of the heaviest fighting in the four-year Saudi war on Yemen. Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched their offensive against Hudaydah in June but they have faced a strong resistance put up by Yemeni armed forces led by the Houthis -- as well as the city's residents. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In U-turn, Sri Lanka president reinstates ousted prime minister Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 09:13AM Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has reinstated Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, some two months after he ousted him and triggered a political crisis in the country. President Sirisena reinstated Wickremesinghe on Sunday, capitulating in the face of political realities that had persisted since he ousted the premier over policy differences on October 26. At the time, the president also suspended the parliament, where Wickremesinghe enjoyed solid support. But a court later overruled the decision to suspend the parliament, and Wickremesinghe also refused to step down or leave the prime minister's residence. Former president Mahinda Rajapakse, who had replaced Wickremesinghe as prime minister, resigned on Saturday after failing to garner support at the parliament. Despite the reinstatement, the political bickering doesn't seem to have ended. On Sunday, President Sirisena who has publicly castigated Wickremesinghe barred journalists from attending the swearing-in ceremony and left it to Wickremesinghe's fellow parliamentarians to announce the reappointment. "We thank the citizens of the country who fought the illegal seizure of power and ensured that democracy was restored," Wickremesinghe's United National Party of Sri Lanka said on Twitter. A spokesman for Wickremesinghe said he was expected to form a cabinet in the coming days, with the priority given to the 2019 budget. In past weeks, ratings agencies had downgraded the country's credit rating amid fears of a sovereign debt default. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kosovo votes to form negotiating team amid Serbia tensions Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 07:27AM Kosovo's parliament has voted for the formation of a negotiating team to try to resolve outstanding issues between the country and its northern neighbor Serbia. Kosovar lawmakers on Saturday voted in favor of a resolution to establish a negotiating team, to be comprised of 12 members from the government, the opposition, and civil society. "Today we have taken a decision that is important to save our sovereignty and integrity and in partnership with the international community," Kadri Veseli, the speaker of the Kosovar parliament, said after the voting. The resolution will become law within 30 days. Most opposition MPs had boycotted the session to approve the negotiating team. Tensions have been mounting between Kosovo and Serbia recently. On Friday, the Kosovar parliament voted to create a 5,000-strong standing army for the first time. Just a week earlier, Serbia's prime minister had threatened that Belgrade would invade Kosovo if that happened. After the establishment of the army was approved, an adviser to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic threatened that Belgrade could send in armed forces or declare Kosovo "occupied territory." Muslim-majority Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, in a move backed by Western countries but not recognized by Belgrade. In 2013, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to hold negotiations under the auspices of the European Union (EU) to resolve points of contention. However, little progress has been made. Both Kosovo and Serbia, along with several other Balkan republics, were part of the former Republic of Yugoslavia, which disintegrated in the 1990s. Kosovo is currently recognized by 117 countries as an independent state, including the United States and most members of the EU. Several other countries, including Russia, however, do not recognize Kosovo as an independent country. While the US has defended Kosovo's decision to establish a defending army, Russia has voiced opposition to it. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli weapons fueling South Sudan civil war: Report Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 07:12AM Millions of dollars worth of Israeli weapons ended up in South Sudan, thus extending the duration of a deadly civil war there, the Jerusalem Post newspaper has reported. Israel has close ties with the South Sudan regime which is accused of using Israeli arms and surveillance equipment in the civil war, which has left close to 400,000 people dead since 2013. Former head of the Israeli army's operations directorate Israel Ziv has been cited as one of the agents who used legal entities as a cover for the sale of millions of dollars worth of weapons to South Sudan. His name was revealed after being sanctioned by the US Treasury Department on Friday for fueling the conflict in South Sudan where Washington has its own vested interests. According to a Treasury statement, Ziv used an agricultural company that was nominally present in South Sudan to carry out agricultural and housing projects for the government. The projects, however, were "a cover for the sale of approximately $150 million worth of weapons to the government, including rifles, grenade launchers and shoulder-fired rockets," the statement said. Ziv was paid through South Sudan's oil industry and is said to have "maintained the loyalty of senior Government of South Sudan officials through bribery and promises of security support," it added. Being in close collaboration with a major multinational oil firm, he also planned attacks by mercenaries on South Sudanese oil fields and infrastructure, in an effort to create a problem that only his company and affiliates could solve, the report said. Israel recognized South Sudan on July 10, 2011, a day after it seceded from Sudan. The youngest country in Africa has been embroiled in a civil war since December 2013 after a political disagreement between President Salva Kiir and the former vice president he had sacked, Riek Machar. Back in 2016, an Israeli Channel 2 investigation implicated Ziv in the organization of public relations operations for President Kiir. With the death toll estimated at 400,000, millions of people have also been displaced from their homes in the fighting. Israel is said to be seeking to take advantage of the insurgency and Takfiri militancy gripping parts of Africa to sell advanced military equipment to conflict-ridden states such as South Sudan. A 2016 UN report said that Israel's Micro Galil automatic rifles are "present in larger numbers than before the outbreak of the conflict" in South Sudan. The rifles sold to Uganda in 2007 were transferred to South Sudan in 2014, the report said, adding that Israeli ACE rifles were also used in the 2013 massacre of Nuer citizens in South Sudan's capital Juba. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Stalin also lashed out at PM Narendra Modi as a sadist who found no time for visiting Gaja-hit Tamils. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is being presented a sword by DMK president M.K. Stalin at a public meeting after unveiling a life-size bronze statue of late chief minister and DMK president M. Karunanidhi at YMCA ground in Chennai on Sunday. (Photo: PTI) Chennai: Taking the lead over his national allies, DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday proposed his Congress counterpart Rahul Gandhi for Prime Ministership in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He also lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a sadist who found no time for visiting Gaja-hit Tamils. With top national leaders like the Kerala Chief Minister Pinnarayi Vijayan, AP chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and CPI MP D. Raja sharing his dais for the unveiling of a bronze statue of his late father M. Karunanidhi here, Stalin became the first leader of the emerging anti-BJP coalition to name Rahul for PMs post - even the Congress party has not so far named him as its candidate for the top post. Perhaps the Opposition leaders have refrained from naming a PM candidate for fear of triggering a conflict among its various personalities to the advantage of the BJP, but Stalins assertion now could launch a fresh bid from the Congress to consolidate on the DMKs goodwill for its scion. Stalin did some good for the coalition by seating long-time rivals Sonia Gandhi and Naidu next to each other, so they could exchange smiles and pleasant conversation. Launching a fierce attack on Prime Minister Modi, Stalin said he had traits of a sadist. I have not ever used such words against any leader but now I am saying sadist because the Prime Minister has no concern for Tamil Nadu. Would he not visit Maharashtra or Gujarat if a tragedy like this (Gaja) had hit them? Why such indifferent attitude towards Tamil Nadu, Stalin thundered. Recalling the famous exhortation from his father Karunanidhi to Indira Gandhi in 1980 to provide a stable leadership Nehruvin magazhey varuga, nilayana aatchi tharuga and again his call to Sonia Gandhi to take up PM post in 2004, Stalin said he was likewise proposing Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate of the Opposition Coalition in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. As the son of Kalaignar, I propose that we will all work together to instal a new Prime Minister in Delhi. I propose the candidature of Rahul Gandhi from Tamil Nadu. Rahul Gandhi has the capability to defeat the fascist Modi government, thundered Stalin as the audience burst into applause. The Forgotten Afghan Province That Became Taliban Country By Shareefullah Sharafat, Frud Bezhan December 16, 2018 QALAT, Afghanistan -- The ancient fortress towering above Qalat, the capital of Afghanistan's southern province of Zabul, overlooks swaths of desert and scrubland that stretch to the rugged mountains straddling the border with Pakistan. This barren, sparsely populated land has long been a backwater. But under the unwatchful eyes of the government and U.S.-led international forces, Zabul has become a major hub of Taliban support in Afghanistan, where the militants are waging a deadly 17-year insurgency. The government's control barely goes beyond the soaring fortress in Qalat, which is said to date back to when Alexander the Great invaded the region more than 2,000 years ago and is now manned by the Afghan National Army. The Taliban contest or control most of Zabul, where government forces are under constant attack. Poverty, No Jobs Despite official claims that support for the Taliban is weak or forced under duress, support in rural Zabul, at least, is high. "I don't support the Taliban, because they are a barrier to progress and development," says Mansur, a resident of Qalat, a dusty town of around 45,000 people. "But people in rural areas don't have a choice. There's poverty and no jobs, so people join the Taliban." Faiz Mohammad Ahmadzai, a civil activist in Qalat, says the province has been forgotten by the government, which he claims has focused its military and developmental efforts in larger, more strategic neighboring provinces like Kandahar, Uruzgan, and Helmand. "Compared to those provinces, we have had very little progress here," Ahmadzai says. "The government has paid little attention to Zabul, so people turning to the Taliban." 'A Lot Of Sympathy For The Taliban' The testimony of Zabul's residents is supported by a newly released survey by the Asia Foundation that found that 59 percent of respondents in Zabul had "a lot of sympathy for the Taliban," more than twice as high as in any province in the country. The survey of some 15,000 adults, the largest annual poll of its kind in Afghanistan, also showed that the percentage of respondents in Zabul who expressed pessimism about the country's direction is 66 percent, about 5 percentage points more than the national average. Only 33 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with democracy, and only 33 percent expressed satisfaction with the provincial government, the lowest in the country. Historical Significance For Taliban Graeme Smith, an Afghanistan analyst and a consultant for the International Crisis Group, warns that "polling in the middle of the world's biggest war is nearly impossible." But Ali Mohammad Sabawoon, a researcher at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul, says there are several reasons why there is more sympathy for the Taliban in Zabul than other provinces. Sabawoon says Zabul has historical significance for the Taliban. The province is located deep in the conservative Pushtun belt from which the Taliban first emerged to gain control of the country in the 1990s, and Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar belonged to the Hotak tribe, one of the two major tribes in Zabul. "There are many Taliban from Zabul who are in the leadership and the rank and file of the militant group," Sabawoon says, in contrast to the lack of Zabul natives serving as ministers in the Kabul government, or as governor or security chief of the province. As a Taliban stronghold, Zabul has also witnessed intense fighting, Sabawoon says, and the province has been the scene of controversial U.S. and Afghan night raids and has suffered civilian casualties in NATO air strikes, creating resentment against the government and international forces. Afghan government forces in the country's volatile south are concentrated in key urban centers and are aimed at protecting key supply routes and clamping down on the opium trade, a key source of income for the insurgency. There is only a limited government security presence in Zabul, where the estimated population of 300,000 is mostly settled in rural areas and is spread across hundreds of villages. 'Propaganda' Zabul also shares a 60-kilometer border with Pakistan, which U.S. and Afghan officials have long accused of supporting and harboring the Taliban, a claim Islamabad denies. The Taliban's leadership is believed to be based in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, which borders Zabul. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, Zabul was a main gateway for the anti-Soviet mujahedin fighters streaming into Afghanistan from Pakistan. "Many people from Zabul lived in Pakistan as refugees or go to Pakistan's Balochistan Province as migrant laborers," Sabawoon says. "The propaganda spread by the Taliban settled in Balochistan is another factor of their sympathy for the Taliban." Deep in Taliban country and forgotten by the government, Zabul residents find themselves in a bind. "The Taliban is destroying our roads and bridges and killing civilians," says Bismillah, a resident of Qalat. "But the government has abandoned us, so people either join the Taliban or support them." Written by Frud Bezhan, with reporting from Zabul Province by Shareefullah Sharafat of RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/the-forgotten- afghan-province-that-became-taliban -country/29659327.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Georgia's First Woman President Sworn In Amid Opposition Protests By RFE/RL's Georgian Service December 16, 2018 TELAVI, Georgia -- Salome Zurabishvili has been sworn into office as Georgia's first woman president, as the opposition continued to denounce her election as rigged. In her inaugural speech on December 16, Zurabishvili vowed to reconcile political divisions and deepen ties with NATO and the European Union. "As the Georgian president backed by our strategic partner, the United States, and European friends, I will make every effort to promote our country's integration process into NATO and the EU," she said. She also urged Russia to respect international law if it wants to normalize relations with its neighbors. Tbilisi's relations with Moscow remain tense following a five-day war in 2008. "Russia should understand that if it wants to be a full-fledged member of the international community and normalize relations in the region it should prove the recognition of international legal norms by words and by deeds. This is mandatory for establishing an equal and peaceful relationship with the neighbors," she said. She added that Russia was continuing its "unacceptable" occupation of two Georgian regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia-backed separatists have controlled the regions since the 2008 war, and Moscow has recognized them as independent states. Only a handful of countries have followed suit. The inauguration ceremony was held at an 18th-century palace in the town of Telavi, about 100 kilometers east of the capital, Tbilisi. More than 1,800 Georgian and foreign guests attended the event, including Armenian President Armen Sarkisian and French former President Nicolas Sarkozy. A French-born former foreign minister of Georgia, the 66-year-old Zurabishvili won a November 28 runoff vote for the presidency with 59.5 percent of the vote. She was backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party. Zurabishvili's rival in the runoff, Grigol Vashadze of the opposition United National Movement, received 40.5 percent of the vote. But opposition parties have refused to accept the results, pointing to instances of alleged fraud in the runoff vote. On December 16, opposition supporters tried to hold a demonstration in Telavi, but police blocked their convoy of cars and buses on a road leading from Tbilisi to the town. Clashes were reported between police and protesters as they tried to break through police ranks. "Georgian Dream has taken away our constitution, our state institutions, our freedom of expression," Vashadze later told journalists. International monitors said the runoff vote was "competitive," but Zurabishvili "enjoyed an undue advantage," citing the misuse of administrative resources that "blurred the line between party and state." With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, Interfax, and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-s- first-woman-president-sworn- into-office/29659171.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Serbian Opposition Forces Vow New Antigovernment Protests By RFE/RL December 16, 2018 Opposition leaders in Serbia have vowed to hit the streets again in January after tens of thousands of people rallied in the capital of Belgrade to protest the rule of President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. The crowd, some blowing whistles and holding placards, on December 15 marched in the Belgrade city center, gathering outside Vucic's presidential offices and demanding his resignation before moving on to headquarters of state broadcaster RTS. Thousands also rallied a week ago, protesting after an opposition party leader was beaten. The protesters have dubbed the demonstrations Stop the Bloody Shirts. Organizers said new rallies are planned for January 16, the anniversary of the death of opposition Kosovar Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic, whose killing stirred tension and sent shock waves through both countries. He was shot dead by unknown attackers on January 16, 2017, outside his SDP Civic Initiative party headquarters in the northern Kosovo city of Mitrovica. "We won't be stopped or silenced," said Serbian Left party leader Borko Stefanovic, who was injured in last month's attack in the southern Serbian town of Krusevac when men wearing black shirts struck him with a metal pole. Vucic condemned the attack; however, his opponents continue to hold him responsible. Former Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas were among opposition figures to lead the protest crowds on December 15 despite a heavy snow that covered the streets of Belgrade Protesters carried placards reading "For how long will Serbia endure evil?" and "They lie, steal...I'm so angry." Many were chanting "Vucic -- thief!" Vucic's opponents have blamed the violence on what they describe as an atmosphere of intimidation and fear that has emerged as a result of the president's populist ruling coalition. Vucic is a former nationalist who now says he wants Serbia to reform and join the European Union. But critics say Vucic has restricted democratic and media freedoms in the Balkan country, which he denies. After the protests a week ago, Vucic ruled out meeting opposition demands for new elections, "even if there were 5 million people in the street." Many in the crowds on December 15 wore badges with "1 in 5 million" on them. In a recent report on Serbia, the European Parliament said it "strongly" encouraged Serbia's leaders to "improve the situation regarding freedom of expression and freedom of the media." With reporting by AP, AFP, and Danas Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-protests- antigovernment-vucic-ivanovic-kosovo- stefanovic/29658669.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Skopje, Sofia Not Speaking Same Language When It Comes To Macedonian By Ron Synovitz December 16, 2018 Macedonia and Bulgaria's long-simmering dispute over the Macedonian language is threatening to boil over again, just as Skopje nears a resolution to its dispute with Greece over the name "Macedonia." Greece and Macedonia's name-change deal in June, the so-called Prespa agreement, aims to alleviate Athens' concerns about potential territorial claims from Skopje -- clearing the way for the former Yugoslav republic to move forward with its efforts to join NATO and the European Union. But a junior partner in Bulgaria's coalition government, the Bulgarian Nationalist Movement (VMRO-BND), raised the possibility this week of new hurdles for Skopje by threatening to withdraw Sofia's support for Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration. The VMRO-BND, led by Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov, was irked over recent arguments made by Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev about the existence of the Macedonian language. Skopje insists Macedonia is a distinct South Slavic language that forms part of country's culture and national identity. Bulgaria was the first country to recognize Macedonia's independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, but it has never recognized Macedonian as a unique language. Sofia insists the official language of Macedonia is merely a regional dialect of Bulgarian. Zaev recently raised the language issue while campaigning for a constitutional amendment needed under the deal with Greece to change country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia. In early December, Zaev told parliament the deal included clarification on the existence of a separate Macedonian language -- a reassurance that is important to the national identity of Macedonians. Zaev's remark referred to part of the Prespa deal under which Greece agreed to recognize the existence of the Macedonian language at the United Nations. The Macedonian parliament on December 3 approved a draft constitutional amendment on the name change. A final vote on whether to adopt the constitutional amendment is expected in January. But Zaev's remark to parliament about the language was also heard in Bulgaria, leading to outrage from Karakachanov and other Bulgarians who view events during the Byzantine era in what is now Macedonia as an important chapter of Bulgaria's early history. Karakachanov told Bulgarian National Television last week that Macedonia was playing "tricks" and "falsifying history" to force the idea of "a Macedonian identity and language not only within Macedonia, but also on Bulgarian territory." "North Macedonia is a geographic denomination that also includes current territories of Bulgaria," Karakachanov said. "Mr. Zaev could as well ask that the Bulgarian dialect they use be studied as an official foreign language in Bulgaria. This is unacceptable. This is a provocation." The VMRO-BND joined Bulgaria's coalition government with pro-Western Prime Minister Boyko Borisov despite the VMRO-BND's opposition to EU and NATO expansion. However, some politicians from Borisov's pro-Western GERB party have joined Karakachanov to protest Zaev's remarks on the language issue. They include Andrey Kovatchev, a Bulgarian member of the European Parliament who described Macedonia's language as "the Western Bulgarian dialect," and accused Zaev of "scoffing about our ancestors' memory." Macedonia's Foreign Ministry was quick to jump into the fray to urge calm. It warned that a "similar counter-response" by Macedonian officials would create a "chain of negative reactions that will separate" Macedonia and Bulgaria, creating "hostility instead of friendship." 'Friendship' Agreement Macedonia's Foreign Ministry also pointed out that a friendship treaty signed by Skopje and Sofia in August 2017 was meant to end years of diplomatic tensions. "We have signed a friendship agreement and the friendship that we build will encompass mutual understanding, respect, and care for the neighbor's interests," the ministry said in a December 10 statement. The bilateral agreement was praised by the EU as a diplomatic breakthrough. Neither side has backed down from their entrenched positions on the language dispute, however, with negotiators sidestepping the issue. The growth of deeper diplomatic and economic ties between the Balkan neighbors had been stunted by the dispute until an agreement was reached in February 1999 on how to skirt the issue. Until then, Sofia had feared that recognition of Macedonian as a unique language would set a precedent allowing Skopje to make future territorial claims in southwestern Bulgaria -- where a similar dialect is used. Skopje also refused to recognize Sofia's position out of fears of potential Bulgarian claims on its territory. Critically, both sides agreed to sign future treaties "in the official languages of the two countries." Accordingly, the carefully worded 2017 friendship treaty states: "The agreement is signed in two original copies, each in the official languages of both sides -- the Macedonian language according to the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia and the Bulgarian language according to the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria." Common History, Differing Viewpoints The language issue isn't the only contentious issue in Bulgarian-Macedonian relations. Disputes have also arisen over differing points of view on historic events in the Balkans. One key debate focuses on Bulgarian military forces deployed in what is now Macedonia during World War II, when the Bulgarian monarchy was allied with Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. Macedonian schools since the end of World War II have taught that the Bulgarian troops were "fascist occupiers," while Bulgarian schools teach that they were "liberators." Another historical dispute involves Ottoman-era revolutionary movements that both countries now claim as part of their own history. In fact, Karakachanov's nationalist VMRO-BND claims it is the successor of the historic Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO) -- a group founded in the 1890s that initially aimed to gain autonomy from Ottoman rule in the regions of Macedonia and Adrianople. Under the friendship agreement, a Bulgarian-Macedonian Historical Committee has been set up with experts from both countries, who are trying to align their history books as much as possible to reduce future tensions. Following two rounds of talks behind closed doors, interviews by RFE/RL with committee members suggest their discussions on some historical events encountered some sticking points. "Macedonian textbooks will not present historical events according to the Bulgarian template," Macedonian committee member Petar Todorov tells RFE/RL. "But the new textbooks -- we will try to overcome the disputes and have them written in a way that helps build a long-term and lasting peace." "We'd like the new textbooks to develop critical thinking by Macedonian students," Todorov adds. "That's something that we cannot find at the moment in Macedonia or in the region." Todorov accepts that Bulgaria and Macedonia share a common history. But he insists that Macedonians also have their own language and national identity that is independent of historical ties with Bulgaria. "A common history doesn't mean 'one people, two states'," Todorov says. "There is a common history between Bulgaria and Macedonia, but it is the history of being under Ottoman rule." "We can also say that Macedonia and Serbia had a common history during the time of Yugoslavia." Written and reported by Ron Synovitz, with additional reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/skopje-sofia- not-speaking-same-language-when-it-comes -to-macedonian/29659030.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Swearing In: First Female President of Georgia Takes the Reins Sputnik News 22:27 16.12.2018(updated 22:33 16.12.2018) Marking the start of a new constitution, the Eurasian country of Georgia has sworn in its first female president. In a carefully-worded address to assembled dignitaries and guests to the former Soviet Union founding member state, Salome Zurabishvili declared that the nation was now on an "irreversible" path toward Europe. "The goal of my presidency is to make Georgia's democratic development and its path towards Europe irreversible," asserted Zurabishvili, 66, in an inaugural speech that noted her tenure in France's diplomatic branch and her previous role as the country's foreign minister under disgraced former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Sworn in on Sunday, the Paris-born Zurabishvili enters into the duties of a president whose role is now largely ceremonial in the wake of the nation's new constitution. Elected with a 59.6 percent majority based on a voter turnout of 56.23 percent, Zurabishvili avowed that she would do everything in her power to bring Georgia into alignment with the European Union and NATO, according to reports. "The goal of my presidency is to make Georgia's democratic development and its path towards Europe irreversible," she stated, cited by Straitstimes.com. "I will facilitate this process with the support of our strategic partner, the United States of America, and our European friends," she added. A mountainous melting pot of multi-ethnic, multi-religious cultures, Georgia between the Caucasus and the Black Sea is one of the oldest areas on Earth settled by humankind. According to local reports, minor clashes erupted between protesters and police on Sunday following accusations of fraud from a vocal political opposition. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli Troops Discover Fourth Hezbollah Tunnel as Military Op Under Way Sputnik News 13:13 16.12.2018(updated 13:28 16.12.2018) In early December, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) launched Operation Northern Shield to "expose and neutralise cross-border" tunnels that the Hezbollah militant group was allegedly planning to use to attack Israel from Lebanese soil. The Israeli military has found a fourth Hezbollah attack tunnel crossing from Lebanon into the Jewish state, Haaretz reported on Sunday, citing an IDF spokesperson. The spokesperson said that although the tunnel is "under IDF control and does not pose an imminent threat", it has been rigged with explosives and anyone attempting to enter it from the Lebanese side is risking their life. The spokesperson also accused Lebanon of violating Israel's sovereignty and UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Earlier, commenting on the detection of the third Hezbollah tunnel on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Hezbollah thought it was digging uninterrupted" but Israel "knew about it and planned it [to launch Operation Northern Shield] and it didn't leak". "We're carrying out exactly what we planned, but we are also prepared for setbacks," he pointed out. On December 4, the IDF announced the launch of Operation Northern Shield to destroy Hezbollah's network of cross-border tunnels, which it reportedly planned to use to secretly transfer its militants to Israel in any potential future conflict. The Lebanese Army, in turn, issued a statement calling Israel's accusations "mere allegations", according to the country's state-run National News Agency (NNA). Former Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, for his part, admitted that the country's officials had been hiding knowledge of the existence of Hezbollah's underground tunnels for years before the IDF announced the launch of its ongoing operation. Yaalon was echoed by a number of former Israeli military officials and opposition politicians who criticised the way in which Operation Northern Shield was revealed to the public. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US, Taliban to Meet Monday in UAE By Ayaz Gul December 16, 2018 A Pakistan-arranged meeting between U.S. and Taliban officials will be held Monday in the United Arab Emirates to push a political settlement to the war in Afghanistan. The special representative for Afghan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, will lead the U.S. team at the talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the gulf state, a senior Pakistani official privy to the development confirmed to VOA on Sunday. The official, requesting anonymity, said Islamabad has facilitated the dialogue after President Donald Trump wrote to Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier this month seeking his cooperation in bringing the Taliban to the table for peace negotiations. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, in a brief statement sent to VOA, has confirmed participation of its political negotiators in Monday's meeting with American officials, but said that representatives of the host country, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia will also be in attendance. Initially, it was Khan who disclosed on Friday that Pakistan-aided talks between U.S. and Taliban officials would take place on December 17, though he would not say where. The Pakistani prime minister, while speaking in the northwestern city of Peshawar, explained his country has agreed to assist in Afghan peace efforts because Washington has changed its position by requesting help, instead of saying Islamabad is not doing enough, as U.S. leaders have previously insisted. A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday hailed Khan's remarks and support for a political reconciliation in the war-ravaged neighboring country. "The United States welcomes any actions by the Pakistani government to promote greater cooperation, including fostering negotiations between the Taliban, the Afghan government, and other Afghans," the spokesperson told VOA. "Special Representative Khalilzad has met, and will continue to meet, with all interested parties, including the Taliban, to support a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan," noted the U.S. embassy official. In his speech on Friday, Khan said that if peace were achieved in Afghanistan, his country will be the immediate beneficiary in terms of security, economic stability and regional connectivity. Khalilzad, is visiting regional countries to gather support for Afghan peace talks. He is 14 days into an 18-day visit to the region and has already visited Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belgium. Since taking office in September, the Afghan-born U.S. special envoy has held two meetings with the Taliban in Qatar, where the insurgent group operates its so-called "political office." But those talks have been for the sake of talks, say insurgent and Pakistani officials. Demands, accusations Pakistani officials privy to Khalilzad's interaction with the Taliban have told VOA that until now no progress has been achieved because the insurgents adamantly demand "a date or timeframe" for all U.S. and NATO troops to withdraw from Afghanistan before the Taliban decides to participate in an intra-Afghan peace process. Washington has long maintained Taliban leaders are sheltering in Pakistan with covert support from the country's intelligence agency. Washington has been urging Islamabad to use its influence to bring the insurgents to the negotiating table. Pakistani officials say their influence over the Taliban has significantly declined over the years because the insurgents have gained control over large areas of Afghanistan and continue to pose serious battlefield challenges for U.S.-backed Afghan security forces. The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan 17 years ago and the war with the Taliban has since killed nearly 150,000 people, including Afghan civilians, security forces, insurgents and more than 2,400 American soldiers, according to an American University study released recently. The longest war effort in U.S. history has also cost Washington nearly one trillion dollars. The Taliban has expanded its insurgent activities and currently controls or hotly contests about half of Afghanistan. The conflict is said to have killed more Afghan civilians and security forces in 2018 than in any other year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Hails Pakistan's Work for Peace Talks With Taliban By Ayaz Gul December 16, 2018 The United States said Saturday it welcomes actions Pakistan is taking to promote a negotiated solution to the war in neighboring Afghanistan. The acknowledgement came a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced his country has arranged another round of Washington's peace talks with the Afghan Taliban scheduled for Monday. "The United States welcomes any actions by the Pakistani government to promote greater cooperation, including fostering negotiations between the Taliban, the Afghan government, and other Afghans," a U.S. embassy spokesperson in Kabul told VOA. US negotiator U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, has met, and will continue to meet, with all interested parties, including the Taliban, to support a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the spokesperson added. Neither Khan nor the U.S. spokesperson have disclosed the possible venue for the upcoming meeting with Taliban officials. Some Afghan sources say Monday's meeting will take place in Islamabad, but no official confirmation is available. Khalilzad, who is visiting regional countries to gather support for Afghan peace talks, is to lead the U.S. delegation in talks with insurgent representatives. This will not be the first time Khalilzad has met with the Taliban. Since taking office in September, the special U.S. envoy has held two publicly known rounds of preliminary discussions with insurgent negotiators in Qatar, where the Taliban runs its so-called political office. The talks have been for the sake of talks, according to insurgent and other sources aware of the meetings. Trump's letter to Khan U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month wrote a formal letter to Khan asking for his help to bring the Taliban to the table for negotiations. A day later, Khalilzad visited Islamabad where he met with Khan and his military chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, to follow-up on Trump's request, Pakistani officials say. Speaking in northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday, Khan said the U.S. has changed its tune by requesting help instead of saying Islamabad is not doing enough, as U.S. officials have previously insisted. "By the grace of Allah, the dialogue is now happening inshallah [God willing] on the 17th [Khan did not mention the month] and Pakistan has facilitated the talks between America and the Taliban," Khan said. He did not share further details. Khan recounted Friday that critics used to mock him as "Taliban Khan" for saying the Afghan war could not be ended without political negotiations but now all key stakeholders are jointly working to pursue a political settlement to end the violence in Afghanistan. "If peace were achieved, God willing, Peshawar will change and become a hub of commerce and tourism, as things around the 2,500 years old living city are likely to change," Khan said Friday. Ambassador Khalilzad is 13 days into an 18-day visit to the region. He has traveled to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belgium and plans to visit the U.A.E. and Qatar. Withdrawal an issue Pakistani officials privy to the U.S. interaction with the Taliban have told VOA that until now no progress has been achieved because the insurgents adamantly demand "a date or timeframe" for all foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan before the Taliban decides to participate in an intra-Afghan peace process. U.S. officials have long maintained Taliban leaders are sheltering in Pakistan with covert support from the country's intelligence agency. Washington has been urging Islamabad to use its influence to bring the insurgents to the negotiating table. Pakistani officials say their influence over the Taliban has significantly declined over the years because the insurgents have gained control over large areas of Afghanistan and continue to pose serious battlefield challenges for U.S.-backed Afghan security forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump to Review Murder Charge Against Former Green Beret By Ken Bredemeier December 16, 2018 U.S. President Donald Trump says he will review the case of a decorated Special Forces veteran accused of murder in the 2010 killing of a suspected Taliban bombmaker in Afghanistan. The U.S. leader said that "at the request of many," he would weigh the murder charge against Major Matthew Golsteyn, a former U.S. Army Green Beret. In Trump's word's, Golsteyn "could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bombmaker while overseas." Trump called Golsteyn a "U.S. military hero." The military has been investigating the circumstances of the death of the suspected bombmaker for several years, dropping its investigation in 2014, then reopening it in 2016 after Golsteyn said in a Fox News interview that he killed the bombmaker, who had been detained, in combat operations in Marjah, Afghanistan. Golsteyn said he killed the man out of fear that if he were let go he would target Afghans assisting U.S. troops. The suspected Taliban bombmaker was accused of killing two U.S. Marines. Trump's statement could complicate prosecution of the criminal charges against Golsteyn, since Trump is the commander in chief of U.S. forces and anything he says related to the case could influence the outcome. Golsteyn's lawyer, Philip Stackhouse, said his client "is a humble servant-leader who saved countless lives, both American and Afghan, and has been recognized repeatedly for his valorous actions. We will be relentless in defending him." Golsteyn has maintained that he did not violate military rules of engagement in the shooting death. Golsteyn, according to NBC News, said in 2011 during a polygraph test when he was applying for a job at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency that he and another soldier took the suspected Taliban bombmaker off base, shot him and buried him. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Malaysia PM: Countries Have No Right to Recognize Jerusalem as Israeli Capital Sputnik News 03:57 17.12.2018(updated 04:12 17.12.2018) Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad criticized Australia's move to recognize West Jerusalem on Sunday, saying that countries have "no rights" to do so. Australia announced this week that it would recognize West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, but will not yet move the embassy from Tel Aviv. "Jerusalem should remain as it is now and not the capital of Israel," Mahathir said on the sidelines of an event in Bangkok. "Jerusalem has always been under Palestine, so why are they taking the initiative to divide Jerusalem [] They have no rights." Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, has been a prominent supporter of the two-state solution, as Jerusalem is considered to be a sacred place to Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths, making it a major obstacle to an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. Palestine wants East Jerusalem to be recognized as the capital of a Palestinian state, while Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital, including the eastern sector that was annexed in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel's foreign ministry on Sunday praised Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision, calling it "a step in right direction." However, Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel's minister for regional cooperation, remained critical, saying that 'there is no division between the east of the city and west of the city.' Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat claimed Australia's decision was due to "petty domestic politics." "All of Jerusalem remains a final-status issue for negotiations, while East Jerusalem, under international law, is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory," he said. In May, the United States relocated its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, prompting outrage across the Muslim world. Brazil, the Czech Republic, Guatemala and Honduras have also recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The United Nations has urged member states to refrain from moving diplomatic missions to Jerusalem until the city's legal status is settled. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 17) The Department of Justice (DOJ) isn't done yet with Senator Antonio Trillanes. At a briefing Monday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the Office of the Solicitor General will be elevating Trillanes' case to the Court of Appeals. "The Office of the Solicitor General will file the necessary petition for certiorari with the Court of Appeals in so far only as the resolution of Branch 148 denying our motion for issuance of warrant of arrest and hold departure order," said Guevarra. The prosecution lost its fight at the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 after Judge Andres Soriano junked the motion to issue an arrest order against the senator. The DOJ appealed the decision in October, but lost once again. Referring to the arrest warrant issued by Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 54 saying Trillanes committed libel, Guevarra said the senator should have sought the Davao court's permission first before traveling abroad, despite posting bail. The prosecution has a pending motion for issuance of a hold departure order against Trillanes at the Davao court. The Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150, meanwhile, allowed Trillanes to travel to Europe and the U.S. Trillanes has not issued a statement on the issues raised by Guevarra. Modi said the truth will eventually triumph over the tendency to speak lies. Rae Bareli/Allahabad: In his first public outburst against the Congress after the Rafale deal verdict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged on Sunday that the Opposition party was trying to project Supreme Court as a liar and was letting down the defence forces. Addressing a rally at Rae Bareli, Mr Modi termed earlier defence deals by the Congress government as tainted and dubbed Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrochi and alleged middleman Christian Michel as uncles (of the Congress). He said the Opposition party was aligning with forces that do not want to see Indias defence forces becoming strong. Citing a couplet from the Ramcharit Manas, Mr Modi said there were some who only accept lies and share these with other people. For these very people, the defence ministry, the defence minister, officers of the Indian Air Force, the government of France, are all liars ... Now the Supreme Court also appears to be a liar to them, Mr Modi said in his 50-minute address, of which nearly 30 minutes were dedicated to the Rafale deal. In his address, Mr Modi said the truth will eventually triumph over the tendency to speak lies. He said: There are two facets before the country... One is of the government which is making every possible effort to augment the strength of the defence forces, and the second is of those forces which want to weaken the country at every cost. This was Mr Modis first public meeting in Sonia Gandhis turf after the BJP lost the three heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the Congress and its allies. Claiming that previous defence deals were tainted, he alleged that the history of the Congress in terms of such deals belongs to (Italian businessman Ottavio) Quattrochi mama. Referring to the AgustaWestland VIP helicopter case, he said: We have brought one uncle Christian Michel to India a few days back. The 54-year-old British national is one of three alleged middlemen being investigated by the CBI over charges of organising bribes for Indian politicians and bureaucrats to push for the `3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal. I want to know from the Congress why it is agitated and speaking lies repeatedly. Is it because there is no Quattrochi mama or Christian Michel in the defence deals done by the BJP government? he asked. Noting that after the Kargil conflict, there was a need for modern aircraft, the Prime Minister said: The Congress ruled the country for 10 years, but it did not allow the Air Force to get strengthened. Why? And under whose pressure? Accusing the Congress of failing to provide bulletproof jackets to jawans, Mr Modi said: After we came to power, we purchased 50,000 bulletproof jackets in 2016, and added that this year an order to purchase 1.86 lakh jackets had been placed with a domestic firm. Mr Modi also paid tribute to martyrs of the 1971 India-Pakistan war and said on this day in 1971, the brave soldiers of India had defeated the forces that had become synonymous with terror, atrocity and anarchy. At Allahabad, ahead of the Kumbh Mela that will begin on January 15, the PM asked people to beware of the parties pretending to stand for democracy. US sanctions putting denuclearization at risk: North Korea Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 03:18PM North Korea has denounced the administration of US President Donald Trump for stepping up sanctions and pressure on the nuclear-armed country, warning that disarming Pyongyang could be blocked forever. The North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the US Department of State was "bent on bringing the DPRK-US relations back to the status of last year, which was marked by exchanges of fire." The statement added, "If the US administration believed that heightened sanctions and pressure would force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons, it would count as (its) greatest miscalculation, and it will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever - a result desired by no one." Washington has resorted to "sanctions measures for as many as eight times against the companies, individuals and ships of not only the DPRK but also Russia, China and other third countries...," the statement included. On Monday, the United States said it had introduced sanctions on three North Korean officials, including a top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, for alleged human rights abuses. North Korea has been involved in rigorous diplomacy with South Korea. Trump has also claimed that Washington's diplomacy with Pyongyang has eliminated a purported threat posed by North Korea to the US national security. In their June summit in Singapore, Trump and Kim agreed to work toward denuclearization. But that agreement, made in a written document, was broadly worded. Denuclearizing North Korea has made little progress in recent months. The two sides have yet to reschedule working-level talks between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol. The talks were abruptly cancelled in November. North Korea never said it would stop building weapons, including missiles that could or could not carry nuclear weapons. Follow-up diplomacy between the United States and North Korea has borne little fruit. But South Korea has significantly advanced in its diplomatic engagement of its long-time rival North Korea. Still, the North has taken several steps toward that goal. It has suspended missile and nuclear testing, demolished at least one nuclear test site, and agreed to allow international inspectors into a missile engine test facility and another nuclear testing site. In return, Pyongyang is seeking relief from harsh international sanctions, mostly spearheaded by the United States, imposed on the country over its nuclear and missile programs. Washington, however, has not offered any such relief, hence the slowdown in further diplomacy. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address House Condemns Iran's Persecution of Baha'i Minority By Michael Lipin December 14, 2018 The U.S. Baha'i community has welcomed a resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives condemning Iran for "state-sponsored persecution" of minority Baha'is in the Islamic Republic. The House resolution, which also condemns what it calls Iran's "continued violation" of the International Covenants on Human Rights, passed without objection Wednesday. The resolution urges President Donald Trump and the State Department to immediately issue a similar condemnation of Iran and demand the immediate release of prisoners held solely on account of their religion. It also urges the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Iranian officials and other individuals directly responsible for serious rights abuses, including abuses against Iranian Baha'is. Baha'i statement In a statement emailed to VOA Persian, U.S. Baha'i Office of Public Affairs Director Anthony Vance expressed gratitude to the House for reiterating its concern about rights abuses to which he said Iranian Baha'is are "unjustly subjected." The Baha'i Office of Public Affairs represents the U.S. Baha'i community in its relationships with the U.S. government, media and public. "In spite of extraordinary levels of (Iranian) state-sponsored hate propaganda against the Baha'is, as highlighted in the congressional resolution, we are greatly encouraged by reports of the fair-mindedness of the vast majority of Iran's citizens," Vance said. "(They) have come to realize in recent decades that their fellow Baha'i citizens are peaceful and seek only to contribute to the progress of their country." Iran considers its Baha'is to be heretics with no religion. Rights groups say authorities routinely arrest members of Iran's estimated 300,000-strong Baha'i minority for expressing or practicing their beliefs. Lawmaker's statement U.S. Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch introduced the resolution condemning Iran's treatment of Baha'is in April 2017. After the resolution passed, Ros-Lehtinen issued a statement saying Iranian Baha'is are a "frequent target" of rights abuses by Iran's Islamist leadership, who she said subjects them to arbitrary arrest and harassment, denial of employment, refusal to recognize marriages and destruction of cemeteries and holy places. "By passing Ted's and my resolution, Congress is sending a strong message of support to those suffering in Iran and making it clear that those responsible for this persecution will be held accountable," she said. A similar resolution won unanimous approval in the Senate on Dec. 21, 2017. There was no immediate response from the Trump administration to the passage of the House resolution. In May, the State Department said it was horrified by reports of Iranian government persecution of religious minorities. Its 2017 International Religious Freedom Report said Tehran continued to harass, interrogate and arrest Baha'is, Christians, Sunni Muslims and other religious minorities and to use anti-Semitic and anti-Baha'i rhetoric in official statements. The report also said members of Iranian religious minorities, especially Baha'is, continued to face societal discrimination and harassment, with employers experiencing social pressures not to hire Baha'is or to dismiss them from their private-sector jobs. This article originated in VOA's Persian Service. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Commander Predicts US Mission Return to Libya 6 Years After Benghazi Attack Sputnik News 18:45 16.12.2018(updated 18:53 16.12.2018) In September 2012, the US consulate in Libya's second-largest city of Benghazi was attacked by militants from the Ansar al-Sharia group, leaving envoy Christopher Stevens and three other American employees dead. Six years after a deadly attack on the US consulate in Libya's Benghazi, conditions on the ground may prompt the return of a US diplomatic mission to the North African country, according to Colonel Adam Chalkley, commander of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response Africa. "There were indications that recent improvements in the landscape and the operating environment of Libya were suggestive that a reintroduction of a diplomatic mission was on the near horizon," Chalkley was quoted by Military.com as saying. He explained that his task force's goal is to prevent a repeat of "another event" like the 2012 Benghazi attack "a flashpoint that is going to result in the loss of US diplomatic blue chips or loss of life." Chalkley also touted his task force's cooperation with Special Operations Command Forward (SOF) and their support of the "Department of State efforts to reintroduce a diplomatic mission into Libya", which he stressed "really dominated the entirety of our time." "There is obviously a large desire to return to a US diplomatic presence. [] But there is still engagement; there are still things happening on a diplomatic front and building diplomatic ties," Chalkley emphasised. Referring to the Benghazi attack, he expressed confidence that the US "is not going to have another [threat] that would go unnoticed. "Now that said, the reason those things aren't happening is because people know that we are there and ready to come in. There is an absolute recognition that operations and forces postured on the periphery, able to respond is a great deterrent for people behaving badly," he concluded. Chalkley's remarks followed a statement by the Department of Justice in late June that US authorities sentenced Libyan national Ahmed Abu Khatalla to 22 years in federal prison for the attack on the US mission in Benghazi. The attack which was launched by militants from the Ansar al-Sharia group on September 11, 2012. Envoy Christopher Stevens and three other American employees were killed in the attack which led to the subsequent closure of the US consulate. Libya has been torn apart by conflict since the country's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. The eastern part of the country is governed by the Tobruk-based parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA). The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan Executes 56 Terrorists in 4 Years Since School Attack By Ayaz Gul December 16, 2018 Military courts in Pakistan have handed down death sentences to 310 people convicted of terrorism in the last four years, and 56 of them have been executed. Fifteen of the death penalties were approved by the military chief Sunday, according to an official announcement. The army released the details as the country observed the fourth anniversary of the December 2014 massacre of more than 150 people, mostly children, at an army-run public school in the northwestern city of Peshawar. The militant attack outraged Pakistanis and prompted the then parliament to permit the military to try civilians linked to terrorist groups or organizations instigating violence in the name of religion. 717 cases The military courts have since received the cases of 717 people accused of terrorism from the civilian administration and concluded trials for 546 of them. "Out of 310 sentenced to death, 56 terrorists have been executed after completion of legal process beyond military courts' decisions, which included their appeal in superior civil courts and rejection of their mercy petition both by the army chief and the president of Pakistan," the army said in its statement Sunday. It added that executions of remaining 254 are pending completion of legal process in the civilian courts. It said that 234 people were awarded "rigorous imprisonment" of varied duration ranging from life imprisonment to a minimum duration of five years, and two accused were acquitted. "Those who have been awarded death penalty included masterminds, executors and abettors/ facilitators, inter alia, of major terrorist incidents" in Pakistan, the military noted. Convicts are allowed to challenge the sentences awarded by the military tribunals in Pakistani civilian courts, though none has been overturned to date. Military courts under fire Human rights groups remain critical of Pakistan's military courts, saying the trials are not open to the public and do not meet international standards of justice. Lawyers and families in appeal proceedings in civilian courts have questioned evidence in some cases and alleged their relatives were coerced into confession. The Pakistan army and civilian officials reject the charges and maintain the legislation allowing the trials binds the special tribunals to conduct "fair and transparent" hearings. Political parties have backed the military courts, noting Pakistan's regular judicial system does not offer protection to witnesses. Moreover, judges and attorneys prosecuting suspected hardcore militants have complained of receiving death threats, or have come under attack. Judicial reforms urged Critics have long urged successive governments to carry out much needed judicial reforms to strengthen the civilian justice system in Pakistan. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), advocating for justice and human rights, has denounced the military trials in Pakistan. "The secret military trials of civilians charged with terrorism-related offenses are a continuing breach of Pakistan's international human rights obligations," the ICJ said in a recent statement. "Pakistan should end the role of military courts in such cases, and instead strengthen the ability of ordinary courts and law enforcement to ensure investigations and trials that are both fair and effective, in line with its domestic law and international human rights obligations," it said. Intensified military operations since the school attack have also killed thousands of militants mainly linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the massacre of schoolchildren. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On EU Resolve in Holding Russia Accountable Press Statement Robert Palladino Deputy Spokesperson Washington, DC December 15, 2018 The United States welcomes recent steps by the EU and its Member States to hold Russia accountable for its aggression against Ukraine. The European Parliament's December 12 resolution reiterates the importance of Ukraine's role in the European energy supply network and condemns the construction of the Kremlin-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a political project. We urge Germany to heed the concerns of the many neighbors whose security will be damaged by this pipeline. We also welcome the unanimous decision of the European Council to extend economic sanctions against Russia. We support the EU position that Russia's November 25th attack on Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea constituted a violation of international law and welcome the EU's efforts to provide support to areas of Ukraine negatively affected by Russian aggression in the Sea of Azov. The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable for its actions, and we will continue to work with European partners and Allies to present a unified front against the Kremlin's aggression. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia submits draft resolution to UN to preserve treaty with US Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 10:54AM Russia says it has submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations General Assembly to preserve the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with the United States, following a US decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Cold War-era nuclear arms agreement. Fyodor Strzhizhovsky, a spokesman for the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN, made the announcement on Saturday. "The unilateral actions by the US on effectively initiating a procedure of 'suspending' their participation in the Treaty, a step not envisaged in this Agreement, put the future of the INF Treaty in jeopardy," Strzhizhovsky said in a statement. "In this regard, the Russian Federation submitted to the UN General Assembly on December 14 a draft resolution in support of preserving and observing the INF Treaty that calls on all sides to fulfill their obligations in the framework of this Treaty and resolve issues pertaining to fulfilling the assumed commitments," he added. The diplomat also said that "the Russian Federation assigns great importance to preserving the INF Treaty, the cancellation of which may seriously undermine international mechanisms in the sphere of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and sphere of arms control." The INF was signed in 1986 between then US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev. It banned all land-based missiles with ranges of 310 to 3,420 miles and included missiles carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads. The original ban between Moscow and Washington led to the elimination of 2,692 missiles. US President Donald Trump said on October 20 that Washington would withdraw from the INF, over claims that Moscow had violated the pact. Trump's decision drew criticism from Russia, China, and US allies, who have warned against the security risks the collapse of the INF could pose to Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last week that Moscow would be forced to respond if Washington withdrew from the nuclear arms control treaty. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington would suspend its obligations under the INF in 60 days unless Russia returns to what he said is full compliance with the agreement. Russia has repeatedly denied that it has violated the decades-old treaty. Moscow has on several occasions expressed readiness for an open and detailed negotiation with Washington to discuss disagreements concerning the landmark treaty, but the Russian Defense Ministry says it has not received any response from the US. The lack of response has been viewed by officials in the Kremlin as the US reluctance to maintain professional dialog with Russia to solve pressing regional and global security issues. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Strategic Missile Forces to Get 100 New Pieces of Armament by Year-End Sputnik News 04:06 17.12.2018 MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian Strategic Missile Forces will receive around 100 new pieces of armament, including the Yars missile systems, Commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Col. Gen. Sergei Karakaev said. "By the end of the year, it is planned to supply about 100 new pieces of armament to the troops, including the Yars missile systems of stationary and mobile deployment," Karakaev told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper in an interview. Karakaev said also said that in 2021, the Uzhur division to become first in Russia to be rearmed with the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles. "Within the framework of the state armament program, the Russian industry is working on the creation of Sarmat, a new mine-based missile complex with a liquid-propellant heavy missile. Equipping the army with this missile complex is planned to begin in 2021 in missile regiments of the Uzhur division, which is now armed with Sarmat's predecessor the Voevoda missile complex," he said. "Pop-up tests of the [Sarmat] missile have been successfully completed The infrastructure for flight tests at the Plesetsk cosmodrome is actively being created. In the near future, flight tests of the complex will begin, the successful implementation of which will allow starting mass production of its components," Karakaev noted. Commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces also said that in 2019, the Dombarovsky division is set to become first in Russia to be armed with the new Avangard hypersonic missile systems. "Currently, NPO Mashinostroyeniya has already started serial production of the new Avangard missile complex with hypersonic combat equipment. The first systems are planned to become operational in the missile regiment of the Dombarovsky division next year," Karakaev said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Missile Forces Taking Into Account US Possible Withdrawal INF Treaty Sputnik News 03:39 17.12.2018(updated 03:54 17.12.2018) MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian Strategic Missile Forces take into account consequences of the United States' possible withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, while planning their actions, Commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Col. Gen. Sergei Karakaev said. "The impact of the consequences of the US' withdrawal from the INF Treaty, and the subsequent deployment of the US medium-range missiles in Europe and new threats to our security linked to this, are undoubtedly taken into account when planning the combat use of the Strategic Missile Forces," Karakaev told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper in an interview. At the same time, he noted that the strategic nuclear deterrence objectives of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces would remain unchanged. The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the United States. The agreement obligated the parties to destroy their ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles whose ranges are between 500 and 5,500 kilometres (from 311 to 3,317 miles). In recent years, Russia and the US have regularly accused each other of violating the INF Treaty. Russia has repeatedly stated that it strictly complies with its obligations under the contract. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that Moscow has very serious questions regarding the implementation of the treaty by the United States. In early December, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would suspend its adherence to the INF Treaty within 60 days unless Russia returned to full compliance with the agreement. Moscow has repeatedly refuted US allegations that Russia has violated the INF treaty. In turn, Moscow has complained that launchers on US defence systems in Europe can fire cruise missiles at ranges that violate the INF's terms. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN chief calls for 'credible' investigation into Khashoggi's murder Iran Press TV Mon Dec 17, 2018 12:32AM UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a "credible" investigation into the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who is said to have been killed by the highest levels of Speaking at the Doha Forum 2018 on Sunday, the UN chief said he had no information on Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul except what had been reported in the media." However, he added, "it is absolutely essential to have a credible investigation and to have the punishment of those that were guilty," Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi crown prince and a US resident, disappeared on October 2 after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documentation for his forthcoming marriage. Saudi Arabia initially claimed he had left the consulate alive, but weeks later admitted that he was killed inside the diplomatic mission and blamed his death on a group of Saudi operatives. It also promised to launch a probe into the case, but Guterres' remarks show that the international community does not trust the Saudi rulers after the lies they told regarding the case. Turkish authorities believe that a 15-person "hit squad" was sent from Saudi Arabia to Istanbul to kill the 61-yerar-old journo. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the order to slay Khashoggi had been issued from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government, suggesting that the crown prince had ordered such a gruesome crime. The CIA is said to have concluded that bin Salman had "probably ordered" the murder. A highly-classified CIA assessment, seen by The Wall Street Journal, said the Saudi crown prince had sent at least 11 messages to al-Qahtani in the hours surrounding the journalist's killing. A purported transcript of an audio recording of Khashoggi's killing shared with CNN showed that the dissident journalist's death had been the execution of a premeditated plan, unlike what Saudi officials initially claimed. The transcript described the last painful moments of Khashoggi's life, noting that his screams and gasps could be heard on the tape. It also identified the sounds of saw and cutting as the victim's body was dismembered. Saudi Arabia has been facing international condemnation over the brutal murder. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU calls on Turkey to refrain from any unilateral action in Syria Iran Press TV Sat Dec 15, 2018 11:13PM European Union's top foreign policy official has called on Turkey to avoid taking any unilateral action in Syria that could destabilize the Arab country. Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Saturday that Turkey's promise for launching a fresh offensive into northern Syria to battle Kurdish militants was a source of concern, adding that such unilateral moves would undermine efforts by a Western military alliance in Syria that alleges to be fighting the Daesh terrorist group and other militants. "The statements of a possible Turkish military operation in northeast Syria are a source of concern," said Mogherini, adding, "We expect the Turkish authorities therefore to refrain from any unilateral action likely to undermine the efforts of the Counter-Daesh Coalition or to risk further instability in Syria." The top EU diplomat further urged Turkey to help preserve West's efforts meant to end the Daesh-led militancy in Syria. "As the fight against Daesh is entering its final stages, all parties must work towards the goal of ensuring its upcoming defeat" she said. Mogherini's statement came days after the United States, which leads the so-called anti-Daesh coalition in Syria, condemned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's announcement that Ankara was planning to launch an offensive against US-backed Kurdish militants of People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria. Ankara and Washington have been largely at odds over the YPG and its role in Syria as Turkey continues to designate the group as terrorist while the US claims it has been a major help in the fight against Daesh and other terror groups. Washington has tolerated Turkey's previous military operations against Syrian Kurds in areas west of the Euphrates river but there is a serious risk the two NATO-allied countries might directly clash with each other if Ankara decides to expand its offensive to the east of the river. The Pentagon said Wednesday, hours after Erdogan said that Turkey was "determined to bring peace and security to areas east of the Euphrates", that any unilateral military action in northern Syria would be "unacceptable". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Among 7 civilians killed in troops firing in J&K's Pulwama on Saturday was an MBA pass out from university in Indonesia. Srinagar: Among the seven civilians killed in troops firing in Jammu and Kashmirs southern Pulwama district on Saturday was an MBA pass out from a university in Indonesia. The sudden and tragic death of Abid Hussain Lone has left his Indonesian wife devastated. The couple had been married almost one and a half years and were living with their first child three month old Zaina- happily in Pulwamas Karimabad village. On Saturday, 32-year-old Abid had gone to a nearby orchard to prune trees before a gun fight broke out between militants and security forces in the area. Following clashes between irate crowds and Army troops, he was shot by the latter and died on the spot, said his uncle Ghulam Muhammad Lone. Abids young wife Saima is in shock and disbelief. On Sunday, she received a number of phone calls from Jakarta and each caller tried to console her, the family sources said. She was also informed that a protest rally was held at her native place against the civilian killings in Kashmir and among the participants were his mother and other family members. The others who died in the firing incidents included Auquib Ahmad Butt alias Murtaza, Suhail Rashid Dar, Liyaqat Ahmed Wani and Shahbaz Ahmed Najar who were studying in Class 9, 10, 12 and BA first year, respectively, Amir Palla, a mechanic by profession, and Tauseef Ahmad Mir, a casual labourer with J&Ks Power Development Department. The police officials said that they were part of a crowd which had dangerously come close to the encounter site and were hit. The locals alleged that they fell prey to indiscriminate firing resorted to by the Army amid protests and stone-pelting at two places after the encounter in which three militants and a soldier died was over. Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Satya Pal Malik, has ordered a probe into the unnecessary and avoidable loss of civilian lives. Analysts: Uighur Jihadis in Syria Could Pose Threat By Mehdi Jedinia, Sirwan Kajjo December 15, 2018 Analysts are warning that the jihadi group Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) in northwestern Syria could pose a danger to Syria's volatile Idlib province, where efforts continue to keep a fragile Turkey-Russia-brokered cease-fire between Syrian regime forces and the various rebel groups. The TIP declared an Islamic emirate in Idlib in late November and has largely remained off the radar of authorities and the media thanks to its low profile. Founded in 2008 in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang, the TIP has been one of the major extremist groups in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war in the country in 2011. The TIP is primarily made up of Uighur Muslims from China, but in recent years it also has included other jihadi fighters within its ranks. "Now they recruit non-Uighurs and some Syrians as well," said Aymenn Jawad al Tamimi, a Syrian researcher at the Middle East Forum, a U.S.-based think tank. "They featured a video recently that showed some Europeans in their ranks. So they have certainly expanded their recruitment base beyond the Uighur refugees who were in Turkey." At the peak of the Syrian conflict in 2013, there reportedly were an estimated 3,000 TIP fighters across the country, mainly in Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Homs and the northern part of Latakia province. Their numbers, however, have significantly declined because of major military advances by the Syrian regime troops, backed by Russia and Iran. Sadradeen Kinno, a Syrian researcher who closely follows Islamist groups in the country, told VOA the reason TIP fighters "came to Syria in the first place was that they adhere to the jihadi ideology. For jihadi groups, Syria, or the broader Levant, is a holy land for global jihad. In their doctrines, the doomsday final battle takes place in Dabiq [a town in northern Syria]." Kinno said the TIP has been largely inspired ideologically by jihadi networks like al-Qaida and the Taliban. The group has claimed responsibility for several attacks against Syrian troops and their allies, including a 2016 attack in Khan Touman in Idlib, where dozens of Iranian soldiers and militiamen were killed. Chinese Special Forces In late 2017, Syrian regime officials said they had discussed with Chinese officials the possibility of deploying Chinese Special Forces to Syria to counter the threat of the TIP. China, however, has not publicly discussed such a deployment. Beijing considers TIP a terrorist organization. In August of this year, a pro-regime Syrian newspaper, al Watan, reported that China's ambassador to Damascus had expressed Beijing's readiness to join the Idlib operation to back the Syrian regime against rebels, one month before Russia and Turkey agreed on a cease-fire there. By targeting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the TIP fighters "think they're fighting China, because China is an ally of Assad," researcher al Tamimi said. Along with Russia, China repeatedly has vetoed U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at condemning Syrian government actions against civilians in Syria. Syyed Mohammad Hadi, a Tehran-based analyst, says there are two explanations for why Chinese troops might be involved in Syria. "From a security viewpoint, China will pursue its objectives of targeting trained and experienced fighters in Syria and preventing them from potentially transferring those fighting skills to their counterparts in the west of China," Hadi told VOA. "Beijing also sees itself as one of the main players in Syria's reconstruction when the war is over," he added. "So having a military presence will strength its stance in Syria and guarantee any future investments there." With Syria's military continuing to make advances, analysts assert that the fate of Uighur fighters in Idlib and elsewhere in Syria depends on whether Turkey can crack down on such jihadi groups. "If that doesn't happen in the long run, then eventually [TIP fighters] could begin an offensive in Idlib," al Tamimi said. "These groups won't desist. They reject all diplomatic approaches, so I think they will continue their jihad in one way or another." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fresh US-led airstrikes leave 17 Syrian civilians dead in Dayr al-Zawr Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 05:24PM More than a dozen civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed after the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group carried out a series of aerial assaults in Syria's troubled eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr. Syria's official news agency SANA reported that 17 people were killed on Sunday when US-led warplanes bombarded residential buildings in Albu Khatir village, which lies southeast of the town of Hajin. The report added that the air raids also severely damaged private property in the targeted area. Local sources told Turkey's official Anadolu news agency on December 12 that a US-led coalition airstrike targeted a residential building in al-Kashmah neighborhood of al-Shaafah town, which lies in Abu Kamal district of Dayr al-Zawr province, the previous night, leaving 15 people dead. Sources noted that the victims were all members of the same family. The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against what are said to be Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate. The military alliance has repeatedly been accused of targeting and killing civilians. It has also been largely incapable of achieving its declared goal of destroying Daesh. On November 13, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned a recent airstrike by the so-called US-led coalition against the eastern town of al-Shaafah, which left more than 60 people dead and injured, arguing that the massacre clearly pointed to the fact that members of the military alliance had no respect for moral values, international rules and regulations besides the lives of innocent civilians. The ministry, in two separate letters, addressed to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the former rotating president of the UN Security Council Ma Zhaoxu, called on the Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities and stop US-led aerial assaults. It also asked the world body to propose an international, independent and impartial mechanism to investigate the crimes being perpetrated by the so-called US-led coalition. The letters noted that the coalition was deliberately targeting Syrian civilians and making use of internationally banned weapons, including white phosphorus bombs, in Syria. The ministry stressed that the so-called US-led coalition airstrikes were meant to kill as many Syrian people as possible, prolong the ongoing Syrian conflict, destroy the country's infrastructure and undermine its sovereignty and territorial integrity in flagrant violation of all UN Security Council resolutions on Syria. The letters concluded that the embarrassing silence of the Security Council had encouraged the coalition to kill more Syrian civilians and destroy their property. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey says would work with Syria's Assad if he won 'democratic election' Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 02:38PM Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says the Ankara government would consider working with Syrian President Bashar Assad if he won a democratic and credible election. The Turkish foreign minister made the remarks while addressing the 18th edition of Doha Forum on Sunday. Asked whether Turkey would consider working with Assad, Cavusoglu said there must first be an election in Syria and "if it is a democratic and credible one, then everybody should consider that [working with Assad]." "It has to be very credible, transparent, democratic and fair elections. At the end, Syrian people should decide who is going to rule the country after the elections," Cavusoglu added. He further noted that the constitution for Syria should be drafted by the people of their own country. Elsewhere in his remarks, Cavusoglu said he believed US President Donald Trump was considering a policy of leaving Syria. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad demanded on November 4 that "occupation" forces from Turkey must leave, emphasizing that the troops must depart the territories of his conflict-plagued Arab country in order for security and stability to be restored there. The Syrian Arab army is the only party that stands against the Turkish occupation of the Syrian territories," he told the pro-government and Arabic-language al-Watan daily newspaper. The Syrian diplomat stated that his country will eventually emerge victorious over terrorism and its sponsors, and all areas will be liberated from the clutches of Americans, Turks and separatists, thanks to the high motivation and sacrifices made by the Syrian nation and Syrian army. The senior Syrian official highlighted that the Damascus government cannot trust Turkish assurances, because Ankara's objectives are colonial and expansionist. "The Ankara government misleads the public opinion inside Turkey and in the (Middle East) region by announcing something, but implementing something else," Mekdad commented. Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Greek Kathimerini newspaper published on May 10, Assad lashed out at Western countries, including France, Britain and the US along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey for supporting various terrorist groups, saying they "should be held accountable" for the bloodshed in Syria. Assad said Syria is fighting terrorists, who are the "army" of the US, Turkey and the Saudi regime, stressing that "any aggressor" and "any army are all enemies as long as they came to Syria illegally." The Syrian president further denounced as "aggression" the Turkish operation in Syria's Afrin region, saying, "This is an occupation. Any single Turkish soldier on Syrian soil represents occupation." He added that his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "was assigned by the West, mainly the United States, to interfere, [and] to make the situation complicated, again because without this interference, the situation would have been resolved much faster." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Not Ruling Out Possibility of Cooperation With Assad - Foreign Minister Sputnik News 20:13 16.12.2018 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Turkey will consider the possibility of cooperation with Syrian President Bashar Assad in case of his re-election as the country's head as result of a transparent and fair election, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday. During a plenary session interview at the Doha Forum in Qatar, the foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was asked whether Turkey would cooperate with the government of Assad if the latter was re-elected. "If it is democratic elections and if it is a credible one, then everybody should consider that We should prepare the country for the elections, and it should be conducted under auspices of the United Nations, under the umbrella of the United Nations. It has to be an inclusive one, everyone, eligible ones, should be able to vote in Syria and outside of Syria, including the refugees in my country and neighboring countries," Cavusoglu said. He stressed that the country's future constitution that would pave the way for the election should be drafted by the Syrian people. Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. In late 2017, the victory over the Daesh* terrorist group was declared in Syria and Iraq. Certain territories in the two countries are still being cleared from militants. The international efforts have recently been focused on political settlement in Syria, the country's reconstruction and the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland. *Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Warns Syrian Opposition, FSA not to Back Turkey's Planned Op Against YPG Sputnik News 16:30 16.12.2018 The warning comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara was ready to launch an operation in Syria's Manbij against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) "in a few days" if the US does not order them to withdraw from the area. US intelligence and diplomatic officials have urged the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SMDK) not to support the planned Turkish military operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) east of the Euphrates River. Turkey's Anadolu news agency cited a number US officials as saying in a message that any participation by SMDK or FSA in the operation is "an attack on the United States and the Coalition Forces", which may lead to "direct confrontation" with them. "That will fully destroy" the relations between the US, SMDK and FSA, Washington warned. The US officials also recalled the interaction of the US military with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), insisting that the group "cannot be attacked without aggression and confrontation with Coalition Forces and US forces and advisers." "When elephants dance, you must stay away from the dance floor," they noted. The remarks came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip and his US counterpart Donald Trump discussed Ankara's future military operation in eastern Syria over the phone. Erdogan shared with Trump his concerns over the YPG's growing military presence, supported by the United States, as the two leaders agreed to coordinate military actions on the Turkish-Syrian border. Earlier, the Turkish President signalled Ankara's readiness to launch an operation against the YPG "in a few days" if the United States does not withdraw them from the area. The past few years have seen friction emerge between Turkey and the US, in part due to Ankara's concerns over US support for the YPG, viewed by the Turkish authorities as an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), blacklisted as a terrorist organisation in Turkey, the US and the EU. Moreover, Ankara has repeatedly accused Washington of failing to fulfil its promises regarding the withdrawal of the YPG from Syria's Manbij, something that Turkey claims threatens its national security. Earlier this year, Ankara conducted an offensive against the Kurdish militia in Syria's northern border city of Afrin. In late March, Trump announced that the US would be withdrawing from Syria "very soon", a statement that came at odds with previous remarks by senior Pentagon and State Department officials who said that US armed forces would preserve an open-ended presence in Syria. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Terror Attack in Syria's Afrin Leaves Dozens Injured - Source Sputnik News 16:02 16.12.2018(updated 17:03 16.12.2018) Five Turkish civilians died as a result ofs an explosion in Syria's Afrin, Lebanon's al-Mayadeen broadcaster reported, citing an informed source. However, no official confirmation of the attack, the number of casualties or reasons behind it has been made. The bomb-laden vehicle exploded in the northern Syrian city of Afrin, leaving dozens of casualties in its wake, a Kurdish source told Sputnik. "The car exploded in the al-Hal market. According to our data, dozens of civilians were wounded," the source stated. According to the source, another vehicle loaded with an explosive device was found in the western part of Afrin. Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV channel, meanwhile, reported, citing its own source, that five people had been killed as a result of the blast in Afrin. Reizan Hedu, a Kurdish politician, told Sputnik later in the day that militants supported by the Turkish authorities were behind the attack. "Explosions at markets and streets of the city are organized by terrorists. The responsibility lies with the Turkish army and groups allied with it," Hedu said. He noted that this kind of terror attacks came as a result of attempts by various groups to divide spheres of influence among each other. Until this year, the Syrian city of Afrin has been under control of Kurdish forces. However, as a result of the Turkish military operation dubbed the Olive Branch, the Kurdish forces have been forced out. Later, the Turkish military has handed over control over the city to the local police forces. The mentioned Turkish military operation has been launched on January 20, with the support of the Free Syrian Army opposition forces. The goal of the operation was to clear Turkey's Syrian border of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which Turkey believes to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Both YPG and PKK are considered terrorist organizations by Ankara. Damascus has condemned the operation as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey says Trump working on extraditing wanted Gulen Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 07:03PM Turkey says President Donald Trump of the United States has told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Washington is working on extraditing the US-based Turkish dissident Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt against the Turkish leader. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made the comment in a forum held in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday, Turkey's English-language Hurriyet Daily News newspaper reported on Sunday. "In Argentina, Trump told Erdogan they were working on extraditing [Fethullah] Gulen and other people," Cavusoglu said, refereeing to the G20 summit held in the South American country two weeks ago. In mid-July 2016, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of President Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later. Ankara has since accused Gulen, now 77, of having orchestrated and masterminded the botched putsch. The opposition figure is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to topple the government via infiltrating the country's institutions, particularly the army, police and the judiciary. The US-based cleric has since strongly denied any involvement in the coup attempt against Erdogan. However, Ankara labeled his transnational religious and social movement as the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). The dissident cleric, a Green Card-holder who has been living in Pennsylvania since the late 1990s, has already called on Ankara to end its "witch hunt" of his followers, a move he says is aimed at "weeding out anyone it deems disloyal to President Erdogan and his regime." Ankara has long been pressing on its NATO ally for the extradition of Gulen and has already sent multiple extradition requests to Washington, but their demands have not been taken heed of. Last month, NBC News reported that the Trump administration is looking for ways to extradite Gulen, as part of efforts to placate Turkey and ease its pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was gruesomely murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October. However, Trump denied the report and stressed that he was not considering extraditing the preacher. The premeditated murder of Khashoggi has escalated tensions in Ankara-Riyadh relations, with President Erdogan accusing the highest-ranking Saudi officials of ordering the assassination. Back in July, when Ankara lifted its two-year long state of emergency in the country, Gulen denounced the "despicable putsch" and reiterated that he had no role in the failed coup. "Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless and politically-motivated slanders," Gulen said. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having links to Gulen and the failed coup. More than 110,000 others, including military staff, civil servants and journalists, have been sacked or suspended from work over the same accusations. The international community and rights groups have been highly critical of the Turkish president over the massive dismissals and the crackdown. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey ignores Iraqi protests, attacks PKK again Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 08:08AM Turkish warplanes have struck PKK targets in northern Iraq, ignoring protests from Baghdad which says Turkey's repeated airstrikes violate Iraqi sovereignty and endanger civilians. The air raid on Saturday came a day after Baghdad summoned Turkey's ambassador over an airstrike which killed eight people in northern Iraq. Turkey said the operations "will continue as long as terror organizations nest on Iraqi soil and as long as Turkey's security needs require it to." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said airstrikes against PKK targets in the Iraqi region of Sinjar had "turned those places into their graveyards." "We will bury them in the holes they dug," he added. In 2014, Turkey sent troops to the town of Bashiqa in northern Iraq under the banner of fighting the Daesh terror group without Baghdad's consent. Erdogan once famously told Iraq's then prime minister Haider al-Abadi, "You are not on my level" after the latter protested the deployment that brought the two sides close to the brink of war at one point. Turkey regularly hits PKK bases across its southern border, saying the militants use the mountainous northern Iraqi region as a base for deadly attacks inside Turkey. The PKK has waged an insurgency since the 1980s, which has killed about 40,000 people. This week, Erdogan announced an imminent operation in neighboring Syria, against US-backed Kurdish militants whom Ankara views as an extension of the PKK. Turkey, he said, was "determined to bring peace and security to areas east of the Euphrates" river in northern Syria. On Saturday, the European Union's foreign policy chief asked Turkey to forgo any unilateral military action in Syria. "The statements of a possible Turkish military operation in northeast Syria are a source of concern," Federica Mogherini said in a statement. The Pentagon also warned Wednesday that any unilateral military action in northern Syria would be "unacceptable." The Syrian government has condemned military intervention both by the US and its European allies and Turkey, which have deployed troops into the Arab country without the permission of Damascus. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address About Face: Turkish Foreign Minister Claims Trump Will Extradite Fethullah Gulen Sputnik News 23:05 16.12.2018 US President Donald Trump is planning to extradite exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen to Turkey, according to a Sunday statement by Ankara's foreign minister. Turkey accused Gulen, who has been living in the United States since 1999, of orchestrating a 2016 failed military coup in the nation. Gulen has consistently denied his involvement in the coup. A coup attempt, primarily involving members of the army, took place across the country on July 15, 2016. Most of the struggle happened in the capital city of Ankara and in Istanbul. Over 240 Turkish citizens were killed and over 2,000 wounded during the unsuccessful military takeover. "In Argentina, Trump told Erdogan they were working on extraditing Gulen and other people," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a Sunday news conference in Doha, Qatar, referring to the G20 summit in which the two leaders met two weeks ago. "We need to see concrete steps," Cavusoglu added, indicating that Trump's purported assertion to Erdogan may have been an empty gesture. Some sources claim that the US might be considering using Gulen as a bargaining chip to placate Turkey for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, NBC News reported last month. In spite of eye-opening evidence of guilt, Trump has not held Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a key Middle East ally responsible for Khashoggi's murder, leading sources to believe that Trump could be open to Turkey's wishes in exchange for Erdogan easing pressure off the Saudi monarchy. In a Tuesday statement released by the White House, Trump boasted of cash profit to Washington due to US ties with Saudi Arabia, claiming that although Khashoggi's murder was an "unacceptable and horrible crime," Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was unaware of the incident, Sputnik previously reported. "Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event maybe he did and maybe he didn't!" according to a Trump tweet. "That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Trump declared. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan - Turkey to Buy 120 F-35 Jets Amid Speculation Deal Will Be Canceled Sputnik News 22:00 16.12.2018(updated 22:07 16.12.2018) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that Ankara intended to buy 120 US-made F-35 fighter jets amid speculations that the transfer might be halted. "We will buy 120 F-35 aircraft produced by the United States. Some of the components for the aircraft are produced in Turkey," Erdogan said, speaking at a rally in Istanbul, which was aired by the NTV broadcaster. The president's statement comes after Erdogan's aide Ibrahim Kalin told reporters on Saturday on the sidelines of the Doha Forum that Ankara had doubts that the United States may cancel the deliveries of its F-35 fighters to Turkey if the latter buys the Russian air defense system S-400. Earlier, US officials have warned that if Ankara goes ahead with its plans to purchase the S-400 systems, the United States could withhold the transfer of F-35 jets to Turkey. In addition, the US Congress has passed legislation that would block the transfer of the jets. On December 5, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu noted that Ankara did not see any problems with the supply of F-35 fighter jets. The first two F-35 fighter jets were transferred to Turkey at defence contractor Lockheed Martin's facility in Fort Worth, Texas in June. According to Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, the United States will hand over two more F-35s in March 2019. The purchase is made under the US-sponsored multinational F-35 development program, which Ankara joined in 2002. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mrs Gandhi said the message of unity among the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) should go to the people. Chennai: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi Sunday hit out at the BJP for being determined to destroy constitutional values, and sought steadfast and strong ties between her party and the DMK to trounce the saffron party in the next years Lok Sabha elections. Mrs Gandhi, who unveiled a statue of late DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi at the Dravidian partys headquarters here, heaped praise on the late leader. Karunanidhi was a democrat to the core and a believer in parliamentary institutions, she said, adding her party will always remember his support to former prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1971 and 1980 towards Indiras bank nationalisation and abolition of privy purses initiatives. It is my earnest desire that the mutual support of our parties to each other must remain strong and steadfast as when Karunanid-hiji was guiding us...And as we wage together a battle with the political forces that are determined to destroy our constitutional values, our institutions and the idea of India as you know it, she said in an apparent reference to the BJP. Mrs Gandhi said the message of unity among the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) should go to the people. Let the message go to the people of Tamil Nadu and the country that we are united and determined to protect and preserve our countrys constitution and its values that has built and sustained India over the last 70 years, she asserted. Recalling her association with Karunanidhi, the Congress leader said the late patriarch was a great support and strength for the UPA from 2004 to 2014. I personally remember that we looked up to his knowledge and experience to guide our coalition government, she said. Turkey Claims US 'Working On' Extraditing Muslim Cleric By Ken Bredemeier December 16, 2018 Turkey's foreign minister says U.S. President Donald Trump recently assured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Washington is considering extraditing a Muslim cleric that Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed 2016 military coup. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the U.S. television network CNBC that when Trump and Erdogan recently met at the G-20 summit in Argentina, the American leader said the United States is "working on extraditing" Fethullah Gulen "and other people." The 77-year-old Gulen, a one-time ally of Erdogan, has lived in self-imposed exile in the eastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania for nearly two decades, but Washington has resisted Erdogan's demand he be returned to his homeland to face charges that he directed the coup attempt from across the Atlantic. In the failed attempt to oust Erdogan, soldiers in tanks and helicopters attacked the Turkish parliament and shot at unarmed civilians. About 300 people were killed in the fighting, but troops loyal to Erdogan prevailed. Erdogan subsequently ordered the arrest of thousands of people, including academics, journalists and government workers, that he believed were supportive of the attempted putsch. In the two years since the aborted coup, 77,000 people have been arrested and more than 160,000 fired from their jobs. The United States, including under former President Barack Obama, has said information Turkey has handed it supporting Ankara's claim Gulen orchestrated the coup has not been sufficient to extradite him. Cavusoglu told a conference in Doha, "I have recently seen a credible probe by the FBI on how the Gulen organization avoids taxes," referring to the top U.S. law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gulen has often denied involvement in the failed coup. Erdogan said last week the government would make new efforts to target the financing of Gulen's supporters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Outrageous Behavior': Spain Shadows UK Royal Navy Nuclear Sub Near Gibraltar Sputnik News 17:40 16.12.2018(updated 19:52 16.12.2018) The development follows a Royal Navy vessel firing a warning shot towards a Spanish coast guard vessel last month, after it was deemed to be moving too close to the British submarine. The sub was reportedly departing Gibraltar after having its Tomahawk missile stores replenished. A Royal Navy boat has been scrambled to intercept a Spanish vessel which tried to shadow HMS Talent as the nuclear submarine was leaving Gibraltar, in what The Sun described as an apparent violation of maritime rules. "It's outrageous behavior yet again from Spain. Their boat was landside and shouldn't have been there. It only pulled off once the Royal Navy boat came towards it", the newspaper cited a source in Gibraltar as saying on Sunday. The incident is the latest in a series of such interceptions of Spanish boats by Royal Navy ships in Gibraltar waters since 2017. In November, a British warship fired a warning flare in response to a Spanish coast guard boat coming too close to UK nuclear submarine HMS Talent, as it was departing from Gibraltar. Last year, a Royal Navy ship had to chase a Spanish vessel as it tried to prevent a US warship from arriving in Gibraltar. The incident followed a Spanish patrol boat reportedly trying to "hassle" a US nuclear submarine attempting to dock at Gibraltar. UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson, for his part, made it clear that Gibraltar "will always be under the Union flag long into the future", adding that he could give "categorical reassurance" that Gibraltar is "never under threat." The remarks followed British Prime Minister Theresa May's statement that London is committed to "always stand by Gibraltar", and that Britain "will always negotiate on behalf of the whole UK family, including Gibraltar." Gibraltar, a small peninsula extending past the southern coast of Spain, has been a British Overseas Territory since 1713, when Spain ceded it to Britain under the Utrecht Treaty. The region's residents rejected the idea of Spanish sovereignty in 1967 and joint UK-Spanish authority in 2002. Gibraltar is due to leave the EU, together with the rest of the UK, in March 2019. The Brexit agreement between London and Brussels includes a special protocol for the territory. Amid Brexit talks, the Spanish government, for its part, expressed its discontent with the current arrangement. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Orthodox church breaks with Russia's Iran Press TV Sun Dec 16, 2018 08:41AM The Ukrainian Orthodox church has joined a political struggle by Kiev against Russia, declaring "independence" from the Russian Orthodox Church. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the development on Saturday, after a council of Orthodox bishops held an official gathering in the capital, Kiev, to establish an "independent" Orthodox church. "This day will go down in history as a sacred day... the day of the final independence from Russia," a fiercely anti-Russia Poroshenko told supporters outside Kiev's Saint Sophia Cathedral, claiming that an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church was now a "matter of national security." "This is a question of Ukrainian statehood,"' he said. "We are seizing spiritual independence, which can be likened to political independence. We are breaking the chains that tie us to the [Russian] empire." Poroshenko often speaks of a "Russian empire," in what is generally seen as an attempt to drum up anti-Russia sentiments inside Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate for centuries, but tensions within the church mounted after Ukraine became independent in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The drive for the establishment of an independent church intensified in 2014, when the Crimean Peninsula chose to join Russia following a referendum. The Ukrainian president also announced on Saturday the election of 39-year-old Metropolitan Epifaniy of the Kiev Patriarchate as the head of the new church. Epifaniy's regular name is Sergiy Dumenko. The new church leader is expected to visit Turkey, alongside Poroshenko, in January to receive an official decree of independence from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, an Istanbul-based institution considered the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide. Russia declares Ukrainian church move 'void' The Russian Orthodox Church has long objected to Kiev's attempts to create an "independent" church. The Saturday gathering of Ukrainian bishops was swiftly denounced by the Russian Orthodox Church, which branded the decision to be "void." "The non-canonical gathering under the general guidance of a layman and the country's head, as well as a foreigner, who doesn't know the local language, has picked a non-canonical 'bishop' to become an equally non-canonical 'primate,'" deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate, Protoiereus Nikolay Balashov, said, adding that the whole event meant "nothing" to the Church. A spokesman for Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, also said the Moscow Patriarchate will continue to work in Ukraine despite the creation of the new independent church. The Orthodox Church in Ukraine is divided between two main branches, one of which pledges loyalty to Moscow and the other is overseen by the Kiev-based Patriarch Filaret that Moscow does not recognize. In a decision in October, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople agreed to recognize the Ukrainian Church's "independence" from Moscow. The Russian Church announced it would break ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate in protest. The Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly voiced fears that Ukraine will use legal moves or even force to take control of the churches and monasteries under its control. Earlier this month, Ukrainian police raided three Orthodox churches aligned with Russia amid mounting political and religious tensions between the two countries. Kiev-Moscow tensions have hit a record high since Russia's naval forces intercepted and seized three Ukrainian vessels for illegally entering Russian waters off the coast of Crimea in the Sea of Azov on November 25. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Ukrainian Orthodox Leader Gives First Liturgy, Urging Unity By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 16, 2018 KYIV -- In his first liturgy as leader of the new Ukrainian national Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epifaniy has urged Ukrainians to unite and pray for peace in the country. "We must complete the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy...pray for an end to the war [in eastern Ukraine], and for a just peace in Ukraine," Epifaniy said as he led a Sunday Mass at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on December 16. Ukrainian Orthodox leaders on December 15 agreed on the creation of a new national Orthodox Church and elected the 39-year-old Epifaniy to head that church. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople is expected to hand over a "tomos" -- a decree granting autocephaly, or independence -- to Epifaniy on January 6. Ukraine's leaders said the move was vital to the country's security and independence, but it could raise tensions further with Moscow, which has opposed Kyiv's efforts to secure an independent church. After leading the Sunday Mass at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, Metropolitan Epifaniy told RFE/RL that the Ukrainian church needed to "complete full-fledged unification." "That is, when we receive the tomos, we will establish all the responsible managing institutions of this church," he said. In the future, the cleric added, the church will implement reforms "in a calm, wise, and balanced way, because it is needed to work in a way that unites rather than divides." Epifaniy also voiced confidence that the clerics who have not joined the Ukrainian national Orthodox Church will "gradually reach the understanding that there is no other outcome than being part of this united Ukrainian church and building our future together." Relations between Russia and Ukraine have deteriorated dramatically since Moscow's seizure of Crimea in March 2014 and its subsequent support for separatists battling Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. The conflict there has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014. "We have the occupied Crimea. We need to get it back. There [also] is the partially occupied Donbas. We believe that the Lord will hear our prayers and will send us that long-awaited peace, a just peace in a united Ukrainian state in which we will have our united Ukrainian Orthodox Church," Epifaniy told RFE/RL. With reporting by AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/new-ukrainian- orthodox-leader-gives-first-liturgy- urging-unity/29659372.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Vows to Work With EU States Against 'Russian Aggression' After Kerch Row Sputnik News 03:15 16.12.2018(updated 10:03 16.12.2018) MOSCOW (Sputnik) The United States will continue working with European countries as a unified front against Russia's "aggression," the US State Department said in a statement, commenting on the Kerch Strait incident. "The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable for its actions, and we will continue to work with European partners and Allies to present a unified front against the Kremlin's aggression," the US State Department said in a Saturday statement, commenting on the incident. "We also welcome the unanimous decision of the European Council to extend economic sanctions against Russia. We support the EU position that Russia's November 25th attack on Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea constituted a violation of international law and welcome the EU's efforts to provide support to areas of Ukraine negatively affected by Russian aggression in the Sea of Azov," the statement adds. 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. After the incident, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared 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 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 added. The US State Department also said in its statement that the United States urges Germany to take into account concerns of the neighbouring states over the Nord Stream 2 construction. "The United States welcomes recent steps by the EU and its Member States to hold Russia accountable for its aggression against Ukraine. The European Parliament's December 12 resolution reiterates the importance of Ukraine's role in the European energy supply network and condemns the construction of the Kremlin-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a political project. We urge Germany to heed the concerns of the many neighbours whose security will be damaged by this pipeline," the Saturday statement reads. Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russia's Gazprom with France's Engie, Austria's OMV AG, UK-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall, which aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters (some 2 trillion cubic feet) of Russian natural gas a year to the European Union through the Baltic Sea bypassing Ukraine. Some of EU states, particularly Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, have opposed the project, claiming that it was politically motivated. Ukraine has also slammed the project, not willing to lose its share in gas transit to Europe, and the United States, which is seeking to squeeze Russia out of the EU energy market in order to deliver more liquefied natural gas to Europe. Other western states have supported the project, with Germany calling Nord Stream 2 a purely commercial project and saying no one would benefit from abandoning it. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Shashi said the polarisation politics of the ruling BJP was anchored in the sense of belonging that comes out of hatred. New Delhi: Indias biggest crisis is unemployment and the country needs to invest more in the tourism sector which hires nearly 10 times as many people as any manufacturing industry, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said. He said that the future of India depended very much on its ability to escape from the politics of identity and the governments ability to provide answers to the real needs of the people. The biggest crisis facing this country is unemployment. I am strongly in favour of measures that will soak up labour problem by offering people realistic and viable alternatives. Channelling government investment into employment-generating businesses, the Congress leader said. We have been so laggard in investing in the tourism...The wonderful ruins around our country have remained ruins rather than becoming tourist sites. Tourism hires and employs 8-10 times as many people as any manufacturing industry, he said. He said the polarisation politics of the ruling BJP was anchored in the sense of belonging that comes out of hatred. It said the security forces make every attempt to avoid any loss of civilian lives in crossfire and minimise collateral damage to property. The security forces officials said violent mobs had made repeated attempts to go to the encounter site, chanted slogans to encourage the militants hurled rocks at the security forces. (Photo: PTI/File) Srinagar: A shutdown called by an alliance of key separatist leaders against the killing of seven civilians in firing by the security forces in southern Pulwama district a day ago brought life to a standstill in the Kashmir Valley on Sunday. While most separatist leaders were placed under house arrest ahead of the strike, the local police and Central paramilitary forces in battle gear enforced a lockdown in vast areas of Srinagar. Also, Pulwama town and its neighbourhood remained under curfew for the second straight day on Sunday. The Army has, meanwhile, appealed to the people to ignore the call for a march to the headquarters of its Srinagar-based 15 Corps on Monday by the Joint Resistance Leadership, an alliance of separatist leaders. The alliance had said Saturday that the people of the Valley will march towards Srinagars Badami Bagh cantonment on Monday to ask the Government of India to kill us all at one time, rather than killing us daily. The Army has termed it a deliberate attempt by the terrorist-separatist-Pakistan nexus to pit the civilian population against it and urged the people not to pay heed. Official sources here said all roads to the Badami Bagh cantonment will be blocked and curfew-like restrictions imposed in all the surrounding areas on Monday to foil the separatists march. Officials said on Sunday restrictions were imposed under Section 144 CrPC in Pulwama district and Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, M.R. Gunj and Maisuma police station areas of Srinagar as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order and avoid any untoward incident. Train services in the Valley also remained suspended for security reasons, and mobile Internet services were withdrawn too. A general strike against the killing was also observed in the predominantly Muslim Chenab Valley of the states Jammu region in response to a call issued by a local religious organisation, Anjuman-e-Islamia. On Saturday, seven civilians were killed and scores injured when the Army fired live ammunition to quell protesters and stone-hurling mobs in Pulwamas Kharpora Sirnoo area. The protests were sparked off by the killing of three Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants by the security forces in a gunfight in the area. One Army jawan, Sowar Kishan Singh, 29, was also killed and two others injured in the encounter. The security forces officials said violent mobs had made repeated attempts to go to the encounter site, chanted slogans to encourage the militants hurled rocks at the security forces. Locals alleged that troops on board two Casspir vehicles opened indiscriminate fire after these came under stone-pelting by groups of youth. They claimed among those hit in firing were also those who were not part of any stone-pelting mob. Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik has expressed grief over the civilian deaths, and asked the security forces to minimise the collateral damage in anti-terror operations. He also ordered a probe into Saturdays incident by Kashmirs divisional commissioner Baseer Ahmed Khan, and asked him to suggest precautions to minimise civilian casualties in anti-militancy operations. However, separatist patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani demanded a probe by an independent organisation under the supervision of the United Nations. He also urged the UN to resolve the Kashmir issue at earliest to prevent genocide of the people. On Sunday, the police detained dozens of activists led by Awami Itehad Party leader Engineer Rashid as they began a march on the summer headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan at Srinagars Gupkar Road to protest against the civilian killings. The Army, in a statement, said that it along with other security agencies and the civil administration was fighting terrorism and proxy war sponsored by Pakistan and its proxies in Kashmir. It said that the objective of the security forces was to bring peace and normalcy in the Valley with the support of its people. It also said the security forces had eliminated a large number of militants trying to infiltrate along the Line of Control and neutralised an even larger number of them in the hinterland this year to improve the overall security situation, while making huge sacrifices themselves. The statement said those slain were involved in many cases of gruesome killings of innocent Kashmiris, including civilians, special police officers, police personnel and other security forces personnel on leave. It said the security forces make every attempt to avoid any loss of civilian lives in crossfire and minimise collateral damage to property. The Army strongly condemned the call to march to the Badami Bagh cantonment on Monday by what it alleged were Pak proxies, and advised people not to fall prey to such designs of anti-national forces. It said that the Indian Army was always with the people of Kashmir and would foil all such evil attempts of the terrorist-separatist-Pakistan nexus to pit the civilian population against the security forces. The public is once again advised not to pay heed to this misleading call by JRL, the statement concluded. Co-accused and alleged middleman Christian James Michel, a British national, was extradited from Dubai to India earlier this month. Rajeev Saxena, director of two Dubai-based filed application through his advocate before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, saying he was anticipating arrest. (Photo: File) New Delhi: A Dubai-based businessman and accused in a money laundering case related to the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal moved a Delhi court on Monday seeking anticipatory bail. Rajeev Saxena, a director of two Dubai-based firms UHY Saxena and Matrix Holdings filed application through his advocate before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, saying he was anticipating arrest. A co-accused and alleged middleman Christian James Michel, a British national, was extradited from Dubai to India earlier this month and is currently in the CBI custody in a related case. On Saxena's application, the court sought response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by December 24, when it will next hear the matter. The court also asked senior advocate Geeta Luthra, appearing for Saxena, to take instruction from her client as to when he may come to India and join the probe. The court has already issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Saxena in the case. Maintaining that AgustaWestland had paid Euro 58 million as kickbacks through two Tunisia-based firms, the ED has alleged that "these companies further siphoned off the said money in the name of consultancy contracts to M/s Interstellar Technologies Limited, Mauritius and others which were further transferred to M/s UHY Saxena and M/s Matrix Holdings Ltd, Dubai and others". Saxena is one of the accused named in the charge sheet filed by the ED. Michel, former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, ex-IAF chief S P Tyagi and Saxena's wife Shivani Saxena were also named by the agency. It was alleged by the probe agency that the two Dubai-based firms were the entities "through which the proceeds of crime have been routed and further layered and integrated in buying the immovable properties/ shares, among others" in this case. "Saxena has transferred proceeds of crime from M/s Interstellar to his Dubai based companies M/s UHY Saxena and M/s Matrix Holdings Ltd," ED said in its charge sheet. The agency claimed its probe had found that AgustaWestland, United Kingdom, had "paid an amount of Euro 58 million as kickbacks" through two Tunisia-based firms. On January 1, 2014, India had scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of kickbacks of Rs 423 crore paid by it to secure the deal. Tomb is brightly painted and is decorated with scenes showing the royal priest alongside his mother, wife and other members of his family. Relief statues are seen at the recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re, named "Wahtye", at the site of the step pyramid of Saqqara, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018.The Egyptian Archaeological Mission working at the Sacred Animal Necropolis in Saqqara archaeological site succeeded to uncover the tomb, Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anani, announced. (Photo: AP) Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a priest decorated with hieroglyphs and statues dating back more than 4,400 years in a pyramid complex. The private tomb belonging to 'Wahtye', a high priest who served during the fifth dynasty reign of King Neferirkare, was unearthed in a buried ridge at the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, south of the capital Cairo. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, speaks inside a recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re. (Photo: AP) Notably, the tomb is brightly painted and is decorated with scenes showing the royal priest alongside his mother, wife and other members of his family, the Egyptian antiquities ministry said. Mustafa Abdo, chief of excavation workers walks at a recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re, named It also contains more than a dozen niches and 24 colourful statues of the cleric and members of his family. The tomb dates from the rule of Neferirkare Kakai, the third king of the Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Saeed Abdel Aal, an excavation worker stands at the recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re, named The 33 ft (ten metres) long, 9.8 ft (three metres) wide tomb has just under three metres high walls which are decorated with hieroglyphs and statues of pharaohs. The tomb was untouched and unlooted, Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters at the site. The Egyptian Archaeological Mission working at the Sacred Animal Necropolis in Saqqara archaeological site succeeded to uncover the tomb, Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anani, announced. (Photo: AP) Archaeologists removed a last layer of debris from the tomb on Thursday and found five shafts inside. The tomb has only partially been uncovered and officials expect more discoveries when archaeologists excavate the site further in coming months early next year and even as early as tomorrow. Cameramen and visitors visit the recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re. (Photo: AP) One of the shafts was unsealed with nothing inside, but the other four were sealed. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, speaks inside a recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re. (Photo: AP)Mustafa Abdo, chief of excavation workers walks at a recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re, namedSaeed Abdel Aal, an excavation worker stands at the recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re, namedThe Egyptian Archaeological Mission working at the Sacred Animal Necropolis in Saqqara archaeological site succeeded to uncover the tomb, Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anani, announced. (Photo: AP)Cameramen and visitors visit the recently uncovered tomb of the Priest royal Purification during the reign of King Nefer Ir-Ka-Re. (Photo: AP) The twelve martyred soldiers include seven from Indian army, two from the air force, one from the navy and two from the BSF. Kolkata: Bangaldesh honoured 12 posthumous martyrs of the Indian armed forces on Sunday, who died in the Liberation War. The honour came on the the Vijay Diwas celebrations at the Eastern Command Headquarters, at Fort William. As already planned, Bangladesh is planning to kickstart the work to build a war memorial with names of all the Indian soldiers that martyred on its soil, next year. The twelve martyred soldiers include seven from Indian army, two from the air force, one from the navy and two from the BSF. Family members of the 12 martyrs received Mukti Juddho Sammanona plaques as the mark of honour from Bangladesh Liberation War Affairs minister A. K. M. Mozammel Haque after the wreath laying ceremony at Vijay Smarak and the fly-past by four Hawk aircrafts of the IAF and three choppers of the Army Aviation Corps showering rose petals. In his address, Mr Haque spoke about the proposed war memorial in Bangladesh. He later said, We will to build the war memorial at Brahmanbaria because a large number of soldiers sacrificed their lives there during the Liberation War. A land of 10 acres has been acquired. We are going to construct it very soon. Mr Haque elaborated, On the occasion of our Independence Day on March 26 we will lay the foundation stone. Around 1,700 Indian martyrs names will be inscribed there. Once the construction is complete, the Indian government, armed forces officers, a good number of delegation will be invited to attend the inauguration to be made by our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed. There is also a plan to invite the Indian PM to the event. General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Eastern Command) Lieutenant General M. M. Naravane said, We were forced into this conflict because of a humanitarian crisis of gigantic proportion, resulting in the annihilation of Pakistan Army and the birth of Bangladesh. But it has happened very rarely that a third country is born when two countries fight. The BMW Group launched its ride-hailing service in Chengdu, the capital city of the Chinese province Sichuan, as part of its premium mobility brand ReachNow. The BMW Group is the first foreign company in China to obtain a license to operate a ride-hailing service. By adding an additional premium mobility option to its existing car-sharing business in China, the company seeks to further expand its mobility services offering. The ride-hailing service will complement the current ReachNow car-sharing business which was started in Chengdu in partnership with EVCARD in December 2017 and runs a fleet of 100 BMW i3 electric vehicles. The new Ride-Hailing service offers an additional mobility solution for those who do not wish to get behind the wheel themselves, but would rather book a car with driver. Customers can use the BMW ReachNow App to either pre-book or instantly book a Ride-Hailing service. Excited with happiness Mr Ansaris father Nehal Ansari said, We are so happy and the moment we meet our son its going to be our Eid. Mumbaiz: Indian national Hamid Nihal Ansari, who has been languishing in a Pakistani jail since 2012, has been released and is likely to be deported to India on Tuesday. Mr Ansari will return to India through the Wagah Border crossing in Punjab. Mr Ansari was released from Peshawar jail on Monday and will be taken to the Wagah-Attari Border crossing on Tuesday where he will be handed to Indian authorities. The 33-year-old hails from Mumbai and has been under Pakistans custody since 2012, when he was arrested for illegally entering the country through Afghan-istan. Mr Ansari reportedly had gone to Pakistan in order to meet a girl he had befriended on social media. Excited with happiness Mr Ansaris father Nehal Ansari said, We are so happy and the moment we meet our son its going to be our Eid. The decision to release and deport Hamid Ansari comes days after New Delhi issued a note verbale to the Pakistan High Commission in India, asking it to make necessary arrangements for the earliest release of the Indian prisoners who have either completed their sentence or have been identified as the Indian nationals lodged in Pakistani prisons. Recently, acknowledging the scale of global displacement, the majority of UN member states adopted a global compact for migration. For many years, Pakistan prided itself on hosting the worlds largest refugee population. But then the issue became hijacked by securitised narratives. The number of people living outside their country of birth is more than 250 million. Over 10 per cent of these are refugees, distinct from migrants in that they are fleeing war or persecution, and by international law cannot be forcibly returned to their home countries. Around 1.4m of these, primarily Afghans, reside in Pakistan (the overall number of Afghans in Pakistan is closer to 3m). Recently, acknowledging the scale of global displacement, the majority of UN member states adopted a global compact for migration. The pact aims to improve global governance on migration-related issues, including promoting legal migration, providing basic services, better integrating new arrivals, tackling human trafficking and coordinating how to send migrants home. Some members the US and a clutch of Eastern European countries have pulled out of the pact on the basis that it undermines national sovereignty, ostensibly because it dictates how countries should control their borders. This complaint is an unfounded grumble by administrations that have generated political traction through fear-mongering about a migrant influx. The pact, which is non-binding, primarily aims to limit the suffering of the displaced resulting from unnecessary horrors such as child separation. That the pact has generated controversy is absurd, particularly in the context of the refugee crisis. Amnesty International estimates that 85 per cent of refugees are hosted by developing countries the top slots are held by Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan and Lebanon. And many of these, such as the Afghans in Pakistan and the Palestinians in Jordan, are protracted refugees in our case, going on to four decades. That the world must question the need for border crossings to be humane, safe and orderly shows how toxic global discourse on this issue has become. Pakistans experience shows that challenges related to migration continue through the long term: distinguishing between migrants and refugees; deciding whether to isolate or integrate them; determining the appropriate amount of service delivery. For many years, Pakistan prided itself on hosting the worlds largest refugee population. But then the issue became hijacked by securitised narratives. In political discourse, the Afghan population has been criminalised and made to bear disproportionate blame for domestic militancy. The PTI governments decision to explore granting citizenship to around 1.5m Afghans is admirable in this global context. It recognises the injustice of denying basic rights to those who cannot return to their home countries (or who view the country of their refuge to be home). And it nuances the security narrative. In a speech on the issue in Karachi, the Prime Minister correctly identified the link between the states failure to grant Afghan migrants and refugees official status, their marginalisation, resulting economic hardship and, in some cases, resort to criminal activities. The tone of the speech was a marked departure from that of previous governments that have emphasised repatriation, and coerced it despite humanitarian consequences. Domestic politics will prevent Pakistan from a quick move towards granting Afghans citizenship. The chief ministers of Sindh and Balochistan criticised the plan. There are valid concerns about what granting citizenship to Afghans, who are predominantly Pakhtun, would mean for the political landscape of cities like Karachi and Quetta, already vulnerable to competition and conflict along ethnic lines. Discussions about resource allocation for provinces with larger Afghan populations, such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, will also spur inter-provincial tensions. It is no surprise the issue has stalled over recent months. But it should not. By continuing to address the refugee crisis, Imran Khan can set high international standards. It can once again be a point of pride for Pakistan that despite its myriad challenges it has acted with more maturity and humanity than superpowers. Such a move would put Pakistan at the cutting edge of global debates on migration, and help it form stronger alliances with like-minded nations. It would also help it be more strategic about its foreign policy goals and service delivery roll out. If Pakistan wants to stem and then reverse the tide of Afghan migration, it must do whatever it can to find a negotiated settlement to the Afghan conflict. Separately, it should recognise that irrespective of stability in Afghanistan, a large Afghan population would remain in Pakistan. This is the generation that has been born here, that is being educated in refugee camps in Urdu and English rather than Dari and Pashto, and that calls Pakistan home. These Afghans must be counted among active participants in Pakistans economy and society, who can help forge stronger bilateral ties, and catered for with adequate service delivery. For Pakistans own sake, lets hope the Prime Minister can live up to this promise. By arrangement with Dawn Tie One On for charity The Old Greenwich Wine Merchants is running a special campaign called Tie One On for the holidays that benefits an education and health project in Guatemala. A new partnership with Greenwich-based social enterprise Hands In, OGWM now sells wine bags upcycled from old ties. Made exclusively for Hands In, the bags are made on the outskirts of Guatemala City by a community initiative that funds an elementary school, a health clinic and womens handcraft workshop. In early 2018 the NGO approached Hands In with a request to design an item made from donations of old neckties and, together with input from the womens workshop, the tie bag was born. Each bag wears a bow or necktie as its closure and is reusable. Find your place for exhibit The Bruce Museum in Greenwich is organizing an exhibition of small artworks created entirely by the public to be enjoyed by the public. Art lovers of all ages, interests, and abilities are invited to submit a depiction of your place as part of this new community art project. Based on the museums popular 2012 exhibition of self-portraits, Your Face Squared, the Bruce now asks participants to turn to the landscape for creative inspiration and to be a part of Your Place Squared: A Community Art Project. The subjects of Your Place Squared can be a favorite scene or setting your home, a room, or any space that you treasure as your own. The artwork can be created in any medium, including writing, drawing, painting, photography, and collage. The criteria for display include art that: must be original and anonymous, must be 6 inches by 6 inches in size and no thicker than 3 inches, and cannot be toxic or harmful. A signed consent/waiver form must accompany each piece, and there is a limit of 10 submissions per individual. The Bruce Museum will accept artworks from Jan. 2 through March 1, with the exhibit on view in the Museums Bantle Lecture Gallery from March 9 through June 2. More information about the exhibition and the consent form for submissions will be available at brucemuseum.org and at the Museums Visitor Services desk. This community-based exhibition was inspired by a 2006 project spearheaded by the Art Gallery of Ontario in Canada as a way of experimenting with visitor engagement. The variety of artworks featured in Your Face Squared included portraits created with traditional media such as drawing, painting, and photography, clever collages incorporating everything from jewelry to sunglasses, and three-dimensional works in clay, beads, and cardboard. As a community-based institution highlighting art, science, and natural history, an exhibition featuring art about the places that mean the most to our members and visitors is a wonderful project for the Bruce to support, said Anne von Stuelpnagel, director of exhibitions. We look forward to displaying all kinds of imaginative works. I know. No big deal. Just one more casually amoral, willfully obtuse, senselessly destructive assault on the rule of law. But President Donald Trump's preening undermining of legal process last week in the case of an indicted Chinese executive in Canada hit me especially hard. That may be because of my connection to a Chinese kidnapping case from long ago that serves as the template for the cross-border lawlessness blossoming as the United States retreats from the defense of international norms. The victim of that long-ago kidnapping, Wang Bingzhang, is still in prison, after 15 years. If he is not China's longest-serving political prisoner, he is close. Wang was born in China, came to North America to study, campaigned for democracy and couldn't go home. In June 2002, he traveled to Vietnam for what he thought would be a meeting with labor activists from China. Chinese security agents abducted him and smuggled him across the border. For six months, he was simply gone. When China finally admitted its complicity, the news was shocking. China at least felt compelled to offer a veneer of legality: In February 2003, after a closed, one-day "trial," Wang was sentenced to life in prison, ostensibly for espionage and terrorism. Today, such an abduction would come as less of a shock. In 2015, five employees of a Hong Kong business that published books offensive to Chinese Communist Party leaders were seized. One of them, a Swedish citizen named Gui Minhai, was taken from his home in Thailand; he, too, remains locked away in China. Russia's Vladimir Putin raised the stakes from cross-border kidnapping to cross-border murder. A former KGB officer who had been granted political asylum in Britain was poisoned with radioactive polonium on Nov. 1, 2006, and died three weeks later. This year, Putin engineered the poisoning of another former agent, Sergei Skripal, who had been living peaceably in the English cathedral city of Salisbury, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia. The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, perhaps noting how China and Russia got away with their crimes, in the spring of 2017 began "a secret program for kidnapping dissidents and holding them at secret sites," as my colleague David Ignatius recently reported. The program culminated in the October killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi exile and Washington Post contributing columnist, in a Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Trump reacted with a shrug. "To the best of our knowledge, Khashoggi is not a United States citizen," he said. Despite the murder, Trump continues to embrace the crown prince, as he embraced Putin in Helsinki less than five months after the Salisbury poisoning. As he told Fox News's Bill O'Reilly last year, when O'Reilly called Putin a killer: "There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers. Well, you think our country is so innocent?" Now Trump is dragging Canada down into his sordid sense of reality. At the request of U.S. law enforcement, Canada on Dec. 1 detained Meng Wanzhou, CFO of telecommunications company Huawei Technologies and daughter of the company's founder. This was in accord with international law, based on serious allegations that Meng would eventually have the right to defend herself against. She has been granted bail in Vancouver. China, furious, detained two Canadians, lawlessly, and is holding them. The contrast was stark - until Trump essentially reduced Meng's arrest to the level of another hostage-taking. "If I think it's good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made. . . . I would certainly intervene," he said, adding, "It's also possible it will be a part of negotiations." Whether Meng is guilty of a felony is apparently not relevant. With his cynical, purely transactional view, Trump sandbagged Canada and its assertion that the arrest was a matter of law enforcement alone; encouraged other nations to seize foreigners as negotiating tools; and undercut any insistence that innocent, unjustly held prisoners be freed without trade-off or condition. I have never met Wang Bingzhang, now 70 and ailing in his remote Chinese prison. But, after writing a novel for young readers inspired partly by his story, I have had the good fortune to become friends with his family. I have met the grandchildren he has never seen. And I had hoped that the government of Justin Trudeau, mindful that most of Wang's family lives in Montreal, might persuade China to release Wang on humanitarian grounds. I still have that hope. But now Canada has more immediate worries in its relationship with China, having upheld the rule of law on behalf of a neighbor who scoffs at it. Last week, the U.S. Senate, voting unanimously to condemn the Saudi crown prince for the killing of Khashoggi, sent one hopeful signal: Not everyone in the U.S. government has abandoned our founding principles. A bit of good news, but hardly enough to undo the damage being perpetrated from the White House. Lenovo Z5s is about to be released and according to a new leak on Weibo, the phone will come in two versions - a standard one that's supposed to be with Snapdragon 678 and a more powerful Z5s Ferrari Edition. The latter is believed to sport the Snapdragon 845 chipset. But wait - there's more. The photo was taken from the "About" sub-menu in the Settings menu and also reveals 12GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. If true, the Lenovo Z5s Ferrari Edition will be the first ever handset with 12GB of RAM. Of course, there could be something fishy going on here and we are just a day before the official unveiling, so we suggest you stay vigilant and patient. We will know everything soon enough. Source (in Chinese) (CNN) A prominent Chinese pastor and legal scholar is one of 100 Christians detained by authorities after he was reportedly arrested on allegations of "inciting subversion of state power." Wang Yi and his wife, Jiang Rong, were taken into police custody early last week in the city of Chengdu, where they run the Early Rain Covenant Church, according to ChinaAid, a U.S.-based nonprofit that advocates on behalf of China's Christian communities. A church parishioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Wang's arrest in a phone call with CNN. Authorities with China's National Religion Bureau did not respond to a request from CNN seeking comment. Western governments and civil rights advocates outside China have condemned the mass arrest of the Early Rain parish as the latest move in Beijing's stepped up crackdown on independent religious practice. China has been accused of carrying out a systematic campaign of human rights violations against hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uyghurs in the far western region of Xinjiang. China says its actions there are meant at combating violent extremism, and it has repeatedly denied claims that the region has turned into an Orwellian surveillance state. Sam Brownback, the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, cited the actions against the Early Rain Church and the reports from Xinjiang when announcing that China was one of ten countries designated a "country of concern" when it comes to religious freedom Tuesday. "My particular concern now for China is they've increased these actions of persecution against faith community," Brownback said. "China isn't backing away from the religious persecution; it seems to be expanding." China is officially an atheist state, but religious practice is legal in the countryalbeit under the central government and Chinese Communist Party's rules and surveillance. But some of the country's faithful attend underground or unregistered houses of worship to practice their religion freely. Police have accused Early Rain of operating without registering with authorities, and Human Rights Watch says Wang and members of his church have been the subject of frequent harassment in recent years. "Everyone who supports religious freedom should stand with Wang Yi and speak out against the Chinese government's repression of religion," said Yaqiu Wang, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch. Rights advocates say the crackdown against underground churches and religious practice that's not state-sanctioned is less about religious practice itself and more about the Chinese Communist Party making sure it remains firmly in control of civil society. "Under President Xi, the government has further tightened control over Christianity in its broad efforts to 'Sinicize' religion or 'adopt Chinese characteristics'in other words, to ensure that religious groups support the government and the Communist Party," Human Rights Watch said. "The shutdown of a Protestant church in Chengdu epitomizes the Xi Jinping government's relentless assault on religious freedom in China," said Human Rights Watch's Wang. "It makes a mockery of the government's claim that it respects religious beliefs." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Detention of 100 Christians raises concerns about religious crackdown in China." Indira Gandhis Emergency was one denial of even the rituals of democracy. In spite of being hailed by the DMK as the Oppositions prime ministerial candidate, Rahul Gandhi would be well advised to resist the temptation to see the next Lok Sabha polls as a contest between himself and Narendra Modi. That is exactly what the Bharatiya Janata Party wants. It hopes to distract attention from the partys manifest failures by projecting a larger-than-life image of the saviour on a white horse. Instead of walking into the trap of what is termed a presidential style election, the Opposition should focus on the BJPs record in office and on a strict accounting of the extent to which it has lived up to its achche din promise. The Prime Minister mesmerises village audiences with populist oratory but the recent state Assembly elections exploded the myth of a contrast between the Naamdaar (dynast Mr Gandhi) and Kaamdaar (man of action himself). Anyone with a sense of history knows that far from being irreconcilable, dynasty and democracy merged triumphantly in the 1962 Jaipur Lok Sabha election when Maharani Gayatri Devi claimed the biggest landslide victory 1,92,909 out of the 2,46,516 votes cast the world had ever known. Who could have been more dynastic than the daughter of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, granddaughter of the Gaekwad of Baroda and wife of the Maharaja of Jaipur? In an equally spectacular triumph that year, Maharani Radharani Mahtab of Burdwan in West Bengal wrested the Assembly seat for the Congress from a legendary former revolutionary, Benoy Krishna Chowdhury, veteran of the undivided Communist Party of India, who had won in 1951 and 1957, defeating on the first occasion no less a personage than Maharani Radharanis husband, Maharajadhiraja Sir Uday Chand Mahtab Bahadur of Burdwan. But Chowdhury lagged behind the Maharani in 1962 with only 31.07 per cent of the vote against her 67.42 per cent, to be reinstated only when she died a year later. Credited with Operation Barga, which distributed land to more than four million sharecroppers and landless labourers, Chowdhury remarked in 1995 when Jyoti Basu was chief minister and he the second man in West Bengals Left Front government: This is a government of contractors, by contractors and for contractors. West Bengal banished the Left Front in 2011, but contractors thrive in every party all over the country. Like businessmen and industrialists, they are the crutches that prop up many democratic politicians who are more monarchical than any blue-blooded royal. Mr Modi is not the first of the species. When the Economist called Indira Gandhi Empress of India, it was a comment on her stranglehold on the party and her authoritarian style of ruling. Such distortions of the Westminster system obliged Adlai Stevenson III, the former Illinois senator, to argue at a seminar I once attended in Chicago that India might boast of representative government but could not claim to be democratic, as Americans understand democracy. Mrs Gandhis midnight imposition of the Emergency was one denial of even the rituals of democracy, leave alone its substance. The bombshell of partial demonetisation that Mr Modi exploded on November 8, 2016 was another. Reports suggested at the time that even his finance minister may not have been privy to the secret. Nor would any truly democratic government have got rid of two heads of the central bank in an effort to grab its reserves and force it to relax lending curbs on 11 state-run banks in the Reserve Bank of Indias so-called prompt corrective action framework. It can only be assumed the government needs the money to facilitate easy credit in the run-up to next years Lok Sabha election. Mrs Gandhi once set tongues wagging by asking a conference of lawyers in New Delhi to review the Constitution with the possibility of switching over to a presidential system in mind. A variant that was also in the air at the time was some means of directly electing the Prime Minister without reference to any party. Having captured a record 350 out of 518 seats in 1971, and 351 in 1980, Mrs Gandhi entertained no doubts about her own ability to attract votes. But she feared in those years that reputedly corrupt and negligent Congress politicians were losing all claim to public esteem. However, the basic structure of the Constitution doctrine that the Supreme Court propounded in 1973 ruled out any such innovation. Leaders must stand or fall with the party to which they belong. The BJP cannot escape that axiom. Judging the party by its record, voters in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telengana and Mizoram were entitled to ask what happened to the additional jobs they were promised. People may wonder at the national level what happened to the Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas doctrine when a dalit groom in Adityanaths Uttar Pradesh was dragged off his horse and forced to walk to the wedding site while being pelted with stones. According to the same saffron-robed chief minister, a police officers lynching was only an accident. The party says: The government has only one religion India first! Fine. Why then are men Muslims naturally lynched on suspicion of the slightest connection with beef? Farmers are on the rampage. Swachchh Bharat has not made India any cleaner. Make in India has not boosted domestic manufacture. The Prime Ministers Office fobbed off a question under the Right to Information Act regarding the promise to deposit `15 lakhs in every citizens bank account. The GDP is falling. So is foreign investment. These are substantive questions affecting fundamentals of governance. The BJPs eligibility to a second term will depend on satisfactory answers. Voters cant be fobbed off with heady oratory drenched in vitriol. Personality is no substitute for party or programme. Has it really been 5 years? OnePlus was founded December 16 2013, starting with a small but ambitious team. The company has grown considerably since then and now employs thousands. The OnePlus team is looking back at the beginning and some of the first employees have shared their memories on the companys forums. First OnePlus One prototype The company started in the winter First full page ad There were plenty of bumps along the way. For example, the team started working before the heating was even installed. There were setbacks with the very first OnePlus One prototype that arrived at the cold office the manufacturing team had forgotten to drill holes for the loudspeaker. It was hard work the team was working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week to get the One ready. For the OnePlus 2 launch, the team decided on a small event in San Francisco. That meant that around 40 phones had to be flashed with the latest software and set up with Google accounts so that they would be ready for some hands-on time with reporters. You can read the accounts of OnePlus first employees over at the forums (follow the source link). Most of them joined the company in December of 2013 or just months after, so no one knows the story of OnePlus better than them. Source Xiaomi Redmi 7 makes its way on TENAA, just photos for now Xiaomi joined the notch movement quite late with its Mi 8 series, launched in late May. The company gradually started migrating its lineup to the infamous design trend, with the Pocophone F1 and some Redmi 6 phones following suit. Now a Xiaomi M1901F9T arrived on TENAA with a selfie camera, positioned in the center, meaning we will see a phone by the Chinese company with a waterdrop cutout as well. Looking at the model number, it is likely a Redmi 7 series phone. Xiaomi M1901F7T The photos also reveal pretty common design overall - buttons on the right, fingerprint scanner on the back. The vertical camera setup comes with a flash, but it is now under the dual cameras unlike the Mi devices that followed the iPhone setup. The Chinese regulatory listing also has some basic specs, including 5.84 display and a 2,900 mAh battery. The dual camera will have AI, but that term has been so overused that it's hardly saying anything at this point. Source 1 Source 2 (both in Chinese) Haiti - NOTICE : National competition recruitment for 70 students magistrates Jean Roody Aly, the Minister of Justice informs those interested, of the launch of a national competition through the jurisdictions of the 5 Courts of Appeal of the Republic (Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien, Hinche, Gonaives, Cayes ) for the recruitment of a new class of 70 students magistrates as part of a 16-month initial training course to be organized by the School of Magistracy (EMA). The purpose of this initial training is to enable the magistrates to become polyvalent magistrates, able to exercise normal judicial functions. Requirements : To be Haitian; Hold a law degree or equivalent diploma approved by the Rectorate of the State University of Haiti; Be 23 to 50 years old; Enjoy his civil and political rights; Have never been sentenced to an afflictive and disgraceful punishment; Be in good physical and mental health. Schedule of this training : Reception of applications to the Registry of Courts of Appeal, with the exception of Port-au-Prince where registrations are received directly at EMA located at Angle Route de Freres and Blvd. October 15, from December 17, 2018 to February 20, 2019 ; ; Publication of the list of candidates eligible to take part in the competition (March 2019); First phase of the competition (written test March 2019); Publication of the results of the written test (end of March 2019); Second phase of the competition (oral test April 2019); Publication of the candidates admitted to the EMA (end of April 2019); Meeting with the candidates admitted on the modalities (determined by the Director of the EMA) concerning the course of this training (May 2019). HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Elections : Electoral monitoring mission of the European Union At the invitation of the authorities of Haiti and in accordance with the commitment of the European Union (EU) for the improvement of electoral processes and support for democracy, Elena Valenciano, Head of the European Union Electoral Observation Mission (EOM / EU) in 2015 carried out a follow-up mission to Haiti of the 22 recommendations issued at the end of the electoral cycle of 2015 and 2016 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20891-haiti-elections-important-european-recommendations.html During her stay Ms. Valenciano was able to meet with President Jovenel Moise, Deputy Speaker Gary Bodeau, Speaker of the Lower House, Joseph Lamber, Speaker of the Senate, members of the Primature, representatives of political parties and the Electoral Council Provisional, representatives of the Civil Society as well as the international community and other election observation missions. During these meetings, she took note of the progress made, in particular on draft laws on electoral matters, which incorporate most of the recommendations of EU electoral missions, but also the existence of technical and financial challenges in the context of the next elections in October 2019 for the renewal of one-third of the Senate and the entire Chamber of Deputies. She welcomed the report of the Special Committee on the amendment of the Constitution of the Chamber of Deputies which proposes to simplify the electoral calendar and to stabilize the functioning of constitutional powers. Valenciano reiterated the importance the European Union attaches to the respect of the electoral cycle and its periodicity as a guarantor of both institutional stability and the expression of the will of the population. This electoral monitoring mission resulted in a report that was shared with the authorities in order to draw all the lessons learned from the previous electoral cycle to improve the organization of the next elections. Download the EOM / EU report (PDF) (in French) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/rapport_final_mse_ue_haiti_2018.pdf See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20891-haiti-elections-important-european-recommendations.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : President Moise closes a symposium on territorial governance On Friday, President Jovenel Moise closed a three-day symposium on territorial governance, organized for departmental delegates, vice-delegates and secretaries-general and funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This symposium on territorial governance, led by many civil society professionals, including Luc Eucher Joseph, Rosny Desroches, and Miradin Morlan, was an opportunity to raise awareness among participants, among other things, of the efforts of the Moise-Ceant Administration to modernize the State, the national deconcentration policy and the control of deconcentrated bodies. Moise encouraged these local government officials to face the important work of representation of the executive that they perform in the different regions of the country, despite the difficult conditions. Moise appealed to the various ministries and the Delegations for a better collaboration while inviting the Ministry of Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) to make additional efforts to provide these entities with adequate logistical means to facilitate their mission. "The recommendations made at this symposium should be implemented according to a timetable set up by the MICT," insisted the Head of State, who wants these officers of the Territorial Communities to be more effective in their role of "transmission belt" between the central power and the people. He invited delegates and vice-delegates to engage with all citizens at the community level to strengthen the process initiated by the central government to foster unity and peace across the different communities. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Migration : 3 major host countries for Haitians rejected the UN Global Compact 3 important host countries for Haitians (USA, Dominican Republic and Chile) have rejected the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration of the United Nations and have considerably strengthened their measures to slow down or prevent illegal migration on their territory. Recall that this pact was approved in Assembly without vote or signature on December 10 in Marrakech (Morocco) in front of some 150 countries out of 193 and will be definitively ratified by a vote on December 19 at the UN. However, in the absence of official list it is not possible to know the names of countries present and absent in Marrakech. Note that among others : the United States, Hungary, Australia, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Switzerland, Slovenia, Denmark, Slovakia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Dominican Republic https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26316-haiti-flash-the-dominican-republic-refuses-to-sign-the-global-compact-for-migration.html and Chile rejected this Covenant. In addition, on Sunday, Miguel Vargas Maldonado, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic announced that the Dominican Government will abstain in the next vote on the adoption of another Global Compact, this time concerning the refugees. Monday, December 17th at the plenary session of the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. While acknowledging "the humanitarian character of the Refugee Pact" in the light of its commitments under its own legislation and the international conventions that the Dominican State has signed and ratified, it stresses that some of the principles contained in the Covenant have support on two international instruments to which the Dominican Republic is not a party: the Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons of 1954 (never signed) and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness 1961 (signed on 5 December 1961 but never ratified). Vargas recalled that only the Dominican State can grant refugee status, stressing that the pact provides a division of burden and responsibility among the UN Member States, which could be contrary to the national interest and affect capacity of the Dominican Republic, which could be faced with a considerable number of people who may be declared refugees under the new international statute. Download the Global Compact on Migration (PDF in French) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Pacte-Mondial-pour-des-Migrations-Sures.pdf Download the Global Compact on Refugees (PDF in French) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/5b3636f44.pdf See also : : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26316-haiti-flash-the-dominican-republic-refuses-to-sign-the-global-compact-for-migration.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Diaspora: distribution of Christmas gifts to Cite Soleil On Sunday, "Breakfast with Santa", a Miami-based organization from the Diaspora, came to Haiti to deliver 2 days of dental clinic at Cite Soleil, distributing Christmas gifts to nearly 2,000 children in a party atmosphere animated by a few artists including Mikaben and Ayiiti See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26407-icihaiti-diaspora-dental-clinic-of-breakfast-with-santa-in-cite-soleil.html The number of new Haitian migrants in Chile is decreasing Since Sebastian Pinera's Government demanded a consular tourist visa for Haitians, the arrival of illegal Haitian migrants in Chile has considerably decreased during this year. According to information from the Chilean Ministry of the Interior, the number of Haitians arriving in Chile has increased from 113,548 in 2017 to 35,773 between January and November 2018. The Ministry indicates that in January 2018 15,000 Haitians arrived while only 44 been registered last November. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26430-haiti-migration-3-major-host-countries-for-haitians-rejected-the-un-global-compact.html Labor-intensive work at Cite Soleil On Monday morning in the commune of Cite Soleil, the Ministry of Public Works officially launched labor-intensive works. Jacmel : Christmas Village On December 21st and 22nd, come and discover more than fifty talented craftsmen of the country at the 2018 Christmas Village at the Jacques Khawly Stadium in Jacmel on December 21st from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and on December 22nd from 9:00 am to midnight. Carnival 2019 The Mayor of Port-au-Prince announces that the Carnival 2019 will take place in the capital on March 3 and 4 and 5, 2019 around the official theme "Respekte Lavi". Delmas : Walking for Peace On Friday, Wilson Jeudy, Mayor of Delmas Commune, visited the headquarters of the National Spiritual Council of the Churches of Haiti to discuss with the Bishops, Coordinators and some pastors of the Council, around the preparations for the march for Peace which will be organized on January 1st, 2019 in the commune. HL/ HaitiLibre A country deeply entrenched in regional crises like those in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen What thoughts does Iran provoke when you think of this West Asian country? A country run by mullahs (ayatollahs) who hold a grip on all spheres of life in the country. A compressed society that screams for azadi (freedom) from the clergy as is told by books like Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, etc. A country portrayed as a jail for the minorities, especially Sunni Muslims and fun-loving moderate Iranians. A country strangulated by international sanctions by world powers led by the United States. A country defying all these sanctions and vowing not to bow to any pressure. A country deeply entrenched in regional crises like those in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. A country that remains constantly in the news. These were the assumptions with which one landed in Tehran last week and examined them. ARRIVAL We, a delegation of Indian journalists and academics, arrived in Tehran in the wee hours of November 24. A saccharine call to prayer (azaan) for fajr (early morning prayer) greeted us at Imam Khomeini airport. An overwhelming absence of heavy security (we expected high security in Iran given the presumption that it faces security threats) surprised all of us. Besides, there was hardly any evidence of commercial hoardings barring a big Samsung one under two large portraits of Imam Khomeini and Imam Khamenei. Later, we found out via discreet chats with some locals and lower-level officials that security in Iran often remains invisible and officials discern threats from foreigners long before they arrive in Iran. As we arrived at our hotel, the first thing my reporter friend and me noticed was a wooden box. It invited sadqa (charity) with a saying of Prophet Muhammed written on it: Sadqa makes heart happy. The money, we were told, is largely spent on the marriage of poor girls. Our guide said that this box is neither ignored nor stolen by locals. Such boxes are put up either by the ministry of women welfare or by NGOs working for the government. Every year, they collect a huge chunk of money to distribute among the poor, said Hyder Reza Zabet, an Indian-Iranian and our guide on the tour. Mr Zabet added that these boxes have never been reported to be stolen. Contrast this with theft cases in India! After keeping our bags at our hotel, as we moved to search cigarettes, an absence of the local currency failed all our efforts. No one agreed to exchange Indian rupees despite us offering a lucrative deal. They asked only US dollars and Euros. Suddenly, a student-like looking Iranian saw us craving for caffeine. He bought seven cigarettes from a kiosk and handed over five to us. We protested but he went away waving a bye of friendship. RESTRICTIONS ON FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE As we started operating our mobile phones in the hotel lobby, we found to our shock that sites like Facebook and YouTube are banned in Iran. It was no less a nightmare for social networking addicts like many of us. Anyway, the hotel receptionist came to our rescue. She whispered that we can access these sites through internet proxy apps like VPN, Bazar, etc. The Iranian government, we were told, had recently put restrictions on these sites as they helped foment a recent unrest against the Hassan Rouhani government and the hardline ruling clergy. However, Iranian spin-offs of these sites like Cloob and Aparat were active throughout, with millions of Iranians active on these platforms. TRAFFIC AND VEHICLES As we moved from Tehran airport into the city, Iranians were seen rushing to their offices in cars, buses and motorcycles. Offices in Iran start at eight in the morning and run up to three in the afternoon. Iranians are mostly punctual, said Mr Zabet. One more remarkable aspect of traffic in Tehran was despite a gigantic number of vehicles, not a single honking was heard by anyone in our group. In fact, our group members became alert to note whether any commuter lost patience and pressed the horns button. But in our entire five days journey, it happened only once, and that too by our own driver. He was duly admonished by the fellow traveller whom he honked at. Mr Zabet told us that almost half of all Iranian vehicles are in Tehran, and that 80 to 90 per cent of Iranian vehicles are self-manufactured. Conditions of many such vehicles suggest that they might belong to the pre-Islamic Revolution monarchy era. After the famed oil and gas industry, the automobile industry is the third largest industry in Iran. Industry stats inform that it makes for 10 per cent of countrys GDP and around 4 per cent of its entire workforce. Today, Iran is the said to be the 18th-largest automaker in the world and one of the largest in Asia, with an annual production of more than 1.6 million vehicles. IRAN SANCTIONS, POLITICS, MEDIA, RELATIONS WITH INDIA After we settled down in our hotel, interactive sessions with Iranian academics, former diplomats, senior government officials and media personalities kick-started. Dr Hussein Akbari from from Asr Institute, Tehran, was the first to address our delegation. He is a former diplomat and a current academic. He also edits a journal, The World of Islam. He described Iran as a classical case of victimisation by western media imperialism. He said that the US considers the whole world as a big Guantanamo Bay prison. All its allies are treated as inmates. They obey the jailor, he said, pointing towards US allies in the Gulf region. He said that the picture of Iran as a patriarchal society and a pariah state is only because of biases in the western media. The Western media wants you to believe that human rights are suppressed in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but it doesnt show how Iranians have suffered because of direct war (the eight years long Iran-Iraq war) and indirect war (economic sanctions) imposed by the US and its allies, he said. He said that western and regional atrocities against the nation have left it weakened but it has also helped the nation to always stand on its feet. We may look weak but we are very determined to face any eventuality. The Holy Quran declares that those who resist against injustice, God illuminates their path with victory, he said. On India-Iran relations, he said that both the countries share a common history, mythology, culture and trade. They share no hostility whatsoever. This is despite India voting against Iran in the UN on the nuclear issue in 2005. Actually, there has been no military conflict between India and Iran since the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739. And after the opening of current avenues like joint gas and petrochemical projects, Chabahar sea port, bilateral relations between the two countries will embark on a fruitful voyage. InshaAllah! he concluded. Like Dr Akbari, Professor Rahimpour of Tehran University dwelt on the importance of India-Iran relations in the changing equation of the new world order. He said that the testimony of heart-to-heart India-Iran relations is the plethora of Indo-Iranian architectural monuments in India. These monuments, especially the Taj Mahal, are like an Iranian soul in an Indian body, he emphasised. When this correspondent suggested that whether Iran will take a lead to help preserve these monuments in India, he promptly accepted the suggestion and promised to take it to the concerned authorities. Later, we were taken to a tour and witnessed live proceedings of the Iranian Parliament. Despite a heated debate in the House, the Speaker rose from his chair to greet all of us. Then his advisor on international affairs, Dr Hossein Amirabdollahian, took us to high tea and an interactive session. He took almost all of our questions. On US sanctions on Iran, he said that 70 per cent of these curbs are psychological and only 30 per cent of them are biting them in Iran directly. He also said that US President Donald Trump personally wants to lift these sanctions as he is a businessman and wants to pursue his family trade interests in the Gulf region, including Iran. While his Republican predecessor George W. Bush had only oil on his mind when he invaded Iraq, Trump has other business calculations, he revealed. When this correspondent asked about his opinion on the Kashmir issue, which was once addressed as a festering one by Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, he said that both India and Pakistan must know that imperialist powers have their interest in sowing discord among developing nations. There are around 10 Kashmir-like disputes in the Gulf region, like the Oman-Saudi border issue, the Saudi-Kuwait border issue, and you know since 1917, Bahrain used to be a part of Iran. So, if we have to solve our problems, we must solve it ourselves. I believe Kashmir should be resolved bilaterally, he said. WOMEN Our first interaction with women in Tehran was with the receptionists at the hotel counter. They were smartly dressed as is expected of hotel staff, but when we strolled the streets later, we discovered that almost all of Iranian women dress similarly jeans with long overcoats and tidily wrapped headscarves. Headscarves are mandatory in Iran and if not worn properly, they may invite punishment. But dress doesnt stop Iranian women from dominating Iranian society. They overwhelm with their presence in almost all walks of life be it government jobs, private jobs, schools, colleges, markets, sports, and night hookah bars. They can be seen sharing some intimate moments with their beaus in public in some corner of the streets if you can spot them, though public displays of love are strictly forbidden in Iran. Actually, curiosity about the conditions of women in Iran was on top of our minds when we interacted with almost everybody in Tehran. Questions about women were common ones. To answer some of these queries was invited to our hotel Dr Siddiqa Hijazi, chief of womens welfare in the Supreme Council for Cultural Relations, Iran. Covered in chador (loose burqa) from top to toe, she presented a perfect picture of subjugated Iranian woman we would have imagined before we arrived in Iran as most of us outsiders believe. She jolted this myth. After the Islamic Revolution succeeded in Iran in 1979, the maximum propaganda against Iran has been centred around the conditions of its women, she started, adding that the Capitalist and Zionist media have always been afraid of portraying correct picture of women in Iran. They show as if women live in the dark ages in Iran. The reality is women were in dark ages during Reza. Shah Pehelviss regime before 1979. The Shah is officially quoted as saying that women are only meant to provide enjoyment to men. His sister herself ran a drug smuggling racket. During his tenure, only a handful of powerful women enjoyed whatever we call human rights, she said. She said that during the Shahs time, only 30 per cent of Iranian women were literate. Today more than 90 per cent of women are literate and their literacy rate is higher than that of men. Their life expectancy is 76 years as against 74 years for men. During the Shahs period, no record of womens health was maintained, today the health of almost every Iranian woman is taken care of. In fact, women are a majority among medical students in Iran, said Ms Hijazi. She said that Iranian women lead in every walk of social and political life in the country. They are politicians, they are filmmakers, they are fashion designers, they are poets, they are writers, they are activists, and they are nuclear scientists. You name a field, we will name a woman expert there, said Ms Hijazi, with an air of utter pride. She said that the Iranian-Islamic model of womens roles in society is centred around the importance of family. We are a family-oriented society. We put family values at the core of our social development. Our model is neither eastern nor western. It is a fine balance of both as the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, used to famously say neither West and nor East. We follow this dictum, she said. After Dr Hijazis talk, as we took a post-dinner walk in an alley, we bumped into two young sisters running a cafeteria-cum-hookah (shisha) bar. As I told one of them that we just met a woman called Dr Hijazi and showed her Ms Hijazis picture, she gave disdainful looks. See these women (like Dr Hijazi) are hypocrites. They may cover themselves from top to toe but they cant see the reality that they are as ambitious any other Iranian woman. The hijab or headscarves, which they have imposed on all Iranian girls and women, are treated as a punishment and not as a honourable choice, said the elder one. The younger one was more forthright and revealed that young Iranians do everything the clergy forbids them. Boys and girls hang out as you yourself can see here in this cafe. They go out dating. They sometimes even stay together in hotels and rented apartments. They have pre-marital sex. Many girls dont marry and prefer to stay single. Plus, even if they marry, couples usually end up separating after sometime. Divorce rates in urban Iran are quite high. Post-Islamic Revolution Iran is nothing but a charade. We probably were better off during the Shahs time, she said. But when this correspondent asked if women of Iran or Iranians were better during the Shahs time, why did they rise up in the revolution against the monarchy under the leadership of a theologian, she mumbled for an answer. Published on 2018/12/16 | Source The #Metoo movement spread fast on cable and tvN and OCN were busy because of unexpected circumstances. Advertisement "Cross" Cho Jae-hyun cut out and thought dead Cho Jae-hyun was accused of #Metoo in February and he was forced down from the drama "Cross". The drama edited it so that Ko Jung-hoon (Cho Jae-hyun) died in the twelfth episode. His character died in a car accident. He was also forced down from his post as professor of Kyungsung University and fired as the director of the DMZ International Documentary Film Awards. "PD Files" broadcasted about Cho Jae-hyun and director Kim Ki-duk's sexual harassment and created a huge shockwaves. Accused of rape investigated by police commits suicide Actor Jo Min-ki was to star in the OCN drama "Children of a Lesser God". However, students of Chungjoo University spoke out about his sexual harassment and "Children of a Lesser God" replaced Jo Min-ki with Lee Jae-yong-I. Jo Min-ki was a professor in Chungjoo University since 2010. He was dismissed by the school, ended his contract with his agency and more reports about him came out. However, he was found dead on the 9th of March in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Seoul. It was 3 days before his investigation with the police. Oh Dal-soo, steps down from "My Mister" Oh Dal-soo was to star in the tvN drama "My Mister" as Go Doo-shim's first son Park Sang-hoon. Still cuts of him were released by the drama and he denied that he was involved with any #Metoo business and continued to film the drama. However, accusations got bigger and "My Mister" had to replace Oh Dal-soo with Park Ho-san. Published on 2018/12/17 | Source Three obsessive K-pop fans in Hong Kong caused a Korean Air flight to Incheon to take off an hour late on Saturday when 360 passengers were forced to disembark and go through another security check. Advertisement Two mainland Chinese and one Hong Kong passenger on board suddenly told flight crew that they wanted to get off the plane. It later turned out that they had only bought their first-class, business-class and economy-class tickets to get close to Korean boy band Wanna One, who were on the plane. Once they had got a closer look at their idols they had no intention of flying all the way to Korea and wanted to go home. Under aviation rules, all passengers of a flight must undergo another safety check if even one passenger gets off to prevent the disembarking passenger planting a bomb on board. A Korean Air staffer said, "We told the three passengers not to disembark, but it was no use". Incidents diehard fans buy plane tickets just to follow their idols into the departure area are getting increasingly common. They often buy first-class tickets because they entail a full or almost full refund for missed flights. Many are a new breed of social-media paparazzi who sell or otherwise monetize their close-ups of the stars. Incheon International Airport is notorious for such incidents, and Korea, unlike Singapore, has no laws that make it an arrestable offense to enter the departure area without the intention of flying. Many fans follow their idols past the security checks and cause a nuisance with their screaming and snapping, but airport officials say they are stumped as to how to stop them. Read this article in Korean Havre Police Department A caller on Seventh Street asked officers Friday at 4:10 p.m. to look into a disturbance on that street. -- A hit and run crash was reported on 13th Street Saturday at 8:57 a.m. -- Geno Valdez Menard of Havre, 21, was issued a summons at the police station Saturday at 3:35 p.m. on a criminal contempt charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program violation. -- Leslie Ann Seeley of Havre, 56, was issued a summons at the police station Saturday at 3:36 p.m. on a criminal contempt charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program violation. -- Cody Curtis Donoven of Havre, 30, was issued a summons at the police station Saturday at 3:41 p.m. on a criminal contempt charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program violation. -- Jon Dillon Cornell of Turner, 25, was issued a summons at the police station Saturday at 3:42 p.m. on a criminal contempt charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program violation. -- Saturday at 4:16 p.m., a caller on Fifth Street reported a hit-and-run crash, saying her vehicle was backed into, on Fifth Street. -- A Second Street West caller reported Saturday at 9:39 p.m. that a man was trying to fight another man. -- Travis Granger of Auburndale, Florida, 29, was arrested on charges of criminal destruction of or tampering with a communication device and partner or family member assault after an officer investigated suspicious activity at a First Street establishment Saturday at 10:07 p.m. -- A 16-year-old was issued a summons on a juvenile curfew violation charge after a caller at a First Street establishment reported Sunday at 1:02 a.m. that a boy was out past curfew. -- An officer assisted with a medical call on Seventh Avenue Sunday at 11:56 a.m. -- Joshua Kay Blatter of Havre, 29 was issued a summons on a charge of criminal contempt after a Second Street caller asked officers Sunday at 1:27 p.m. to check on her son. -- A caller on 16th Street reported a hit and run crash Sunday at 2:43 p.m. to a parked vehicle. -- Michelle Rose Jiron of Havre, 27, was issued a summons on a charge of partner of family member assault after a caller on Seventh Avenue reported an intoxicated female today at 4:24 a.m. Hill County Sheriff's Office Sheyleighn Kierstin Lamere of Rocky Boy, 23, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant at Hill County Detention Center Friday at 1:06 p.m. -- Lisa Ann Stump of Box Elder, 48 was arrested on a shoplifting charge and four Justice or City court warrants after a caller at a U.S. Highway 2 West business reported a shoplifter at 2:29 p.m. Friday. -- Jimmy Dee Holwuttle of Havre, 30, and Paris Dawn Ralston of Havre, 27, were each issued a summons on a charge of shoplifting after a caller at a U.S. Highway 2 W business reported stolen items Friday at 5:41 p.m. -- Deputies investigated a complaint from 10th Street West Friday at 6:30 p.m. -- A caller on Second Street Northwest reported Saturday at 1:02 p.m. a man had shot the caller's dog with a pellet gun in Rudyard. -- Susan Rae Warburton of Havre, 48, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence after a deputy investigate suspicious activity today at 2:05 a.m. Havre Fire Department Emergency medical personnel responded to six calls Friday, six Saturday, two Sunday and one early this morning. -- Firefighters responded Friday at 8:04 a.m. to a report of spilled flammable liquid on the 800 Block of First Street. Diesel fuel had spilled from a broken fuel line on a dump truck. Montana Department of Transportation was called, because it was on their property. An MTDOT crew put sand on the fuel. -- Firefighters responded Saturday at 9:19 a.m. to a call to help someone on the 1300 Block of Boulevard Avenue get their hand extracted from some machinery. Transport to the hospital was not needed. Havre Animal Shelter The Havre shelter this morning held one medium-hair cat of unknown gender and one short-hair female cat, along with 12 feral cats for its spay/neuter and release program. The Havre shelter this morning also held a female Shih Tzu dog, a female Australian cattle dog-blue heeler-border collie dog, a male American bulldog, a female mixed-breed dog, a male German shepherd 6-month-old puppy, a male mixed-breed 6-month-old puppy, a female Anatolian shepherd/husky 9-month-old puppy and a male shepherd-Chow Chow dog. The first is occupationally driven meaning a lack of satisfaction with the role an employee is in, general overstress or not getting along well with colleagues and leaders. This can even stretch to conflicting familial obligations whereby workers are forced to use their annual leave days to look after children or older parents. Whether or not if an employee would get compensation if they were to inform HR of the reason for their absence is another matter but taking sick leave seems to be the path of least resistance for many. The second reason, Alex told HRD, concerns genuine medical reasons i.e. an employee is unable to attend to their work duties because of an authentic medical ailment. That being said there are certain ways HR should approach the situation is they suspect something is amiss with one of their workforce. Alex suggests approaching an attendance support program - something with Mercer does with many of their own clients. Instead of labelling the initiative attendance management we call it support, added Alex. The connation of the word management suggests that HR is overseeing a situation. What were trying to do is be proactive with staff. Youll yield better results if you look at what supports attendance; such as opportunity, desire and ability. Opportunity the opportunity to be at work by meeting the health needs of the employee and the employees family. Shafner said she had filed a request a few weeks ahead of her work anniversary on Sept 4. In response to one of Shafners emails, Bruce allegedly promised to get back to her as soon as possible. However, the Amazon employee was instead dismissed on Sept. 5 after she was told her post would no longer be needed due to a restructuring, documents filed before the Federal Circuit Court in Melbourne showed. Amazon knew Shafner would earn the right to a flexible work arrangement by Sept. 5, and that if the arrangement failed to be implemented, the employee would likely request paid carers leave, the complainant alleged. Shafner accused Amazon of violating employment laws for dismissing her, issuing a formal warning for previous absences, and discriminating against her for being a working mother. Could a commonly-prescribed anti-sickness drug be the answer for the 1.3 million people in the UK who suffer the pain and misery of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (IBS-D)? A nationwide clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Nottingham and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)will assess the medication ondansetron, which is currently used by doctors to help cancer patients cope with the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. The research will aim to establish whether a much lower dose of the drug could also be a successful treatment for the abdominal pain and urgent bowel movements typically experienced by IBS patients. The researchers are aiming to recruit 400 adults who have IBS with diarrhoea from more than 20 hospitals across the UK to take part in the research and are appealing for anyone interested in taking part to visit its newly launched website https://ctru.leeds.ac.uk/triton to find out whether they are eligible for the study by answering a few simple questions. Disruptive Professor Robin Spiller, of the Universitys Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, said: Our pilot study suggested this was very valuable for reducing the need for urgent bowel movements which patients find so disruptive of their daily activities, both at work and when they should be relaxing and enjoying life. The trial is being carried out in collaboration with Nottingham University NHS Hospital Trust, as part of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, and will be run from the Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Leeds. Half of the volunteers taking part in the 12-week study will be prescribed ondansetron, while the other half will receive a placebo. Participants will be asked to keep a detailed diary and respond to daily text messages to document their symptoms which will help doctors to assess any potential benefits of the new medication. Ondansetron was developed to treat the side effects of chemotherapy which cause abnormally high amounts of a natural substance called serotonin to be released. This stimulates receptors in the brain and gut and sends signals to the part of the brain that causes nausea and controls vomiting. The drug ondansetron works by blocking the serotonin and interrupting the messages which trigger nausea and sickness but it also has important effects on the gut. Safe, cheap and fewer side effects Some patients with IBS with diarrhoea have an excess of serotonin in their intestine which stimulates frequent bowel movements and the researchers are keen to find out whether the ondansetron can also work to block the action of the serotonin in this instance. The patients response to the drug may also depend on genetic factors so the variation in the gene controlling the production of serotonin will also need to be considered. If the ondansetron is found to be effective then unlike most new treatments as it is off patent it is inexpensive could be easily introduced to both improve treatment for patients and save the NHS money. Ondansetron has been used as an anti-sickness medication for around 30 years, so doctors are confident that it is safe and is unlikely to have any unexpected side effects. If it is proved to be successful in treating IBS with diarrhoea, ondansetron could be rapidly adopted and lead to a change in NICE guideline recommendations. This would mean GPs could prescribe a cheap drug to help patients with the condition throughout the UK. Among those hospitals taking part are: Nottingham City Hospital; St James University Hospital, Leeds; Royal Stoke University Hospital; Barts Health NHS Trust, London; St Marks Hospital, London North West; University College London; Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester; Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust; Darlington Memorial Hospital, County Durham; City Hospital, Sandwell and West Birmingham; Barnsley Hospital; Western General, Edinburgh; Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield; The James Cook Hospital, South Tees. Ends Our academics can now be interviewed for broadcast via our Media Hub, which offers a Globelynx fixed camera and ISDN line facilities at University Park campus. For further information please contact a member of the Communications team on +44 (0)115 951 5798, email pressoffice@nottingham.ac.uk or see the Globelynx website for how to register for this service. For up to the minute media alerts, follow us on Twitter Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the worlds top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students Nottingham was named both Sports and International University of the Year in the 2019 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the TEF 2017and features in the top 20 of all three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer, proud of our Athena SWAN silver award, and a key industry partner- locally and globally. Story credits More information is available from Professor Robin Spiller in the School of Medicine, University of Nottingham on +44 (0)115 823 1090, robin.spiller@nottingham.ac.uk Reappraisal Q&A Why does the county reappraise property? North Carolina law requires counties to reappraise all real property once every eight years but allows reappraisal once every four years. Since 1995, Henderson County has conducted a reappraisal every four years. The county must assess 68,000 parcels. The effective date of the reappraisal is Jan. 1, 2019. Who is responsible for the reappraisal? The assessor, not the Board of Commissioners, is responsible for establishing the assessed value of property; the commissioners, not the assessor, sets the tax rate. N.C. law requires counties to assess real property at its true value in money, meaning market value. The assessor sets market value based on the most recent qualified sale near the appraisal date. Sales between family members and other non-arms length transactions are excluded. Fair market value is what a house or other piece of property would sell for between a willing seller and a financially able buyer. How does the assessor establish the value? Henderson County uses a mass appraisal process that groups similar properties together based on location, type of construction, age, replacement cost, advantages and disadvantages, zoning and other factors. For property such as apartments or offices, the assessor may base the value on net operating income. The market approach takes into account an arms length sale of similar properties. Are there exceptions? Yes. The taxable value is lower when the owner is enrolled in the Present-Use Value Program for farm, horticulture or forestry use. There are also tax relief programs for the elderly, disabled and disabled veterans. Among uses exempt from property taxes are churches and other religious property, schools, nonprofit agencies and government buildings. When will I get my Notice of Assessed Value? It will be mailed about Feb. 1. Can I appeal? Yes. The first step is to file an informal appeal using the form included in your Notice of Assessed Value. (You can also get a form at the tax office or on line.) After an appraiser reviews the informal appeal, the tax office will mail the result to the property owner. An appeal could result in the assessed value being left unchanged, reduced or increased. The next step if the property owner is unsatisfied is to file a Formal Appeal with the county Board of Equalization & Review. The Board of Equalization & Review will meet as needed from April 15 to May 15. An appeal from the local board goes to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission. Appeals from the state Tax Commission go to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and state Supreme Court. What are grounds for appeal? The assessed value exceeds or is substantially below market value or the property has been appraised inequitably as it relates to the market value of comparable properties. Reasons that are not grounds for an adjustment include the percentage change from the previous value, actual construction cost, the amount of taxes due, financial ability to pay taxes, insurance value or liquidation or salvage value. Does the reappraisal apply in all taxing districts? Yes. Cities and fire districts do not assess property for tax purposes. The county collects taxes for the fire districts and the part of the town of Saluda in Henderson County. Hendersonville, Fletcher, Laurel Park, Flat Rock and Mills River set their own tax rate and bill and collect property taxes in the municipality. Will the county publish a revenue neutral tax rate? Yes, by state law it has to. The revenue neutral rate is the tax rate the county would impose to produce the same amount of revenue it would have received had no reappraisal had occurred. In practice, that means if the gross taxable value of all real property goes up by, say, 10 percent, the revenue neutral rate would be lower than the current tax rate (56.5 cents per $100 value) by a corresponding amount. The Board of Commissioners, not the assessor, establishes the revenue neutral rate. Does the Board of Commissioners have to adopt the revenue neutral tax rate? No, it can adopt a lower or higher rate. When will the Board of Commissioners and cities set the tax rate for their 2019-2020 budgets? By June 30, 2019. When will I get my property tax bill? The bills are mailed in August and become due on Sept. 1, 2019. Property owners have until Jan. 5, 2020, to pay the property tax bill without interest. * * * * * Sources: Henderson County Guide to 2019 Reappraisal, interviews. -30- A CHRISTMAS tree supplier from Christmas Common helped decorate the 22ft Nordmann fir outside 10 Downing Street. Jane Ingram spent about five hours affixing hundreds of baubles and lights to the tree at the London home of Prime Minister and Maidenhead MP Theresa May. It was the second year running she had been asked to decorate the tree on behalf of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association. Mrs Ingram, who runs the Tree Barn with her husband Andrew, was joined by fellow grower Charlotte Gilbert, from Birmingham, as they decorated the tree with a red and gold colour scheme. Each year, the tree outside No 10 is supplied by the winner of the associations grower of the year award. This years tree winner was John Junor, of Farr North Christmas Trees in Inverness. The Tree Barn supplied the tree in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Mrs Ingram said many of this years decorations were re-used from last year and she added some new ones. She said: We supplied all the decorations free of charge because its an honour to do it. We were given a remit, which was traditional reds and golds and no enormous baubles. We managed to sneak in some cinnamons, chocolates and different shades of red and I also sprayed some pine cones gold. We refreshed some of the baubles and added some berries for a change. We have supplied the tree there three times, when we won the competition. We havent entered in a while but its jolly nice to be involved and maybe we will be asked to do it again. The pair were helped by a team on a cherry picker, who applies the decorations to the top of the tree. Mrs Ingram said: We were putting them up in the dark as it took a while to put the tree up. Its a very tall and particularly bushy tree this year so it took a few more decorations. Its difficult when you are doing it in the dark but at the end I think it looked okay We snuck a little elf in the tree for children to find as well as another one on the star at the top. The tree has already had a lot of airtime after a turbulent few weeks for the Prime Minister over her Brexit deal and decision to delaying a vote on it by MPs. Mrs Ingram said: I was emailing someone on Wednesday saying the tree looks nice but its not being photographed for very happy reasons. I hope it brings a bit of cheer to the street. The Tree Barn has sold hundreds of trees this season, including more than 200 at country homes, hotels and town centres across the country. These include Castle Howard in York, Magdalen and New College at the University of Oxford, the Ritz and Savoy hotels in London and the US embassy. Most of these were decorated by professional companies including WindowFlowers, of Burnham, which provides Henleys summer hanging baskets in Henley each year. The Tree Barn also supplied a 28ft Nordmann fir for Henley as well as others in Thame, Wallingford and Stokenchurch. Mr Ingram said: Its quite fun driving round London and spotting all our trees! DEVELOPERS would lose their right to appeal when they are refused planning permission under a new law being proposed by John Howell. The Henley MP says housebuilders should not be allowed to have decisions overturned by a government inspector if their schemes conflict with a neighbourhood plan. Mr Howell helped introduce neighbourhood plans in 2011 as part of the Governments localism agenda. They are usually written by volunteers under the supervision of parish or town councils and once they have been published, planning authorities are legally obliged to take them into account when deciding planning applications. However, developers can still appeal when a decision goes against them. Mr Howell says this is unfair on communities which have already put time and money into preparing a plan and are unable to afford to fight an appeal. During the first reading of his Private Members Bill in the House of Commons last week, he cited the case of a proposed development in Sonning Common. Gallagher Estates, of Warwick, wanted to build 95 homes on land off Kennylands Road which was earmarked for just 26 in the villages neighbourhood plan. When South Oxfordshire District Council refused planning permission, the company appealed despite widespread objections. The appeal was refused but only after the district council and protest groups spent 90,000 opposing it. Mr Howell told MPs: The application was inconsistent with the neighbourhood plan and there were no mitigating circumstances. Residents had worked very hard on the plan and continue to do so. The question we must ask is why was the existence of the plan not sufficient? I am introducing this to provide reassurance to communities who spend considerable amounts of time and money producing a neighbourhood plan that their work is valued. His Bill grants an exception for a developer that can prove an error in the councils decision-making process. In such a case, the company could apply to the High Court for a judicial review and, if successful, the planning application would have to be considered again. The Bill wouldnt apply if there is no neighbourhood plan in place or the planning authority has failed to secure an adequate supply of housing land, which nullifies all neighbourhood plans within its boundaries. Mr Howell said the process of writing a plan was becoming more complex and time-consuming for ordinary people to carry out. I pay tribute to the volunteers who spend so much of their time putting them together, he said. [An] appeal will need to be defended. It will require vast amounts of time from the local people who put the plan together. It may require the services of a QC or other specialists. Moreover, the chances of the plan being upheld are open to doubt. He said the Bill would send a strong message that neighbourhood plans should be taken seriously and it wouldnt undermine efforts to address housing shortages. Mr Howell said: Only through such action will we return real democracy to this country it could even make the allocation of land for more houses more attractive to towns and villages because they will be protected from rapacious interests. Mr Howell told the Henley Standard: The issue has been raised with me on a number of occasions, specifically in relation to Sonning Common, and I believe this Bill will save time and money. Because there was a Brexit debate afterwards, I made my speech to a full chamber and was told afterwards that never before has a Bill introduced under the 10-minute rule been so popular. It just resonated with so many people. Uptake of neighbourhood plans is already very healthy but it would give extra confidence to those whove already committed to the process. The Bill is due to have a second reading on January 25. The new Church in Kiev fulfills a dream already attempted in 1919, blocked by Soviet events. A victory for Filaret, patriarch of Kiev, excommunicated by Moscow. Poroshenko hopes to be re-elected, having become the protector of the national Church. The only defeated is Kirill, the patriarch of Moscow. Fears of clashes between the faithful, priests and bishops linked to Kiev or Moscow. Moscow (AsiaNews) - The initiative that led to the establishment of the new autocephalous Ukrainian Church dates back to the first attempt to establish an independent state after the 1917 revolution. The executive of the People's Republic of Ukraine on 1 January 1919, passed a law "On the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church", but everything was brought to a halt with the annexation of the new republic to the Soviet state; the Tomos will then be finally granted 100 years exactly from its first request. The aspiration for ecclesiastical independence was renewed at the end of the Soviet Union, in 1991. Even before the collapse of the regime, on June 10, 1990, a fracture took place in the election of the new patriarch of Moscow, after the death of the patriarch Pimen (Izvekov) who had been in office since 1971, during the long Brezhnevian "stagnation". Among the main hierarchy of the Russian Church there were some very "aligned" metropolitans, who had accepted active collaboration with the politics of the regime, in order to save the ecclesial structure as much as possible. Two of the most important were Aleksij (Ridiger), metropolitan of Leningrad, who was elected in place of Pimen as the new patriarch, and Filaret (Denisenko), who took second place in the vote and remained metropolitan of Kiev. The disappointment with the lack of election, together with the winds of independence that were already blowing among the Soviet republics, led Filaret to announce a separation from Moscow, and thus in fact the start of the procedure to obtain autocephaly. The following year ended Gorbachevs reform, with the attempted putsch of the KGB and unseating by Yeltsyn; in 1992, independent Ukraine was born, which finally became a nation for the first time in its tormented history. The premier, and then first president Leonid Kuchma supported the aspirations of Filaret, who turned to the patriarchate of Constantinople with the official request for autocephaly. Most of the Ukrainian Orthodox bishops signed the request, including the current metropolitan of Kiev Onufryj (Berezovsky), head of the jurisdiction tied to Moscow, which today has officially lost its title to the Ukrainian law. The work of Filaret In the meantime, the Patriarchate Synod met in Moscow and eventually excommunicated Filaret, declaring him schismatic and reducing him to the lay state. In response, Filaret had himself elected and appointed patriarch by the Ukrainian bishops loyal to him, assuming the symbols and vestments equal to those of the patriarch of Moscow (which are distinguished from all other Orthodox patriarchates, for the pomposity and imitation of the "Roman" papal vestments), even though during the election of the new primate, out of respect, his head remained uncovered. The Patriarchate of Constantinople then preferred to "freeze" judgment, to avoid a complete break with Moscow already in the 1990s, with which it was already in conflict for a similar situation in Estonia (the native country of the same Patriarch Aleksij II). Subsequently, Ukrainian politics continued to sway between a pro-Russian and a pro-Western line, remaining substantially linked to Russia due to energy dependency and production and market dynamics. The patriarchate of Moscow tried to assist and strengthen the ranks of the faithful communities as much as possible, trying to remain the main Church of Ukraine, something that has been succeeded from the numerical point of view, but not from the symbolic and political one, in which the patriarch Filaret has always remained the dominant personality. Majdan and Crimea The 2013-2014 crisis, with the demonstrations of Majdan Square in Kiev, led to the overthrow of the corrupt government of President Yanukovich, who refused the agreement with the European Union. This provoked the heightened tension with the Russian Federation, which led to the annexation of Crimea by the latter on March 18, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin rode the wave of nationalist enthusiasm to the victory cry "Crimea is ours!", in which historical-cultural and even religious motivations were reflected, Crimea being a "sacred land", where the first prince of Kiev, Vladimir the Great, was baptized. Patriarch Kirill distanced himself from this excess of euphoria, without "annexing" Crimea from an ecclesiastical point of view, out of fear of a definitive crisis with the Ukrainian Orthodox world, as indeed happened. The new president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has instead decided to directly use the ecclesiastical argument as an ideological justification for the "new Ukraine", which affirms its independence above all from the eternal Muscovite master. The ideal occasion was presented in June 2016, when the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I presided over the Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete, from which at the last moment the Patriarchate of Moscow had departed. The reasons for this absence were not very understandable, but now it is clear that the Russians feared that the question of the Ukrainian autocephaly would already emerge at the Council, which would have greatly reduced the role of the Russian Church in the Orthodox scene. Bartholomew could not forget such an offense, caused in the first person and all of Orthodoxy, which in its thousand-year history (since the schism of 1054) has never succeeded in celebrating a universal Council. In the autumn of 2016, Poroshenko decided to renew the request for autocephaly to Constantinople, supported by the Ukrainian parliament and by the country's political and cultural elite, with the exception of the pro-Russian "hybrid" provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk, in which conflicts are still ongoing. The two years allowed Bartholomew to deal with all the leaders of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches (which, moreover, avoided expressing themselves openly), including that of Moscow; Patriarch Kirill even went to Istanbul at the end of August this year, in a last attempt to avert the crisis. Bartholomew and Kirill The rest is recent news, with the acceleration of the final process of establishing the new Church, supported by President Poroshenko with all his strength. The rush to conclude is also motivated by the imminence of the Ukrainian presidential elections, which will take place in the spring of 2019. Not having received clear guarantees of re-election from the polls, Poroshenko is trying to boost his popularity, from that of "opportunist oligarch", to new protector of the national Church. Filaret himself, now 91, was clearly interested in finding a successor who was universally recognized as soon as possible, identified in his young ex-secretary Epifanyj. After seeing all the variations of the political regime and of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the "old lion" of the Russian-Ukrainian Church of Soviet memory can now contemplate his masterpiece, bringing with him definitively the title of "patriarch of Kiev", until now 'unique in history, even if now only as "emeritus". The patriarch of Moscow Kirill (Gundjaev) appears as the great loser of the whole affair. His arm wrestling with Bartholomew led the Russian Church to complete isolation, breaking the Eucharistic relations with the ecumenical patriarchate and embarrassing all the other Churches, including the Catholic Church. Several members of the Moscow Patriarchate, such as the Metropolitan of Pskov Tikhon (Sevkunov), had pushed for a preventive reconciliation with the Ukrainians and with Filaret himself, to arrive at an autocephaly "granted" by Moscow, but pride prevailed and the refusal of any compromise, embodied by the maximalist positions of metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeev), Kirill's right-hand man and tireless propagandist of the break with the "schismatics". Time, perhaps, will succeed in soothing the wounds, allowing a reconciliation between Russians, Ukrainians and Greeks, locally and universally. In the meantime, however, the new Ukrainian Church will try to assert its superiority in the country, urging pro-Russian parishes to move to the new Church (according to Ukrainian law, each parish can decide autonomously by simple majority of the faithful, without the need for permission of the bishop). There is a strong risk of new conflicts and hostile actions against those who remain faithful to the "foreign" Church of Moscow. It is to be hoped that the interference of the governments and armies, already lined along on the two fronts of the great dispute, will not come to pass. (VR) A drunk man threw a foreign national to the ground on a city centre street after hurling racial abuse at him in an unprovoked, random attack. Paschal Gibbons (41) had been told to move on by gardai moments earlier for being drunk in public when he seized the victim as he passed by and called him a "f**king Paki". Judge Michael Walsh, sitting in Dublin District Court, adjourned the case for the production of a pre-sentence probation report after Gibbons admitted assault and public order charges. Gibbons, of The Park, Larch Hill, Santry, pleaded guilty to assaulting the man in an incident on Dame Street in November last year. He also admitted public drunkenness and using threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. Sgt Brendan Duffy told the court he met the defendant on Dame Lane on November 11 last year and asked him to leave the area. Calm Gibbons seemed "relatively calm and coherent" at that stage, the sergeant said. However, when Sgt Duffy followed him as he turned right on to Dame Street, he grabbed the person walking in the opposite direction, said "f**king Paki" and threw him to the ground. The assault was "completely unprovoked", the court heard, and Gibbons continued to walk on. When the garda went over to the victim, he told him: "That man assaulted me for no reason." The accused was arrested at the scene. Gibbons had a very serious alcohol problem, his solicitor Michael Kelleher told the court. The court heard the victim was claiming monetary loss as a result of the assault. The defendant was anxious to address that situation, Mr Kelleher said. Judge Walsh adjourned the case to a date next month for the production of reports, a plea in mitigation and finalisation. The accused did not make any statement during the brief court hearing. A woman caught illegally carrying three knives in the waistband of her jeans said she was hoping to use them to do some work around the house. Lisa Lee (37) had the knives on her when she was stopped by gardai in the city centre, a court heard. Judge Michael Walsh put her on a one-year probation bond when she appeared before Dublin District Court on a weapons charge. Lee, of Portland Place in the north inner city, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of knives. The court heard Lee ran from gardai when they saw her acting suspiciously on Townsend Street. Regretted She was stopped a short distance away, and when the officers took her to a garda station she was found to have three Stanley knives in her waistband. Lee had bought the knives in a pack of three and "hoped to do some work in the house", her lawyer said. She did not brandish them, but regretted not bringing them to the attention of gardai on the street. Lee came from a difficult background and had addiction issues, her lawyer said. A recent family tragedy had had a devastating effect on her and she had made some "bad decisions". Flowers left on the beach where the babys body was found. Photo: RollingNews.ie A baby girl whose body was found on a beach over the weekend was not the victim of foul play, gardai have revealed. They have appealed for the mother of the full-term baby girl to come forward, saying there are concerns for her welfare. Gardai stressed that the mother will be treated with care and compassion. The baby's remains were found partially covered in Balbriggan, north Dublin, by a member of the public shortly after 10am on Saturday. A post-mortem examination was carried out yesterday, which confirmed that the remains were those of a full-term baby girl. Gardai believe the baby died before being left at Bell's Beach in Balbriggan. Appeal The child's body was partially covered in sand, although it was not immediately clear if the remains had been partially buried or were covered by sand from sea winds. "A post-mortem examination completed today established that the child was a full-term baby girl," a garda spokesman said yesterday. "It was also determined there was no foul play involved in the death of the child. "We continue to appeal to the mother of the child to come forward and we are also appealing to anyone with information to contact Balbriggan Garda Station on 01 8020510." The baby girl was Caucasian and the remains were found by a member of the public who was cleaning the beach at the time of the discovery. Sergeant Fiona Savidge, of Balbriggan Garda Station, said: "A member of the public found the body of a newborn baby at Bell's Beach in Balbriggan. "I want to get in touch with the mother of this baby, I am reaching out to you. I know you need medical attention. "You need to go to your doctor, possibly a 24-hour doctor on call. "If you could also go to an accident and emergency, 24-hour care is available there. "We are here at Balbriggan Garda Station at (01) 666 4500 or Tusla can be contacted 24 hours a day on 0818 776 315. "I can assure you that you will be treated with the utmost of compassion, care and 100pc confidentiality. "I know you are a daughter, you are possibly a sister, a cousin. "You may have a husband or a boyfriend. You may just have confided in a friend, so to anybody out there who the mother of this baby has got in touch with, I am appealing to you to make contact with us here." Local Fine Gael councillor Tom O'Leary expressed his shock at the discovery and also urged the mother to get medical attention. "Without knowing any of the circumstances, I would appeal to the mother to come forward to seek the help and medical attention she needs," said Mr O'Leary. "Maybe she is under a lot of pressure, we don't know the circumstances and the matter is very delicate. "Maybe her family and friends are aware of her situation and they could assist her in coming forward. She needs to talk to somebody. Tragic "We don't know the circumstances but to think of anyone that might have had to go through that alone and also in those terrible weather conditions, alone on a beach, I can't bear to think of it. "It's just so tragic. I am shocked. The whole of Balbriggan will be in a state of shock." Local officers, headed by Detective Superintendent Paul Scott, immediately began inquiries in the area after the discovery to help establish the identity of the baby's mother. Gardai have also appealed to anybody else with information about the incident to make contact with them. Case conferences have been ongoing at Balbriggan Garda Station as investigators review the information collected so far. Vandals have caused damage estimated at tens of thousands of euro in a campaign of violence and intimidation at a social housing construction site. The St Cuthbert's Park site in Bawnogue, west Dublin, had to be shut down for a period of time last month following reports of aggression and antisocial behaviour. SISK, the contractors for South Dublin County Council, left the site for a number of days after workers were threatened and the site was repeatedly targeted by vandals. While the site has now reopened and the construction of more than 60 two- and three-bedroom homes has resumed, the criminal damage is continuing. Reported The Herald's exclusive photographs show a digger valued at 40,000, an unfinished house, and a cabin used by the contractors which were burned out in two separate incidents last week. Expand Close Fire damage inside one of the housing units at the Clondalkin site / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fire damage inside one of the housing units at the Clondalkin site It is unclear why the site is being targeted. A garda spokeswoman confirmed the incidents were reported and are now under investigation. "Gardai are investigating an incident of criminal damage which occurred shortly after midnight on December 1 at a building site at St Cuthbert's Park, Clondalkin," she said. "JCB machinery was damaged by fire in the incident. There have been no arrests and investigations are ongoing. Expand Close A digger valued at 40,000 and a cabin were burned out at the St Cuthberts Park site / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A digger valued at 40,000 and a cabin were burned out at the St Cuthberts Park site "Gardai from Clondalkin also attended the scene of an incident at St Cuthbert's Park, Clondalkin, at about 4am on Friday, December 7. A cabin was set alight. "No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing." The much-needed social homes are to be owned by South Dublin County Council, and are being built on a corner of St Cuthbert's Park which was previously green space. A worker at the site yesterday said that they were shocked at the level of criminal damage, and confirmed that the intimidation is continuing. There is now a big security presence at the site, which is surrounded by high fencing and monitored by CCTV cameras. "This shouldn't be happening in 21st-century Dublin. The houses are badly needed in the community and the workers are just doing their jobs," said one worker. South Dublin County Council said it continues to liaise with the contractors at the site, as well as the local community and relevant agencies, including gardai, to ensure the timely delivery of much needed social homes in the area. Sinn Fein housing spokesperson and local TD Eoin O Broin said Bawnogue is "a wonderful place with wonderful people, and unfortunately the lives of so many here are being negatively affected by the bad behaviour of a few." South Dublin County Council mayor Mark Ward said that the anti-social activity had been a symptom of a problem of under-resourcing by the council and gardai in the past. Patrols "The council has now put CCTV into the park and removed hedging where anti-social activity was occurring, and the gardai have more patrols," he said. "So I hope that the last spate of damage is the dying embers of what was going on and that the situation will improve." SISK would not comment on the matter of the attacks when approached, but work continued at the site. Protests, led by Communist Party, destined to continue and increase. In imitation of the "yellow vests", the demonstrators wore red scarves and sang anticorruption slogans and chants, as well as against the lack of public services and the growing debts. The internal divisions on Syria weigh on the political scene. Beirut (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Hundreds of Lebanese took to the streets yesterday, to protest against the political stalemate that has - in fact - blocked all the attempts at the birth of a new government, now seven months after the political elections. A blockade sharpened by internal divisions and personal selfishness between the various parties and the different factions, on which the Patriarch Maronite Card Beshara Rai has recently intervened, according to whom the country is "hostage to political militias". After Jordan, which in recent days saw impressive public demonstrations that - for the first time - were addressed openly against the monarchy, the public protests over the weekend touched Lebanon. The leaders of the Communist Party, promoted the demonstrations in the streets of the capital - that some compared to the "yellow vests" in Paris. Those taking part were citizens now frustrated by an economic crisis and increasingly serious politics. Wearing red scarves and raising flags of the same color, the demonstrators chanted slogans against corruption, the lack of public services and the unstoppable growth of debt, which exceeded 150% of GDP. A demonstrator showed a sign calling for "Take to the streets: Enough words!". A citizen named Osama Assad says that the lack of a government "doubles the risks" for the maintenance of the country system. Meanwhile, the Communist leader Hanna Ghari confirms that the protest continues and is set to increase in the coming days. The divisions between the various parties - especially Shiites and Sunnis - on the war in neighboring Syria and on other strategic issues at regional and international level are targeted. Since last May Lebanon has been waiting for the creation of a strong and united government, able to overcome the many threats and challenges that await the country: from economic difficulties to the immigration crisis; from growing poverty to the employment problem that affects young people with greater incidence. A situation, denounces the Lebanese Church, of serious difficulty, exacerbated by the war in neighboring Syria, which has triggered an unprecedented humanitarian emergency. Francis received the International Commission against the death penalty. "The acceptance of this form of punishment was a consequence of a mentality of the time, more legalistic than Christian, that sacralized the value of laws lacking in humanity and mercy." Legitimate defense is legitimate, but must always be proportionate. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The death penalty is contrary to the Gospel, because it involves the suppression of a human life, of which God is the creator and the only One to decide its fate. This was reiterated by the speech in Spanish that Pope Francis gave to the delegation of the International Commission against the death penalty, received today at the Vatican. First of all, Francis remembered that the "certainty that every life is sacred and that human dignity must be safeguarded without exception has led me, from the beginning of my ministry , to work at different levels for the universal abolition of the death penalty." And "in the new wording of no. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which now expresses the progress of the doctrine of the most recent Pontiffs as well as the change in the conscience of the Christian people, which rejects a penalty that seriously harms human dignity (cf. Address on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,11 October 2017).It is a penalty contrary to the Gospel as it implies suppressing a life that is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator, and of which only God is the true judge and guarantor (see Letter to the President of the International Commission against the Death Penalty, 20 March 2015)". In past centuries, as we read in the text, the use of the death penalty has sometimes been presented as a logical and just consequence; even in the Papal States recourse was made to this inhuman form of punishment, ignoring the primacy of mercy over justice. "That is why the new wording of the Catechism also implies taking responsibility for the past and recognizing that the acceptance of this form of punishment was a consequence of a mentality of the time, more legalistic than Christian, that sacralized the value of laws lacking in humanity and mercy. The Church cannot remain in a neutral position in the face of the current demands for the reaffirmation of personal dignity". The Magisterium of the Church, however, also believes that "the perpetual penalties, which deny the possibility of moral and existential redemption of the condemned and of the community, are a form of death penalty in disguise (cf. Address to a Delegation of the International Association Penal Law, October 23, 2014). God is a Father Who always awaits the return of the son who, knowing that he has made a mistake, asks for forgiveness and starts a new life. No one, then, can be deprived of his life or of his hope of redemption and reconciliation with the community." For this reason, Francis believes that "The sovereign right of all countries to define their legal system cannot be exercised in contradiction with their obligations under international law, nor can it represent an obstacle to the universal recognition of human dignity. The resolutions of the United Nations on the moratorium on the use of the death penalty, which aim to suspend the application of the death penalty in member countries, are a path that must be travelled without implying rejection of the initiative of universal abolition. At the same time, the Pope once again draws attention to extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, which unfortunately are a recurring phenomenon. As regards the issue of self-defense, if it is "legitimate to have one's right to life respected" and thus the possibility of "inflicting a fatal blow on the aggressor (CEC, No. 2264)", self-defense must be proportionate. "As Saint Thomas Aquinas taught, such an act, in regard to the preservation of ones own life, is not illicit, since it is natural for all beings to preserve their existence as far as possible. However, an act that comes from good intention can become illicit if it is not proportionate to the end. Therefore, if one, to defend his own life, uses more violence than is called for, this act will be unlawful. But if he counters aggression moderately, the defence will be lawful, since, according to law, it is lawful to repel force with force, moderating the defence according to the needs of threatened security (Summa theologiae, 2-2, q. , a.7)." The hope, in short, is for a justice that, "in addition to being a father, is also a mother". The gestures of mutual care, in fact, typical of love that is also civil and political, are manifested in all the actions that seek to build a better world. "Love of society and the commitment to the common good are an excellent form of charity, which affects not only the relations between individuals, but also macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones). In this framework, social love moves us to think about great strategies that encourage a culture of care in the different areas of life in common. The work that you do is part of that effort to which we are called." 'It's not going away': Man still faces trial in 1988 assault on girls by Wang Zhicheng Founded by pastor Samuel Lamb, the Rongguili Church is the home of one of the first underground communities, with some five thousand members. The police seized sacred books and mobile phones. The government seems increasingly concerned about the growth of Christianity. Beijings Church of the Immaculate Conception is closed for repairs just before Christmas. Guangzhou (AsiaNews) An underground Protestant church, Guangzhous Rongguili Church, was closed and sealed after 60 police and Religious Affairs officials raided it yesterday morning. Police entered the building during childrens Bible class, which was cancelled, and seized lists and books (picture 1) and took the names of those present as well as their mobile phones. Since it is an underground Church, its meetings are deemed illegal". Local authorities posted a message on social media telling worshippers to go to 15 other registered Protestant churches. The Rongguili Church was founded in the late 1970s by Pastor Samuel Lamb, one of the most prominent advocates of religious freedom for Christians in the underground movement. At least, five thousand people attend its services each week. It is so far the third underground Protestant church to be shut down, following the closure of Beijings Zion Church in September and the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, last week. The Chinese government is increasingly concerned about the growth of Christianity, especially among underground communities, and is implementing with ever growing rigour new regulations on religious activities with the aim of eliminating Churches that are not under the control of patriotic associations. Recent reports indicate that Beijings Cathedral of the Immaculate (Nantang, picture 2) will also not be spared. In this case, the church will be closed indefinitely for "repairs". Catholic worshippers are invited to use the Church of St Saviour (Beitang). For many believers these "repairs" are just a veiled attempt to hamper Christmas celebrations, which attract thousands of people, even non-Christians, whose curiosity often leads them to the catechumenate. Conversely, other Catholics believe that "repairs" are needed, but the question remains as to why they should start just a few days before Christmas. SIPRI report notes that Saudi Arabia was the worlds second largest importer between 1998 and 2017 with military spending rising 74 per cent, now accounting for about 10 per cent of GDP. The United States and the United Kingdom are the main suppliers. Western policy undermines peace and security in the region. Riyadh (AsiaNews) Saudi Arabias weapons splurge not only in self-defence or deterrent but also in pursuit of an offensive military strategy from Syria to Yemen has fuelled tensions and conflicts in the Middle East, this according to a background paper released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent international institute that researches military spending and arms control in the world. The kingdoms lack of transparency makes it hard to estimate its military strength, the lattes role as a domestic deterrent, and whether its arms procurement is driven by defensive or offensive motives. However, it is clear that Saudi leaders not only want weapons but are also ready to use them on a large scale in war, like in Yemen. Across the Middle East, governments have placed great importance on military strength as the cornerstone for their foreign policy. The regions level of militarisation has hit an historical peak: In 2017, seven of the ten countries in the world with the highest military burden were in the Middle East with Saudi Arabia leading the way. The kingdom has paid billions of dollars to boost its military, especially to the United States under Trump, with whom it has developed a close relationship despite human rights violations. Saudi Arabias war in Yemen has killed tens of thousands and wounded hundreds of thousands of people, triggering one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent history. According to SIPRI, huge military spending has also led to Saudi Arabias militarisation. According to recent estimates, the country is ranked first in the region and third in the world for military spending. In the 2008-17 period, spending grew by 74 per cent, reaching US$ 90.3 billion in 2015, the highest level ever. Last year Riyadh invested 10 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in military spending, far above the other 15 big military spenders in the world, which dedicate less than 4.2 per cent of GDP to the military. In 2017, Saudi military spending per capita was higher than any other country in the world. As part of his Vision 2030 economic and social reform programme, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia wants to boost the domestic arms industry. However, its technology and know-how remain limited, which is why Riyadh is largely dependent on imports. The only achievement so far has been the creation of the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI). As the second largest arms importer in the world in the period 19982017, Saudi Arabia has built up the regions largest military, bigger than Irans, which both the United States and Israel view as the main threat to peace and stability in the region. In 201317, 61 per cent of Saudi Arabias arms imports planes, ships, missiles came from the United States and 23 per cent from the United Kingdom. Several other West European countries supplied most of the rest, including Germany and Italy. Both China and Russia have their eyes on the lucrative Saudi market, but they have not been able to dent US and British dominance, this despite a recent US Senate vote against Trumps support for the kingdom. Lastly, the SIPRI backgrounder highlighted the medium- and long-term consequences of the ongoing arms race in the Mideast, stimulated by Saudi policy. It urges the regions governments to re-examine their actions, which are undermining peace in the region and the world. For years, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was picked to lead the state by the BJP after a period of political instability, had positioned himself as Mamaji; a benevolent, paternal figure looking out for citizens, especially the women and the young. In the just concluded elections, Shivraj Singh Chouhan had, however, been at the receiving end of the Congresss campaign for the bitterly-fought election in Madhya Pradesh. He lost. But Chouhan did not let the bitterness during the election campaign stop him from showing up at his swearing-in ceremony as Kamal Nath took over the reins of the state on Monday. On his part, his hosts in the Congress party reciprocated the gesture, seating the three ex-chief ministers on the dais with other dignitaries. Chouhan, who had come along with two ex-chief ministers including Kailash Joshi and Babulal Gaur, also made it a point to also pose for the cameras, graciously raising hands with his two rivals from the Congress, Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia. Follow live updates here: Bhupesh Baghel takes oath as Chhattisgarh chief minister The show of political civility wasnt restricted to Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan too, Vasundhara Raje attended chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilots swearing in at Jaipur. Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot were sworn in at the iconic Albert hall in the heart of the city. In 2013, when Vasundhara Raje was sworn in, she had taken her oath at the Raj Bhawan. This is the first time that the chief ministers oath-taking ceremony took place at Albert Hall. Later, Vasundhara Raje also kept aside her political differences with Congress leaders as she interacted with them. In Chhattisgarh, the chief minister designate Bhupesh Baghel had also reached out to outgoing chief minister Raman Singh, along with other leaders such as Janta Congress Chhattisgarh chief Ajit Jogi, state BJP chief Dharmlal Kaushik and veteran BJP leader Brijmohan Agarwal. Raman Singh and several other BJP leaders did join Bhagel at the ceremony. He was sworn-in as chief minister along with two ministers, TS Singhdeo and Tamradhwaj Sahu, who had been in the race for the states top job but made way for Bhupesh Baghel. For full coverage on assembly elections, click here Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a large number of opposition leaders had spend a larger part of the day travelling first to Rajasthan, and later to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Ashok Gehlot who was the first one to be sworn-in today, later joined them to travel to Madhya Pradesh. Kamal Nath, who signed the plan to waive farm loans up to a maximum of Rs 2 lakh after taking charge, also travelled to Chhattisgarh later. flit across three states from one state capital to another to attend the swearing in ceremonies of the Congresss chief ministers, and to showcase opposition unity. But questions were raised over the absence of two prominent opposition leaders BSP Supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav who stayed away from the oath ceremonies in both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the two states where they have provided Congress support in forming its government. Last week, the Congress posted its best electoral performance since the 2014 general elections. It snatched Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from the BJP. While the party swept Chhattisgarh, it just made the majority mark in Rajasthan and fell short by a whisker in Madhya Pradesh. The BSP and Samajwadi Party offered to fill the gap to keep out the BJP, which was not far behind. About 5.24 million people of working age are not employed as of last May. Economic growth will end in 2027 when those employed will account for less than 66.7 per cent of the population. Agreement protects Indonesian migrant workers. Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) Due to its rapidly aging of the population, Taiwans economy will soon face labour shortages. According to a report by the National Development Council, Taiwan's working age population peaked in 2015 and started shrinking gradually in 2016. By 2027, it is expected to be less than 66.7 per cent of the total. As the birth rate drops, the proportion of the labour force rises, boosting overall productivity and economic growth. However, nearly 2 million Taiwanese women are currently not in the labour force for family reasons, says the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) in this year's manpower utilisation survey. The latter found that the number of people aged 15-64 not in the labour force reached 5.24 million in May, with home responsibilities the main reason cited for not working by nearly 2.04 million people, followed by "attending school or preparing for entrance exams," cited by nearly 2.03 million people. Some 50,000 people cited "old age, physical or mental challenges" as reasons for not working To counter the trend, Taiwanese authorities have turned to migrant workers. On Friday, the governments of Taiwan and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the recruitment, employment and protection of Indonesian migrant workers. With the MoU, the two parties agree to promote bilateral collaboration and exchange in the fields of vocational training, skill development, work assistance, start-up for women, and capacity building for people with disabilities. Taiwan is the second country of destination for Indonesian migrant workers after Malaysia. According to the countrys Ministry of Labour, some 190,000 Indonesian migrant workers are employed as caregivers or domestic helpers in the island nation, 76 per cent of all the migrant workers in these categories. The newly elected Congress-led governments in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have little financial legroom left to hand out sweeping farm-loan waivers, the plank on which the party won these states handily, a review of their finances shows. While farmers have been hit badly by falling prices of produce, loan write-offs will surely bloat deteriorating state budget balances. Economists have called for more growth-propelling investments in farming rather than doles, whose benefits they claim are short-lived. The prospects of off-balanced budgets or fiscal deficits , which arise when governments spend more than they earn, weigh heavily this year on both the Centre and states. A budget surplus, a rarity, means revenues are higher than expenditure, while a deficit refers to expenditures being greater than revenues, which is almost always the case. For full coverage on assembly elections, click here The Centre itself is under pressure to meet a deficit target of 3.3%. The combined fiscal deficit of states is poised to exceed limits for the third year in a row in 2018-19, an RBI report shows. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Monday signed off on an order to waive off farm loans of up to Rs 2 lakh but theres no clarity yet on how it will be funded. Its almost certain that these three states will have to resort to more borrowing. This is alarming because loan waivers have already worsened their finances. Debt waivers (earlier) announced by five states together are likely to widen the combined fiscal deficit of states by Rs 1,077 billion (Rs 1,07,700 crore) or 0.65% of GDP, says Devendra Kumar Pant, chief economist, India Ratings & Research. A good source for an overview of states fiscal health is the Reserve Banks State Finance, A Study of Budgets 2017-18 and 2018-19, which shows why the room for farm doles is limited. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have either breached their deficit targets or are just a touch away from overshooting the 3% norm. (see graphic) Economist Ashok Gulati, a professor with the think-tank ICRIER, says loan waivers will limit the ability of states to undertake investment in agriculture necessary for long-term growth. Higher borrowing by states has deeper implications since states raise loans by issuing bonds. Largescale bond issuance to fund loan waivers can worsen the countrys overall fiscal math. For instance, it could result in the Centre paying more yields (or returns) on its own bonds, known as spreads in financial jargon. A sovereign bond is a debt instrument in which an investor loans money to the government. All this could eventually complicate debt sustainability and make investors demand more premium on central government securities, according to an analysis led by Priyanka Kishore, lead Asia economist at Oxford Economics. States ought to adhere to a deficit target of 3% of their GSDPs. Their revised fiscal deficit stands to be 3.1 per cent, essentially due to shortfalls in own tax revenues and higher revenue expenditure on account of pay revisions and farm loan waivers, RBI says. Theres another challenge: under constitutional provisions, states cant borrow without the approval of the central government. Borrowing costs of states have been steadily rising, the RBI report shows. Waivers by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in 2014 were 4.6% of their combined state GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product). Tamil Nadus waiver of 2016 came in at 0.5% to its GSDP, while the 2017 waiver of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab were at 1.3%, 2.7% and 2.1% of their respective GSDPs. Karnatakas waiver announced recently is an estimated 2.4% of its GSDP. Akshay Kumars next film, Kesari, is months away from release and the makers have now released the first look of the actor and the films leading lady, Parineeti Chopra. Akshay is a proud soldier as he wears a heavy turban in one shot while he is sharing the frame with Parineeti in a more homely surrounding in another photo. Sharing the photo, Akshay wrote on social media, And its a wrap for #Kesari...a film which swells up my chest with immense pride. See you in cinemas on 21st March,2019. Akshay usually chooses Independence Day and Republic day for his films releases but Kesari appears to be a March release now. Earlier, Akshay had shared a photo from the film, which is based on the famous Battle of Saragarhi; Akshay plays Havildar Ishar Singh who led the Sikh Regiment against Afghan tribesmen in a battle in 1897 that took place at Saragarhi. Posing with a band of men dressed in Army uniforms, he had written with the photo, On #SaragarhiDay, heres the first look of #KESARI - our humble tribute to the martyrs of Saragarhi! Aaj meri pagdi bhi Kesari...Jo bahega mera woh lahu bhi Kesari... Aur mera jawaab bhi Kesari. Speaking about the film, Akshay had said, Ive started shooting for my film Kesari, where Im in the heaviest turban and beard Ive ever had to wear. So I shaved my head to make my life a little easier. Im known for hating wigs, prosthetics and so on, and Kesari is quite demanding. Its probably my favourite look, though its taxing to fight and sweat in this avatar. But I wouldnt change it for the world. Directed by Anurag Singh, Kesari will hit theatres on Holi 2019. What is Battle of Saragarhi? In September 1897, the Sikh regiment, under the leadership of Havildar Ishar Singh, fought for several hours against 10,000 Afghan tribesmen of the Orakzai and Afridi tribe at Saragarhi, North Western Frontier Province (NWFP). They knew that they were outnumbered but they still held their ground and fought for several hours. Vicky Kaushal has admitted to being in a relationship, although he has not revealed the name of the person he is seeing. In an appearance on Karan Johars chat show, Koffee with Karan, the Uri actor said, Its a new relationship, but it is very serious. Vicky had been rumoured to be dating actor Harleen Sethi, for whom he sang a song on Neha Dhupias show, No Filter Neha. The two have also been spotted together publicly. During No Filter Neha, the host recalled how Vicky had asked to be invited to a party with the intention of being set up with someone he had his eyes on. But he ended up being introduced to a different woman. Jaana tha Japan, pohoch gaye Cheen, samajh gaye na. Thats what happened, Vicky said. When Neha asked him which person he would like to swipe right (super like) on Tinder, with Harleen among the options, he said that he would like to swipe up many times for Harleen, saying Right, super up, up. Upmatlab jitna chadh jaaye. Speaking to Indian Express, Harleen said, I believe love can happen twice, thrice and any number of times. It can also happen at any age. The pyaar ek baar hota hai concept was only for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, where SRK himself fell in love twice. Harleen was most recently seen opposite Vikrant Massey in the AltBalaji series, Broken. Vicky has had a successful year professionally, having starred in Netflixs Lust Stories and Love Per Square Foot. He was also seen in Meghna Gulzars Raazi and Anurag Kashyaps Manmarziyaan. The actor will next be seen in Uri, based on the Indian Armys surgical strikes against alleged Pakistani terrorists. Follow @htshowbiz for more A 26-year-old woman, working for an automobile company in Punjab, was duped of around Rs 7 lakh by a 27-year-old foreign national who befriended her on a social networking. Police have arrested a man from Ivory Coast in connection with the crime. His preliminary interrogation revealed that he was part of an organised syndicate of cyber cheats. The cyber cell of Delhi Polices special cell is probing this gang and a case on the basis of the womans complaint has been registered on Saturday. We have some leads about this gang, said MM Oberoi, special commissioner of police (special cell). According to the woman, she received a friend request on the social networking site in July. The man identified himself as John Harry, a citizen of Scotland working as a manager with a multi-national company. They became friends and started talking to each other through messages and internet calls. To win my trust, he used to send me photos of a person with iconic locations of Scotland in the backdrop. In August, he told me about a gift he had sent for me and also gave the couriers tracking code. He tricked me into depositing Rs 1.85 lakh. However, the gift was never delivered, the woman said. When the woman told him about the delay in receiving the gift, he told her that he would visit Delhi to meet her and personally deliver the gift. On October 10, the complainant said, a woman claiming to be an immigration officer called her to inform that John Harry was caught at the Mumbai Airport with 50,000. The woman asked her to pay Rs 2.10 lakh to exchange the foreign currency into Indian banknotes. I deposited the amount in three bank accounts after which the man called me again and tricked me in depositing Rs 2.50 lakh more by saying he had reached IGI airport but the immigration officials were not releasing him, the woman added. The man later never came to meet the woman and instead told her that he was being sent back to his country by the Indian authorities. The woman found herself cheated when the a police team approached her and informed her that she was being duped . India and China are capping a year marked by a flurry of high-level contacts with engagements in two diverse and equally important areas. One hundred troops from each side are currently participating in the fortnight-long Hand in Hand war game at Chengdu, and by the time the drill is over, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will have held the first meeting of the high-level people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanism in New Delhi. Without a doubt, these contacts have been driven by the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April, a meeting that did much to address the tensions that had characterised the relationship in the wake of last years military standoff at Doklam near the Sikkim border. Mr Modi and Mr Xi met four times during the course of the year, and both countries appeared to have realised the importance of pulling back from the brink and imparting a semblance of normalcy to their ties. In more recent months, these efforts have been given a further boost by Beijing because of the worsening relationship between China and the US, especially in the field of trade. These efforts have also come at a time when China has faced some pushback in several countries to its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Better relations between New Delhi and Beijing will obviously spell greater stability in Indias immediate neighbourhood and the rest of Asia. The two sides can work jointly to ensure a more multipolar world and even launch joint projects, such as the training of Afghan diplomats that was conducted in October. And peace on the disputed India-China border will help make the process of finding a solution to the issue less complicated. However, this is not to say that everything is hunky dory in the bilateral relationship. China continues to block the listing of Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar at the United Nations as well as Indias membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. It has also forged ahead with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor despite Indias serious concerns about sovereignty issues. On its part, China has concerns about the Dalai Lama and the other India-based elements of the Tibetan leadership. Without a doubt, most of the contacts in the aftermath of the Wuhan Summit have been aimed at managing bilateral ties and placing them back on an even keel after Doklam. But it would be more fitting if the two sides take forward the much-touted Wuhan Spirit to putting in place a template to address the irritants that have bedevilled their relationship. A three-year-old girl was raped allegedly by her 40-year-old neighbour at his home in west Delhis Bindapur on Sunday afternoon. Police said the girl sustained injuries to her private parts and was bleeding profusely when her father found her unconscious at the neighbours room. The incident came exactly six years after the horrific December 16, 2012 gangrape incident that shook the nation. The accused, a security guard, tried to flee but was nabbed by the girls family members and neighbours and thrashed. The girl as well as the neighbour were admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital. Delhi Commissioner for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal tweeted about the rape of the three-year-old and said that the girls condition was serious. She visited the hospital to meet the girl and her family members. The police, however, said the girl had undergone a surgery and was recuperating. They said the girls condition was out of danger. Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse visited the hospital to enquire about the girls condition. Also read | Woman gang raped in Odisha on suspicion of having illicit affair According to the police, the crime came to their notice around 4pm after the girls family called the police control room. The family told police that she had gone out to play around 1pm. When she did not return home till 3.30 pm, her family members panicked and started looking for her. The girls father went to the neighbours room on the ground floor and found his daughter bleeding and unconscious on the floor. The guard then allegedly tried to flee but was overpowered by the girls father who also immediately raised an alarm. Some neighbours arrived and they thrashed the guard before handing him over to the police, said an officer. Read | Man raped 9-year-old neighbour while wife, daughter were upstairs Five people, including three workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), have been killed in the past four days in West Bengal in a series of political murders in the state since October. While three men were killed in a movie-style shootout in Joynagar of South 24 Parganas district last Thursday, a TMC worker Hamid Ansari, 42, was killed in Adra of Purulia district on Friday and Sheikh Muktar, 43, in Hooghly districts Arambag on Sunday. Incidentally, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah claimed in a press conference in the national capital on December 7 that Bengal accounts for as much as 26% of the political murders that take place in the country in a year. According to the 2011 census, Bengal has 7.5% of the countrys population. The death of Muktar, who served as an in charge of agriculture and irrigation department of Arambag panchayat samiti between 2013 and 2018, pushed the death toll since the end of Durga Puja on October 19 to 12. A panchayat samiti is of the size of an administrative block. Muktar was clobbered to death allegedly by TMC workers belonging to a different faction of the ruling party. The followers of Laltu Khan, the pradhan of Harinkhola area, killed Muktar. They called my husband in the evening from home, Mukhtars wife Sainara Begam alleged. Khan, however, has denied the allegation. We are investigating, was all that Sukesh Jain, superintendent of police of Hooghly district said. Tapan Dasgupta, Hooghly district president of Trinamool Congress and also a minister, said, We have told the police to arrest all involved in Muktars murder. The killing took place two days after Hamid, another Trinamool worker, was killed allegedly by BJP supporters in Adra. On Thursday, Sarifuddin Khan, a close aide of Jaynagar Trinamool MLA Biswanath Das, the legislators driver and a local man were killed in a shootout in a petrol pump in Joynagar. A major clash erupted on Sunday in Bakcha village of Moyna area in East Midnapore district between Trinamool Congress and BJP workers after the body of Shankar Mandal, a saffron party supporter, was found in a pond. Supporters of both parties attacked each other with bomb and firearms and a number of motorcycles were set on fire. Five policemen were injured on the same day when they went to stop a clash between two groups of Trinamool Congress in Khanakul of Hooghly district. Police arrested two. Leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP and the Punjab Congress Committee Monday welcomed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Delhi High Court sentenced Sajjan Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. Sunil Kumar Jakhar, president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice, the Congress MP told reporters outside Parliament. He also said Congress leader Kamal Naths name never figured in the list of those involved in the riots. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the verdict convicting the 73-year-old Congress leaders conviction. It has been a very long and painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe, Kejriwal said on Twitter. I welcome Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riots case. It has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe. Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 17, 2018 Also read | Congress Sajjan Kumar convicted in 1984 Sikh riots, gets life term His AAP colleague and Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka also welcomed the judgement and thanked everyone for their support and help. BJP spokesperson Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, who is sitting on a hunger strike to Nath being named chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, said they will appeal in the apex court for death sentence to Kumar. Nath is scheduled to be sworn in as chief minister in Bhopal later in the day. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony. The high court said Kumars life imprisonment will be for the remainder of his life and asked him to surrender by December 31. It also asked him not to leave Delhi before that. Read | Will pay for sins: Arun Jaitley targets Congress after Sajjan Kumar conviction After having lost the opportunity to performMaha puja at Lord Vitthal temple in Pandharpur during Ashadhi Ekadashi, due to threats by Maratha outfits, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis plans to visit the temple on Monday. Fadnavis will inaugurate a 300-room Bhakta niwas (accommodation for devotees) and perform puja at Lord Vitthal temple in Pandharpur. The CM had to cancel the customary Maha-puja in July as Maratha outfits, demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutions, had threatened to disrupt the visit. After having to cancel the puja, Fadnavis had stated that certain groups were threatening to disrupt peace in the state. The chief ministers remarks that some people were trying to create trouble did not go well among Marathas, who held massive protests across the state. Following the protests, Fadnavis government gave 16 per cent reservation to Maratha community. He skipped yet another Puja in Pandharpur during Kartiki Ekadashi in November and instead deputed his cabinet colleague Chandrakant Patil. According to the programme for Monday, Fadnavis will inaugurate a 300-room Bhakta niwas built by Pandharpur Temple trust that cost Rs 75 crores. The chief minister will perform pooja inside the temple and then address warkaris(who), said Atul Bhosale, chairman, Pandharpur temple trust. After the Pandharpur programme, Fadnavis will leave for Solapur. After cancelling his visit in July, the chief minister performed puja at his official residence. As normal practice, after Maharashtra chief minister performs puja on Ashadhi Ekadashi, other devotees get the entry into temple. The temple town will also witness another major political event as Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will address a public rally in Pandharpur on December 24. Ahead of the public rally, senior Shiv Sena leaders have visited the town to oversee the preparations. Besides Ramdas Kadam, the other Sena leaders including Sanjay Raut partys Rajya Sabha MP. The Shiv Sena is leaving no stone unturned to make the chiefs visit a grand show. The Narendra Modi government will seek to push the triple talaq bill on Monday even as the chances of continued disruptions loom large over the Rafale controversy. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 tops the governments legislative agenda and will be brought to replace an ordinance that it had promulgated after failing to get the bill passed in Rajya Sabha during Monsoon session this year. The Centre might face an uphill task in getting the bill, which seeks to make the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offence, passed as many opposition parties have reservation against the proposed law. The Congress, which has 47 MPs in the Lower House, is set to aggressively demand for the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee to probe into the Rafale deal, days after the Supreme Court had ruled out any court-monitored probe into the issue. The stage is set for a confrontation between the government and the Opposition in the second week of the winter session. The first week was all but lost to din and disruptions as different parties were adamant on their demands. The list of issues selected for debate in two Houses may not help the Opposition either. In Lok Sabha, a discussion on natural calamities in various parts of the country, particularly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha with special reference to cyclones like Gaja, Titli, etc has been listed. In Rajya Sabha, calling attention notice by AIADMKs Maitreyan and others on cyclones Gaja and Titli and a short duration discussion on prices, including that of petroleum products, have been scheduled for this week. Even after the SC verdict on Rafale, Congress and the Left parties have remained vocal on the JPC demand. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, As long as evidence is not made available and all the files related to the Rafale purchase is not accessed, we dont get the full picture as to who had objected against the deal, who overruled those objections. All this is possible in the JPC. Earlier, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said the JPC should be formed and it should summon the Prime Minister and the defence minister. While the Congresss focus is expected to remain on Rafale, two opposition parties Trinamool Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party may however shift to the pressing issue of agrarian crisis. The Rafale is the main issue for Congress now. But we want a debate on the agrarian crisis and job loss, said Trinamools Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek OBrien. The party has served a notice to discuss farmer distress and Agrarian crisis on Monday. The ruling is the first of its kind. The child was born in the United States after an assisted reproduction process using semen from one of the two men. The biological father can adopt the child as a single parent. In Singapore, the demands of the homosexual community have fuelled a heated debate. The court noted that its ruling was not influenced by sympathies for the position of either party. Singapore (AsiaNews/Agencies) Singapores High Court issued a landmark ruling today allowing a gay couple to adopt a five-year-old boy, conceived in the United States by a surrogate mother. In doing so, the three-judge panel led by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon overturned a lower court decision last year against the adoption bid. In its judgment, the panel said that the adoption should go through to increase the childs prospects of acquiring Singapore citizenship and securing long-term residence in Singapore. The judgment noted the court considered Singapores public policy on same-sex families and its relation to this case as well as any policy violation if an adoption order was made. Yet neither reason was sufficiently powerful to enable us to ignore the statutory imperative to promote the welfare of the child and, indeed, to regard his welfare as first and paramount, the judgment said. The judges stressed their decision was not an endorsement of the couples actions or a result of sympathies for the position of either party. The couple, two 45-year-old Singaporeans, James and Shawn (not their real names), had applied to adopt the child (Noel) in December 2014, a year after his birth in the United States to a surrogate mother following an assisted reproduction process that used the semen of one of the two men. Until now the child was a US citizen and lived in Singapore with a dependents pass, which had to be renewed every six months by leaving the country. By virtue of the sentence, the biological father can now adopt the child as a single parent. In recent months, the claims of Singapores gay community have fuelled a heated debate among Singaporeans, particularly regarding Section 377A of the Penal Code (Outrages on decency), which was introduced in 1938, criminalises sex between men. Following a recent ruling by the Indian Supreme Court that decriminalised homosexual sex, the section in the Singapore penal code is again questioned in the island nation by those who want it repealed in the name of human rights. Conversely, those who see todays ruling as a threat to Singaporean families and society want to maintain the status quo. Rahul Gandhi zips across three state capitals today to attend the oath ceremony of Congress chief ministers, an occasion that his party is also using to showcase opposition unity. A host of opposition leaders will attend the show of strength, but the absentee list is grabbing some attention too. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Partys Akhilesh Yadav are skipping the three oath ceremonies, though they are supporting the new Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend either, but has sent a representative unlike the other two leaders. Neither Mayawati, nor Akhilesh Yadav have cited any reasons for their absence. Chartered planes will fly those attending from Rajasthans Jaipur, where Ashok Gehlot takes oath as chief minister at 10.30 am, to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, where Kamal Nath will be sworn in at 1.30 pm and then on to Raipur where Bhupesh Baghel will be sworn in as chief minister at 5pm. Among those who will make the dash are Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, his Karnataka counterpart HD Kumaraswamy, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, All India Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi, Janata Dal (Secular) president HD Deve Gowda, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Loktantrik Janta Dal chief Sharad Yadav, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president MK Stalin and leader Kanimozhi, a Rajasthan Congress leader, familiar with the development, said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will attend all three ceremonies as will former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and several other senior party leaders. Gehlot had earlier written letters to the Opposition leaders inviting them to his oath ceremony. Assembly election is not just a victory for the Congress party but is also a victory of progressive politics, a victory for those who uphold the constitution of India and believe in the nations diversity and plurality, he wrote. Congress is not projecting the win in Rajasthan as its own but using this as an opportunity to show the country a united face of opposition. It started from Karnataka; Congress wants to strengthen this unity before the Lok Sabha elections, said political analyst Narayan Bareth. The Karnataka oath ceremony earlier this year of HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal Secular, backed by the Congress, was seen as the big bang start of an opposition effort to unite to take on the BJP in next years national election. Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee had attended that event and their absence at the Congress events today has raised questions on the strength of that unity. Opposition leaders came together on Sunday too, at a rally in Chennai, where MK Stalin of key ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) proposed that Rahul Gandhi be projected as the prime ministerial candidate of a joint opposition, saying he has the ability to defeat the fascist BJP. The Congress has said it prefers to leave the leadership issue of an anti-BJP alliance for after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Last week, the Congress posted its best electoral performance since the 2014 general elections. It snatched Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from the BJP. While the party swept Chhattisgarh, it just made the majority mark in Rajasthan and fell short by a whisker in Madhya Pradesh. The BSP and Samajwadi Party offered to fill the gap to keep out the BJP, which was not far behind. India said on Monday it will provide $1.4 billion as financial aid to the Maldives, which is grappling with mounting Chinese debt, after the two sides signed four agreements that will boost cooperation in areas ranging from healthcare to defence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the assistance after talks with Maldives President Mohamed Ibrahim Solih, aimed at resetting bilateral ties following the defeat of pro-China strongman Abdulla Yameen in elections in October. For the social and economic development of the Maldives, we are providing aid in the form of budget support, currency swap and concessional lines of credit worth $1.4 billion, Modi said during a brief media appearance with Solih. Solih said the two sides had signed agreements that will pave the way for greater cooperation in defence, healthcare, trade, education and cultural exchanges. Modi said he and Solih were in agreement that bilateral cooperation must be strengthened to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region. The security interests of both countries are linked to each other. We also agreed that we must be aware of each others interests and views for the stability of this region, Modi said. Yameen had taken the Maldives closer to China and away from India, a traditional partner of the Indian Ocean nation. The move led to a five-year construction boom driven by Chinese loans under its Belt and Road Initiative, but Solihs government has said the countrys debt could be worth more than $3 billion. Bilateral relations hit an all-time low when Yameen imposed a 45-day emergency in February. India criticised his decision and urged him to restore the democratic process and release all political prisoners. The Indian support is the largest assistance yet for the Maldives. Modi, the only head of state or government invited to Solihs swearing-in on November 17, had earlier said India was prepared to help the Maldives in every possible way to cope with the crisis. Solih, for his part, had spoken of an India first policy even before he assumed office last month. Solihs decision to make his first foreign visit after assuming office to India showed the importance attached by the new regime in Male to bilateral ties, Indian officials said. The four agreements signed during the visit cover facilitation of visas, cultural cooperation, mutual cooperation to improve agribusiness, and cooperation in information and communications technology and electronics, a joint statement said. Solih reaffirmed his India first policy and appreciated the assistance provided by India, the statement said. The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region through coordinated patrolling and aerial surveillance, exchange of information and capacity building, it added. Modi and Solih also reaffirmed their support for cooperation in combating terror. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has finalised a draft report on the Rafale deal and sent it to the ministry of defence (MoD) asking for views on it, said a government official familiar with the development requesting anonymity. The CAG is currently auditing around a dozen big ticket arms deals closed by the defence ministry in the past few years. Among the dozen procurements under audit, draft reports of around half of the deals have been finalised and sent to MoD. The draft report for the Rafale deal was sent to the ministry almost two weeks back, added this person. Draft reports are sent to the ministry concerned as part of the standard operating procedure. After receiving their responses, CAG reviews them and prepares a final draft. Before the final report is sent to the House, it also holds a so-called exit conference with the ministry concerned. The exit conference with the regard to the Rafale deal and other defence deals may take place by the end of this month or early next year. Following which the CAG takes another couple of weeks to finalise the report. It hopes to be ready with its report by the end of Janaury or next year, said the official. The National Democratic Alliances (NDA) decision to enter a $8.7 billion government-to-government deal with France to buy 36 Rafale warplanes made by Dassault was announced in April 2015, with a deal signed a little over a year later. This replaced the previous United Progressive Alliances (UPA) decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraft, 108 of which were to be made in India by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The deal has become controversial with the opposition, led by the Congress, claiming that the price at which India is buying the aircraft now is Rs 1,670 crore for each, three times the Rs 526 crore, the initial bid by the company when the UPA was trying to buy the aircraft. It claimed the previous deal included a technology transfer agreement with HAL. The NDA has not disclosed pricing details, 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. The UPA was not able to close it till 2014, largely over discussions related to pricing. The NDA has said the current deal also includes customized weaponry. The deal has also become controversial as one of the offset deals signed by Dassault is with Anil Ambanis Reliance Group. The Congress claims a new deal was signed to provide Ambani this opportunity. Both the government and Reliance have repeatedly denied this. Sniffing an electoral opportunity in the deal, the Congress has been relentlessly keeping up the heat. Gandhi has claimed that it is the corruption of the century. The NDA has said that it cannot disclose the details of the price on two counts: a confidentiality agreement with France, and the strategic reason of not showing its hand to Indias enemies. Last week, the Supreme Court said due process had been followed in the deal while dismissing petitions filed against it. It refused to order an investigation. But factual errors in the SC judgment has given fresh ammunition to the opposition to target the government again. The government has already filed an application to correct one of the more significant errors. The courts order refers to the CAG audit of the deal having been completed and a report submitted to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The governments application to the court states that its original submission on the deal to the court contained details of the usual process on defence acquisitions deal and mentioned that these are audited by CAG and presented before PAC and then parliament something that the court took to mean that this deal had already been audited. Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday tabled a fresh bill in Parliament to criminalise the practice of instant divorce among a section of Muslims amid opposition from parties including the Congress to the proposed law. He maintained the bill is in the national interest while Congress leader Shashi Tharoor expressed doubt if Parliament had the competence and jurisdiction to bring such a law. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, provides for a three-year jail term for those found guilty of following the practice. It would supersede an earlier bill that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government had managed to get passed in Lok Sabha in December last year. The previous bill sought to make instant divorce a punishable, cognizable and a non-bailable offence. The government was forced to issue an ordinance or executive order to criminalise the practice in September 2018 after failing to have the bill passed in the Rajya Sabha. The revised bill includes bail provisions as part of attempts to soften some aspects of the proposed law. Tharoor opposed the introduction of the fresh bill saying it has no procedural safeguards to prevent its misuse. He added the bill conflates civil law with criminal law by criminalising a wrong form of divorce and by criminalising an act which is already legally null and void. The Supreme Court banned the instant divorce, calling the practice unconstitutional in August 2017. Tharoor called the proposed law an attempt in creating a class-specific legislation on the grounds of religion, instead of focusing on the larger issue of mistreatment and desertion of wives and dependents. Prasad argued that despite the Supreme Courts order making Triple Talaq [instant divorce] illegal, there is rampant use of instant triple talaq against women. He cited cases of divorce through instant messaging service, WhatsApp, even on the grounds that a husband did not get bread in time. We have discussed and thought about the issue and decided to bring the bill. There is a penal provision in the bill but we have improved it. The legislation would help in ensuring the larger constitutional goals of gender justice and gender equality of married Muslim women and help subserve their fundamental rights of non-discrimination and empowerment, said the new bills statement of objects and reasons Separately, Lok Sabha was on Monday adjourned for the day after passage of the Transgenders Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, amid din as the opposition members demanded, including a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into Rafale deal. There was action on Rafale on Monday within the House, and without it. In Parliament, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday submitted tit-for-tat privilege notices over the Supreme Courts verdict on the fighter jet deal. Outside, at a press briefing in Mumbai, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman alleged that the Congress was misleading the people knowingly over the pricing of the Rafale fighter aircraft. The first family of the party had amazing audacity to not listen and accept the apex courts ruling on the matter, Sitharaman added. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sent a notice to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu against law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for deliberately misleading the Supreme Court through the attorney general that the comptroller and auditor generals (CAG) audit report on the Rafale deal was shared with Parliament. In the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge gave a notice of breach of privilege against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the fighter jet deal. Congress leader Sunil Jakhar said the notice is being moved against the Prime Minister for allegedly misleading the Supreme Court and Parliament in connection with the recent judgment on the Rafale deal. Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she has received the notice and the matter is under her consideration. In a tit-for-tat, three BJP members Anurag Thakur, Nishikant Dubey and Sanjay Jaiswal gave a notice of breach of privilege against Congress president Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he spoke falsehood and misled the House over the Rafale deal in his speech during a debate in the Lok Sabha on the no-confidence motion in July this year. The BJP leaders quoted Gandhi as having said that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had agreed to buy the aircraft at ~520 crore per unit but when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government signed the deal, it cost ~1,600 crore by magic. The above statement is entirely untrue.... We categorically assert that the price comparison given by Rahul Gandhi is a figment of imagination, incorrect and utter falsehood. It was an attempt to mislead the House, they alleged. The BJP leaders also cited the court order and noted that the government submitted a comparative chart of prices in a sealed cover to the Supreme Court. Sitharaman held a press conference on the issue in the BJP office in Mumbai as part of the partys initiative to hold 70 such interactions across the country on the same day to take head on the Congresss fictional narrative on the purchase of the fighter jets. The action inside and outside Parliament follows Fridays decision by the Supreme Court that there was no reason to order a probe into the NDA governments decision to buy 36 Rafale aircraft from France in a government-to-government deal, which replaced a previous deal-in-the-making by the Congress-led UPA government for 126 aircraft, of which 108 would be assembled in India. The Congress has claimed that the NDA deal didnt follow due process, was done to benefit Reliance Defence (an offset partner of aircraft maker Dassault), and that the price at which the aircraft were being acquired was much higher than that at which the UPA would have closed its deal. However, the courts order refers to a CAG audit that is yet to be closed, which has resulted in some confusion, with the Opposition claiming that this was part of the governments effort to mislead the court. The government has already written to the court seeking a correction in the order, and explaining that the court has taken its description of the process usually followed in the audit of all deals (and which will be followed in this case) to mean that the audit of the Rafale deal by CAG has already happened. The Speaker now has to decide whether to take up the notice or not. If she does take it up, then it will be sent to the Privilege Committee for the next course of action. I have given a breach of privilege notice against the government and in particular against law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad as it was the law ministry that gave the go-ahead for presenting the affidavit before the Supreme Court, Azad told reporters after giving the notice. This is why our demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) becomes more relevant. We demand that a JPC be formed to probe the theft in the Rafale deal, the Congress leader said. Sitharaman said the Supreme Court judgment had addressed three crucial issues decision making process, the price and the selection of the offset partner pertaining to the deal leaving no room for doubt. When asked why the BJP isnt willing to consider a JPC?probe in the deal as demanded by the Congress and as accepted by the latter in some earlier cases such as Bofors, Sitharaman said that the situation [between these cases] was not comparable. The idea of a JPC after a Supreme Court verdict by a three-judge bench including the Chief Justice... for what pray? Were the JPCs set up post apex court verdict earlier? The situation is not comparable, said Sitharaman. Long-time BJP ally Shiv Sena, which has made a habit of criticising its partner indirectly, referred to the NDA as Thugs of Hindustan in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna and claimed the Supreme Court verdict didnt give the government a clean chit. Caught on the back foot over the conviction of one of its leaders, Sajjan Kumar, in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, the Congress on Monday said the issue should not be politicised and referred to the 2002 Gujarat riots in throwback to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) charges. It should not be linked to the political atmosphere prevailing in the country. The law should take its course, there are appeals. No political benefit should be derived from this, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said. There have been verdicts in the past where people have been found guilty, while others have been absolved, he pointed out. The Delhi high court on Monday convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. The verdict gave a fresh handle to the BJP to attack the Congress just when it was celebrating the electoral victories in three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The conviction came on a day when senior Congress leader Kamal Nath is taking oath as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister. The BJP and the Akali Dal have alleged that Nath played an active role in the 1984 riots that broke out after the assassination of then-prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. But Nath and the Congress party have denied the charges. Read | Will pay for sins: Arun Jaitley targets Congress after Sajjan Kumar conviction Singhvis colleague Kapil Sibal said Sajjan Kumar does not hold a position of power in the party. What decision has been taken by the court is a legal process. We have seen how cover up is going on in the Sohrabuddin case... and what about judge Loyas death? he asked, referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged fake encounter case and the death of judge BH Loya, who was hearing the case. Dont give it a political colour as it is a court decision, he said, raking up the 2002 riots in Gujarat and alleged that a number of BJP leaders were named in the cases. Charity should begin at home, he said. Punjab Congress president Sunil Kumar Jakhar said the party has been clear that those involved in the riots should be brought to justice. Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice, he told reporters outside Parliament. From late evening of October 31 to November 3 in 1984, a daughter saw her father being set on fire, a wife looked on helplessly as her husband and son were dragged by lumpens and bludgeoned to death with iron rods and a brother lost three siblings. He identified them from the watch one was wearing and the other two, from their half-burnt clothes. Daughter Nirpreet Kaur, wife Jagdish Kaur and brother Jagsher Singh have lived a wretched life in the pursuit of justice, perhaps because their claim is that they saw a powerful Congressman and Member of Parliament of the area, Sajjan Kumar, exhort the mob and order the killing of Sikhs in Raj Nagar locality, in Delhi Cantonment. Finally, after a long wait of 34 years, justice has knocked on their door. Until then, each of the three variously approached the police and the many commissions of inquiry to give a first-hand, I witnessed the carnage account, but it stayed buried in affidavit after affidavit. For them, revisiting 1984 was always a painful memory; the denial of justice a second stab in the heart. They say that they saw Sajjan Kumar, and heard him, saying, Ek bhi sardar zinda nahi bachna chahiye... en sardaron ko maro, enhone hamari maa ko mara hai, (not even one Sikh should be spared. Kill them, they have killed our mother), but till the year 2011, no court of law even heard their testimonies. As their lawyer, HS Phoolka once said: Whenever it came to commissions of inquiry, Sajjan Kumars name appeared prominently, but whenever it went to the police, his name disappeared. If today, Sajjan Kumar stands convicted, it is because the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and not the police was the investigating and prosecuting agency. The Congress leader was acquitted by the lower court, even though the public prosecutor RS Cheema, in his concluding remarks in the sessions court, said that the riots were a conspiracy of terrifying proportions that indict the police. Simply put, his argument was that the men in uniform took the side of the rioters. According to police rules, all movements of police officers are recorded minute by minute in the thana daily diary but the diaries for those days were totally blank. In Raj Nagar, specifically, Jagdish says she saw the chowki in-charge applaud the mob and ask them, kitne murge bhun diye (how many Sikhs have you roasted). All this, while the bodies of her husband and son lay nearby. The policemen did the same in Delhi Cantt, tagging over 30 deaths, including Nirpreets father, Nirmal Singh, into a single FIR. Sajjan Kumars name was never put in the list of the accused and the summons for Nirpreet were sent to an address that never belonged to her. Respite for the victims came only after the Nanavati Commission submitted its report in 2005 and concluded that there was credible evidence against Sajjan Kumar. Affidavits filed by Jagsher and Jagdish finally counted for something. The case against Kumar was entrusted to the CBI. They stood strong, through the threats and the lure to turn hostile. The pressure was so acute and the frequency of threats so alarming, the victims applied for police protection; and they couldnt be from the Delhi police. The CBI director finally wrote to the DGP Punjab and got them gun-toting policemen who would shadow them to court. It is important to detail each step that derailed justice for over three decades. Finally, the CBI secured the testimony of a joint secretary in Delhi governments home department, who told the court that the director of prosecution had signed off on a file, saying the sanction to prosecute Kumar should not be granted. With Kumars conviction, the thousands who still await justice can hold on to some hope. The same evidence did not hold good in the sessions court, but with the High Court reversing that order, the victims can breathe easy in the belief that even though justice was delayed, it was not entirely denied. The victims spent close to a life time testifying to Kumars role. He has now been sentenced to life imprisonment in a strong judgement in which the court held that the accused enjoyed political patronage. Kumars sentencing will now add speed and hope to the many other cases that are still being investigated. 1984 saw the worst riot many like to call it genocide in which over 3,000 Sikhs were brutally killed. For all those who witnessed these deaths, the judgement comes as a long needed balm. The Delhi High Court on Monday called the anti-Sikh riots case of 1984 communal frenzy after the then prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards as it sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment in one of the cases. As it reversed the trial courts order acquitting Kumar, the court also directed him to surrender by December 31, 2018, and slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him and Rs 1 lakh on all other accused in the case. The case relates to the murder of five members of a family during the anti-Sikh riots in the Raj Nagar area in the Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984. What happened in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister was carnage of unbelievable proportions in which over 2,700 Sikhs were murdered in Delhi alone. The law and order machinery clearly broke down and it was literally a free for all situation which persisted. The aftershocks of those atrocities are still being felt, justice S Muralidhar and justice Vinod Goel said while handing the 203-page judgement. Also watch | Congress Sajjan Kumar convicted in 1984 Sikh riots case, gets life term The judges also quoted a poem by Amrita Pritam on the violence after the Partition in 1947 in India and Pakistan. She escaped to India with her two children from Pakistans Lahore. She was moved to pen an Ode to Waris Shah in which she spoke of the fertile land of Punjab having sprouted poisonous weeds far and near and where Seeds of hatred have grown high, bloodshed is everywhere/Poisoned breeze in forest turned bamboo flutes into snakes/Their venom has turned the bright and rosy Punjab all blue, they said. Also read | Congress Sajjan Kumar convicted in 1984 Sikh riots, gets life term The killings would continue in the streets of Delhi. Thirty-seven years later, the country was again witness to another enormous human tragedy. Following the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, on the morning of 31st October 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards, a communal frenzy was unleashed. Political patronage The judges recalled the violence in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, some burnt alive, as their houses were destroyed in Delhi and across the country. A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes, enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency The criminals escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades. There was an abject failure by the police to investigate the violence which broke out in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi is apparent from the several circumstances highlighted hereinabove. There was an utter failure to register separate first report information in the case of five deaths in which Congress leader Kumar and others were sentenced. The failure to record any incident whatsoever in the DDR and the lack of mention of PW-1s statement therein, amongst other circumstances, established the apathy of the Delhi Police and their active connivance in the brutal murders being perpetrated. Here is what they also said in the summary of their judgement: 1. This was an extraordinary case where it was going to be impossible to proceed against A-1 in the normal scheme of things because there appeared to be ongoing large-scale efforts to suppress the cases against him by not even recording or registering them. Even if they were registered they were not investigated properly and even the investigations which saw any progress were not carried to the logical end of a charge sheet actually being filed. Even the defence does not dispute that as far as FIR No.416/1984 is concerned, a closure report had been prepared and filed but was yet to be considered by the learned MM. 2. The trial Court completely omitted to address the charge of conspiracy despite detailed arguments submitted by the CBI in that regard. There was a two-pronged strategy adopted by the attackers. First was to liquidate all Sikh males and the other was to destroy their Crl.A. 1099/2013 & Connected Matters Page 200 of 203 residential houses leaving the women and children utterly destitute. The attack on the Raj Nagar Gurudwara was clearly a part of the communal agenda of the perpetrators. Read | Will pay for sins: Arun Jaitley targets Congress after Sajjan Kumar conviction 3. The mass killings of Sikhs between 1st and 4th November 1984 in Delhi and the rest of the country, engineered by political actors with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies, answer the description of crimes against humanity. Cases like the present are to be viewed in the larger context of mass crimes that require a different approach and much can be learnt from similar experiences elsewhere. 4. Common to the instances of mass crimes are the targeting of minorities and the attacks spearheaded by the dominant political actors facilitated by the law enforcement agencies. The criminals responsible for the mass crimes have enjoyed political patronage and managed to evade prosecution and punishment. Bringing such criminals to justice poses a serious challenge to our legal system. Decades pass by before they can be made answerable. This calls for strengthening the legal system. Neither crimes against humanity nor genocide is part of our domestic law of crime. This loophole needs to be addressed urgently. 5. The acquittal of A-1 by the trial Court is set aside. He is convicted of the offence of criminal conspiracy punishable under Section 120B read with Sections 302, 436, 295, and 153A (1) (a) and (b) IPC; for the offence punishable under Section 109 IPC of abetting the commission of the aforementioned offences; and for the offence of delivering provocative speeches instigating violence against Sikhs Crl.A. 1099/2013 & Connected Matters Page 201 of 203 punishable under Section 153A (1) (a) and (b) IPC. Also read | AAP, BJP, Punjab Cong welcome Sajjan Kumars conviction in 1984 riots case Three expelled Akali stalwarts Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Sewa Singh Sekhwan and Rattan Singh Ajnala along with other marginalised party leaders on Sunday announced the launch of their new political outfit and named it as Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali). The taksali Akalis from Majha, who gathered along with their supporters at the Akal Takht in the Golden Temple complex, anointed Khadoor Sahib MP Brahmpura as party president. The three Akali veterans were expelled from the Akali Dal for revolting against the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal over the Badals alleged role in securing pardon to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in a blasphemy case and the 2015 sacrilege incidents and police firing. After ardas (prayer) was performed in front of the Akal Takht, former state minister Sekhwan proposed Brahmpuras name for the post of president. It was endorsed by former MP Ajnala who was accompanied by his son and former MLA Amarpal Singh Bony. Their supporters too gave their consent by raising their hands. Former Akali MLAs Mohan Singh Sathiala, who is with trio from day one, Ujagar Singh Wadali and Raghbir Singh (an ex-minister) also extended their support to the new outfit. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members Balwinder Singh Vein Puin, Kuldeep Singh Tera and Mohinder Singh Hussainpur besides former members of the gurdwara body Makhan Singh Nangal, Harbans Singh Manjhpur and Baldev Singh MA were also present on the occasion. Brahmpura said they will keep their doors open to form an alliance with like-minded parties. It is the revival of the Shiromani Akali Dal launched on December 14, 1920, to meet the aspirations of the Panth and Punjab. We are floating this outfit with the aim of liberating the Akali Dal from the dictatorship of Parkash Singh Badal under whom the party touched a new, Brahmpura said. Apart from the party, Badal also used the SGPC as his tool and controlled its money. Scam in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) is a recent example of this. He did not spare even the Akal Takht, highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, he said. The agenda of the new outfit read: Scheduled castes, backward classes, Christians and Muslims will be given representation in government if the party comes to power in Punjab. Since the Dalits constitute 32 per cent population of the state, a member of the community will be given the post of deputy chief minister. They, however, stayed away from making reference to the Hindu community. In the agenda, they also assured representation to NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Sikhs and support to the Anandpur Sahib Resolution which demands decentralisation of powers and more powers to states. While he termed the party as representative of the Sikhs, he also called it as secular as it will take care of the interests of all sections of the society. Face-off with SGPC staff The SGPC deployed members of its task force to prevent the rebel SAD leaders from entering the information office of the Golden Temple, even as Sekhwan is a member of the gurdwara body and is authorised to use the facility. Brahmpuras son and former MLA Ravinder Singh Brahmpura entered into a scuffle with the SGPC staff in a bid to enter the office. The SGPC staff also removed the microphone few minutes before the rebel SAD leaders reached the Takht. So the dhadhis (those who sing war ballads with sarangi) had to perform without mic for a while. Heavy rains accompanied by squally winds lashed East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh since Sunday night as cyclone Phethai is set to make landfall around afternoon on Monday in the state. Uprooted trees and electricity poles were seen in some places. Electricity supply to Kakinada town and several other parts of East Godavari district was snapped. An official of the cyclone warning centre in Visakhapatnam said the cyclonic storm Phethai had weakened slightly. Its located about 160 km southeast of Machilipatnam and 190 km south of Kakinada, and is likely to move in northerly direction and cross Kakinada by this afternoon, he told ANI. Meteorologists have asked people to remain indoors during the landfall of the storm. A two-day holiday has been declared for schools from Monday as a precautionary measure to ensure safety of schoolchildren. Several passenger trains covering Visakhapatnam, Kakinada port, Rajahmundry, Narsapur, Machilipatnam, Bhimavaram, Nidadavole, Vijayawada and Guntur were cancelled. Several flights to Visakhapatnam too have been diverted to Hyderabad or Chennai, according to reports. Rescue personnel on leave have been called back. The Andhra Pradesh government has put seven coastal districts of Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam on a high alert in the wake of the predictions over the movement of Phethai. Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said a request has been made for deployment of National Disaster Response Force teams in vulnerable districts. In addition, police and fire services will also be pressed into service. Naidu asked officials to keep the helicopters on standby for rescue and relief operations. Paddy growers in the delta regions of Krishna, West Godavari and East Godavari districts are worried over the safety of their produce due to the forecast of heavy gales and rains triggered by the cyclone. The farmers harvested the kharif crop and kept the produce ready for sale in the open fields. The Met office warned that a storm surge of height of about 0.5-1 metres above the astronomical tides may inundate low lying areas of East Godavari, West Godavari, Vishakhapatnam and Krishna districts and Yanam district of Puducherry at the time of landfall. Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea and those already out in deep sea were advised to return to the coast. On the 19th the seventh meeting of the Joint Working Group of the Holy See -Vietnam. The meeting aims to deepen and develop bilateral relations. Pending diplomatic relations that provides for a "non-permanent" nuncio. Issues related to ecclesiastical properties and religious freedom are more delicate. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The meetings of the Joint Holy See-Vietnam Working Group continue. The next, which will be the seventh, will be held in Ha Noi, December 19. In giving this news today, a statement by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, reads that "the meeting aims to deepen and develop bilateral relations, following what was agreed at the end of the sixth meeting of the Working Group , held in the Vatican in October 2016, and, subsequently, on the occasion of the visit of SE Mr. Ha Kim Ngoc, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam at the Vatican in August 2017 and of that of Msgr. Camilleri in Ha Noi in January 2018, as well as the recent visit of S.E. Mr. Truong Hoa Binh, First Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, last October 20th to the Vatican when he was received in audience by His Holiness Pope Francis ". "During its stay in Vietnam, from the 18th to the 20th December, the Delegation will also meet the Bishops of the country who will be present in Ha Noi to take part in the Holy Mass to mark the taking possession of his episcopal seat by Reverend Joseph Vu Van Thien, new Metropolitan Archbishop of Hanoi ". The Vatican note does not indicate what the issues under discussion will actually be. A modus vivendi has existed for many years between the Holy See and Vietnam on the nominations of the bishops: the Vatican indicates the candidates and the government indicates who they prefer. In the past the Vatican delegation was led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, current Secretary of State. This is pending diplomatic relations, currently stopped at a formula that provides for a "non-permanent" nuncio. More sensitive are issues related to ecclesiastical properties that the government does not recognize, according to the rule by which all lands in Vietnam are state-owned. Another "sensitive" issue is related to religious freedom. Vietnamese Catholics look with concern at the new year, when the new law on cyber security will come into force. In fact, under this guise, there are rules that require social network providers, such as Google and Facebook, to cede their users' data to Vietnamese state servers. Furthermore, it is forbidden for Internet users to organize themselves with "anti-state purposes", to use a language that "distorts history" or "denies the revolutionary aims of the nation". In this perspective there is a strong concern for Catholic contents that risk being banned, as they are not in praise of the "conquests" of the socialist revolution. "Users," said Paul Van Chi, spokesman for the Federation of Vietnamese Catholic mass media, told AsiaNews, " must reduce their activities on the internet, for fear of being tried." "The provisions of the Information Security Act, in fact, could make it easier for the government to identify and prosecute people for their peaceful online activities." The last visit of a representative of the Holy See to Vietnam was at the beginning of this year. On this occasion, Msgr. Antoine Mons. Camilleri, Undersecretary for Relations with States, expressed to the Vietnamese Prime Minister the greetings and best wishes of Pope Francis to the country and to the people, sharing the Pope's good impression of the dialogue between faith and Vietnamese culture. "The Holy See is committed to promoting relations with the Government of Vietnam to further contribute to the social life of the country, especially in the fields of education, health and charity. I affirm that the Holy Father always watches Vietnam with special attention. Pope Francis also wants the Church of Vietnam to always accompany and contribute to the prosperity of the nation. The Vatican expresses its gratitude to the government for having created valid conditions for the non-resident papal representative to work in Vietnam ". In March, the 32 bishops of the Vietnamese Bishops' Conference (CBCV) made their "ad limina" visit to the Vatican (pictured). (FP) In its order sentencing Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to jail for the remainder of his life in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, the Delhi High Court on Monday made a stinging observation regarding mass crimes and political patronage. The criminals responsible for the mass crimes have enjoyed political patronage and managed to evade prosecution and punishment. Bringing such criminals to justice poses a serious challenge to our legal system, the court observed. Saying that it was a challenge to bring those accused in such cases to justice because they enjoyed political patronage, the court referred to other incidents of mass killings that had taken place in the country. In its order, the court said, Neither crimes against humanity nor genocide is part of our domestic law of crime. This loophole needs to be addressed urgently. In its order, the Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the trial courts acquittal of Sajjan Kumar, 73, and had held him guilty in the murders of five people of a family in November 1984. The court also levied a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him. The riots in 1984 had taken place after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31. Listing out the incidents where minorities were targeted in such violent crimes, the court said, In India, the riots in early November 1984 in which in Delhi alone 2,733 Sikhs and nearly 3,350 all over the country were brutally murdered was neither the first instance of a mass crime nor, tragically, the last. The mass killings in Punjab, Delhi and elsewhere during the countrys Partition remains a collective painful memory as is the killings of innocent Sikhs in November 1984. There has been a familiar pattern of mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2008 and in Muzaffarnagar in UP in 2013 to name a few. Noting that all the mass crimes had one common thread of minorities being targeted, the court said that the attacks were spearheaded by political actors in power. The criminals responsible for the mass crimes have enjoyed political patronage and managed to evade prosecution and punishment. Bringing such criminals to justice poses a serious challenge to our legal system. As these appeals themselves demonstrate, decades pass by before they can be made answerable... the court said in its order. India will give financial assistance of $1.4 billion to the Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, the biggest aid yet to the Indian Ocean island nation that is grappling with debt from a Chinese building spree. Modi made the announcement after talks with Maldives new president, Mohamed Ibrahim Solih, who defeated the pro-China strongman Abdulla Yameen in a surprise election result in October and is trying to reset ties with India. During a five-year construction boom in the Maldives, China built a sea bridge connecting the capital, Male, to the main airport and is developing the airport itself, as well as building housing on land reclaimed from the sea. But the fast-paced building activity has stoked fears that the Maldives has loaded up on debt that could be anything from $1.5 billion to more than $3 billion. Solihs administration has said it is trying to find out just how much the country of 400,000 people owes China. Modi said India stood ready to help the Maldives as a close friend and neighbour. For Maldives social and economic development we are providing a financial assistance of $1.4 billion in the form of budgetary support, currency swap agreements and concessional lines of credit, he said during a brief media appearance with Solih. Both India and China have been trying to build regional influence in the Maldives and other Indian Ocean countries such as Sri Lanka that lie along vital shipping lanes. Soon after he took over last month, Solih said state coffers had been looted over the past few years and warned that the country was in financial difficulty after racking up debt with Chinese lenders. Solih said the Maldives and India had signed agreements to cooperate on trade, health and defence. India would help improve Maldives security through joint patrols as well as aerial surveillance, officials said. Indias big worry has been that Chinas expansive diplomacy in the region was aimed at securing an outpost on an island in the Maldives. Modi said he had discussed regional security with Solih and both had agreed not to allow each others territory to be used against the other. Indian national Hamid Nehal Ansari is being repatriated on the completion of his prison sentence, Pakistans Foreign Office announced on Monday, days after India had sought his immediate release. The external affairs ministry had raised the issue of Ansari in a note verbale, or formal communication, sent to Pakistan on December 11 amid fears that he would be held for almost a month for completion of formalities after his three-year sentence ended on December 15. Pakistans foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal tweeted: #HamidNehalAnsari, an Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents, is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India. In New Delhi, the external affairs ministry said it had received a note from Pakistan that said Ansari would be released on Tuesday. Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said it was a matter of great relief that six years of incarceration of an Indian civilian in Pakistan was ending. Pakistan should also take action to also end the misery of other Indian nationals and fishermen in Pakistani jails who had completed their sentences, Kumar said. We also await Pakistans response to the visit of an Indian medical team to meet mentally unsound prisoners with a view to facilitate their nativity verification and subsequent repatriation. We hope that Pakistan would respond and organise an early visit of the Joint Judicial Committee so that the issues of prisoners can be dealt with in a humanitarian and timely manner, he added. I am very relieved and happy that Hamid (Ansari) is able to come back to India. I would like to thank the foreign affairs ministry including Sushma Swaraj for the efforts made to seek his release. The Pakistan high commission has also been very cooperative throughout this, said BJP leader Krishna Hegde. Hegde has been acting as a liaison for the last three years after Ansaris mother Fauzia Ansari a college teacher approached him for help. Ansari was tried by a military court on charges of espionage after being arrested in 2012 and given a three-year sentence in December 2015. Legal experts have argued he should have been freed earlier as he had already spent three years in jail at the time of his sentencing. The Peshawar high court had recently given a one-month deadline to the Pakistan government to complete formalities for Ansaris repatriation after hearing an appeal filed by his lawyer. Ansaris case, Pakistan had not responded to 96 requests by India for consular access, and this, officials said, was a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. A 35-year-old para-teacher, who was staging a sit-in protest along with six others, reportedly died due to cold in front Jharkhand state social welfare minister Louis Marandis residence in Jharkhands Dumka on Sunday, police said. The teacher was identified as Kanchan Kumar Das, a resident of Nonihat village under Hasdiha police station in Dumka district. He had been a para-teacher at the Upgraded Middle School in Chinadangaal under Ramgarh block since 2005. A postmortem of the body has been performed at Sadar hospital. We are waiting for the report to know the exact cause of the death, Dumka superintendent of police Y Ramesh said. Chill effect in the weather could be a reason for death. But, it cannot be established until postmortem report comes, Ramesh said. Over 45,000 para teachers across the state are on an indefinite strike since November 16 forcing over 12,000 schools to shut. They are demanding the regularisation of their services after their counterparts in Chhattisgarh, who have served for eight years, have been regularised as assistant teachers. They launched Ghera Dalo, Dera Dalo programme at residences of BJP ministers, parliamentarians and legislators to push for their demand from November 25. As part of the programme, Das and other para-teachers were protesting before Marandis house on Saturday night in Dumka, around 300-km northeast from capital Ranchi. After participating in a protest rally in Dumka market in the afternoon, we reached the sit-in venue before the ministers house in the evening. Kanchan was already there in our makeshift tent, one of Das companion Yudhir Mandal said. Mandal said they went to bed at around 8pm but Das went to the market. He returned around 10pm and they chatted for a while before sleeping. We woke up around 5.45am on Sunday and was preparing tea. Around 6.30am, we called Kanchan but he did not give any response and his body shrank in cold. We immediately called an ambulance and took him to Sadar Hospital Dumka. But, the doctors declared him brought dead, he said. Dr Dilip Kumar Bhagat, who examined Das, said his body was brought late. He had already died. So, it was hard to find out the exact cause of his death, he said. Das father Akhilesh Das, 60, said his son had no serious health complications. My son died due to cold. It is the state government, who is responsible for his death. The government has killed my son, Akhilesh said. Kanchan was unmarried and lived with his father. His elder brother works in Kolkata. Opposition parties also held the government responsible for the teachers demise. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has demanded centres interference in para-teachers issue. The current BJP government in Jharkhand has lost its sensitivity and humanity. A teacher dying before a ministers house is very shameful. A case of murder should be lodged against the minister, said JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya. Meanwhile, Ekikrit Para Sikshak Sangharsh Morcha (EPSSM), an umbrella body of different para teachers associations, has threatened to intensify the agitation. The government is not ready for any dialogue over the teachers issue. We do not know if chief minister has made it a personal ego. We have a simple demand to regularise us on the line of Chhattisgarh, said EPSSM state member Vinod Tiwary. Marandi, who was in Ranchi on Monday, expressed grief over the teachers death. I will talk to the chief minister Raghubar Das and education minister Neera Yadav to sort out the para teachers issue at the earliest, she said. Marandi said that the government was serious about their issues and agreed to concede demands to some extent. I would request the agitating teacher to withdraw their strike, she said. In his first decision, taken within two hours of assuming office as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, Kamal Nath waived the outstanding short term crop loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh as on March 31, 2018, taken from nationalised and the cooperative banks. The decision will benefit as many as 3.4 million farmers and will cost the exchequer between Rs 35,000 to Rs 38,000 crore, according to the states agriculture department. The final figure will be known only after the department gets exact data on outstanding short-term loans. An order waiving the loans was signed by principal secretary (agriculture) Rajesh Rajora after Nath cleared the proposal. Government officials said the government would soon start issuing farm loan waiver certificates to the farmers. Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Bhagel, who too took charge on Monday, followed suit and announced his government will waive farm loans worth Rs 6,100 crore of around 1.66 million farmers. He also announced that the government will increase the minimum support price for paddy from Rs 1,700 per quintal to Rs 2,500 a quintal. In the run-up to the state assembly elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi promised farm loan waivers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan within 10 days of the Congress coming to power. As per the Madhya Pradesh-level bankers committee data, the amount of outstanding crop loans on farmers stood at Rs 75,823 crore as on March 31, 2018. There are 9.8 million cultivators in the state as per the 2011 Census. The budget size of Madhya Pradesh for financial year 2018-19 was Rs 1,83,666 crore. Shivkumar Sharma aka Kakka ji, president, Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh, said the decision fulfils the demand of farmers partially. Farmers have been demanding a complete loan waiver, he added. The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sanghs state general secretary Shivkant Dixit said, The decision will benefit only about 1.6 to 1.7 million farmers and the amount to be waived is merely about Rs 5,600 crore. State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said: The chief ministers decision to waive only short term loans is nothing but betraying the farmers as the Congress did in Punjab and Karnataka too. The fact remains that about 76% farmers in the state repaid their short term loans on time to avoid it being converted into long term loans. Thus, the CM has talked of waiving loans of only a marginal section of farmers. In Rajasthan, where the Congress won 99 assembly seats, the outstanding farm loans add up to about Rs 49,500 crore and of this, the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government headed by Vasundhara Raje has already waived short term farm loans of up to Rs 50,000 from cooperative banks, spending? Rs 8,000 crore in the process. The state government took short-term working capital from National Cooperative Development Corporation to waive the loans. In Chhattisgarh, where the Congress swept polls by winning 68 of the 90 seats, the loan given to farmers in the current financial year was Rs 4,770 crore. Around 71% of the farmers in the state repaid their short term farm loans during the period from July 1, 2016, to May 31, 2017, state government officials said. Apart from the farm loan waiver, Nath also sanctioned four garment parks. Nath said incentives would be given to new industries only if 70% of those employed are from the state, and added that his aim is to increase economic activity in the state. The new president of the Maldives has called India the island nations closest friend, welcome words for New Delhi after years of growing economic influence by Beijing. Maldives president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih spoke Sunday in New Delhi, on his first overseas trip since his election. In September he defeated strongman Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who had forged increasingly closer ties to China during his five years in office. India has long seen the Indian Ocean nation of 400,000 people as part of its sphere of influence. China, though, sees the Maldives as a key cog in its Belt and Road infrastructure projects, which follow ancient trade routes through the Indian Ocean and Central Asia. Beijing is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in an airport expansion, housing developments and other projects in the Maldives. But speaking at an India-Maldives business forum, Solih told business leaders that India is not only our closest friend, it is also our largest trading partner, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. He said the Maldives is ripe for more Indian investment, insisting the country is committed to providing the protection and legal cover that investors require. The Maldives has faced years of political turmoil since the first democratic elections a decade ago. Tourism dominates the Maldives economy, with wealthy foreigners flown directly to expensive resort islands. The Center for Global Development, a Washington think tank, estimates Chinas loans to Maldives total at least $1.3 billion, a quarter of the island nations gross domestic product. Chinese loans to the Maldives have fueled fears in New Delhi that Beijing is trying to encroach on New Delhis influence in the Indian Ocean. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday welcomed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Its a case of justice finally delivered to the victims of one of the worst instances of communal violence, he said. The reversal, by the Delhi High Court, of the earlier orders acquitting Sajjan proved that the judiciary in India continues stand as a pillar of the nations democratic system, the CM said. Reacting to the Delhi High Court judgment awarding life term to the former Congress MP, Amarinder Singh said the conviction vindicated the stand he had been taking since those dark days of the violence perpetrated on thousands of innocent Sikhs in the wake of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Sajjan Kumar was the only surviving Congress leader implicated in the riots, as the others had since passed away. The name of Sajjan Kumar had repeatedly cropped up in his interactions with the victims in the refugee camps, said Amarinder Singh, who had last month also welcomed the first death sentence awarded in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. There was no Congress conspiracy behind the violence and the names of the Gandhis did not come up even once during his visits to the refugee camps, he said, alleging that it was vested political interests that had been trying to draw the Gandhi family into the controversy and the conspiracy for their personal motivations. Congress leader Ashok Gehlot will be sworn in as Rajasthan chief minister for a third time on Monday. In his first interview ahead of being sworn in as Rajasthan CM, Gehlot spoke to Hindustan Times about his governments priorities and other issues. Edited excerpts: What is your immediate priority? We will base our priorities on the [Congress] partys manifesto, which will be approved at the first cabinet meeting. We have done this earlier also placing the manifesto before the cabinet. The promises on which we were elected to power will be our basis for work. After the cabinet approves it, the manifesto becomes an official paper; it goes to collectors, secretaries, and other bureaucrats. They know officially this is the governments priority. I started this practice when I became the chief minister for the first time in 1998. Whether you are successful in fulfilling the promises or not... but when you place your manifesto before the cabinet, it shows your intent. Do you think it is possible to keep Congress president Rahul Gandhis campaign pledge that his partys government will announce farm loan waiver within 10 days looking at the states financial health? Rahul ji has said it and it is mentioned in our manifesto. So, there is no question about our commitment. Now, we have to see in what form and how we will implement it. First, we will form the cabinet, which will then discuss it at the first meeting. Earlier, the government of India did it, and it waived loans from the nationalised banks. It will be decided at the first cabinet meeting. The 10-day countdown will begin after the cabinet formation. Why could not the Congress get a clear majority despite strong anti-incumbency against the previous Vasundhara Raje government? I think the way they bribed the people they targeted the beneficiaries [of the governments schemes]. In a democracy, it is a beneficiarys right; it is not a dole or a largesse. Suppose you select a person to be in the Below Poverty Line category, then it becomes his right to get benefits due to the category You have not done them a favour. But you call the prime minister, call the beneficiaries officially, organise buses for them, give them lunch, dinner to show that you have done some favour to them. I have heard that the people from the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] and other workers from outside, they went to their [beneficiaries] houses to remind them of what the government did for them. There were reports that they even bribed them. That was one of the reasons. Read: At swearing-in of Congress CMs today, Opposition show of strength Do you think there were problems with tickets, too? Candidate selection always has some issues, be it in the Congress or the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party]. There are complaints. There cannot be a perfect system. Some people will always feel they have been ignored. What is the larger message from this mandate for the Congress in the three Hindi heartland states? Recently, at a meeting of Opposition leaders in Delhi on December 10 in which I was present, everyone opined that this was such an undemocratic government that democracy, Constitution and the country were in danger. If they return to power, they may not allow elections, was everyones feeling. So the country is looking at Rahul Gandhi for a bigger role. The way he has single-handedly made the Rafael [aircraft] deal a national issue the credit goes to him alone. No other party was speaking about it. He has been attacking the government over this since the Gujarat elections. When the president of a national party speaks about something, the message travels to the people. It is a very simple question: How did you buy fighter planes worth ~526 crore for ~1,600 crore without calling for a new tender. You could have cancelled the tender, called for a new one. That would have been justified. But you went to France and bought them [the aircraft] for ~1,600 crore. Is it true that the delay in the announcement of your name as chief minister was due to Sachin Pilot claiming the post? I have been saying for the last two years that any post is not my priority. The party has given me so much. I said I will accept the partys decision. Whether I am general secretary of the organisation or not, whether I am the chief minister or not, it is my duty to serve the party. It is up to the party to use me in whatever role it deems fit. Our leader Rahul Gandhi has said the Congress should work with the experienced leader and the energy of youth. I will want to work with full cooperation. Also Read: How Rahul Gandhi got Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot to reach consensus At a press conference in Jaipur, before the elections were announced, you targeted a bureaucrat, calling him the de facto chief minister. Will you now act against him? No one should be vindictive. I think our government will not be vindictive but the law will take its course. The whole bureaucracy knew he was the de facto chief minister. Others should also have spoken about it. People do not speak the truth. Some have vested interests, others have compulsions. Bureaucrats think why anger the chief minister People do not speak because of compulsions, I gave them a voice. Lynch mobs are not part of indigenous Indian culture but came into being in India only because of the influence of Communists and Pakistan, Tripura chief minister, Biplab Deb said on Monday. According to the CM, lynching by mobs is an international conspiracy and likened the phenomenon to the way the Congress Party has taken up the Rafale fighter plane issue. Where did mob lynching start? I have seen on a Pakistan-based website that it began there, Deb said. He demanded an apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying that he had misled the country and sold the nation in the name of politics. The Supreme Court has given its clarification (on the Rafale deal) and still Rahul Gandhi finds fault I see an international conspiracy in the entire episode, the Tripura CM said. The nation has no benefit (in questioning the Rafale deal) so why is Gandhi speaking ill about the nation, when thats the job of Pakistan? Deb then went on to take a dig at the Communists, from whom the BJP wrested control of Tripura earlier this year. India follows the culture of Atithi Devo Bhava and mob lynching never happened in India. Where a mob kills a person out of anger, that is done by Maoists. That is an outside practice. It is a Communist practice, he asserted. Sajjan Kumars conviction by the Delhi High Court in a case related to the anti-Sikh riots in the Capital in 1984 drew reactions from the BJP as well as other parties, as the Congress said the issue should not be politicised. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was convicted of criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony and sentenced to imprisonment for life. As the high court reversed the trial courts order acquitting Kumar, the court also directed him to surrender by December 31, 2018, and slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him and Rs 1 lakh on all other accused in the case. The case relates to the murder of five members of a family during the anti-Sikh riots in the Raj Nagar area in the Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984. Cong will pay for sins: Jaitley Union finance minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley said Kumars conviction was a delayed vindication of justice. Sajjan Kumars conviction by the Delhi High Court is a delayed vindication of Justice. The Congress and the Gandhi family legacy will continue to pay for the sins of the 1984 riots, Jaitley said. Justice for the victims of 1984 was buried by the Congress the NDA restored fairness and accountability, he said. Historic justice: Harsimrat Kaur Badal Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal called the life imprisonment handed to Kumar as historic and said justice was delayed because of the political patronage by the Congress party. I want to thank PM Modi that on Shiromani Akali Dals request in 2015 he set up a SIT to probe the 1984 massacre. Its a historic judgement. Wheels of justice have finally moved, she said. It is Sajjan Kumar today, it will be Jagdish Tytler tomorrow then Kamal Nath and eventually the Gandhi family, she said. Sambit Patra of the BJP called for the resignation of Congress president Rahul Gandhis resignation. Kamal Nath jis name crops up along with affidavit and evidence in a report submitted to Nanavati Commission. A man involved in anti-Sikh riots has been made the MP CM. Rahul Gandhi must expel him from the party, Patra said. BJP spokesperson Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, who is on a hunger strike against Congress Kamal Nath being named the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, said they will appeal in the Supreme Court for a death sentence to Kumar. Kejriwal welcomes verdict Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the verdict convicting the 73-year-old Congress leader. It has been a very long and painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe, Kejriwal said on Twitter. Punjab leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema also welcomed the court verdict. Congress kept denying its leaders role, but the Delhi courts verdict has proved that senior leaders of the party had led the rampaging mobs in 1984. Court proceedings and investigations should be expedited in cases and complaints against other Congress leaders, including MP CM Kamal Nath, to give justice to victims, the AAP leader said while speaking to the Hindustan Times. Dont politicise: Congress Congress leaders said while speaking to reporters that the issue should not be politicised and that the law will take its own course. It should not be linked to the political atmosphere prevailing in the country. The law should take its course, there are appeals. No political benefit should be derived from this, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said. There have been verdicts in the past where people have been found guilty, while others have been absolved, he pointed out. Singhvis colleague Kapil Sibal said Kumar does not hold a position of power in the party. What decision has been taken by the court is a legal process. We have seen how cover up is going on in the Sohrabuddin case... and what about judge Loyas death? he asked, referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged fake encounter case and the death of judge BH Loya, who was hearing the case. Dont give it a political colour as it is a court decision, he said. Remember 2002 Gujarat riots: Sibal Sibal also raked up the 2002 riots in Gujarat and alleged that a number of BJP leaders were named in the cases. Charity should begin at home, he said. Sunil Kumar Jakhar, president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice, the Congress MP told reporters outside Parliament. He also said Congress leader Kamal Naths name never figured in the list of those involved in the riots. Law has taken its own course. Itll strengthen peoples trust in law. Any person who has been convicted in such cases should quit their political life, Jakhar said. Many people have a hard time swallowing. Help them to eat, drink and be merry this Christmas SWALLOWING food, drink, and saliva is a central part of our lives. Its something we do about 900 times a day, yet we barely give it a second thought. Were mostly unaware of the many food decisions we make every day. But if you have a swallowing disability, the traditional roasted nuts and dried fruits of Christmas fare are a choking risk, and enjoying a festive bite at the markets could mean an emergency trip to the hospital. MORE: Aged care choking deaths rising, but preventable MORE: New aged care food and drink framework coming Swallowing and eating: how does it work? Swallowing is a complex, precisely co-ordinated act involving 32 paired muscles and sensory and motor nerves, carried out in a beautifully timed sequence. So it makes perfect sense many different health conditions affecting the brain or the body impact on a persons ability to swallow. Swallowing disabilities affect an estimated 8% of the worlds population. Affecting the majority of residents in aged care, swallowing disability also impacts around 80% of children and adults with developmental disability, most people with motor neurone disease or Parkinsons, and many people with traumatic brain injury, head and neck cancer, and those who have had a stroke. In the general population, both alcohol and certain medications can impact on a persons ability to swallow food safely. Its hard to fathom the extent of the disability experienced by people who have difficulty swallowing. The meanings we attach to food, and the ways we engage in eating and drinking, are deeply connected to our identity and our most valued activities and experiences. Decisions about food and meals are a key way we organise our day. Also in Australian Food News As a result, swallowing disability has many health and social impacts. Fear of embarrassment or of revealing they cant manage certain foods can prevent people from telling others about their symptoms. They may take longer to eat, avoid foods that are more difficult, eat less, or say they no longer like the foods they previously enjoyed. Being excluded or unable to participate fully in a meal or a social event can leave people with swallowing disability feeling isolated, depressed, and frustrated. Swallowing disability can result in unplanned hospital admissions that come with substantial costs. Coughing and choking on food can lead to reduced enjoyment in meals, aspiration pneumonia when food or fluid is inhaled, and choking death. Managing swallowing disability also impact on family members and home routines. Many family members change the types of foods they eat to ensure the person with swallowing disability is included. But foods on offer in restaurants, at weddings, parties, religious rituals and sporting events might not be safe to eat, and it can be awkward to take your own carefully modified foods. The stigma of swallowing disability can lead the person and their partner, spouse, or family member to avoid embarrassment and stop going out. Vital interventions for people with swallowing disability Speech pathologists often take a lead role in teams of health professionals who provide services to people with swallowing disability. They assess the persons swallow, make recommendations about modifying food textures, and identify ways to increase the persons participation, inclusion, and independence at mealtimes. At the same time, they determine ways for the person with disability to communicate with family members and direct support workers about food preferences and mealtime assistance needs. The treatment for swallowing difficulties depends on the cause. Speech pathologists can teach the person techniques to improve their oral skills, from taking the first bite to moving the food back and chewing it to swallow. They can provide advice on head and neck postures and mealtime behaviours to help prevent choking. Recently, the National Disability Insurance Agency refused funding of speech pathology services to people with swallowing disability. Not considering the persons lifelong difficulty in eating and drinking to be a social issue affecting participation and inclusion leaves people and their families at risk of further isolation and exclusion. People with swallowing disability need more support and want better access to services to adjust to emotional, psychological and social changes as a result of their swallowing difficulties. Making mealtimes more inclusive Theres a lot you can do to make your celebrations more welcoming and inclusive of people with swallowing disability and their families. Set your own table with attractive soft food options and puree foods and check if people need assistance or a quiet space to concentrate on eating. Making these small adjustments to the foods we provide and the mealtime environment might just mean more people with swallowing disability feel welcome and included in the celebrations this year. Learn the symptoms of choking and how to respond, and in an emergency in Australia dial triple zero 000 for further assistance. Bronwyn Hemsley, Professor of Speech Pathology, University of Technology Sydney; Amy Freeman-Sanderson, Senior Lecturer in Speech Pathology, University of Technology Sydney, and Rebecca Nund, Lecturer in Speech Pathology, The University of Queensland This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The soft power of India is immense, ranging from the popularity of the Dosa, to Indian films, to the successful model of democracy that is functional here, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said Monday. Naidu was speaking at a conference on Soft Power organised by India Foundation which has senior BJP leaders including Ram Madhav, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Indian Council for Cultural Relations head among its functionaries. India must use its moral and cultural strength to influence public opinion to establish a truly peaceful, just and more equitable world order. Public opinion world-over should be used to isolate nations which shelter terrorists as terrorism is an enemy of the mankind, the vice president said. India was respected world over because of the non-violent struggle for freedom. The country has always believed in peaceful co-existence, Naidu said. India is one of the oldest civilisations with rich heritage yet it had never attacked any other country, he said. All Tom, Dick and Harry came here. Ruled us, ruined us, looted us, cheated us..., he added. Soft power is not restricted to culture alone but includes aspects which are attractive to people of other countries or cultures, the vice president said. The popularity of Dosa or butter chicken masala is an example of Indian soft power while McDonalds is an example of Americas soft power, said Naidu. The parliamentary democracy of India, definitely, appeals to many people across the globe, Naidu added. A Punjab-based gangster has confessed to a murder on Facebook. Gangster Sukhpreet Singh alias Budha, linked to the Devinder Bambiha group, admitted to having carried out December 14 murder of Rajinder Kumar, alias Goga, of Manuke village in Nihal Singh Wala subdivision. In a Facebook post, Budha claimed that he had taken revenge for the murder of Beant Singh, former Akali sarpanch of Manuke village, who, he alleged, was killed by Goga on April 5, 2017. However, the court had acquitted him of the charge on November 14 this year. Budhas post, uploaded on Saturday, adds that whoever caused harm to his group members would meet a similar fate. He also warned political leaders not to oppose his candidates in the panchayat elections scheduled on December 30. SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana said, We have not arrested the gangster yet as investigation is still on. DSP Subaig Singh said, The involvement of the gangster-group cannot be confirmed at this point of time. It might be a political gimmick to divert attention of people. On whether the police will take any action on the threat regarding the panchayat polls, the DSP added, Police have not received complaints from anyone of having received any threats. There has been no demand of security, either. Authorities on Monday imposed restrictions on peoples movement, detained separatist leaders and sealed the roads leading to Srinagars Badami Bagh Cantonment to prevent a march Kashmiri separatists had called to protest against the killing of seven civilians in south Kashmir on Saturday. The seven were killed after security forces fired on civilians when they gathered at the scene of a firefight with militants and allegedly threw stones in Pulwama districts Sirnoo village. The separatists had called for a three-day strike and asked the people to march towards the cantonment on Monday in protest against the killings. Three militants and a soldier were killed in the firefight. Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was put under house arrest when he tried to take out a protest march from his residence on the outskirts of Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik was detained along with dozens of his supporters in central Srinagar when he tried to do the same. Read: An MBA, sole bread winners, students with passion for sports: The civilians killed during Pulwama gunfight The Army had called the march call an attempt to sabotage peace at Pakistans behest and advised the people against marching towards the cantonment. Elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley, a complete shutdown was observed against the killings. The mobile internet was slowed across Kashmir to prevent mobilisation for the protests while train services from north Kashmirs Baramulla to Banihal in the Jammu region were suspended. All examinations scheduled in the Valley were also postponed in view of the call for protests. Shops and businesses remained shuttered and the traffic mostly remained off the roads. Additional forces were deployed at sensitive places across the Valley to prevent protests. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case of five murders during anti-Sikh riots in west Delhis Raj Nagar, in which senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was convicted on Monday, is not the only case in which the former parliamentarian is said to be involved. A three-member special investigation team (SIT), formed to reinvestigate the cases of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, is probing Kumars alleged role in two other cases. One of them includes the twin murders of a man and his son in west Delhis Punjabi Bagh. The Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) had constituted the SIT in 2015. The two cases are among the eight that the SIT reopened for investigation. An official said Kumar has already been interrogated twice during the probe. He was last interrogated by the team in March last year. An official said the case is related to the murder of Jaswant Singh and his son, Hardeep Singh. Singhs wife, Dajleet Kaur, is an eyewitness. The woman in her statement to the police in 1991 has reportedly accused Kumar of instigating the mob to attack the Sikhs in her neighbourhood in the aftermath of the death of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Delhi police had registered the case in 1991 but closed the probe in 1993. This is an important case against Kumar. This is the one case in which there is an eyewitness. The team is yet to file a chargesheet in court. In the two other cases, too, his role has come up but the evidence in the third case is not very strong, an official familiar with the case details said on condition of anonymity. In 2015, after the SIT was formed, the team re-examined 293 cases which were closed by the Delhi police. Of the 293 cases, the team filed closure reports in 233 cases, citing lack of evidence. In 52 cases, the team filed reports in which the victims or the accused were not traced and started probe in eight cases. Of the eight cases, the police filed a chargesheet in five, while the remaining three are pending investigation. Kumar is one of the alleged accused in these three cases. In November, a city court awarded death sentence to man for the murder of two men in south Delhis Mahipalpur on November 1, 1984. This was one of the five cases in which the police had filed a chargesheet. The Gujarat High Court has dismissed a petition seeking a ban on the showing of Bollywood film Kedarnarth in the state, terming it was based on wrong notions about Hinduism. The petition by Prakash Sundersinh Rajput, the state chief of the International Hindu Sena, had contended that the exhibition of the film, which features Sushant Singh Rajput opposite debutant Sara Ali Khan and is set against the backdrop of the disastrous 2013 Uttarakhand floods, would hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus. It also alleged that the show of intimacy between a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl is not only rude and offensive but also unfair for public exhibition and that certain scenes in the film had disrespected the culture and tradition of Hindu religion. Rejecting the plea, a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice AS Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav said that just because a Muslim boy is shown to be in love with a Hindu girl at a holy place, we fail to understand how religious sentiments of Hindu community will be affected. The bench, in their verdict delivered on December 5 ahead of the films release on December 7, said the petition was not only misconceived but also based on a wrong notion about Hinduism as understood by the petitioner. Hinduism as a concept, religion and faith, tolerance for all religions, patience, harmony and welfare of mankind as a whole are the basic tenets of Hinduism, it said. Maintaining that any prohibitory steps from its side would result in a breach of fundamental rights of all those involved in the making of the film, the court slapped a fine of Rs 5000 on the petitioner, to be paid within a week to the Gujarat High Court Legal Services Committee. A day after they were blocked while proceeding to Sabarimala temple, Kerala Police Monday allowed four transwomen to trek to the hill shrine. Police took the decision after consulting with the tantri (supreme priest of the temple) and the high court-appointed three-member panel. The four identified as Triputhi, Avantika, Ranjumol and their leader Ananya were stopped at Erumeli police station, citing law and order problems, and later they approached state police chief Loknath Behra and the HC-appointed panel. We will go in sari only. Police have promised us enough security, said Ananya. Many right-wing outfits have made it clear that they dont have any problem with the third sex. Earlier, four alleged that police threatened them and asked to come in mens dress if they wanted to trek to the temple. But later, Kottayam superintendent of police S Harishankar denied this, saying police needed more clarity to allow them to the shrine. Meanwhile, Nair Service Society (NSS), a socio-cultural outfit of upper caste Nair community, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans arrogance led to the present impasse in Sabarimala. He is behaving like a party secretary, not as the CM. The NSS is only concerned about the age-old belief of pilgrims, it is committed to protect them, he said, adding, his outfit took a consistent stand from 2005 when the case came up before the Supreme Court. He said the government-sponsored women wall on January 1 was sectarian in nature and it will create more wedge between different communities. This wall is against Sabarimala temple but we will not instruct people not to attend it, he said, adding, he expected a favourable decision from the SC when it will take up a bunch of review petitions, against its verdict, on January 22. Meanwhile, police arrested activist and leader of Ayyappa Dharma Sena Rahul Eswar in Palakkad for flouting bail norms. A court in Pathanamthitta had cancelled his bail after he failed to appear in Ranni police station on Saturday, one of the bail conditions. He was arrested in connection with violent incidents at Pambha base camp on October 17 and released on bail after two weeks under strict provisions. Cyclone Phethai made a landfall between Kakinada and Yanam on Monday, killing two persons and caused widespread damages to paddy, aquaculture and horticulture crops across seven coastal districts. Although the landfall is complete towards evening, the cyclone is expected to re-emerge into west central Bay of Bengal off Kakinada coast and again cross coast near Tuni in East Godavari district in the late evening of Monday, M Mohapatra, head of Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, said. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu rushed back to Amaravati after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, to take stock of cyclone-induced damages. Naidu will visit the cyclone-hit Kakinada and Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, said the chief ministers office. A person identified as Durga Rao (35) was killed in Vijayawada early Monday when a boulder crashed through the roof of his house, located on foothills, after a landslip. In a related incident, a woman reportedly died due to squally winds at Pallepalem in East Godavari district. Six fishermen from Kakinada who went fishing on December 11 got stranded in the sea for two days, before they could return home, East Godavari district superintendent of police Vishal Gunni said. The cyclone hit normal life across the state and caused heavy damages to paddy and aquaculture crops in East and West Godavari districts and Krishna district. Phethai struck the farmers hard when they harvested the crop and were getting ready for threshing during the khariff season. Phethai left its trail of destruction across seven coastal districts of Andhra PradeshGuntur, Krishna, West Godavari, East Godavari and parts of Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam. Around 14 flight services from Visakhapatnam airport were either cancelled or diverted to Hyderabad. Similarly, several train services were cancelled. In East Godavari, the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation cancelled bus services. Watch: Cyclone Phethai lands in Andhra Pradeshs Kakinada Damage to Eastern Power Distribution Company Limiteds distribution network led to a blackout in Kakinada, and nearly 1,000 villages in East Godavari, according to official information. The severe cyclonic storm Phethai over west-central Bay of Bengal has moved further northwards with a speed of 24kmph and weakened into a deep depression. Phethai will cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada while still a cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, and will result in heavy to very heavy rain at a few places with extremely heavy fall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Fishermen in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Odisha coasts are advised to not venture into sea. There is a total suspension on fishing along the Andhra Pradesh coast. The severe cyclonic storm has weakened and turned into a deep depression now. There will be heavy to very heavy rainfall in Andhra Pradesh, parts of Odisha and south Chhattisgarh tonight, rainfall may cease from Tuesday in these states, said M Mohapatra, IMDs meteorology director. The Centre on Monday announced expansion of one of its most popular subsidy programmes under which free cooking gas connections are provided to poor women. It now plans the universal coverage of the Ujjwala scheme, which currently covers 5.86 crore households. Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed confidence the coverage will reach the 6 crore mark by December end. We already have the budget to provide gas connections to 8 crore households. If we achieve our target, we would be able to cover around 99% of the [poor] households, Pradhan said. The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) decision to expand the Ujjwala coverage comes amid the governments renewed efforts to reach out to the poor and rural population ahead of the next years general election. The move also signals the governments willingness to offer more sops to woo the poor. It comes in the wake of the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) loss in assembly elections held in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh in November and December. The BJP has been reaching out to the beneficiaries of myriad flagship programmes of the government to expand its support base. Pradhan underlined only 13 crore out of the total 27 crore household had LPG connections when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. In the past 4.5 years, additional 12 crore connections have been added, he said. Pradhan added 5.86 of these connections have been added under the Ujjwala scheme. The LPG penetration has gone up from 55% in 2014 to 90% in the last four-and-a-half years. The Ujjwala scheme, which was launched on May 1, 2016, has been one of Modis pet schemes. Through [the Ujjwala scheme] deposit-free LPG connections are released with the cash assistance of ~16,007 per connection by Government of India and also interest-free loans [are provided] to purchase stoves and refill by Oil Marketing Companies. so far, more than 5.86 crore LPG connections have been released under PMUY [Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana] against the target of 8 crore. 48% of the beneficiaries are SC/STs [scheduled castes and scheduled tribes], a government release said. Hyderabad-based Action for Rural Advancements Anita Rodriguez said the real challenge is not giving free LPG connections, which are quite achievable, but ensuring they are used on a sustained basis. There is data available on inactive connections. We need more study of inactive connections to determine issues like sustained affordability for the poor. She cited the 2011 Census and said a large number of households used traditional polluting stoves that adversely impact health. The CCEA also cleared a petroleum ministrys proposal to release deposit free LPG connections to poor families, which have not been considered earlier for the scheme. A government release said households, whose names were not covered either in Socio-Economic Caste Census or did not come under seven categories like SC/ST, were earlier not be eligible for the scheme. It said that these households will now be included subject to fulfilling the eligibility norms and after furnishing required documents. Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the government wants to offer more sops as the national election nears. They are set to breach the fiscal deficit target and thus they want to tap the RBIs [Reserve Bank of India] reserve fund for these sops. WhatsApp, Facebook, dating sites and interactive video games are among the favourite platforms of sexual predators of children, according to cyber crime experts from various parts of the world, who called for greater cooperation between probe agencies of different countries to combat the menace. At a conference in Kolkata, they also observed that sexual exploitation of children has increased exponentially with the advent of internet and tracking down perpetrators has become more difficult because internet has no borders. The conference organised by International Justice Mission (IJM), a non-government organisation headquartered in the US, and the West Bengal Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) was attended by several experts, including police officers, lawyers, judges and officials of non-government organisations from countries such as USA, Germany, Netherlands, Philippines, Uganda, Kenya and India. Justice Eric Bradshaw, of Kern County Superior Court, California, noted that the efficiency of sexual exploiters has increased with the use of technology. Greater cooperation between law enforcing agencies of various countries is needed for effective crackdown on rackets involving sexual exploitation of children, he said. Deputy superintendent of police, cybercrime division of the criminal investigation department (CID), Bengaluru, Sharath, who was honoured with the India Cyber Cop Award for Excellence in Cyber Crime Investigation in 2015, echoed the judges point. We, in Bengaluru, are in constant touch with the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, which provides location-based data to many countries. However, criminals often enjoy the advantage of being located in a different country, he said. David Vincent Ruggiero, director of investigation and law enforcement development at the IJM, said crimes happen on private chats, video calls and live streams. Children are being used in front of cameras on mobile phones or computers and someone sitting thousands of miles away, often in a different country, is paying to watch it. Families are often complicit it this. Even interactive video games are being used to entrap children, Ruggiero said. Lida van Dijk, a police detective from Netherlands who has been dealing with crimes related to sexual exploitation, and Indian police officers Ajey Mukund Ranade and V Balakrishnan seconded their points. It is very easy for criminals to stay anonymous and hide identity on the internet. Encrypted applications make it doubly difficult for us track down the perpetrator, and often even to bust a crime. Borderless nature of the internet has given perpetrators another edge over law enforcers, said Dijk, adding that sexual exploitation rackets are more organised than ever before. According to Ranade, inspector general of police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), West Bengal, Online sexual exploitation of children is increasing at rapid pace due to lack of public awareness on cyber safety aspects. Children are knowingly and unknowingly posting revealing and compromising photos and videos on social networking platforms. When exploiters hack the storage space, the children become victims of blackmail. Experts said photos and videos shared on these platforms are stored in clouds and are vulnerable to hacking. They also advised computer users against giving remote access to people not fully known and trusted. According to Astewaye Yigzaw, who earlier worked with Washington DC police department as a criminal research specialist and the US-based non-profit organisation National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), approximately 7.5 lakh sexual predators worldwide are online at any given moment, while a third of the worlds internet users are less than 18 years old. Since internet allows a sexual exploiter to stay in the comfort of his or her home, the exploitation is going exponential and children are at far greater risk than before, said Yigzaw, who is now a senior criminal analyst at IJM. IJM organised the conference in collaboration with West Bengal Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR). While ethical hacker Rizwan Shaikh said investigation becomes next to impossible when criminals use dark web which makes up 96% of the internet and transact in bit coins, Chennai joint commissioner of police, V Balakrishnan said most criminals involved in sexual exploitation of children in India are still using surface web, mostly because too few underage boys and girls use deep or dark web. The more sophisticated criminals use deep web and bitcoins. The majority are using platforms that are popular among children and teenagers, Balakrishnan said. Sajjan Kumar is a senior Congress leader who was convicted and sent to life imprisonment in the 1984 anit-Sikh riots case. Kumar is charged with involvement in the killing of five members of a Sikh family Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh by a mob. First elected to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 1977, he was sworn in as the Delhi Councillor the same year. An active politician from Delhi, he went on to win the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Outer Delhi. On November 1, 1984, Sajjan Kumar, according to witnesses, had incited mobs to attack the Sikh community to avenge the assassination of their mother then-prime minister Indira Gandhi of Congress, who was shot dead by her Sikh bodyguards a day earlier. Read: Will pay for sins: Arun Jaitley targets Congress after Sajjan Kumar conviction Investigations into the role of leaders like Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler were re-opened after around 10 commissions and committees of inquiry found what they termed credible evidence. The case against Kumar was registered in 2005 on a recommendation by Justice G T Nanavati Commission. CBI had filed two charge sheets against him and the other accused in January 2010. In 2012, the CBI charge sheet said rioters had the political patronage of Sajjan Kumar. However, he was acquitted by a lower court in Delhi in 2013, which was challenged by the CBI. However, a trial court had acquitted him in the case, but awarded life term to former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and a three-year jail term to two others former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. The high court on Monday overturned the lower courts order and sentenced Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment. The sentencing comes weeks after the Delhi high court had upheld the conviction of 88 of 107 people arrested in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The 88 had been arrested in East Delhis Trilokpuri area and were sentenced to 5-year jail terms each by a trial court in 1996 for rioting, burning houses and curfew violations. In another case of murder of two men, a Delhi court had on November 20 awarded the death penalty to one convict and life imprisonment to another. Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikars decision to go for a ride and inspect two upcoming bridges in the state may have drawn sharp reactions from leaders across the political spectrum. But, the ailing chief minister through his picture with a feeder tube protruding from one nostril has sought to have told his detractors that he is still in-charge of the state. The timing is significant considering that there was speculation in Goa political circles that with the elections to the five states over, the Bharatiya Janata Partys central leadership could finally deal with Goas leadership issue amid the ongoing petition in the Bombay High Courts Goa bench seeking to make the chief ministers health condition public. The state BJP had promised that its central leaders that it would look into the issue of leadership change as demanded by alliance partners after the results of the five states. But, the chief minister sought to put an end to that speculation. There is no question of a stunt. CM was to go to inspect the bridge on his birthday. He could not go because of some difficulty, but he had the desire to go and see it. But the way the Congress has politicized his illness is not proper from a humanitarian point of view, state BJP general secretary Sadanand Shet Tanavade told reporters. With this visit, curtains come down on the politicization of the Chief Ministers illness, Tanavade added. Not just the Congress, which has been consistently demanding proof that the chief minister was fine, the BJPs own alliance partners such as the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have blamed the BJP leadership for things coming to a standstill. The MGP vowed to withdraw its support to the government if the charge is not handed over to its leader and PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar by December 15. They have since pushed forward that deadline to year-end. Another alliance partner, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) had called for an early delegation of the chief ministers powers. Delegation of power needs to take place. If it happens earlier it is better. The code of conduct will come in force, so if it happens later there will be no benefit. It is finally for the ruling party to take a call, GFP supremo Vijai Sardesai had said. The Congress, however, has accused the ruling BJP of using the chief minister as a doll for political purposes. We are feeling bad that in this state, he has to go out and pose for a picture, Congress spokesperson Amarnath Panjikar said. Photos of the chief minister evoked sharp responses online. He has a tube inserted through his nose into his digestive tract. How inhuman to force him to deal with his illness without all this pressure and tamasha? former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted. Can a party be so power hungry to make a man work despite his illness? With BJP impossible is nothing to grab power, latch on to power. Take care CM Saab, because clearly your party wont, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted. The Chief Minister had left the confines of his private residence at Dona Paula in the states capital on Sunday for the first time since his discharge from AIIMS New Delhi on October 15. Newly sworn-in Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath Monday cleared loan waivers for farmers, as per the Congress promise in the assembly elections In his first act after taking over, Nath signed the file for waiving farmers loans up to Rs 2 lakh. An order issued by principal secretary, agriculture, Rajesh Rajora said, The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to waive loans, up to Rs 2 lakh, of farmers who were found eligible, taken from nationalised and cooperative banks as short term crop loan as on March 31, 2018. 1 done, 2 to go, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet soon after Naths action. Farm loan waivers, within 10 days of taking over charge, was a key promise of the party in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, where the party won the assembly polls too. Earlier on Monday, Nath took the oath as chief minister in the presence of top Congress and opposition leaders who flew to Bhopal from Jaipur where they had watched Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot take charge as Rajasthan chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively. Madhya Pradesh bureaucrats had prepared a note on farm loan waiver for the new chief minister to consider once he was sworn in, officials said on Friday. The bureaucrats had an informal meeting with the chief minister-designate on Thursday, following which they prepared a note offering suggestions on how farm loans can be waived a key promise of the Congress during its campaign. According to sources, chief secretary Basant Pratap Singh held a meeting with officers of the agriculture and finance department, and cooperatives to take stock of farm loans in the state. An official, who participated at the meeting, said 4.1 million farmers have an outstanding loan of Rs 56,377 crore. In addition to this, the non-performing assets (NPAs) farm loans are worth Rs 12,000 crore. The total budget size for 2018-19 was Rs 18,366 crore. Gandhi had announced that farm loans of up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived within 10 days of the new government. Nath said this will be his top priority after taking over. Six persons, including a two-month-old baby, were killed while 147 others were rescued as a major fire swept a government hospital in Mumbais Andheri (East) on Monday, officials said. The fire has now been brought under control and all those trapped in the building rescued. Apart from the baby, whose death was confirmed by doctors, the BMCs Disaster Management department said five others were killed, including two unidentified bodies recovered from the fire. More details about the deaths is awaited, an official said. The injured lying outside the hospital after being rescued. (Pramod R Thakur/HT Photo) The level three fire, which is defined as a major incident, was reported at 4:20pm from the fourth floor of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital. It was later raised to level four at 4:54pm, fire department officials said. According to the fire brigade, smoke spread through out the multistorey hospital, trapping patients in the corridors and on the terrace. The rescued people were sent to three nearby hospitals. All the nearby hospitals had been alerted while the rescue operation was continuing. The fire department has sent 10 fire engines, six water tankers, three turn table ladders and as many as 16 ambulances for rescuing trapped people as senior officials supervised the operation. The verdict in the five assembly elections on December 11 has changed the mood in the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party camp in Maharashtra. The two opposition parties that have been trying to come out of despair following the crushing defeats in Lok Sabha, assembly and civic polls since 2014, are now feeling hopeful and optimistic with the Congress wins in three crucial states. Post-December 11, the change in the opposition camp is visible. There was perception that we cannot defeat the BJP. That has changed. The victory has surely boosted the morale in our party, says Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan. Winning three BJP-ruled states in Hindi heartland, especially a key state like Madhya Pradesh is significant for the party. Two of these three states share their borders with Maharashtra. There is discontent against the BJP among the people. It is also clear that the people did not just vote against the local government but also made their anger against Modi government known, says NCP state unit chief Jayant Patil. The situation in Maharashtra is similar and the issues are the same. The people will show their anger to the BJP here as well, he adds. The two main opposition parties think the situation in Maharashtra is similar to neighbouring states like MP and Chhattisgarh and also Gujarat where BJP barely managed to retain power. As such, they now think defeating the BJP and the Sena in Lok Sabha as well as assembly elections in 2019 wont be difficult. Besides, the change in the perception that the Congress cannot win elections, the party has also revived its ties with Sharad Pawar-led NCP. Both the parties share the same voter base and contesting separately cost them dearly in 2014 assembly elections. In fact the Congress-NCP performed better together than contesting solo. The two parties forged alliance and retained power in 2004 and 2009 assembly elections. In Lok Sabha too, they managed to win about half of the 48 seats except in 2014 where Modi wave swept the state with BJP led coalition wining 42 seats. There are 69-70 percent votes with various secular and liberal parties. Our effort is to avoid split in our votes. That would make our task to defeat fundamentalist forces easy, says Chavan. That is however, easier said than done. Even if the atmosphere becomes favourable, are the two main opposition parties in a position to take the advantage? The Congress is struggling with factionalism. The top leaders in Maharashtra Congress are waiting to pull each other down. Things are also not hunky dory within the NCP, which is witnessing power struggle among the top leaders. To make things complicated, the ghosts of several scams during the Congress-NCP rule in the state are still haunting the two parties. The BJP-Sena have strong presence in urban areas of the states that have half the assembly constituencies. Both the opposition parties are weak in almost all major cities. If the BJP and Sena forge alliance, winning seats in urban area will become difficult for the opposition parties. And even though there are plans to stitch together a grand alliance of opposition parties, working out an amicable seat-sharing pact would be very difficult. It wont be difficult for us to win. Our performance will be impressive in Lok Sabha as well as in the assembly polls, says Chavan, who led the Congress to victory in 2009 assembly elections. He also insists that factionalism wont be a problem for the Congress. There are aspirations in the party and it is perfectly healthy in a democratic party. What everybody in our party knows is that wining the elections is important. Everybody is being given responsibility and also being held accountable, he says. Patil says the coalition is a work in progress and things will be sorted out soon. We are bringing together the opposition parties because we dont want to split the votes when the people are ready to vote them out. Even if Sena-BJP come together it wont be a problem. We had defeated their alliance in consecutive elections since 1999. It was only in 2014 the BJP got advantage of the situation but things are changing now, says Patil. Political analyst Pratap Asbe says the Congress-NCP cannot assume what happened in neighboring states will happen in Maharashtra as well. The BJP-Shiv Sena focused more on urban areas as more number of Assembly seats come from these areas. Congress-NCP have succeeded in raising issues in rural areas, he said. What probably will make the difference now is the BJP. Post-2014 BJP is an entirely different political force. It has massive election machinery that is run by micro planning and execution by top bosses and a charismatic leader like Modi. The party has made inroads in almost all parts of the state. Can the Congress-NCP manage to stop it? I agree the BJP is a strong opponent. I also know they will resort to everything in their might to retain power. But none of that will work when the people decide to vote them out. Thats what happened in Rajasthan and MP,insists Chavan. Can Congress-NCP stop the BJP juggernaut in Maharashtra? The answer is a few months away. A senior anchor of a private news channel was arrested by Noidas Sector 49 police on Sunday for the death of a female anchor of the same channel who fell to her death on Friday from the balcony of her fourth floor Noida residence in Sector 77. Police said Rahul Awasthi, a senior anchor of the channel was present in the fourth floor Antriksh Forest residence of the victim, Radhika Kaushik, when the incident took place on Friday. Awasthi had earlier told police that he was in the washroom when Radhika fell to her death. We have found some loopholes in his statement. Also, one of the security guards of the building had seen the duo standing in the balcony just minutes before Radhika fell, said Shwetabh Pandey, circle officer 3, Noida police. Police officials had earlier detained Awasthi for questioning and were probing the case from all angles. Forensic teams had recreated the crime scene on Saturday. Our preliminary investigations suggest that this may not have been a murder. However, Awasthi, a resident of Sector 134, definitely had a role to play in the incident. The forensic team, based on Radhikas height, have said that the chances are slim that she would have been sitting on the balcony railing, a claim Rahul had made. He has been arrested and will be produced before a judicial magistrate on Monday, Pandey said. Radhikas family had filed a murder complaint against Awasthi and an FIR had been registered . However, based on the available evidence, Awasthi has been booked under Section 304 (culpable homicide). A native of Jaipur, the 25-year-old woman had come to Noida in September. On Thursday, she had left office around 10 pm and came back to her residence at 10.48pm, where she was later joined by Awasthi. Police officials had found empty beer cans and alcohol bottles from her residence. Radhikas family on Sunday reiterated that she didnt consume alcohol. We are glad that he (Awasthi) has been arrested but we are unhappy that he hasnt been booked for murder, said Yogesh Kaushik, Radhikas uncle. Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief Upendra Kushwaha on Sunday said that by preferring the Janata Dal (United) at the cost of his party over the seat sharing issue, the BJP has not only lost a trusted friend, but also walked into a trap laid by forces, who do not want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to retain power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kushwaha, who reached the state capital after quitting the ministerial berth and parting ways with the BJP, lashed out at the JD (U) and BJP-led governments at the centre and state. He said the people have made up their minds to remove them from power in the LS polls and assembly polls in 2020. The NDA will fail to open its account in the state in 2019, he said. His attack against the BJP-JD(U) combine comes after senior Congress leader Ahmad Patel and Pradesh Congress Campaign Committee chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh met Kushwaha at the latters Delhi residence late on Saturday. They called on him with a message from Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to join the proposed meeting of Opposition leaders. Buoyed by the reception by party workers in Patna, Kushwaha said, We support the cause of social justice and rightful share of each section of the society. This has instigated people to stop the RLSPs march. But our workers are sensing that the time for greater participation in decision making is just around the corner. The former Union minister said that he could not understand why a trusted ally (RLSP), which was the first to demand Narendra Modis elevation as the prime ministerial candidate when his own party was indecisive, was dumped. Today, a section of state NDA leadership doesnt want to have him (Modi) re-elected... I wished to share my views with the PM and apprise him what was cooking back home. But, Gods knows why he failed to spare time to meet a member of his cabinet for some sane counsel, he said. Speaking at a function to induct former working president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Uday Samrat and other leaders, including Amjad Khan of JD (U), into the party fold, Kushwaha said all development works have come to a standstill and the law and order situation is deteriorating. The meet has created a buzz that he Kushwaha may soon join the Grand Alliance. Even the BJP-led government, headed by Narendra Modi, has failed to deliver on its poll promise for ensuring access to education, employment and proper medicare for the people of the state. Now that the elections are round the corner, the issue of Ram Mandir is being raised to deflect public attention from these issues, he said. Taking a dig at rivals plotting to engineer a split in the party, Kushwaha said he has been facing such hiccups all through his political career. Earlier, they demanded an inquiry into my personal wealth. But nothing happened. My wealth is an open book, said Kushwaha, who has favoured probes into exponential rise in the assets of politicians. A 26-year-old Indian construction worker in the UAE has lost his appeal against a 15-year jail term, months after he was convicted for getting drunk and stabbing to death a colleague and injuring another fellow Indian who tried to intervene, according to a media report. The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the accused of premeditated murder and murder bid in October, the Gulf news reported on Sunday. The Indian national, who has not been named, stabbed to death his colleague on December, 2017, at a labour accommodation, the report said. The accused attacked the victims roommate as well when he tried to stop him. Dubai Polices forensic examiner said the victim succumbed to severe stab wounds in the heart and chest. The convict, who has not been named, appealed after the primary ruling before the appeal court and sought to have a reduced jail term. However, on Sunday, presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif rejected the appeal and upheld his 15-year jail term. Prakash Bhojani, a businessman based in the east Midlands city of Leicester, has brought Christmas cheer to many homeless people by donating to a local project and arranging to provide renovated accommodation to them. The homeless people, to be selected by campaign group Action Homeless, will be able to move into their new homes before Christmas. Bhojani, 70, who runs a factory and real estate company, has been involved in local charity organisations. The renovated houses owned by Bhojanis company are being leased to the campaign group for a nominal fee. Bhojani donated 100,000 to the project that will benefit those who have recent experience of sleeping rough on the streets. Bhojani told Leicester Mercury, a leading local daily: Weve worked hard to make sure the properties have all been renovated to a high standard. We want this to be the first step to people getting back on track, its important that the homes help them to do that. Im in a position where I can give something back. There are lots of reasons someone might find themselves homeless, these people deserve a second chance and they should have somewhere to live that makes them feel that way. Mark Grant of Action Homeless added: We are really pleased to be able to offer this additional accommodation to people who are affected by homelessness in Leicester. The city as a whole is suffering from a lack of good-quality affordable housing and this has a huge impact on people, leaving many vulnerable. I am particularly delighted that people without a home will have somewhere safe and comfortable to call their own in time for Christmas. My sincere thanks go to our generous donors who have made this possible. Leicester has a large number of people of Indian origin; many moved there after being expelled from Idi Amins Uganda in the early 1970s and went on to succeed in various professions and business. The city is held up as a symbol of Britains policies of multiculturalism. A key interlocutor in talks between a delegation of UK-based Sikhs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in London in 2015 welcomed the Sajjan Kumar judgment while a Sikh political group called his life sentence a case of too little, too late. Jasdev Singh Rai of the Sikh Human Rights Group, who has been interacting with the Modi government on issues related to Sikhs abroad, called Mondays Delhi high court judgement in cases related to the 1984 riots a major milestone for worldwide Sikhs. After 34 years, it restores faith in the judicial system when it is freed from political interference. I applaud Prime Minister Narendra Modi for keeping to his word when in 2015 he said his government will ensure that those responsible are convicted. There is no doubt that the evidence was always there but under various Congress governments, the process of justice may not have functioned robustly and independently. Rai added: Now that the Modi government is sincere in its commitments, (overseas) Sikhs who have held back from engagement in meaningful dialogue should seriously reconsider. Issues related Operation Bluestar and the 1984 riots have resonated in the United Kingdom over the decades, figuring in bilateral talks as well as in public events. The Indian high commission has been enhancing its engagement with the Sikh community over the years. However, Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of Sikh Federation (UK) said: Whilst we welcome the long overdue decision to convict and sentence Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment for his involvement in the genocide of Sikhs, this is too little, too late. Sajjan Kumar has been roaming the streets of Delhi for more than 34 years watched by the thousands of Sikh families that lost loved onesWe expect Sajjan Kumar to appeal and at best it will not be a surprise if he gets a reduced sentence and will probably be released after a short time in prison. In August, a pro-Khalistan rally was organised in Trafalgar Square by a US-based group. It attracted many supporters from Europe but divided the Sikh community in the UK, when frontline organisations and opposed it. Meghan Markles father appealed to Britains Queen Elizabeth on Monday to intercede to end his estrangement from his daughter, the wife of Prince Harry. The former US actress, now the Duchess of Sussex, married Harry, the queens grandson and sixth in line to the British throne, in a glittering ceremony at Windsor Castle in May. But the immediate build-up to the wedding was overshadowed by her father, Thomas, a former lighting director for US TV soaps and sitcoms, who pulled out days beforehand after undergoing heart surgery. Thomas Markle said he had not had contact with his daughter for months and that repeated text messages to her had gone unanswered. When asked what message he had for Queen Elizabeth, 92, Thomas Markle said: I would appreciate anything she can do and I would think that she would want to resolve the family problems. All families, royal or otherwise, are the same and they should all be together certainly around the holidays, Markle added. Markle said that Meghan, 37, had not sent him a Christmas card but that he was hopeful that they could at some time build their relationship. He urged Meghan to please reach out to me. I love my daughter very much and she has to know that, he said. Just send me a text. All I can say is that Im here she knows it and Ive reached out to her and I need her to reach back to me. I love her very much, Markle said. This cant continue forever. Harry, 34, and Meghan are expecting their first child in the spring of 2019. I am certainly hoping that everything goes well and that they produce a beautiful baby and Ill get to see a little Meghan or a little Harry - that would be very nice and I look forward to that happening, Markle said. I think shell make a great Mom. Thomas Markle dismissed reports that Meghan could at times be rude. She was, he said, very polite as she had been raised on Hollywood stages. When asked if she was a social climber, her father said: Shes always been a very controlling person and thats part of her nature, but she has never been rude. A spokeswoman for Kensington Palace declined to comment on the interview. Saudi Arabia on Monday slammed as interference US Senate resolutions over its war in Yemen and critic Jamal Khashoggis murder, warning that the move could have repercussions on its strategic ties with Washington. The Republican-controlled Senate voted on Thursday to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and separately held Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for Khashoggis killing. The largely symbolic vote dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has staunchly backed the Saudi regime in the face of intense global outrage that analysts say has left the kingdom diplomatically weakened. The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs, the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. On the Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks the presidents prerogative to launch military action, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while another three Republicans abstained. The Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggis murder and calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, responsible for it. The Saudi ministry warned that the kingdom would not tolerate any disrespect of its rulers. This position by the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship, the ministry said. The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the US to avoid any... significant negative impact on this important strategic relationship. A day after the Senate vote, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo again defended US ties with Saudi Arabia on national security grounds, saying the kingdom was a bulwark against common foe Iran. The Senate resolution acknowledged the US-Saudi ties were important but called on Riyadh to moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy. Prince Mohammed and Saudi Arabia, even prior to introduction of the Senate resolution, were discovering that the Khashoggi killing had weakened the kingdom internationally and had made it more vulnerable to pressure, said James Dorsey, a Middle East expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. The resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump. But the Senate votes send a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh. Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to the Washington Post, was killed on October 2 shortly after entering the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul in what Riyadh called a rogue operation. The murder has tarnished Riyadhs international reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a credible probe into the murder. Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen has also prompted a harder line in Congress about the US militarys role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Huthi rebels. Since the coalition launched its campaign in 2015, the conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher. I t's a cold, bright morning in White City, and Charlie Casely-Hayford and Sophie Ashby are arranging knick knacks on the windowsill of their flat in the Grade II listed Helios building, part of the Television Centre complex that formerly housed the BBC. "Our home is like a jigsaw puzzle," laughs Ashby. "Every object has its place. You just have to find it." Consider the newlyweds the millennial answer to the traditional power couple with design pedigree to boot. The son of fashion designers Joe Casely-Hayford and Maria Stevens, 32-year-old Charlie has joined forces with his parents to launch his wildly successful eponymous menswear brand. Thirty-year-old Ashby studied interior design at Parsons in Manhattan, opening her own studio in Ladbroke Grove when she was just 25. Contemporary African sculptures and a print by Cape Town-based artist Lungiswa Gqunta bring a sense of the dramatic to the apartments bookshelves (Photography: Dylan Thomas) / Dylan Thomas "It's been non-stop for both of us over the last couple of years," explains Casely-Hayford, whose work takes him back and forth to Tokyo, while Ashby travels frequently for her projects - which include everything from a country pile in Somerset to a Cape Dutch-style farmhouse in Stellenbosch. Hardly surprising, then, that the White City bolthole functions largely as a crash pad for the couple to retreat to in-between building their respective empires. "Our apartment is compact, but White City is an extension of our home," Casely-Hayford explains. The two moved into the apartment in a single day. "The furniture had all been planned down to the last detail," Ashby says. "It took us eight hours to get everything in place." A printed hyena cushion by Miroco Machiko on the bed (Photography: Dylan Thomas ) / Dylan Thomas Most pieces were custom-made to make the most of the available space. Yet the mood is in no way utilitarian. An art deco bar cart that the couple found at The Old Cinema in Chiswick is filled with vintage glasses, while shelves are filled with books and magazines, and an edit of tchotchkes and paintings, from a jade calligraphy brush to a self-portrait that Casely-Hayford did at school and Ashby had framed. "In the end, both of us believe that a home should tell the story of the people who live in it," says Ashby. See the full feature in the January issue of Vogue, available on digital download and from newsstands now. Paris's old pad The house in Hollywood Hills where Paris Hilton partied at the peak of her wild days is on the market. The heiress lived there during the Noughties and threw in all the furniture when she sold to the current owners, who have just put the place back on the market with a 3.6 million price tag again, including the furniture. KCR/REX/Shutterstock I n recent years, crippling double-digit house price rises across London have sent home buyers well beyond London's most central boroughs in search of more affordable homes and more space. While this surge in demand has continued to push prices up outside of the capital's most central boroughs, this month asking prices in Londons outer boroughs have plummeted by 4.3 per cent, the biggest fall since Britain was reeling from the global financial crisis in 2010. This is more than twice the 1.8 per cent dip recorded across the wider London market, which saw the average cost of a home in the capital fall by more than 11,000 to 602,996, amid ongoing Brexit uncertainty and the annual Christmas slowdown of the property market. Over the past few years first-time buyers have been drawn to the more affordable periphery of the capital in search of new-build developments via the state-backed shared-equity scheme Help to Buy. Loading.... However, in April last year the average asking price in the outer boroughs rose to 530,310 testing affordability levels in travel zones three and four. Since then the average price tag has slipped in and out of negative territory. Asking prices dropped the furthest in west Londons Hounslow by 6.5 per cent to an average of 504,979, followed by Lambeth, Hackney, Wandsworth and Croydon. However, there were pockets of heightened demand and value growth. Asking prices rose by 4.5 per cent in Bromley the borough with the greatest increase. Hillingdon, Camden, Westminster and Bexley complete the top five boroughs with the greatest growth in asking prices in December. Only 12 of Londons 32 boroughs (just over a third) recorded asking price growth this December, according to the annual Rightmove report. SELLERS STALLING The new figures also show the number of homes being listed for sale has plummeted 19 per cent compared to this time last year, which has helped to fuel the drop in asking prices. Wannabe buyers are therefore left with slim pickings to choose from and vendors are holding back as their homes appear to get cheaper. "Postponement of sales is likely to be due to political uncertainty," says Rightmove analyst Miles Shipside., referring to the ongoing Brexit negotiations. There's also a seasonal effect as people put off looking for a new home until the New Year. "Those who put their property on the market in the run up to Christmas tend to recognise that its traditionally a less active time of year, so they price lower than other properties to attract scarce buyers," adds Shipside. LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019 Asking prices have fallen in seven out of 12 months over the course of this year when comparing each to the corresponding month in 2017. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has predicted that the uncertainty around Brexit is likely to continue to impact the housing market into the New Year, with fewer people looking to move and sell. Against a backdrop of Brexit uncertainty, both buyers and sellers are cautious, which has led to a consistently sluggish market. It is clear that Brexit uncertainty is weighing on both buyers and sellers minds, says Gary Barker, boss of Reapit - a software provider for estate agents. The autumn's collection of house price forecasts predict that the market will remain broadly flat next year. D esperate home sellers have slashed 10,000 off the asking price of their homes this month, in the most dramatic price drop since 2012 as they try to attract buyers despite Brexit uncertainty and the annual Christmas slowdown. Asking prices across Britain dropped by 1.5 per cent from November to December, taking the average cost of buying a home to 297,527. This is the greatest fall over two consecutive months for six years. In London, asking prices are still more than double the rest of the country despite a monthly drop of 11,275 taking the cost of buying a home in the capital to 602,996. House prices in every London borough, December 2018 1 /32 House prices in every London borough, December 2018 Barking and Dagenham Average price December 2018: 311,861 Annual change: -1.7% Source: Rightmove, December 2018 Bob Comics/Flickr Barnet Average price December 2018: 611,726 Annual change: -2.9% Bexley Average price December 2018: 400,564 Annual change: 1.9% Daniel Lynch Brent Average price December 2018: 565,669 Annual change: -0.8% Daniel Lynch Bromley Average price December 2018: 539,718 Annual change: 4.5% Daniel Lynch Camden Average price December 2018: 1,010,407 Annual change: 2.0% Daniel Lynch Croydon Average price December 2018: 423,246 Annual change: -4.0% Alamy Stock Photo Ealing Average price December 2018: 545,305 Annual change: -0.2% Graham Hussey Enfield Average price December 2018: 456,655 Annual change: 1.0% Graham Hussey Greenwich Average price December 2018: 434,281 Annual change: -1.0% Daniel Lynch Hackney Average price December 2018: 618,989 Annual change: -4.2% Daniel Lynch Hammersmith and Fulham Average price December 2018: 913,633 Annual change: -3.1% Daniel Lynch Haringey Average price December 2018: 581,552 Annual change: -1.0% Harrow Average price December 2018: 546,659 Annual change: -2.0% Daniel Lynch Havering Average price December 2018: 405,385 Annual change: 0.5% John Winfield Hillingdon Average price December 2018: 492,949 Annual change: 2.3% Drayton Wharf / Howarth Homes Hounslow Average price December 2018: 504,979 Annual change: -6.5% Islington Average price December 2018: 737,597 Annual change: -1.0% Kensington and Chelsea Average price December 2018: 1,596,199 Annual change: 1.3% Shutterstock Kingston upon Thames Average price December 2018: 599,859 Annual change: -1.5% Lambeth Average price December 2018: 624,037 Annual change: -4.9% Daniel Lynch Lewisham Average price December 2018: 456,242 Annual change: -1.8% Alamy Stock Photo Merton Average price December 2018: 613,371 Annual change: 0.5% Newham Average price December 2018: 412,373 Annual change: -1.9% Redbridge Average price December 2018: 449,117 Annual change: -1.6% Richmond upon Thames Average price December 2018: 822,898 Annual change: 1.3% Graham Hussey Southwark Average price December 2018: 640,828 Annual change: 0.9% Jeremy Selwyn Sutton Average price December 2018: 450,077 Annual change: -2.3% Alamy Stock Photo Tower Hamlets Average price December 2018: 581,018 Annual change: -1.8% Waltham Forest Average price December 2018: 475,632 Annual change: 0.2% Daniel Lynch Wandsworth Average price December 2018: 764,709 Annual change: -4.1% Westminster Average price December 2018: 1,462,052 Annual change: 1.9% Shutterstock While this 1.8 per cent slip marks the smallest November to December decline for five years, this reflects a dramatic reduction of properties available to buy rather than being a sign of an improving outlook for the property market. The new figures from Rightmove show the number of homes being listed for sale has plummeted 19 per cent compared to this time last year, which has helped to fuel the comparatively low five-year drop in asking prices. Across the country, the first-time buyer sector remains the most robust despite average asking prices nudging down by 0.1 per cent to 188,571 in December. "It's usual for new-to-the-market sellers to lower prices in the run-up to Christmas to tempt distracted buyers. However, these falls have been larger than usual, making this the largest fall over two months for six years, showing that there are more than just seasonal forces at play, said Rightmoves Miles Shipside. With stretched affordability limiting some people's ability to buy for the first time to or trade up, a modest lowering of property prices combined with an increase in wage growth could help more of them move and thus increase transaction numbers, he added. THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE The national asking price is marginally higher this December than last, up by 0.7 per cent. Nationally, year-on-year growth was dragged down by the four regions where annual appreciation was in negative territory London, the South East, the East of England and the North East. The biggest annual drop was in London, which recorded a 1.1 per cent fall from December 2017 to 2018, taking average asking prices to 602,996. The housing market in the North East has struggled to fully recover since the global financial crisis. The most dramatic month-on-month seasonal fall of 3.2 per cent was recorded in the region, taking average asking prices to 143,902. The North and Wales outperformed the overheated South, according to the Rightmove figures. The highest annual growth rate was in Wales of 6.2 per cent to 191,927, while properties flew quickest off the market in Scotland where the time to sell was 46 days compared to the national average of 65 days. The annual growth rate in Scotland was 1.1 per cent, with an average asking price this December of 147,114. Shipside predicted that the north will continue to witness a more active housing market than the south next year. Brexit uncertainty seems to be felt more keenly down south and house price to income ratios are more extreme. "Overall our sales have been up this year compared to 2017 and prices have been growing steadily," said Peter Woodthorpe, director of Readings in Leicester. "The lack of stock in our area has led to some over ambitious pricing which is the reason why some properties might be sticking and why pricing correctly from the start is so critical. Cheffins Mark Peck agreed that there have been minor price adjustments in his area of East Anglia, reflecting the state of the nation: "2018 has been a year of readjustments as the country readies itself to leave the EU. The housing market and its successes have been hugely dependent on geography, with some parts of the country seeing active and strong markets whilst others have seen value falls and a slowdown in transaction levels," he said. PRICE RISES IN 2019? The property industry is anticipating a quiet first quarter next year, with prospective home sellers still entering the market with caution and vendors hanging back from selling. "The 2019 property market is likely to get off to quite a slow start in the New Year while the UK awaits clarity on Brexit negotiations. However, despite the market not being as buoyant as it was a few years ago, accurately priced homes will still sell," said Nick Leeming, chairman of estate agents Jackson-Stops. Peck agreed that buyers would hold back in January: "Unsurprisingly, some purchasers have been reluctant to commit to buying until after the ramifications of Brexit become clearer, however this is likely to cause pent-up demand which could lead to increases in value in 2019." Appointment 17 December 2018 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Carson today announced the appointment of Edward Apodaca as General Manager for the 225-room property. Apodaca was previously Director of Operations at The Westin Los Angeles Airport. He led the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Integration process into Marriott, owners of the Starwood and Westin brands. He provided operational leadership excellence to seamlessly integrate into Marriott culture and ecosystems, and drove positive results in key areas including profitability, associate engagement and guest intent to recommend. Prior to The Westin, Apodaca was General Manager at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Long Beach, Calif.; where he developed the vision, mission statement and strategic plan for the hotel. His hospitality positions have taken him from General Manager at the Courtyard by Marriott in El Segundo, Calif., to Director of Services at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. He studied at the University of Sou thern California from 1989-1993 and attended the LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce Leadership Academy at Loyola Marymount University in 2013. Apodaca has completed professional development courses in the Leadership Excellence Program, Emerging Leaders Program and Foundations of Leadership, among others. Opinion Article 17 December 2018 The holiday season is around the corner. It is a good time for us to review the major events discussed in 2018. A quick overview will very likely inform us what we can expect in 2019. Advertisements Airbnb: Into which market will it expand in 2019? This year marked the 10th birthday of the company. I wrote 24 commentary articles (excluding this one) in 2018 about the industry updates and trends, among which six (or 25%) was about Airbnb. Looking forward, Airbnb and hotels will fight in a bigger battleground in 2019. On one hand, more hotels, including Marriott, have entered the short-term residential rental market. On the other hand, Airbnb introduced two new brands --- Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb, which offer many "certified" enhanced services that are usually found in a traditional hotel. In February, Brian Chesky, the company's CEO announced "Airbnb for everyone." Besides the new products of Airbnb Experience, Airbnb Plus, and Beyond by Airbnb, Airbnb has also taken on several new initiatives, including adding hotels to its listings, teaming up with local hotels to ease the check-in and check-out experience, building peer-to-peer residential-rental-ready properties, and rewarding Airbnb's loyal customers. As an enterprise in the tourism industry, Airbnb is competing directly with OTAs (online travel agents), such as Expedia and Priceline. The most recent update is Airbnb is set to enter the real estate market as early as in 2019 --- Airbnb will soon design and sell residential homes. Airbnb is definitely more than just a room-sharing company. The question is what new territories will Airbnb get into in 2019. Other discussions about the room-sharing business in 2018 include the similarity-attraction effect in short-term residential rentals, price positioning on Airbnb, and buyer-seller similarity in room-sharing business. Tech trends: What can't be replaced by machines? Technology appeared to be another hot topic in our discussion in 2018, with five (about 20%) commentary posts. Technology products are helpful in at least four major areas: enhancing the guest experience, improving service operations, supporting sustainability, and protecting cybersecurity, according to my observations in HITEC Houston 2018 and the Hotel Experience Show in New York City. Many hotels and restaurants, however, focus more on using technology to enhance guest experience and improve operations; they might have underestimated the risks of cybersecurity. For example, McDonald's opened a new headquarter and planned to add more self-service kiosks to its stores, aiming to provide better service to the customers, and companies can now use AI in hiring and selection. Nevertheless, if companies have invested more in cybersecurity, the recent data breach in Marriott could have probably been avoided. For most workers, the advancement of technology creates major concerns to job security. The fact is machines are replacing more and more humans at work. Most recently, we also heard about the concept of self-driving mobile hotel rooms. Machines will soon complete most tasks that are perceived to be performed by human beings only. One reason why Marriott workers participated in the largest hotel strike in the U.S. history in 2018 was they worried if their hours would be cut. I am glad the strike is finally settled, but nothing can stop the advancement of technology. Tech trends will forever remain to be a hot topic. Hotel loyalty programs: Is bigger necessarily the better? Almost every hotel wants to be the "big" player in the market. This idea was supported by numerous examples of hotel mergers and acquisitions. When hotels are getting bigger, so do their hotel loyalty programs. Marriott, Accor, and Hyatt, for example, have introduced their newly combined loyalty programs. As a matter of fact, Hilton, without any big acquisition or merger in 2018, also updated its Hilton Honors Program. Even though there were glitches and confusions among the travelers for the new Marriott Reward Program, the problems are expected to be solved soon (hopefully). Let's see how being bigger will play out in 2019. Gen Z: They are taking over. Gen Zers, either defined as those who were born after 1996 or 2000, are growing up. This generation is even bigger than the Millennials in the world population. They also began entering the workforce. More discussions will probably follow in 2019 as we get to know more about this generation. Innovations and sustainability: They will never go away. Innovations and sustainability are closely related to the advancement of technology. As shown in the example of McDonald's flagship store, technology plays a critical role in service innovations. In another example where airlines, restaurants, and hotels are switching to more sustainable products, the development of green products also relies on the advancement of technology. Other topics In terms of business strategies, I discussed the dynamic pricing strategies for restaurants, hotels, and Airbnb listings. Suggestions are made for DMOs (destination marketing organizations) to improve their service to hotels. Additionally, I reviewed two predictions, one for the travel industry and the other for the restaurant industry. Lastly, I offered travelers some tips to avoid hotel hygiene horrors. As a review, what event(s) happened in 2018 caught your attention? Looking forward, what are your predictions for the travel and hospitality industry in 2019? JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser The Cambria Hotels brand, franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), has reached a milestone with the opening of its 40th hotel in Hanover, Md. The Cambria Hotels brand, franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), has reached a milestone with the opening of its 40th hotel in Hanover, Md. The 122-room Cambria Hotel Arundel Mills-BWI Airport continues the brand's rapid growth in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region and joins three Cambria hotels currently open in College Park, Rockville, and downtown Washington, D.C. Four additional Cambria hotels are coming soon to Baltimore, Capital Heights, Ocean City, and Southwest Washington, D.C. "In addition to the Cambria Hotels brand delivering an upscale but not uptight experience to guests, it also provides developers with a tremendous value propositionthese are the reasons why demand for Cambria continues to accelerate," said Janis Cannon, senior vice president, upscale brands, Choice Hotels. "It's especially fitting that Cambria achieve this milestone close to Choice Hotels' Rockville headquarters, where our strategy originated to expand Cambria in the most popular business and leisure destinations around the country." Located at 7700 Milestone Parkway, the Cambria Hotel Arundel Mills-BWI Airport is situated in Anne Arundel Country, home to approximately 50,000 organizations across the government, technology, healthcare, construction, hospitality, retail, and agriculture sectors. Major employers in the area include Fort Meade, the National Security Agency, Rockwell Collins ARINC, and Lockheed Martin. The hotel is minutes away from the Arundel Mills Mall, Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport, which experiences more than 25 million passengers traveling through annually, and Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland. The hotel features several upscale amenities that appeal to modern travelers, including: Immersive, spa-style bathrooms with Bluetooth mirrors Contemporary and sophisticated guest rooms, complete with modern fixtures, abundant lighting, and plush bedding Onsite dining featuring freshly made food, local craft beer, wine, specialty cocktails, and small bites at Aerobar Multi-function meeting space Locally inspired aeronautical-themed design State-of-the-art fitness center The Cambria Hotel Arundel Mills-BWI Airport was developed in collaboration with Somerset Construction Company and USA Management II, Inc. "Whether it's the nation's capital, the city of Baltimore, Annapolis, or the area's countless major attractions, there's no shortage of reasons to visit the region," said Neil Greenberg, COO, Somerset Construction Company. "We're thrilled to open the 40th Cambria Hotel and can't wait for business and leisure travelers alike to experience the hotel's distinct upscale experience." Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Azealia Banks is set on staying out of drama in the New Year but felt compelled to speak on the recent events surrounding Cardi B, and Offset. The Migos member crashed his wife's Rolling Loud performance to offer an unexpected public apology. From Banks' perspective, the setup is a symptom of Hip Hop culture's negative treatment of women. The Brooklyn native took to her Instagram story to break it down. "I think it's messed up that men think it's okay to desecrate her workspace with their opinions of what she should be doing. No clue why think it's okay to just barge in on women when they feel like it." She continues, revealing some of the scary experiences she dealt with, including stalking and other controlling behavior from ex-boyfriends. Banks explains how the criticism aimed at Cardi is an example of a double standard. "If it were the other way around they would be bashing the woman saying she's no good, calling her a hoe etc etc...but since it's the man they expect it to be accepted as part of his hip-hop persona and everyone will rush to defend them." Her post also qualifies some "rap niggas" as being part of a boys' club that "applaud each other for their mediocrity." Buju Banton was finally released from prison earlier this month after serving nine years. DJ Khaled was undoubtedly one of the many people in the hip-hop community to celebrate the reggae star's freedom. With Buju out of prison and Khaled working on his next album, Father Of Asahd, the DJ flew out to Jamaica to lock in some studio time with the reggae legend. DJ Khaled flew out to Jamaica with Asahd to catch some vibes for his next album. Khaled's visit to Jamaica was mainly prompted by Buju Banton's release from prison. Khaled's always shown Buju Banton love and is often heard bumping his tunes on his Snapchat. The two of them have also been friends for quite some time. Khaled also revealed that he called Buju to pray with him and Nicole Tuck while she was in labor with Asahd. "I never told anyone this story the day Mama Asahd was giving birth to our son @asahdkhaled, I got on the phone with @bujuofficial and told him I play all your music to my son while he was in Mama Asahd belly," he wrote. "I was in tears on the phone wit him and I ask buju to pray with us while Mama Asahd and GOD was delivering @asahdkhaled to us and world." Khaled also shared several pictures of himself with Buju Banton in the studio. Peep some more footage from DJ Khaled's trip to Jamaica below. The year of Kanye West has been quite a ride. From his many Twitter rants to his public support and Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump, to his poopity scoop troll worthy track and his TMZ office takeovers, Ye has puzzled the brains of many and it seems as though he's continuing his reign into the new year. Before we take on a new calendar year, though, BBC's Ben Zand made a documentary on Kanye where he travelled to Ye's hometown of Chicago and talked to the closet friends and family of the famed producer and rapper. Unfortunately, Kanye didn't make time to join the documentary but GLC (Ye's childhood best friend) and Tony Williams (Ye's cousin) did their best to explain who Kanye was before the fame, how he grew up, who they think he is now and where they think he's going. "There's always a conflict within himself, which makes him very [...] misunderstood," Tony said, as seen at the nine-minute mark below. "I think that's the thing that makes him who he is, I don't think you that echelon of success with the same mindset of the average person." Watch the full documentary below and let us know what you think in the comments. Spice caused quite the scene with the lead single of her mixtape. The dancehall queen captivated social media with her seemingly bleached skin, which turned out to be part of the concept for the track entitled " Black Hypocrisy." In a recent interview with Billboard, the artist has opened up about the intentions behind the stunt as well as her experiences with challenges posed by her record label. "Black Hypocrisy" was born out of a sense of duty. "Im one of the most followed artists [on Instagram] from Jamaica -- I dont think a lot of people realize that. I needed to create the song because it was something that I saw growing in our community. I wanted that to be the lead single because I didnt want anyone to overlook the message and just listen to Genie or the other sexual songs [on the mixtape]. I really wanted to create awareness about colorism. Even if I cant stop it, at least I can try to demolish it just a little bit so that my daughter wont experience it." Bennett Raglin/Getty Images Spice has been able to garner massive attention, despite the difficulties she is managing with her label. 'I produced 80 percent of the tracks on the mixtape. And thats because when I reached out to producers, they felt a bit iffy. A lot of people dont want to record a song with me because my record company keeps threatening to take the songs off. So for them to even invest in a song with me, its a waste. If they put out the song, my record label takes it down. Its been a battle for me. But I decided to get up and just [produce] myself. Not knowing how to get the mixtape out there and how to reach out to distributors has been a challenge, but I overcame it." Read the full interview here. The Yemeni mother of a 2-year-old boy on life support in an Oakland hospital is being prevented from coming to the country to say goodbye to her son by the Trump administration ban on travel from certain Muslim countries, the childs family says. Abdullah Hassan was born in Yemen with a rare brain disease that initially affected his ability to walk and talk but quickly worsened. He is no longer able to breathe on his own. His father, a U.S. citizen who lives in Stockton, brought him to UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland for care about five months ago, and Abdullah is not expected to live much longer. The parents are ready to take Abdullah off life support, but they want his mother to have one more moment to hold him. So far, the U.S. State Department has ignored their pleas for a waiver to get her into the United States, they say. All she wishes is to hold his hand for the last time, Abdullahs father, Ali Hassan, 22, said in an interview Sunday. If I could take him off the ventilator and to the airplane, I would take him to her. I would let her see him. But he wont make it. The State Department said in an email Sunday that it could not comment on the details of specific cases. The Council on American-Islamic Relations will hold a news conference in Sacramento with Hassan on Monday morning to draw attention to the familys plight. The group says it has filed a formal letter with the State Department and with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, where Hassans wife, Shaima Swileh, is currently living, demanding that the government expedite the mothers request for a visa. Trump introduced his travel ban on majority-Muslim countries days after taking office in January 2017. The order faced multiple challenges before the most recent version was upheld by the Supreme Court this summer. It forbids travel to the United States by citizens of five majority-Muslim countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Travelers from those countries can request waivers from the ban, but so far exemptions have been rare. Saad Sweilem, a civil rights attorney with the American-Islamic council, said he believes only about 2 percent of requested waivers have been granted. Hassan said every time he reaches out to the State Department to ask about the status of his wifes visa, he receives an automated response that states her application is being processed. This back-and-forth has been going on for a year, he said. And they are running out of time. Its really urgent, said Hassans father, Fawzi Hassan, 41. Shes crying every day, Please help me get to my son. We need her to see her son one last time. To hold him for at least a minute. Shes not going to see him forever. If he dies and we bury him without his mom seeing him, that will be a disaster. Ali Hassan said his wife is distraught over being separated from her son as he is dying. When she agreed to let Hassan take him to the United States for medical care, she never thought that would be the last time she saw him, he said. Neither of them knew then that his condition would be fatal. Abdullah has a form of hypomyelination, a disease that prevents formation of the fatty tissue that surrounds nerve cells and helps them communicate with one another. Not all cases of hypomyelination are fatal, but in Abdullahs case, the effect is severe enough that it is now interfering with his ability to breathe. Hes been on a ventilator for about a month, Hassan said. Hassans family came to the United States from Yemen in the early 1980s, when his grandparents moved to California and eventually settled in Stockton. Since then, the family has maintained close ties with Yemen. Hassans father met his future wife there, and five of their seven children, including Ali, were born in Yemen. Ali Hassan moved to Stockton about a decade ago, when he was in middle school. He too met his future wife in Yemen. He wasnt there for Abdullahs birth, but lived with them for about six months not long after. It wasnt immediately obvious to the new parents that anything was wrong with Abdullah, but then he started missing obvious developmental milestones. His body was floppy. Though he was a happy baby, easy to make laugh, he wasnt gaining weight as he should. Yemen has been in a brutal civil war for the past four years. Thousands of civilians have been killed, and tens of thousands more are facing starvation. The United Nations has referred to the war as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Hassan said Swileh was terrified during her pregnancy of the air strikes that came at night, of the bombings that hit nearby nearly every day. The plan was always to move her and the baby to Stockton. But as Abdullahs condition worsened, they knew he needed better care, and a safer home, than was available in Yemen. So Swileh took 8-month-old Abdullah to Cairo. Hassan met them there, and quickly got U.S. citizenship and a passport for the baby. They started the process of getting a visa for Swileh at the same time, around August 2017. She had an interview at the U.S. Embassy and was told to wait for confirmation that her application had been accepted. A month passed, and Hassan called to ask about the visa. He was told the application was still being processed. Another month passed, and then another. Hassan and Swileh were becoming increasingly concerned as Abdullahs condition deteriorated. Then they got a letter from the U.S. Embassy: Swilehs request for a visa was being denied, pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 9645 the travel ban. The letter explained that her request for a waiver was already being processed. They waited some more, but Hassan was beginning to realize he would need to take his son to the United States without the boys mother. He left with Abdullah in August. He was suffering more and more, Hassan said. I wanted to bring them both together, but since I couldnt bring my wife its hard for me to see my son suffering in Cairo. So I had to do what I had to do. Sweilem, with the American-Islamic council, said though the Hassan familys case is extreme, its emblematic of the burden that the travel ban has placed on Muslim families across the country. The Muslim ban these are the effects of it, Sweilem said. There are other cases where families are being separated just like this, but they might not have some sympathetic fact that is this severe, like a child who is about to die. Hassan drives from Stockton to be with his son every day. Saturday was Abdullahs second birthday, and Hassan took a photo with him, kissing his forehead and holding his hand. He sends videos to Swileh almost every day, though Abdullah no longer smiles or opens his eyes for them. Fawzi Hassan said that at this point, their urgency in bringing his daughter-in-law to the United States is not for Abdullah, who is unconscious and will not wake up again. Its Swileh he worries about, as well as Ali Hassan. The child, he is between Gods hands. God is the creator, and hes the one who will let him go or let him stay, Fawzi Hassan said. But when I see my son suffering over this, it hurts even more. And what can we do about it? What crime did the child commit to be banned from his mom? Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the date President Trump took office. Chronicle staff writer Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this report. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday Stella Hart remembers the pure agony that came with giving hugs to her parents friends at holiday parties when she was a child. She was a shy kid growing up, and physical contact with someone she didnt know very well was always a recipe for disaster. My dad had a co-worker who would insist that I hug him, and I felt like I wanted to climb in the car and melt on the floorboard, she said. I felt like, I dont want to touch you. I dont have anything against you, but I dont want to do that. Shed look to her dad for a bailout. But it never helped. My dad would encourage it. He would say Just give him a hug. And I would be like, How many times do I have to go over this? This push-and-pull stuck with Hart. And now, as a mom with three kids between the ages of 1 and 8, shes one of a growing number of parents who tells her children they can say No thank you, when Aunt Sally leans in for a hug and a cheek-pinch. This new attitude about hugging is partly due to a broad cultural shift in parenting styles that tend to be more mindful of childrens needs than parents, and partly due to a hyper-alert culture in the wake of high-profile sexual assault accusations. Last year, the Girl Scouts issued a public appeal to parents in a blog post that went viral, titled, Reminder: She Doesnt Owe Anyone a Hug. Not Even at the Holidays. And the American Academy of Pediatrics now advises that parents dont force affection, noting that it is a childs right to tell even grandma or grandpa that they do not want to give them a kiss or a hug goodbye. Started in the 1960s And parents are listening. There appears to be a trend where parents are advising their young children to be thoughtful about who hugs them, and who they hug, and to empower them with the ability to say no thank you, said Arthur Lavin, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on the psychosocial aspects of child and family health. I fully support that choice. Now, as holiday parties crop up in social and business circles, its not uncommon to see parents of young children take to Facebook to remind their friends and relatives that their child doesnt owe anyone a hug in exchange for an artfully wrapped toy. Good reminder! one Houston mother posted on Facebook last week, in reference to the hugging debate. She wrote that shes mindful about her childs choice on hugging and have definitely encountered some odd (*judgy) looks when I do not insist that she hug (or honestly, even high-five) someone she is not comfortable or familiar with. Thats a departure from more traditional parenting practices in decades past. And while the idea of encouraging children to take ownership over their bodies has certainly increased as the Me Too movement continues to make waves across the nation, the shift in hugging etiquette hasnt happened overnight. Decades ago, there was an expectation that children had a role to play and they better play it, Lavin said. And adults felt like they were empowered, and had the right to a hug, and that it was virtuous to claim a childs role was to be expected to respect the grandparent or parent, and it was wrong for a child not to give a hug if they were asked. That began changing in the 1960s, Lavin noted. Thats when T. Berry Brazelton, a pediatrician in Cambridge, Mass., discovered that if parents let a child come to toilet training on their own, children did quite well at it, thus ushering in a new age of what is now referred to as nurturing parenting. That stance leads to the current feeling that the respectful thing is not to force a child to hug someone, Lavin said. The respectful thing is to find out what the kid wants to do with their affection. Sending a message For Michelle Levins, a midwife who lives in the Heights, and is the parent of four children between the ages of 9 and 23, this idea rings truer now than it did when she first became a mother. As a parent, my attitude changed from my first child to my second and so on, Levins said. Initially, with my older children, I would preface a visit with my children by saying, Oh, we havent seen Aunt So and So for a while, so make sure youre polite and hug her. But by children three and four, her thinking had changed. I started realizing that its probably not the best policy to instruct my children to do things that theyre not comfortable with regarding their body, she said. I began thinking about what message it might send to them, as far as allowing others to invade their personal boundaries. So we changed that, and we said, if youre not comfortable, youre not required to hug anyone or to let anyone hug you. You can just say No, thank you. Her youngest daughters, 11-year-old Mia and 9-year-old Avery, have different perspectives on hugging. Avery is likely to hug just about anyone, while Mia is a bit more discerning. But both sisters say its important that they get to choose. I think its important because if you dont know them, its kind of scary, Avery said. And what if you dont want to hug them? Like, you dont have to hug them. Shes only said no, thank you a few times, whereas Mia has had more practice with that. But its not that Mia doesnt like hugging. I like hugging, but not to people I dont like hugging, she said, like an adolescent Yogi Berra. Its just that its very important that I get to decide who to hug. You shouldnt be forced to hug someone you dont feel comfortable hugging. Levins practice of giving the power of choice to her children extends further than the ability to tell their parents friends that they dont need a hug hello. When Levins first talked to her children about hugging, she also began letting them make other choices, like what to wear that day. My general parenting style is to give them some choice and decisions in things that are negotiable, she said. There are a lot of things they cant negotiate over. Getting in a car and wearing a seat belt? You dont get a choice over that. But choosing your shoes for the day? Thats fine with me. Children have a say This is an extension of the nurturing parenting psychology ushered in by Brazelton. But in recent years, as discourse around sexual abuse has become central in our culture, theres been an added urgency on this issue, even among families that dont follow this parenting style. This speaks to the Me Too movement. As women are coming forward and speaking up, were realizing how many advantages some of these perpetrators have, Lavin said. Theres the advantage of power, the system gives more credibility to their denials than to the concerns of the abused. So theres a growing awareness among parents who want to prevent their children from being in the position where they might be abused in that way. And a first step to combatting this, for many parents, is to teach their children that theyre the ones who get a say over their body. Ive tried to teach my children that theyre powerful people, even though theyre small, said Hart, who lives in Woodland Heights with her three children. That they have the power to make good and bad decisions. And in line with that parenting, I feel like I cant take all that power away and make you touch other people. She has that conversation with her kids early. Her 3-year-old is already very good at speaking for himself. Hes a little more extroverted than Hart was as a child, but it takes him a while to warm up to people. Recently, when his grandmother was in town for an extended visit at Thanksgiving, it took him two days to give her a hug and kiss. For his grandmother, the wait was long, but the reward was sweet. This time of year, both Hart and Levins said they see more people talking about how to remind their relatives and friends that children dont have to give them a hug. And there are still some people who dont quite understand. But talking about the issue may change that. Im not so offended by people asking for a hug, Hart said. But you better darn well respect it when the answer is no. maggie.gordon@chron.com; twitter.com/MagEGordon When Mexico City shop assistant Eva Maria Tatemura first heard that her newly elected president planned to cut his salary in half, she felt a spark of hope. Maybe change really was coming to Mexico's corruption-riddled government. After all, as Tatemura, who earns about $200 a month, said, "In Mexico, most citizens think that becoming a politician is a better deal than winning the lottery." Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was sworn into office December 1, captured Mexico's imagination and won a landslide victory by promising to take on corruption and excess. Shortly after being elected, he announced he would take a 60 percent pay cut as president, earning roughly $72,000 a year. Skeptics, including the country's political class many of whom will also see their salaries reined in question whether the pay cut will benefit Mexicans. A price cut for the president, they warn, could mean a competence cut for the government itself. The debate launched by Lopez Obrador's announcement echoes a longstanding one across the border: whether executive pay in the United States is too high. Granted, there are huge differences in the two frames of reference. In Mexico, public officials are some of the highest wage earners, while in the United States, executives in the private sphere are the ones most likely to earn top pay. But on both sides of the border, in both sectors, the fundamental question is the same: What, exactly, should an essential leader be paid? Are high salaries needed to retain top talent, or do they just ensure the hiring of executives who know how to earn them? As it turns out, the answer for Mexican politicians is deeply influenced by the answer in U.S. businesses. In the United States, one of the first factors in setting executive salary is gauging the competition, said Harry Jones, an attorney with Littler, a human resources legal firm. "In formulating a CEO salary offer, a board of directors for a company will always want the compensation committee to ensure that the pay is commensurate with a peer group," he said. The next challenge is putting a price on the extra talent a CEO brings, said David De Angelis, an assistant professor of finance at Rice Business. This benefit, known in compensation lingo as the marginal productivity of talent, can be astonishingly expensive but still in the company's best interest to pay. "If I am a bit more talented, the small difference in talent will induce a huge change in the productivity," De Angelis said. "Even if there is a small difference in talent, it may result in a large difference in compensation because the sums are so big." To determine if this talent difference has paid for itself, though, companies need to accurately measure the performance of one individual leader. In the U.S. for-profit sector, De Angelis said, this is often done by comparing how a company's stock price fares against that of its rivals, a metric known as benchmark performance. But benchmarking fails to explain why compensation has skyrocketed in the U.S. in the last generation. In 2017, for example, the average CEO of an S&P 500 company earned $13.9 million more than 360 times the salary of an average worker, according to the Economics Policy Institute. The ratio is more than 10 times what it was in the late 1970s, when CEOs earned about 30 times what an average worker made, and a 70 percent increase over the stock market in the same time period. "If you were to pick a country to be a CEO in, it's America. But if you were to pick a country that has had a top economic performance in the last generation, it would not be the U.S.," said Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. "The overall compensation of your top employees in America is radically disproportionate to comparable peer industrial CEOs in other wealthy countries." Using compensation committees and boards of directors to determine executive pay is a major flaw in the U.S. formula, human resources attorney Jones said. That's because boards of directors are typically selected by other executives, who indirectly benefit from this approach. Because boards tend to overlap throughout the corporate world, they rely heavily on a small cadre of compensation firms to formulate pay packages. "The same consultancies are designing a package that gets used again and again," Jones said. "And the boards end up interlocking they know each other to the point where there is a groupthink when it comes to salary." The same circular logic has been replicated in Mexico, said Oscar Urgateche, an economics professor at the National Autonomous University in Mexico City. While Mexican politicians don't receive Wall Street-level salaries, they're still very highly paid, even in comparison with Mexico's private sector. Mexican politicians' salaries are typically double or more those of elected officials in other Latin American countries, ranging from about $200,000 to $300,000 in a nation where the average wage is about $6,000 a year. Eloisa Sanchez/Getty Images, Stringer / Getty Images But without these high salaries, defenders argue, Mexico's best leadership talent would go to organizations such as the World Bank or top U.S. companies. Like defenders of top executive salaries in the United States, they say the key factor is scarcity. "The high-ranking Mexican sector compares itself with the U.S. private sector that's why those levels of salaries are possible," economics professor Ugarteche said. "Their argument has always been that if they don't earn that much they will go to the U.S." But Lopez Obrador, he adds, is right to maintain that candidates for public service should have a more philanthropic focus than a focus on personal compensation. Government employees bent on maximizing their salaries, he argues, may be less qualified for their jobs because their focus on society will be skewed. And, according to Urgarteche, a decrease in salary for public officials might actually change the nature of those attracted to serve. "The current salary justification is a colonialist way of thinking that only U.S.-elite trained politicians have any value," Urgarteche said. "My impression is that you will get younger people who are better related to their own country and who want to work in Mexico for the Mexican government. That will produce a closer relationship between citizens and the government." Manuel Molano, assistant director of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, is more circumspect, arguing that Lopez Obrador should focus on what his government can deliver and that his and other political salaries should reward competence, not selflessness. "It is in the interest of the state to pay the bureaucrats handsomely," Molano said. "If you are paying less than market rates, you are going to get people with less talent. You don't want the assets of the government in the wrong hands." At a time when Mexico's corruption ranks close to that of Papua New Guinea, however, Lopez Obrador's reduced salary may be most significant as a down payment on his promise to work for his country's future and not his own. "In Mexico, a corrupt politician will not only leave office as a millionaire," Eva Maria Tatemura said from the shop where she works. "He will secure enough wealth to set his family up for the next three generations." Emily Pickrell (@Emily_Pickrell) is a former Houston Chronicle reporter now covering energy reforms and other business news for Bloomberg BNA. This article originally appeared on Rice Business Wisdom, a publication of the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. Want to write for Gray Matters? Email Allyn West. Get the Gray Matters newsletter. It changes the nature of those attracted to serve. WASHINGTON Just days before a deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump, Democratic leaders and the Republican-controlled Congress are at a stalemate over the presidents treasured border wall. But House Republican leaders are also confronting a more mundane and awkward problem: Their vanquished and retiring members are sick and tired of Washington and dont want to show up anymore to vote. Call it the revenge of the lame ducks. Many lawmakers, relegated to cubicles as incoming members take their offices, have been skipping votes in the weeks since House Republicans were swept from power in the midterm elections, and Republican leaders are unsure whether they will ever return. It is perhaps a fitting end to a Congress that has showcased the untidy politics of the Trump era: Even if the president ultimately embraces a solution that avoids a shutdown, House Republican leaders do not know whether they will have the votes to pass it. The uncertainty does not end there. With funding for parts of the government like the Department of Homeland Security set to lapse at midnight Friday, Trump and top Republicans appear to have no definite plan to keep the doors open. It is clear that as Democrats uniformly oppose the presidents demand for $5 billion for his border wall, any bill that includes that funding cannot pass the Senate, and might face defeat in the House, too. Thats me with my hands up in the air, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told reporters last week, in case there was any confusion about the meaning of the exaggerated shrug he offered when asked how the logjam might be broken. There is no discernible plan none thats been disclosed. In the final moments of complete Republican control of government before Democrats assume the House majority in January, Republicans find themselves once again trapped between Trumps messaging and their own political reality. The presidents declaration in the Oval Office last week that he would be happy to take sole responsibility for a shutdown undercut Republican leaders who had hoped to blame Democrats for any unresolved spending impasse a point that Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, reiterated Sunday morning on NBCs Meet the Press. They just have to have the guts to tell President Trump hes off on the deep end here, Schumer said of Republican leaders, and all he is going to get with his temper tantrum is a shutdown. He will not get a wall. While Trump insisted that he had the votes to push $5 billion in wall spending through the House, Republican leaders in the chamber are keenly aware that their rank-and-file members are in no mood to return to Washington days before Christmas to battle over his long-unfulfilled signature campaign promise. In the absence of any road map, House leaders shuttered the chamber Thursday for a six-day weekend, putting lawmakers in standby mode and scheduling the next votes for Wednesday evening, two days before the shutdown deadline. (Aides cautioned that the schedule could change.) No one has any idea what the play call is we dont know whats going on, said Rep. Ryan Costello, R-Pa., who, because he is retiring, has already surrendered his office suite for a cramped cubicle. You dont have an office, he added. Youre in wind-down mode, saying goodbye to people and wrapping up, and just putting your voting card in the machine and pressing red or green. Its going through the motions. And hes one of the lawmakers who have actually been showing up. In recent weeks, anywhere from a handful to more than two dozen Republicans have failed to cast votes on individual bills, leaving leaders uncertain of their numbers. Some lawmakers cited personal reasons; Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., following guidance given months ago that Congress would adjourn by Dec. 13, may miss votes to get married, while Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., who was re-elected, is taking a leave because of illness. Trump himself is scheduled to leave Friday for a 16-day vacation at his Florida estate. But even those who have no pressing commitments have grown weary of trekking to the Capitol as Congress grinds to a close. One senior Republican aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said some lawmakers no longer even wanted to see one anothers faces. Theres a temper to the House, and it starts to get dark by the end of the year, said Michael Steel, a Republican strategist who was a top aide to former Speaker John Boehner of Ohio. Members start out very, very eager to legislate, to make progress, to refresh from the holidays, and by the end of the year, theres a great deal of friction and tension and just built-up frustration. That dynamic is all the more potent for Republican leaders who have spent the last two years trying, with mixed success, to govern while skirting the unfiltered remarks and tweets of a president who cares little about the finer points of legislating, and whose agenda often diverges from their own. Now they find themselves trying to cope with the no-win situation Trump has created as he insists on building a wall supported by a minority of Americans. There is a great disjunction between their motives and his, and this has been a theme of this Congress, said Norman J. Ornstein, a scholar on Congress at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Trump does these things without thinking about what his allies in Congress would want or need; he does it with this bluster and this narcissism; and then we end up with this farce. Ornstein, a sharp critic of Trump, said the president may be spoiling for a shutdown to draw attention away from his legal exposure, both in the special counsels investigation into his campaigns ties with Russia and in his former lawyers conviction for campaign finance crimes he said were directed by Trump. The closer it gets to him, the more he wants a distraction and the more he wants to gin up his base, but from the perspective of Republicans, doing a shutdown while theyre still running everything just makes them look like idiots, Ornstein said. Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to Trump who has shaped most of his hard-line immigration policies, indicated that the president would not back down. Were going to do whatever is necessary to build the border wall, Miller said Sunday on CBS Face the Nation. Asked if that meant forcing a shutdown, Miller added, Absolutely. Lawmakers appeared resigned last week to the fact that the outcome of the impasse was up to Trump. I think the president does a lot of his own negotiating, and his own thinking, and you can tell that, said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. But the odd lull with a shutdown looming was disturbing to some senators. I dont understand why people dont come to work and work all the way through December when the taxpayers are paying them, said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who is a former House member. I mean, finish your job. After the Oval Office meeting last week between Trump and the top House and Senate Democrats, staff members for House Democrats began working on legislation that would reopen the government on Jan. 3, when they are in control, without allocating any wall spending. The measure most likely would fund the government in full for the rest of the fiscal year, according to an aide familiar with the work. At the White House last week, after the news cameras had departed, Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the top House Democrat, raised the prospect that Pelosi could pass such legislation and force Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader, to choose between accepting a bill without wall funding and reopening the government, or keeping it closed. What do you think Mitch will do? Schumer pointedly asked the president, according to a person briefed on the exchange. Keep it shut down another month? Another week? Trump did not respond. Beyond the spending impasse, however, there have been some successes in the waning days of legislative debate. After months of stalled negotiations, a huge farm bill and an overhaul of how Congress handles sexual harassment slid through both chambers and await Trumps signature. And after intense lobbying from the White House and both parties, McConnell agreed to schedule a floor vote for a bipartisan criminal justice bill. Some of the lawmakers who have helped negotiate the current spending bills have voiced frustration that their work the first time in years that the two chambers had passed a number of spending bills in regular order may be derailed in the closing moments of this years session. We have worked too hard, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Lets just get this done. This article originally appeared in The New York Times He calls himself "John of God" and dwells in the Brazilian village of Abadiania, an otherwise unremarkable countryside transformed into a fanciful spiritual tourist mecca for his believers, where everybody wears white and waits in line for a moment with the celebrity healer they've all come to see. Zahira Lieneke Mous was among them. The Dutch dance choreographer made the pilgrimage four years ago, seeking to heal sexual trauma she said she had suffered in the past. She had read books about "John of God" and watched YouTube videos about his alleged powers and saw his 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, an episode that brought the faith healer newfound international fame. The series, since wiped from Oprah's website, was titled, "Do You Believe In Miracles?" Mous believed she did. She went by herself to see "John of God," whose real name is Joao Teixeira de Faria and who claims to have treated millions of followers since the 1970s. She recounted in an interview with Brazil's Globo TV last week how she waited in line twice to experience his healing. On the first visit, he scribbled a prescription for an herb she was told would help her. The second time, he offered a private consultation - a "spiritual cleansing." Mous agreed. "You're made to feel special somehow," she told Globo TV. ACCUSED: Women name spiritual leader as #MeToo arrives in Brazil She waited until everyone else had their turns in line, until finally she was alone, and "John of God" invited her into his office. And then into his bathroom. That's where Mous said "John of God" raped her - all while leading her to believe it was part of her healing. She is among hundreds of women who have recently come forward with sexual abuse allegations that have razed Faria's image as saintly miracle-worker and replaced it with one of a suspected fraudster who exploited his celebrity to take advantage of female believers. On Sunday, Faria turned himself in to Brazil's Civil Police on suspicion of sexual abuse, the State Delegation of Criminal Investigation in Goiania, Brazil, confirmed to The Washington Post. More than 300 women from around the world have contacted prosecutors to accuse him of abuse, largely after Globo TV aired the stories of numerous women in Brazil's first major #MeToo scandal, the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported. But prosecutors told Estadao newspaper that investigators have so far focused their attention on 15 cases. Faria has denied all of the allegations. "I really hope to help other women to come out of their shadow, because we don't have to feel ashamed," Mous told Globo TV Dec. 6. "He has to feel ashamed, and all the people that protect him to continue doing what he's doing." Faria's phenomenon dates back to the 1970s. Since then, he's claimed to have treated millions of people and is either seen as the best healer since Jesus Christ or a total hoax, depending on who you ask. Faria, a second-grade dropout and son of a tailor, claims that he's performed life-altering surgeries on his followers while the spirits of doctors or biblical figures are channeled through him, such as King Solomon, the biblical king of Israel. He routinely stresses that God, not he, is the one performing the operations. These surgeries include forcefully shoving a pair of forceps up people's noses to the point that it is nearly poking their brains, as his followers have described it, or slicing people open without anesthesia. Alternatively, he is perhaps best known for performing "psychic surgeries," supernatural invisible procedures involving no scalpels or forceps whatsoever, only using the power of what he calls the "Entity." By channeling these spirits, he has claimed to treat the blind, the paraplegic, those ill with cancer and leprosy and any number of diseases. He has no medical license and has previously been jailed for practicing medicine anyway. The sexual abuse allegations have been percolating for years, but until now have done little to deter the thousands of visitors in white in the small town of Abadiania. Journalists have attempted to address the allegations several times for more than a decade. In a 2005 ABC News "Primetime Live" segment titled, "Is 'John of God' a Healer or a Charlatan?" he was asked about accusations that he had taken advantage of an unnamed woman who came to be healed. "There is a lot of jealousy. People talk," Faria said. "What dictates is the conscience toward God." In 2014, a reporter from the Sydney Morning Herald traveled to the Casa de Dom Inacio, the name of his spiritual compound, to interview him, squeezing in just a few questions before Faria got angry and stormed off while shouting. One question was about sexual abuse allegations. "I thought you came to talk about me," Faria said. "Not other people." His most famous media segment was with Oprah. In addition to her 2010 "Do You Believe in Miracles?" segment, featuring interviews with both skeptics and believers, Oprah traveled to Abadiania in 2012 to witness the works and controversial methods of John of God herself in an interview that again boosted his profile. In a statement to Reuters Sunday, she acknowledged the segment and said, "I empathize with the women now coming forward and hope justice is served." A spokesperson for Faria maintained his innocence in light of the accusations in a statement to O Globo newspaper last week, saying the faith healer "vehemently rejects any improper practice in his care" and calling the accusations "false and fanciful." Likewise, an attorney for Faria told Globo G1 Sunday, "We continue to vehemently contest all the charges," citing a "total lack of evidence." The women who have come forward publicly to accuse Faria, many anonymously, have told similar stories of alleged abuse. First, he told them they were special, they say. Then, he pulled them into a bathroom, where Faria allegedly would grope them, place their hands on his penis, or, as Mous claimed, penetrate them. Mous has claimed the abuse happened on two separate occasions during her 2014 trip. On the first, she said when she entered his private office, he asked her, "So what are you here for again?" "And to myself I was thinking, 'Didn't the Entity already know?'" Mous told Globo TV. "Didn't you scan my energy so you know exactly why I'm here? I said, 'I'm here to heal my sexual trauma.'" He then told her to stand in front of him, with his back to her, Mous said. He hovered around her like he was smelling her, she said, and then moments later he ushered her into the bathroom. He instructed her to sit in front of the mirror, "and he stood behind me," Mous said, "and then he asked me, 'What do you see?'" She wasn't sure what he wanted her to say. A woman? Her reflection? But as she searched for meaning, he grabbed her hand. She said he placed it on his penis. She froze. But he kept talking, about her family, her life, as though all of it were just part of the process, Mous said. "So you're being like manipulating into believing, he's scanning me, or he's doing something. And then he says, 'You should smile,'" Mous recalled. "'You should feel joy.'" Mous said Faria told her she may have the skills to become a medium for healing others herself. Still shaken from the alleged abuse, she said she tried to put it behind her, even to see if perhaps it really was supposed to be part of the healing, so that she could spend time learning the mysterious trade. She told Globo TV that she still saw herself as a believer. But the second time Faria invited her into his private quarters, she said he raped her in the bathroom. "There has been criticism of me," she told Globo TV. "[People have said], 'why are you coming out with your story? He's healing so many people.' That's also part of the reason I never said anything. If it's just me," she thought, "let me suck it up, because he's healing so many people, right?" She said she knows now she was wrong. - - - The Washington Post's Drea Cornejo contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: Joao Teixeira de Faria, a 76-year-old faith healer accused of sexually abusing more than 300 women, turned himself in to Brazil's Civil Police on Dec. 16.(Drea Cornejo/The Washington Post) Embed code: President Donald Trump will retreat to his Florida resort at the end of this week. Nearing the halfway point of his term in office, his political isolation in Washington is deepening. A slew of candidates balked at taking the job of White House chief of staff - a post of tremendous influence that has in the age of Trump become a poisoned chalice from which few want to drink. A funding spat with the Democrats prompted Trump to vow a government shutdown, much to the chagrin of members of his own party. And the legal inquiries into the president's campaign and businesses are mounting. It's not just Trump's domestic agenda that's facing scrutiny. Last week, Trump received a stinging bipartisan rebuke from Congress over his administration's embrace of the Saudi-led war in Yemen and the particularly reckless royal holding power in Riyadh. The high-profile climate meetings that took place in Poland only underscored the extent to which this White House has alienated itself from the international mainstream on environmental policy - and highlighted, yet again, how the rest of the world is plowing ahead in spite of Trump, not with him. Of course, Trump came to power vowing to be a disrupter on the global stage. He said he was intent on reforming a post-World War II international order that had outlived its usefulness for Americans. But the White House's efforts overseas - including its rejection of the Paris climate accord, the waging of trade wars, the unraveling of the Iran nuclear deal, the persistent belittling of allies and the perplexing coddling of autocrats - have unsettled Washington as much as they have disturbed American partners abroad. To be sure, discussions about the waning of the United States as the world's sole superpower predate Trump. But two years of his tumultuous presidency have intensified Washingtonian angst about the future of American power and how America should seek to lead a more fractured planet - or whether it should try at all. "It's historical fact that great nations and empires all have a beginning and an end," said James Jones, a retired U.S. general, former national security adviser to President Barack Obama and outgoing chairman of the Atlantic Council, speaking Friday in Washington at a forum hosted by his think tank. "There's a naive belief in our country that there's some sort of destiny, that the primacy of the United States is ensured for some reason forever. I don't think that's the case." To that end, the Atlantic Council, an organization deeply invested in the furtherance of American leadership, is planning on floating a new set of principles to safeguard the "rules-based order" - the euphemism often used to explain the status quo authored by the United States more than half a century ago. It wants to "revitalize" and "defend" this order, not just from the rising authoritarian might of China, but in the face of Trump's own nationalist and protectionist agenda and those of his ilk. At the forum, speakers warned of the White House's disregard for "values-based" foreign policy - seen both in Trump's cynical accommodation of figures such as the Saudi crown prince as well as his demagoguery over migrants and refugees coming to the United States. Washington, they feared, was seeing its credibility evaporate among allies. This sentiment was echoed by Jake Sullivan, a former Obama administration official and Hillary Clinton adviser, in a recent essay outlining what a liberal, post-Trump foreign policy ought to look like. "An energized, inspiring, and ultimately successful foreign policy must cut through Trump's false, dog-whistling choice between globalism and nationalism," wrote Sullivan. "It must combine the best kind of patriotism (a shared civic spirit and a clear sense of the national interest) and the best kind of internationalism (a recognition that when your neighbor's house is on fire, you need to grab a bucket). And it should reject the worst kind of nationalism (damn-the-consequences aggression and identity-based hate-mongering) and the worst kind of internationalism (the self-congratulatory insulation of the Davos elite)." But that's a tricky needle to thread. On the right, Trump and his lieutenants have spent their time in power casting the liberal pieties of the Obama era as supposed obstacles to the American national interest and see themselves at the forefront of a nationalist wave taking control across the world. Among the Democrats, there's a burgeoning debate about what kind of counter to "internationalism" ought to be embraced: It's easy to scorn the "Davos elite," but it's another thing to pursue policies that target the power and privileges of influential multinational corporations or question the shibboleths of free trade and laissez-faire capitalism. It's sensible to urge American restraint in the Middle East and other geopolitical flash points, but it's harder to convince official Washington to eschew new military entanglements. And though Trump and his political rivals may not agree on much, both may succumb to the old temptations of the Cold War. At the Atlantic Council's forum, the specter of China loomed over proceedings. Adm. Michael Rogers, a former head of the National Security Agency, feared China could outpace the United States in its abilities to wage cyberwarfare. Sen. Tom Cotton, R.-Ark., a figure largely loyal to Trump, described China as "a unique adversary in the world." Though Cotton's hawkish views on Iran have earned him many detractors, there aren't that many lawmakers on the other side of the aisle who would disagree with his antipathy toward Beijing. That the United States is almost inexorably lurching into a great-power confrontation with China ought to be a concern, suggested Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall of the libertarian Cato Institute. "The growing consensus on China is troubling. Having identified China as America's biggest strategic challenge, neither party has identified a clear goal," Ashford and Thrall wrote. "Nor have they articulated how a new approach to China would provide a foundation for a broader vision of American foreign policy . . . The risk of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy on China - through confrontation without purpose - is real." Analysts liken the febrile moment to an earlier era of 19th century politics, when Europe's industrializing, imperial powers entered into alliances that ultimately convulsed the world into conflict. "What we are seeing today resembles the mid-nineteenth century in important ways: the post - World War II, post - Cold War order cannot be restored, but the world is not yet on the edge of a systemic crisis," wrote Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. A century ago, that crisis arrived. This time, the current crop of American politicians - Trump included - can still stave off calamity. "Now is the time to make sure one never materializes, be it from a breakdown in U.S.-Chinese relations, a clash with Russia, a conflagration in the Middle East, or the cumulative effects of climate change," Haass continued. "The good news is that it is far from inevitable that the world will eventually arrive at a catastrophe; the bad news is that it is far from certain that it will not." - - - Tharoor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. He previously was a senior editor and correspondent at Time magazine, based first in Hong Kong and later in New York. The crystal ball in Times Square is still weeks away from its annual New Years Eve descent, but its already starting to feel like 2019 at Houstons City Hall. With his formal filing of campaign paperwork, Bill King has unofficially kicked off municipal election season. King, the former mayor of Kemah, barely lost to Sylvester Turner in the 2015 election and is setting up voters for a rematch. Hes joined by millionaire lawyer Tony Buzbee in challenging Turner. While he didnt win, Kings campaign and his specific focus on pension reform helped shape the agenda for the eventual winner. Now, thanks to Turners advocacy and political acumen in Austin, our public pensions are on a path to fiscal responsibility. Its a reminder of how the best local candidates run on big-picture ideas backed with specific policies. Judging by the conversations we hear around the City Hall horseshoe, however, incumbents are all too content to snipe about small-ball concerns. For example, council members spent hours over the past two weeks debating whether the city should continue its program of paying musicians to perform at the airports. This Harmony in the Air program costs $600,000 per year, is funded by airline fees that cant be spent outside the airports, and pays 18 different musicians. Meanwhile, City Controller Chris Brown released a study last Monday that questioned an expenditure of $50 million again, funded by airline fees on consultants with no tangible benefit. While council bickered about Bach and blues, a multimillion dollar drama was in the making. This failure to see the overarching narrative has been a constant trend in the debates at City Hall. Last week, the Commission to Rebuild Texas released its shocking post-Hurricane Harvey report, which called on all of Texas to future-proof ourselves against future storms and climate change. What should this look like for Houston? And what does this mean for our oil and gas economy? Dont expect your local council member to answer those questions. The mayor could barely get a rule requiring stricter building codes in the flood plain past the council, where too many members seemed more concerned about pleasing developers than preventing deluges. Whether confronting the challenges and opportunities of diverse population, reshaping sprawl into a sustainable city, or simply trying to balance the long-term budget, the 2019 candidates have the opportunity to boldly announce their agenda where incumbents have been quiet. So as the election season ramps up, we encourage voters to look for candidates who understand the major challenges facing our city and know how to use their elected positions to effect change. Even if they dont win, campaigns based on big, articulable ideas can still end up finding a place at City Hall. If the gruesome bone-saw murder of Jamal Khashoggi opened Americas eyes to Saudi cruelty, the tiny bones of Amal Hussain should make us face our own. Those barely alive bones - arms thin as violin bows, ribs still as silent strings - are draped in skin no thicker than silk. Only the profile of her face - the roundness of her cheek, the trickle of her reddish hair -- reminds us that Amal is a little girl. That she once smiled - always, her mom said. Amal is, for the moment captured in the photograph, alive -- though her resigned eyes whisper not for long. The 7-year-old Yemeni girl, photographed in October by The New York Times Tyler Hicks, is an image of suffering that may border on profane to the coddled American eye. We may reflexively avert our eyes. But we Americans must look at what our support of the Saudi-led war in Yemen has wrought. In the age of the 24-hour news cycle, we are so bombarded by news that some of it becomes noise. We grow numb. Perhaps only images of children can wake us to the human toll in Yemen, just as the photograph of 3-year-old Syrian Aylan Kurdi, found face-down on a Turkish beach, relayed the tragedy in Syria. A week after Amals photograph was published, her parents reported that she died at a refugee camp four miles from a hospital they couldnt afford to get to. Her starvation is a direct consequence of a war supported for years with American bombs, American intelligence and American tax dollars. While incessant airstrikes targeting everything from funerals to school buses have killed thousands, acute malnutrition caused by economic calamity targets the little ones. For every child killed by a bomb, dozens are starving to death, says the aid agency Save the Children. An estimated 85,000 children may have died of hunger since 2015, the group says. Yemen has become the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, with the United Nations estimating that 14 million people could soon be on the brink of starvation. Its a famine that is entirely man-made. It should cut to every Americans conscience that we are complicit. We cant cast blame only on President Trump, who has dangerously acquiesced to the Saudis, nor even completely on President Obama, who wrongly agreed to support the Saudi intervention in Yemen, in part, it seemed, to reassure the Saudis amid the U.S. nuclear deal with arch-enemy Iran. Its old-fashioned American foreign policy to prioritize the profits from foreign war over the cost of human life. To engage in the Middle East through our military alone. To prop up brutal regimes whose shared values with the United States comprise of little more than the financial. This approach continues for one simple reason: Americans allow it. One hopeful development came last week, when the U.S. Senate voted 56-41 to withdraw military assistance from the Saudi campaign in Yemen and to limit presidential war powers. The move was mostly symbolic since the U.S. House recently rejected a similar measure. But Democrats poised to reclaim the chamber in January pledge to support ending American involvement. End it we should. But that doesnt mean cutting and running, which could only compound disaster. America should commit to substantial aid - the life-saving kind. We should insist on a cease-fire between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels that have sought to overthrow it. We should insist that humanitarian aid reach those who need it most and demand the Saudis cease the slaughter of indiscriminate bombing. We should open our doors to Yemeni refugees. Yemen has been a nation in civil war for 40 years, said Emran El-Badawi, program director and associate professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Houston. Its going to take roughly 40 years to rebuild that country. But the first thing we need to do is stop destroying it. Yemen, he says, is hell on earth. It is a dark cloud nobody wants to open. It was closed to the world until journalist Khashoggis murder, ordered directly by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, cast a light on Saudi sins, including its war in Yemen, as ruthless as it is fruitless. Amals distant brown eyes are forever closed. Her death is not in vain, though, if she has opened your eyes to the truth. Tell your Congress member to stop funding the war that killed her. When Dillon and Melissa Brights infant son fell from a chair and bumped his head, they rushed him to Texas Childrens Hospital to get him checked out. It began a months-long nightmare encounter with Child Protective Services that reached its climax on November 8, when state district Judge Michael Schneider issued an unprecedented sanction of $127,000 against the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for wrongful removal. Just this week, the Brights attorneys revealed shocking new allegations that CPS put pressure on local law enforcement to file criminal charges against Melissa Bright after Judge Schneiders sanction order. The case highlights the desperate need for greater transparency and accountability in CPS investigations. Doctors at the hospital contacted DFPS as required by state law, which mandates anyone who suspects child abuse to report those suspicions. CPS dispatched a caseworker, but that caseworker took no immediate action, and the Brights were relieved. They even had a text message from the caseworker saying he had no legal authority to remove their children. Yet after more than 30 days without visiting the family or even laying eyes on the children, the caseworker went to court claiming that the children were in danger. A judge granted his request for an emergency removal. And then it got strange. Three days after the Brights children were removed by CPS, the caseworker shocked the court by pleading the Fifth at a show cause hearing when asked why he took the children into custody. Faced with evidence that the caseworker and his supervisor lied when requesting permission to remove the Brights children, Judge Schneider ordered CPS to have no contact with the family and scheduled the hearing that led to Thursdays sanctions. The Bright case is just one high-profile example of how a broken system not only fails to protect children, but traumatizes entire families in the process. Vague legal standards, the low burden of proof required for removals, and a lack of accountability create an environment that allows CPS to trample on the rights of families. Under Texas law, DFPS may remove a child without prior notice or even a pre-removal hearing by merely filing a sworn affidavit stating facts sufficient to satisfy a person of ordinary prudence and caution that the removal is proper. In certain circumstances, the code is completely silent as to the burden of proof for establishing that abuse or neglect has occurred. This sets a shockingly low bar for one of the most severe actions the state can take against its citizens and, as the Bright case shows, is ripe for abuse. In a long string of cases dating back to the 1920s, the U.S. Supreme Court has held the parent-child relationship to be a natural right predating and existing independently of the state. This right is so important, in fact, that the Court has almost always applied strict scrutiny - the most stringent standard of review applied by our court system - to questions involving state intervention in the life of a family. The Texas Legislature has even gone so far as to enshrine this fundamental right in code, prohibiting any state agency from adopting rules, policies or taking any action that violates the fundamental right and duty of a parent to direct the upbringing of the parents child. Theres good reason for this. Removing a child from her family is traumatic - both for the child as well as for the parents - leaving lasting psychological scars that may never heal. As Texas works to implement much-needed reforms for our child welfare system, we must look at how we make these life-altering decisions. Lets start with clarifying a strict burden of proof requiring CPS to prove that a child is in imminent danger and that removal is the least detrimental alternative available - and then hold them accountable to those high standards through our elected judges. Brown is the director of the Center for Families & Children at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. 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OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Chartmetric data as of Dec 12, 2018 Right about now, youre likely digging through your personalized 2018 Wrapped playlists on Spotify (its in the Genres & Moods section), flipping through Billboards Best Songs of 2018, or otherwise taking stock of your 2018 resolutions and if you indeed actually went to the gym more. We hope you did. But if you didnt, heres what you can play when you hit the treadmill! Removing duplicates and still counting first billing (the main artist) remixes, weve gone through 2018's biggest new music playlists on Spotify (New Music Friday or NMF) and Apple Music (Best of the Week), as well as their pop music flagships, Todays Top Hits and Todays Hits, respectively. We pulled out the artists with the most unique track appearances on each list to see whos been promoted the strongest this year, so enjoy Chartmetrics 2018 wrap-up! Note: Apple Music has no global storefront, and their playlists have different versions, with the same name, localized to the users country. Meanwhile, Spotify has some playlists that are not explicitly localized (such as the two in this article), and when localizing their playlists, they have different names. So when we use global below for Apple Music, this means we are aggregating across all of Best of the Week and Todays Hits editions worldwide. Dutch DJ/Producer R3HAB has ruled 2018s new music playlists to Drake-like proportions with 35 appearances across both platforms. Here is Rumors, which positioned at #58 on Aug 24 2018 in Spotifys NMF playlist for 7 days. R3HAB (13): Highest position was the low-tempo, EDM-polished The Wave at #7 on the Feb 9 edition of NMF, with the vocal assist from Lia Marie Johnson. : Highest position was the low-tempo, EDM-polished The Wave at #7 on the Feb 9 edition of NMF, with the vocal assist from Lia Marie Johnson. Troye Sivan (10): Hit #2 in the Jan 12 NMF with My My My!, starting the year off with an uplifting electronic pop tune (see highlight below.) : Hit #2 in the Jan 12 NMF with My My My!, starting the year off with an uplifting electronic pop tune (see highlight below.) 6ix9ine, The Chainsmokers, Cheat Codes, Diplo, Marshmello, Shawn Mendes, Russ, YoungBoy Never Broke Again (9): New Jerseys Russ captured a #3 position with the nostalgia-tinged ode to an old love Missin You Crazy (Sept 7). : New Jerseys Russ captured a #3 position with the nostalgia-tinged ode to an old love Missin You Crazy (Sept 7). British trio Clean Bandit made 17 appearances on Apple Musics Best of the Week in 2018, including one of their biggest commercial successes this year, the Demi Lovato-powered Solo. R3HAB (22): Placed a #15 spot on the May 4 US-edition with the electro-pop Hold On Tight with Brighton-born UK artist Conor Maynard. : Placed a #15 spot on the May 4 US-edition with the electro-pop Hold On Tight with Brighton-born UK artist Conor Maynard. Luke Christopher, Clean Bandit, Moby (17): The Cambridge, UK trio Clean Bandit have used their classical influences to their advantage in the electronic music world, placing in 137 other Apple Music playlists with Solo featuring Demi Lovato. For Best of the Week, they placed in nine South Asian countries with the reggae-influenced electro-pop track for 21 days during the May-July summer 2018 period. : The Cambridge, UK trio Clean Bandit have used their classical influences to their advantage in the electronic music world, placing in 137 other Apple Music playlists with Solo featuring Demi Lovato. For Best of the Week, they placed in nine South Asian countries with the reggae-influenced electro-pop track for 21 days during the May-July summer 2018 period. Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, Russ, Sambo, YoungBoy Never Broke Again(15): The punk-rocker-turned-mega-producer Steve Aoki captured a #1 Best of the Week placement in Romanias Nov 9 edition with Anything More (feat. Era Istrefi), while scoring 14 other placements with guest artists from Blink-182 to BTS in Best of the Week versions across the world. : The punk-rocker-turned-mega-producer Steve Aoki captured a #1 Best of the Week placement in Romanias Nov 9 edition with Anything More (feat. Era Istrefi), while scoring 14 other placements with guest artists from Blink-182 to BTS in Best of the Week versions across the world. To no surprise, Canadian rapper Drake leads the pack on the biggest pop playlists, including one of 2018s biggest singles, Gods Plan. Drake (9): While his Scorpion album Spotify promotion might have been : While his Scorpion album Spotify promotion might have been too much for some, the Toronto rapper nevertheless had a 108-day-long stay on Todays Top Hits from Jan 20th to May 8th with one of the years biggest anthems, Gods Plan. The Chainsmokers, Shawn Mendes (6): Fellow Canadian Shawn Mendes made appearances in three of this articles playlists, and peaked at #24 on Todays Top Hits with the flirty Nervous on May 25th for 28 days. : Fellow Canadian Shawn Mendes made appearances in three of this articles playlists, and peaked at #24 on Todays Top Hits with the flirty Nervous on May 25th for 28 days. Khalid (5): American military brat & soulful crooner Khalid peaked this year at #22 on Valentines Day 2018 with The Ways (with Swae Lee), riding the wave of the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther on the original movie soundtrack. : American military brat & soulful crooner Khalid peaked this year at #22 on Valentines Day 2018 with The Ways (with Swae Lee), riding the wave of the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther on the original movie soundtrack. Colombian artist J Balvin made 12 appearances in Apple Musics Todays Hits. Here is with Machika, released at the top of 2018 along with Brazils Anitta and Arubas Jeon. Drake (14): Drake also dropped In My Feelings in 2018, which led at #1 in four MENA territories (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon) for four days beginning on July 28th. : Drake also dropped In My Feelings in 2018, which led at #1 in four MENA territories (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon) for four days beginning on July 28th. J Balvin (12): Machika is the Colombian reggaeton artists pan-LatAm banger with Anitta from Brazil and Jeon from Aruba. It peaked at #27 in the Spain Todays Hits storefront upon its Jan 19 release, and ruled much of the playlists Latin America editions, staying in Mexicos in particular for 89 days. : Machika is the Colombian reggaeton artists pan-LatAm banger with Anitta from Brazil and Jeon from Aruba. It peaked at #27 in the Spain Todays Hits storefront upon its Jan 19 release, and ruled much of the playlists Latin America editions, staying in Mexicos in particular for 89 days. Shawn Mendes, Post Malone (11): Dallas-bred rapper Post Malone ran strong in 2018 with 11 Todays Hits placements, including the chilled-out Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) which peaked at #7 on the Canadian and Taiwanese editions. : Dallas-bred rapper Post Malone ran strong in 2018 with 11 Todays Hits placements, including the chilled-out Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) which peaked at #7 on the Canadian and Taiwanese editions. Troye Sivans My My My! kicked off his 2018 in a big way. While the big names like Colombias J Balvin or USAs The Chainsmokers are hardly new, what may be surprising is South African-born, Australia-bred artist Troye Sivan. Hes just had a stellar year, backed by a viral following that echoes that of K-pop sensation BTS. In the Chartmetric chart below, youll see strong spikes from his very reactive fanbase. In Sivans case, there are five significant events with impressive event decay in 2018. While this might be expected whenever an artist releases material, one would be surprised that such strong fan reactions can sometimes be absent from even the most epic-level artists. Sivan accumulated 3.3M+ YouTube Views upon his My My My! release in January, totaling to 492M+ in Dec 2018. Its a testament to the digitally-native career Sivan has had, one where he has been unafraid to come out online or get his legs waxed. Its obviously had an effect on his fans, and one thats easily seen in the data. If youd like to dive into all of this data yourself, knock yourself out with this Google Sheet! New Colossus Intl Indie Music Fest Sets March NYC Debut Six independent music venues in lower Manhattan are teaming up in early 2019 to host the New Colossus Festival. The festival will take place from March 7-10, and features performances by a host of eclectic domestic and international acts that includes The Natvral (Kip of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart), Thick, Pom Pom Squad, Tallies, Wooing and Das Body. The festival will also feature curated events by record labels such as Kanine Records, media, and international organizations as well as a conference component that includes an opening day full of industry panels and opening happy hour. Participating venues include Berlin, Coney Island Baby, Pianos, Bowery Electric, Arlenes Grocery, and The Delancey, all located in Manhattans Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods. The New Colossus Festival is being produced by longtime pals Mike Bell (Lorimer Beacon), Lio Kanine (Kanine Records) & Steven Matrick (Kepler Events/Pianos). The full (so far) artist lineup for the festival: Anteros, Avalanche Party, Basement Revolver, Baywaves, Be Forest, Billy Moon, Bilo, Blue Odeur, Bones Garage, Boys, Cassia, The Casual Sexists, CHKBNS, County Line Runner, Construction & Destruction, Corey Flood, Das Body, Ellis, Emilie Kahn, Flirting, The Fur, Ghostly KIsses, Gloin, Goodbye Honolulu, Graham Van Pelt, Grim Streaker, Hickeys, Honey Cutt, Honey Lung, Hussy, Jonathan, Jonathan K, Kings of the Beach, Lava Fizz, Lev Snowe, Lila, Living Hour, Lost Cousins, Lowly, Lucia, Mimico, Motel Raphael, Motherboard, Nailbiter, Nastie Band, The Natural, Nicole Yun, The Ninth Wave, Orions Belt, The Other End, PEarl Sugar, Peeling, Penelope Isles, Pip Hall, Psycho Comedy, Pynkie, Queue, The Ramona Flowers, Russian Baths, Sorry Girls, Spud Cannon, Suburban Living, Syvia, Tallies, Thick, Tia Gostelow, Trudy & The Romance, TV Sets, Vallens, Victoria Reed, Walrus, Weeping Icon, Wooing, and Yohuna. CelebrityAccess Share on: iciHaiti - Politic : Government indifferent to the fight against human trafficking The Office of the Protection of the Citizen (OPC) expresses its indignation following the resignation last week of Dr. Fils-Lien Ely Thelot, President of the National Committee to Fight Human Trafficking (CNLTP) According to confirmed information, the President of the CNLTP has submitted his resignation to the Head of State, explaining "the Committee is paralyzed because of the lack of resources it faces, 3 years after its appointment [...] No supervision is granted to the Committee by the supervising Ministry of this structure." The OPC regrets that the State authorities concerned do not understand the need to support the work of the Committee in the fight against human trafficking in Haiti at a time when this phenomenon is becoming very alarming especially in border areas. Recalling that the State has an obligation to respect, protect and fulfill Human Rights through the adoption of appropriate measures that can guarantee the full exercise of these rights. Clearly, the State must fight all the phenomena hindering the enjoyment of human rights. Learn more about CNLTP : The National Committee for the Fight against Human Trafficking was established by a presidential decree dated 12 August 2015 following the publication of the Law of 30 April 2014 on the Fight against Human Trafficking. It is composed of 12 members, including 7 representatives of ministries, 3 representatives of the autonomous state institutions and 2 representatives of human rights organizations that have been invested in their office on 1 December 2015. Members List : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15940-haiti-politic-inauguration-of-members-of-the-committee-against-human-trafficking.html IH/ iciHaiti Kenya: Poverty and desperation lead women in fishing communities in Kenya to trade sex for goods by Brenda Mbaja Lubang'a December 17,2018 | Source: D and C To make a living, many female fish traders around Lake Victoria region in Kenya trade sex for the right to purchase fishermens catch. This practice has contributed to high HIV infections, largely affecting women. Even with efforts put in place by the government and other stakeholders to curb the HIV infections around the region, the problem has remained of concern. This leaves one to wonder, why is the HIV infection rate still disproportionately high in the region despite the various prevention, treatment and care interventions? On a late Friday evening in October 2017, I finally arrived in Mbita, one of the many fishing beaches on the shores of Lake Victoria. This will be my home for the next few weeks and I am looking forward to enjoying the delicious highly praised Tilapia and Omena (a type of sardine). Even though the area is not fully electrified, I noticed that on the far horizon there were many little lights and I wondered what city that was! My host informed me that actually that was no city, that was the mighty Lake Victoria and the lights were solar lamps that fishermen use. Omena, the major catch in this region, is fished at night with the aid of solar lamps. Fishing is done with wooden boats and fishing nets that resemble mosquito nets. One fishing boat is manned by at least four muscular men who are employed by the boat owner. The fishermen spend most of their nights on the lake and they mostly sleep during the day. My host informed me with hard winds blowing, pulling fishing nets requires considerable physical strength, and only strong men can do the work. Early Saturday morning, my host and I headed straight to the nearby fishing beach. Tired fishermen were pulling ashore the catch of the day. Some boats were half full and some full to the brim. Women were eagerly waiting to buy their share of fish for the day. Like in many other fishing communities, the division of labour in Mbita is traditionally defined and observed; the men fish and the women dry the fish and sell them at the local markets. Some sell them to middle men who collect and transport the Omena in large quantities to major markets as far away as Mombasa. As on many other inland fishing beaches, the fishermen sell less fish than the female fish traders want to buy. At the beach, I met Akinyi (not her actual name). She is 26 years old and has three children. After the death of her husband, she left her husbands home in the inland area and moved to Mbita because she did not want to be inherited by her brother-in-law. Wife inheritance is a custom of the Luo, who are the major tribe living on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria. Even though the custom is slowly fading away, there are some families that still uphold it. Akinyi is not familiar with the term sex for fish, but she says that everyone knows the local term Jaboya. In the Luo language, Jaboya refers to a floater attached to a fishing net that helps the fishing net stay afloat even when loaded with fish. Fishermen who help female traders secure the catch are also called Jaboya because they are like a floater, they help the women secure access to fish. Akinyi says that due to the tough competition to secure access to the limited catch, a Jaboya is like a bridge between her and the merchandise. She says it is a common practice in Mbita even though people do not openly talk about it. In exchange for sex, female traders are given priority to buy Omena, and a woman without a Jaboya will have to wait and hope for the surplus in order to get some fish. When asked if she has a Jaboya, Akinyi shyly nods. After relocating to Mbita, selling Omena was the only hope to earn a living in order to support herself and her three children. In the beginning she refused to join the Jaboya system, but after many days of disappointment and going home without any catch, she changed her mind. Stiff competition for the limited fish left her with no other choice. Like many other female fish traders, Akinyi opted for a sexual relationship with a fisherman due to poverty and desperation. She mentioned that she has multiple Jaboyas in different fishing beaches. During my stay, I spoke with some of Akinyis friends and other female fish trades, who narrated similar experiences with Jaboya. While walking around Mbita one cannot miss to notice the many posters and billboards with information aiming to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. There are also several tents in strategic places and at the beaches where people can be tested for free and sent to a health facility for treatment. HIV awareness raising is also done through door to door campaigns, roadshows and on local radio programmes. Condoms are provided free of charge and placed in condom dispensers at the fishing beaches. However, many women said that they do not use them. For example, even though Akinyi was aware of the condom dispensers, she has never picked a condom from them. She does not want to risk being seen collecting condoms. She fears people will look down on her and the community will consider her immoral. Women also mentioned that it is very common for fishermen to consume a lot of alcohol and it is extremely difficult to negotiate condom use with a drunk fisherman. Many studies on sexual behaviours have linked alcohol consumption to risky sexual behaviour. Akinyi said that, on several occasions, she had to forgo the use of a condom because her Jaboya threatened not to sell the fish to her if she insisted on using condoms. For a long time, she was very scared of getting tested for HIV, but during of one of the door to door HIV testing campaigns, she decided to get tested. She tested positive for HIV and since then she has been enrolled in HIV care and treatment. However, in the past four months, while looking for fish, she has been moving between five fishing beaches. The frequent movement interferes with her appointments at the health facility. She sometimes misses appointments and fails to go to refill her medications. Akinyis story is similar to those shared by many other female fish traders that I met. Even though most of them are aware of the availability of HIV prevention, treatment and care and understand the benefits, they did not make full use of them. Moreover, many of the women who had a Jaboya did not feel at high risk of contracting HIV. They did not consider themselves as being involved in a form of prostitution or transactional sex as they would commonly be labelled. Most of the women had long-term relationships with the fishermen and some mentioned that having a Jaboya was like having a boyfriend or a husband. Sometimes, fishermen would live with the woman for a few weeks and she would cook and wash for him. In such relationships, those involved did not see reasons to use condoms or even test for HIV. In Kenya, sex for fish has been identified as one of the leading causes of the high HIV incidence among the fishing communities around the Lake Victoria region. According to the Kenya HIV County Profiles published by the National AIDS Control Council in 2016, HIV prevalence rates were highest in the counties around Lake Victoria. For example, in Homa Bay county (which includes Mbita) the HIV prevalence rate was 26 %, almost four times the national average of 5.9 %. The situation is similar in other fishing communities of some sub-Saharan African countries, especially among the inland fisheries. In spite of the vast HIV prevention and treatment initiatives, a number of studies have identified concentrated epidemics among fishing communities in Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi. To achieve the Agenda 2030 goal on ending the AIDS epidemic, every country should work on reducing the HIV prevalence among its key populations and also offer care and treatment. There is need to develop and scale up innovative and target-oriented prevention, treatment and care services. In particular, the interventions need to respond to the needs of the local communities. For example, women in Mbita mentioned that sometimes there was moonlight HIV testing. People could get tested at night and without having to worry about being spotted by friends and family. However, such initiatives are not carried out regularly. Also, for a highly migratory community like the fishing communities, it is important to offer mobile health services so as to bring services closer to those in need. Scaling up of such interventions would go a long way in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Theme(s): Others, Post Harvest Technology and Trade, Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Communities and Organisations, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Landing Centres, Freshwater ecosystems and threats, Fisheries Resources, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture. Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: Negotiations on a New Legal Structure for the High Seas in UN by Brian Corcoran December 17,2018 | Source: Law Fare When the United Nations General Assembly met in Sept. 2018, major U.S. news sources focused their coverage on nonproliferation, trade, peacekeeping and forceful statements by world leaders. Relatively few outlets covered the convening of the first intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Yet that conference was arguably more important than many of the head-of-state speeches dominating the headlines. It marked a first step in formally evaluating how resource rightsmainly fish stocks and marine genetic resourcesshould be administered, conserved and sustained on the high seas that cover half the surface of the globe (and 90 percent of the volume of the oceans). This post is a primer (with links to relevant background documents) for those interested in understanding the current conference sessions and why they are worth watching over the next two years. Background: When UNCLOS was signed in 1982, it established global consensus on the state of international law regarding a range of maritime issues. Among other things, UNCLOS codified in international law the rule that coastal states could claim a territorial sea with exclusive sovereign rights extending up to 12 nautical miles (nm) from a coastal baseline and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extending up to 200 nm from that coastal baseline. Within a sovereign states EEZ, the state has exclusive rights to fishing and energy resources. Since 1982, coastal nations have used UNCLOS to dispute resource claims around the globeeven those countries that have not ratified UNCLOS, like the United States. Hot and cold disputes over resource rightsin the South China Sea, in the Arctic, off the coast of South America, in the Middle East and elsewhereare all couched in the language of UNCLOS. But the convention only lightly regulates the high seas, those parts of the oceans falling outside the maximum 200 nm EEZ limit. High Seas Fish Stocks: When UNCLOS was negotiated in the 1970s and 1980s, the 200 nm EEZ represented the far range of reasonably viable commercial fishing. In the decades before UNCLOS was signed, many coastal fisheries had collapsed as a result of overfishing. In response, the UNCLOS negotiators enshrined in Article 61 that any coastal state choosing to claim an EEZ would be required to take measures to prevent EEZ overfishing. The idea, broadly, was that assigning legal rights to individual coastal states could provide a solution to the tragedy of the commons. For the most part, that hasnt happened. Since 1982, fish stocks that straddle or migrate across the 200 nm EEZ line have been overfished on the high seas side of the line, preventing the hoped-for recovery of fisheries inside many countries EEZs. A 1995 Straddling Fish Stocks Agreement established a framework for states with adjacent EEZs to coordinate sustainable levels of fish stocks through regional bodies, but implementation has been inconsistent. The overfishing problem has been compounded both by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing inside various EEZs around the world and by new technologies that make commercial fishing technically possible in the high seas. High seas fishing is conducted primarily by corporations operating out of China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Spain, the Republic of Korea and the United States. (The economic viability of such fishing absent government subsidies has been questioned.) As the technology for fishing outside the EEZ has expanded and the limitations of regional bodies have become clearer, some states have called for a coherent international framework to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Pew Charitable Trusts notes that [b]ecause many [regional fishery management organizations] were established when ocean resources were believed to be virtually unlimited, they often are not structured to limit fishing effectively. Deep Sea Bed Marine Genetic Resources: UNCLOS is silent on the second major topic under negotiation by the conference: marine genetic resources (MGR). The precise definition of marine genetic resources is under active debate at the current conference, but broadly refers in this context to genetic sequences identified from marine life recently discovered in the deep sea bed. The intellectual property rights in those genetic sequences, and the biochemical compounds they produce, may be patented by private corporations. Deep sea marine life research by a small number of nationsespecially the United States, Germany and Japanhas produced thousands of profitable new biochemical discoveries and products derived from MGRs. MGRs were unknown in 1982. The UNCLOS negotiators believed that the deep sea bed could not sustain life, much less the incredible marine biodiversity that has been discovered there in recent years. They focused instead on mineral resources, and in UNCLOS Part IX declared a common heritage of mankind principle governing equitable distribution of mineral resources found on the deep sea bed. Three decades later, states that lack the technical ability to access MGRs have called for equitable distribution of MGRs, analogizing them to the mineral resources provisions of UNCLOS. States that can access MGRs argue that UNCLOS is silent on MGRs and therefore MGRs may be claimed (and their derivatives patented) by whomever finds them. The Current Conference In response to these concerns, the United Nations General Assembly convened the current conference, which will meet over the next two years. All relevant NGOs and member states are invited participants, even those that, like the United States, have not ratified UNCLOS. There is no proposed draft language yet on the table. Building on 2017s preparatory report, the conference seeks consensus on draft treaty instrument language for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity, focusing on four questions: 1. whether and how to use area-based management tools, including internationally-recognized marine protected areas (MPAs), on the high seas to support the recovery and long-term sustainability of the worlds coastal fisheries; 2. whether and how to ensure equitable rights to biochemical materials and products derived or sequenced from deep-sea marine genetic resources (MGRs); 3. how best to conduct environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for high seas activities (particularly those involving fish stocks and MGR discoveries); and 4. how to build capacity for developing nations to participate in ocean resource research and development. State Positions The states that have staked out formal positions on the issues before the conference fall into three broad camps. Detailed state submissions from the preparatory committee meetings may be found here. European Union (EU): The EU wants to see international and binding MPAs established to stop high seas overfishing and allow for coastal fishery recovery. In this, the EU is supported by a number of prominent NGOs, some of whom hope for an MPA covering the entire high seas. The bloc has stated that access to MGRs should remain free, in line with current UNCLOS provisions concerning marine scientific research in the high seas. At upcoming sessions, the bloc will have to grapple with whether the EU member states whose corporations conduct the bulk of MGR research and development worldwide would be willing to share a greater degree of MGR benefits, either monetary or non-monetary, in order to secure consensus with the G-77 and China on a stronger MPA regime. The EU is a significant player in these discussions not just because of its strength as a voting bloc at the United Nations, but also because collectively, the EEZs of the EU member states comprise the largest single marine zone in the world. The combined EU EEZ is almost three times as large as the EEZ of the United States (which has the second largest EEZ of any individual state). G-77 and China: Second, the G-77 and China, joined by overlapping negotiating blocs such as the African Union, the Caribbean Community and the Pacific States, are focused on capacity-building, so that developing nations can conduct their own oceans research and development, and equitable distribution of MGRs under the common heritage of mankind principle. The G-77 and China have not embraced the idea of expansive MPAs, but have agreed that MPAs are likewise open for negotiation. Of the three major camps, the members of this bloc have the smallest combined EEZ, but the largest population. Chinas embrace of its leadership role alongside the G-77, despite acknowledged differences in national interests among members of the coalition, is a point to watch. China played a relatively smaller role in the 1973-1982 UNCLOS negotiations. Since 1982, China has raised its profile on maritime issues, building a blue-water navy capable of operating globally, expanding its commercial fishing dramatically around the globe, and clashing with its neighbors over territorial sea and EEZ rights. Other Developed Coastal States: A group of major developed coastal nations, including the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea and others, have argued that no additional treaty instrument is necessary to address high seas resource challenges. Although these states do not formally object to the convening of this conference, they have all expressed deep reservations about the common heritage of mankind principle, and support existing structures for regulating the high seas. For example, the United States has generally opposed applying the common heritage of mankind concept to deep-sea MGRs, preferred existing institutions and structures for regulating MPAs and EIAs, and supported voluntary efforts assisting capacity-building for developing nations. At the first substantive session, the U.S. reaffirmed its support of existing procedures and domestic law for EIAs, but went no further. Russia has similarly stressed that any new agreement should be strictly limited in scope. Whats Next?: The conference is scheduled to meet twice in 2019 to work on draft treaty instrument language and aims to deliver draft language to the General Assembly in 2020. Although some of the initial positions may seem impossible to reconcile, its worth remembering that UNCLOS itself took nine years to negotiate, came into being despite long odds and is now one of the key international law frameworks of the world, even without ratification by the United States. Amid headlines about the militarization of rocks and the harassment of fishing vessels and warships, the current sessions are worth watching with a view toward long-term geopolitical trends in resource management. Theme(s): Freshwater ecosystems and threats, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Landing Centres, Fisheries Resources, Others, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Post Harvest Technology and Trade, Communities and Organisations. WTO risks reputation on fishing subsidies reform by MAINA WARURU December 17,2018 | Source: Maritime Executive The World Trade Organisation must make progress on reforming global fishing subsidies to save the ocean and its own reputation, say international trade officials. Ahead of the WTO ministerial summit in January next year, member states must focus on safeguarding the future of the worlds seas and inland water, rather than increasing production, said officials at the Blue Economy Summit in Nairobi in November. We must approach these talks with sustenance of world fisheries as a priority, said Roberto Zapata Barradas, chair of WTOs Negotiating Group on Rules. The process should address the controversial question of subsidies, taking into account the interests of fish farmers and traditional fishing communities. Central to this years talks will be an international deal to curb harmful fishing subsidies. These are government payments or tax breaks that contribute to overcapacity, overfishing and illegal fishing (IUU) globally. The 164 member countries of the trade body will aim for a binding agreement to eliminate these subsidies, an issue that has been under discussion for more than two decades. A strong, renewed commitment will help to achieve an urgently-needed deal. It is unfathomable that some fishing companies are still engaged in IUU fishing while enjoying subsidies from their own governments, said Ricardo Menendez-Ortizo, chief executive of International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), based in Geneva. Negotiators have a duty to come up with binding commitments that will stand the test of time, he said. The talks must be conducted between countries in good faith, with transparency, inclusivity and free of political mistrust, said speakers. The outcomes should be enforceable. Subsidies paid to the fishing industry amount to around US$35 billion per year, globally. Of this, US$20 billion is given in forms that enhance the capacity of large fishing fleets, such as fuel subsidies and tax exemption programmes, according to the European Parliaments Committee on Fisheries. Around 60 percent of the worlds assessed fish stocks are fully exploited and 30% are already overexploited, according to the 2016 SOFIA report, published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. Curbing subsidies that underpin fleet expansion can address this. There is a need for urgent reforms on subsidies law governing fisheries, according to Ernesto Fernandez-Monge, fisheries expert at the Pew Charitable Trust. He said research shows that subsidies are harmful to the health of the worlds fish stocks. Regulating fishing activity is important, [but] we must take care to protect jobs and know that people go wherever fish go, said Stephen De Boer, Canadas envoy to WTO. Many governments in the developing world lack the capacity to enforce laws to prevent harmful fishing activities in their own waters, according to Peter Wekesa, fisheries expert at the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) secretariat in Belgium. As a result, many coastal communities in developing countries continued to suffer from IUU fishing activities. He said these countries often have undeveloped fishing sectors that would benefit from protection of rules reached at the WTO talks. The year 2019 is pivotal for the future of fisheries in the world, an agreement must be secured, he noted. WTO talks must bring together experts and negotiators to raise the profile and discuss the issue of subsidies to save our fish stocks, said Ernesto Fernandez-Monge a law professor at Georgetown University. A commitment to reform subsidies was first made in 2011 at a WTO ministerial Conference on Fisheries in Doha. The aim of the January talks will be to clarify and improve existing rules on fishing subsidies, set at the 2005 Hong Kong ministerial conference, including a call to prohibit subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. A similar meeting was convened in 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina where ministers agreed on a programme to conclude the negotiation at a ministerial conference in 2019. Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade, Landing Centres, Others, Communities and Organisations, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Fisheries Resources, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Freshwater ecosystems and threats. Seychelles launches worlds first blue bond to fund marine projects December 17,2018 | Source: Farmers Review Africa Earlier on this week, Seychelles launched the worlds first sovereign blue bond to fund marine projects. The bond is a financial instrument designed to support sustainable marine and fisheries projects. Valued at US $15m over 10 years as well as guarantees from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility, the bond will serve to support the Seychelles transition to sustainable fisheries. As one of the worlds biodiversity hotspots, Seychelles, which boasts an Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4m square km, is balancing the need to both develop economically and protect its natural endowment. Speaking at the launching of the bond, the Vice President, Vincent Meriton said that Seychelles is honored to be the first nation to pioneer such a novel financing instrument. He added that the bond is part of an initiative that combines public and private investment to mobilize resources for empowering local communities and businesses. As such, he said, the move will go a long way towards assisting Seychelles achieve a transition to sustainable fisheries. Proceeds from the bond will be used to support the expansion of marine protected areas, improved governance of priority fisheries and the development of the Seychelles blue economy. Grants and loans will also be provided through the Blue Grants Fund and Blue Investment Fund. These are managed by the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) and the Development Bank of Seychelles. Seychelles was assisted in developing the Blue Bond by the World Bank by reaching out to the three investors Calvert Impact Capital, Nuveen and Prudential. The Seychelles blue bond is partially guaranteed by a US $5m security from the World Bank and further supported by a US $5m concessional loan from the Global Environment Fund. The latter will reportedly cover interest payments for the bond in part. Theme(s): Landing Centres, Others, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Fisheries Resources, Freshwater ecosystems and threats, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Communities and Organisations, Post Harvest Technology and Trade. Canadian fisheries minister introduces overhaul of regulations governing aquaculture by Allan Lynch December 17,2018 | Source: Seafood Source Canadian Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has announced a new suite of initiatives aimed at bolstering the success and environmental sustainability of the aquaculture sector. The goal is to establish a more holistic approach to aquaculture management, according to Wilkinson. He said job creation and environmental protection would also be enhanced via four key initiatives: First, moving toward adoption of alternative technologies for aquaculture, including land and sea-based closed containment technology. This effort will be guided by a study conducted by Sustainable Development Technology Canada and the Province of British Columbia to determine gaps that limit commercial readiness and inform future technology development efforts. Second, moving towards an area-based approach to aquaculture management to ensure that environmental, social and economic factors are taken into consideration when identifying potential areas for aquaculture development including considerations relating to migration pathways for wild salmon; Third, working with provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, stakeholders and the scientific community to develop a framework for aquaculture risk management based on a precautionary approach, to ensure the sustainable management of aquaculture; And final iniative aims to create a single comprehensive set of regulations, the "General Aquaculture Regulations," with the goal of bringing more clarity to the aquaculture industry and its stakeholders, including the Canadian public, about how aquaculture is managed. Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance Executive Director Tim Kennedy told SeafoodSource the announcement represented an important step in his sectors progress in Canada. Weve been advocating for many years for an aquaculture act for Canada, so it was great when the federal and provincial ministers said yes, lets go ahead with an aquaculture act, he said. Kennedy said that the ministers announcement was unique because for the first time it put a number of issues and ideas into a package, which shows a commitment to increasing and improving both our competitiveness and sustainable production. We were encouraged by his strong words and his strong vision for the sector in Canada, Kennedy said. I think he sees we can do a lot and the federal government is ready to support that. Canadian aquaculture is worth CAD 5 billion (USD 3.8 billion, EUR 3.3 billion) a year and provides direct employment to 25,000 people, which shows the industrys strength, Kennedy said. But Kennedy said those figures could be even higher if the right management is put in place on the federal and provincial levels. Were very pleased to have seen the minister recognize the great opportunity for aquaculture in Canada. We do have a huge potential in this country and weve been flatlining for about 15 years in terms of production. From about 2002 to now, weve basically been pretty stable in production, but havent seen any significant increases, he said. In terms of the act itself, there have been studies and discussions going on at that national dialogue level for a number of years. The important thing is the federal government and the provinces have worked in the last year to put together a policy document that has a substantial amount of research to look at what the legal situations are in different jurisdictions around the world and encapsulated that by saying these are the areas that we agree to work on under a federal aquaculture act. Marine conservation groups were not as enthusiastic about the DFO announcement. Neville Crabbe, a spokesperson with the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), told SeafoodSource he was not convinced the proposed regulations were a firm commitment from the government. This comes about every so often and then seems to go back underground, Crabbe said. Thirteen months ago, during the Department of Fisheries and Oceans initial consultation, ASF made a short submission asking for better documentation, understanding, monitoring, detection, and avoidance of genetic and ecological interactions between wild and farmed salmon. The organization also asked DFO to assert that federal authority to manage salmon aquaculture supersede provincial and territorial authority, and that the new act promote innovation and encourage greater transparency and public participation in aquaculture decisions. SeaChoice, which is a collaboration of the David Suzuki Foundation, Ecology Action Centre and Living Oceans Society, echoed the ASF observation that there have been dozens of studies done over the years but no definitive action taken. We have been calling on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to fully implement the precautionary principle and to provide greater transparency about the use of public waters by this industry, the group said in a press release. We expect any new legislative scheme to place the welfare of wild fish first in the consideration of fisheries managers, and to ensure that monitoring and evaluation of impacts on wild fish act as effective triggers for management action on the farms. SeaChoices preference is for Canada to move to land-based aquaculture. Kennedy, of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, said it will likely be more than a year before the aquaculture act comes up for a vote, and that changes are likely in the interim. Is the act there? No, he said. Its an important step to get to the drafting stage and then the draft will come back to the ministers. Its almost certain we wont see anything in the next year because its an election year, so our hope is that something goes into the House of Commons in 2020. But Kennedy said he was heartened to action on the issue. The question I understand was asked was very simple: Do you support going ahead with the federal aquaculture act to the drafting stage or not? And the [various levels of government] unanimously said yes, Kennedy said. Thats very encouraging. Theme(s): Landing Centres, Post Harvest Technology and Trade, Others, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Fisheries Resources, Communities and Organisations, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Freshwater ecosystems and threats. China increasingly dominating fishing rule-making by Mark Godfrey December 17,2018 | Source: Seafood Source China will ultimately be the formulator of the global rules on international fishing, Liu Zhong Xin, the deputy head of the Fisheries Management Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture said recently in an interview with the Beijing-based Global Times. In the interview, which was part of an extensive article on the prospects for Chinas distant water-fishing industry, Liu said he sees Chinas dominance of global distant-water fisheries coming about as traditional fishing powers like Spain and Japan are withdrawing from the industry. But Liu did not mention that Spain, Japan, and other developed countries have moved to limit subsidies to their distant water-fishing fleet, something China has declined to do. It blocked a push to end its subsidies at a World Trade Organization summit last year in Argentina. An end to such subsidies is regarded as vital to ensuring the sustainability of the worlds stocks of fish, and is seen as necessary to creating a level playing field for fishing nations. But China seems to have other ideas about how the development of global fisheries should proceed. Its approach to trade and investment is already reformulating rules and amending the international fisheries rulebook, in practice. Chinas emergence as a rule-setter is based on Chinas economic power, and as it relates to seafood, the scale of its fleet, the ongoing modernization of that fleet, and the insatiable demand for seafood from Chinas domestic market. The hunger for Chinese investment among developing countries is also playing a major role. China has emerged as the dominant trading partner and frequently, leading investor in countries around the globe. In just the past year, Chinese fisheries officials, including Liu and Yu Kangzhen, the head of his department, have signed cooperation agreements with the likes of Fiji, Ghana, Madagascar, Liberia, and Mozambique, promising new ports and fish processing facilities and shipyards in return for access to local waters for Chinese trawlers. Increasingly, theyve also offered training in aquaculture to replace diminished sea stocks in these countries. Such arrangements are often part of more complex state-to-state relationships involving loans, infrastructure, and resources. But the deals indisputably give it leverage over international governance bodies, as China can coerce member-countries into supporting its positions. In his recent address at the China Fisheries Expo in Qingdao, China, Yu said his countrys growing dominance of global fisheries is a major positive. Chinas openness to trade has been a boon for seafood-exporting nations: Over the past five years, said Yu, Chinas seafood exports rose by two percent but its seafood imports rose 7.2 percent. We welcome you to China to seek partners and opportunities, Yu said. Additionally, China has also helped guarantee global food security through expansion of its aquaculture sector it is now responsible for two-thirds of global aquaculture output, Yu said. We are a responsible distant-water fishing country, Yu said in his address, which was given to an audience of global diplomats, including representatives of Australia, Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Russia, and Sierra Leone. Our fishing companies work within international frameworks. Buttressing his statements, Yu recently pledged more international cooperation to severely deal with illegal behavior by Chinese fishing firms. He said such work is already underway, citing how in three years, China has reduced its national count of distant-water fishery firms by eight and the number of vessels in Chinas distant-water fishing fleet by 21. An additional 15 Chinese companies and individuals have been put on a black list, depriving them of access to subsidies, Yu said. But some of Yus claims were misleading. Yu said Chinas share of global fisheries is only one kilogram per capita, which is far less than other major distant-water fishing countries. However, thats hardly a workable comparison given Chinas population of 1.4 billion people naturally makes its per-capita figure far lower. Similarly, its unclear whether or not China counts or supervises the many Chinese vessels sailing under other flags, or the fishing firms registered as local companies. A recent example is Chinese-owned vessels documented to be flouting local laws in Ghana, as recently exposed in a report by the Environmental Justice Foundation. Nor has Yu addressed what appears to be a disconnect between official Chinese pronouncements for conservation, and the countrys grand plans in the industry; which include adding more processing and value-added business off its growing haul from its distant-water fishing efforts. The big question facing the global fishing sector is what will Chinas approach be if and when it seeks to reformulate the rules governing global fisheries management systems. Will China choose to remake or replace institutions, as it has done in replacing the Asian Development Bank (and World Bank) with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which is headquartered in Beijing and which now dispenses funds globally? Or will it pursue a less disruptive route? Those seeking clarity in the short-term may end up frustrated. Chinas fishing-related deals as befitting its system of government are often very opaque or secretive, and the countrys leaders are unlikely to go public with their strategy as it relates to fisheries or global trade. Theme(s): Others, Post Harvest Technology and Trade, Fisheries Development and Aquaculture, Fisheries Resources, Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods, Landing Centres, Coastal Ecosystems and Threats, Communities and Organisations, Freshwater ecosystems and threats. A bomb blast today damaged a building in Athens housing the headquarters of Greeces private radio and television network Skai and Greek daily newspaper Khatimerini, but there were no casualties. Anti-terrorist police opened an investigation into the attack that focused on Greek extremist groups. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their Greek affiliates in condemning the blast as an attack on media pluralism. This photo taken on December 17, 2018 shows the Greek SKAI TV building in Athens after a bomb blast. A bomb blast early Monday caused minor damage to a building in Athens housing the headquarters of Greece's private radio and television network Skai, but there were no casualties, police said. ANGELOS TZORTZINIS / AFP The homemade device went off at around 2:37 am, 45 minutes after an anonymous telephone warning to another TV network. Police cordoned off the neighbourhood in the Athens suburb of Neo Phaliro and evacuated the building, which contains the offices of Skai, a group owned by the Alafouzos shipping family, as well as those of Kathimerini, a centre-right daily critical of the government. Police said the explosive device was attached to a metal crash barrier on a busy coastal road in the southern Faliro area. The bomb smashed windows on the facade. Nearby apartment buildings and cars were also damaged. Police, who were checking cameras in the area for possible clues on the bombers, also said the device had contained at least five kilograms of explosives. The terrorist attack will not discourage us.., said Skai in a statement, accusing the government of failing to do enough to protect the media despite recurrent threats against the station. The Executive board of the Journalists Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN) called on today Greek authorities to identify as soon as possible and bring to justice the perpetrators of this attack. The IFJ and EFJ submitted today an alert related to this terrorist attack on the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism. Imperial Valley News Center Presidential Proclamation on Wright Brothers Day, 2018 Washington, DC - On December 17, 1903, two American brothers from Dayton, Ohio, Orville and Wilbur Wright, launched the first manned, powered flight on a windy beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their handcrafted biplane, though aloft a mere 12 seconds, ushered in the age of aviation and changed the course of history. On Wright Brothers Day, we commemorate this monumental achievement and look ahead to new chapters of American aviation in which new scientists, inventors, dreamers, and entrepreneurs will change history, fulfilling the human spirits relentless quest for exploration and discovery. In the 115 years since the Wright brothers achieved their groundbreaking flight, the United States has led the world in aviation innovation. We have developed supersonic jets, walked on the moon, placed increasingly advanced landers and rovers on Mars, and vaulted spacecraft into the far reaches of the universe to explore distant horizons. The aviation industry has transformed the way we live and communicate, strengthening our connections to other nations and continents, expanding the global marketplace, and extending the frontiers of imagination and experimentation. These revolutionary achievements trace their origins back to the triumphs of Orville and Wilbur, two daring pioneers who, fueled by passion, undeterred by years of failure, and empowered by legendary American intrepidity, took mankind to new heights. We reflect with pride on the historic successes of our Nations aviation visionaries, and we look ahead to a future of limitless potential and even greater accomplishment. My Administration is working to build on Americas heritage as aviation pioneers and the worlds greatest space-faring nation. I have instructed Federal agencies to embrace aeronautics and space industries of the future by modernizing our outdated regulations and funding aerospace research and development. We will broaden Americas leadership in aerospace technology, including through the return of civil supersonic flight, the growth of commercial unmanned aircraft systems, and continued innovation in space exploration and travel. As we continue our pursuits in flight, we are indebted to the Wright brothers for hazarding to dream and inspiring our Nation to look heavenward. The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December 17, 1963, as amended (77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 143), has designated December 17 of each year as Wright Brothers Day and has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 2018, as Wright Brothers Day. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third. DONALD J. TRUMP Imperial Valley News Center President Trump at Congressional Ball Washington, DC - Remarks by President Trump at Congressional Ball: THE PRESIDENT: What a crowd. What power. What beautiful people. I see you all week, and now I have to see you once again to wish you a very, very merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy New Years. Its been very, very special. We have so many members of Congress (applause) and we have our Cabinet, almost the entire Cabinet; members of the Supreme Court of the United States. And it has been something very special. Weve done things that nobody would have thought possible. And I say it often and I dont get rebuked for saying it but no administration has done more in the first two years than the Trump administration, which is many of the folks in the room. (Applause.) When you think about the tax cuts and the regulation cuts, and all of the things that have happened, including two great, new Supreme Court justices. (Applause.) And what people dont know is that weve almost reached the 100-mark of federal judges. Thats a big, big mark. And I see Mike Pence over here and Peter thank you, Peter. Peter, did you get your grandson in? Good. Okay, I thought that would be (laughter). He said, I got to get my grandson in. You got it. Peter King. And Mike and Karen, thank you very much for being over. Get up here, Mike. Will you come up, please? Come on up. (Applause.) Come on up. (Applause.) But it has been a very, very special, special time. And were doing so much. And I think next week we have a chance to get criminal justice reform. Theyve been trying to do it for many, many years. (Applause.) Theyve been trying theyve been working on it. And lets see what happens. But it looks like it has a chance. And next week, it looks like the farm bill is in very, very good shape. (Applause.) So well get the farm bill. Got to take care of the farmers. But its just been something very, very exciting. This is a house thats very exciting. This is a house that we love being in. We love living in it. Look at it tonight in between all of the great food. You know, we have the A team of chefs. We have A teams, B teams, and C teams. The C teams give you a lot. But its not very good. (Laughter.) The A team gives you a lot, and it is very good. So tonight, you have a lot of great food, so enjoy it. But look around at the house because its an incredible place. Its sort of where it all begins. It starts, it sort of moves along, and then it starts all over again if you dont get it right. And its been very exciting living in the White House. To me, its a happy place. You know, a lot of Presidents have said its not a happy place. I find it to be a happy place. I want to thank Melania, our great First Lady, for doing the decorations. (Applause.) As you know, she worked so hard on all of the beautiful decorations. I dont know if youve gotten to see all of them, but upstairs, downstairs, all over, and shes people love what she did. And I love what she has done. And Ill tell you what, she does it from the heart. She has done a terrific job. People love our First Lady. So, thank you very much, honey. Very nice. (Applause.) Really great. And I want to thank Mike for all the help that hes given me. Karen and Mike have been incredible. Two incredible people. And we have so much more to do. And again, this is going to be an exciting week. But I think its going to be a really exciting year and exciting two years. I believe were going to get really good healthcare. Exciting things happened over the last 24 hours. (Applause.) And if everybody is smart because we have a lot of Democrats here tonight, and Im very happy about that. People dont realize it, I have a lot of friends who are Democrats. And we have Democrats here. And if the Republicans and the Democrats get together, we are going to end up with incredible healthcare, which is the way it should have been from day one. And its going to happen. It now has a chance to happen. And the other thing theyre going to start working on very shortly is an infrastructure bill, because thats something I think everybody wants to see. So well start working on that. So, look, enjoy yourself, travel around, look at every molding of this house. Its just an incredible place to be. And again, thank you all. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, have a great New Year. Were going to have an incredible new year for our country, most importantly. And to our First Lady, thank you very much on a job well done. Thank you. (Applause.) Honey? MRS. TRUMP: Welcome to the White House. Enjoy the evening. Merry Christmas, and happy and healthy New Year. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Thanks. Thank you very much, everybody. Have a great time. Thank you. Enjoy it. See you out there. (Applause.) END Imperial Valley News Center Former Non-Profit President Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Conceal Foreign Funding of 2013 Congressional Trip Washington, DC - The former president of a Texas-based non-profit pleaded guilty last week for his role in a scheme to conceal the fact that a 2013 Congressional trip to Azerbaijan was funded by the Azerbaijan government. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBIs Washington Field Office made the announcement. Kemal Oksuz, aka "Kevin Oksuz," 49, and previously a resident of Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of devising a scheme to falsify, conceal and cover up material facts from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics. Oksuz will be sentenced on Feb. 11, 2019 before U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan for the District of Columbia. According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, Oksuz lied on disclosure forms filed with the Ethics Committee prior to, and following, a privately sponsored Congressional trip to Azerbaijan. Oksuz falsely represented and certified on required disclosure forms that the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasions (TCAE), the Houston non-profit for which Oksuz was president, had not accepted funding for the Congressional trip from any outside sources. Oksuz admitted to, in truth, orchestrating a scheme to funnel money to fund the trip from the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), the wholly state-owned national oil and gas company of Azerbaijan, and then concealed the true source of funding, which violated House travel regulations. A five-count indictment was returned earlier this year in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and ordered unsealed in September. Oksuz was recently extradited from Armenia where he was detained by authorities, pursuant to a warrant that was issued for his arrest. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Marco Palmieri of the Criminal Divisions Public Integrity Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler and Will Mackie of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Assistance in the investigation was provided by Trial Attorney Amanda Vaughn of the Public Integrity Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Hooks and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Bradford of the District of Columbia. Trial Attorney Natalya T. Savransky of the Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs handled the extradition request to Armenia. The Office of International Affairs, along with the U.S. Department of State and cooperating Armenian authorities provided substantial assistance with the extradition. Scientists find that breast cancer protection from pregnancy starts decades later Washington, DC - In general, women who have had children have a lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who have never given birth. However, new research has found that moms dont experience this breast cancer protection until many years later and may face elevated risk for more than 20 years after their last pregnancy. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, along with members of the international Premenopausal Breast Cancer Collaborative Group, found breast cancer risk increases in the years after a birth, with the highest risk of developing the disease about five years later. The findings, which appeared online in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest breast cancer protection from pregnancy may not begin until as many as 30 years after the birth of the last child. According to senior author Dale Sandler, Ph.D., head of the Epidemiology Branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, a few prior studies reported an increase in breast cancer risk after childbirth. However, most of what researchers knew about breast cancer risk factors came from studies of women who have gone through menopause. Since breast cancer is relatively uncommon in younger women, it is more difficult to study. Researchers combined data from approximately 890,000 women from 15 long-term studies across three continents, to understand the relationship between recent childbirth and breast cancer risk in women age 55 and younger. "We were surprised to find that an increase in breast cancer risk lasted for an average of 24 years before childbirth became protective," said Sandler. "Before this study, most researchers believed that any increase in risk lasted less than 10 years." The scientists also found that the association between recent childbirth and breast cancer risk was stronger for women who were older at first birth, had more births, or had a family history of breast cancer. Breastfeeding did not appear to have any protective effect, even though it is generally thought to reduce breast cancer risk. Many of these additional factors were not addressed in earlier studies, underscoring the statistical power of this larger project. Sandler and first author Hazel Nichols, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, started the study when Nichols was a research fellow at NIEHS. Nichols explained that childbirth is an example of a risk factor that is different for younger women than older women. "This difference is important because it suggests that we may need to develop tools for predicting breast cancer risk that are specific to young women," Nichols said. "Doing so would help women talk to their health care providers about when they should start mammography screening." Nichols and Sandler both stressed the importance of keeping these findings in perspective. Breast cancer is uncommon in young women. An increase in the relative risk of breast cancer in women under age 55 translates to a very small number of additional cases of breast cancer per year. Anthony Swerdlow, D.M., D.Sc., Ph.D., and Minouk Schoemaker, Ph.D., scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, co-led the study with Sandler and Nichols. Former Director of Healthcare Services Company Charged in Alleged $300 Million Investment Fraud Scheme Washington, DC - A former member of the board of directors of a publicly traded healthcare services company was arrested at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport for allegedly participating in a wide-spread scheme to defraud investors and others out of hundreds of millions of dollars in connection with a merger transaction designed to convert the company into a private entity, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito for the District of New Jersey announced. Pavandeep Bakhshi, 41, of the United Kingdom, is charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and one count of securities fraud. Bakhshi was arrested Saturday evening at JFK Airport after arriving on a flight from London. Bakhshis initial court appearance is today at 2:30 p.m. EST before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre for the District of New Jersey. According to the complaint unsealed this weekend: From May 2015 through September 2017, Bakhshi and co-conspirators Parmjit Parmar, aka Paul Parmar (Parmar), Sotirios Zaharis, aka Sam Zaharis (Zaharis), and Ravi Chivukula (Chivukula), allegedly orchestrated an elaborate scheme to defraud a private investment firm and others out of hundreds of millions of dollars in connection with the funding of a transaction to take private a healthcare services company (Company A) traded publicly on the London Stock Exchanges Alternative Investment Market. To fund the transaction, the private investment firm put up $82 million and a consortium of financial institutions put up another $130 million. The scheme allegedly utilized fraudulent methods to grossly inflate the value of Company A and trick others into believing that Company A was worth substantially more than its actual value. The complaint alleges that to present a positive picture of the companys financial wealth, the conspirators allegedly sought to raise tens of millions of dollars in the public markets, purportedly to fund Company As acquisitions of various operating subsidiaries. In reality, the complaint alleges, a number of those entities either did not exist or had only a fraction of the operating income attributed to them. The conspirators allegedly funneled the proceeds of these secondary offerings through bank accounts they controlled and used the money for a variety of purposes that had nothing to do with acquiring the purported targets. The money from one of the offerings was instead used to make it appear as if the operating subsidiary had substantial customer revenue when, in fact, the funds were simply transfers of the money that had been raised in the secondary offering, the complaint alleges. The conspirators allegedly went to great lengths to make it appear that these funds were revenue, concocting phony customers and altering bank statements to make it appear as if the funds were coming from customers. The conspirators allegedly: Created fictitious operating companies that Company A purportedly acquired in sham acquisitions; Falsified and fabricated bank records of subsidiary entities in order to generate a phony picture of Company As revenue streams; Generated fake income streams and phony customers of Company A and its subsidiaries; and Made material misrepresentations and omissions to the private investment firm and others. The defendants alleged actions caused the private investment firm and others to value Company A at more than $300 million for purposes of financing the transaction to take the company private. The alleged scheme was uncovered around September 2017, when the conspirators resigned from their positions with Company A or were terminated. On March 16, Company A and numerous of its affiliated entities filed for bankruptcy, attributing the companys financial demise, in large part, to the fraud scheme. The United States filed a criminal complaint against Parmar, Zaharis and Chivukula on May 16 for their alleged roles in the scheme. Zaharis and Chivukula currently are fugitives. The United States also filed a separate civil complaint on the same date seeking forfeiture of four properties that Parmar owns or controls, including a house in Colts Neck and three apartments in New York City. Separately, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint on May 16 against Parmar, Zaharis and Chivukula. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions New York Regional Office provided assistance in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Chief Paul A. Murphy of the U.S. Attorneys Offices Economic Crimes Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas P. Grippo of the Economic Crimes Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Devlin of the U.S. Attorneys Offices Asset Recovery Money Laundering Unit and Trial Attorney Leslie Lehnert of the Criminal Divisions Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section,. The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Presidential Delegation to the Federative Republic of Brazil to Attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Jair Bolsonaro Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Federative Republic of Brazil to attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Jair Bolsonaro on January 1, 2019, in Brasilia, Brazil. The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State of the United States, will lead the delegation. Members of the Presidential Delegation: Editor's note: This tour of small businesses across the country highlights the imagination, diversity, and resilience of American enterprise. This is not a Christmas story. Jane Atkinson has welcomed many professional Santas to Running Reindeer Ranch, 25 minutes from downtown Fairbanks, Alaska. She keeps a stash of red plush hats that visitors don for selfies. "Every now and then I will say the deer can fly," Atkinson says. "But I don't focus on the Christmas aspect. I am a science person." At most animal-centric tourist attractions, visitors wander among exhibits. At Running Reindeer Ranch, visitors stroll with them. Atkinson attaches a rope to a halter on one of her eight reindeer (the number is coincidence) and then leads the entire pack--along with up to 20 customers--through a boreal forest on her family's farm. In the low light of winter, the trail is ghostly with birch trees sheathed in papery white bark. For two and a half hours Atkinson discourses on the deer's adaptation to Arctic climes. Their hooves, for example, "create snowshoes for walking and make excellent shovels for digging down to get food in winter," she says. "I could go on for four days about them." The walks are good for the reindeer's brains, bodies, and spirits, says Atkinson, who runs the business with three part-time employees and her husband, Doug Toelle, a former tech entrepreneur. "They are rather lazy animals, but they like to explore and find interesting new things to eat." The walks are also good for Atkinson, who suffers from seasonal affective disorder, pernicious in a region with less than four hours of daylight at the solstice. "I used to get horrible depression being in the dark in Alaska. But I don't anymore," she says. "That is all because I am out with my reindeer." Every year roughly 4,000 visitors pay $100 apiece to take the stroll. March is the busy season, when the Northern Lights draw crowds of casual tourists and obsessive Aurora chasers. The tour starts with a presentation about the ranch and its denizens in Atkinson's living room-turned-auditorium, and concludes with hot beverages at the Reindeer House, a building that will soon house a B&B. Along with the drinks, Atkinson serves fresh baked oatmeal-chocolate-chip-coconut cookies, from her own recipe. (Those cookies are a key plot point in the Running Reindeer story. More on that later.) Running Reindeer Ranch has received accolades from TripAdvisor and Fodor's Travel, among other tourism sites and publications. It is also a popular spot for weddings. Atkinson, a State of Alaska marriage commissioner, has performed 20 in the 18 months she's offered the service. For no extra charge, a reindeer will serve as ring bearer. Jennifer Rittenhouse, who visited in March from Philadelphia, began following Running Reindeer on Facebook almost a year before her trip. "I got to know all the reindeer, so much so that when I pulled up in a cab and saw them I got teary eyed," she says. "They are beautiful, beautiful, gentle animals. And they just walk through the snow with you," Rittenhouse continues. "It was a really cool experience. I wish everyone could do it." The ultimate pet Atkinson grew up in Anchorage in a family business: A&G Construction, which her father built from a single dump truck into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. She initially planned to become a teacher, but later got a job with a social-services nonprofit, got married, and in the early 1990s opened Alaska Green Goods, an environmentally friendly products store in Fairbanks. In 1994, her daughter, Robin Spielman, was born. Atkinson eventually closed the business and became a stay-at-home mother. In 1997 Atkinson, by then divorced, relocated to Anchorage to help her aging parents. She married Toelle in 2004 and moved back to Fairbanks, where they occupied five hilly acres in the boreal forest. That provided spade for the animals Robin loved. The family acquired hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas, fish, turtles, finches, chickens, and a dog--but what she really wanted was a livestock animal. One day they drove past a herd of reindeer outside a research center on the University of Alaska campus. "I thought out loud, 'Huh. I wonder about reindeer,'" Atkinson says. "And Robin is like, 'Yes mom! I love reindeer! I want reindeer!'" Atkinson did not want reindeer. But she told Robin, "OK--if you do all the research and raise the money." A reindeer farm in Palmer, Alaska, quoted them $2,000. But reindeer are herd animals. They would need two. So: $4,000. Atkinson thought she was safe. For the next two years, all of Robin's school projects related to reindeer. She volunteered at the university to learn about them. She called reindeer owners around the state and interviewed them. And she started the Murphy Dough Cookie Co. out of the family kitchen. Robin sold four varieties to cookie dough to whomever would buy it: friends, relatives, her parents' co-workers, and customers at some local bazaars. After two years she had earned $2,000. Halfway there. Atkinson suggested Robin call her father--Atkinson's ex-husband--to tell him the good news. He congratulated her and offered to pay for the second reindeer himself. "I was a little upset about that," says Atkinson. "We were not supposed to be actually getting reindeer." They brought home Ruby and Moon, two females that had been bred. The first few weeks were disastrous. A heavy snow brought down a tree, which in turn brought down a fence penning the animals. It took four days to track them down and bring them back. The name Running Reindeer Ranch was born. The research center and the folks who'd sold Atkinson the reindeer recommended enclosing the animals in a small space surrounded by metal corral panels, to help them settle. A week later Robin found one of them had jumped in and gotten a foot caught between the corral panels and had a fatal accident. Feeling bad about their advice, the sellers offered to replace Moon. The head of the research center urged them not to throw in the towel. "He said, 'In a year, when everything else goes right--because nothing else is going to go wrong--you are going to be really glad that you have reindeer in your life,'" Atkinson says. A company is calved The business just happened. In 2011, Robin left to spend her junior year in Germany. "She told me at that point I could have the reindeer," Atkinson says. "Great." Wanting company on her reindeer walks, she asked friends to come along. They brought their friends and relatives. Someone suggested she put the activity on TripAdvisor. What's TripAdvisor? Atkinson wanted to know. Since Atkinson previously ran the green store and Toelle had launched two tech startups, they already had the business side of things down. For inspiration, Atkinson consulted with Mary Shields, owner of Tales of the Trail, where guests get up close and personal with sled dogs. "She told me to lead with my heart and the rest would follow," Atkinson says. Over the years the herd has swelled from two to eight. All but one are the calves or grand-calves of Ruby, who died last year. Atkinson breeds the females with bulls from other ranches. The males are castrated, which in cattle lingo makes them steers. Running Reindeer Ranch closes for a few weeks in the darkest days of winter when Atkinson goes in search of light. A few years ago she and Robin, who is now a ski instructor in Wyoming, visited the Dukha, a community of nomadic reindeer herders in Mongolia. Now Atkinson imports their carvings--made from reindeer antlers--and sells them in the gift shop, alongside reindeer milk soap. She continues to study reindeer and their herders around the world. These days, though, she is content to return home. "I always felt like I wanted to get out of Alaska. But now I feel like a person who has been in prison so long that the outside world just doesn't work for me anymore," Atkinson says. Actor Taron Egerton is hoping Independent readers will seize the chance to pay 5 so that thousands of people get the vital information they need to get tested to determine their HIV status. The Robin Hood and Kingsman star is making the appeal on the fifth day of our 12 Days of Christmas messages in support of The Independents AIDSfree campaign, joining other celebrities such as James Corden and Victoria Beckham. Egerton said: Its day five of the 12 Days of Christmas and Im throwing my support behind the AIDSfree campaign. I am asking for your help and support with this. Five pounds is all it takes to make sure that someone gets the proper testing for HIV and AIDS and will hopefully help us end this awful disease. Elton John launches The Independent's AIDSfree campaign The AIDSfree appeal is raising money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation to boost awareness of HIV and fund access to testing and treatment, both in the UK and abroad. Globally, 37 million people are living with HIV; a figure that rose by 1.8 million last year. In the UK, 15 people are infected every day on average. Although HIV medical care is often both effective and affordable, around one in four people living with HIV dont know their status because they havent been tested. Finding the StreetPower youth club isnt easy. Tucked away on an industrial estate in Kievs lugubrious northeastern suburbs it was moved there after neighbours complained to the police you need to know what you are looking for. But once you get near, the sounds of roaring laughter and dance music guide you to the door. Alla Melnyk, the chatty project manager responsible for much of the noise, says the idea of providing a safe place for vulnerable teenagers came after outreach workers noticed more and more teenagers on Kievs streets. It began with the 2013 revolution, when many children were left to their own devices, often because their parents were too busy trying to make ends meet, she says. For a large part of the country, war and poverty followed the fire-fuelled protests on Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti). Melnyk says: Quite a few of the girls went east to offer sex services, and returned with kids and various infections. We knew we needed to do something. Since opening its doors in 2016, the StreetPower club has worked with 1,500 children, some as young as eight or nine. They mostly come from difficult families, and often with a history of alcohol or drug use. Most of the regulars admit they come for the free coffee and biscuits, but thats beside the point, says Melnyk. Once they are inside, her team offer love, attention and hugs, before getting to work with harm-reduction strategies that are cutting edge in Ukraine. They are tested for HIV, Hepatitis, TB and other sexually transmitted infections, offered free contraception, and taught about safe sex. Social worker Alla Melnyk says prude teachers are unable to have a proper conversation about sex with their students with unwanted pregnancy and sexually-transmitted infections the result (StreetPower/Convictus) HIV transmission in Ukraine is no longer mainly transmitted via drugs needles. Sex and heterosexual sex is now the primary cause, moving the epidemic far beyond historic high-risk populations. Only half know their HIV status, and knowledge of safer sex practices remains low, especially among the youngest. Ukrainian children arent told about sex in school, says Melnyk. Our teachers for some reason dont know how to say dick, penis and vagina. For them, its the end of the world. A large part of the clubs work is about making timely interventions on drug use. The aim is to support young people in making informed choices about drugs and minimising risk for example, by preventing the progression to more harmful injected drugs. Recommended Why these young men celebrate the day they tested positive for HIV The drugs scene in Kiev is changing, says Slava Kushakov, a senior advisor at the Alliance for Public Health, an umbrella organisation that supports StreetPower. Injection on the whole is not so popular with young people, and to a certain extent stigmatised too. But the injection route remains a real prospect for some of our clients, and our job is to explain that some drugs are much more harmful than others. Many of StreetPowers young clients are already drug users, who, despite their tender age, show obvious signs of its effects. They choose drugs on based on cost alone. That usually means spice (synthetic marijuana), low-quality amphetamines and synthetic cathinones or bath salts. But the children say it is never difficult to get their fix. In recent years, the local drug market has moved from personal interaction with dealers to a well-developed network of dead-drop spots. The system is advertised on walls and underpasses across town. You send your order to an anonymous social media account, wire the cash via bank transfer in Kiev you dont even need Bitcoin and within an hour the drugs will be in an agreed place. As much as they try, the authorities cant keep up. The StreetPower youth club has worked with more than 1,500 of Kievs most vulnerable children since opening in 2016 (StreetPower/Convictus) According to Galya Sergienko, coordinator of Drugstore, a harm-reduction platform operating under the Alliance for Public Health aegis, dealers have even resorted to bulk marketing deals to increase take-up among teenagers. One scheme on offer is bring 10 friends and get a gram free, she says. A gram of what exactly is never clear. According to the alliances internal statistics, recreational drug use has increased by 40 per cent over the last four years alone, with much of that increase down to Kievs expanding clubbing scene. The kids themselves are afraid to speak out, so you never see them. They are our lost generation, quite literally Alla Melnyk, StreetPowers project manager The teenagers who go to techno parties form an independent group to those covered by StreetPower, says Sergienko. The drugs are different, for a start, with Ukraines clubbing youth preferring MDMA and ecstasy over synthetic cathinones. They are also less likely to take the very cheapest drugs available. But apart from that, the lack of awareness, isolation and dangers faced are the same. There are the same problems with quality, for example. Local production of club drugs can also use the cheapest reagents bleach, benzene, acids of every description resulting in a number of dangerous impurities in the final product. Weve noticed that, because of the impurities, the problems come much, much quicker; psychosis, physical change, and worse, says Kushakov. And were still in the early stages of research. Kievs expanded recreational drug scene has also opened a new front for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Elton John launches The Independent's AIDSfree campaign People can do anything when they are on a high, says Sergienko. We tell people about safe sex, about HIV and hepatitis. But often they wont take our condoms, saying it doesnt give them the same feeling, that its not cool. In truth, many of them dont know how to use them. For most Ukrainians facing rising bills and rock-bottom wages, of course, drug use among teenagers is far from top of the agenda. By and large, the same attitude pervades the national government. There are no votes to be had by defending children who take drugs, after all; and quite a lot of cash to be made by syphoning money off intended for health programmes. The adults have forgotten about the children, says Melynk. And the kids themselves are afraid to speak out, so you never see them. They are our lost generation, quite literally. And this is where The Independents Christmas appeal comes in. The funds go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which works with StreetPower and the Alliance for Public Health. Foreign donations can shame the local government into taking more responsibility, Melnyk says. We want the government to see that people across the world care. A spaceship doesnt deliver alien drug users to us. These are our kids. As we all know, when it comes to gifting its the thought that counts. That being said, finding the man in your life something he wont toss aside minutes after opening on Christmas morning can prove tricky, especially when you have a budget of 50. Stumped on what to get? If youre looking for a little inspiration for your shopping list then youll find plenty of ideas in our gift guide below. From skincare to booze, books and cosy cashmere, theres something for everyone. So, spare yourself the regret of giving something boring like another pair of socks this year, and instead get something from our guide of best gifts for under 50. Orbitkey 2.0 Premium Leather Keyring, 29.70, Farrar & Tanner If you know someone whos always losing their keys then this premium leather key holder will make the perfect present. The keyring holds between three and seven standard size keys and is crafted from genuine cowhide leather, meaning that other possessions, like your phone, remain scratch-free while in your pocket or bag. Even better, you can choose to add a personalised laser engraving to the strap or a multi-tool, USB or bottle opener for a small additional fee. ClarinsMen Grooming Collection, 40, Clarins High-quality skincare that promises to protect your recipients face from the frosty weather makes for an excellent gift. We love this set, which includes classic products like the ClarinsMen super moisture balm, active face wash, shampoo and shower, and anti-fatigue eye serum all presented in a smart washbag. Individually, these products would typically set you back 57 in total, so this collection gives you an impressive saving of 17. Hennessy VS Vhils Limited Edition Cognac, 34.99, Drink Supermarket If youre finding gift shopping particularly difficult then booze is always a good option. Just when you thought it couldnt get much better than a classic bottle of Hennessy cognac, the brand is continuing its ongoing series of collaborations with internationally renowned artists for another year. This time round, Hennessy has joined forces with Portuguese graffiti artist VHILS to create a limited edition bottle presented in an eye-catching gift box. A great gift for anyone with a penchant for art, or who simply enjoy a tipple every now and then, this bottle will make a great addition to any home bar. Norse Projects Beanie, 50, End Clothing Pretty much everyone suits a beanie and this soft lambswool version by Norse projects ticks all the boxes and is both stylish and practical. Crafted from British yarn, this autumnal orange version is detailed with a subtle melange ribbed knit, turned-up brim and woven brand tab. In fact, its so trendy we think it will become a staple for any well-dressed man over winter. Dior, Sauvage Shower Gel, 29, Selfridges Christmas is a great time to gift someone a new scent, but a designer brand can stretch your budget. Instead, we suggest opting for a shower gel that, while considerably cheaper, will be just as well received on the day. The epitome of luxury, our favourite is Diors Sauvage, which cleanses and conditions the skin with the same woody aroma as the fragrance. Gillette Limited Edition Flexball With Razor Stand, 23.50, Amazon Beards are slowly falling out of favour, which means the razor has once again become a worthy contender for gift giving at this time of year. But thats not to say any old razor will do. In which case, we suggest picking up Gillettes Limited Edition Flexball gift box that comes with a pro-glide chrome handle, four additional blade refills, a Fusion 5 shaving gel, and a razor stand. Designed with rubber grip for a smooth feel, the FlexBall technology responds to contours and gets virtually every hair, while the precision blades offer a shave he will barely feel. Stan Smith: Some People Think Im a Shoe!, 40, End Clothing Self-confessed sneakerphiles will surely have a pair of trainers on their Christmas list, but if your budget doesnt stretch quite that far then a book about their obsession will suffice. Celebrating the man and the shoe that bears his name, Stan Smith: Some People Think Im a Shoe! documents the style icons life in a 336-page book that includes 200 photographs and various personal recollections. Malin + Goetz, Leather Candle, 40, Space NK Homebody and fragrance fans alike will appreciate receiving a candle that will light up his pad batchelor or otherwise and leave it looking and smelling divine. Our pick is inspired by the longstanding bond between leather and perfume. Made entirely from natural waxes such as bees, vegetable and soy, it delivers a whiff of sensual sandalwood, rustic leather and suede amber. Presented in an elegant-looking glass jar, it can burn for up to 60 hours. Ideal for men who enjoy the finer things in life, this scarf is perfect for the colder months. A burgeoning area in fashion, good-quality affordable cashmere is pretty hard to come by, but this premium option delivers on both fronts. Designed with a soft ribknit finish, this camel colour is our favourite but its also available in grey, black and navy. Frank Green, Smart Cup 8oz, 21, Doppio Remember the days when carrying an oversized thermos was the only way to enjoy your coffee on the go? Oh how far weve come. Thanks to a new era of reusable coffee cups, enjoying a hot drink on your commute has never been so stylish, and this one from Frank Green is our favourite. Inspired by Australian cafe culture, its pleasingly minimalist and features a smart thermo layer that keeps your coffee hot for hours. Theyre available in a range of colours, but our favourite combination is grey and navy. One year on from bitcoin's record-breaking high of almost $20,000, the world's most valuable cryptocurrency may be about to break a new record as it approaches a new 2018 low. On 17 December, 2017, the price of one bitcoin hit $19,783, having started the year trading at around $1,000. The remarkable surge in value was followed by a series of price crashes that saw bitcoin tumble by thousands of dollars in the space of just a few days, before a steady decline took hold of the market and forced the cryptocurrency down to today's price of just $3,400. If losses continue, the price collapse could be worse than any previously experienced by bitcoin. "Today is an opportunity to look back at all the people who told you that this was going to be a new world, that you were missing out, or that you didn't understand the new paradigm taking place, and cut them out of your life," said Clement Thibault, a senior analyst at online financial platform Investing.com. "Bitcoin holds a big promise of sovereign and sound money the bubble we experienced a year ago was an unfortunate consequence of human greed and short term thinking. Bitcoin hasn't changed in the past year and it remains the same asset, whether it's worth $20,000 or $3,000. It's potential and usefulness haven't diminished with the price." Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009 On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System' Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices Lazlo Hanyecz Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Silk Road opens for business Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin Screenshot Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The first bitcoin ATM appears On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The fall of MtGox The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's big split On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's price sky rockets Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures What goes up... Bitcoin price crashes spectacularly, losing half of its value in a matter of days Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin plunges The cryptocurrency eventually bottoms out below $4,000 in 2019 before slowly rebuilding momentum to outperform more traditional assets Getty Images Other analysts say it is difficult to predict whether bitcoin will continue to fall, as the nascency of the cryptocurrency industry means it is still adjusting to many different price factors. "One year on from bitcoins all-time high, many are questioning how cryptoassets are valued, and whether they are a sensible investment," said Mati Greenspan, a market analyst at online trading firm eToro. "As a relatively new concept, cryptoassets are still finding their feet in terms of value. Its important to remember that all assets, in every market, experience a process of price discovery, and that cryptos are no different. Given the rapid growth of the crypto industry in the past years, this process has been accelerated, but long-term investors should not be deterred. Bitcoin has hit its lowest value since August 2017 (CoinMarketCap) Like many other analysts, Mr Greenspan is quick to note that this is not the first "cycle" that bitcoin has experienced in its 10 year history. Five previous cycles saw bitcoin fall by an average of 85 per cent from its high before eventually recovering to a level above that high. The latest price fall may seem dramatic due to the numbers involved but it still only represents an 83 per cent fall in value from its December 2017 price. But bitcoin only needs to fall by another $1,000 before the latest losses become record losses. "As for a short 2019 outlook, I don't see Bitcoin reaching new highs in 2019," Mr Thibault said. "I believe too many would-be early adopters got burnt badly last year, and once an asset has been labelled a bubble, a gamble, or a speculative investment, it takes time to rebuild the trust and appeal needed to push the asset forward." Scientists including researchers at Nasa have proposed a plan for a nuclear-powered robot drill that would dig into a moon in an attempt to find aliens. The plan, nicknamed "tunnelbot", would offer an opportunity to delve deep beneath the distant world of Jupiter's moon Europa and check whether there are aliens hiding beneath its surface, as some researchers suspect. The water hidden beneath Europa is considered one of the most promising places to find alien life in our own solar system. But it is stuck beneath a crust of ice, making it difficult to explore directly. Now scientists have suggested that they could send the drill to dig into that crust and explore to try and find extraterrestrial life. "We have performed a concept study for a nuclear powered tunneling probe (a tunnelbot) that can traverse through the ice shell and reach the ocean, carrying a payload that can search for nested, corroborative evidence for extant/extinct life," the researchers wrote in a proposal given at the 2018 meeting of the American Geophysical Union. "The tunnelbot would also assess the habitability of the ice shell and underlying ocean." 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 There are still a series of problems with the plan, including the question of how the tunnelbot would actually get all the way to the distant world. "How initial deployment on the surface would occur was not addressed and remains a challenge for future work," they note. Recommended Europa has huge shards of ice that could stop us finding aliens The researchers actually considered two possibilities: one that is powered by a nuclear reactor, and another by heat source bricks. Both use the heat generated from those power sources to melt through the ice sources. But burying deep into the world would come with other challenges, too. It would be hard for messages to be able to be sent through the ice, for instance, meaning that the robot would carry a cable that could send messages back up and onto Earth. The researchers also note that the tunnelbot would have to leave a cable or float when it reaches the ocean to make sure that it doesn't fall into the water when it digs through the ice. Laura Ashley has announced that it will be closing 40 of its 160 stores across the UK. The home furnishings and fashion retailer, which is owned by Malayan United Industries (MUI), plans on using the closures to build on the brand's presence in China. Andrew Khoo, who recently replaced his father Khoo Kay Peng as MUI chairman, explains the reasoning behind Laura Ashley's growth strategy. "The direction I want to go is to have not so many stores, but maybe the ones we have could be larger," he tells Press Association. "It's more about showcasing the brand." Once Laura Ashley has built a larger online presence in China, it then plans on opening stores in the region. Fashion designer and businesswoman Laura Ashley co-founded the brand with her husband, Bernard Ashley, in 1953. The first Laura Ashley store opened in South Kensington in 1968 and the brand's quintessentially British style, with its long floral dresses and soft-coloured tones, went on to define the early 1970s hippie aesthetic. Since then, Laura Ashley expanded to selling homeware in its signature floral prints inspired by the English countryside. Khoo explains that closing a number of Laura Ashley stores in the UK shouldn't affect the loyalty of its customers. Laura Ashley fashion, 1992 (Rex Features) "It doesn't really matter if they buy online or offline, we want them to get inspired." He continues, emphasising the importance of boosting the British brand's presence in Asia. "We're moving to Asia in a much bigger way," he says. "We have a regional office in Singapore, it's a dedicated office of about 10 people and it's focused purely on ecommerce into China. Recommended The hotel where Laura Ashley interiors meet Lake District views "Once we get a significant foothold in digital retail in China we can look at the physical stores rollout." Since the beginning of 2015, Laura Ashley has closed 40 of its UK stores. Khoo explains that while the retailer's clothing sales have been increasing in the UK in the lead up to Christmas, profits from furniture sales haven't been as promising. "It's a challenging environment and it could become more challenging," he says. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events "My long-term view of the UK is I have confidence in the UK and we will continue to invest in the UK. "As long as Laura Ashley stays relevant there's no reason we can't get over this little speed bump." With the news of the multiple store closures, Laura Ashley has stated that it will be moving any staff working in the affected stores to other UK shops that have been expanded. To err is human and to forgive is divine Alexander Pope Repentance seems to be out of fashion, particularly among political leaders. President Trump, for example, doesnt ask God for forgiveness for his sins because apparently he doesnt have much to apologise for. In an interview shortly before the US election he said: I have a great relationship with God ... I like to be good. I dont like to have to ask for forgiveness. And I am good. I dont do a lot of things that are bad. Of course, there are also examples of politicians expressing contrition, perhaps one of the most striking in recent years being David Camerons apology for the killing of 13 unarmed civilians by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday in 1972, the most controversial incident of the 30-year-long Northern Ireland Troubles. Proclamations of remorse serve not only to apologise to the offended party but are also offered in the hope that the life of the penitent can return to normality as quickly as possible. But, does saying sorry guarantee a passport to normality? Is a statement of remorse equivalent to being repentant? In sum, what is repentance? A Spanish model has made history as the first transgender woman to compete in the annual Miss Universe competition. It was first announced that Angela Ponce would be participating in the international beauty pageant in June 2018. While the 27-year-old wasnt awarded the crown on Sunday 16 December, which ultimately went to Miss Philippines Catriona Gray, she explained that the significance of taking part was far more important than winning the top prize. My hope is for tomorrow to be able to live in a world of equality for everyone, simply for us all to understand that we are human and we must make all our lives easier together, she said, according to Insider. If I can give that to the world, I dont need to win Miss Universe, I only need to be here. Angela Ponce representing Spain in Miss Universe 2018 (Getty Images) Ponce narrowly missed out on reaching the top 20 of the competition. The Miss Universe organisation paid tribute to the model by screening a special video montage in her honour at the pageant in Bangkok, Thailand. The video was narrated by model and co-host Ashley Graham, who praised Ponce for encapsulating the attributes expected of a Miss Universe contestant. Angela Ponce is everything youd expect from the reigning Miss Universe, Graham said, according to E! News. Shes smart. Driven. Beautiful. But her path has been anything but ordinary. And nothing short of extraordinary. Following the video montage, Ponce was met with a standing ovation as she took to the runway. As she made her way down the catwalk, she removed her Spain sash, holding it aloft in the air with pride. Many people have been praising the model following her groundbreaking appearance at the pageant, thanking her for representing the transgender community. Angela Ponce wearing a traditional Spanish bata de cola during the Miss Universe pageant (Getty Images) Angela Ponce is a winner already by simply standing in front of a world audience, one person wrote. Defying hate and bigotry. A powerful woman with beauty, advocacy, and a heart. A woman! They dedicated a special segment for Angela Ponce to acknowledge her, and recognise her representation. She is a woman, and in the eyes of the universe, she will always be a woman, another person tweeted. Im so emotional right now. You made your community proud, Miss Spain! Recommended British transgender woman opens hair salon to help others In April 2012, the Miss Universe organisation announced that it would be ending its ban on transgender contestants taking part in the competition. The rules had previously stipulated that only naturally born females could compete. Ponce expressed on Instagram how grateful she felt to be able to take part, writing: What an honour and pride to be part of the history of @missuniverse. She continued, writing: This is for you, for those who have no visibility, no voice, because we all deserve a world of respect, inclusion and freedom. And today I am here, proudly representing my nation, all women and human rights. The notion of beauty pageants has been criticised over the years, with some people claiming that they dont uphold feminist values. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Miss USA model Sarah Rose Summers recently sparked controversy after ridiculing the English-speaking abilities of fellow contestants HHen Nie, who represented Vietnam, and Rern Sinat, who represented Cambodia. After posting a live video on Instagram mocking them, she later apologised, saying: In a moment where I intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters, I said something that I now realise can be perceived as not respectful, and I apologise. My life, friendships, and career revolve around me being a compassionate and empathetic woman. I would never intend to hurt another. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced a major change in its treatment of student loans in the national accounts on Monday. But whats the reason for the reform? And what will it mean for students and government ministers? How are student loans currently accounted for? Essentially they are treated as a repayable loan from the government to students. For various technical reasons, this means that when the government borrows money (around 16bn a year) from the financial markets and hands it over to students so they can pay universities for their tuition the sum is added to the national debt (the stock of government borrowing). But it does not affect the deficit (the annual extra borrowing judged to have been done by the government). It would only show up in the deficit if and when the loan is not repaid. Whats the problem with this? The design of the student loan system is such that a large proportion of the value of those loans (almost a half) is not expected to be paid back when they are made. For instance, if a student does not earn above a certain income threshold (currently 25,000) in their future working life they never commence repayments. And after 30 years (following graduation) any students outstanding debt is written off. This write-off element makes a large tranche of these loans more like a government grant than a loan. Recommended Student loans sale by government failed to get good deal for taxpayers In theory this doesnt matter. The government deficit will simply swell when the loans are written off three decades after they are made. But, in practice, thats when todays cohort of politicians will be long retired, meaning the system arguably creates a temptation for them to create an abundance of loans today knowing that the fiscal consequences of the repayment shortfall will be some future politicians problem. Meanwhile, the accrued interest on the stock of loans is currently counted as government revenue, despite the fact that much of it will never be paid, meaning it flatters the picture of the deficit today. Another complication is that (again for financial accounting reasons) if the government sells off the packages of student loans to private investors, as it has been doing, the transaction artificially flatters the national debt. This arguably creates a temptation for ministers to sell the loans to the private sector for less than they are truly worth. Such distortions, it is widely agreed, make the current accounting system unsatisfactory. The governments official spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, says that the accounting treatment of student loans creates fiscal illusions. So what has the ONS ruled today? That the portion of new student loans that are expected to be written off when they are made by the government will be included in the annual borrowing figures. This is estimated to increase the annual deficit by around 12bn, of 0.6 per cent of GDP. The official accounts are set to reflect this change from the Autumn of 2019. The national debt will be unaffected. What does it mean for students? Nothing changes directly. The size of their personal nominal debt remains the same. House of Commons Library And so do their repayment and write-off conditions. However, some fear that the accounting change, by pushing up recorded government borrowing today, could influence ministers to reduce the amounts available in student loans, or prompt them to tighten up the repayment terms. What does this mean for the Governments finances? The 12bn increase in the deficit is bad news for the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, because he has made a reduction in the deficit a central part of his fiscal mandate. He has committed to cutting the deficit to below 2 per cent of GDP in 2020-21. He is currently projected to achieve that with around 15bn to spare. This accounting change threatens to wipe out almost all of that leeway. This may put him under pressure to either miss his target or to raise taxes or cut spending (all politically difficult) if the economy stumbles and tax revenues undershoot expectations. Malaysian prosecutors have filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two of its former executives over their role in a scandal that allegedly saw billions embezzled from a state investment fund. Attorney general Tommy Thomas is seeking millions of dollars in fines from Goldman, which arranged three bond sales for the 1MDB fund. The bank collected $600m (474m) in fees for its services many times more than industry norms. Malaysia claims Goldman was aware $2.7bn of the money raised would be likely to be stolen. The bank denies wrongdoing. Former Goldman bankers Roger Ng Chong Hwa and Tim Leissner face prison sentences of up to 10 years if found guilty. The pair are accused of bribing Malaysian officials to secure a role in the bond sales Authorities from multiple countries allege as much as $4.5bn was misappropriated from the investment fund, which had ostensibly been set up to aid development in Malaysia. Recommended Goldman Sachs could get away with the biggest financial con in history Having held themselves out as the pre-eminent global adviser/arranger for bonds, the highest standards are expected of Goldman Sachs, the attorney general said in a statement. They have fallen far short of any standard. In consequence, they have to be held accountable. The scandal has already resulted in prime minister Najib Razak losing power in an historic election defeat this year. Mr Najib denies corruption charges and has said more than $700m that passed through his bank account was a political donation from the Saudi royal family. US legal filings allege money stolen from 1MDB was spent on, among other things, luxury properties, diamond jewellery for Mr Najibs wife, a yacht and artwork. It is alleged The Wolf of Wall Street was part funded by cash from the 1MDB account (Rex Features) Some of the funds even financed Hollywood films including The Wolf of Wall Street, prosecutors say. We believe these charges are misdirected and we will vigorously defend them and look forward to the opportunity to present our case, Goldman spokesman Edward Naylor said in a statement. The firm continues to cooperate with all authorities investigating these matters. Prosecutors plan to seek fines well in excess of the amount allegedly stolen because of the severity of the violations of Malaysias laws, Thomas said. Mr Leissner, who headed Goldmans operations in Southeast Asia, pleaded guilty in the US last month to money laundering conspiracy and conspiring to violate bribery laws. Mr Ng was arrested in Malaysia last month and one of the men at the centre of the scandal, Low Taek Jho, remains at large. As has been stated previously, Mr Low will not submit to any jurisdiction where guilt has been predetermined by politics and there is no independent legal process, a spokesperson for Mr Low said in a statement on Monday. It is clear that Mr Low cannot get a fair trial in Malaysia, where the regime has proven numerous times that they have no interest in the rule of law. Mr Low became well known in New York and Los Angeles nightclub circles before being charged. In 2012 he threw a lavish birthday bash attended by celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Kim Kardashian. Jaguar Land Rover is set to cut thousands of jobs as part of a 2.5bn cost-cutting drive as it battles falling sales of diesel cars, weak demand in China and Brexit uncertainty. Up to 5,000 staff could be made redundant in the new year one in eight of JLRs workforce the Financial Times reported. A JLR spokesperson would not confirm details of the reported plans. The British carmaker cut 1,000 agency staff at its Solihull plant earlier this year and a further 1,000 permanent employees are working a three-day week until Christmas as production is scaled down. The company is struggling from a 30 per cent slump in sales of diesel vehicles, which have been linked to high levels of air pollution. Nine in 10 cars JLR sold last year in the UK were diesels, making it the car manufacturer that is most exposed to a government crackdown. In October, JLR outlined an 18-month blueprint for cutting costs and improving cash flow but did not reveal how many jobs would go as a result. JLRs boss Ralf Speth has warned of a further negative consequences from a bad Brexit deal which he said could cost the company 1.2bn a year and put tens of thousands of British jobs at risk. The company is facing a very, very difficult situation, said Mr Speth after unveiling a 354m loss in the half-year to October. Sales in China, seen as a key growth market, plummeted 44 per cent. Jaguar XK: The big cat leaps into the 21st century Show all 2 1 /2 Jaguar XK: The big cat leaps into the 21st century Jaguar XK: The big cat leaps into the 21st century The convertible was designed before the coupe version Jaguar XK: The big cat leaps into the 21st century The latest news adds to woes at the UKs biggest carmaker which produced 532,107 vehicles last year and had until recently been on an almost uninterrupted upward trajectory since being taken over by Indias Tata Motors in 2008. The Unite trade union criticised the governments demonisation of diesel, adding: Unite will continue to press the carmaker for assurances over the jobs and skills of our members who have worked tirelessly over the past decade to make the company the global success story it is today. A JLR spokesman said: Jaguar Land Rover notes media speculation about the potential impact of its ongoing charge and accelerate transformation programmes. As announced when we published our second quarter results, these programmes aim to deliver 2.5bn of cost, cash and profit improvements over the next two years. Jaguar Land Rover does not comment on rumours concerning any part of these plans. An extra 12bn will be added to the UKs annual deficit after the statistics regulator ruled student loans that are unlikely to be repaid should count as government spending. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has decided that the unpaid portion of loans should be included in official accounts. The ruling comes amid concern that the current system where loans for tuition fees and maintenance are not recorded in public finances creates a fiscal illusion. This change will increase the governments budget deficit, to ensure it properly reflects the true picture of government spending because student loan debt writeoffs that would have taken place in 2040 and beyond will be reflected as government spending now, the ONS said. The new approach will lead to the deficit being increased by around 12bn in the current year, the regulator has said. The decision is likely to influence the governments post-18 education and funding review, due to report early next year, amid pressure to reduce the cost of lending. Tuition fees could be cut, or a cap on student numbers could be introduced, to limit the negative impact on the national deficit. Angela Rayner, Labours shadow education secretary, said: The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that the student loans system is a fiscal illusion which flatters the governments record on the public finances. This does not give the public the full picture and must be fixed. With almost half the cost of the current system being subsidised by the government, its right that this should be made explicit rather than disguised in the official accounts. With a potential 12bn hit to the deficit coming, it is time for ministers to be honest with the public and tell them how they will meet the cost of funding higher education. She added: The current system is creating a ballooning mass of unsustainable debt. Labour would scrap tuition fees and restore maintenance grants, being upfront and honest about what this costs and how we fund it, as we did in our fully costed 2017 election manifesto. The University and College Union (UCU) said the move exposed flaws in the current system and that the post-18 review, led by Philip Augar, should propose a radical new approach to funding. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Matt Waddup, head of policy and campaigns at UCU, said: Successive governments funding reforms have done nothing but raise fees and student debt. Its crucial that any future changes dont reduce university funding or lock potential students out of learning. What we need is a new approach which recognises that higher education is a public good and should be funded through taxation, including an increased contribution from business. For too long one of the key beneficiaries of our higher education system has contributed too little. Businesses benefit from the pool of talented graduates from universities and it is only right they start to pay their fair share. On the decision from the ONS, Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank, warned that students are likely to get hit because they look more costly to taxpayers. He said: Unless we are careful, we are at risk of sleepwalking into a triple whammy of fewer university places, less funding per student and tougher student loan repayment terms. Student news in pictures Show all 34 1 /34 Student news in pictures Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain a student demonstrator during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain student protestors during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. The protesters demanded that the parliament takes steps to impeach President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures Filipino demonstrators face off with anti-riot police during a protest near the US Embassy in Manila, Philippine EPA Student news in pictures Hundreds of protesters including Indigenous People, students and militant groups marched towards the US Embassy to protest against the presence of US military troops and condemning the violent dispersal which left at least forty people hurt including twenty police officers and three people who were run over by a police van EPA Student news in pictures A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students Student news in pictures A man holds up a photograph of a missing student with a caption reading 'We are missing 43,' during a meeting marking the 25-month anniversary of the disappearances of 43 students in the southern state of Guerrero, in Mexico City. A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students AP Student news in pictures Miguel Perez, an intern student from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, puts away his cell phone before walking into the operating room at the Dr. Isaac Gonzalez MartInez Oncological Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Once they complete their general surgery training, many residents are moving to the United States in search of better wages, one of the main factors linked to the current shortage of specialists in the Island Student news in pictures Fewer EU students have applied to start university courses in the UK next autumn. There was a 9% fall in the numbers who had applied for courses, according to admissions service UCAS. PA wire Student news in pictures University students protest against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela. Masses of protesters jammed the streets of Venezuela's capital on the heels of a move by congress to open a political trial against Maduro, whose allies have blocked moves for a recall election AP Student news in pictures University students protest against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela AP Student news in pictures Thousands, most of them high school students, march during a demonstration in Madrid, Spain, on a one day strike to protest about the country's education law that increases the number of annual exams AP Student news in pictures Students gather on the west mall to confront the Young Conservatives of Texas student organization over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action Student news in pictures Donald Parish Jr, right, confronts Electrical and Computer Engineering senior Dewayne Perry over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action AP Student news in pictures Brigham Young University announced that students who report sexual assault will no longer be investigated for possible violations of the Mormon-owned school's strict honor code that bans such things as alcohol use AP Student news in pictures Students of secondary education march to protest against the final examinations and LOMCE (The Improvement Quality Education Law) law, after a call by trade unions, in Murcia, Spain EPA Student news in pictures South African police have used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of protesters who had marched to the parliament building to call for free university education, where the finance minister was giving a budget speech AP Student news in pictures Police break up student protests outside the parliament in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures South African Policemen fire rubber bullets at student protestors in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures A student protestor is hit by a rubber bullet in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures An injured student is helped by colleagues during protest outside the parliament during South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's medium term budget speech in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures Plaintiffs and bereaved families of elementary school students killed in the tsunami that followed a major earthquake in northeastern Japan in 2011, show banners that say 'victory in a suit filed with the Sendai District Court' in Sendai. A Japanese court ordered municipalities to pay $13.7 million dollars to families of school children who were swept away to their deaths by the 2011 tsunami Getty Student news in pictures A group of student at Ewha Womans University calls for a thorough investigation into those involved in years of engagement with state affairs backstage by Choi Soon-sil, a personal confidante of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, at the school's front gate in Seoul, South Korea EPA Student news in pictures Students raise placards during a strike action called by the student union, in Madrid against university entry exams Getty Student news in pictures Libyans throw a newly graduated student into a fountain as they celebrate during the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Libyans celebrate as they attend the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Libyans celebrate as they attend the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Thousands of Thai Catholic students take part in mourning tributes and in singing the Thai Royal Anthem to honour late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Saint Dominic School in Bangkok, Thailand EPA Student news in pictures Students of Silpakorn University paint portraits of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the university campus in Bangkok Getty Student news in pictures A student of Silpakorn University paints a portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the university campus in Bangkok Getty Student news in pictures St Andrews University students take part in a foam fight known as Raisin Monday in the Lower College Lawn behind St Salvator's Quadrangle following the Raisin Weekend PA wire Student news in pictures St Andrews University students take part in a foam fight known as Raisin Monday in the Lower College Lawn behind St Salvator's Quadrangle following the Raisin Weekend, an annual tradition where student 'parents' inflict tasks on the unfortunate first-years they have adopted as 'children' as part of a mentoring scheme PA wire Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) in Havana, Cuba Reuters Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) take part in a practice in Havana, Cuba Reuters Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) wait in line to enter a classroom in Havana, Cuba Reuters Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of Universities UK, said: At a time when demand for highly skilled graduates is growing, it is essential that universities are properly and sustainably funded to ensure students receive the high quality university experience they rightly expect. That means avoiding kneejerk reactions to the ONS review which would reduce the amount universities receive per student or lead to fewer students being able to benefit from higher education. Cuts to fees or capping student numbers risks throwing the progress that government and universities have made on social mobility into reverse. Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group, said: Ministers may now be tempted to cut university funding because it will look better for the deficit, but good policy shouldnt be dictated by accounting rules. Universities should be funded sustainably because of the vast social and economic benefits they bring. If this change results in a cut to university funding then it will be students who suffer. The ONS is due to implement the decision in the governments accounts in the autumn of 2019. A Government spokesperson said: This is a technical accounting decision by the independent ONS. It does not affect students, who can still access loans to help with tuition fees and the cost of living and which they will only start repaying when they are earning above 25,000. Violent storm surges along the Sussex coast have revealed a wealth of dinosaur footprints after sections of the sandstone cliffs collapsed. Prints belonging to iconic creatures including a species of stegosaur, the armoured ankylosaurus and predatory theropod dinosaurs were all discovered at the site near Hastings. The team said the treasure trove provided a rare insight into the lives of the ancient beasts and how they interacted with each other. Dating to about 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, the footprints location would once have been a water source rich in sticky mud that allowed for detailed preservation. Whole body fossils of dinosaurs are incredibly rare, said Anthony Shillito, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge who led the study. Usually you only get small pieces, which dont tell you a lot about how that dinosaur may have lived. A collection of footprints like this helps you fill in some of the gaps and infer things about which dinosaurs were living in the same place at the same time. More than 85 well-preserved prints emerged over four winters as storms battered the cliffs, including the best specimens to be found in the region for decades. An ankylosaurus footprint from the Sussex site with skin and claw impressions (Neil Davies) As well as the large abundance and diversity of these prints, we also see absolutely incredible detail, said Mr Shillito, who published his findings in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. You can clearly see the texture of the skin and scales, as well as four-toed claw marks, which are extremely rare. 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 As part of his research, Mr Shillito is investigating how dinosaurs acted as environmental engineers in these ancient floodplains, shaping the landscape with their massive bodies. Today large animals like hippopotamuses and cows affect water flow by creating channels as they move through mud, and the Sussex footprints suggest dinosaurs did the same thing millions of years earlier. Recommended Dinosaur footprints mistakenly thrown into lake by tourists The Hastings region is known for its rich seams of dinosaur fossils, including the first known iguanodon, discovered there in 1825, and the first confirmed example of fossilised dinosaur brain tissue in 2016. There are likely more footprints waiting to be discovered within the cliffs, but improved sea defences in the area mean many of them will probably stay locked in the rock as they are now protected from surges. People with radical political views, both on the left and the right, are less able to judge when they are incorrect, a study suggests. Scientists at University College London found those on the political fringes tended to overestimate their certainty after getting questions wrong. But the researchers were not testing their knowledge of politics. Instead, they used a simple game in which participants had to gauge which picture they were presented with contained more dots. Their study was an attempt to measure metacognition the term for a persons ability to recognise when they are wrong. They wanted to establish whether the dogmatic beliefs of political radicals were down to overconfidence in those specific opinions, or more general differences in metacognition. In their study, the scientists asked two groups of around 400 people to complete surveys measuring their political beliefs and attitudes towards alternative world views. From these surveys they identified those at the extreme right and left ends of the spectrum. These individuals were characterised by radical views concerning authoritarianism and intolerance towards others. Participants were then asked to complete a simple task in which they looked at two pictures and judged which one had the most dots on it. Tommy Robinson and Ukip lead Brexit 'betrayal' London protest amid huge police operation Afterwards they were asked to rate how confident they are in making their decisions, and the scientists used cash rewards to incentivise them to judge their confidence accurately. We found that people who hold radical political beliefs have worse metacognition than those with more moderate views, said lead author and neuroscientist Dr Steve Fleming. They often have a misplaced certainty when theyre actually wrong about something, and are resistant to changing their beliefs in the face of evidence that proves them wrong. 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 To test how participants reacted to being proved wrong, they were shown a bonus set of dots that should have nudged them towards the correct decision. For moderates who had made the wrong decision the first time, being shown this bonus information made them less confident in their choice. Radicals, on the other hand, held onto their initial decision even after seeing evidence suggesting it was incorrect. While the researchers were confident their results stood up to scrutiny, having replicated them in two sets of people, their task only explained some of the radicalism on show. Stand Up To Racism protest against Brexit 'betrayal' march in central London We suspect that this is because the task is completely unrelated to politics people may be even more unwilling to admit to being wrong if politics had come into play, said PhD student Max Rollwage. One conclusion they drew from their study, published in the journal Current Biology, was that the failure of metacognition held true across the political spectrum. They said this suggested radicalism was based on a way of thinking that transcends political inclinations. A man who admitted stabbing his estranged wife and her mother to death outside their home has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 32 years. Janbaz Tarin admitted the double murders in a frenzied knife attack. He killed Raneem Oudeh and Khaola Saleem outside Ms Saleems home after midnight on 27 August. Tarin, 21, of Sparkhill, Birmingham, had armed himself with a knife after a public row with Ms Oudeh, who was his wife under Islamic law, before driving to the scene and launching his attack as she telephoned police. Her mother tried to intervene to save Ms Oudeh, at which point she too was fatally stabbed. Sentencing Tarin at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, the judge told him his crimes had devastated the victims family. Ms Justice Sue Carr said: Janbaz Tarin, you are now 21 years old and stand convicted on your guilty pleas of the murders of your estranged wife, Raneem Oudeh and her mother, Khaola Saleem, in the early hours of Monday, August 27. Having stalked Raneem the evening before, you equipped yourself with a knife, followed Raneem to her mothers address and carried out a vicious and sustained attack on both women. After the attack, Tarin fled, leading police on a three-day manhunt before his dramatic capture by officers. Ms Oudeh had dumped her husband in the weeks before his attack after learning he had three children and a secret wife who was pregnant with a fourth child in Afghanistan, the court heard. Tarin, who met Ms Oudeh at Solihull College, had also lied to her about how old he was. He was abusive towards her in the relationship and she had previously contacted the police about his violent behaviour, the hearing was told. When she discovered his web of deceit Ms Oudeh dumped him. But Tarin repeatedly harassed his former partner, sleeping outside Ms Saleems address for 12 consecutive nights. Ms Oudeh had secured a non-molestation order against him after he smashed her phone on 10 August. But he flouted the ban and in the hours leading up to the assault Ms Oudeh made three calls to police. She was on the phone to a 999 call handler when Tarin struck. In the weeks before her murder, Ms Oudeh told family members he had threatened her, saying: If you leave me, I will kill you and your family. With the help of her mother, Ms Oudeh, who had a two-year-old son from another relationship, secured the court order two weeks before her death. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events On the night of 26 August, Tarin followed his victims to a shisha lounge. There was a confrontation involving the three and Tarin was ejected by staff after being heard making threats to kill his estranged wife. He left the scene, armed himself with a knife and drove to Ms Saleems home, where he violently attacked the women outside their front door. He was captured on CCTV fleeing on foot and hid from police for three days, triggering a huge manhunt by West Midlands Police. A tip-off by a member of the public led to his capture, although a criminal investigation is continuing into those who may have assisted Tarin in evading justice. Police and bomb disposal experts were called to an Asda supermarket in Chelmsford in Essex following a report of a suspicious package on Monday. The store was evacuated and a Ministry of Defence explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) unit sent in to investigate. Essex Police, the East of England Ambulance service and Essex County Fire and Rescue were all called out to the supermarket in the Chelmer Village area shortly after 10am on Monday. Both staff and shoppers were told to make their way outside as the emergency services arrived and police cordoned off both the store and car park. Employees were allowed to return inside more than two hours later as police gave the supermarket all-clear shortly before 1pm. The bomb disposal experts removed the package and took it away away for testing. A spokesman for Essex Police said: We were called at 10.10am today with reports of a suspicious package at Asda in Chelmer Village, Chelmsford. The force later added: We have lifted the cordon at the Asda store ... and the Ministry of Defence EOD unit has taken the package away. Our investigations and enquiries are continuing. Shoppers were initially seen huddled in the car park immediately outside the Chelmer Village Asda branch following the bomb scare before police widened the cordon. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A shopper browses Christmas trees for sale at Pines and Needles in Dulwich, London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 November 2021 A murmuration of hundreds of thousands of starlings fly over a field at dusk in Cumbria, close to the Scottish border PA UK news in pictures 24 November 2021 Migrants are helped ashore from a RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat at a beach in Dungeness, on the south-east coast of England, on November 24, 2021, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel. AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 23 November 2021 The coffin of Sir David Amess is carried past politicians, including former Prime Ministers Sir John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the requiem mass for the MP at Westminster Cathedral, central London PA UK news in pictures 22 November 2021 The scene in Dragon Rise, Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset where police have launched a murder probe after two people were found dead Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 21 November 2021 London-based midwife Sarah Muggleton, 27, takes part in a 'March with Midwives' in central London to highlight the crisis in maternity services PA UK news in pictures 20 November 2021 Police officers monitor as climate change activists sit down and block traffic during a protest action in solidarity with activists from the Insulate Britain group who received prison terms for blocking roads, on Lambeth Bridge in central London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 19 November 2021 A giant installation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson made from recycled clothing goes on display at Manchester Central, as part of Manchester Art Fair, in a 'wake-up call for the Prime Minister to tackle textile waste' PA UK news in pictures 18 November 2021 The scene at a recycling centre in Stert, near Devizes in Wiltshire after a large blaze was brought under control. The fire broke out on Wednesday night the fire service has said and local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to large amounts of smoke PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2021 The sun rises over South Shields Lighthouse, on the North East coast of England PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2021 ancer Maithili Vijayakumar at the launch of 2021 Diwali celebrations at St Andrew Square in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 15 November 2021 Forensic officers work outside Liverpool Women's Hospital, following a car blast, in Liverpool Reuters UK news in pictures 14 November 2021 Wreaths by the Cenotaph after the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall, London PA UK news in pictures 13 November 2021 Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is ending his hunger strike in central London after almost three weeks. Ratcliffe has spent 21 days camped outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London without food. He began his demonstration on 24 October after his wife lost her latest appeal in Iran, saying his family was caught in a dispute between two states PA UK news in pictures 12 November 2021 Peter Green protesting outside the Cop26 gates during the official final day of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow. PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2021 Seagulls fly around the statue entitled 'Tommy', a first World War soldier by artist Ray Lonsdale at dawn in Seaham, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 10 November 2021 Climate activists dressed as characters inspired by the Netflix series Squid Game protest as they ask Samsung to go 100% renewable energy, outside the venue for COP26 in Glasgow Reuters UK news in pictures 9 November 2021 A deer statue silhouetted at Loch Faskally in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 8 November 2021 Sunrise over St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay on the North East coast of England PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2021 Activists from Friends of the Earth during a demonstration calling for an end to all new oil and gas projects in the North Sea outside the UK Government's Cop26 hub during the Cop26 summit in Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2021 Protesters take part in a rally organised by the Cop26 Coalition in Glasgow demanding global climate justice PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2021 Final touches are made to a life sized Sir David Attenborough cake surrounded by animals as part of a display created by a group of cake artists during Cake International at NEC Birmingham PA UK news in pictures 4 November 2021 A spectacular display of the Northern Lights seen over Derwentwater, near Keswick in the Lake District PA UK news in pictures 3 November 2021 Police and demonstrators at a Extinction Rebellion protest on Buchanan Street, during the Cop26 summit in Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 2 November 2021 A person walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 1 November 2021 Sir David Attenborough delivers a speech during Cop26 in Glasgow Reuters UK news in pictures 31 October 2021 Extinction Rebellion activists protest in Edinburgh as the Cop26 conference begins in Glasgow Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2021 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with Mapuche leader and Minga Indigena Lead Coordinator Claflin Lafkenche (right) alongside indigenous delegates at a ceremonial gathering at the Tramway in Glasgow in a symbolic gesture to mark a unified demand for climate justice PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2021 Ocean Rebellion put on a display of puking oil heads ahead of climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow EPA UK news in pictures 28 October 2021 A man dressed as Santa Claus outside Selfridges in London as the department store unveils its Christmas windows on Oxford Street PA UK news in pictures 27 October 2021 Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak during a visit to Fourpure Brewery in Bermondsey, London, after the chancellor announced a cut to beer taxes in his budget PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2021 Activist Steve Bray demonstrates with a toilet outside the gates of Downing Street, after MPs voted in Parliament against the Environment Bill, allowing companies to pump raw sewage into UK rivers and seas, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 October 2021 Second World War veteran James White, 96, at the opening of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance, marking the start of the remembrance period PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2021 Richard Ratcliffe holds up a photo of his wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe as he protests outside the Foreign Office while on hunger strike, part of an effort to lobby the UK foreign secretary to bring his wife home from detention in Iran Getty UK news in pictures 23 October 2021 Partner of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Stella Morris and Editor in Chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsson attend a protest ahead of the appeal hearing over Assange's extradition, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 22 October 2021 Palace Gardener Justine Howlett adds the finishing touches to pumpkins bearing the face of Henry VIII and his wives, at Hampton Court Palace. PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2021 Flooded fields near Lingfield in Surrey, after southern England was hit overnight by heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Aurore moving in from France PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2021 A wing surfer enjoys the strong winds as they surf in the sea off of Hayling Island in Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 19 October 2021 Actor Jude Law holds hands with Little Amal, a 3.5-metre-tall puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian girl, as it arrives in Folkestone, Kent, as part of the Handspring Puppet Company's 'The Walk' PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2021 A view over Southend-on-Sea in Essex, which is set to become a city in tribute to Sir David Amess MP, who spent years campaigning for the change Getty UK news in pictures 17 October 2021 Members of the Essex Bangladeshi Welfare Association pay their respects by floral tributes laid at the scene where Sir David Amess MP was killed at Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea Reuters UK news in pictures 16 October 2021 Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer, Priti Patel and Lindsay Hoyle pay respects to Sir David Amess at Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea, the site of his death EPA UK news in pictures 15 October 2021 A person lays flowers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess has died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. A man has been arrested and officers are not looking for anyone else PA UK news in pictures 14 October 2021 A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2021 Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock Reuters UK news in pictures 12 October 2021 The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2021 A young girl is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel. PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2021 People walk past a life-size sculpture of British singer John Lennon entitled "Imagine", by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener, displayed to mark what would have been the 81st birthday for the former member of the Beatles in Carnaby Street Reuters One bystander tweeted: Something is going down at Chelmer Village Asda. All three emergency services are there and more are appearing on blues and twos. Police have closed off the access to the car park. Asda, owned by US retail giant Walmart, referred to the police statement when contacted for comment. Company bosses whose firms pester people with nuisance calls will be held personally liable and can be fined up to 500,000 under laws that take effect today. Business directors will have nowhere to hide if their firm breaks the law, the government says. Under the crackdown, data-protection watchdog the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) may hold bosses directly responsible. Previously, only the business itself was liable for fines. Some companies escaped paying large penalties by declaring bankruptcy, only to open again under a different name, officials say. Ofcom estimates consumers were bombarded with 3.9 billion nuisance phone calls and texts last year. Minister for digital and creative industries Margot James said: We are determined to stamp this menace out and this new law is the latest in a series of measures to rid society of the plague of nuisance calls. Andy Curry, of the ICO, said: We welcome this amendment to the law, which will increase the tools we have to protect the public. It will mean we can recover the fine more easily and also make it much harder for unscrupulous operators to set up in business again. The ICO issued fines totalling 1.9m to 23 companies for nuisance marketing in the year 2016-2017. The governments long-expected post-Brexit immigration plan will have no reference to the Conservative manifesto pledge to reduce net migration down to the tens of thousands. Whitehall sources confirmed to The Independent that the target long-championed by Theresa May as home secretary and prime minister does not appear anywhere in the document. The target will still exist as a manifesto pledge until the next election at least, but its absence is a clear sign policy has now moved away from the numbers-based approach backed by Ms May. Publication of the white paper was pencilled in for Wednesday but is yet to be confirmed, amid reports that Ms May is at odds with ministers over her desire to frame the new system as an immigration crackdown. Instead there is a push for the governments new approach to be positively framed as a system serving the skills needs of the UK economy as it leaves the EU. Recommended May attempts to quash calls for a Final Say Brexit referendum The news is a victory for The Independents Drop the Target campaign, launched back in April 2017 with Open Britain, to see the blunt policy ditched. The writing has been on the wall for the target set out in Tory manifestos from 2010, 2015 and last year since Ms Mays authority was critically weakened after losing her partys majority at the 2017 election. Several ministers have indicated they do not fully support it, including home secretary Sajid Javid, his predecessor Amber Rudd, now pensions secretary, and international trade secretary Liam Fox. Theresa May apologies for previously saying EU citizens had 'jumped the queue' under current immigration rules Discussing the white paper, a Whitehall source said of the target: Its not in there, and it wont be unless someone slips it in at the last minute. Instead the paper will talk about reducing migration to sustainable levels, a phrase used recently in an interview by Mr Javid, who has also distanced himself from the hostile environment policies once backed by Ms May. People want to end free movement, and the document does talk about reducing net migration to sustainable levels, but its more about what that will actually look like Whitehall source A leak to The Sunday Times at the weekend focussed on potential reductions of numbers in EU migrants that the plan would bring. But The Independents source explained that the new system was a clear step towards changing the shape of the immigration debate away from numbers and towards an approach that ensures the UK has the skills it needs. People want to end free movement, and the document does talk about reducing net migration to sustainable levels, but its more about what that will actually look like, the source added. The process of pushing the immigration white paper through has been arduous, requiring approval from a number of departments including the Treasury and the Department for Business, run by Philip Hammond and Greg Clark respectively both who have prioritised reducing the impact of Brexit on the economy. Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration Show all 3 1 /3 Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration 405361.bin GETTY IMAGES Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration 405362.bin GETTY IMAGES Pride and prejudice: The Victorian roots of a very British ambivalence to immigration 405363.bin GETTY IMAGES Elements of the plan to have already appeared in the press indicate there will be no cap on highly skilled migrants from anywhere in the world. Medium-skilled migrants will be allowed in if they have a job paying at least 30,000 a year, but migrants with skills Britain needs will be granted visas on a lower salary. Low-skilled workers will get short-term visas of up to a year if they are from a country that is a low risk of immigration abuse, while students will be granted six months of study leave and can switch to a skilled workers visa three months before the end of their course. Ms May championed the target when she was running the Home Office and fought battles with then-chancellor George Osborne, who was pushing for it to be lifted. At the time The Independent launched its campaign to ditch the target, Ms Mays allies were certain it would be retained in a post-Brexit plan, saying it was unfinished business from her six years at the Home Office. But the departure from the target now marks the decline in Ms Mays authority, with her pledging only last week that she would not lead the Conservatives into the 2022 election, as she fought to save her job in the face of a backbench coup. As well as Mr Javid, Ms Rudd also refused to endorse the tens of thousands target while at the Home Office, while Mr Fox said in August that the target was in place at the moment, but the government needed to look at how it shaped its immigration policy in the future. Labour is set to table a motion of no confidence in Theresa May if she refuses to name a date for parliament to vote on her Brexit deal. Jeremy Corbyn was to put the idea forward in the House of Commons on Monday, following the prime minister refusal to let MPs vote on the proposal. The move could have a political impact on Ms May if a sizeable number of Tory MPs backed it, but it would not carry a legal obligation on Ms May to stand down or the government to hold an election. Mr Corbyn has been under pressure to call a legally binding vote of no confidence on the whole government which could trigger a general election but so far has refused to. Ms May scraped through an internal Conservative party confidence vote in her leadership last week, but more than 100 of her own MPs voted against her. She is under increasing pressure to makes plans for the expected defeat of her Brexit deal in January. Labour sources indicated Mr Corbyn would make the move when Ms May comes to give her Commons statement on last week's talks at the European Council on her Brexit deal. But they confirmed the move would not come under the auspices of the Fixed Term Parliament Act, which means for an election to happen the government must win a vote in the Commons by a two-thirds majority, or lose a vote of no confidence by a simple majority Last week 117 Tory MPs voted against Ms May in an internal plot to remove her, but it is far from clear as to whether that number would back a Labour move to attack the PM. "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 None the less, cabinet ministers openly are discussing how to respond if Ms May's Brexit deal is rejected, with the possibility of the Commons being asked to choose from a menu of alternatives in order to break the deadlock. The prime minister was to use her statement in the Commons to condemn calls for a second Brexit referendum, but one of her closest allies said "all options" should be on the table. Work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd said it would be important to find out the "will of Parliament" on how to proceed, while business secretary Greg Clark also appeared to back an indicative vote to find out what - if anything - MPs could support. The prime minister will say that a new national poll would do "irreparable damage" to the integrity of British politics. A third cabinet minister has called for MPs to be allowed to break the Brexit deadlock through a series of votes on the options, as pressure grows on Theresa May to give way. Greg Clark, the business secretary, said the Commons should be invited to say what it would agree with if as seems certain the prime ministers deal is defeated. The comment follows similar endorsements from Liam Fox, the trade secretary and a key May ally, and Damian Hinds, the education secretary, over the weekend. Today, senior Labour MP Frank Field will launch a push by backbenchers for the Commons to be able to rank its preferences for potential alternatives to the doomed withdrawal agreement. Meanwhile, former Tory minister Sam Gyimah who resigned over the Brexit deal accused the prime minister of effectively giving up on trying to pass it. Recommended May attempts to quash calls for a Final Say Brexit referendum Instead we have displacement activity designed to distract from last weeks failed renegotiation, he tweeted, pointing to Ms Mays overnight dismissal of a Final Say referendum. And a concerted attempt to discredit every plausible alternative as they run down the clock. This is not in the national interest. The idea of non-binding indicative votes on options including the Norway-plus soft Brexit model, a fresh referendum and a no-deal Brexit is gaining ground as the stalemate drags on. 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" Downing Street has rejected the move so far in favour of continuing negotiations with Brussels into the New Year despite the EUs outright rejection of legal changes to the withdrawal deal on Friday. But Mr Clark, speaking on BBC Radio 4, said other options had to be brought forward if the attempted renegotiation were not to be successful. I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with, and that's something that I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics. Mr Clark also warned a second referendum would continue the uncertainty for many more months, but did not rule it out. Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, Philip Hammond, the chancellor, David Gauke, the justice secretary, David Mundell, the Scotland secretary, and David Lidington, the cabinet office minister, are also understood to back votes on the options. Instead, in a Commons statement today, the prime minister will turn her fire on Final Say supporters, claiming it would do irreparable damage to the integrity our politics. Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last. And another vote would further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it, she will say. Tom Brake, a Liberal Democrat supporter for the anti-Brexit Best for Britain group, said: When even Dr Fox encourages the idea of indicative votes in Parliament, the Brexit project is clearly in jeopardy. "All this just shows how the government are in total, complete and utter chaos. To call them rudderless is the understatement of the century. The controversy will come to a head at a cabinet meeting, when a separate group of Brexiteer ministers will urge the prime minister to step up preparations for crashing out of the EU instead. The government is expected to accelerate no-deal Brexit preparations on Tuesday with an extra 2bn funnelled to Whitehall departments. Ministers already receive regular updates on no-deal planning, but the issue is set to dominate the final cabinet meeting before Christmas with uncertainty still surrounding Brexit. It was reported that health secretary Matt Hancock had pushed the button on his own advanced no-deal plans and was to call on others to do the same. Theresa May gave a statement to the Commons on Monday in which she addressed MPs about the European Council summit which ended with her needing further concessions to make her deal viable. Tory and opposition MPs began to question whether Ms May is simply trying to run down the clock so that MPs would eventually be faced with a time-pressured choice between her deal and no deal. The prime ministers official spokesman said on Monday that there would be an announcement shortly about spending the Treasurys 2bn contingency no-deal contingency fund. Insiders later indicated that this is likely to happen later this week after cabinet had discussed the decision. It has already been reported that Mr Hancock activated NHS no-deal plans last week amid spiralling fears key medicines could be caught up in chaos at the border. A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA It is also thought that international development secretary Penny Mordaunt is among those who would actually back the idea of a managed no deal. The prime minister warned MPs that rejecting her deal in a vote now due in the week starting 14 January would not result in an alternative miraculously appearing. Avoiding no deal is only possible if we can reach an agreement or if we abandon Brexit entirely, she said. In a warning to campaigners calling for a second referendum, she said it would break faith with the British people and do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics. But one of Ms Mays closest allies said all options should remain open if the deal is rejected. MPs should vote on how to break brexit deadlock, says Greg Clark Pensions secretary Amber Rudd said it would be important to find out the will of Parliament on how to proceed, while business secretary Greg Clark also appeared to back an indicative vote to find out what if anything MPs could support. Mr Clark told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that if the deal was rejected we cant just have continuing uncertainty, and I think parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with. Downing Street said talks by officials were continuing at all levels in Brussels to seek further clarification and assurances on the terms of the existing deal and particularly the nature of the proposed backstop as agreed at the European Council last week. But European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas said no further meetings between the EU and the UK to discuss the Brexit deal are expected. The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible we will not reopen it, it will not be renegotiated, he said. Meanwhile, Ms May rejected reports that predecessor David Cameron was giving her advice on handling the Brexit process. She told the Commons: He is not giving advice, the last time I spoke to him was when we actually agreed the Withdrawal Agreement, when I spoke to two former prime ministers as a matter of courtesy to indicate to them what had been negotiated with the European Union. The idea of giving the public a Final Say on Brexit is gaining popular currency, with reports that allies of the prime minister are belatedly coming around to the idea of a second referendum. But there is one problem: if a second vote is to be held, what would the question be? This is more complicated than it sounds. There are a variety of options, but all have serious problems and would be unlikely to keep everyone happy. Here are the main possibilities and whats wrong with them all. Remain vs Leave The most obvious option is to rerun the 2016 EU referendum question and simply ask people whether they want to remain in the European Union or leave it. Statista (Statista) But this question repeats the same mistakes as the last vote: what does leave actually mean? The government is currently in deadlock and the referendum is supposed to let the people decide, but this question simply doesnt solve the problem the government is facing. If Leave wins again, were back to square one. As a result, its unlikely to be asked. Remain vs Theresa Mays deal vs no deal Splitting out no deal and Mays deal seems to be a logical response to the problems with the last question. Voters would be able to choose between any of the three options. But this would split the Leave vote, leaving Remain to almost certainly win. Most unsustainably, it could even produce a Remain win when the majority of people actually vote for Leave options. Democratically, this is a non-starter and would reasonably be seen as a stitch-up. Do you approve of the Brexit deal negotiated by the government? The government could simply ask voters to approve or reject the Brexit deal. This suffers from similar problems as the first question: if the deal is rejected, what happens? Do we leave with no deal? Or remain? It might prove attractive as a roll of the dice for a government trying to ram through the deal without its MPs or then again it might not because the public would probably vote it down, according to current polls. This also has no remain option so would surely disappoint the main people who want a second referendum remain voters. Two-round questions One proposal is to ask the questions in two rounds: first, whether voters accept or reject the deal. Then, if its rejected, whether they want to remain or leave without a deal. You could also ask the questions in a different order if you wanted leave vs remain first, and then pick between no deal and Therea Mays deal if its a Leave vote. But whatever order you ask the questions in, there is a fundamental issue here. Is it really a good idea to put no deal on the ballot paper, and risk giving the government an explicit binding mandate to create food and medicine shortages? Currently, parliament can stop a no deal and credibly claim it isnt what people voted for. But holding this referendum puts economic catastrophe back on the table and could make the situation infinitely worse which raises the question of why you would want to hold it at all. Polling suggests that no deal is more popular than Mays deal it is not impossible that it could win, given voters chose Leave last time. This no-deal problem is a thread that runs through many second referendum options. Explicitly putting it on the ballot paper is probably not a good idea. But not putting it on the ballot paper doesnt solve the problem. Three-way preferential voting You could ask the three-way question and give voters the options of ranking the options, then tally them up using an alternative vote (AV). This is practically the same as two-round voting and has the same problem no deal is on the ballot. There are also extra problems, such as the fact that AV can produce some quite unintuitive results and the fact that the system was explicitly rejected for parliamentary elections at a referendum in 2011, so its use would certainly be contested. Theresa Mays deal vs Remain This is the option favoured by the Peoples Vote campaign. In some ways it is the least worst: it rules out no deal. Remainers will like it because it offers them the option of staying. It is also explicit about what each option means, so it solves the deadlock. But it runs the risk of being seen as illegitimate: the fact remains that a not insignificant number of people are actively campaigning for leaving on World Trade Organisation terms without a deal. Many Brexiteers say they see Theresa Mays deal as no Brexit at all. They would consider this question a betrayal forced to choose between two things they dont want, despite having won the first vote. There is also the question of political deliverability. The country has a Tory government, and if there are two things that the vast majority of Tory MPs dont want to vote for, they are: Remain, and Theresa Mays deal. So why would they pass a referendum that forces them to choose between two options they hate? Any question with negotiate a different deal or Norway as an option The EU has said it will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, so putting it as an option in a referendum would be meaningless. If it was voted for the government would be stuck. Similarly, suggestions that a soft Brexit like the Norway option (entry into the European Economic Area) or similar could be on the ballot papers misunderstand the situation. The government needs to pass the withdrawal agreement before April or extend or revoke Article 50. Having a referendum on the future relationship is fine, but it wouldnt solve the problem and isnt an alternative to working out what to do with the withdrawal agreement. So in summary You either risk causing an economic catastrophe by putting no deal on the ballot paper, you exclude no deal as an option and risk the referendum being seen as illegitimate by the people who won last time, or you dont solve the actual dilemma the government is currently facing. That isnt to take away from the compelling case for a Final Say referendum, which The Independent has campaigned for at length and collected more than a million signatures in favour of. Done right, another vote could solve the UKs political deadlock, check whether the public still want to leave, and spell out whats really on offer. But if one is called, the question will have to be chosen carefully, with an awareness of the tradeoffs. The EU has said it does not expect to hold any more meetings with the UK government over the Brexit deal despite continuing claims by Theresa May that she can secure more concessions. The prime minister on Friday said the UK and EU will be holding talks in coming days to discuss changes to the backstop after leaders rebuffed her at a Brussels summit. But on Monday the chief spokesperson for the European Commission said: The deal that is on the table is the best and only deal possible. We will not re-open it. It will not be renegotiated. The European Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage, so no further meetings with the United Kingdom are foreseen. On Friday, European Council president Donald Tusk told reporters in Brussels that he had no mandate to organise any further negotiations. Recommended Theresa May insists Brexit deal is not dead despite no concessions Despite the clear signals from Brussels that no further concessions or reassurances are possible, and that officials would not be meeting, Downing Street is continuing to claim that they are perhaps in a bid to stave off further disquiet from Conservative MPs. The prime ministers spokesperson said on Monday: What the prime minister is focused on is securing the extra assurances which are required to get the deal through the House of Commons. He added: I think you can expect officials to continue talking. The prime minister claimed on Friday that further clarification and discussion were in fact possible after EU leaders sent her back to London with only a bare-bones statement. European Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said no further meetings were foreseen (EbS) The statement issued by leaders warns that the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation, but clarifies that the controversial backstop will apply temporarily, unless and until it is superseded by a subsequent agreement. The text added that the EU will use its best endeavours to get it replaced quickly so that the backstop would only be in place for as long as strictly necessary. They assured the UK it was the EUs firm determination to work speedily to replace it with a trade agreement. Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Show all 13 1 /13 Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Esther McVey Britain's Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey arrives to attend the weekly meeting of the cabinet at 10 Downing Street in London. - Britain's Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey resigned from the cabinet over draft Brexit deal AFP/Getty Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Dominic Raab British Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab give a press conference at the end of the final round of talks in Brexit negotiations at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium EPA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Rehman Chrishti Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party Rehman Chrishti tendered his resignation letter this afternoon PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Anne-Marie Trevelyan Parliamentary private secretary in the Department of Education Anne-Marie Trevelyan resigned stating that she cannot support the deal Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Sam Gyimah Universities minister Sam Gyimah resigned on November 30, claiming the government's decision to pull out of the EU's Galileo satellite navigation system as a deciding factor PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Shailesh Vara Shailesh Vara who has quit as Minister of State for Northern Ireland, saying he cannot support Theresa May's Brexit agreement, which he said "leaves the UK in a halfway house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation" PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Suella Braverman Brexit minister Suella Braverman has resigned, stating It is not what the British people, or my constituents, voted for in 2016. Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Ranil Jayawardena Parliamentary private secretary to the ministry of justice Ranil Jayawardena resigned as he could not back the deal "in good conscience" The limited reassurances are unlikely to assuage Tory Eurosceptics, who want a legally binding mechanism for the UK to leave the treatys Northern Ireland backstop. The bloc has ruled this out, said it would effectively render the backstop ineffective, and that it will not reopen the withdrawal agreement. That backstop policy ties the UK to the EUs customs area and ramps up checks on goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in order to prevent a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. Three Windrush victims have been flown back to Britain to live from Jamaica after being given exceptional help, the home secretary has revealed as he again delayed a full compensation scheme. The cost of the flights was paid by the Home Office after the individuals were either wrongly removed from the UK, or were unable to return after leaving the country temporarily, Sajid Javid suggested. They are among 164 people who were detained or removed after arriving in Britain before 1973, many as a result of Theresa Mays hostile environment policies of which 40 have still to be traced. Now Mr Javid has announced that the details of a compensation scheme for all the Windrush victims has been shelved until the New Year, despite being promised last July. In the meantime, he has announced an exceptional and urgent payments policy to offer support to those in immediate need, with three payments made so far. Recommended Windrush cancer sufferer loses legal challenge against government In a statement, Mr Javid wrote: To the end of October, the home office has funded the flights from Kingston, Jamaica to London Gatwick for three individuals who were in contact with the taskforce and who faced urgent and exceptional circumstances. These flights were made on 28 July, 5 September and 14 September. However, the move falls far short of cross-party demands for a generous hardship fund for the victims, some of whom have been left heavily in debt, or destitute, by their experience and the delays. Thousands were trapped by the hostile environment crackdown, unable to provide the correct documents to employers, landlords and the NHS acting as de facto border guards. Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Show all 15 1 /15 Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' arriving at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Jamaicans on board, emigrating to Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaican immigrants being welcomed by RAF officials from the Colonial Office after the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' landed them at Tilbury. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner who arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex, speaking at his home in Leeds PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner in Leeds shortly after he arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Gardner was 22 years old when he boarded the ship in Kingston, Jamaica, with his brother Gladstone before they and hundreds of Caribbean migrants called on to rebuild post-war Britain disembarked the ship in Tilbury Docks PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner (right), during his RAF service in 1947 PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The son of Ruth Williams, a Windrush-generation immigrant, wants to the leave the country after threats of deportation. According to his mother, Mr Haynes applied for British citizenship in 2016 but was rejected, despite Ms Williams having lived in the UK almost permanently since arriving from St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1959. Ruth Williams, 75, said she felt "betrayed" by Britain after the Home Office twice turned down applications for her 35-year-old son, Mozi Haynes, to remain in the country. Ms Williams is understood to have cancer and said she relies heavily on her son for support. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The British liner 'Empire Windrush' at port in 1954. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Ruth Williams, 75, with her British passport. "I feel betrayed and a second class citizen in my own country," she said. "This makes me so sad and the Home Office must show some compassion. "I am unwell and almost 75, I live on my own and I need my son to stay here. I need my family around me and I cant face being alone. He has applied to the Home Office and been refused twice." PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK From the top, hopeful Jamaican boxers Charles Smith, Ten Ansel, Essi Reid, John Hazel, Boy Solas and manager Mortimer Martin arrive at Tilbury on the Empire Windrush in the hope of finding work in Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaicans reading a newspaper whilst on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' bound for Tilbury docks in Essex. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK After half a century in Britain, Anthony Bryan decided it was time to go abroad. But the decision set off a nightmare that saw him lose his job, detained twice and almost deported to Jamaica. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaica-born Anthony Bryan poses outside his home in Edmonton, north London. Now 60 and a grandfather, Bryan thought the issue could be resolved swiftly, as he legally moved to Britain with his family as part of the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants after World War II. In 1948, the ship Windrush brought the first group of migrants from the West Indies to help rebuild post-war Britain, and many others followed from around the Commonwealth. A 1971 law gave them indefinite leave to remain, but many never formalised their status, often because they were children who came over on their parents' passports and then never applied for their own. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Three Jamaican immigrants (left to right) John Hazel, a 21-year-old boxer, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, a 22-year-old carpenter, arriving at Tilbury on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush', smartly dressed in zoot suits and trilby hats. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Newly arrived Jamaican immigrants on board the 'Empire Windrush' at Tilbury in 1948. Getty A consultation on a fully-fledged compensation scheme was due to end in October, but was extended to November. The scheme will now not be revealed until next year. I am determined that we design a compensation scheme that effectively addresses the losses people have faced, Mr Javid added, in a letter to the Commons home affairs committee. It is important that we listen to the views of those affected and understand their experiences, through the consultation, to help us get the scheme right. But Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: Each month, the scale of the damage done by the Windrush scandal becomes clearer. We now know that at least 16 people who were wrongfully detained or deported have since passed away and will never receive any apology or compensation for the appalling wrongs done to them. Mr Javid also published figures showing 6.05m has been spent on the Windrush reform programme and an independent lessons learned review by the end of October. At that point, there were 175 full-time equivalent staff assigned to the initiatives, while additional personnel have been used at times during the financial year. As well as staffing costs, the spending includes around 56,600 on external legal advice and 165,000 on contractors and independent advisers. Mr Javid had already apologised over 18 cases considered most likely to have "suffered detriment" because their right to be in the UK was not recognised. The number of applications refused by the Windrush scheme stood at 186, with more than 1,000 cases outstanding and a significant proportion of those likely to be refused. Three California workers have been fired after posing for abhorrent photos amid the destruction left behind by last months deadly Camp Fire. Bigge Crane and Rigging Co worker Rob Freestone posted photos of himself and others on Facebook from the cleanup efforts in the town of Paradise, which was destroyed last month when flames scorched through the area. Mr Freestone was fired alongside two others for the photos, according to a posting from the company over the weekend. We have identified three participants in this abhorrent event and their employment has been terminated. Bigge expects its employees and contractors to work with the utmost integrity and professionalism, the company wrote on Facebook. The statement continued: The behaviour of these individuals is not consistent with our company values and ethical code. Bigge regrets that the residents of Paradise and Butte County have suffered an egregious insult during an already devastating time at the hands of these three individuals. Bigge supports and appreciates all our surrounding communities. Recommended Trump travel ban keeping mother from visiting seriously ill toddler The photos show the workers making light of the devastation in Paradise, including one image where two workers are seated smiling in a burnt out motorhome with a joking caption. Theyre off on a fun filled vacation to unknown destinations in their new RV, the caption reads. Another photo shows a worker jumping in the wreckage of a trampoline. (Facebook (Facebook) (Facebook (Facebook) (Facebook (Facebook) (Facebook (Facebook) Trampolines are stupid, the post says. [By the way] it used to be called a Jumpoline until your mom got on it. Yet another photo shows what appears to be the remains of a house cat with a beer placed near its mouth. California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Show all 15 1 /15 California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex Features California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex Features California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP Dude... I was just chilling with my homies, having a couple of cold ones, and BAM... damn fire breaks out, the post reads. The camp fire broke out in early November and burned for 17 days, killing 86 people in its path. That includes 38 deaths in the City of Paradise. The United Nations International Migrants Day arrives this year amid a controversial crackdown on immigration across the US-Mexico border and Donald Trump's push to build a wall along it. The president has threatened to shut down the federal government if lawmakers dont provide $5bn for his campaign promise of building the wall. Meanwhile, caravans with thousands of asylum-seekers have found themselves in limbo just outside of the nations borders. Thousands of migrants have also been detained by US authorities after crossing into the country, many of those seeking asylum from violence, gangs, starvation and persecution in Latin American countries. Their plight has become a focus for progressive lawmakers and activists alike, who argue the US has not done enough to support economic stability and quality of life in Mexico, Central America and South America. Below are just a few ways to support refugees and asylum-seekers travelling with the migrant caravans. Recommended California considers suing Trump administration over tear gas incident Donate There are an entire slate of human rights and migrant advocacy groups travelling with the caravans throughout Latin America, providing resources and humanitarian aid to those making the arduous journeys. UNICEF has partnered with the Mexican government to provide hygienic and sanitation necessities to the caravans crossing through the country. The organisation is also reportedly providing psychosocial support and training required for local authorities to better assist children. Save the Children has also launched a Border Crisis Childrens Relief Fund that provides legal counsel and family reunification services to those who may have been separated from their loved ones, along with other emergency services. Amnesty International Americas has also been monitoring the caravans and the overall health and safety of the thousands of migrants who have been making their way towards the US. The organisation is also working with local authorities on how they can better respond to the influx of migrants. Volunteer In many cases, migrants seeking asylum are admitted into the country and dropped off at bus stations with no clear direction or assistance from the US government towards reaching their next steps. Groups like RAICES and the Interfaith Welcome Coalition visit those buses every week, supplying thousands of migrants with emergency resources and preparing them for the next chapter of their lives. Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Show all 30 1 /30 Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Members of the caravan of Central American migrants climb the border wall in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border US Border Patrol agents seen through the concertina wire where the border meets the Pacific Ocean AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Central American migrants pray at a temporary shelter in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Darwin, a 12 year old migrant boy from Honduras, looks out from under a tarp while taking refuge at a shelter in Tijuana Reuters Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Central American migrants line up for a meal at a shelter in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Angel, a 13-year-old migrant from Honduras looks towards the United States past the border fence in Tijuana Reuters Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Members of the LGBTQ community -who split from a caravan of Central American migrants heading to the US- arrive at the Diversidad Migrante (Migrant Diversity) NGO headquarters, which they will use as shelter, in Tijuana AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border US military personell install barbed wire fences to stop the passage of Central American migrants EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Young Honduran migrant Daniel Gamez waits with his family in a line for a meal after arriving with the Central America migrant caravan in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Two women, one carrying a child, walk north after crossing illegally into the United States as a Border Patrol agent moves in to detain them AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A child looks out the window of a bus upon its arrival at a temporary shelter in Tijuana AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrants from Honduras dry their clothes in the sand after washing off in the Pacific Ocean AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Central American migrants at a temporary shelter near the US-Mexico border AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border US police agents stand guard near the US-Mexico border fence AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A migrant, who claimed not to be part of the Central American migrant caravan walks on the US-Mexico border fence AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Eldin, a migrant man from Honduras, awakes next to his seven year old son Jose while taking refuge at a shelter in Tijuana Reuters Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrants line up for food at a shelter AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A man installs concertina wire on top of the border structure on the US side AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Central American migrants sit on an overlook in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A migrant, who is part of a caravan traveling en route to the United States, shouts as he waits to receive food in a shelter in Tijuana REUTERS Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A man tries to get over a border structure topped with concertina wire AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border People who are part of the Central American migrants caravan arrive at a shelter EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrants pray at a temporary shelter in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrants shower outside a temporary migrant shelter next to the Us-Mexico border fence Getty Images Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border US Border Patrol agents, left, speak with two Central American migrants as they sit atop the border structure AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A Central American migrant looks on through the US-Mexico border fence AFP/Getty Images Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A migrant stands next to the border fence REUTERS The Independent covered a recent trip RAICES took to the San Antonio greyhound bus station in Texas, where migrants received legal aid, backpacks of food and water and a set of directions on how to get to their families after arriving to the US. These organisations are always seeking new volunteers, many of whom live in border states as well as others who travel from across the country to help provide resources. Advocate Advocacy groups are speaking out against the White House administrations hard-line approach to immigration along the US-Mexico border, including the rise of migrants being held within detention centres as their asylum proceedings are underway. Faith-based groups like the American Friends Service Committee have organised massive demonstrations to raise awareness for the plight of migrants travelling in caravans. More than 300 religious leaders from mosques, churches and synagogues came together in California near the border of Tijuana for a demonstration on Monday as part of the groups national week of action titled, Love Knows No Borders: A moral call for migrant justice. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Americans who wish to speak out against the administrations approach to dealing with the immigration crisis along the border can also write to their elected officials through the US House of Representatives website. Educate The president and others have helped spread false claims surrounding the migrant caravans that may adversely impact those refugees and asylum-seekers as they push for assistance from the US after reaching the country. Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed the caravans were filled with criminals and possibly even members of ISIS despite reports from a range of nonpartisan groups, media outlets and human rights organisations confirming the vast majority of travellers are innocent women, children and men fleeing violence. By informing and educating oneself on the issues migrants are facing in their home countries and why they have chosen to make these journeys in large groups the thousands of travellers have said they are much safer than when travelling alone or with the help of drug cartels, who regularly smuggle migrants into the US it is easier to have conversations with others about those facts and push for change on a societal level. A Brazilian faith healer accused of sexually abusing more than 300 women has surrendered to police. Joao Teixeira de Faria, known by the name John of God, had been ordered to hand himself over to authorities by 3pm on Saturday and was deemed a fugitive after he missed the deadline. He surrendered on Sunday afternoon on the outskirts of Abadiania, a city in the central state of Goias, a civil police officer said. In a video released by newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, de Faria said he was surrendering: to divine justice and justice on Earth. The 76-year-old was due to spend the night at the State Delegation of Criminal Investigations in the state capital, Goiania. For more than 40 years de Faria operated as a faith healer in a small town in central Brazil, becoming famous for psychic surgeries, which he insisted cure diseases including cancer. Allegations surrounding his behaviour surfaced last week, with several individuals appearing on a Brazilian television to claim he had been sexually violent towards themselves or their relatives. Following the broadcast, authorities were contacted by more than 300 more accusers, including de Farias adult daughter, Dalva Teixeira. In an interview published on Friday by Brazilian magazine Veja, Ms Teixeira alleged her father had raped her between the ages of 10 and 14 under the pretence of mystical treatments. She said her father stopped after she became pregnant by one of his employees. She went on to claim she had miscarried the child after de Faria beat her severely. My father is a monster, she told the magazine. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Lawyers representing de Faria have said they will not be making public statements. De Faria had reportedly denied the accusations on Thursday when he visited his spiritual centre and spoke to followers. His lawyer has previously said the healer would file an appeal after turning himself in to the authorities. The faith healer has become something of a celebrity after attracting followers from around the world seeking spiritual guidance or cures. He gained international exposure in 2012 when Oprah Winfrey visited his retreat to interview him for her talk show. In a column for her website, which has since been removed, Winfrey wrote she was overwhelmed by the experience of seeing him cut into the breast of a woman without anaesthesia and she left feeling an overwhelming sense of peace. Additional reporting by AP The Yemini mother of a critically ill two-year-old is unable to visit her son in hospital because of the US travel ban, rights activists say. Abdullah Hassan was born in Yemen with a genetic brain condition that initially affected his ability to walk and talk, but has now left the toddler unable to breathe on his own. His father, Ali, lives in Stockton, California. Mr Hassan and his son are both US citizens. Mr Hassan brought Abdullah to California for medical treatment a few months ago, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said. Abdullah is now on life-support at the UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital in Oakland but his mother, who lives in Egypt, is unable to visit him. New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Show all 27 1 /27 New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People gather for evening prayer at a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 02: Yemeni business owner Musa closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty Shaima Swileh is unable to travel to the US despite her childs life being in the balance due to the Trump administrations ban on Yemeni nationals entering the country, CAIR said. The ban prevents travellers, immigrants and visa holders from Yemen, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, North Korea and Venezuela from entering the US. Mr Trump signed the restriction into law after spending his 2016 election campaign calling for a total and complete shutdown on any Muslims travelling to the US until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on. The first iteration of his travel ban was dubbed the Muslim ban by critics and caused mass protests across the country. In June the Supreme Court upheld the third version of the travel ban. Ms Swileh has applied for a ban waiver but it is still pending, even as Abdullahs condition worsens. Doctors have indicated that the toddlers body is unlikely to withstand life support for much longer and she may be in Egypt during Abdullahs last days. All she wishes is to hold his hand for the last time, Ali Hassan told The San Francisco Chronicle. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Our hearts are breaking for this family, said Saad Sweilem, a civil rights lawyer working in CAIRs Sacramento Valley office. The organisation has plans to go to court on Ms Swilehs behalf, to force the government to expedite their response to the waiver application. The loss of a child is something no parent should experience, Mr Sweilem said but not being able to be there in your childs last moments is unfathomably cruel. From the crisis at our border to the Muslim Ban, this administration is doing everything in its power to undermine immigrants rights and uphold a xenophobic agenda that tears families apart. Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election included targeting African-Americans across all major social media platforms and attempting to suppress Democratic voter turnout, two reports have revealed. The US Senate commissioned both studies to better understand Russias interference operations during the presidential vote. The first report was compiled by private researchers and was expected to be released on Monday by the Senate Intelligence Committee. It says active Russian interference operations exist on social media platforms and the Russian operation discovered after the 2016 election was much broader than once thought. The study repeats several conclusions that special counsel Robert Mueller, the US intelligence community and the Senate and House intelligence committees had already made that many of the postings focused on race, that they were primarily intended to hurt Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump, and that the ultimate goal was to sow division in America. Researchers analysed more than 10 million tweets, 116,000 Instagram posts, 61,000 Facebook posts and 1,000 videos posted by the Russian government-linked Internet Research Agency (IRA) the troll factory indicted by Mr Mueller earlier this year. The most prolific IRA efforts on Facebook and Instagram specifically targeted black American communities and appear to have been focused on developing black audiences and recruiting black Americans as assets, the report says. Recommended Former prosecutor explains how Trump can be indicted It adds, while other distinct ethnic and religious groups were the focus of one or two Facebook Pages or Instagram accounts, the black community was targeted extensively, with dozens. Members of the Senate committee have called for action from Silicon Valley and Congress in the wake of the reports, describing the extent of Russias actions as more comprehensive, calculating and widespread than previously thought and saying it should act as a wake-up call. Russian accounts attempted to connect with Americans and recruit assets through unconventional means such as selling merchandise with certain messages, making specific follower requests, offering jobs and even publicising helplines that could encourage people to unknowingly disclose sensitive information that could be used against them. The report was compiled by cybersecurity firm New Knowledge with data provided by the Senate committee from tech majors Facebook, Twitter and Google parent company Alphabet. Statista (Statista) A spokesperson for Twitter said it has made significant strides since 2016 to counter manipulation of our service. Google declined to comment. Along with another report which is expected to be released by the panel, the study is the first comprehensive analysis of Russian interference on social media beyond what the platforms themselves have said. There are reportedly still live accounts tied to the original Internet Research Agency, which was named in an indictment by the special counsel in February because of an expansive social media campaign intended to influence the 2016 vote. Some of those accounts have a presence on smaller platforms as the major companies have tried to clean up after Russian activity was discovered. 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 With at least some of the Russian governments goals achieved in the face of little diplomatic or other pushback, it appears likely that the United States will continue to face Russian interference for the foreseeable future, the researchers wrote. The report says none of the companies turned over complete datasets to Congress and some may have misrepresented or evaded questions during testimony about the interference, by intentionally or unintentionally downplaying the scale of the problem. One major finding of the study is the breadth of Russian interference that appeared on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook and was not as frequently mentioned when its parent company testified on Capitol Hill. The study says that as attention was focused on Facebook and Twitter in 2017, the Russians shifted activity to Instagram. There were reportedly 187 million engagements with users on Instagram, with at least 77 million on Facebook. Instagram was a significant front in the IRAs influence operation, something that Facebook executives appear to have avoided mentioning in congressional testimony, the researchers wrote. They added our assessment is that Instagram is likely to be a key battleground. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events A representative for Facebook said the company had not seen the findings and declined to comment on its specifics. We continue to fully cooperate with officials investigating the IRAs activity on Facebook and Instagram around the 2016 election, the statement said. The second report, compiled by researchers at the University of Oxford and called the Computational Propaganda Research Project, was also partly based on data from the Senate panel. It noted peaks in IRA advertising and organic activity posts, shares and comments by users often corresponded with important dates in the US calendar, crises and international events. That report says IRA posts focused on the United States started on Twitter as far back as 2013, and evolved into a multi-platform strategy. Researchers from Oxford said organic postings were much more far reaching than advertisements, despite Facebooks sole focus on adverts when the company first announced it had been compromised, in 2017. Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said these reports are proof positive that one of the most important things we can do is increase information sharing between the social media companies who can identify disinformation campaigns and the third-party experts who can analyse them. The leading Democrat on the panel, Mark Warner of Virginia, said it was time to get serious about the issue. That is going to require some much-needed and long overdue guardrails when it comes to social media, he said. I hope these reports will spur legislative action in the Congress and provide additional clarity to the American public about Russias assault on our democracy. Additional reporting by AP A three-year-old girl is fighting for her life in hospital after she was allegedly raped in Delhi, police and officials say. The alleged attack took place on Sunday night, even as the country marked the anniversary of an infamous 2012 sexual assault that put the safety of Indias women and girls under the spotlight. Police said the girl was found unconscious after what local media described as the brutal attack, and she was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. A 40-year-old security guard, who lived and worked in the building where the girl lived with her family, has been arrested and is in police custody. Neighbours reportedly accused him of the attack and started beating him after the victim was found. Police said he was treated for minor injuries. Recommended Anger as juvenile Delhi gang rapist freed after three years Swati Maliwal, Delhis womens commissioner, travelled to the hospital where the victim was being treated and disputed a police account that the girl was in a stable condition. She is bleeding profusely and is [very] critical, Ms Maliwal said. I am sitting outside the operation theatre and have just spoken to the doctors. The child is battling for her life. Ms Maliwal wrote on Twitter that the attack let down Nirbhaya, a reference to the Delhi student who was gang raped and murdered on a city bus, six years ago on Sunday. Nirbhaya, meaning fearless, was the name given to the victim by activists and local media since her true identity, as a victim of sexual assault, was protected under Indian law. On 16 December 2012, the victim was travelling with a friend on a private bus when they were attacked, tortured and sexually assaulted by the driver, four men and a juvenile riding the bus at the time. The Nirbhaya case led to a dramatic increase in awareness of rapes and sexual assaults against women, and led to a number of legal reforms including death sentences for those who rape children under the age of 12. On this very night, six years back, Nirbhaya was brutally raped, Ms Maliwal said. Nothing has changed. Until swiftness and certainty of strong punishment is ensured, nothing will change! Hungarian politicians opposing the rule of right-wing nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban have been ejected from the headquarters of a state broadcaster in Budapest. In videos posted on opposition politician Bernadett Szels Facebook page, she and fellow independent Akos Hadhazy were seen getting pushed out of the MTVA headquarters by security guards. A group of 10 politicians had entered the building, insisting on the right to read five demands regarding Mr Orbans new slave law live on air. Mr Hadhazy refused to let go of the buildings staircase before he was manhandled outside by security officials. The groups demands included the repeal of the governments labour law, passed last week in parliament by 130 votes to 52, which gives employers the right to request up to 400 hours of mandatory overtime annually. The government has argued that the law will help relieve the current shortage of labour in Hungarys booming manufacturing sector, and allow workers to earn more. But the slave law, as critics have billed it, has sparked widespread protests among unions, student groups and leftist opposition parties across the political spectrum over the past week. Thousands braved freezing temperatures to demonstrate outside the parliament in Budapest on Sunday, where speakers condemned the new law and an angry crowd chanted slogans such as Weve had enough. As protesters dispersed on Sunday evening, an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people moved on to the state broadcaster, where they continued to shout anti-government slogans. Anti-government demonstrators gathered outside parliament in Budapest on 16 December (Getty) After the delegation of opposition MPs were allowed into the building to negotiate their demands, riot police guarding the headquarters outside used pepper spray on at least two occasions to repel protesters trying to break through the cordon. Protesters returned to the MTVA headquarters on Monday morning and vowed to continue the struggle. Both Ms Szel and Mr Hadhazy are former co-presidents of the green party Politics Can Be Different. Both remain members of Hungarys national assembly. Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Anna Donath, Vice President of opposition party Momentum Movement holds a flare during the protest Reuters Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures A protester kneels in front of riot police outside the headquarters of Hungarian state television AFP/Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters hold up their phone lights outside the Hungarian parliament Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters march across the Margaret Bridge on the Danube n downtown Budapest EPA Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters stand outside the Hungarian parliament building Reuters Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Police stand guard in front of the headquarters of Hungarian state television AFP/Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters line the streets by the Hungarian parliament building Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters march across the Margaret Bridge on the Danube in downtown Budapest EPA Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures A protester lights a flare in protests against the Hungarian government Reuters Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Police forces secure the area outside the headquarters of Hungarian state television Reuters Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters hold up their phone lights outside the Hungarian parliament Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters wave a flag outside the Hungarian parliament Reuters Balazs Hidveghi, communications director of Mr Orbans governing Fidesz party, denounced the lawmakers actions. He said any attempt by politicians to forcefully interfere with state media was unacceptable. He accused the lawmakers of setting off a fire alarm and violently attacking public TV staff. Additional reporting by agencies He was known as Wahtye, and served as royal priest or high-ranking religious figure carrying the title divine inspector. And he must have been someone of great importance, for when he was buried in the southwest outskirts of what is now Cairo, his tomb was filled with colourful and elaborate stone carvings that give some sense of the rituals of life and death in ancient Egypt more than 4,400 years ago. Egyptian antiquities authorities unveiled Wahtye's tomb at a press conference in Saqqara southwest of Cairo at the weekend, and announced to plans to dig deeper into the well-preserved complex, which was discovered during excavation work that began in April. The astonishingly well-preserved tomb provides insights into life in the 24th Century BC during the reign of Fifth Dynasty Egyptian King Neferirkare Kakair, a time of relative prosperity and order. Archaeologists are to begin inspecting five shafts that led out from the tomb, believing one will lead to Wahtyes sarcophagus, which has yet to be discovered. The chambers walls include scenes showing Wahtye with his wife, named Weret Ptah, his mother, and other relatives, as well as depictions of pottery, furniture, and wine production, religious rituals, musical performances, naval vessels, and men hunting animals, according to Egypts Ministry of Antiquities. Cameramen and visitors visit the recently uncovered tomb of Wahtye (AP) Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypts Supreme Council of Antiquities, described the discovery as one of a kind in recent decades, The colour is almost intact even though the tomb is almost 4,400 years old, he reportedly said, according to Reuters. Nearly two dozen foreign diplomats, members of Egypt's parliament, and heads of international archaeological missions and institutes attended the unveiling of the tomb on Saturday. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, speaks inside a recently uncovered tomb of Wahtye (AP) Egyptian authorities have been touting archaeological discoveries in an effort to entice tourists back to the country following years of turmoil ignite by the Arab Spring uprisings. The tombs at Saqqara, located around 20 kilometres southeast of the Great Pyramid and Sphinx at Giza, though less famous than other Egyptian sites, boast some of the most well-preserved tombs in the nation, with elaborate hieroglyphs and vibrantly coloured stone figurines. Among the recent discoveries announced at Saqqara were the tomb of a high-ranking military official dating back 3,300 years, a 2,500-year-old mummy wearing a gold and silver mask, and a tomb complex filled with scores of statues depicting cats. Sudans president Omar al-Bashir made a surprise trip to Syria on Sunday, becoming the first Arab League leader to visit the country since war began there in 2011. The president met Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, whose bloody crackdown on protests nearly eight years ago led to Syrias suspension from the 22-member organisation. The visit by accused war criminal Al-Bashir comes amid growing calls from Arab states to normalise ties with Syria, after years of condemnation, as many see the war nearing its end. Last week, the Arab League parliament called on the organisation to reinstate Syrian membership, according to Egypts state run news agency. And, in October, Jordan reopened a major border crossing between the nations, boosting trade. Outside of the Arab League, too, there are signs of a detente. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday Ankara would consider working with Assad again under certain circumstances. If it is a democratic election, and if it is a credible one, then everybody should consider [working with him], he said. His words came just a year after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan labelled Assad a terrorist, and said peace was impossible while the Syrian president remained in power. Pressure for a settlement with the Syrian government is a reflection of reality on the ground. Over the past few years, with the help of Russian and Iranian forces, Assads troops have gradually won back most of the country from opposition rebels. Many Arab countries backed rebel groups fighting to oust Assad and isolated the Syrian leadership as it brutally crushed the uprising against it. Today, only the province of Idlib remains under the control of opposition forces, while a third of the country is held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Last year the UN estimated it will cost at least $250bn to rebuild Syria, and western countries have tied assistance to a political solution. Some Arab states, including Jordan and Lebanon, have expressed an eagerness to step in. Jinwar: the women-only commune providing refuge in Syria Bashir and Assad reportedly discussed situations and crises faced by many Arab countries, according to the Syrian presidency. Both said there was a need for new principles for inter-Arab relations based on the respect of the sovereignty of countries and non-interference in internal affairs, a statement added. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for multiple counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, stemming from a conflict that erupted in Darfur in 2003. Assad has also been accused of war crimes. As early as 2013, just two years into the conflict, the UNs human rights chief said a commission of inquiry into rights violations in Syria had produced massive evidence [of] very serious crimes, war crimes, crimes against humanity and that the evidence indicates responsibility at the highest level of government, including the head of state. Efforts to refer Assad to the ICC have been blocked at the security council by Russia and China. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Gloria Katz was among the female exceptions in a male-dominated film industry. The screenwriter, who has died aged 76, made contributions Hollywoods classics such as American Graffiti and uncredited to Star Wars, but faced a great deal of sexism to succeed in her career. She was very much an unsung feminist gem in shaping the way for women in the industry. Katzs inseparable ally in her success was her husband and screenwriting partner, Willard Huyck. The pair met when they were studying film at the University of Southern California. I was going out with his then-best friend, she told People magazine in 1984. I thought he was very nice, bright and shy. When I stopped seeing the best friend, Willard began looking better and better. Gloria Katz (centre) with American Graffiti actors Cindy Williams (left) and Mackenzie Phillips (right) (Getty) They were married 45 years. Katz grew up in Los Angeles as the daughter of a wealthy truck-stop owner, once being described by a friend as a Jewish Cinderella from Beverley Hills. She majored in English at Berkeley in the political whirlwind of the 1960s and went on to the University of Southern California, LA in to do a masters in history. Not one to settle for something she didnt want, Katz switched courses when she saw the film students appeared to be having more fun. Huyck once explained Gloria came from a generation of women who refused to learn to type for fear of being stuck working as secretaries when they worked, she talked, he typed. Recommended All 32 Steven Spielberg movies ranked from worst to best Katz was one of four women in a class of 50 and claimed the professors were biased towards helping the boys, offering the female students no support with their projects. In one interview, she recalled: It was like youre taking somebodys position and you know youre never going to work in Hollywood. Despite the prejudices of sexism threatening to hinder Katzs career from the very start, she was determined to succeed. Katz had originally believed her greatest strength was editing, but she became fed up of not being taken seriously and turned to writing. Her lucky break came when she met fellow student Huyck at the screening of a low-budget classic. Her marriage to Huyck led to a writing collaboration that saw them nominated for an Oscar after writing the script for coming-of-age comedy drama American Graffiti in 1973. The pairs screenwriting profession kicked off when Huycks close friend George Lucas approached them with the deal to write the script for the film. Huyck and Katz share a nomination with Lucas for the rather longwinded Oscar category of story and screenplay based on factual material or material not previously produced or published. The couple, who took turns for top billing, had varying degrees of success with a series of other films, including Howard the Duck, the Liza Minnelli-starring Lucky Lady, Messiah of Evil (which Katz called a real bowwow) and the Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy-starring Best Defence. The pair went on to help Lucas later in his career by co-writing Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, having the first draft finished in just six weeks. Perhaps Katzs most important contribution to film, though, was her uncredited input in shaping the character of Princess Leia in Lucass 1977 film, Star Wars. Pushed for time as filming was about to start, Lucas sent his script to Katz and Huyck, urging them to polish and edit it. The couple wrote around 30 per cent of the films dialogue and helped with the characterisation and humour of Leia, transforming her into a feisty, funny woman instead of a passive princess. She can take command, Katz said in one interview. She doesnt take any shit, but at the same time shes vulnerable ... instead of just a beautiful woman that schlepped along to be saved. Originally the character seemed to be just a beautiful damsel in distress, but they wanted her to be the one that initiated the action. The personality the couple gave the princess seemed to be a reflection of Katzs own bold attitude and determination. Although their script doctoring had a huge impact on the film, at the time the humble couple never named themselves as the writers. We didnt want to take the credit away from him [Lucas] he had been working on Star Wars for a very long time it was his vision, Katz said. In 1982 the writers were approached by director Steven Spielberg to produce the screenplay for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The three of them were invited to executive producer Lucass ranch to brainstorm for hours. She subtly let slip that one of the films least glorious moments was the dinner scene. Steve and George both still react like children, she told People magazine. So their idea was to make it as gross as possible. Their hours of rambling were recorded by Lucas, who had them transcribed. When they reached the point of the final draft, Katz went into labour with their daughter, Rebecca. Her husband, however, waited before the last page was printed before driving her to hospital. As Katz once said: Discipline is the most important thing in writing. Gloria Katz, screenwriter, born 25 October 1942, died 25 November 2018 Does anybody look forward to that last day of holiday? The one where youre kicked out of your fancy resort before noon, and then spend the rest of the day waiting for your transfer? Or the one where you spend the day at the beach and then have to sit on a flight with sand stuck in places it shouldnt be? Itll come as no surprise that Sir Richard Branson has found a solution to the most unproblematic of holiday problems, and has opened a departure lounge, complete with check-in desk, on one of the Caribbeans most popular beaches. And so, now operating on Brownes Beach in Carlisle Bay, Barbados, is Virgin Holidays first ever Departure Beach an innovative way to waste those last few hours of annual leave. Travellers check in at dedicated desks, picking up their boarding pass while theyre at it, before being granted access to a very slick beach club complete with showers, a toes-in-the-sand style bar and restaurant and direct access to the sea. Luggage is checked in at Brownes Beach, ready to pick up from the baggage belt at the final destination. Plus, guests get a free transfer from their hotel to Departure Beach, then onto the airport where all thats left to do is go through security. For 25 per adult (which includes food and soft drinks, but not booze) its not a bad deal. Recommended Cheapest month for city breaks and beach holidays revealed I landed on Departure Beach for its swaggering opening party at the start of December, for a brisk two-day tour around Brits favourite Caribbean island (in the first half of 2018, three per cent more British tourists landed on Bajan shores than in the same period in 2017 and that number shows no sign of diminishing). In those two days, Id eaten at beachfront Daphnes, known as Rihannas favourite restaurant. Id bumped across the glittering blue-green waves of the calm Caribbean Sea on the western side of the island on a jet ski, then dodged mongoose and monkeys on the eastern coast, home to crashing, moody Atlantic waves favoured by surfers. Id whizzed around the island on a tour, stopping at the 17th-century St James Anglican church, which (oddly) has a photograph of Tony and Cherie Blair framed by the entrance. Id tried to go for post-dinner rum punches at the bars along Holetowns Second Street, but preferred crawling into my bed at the Treasure Beach hotel instead... When youre done with all that, then you go to Departure Beach. And you dont feel sad at all about the fact your Bajan holiday is almost over. The new concept was deemed so important to the holiday company that Sir Richard Branson himself had even flown in from his home on Necker Island in the nearby(ish) British Virgin Islands, alongside a bevvy of famous faces including DJ Maya Jama, Laura from Love Island and Pixie Lott. We were all sinking rum punches, with the exception of Sir Richard: when I asked what I should order at the bar, he told me hes a virgin guy on the tropical punch. Virgin Holidays managing director Joe Thompson hints that there may be other Departure Beaches rolled out across other islands, most likely in the Caribbean although there are no firm plans right now. Thats fine. On Brownes Beach in Barbados, weve got powdery sand, sun-loungers and that shimmering sea to enjoy on what feels like a proper last day of my holiday. The flight home has rarely felt further away. Travel essentials Virgin Holidays offers seven nights in Barbados from 1,373 including flights, B&B accommodation at the Treasure Beach by Elegant Hotels and transfers. Virgin Holidays guests can access Departure Beach for just 25pp. For more information about visiting Barbados, see the official tourist board website. Valletta has enjoyed its year in the sun as European Capital of Culture in 2018. The final flourish of refreshed heritage in the Maltese capital is the opening of MUZA: the new National Museum of Art. The collection occupies the Auberge dItalie, a 16th century mansion built to house Italian-speaking knights of the Order of St John. After a varied subsequent career, including roles as a courthouse and post office, the structure has been transformed into a sequence of galleries revealing Maltese culture through the ages. The museum is close to the Renzo Piano-designed City Gate and parliament building. Valletta is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and maps telling the story of the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 have made it to the Unesco Memory of the World Register. Exhibits include Maltese and Italian paintings and sculptures. The venue is impressive, with a courtyard filled by a 17th century arch. The curator, Dr Alexander Debono, told The Independent: MUSA is all about getting inspired. We aspire to bridge the idea of the nation with the needs of our community. Hopefully MUZA will be one of those projects to carry the legacy [of the European Capital of Culture] forward. Four-fifths of the 10m cost of the project came from the European Regional Development Fund. One aim is to increase Vallettas appeal as a Mediterranean art city. MUZA is intended to be green-powered, generating its energy requirements through renewable sources. Travel essentials Getting there This winter there are flights to Malta from 16 UK airports on Air Malta, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair. Simon paid 50 return on easyJet from Gatwick. Visiting there MUZA is in the Auberge dItalie, Merchants Street, Valletta. It opens 9am-5pm daily. The cost of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project, intended to increase capacity between London, the Midlands and the north of England, is under fresh scrutiny. In a BBC Panorama programme, a former HS2 executive has claimed that early estimates of the value of properties along the route that needed to be bought were enormously wrong. Doug Thornton, former land and property director, said the figures underestimated the amount HS2 would have to pay, and that thousands more properties had not been budgeted for at all. He told the programmes presenter, Justin Rowlatt: I have never seen anything like it. Mr Thornton said he was appalled at the loose and slapdash fashion that numbers were used. He said he walked out of HS2 one Wednesday evening and breathed a sigh of relief in 2015. He was later dismissed by the company. Recommended Sir Terry Morgan resigns as chairman of HS2 and Crossrail The first stage of HS2, which is the biggest civil engineering project in Europe, requires 27 square miles of property to be purchased. According to a recent National Audit Office report, the HS2 estimate of the net cost to acquire land and property for Stage One was 1.12bn in 2011 prices, but by 2017 it had risen to 3.3bn in 2015 prices. The report concluded: HS2 Ltds current estimate is within its agreed funding envelope from HM Treasury and provides a reasonable basis from which it can monitor the potential cost to compensate property owners and tenants affected by the construction of the railway. HS2s chief executive, Mark Thurston, told Panorama: Im not worried about overspending, Im confident weve got a budget we can stand by. Earlier this month Sir Terry Morgan, who was chairman of both HS2 and the troubled Crossrail project, resigned. He warned of possible cost issues ahead for HS2, talking of the challenge inside the project to stay on time and on budget. Proposed route for the HS2 high speed rail scheme The first stage of the line, from London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street, is due to open in 2026. It has a budget of 27bn. Going north from Birmingham there will be a Y-shaped layout, with the eastern branch going to the East Midlands, Leeds and York, and the western branch to Manchester. Stage two is planned to cost 29bn, making the total bill 56bn. But an industry expert, Michael Byng, last week calculated that the whole 56bn would be swallowed up for the first phase of the line between London and Birmingham. In response the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, said: Im very clear on HS2 its got a budget, its got to live with that budget. Six days before pilots working for Virgin Atlantic are due to begin a strike, the airline is seeking an injunction to quash the industrial action. Over 300 pilots working for Virgin about on third of the total are members of the Professional Pilots Union, which has been seeking recognition from the airline for several years. But the airline founded by Sir Richard Branson has continued to negotiate only with the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa). Pilots belonging to the PPU have voted to strike after Virgin Atlantic started negotiating with Balpa over a pilots Benefits Review, without consulting the PPU. The review includes policy regarding cases of long-term sickness, enforced retirement from sickness, death in service payments and widows pensions. The first strike is due to begin on 22 December and run to Christmas Day, with further strikes over New Year and in early January planned. Initially Virgin Atlantic said: Our absolute priority is to ensure that all of our customers can continue their journeys as planned this Christmas, and were working hard to protect all of their trips. But a new statement suggests that, at one of the busiest and most lucrative times of the year, the airline is faced with making cancellations. A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said: We can confirm that we are challenging the threatened PPU strike action by seeking an injunction. We have taken this action reluctantly. Our priority has to be ensuring our customers can complete their travel plans this Christmas. We have been in regular talks with ACAS [the conciliation service] since late November to try and find a resolution to this dispute, and we encourage the PPU to engage in discussion rather than disruption. We are finalising plans seeking to ensure all our customers can continue their journeys this Christmas regardless of the industrial action. Behind-the-scenes time lapse of Virgin Atlantic's newly refurbished A330-220s But the statement suggests that some flights are likely to be affected unless the injunction is successful in compelling pilots to work normally: We encourage anyone due to travel with us this week to check details of their flight at virginatlantic.com and ensure their contact details are added to their booking. When the PPU called the strike, spokesperson Steve Johnson said: Our door is and has always been open to Virgin to take the necessary steps to prevent any disruption for Christmas travellers. This is such an easy fix for the company; by including all unions in negotiations not just one selected by the company it can then live up to its claimed inclusiveness. Virgin Atlantic has promised to share further details of its contingency planning on Monday. It could move some passengers to alternative departures, but in the build-up to Christmas most flights are very heavily booked. There is no surer sign in British politics that something is likely to happen than Theresa May either denying it or warning against it. Just as moves in certain stocks and industries such as construction or property, foretell the arrival of economic pain, the louder any May denials get, the more real something becomes. At the weekend, 10 Downing Street turned down several opportunities to deny it is planning for a second referendum. Then Theresa May announced she would be coming to the despatch box of the House of Commons, yet again, to warn a second referendum would divide the country at the moment it needs to come together. She is the prime minister. If she doesnt want a second referendum it would require precarious parliamentary processes and uneasy political alliances to make it happen. Large numbers of MPs who are against the plan would have to consent to a second vote with much reluctance. As the possibility rises, it has been regularly pointed out May made similar assertions about a snap general election, right up until the moment she called one. What the country needs is a period of stability, an election would bring instability, she said at least six times in televised interviews with Andrew Marr, Laura Kuenssberg and others. Though she was hopelessly wrong in her claim she wouldnt call one, her analysis was curiously correct. An election has indeed brought instability, on a scale barely surpassed within living memory. Her analysis of the risks of a second referendum may well be accurate too, but she has been driven to the point through a stubbornness that has now become almost performance art. Almost two years ago now, she publicly set out her red lines for Britain to be out of the single market, out of the customs union, and have no hard border in Ireland without realising these went straight through each other like a noughts and crosses board. She has failed to deliver on promises that could never have been delivered upon, and can now only say there is no alternative. When she returned from Brussels with her deal several weeks ago, she warned it was a choice between that agreement, no deal or no Brexit at all. Parliament has already made clear it will do everything it can to prevent a no-deal outcome. So now the PM is seeking to strike down the other option a second referendum that might deliver no deal at all. Statista (Statista) Would another referendum divide the country? Of course it would, and if Remain won, especially so. But would it be more divisive and damaging than Brexit itself threatens to be? That is by no means clear. Thus far, the country has been shielded from the worst economic effects by a great global economic boom it has missed out on. But in the short to medium term Donald Trump is deliberately overheating the US economy for political reasons, China is slowing and a trade war is brewing. In the middle of these frightening realities, the unhinged wing of a once responsible party of government is advocating for a grotesque act of self-harm a no-deal Brexit and seeking to sanitise the reality of such an outcome by sticking the meaningless prefix managed in front of it. Politics, it should be made clear, is not meant to be like this. Prime ministers are not meant to be scared of voters, intimidated by them into doing things they think crazy. Parties and prime ministers govern with the consent of the people, because they have talked them round to their way of doing things. They have led. Theresa May voted Remain. A year later she stood outside 10 Downing Street and warned voters if we get this negotiation wrong, the high-paying jobs you want for your children simply will not be there. Those negotiations are over. They have produced an outcome nobody wants. Theresa May understands the potential consequences and her course of action is to seek to frighten other politicians, and the people in general, with her own fears. But, as always with May, the louder and more repetitive the warnings, the less likely they are to be heard. The door is opened for Bashar al-Assad. Again. The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir, being the first Arab leader to visit Damascus and meet with Assad, is not the news; it is who sent him over there. Donald Trump must have surely played a key role in sanctioning this visit to the Syrian capital; at the Helsinki summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in July, the US, Russia and Israel came to a joint agreement to keep the Syrian dictator Assad in power. Trump likes Assad. He thinks he is one of the "tough guys" who managed to force their will over the international community. Its no secret anymore that he gets on well with his parallels: Kim Jong-un of North Korea, Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and the Saudi crown prince Mohamed bin Salman. The American strategy in Syria, if there is such a thing, is full of holes. Trump imposes the harshest set of sanctions on Iran, for its malicious destabilising behaviour in the Middle East, and at the same time pulls its most important ally from under the bus. He raises questions on Russia's increasing role in the region, yet gives Syria away to the Russians. Recommended Too few know about the Sahrawi refugee crisis Never mind the raucous shows he comes up with every time civilians get hit with chemical weapons, and his threats to punish animal Assad it is all, as he might say himself, fake. The US president is not sparing much thought for Syrian civilians, their rights or their safety. Earlier this year, he promised that Assad would pay a price for dropping of chemical bombs on a rebel-held part of the city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta. Now, instead, its time for his rehabilitation. On Sunday, the very same day Bashir was visiting Damascus, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a conference that Turkey and other world powers would consider working with Assad if he won a "democratic election". Still though, nobody from Turkey has landed in Damascus yet. So why has Bashir been welcomed into Syria? Because he is the weak spot of the Arab world. Bashir is another Assad, on a smaller scale. His nation remains in the grip of a nasty civil war, which split his country in two and is still wreaking havoc in South Kardafan and the Blue Nile provinces. Just like Assad, Bashir is considered a leader of a rogue regime and remains under tough economic sanctions. Although Trumps administration announced last year that the sanctions, which have been in place since 1997, will be lifted, Bashirs government is still bogged down in negotiations with Washington. Russia completes delivery of S-300 air defence systems to Syria Bashirs impasse turned him to a desperate prey, ready to do anything to stay, politically and economically, afloat. His daring economic reforms, which tumbled the Sudanese pound to a record low 47.5 against US dollar, weakened his efforts to change the constitution, allowing him to stay in power indefinitely. No Arab ruler who came to power through the ballots in the Arab fashion of democracy, of course would have the strength to cling on without American consent. And just like Assad, Bashir is on the route to be rehabilitated. In October 2017 the US announced the permanent lifting of a raft of sanctions, stating that the African nation had begun addressing its concerns about terrorism. This summer, Saudi Arabia agreed to supply Sudan with oil for the next five years to help in tackling its energy crisis, after Bashir sent troops to support the Saudi-backed government in the bloody Yemeni civil war. Recommended The yellow vest demands cannot be met within our current system Western governments seem eager to repeat the same mistakes. Policies of Rehabilitation of bloodthirsty ruthless despots have taken us nowhere but to a Middle East which turned into a homeland of daily atrocities, chaos and extremism. Walking down the same road is a naive strategy. After the chemical weapons attack on Halabja in March 1988, which killed more than 5,500 Kurdish civilians, the world thought it would be the end of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. But the west decided to give him another chance, and some time. It was not until Saddam decided to invade Kuwait that Washington and its allies realised they had been fools to imagine that they could turn Iraq under this lunatic leader to be the regions cop. Later still, they had to rush to the Middle East again to try to fix their own bungling plan. But did they learn from their mistake? Of course not. A couple of years earlier, American fighter jets conducted a series of warning air raids on the Libyan President Muammar Gaddafis house in Tripoli, and other targets in the country. But after the downing of the Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988 the same year of Halabja chemical attack, ironically enough everyone thought: thats it for Gaddafi, he is done. But it turned out that he was not. He would go through the same rehabilitation loop for the next two decades, until the very same West fathoms that sharing a bed with a monster will give you nightmares. Now, Trump is playing the same game with Assad. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events After seven years of fierce fighting, triggering the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War, nobody seems to understand what (and how long) it will take the West to understand that redeeming Assad is a lost cause even if the price of accepting that will be a few American military bases in the north of Syria and guarantees on Israels security. Trump's position on Bashir and Assad is another example of how people in the West still cant understand the complexity of the politics of the Middle East and never will. But remember: history repeats itself, and payback time will come. Again. Even at its most tedious, most repetitive hours, Brexit retains the capacity to surprise, to dream up new twists and conceits in this never-ending theatre of the absurd. Todays Best In Shitshow gong (there will be another tomorrow) goes unquestionably to Jeremy Corbyn, for antics so toweringly juvenile they are best summed up in a bulletpoint timeline. 2.45pm The Labour leader announces that if Theresa May does not give a date for the delayed meaningful vote, he will call for a highly obscure, technocratic and frankly meaningless vote of no confidence in her, that would not remove her from office 3pm (approx) The Labour leader receives an advance copy of Theresa Mays imminent Brexit statement to the House of Commons, which, in news that will have come as a shock to absolutely no one, contains the announcement that the delayed meaningful vote will now take place in the week beginning 14 January 3.30pm Theresa May reads this statement out at the despatch box 4.20pm The Labour Party announces we have forced the PM to bring her botched Brexit deal back to parliament" 17.51pm Jeremy Corbyn tables meaningless vote of no confidence anyway. With days to go til Christmas recess, Theresa May will now have to decide whether or not to allocate parliamentary time to debate the question of her own uselessness Since then, Labour politicians have appeared on the news channels to hammer this point at home, presumably for the benefit of whoever might be watching who also believes the world to be flat. At a moment of acute national crisis, this is the kind of stuff that no student politician would dare, for fear of looking palpably ridiculous. And especially at the moment that Theresa May is, without any help from Labour at all, about to have to make herself look ridiculous all over again. It was, as always, gruelling stuff in the House of Commons. Mr Speaker, May began, I would like to make a statement on last weeks European Council. And it was at this point, that I, for one, dared to daydream. It was, Mr Speaker, an international embarrassment. A joke. A full on 42-carat thermonuclear clustershambles. And whose fault is that? At this point she may or many not have turned round and pointed her own MPs. Thats right. Yours. I told you, at this exact time last week, that the backstop was no good, and Id go and get some more concessions. I went and got those concessions. They were written down in black and white. And then you lot tried to oust me, and in Brussels, they decided, not without good reason, that frankly there was no point in conceding anything. Because whatever they give, you lot will just want more. So now theres nothing. We are back where we started, the whole thing a waste of my time, your time and everybody elses. But dont try and pin this on me. Alas, that did not happen. What May instead said was that she had secured a firm determination to work speedily on a subsequent agreement that establishes by 31 December 2020 alternative arrangements, so that the backstop will not need to be triggered. That should do it. Thatll sort it. Your average Tory Eurosceptic backbencher has only spent around 30 years being driven slowly mad by what he perceives to be the untrustworthiness of the European Union. Sure, they might have heard Emmanuel Macron threatening to force the UK into the backstop, and then use that as leverage to secure access to the UKs waters for European fishing vessels. But even so, what more could they possibly want to finally wave Theresa Mays deal through than a firm determination to work speedily on a subsequent agreement? Even she knew it wouldnt do. She is long past the point of pretending. Mainly, she just warned them against giving the vote back to the people in a second referendum. The British people instructed us to to leave the European Union, she said. Now we must honour our duty to finish the job. Which is true, though on a personal note, I once recall a former flatmate instructing a kitchen fitter to fit a new kitchen. By the point at which it became apparent he was entirely unable to fit a kitchen, had never fitted any kitchen before, and was not actually a kitchen fitter, and the matter had been placed in the hands of the small claims court, even the kitchen fitter had reluctantly agreed he no longer had to honour his duty to finish the job. Theresa May coming to the same, sad conclusion increasingly feels like a matter of when, not if. I make this plea on behalf of literally everyone, other than the duo named below, who craves a Final Say: Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell, in the name of all that is decent and holy, fall silent. Not fairly muted, or a little hushed. Silent, entirely silent, to the inaudible tune of not one more syllable about Brexit until it is done. The second referendum see-saw is so finely poised that Michael Frayns overquoted dictum its not the despair that kills you, its the hope demands another run out. A powerful Cabinet cabal including Amber Rudd, Philip Hammond and allegedly de facto deputy PM David Lidington, is pushing for it. All the latest polling suggests public opinion is decisively turning. A YouGov sample of 5,000 finds that Remain crushes no deal and Theresa Mays dodo deal in individual matchups. Even when all three options were put, a majority opted to stay. Tony Blair says there will soon be a majority in parliament for second referendum Another poll suggests that should Jeremy Corbyns cosmic inaction enable the no deal cataclysm, Labour would haemorrhage enough support to the Liberal Democrats to slide to third place. There is one compelling reason why we are heading towards a second plebiscite the lack of a viable alternative on the farthest horizon and several strong ones why we might not get there. One is the question of democracy. You can try to dismiss the 2016 result by reference to dodgy campaign financing, whoppers on buses, and the miasma of ignorance about what it would mean. These arguments have some truth. But you cannot magically vanish the gigantic fact that, unfairly manipulated or otherwise, the people spoke. If Remain had edged it and todays polls showed a majority for Leave, those who voted to stay would treat Brexiteer demands for a rerun as they treat ours. Wed dismiss it as a grotesque affront to democracy. Since it is futile to deny this, the sensible course is to own it. Of course a second referendum is a monstrous choice. But when the alternatives are so much worse, it is a choice in name alone. Reversing Brexit is a sufficiently overriding economic imperative to ride roughshod over the genuine democratic problem it raises. From the moment the PMs kamikaze vote goes down, the second referendum (currently an almost 54 per cent chance) goes favourite. If she chickens out, the mounting panic is on course to shift the odds in the same direction. But this, like all else, is nebulous. The trajectory is desperately fragile. It could be altered by various winds, one of which is the injection of hot air from voices the public inherently distrusts. Blair must appreciate this. He may be incapable of grasping why from his panic room in the self-righteous sanctuary of his own mind. But he knows the punters loathe him as a pathological liar with a messiah complex that has sent him repeatedly to Brussels to offer tactical advice about how the EU can help bring no Brexit to pass. In a way, I can respect him for speaking publicly. Clearly he feels so passionately that he is willing to take the hatred in the belief that not speaking would be unforgivable cowardice. His old enforcer is another matter. Where Blair remains an instinctive political genius and much the most gifted communicator in or on the outskirts of British politics (albeit almost no one will listen), Alastair Campbell is a But Im not allowed to use the word even with asterisks. What I can do is direct you to his recent appearance on Newsnight. Interrupting the journalist Jenni Russell with the automatic gunfire of his snarling, simplistic certainties about a matter of infinite complexity, he must have recruited a few thousand Remainers for Leave At Any Price Even I End Up Sleeping Rough. This is exactly the kind of attitude that is going to destroy the Remain campaign, said Russell. If you talk to people with slightly different points of view like that. Over the last two years, Ive had the same debate with some of Campbells confreres in the New Labour In Exile Model Army. All good people, some good friends, they cannot accept that the Brexit vote wasnt only against Brussels, it was also against them and their rigid refusal to contemplate the causes of resentment towards those within the city-state of London who ignored them and their life chances for so long. Russell was alarmingly correct. If there is a new referendum with no Brexit on the ballot, and if Remain campaigners show a hint of condescension (let alone Campbells rage) towards those who need gently coaxing to shift their votes, it might well end the same. You were troglodyte bus slogan dupes last time. Now youve seen a hint of what true chaos looks like, dont ruin it for us again, is not a clinching argument. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events There are voices that can present the winning case with eloquence, wisdom and credibility. For the antidote to Campbell, check out Michael Heseltine on Channel 4 News, talking with magnificent sadness about how 70 per cent of his generation damaged the prospects of the 70 per cent of the young who voted to stay. Yet they havent done the damage yet. We can still squeak out of this if all the cards fall right. Speaking of playing cards brings to mind the pack of Mesopotamian targets drolly printed by the Americans after the invasion of 2003. I have avoided the I-word in the Blair-Campbell context, because I want to propose a deal between them and every Remainer like me who has obsessively banged on about their part in that for 15 years. If they will promise to fall silent about Brexit until the day it is settled, join me in pledging never to utter another word about you know where. Its highly unlikely that such a morally repugnant non-aggression pact would last more than half the 22-month lifespan of the earlier one between Hitler and Stalin. But that might just be enough. Two years after Donald Trump stunned the world by winning Americas presidential race, there appears to be no let-up in the controversy surrounding this most bombastic of all White House masters. Last week saw Michael Cohen go on the record to say that the president directed the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal and that he, Trump, knew the payments were wrong. When Trump suggested that Cohen only became a rat after the FBI broke into his office, many responded with the obvious point that rats, in mob lingo, tell the truth. Meanwhile, having decided to replace John Kelly as his chief of staff, the president for a few days appeared to be facing the prospect that nobody else fancied the job until eventually he shifted the White House budget director, Mick Mulvaney, into the role (at least for now). Immediately afterwards he was faced with another loss, as it was announced that interior secretary Ryan Zinke was to quit. Zinke himself had faced accusations of using his position for his own ends. Special counsel Robert Mueller, having apparently cracked Michael Cohen as he had previously cracked Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos was reported by The Daily Beast to be preparing phase two of his inquiry into alleged ties between Trumps presidential campaign and the Russian state (and possibly other foreign actors). Commentators have suggested that the speed with which Cohen was sentenced last week was indicative of Mueller being close to finalising a damning report. Of course, Trump continues to excoriate Muellers inquiry as part of a conspiracy against his leadership the investigation of a mere hoax; another fake news machine. Now though there are murmurings of a separate examination by federal investigators looking into the fundraising for Trumps presidential inauguration. The presidents organising committee raised nearly twice as much as the previous record for inaugural fundraising. One of the questions being examined is whether any donations came from foreign sources. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar have all been mentioned in that breath just as the former two and Israel are now said to be of interest to Robert Mueller. Time will tell whether there is any substance to such alleged connections; but already critics of the president are now examining his attitude towards Saudi Arabia in particular in a different light. Until now, his backing for the present leadership in Riyadh both in respect of the war in Yemen and the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi had been set in the context of the Trump administrations broader (anti-Iranian) view of Middle East affairs, and against the backdrop of domestic economic needs (ie big orders for US-made weapons). A suggestion that Trump is indebted to Saudi Arabia because of assistance given to his election campaign or that oh-so-famously-well-attended inauguration paints the relationship in a very different light. To make matters trickier for the president, he already knows that the Republican-controlled Senate doesnt have his back when it comes to US-Saudi relations. Its resolutions condemning Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman for Khashoggis murder and calling for an end to US military support for Riyadhs intervention in Yemen are diametrically opposed to White House policy. When the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives next year and potentially back the Senates position the president will come under even more pressure. The response of the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs to the Senate vote on Khashoggi was to condemn it as having contained blatant interferences in the kingdoms internal affairs, undermining the kingdoms regional and international role. Given Trumps seeming intention to stand by the Saudi crown prince and to veto legislation that he regards as damaging to his Middle East policy the reaction from Riyadh is hardly helpful. It simply serves to emphasise the fact that the president is more in tune with the leaders of foreign states than with his own lawmakers. As to whether the circling wagons will make any difference to Trumps policy-making or his braggadocious personal behaviour remains to be seen of course. After all, he has faced criticism from multiple quarters for the whole of his presidency and has yet to be derailed, with positive economic results at home enabling him to present his administration as a success. Nevertheless, as investigators open new lines of inquiry, and as Trumps hirings and firings become ever more shambolic, it is hard to conclude that 2019 will be any easier for the president than this year was and it may be an awful lot worse. 'The survey noted that while 73pc of hotels have seen some increase in overall business this year, growth from the United States and mainland Europe has masked a poor performance of the UK market, with visitor numbers from there down 5pc.' (stock photo) Ireland's hotel operators are hugely pessimistic about their prospects for 2019, as Brexit, declining visitor numbers from the UK, and rising costs weigh on their outlook. The latest barometer from the Irish Hotels Federation shows that just 49pc of hotels are now positive about their outlook for 2019 - a slump from the figure of 82pc this time last year. The survey noted that while 73pc of hotels have seen some increase in overall business this year, growth from the United States and mainland Europe has masked a poor performance of the UK market, with visitor numbers from there down 5pc. The federation said that 52pc of hotels reported a drop in business from Britain this year, while 40pc reported a fall in the level of business from Northern Ireland. "We are increasingly concerned about the direction that Brexit is taking and the impact that heightened uncertainty is having on our sector," said Irish Hotels Federation president Michael Lennon. "A disruptive Brexit would have enormous economic repercussions which would be felt directly by tourism businesses given our heavy reliance on the UK market," he added. Mr Lennon said the Government must act to mitigate the risks of Brexit to tourism. "We have to retain our competitiveness and this means taking decisive action on the issues that are affecting the cost of doing business," he said. Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to make a statement following last week's EU summit. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday December 17, 2018. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that she intended to re-schedule a delayed vote in parliament on her Brexit plan in the week starting on January 14. "Many members of this house are concerned that we need to take a decision soon," May told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "We intend to return to the 'Meaningful Vote' debate in the week commencing seventh of January, and hold the vote the following week." Last week she postponed a vote on the plan in the face of deep opposition within her own Conservative Party. "I know there are a range of very strongly-held personal views on this issue across the House and I respect all of them," she said. "But expressing our personal views is not what we are here to do. We asked the British people to take this decision." She added: "I know this is not everyone's perfect deal. It is a compromise. "But if we let the perfect be the enemy of the good, we risk leaving the EU with no deal." Mrs May stressed that the Government had prepared for a no-deal Brexit and "tomorrow the Cabinet will be discussing the next phase in ensuring we are ready for that scenario". Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has told MPs he will table a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May over her handling of the Brexit deal vote "The prime minister has been forced to bring her botched deal back to Parliament under threat of a motion of no confidence in her," a spokesman for the Labour party said. "We will not let her cynically run down the clock to create the false choice between her botched deal and no deal. It is disgraceful that a month has been wasted. We were due to vote on 11 December and there can be no further attempts to dodge accountability to parliament." Jeremy Corbyn accused Theresa May of leading Britain into a "national crisis" over Brexit, as he warned her deal has lost Cabinet support. Replying to a statement from the Prime Minister, the Labour leader said: "We face an unprecedented situation - the Prime Minister has led us into a national crisis. "If any more evidence was needed of why we face this grave situation, the Prime Minister demonstrated it at last week's summit. "There were some warm words drafted and the Prime Minister even managed to negotiate those away to be replaced by words about preparing for no deal." Mr Corbyn said the "cold reality" was Mrs May achieved "nothing" last week after returning to Brussels to seek further assurances over the Irish border backstop. He went on: "The deal is unchanged and not going to change. The House must get on with the vote and move on to consider the realistic alternatives." Mr Corbyn accused Mrs May of cynically running down the clock on the March 29 Brexit deadline. He said: "The Prime Minister has cynically run down the clock, trying to manoeuvre Parliament into a choice between two unacceptable outcomes - her deal or no deal. "A responsible prime minister would for the good of this country have put the deal before the House this week, so we can move on from this Government's disastrous negotiations. "It's clear the Prime Minister has failed to renegotiate her deal, failed to get any meaningful reassurances - there is no excuse for any more dither or delay." Producers of Irish cream liqueur have raised concerns over the protection over what they call incidences of Canadian-produced liqueurs being passed-off as Irish cream. New figures show that exports of Irish cream liqueur rose in 2018, while sales in the Irish market also increased, according to Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI). Globally, 7.5m cases (90m bottles) of Irish cream liqueur were sold in 2017, up 2.9pc from 2016. Meanwhile, preliminary interim export stats for 2018 suggest there was an export growth rate of approximately 8pc for this year, driven by strong export growth to the US. Irish cream liqueur is protected by a geographical indication (GI). This is similar to Champagne, which must be produced from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France; Roquefort cheese, which must be made from sheeps milk and aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in the south of France; and Parma ham, which must be made in Italys Parma region. Irish cream liqueur must be made on the island of Ireland, contain Irish dairy cream and Irish whiskey, in accordance with an approved technical file, which dictates how it must be produced. Patricia Callan, Director of Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland, said the continued protection of Irish cream liqueurs in export markets through the GI will be vitally important. The GI protects the authenticity and high standards of Irish cream liqueur and provides a legal device to protect the name Irish Cream in Ireland and globally. "For example, the Irish Spirits Association is currently working with the Irish Government and EU Commission to invoke GI protection in Canada to tackle numerous incidences of Canadian-produced liqueurs being passed-off as Irish Cream, she said. Ms Callan highlighted that the Irish cream liqueur sector makes an important contribution to the Irish economy, purchasing 316m litres of fresh cream from Irish farmers every year, sourced from 46,000 dairy cows. A man cools cattle on a beached boat in the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil, October 26, 2015. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly Brazils outgoing Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said on Wednesday that South American trade bloc Mercosur is ready to close a trade agreement with the European Union but it is being held up because the Europeans do not want to close a deal. His remarks came after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier Wednesday it will be more difficult to reach a trade agreement with Mercosur under Brazils right-wing President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, who assumes office on Jan. 1. Bolsonaro, a conservative nationalist, has said he will favor bilateral relations over engagement in multilateral groups like Mercosur. Officials from the two blocs met in September in what was to be a final push for a deal but talks broke down and the meeting ended without setting a date for further negotiations. Talks are expected to resume only in 2019. Brazil made flexible what it could make flexible. They have access to our markets, the agriculture sector (was made flexible) even to the detriment of some domestic sectors, Maggi said. Mercosur and the European Union dont have an agreement not because Mercosur doesnt want it, but because the European Union doesnt want it, he said. A Brazilian diplomatic source told Reuters that major issues on automobiles and agriculture had been resolved, but rules of origin for products remained a sticking point. The latest figures around live exports from Ireland show that the number of cattle exported this year is up 33pc. Live exports for 2018 (data to November) amount to 238,514 head, compared to 179,269 in 2017, an increase of 33pc, driven by increased exports to other EU markets, mainly Spain, the Netherlands and Italy. The Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said live exports play a vital role in stimulating price competition and providing an alternative market outlet for farmers and that accessing and developing new markets is a priority for his Department. Live exports to third countries have decreased this year, due in part to severe currency fluctuations in Turkey. Despite this, nearly 13,000 head of cattle were exported to Turkey to date this year. Live exports to Libya more than doubled (from 1,830 to 4,489) compared to 2017. At the end of November, the Minister said his Department reached agreement with the Libyan authorities on new veterinary health certs for the export of breeding, fattening and slaughter cattle. Agreement was also reached on an increase in the age of cattle that can be exported to Libya, from 24 to 30 months. Progress has also been made in discussions with the Egyptian authorities on amendments to existing export certificates for live exports, he said. Discussions are ongoing between the owners of Luggala Estate and Minister for Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan over the possibility of the State purchasing the prestigious estate. However, a spokesperson for the Department said that the Department is aware of the public-good value of this property but said this is balanced across a range of demands across the Department. "The Minister could only consider acquiring this property if the price fell to within a certain range, or within the context of a donation or bequest. This, the spokesperson said is known to the vendors. Expand Close Luggala estate. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Luggala estate. Nestled high in the Wicklow uplands, Luggala estate (also known as the Guinness estate) has become a topic of great discussion lately. The former home to Claddagh records founder and well known arts patron, Garech de Brun, it is currently for sale with at advertised price tag of 28m. The estate, which is set on 5,000 acres, includes the 18th century Luggala Hunting Lodge famous for the guests that have spent time there. The estate is also considered to be an iconic film location and plays an essential role in attracting productions such as Vikings, that have used its setting frequently. In John Boormans 1981 epic fantasy of the magical sword Excalibur, Luggalas Lough Tay (also known as The Guinness Lake) plays a pivotal role in a number of the key scenes. Recreational users have for several decades, enjoyed unrestricted public access to the 4,000 acres of mountainside habitat that form a large part of the estate. Popular trails include the summits of Knocknacloghoge and Luggala (also known as Fancy Mountain) and a traverse across the valley to nearby Lough Dan. The Wicklow Mountains National Park borders three sides of the 4,000 acres of mountainside. Wicklow Uplands Council said they advocate that the State acquires the 4,000 acres due to the strategic importance of the location in terms of its rich natural heritage, popular recreational use, tourism development and as a film location. Expand Close The sun sets over Luggala Mountain, Co Wicklow. Taken from 'The Mountains of Ireland' by Gareth McCormack (The Collins Press, 2016) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The sun sets over Luggala Mountain, Co Wicklow. Taken from 'The Mountains of Ireland' by Gareth McCormack (The Collins Press, 2016) It says the state purchase will ensure that recreational users continue to enjoy the uninterrupted access to one of Irelands great natural assets. "We would suggest that the state acquisition consumes the land into the Wicklow Mountains National Park and the management of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. "The NPWS offer the best expertise in managing the unique and sensitive biodiversity found on the site and its inclusion contributes to the states conservation commitments," a spokesperson for the Council said. The process of increasing the area of the Wicklow Mountains National Park through the purchase of private lands such as Luggala, has proven to be successful in the past, with the sale of 1,600 acres to the state by Garech de Brun in 2006 as a prime example. Following a recent meeting with Minister Madigan, Brian Dunne, Coordinator of Wicklow Uplands Council said We were greatly encouraged that the sale of the iconic estate remains high on Minister Madigans agenda. "We were reassured that her department remained fully engaged with the process and that she clearly understood the value and potential of the upland estate. In addition to the state purchase of the 4,000 acres, several other suggestions were also discussed at the meeting including that the state considers the strategic purchase of the key viewing points found along the Military Road which runs along one of the estates borders. The panoramic vista which overlooks the Luggala estate, its stunning Lough Tay and much of The Wicklow Mountains, is one of the most photographed locations in the county. Expand Close Lough Tay / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lough Tay Recently, the erection of 10 signs along a 2km stretch notifying visitors that lands are private property, have created much upset and discussion among many of the stakeholders keenly observing developments. It was also suggested by members of Wicklow Uplands Council, that the state considers the negotiation and purchase of the full estate and all of its buildings (5,000 acres). This would allow for the 4,000 acres to added to the Wicklow Mountains National Park as detailed above. The remaining 1,000 acres and its buildings, could be developed into a world renowned centre dedicated to the pursuit cultural activities. Carriage Collection During the meeting, another position the Wicklow Uplands Council advocated entered into the discussion. Expand Close The first three series of Vikings have been shot mainly in Co Wicklow's Ashford Studios, with outdoor filming taking place at Luggala and the Poulaphouca Reservoir / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The first three series of Vikings have been shot mainly in Co Wicklow's Ashford Studios, with outdoor filming taking place at Luggala and the Poulaphouca Reservoir The will of the late Garech de Brun, offered - subject to the condition of appropriate public access - to bequeath his extensive private collection of carriages to the state. Wicklow Uplands Council advocate that the collection of 71 carriages, some of which are of great historical importance, should be fully restored and exhibited publicly in Co. Wicklow. 'The company has taken the decision to open up the books of its research studies as well.' Photo: Reuters German pharma giant Bayer has a job to do if it wants to win public trust. Shortly after it completed the purchase of Monsanto, the owner of weed killer Round Up, an American jury ruled that the weed killer had contributed to a man's cancer. That's sparked a vocal lobbying campaign by Bayer, which maintains the product is safe and is appealing the ruling. "For over 40 years, the overwhelming conclusion of experts worldwide has been that glyphosate can be used safely according to label instructions. There have been more than 800 scientific studies and reviews that prove glyphosate is safe for use," the company says on its website. But simply saying something is safe does not mean that people believe you. Liam Condon, an Irishman who is president of Bayer's crop science division and a member of the company's board, says the company needs to communicate more about its technology's benefits. The crop science division makes products that are designed to make farmers more productive. But involving science in the production of food can provoke tensions with those who would prefer if nature was left alone. "I think we've got to do a better job at explaining that whatever the innovation technology is, it's always built on what's happening in nature anyway. It's basically copied and applied in a much more resource efficient way," Mr Condon says. "If you take the old days of breeding, you crossed two plants and grew them in a field and looked to see which ones were the most productive. Then you single those out and you cross again and you do this over generations - but you're planting the stuff all the time, you're using earth, you're using water, you're using nutrients. Today, we can do all of this in a lab...we know from a genomic analysis point of view what the most productive genes are going to be, and we can avoid all of that field testing. We can save natural resources." As well as the sustainability benefits, and the benefits for farmers, Mr Condon wants to start talking more about the consumer benefits that go with crop science. That could include areas like boosting nutrition or reducing allergenics. The company has taken the decision to open up the books of its research studies as well. Traditionally, companies have kept most details out of the public domain to avoid tipping off their rivals, Mr Condon says. Instead they just sent the details to the regulators - the people they needed to convince in order to get a product on the market. "Because it's not publicly available, people think you're hiding something so we took a very conscious decision last year to actually make all of our study data available on a public website, and not only make it available but to actually tell people how to interpret it. "That's a constant process now of bringing more and more online. This will continue going forward...the only thing that's not in there is the hardcore business confidential information, for example how do you physically produce the stuff." Mr Condon's devision has a big R&D budget of 2bn-2.5bn a year. But he says some projects are so ambitious that they're placed outside the normal framework and done as joint ventures. One example he cites is called Joyn Bio - an attempt to totally disrupt the fertiliser industry. Bayer's partner in this project is called Gingko Bioworks. The idea is to identify the microbes (tiny organisms like bacteria or yeast) that are beneficial for plants - and then manufacture them at scale in labs. The manufactured microbes could then be used to boost soil fertility - without the need for industrial fertilisers which have bad side-effects for the environment. "If that works at the scale that we believe it will be possible, that basically will completely disrupt the fertiliser industry," Mr Condon says. "We don't know if it will work but the technology and the initial kind of steps we've taken says it's probably got a reasonable chance." Intravia says it plans to offer lending opportunities, with a minimum subscribed capital of 2,500 from lenders. (stock picture) A new peer-to-peer lender aims to help bankroll property development in Ireland by facilitating loans of between 150,000 and 5m to finance construction projects. The company, Intravia Capital, was founded by engineer James Corcoran, who is its chief executive. Intravia's website, which is still under development, says its chief operating officer is Noel Harrington. Earlier last week, it listed Ken Keehan as its chief commercial officer. Mr Harrington is a former branch manager in Limerick with the now-defunct Irish Nationwide Building Society. Mr Keehan once worked for Anglo Irish Bank, dealing with wealthy clients in the south-east, before moving to Ulster Bank in 2007. His profile appeared to have been removed from the website by early last week, however. Mr Harrington was the former manager at the Irish Nationwide branch at Cruise's Street in Limerick. Intravia says it plans to offer lending opportunities, with a minimum subscribed capital of 2,500 from lenders. "What is different with Intravia Capital is that it will be run and managed by professionals in the construction industry, together with experienced financial professionals, all under one roof," the newly founded firm says on its website. It adds: "Our policy is to seek out the 'niche' quality development market, with experienced developers, who can deliver quality development that can provide a fair return for all stakeholders." The company claims that it will seek returns of more than 5pc for low-risk lending, more than 7.5pc for medium-risk, and more than 11pc for high-risk lending. Mr Corcoran did not return calls seeking comment on Intravia. He is also involved in CEA Architects and is a director of two firms which are currently strike-off listed at the Companies Registration Office. 'Earlier this year I was confronted by a headline which told me Apple, the tech giant, was producing more watches than the whole of Switzerland - that's Swatch, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Patek Philippe' (stock photo) With Christmas fast approaching for some (the rich), it's time for conspicuous consumption. While not in that bracket, I don't think I'm the only one who has been picking up glossy magazines and marvelling at the sumptuous advertising for luxury goods like jewellery, Swiss watches and fancy pens that represent the very essence of conspicuous consumption. Earlier this year I was confronted by a headline which told me Apple, the tech giant, was producing more watches than the whole of Switzerland - that's Swatch, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Patek Philippe, in addition to an array of other famous producers that includes the Cartier brand of the company we are examining this morning, Richemont. Now if that's not a Swiss problem that would challenge the might of the great apple-fancier, William Tell, I don't know my Apple from my Toblerone. However one man claims he has a solution, if not the solution: Richemont chairman Johann Rupert, with a set of revolutionary changes in his international operations. This started with a management shake-up that transferred responsibility to a whole new generation of young executives and got rid of eight male, greying and elderly directors with rank and titles. He threw out the challenge of realistically facing the e-commerce problems; he faced a troublesome market in vintage Swiss watches; and he took on the perennial problems of changing tastes. Last year, he declared: "There are too many watches in the world." And that was before the output figures showed Swiss watch-makers had been overtaken by Apple. Richemont, in a sentence, is providing a brilliant case-study of how the luxury brand market will survive in the digital age. As things stand, Richemont is the world's second largest luxury goods company. It traces its origin to the South African conglomerate Rembrandt that until the late 1980s controlled Rothmans cigarettes together with useful assets like gold and diamond mines. Thirty years ago it spun off its international assets into Richemont, a high-end, high quality group that trades on the Swiss stock exchange and is valued at CHF37bn (33bn). Its brands include Cartier, Shanghai Tang and Mont Blanc. Recently it took full control of the Milan-based luxury clothing and accessories online retailer Yoox Net-a-Porter (YNAP). The group hopes the fast growing (so far unprofitable) online business will help offset its challenged smaller brands like Lancel, its leather goods maker, the company's menswear label Dunhill and the French fashion company Chloe. The jewellery market is a vital one for Richemont as it generates 60pc of its sales and two-thirds of its profits. In recent times business has been "challenging" with the slowdown in China because of that country's clampdown on lavish "gifting". However, Richemont's tactical adjustments have included the acquisition of UK-based online retailer Watchfinder which specialises in pre-owned luxury watches. The Asia/Pacific region, dominated by China, accounts for 40pc of Richemont's total revenue, Europe 27pc and the Americas 16pc. The Chinese market is critical as the engine of future growth. Recently, however, the Chinese online behemoth Alibaba created a platform specifically for luxury brands. So it is no surprise YNAP has linked up with Alibaba, a move meeting the approval of analysts. Investors in Richemont have experienced an up-and-down year for its share price. Early growth fizzled out due to a setback in the Asia/Pacific region and rising global trade tensions. Sales last year hit 11bn and while half-year sales excluding acquisitions rose 8pc, it signalled growth had stalled in September, fuelling fears of a drop in Chinese demand. The group's growth has been helped by rises in online sales but the going online has been mixed - sales have increased, but profits and margins fell. Given Richemont has a strong balance sheet and its strong brands make it cash generative, it is in a good spot, assuming demand holds up in China. But with today's volatile stock market and tariff wars, maybe it's best to sit on one's hands at this time. Nothing in this section should be taken as a recommendation, either explicit or implicit to buy any of the shares mentioned. Canada Goose Holdings is delaying the opening of its flagship store in Beijing, as escalating tensions between China and Canada triggered by the arrest of Huawei Technologies' finance chief threaten its ambitions in the world's second largest economy. The Toronto-based maker of premium parkas said on its Weibo social media account late on Friday that it was postponing the store's debut, scheduled for Saturday in Beijing's trendy Sanlitun district, "due to construction reasons". The posting came after Weibo social media users threatened to protest the opening. The company has been targeted for a boycott of its brand on media platforms since the arrest of Huawei's Meng Wanzhou's, given Canada Goose's prominence as a Canadian label. Canada Goose shares fell as much as 4.9pc in Toronto on Friday, the sixth decline in seven trading sessions since news about Meng was made public the week before last. The stock is down about 24pc since then. The company didn't give a date for when the store would open. When contacted for a comment, it reiterated that the delay was due to construction and said it looked forward to launching in the near future. "Canada Goose continues to move forward with our expansion plans in China," the company said in a statement. The timing could not be worse for the luxury jacket maker, which just last month launched a splashy entry into greater China with a store in Hong Kong and plans for the Beijing flagship, betting that the country's growing middle class is ready to spend on its Arctic-ready parkas costing CAD$1,000 (661) or more. The detention of the Huawei executive has sparked a selective anti-Canada backlash in China, and other Canadian brands like IMAX and Tim Hortons have so far been spared calls for a boycott. China's spy agency has also detained two Canadians in the past week, which some view as retaliation for Meng's arrests, although China has deflected questions about any links. Bloomberg The Government has launched an initiative to help returning emigrants start and develop businesses in Ireland. The 'Back for Business' entrepreneur mentoring programme, which is being funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, runs over six months. It is designed for recently returned emigrants who have lived abroad for at least a year and have returned to Ireland in the last three years. Those planning to return in the near future will also be considered. The aim of the programme is to bridge gaps entrepreneurs may have in the areas of local knowledge, contact base and professional backgrounds, while also addressing the general challenges all entrepreneurs face when establishing a business. "This is an initiative that can make a real difference to returned and returning emigrants who have a keen desire and ambition to be entrepreneurs," Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development Ciaran Cannon, said. "It is designed to support them to go beyond just creating a job for themselves and to aim higher and create a thriving business that can provide employment for others and value added in their local community," he added. The closing date for applications is 25 January and the programme will run from February to July next year. "I found Back for Business helpful in giving me focus, keeping me on track and creating goals to bring me to the next level. I began the programme with ideas and samples. I am now trading with a luxury product on the market," Clare OConnor, scarf designer, and previous participant, said. Energy giants SSE and npower have called off their merger, blaming "challenging market conditions" and the UK Government's price cap. The companies said the deal has been affected by multiple factors, including the performance of their businesses, clarity on the final level of the UK Government's default tariff cap and changing energy market conditions. SSE said: "These implications meant the new company would have faced very challenging market conditions, particularly during the period when it would have incurred the bulk of the integration costs." The two firms had been hoping to seal the merger of their retail operations in the first quarter of 2019 after it was recently given the green light by the competition watchdog in the UK. But only last month, SSE admitted there was "some uncertainty" over whether the merger with npower would go ahead after the pair delayed the tie-up due to the incoming cap on default tariff prices. SSE will now consider a standalone demerger and listing, a sale or an alternative transaction for its household energy division. Chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies said: "This was a complex transaction with many moving parts. We closely monitored the impact of all developments and continually reviewed whether this remained the right deal to do for our customers, our employees and our shareholders. Ultimately, we have now concluded that it is not. This was not an easy decision to make, but we believe it is the right one." "We are now exploring all the available options with a view to delivering this future in the best possible way. In this, the interests of our customers, employees and shareholders remain paramount. "In the meantime, we remain strongly committed to high standards of service for customers and delivery of our five-year dividend plan for shareholders." Last month, SSE revealed widened losses for its household gas and electricity supplier and the loss of another 460,000 SSE customer accounts as fierce competition took its toll. SSE said the incoming price cap on standard variable tariffs (SVTs) - due to come into force in January - will put further pressure on retail division profits for the full year and in 2019/20. Npower's German owner, Innogy, also reported falling customer numbers in the UK in November, saying it lost around 500,000 accounts this year and warning that the supplier will make a loss for the fourth consecutive year. SSE said suppliers were suffering amid competition from small suppliers as households switch to cheaper providers. Mr Phillips-Davies added: "SSE Energy Services remains a profitable business with a strong track record, a customer-centric culture and an excellent team that has enabled it to be a market-leader for many years. "We will build on this while continuing with separation activity in preparation for its long-term future outside the SSE group." This year saw some remarkable debuts, along with some gems, from more experienced pens. Julian Barnes's The Only Story (Jonathan Cape, 23) was published in February, following a departure from familiar ground with his previous novel. The Noise of Time, published in 2016, was a fictional but pretty accurate slice of Shostakovich's life under Stalin's iron fist. This offering featured another tortured soul, although an imaginary one. Nineteen-year-old Paul embarks on a delicious affair with a married woman 30 years his senior. He is not to know that the affair will shape all of his days to come. Vintage Barnes, The Only Story is a masterpiece of regret and disenchantment. February also heralded Jess Kidd's genre-bending gem The Hoarder (Canongate, 11.99). When care worker Maud Drennan is assigned a particularly difficult client in Cathal Flood, she finds herself knee-deep in hoarded junk and intrigue. What exactly happened to Flood's wife years before? Why has he got photographs with faces removed hidden away? And why is Maud haunted by practically every saint that was ever canonised, dishing out some fairly useless advice on what her next move should be? It's part Gothic murder mystery, part ghost story, part social commentary, riotously funny and loved by the critics, including this one. Rebecca O'Connor's He is Mine and I Have No Other (Canongate 17.99) is a remarkable account of adolescent love in the 1990s, backlit by the true story of 35 children who burned to death in a Cavan orphanage 50 years earlier. This debut gives us an author's eye for setting that is absolutely unrivalled. Whether it's in the music of the time, the now outdated condiments on the kitchen table or merely the everyday shabbiness of pre-Tiger Ireland, her meticulous details are familiar and yet eerily strange, prompting Christine Dwyer Hickey to describe it as "never a word less than a true work of art". And while Rebecca O'Connor's debut reels us back to pre-Tiger Ireland, Caoilinn Hughes's Orchid & The Wasp (Oneworld, 14.99) drops us right into the height of the foolishness in 2003, before blazing forward into 2008 when it all falls down. Gael Foess is determined to save her family from the ravages of the Tiger's whimpering retreat. Her banker father's retreat to the UK doesn't help much. The pre-publication hype around this book was actually deserved. It's original, clever and frequently very funny. Hughes's luminescence is staggering, breezing a determined young Gael from Dublin to London to New York and back again with scarcely a breath drawn. Brilliant. Future Popes of Ireland (4th Estate, 14.99), yet another debut by an Irish writer, would probably get my first preference. Darragh Martin's family saga follows the Doyles from the first papal visit in 1979 through to Barack Obama's visit in 2011. If we had an Irish John Irving, then Martin would be it. Comedy and tragedy are deftly stitched into this fat, generous tome with no visible seams and these flawed siblings, reared by the stropping and unforgiving Granny Doyle, will hang around long after the ending. A modern classic. Non fiction Hilary A White Non-fiction is arguably the engine room of the publishing industry, but commerce aside, what 2018 reminded us was that true-life subject matter can enter the discussion when it's configured in the right way. An obvious example was seen right here at home with Emily Pine's Notes To Self (Tramp Press, 14.99). This first non-fiction outing for Tramp was a gamble that paid off long before Pine took the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year at the recent An Post Irish Book Awards. Family bewilderment, that most urgent of motivators for soul-baring, was the fuse that saw Pine deconstruct and rebuild herself through these mesmerising, minutely calibrated essays that delve right into the heart of emotional regions rarely visited. A classic. Enormous credit must also go to Arnold Thomas Fanning, whose Mind on Fire: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery (Penguin Ireland, 14.99) ushered itself into the conversation on mental health through a mixture of bravery and craft. Fanning put into plain, but jarringly immediate language, a terrifying decade where he spiralled into near total mental collapse, only to make an incredible return to health. Like Pine, this is the type of account that not only grips you wholesale as the pages flitter past, it also changes your very perception of psychology. Engrossing in a more cartoon caper way but given to moments of heart-stopping mayhem is Tony 10 (Gill, 16.99). Declan Lynch (of this parish) imbues the tale of postmaster and chronic gambler (not to mention co-author) Tony O'Reilly with the giddy pace of a heist film. As only Lynch can do, he zooms right into the mainframe of this case that saw the unassuming Carlow native gallop through millions upon millions of other people's cash while working for An Post. While offering cautionary analysis, Tony 10 is a rollicking night in because it also embraces the mad, adrenalised aspects of O'Reilly's spiral. Video of the Day Squalor of a different kind, courtesy of the always brilliant UK nature writer Tim Dee. Landfill (Little Toller, 16.99) is nature writing for the Trump era, an age where we must look around at our global culture of waste, and notice what else is taking place there amid the rubbish pile. In doing so, Dee pens a majestic character portrait of the not-so-humble gull, a creature that is at once a graceful, soaring emblem of land-ho and a piratical scavenger ready to snatch sandwiches out of kiddies' hands. Thanks to us, they're here to stay, so we might as well get to know them a bit better. Another maritime species that are fundamental but often overlooked is the Irish lighthouse. Regardless of whether or not weather readings from Tusker Rock or Slyne Head fill you with romantic images of crashing waves and cliff-top ocean views, Lighthouses of Ireland (The Collins Press, 27.99) is essential for any household. Author and illustrator Roger O'Reilly takes us around the coastline of this island, spending a couple of pages to profile each of these charismatic and illuminatory sentinels and the incredible social, architectural and geographical histories that have gone into each one. A handsome monument to human endeavour, endurance, and conscientiousness. Popular fiction Margaret Madden Popular fiction titles drop onto bestseller lists faster than I can keep up with them, but some deserve a special mention. I nailed my thesis to the wall, earlier this year, by declaring John Boyne's A Ladder to the Sky (Transworld, 15.99) as my Book of the Year. A brave move, with more titles yet to be released; a decision I stand by. A truly marvellous read which shows just how far one person can go to realise their dream. In this case, Maurice Swift covets the 'Book Prize' and is prepared to step over anyone to get it. A sharp and acidic look at the literary world which left me with a mighty book-hangover. Kit de Waal, author of My Name Is Leon, took us back to the 1970s in her second novel, The Trick to Time (Penguin, 17.99), where Mona reflects on the Birmingham bombings and how they changed the course of her life. A story which touches on the lives of the Irish community in Britain during the Troubles and how grief, love and loss can be intertwined to create something beautiful. The opening chapters captivate and reel you in to Mona's world, one thread at a time. A new Jodi Picoult novel is always something to look forward to, and this year we were treated to both sides of the abortion debate in A Spark of Light (Hodder & Stoughton, 15.99). Told in reverse, Picoult reveals why a lone gunman has entered a female reproduction clinic and created a hostage situation. The stories of the women in the clinic are blended with those of the gunman and his hostage negotiator, creating a broad view of an issue still being debated decades after Roe v Wade. On a lighter note, a bit of royal scandal has always sold newspapers and the world's fascination with the British monarchy shows no sign of decline. A O'Connor's By Royal Appointment (Poolbeg Press, 14.99) is based on the true story of Prince Bertie and his pre-marital affair with Irish actress, Nellie Clifden. Set in post-famine Dublin and Kildare, we are treated to a fictional re-telling of the young prince who has discovered the joys of partying (much to the chagrin of Victoria and Albert) and Nellie, the high-class escort who falls for the prince and his promises. O'Connor reveals the juicy scandal that existed long before Diana and Fergie entered the royal circle. Eithne Shortall's Grace After Henry (Atlantic Books, 17.99) stands out as one of my favourite heart-warming reads. A young Dublin couple are on the hunt for their dream home when tragedy strikes. Grace is consumed by grief and barely functions on a day-to-day basis. When she spots Henry walking through Glasnevin cemetery her whole world is transformed. Shortall uses a perfect balance of sadness, humour and quirky characters, making for a wonderfully warm novel in the tradition of Marian Keyes. I particularly loved how she describes Dublin, almost as if it's a character itself. History & Politics JP O' Malley For those of us with a centrist political world view, 2018 - we can now safely conclude with confidence - has been a disaster. An isolationist, illiberal, approach to politics has now become the norm and not the exception for a whole host of countries across the globe. This toxic embrace of far right politics may not have resulted in full-blown fascism, just yet. But as former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, reminds us in Fascism: A Warning, (Harper Collins, 13.99) this is exactly where fascism, historically, began: in the emotive and hate-fuelled language of hardcore nationalism. I really enjoyed Albright's approach of intertwining the personal, the political, and the historical together, to produce a book that suggests the toxic atmosphere of international geopolitics is going to get worse before it's going to get better. It's with a touch of historical irony that the Soviet Union always stood in opposition to fascism, while at the same time embracing much of its totalitarian tendencies. Former Moscow Guardian and Observer correspondent, Shaun Walker, explores this peculiar paradox in The Long Hangover (Oxford University Press, 20.99): It attempts to comprehend the existential void that the Russian people have experienced since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. I've a soft spot for this stylish gonzo-like first person narrative voice that Walker uses to great effect. The book also documents the enormous power of nation-state mythologies, which control the lives of millions of ordinary citizens, blind to the real truth behind these fabricated myths of history. Every nation is merely the sum of the story that a tribe tells itself to justify its existence. But what of the individual who controls that narrative to change the course of history? Julian Jackson begins A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle, (Allen Lane, 39.99) by asking a simple question: what did de Gaulle's idea of the French nation actually consist of? The answer, Jackson contends, may be surmised in four words: patriotism, Catholicism, history and culture .This is the best political biography I've read all year, and a magisterial study of France during World War II too. Expand Close Eamon de Valera. Photo: Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eamon de Valera. Photo: Getty Images Shortly after de Gaulle resigned as French President in 1969, Eamon de Valera received him with open arms at Aras an Uachtarain. They had much in common: a loyal allegiance to the Catholic church; a mathematical and strategic approach to politics, and a deep distrust of Winston Churchill too. David McCullagh begins De Valera Vol 2 (Gill Books, 24.99 )in 1932, when Fianna Fail first came to power and de Valera had his mind firmly set on three goals: crushing any enemies within; dismantling the 1921 Treaty, and maintaining Irish sovereignty. McCullagh's close dissection of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland is a joy to read for anyone trying to understand the nuts and bolts of modern Ireland. The book also keeps in line with a changing trend in recent years from Irish historians, which praises de Valera's management of independence; arguing that if the price of Irish freedom meant economic hardship for a number of decades, in the long term, it was worth the sacrifice. As the eternal optimist, I think it's important to finish with some good news. Former president of Ireland, and the United Nations' high commissioner for human rights Mary Robinson's Climate Justice (Bloomsbury, 16.99) is the most uplifting and positive read I managed to get my hands on this year. Robinson's concise book offers viable solutions to climate change, giving a platform to disempowered citizens whose lives have been drastically affected by it, while also delivering a simple but effective message: it's up to us to take immediate action if we want to prevent our planet cooking itself to death in the coming decades. Crime Anne Marie Scanlon Expand Close Liz Nugent has published three books. Photo: Caroline Quinn / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Liz Nugent has published three books. Photo: Caroline Quinn Women, both as authors and characters, dominate this year's list, which will come as no shock to Irish crime fiction fans. Small wonder Liz Nugent won the Irish Independent Book Crime Fiction of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards for her bestseller Skin Deep (Penguin Ireland, 10.99). The novel follows Cordelia from her damaged childhood through life as an emigrant, a wife, an unwilling mother. While Cordelia is an anti-heroine, her story has resonated with a generation of Irish women who were treated badly at home, forced to leave, and then faced discrimination abroad. But Skin Deep isn't a polemic, it's a brilliant thriller. John Connolly knocks it out of the park again with his 16th book featuring private detective Charlie Parker The Woman in the Woods (Hodder & Stoughton, 21). Connolly's books are broadly categorised as crime but the novels with their mixture of the supernatural and the hyper-real defy genre. The main theme of this book is intimate partner violence, but Connolly also touches on the soullessness of corporate philanthropy and the complexity of lawyers' working lives. The supernatural, as usual, is all pervasive and Connolly introduces readers to two of the creepiest characters, Quail and Mons, ever to slither across a page. Lullaby by Leila Slimani (Faber & Faber, 12.60) is a page-turning psychological thriller; the author nails modern motherhood and also puts class under forensic examination. Myriam like many privileged middle-class women is afforded the opportunity to pursue her high-flying career by the less privileged (and far less well paid) Louise, who does the mucky business of childrearing. While Slimani has plenty to say about class, privilege and motherhood she never lets it get in the way of the increasingly chilling plot - as befits a novel which opens with the lines "The baby is dead. It only took a few seconds." Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan (Avon, 11.20) focuses, like many recent crime novels, on social media, the internet and the blurring of public personas and private motivations. After witnessing a young woman (Rose) die after being hit by a car, Emily starts reading the Facebook posts of her grieving widower, Cian. Having escaped a bad relationship, Cian epitomises everything Emily thinks a loving and romantic partner should be. By degrees she starts filling the dead Rose's shoes and slowly learns that perhaps private Cian is different. There's a fantastic twist at the end. The Sentence is Death, the second Daniel Hawthorne book by Anthony Horowitz (Century, 18.99) is sheer genius. The crime becomes secondary to the story as told to the reader by Anthony Horowitz - now a character in his own book. Despite Anthony's wish not to be John Watson to the mysterious Hawthorne's Holmes, that's exactly what he is. The narrative is hilarious and full of Holmesian clues and deliberate errors which will leave the eagle-eyed reader feeling just a bit smug. A joy from start to finish. Lifestyle Sophie White How to live better, more cleanly, more ethically and more mindfully feels like an additional full-time job these days. Thankfully we have a whole crop of new lifestyle books to the rescue. The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll (Harper Collins, 23.80) is a how-to on organisation that verges on the philosophical and taps into our current craze for minimalism. The method dispenses with the nerve-jangling alerts that invariably pepper the tech approach to planning our lives and instead revives a more analogue mode. With just a simple pen and journal, Carroll's strategy promotes a more mindful and intentional way of living. Another author opting to keep things simple is food giant Yotam Ottolenghi. Clearly a man engaged with his audience, and willing to act on feedback, Simple (Penguin, 32.99) is as visually appealing as his other books but gone are the days of sourcing 35-plus ingredients for a delicately perfumed rice pudding. Simple embraces the casual cook. It's more accessible with recipes promising culinary surprises in 10 ingredients or less. From the pared back to the joyfully OTT, Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon by Iris Apfel (Harper Collins, 30) offers an altogether different kind of feast - a glittering, sumptuous buffet of visual treats. It's the story of fashion in the 20th Century as told by one 96-year-old woman's stellar wardrobe. Apfel confides that she has 750,000 followers on Instagram but has never even had an email address, the account is run by a devotee in Vienna. The icon is delighted to be of interest to younger people. She bemoans a move away from individuality with "these characters with no personality who they follow on social media". Good thing then that Apfel is currently enjoying a renaissance, inspiring the new generation. Author and comedian Sarah Cooper's star was born when a 2014 blogpost went viral resulting in 100 Tricks to Appear Smart In Meetings. Her third book, How To Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings (Penguin, 12.99) is a spoof guide for women who want to get ahead in business and offers a playful poke at the infuriating double standards that plague the workplace while exploring deeper issues. "How to Be Harassed Without Hurting His Career" is spot on with clever one-liners that simultaneously mock and critique sexist office culture. "Sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious offence and will not be tolerated, except in cases where the harasser was clearly joking and you need to relax," she advises. The Irish Book Award-winning Currabinny Cookbook by James Kavanagh and William Murray (Penguin Ireland, 24.99) came out of the many years the couple spent hosting pop-up dinners. Their enthusiasm and irreverence leaps from the pages just as much as their flair in the kitchen. With Murray's background in fine art (he later trained at Ballymaloe), it's no surprise that the book is beautiful with delicate illustrations and tempting photographs. Ariana Grande is set to return to Dublin for a concert in September next year. The 25-year-old superstar will take to the 3Arena stage on September 22, 2018. She last played the 3Arena in May 2017, just before the Manchester Arena bomb attack in which 23 people were killed and 139 wounded. She had released her third album, Dangerous Woman, in 2016 but completed her tour in support of the album last year, performing 85 arena shows worldwide. Three of her albums have been platinum-selling and she has surpassed 18 billion streams as well as earning four Grammy nominations and landing eight top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her most recent album, Sweetener, released in August and she has just released a new single, Imagine, her follow up to Thank U, Next, which has topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Tickets for the 3Arena show, priced from 82, will go on sale Thursday at 10am from Ticketmaster. A Cork school has released a rousing version of 'Lean on Me' to raise funds for a pupil of the school who has been diagnosed with cancer. Fourth year students at St Colman's College in Fermoy, Cork recorded a video to accompany their version of the classic Bill Winters hit, which is available to purchase on iTunes. Funds raised will go to charities including Bumbleance, Ronald McDonald House, and Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin where the pupil, who has not been named, is being treated. Dara OMurchu sings the songs opening lines and the song also features his fellow pupils and the impressive vocal talent of music teacher Sarah Berry. The track was produced by Mark Cahill and filmed by Liam Geddes. The video for the song also features brave 'real life superhero' Tom Tom Cahill, who is three and a half years old. When he was two a tumour the size of a grapefruit was found on his kidney and Tom has since endured surgery and chemo. His mum said that despite what he has gone through he "still wakes up every morning with a song and a smile". Tom is one of the faces of St Colman's campaign, which is being led by teacher Claire McCarthy, and an ambassador for Crumlin Children's Hospital. The pupils are aiming to raise 20,000 and donations can be accepted via their fundraising page HERE They are also asking people to share the campaign with the hashtag #colmansstandtogether What a let-down: Taken Down failed to thrill during its six episodes Two dramas came to grim conclusions on RTE1 this week, though Death and Nightingales only ended badly for its characters, while Taken Down left viewers feeling really cheesed off. Or those viewers, anyway, who'd persevered with this drama throughout its six turgid episodes. Here was a thriller that didn't thrill, inhabited by characters made out of cardboard, and conducted at such a glacial pace that you could have taken the dog for a walk midway through every episode without missing anything. The makers, we kept being told in RTE's publicity bumph, were the people who had brought us Love/Hate, which some of us never much liked (too many scumbags) but which at least had a furious energy that kept the storylines motoring along. In Taken Down, though, the makers seemed so consumed with the plight of luckless asylum seekers in today's Ireland that they almost forgot about the case that was being investigated - the murder of Esme, who had been found battered at a bus stop in episode one. The circumstances and details of this killing were finally revealed in a flashback this week - though, as far as I could make out, only to the viewer, the cops seemingly remaining as clueless about what was going on under their noses as they'd been throughout the whole series. And as robotic, too. There was a feeble attempt to lend depth and complexity to chief cop Jen by lumbering her with a medical trauma, but this added nothing either to the drama or to our sense of Jen's character who, as played by Lynn Rafferty, ran the whole gamut of emotions from A to B. Instead, the camera lingered lovingly over Abeni (Aissa Maiga), who was portrayed throughout as a long-suffering saint, the weight of the world on her shoulders as she provided for two sons by working as cleaner in a brothel. But if she was too good to be true, the villains were also too stereotypical to be interestingly bad, and what the viewer was left with was a botched drama in which it was impossible to care about the characters or what was happening to them. The pace wasn't any less glacial in Death and Nightingales, though at least its stark storyline made its own kind of sense, while the dialogue was arresting and its main characters were absorbing. I thought that Jamie Dornan, as Beth's republican lover, would be one of these, but his role was sparse and hardly registered. Instead, the drama was carried by the love-hate relationship between Beth and her stepfather, with Ann Skelly and Matthew Rhys both outstanding as they confronted their bleak future together. Video of the Day Meanwhile, the makers of Taken Down could learn a thing or two from Mr Mercedes (RTE2), whose penultimate episode screens on Monday night. Here you have a cranky old cop (Brendan Gleeson) so imbued with doubts, fears, failings and other recognisable human traits that you feel you really know him. Here you also have a psychopathic killer (Harry Treadaway) into whose demented world you're so drawn that even when he's lying in a hospital bed with seemingly irreversible brain damage he makes you complicit in his terrifying inner life. And here you have, too, such splendid supporting players as Holland Taylor, Nancy Travis, Breeda Wool and Justine Lupe, all inhabiting characters so quirky that you look forward to their every appearance. And not least you have a brilliantly plotted storyline, with twists and turns that keep you enthralled throughout every episode. No, I'm afraid RTE drama has a long way to go. And while Bad Blood (Netflix) won't win many awards, at least this Montreal-set mafia saga should hold the attention if you're running out of things to watch. You can amuse yourself in the first episode (the only one I've seen) by spotting the references to other, and mostly better, crime dramas. There's the voiceover straight out of GoodFellas, the close-up shaving scene from The Untouchables, the ominously lurking cars outside the gate from The Godfather, and even the elaborate birthday cake from Some Like It Hot. The basic plotline seems similarly borrowed, with the city's main crime boss (Anthony La Paglia) trying to shore up his empire while fending off threats from upstart rivals. It's all a bit schlocky but it exerts a clammy sense of tension and may reward further viewing. "She's a pain in the neck and she has no talent". That's what the famed Strasberg drama school gurus said of Barbra Streisand at the start of her career. Their verdict deserves to go down in history along with the Decca executive's judgment that The Beatles were "just another guitar band" and the Hollywood agent's view of a young Fred Astaire: "Can't sing. Can't act. Can dance a little". The story was told in Barbra Streisand: Becoming an Icon (BBC4), an engrossing profile of the Brooklyn-born Jewish girl whose father died when she was a baby and whose witheringly stern mother saw her leaving home as a teenager for the bright lights of Manhattan. Big-nosed and gawky, she chose to celebrate her unconventional looks (what Camille Paglia called her "uncompromising Jewishness"), and by her early twenties she was insisting on full artistic control over her various singing and acting projects. Lady Gaga, how are ye. A man whose wife vanished without trace almost two years ago said he faces "a Christmas of misery" without her - and vowed to never lose hope that she will eventually be found safe and well. Richard Satchwell said he dreads facing his second Christmas without his wife, Tina (47), who vanished without trace from their home in Youghal, Co Cork, in March 2017. Despite a massive Garda search and enlisting the help of the UK police and Interpol, no trace of Ms Satchwell has been found. The English-born truck and courier driver said he still lives in hope that his wife will be located. He still purchases gifts for her at Christmas, on her birthday and on their anniversary. "I live in a state of misery," he said. "I still buy birthday and anniversary presents for her - it is better than giving up." Expand Close Dread: Richard Satchwell still buys his missing wife Christmas gifts as he believes it is better than giving up hope that she will return. Picture: Kyran O'Brien / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dread: Richard Satchwell still buys his missing wife Christmas gifts as he believes it is better than giving up hope that she will return. Picture: Kyran O'Brien Last month, Mr Satchwell marked his 27th wedding anniversary without Tina - and acknowledged that he dreads a second Christmas without her. "If Tina is not here, I am not celebrating [Christmas]," he said. "We sat down on Christmas Day [2016] - and a lot of photos appeared in the press of that day - she said to me that morning, 'we are going to make it the best Christmas we have ever had'. It was an absolutely brilliant day. This Christmas, if she is not here there won't be any Christmas for me [again]. "She is my daylight - she has been my life since meeting her, even before I spoke to her." The couple were engaged two years after meeting, and married in 1991 on Tina's 20th birthday. Mr Satchwell has repeatedly insisted he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance. "I have nothing to hide," he said. "My wife is going to turn back up or she is going to get in touch with the gardai. I have been with my wife for 28 years ...a good, quiet, loving marriage and nothing else. "I have never once in nearly 30 years of being together laid a finger on her - the most I have ever done to her is have a tight cuddle, loving the bones off her." Gardai stressed they are "very concerned" for Ms Satchwell. She was last seen at her home in Youghal on March 20, 2017. While two suitcases were missing from her home, travel documents and other financial material were still in the house. Her bank accounts have not been accessed and her mobile phone has not been used. Mr Satchwell reported his wife missing on March 24 after initially thinking she had gone to stay with relatives. He said he believes it is unfair the way he has been treated, particularly by sections of the media. Gardai also conducted searches of Youghal harbour but nothing was found. A major search of an east Cork woodland was ordered by gardai earlier this year but again nothing was found. A Limerick apartment linked to a convicted brothel keeper and her son was acquired with the proceeds of crime, the High Court has found. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart granted the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) orders over the property in proceedings against Brazilian born Aulicete Walsh and her son Maicon Morelli, who is the apartment's registered owner. The exact location of the apartment, which is not where the brothel was, cannot be identified for legal reasons. On Monday, Ms Justice Stewart said she had "no hesitation" in finding that property was acquired with the proceeds of crime. The Judge said that Mrs Walsh "had put a great deal of effort into continually flouting the law and engaging in brothel keeping". Mrs Walsh came to Ireland from Brazil in 2006. and subsequently married an Irish man. The judge said she had engaged in a lifestyle, which included the purchase of holidays and relatively new cars , through a criminal activity which takes advantage of vulnerable young women to make a profit. In 2017, Mrs Walsh was convicted of brothel keeping in Ennis and Limerick in May 2015, and was given an eight-month prison sentence. Ms Walsh, aged 55, with an address at Clarina, Co Limerick, was previously convicted of brothel keeping and fined 750 in 2012 at Newcastle West District Court. The apartment at the centre of the CAB proceedings was bought by a bank draft in 2014 for approximately 34,000. CAB, arising out of a garda investigation into brothel keeping, obtained orders freezing the property. CAB sought orders under Section 3 of the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act. Both mother and son opposed CAB's application. They argued that just over 20,000 used to buy the apartment came from legitimate income. If the property, which the court heard has increased in value, is sold by CAB they claimed that they should receive a percentage of the proceeds of that sale. Mrs Walsh claimed she put 10,000 she earned doing jobs such as house cleaning, minding children, working in butchers, bakers, a clinic and restaurants in Co Galway, for which she was paid in cash. Mr Morelli, who now resides in Brazil, claimed he was given money by his late father in Brazil which he brought to Ireland and put towards the apartment price. He also claimed he put money came from earning from various jobs he had when he lived in Ireland. Mr Morelli said he has never been involved in any serious criminality, and had nothing to do with his mother's brothel keeping activities. Dismissing the mother and son's claims, the judge said they had failed to show that the property was not bought with the proceeds of crime. There was inconsistency with Mrs Walsh's evidence and her attempts to conceal the status of the property when interviewed by the gardai, she said. There was also a failure to provide financial and account evidence to support their claims about the property. While Mrs Walsh had "some legitimate income," it was clear she and her husband "lived a lifestyle which required significant funds, funds that could not have accrued from her meagre income." Any legitimate income expended by Mrs Walsh in buying the property would not have been available for that use were she not availing of her ill-gotten gains to support her daily life and preferred lifestyle, the judge added. Garda Warren Farrell (35), who is based in Clondalkin, Co Dublin, arrives at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he is accused of dangerous driving causing the death of a woman four years ago. Pic Collins Courts. A jury has begun deliberations in the trial of a serving garda charged with dangerous driving causing the death of an elderly pedestrian four years ago. 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. Garda Farrell has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of the 75-year-old at Fonthill Road South, Dublin, on August 28, 2014. This afternoon Judge Cormac Quinn told the jury that they could convict the defendant on a charge of dangerous driving causing death or of careless driving causing death. He said they must reach a unanimous decision of guilty or not guilty. On day six of the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court the jury spent an hour deliberating before going home for the night. In his closing speech James Dwyer SC, prosecuting, told the jury that Gda Farrell made an assumption that Mrs Core was aware of the garda patrol car which the State contend was travelling at around 56 to 58 kmh on a road with a 50 kmh speed limit. He said that Gda Farrell had a clear view of the pedestrian from 200m before the point of collision but that heavy braking only began at 10 to 13m before this point. Having seen her he decided to continue to drive at the same speed. We have 187m to 190m of driving before hard braking takes place. Having seen her in the road, he didn't decide to ease off. His failure to slow down, or to stop, or to drive at a speed which allowed him to react, is dangerous driving by any standard, he said. He said the jury can also come to a verdict of careless driving. Closing the defence case Patrick McGrath SC told the jury that this was a terrible tragedy but that no crime was committed. There are many situations where a tragedy occurs and no-one is at fault, he said. He said this was a case where somebody made an honest and what they believed at the time to be a reasonable decision, which turns out to have consequences which they never intended and never foresaw. He urged the jurors to look at the decision making process of a man who is being asked to respond to an incident as quickly as possible. He told them that the State's own forensic expert concluded that Gda Farrell believed that Mrs Core would not continue crossing the road and he was surprised when she did. The evidence was this cost in the order of 2 to 2.5 seconds before he began braking and reduced the distance available to him and reduced his ability to avoid the collision. You cannot be satisfied that the decisions made were outside the range of decisions which a reasonable garda driver asked to respond to this emerging and potentially dangerous situation would make. He went out to do this duty. He no doubt regrets every single day of his life what happened that day, Mr McGrath said. The trial continues. JOHN Gilligan, who was arrested with 23,000 euros in a suitcase at Belfast International Airport in the summer, faces spending Christmas behind bars after his latest bail application was refused on Monday. A defence barrister told Coleraine Magistrates Court that Gilligan (66), with an address in west Dublin, had been on remand in custody for 115 days on a charge of "attempting to remove criminal property" from Northern Ireland. The full charge is that the 'Defendant on 23/08/18, attempted to remove criminal property from Northern Ireland, contrary to Article 3 of the Criminal Attempts and Conspiracy (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 and Section 327(1)(e) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.' Gilligan appeared via video link from Maghaberry Prison where he has been in custody since being arrested. The defendant was arrested while attempting to board a flight from Belfast International Airport to Spain. At the time the National Crime Agency (NCA) said officers recovered around 23,000 at the scene. In court today, Gilligan confirmed his name and confirmed he could see and hear the court. A defence lawyer said a bail application was being made on the basis of a "delay" in the case. A National Crime Agency investigator told the court the full file in the case was submitted to prosecutors on November 1 and a fortnight ago he held a meeting with the Assistant Director of the Public Prosecution Service to discuss the case. The investigator said the only thing outstanding on the file is an International Letter of Request which was previously submitted in relation to enquiries with Gardai and the Criminal Assets Bureau. He said the letter was still going through various departments including the Home Office who would then send it to the gardai. The investigator said he wanted information from the Republic since the defendant was facing a "money laundering" offence. At Monday's court, the defence lawyer said at Belfast International Airport in August his client had told officials he had the money with him and had given an account of it. The lawyer said around 15,000 of the money was to pay for rent in Spain. The barrister said his client had been in custody for "115 days" and he believed the risk of absconding could be dealt with by Gilligan being released on bail with an electronic tag, curfew and daily reporting to police. District Judge Liam McNally said the defendant had a number of previous bail applications refused on the grounds of a likelihood of committing further offences and not turning up for his trial. He said the fresh bail application was on the grounds of a delay and said further information was being sought from the Gardai and Criminal Assets Bureau. The judge said it was getting close to a stage when the time it taking for the case to proceed would be an issue but he was satisfied progress was being made. However, Judge McNally said he was giving prosecutors "a yellow card" and said if a "timetable" for the case is not forthcoming in January he could re-visit the issue of bail. He refused bail and remanded the defendant in continuing custody to appear back at court in mid-January via video link. A husband has been charged with multiple counts of raping, beating and injuring his wife at their home - including an incident in which he allegedly flushed her head in the toilet. The accused (46) was granted bail subject to conditions when he appeared at Dublin District Court accused of repeatedly attacking his wife in 2016. Judge Dermot Simms remanded him in custody until he is able to take up bail. The man - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was charged in court with 30 separate offences against his wife. Garda Devin Meaney gave evidence of the accused individual's arrest, charge and caution, which he said had taken place at Crumlin garda station prior to his appearance at the court hearing. The accused is charged with one count of raping his wife and another of orally raping her. There are 27 separate counts of assaulting her, causing her harm. In one of the assault counts, it is alleged that he caused her harm by flushing her head in the toilet. The final charge is that he threatened to kill her or cause her serious harm, without lawful excuse and intending her to believe the threat would be carried out. All the offences are alleged to have happened at the couple's home in the south of the city on dates in August and September 2016. The charges are under Sections 2 and 4 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act and Sections 3 and 5 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. The charges will ultimately be dealt with in the Central Criminal Court and the accused will be sent for trial there when a book of evidence is ready. Judge Simms ordered the defendant to appear in court again later this month. Tragic: Nicola Collins was discovered unresponsive in a flat in Cork. A man convicted of the murder of Nicola Collins (38), who was found brutally beaten in his flat with 125 different injuries, has appealed against his conviction. Cathal O'Sullivan (45) has lodged appeal papers against his murder conviction before the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork last month. While no date has been set for the appeal, it is unlikely to be heard before 2020. O'Sullivan insisted the mother of three suffered the injuries when she fell in the bath in his flat and then when he tried to defend himself after he alleged she lunged at him having consumed cider. However, Ms Collins's family said O'Sullivan is a dangerous man, with Irish streets safer now that he is behind bars. O'Sullivan started a life sentence on November 29 for the brutal murder of Ms Collins on March 27, 2017. The science graduate was convicted of Ms Collins's murder by a Central Criminal Court jury following a three-week trial. The conviction was by unanimous jury decision. Ms Collins was found with 125 different injuries in O'Sullivan's flat at Popham's Road, Farranree, Cork. She died from a serious head injury due to blunt force trauma. It emerged during the sentencing hearing that O'Sullivan had subjected a girlfriend to another horrific beating in 2013. He received a three-year suspended sentence for that assault. A Lithuanian man stabbed his housemate in the torso, neck and ear during a physical altercation over domestic matters, a court has heard. Garda Rob Nolan said he was on duty when neighbours alerted him to a dispute between Arturas Bulksas (55) and his then housemate. Bulksas, of Burnside, Magenta Crescent, Santry, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting the man causing him harm at his address on December 23, 2017. He has no previous convictions. Gda Nolan told Joseph Barnes BL, prosecuting, that Bulksas got a kitchen knife during the altercation and stabbed his housemate in the torso, neck and ear. He was initially unfit to be questioned by gardai as he was so intoxicated, but he later made admissions. The court heard the injured party, who spent two days in hospital with his wounds, refused to make a victim impact statement or provide a medical report. Gda Nolan told Judge Melanie Greally that the injuries were not life threatening. He said the man made a statement to gardai to say he was leaving the country and didn't want anything further to do with the case. The garda agreed with Emmet Nolan BL, defending, that Bulksas admitted in interview that he had drunk a bottle of vodka prior to the dispute. Mr Nolan submitted to Judge Greally that it was unusual for someone in their first outing in criminality to use a knife. He said his client had come home that day and had an argument with the injured party about household matters. He said the dispute then turned physical. Mr Nolan submitted that his client had not attempted to wriggle out of the case by taking a trial date, in light of the injured man wanting nothing more to do with the matter. He said Bulksas had come to work in Ireland ten years ago, but now suffers from a stomach ailment which will require surgery. Counsel asked Judge Greally to take into account his client's early plea, his genuine remorse, his previous good record and that he has no family in Ireland. Judge Greally adjourned the sentence to February next year and ordered community service and probation reports. She accepted that this was a case with some peculiarities favourable to the accused. She warned that given where the injuries were inflicted, an accused person can usually expect to get a custodial sentence regardless of their point of life. Bungling 'Home Alone'-style robbers, who flooded student accommodation after stealing copper piping, were caught after gardai found a receipt in one of their names in a rented getaway van. One member of the gang, Noel Ferry (52), appeared before Letterkenny Circuit Court in Co Donegal, charged with burglary and criminal damage of the building. Ferry and two other men entered the disused student village at Port Road in Letterkenny and ripped out the boilers and piping. They flooded the entire building. Between the theft and the damage caused to the property, an estimate of 55,000 was put on the cost of the robbery. Gardai told the court they received a call that a man had been seen acting suspiciously at the student accommodation at Port Road at around 10.45pm on February 22, 2012. When they arrived, they were told that a security man had come across a rigid Mercedes truck on the site and that a man had been seen fleeing from the truck. They entered the building and found extensive water damage and copper cylinders and piping missing from various apartments. When they searched the truck, they found a receipt for the rental of the truck in the name of Noel Ferry. Following his arrest, Ferry admitted his part in the robbery and two other men were later arrested in connection with the robbery. Ferry's barrister, John Berry, told the court his client was under financial stress and that this plan had been hatched in the pub over a few beers. Since this incident, Ferry, of Letterkenny, has no convictions and was working in construction in London and supporting his family back in Donegal. He added that his client had 10,000 in court to offer as compensation for his part in the robbery. Mr Berry added that his client should be treated in the same manner as the other two accused in the case, who had previously been given community service orders by Judge John O'Hagan. Brendan Dunleavy (28), of Ballymacool, Letterkenny, and Darren Doherty (31), of Kirkstown, Letterkenny, both received 240 hours community service in June 2017 for their part in the raid. Judge John Aylmer agreed and ordered Ferry to complete 240 hours of community service in lieu of three and-a-half years in prison. He also ordered that the 10,000 be paid to the injured party. MMA champion Conor McGregor has had the latest motoring case against him struck out by a court. The UFC fighter (30) appeared in Dublin District Court today accused of uninsured and unlicenced driving- the second time in less than three weeks he has come before a judge accused of road traffic offences. However, Judge Geraldine Carthy struck the latest case out at the request of the gardai after his documents were produced in advance of the brief hearing. McGregor, with an address at Laraghcon, Lucan, was accused of driving without insurance or a licence and failing to produce them at a garda station within 10 days of being stopped driving at Grove Road, Rathmines on July 10 last. McGregor, wearing a navy suit, white shirt and purple tie, arrived at the Criminal Courts of Justice shortly after 10.30am in a car with blacked out back passenger windows. He walked to the front door flanked by minders, to a throng of journalists and photographers. After a consultation with his solicitor Graham Kenny, he remained in the corridor outside the packed courtroom until minutes before case was called. He stood in the public gallery and was seen smiling and chatting with RTE's crime correspondent Paul Reynolds. When the case was called, Mr Kenny told Judge Carthy he appeared for the accused, who came forward from the back of the courtroom. Garda Keith Dolan made an application for the case to be struck out, on behalf of prosecuting garda Gavin Kelly. "Strike out all matters," Judge Carthy said. McGregor nodded and murmured "thanks," then made his way out of the courtroom after a hearing that lasted less than 10 seconds. Todays court appearance was McGregors latest after he was banned from driving for six months and fined 1,000 for speeding, at Naas District Court less than three weeks ago. McGregor was caught driving at 154kph in a 100kph zone on the N7 in Co Kildare in the incident last year, and failed to pay the fixed penalty fine due to an administrative error, Naas District Court heard during that hearing. Judge Desmond Zaidan noted at the time he had 12 previous motoring convictions and said McGregor was fortunate he was not charged with careless or dangerous driving. McGregor had pleaded guilty to breaking the speed limit at Blackchurch on the N7, Kill, Co Kildare on October 11, 2017. In November last year he was fined 400 for speeding in a separate incident on the Naas Road after he pleaded guilty at Blanchardstown District Court. A CONVICTED sex offender who raped one woman and sexually assaulted another, both of whom he met on the Tinder dating app, will be sentenced next May after a judge ordered a pre-sentence probation report. Patrick Nevin (37) drove his victims to a secluded part of Co Meath before he raped one, and four days later, subjected a second to a prolonged sexual assault. He told the rape victim afterwards that he had "found her attractive and got carried away". Nevin also became angry with the woman he sexually assaulted, calling her a "c*nt" and a "mickey tease" when she begged him to stop. Last month, Nevin apologised to the women and expressed his remorse for his actions. Wearing a dark grey pin-stripped suit, white shirt and dark tie, Nevin was further remanded in custody pending a pre-sentence probation report. The defendant had pleaded guilty in June to the rape of a woman at Bellewstown, Co Meath on July 12, 2014. He further admitted to sexually assaulting a second woman at an unknown place in Co Meath on July 16, 2014. The computer programmer and former UCD student is already serving a five and a half year sentence which he received last month for the sexual assault of a Brazilian woman he also met on Tinder. All three attacks took place within the space of 11 days in 2014. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said she was not sentencing Nevin today. The judge said she wished to order a pre-sentence probation report and to see a prison governor's report and forensic psychiatric report prior to sentencing. Judge Creedon said she initially had been told those reports would be available, but they had not been opened to the court. She said she was now requesting a pre-sentence probation report. Judge Creedon further remanded Nevin in custody to appear before the court again on May 13. The case was delayed briefly after Nevin requested that a named woman be removed from the court. Scene of tragedy: Bells Beach, where the baby girls body was discovered in Balbriggan, North County Dublin. Photo: Frank McGrath Flowers at Bells Beach where a baby girl's body was discovered in Balbriggan North County Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Foul play has been ruled out in the death of a baby girl whose body was found on a north Dublin beach over the weekend. The full-term baby's remains were found partially covered in Balbriggan by a member of the public, shortly after 10am on Saturday. An investigation into the discovery is continuing, with gardai anxious for the child's mother to contact them. Concerns have been expressed about her welfare and gardai have said the mother will be treated with care and compassion. A post-mortem on the baby's body was carried out yesterday which confirmed the remains were those of a baby girl. Gardai have also ruled out foul play and believe the baby died before being left at Bell's Beach in Balbriggan. Buried The child's body was partially covered in sand, although it was not immediately clear if the remains were partially buried or covered by sand from sea winds. A Garda spokesman said: "A post-mortem examination completed today, December 16, 2018, established that the child was a full-term baby girl. "It was also determined there was no foul play involved in the death of the child. "We continue to appeal to the mother of the child to come forward and we are also appealing to anyone with information to contact Balbriggan garda station on 01 8020510." The baby girl was Caucasian and the remains were found by a member of the public who was cleaning the beach at the time of the discovery. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Sergeant Fiona Savidge of Balbriggan garda station said: "A member of the public found the body of a new-born baby at Bell's Beach in Balbriggan. "I want to get in touch with the mother of this baby, I am reaching out to you. I know you need medical attention. "You need to go to your doctor, possibly a 24-hour doctor on call," Sgt Savidge said. "If you could also go to an Accident and Emergency [unit], 24-hour care is available there," she said. "We are here at Balbriggan garda station at (01) 666 4500 or Tusla can be contacted 24 hours a day on 0818 776 315. "I can assure you, you will be treated with the utmost of compassion, care and 100pc confidentiality. "I know you are a daughter, you are possibly a sister, a cousin. "You may have a husband or a boyfriend. You may just have confided in a friend, so to anybody out there who the mother of this baby has got in touch with, I am appealing to you to make contact with us here." Local Fine Gael Councillor Tom O'Leary expressed his shock over the weekend and also urged the mother to get medical attention. "Without knowing any of the circumstances, I would appeal to the mother to come forward to seek the help and medical attention she needs. "Maybe she is under a lot of pressure, we don't know the circumstances and the matter is very delicate," Mr O'Leary said. "Maybe her family and friends are aware of her situation and they could assist her in coming forward. She needs to talk to somebody. "God almighty, we don't know the circumstances but to think of anyone that might have had to go through that alone and also in those terrible weather conditions, alone on a beach. "I can't bear to think of it. It's just so tragic. I am shocked. "The whole of Ballbriggan will be in a state of shock," Mr O'Leary added. Local officers, headed by Det Supt Paul Scott, immediately began inquiries in the area to help establish the identity of the baby's mother. Gardai have also appealed to anybody else with information about the incident to make contact with them. Case conferences have also been held at Balbriggan garda station as investigators review the outcome of their inquiries so far. Gardai will use the national DNA database in an effort to identify the mother of a baby whose remains were discovered on a north Dublin beach over the weekend. The newborn, named Belle by gardai, was found wrapped in a cloth on the Balbriggan beach at around 10am on Saturday morning. At this stage investigators believe that the child was left at Bell's beach within 24 hours of being born but have not yet been able to establish a location of where baby Belle's mother could be from in the country. The baby girl was stillborn, gardai have confirmed as they issued a further appeal for the mother to come forward. Expand Close Scene of tragedy: Bells Beach, where the baby girls body was discovered in Balbriggan, North County Dublin. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Scene of tragedy: Bells Beach, where the baby girls body was discovered in Balbriggan, North County Dublin. Photo: Frank McGrath This afternoon gardai made another public appeal for her mam to come forward and seek medical attention, adding that her welfare is of "paramount importance" to gardai. Sgt Fiona Savidge, of Balbriggan garda station, said: "I want to thank everyone in the general area for their assistance. A number of phone calls have been received at Balbriggan garda station. "The primary concern is the health, welfare and medical assistance that can be offered to Belle's mam . I also want to say that the safety of Belle's mam is of paramount importance," Sgt McSavidge said. "The post mortem showed yesterday that it was the birth of a baby girl, she was full term and unfortunately baby Belle was stillborn," Sgt McSavidge added. Eilidh McNab, the Tusla north Dublin area manager, also urged baby Belle's mother to seek medical attention and receive necessary care. As part of their efforts to locate the baby's mother, gardai will use the national DNA database as is standard for missing person cases and the discovery of bodies. Expand Close Bells Beach, near Balbriggan, where the babys tiny body was found. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bells Beach, near Balbriggan, where the babys tiny body was found. Photo: Frank McGrath A DNA sample will be taken from baby Belle and compared to current samples in the database. Baby Belle's body was partially covered in sand when discovered but gardai believe this was the result of winds rather than being done deliberately. CCTV from the area around Bell's Beach in Balbriggan will also be reviewed as part of the investigation, and gardai say the remains were brought there rather than being washed ashore. Foul play has been ruled out in the tragic case and Inspector Brian Downey insisted the girl or woman who gave birth is not in trouble, there is no criminal investigation. The baby was full term, it was a baby girl, the baby had died sometime before delivery, he told RTE's 'Morning Ireland'. This is not a criminal investigation and our appeal is to the mother of this baby, please come forward, you do need medical intervention and you do need medical help and were imploring anybody who knows anything about this matter, whether its the mother herself, or her parents or her brother or sister, cousin, boyfriend, to contact either the gardai or Tusla or call to a hospital, to a doctor, he added. Inspector Downey said the baby girl has been named after the area in Balbriggan where her body was found. Weve decided to name the baby, were gonna call the baby Belle, after Belles Lane and also because Belle is a derivative from the French meaning beautiful, he said. Inspector Downey said gardai are actively seeking information about the mother and said the gardai priority is her health. He said gardai dont need to speak to her, but need to know that she is safe. Theres probably a fear amongst the mother of Belle to come forward and what were trying to do is to create a safe environment that she will know that its okay for her to come to us. The tragic discovery of the tot's remains was made on Saturday morning at Bell's Beach near the north Dublin town. A volunteer cleaning up the shore found the partially buried body. Master of the National Maternity Hospital, Dr Rhona Mahony also issued an appeal to the mother and said we are very concerned for her and described the situation as heartbreaking. Were concerned for her physically. She may have had some complications from the birth, for example excessive bleeding or infection, she said. Were also concerned for her as a person. We know that this is immensely difficult for her, we can imagine her being confused, being very distressed and indeed being very frightened. Dr Mahony added that they will speak to her in absolute confidence. She should not be concerned in relation to gardai or being in trouble or being given out to or facing a whole range of disciplinary action, we want to help her. Local Fine Gael Councillor Tom O'Leary expressed his shock over the weekend and also urged the mother to get medical attention. "Without knowing any of the circumstances, I would appeal to the mother to come forward to seek the help and medical attention she needs. "Maybe she is under a lot of pressure, we don't know the circumstances and the matter is very delicate," Mr O'Leary said. "Maybe her family and friends are aware of her situation and they could assist her in coming forward. She needs to talk to somebody. "God almighty, we don't know the circumstances but to think of anyone that might have had to go through that alone and also in those terrible weather conditions, alone on a beach. "I can't bear to think of it. It's just so tragic. I am shocked. "The whole of Ballbriggan will be in a state of shock," Mr O'Leary added. Thousands of public patients risk being removed from waiting lists for surgery or a specialist appointment next year under a 'two strikes and you are out' rule. The HSE's national service plan, which comes before Cabinet this week, pledges to step up the validation of public waiting lists. Although this is needed to remove people who no longer need treatment in order to make it more efficient for others, the methods used are now being criticised by doctors. Tallaght GP Dr Andrew Jordan, who is chairman of the National Association of General Practitioners, said: "There continues to be a dramatic increase in the number of these validation letters sent to GPs throughout the country. "We have no issue with the validation of waiting lists in itself. However, the validation process adopted by the HSE to validate waiting lists is negatively impacting upon the most vulnerable in society." The national centralised validation unit has been set up since September and is managed by the National Treatment Purchase Fund. A spokesman said the unit allows 14 days for a response to the initial validation letter a patient receives. There is then a further 14 days allowed to respond to a second reminder letter. "Accordingly, patients will always be given at least four weeks to respond," he said. "If the patient does not respond to the second letter, the patient and their GP may be informed that the patient will be removed from the waiting list in compliance with national protocol. "If the patient or GP considers the hospital care is still required, the patient will be reinstated, maintaining their original place on the list." To date, the unit has been involved in the validation of waiting lists in St James's University Hospital, University Hospital Limerick, Galway University Hospital, St Vincent's University Hospital and Cork University Hospital. However, Dr Jordan said Health Minister Simon Harris should reform the validation system. If there is no reply, an attempt should be made to contact the patient by phone to ensure the patient has not changed address, or become homeless, he said. Currently the elderly, homeless, minority communities and people who cannot read are losing out. Relief: Sean Binder and his mother Fanny reunited for Christmas at Dublin Airport Trinity graduate Sean Binder, who spent more than 100 days in a Greek jail after volunteering with a refugee group in Lesbos, returned home to Ireland yesterday after being released on bail. Mr Binder (24), from Togher, Co Cork, was embraced by his mother, Fanny, at Dublin Airport as he landed on Irish soil after months in a Greek prison. He had been arrested with Syrian human rights worker Sarah Mardini (23). The pair were alleged by the Greek authorities to have been involved in human trafficking, which they deny. Mr Binder was released on 5,000 bail earlier this month and is awaiting a trial date in Greece. He told the Irish Independent: "I'm not a hero but I'm not a criminal. I'm feeling relieved. It's amazing to be back home with my family. "It's Christmas next week, so it's great to be back but this is not really over. We have been released on bail but the absurd allegations are ongoing. We are still waiting for a trial. "What I did was good. How can it be a crime to pull people who are drowning out of the water? How can it be a crime to provide medical facilities in a refugee camp? How can that be criminal? "When I got there, I thought, 'I can effect change. I am a rescue diver. I have rescue skills. 'As a first responder, I can help out.' "But then you have the first boat landing on some remote cliff face on the edge of Europe and you are helping somebody overcome hypothermic shock." Mr Binder was charged with human trafficking when he was on the Greek island of Lesbos, assisting refugees as part of his work with a group called Emergency Response Centre International. He and three other volunteers have spent the last three months in a Greek jail after they were accused of helping illegal migrants enter the country. All four have been released on bail. He is now looking forward to Christmas at home with his mother and extended family between Cork and Co Kerry and planning a Christmas Day swim and surf in Castlegregory, Co Kerry. In the new year, he will start to focus on his defence. Mr Binder admitted he felt better placed to do this at home in Ireland. Ms Binder said that having her son back, even on bail, was the best possible Christmas gift - particularly given that she had endured the upsetting experience of seeing her son in handcuffs in a Greek jail. Gardai are urging anyone with information to get in contact (Stock Photo) Gardai are seeking information in relation to a midland hatchet attack which left a man with partially severed fingers and head wounds on Saturday. The injured man, who is aged in his 20s, was accosted by a number of individuals and received defensive wounds to his hands and head while fending off blows from a hatchet during the attack in the Kilcormac area. The man was taken by ambulance to the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore with non life threatening injuries. Its understood the man has since been taken to Dublin for treatment. Gardai are appealing for witnesses following the serious assault which is thought to have occurred between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. They stated that at around 6pm on Saturday "an ambulance was called to Munny, Kilcormac, following a report of a man being discovered with serious head and other injuries." Gardai have appealed to anyone who noticed anything suspicious in the Kilcormac are between 5.30 and 6.30pm to contact Birr Garda Station on 057 9169710. Garda in Sligo have appealed for information on the missing sculpture. Photo: Garda Siochana Sligo/Leitrim Members of a Co Sligo community have expressed "sadness and anger" after a statue was stolen from the car park at WB Yeats' final resting place. The bronze sculpture is missing from the main car park at Drumcliffe in Co Sligo. It is understood that the statue was reported missing on Sunday. It forms part of a larger piece displaying the poem "He wishes for the cloths of heaven" by the renowned Irish poet. Yeats famously left the instructions that the grave consist of "no marble, no conventional phrase". Located near the Benbulben mountains, the graveyard at Drumcliffe church also contains a high cross and nearby is a 6th Century Columbian monastery. Capt Isaac Hanna, rector of St Columba's Church in Drumcliffe, appealed for the "safe return" of the statue, which was created by sculptor Jackie McKenna. "We were greatly saddened and angered that someone had taken this unique object, which for many is one of the focal points of their visit to our churchyard and church. "It was ironic that we first learned of the news following our annual community carol service, of which the theme was 'joy to the world'. "We would appeal to anyone in the community that would have any information regarding the theft to pass it on to local gardai in Grange." Local councillor Maria Casserly also encouraged members of the public to provide any information on the whereabouts of the "beautiful life-size piece". "I'm disgusted, why someone would take something like that is beyond me," Ms Casserly told Independent.ie. "It takes a lot of effort to get something like that out there, and the Drumcliffe Development Association have done some great work with it over the last few years. "One or two people have now destroyed that for everybody else". Gardai are appealing to anyone with information regarding the piece to contact Grange Gardai or Sligo Gardai on 0719157000 or the Garda confidential line 1800666111. Despite some bright spells across the country this morning, there's no need to put the umbrellas away yet- as Met Eireann have issued yet another yellow weather warning. A status yellow rainfall warning is in place from 7pm tonight until 7am on Tuesday for Connacht, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Donegal, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Waterford. According to the national forecaster, between 25mm and 40mm of rain are expected with "flooding possible". Two yellow wind warnings also remain in place for most of the country today and tomorrow morning. The warning is in place until 4am tomorrow in Munster, Connacht and Donegal, and extended until 9am tomorrow for Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan. Winds of up to 50 and 65km/h are expected with gusts reaching between 90 and 100 km/h. More than 4,000 homes and businesses were left without power at the weekend as Storm Deirdre made its way across Ireland. A number of roads were closed due to flooding, including parts of Cork, and a number of Irish Ferries between Dublin and Holyhead were cancelled. AA Roadwatch are encouraging motorists to take care when driving on Irish roads while the weather warning is in place. "When driving in high winds, allow a large gap between you and the vehicle in front, expect wind-blown debris and be mindful of vulnerable road users such as cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians," a spokesperson said. Expand Close Stormy weather in Dublin. Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stormy weather in Dublin. Photo: Tony Gavin "Remember it takes longer to stop on wet roads, so slow down and keep further back from the vehicle in front." According to Met Eireann, the current forecast shows a wet and windy week ahead, with chances of hail and thunder. "Showery conditions for much of this week, some heavy or more frequent and with the risk of hail or thunder. However, a spell of persistent rain on Friday will clear later to scattered showers," the national forecaster said. The showers are expected to continue on Wednesday, with lowest temperatures between 2 and 6 degrees. Thursday will see scattered showers with some sunny spells. However, the showers will be heavy and more frequent in the northwest and north with the risk of the odd thundery downpour at first. Thursday night will be mostly dry with clear spells at first. Later in the night, cloud will build from the southwest with a spell of persistent rain pushing into the southwest and becoming widespread by morning. A nine-year-old girl was taken to hospital as Storm Deirdre swept across the nation after she was injured by a falling tree limb. Paramedics attended the scene, not far from the Marina in the Blackrock area of Cork, and rushed the little girl to Cork University Hospital (CUH). Meanwhile, current predictions for the Christmas forecast show that Ireland has little chance of a white Christmas, with temperatures being described as "far too mild". Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has taken a swipe at Micheal Martin by questioning whether Brexit was the Fianna Fail leader's only motivation for agreeing to prop up the Fine Gael minority Government for another year. Mr Ahern also questioned what Fianna Fail had got out of the deal, saying the renewal had been "given on the basis of no real agreement on anything". Fianna Fail last week agreed to extend the existing Confidence and Supply Agreement with Fine Gael until early 2020. Mr Martin said he took the decision in the national interest, given the impending threat of Brexit. However, Mr Ahern suggested that this may not have been his successor's only motivation for extending the deal. He argued that an election would probably return another Dail stalemate. "An election over the next few months would probably give something of the same seats that we have," said Mr Ahern. "Micheal Martin probably looked at that and said, 'Well, what's the point?'" Mr Ahern added: "I don't really think it's to do with Brexit." Speaking on RTE Radio, he said he had supported Mr Martin's decision to facilitate the Fine Gael-led Government after the 2016 election. This avoided the possibility of two or three elections in quick succession. But on the renewal, Mr Ahern claimed that while he was not privy to the "inside story", it looked as if the extension had been "given on the basis of no real agreement on anything". He continued: "It's just 'give another year's support to the Budget next year'. That's probably sensible enough." After the extension had been announced last week, Fianna Fail said it had obtained assurances that legislation which it supports would be prioritised. One example is its demand that new laws to limit hikes to variable mortgage rates be introduced in return for Fianna Fail propping up Leo Varadkar's Government. Mr Martin has also denied that his party got a raw deal for its support of the Government. He insisted: "The bottom line is we're facing into a huge threat in the form of Brexit." Fianna Fail last night declined to comment on Mr Ahern's remarks. Mr Ahern is no longer a member of the party. He resigned from it in 2012 in the wake of the findings of the Mahon Tribunal, which had examined his finances. At the time, Mr Martin had been in the process of moving for his former boss's expulsion from the party. Mr Ahern also warned that Ireland must stand firm on measures to avoid a post-Brexit hard Border with the North. He said that Brexiteers in the UK had "copped on late" that they could be stuck with the so-called backstop to avoid a Border with Northern Ireland "for a long-time". Mr Ahern maintained: "We can't give an inch on it," adding: "We do not want a return to the borders of the past." Former minister Mary Hanafin is to enter a growing field of well-known figures who want to contest the European election in Dublin. Ms Hanafin, who spent nearly 14 years in Leinster House, is likely to be up against two of her ex-ministerial colleagues Barry Andrews and Conor Lenihan, as well as LGBT campaigner Tiernan Brady. Speaking in Blackrock tonight, Ms Hanafin said the election are the most important ever as we face a period of uncertainty not only in relation to Brexit but for democracy throughout Europe". "The only democratic voice of the people is through the European Parliament and Ireland needs to elect our strongest and most experienced people as your MEPs. She noted that there has not been a Fianna Fail MEP for Dublin since 2009. Since losing her Dail seat at the height of the economic crash in 2011, Ms Hanafin has remained active within the party. Notably she was involved in a series of disputes with fellow councillor Kate Feeney, primarily over who should run for the party in the 2016 general election. Ultimately Ms Hanafin won the so-called 'Battle of Blackrock' and got on the ballot, only to finished fifth in the four seat constituency. A convention for next May's European elections will be held early in the New Year on a one member one vote system. I aim to meet and speak with as many delegates as possible over the next few weeks to win their support to represent Dublin in the European Parliament," Ms Hanafin said. Government proposals for modernising how people sign up to vote include an online system and anonymous electoral roll listings for domestic abuse victims. The Government is today beginning a three-month public consultation on ideas to improve the current electoral roll system. Junior minister John Paul Phelan said current procedures for signing up to vote are complicated, with more than 20 different paper forms for different types of changes to the register. The Government is proposing to slash the number of forms and introduce an online system where citizens could register using their PPS number. Mr Phelan stressed online registration would be optional and people would still be able to sign up using paper forms. One option being considered for accessing the online system would be the use of controversial Public Services Cards (PSC) and their corresponding online portal MyGovID. But Mr Phelan said people would "absolutely not" be required to have a PSC to vote. The use of PPS numbers is being considered because it's the most complete, publicly held database on citizens' details. The Data Protection Commissioner is being consulted and if the proposal was adopted, PPS numbers would not appear on the electoral register. Mr Phelan said anonymous registration for people who have been granted barring orders due to domestic abuse is being looked at to protect their addresses from perpetrators. The Government is also proposing a streamlined approach to registration for homeless people. Last week, I headed off on a train journey Id wanted to do for some time. It wasnt anything exotic or posh as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which Ive been dying to try. My journey was far more mundane Dublin-Cork-Dublin on Irish Rail and I was way too excited to even allow patchy wi-fi get to me. I was like a child boarding the Arctic Express laden with pressies Id excitedly wrapped the night before when I announced to my offspring that I was boarding a reverse Holly Bough express. Let me explain... My late maternal grandmother, Mary Crowley, had magically expanding bags like Mary Poppins and she would arrive up to Dublin laden down with all sorts of Cork exotica and specialities like Thompsons Battenberg, bottles of Tanora and my dads favourite, The Holly Bough, a festive newspaper supplement packed with nostalgia. I was thrilled to head back to Cork if only for a whirlwind 24 hours to see family and old friends, and drink some Murphys in the institution that is The Long Valley bar. With this trip to the Independent Republic of Cork, my intention was to activate some new Christmas traditions at this stage of my life. Im not getting maudlin now, but its one of the sad things about growing older that you no longer have the Christmas set-pieces you clung to for years when the kids were small, like going to visit Santa and having your photograph taken with the bearded one, or going into town to see the lights and post your letter to Santa on the way home. So I was heading to Cork to create a little modern nostalgia of my own. And whats wrong with that? Nostalgia can be good for us at any age, I say. It was time to reconnect with family and honour Christmases past. One of the time-honoured Christmas traditions in our house was when my Auntie Daphne used to come to Dublin on her annual Christmas gifting expedition. The dynamic Cork woman would whizz around the pals and former workmates and deliver all sorts of presents to them and their kids. A Christmas card just wouldnt do. My mum would collect her from the train and act as her taxi lady as she delivered Christmas largesse, a lot of it knitted by her own fair hand. I was always intrigued by the practical nature of my mums friends, one in particular who would gift her a big envelope of tights for the year. At that time, I thought this was crazy but now, what I wouldnt give for someone to gift me six pairs of Penneys Opaque tights in black and navy and set me up for the grey days of January. And a Lottery scratch card thrown in for good measure. On the train heading south, I started to compile my list of things to buy in Cork, starting with a dress at Samui and spiced beef from the English Market. My face broke into a smile and I actually snorted with laughter when I thought back on how many quarter weight of this Cork favourite my Granny brought up to us over the years like a culinary pack horse! What a diligent post woman in the service of others. After music and the scent of fragrances, theres nothing quite like the smell and taste of food to send you spinning back in time and, for me, the clovey smell of our kitchen filling up with the smell of boiling spiced beef was the absolute epitome of a Christmas Eve at home. My loquacious taxi driver pumped me for information on my way to visit my grannys grave. Two shared surnames, sure we might even be cousins, he announced as he charged me a tenner. Now that Im an orphan minus parents and godparents, visits to graveyards can be very sad but there was no chance of that today. The taximan left me chuckling and, as I walked to the grave, my spirits rose as I planned some genealogical research for 2019. Being proactive this side of December 31 is always good for the soul and helps you embrace the new year with a purpose. Guess that means more visits to Cork. Good! I fancy more time in the Crawford Art Gallery, and after years of hating it when my mum used to make it, Im developing a taste for Carrageen Moss. Could I be morphing into a Cork woman for the second half of my life? Story of the day The city or region 'of contrasts' is the great cliche of travel writing. When you think about it, after all, what place is not a mix of old and new, or a curious blend of the modern and historic? I'm blue in the face from recommending the ancient sites of the Boyne Valley. Newgrange and Tara are jewels in the Irish crown, sure, but I wanted to explore Meath and Louth with an eye on technology. With Oasis set for Slane, the D Hotel lighting up Drogheda's quays, and a state-of-the-art centre interpreting the Battle of the Boyne, could there be more Silicon than we think in the Valley? Activity of the day Opened by Bertie Ahern and Ian Paisley on the former's last day in office, the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre (041 980 9950; www.battleoftheboyne. ie) brings lasers and audio-visuals to bear on the clash of James II and William of Orange in 1690. The small but polished displays are quietly effective in bringing the ghosts of Oldbridge, the largest-ever gathering of troops on Irish soil, to life. En route to the stables here, watch out for a wall covered in contemporary expressions ('freeze the balls off a brass monkey', 'chance your arm' and 'bite the bullet' among them). Aisling McMahon of the OPW has an office just behind this, she tells me, and she regularly overhears visitors' giggling as they decipher their strangely logical origins. Discovery of the day Franciscans had been in Drogheda since the 1100s, so when their church was donated to the town in 2001, there was much stewing over what to do with it. The beautifully lit Highlanes Gallery (041 980 3311; highlanes.ie), home to the city's municipal art collection, is the result. "Some people come in and say, 'I want to see what you did to my church!'" says Hillary Kelly. "But they leave happy." Dipping below street level, stained glass windows and a suave mezzanine look down on the old alter (and post-conceptual exhibition) below. Women such as Mary Swanzy and local artist Nano Reid have a strong presence in the collection, and I can't think of a better venue to see them in. Taken with the cafe and design shop alongside, it's one of the best re-imaginings I've seen in ages. Catch of the day Slane is spoiled by George's Patisserie (041 982 4493; georgespatisserie.com). A deli, cake shop and restaurant in one, its eponymous owner is a Munich-born chef, Georg Heise, who travelled the world before meeting a Donore woman, falling in love, and bringing his magic to Meath. So, what's the secret to a good cake? "Good ingredients," he says. "Make it well and make it always the same." Now, more than ever, Georg adds, people want consistency and value for money. His philosophy? "Treat them the same, whether they spend 15 or 1,000." View of the day Or perspective of the day, as the case may be. Monogram Hotels made a huge splash when launching the G Hotel in Galway. I'm a big fan, so I sought out Drogheda's D Hotel (041 987 7700; thedhotel.com) with genuine anticipation -- imagining a savvy designer palace set between old viaduct and new De Lacey Bridge. I was hugely let down. All the elements are in place (black-clad staff, sleek bar, lower-case 'd' atop of my cappuccino), but the design isn't a patch on the G; Sky News competes with piped music, an ugly car park languishes outside and I'm shown around by a lacklustre member of staff ("the rooms are all the same, really"). This is 2009, not 2006. I really hope I hit it on a bad day. Dish of the day "I don't think you guys should try this at home," says the human dynamo that is Billie O'Shea, flambeing her mushroom sauce with a generous splash of Cognac. "Well, you can if you want. But I don't want to meet you up in Ratoath with no eyebrows!" O'Shea's Fairyhouse Cookery School (01-689 6476; fairyhousecookeryschool. com) runs a 'Men in the Kitchen' course (170 for three nights), and I sit in for an evening with the budding Jamie Olivers. A former ICU nurse who packed it in to follow her passion, O'Shea is brilliantly enthusiastic. "If you've made the effort, wallow in it!" she cries, layering up a surprisingly easy tiramisu. Remains of the day Dunboyne Castle Hotel (01-801 3500; dunboyne castlehotel.com) is just outside the Boyne Valley, but the sculpture of football manager Sean Boylan leaves little doubt that I'm still in Meath. Open as a four-star since 2006, the three-tiered spa, attentive architecture and well-judged interiors here give the impression of a hotel very comfortable in its skin. And there's something else. After a tiring day, a smiling barman spots me carrying a weary and Wi-Fi'd-out load to my room. "It's easier if you go up this way, sir," he says, ushering me down a different route. "There are only two doors to open." Now that's customer service. Christmas markets in mainland Europe are fairytales of magic and wonder. Wooden carvings, tastefully decorated trees, beautifully hand-crafted carousels for children, homemade angels, a scent of spice and gingerbread, glorious food and drink. It's like stepping into Christmas itself. I was in Hamburg last week with my daughter. We went to various markets - one with an ice rink, another with a mini wheel overlooking a lake with a large tree in the middle, dazzling with lights; the other with a wooden hand-carved Santa sleigh and Santa with presents flying through the sky above. The enchanting 'Weihnachtsmarkt,' an iconic symbol of Christmas, with traditions spanning hundreds of years, inspires childlike wonder. They are often emulated in Ireland, but our versions don't come close. The real markets have to be experienced to be believed. Unfortunately, however, not everyone feels the same way about these innocent, family friendly wonderlands. When asylum-seeker Anis Amri drove a truck into the Berlin Breitscheidplatz Christmas market on December 19, 2016, killing 12 people and injuring 56, the German psyche was attacked at its very core. It was as though he had stuck a knife into a German fairytale and spilt blood across its pages. The whole thing has been made worse by the fact that, according to a 173-page report, leaked to the media on Saturday, he was not acting alone and was part of a Salafist cell. As one would expect, German authorities didn't follow up on information that others were involved. Instead, there are boulders across the streets of cities, separating the markets from potential lorry or car attacks. It was macabre to see that some people's ideology isn't in line with this Christmas celebration, which has been taking place on our Christian holidays for hundreds of years in every village, town and city in Germany and mainland Europe. As a paranoid person, I was reticent of going to the larger market and my fear was exacerbated when I saw the huge cement boulders along the street. How dare I have thoughts of fear about our sacred Christmas markets, which I have visited since childhood? My friend admitted that she hadn't been to the main market since the Berlin attack out of fear - terrorism at its most effective. We were fine after two Gluhweins and wandered to the Rathaus (town hall) market, the biggest in the city. There was certainly no sense of fear prevailing. People were just having a wonderful time. The next day, however, radicalised Islamist Cherif Chekatt, who was convicted 27 times for criminal offences across France, Germany and Switzerland and was seen as a 'state threat', decided to wander into the majestic Christmas market in Strasbourg and open fire on yuletide visitors. He killed five people and injured 12, while shouting: "Allahu Akbar." The world didn't seem to be too shocked. After all, it has happened before many times. There wasn't even an #I'mwithStrasbourg-style hashtag. As with all such attacks, the only catastrophes that occur are personal. People like Thai tourist Anupong Suebsamarn, who have nothing to do with the running of things, get killed. The losses are personal, not global. No leaders of countries will be hurt. They will visit the bloodstained, cobbled markets, look at the damage, say words of comfort, then get on with the running of things. Ultimately, nothing will change. The market in Strasbourg has been reopened. The show must go on. You can't let them win, after all. This is the beauty of it. There are tens of thousands of Christmas markets across France, Germany and Switzerland, mainland Europe, and no real impact will be made by Islamist terrorists. People will be scared, like I was, but they will go back. Terrorists can kill people at a Christmas market, but they'll never kill our spirit. During modern-day Sinn Fein's early steps into constitutional politics, a 'draft-dodger' was the jocose moniker attached to party representatives who didn't have a Provisional IRA record. Of course, Gerry Adams was the exception to the nickname as allegedly everyone knew that he was a leading figure in the Provos, most notably those in his cult following in the party. These days, the term 'draft-dodger' could as easily be applied to the party's MPs who refuse do their duty in Westminster. The party's policy of abstention is coming under greater scrutiny than ever given the narrow margins in the House of Commons, where the Tories require the support of the DUP to remain in power. The impact of Brexit will be felt most strongly in Northern Ireland, particularly if the unrelenting pressure to avoid the return of a hard Border fails to hold. The decline of the SDLP means all the nationalist seats are held by Sinn Fein. The DUP's dominance of seats on the unionist side means moderate views from Northern Ireland have no voice in Westminster at all. Sinn Fein, correctly, argues its voters are well aware of its policy of not taking up any Westminster seats it wins. The party has added a second argument to its arsenal. Its representatives claim, without any evidence to back it up, that if its MPs suddenly turned up for votes on Brexit it would drive Tory MPs to vote in the opposite direction. The recurrence and consistency of this account from a number of party figures over recent weeks implies the Sinn Fein handlers have circulated that memo widely. Former Taoiseach John Bruton has a different take. He says Sinn Fein could have made a key contribution on Brexit, as taking up its seats would have "neutralised" the DUP's veto on the outcome of negotiations. Looking back to a century ago and referring to the establishment of the Stormont parliament in 1920, the former Fine Gael leader says history shows abstention by Irish politicians has "substantial downsides". A century ago, abstention resulted in little scrutiny of the dangers of creating Stormont. Mr Bruton delivered a speech to mark the centenary of the pivotal 1918 general election, which led to the first Dail. Where the official Sinn Fein line and Mr Bruton do align is in agreeing there's no point in taking up the seats at this late stage. "It is five to midnight - they should have come in in the morning, not at five to midnight," he says. When the history is written on Brexit, it will reflect that Sinn Fein MPs failed to make their voices and votes count in Westminster during a crucial period for this country. Workers at two Amazon distribution centres in Germany have gone on strike as part of a push for improved work conditions, leading to fears that Christmas orders may not arrive in time. The German news agency dpa reported that workers in Leipzig in eastern Germany and Werne in western Germany went on strike early on Monday. Expand Close Workers in Leipzig and Werne are involved in the dispute (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Workers in Leipzig and Werne are involved in the dispute (AP) The ver.di union representing the workers said Amazon employees receive lower wages than others in retail and mail-order jobs in Germany. Amazon has said in the past that its employees earn relatively high wages for the industry. 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. Janet Fein could not be blamed for finally relaxing, after bringing up five children and retiring at the age of 77 from her secretarial job, but thats not her. Ms Fein, now 84, returned to studying and will accomplish a long-held goal this week when she graduates from the University of Texas in Dallas with a bachelors degree. I didnt have anything to do in retirement and I didnt think that playing bingo was up to my speed, said Ms Fein, who studied sociology because she felt it was substantial. She said she enjoyed all the reading and writing papers. With each class I already knew a lot, but then I also learned a lot. And that made me happy, she said. Janet Fein, 84, the oldest of nearly 2,800 students who will graduate from @UT_Dallas this week, is the epitome of perseverance. Congratulations, Janet! https://t.co/ZtGwp2ruIZ UT System (@utsystem) December 17, 2018 People 65 and older make up less than 1% of US college students. In 2015, they accounted for about 67,000 of about 20 million college students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Keeping oneself active and vital and giving yourself something to look forward to like that is just a really positive move, said Dr Carmel Dyer, executive director of the UTHealth Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Ms Fein took part in a state programme that allows people aged 65 and older to take up to six credit hours for free at public universities in Texas. About 2,000 people took advantage of the offer last year, according to the Texas Higher Education Co-ordinating Board. Ms Fein said she wanted the degree with all of my heart and kept going to classes even as she went from living on her own and driving herself around to needing a walking aid and oxygen, and eventually moving to a home for the elderly. Then her knees gave out, so she did a term of independent study and took online classes to fulfil her degree requirements. She did not give up in the midst of her challenges, she just kept plugging along, said Ms Feins college adviser, Sheila Rollerson. Expand Close Janet Fein said bingo wasnt for her (pjrimages/etty) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Janet Fein said bingo wasnt for her (pjrimages/etty) Tracy Glass, 40, befriended Ms Fein after they both took front-row seats in a class. I sat right next to her and over the course of the semester built a fast friendship with her, said Ms Glass, who said Ms Feins firsthand memories of world events like the womens movement enlivened discussions. Carol Cirulli Lanham, a senior lecturer in sociology, said: She would speak up a lot in class and I think that it just made for a more interesting class because she literally remembered some of the times we were talking about. Ms Fein, who grew up in the Bronx in New York City, said that at school she just wanted to leave and get a job. After leaving at the age of 16 she went to work as a secretary at a dress manufacturer. She married, spent 18 years staying home with her children and worked at several jobs over the decades, including a 20-year stint as a secretary at a Dallas orthopaedic hospital, the job she retired from in 2012. She also worked on her associate degree for two decades before earning it in 1995. Renee Brown, a certified nursing assistant who is one of Ms Feins carers, said Ms Fein had inspired her. At 53, she plans to enrol in a programme to become a licensed vocational nurse. She said, Renee, you can do it. If I can do it you can do it and you will feel so good about it, Ms Brown said. Debris: Firefighters work at the site of the explosion that razed a restaurant in Sapporo in northern Japan. Photo: Reuters More than 40 people have been injured in an explosion that destroyed a restaurant in Sapporo, northern Japan. Police said one person was in a serious condition while another 40 suffered mild injuries in the blast in the capital city of Japan's northern main island Hokkaido. Expand Close Flames pour from the restaurant as emergency services rush in to aid survivors. Photo: Reuters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Flames pour from the restaurant as emergency services rush in to aid survivors. Photo: Reuters They were still being treated at nearby hospitals last night. Television footage showed the restaurant in flames. The cause of the explosion in the district of Toyohira is being investigated. The footage later showed grey smoke billowing from the restaurant as dozens of firefighters poured water on to the building, which was charred and nearly collapsing. Windows in a block of flats next door were broken, and cars parked outside were partially covered with debris that had fallen on them. A witness told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that he smelled gas after the sound of an explosion. Russian rap artists may have found an unlikely ally in the form of Vladimir Putin. The Russian president said over the weekend that attempts to shut down the art form were counterproductive and an alternative approach was needed. "If it's impossible to stop something, you have to take charge of it," he said during a live broadcast of a meeting of his advisory council on culture and the arts. "How to do this, how to take charge and guide in the necessary direction - that's the most important issue." Mr Putin said the question would be taken up by members of his administration. It marks a surprising softening towards an art form at odds with Mr Putin's professed aim of restoring traditional values. The Kremlin has frequently clashed with musicians and artists it believes are intent on political campaigning, such as the Pussy Riot collective. In recent weeks, concert cancellations by venue owners and local authorities have been reported across the country. The government's rap battle generated global headlines last month with the detention of Husky - real name Dmitry Kuznetsov - whose songs mocking the authorities and highlighting police brutality have built a big following on YouTube. When electricity was cut off at a concert venue in the southern city of Krasnodar, he used a car roof as a stage and performed in the street. He was arrested for hooliganism and sentenced to 12 days in prison but was released after four. A new wave of rappers has become a voice for young Russians' frustration with their political and economic prospects, but attempts to silence them have fed those concerns and revived memories of Soviet-era repression. Prosecutors in Moscow have also launched investigations into the lyrics of two other rappers, Gnoyny and Khan Zamai, suggesting their songs were anti-Semitic or had neo-Nazi themes, which both deny. Other accusations include the use of profanity in songs. The turmoil led Igor Matvienko, a music producer and member of Mr Putin's arts advisory culture, to suggest introducing a parental advisory guidance system for concerts. That prompted Mr Putin's intervention, saying: "You said that rap (rests on) three pillars: sex, drugs and protests. Of all of these, drugs are the most worrying. They are the route to a nation's degradation." ( Daily Telegraph, London) COP24 President Michal Kurtyka and Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Patricia Espinosa pose with the heads of delegations after adopting the final agreement during a closing session of the COP24 U.N. Climate Change Conference 2018 in Katowice, Poland, December 15, 2018. Photo: Reuters/Kacper Pempel Nearly 200 countries at the UN climate talks have agreed universal, transparent rules on how nations can cut greenhouse gas emissions and curb global warming, putting the principles of the 2015 Paris climate accord into action. But to the frustration of environmentalists and a group of countries urging more ambitious climate goals, negotiators delayed decisions on two other climate issues until next year in an effort to get a deal. "Through this package, you have made a thousand little steps forward together," said Michal Kurtyka, a senior Polish official chairing the talks. "We will all have to give in order to gain," he said. "We will all have to be courageous to look into the future and make yet another step for the sake of humanity." The talks in Poland took place against a backdrop of growing concern among scientists that global warming on Earth is happening faster than governments are responding. Last month, a study found global warming will worsen disasters such as the deadly California wildfires and the powerful hurricanes that have hit the United States this year. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that while it's possible to cap global warming at 1.5C by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial times, this would require a dramatic overhaul of the global economy, including a shift away from fossil fuels. Alarmed by efforts to include this in the final text of the meeting, the oil-exporting nations of the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait blocked an endorsement of the IPCC report mid-way through this month's talks in the Polish city of Katowice. That prompted uproar from vulnerable countries like small island nations and environmental groups. The final text at the UN talks omits a previous reference to specific reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and merely welcomes the "timely completion" of the IPCC report, not its conclusions. Last-minute snags forced negotiators in Katowice to go into extra time, after Friday's scheduled end of the conference had passed without a deal. One major sticking point was how to create a functioning market in carbon credits. Economists believe that an international trading system could be an effective way to drive down greenhouse gas emissions and raise large amounts of money for measures to curb global warming. But Brazil wanted to keep the piles of carbon credits it had amassed under an old system that developed countries say wasn't credible or transparent. Among those that pushed back hardest was the US, despite President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord and his promotion of coal. "Overall, the US role here has been somewhat schizophrenic - pushing coal and dissing science on the one hand, but also working hard in the room for strong transparency rules," said Elliot Diringer of the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions, a Washington think tank. The father of the gunman who embarked on a deadly shooting spree at a Christmas market in Strasbourg has said his son was an Isil supporter. Abdelkrim Chekatt said Cherif Chekatt (29), believed the Islamist terror group was "fighting for a just cause". A total of five have died and 12 others were wounded in the gun attack on Tuesday. Chekatt escaped but was cornered by French police and shot dead in the Neudorf area of the city following a huge two-day manhunt. His parents and two brothers were among seven arrested as police investigated whether others were involved in the attack. The four family members have since been released "due to the lack of incriminating evidence at this stage", the Paris prosecutor's office said. Speaking to the TV channel France 2, Abdelkrim Chekatt denied knowing his son was planning the shooting and said he had tried to discourage his extremist beliefs. "He'd say, for example, that Daesh is fighting for a just cause," he said, using the Arabic acronym for Isil. "I told him: 'Forget about Daesh, don't listen to what they say. Don't you see the atrocities they commit? Beheadings, burning people alive.'" Isil's propaganda wing has described Cherif Chekatt as a "soldier", but French authorities say there is no evidence the group was involved in the attack. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Isil's claim of responsibility was "totally opportunistic". But Chekatt was on French security services' watch list for radicalism and had 27 criminal convictions for offences in France, Germany and Switzerland. Investigators are trying to determine whether he had accomplices in the Christmas market attack. The three other people arrested, who are not family members but were close to Chekatt, remain in custody. ( Independent News Service) Former US vice-president Joe Biden has emerged as an early front-runner among Democrats vying for the 2020 presidential nomination with a dominant lead among voters in Iowa, the first state that will express its preference next year. A poll has found 32pc of likely party voters saying they back Mr Biden as their first choice, ahead of 19pc for Bernie Sanders and 11pc for Beto O'Rourke, the 46-year-old politician who came close to an against-the-odds win during midterm elections in Texas last month. The results have Democrats salivating about a dream ticket that matches a 76-year-old veteran popular with blue-collar voters with Mr O'Rourke, a telegenic businessman with a knack for producing viral videos. "It could be a way to get past the age issue with Joe," said a Democratic strategist. "Then again, it's two white men." Mr Biden has not decided on joining a crowded field of contenders but has done little to dispel speculation, saying his age is an advantage. "I'll be as straight with you as I can. I think I'm the most qualified person in the country to be president," he told a University of Montana audience this month. "The issues we face as a country today are the issues that have been in my wheelhouse that I've worked on my whole life." His supporters say he is best placed to woo back the parts of the Rust Belt and middle America that were unimpressed with Hillary Clinton and defected to Donald Trump in 2016. But fears remain that the Democrats could lose the youth vote if they plump for Mr Biden, Mr Sanders (77) or Elizabeth Warren (69). Reports at the weekend suggested Mr Biden was talking to friends about whether he was too old to run for the White House. So they have floated the idea of teaming up with Mr O'Rourke. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] A picture of Jakelin, a 7-year-old girl who died in U.S. custody after crossing illegally from Mexico to the U.S, is seen during a protest to demand justice for her, in El Paso, Texas, U.S. December 16, 2018. Photo: Reuters The family of a seven-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in US Border Patrol custody are disputing US officials' claims she had not been given food or water for days. The parents of Jakelin Caal said she had been given food and water and appeared to be in good health as she travelled through Mexico with her father, Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz (29). They added Jakelin had not been travelling through the desert for days before being taken into custody. Jakelin and her father were seeking asylum in the US and were among a large group of migrants arrested on December 6 near a remote border crossing in New Mexico. Hours later, they were placed on a bus to the nearest Border Patrol station, but Jakelin began vomiting and eventually stopped breathing. She later died at a Texas hospital. Health Border Patrol officials claimed agents did everything they could to save the girl but that she had not had food or water for days. An initial screening showed no health problems, and her father had signed a form indicating she was in good health. But the family took issue with that form, which was in English, a language her father doesn't speak or read. He communicated with border agents in Spanish but he speaks the Mayan Q'eqchi' language. "It is unacceptable to have persons in custody sign documents in a language that they clearly do not understand," the statement said. Jakelin's family are urging authorities to conduct an "objective and thorough" investigation into the death and to determine whether officials met standards for the arrest and custody of children. A cause of death has not yet been released. Mr Mulvaney (p) is the third person to fill the role of chief of staff as John Kelly, a retired Marine general, vacates the position at the end of the year. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images Video has emerged of Donald Trump's latest chief of staff describing his new boss as "a terrible human being". The video of the remarks by Mick Mulvaney was taken during a debate with Fran Person, then his Democrat congressional challenger, in South Carolina less than a week before Mr Trump was elected president in 2016. Mr Mulvaney is the third person to fill the role of chief of staff as John Kelly, a retired Marine general, vacates the position at the end of the year. The US president turned to Mr Mulvaney, his budget director, to temporarily fill a position once seen as one of the most sought-after in the White House. It will be Mr Mulvaney's third job in Mr Trump's government. He is currently head of the Office of Management and Budget and for a time simultaneously led the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "Mick has done an outstanding job while in the administration," tweeted the president as he announced the news. The pair's existing relationship was key to the appointment; Mr Trump likes Mr Mulvaney personally and they are said to get on well. Whether the president has seen video footage of him being described as "a terrible human being" in 2016 is unclear. Mr Trump is said to prize the former congressman's knowledge of Capitol Hill and political instincts, which he believes could be valuable as his administration prepares for a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and the 2020 election campaign. Mr Mulvaney, a former lawyer and restaurant chain owner, entered politics in 2006, when he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, and later became a state senator. In 2010 he was elected to the US House as Representative for the South Carolina's 5th district, a seat he held until his appointment as OMB director in January 2017. Festive: President Donald Trump with first lady Melania during the Congressional Ball in the grand foyer of the White House. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP Donald Trump and his lawyer have unleashed a fresh series of attacks on the probe into alleged Russian collusion, ruling out the possibility of a presidential interview with special counsel Robert Mueller. The US president and Rudy Giuliani used Twitter and television interviews to deliver a series of broadsides against Mr Mueller and federal prosecutors in New York. Mr Giuliani said he was "disgusted" by the tactics used by Mr Mueller in his probe into Russian election interference, including securing guilty pleas from the president's former national security adviser Michael Flynn on a charge of lying to federal investigators. He insisted Mr Trump would not submit to an interview by Mr Mueller's team. "They're a joke," Mr Giuliani said in an interview. "Over my dead body, but, you know, I could be dead," he joked. The special counsel, who is investigating possible ties between the Trump presidential campaign in 2016 and Russia, has continued to request an interview with the president. Last month, the White House sent written answers in response to the special counsel's questions about possible collusion. The White House has resisted answering questions on possible obstruction of justice. Mr Giuliani sarcastically said the only thing left to ask the president was about "several unpaid parking tickets that night, back in 1986-87 that haven't been explained". If the president officially refuses an interview request, Mr Mueller's team could theoretically seek to subpoena him to force his testimony. Such a move would almost certainly trigger an immediate court fight. The Supreme Court has never directly ruled on whether a president can be subpoenaed for testimony in a criminal investigation, though the justices have said a president can be forced to turn over records that have been subpoenaed and can be forced to answer questions as part of a lawsuit. Mr Trump's legal exposure grew as his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting he issued hush-money payments to women who alleged sexual affairs with Mr Trump. Prosecutors and Cohen say he acted at the president's direction, which Mr Trump and Mr Giuliani deny. Mr Trump and Mr Giuliani have repeatedly tried to paint Cohen as untrustworthy, with the former New York City mayor calling him a "pathological liar". The president and his lawyer have also accused prosecutors of intimidating the president's associates into making false claims. "Remember, Michael Cohen only became a 'Rat' after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started," Trump tweeted. "They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE!" However, observers point out it was not a break-in. The FBI executed a search warrant obtained from a judge in conducting a raid in April on Cohen's home, office and hotel room and seizing records on matters including a $130,000 payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels by Cohen. The warrant was approved at high level in the Justice Department. The scene at the headquarters of the public broadcaster MTVA in Budapest (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI/AP) Security forces have physically ejected Hungarian opposition politicians from the headquarters of the Hungarian state broadcaster MTVA in Budapest. In a video posted on opposition politician Bernadett Szels Facebook page, she and fellow independent Akos Hadhazy are seen being pushed out of the MTVA headquarters by security guards. A group of 10 politicians had entered the building, insisting on the right to read five demands live on air. The demands included the revocation of the new labour law, passed last week in parliament, which gives employers the right to request up to 400 hours of mandatory overtime annually, without payment settlement for up to three years. Posted by Szel Bernadett on Sunday, December 16, 2018 The right-wing government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban says the law will help relieve the current shortage of labour in Hungarys booming manufacturing sector, and allow workers to earn more. But the slavery law, as critics have dubbed it, has sparked widespread protests among unions and opposition parties across the political spectrum. Thousands braved sub-zero temperatures to go to the parliament in Budapest on Sunday, where speakers condemned the new law while the angry crowd chanted slogans such as Weve had enough. (5) We spent the night in the building closed in the make-up room in front of the studio. pic.twitter.com/zbMepe9ycR Istvan Ujhelyi (@istvan_ujhelyi) December 17, 2018 As protesters dispersed on Sunday evening, an estimated 2,000-3,000 moved on to the state broadcaster, shouting anti-government slogans. After the delegation of opposition MPs were allowed into the building to negotiate their demands, riot police guarding the headquarters outside used pepper spray on at least two occasions to repel protesters trying to break through the cordon. Mr Hadhazy read the demands to camera in the early hours of Monday, but it is not clear whether these were broadcast. Protesters returned to the MTVA headquarters on Monday morning and vowed to continue the struggle. Sri Lankas president has accused newly reappointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of corrupt leadership in a scathing speech. President Maithripala Sirisena, who administered the oath that returned Mr Wickremesinghe to office, voiced doubts about their ability to work together and signalled the two-month political crisis is far from resolved. He told the prime minister and a group of his politicians that he cannot find people of honesty and integrity to help him take the country forward. With the issues we have, I am not sure what guarantees we have that we could go on this journey together, Mr Sirisena told Mr Wickremesinghe. Mr Sirisena abruptly dismissed Mr Wickremesinghe on October 26 and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place, with Mr Wickremesinghe insisting his removal was unlawful. But Mr Rajapaksa continued to hold office with Mr Sirisenas support, and his opponents went to court. Expand Close Supporters of ousted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe celebrate outside the supreme court complex in Colombo (Eranga Jayawardena/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Supporters of ousted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe celebrate outside the supreme court complex in Colombo (Eranga Jayawardena/AP) The Court of Appeal suspended Mr Rajapaksa and his cabinet from functioning in their offices. Mr Rajapaksa asked the Supreme Court to lift the suspension, but it refused and extended the suspension until mid-January, forcing Mr Rajapaksa to resign on Saturday. Sri Lanka had been without a government from the time Mr Rajapaksa was suspended by the Court of Appeal and was facing the danger of being unable to spend government money from January 1 without a budget. The swearing in of Mr Wickremesinghe took place privately, with only a few politicians in attendance and media not permitted. Now I will assume duties of the office of prime minister It initially indicated an end to the impasse, but Mr Sirisenas speech is a sign of more acrimony, possibly leading to early parliamentary elections. Mr Wickremesinghe spoke separately at his official residence and refrained from responding to the president. Now I will assume duties of the office of prime minister, he told his cheering supporters. Unfortunately, during the past few weeks, the progress of this country and the development programs that we undertook were stalled, he said. Not only that, the country went backward. Today we commit firstly to bring back normalcy and resuming the development program. In a televised speech, Mr Sirisena said his reasons for firing Mr Wickremesinghe included a lack of interest in helping investigate an alleged insider trade during a bond issue, in which a former Central Bank governor who is a close friend of Mr Wickremesinghe is implicated. He also said Mr Wickremesinghes ministers alienated Buddhist monks by having them arrested for keeping unlicensed captive elephants at temples. Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist nation with an influential clergy. Mr Sirisena also criticised Mr Wickremesinghe for investigations into alleged abuses during the long civil war that ended in 2009. The president said Mr Wickremesinghe had only government soldiers arrested but had not looked into prosecuting former Tamil Tiger rebels he said were hiding in foreign countries. My view is that we should prosecute everyone, or else we should negotiate with the international community and free our soldiers (from accusations), he said. President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order before the end of the year creating a US Space Command as a major military command. Vice President Mike Pence will make the announcement on Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Centre, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, officials said, and President Trump could sign the order as soon as Tuesday. The move is separate from President Trumps goal of creating a Space Force as an independent armed service branch, but could be a step in that direction. Expand Close US Vice President Mike Pence (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp US Vice President Mike Pence (Niall Carson/PA) The US Air Forces existing Space Command would be a key component of the new joint entity, raising space to the same status as US Cyber Command. According to US officials, Vice President Pence will be at the Pentagon on Tuesday and will meet with the Joint Chiefs. Space Command is expected to be among the issues discussed. The move would actually recreate a US Space Command, which existed from 1985 to 2002. We have two launches scheduled for Tuesday--one in the morning at the @45thSpaceWing and the other along the west coast at @30thSpaceWing later in the day. To say it's busy times to be an AFspace Airman is an understatement #Facts https://t.co/v82ERpBT5p United States Space Force (@SpaceForceDoD) December 16, 2018 It was disbanded in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks so that US Northern Command could be established, focusing on defence of the homeland. Although Space Command went away, its functions did not. They were absorbed by US Strategic Command, and the Air Force retained its lead role in space through Air Force Space Command. Jackeline Caal, a 7-year-old Maya Qeqchi girl from Guatemala, died on December 8 while in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol. Jackeline became sick after crossing into the U.S. border in southern New Mexico, Not long ago, a male Rhino was found dead with his horn removed at the Kaziranga National Park. Ruthless poaching has been happening in the National park for a long time. This was the sixth case that came to limelight. Amid this, Bollywood actress Yami Gautam has been named as the brand ambassador for TRAFFIC and WWF-Indias wildlife sniffer dog Super Sniffer Programme. AFP As part of the campaign, a band of specially trained dogs, who with their handlers and the forest department, will combat wildlife crime by helping collect concrete evidence against wildlife poachers and smugglers. The Vicky Donor actress on Sunday also attended the graduation ceremony of the seventh batch of the wildlife sniffer dog squad at the BSF's National Training Centre for Dogs here. bccl "Wildlife poaching is a serious issue. A more organised way and tactics are needed. That's exactly what Super Sniffers programme does by training these amazing dogs who are trained to expose such activities with training that's given to them," Yami said in a statement. Illegal trade of animal, animal skin and body parts is truly concerning and it needs to be addressed," she added. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been sentenced to life in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case by the Delhi High Court. His acquittal from Court has been cancelled. "It is important to assure the victims that despite the challenges truth will prevail," the High Court said. The court praised the courage shown by witness Jagdish Kaur for pursuing the case fearlessly and said that criminals have enjoyed political patronage. The court has ordered Kumar to surrender before December 31. Delhi High Court convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment Read @ANI story | https://t.co/aPQ2urR0h3 pic.twitter.com/yYErVnTqMA ANI Digital (@ani_digital) December 17, 2018 #UPDATE 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Besides Congress' Sajjan Kumar, Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Kishan Khokkar and former legislator Mahender Yadav have been sentenced to 10 years in prison. ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Shiromani Akali Dal on conviction of Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case: We thank the court for giving us justice. Our fight will continue till Sajjan Kumar & Jagdish Tytler get a death sentence & Gandhi family is dragged to the court & put in jail. pic.twitter.com/TtfEXn4Qiz ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 The case is related to the brutal killing of five Sikh members of a family in Raj Nagar in Delhi Cantonment. The family waited for justice for 34 years. Kumar has been convicted of murder and rioting during the clashes that broke out after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assasination by her Sikh boduguards. As many as 2,800 Sikhs were brutally killed. "The aftershock of those atrocities are still being felt," a bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel said. Nearly 70 years after the Second World War when Nazi killed thousands of people in its concentration camps, Germany has agreed to one-time payments for survivors, primarily Jews, who were evacuated from Germany as children. Germany has agreed to pay $2800 to those who are still alive and fled on the so-called Kindertransport This year is the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the transport of the children to Britain from Nazi Germany and elsewhere in Europe. AP About 1,000 survivors are thought to be alive today, with about half living in Britain, and the payment is seen as a "symbolic recognition of their suffering," Claims Conference negotiator Greg Schneider said. "In almost all the cases the parents who remained were killed in concentration camps in the Holocaust and they have tremendous psychological issues," Schneider told The Associated Press. Following the Nazis' anti-Jewish pogrom in November 1938 known as Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, the British government agreed to allow an unspecified number of Jewish children as refugees from Nazi Germany or territories it had annexed. Jewish groups inside Nazi Germany planned the transports, and the first arrived in Harwich on December 2, 1938, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The last transport from Germany left September 1, 1939 the day World War II broke out with the Nazi invasion of Poland and the final transport from continental Europe left the Netherlands on May 14, 1940, the same day Dutch forces surrendered to the Nazis. In all, about 10,000 children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland were taken to Britain, about 7,500 of whom were Jewish, according to the museum. About half were placed with foster families, while the others stayed in hostels, schools or farms. In addition to those who remained in Britain, many resettled in the US, Israel, Canada, Australia and elsewhere, Schneider said. Today, survivors are at least in their 80s and most continue to look back on their escape as the defining moment of their lives as they were put alone onto trains into the unknown, saying goodbye to parents and siblings often for the last time, Schneider said. "This money is an acknowledgement that this was a traumatic, horrible thing that happened to them," he said. Some survivors already received small payments in the 1950s but that will not bar them from receiving the new benefit, the Claims Conference said. The Claims Conference carries out continuous negotiations with Germany to expand the number of people eligible for compensation. Since 1952, the German government has paid more than $80 billion to individuals for suffering and losses resulting from persecution by the Nazis. In 2019, the Claims Conference will distribute approximately $350 million in direct compensation to more than 60,000 survivors in 83 countries, the organisation says. In addition, it will provide some $550 million in grants to social service agencies that provide home care, food, medicine and other services for Holocaust survivors. ANI Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been sick for quite some time and is recovering from a surgery, stepped out in a rare public appearance, with a tube in his nose. He also appeared to be walking with the support. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) Congress' Sajjan Kumar Sentenced To Life Imprisonment In 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been sentenced to life in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case by the Delhi High Court. His acquittal from Court has been cancelled. Read more 2) Bangladesh Posthumously Honours 12 Indian Soldiers For Sacrificing Their Lives In 1971 War PTI Indias valour once again got recognition when on the occasion of Vijay Diwas which paved way for the creation of Bangladesh, the government honoured 12 Indian soldiers for sacrificing their lives in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. Read more 3) After Kerala Police Stopped Four Transgenders, 30 Women Will Try To Enter Sabarimala Temple ANI A group of 30 women will attempt to enter Sabarimala Temple on December 23. The youngest woman in the group is in her 20s. The women hail from states like Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Kerala and Karnataka. Read more 4) 96 Out Of 119 Telangana MLAs Are Well Educated While 1/3 Of MP MLAs Have Not Even Gone To A College According to The New Indian Express story, out of 119 MLAs elected in Telangana, 43 are graduates, 26 have postgraduate degrees and 2 have PhDs and 27 either have a diploma or have passed intermediate and the rest have got schooling up to 10th. Read more 5) More Than 100 Hours And Counting As Rescue Operation For 13 Miners Goes On In Meghalaya PTI Rescue efforts which began on December 13 are still underway for the 13 miners who are stuck in a flooded 370-feet deep illegal coal mine in Meghalaya. The rescue efforts to pump out water have failed to yield any results. Read more Allasheed Allah (pictured) has been arrested in connection with a hate crime on a Queens, New York train on Nov. 30. Allah went into rage when he saw an Indian American woman being kissed on the cheek by her female friend as she sent a Snapchat. (NYPD photo) India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin speaking on the occasion of United Nations Day 2018 at the UN in New York on Oct. 24. Indian American Ranju Batra, chair of the Diwali Foundation USA, recalled that late President George H.W. Bush had spoken of a "thousand points of light, making for "Diwali every day. (Mohammed Jaffer/IANS photo) Indian local residents and rescue workers carry a survivor after a fire incident at the ESIC Kamgar hospital in Mumbai on Dec. 17. Six people were dead after a fire broke out in a five-story hospital, local media reported. (AFP/Getty Images) Lean Hogs Close Wednesday Mixed Barchart - Wed Dec 1, 4:38PM CST Hog futures closed mixed on Wednesday with 15 to 25 cent gains in the Dec and Feb contracts, The back month futures closed 7 to 37 cents weaker on the day. USDAs National Average Base hog price for... HEZ21 : 73.625s (+0.34%) HEJ22 : 85.075s (-0.21%) KMZ21 : 87.900s (-0.54%) Corn Closes off Highs, Still in Black Barchart - Wed Dec 1, 4:38PM CST Corn futures faded by the close, but were still in the black. December futures ended the day 4 cents off their high with a 5 cent gain, while March closed 4 3/4 cents off the high and a 4 cent recovery.... ZCZ21 : 570-0 (-0.35%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.5759 (+0.94%) ZCH22 : 571-2 (unch) ZCZ21 : 570-0 (-0.35%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.5759 (+0.68%) Cattle Market Closes Wednesday Higher Barchart - Wed Dec 1, 4:38PM CST At the closing bell for the midweek session, live cattle futures were off their intraday highs, but still $.12 to $1.12 in the black. December was the weakest. Central Stockyards is hosting a bonus Thursday... LEZ21 : 136.000s (+0.09%) LEJ22 : 141.775s (+0.50%) GFF22 : 165.825s (+0.59%) GFH22 : 167.900s (+0.84%) Fed survey finds supply-chain shortages boosting inflation AP - Wed Dec 1, 4:18PM CST WASHINGTON (AP) Many parts of the country were hit by supply chain disruptions and labor shortages in November, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday. $SPX : 4,513.04 (-1.18%) $DOWI : 34,022.04 (-1.34%) $IUXX : 15,877.72 (-1.60%) Motor insurance is the largest source of income for AIG Malaysia, contributing around 40% of its MYR715 million (US$171.5 million) total revenue in 2017. As part of its focus on motor insurance, AIG Malaysia will launch a new mobile app that harnesses telematics to teach driving habits via gamification. The app is set to launch in the second quarter of 2019. We are targeting to sign up 10,000 users within the first year after the launching of the mobile app, Lee was quoted as saying by Edge Markets. Technology has allowed us to locate and manage real-time risks as we improve road safety standards for drivers and pedestrians alike. We will leverage data driven insights from the mobile app, along with our claims experience, to cultivate better driving behaviours nationwide. Road safety is one of AIG Malaysias advocacies, according to Lee, due to Malaysias poor traffic accident record. The Transport Ministry has recorded 533,875 road accidents cases nationwide and over 6,700 fatalities in 2017. Corporate regulator ASIC has launched a legal action against AMP in order to compel the embattled wealth giant to hand over documents related to its fees-for-no-service scandal. ASIC said certain documents relating to its ongoing investigation into AMPs fees-for-no-service conduct and related false or misleading statements to the regulator have been withheld by law firm Clayton Utz on the basis that they are subject to a claim of legal professional privilege (LLP) by AMP. ACCC wants to fine Jetstar $1.95 million after the airlines website allegedly informed passengers that not all fares were refundable, and that refunds are only available to consumers who bought more expensive tickets, news.com.au and PerthNow reported. No matter how cheap the fares are, airlines cannot make blanket statements to consumers that flights are non-refundable, said Rod Sims, ACCC chairman. Its frustrating for travellers when they have difficulty getting a refund for flights when they are entitled to one. Jetstar also conceded that its terms and conditions wrongly told consumers that standard consumer guarantees did not apply to its flights, the reports said. Gareth Evans, Jetstar Group CEO, said the companys terms and conditions on its website have already been updated to provide clarity about passengers refund rights. We worked closely with the ACCC as part of its review of Australian airlines terms and conditions and in July made changes to the wording on our website and added information about customers rights under the Australian Consumer Law when flights are delayed or cancelled. We also updated our terms and conditions to make it easier for customers to understand when they are eligible for a refund. ACCC and Jetstar are now awaiting approval from the Federal Court regarding the airlines $1.95 million penalty plus a contribution to ACCCs costs. Airlines are obligated to refund passengers if a flight delay or cancellation is due to an issue under their control, but for circumstances outside their control, such as wild weather events, travel insurance would prove useful. ACCCs Sims said the case is important not only for holding Jetstar to account but sending a wider message that businesses cannot exclude or limit consumers rights under the Australian Consumer Law news.com.au and PerthNow reported. For this substantial portfolio, it was important for us to find someone who would have the experience, expertise and capacity to maintain the management focus and service standards to our customers and claimants, he said. To that end, we are delighted to be working again with Catalina. The transaction is set to be carried out over two stages firstly a reinsurance of relevant policies from Zurich to Catalina General Insurance Ltd; then an Irish Section 13 insurance business transfer of liabilities to Catalina London Ltd. The transactions, which remain subject to regulatory approval, represent Catalinas first move since it completed a US$700 million equity capital raise in October. This transaction with Zurich demonstrates our ability to execute on larger and complex transactions, said Chris Fagan, chairman and chief executive of Catalina. Our substantially increased financial firepower gives us scope to provide finality solutions to a range of much larger legacy market opportunities as the sector develops into a more accepted and useful part of the insurance market. Our track record and significant financial resources combined with our capital efficient, low cost operating platforms positions us to provide compelling value solutions to businesses looking to transfer legacy insurance portfolios. We are delighted to have done another deal with Zurich. For an annual premium similar to the cost of having one-hour of face time with a Canadian lawyer, small businesses in Canada can purchase insurance that covers legal expenses, including disbursements, court costs, witness fees, and adverse costs if theyre ordered to pay their opponents legal fees. The legal expense insurance market really started to develop in Canada in 2010. Prior to that, primary insurers carried some legal expense elements, but mainly as extensions to their core commercial liability coverages - and oftentimes there were protection gaps for small business owners. DAS Legal Protection (DAS) was the first dedicated legal expense insurer to arrive in the Canadian market in 2010. Since then, the markets annual written premiums have grown from about $5 million in 2010 to approximately $67 million in 2017, and a number of new carriers and program administrators have started offering the coverage. Legal expense insurance is still quite new in the Canadian market. Its currently going through an educational phase with insurance distributors and end-consumers, said Grace Klemke, assistant vice president of sales for the broker channel at DAS. As more Canadians learn about the product, theyre starting to realize the value and the need for it within their commercial portfolios. This coverage fills protection gaps and responds to incidents that wouldnt necessarily trigger underlying commercial coverages. Under standard commercial liability coverages, an insured would typically only get coverage for legal defence. DASs legal expense insurance helps small business owners not only defend their rights but also pursue their rights. If coverages overlap, we will work with their other carriers to ensure our clients get the most out of their underlying commercial liability coverage as well as their legal expense coverage. Convincing a small business owner to shell out a few hundred dollars more for another insurance policy may not seem easy at first. However, thats where education and communication become key, according to Klemke. She told Insurance Business its always a good tool to use customer stories and experiences to help small business owners relate to the value of the coverage. Klemke gave the example of a small retail business owner named Graham, who received a claim for $10,000 from a former employee for wrongful dismissal, outstanding vacation pay, and breach of human rights legislation. Graham filed a claim with DAS and was allocated an employment lawyer, who submitted a defence to the allegations. Graham will never receive a bill from that lawyer. Under a DAS business policy, the limit of indemnity is $200,000 per claim and $1 million in aggregate per policy period. In this case, Grahams legal fees will be covered by DAS until his case is resolved. If you have a legal issue as a small business in Canada, youre going to have to pay through the nose for it, and youre also going to have to take a lot of time out of your business to manage it, commented Alex Manning, vice president of sales and marketing at DAS. The price of our legal expense insurance product compares very favourably with the hourly rate for a Canadian lawyer. As part of the policy, our insureds also get access to a 24/7 legal helpline, which is free for them to call and use as many times as they want. Oftentimes, insureds only need to call that helpline once or twice a year and theyve got significant value from having the policy. As far as the balance in value goes, we think legal expense insurance has a very strong value proposition. When you look at it that way, legal expense insurance is not a hard sell, according to Klemke. In just eight years, the market has grown from $5 million to $67 million, and DAS expects that trend to continue as Canadian small business owners start to realize the value of the product. Like directors and officers (D&O) liability and cyber liability coverage before it, legal expense insurance is transitioning from a Why do I need this coverage? to a Whoa, I need this coverage! Meet Spirit Medium Kennedy Morgan at No Way Jose! Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - Enjoy a magical evening at No Way Jose! in the company of old friends, new friends and your loved ones in Spirit. Witness amazing connections as Kennedy Morgan connects the souls of the departed to their loved ones in this physical world. Kennedy Morgan is a gifted spirit medium from West Hollywood, California. The journey to accepting his ability to connect the souls of the departed with their loved ones in this physical world has been one of true discovery. At a young age, Kennedy felt a spiritual connection to something greater than himself. He recalls countless experiences where he just knew things about people, places, and future events. At the time, he just shrugged it off as a strong sense of intuition and nothing more. Gradually, the moments of intuition became more like a sense of "knowing". Kennedy describes it similar to recalling a memory that you have never experienced. The sense of knowing would eventually be accompanied by voices, flashes of images, and feelings. In hindsight, these experiences were just indicators of what was to later become his calling. Kennedy soon learned that the impressions he was receiving were all the tools that spirit uses to communicate with mediums. The moment he realized he was a medium changed his life forever. Kennedy never would have thought that he would be the conduit to bring healing, comfort, guidance, and hope to those in this physical world through the messages that Spirit would have him convey. Kennedy's confident, yet humble nature, deep connection with his own spirituality, and what he whimsically calls his "youthful old soul" perspective, makes him a great messenger for the Other Side. He never takes his unique gift for granted and is always amazed by the powerful messages that Spirit communicates. Kennedy shares, "It's never about being the messenger, it's about the healing that take place when the message is given." Join us on the No Way Jose! Terrace on Wednesday, December 19 at 5:00 pm for a cocktail presentation and meet Kennedy Morgan. $400 pesos per person gives you a complimentary cocktail, snack, and a chance to witness or make an amazing connection. 100% of Kennedy's proceeds go directly to Cheryl's Shoe Box, one of the charitable organizations that No Way Jose! supports, which dedicates its efforts to increasing the quality of education in disadvantaged schools throughout the Banderas Bay area by providing local families with school shoes and school materials as well as educational supplies to teachers. Don't wait to make your reservation at NoWayJoseMx.com. The Terrace is going to fill up fast for this one! Swinton was found to have evaded paying an estimated $3,000 in insurance premiums on her luxury car by registering the vehicle out-of-state. The car, a Lexus SUV, was registered to the Pennsylvania address of Tanya John, an education vendor who worked with Swinton in the past. For her part in the fraud, John was ordered to pay $500 and remain under probation for 19 months. Pennsylvania has significantly lower insurance rates than New York, making the state particularly susceptible to fraud. Pennsylvania is a dumping ground for New Yorkers to pretend to keep their cars to shave the high cost of auto premiums, James Quiggle, communications director at Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, told the New York Post. When people commit insurance fraud, it causes premiums to rise for the folks who follow the rules, Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania attorney general, told the New York Post. Its wrong, and this sentencing and admission of guilt proves there will be consequences for this dishonest activity. Bishop was found to have defrauded the local Bank of Prescott to the tune of $2.1 million using the forged signatures of multiple insurance clients to apply for 27 separate loans in their respective names and without their knowledge or authorization. Bishop also admitted that he defrauded Citizens Bank out of $200,000 by misrepresenting the financial condition of his company, specifically the condition of the collateral, to induce the bank to approve loans to his company that would not have otherwise been authorized. Bishop applied for these loans from Citizens Bank and the Bank of Prescott to improve the cash flow of his business, the US Department of Justice said in a statement. According to the plea agreement, both the Government and Bishop agree that the total loss amount attributed to Bishops criminal conduct will exceed $3.5 million dollars. Bishop faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine up to $1 million for the bank fraud charge. The page has finally turned on the tumultuous 2018 hurricane season, but for the agents who live and work in the Florida Panhandle, the story isnt over personally or professionally. We all still feel like were in hurricane mode all the time. When internet and phones are still down, theres a tarp on your roof, tent cities in our town, and you drive home with big mounds of debris on either side of the road in your neighborhood, it sure doesnt feel like hurricane season is over, said Trey Hutt, president of Hutt Insurance Agency. Hurricane Michael devastated the area when it hit on Oct. 10 at near Category 5 strength. It was the largest storm to hit the region on record, bringing widespread destruction. Nearly two months later, residents are still picking up the pieces and insurance agents are right beside them helping, preparing meals for displaced residents, assuring customers that carriers will take care of them and acting as a resource for whatever they need. There are personal stresses on everyone, and we are doing a lot to manage those stresses and panic. I think my job over the past [several] weeks has been 80 percent psychology and 20 percent insurance because a lot of it has just been calming people down and reassuring them, said Hutt, who has two agency locations in the Florida Panhandle, one in Panama City and one in Lynn Haven. Insurance agency owner Karen Kirkland, who owns Kirkland Insurance Agency in Lynn Haven, expressed relief that hurricane season is officially over, though she said she didnt even realize it at first because she has been so busy helping customers. This will give us time to focus on the claims on hand and focus completely on them, she said. Agents in the area say the last couple months have been the most challenging in their careers, but they also learned some valuable lessons to carry forward into future hurricane seasons. The impact of this season has taken a toll. Hurricane Michael casts a shadow over everything around here, and pictures cant get that across well, Hutt added. I really didnt expect the drastic impact I expected what we normally see after a hurricane. This was so much greater than we expected. The magnitude was so much greater and severe. One particular challenge agents said they didnt anticipate was being unable to communicate following the storm. Power was out for at least seven to 10 days, if not longer in some areas, and cell service and internet from Verizon Wireless, the main provider in the area, were down for a long period as well. That made assisting customers even more challenging. Hutt said living in Florida means you prepare every year for hurricane season, but the preparations he had in place fell apart when his generator gas line broke, leaving him without power for just over a week and forcing them to resort to taking claims by hand. In addition, his internet and cell service through Verizon was out for 10 days. Hutts Lynn Haven office was also badly damaged by the hurricane, and it remains closed. He and his family rode out the storm at that location because the office building is concrete, and they thought it was the safest place to be. However, the force of the wind was so powerful, it took the roof right off the building. We were as prepared as you can be, but we were not prepared for the severity and intensity of the storm, said Hutt. Hutt isnt alone in feeling that he was not totally prepared for a storm like Michael. If it had been a lesser storm, I would say yes, but since it was a Cat 4 or maybe stronger I dont know if anybody speaking honestly is prepared for a storm of this magnitude, said Anthony DuBose, president of Coastal Community Insurance Agency in Panama City Beach, Fla., and current chairman of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA). With no power or internet, Dubose drove two hours to Alabama to use an internet hotspot. He said FAIA also provided burner phones and supplies to help them in the days after Michael. With their help we got on our feet and talked to carriers and clients. We had to deal with things you dont think about before the storm, he said. Duboses agency of 11 employees has about 6,000 policyholders, about 1,500 of whom are experiencing claims from Michael. The losses range from small to substantial, and for the majority of clients, it was a wind event and not a flood event. Several of his employees also suffered losses. We were battling issues in our personal lives and trying to take care of customers, he said. Karen Kirkland wanted to check on her clients the Saturday after the hurricane but she was low on gasoline for her car. So she rode her bike into nearby neighborhoods to make sure her insureds were alright. Once it became clear there would not be power or internet for awhile, she relocated to stay with family in South Carolina for three weeks following the storm where she helped more than 500 of her customers nearly half of her total policyholders who had claims. I knew I would be able to work at that location, and it would be a long time until I could operate here, she said. Taking my phone and computer to an offsite location [before the storm] was probably the smartest thing I could have done. I worked 14-hour days for three weeks only slowing down some on the weekends because the calls slowed down. Internet service at her office only came back on Nov. 21, so until then, she processed payments at a friends house nearby. She said keeping up with claims and not having internet in her office for so long has taken a toll on her ability to recruit new business she has gone from issuing 60 quotes a month to just five since Michael. Hutt said he saw about 2,200 claims from his 6,000 policyholders. The majority of the claims were tree damage to buildings. There were also some heavy commercial claims from concrete buildings that were blown through or cinder block walls completely blown down. I didnt think that was possible. The physics were both impressive and frightening, he said. Taveras Horne, co-owner of a Brightway franchise in Mariana, The Ephriam & Horne Agency, said the Brightway headquarters in Jacksonville was able to take all of his calls while the phone and internet were down for about a week. But it was still frustrating not to have a decent form of communication. I dont take the small things for granted anymore, he said. Horne said the majority of his more than 1,000 policyholders had some sort of property damage. Carrier Response Despite some criticism from state officials who have said some carriers are not handling claims expeditiously, the agents say carriers have been very responsive and efficient at handling customer claims. The ones that have really stood out are those who have communicated with customers and have the resources to respond quickly, said Dubose. When you are dealing with peoples homes and businesses and they are displaced, the main thing is to assure them you will get them back where they were before the storm occurred, he said. Horne said the response from carriers has been pretty good, but there have also been some complaints. Its a mixed bag. Some people are satisfied with the claims process and some arent. The volume of claims is so large that the response isnt meeting everyones expectations, he said. Overall, from my viewpoint, carriers have responded pretty well, but there is always room for improvement. Hutt said his agency has filled in the gap for policyholders whose carriers arent meeting their expectations. Being able to make direct contact with carriers has been a real advantage. The most important thing after a catastrophe like this is you have to move outside of normal networks. Its important we get access to those with the ability to address problems directly, he said. When I get the phone number of a [carrier] senior VP and [they] can directly respond to that bit of information and solve it, its invaluable to us as agents and prevents carriers from having major problems down the road. Kirkland said carriers have separated themselves by how quickly they provide supplemental payments and close claims. She said knowing carrier reps has been helpful because she can reach out to people and get answers for her customers. She has learned her work is appreciated. I didnt know how important this was to my customers until I got back [to my office], she said. Ive had a number of customers thank me for the emails and contact I have given them since the storm. Everyone needs a local agent, and everyone needs to know who their agent is because of circumstances like this. Lessons Learned The agents say they have learned valuable lessons, including what they will do differently going forward. I would like to do a better job of making sure that we sit down with clients, not just on an annual basis, but have numerous interactions with customers throughout the year, Horne said. We want all of our customers to understand all the details of their policies so there arent any surprises. Kirkland said every year she sends out an annual review invitation for her clients to go over their policy but not everyone responds. She expects this year, all her customers will come in and review their coverages. She also thinks Hurricane Michael was a growth experience for agents, too. Every agent that has gone through this will be a much better agent for having gone through it hands down; no comparison, she said. Hutt said going forward, he will have a more extensive plan and back up plan to handle situations that could arise after a catastrophic event, such as a long-term loss of communication. I will be doing a rewrite of our Cat plan after this to include a deeper contingency bench; instead of just having a Plan A and Plan B, we will have a Plan A, B, C, D, E, he said. We are going to plan a lot better for infrastructure failure. Horne said he was touched by all the help from people in the industry who are located outside of the area, including those who donated money and supplies, so he could aid people suffering after the storm. He was able to set up his 500-gallon smoker in the parking lot of a local bank and served 500 hot meals to people who needed it, as well as provided essential supplies like toilet paper and water, thanks to their donations. The experience has made him want to get more involved in charitable efforts going forward. It was tremendous and very heartwarming just neighbor helping neighbor for several weeks, he said. What those partners did really touched my heart. Though they say the last few months have been some of the most trying in their careers, the agents say this period has also been the most rewarding. Professionally, it has been extremely rewarding it sounds very bizarre, but we dont get the opportunity to serve like this in this business very often, Hutt said. I cant tell you how many customers have showed appreciation to get some assistance and guidance, just having an ear and someone to talk to, Horne said. They felt helpless for days or a week or two after the storm, and they didnt know where to start; they just saw devastation for miles. Dubose said before the hurricane hit, he wondered if he was making a difference being in the insurance business and if it was the right career for him. Now, he says he has no doubt about that. This has provided clarity for me, he said. I fully understand now that an agent provides an invaluable service in times like this. Unequivocally, we are valuable, and I am very pleased to be an insurance agent. Topics Carriers Catastrophe Natural Disasters Agencies Florida Claims Hurricane The Maine company that employed a roofer who fell to his death has faced several fines lodged by federal safety authorities. The Portland Press Herald reports that Purvis Home Improvements has been ordered to pay over $44,000 in fines since 2012 for failing to meet fall-protection safety standards. The company didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Authorities havent identified the man who died. Police said a 30-year-old man died Thursday after falling off a roof he was working on in Portland. First responders transported the roofing company employee to Maine Medical Center, where he later died. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Friday confirmed it is inspecting the company. Public safety records show OSHA cited and fined Purvis during four total inspections in 2012, 2015, and this year. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Obamacare was struck down by a Texas federal judge in a ruling that casts uncertainty on insurance coverage for millions of U.S. residents, drawing sharp condemnation from some medical professionals and a vow for action by top Democrats. President Donald Trump termed the ruling a big big victory by a highly respected judge and an alternative path to the long-time Republican goal of repeal-and-replace. Well be able to get great health care, Trump said Saturday during an unannounced visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where a Wreaths Across America holiday wreath-laying event was under way. Well have to sit down with the Democrats to do it, but Im sure they want to do it also. The decision Friday finding the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional comes at the tail end of a six-week open enrollment period for the program in 2019 and underscores a divide between Republicans who have long sought to invalidate the law and Democrats who fought to keep it in place. The White House said the ruling will be put on hold during an appeals process thats destined to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, drawing confirmation from Democrats vowing a rapid appeal. It has no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan, Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said on Twitter. U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor in Fort Worth agreed with a coalition of Republican states led by Texas that the Affordable Care Act, the signature health-care overhaul by President Barack Obama, needed to be eviscerated after Congress last year zeroed out a key provision the tax penalty for not complying with the requirement to buy insurance. 133 Million Todays ruling is an assault on 133 million Americans with preexisting conditions, on the 20 million Americans who rely on the ACAs consumer protections for health care, and on Americas faithful progress toward affordable health care for all Americans, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. A spokeswoman for Becerra vowed a quick challenge to OConnors ruling. OConnor was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush. Representative Nancy Pelosi, whos likely to become Speaker in the new Congress, called the ruling absurd, adding that Democrats in the House will swiftly intervene in the appeals process once they take control in January. Senator Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, castigated Republicans for pretending to support people with pre-existing conditions while quietly trying to remove that support in the courts. He tweeted that Democrats will force votes to expose their lies. Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who won re-election in November on a pro-Obamacare platform, called the ruling misguided and inhumane. Democrats werent the only ones to criticize the decision. Arthur Evans, chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association, said his group was very concerned for the millions of Americans who get insurance through the health law. As our nation is in the midst of an opioid crisis, this coverage is especially needed, Evans said in a statement. We should be expanding access to health insurance, including behavioral health services, rather than stripping coverage from Americans in need. Texas and an alliance of 19 states argued to the judge that theyve been harmed by an increase in the number of people on state-supported insurance rolls. They claimed that when Congress last year repealed the tax penalty for the so-called individual mandate, it eliminated the U.S. Supreme Courts rationale for finding the ACA constitutional in 2012. The Texas judge agreed. He likened the debate over which provisions of the law should stand or fail to watching a slow game of Jenga, each party poking at a different provision to see if the ACA falls. He also wrote that its clear the individual mandate is the linchpin of the law without marching through every nook and cranny of the ACAs 900-plus pages. The court must find the individual mandate inseverable from the ACA, he said. To find otherwise would be to introduce an entirely new regulatory scheme never intended by Congress or signed by the president. While Trump and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton were quick to praise the ruling, while the American Medical Association called the decision an unfortunate step backward for our health system. Some health-care law experts were quick to critique the judges reasoning and predicted the ruling will be overturned. We know what Congress intent was in 2017 that was to pull the individual mandate while keeping the rest of ACA intact, University of Michigan law professor Nicholas Bagley said. Now we have a judge saying we have an unenforceable mandate. This whole thing is bonkers. With just one day left in the sign-up period for 2019 Obamacare coverage, the judges ruling is unlikely to have much of an effect on those actively shopping for insurance for next year. As of Dec. 8, 4.1 million people had chosen plans through the federal-government run portal that 39 states use for enrollment. Total enrollment is on track to be lower than in previous years, which many critics have credited to efforts by the Trump administration to promote alternatives to the law or cut back on its promotion. Centene Corp. of St. Louis and Californias Molina Health Inc. are the insurers that would be hurt the most if Fridays ruling stands, Ana Gupte, health care analyst at Leerink Partners, wrote in an analysis late Friday. California and Democratic officials in 14 states, along with the District of Columbia, won permission to defend the ACA in the Fort Worth case when the Trump administration sided with the states seeking to dismantle it. They contended that overturning the law would throw millions off health insurance rolls by reversing Medicaid expansion, ending tax credits that help people and empowering insurers to once again deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Individual Mandate Justice Department lawyers urged the judge to strike down the individual mandate and provisions requiring insurance companies to cover individuals with preexisting health conditions and charge them the same premiums as healthy individuals. They argued the judge should spare the rest of the law, which includes Medicaid expansion, the employer mandate, health exchanges, premium subsidies and federal health-care reimbursement rates for hospitals. The judges ruling would, since it overturns the entire act, also end provisions that have little to do with health insurance. Those include parts of the law on adding calorie counts on restaurant menus and speeding to market cheaper versions of costly biotechnology drugs. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh launched a counterattack Sept. 13 to save Obamacare, seeking a judgment that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional and a court order barring the U.S. from taking any action inconsistent with that conclusion. Frosh sued then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the federal departments of Justice and Health and Human Services. The Texas case is Texas v. U.S., 4:18-cv-00167-O, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (Fort Worth). Froshs case is State of Maryland v. United States, 1:18-cv-02849, U.S. District Court, District of Maryland (Baltimore). Texas v U.S. re-ACA Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics California Texas Legislation USA Maryland Long before Marriott International Inc. disclosed a massive security breach, the hotel industry had earned the dubious reputation as a hospitable place for hackers. Thieves have skimmed credit cards, looted loyalty accounts, and mounted complex schemes to trick clerks into downloading malicious software. In one elaborate series of attacks known as DarkHotel, networks at individual properties were hijacked to spy on corporate executives and politicians. In a cruder ploy, crooks have even seized control of a keyless entry system, locking down rooms until the hotel owner paid a ransom. Now, as Marriott grapples with the fallout from its Nov. 30 disclosure that as many as 500 million guests had their data exposed to hackers, there is a growing sense that an industry whose bedrock business is providing real-world security isnt equipped to look after its guests in cyberspace. The company is preparing to deliver written responses this week to a U.S. Senate inquiry amid reports the attack was carried out by the Chinese government. People trust us to allow them to sleep safely and securely, said John Burns, president of Hospitality Technology Consulting. Theres a longstanding tradition of an innkeeper, that we fulfill that commitment to them. Has it extended naturally, with the same diligence, to the digital environment? Not always. Marriott hasnt yet provided a detailed accounting of the attack, which they continue to probe. Our primary objectives in this investigation are figuring out what occurred and how we can best help our guests, said Marriott spokeswoman Connie Kim in an emailed statement. We have no information about the cause of this incident, and we have not speculated about the identity of the attacker. E-Commerce Platforms When Marriott paid $13.6 billion for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016, the aim was to have a bigger company that could compete with Google, Amazon and other online firms that use their knowledge of consumer preferences to gain primacy with customers. Modern hotel companies see tech firms as competitors because they function like e-commerce platforms, licensing their brands and booking engines to investors who own and run the properties. They want to drive direct booking, cut out online travel agencies and convince travelers to use loyalty points to pay for products from diapers to skydiving lessons then tailor their marketing based on a guests past choices. Yet these would-be tech businesses have the DNA of real estate developers and catering companies, and their treasure troves of customer data often are accessed through antiquated systems because cost-sensitive investors see more-immediate returns from money spent on new carpeting rather than intangible security measures. The impulse to protect guests can be moderated by the cost and complexity of implementing safeguards across sprawling systems. The brand companies take security very seriously, but the cost of keeping up with changes in technology are prohibitive, says Chad Crandell, chief executive officer of CHMWarnick LLC, a hotel investment adviser. To spend a lot of money on service and protection and have it fail is not a good place to be either. Hospitality was the third-most targeted industry after retail and finance, according to a report this year from information-security firm Trustwave Holdings, in an onslaught that has left few corners of the industry untouched. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., Hyatt Hotels Corp. and InterContinental Hotels Group have all been targeted in past attacks, as have Trump Hotels, Radisson Hotel Group and Mandarin Oriental. Industry Lagging The industry is behind in a lot of ways, said Gates Marshall, director of cyber services at CompliancePoint, a consultancy that focuses on privacy and security. The Starwood purchase did give Marriott scale as the largest hotel company in the world, but it got more than it bargained for, since hackers had penetrated the Starwood reservation system undetected back in 2014. The company could face up to $1 billion in regulatory fines and litigation costs, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Marriott Chief Financial Officer Leeny Oberg said at an investor conference on Dec. 5 that it was too early to estimate how much the hack would cost, and that the company was already stepping up investments in cyber-security prior to discovering the breach. Marriott hired a new chief information security officer in January, and its most recent proxy statement included a description of the boards oversight of cyber risks that wasnt present in previous filings. Kim, the Marriott spokeswoman, declined to comment on the nature of the companys investments in security, and said Marriott updates risk-factor disclosures as they change. Whether hotel guests punish Marriott for the hack remains to be seen, especially since a series of massive hacks on other companies has numbed many consumers to the loss of personal data. Government Spies? So far, consumer data accessed in the Marriott hack arent being advertised on criminal marketplaces. The attack has been linked to a Chinese government intelligence agency that targeted hotels, insurers and a U.S. government agency, the New York Times reported on Dec. 11. That may spare Marriott some criticism, since customer data isnt being sold to thieves, and even the most-sophisticated companies can be overmatched by government spies. The stakes are only getting higher. Hotel companies are experimenting with voice-operated technology and Internet-connected rooms that could mean storing increasingly personal information, like biometric data, or what time a guest likes to go to sleep. Many companies have been scrimping on the cyber-security budget, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on CNBC in response to a question about the Marriott hack. They havent been as protective of their own resources as they should have been. So the first thing they should be doing is trying to make sure that theyve done more to protect themselves than they have been doing before. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Cyber USA Tech Former Texas insurance agent Chia Wang has been indicted for an allegedly defrauding an elderly woman in an insurance scam. Wang is facing up to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine after a grand jury in Marion County indicted him this week for selling a fake life insurance policy to an 87-year-old woman, the Texas Department of Insurance reported. Wang provided fake documents, convincing the woman that she had purchased a $400,000 life insurance policy. He went on to collect more than $192,000 in payments from her over two years. Its a very sad story, said TDI Fraud Chief Chris Davis. The victim thought she was being responsible, taking care of her affairs, and instead someone was stealing a large portion of her life savings. The woman found out she never had a policy when she called the insurance company to ask if she had missed a payment. She had already written nine checks to Wang. Wang is accused of theft and misapplication of fiduciary property. Both offenses were enhanced to first-degree felonies because of the victims age. Source: TDI Topics Agencies Texas A study by environmental groups says 11 coal powered plants in Georgia are leaking chemicals into ground water. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice released the study Thursday that says 10 of the 11 plants are owned by Georgia Power. The utility says repeated tests in the past several years shows chemicals from any leaks have not affected the states water quality. Georgia Power is working to close all 29 of its coal ash ponds at 11 plants. The company submitted plans last month to the state Environmental Protection Division for approval to either remove, consolidate or cap the ponds. Georgia Powers environmental affairs manager Aaron Mitchell said the company would monitor the groundwater around the ponds for at least 30 years after closure. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Georgia Pollution Chemicals Authorities say a construction worker was killed and another worker injured when a crane toppled at a marina on Floridas Gulf Coast. Other construction workers attempted to free the trapped employee Thursday when he became caught under the construction crane at the Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, Florida. Rescue workers freed him but he died a short time later. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports another worker was injured but the injuries werent life-threatening. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Florida Construction Regulators have accused one of Californias largest utilities of falsifying safety documents for natural gas pipelines for years following its criminal conviction and multimillion-dollar fine for a pipeline explosion that killed eight people near San Francisco. The California Public Utilities Commission said an investigation by its safety and enforcement division found Pacific Gas & Electric Co. lacked enough employees to fulfill requests to find and mark natural gas pipelines. Because of the staff shortage, PG&E pressured supervisors and locators to complete the work, leading staff to falsify data from 2012 to 2017, regulators said. The company had common knowledge among its supervisors that locators falsified data, the commission said. Utility falsification of safety related records is a serious violation of law and diminishes our trust in the utilitys reports on their progress, commission President Michael Picker said in a statement. These findings are another example of why we are investigating PG&Es safety culture. PG&E said it has hired more employees and improved its pipeline tracking system. Were committed to accurate and thorough reporting and record-keeping, and we didnt live up to that commitment in this case, utility spokesman Matt Nauman said in a statement. A U.S. judge fined the utility $3 million after it was convicted of six felony charges for failing to properly maintain a natural gas pipeline that exploded in 2010 and wiped out a neighborhood in suburban San Bruno. Regulators also fined PG&E $1.6 billion for the blast. This is the period immediately following the 2010 San Bruno gas explosion and fire that resulted in eight fatalities, numerous injuries and damage to property, the commission said in its report. This commission would expect that after such a tragedy, caused by multiple proven violations of law, PG&E would have sought to vigorously enhance and increase its effectiveness in all aspects of its gas safety. The investigation was forwarded Thursday to a judge, who will hear testimony on the findings and will allow PG&E to provide evidence that it didnt violate safety laws. The utility that provides service to millions of people throughout Northern California also is under scrutiny for its role in igniting wildfires. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection found that PG&E equipment was responsible for starting 16 wildfires last year. While a cause has not yet been determined for the massive fire that wiped out the town of Paradise and killed at least 86 people last month, PG&E equipment is being scrutinized. A number of victims have sued the utility, alleging negligence. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load A former Clallam County employees sexual harassment lawsuit against a county prosecuting attorney has been settled for $350,000. The Peninsula Daily News reported Tina Hendrickson, and Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols signed the pact last week, according to documents obtained by the newspaper. Interim county Administrator Rich Sill said the county is in a statewide insurance risk pool that will pay Hendrickson. Hendrickson expects to receive $160,000 to $170,000 after legal fees, she said Wednesday. Hendrickson, Nichols former office manager, family friend and admitted romantic interest, asserted in her 2017 Western Federal District Court complaint that Nichols did not heed her entreaties to stop his romantic advances, creating a hostile workplace. Nichols, re-elected to office in a Nov. 6 election, denied the allegations and said he was prepared to go to court to defend himself. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Washington Gorst & Compass Insurance has expanded its Northern California operations with the opening of an office in Napa, Calif. and has named Katie Sholders, senior broker/underwriter in commercial lines, to open the office. Sholders has more than 14 years of commercial lines property/casualty wholesale insurance experience with a focus on contractors. She was previously senior underwriter/broker with R.E. Chaix & Associates. Gorst & Compass is wholesale brokerage headquartered in Chatsworth, Calif. Topics California Hub International Ltd. has acquired the assets of Apex Insurance Benefits LLC in Blackfoot, Idaho. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Troy Goodwin, owner of Apex, will join Hub Mountain and report to Tara Tandrow, executive vice president of Hubs employee benefits practice. Apex is an employee benefits consulting firm focusing on group health, employee benefits, individual health and senior health products. Chicago, Ill.-based Hub is an insurance broker providing property/casualty, life and health, employee benefits, investment and risk management products and services. Topics Mergers Should a no-deal Brexit occur, Ireland could learn much from the ways that Finland and New Zealand handled their major trade crises in recent decades, writes Kyran Fitzgerald The Brexit bogeyman, the prospect of no deal, lurks, and casts a shadow over the festive season. The icy hail is already hitting parts of our economy. A case in point: Exports of beverages to the UK fell by 11% in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2017, according to the Drinks Industry of Ireland lobby group. Earnings, in euro terms, from sales in Britain, fell by over 20% between May 2015 and May 2018. A no-deal departure would have much greater consequences, as supply chains across many industries are strained to breaking point. Business leaders are nervous. Businessman Niall Fitzgerald, the former boss of Unilever, has pleaded with the Government for greater flexibility on the border backstop. His intervention, whether or not it is based on a correct analysis of the political situation, is a sign of the degree of nervousness at the heart of a reliably pro-EU business establishment. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, predictably, has insisted that the Irish economy is strong enough to weather a no-deal outcome, without being plunged into recession. We may soon find out. But other countries have experienced, in the past generation and away from conditions of war, shakeups that would put even the messiest of British EU exits in the hapenny place. I will leave to one side the painful transitions endured by countries in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, not least because many of these economies and societies still face many challenges. Two stories, however, concern western economies plunged into deep recessions following the disappearance, in each case, of their major customer. Finland owed much of its prosperity to close trading with the USSR. The collapse of the USSR coincided with the bursting of a property bubble, and the onset of an economic depression, in Finland around 1990, circumstances that would become familiar to Ireland 15 years later. The second example is New Zealand, which was stripped of its most important export markets in 1973, after Britain joined the European Community and the common market. New Zealand had been known as Britains farmyard. By 1960, it was the third most prosperous country, in terms of income per head. It had grown fat on the UKs return to prosperity. By 1970, 90% of its butter exports, and 75% of its cheese exports, went to Britain. But trouble lay ahead. In 1960, over half of its total exports were UK-bound. That share had fallen to a still hefty 36% by 1970. But Britains first application for EEC entry, in 1961, meant that the writing was on the wall. The New Zealanders opted for a twin strategy of diversification and of deals aimed at providing producers with a transition period. This might have worked better had it not been for the two 1970s oil crises, which hit the country hard. Whereas Ireland was aided through the 1970s recession by EEC funds and the Common Agriculture Policy, the New Zealanders were hit by a global drop in unsubsidised food prices. Unemployment soared and taxes rose. New Zealand dropped to 27th in the global income league, ranking alongside Portugal. But the 1980s brought a partial restoration in its fortunes. First, China embarked on reforms and its economy began to grow. Eventually, a huge new market for New Zealand food would open up. And the GATT the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade talks began and global trade started opening up. These were a boon to a commodities producer like New Zealand. New Zealands then finance minister, Roger Douglas, unleashed deep-seated reforms. Government departments and agencies were privatised, en masse, saving the taxpayer large sums. Farm subsidies were slashed. The process was painful and controversial. There were many farmer suicides. In time, the agricultural sector rebounded and continues to play a dominant role, alongside tourism. Chinas commodity boom and growth across Asia have helped greatly. Demand for New Zealand produce soared. Today, China is New Zealands biggest trade partner. The Chinese are investing heavily, something that actually concerns many New Zealanders. Currently, average income per head is well over $40,000 (35,366) and the unemployment rate is relatively low. New Zealand has made the transition, but it took time and with no little dislocation. Finland had boomed through the 1980s. A reform of banking laws triggered a credit boom. Finnish producers enjoyed an export boom, extending from paper to shipbuilding. But the collapse of the Soviet economy coincided with the bursting of the debt bubble. The USSR had accounted for almost all of the Finnish foreign trade. And that market disappeared overnight. GDP fell by 13% and unemployment jumped from 3.5% to 19% to produce a bone-crunching economic crash. Unemployment in construction rose to almost 50%. Finland had over-invested in physical plant and equipment. As part of a restructuring, generous investment tax incentives were dropped. However, spending on education was maintained, along with the bulk of what economists refer to as social investment in employment training The Finns got lucky in that the 1990s was a boom era, but they made their own luck by focusing on technology and the development of their citizens skills. They were also able to help exporters by devaluing their currency. The Finnish government played a big role in directing investment into newer industries. The result was the mobile phone maker Nokia, a major force up until around 10 years ago. As Nokia contracted and was taken over, the country went back into a milder recession, but it has rebounded, as new enterprises have been created. Prosperity has returned, but economists fret over the countrys rapidly ageing population and the need for social security reform. The Finns and New Zealanders have reacted in differing ways to the challenges they faced, but both countries have endured, because they have been willing to tackle their problems straight on, with tough reforms. The real message is that Ireland is capable of surviving the challenges of a no-deal Brexit and such an outcome remains, on balance, unlikely. But we must be prepared to react decisively by, for example, embarking on the sort of reforms in farming policy or government spending control which successive generations of politicians have ducked. Tapping funding, Schull firm Modern Botany is planning a prosperous new year, writes Trish Dromey Aiming to sell 1,000 gift boxes by the end of the month and to ship its first order to a US chain store for the new year, West Cork natural skincare company Modern Botany is having a busy Christmas. Two years ago the Schull-based company launched on the market with a unisex multi-purpose body oil, selling online and to pharmacies and health shops. This year it added a natural deodorant and increased the number of outlets it sells into to 250. In 2019, it plans to conclude a 400,000 funding round which will enable it to expand its product range and develop exports to the UK and Germany. By the end of next year, it aims to raise a further 1.1m to fund expansion into markets in the US and Asia. Modern Botany was jointly founded by John Murray and Simon Jackson, a pharmacognosist, who previously set up skincare company Dr Jacksons Natural Products in the UK. Setting up Modern Botany to target the natural skincare market in early 2016, they decided that West Cork on the Wild Atlantic Way was the perfect location for the venture and for the brand they wanted to create. According to Mr Murray, natural skincare products is growing by 10% per annum and is the fastest growing segment in the global skincare market. Securing feasibility funding from the West Cork Local Enterprise Office, the founders set up the company at their farm in Schull at the start of 2016 and later moved it to an office on Main St. Using their own funding, they found a contract manufacturer in Mayo to produce their first product, a multi-tasking body oil which retails at 35 for a 60ml bottle. In 2016 we got a listing with Lloyds chemists starting with 50 of their outlets and now we are in 90. We are also selling to lifestyle stores, pharmacies, and healthfood stores around the country, said Mr Murray. Sales on the website are mainly to customers in the UK and now account for 50% of turnover. The launch of Modern Botanys second product, a natural deodorant, in May this year led to the companys first export order, from Content Beauty, a premium natural cosmetics store in London. Mr Murray said that, in recent weeks, the company has received its first order to supply a US chain, Detox Market which has nine stores and will start stocking Modern Botanys deodorant in January. In order to supply distributors in UK and Germany we need to increase our product range. Our plan is to have 12 pieces by the end of the year and to launch five of these in March, said Mr Murray, explaining that these will be unisex natural care products including washes and skin creams. Started with the founders own money, Modern Botany secured 50,000 in so-called Competitive Start funding in early 2017 from Enterprise Ireland and has since become a High Potential Start-Up client. The 400,000 funding round which is now being concluded will include 150,000 in Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up funding and 250,000 in private investment and will be used for the production and commercialistion of new products, which have already been formulated. Mr Murray expects to close the round in January, saying he has already started discussions with some larger investors about the 1.1m funding round planned for later in the year. The company currently employs a staff of six, including the two founders, as well as a PR manager and office staff. By the end of next year, Mr Murray expects staff numbers to grow to 12, at which stage he expects the company to have a high lecel of exports and a turnover of 500,000. Long term, the aim is to gain global recognition for Modern Botany as a 100% natural skincare brand. Mr Murray said that in the future he would like to bring the manufacture of the products to Schull and also to partner with universities to carry out research on Modern Botany products in order to demonstrate their therapeutic effects. Minister for Agriculture and the Marine Michael Creed appears to be preparing the ground for a tough outcome from the latest EU fisheries round which starts in Brussels today. The annual EU fisheries negotiations in Brussels on fishing quota pose significant challenges for the Irish industry, Mr Creed has said. If the commissions quota proposals remain unchanged, we are facing a very challenging situation for 2019, particularly in the context of the full implementation of the landing obligation or discards ban, he said. Mr Creed said the phasing in of the landing obligation for all Irish fish stocks next year was among the positive developments for fishermen. However, he was very worried about the commissions plans to reduce Celtic Sea cod by 58%, Celtic Sea haddock by 14% and to reduce prawns by 32%. I am very concerned about the level of cuts proposed for our whitefish and prawn fisheries and the implications of some of these for the effective roll out of the landing obligation, he said. At these negotiations, my goal will be, with the support of our stakeholders and scientists, to persuade the commission to apply the available scientific advice in a balanced and practical manner. We need to work with the fishing industry to enable them to end the discarding of marketable and juvenile fish in a way which does not threaten the viability of the industry. A practical approach is especially important in the context of the full implementation of the landing obligation, which will apply to all quota stocks in 2019. Some of the commissions novel proposals are not in the interest of the Irish fishing industry and are not fully justified by the scientific advice. I will be focusing my attention on those, said Mr Creed said. To sustain fish stocks, he said he had agreed to substantial cuts in mackerel, blue whiting, and Celtic Sea herring quota. Working with industry and other stakeholders, as well as with Commissioner [Karmenu] Vella and relevant member states I will be doing my utmost to achieve a fair and balanced outcome for Irelands fishing industry, he said. With weather warnings and storms making headlines in recent days, Santa Claus has written to the children of Ireland to reassure them that he will be able to make his deliveries this Christmas. Mr Claus reminisced on Christmas Eves past and the extreme weather conditions he and his reindeer have had to battle through to bring gifts to Irish children over the years. His fastest delivery time was aided by hurricane force winds over 20 years ago. "A long time ago in 1997, Hurricane force wind speeds of up to 126km/h were recorded during Christmas Eve at Roches Point in County Cork," he wrote. "This gave us some cause for concern. But the worry didn't last long, the reindeer went even quicker to all the homes." His slowest delivery time was recorded in the 1970s, when fog hampered his journey. "In 1973, countrywide fog meant we recorded our slowest delivery time for Ireland, but it was only 21 seconds longer than usual." Living in the North Pole means Santa is used to weather as cold as -31C. However, he found even colder temperatures flying over Ireland ten years ago. "In 2008, ten years ago, at a sleigh-flight height of 30km above sea level, I had to put on my warmest coat and woolliest hat with -80.4C being recorded at 05:15am after our final delivery in County Kerry." Ireland wouldn't be Ireland without a bit of rain, and Santa remembers a day in the early 1990s when he had to wear his waterproof suit. One of the few times we had to take out the emergency red rain cover was back in 1993 when County Donegal had 161mm of rain in the 24 hours before 9am on Christmas morning. We were going so fast the reindeer were dry in no time at all. Of course, everyone dreams of a white Christmas, and Santa remembers Ireland's highest Christmas snow depth fondly. "While refuelling at Casement Aerodrome in County Dublin in 2010, we were told they had the highest Irish Christmas morning snow depth ever recorded of 27cm." Met Eireann will be keeping Santa up to date with the forecast so he'll be prepared for anything on December 25. It's safe to say weather will never keep the man in red away on Christmas Day. Read Santa's letter in full here: A dozen of the 16 patients identified as carriers of a potentially lethal superbug at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork picked it up while in hospital, according to a new report by the health watchdog. The 16 new cases of CPE colonisation were detected at MUH between January and October this year. Of all the superbugs, CPE - Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriales (CPE) - are the most difficult to kill with antibiotics. The worrying rise in the incidence of CPE in Ireland prompted Health Minister Simon Harris to declare it a public health emergency in October 2017. Figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) show the number of patients with newly confirmed CPE increased to 435 in 2017 from 282 in 2016. Inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), who carried out an unannounced inspection at MUH on November 2 last, were told that in addition to the 16 new cases, 110 CPE contacts have been identified since December 2017. A person is identified as a CPE contact when they have spent hours in the same space in a hospital as someone who is carrying CPE. Being a contact does not mean that the person is carrying the superbug, but the odds are higher. All CPE contacts identified at MUH were informed either verbally or by letter and a dedicated CPE clinic was run to screen patient contacts. Inspectors were informed that the hospital experienced a CPE outbreak, with a cluster of cases in January 2018, and while numbers had reduced after the first quarter, intermittent hospital attributed cases continued to arise such that the outbreak was still considered ongoing, the report said. HIQA identified a number of factors that likely contributed to the transmission of CPE at MUH including Insufficient infection prevention and control resources Dated hospital infrastructure including insufficient numbers of single rooms with en-suite facilities Poor performance demonstrated in a recent infection prevention and control audit of patient equipment. [/factbox] While the hospital has introduced a series of positive measures to tackle that spread of the superbug, such as screening above and beyond the national recommendations, MUH said it may not be possible to fully eradicate the superbug in the hospital because of background rates of CPE it has identified in the community. HIQA itself acknowledged that the true burden of CPE colonisation may be unknown in some other Irish hospitals and in the community because of limited screening. Despite its efforts, MUH had not seen a reversion to zero incidents of CPE, however its efforts "had succeeded in containing the number of new CPE cases and maintaining CPE related bloodstream infections at very low levels. A statement from hospital CEO Sandra Daly said MUH was "actively implementing a number of major initiatives to address the issues raised". Ms Daly said: "The hospital wishes to assure the public that the situation is being addressed and monitored on a continuous basis. "MUH has fully implemented the National Requirements for Screening of Patients for CPE in the Acute Hospital Sector," Ms Daly said. A capital submission for a 30 Bed Modular Ward at MUH was submitted to the HSE in February last. This accommodation would provide for an additional 12 single rooms in line with the Interventions for Control of CPE in the Acute Hospital Sector While CPE can live harmlessly in the gut it can be deadly if it gets into the bloodstream; more than half of patients who develop bloodstream infections with CPE die. Former Workers' Party leader Sean Garland is to lie in repose in Liberty Hall in Dublin today. People can pay their respects and sign a book of condolences for the 84-year-old trade unionist from 1pm to 6pm. His funeral will be held tomorrow in Glasnevin cemetery crematorium on the Finglas Road. Party member City Councillor Eilis Ryan said he helped fight for proper housing and made an enormous contribution to his party. Ms Ryan said: "What Sean did is he left behind a political party dedicated to ending the oppression and the system that has caused things like our current housing crisis. "We need, more than ever, to build radical organisations to fight for a fairer country and Sean's legacy is that he left behind a strong and vibrant party that can begin doing that." She said it is a fitting location for the trade unionist's repose. She said: "Sean Garland was, amongst many things, a dedicated and committed trade unionist and it's a great honour, because of that, that he will be laid out in Liberty Hall the home of workers in Dublin. "We would encourage and invite anybody that wishes to pay tribute to him to come into the Liberty Hall." A mother suffered increased panic attacks and anxiety in fear of herself, her partner and their two-year-old daughter being rendered homeless after their landlord refused to accept rent supplement payments. Now, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has upheld the womans discrimination claim against her landlord and has ordered the landlord to pay her 7,000 in compensation. WRC Adjudication Officer, Valerie Murtagh has found that the un-named landlord discriminated against the woman by breaching his obligations under the Equal Status Acts when he refused to participate in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Ms Murtagh said that she found the tenant to be a cogent and credible witness and in contrast, found the landlord to be inconsistent in his evidence. Ms Murtagh stated: I am cognisant of the complainants documented health issues and that she and her family have suffered considerable stress and anxiety as a result of the landlords failure to accept rent supplement/HAP. In her evidence, the tenant stated that the landlords refusal to participate in the HAP scheme was having a detrimental effect on her mental health causing increased stress levels, panic attacks and anxiety in fear of being left homeless with a two-year-old daughter. She stated that her medical condition has been recognised and diagnosed by her GP and she was prescribed anti-depressant medication. The tenant contended that all of this could have been avoided if the landlord had not discriminated against us in relation to the HAP scheme. The landlord served eviction notice on the tenant on July 16, on the basis that a family member of his would require the property. The Residential Tenancies Board found the termination notice to be invalid but the landlord has appealed this decision. The family first approached the landlord in November 2017 to see that if he would enter the HAP scheme and provided him with the relevant documentation. A couple of weeks later, the landlord replied and stated that after discussing the matter with his sister, he would not accept HAP payments. The tenant then went to Threshold who advised her that it was illegal for a landlord to refuse to participate in HAP. Late, the landlord stated that he would accept HAP but filled out the forms incorrectly. In June 2018 the landlord told the tenants that his sister is not willing to accept HAP and that she is considering moving back into the property when the lease expires on August 4th 2018. The tenant told the hearing that the landlord was doing everything to push them out of the property so he does not have to accept HAP. The tenant stated that she had pleaded with the landlord to accept HAP to help them through the tough financial time they were then experiencing. The landlord denied that he discriminated against the tenants on the HAP ground. He stated that the property in question was the family home where he grew up and where his late father lived into his old age. He states that when his late father died in June 2016, he left the property to himself and his sister. The landlords sister decided that she didnt want to move in and the landlord stated that his daughter wanted to move into the home. The landlord contended that he has no issue with HAP or never did. He stated that the real problem is that he wanted the old family home back and that the tenants had a problem with this. The landlord stated that to make matters worse, his daughter could not wait for the issue to be sorted out and has now moved out and is living in a flat in Dublin, a situation he wanted to avoid Director of Advocacy with Focus Ireland, Mike Allen said on Monday: We welcome the growing number of cases where tenants who need to avail of HAP have taken cases to the WRC and had their rights upheld. He said: It is important that these cases are highlighted to landlords and agents so that they are very clear about their obligations and the consequences of failing to meet them. He said: Due to the landlords behaviour the tenant lost out on approximately 10 months of HAP support, which for most tenants would amount to more than the 7,000 allowed." Mr Allen pointed out: So while the tenant was brave enough to take the case, went through the considerable distress of the situation and won, they may well be worse off than if the landlord had obeyed the law in the first place. A man convicted of the murder of a mother of three in a flat in Cork is appealing the verdict in the case. Cathal OSullivan, who is originally from Charleville, Co Cork, but who was living at 6A Pophams Rd, Farranree, in the city, was found guilty of murdering Nicola Collins, 38, at his flat on March 27, 2017. OSullivan was given the mandatory life sentence at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork last month. When the verdict was delivered, it emerged in court that OSullivan, 45, had previously received a three-year suspended sentence in 2013 for violently assaulting a woman. In an interview with The Opinion Line on Corks 96FM following the case, Michael Collins, father of the deceased, said he was perplexed at how OSullivan managed to walk out of court practically a free man after inflicting multiple injuries on a woman. He said he felt very distressed at the inaccurate way his beloved daughter was portrayed in court. At the conclusion of the case, Ms Collins sister Carly thanked the public, friends and family, and the gardai for their support. The Collins family also expressed their gratitude for the first responders who assisted Nicola on the day of her death. They say they will forever treasure the memories of their down-to-earth, funny, and intelligent Nicola. The jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork spent three hours and 58 minutes deliberating before they returned the unanimous guilty verdict. OSullivan was jailed for life. Detective Sergeant Kieran OSullivan told the court OSullivan had four previous convictions, including public order offences and a three- year suspended sentence for assault. He said OSullivan received the conviction for assault in April 2013. The woman who was assaulted incurred lacerations, wounds, rib fractures, kidney and liver injuries, and a fracture to the skull. She also received a subdural haemorrhage to the brain in the incident. She was so badly injured that she was unable to leave her house for three days. The recent three-week trial heard Ms Collins died of subdural haematoma arising out of blunt force trauma to the head. Assistant State pathologist Margaret Bolster said an autopsy indicated that the deceased had 125 bruises and lacerations to her head and body. Dr Bolster said that Ms Collins had black eyes, broken front teeth, a swollen and bruised face, blood coming from her nostrils, a fracture of the lower jaw bone, scratch marks, lacerations to the lip, and bruises to her face, arms, legs, abdomen, ankles, breastbone, and fingers. She had old bruising on her thighs and abrasions and grazes to the left eyebrow. Ms Collins had a 117g clot as a result of a subdural haematoma. OSullivan claimed in evidence that the pair had spent the few days before her death at his flat watching Netflix, listening to music, drinking, and talking. The defence claimed that Ms Collins slipped in the shower and hit her head against a star-shaped bath tap and other objects. Ms Collins was pronounced dead at the scene. She was originally from St Brendans Park in Tralee, Co Kerry, but was living at Clashduv Rd in Cork at the time of her death. OSullivan has lodged an appeal against his conviction with the Courts Service. No date has been set for a hearing. A date has been set for the trial of a 44-year-old man, charged with murdering another man in west Cork more than seven years ago. Ciprian Grozavu is charged with murdering 27-year-old Jonathan Duke at Bridge House, Sean Hales Place, Bandon on November 13, 2011. A candlelit vigil to mark International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Sex Workers will kick off in Dublin later. Sex Workers Alliance Ireland has organised the demonstration outside Leinster House at 6pm this evening. Cork County Council has been warned its current housing policy is contributing to rural decline due to focusing on building new homes in larger urban areas. Members of the council's Northern Division expressed their concerns in Mallow today. Cllr Gerard Murphy claimed: Smaller towns and villages are not getting social housing because the emphasis is on bigger centres. We are contributing to rural decline. Schools are closing and GAA clubs are not being able to deliver teams. We need to look seriously at our policy. Divisional chairman Cllr Bernard Moynihan said rural Ireland was all but destroyed but believed there were ways it could be saved. He pointed out that the development of a small number of houses in the village of Boherbue had attracted young families which had saved a teaching job from being axed in the local national school. Cllr Moynihan previously highlighted the decline of Knocknagree, a thriving village in the 1960s and 1970s which had lost all its shops and petrol station, with the GAA club forced to amalgamate shortly as it didn't have enough juvenile players. He said families were not able to get planning permission to build in the area as some officials were too strict. The council's director of housing Maurice Manning said the council had purchased some 'turn-key houses' from small developers in the villages of Glanworth, Doneraile and Rathcormac and noted he would welcome expressions of interest from small building firms who might have ideas for projects in rural areas. Cllr Murphy said the matter should be pursued quickly so as to ensure that the populations of some villages were increased "to keep them from dying". Council officials also said they were examining acquiring derelict homes in villages which they could convert into social housing. County Hall is currently pursuing around ten Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) for properties in the North Cork region with most of them in small villages. Meanwhile, Cllr John Paul O'Shea questioned why people were refusing houses offered to them by the council under Choice-Based Letting (CBL) system. The online system was introduced by the council to allow people to see pictures of the interior and exterior of its vacant homes and has proved very successful. Figures released by the council show, countywide, the local authority offered 548 such homes in the past year of which nearly all were now occupied by new tenants. However, 37 'successful' applicants subsequently turned them down. Officials told Cllr O'Shea, in the majority of cases, applicants refused the housing as they did not like the location. Successful applicants who refuse a property are barred for a year from making an application via the CBL system. Since launching the CBL, prospective tenants have logged onto the site more than 435,000 times which Cllr Ian Doyle described as a success. A total of 62,189 expressions of interest in vacant council houses were generated. Currently, about 74% of waiting list applicants in the county use the online system. A former Irish soldier, who aided the Provisional IRA while a member of the Defence Forces, and later joined the nationalist paramilitaries, has denied that when he and colleagues in an IRA active service unit were arrested in Belgium in 1990 they were preparing to assassinate Britains Prince Charles and Princess Diana. In an exclusive interview with the Irish Examiner, Kieran McCarthy, now a Cork county councillor, reveals that he faked a baptismal certificate to get into the Irish army, came to sympathise with, aid, and then join the IRA, and ended up in a Belgium jail. He also says he knows a number of other former Irish army soldiers who ended up fighting for the Provisional IRA, because they, too, did not like the way the British were treating their fellow countrymen north of the border. Mr McCarthy said British media reports that he and his IRA colleagues were going to kill the royal couple were unfounded. They were due in Belgium a few weeks after we were arrested, he said. We didnt even know they were coming. It was pure coincidence. It wasnt the operation we were planning. We were planning a variety of operations at the time. When asked if the active service unit was planning to attack British army bases, he declined to comment. Mr McCarthy and two others had a variety of weapons when arrested by the Belgium authorities. I got two years, but I served 10 months, he said. He also speaks of an incident in the summer of 1976, when he and a couple of other Irish soldiers crossed the border to buy a few goods at a market in South Armagh. He says they were badly treated by the British army patrol, even though it was obvious that they were Irish soldiers. They grabbed us and put us up against the wall, with their guns trained on us, he said. They knew we were Irish army. They were just making an example of us in front of the community. They were saying it was their country. That was a turning point for me. The following year, he was giving the IRA assistance and left the army in 1978. The 1981 hunger strikes were the final tipping point, he says, and he joined the IRA. He remained in the IRA up to the Good Friday ceasefire. He is writing a book about his experiences. Just 19 TDs attended a debate on child homelessness in the Dail this morning. Only 13 were present at the beginning of the debate. Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy was one of the three FG members to attend, while Fianna Fail had six and Sinn Fein three. Labours Jan OSullivan was her partys sole representative. Two People Before Profit TDs, Richard Boyd Barrett and Gino Kenny, along with Solidarity TD Mick Barry, Green Party TD Catherine Martin and Independents4Change TD Joan Collins were also in the chamber. During the debate Sinn Fein TD Imelda Munster became emotional as she accused the minister of inflicting misery. Relating the story of a young homeless man she and her daughter had passed on OConnell Street last week Ms Munster became emotional as he recalled what her daughter told her after she returned form giving him some change. "When my daughter came back, she said: Mam, he was crying. He was crying because he was so cold, so miserable, so alone and he felt that nobody gave a damn about him, Minister. So I want you over Christmas to think about those children and every single person waiting to be housed in this State." Speaking during the debate Housing Minister, Eoghan Murphy, insisted every rough sleeper would have a bed this Christmas but said beds should be available over the year not just at Christmas. We know that new homes are the answer and that new homes are being built but we will not be able to solve the crisis until they are built. That will take more time. Until those houses are built, we will treat every family and child with the utmost of care until we can get them into new homes - forever homes, as people call them. That is our ambition and what the Government is working to achieve. Reacting to the fact that only 19 TDs attended the debate the chief executive of Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH), Anthony Flynn, said the figure was both frustrating and extremely alarming. "The fact that 19 members of the Dail arrived to discuss the most serious issue in Irish society today, child homelessness, is an indictment on the government. "299 children have become homeless since the current minister took over from his predecessor Simon Coveney in June. This is unacceptable and shows a clear lack of political will to solve the crisis. Child homelessness has grown by 20% under the current government and has increased 287% in the last three years. We need to address this crisis head on." A nightclub security man was bitten on the hand by a young man who then spat blood into the bouncers face the worst experience for the injured party in 11 years in the job. At Cork District Court, Judge Olann Kelleher said he would not read out the victim impact statement but said the assault had a huge effect on the victim. This was a vicious assault on someone acting in everyones interests having worked for 11 years in this area. Not only was he bitten but it is a vicious assault also to spit blood in someones face." Padraig Cotter of 65 Fairfield Drive, Fairhill, Cork, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to Paul Daly. Sergeant Gearoid Davis said: On November 1, 2017 Garda Joseph Crowley was called to the Church nightclub on Hanover Street at 1.30am. On arrival, Garda Crowley met with Paul Daly who reported to Garda Crowley that he was assaulted by a man not known to him. "He said that at 1.24am while ushering people from the cloakroom area of the club he observed a man, now known to him as Padraig Cotter, who was acting aggressively towards other patrons. "He told Garda Crowley that Padraig Cotter, 21, was pushing patrons as they were leaving and he asked him to refrain from what he was doing and calm down." He continued to do this and so the injured party put his right hand on the shoulder of Padraig Cotter and directed him to leave. As he was ushering Padraig Cotter to the exit the defendant turned his head to where Paul Dalys hand was and bit down on his hand. "He struggled to free his hand from the mouth of Padraig Cotter. As the defendant was restrained by the security staff he turned and spat blood from his mount into the face of Paul Daly. The blood went into the injured partys eye and mouth. Frank Buttimer, solicitor, emphasised the fact that the defendant had no previous convictions. Mr Buttimer said the accused was remorseful and apologetic. The accused saved up 1,000 and brought it to Cork District Court for the victim. Judge Olann Kelleher said the accused could do 220 hours of community service instead of going to jail for five months. By Louise Walsh A stark message to stay away has been sent out to dealers ahead of a public meeting to rid an Irish village of drugs. The meeting has been organised after a number of incidents where young people have been reportedly intimidated over drug debts in Duleek, Co. Meath. Local publicans have already backed the initiative by putting up signage warning patrons that if they "enjoy recreational drugs" they are not welcome on the premises. The Duleek Drug Free Town project is the brainchild of local Cllr Sharon Keogan who says she was moved to do something after pleas for help by local youths themselves. "I know it's very aspirational but we have to start somewhere. This is about a five-year programme of educating our young people and encouraging a positive mental health and empowerment culture," she said. "There was a house targeted in the village recently and burnt out by drug dealers. I know of teenagers who are being intimidated by dealers over a drug debt and others whose families have had to pay off their debt for them. "Kids are drinking at 13, then progress to hash, cocaine and then some go into dealing to afford their own drugs once addicted. It's a vicious circle and we have to stop it." The community activist says she has also received a huge response from parents and young people willing to help stamp out drugs in their area. She said: "Young people have come to me asking for help. Their friends are on drugs or are dealing and getting into dangerous situations and they don't want to see their little brothers or sisters growing up surrounded by drugs. "They often deal in plain sight on the streets here and if I can see this going on, then it shouldn't be a problem for gardai. "I'm saying 'No More!' I'm saying to the dealers not to come near our village and if they are owed any money, they can just suck it up. "We have a great community CCTV system here and I'm warning dealers that we will follow you. I will do all in my power to protect our young people," she said. The meeting will take place in the local courthouse on Tuesday night at 8pm and will include speakers from the Garda Drugs Task Force, SOSAD and other motivational speakers. The cap worn by Michael Collins on the day he was gunned down at Beal na mBlath was removed from public display because blood and brain residue were visible on it. For decades, the cap and greatcoat worn by Collins that day were displayed at the museum in Kildare St. However, when the Collins exhibition was moved to Collins Barracks in 2006, a review was carried out in the light of modern museum ethics. Audrey Whitty of the National Museum said: The cap is no longer on display and one of the reasons is due to the sensitivity of General Collinss blood and organic matter on the object, which is an integral part of the artefact itself. Dr Whitty said Collinss cap and coat did not both have to be on display to tell the story of Beal na mBlath. The blood on the greatcoat is more subtle and not as graphic and it has the mud from the scene that day at Beal na mBlath, she said. She added that the cap is preserved and can be viewed by prior appointment. The decision to remove the cap from public view was taken by curators, who considered the sensitivities of the descendants of Michael Collins. It was also in line with modern museum ethics. Dr Whitty said there is still a fascination with anything belonging to Collins. Curators, in taking the decision on the cap, realised the coat, with the mud stains and blood, would have told the story on its own, regardless, she said. The coat on its own speaks volumes. She said when it comes to the curatorial, less is more. If you crowd a cabinet full of, say, 10 objects and you have a star item, it loses its importance, she said. That particular object is surrounded by another nine. Gardai have renewed their appeal for the mother of a newborn baby found dead on a beach to seek help. There are concerns that the girl or woman, who gave birth to a full-term baby girl, may have given birth unassisted and is likely to be in need of medical treatment. An autopsy carried out on the body of the baby yesterday ruled out foul play in her death but further details have not been released. The baby was found by a volunteer cleaner at Bells Beach just outside Balbriggan in north County Dublin on Saturday morning. She is believed to have been there for a few days at most and was partially buried in the sand, although, with the gales and rain that lashed the area over the weekend, it was not possible to say if she was deliberately concealed. It is not known whether she was born on the beach or was carried there after birth. The beach is close to the town of Balbriggan but is separated from nearby housing estates by railway tracks and GAA fields. Garda Sergeant Fiona Savidge of Balbriggan Garda Station made a direct appeal to the mother of the baby, asking her to make contact with gardai, a doctor, a hospital emergency department or Tusla, the child and family agency. I can assure you that you will be treated with the utmost of compassion and care and 100% confidentiality, she said. Sgt Savidge also encouraged anyone who knew the woman involved to seek help on her behalf. I know you are a daughter, I know you are a probably a sister, a cousin. You may have a husband or boyfriend, she said. You may have just have confided in a friend. So to anybody out there that the mother of this baby has got in touch with, I am appealing to you to make contact. Prayers were said at Mass in the local Catholic Church in Balbriggan yesterday in a show of support for the woman and the baby girl. The infants funeral will not be immediately finalised to allow time for her mother to come forward. Concealed pregnancies are relatively rare and most women do make contact with the health services late on in their pregnancy, but there have been several cases of newborns found dead in recent years. The Irish Family Planning Association appealed to any girl or woman with a crisis pregnancy to avail of its free counselling service for support and advice on all options. Counselling is available in ten centres nationally and can be accessed by calling 1850 49 50 51. The HSE website sexualwellbeing.ie incorporates the national Crisis Pregnancy Programme and has information on all the supports available from the various womens health and counselling services around the country, how to contact them, and what to expect. Anyone in distress who needs a listening ear while waiting to make contact with a specialist service can contact the Samaritans on the six-digit freephone, 116 123. The number of "working poor in the country is increasing despite a booming economy, it has emerged. There are over 4,000 more people with a job at risk of poverty today than there were 12 months ago, said the head of Social Justice Ireland, Dr Sean Healy. The Central Statistic's Office latest Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2017 found that the average household disposable income rose by nearly 5% to 48,476 last year. The rate of enforced deprivation, defined as not being able to afford two or more deprivation indicators; such as keeping the home adequately warm or buying presents for family/friends at least once a year, fell to 18.8% from 21%. The most common types of deprivation experienced by Irish households were an inability to afford to replace worn out furniture (20.4% ), to afford to have family or friends for a drink or a meal once a month (13.9% ) and to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight (13.2%). The survey put the consistent poverty rate, which includes people both at risk of poverty and experiencing enforced deprivation, at 6.7%, down from 8.2%. Commenting on the CSO report, Dr Healy, said 109,000 people with jobs were living in poverty. While the actual year on year increase in the number of working poor might not be statistically significant, the fact that it was not falling indicated that things were not as they should be. The overall number of people living in poverty today, at 760,000, was also slightly less than it was last year but was substantially higher than what it was 10 years ago. There are 120,000 more people living in poverty in Ireland today than there were ten years ago, said Dr Healy. Of the 760,000 people in poverty today, 230,000 are children and over 100,000 have a job. There has been a slight improvement in some categories from last year but the problem is there is a very substantial number of people being left behind as the economy grows and develops. So we have a situation where most categories are getting back to where they were before the crash but there is this very substantial group of people at the bottom who are not making progress. Dr Healy said Government policy is not working and the figures are unacceptable. Barnardos children's charity said a shockingly high number of children continued to live in consistent poverty in Ireland. Head of advocacy at Barnardos June Tinsley said the Government made a commitment to lift 100,000 children out of poverty by 2020 and it was clear that little progress had been made. The CSO figure shows that despite a small reduction, child poverty remains unacceptably high. Ms Tinsley said poverty affected children in profound and long-lasting ways. It is a vicious cycle from which many children never escape. Yet it is not inevitable. The Children's Rights Alliance said the CSO survey showed that around 8.8% of children are living in consistent poverty, down from 10.9% since 2016. This appears to be the biggest drop since the recession and we estmate this equates to almost 24,000 children lifted out of poverty, said the alliance's chief executive, Tanya Ward. Ms Ward said there were still too many children living with the shame of poverty. The reality of living in consistent poverty means that children can't afford to go to a friends birthday party or take part in after-school activities. It also means that sometimes the hearting isn't switched on when families can't afford it. The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) said there had been some modest improvement in poverty rates, with a decrease of just under 3% in the rate of consistent poverty. However, SVP sees the stark reality behind the statistics as struggling families face into Christmas. The CSO is considering ways to improve the data collected on poverty and housing tenure. SVP national president Kieran Stafford said many of the people they visit were paying high rents to live in substandard accommodation. Some Housing Assistance Payment tenants are paying top-ups to their landlords, which can be unsustainable in the long run, leaving families vulnerable to becoming homeless, said Mr Stafford.The housing crisis is a scandal that continues to impact on every aspect of people's lives. Key findings of CSO's latest Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2017 An online voter registration system to make voting more user friendly is being proposed by the Government. The new register would be anonymous and people would be identified only by a number in order to protect victims of domestic violence and stalking. If somebody has a barring order for domestic violence against their husband or wife, we dont want the electoral register to be accessible when it is a public document, that somebody can go on or a stalker and see where their potential victims are living, said minister of state for local government and electoral reform, John Paul Phelan. Its for a changing world but its also to protect people. The public is now being asked for their views on the changes, which would see a reduction in the number of different registration forms and would allow people to register online. The proposals also include the introduction of a simplified registration process, a move from household-based to individual registration and verification of identity through the possible use of Personal Public Service Numbers (PPSN). Mr Phelan said: These changes, if implemented, would be the most significant reform of the electoral registration process since 1918. As well as removing an excessive number of steps involved in applying to be included on the electoral register, the proposals would further increase the registers ability to keep up-to-date with changing individual circumstances and, therefore, its integrity. Having a registration process that recognises and facilitates more frequent changes of address is crucial in maintaining an accurate register. The proposals include: The introduction of a single, simplified form rather than the 26 that currently are in use. Rolling registration, which would see the current supplementary register axed and a single, live register introduced. Individual registration only currently the use of household forms could potentially result in people being included on the register or their registration details being amended without their explicit consent. The establishment of a single, national electoral register database. Mr Phelan urged people to give their view on the proposals by March 15, 2019. A serial sex offender will be sentenced in May for raping a woman he met on Tinder and sexually assaulting another within days of each other in July 2014. The two attacks happened in his car in secluded parts of Co Meath after he had matched with them on the online dating app. The baby girl found on a beach in Balbriggan has been named Belle by Gardai because she was found on Bells Beach and because the word means beautiful in French. Garda Inspector Brian Downey told RTEs Morning Ireland that it appeared the baby had died sometime before delivery. He appealed to the mother to come forward and receive medical treatment. We are imploring anyone who knows her to come forward, to contact the Gardai, or Tusla or a GP. He added that the mother is not in trouble. Our only concern is her health and welfare. This is not a criminal investigation. "She is not in trouble. Our only concern is for the health, safety, welfare of the mother." We dont need to speak to her, we just need to know that she is ok, thats shes safe and getting the medical attention that she requires. The most important thing is that she gets the help she requires. Inspector Downey acknowledged that the mother is probably fearful of coming forward and said that Gardai are trying to create a safe environment, so she will know that it is safe to come forward. Dr Rhona Mahony, Master of the National Maternity Hospital also told the programme that they are concerned for the mother who may be experiencing complications. We are concerned for her as a person. We understand she is going through a terribly difficult time. I imagine she is very confused, distressed and frightened, she may feel overwhelmed. I hope she will feel able to contact someone. Its about her, making sure she is safe, making sure shes okay. Dr Mahony said she was concerned the mother could be suffering from excessive bleeding and feeling unwell. Shes got a lot to cope with. Our primary concern is caring for her. Theres no question of anyone giving out to her. We are concerned for her physical health, her mental health. It is heartbreaking, we know that women face difficult circumstances sometimes. Difficult things happen in life, we understand that. Our first thought is her welfare. Minster calls for further progress as 11 male-only boards still remain The share of women on State boards has exceeded 40% for the first time ever, according to new figures. A survey carried out last July by the Department of Justice found the female share of State board membership is now 40.7%, up 2.3 percentage points over the last return in February 2017. This is the first time the 40% figure has been surpassed and compares to an average of 18% on the boards of Iseq20 companies. Women comprised 52% of the 203 appointments made to State boards last year. However, such appointments generally amount to only about a third of positions filled. Other positions are filled ex-officio, by reappointment or on the nomination of external bodies. However, the percentage of women as chairs of State boards is just 27.5%. The department has expressed concern about the number of positions filled through external nominations and reappointments, which do not go through the Public Appointments Service. In some sectors, the proportion of appointments that have gone to women in the last 18 months is as low as one in four. As a result, the department will chair an interdepartmental group to identify and report on best practices which could be adopted across government. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said that, despite the increase, more progress needed to be made. This is the highest female representation to date, he said. It is also important to note, however, that this is just an average. The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to every State board reaching the 40% target, yet only 48.9% of boards currently do so. I do not believe that sufficient progress has been made in some sectors. It is particularly disappointing that there remains 11 single gender boards with no female representation. This is something which must be addressed. Meanwhile, the amount paid in compensation to victims of crime is set to soar this year due to a number of large awards. Mr Flanagan confirmed that he has set aside an additional 2.24m for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal this year. In a written Dail reply to Fianna Fails Sean Fleming, he said the 2.4m will bring to 6.4m the amount available to the tribunal this year. He said he approved the additional 2.4m in view of a number of large awards from the general scheme in the current year. Last year, 3.97m was paid out to 117 claimants, with the highest amount paid out was 954,000. Some 3.76m was paid in 2016, with 4m paid in 2016. The highest individual payment made in recent years was 1.85m made in 2014. The number of applications received last year was 181 and this represented a decline of 14% on the 210 applications received in 2016. The minister said it is not possible at this time to state the number of cases awaiting decision and those which are deemed to be open. I have, however, requested an assessment of the caseload of the tribunal and have asked my officials to examine this assessment and seek the views of the Criminal Injuries Tribunal in this regard, said Mr Flanagan. Carolyn Moore meets the writers who have made a living out of going on holidays If life is a journey, not a destination, surely no one knows this better than travel bloggers? Most of us live to travel, savouring the hard-earned holidays that punctuate our working year, but travel bloggers travel to live. And as a Forbes recent ranking of the most influential among them reveals, successful bloggers arent just eking out an existence; these self-styled digital nomads have the potential to make millions as they wander the world. Though no Irish globetrotters made this years Forbes list, a new generation of industrious bloggers is building a following here; channelling their social media expertise into monetised platforms which allow them to live every travel lovers dream: being paid to see the world. Inspired by self-made Irish blogging millionaire Johnny Ward, these bloggers are ditching the 9-5 to make a living on the go, but is the lifestyle all its cracked up to be, and whats the reality behind that perfect Instagram facade? TARA POVEY One of Irelands top travel bloggers, Tara Povey credits her adventurous spirit to her mum, whose love of travel took her as far as New Zealand, where Tara was born. I always loved hearing about her travels and I thought when I have kids I want to have my own stories to tell. At 29, shes got more stories than most people will accumulate in a lifetime; her blog whereistara.com has taken her up a volcano on horseback, ninja training in Japan, and ice climbing in Finland. I love adventure, but I would never have been brave enough to do that, she says. The blog pushes me to face my fears because I know my followers will love reading about it. After completing her masters, pharmacist Tara backpacked solo around South America. A lot of people cautioned against it, she says, but I always had the urge in me. I never really thought I couldnt do it. I had some of my best and worst experiences on that trip, she says, and despite checking over 30 countries off her bucket list since, it remains her biggest travel adventure. When she got itchy feet again in 2014, Tara quit her job to go travelling. I started my blog so family and friends could follow me and see what I was doing, she says. I really wasnt thinking of trying to build a following. Nonetheless, it struck a chord with equally adventurous young women, and opportunity came knocking. When sponsored posts and writing content for travel websites earned her a modest blogging income in 2015, Where Is Taras potential became clear. By 2016 Tara was starting to see proper, regular income coming in. I realised I could make a living from it, so I decided to only say yes to quality projects that offered me a proper rate. It may seem crazy to turn down a free trip, she acknowledges, but Ive learned you have to value your time and your content. STEPHANIE BUCKLEY A year working for online publishers Shemazing showed Stephanie Buckley the value of what she could offer travel clients via her own burgeoning blog, eatsleepchic.ie. When she started it in 2014, Eat, Sleep, Chic wasnt travel-focused. Initially it had more of a lifestyle slant, she recalls. But I wasnt a fashion blogger; and I liked beauty but it wasnt my passion; so I started to write about what I really loved - food and travel. Before the year was out, Stephanie found herself representing Ireland in the global Big Blog Exchange. They chose 16 bloggers from around the world, and I was paired with a Brazilian blogger, so she came here and I went there. Id never travelled solo, but I flew into Rio and backpacked on my own for two weeks. I was probably a bit naive. People told me it might be dangerous, but I loved it, she says. Paragliding off Pedra Bonita in Rio de Janeiro was a particular highlight. The job with Shemazing followed, and after landing a year-long campaign with Helly Hansen learning to sail and competing in the Cowes Week regatta in 2016, Stephanie made the leap and made her blog her full-time focus. Despite her gra for Irish travel, shes resisted adopting a niche approach. Her content varies from glam girls weekends to romantic couples breaks to outdoorsy family holidays with partner David and his son, Scott the most magical of which was a trip to Lapland. We stayed in glass igloos in Kakslauttanen; it was incredible, once in a lifetime stuff, she says. You learn what works for your followers, and thats what works for mine. Im 32, and girls my age have kids. They might not have the freedom to grab a backpack and travel the world, but they can take spa breaks and nice holidays, she says, and the variety means Im open to more opportunities. STEPHANIE LYNCH For Stephanie Lynch, the opportunity to travel for a living was one she created for herself. Now 28, the enterprising Cork woman started her blog, ontheqt.ie, while studying TV and New Media in IT Tralee, and a nugget of a business idea formed. I loved to travel and I loved finding things that werent the typical tourist things to do, she says. She realised she could merge her twin passions travel and video production to showcase hidden gems tourists might be missing out on, and UCCs Ignite programme gave her creative vision some business grounding. Though she started with Irish tourism in mind, On The QT began to cover international destinations, and far from taking the joy out of travel, it has given Stephanie her dream job. I get to travel and create videos my two favourite things! she explains. I have a bucket list of places I want to see, and its allowed me to start ticking some of those off the list. My favourite holiday was island hopping in Croatia I love sailing, and to be there doing it as my job, making videos and sharing the experience was amazing. At the same time, she says people dont see the work that goes in behind the camera. You are working. You have to find a different take on things; create the content; put it out there. Youre shooting video, Snapchatting, getting photos for Instagram -your brain never switches off, she says. Stephanie Buckley agrees. Youre there to do a job for someone, so youre always thinking about that, she says. You have to get a photo of your hotel room before anything gets crumpled. When your food arrives you have to get the right lighting, the right angles it could be cold by the time you eat it. All my family and friends know: dont touch your food until Stephanies taken her picture, she laughs. For Tara, Instagram stories is where her 41,000 followers can catch fleeting glimpses of the reality behind her picture perfect life. I try to be real about stuff in my stories, she says. It shows people Im not just living the dream all the time. Travelling is tiring; you get rundown; I get bad colds if I do a lot of long haul flights. Obviously its a great job, but it is hard work. You might travel for two or three days, but then spend ten days in the office writing posts and editing videos people dont see that side of it, says Stephanie Lynch. You could run up a mountain to capture a sunset which Ive done! but people dont want to see the sweaty mess at the top of the mountain, she laughs, they want the beautiful sunset. Thats the fantasy. On the morning of November 28, 1881, the people of Dursey Island, Co Cork, looked out on the Calf Rock to an extraordinary sight. The tower of the lighthouse was gone, swept away in one of the most severe storms of the century. The lighthouse had been constructed in 1866 with its light 136ft high. Disaster was fresh in the minds of the islanders as 12 years earlier six men drowned in another severe storm after they attempted to rescue the lighthouse keeper and workers from the Calf only to find the men didnt require help after all. They were lost on the return journey. Visiting on a calm September day with skipper Des OShea from Caherdaniels Skelligcoastdiscovery.com, the evidence of our eyes bears witness to the peculiar tides at the Calf Rock. While all around is calm, a vicious current surrounds the Calf, making landing impossible. In 1881, a massive storm bore down on the coast. As it lashed the south coast, all six men in the lighthouse were given up for lost, presumed dead. However, three days later a figure was seen dashing across the rock, which measures no more than 60m by 30m. When the storm struck, the men had rushed in to a small store room as the towering seas smashed the tower to pieces. And there they were now huddled, up to their knees in water. Alive but cut off. An emergency call went out to rescue the stricken men. A sea crossing from the mainland was impossible. Two British gunboats, the Seahorse and the Amelia, had been stationed at Castletownbere and rushed to the scene. Owing to the incredible power of the sea and intense winds, they were unable to effect a rescue. By now, on day five, food was scarce. The Cork Examiners reporter visited on December 7 and wrote: The sea was running mountains high, and the noise of the waves as they broke on the rugged and rocky shore was awe-insipring in the extreme. Hope must almost have died within the breasts of the three workmen when they saw this evenings sun go down on this their wild rocky home. The assistant engineer to the Irish Lights Board, a Mr Bergin, stated that the men had 40 gallons of water but that 100lb of preserved meat was probably lost. Attempts to send in potatoes, brandy, and other supplies failed. The days passed but so sign of rescue was obvious. Cometh the hour. With the men on Calf Rock by now in desperate straits, something special was required. Under the direction of Mr Bergin and Mr Duggan, the lighthousekeeper who was on the mainland when the storm struck, seven Dursey islanders put to sea in a small boat and rowed 5km into the maelstrom. Michael OShea and his men succeeded in landing a rope to the men and over the next few hours dragged each one of them through the seas and on to the boat. Salvation after 12 days of terror. The day after the rescue, December 12, the Cork Examiner reported: The gunboat Seahorse, and its commander Captain Gravener, and crew, played an important part in the rescue of the poor creatures, but as the men themselves say, it is mainly due to the intrepidity and courage of OShea, the Dursey boatman, that they owe their snatching from an almost living death. And as a PS: OSheas name deserves to be printed in letters of gold. After the storm of 1881, a decision was made to build the lighthouse on the nearby Bull Rock. That station was completed in 1888 and in 1991 it was automated. A plaque on the Dursey Sound was erected in 2013 by the descendants of Mick Kelly. The rescuers were later honoured for their bravery at a ceremony in London. Rescued: Thomas Fortune (Wexford); John Young (England); John Harrington (Dursey); John Byrne (Dun Laoghaire); Mick Kelly and William Lowney (Ballaughbee); Rescuers: Captain Michael OShea and his son Michael; Daniel Healy and his son Denis; Tade Dudley; Darby OSullivan; Batt Lynch How to get there: Tours with www.skelligcoastdiscovery.com / www.irishlights.ie Cork County Councillor Kieran McCarthy reveals that he was far from being the only soldier to quit the Irish Army and join the Provisional IRA, writes Sean ORiordan Kieran McCarthy has said he was far from being the only one who quit the Irish Army to join the Provisional IRA, and over the years has come into contact with other ex-soldiers who had made the same decision. Those former soldiers who I encountered (in the IRA) came from Cork, Limerick, and Kildare, and I know that many other counties were similarly represented in the republican ranks, as Im sure the closer one got to the border counties, the more those numbers were represented, Mr McCarthy said. Indeed, he said he met with a former Irish Army soldier from Kildare while they were both on an IRA operation. Mr McCarthy pointed out that there were people who came from north of the border to join the Irish Army and he wouldnt be surprised if some of them had been planted by the IRA. It was different with me, it evolved (into joining the Provisionals). In an extensive interview with this newspaper, he spoke about how his military life started with the FCA as a 13-year-old; how he lied about his age to get into the Irish Army, was posted to the border in the hope of defending his country and then had a mind change about how The Troubles were affecting the wider island. He made headlines in 1990 when he and two other members of an IRA active service unit were arrested in Belgium. They were fully armed but surrendered immediately without a shot being fired. When they stormed the apartment we immediately put our hands up as we werent at war with them. At the time, sections of the British media claimed the trio were planning to kill Prince Charles and Princess Diana, which he says is completely untrue as they didnt even know the royals were due to arrive in that country a few weeks later. The description the Belgium police used for me in court was logistics officer for the captured IRA unit. I neither confirmed nor denied their findings, he said. Mr McCarthy maintained that he never heard anybody in the IRA speaking about killing the two royals and that doing so would probably have been counterproductive, especially considering the popularity of the woman who was later dubbed The Peoples Princess. Our role in that active service unit in Belgium was to enhance the war effort back home, he said, declining to comment further when asked if they were preparing at the time to attack British Army bases on the continent. During his time in prison he said the Belgians were good to them and they would be given beer to celebrate the birthdays of the countrys king or queen. The screws (prison officers) used to call me The Beatle after Paul McCartney. They couldnt pronounce McCarthy, he joked. Joining the IRA was a gradual process which involved a number of incidents during and after his Irish Army career. Initially, he joined the Irish Army because, he said, he wanted to protect his country. Mr McCarthy was very annoyed about the treatment meted out to himself and his Irish Army colleagues by a British Army patrol at a market in Jonesborough, South Armagh, in the summer of 1976. After being humiliated at gunpoint in front of locals they (the British) then expected us to carry on as normal collaborating and continuing to uphold their imposed border in our country. He said the British knew full well who they were. We stuck out like a sore thumb because we all had short haircuts. Nobody but soldiers had short haircuts back then. Around 18 months later I read a report in the then- Cork Examiner about a British Army helicopter that was shot down over Jonesborough the day before. My mind instantly returned to that day when we were pulled over by the British and I thought of the big old man who came over to us afterwards and asked what did those bastards say to ye? I thought about the downed helicopter and said to myself well fucking done lads. I found myself agreeing and sympathising with the IRA, he said. The Cobh-born county councillor joined the FCA at 13 and when five of his friends joined the regular Irish Army, he wanted to go along with them. So he produced a fake baptismal certificate to show he was 17. After training in Collins Barracks in Cork, he was posted to the border. He was posted with the 4th Infantry Battalion, firstly to Cootehill, Co Cavan, and then to Monaghan town, where the Irish Army was at the time building a new barracks. I first began to suspect that all was not what it should be, and that this States role on the border was more than one of peace-keeping and preventing the northern conflict spreading southwards, he said. I know I wasnt alone as a soldier in feeling, by the experiences we witnessed and the actions we were at times forced to take, that we were in effect nothing more than a southern regiment of the British Army. The fact that British undercover snatch squads were coming across the border with the assistance of Loyalist paramilitaries and killing republicans made me further question what we in the Irish Army were doing on the border. We were a toothless tiger, he said. He said there was a lot of friction between the Irish Army and the locals. Mr McCarthy also remembers hostility in Cobh between the locals and Dubliners who had joined the Naval Service. Theyd have encounters over women. There were encounters too with locals living on the border, but it was nothing to do with women this time. They were hostile. I didnt realise that theyd see us in the Irish Army as collaborators. On occasion it got into fisticuffs in the pubs. They couldnt have all been in the IRA, Mr McCarthy said. He recounted how rocks were regularly thrown at their army patrols and how one middle-aged man tried to tear the tricolour off one of their jeeps as they were disgracing the flag. It was the ordinary community. A lot of farmers were angry with us. They had bridges blown up and their land cut off. The British couldnt have done that without the co-operation of the Irish Army, he said. Kieran McCarthy on patrol at the border as an Irish Army soldier. The Cobh-born Cork County Councillor went on to quit the Army and join the Provisional IRA. Mr McCarthy feels the southern state negated its responsibilities towards the North before the mid-70s and probably had an unofficial policy of letting the British to get on with it as it was viewed as their mess to sort out. Had governments then shown the same commitment to establishing peace and avoiding a hard border, and enlisting international support for same, as they are doing today, then everything might have been different. He said he was prompted to go public for the first time about his move from the Irish Army to the Provisional IRA for two reasons. One is because he believes people should now write down their involvement in The Troubles warts and all for later use by historians. I want to see my experiences recorded as historical fact, that is my motivation for this (interview), and why Im planning to write a full set of memoirs covering my time in the republican movement. The other reason was a reaction to a recent review in this newspaper of a book, Soldiering Against Subversion by retired army Colonel Dan Harvey, which outlined the role of soldiers on border duty. It prompted me to respond and explain my own experiences on the border with the Irish Army in the 1970s. These experiences played no small part in me later questioning what this States role in the conflict really was, and to me eventually joining the IRA. In November 1975 Mr McCarthy joined the Permanent Defence Forces, along with four other friends but was still only aged 15 and a half. At the time, it still wasnt uncommon for people to lie about their age. He recalls one man from Fermoy, Co Cork, who went to the Congo with the United Nations and was just 15 when he celebrated his birthday there. He, like Mr McCarthy, was a tall and bulky lad. I was the only one who wasnt 17 at the time (the requisite age for joining up now 18). I was just 15 and a half . But I was 5ft 10 and well built at the time, he said. Mr McCarthy recounts a perilous time just before he was recruited, when a sergeant came up to him and another applicant, saying there might be a problem with their ages. It was pure luck that I actually had a baptismal cert with me. It was a forged one. Thank God he didnt ask me for a birth certificate otherwise I was finished. No more questions were asked after that. Mr McCarthy joined the Irish Army and passed out as a fully-fledged soldier in the spring of 1976. He and his fiends were divided up, with many of them going off to guard the maximum security prison at Portlaoise, which housed a number of Provisional IRA members. He, on the other hand, went to the border, where his life changed forever. Prior to that, he said his first inkling of his future path came when he heard Irish Army soldiers openly talking about the killing of an IRA prisoner who was tying to escape from Portlaoise, and how, in his opinion, they almost gloated about it. He claimed that some of their officers also promoted the view that it was good to kill Republicans. When we were being lectured and indoctrinated before departing on our tour of the border, they (officers) were psyching us up to the business of killing. We were advised not to get side-tracked or fooled by those who would lead us astray with republican propaganda, he said. When Mr McCarthy eventually joined the Provisional IRA he said he was satisfied that its members would not shoot at his former Irish Army colleagues still patrolling the border, because this was strictly forbidden by the Provos Green Book (rules of engagement). Welcoming peace Mr McCarthy said that when the Hume-Adams talks emerged in the early 1990s, the southern establishment were initially rocked and dragged kicking and screaming out of their comfort zone to step up and engage with the emerging peace process. Before then it had been seen as a British matter/problem. Right from the very first time I learned of and became aware of the peace process, I was fully behind the process both inside and outside of the IRA, Mr McCarthy said. He said he never changed his position in that regard and in fact believes the process and the additional uncertainty of Brexit has brought the prospect of a united Ireland closer now than at any time since partition. No one with an ounce of credibility can argue that the North is a worse place today than it had been before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, he said. The reasons and conditions for conflict are simply no longer there, and those of us who once struggled to bring about a united Ireland by the only means believed possible (armed force), now look forward with confidence to a future democratic border poll. I remain confident I will see my country united in my lifetime. Mr McCarthy said his purpose in giving an interview with the Irish Examiner is not one of aiming to justify the past, or trying to adjudicate on who was right or wrong during the violent conflict that dominated most of the last three decades of the 20th century in the North. But it is rather one of placing some historical accuracy into the discussion of what transpired during the period, he said. I particularly direct these words towards what Im about to say regarding my own personal experiences and memories of when I served with the Irish Army on the border in the 1970s, he said. At the outset, I feel I must put it on record that I fully support the peace and transition thats happening in the North as we speak and would not like to see my words and descriptions outlined in the following interview to be interpreted and used as some form of justification for future conflict. Historian Apart from being a public representative for the last 24 years, Mr McCarthy has written two books on the War of Independence. He is the author of Cobhs Contribution to the Fight for Irish Freedom, which was published in 1992, and Republican Cobh & the East Cork Volunteers since 1913, released in 2008. The 58-year-old also runs Cobh Rebel Walking Tours of his home town, which highlight the buildings and people who were involved in the War of Independence in Cobh, including the safe house from which Eamon de Valera was smuggled out of the country in 1919 before touring the US. His walking tours are particularly popular with tourists who alight off cruise liners in the Cork port, and in order to make their experience as authentic as possible, Mr McCarthy dresses up in the type of uniform that Old IRA volunteers would have worn at the time. Speaking about his historical research, Mr McCarthy said he had first-hand knowledge of the task involved at times in trying to decipher and read between the lines of some of the witness statements made to the Bureau of Military History by former Old IRA activists, regarding their roles in particular military operations. I noticed while carrying out these researches, that for a variety of reasons, some of those interviewed seemed to be reluctant in places to describe particular instances as fully as they might otherwise have. I noticed this where a line or a paragraph of text in a statement would have been crossed out, or erased by hand and replaced by a much shorter scribbled sentence, he said. He added that the conclusion one would often be left with in these situations, is that the witness didnt wish to implicate someone else in a military operation that might have gone wrong or might have been viewed negatively, perhaps involving those who might have taken opposing sides during the later civil war. This is most unfortunate, as historians might often have to read between the lines of what the witness might have intended to say, or else stay clear of it altogether. He points out that people should remember that most of those statements were made to the Bureau of Military History 30 or 40 years after the events occurred. Its for this reason that I would be concerned that the IRA volunteers in the more recent 30-year conflict may never have their stories recorded because in another 30 or 40 years, most will probably have passed from this life, he said. In such a scenario, and where the history of the period will be told solely by others who neither experienced it or probably understood it and were giving only one particular view/slant of the conflict, the Irish people and the world will be left cheated of learning about a very critical period in Irelands history. For this reason, I have begun to start writing my own memoirs on my time in the Irish Army and later in the Irish Republican Army. When I am gone, and people are reading about my role in the past conflict in 20, 30, or 40 years time, I will leave it to them to pass judgment on what it was all about. But I would like to think they will be doing it with all the ready and factual information available to them, Mr McCarthy said. Heading north on the M1 on the long traffic-clogged slog from Brighton to Leicester, on a dark December Friday evening, Im stuck in a monster tail back behind lorries and commuters fleeing London, writes Suzanne Harrington Desperate for a pee. Gagging for a coffee. Fed up of the cold and dark, head full of annoying things like Aldi having sold out of their cut price Christmas trees and whether theres an LPG station en route because my camper van is running low on gas and how late Im going to be for dinner and where can I charge my phone and if I hear one more fucking Christmas jingle I might kill someone. Pulling into a service station, I pass four brown teenagers with their hoods up, hunched outside the warmth of services stip lit interior. Theyre still there when I come back. Theres something about the way theyre huddling are they selling each other weed, like normal teenagers? No. Theyre huddled over a Marks & Spencer white sliced loaf and a litre of milk. They are sharing the bread and milk, shovelling it in. They look about the same age as my 15-year-old son, but thinner. There is something about them. Something scared, guarded. I dont normally interfere with teenagers, but these kids have none of the usual swagger. I ask them if they are ok. They nod, but I persist. Eventually, they point to the truck stop. They have just arrived from Calais, in the back of one of the trucks. They are 16-year-old Eritreans. They are cold and hungry and want to get to London and dont know where they are, or what to do next. They have been in Calais for months, living rough. I think of my own teenage son, whose idea of catastrophe is running out of Lynx. In Eritrea, there is unlimited national conscription. Basically, you are forced into the army, and cannot leave until you are 50 or dead, whichever happens first. Earlier this year, three separate underage Eritrean boys killed themselves after reaching the UK without their parents; profoundly vulnerable, they were treated like adult criminals instead of child refugees. The four boys at the service station have no idea where they are. They are like lost deer. I point to my van and offer to drive them to the nearest train station; they eye my dog warily, and drain the bottle of water I offer them. The train station is small and rural, its ticket office closed. They are so polite and appreciative, refusing offers of food, yet radiating anxiety; I feel sick leaving them in the middle of nowhere, on this desolate night, on a deserted railway platform. What will they do in London? What will happen to them? Theyre just kids. I remind myself they have made it all the way from Eritrea. How much more resilience will they need? I continue my journey north, not caring about stupid Christmas jingles anymore. Wanting to hug my son. Saudi Arabia has issued an unusually strong rebuke of the US senate, rejecting a bipartisan resolution that blamed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and describing it as an interference in the kingdom's affairs. The unusually strong rebuke of the US senate is the latest sign of how the relationship between the royal court and America has deteriorated, more than two months after Mr Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. The assassins have been linked to Prince Mohammed. Last Thursday, US senators passed a measure which blamed the crown prince for Mr Khashoggi's killing and called on Riyadh to "ensure appropriate accountability". Senators also passed a separate measure calling for the end of US aid to the Saudi-led war in Yemen. In a lengthy statement, Saudi Arabia said the US senate's resolution "contained blatant interferences" in the kingdom's internal affairs and undermines its regional and international role. The resolution was based on "unsubstantiated claims and allegations," the statement also said. It added: "The kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership ... and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature." Jamal Khashoggi Such language is usually reserved for those who criticise the kingdom's human rights record, such as Sweden in 2015 after the public flogging of a blogger, and Canada this year over the arrests of women's rights activists. However, the statement was also tempered in saying the kingdom "reaffirms" its commitment to relations with the United States and describing the senate as "an esteemed legislative body of an allied and friendly government". US president Donald Trump has been reluctant to condemn the crown prince, despite US intelligence officials concluding that Prince Mohammed must have at least had knowledge of the plot. Mr Trump instead has touted Saudi arms deals worth billions of dollars and has thanked the Saudis for lower oil prices. Saudi Arabia denies Prince Mohammed was involved in the October 2 killing of Mr Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who wrote critically of the crown prince. Under intense international pressure, the kingdom recently acknowledged that the plot was masterminded by top Saudi agents close to Prince Mohammed. After shifting accounts about what happened to Mr Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia said its investigations concluded that the crown prince's aides had plotted to bring the reporter back to Saudi Arabia by force, and that the agents on the ground exceeded their authority and killed him. The Saudi statement said the US senate's position will not affects the kingdom's "leading role in the region" and the stability of international energy markets, its counter-terrorism cooperation and its stand with the US in confronting Iran. It "sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship," the statement added. Burma Three Soldiers Killed in RPG Attack in Northern Rakhine State An Arakan Army soldier patrols in northern Rakhine State. / Arakan Army YANGONThree army soldiers were killed and more than 10 wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack by an unknown armed group in strife-torn northern Rakhines Rathedaung Township on Sunday morning. A police officer from Buthidaung Township confirmed to The Irrawaddy that a military logistics truck was struck by an unknown armed group near Htee Swea and Kyauk Tan villages. According to the officer, the injured soldiers were receiving medical treatment at a 100-bed hospital in the town. Police denied a rumor circulating on Facebook on Monday morning that some women and children were also riding in the Army truck as passengers on the way to a market. The police officer clarified that this information was wrong and that the only people on the truck were soldiers carrying supplies to the front when they were ambushed. The officer said the incident took place about 5 miles from downtown Rathedaung. Kyauk Tan village is situated in the foothills of the Awrama mountain range. The area is actively contested between the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) and the Arakan Army (AA). The Irrawaddy phoned spokesmen from both the Tatmadaw and the AA on Monday in an effort to obtain more details about Sundays RPG attack, including a confirmed death toll, but both sides declined to comment. The Office of the Commander in Chief had not released any statement regarding the reported death of the three soldiers or details of the casualties as of Monday morning. The AA posted an update regarding armed clashes via their information page on Facebook on Sunday. It said fighting broke out in Rathedaung Townships Thaung Da Rar and Htee Swea villages, as well as Ponnagyun Townships Kha Maung and Maung Hna Ma and Kyun Thar Yar villages, respectively. It did not elaborate on the causalities or which battalion of the Tatmadaw was involved. The AA said it was bracing for further clashes once the Tatmadaw reinforced its frontline positions with more troops. U Aung Thaung Shwe, an Arakanese lawmaker in the Union Parliament from Buthidaung constituency, said poorly informed villagers were frightened of surprise inspections and questioning by the military. Last week, a military column surrounded a village and checked every single home, one by one. I have requested authorized organizations not to cause overwhelming fear among villagers when they enter villages for questioning, U Aung Than Shwe said. He said some villagers from his constituency told him that artillery shells had exploded near their homes last week, causing them to flee to a nearby village. Although his township has no proper displaced persons camp, some residents had already left their villages for safer locations along the Sai Din River. According to the lawmaker, as skirmishes had erupted in Ponnagyun, Buthidaung, Rathedaung and Chin States Paletwa Township, the IDP population could be higher than the reported number, as many members of Arakanese sub-ethnic groups live in remote areas. Some 300 IDPs have been sheltering in Ponnagyun Township, while some local relief workers were providing humanitarian assistance to them. The fighting will surely intensify as the AA has gained a strong foothold in these areas, U Aung Thaung Shwe said. According to an AA press release, the ethnic armed group has clashed with the military on more than 20 occasions in recent weeks. Last week, the military officially announced that some high-ranking soldiers were killed by the AA, and that it had the bodies of four deceased AA members. News Fighting Between Armed Groups Picked Up in November: Report RCSS/SSA-S fighters participate in a military parade in Shan State in 2018. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy YANGON Clashes between ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) last month outnumbered those between them and the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, according to a new report. The Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security (MIPS) says there were 44 clashes in November 21 between EAOs and the military, and 23 between EAOs themselves. Among the latter, 10 involved the use of improvised explosive devices. We found that conflict escalated between EAOs and not with the Tatmadaw, MIPS Executive Director U Min Zaw Oo told The Irrawaddy. The clashes occurred in 20 townships in states predominantly populated by ethnic minorities. Shan States Namtu Township saw seven clashes. Kyaukme, Hsipaw and Kutkhaing townships, also in Shan, and Paletwa Township in Chin State saw four clashes each, while the rest saw one each. The MIPS attributed much of the escalation to fighting between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N). It said their fighting had also expanded the area of conflict. Sometimes clashes happen as a result of encounters. Sometimes one side launches an attack on the other side. Sometime the two sides fight because of problems related to natural resources. We cant know the cause of every fight, U Min Zaw Oo said. While the RCSS/SSA-S is a signatory to Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government and military, the others are not. Clashes happened because the [SSA-N] thinks the [SSA-S] is expanding into its territory in the north [of Shan State]. No one can control that. To solve this, there is a need to make sure everyone participates in the NCA and that everyone stops military operations. And there is a need to review the NCA to solve the existing problems. And there is also a need to establish clear territories, political analyst U Than Soe Naing told The Irrawaddy. The MIPS attributed the clashes between the military and Arakan Army (AA) in southern Chin and northern Rakhine states to the AAs attempts to expand its territory. The ultimate ambition of the AA is to establish a stronghold in Rakhine State. The AA attempted to gain a stronghold, and when the Tatmadaw attacked it, it fled, sometimes into Bangladesh. Then the fighting stopped for a while, until the AA came out again, said U Min Zaw Oo. But overall, clashes between the Myanmar Army and the EAOs across the country have declined, he added. The AA, TNLA and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) met with the governments Peace Commission last week and offered to halt military operations in order to enter formal peace negotiations. During the first 11 months of 2018, March saw the most armed clashes, according to the MIPS 89 between the military and EAOs and three between EAOs themselves. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. News Myanmar Film Industry Misrepresents Women, LGBT Community The cover of the EMReF report on gender representation in the Myanmar film industry which was launched on December 16, 2018. YANGONStereotyping, gender roles and gender discrimination in films have been increasing in the Myanmar film industry, which plays an influential role in peoples thoughts and behavior, according to those behind research into gender awareness in Myanmars film industry. We have seen derogatory representations of the role of women, minority ethnic [groups] and LGBT in Myanmar films. The characters in the films are making fun of these groups. Even though it may be unintentional, it is happening at every second. It is offensive and it is a shame, said Daw Myat Thet Thitsar, director of the Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (EMReF). Recognized as one of the most powerful communication tools, with the ability to convey messages and images of social reality to audiences, Myanmar films are also being used as a propaganda tool to portray political history, transition and ideological conflicts. Since the year 2000, one-third of the films created have been comedies and most of them contain sex jokes and insinuation of sexual harassment, said the researchers. It will soon be one hundred years since the inception of Myanmars film production industry, but sadly the presentation and the characters have become distorted since the year 2000, said Daw Grace Swe Zin Htike, a member of the Myanmar film censorship board, who encourages research in the development of Myanmar films. She added that advancements in the industry are sometimes off-track as the creative art of film-making becomes more like a factory-produced entity to serve commercial purposes. She hopes that the development of film schools and collaborations between the mainstream and independent filmmakers will help the industry to regain quality in films. The perceptions [of the creators] have been wrong but it should not be turned to poison, Daw Grace Swe Zin Htike added, raising concerns that the characters in the films are very influential on the audience who tend to take cues from films for how they live with reality in their own lives. She added that how the current Myanmar films represent male, female and LGBT characters, often involves discriminatory messages and portrays a biased identity. For example, LGBT characters are often portrayed as idiotic, rude and lustful. The quality of the films has decreased since the creative industry has being commercialized, but there are people who disagree with me who point out that the number of the films [produced] is increasing, said Daw Grace Swe Zin Htike. The researchers based their analysis on 83 Myanmar films of different genres produced in 2016 and 2017, looking out for cases of gender discrimination, stereotyping, gender-based violence and gender awareness. The research also involved discussions with mainstream and documentary film directors, scriptwriters, actors, actresses and members of the censorship board. Of the total number, 36 films included cases of gender discrimination which devalue the abilities of female and LGBT characters, said Daw Aye Lae Tun, a leading researcher from EMReF. The findings also reveal more challenges facing the film industry, which has an actor-oriented market. In order to stick to the low budgets, plots with have many holes and there is a declining number of cinemas where the films may be screened. One male director quoted in the research said, The creation of well-organized stories has been in decline. The script is sometimes written on the scene, as it has not been well prepared beforehand. If the actor requests for the script to be revised, the writer has to rewrite it. If needed, LGBT characters have to be used to support the role of the actor or to [add fun to] the plot. Human rights were not heard of for a long time, said Daw Aye Lae Tun as explanation for creators such as directors and scriptwriters treating ethical issues with ignorance. A human rights-based approach should be applied as a mainstream approach to every issuethis is not only related to the militarys oppression, she said. Scriptwriters may unintentionally compose the dialogue in a biased way, but these research findings which are available for everyone to read, should draw attention to the issues, said Daw Swe Zin Htike. We just need to correct them as soon as we realize the wrongdoings. The report findings may face opposition in the patriarchal society with some expressing their desire for Myanmar films to portray female characters as traditional women who are modest and take only the role of the house wifethe perfect womenin order to maintain a Myanmar-specific cultural perspective. The researchers, however, urged for only positive traditional views of women to be portrayed. The reality that modern Myanmar women often are opinionated, educated and have successful careers or businesses and healthy social lives should not be avoided. The research is comprehensive and the researchers did a detailed study on the films that are using proverbs to construct gender perspectives, said Dr. Khin Mar Mar Kyi, an award-winning social anthropologist and the first Senior Burmese female academic at the University of Oxford, who joined the research-study launch. Monday, December 17th, 2018 (1:06 pm) - Score 1,894 The state aid supported Superfast South Yorkshire project has today announced the signing of a new 10m+ contract with Openreach (BT). This will aim to roll-out a 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover an additional 9,000 premises by Spring 2021. At present the existing SFSY scheme supported by Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Councils has already worked with Openreach to extend a mix of slower Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL2) and a little ultrafast FTTP to cover around 95,000 homes and businesses. As a result some 750 green roadside street cabinets have been upgraded and around 95% of premises can access fixed line superfast broadband speeds of 24Mbps+. By comparison the new roll-out phase looks set to reach an additional 9,000 premises and entirely via 1000Mbps capable full fibre (FTTP). The contract is being supported by a public investment of 3.2 million from the councils, plus 550,000 from the governments Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme and 7 million of private funding from Openreach. As well as local homes, several important business zones will also benefit including the Denaby Industrial Estate in Doncaster, Moor Valley in Sheffield, Steel Street in Rotherham and Wharncliffe Business Park in Barnsley. Robert Thorburn, Openreachs Partnership Director in the North, says: We are delighted to have been chosen to take our partnership in South Yorkshire even further. Making sure that homes and businesses across the region have the connectivity they require is vital for the long-term prosperity and economic health of an area. This second phase of work means that thousands of local homes and businesses will soon have access to some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK. Matt Gladstone, SFSY Project Sponsor, said: A lot of fantastic work has already taken place to make high-speed fibre broadband available to thousands of homes and businesses, many for the first time. But were not finished yet. This next phase will connect people living in areas across the region that dont yet have access to fibre networks. Once installed Full Fibre will not only provide ultrafast speeds but will also future-proof the network for years to come. Openreach has already begun the initial phase of planning and engineer surveys, with the first areas expected to be connected by early 2020. The announcement also notes Openreachs wide choice of UK ISPs and highlights examples including BT, Sky and TalkTalk, but they neglect to mention that currently neither Sky Broadband nor TalkTalk are offering any FTTP packages on their network (we expect those to surface soon otherwise our List of Ultrafast UK ISPs show which use Openreach). In addition there seems to be some confusion over whether or not this contract is for Phase 2 or Phase 3. The announcement describes it as being phase three of the programme, although some of the comments mention it being a second phase and the SFSY site clearly calls it Phase 2. Its a minor detail but worth noting (wed call it Phase 2 since South Yorkshire largely skipped BDUK Phase 1 due to the Digital Region conflict). Mind you the new contract wont be enough to achieve universal coverage of superfast broadband in the county. The last Open Market Review in 2017 reported that the SFSY Intervention Area included 27,254 NGA White premises spread over 2,961 NGA White postcodes, which could include up to an additional 15,043 Under Review premises. Coverage will have improved a bit since then but equally so will the quantity of new build homes. Monday, December 17th, 2018 (12:01 am) - Score 5,011 A few months ago the Governments Digital Minister, Margot James MP, warned that some UK telecoms (mobile and broadband) operators were pushing land / building owners into accepting derisory payments for access to install their infrastructure (wayleave agreements). Today the situation is still far from resolved. In previous years it was landowners who took much of the blame for disrupting the roll-out of new broadband and mobile networks, not least by creating disputes over complex wayleave agreements, which could sometimes make it far too difficult or far too expensive for operators to expand their coverage (particularly when targeting digitally disadvantaged rural communities). However the reformed Electronic Communications Code (ECC), which was introduced at the end of 2017 (here), was supposed to change all that by making it easier and cheaper for telecoms operators to access public or private land in order to build new networks. All of this is necessary in order to help the Government reach their goals for better 4G / 5G mobile coverage and full fibre (FTTP) availability (here). Initially there was some push-back by landowners, many of which were wary of being forced into accepting much lower rents (i.e. closer to what utility providers pay today), but eventually most of the key players appeared to reach a shared position (here and here). Starting to Go Wrong Everything appeared to be moving along normally until it became clear during the autumn that some telecoms operators were dramatically cutting the rents they pay on infrastructure. For example, some rents on greenfield sites that would have previously attracted c.5,000 a year or more have been cut to under 10 and other farmers have seen deals fall from 12,000/year to 50/year. A near identical situation has been occurring on some rooftop sites (usually large buildings), where once again annual rents of 5,000 to 7,000 are being replaced with ones worth just 50/year. As one senior industry source told ISPreview.co.uk: Operators rely on landlords to insure their buildings, keep them repaired, facilitate access and expect them to be liable if they fail to do so. It is unlikely that [they] will be happy to do this for 50 or less. Sample of Recent Rent Changes Rooftop/Greenfield Current Rent Offer Rent Notes Greenfield c.5,000 9 Shared with other operators Greenfield c.5,300 7 Shared with other operators Rooftop c.5,000 50 Rooftop c.6,000 50 At present some of the most publicly known cases link back to Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited (CTIL), which is a joint venture between Vodafone and (O2) Telefonica that works with over 12,000 individual landlords and most major property portfolio organisations. But they are by no means the only organisation involved and we have a growing list of examples, most of which involve mobile operators. The UK Digital Minister, Margot James MP, said in October 2018 that she was keen to resolve the issue (here). I have heard about some really derisory payments being offered to farmers. They were probably earning more than was reasonable before, but that does not mean to say we need to go to the other extreme, said Margot. Nevertheless the problem was again highlight in November 2018 by a court case between the University of London and CTIL that sought to test the code (here). In this case CTIL had requested a limited right to access some roof space in order to conduct a survey, with a view to possibly installing new mobile network equipment at a tiny rental, but their request was refused. The University strongly felt as if no such right existed under the Code for one of their private buildings, while the Upper Tribunal disagreed and ruled that they could gain access as part of the codes right to install. The court also strongly supported CTILs public interest point (i.e. the goal of improving mobile connectivity for all) and the need for flexibility in related agreements. The case highlighted the difficulty with finding a good balance and expecting all sides to play fair. The Situation Today As we approach the end of 2018 its fast becoming clear that the current situation is not getting any better. ISPreview.co.uk recently had the pleasure of discussing this with the Legal Director for one of the UKs biggest owners of telecom sites, which has a vested interest in the rents paid by operators. Due to their involvement in an on-going tribunal case (related to this matter) we cannot name the company, but we have been allowed to share what was discussed. Question 1) Have you noticed a trend in terms of specific areas where this is occurring? This is impacting on landlords across the UK. Operators have issued Landlords with letters on any leases/agreements which are coming up for renewal. Those letters will typically include a valuation at around 1-10% of the current passing rent. They are using the Governments desire to reduce roll out costs as justification for their move but without providing the full details. This is because the Governments own research suggested reductions potentially of up to 40% on what was previously being paid but only where there had been a ransom element. Not the 99% currently being demanded across the board. The letters also carry a threat of lands tribunal action if the landlord does not agree. So the operators are mixing a misquoting of Government policy with the threat of legal action to force landlords to accept the massive reduction. A toxic combination for anyone on the receiving end. Question 2) Are there any particular operators involved (can you name them) or is it more generalised? All of the operators have issued the type of letters referred to above. There appears to be a concerted effort by all the operators to be the first to obtain a favourable tribunal decision to reduce their costs. Clearly, the idea behind this is that, if and when a favourable decision is received, then the letters which go out to landlords can reference such a decision and it is more likely that landlords will accept. This may fail to miss the point that the message it will send to landlords is to avoid offering or allowing their sites for telecoms unless they are forced to do so and if they have an existing site then to look to alternative uses. That would certainly not be good for connectivity in the long run. Question 3) At what sort of scale would you say this problem is currently occurring? We believe that there are around 80 ongoing cases at the Lands Tribunal but many more letters were issued to landlords so it is likely that this number will increase if terms cannot be agreed which is likely given the initial reductions demanded by the operators. Question 4) How concerned are you about the impact upon your business? All landlords of telecoms sites should be concerned. However, with 5G about to hit the shelves, more sites will be required and existing sites upgraded. There is a certain amount of supply and demand here. If landlords withdraw from the market then fewer sites will be available. The operators are the first to point out that we are behind in terms of connectivity and other countries are ahead of us. When one looks at the amounts of rent paid by operators in those countries, very few of them, if any pay to landlords the type of rents that the operators are now demanding. Clearly, the casual link between low rents and increased connectivity is a difficult one to make. Question 5) Do you feel as if Margot James is doing enough to help resolve it? We were reassured by Margot James recent comments and it is clear that it is on her agenda to tackle the issue. We also know that DCMS did not expect rents to be reduced by 90% across the board. The 40% figure in the consultation reports was no magic figure but we doubt any party has seen an offer around that level of reduction. If the UK is to lead the way in connectivity then all parties need to work together. Clearly dragging landlords through the tribunal will not achieve the desired result. Unlike utilities where a company may lay a water pipe or electricity cable, the operators rely on landlords to insure their buildings, keep them repaired, facilitate access and expect them to be liable if they fail to do so. It is unlikely that a landlord will be happy to do this for 50 or less. Question 6) Do you have a view on how this could realistically be resolved? If the governments intention was to make roll out easier and cheaper then this is clearly not happening. There is a need for government intervention and for it to be made clear that the tribunal should be a last resort where open negotiations have failed, not where one party has made an offer which they know wont be accepted. The joint statement earlier this year needs to be adhered to rather than the current adversarial approach being pursued. No-one is going to come out of this well. Elsewhere the Senior Rural Business Adviser to the Country Land and Business Association, which represents owners of land, property and businesses from across rural England and Wales, similarly informed us that the revised ECC appears to be leading to major market disruption and that a more balanced approach must be adopted. Dr Charles Trotman, CLA Senior Rural Business Adviser, said: It is not fair for mobile operators to offer significantly less now than previous payments for mast sites. We recognise that rents will be reduced but the value of a site is determined by a variety of factors and the current low offers are not in the landowners interest. The CLA added that theyre currently working with the Government and the wider telecoms industry to reach an agreement on the principles of valuation and a methodology, which they say could help to secure a fair and equitable outcome. Admittedly landowners often represent the opposite extreme to mobile operators, but in this case the language being adopted appears to reflect a conciliatory tone. Happily one of the countrys largest mobile networks, EE, has shown a similar desire to find the right balance and this has been echoed by the wider Mobile UK trade association. A Spokesperson for EE told ISPreview.co.uk: We recognise that we have an important role in ensuring our communications to landlords are clear and the offers made are fair, in the context of the rights provided under the Code and the ever-growing demand for mobile connectivity. To support the Code, Ofcom has produced a Code of Practice which sets out the behavioural expectations of both operators and landowners through the life cycle of a site and were fully committed to following these principles. We believe that the new legislation will deliver on the Governments objectives and that well reach a happy medium, where quick deployment of new technologies is enabled. However, this will take some time while the Code beds down and precedents are set. It remains early days to know what the impact of the Code will be, but were positive that it sets out an effective framework for the efficient deployment of infrastructure and helping to bring coverage to the most remote parts of the UK. Hamish MacLeod, Director of Mobile UK, said: As the mobile industry readies itself for 5G it is crucial for the business case that sites can be rolled out quickly and cost-effectively. The reformed Electronic Communications Code is an essential piece of this puzzle. While there has been some inevitable uncertainty, and even misunderstanding, about how the new process works, progress is being made, and agreements are now being concluded on mutually agreed terms. A Three UK Spokesperson added: The new Electronic Communications Code seeks to strike a fair balance between the rights of landowners and the economics of rolling out mobile infrastructure to improve connectivity for UK consumers and businesses. The new code is not delivering on its objectives since it came into force last year. However, Three UK is committed to paying a fair value for its sites aligned to the new code principles and are keen to enter into consensual terms with landowners on what the appropriate price should be for such new code rights. Meanwhile a spokesperson for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) said: We are monitoring the impact of the Electronic Communications Code reforms closely and the way the new code is being applied by landowners and the telecoms sector. We are holding regular meetings with stakeholders to understand what is happening in the market and to encourage collaborative engagement and negotiation. ISPreview.co.uk understands that the first Lands Tribunal decisions on the valuation regime introduced by the reformed ECC are expected sometime early next year, which may either set the stage for further disputes or help to resolve the current situation. At the end of the day its still early for the reformed ECC and many of the agreements mentioned in this piece havent yet had enough time to bed in within the industry, ideally by enabling more agreements that are to the satisfaction of all parties. Signs of progress do exist but it remains to be seen how far that spreads. Monday, December 17th, 2018 (4:12 pm) - Score 2,673 Sheffield-based company Whitespace Technology (WT) has joined forces with Microsoft as part of a new strategic collaboration that will aim to use a TV White Space (TVWS) based wireless network to extend faster broadband connectivity into remote rural parts of the UK, Europe and Africa. The TVWS technology has been around for a few short years now and it works by harnessing the gaps that exist between radio spectrum in the Digital Terrestrial TV (DTTV) bands, which operate between about 470MHz to 694MHz and this makes them good for delivering wide coverage (up to around 10km). Normally those spectrum gaps would be intended to help minimise the risk of interference between TV channels but TVWS gets around this by using a dynamic spectrum management system (database), which means that the gaps can instead be used for delivering data (without disrupting the terrestrial television signal). Broadway Partners have already built a number of 50Mbps capable wireless broadband networks using this technology in the UK via their ISP Broadway Broadband, but theyre not the only game in town. Another UK company, WT, hopes to do something similar by joining with Microsoft and their Airband Initiative (completely unrelated to the separate UK ISP called Airband). Shelley McKinley, Microsofts head of Technology, said: Without reliable internet access, many people living in rural communities around the world are unable to take advantage of the same opportunities as their urban neighbours. We are excited to partner with Whitespace Technology to bring broadband to students, farmers, educators and business owners so that they have an equal opportunity to learn, grow, contribute and prosper in the 21st century economy. Mark Wheeler, Whitespace Technology CEO, added: The Whitespace Technology team we have assembled, has extensive experience in ISP creation from start-up to scale, and delivering great technical services whilst maintaining passion for the product and the customer experience. Were applying innovative TVWS technology to our legacy knowledge and using this to deliver life-changing services to communities all over the world. Were so excited to be working with the great team at Microsoft to take our knowledge and passion to drive the Microsoft Air band Initiatives global connectivity ambitions forward, and to demonstrate that TVWS solutions can be implemented quickly, at a fraction of the cost of other technologies, to create a robust and reliable service. The new partnership is said to conclude a 24-month collaboration between the two companies and focusses on taking the technology to some of the 3 billion unconnected users worldwide through regional development, research & development and joint marketing. Furthermore WT said they will aim to deliver the first scale commercial TVWS rollout in the UK and become the main provider capable of delivering affordable TV whitespace solutions in UK, Europe and beyond. Sadly no details on their service speeds, prices or roll-out plan were revealed. Australians are buying mobile phones from big Chinese companies Huawei and OPPO faster than they are snapping up handsets from other phone providers, according to new research which reveals Huaweis share of purchases grew by 87% to 471,000 handsets in the 12 months to September. According to newly published research from Roy Morgan, Huaweis Chinese rival handset maker OPPO, which only entered the Australian market in late 2014, has grown from a standing start to be Australias seventh most widely held handset with 368,000 Australians owning its handsets. But, although the two Chinese handset makers are growing faster than any of the others, they remain well behind the two market leaders, the iPhone and Samsung phones. Australias most widely held mobile phone handset is again the iPhone, used by more than 8.6 million Australians and up by 16% on two years ago, while the handsets of key rival Samsung are used by over 5.6 million Australians in 2018, virtually unchanged on two years ago. The latest findings from Roy Morgans Single Source (Australia) is based on a survey of over 50,000 consumers per annum, including over 15,000 interviewed about their telecommunications preferences including mobile phone handset ownership. Analysing handset ownership of Huawei and OPPO by generation shows that over half of Australians owning Huawei handsets (54%) and nearly two-thirds of Australians owning OPPO handsets (64%) are either millennials or generation Z. According to Roy Morgan, this is far higher than for ownership of all mobile phone handsets, and under half of Australians with mobile phone handsets (45%) are Millennials or Generation Z. Of the two younger generations it is generation Z that is more likely to own both Huawei and OPPO mobile phone handsets. Over a third of Australians owning OPPO handsets (36%) and nearly a third of Australians owning Huawei handsets (30%) are part of Generation Z, compared to 22% of Australians owning handsets overall. The research reveals that a similar proportion of Australians owning Huawei handsets (20%) or OPPO handsets (20%) are baby boomers just less than the comparable overall figure for baby boomers of 22%. However, only 12% of Australians owning OPPO handsets and 17% of Australians owning Huawei handsets are from generation X. Nearly a quarter of Australians owning handsets are from generation X (23%). Chinese smartphone handset maker Huawei has been in the news for all sorts of reasons in recent weeks and months however the performance of Huawei in the competitive Australian handset market reveals Huawei, along with rival Chinese firm Oppo, is making significant inroads, says Michelle Levine, Roy Morgan chief executive. The number of Australians with a Huawei handset has increased by a stunning 87% over the last two years with 471,000 Australians now owning a Huawei mobile phone handset. The performance of OPPO is even more impressive. Now 368,000 Australians own OPPO handsets, up from virtually nothing a few years ago. OPPO first entered the Australian mobile phone handset market late in 2014. Both handset makers have a strong appeal to younger Australians with millennials, and especially generation Z, providing the core of the market (over 50%) for both handsets." The Australian Cyber Security Growth Network and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute are planning to issue a report that will apparently provide "high-level case studies" of what the government's encryption law means. Exactly what that means is open to debate, given that ever since the draft of the bill was issued on 14 August, we have seen plenty of commentary from eminently qualified people who have essentially said that the bill should be cremated as a public service. AustCyber (now there's a catchy name for you) chief Michelle Price was quoted extensively by the website InnovationsAus as effectively saying that everything spoken and written about what is officially known as the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 was a load of ballyhoo. Price and the head of ASPI's International Cyber Policy Centre, Fergus Hanson, had plans to publish the report before the encryption bill became law but were apparently caught out by the politics of it all. Never mind, as Price put it, There is a whole set of circumstances multiplied by the fact that conversations are emerging and sensitive technologies have been running rampant globally. Make sense of that if you will. After reading and writing about Australian Signals Directorate director-general Mike Burgess' reaction to the Federal Government's encryption law, one was inclined to think that it was the nadir of silliness, that no government spin could be more laughable. But it appears that there are virtuosos who can indeed do better, and that they are willing to bare their souls to journalists who, no doubt, knew that they were creating fodder for others to have a good laugh. And perhaps react, as one has chosen to. Before I venture further, let me add a bit of perspective here: AustCyber is a government-funded body. ASPI receives some government funding and among its main sponsors are shipbuilder Austal, US defence contractor Lockheed Martin, Swedish defence company Saab, the Australian arm of American defence contractor Raytheon, MBDA Missile Systems, accounting firm KPMG, and Jacobs, a global provider of technical, professional, and scientific services. Its cyber policy centre is backed by French defence contractor Thales, Google, au domain namespace administrator auDA, security firm Palo Alto Networks, the Federal Government, Jacobs and encryption technology company Senetas. Nobody could call any report emanating from bodies such as this biased, could they? Hanson was quoted by InnovationsAus as saying: With a bill this complex, lots of things come out of the woodwork as it gets more scrutiny. Whatever you think about the bill, 17 sitting days is not enough time to iron out the wrinkles in a bill this complex." One wonders why, then, the chairman of Senetas, Francis Galbally, said the only way for the bill not to affect his company was for the government to give him an exemption. He didn't look anything like an individual who habitually breaks the law. Perhaps he knows something that Hanson does not. I don't want to deprive any reader of the sheer enjoyment of reading through spin of this kind and also do not wish to poach too much material from InnovationsAus who, I think, have done all of us a great favour by interviewing this duo. One is unsure whether these two worthies listened to the hearings held by the Parliament Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, but, at one of them, Daniel J. Weitzner of MIT referred to a paper which, he said, outlined all the issues the bill would pose. Presciently, that paper was written in 2015. Its authors are Harold Abelson, Ross Anderson, Steven M. Bellovin, Josh Benaloh, Matt Blaze, Whitfield Diffie, John Gilmore, Matthew Green, Susan Landau, Peter G. Neumann, Ronald L. Rivest, Jeffrey I. Schiller, Bruce Schneier, Michael Specter, and Daniel J. Weitzner. I can confidently assert that these good people have a little knowledge of cryptography. Price and Hanson would do well to read that paper which is here before trying to spin the law for what it is not. There comes a time in the life of women and men when they have to realise that you cannot polish a turd. And that is effectively what Price and Hanson are trying to do. Signal developer Joshua Lund is no fool and has little interest in Australia or its laws. Yet, since the encryption law will also affect Signal, he took the trouble to point out, at length, how damaging the law would be to both developers and the code they cut. Were it not for the fact that the law would affect multinational companies like Cisco and Apple, they would not have any interest in getting involved. But since it can affect their revenue stream, they got involved. The only way this law can be bettered is by repealing it. Its provisions cannot work, they will damage the small software industry that is present in Australia, and decimate the profession. The law was brought in for one reason, and one reason, only: so that the spy agencies could have something with which they could hold like the sword of Damocles over tech firms. That is a terribly short-sighted approach, but when you have a government that is willing to shift its embassy in Israel in order to try and win a single parliamentary seat, it is not surprising. The law has been passed in haste and over the next few years there will be reason to repent at leisure. New Zealand retailer Noel Leeming Group has been fined NZ$200,000 for misleading consumers about their rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act in relation to the purchase of consumer goods such as mobile phones, laptops and household appliances. Noel Leeming was convicted on eight charges under the Fair Trading Act, for making false or misleading representations to consumers about their rights under the CGA, following a prosecution by New Zealand's competition enforcement agency, The Commerce Commission. Each charge relates to a different complainant and the conduct occurred between September 2015 and January 2017 at seven Noel Leeming stores across New Zealand. This prosecution related to multiple consumers in multiple locations. It was not isolated or one off conduct. Consumers complained to Noel Leeming about products and were entitled to have their complaints treated seriously, investigated properly and remedied where appropriate. Instead they were misled sometimes repeatedly about their rights under the law, at a moment when it really mattered to consumers that their legal rights were honoured, said Commissioner Anna Rawlings. the right to seek remedies for faulty goods from Noel Leeming rather than the manufacturer; the right to a refund for a faulty product; and the right to a replacement for a faulty product. Consumers were misled about: In sentencing in the Auckland District Court on Monday, Judge Nicola Mathers said there were direct and significant departures from the truth in every case consumers were denied their rights and had real difficulty dealing with Noel Leeming. One complainant told the court that he got disruptions, anxiety, stress, [and] the feeling that I was the bad guy because I was inconveniencing them, making their life harder. Noel Leeming made misrepresentations such as that: Claims under the CGA about an iPhone had to be negotiated with Apple directly; The CGA is not effective for Noel Leeming, and a consumer was not entitled to a refund despite false representations made about the suitability of a mobile phone; A consumer had to contact Microsoft about a faulty product; Noel Leeming could repair a fridge as many times as it liked; the consumer was also told he could only get a store credit to purchase another fridge; and Mobile phones are only replaced within 14 days, and a new phone could only be obtained if a fault occurs thrice. These statements are simply wrong. The CGA entitles consumers to receive a remedy from Noel Leeming, as the supplier. A supplier cannot refuse to deal with its customers and refer them to the manufacturer. The CGA is also clear about the circumstances in which a refund or replacement is available. These statements should not have been made to consumers, Rawlings said. Since 2007, the Commission has thrice warned or issued compliance advice to Noel Leeming about potentially misleading consumers of their CGA rights. Michelle Rowland: "Australia cannot afford another term of this dysfunctional government and do-nothing minister." Labor Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has taken another potshot at her Coalition counterpart, Mitch Fifield, questioning why the communication policy roadmap touted by the government in 2016 is still under development. In a statement on Friday, Rowland said a year prior, Labor had warned that communications policy was on a road to nowhere under the government because a policy roadmap, announced in 2016, had not been consulted on, or released, by late 2017. And, she added, "In late 2018, theres still no sign of it." Rowland referred to a response to a question under notice, which was released on Thursday, wherein it was said that Fifield had released a roadmap in order "to present the governments priorities and achievements in relation to the communications sector and that the roadmap is under development. "building a second-rate copper NBN that costs more and does less; "missing deadline after deadline for delivery of the spectrum reforms; "stalling the passage of an omnibus deregulation Bill that has been hanging around for years; "re-announcing an acronym to describe existing safeguards for the delivery of phone and broadband services; and "failing to overhaul the regulatory framework for media and communications, which successive chairs of the ACMA have referred to as strained, broken and irrelevant." She said: "Little wonder the roadmap continues to languish when the priorities and achievements of this dysfunctional Liberal-National Government include: Rowland said the government, in its sixth year in office, had failed "to articulate a genuine vision, strategy or roadmap to address challenges and harness opportunities in the communications sector". "As other countries implement and refine plans to reap the benefits of communications-based transformation, Australia remains stuck on Groundhog Day," she claimed. "On the eve of 2019, it is clear the ATM government has nothing to guide the Department, regulator or sector. "Australia cannot afford another term of this dysfunctional government and do-nothing minister." Reaction has been sought from Fifield. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has reacted to Labor's claim that the government has no communications policy roadmap in place after more than two years of announcing it, by claiming that the Labor Party gets very hung up on documents and gestures, rather than delivery, in the communications portfolio. Fifield told iTWire that while the Opposition had been "small-minded and petty, we have been getting on with delivery and doing the things Labor failed to do in office". Labor Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland had taken a potshot at Fifield on Friday, questioning why the communication policy roadmap touted by the government in 2016 is still under development. Rowland said a year prior, Labor had warned that communications policy was on a road to nowhere under the government because a policy roadmap, announced in 2016, had not been consulted on, or released, by late 2017. And, she added, "In late 2018, theres still no sign of it." Fifield pointed to the fact that the government had actually delivered the national broadband network and at $30 billion less cost and six to eight years sooner than Labors plan. He said the government was rolling out a mobile black spot program that would address more than 5000 black spots and reforming Australias media laws to better support local media against global online giants. "[We are] reforming copyright law to assist people with disabilities and educational institutions and better protecting Australias creative industries," Fifield said. "[We are also] establishing the worlds first eSafety Commissioner and legislating take-down regimes and penalties for kids' cyber-bullying and image-based abuse [and] delivering real consumer benefits through the ACCC NBN speed monitoring regime and greater transparency in handling complaints through ACMA and a remorseless focus on improving NBN customer experience with retailers. Additionally, he added, the government was laying the foundations for the rollout of 5G through early spectrum auction, reformed carrier powers and immunities and a cross-government/industry 5G working group. GE has spun off its industrial Internet of Things platform into a separate company while making other changes, including selling off its interest in field-service software ServiceMax. These moves shake up the companys GE Digital division and also include parting ways with the groups CEO, Bill Ruh. Predix is GE's ingestion and processing platform for industrial operations data, developed with the idea of providing a standardized way for companies to utilize the information coming from their sensor-equipped industrial gear. One business might use the software, which is delivered in a Platform as a Services (PaaS) format, as a way to automate reliability and maintenance for production line equipment; another might use it to track whether a generator is in danger of breaking down. The company acquired ServiceMax in 2016 for $915 million, and the terms of that units sale to private equity firm Silver Lake were not disclosed. [ Check out our corporate guide to addressing IoT security. ] The spin-out and the other chages mark a substantial shift in GEs approach to the software marketplace moving Predix out from under the corporate titans aegis allows it to behave more like a dedicated software company and less like the troubled arm of a much larger business. Mark Hung, a vice president and researcher at Gartner, said Predix customers were likely to be pleased with the move. GE Digital has been in this limbo, and their corporate parent has been evaluating its value, so anytime a company says that, its tough to know whats to become of the particular product your companys using, he said. With Predix spun out into its own entity, theres now a whole business focused on making the platform as competitive as possible, lending the existing customer base a modicum of assurance that development will continue and potentially enticing new customers to take a chance on Predix. Automation, performance monitoring, and smart grid software are also being rolled into the the new company, which doesn't, as yet, have a name. (GE plans to announce the name in 2019.) Thats important, according to 451 Research senior IoT analyst Ian Hughes, because it brings GEs approach to IIoT more in line with some of its competitors, bringing multiple, interrelated parts of the software stack under the same roof. It is similar to the approach taken by Schneider Electric with AVEVA, to allow the core company to focus on its specific verticals whilst the software arm can both support those and explore an evolving marketplace, Hughes said. Still under GEs control, [the move] looks like not impacting existing customers, but opens up the prospect for a clearer IIoT software stack vision for new ones. by Kristina Knight Get the timing right "Holiday shopping tends to run in phases: pre-Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the weeks leading up to Christmas and then end of year. While it's never really too early to begin holiday marketing, it is critical to get the message right for the timing. I received a catalog in the mail this week that said, "Still time for Christmas delivery!" in bold letters on the cover. I'd sure hope so! It's only October. The retailer was probably expecting the catalog to have some "shelf-life" and stick around in the home for a couple of weeks, but I can also count on getting other catalogs from the same retailer several times between now and the holidays. A better message might have been, "Start your shopping now and beat the rush!" Tailoring the message to emphasize different phases or elements of holiday shopping is important," said Jeff Kupietzky, CEO of PowerInbox Personalization is a must "Plenty of research points to how effective personalization in the marketing message is for engaging and converting customers. Make sure your site, emails and other communications are relevant for the individual customer, either with personalized product recommendations, geographically-appropriate suggestions (i.e. not suggesting snow boots and parkas to Florida residents) or other contextual offers. Customers today expect that you know what they want and hitting them with a just-right product or offer can build loyalty and trust," said Kupietzky. Use email advertising "Email is extremely effective for driving click-thrus and conversions. Consider partnering with a publisher who sends out regular newsletters to their subscribers and place ads within those emails. Because of the rich subscriber data available, you can target ads specifically to individual subscribers for maximum relevancy, and with CPC-style tracking now available, it's extremely cost effective to reach the most-likely-to-convert customers. Plus, email ads are impervious to web-based ad blockers, so you can be sure your ads will get through to the intended audience," said Kupietzky. Join an email ad network "Take your email strategy up a notch by joining an email advertising network. Similar to CPC-based online ad networks, email ad networks let you upload creative to the platform and have it automatically delivered to relevant email subscribers across a broad range of newsletters. So, instead of managing buyer relationships with multiple publishers, you deal with one company, but see your ads delivered to your target audience based on subscriber data across multiple publishers," said Kupietzky. Tags: email content, email marketing, email marketing tips, holiday email, PowerInbox Register with JOC.com and receive 5 free pieces of content for the first thirty days. After thirty days, you will receive 3 pieces of content and after sixty days you will receive 1 piece of content. To receive full access, Subscribe Today . You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter. Register It is the time of the year where we once again take a look at all the great music contributions. This time around we have done it slightly differently. Instead of solely using sales numbers to determine the order of our list, we asked youthe readerson Facebook and Twitter to influence our top picks by offering your candidates! We accumulated the votes to use as a reference, then brought in the JROCK NEWS team and determined the order of this years top acts. Jump down to see our two top 15 lists, one covering visual kei artists, and the other where we include general Japanese acts. TOP 15 VISUAL KEI BANDS 1. the GazettE VK After not releasing a true full album in years, the GazettE has returned to their throne! It is without a doubt that the five-man band put out one of their most anticipated, beloved, and solid album with NINTH this year. By the hype and fans reaction to this album, the GazettE has once again hit the top spot! Before the release of the album, JROCK NEWS asked the fans of the band to name their favorite songs, take a look at the top 20 the GazettE songs picked by our readers here! 2. DIR EN GREY VK The members of DIR EN GREY have been on journeys of their own lately with their respective solo-projects, but finally, the band united to create The Insulated World with its reminiscing sound which undoubtedly resonated with longtime devotees! In the visual aspect, DIR EN GREY brought back a more traditional visual kei look that many have been longing to see the band revisit. DIR EN GREY has also been actively touring outside Japan this year, covering eight cities across Europe. Check out the amazing photos we got when covering the London show! The Insulated World Buy at CDJapan Preview 3. lynch. VK Even after early controversial events, lynch. kept itself steady as a rock and ultimately created their most solid work to date! The album XIII showed off the best side of the band, not only within heavy rock songs but also with the softer ballads that the band truly excels in. XIII Buy at CDJapan Preview 4. HYDE VK HYDE earns a top spot on our visual kei list with his activities stretching beyond his solo project and into the collaborative side of things. He wrote the song Kiss of Death for Mika Nakashima, featured as the opening song in the well-received anime Darling in the FranXX. HYDE even collaborated with Yoshiki for the song Red Swan which also ended up as an opening theme song, for the praised anime Attack on Titan. His solo work After Light entered top 11 in Japans Oricon chart, and did even better with the recent single Fake Divine, peaking at top 7. After Light Buy at CDJapan Preview 5. Yoshiki VK Yoshiki is a man who needs no introduction. His fans have been craving for new material, and surprisingly, we end up seeing his latest song being released as the opening theme song for the praised anime, Attack on Titan. The single Red Swan featuring HYDE has been a top seller worldwide, becoming the best selling anime song within the iTunes rock chart category. Yoshiki is also actively doing his part to make mother earth a better place for everyone by aiding victims of natural disaster and more. JROCK NEWS interviewed Yoshiki during his world tour to promote his documentary We Are X. Definitely have a look if you want to know more about Yoshiki and his charity work! Red Swan feat. HYDE Buy at CDJapan Preview See the rest of the visual kei top 15 list below! 6. KAMIJO Sang Buy at CDJapan Preview 7. DIMLIM CHEDOARA Buy at CDJapan Preview 8. A9 Planet Nine Buy at CDJapan Preview 9. DADAROMA dadaism#4 Buy at CDJapan Preview 10. Kizu Steroid Buy at CDJapan Preview 11. NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST Whiteout Buy at CDJapan Preview 12. JUPITER Theory of Evolution Buy at CDJapan Preview 13. BUCK-TICK No.0 Buy at CDJapan Preview 14. RAZOR KNOT INVISIBLE Buy at CDJapan Preview 15. DEVILOOF Devils Proof Buy at CDJapan Preview TOP 15 JAPANESE ACTS 1. Reol JP Reols two major releases this year consisted of mini-album Kyoko Shu and the full album Jijitsu Jo. These releases showcased Reols vulnerable side and the new punchy attitude we come to expect and love! We see the new sound drift more towards rock while still keeping the electronic vibes intact, a unique balance we have yet seen any other artist pull off this well. On the social media side, Reol has been very attentive on Instagram and interacts a lot with her followers through live streams where she speaks her mind, sometimes singing while playing her acoustic guitar. To learn more about Reol and how she went from being a hobby musician to making it a professional career, have a look at our interview we conducted a while ago. Jijitsu Jo Buy at CDJapan Preview 2. BAND-MAID JP Although BAND-MAID didnt hit our number one spot this year, theyre still a band that keeps breaking borders with their catchy rock and lovely outfits. The album WORLD DOMINATION released earlier this year, and the world tour which they just finished, attests their determination to not stop until theyve broken every border and conquered the world! All this talk about world domination however did not make BAND-MAID forget about their home country. During April Fools day, the band showed off a comedic fan-service where the members were donning kimonos instead of maid dresses for the music video secret MAIKO lips, while also changing their name to BAND-MAIKO specifically for this. Start Over Buy at CDJapan or JPU Records Preview 3. UVERworld JP There is no other band like UVERworld! Their catchy music, amazing performances, and the unusual inclusion of a saxophonist. Its a band which sound cannot be replicated and has won the hearts of Jrock and anime fans alike. The single ODD FUTURE, featured in popular anime My Hero Academia, peaked at number 3 in Japans Oricon chart, and latest single GOOD and EVIL / EDEN e did even better, reaching top 2! Despite being active since the year 2000, each new release still feels vivid and fresh. ODD FUTURE Buy at CDJapan Preview 4. Lovebites JP Fresh to the heavy metal scene, LOVEBITES have already achieved a bunch of goals this year and amassed high popularity in the European metal scene. They have done this by collaborating with Finnish engineers Mikko Karmila, and Mika Jussila in their second mini-album Battle Against Damnation which saw the light via JPU records. The energetic performances in Europe helped the band gain a bigger audience through big festivals such as Wacken Open Air, and Bloodstock Open Air, as well as the European tour which took the band to the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the U.K. We dont see this band stopping anytime soon as they continued their activities until the very end of the year, witnessing the release of the second full album Clockwork Immortality earlier this month. Battle Against Damnation Buy at CDJapan or JPU Records Preview 5. SCANDAL JP SCANDAL can be considered veterans by now as they have been around for 12 years! This year, we saw them release their eighth studio album, Honey, reaching the third spot on Japans Oricon charts. The album received positive reviews as the band returned to their early rock sound, mixed with the matured sound the band developed over their extensive career. Tour-wise, the band has been frequently showing love to the fans by visiting Japan, Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Manila, and Taipei in the Asian leg, and finally, held a handful of performances in the U.S. during September. See the rest of the top 15 Japanese acts list below! 6. BABYMETAL LEGEND S BAPTISM XX (Live at Hiroshima Green Arena) Buy at CDJapan Preview 7. Aimer Black Bird Buy at CDJapan Preview 8. BRIDEAR Helix Buy at CDJapan Preview 9. Kenshi Yonezu Lemon Buy at CDJapan Preview 10. BRATS BRATS Buy at CDJapan Preview 11. CRYSTAL LAKE HELIX Buy at CDJapan Preview 12. UNLUCKY MORPHEUS Change Of Generation Buy at CDJapan Preview 13. Wagakki Band Otonoe Buy at CDJapan Preview 14. Survive Said The Prophet s p a c e [ s ] Buy at CDJapan Preview 15. LADYBABY Hoshi no nai sora Buy at CDJapan Preview We hope you enjoyed this years pick! If you think there are artists which definitely should be on the list, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to influence the outcome next year! See more top lists: Top 15 visual kei and Japanese acts of 2017 Most influential Jrockers of 2017 Top 20 anime opening and ending songs 2017 THUNDER BAY, ON, Dec. 17, 2018 /CNW/ - Premier Gold Mines Limited ("Premier") (TSX: PG) is pleased to announce that the Environmental Assessment ("EA") for the Hardrock Project (the "Project") was approved on December 13, 2018 by the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. The multi-million ounce gold mining project, as proposed by Greenstone Gold Mines, consists of the construction, operation, decommissioning, and abandonment of an open pit and onsite metal mill located near Geraldton, in northern Ontario (see Minister's Decision Statement). The decision follows a thorough and science-based environmental assessment conducted by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency with the participation of Indigenous groups, the public, and federal departments including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Health Canada, and Natural Resources Canada. Participating provincial ministries included the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. "The Ministers' approval of the EA is a significant milestone for the Hardrock Project. Our engagement with representatives of the local Indigenous communities, local communities and the various government agencies has been very positive throughout the process and we look forward to continued advancement of the Project", stated John Begeman, Executive Chairman of Premier. Greenstone Gold Mines (GGM), a 50/50 joint venture between Premier Gold Mines Limited and Centerra Gold Inc, has worked closely with Federal and Provincial authorities since initiating the EA in 2014. Following the collection of baseline environmental data, GGM submitted a draft EA in February 2016 and the final EA in July 2017. Much of the technical work and consultation carried out prior to the submission of the final EA helped to facilitate the timely approval of the federal EA, which confirms that the Project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects considering the implementation of key mitigation measures and follow-up program measures. The Provincial Ministry EA Review Report was issued for public comment on October 22, 2018 and approval is anticipated in Q1 2019. Work on construction permit applications are well advanced and will be submitted for review once the federal EA and provincial EA's are approved. GGM continues work on de-risking and optimizing the Hardrock Project through 2018, making significant progress in moving the Project towards a Construction Decision. A Definitive Agreement with Long Lake #58 First Nation earlier in 2018 was signed and GGM is currently negotiating agreements with the other local Indigenous communities. A grade control drill program was completed on the project to better understand mineralization of the top three benches of the mine with the results expected in the Q1 2019. GGM has also engaged financial advisors to begin the process of identifying the various financing options that may be available for the Hardrock Project. Premier Gold Mines Limited is a gold producer and respected exploration and development company with a high-quality pipeline of precious metal projects in proven, accessible and safe mining jurisdictions in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. This Press Release contains certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements about strategic plans, including future operations, future work programs, capital expenditures, discovery and production of minerals, price of gold and currency exchange rates, timing of geological reports and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including the risks inherent to the mining industry, adverse economic and market developments and the risks identified in Premier's annual information form under the heading "Risk Factors". 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 information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Premier disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. VANCOUVER, B.C. / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2018 / Barksdale Capital Corp. ("Barksdale" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has arranged a non-brokered private placement with Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. ("Osisko") to purchase 5,833,333 common shares of the Company (the "Shares") at a price of C$0.60 per Share, for a total investment of C$3,500,000 (the "Placement"). Following the Placement, Osisko will own approximately 15.2% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Barksdale on a non-diluted basis. Concurrently with the Placement, Osisko has also reached an agreement to acquire certain existing royalty interests over the Sunnyside project from an arm's length private vendor. Rick Trotman, CEO of Barksdale, remarked, "I would like to give a warm welcome to Osisko Gold Royalties, Barksdale's newest shareholder. This investment is an important endorsement of the Sunnyside project given Osisko's successful investment history in this district with previous exploration groups. We look forward to building our relationship with Osisko while exploring and advancing the Sunnyside project, which we believe hosts the extension of the Taylor-Hermosa base metal system." In connection with the Placement, Osisko and Barksdale will negotiate and enter into a binding investment agreement, the provisions of which will include, inter alia, the following rights in favor of Osisko for so long as it holds 10% or more of the outstanding common shares of Barksdale: Equity participation right to maintain pro-rata ownership interest, and The right to nominate one person to Barksdale's board of directors. In connection with the Placement, Osisko will also receive a right of first refusal on any proposed royalty, streaming, or similar transactions for a period of five years from the closing date. The net proceeds from the Placement will be used to advance the Company's mineral projects, including the Sunnyside project, and for general corporate and working capital purposes. The Placement is subject to the execution of definitive documentation and receipt of necessary regulatory approvals including the conditional acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange as well as Osisko closing a separate acquisition of certain existing royalty interests over the Sunnyside project from an arm's length private vendor. The Placement is expected to close on or about January 4, 2019. All newly issued securities will be subject to a customary hold period of four months plus one day. Medalist Capital Ltd. acted as financial advisor to the Company on the transaction. Barksdale Capital Corp. is a base metal exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, that is focused on the acquisition and exploration of highly prospective base metal projects in the United States. Barksdale's portfolio of assets is located within a world-class base metal district in southern Arizona and are surrounded by some of the world's largest mining companies. ON BEHALF OF BARKSDALE CAPITAL CORP Rick Trotman, President and Chief Executive Officer For more information please phone 778-558-7145, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.BarksdaleCapital.com. Any scientific or technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Lewis Teal, Barksdale's project manager and a "qualified person" as defined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. 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. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation including, but not limited to, the Placement and the expected closing date and anticipated use of proceeds thereof and the potential relationship between the Sunnyside project and the Taylor-Hermosa base metal system. Such forward-looking information reflects managements current beliefs and are based on a number of estimates and assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets, lack of available capital, actual results of exploration activities, environmental risks, future prices of base metals, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. There are no assurances that the Company will successfully negotiate and enter into definitive documentation and complete the Placement on the terms set out herein or at all. All forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. THIS NEWS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL SECURITIES AND THE COMPANY IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM. Highlights: Infill drilling results continue to confirm bulk tonnage potential with intercepts grading up to 2.2 g/t Au over 61.1 metres, including 39.4 g/t Au over 2.0 metres at New Beliveau and 5.3 g/t Au over 9.0 metres at North Zone Resource expansion drilling continues to return significant mineralization in the New Beliveau South area with intercepts grading 8.9 g/t Au over 5.0 metres within a larger zone of 2.3 g/t Au over 22.0 metres Resource expansion drilling continues to return significant mineralization in the North Zone with intercepts grading 2.5 g/t Au over 24.3 metres and 2.7 g/t Au over 10 metres 108,600-metre drill program completed in 2018 at Val-dOr East - Pascalis and Courvan properties Updated resource estimate is expected in Q1-2019 TORONTO, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Probe Metals Inc. (TSX-V: PRB) (OTCQB: PROBF) (Probe or the Company) is pleased to provide new results from its 2018 drill program on the Val-dOr East Pascalis property (the Property) located near Val-dOr, Quebec. Results from thirty-nine (39) drill holes, totaling 15,438 metres, were received and show continued expansion and strong continuity of the gold resource within the Pascalis Gold Trend (See Figure 1). The 2018 drilling program has been completed with over 108,000 metres drilled on the Val-dOr East property in 334 holes. Results for the remaining holes drilled this year will be released in early 2019. Significant new drill results from the current program are presented below. David Palmer, President and CEO of Probe, states 2018 turned out to be a very productive and successful year for the Val-dOr East project. In addition to the continued expansion of our current gold resources, Probe made numerous gold discoveries during the first two phases of its regional drilling programs on the Monique and Courvan properties, respectively. As well as running one of the largest drill programs of 2018, we were able to complete regional-scale ground geophysical programs, including high-power 3D surveys, and geological mapping programs, which identified numerous, highly prospective targets for 2019. We are fortunate to end the year with encouraging results and a strong treasury and we are planning for a very active year in 2019. We will continue to advance the project with a focus on resource growth, regional exploration and development work. On behalf of the Board and Management, we would like to thank shareholders for their support as we look forward to continued success in 2019. Current results demonstrate expansion of the New Beliveau deposit to the south and significant growth of the North Zone to the north and east. As with previous releases, the focus of the drilling has been the growth of near surface mineralization, between 0 and 300 metres depth. In addition to resource growth, drilling has also aided in strengthening our geological model and confirming continuity of the gold mineralization. To date, the mineralized system at Val-dOr East has been expanded into nine (9) gold zones across the properties, with recent exploration results continuing to indicate strong potential for additional discoveries along the Pascalis Gold Trend. 2018 Exploration Program The goal of the 2018 exploration drill program was to expand the current gold resources and to make new gold discoveries within the Companys regional land holdings. To date, the drilling program successfully outlined mineralization over an expanded area of approximately 900 metres by 2,500 metres and to a depth of over 900 metres along the Pascalis Gold Trend while new discoveries were made surrounding the former Bussieres Mine on the Courvan area to the west and the Monique Mine to the east. Assay results from selected drill holes are reported in the following table: Selected drill results from the Pascalis Gold Trend Area drilling program1 Hole Number From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) Area PC-18-405 97.8 100.8 3.0 8.8 North Zone / Volcanics 123.1 136.1 13.0 1.7 North Zone / Volcanics including 123.1 124.1 1.0 15.2 North Zone / Volcanics 157.8 167.8 10.0 3.3 North Zone / Volcanics&Dyke including 163.0 164.3 1.3 17.5 North Zone / Dyke 296.1 297.2 1.1 15.2 North Zone / Volcanics PC-18-406 234.6 238.8 4.2 4.5 New Beliveau / Volcanics including 234.6 235.6 1.0 15.1 New Beliveau / Volcanics PC-18-407 126.0 148.0 22.0 2.3 New Beliveau South / Volcanics including 143.0 148.0 5.0 8.9 New Beliveau South / Volcanics 198.1 200.1 2.0 26.3 New Beliveau South / Volcanics PC-18-411 271.5 295.8 24.3 2.5 North Zone / Dyke including 271.5 275.8 4.3 9.9 North Zone / Dyke PC-18-416 136.4 223.0 86.6 1.0 North Zone / Volcanics&Dyke including 148.3 151.3 3.0 4.8 North Zone / Dyke including 222.0 223.0 1.0 20.9 North Zone / Dyke PC-18-417 306.3 307.3 1.0 16.2 New Beliveau South / Dyke PC-18-419 145.0 155.6 10.6 6.3 New Beliveau / Volcanics including 154.4 155.6 1.2 41.8 New Beliveau / Volcanics 617.2 618.2 1.0 45.0 New Beliveau / Volcanics PC-18-422 44.2 45.2 1.0 53.3 New Beliveau / Volcanics 101.5 162.6 61.1 2.2 New Beliveau / Volcanics&Dyke including 115.8 120.8 5.0 5.3 New Beliveau / Volcanics including 160.6 162.6 2.0 39.4 New Beliveau / Dyke PC-18-424 41.5 42.5 1.0 141.0 New Beliveau / Volcanics 200.7 214.0 13.3 2.0 New Beliveau / Volcanics&Dyke including 208.3 212.7 4.4 5.1 New Beliveau / Volcanics&Dyke 323.6 328.7 5.1 7.4 New Beliveau / Dyke including 324.7 325.7 1.0 31.1 New Beliveau / Dyke 542.5 572.7 30.2 2.1 New Beliveau / Dyke including 542.5 546.8 4.3 4.1 New Beliveau / Dyke including 561.0 566.7 5.7 5.1 New Beliveau / Dyke PC-18-425 13.8 14.8 1.0 30.8 North Zone / Volcanics PC-18-426 259.8 260.8 1.0 15.8 New Beliveau / Volcanics PC-18-431 93.0 94.0 1.0 27.8 New Beliveau / Volcanics PC-18-432 193.5 214.1 20.6 3.7 North Zone / Volcanics&Dyke including 193.5 199.5 6.0 11.0 North Zone / Volcanics PC-18-437 104.0 113.0 9.0 5.3 North Zone / Volcanics including 109.0 110.0 1.0 42.2 North Zone / Volcanics PC-18-440 340.5 350.5 10.0 2.7 North Zone / Dyke including 349.5 350.5 1.0 19.3 North Zone / Dyke (1) All the new analytical results reported in this release and in this table are presented in core length and uncut. Additional drilling is planned for the immediate area which will enable the true width determination. Figure 1: Surface Map Val-dOr East - Pascalis Gold Trend Area https://www.probemetals.com/site/assets/files/1407/vde_ddh_pr_440_pc_final.jpg The New Beliveau Gold Deposit The New Beliveau deposit consists predominantly of a series of parallel, east-west trending, moderately dipping, mineralized zones hosting gold-bearing quartz-pyrite-tourmaline veins. Gold mineralization occurs in the veins and also in their immediate wall rocks. The sulphide content is generally 1 to 5% but may reach up to 10% in the higher-grade sections. The extent of the alteration zone, which consists of a mixture of quartz, tourmaline, dolomite, albite, and euhedral pyrite is commonly twice the thickness of the vein itself. The north-south trending diorite dykes also contain significant gold with gold grades typically increasing in areas where the dykes are intersected by the east-west quartz-tourmaline veins. Wall rocks for both systems consist of intermediate volcanics rock. Together with the Highway, North and South Zones, the New Beliveau Deposit host a NI 43-101 resource of 682,400 ounces Indicated at 2.35 g/t gold and 722,100 ounces Inferred at 2.41 g/t gold. Qualified Persons The scientific and technical content of this press release has been reviewed, prepared and approved by Mr. Marco Gagnon, P.Geo, Executive Vice President, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Quality Control During the last drilling program, assay samples were taken from the NQ core by sawing the drill core in half, with one-half sent to a certified commercial laboratory and the other half retained for future reference. A strict QA/QC program was applied to all samples; which includes insertion of mineralized standards and blank samples for each batch of 20 samples. The gold analyses were completed by fire-assayed with an atomic absorption finish on 50 grams of materials. Repeats were carried out by fire-assay followed by gravimetric testing on each sample containing 3.0 g/t gold or more. Total gold analyses (Metallic Sieve) were carried out on the samples which presented a great variation of their gold contents or the presence of visible gold. About Probe Metals: Probe Metals Inc. is a leading Canadian gold exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of highly prospective gold properties. The Company is committed to discovering and developing high-quality gold projects, including its key asset the Val-dOr East Gold Project, Quebec. The Company is well-funded and controls a strategic land package of approximately 1,000-square-kilometres of exploration ground within some of the most prolific gold belts in Quebec. The Company was formed as a result of the sale of Probe Mines Limited to Goldcorp in March 2015. Goldcorp currently owns approximately 13.7% of the Company. On behalf of Probe Metals Inc., Dr. David Palmer, President & Chief Executive Officer For further information: Please visit our website at www.probemetals.com or contact: Seema Sindwani Director of Investor Relations This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +1.416.777.9467 Forward-Looking 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. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Companys objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. For over 50 years, Colombia has experienced one of the longest-running internal armed conflicts in the Western Hemisphere, involving governmental armed forces, the paramilitary and guerrilla groups. The high levels of violence perpetrated by the various parties have resulted in mass victimization, primarily affecting the civilian population. Over the years, demobilised armed groups have been engaged in reparative justice measures in an attempt to satisfy victims rights to truth, justice and reparation. The 2016 Havana Peace Agreement with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejercito del Pueblo (FARC-EP), Colombias oldest and largest left-wing guerrilla group, constitutes the latest initiative in this regard. The Justice and Peace Law: a first step towards reparative justice? Past peace processes in Colombia largely neglected to take account of victims rights, with amnesties prevailing in order to ensure peace and security. In 2005, a significant shift took place with the passing of Law No. 975, known as the Justice and Peace Law (JPL), which brought the process of armed groups demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration onto the terrain of TJ. Particularly, demobilised combatants who benefit from the JPL, by virtue of demobilisation and reduced sentences for grave crimes, are required to, among others, provide reparations to the victims of the criminal act they are convicted of. Notably, a landmark ruling of the Colombian Constitutional Court sought to strengthen victims rights by complementing combatants individual responsibility for victim reparation with a collective civil responsibility on the part of the armed group and its members. Moreover, the Court recognised a subsidiary responsibility for the state to provide reparations to victims when these individuals or organisations are unable to do so. This progressive approach appears to be in line with Principles 15 and 16 of the UN Basic Principles and Guidelines (UNBPG). While the JPL constitutes the first significant attempt to afford reparative justice in Colombia, it has been severely criticised for prioritising demobilisation efforts over justice concerns. Moreover, after 10 years of the JPL, the results are unsatisfactory. The demobilised combatants only contributed approx. 6% of the resources needed for the ordered compensation measures, with a significant number of them unwilling to effectively repair the victims. Pursuant to the 47 sentences issued, 195 demobilised were convicted (only 8.2% of those participating in the process). Against the backdrop of the JPLs ineffectiveness, a comprehensive administrative reparations programme and a land restitution programme were established under the Victims Law of 2011. Although the latter constitutes an important effort in securing effective redress for the victims of the conflict, the programmes face significant challenges. In 2010, the JPL process was complemented by Law No. 1424, which foresees in the engagement of low-level offenders who fall outside the scope of the JPL in a truth-seeking process in exchange for judicial benefits. However, the lack of victims direct access to the obtained material weakens the processs potential of satisfying their right to truth as a form of reparation (Principle 22(b) UNBPG). The Havana Final Peace Agreement: the responsibility of the FARC-EP to satisfy victims right to reparation Despite some glitches, the four-year peace process between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP successfully resulted in the adoption of a Final Peace Agreement (FPA) in 2016. The Agreement foresees in the establishment of a Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparations and Non-Recurrence, a transitional justice system that seeks to provide a comprehensive response to victims. The Comprehensive System places particular emphasis on restorative and reparative measures, while acknowledging that justice cannot be achieved only with retributive sanctions. Significantly, victim reparation is understood as a vital condition for justice. The strong commitment of both negotiating parties towards victims rights and needs is unprecedented in comparison to past peace processes in Colombia. The Comprehensive System foresees numerous measures for victims comprehensive reparation, which include, in accordance with the UNBPG, restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-recurrence. As stipulated in the FPA, the FARC-EP will engage with these various forms of reparation. For instance, former members of the FARC-EP who have caused harm or injury during the conflict are required to make concrete contributions to reparations, which involve their participation in reparation-oriented projects as part of their reintegration process (e.g., infrastructure-rebuilding work and programmes to clear areas of anti-personnel mines). Within this framework, reparation measures are connected with the eventual reintegration of the ex-combatants as important aspects of a restorative justice process. As an organisation, the FARC-EP has committed itself to hand over an inventory of all its collective assets, which will be exclusively used to provide material reparations to the victims. However, concerns have been raised over possible undeclared assets and the lack of official registration of much of the listed real estate. Moreover, symbolic reparations, such as symbolic acts of apology and recognition of responsibility, have taken place in the early stages of implementation. The strengthening of land restitution measures constitutes a further example. As is the case under the JPL process, the Colombian government will take a subsidiary responsibility to contribute to the reparation of victims when former FARC-EP members do not have sufficient resources to do so, hence seeking to safeguard victims right to redress. Recommended reading Colombias transitional justice: Mission impossible? Aside from these specific reparation measures, the Comprehensive System provides for the FARC-EPs engagement with the other transitional justice mechanisms, which incorporate on their turn reparative justice components. Particularly, the Truth Commission and the Unit for the Search of the Disappeared will contribute to victim reparation by virtue of the public disclosure of the truth and will benefit from the participation of former FARC-EP members. Furthermore, those wanting to enjoy the special treatment granted under the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (SJP), the justice component of the transitional justice system, will need to provide full truth, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence. The same holds for ex-combatants benefitting from amnesties or pardons for political crimes. Such special treatment, the so-called alternative sanctions, is granted when the offender acknowledges full truth and responsibility in the early stages of the criminal proceedings and involves reduced sentence and effective restrictions of freedoms and rights, rather than ordinary prison sentences. In this case, the imposed sanctions will be of a predominately restorative and reparative nature. This more lenient approach to justice has, however, led to significant criticism, among others by the newly elected President Ivan Duque. Notably, the envisaged Comprehensive System moves beyond an individualised accountability framework by engaging the FARC-EP in reparative justice measures not only by virtue of its individual members but also as a collective entity. Certain reparation measures place a clear emphasis on the FARC-EPs collective responsibility towards their victims, such as the envisaged symbolic reparations. The FARC-EPs responsibility to provide victim reparation is based on international legal standards. Particularly, it is recognised that the FARC-EP, as an armed group, can violate international human rights law, resulting in a duty to repair the harm caused. This is a progressive approach in light of the lack of clear secondary obligations on the part of non-state armed groups under international law. Moreover, although the FPA is not the first peace agreement to involve considerations for armed groups remedial responsibility (e.g., the Juba Peace Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation), the degree of FARC-EPs engagement in the design and the implementation of the Agreements reparative justice components is unprecedented. This shows that in certain instances it is feasible to engage armed groups in various forms of reparation that are normally required from states as part of their international obligations towards victims. Moreover, the comprehensive approach to reparative justice involving the FARC-EP as a proactive transitional justice actor is a welcome step, as the JPL process has reaffirmed the limits of court-ordered reparations in the context of gross and systematic violations. Nevertheless, considering that the implementation of the FPA is in its initial stages and is taking place in a highly politicised and unstable context, it is not yet possible to ascertain in how far victims rights will be satisfied in practice, nor is it clear whether the FARC-EP will successfully carry out the commitments made in the FPA. These observations, notwithstanding, the recognition of the FARC-EPs responsibility for their part in the conflict is a first step in remedying the harm and damage caused to the victims of the conflict and society at large. *The author would like to thank Prof. Felipe Gomez Isa for his comments. Joseph Kabila came to power in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2001, ruling during a period of bloody insurgencies and deadly protests against his extended mandate. Here is a timeline. Kabila father to son In January 2001, 29-year-old Kabila takes over as leader of this vast central African country just days after his father Laurent-Desire is assassinated by a bodyguard. He becomes president as the country is being torn apart by a war which has been raging since August 1998, pitting government forces backed by Angola, Chad, Namibia and Zimbabwe against rebel groups supported by Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. The conflict ends after a power-sharing deal is signed in South Africa in December 2002. Free but violence-hit vote In 2006, Kabila wins the first free presidential election for 41 years, defeating ex-warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba in a violence-tainted poll. A constitutional change the same year limits a president to two five-year terms. In March 2007, heavy clashes erupt in Kinshasa between army troops and soldiers loyal to Bemba, leaving 300 dead. With his men are defeated, Bemba leaves the country but is arrested near Brussels a year later on charges of war crimes. In a report examining the two years since Kabilas election, Human Rights Watch accuses Kinshasa of killing an estimated 500 opposition supporters and arresting 1,000 more, denouncing the regime for its brutal repression. In November 2011, Kabila is re-elected in a vote marked by chaotic organisation, violence and alleged irregularities. The opposition rejects the results. Uprisings and bloodshed In 2012, clashes erupt between soldiers and rebels from the M23 movement in the eastern mineral-rich Kivu region, with the uprising eventually stamped out in November 2013 in the face of a crushing UN-backed offensive. A month later, armed youths loyal to a televangelist demanding Kabilas resignation launch coordinated attacks in the capital and other cities. The violence prompts a government crackdown that leaves more than 300 people dead, rights groups say. In 2014, there is a new uprising in North Kivu by suspected Ugandan Muslim rebels with the fighting claiming more than 200 civilians lives around the town of Beni in October and November. Elusive election In December 2014, Kabila names a government that includes several opposition members, despite promising to appoint a cabinet of national unity. A month later, demonstrations break out in Kinshasa over a bill that would delay the 2016 elections and enable Kabila to remain in office beyond the end of his second term. Around 50 people are killed. More demonstrations follow in September in which several dozen people are killed. The same month, violence breaks out in the diamond-rich central Kasai region after security forces kill a local chieftain. The conflict spirals, leaving more than 3,000 people dead in eight months, according to a Catholic church report. December 20, 2016 is meant to be Kabilas last day but with no vote planned nor sign of him stepping down, protesters take to the streets prompting a crackdown that leaves at least 40 dead, the UN says. Polling day finally fixed On New Years Eve, opposition parties and the government reach a deal that the delayed elections will be held at the end of 2017 and that Kabila can stay in power until then. But the vote is postponed again, purportedly because of organisational problems. In November 2017 the Electoral Commission announces a new date of December 23, 2018. In June 2018, the International Criminal Court acquits Bemba of war crimes and he returns home announcing he will run for president. Two months later, Kabila names former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary as his successor, ending speculation about his own candidacy. When the Electoral Commission publishes its list of 21 approved candidates in September, it excludes Bemba and exiled regional baron Moise Katumbi, both of them opposition heavyweights. Nigeria is concerned about Amnesty Internationals activities, a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari said Monday, just days after the government briefly banned UNICEF over claims it was training spies sympathetic to Boko Haram. The federal government is increasingly concerned about the role that Amnesty International is playing in the war against terror in Nigeria, Garba Shehu said in a statement. The organisations operations in Nigeria seem geared towards damaging the morale of the Nigerian military, he said. It often appears as if the Nigerian government is fighting two wars on terror: against Boko Haram and against Amnesty International. The statement comes on the same day that the Nigerian military threatened the closure of the global rights watchdog in a statement posted on Facebook. Army public relations director Brigadier General Sani Usman said Amnesty was determined to destabilise Nigeria through the fabrication of fictitious allegations of alleged human rights abuses and clandestine sponsorship of dissident groups to protest. The military has in the past been critical of international organisations operating in the country and has hit out at organisations reporting that it committed rights violations and war crimes during its fight against Boko Haram. The bloody Islamist uprising in northeastern Nigeria began in 2009 and has spread to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, killing at least 27,000 people and leaving millions dependent on aid for survival. On Friday the military banned UNICEF from operating in the country over claims it was training spies who support Boko Haram. It retracted the ban within hours following an intervention by well meaning and concerned Nigerians, according to an army spokesman. President Buhari, who came to power in 2015 pledging to end the violence, is under increasing pressure to act as he gears up to seek re-election in a February ballot. The 76-year-old former army general has come under attack for previously claiming the jihadists were technically defeated. ola-sf/ach Facebook The units logo is a sword with the scales of justice balanced on its tip and the words Hora fugit, stat jus time passes, the law endures. Situated in Paris, its mission is to track the perpetrators of imprescriptible crimes in France and the rest of the world. The Central Office to fight Crimes against Humanity, Genocide and War Crimes (OCLCH), set up in 2013, is at work and is determined to obtain results, says Colonel Eric Emeraux, who has been at its head for the last year. The offices 15 gendarmes (paramilitary police) and 4 police officers are the strong arm of Frances special judicial unit for tracking international crimes. Colonel Emerauxs tone is careful and precise but also combative. This office, created by decree five years ago, is gaining strength and has become visible in 2018 thanks to a quite substantial (non-exhaustive) list of actions: in March, questioning of an Iraqi refugee suspected of having participated in Daesh massacres; in April, the arrest in Cameroon of a Rwandan wanted in France for genocide; in June, extradition of a Bosnian wanted in his country for crimes against humanity; and in September, the arrest of a former Liberian militia leader. Recommended reading Paris arrest a new step to justice for Liberian war crimes From Syria to Syria Every day, Eric Emeraux and his team climb a long staircase and pass the floor of their counterparts in Organized Crime, to reach their offices located east of Paris in an impressive stone building. The offices smell new. Emerauxs team has just returned there after several years of exile at the Rosny Fort, in the southern suburbs of Paris. They are now closer to the magistrates of the Specialized Unit 3 prosecutors and 3 investigating judges with whom they work on a daily basis. And this is the place where members of the Paris gendarmerie research section, precursors of the OCLCH whom Hirondelle met in April 2011, worked on Rwandan cases that led to the only two trials so far held in France under universal jurisdiction: that of Pascal Simbikangwa, sentenced on appeal in 2016, and Octavian Ngenzi and Tito Barahira, sentenced on appeal in July this year for their participation in the 1994 genocide. These two first instance and two appeals trials each cost 1 million Euros, according to Catherine Champrenault, Attorney General at the Paris Court of Appeal. For the record, it was other members of the Paris SR (research section) that investigated police officer Paul Touvier, a Second World War collaborator who in 1994 became the first French person convicted of crimes against humanity, and that participated in the hunt for Alois Brunner, one of the big Nazi criminals who is said to have died in Damascus, Syria. And it is Syria that is now the top priority among 105 cases covering some 15 countries that are piling up on the investigators desks. The Offices portfolio has almost doubled in the last year, notably because of 35 files sent to it by Ofpra (French office for protection of refugees and stateless people), which has an obligation to flag asylum seekers suspected of having committed serious crimes. These files have been dubbed in investigators jargon 1F, in reference to the article of the 1951 Geneva Convention that allows them to be excluded from asylum whilst offering protection against expulsion. We are working more and more on asylum seekers who are excluded from the convention, says Colonel Emeraux. Many of them come from Syria, Iraq and Africa. Its just the beginning. Ofpra transfers the files to the Paris Attorney Generals office which refers some five cases per month to us. With all these 1F we will see how we can build procedures, establish the facts knowing that what we are experiencing here in France, other countries are experiencing too. The Caesar effect Before heading the OCLCH, Eric Emeraux was in Sarajevo, as security attache at the French Embassy. It was his first post abroad after 30 years of service in the army and gendarmerie. This meeting with the realities of post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina has made him more aware of the need for cooperation between countries and between the military and judicial spheres. Living in Bosnia for five years has made me more aware, he says, that there is a link between our country and what is happening outside our borders, up to a point, because there are individuals who have committed the worst atrocities coming to hide in France. The international affects the national, and so in the end we are protecting French interests. Since arriving at the OCLCH, Emeraux has seen the case files centre of gravity shift. Rwanda (17 cases) is now in third position after Syria (25) and the Central African Republic (18). They are followed by cases linked to Sri Lanka (7), Liberia (5), Libya (5) and Iraq (2). The Caesar report (codename of an ex-military police photographer who fled Syria with some 55,000 photos of torture victims) transmitted to at least six European countries is a top French priority and is emblematic. Caesars reach has spread, first from the Office to other departments in the Ile-de-France assisting a six-person investigation unit, and then across the border to a joint Franco-German investigation team. Finally, through personal exchanges and the connection of databases, this reach spreads to the UNs M3I mechanism, led by a French magistrate which is responsible for gathering evidence on crimes in Syria and making it available to investigation services and competent judicial authorities and structures such as CIJA, Eurojust or Europol, which in February 2018 officially launched a cooperation project (AP CIC) dedicated to international crimes. Recommended reading Whats behind the rise of evidence-gathering bodies Interconnectivity is key Caesar is not the only catalyst for cooperation, from which other cases also benefit. For example, it was the new Europol project that allowed the OCLCH to track down the Rwandan suspect it wanted in Yaounde, Cameroon. With regard to interconnectivity, we are just at the beginning, says the offices second in command Nicolas Le Coz. We are evolving in a very efficient world, adds Colonel Emeraux, who sees his team a bit like a start-up, motivated by objectives and results, by international exchanges and the support of state-of-the-art technological tools. On the IT level, everything has been in place since mid-November, he announces. We work with software that will allow us to enter an enormous amount of information in the database and which is immediately compatible with Europol and the M3I. It has taken us six months to find the funding, the technicians and set everything up. Emeraux also says he is pleased to have met people with great expertise from NGOs like Swiss-based Civitas Maxima on Liberia war crimes and the USAs Physicians for Human Rights (which has produced an application allowing doctors faced with torture cases to record trial-ready evidence). The OCLCH, like its colleagues in the Organized Crime division, has investigators specialized in IT, social media and financial tracking. They divide the work according to three main geographical zones: Africa, Middle East and the rest of the world. And each investigator manages their priorities according to the following equation summed up by Emeraux: Either we have a suspect and we have to find witnesses or victims to flesh out the case; or we have victims and witnesses and we have to find the perpetrators. Our goal is the trial. Facebook could be facing a multi-billion dollar fine after a European regulator announced Friday that it is launching an investigation into the company over failure to protect user privacy. The Irish Data Protection Commission, which oversees Facebook's compliance with European law confirmed to CNN on Friday it launched a "statutory inquiry" into Facebook after receiving multiple reports of data breaches affecting the company. News of the inquiry came just as Facebook announced that it had exposed photos from up to 6.8 million users. The incident comes after the company announced in September the biggest security breach in its history, in which hackers accessed the personal information of tens of millions of Facebook users. The inquiry is the result of new powers given to the Irish data regulator as a result of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a European regulation that came into effect in May. Because Facebook's European headquarters is in Dublin, it must under GDPR inform the Irish data regulator within 72 hours of discovering a breach. Companies found to have run afoul of GDPR could face a maximum fine of $23 million or 4% of their annual worldwide revenue, whichever is higher. In Facebook's case, the company had revenue of almost $40 billion in 2017, which means the company could face a fine of up to $1.6 billion if its revenue for 2018 remains roughly the same. The bug, which involved the exposure of millions of Facebook users' photos and occurred over a 12-day period, was discovered in September. But Facebook reported the breach to its European regulator two months later, on November 22, according to the company. Facebook said it filed the report as soon as it had "established it was considered a reportable breach." Graham Doyle, the regulator's head of communications, said the Irish Data Commission launched an inquiry this week stemming from several breach notifications it has received from Facebook. When Facebook made the announcement of its biggest breach ever in September, the Irish Data Protection Commission expressed concern at the time about the lack of information it said it had received from the company. "We are in close contact with the Irish Data Protection Commission and are happy to answer any questions they may have," a Facebook spokesperson told CNN. 271 Shares Share In response to the increasing burdens of administrative work and cumbersome charting levied upon healthcare providers in recent years, medical scribes have been touted as a potential solution for streamlining the documentation process. Interest in the use of scribes has certainly been increasing, with the American College of Medical Scribe Specialists estimating that the number of medical scribes nationally will increase from 15,000 in 2014 to more than 100,000 by 2020. Who are medical scribes? Medical scribes are often college students looking to gain exposure to the medical field, many of whom are planning on applying to medical or PA school in the future. There are also those who work full-time as medical scribes. The salary of a medical scribe ranges from $13 to 18 per hour and the cost to hire a scribe is around $20 per hour. While there are courses and certifications dedicated to medical scribing, medical scribes are not required to go through a certification process. The precise role of the medical scribe will vary by institution, but they generally perform a variety of tasks with the goal of maximizing the providers workflow efficiency. In addition to transcribing the medical chart, scribes may also obtain prior records, notify the provider of lab and imaging studies once resulted, and prepare discharge instructions. A new twist to the medical scribe paradigm is the implementation of virtual scribes. A virtual medical scribe remotely accompanies the physician during a patient interaction, documenting the encounter in the electronic medical records off-site. Benefits The most apparent purported benefit to having a scribe is increased productivity by minimizing the time spent on documentation and other secretarial tasks. One retrospective study found that the use of scribes by emergency physicians was associated with improved overall productivity as measured by patients treated per hour and RVUs generated per hour. A prospective cohort study at a tertiary academic ED, published in 2017, found that scribes enabled attending physicians to see more patients per hour, though they did not improve overall patient throughput. In the primary care setting, the use of medical scribes has been associated with significant reductions in electronic health record documentation time and significant improvements in productivity. Other benefits to using scribes, as reported by physicians who have worked with them, include better patient interactions, improved physician satisfaction, and potential mitigation of physician burnout. Some feel that the quality of the patient encounter is improved by allowing the provider to focus more on the patient interaction than data entry. The costs associated with the implementation of a scribe program or hiring an independent scribe are significant. In addition to the salary of the scribe, other expenses may include costs associated with training, hardware and tech support. Proponents of medical scribes argue that the increased productivity that results from the use of scribes offsets these costs. Downsides From my personal experience working with scribes, the biggest downsides are the variability in the quality of the scribes and their rapid turnover. I found that it would take some time for a particular scribe to understand how I structure my workflow and document my charts. Our working dynamic would steadily improve, right up until they left for medical school. A new batch of scribes would come in, and the process would have to start all over again. When working with an inexperienced scribe, I would often have to spend so much time modifying the chart to fit my documentation style or to make corrections, that I would have been better off documenting the chart on my own from the beginning. Moreover, having an additional person in the room during the H&P also has the potential to negatively impact the provider-patient interaction. It may even affect the accuracy of the history being obtained. I can certainly imagine a scenario where a young male would be less willing to discuss his penile discharge when a college-aged female is at the bedside transcribing the history, than if only the physician were present. Patients are often in a very vulnerable state when presenting to an emergency department or clinic. Its imperative that we try our best to create an environment that allows patients to speak comfortably about the most intimate details of their lives. Adding another person to the mix may hinder this. While I have had patients tell me that they would prefer to be seen without the scribe present, some patients may not be as comfortable making such a request. The upshot To answer the question, whether scribes are the solution to our documentation woes, I would have to say no. Ive had great experiences working with scribes and have seen first-hand their ability to save documentation time and streamline the charting process. However, a solution that requires every physician to have another person following them on their shift, whether its in-person or remotely, is not truly a solution. Rather, it is a stop-gap measure that does nothing to address the underlying problems, inefficient EMRs, and burdensome compliance measures. The real solution will be the development of an EMR that is built with the focus on clinician usability, without sacrificing the ability to capture revenue. With the advent of advanced speech recognition technology and artificial intelligence, which promise to simplify the way we will interact with our devices, Im hopeful that such a system is on the horizon. Efficient MD is an emergency physician who blogs at his self-titled site, Efficient MD. He can be reached on Facebook and on Twitter @efficientmd. Image credit: Shutterstock.com JUNCTION CITY, Ore. -- A man is facing manslaughter charges after a fatal crash on Highway 99W near Junction City Saturday night. Police said Salvador Mendez-Saucedo, 21, made his first appearance in court Dec. 19. Francisco Jose Perez-Velasco, 33, of Corvallis died in the wreck. Oregon State Police said shortly after 10 p.m., Mendez-Saucedo was driving a Honda Accord when he hit the back of a truck. According to police, Mendez-Saucedo was drunk and driving at a high speed. His passenger Perez-Velasco was not wearing a seat belt, police said. Another passenger was wearing a seat belt and sustained minor injuries. Police said Mendez-Saucedo was injured and taken to Riverbend Hospital in Springfield. The driver of the truck sustained minor injuries and was not transported to the hospital. Akira Sone showed age is no barrier as the 18-year-old proved the star attraction for a Japan team that comfortably topped the medal table with seven gold medals at the year-ending Guangzhou Masters. Arguably facing one of the greatest heavyweights of all time in Cuba's Idalys Ortiz -- a former Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion -- teenager Sone proved undaunted. Asia China Continents and regions East Asia Guangzhou Japan Martial arts South China Sports and recreation Demographic groups Families and children Family members and relatives Population and demographics Society Teenagers Visit cnn.com/sport for more news and videos The 18-year-old continually pressured world silver medalist Ortiz, the Cuban eventually given three shido penalties, which saw Sone crowned the winner as Japan swept the board to win every women's weight category. Sone was the aggressor from the outset, forcing a rattled Ortiz, who trains against men to prepare herself for competitions, to concede those trio of shido penalties and, with that, the title. Following her first major title on the World Judo Tour, Sone, who became a national champion as a 17-year-old, said: "Ortiz is a very tactical judoka. So, I knew that I couldn't fall into her trap, so I just tried to stay one step ahead of her throughout." For the Japanese judoka, it was their superior technical skill, which shone out. Former judo world champion Neil Adams, a technical adviser for the International Judo Federation, told Judo Inside: "Japan obviously always impress because they are always looking for ippon. "The Japanese judoka rely more on technical expertise and technique to win a match, that tells us a lot towards the sheer volume of practice as opposed to just physical training. Technique wins. "Even when they're down and out, the top judoka are always dangerous, the ones with big techniques, you can't write them off. When you have technique, you're always dangerous until the last second." The Masters is invite only, open to the 16 best judoka in the world in each category, with Japan claiming three gold medals in all on the final day of action, including Mami Uemki defeating countrywoman Ruika Sato with ippon in the final of the -78 kilogram division. Another Japanese youngster in Saki Niizoe starred by defeating three-time world champion Yui Alvear in the -70kg finale. Georgia proved the best of the rest behind the dominant Japanese with duo Varlam Liparteliani and Guram Tushishvili both winning gold. Liparteliani did not even have to take to the mat for his -100kg final when Mongolian opponent Otgonbattar Lkhagvasuren pulled out with injury. Meanwhile, Tushishvili, the current +100kg world champion, needed ippon to edge out Brazilian Rafael Silva in the defense of his Guangzhou title. On this day, 115 years ago, the world changed as the Wright Brothers announced the first successful powered flight. On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright wrote to his father Bishop Milton Wright, "Success four flights thursday morning all against twenty one mile wind started from level with engine power alone average speed through air thirty one miles longest 57 seconds inform Press home Christmas." In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a Presidential Proclamation, designating Dec. 17 as Wright Brothers Day. Wright Brothers Day commemorates the first successful flights in a heavier than air, mechanically propelled airplane that were made by Orville and Wilbur Wright near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. MASON CITY, Iowa A not guilty plea is entered in a fatal motorcycle crash. Brandon Kellar, 40 of Mason City, is charged with homicide by vehicle by OWI. Police say Kellar was under the influence when he crashed his motorcycle into another vehicle on September 28 in Mason City. A passenger on the cycle, Shawn True, died from injuries suffered in the crash. Kellar has waived his right to a speedy trial and one is scheduled to begin on February 12, 2019. AUSTIN, Minn. A woman accused of embezzling from a southern Minnesota wrestling booster club is pleading guilty. Kristin Lynn Stevens, 35 of LeRoy, was charged in May with two felony counts of theft. She pleaded guilty Monday to one of those counts. Authorities say that in her role as treasurer of the Dawg Pound Wrestling booster club that supports the consolidated Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Southland wrestling team, Stevens stole or accidentally spent at least $6,000 of booster club funds. Court documents state Stevens explained some of the unauthorized purchases by saying the booster clubs debit card was entered as the default payment option on her personal Amazon.com account. Stevens is now scheduled to be sentenced on May 17, 2019. Please just fix it. I think a lot of investors would be surprised how often financial advisers hear those four little words. And how often, by the time someone asks, its almost too late for us to offer any help. Just recently, for example, I had a gentleman whos been handling his own investing for decades come in and tell me he just cant do it anymore. Hes 72, hes been diagnosed with cancer, and his wife isnt the least bit interested in managing their accounts. Im realizing we need professional help, he said. I took a look, and there was the typical mishmash of investments. They were chosen, Im sure, with good reason at some point. But at some point, those reasons went away. One position that stood out was General Electric. Its been headed in the wrong direction for a while now, and yet, hed held on. Why? Well, he said, they have a new CEO, and they might turn it around. Thered been times when hed made money with it, and he wanted to see it come back. And he felt the dividend made it worth keeping. But the truth is, Id sell all this stuff tomorrow if you could just fix it for us, he said. That was on a Friday. The following Tuesday, GE announced it was cutting its quarterly dividend to a penny a share the eighth-largest dividend cut in the history of the S&P 500. The stock is down to a price that might make it a good pickup for someone but not necessarily for a couple in their 70s who need to pull income from their nest egg. And now my new client is going to chemo treatments, hes not feeling well, and he and his wife are trying to get back to our office to get everything figured out. Of course, Im going to help them. I just wish they had come in a lot sooner. Ive had couples come in and tell me theyve already filed for Social Security, sold their house and want to retire in a month. Ive met with widows who have no idea whats in their portfolio, because their husband took care of everything. And Ive worked with 30-somethings whose parents sent them to me because they saw the value of getting advice sooner rather than later. Guess whos better prepared for retirement? People frequently ask me when its time to go see a financial adviser and the answer is always, It depends. Fifty to 55 is good. Younger is better. But the problem is that many DIYers arent ready to let go at that age. We get a lot of people men mostly who, when theyre 50, are filled with bravado. They like to play the market and brag to their friends about their wins. Its an ego thing. Unfortunately, that ego-driven portfolio is often lacking in diversification or any sort of holistic plan that will work for them in retirement. DIYers often stick with strategies and products they know (stocks from companies theyre familiar with, for instance) instead of looking for what will get them to their goals. Theres little or no thought given to tax-efficiency, mitigating risk or the fees and other costs that can eat away at earnings. And, sadly, many investors dont realize theyre in trouble until theyre older, the market is falling and they dont have enough money. Putting together a portfolio objectively isnt exciting. As you get closer to retirement, you have to make choices that are safer and more stable. It isnt fun, and you cant learn it from listening to one workshop, radio show or YouTube video. Thats kind of like me watching YouTube to build a forced-air furnace for my house and hoping it turns out. There are thousands of tax and Social Security rulings that can affect an individuals or couples retirement outcome. A good financial adviser will look at your entire nest egg your 401(k), your Social Security, your pension everything and plan it out to age 90 or even 100. Ask yourself if thats what youre prepared to do. Do you have the time to follow up on every investment and make changes to your portfolio when major life events occur? Do you have the discipline to ignore your ego and explore whats really right for your personal financial situation and goals? Do you have what it takes to dig into the minutiae of the tax laws, the market and non-correlated investments, and Social Security rules that are ever-changing? Do you have a willing and interested partner who can take over if you are no longer able to manage your accounts? (Or someone who at least knows where you stand?) Do you stay on top of the news (political, economic and foreign policy, etc.) and understand how current events might impact the market? If you do, maybe DIYing is for you. But investing isnt an easy thing. Seeking advice from a professional doesnt mean youve failed or that you must give over total control of your financial decision-making to that person. What it can do is help take some of the load off your shoulders, dial down the stress and help you find missed opportunities or mistakes before its too late. Kim Franke-Folstad contributed to this article. Investment advisory services offered only by duly registered individuals through AE Wealth Management, LLC (AEWM). AEWM and Scott Tucker Solutions Inc. are not affiliated companies. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Neither the firm nor its agents or representatives may give tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult with a qualified professional for guidance before making any purchasing decisions. Scott Tucker Solution, Inc is not affiliated with the U.S. government or any governmental agency. 675356 Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels. You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us! Send information, pictures or videos, you remain 100% anonymous. Envia fotos, videos, notas, enlaces o informacion todo 100% Anonimo. Borderland Beat? We love to have you in our team, send Sol Prendido or HEARST an email! Want to be a contributor or citizen reporter forBorderland Beat?We love to have you in our team, sendoran email! WARNING: Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised. COMMENTS: We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. - Senator Rufai Hanga reveals that he once told some people that Adams Oshiomhole will destroy the APC - Hanga, a former national chairman of the defunct CPC, describes Oshiomhole as a good activist but a bad politician - He alleges that the APC national chairman wants to impose his decisions on members Senator Rufai Hanga, a former national chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), who recently dumped the All Progressives Congress, has described the partys head, Adams Oshiomhole, as a disaster saying he once predicted it. Hanga also predicts that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, would give President Muhammadu Buhari a good fight in the northern part of Nigeria. Hanga, who spoke in an interview with Daily Sun, also said he dumped the ruling party because of the way his senatorial ambition in Kano state was handled. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda APC under Comrade Oshiomhole is a disaster. To me, it is simply disastrous. I am sorry to say this because right from the day when they announced him as a potential candidate for the chairmanship, I told some friends that this party is heading for the rocks. They asked me why and I said that Comrade Oshiomhole was not a groomed politician. He is a unionist. He is certainly a real comrade, but he does not have the tact of a politician. He wants to impose things in certain ways that are not acceptable in politics and this is what has happened. Let me give you an example of this weakness. When Ganduje came and lied to us that he was asked to give Shekarau an automatic ticket, initially I accepted it. I even escorted them to submit Shekaraus form to Oshiomholes office. We went together to submit the forms. Why I said Oshiomhole is not a politician. I was a member of the House of Representatives, I was a member of the Senate, and I was national chairman of a party that really performed, I was part of Buharis legacy or empire. He should have, there and then, recognized me. If he were a politician he would have recognized me and that would have pacified me and even made me ashamed to even leave the party, he said. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news updates Concerning the forthcoming presidential election, he said: I think Atiku would give Buhari a good fight in the North. I tell you this because I am a grassrooter and I know that he will. The only thing is that Atiku is not doing it the way I thought he should do it and Buharis people have woken up now. They were actually dosing before now, but they have awoken now and things are moving at double speed. I am being objective. Concerning the alleged support Atiku is receiving from Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Hanga said: "I totally agree with them on this. It wont work well for him. Romancing with Chief Obasanjo would do more damage than good to him. That is my comment." Legit.ng earlier reported that outspoken elder and former liason officer to Shehu Shagari on the National Assembly, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, declared that some significant issues that determined the 2015 election in the region, would not affect the 2019 exercise. Yakasai said the north would no longer be influenced by issues of religion, ethnicity and sectionalism which favoured President Muhammadu Buhari because he is from the region. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. I may join politics soon - Segun Arinze | Legit TV Source: Legit The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has announced that it will begin a three-day nationwide protest on Monday, December 17, over an alleged disobedience by the federal government to a court judgment on the issue of staff schools. The alleged disobedience of the federal government also relates to its refusal to implement an agreement reached with the union especially on earned allowance. The Nigerian Tribune reports that SSANU made the resolution at its 35th regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Enugu state University of Science and Technology. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The report said the resolution was signed by its national president, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, and the national public relations officer, Comrade Abdussobur Salaam. The report said SSANU accused the federal government of not obeying the judgment of National Industrial Court, Abuja, which ruled that the teachers in university staff schools who were sacked by government should be reinstated. The union further alleged that the federal government has not released the N8 billion earned allowance it promised its members. Senator Chris Ngige, the labour minister, had announced that the federal government would pay the three non-teaching staff unions N8 billion as their earned allowance, but SSANU laments that months after, the promise has not been fulfilled. The federal government through the federal ministry of education had informed the chairman of the Joint Action Committee of NAAT, NASU and SSANU via a letter dated 9th August 2018, that approval had been given for the release of eight billion naira being payment of earned Allowances for non-teaching staff in the universities and requested for templates for the payments to the unions. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news updates It appears that the letters being sent to the unions are a delay ploy by the Federal Ministry of Education as the letters in themselves are needless because the unions had always made their positions known since the irregular disbursement of N23 billion to ASUU in 2017. Members have been fully mobilised to participate in the protests, while branches are advised to carry along the media and the security agencies accordingly, it stated. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Minimum Wage: Is N30,000 Too Much for FG to Pay Workers? - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng The late former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Salihu Ibrahim, who died recently, was on Sunday, December 16, laid to rest after a funeral prayer at Yahaya Road Jumaat Mosque, Kaduna state. The funeral prayer was conducted by Sheik Khalid Isiyaku and attended by hundreds of mourners including former head of state, Abdulsalam Abubakar, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Others who attended the event were the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state and that of Kogi, Yahya Bello, minister of interior Lt-Gen Abdulrahaman Danbazzau, Babangida Aliyu, as well the deceased mates of Regular Course 1 of Nigerian Defence Academy, among others. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The late Lt-Gen Salihu being conveyed to his place of final rest in Kaduna on Sunday, December 16, 2018 Credit: Nigerian Army Source: Facebook Buratai, who read the funeral oration at the Commonwealth cemetery, reportedly described the late Army chief as an articulate, professional soldier with a good sense of responsibility. His death is a great loss to his family, the Nigerian Army and the country at large, he said. On his part, Abdulsalami Abubakar described Salihu Ibrahim as a perfect gentleman and professional soldiers who had worked diligently for the Nigerian Army. The remains of Lt-Gen Salihu being moved to the burial site on Sunday, December 16, 2018 Credit: Nigerian Army Source: Facebook Abubakar said his death is a colossal loss not only to the Nigerian Army, but to the country, as his wealth of experience will be greatly missed. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news updates The former head of state urged the younger officers to emulate the selfless contribution of the former COAS, adding that the late Lt-Gen Ibrahim, until his demise was a source of inspiration to his subordinates. Governor Yahaya Bello at the burial of Lt-Gen Salihu on Sunday, December 16 Source: Facebook Speaking at the event, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, who was represented by the commissioner of police, Kaduna state command, Malam Abdurrahman Ahmad, said the deceased was a great military leader, a national hero who served the country diligently. Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian Army on Friday, December 14, buried 19 soldiers among those who lost their lives in an attack by Boko Haram insurgents at Metele, Guzamala local government area, Borno. Twenty-three soldiers were killed and 31 others wounded when the insurgents attacked 157 Task Force Battalion, Metele, on Nov. 18. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Can Nigerian Soldiers really not deal with Boko Haram fighters?| Legit TV Source: Legit.ng President Muhammadu Buhari born December 17, 1942, clocked 76 today, Monday, December 17. As he celebrates the new year, messages of felicitation have started pouring in from various quarters; former military president Ibrahim Babangida was the first to congratulate President Buhari. Babangida in his congratulatory message to President Buhari hailed the president for providing focused leadership and showing tremendous energy despite his age. Also, former president Goodluck Jonathan has followed suit, on Sunday, December 16. Jonathan, in the message he signed in Abuja, thanked God for blessing Buhari with the grace of a long life while noting that the president had contributed so much to the development of Nigeria, having served the nation in different capacities. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Top 5 facts about Buhari as he celebrates 76th birthday Source: UGC 1. Presidency; He contested presidency four times; he won the fourth attempt President Buhari contested the presidency four times. He failed in the first three attempts: 2003, 2007 and 2011. However, in his fourth attempt in 2015, he emerged Nigerias president on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). 2. Buhari is the first to defeat an incumbent president After failing three times, Buhari eventually won the presidency in 2015, making him the first democratically elected president to defeat an incumbent. He defeated ex-President Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 3. Buhari is the first president to be inaugurated by African Union (AU) as Anti-Corruption Champion At the inception of his administration in 2015, President Buhari said his government will focus on the security of lives and properties, the fight against corruption and the resuscitation of the economy. 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. In recognition of his war against corruption, the African Union decorated President Buhari as the Anti-Corruption Champion for the year 2018, making him the first president to be so decorated. 4. He is the second, after Olusegun Obasanjo, to rule Nigeria under the military and civilian governments Nearly 30 years after he was ousted from power, and after three failed attempts to return, President Buhari eventually became the nations 15th leader. He first served as Nigeria's military ruler (197679). After ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, he is the second Nigerian to achieve the feat. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news updates 5. Buhari was in 1985 detained for over two years by then military president Ibrahim Babangida Buhari was in 1985 detained for over two years by then military president Ibrahim Babangida. Speaking recently, Buhari harped on how he ended up in jail after arresting and jailing others for corruption-related offences. When I was the military head of state, I arrested many people and jailed them for alleged corruption. In the end, I also ended in jail, he said. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Election 2019: President Buhari Proves He is Fit to Run in 2019 | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng News - Professor Stephen Ocieni says President remains the most credible presidential candidate for 2019 - The minister of state for labour and employment urged Nigerians not to be deceived by the antics of the opposition PDP - Meanwhile, a former aide to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Balaraba Ibrahim Stegert, also quit the PDP for the APC President Muhammadu Buhari remains the most credible candidate among presidential candidates for the 2019 elections, says the minister of state for labour and employment, Professor Stephen Ocheni. He made the assertion during the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s presidential rally at Anyigba, Kogi, Guardian reports. READ ALSO: Fulanis in Ekiti pledge to live in peace with host communities Legit.ng gathers that the minister urged Nigerians not to be deceived by the antics of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as he also declared that there was no alternative to the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello. Meanwhile, Balaraba Ibrahim Stegert, a former senior special assistant to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on solid minerals, quit the PDP on Sunday, December 16. At the height of political intrigues in Kano state, Balaraba, a strong associate of Kwankwaso, decamped to the APC. After being retained as SA on solid minerals by the Umar Ganduje administration, Balaraba had resigned and reunited with erstwhile political godfather (Kwankwaso) in PDP. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a civil society organisation, the Patriotic Conscience for New Nigeria, lauded the performance of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the vice presidential debate, which held in Abuja on Friday, December 14. In a statement signed by its national coordinator, Salisu Mohammed Sani, the group stated that the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket remains the best option for Nigeria, given the myriads of achievements the present administration had recorded in the past three years. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have updated to serve you better! President Buhari on 2019 Presidential Election: Will you vote for him? - on Legit TV: Source: Legit.ng Twitter is like the home of gist and fun for many Nigerian youths because not only do many of them get to say whatever they want to say on the site, it also serves as the perfect platform to troll their haters, drag a person over a certain predicament and even make jest of close friends. A Nigerian mom recently came out to say that she too wants her own fair share of fun. The woman whose ears had picked a lot about Twitter joined the mini blogging site recently. After she joined, she went on to reveal the reason why she had made the decision to be part of the Nigerian Twitter community. According to the mom named Adebisi Afolayan, she left Facebook to come to Twitter because her children had told her how much fun Twitter was. She revealed this piece of information in a post that has cracked many people up. The new Twitter enthusiast who made it clear that she wants to be part of the fun offered by Twitter was warmly welcomed by most of the young peeps in the 'building'. See her post below: READ ALSO: Mom bursts with pride as daughter who is a doctor takes home distinctions (photos, video) Popular online doctor Olufunmilayo was all too happy to welcome the new Twitter mom with open hands. For Oluwfumilayo, the presence of a Nigerian mom on Twitter meant that the arena was even going to be more interesting. Hence, he took to his page to give her a hearty introduction. See his post below: READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Many Nigerians have also extended their greetings to the Nigerian mom. Some of them could not seem to keep in their excitement at having her on Twitter. They laughed and cracked jokes about what is bound to happen given her presence on the mini blogging site. See some of the reactions below: PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Mothers are very inspiring people. Although they are perceived as women who are getting old and do not have time for trifle things, it has been shown that when they are happy or in the mood, they can do really unexpected things. Recently, a Nigerian mom took to dancing after her daughter who had been married for 10 years without conceiving took in. Her happiness could not be contained in the least. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better. Mom's Blog Ep 3: Does A Mom Have Weekends? | Legit TV Source: Legit - First Lady Aisha Buhari has predicted that Akwa Ibom would soon become an APC state - She made this known in Uyo while inaugurating an empowerment programme for over 11,600 Akwa Ibom women - Aisha Buhari also suggested that the state governor, Udom Emmanuel and his wife, Martha, will soon join the party Wife of the president, Hajia Aisha Buhari, has suggested that Akwa Ibom state governor Udom Emmanuel and his wife, Martha, will soon become members of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Hajia Buhari made this known in Uyo while inaugurating an empowerment programme for over 11,600 Akwa Ibom women, sponsored by the future assured programme, in conjunction with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE). The Nation reports that the president's wife who arrived at Victor Attah International Airport said the situation there was an indication that the state would become an APC state. READ ALSO: No alternative to Buhari - Minister According to her What happened at the airport to me is just mere politics, but when it comes to President Muhammadu Buhari, it is all about a movement, and we have Senator Akpabio in Akwa Ibom to lead the movement. As you know, the president is a man of integrity, and for those who believe in his ideology, they should play politics with morality and integrity. What happened at the airport has shown that almost everybody in Akwa Ibom has entered APC, and soon Mr. and Mrs. Udom Emmanuel will join us. It pleases me to be here to address you on this empowerment and training programme for women and youths, organised by the NDE in collaboration with my Future Assured Programme Since the beginning of this administration, we have empowered thousands of women and youths across the six geopolitical zones of the country. This has been in line with my pledge to contribute to reducing poverty to ensure that women are self-reliant. Hajia Buhari the NDE programme would empower 7,600 women and youths, saying the programme included training for 1,500 women and youths, disbursement of N5,000 each to 1,000 women with starter parks, interest-free loan to 1,100 beneficiaries, and issuance of certificates to 5,000 beneficiaries. she said: Future Assured Programme contributes to this programme with the empowerment of 4,000 women. As you are all know that women economic empowerment programme cannot be over emphasised, it specifically addresses five goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as, poverty alleviation, hunger eradication, gender equality, provision of good jobs and economic growth. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app She thanked Senator Godswill Akpabio for initiating the programme, and the Director General of NDE, Muhammad Lawan, for allowing it to succeed. Lawan thanked the Presidents wife for improving the lives of the displaced, disabled and the disadvantaged. He hailed Akpabio and his wife for hosting the event. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the planned visit of First Lady Aisha Buhari to Akwa Ibom state to launch her pet project generated ripples of controversy as the state government alleged that the visit has a political motive. The project according to her, future assured, a nongovernmental organisation advocating the well-being of women, children, and adolescents in Nigeria. The government of the state accused the Senator Godwin Akapbio of hijacking the protocol marked for the visit of the First Lady to blackmail the incumbent governor and score cheap political gain ahead of 2019. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Check out Nigerians birthday wishes to President Buhari | Legit TV: Source: Legit.ng The much anticipated vice presidential debate has come and gone, leaving tons of mixed reactions from Nigerians who are looking forward to seeing a tough presidential election in 2019. And as expected, the debate, which was held on Friday, December 14, 2018, among party vice presidential candidates including the incumbent Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s Peter Obi and three other candidates, dominated the socia media. From Twitter to Facebook engagement, the reactions are massive, as Nigerians chose who was the best among the five people involved. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Meanwhile, a post-debate Twitter poll conducted by Legit.ng sought the opinion of Nigerians on who had the best moment on stage between PDP's Peter Obi and All Progressives Congress (APC)'s Yemi Osinbajo. The online poll, which was conducted on Saturday, December 15, 2018, generated 1,933 votes. By percentage, Obi, a former governor of Anambra state, won by a landslide of 64% to defeat Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who got 34% of the votes. 2% of the votes went to other vice presidential candidates. See the result on the Twitter: Below are the reactions on Twitter: In a similar reaction on Facebook, Nigerians poured out their mind after the fierce debate between the two notable candidates. See reactions from Facebook users: PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that reactions had trailed the vice presidential debate held on Friday, December 14, which had Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in attendance. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better The Next President of Nigeria. Who Will Win the 2019 Elections? | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng The management of Diamond Bank on Monday, December 17, announced its merger with Access Bank. Premium Times reports that a statement by Uzoma Uja, the banks secretary/legal adviser, said the transaction will be completed by the first half of 2019. The proposed merger would involve Access Bank acquiring the entire issued share capital of Diamond Bank in exchange for a combination of cash and shares in Access Bank via a Scheme of Merger, the disclosure, sent to the Nigeria Stock Exchange, said. READ ALSO: Nigerias ex-Chief of Army Staff celebrated in death, buried in Kaduna (photos) Read the full statement below: Statement regarding scheme to merge with Acess Bank "The Board of Diamond Bank Plc (Diamond Bank) today announces that following a strategic review leading to a competitive process, the Board has selected Access Bank Plc (Access Bank) as the preferred bidder with respect to a potential merger of the two banks (the merger) that will create Nigeria and Africas largest retail bank by customers. "The Board of Diamond Bank believes that the merger is in the best interest of all stakeholders including, employees, customers, depositors and shareholders and has agreed to recommend the offer to Diamond Banks shareholders. Completion of the merger is subject to certain shareholder and regulatory approvals. "The proposed merger would involve Access Bank acquiring the entire issued share capital of Diamond Bank in exchange for a combination of cash and shares in Access Bank via a Scheme of Merger. Based on the agreement reached by the Boards of the two financial institutions, Diamond Bank shareholders will receive a consideration of N3.13 per share, comprising of N1.00 per share in cash and the allotment of two (2) New Access Bank ordinary shares for every seven (7) Diamond Bank ordinary shares held as at the "Implementation Date. The offer represents a premium of 260% to the closing market price of N0.87 per share of Diamond Bank on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as of December 13, 2018, the date of the final binding offer. "Immediately following completion of the merger, Diamond Bank would be absorbed into Access Bank and it will cease to exist under Nigerian law. The current listing of Diamond Banks shares on the NSE and the listing of Diamond Banks global depositary receipts on the London Stock Exchange will be cancelled, upon the merger becoming effective." Diamond Bank expects the transaction to be completed in the first half of 2019. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the world debt has hit an all-time record of $184 trillion, an upward review from the $182 trillion it reported a week earlier. Legit.ng gathered that the figure represents an average of $86,000 debt owed per person, according to a statement by Ting Yan, a press officer at IMF, on Global Debt Database (GDD) update. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Yan said: Today, the International Monetary Fund updated its publicly available Global Debt Database (GDD) a comprehensive dataset covering public and private debt for virtually the entire world (190 countries) dating back to the 1950s. Todays update of the GDD offers for the first time a glimpse of global debt developments up to 2017. By including both the sovereign and private sides of borrowing for the entire world, the GDD offers an unprecedented picture of global debt in the post-World War II era. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng to serve its readers better. Best journalism! Will N30million free money change your lifestyle? on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - 20-year-old Maya Hughes has reconnected with a man identified as Tom Periello, that saved her life when she was just five - According to the viral story, Hughes was living in Sierra Leone in 2003 when she suffered a medical emergency and needed to go back to the US - Her mother unable to go with her, approached Perriello, a complete stranger, at the airport and asked him to accompany her daughter A story of a young lady identified as Maya Hughes and Tom Periello, has since gone viral on social media. According to the story narrated by Hughes, four months after she relocated to their home country, Sierra Leone in 2003, she fell ill and her mum decided to send her back to the US. However, her mum, Zee Sesay, couldn't go with her and to make matters worse, she couldn't find anyone to go with a then 5-year-old Hughes and out of desperation, begged a stranger now identified as Tom Periello, who was on his way to US for a funeral. Speaking with Buzzfeed, Sesay said she rushed to the airport and asked a ticket counter employee to point out anyone who was traveling to the US. "I walked over to this gentleman and asked if he could travel with Maya. At first he said no, saying he was traveling to the US for a funeral. READ ALSO: Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (former NAIJ.com) Maya Hughes Source: Twitter Source: Twitter After a while of trying to convince him to accompany the youngster to the US to meet her relatives in Maryland, he finally agreed. "I stood by and watched the plane took off and not realizing I had handed my kid off to a complete stranger,' she said. It was adrenaline, I wasn't in the right state of mind and I wasn't thinking properly ... and that was the end of it. I never again saw this man" she told Buzzfeed. Click to see the full Twitter thread: READ ALSO: After rescuing 13 persons from boat accident, 36-year-old man dies Hughe who shared the story on her Twitter account, revealed that they never got his name and so for the next 15 years, her mum tried to locate the Good Samaritan. She eventually got his name and discovered a family friend worked for him. Hughes revealed that her mum emailed him and he remembered everything. The man identified as Tom Periello is a representative from Virginia who worked with former President Barack Obama's administration. Reacting to the story shared by Hughes on Twitter, Periello wrote: "One of the craziest experiences of my entire life is now a Twitter thread - and I could not be happier to know you are shining bright, @_themayan_ !" PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News on Legit.ng News App In an interview with Buzzfeed, Perriello had this to say: "It's an incredibly vivid memory that seems like something out of a movie. It just wasn't clear if it was a happy movie or a sad movie. One of the happier moments in my life was seeing Maya run into her grandmother's arms." Hughes and Sesay both revealed they are hopeful that they will someday be able to meet Perriello in person. Get the hottest gist on Africa Love Aid HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better Nigerian Christians are too focused on miracles - Lumina | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - An aggrieved APC leader blames Bola Tinubu for the leadership crisis rocking the southwest chapter of the party - The APC member, who pleaded not to be named, says the outcome of the partys primaries in Lagos state has led to problems which may lead to extraordinary consequences for the party in the coming elections - Efforts at resolving the intraparty crisis rocking the APC in the southwest again failed as several aggrieved members of the party, including southwest governors, boycotted the meeting An aggrieved leader in the Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that a southwest leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, is planning to contest for president in 2023. The APC member who pleaded not to be named also blamed Tinubu for the leadership crisis rocking the southwest chapter of the party. The party leader told This Day that the primaries in Lagos state has caused problems which may lead to extraordinary consequences for the party in the coming elections. READ ALSO: 2019: No alternative to Buhari - Minister It is sad though. End of one-mans rule may finally be here. There is enormous interest in what those disaffected with Lagos APC primaries will do. It will significantly affect presidential and governorship elections results in Lagos. If they all act their conscience and hidden agenda, then an earthquake will happen in Lagos, he said. It is the era of the revolution to free Lagos now. Tinubu may have installed the last governor in open elections. The undue and unjust interference of Tinubus over ambition to be president in 2023. He imposed Oshiomhole and Osinbajo on the APC due to their selfishness. This practice will sure cause the party to suffer loss in a lot of states including, Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Imo, Zamfara, Akwa Ibom Delta, Benue, Kwara, Bayelsa, Abia and many other states, where Tinubu is seeking to install stooges as governors in preparation for his 2023 presidential bid, having deceived and blackmailed President Buhari." READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Meanwhile, efforts at resolving the intraparty crisis rocking the APC in the southwest have again failed as several aggrieved members of the party, including southwest governors boycotted the meeting of the six-man reconciliation committee, which kicked off on December 10 in Ekiti State and ended on December 12 in Lagos state. Multiple sources told This Day that most of the aggrieved aspirants threatened to work against the APC during the 2019 general election if the party failed to address diverse issues they had raised before the committee. In another report, some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have accused Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of funding the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign as payback for the way he was stopped from seeking a second term. The accusation is coming ahead of a Monday, December 17, briefing where Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the southwest leader of the party is expected to address party members, Vanguard reports. Though Ambode has publicly endorsed Sanwo-Olu as the partys candidate for the Lagos state 2019 governorship election, a section of the party has continued to suspect the governor of double dealings. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! Lagos Governor: Is Sanwoolu a better candidate than Ambode?| Legit TV Source: Legit - A lawmaker has congratulated President Muhamamdu Buhari on his 76th birthday - Danlami Kurfi said the president has proved that he is worthy of reelection come 2019 - Kurfi also urged Nigerians to continue to root for Buhari's reelection bid with hope for a greater Nigeria A member of the House of Representatives, Danlami Kurfi, has joined millions of Nigerians to eulogise President Buhari as he celebrates his 76th birthday. Kurfi, the lawmaker representing Dutsin-ma/Kurfi federal constituency of Katsina state at the lower House described President Buhari as the man of the people. In a statement sent to Legit.ng, the lawmaker said the president, in his four years of leading Nigerians, has proved that he is worthy of reelection. According to him, President Buhari has driven the nation from darkness into a hemisphere of development that would span through years to come. The lawmaker while highlighting various achievement of the present administration under the leadership of Buhari urged Nigerians to continue to root for his reelection bid. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Kurfi said: "A happy birthday to you, Mr. President!. Indeed you have proved to Nigerians and the world as a whole that you are a man of the people. You have also within a short period of time confirmed that you belong to everybody and you belong to nobody. "In you we have seen great leadership qualities worthy of emulation and continue to pray that Almighty Allah continue to give you the strength, long life and prosperity to lead us (Nigerians) to the promised land." President Buhari, a native of Daura, a Fulani town situated in Katsina state, was born on December 17, 1942. READ ALSO: Bola Tinubu planning to contest for president in 2023 - APC leader alleges He is the twenty-third child of his father, Adamu and was single-handedly raised by his mother, Zulaihat from age four after his father died. Buhari attended primary school in Daura and Maiadua before proceeding to Katsina Model School in 1953 and to Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College Katsina) from 1956 to 1961. He later joined the army in the year 1962 and became the governor of the Northeastern state during the regime of General Murtala Mohammed. Buhari was later appointed the federal commissioner for petroleum and natural resources during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1976. He later retired as a Nigerian Army major general after serving as Nigeria's military Head of State from December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985 In 2015, General Buhari won the presidential election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after having lost at several attempts n 2003, 2007 and 2011 under different parties. He is currently seeking re-election into Nigeria's highest seat of power in the forthcoming 2019 general election. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news updates Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a former president Goodluck Jonathan, on Sunday, December 16, sent a congratulatory message to his immediate successor, President Buhari, ahead of his 76th birthday celebration. Jonathan, in the message he signed in Abuja, thanked God for blessing Buhari with the grace of a long life while noting that the president had contributed so much to the development of Nigeria, having served the nation in different capacities. He also described Buhari as always giving his best whenever he is called upon to serve. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. 'Nigeria Needs a Leader That is Not Bigger Than the Country' - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV Source: Legit A male victim was taken to an area hospital after Allentown police say he was shot at the intersection of Elliger and Allen streets. Police Captain Charles Roca said the shooting took place sometime between 2:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. It's unclear if the victim, an adult man from Allentown, knew the shooter. Roca said the victim's injuries did not appear to be life threatening. Roca also did not have information about where the victim suffered the gunshot wound. The incident remains under investigation. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. An Allentown man reportedly told police officers he believed a dark car was chasing him and his two sons Saturday night while they were near the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. Willie Price-Perry, of the 800 block of North Eighth Street in Allentown, was pulling the boys when one of them fell, hurting his ankle, police said. The 33-year-old Price-Perry went inside the retail center connected to the casino, and asked Kids Quest staff to call EMS for the boy. Officers who responded said Price-Perry appeared very paranoid, and he told them people were trying to get him and were tracking him on his phone. Price-Perry reportedly said he was hearing voices and sounds from people and things that were not visible, and he believed vehicles driving past were watching him. Price-Perry admitted to using ecstasy and marijuana, and he was taken to St. Lukes University Hospital in Fountain Hill for a psychological evaluation. Police said Price-Perry tested positive for THC and methamphetamine. He was charged with two counts of child endangerment, and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A man exposed himself to Northeast Middle School students Friday afternoon in the areas of Maple and Jennings streets and Maple and Frankford streets. The Bethlehem Area School District alerted Northeast parents of the incidents, which Bethlehem police are investigating, via an automated call home on Monday. The exposures happened between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. as children were headed home from school, according to the alert. The man is described as white, age 35 to 50 with a medium-to-heavy build. He does not have facial hair and was not wearing glasses. Anyone who encounters a man fitting that description should call city police and notify the school. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Lafayette College student was in an argument with a fellow gamer on May 5, and that second gamer subsequently asked another participant to anonymously threaten the Easton school, the FBI reports in court papers. The online breadcrumbs appear to be set up to falsely point the threats back to the student, court papers indicate. The threats, which indicated numerous explosive devices were planted on the campus and indicated an allegiance to ISIS, caused the college to take steps to protect students, including moving the location of its graduation ceremony, the FBI said. After hours of searching, it was determined the threats were unfounded, authorities said. Gavin Lee Casdorph, 20, of Anchorage, Alaska, used information bought from a website tied to a Russian to make several attempts that day to register a Twitter account in the Lafayette students name, the FBI said. The website provides verification for the purchaser to use when setting up social media or email accounts while remaining anonymous, the FBI said. Once successful -- when PA 1 was added to the end of the students name -- Casdorph followed people and businesses from Lafayette and the nearby area, the FBI said. Casdorph then created the account BdanJafarSaleem, using a number from the website, and followed many of the same people and places, the FBI said. It was that account that would be used for the threats, the FBI said. Casdorph also created a Yahoo email account to send the threats to several college officials, an FBI special agent added. A phone number tied to activating the Twitter account and to the anonymous verification website led investigators on July 2 to a person working with a Russian at the website, court papers say. That person, who was not named in court papers, linked the account attempts in the students name to the eventual Twitter account used in the threats, the FBI said. Eventually, authorities were on the Lafayette students doorstep. The student, who authorities did not identify in the affidavit attached to the arrest warrant, was contacted Dec. 6 by law enforcement at his home in Middleburg, Virginia, court papers say. It wasnt immediately clear if hes still a student. Hes identified as Person 2 in court papers. He immediately told the interviewers that he could help with the investigation into threats at Lafayette College and that he knew all about it, the FBI said. The student was playing the online game Counterstrike and communicating with fellow players via Discord, a free voice and text program, he told the FBI. He got into an argument with a person with the handle Neuroscientist, a gamer who is known for doxing -- the practice of broadcasting private or identifiable information about others, the FBI said. Person 2 said he knew another person from the Discord channel named Gavin (last name unknown), who was friends with David (last name unknown)," the FBI said in court papers. "David ... told Person 2 that Gavin was involved in the swatting at Lafayette College. Casdorph was interviewed Dec. 11 by two FBI special agents at his home in Anchorage, court papers say. After a search warrant was served and Casdorph was advised of his rights, he gave up his right to self-incrimination and admitted to making the threats, the FBI said. Casdorph was on the Discord channel on May 5 when, after the argument, Neuroscientist asked him to send in an anonymous threat to Lafayette College, the FBI agents said Casdorph told them. Casdorph said he bought a phone number off a Russian website to set up the Twitter account and used TOR software to shield his identity, the FBI said. He used a text site called pastebin in the efforts as well, the FBI said. Casdorph said it was a generic threat that had something to do with ISIS, the FBI said. He boasted that he thought it would be difficult for investigators to prove how he made the threats unless he admitted it, the FBI said. Casdorph has a detention hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday in Anchorage. His attorneys didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Casdorph is charged with making threats by communication -- that he knew to be false -- indicating a desire to kill, injure or intimidate any individual or to damage or destroy any building, vehicle or other real or personal property by means of fire or an explosive, authorities say. Casdorph threatened to detonate multiple explosive devices he claimed to have planted on the campus of Lafayette College ... to inflict maximum damage on those at the college, the FBI charges in the singe criminal count in court papers. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The dramatic changes to Portlaoise's landscape and population are at the heart of a new film to be screened in Portlaoise next week. 'Walking Back To My Heart' is the work of award-winning broadcaster and documentary maker, Ann Marie Kelly and produced by her husband Stewart Quinn. Shot over three years, the film focuses on stories from the past and looks to reimagine the future of Portlaoise through the eyes of a group of 12 children, led on a walk around the heart of the town by renowned local poet and author, Pat Boran. Ann Marie, who is known to many from her work on Midlands 103fm Radio, told the Leinster Express the film was inspired by the closure of the primary schools in the town centre, in particular, the Presentation project. She felt this represented the radical change the town is undergoing. What struck her most was the closure of the convent school. Read also: WATCH TRAILER OF NEW FILM Anne Marie believes the building and a group of children who moved to the new Holy Family schools represent Portlaoise's past present and future, so she made them the key players in the film. She drafted in Portlaoise poet Pat Boran as a guide to show the children the heritage and history of the 'old ' town. During their journey, the children find hidden, amidst the decayed areas surrounding the Main Street, the possibility of new life. Pat also revisited his childhood classroom in the convent. Ann Marie also interviews some of the nuns who called the convent their home. The film also includes 'magical' and good quality footage of the town and its people in times gone by. Another feature is a public meeting about the future landscape of the town centre. Ann Marie also reunites a class who left primary school 50 years ago in Portlaoise for the film. It is charting a town that is going through a huge transition. It is giving us hope. The children are part of that picture, she said. The film is currently being submitted for consideration on the international film festival circuit and is supported by Creative Ireland funding. Ann Marie's first film "Wally" was broadcast on RTE One television in 2013. In October of this year, Ann Marie picked up 2 IMRO National Radio Awards for her Open Door programme on Midlands 103, and as Specialist Music Broadcaster of the Year. The film premieres at the Dunamaise Arts Centre on Monday, December 17 at 7pm. Tickets for the event are priced at 7 with all proceeds being donated to the special needs classes of Holy Family Junior School. There will also be a question and answer session with the production team after the screening. The decision has been made on whether Portlaoise is to be Leinster's choice to host Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2020. The Laois capital put forward an ambitious bid to host the massive Irish music and dance festival, which brings an estimated 10 million and 400,000 visitors to the host town. Chairman of Laois Comhaltas and Portlaoise Comhaltas PJ Phelan had led the application process. He confirmed on Monday December 17 that they have been unsuccessful in their bid. The town to be put forward by the Leinster province is Mullingar which hosted the first ever All Ireland Fleadh and if chosen, would celebrate the 70th anniversary by bringing it back. "We are disappointed, but we have learned from this, and are encouraged in that it was a first attempt. We had an overwhelmingly positive response from the judges. We will go again," Mr Phelan told the Leinster Express. Laois councillors praised his work in submitting the proposal of Portlaoise as host town, at the council meeting on Monday. "Unfortunately we didn't get it but well done to PJ Phelan," said Cllr James Kelly. "It would have been a huge boost. It generates up to 40 million but here we could have got 10m or 15m. I hope when the next chance comes around, that the same team can get together. Maybe having the cultural quarter in Portlaoise by then will be an advantage," he said. Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald also commiserated. "I am very disappointed that we were not successful in the bid, but the feedback from delegates was very positive. The next bid is in 2022, and I hope the cultural quarter will help. PJ and Mary put their hearts and souls into this bid. I thank everyone especially Laois County Council who got fully behind this bid," she said. A Laois community pulled together and held a huge fundraiser recently for a little girl, Mary Claire Knowles who suffers from Dravet Syndrome. Little Mary Claire has a severe form of epilepsy and suffers from long seizures which are life-threatening and she is often rushed to the hospital. The Knowles family from Ballyroan featured on a tv series earlier this year which shone a light on their situation. Mary Claire's father Anthony Knowles has said that she needs medicinal cannabis to help treat her epilepsy but it is currently not legal in Ireland. After the TV series aired showing the hardship that the Knowles family goes through as a result of this lack of treatment, the local community started to fundraise for the family. The close-knit community in Ballyroan organised a huge livestock auction and raised an amazing 17,600 for Mary Claire. The money was recently presented to Anthony and Rose Knowles in the care of Mary Claire. A couple of weeks ago, the family also had a streak of luck when they were picked to go on the TV game show Winning Streak where Anthony spun the big wheel to win a total of 57,000. Anthony told the Leinster Express at the time that all he could think of spending the money on was getting Mary Claire 'on the right road'. WATCH: Laois father spins the big wheel on RTE's Winning Streak. Farmers Shane and Dermot OLoughlin from Monasterevin took home the top award for Large Herd in the Dairy category at this weeks Bord Bia Origin Green Farmer Awards, held at The Heritage Hotel, Killenard on December 12. The OLoughlins have 190 spring calving cows and 50 autumn calvers. The judges were impressed with the attention to detail on their large farm. Shane, who is a council member of Glanbia, is a great supporter of research and hosts veterinary trials carried out by UCD on breeding and calf rearing. He is a council member of Glanbia and also participates in the Fresh Milk Producers group (FMP). The judges found that this openness to shared learning on the OLoughlins farm had positively contributed to improvements in key sustainability areas including welfare, nutrient management and efficiency. The OLoughlins were one of 11 category winners as Bord Bia honoured Ireland's most sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly family farms. Over 240 farmers and senior representatives from farming organisations and the agri-food industry gathered to celebrate the achievements of the finalists, drawn from the dairy, beef and horticulture sectors across the country. In total, 39 finalists competed for the prestigious awards following a rigorous process that included on-farm judging by teams from Bord Bia, Teagasc, the Irish Farmers Journal, UCD and IT Blanchardstown. Opening the awards ceremony Bord Bia's Chairperson Dan MacSweeney highlighted the importance of sustainable food production to the future of Irish farming and rural economies: In addition to supporting on-farm sustainability efforts, Origin Green supports our marketing and sales efforts, playing a key role in helping us meet the ambitious targets of Food Wise 2025, which see our food and drink exports grow to 19 billion annually by the middle of the next decade. This isnt just a win for industry, it translates into more value coming back to the rural economy right across Ireland, as growth in sustainably produced food and drink delivers jobs and activity to local communities now and in the future. Presenting the awards Bord Bia CEO, Tara McCarthy paid tribute to the achievements of all the finalists: The pursuit of excellence by Origin Green farmers is at the heart of the Irish food and drink industrys export success in a challenging consumer-driven trading environment." All finalists will be invited by Bord Bia to participate in an organised visit to an overseas market to see how the organisation uses their achievements in sustainability to win new business. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. A Maynooth woman has been named Researcher of the Year for 2018 by the Irish Research Council. Dr Karen English was given the award for her research in the area of cellular therapy for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. She leads the Cellular Immunology Laboratory at the Institute of Immunology at Maynooth University. Now in their second year, the Researcher of the Year awards recognise and commend the very best of the Councils current awardees or alumni working in academia, industry, civic society or the public sector. Her exceptional career is a testament to the quality and calibre of people in Irelands research sector and I would like to commend her on her hard work and dedication to her chosen field, Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan, TD said. Supporting exceptional researchers from early-career stage and ensuring that we have pipeline for a broad range of expertise, is essential for our research eco-system and future-proofs our higher education sector. Read also: Naas author Paul FitzSimons publishes first novel Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy has said that the free rein given to banks and vulture funds by the Government and Fianna Fail has inevitably led to forced evictions and violent scenes such as those witnessed in Strokestown in recent days. Carthy also hit out at the use of a private security firm by KBC in the Strokestown case and said that the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan must clarify the role of the Gardai in this type of situations. Matt Carthy, originally from Strokestown himself, said, "Forced evictions and the violent scenes witnessed in Co. Roscommon are the natural outworking of the free rein provided by both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to banks and vulture funds in recent times. It is time for government policy to shift from that of embracing the wishes of financial institutions to one that supports families and communities. "Since the onset of the financial crash, we have witnessed measure after measure being put in place to protect the interests of the bankers. From the bail-outs, to tax breaks, to inviting and encouraging vulture funds to enter the Irish market, the lengths in which government policy could be stretch to accommodate the sector responsible for the crash in the first place has known no boundary. Is it any wonder that these institutions feel that they can act with impunity when it comes to dragging families from their homes? "The scenes of brutality meted out by black-clad, nameless security men on two Roscommon natives, on behalf of KCB bank on Tuesday is an outrage to most Irish people. It recalls the days of violent evictions during the famine in this area which has a long and storied folk memory. "That a local family were subjected to a terrifying ordeal of thuggery from a group of men acting on behalf of a financial institution will be worrying to all right thinking people. The allegations that some of those involved in the evictions have links to loyalist paramilitaries are deeply troubling. "The role of the Gardai, standing watch while, according to footage relayed on social media, clear acts of assault were taken place and their general facilitation of forced evictions must be examined. I will be writing to the Minister for Justice asking him to clarify the role of the Gardai in these instances and to amend that role if necessary. "Lets remember the inherent unfairness of the situation whereby banks continue to sell-off non-performing loans at huge discounts to vulture funds while refusing to provide any measures that would allow families to remain in their homes. It is this situation, overseen by Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, that has resulted in such revulsion at the events in Roscommon and such a large outpouring of solidarity with those families faced with the bully boy tactics of the banks and their hireling thugs." A SEXUAL abuse survivor who waived her right to anonymity before calling on the Minister for Justice to make changes to the system by which rape trials are carried out, has been named the Limerick Person of the Month. Leona OCallaghan, 37, made headlines in November when she walked out the front doors of the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, faced the media and spoke of how the legal process of bringing her abuser to justice was very, very hard, the most difficult thing Ive ever done. The mother-of-three waived her right to anonymity so that Patrick ODea, also known as Whacker, could be named. Im just taken aback by the support, said Leona after being presented with the Limerick Person of the Month award at Limericks Clayton Hotel. Its been such a tough couple of years that for it to end with something like this, it touches my heart how good people have been and how supportive. I suppose Im just proud of myself and I havent felt that way about myself for a long time. Im very grateful. It means a lot to get it. Patrick ODea, 51, was jailed for 17 years after he raped Leona, then aged 13, in a graveyard and continued a sexual relationship with her having manipulated her. ODea was already serving a 15-year sentence for the multiple rape and sexual assaults of another young girl and has a conviction for the sexual assault of a third young girl. The sentence was backdated to February 2015 and will run concurrently with the sentence ODea is already serving. Speaking to the Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan on RTE's Claire Byrne Live programme following the sentencing, Leona said she barely made it through the legal process, and it tore me to pieces. Rapists who are given concurrent sentences for raping more than one victim are essentially getting away with a free rape, she said. So for example, the 15 years that he got for another girl will run the same time as [mine] and Im just wondering which one of us was the free rape?" she asked the minister. Leona says she is determined to follow up her concerns with Minister Flanagan. That night [of Claire Byrne Live] he told me he was going to text me. I got no text but I have met with Ruth Coppinger. I will absolutely be pushing his buttons. Leona has set up a support group for survivors of sexual abuse. Survivors Support Anonymous (SSA) host free and confidential meetings in Limerick. The most healing part for me was when I did my victim impact statement., she says. During that I addressed him [ODea] and looked him in the eye and said what I had to say to him. It was very healing. He had to listen. Throughout the court proceedings most of the time he was emotionless and didnt look in my direction but during that I did call him and waited for him to look at me. Its about me saying what you did wasnt OK. I felt strong in those moments and felt very much my adult self which was an unfamiliar feeling in his company. It was healing, quite healing. While Leona says she and her three children aged 18, 14 and 10 are still licking their wounds, their focus now is on rebuilding their lives, and having some fun as a family again. Ive been really taken aback by how kind people have been, how non-judgemental. I do want something good to come out of this which is why I spoke out. Ive been in survivor mode for as long as I can remember just getting through my days to do what I need to do to keep the kids OK. But we havent been out having fun and enjoying life and now I want them to see life is good. If you are affected by this article call 0851492977 or visit www.survivorsupportanon.org for more. A SERIAL offender has been sentenced at Limerick court to nine months imprisonment for a number of daytime burglaries and trespassing offences. In one incident in June, Robert Benn, aged 25, of no fixed abode, walked straight into two neighbouring houses as the front doors were unlocked at the time. Sgt Donal Cronin said those offences happened at around 1.30pm and that Benn encountered a number of young children in one of the houses. In another incident on June 15, the defendant took a mobile phone after he entered a private services area at an apartment complex on the Dock Road. The defendant also admitted trespassing on the curtilage of a number of houses at Glanntan, Castletroy on February 2, last and to stealing a laptop from a car which was parked outside a house at Kylemore, Monaleen. Judge Marian OLeary was told the laptop was destroyed by fire and that Benn, who has more than 100 previous convictions, was in possession of two stolen lottery tickets when arrested by gardai. Solicitor Darach McCarthy said his client had committed the offences a short time after he was released from prison having served a lengthy prison sentence. He said Benn suffers from serious addiction issues and that there were no support services available for him when he was released from prison. The first few days post-release are crucial, he said adding his client accepts he has to address his problems for himself. Judge OLeary imposed a number of consecutive prison sentences totalling nine months. An appeal against the severity of the sentence has been lodged. THE High Court has ruled that a Limerick apartment linked to a convicted brothel keeper and her son was acquired with the proceeds of crime. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart made the orders in favour of the Criminal Assets Bureau concerning the property in proceedings against Brazilian born Aulicete Walsh and her son Maicon Morelli. Mr Morelli is the apartment's registered owner. The exact location of the apartment cannot be identified for legal reasons. In her judgment on Monday, Ms Justice Stewart said she had no hesitation in finding that property was acquired with the proceeds of crime. The Judge said that Mrs Walsh had put a great deal of effort into continually flouting the law and engaging in brothel keeping. She had also engaged in a lifestyle, which included the purchase of holidays and relatively new cars, through criminal activity all of which was based on a business model that takes advantage of vulnerable young women to make a profit. In 2017 Mrs Walsh was convicted of brothel keeping in Ennis and Limerick in May 2015 and was given an eight-month prison sentence. Mrs Walsh aged 55 years with an address at Clarina, Co Limerick, was previously convicted of brothel keeping and fined 750 in 2012 at Newcastle West District Court. The apartment in question was purchased by a bank draft in 2014 for approximately 34,000. CAB, arising out of a Garda investigation into brothel keeping, obtained orders freezing the property. CAB claimed the property was purchased with the proceeds of crime by Mrs Walsh and transferred into her son's name. CAB sought orders under Section 3 of the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act. Both mother and son opposed CAB's application. They argued that just over 20,000 used to buy the apartment came from legitimate income. If the property, which the court heard has increased in value, is sold by CAB they claimed that they should receive a percentage of the proceeds of that sale. Mrs Walsh claimed she put 10,000 she earned in cash doing jobs such as house cleaning, minding children, working in butchers, bakers, a clinic and restaurants in Co Galway, into the apartment. Mrs Walsh came to Ireland from Brazil in 2006. and subsequently married an Irish man. Mr Morelli, who now resides in Brazil, claimed he was given money by his late father in Brazil which he brought to Ireland and put towards the purchase of the apartment. He also claimed he put money, which he earned from doing various jobs when he lived in Ireland, he saved himself was also used to acquire the property. Mr Morelli said he has never been involved in any serious criminality, and had nothing to do with his mother brothel keeping activities. Dismissing the mother and son's claims the Judge said the respondents had failed to show that the property was not bought with the proceeds of crime. The judge said this was due to the inconsistency with Mrs Walshs evidence, her attempts to conceal the status of the property when interviewed by the Gardai, and the failure to provide financial and account evidence to support their claims about the property. While Mrs Walsh had some legitimate income, it was clear she and her husband lived a lifestyle which required significant funds, funds that could not have accrued from her meagre income. Any legitimate income expanded by Mrs Walsh in purchasing the property would not have been available for that use, were she not availing of her ill-gotten gains to support her daily life and preferred lifestyle, the Judge added. In the circumstances, the judge said she was prepared to grant the orders sought by CAB. Details of any plans to extend the Governments CLAR programme, which is aimed at helping areas which have suffered the greatest levels of population decline, were sought in the Dail by Fine Gael Deputy Tom Neville. Deputy Neville said funding for Limerick under CLAR included Bulgaden National School, Meekilly National School, Doon Girls National School, Athea National School, Kilbehenny National School, Mountcollins National School, Oola Community Council, village and school, Raheenagh National School, Knockadea National School and Ashford National School. I also welcome funding under measure two for Kilfinane Community Council and Kileedy Development Committee, he said. Minister Ring said he had commenced a review of the programme which will examine CLAR areas in light of the 2016 census data. The review process began last month with a targeted consultation meeting with a number of experts who are recognised for their background in rural development issues, he said. The review will also involve more detailed stakeholder consultation and I anticipate that it will be completed in the first half of 2019. Last year one of things that worked out very well he said was in regard to first responders, particularly in some rural areas where they do not have health board services. They depend on ambulances and voluntary organisations, like the Order of Malta, to bring people to hospital. That has worked our very well. I refer to cancer services, he said, In particular in rural Ireland, many people do not have the funding and are not able to get to hospital appointments. We need to support them and help them to get to their appointments and home again. I am delighted I brought in that initiative. I am looking at other initiatives and that is why we are doing the review. Assurances sought on State benefits in UK and Ireland Details of any arrangements that are in place to protect the reciprocal arrangements for the receipt of State benefits between Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland post Brexit were sought from the Taoiseach by Fianna Fail Deputy Willie ODea. For example, 135,000 people in Ireland are currently in receipt of British State pensions and approximately 70,000 are in receipt of private pensions from the UK, he said. There are also reciprocal arrangements for State assistance such as child benefit. Many of those people are very concerned, and they need reassurance. Could the Taoiseach offer them that? In reply, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Minister responsible, Regina Doherty, has done a lot of work on this matter with her colleague in the United Kingdom. I can assure people who receive UK pensions in whole or in part, or part of a UK benefit, and vice versa, that it will continue, he said. Details sought on trade with Britain in event of hard Brexit Details of any arrangements that have been made or are being made by the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation to ensure North-South trade will continue uninterrupted in the event of a hard Brexit were sought in the Dail by Sinn Fein Deputy Maurice Quinlivan. Are contingency plans in place for exporters and hauliers who use the landbridge through Britain? he asked. What has been the level of contact and co-operation between the Minister and her counterpart in London on the matter? I was happy to attend the very well-organised conference in Thomond Park in Limerick, which was quite successful and at which there was a good turnout. With the increased threat of a hard Brexit, I am very concerned about businesses that depend on using the land bridge through Britain for goods going to and from the Continent. In reply, Minister Heather Humphreys said Budget 2019 provided over 110 million for additional Brexit preparedness resources and initiatives. My Department and its agencies are participating in the new cross-government awareness campaign, Getting Ireland Brexit Ready, with events in Limerick, Cork, Galway, Monaghan, Donegal and Dublin in October and November, she said. Over 3,000 businesses have used Enterprise Ireland's Brexit scorecard to date and 85% of its client firms are taking Brexit-related actions such as diversifying their export markets, improving operational competitiveness and investing in research and development. The Minister said she had provided funding for 98 additional staff for the agencies and regulatory bodies within the remit of her Department to date to prepare Irish businesses for Brexit. In addition, I am providing an additional 8 million in 2019 for my Department, as well as its agencies and regulatory bodies, to continue the work on our Brexit response and in increasing our global footprint, she added. The additional work of my Department's agencies such as the Health and Safety Authority and the National Standards Authority of Ireland is particularly important in helping businesses to prepare for a worst case scenario. Military shipwrecks dating as far back as the Revolutionary War and including ships from the Civil War and both World War I and World War II were deliberately sunk here at Mallows Bay in Maryland. WASHINGTON The history of maritime vessels in the U.S. is preserved in an unlikely place at the bottom of a river. Nearly 200 military shipwrecks dating as far back as the Revolutionary War and including ships from the Civil War and both World War I and World War II were deliberately sunk over centuries, in an area of the Potomac River called Mallows Bay, in Maryland. Over time, this so-called ghost fleet of wooden ships has come to serve as habitat for local wildlife. But is this artificial ecosystem stable? Researchers recently investigated how the shipwrecks have changed over time; their findings, presented here on Dec. 13 at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), explained how the bodies of the ships weathered river conditions in some cases for hundreds of years and how that might affect the future of the ghost fleet ecosystem. [Mayday! 17 Mysterious Shipwrecks You Can See on Google Earth] The four researchers were accompanied at AGU by a chaperone, as they are all fifth-grade students attending the J.C. Parks Elementary School in Maryland. A school trip to Mallows Bay last year inspired them to question how the ships got there and what happened to them after they were sunk, Renata Ashton, age 11, told Live Science. They consulted aerial maps of the ghost fleet that were created decades apart, "and we looked at them to see which ones had moved and decayed," said Shyla Lancaster, also 11. After comparing known ship positions across different maps, they discovered that some ships were definitely not staying put most of the ships were shifting eastward, and some moved as far as 20 miles (32 kilometers) downriver, they reported. Natural forces that affected the ships included storms, floods and erosion, according to 10-year-old Annabelle Nault. The best-preserved parts of the shipwrecks were deeply embedded in mud, while the exposed parts showed greater signs of deterioration, explained Kharylle Deramos, age 10. Together, the ships form an elaborate infrastructure that has become a habitat for bald eagles, fish and other animals, and the site is currently under consideration for designation as a marine sanctuary by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But degradation and drift could disrupt the balance of this ecosystem. Further evaluation of the site with underwater remotely operated vehicles will help determine how changes in the ghost fleet could impact the wildlife that live there, the researchers concluded. Editors note: This story was updated to correct the spelling of Annabelle Nault's name. Original article on Live Science. Located atop Mount Padang in West Java, the structure is topped by an archaeological site that holds rows of ancient stone pillars. (Image credit: Danny Hilman Natawidjaja.) WASHINGTON An enormous pyramid-like structure in Indonesia that may represent the remains of an ancient temple hid underground for thousands of years. Scientists presented evidence of the remarkable construction Dec. 12 here at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Located atop Mount Padang in West Java, the structure is topped by an archaeological site that was discovered in the early 19th century and holds rows of ancient stone pillars. But the sloping "hill" underneath isn't part of the natural, rocky landscape; it was crafted by human hands, scientists discovered. [The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth] "What is previously seen as just surface building, it's going down and it's a huge structure," said Andang Bachtiar, an independent geologist from Indonesia who supervised core drilling and soil analysis for the project. The pyramid-like structure remained hidden for so long because it has been obscured by foliage and so looks like a hill (red circle), with a megalith exposed at the top (yellow circle). (Image credit: Danny Hilman Natawidjaja) Though the buried structure may superficially resemble a pyramid, it differs from similar pyramids built by the Mayans, Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, lead project researcher and a senior scientist with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, told Live Science. While Mayan pyramids tend to be symmetrical, this structure is elongated, with what appears to be a half-circle in the front. "It's a unique temple," Natawidjaja said. He and his colleagues suspected that the exposed megalith might be more than it appeared, because some partly exposed features in the existing archaeological site didn't quite match the standing stones. The "peculiar" shape of the hill also stood out from the landscape, he said. "It's not like the surrounding topography, which is very much eroded. This looks very young. It looked artificial to us," Natawidjaja explained. Using an array of techniques to peer underground including ground-penetrating radar surveys, X-ray tomography, 2D and 3D imaging, core drilling, and excavations the researchers gradually uncovered several layers of a sizable structure. It spread over an area of around 15 hectares (150,000 square meters) and had been built up over millennia, with layers representing different periods. Using various techniques to peer underground, the researchers found several layers of the pyramid-like structure, with each layer representing a different period of time. (Image credit: Danny Hilman Natawidjaja.) At the very top were pillars of basalt rocks framing step terraces, with other arrangements of rock columns "forming walls, paths and spaces," the scientists reported at AGU. They estimated this layer to be about 3,000 to 3,500 years old. Underneath the surface, to a depth of about 10 feet (3 m), was a second layer of similar rock columns, thought to be 7,500 to 8,300 years old. And a third layer, extending 49 feet (15 m) below the surface, is more than 9,000 years old; it could even date to 28,000 years ago, according to the researchers. Their surveys also detected multiple chambers underground, Natawidjaja added. Today, local people still use the exposed site at the top of the structure as a sacred destination for prayer and meditation, and this could also be how it was used thousands of years ago, Natawidjaja said. Original article on Live Science. A desert tomb became a watery grave for some 50 to 60 ancient Egyptians at the ancient Nile quarry site of Gebel el-Silsila, in Upper Egypt. Archaeologists announced the discovery of the mass grave Dec. 13. They discovered the tomb almost two years ago, but the excavation has been painstaking. The two chambers are filled with briny water from a naturally occurring spring, and the remains inside are jumbled. To excavate the tomb, archaeologists must run pumps to remove enough water so they can sit and gently hand-sift the mud for bones and artifacts. "We're actually sitting in this soup, so to speak, of human remains," said John Ward, the assistant mission director of the Gebel El-Silsila survey project, which is headed by his wife, Maria Nilsson. "You can't see in the water at all, so everything is done by touch." [See Photos of Artifacts from the Watery Grave] Unusual tomb Gebel el-Silsila sits at a narrow part of the Nile some 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Aswan. It was a major quarry site dating back to the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, about 3,550 years ago. The newly discovered tomb dates back to that era, Ward told Live Science. It sits at the bottom of a 16.5-foot-deep (5 meters) shaft hewn out of the bedrock. The tomb is made up of two chambers, but archaeologists haven't been able to access the second chamber yet because it's filled with debris and silt. A tiny sarcophagus made for an infant sits in the flooded tomb. (Image credit: Copyright Gebel el-Silsila Project, 2018) In the main chamber alone, though, researchers have found three sarcophagi. One contained the remains of a child; the other an infant. The third is also infant-sized, but has not yet been fully studied, Ward said. [Photos: Children's Graves Discovered in Ancient Egypt] Around these sarcophagi were the bones of at least 50 other people, about two-thirds adults and one-third children. The remains are jumbled, Ward said, because of the water flowing into the tomb and because of a failed attempt at looting, which, at some point, disturbed the silt and water. Mystery grave All of the other tombs at Gebel el-Silsila have been looted, so discovering one with all its contents inside is "like Christmas every day," Ward said if Christmas involved sitting in a humid underground chamber sloshing around murky, bone-filled water, anyway. The effect of excavating under such conditions is otherworldly, Ward said. "It's humbling." An examination of the bones in the tomb revealed that many of the adult males show signs of broken bones and back problems, indicating that they were likely quarry laborers. The women and children inside may have been family members: One clear discovery from the Gebel el-Silsila project is that the quarry was the site of a thriving community, not just a man camp populated by workers. The newfound tomb also indicates that these workers weren't slaves. The bodies were found with amulets, including shabtis small figurines buried with the dead to act as their own manual laborers in the afterlife. Slaves wouldn't have been buried with shabtis, Ward said. The researchers are now analyzing the third sarcophagus and continuing to sift through the silty tomb. With time, they plan to excavate the second room as well. "We're trying to figure out why so many people were buried in one place," Ward said. Originally published on Live Science. A group of scientists wants to send a nuclear-powered "tunnelbot" to Europa to blaze a path through the Jovian moon's thick shell of ice and search for life. Europa, the fourth largest of Jupiter's 53 moons, is one of the best candidates in our solar system for hosting alien life. Researchers believe that its icy crust hides a liquid water ocean and that vents through that crust might deliver the necessary heat and chemical ingredients for life into that ocean.To peek beneath that thick veil of ice, researchers on the NASA Glenn Research COMPASS team (a group of scientists and engineers scattered around the country and tasked with solving problems for NASA) think they have come up with the tunnelbot. On Friday (Dec. 14) at the 2018 meeting of the American Geophysical Union, the researchers presented a proposal for a "tunnelbot" that would use nuclear power to melt a path through Europa's shell, "carrying a payload that can search for evidence for extant/extinct life." [Humanoid Robots to Flying Cars: 10 Coolest DARPA Projects] The tunnelbot, the researchers reported, could use either an advanced nuclear reactor or some of NASA's radioactive "general-purpose heat bricks" to generate heat and power, though the radiation would present some design challenges. Once on the frozen moon, the tunnelbot would move through the ice, also hunting for smaller lakes inside the shell or evidence that the ice itself might contain life. As it burrows deeper, it would spit out a long fiber-optic cable behind itself leading up to the surface and deploy communications relays at depths of 3, 6 and 9 miles (5, 10 and 15 kilometers). Once it reaches the liquid ocean, to keep from "falling through," it would deploy cables or a floatation device to lock itself in place, the researchers wrote. At this stage, this is just a rough theoretical proposal. The researchers haven't actually designed the payload for sampling Europa's water and ice, or figured out how to get the tunnelbot onto the moon. As Live Science has previously reported, that's a task that poses some significant mysteries and challenges (like possible giant, robot-destroying spikes). Still, the proposal provides a fascinating window into what a future robotic mission to Europa might look like, and how we might eventually begin to explore whether the distant moon harbors life. Originally published on Live Science. There's no doubt anymore: Pterosaurs the flying reptiles that zipped through the skies during the dinosaur age sported feathers, a finding that pushes the origin of these fluffy structures back 70 million years. An analysis of two well-preserved pterosaur specimens found in China revealed that these beasts had four completely different feather types, researchers said in a study published online today (Dec. 17) in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. "The pterosaurs had four types of feather-like structures: simple filaments ('hairs'), bundles of filaments, filaments with a tuft halfway down and down feathers," study lead researcher Baoyu Jiang, a professor of paleontology in the School of Earth Sciences and Engineering at Nanjing University in China, told Live Science in an email. [Photos of Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs] Pterosaurs lived alongside dinosaurs from about 230 million to 66 million years ago, or from the Triassic period to the Cretaceous period. Although pterosaurs are often illustrated as scaly reptiles, researchers have known for some time that certain groups of them were covered with furry-looking structures known as "pycnofibers." But it was long thought that pycnofibers were different from the feathers sported by nonavian dinosaurs and birds. The four different feather types found in the pterosaur fossils. (Image credit: Zixiao Yang/Nature Ecology & Evolution) Then, in 2015, Jiang and his colleagues discovered a fabulous pterosaur specimen northeast of Beijing in a Jurassic-age fossil hotspot called Yanliao Biota. They also decided to study a previously discovered pterosaur specimen from the same biota. Both specimens which are nearly complete and even have fossilized soft tissues date to around 165 million to 160 million years ago, Jiang said. It's unclear if these two specimens are the same or different species, but scientists are working to figure that out, Jiang said. Jiang and his international team have several ideas for how pterosaurs may have used their feathers. For instance, the feathers might have served as insulation for pterosaurs , or perhaps they used these feathers for tactile sensing or for streamlining flight, he said. A look at the melanosomes (melanin-bearing organelles) in the specimens revealed that these feathers were likely reddish brown. So, the pterosaurs could also have used their colorful plumage for camouflage or signaling, Jiang said. Notice how much feathery detail is preserved in these fossils. Researchers were even able to analyze the chemistry to determine that the feathers were likely a reddish brown color. (Image credit: Baoyu Jiang, Michael Benton et al./Nature Ecology & Evolution) Pterosaurs aren't the only ancient creatures to sport these kinds of feathers. "These four types are now also known from two major groups of dinosaurs the ornithischians, which were plant-eaters, and the [carnivorous] theropods, which include the ancestors of birds," Jiang said. Given that researchers have found many fossils of feathered dinosaurs (including from the Yanliao Biota), perhaps pterosaurs and dinosaurs shared an ancient, common ancestor that had feathers, the researchers said. However, it's also possible that feathers arose independently in the pterosaur and dinosaur lineages, they noted. The "stunning" discovery "seals the deal pterosaurs had feathers," said Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, who was not involved in the finding. "If you just looked at pictures of the fluffy stuff on these new pterosaurs, you would think they were the feathers of a feathered dinosaur," Brusatte told Live Science in an email. "Some of them even branch this is a highly unique feature of feathers, which hadn't been seen previously in pterosaurs." The next logical step is to see whether ancient crocodiles had feathers, Brusatte added. Although modern crocodiles obviously lack feathers, and scientists can't make crocs grow feathers (they've tried), crocodiles do have the same "feather-development" genes that birds do, Brusatte said. "So, maybe, just maybe, a paleontologist will one day find a fossil croc with feathers. Even if that never happens, I think these new pterosaurs make the case even stronger that most dinosaurs if not all dinosaurs had some type of feather, and that their close cousins did too. Mammals have hair, dinosaurs and pterosaurs have feathers, and that's how it goes." A family tree analysis showing filament and feather evolution in pterosaurs and archosaurs (a group including dinosaurs, birds and crocodiles). (Image credit: Baoyu Jiang, Michael Benton et al./Nature Ecology & Evolution) Originally published on Live Science. Miners discovered a 552-carat yellow diamond in the Diavik Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories this October, Dominion Diamond Mines announced last week. For Canada, that's a big rock: The country's previous size record for a diamond was 187.7 carats. However, for the world, the largest diamond ever found is the Cullinan Diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905. That rock clocks in at 3,106.75 carats. For another comparison, the famous Hope Diamond, held at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is 45 carats. Its famous both for its rare blue color and its alleged habit of bringing misfortune to those who possess it. [Sinister Sparkle Gallery: 13 Mysterious & Cursed Gemstones] Diamonds typically come from carbon trapped deep in Earth's mantle. Under superhigh heat and pressure, this carbon crystallizes into a shiny, much-coveted gemstone. Deep volcanic eruptions bring the diamonds close to the surface. (Diamonds can form in other ways, such as in large asteroid impacts at the surface, but commercial diamonds typically come from the mantle.) The Canadian record-breaker is a yellow diamond, which gets its color from nitrogen impurities within the crystal. Yellow diamonds are rarer than white diamonds but were still largely considered a cheaper stone until recent years. According to a 2012 Wall Street Journal article, yellow diamonds began to gain in popularity (and price) around 2010, a trend driven by the high cost of colorless diamonds and the choice by several celebrities to use yellow stones for their own jewelry. The mine where the stone was found sits 137 miles (220 kilometers) from the Arctic Circle, on an island in a lake called Lac de Gras, where a series of deposits of an igneous rock called kimberlite are studded with diamonds. According to GIA, a nonprofit that evaluates diamond quality, the Diavik mine has produced more than 100 million carats of diamonds since it opened in 2003. The biggest diamonds on record, however, come from South Africa. The Cullinan was a near-colorless stone that, once cut, yielded two major Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom: the Great Star of Africa (530.4 carats) and the Second Star of Africa (317.4 carats). The former graces the top of a scepter and the latter a crown. Just this year, the Letseng mine in Lesotho coughed up a 910-carat colorless diamond, the fifth largest ever found. It's not entirely clear why South Africa's mines often contain giant gems. However, some research suggests that the biggest diamonds form differently than smaller stones do. One 2016 study found that the composition of giant diamonds differs from that of smaller diamonds. The larger ones tend to have irregular crystalline structures and few inclusions, or nondiamond material, the research found. However, these bigger stones did contain tiny metallic grains not seen in smaller diamonds, suggesting that the big ones may form in small metallic pockets very deep in the mantle. Editor's Note: This article was updated to indicate that the Letseng mine is in Lesotho, not in South Africa as had been previously reported. Originally published on Live Science. Susan Potter knew before she died that she, or at least her body, would make history: Not only would hers be the first diseased cadaver (and one containing a titanium hip) to be frozen, sliced up and digitized for all to study, but she also came with a detailed backstory. That's because the Texas woman, when she proposed to doctors that her body be immortalized for medical students, thought she would die in the near future. She lived another 15 years, during which every bit of her life was documented. Potter is the subject of a profile published as part of the upcoming January 2019 issue of National Geographic. The profile focuses on Potter, her personality and what drove her to become, as the author of the story called her, "an immortal corpse." Vic Spitzer, director of the Center for Human Simulation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, examines Potter's frozen cadaver. (Image credit: Lynn Johnson/National Geographic) And, unusually, Potter's personality will also be part of how future medical students encounter her corpse. The slicing-her-up-into-27,000-pieces bit is a purely practical project. Those pieces, each three times too thin for a human eye to detect its edge, have since been scanned into a computer, forming a kind of scrollable digital record of her body at the time of death. It's now part of the Visible Human Project, an effort to create digital cadavers that students can dissect on their computer screens, over and over again. But unlike previous cadavers in the project, Potter's will come with video recordings of her in life, talking about her illnesses and the medical decisions that left their marks on her body. [The 16 Strangest Medical Cases] A slice of Potter's skull was preserved in ice prior to scanning. (Image credit: Lynn Johnson/National Geographic) Potter wasn't the first person recorded into the Visible Human Project library, as National Geographic reported. That accolade goes to Joseph Paul Jernigan, a 39-year-old man chosen because he died unnaturally, executed by the state of Texas. So his remains made for a good example of a healthy-seeming body, unusual among people in a position to donate their corpses to medical science. He was chopped into just 2,000 slices, each a millimeter thick, in 1993. A second, 59-year-old femalen, her name unknown, was chopped into 5,000 0.33-mm slices a year later, after she died of heart disease. Potter's body was encased in polyvinyl alcohol prior to freezing. (Image credit: Lynn Johnson/National Geographic) The January 2019 cover of National Geographic, on The Future of Medicine (Image credit: National Geographic) National Geographic's story is about how Potter, who had been through "a double mastectomy, melanoma, spine surgery, diabetes, a hip replacement and ulcers," talked her way into being part of a second phase of the project, one its leaders weren't sure would even happen: the inclusion of a diseased body in the database. Potter first approached the Visible Human Project about inclusion in 2000, National Geographic reported. She didn't think she had long to live. But then she went on to live another 15 years, dying in 2015 at age 87. Over the course of that period, she became close with researchers on the project and medical students similar to those who will eventually study her digital cadaver. And Potter traded that closeness for an incredible level of access to the the people and facility that would eventually dismember her body. She insisted on a "top to bottom" tour of the "meat locker" where the slicing and preserving would be done, according to National Geographic. Two graduating medical students kissed Potter on the cheek in May 2009. (Image credit: Lynn Johnson/National Geographic) That tour wouldn't have been for the faint of heart. After her death of pneumonia on February 15, 2015, doctors recovered her body from the hospice where she died and placed it into a freezer that dipped to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 26 degrees Celsius). They would have had to work fast; Potter carried a card at all times notifying whoever found her body that they had just four hours to get it frozen for the preservation to work. Potter remained in that freezer for two years. Then came the laborious work of cutting and imaging the slices. The first step involved a "two-person crosscut saw" to divide her 5' 1" (155 centimeter) frame into quarters. Then a precision cutter further reduce those quarters to individual slices for imagine. Spitzer works on cutting Potter's cadaver into quarters. (Image credit: Lynn Johnson/National Geographic) You can read the full article on Potter, her life and her cadaver here, as part of National Geographic's January 2019 special single topic issue, The Future of Medicine. Originally published on Live Science. Researchers have created what may be the tiniest droplets of fluid in the universe, in a primordial soup that's trillions of degrees and swishes around at nearly the speed of light. By smashing particles together, physicists may have created the smallest droplet of fluid in the universe a proton-sized bead of hot, primordial soup. This particle soup is quark-gluon plasma, the fluid that filled the cosmos during the first microseconds after the Big Bang. It's at trillions of degrees, and with hardly any friction, it swishes around at near the speed of light. "It's the most extreme fluid that we know of," said Jacquelyn Noronha-Hostler, a theoretical physicist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. [5 Elusive Particles Beyond the Higgs] Physicists have collided particles to create this primordial soup before, and some experiments have suggested that certain collisions produce droplets as small as protons. In a new paper published Dec. 10 in the journal Nature Physics, physicists from the Pioneering High Energy Nuclear Interaction Experiment (PHENIX) reported what may be the most convincing evidence yet that such droplets can be so tiny. "It's really getting us to rethink our understanding of the interactions and conditions of this kind of droplet flow," said Jamie Nagle, a physicist at the University of Colorado Boulder who analyzed data in the most recent experiments. The results could help physicists better understand the quark-gluon plasma of the early universe and the nature of fluids. "It means we have to rewrite our knowledge of what it means to be a fluid," Noronha-Hostler, who wasn't part of the new experiments, told Live Science. The experiments were done at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, where physicists created the first quark-gluon plasma in 2005 by slamming atomic nuclei together. The quark is the fundamental particle that makes up protons and neutrons, which in turn make up atomic nuclei. Gluons are the force-carrying particles that hold quarks together in a proton or neutron via the strong force, one of the fundamental forces of nature. Physicists previously assumed droplets of quark-gluon plasma had to be relatively large, Noronha-Hostler said. For a droplet to flow like a fluid, the thinking went, the object had to be a lot bigger than its constituent particles. A typical drop of water, for example, is much bigger than its own water molecules. On the other hand, a tiny clump of, say, three or four individual water molecules wouldn't behave like a liquid, researchers thought. So, to make droplets of quark-gluon plasma as big as possible, physicists at the RHIC slammed together large atomic nuclei such as gold, which produce droplets of similar size about 10 times bigger than a proton. But the physicists found that when they collided smaller particles, they unexpectedly detected hints of proton-size fluid droplets for example, in collisions between protons done at the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva. To find out whether these tiny droplets could in fact exist, physicists running the PHENIX detector at the RHIC fired protons; deuteron nuclei, which each contain a proton and a neutron; and helium-3 nuclei at gold nuclei. If these collisions formed fluid droplets of quark-gluon plasma, the scientists reasoned, the droplets would have different shapes depending on what the gold nuclei hit. Hitting a proton would create a round droplet; a deuteron would produce an elliptical droplet, and helium-3 would make a triangular droplet. When scientists smashed gold nuclei with protons, deuteron nuclei and helium-3 nuclei, the collisions formed teensy, proton-sized droplets of quark-gluon plasma, the primordial soup thought to have formed microseconds after the Big Bang. The proton collisions formed round droplets, while the deuteron and helium-3 collisions formed elliptical and triangular droplets, respectively. (Image credit: Javier Orjuela Koop, University of Colorado, Boulder) Such a droplet would live for only 100 billion billionths of a second before intense heat would cause the droplet to expand so rapidly that it exploded in a flurry of other particles. By measuring this particle debris, the researchers reconstructed the original droplet. They looked for elliptical and triangular shapes in each of the three types of collisions, making six total measurements. The experiments took several years, and in the end, the researchers detected the telltale shapes, suggesting that the collisions did create proton-size droplets. "With a full set of six measurements, it's hard for there to be a different explanation except for the droplet picture," Nagle told Live Science. While the results are convincing, Noronha-Hostler said she isn't completely sure yet. Researchers still need better measurements of the jets that erupt from the particle collisions. If the tiny droplets of fluid did form, the impacts between the gold nuclei and the protons, deuterons, or heilum-3 should have produced high-speed particles that formed jets, which then would have blasted through the newly created quark-gluon droplets. As the jet whizzed through the fluid, it would have lost energy and slowed down, like a bullet traveling through water. But so far, measurements show that the jets did not lose as much energy as predicted. Future experiments, such as the upgraded version of PHENIX that's scheduled to launch in 2023, should help physicists better understand what's going on and determine for sure whether such tiny droplets can exist, Noronha-Hostler said. Originally published on Live Science. Pipeline and storage terminal company Enbridge has simplified its corporate structure after shareholders of two of its publicly traded subsidiaries voted to merge with the midstream giant. Stockholders of Enbridge Energy Partners and Enbridge Energy Management met at the Hilton Houston Post Oak on Monday morning where they voted in favor of two merger and acquisition deals that ended with both companies being folded into Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. Prior to the merger, the three companies were traded on the New York Stock Exchange under different stock ticker symbols. Enbridge is traded under ENB, while Enbridge Energy Partners was traded under EEP, and Enbridge Energy Management was traded under EEQ. With the two stockholder votes now complete, Enbridge Energy Partners and Enbridge Energy Management have ceased to be their own companies and their stock will no longer be traded. Under the merger deals, Enbridge Energy Partners and Enbridge Energy Management stockholders will receive 0.335 shares of ENB stock for each share of EEP and EEQ stock. "I encourage all of you to invest some time to learn about Enbridge Inc.," Enbridge Energy Management President Mark Maki told stockholders and investors at the meeting. "In my personal view, Enbridge's investment proposition is powerful." MIDSTREAM MOVES: Enbridge buys stake in Permian Basin, Eagle Ford pipeline The two merger votes came on the same day that Enbridge announced closing a $3.3 billion deal to buy Spectra Energy Partners, which was a subsidiary of the Houston pipeline company Spectra Energy Corp., which Enbridge acquired last year. Enbridge received a majority share in Spectra Energy Partners as part of the earlier deal. It also comes less than a week after Enbridge bought a 26.25 percent stake in the Gray Oak Pipeline, a project to move crude oil from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale to four destinations along the Texas Gulf Coast. Founded in 1991, Enbridge Energy Partners was set up as a special category of companies known as master limited partnerships, or MLPs, which hold assets and provide tax benefits to the parent company. Federal tax reform and shifting preferences among investors have led many companies in the midstream sector to move their master limited partnerships back into their parent companies. More than a dozen MLPs specializing in pipelines and storage terminals for the oil and natural gas industry have been folded back into their parent companies over the past two years. DONE DEAL: Enbridge closes $3.3 billion deal to buy Spectra Energy Partners LP With one teen already behind bars, Harris County Sheriffs Office investigators turned their attention to a second suspect in an alleged drive-by shooting in west Harris County. Violent Crimes Unit investigators sought charges against a second man in connection with the drive by shooting that wounded a 7-year-old on Saturday, Dec. 8. Omarion Bailey, 19, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; deadly conduct-discharging a firearm at a habitation, building or vehicle; and aggravated assault from a motor vehicle at a habitation, building or vehicle. Bailey is currently being held up bonds totaling $185,000. With Bailey currently in jail, investigators went after an alleged accomplice. Brandon Wayne Savoie, 18, was charged with tampering or fabricating evidence in relation to the shooting incident. Investigators allege that Savoie allowed Omarion Bailey to drive his vehicle, while he was riding in the passenger seat of the 2003 Infiniti. It is believed that the two spotted an 18-year-old male they had a previous altercation with, driving a late model Cadillac at the intersection of Fort Stanton and Gray Hawk in west Harris County. Bailey allegedly fired a handgun several times at the vehicle, striking it and the complainants 7-year-old brother in the back seat. RELATED: Suspect who shot 7-year-old in back turns himself in, police say The boy was driven to Katy Memorial Hermann Hospital and later transported by life-flight to Texas Childrens Hospital in the Medical Center, where he was reported in good condition and is expected to make a full recovery. The other child and male were not hit by gunfire. After the shooting, it is alleged that Savoie tried to hide his vehicle and remove Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) from the car. Savoie is also on deferred adjudication for a felony marijuana possession charge from September of this year. He was placed on community supervision on Dec. 6. Savoie is currently in Harris County Jail with no bond set. The state has made a motion for high bond. Anyone with information on the incident is urged to call the Violent Crimes Unit at 713-274-9100. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect in this case. Information may be reported by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org. Tips may also be sent via a text message by texting the following: TIP610 plus the information to CRIMES (274637). All tipsters remain anonymous. rkent@hcnonline.com WASHINGTON - The D.C. Council on Tuesday could pass new laws restricting the ability of gun owners to modify weapons and require police to seize guns while enforcing protective orders in domestic disputes. The latter provision - known as a "red flag law" - is gaining popularity, with variants implemented in more than a dozen states, including Maryland. The D.C. version would mandate that authorities take firearms out of the hands of suspected abusers more quickly than is permitted under existing laws. Other proposed laws, if passed, would the ban rapid-fire attachments known as bump stocks and increase penalties for extended magazines, accessories that allow guns to fire faster and hold more bullets. The package, the Firearms Safety Omnibus Amendment Act, unanimously passed the council during its first hearing on Dec. 4. The final vote is Tuesday. D.C. Councilman Charles Allen, D-Ward 6, chairman of the public safety committee, called the package "smart legislation that looks at how we address gun violence." He said it makes sense to remove, even temporarily, firearms "from someone expressing they will do harm to themselves or others." The D.C. Public Defenders Service opposed the bills at a public hearing in March, saying it was concerned that authorities would have too much latitude to seize weapons. It also said the gun-accessory restrictions are unnecessary because such items are regulated under existing laws. By law, a judge cannot order firearms seizures until after a temporary restraining order, in place for 14 days, expires and a more expansive order is implemented - typically after a court hearing in which both sides can present arguments. The new law would require the subject of a temporary restraining order to surrender firearms. Failure to do so would be considered unlawful possession of a firearm and carry a penalty of two to 10 years in prison. "The risk of homicide is 20 times higher after a domestic dispute, and removing guns from these situations makes sense," D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3, said at a hearing on the bill in March. She said the first few days after the temporary restraining order "is the most dangerous period for the victim." The law also would allow law enforcement to petition a court to remove firearms and ammunition from a person deemed to be a significant danger to others, a provision called an "extreme-risk protective order." In November, a police officer in Maryland fatally shot a man while serving such an order after authorities said the man became angry and grabbed a gun. Bump stocks are used to accelerate the firing of semiautomatic rifles, essentially turning them into fully automatic military-style weapons. They are already prohibited in the District. A bump stock was used by the gunman in the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. The shooter opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers, firing 1,100 rounds, which killed 58 people and wounded 851. The bill also would add to the penalties for people caught with a gun magazine that can hold more than 10 bullets, increasing it from a misdemeanor with a maximum one-year sentence to a felony that carries a sentence of up to three years. A rifle with a high-capacity magazine was used by one of four shooters who opened fire in a Northeast Washington courtyard in August, killing 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson in a hail of 76 bullets. The administration of Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser supports the package of proposed laws, but it objects to an immunity clause that says the subject of a protective order who has illegal firearms seized cannot be criminally charged. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham sent a letter to the council noting the objections. "It will, ultimately, create an environment more accepting of illegal guns and the crimes they are used to commit," the chief wrote in the letter. He called the immunity measure a "highly unusual and, I believe, counterproductive step" and said extending the protective-order process to protect illegal guns "will undermine efforts to protect the community and other potential victims of violence." Allen defended the provision, saying many times loved ones or friends are reluctant to call police "because they are concerned about the criminal consequences" even though they "want to be able to remove the firearm." This, he said, "is aimed at making sure people do the right thing." Katerina Semyonova, the policy counsel for the D.C. Public Defender Service, testified in March that the bills would add to "confusing and overlapping" gun laws in the District. Semyonova said gun accessories such as large-capacity magazines "are already amply covered in code." She added: "There are no gaps in the District's ability to prosecute illegal possession of firearms. . . . The District does not need new laws for ancillary offenses." She also objected to the protective orders, saying her office is concerned that under both provisions, judges and police will be allowed to seize weapons without allowing the owners due process - a chance to object in court. "As drafted, it makes the otherwise lawful possession of a firearm an unlawful possession as soon as an order is signed by a judge," Semyonova said. "The bill criminalizes conduct that is protected by the Second Amendment, and the person would have no reason to believe it is against the law." The central government plans to support municipal governments in Okinawa Prefecture so they can store necessary food, blankets and emergency toilets for three years from fiscal 2019, in a bid to improve disaster preparations in the prefecture, which sees about 10 million tourists annually. If the prefecture's harbors and airports were damaged by a severe disaster, tourists would not be able to evacuate from the prefecture until those facilities were restored. Fast-moving Midwestern winter storms can have a numbing effect. One such storms wintry blast not only numbed Illinois residents, but froze itself into their memories. On Dec. 20, 1836, occurred what Illinois pioneers called The Sudden Freeze. About eight inches of snow fell Dec. 19, but it got warm enough for the snow to turn to rain the next day, which melted the snow on the ground into slush and water. About 2 p.m. Dec. 20, the sky darkened, and a heavy, black cloud rolled in from the northwest. Early Morgan County settlers recorded that then a strong, icy-cold wind, estimated to be blowing at 70 mph, swept over the landscape, instantly freezing everything in its path. Jacksonville resident John Lathrop described the sudden freeze. The cold wave struck me, and as I drew my feet up the ice would form on my boots until I made a track that looked more like that of a Jumbo than a No. 7 boot. When I reached the square, the ice bore me up, and when I returned to Mr. [Jonathan Baldwin] Turners, a half hour afterwards, I saw his chickens and ducks frozen into the ice some on one leg and some on both. Some farmers who had walked from their homes to their barns in slush and water made the return trip on ice a few minutes later. Travelers caught out on horseback were frozen to their saddles and had to be lifted off and carried to a fire to be thawed apart. Two young men who were traveling for Philadelphia merchants were frozen to death not far from Rushville, Lathrop recalled. One of them was found with his back against a tree with his horses bridle over his arm and his horse frozen in front of him. The other young man was partly in a kneeling position, with a tinder box in one hand and a flint in the other with both eyes open, as though attempting to light the tinder in the box that being the usual mode of lighting a fire before the days of friction matches. Reports also came from several places of travelers resorting to killing their horses, and, after disemboweling them, crawling into the carcass to escape the bitter cold. No record was left of how far the mercury dropped, but various reports said 6 to 12 inches of ice formed in frozen streams in just a few hours. Former Illinois College history professor James Davis, in his 1998 book Frontier Illinois, wrote that The Sudden Freeze of 1836 was a significant moment in the lives of Illinois early settlers. Natures triple onslaught the Deep Snow (1830-31), cholera (1832-34) and the Sudden Freeze and the Black Hawk War (1832) were milestones, Davis wrote. Of course, commonplace diseases brought grief, tree-tossing tornadoes rattled settlers, prairie fires blackened billowing grasses, floods swept victims to watery graves, and extreme heat killed people. But settlers never again underwent such ordeals by nature. They were defining moments, great divides. For decades, survivors reckoned dates of birth, marriages, deaths and other important events from the Deep Snow, or the Sudden Freeze. Survivors prided themselves on having borne natures fury, considering themselves true settlers the Old Settlers and regarding later arrivals as untested upstarts. This Way We Were story was first published Dec. 16, 2002. LONDON - "Heartbroken" Thomas Markle has a message for his daughter, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex; her husband, Prince Harry; and well, reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II . Appearing in a video interview live from California, Markle spoke with hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about the current state of his relationship with his estranged daughter. During the interview, Markle claimed he has had no contact with Meghan and received no reply to a recent letter and multiple text messages sent to the Duchess. "Every day I try to text her, I just haven't receive any comment back," Markle said, adding that he was disappointed in the lack of response from his daughter and was unsure why the rift was happening. "I keep asking her to respond back to me, I haven't got any response back." "So you've just been completely cut off? Ghosted?" asked Morgan, to which Markle replied: "Ghosted like you, yes." Morgan recently expressed his horror at being ghosted by Markle's daughter once she began dating Prince Harry. According to Morgan, he believed he and Meghan Markle were friends and then "never heard from her again" - much to his disappointment. When asked if he had a message for his daughter and Prince Harry, Markle said: "I love you very much, you're my daughter and we would like to hear from you. "Whatever differences or problems we have, we should be able to work them out, we're family. So, please reach out to me." Markle also confirmed that he has still has not met Prince Harry, whom Meghan married in a widely watched ceremony at Windsor Castle earlier this year. "The unfortunate thing about my daughter and Harry is that they believe everything they read in the papers," he said. "There has to be a place for me, I'm her father - and I will be the grandfather to her children." The couple's first child is due in spring 2019 and will be seventh in line to the British throne - although the baby will not automatically assume the title of prince or princess. "I'm certainly hoping they produce a beautiful baby," he added. Talking about the queen, with whom the duchess is expected to spend Christmas Day, Markle expressed his hope that Queen Elizabeth would help mend the growing rift between him and his daughter that has left him feeling shunned. "I would appreciate anything (the queen) can do. I would think that she would want to resolve the family problems" Markle said. Asked about other negative stories regarding his pregnant daughter, Markle sprang to her defense, saying: "She's always been polite to everyone. I can't see her being rude to anybody. She's always been a very controlling person, that's in her nature." The controversial interview sparked fierce backlash online, with many criticizing Markle's latest attempt at getting in touch with his daughter. Some referred to his actions as manipulative and abusive, while others said they felt sorry for him. "Cannot agree with this more. His words and actions speak only about his needs, his wants, his entitlement, what he deserves. Nothing about her. The manipulative, emotional abuse that Thomas Markle is subjecting his daughter to via the media is appalling," read one of many tweets. "Thomas (M)arkle is a lovely guy, I feel for him. So sad that his daughter is ignoring him. The interview was heartfelt and he has said nothing wrong in this interview," read one more sympathetic tweet. Asked how he thought the situation might end, Markle went on to say: "I'm hopeful soon something will be resolved and we'll be talking. This can't continue forever. I've reached out to her and I need her to reach out to me." He also shared that he has apologized to the royal couple for his past behavior. On Twitter Monday morning, Morgan empathized with Markle, writing: "Thomas Markle received no payment for today's interview," as criticism of their talk poured in. "It's a very sad situation that needs to be resolved. (Prince Harry's mother, Princess) Diana would have hated it," Morgan wrote During the controversial interview, Markle said he has only given five interviews on his daughter. For the royal couple, that could be five too many. The retreat took place at the Womens Skill Centre at Lenakel. Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News There will be an increased police presence at Samuel Clemens High School beginning Monday after a threatening statement written on a wall at the school was discovered on Friday. In a letter sent to parents and posted on Facebook Saturday, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District officials said they "were made aware of an anonymous threatening statement written on a girls' restroom wall" at the school related to Monday. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox No other details about the statement's contents were released. School officials said they contacted Schertz police and other law enforcement agencies and the situation continues to be investigated. "As part of our standard response procedures, there will be added police and district staff present on campus Monday, and throughout the week, even if the statement is not deemed credible," the letter states. "We remind parents and students they can help make our schools safer by reporting any information they hear or see that is concerning to school administration who will then investigate and work with law enforcement, if necessary," they added. The Schertz Police Department said in a post on Saturday that "it is extremely important that incidents such as this are reported to staff or police." School officials could not be reached for comment and Schertz police did not comment further. This story will be updated when more information becomes available. Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases Pets & Animal, Local News, Crime, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: December 17 2018 Anyone convicted of animal cruelty in Nassau County after May of 2014 is required to submit information to the Nassau County Police Department. Nassau County, NY - December 17, 2018 - The The Nassau County Animal Abuse Registry was created in 2014 by an act of the Nassau County Legislature, the registry is hosted by the Nassau County SPCA as a service to the public. Anyone convicted of animal cruelty in Nassau County after May of 2014 is required to submit information to the Nassau County Police Department. That information is transmitted to Nassau County SPCA and posted here. The registry is not retroactive. Convictions prior to the establishment of the registry will not be listed, therefore this is not a comprehensive historical list of all people convicted of animal abuse in Nassau County. The information listed here has been supplied by convicted offenders to the Nassau County Police Department and Nassau County SPCA does not guarantee accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the information contained on the website. Offenders are required to update their information annually. It is possible that information obtained through this website may not reflect current residences of individuals on the registry. Any individual who believes that information contained in the registry is not accurate should contact Nassau County SPCA . Offenders who need to update their own information must do so with the Nassau County Police Department Local News, Business & Finance, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events By Long Island News & PR Published: December 17 2018 This is the fourth year PSEG Long Island employees have been invited to decorate at the VA. PSEG Long Island employee-volunteers donned orange Santa hats and sang carols as they decked the halls, lobby and dining room of the Northport VAs Community Living Center, the longterm care unit. Uniondale, NY - December 17, 2018 - The Community Living Center at the The Community Living Center at the Northport VA is looking festive for the holidays today, thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers from PSEG Long Island . The dozen employees donned Santa hats as they worked to decorate the buildings main lobby, dining room, pool room and other areas with trees, garland and decorations for the longterm care patients who live there. This is the fourth year PSEG Long Island employees have been invited to decorate at the VA thanks to a partnership with the Red Cross. The experience was special for the volunteers as well as the veterans who call the Northport VA home. This year, the group brought along hundreds of ornaments, lights, and other holiday decorations. Last year our employee volunteers noticed some of the VAs decorations were past their prime, so we organized a holiday decoration drive throughout our offices, said Robin Cantatore, PSEG Long Island customer representative. My coworkers were more than happy to donate new ornaments, garland, window clings, and other decorations to bring holiday cheer to this group that has done so much for our country. Throughout December, different groups of PSEG Long Island employees are spending time at the VA decorating more of the buildings, making gingerbread houses and cookies with some of the veterans, and providing a large donation that will help the hospital provide warm clothing and other essentials to patients as they leave the facility. PSEG Long Island is committed to giving back to the people and communities it serves. Employee engagement on Long Island and the Rockaways is a top priority for the company. PSEG Long Island employees are actively involved with local charity events and organizations through the companys Community Partnership Program. In 2017, PSEG Long Island participated in 1,100 events supporting more than 400 organizations. For more information, visit: https://www.psegliny.com/inthecommunity/communitypartnership Local News, Crime, Press Releases, Politics By Long Island News & PR Published: December 17 2018 Legislation establishes criminal and civil liability for the unauthorized sharing of intimate images of another person. Suffolk County, NY - December 17, 2018 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today signed legislation to establish criminal and civil liability for the unauthorized sharing of intimate images of another person, an act known as revenge porn or nonconsensual pornography. The County Executive was joined by District Attorney Tim Sini and Legislator Bill Lindsay, sponsor of bill IR 1756, a local law, which enacts harsh penalties in order to deter perpetrators from these actions, and aims to protect victims from potential professional, emotional, or personal damage caused by this malicious act. Smart phones and social media have ushered in a new era of photographing and videotaping that make it easier than ever to capture what should remain personal moments, said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. However, sharing and distributing that content without consent is more than just an instance of poor judgment. Its a criminal act that can have widespread implications affecting ones life and mental health. Suffolk County will hold these perpetrators accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Suffolk County District Attorney Sini said, "Victims of revenge porn are often embarrassed or afraid to come forward, but we know these crimes can lead to serious consequences for victims, such as cyberbullying, emotional distress and isolation, even suicide. With this legislation, were sending a message to victims that we are here to protect them and sending a message to would-be offenders that the act of disseminating someone elses intimate images without their consent is, in fact, a crime. I would like to thank the County Executive and the Suffolk County Legislature, particularly Legislator Lindsay, for working with my office to pass this legislation so that law enforcement is able to prosecute these crimes and hold abusers accountable. Suffolk County Legislator Bill Lindsay said, I am confident that this legislation will make individuals think twice before unlawfully sharing an intimate photo or video of another person. However, if they do share an image or video without consent, I am glad that our District Attorney is fully committed to enforcing this law to its fullest extent. The local law will prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of intimate images as an unclassified misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison and/or a fine of up to $1,000. In order to give further protection and recourse to victims, violators will also be subject to civil judgments where they may be held liable for compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys fees and costs, and more. Although there are no established federal laws criminalizing revenge porn, revenge porn is currently outlawed in 40 states, not including New York State. However, several municipalities including Washington, DC and New York City have enacted legislation deeming revenge porn a criminal act. The advent of social media has led to the widespread phenomena of cyberbullying, from which revenge porn emanates. Sexting, the act of sharing sexually explicit messages and/or photographs, has become increasingly common among teenagers. The nonprofit Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI) estimates nearly half of young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 have sent nude or seminude photos of themselves to others; two thirds have received sexually explicit photos of others. Revenge porn occurs when these sexually explicit photographs are shared without individuals consent, including photographs taken without consent as well as images intended to be shared exclusively within personal relationships. Revenge porn, deemed digital sexual violence by CCRI, can cause victims significant mental anguish and have potential professional ramifications that may have economic impact. CCRI estimates that 1 in 8 social media users have been targets of nonconsensual pornography and that women are 1.7 times more likely to be victimized by revenge porn than men. Major internet and social media leaders have taken significant steps to eradicate revenge porn found on their networks, including Facebook, Twitter and Google. Laura Ahearn, Esq., LMSW, Executive Director of The Crime Victims Center/Parents for Megans Law said, I applaud County Executive Bellone and Legislator Lindsay for this trailblazing legislation. Revenge porn has serious consequences and needs to be treated as a serious crime. This legislation not only criminalizes revenge porn but it also creates a cause of actions for victims to seek civil remedy. NEW DELHI (PTI): Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat will begin a four-day visit to Tanzania and Kenya beginning Monday with an aim to explore new areas of military cooperation with the two key African nations, officials said. The Army chief will be accompanied by a high-level delegation which will interact with senior military and political hierarchy of both countries primarily to "enhance" and "energise" the bilateral defence cooperation, they said. "The visit to the African countries aims to give impetus to the military-to-military relationship with Tanzania and Kenya which has been nurtured over the years," the Army said in a statement. In Tanzania, Gen. Rawat will visit key military establishments including the country's National Defence College. He is scheduled to meet Defence Minister Hussein Ali Mwinyi and Chief of Tanzanian Defence Forces Gen. Venance S Mabeyo among others. On Friday, the best written, most independent and liveliest conservative U.S. news magazine was closed by its owner, Clarity Media Group. The ending was abrupt, ungracious and unnecessary. Writers were told to leave by 5 p.m. that day. The employees will receive severance only upon signing a non-disparagement agreement. Though editor in chief Stephen Hayes had been searching for a buyer, Clarity chose to shut it down instead keeping its valuable subscriber list for another holding, the far more Trump-compliant Washington Examiner. From February 2007 through January 2011, it was my privilege to write more than 20 pieces for the Weekly Standard including my first published piece. That first story recounted the metamorphosis of Mitt Romney from moderate governor to conservative presidential candidate. (That one held up over time, I have to say.) At the Weekly Standard, my writing experience was invariably positive and fun. Some of the best editors Ive had the pleasure to work with Matt Continetti, Robert Messenger, Richard Starr and Claudia Anderson made my contributions sharper (not to mention, shorter), and my writing stronger. Its editors loved writers and treated them with kindness and respect. Its difficult to separate my personal feelings and affections for those who worked there from the sadness I feel as my worst fears about the conservative movement have been realized. Too many on the right in the era of Trump are uninterested in either criticism of their own side or in reality-based reporting. They are even less interested in conservative ideas and reform, which have always been central to the Weekly Standards mission. The Weekly Standards editors and writers refused to prostitute themselves to the Trumpists. In doing so, they stood as a continuing rebuke to those who jettisoned integrity for access and traded ideals for fame. Conservatives in the Trump era had a choice between sycophancy and honor; too few chose, as the Standard did, the honorable path. I hope that some benefactor scoops up the writers and editors from the Weekly Standard, gives a new publication an apt name (The New Standard?), and continues to publish the same lively material it has provided since the Clinton administration. More than ever, those on the right (and left) need to hear from principled conservatives who refuse to adopt positions simply because President Donald Trump holds them (however fleetingly), and who decline to throw overboard the essential elements of modern conservatism (free markets, federalism, humility in governance, gradualism in legislation, support for civil society, personal decency and U.S. values-based leadership in the world). It remains to be seen whether conservatism as we have known it survives or whether, as founding editor Bill Kristol wrote in February, the founders of American conservatism dedicate themselves to build other pillars that will uphold the temple of American liberty in the 21st century. What is certain, however, is that men and women of ideas, discernment and decency remain engaged in the countrys ongoing political debate. To the Weekly Standards writers and editors, past and present, I can say: Well done. I look forward to reading all of your work, wherever and whenever it may appear. I think it's safe to assume Snoop Dogg and Kanye West's relationship as friends is dead and buried, after Snoop has spent the better part of the last two years throwing shade at the "Hell of a Life" rapper. And now following Kanye's lengthy battle with Drake on Twitter, the former Death Row OG took to IG to give his take on the situation. Unsurprisingly, he was unsympathetic to Kanye's cause... "Is y'all getting tired of Kanye West and these tweets? 'Cause I am," Snoop said, while Drake's "From Time" played in the background. "I see why n***a, you and Donald Trump hangout. N***a, y'all tweet like a motherf**ker. I think that n***a need Dr. Phil or Maury ... You know what? That n***a need Jerry Springer." Snoop went on to criticize 'Ye for addressing Drake over social media and told the Chicago rapper to "get your a** off your phone [...] and go holla at that n***a in real life. Stop telling the whole f**king world what you're going through. We don't give a f**k!" Check it out below: NEW DELHI (PTI): India and France Saturday held discussions on deepening bilateral strategic partnership through cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, defence, space and civil nuclear energy sectors. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and French minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean Yves Le Drian discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. "We had very fruitful talks. We closely looked at all the aspects of our mutual ties. We are taking our cooperation forward in the Indo-Pacific region, which will not only benefit these two countries but also other countries in the region," she told reporters. Noting that the foundation of India and France relations is based on "mutual trust", Swaraj said the two countries are looking to strengthen their ties in various sectors. "Our defence relations are historic and we have been involved in a number of exchanges in the form of training and joint exercises," she said. The External Affairs minister also reiterated the resolve of the two countries to jointly fight against terrorism. "We both are also working in strengthening our ties in space sector. We both are also leading fight against climate change," she said. "Last year, our bilateral trade was worth 9.62 billion euro, if we both have to reach the trade of 15 million euro by 2022 we both will have to work towards further strengthening our trade relations," she said. There will also be an exchange of 10,000 students between the two countries by 2020, Swaraj said. Her French counterpart Le Drian said the two leaders reviewed the status of the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) project in Jaitapur, Maharashtra and adopted an action plan to guide our work for the coming months so as to advance as efficiently as possible towards the final decision for building this power plant. "Six EPRs account for a total capacity of almost 10 GW, which is a significant contribution to India's aim of producing 40 per cent of its electricity from non-fossil fuels by 2030, in keeping with its commitments made ahead of the Paris Climate Conference," he said. The Jaitapur project will also contribute to Make in India as it involves transfers of production, technology, joint research and training, Le Drian added. He said the discussion between the two leaders was "characterised as always by a great convergence of views and shared ambition". "It is not by chance that France and India are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year. It is because we attach the same importance to multilateralism, respect for the rule of law, the same ambition to usher in a just and sustainable world," he said. "It is also because India knows that in France it has a partner that has never failed it and on which it can count in the future. This holds true on the strategic front, notably with the strengthening of our exchanges on the Indian Ocean, which today are fast developing and our shared commitment to fighting terrorism, as we mark 10 years since the deadly Mumbai attacks," Le Drian said. "This holds true on the economic front: our companies are investing and innovating in India under the Make in India programme. On the fronts of urban development and the digital economy, our companies are present and working to build the India and France of tomorrow," he added. Reversing course on a bid for a new trial, the Suffolk District Attorneys Office said theyre ending the prosecution of Sean Ellis in a case involving the armed robbery and first-degree murder of a Boston police detective. The Supreme Judicial Court, the states highest court, in 2016 affirmed a judges order for a new trial against Ellis, who had been convicted of murdering Boston Police Detective John Mulligan during a 1993 armed robbery. Mulligan was shot five times in the face while off-duty in the Roslindale section of Boston. The nature of the evidence has not changed in 25 years but the strength of it has declined with time, John Pappas, the acting Suffolk County District Attorney, said at a press conference. Moreover, the involvement of three corrupt police detectives to varying degrees in this investigation has further compromised our ability to put the best possible case before a jury. Pappas announced the decision as Rachael Rollins, who won the race for Suffolk DA in November 2018, prepares to assume the office. Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said Ellis is culpable for Mulligans murder. But he added that he agrees with Pappas decision. Ellis was convicted of possessing the murder weapon and Mulligans stolen service weapon, and those convictions remain in place. Ellis was tried separately from a co-defendant, Terry Patterson. Each blamed the other for the murder, according to Pappas. Ellis served 22 years for the Mulligan murder, while Patterson served 12. Ellis was released on bail in 2015. Mr. Ellis was near the scene of the crime moments before it was committed, he fled the scene in its aftermath, and he possessed the murder weapon in the days that followed, Pappas said. The most likely critical issue at a new trial, then, would not be whether Mr. Ellis was involved in Det. Mulligans homicide, but rather the level of his involvement with his convicted co-defendant, Terry Patterson. Ellis had said Patterson was behind the robbery and the murder. They allegedly left the scene together. Eyewitness testimony of Ellis crouching by Mulligans police car has faded over the decades since the 1995 trial, according to Pappas. The three corrupt police detectives, who were involved in the investigation to varying degrees, were Detectives Kenneth Acerra, Walter Robinson and John Brazil, Pappas said. The three disgraced themselves and tarnished their badges in a wide variety of criminal conduct unrelated to this case the extent of which was unknown to prosecutors or defense counsel in 1995, Pappas continued, but added that there is no reliable evidence that the three offered up false evidence. Mulligan also had allegations of misconduct leveled against him. According to the Boston Globe, Mulligan and two of the detectives had been accused of participating in the armed robbery of a suspected drug dealer 17 days before Mulligan was killed. The two detectives were Robinson and Acerra. In 2016, after the courts approval for a motion for a new trial for Ellis, the Suffolk DAs office vowed to move ahead. Some uncovered documents on the police corruption could have provided Elliss first attorney with an alternative strategy at trial, the court ruled. A defense lawyer today would argue that [Mulligan] was involved, and that they had a motive to protect themselves and their criminal enterprise even at the cost of fully investigating a fellow officers homicide, Pappas said. Unfortunately, no matter how irrelevant their corruption might be to John Mulligans murder, it is now inextricably intertwined with the investigation and critical witnesses in the case. The sentences for Ellis and Patterson are insufficient to most of us, Pappas said. But we as prosecutors must operate always and unfailingly through the evidence we can prove, he added. And the state of the evidence today makes it very unlikely that we would prevail at a new trial. When two people flew into Logan International Airport Saturday night, authorities were waiting for them and their luggage. Thats because investigators had learned those travelers were trying to smuggle pounds of marijuana through the airport, according to State Police. At the end of the investigation, three people were arrested and 150 pounds of marijuana was seized. Detectives from State Police Troop F received information from law enforcement in Sacramento County, California, about two people flying into Logan International Airport transporting a large quantity of marijuana in several suitcases, State Police said. The suspects, a man and a woman, were on an American Airlines flight out of Sacramento. Police identified them as Jerry McNair, 48, and Ladonna Hardman, 57, both from California. Based on the intelligence received, Massachusetts State Police Troopers, along with two federal Homeland Security Investigations agents, initiated surveillance at a gate in Terminal B in advance of the flights 6 p.m. arrival, State Police said. Other Troopers set up surveillance at the secure side baggage area awaiting arrival of the flights luggage. Investigators watched as McNair and Hardman got off the plane and headed to the baggage claim area. Another woman met up with them, authorities said. As the suspects grabbed the luggage, investigators swooped in. They also saw the third person grab her suitcase, which appeared similar to the luggage retrieved by McNair and Hardman. McNair and Hardman refused a request by police to search the bags, State Police said. At that time, detectives arrested them for marijuana possession with intent to distribute. They were brought to the airport barracks. The third person, identified as Saudia Watson, 37, of California, let investigators search her luggage. Watson consented to a search of her two pieces luggage; inside her luggage troopers found 51 clear plastic bags containing marijuana with an approximate weight of more than 50 lbs., State Police said. Watson was arrested on a marijuana trafficking charge. With search warrants in hand, troopers checked McNair and Hardmans luggage. Authorities said their luggage had 49 additional plastic bags of marijuana, also with an approximate weight of more than 50 pounds in Hardmans luggage and the same amount in McNairs luggage. He had 50 plastic bags, State Police said. McNair and Hardman were then charged with marijuana trafficking. All three suspects were also charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws. They will be arraigned today in a Boston courthouse. Two people were injured in an early-morning stabbing in Bridgewater Monday. Upon arrival, officers located a man and a woman who had suffered knife wounds, Bridgewater police said. They were taken by ambulance to a local hospital and their conditions are unknown at this time. A male suspect was arrested at the scene, according to authorities. No other information was immediately available. WESTFIELD James Hardie Building Products, a worldwide manufacturer of fiber cement backer board and siding for home and commercial construction, bought the former Old Colony Envelope and National Envelope plant at 70 Turnpike Industrial Road and plans to put a factory there. The $8.5 million sale of the 237,000-square-foot building was finalized Nov. 27, according to documents on file at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds. Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan said Monday that Hardie plans to hire 50 employees initially and then add 20 or 30 more as it gets up to speed. He expects Hardie to start production at the site in 2019. Hardie has not asked for a tax incentive, Sullivan said. The company has been just great to work with, Sullivan said. James Hardie Building Products employs 3,960 people and generated net sales of $2.06 billion in fiscal year 2018, according to its website. Employees of James Hardie Building Products didnt respond to questions Monday. This is a great re-use of an existing site, Sullivan said. I know there is some concern about getting new companies into existing buildings because we do have some inventory. Hardie will ship in siding via rail, Sullivan said. At Westfield, itll get painted and coated. Hardie had talked with the city about manufacturing the siding here, but it couldnt find a local source for the aggregate stone it needs for its process. The plant, last operated by Cenveo, closed in 2014 at a cost of 200 jobs. The plant was built in 1981, according to city records. The seller, Michael Grossman, of HMC Real Estate Partners in New York, thanked the city and Pinsly Railroad Co., owner of Pioneer Valley Railroad, for their help attracting James Hardie Building Products. Westfield did a wonderful job presenting the positive aspects of doing business in the community, Grossman said. Sullivan said Pioneer Valley Railroad will build a new spur track through part of the adjacent Westfield Gas & Electric property to reach the plant. Finished material will ship out by truck. James Hardies use of rail freight means there will probably be fewer trucks coming and going at James Hardie than there were when it was an envelope factory. Truck traffic is an issue in the citys industrial north end. Fed-up neighbors scuttled plans for Old Dominion Freight Line to build a depot nearby on Medeiros Way. Hardies history began in 1888, when James Hardie emigrated from Scotland to Melbourne, Australia, and established an import business, according to the companys website. James Hardie Building Products is now domiciled in Ireland, and its stock trades on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Australian Securities Exchange. It has U.S. corporate headquarters in Chicago and Naperville, Illinois, offices in Mission Viejo, California, and a research lab in Fontana, California. Its U.S. factories are in Peru, Illinois; Reno, Nevada; Cleburne, Texas; Waxahachie, Texas; Pulaski, Virginia; and Tacoma, Washington. In its 2018 message to investors, James Hardie Building Products said it would pursue a strategy of regional sites to cut down on shipping distances. Overseas, it has factories in Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. James Hardie Building Products also owns Beechworth Windows, a manufacturer of fiberglass windows and doors. In November, Hardie closed its Ladysmith, Wisconsin, Beechworth plant, costing 80 workers their jobs, according to published reports. Grossman said his HMC Real Estate Partners bought the building in August 2017 for $3.6 million with a plan to rent it to a number of industrial or warehouse tenants. HMC repaired the roof, demolished interior partitions, removed the old heating and air conditioning units and then replaced them. Grossman said the plan was to lease it, not sell it. But he got an unsolicited offer from Hardie. According to real estate listings, the building has 128,000 square feet of warehouse space with 32- to 36-foot ceiling heights, 97,250 square feet of production space with 23- to 26-foot ceiling heights and 12,000 square feet of office space. Old Colony Envelope began in Westfield in the 1920s. For many years, it was located on Elm Street. Old Colony later became part of International Paper Co. until it was bought by National Envelope in 1994. In 2000, National Envelope completed a $6 million expansion to the Turnpike Industrial Road facility, which added 132,532 square feet to its original 100,000 square feet. SPRINGFIELD The MGM Springfield casino generated $21.2 million in revenues in November from slot machines and table games, approximately $1 million below the revenues recorded in the month of October. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported that MGM Springfield generated $13,371,904.09 in revenue from its slot machines, and $7,876,010 from table games. MGM Springfields gross gaming revenue in October was $22,242,742.41. As we move into the holiday season, we continue to be pleased with our overall performance at MGM Springfield," said Michael Mathis, MGM Springfield president. November was another solid month for us as our restaurants, bars, lounges, casino and hotel experienced strong volumes of guests. The results in November generated $5,311,978.52 in taxes to the state. The gross revenues generated by MGM Springfield in its first full month of operations was $26,952,096.39. The $960 million casino opened on Aug. 24. Our festive programming and robust marketing strategy is generating new visitors and new traditions in downtown Springfield, Mathis said. "We appreciate that our guests are choosing to share this special season with us and look forward to continued success in 2019. The state Gaming Commission also released gaming revenues for the Plainridge Park slots parlor for the month of November. Plainridge generated $12,852,262.82 in slot revenues, resulting in $6,297,608.78 in tax revenue for the state. The taxes from both MGM Springfield and Plainridge totaled $11.6 million for the state. MGM Springfield, as a Category 1 resort casino, is taxed on 25 percent of its gross gaming revenue, allocated to several specific state funds as determined by the gaming law, the Gaming Commission said. Plainridge, as a Category 2 slots facility, is taxed on 49 percent of its gross gaming revenue. Of that total taxed amount, 82 percent is paid to Local Aid and 18 percent is allotted to the Race Horse Development Fund, the Gaming Commission said. To date, the state has collected approximately $297 million in total taxes and assessments from the two faming facilities since each opened. Plainridge opened in 2015 in Plainville. Former Revenge actress Emily VanCamp has married her former co-star and onscreen husband, Josh Bowman, on Saturday. The couple shared two black and whites photos from the wedding on the brides Instagram account on Sunday. Thank you to all of our friends and family who made their way to celebrate with us!," VanCamp stated. "We are eternally grateful. And to @lelarose and your incredible team for creating my dream dress... Thank you times a million. People magazine confirmed the wedding was held on Harbour Island in the Bahamas. VanCamp and Bowman began dating in 2012 during the shows second season, and their relationship continued after the ABC series was canceled in 2015. During its four-season run, VanCamp starred as Emily Thorne, daughter of a man who was framed for terrorism. Bowman played Daniel Grayson, those family Thorne blamed for her fathers downfall. Eventually, the two fell in love, though Thorne used the relationship is to seek her revenge and Grayson later shot her for betrayal. A husband and wife have been named Chicopee parade marshals and will lead the Chicopee contingent in the Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 17. John "Jack" and Eileen (Corridan) Kelly are "delighted with and very appreciative of this honor," Mr. Kelly said. "We are looking forward to the many pre-parade events as well as the parade itself." The Kellys and 2019 Chicopee St. Patrick's Parade Committee award recipients for will be honored at the annual President's Dinner on Feb. 2 at Munich Haus Restaurant in Chicopee. Jack Kelly, a retired postal supervisor, volunteered on float building for several years before joining the parade committee 14 years ago. He is now an honorary member of the committee. He especially enjoys all the events leading up to the parade and the "opportunity for family and friends to gather and enjoy one another's company," he said. Eileen Kelly, a retired teacher, was associated withe the Chicopee Parade Committee for 17 years as the colleen contest coordinator. "The parade is an opportunity to display and promote Irish heritage," she said. "It is also an event that can be enjoyed by people of all nationalities." The Kellys, of Chicopee, have been married for 48 years. He is a native of the Hungry Hill section of Springfield and a Navy veteran. He was the parade committee president in 2003 and Woods Award recipient in 2011. Eileen Kelly, a native of Chicopee, is a past recipient of the Atkinson Award. Her father, John Corridan, was parade marshal in 1981, and her brother, Brian, in 1994. Michelle Liswell Zimmek will receive the Jack Woods Award. Named after one of the founding members of the committee, it recognizes an individual who has actively served for 10 or more years on the Committee. Liswell Zimmek has served in a number of leadership positions during her tenure including as membership co-chair, a member of the board of directors and currently as secretary. The Atkinson Award was created by the Atkinson family to honor the late George Atkinson, a founding member of the committee, and his son, George Jr. It is given each year to a person who is not a committee member but has supported its functions and events. This year's recipient is Daniel Mashia. For the past 13 years, he has provided the live music for the Colleen Coronation Ball and other committee activities. Occasionally the committee presents an award to a member or members of the community who performed an act of selfless courage, bravery or heroism. The Bill Meara Award this year will go to Michael Croteau and Matthew Turgeon for pulling a father and son from the frigid waters of Nashawannuck Pond in Easthampton. The public is invited to the awards dinner. Ticket information will be posted on the parade committee's website at chicopeespc.com and its Facebook page. The parade committee is recruiting new members and sponsors for the upcoming season. Information about all events and fundraisers, including March Money Madness Calendars, can be found on the group's website and social media. Applications for the 2019 Colleen Contest also are available on the site. Model Babi Christina Engelhardt detailed an eight-year relationship she says she had with director Woody Allen beginning in 1976 when she was only 16 and he was then 41 years old. Engelhardt shared her story with The Hollywood Reporter, describing how she hit up on Allen at the posh New York restaurant Elaines. It led to a long-term intimate relationship, which sometimes involving threesomes with other women, including his longtime companion Mia Farrow. It wasnt until after it was done when I really had time to think of how twisted it was when we were together and how I was little more than a plaything. Engelhardt told the trade paper. While we were together, the whole thing was a game that was being operated solely by Woody so we never quite knew where we stood. The celebrated film director never asked her age, she said, but she told him she was still in high school, living with her family in New Jersey. The age of consent in New York is 17. Throughout the article, Engelhardt expresses mixed emotions about the relationship in light of the #MeToo movement. Its almost as if Im now expected to trash him, she said. In sharing her story with The Hollywood Reporter, Engelhardt said she was not attacking Woody. "This is not Bring down this man. Im talking about my love story, she said. "This made me who I am. I have no regrets. The article included a postcard and letter from Allen, who has not commented on the allegations. A Great Barrington man accused of downloading and sharing child pornography was arraigned Monday in Berkshire Superior Court in Pittsfield. Jeffrey M. Roraback, 49, of 43 Blue Hill Road, faces charges of possessing materials depicting a child in sexual conduct and disseminating visual material of a child in a state of nudity or sexual conduct. Not guilty pleas were entered and Judge Daniel Ford released him on $2,500 bail, said Frederick Lantz, spokesman for Berkshire District Attorney Paul Caccaviello. Roraback is also banned from possessing a computer or internet access and having contact with a child under 16, he said. After an investigation, police received a warrant to search Roraback's home on Sept. 11 and found alleged child pornography on his computer. Roraback is also being accused of distributing child pornography on June 25, Lantz said. He is accused of downloading multiple images of child pornography, including three photos of girls who were estimated to be between 6 and 8 years old. He also shared one image using Skype, according to the Berkshire Eagle. The investigation was conducted by members of the Great Barrington Police Department, Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the District Attorneys Office and the Massachusetts State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. During December, Professor Gregor McLennan delivered a series of lectures and seminars in New Zealand. At Canterbury University, Christchurch, he gave a paper to the Continental Philosophy network entitled 'The Predicament of Critique', after which he was presented with a matua-style Pounamu (greenstone) pendant, a significant gift in appreciation of his 'Mana' (prestige, spirit). At the annual conference of the Sociology Association of Aotearoa New Zealand in the capital city, Wellington, Prof McLennan gave three talks, the first to the pre-conference postgraduate section, on 'Marxism, postsecularism, and religion'. His first main plenary session was 'Dilemmas of the Discipline', an analysis of the balance of positivity and anxiety concerning the current state and possible futures of Sociology, whilst the second lecture presented 'Stuart Hall: Critical Intellectual, Sartrean Marxist', offering a particular view of Hall's distinctive contribution, including fresh reflections on the very idea of the public-critical intellectual. Moving northwards to Massey University at Palmerston North and then Massey/Auckland University in New Zealand's largest city, Gregor addressed audiences from a number of departments on one of the central institutional tendencies within universities today, in a paper entitled: 'Interdisciplinarity: Managerial, Deflationary, Utopian, Critical'. The Russian effort to influence U.S. voters on social media ahead of the 2016 presidential election, targeted African-Americans, used various methods to try to suppress Democratic voter turnout and utilized Instagram similar to its campaign on Facebook, a new Senate report suggests. The findings, which Texas-based cybersecurity company New Knowledge and researchers at Columbia University and Canfield Research LLC included in a report produced for the Senate Intelligence Committee, detail how Russia worked and continues to try to shape Americans' opinions and sow division, The New York Times reported. It is one of two reports senators commissioned as part of a bipartisan effort to examine Russias influence in the 2016 election, the newspaper noted. They primarily focus on data Facebook, Twitter and the other companies provided to the Senate about the Russian operations, according to the Times. Both reports largely confirmed that the Russian effort sought to attack Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, boost then-candidate Donald Trump and exploit divisions in the U.S. The New Knowledge report, the newspaper reported, found that the Internet Research Agencys -- a company indicted as part Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian meddling -- most prolific efforts on Facebook and Instagram specifically targeted black American communities and appear to have been focused on developing black audiences and recruiting black Americans as assets." It further suggested that Russians used American-sounding Gmail accounts to recruit and, at times, pay unknowing American activists to hold rallies and share content, with a disproportionate focus on African-Americans. The report offered that while other distinct ethnic and religious groups were the focus of one or two Facebook Pages or Instagram accounts, the black community was targeted extensively with dozens," according to The Times. The newspaper noted that some Facebook ads targeted those who had shown interest in black history, the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X. The newspaper further reported that the most popular Russian Instagram account, @blackstagram, had more than 300,000 followers. Researchers found that of 81 IRA-created Facebook pages, 30 targeted African-Americans and gained 1.2 million followers, while 25 pages targeted the political right, drawing 1.4 million followers. By contrast, just seven focused on the political left and gained nearly 700,000 followers, according to The Times. The newspaper, however, noted that its hard to judge whether such efforts had any significant impact, offering that while black voter turnout did decline in 2016, its impossible to say whether it was the result of the Russian effort. This is a breaking news story and will be updated. HOLYOKE A pair of workers hoisted high by a crane began dismantling the steeple of the former Mater Dolorosa Church Monday morning. As of mid-morning the steeple was the only remaining intact piece of the church, built 117 years ago by Polish immigrants. It soared high above a pair of excavators that noisily clawed about what was once the churchs interior, feeding rubble into a dump truck. The irony of the standing steeple was not lost on the onlookers who watched from a safe corner of the property. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, after all, argued one of the problems with the building was its steeple, which it said was in danger of collapse. That claim was been disputed by others in a simmering controversy that first heated up when the diocese closed the church in 2011. The bishop said he was going to take (the steeple) down because it was going to fall down, said a former parishioner who declined to give her name to a reporter. I feel like this is completely unnecessary, said former parishioner Geraldine Brockway. The cost of the demolition of the church is probably more than the cost of maintaining it. Brockway, formerly Geraldine Wojic, said she was baptized in the church, grew up in the vibrant neighborhood that surrounded it, attended its parish school and got married there. My grandparents helped build the church, my grandmother cleaned the church, its absolutely heartbreaking, she said. The timing of the demolition, with Christmas fast-approaching, seems especially cruel to those who lived their spiritual lives there, Brockway said. Couldnt they have waited a few weeks until January? Brockway asked. I keep playing my Polish Christmas carols at home and crying. In a statement last week, diocese spokesman Mark Dupont said the demolition was necessary due to the deteriorate state of the building and the cold weather ahead. We understand how painful this will be for many, especially this time of year, however safety had to be our priority and no matter when we had to undertake this demolition it would have been difficult for former parishioners, he said. Victor M. Anop, chairman of Friends of Mater Dolorosa, touched on the still-standing steeple in a statement issued after attending the 8th-annual Friends of Mater Dolorosa Christmas party on Sunday. The steeple still stands tall on its own foundation even as the church roof and walls were taken down, Anop wrote. My people are heartbroken over what was done against the Polish people and the other sad citizens of the City of Holyoke who come every day to see the destruction of the church, the anchor of the neighborhood." The two workers, hoisted on a platform suspended underneath the crane, made their first foray up to the steeple mid-morning. After working for 20 minutes or so, the men removed what appeared to be a cap to the steeple and were eventually lowered back to the ground with what appeared to some of the copper sheathing that had protected it from the elements. Hoisted aloft for a second time, the two men tiny black figures against a gray sky resumed their labors on the steeple. From time to time, shingles, or other bits of debris, fluttered down like wounded birds. BRIMFIELD -- Police and firefighters plan to send a third day searching for a 54-year-old man who has been missing since Friday evening. Search and rescue teams from multiple departments have been searching the land and water at the Woods at Long Pond over the weekend but so far have not located the man. Eric Malerbi is 5 feet, five inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. He frequents places in Brimfield and Sturbridge and is believed to be wearing a dark-colored fleece jacket and blue jeans. Police spent about eight hours on Saturday searching wooded areas and the water in the Woods at Long Pond. They returned Sunday morning and spent the day searching the area. The effort concluded around 4 p.m. when it was getting dark. Sunday's search was focused at the pond and dive teams assisted. The search on Monday is also expected to be around and in the water, police said. Multiple agencies have been assisting including the Oxford Police Department, Sturbridge Fire Department, Tolland County Dive Team and the Massachusetts State Police dive team. North Brookfield, Warren and Wales fire departments also assisted, officials said. Anyone with any information about Malerbi's disappearance is asked to call Brimfield Police at 413-245-7222. The time is almost here to kick off Toy for Joy, the annual campaign that brings Christmas gifts to families across Western Massachusetts, and local businesses are continuing to show their support for the charitable toy drive. The Toy for Joy campaign each year brings toys to thousands of families. Last year the campaign served 2,700 families in Springfield, around 800 families in Holyoke, and some 200 families in Greenfield. One local business owner is Jack Welch, co-owner of local alarm and security systems company Wel-Design in Wilbraham. "We've been donating as a business for around ten years," said Welch, whose business helped raised $1,415 for the campaign this year. Welch, whose father co-owns the business, started donating to Toy for Joy after Jack's mother, who was a fan of the charity, passed away. "It's nice and its a local charity," Welch said. "The money stays local and it helps kids who live in the communities that we're working in." Currently in its 96th year, the Toy for Joy campaign is a collaborative effort between the Salvation Army, The Republican and MassLive, and will see Christmas gifts distributed to thousands of families across the region next week. Today's list of donations totaling $3,845.24 brings the total raised thus far to $44,399.24 leaving $105,600.76 to be raised by Christmas eve. Distribution dates for the campaign have been released and can be seen below. Springfield Greenfield Holyoke You can still make a contribution to the Toy for Joy fund by writing: Toy for Joy, 1860 Main St., Springfield, MA 01101. Contributions may also be dropped off with the coupon which accompanies this story to The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through noon on Dec. 21. You can also make online donations. For the third year in a row, Pride Stores is also partnering with Toy for Joy. Pride locations in Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut will rally its customers in November and December to help contribute to Toy for Joy. Customers can go into any Pride in the area and purchase a $1, $5 or $10 donation card for Toy for Joy. Toy for Joy also partners with the Reading Success by 4th Grade initiative of the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation for a second year to help ensure each child receives a new book. A New Hampshire man accused of stabbing a Massachusetts State Police trooper following a high-speed chase that traveled through three states was indicted on eight charges. A Franklin County Grand Jury indicted Nghia V. Le, 18, of Manchester, New Hampshire, on charges of armed assault with intent to murder, armed assault with intent to rob, mayhem, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, armed carjacking, assault and battery upon a public employee, assault with a dangerous weapon and reckless operation, said Mary Carey, spokeswoman for Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan. Le, who has been held without bail since being arrested on Oct. 19, is scheduled to be arraigned in Franklin Superior Court, in Greenfield, on Wednesday, she said. Le is accused of attacking the trooper after an alleged car-jacking in New Hampshire. After the car-jacking, police followed Le on a lengthy, high-speed chase which started in New Hampshire, crossed into Vermont and then traveled south into Massachusetts. It ended on Route 202 in New Salem where Le crashed his car. As the trooper attempted to take him into custody, Le allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed Trooper Mark Whitcomb multiple times and attempted to steal his cruiser. The attack was halted when Erving Police Officer James Loynd shot Le at least twice. Le was treated at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. Whitcomb suffered a collapsed lung and other injuries in the attack, officials said. Northampton police said three convicted Level 3 sex offenders registered with local police as required by law. Northampton Police Detective Sergeant Victor Caputo said the three registered as of December 15. Denie Irizarry is a 50-year-old man living at the Grove Street Inn at 91 Grove St. He is described as Hispanic, standing 6-feet tall and weighing about 212 lbs, with a medium build, brown hair and wearing a goatee beard. Irizarry was convicted of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 in April of 1998. Joseph R. Bishop, 38, is described as a caucasian male, standing 5-foot, 10-inches tall and weighing approximately 158 lbs. He has brown hair and eyes and wears a beard and mustche. He is currently living in the homeless shelter at 43 Center St., Bishop was convicted of rape and abuse of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old in May of 2016. Charles J. Cummings currently lists the homeless shelter at 43 Center St., as a secondary address. He is 42-year-old caucasian male, and stands 6-foot, 3-inches tall and weights 280 lbs. He has black hair and brown eyes, and wears a goatee beard. Cummings was convicted in May of 2000 of rape and abuse of a child-2 counts, and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older. None of the registrants are wanted by the police for any crime and police warn against targeting them for harrassment. SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested a 28-year-old homeless man on a warrant for armed robbery and other charges Friday morning after the driver of a car that he was riding in refused to stop for police and ultimately crashed into a vehicle in Chicopee. The incident began about 11 a.m. when the driver refused to stop for police on Mulberry Street, Ryan Walsh, spokesman for Springfield police, said. The driver pulled onto Interstate 91 and police followed. The driver then pulled off at Exit 2 on Interstate 391 and crashed into a vehicle on Front Street. The passenger, Anthony Evans, was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon (a knife), possession of a Class B drug and a warrant for armed robbery. The driver, who took off on foot, has been identified and a criminal complaint will be issued, Walsh said. All those involved in the crash refused medical attention. Ayanna Pressley, the first black woman elected to represent Massachusetts in Washington, announced Monday that she will move into the Capitol Hill office once held by Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to ever be elected to Congress. Pressley, who will officially join the 116th Congress in January, said shes humbled to occupy the same space (Chisholm) did on Capitol Hill. Shirley Chisholm has been a shero of mine since I was a girl. Her commitment to fighting injustice and lifting up the voices of those who had been disenfranchised is an inspiration and an example I hope to follow, she said in a statement, adding that she was "deeply thankful to (her) colleague, Congresswoman-elect Katie Hill of California, for so graciously offering to switch offices. A spokesman for Pressley said the congresswoman-elects office will be in the Longworth Office Building, where she had also been initially assigned following the room lottery. Pressley further touted her new office and thanked her colleague on social media. Wow! TY Mommy for the extra bday luck! We just learned my Congressional Office designation will be #ShirleyChisholm 's former office. How's that for divine intervention, AND the selflessness of my colleague @KatieHill4CA who drew a better lottery# but still wanted me to have it. Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) December 17, 2018 Pressley has repeatedly lauded Chisholms legacy and noted that the former congresswoman inspired her own political ambitions. She called Chisholm her shero ahead of Novembers mid-term election, offering that congressional hopefuls across the country were following in her example. The congresswoman-elect further encouraged supporters to learn about her life and work after the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate honored her legacy with its Seat at the Table Project. My shero Shirley Chisholm said, if they dont give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. Across the country, thousands of activist leaders have refused to wait their turn. #ChangeCantWait #vote pic.twitter.com/JtfhIBE76N Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) November 6, 2018 Pressley, meanwhile, paid homage to Chisholm after officially winning her bid to represent Massachusetts' 5th Congressional District in the November contest. Because of her, she tweeted, along with a photo of herself in front of Chisholms Capitol Hill portrait. Chisholm made history as the first American-American congresswoman after winning the 1968 election in a newly reapportioned House District centered in Brooklyn, New York. Although she lost her 1972 Democratic presidential bid, Fighting Shirley became a national figure for her reputation as a crusader and outspoken personality. After leaving Congress in January 1983, Chisholm helped cofound the National Political Congress of Black Women and taught at Mt. Holyoke College, according to her U.S. House biography. She also campaigned for Jesse Jacksons presidential bids in 1984 and 1988. Chisholm died in 2005, in Ormond Beach, Florida. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, a Springfield Democrat who is expected to lead the House Ways and Means Committee, pledged to take immediate action when the Congress convenes in January to protect the Affordable Care Act and appeal a recent federal court ruling, which struck down the controversial health care law. Neal, who led floor opposition to Republican-backed efforts to dismantle key components of the law, known as Obamacare, joined other Democratic leaders in condemning a U.S. District Court in Fort Worths decision that struck down the entire ACA on Friday, arguing that its mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. The congressman, in a Friday statement issued with Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., D-New Jersey, and Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, slammed the courts decision as reckless," arguing that it endangers the lives of millions of Americans who are going to lose their health care. They further called the courts ruling in a lawsuit brought by a group of Republican governors and state attorneys general an ideological decision in a case that has no legal merit. Pointing to Democrats' successes in the 2018 midterms, the lawmakers argued that the election served as a referendum on "how important access to health coverage and protections for pre-existing conditions are for American families." Neal, Pallone and Scott called for an emergency stay of this heartless ruling and pledged to "take immediate action in the new Congress to intervene in this case and appeal this decision." House Democrats will do whatever it takes to make sure the protections enshrined in the Affordable Care Act endure, they said. The lives and wellbeing of millions of Americans -- including those living with pre-existing conditions -- are on the line. Federal District Court Judge Reed OConnor, in his ruling, said the individual coverage mandate can no longer be sustained as an exercise of Congresss tax power," according to reports. Therefore, OConnor argued, the individual mandate is unconstitutional and invalidates the rest of the health care law. The case centered around the question of whether the ACAs insurance mandate still required Americans to purchase health coverage after Congress essentially removed the penalty as part of its GOP-backed tax overhaul bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law last year. Plaintiff states contended that the mandate had become unconstitutional when lawmakers zeroed out the penalty. The rest of the law, they further argued, is tied to the mandate. California and the other defendant states -- including Massachusetts -- have said they will challenge the ruling with an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called the courts ruling "a threat to health care coverage and funding for all Americans, including seniors, children, and people with chronic medical conditions or disabilities." Despite the decision in Texas v. U.S., we will always defend the Affordable Care Act and keep fighting to protect coverage for pre-existing conditions and access to healthcare for millions of families, she said in a statement. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the mandate as constitutional in 2012 based on Congresss taxing power. Neal, Pallone and Scott previously condemned the Trump administration in June after the Justice Department announced it would not defend key provisions of the Affordable Care Act in the court case. They argued that DOJs refusal to defend the controversial health care law could eliminate protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions and have profound consequences for patients, the health care system and the American economy. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is coming to Worcester in mid-2019. The five-member commission, which oversees the nascent marijuana industry, on Monday authorized its executive director to sign the lease for its permanent headquarters in Union Station. The 10-year lease is costing the commission $439,200 for the first year, coming in at roughly $36,000 per month. Average monthly cost over 10 years is $38,902 and just $30 per square foot, according to Shawn Collins, the executive director. The offices will be in a horseshoe shape around Union Stations rotunda. The city of Worcester was very aggressive and supportive in terms of saying theyd love us to come, Steve Hoffman, chairman of the commission, said after the vote. A Lincoln resident, Hoffman added, I think there are a lot of good things about Worcester. I frankly dont know the city very well, Im looking forward to getting to know it. But I hear good things about the city in terms of cultural interactions, in terms of restaurants. So Im excited. Plus, the PawSox are coming. Hoffman described the planned space as airy, with windows looking outside and into Union Station. Economically, its far more attractive than if we had stayed in Boston or closer to Boston, he said. Due to trains and buses coming out of the station, and the nearby highways, agency investigators will be able to maneuver around the state quickly from their headquarters, according to Jen Flanagan, a commissioner and a former state senator from Central Massachusetts. I think its going to be a great addition to that part of town, she said. The commission, which is temporarily next to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in Bostons Financial District, is also putting a Greater Boston satellite office a few blocks away in Downtown Crossing, at 50 Franklin Street. The lease is also for 10 years and they plan to move in spring or summer 2019. Mondays vote on Union Station came after Worcesters redevelopment authority had its own vote on Friday. The Cannabis Control Commissions offices will span just over 14,000 square feet, with 25 offices, 53 work stations and three conference rooms. Retia Medical, out of Valhalla, New York, won FDA clearance and is making available in the U.S. its Argos Cardiac Output Monitor. For use in the OR and ICU, the product uses the companys MBA algorithm to track both fluid and pressor resuscitation with high precision. This gives clinicians the ability to monitor oxygen delivery and control fluid status. The Argos interfaces with many existing clinical monitors and electronic medical record (EMR) systems and eliminates some disposables that rack up cost over time. The company hopes that the set of features in the system will lead to closer cardiac output monitoring in existing facilities while making the technology accessible to clinics that currently dont take advantage of it. The system features a bright screen for easy viewing of charts and numbers, one touch access to trend and parameter settings, and the ability to customize the screen to display the parameters most interesting to the given patient. A single cable interfaces the device with a patient monitor to obtain blood pressure readings. Here are the benefits of the Argos, according to Retia Medical: Enhanced ease of use The Argos CO Monitor offers a patented, intuitive user interface that incorporates the streamlined design of consumer technology and offers user-friendly features. A single cable connection is all that is needed to acquire a blood pressure signal from any vital signs monitor. This facilitates set up and eliminates the need for user training. Simple EMR connectivity The Argos Monitor seamlessly integrates with EMR systems, providing immediate access to patients hemodynamic profiles from remote locations. With an open architecture and a vendor-agnostic design, hospitals arent locked into one proprietary system for data exchange. The Argos Monitor architecture ensures against obsolescence, providing a higher return on investment by eliminating the need for costly upgrades or system changes in the future. Cost-effective Without the need for costly disposables, the Argos Monitor can reduce five-year costs by more than 75% compared with other leading monitors. Via: Retia Medical The Global Bioburden Testing Market is expected to register a CAGR of Approx. 9.15% during the forecast period of 20182023 with an estimated market value of USD 455 million. Bioburden testing refers to an estimation of microbial load on a medical instrument, raw material, packaged goods among others. Several factors such as rising medical spending, increasing food safety concerns and growing product recalls due to microbial contamination are projected to drive the growth of the market. On the other hand, high costs of microbial enumeration instruments and complex and time-consuming regulatory standards in some economies may curb the market growth during the assessment period. Moreover, test reports and certificates tend to be different from one country to another which hampers international trade. Therefore, in December 2017, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published a new edition of ISO/IEC 17025 standard. This standard is an international reference for laboratories carrying out calibration and testing activities around the world. ISO/IEC 17025 helps facilitate cooperation between laboratories and other bodies by creating widespread acceptance of results between countries. Avail Sample Copy for this Report https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6716 The global bioburden testing market is currently dominated by many market players. The key players in the market are involved in new product launches and strategic collaborations to strengthen its market position. For instance, in October 2018, Becton, Dickinson and Company, a leading global medical technology company, announced the availability of the BD MAX MDR-TB (multi-drug resistant tuberculosis) panel in Europe. Regional Analysis: The market in the Americas is expected to dominate the global bioburden testing market during the forecast period owing to the presence of well-established healthcare system, increasing healthcare expenditure, and favorable reimbursement scenario. The European market is expected to be the second-largest due to availability of funds for research from public and private sources. Moreover, the market in Asia-Pacific is predicted to be the fastest-growing during the assessment period owing to growing disposable income, and continuously developing economies. The market in the Middle East & Africa is likely to account for the smallest share of the global bioburden testing market. The market growth in this region can be attributed to the growing government initiatives. Segmentation: The global bioburden testing market has been segmented into test type, product type, application and end-user. The market, on the basis of type, has been segmented into aerobic count, anaerobic count, fungi count and spore count. The market, on the basis of product type, has been segmented into consumables and instruments. The market, by consumables, has been sub-segmented into reagents and kits, and others. The market, by instruments, has been further segmented into polymerase chain reaction machine (PCR), microscopes, and others. The market, by application, has been segmented into raw materials testing, medical devices testing, in-process material testing, sterilization validation testing, and equipment cleaning validation. The market, by end-user, has been segmented into pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, microbial testing laboratories, and others. Browse Complete Premium Research Report Enabled with Respective Tables and Figures at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/bioburden-testing-market-6716 Key Players: Some of the key players in the global bioburden testing market are WuXi AppTec, Charles River, SGS SA, Merck KGaA, NORTH AMERICAN SCIENCE ASSOCIATES INC., Becton, Dickinson, and Company, Nelson Laboratories, LLC, Pacific Biolabs, ATS Laboratories, Inc., and Dynatec Labs. Table Of Contents: Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction Chapter 3. Research Methodology Chapter 4. Market Dynamics Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis Chapter 6. Global Bioburden Testing Market, By Test Type Chapter 7. Global Bioburden Testing Market, By Product Type Chapter 8. Global Bioburden Testing Market, By Application Chapter 9. Global Bioburden Testing Market, By End-User Chapter 10 Global Bioburden Testing Market, By Region Chapter 11. Company Landscape Chapter 12. Company Profiles Chapter 13 MRFR Conclusion Chapter 14. Appendix LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES Inquire for Discount at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/6716 Intended Audience Pharmaceutical Companies Research and Development (R&D) Companies Manufacturers of Food and Beverage Products Diagnostic Laboratories Manufacturers of Agricultural Products Government Research Institutes Academic Institutes and Universities About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Global Bone Graft Substitutes Market is expected to expand at 6.52% CAGR during the forecast period 2017 to 2027. The market is set to reach a valuation of USD 5,031 Mn by the end of the assessment period. The increasing prevalence of diseases related to bones has intensified the demand for bone graft substitutes. Additionally, the rising awareness about the developments in bone graft substitutes coupled with rising healthcare expenditure is likely to augment the market size and revenue over the next couple of years. The painful procedure related to autografts have paved the way for developments in the bone graft substitutes market. Hence, the demand for alternatives such as allografts, xenografts, and synthetic bone grafts has been on the rise. It is projected to aid the proliferation of the market in the forthcoming years by accelerating its adoption. To Get Sample Report visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1195 The growth of the bone graft substitutes market is guided by the factors such as increasing orthopedic problems, exponential geriatric population, and rising demand for reconstructive orthopedic treatments. The adoption of bone graft substitutes in the oral healthcare sector is another factor responsible for catalyzing the growth of the bone graft substitutes market through the assessment period. The bone graft substitutes market is poised to remain highly lucrative in the foreseeable future. However, risks associated with disease transmission in allografts and xenograft as well as graft rejection, improper fixation, etc. are prognosticated to restrict the market expansion over the forecast period. Industry News: In March 2018, Dentsply Sirona, a dental solution company, announced the acquisition of over OraMetrix, a provider of innovative 3D technology solutions for orthodontic care. The acquisition is a remarkable step towards the advancement of dental bone graft procedure. In August 2018, Scandinavian orthobiologics company Bone Support received approval from Health Canada for Cerament G bone graft substitute. In September 2018, Baxter International Inc., an American healthcare company, announced the receipt of FDA clearance for Actifuse Flow bone graft substitute to be used in orthopedic surgical procedures. In November 2018, Bio2 Technologies, an orthopedic company, has received approval from FDA for evaluation of its Vitrium bioactive glass as a cervical interbody fusion device. Vitrium is currently in use as a bone graft. Key Players for Global Bone Graft Substitutes Market ACE Surgical Supply Company, Inc., Dentium Co., Ltd., BioHorizons IPH, Inc., Dentsply Sirona, Medtronic plc, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet, and Institut Straumann AG. Segments for Global Bone Graft Substitutes Market Based on type, the global bone graft substitutes market has been segmented into autograft, demineralized bone matrix, synthetic bone grafts, bone morphogenetic protein, and others. Based on application, the bone graft substitutes market has been segmented into spinal fusion, joint reconstruction, long bone, dental, foot & ankle, and others. Regional Analysis for Global Bone Graft Substitutes Market By region, the global bone graft substitutes market has been segmented into Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Americas accounted for the largest share of the global market in 2016. It is expected to retain a significant share of the market by the end of 2027 striking a CAGR of 6.1%. The growth is attributable to the technological advancements in health care, the presence of key players, etc. The developed healthcare sector of the U.S. is poised to be one of the primary revenue generators in the regional bone graft substitutes market. Browse Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/bone-graft-substitutes-market-1195 Europe is the second largest market for bone graft substitutes. It is estimated to thrive at 6.76% CAGR owing to increasing awareness about bone graft substitutes and rising healthcare expenditure. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific is set to register a relatively higher CAGR of 6.85% during the forecast period. The presence of fast-developing economies such as China and India are immensely supporting the growth of the bone graft substitutes market in the region. The trend is likely to perpetuate over the next couple of years. The Middle East & Africa is expected to exhibit steady growth due to the developments in the healthcare sector in Gulf nations. However, the poor socio-economic situation in African regions remains an impediment to the market growth. About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Statistical Report, Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Market Research Future is Leading Research Company which has provide a Half Cooked report on Global Genetic Engineering Market Research ReportForecast till 2027 for Better Understanding of Revenue Model and Sources of Revenue Top Key Players: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), and Horizon Discovery Group Plc. (U.K.). The other players of the market are Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (U.S.)., New England Biolabs (U.S), Genscript Biotech Corporation (U.S.), Lonza Group Ltd. (Switzerland), Inc. (U.S.), Origene Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), and Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc (U.S.) Get Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1528 Global Genetic Engineering Market Overview: The use of various technology to manipulate genome of an organism or change its genetic makeup of an organism is called genetic engineering. Gene is a basic structural and unit of functional unit of heredity. Its due to genes that we have any particular trait. DNA recombinant technology is common genetic engineering method used. It involves artificial addition of a foreign gene to organism genome thus altering its genetic makeup. Genetic engineering is generally done to eliminate any hereditary problem or to provide additional advantage to an organism, or cure to any disease like cancer. For instance, Roundup ready corn by Monsanto is an example of use of genetic engineering in agriculture. The factors boosting up the market growth are; increase technologies for gene, use of gene therapy for cancer treatment, CRISPR technology for genome editing, rise in use of advanced technologies and research in genetic engineering field. For instance insulin was previously produced from pig and goat but now genetically engineered E.coli are used for production of insulin. Thus prevalence of diabetes is also a contributing factor in market growth. Government laws, lack of awareness in middle income countries, high cost involved are the market restraint factors. Global genetic engineering market is expected to reach USD 6.90 billion by 2023 at a CAGR of 12.48% during period 2017 to 2023. The market is forecasted to demonstrate a double digit growth by 2027, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value with a striking CAGR during the anticipated period 2017 2027. Global Genetic Engineering Market competitive Analysis: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc is a global leader among scientific industries. Through their premier brands Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services they aim to offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, solve complex analytical challenges and accelerate life sciences & medical research. It has contributed significantly in genetic engineering by offering solutions for genome editing, cloning DNA assembly, as well as Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 for plant-cell transformation, RT-PCR, Affymetrix microarray analysis products and Comprehensive sequencing solutions. In year 2015 Thermo fisher launched online GeneArt CRISPR Search and Design Tool. The design tool suggests the top 6 sequence designs and gives a list of potential off-target effects for each as well as 600,000 predesigned CRISPR gRNAs for targeting human and mouse genes. Thus it made Genome editing simpler for the user, making it a popular tool in the field of genetic engineering research. Other recent products in genetic engineering market are Ion S5 sequencing systems, Sanger sequencing, QuantiGene Plex Assay, QuantiGene Singleplex Assay, QuantStudio family and QuantiGene Singleplex HT Assay. New England Biolabs headquartered in the U.S is a leader in the discovery and development of molecular biology reagents, restriction enzymes and commercialization of recombinant and native enzymes for genomic research. NEB presented NEBNext technologies, which is its latest innovation in NGS sample preparation including enzymatic DNA fragmentation, target enrichment, single-cell RNA sequencing, and methylation analysis. NEB is looking past the enzymes and has launched several products involving CRISPR technology too. Browse Full Reports @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/genetic-engineering-market-1528 Global Genetic Engineering Market Regional Analysis: Home to some of the worlds largest pharmaceutical &biotechnology companies, research giants North America stands as an undisputed leader for genome engineering market. The region has witnessed a significant rise in research and development activities in the field of genetics and its applications across these industries North America is anticipated to lead the Global Genetic Engineering Market owing to the high prevalence of diabetes, cancer, neurological disorders,., increasing acceptance of new technologies, the presence of a large customer base in this region is likely to propel the growth of the syringe and needle market in North America. Europe stands second in the Global Genetic Engineering Market. The European market is expected to grow during the forecast period due to various government legislative reforms providing regulatory guidelines to manufacturing companies, the growing research and developments sector, need for advanced treatments along with growing need for better healthcare infrastructure. Asia Pacific is the fastest region in the Global Genetic Engineering Market. Countrys like India, Japan, Korea China and Singapore of Asia Pacific region are adapting to newer technologies and are the hub of life sciences and medical science research. Considering the fact that presence of huge population suffering from diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, these countries are quickly adapting to new technologies so as to improve the health of every citizen. Government is also supporting the same by investing in research and development in clinical research sector as well as in building proper healthcare infrastructure. Additionally, lots of global giants in Pharma &biotech industries are setting up their research lab in these emerging nation, will also give a boost up to Asia Pacific market. The Middle East & Africa holds the least share in the market owing to the presence of low-income countries and low healthcare expenditure, especially within the African region. Within this region, the Middle East leads the market due to the presence of developed economies like United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia who have good research infrastructure as well as skilled Professionals. Ask Question to Professional @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1528 Table of Contents: Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope Of The Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations Chapter 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation Chapter 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restraints 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Challenges 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Genitourinary Drugs Market are used for the treatment of medical complications related to the kidney, bladder, ureter, and urethra. Genitourinary disorders are caused by damage to the urinary tract or genital organs. The global genitourinary drugs market accounted for USD 28,200 million in 2016 and is expected to register a CAGR of ~1.65% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2023. Genitourinary disorders are caused by damage to the urinal or genital part of the human body. Kidney, bladder, ureter, and urethra are parts of the genitourinary system. Genitourinary drugs are used to treat medical complications caused to these parts. The rising prevalence of genitourinary disorders, increasing number of pipeline drugs, and technological advancements in genitourinary diagnosis are expected to drive the growth of the market. According to the US National Library of Medicine, more than 480 clinical trials are lined up for the treatment of urinary tract infection. Get Sample Research Report at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6802 Regional Analysis: Americas is expected to dominate the global genitourinary drugs market during the forecast period owing to the rising prevalence of genitourinary disorders, increasing number of cancer patients in the region, the rise in healthcare expenditure, and the presence of a well-established healthcare system. The European market is expected to be the second-largest due to government initiatives for the development of the healthcare sector, increasing research and development activities in the region, and the rise in a number of chronic disorders. Moreover, the market in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period owing to the increasing geriatric population, rising investments in the healthcare sector, and favorable government policies. The market in the Middle East and Africa is likely to account for the smallest share of the global genitourinary drugs market. Key Players: Some of the key players in the global genitourinary drugs market are Bayer AG, AstraZeneca, Abbott, Astellas Pharma Inc., Pfizer Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Inc., Immunex Corp. GlaxoSmithKline plc., Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Antares Pharma, and Novartis AG. Table of Contents: Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction Chapter 3. Research Methodology Chapter 4. Market Dynamics Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis Chapter 6. Global Genitourinary Drugs Market, By Disease Chapter 7. Global Genitourinary Drugs Market, By Product Chapter 8. Global Genitourinary Drugs Market, By End-User Chapter 9. Global Genitourinary Drugs Market, By Region Chapter 10. Company Landscape Chapter 11. Company Profiles Chapter 12 MRFR Conclusion Chapter 13. Appendix LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES Browse Complete Premium Research Report Enabled with Respective Tables and Figures at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/genitourinary-drugs-market-6802 Segmentation: The global genitourinary drugs market has been segmented on the basis of disease, product, and end user. The market, by disease, has been classified as urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence and overactive bladder, kidney/renal cancer, genitourinary cancer, bladder cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, interstitial cystitis, hematuria, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer. On the basis of product, the market has been segregated into urological, hormonal therapy, gynecological, and anti-infectives. The end user segment has been divided into, hospitals, clinics, super specialty centers, and others. Intended Audience Pharmaceutical Industry Healthcare providers Medical device manufacturers Research institutes and academic centers Contract research organizations (CROs) Government associations Market research and consulting Inquire for Discount at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/6802 About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com A liquid biopsy is defined as a largely non-invasive, sampling and analysis of liquid state biological tissue, helpful in diagnostic and monitoring diseases such as cancer. Market Research Future (MRFR) has published a research report about the global liquid biopsy market that vaticinates immense extension for this market with 28% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) between 2015 and 2022. In terms of cash, the worth of this market has been estimated to be US $ 17,372.28 mn by the end of forecast period. Get Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/710 The factors contributing to the growth of global liquid biopsy market include comparatively painless and non-invasive technique, early real time high precision detection of diseases, effective monitoring, designing treatment strategies, lifestyle changes, rising investment in research and development (R&D), collaborations between companies and public organizations, rise in geriatric population, and rising health expenditure. Other advantages of liquid biopsy over traditional tissue biopsy include potential applications to autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, etc. The restraints that can harm the market growth during the forecast period include the prohibitive costs associated with liquid biopsy, and the differential awareness & availability between developing and the developed world. Also, early detection does not benefit all cancer patients as some cancers like brain cancer and prostate cancer may lie dormant for many years. Lastly, liquid biopsy is not all non-invasive. Use of spinal fluid as sample proves that. The global liquid biopsy market has been segmented on the basis of application, biomarker type, end users, sample, and lastly region. Based on application, this market has been segmented into cancer therapeutic application, reproductive health, and other therapeutic application. During the forecast period, with regards to the therapeutic application, the Cancer segment will reflect the highest growth potential, with over 82.83% of the market share by revenues. By biomarker type, the market has been segmented into circulating tumor cells (CTCS), circulating tumor DNA (CTDNA), extracellular vesicles (EVS) and other biomarker. Not only CTCS segment dominates the market share, in terms of revenues, it contributes approx. 55.48% of the revenue share of the global liquid biopsy market. On the basis of end users, the market has been segmented into academic & research centers, hospitals & laboratories, and others. The sample-based segmentation segments the market into blood, urine and others. The urine sample segment is expected to witness noticeable growth during the forecast period. The regional segmentation of the global liquid biopsy market segments the market into continent-based regional markets namely The Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). During the forecast period, the North America and Europe are expected to grow. The Americas is the largest regional market due to the availability of advanced medical technology, and increasing healthcare expenditures, especially in North America. North America alone holds the potential to be the largest regional market due to its strong economies that are as the United States of America (USA) and Canada. Many key market players are based in the USA. In this region, the availability of advanced medical facilities makes North America a bigger market than South America. Europe is the second largest regional market. After North America, Europe has maximum technological advancement. The most important country-specific markets in this region are this region are France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK). According to the report, the Asia Pacific region is expected to emerge as the fastest growing regional market. In this region, the significant country-specific markets are Australia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea followed by the rest of Asia Pacific. During the forecast period, the Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at the 28.8% CAGR. The MEA region shows limited market with slow and steady growth. The reasons for the slow market growth in this region are lack of awareness, lack of education, lack of technological development, political instability, poor access to treatment, poor healthcare facilities, and healthcare not considered a priority by most governments. The crucial country specific markets in this region are Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Key Players The key players in the global liquid biopsy market include Admera Health (USA), Agena Bioscience Inc. (USA), Biocept Inc. (USA), Circulogene Theranostics (USA), Exosome Diagnostics (USA), Guardant Health Inc. (USA), Inivata Ltd. (USA), RainDance Technologies Inc. (USA), SAGA Diagnostics AB (Sweden), and Trovagene Inc. (USA). Browse Complete 171 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 248 Respective Tables and Figures at @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/liquid-biopsy-market-710 Detailed Table Of Contents 1 Report Prologue 2 Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope Of The Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations 2.3 Market Structure 2.4. Market Segmentation 3 Research Methodology 3.1 Research Process 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 5 Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restraints 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Mega Trends 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 5 Market Factor analysis 5.1 Porters Five Force Analysis 5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Buyer 5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Supplier 5.1.3 Threat From Substitute 5.1.4 Threat From A New Entrant 5.1.5 Intensity Of Competitive Rivalry Continued Send an Enquiry @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/710 About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com The Global Medical Imaging Market is growing rapidly and is expected to grow more. Medical imaging techniques are providing accurate diagnosis of disorders and ailments. There has been huge demand for medical imaging in healthcare companies, hospitals, clinics, and laboratories. Numerous benefits offered by medical imaging, is increasing demand of the same highly in the market. Global Medical Imaging Market Key Players Major participants of this market are Carestream Health, Inc. Esaote SpA Fonar Corporation Fujifilm Holdings Corporation GE Healthcare Hitachi Medical Corporation Hologic, Inc. Narang Medical Limited Philips Healthcare Samsung Medison Co. Ltd Shimadzu Corporation Siemens Healthcare Toshiba Corporation Get Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1995 Latest Industry Trends and News Leading technology Nvidia has reportedly expressed its intentions of introducing a new AI platform Clara in the recently held GPU Technology Conference. The AI will be mainly used for creating virtual medical imaging platform. With this move, the tech firm will set its foot in the healthcare sector. TriHealth, a healthcare provider based in Cincinnati is reportedly set to invest $10 Mn to integrate a part of IBM Watson Health Enterprise Imaging solution. The move will allow TriHealth to bolster its picture archiving and communication system infrastructure as well as engage AI capabilities for medical imaging. Global Medical Imaging Market Segmentation The Medical Imaging Market has been segmented on the basis of modality which includes ultrasound, computed tomography, x-ray, radiography, MRI, nuclear imaging, tactile imaging, echocardiography, thermography and more. On the basis of end user, market is further segmented into hospital/clinics, diagnostic centers, laboratories, and others. Global Medical Imaging Market Regional Analysis The American region holds the major share of the global medical imaging market, owing to the existing well-established healthcare system, technological advancements, and the geriatric population. Due to the increasing acceptance of advanced imaging equipment multitude of products have been introduced by leading players. For instance, Vantage Galan 3.0T XGO Edition MRI by Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc. received approval from Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Galan 3T XGO Edition offers the ability to conduct high-quality neuroimaging exams, and higher-resolution images. Browse Complete 80 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 30+ Respective Tables and Figures @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/medical-imaging-market-1995 Europe holds the second position in the global medical imaging market. It is expected that the government support towards research & development expenditure. The Asia-Pacific medical imaging market consists of countries namely China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, Australia and the Rest of Asia-Pacific. The rising prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is propelling the growth of the market. According to a study published in the Circulation Journal in 2017, 80% of CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. The Middle East and Africa holds the lowest share of the global market due to low development, lack of technical knowledge, and poor medical facilities. Major Table of Content Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope of the Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations Chapter 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation Chapter 4. Market Dynamics Continued. To Know More Enquire @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1995 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com Thesize is anticipated to around USD 152.2 billion by 2026, this market is anticipated to grow with 26.1% CAGR during the forecast time period. Increase in technological penetration in healthcare sector is anticipated to boost the growth of the global mhealth market. Also, increased patient engagement and connectivity due to growing penetration of (IoT) Internet of Things is foreseen to boot the market over the forthcoming years. DOWNLOAD FREE REPORT SAMPLE PAGES@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/918 Rising in acceptance of advance and improvised the healthcare devices and apps are the other reason for the growth of the global mhealth market. Apart from this increasing smart phone and internet users are another factor triggering the market growth. Further surge in the need for better healthcare facility is projected to shoot the need for healthcare related app and devices. Increasing awareness regarding the digitalization in healthcare sector is estimated to surge the mhealth industry growth. Awareness regarding the benefits of connected systems over the traditional systems is also anticipated to drive the mhealth market growth across the globe over the coming years. Apart from this, increase in demand for patient care centeric model is another factor driving the mhealth market growth during the forthcoming years. The global mhealth market is segmented into four major segment named services, participants, and region. On the basis of services the mhealth market is segmented into monitoring services, diagnosis services, healthcare systems strengthening services and others. These monitoring services are further bifurcated into independent aging solutions and chronic disease management and post-acute care services. On the basis of the participants the global mhealth market is segmented into mobile operators, device vendors, content players, and healthcare providers. On the basis of region the global mhealth market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. View Detail Information@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/mhealth-market Europe captures the largest revenue share at 35.0% and will continue to retain its dominance position over the forthcoming years. Rapid adoption of healthcare apps and technologies and high per capita healthcare expenditure are expected to rise the demand form health market in the respective region. High price of developing the apps is anticipated to be the one of the considerable factor in hindering the market growth in emerging regions such as MEA, APAC and Latin America. However, with the increasing numeral of market entrants the app prices are anticipated to fall over time; this will backing the market growth in emerging such countries such as India and China. In 2018, Europe was generating highest revenue in the global mhealth market. Rising acceptance of mHealth in European nations for instance U.K. and France. Growing numeral of research initiatives are the other key parameter strengthening the expansion of the regional market. Escalating geriatric population and accordingly growing chronic diseases burden in this region are also enhancing the growth of the mhealth market. Also, rising research initiatives, for instance, the Europe funded a project named MyCyFAPP. This project is a digital health tool for supporting cystic fibrosis patients and their families to relief compute optimal enzyme dosage, are also expectantly prompting the market. Likewise, in this MyCyFAPP, a game was developed by researchers for children to assistance them understand the implication of good nutrition. Asia Pacific is anticipated to showcase the highest CAGR of 27.0% over the forthcoming years. Emerging acceptance of digital technologies, developing alertness regarding connected care, growing acceptance of remote monitoring tools, and unmet healthcare demand are subsidizing the growth of the mhealth market in the respective region. Growing geriatric populace in nations for instance, China and growing number of chronic conditions among patients are inspiring the need for mHealth in illness monitoring and diagnosis. The key players operating in the global mhealth market are Vodafone Group, AllScripts Healthcare Solutions, Apple Inc., AirStrip Technologies, Qualcomm Inc., mQure, Softserve, Telefonica, Orange, Google Inc., Samsung Electronics, and AT&T. These key players are spending vast wealth to transform the product line as the opposition in the market is increasing with rapid speed. Likewise, with capricious technology the need for better and efficient healthcare infrastructures are developing, so cater the need of the customers, these players are constantly developing new products. INQUIRY BEFORE BUYING@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/inquiry-before-buying/918 TABLE OF CONTENT CHAPTER 1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 1.1. Definition and Scope 1.1.1. Definition of mHealth 1.1.2. Market Segmentation 1.1.3. List of Abbreviations 1.2. Summary 1.2.1. Market Snapshot 1.2.2. mHealth Market By Services 1.2.2.1. Global mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate Comparison By Services (2015-2026) 1.2.2.2. Global mHealth Market Revenue Share By Services in 2017 1.2.2.3. Connected Sensors 1.2.2.4. Integrated Connected Devices 1.2.2.5. Others 1.2.3. mHealth Market By Technology 1.2.3.1. Global mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate Comparison By Technology (2015-2026) 1.2.3.2. Bluetooth 1.2.3.3. NFC 1.2.3.4. Other Technologies 1.2.4. mHealth Market By Participants 1.2.4.1. Global mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate Comparison By Participants (2015-2026) 1.2.4.2. Healthcare Providers 1.2.4.3. Homecare Centers 1.2.4.4. Others 1.2.5. mHealth Market by Geography 1.2.5.1. Global mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate Comparison by Geography (2015-2026) 1.2.5.2. North America mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2026) 1.2.5.3. Europe mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2026) 1.2.5.4. Asia-Pacific mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2026) 1.2.5.5. Latin America mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2026) 1.2.5.6. Middle East and Africa (MEA) mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2026) CHAPTER 2. MARKET DYNAMICS AND COMPETITION ANALYSIS 2.1. Market Drivers 2.2. Restraints and Challenges 2.3. Growth Opportunities 2.4. Porters Five Forces Analysis 2.4.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 2.4.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 2.4.3. Threat of Substitute 2.4.4. Threat of New Entrants 2.4.5. Degree of Competition 2.5. Value Chain Analysis 2.6. Cost Structure Analysis 2.6.1. Raw Material and Suppliers 2.6.2. Manufacturing Process Analysis 2.7. Regulatory Compliance 2.8. Competitive Landscape, 2017 2.8.1. Player Positioning Analysis 2.8.2. Key Strategies Adopted By Leading Players CHAPTER 3. MANUFACTURING PLANTS ANALYSIS 3.1. Capacity and Homecare Centers Production Date of Global mHealth Major Manufacturers in 2017 3.2. Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global mHealth Major Manufacturers in 2017 3.3. R&D Status and Technology Source of Global mHealth Major Manufacturers in 2017 3.4. Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global mHealth Major Manufacturers in 2017 CHAPTER 4. mHEALTH MARKET BY SERVICES 4.1. Global mHealth Revenue By Services 4.2. Connected Sensors 4.2.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 4.2.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) 4.3. Integrated Connected Devices 4.3.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 4.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) 4.4. Other 4.4.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 4.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 5. mHEALTH MARKET BY TECHNOLOGY 5.1. Global mHealth Revenue By Technology 5.2. Bluetooth 5.2.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 5.2.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) 5.3. NFC 5.3.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 5.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) 5.4. Other Technologies 5.4.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 5.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 6. mHEALTH MARKET BY PARTICIPANTS 6.1. Global mHealth Revenue By Participants 6.2. Healthcare Providers 6.2.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 6.2.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) 6.3. Homecare Centers 6.3.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 6.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) 6.4. Others 6.4.1. Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 6.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast, By Region, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 7. NORTH AMERICA mHEALTH MARKET BY COUNTRY 7.1. North America mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.2. North America mHealth Market Revenue Share Comparison, 2015 & 2026 (%) 7.3. U.S. 7.3.1. U.S. mHealth Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.3.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.4. Canada 7.4.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.4.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.5. Mexico 7.5.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.5.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 7.5.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 8. EUROPE mHEALTH MARKET BY COUNTRY 8.1. Europe mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.2. Europe mHealth Market Revenue Share Comparison, 2015 & 2026 (%) 8.3. UK 8.3.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.3.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.4. Germany 8.4.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.4.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.5. France 8.5.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.5.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.5.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.6. Spain 8.6.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.6.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.6.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.7. Rest of Europe 8.7.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.7.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 8.7.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 9. ASIA-PACIFIC mHEALTH MARKET BY COUNTRY 9.1. Asia-Pacific mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.2. Asia-Pacific mHealth Market Revenue Share Comparison, 2015 & 2026 (%) 9.3. China 9.3.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.3.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.4. Japan 9.4.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.4.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.5. India 9.5.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.5.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.5.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.6. Australia 9.6.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.6.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.6.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.7. South Korea 9.7.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.7.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.7.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.8. Rest of Asia-Pacific 9.8.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.8.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 9.8.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 10. LATIN AMERICA mHEALTH MARKET BY COUNTRY 10.1. Latin America mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.2. Latin America mHealth Market Revenue Share Comparison, 2015 & 2026 (%) 10.3. Brazil 10.3.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.3.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.4. Argentina 10.4.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.4.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.5. Rest of Latin America 10.5.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.5.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 10.5.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 11. MIDDLE EAST mHEALTH MARKET BY COUNTRY 11.1. Middle East mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.2. Middle East mHealth Market Revenue Share Comparison, 2015 & 2026 (%) 11.3. Saudi Arabia 11.3.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.3.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.4. UAE 11.4.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.4.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.5. Rest of Middle East 11.5.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.5.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 11.5.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 12. AFRICA mHEALTH MARKET BY COUNTRY 12.1. Africa mHealth Market Revenue and Growth Rate, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.2. Africa mHealth Market Revenue Share Comparison, 2015 & 2026 (%) 12.3. South Africa 12.3.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.3.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.3.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.4. Egypt 12.4.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.4.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.4.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.5. Rest of Africa 12.5.1. Market Revenue and Forecast By Services, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.5.2. Market Revenue and Forecast By Technology, 2015 2026 ($Million) 12.5.3. Market Revenue and Forecast By Participants, 2015 2026 ($Million) CHAPTER 13. COMPANY PROFILE 13.1. Vodafone Group 13.1.1. Company Snapshot 13.1.2. Overview 13.1.3. Financial Overview 13.1.4. Type Portfolio 13.1.5. Key Developments 13.1.6. Strategies 13.2. AllScripts Healthcare Solutions 13.2.1. Company Snapshot 13.2.2. Overview 13.2.3. Financial Overview 13.2.4. Type Portfolio 13.2.5. Key Developments 13.2.6. Strategies 13.3. Apple Inc. 13.3.1. Company Snapshot 13.3.2. Overview 13.3.3. Financial Overview 13.3.4. Type Portfolio 13.3.5. Key Developments 13.3.6. Strategies 13.4. AirStrip Technologies 13.4.1. Company Snapshot 13.4.2. Overview 13.4.3. Financial Overview 13.4.4. Type Portfolio 13.4.5. Key Developments 13.4.6. Strategies 13.5. Qualcomm Inc. 13.5.1. Company Snapshot 13.5.2. Overview 13.5.3. Financial Overview 13.5.4. Type Portfolio 13.5.5. Key Developments 13.5.6. Strategies 13.6. mQure 13.6.1. Company Snapshot 13.6.2. Overview 13.6.3. Financial Overview 13.6.4. Type Portfolio 13.6.5. Key Developments 13.6.6. Strategies 13.7. Softserve 13.7.1. Company Snapshot 13.7.2. Overview 13.7.3. Financial Overview 13.7.4. Type Portfolio 13.7.5. Key Developments 13.7.6. Strategies 13.8. Telefonica 13.8.1. Company Snapshot 13.8.2. Overview 13.8.3. Financial Overview 13.8.4. Type Portfolio 13.8.5. Key Developments 13.8.6. Strategies 13.9. Orange 13.9.1. Company Snapshot 13.9.2. Overview 13.9.3. Financial Overview 13.9.4. Type Portfolio 13.9.5. Key Developments 13.9.6. Strategies 13.10. Google Inc. 13.10.1. Company Snapshot 13.10.2. Overview 13.10.3. Financial Overview 13.10.4. Type Portfolio 13.10.5. Key Developments 13.10.6. Strategies 13.11. Samsung Electronics 13.11.1. Company Snapshot 13.11.2. Overview 13.11.3. Financial Overview 13.11.4. Type Portfolio 13.11.5. Key Developments 13.11.6. Strategies 13.12. AT&T 13.12.1. Company Snapshot 13.12.2. Overview 13.12.3. Financial Overview 13.12.4. Type Portfolio 13.12.5. Key Developments 13.12.6. Strategies 13.13. Others 13.13.1. Company Snapshot 13.13.2. Overview 13.13.3. Financial Overview 13.13.4. Type Portfolio 13.13.5. Key Developments 13.13.6. Strategies CHAPTER 14. RESEARCH APPROACH 14.1. Research Methodology 14.1.1. Initial Data Search 14.1.2. Secondary Research 14.1.3. Primary Research 14.2. Assumptions and Scope The report is readily available and can be dispatched immediately after payment confirmation. Buy this premium research report@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/buy-now/0/918 Would like to place an order or any question, please feel free to contact at sales@acumenresearchandconsulting.com | +1 407 915 4157 Follow Us: https://twitter.com/AcumenRC https://www.facebook.com/acumenresearchandconsulting https://www.linkedin.com/company/acumen-research-and-consulting/ by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 17, 2018 In a show of growth and commitment to New York, Google said Monday the company plans to spend $1 billion to build a new campus, Google Hudson Square. The major real estate expansion in New York City makes the company one of the citys largest commercial tenants in the area. The goal is to move into the two Hudson Street buildings by 2020, followed by 550 Washington Street in 2022. With the move, Google Hudson Square becomes the primary location for the New York-based Global Business Organization, explains Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Google and Alphabet, in a blog. The building will span more than 1.7 million square feet and will become the hub for thousands of additional employees. Todays 7,000-employee New York facility works on a variety of services such as Search, Ads, Maps, YouTube, Cloud, Technical Infrastructure, Sales, Partnerships and Research. advertisement advertisement The decision is based on lease agreements at 315 and 345 Hudson Street and a signed letter of intent at 550 Washington Street. Porat wrote that Google is growing more outside the Bay Area than within it. This year the company opened new offices and data centers in Detroit, Boulder, Los Angeles, Tennessee and Alabama. Its commitment to New York will have the capacity to more than double the number of Google employees during the next 10 years. Googles investment in New York is part of the companys commitment to grow and invest in U.S. facilities, offices and jobs, per Porat. Earlier this year, Google announced the $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market and shared plans to lease additional space at Pier 57. We believe that as our company grows, we have a responsibility to support the communities we call home, she wrote. That means supporting the infrastructure and services that make our neighborhoods unique places to work, live and play. The expansion puts Googles ambitions to grow outside of Silicon Valley on par with Amazon and Apple. Amazon recently selected New York as one of two East Coast locations for major satellite offices expected to employ 25,000 new workers each by 2028. Apple recently chose Austin, Texas, to invest $1 billion in a new facility, with satellite offices in San Diego, Seattle, and Culver City, California. The Austin facility is scheduled to open in 2021. by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, December 17, 2018 Fast-fashion giant H&M posted strong sales for its latest quarter, indicating that its comeback strategy is working. The Swedish company says sales rose 6% in local currencies, the fastest quarterly growth in three years, as it continues to make adjustments to combat the logistics woes that have left the second-largest global clothing company with too much inventory (and drastic markdowns.) It also announced its expanding its home store concept, and shutting down Cheap Monday, a retail brand that focuses on affordable skinny jeans. H&M has been selling items for the home for almost 10 years, but started opening stand-alone stores earlier this year. The latest announcement heralds the coming of a large store in Londons Regent Street neighborhood, marking the second store in London. Other markets for the home stores include Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Germany. advertisement advertisement The stores are meant to be inspiring interiors destinations that sell H&M products but other brands as well. With its new concept store, the company says it is investing in a next-level customer experience. Recent weeks have also seen H&M shutter its Cheap Monday brand. The fashion industry is in a period of extensive change as a result of ongoing digitalization, it says in its announcement, and as the company continues to concentrate on its turnaround, its focusing on core businesses. Cheap Monday has a traditional wholesale business model, which is a model that has faced major challenges due to the shift in the industry. There has been a negative trend in the Cheap Mondays sales and profits for a long time, it says. Some industry experts have faulted H&M, which announces its full financial report next month, for its small-scale responses to massive industry shifts, including the rise in cheap-chic offerings from online retailers like Amazon, the speedier digital moves of rival Zara (owned by Spanish-based Inditex and the No. 1 apparel retailer), as well as the encroachment of Primark, based in Ireland, and Japans Uniqlo. Others see strength in its scale and brand-name recognition. We believe that H&M can continue growing by taking some share from weaker mid-price brands, department stores and nonspecialized companies, writes Morningstar analyst Jelena Sokolova in her most recent report. Nonetheless, we expect gains to be more difficult than they used to be, as fitter, focused competition continues to emerge (low-cost companies such as Primark, discount firms, and niche and private-label brands made available to wider audiences on platforms such as Amazon or Alibaba, for example). by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 17, 2018 France, unwilling to wait for taxation reform, will implement a new tax on big technology companies as it waits for the European Union to impose an EU-wide levy for online services. The GAFA tax -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- would also affect others. France had previously said it would implement this decision if European Union finance ministers failed to agree on a digital tax next year. The French Finance minister Bruno Le Maire estimates the tech tax, which takes effect from January 1, 2019, would raise more than $567 million in its first year. France also has been working with Germany on plans for a 3% tax on EU advertising sales that would begin in 2021. And a group of world economies has been working on proposals to regulate international tax from technology companies. advertisement advertisement Other countries within Europe also have been pushing for a tax. But unable to convince other EU countries, French regulators took it upon themselves to implement this tax. In addition to Germany, the United Kingdom has been a leading influence to change the tax laws, but the process has been painfully slow, Chancellor Philip Hammond told The Guardian. Hammond introduced a digital sales tax in his budget proposed in October. We cannot simply talk forever, he said. So we will now introduce a UK digital services tax. Alphabet, for example, which generates 7.6 billion only pays 49 million in taxes. Facebook generates 1.3 billion, but only pays 16 million, according to data. Citing the Commission in March 2018, the BBC reports that top digital firms pay an average tax rate of just 9.5% in the EU, much less than the 23.3% paid by traditional companies. I suspect that for Google and Facebook its much less than that, [the 9.5%], said Brian Weiser, analyst at Pivitol Research. The biggest roadblock to tax reform, it requires a unanimous vote. Every European Union member country must vote for reform. Countries with big local markets were in favor of the move, but many smaller countries do not support the tax. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 17, 2018 Russian operatives engaged in a sweeping and sustained attempt to wield political influence by using social media to spread fake information, suppress voting in the 2016 presidential election, and sow discord over social issues. That's according to a report prepared for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence by the organization New Knowledge and released Monday. The Kremlin-backed troll farm Internet Research Agency reportedly purchased paid ads and also posted content that spread organically through a host of social media platforms -- including not only Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google, but also Vine, Gab, Meetup, VKontakte and LiveJournal. advertisement advertisement For the report, researchers examined more than 10 million tweets, 1,100 YouTube videos, 116,000 Instagram posts and 61,500 Facebook posts. The report authors concluded that Internet Research Agency showed a very clear bias for Donald Trump, beginning with the Republican primaries, and engaged in comprehensive anti-Hillary Clinton operations. The week of the presidential election, the Internet Research Agency targeted people with different messages, depending on political affiliation and race. But all messages appeared aimed at influencing the election in Trump's favor. The strategy for right-leaning groups appears to have been to generate extreme anger and suspicion, in hopes that it would motivate people to vote, the report states. Posts aimed at those groups darkly hinted at conspiracy theories, voter fraud, illegal participation in the election, and stated the need for rebellion should Hillary Clinton 'steal' the election, according to the report. Posts aimed at liberals urged people to vote for third-party candidates. And content aimed at black people urged them to refrain from voting, or at least from voting for Clinton. One Instagram account that the report says is representative included this comment: The excuse that a lost Black vote for Hillary is a Trump win is bs. It could be late, but yall might want to support Jill Stein instead. In some cases, the content reflected a sophistication of the divisions in American politics. The Facebook posts show "a nuanced and deep knowledge of American culture, media, and influencers," the report states. "Right-leaning organic Facebook posts denigrated the U.S. media and intelligence community as untrustworthy, and diminished longstanding conservative leaders such as Sen. Lindsay Graham and Sen. John McCain while elevating Donald Trump," the report states. "Left-leaning pages similarly criticized mainstream, established Democratic leaders as corporatists or too close to neo-cons, and promoted Green Party and Democratic Socialist themes." For instance, one post flagged in the report criticized McCain, stating that his "attack" on Trump "definitely crossed the line" and that McCain is "out of his mind." Facebook previously reported that the Internet Research Agency spent $100,000 to buy around 3,000 political ads between June of 2015 and May of 2017. But the study authors say the troll farm's paid ad spend paled in comparison to its organic efforts. The ad engagements were a minor factor in a much broader, organically-driven influence operation, the report states. The report says most of the Internet Research Agency's activity didn't succeed, but the most popular Facebook and Instagram accounts achieved hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of engagements. Even after the election, the troll farm continued to post disinformation -- especially on Instagram, according to the report. A second report released by the Senate Monday also concludes that Russian operatives used major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to target US voters and polarize US social media users. Social media are particularly effective at directly reaching large numbers of people, while simultaneously microtargeting individuals with personalized messages, states that report, prepared by the University of Oxford's Computational Propaganda Research Project. Indeed, this effective impression management -- and fine-grained control over who receives which messages -- is what makes social media platforms so attractive to advertisers, but also to political and foreign operatives, that report states. Where government control over Internet content has traditionally relied on blunt instruments to block or filter the free flow of information, powerful political actors are now turning to computational propaganda to shape public discourse and nudge public opinion. When it comes to users private information, social networks increasingly look less secure than a sieve. The latest issue involves Twitter users, a bug that potentially exposed the country code of their personal phone numbers, as well as whether their accounts had been locked by the social giant. Twitter insists the breach did not expose users full phone numbers or any other personal data. Although this might not seem like the most sensitive personal information, it could potentially be used to hone in on the whereabouts of users. Some may wish to keep such matters secret. Twitter said it traced the potential breach to a problem with one of its support forms, which is used by account holders to contact the company about account issues. advertisement advertisement The company began working to resolve the issue on November 15 and claims to have fixed it a day later. Twitter locks accounts if and when they appear to be compromised or in violation of the companys Rules or Terms of Service. As with previous attacks on its platform, Twitter suspects that foreign actors might have been involved. During its investigation, the company said it noticed unusual activity involving the affected customer support form API. Specifically, it observed a large number of inquiries coming from individual IP addresses located in China and Saudi Arabia. Of course, Twitter isnt the only social network struggling to keep users information secure. Late last week, Facebook admitted it might have mistakenly overshared the photos of nearly 7 million users. The problem stemmed from a photo API bug, which Facebook believed might have affected those who used Facebook Login, and then granted permission to third-party apps to access their personal pictures. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 17, 2018 Yelp is asking the Supreme Court to turn away attorney Dawn Hassell, who is seeking to force the site to remove negative posts. The petition filed on Hassell's behalf presents no issue worthy of this Courts review, Yelp writes in papers filed with the court Friday. The dispute centers on whether judges can order Yelp to remove defamatory reviews. Earlier this year, California's highest court ruled 4-3 that Yelp can't be required to take down bad reviews. A plurality of those judges said Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which immunizes online platforms from liability for content created by users, protects Yelp from takedown orders. advertisement advertisement In October, Hassell's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to review that decision. They argue that people who have been harmed by online material -- ranging from revenge porn to the posting of private addresses, to defamatory reviews -- should be able to have the content removed. Yelp counters that the California Supreme Court correctly decided the case. The lower courts decision is consistent with uniform federal and state law, the company argues. At bottom, [Hassell's] petition is premised on Petitioners claim that the Internet is an unregulated abyss, affording no recourse to people purportedly harmed by third-party speech posted there. But this is simply not true, Yelp writes. The battle dates to 2013, when Hassell sued a former client over reviews posted to Yelp. The ex-client didn't appear in court to defend herself, and Hassell was awarded a default judgment of more than $500,000. The trial judge also directed Yelp to take down the posts, even though Yelp wasn't named as a defendant in the lawsuit. After Yelp learned of the order, the company asked the judge to vacate the injunction. Yelp argued that it should have been present in court, where it could have defended its right to display the posts. The trial judge rejected Yelp's argument, as did an appellate court. Yelp then successfully appealed to California's Supreme Court. The company now suggests that a Supreme Court ruling in favor of Hassell would spur other people to sue over bad reviews, obtain default judgments, and then obtain takedown orders against companies that weren't parties to the case. This courts blessing of the injunction entered against Yelp ... would create a gaping hole in the broad immunity adopted by Congress in Section 230, that future plaintiffs would quickly exploit, the company writes. Advertisement Another 1 in 12 parents (8 percent) admitted to a prior situation where they may have been too impaired from alcohol to take care of their parenting responsibilities. About the same proportion of mothers and fathers acknowledged a prior lapse in judgment related to alcohol."Most parents planning to drink alcoholic beverages on a night out arrange for a designated driver and childcare for the event itself," says poll co-director Sarah Clark. "Fewer parents may consider how their alcohol consumption could impact parenting responsibilities to their young children the next day."Most parents reported drinking alcoholic beverages during special events, either often (27 percent), sometimes (36 percent) or rarely (17 percent). Among those, 73 percent said they were very likely to make plans in advance for someone to watch their child during the event, and 68 percent were very likely to plan for safe transportation.However, just 47 percent were very likely to think in advance about how much they will drink, and 64 percent said they are very likely to make plans for someone to take care of their child the day after the event."The amount of alcohol consumed can affect parenting the next day," Clark says. "A parent passed out on the couch will not be effective in recognizing and reacting to the everyday safety risks that occur with children."One particularly interesting finding: Parents who said they drink rarely were less likely to plan in advance for childcare and transportation the night of the special event and childcare responsibilities the following day compared to parents who drink sometimes or often.However, even rare instances of celebrating with alcohol can have serious consequences for children, Clark says.Parents may prevent overindulging by alternating alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks, Clark notes. But if they aren't sure whether their alcohol consumption may impair parenting abilities, it's better to be safe than sorry."Parents who plan to drink alcoholic beverages during an outing should plan ahead for transportation to ensure they arrive home safely," Clark says."If alcohol use may potentially impact their ability to take care of their children the following day, parents may also consider childcare arrangements. Having children stay the night at a relative's home or asking a grandparent to stay overnight are options to ensure young children are in a safe and supervised environment."Source: Eurekalert The 'Miss Universe' 2018 title has gone to the gorgeous Miss Philippines, Catriona Gray. An Australian-Filipino TV host and model, Catriona Gray has been crowned as the 'Miss Universe' 2018. The gorgeous woman represented Phillipines in the contest and has over a million followers now! She was previously awarded the 'Miss World Phillipines' 2016 and happens to be the only woman in the country to win both titles. Ms. Gray is the only version of Christian Grey we want in our lives, but jokes apart, she is an ardent advocate of gender equality and is actively associated with HIV/AIDS awareness. Let's see what excitement this year of victory brings for this beautiful woman. The world often functions in strange ways and takes us by surprise. But it's also its inhabitants who can be equally weird when it comes to unparalleled levels of strangeness. So, no matter how old you might be, you must have already come across a zillion instances when humans have acted way surprisingly than is normally acceptable in our society. But, what about other species who cohabit with us on this planet? Though no match to the level of weirdness humans have attained so far, animals and birds have also joined the bandwagon of strangeness every once in a while, just like this African grey parrot, Rocco. After witnessing the abusive parrot who gave it off to the firefighter trying to rescue it, meet this latest entrant into the scene. This errant African grey parrot named Rocco recently discovered how to operate his owner's Alexa, and used the device to place multiple orders on Amazon, thereby catching a lot of public attention. PCMag & homeoftalkingbirds According to the DailyMail, it all started when people at the National Animal Welfare Trust sanctuary decided to do something about Rocco, fearing its bad behaviour would upset visitors. That is when a worker named Marion Wischnewski decided to take Rocco in and brought him to his house in Oxfordshire. Soon, the mischievous parrot managed to befriend Alexa and used his species' natural ability of mimicking voices to place orders on Amazon with his friend's help. However as per a Sunday Times report, owing to the parental lock on Wischnewski's Amazon account, the purchases weren't successful. But don't be fooled into believing that Rocco is just an innocent bird who doesn't know what it's doing, because apart from figuring out how to order goodies on Amazon, he can also use Alexa to play music, tell him jokes and even makes conversations! WHAA?! Imagine living in a world devoid of the many alphabets and symbols that make up your mother tongue. A world where a,b,c or the Hindi varnmala cease to exist and one syllabic sound replaces the loaded words of our rich vocabulary. Yeah, it would be like the times of our most dated ancestors, who got through life one sign language at a time. Now that doesn't sound like much, does it? There is so much to be said, discussed and communicated on a daily basis, that spending our days pointing at stuff and making sounds in the hopes that the other person would magically read our thoughts, would hardly help to get things done. via GIPHY A language might not be the basic necessity of life, but it is something that was once feared even by the Gods, if the story of the Tower of Babel in the Book of Genesis is to be believed. No wonder it is said to be the greatest boon known to mankind, as every community on the face of this earth marvels and prides itself on the language it uses to communicate with its peers and get things done in life! And things were going exactly according to plan, until the English-speaking 'whites' came wielding the ropes of colonisation. Suddenly, English gained prominence and people were forced to learn, use and adapt it, for the benefit of the colonisers. Today, colonisers might have left, but the white man's burden has found a new home in the minds of the people living in these former colonies. Like they say, angrez chale gaye, angrezi chhor gaye. A recent proof of this hangover was witnessed on the global platform of Miss Universe pageant this year. A few days ago, Miss USA made certain comments about two fellow contestants' English-speaking capabilities in a live Instagram video. In it, Sarah Rose Summers was seen commenting on Miss Vietnam and Miss Cambodia's lack of spoken English skills, and said things such as (Miss Vietnam is) 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 (nods and smiles). The video, which also featured Miss Colombia and Miss Australia, did not go down well with the audience who dissed the participants and called their comments condescending and xenophobic. Post the virtual uproar over the matter, Summers took to Instagram to make her position clear and apologised for having hurt people's feelings 'unintentionally'. Though Miss Vietnam and Miss Cambodia have come in support of Summers stating that she didn't mean any harm by her comments, many are looking at the incident as an underlying leftover of the white supremacy, which extends beyond the colour of one's skin. Language was developed for the purpose of communication, but incidents such as this one remind us of the superiority that the English language has come to enjoy over the years. Why even look at the West when we have ample amount of incidents to quote here in India? Before we go around bashing and shaming the Miss Universe contestants in question, can we please take a moment to consider the number of times we have judged another person for their inefficiency to converse in fluent English, or for having a desi accent to it when they speak? Before we point fingers, let us remember the number of times we have witnessed a person's calibre being judged on the basis of how English his/her persona is, how polished their manners are and how confidently they make their way around a discussion/presentation given in English. @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. I can't believe these ladies will be repersenting their countries! Damien D.L. Johnson (@Il_Malandrino) December 13, 2018 This incident is a gentle reminder and a prime example of how not to treat those who may not be very great/confident with the English language. Because English is just another language like the 1621 languages spoken in India or the 6500 languages spoken around the world. So, let us not treat the non-English speakers with contempt, for not knowing the colonizer's language or holding on to their own. English isn't the superior language of the lot, so let's not try to turn it into one. Not being well-versed in English shouldn't turn anyone into a laughing stock. It should be as normal as saying one prefers to have coffee over tea or vice versa. Don't you agree? Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terens Quick met in Doha with Qatar's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi. At the meeting, it was confirmed that Qatar will be sending a team of experts to Athens to examine the investment opportunities that Greece offers. The two Ministers discussed both bilateral and regional issues, with particular reference on the part of Qatar to the crisis in the Gulf and its cooperation with Turkey. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, reiterating the geopolitical importance of the region in which Greece is located, and making also reference to its restless neighbour, promoted, on his part, Greece's leading stabilising role in the wider area of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Gulf region. He highlighted the countrys importance with regard to issues related to international stability and peace. My countrys foreign policy, during the years that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been in power, is an open book. We dont conduct diplomacy under the table. Everyone knows with whom we are speaking and what we are doing. This creates proper and productive relations based on trust, Mr. Quick added. Finally, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed Greeces capabilities to the Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs, having overcome the economic crisis, of constituting a highly interesting area in the field of enterprise and the prospects for investment and further growth of commercial and cultural relations. For his part, Qatar's State Minister for Foreign Affairs noted that, due to his personal experience in our country as the former Qatari Ambassador in Athens, confirmed their positive assessment, and he referred to the recent decision of Qatar's investment authority to proceed with sending experts to Greece for a substantive and in-depth discussion of the investment opportunities that Greece offers. In this context, he mentioned that, Qatar had been interested also in the past in being a serious investor in Greece, but it is now deemed that all conditions have been fulfilled for investment activity to be carried out in Greece. Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece, Mr. George Katrougalos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, H.E. Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, and Minister of Foreign Affairs & Expatriates of Palestine, H.E. Dr. Riad Malki, held a trilateral meeting today in Athens. The three Ministers held a wide-ranging discussion on issues of common interest, including developments in the Middle East and their impact on the broader region, the Palestine issue, the Cyprus issue, as well as areas for future trilateral cooperation. The Ministers reiterated their belief in the potential that this trilateral cooperation will generate for the benefit of their peoples and the East Mediterranean region. They expressed satisfaction that initial priority fields of cooperation have been identified at officials level, namely in economy and development, agriculture, tourism, renewable energy sources, education, as well as training and exchange of expertise in the area of civil protection. With regard to the economy, in particular, they focused on Industry and SMEs and expressed readiness to explore the possibility of common actions in these fields. The Ministers expressed their commitment to intensify their consultations in order to submit specific projects, within the initial priority areas, with significant added value to the overall tripartite cooperation by the time of the next trilateral meeting. To this end, they instructed their respective officials to proceed accordingly, in conjunction with the various Ministries. hey stressed the importance of close cooperation in making efficient use of EU financial tools, such as the European Neighbourhood Instrument and in implementing the European Joint Strategy, with a view to maximizing effectiveness and local ownership. They stressed the importance of the Union for the Mediterranean as a unique framework of regional cooperation and expressed their willingness to examine ways of promoting synergies and of continuing cooperation also in the implementation of projects. Moreover, they highlighted the significant role of the Anna Lindh Foundation in promoting cooperation in such areas as culture, youth and countering extremism and radicalization. They stressed the importance of proceeding to the first trilateral Summit at the earliest opportunity. The Ministers reaffirmed the commitment of their Governments to mutually acceptable, political and inclusive solutions to all regional crises on the basis of international law and according to the relevant resolutions of the UN. They also stressed that the guiding principle of the trilateral cooperation mechanism is that of fostering peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region. They agreed to intensify joint efforts by moderate actors to tackle the regional challenges, fight against terrorism, xenophobia, extremism, radicalization and incitement to violence in all their forms and manifestations, increase information sharing and promote regional security, long-term stability and prosperity. The Sides expressed their support for a two-state solution on the basis of the 4th of June 1967 lines, leading to a sovereign, independent, viable and contiguous State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbors. Regional peace and security are best served by a solution that takes into account the security concerns of both Israel and Palestine. Moreover, they agree that the solution should be pursued, through negotiations, on the basis of all relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid Principles including land for peace, the Roadmap, and the agreements previously reached by the Parties. The Ministers agree to exchange views and work closely to this end. The Ministers expressed their support for the efforts underway for the resumption of the negotiation process in the framework of the Good Offices Mission of the UN Secretary General, leading to a just, comprehensive and functional settlement of the Cyprus problem in line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, International Law and the principles upon which the EU is founded that will reunify the island and safeguard Cypruss independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. They stressed that peace agreements in all their aspects, including as regards security arrangements, must be in line with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of International Law. Fairfield County continues to win the battle with New York as a destination to live, but on a dwindling basis according to fresh estimates by the federal government, with Connecticuts southwesternmost county continuing to lose ground to the New Haven and Hartford areas. On a net basis, nearly 900 households relocated to Fairfield County in 2016 from Bronx County, N.Y., according to updated U.S. Census Bureau calculations, along with another 860 moves to Fairfield County from its economic rival Westchester County, N.Y. Including other New York City-area communities including on Long Island and extending north along the Hudson River, Fairfield County picked up more than 3,800 households on a net basis, with the figure subject to margins of error that could make the actual totals higher or lower. Another 1,500 New Jersey households relocated to Fairfield County, the Census Bureau estimates. Even as New Yorkers arrived by the thousands in 2016, however, larger numbers of Fairfield County residents were decamping for lower-cost cities and towns, the Census Bureau determined. More than 1,100 families landed in New Haven County, with another 2,500-plus headed to Hartford County and Tolland County just east. Add it up, and more than 7,900 residents moved away from Fairfield County in 2016, if the Census Bureau estimates are accurate, reversing a 5,200 gain the year before. Gov.-elect Ned Lamont has pledged to reinvigorate Connecticuts image as a destination to live and work, with Lamont having convened a panel of economic advisers in advance of Jan. 9 when he takes office and begins installing heads of varying departments, including former Bridgewater Associates executive and Fairfield resident Ryan Drajewicz as chief of staff in the governors office. This will be a new office of the governor with a new energy, entrepreneurial spirit and creativity, Drajewicz said last week at a Hartford press conference. This is a new chapter for Connecticut and we are going to do things differently. The Census Bureau figures do not include net migration totals for foreign countries, with nearly 8,900 new arrivals from overseas, but the Census Bureau not offering estimates on how many people moved abroad from Fairfield County. Of communities outside the orbit of New York City, Fairfax County, Va., gave up the most ground to Fairfield County, at more than 200 factoring in departures and arrivals. Massachusetts Suffolk County and Middlesex County pulled 900 households out of Connecticut in 2016, coinciding with General Electric moving 200 executives to a new headquarters in Boston from its longtime home in Fairfield. Florida drew more than 1,500 Fairfield County residents in 2016, the Census Bureau found, about even from the year before. Includes prior reporting by Kaitlyn Krasselt. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Four zip codes in Fairfield County have been classified as some of the nation's most expensive, in a new report by PropertyShark. 06878 in Riverside, 06870 in Old Greenwich, 06830 in Greenwich, and 06807 in Cos Cob, have made it onto PropertyShark's 2018 list of the 100 most expensive zip codes in the country. This is an improvement from the previous year's report, which listed only 06878 and 06830 as the most expensive zip codes in Connecticut. To determine the ranking, PropertyShark looked at residential transactions throughout 2018, including condos, co-ops, and single and double family homes. With the number of ties in the list, the initial number of 100 is expanded to 117. Connecticut's most expensive zip code, and highest-ranking zip code on the list at number 49, was 06878 in Riverside, which boasted a sizable median sale price of $1.86 million in 2018. This was a 20 percent increase in median sale price from last year, when Riverside placed at 78 on the list. Lower Fairfield County, known as Connecticut's "Gold Coast," was the only county in Connecticut to make it on the list. In fact, in a separate 2018 report from PropertyShark of the most expensive zip codes in the Connecticut, 31 out of the top 50 were found in Fairfield County, with the top 10 spots solely devoted to towns on the "Gold Coast." According to Kathi Mettler, an accounting professor from Fairfield University, the lucrative value of Fairfield County lies in its proximity to New York, which in itself had 19 zip codes on the list of the 100 most expensive zip codes in the country. "That lower Fairfield county area has seen a growth with the proximity to New York, as well as, a number of New York-based companies relocating to the Stamford area," said Mettler. However, just as new opportunities are coming from New York City to Fairfield County, Mettler acknowledges that the Connecticut economy is hurting as many businesses like GE and Aetna are leaving their headquarters in Connecticut. This has resulted in an overall decline in property values across Connecticut. "I believe this will be reflected in an abundance of properties on the market, thus reducing property values. This is exacerbated by the capping of the state and local income and property taxes deduction to $10,000 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017," said Mettler. "In light of [TCJA and SALT], living in a high tax state with no federal income tax deduction may be a factor in moving into Connecticut or leaving Connecticut." PORTLAND - The future of the towns proposed purchase of Brownstone Avenue land that sits on the riverfront depends on the condition of an underground oil pipeline. Like the pipeline, action on the proposal continues largely out of sight but no less determined. The town reached a tentative agreement last year to buy the former location of the Connecticut Tar and Asphalt Co. from the estate of the late owner, John Balletti. The property on Brownstone Avenue is made up of three individual parcels totaling 5.28 acres. Town officials said then they envisioned a wide range of potential uses of the parcels, possibly including additional parking for the adjacent Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park and a waterfront restaurant. But earlier this year movement forward on the sale was halted over concerns about the status and condition of an oil delivery pipeline that runs under a portion of Brownstone Avenue and the property. The pipeline, which was installed in 1981, was shut down on April 30, 2010, according to Amy J. Vaillancourt, an environmental engineer who is working with the town on the project. Over the summer, the property owners removed some 10,000 gallons of residual oil that had been left in the pipeline. The owners said the pipe was in decent shape, First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield said Monday. But because the property is a brownfield site given its previous use, Were striving to be as thorough as possible. The Board of Selectmen agreed that a pressure test should be conducted on the pipe, Bransfield said. We want to make sure we have done all our due diligence as well as being as transparent as possible, she said during a telephone call. The town also has proposed having the owner conduct a nitrogen test on the pipeline. The owner, however, is proposing other less expensive and less onerous tests that could be performed such as an air pressure test. The owner contends the proposed nitrogen test could cause damage or render the pipeline unusable. The selectmen are open to a compromise on the type of test, Bransfield suggested. Meanwhile, she held a visit to the site last month for a group of officials from the state Department of Economic and Community Development, which oversees restoring brownfields to become viable properties. DECD has supported Portlands efforts with grants, including a $200,000 grant to conduct the necessary environmental studies. If the town does purchase the land, DECD has promised to provide a second grant totaling $750,000 to clean up the property. The DECD team was headed by Binu Chandy, the deputy director of the state Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development. Bransfield was accompanied by Vaillancourt and by selectmen James K. Tripp and Ralph R Zampano. Were partners with the state, so its important to keep them involved with information, Bransfield said. On the tour, Chandy found the proposal to be an excellent project and one with great economic development potential, Bransfield said. The Army announced Friday that the service's first female enlisted soldier has graduated from the physically challenging Sapper Leader Course. Sgt. Hailey Falk, who is assigned to B Company, 39th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, graduated from the 28-day combat engineer leadership course and received her Sapper tab on Dec. 7, according to an Army press release. The Sapper Leader Course was created in 1985 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It challenges students in troop leading procedures, conventional and field expedient demolitions, and mountaineering operations, according to the release. The course finishes with an intense field training exercise that forces students to draw on specialized engineer techniques they learned throughout the program. Students in the course are required to earn at least a 230-total score on the Army Physical Fitness Test, with no fewer than 70 points each on the pushups, sit-ups and two-mile run. Falk said she was surprised how she felt when she learned she was going to graduate from the course. "At that moment, that's when it hit me that I did all this. Now, it didn't seem hard anymore," she said in the release. "During, it seemed like the hardest thing I've ever done. Then, after, I [thought] I could do this again, honestly." Falk, 23, is joining a fraternity of women who are taking on new challenges in fields previously closed to them before January 2016, when the Pentagon opened combat-arms jobs to females. Women already had started breaking down the combat-arms barrier several months before then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter issued the controversial directive on Dec. 3, 2015. In August 2015, then-Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver made history by becoming the first women to successfully complete the Ranger course. Since then, other female soldiers have taken on the grueling 62-day infantry leadership course notorious for pushing students to their physical and mental limits to earn the coveted Ranger tab. In addition to Ranger School, the Army acknowledged in mid-November that for the first time, a female soldier has completed the physically and mentally challenging, 24-day selection process required for entering the U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Michael Campofiori began dreaming of becoming a U.S. Marine as a child, but his chance of success sank when he was diagnosed with Leukemia, a disease that kills approximately half of those it afflicts, according to statistics from The American Cancer Society website. Campofiori eventually beat Leukemia and has overcome many more obstacles in pursuit of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, but many battles remain. After his cancer went into remission, Campofiori faced the challenge of applying for military service with the stigma of his medical history. He started with the Marine Corps but began to consider other branches after repeatedly encountering rejection. Few military recruiters were willing to run the required waiver, a lengthy process with limited prospects of success, he said. "I was used to carrying my medical records because I knew the recruiters would ask me for them, but it would only take them a few seconds to say, 'No,'" said Campofiori. "I didn't get a chance to test. I didn't get a chance to PT. It was an immediate, 'No, we don't need you.'" But Campofiori did not give up his passion to join the Marine Corps. Instead, he searched harder for recruiters willing to work with him. The New Jersey native's search brought him to South Carolina, where he met the Marine recruiters of RSS Myrtle Beach, who saw something special in him. "He was a person with the drive to do more with his life, and to make it to recruit training after having cancer is one in a million," said Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Falk, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of RSS Myrtle Beach. "I've never seen anyone with Leukemia get approved at my level," said Falk. "He works harder in the delayed entry program than the average poolee." Despite suffering from Leukemia, which causes weight and muscle loss, Campofiori achieved nearly perfect scores on the Initial Strength Test, a prerequisite for beginning Marine recruit training. He logged 29 of 20 pull-ups, 121 of 100 crunches, and a runtime of 9:18, just 18 seconds from perfect. With the support of his family and friends, he is hurdling life's obstacles in pursuit of his goals. "You have to be in it to win it and know that you have family and friends that are there for you," Campofiori said. "Believe in the fact that they have your back and you can get through anything." Despite what Campofiori has already endured, more challenges lie ahead. He arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, Dec. 10, and is currently training with E Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment. During the next three months, Campofiori will have the chance to definitively earn his place among The Few. The U.S.-backed and -trained Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed over the weekend to have taken the small town of Hajin on the Syria-Iraq border in heavy fighting, ousting the Islamic State from its last urban enclave in Syria. "There are still villages to be taken, but Hajin was the most important as it was the base for commanders from where they directed military operations," SDF spokesperson Mustafa Bali told The Associated Press. There was no immediate confirmation from the U.S. military, but Army Col. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), said in a statement Saturday that the months-long operation to take Hajin was "going very well," the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in London, reported that the mostly Syrian Kurdish SDF forces now "control the entire town of Hajin," but fighting continues on the outskirts. The advance on Hajin was backed by stepped-up U.S. airstrikes and cross-border artillery fire from a firebase in Iraq, U.S. military officials said. On Saturday, CJTF-OIR confirmed that a U.S. airstrike had destroyed a mosque in Hajin that had been used by ISIS as a command center. In a video briefing from Baghdad to the Pentagon last Tuesday, Army Col. Jonathan Byron, commander of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and deputy commander of Joint Operations Command-Iraq, said that U.S., French and Iraqi artillery units at Iraqi Firebase Shaham just across the border had trained what he called "intense fire" on ISIS targets around Hajin in support of the SDF. Byron said that troops from Bravo Battery, 3rd Cavalry Regiment -- part of Task Force Rifles -- were using M777 towed 155mm howitzers. If confirmed, the taking of Hajin would mark a major milestone in the U.S. effort to inflict a lasting defeat on ISIS despite the ever-shifting military and political cross-currents of Syria's civil war and new threats against the SDF -- and potentially U.S. troops -- coming from NATO ally Turkey. Last Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who fears the creation of a Kurdish mini-state in northeastern Syria, said his forces would begin military operations "within days" against what he called "terrorists" east of the Euphrates River. Erdogan's threat followed on the move ordered late last month by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to set up U.S. military observation posts east of the Euphrates at several points near the Turkish-Syrian border. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Nearly 9,000 Marines Didn't Get Vaccinated By the Deadline. Many Risk Getting Kicked Out of the Corps. The Marine Corps reported that 5% of the force had not gotten even one shot before the deadline passed. World War I Play Hits New York The 'Hello Girls' Off-Broadway musical production, an official World War One Centennial Commission Commemorative Partner, is currently playing at the 59E59 Theatres in New York, NY through December 22nd. The show chronicles the story of the bilingual American telephone operators who worked during WWI. To find out more about the play, its creators, and how to get tickets, visit the WWI Centennial Commission website. For more military history features and articles, visit Military.com's History Center. It took only 29 prototypes before former Navy Corpsman Noah Glanville struck gold with his barbecue pit barrel cooker. Working in a neighbor's garage in 2010, he finally found a "set it and forget it" design to produce and sell at a lower price than the competition. Now, his company, Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC), located in Prospect, Kentucky, created a pit barrel barbeque that is unlike anything on the market. While barrel cooking is not new, Glanville said his Pit Barrel Cooker is unique because "it combines the best qualities of smokers, slow cookers and grills into a single product." The method has never before been brought to the mass market in a form that is both affordable and easy to use, he said. After getting out of the service in 2006, Glanville got a job as a security contractor and turned to cooking barbecue as a way to help him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He soon found that both his combat experience and lessons learned from dealing with PTSD could help him become a successful entrepreneur. "PTSD is something a lot of guys don't want to talk about," he said. "I got frustrated and angry easily. I was in a hole. My family and my business helped me focus my energy into something positive, and that made all the difference." And dealing with the stress of running a business is not all that different from navigating the stress of combat, he said. "In battle, you've got to rush to the aid of a Marine while bullets are flying all around you. It's chaos," Glanville said. "The stakes can't get higher, being able to handle high-stress situations like combat makes one ideally suited to handle the stresses of running a business." Team Building 'Crucial to Success' Glanville said that building the right team is also crucial to his success. Veterans, he said, have incredible leadership and logistics skills, which is why he hired Marine Corps F-18 fighter pilot Scott McLeod as his CEO. Related: Access resources to hire and support veteran employees. "My approach to business, and life in general, [was] learned to a very large degree at the U.S. Naval Academy and in the Marine Corps. For me, the principles of integrity, servant leadership, accountability and responsibility are fundamental in the military experience, and highly transferable to the civilian sector," McLeod said. He added that key principles of military leadership translate directly to business and that the concepts of accountability and mission are "all concepts that have been ingrained in anyone who served, and they heavily influence the culture here." Vets Helping Vets (and Law Enforcement) As a veteran-founded business with numerous veterans on its team, PBC supports active-duty and retired military, as well as fire and police veterans. PBC makes cookers with special plaques mounted on the barrel for each branch of the service, as well as fire and police plaques. From each of these sales, a portion of the proceeds is donated to foundations that support veterans and first responders. PBC currently works with Operation BBQ Relief, Concerns for Police Survivors (COPS) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Ultimately, Glanville would like to start his own organization to encourage veterans to become entrepreneurs. He's participated with small groups of disabled veterans in various activities, including hunting and fishing. "I'd like to use my knowledge and experience to help these guys on a much larger scale," he noted. He's convinced that veterans are equipped to succeed at entrepreneurial endeavors because they've already faced enormous challenges associated with war. "I'm proud of the hard work we have put in to grow this business and excited for where the future will take us," Glanville said. "We're honored to offer a product that can help people create great meals and great memories." To learn more transition tips, Military.com has you covered. Sign up for a free Military.com membership to have military news, updates, and job resources delivered directly to your inbox. -- Sean Mclain Brown can be reached at sean.brown@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @seanmclainbrown. Key Select Mineral List Type Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Dana Chemical Elements Detailed Mineral List: Albite Formula: Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Reference: Anne et Michel legros (1979) Histoire des anciennes mines et gites de l'Oisans Anatase Formula: TiO 2 Reference: Yves Masson collection; Anne et Michel legros (1979) Histoire des anciennes mines et gites de l'Oisans Axinite-(Fe) Formula: Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH Reference: Matteo Chineletto specimen 'Axinite Group' Reference: Paul De Bondt. Calcite Formula: CaCO 3 Reference: Anne et Michel legros (1979) Histoire des anciennes mines et gites de l'Oisans Epidote Formula: {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) Reference: Anonymous (2016): Auergewohnlicher Alpinfund: Epidot aus Frankreich. Lapis 41 (6), 6 (in German). 'Garnet Group' Formula: X 3 Z 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 Reference: Anne et Michel legros (1979) Histoire des anciennes mines et gites de l'Oisans Quartz Formula: SiO 2 Reference: Paul De Bondt. List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides Anatase 4.DD.05 TiO 2 Quartz 4.DA.05 SiO 2 Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates Calcite 5.AB.05 CaCO 3 Group 9 - Silicates Albite 9.FA.35 Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Axinite-(Fe) 9.BD.20 Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH Epidote 9.BG.05a {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) Unclassified Minerals, Rocks, etc. 'Axinite Group' - 'Garnet Group' - X 3 Z 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 List of minerals arranged by Dana 8th Edition classification Group 4 - SIMPLE OXIDES AX 2 Anatase 4.4.4.1 TiO 2 Group 14 - ANHYDROUS NORMAL CARBONATES A(XO 3 ) Calcite 14.1.1.1 CaCO 3 Group 56 - SOROSILICATES Si 2 O 7 Groups, With Additional O, OH, F and H 2 O Si 2 O 7 Groups and O, OH, F, and H 2 O with cations in [4] and/or >[4] coordination Axinite-(Fe) 56.2.2.1 Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH Group 58 - SOROSILICATES Insular, Mixed, Single, and Larger Tetrahedral Groups Insular, Mixed, Single, and Larger Tetrahedral Groups with cations in [6] and higher coordination; single and double groups (n = 1, 2) Epidote 58.2.1a.7 {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) Group 75 - TECTOSILICATES Si Tetrahedral Frameworks Si Tetrahedral Frameworks - SiO 2 with [4] coordinated Si Quartz 75.1.3.1 SiO 2 Group 76 - TECTOSILICATES Al-Si Framework Al-Si Framework with Al-Si frameworks Albite 76.1.3.1 Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Unclassified Minerals, Mixtures, etc. 'Axinite Group' - 'Garnet Group' - X 3 Z 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 List of minerals for each chemical element H Hydrogen H Epidote {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) H Axinite-(Fe) Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH B Boron B Axinite-(Fe) Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH C Carbon C Calcite CaCO 3 O Oxygen O Calcite CaCO 3 O Epidote {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) O Axinite-(Fe) Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH O Quartz SiO 2 O Garnet Group X 3 Z 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 O Albite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) O Anatase TiO 2 Na Sodium Na Albite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Al Aluminium Al Epidote {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) Al Axinite-(Fe) Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH Al Albite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Si Silicon Si Epidote {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) Si Axinite-(Fe) Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH Si Quartz SiO 2 Si Garnet Group X 3 Z 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 Si Albite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Ca Calcium Ca Calcite CaCO 3 Ca Epidote {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) Ca Axinite-(Fe) Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH Ti Titanium Ti Anatase TiO 2 Fe Iron Fe Epidote {Ca 2 }{Al 2 Fe3+}(Si 2 O 7 )(SiO 4 )O(OH) Fe Axinite-(Fe) Ca 2 Fe2+Al 2 BSi 4 O 15 OH References Sort by Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A) Anonymous (2016) Auergewohnlicher Alpinfund: Epidot aus Frankreich. Lapis, 41(6), 6 (in German). Legros, Anne et Michel (1979) Histoire des Anciennes Mines et Gites de lOisans, les Grands Centres Miniers de lIsere. Les presses Midi-Pyrenees, Albi (Ed.), 285 pp. ARNOU J., PYRE J.-M. (2016). Une nouvelle poche d'epidote au Cornillon ! Oisans, Isere. Le Regne Mineral n129, p 34. Editions du Piat. Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality Eurasian Plate Tectonic Plate Europe Continent The Alps Mountain Range France Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Isere Grenoble Oisans-Romanche Canton Dauphine Province This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary. The peak, mainly composed of massive amphibolite, culminates at 2475 meters and is situated North-West of Bourg d'Oisans, near Rochetaille.de Bournon discovered the epidote crystals at Bourg d'Oisans which were later described by Rome de l'Isle. He called them "green schorl".As Bourg d'Oisans is the type locality for epidote, it is possible that the original specimens came from this place.Most of the pieces recovered came from near the top of the mountain, in a very steep, nearly inaccessible place. The vugs where sometimes more than a square meter in size.Paul De Bondt. China has joined the United States in suspending tariff increases on each others vehicles and auto parts as the two look to negotiate complaints over tech policy and trade surplus. The Associated Press reports that China has suspended its tariffs on U.S. autos and parts for 90 days as the two countries attempt to move forward with potential talks. Effective Jan. 1, Beijing will suspend its 25 percent import charge on U.S. vehicles and 5 percent import charge on auto parts. This comes after President Donald Trump announced on Dec. 1 that the U.S. would not increase its tariff on $200 billion Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent as scheduled. China just announced that their economy is growing much slower than anticipated because of our Trade War with them. They have just suspended U.S. Tariff Hikes. U.S. is doing very well. China wants to make a big and very comprehensive deal. It could happen, and rather soon! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018 China will agree to purchase a not yet agreed upon, but very substantial, amount of agricultural, energy, industrial, and other product from the United States to reduce the trade imbalance between our two countries. China has agreed to start purchasing agricultural product from our farmers immediately, the White House reports in a previous news release. President Trump and President Xi have agreed to immediately begin negotiations on structural changes with respect to forced technology transfer, intellectual property protection, non-tariff barriers, cyber intrusions and cyber theft, services and agriculture. Both parties agree that they will endeavor to have this transaction completed within the next 90 days. Very productive conversations going on with China! Watch for some important announcements! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018 An important aspect of the Trump administrations statement to note is that if there is not an agreement at the end of the 90-day window, the U.S. will raise tariffs from 10 to 25 percent. Gao Feng, spokesperson with Chinas Commerce Ministry, tells A.P. that the two countries were in close contact but had not yet scheduled an in-person meeting. While the suspension of tariffs is certainly positive for each countrys economy, economists say that the 90-day window is too little to fix the issues at hand. The news organization reports that a Beijing-based economist said this move shows the Chinese government is willing to solve trade disputes through consultation based on equality. If the United States cuts or removes tariffs on Chinese goods, China will surely follow up with further relevant measures, economist Song Lifang said. Before a meeting in Argentina earlier in December, Trump said that his relationship with President Xi is very special and that this is the primary reason why well probably -- ending up getting something that will be good for China and good for the U.S. A.P. reports the Finance Ministry says the suspension of tariffs will apply to imports worth about $126 billion. This figure is said to be nearly 10 times the $13 billion of vehicles exported into China last year. MARQUETTE, MI - A hunter illegally shooting deer was nabbed in a spot where youd have to think there would be lots of extra scrutiny: a state prison property. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources last month received a complaint about a man who had trespassed and shot a buck on prison property in the Upper Peninsulas Marquette County. Apparently, the hunter would be dropped off in the morning by his wife, and he would hunt the prison property all day, according to an enforcement report recently filed by the DNR. Conservation officers Colton Gelinas and Mark Zitnik received the complaint, then notified fellow officer Brett DeLonge in Marquette County. The officers located the hunters tracks on the prison property. CO Gelinas set off on foot and within minutes had located a faint blood trail, according to the report. After approximately 30 minutes of tracking the small drops of blood, CO Gelinas located a quartered out and headless deer. It took several more hours for the officers to find the hunter, who had the 8-point bucks head in his possession. The hunter then confessed to several violations, including trespassing, shooting the deer, and not tagging it. The DNR report does not identify the hunter or the specific prison property. However, the state prison in Marquette is the Marquette Branch Prison along U.S. 41. Its located between the Carp River and the Lake Superior shoreline. The DNR says enforcement action was taken against the hunter in this case. And while the outcome of the case is not yet known, there are mandatory penalties for illegally taking and possessing deer in Michigan. According to the DNR, fines range from $200 to $1,000, with the possibility of 5 to 90 days in jail. Restitution can be set at $1,000 for an illegally killed deer, and a hunters license can be revoked for the next three years. Michigan legislators will consider revisions to a bill on Tuesday that will allow higher safety standards for PFAS on the same morning when a panel of scientists will reveal recommendations for managing state contamination from the same toxic chemical family. Senate Bill 1244 is scheduled to be heard in the House Competitiveness Committee at 8:30 a.m. December 18, even as legislators continue to revise the plan that experts say could increase the amount of the toxic per- and poly-fluorinated chemicals to which residents could be exposed. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, passed the Michigan Senate on Dec. 4 in a wave of continuing lame duck legislation as the Republican administration leaves office. Among other things, the bill would require cleanup criteria to be based on an outdated database of toxicity criteria, and some say it would lock in existing cleanup criteria even as understanding of the chemicals and their dangers to public health continue to evolve. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is pushing the legislation, saying that it updates pollution cleanup rules and will spur redevelopment at contaminated sites. Basically, this provision would tie Michigans hands and force DEQ to use old science when determining whether or not a standard was protective of human health," said James Clift, policy director at the Michigan Environmental Council, in early December after the bill was introduced November 29. Yet as PFAS activists in Michigan call on elected officials to vote against the bill, there is some irony to the timing: The state also plans its roll-out of a months-long effort to delineate its approach to the chemicals that have been found in the drinking water of at least 2 million people in the state. The Michigan PFAS Action and Response Teams science advisory panel on Tuesday morning will brief the media on its report, Scientific Evidence and Recommendations for Managing PFAS Contamination in Michigan. Dr. David Savitz, professor of epidemiology at Brown University and MPARTs chief scientific consultant, chaired the 6-scientist panel announced in March as Gov. Rick Snyder announced multiple initiatives across the state to outline and control the PFAS found in public water supplies, surface water, waste streams and other areas. The point of the panels work, according to a news release: (T)o provide the state with a better understanding of the available toxicological and environmental health science on PFAS and provide evidence-based recommendations that can guide Michigans ongoing response to this emerging class of contaminants. I dont know if its intentional or not, but the first major announcement of the findings coming from MPART will be at the same time this bill will be heard, said AJ Birbeck, a Grand Rapids-area attorney. Other panelists include: Dr. Scott Bartell, Risk Assessment, Epidemiology and Toxicology, University of California, Irvine Dr. Christopher Lau, Senior Researcher and Toxicologist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Dr. Susan Masten, Water Quality Treatment Engineer, Michigan State University Dr. Dan Jones, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mass Spectrometry, Michigan State University Dr. Jennifer Field, Environmental and Molecular Ecology, Oregon State University. Fields work on PFAS goes back 20 years. Shes been part of a team looking at the chemicals at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, where the contamination continues to spread from the closed base into nearby waterways, including Lake Huron. The panelists , according to the state, were assigned to objectively assess the scientific information surrounding the issue of health advisory levels, health outcomes, remediation and mitigation, and environmental pathways. The research was to extend to the entire PFAS family, which includes thousands of compounds. Two of them - PFOS and PFOA - are the two with cleanup and drinking water standards in Michigan. Nationally, the Environmental Protection Agency set a lifetime health advisory for the two compounds of 70 parts per trillion (ppt), but states continue to look to the EPA for enforceable standards as some set their own guidelines. Michigan now has a groundwater cleanup standard when combined PFOS and PFOA reach 70-ppt, a number that SB 1244s critics say will become locked in if the legislation passes. Thats a concern among people waiting for the EPA to release its PFAS action plan, promised by the end of the year. So far, federal officials already this fall said theyre considering new toxicity statements for two additional PFAS chemicals: PFBS and GenX, a replacement chemical for PFOA. Weve heard repeatedly that we need to see what the science says, said Tony Spaniola, an attorney in Metro Detroit with a home in Oscoda. Instead, he notes, with SB 1244, the science will be disregarded. From a process standpoint, he said, this should have been a robust discussion with a full array of experts weighing in. More on SB 1244: GRAND RAPIDS, MI Michigan State University opened its Grand Rapids Research Center in September 2017 with a clear goal: Give scientists and students a place to discover new treatments for cancer, Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases and other health problems. Now, a little over a year later, administrators have their sight set on a new mission: Work with private industry to bring those discoveries to the public. The university has enlisted a private developer to jump-start the process. Health Innovation Partners, a joint venture between Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction and two Chicago firms, plans to break ground on a new building on the Grand Rapids Research Center site, 400 Monroe Ave. NW, in fall 2019. Space there would be leased to medical groups whose research dovetails with the work happening at MSU. This will really catalyze whats discovered here and just rocket it forward, said Norman Beauchamp, the dean of MSUs College of Human Medicine. The building is expected to open in late 2021. On Friday, MSUs board of trustees approved a request to negotiate a 75-year lease for roughly 2.5-acres on the research center site with Health Innovation Partners. The lease is expected to be finalized in February. Administrators declined to provide financial details, citing ongoing negotiations. Health Innovation Partners also plans to build a 600-space parking garage on the site. The garage, expected to be built around the same time as the new building, would be located behind the research center, where a surface parking lot now sits. Theres also tentative plans to build a third building on the site, just north of the research center on Monroe Avenue NW. Details on what that building would be used for, or when construction could start, have not been determined. Beauchamp said theres big benefits in carving out space for private industry on the research center site. The new building will create jobs and positions Michigan State and this community to be at the epicenter of the transformation of health, he said. You can get things to patients faster, you help industry develop things that actually are valuable to patients, he said. This drives a lot of things like licensing, innovation, commercialization, patents, intellectual property. The university and project developers are in conversations with five potential tenants, Beauchamp said. He declined to provide names, but said they include firms focusing on cancer research, dementia and memory care, artificial intelligence and wearable technology. MSU would also lease space in the building, and Spectrum Health is another potential tenant, he said. Mike VanGessel, CEO of Rockford Construction, said bringing together an array of tenants under one roof would spark new ideas and collaboration. Theres proximity, and suddenly theres happy accidents, he said. The size of the building has not been finalized, though VanGessel said he expects it to range from 200,000-square-feet to 250,000-square-feet, and it could be seven- to nine-floors high. Thats larger than the MSU research center, which is a six-story, 162,800 square-foot-building. Because the size has not been determined, VanGessel declined to say how much the building is expected to cost. MSUs Grand Rapids Research Center, seen as the gateway to the Medical Mile, opened in September 2017, and initially housed 33 research teams, 26 of which were previously housed at the Van Andel Institute. The research center sits on a roughly 7-acre site MSU purchased for $12 million in 2012. It was the former location of the Grand Rapids Press building. In addition to Rockford Construction, Health Innovation Partners includes MB Real Estate and Walsh Construction and Investors, according to MSU. The firms, both of which are based in Chicago, bring financial resources to the project and can help recruit tenants from across the U.S., VanGessel said. We really felt the vision was big enough, the goal was big enough, that to bring in a partner was the right thing to do, he said. Beauchamp said MSU has recruited scientists from Stanford, Harvard and Johns Hopkins University, and that the university and its development partner can absolutely recruit businesses and research firms to fill the new building. MSU and Rockford Construction officials estimate the new building would lead to the creation of 250 jobs. In addition, 600 construction jobs would be created to build the structure. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is pledging a smooth transition as he hands over his agency to Dana Nessel, Michigans newly elected AG who intends to take the office in a more progressive direction. Schuette said that he had not talked to Nessel since the Nov. 6 election, when Nessel was part of a Democratic sweep of statewide offices and Schuette lost in the governors race to Democrat Gretchen Whitmer. However, he said that Nessel has met three or four times with staffers from the attorney generals office so they could brief her on ongoing cases and she could outline her vision for the office. Weve had thorough decisions with Dana and her team, Schuette said during a round-table discussion with reporters Monday afternoon, two weeks before he leaves office. We want to be helpful in every way." Nessel, the first openly LGBTQ person elected to statewide office in Michigan, was the lawyer in the lawsuit that successfully challenged Michigans ban on gay marriage, a ban staunchly defended by Schuette in court. But in talking about Nessel on Monday, Schuette offered no criticisms of Nessel, saying she was smart and he was confident she would make good decisions in regards to ongoing cases, including prosecutions involving the Flint water crisis. Still, he said his biggest concern about the Democratic sweep in November involve the policies and philosophies, including the plans he had if elected governor. He also said several times that he admired various lame-duck bills by the GOP Legislature that would limit the power of the attorney generals office. I dont see it as an usurpation of power, he said. Among the topics that Schuette discussed Monday: ANN ARBOR, MI - Hazing is a problem plaguing many fraternities and sororities, University of Michigan Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones said in a message outlining recent sanctions against the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. Blake Jones pointed out, however, that its especially disheartening to hear about an extreme case like what happened at Alpha Sigma Phi. The fraternity was removed from the university and UMs Interfraternity Council for a minimum of five calendar years on Nov. 7, after an investigation discovered members took part in forced alcohol consumption and violent physical hazing. There is evidence that confirms the leadership of Alpha Sigma Phi was deeply involved in the execution and facilitation of these activities, which display an utter lack of consideration for the well-being of the chapters new members, Blake Jones said. Furthermore, the national headquarters of Alpha Sigma Phi chose to take no action and turn a blind eye to this heinous behavior. Details behind the universitys decision remove Alpha Sigma Phi were obtained by MLive/The Ann Arbor News in a Freedom of Information Act request. MLive/The Ann Arbor News previously provided insights into the Ann Arbor Police Departments investigation, which unveiled a 40-yard dash run atop the backs of pledges as a peculiar, potentially dangerous initiation activity. The case was closed by Ann Arbor police because the apparent victim was uncooperative and his parents told police their son was not injured. Ann Arbor Police Department Lt. Aimee Metzer said investigators couldn't verify the allegations that a pledge was hazed or injured during a fraternity event. In its recommendation to suspend the chapter, UMs Greek Activities Review Panel noted UMs chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi demonstrated an unsafe and unhealthy environment for its members. Several generations of members, including chapter officers, have engaged in hazing behaviors, GARPs recommendation noted. If problems with hazing are to ever be resolved, they require widespread and consistent attention through acknowledgement, education, and action, the recommendations later stated. The fraternity voluntarily removed itself from the IFC over the summer, before any hearing occurred involving allegations against the chapter, Alpha Sigma Phi International Senior Director of Prevention and Accountability Danny Miller said. UM contends it was investigating the complaint against the fraternity while the chapter was an active member of the IFC, meaning its disaffiliation didn't absolve it of accountability. The UM chapter and its more than 150 members remain recognized and in good standing by its international organization, Miller said. An investigation with on-site staff determined that some members were violating the fraternitys health and safety policy. Members involved in policy violations were either suspended or expelled and removed from the chapter facility, Miller said. HARTLAND TOWNSHIP, MI - Police are searching for three suspects in an armed robbery at a Sprint store in Livingston County. At 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16, three male suspects entered the store at 10010 Highland Road in Hartland Township and threatened an employee with a long gun," according to Michigan State Police. Police describe the suspects as three black males wearing gloves and hooded sweatshirts, noting their heads and lower faces were covered. The three took an undisclosed amount of money and new cell phones and left the store, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the MSP Brighton Post at 810-227-1051. ANN ARBOR, MI - Family and friends filled Crisler Center on Sunday to celebrate the closing of an important chapter in the lives of University of Michigan students. Approximately 2,240 UM students applied for graduation, which took place on Dec. 16. Microelectronics pioneer and transgender activist Lynn Conway, a UM professor emerita of electrical engineering and computer science was the commencement speaker. Her innovations during the 1970s at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center have impacted chip design worldwide. She earned international recognition for her innovations in VLSI chip design methods. Conway, who is decorated with numerous awards, joined the University of Michigan in 1985 as professor of EECS and associate dean of the college of engineering. also received an honorary doctor of science degree from UM during the graduation ceremonies. UM President Mark Schlissel commended graduates for staying the course but also being willing to adapt to change throughout their time in Ann Arbor. Your ability to challenge the status quo and overcome obstacles adds a level of depth to your Michigan degrees that is unmatched in higher education, Schlissel said. Its why you are sought out by employers and grad schools. Why you are our best hope for positive change in society. Why you are not merely college graduates, but Leaders and Best. And why we are so proud that you, the members of the Class of 2018, are the newest graduates of the University of Michigan. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Grand Rapids Public Schools announced Monday, Dec. 17 plans to pilot an initiative that will create outdoor education experiences for all students beginning the 2019-20 school year. GREEN Grand Rapids Environmental Education Network is described as an innovative program thats a collaborative partnership with multiple organizations committed to an environmental education. The Wege Foundation provided a $300,000 grant to organize, plan, and pilot the initiative. Additional funds will need to be raised and/or partners brought on to sustain and grow the program, officials say. GREEN is a one of a kind partnership between so many impactful organizations in Grand Rapids, said Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal, about creating unique programming for all their prekindergarten through 12th grade students. The lead on the grant is Clayton Pelon, associate director of the Center for Educational Partnerships in the College of Education at Grand Valley State University. The Wege grant awarded to Grand Valley to support the district effort. We are excited to create an approach that will support schools in fully embracing outdoor education, he said. We are committed to students getting real-world experience directly tied to their classroom learning, Pelon said a growing number of school systems offer an outdoor education experience because research shows there are benefits to moving students outside of the four walls of a classroom to explore and discover the world around them. He said outdoor hands-on lessons are more engaging than a textbook or a lecture and can help students better understand concepts. He also said it exposes students to their local environment, which gives them a greater appreciation and awareness. We are truly lucky in West Michigan to have the Wege Foundation, which has been an incubator for many amazing programs in the region and around the state, Pelon said. Pelon said they will be working with teachers to develop a curriculum for each grade level. He said the pilot will consist of four teachers at each grade level. The grant is for three years - the first year focuses on PreK-5, the second year targets middle school students, and year three addresses high school students. He said a district-wide outdoor learning program is a unique and ambitious project. In October, the district reported having 16,658 students for the first of two state-mandated population counts. Grand Rapids has long offered outdoor learning experiences at four theme schools including: C.A. Frost Environmental Science Academy (PreK-12), and sixth-grade programs at Blandford School, the Center for Economicology, and the Zoo School at John Ball Park Zoo. Pelon points out that Groundswell, an initiative housed at Grand Valley, has supported this type of outdoor learning across West Michigan for 10 years. The coalition and Grand Valley are just a couple of the districts partners in GREEN. Other partners include: West Michigan Environmental Action Council, Blandford Nature Center, the Grand Valley Metro Council, John Ball Zoo, the City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department. We believe that engaged youth can make a difference in our watershed and that hands-on educational experiences play a crucial role in fostering an environmental stewardship ethic,'' said Eileen Boekestein, Education Program Coordinator for the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW), an agency of the Grand Valley Metro Council. "We are proud to partner with GREEN to deliver high quality environmental education and equitable access to nature for all youth in our community. Pelon said this work is meant to be shareable model that can be adapted to other districts interested in incorporating environmental education into their curriculum. GRASS LAKE, MI -- What started with a visit from a Michigan State Police trooper in September evolved into personalized thank yous mailed to multiple MSP posts. Dakota Bahlau, a first-grade teacher at Grass Lakes George Long Elementary School, said the visit from the Jackson MSP post prompted the idea of thanking police for their service. Her students sent a blue high-five to 21 MSP posts around the state, including the Upper Peninsula. It turned out to be so much more than I expected, Bahlau said. I didnt know if I would get one back, but they started coming in, and it was neat because they would take a selfie with the picture or we got a whole group. In total, 10 posts sent responses back, through the mail and on Twitter. The Paw Paw post also got a letter, and after their thank you package was lost in the mail, they decided to show their appreciation a different way. All of a sudden they showed up, Bahlau said. They had a whole presentation and brought some swag for the kids. After the presentation, Bahlaus students took the troopers to a map on a school wall to show the progress of the Blue Thank Yous, then posed for some pictures with the troopers. SURPRISE!! An unexpected surprise visit from @MichStatePolice Paw Paw Post Tpr. Shaffer and Tpr. Fitzpatrick who were one our recipients from our #bluethankyous mission. MSP is truly amazing! @GrassLakeCS @TheEllenShow @MLive pic.twitter.com/vQUMlagyCF Dakota Bahlau (@dbahlau) December 4, 2018 When a new response comes in and it is added to the map, her students all try to see whos hand print was received, Bahlau said. It turned out to be this awesome experience and so much more than I could ask for, Bahlau said. The thank yous journeys are also being tracked on Twitter using the hashtag, #bluethankyous. Have you ever received a high-five in the mail!!! What a great message from the first grade students at Grass Lake Schools. The Tri-City Post troopers appreciate the high-five!!!! @grasslakeCS pic.twitter.com/TvFHLerZ70 MSP Bay Region (@mspbayregion) September 27, 2018 ALBION, MI Police are investigating the death of a man who was found in front of a dentist office near Albion College Friday morning. Police were called at 8:30 a.m., Dec. 12, for a report of a man found face down at 301 E. Michigan Ave., according to a statement from Albion Public Safety. Arriving officers found the 60-year-old man dead at the scene with an apparent gunshot wound to the abdomen, police said. Investigators believe the mans injury was self-inflicted, but they are still awaiting autopsy results, police said. Police are declining to release any additional information about incident, according to an email from Albion Public Safety Chief Scott Kipp. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Nicole Wygant at 517-629-7824. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Matt Philliben remembers rambling about the movie stars he saw on television as a kid, telling everyone he would one day be on the screen. Today, the Michigan man is a movie stuntman and actor working alongside Hollywoods best. You probably wont recognize his face and may not know his name, but Phillibens resume includes roles in popular movies like Transformers: The Last Knight, John Wick: Chapter 3 and Batman vs. Superman. The stuntman was one of the men who fought Batman in a warehouse in the latest DC Comics movie and one of many blown up by Optimus Prime in Transformers. I dont consider myself as making it big, Philliben said, sitting inside a Kalamazoo-area Starbucks campus sipping iced tea during a recent family visit. But the former WMU student can offer story after story about his experience on movie sets, traveling across the country for roles and knowing actors like Hugh Jackman and Ryan Gosling personally. Philliben, 33, grew up in Detroit and attended WMU, where he studied theater. A few credits shy of graduation, he left college in 2008 because of the demands of a growing career. Growing up, his friends told him it was a crazy dream to be a stuntman and actor. They would frequently ask what his backup plan was. There was no backup plan. He would be an actor in major movies and television shows. Anytime theres action in a film, stuntmen are involved, often standing in for famous actors during fight scenes and dangerous acts. Ive been set on fire, hit by a car, Philliben said. Though they appear dangerous, stunts in movies are real, under control and rehearsed, he said before describing the times hes jumped off of multi-story buildings. I dont particularly like heights, Philliben said. But you wont know that. Thats where his acting training comes in use. His training, which includes various forms of martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, also enables him to walk away from being hit by a car unharmed. Its simple, just jump and land on the windshield before rolling off to safety, he said. Surprisingly, being set on fire is actually one of the safer stunts, he said. With fire-retardant clothes under his wardrobe and a protective jelly-like substance spread on his skin, Philliben can be completely engulfed in flames and unharmed. Work for him also included being a body double in an Eminem music video and a lead role in the CWs Black Lightning where he will play the nemesis of the superhero Black Lightning in the second season. He worked as a security guard for Kate Winslets character in Divergent." His resume also includes stunts in Fate of the Furious, Venom" and The Walking Dead." The job of an actor and stuntman requires frequent travel. From New York to work alongside Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3, to Los Angeles, New Mexico and Chicago, Phillibens schedule is chaotic and oftentimes not planned far in advance. I could get a call right now and have to be in L.A. tomorrow, he said. Though based in Atlanta, Philliben said he spends frequent nights sleeping in hotels away from home. The Hollywood life isnt all glamorous, he said. Oftentimes, people are working 12 to 20-hour days and frequent travel hinders time with family and makes dating difficult, he said. If its something you really want to do, you have to make sacrifices, he said. Despite the schedule, Philliben tries to return to the area as often as possible to visit old friends. Michigan is always going to be my home, he said. Peering out the window of the coffee shop onto 9th Street, Philliben said there has been a drastic change to Kalamazoo since his time here in the early 2000s. But the good vibe and friendly people are still the same, he said. Remembering his beginnings in Detroit and Kalamazoo, the stuntman reflected on the challenges of the competitive industry. Theres lots of rejection, he said. As for advice for current theater students, determination and drive are keys behind success, he said. The most important thing is to stay motivated and believe in your craft. Dont get discouraged. Keep pursuing it no matter what. I always said I wanted to do this, Philliben said. Im going to do this, theres no backup. Being an actor means being immortalized on camera, he said. Im going to live on forever through cinema... Its like a dream come to fruition." BAY CITY, MI A 25-year-old Kawkawlin man is charged with murder in the shooting death of his former friend. Tyler R. Bothe on Monday, Dec. 17, appeared before Bay County Chief District Judge Dawn A. Klida for arraignment on single counts of open murder, felony firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon. Open murder contains both first- and second-degree murder, both of which are life offenses, though a first-degree conviction comes with a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Bothe requested a court-appointed attorney. Klida denied granting Bothe bond. The judge scheduled Bothes case for a preliminary examination at 3 p.m. on Jan. 3. Police and prosecutors allege Bothe shot and killed Justin T. J.T. Wood, 24, on Friday, Dec. 14. Michigan State Police Special 1st Lt. David Kaiser has said Wood and Bothe had been friends, but he could not elaborate on what changed in their relationship or what investigators believe Bothes motive was. About 9:30 p.m. on Friday, a woman was driving on Beaver Road near M-13 in Kawkawlin Township when she spotted Wood lying on the ground beside a vehicle, prompting her to call 911, Kaiser has said. Police responded and found Wood dead from at least one gunshot wound. Police arrested Bothe the next day and recovered a firearm, Kaiser has said. Both Wood and Bothe resided in Kawkawlin. According to his obituary, Wood had graduated from Bay City Western High School in Auburn and continued to receive an Associates of Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales in Providence, Rhode Island. Wood had worked as a laborer for Roese Contracting for seven years. Justins favorite hobby was spending time with his nephew, Brody (LJ) driving around drinking juice, singing, and dancing, his obituary states. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 20, at St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church, 997 E. Beaver Road in Kawkawlin. Visitation is taking place at Rivertown Funeral Chapel, 209 S. Huron Road, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and again at the church from 10 a.m. until the service on Thursday. BAY CITY, MI - The Michigan Bureau of Elections has sent a sharply worded letter to Bay County Clerk Cynthia Luczak, accusing her of mishandling a recall petition targeting Kawkawlin Township Supervisor Dennis Bragiel. The letter also accuses Luczak of mishandling a recall initiative in August. Luczak, Bay Countys clerk since 2004, declined to comment on the letter or its allegations. Fred Woodhams, a spokesman for Secretary of State, wrote in an email the errors the state believes occurred are very serious. Please note that MCL 168.931(1)(h) provides that it is a misdemeanor for a person to willfully fail to perform a duty imposed upon that person by the Michigan Election Law', the letter states. Luczak is not facing any charges. The letter was sent to the Bay County clerks office by Sally Williams, director of elections for the state of Michigan. It alleges Luczak failed to notify Bragiel that signatures were submitted seeking to trigger a recall vote against him in May 2019. The recall petition concerned the township supervisor voting no on a moratorium on wind turbines in Kawkawlin Township. Bragiel said Monday, Dec. 17, he was following the township attorneys opinion about the potential of shutting the industry out of the township. Bragiel, who has been the supervisor for 10 years, said that he never received anything in relation to the recall petition against him. The letter from the Bureau of Elections alleges the clerks office knew enough signatures were collected and deemed valid to trigger the recall election against Bragiel. But the letter claims Luczak failed to notify Bragiel that the signatures were filed. In accordance with the law, Luczak was supposed to give him notice within one business day of the filing of the recall petition, the letter states. You failed to perform this duty. Not only did you not give timely notice to Mr. Bragiel, you failed to give him any notice, the letter states. Your failure to provide the notice to Mr. Bragiel robbed him of his statutory right to challenge the validity of the registration or genuineness of the signatures of persons signing the petition or genuineness of the signatures of the circulators of the petition. It goes on to state that he should have been provided at least eight days to check the signatures on the original registration records and he should have been afforded an opportunity to file a written challenge regarding the signatures within 30 days of the filing. Since this did not happen, the recall petition cannot be properly certified or take place in May at this time," the letter concludes. The letter states that Luczak must take the proper steps to do everything correctly for the race to be valid in May, which can still happen. The state also accuses Luczak of making an error concerning the certification of another recall race to appear on the Aug. 7 ballot. Woodhams did not know what recall petition the letter was referencing. Woodhams said under state law there is not supposed to be a recall election on the August election ballot. Photo: Contributed A Kelowna woman has been honoured by the MS Society of Canada for her longtime volunteer commitment. Michelle Hewitt was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 10 years ago. Ever since, she has found ways to give her time, including her work as a member of the society's B.C. and Yukon Division government relations committee. She also volunteers for the societys 1:1 MS Peer Support Program. Hewitt was recently recognized with the society's Volunteer Impact in Advocacy and Awareness award. Her advocacy led to the creation of the Accessible Transit Working Group in Kelowna. Since then, she has also started the Central Okanagan Disability Coalition, which sends quarterly newsletters for people with disabilities. Advocating for people with MS is extremely important to me, whether it is on an individual level or a systemic level. There are so many challenges that people feel they are facing alone, and its important to me to speak up for them, whenever I can, she said. Although Hewitt faces the daily challenges that come with MS herself, she is also a caregiver to her husband, who is battling cancer. My husband and I spend our lives being positive and looking forward, not dwelling on how our diseases have affected our lives, she explains. Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, with 11 Canadians diagnosed with MS every day. MS is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Photo: The Canadian Press A depiction of a cannabis bud drops from the ceiling at Leafly's countdown party in Toronto on October 17, 2018, as midnight passes and marks the first day legalization of Cannabis across Canada. Canada's trailblazing move to legalize cannabis for recreational use, which sparked an entirely new industry and had wide-ranging implications for nearly every facet of society, has been voted The Canadian Press Business News Story of the Year. The term "disruption" in business has become so overused that it has become an empty cliche, but it is warranted in the case of pot legalization, said Andrew Meeson, deputy business editor at the Toronto Star. "It's hard to think of an area in Canada that hasn't been shaken up: not just commerce (from criminal act to booming startup to takeover target in the blink of an eye), but also policing, health care, justice, politics. Even culture (just ask Tommy Chong)," he said. "If that doesn't make it the business story of the year, I don't know what would." In an annual poll of the country's newsrooms conducted by The Canadian Press, business editors and reporters across the country chose cannabis legalization in a landslide, with 60 per cent of the votes cast. The terse negotiations between Canada, U.S. and Mexico towards a new North American Free Trade Agreement was a distant second with 30 per cent of votes. Canada's pipeline conundrum, with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion now in limbo after a court overturned its regulatory approval in August and a U.S. court throwing out the Keystone XL pipeline's presidential permit in November, came in third out of eight possible candidates with 10 per cent of the vote. "Pipelines would have won, hands down if it weren't for the creation of an entirely new industry in Canada," said David Blair, a business columnist with CBC Radio. "Rarely, if ever, do journalists get to cover the opening of a new market, especially one that is as controversial as cannabis." The world was watching when the country made history with the first legal sale of non-medicinal pot just after midnight on Oct. 17 in Newfoundland and Labrador, due to its time zone being 30 minutes ahead of the rest of Canada. It marked the beginning of what the New York Times dubbed Canada's "national experiment," and the culmination of months, if not years, of preparation by legislators and law enforcement officials at all levels and in each province, territory, and municipality. Photo: The Canadian Press Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, attends the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in London. Thomas Markle appealed to his daughter Meghan to call home, saying Monday they hadn't spoken since her wedding to Prince Harry in May. The former actress, now known as the Duchess of Sussex, has ignored his attempts to get in touch, Thomas Markle told ITV. Markle had been scheduled to walk his daughter down the aisle, but pulled out of the wedding at the last moment because of heart problems. "I love my daughter very much and she has to know that, and I would really appreciate if she would call me, just reach out to me," Markle said in the interview from San Diego. In Markle's first television interview since the duchess announced her pregnancy in October, the 74-year-old grandfather-to-be agreed he'd been "ghosted" by his daughter. He suggested the royal couple had been influenced by media reports about him. "The funny thing about my daughter and Prince Harry is that they believe everything they read in the paper," he said. "What's happened, I'm not sure. I'd love to talk about it. I think it comes back to the fact that reporters pick up on interviews I've done and write their own stories and tell lies." Markle hopes Queen Elizabeth II will help heal the rift. He also rejected the notion his daughter had a habit of dumping those she no longer needed. "That's really not a character trait," he said. "She's always been very polite to everyone, never been rude to anyone. I don't know what's really happening right now." Bags of copra being transported to the wharf on Malekula. Photo: File Photo: Contributed On the surface, Father James Poole seemed like the cool priest in Nome, Alaska. He founded a Catholic mission radio station that broadcast his Jesuit sermons alongside contemporary pop hits. A 1978 story in People magazine called Poole "Western Alaska's Hippest DJ . Comin' at Ya with Rock'n'Roll 'n' Religion." Behind the radio station's closed doors, Poole was a serial sexual predator. He abused at least 20 women and girls, according to court documents. At least one was 6 years old. One Alaska Native woman says he impregnated her when she was 16, then forced her to get an abortion and blame her father for raping her. Her father went to prison. Like so many other Catholic priests around the country, Poole's inappropriate conduct with young girls was well-known to his superiors. A Jesuit supervisor once warned a church official that Poole "has a fixation on sex; an obsession; some sort of mental aberration that makes him see sex everywhere." But the last chapter in his story reveals a new twist in the Catholic abuse scandal: Poole was sent to live out his retirement years on Gonzaga University's campus in Spokane, Washington. For more than three decades, Cardinal Bea House on Gonzaga's campus served as a retirement repository for at least 20 Jesuit priests accused of sexual misconduct that predominantly took place in small, isolated Alaska Native villages and on Indian reservations across the Northwest, an investigation by the Northwest News Network and Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting has found. A trove of internal Jesuit correspondence shows a longstanding pattern of Jesuit officials in the Oregon Province an administrative area that included Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska privately acknowledging issues of inappropriate sexual behaviour, but not releasing that information to the public, which avoided scandal and protected the perpetrators from prosecution. When abuse was discovered, the priests would be reassigned, sometimes to another Native community. Once the abusive priests reached retirement age, the Jesuits moved them to Cardinal Bea House on Gonzaga's campus or another Jesuit residence, to comfortably spend the rest of their lives in relative peace and safety. The university administration did not respond to requests for an interview to answer whether the administration or student body were aware of the presence of known sexual offenders on campus. The last known abusive priest was moved out of Cardinal Bea House in 2016, Jesuit records show. Father John Whitney, the former leader of the Oregon Province who ordered Poole to move into Cardinal Bea House, said the Jesuit order is obligated to provide for priests in retirement. He said it was the only facility in the province where past offenders like Poole, then in his 80s, could be contained effectively while also receiving necessary medical care. Poole resided at Cardinal Bea House from 2003 to 2015. If he had been allowed to live independently, without church oversight, he surely would have abused more people, even at his advanced age, Whitney said in an interview. The house, Whitney said, was "a retirement community where he could be monitored." In a pair of depositions in 2005, Whitney said he did not inform Gonzaga administrators or police in Spokane about Poole's history after moving him into Cardinal Bea House. A Spokane Police Department spokesperson said they had not received any reports, either from Gonzaga or the Jesuit order, about allegations against any residents of Cardinal Bea House. Photo: The Canadian Press TransCanada Corp. president and CEO Russ Girling addresses the company's annual meeting in Calgary on April 27, 2018. TransCanada Corp. has signed a deal to sell its Coolidge Generating Station in Arizona to a subsidiary of Southwest Generation Operating Co. LLC for $623 million. TransCanada chief executive Russ Girling says the sale, worth US$465 million, is part of a plan to help fund the company's capital spending program. The 575-megawatt natural gas-fired power in Coolidge, Ariz., is underpinned by a long-term power purchase agreement. Under the terms of the PPA, Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District has a right of first refusal on a sale to a third party. TransCanada owns and operates pipelines across North America as well as power generation assets including a stake in the Bruce Power nuclear power plant in Ontario. ABB will sell 80.1 percent of its Power Grids division to Japan's Hitachi, the Swiss engineering group said on Monday, adding it would return net cash proceeds of $7.6-7.8 billion from the deal to shareholders. The Zurich-based company, which said the transaction put the Power Grids business's enterprise value at $11 billion, also said on Monday it would be modifying the structure of its remaining businesses. That reshuffle will result in roughly $500 million annual run-rate cost reductions following $500 million in restructuring charges. ABB will initially retain 19.9 percent of Power Grids, the company said, with the deal including an exit option at fair market value with a floor price set at 90 percent of the enterprise value, exercisable by ABB three years after closing. Reuters previously reported that the two companies were in talks over a transaction. The acquisition would allow Hitachi to boost its global presence in the power grid industry, while ABB, which also makes industrial robots, wants to offload its least profitable division to focus on areas such as automation. "Our four newly shaped businesses, each a global leader, will be well aligned to the way our customers operate and focus stronger on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence," ABB Chief Executive Ulrich Spiesshofer said in a statement. ABB's Power Grids business employs 36,000 people and had sales of $10.4 billion last year. It had an operating profit margin of 10.0 percent in the third quarter, down 60 basis points from a year earlier. The decision to sell Power Grids marks a U-turn for Spiesshofer, who decided to keep the business two years ago despite calls from some shareholders to sell. Fortis Healthcare | In the September quarter, Rakesh Junjhunwala held a 2.65 percent holding in the stock, and FIIs have increased its stake to 41.04 percent from 40.98 percent in the June quarter. In FY21 so far the stock price has risen 0 percent to Rs 125.70 as on October 26. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More IHH Healthcare on Monday said it has put its scheduled open offer to acquire additionally 26 percent of Fortis Healthcare on hold until further clarification by the Supreme Court and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The proposed open offer was scheduled to be launched from December 18 to January 1, 2019. The Supreme Court on December 14 passed an order directing status quo with regard to sale of the controlling stake in Fortis Healthcare to Malaysian IHH Healthcare. The court was hearing a petition filed by Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo, which is seeking to recover Rs 3,500 crore, awarded to it by a Singapore tribunal in an arbitration case against Malvinder and Shivinder Singh. IHH also said its wholly-owned subsidiary Northern TK Venture (NTK) through which it acquired Fortis, was not a party to the proceedings before the Supreme Court, and that the order does not impact the subscription which was completed on November 13. IHH has infused Rs 4,000 crore of primary capital into the company through a preferential issue via NTK. NTK has become the controlling shareholder in the company with 31.1 percent stake of the expanded capital. The remaining 26 percent stake was scheduled to be acquired through an open offer at Rs 170 per share, valuing Fortis at Rs 7,300 crore. "IHH, PPL and NTK are in the process of evaluating the Order and seeking appropriate legal advice on this matter and will subsequently decide on the future course of action," IHH said in a statement. Fortis said the judicial proceedings on Friday were in matters solely related to Singh brothers, specifically, in connection with the alleged transfer of their shares to Indiabulls Housing Finance. Singh brothers had pledged their shares in Fortis to Indiabulls Housing Finance. Daiichi Sankyo, which filed the contempt plea against the Singh brothers in the Supreme Court, had said that it was promised some shares of Fortis Healthcare by the Singh brothers. Shares of Fortis dropped 3.21 percent and were trading at Rs 137.10 on BSE at 12.30 pm, while the benchmark Sensex declined 0.64 percent to 36,199.66 points. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More State-owned Indian Oil Corp's (IOC) current credit has enough headroom to absorb higher leverage arising from a planned Rs 11,000 crore share buyback and interim dividend payout, Fitch Ratings said on Monday. The board of IOC last week approved buyback of up to 29.76 crore equity shares, or 3.06 per cent of share capital, at Rs 149 per share aggregating to Rs 4,435 crore. It also approved payment of Rs 6,556 crore as interim dividend to shareholders. "IOC will retain adequate headroom under its 'BB+' standalone credit profile despite higher leverage cause by a planned share buyback and interim dividend, announced on December 13," Fitch Ratings said in a statement. Fitch said Rs 4,435 crore share buyback and Rs 6.75 per share interim dividend, together with funding requirements for IOC's capex plans to upgrade refineries for new emission standards and expansion of refining and petrochemical capacity, will drive up leverage. It expected capex of Rs 23,000 crore in FY19 and Rs 27,500 crore in FY20 to result in continued negative free cash flow. "However, IOC should benefit from the capex over the long-term, with enhanced asset quality and capacity improving its business profile and operating cash flow." The government is pushing cash-rich PSUs to pay higher dividends and buyback shares using their reserves so as to help meet its budget deficit. The government, which holds a 54.06 per cent stake in IOC, is expected to participate in the share buyback. Besides IOC, at least half a dozen other central PSUs have disclosed share buyback programmes. Prominent among these include NHPC, Coal India, Oil India Ltd, BHEL, NALCO, NLC, Cochin Shipyard and KIOCL that could fetch the government a little over Rs 3,000 crore. The board of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is meeting this week to consider a share buyback. "We expect IOC's net leverage, as measured by net adjusted debt/EBITDAR, to rise to about 2.9x by the financial year ending March 2020 (FY20), higher than our earlier forecast of 2.6x (FY18: 2.0x). Our negative rating guideline for the company's standalone credit profile is net leverage of 3.5x," Fitch said. Fitch said it equates IOC's rating with that of its largest shareholder, the state of India (BBB-/Stable), based on the agency's Government-Related Entities Rating Criteria. IOC's standalone credit profile reflects its dominant market position as India's largest oil refining and marketing company, the average but improving the complexity of its refining assets, and its moderate financial profile. In a public notice published in newspapers Monday, IOC said the maximum amount required by the company for the buyback is within permitted limits. "The funds for the buyback will be met out of internally generated cash resources of the company," it said. The buyback offer size does not exceed 10 per cent of the aggregate of the fully paid-up equity share capital and free reserves. IOC has general reserves of Rs 78,998.89 crore and a paid up equity share capital of Rs 9,711.81 crore. "The buyback shall be on a proportionate basis from all the eligible shareholders of the company," it said. At the Rs 149 per share, the government is likely to get about Rs 2,400 crore by tendering some of its shares in the buyback. Besides, out of the total dividend payout of Rs 6,556 crore, the government is expected to get Rs 3,544 crore plus the dividend distribution tax. The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), which has been set a target to raise Rs 80,000 crore for the government through stake sale in central public sector enterprises, had prodded all cash-rich PSUs to go for share buybacks. PSUs having a net worth of at least Rs 2,000 crore and a cash balance of more than Rs 1,000 crore have to mandatorily go in for share buyback. India and the US are contesting seven disputes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in areas including poultry, steel and export incentives, Parliament was informed on Monday. These seven cases "pertain to poultry and poultry products from the US, countervailing duties against India's export of steel products, measures against import of solar cells and modules under National Solar Mission," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The other cases include the US's Sub-Federal Renewable Energy Programmes, United States' measures concerning non-immigrant visas, India's export promotion schemes and United States' tariff hike on steel and aluminium products, he said. The US has challenged certain export promotion schemes of India and "there will be no effect to the GST refunds provided to the exporters under the GST Act as GST issues have no linkage with this dispute," he added. India considers that it does not provide any WTO non-compliant subsidies for exports, he added. Replying to a separate question, the minister said that India's trade deficit with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) members stood at USD 105 billion in 2017-18. RCEP mega trade pact aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights. The bloc comprises 10 Asean members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six FTA partners - India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. To another question, Chaudhary replied that the ministry has received proposal from Maharashtra for handing over some pieces of salt department lands at Mumbai to Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai for public purposes. "One proposal from the Revenue and Forests Department, Government of Maharashtra has been received regarding transfer of 80.98 acres of salt pan land ... to Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) for dumping of refuse, solid waste treatment plant and allied processes," he said. The land, he said, requested for transfer by Maharashtra is under litigation with regard to ownership issue. Photo: The Canadian Press Geoffrey Rush arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" at the Dolby Theatre. "Orange Is the New Black" actress Yael Stone alleges actor Geoffrey Rush engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour when they starred in "The Diary of a Madman" in 2010. The 33-year-old tells The New York Times Rush danced naked in front of her in their dressing room, used a mirror to watch her while she showered and sent her occasionally erotic texts. Stone says she "enthusiastically and willingly" replied to the texts from her fellow Australian actor when she was 25 and he was 59. Stone says she's "embarrassed" by the ways she participated. Stone says she was trying to manage "uncomfortable moments" without offending the star. In a statement , Rush says the allegations "are incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context." Emails sent from The Associated Press seeking additional comments Monday morning were not returned. 3. International Monetary Fund | At 2,814 tonnes gold in its reserves, the IMF is on the third spot. A top US lawmaker has said that any IMF loan to cash-strapped Pakistan cannot be just a "convenient way" to repay its debt to China which has engaged many countries in a debt trap. 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. The US almost has a veto power in the IMF, said Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, who in an address to a dissident Pakistani leader also said that the US aid to Pakistan which has been cut by the current Trump administration is unlikely to be restored soon. Sherman said that last week, he has raised with the Trump administration the issue of IMF loan to Pakistan. He spoke on this issue during a Congressional hearing with David Malpass, Under Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs. "I've shared with him the concern that any IMF loan to Pakistan cannot be just a convenient way to repay China. China has engaged in a debt trap. We've seen it in Sri Lanka. We're seeing it in Africa. If the Chinese do that, then China has to learn that sometimes they just don't get repaid," he said. "In fact, this is beyond just South Asia, I'm working on a legislation that I would call Chinese Debt Trap Relief Act," Sharman said, adding that the legislation would encourage countries not to repay bad loans. "The idea that Pakistan would turn to its own people and vilify a man who helped us destroy Osama bin Laden, does not speak well of the future of US-Pakistani relations. Our aid has been cut to Pakistan. I do not think it will be restored to major levels until the Dr (Shakil) Afridi issue is dealt with," Sherman said in his keynote address to the conference. Dr Shakil Afridi is a Pakistani doctor serving a 33-year jail term for helping the CIA in tracking down Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden to Abbottabad in 2011. The US has been pressing Pakistan to release Dr Afridi, who was involved in a CIA-linked plan to find bin Laden with a fake vaccination operation in the Pakistani garrison city. Sherman, who is on the financial services committee, said the US should simply instruct American banks and more importantly, American bond rating agencies to say that if there's a default on a debt, but that debt is part of a Chinese debt trap, it just doesn't count. And then turn to the Chinese and say that it is not going to be able to use western financial institutions to penalise countries who fall into their debt traps. "So if China wants to make these loans, fine. If they don't get repaid, that's their business and countries will be then free to engage in other financial transactions with countries hopefully that do not engage in such traps," Sherman said. In his address to the conference, organised under the banner of South Asians Against Terrorism and for Human Rights (SAATH), and co-hosted by US-based columnist Mohammad Taqi and Haqqani, the top American lawmaker said that US has provided Pakistan with USD 43 billion in financial assistance post-independence. Sherman also slammed Pakistan for blocking US websites like Voice of America inside the country. gdp_new_1_42793541 Gaurav Choudhury There was once a 10-km race organised in a village on the outskirts of a glitzy state capital. The idea was two-fold. One, give the city dwellers an unusual weekend break in idyllic surroundings and crisp air as opposed to lazing around in cosmetic settings in apartment blocks. Two, give them a glimpse of life in the countryside. The villagers were allowed to join the race that was to course through dusty roads, buffeted by picturesque ripening paddy fields. There were no monetary rewards, but all were assured of a sumptuous feast in the village square at the end of the race. But the rules of the contest were a little odd. Those with an income of above Rs 10 lakh a year were given a head start. They were allowed to start two kilometres ahead of others. Those who weren't so economically well-off could dash off from a kilometre ahead of the start line. The economically weakest were made to start the last. By mid-race, a startling gap had opened up, with the richest sprinting much ahead. By the time the last group crossed the finish line, the wealthiest were nearly through with the rural banquet. This exemplifies how policies, predominantly guided by income levels, can perpetuate inequality. The rich can continue to get richer with first claim on resources and rewards, and thus, widen the gap with those that need hand holding not only to raise their income levels, but also for opportunities such as education and healthcare. The problem could worsen if policies are guided by metrics that are obsessively focussed on raising a countrys income. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), arrived at by adding up everyone's income in the country, precisely suffers from this flaw. It is self-evident that income is a key determinant of a person's capacity to buy assets (such as houses), acquire means of comfort (such as cars), spend on children's education, pay for healthcare and utilities such as telephone, power and transport, and to spend on recreational indulgences, such as a vacation or eating out. To this effect, income has a decisive influence on a person's current state of being. After all, a person's ability to spend on essentials and aspirational goods and services is clearly correlated to his or her earnings. However, how do you size up a country's economic well-being? Is adding up the income of every individual the most appropriate way to measure the nation's progress? For long, governments have chased GDP and its expansion speed as the Holy Grail to achieve economic advancement. GDP, by definition, represents the total value of all the final goods and services that are produced within a country's borders within a particular time period, typically a year or a quarter. Effectively, it is the sum total of everyones income or expenditure. For, one person's spending is another person's income. (Savings is income set aside or not spent). The dominant thinking over the last several decades has been that GDP, and its rise and fall, gives the closest approximation about which way, and at what speed, people's incomes have moved during a particular period. This explains the near obsessive fixation with levels of GDP and its growth among the government's macroeconomic managers. A vast number of policies are designed with the primary objective of speeding up GDP's expansion. That said, is GDP alone enough to tell us about 'better life'? Not quite. For one, GDP is a quantitative metric, and does not say much about the quality of life. It has some design flaws that can make the headline GDP numbers mask major weaknesses in the broader economy. GDP is woefully insufficient in measuring inequality. For instance, it may well be the case that a large part of the country's overall income may have been driven by only a few people. India is a case in point. India's GDP (in current prices) in 2017-18 stood at Rs 167.73 lakh crore or at about $2.5 trillion. However, about a fifth of this may have been accounted for by the 100 richest families in the country. According to the Forbes India Rich List 2018 , the net worth of the 100 richest Indians stood at $492 billion or about Rs 39.2 lakh crore, which was 19.65 percent of India's GDP as on March 31, 2018. Using income as a measure of better living can be misleading on several counts. It is eminently possible for a rich person to lead an unhealthy life brought about by circumstances beyond his or her control, such as bad environment. Bad environment can itself be a result of rising income, which may have raised people's affordability to buy cars. Higher income may have been brought on by rapid industrialisation, leading to a polluted environment affecting health. The Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a rich nations' club, now brings out the OECD Better Life Index. A result of the global financial crisis that rocked the world in 2008, the index is now in its fourth edition, seeking to measure human well-being using a variety of metrics such as housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, civic engagement, health, life satisfaction, safety, work-life balance and gender inequalities. It describes how inequalities touch many different aspects of people's lives, examining well-being gaps by gender, age, education, income, and migration status. Unlike GDP, the index allows comparison of well-being across countries, based on 11 topics the OECD has identified as essential in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life. In many countries, migrants face disadvantages such as living in sub-standard conditions compared to their native-born peers. In some others, women continue to face discrimination, both in education and at work and home. These are characteristics that the cold GDP statistics cannot capture. In February 2008, the then French President Nicholas Sarkozy asked Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen (both Nobel laureates) and French economist Jean Paul Fitoussi to create a commission (The Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress CMEPSP) to examine the limitations of GDP as a measure of economic activity and suggest alternate models. The CMESP report, and the subsequent book titled Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesnt Add Up by Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi, have laid the foundations of moving to a radically new system for measuring economic well-being that integrates seemingly intangible characteristics, including environment and relevant guides, to estimate social progress. For a country such as India, currently caught in a raging political debate over a controversial GDP calculation formula, it may be pertinent to look at these new systems. Apart from offering a fresh approach to public policy design, it may well hold the answer to the paradox: Why is India the world's sixth largest economy, and also home to hundreds of millions of extremely poor people? Swadeshi Jagran Manch - weve heard this name over the years and pictured a fringe far right group - usually as a consequence of them spouting statements that were pretty...far out, to put it politely. For instance, their latest statement: According to a Moneycontrol report, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, what most consider the economic wing of the Rashtriya Sawyamsevak Sangh, or the RSS, wants newly-appointed RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das to overhaul the country's private bank ownership norms to help the growth of large home-grown banks. As you must have read in the news, Das was a Economic Affairs Secretary in the finance ministry. He took over as the 25th RBI governor on December 12, replacing Urjit Patel who resigned on December 10. There is a need for the new RBI Governor to rethink the regulatory framework for private bank ownership, the SJM said in a note of an internal meeting on Future of Banks in India. SJM former co-convener S Gurumurthy is a part-time director of the Reserve Bank. So, them having strident opinions on economic issues is probably a cause for concern for citizens of a more free-market bent of mind. For the record, Gurumurthy has written disapprovingly more than once regarding globalization.Thats the Swadeshi angle. What is the Swadeshi Jagran Manch's interest in the affairs of the RBI? That is what we will discuss on our Pick of the Day today right here on Moneycontrol. Urjit Patel resigned nine months before his tenure was to expire in September 2019, ending a testy relationship with the finance ministry. The RBIs central board met today amid tensions between the Finance Ministry and RBI. Shaktikanta Das chaired the meeting. SJMs push for Swadeshi is nothing new, of course. For one, its right there in the name. Business Standard reported that, according to an official who has known him for more than three decades and is aware of the RBI boards discussions, at the October and November board meetings, Gurumurthy pressed members to do more for smaller enterprises. Indeed, the bank's statement after its last policy meeting on Nov. 19 said it would "ease liquidity for the financial sector and increase credit to small businesses. Gurumurthy's presence in the central bank is being seen, as per the Business Standard, by Hindu right wing as a victory in their quest to rid the RBI and the government of "foreign" elements. But his presence in the RBI also worries some investors and analysts,who fear that the RBI's independence could be, maybe has already been, compromised. In a speech last month - his first since joining the board - Gurumurthy said globalisation had become "irrelevant", but praised Donald Trump for his protectionist trade policies. Regarding the current statement from the SJM, convener Ashwani Mahajan said, None of us want Indian home-grown banks be allowed into the hands of foreign players. SJM is also of the view that promoters' ownership cap should be reexamined. But this statement seems a bit off in its timing. Changes in private banking industry rules are unlikely to be taken up in the RBI central board meeting. In any case, India regulates banking through a cap on voting rights (defined in the Banking Regulation Act), and through ownership caps (through RBI's administrative circulars). RBI's banking guidelines state that promoters' holding in banks should progressively reduce to 15 percent within 15 years of starting operations, a subject weve covered extensively in previous podcasts. The rationale behind such an approach is that diverse ownership would lead to better governance through lack of concentration of power in the bank. Promoter voting rights are capped, implying that the promoter group cannot control the board or push through decisions just because it enjoys greater shareholding. However, Mahajan, speaking to Hindu BusinessLine, said, Currently, foreign ownership in private banks is allowed to go up to 74 percent. In some private banks, FIIs have already reached almost 74 percent. We want the RBI to now bring the foreign cap to below 51 percent and ensure only Indian control of private banks. Mahajan insisted that the new RBI Governor must review the ownership and control policy for banks, and create an environment that motivates high-quality Indian entrepreneurs to come forward and build great banks. He urged the new Governor to also try and develop an understanding on the implementation risk of Basel III norms in the present context and IFRS challenge. But, as Moneycontrol noted, the RBI's rules on cutting promoter holding in private banks is predicated upon the principle that concentrated ownership can lead to greater governance risks. The instances of Kotak Mahindra Bank and Bandhan Bank show that RBI will not show any leniency in diluting rules on the concentrated ownership. Consider this: The RBI's bank licensing rules mandate that a private bank's promoter will need to pare its holding to 40 percent within three years, 20 percent within 10 years and to 15 percent within 15 years. In September, Bandhan Bank, one of India's newest full-fledged private commercial bank, informed stock exchanges that RBI had ordered the freezing of its CEO Chandra Shekhar Ghosh's salary and barred it from opening new branches without the central bank's approval. The bank failed to reduce the promoter's shareholding to 40 percent by August 23, the day it completed three years of operation. Kotak Bank informed stock exchanges about the RBI's rejection of its proposal to issue perpetual non-cumulative preference shares (PNCPS) to cut promoter holding. The RBI asked the bank to trim promoter shareholding to 20 percent of paid up capital by December 31 and 15 percent by March 31, 2020. Vice Chairman and MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank, Uday Kotak, currently holds a 30.03 percent stake in the bank. The PNPCS issue was part of Kotak's plan to pare his holding and meet the December 2018 deadline. SJM, however, called for a change in RBI's diversified ownership norms, arguing that on most occasions private bank promoters end diluting their shareholding in favour of foreign investors who are now majority owners of many Indian private banks. The organization said foreign ownership is high in Indian banks: HDFC - 72 percent, ICICI Bank- 60 percent, Axis Bank - 52 percent, IndusInd Bank - 73 percent and Kotak Bank - 47 percent. SJMs fear of the foreign hand is palpable. Sample this: Is diversified ownership really diversified? Effectively, decisions of foreign investors is influenced and controlled by proxy foreign advisors...It is important for an alignment of a bank with its country's objectives- such alignment starts from a deep-rooted passion for nation building and which has a long -term vision. Such passion and dedication are typical of entrepreneurs who are domestic. But what is the thrust of SJMs argument? According to them, India does not have mature institutions / funds with deeper pockets to take up equities in large proportions in banks. Therefore, the forced equity dilution norms is pushing banks to go abroad. SJM also urged the RBI to rethink its current stance of stipulating capital norms higher than those prescribed under Basel III. Mahajan said, At present, making it even more stringent than the global norms is uncalled for. What is the Swadeshi Jagran Manch all about? Well, theyre about Swadeshi, and anti-imperialism. For most of us, that sounds like an outmoded trope, a breeding ground for kooky conspiracy theories. Not for the gentlemen at SJM. Earlier this year, they demanded a probe into foreign NGOs with regard to vaccines - including prominent ones like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - because they were promoting pharma companies manufacturing contentious vaccines. They accused the Congress of backing pharma lobbyists. Then there was the time they slammed what they termed as Walmarts back-door entry into the Indian market. They claimed they were preparing a report on alternative ways to revive Air India! They also urged Prime MInister Narendra Modi to ensure a course correction in NITI Aayog. Ill give them this much - they are ambitious and consistent, but theyre also always provocative and interesting. Far out, like I said. Swadeshi Jagran Manch describes itself as a political and cultural organization. This is how their official website describes their early days: On the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand, 12 January 1992 the struggle against the economic imperialism began in the form of mass awareness programme. In this campaign the changes in the economic policies, devaluation of rupee and interference of external powers in the policy-making decisions and their collective harmful impacts on Indian economy were exposed to the public. Speaking about colonialism, Gurumurthy has said, Colonisation lasted for 200 years. Now it's abused as one of the worst happenings in the history of world. It dominated the world, our minds, it left its imprint. Even today we suffer from hangovers of colonisation. The colonisers feel guilty about colonisation. But the colonised people are not feeling sad that they were colonised. They revel in things which colonisers left. It is a paradoxical phenomenon. Talk about a sweeping generalization about colonised people. But wait, are these guys also against the 1991 reforms that changed India, a process that India undertook after being advised by the World Bank and the IMF? No, not Ethan Hunt. The other IMF - the International Monetary Fund. Though one would think it was pretty much Mission:Impossible to achieve economic reforms in the India of the 1990s. The word imperialism made grown men do and say funny things back then. But, in 2018, one cannot help but feel that SJM is a product of a bygone era thats struggling to keep pace with the modern world. The reason for that brief sojourn into the origins of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch is to help understand the driving compulsion of this politically right-but-economically left organisation. Gurumurthys rise to prominence came courtesy of his reportage on alleged corruption in Reliance Industries. He had the backing of Ramnath Goenka, which is a pretty impressive endorsement. But, as mentioned, he has spoken against globalization and praised Trump for protectionist policies. Further, Gurumurthy insists him and Patel were never at loggerheads. He told The Economic Times, The reports about this sword fighting within the board are not right. It was precisely for this reason that the RBI came out with a statement for the first time after the last meeting because it was deemed important by the governor to clear the atmosphere. Following Patels resignation, he tweeted, ...a shock, particularly after the cordial board meeting". His resignation is indeed setback to the efforts of convergence of views that was taking place. We will miss him. Hmm. Indeed. However, SJM called Patels exit, a good sign for MSMEs and banks". Gurumurthys presence in the RBI board, and his proximity to the government is also making some analysts nervous. Shilan Shah, an economist at Capital Economics in Singapore, which advises foreign funds, said, It's not being viewed particularly positively. He has been a pretty staunch critic of the RBI and he has got government interests at heart, which support growth before an election. And this concern may not be completely unwarranted. Mahajan has said that the RBI board was not a rubber stamp anymore" and that the RBI has to convince the board about the rationale behind its decisions. He explained, "Larger-than-life figures appointed to head regulatory bodies need to understand that systems in India and America work differently. I wonder whom that is a dig at? Traders' body CAIT said on Monday it would hold a rally here on Wednesday to demand that the government brings in a bill in the ongoing session of Parliament to stop sealing in Delhi. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) also said it would urge the government not to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country's retail sector. The Union Cabinet earlier this year permitted 100 percent FDI in single-brand retail under automatic route, while also easing local sourcing norms. Besides, a top official last week said the government has no proposal to change the existing foreign direct investment (FDI) policy in the multi-brand retail trading sector. CAIT Secretary-General Praveen Khandelwal said sealing has distorted and disrupted Delhi's trade to a great extent. He alleged that the entry of multinational corporations and FDI in retail trade have damaged the domestic trade to a great extent. Representative Image The European Commission is still talking with the Italian government over Italy's budget for next year, a spokesman said on December 17. "The dialogue continues between the European Commission and Italy concerning its budgetary plan for 2019," the spokesman for the EU executive told a news conference in Brussels. "The Commission will decide on the next steps on the basis of the outcome of this ongoing dialogue," he added. The Centre is considering amending the Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to allow people to link their Aadhaar to their bank accounts and mobile phones voluntarily, The Economic Times reported. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has moved a proposal in this regard, which is currently under legal scrutiny and is being reviewed by other ministries, sources in the ministry told the paper. The proposal includes amendments to the Aadhaar Act to recognise the virtual ID used to prevent the actual Aadhaar number from being divulged, the sources said. The government is seeking stronger legal backing for the use of this virtual Aadhaar ID. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. In its verdict earlier this year, the Supreme Court had struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, barring private companies from accessing the Aadhaar database for verification purposes. The apex court's order left some gaps for the government to legislate if it wanted any particular services linked to the Aadhaar. One of these gaps could be filled through an amendment in the Telegraph Act, which would allow inclusion of Aadhaar in the e-KYC options, sources said. The government can access or take over these services in case of a public emergency, according to the Act. Similarly, by tweaking the PMLA, individuals can link their bank accounts to Aadhaar for KYC. This would be completely voluntary. A thorough KYC process is done so that the government is able to track sources of funds in cases of money laundering. Sources told the paper that if bank accounts are linked to Aadhaar, the tracking process would be easier and the amendments to PMLA would provide the necessary legal safety. Moreover, the government is already working on the Data Protection Bill submitted by the Justice Srikrishna Commission, to address data privacy issues. The government has revived plans to impose checks on the discounts and cashback deals being offered on shopping websites, among other things, in a bid to make norms for the e-commerce sector more stringent. The Commerce Ministry aims to safeguard the interests of domestic retailers and protect them from the 'predatory behaviour' of the e-commerce industry, sources told The Times of India. Brick-and-mortar stores are reeling under the competition the face from online shopping portals. This pressure only gets compounded due to factors such as demonetisation and the implementation of GST. Many bodies like CAIT and Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an RSS affiliate, are fighting on behalf of local shop owners. Government officials told the paper that this move is aimed at creating a structured policy for the e-commerce sector ahead of the World Trade Organisation's push to regulate online businesses across the globe, and not impressing local businessmen. The government had released a draft e-commerce policy in July, which it scrapped within days. It had proposed maximum durations for differential pricing strategies like deep discounting, and also recommended favouring home-grown e-commerce companies and allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in some foreign firms. "Globally, we have seen the disappearance of retail stores, be it bookshops or smaller shops. Even large format sector has come under pressure. Once physical stores vanish, the e-commerce players dictate consumer choice on what we eat and wear. We should not allow that to happen," a source was quoted as saying. The government believes that giants like Amazon and Alibaba are willing to bleed cash for years till they successfully manage to wipe out all small-scale competition. Moreover, Indian competition laws are not sufficient to tackle this phenomenon, which many call 'predatory pricing'. The Indian e-commerce market is growing fast and is expected to reach $200 billion in size by 2028. So an e-commerce policy is imperative and will impact big players from all e-commerce businesses. The ministry will put out another draft policy in the next few weeks and invite consultations from all stakeholders and departments, including information technology. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion is looking into data localisation and a crackdown against foreign companies selling in India without paying duty, among other elements, in the policy. Bulls began the week on a strong note, with benchmarks closing near their high points. Buying was visible across all sectors, with maximum gains visible among metals, energy and automobiles. The Sensex closed with gains of over 300 points, while the Nifty fell just short of 10,900. At the close of market hours, the Sensex was up 307.14 points at 36,270.07, while Nifty was up 82.90 points at 10,888.40. About 1400 shares have advanced, 1192 shares declined, and 150 shares were unchanged. Power Grid Corp, Tata Motors, HDFC, Coal India and Vedanta are the top gainers on the Sensex, while Kotak Mahindra Bank, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, Hero Motocorp and L&T are among major losers. "Belying weak global cues, Indian markets continued their upward momentum with the stabilization of crude and rupee providing more confidence to global investors. Markets continue to build in some loosening in monetary policy and measures to push rural spend," Viral Belawala, CIO of Essel Mutual Fund said in a statement. Stocks in the News Share price BGR Energy Systems rose 4 percent as the company secured an order worth of Rs 49.40 crore. Share price of Security and Intelligence Services (SIS) rose 1 percent after company acquired 51 percent stake in Uniq Detective and Security Services. Share price of Glenmark Pharma added nearly 3 percent after USFDA gave a final approval for Hydrocortisone Valerate Ointment USP. NTPC and Power Grid Corporation of India shares rallied more than 3.5 percent after global brokerage house CLSA retained its bullish stance after new tariff norms. Wipro shares gained more than 2 percent after the company signed strategic partnership with Saxo Bank. Cadila Healthcare shares added 2 percent after the US health regulator received approval for drug that treats tapeworm infections. Datamatics Global Services shares rallied 6 percent after the company decided to demerge and separately list its subsidiary Lumina Datamatics. Global Markets European stocks were lower, amid escalating concerns of a sharp slowdown in global growth. Stoxx 600 was down 0.25 percent. Meanwhile, in Asia, markets were mixed on the back of growth fears in worlds biggest economics. The Shanghai composite rose 0.16 percent to close at around 2,597.97 while the Shenzhen composite declined by 0.309 percent to end the trading day at about 1,323.31. The Nifty50 is likely to open flat with a positive bias on Monday tracking mixed trend seen in other Asian markets. The index closed 13 points higher at 10,805 on Friday. Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a positive opening for the broader index in India, a rise of 36.5 points or 0.34 percent. Nifty futures were trading around 10,867-level on the Singaporean Exchange. Wall Street's three major indexes tumbled on Friday and the Dow confirmed a correction as weak data from China and Europe stoked fears of a global economic slowdown. Asian share markets started the week on a cautious footing on Monday after weak economic data from China and Europe added to evidence of cooling global growth and reinforced anxiety over the impact of international trade frictions on business and profits. The rupee declined by 22 paise to close at 71.90 against the US dollar amid strengthening of the greenback and cautious trading in the domestic equity market on December 14. Stocks in news: Wipro: The company announced strategic partnership with Saxo Bank. Infosys: The company signed an agreement to divest its shares in CloudEndure Limited for a total consideration of approximately $15.3 million. Jet Airways: SBI orders forensic audit of Jets books for period between April 2014 and March 2018. In another development, a source told PTI, that Nikos Kardassis who was in an advisory role at the airline has quit, accroding to a report. Teva Pharma gets US FDA nod for Herzuma, biosimilar to Herceptin, for treatment of HER2 - CNBC-TV18. Cadila Healthcare: Zydus gets US FDA nod for Albendazole tablets & Pregabalin capsules. Technical Recommendations: We spoke to Way2Wealth Brokers Ltd and heres what they have to recommend: Dabur: Buy around 435-430| Target: Rs 480| Stop Loss: Rs 410| Return 8.6% Indian Bank: Buy around 240| Target: Rs 265| Stop Loss: Rs 228| Return 10% Ashok Leyland: Sell around 104-105| Target: Rs 96/92| Stop Loss: Rs 109| Return 11% Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Vedantas shares rose over 6 percent in the morning trade as investors cheered a green courts order on its smelter unit in Tuticorin. The stock touched an intraday high of Rs 214.25 and an intraday low of Rs 209.90. The National Green Tribunal Saturday set aside the Tamil Nadu government order for closure of Vedanta's sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin, which was at the centre of massive protests over alleged pollution, saying it was "non-sustainable" and "unjustified". The Tamil Nadu government, meanwhile, said it would challenge in the Supreme Court the NGT order setting aside the closure of the Vedanta's Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin in the wake of protests by locals. At 09:25 hrs Vedanta was quoting at Rs 210.25, up Rs 9.05, or 4.50 percent. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More India's biggest iron ore miner NMDC Ltd on Monday sued Karnataka to block demands for a bigger share of revenue from the sale of iron ore from a local mine, said a senior state-level official. Rajender Kataria, the state's mining secretary, told Reuters on Monday a court will hear the matter on Jan. 10. Karnataka plans to auction the Donimalai iron ore mine as NMDC, majority owned by the Indian government, refused to pay an additional levy on ore sales from the mine, he said. NMDC, which has suspended its operations at the site due to the dispute, did not respond to an email seeking comment. Karnataka levied the additional fee when it renewed NMDC's license for the Donimalai mine last month, and the state-owned miner contested it, according to a company letter reviewed by Reuters. Following the miner's objection, the state government had threatened to cancel its lease. The mine primarily supplies ore to India's biggest domestic steelmaker JSW Steel Ltd. "NMDC has approached the high Court for an urgent hearing," Kataria told Reuters. Karnataka state was mulling auctioning the mine next month, he said. "We had sent a letter and a reminder last month to NMDC saying if they did not agree to our terms, our recourse will be to auction the mine in January," he said. Until the court hearing, however, the state government will not be able to make a formal decision, he said. IRB Infrastructure Developers | In 2020 so far, the share price has moved up 76 percent to Rs 131.20. It's trailing twelve months (TTM) P/E was 6.40 multiple while 5-year average P/E was 8.30 multiple. Online classified platform Quikr on Monday announced the acquisition of Chennai-based India Property Online Pvt Ltd as part of its strategy to strengthen its real estate transaction and classified business. Quikr has acquired many companies in real estate space, including Commonfloor and HDFC's subsidiaries HDFC Realty and HDFC Developers. Quikr in a statement said that it has acquired India Property Online, a leading full-stack real estate platform. It, however, did not disclose the deal value. "The move is another important step in Quikr's strategy of building transactions on top of classifieds," it said. Real Estate contributed to 35 per cent of Quikr revenue in FY17-18 and is a profitable vertical for the company. The business is on track to again grow more than 100 per cent in FY18-19, the company said. "With USD 180 billion market potential, Indian real estate is one of the largest sectors of the economy. Since verticalisation of our business, we have looked at both organic and inorganic ways to go deeper in this strategically important category. "The strong base of India Property in southern states and its full-stack model will help us grow our transaction business while also adding to our classifieds base," said Pranay Chulet, founder and CEO, Quikr. In December last year, Quikr acquired HDFC's two subsidiaries HDFC Realty and HDFC Developers in an all stock deal for an estimated Rs 357 crore. Before that, Quikr in January 2016 merged CommonFloor.com with its real estate vertical QuikrHomes. Then acquired home rental startup Grabhouse in November 2016. Some of the other acquisitions include Indian Realty Exchange (IRX), a mobile-first aggregator of real estate brokers, and RealtyCompass, a platform that provides builder rating and project analysis. It also made a strategic investment in A N Virtual Tech that offers detailed real-life imagery of streets and buildings across India. The latest acquisition, India Property, offers solutions that simplify property buying, selling and renting. It lists over 6 lakh properties and 8,000+ verified builder projects across 15+ cities in India. The company monetises on both the demand and supply side of the market, with solutions enabling property search, diligence, financing, and transactions. The Chennai-based firm has also built a powerful analytics platform using street-level transaction data for residential properties covering about 5 million properties in South India. India Property is backed by leading VC fund Bertelsmann India Investments and Mayfield. Quikr said the company is now the largest transactional player in real estate with two growing models - a co-living business to offer shared rentals to millennials, and a brokerage business for home buying. Both businesses derive their supply and demand from Quikr's sizable classifieds base in QuikrHomes and Commonfloor. In the co-living business, Quikr said it is the largest player in the country with over 70,000 tenants at the end of November. With 30 million monthly users, Quikr is India's largest classifieds platform with a valuation of over Rs 10,000 crore. It runs multiple vertical businesses across real estate, automobiles, education, jobs, services and goods sectors. Renault requested a full Nissan shareholder meeting, a source close to the company said - appearing to escalate the carmaker's standoff with its Japanese alliance partner in the wake of the pay scandal engulfing Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn. Thierry Bollore, the French group's deputy CEO, issued the demand in a December 14 letter to Nissan, the source said on Sunday, confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal. "We respectfully ask that the board consider calling an extraordinary general meeting of Nissan shareholders as promptly as practicable," Bollore wrote in the letter. A Renault spokesman declined to comment. Ghosn's arrest in Japan for alleged financial misconduct has shaken the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, with Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa calling for changes to weaken Renault's control. Renault owns 43.4 percent of Nissan, whose reciprocal 15 percent stake in its French parent carries no voting rights. Nissan in turn controls Mitsubishi via a 34 percent holding. The call for a shareholder meeting will likely be seen as an attempted show of force by Renault's interim management, led by Bollore and Mouna Sepehri, Ghosn's long-standing chief of staff who also heads legal affairs and communications. The letter made no mention of using the shareholder meeting to hire or fire Nissan board members but remained vague about its purpose, saying only that it would "allow for appropriate disclosure and discussion of governance and other matters". It added that the indictment of Nissan "creates significant risks to Renault, as Nissan's largest shareholder, and to the stability of our industrial alliance". At a December 13 Renault board meeting, directors were briefed on the Nissan investigation that led to Ghosn's arrest. He was charged alongside Nissan this week over the company's failure to declare $43 million in deferred income he had arranged to receive. He and alleged accomplice Greg Kelly remain in custody. While Nissan ousted Ghosn days after his arrest, the Renault board reiterated its earlier decision to keep him in office. Directors have yet to be given access to the Nissan findings, which are being closely held by Renault lawyers. Bollore's demand for a Nissan shareholder meeting was a "management decision" that was not raised at the previous day's board session, the company source said, adding that it had been discussed subsequently with "all of the directors". Senior director Philippe Lagayette is standing in as chairman. The French government, Renault's biggest shareholder, is backing Michelin CEO Jean-Dominique Senard to replace Ghosn permanently as chairman, Le Figaro reported. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks with the media inside the parliament premises on the first day of the winter session, in New Delhi, India, December 11, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi - RC149F995270 live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The merger of the three state-owned general insurance companies -National Insurance, Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance - has now become a race against time. Even as EY has been chosen as the consultant for the process, sources told Moneycontrol that the government wants to complete the basics of the process before the 2019 general elections. "The process is underway with the consultant finally being selected. The valuation process of the entities will begin post this. The idea is to have all the approvals in place before the country gets into the election mode," said an official. The merger has been a pet project of the BJP government. It was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his February 2018 Budget speech. The merged entity will subsequently be listed on the stock exchanges. The idea to merge the three insurers was to create a stronger and larger insurance company that was sustainable in the long run. The other two state-owned entities, New India Assurance and General Insurance Corporation of India are already listed on the exchanges. Delay in appointment of consultant While a consultant for the process was to be appointed by May 2018, the process was delayed. Timely appointments of chairmen and managing directors not being made at some of the public sector insurers also added to the delay. The unions have also expressed concerns about the merger of the three entities, saying this would lead to retrenchment of staff at the mid and junior levels. Initial estimates suggest that this will be the largest non-life insurance company in India, valued at Rs 1.2-1.5 lakh crore. Completion of the merger While the actual merger will be completed only by the third quarter of FY20, the government wants the three insurers to complete quickly complete the design process so that it helps them get approvals on time. As at the end of FY18, the three general insurers put together had more than 200 insurance products with a total premium of Rs 45,126 crore and a market share of around 35 percent. The total employee strength of the three companies put together is around 42,000, spread over 5,700 offices. It is estimated that with the merger, there could be a 20-30 percent reduction in the employee count through the use of Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) and other mechanisms. Chennai: Congress President Rahul Gandhi is being presented a sword by DMK president MK Stalin at a public meeting after unveiling a life-size bronze statue of late Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi at YMCA ground, in Chennai, Sunday, Dec.16, 2018. (PTI Photo/R Senthil Kumar)(PTI12_16_2018_000164B) In a dramatic assertion, DMK president M K Stalin on Sunday vowed to make Congress chief Rahul Gandhi the country's next prime minister and lauded him for having the ability to defeat the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. He was speaking at a rally followed by the unveiling of a bronze statue of DMK patriarch and his father late M Karunanidhi at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam here. "In 2018, on the occasion of unveiling Thalaivar Kalaignar statue, I propose, we will install a new prime minister in Delhi. We will build a new India, as the Son of Thalaivar Kalaignar, I propose the candidature of Rahul Gandhi from Tamil Nadu," he said. The statue unveiling event brought together key opposition parties of the DMK, Congress, TDP and CPI(M), to reaffirm their resolve to dislodge the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Stalin said his proposal for making Rahul the prime minister was akin to his father's support to Indira Gandhi and later to the Congress party under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. The DMK chief, lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Rahul had the ability to defeat the Modi government. He appealed to other party leaders on the dais like TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu and CPI(M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan to strengthen the hands of Rahul. Stalin alleged social justice, autonomy of states, social harmony and secularism were under threat under the BJP regime. "The government led by Modi has turned India's clock back 15 years. If he is allowed to rule another five years, the clock will turn back another 50 years," he said. Stalin also called Modi a "sadist" as he said the prime minister did not visit Tamil Nadu after cyclone Gaja. He asked whether Modi would not visit states like Maharashtra or Gujarat if these places were hit by natural disasters. "Do Tamils deserve such indifference? That is why we call for the defeat of Modi," he said, adding more parties will join forces to dislodge the Modi-led NDA government. Stalin also mocked at Modi for not expressing sympathy or visiting the storm-hit southern state while he had time for foreign visits and condole natural disasters abroad. Heaping praises on the Dravidian veteran, Rahul Gandhi echoed Stalin by saying, "In the memory of Karunanidhi ji, and out of respect for your language..culture .... everybody in India is going to get together, all voices in India are going to get together and are going to defeat the BJP in the next elections". "While Karunanidhiji defended the voice of people of Tamil Nadu, defended the institutions of this country...today we have a government that is attacking the voice of Tamil Nadu, the culture and the institutions of Tamil Nadu," he said. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi batted for steadfast and strong ties between her party and the DMK to defeat the BJP in the parliamentary elections next year. ''It is my earnest desire that the mutual support of our parties to each other must remain strong and steadfast as when Karunanidhi ji was guiding us...and as we wage together a battle with the political forces that are determined to destroy our constitutional values, our institutions and the idea of India as you know it,'' she said in an apparent reference to the saffron party. She said the message of unity among the Congress and DMK should go to the people. "Let the message go to the people of Tamil Nadu and the country that we are united and determined to protect and preserve our country's constitution and its values that has built and sustained India over the last 70 years," she asserted. Recalling her association with Karunanidhi, the Congress leader said the late patriarch was a great support and strength for the UPA from 2004 to 2014. ''I personally remember that we looked up to his knowledge and experience to guide our coalition government," Sonia said. Chandrababu Naidu, who is spearheading the effort to cobble up an anti-BJP front for the next Lok Sabha polls, lashed out at the NDA government for its "failure" in all areas, and warned of what he described as a "danger" through manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), allegedly by the BJP. Regional political parties like Vaiko-led MDMK and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi were also present at the event. Silver 'victory swords' were gifted to Sonia and Rahul by the DMK on the occasion. Sonia unveiled Karunanidhi's statue at the DMK headquarters. Later, she along with Rahul paid floral tributes at the mausoleum of the DMK patriarch at the Marina beach here. ajit pawar_55863156 Former Maharashtra deputy chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar Sunday asked his party workers to desist from calling NCP chief Sharad Pawar as future prime minister, as "some people might not like it". Addressing a function in Baramati taluka, Ajit also appealed to the activists to not label him as "future chief minister" of Maharashtra, where elections are due in October next year. "Someone called me a future chief minister of the state. I would like to urge you not to say all these things. Let's be grounded and move ahead patiently. Our main objective is that the NCP and the Congress win maximum number of seats", he said. "I am making an appeal again to all of you that do not say that Pawar saheb can become a prime minister in future or Ajit Pawar can become a chief minister, as some people may not like it", said Ajit, who is nephew of Pawar senior. The NCP chief, who pitched for a united anti-BJP stand for 2019 polls, had said that the party that wins the maximum number of seats would claim the post of PM. "Sometimes, even allied parties can think that if they (NCP) get maximum number of seats they will have an upper hand, so let's try and defeat their (NCP) candidate," he said. Pawar also asked the party workers to come together and be prepared for the elections next year. He said the NCP was trying to bring the like-minded parties together to throw the BJP and Shiv Sena out of power. "Because of such internal bickering, the NCP suffered a setback in the past", he said in a lighter vein. Mumbai: Firefighters conduct rescue after a major fire broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital, in Mumbai, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Two persons were killed and as many as 106 patients and visitors suffered injuries in the fire. (PTI Photo) (PTI12_17_2018_000235B) A major fire broke out on December 17 at a Mumbai-based hospital where some people were feared trapped, an official said. Six people have reportedly lost their lives in the fire that broke out at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital in suburban Andheri, Mumbai, while 147 people have been rescued, news agency ANI has reported. The rescue operation is still underway. #UPDATE Death toll rises to 6 in the fire that broke out in ESIC Kamgar hospital in Andheri, Mumbai. 147 people have been rescued till now. https://t.co/bCSbsAOxHZ ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 Meanwhile, CNN News 18 has reported that at least 100 people have been injured in the fire. Ten fire tenders and one rescue van have been rushed to the spot. The fire brigade got a call around 4 pm about the blaze at the government-run hospital, the official from the city civic body's disaster management cell said. The inquiry is on. The reason for the fire is yet to be known. Rescue operations are still on. Action will be taken against MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) if found guilty, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, Mumbai mayor told CNN News18. Further details are awaited. With inputs from PTI The Delhi High Court on December 17 convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, reversing the judgment of a trial court that had acquitted him earlier. The High Court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment. A bench comprising Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel delivered the verdict in the case related to the killing of five people in the Delhi Cantonment area following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. "It is important to assure the victims that despite the challenges truth will prevail," the High Court said in its ruling. Appreciating the courage shown by witness Jagdish Kaur, the court also said that "criminals have enjoyed political patronage" Kumar is required to surrender by December 31. I welcome Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riots case. It has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe. Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 17, 2018 The High Court also extended the life imprisonment term of two other convicts from three years to 10 years. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Shiromani Akali Dal on conviction of Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case: We thank the court for giving us justice. Our fight will continue till Sajjan Kumar & Jagdish Tytler get a death sentence & Gandhi family is dragged to the court & put in jail. pic.twitter.com/TtfEXn4Qiz ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh also welcomed the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 riots case. He said that justice was finally delivered to the victims of "one of the worst instances of communal violence in independent India". Singh, however, said that "neither the Congress party nor the Gandhi family had any role to play in the rioting". He slammed the Badals for continuing to drag their names into the case at the behest of their political partnersthe BJP, news agency ANI has reported. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed an appeal challenging Kumars acquittal saying that the trial court had "erred in acquitting Sajjan Kumar as it was he who had instigated the mob during the riots". The trial court had in 2013 convicted five individuals Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal, former councillor Balwan Khokkar, former legislator Mahender Yadav and Captain Bhagmal for their involvement in the case. (This is a developing story. To be updated) Hyderabad 60.3 (Image: Reuters) K Chandrashekar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on December 11 retained power in Indias newest state with a thumping majority, in the state assembly election. TRS won 88 out of the 119 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Congress-led alliance, called the Prajakutami, won 21 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to win one seat. Asaduddin Owaisis All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won seven seats. Heres a look at the financial assets, criminal cases, educational qualifications of the newly elected Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Telangana, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The ADR analysis is based on the self-sworn election affidavits filed by the MLAs. Crorepati legislators Out of the 119 MLAs elected to the assembly, 106 MLAs (89 percent) are crorepatis. In 2014, 83 (70 percent) of the elected MLAs were crorepatis. Out of 88 elected members from the TRS, 83 are crorepatis. As many as 14 out of Congress 19 MLAs and five out of the seven AIMIM MLAs are crorepatis. Out of two Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislators, one is a crorepati. BJP's lone MLA is also a crorepati. The average assets per MLA in Telangana rose to Rs 15.71 crore from what was Rs 7.70 crore in 2014. Criminal cases In the new Assembly, a total of 73 (61 percent) MLAs have declared criminal cases pending against them. The number has risen from what was 67 (56 percent) in 2014. Out of these 73 MLAs, 50 belong to TRS, 14 belong to the Congress, and six belong to AIMIM. Both the winning TDP MLAs and the lone BJP MLA have criminal cases pending against them. Education As many as 74 out of the 119 MLAs have an educational qualification equivalent to a graduate or above. Around 45 MLAs declared their qualification to be 12th pass or below. Age Out of 119 MLAs, five are aged under the 40 and 36 MLAs are between 41 and 50 years of age. Around 50 MLAs are aged between 51-60 years, 26 fall in the 61-70 age group and two are 70 years old or more. Gender representation With six women elected to the state assembly this time, only five percent of elected legislators are women. Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Monday blamed the "arrogance" of the NDA government for Nepal's ban on currency notes of denominations higher than Rs 100 and demanded that urgent steps be taken to resolve the issue. The ban was causing great inconvenience to the people living along the Indo-Nepal border, the former Union minister said. "Our relations with Nepal have been under strain on account of the immaturity and poor understanding of diplomatic matters of the current dispensation. It started with (PM Narendra) Modi's address to Madheshis during his visit to Janakpur," he told reporters here. Madheshis are Nepalese citizens of Indian origin. "The minister for external affairs offended the people of Nepal by saying Modi had addressed Indians living in Nepal. Historically, Nepal has never been a part of India. The Madheshis may have much in common with us in terms of customs but they are, nevertheless, Nepalese citizens," Ahmad said. He claimed that there were protests in the neighbouring country but the Modi government, in its "arrogance", did not pay any heed. "This has now led to the situation that Nepal, the only country other than Bhutan where Indian currency is in circulation, has disallowed transactions in high denomination notes. Millions of people live along the Indo-Nepal border and they are facing a lot of inconvenience," he alleged. A renowned Hindu pilgrimage centre believed to be the birthplace of Goddess Sita, Janakpur was visited by Modi in May. The remark by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, for which she later apologized, had led to a Nepalese lawmaker terming the lapse a casual undermining of Nepal's sovereignty. The Congress on Monday said the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case should not be politicised and hit back at the BJP alleging that names of its leaders in high positions had cropped up in 2002 Gujarat riots. The party also defended Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath after he was targeted by the BJP and the Akali Dal, saying there was no case against him, and noted that Kumar did not hold any party post and was not given a ticket for decades. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was more vocal on the issue as he hailed the conviction of Kumar, describing it as a case of justice finally delivered to the victims . He claimed it was a vindication of his stand as he had been naming Kumar as well as a few other former Congress leaders based on information he received from victims in refugee camps in Delhi during the riots. In a statement, the chief minister stressed that neither the Congress party nor the Gandhi family had any role in the rioting, and alleged that vested political interests were trying to draw their names into the controversy. As the anti-Sikh riots returned to haunt the party after the Delhi High Court on Monday convicted the Delhi Congress leader for conspiracy to commit murder in the case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life, Congress leaders here said that the law would take its own course. "It is a legal, judicial issue. It must be allowed to take its own course, it has taken its own course, and it is taking its own course....How can you politicize it and make a crass, cheap political comment as you just heard from the BJP," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters. He said the accused may or may not have a right of appeal and the prosecution has a similar appellate right, but the names of a chief minister being sworn in Madhya Pradesh should not be dragged into it. He was speaking after the BJP and the Akali Dal questioned the Congress for picking Kamal Nath as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, claiming Sikhs consider him "culpable" in the violence. Another Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "Don't give it a political colour as it is a court decision." He also brought up the issue of the 2002 riots in Gujarat and alleged that a number of BJP leaders were named in the cases. "Charity should begin at home," Sibal said. Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that many of the leaders of the BJP have been "involved directly or indirectly in the Gujarat riots". Singhvi said the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh has no case against him. "There is no conviction, no allegation, no judicial proceedings, no result, no legal proceeding. I think the country asks people much closer associated with the Gujarat riots, who then occupied chief ministerial chair and MoS Home Affairs chair and today occupy PM's chair and president of the BJP, what about them? What about those cases?," he asked. "What about the cover up being tried repeatedly, what about your association with Maya Kodnani? So, I think you have to stop politicizing it because your association with such terrible events is much-much closer than the people against you are making an allegation like a CM being freshly sworn in Madhya Pradesh," he said. "It should not be linked to the political atmosphere prevailing in the country. The law should take its course, there are appeals," Singhvi also said. There have been verdicts in the past where people have been found guilty, while others have been absolved. "This should not be politicised and political benefit should not be derived from this," Singhvi said. Kapil Sibal said Sajjan Kumar does not hold a position of power in the party. "What decision has been taken by the court is a legal process. We have seen how cover up is going on in the Sohrabuddin case... and what about Justice Loya's death?" he asked, referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case and the suspicious death of Justice B H Loya who was hearing the case. Sunil Kumar Jakhar, president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. "Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice," the Congress MP told reporters outside Parliament. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. "Sajjan Kumar is neither a post holder in the party nor a Minister nor given a ticket for decades. Here you have he prime minister, the president of the party, ministers; you don't ask them a question, you ask a question to us?," Singhvi said. "I said the prime minister should distance himself from Maya Kodnani and all those people. Sajjan Kumar was not given a ticket. He does not hold any office whereas other people who were accused of riots were given positions in Gujarat. All those people were reinstated in Gujarat," Sibal said. lok sabha, Parliament ,session The government on Monday criticised the opposition for disrupting Lok Sabha proceedings and appealed to it to create an atmosphere for smooth passage of important bills. Talking to reporters outside Parliament House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said it was unfortunate that the opposition members were not allowing the Lok Sabha to function. Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the fourth time Monday as aggressive opposition members sought to raise the issues of Rafale deal and construction of a dam across Cauvery river among others. "I want to tell the Congress and other parties that the Lok Sabha is an important forum for discussion, decision and deliberation. Until there is discussion, we will not be able to reach any conclusion. Hence, the opposition should create an atmosphere for the discussion," Tomar said. Asked about opposition terming the triple talaq bill "unconstitutional", the minister said when the House is in order, the bill would come up for discussion where members can raise their views. Kamal Nath Veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath has waived off farm loans as soon as he was administered oath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister on December 17. He approved writing off loans for farmers who had borrowed up to Rs 2 lakh. CM, Madhya Pradesh, waives farm loans. 1 done. 2 to go. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 17, 2018 Congress President Rahul Gandhi had announced that the party would start the process of writing off farmer loans within 10 days of government formation in the state. Soon after Kamal Nath approved the farm loan waiver, Gandhi tweeted: The Congress formed the government in MP after winning 114 seats, two short of the half-way mark in the 230-member Assembly. Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party, which had won one and two seats respectively, had agreed to support the Congress in the state. In an interview to CNN-News 18, Kamal Nath had said that reviving the state's economy and stimulating the agriculture sector would be his priority once he assumed the role of chief minister. He said, "There are challenges with the finances of the state. The state is bankrupt and we have to find out how we can tighten our belt and cost-cutting measures we need to undertake." Also read | Waiver conundrum: Congress, BJP in race to write off loans, but experts advise against it About 70 percent of Madhya Pradesh's population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture. The farm loan waiver is expected to cost the state's treasury about Rs 160 billion. According to experts, waiving off farm loans is not the most viable solution to the agrarian distress which is rampant across India, and that an income support system would be a better alternative. However, Kamal Nath had reiterated that he would stick by his decision. He had said, "If the banks can waive off, can take a haircut, can waive off 50% of the loans to business houses, why can't it be done for farmers?" Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 17 held wide-ranging talks with Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih with an aim to begin a new chapter in bilateral ties which came under strain under the previous regime in Male. Solih arrived here on December 16 on a three-day state visit, his first foreign trip after assuming charge of the top office in the island nation a month ago. Modi had attended Solih's swearing-in ceremony on November 17. "PM Narendramodi warmly received President Ibrahim Solih ahead of delegation level talks. During his visit to Maldives for the President's inauguration in November, PM had extended an invitation to President Solih to make a State Visit to India," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Solih and discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interests. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after then president Abdulla Yameen imposed emergency on February 5 this year. India had criticised his decision and asked his government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The emergency lasted for 45 days. Gadwal: Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during an election rally ahead of the state Assembly elections in Gadwal, Telangana, Monday, Dec 3, 2018. (Handout Photo via PTI) (PTI12_3_2018_000198B) Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi should apologise for "misleading" the people on the Rafale fighter jet deal, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Monday. Talking to media persons here, Nadda said, "The apex court in its order on the Rafale deal had made it clear that the Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi, had misled the nation on the issue." Three points on the Rafale deal had been raised in the petitions filed before Supreme Court -- need for the deal, its process and offset partners, he said, adding that the SC made it clear Rafale deal was required for national interest, due process was adopted in its execution and the Indian government had no role in selecting the offset partner. Terming the Congress' negative campaign on the Rafale deal as a classic case of misinformation and disinformation, Nadda said the campaign was motivated by political benefits. The union minister said the Congress should also tender an apology for trying to lower the morale of the Army by unduly criticising the Rafale deal. Gadwal: Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during an election rally ahead of the state Assembly elections in Gadwal, Telangana, Monday, Dec 3, 2018. (Handout Photo via PTI) (PTI12_3_2018_000198B) Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday demanded that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi resign from his post, alleging that he "mislead the nation" on the Rafale deal. Addressing a press conference here, Rupani said Gandhi made the issue concerning national security a tool to grind the Narendra Modi government. The chief minister was speaking as part of the BJP's move to hold press conferences in 70 cities across the country to attack the opposition party against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's verdict on the Rafale jet deal last week. "Even if all thieves come together and call the chowkidar a thief, the people will not accept it," Rupani told reporters here, referring to Gandhi's barb against the prime minister. Rupani said only "those who are afraid of the 'chowkidar' make repeated noise about thieves. But, the people know the truth". "The Supreme Court judgement is a slap on the face of the Congress and those misleading the nation. Now, Gandhi should quit as the president of the Congress for misleading the nation," Rupani said. The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the pleas challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 Rafale jets, saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision making process" warranting setting aside of the contract. The Congress has repeatedly criticised the deal for the 36 Rafale jets, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government. The government has, however, denied any irregularity in the deal. Rupani also came down heavily on Gandhi for raising questions over the deal even after the apex court held that there were no irregularities in it. The Gujarat chief minister said there should be no doubt on the decision-making process in the procurement of Rafale jets from France. "We are ready for a debate on the issue. After the Supreme Court made it clear that there is no irregularity, there should be no question of a probe into the matter," Rupani said. Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik meets Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood at the secretariat, in Bhubaneswar, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. (PTI Photo)(PTI12_10_2018_000176B) Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday suspected a political motive behind Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's maiden visit to Surat ahead of the 2019 general elections. While Rupani came down to the capital of Odisha to address a press conference on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal in the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgment, Patnaik flew out to Gujarat the same day to attend a festival of Odia migrant labourers in Surat. Denying it was a "coincidence", Rupani hit out saying Patnaik remembered the people of Odisha staying in Gujarat "after being in power for 19 years". However, he stressed that his Odisha visit had nothing to do with politics. "Gujarat is not going to polls but assembly election in Odisha is round the corner. I welcome him on his maiden visit," Rupani said. Patnaik's Surat visit attained political hue because the textile city houses about 10 lakh Odias including seven lakh alone from Ganjam, the home district of the chief minister. These migrant labourers will return to Odisha to cast their votes. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra on Sunday described Patnaik's Gujarat visit a "political gimmick". Replying to a question on Odisha government rejecting the Ayushman Bharat programme, Rupani alleged that by doing so, Patnaik was depriving Odias residing outside Odisha of healthcare benefits. The benefits of the state-sponsored Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana cannot be availed by the beneficiaries beyond the state's boundaries, he said and urged Patnaik to be part of Ayushman Bharat programme. Claiming that the Gujarat government was equally concerned about the wellbeing of the Odia speaking people in Gujarat, he said, the BJP regime in Gujarat had provided them with good homes under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana and Mukhya Mantri Awaas Yojana. Reacting to Rupani's statement on Patnaik's Surat visit, BJD spokesman P K Deb said, "Why is Gujarat Chief Minister here in Odisha when our CM is scheduled to visit Surat today? It seems BJP is terrified of CM Naveen's visit". Gujarat's Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Monday asserted that he would give up his demand for reservation if two crore jobs were created for the youth and farmers were paid suitable price for their produce. Stating that youngsters in the country were facing unemployment while farmers were committing suicide, he urged the government to address the woes of these two sections. "We do not need reservation if there are two crore jobs for the youth and farmers are paid suitable price for their agriculture produce," he said at the 'Agenda Aaj Tak' function here. Slamming the Modi government over "growing" unemployment and farmer suicides, the young leader of the Patidar community in Gujarat also demanded loans for farmers. "If the government can waive off loans of industrialists like Ambani, why cannot it give loans to farmers?" he said. Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani, who shared the stage with Patel, objected to be labelled as a "Dalit leader". Batting for a casteless society, Mewani said, "I fight for ASHA workers, police constables, other workers, Dalits and minorities in Gujarat. Why cannot you call me a youth leader? The Dalit leader is a tag given to me by the media". "Every government should have its priority to stop farmers suicides and provide employment to the youth. The trend of demand for reservation by different castes is due to unemployment," he said. Patel said he would question the ruling dispensation, irrespective of the party, if it failed to act upon the issues of farmers and youth. "I will raise my voice if the new Congress government in Madhya Pradesh fails to fulfil its promise of farmers' loan waiver in the state," he said. He alleged that the Gujarat government had "snatched" the land of Patidars in the state and handed it over to industrialists. Mewani said farmers should not be "forced" to part ways with their land. Maruti Suzuki Future S | This new mini SUV from Maruti Suzuki code-named Concept Future S will be smaller than the Vitara Brezza and will compete against the Mahindra KUV100. The Future S was showcased at the 2018 India Auto Expo (Image Source: Maruti Suzuki) Hyundai Kona Electric | Hyundai will kick-start its electric campaign with the launch of Kona in the second half of next year. The stylish SUV will be fully imported at first. With a driving range of 482 km and a maximum speed of 167kmph, the Kona Electric will take nine hours to charge fully. Expect prices to be around Rs 25 lakh. (Image Source: Hyundai) Hyundai Carlino QXI | Hyundais most potent launch since the last few years will be the all-new compact SUV code-named QXI. This new SUV will sit below the Creta and compete against the Brezza and Mahindra S201. The car is undergoing tests in South Korea. Its launch is scheduled for April 2019. Prices are expected to start at Rs 7 lakh. (Image source: Hyundai) Renault MPV | Renault will launch a Kwid-based multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in 2019. This MPV will measure less than four metres and will be the smallest vehicle in its class in India (Image source: Renault) MG Motors SUV | SAIC-backed British car brand MG Motor will also make its debut next year with an SUV that is currently under development. This C-segment SUV will be based on one of the platforms of existing SAIC vehicles and will sport the same Fiat developed 2.0 litre engine. Prices are expected to start at Rs 15 lakh. (Image Source: SAIC) Mahindra KUV 100 | SUV-specialist Mahindra & Mahindra will launch its third battery-powered passenger vehicle in the middle of next year. This will be the electric version of the KUV 100. While specific details are awaited, the vehicle is expected to have a range of 150-180 km and will take around 3-4 hours to charge to full capacity. Prices are expected to be under Rs 10 lakh. (Image Source: Mahindra) Tivoli-based SUV | Mahindra will launch the compact SUV code-named S201 in the final quarter of FY19. The model will rival the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Tata Nezon. A 1.5 litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine producing 123 bhp and a 1.2 litre petrol engine will power the SUV. Prices are expected to start at Rs 7.5 lakh. (Image source: Ssangyong) Tata Motors 45X | After the Harrier, Tata Motors will unwrap one more premium product by the middle of 2019 which will be a hatchback that will rival the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the current best-seller in that category (Image Source: Tata Motors) Nissan Kicks | To be launched in January 2019, the Nissan Kicks will compete against the segment best-seller Hyundai Creta, Mahindra Scorpio and Renault Captur. While official details are yet to be released, the Kicks is expected to get 1.5 litre diesel and 1.5 petrol engines churning out 110bhp and 106 bhp of peak power. Prices are expected to start below Rs 10 lakh. (Image Source: Nissan) Artificial intelligence, as a concept, has been around for over seven decades now, but 2018 can be deemed the year it truly struck a chord with the Indian populace. The term 'Artificial Intelligence' was coined by the American scientist John McCarthy in 1956 to describe the computational ability of machines to perform human-like tasks and even perceive conversations in natural languages spoken around the world. With the advent of mobile devices, AI has become accessible to the common person. Here is a look at what made 2018 the "year AI went big in India". (Image: Wikimedia Commons) 1. Sophia's India visit: In February this year, Sophia, the humanoid robot whose voice bears an uncanny resemblance to that of Audrey Hepburn, the Hollywood actress of yesteryear, was a panelist at one of the sessions at industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies' annual event. Sophia was developed by Hong Long-based Hanson Robotics, led by artificial intelligence developer David Hanson. Sophia took live questions on stage from a host in Hyderabad, leaving the audience in awe of its ability to comprehend questions in real-time, and also furnish answers to queries raised. (Image: Reuters) 2. Government banks on AI: The Indian government has put its weight behind the adoption of AI this year. The Ministry of Defence constituted an AI task force in February, which submitted its final report to the defence minister in June. The government think tank NITI Aayog also released a discussion paper in June titled "National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence," which was received well by industry and academia. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology also set up four panels on different aspects of AI. (Image: Moneycontrol ) 3. AI becomes fashionable: Indian fashion designers Falguni and Shane Peacock introduced Cognitive Couture in collaboration with IBM cognitive technology Watson, through an "AI saree". The saree gown that was worn by winners at an event had LED lights that changed colours according to the wearer's personality. With the help of Watsons Personality Insights application programme interface, the team conducted a detailed study on each awardee through their social media handles. (Image: Falguni Shane Peacock and IBM Watson) 4. AI goes vernacular: After years of research and investment, a few hits and misses, 2018 was the year where global technology giants made concrete efforts to develop Indian language-centric products. Global technology majors like Google, Amazon and Facebook have taken a crack at leveraging India's demographic dividend by bringing more AI-driven products to millions of people in their native tongues. With the evolution of the digital ecosystem, and evidence that the next wave of growth of the Internet will come from smaller cities and towns, the adoption of Indic-language scripts has acquired greater importance. (Image: Google) Sanjay Pinto Amon Rana vs State of Meghalaya would have gone down as yet another part of a catena of judgments on citizenship and the grant of domicile certificates. However, certain references to Partition, religion and secularism by Justice SR Sen of the Meghalaya High Court have made it stand out and has led to a furore in legal and political circles. While the judge was perhaps attempting to contextualise his findings on the subject in what may be viewed as obiter dicta (a remark by the judge that is not legally binding), the observations came to be construed as out of line. Coming from a high constitutional functionary, the sentence in question: Pakistan declared themselves as an Islamic country and India since was divided on the basis of religion should have also been declared as a Hindu country but it remained as a secular country. (sic) sent out wrong signals with scope for misinterpretation. The judge's subsequent clarification that secularism is indeed a basic structure of the Constitution, mercifully, clears the air to some extent but will such observations in judicial pronouncements be seen as a red herring? Judges take an oath contained in the Third Schedule to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India. The lawmakers thought it fit to insert the word secular in the Preamble through the 42nd Amendment in 1976. Its sweep has been broad, extending to Fundamental Rights such as Article 25 which not merely grant but guarantee freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion. The judge would have been aware that the Supreme Court of India (SC) in the landmark case of SR Bommai vs Union of India had made it clear that the goal of secularism was engrafted not only because it is our historical legacy and a need of our national unity and integrity but also as a creed of universal brotherhood and humanism. It is our cardinal faith. Any profession and action which go counter to the aforesaid creed are a prima facie proof of the conduct in defiance of the provisions of our Constitution. The apex court had also issued a warning that in matters of State, religion has no place. No political party can simultaneously be a religious party. Politics and religion cannot be mixed. It was not just the historical references that raised the hackles of proponents of constitutional propriety. Analyse this observation. I make it clear that nobody should try to make India as another Islamic country, otherwise it will be a dooms day for India and the world. I am confident that only this government under Shri Narendra Modi ji will understand the gravity and will do the needful... The judge was arguably walking on egg shells here against the backdrop of another part of his oath to perform the duties of his office without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. The clarification on this score was swift: I do not belong to any political party nor have I got any dream to get any political birth after my retirement and neither is my judgment politically motivated or influenced by any party. With judges, post-retirement, being made governors of states and appointed to statutory bodies, Justice Sen seems keen to dispel charges of attempting to curry favour with the political establishment. Judicial independence is the cornerstone of our democracy. Which is why the Constitution has specific provisions to insulate the judiciary from political pressure and interference. The salary and tenure of judges is fixed. Under Article 221(2) neither the allowance of a judge nor his rights in respect of leave of absence or pension shall be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment. The process of selection has its checks and balances. It is unclear whether the judge's clarification will put to rest the issue or if the Opposition will move to invoke Article 124(4) to seek his removal. In the past, impeachment moves have either come a cropper or were short-circuited by resignations. Sanjay Pinto is an advocate, columnist and author. Views are personal Tapan Singhel As per a recent report, India has surpassed the US in smartphone sales in the third quarter of 2018. With the e-commerce segment driving cellphone sales, India is set to cross the 50 million mark in a year for the first time ever in 2018. Apart from buying smartphones, Indians are also richly invested towards accessorising it with unique phone cases, headphones and power banks among others. As per another report, the market of mobile phone accessories was valued at USD 1.42 billion in 2016 and is projected to garner USD 3.54 billion by the end of 2024, growing at a CAGR of 10.5 percent over the period. The biggest factor contributing towards this is the rising young population who use accessories such as phone cases as a style statement to differentiate their phones from their peers. The protective screen guard is also a top choice since we all are aware of the costs associated with a damaged screen. While at this, the e-commerce sector has also introduced insurance as a concept to the millennials through mobile insurance policies that protect phones from any possible damage. At nominal prices, these all-risk mobile protection policies compensate for the loss incurred due to any accidental means such as theft, screen damage, and water damage. There are however other insurance policies that are of utmost importance for your cellphones: An extended warranty policy: Today a smartphone has replaced all other gadgets. While most manufacturers offer a single year warranty for mobile phones, an extended warranty helps take this cover to up to three years. You can typically purchase an extended warranty from your phone manufacturer, but not all of them offer it. It is backed by an insurance policy, which helps service the customer in case of any warranty related issues, using service partners. Such an extended warranty policy is relevant even more so because of the several budget friendly smartphones setting base in India. Customers buying this cover can be rest assured that any eventuality arising out of manufacturers' defect can be covered. However, this does not cover theft, burglary or accidental physical damage since it is an extension of the manufacturers warranty. Individual cyber insurance In earlier times, theft of wallet was a concern. But today it has been replaced with digital worries like criminals digitally breaching into social media accounts, spoofing identity, or stealing bank details whilst an online transaction is underway through your smartphone. A cyber-insurance policy covers you against all such modern day evils such as loss of funds to online fraud, identity theft, cyber stalking, phishing, cyber extortion and malware attack. For example, if a customer falls victim to a phishing scam, the cyber-insurance cover will not only pay for the loss of fund but also incur the cost of filing a criminal complaint against the culprit, once found. Also in cases of cyber extortion, the insurance company will pay the costs of hiring a specialised consultant to mitigate and minimise the loss. Listing of cellphones in home insurance policy Everyone should have a home insurance bot for the building structure and the contents within. In fact, now with high end electronic gadgetry, our contents are oftentimes more expensive then the home itself. A good home insurance cover will offer an all risk cover for your mobile phone, with an option of covering it with a world-wide cover. By its definition itself, this all-risk cover will cover your phone for any eventuality including accidental physical damage, theft and burglary. Having adequate insurance protection is definitely one of the best forms of investments. The insurance industry hence wants the millennials to understand and equip themselves with this protective gear. Mobile insurance seems to be the best way to reach out to this clientele and make them privy to the benefits of investing in insurance as a protection against unforeseen financial losses to mobile phones. The writer is MD & CEO, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to grant a stay on the deadline given by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to Kotak Mahindra Bank for dilution of promoter stake. The RBI had given a deadline of 31 December 2018 for diluting the promoter's stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank. With the High Courts refusal to grant a stay, Kotak Mahindra Bank had to follow the 31st December deadline given by the central bank. Last week, Kotak Mahindra Bank had filed a writ petition against RBI to validate its position over dilution of promoter stake. In August this year, the central bank had rejected the Bank's position saying that issuance of perpetual non-convertible preference shares (PNCPS) by Kotak Mahindra Bank does not meet the dilution requirement of promoter stake. In a regulatory filing, the lender had said, "We had clarified and conveyed to the RBI our position in relation to PNCPS being a part of paid up capital and the legal basis on the matter of dilution of shareholding under the Banking Regulation Act. "We had also shared with the RBI the opinions of eminent jurists and senior-most legal counsels of the country which confirm our understanding. However, we have not heard from the RBI on the above matter. Given the milestone of 31 December 2018, the Bank has been left with no option but to protect its interest. By way of abundant caution, the Bank has today filed a writ petition with the Bombay High Court to validate the Bank's position." Following RBI's directions, on 2 August 2018, Uday Kotak, promoter of the Bank, had sold about 1 billion PNCPS to domestic institutional investors and companies. The sale, at Rs5 per share or at about Rs500 crore, helped the promoter to reduce his stake to 19.7% from 30%. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 17 January 2019. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Monday deferred to 20 December 2018 its hearing in the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) moratorium case. According to BTVI, the hearing could not take place today due to absence of NCLAT chairperson. BTVI Alert: NCLAT Was To Hear Govt Plea For Moratorium on IL&FS Today Hearing Could Not Take Place Due To Absence Of the NCLAT Chairperson https://t.co/D3y3rE4cZo BTVI Live (@BTVI) December 17, 2018 In November this year, several lenders of IL&FS had opposed the 90-day moratorium over loans taken by the debt-laden group and its subsidiaries. Lenders also requested the NCLAT to allow them not to classify IL&FS accounts as non-performing assets (NPAs) in case of defaults. However, there was no decision and the NCLAT had fixed 17th December as the next date of hearing. During October, the NCLAT had stayed all proceedings against IL&FS group and its 348 group companies till further orders, over an urgent petition moved by the government. Earlier, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) had approached the appellate tribunal after the Mumbai bench of NCLT turned down its plea to grant 90-day moratorium over the loans taken by IL&FS and its subsidiaries. On 1 October 2018, the NCLT had suspended the board of IL&FS on the government's plea and authorised reconstitution of the board by appointing seven directors two days later. The Madras High Court on Monday banned the sale of medicines online till the central government notifies the regulations. The court set January 31, 2019 as the deadline for the central government to notify the rules. The court passed the order on a plea by the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association. According to the Association, online purchases may be convenient but there exists the risk of unlicensed online outlets selling fake/expired/unapproved medicines. A magistrate court in Mumbai has summoned Ratan Tata, other directors and key management personnel of Tata Sons, including Ajay Piramal, Amit Chandra, Ishaat Hussain, Nitin Nohria, Ranendra Sen, Vijay Singh, Venu Srinivasan, Ralf Speth, N Chandrasekharan and FN Subedar, in a criminal defamation case filed by industrialist Nusli Wadia. In a statement, advocate Abad Ponda, counsellor for Mr Wadia stated that all these persons had made several defamatory statements against Mr Wadia after the removal of Cyrus Mistry as the chairman Tata Group. "These (statements) included that Mr Wadia was acting against the interests of the Tata Group and was acting in concert with the former manager designed to cause harm to the Tata Group despite being an independent director on the Board of a few Tata companies. Tata Sons had also accused Mr Wadia of acting without bonafides and putting the future of Tata Steel and its employees in grave jeopardy," the statement says. Last week, the magistrate court recorded verification statement of Mr Wadia and also heard Mr Ponda. The next day, the magistrate started the proceedings against Mr Tata, chairman emeritus, and other key management people at Tata Sons. After reviving the complaint and the supporting documents placed before it including the special notice issued for the removal of Mr Wadia from the directorship of Tata Companies, the court stated that "It appears that the complainant has made out the case against the accused which having substance for the offence of defamation." Commenting on this matter, a spokesperson from Tata Sons said, "All due processes were followed in relation to the removal of Mr Nusli Wadia as independent director of Tata Companies. Tata Sons had, in exercise of its statutory rights, validly issued a 'special notice' seeking his removal. While Mr Wadia has alleged that the contents of the special notice were defamatory, the matter is currently sub-judice and Tata Sons strongly denies such allegations." As the inaugural committee planned the landmark celebration, internal concerns were raised about whether President Donald Trumps Washington hotel was overcharging for event space. The spending could be a violation of the law. When it came out this year that President Donald Trumps inaugural committee raised and spent unprecedented amounts, people wondered where all that money went. It turns out one beneficiary was Trump himself. The inauguration paid the Trump Organization for rooms, meals and event space at the companys Washington hotel, according to interviews as well as internal emails and receipts reviewed by WNYC and ProPublica. During the planning, Ivanka Trump, the president-elects eldest daughter and a senior executive with the Trump Organization, was involved in negotiating the price the hotel charged the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee for venue rentals. A top inaugural planner emailed Ivanka and others at the company to express my concern that the hotel was overcharging for its event spaces, worrying of what would happen when this is audited. If the Trump hotel charged more than the going rate for the venues, it could violate tax law. The inaugural committees payments to the Trump Organization and Ivanka Trumps role have not been previously reported or disclosed in public filings. The fact that the inaugural committee did business with the Trump Organization raises huge ethical questions about the potential for undue enrichment, said Marcus Owens , the former head of the division of the Internal Revenue Service that oversees nonprofits. Inaugural workers had other misgivings. Rick Gates, then the deputy to the chairman of the inaugural, asked some vendors to take payments directly from donors, rather than through the committee, according to two people with direct knowledge. The vendors felt the request was unusual and concerning, according to these people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they signed confidentiality agreements. It is not clear whether any vendors took him up on his request. Sigma Healthcare Ltds [ASX:SIG] share price is trading 1.74% lower at 57 cents today. It seems investors arent sold on their story just yet, as shares plummeted at the markets open, only to pick back up and drop again. The share price fell despite exciting news of its $500 million receivables Purchase agreement with Westpac Banking Corporation Ltd [ASX:WBC]. Dividends are important to any company. While its normally the bigger, more financially viable companies on the ASX that offer them, knowing which ones to invest in is difficult. Thats why Money Morning contributor Matt Hibbard shows you his top five dividend picks for 2019. Click here to claim your copy today. Sigma Healthcares share price stands to gain from agreement The biggest gain for shareholders of Sigma is the added funding options that will continue in its investment program, as well as capitalising on future growth opportunities, as reported in an ASX release this morning. The three-year re-financing agreement has been separated into three parts, as follows: Cash advance tranche of $115 million expires 30 November 2019 Overdraft facility of $135 million expires 31 May 2020 Cash advance tranche of $250 million expires 30 November 2021 After Sigmas exist from its My Chemist/Chemist Warehouse contract, the company has expected a return of working capital. It also provides Sigma additional funding and flexibility to meet key infrastructure investment in distribution centres and information systems. On top of that, the facility will also meet working capital requirements. Sigmas chief financial officer, Iona MacPherson, spoke about the facility: This new facility provides Sigma with a strong functioning platform for the next stage of the companys corporate transformation. Wed like to thank Westpac for their continuing support and demonstration of confidence in Sigma. But the market showed that despite support from Westpac investors remaining unconvinced, shares of both Sigma and Westpac were trading lower today. Sigma Healthcares share price 2019 outlook 2019 looks jam-packed for Sigma Healthcare, but really, its just a matter of whether it can gain enough trust form investors. There was a recent announcement of a proposed merger with Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd [ASX:API]. Sigma Healthcare is being proposed a 69.3% premium on the Sigma share price. Its something API chairman Mark Smith believes will benefit everyone involved, shareholders, pharmacists and customers alike. Our proposal is attractive for Sigma shareholders, in that it provides upfront cash payment and the ability to share in the upside from scrip in the merged company, Smith said. The proposal is also subject to conditions including clearance from ACCC. But if the merger goes ahead, API shareholders would own around 63% of the combined entity, leaving Sigma shareholders the remaining 37%. Which for Sigma investors, doesnt seem all that appealing. Although Sigma Healthcare is still in talks with API, as the company already holds a 12.95% in Sigma shares. Unfortunately, investors will just have to wait it out to see. But the good news is theres always more to come. Regards, Ryan Clarkson-Ledward, For Money Morning PS: In this just released report, Matt Hibbard shows you his top five dividend picks for 2019. Click here to claim your free copy today. March 03, 2016 Russia Is 'Weaponizing' ... Everything NATO Commander Breedlove agrees, naturally, with LunaticOutpost.com. Russia is 'weaponizing' everything: robotic cockroaches, MS Word files, Jedi mind tricks, Soviet history and Syrian immigrants. Whatever one might think of. Posted by b on March 3, 2016 at 12:46 UTC | Permalink Comments Secret Santa's are in full swing at this time of the year. They are great as an inexpensive, easy way to give gifts without having to fork out loads for every single person you work with/live with/ friends with. But one office Secret Santa has taken a turn for the worst after a lady Google'd what her Secret Santa got her, and realised it didn't quite hit the $50 minimum spending limit. Posting to Reddit, one user explained how he brought his co-worker a blanket and box of chocolates for her Secret Santa gift. But not long after the gift-swap, he received a very strange message. She began by thanking him, but continued to make an awkward request. So I know this is kinda awkward but the spending limit was $50 and I looked online and it seems that the blanket and chocolates only add up to about $30? Do you think its possible you could get me something else? My kids have been spending me up the wazoo! LOL she wrote in the text message. How she figured out it was him who brought him the gift is still a mystery to him, but he offered up $20 cash to make up the difference. She then replied saying she would prefer a gift, and sent him a link to a $120 tablet. The nation's largest oil company is coming under mounting pressure from shareholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate climate change. Institutional investors in Exxon Mobil filed a resolution Monday calling on the Irving company to set and disclose greenhouse gas reduction targets for its products and operations, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. His office, a trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, and the Church of England's investment fund are leading the effort. The resolution the first of its kind at Exxon Mobil calls on the company to set short-, medium- and long-term emissions reduction targets in line with the Paris Climate agreement at a time when other energy companies are also facing investor pressure to reduce emissions. Royal Dutch Shell, for example, recently caved to growing investor pressure and agreed to link executive pay to emission reduction targets. HoustonChronicle.com: Exxon sued by New York AG for deceiving investors on climate change "Exxon Mobil's lack of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions reduction targets puts it at odds with its industry peers that have taken such steps," DiNapoli said in a statement. "The world is transitioning to a lower carbon future, and Exxon needs to demonstrate its ability to adapt or risk its bottom line along with investors' confidence." Shareholders are expected to vote on the resolution at Exxon Mobil's annual meeting in the spring. Other investors supporting the resolution include California Public Employees' Retirement System, HSBC Global Asset Management, Presbyterian Church USA and Fonds de Solidarite des Travailleurs du Quebec, a Canadian capital development organization The resolution was developed in line the Climate Action 100+, a global initiative with 310 investors and more than $32 trillion under management. The initiative aims to put pressure on the largest emitters of greenhouse gases to fight climate change. "Global investors are increasingly calling on the companies that they own to demonstrate that they are prepared for a carbon-constrained future," Andrew Logan, director of oil and gas at the sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres, said in a statement. "Setting ambitious goals consistent with the Paris Agreement to reduce heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions and taking concrete steps to actualize those goals would be a sign to investors that Exxon is taking this issue seriously." On HoustonChronicle.com: Shell links climate change goals to executive pay Previously the New York State Common Retirement Fund and the Church of England investment fund filed a resolution asking Exxon Mobil to disclose the impact of measures to combat climate change on the company's business. After the resolution won 62 percent support from shareholders, the company started reporting the risks and impact of climate change. Exxon Mobil, which previously was sued by investors who argued the company downplayed the risks of climate change, declined to comment on the new shareholder resolution. The company, however, has taken steps on climate change recently. Earlier this year. Exxon Mobil said it was taking steps to reduce emissions of methane, one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, across all of its operations. The company said it aimed to reduce methane emissions by 15 percent in 2020 and to decrease flaring the process of burning off excess natural gas, which is primarily methane by 25 percent compared to 2016 levels. And it recently struck a 12-year agreement with the Danish energy company, rsted (previously DONG Energy), to buy wind and solar power for its Permian Basin operations. It is the largest-ever renewable power contract signed by an oil company, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a research arm of Bloomberg focused on the energy industry. Troubled oil field service company Weatherford has entered into a $50 million deal to sell its surface data logging business in move to reduce debt. Weatherford, which has its main operations in Houston, announced early Monday morning that the company is selling its surface data logging business to London-based Excellence Drilling. Surface data logging provides a useful chemical analysis and record of the geological formations being drilled for oil and natural gas activities. Under the agreement, Weatherford is exiting the surface data logging business by selling all of its equipment, technology and associated contracts in that sector. All employees working for Weatherford's surface data logging business will be transferred to Excellence Drilling. Although Weatherford is exiting the surface data logging business, the company plans to continue to provide the service to its customers through a relationship with Excellence Logging. The asset sale is expected to close during the first half of 2019. Weatherford reported that upon completion, the company use the net proceeds from the deal to reduce its debt. Weatherford's decision comes after its stock traded below $1 per share for 30 days, prompting the New York Stock Exchange issued a warning that Weatherford would be delisted from the stock exchange if it does not improve is financial performance.During the third quarter, Weatherford reported a $199 million loss on $1.4 billion of revenue. Although exploration and production companies have mostly recovered from a two-and-a-half-year crude oil commodity price downturn, Weatherford is still feeling the effects. The company employed 67,000 people at the beginning of 2014 but today, it employs around 28,000. The company has seven locations in Texas, including four in the Houston area. Even prior to the deal with Excellence Drilling, Weatherford has been selling assets to improve its finances. In July, the company entered into a $287.5 million deal to sell its Middle Eastern drilling rig subsidiary to Dubai-based ADES International Holding Ltd. in phases. Twelve of the 14 gangs listed as having the greatest threat to the state of Texas have a presence in Midland County, according to the Texas Gang Threat Assessment, a state intelligence estimate produced by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The document released by DPS shows that the four Tier 1 gangs -- Tango Blast and Tango Cliques, Texas Mexican Mafia, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio Azteca are in Midland and Ector counties. Joining them are eight of the 10 Tier 2 gangs. They are Bloods, Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, Texas Syndicate, Surenos, Crips, Gangster Disciples, Aryan Circle and Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. A breakdown of the DPS West Texas region, which includes El Paso, Midland, Odessa and San Angelo, indicates that the most significant gangs in West Texas this year include Barrio Azteca, Bloods (multiple sets), Crips (multiple sets), Gangster Disciples, Surenos (multiple sets), Chuco Tango and West Texas Tangos. The majority of reported gang activity in West Texas, occurs in El Paso and Midland counties, according to the report. RELATED: Most unique mugshots in Texas in 2018 Barrio Azteca has a documented presence throughout the West Texas region, with a majority of documented members in El Paso and Midland counties. Other significant gangs active throughout the region include Latin Kings, Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and Aryan Circle. The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and Aryan Circle dont have a presence in El Paso but there is a documented presence of members in Ector, Midland, and Tom Green counties, according to the report. According to reported arrest data from fiscal year 2017 through calendar year 2017, the majority of gang arrests in West Texas were for drug and violent crimes. The data indicates that 85 percent of the arrests for violent crimes were assault, 8 percent were for robbery, 3 percent were for homicide, 2 percent were for kidnapping and 2 percent were for sexual assault. Gang members with the most arrests for violent crimes in West Texas belong to Barrio Azteca, Gangster Disciples, Surenos (multiple sets), West Texas Tangos and Chuco Tangos. Surenos (multiple sets) and Tangos (Chuco and West Texas) had the highest number of arrests for homicide. Tangos (Chuco and West Texas) also had the highest number of arrests for kidnapping (aggravated), robbery (aggravated) and sexual assaults (aggravated). RELATED: Gangs that have a presence in Midland, West Texas The report also mentioned law enforcement work having to do with gang activity and the high auto theft rates in the Midland and Odessa area. The case focused primarily on people who were members and associates of the Aryan Circle and the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. Members of these gangs, according to the report, collaborated to steal vehicles. The vehicles were altered and either re-sold or used to commit other crimes, including drug and weapons trafficking, robbery, burglary, prostitution, mail theft, identity theft, forgery of bank checks and credit card fraud. The investigation resulted in 115 total seizures 34 seizures of drugs valued at $58,644, 26 seizures of firearms valued at $17,548, 55 recoveries of vehicles valued at $719,817 and six seizures of stolen property. Special agents filed 147 charges that resulted in 21 indictments, 93 arrests and 20 convictions on individuals. Agencies that worked with DPS on this 18-month investigation include the Midland and Odessa police departments, Ector County Sheriffs Office, U.S. Attorneys Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Midland County and Ector County district attorneys offices. Click through the slideshow above to see the Tier 1 and Tier 2 gangs that have a presence in Midland County, according to the assessment. Government to reduce E-levy from 1.75% to 1.5% ... President Donald Trump View Photos President Trump discussed his new White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council with invited guests in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: In a few moments, I will sign an executive order launching a new White House Opportunity this is a very big thing that Tim and I and everybody have been working on for a long time and Revitalization Council. This council will coordinate efforts across the entire federal government to deliver jobs, investment, and growth to the communities that need it the most. With the creation of todays council, the resources of the whole federal government will be leveraged to rebuild low-income and impoverished neighborhoods that have been ignored by Washington in years past. Our goal is to ensure that Americas great new prosperity is broadly shared by all of our citizens. Our country is doing better than ever, economically, and were able to do that. I am thrilled to announce that our new council will be led by Secretary Ben Carson, who is here with us today. Lets see, where is our Ben? (Applause.) Also with us is Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary Wilbur Ross, who will both serve on the Council and play a critical role in its work. The Council will focus its efforts on Opportunity Zones, a crucial part of tax cuts that we passed last year. Under our new tax cuts, any distressed area that is designated as an Opportunity Zone will receive massive incentives for private sector investment, including zero capital gains tax on any investment held for at least 10 years. Were honored to be joined today by the person who led the fight to include Opportunity Zones in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and that is Senator Tim Scott. Thank you. Thank you, Tim. (Applause.) Were also joined by Roger Campos of the Minority Business Roundtable, along with Jimmy Kemp. Thanks fellas. Appreciate it. Thats great. Pastor Darrell Scott, a friend of mine for a long time. Wheres Darrell? PASTOR SCOTT: Right here. (Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: Hi, Darrell. Darrell. Bishop Harry Jackson Harry, thats great. And local officials from Baltimore, Maryland; Norfolk, Virginia; and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. For decades, job growth and investment have been concentrated in a few major metropolitan areas. This has created a geographic disparity a very big one, in many cases where some cities have thrived, while others have suffered chronic economic and social hardship. With Opportunity Zones, we are drawing investment into neglected and underserved communities of America so that all Americans, regardless of zip code, have access to the American Dream. Governors know their local needs best. Following the enactment of our tax law, Americas governors designated nearly 9,000 neighborhoods as Opportunity Zones from communities in the rural West Virginia, to suburban Arizona, to inner-city Chicago. The Treasury Department has estimated that, as a result of these tax incentives, private businesses will invest $100 billion in Opportunity Zones. And that will be incredible. This Council will support communities like East Baltimore, where Pastor Donte Hickman is helping lead a groundbreaking project in the newly designated Opportunity Zone. Id like to invite Pastor Hickman to say a few words about todays initiative. Hes been an incredible leader, a man of faith, and somebody that we all believe very strongly in. Pastor, please. PASTOR HICKMAN: Thank you, Mr. President. I am here today, thanking you in advance for funding and resources that you will direct to the urban and distressed communities like Baltimore. The executive order you signed today will make it possible for us to work with your administration on a common goal of investing to restore people as we rebuild properties in neglected communities. As Pastor of the Southern Baptist Church, and through our Mary Harvin Transformation Center Community Development Corporation, in partnership with other faith-based stakeholder institutions, developed the East Baltimore Revitalization Plan, addressing development needs of over 100 acres just north of Johns Hopkins Hospital, and was recently approved and adopted by the City Planning Department of Baltimore. Our area has been federally designated an Opportunity Zone, and this bipartisan legislation can leverage public and private funding towards community revitalization. Your influence on federal agencies and private entities through this executive order will enable distressed communities, like Broadway East in Baltimore, to obtain investment needed to capitalize and bridge funding gaps to create sustainable health, wealth, housing, educational, recreational, grocery, and employment opportunities. It will strengthen small, emerging, and other businesses, as well as enable financial support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities like Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, where I attended. Mr. President, I want you and every agency and potential investor to know that in Baltimore and in particular, Broadway East, Baltimore that we have the plan, we have the property, we have the people, we have the professional expertise, and we have the prospectus to jumpstart your urban initiative. Baltimore is prepared to be a demonstration project for a national urban revitalization strategy. We look forward to working with your administration on rebuilding opportunity in our urban communities that have suffered from disinvestment and dilapidation for decades. And we welcome you to come to Baltimore to see the potential transformative impact of your leadership and investment through this executive order. Thank you. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, Pastor. Today we are also proud to be joined by one of Americas most admired business leaders, the co-founder of the television network, BET, Bob Johnson. Bob, please. Hi, Bob. (Applause.) How are you? Nice to see you. MR. JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. President. Im here to applaud you on two things. One, you may not even know about but Tim Scott does. THE PRESIDENT: Good. MR. JOHNSON: Just recently, your Department of Labor signed a historic document that created something called auto portability. Auto portability is designed to reduce retirement leakage among low-income 401(k) account holders who tend to cash out. And, Mr. President, you should know this: Sixty percent of African American and Hispanic Americans cash out of their 401(k) account. When this program the policy that Secretary Acosta initiated along with my company is implemented, along with the big financial record keepers the Fidelities, the Vanguards this program will put close to $800 billion back in the retirement pockets of minority Americans. So I just want to applaud you for that. (Applause.) Now, getting to the getting to the most important thing, most of all most of you probably know that I started BET on a half-a-million-dollar loan from a guy named John Malone. That $500,000 in that John Malone put into BET allowed me, along with a lot of other minority employees and others, to build a $4 billion business. What this proves is the efficacy, Mr. President, of a program that allows capital to flow to places where people are seeking out opportunity. And I am convinced that this program, where the tax incentives flowing out of the Treasury Department to business people, will cause people to invest money where before they saw risk, now they will see opportunity. And that combination of putting money into communities will allow for those communities to become vibrant, to become safe, to create ownership, and, most important, to contribute to the wellbeing of this country. Im a fundamental believer that there are business solutions to social problems. The Opportunity Zone program is that. And I applaud you and Tim Scott for taking the leadership on it. Thank you. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Bob. Thats very nice. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much, Bob. Under my administration, we are fighting every day for all Americans. African Americans and Hispanic American poverty rates have reached their lowest levels ever recorded in the history of our country. African American and Hispanic American unemployment have recently achieved the lowest rates ever recorded. African American youth unemployment has reached the lowest rate ever recorded. Thats pretty good, Bob, isnt it? Right? Pretty good. Last year alone, we lifted 1 million Americans out of poverty, which is a record. We have launched a cutting-edge campaign to provide skills and job training to nearly 6.5 million Americans. We are fixing disastrous trade policies that gutted middle-class communities. And we are expanding real educational choice for our students. As part of our commitment to building safe and prosperous communities, the Senate will soon vote on our landmark criminal justice reform package that weve all been working very hard on. You have been working very hard on it. The FIRST STEP Act, its called. This legislation will giver former inmates and non-violent offenders the chance to become productive, contributing, law-abiding citizens. But we have much more work to do. The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council will drive our ambitious agenda and drive it very, very powerfully. No citizen will be forgotten, no community will be ignored, and no American will be left on the sidelines. To achieve our national destiny, we all must unlock the potential of all of our people, not just some of our people. Together, we will take our nation to new heights by realizing the full promise of America for every citizen in our magnificent land. With that, I would like to invite Secretary Ben Carson to the podium before I sign the executive order. Id also like to ask Tim Scott to say a few words. Great senator. And then well sign. Thank you very much. Ben, first. SECRETARY CARSON: Well, thank you, Mr. President, for that introduction and for all of you for joining us today for this most important executive order signing. Today, the nations unemployment rate is at a 49-year low. Jobless rates among African Americans down to a record low of 5.9 percent. Wages on the rise. While we can all be proud of these achievements, one challenge has remained: There are still communities in our country that have seen little or no new investment in generations. During his inaugural address, President Trump declared that the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. It is critical that every American shares in the gains of the past two years. Today, the President is establishing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council through an executive order. Im pleased to chair this council, consisting of members across 13 agencies whose mission is to jumpstart the development in urban and rural communities through the creation of Opportunity Zones. Located in economically distressed communities across this country, Opportunity Zones are home to approximately 35 million Americans. The Department of Treasury estimates that the Opportunity Zone legislation could attract over $100 billion in private investment, which will go a long way to spur on jobs and economic development. This kind of medicine is precisely what a doctor would prescribe to heal communities where nearly 1 in 3 people live in poverty, and unemployment is nearly twice the national average. Too often, new investments into distressed communities are here today and gone tomorrow. By offering incentives that encourage investors to think in terms of decades instead of days, Opportunity Zones ensure that development is here today and here to stay. This long-term approach means that new growth becomes consistent growth and new jobs become steady jobs. The result is an innovative market and place-based approach that creates a win-win for investors and distressed communities alike. The Council will help improve the efficacy of this process and is ready to consider more than 150 actions to better target, streamline, and coordinate federal programs and Opportunity Zones. These are still the early days, in terms of the work of the Council and Opportunity Zones, but the groundwork has been laid. The seeds the President has planted are growing, and the promise they hold to improve places long forgotten and the lives of those who call these places home. And with that, I invite Senator Scott, who was instrumental in creating the Zones, after which time the President will perform the deed. (Applause.) SENATOR SCOTT: I just want to take the time to thank the President for his hard work and his dedication to people living in distressed communities. As the kid who grew up in a single-parent household, mired in poverty, living in one of these distressed communities, I know firsthand the value of hope being brought into communities. Under this administration Mr. President, under your leadership what weve seen happen in the last several months is unprecedented. You can think first about Opportunity Zones. When you and I had a conversation about the Zones over a year and a half ago, you immediately jumped on board and took the lead. And because of your leadership, Opportunity Zones that will help distressed communities over 8,700 throughout this country is a reality. The average poverty rate in those Zones are 31 percent. Because of your leadership, because of your foresight and your vision, we now see hope descending on these Zones. Number two, when you think about what Bob Johnson spoke about, the ability to positively impact retirement security in communities of color has increased because of your proactive stance on keeping those dollars in retirement accounts. Number three, when you think about the power of education, the greatest chasm in this nation is caused by two primary issues: One is family formation; we cant do much about that in government. But number two is education. THE PRESIDENT: Right. SENATOR SCOTT: Your focus, sir, is changing lives that you may never meet. But its happening every single day in America. And finally, your strong advocacy for criminal justice reform to come to the floor of the United States Senate. (Applause.) Without any question, without your leadership, our Senate would not have made the decision to take it up in 2018. So when it passes, the credit starts at the White House and starts with President Donald Trump. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. SENATOR SCOTT: Thank you. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Tim. (The executive order is signed.) (Applause.) This is a great thing. (Applause.) Thank you everybody. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. The following Tier 1 and Tier 2 gangs have a presence in Hale County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety Gang Threat Assessment.y Gangs with the highest scores are deemed the most significant and are classified as Tier 1, with other significant gangs classified as Tier 2 and Tier 3. Listed in the report are descriptions of the Tier 1 and 2 gangs. Tier 1: Tango Blast and Tango Cliques Tango Blast and its associated cliques are located in most metropolitan areas and many rural counties across Texas. Tango Blast first established as a self-protection group against traditionally structured prison gangs, such as the Texas Mexican Mafia and Texas Syndicate. The Tangos continue growing at a fast rate, and maintain the highest membership numbers among all Texas-based gangs. With their lack of organizational structure and no strict commitment rules, Tangos unique hybrid gang status allows for widespread recruitment and increasingly dangerous appeal to younger generations. In their rapid criminal evolution, the Tangos established a robust resume of violence and illicit activities, while building business relationships with various Mexican cartels. Tier 1: Texas Mexican Mafia The Texas Mexican Mafia (TMM) formed within the Texas prison system in 1984 as a means for inmates to protect themselves from the Texas Syndicate. Though TMM members continue to uphold commitment to the gang, unceasing law enforcement targeting efforts have affected membership growth and structure. The new generation of TMM is causing internal strife, dismantling the organization from within, and increasing the level of separation between older and younger members. Despite these struggles, the TMM will likely continue to be organizationally effective, changing their structure to best fit their available resources and engage in criminal activity, and remain a significant threat to the Texas. Tier 1: Mara Salvatrucha Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) has attracted national attention over the past year, highlighting the violent nature of the gang and leading to increased scrutiny of the gang by law enforcement. MS-13 leadership may be attempting to capitalize on this attention and allegedly has made efforts to extend their control of cliques and programs in the United States. MS-13 members historically used Texas as a transitional area or as a location to hide from criminal charges in other states or countries. Recent intelligence, however, suggests MS-13 now uses Houston as a hub of criminal activity. This trend is likely the cause of increased membership in Texas, though actual gang presence is fluid due to the transient nature of gang members and gang activities. MS-13 continues to refine and change techniques in evading law enforcement detection by changing their long-standing rules regarding clothing and tattoos. Given the gangs propensity for violence, relationship with cartels, increased control over numerous cliques, rising numbers and juvenile recruiting practices, MS-13 remains a Tier 1 threat. Tier 1: Barrio Azteca Barrio Azteca continues to be a significant threat to Texas because of its propensity for violence, level of criminal activity, relationships with cartels and other gangs, control of the Valle de Juarez in Mexico and the drug corridor in El Paso, their involvement in sex trafficking, and a high level of transnational criminal activity. While in recent years there have been ebbs and flows in the amount of reporting on Barrio Azteca, and though their hub of activity remains in Juarez and El Paso, the level at which they are operating earns them a high threat ranking for Texas as a whole. This is partly because members reach extends far outside the city limits of El Paso, as they distribute high amounts of drugs from their operations further into Texas and throughout the United States. It is likely that Barrio Azteca will continue to ensure its dominance in West Texas and across the border, directly affecting the citizens of Texas. Tier 2: Bloods The Bloods are a violent street gang that originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, with ties to People-Nation-affiliated gangs. Bloods gang presence in Texas has been documented since the 1980s. Multiple cities in Texas have instituted gang injunctions against the Bloods and their rivals, the Crips. The Bloods overall presence, the level of their criminal activity, and the violence perpetrated by their members qualify them as a serious threat in Texas. The Bloods continue to be a loosely organized, extremely violent street gang that is involved in a wide variety of crimes, ranging from petty theft to murder. Much like their traditional rival, the Crips, the Bloods street gang presence is mainly in the major urban areas, but its members regularly form small groups that travel throughout the state and beyond to conduct criminal activity, such as robberies and burglaries. Tier 2: Aryan Brotherhood of Texas The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) places its racist ideology secondary to its everyday criminal activities. Although law enforcement continues to disrupt ABT operations and leadership structure around the state, the gang remains a significant threat because of its continued involvement in violent crimes, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, frequent property crimes and the strength of their organizational structure inside of correctional facilities. Multiple incidents of involvement with Mexican cartels occurred during 2017, in which ABT acted as a courier. In 2017, threats to law enforcement from ABT increased in multiple states and one member engaged in sex trafficking. Recent law enforcement actions resulting in ABT members receiving federal sentences possibly facilitated the creation of a wider (though not necessarily larger) ABT network. Reports show ABTs interactions with gangs typically not active in Texas and an increase of communications and incidents involving ABT members and associates located outside of Texas. Tier 2: Texas Syndicate The Texas Syndicate prison gang formed in the California penal system in the 1960s and eventually moved into TDCJ prisons and onto the streets of Texas. Recent law enforcement targeting created setbacks for the Texas Syndicate, in particular to the gangs structure, as the lack of material benefit, power and security in the free world affected the gangs governance abilities. Despite the setbacks, the gangs level of violence and continued relationship with Mexican cartels makes the Texas Syndicate a resilient criminal threat to Texas. Tier 2: Surenos The Surenos is an umbrella organization of gangs paying homage to the California Mexican Mafia. Gang members unaffiliated with California Mexican Mafia also use Surenos, which means south, to symbolize that they are from Southern California. Surenos remain a threat to the state of Texas because of its relationship with cartels, propensity for violence, level of criminal activity, involvement in human smuggling and recruitment of minors. The trend of Surenos members moving from California to the El Paso area likely will continue, as well as their attempt to take over the El Paso area from Barrio Azteca. Tier 2: Crips The Crips criminal street gang remains loosely organized, with multiple cliques throughout the state. During this reporting period, Crips members participated in a wide variety of crimes, including homicides, assaults, robberies, burglaries, fraud and sex trafficking offenses. Members committed violent crimes against citizens and fellow offenders during the commission of other crimes, such as robberies, burglaries, sex trafficking and drug deals. Members committed violent crimes against law enforcement while attempting to evade arrest. Internal conflict sometimes resulted in intra-gang violence. The Crips pose the greatest threat to the larger metropolitan areas of Texas, but its members sometimes form smaller groups that travel outside of their usual operational areas to commit crimes throughout the state and as far away as Arizona. Tier 2: Gangster Disciples The Gangster Disciples is a nationally recognized, historically black criminal street gang that was founded in Chicago and has spread throughout the United States, including Texas. It is highly organized, violent, and active in the major metropolitan areas of Texas and in the communities surrounding the major military installations in Texas. Its members are involved in a wide variety of criminal activities, including homicides, assaults, thefts, robberies, burglaries, sex trafficking, fraud and illegal drug sales. Although its numbers in Texas are significantly fewer than those of the Bloods and Crips, the Gangster Disciples level of organization, level of criminal activity, proximity to military communities and reported relationship with Mexican cartels raise concerns. Tier 2: Aryan Circle The Aryan Circles white supremacy ideologies come secondary to illicit business and profiting from criminal activities. Although the Aryan Circle is not a threat to the border areas of Texas, the gang presents a public safety threat to the state because of its involvement in violent crimes, drug distribution and firearms trafficking. Aryan Circle members commits many of their violent crimes against their own members or rivals because of rules dictated by gang culture, their constitution and leadership. Aryan Circle continues to derive its prevalence, effectiveness and strength to withstand law enforcement operations from its paramilitary structure. Tier 2: Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Members of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMG) continue to participate in illegal activities. The Bandidos OMG is currently involved in a violent feud with the newly formed Kinfolk Motorcycle Gang (MG). Formed in the 1960s, the Bandidos OMG conducts its illegal activities as covertly as possible and generally tries to avoid high-profile activities. However, members are not covert about making their presence known, frequently wearing their gang colors, insignia and riding in large groups. They seek to turn public sentiment in their favor by organizing frequent charity runs. 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." FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox 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 A Bay Area construction company says it has fired three of its cleanup workers after photos of them posing insensitively on debris from the Camp Fire surfaced online. Bigge Crane and Rigging identified the man in the photos as Rob Freestone, a wildfire cleanup worker. According to Bigge, Freestone posted several photos of himself and two other workers defiling property and mocking the devastation of the fire in Paradise, Calif. The photos were shocking snapshots of disaster tourism. In one, Freestone jumps through the skeletal remains of a charred trampoline with the caption: "Trampolines are stupid...it used to be called a Jumpoline until your mom got on it." Freestone also posted a photo of a dead cat, burned from the fire, with a beer bottle that had been placed next its mouth. The caption read: "Dude...I was just chilling with my homies, having a couple of cold ones, and BAM...damn fire breaks out." In a statement posted to Facebook, Bigge Crane and Rigging said it had identified and fired the three employees, calling the event "abhorrent." "Bigge regrets that the residents of Paradise and Butte County have suffered an egregious insult during an already devastating time at the hands of these three individuals," the post read. "Bigge supports and appreciates all our surrounding communities." Officials of the Town of Paradise wrote on Facebook that the Paradise Police Department is looking into criminal charges against Freestone. "This is unacceptable and reprehensible behavior," the post read. "Town leadership has contacted this subject's employer and he will no longer be working in our Town." The Camp Fire in Butte County, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history, broke out on Nov. 8 and burned for 17 days. The fire flattened thousands of homes and claimed 86 lives, many of them elderly or disabled. Almost everything in Paradise, the town where Freestone grinned while straddling the mailbox of a home that no longer stands, was destroyed. Read Annie Vainshtein's latest stories here. Email her at avainshtein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter:@annievain DOUALA, Cameroon - In Cameroon, where English-speaking separatists are fighting the largely French-speaking government to establish a new nation, journalists covering the violence are increasingly finding themselves behind bars on a surprising charge: fake news. The latest case centers on the killing of an American missionary from Indiana, who was shot dead 12 days after his family moved to this central African country in October. In the immediate aftermath of his death, in one of the country's unstable regions, Cameroonian journalist Mimi Mefo Takambou sought to find out who killed him. But after she cited social media reports that claimed the Cameroonian military had shot Charles Wesco, she was accused of publishing fake news online and later arrested. Mefo, who works for Equinoxe TV, is one of more than a dozen journalists who have been jailed or questioned this year in Cameroon, a once-peaceful country that is spiraling into civil war in its English-speaking regions. As of early December, seven journalists were in custody - four for reporting false news, the three others for a variety of charges, including embezzlement and defamation, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Two of the journalists were later released, but Cameroon remains the second-leading jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa after Eritrea, CPJ said. Cameroon's law prohibits anyone from publishing "any news without being able to prove either its truth or that he had good reason to believe it to be true." Press advocates see a recent uptick in accusations of fake news as the government's attempt to stifle journalists reporting on the growing internal crisis. However, the government claims the spread of deliberately inaccurate information has distorted and inflamed the conflict. "It's a terrible problem for us - fake news, disinformation, poisoning," Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroon's minister of communications, said in his office in the capital of Yaounde. "We are confronted by this problem, which, unfortunately, we don't have a solution to. . . . Journalists need to first verify the authenticity of information before publishing it." Mefo's case is particularly sensitive because Cameroonian authorities feared the killing of an American could disrupt ties with Washington, a key security partner. Around 300 U.S. troops are stationed in the country's far northern region, where they train and assist Cameroonian troops fighting Boko Haram militants. The conflict in Anglophone regions, far from where those troops are based, has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, according to United Nations estimates. Amnesty International reported in September that at least 400 civilians had been killed in the past year - a number the government disputes. Human rights groups have accused both sides of violence, blaming separatists for attacking state security forces, schools and other targets, and accusing the military of abuses including burning villages and killing civilians. The mounting accusations against Cameroonian forces have led some U.S. senators to call for a re-evaluation of U.S. security assistance to Cameroon. The Cameroonian government has denied allegations of widespread human rights abuses in the Anglophone regions. Col. Didier Badjeck, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said the "Cameroonian army is doing a job that is a just job, according to the rules, and respecting human rights." Journalists reporting on the conflict often find themselves caught between both sides. "We have the impression that if you're not singing the praises of a particular individual, either the government or the pro-independence fighters, or even the [political] opposition, you are considered as an enemy," Mefo said at her home in Douala. She was released in November after three nights in jail. Angela Quintal, the Africa program coordinator at CPJ, said that in Cameroon and elsewhere, the term "fake news" is being used "to try to demonize journalists." Worldwide, the advocacy organization has noted an increase in government allegations of fake news - a favorite phrase of President Donald Trump - and a spike in arrests. "Trump's language is the sort of language that is being echoed everywhere," she said. "Not only are they echoing it, but journalists are being arrested." French and English are Cameroon's national languages, a byproduct of the European colonial legacy that shaped the country's modern-day bilingual identity. But English speakers make up only 20 percent of the population, and French speakers largely control the government. Anglophones say they have been forcibly assimilated into the Francophone legal and educational systems and that their grievances have not been adequately addressed by the central government in Yaounde. Two years ago, frustrations boiled over into a protest movement. A number of moderate Anglophone leaders were jailed, and more extreme voices took over. Soon an armed separatist movement was fighting to break away from Cameroon and create a new state called Ambazonia. On Nov. 7, Mefo was refused bail, handcuffed and taken to New Bell prison in Douala, a major port city. "As a lawyer, when such things happen, you feel terrified," Richard Tamfu, the lead lawyer on Mefo's case, said. Cameroonian President Paul Biya intervened and ordered her charges dropped. An 85-year-old Francophone in power since 1982, Biya recently won reelection in a contest the opposition claimed was rigged from the start. He was sworn in for another term the day before Mefo was jailed. Although her detention was short, the damage was done, Tamfu said. "It's a really scary situation because most journalists will not want to speak out now. They will not want to go out to those areas to report now," he said. Tchiroma, the minister of communications, insists the government does not see journalists as the enemy. "But this lady, she made a mistake," he said of Mefo's reporting on Wesco's death. Biya gave her "another chance to take back up her job and to do it this time with a lot more attention." Yet, even Wesco's family lacks clarity about what happened the day he was killed. Charles and his wife Stephanie, both from Indiana, met when Charles, a piano tuner, stopped by her family's home to look at her father's piano. They had been married for nearly 14 years when they moved their family to Cameroon to pursue a calling for missionary work. Charles "had no intention of getting involved" in the conflict, Stephanie said in a phone call from Indiana, where the Wesco family has since returned. When the couple and their eight children moved to Cameroon on Oct. 18, "it was literally like he was living out the greatest dream of his life," Stephanie said. Then, on Oct. 30, the couple, their 11-year-old son and another American missionary piled into a vehicle to visit a market close to their house. They mapped out the route to try to avoid danger and prayed for God's protection before leaving, she said. From the moment an unknown gunman opened fire, the rest is a "blur," she said. She witnessed her husband's killing, but still can't say who pulled the trigger. The U.S. State Department has not identified a suspect, saying in a public statement that Charles was "caught in crossfire." Cameroonian officials say the autopsy determined he was shot by ammunition commonly used by the separatists. They insist all evidence points to the pro-independence fighters. But for Mefo, who has reported extensively on the crisis in the Anglophone regions, Wesco's killing is just one in a series of opaque incidents in which it is difficult for anyone, even journalists, to discern who was responsible. That doesn't mean they should stop reporting, she said. "The place of the journalist is not behind bars," she said. "We are the watchdog of society." --- Video Embed Code Video: After American missionary Charles Wesco was killed in Cameroon's growing civil conflict, the government charged journalist Mimi Mefo Takambou with publishing fake news on the story.(Joyce Lee,Siobhan O'Grady/The Washington Post) Embed code: One San Antonio superintendent is in the running for a prestigious national award. Brian T. Woods, Northside ISD's superintendent, is one of four finalists for 2019 National Superintendent of the Year, an award given by the School Superintendents Association. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Woods began working for the district in 1992 as a social studies teacher at Marshall High School, but quickly rose through the ranks, becoming an assistant principal at O'Connor High School. Woods would go on to serve as vice principal then principal at Clark High School. He has served as Northside ISD's superintendent for six years. In a news release, Woods said he's proud of the school district for keeping a "small-district" feel despite its rapid growth in the past few decades. "In Northside, engagement of our stakeholders has played a crucial role in our success," Woods said. "At the campus and district level, we involve our whole community as a means of keeping them informed, eliciting their input and support, and fostering an environment of shared responsibility and accountability. I have no doubt that the success of our students and the quality of our programs depends greatly on this engagement." RELATED: These 25 San Antonio-area schools had the best average SAT scores On Jan. 10, Woods and the other finalists, who are from Indiana, Georgia and Idaho, will be interviewed by a national panel in Washington D.C. The winner will be announced on Feb. 14 in Los Angeles. If he wins, a $10,000 scholarship named after Woods will be given to a student from his alma mater, Clear Lake High School in League City. Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA A student who admitted to making a threat Friday that resulted in increased police presence at Clemens High School Monday was detained by Schertz police without incident, according to Schertz Public Information Officer Helen Lafitte. The juvenile student was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center in Seguin, police said. The "anonymous threatening statement" was discovered Friday, written on the wall of a female restroom at the high school, according to a letter the district sent out Saturday. Lafitte declined to comment on the nature of the threat, but said the school was provided with about 30 additional staffers Schertz police, Guadalupe County deputies and district staff Monday throughout the investigation. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox The suspect was found on school property and admitted to making the threat during an interview in the course of the investigation. Although the threat was specific to Monday and the suspect has been detained, Schertz police will continue to provide some additional law enforcement at the school through the end of the week as a precaution, Lafitte said. "We remind parents and students they can help make our schools safer by reporting any information they hear or see that is concerning to school administration who will then investigate and work with law enforcement, if necessary," the district's letter said Saturday. 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 Ken Branca San Antonio police opened a homicide investigation Saturday after a call that began as a report about an injured person on the Northwest Side. Officers were called to the 1000 block of Vance Jackson around 12:17 p.m. Saturday about a man who was injured and lying in a parking lot. Former cabinet minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has scoffed at Zanu PFs resolution to endorse President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the sole party presidential candidate for the 2023 elections. Moyo, who emerged a sharp critic of President Mnangagwa government post November 2017 power transition, is yet to see any better from his former colleagues in the ruling Zanu PF. Writing on Twitter on Saturday, Moyo said the decision by the party to endorse President Mnangagwa as the presidential candidate was evidence that the revolutionary party had thrown away its liberation struggle objective of serving the people and instead preoccupied itself with power hence entrenched in election mode. Poor leaders with no vision think of the next election; while great leaders with a vision solve problems today, thinking of the next generation! Moyo said. Human rights lawyer David Coltart threw a jibe at the ruling partys decision to endorse President Mnangagwa as the sole presidential candidate for the 2023 elections. We dont have fuel for 2019 but we already have a president for 2023. I wish I could take the kudos for this but I cant some comic has just tweeted that the Mnangagwa regime is the #secondhandrepublic ! Nothing to describe the mess wrought by the ruining party could be more appropriate, he wrote. The Zanu PF resolutions at the just ended annual Peoples conference draw mixed reactions with the public questioning the rationale behind indulging into election mode barely six months after the 2018 elections. Zimbabwes 30 July 2018 elections saw Mnangagwa declared the winner by the constitutional court when the opposition MDC President Nelson Chamisa unsuccessful challenged the presidential results with economic turmoil following suit recently with fuel shortage reaching acute stages. 263Chat Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News The state has declined to prosecute nine members of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), who were arrested on Saturday while marching from Mutare to Harare. The teachers, who were arrested in Macheke on Saturday and released into the custody of their lawyers on the same day, were expected to appear in court facing charges of having failed to notify the police and criminal nuisance. However, the state led by area public prosecutor, Mr John Hama declined to prosecute after the union produced a letter date stamped by the office of the Officer Commanding Police Mashonaland East province and notifying them of the march. ARTUZ leader, Obert Masaraure, who was being charged together with eight others, paid tribute to the countrys judiciary for having shown professionalism and independence. I am very happy that we have been released without charge, I want to pay tribute to the countrys judiciary for having shown independence and professionalism, she said. Soon after the news, the members proceeded with the march towards Harare. The union, which is demanding its salaries in US dollars and full bonuses embarked on a caravan march from Mutare on the 9th of December and are expecting to arrive in Harare on the 19th to present their grievances to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube. ZBC Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News By Jen Schradie, Assistant Professor, Observatoire sociologique du changement, Axa Research Fund Fellow, Sciences Po USPC. Originally published at The Conversation In less than a month, Frances gilets jaunes (yellow vests) have gone from being a celebrated example of Facebooks ability to power a spontaneous revolution to a cautionary tale of how social networks can be manipulated by outsiders to provoke outrage and sow dissent. But in both of these extreme scenarios, the central actors lie outside France, whether its the platforms based in Silicon Valley or the suspected propagandists in Russia. Because the gilets jaunes phenomenon couldnt 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. Theres even an app called Cest la greve that announces strikes, be they with the railways, schools or elsewhere. Theres an orderly fashion to so-called disruptive manifestations (as protests are referred to in French), but the gilets jaunesmovement hasnt followed the rules. So who exactly broke the rules? An easy answer has been the Internet. Breaking the Rules In many ways, thats the point of the gilets jaunes: theyre 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 theyre 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 werent 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 wasnt 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. 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 Revolutiondrove 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 Womens 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 technologys role in political participation took a dark turn. From Trumps toxic tweets to Brexits 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 its 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 theyre 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. 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 Frances Nuit debout movement to traditional unions of teachers and transport workers, were inspired to spread the news of the gilets jaunesduring 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 Wasnt: 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 Melenchons 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 theyre 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 hadnt 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), Frances 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. Scottish Limited Partnerships are used by thousands of legitimate British businesses from pension schemes to owning farm land in Scotland to invest more than 30 billion in the UK a year. We have seen mounting evidence that in their current form they are vulnerable to abuse. Last year it emerged more than 100 Scottish Limited Partnerships were used to launder up to $80bn in the global laundromat, a complex and corrupt money laundering scheme that allowed officials to move money out of Russia and around the world. The Herald itself has continued to shine a spotlight on this issue, reporting their use in alleged complex global money laundering schemes from Brazilian politicians to Russian oligarchs, and in the process shown the value of investigatory reporting. Business Minister Andrew Griffiths, putting the word alleged through its paces. Herald, 30th April 2018 I want you to be really ******* rough with ***. The video of you spanking her was nowhere near hard enough. Can she take a beating? I have to be slightly careful in my job. Soon-To-Be-Ex-Business-Minister Andrew Griffiths, possibly typing one-handed. Liverpool Echo, 15th Jul 2018 By Richard Smith The UKs Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (henceforward, BEIS) kicked off its investigation of Limited Partnerships abuse via a call for evidence published on 16th January 2017. The BEIS reform package was finally announced on 10th December 2018, though thats just bullet points, and in fact, simply a rehash of what alleged Flagellation Voyeur Andrew Griffiths had already announced in April. A little more detail is available in the full response here, but it would be fair to describe it as disappointing. For instance, heres how alleged Chief Spankwatcher Andrew Griffiths mounting evidence that in their current form [SLPs] are vulnerable to abuse is depicted, in BEISs detail. I have put the key part of the summary in bold. Government Response: Review of Limited Partnership Law Responses to the consultation Evidence Question 1: Can you provide any additional evidence to help explain the trends in registrations of limited partnerships (LPs) across the UK in recent years? The purpose of this question was to obtain more detail on the history, uses and misuse of LPs, further to that received in response to the call for evidence. The question garnered 29 responses; the vast majority of which said that they could not offer evidence which definitively links LPs, in particular in their Scottish form, to criminal activity. They also suggested that the recent reduction in registrations of Scottish limited partnerships (SLPs) was linked to the introduction of the Persons of Significant Control (PSC) register for SLPs in 2017. None of the respondents could provide firm explanations for the recent rise in registrations of LPs in Northern Ireland. and thats all the evidence, from a total of two years of information gathering and analysis, that BEIS sees fit to record. This time the words vast majority and definitively are doing the hard work. Thus, the entirety of the SLP abuse evidence considered and published by BEIS is to be the words of a vast majority of 29 self-selecting survey respondents, who admit to not having any evidence of anything. This amazingly confident positioning does rather make one wonder whether alleged Lewd Texter Griffiths ex-minions are quite as persuaded, as their erstwhile boss, of the value of investigatory reporting. Other documents that dont count as evidence in BEISWorld include, apparently: Moldovan court judgments in the Moldovan bank fraud case Regulator interventions in Latvia against Trasta Comercbanka and Privatbank Latvia The FINCEN intervention against ABLV Russian court verdicts Regulator warnings in America, Canada, France, Belgium, Italy, Israel and Cyprus The conclusions of a 10-month investigation by the Council of Europe in which SLPs were a key mechanism (the Azerbaijan Laundromat) United Nations blacklisting of various SLPs for aid fraud Unless you are familiar with UK-Governmental evidence-gathering processes, you may find BEISs evidence-filtering strategy to be surprisingly aggressive. It would certainly have been helpful of BEIS to describe exactly what it meant by evidence, before soliciting it, and then ignoring the evidence that it did get, but thats not how BEIS rolls. Mind you, BEISs definition of evidence would have been tricky to state explicitly, since it is clearly both quite exacting (ignoring all those foreign agencies), yet, at the same time, extremely liberal (foregrounding the views of twenty-odd unnamed respondents, all of whom say they know absolutely nothing about the question they are answering). This dogged obliviousness is still more striking when one surveys the last three years of SLP press coverage. All of the above stories, and many more, still developing, are in my linkfest below, which documents the involvement of SLPs in some $100Billion of alleged or court-proven fraud, grand corruption and money laundering. Ive put in as many free sources as I could find, but a lot of the heavy lifting has been done by the Scottish Herald, whose journalists children depend on a paywall for their daily bread. You do get five free stories, though, so you could pick carefully. Alternatively, a months Herald subscription, which would enable you to read everything, is only seven quid. Clearly, though, thats not enough smoke, or multiple fires, for a Government department that is very evidently determined not to find anything wrong at all, in which case, its probably pointless to add this post-consultation footnote, a further $230Bn allegation that has already resulted in preliminary money laundering charges: Source Headline Theme Moneyweek Danske Banks money-laundering scandal According to Danskes report into the affair, UK entities such as LLPs and SLPs (Scottish limited partnerships) made up the second biggest proportion of Danske Estonias non-resident customers second only to those based in Russia. Largest European money laundering scandal ever, $230Bn of suspicious transactions, FSU state actors. Numbers of SLPs and LLPs involved unknown, but most likely hundreds or even thousands Herald New laundering warnings on Scottish shell firms Reuters Danske money laundering whistleblower labels UK structures a disgrace Still disgrace isnt so bad. It soon passes, as Alleged Vexatious Creep Andrew Griffiths already knows: as if by a miracle, he returned to the Tory party fold just in time for the recent, potentially fraught, Theresa May confidence vote. I cant help suspecting that the SLP story, now with its extra $230Bn of impetus, wont go away quite as quickly as Mr Griffiths dauntingly voluminous textual ejaculations (700 of them, to just two women, according to reports). Accordingly, with the SLP sequel in mind, my next piece, in the coming few days, will be a quick and by now decidedly jaundiced look at the reform proposals, such as they are. By Justin Mikulka, a freelance writer, audio and video producer living in Trumansburg, NY. Originally published at DeSmog Blog A Harvard research team recently announced plans to perform early tests to shoot sunlight-reflecting particles into the high atmosphere to slow or reverse global warming. These research efforts, which could take shape as soon as the first half of 2019, fall under the banner of a geoengineering technology known as solar radiation management, which is sometimes called sun dimming. However, less than two weeks after the announcement, the climate science and policy institute Climate Analytics took aim at these ambitions in a new briefing titled Why geoengineering is not a solution to the climate problem, which goes as far as recommending a global ban on solar geoengineering. The groups briefing warns about the dangers of proceeding with solar radiation management (SRM) in particular. The basic idea behind SRM is to release particles into the Earths stratosphere, the atmospheric layer approximately 630 miles above the surface, where they would then reflect some of the suns light (and heat) away from Earth, resulting in atmospheric cooling. Scientists to pilot geoengineering sun dimming trial next year Times https://t.co/vGyMNBpSAS pic.twitter.com/pLe8k4jBPf ECIU (@ECIU_UK) 1 December 2018 Harvards scientists working on this concept point to the particles released by volcanic eruptions as real-world examples of how it might work. One such example is the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, an event which released large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. According to NASA, after Mount Pinatubos eruption, Over the course of the next two years strong stratospheric winds spread these aerosol particles around the globe, which led to a temporary global cooling of about 1 Fahrenheit over the following 15 months. The Harvard team plans to investigate calcium carbonate, a common calcium supplement and antacid, as a potential particle to use instead of sulfur dioxide. Proposed solar radiation management using a tethered balloon to inject sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere. Credit: Hughhunt, CC BY SA 3.0 Despite this parallel, why is Climate Analytics warning against solar radiation management? For a long list of reasons, including the potential for some pretty disastrous consequences. Solar Radiation Management Doesnt Address the Real Issue Earths climate is warming because humans are pumping large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, with carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-burning topping that list. As Climate Analytics notes, solar radiation management does not address the drivers of human-induced climate change. Instead, the briefing says, this geoengineering approach would mask warming temporarily in a best-case scenario, while representing a fundamental and potentially dangerous threat to the Earths basic climate operations. As Mt. Pinatubos eruption showed, the basic concept behind the Harvard teams proposal certainly has the potential to cool the planet, but Climate Analytics notes the many sizable and unique risks to attempting solar radiation management on a long-term, global scale. Critics of solar radiation management and there are many note that one of the biggest risks of this approach is that it becomes a distraction from the primary goal of decarbonizing the global economy in order to address the root cause of climate change. A recent in-depth piece from In These Times quotes a document from the group Hands Off Mother Earth, which opposes solar geoengineering: Geoengineering perpetuates the false belief that todays unjust, ecologically, and socially devastating industrial model of production and consumption cannot be changed and that we therefore need techno-fixes to tame its effects. Even David Keith, one of the Harvard scientists working on solar radiation management, shares the concern that this work could distract from the required efforts to reduce global carbon emissions. One of the main concerns I and everyone involved in this have, is that Trump might tweet geoengineering solves everything we dont have to bother about emissions. That would break the slow-moving agreement among many environmental groups that sound research in this field makes sense, Keith said in 2017, according to The Guardian. After scientists recent announcement of a very short timeline for the world to drastically cut carbon emissions, some are viewing solar radiation management as a way to allow for continued fossil fuel use while hoping for techno-fixes to avert global catastrophe. Risks Far Outweigh Potential Reward In a world where even predicting the weather is more difficult due to climate change, it isnt hard to fathom that changing the global climate quickly could have many unknown consequences. But as Climate Analytics points out, there are plenty of known risks and concerns surrounding solar radiation management, including the following: Weather System Changes: According to the Climate Analytics briefing: Solar radiation management would alter the global hydrological cycle, which means changes to global weather patterns, including monsoon activity. Tweaking monsoon activity may not bode well for many people around the world. These [monsoon] rains not only play a vital role in food security and exports, but also provide essential water for the very large, and often already vulnerable, populations, states the briefing. Ocean Acidification: Another negative impact of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is the acidification of the oceans. Reflecting away sunlight does nothing to address this problem fundamentally caused by excess carbon dioxide. Global Agriculture: While increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations can be beneficial up to a point for some plants, that benefit likely would be canceled out by the reduction in actual sunlight reaching plant life, which is necessary for photosynthesis. Decreased Renewable Energy Production: As with agriculture, lower levels of sunlight reaching the Earths surface would reduce solar power production. And changing the global climate and weather could also alter wind power potential. Geopolitical and Catastrophic Risks While purposefully altering the global atmosphere would be an unprecedented project in both scale and impact, the endeavor actually would not cost very much and could be done unilaterally by one country. Solar radiation management would likely affect different parts of the world in different ways, some positively and some negatively. New Security Beat: Panelists Call for Creation of World Commission to Handle Solar Radiation Management https://t.co/xyoWQAyxtI Climate Engineering (@CE_KEI) 7 December 2018 The Climate Analytics briefing highlights this potential:SRM will strongly alter the climate system producing winners and losers in different regions and with different levels of deployment. It could therefore become a source of massive conflict between nations. This potential for geopolitical conflict is one reason Climate Analytics is calling for a global ban on solar radiation management. Another reason is because the group views the approach as a grand form of kicking the can that is, the can leaking too many greenhouse gases down the road. And once solar radiation management is deployed on a global scale, it has to continue even in the event of grave consequences because stopping the program would induce something known as termination shock. Climate Analytics predicts that termination shock the result of stopping an SRM program once begun would result in very rapid and large-scale planetary warming that could occur on a timescale of months. Geoengineering and Sun Dimming With Harvard leading solar geoengineering field tests and the long-term support of people such as Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, the idea that techno-fixes will save the planet from climate catastrophe arent going away. Especially with major media outlets such as CNN running headlines suggesting these approaches could be the answer to global warming. Going out forDim Sun? Who is joining me!!?? https://t.co/54qywPmb5F Questlove (In E flat) (@questlove) 24 November 2018 The answer to global warming has been around for more than fifty years. The head of the American Petroleum Institutespelled out part of this solution at an industry conference in 1965 in which he said, There is still time to save the worlds peoples from the catastrophic consequence of pollution, but time is running out. The solution he acknowledged then was an alternative nonpolluting means of powering automobiles, buses, and trucks. While the world has far less time to act than in 1965, the solution to global warming remains more of a political challenge than a technological one. Main image: Partial solar eclipse. Credit: andersbknudsen, CC By 2.0 On Tuesday, 18 December 2018, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will meet with the Vice-Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Ms. Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze. Ms. Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze will also attend a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. There will be no media opportunity. Still images will be available on the NATO website after the event. Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg) On Tuesday 18 December 2018, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will meet the Minister of National Defence of Romania, Mr. Gabriel-Beniamin Les at NATO Headquarters. There will be no media opportunity. Still images of the event will be available on the NATO website. Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg) States have had the ultimate authority in alcohol regulation since the repeal of Prohibition, with a patchwork of laws that, for the most part, restricts sales to licensed in-state businesses. The relevance of those regulations is increasingly being called into question in the e-commerce age. But the images it creates are clearer and three-dimensional, unlike the flat X-ray images. That means TSA agents can rotate the image to get a better view of items in different parts of a bag. Computer algorithms scan the image to identify items that might warrant a closer look, like a laptop or container of liquid. A TSA agent can then view those items individually and, if theyre deemed OK to fly, digitally remove them from the image to make the remaining items easier to see. A bomb threat at San Francisco's Lowell High School prompted evacuations Monday afternoon at the campus and nearby Lakeshore Elementary, officials said. Students at both campuses were released for the remainder of the day, according to the San Francisco Unified School District. Police later in the afternoon cleared the schools after no suspcious devices were located. A higher percentage of California marijuana products are passing strict safety tests, but the sudden closing of a lab that state authorities found wasn't correctly checking for pesticides has raised new questions about the system intended to protect the purity and potency of legal cannabis. California broadly legalized marijuana at the start of the year, and mandatory testing began in July 1. During the first two months the failure rate was about 20 percent, but state data collected through November showed improvement about 14 percent of nearly 24,000 products were blocked from store shelves by tests. Cannabis-infused cookies, candies and tinctures continued having the most trouble in test labs: About 26 percent were rejected, though that also was an improved rate compared to the July-August period, when one-third failed. "With any news rules, there's always going to be a period of adjustment that takes place," said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the state Bureau of Cannabis Control. "The cannabis industry in California adapts pretty quickly, and I think that's what we're seeing with these lower fail rates in testing. That's encouraging." The integrity of the testing program was shaken last month when Sacramento-based Sequoia Analytical Labs surrendered its license after state regulators found it was conducting faulty tests for pesticides, apparently since the program kicked off at midyear. State regulators asked retailers and distributors to recall any batches tested by the company after July 1. Any batches returned by consumers must be destroyed. Products pulled back from a company's inventory can be retested with state permission, or destroyed. But it's likely many of those products already have been consumed. It wasn't immediately clear how much cannabis was cleared by the lab for sale, but it's almost certainly a large amount, covering five months of testing. The state has issued only a few dozen lab licenses. State regulators declined to comment on specifics of the case, other than to confirm the company no longer holds a license to test cannabis in the state. In a statement posted on its website, the company blamed the flawed tests on a faulty instrument that failed to check for 22 of 66 required pesticides. The company said it terminated its lab director who "knew about this and was secretly falsifying the results" since July 1. The company said it is seeking to have its license reinstated. The lab did not return a phone call or email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Swetha Kaul, chief scientific officer at Santa Ana-based testing company Cannalysis who sits on the board of the California Cannabis Industry Association, said there are concerns that some companies might not be getting sufficient oversight from regulators. At this point, it remains unclear how one company was able to falsify test results for so long. "We need more labs. We need better labs," she said. "We have bad actors, just like every other section of the industry." In the high-stakes cannabis market, it's obvious that testing companies the pathway to the legal market could be targets for abuse, either from unscrupulous producers eager to pay for favorable results, or labs willing to sweeten results to attract more business. There have been scattered reports of apparent problems. In Washington state in 2017, regulators suspended certification of a pot lab after auditors found an unusually low number of samples had been failed in certain cases. The company never regained certification. California for months has been reviewing a vast set of regulations that govern the legal market, including setting standards for testing labs. Those revised rules are expected to be finalized early next year, replacing temporary ones that have been guiding businesses since broad legal sales kicked off Jan. 1. Josh Drayton of the California Cannabis Industry Association said it's an open secret in the industry that companies have been known to pay for favorable test results. He said California needed rigorous rules to keep out shady operators. "We don't want to create a pay-to-play system with our testing labs," said Drayton, who was unfamiliar with details of the Sequoia case. "We do need to make sure we get standard operating procedures." The state has been facing pressure to revamp testing requirements that have been alternately described as going too far or not far enough. Others say the tests add too much to the cost for consumers, providing another reason for customers to turn to a black market that still flourishes in California. Current rules require all cannabis products clear a range of tests at labs before reaching consumers, from ensuring THC, the compound that gives pot its high, is distributed evenly in chocolate bars to making sure buds have not been contaminated by fuzzy blankets of mold. From July 1 through Nov. 30, labs tested 23,864 batches of various products, and 3,373 failed. The test results through November showed that about 90 percent of buds are cleared for sale, suggesting a mostly clean market for growers. The biggest reason for failure is improper claims on labels, such as overestimating a product's potency, which blocked over 2,100 products from sale. The California Growers Association, an industry group, is among those concerned the state is forcing growers and manufacturers to hit too tiny a target when gauging levels of THC. Pesticides, meanwhile, accounted for over 700 rejections in various products. Stephen Curry has led the Warriors in scoring in four of their last six games, averaging a team-best 29.2 points per contest over that span. And yet, as much as Curry is starring on the court for the reigning champs these days, he also continues to do so away from it. Prior to a game in Atlanta at the beginning of the month, Curry made a disabled fan's day. On Sunday, he did the same for the youth at Covenant House in Oakland. As part of the Warriors' "Season of Giving" campaign, Curry surprised 40 youth at Covenant House in Oakland, which provides sanctuary and support for youth ages 18-24 facing homelessness and human trafficking. Those present were unaware of Curry's involvement until he arrived to surprise them. In addition to spending several hours with the people of Covenant House, Curry also provided each of them with a new pair of Curry 5's (his signature shoe) and a catered meal from his wife Ayesha's restaurant, International Smoke. "These are obviously good reminders of how blessed we are to be able to do what we get to do," Curry said afterwards. "To put a smile on people's faces just by walking in the room, I'll never take that for granted." Programs and services offered at Covenant House are aimed at providing youth the best chance for success in independence. But on a more basic level, it serves as a sanctuary for those that have nowhere else to go. "It's definitely important for us to give back to our community that supports us," Curry continued. "We have, obviously, ample amount of resources, and the Bay, we support each other. That's been proven year after year." Curry is in the midst of his 10th year with the Warriors, and he's consistently made community outreach a personal priority over his decade in the East Bay. Sunday's visit to Covenant House was just the latest example of his efforts to give back to the community that supports him, and it certainly won't be the last. Only about a third of Americans say women have made "major gains" toward equal rights in the past year, which saw the #MeToo movement and a record number of women elected to Congress, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Overall, men and women have similar views on how much progress has been made in the year. Democratic women remain particularly pessimistic about the gender equality fight over the long term about a third of them said women have made major gains in the last 10 years, whereas about half of Republican women and men of both parties saw major gains in the same time frame. The same percentage of Americans, 46, say women have made major gains toward equality in the past decade as they did in a Merit Report poll in 1982. What to Know Sean Ellis will not be re-tried in Boston Police Det. John Mulligan's 1993 murder, Suffolk County DA John Pappas announced. Ellis was imprisoned for more than 22 years until the state SJC overturned his conviction, citing corruption of involved police detectives. Pappas said his office decided against a re-trial after the "strength" of evidence "declined with time." Suffolk District Attorney John Pappas announced Monday that his office is ending prosecution of Sean Ellis for first degree murder and armed robbery in the 1993 slaying of a Boston police officer. The case is being dropped because prosecutors don't believe they would be successful in a retrial due to the amount of time that has since passed. "The nature of the evidence has not changed in 25 years, but the strength of it has declined with time," Pappas said. He also said the involvement of corrupt police detectives in the investigation has compromised their ability to prosecute the case. "This was not an easy decision. It may not be a popular decision, but it is the right decision," Pappas said. Ellis was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted in 1995 of the shooting death of Detective John Mulligan. Mulligan was shot five times in the face at about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 26, 1993, while he slept in his car while on a security detail outside a pharmacy. The Supreme Judicial Court released Ellis from jail in 2015, saying he didn't get a fair trial because two police detectives who played key roles in the investigation later pleaded guilty to corruption charges, and prosecutors didn't provide Ellis' defense team with all of the evidence. "It's kind of like surreal," Ellis told NBC10 Boston on Monday. "To say that I'm happy and ecstatic is an understatement." He said he still had the GPS monitoring device on his ankle as he heard the news Monday. Asked what he has learned about himself since 1993, he said he has learned that he is "resilient." He still maintains his innocence. As for what's next, he said he wants to go back to school so he can get a better job. He's in his 40s now and says he's doing entry level work that someone in their late teens, early 20s would typically be doing. Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said he agrees with the district attorney's decision but said that doesn't mean that Ellis didn't kill Mulligan. "He's a father, and a brother and a son. It was with heavy heart we had to discuss this with the family for this final outcome," Gross said of Mulligan. "Sean Ellis is culpable," he added. "Not innocent at all." Shortly before a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl died in U.S. custody, her father signed a form stating that his daughter was in good health. But it's unclear how much the man understood on the form, which was written in English and read to him in Spanish by Border Patrol agents. The death of Jakelin Caal highlights the communication challenges along the U.S.-Mexico border as agents come in contact with an increasing number of migrants who speak neither English nor Spanish. Her father's native language is the Mayan tongue known as Q'eqchi'. His second language is Spanish. It's unclear whether something was lost in translation or whether it would have made a difference in saving Jakelin after the two were detained and underwent a health screening along a remote stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. But the case raises questions about the Border Patrol's use of English-only forms. All agents are required to speak Spanish, and they receive formal Spanish training. Reading forms in Spanish is often enough to pose basic questions. But some other Spanish-speaking migrants reported signing paperwork that they later said they did not understand. Scores of immigrant parents who were separated from their children after crossing the border in the spring said they signed forms agreeing to be deported with the understanding that their kids would be returning with them, only to find themselves deported without them. Many had to wait months before being reunited with them in their homelands. Jakelin and her father, Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz, were part of a group of 163 migrants arrested Dec. 6 near a border crossing in New Mexico. Hours later, they were placed on a bus to the nearest Border Patrol station, but Jakelin began vomiting and eventually stopped breathing. She later died at a Texas hospital. Border Patrol officials on Friday said agents did everything they could to save the girl but that she had not had food or water for days. An initial screening showed no evidence of health problems, they said, and her father spoke to them in Spanish and signed a form indicating she was in good health. Attorneys in Texas representing Caal criticized U.S. officials for asking him to sign Form I-779, which asks a series of questions with checkboxes of "yes" or "no." In the "additional comments" section on the form was written "claims good health." "It is unacceptable for any government agency to have persons in custody sign documents in a language that they clearly do not understand," the attorneys said in a statement. The family also disputed the accounts offered by U.S. officials that the girl walked for days in the desert without food or water before crossing. The father's lawyers said Caal took care of his daughter, giving her sufficient water and food, and she appeared to be in good health. Jakelin's family is asking for an "objective and thorough" investigation to determine whether officials met standards for taking children into custody. Border Patrol officials did not immediately respond to the family lawyers' statement. The father, who is staying at a shelter in El Paso, Texas, has asked for privacy. Authorities are conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Results are expected in about a week, said Tekandi Paniagua, the Guatemalan consul in Del Rio, Texas. Paniagua, who spoke with Jakelin's father, said the two had walked with the other migrants for about 90 minutes before crossing and Caal told him he had no complaints about how agents treated him and his daughter. Caal speaks broken Spanish. In his impoverished village in Guatemala, Spanish is needed only occasionally, such as when the community deals with schools and health care or for work, Paniagua said. More than two dozen languages are spoken in Guatemala, and the consulate tries to send interpreters as soon as possible to help detained migrants, Paniagua said. But sometimes by the time they get there, the migrants have already signed forms. "We'll ask, 'Do you speak Spanish?' And they'll say yes," he said. "Then we'll ask, 'But do you understand Spanish?' And often they'll say, 'No, I need an interpreter.'" During a hearing last month at a remote tent city in West Texas, federal immigration Judge Robert S. Hough noticed one of the migrants before him was struggling to understand the court proceedings being translated in Spanish and asked him if he spoke another language. The Guatemalan man said yes, he spoke Mam, another Mayan language. Federal immigration courts try to provide interpreters for the many languages, but it's not a perfect fix. "Even if they speak languages like Mam, depending on the village, the language can be different," Hough said. Caal asked the Guatemalan consulate in Texas, which had reached out to him, if he could see his daughter one last time before her body was sent back to her homeland. That request prompted special arrangements at a private funeral home on Friday, when he said goodbye to Jakelin. The consulate asked him if he wanted an interpreter who could explain everything, including the repatriation of her body, in Q'eqchi'. He said he did. After listening to the interpreter, Paniagua said, Caal thanked the consulate and said, "he felt more comfortable in his own language." Associated Press journalist Russell Contreras contributed to this report. Child's death highlights communication barriers on border By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press Shortly before a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl died in U.S. custody, her father signed a form stating that his daughter was in good health. But it's unclear how much the man understood on the form, which was written in English and read to him in Spanish by Border Patrol agents. The death of Jakelin Caal highlights the communication challenges along the U.S.-Mexico border as agents come in contact with an increasing number of migrants who speak neither English nor Spanish. Her father's native language is the Mayan tongue known as Q'eqchi'. His second language is Spanish. It's unclear whether something was lost in translation or whether it would have made a difference in saving Jakelin after the two were detained and underwent a health screening along a remote stretch of U.S.-Mexico border. But the case raises questions about the Border Patrol's use of English-only forms. All agents are required to speak Spanish, and they receive formal Spanish training. Reading forms in Spanish is often enough to pose basic questions. But some other Spanish-speaking migrants reported signing paperwork that they later said they did not understand. Scores of immigrant parents who were separated from their children after crossing the border in the spring said they signed forms agreeing to be deported with the understanding that their kids would be returning with them, only to find themselves deported without them. Many had to wait months before being reunited with them in their homelands. Jakelin and her father, Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz, were part of a group of 163 migrants arrested Dec. 6 near a border crossing in New Mexico. Hours later, they were placed on a bus to the nearest Border Patrol station, but Jakelin began vomiting and eventually stopped breathing. She later died at a Texas hospital. Border Patrol officials on Friday said agents did everything they could to save the girl but that she had not had food or water for days. An initial screening showed no evidence of health problems, they said, and her father spoke to them in Spanish and signed a form indicating she was in good health. Attorneys in Texas representing Caal criticized U.S. officials for asking him to sign Form I-779, which asks a series of questions with check boxes of "yes" or "no." In the additional comments section on the form was written "claims good health." "It is unacceptable for any government agency to have persons in custody sign documents in a language that they clearly do not understand," the attorneys said in a statement. The family also disputed the accounts offered by U.S. officials that the girl walked for days in the desert without food or water before crossing. The father's lawyers said Caal took care of his daughter, giving her sufficient water and food, and she appeared to be in good health. Jakelin's family is asking for an "objective and thorough" investigation to determine whether officials met standards for taking children into custody. Border Patrol officials did not immediately respond to the family lawyers' statement. The father, who is staying at a shelter in El Paso, Texas, has asked for privacy. Authorities are conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Results are expected in about a week, said Tekandi Paniagua, the Guatemalan consul in Del Rio, Texas. Paniagua, who spoke with Jakelin's father, said the two had walked with the other migrants for about 90 minutes before crossing and Caal told him he had no complaints about how agents treated him and his daughter. Caal speaks broken Spanish. In his impoverished village in Guatemala, Spanish is needed only occasionally, such as when the community deals with schools and health care or for work, Paniagua said. More than two dozen languages are spoken in Guatemala, and the consulate tries to send interpreters as soon as possible to help detained migrants, Paniagua said. But sometimes by the time they get there, the migrants have already signed forms. "We'll ask, 'Do you speak Spanish?' And they'll say yes," he said. "Then we'll ask, 'But do you understand Spanish?' And often they'll say, 'No, I need an interpreter.'" Caal asked the Guatemalan consulate in Texas, which had reached out to him, if he could see his daughter one last time before her body was sent back to her homeland. That request prompted special arrangements at a private funeral home on Friday, when he said goodbye to Jakelin. The consulate asked him if he wanted an interpreter who could explain everything, including the repatriation of her body, in Q'eqchi.' He said he did. After listening to the interpreter, Paniagua said, Caal thanked the consulate and said "he felt more comfortable in his own language. What to Know Nghia Le, 18, of Manchester, New Hampshire, faces multiple charges for allegedly stabbing an MSP Ttooper after a multi-state pursuit. Le is being held on $1 million cash bail pending arraignment. A Franklin County grand jury indicted Le on the charges in December. A New Hampshire teen has been indicted months after allegedly stabbing a Massachusetts State Police trooper after a high-speed chase. Nghia Le, an 18-year-old from Manchester, was arrested Oct. 19. He is accused of stabbing 47-year-old trooper Mark Whitcomb in the head, neck, shoulders and arm after he led police on a pursuit that ended in New Salem. A Franklin County grand jury indicted Le on charges of armed assault with intent to murder, armed assault with intent to rob, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a public employee, assault with a dangerous weapon, mayhem, armed carjacking and reckless operation. Le was held on a $1 million cash bail after an October court appearance. On Oct. 19, authorities responded around noon to an armed carjacking in Walpole, New Hampshire. According to police, Le drove through Vermont and down I-91 to Massachusetts before the chase ended on Fay and Orange Road in New Salem when the suspect crashed at an intersection. A woman told NBC10 Boston that Le allegedly got out of the stolen vehicle and ran to a police car. "I was watching from the van, and I thought they were just punching, but I realized after that he was stabbing the police officer," Hannah Hunting said. Police say the trooper, a 12-year veteran of the force, shot the suspect in response to the stabbing. Le was treated at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and was later released to the Franklin County Sheriff. Prosecutors say Le attempted to steal a state trooper cruiser during the confrontation. They say he bailed out of jail just a day before the alleged stabbing. Police are warning residents about a series of robberies this month in the West Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Lawndale and Homan Square neighborhoods on the West Side and Northwest Side. In six robberies this month a group of two to four males wearing ski masks walked up to people, beat them or showed a knife or handgun, robbed them and ran away, Chicago police said. During one of the robberies the victims vehicle was stolen, police said. The robberies occurred: At 4:59 p.m. on Dec. 9 in the 300 block of South Pulaski Road; About 8:45 a.m. on Dec. 8 in the 1000 block of South Sacramento Boulevard; About 9:45 p.m. on Dec. 7 in the 600 block of South Pulaski Road; About 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 6 in the first block of South Pulaski Road; At 1:27 p.m. on Dec. 3 in the 700 block of North Ridgeway Avenue; About 8:50 p.m. on Dec. 1 in the 2700 block of West Roosevelt Road; Anyone with information is asked to contact Area North detectives (312) 744-8263. President Donald Trump tweeted a note of sympathy on Sunday for Rod Blagojevich, the imprisoned former Illinois Governor and one-time "Celebrity Apprentice" contestant. Trump urged his Twitter followers to watch a recent Fox News interview with Blagojevich's wife, Patti, and called the situation "very sad." "Required television watching is last weeks @marthamaccallum interview with the wonderful wife of Rod Blagojevich and the @trish_regan interview with a Jerome Corsi," Trump tweeted. "If that doesnt tell you something about what has been going on in our Country, nothing will. Very sad!" Patii Blagojevich appeared on Fox's "The Story with Martha MacCallum" on Friday to discuss the similarities between the investigation of her husband a decade ago and that of Trump's 2017 inaugural committee spending. "It's a very dirty business, Martha," she said, "when these prosecutors with their unchecked power and no oversight on them at all can go after whatever politician they want. They say those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and all they have to do is look back at what they did to my husband 10 years ago to see what their doing to President Trump right now." This isn't the first time Patti Blagojevich went on Fox to discuss her husband's case. After Trump said in May he was "seriously thinking about" commuting the sentence of Blagojevich, Patti Blagojevich made a public plea for help on the network, which the president has openly said he's likely to watch. "I see that the same people that did this to my family, the same people that secretly taped us and twisted the facts and perverted the law that ended up my husband in jail, these same people are trying to do the same thing they did to my husband, just on a much larger scale, she said. You know they were emboldened---they took down a governor and now theyve got their sights much higher." On Thursday, an op-ed from Blagojevich titled "Trickery and deceit as legal tools" appeared in The Washington Times. "For too long, the Department of Justice and the FBI have pursued high profile investigations with virtually unlimited power," he wrote. "They often intimidate and humiliate subjects and terrorize their family, friends and associates." The sentencing of the imprisoned governor, who spent the last seven years at a federal penetentiary in suburban Denver, has long been a controversial subject among politicians across the country, with many, including Trump, arguing that it was too long. Trump had previously said he believed Blagojevich's sentence on political corruption charges was "really unfair." Blagojevich didn't make Trump's list of June actions, including a pardon for Tennessee grandmother Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving a life sentence for drug offenses and backed by reality TV star Kim Kardashian West. Sunday's tweet opened another window of hope. The United States Supreme Court announced earlier this year it would not hear Blagojevich's appeal. The former governor is in his 7th year of a 14-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in suburban Denver. It was a devastating blow to Blagojevich, his family, and legal team, who had hoped they would get good news when the court released its order list. Instead, the Blagojevich case merely appeared on the list under the caption Certiorari denied, meaning the court would not consider the case. The President is familiar with Blagojevich, who he famously fired on Celebrity Apprentice in 2010. Even though he dismissed the former Illinois governor midway through that season, Trump declared that his famous contestant had great courage." About President Trump Ill say this---hes been nothing but personally kind to me, Blagojevich told NBC 5 in an exclusive interview last September, recalling that Trump went out of his way to be kind to his daughters. He knew these two little girls were going through a very difficult time based on the things being said about their father, and he took a moment to say kind things to them, to encourage them about their father. Ill never forget that kindness, and Ill always appreciate it, he said. Hes our president now and I hope he succeeds. A customer can buy almonds, coffee and oatmeal labeled with the distinctive red Trader Joe's font so why not booze? Sure enough, in recent months, Trader Joe's spirits have hit Chicago shelves after being available for years in other states. The notoriously tight-lipped company known for marketing name-brand products under its own label would not discuss its line of spirits. Advertisement But that's OK it leaves us merely to discuss the merits of what lies inside the bottles. As with most every product on a Trader Joe's shelf, the spirits are not about greatness; their appeal lies in value for the cost. And, also as with everything else at Trader Joe's, the answers vary. Some of the booze is quite admirable, and some is not. Here is what our team of tasters found from the spirits we found at one downtown Chicago store (from most recommendable to least). All bottles were 750 milliliters, except where noted. Advertisement Rear Admiral Joseph's Original London Dry Gin. An admirable and faithful rendition of the London dry style. If you don't want to break the bank on your post-work gin and tonic, say hello to Rear Admiral Joe for a mere $9.99. Jail House Gin. A simple, bright and clean American-style gin with nice fruit and herbal notes, but a bit cucumber heavy. Still, a more-than-solid cocktail ingredient for $17.99. Pisco of the Gods. Floral, perfumey, smoky and clean, this too would hold up in a cocktail. The screw-top bottle corked with a plastic stopper seemed odd, but at $18.99 this is about $5 cheaper than most other piscos. If curious to experiment with this increasingly-popular South American spirit, the TJ's version could be a good start. Vodka of the Gods. Available in a 1.75-liter plastic bottle with a plastic flow control in the mouth, this is clearly meant for quick, easy and frequent consumption (as in parties). Clean enough and less burning than the cheapest of vodkas, this is a solidly middle-tier option, but at $14.99, it's cheaper than, say, Smirnoff. Blended Scotch Whiskey. Relatively clean, a bit sweet and a solid buy for $10.99. Perfect for the college student trying to get classy on a budget. But short of the price, there's little reason to drink this. Single malt. A bit thin and a bit sweet, but relatively clean and ultimately not a bad single malt. However, at $23.99, it is barely on the edge of recommendable, and I'd rather spent $5 or $10 more for a much better whiskey. Reposado Distinqt Tequila. As if the spelling of "distinct" didn't indicate trouble, there was the bottle's ill-fitting label and this tequila's strangely-light, green-yellow shade. Though Distinqt offered a smooth, buttery nose, the flavor fell flat, especially for $21.99 thin, watery and no complexity. Certainly not worth drinking straight, but a reasonable margarita ingredient. Again, the better bet is spending $10 more on something better. Rum of the Gods. No body. No flavor. Tepid sweetness. Only a decent buy for $8.99 if it's getting lost in a lot of Coke. Advertisement jbnoel@tribune.com People filled a square in the French city of Strasbourg on Sunday to show respect and sympathy for the victims of last week's shooting attack near a famous Christmas market as the death toll rose to five. French authorities said a Polish man died in a Strasbourg hospital Sunday, one of a dozen people wounded in last Tuesday's attack. Poland's Foreign Ministry extended condolences Sunday on Twitter to his family. According to the newspaper DNA, more than 1,000 people attended the memorial, which ended with a minute of applause and a rendition of France's national anthem, "La Marseillaise." The hour-long ceremony took place in Kleber Square, not far from where a gunman opened fire on Tuesday evening. Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries praised the city's resilience in the face of hardship. The "extremely large crowd in the Christmas market" on Saturday "was an illustration of our commitment to these values ??on which our living together is based, which we will continue to defend against all those who want to attack it," Ries said. An extensive manhunt for the gunman ended Thursday night when the main suspect, Strasbourg-born Cherif Chekatt, 29, was killed in a shootout with police in the city neighborhood where he grew up. The attack remains under investigation. The Paris prosecutor's office said two people who were close Chekatt were released from custody Sunday "in the absence of incriminating elements at this stage." Only one of the seven people authorities detained while searching for Chekatt was still being held. Chekatt's parents and two of his brothers, who were held for questioning for several days, were released Saturday. The attack victims came from multiple countries: One of the dead was a tourist from Thailand. Another was an Italian journalist covering the European Parliament based in Strasbourg. The latest to die from his injuries was a Pole named Barto Orent-Niedzielski, according to the Strasbourg regional administration, or prefecture. Polish news agency PAP identified him as a 36-year-old originally from Katowice, Poland. His brother Jakub had been posting updates on his condition on Facebook since the attack, and suggested Saturday that the family was considering when to end Orent-Niedzielski's life support. Then Sunday, Jakub shared the following note: "My brother Bartek Orent-Niedzielski has just left us. He thanks you for your love and the strength you brought him. He will always be there, watching over us, and will continue to bring us his joy. Thanks to everyone." In response, online condolences poured in. The Connecticut Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on whether homeowners' insurance policies should cover repairs to thousands of homes with crumbling foundations caused by defective concrete. Justices will hear arguments in three cases Tuesday. An estimated 35,000 homes in Connecticut and Massachusetts are affected by disintegrating concrete containing pyrrhotite, an iron sulfide that reacts naturally with oxygen and water. Replacing a foundation can cost $100,000 to $200,000. In one of many lawsuits against insurers for failing to cover the damage, a federal judge earlier this year asked the state high court to better define the word "collapse." Insurers argue that policies only cover fixing foundations if homes collapse. Homeowners argue that under a 1987 state Supreme Court ruling, "collapse" also can mean impairment in structural integrity. The state is working to recruit lifeguards for the summer and will be offering free lifeguard classes for people interested in working for the Connecticut state park system. To recruit lifeguards for the eight Connecticut State Park guarded beaches, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will offer American Red Cross Lifeguarding classes at no cost. Participants must successfully complete prerequisites and attend all days of the class to complete the certification, which can only be used to work as a lifeguard at Connecticut state parks. While summer is months away, the process to finding and training lifeguards to protect our beach visitors is well underway. These classes are designed to train people interested in working as a lifeguard at one of our State Park beaches, and who may not be in a position to pay for the certification themselves, DEEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Whalen said in a statement. We hope this new approach will assist our recruiting efforts to have full lifeguard squads at each of our lifeguarded beaches. DEEP is offering a Lifeguarding with Waterfront Module class for people who have no current certification and a Lifeguarding with Waterfront Module Review class for guards who already have a certification that will expire before next summer. You must be at least 16 by May 25 to be a lifeguard or 18 to be a lifeguard supervisor. Hours of work for lifeguards are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days per week and weekends and holidays are mandatory. Following are the training schedules: Lifeguarding with Waterfront Module Review Class: Thursday, Dec. 27, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec, 29, from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Lifeguarding with Waterfront Module Class: Thursday, Dec. 27, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 30 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The training location is at Woodrow Wilson Middle School at 1 Wilderman's Way in Middletown. To register, contact Sarah Battistini at sarah.battistini@ct.gov or call 860-418-5958. Lifeguards cover eight of the state parks beaches and you can apply online here: A Connecticut school district will receive nearly $600,000 in state funding to help cover the cost of taking in Puerto Rican students displaced by Hurricane Maria and other storms. Hartford Public Schools spokesperson John Fergus confirmed the district will receive $597,696 as part of the state's Education Cost Sharing program along, on top of $2.2 million in federal aid. Hartford served around 400 displaced students last year. There are 258 displaced students currently in the district. Fergus said those relief funds will help support students, but they don't fully cover the amount spent by the district. The district spent $3.1 million to help the displaced students, Fergus said. A teenager is facing an attempted murder charge after a stabbing in Enfield Saturday afternoon. According to police, the teenage victim is in critical condition at an area hospital, but is expected to survive his injuries. The officers responded to a 911 call around 3 p.m. When they arrived to the victim's home on Robbin Road, they found him suffering from stab wounds. Police said officers administered medical aid to the 18-year-old before he was transported off scene. Police were able to make a quick arrest with help from a witness. They took 19-year-old Jason Passalacqua into custody. "Witness called us and gave a description and he was seen a few houses down the street, where officers were able to engage him and he went without any issues," said Enfield Police Lt. Willie Pedemonti. Investigators from the State Police Major Crimes Squad waited on deck several hours for a signed search warrant to enter the crime scene. Police cars and the Connecticut State Police trailer blocked much of Robbin Road as they collected evidence between where the stabbing and arrest took place. Police said Passalacqua and the victim knew each other. "Not exactly sure what took place, but the suspect ultimately ended up stabbing the victim multiple times," Lt. Pedemonti added. Passalacqua is being held on $500,000 bond on charges including attempted murder, assault and possession of a dangerous weapon. A dog that got loose on a Connecticut highway is back with her family thanks to a state police trooper and some good Samaritans. A dog that got loose on Interstate 95 in Westport is back with her family thanks to a state police trooper and some good Samaritans. Connecticut State Police said in a Facebook post that "things got a little `hairy"' when the dog named Maggie got loose on I-95 Sunday morning. Police said Troop G Trooper Mike Grabowski and others who stopped to help rescued the dog after a "brief but terrifying chase on the highway." Police said the dog is now safe at home with her "human family." The Philippines' Catriona Gray was named Miss Universe 2018 in a competition concluding Monday in Bangkok, besting contestants from 93 other countries and delighting her home nation. Gray wore a sparkling red dress she said was inspired by a volcano in the Philippines as she was handed the crown to the delight of a roaring crowd that generally favored Southeast Asian contestants. The 24-year-old singer and model said she wore red because "when I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress." She said her mom cried when they saw each other after she won the competition, the 67th Miss Universe pageant. Gray edged out first runner-up Tamaryn Green of South Africa and third-place Sthefany Gutierrez of Venezuela. She succeeds Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa. In the Philippines, pageants are a popular attraction, and Gray's countrymen watching the televised contest cheered wildly and jumped for joy when she was declared the winner. Celebrations were especially buoyant in Oas town in the northeastern province of Albay, from which Gray's Filipina mother hails. According to Gray, her gown's design, with its lava color and appearance, was influenced by Albay's iconic Mayon Volcano. Gray's father is Australian, and she was born and grew up in Cairns, Australia. She studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the United States. The office of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was quick to congratulate the winner. Gray is the fourth Filipina to be named Miss Universe. "Ms. Gray truly made the entire Philippines proud when she sashayed on the global stage and showcased the genuine qualities defining a Filipina beauty: confidence, grace, intelligence and strength in the face of tough challenges," he said in a statement from the presidential palace. "In her success, Miss Philippines has shown to the world that women in our country have the ability to turn dreams into reality through passion, diligence, determination and hard work." An early round of questioning touched on the issue of drugs, a controversial issue in the Philippines where Duterte's aggressive 'war on drugs' has taken thousands of lives, many in what critics charge were extrajudicial executions. Duterte raised even more controversy when he recently joked that he smoked marijuana to deal with his busy schedule of meetings with other Asian leaders at a regional summit. Asked what she thought about legalizing marijuana, Gray said: "I'm for it being used for medical use, but not so for recreational use. Because I think if people will argue, then what about alcohol and cigarettes? Everything is good but in moderation." This year's Miss Universe competition included the first-ever transgender contestant, Angela Ponce of Spain. She said in a video presentation that it was not important for her to win but was more important for her "to be here." One of the few controversies of this year's contest involved Miss United States, Sarah Rose Summers, seeming to mock contestants from Cambodia and Vietnam over their English language skills. Summers apologized. The finale was again hosted by Steve Harvey who infamously announced the wrong winner in the 2015 contest. Harvey joked briefly about the incident in exchanges with contestants and said: "You all can't let that go" and "I'm still here." The theme of this year's pageant was "Empowered Women" and was judged by seven women including former pageant winners, businesswomen and a fashion designer. Associated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report. A California woman suffered serious injuries and had to be airlifted to a hospital after she was attacked and mauled by three dogs in the unincorporated Riverside County area of Anza Saturday. The attack was reported just after 9:40 a.m. in the 55000 block of Mitchell Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. A responding officer for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services described the victim's injuries as "severe,'' according John Welsh, a spokesman for the department. "All three [dogs] were pit bulls or pit bull mixes and there is a known owner,'' Welsh said. The woman was attacked on her own property while she was believed to be hanging laundry, according to Welsh. The dogs involved in the attack were impounded at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus and animal services was seeking a permit to euthanize them, he said. The owner of the dog was believed to have a felony warrant and was arrested by sheriff's deputies after the incident, Welsh said. The name or age of the victim was not disclosed, and her condition was unknown. "It's imperative that owners of these types of dogs do everything in their power to prevent such horrific attacks," Animal Services Director Robert Miller said. Two business associates of Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, were charged Monday with illegally lobbying for Turkey as part of a campaign to pressure the United States to expel a Turkish cleric. Bijan Kian and Ekim Alptekin are accused in an indictment of conspiring to "covertly and unlawfully" influence U.S. public opinion and politicians, all while concealing that the Turkish government was directing their work. The campaign came during the final months of the 2016 presidential campaign while Flynn was a top surrogate for Trump's campaign. The case sheds further light on how Flynn and those around him worked to benefit a foreign country in the months before he became one of America's top national security officials. The goal of the work was to get the United States to expel Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen from the country. Gulen, who holds a U.S. green card and lives in rural Pennsylvania, is a rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has accused the cleric of directing a failed coup and who wanted the U.S. to extradite him back to Turkey. Gulen has denied any involvement in the coup. Though Flynn and his company feature prominently in the latest indictment, he is not charged with any new crimes. A retired three-star U.S. Army general, Flynn is to be sentenced Tuesday in a separate case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying about his Russian contacts. As part of his cooperation in that probe, he has provided prosecutors with voluminous records from his business, Flynn Intel Group, which carried out the lobbying work. Flynn and Kian were co-founders of the firm. On Monday, Kian, a former Trump transition official whose full name is Bijan Rafiekian, made a brief appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. He has an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday. His lawyer, Robert Trout, declined to comment. Alptekin, a dual Turkish-Dutch citizen living in Istanbul whose full name is Kamil Ekim Alpetekin, remains at large. He has previously denied any wrongdoing and said he directed the lobbying on his own. "Ekim maintains that the government of Turkey was not a participant in any of the work that he did with the Flynn Intel Group. He has not changed his story, and he does not plan to," said Molly Toomey, a spokeswoman for Alptekin. Both men are charged with conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Alptekin is also charged with lying during an interview with the FBI. The indictment brought by federal prosecutors in Virginia accuses the two men of using Alptekin's company as a cutout to disguise the Turkish government's involvement. Prosecutors say that Turkish officials approved the budget for the $600,000 lobbying contract and received regular progress reports. The indictment does not say Turkey's government directly funded the effort, but it raises questions about an unusual payment arrangement revealed last year. According to the indictment, Alptekin paid Flynn's firm through wire transfers from a Turkish bank account in his name. But prosecutors say he also received portions of the money as "kickbacks" arranged by Kian. Flynn's company was ultimately paid $530,000. Alptekin has said the payments were refunds for unfulfilled work. The indictment also provides the backstory behind a Nov. 8, 2016, op-ed Flynn published in The Hill newspaper titled "Our Ally Turkey Is in Crisis and Needs Our Support," which compares Gulen to Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini. The indictment notes that Flynn's column uses identical or very similar language to that prepared by Kian in a draft op-ed. "We all remember another quiet, bearded elder cleric who sat under an apple tree ... in the suburbs of Paris in 1978," Flynn wrote in the op-ed, mimicking language provided to him by Kian. "He claimed to be a man of God who wanted to be a dictator." Several days before the column was published, Kian crowed to Alptekin in an email about the advantageous timing of the pending op-ed piece coinciding with Election Day. "The arrow has left the bow!" Alptekin, who had complained a week earlier that the Flynn Group had not done enough work to honor the contract, responded that Kian's op-ed was "right on target." But by the end of November that year, the op-ed caught the Justice Department's attention, and that scrutiny ultimately led to Monday's indictment. Day reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report. A white Republican U.S. senator from Mississippi said during a debate with her African-American Democratic opponent Tuesday night that she apologizes to people who were offended when she complimented a supporter by saying she would attend a "public hanging" if the supporter invited her. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's remark was caught on video that was released last week. It has brought widespread criticism both inside and outside Mississippi, a state with a history of racially motivated lynchings. "For anyone that was offended by my comments, I certainly apologize. There was no ill will, no intent whatsoever in my statement," Hyde-Smith said Tuesday during a televised debate with Democrat Mike Espy. The apology was a new approach for Hyde-Smith, who repeatedly refused to answer questions about the hanging comment at a news conference Nov. 12, the day after the publisher of a liberal-leaning news site posted the video on Facebook and Twitter. The clip shows Hyde-Smith praising a cattle rancher at a Nov. 2 campaign event in Tupelo by saying: "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row." Shortly after the video's release, she said in a statement that the expression was an "exaggerated expression of regard" and said it is "ridiculous" to read any negative connotation into it. "There has never been anything, not one thing, in my background to ever indicate I had ill will toward anyone," Hyde-Smith, a former state agriculture commissioner, said Tuesday night. "I've never been hurtful to anyone. I've always tried to help everyone. I also recognize that this comment was twisted and it was turned into a weapon to be used against me, a political weapon used for nothing but personal and political gain by my opponent. That's the type of politics Mississippians are sick and tired of." Espy responded during the debate: "No one's twisted your comments because your comments were live, you know, it came out of your mouth. I don't know what's in your heart but I know what came out of your mouth. It went viral in the first three minutes around the world. And so it's caused our state harm. It's given our state another black eye that we don't need. It's just rejuvenated those stereotypes that we don't need anymore." Hyde-Smith is the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress. Espy is a former congressman and U.S. agriculture secretary, is seeking to become the state's first African-American senator since Reconstruction. During the debate, Hyde-Smith questioned a $750,000 lobbying contract Espy had in 2011 with the Cocoa and Coffee Board of the Ivory Coast. She noted that the country's ex-president, Laurent Gbagbo, is being tried in the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, including, Hyde-Smith said, "murder, rape and unspeakable things against young girls." "I don't know how many Mississippians can really relate to an income that can command a $750,000 check from one person for a lobbying job," said Hyde-Smith, who is a cattle rancher. Espy, who is an attorney, said: "I found out later that this guy, the president, was a really bad guy. I resigned the contract." Federal registration papers show Espy terminated the contract two weeks before its scheduled end. Hours before Tuesday's debate, President Donald Trump defended Hyde-Smith's "public hanging" remark, saying at the White House that she loves the people of Mississippi and the U.S. "It was just sort of said in jest," Trump said. "She's a tremendous woman and it's a shame that she has to go through this." Walmart asked Hyde-Smith to return a $2,000 campaign contribution because of the hanging remark. Walmart spokeswoman LeMia Jenkins said Tuesday that the company donated to Hyde-Smith Nov. 8, three days before the release of the video with the "public hanging" remark. "Sen. Hyde-Smith's recent comments clearly do not reflect the values of our company and associates," Jenkins said in a statement. "As a result, we are withdrawing our support and requesting a refund of all campaign donations." Hyde-Smith's campaign did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about whether it would refund Walmart's contribution. Senate races rarely gain national attention in Mississippi, a deeply conservative state. But this matchup the last major race of the 2018 midterms has drawn scrutiny after Hyde-Smith's remarks. Trump is traveling to Mississippi for two Hyde-Smith rallies Monday on the eve of the election. Former Vice President Joe Biden has endorsed Espy. Hyde-Smith was appointed to the Senate to temporarily succeed longtime Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired in April amid health concerns. She is the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress. Hyde-Smith and Espy each received about 41 percent of the vote when four candidates were on the ballot Nov. 6. If she wins the Nov. 27 runoff, Hyde-Smith would give Republicans a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed. Violet. The mere mention of this delicate flower triggers a sensory overload: that violently beautiful hue of purple; the powerful, nostalgia-laced aroma of feminine perfumes and spring blooms; the sticky-sweet, chalky taste left on the tongue after sucking on a Choward's Violet Mint. It's easy to see why distillers once rushed to bottle the essence of the stuff and sell it as an elixir, and cocktail pioneers followed suit with experimentation. Among the results with the most longevity were the Aviation and its cousin the Blue Moon, both of which, thanks to the current classic-cocktail renaissance, are making comebacks. Until recently, though, the lavender liquids that defined these drinks were virtually impossible to find in the States. Even five years ago, one might have had to fix an Aviation (gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur) sans its crucial final ingredient, creme de violette or Creme Yvette the absence of which, of course, completely changes the flavor. Accept no substitutions: Violets are blooming again. Among the first to pop up was Rothman & Winter's Creme de Violette, which made its way from Austria to the States in 2007 thanks to Eric Seed, sole proprietor of specialty-spirits importer Haus Alpenz. But even Seed had hesitations. "When we were looking at doing the violette, I naturally had questions along the lines of, Isn't this rather singular?'" Seed recalls. "But it's not about what its note is, but what it does when it's in a drink." On the lighter side is G. Miclo's Liqueur de Violette, produced by a generations-old French Alsatian distillery, which has been flying under the radar for years. Unlike Rothman & Winter's sticky-sweet presence, which plays well with others, G. Miclo's violette is arguably more effective alone. Rounding out the trifecta is Creme Yvette, a violet and berry liqueur rereleased on the coasts last fall after a 40-year hiatus and slated for wider distribution by summertime. Yvette is a complicated lady: The 120-year-old recipe, revived by the Cooper Spirits Co. (synonymous with St-Germain elderflower liqueur), is a blend of berries, dried violet petals, orange peel and honey. Think of Yvette as a violet liqueur all dressed up. Whatever your choice, this spring especially, violette abounds. lviera@tribune.com What to Know In January, the college will offer a 30-credit hospitality beverage science associate of science certificate. Daytona State College is brewing up the only program of its kind in Florida: one in which the classroom is a pub, and the froth-filled lessons, a recipe for success. In January, the college will offer a 30-credit hospitality beverage science associate of science certificate, which DSC President Tom LoBasso said was one of just a handful in the nation. While microbreweries were once reserved as the watering holes of beer aficionados, in recent years they've become more mainstream. Growing industry demand fueled the college's decision to offer the program, LoBasso said. "We saw that microbreweries were beginning to pop up in the area," LoBasso said. "Sometimes these programs can serve as a catalyst to help grow that, and being that hospitality is our biggest industry here, I thought maybe we can help create a niche for the hospitality industry." Typically, about 40 percent to 60 percent of a restaurant's profits come from beverage sales, so it makes sense that everyone from servers to management understand the product, said Costa Magoulas, dean of DSC's College of Hospitality and Culinary Management. He estimated that among the area's 40,000 hospitality employees, at least 15,000 could benefit from beverage science training. While DSC has been offering an introduction to craft beer and wine class for the past few years, the new credit certificate expands the college's offerings to 10 classes. Other courses include introduction to craft beer production, wine essentials, beverage operations management, and hospitality purchasing and controls. "We hope this becomes a destination program for aspiring microbrewers and winemakers across the state and maybe even across the county," LoBasso said. There is a thirst for skilled workers in the area, said Peter Szunyogh, owner and head brewer of Tomoka Brewing Co. When he opened his brewery 5 1/2 years ago, it was the only one in town. Since then, there has been "exponential growth" in the industry, he said. Because demand for craft beer has increased beyond a niche market, Szunyogh said he expects the job outlook to be more favorable to those with training. Alan Fawcett, owner and brewer at Daytona Beach Brewing Co., said that since his brewery opened in 2014, demand has increased. "It's absolutely growing. It's still a very small percentage of the overall market," Fawcett said, adding that there were only a handful of brewers in the area. "But if you go to one of the more heavily populated cities in the United States, it can be 5 to 6 times the number that we have here." Fawcett also said that should his brewery continue to grow, he would want someone with a background in the business. "I really think it's a good thing to have here in the local community because we do have a number of breweries and finding people who are passionate about it and want to work in the industry is a really good thing," Fawcett said. "I know that some of the other brewers I've talked to in the area are very excited and interested in seeing what comes out of it." DSC trains tomorrow's brewers in a $1.2 million lab that is half pub, half brewery. In a recent visit to the lab, students weren't making beer, they we're tasting it. Oddly, instructor Jeff Conklin noted, most of the students in this particular class don't like beer. At least not yet. Conklin, assistant chair of DSC's College of Hospitality and Culinary Management, has been brewing beer since the late '80s. He said the advanced training in beverage science would round out DSC's hospitality program. "We have a beverage program at a college, which 10 years ago wouldn't have happened," Conklin said. "I don't think a hospitality program can be complete if it ignores this part of the industry." During class, Conklin offered a brief overview of the beer to be sampled, which included everything from strong, dark ale brewed by Belgian Trappist monks, to a sour, fruit-infused Lambic from a brewery that's been around since 1822. Students noted the beer's color, appearance, flavor, and mouth feel, before assigning it a rating. As future employees of the hospitality industry, students need to refine their palates so they can articulate a drink's characteristics to customers, Conklin said. Some students said the beer was excellent, while one noted how it reminded her of soap. However, the class garnered more favorable reviews. Margaret Blake, a 59-year-old hospitality management major, said it was interesting learning about the different flavors of beer, something she had no knowledge of before the class. "I don't like beer, but I'm enjoying the class," she said. Meri Bandy, a 41-year-old culinary arts major, called the instruction top-notch. "I love it, the chefs, the program itself," Bandy said. "Their program here at Daytona State compared to Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando. It's pretty much the same, and the cost is like a quarter. The culinary program in Brevard County isn't anywhere near here." Colin Kroll, the co-founder of HQ Trivia and Vine, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Sunday, NBC News reported. Police responded to a 911 call for a welfare check at the Spring Street apartment on Sunday, a New York Police Department Spokesman told NBC News. Kroll was 34, police said. Police found Kroll unconscious and unresponsive in a bedroom of the apartment, the spokesman said. He was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. What to Know Colin Kroll, the co-founder of HQ Trivia and Vine, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Twice as many high school students used nicotine-tinged electronic cigarettes this year compared with last year, an unprecedented jump Cardi B is asking the public to not bash Offset, who became the target of internet outrage after he interrupted her set in Los Angeles Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here. Co-Founder of HQ Trivia and Vine Found Dead at 34 Colin Kroll, the co-founder of HQ Trivia and Vine, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment, NBC News reported. Police responded to a 911 call for a welfare check at the Spring Street apartment, an NYPD Spokesman told NBC News. Kroll was 34, police said. Police found Kroll unconscious and unresponsive in a bedroom of the apartment, the spokesman said. He was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. White House Closer to Partial Shutdown With Wall Demand Pushing the government to the brink of a partial shutdown, the White House is insisting that Congress provide $5 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border despite lawmaker resistance from both parties. Without a resolution, parts of the federal government will shut down at midnight Friday. "We're going to do whatever is necessary to build the border wall to stop this ongoing crisis of illegal immigration," White House senior adviser Stephen Miller said. Asked if that meant having a government shutdown, he said: "If it comes to it, absolutely." Trump said last week he would be "proud" to have a shutdown to get Congress to approve a $5 billion down payment to fulfill his campaign promise to build a border wall. But the president doesn't have the votes from the Republican-controlled Congress to support funding for the wall at that level. Most Teen Drug Use Is Down, But Officials Fret Vaping Boom Twice as many high school students used nicotine-tinged electronic cigarettes this year compared with last year, an unprecedented jump in a large annual survey of teen smoking, drinking and drug use. It was the largest single-year increase in the survey's 44-year history, far surpassing a mid-1970s surge in marijuana smoking. The findings echo those of a government survey earlier this year. That survey also found a dramatic rise in vaping among children and prompted federal regulators to press for measures that make it harder for kids to get them. Experts attribute the jump to newer versions of e-cigarettes, like those by Juul Labs Inc. that resemble computer flash drives and can be used discreetly. Offset Interruption of Cardi B's Set at Rolling Loud Draws Outrage Cardi B is asking the public to not bash Offset, who became the target of internet outrage after he interrupted her set at the Rolling Loud Festival in Los Angeles and asked her to get back together with him. Cardi B said in an Instagram video that she wishes people wouldn't bash the father of her daughter. The festival's co-founder Tariq Cherif said in a statement that the festival had nothing to do with Offset's appearance and that headliners and their teams have full control of the stage and who is allowed on it. The couple broke up in early December after little more than a year of marriage. They got married in September 2017 and welcomed a baby girl in July. Philippines Contestant Named Miss Universe The Philippines' Catriona Gray was named Miss Universe 2018 in a competition in Bangkok, besting contestants from 93 other countries and delighting her home country. The 24-year-old Gray wore a sparkling red dress she said is inspired by a volcano in the Philippines as she was handed the crown to the delight of a roaring crowd that generally favored Southeast Asian contestants. She said she wore red because "when I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress." She said her mom cried when they saw each other after she won the competition. Gray edged out first runner-up Tamaryn Green of South Africa and third-place Sthefany Gutierrez of Venezuela. She succeeds Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa. Google will spend more than $1 billion on a major Manhattan real estate expansion, a move that could add more than 7,000 jobs in the next several years. The search giant made the announcement Monday morning in a blog post. The new campus, Google Hudson Square, will be more than 1.7 million square feet and located at 315 and 345 Hudson St. It will be the primary location for its New York-based Global Business Organization. A signed letter of intent was also signed for 550 Washington St. in the West Village. The company hopes to move into the Hudson Street offices by 2020 and the Washington Street building by 2022. Unlike Amazon, which recently announced it would be moving its second headquarters to Long Island City, Queens, and is getting billions of dollars in tax breaks, Google will not be taking incentives from the city. And so far, there is no community outrage or protests. Greg David of Crain's New York Business said the city provides incentives for business that go to boroughs outside Manhattan, and "we tend not to provide incentives for companies that in Manhattan." "We've been working on a moment like this for the last 10 years," said Ellen Baer of the Hudson Square Business Improvement District. "To convert this neighborhood from an industrial printing district into a mixed-use neighborhood where people are creating things and innovating." "I think it will be a great thing because there are a lot of people that are going to work there and have lunch here and enjoy us," said Tania Bottecchia of the Nonna Beppa restaurant nearby. Google put its first office in New York nearly 20 years ago, and already has more than 7,000 employees in the city. Earlier this year, the tech giant announced the $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market and shared plans to lease additional space at Pier 57. Amazon, Google and other tech giants like Facebook are expanding beyond the traditional stomping ground of Silicon Valley, hungry for highly trained engineers and other staff that can support expansion. The Northeast is proving to be a good match, with a strong base of higher education and a concentration of younger, educated workers from Boston to Manhattan. Google, along with Amazon, "will make New York a rival to Silicon Valley as the most important tech center in the country," said Greg David. But it's not just the Northeast. Apple last week announced plans to build a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, that will create at least 5,000 jobs. 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. According to official statistics, tech sector employment in the New York grew by 65 percent to reach an estimated 134,700 from 2010 to 2017. Porat said that the company's most recent investments gives it the ability to more than double the number of Google workers in New York over the next 10 years. Read more here. What to Know The family of a bystander who was shot during a police shootout with a drug suspect in the Bronx two weeks ago is suing the city for $10M The woman, Irene Urena Perez, has had three surgeries since being shot at West 183rd Street and Loring Place NYPD officers fired 27 rounds during the shootout, while the suspect fired three times; Perez's lawyer say cops acted recklessly The family of the innocent bystander who was shot and critically injured during a police shootout with a drug suspect in the Bronx plans to sue the city for $10 million. Irene Urena Perez, 46, remains in the hospital almost two weeks after police officers accidentally shot her, according to her family and attorney. She's had three surgeries to repair her stomach, liver, pacreas and lungs. Perez just moved to New York from Santo Domingo and is now unable to work and support her family. Family attorney Sanford Rubenstein alleges NYPD officers were negligent and acted recklessly when they fired 27 rounds during the shootout. The suspect fired three shots at the officers. Perez had been walking out of work at a day care in a building by West 183rd Street and Loring Place Wednesday evening when she was struck by one of the flying bullets fired by police. Perez's family said they realize the officers were trying to stop a crime, but say innocent bystanders shouldn't have been shot. Rubenstein said Perez, who was leaving her child care job, is now unable to work. One other bystander, a 12-year-old girl, is in stable condition after bullet fragments hit her in the leg, police said. The suspect, 37-year-old Edwin Castillo-Concepcion of the Bronx, was taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds to the neck and foot. He's expected to survive and is facing charges of attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. No police officers were shot during the shootout but they were taken to Jacobi Hospital for observation. People in the neighborhood who knew Irene Perez said she's a "very nice lady, she always says hello." "Twenty-seven shots -- a child was hit," said Rubenstein. "NYPD should not put people at danger." A hoax email targeting Netflix users is a scam designed to get users to turn over personal information to hackers, police are warning. The email looks like a legitimate message from Netflix, and claims the user needs to update their payment details and billing information. Scammers want the user to click on the link embedded in the email, which could potentially install malware on a computer or mobile device. Criminals want you to click the links, so that you voluntarily give your personal identifying information away, police in Ohio wrote in a Facebook post. The emails are headed with the Netflix logo and use a red and white color scheme, making them look authentic. However, there are ways you can detect whether the email is a hoax or a genuine message from Netflix. Scam emails are often riddled with spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. In the email the Ohio Police Department shared, for example, the user is addressed as Dear and Help Center is spelled Help Centre. The officer who shared the scam email also didnt have a Netflix account, the post noted a major tip-off that it was a scam. For more tips on how to identify scam emails, click here. As a first-generation Asian American running for a seat in the Maryland state legislature, Democrat Lily Qi felt disconnected from the party establishment. She had worked for years as Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett's chief administrator overseeing economic and workforce development. But she lacked the political base and union endorsements of some other delegate candidates, and she knew that immigrants like herself were rarely sought out by politicians in Maryland or elected to office. So Qi turned to the large Asian American immigrant community in her district, writing columns about the U.S. party system in local Chinese-language newspapers and discussing her platform on WeChat, a popular messaging app. She picked out Chinese names on voter rolls to make targeted phone calls, arguing that immigrants can't afford to be disengaged from local politics and that in liberal Montgomery, waiting until the general election often means missing the competitive races. Like other Asian American politicians, Qi had to navigate cultural land mines on issues such as affirmative action, efforts to diversify public school magnet programs and protections for undocumented immigrants, all of which have provoked tension in the broader Asian American community. In November, she was elected as one of three delegates representing legislative District 15 in the General Assembly. She will join at least two other Asian immigrants and 10 other Asian Americans in Annapolis, said state Sen. Susan Lee (D-Montgomery), who chairs the Legislative Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus. Qi says she worked to energize a group of historically nonpartisan immigrant voters, many of whom, like her, grew up in Communist China and were reluctant to engage in local politics. "Democracy is the best system," the 55-year-old said inside her North Potomac basement, which served as her campaign headquarters. "But it favors those who participate." Qi began her career with the county government as Leggett's liaison to the Asian American community. She knew that about a third of Montgomery's residents are foreign-born and 16 percent are Asian. In addition to microtargeting Chinese Americans, Qi persuaded leaders of the Korean- and Vietnamese-American communities to spread her message, registered people to vote at community events and arranged tea times to meet individually with prospective voters. University of Maryland professor Janelle Wong, who has studied Asian American political engagement, followed Qi's campaign, impressed that she drew hundreds of people to conversations on WeChat. She said Qi, who raised nearly $150,000, did what many candidates don't do: contact not-registered and avowedly nonpartisan voters directly with an appeal to change their behavior. "She is able to communicate across multiple platforms," Wong said. "It gave her some entree and appeal that few campaigns get ... when targeting a non-English (speaking) population." State Del. David Moon (D-District 20), whose parents are immigrants from Korea, said he has always focused on voters of all ethnicities, believing that the diversity of the Asian American population makes microtargeting difficult. "We don't have a common Asian language the way Hispanics do," Moon said. "Everything breaks down to a specific country." It's also expensive to try to engage voters who may not show up in the numbers needed to win highly competitive primary races, said state Senator-elect Clarence Lam (D-Howard). "Candidates do outreach to the community because it's the right thing to do. But we don't have the resources to educate and register to vote," said Lam, whose parents immigrated from Taiwan and Hong Kong. "They just don't vote in the elections that matter." Qi, a past chapter president of a Chinese American civil rights organization, understood the reluctance of some to choose a political party. She took out newspaper ads touting the importance of voting, trying to persuade people such as Paul Li, a Rockville business owner, that politicians would ignore them if their voices were not heard at the ballot box. "Parties have a negative connotation in Chinese American culture. We are very skeptical of dogmatic ideologies on either side," said Li, who at Qi's urging changed his registration from unaffiliated to Democratic and voted for her in the June primary. "We cannot mind our own business anymore," Li said. "We don't want to be viewed as foreigners. We are Americans." Republican Cheng Tu disagreed with Qi on certain immigration-related issues but said he identified with her background, pro-business platform and moderate approach to solving problems. He switched to the Democratic Party to vote for her in the primary, when she placed second out of nine candidates (the top three finishers easily defeated their Republican rivals in November). Then he promptly switched back. "I care more about the person and the viewpoint than the party," said Tu, who wrote a piece in the local Chinese business journal explaining his decision. Some Asian immigrants were wary of Qi because they saw the Democratic Party as pushing racial parity in school programs for the gifted, which they believed would place high-achieving Asian American children at a disadvantage. Some also opposed Democratic efforts to guarantee sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, a controversial political issue that may be one reason many Asian Americans in Maryland support Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Qi said she supports diversifying schools but thinks the way to improve student outcomes is to improve all schools, not rely solely on gifted programs. When it comes to sanctuary policies, Qi said she agrees that local resources should not be used to enforce federal law. But she said that shouldn't prevent local law enforcement from referring violent criminals to immigration enforcement. "I don't believe Maryland needs sanctuary community designation," Qi said. "If our goal is a safe and welcoming community, then we already have that." Ting Mei Chau is another person Qi convinced. She emigrated from China as an adult and became active in the PTA at her children's school out of concern about racial balancing in gifted and talented programs. "For Asians, education is very important, and we believe personal effort and work ethic puts you more in advanced classes," the North Potomac mother said. "Of course, we didn't understand institutional discrimination. We never thought about that before. We don't really talk about the other factors that can impact achievement." After meeting with Qi one-on-one, Chau said she saw a candidate who cares about the community. Then she wrote her a campaign check. Once in Annapolis, Qi said she wants to see Montgomery and the state become more competitive about attracting biotech entrepreneurs and fostering that industry's growth. She supports a $15 statewide minimum wage, which she says would give businesses predictability. Her experience as a candidate has inspired Qi to push for legislation to open up primaries to independent voters and give new registrants better information about the party system. "I want to make sure I bring a voice of reason and a unique perspective to the legislative body, so certain communities' voices are also part of the thinking process," she said. A former sheriffs captain who was originally charged with distributing child pornography has pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, receiving no jail time in turn. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports 40-year-old Donny Lewis Dixon entered in a written agreement Wednesday to be convicted on the misdemeanor charge. Dixon resigned as captain at the Chesterfield County jail following his arrest, the newspaper reports. He was arrested in June after investigators executed a search warrant. But defense attorney Peter Baruch says there was no document or image showing his client possessed anything illegal on his computer. Baruch says the legal teams avoided a trial by agreeing to something that didnt involve sex offender registration. Dixons 12-month jail sentence has been suspended, providing he complete therapy and treatment, and avoid unsupervised contact with unrelated minors. UPDATE: Police say Ronica Crevecoeur has been found safe. A 22-year-old woman from Fairfax County, Virginia, went missing and was considered endangered, police say. Ronica Crevecoeur was last seen Sunday in the 8200 block of Franklin Drive in Lorton, Fairfax County police said on Twitter. She was considered endangered due to mental and physical health issues, police said. A man was arrested at the University of Maryland campus in Baltimore County after sexually soliciting minors through Snapchat, according to police. James Tyler Patterson, 21, of Adamstown, faces charges including child pornography solicitation, the Frederick County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. The arrest results from an investigation that began in August, when the department was notified about a man sexually soliciting minors through the popular mobile app, police said. Sheriff's officials said they were able to identify Patterson as the suspect through search warrants, court order subpoenas and assistance from the FBI. Patterson was detained without incident on Friday, police said. The Sheriffs Office said he confessed during an interview, and was later taken to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center. "These are women who have to be unbelievably strong because they're ruling at a time when many people considered the idea of a female monarch to be against nature and against God, says director Josie Rourke. So what you see is two women being driven to extremes in order to try to keep hold of their power as it's under tremendous threat. The key thing is actually to get to the humanity of these choices they were making." Abraham Lincoln's likeness can be seen glowing from the end of the National Mall every night in Washington, D.C. but Sunday night his giant statue sat in darkness. Pepco says a power outage left the Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge, D.C. War Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial in the dark Sunday night. By about 10:30 p.m., the Lincoln Memorial was back to its fully-lit glory as well as the other areas affected by the outage. Street lights on Independence Avenue and Rock Creek Parkway were also out. Pepco said earlier it had narrowed down the cause of the outage to a faulty underground cable and crews were working to replace it. Navy officials are taking steps to correct deficiencies that wrongly led to reports of an active shooter last month at Walter Reed National Medical Center outside Washington, two congressmen briefed by Navy officials said Friday. Reps. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and Jamie Raskin of Maryland released a joint statement after their meeting with Navy officials this week. "After a lengthy discussion, we are satisfied that Naval officials share our concerns and are taking proactive steps to correct deficiencies identified during this event," Ruppersberger and Raskin said. Messages stating "Exercise Active Shooter" and "Exercise Suspicious Package" were inadvertently sent to nearly 4,000 people on Nov. 27 over an emergency alert system that sends voice call, text and email notifications, the officials said. That led to an 80-minute active shooter lockdown. It happened after a service member who hadn't been properly trained to use the system intended the messages to go to only a small group in preparation for a future drill. About 15 minutes after the alert was sent, a clerk in the oncology unit reported getting several automated telephone messages stating "active shooter," according to the congressmen. The clerk reported not hearing the words "exercise" or "drill," and that set in motion pre-planned responses for an active shooter event. Ruppersberger and Raskin said Naval officials are reevaluating who can authorize users of the alert system and who can release messages over the system. They also are updating training requirements and establishing new controls to prevent a test from triggering an actual response. Officials also are training and recertifying alert system users on new procedures. The emergency management plan for the Naval Support Activity Bethesda campus is being updated, the congressmen added. Furthermore, officials are developing means to provide first responders with keys, access cards and blueprints for all installation buildings. Walter Reed is the nation's largest military hospital and, according to its website, is among the first stops in the continental U.S. for troops wounded in combat. Saudi Arabia issued an unusually strong rebuke of the U.S. Senate on Monday, rejecting a bipartisan resolution that put the blame for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi squarely on the Saudi crown prince and describing it as interference in the kingdom's affairs. It's the latest sign of how the relationship between the royal court and Congress has deteriorated, more than two months after Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. The assassins have been linked to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. U.S. Senators last Thursday passed the measure that blamed the prince for Khashoggi's killing and called on Riyadh to "ensure appropriate accountability." Senators also passed a separate measure calling for the end of U.S. aid to the Saudi-led war in Yemen. In a lengthy statement early Monday, Saudi Arabia said the Senate's resolution "contained blatant interferences" in the kingdom's internal affairs and undermines its regional and international role. The resolution was based on "unsubstantiated claims and allegations," the statement also said. "The kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership ... and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature," it said. Such language is usually reserved for those who criticize the kingdom's human rights record, such as Sweden in 2015 after the public flogging of a blogger, and Canada this year over the arrests of women's rights activists. But the statement was also tempered in saying the kingdom "reaffirms" its commitment to relations with the United States and describing the Senate as "an esteemed legislative body of an allied and friendly government." President Donald Trump has been reluctant to condemn the crown prince, despite U.S. intelligence officials concluding that Prince Mohammed must have at least had knowledge of the plot. Trump instead has touted Saudi arms deals worth billions of dollars and has thanked the Saudis for lower oil prices. Saudi Arabia denies Prince Mohammed was involved in the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who wrote critically of the crown prince. Under intense international pressure, the kingdom recently acknowledged that the plot was masterminded by top Saudi agents close to Prince Mohammed. After shifting accounts about what happened to Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia said its investigations concluded that the crown prince's aides had plotted to bring Khashoggi by force back to Saudi Arabia and that the agents on the ground exceeded their authority and killed him. The Saudi statement said the Senate's position will not affect the kingdom's "leading role in the region," its role in supporting the stability of international energy markets, its counterterrorism cooperation and its stand with the U.S. in confronting Iran. It "sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-U.S. relationship," the statement added. What to Know A man and a woman were stabbed multiple times in their home Monday morning in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The victims suffered wounds to their head, neck and face, according to police. The suspect, 27-year-old Andrew Soto, was staying at the victims' home after he flew in on Sunday from Florida. Police say a Florida man stabbed his mother and her husband a total of 18 times in their Massachusetts home. Andrew Soto-Bonnett, 27, of Leesburg, Florida, was arrested at the scene of the double stabbing and charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and one count of mayhem, according to police. Authorities say they responded to multiple calls at approximately 5:30 a.m. regarding the stabbing at 29 Yoke Road. At the scene, arriving officers discovered a 46-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man suffering from knife wounds, according to Bridgewater Police Department Capt. Thomas Schlatz. The woman was stabbed a dozen times in her head, neck and face, police said. The man was stabbed six times in his upper body and torso. The victims, who are husband and wife, were rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, police said. Their names have not been released. "It's so sad. It's so sad," neighbor Diane Karo said. Karo was getting ready for work when she noticed flashing lights on Yoke Road. "I was extremely surprised," she said. "I just thought someone was hurt." "It's extremely nerve-wracking," neighbor Heather Finni added. "It's not something you expect to happen, you know, in a neighborhood like this." Police said Soto-Bonnett flew into Providence from Florida on Sunday night and was staying at home of his mother and her husband. Soto-Bonnett's mom woke up for work around 5:20 a.m. when Soto-Bonnett called out to her from the hallway, according to officials. Soto-Bonnett then allegedly stabbed her multiple times with a knife taken from the kitchen of the home. Her husband was also stabbed when he attempted to intervene, according to Schlatz. The woman ran to a neighbor's house and called 911. Officers arrested Soto-Bonnett at the scene without incident and took him to an area hospital for evaluation. "This is extreme," Finni said. "I've never seen anything like this." Soto-Bonnett told police he was schizophrenic but that he takes his medication. Soto-Bonnett was arraigned in Brockton District Court on Monday. He was held without bail and is being sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental health evaluation. He is due back in court Jan. 4. Palmer police say they seized heroin, cocaine and cash following an investigation in Thorndike, Massachusetts on Saturday. According to officials, an officer on patrol on Church Street in Thorndike observed suspicious activity by the Junction Variety Store Saturday at 7 p.m. The officer investigated and found 200 bags of heroin, 1.1 grams of crack cocaine and $2,257 in cash. Officers placed three adults, one from Chicopee and two from Holyoke, under arrest. They are charged with possession of class A and class B drugs with intent to distribute, police said. The identities of the suspects have not been released. It is unclear whether they have attorneys. A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking operation. U.S. Attorney Stephen Dambruch of Rhode Island says 51-year-old Juan Valdez, of Milton, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for leading a drug trafficking operation that repeatedly imported multiple kilograms of heroin and cocaine from Mexico, which was distributed to drug dealers in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Prosecutors say Valdez, and his brothers, 46-year-old Claudio Valdez and 45-year-old Hector Valdez, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, organized and directed the drug trafficking operation. They say Valdez was the direct point of contact with the main drug supplier in the Dominican Republic and largely controlled the organization's finances. Claudio Valdez was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison. Hector Valdez will be sentenced Jan. 18. A 39-year-old man was killed following a fiery crash overnight in New Hampshire, according to state police. Shortly after 2 a.m., Justyn Tyndaal of Rochester, New Hampshire, was traveling northbound on the Spaulding Turnpike/Route 16 in Dover when he lost control of his vehicle. Tyndaal struck a concrete barrier when he tried to travel through an EZ Pass lane at the Dover toll plaza, officials said. His vehicle stopped at the toll plaza when it became engulfed in flames. First responders extricated Tyndaal from the car and rushed him to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, where he died. Three northbound lanes at the toll plaza were shut down for about two hours while state troopers investigated the scene. The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information on the fatal crash is encouraged to contact Trooper Eric Call at 603-223-8490 or eric.call@dos.nh.gov. President Donald Trump is facing escalating criminal investigations in Washington and New York that are examining not only whether his campaign coordinated with the Kremlin but also whether he illegally bought the silence of two women who say they had sex with him. A look at the nearly three dozen people charged by special counsel Robert Mueller and unanswered questions about what may lie ahead for the president labeled "Individual-1" in court papers and his administration: WHAT'S THE LATEST? President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, says he bought the silence of two women because Trump was "very concerned" about how their stories of alleged affairs with him "would affect the election." Cohen told ABC News he's angry with himself for the deals and that he "gave loyalty to someone who, truthfully, does not deserve loyalty." Cohen was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to several charges, including campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. Federal prosecutors in the case connected Trump to a federal crime, accusing him of orchestrating the hush-money payments during the campaign. Prosecutors have said Trump directed Cohen to arrange the payments to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal in the run-up to the 2016 campaign. Trump has denied he directed Cohen to break the law. A source told NBC News Thursday that Trump was in the room in August 2015 when Cohen discussed with the publisher of the National Enquirer could help counter negative stories about Trump's relationships with women. The tabloid's parent company has admitted to federal prosecutors that publisher David 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." The company admitted making a $150,000 payment "in concert with the campaign," and a person familiar with the matter told NBC News that Trump was in the meeting where the offer was made. Former assistant U.S. attorney Daniel Goldman told NBC News that if he were in the room, prosecutors may be able to argue Trump was the middle of a conspiracy to commit campaign finance fraud." The White House didn't respond to NBC News' request for comment. UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Did the Trump campaign collude with Russia? That remains unclear, though there is mounting evidence of direct contact throughout the campaign between Trump associates and Moscow and evidence that individuals in Trump's orbit were discussing a possible email dump from WikiLeaks before it occurred. American intelligence agencies and Mueller have said Russia was the source of hacked material released by WikiLeaks during the campaign that damaged Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential effort. Additional ties between Russians and Trump aides were alleged within the last week. Prosecutors revealed that a Russian contacted Cohen in 2015 and offered "political synergy" between Russia and the Republican campaign. A person familiar with the matter confirmed that that person is a former Russian Olympic athlete named Dmitry Klokov. Trump and his lawyers have returned a list of written answers on the collusion question to Mueller, but it's unclear whether investigators will return with more questions. Did the president obstruct the investigation? That is another unresolved question that Mueller is pursuing. Investigators have examined key episodes such as Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey and his fury over the recusal from the investigation of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. THE AMERICAN DEFENDANTS Paul Manafort: He has been convicted in Washington and Virginia of crimes related to years of Ukrainian political consulting work, including allegations he concealed his foreign government work from the United States and failed to pay taxes on it. Although the charges don't directly touch Trump, he's nonetheless remained a figure of considerable intrigue and enjoys the continued sympathy of the president, who has left open the door for a pardon. Rick Gates: The longtime associate of Manafort and key Trump campaign aide was indicted last year alongside his mentor but months later split from him by pleading guilty to unregistered foreign lobbying work and agreeing to cooperate with Mueller. No sentencing date has been scheduled for Gates, indicating that his cooperation with investigators is continuing. Michael Flynn: He has admitted lying to the FBI just days after Trump took office by telling agents that he had never discussed sanctions with the-then Russian ambassador to the United States. The White House said Flynn had misled administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, about the conversation and ousted him weeks later. He's since become a vital cooperator for Mueller, having met 19 times with investigators. Prosecutors aren't recommending any prison time when he's sentenced next week. Michael Cohen: He's at the center of not only Mueller's investigation but also a separate investigation into hush-money payments. In Mueller's investigation, Cohen has admitted lying to Congress about a proposed real estate development in Moscow. He told lawmakers the negotiations were done in January 2016 when in fact they stretched deep into the campaign. He also pleaded guilty in New York to campaign finance violations stemming from the payments, with prosecutors saying he "acted in coordination and at the direction of Individual-1" Trump. George Papadopoulos: The former foreign policy adviser recently finished a 14-day prison sentence after admitting lying to the FBI about a 2016 conversation with a Maltese professor who told him Russia had "dirt" on Clinton in the form of emails. 25 RUSSIANS Twelve military intelligence officers were charged in July with hacking the email accounts of Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic Party and then facilitating the release of tens of thousands of private communications. It remains perhaps the most direct example of what American intelligence officials say was a broad conspiracy by the Kremlin to meddle in the 2016 election on Trump's behalf. That indictment did not accuse any Americans of participating in the conspiracy, though it did include an eye-catching detail: The Russian hackers, prosecutors say, made an attempt to break into Clinton's network just hours after Trump appeared to invite them to do so. In a July 27, 2016, speech, Trump urged Russia to look for emails that Clinton said she had deleted from her tenure as secretary of state. "Russia, if you're listening," Trump said, "I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." A separate indictment charges 13 Russians with using a covert social media propaganda campaign to sow discord among Americans in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors say the scheme was run by a Russia-based troll farm that relied on bogus social media postings and advertisements fraudulently purchased in the name of Americans to try to influence the election. OTHER DEFENDANTS Marina Butina: The Russian woman accused of being a secret agent who admitted Thursday that she conspired to infiltrate the American gun-rights movement to gather intelligence on conservative political groups as Trump rose to power. The case isn't being brought by Mueller but it covers similar themes to his probe into Russian election interference. Konstantin Kilimnik: The Ukrainian native, who U.S. authorities say has ties to Russian intelligence, was indicted on obstruction of justice charges involving Manafort. The men are accused of trying to persuade two witnesses to lie about the nature of political consulting and lobbying work they carried out for Ukrainian interests. Richard Pinedo: The California man was sentenced in October to six months in prison for unwittingly aiding the Russian troll farm by selling stolen identifications and bank account numbers that were used by Russians to establish PayPal accounts and purchase advertisements on Facebook. Alex van der Zwaan: The Dutch attorney became the first person punished with prison in the Mueller investigation when he was given a monthlong sentence for lying to investigators about his contacts with Gates and Kilimnik and about a report prepared by his law firm about the trial of a former Ukrainian prime minister. OTHER NAMES YOU MAY HAVE HEARD Roger Stone: The longtime Trump confidant and self-proclaimed "dirty trickster" of Republican politics has been under investigation for months as prosecutors try to establish what knowledge he may have had about plans by WikiLeaks to release the stolen Democratic emails in the weeks before the election. Although a 2016 Stone tweet "Trust me, it will soon the Podesta's time in the barrel" appeared to presage the disclosure of hacked emails, Stone has said he had no inside knowledge about the content, source or timing of WikiLeaks' disclosure. Jerome Corsi: A conspiracy theorist and Stone friend, he's been under intense pressure from Mueller and even turned down a plea offer that would have required him to admit intentionally lying about a 2016 conversation he had with Stone about WikiLeaks. It's unclear when or if he will be indicted, but based on draft documents Corsi has released, prosecutors appear to believe that he misled them about email exchanges involving Assange and the purloined emails. Julian Assange: Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia inadvertently disclosed the existence of a sealed criminal complaint against the WikiLeaks founder, though no details have been publicly announced. Assange, under Justice Department scrutiny for years for WikiLeaks' role in publishing government secrets, has been an important figure in the Mueller probe as investigators examine how WikiLeaks obtained the stolen emails and whether any Americans were involved in coordinating that effort. Donald Trump Jr.: The president's eldest son has attracted scrutiny for his role in arranging a Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 also attended by Manafort and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner at which he expected to receive damaging information on Clinton. He has said the meeting was a waste of time because he didn't receive anything interesting from the attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya. Both he and his father have suggested that anyone in that position would have taken the meeting in hopes of getting dirt on a political opponent. The meeting has been of interest to investigators, who have called multiple participants before the grand jury. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report. For actress Layne, now 26, Beale Street meant being the newcomer getting up to speed as quickly as possible. Working effectively inside Jenkins interrogative close-ups, she says, was the thing I was most concerned about. For Tish, so much of what she communicates is without speaking. Seeing Barrys previous work, I had some understanding of the intimacy he appreciates. Hes so patient. And he allows you to shine. One of my teachers once told me: With the camera, all you have to do is think it. Think it, and itll come across. 'Cancer Research UK receives no public funding, so support from the public is really crucial to our work' NEWBURY Fire Station presented a cheque for 600 to Cancer Research UK last Monday. Blue watch crews raised the money through a charity car wash in September. Watch manager Robin Jordan said: Its not us that have raised it. We have done the easy bit of devoting our time. Its the people of Newbury who have donated their money and a big thank you to them really. Half of the money goes to The Fire Fighters Charity and we like to choose something local and like any charity, Cancer Research is a worthy cause. Maria Gomez, from Cancer Research Berkshire, said: Cancer Research UK receives no public funding, so support from the public is really crucial to our work. I would like to thank everybody who was involved in the car wash and all at Newbury Fire Station for all their continued support. Earlier this year, Newbury firefighters organised a car wash to raise funds for the Priors Court Family Fund. The fund was set up after three members of staff from the Hermitage-based school for autistic pupils were killed in a minibus crash on the M4. Council rejects calls for independent review into London Road case WEST Berkshire Council has rejected calls for an independent inquiry into its decision to enter into an unlawful agreement with a multi-billion pound developer. Senior councillors claimed it would be a waste of time to investigate how it happened despite the local authority spending 363,000 of taxpayers money on defending legal challenges. In 2014, the district council signed a deal with St Modwen to carry out a major regeneration of the London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE) in Newbury. However, last month the Court of Appeal ruled that the development agreement constituted a public works contract and as such should have been put out to tender first. The court found that the local authority did not follow the correct procurement process and as a result was in breach of EU law. The council has since said that it will not be appealing the ruling. At a full meeting of West Berkshire Council last week, the Liberal Democrat opposition called for an independent review. Jeff Brooks said: I wont talk about the appeal, Im more concerned about what went wrong. Something went wrong. Maybe an oversight, human error, problems with process, but we have been seen in court to have got something wrong. We can call it a technicality, we can gloss over it, but something went wrong and we are now, it seems to me, having to start this procurement process again. I put this to the leader, I put this to the administration, I even put this to the chief executive that we need to know what went wrong. I have suggested you are looking very puzzled or bored that this be an independent review. Let us get this properly looked at so it doesnt happen again. However, Conservative councillor Dominic Boeck said: We have already had two independent impartial reviews of what went on in the form of the rulings from the actions that went through the High Court and later on the Court of Appeal. So I dont see theres any value to gain in spending money and wasting time on an extended one more extended review. Council leader Graham Jones added: This whole issue has gone through a very significant amount of judicial scrutiny. What will any sort of inquiry add to that other than spend a lot of money and waste more time to actually deliver our primary objective? Conservative councillor Anthony Stansfeld, who is also police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley Police, said: It went to an appeal court and at that two out of three things we got absolutely right and one on a technicality. Judges differ. I cannot see how it can be possible for us always as a council, when you have judges with different opinions, to get it right. So how on earth do we have another independent inquiry which will waste, as we said, far more time and far more money. I think that is absurd. The leader of the opposition, Lee Dillon, hit back, saying: What our motion is asking is as a council to look at its internal processes and how we came about making the decision. Its not about the legal arguments that the courts have ruled on, its actually why was the advice from the officers as it was? Why did the council make the decision it did based on that advice? What questions did it ask? Did it want to follow due process as well as it could do? And those are questions we are entitled to ask as councillors. We talk about wasting money. The council has just wasted 363,000 fighting a lawsuit that its now gone and lost and is now not going to appeal again. So the waste of money has already happened. In terms of the waste of time, I dont think due process is a waste of time councillor Boeck. I think its actually our duty as elected members to be able to scrutinise those decisions and be able to see if there was any way we could have improved it going forward; and thats what this motion is doing, and by voting it down, which it sounds like will happen, is just whitewashing over the whole event. The Lib Dems all voted in favour for an independent review. The Conservative majority voted against. Of his six features to date, four of Marshalls films have been musicals: Chicago (2002), Nine (2009), Into the Woods (2014) and Mary Poppins Returns. Hes devoted to the form, though his two non-musicals, Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and the eternity that was Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), point to a clunkiness never entirely absent in this uneven picture. The original Mary Poppins was exuberant, fueled by terrific Sherman brothers songs. Mary Poppins Returns is often just pushy. Thought Leaders Sir Fraser Stoddart Director of the Center for the Chemistry of Integrated Systems, Board of Trustees Professor Northwestern University An interview with Professor Stoddart, 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, conducted by Alina Shrourou, BSc. An interview with Professor Stoddart, 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, conducted by Alina Shrourou, BSc. What is a mechanically interlocked molecule (MIM) and how have they advanced our understanding of chemistry? A mechanically interlocked molecule is one that contains a mechanical bond. A mechanical bond is different from any previous type of bonding in chemistry as it involves a threading process of one molecular component through another. There are two archetypical types of mechanically interlocked molecules. The first is called a catenane, and this is derived from the Latin word for chain, catena. The simplest example would be two interlocked rings. Graphical representations of a catenane and a rotaxane. Stoddart, J. Fraser. "Mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs)Molecular shuttles, switches, and machines (Nobel Lecture)." Angewandte Chemie International Edition 56.37 (2017): 11094-11125. Since the discovery catenane, our understanding of chemistry has developed with synthetic chemists like myself becoming more adventurous. We have made catenanes with three, four and even five rings - appropriately named the Olympiadane. At a very precise molecular level with all the necessary characterization, we got up as far as a seven catenane in the 1990s. Subsequently, the holy grail has become something called a polycatenane - a polymer with an endless number of interlocked rings. How do molecules become mechanically interlocked? The discovery of MIMs was made efficient by the field of what has been called supramolecular chemistry, which means beyond the molecule. Here, instead of looking at a compound, you look at a complex - examining two molecules coming together and interacting with each other. Of course, this concept is nothing new, and is in fact a broad field of science that is well-recorded in our biological receptor sites and, ultimately, in drugs that are introduced into our bodies to often interfere with these receptor sites. However, what scientists Jean-Marie Lehn and Donald Cram brought to it, was the fundamental aspect of doing it with artificial systems. Initially, these artificial systems were just based on large rings called crown ethers, introduced to our chemistry by a man named Charles Pedersen. In 1987, the Nobel Foundation honored Pedersen, Cram, and Lehn for their invention of supramolecular chemistry, and this left us with an ability to not only bring molecular components together, but then also make sure they couldn't fly apart by putting them into the context of having a mechanical bond. Please give an overview of your research involving the abilities of Rotaxane. A type of mechanical machine which has overtaken catenanes in terms of applications is the rotaxane. This is based on a dumbbell at its simplest level - think of a weightlifter in the Olympic Games, lifting large weights that are on the end of a big rod. Then, minimally there would be one ring on this dumbbell on the axle. This ring, is to some extent, free to move along the dumbbell. The exquisite feature that we noticed when looking at the movement of these molecular components, is that the rings in a catenane don't move in a circumrotational manner with respect to each other instead, the rings have certain sticky points which they like to be around. In '91, we arranged to have two sticky points along the axle of a dumbbell with one ring. Here, in solution, we were able to watch this ring jump between the two sticky points by various methods. With the particular design we had, it was jumping about 2,000 times a second and we named it a molecular shuttle. When we desymmetrized it, it gave us a molecular switch. Then, later on, we went on to make artificial molecular machines. What is meant by the term molecular machine? Its rather difficult to define and there's not total agreement in the scientific community as to what it is, as for example, physicists look at machines a differently to chemists. If we look at the types of MIMs that we have discussed, the main difference between going from a switch to a machine is that if you turn a switch on and switch it off, you do not have to do any work to the system. Whereas with a machine, you have to demonstrate that in some shape or form you have done some work. You have moved components in a way that usually they would not wish to go without the supply of either a chemical fuel or light or electricity. It's a matter of feeding the molecules with some energy in order to, in some cases, raise the energy of the whole molecular system. Molecular Machines for Drug Delivery Play Since the discovery of the rotaxane, how have you used molecular machines in your work? We've been working on molecular pumps where we take the rings and put them onto what I would call a pseudo-dumbbell, where one end of the dumbbell is not a fully-fledged stopper, a ring can slip over it and pass over the stopper. We can then devise a molecular pump on one side of the pseudo-dumbbell. Then, we bring a ring on to the pumping portion and pump it over what can be described as a speed bump, before putting it onto a collecting chain. Were hoping to pump rings onto common polymer chains where they would not normally be, so that as these rings get put on, and they're all carrying very high positive charges, they repel each other and youre able to raise the energy of the system. Pittcon recently announced that you will be presenting the Wallace. H. Coulter Lecture next year. What story will you be telling in your talk? I expect that some people will attend my talk to hear about artificial molecular machines and the work leading up to that, so of course I will give an introduction much like I have described here, from 1985 up to the present day for the development of, first of all, the molecular recognition, then the making of the catenane, the rotaxane, the molecular shuttle, molecular switch, on to the molecular motor. However, I felt that in an environment such as Pittcon, a meeting where the latest advances and discoveries in analytical chemistry are discussed, it was appropriate to talk about some examples of work that has emerged in our laboratory quite serendipitously, one in 2010 and the second in 2013. Therefore, the title I've chosen is, "Serendipity Stokes Discovery: Disrupting Established Industries. The two stories that I will tell are around compounds called cyclodextrins. A cyclodextrin is a cyclic molecule that is obtained from starch. In the case of this glucose-based polymer, a microorganism is capable of breaking the polymer chain and then fixing them into a circle/doughnut. Our discovery in 2010 was fascinating to me, as we found that a cyclodextrin with eight sugar units, which has eight-fold symmetry but also commutes with that four-fold symmetry, did something that was quite unexpected in the presence potassium ions. Six of these doughnuts go to form a cube, linked by potassium ions, then these cubes are all linked together in an extended framework that goes on for the size of the cubic crystal, which can be certainly millimeters, if not almost a cubic centimeter in size. This equates with a field of chemistry that has been very much developed this last 20 years called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). I am quite happy to claim that this is the only MOF that is benign, green, edible, and ready to be used in all kinds of applications. In 2014, it led to the registration of a company called PanaceaNano, under the leadership of Youssry Botros, who recently received the Chicago Innovation Award for 2018. What do you think the future holds for the use of the cyclodextrine MOF? The product that Youssry decided to go for shocked me initially. I asked him, why cosmetics? Now, I realise that this is a huge market worldwide and it's one that has a great deal of value added to it. To put it simply, even though our cyclodextrin is relatively inexpensive, in very few steps, we can make something that is quite revolutionary when it comes to the world of cosmetics. The revolution is that you have this very highly porous structure. Going forwards, were also looking at potentially exploring the safe supplement market. Overall, it's very exciting to me. It's one thing to win a Nobel prize, it's another thing to have the prospect of being able to see a company maybe come to fruition. What other cyclodextrin applications will you be discussing at Pittcon? Pittcon 2022: March 5-9 Find out More Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans, LA USA The second serendipitous discovery involves a six-unit cyclodextrin. Again, potassium ions are involved and represent the positive ion. The negative counter ion is tetrabromoaurat. This is a gold atom surrounded by four bromines, and it is negatively charged. If you add this salt to alpha-cyclodextrin in solution, within minutes, needles containing the gold salt are formed and precipitate out. So, in summary, we have a new way of isolating gold from gold mines. For the last 150 years or so, sodium cyanide is mainly used for gold isolation in gold mines. This is a nasty, and non-environmentally friendly chemical. Im optimistic that in time, there will be a strong drive towards having environmentally friendly ways of isolating gold, and that this solution could be our cyclodextrin-based process. Why do you enjoy coming to events like Pittcon to share your story? What would you like people to take home from your talk? There are many things going on in our laboratory and what I want people to take away from the stories I share at Pittcon, is that it's not so much about me or my research; it's about the many spectacular students that help me with my work in the lab, and also develop their own opportunities. There's a group of about 30 mainly postdoctoral researchers and they have a huge amount of freedom. I essentially say to them, "Youre not going to see much of Fraser Stoddart, but you've got the opportunity to come here where there is good financial resource, there is a first-rate intellectual environment, and you have an opportunity to launch your own career in research". I feel truly honored and inspired to experience a culture of practicing my hobby with bright young people. What does the future hold for your research? Ultimately, I would like to be able form the Stoddart Foundation and have a means of putting a lot of money back into science in the way that I think it should be that is in support of blue skies research. Where can readers find more information? About Sir Fraser Stoddart The academic career of Fraser Stoddart can be traced through thick and thin from the Athens of the North to the Windy City beside Lake Michigan with interludes on the edge of the Canadian Shield beside Lake Ontario, in the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, on the Plains of Cheshire beside the Wirral, in the Midlands of the Heartland of Albion, and in the City of the Angels beside the Peaceful Sea. He has been a member of the faculty at Northwestern University since 2008. He is a Board of Trustees Professor and Director of the Center for the Chemistry of Integrated Systems. Sir Fraser Stoddart has published over 1,150 scientific papers and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016, for the design and synthesis of molecular machines. His research interests are in chemistry beyond the molecule, which, combined with his interest in templation, has led to the template-directed synthesis, based on molecular recognition and self-assembly processes, of a wide range of mechanically interlocked molecules, bistable variants of which have found their way in the form of switches into molecular electronic devices and drug delivery systems. In terms of molecular structure, his research straddles the size regime from the mesomolecular scale all the way up to the nanoscopic, microscopic and macroscopic levels: it includes wholly synthetic polymers and metal-organic frameworks. He also embraces radical chemistry in both the supramolecular and mechanostereochemical domains. With the world's second worst Ebola outbreak in history recently spreading to a major city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Merck must do more to ensure all options are on the table to fight the virus, including ensuring vaccines are available to all who need them. Although there have been marked improvements compared to the 2014 outbreak response in West Africa, a more ambitious effort is needed now in the Congo. The WHO has yet to declare the crisis an international emergency, even though it meets its own criteria for what constitutes one. Additionally, Merck Pharmaceuticals only has 300,000 doses of its proven Ebola vaccine on handfar too little than what is needed now that the virus has reached Butembo, a sprawling urban area home to over 1 million people. WHO's own Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response Dr. Peter Salama voiced his concerns over insufficient quantities of the vaccine just last week. AHF urges the WHO to expedite the approval process for Merck's vaccine and the other vaccine options that have a proven to be effective against Ebola. The costs for these delays are being paid for with valuable liveslives that can be saved with a more ambitious effort. Merck should also be stockpiling and preparing to expedite enough vaccines should the virus break ring-vaccination containment, which would require vastly more doses than what are currently being used. If cost is an obstacle, Merck should use funds it has allocated for humanitarian relief. Equally important is the safety and security of the healthcare workers operating throughout the country. Armed groups are systematically disrupting efforts to vaccinate and educate the populace, often with fatal consequences. The WHO and UN must protect the men and women working to reach and vaccinate people in remote areas, including by deploying troops, if necessary. "Now is not the time to waver in our response to Ebola, as we have seen the devastation it can cause," said Dr. Penninah Iutung, Africa Bureau Chief for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "AHF urges the World Health Organization to immediately declare this outbreak an international emergency and bolster vaccine options before it is too late. AHF also implores Merck to make sure enough vaccines are ready for immediate use. There is too much at stake and no worthwhile reason to wait." They found Bonnie Walker's body floating in a pond behind her assisted living facility in South Carolina. There were puncture wounds on her ear, her temple, her jaw and her cheeks. Her right forearm and her pacemaker were inside one of the alligators that lived in the pond. Like 4 in 10 residents in assisted living facilities, Walker, 90, had dementia. Shortly after midnight one day in July 2016, she slipped out of her facility, Brookdale Charleston, as she had done a few days before. This time, no one noticed her missing for seven hours. "No one should have to pass away that way," her granddaughter Stephanie Weaver said. Assisted living facilities were originally designed for people who were largely independent but required help bathing, eating or with other daily tasks. Unlike nursing homes, the facilities generally do not provide skilled medical care or therapy, and stays are not paid for by Medicare or Medicaid. Dementia care is the fastest-growing segment of assisted living. As these residences market themselves to people with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, facilities across the country are straining to deliver on their promises of security and attentive care, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of inspection records in the three most populous states. In California, 45 percent of assisted living facilities have violated one or more state dementia regulations during the past five years. Three of the 12 most common California citations in 2017 were related to dementia care. In Florida, 1 in 11 assisted living facilities have been cited since 2013 for not meeting state rules designedto prevent residents from wandering away. And in Texas, nearly a quarter of the facilities that accept residents with Alzheimer's have violated one or more state rules related to dementia care, such as tailoring a plan for each resident upon admission or ensuring that staff members have completed special training, according to nearly six years of records. "There is a belief in our office that many facilities do not staff to the level" necessary to meet the unanticipated "needs of residents, especially medical needs," said Fred Steele, Oregon's long-term care ombudsman. "Many of these are for-profit entities. They are setting staffing ratios that maybe aren't being set because of the care needs of the residents but are more about the bottom line of their profits." Uneven Regulation These concerns, though particularly acute for people with dementia, apply to all assisted living residents. They are older and frailer than assisted living residents were a generation ago. Within a year, 1 in 5 experience a fall, 1 in 8 visit an emergency room and 1 in 12 have an overnight hospital stay, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Half are 85 or older. "Assisted living was created to be an alternative to nursing homes, but if you walk into some of the big assisted living facilities, they sure feel like a nursing home," said Doug Pace, director for mission partnerships with the Alzheimer's Association. Yet the rules for assisted living remain looser than for nursing homes. The federal government does not license or oversee assisted living facilities, and some states set tougher rules than others. The government does not publish quality measures as it does for nursing homes. Inspections usually are less frequent, and fines are generally far lower than what a nursing home might incur for a similar mistake. Lindsay Schwartz, an associate vice president at the National Center for Assisted Living, an industry group, said facilities must balance safety with allowing people with dementia to move about as freely as possible and to socialize. "Dementia is a difficult disease," she said. "Freedom of movement is incredibly important for overall health, mind, body and spirit. You can't keep people in isolation." The industry says rigid government regulations don't mesh with the individual approaches that assisted living facilities aspire to create for residents. But residents' families, their lawyers and advocates say the violent behavior of agitated residents and escapes could be avoided with better training and more staff. Eliza Cantwell, a Charleston, S.C., plaintiffs' lawyer, said too many facilities were accepting residents they weren't prepared to adequately care for because they wanted to maximize their income. "They don't have the qualified personnel to take care of these people, and they're taking care of them anyway," she said. Cantwell is representing Weaver in a suit against Brookdale for emotional distress, which Weaver says came from being among the first people to discover her grandmother's body. Brookdale has already settled a wrongful-death claim from Bonnie Walker's estate. The company declined to discuss Weaver's lawsuit and said in a statement that "our everyday focus and priority is to keep residents safe." Brookdale called Walker's death "an unfortunate accident" and said it has retrained its staff. A year after Walker's death, after four inspections, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control fined Brookdale for 11 violations, including not properly performing night checks and letting staffing drop below required levels. The penalty: $6,400. "I worked as a law enforcement agent for the Department of Natural Resources, and I've written wildlife tickets larger than what DHEC did," Weaver said. "This was nothing." 'Get Him Away From Me' Nearly a quarter of the nation's 30,000 assisted living facilities either house only people with dementia or have special areas known as memory care units. These wings have locked doors and other safeguards to prevent residents from leaving. The facilities often train staff members in techniques to manage behavior related to these diseases and provide activities to keep the residents engaged and stimulated. These units usually are more expensive, with monthly costs averaging $6,472, compared with $4,835 for regular assisted living, according to a survey by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, a group that analyzes elder care market trends. Senior housing investors earned nearly 15 percent in annual returns over the past five years, higher than for apartment, hotel, office and retail properties, according to the center. Beth Burnham Mace, chief economist at the center, said memory care unit construction was outpacing all other types of senior housing. Aggressive behavior, a hallmark of dementia, is a major problem in assisted living facilities. One national study, published in 2016, found that 8 percent of assisted living residents were physically aggressive or abusive toward residents or staff. In the dementia unit of The Point at Rockridge, an assisted living facility in Oakland, Calif., a resident identified in court papers as Ian began to follow another resident, Olivia Deloney, an 88-year-old with dementia. Before retiring, she had been dean of students at a school for the blind. "That man is crazy," one employee recalled Deloney saying, according to the employee's sworn statement. "Get him away from me." In September 2015, Ian grabbed Deloney and threw her to the ground, breaking her right hip, a video shows. When paramedics were putting her into a stretcher, Ian tried to kick her, and the emergency workers had to keep him away, the police report said. Afterward, the administrators told Deloney's daughter, Simone Stevens, that they had not known that Ian, a retired university facilities engineer, was dangerous, her lawsuit said. "They just made it sound like it was like a freak accident: 'He's really just a calm and likable resident,'" Stevens said in an interview. A state investigation report said The Point had been trying to address his behavioral problems before the attack. State regulators declined to punish The Point, saying in their report that there was "insufficient" evidence that the facility had "clear knowledge" Ian would be a danger to other residents. But when Stevens sued The Point, her lawyer, Felicia Curran, discovered that Ian's agitated behavior, including pushing and shoving, had been the reason his wife initially placed him there. At The Point, he had punched one aide in the shoulders, grabbed another by the neck and jumped on a third and beaten her, employees said in statements taken by Curran. "It was an everyday thing for him to chase staff and be physically aggressive," one declared. Aides posted a photo of him in their kitchen, warning colleagues to watch out for his violent outbursts, and employees once locked themselves in bathrooms for protection, according to records in the case. "They should have never had him there in the first place," Stevens said. Tracee DeGrande, the president of Integral Senior Living, which owns The Point, wrote in a statement that the episode was not typical. "Our staff associates work hard to care for residents, many of whom would have nowhere to go if we didn't provide a place for those living with dementia and Alzheimer's disease," she wrote. After the attack, The Point evicted Ian. Deloney returned to the facility, but, less stable after surgery, she fell and broke her hip again. She stopped eating and died that December, according to her family's lawsuit, which blamed The Point for not increasing supervision in light of Deloney's weakened state. The Point paid $1.9 million to settle the case. DeGrande wrote that the "settlement was in no way an admission of responsibility for what ended up as a difficult and sad situation." To calm agitated residents, some facilities are too reliant on psychotropic drugs, which carry increased risk of strokes, falls and confusion. An in-progress study funded by the National Institutes of Health has discovered that 27 percent of residents with dementia take an antipsychotic medication, and most lack documentation assuring the drugs are justified, said the lead investigator, Sheryl Zimmerman, a health researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Zimmerman said such drugs are often not necessary if residents are cared for by experienced aides who can de-escalate troubling behaviors and know techniques that engage and soothe those with dementia. But she said low pay and frequent turnover make that difficult. "The workforce could be better trained than they are," Zimmerman said. Requirements Vary By State Staffing and training requirements vary greatly from state to state. A study published in 2016 and led by Paula Carder, a professor at Portland State University, found that only seven states required facilities to have a registered nurse. States required anywhere from two to 30 hours of training for dementia unit workers. A handful of states required no specialized training, according to the study. Carder found that 19 states set minimum staff-to-resident ratios for dementia units, while the others left it to the facilities. North Carolina requires one of the tightest staffing ratios in the nation for dementia units: one worker for every eight residents during the day and evening. Many of these are for-profit entities. They are setting staffing ratios that maybe aren't being set because of the care needs of the residents but are more about the bottom line of their profits. Fred Steele, Oregon's long-term care ombudsman In a lawsuit, Michele Mullen asserted that Franklin Manor Assisted Living in Youngsville, N.C., did not meet North Carolina's staffing minimums on a third of the days her mother, Claire Murphy, lived there in 2015 and 2016. She said she would find her mother with her pants wet with urine all the way down to her knees, according to a deposition she gave in the lawsuit. Mullen said aides had repeatedly misplaced her mother's walker. She would see her mother holding onto the hallway railing as she tried to get to her room. On New Year's Day in 2016, her mother fell and was hospitalized for a fractured arm. Gregory Nicoluzakis, the general counsel for Saber Healthcare Group, which owns Franklin Manor, said in an email that Mullen's allegations were inaccurate. "We believe it is telling that Ms. Mullen admitted her mother to our facilities on three separate occasions despite having the choice of other providers," he wrote. Drew Hathaway, an attorney for Mullen, said there were no better alternatives nearby that had memory care units. "There are not that many facilities in these rural areas," Hathaway said. "That's the sad reality." Franklin Manor was fined in 2016 for not following doctors' orders that two residents needed to use walkers. In February, the state cited it for not supervising five residents, all with histories of falling, who had fallen and injured themselves. Nicoluzakis said Franklin Manor was in compliance with state regulations. Mullen ultimately removed her mother from Franklin Manor; Murphy died last December. "I would say, 'Mom needs to go to the bathroom.' 'Mom needs help with this,'" Mullen recalled in her deposition. "And they would look at me and actually say, 'Why don't you do it?'" KHN's coverage of these topics is supported by The SCAN Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Maintaining a high negative pressure in airborne infection isolation rooms of hospitals (over -10 Pa) and in renovation sites (over -5 Pa) effectively limits the dispersion of airborne contaminants and dust, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Inhaled airborne particles at work can cause adverse health effects, and this is why it is important to prevent exposure to them. Moreover, the control of contaminants released from internal sources within an enclosed workspace also plays an important role in protecting other persons working in or occupying adjacent areas from adverse biological and chemical exposure. Better ventilation is needed in hospital anterooms The containment capability of airborne infection isolation rooms, AIIRs, was studied by measuring air change rates of the patient room and anteroom, pressure differences, contaminant removal, and contaminant transmission during door openings and human movement. The researchers used a tracer gas method to simulate the release of infectious agents from a patient. The findings indicate that a high air change rate in AIIRs does not ensure efficient removal of infectious agents in the breathing zone of a healthcare worker. Instead, the local airflow patterns are more important. A high mean negative pressure between an AIIR and its surroundings was shown to significantly limit particle transmission outside an AIIR. An anteroom aided in controlling the particle transmission. "In practice, however, the dilution is not effective enough - at least not in the anterooms we studied. Generally, a health care worker does not stay in the anteroom for more than 2-3 minutes. To achieve at least 90% contaminant removal, the minimum air change rate requirement of 40 1/h would be needed after entering the anteroom. This would enhance the total containment of an AIIR," Early Stage Researcher Anna Kokkonen from the University of Eastern Finland explains. Local exhaust ventilation is important in renovation sites The dust containment capability of renovation sites was studied by measuring pressure differences and dust concentrations (filter samples and real-time monitoring) simultaneously from the renovation sites and their adjacent areas. The researchers also investigated the effect of using on-tool local exhaust ventilation on limiting the dispersion of dust, and they studied the efficiency of a short-term water misting method in airborne particle removal. The method was applied after the work was completed to limit the dispersal of airborne dust that had not been captured in real-time by source controls. The results indicate that maintaining a continuous negative pressure over -5 Pa limits the dispersion of dust outside a renovation site. Enclosure containment was achieved by sealing the junctions between the temporary and existing partitioning structures to obtain better airtightness and by building an airlock between the enclosure and adjacent areas. Although the renovation sites studied were at times under positive pressure, no dust dispersion outside an enclosure was observed, when the mean target concentrations at the renovation sites remained <4 mg/m3 for inhalable dust and <1 mg/m3 for respirable dust. The study indicates that the use of on-tool local exhaust ventilation (LEV) has an important role in dust containment when an enclosure fails to maintain negative pressure, e.g., during door openings and human movement. Almost three times lower dust concentrations are expected outside an enclosure with LEV use during dust-producing tasks. The study shows, with respect to the premise of avoiding harmful wetting of surfaces, that short-term misting after a dust generating task is an effective measure to control the dispersal of airborne dust in enclosed workspaces. The method supplements on-tool source control measures since misting substantially captures airborne dust that is not captured in real-time by source controls. "The misting method could be used in environments where effective air change for airborne dust removal is otherwise not possible," says Early Stage Researcher Anna Kokkonen from the University of Eastern Finland. In-school nutrition policies and programs that promote healthier eating habits among middle school students limit increases in body mass index (BMI), a new study led by the Yale School of Public Health finds. The five-year trial, conducted in conjunction with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut, followed nearly 600 students from 12 schools in New Haven. In schools with enhanced nutrition policies and programs, students had healthier body mass index trajectories (a measure of obesity) over time, and by the end of the study they reported healthier behaviors than their peers in schools without the nutrition policies and programs. Students in schools with enhanced support to implement nutrition policies had an increase in BMI percentile of less than 1%, compared with students in schools without enhanced support for these policies and programs who demonstrated increases of 3% to 4%. The study is published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "These findings can guide future school and community interventions. Childhood obesity is a serious health threat, and schools are a vital way to reach children and their families to reduce risks and promote health," said lead author Jeannette Ickovics, the Samuel and Liselotte Herman Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. "These findings strongly support previous administration policies that provided healthier food for all children in public schools." These policies were rolled back last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The study is one of the first school-based policy intervention studies that followed students through middle school. The researchers analyzed both behavioral and biological indicators. Results are among the most compelling to date, said the researchers, perhaps because of the strong community-university partnership, and the recognition that health and academic achievement often go hand-in-hand. "This is some of the strongest evidence we have to date that nutrition education and promoting healthy eating behaviors in the classroom and cafeteria can have a meaningful impact on children's health," said Marlene Schwartz, director of the Rudd Center and senior study author. "These findings can inform how we approach federal wellness policy requirements and implementation in schools to help mitigate childhood obesity." The nutritional interventions in the schools studied included ensuring that all school-based meals met federal nutritional criteria; providing nutritional newsletters for students and their families; school-wide campaigns to limit sugary drinks and encourage the use of water; and limiting the use of food or beverages as rewards for academic performance or good behavior. Researchers also tested whether a series of policies to promote physical activity would impact adolescent body mass index. They determined that the physical activity policies alone had little or no impact on body mass index. In the study authors said that more than one in five American teenagers are currently obese, and as many as one in two are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese early in life affects health across the lifespan, contributing to a range of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and depression that reduce productivity and shorten life expectancy. A Montana State University doctoral student who is working on a way to improve a neuroscience tool that uses fluorescent proteins found in some jellyfish and coral has received a grant that will help fund her work. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded a three-year F31 fellowship grant to Rosana Molina, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience in MSU's College of Letters and Science. The grant provides Molina with a stipend and tuition assistance while she continues researching a way to increase the brightness of fluorescent proteins that neuroscientists use in small model organisms to study the brain. The research is part of the BRAIN Initiative, a prestigious multinational effort to invent next-generation technology to understand how the brain works and, ultimately, prevent and treat disease. "If you've ever seen the fish display in stores where there is an ultraviolet light and the fish glow, what you're seeing are those fluorescent proteins that are expressed," said Molina, who earned dual bachelor's degrees at MSU -- one in cell biology and neuroscience, and another in biological sciences. Molina explained that when a molecule in the fluorescent protein absorbs a photon, or particle of light, it becomes "excited." Then, as the molecule leaves its excited state and "relaxes," it emits the photon, which causes the molecule to glow under ultraviolet light. Researchers can then mark specific cells with these glowing proteins. The fluorescent proteins can also be incorporated into sensors to watch the activity of neurons, which twinkle like stars as the brain works. While researchers have come up with different ways to make fluorescent proteins glow more brightly, Molina is working to do the same with a process that excites the fluorescent protein with half the light energy of other methods. "People have been making these fluorescent proteins brighter for a very long time, but they have been doing it under one-photon excitation and I look at two-photon excitation," Molina said. "With two-photon microscopy you can image deeper into the brain." She explained that in two-photon excitation, molecules in the fluorescent proteins absorb two particles of light, which means a lower-energy light, such as near-infrared light, can be used to excite it. By contrast, she said, one-photon excitation uses a higher energy light, such as green light, to excite it. What makes two-photon excitation special and useful for neuroscience is that near-infrared light travels through tissue better than green light, Molina said, using a common childhood trick of holding a flashlight against the hand as an example. "If you hold a flashlight on your hand, you'll see mostly red because the red light goes through tissue more easily," she said. "That's because the longer wavelengths are the ones that actually go through the skin. The other wavelengths mostly get absorbed. "To get efficient two-photon excitation, you need to use a laser," Molina added. "Basically, my research involves lasers and glowing proteins. It's a lot of fun." Molina was born in Montana, but her family moved to Minnesota where she spent most of her growing-up years. She said she first became interested in science when she learned about genetics in a high school biology class and became fascinated by how family traits -- like hair and eye color -- were passed on. First considering the idea of becoming a middle-school science teacher, Molina enrolled at a Minnesota college, but soon found she was drawn more to science than to teaching. When her family moved to Livingston in 2012, Molina, who was then a junior, decided to enroll at MSU after taking a gap year, although she wasn't sure what academic path to pursue. "Then I remembered how much I loved science and, when I saw cell biology and neuroscience as an option, I thought, 'That's what I want to do,'" she said. "I didn't know that it was possible to work in a lab as an undergraduate until someone told me about the Howard Hughes Undergraduate Biology program, so that was the first time I started in a lab, in summer 2014. "That's one of the greatest things about MSU -- getting to work in a lab as an undergrad," she said. Molina was then accepted into the Hughes Scholar program, which supports active research and outreach by undergraduate students in the biomedical/bioscience fields during the academic year. She currently conducts her research in the lab of Thomas Hughes, professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, who she said has been instrumental in her success. "My adviser, Thom Hughes, has been so supportive to help me get where I am," Molina said, adding that it was Hughes who encouraged her to apply for the grant. "Another great thing about this lab is that I've been able to go to a lot of conferences to present my research, -- four in the last year --and the most recent one was an NIH BRAIN Initiative conference," she said. After earning her doctorate, Molina said she would like to become a professor and run her own lab "to develop new tools for neuroscience that are currently unimaginable." "Rosana is an outstanding student, collaborating actively with the best neuroscientists around the world, publishing important papers, and exemplifying how diligent and bright our Montana State University students are at conducting research," Hughes said. A study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals the best assessment tools available to establish the severity of diagnosed delirium in hospitalized patients. Delirium is a common, serious, and often preventable complication among older adult patients. This is an important step in the management of delirium in older adults because the ability to quantify severity of the condition beyond merely rating delirium as present or not will help clinicians develop and monitor more effective treatments. The quality of the tools available to measure delirium severity has been recognized as highly important for tracking prognosis, monitoring response to treatment, and estimating burden of care both during and after hospitalization. A research team including 21 scientists from Harvard Medical School, the Marcus Institute for Aging Research (Marcus Institute) at Hebrew SeniorLife, and 10 other academic organizations in the U.S. and China, searched databases including 9,409 articles that addressed measurement of delirium severity. They reviewed the full text of 228 and identified 42 different instruments to explore further. Applying pre-specified criteria related to frequency of use, methodologic quality, construct or predictive validity, and broad domain coverage, 6 final high-quality instruments were identified. They included, the Confusion Assessment Method, Confusional State Examination, Delirium-O-Meter, Delirium Observation Scale, Delirium Rating Scale, and Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale. These measures will enable accurate measurement of delirium severity to improve clinical care for this common and devastating condition. The researchers hope this work will stimulate increased usage, and head-to-head comparison of these instruments. According to senior author of the study, Sharon K. Inouye, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Aging Brain Center, Marcus Institute and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, "The time is right to advance measurement of delirium severity: Measurement is important, impactful, and efforts to stratify risk, target treatment, and monitor for outcomes are already possible and feasible with existing approaches." First author, Richard N. Jones, ScD, of Brown University adds, "Measurements of delirium severity should play an important role in the advancement of clinical care and research for persons with delirium." An estimated 12 million older Americans experience delirium each year, at a cost of over $164 billion (2011) in annual health care expenditures. Delirium is distressing to patients and families, prolongs hospital stays, delays rehabilitation, and increases risks for dementia and death. Despite its importance for patient safety and public health, delirium is often unrecognized by clinicians, and effective treatments remain elusive. Moreover, presentation of delirium is heterogeneous and multifaceted, and measurement of delirium and its severity pose unique challenges. A new study has shown that elderly who are regulars at the cinema, theatre or spend time at cultural meets and activities can protect themselves from depression. The study results were published in the latest issue of the journal British Journal of Psychiatry. Image Credit: Air Images / Shutterstock The team of researchers write that visits to the cinema and cultural engagement can reduce the risk of development of depression as the age advances. They looked at data from 2,148 adults over the age of 50 years. This data came from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) database. ELSA looks at the health, social and mental wellbeing of the eldery population over a period of a decade. The team noted that people who frequented exhibitions, film screenings, opera, museums, art galleries or theatre at least once a month had a 48 percent less risk of developing depression compared to those who did not. Even adults who attended these cultural events once in every few months were also 32 percent less likely to develop depression, the study noted. The team was meticulous with the data and they ruled out and considered other factors that raised risk of depression while analyzing the data. This included factors such as old age, gender predisposition, overall health, regular exercise etc. They still came to the conclusion that cultural activities improve mental well being. Lead author Dr Daisy Fancourt of University College London in a statement said, Generally speaking, people know the benefits of eating their five-a-day and of exercise for their physical and mental health, but there is very little awareness that cultural activities also have similar benefits. We were very pleasantly surprised by the results. She said these activities can lead to stimulation of the mind as well as improve social interaction. They encourage creativity as well. She added, Notably we find the same relationship between cultural engagement and depression amongst those of high and low wealth and of different levels of education, the only thing that differs is the frequency of participation. Dr Amanda Thompsell, chair of the old age faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists lauded the study but cautioned that only cultural activities may not be enough to treat depression. She said that some individuals may need counselling and medication for the treatment of depression. The college welcomes this paper and encourages further research into the important area of old age mental health, she concluded. Fancourt said cultural engagements are perishable commodity. For it to have long-term benefits for mental health, we need to engage in activities regularly. This is similar to exercise: going for a run on the first of January won't still have benefits in October unless we keep going for runs, she explained. This is the first study of its kind write the researchers. People engage with culture for the pure enjoyment of doing so, but we need to be raising awareness of their wider benefits too, said Fancourt. Beyond Birds and Bees: Bringing Home a New Message to Our Kids about Sex, Love, and Equality, by Bonnie J. Rough: After living in the Netherlands with her husband and young daughters, Rough had an epiphany. Not every society treats bodies as shameful and sex as offensive, she writes. I saw that many of my international friends were raising kids far more likely to have optimal sexual health and self-esteem, better sex lives and more advantages of gender equality than their average American peers. Id gone to see how they accomplished this, and most of all, while my kids were still little, to find out if I could reinvent my own philosophy about sex, clarify my guiding principles and discover approaches more practical and more effective than the old-fashioned birds-and-bees checklist. Her book is the result. My journey into and up this stunning canyon began a few days back with a flight to Calgary, an oil-rich city of 1.2 million in the province of Alberta. As my plane landed, all I could see was a dense cloud of white, as if a marshmallow puff of snow had been smushed up against the once-golden prairie. It took a 75-mile drive west to find the Canada of lore, where toothy Rocky Mountain peaks poke out over evergreen forests and fairy-tale turquoise lakes. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Angone said that the best way to avoid getting pickpocketed is to keep your valuables on a money belt, though it is hard to convince people to do this. He also advises keeping valuables under clothing. He said a wallet should not be in a backpack unless you carry it in front of you this also keeps you from inadvertently whacking people with your bag. New Delhi: After days of intense deliberations with top party leadership led by Rahul Gandhi, state Congress president Bhupesh Baghel on Monday took oath as the third chief minister of Chhattisgarh. The swearing-in ceremony took place at Balbir Singh Juneja Indoor Stadium around 6:30 pm in Raipur. Earlier, it was scheduled to be held at Science College ground but the authorities changed the venue in the wake of incessant rainfall in the region, according to reports. Congress national president Rahul Gandhi, along with a host of opposition leaders attended the swearing-in of Baghel. Among opposition leaders who took part in the ceremony include former prime minister HD Devegowda, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and many others. Sources said the Congress has also invited the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the swearing-in ceremony and its leader Sanjay Singh was likely to attend the event. Highlights from Bhupesh Baghel's oath-taking ceremony: 07:07 pm: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi attend the swearing in of Bhupesh Baghel as the new CM of Chhattisgarh. Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress President @RahulGandhi attend the swearing in of @Bhupesh_Baghel as the new CM of Chhattisgarh. #IndiaTrustsCongress pic.twitter.com/gt3EjigE1w Congress (@INCIndia) December 17, 2018 06:48 pm: TS Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu take oath as Chhattisgarh ministers. Raipur: T. S. Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu take oath as ministers #Chhattisgarh pic.twitter.com/gZcJs2YGxy ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 06:30 pm: Bhupesh Baghel takes oath as Chhattisgarh chief minister. 04:11 pm: The venue of CM designate Bhupesh Baghel's oath taking ceremony has been changed from Science College ground to Balbir Singh Juneja Indoor Stadium in Raipur, due to continuous rainfall. Chhattisgarh: The venue of CM designate Bhupesh Baghel's oath taking ceremony has been changed from Science College ground to Balbir Singh Juneja Indoor Stadium in Raipur, due to continuous rainfall. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/esrXc4oKuG ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 Read | Rahul Gandhi's tweet hints end to deadlock on Chhattisgarh CM Early on Sunday, Baghel, accompanied by a delegation of newly elected Congress MLAs visited the Raj Bhavan and handed over a letter staking claim to form the government to the Secretary of the Governor, Surendra Kumar Jaiswal. Post that, Governor Anandiben Patel invited Baghel to take oath as the Chhattisgarh chief minister at 4.30 pm on Monday, a Raj Bhavan release said. Baghel, MLA from Patan constituency and state Congress chief, was named as the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh at a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Sunday. He took charge of the state Congress in 2014. Read | Who is Bhupesh Baghel - Chhattisgarh's new Chief Minister? In the two-phase Chhattisgarh Assembly elections on November 12 and November 20, the Congress swept the heartland state with a two-thirds majority after 15 long years. With wins in 68 seats, the Congress emerged as the single largest party in Chhattisgarh while the ruling BJP was reduced to 15 seats in the 90-member Legislative Assembly. The BJP had been in power in Chhattisgarh since 2003. New Delhi: Authorities imposed restrictions in the Pulwama district and parts of Srinagar on Monday where separatists had planned a protest march to the Army's Chinar Corps headquarters against the killing of seven civilians during an encounter on Saturday. The separatists had also called a three-day strike following the incident. Shops, petrol pumps and business establishments were shut. Security personnel were on high alert to prevent any untoward situation. The separatists, under the banner of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had Saturday asked the people to march to the corps' headquarters at Jammu and Kashmir's Badami Bagh area. Roads leading to the Chinar Corps headquarters were sealed and restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed in Pulwama district and eight police station areas of Srinagar, officials said. Mobile internet was suspended in Srinagar during the night as a precautionary measure, they said. The officials said curbs have been imposed in the territorial jurisdictions of Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Safakadal, MR Gunj and Ram Munshibagh police stations of the city. Partial restrictions were in place in Maisuma and Kralkhud police stations as well, they said. Read More | Congress leader Sajjan Kumar sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 anti-Sikh riots The roads leading to the Badami Bagh area have been sealed and no movement of people or transport is being allowed towards the Army installation, they said. The police on Sunday had issued an advisory, saying traffic would not be allowed to ply on Pantha Chowk- Sonwar-Dalgate Road stretch. "People who intend to travel to south Kashmir are advised to take Bypass Road. Also Read | Cyclone Phethai likely to make landfall on Andhra coast today, 9 coastal districts put on high alert Similarly, people coming from south Kashmir shall take the Bypass Road to reach City Centre. People who have to travel from Nishat and adjacent areas to reach city centre shall adopt Boulevard-Badyari Road," according to the advisory. No traffic would be allowed to ply on Gupkar Road stretch from Grand Place crossing, it said. Commuters are requested to use alternate routes to reach their destinations. Any inconvenience caused is highly regretted," the advisory issued by Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic (City), Srinagar, read. New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) to release the Admit Cards for Joint Engineering Entrance examination (Main) on December 17 which is scheduled to held in January 2019. The admit cards will be available for download on the official website of NTA and JEE, which is www.ntac.ac.in and www.jeemain.nic.in. From now onwards, JEE Main will be conducted twice in a year, giving students two chances in a year to appear in the exam and improve their performances. The exam was being conducted by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) till 2018 but now the responsibility to conduct these exam has been handed over to the NTA. JEE Main will begin from January 6th to 20th, 2019 and will be only computer-based examination to be held into multiple sessions. Students can also practice for exam by taking online mock test from the official website. Also Read | Delhi nursery admission 2019: 105 schools asked to put process on hold Students can register for Test Practice Centres (TPCs), set up by NTA under a provision for test practice on the official website of NTA and JEE Main. The admit card will contain the candidates name, examination date, city and shift of examination. In case, candidate are not able to download the admit card on the official websites, they can contact the NTA Help Line between 10 am to 5 pm from December 17to January 23rd.. JEE Main is applicable for admission to NITs, IIITs and CFTIs participating though Central Seat Allocation Board subject to the condition that the candidate should have secured at least 75% marks in the 12th class examination or be in the top 20 percentile in the 12th class examination conducted by the respective Boards. For SC/ST candidates the qualifying marks would be 65% in the 12th class examination. Also Read | Star Screen Awards 2018: Full list of winners Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar earlier tweeted, The main feature is that students will not lose one year because there will be two examinations before admission. He/ she can appear in either of the two, or both. The best score will be taken into account for the result. Here are the step to download JEE Main Admit Cards: New Delhi: In a big relief to the farmers, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday waived off farm loans of up to Rs 6,100 crore and increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy from Rs 1700 to Rs 2500 per quintal. During his election campaigns ahead of 2018 Assembly polls, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that farmers in the three Hindi heartland states - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will get a loan waiver within 10 days of his party coming into the power. "Congress President Rahul Gandhi had announced that farm loans will be waived within 10 days and that Minimum Support Price (MSP) for maize will be increased to Rs 2500 from Rs 1700 per quintal. These two decisions have been taken today," Baghel was quoted by ANI as saying. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel: Congress President Rahul Gandhi had announced that farm loans will be waived within 10 days and that Minimum Support Price (MSP) for maize will be increased to Rs 2500 from Rs 1700 per quintal. These two decisions have been taken today pic.twitter.com/RnC1EUV9TQ ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 Read | New Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath's first big step, waives off farmers' loans Addressing a press conference in Raipur, Baghel also announced his third major decision, related to Jhiram Ghati attack in Bastar district. He said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the Jhiram Valley Naxal attack in which many of the frontline Congress leaders were martyred in 2013. "Our third decision is related to Jhiram Ghati. Total 29 people including prominent leaders like Nand Kumar Patel were killed. Conspirators haven't been exposed. No such massacre of politicians ever took place in history. To nab the culprits, a SIT has been formed," the chief minister added. Chhattisgarh CM: Our third decision is related to Jhiram Ghati. Total 29 people including prominent leaders like Nand Kumar Patel were killed. Conspirators haven't been exposed. No such massacre of politicians ever took place in history. To nab the culprits, a SIT has been formed pic.twitter.com/Qj4wCCyJUP ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 Read | Bhupesh Baghel takes oath as new Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Two newly-inducted ministers - TS Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu - were also present at the press conference. Soon after the announcement, Baghel took to Twitter and listed the three key decisions taken by the Congress government in its first cabinet meeting in Chhattisgarh. Short-term agriculture loans to the tune of over Rs 6,100 crore of over 16.65 lakh farmers drawn from cooperative banks and Chhattisgarh Gramin Banks, as on November 30, 2018, will be completely waived, he tweeted. In his tweet, Baghel also promised to build a new Chhattisgarh under this newly formed Congress government. aaaa aaaaaaaY aaaYaaa aa aaa aaaa aaaaa - 1. 16 aaa 65 aaaa aa aaaa aaaaaaa aa 6100 aaaaa aaaaa aa aaaaa aaa. 2. aaa aa aaaaaa aaaaa 2500 aaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaYa aaaa aaa. 3. aaaa aaaa aa aaaaaa aa aaaaa aaaaaa aa aaa SIT aa aaaa aa a. aaaaa aaa aaaaaaaaa Bhupesh Baghel (@Bhupesh_Baghel) December 17, 2018 The development came within a few hours of taking the oath of office this evening. Hailing from Kurmi OBC community, Baghel has become the third person to be the chief minister of Chhattisgarh. Read | Arun Jaitley slams Congress for choosing Kamal Nath as MP CM, says Sikhs consider him 'culpable' in 1984 riots Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to the senior Congress leader, who played a key role in reviving the party which had suffered three consecutive defeats in the previous Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh. Earlier in the day, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath cleared the proposal of waiving farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh as promised by Congress president Rahul Gandhi ahead of assembly polls. Briefing the media at the state secretariat after taking charge as new chief minister, Nath said, "After taking the oath, I have cleared the first file related to writing off loans up to Rs two lakh". Nath was sworn in as the 18th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh this afternoon. CM, Madhya Pradesh, waives farm loans. 1 done. 2 to go. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 17, 2018 It is widely believed the promise of farm loan waiver made by Rahul Gandhi helped the Congress to sweep both the heartland states where it was out of power for 15 long years. Read | Ashok Gehlot takes oath as Rajasthan Chief Minister, Sachin Pilot sworn in as deputy CM In a nerve-wracking see-saw battle with the BJP, Congress on December 11 bagged 114 assembly seats and secured the support of seven more MLAs, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and four independent MLAs, to cross the simple majority mark of 116 in the 230- member Madhya Pradesh Assembly. In Chhattisgarh, it was a clean sweep for the Congress with wins in 68 out of the 90 assembly constituencies. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Hours after Kamal Nath took oath as the 18th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday took a swipe at the Congress, alleging that Sikhs consider Nath "culpable" in the 1984 violence against the community. Jaitley's remark came on the heels of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's conviction in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case this morning. Convicting Sajjan Kumar in the case, the Delhi High Court said the riots were a "crime against humanity" perpetrated by those who enjoyed "political patronage". Jaitley, who dubbed Kumar a "symbol" of the anti-Sikh "genocide", said the country had never seen murders on such a bigger scale as it witnessed during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The finance minister also accused the Congress and its ruling Gandhi family of being involved in a "cover-up". Hailing the conviction of Sajjan Kumar, the BJP leader further said the decision may be delayed but at least the process of justice has started and hope that there will be more verdicts as many cases are being heard on a day to day basis. Read | Kamal Nath clarifies Rahul Gandhi's stand after MK Stalin's PM candidate proposal "It is an irony that the verdict has come on a day when a Congress chief minister, who is held culpable by the Sikh community, is taking the oath," Jaitley told reporters in an apparent reference to Nath. CM Kamal Nath, however, has denied any role in the riots against Sikhs while Congress has always maintained that due process of law is being followed and the issue should not be politicised. Giving a befitting reply to Jaitley, the new Madhya Pradesh CM said, "I took oath in 1991 and several times after that, no one said anything. There is no case, FIR, or charge sheet against me. Today they are raking up this matter. You can understand politics behind this". "Did eyewitness tell you about my involvement?" Kamal Nath asked. Read | Sajjan Kumar to move Supreme Court against Delhi High Court verdict on 1984 anti-Sikh riots Kamal Nath on 1984 Anti-Sikh riots: I took oath in 1991 & several times after that, no one said anything. There is no case,FIR,or chargesheet against me. Today they are raking up this matter. You can understand politics behind this. Did eyewitness tell you(about his involvement)? pic.twitter.com/506LqcBD4I ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 Read | New Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath's first big step, waives farm loans The 1984 anti-Sikh riots case refers to the violence against Sikhs following the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984. While a commission appointed by the Congress government gave a clean chit to the then dispensation, the Nanavati commission constituted by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government of the BJP-led NDA collated riot cases police station wise. The Narendra Modi government formed the Mathur committee and a SIT was later constituted to reinvestigate many riots cases across India. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and awarded him life imprisonment in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Kumar was found guilty of killing five Sikhs in Delhis cantonment area following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. While delivering the judgment in one of the hundreds 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases, the High Court had also mentioned other incident of similar violence, including 2002 Gujarat anti-Muslim riots when Narendra Modi was chief minister of the state. The High Court said that bringing the perpetrators to justice in such cases was a challenge for the judiciary as they enjoyed political patronage and managed to avoid the trial and punishment. The court said that neither crimes against humanity nor genocide were part of our low of crime and this was a loophole that needed to be addressed. Also Read | Congress leader Sajjan Kumar sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 anti-Sikh riots The court mentioned several other incidents of violence, including the 2002 Gujarat riots, 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, when minority community was targeted and law enforcement agencies remained mute spectator. In India, the riots in early November 1984 in which in Delhi alone 2,733 Sikhs and nearly 3,350 all over the country were brutally murdered (these are official figures) was neither the first instance of a mass crime nor, tragically, the last. The mass killings in Punjab, Delhi and elsewhere during the country's partition remains a collective painful memory as is the killings of innocent Sikhs in November 1984. There has been a familiar pattern of mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2008 and in Muzaffarnagar in UP in 2013 to name a few," the court said. While delivering the verdict on Sajjan Kumar, the court said that such mass crimes mostly targeted minority communities and those behind them enjoyed political patronage as well as assistance from law enforcement agencies. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi says he supports punishment to those involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots "The criminals responsible for the mass crimes have enjoyed political patronage and managed to evade prosecution and punishment. Bringing such criminals to justice poses a serious challenge to our legal system. As these appeals themselves demonstrate, decades pass by before they can be made answerable..., the court order noted. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Kumar was held guilty for killing five Sikhs in Delhis cantonment area following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. While pronouncing the judgment, the Delhi High Court observed that the mass killings of Sikhs between November 1 and 4, 1984 in Delhi and the rest of the country in the aftermath of Indira Gandhis assassination was carnage of unbelievable proportions. What happened in the aftermath of the assassination of the then PM was carnage of unbelievable proportions in which over 2,700 Sikhs were murdered in Delhi alone. Law and order clearly broke down and it was literally a free for all situation. Aftershocks of that still being felt, the High Court observed. Also Read | Congress leader Sajjan Kumar sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 anti-Sikh riots The Delhi High Court acknowledged that the mass killings were engineered by political actors and law enforcement agencies were also part of it. The court said that the brutal killing of Sikhs was a description of "crimes against humanityaY. The mass killings of Sikhs between November 1 and 4, 1984 in Delhi and the rest of the country, engineered by political actors with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies, answer the description of "crimes against humanity, the High Court said. Speaking about the case against Sajjan Kumar, the court said that it was almost impossible to book the Congress leader in normal scheme of things as efforts were made at a very large-scale to supresses charges against him. Sajjan Kumar has been asked to surrender before the CBI by the end of this year. The court had also ordered him not to leave Delhi and National Capital Territory (NCT) till the time he surrenders. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi says he supports punishment to those involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots Sajjan Kumar shall not from this moment till his surrender leave the NCT of Delhi and shall immediately provide to the CBI the address and mobile number(s) where he can be contacted, the court judgment read. A bench of Delhi High Court comprising Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel held Kumar guilty of killing five Sikhs in Delhis cantonment area following the assassination of Indira Gandhi and sentenced to life imprisonment. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, who was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced to three years' imprisonment for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card on December 15, 2015. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, had entered Pakistan from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. Official sources told news agency ANI that the release became possible due to relentless pressure from India on Pakistan. According to the sources, India issued 96 note verbales to Pakistan seeking consular access and clarity on the charges against Ansari, on which India received no satisfactory response. Ansari was released from the Pakistani prison after a court-mandated jail-term came to an end. Though his jail term ended last week, he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. The sources added that with his jail term was coming to an end on December 16, New Delhi had mounted pressure on Islamabad at multiple levels in the past few weeks, seeking to ensure Ansari's release and quick repatriation to India. 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. A two-judge Peshawar High Court bench, comprising Justice Roohul Amin and Justice Qalandar Ali Khan, on Thursday heard an appeal filed by Ansari through his lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar. Anwar informed the bench that both the Ministry 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. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. And sometimes there may be no doubt in a judges mind that the person probably did the crime," the former judge added. "But did the prosecution prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person did it? Sometimes the public doesnt understand that just because somebody thinks they did it, the question is whether the proof was established in court. Thats probably frustrating to some of the victims. New Delhi: New Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday said Rahul Gandhi never insisted on the prime minister's post amid reports that several Opposition leaders have expressed their reservations after DMK president MK Stalin pitched for the Congress president as prime ministerial candidate. "I am not sure if people will have a problem... Rahul Gandhi never said he insists on the prime minister's post. This has got to be discussed among all allies without any pre-condition and the Congress has to go along with that," NDTV quoted Kamal Nath as saying. The former Union minister and nine-time MP added: "This will be a post Lok Sabha poll issue, if all the leaders decide on one name, that will be the name... it is rather premature to say this now. In one or two months things will emerge more clearly in this." Speaking at an event organised to unveil a statue of former Tamil Nadu chief minister K Karunanidhi in Chennai on Sunday, Stalin made a strong pitch for Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" Narendra Modi government. "In 2018, on the occasion of unveiling Thalaivar Kalaignar statue, I propose, we will install a new prime minister in Delhi. We will build a new India, as the Son of Thalaivar Kalaignar, I propose the candidature of Rahul Gandhi from Tamil Nadu," Stalin said. However, leaders of the Samajwadi Party, the Telugu Desam Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the TrinamoolCongress, the National Congress Party are understood to have reservations over naming any prime ministerial nominee for the Opposition alliance for the 2019 general elections. "A number of opposition leaders are understood to have reservations against naming anyone as the prime ministerial face. The SP, TDP, BSP, TMC, and NCP disagree with Stalin's announcement. It is premature. The PM name is to be decided only after the Lok Sabha results," a top opposition leader told news agency PTI. Nath, 72 took over as Madhya Pradesh chief minister on Monday. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and other allies such as Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati skipped the swearing-in ceremony. Nath, however, denied that this was the reason Banerjee, Mayawati and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav stayed away from the swearing-in ceremonies. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday awarded life sentence to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Kumar, who was earlier acquitted by a trial court, was found guilty of killing five Sikhs in Delhis cantonment area following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. More than 3,000 Sikhs were brutally killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots following Indira Gandhis assassination. Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar were accused of masterminding the riots. The judgment of the Delhi High Court was welcomed by several political parties, including the Siromani Akali Dal (SAD), the BJP and the AAP. Here is how political parties and their leaders reacted to Sajjan Kumars sentencing: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal: I welcome Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riots case. It has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe. Also Read | Congress leader Sajjan Kumar sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 anti-Sikh riots BJPs Ram Madhav: Justice to 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims finally. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar sentenced to life imprisonment by Delhi HC. Thanks to the efforts of HM Rajnath Singh and MHA for reopening the cases deliberately suppressed by the previous government. Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal: Congress conspiracy to target and massacre Sikhs is being unearthed finally with Delhi HC convicting Gandhi family right hand man Sajjan Kumar in 1984 Sikh Genocide case. This is direct result of PM Modis initiative to form SIT which reopened 1984 cases to ensure justice to victims. Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa: We thank the court for giving us justice. Our fight will continue till Sajjan Kumar & Jagdish Tytler get a death sentence & Gandhi family is dragged to the court & put in jail. Congress ideologue Tehseen Poonawalla: In 2012 it was the CBI under the then Congress government that made Sajjan Kumar as the main accused in the 1984 Sikh Genocide. I repeat , the CBI under UPA. Can we expect the CBI today to take a stand on 2002. Watch Below: HS Phoolka celebrates Delhi High Court ruling outside te court premises #WATCH: HS Phoolka and Manjinder Singh Sirsa celebrate outside Delhi High Court. The Court today sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. pic.twitter.com/tpPSgjvDjO ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Miss Universe 2108 goes to.Catriona Gray from the Philippines. The 24-yaer-old 24-year-old Filipina-Australian bagged the prestigious crown beating contestants from 93 other countries. The Filipina-Australian beauty pipped South African Demi Leigh Nel-Peters for the top spot, becoming the fourth Filipina to bring home the coveted title. Miss Venezuela, Sthefany Gutierrez, rounded out the top three at the contest in Bangkok while Thailand's own Sophida Kanchanarin made it to the final 10. India's Nehal Chudasama failed to make it to the Top 20. Miss Universe 2018 is... PHILIPPINES! pic.twitter.com/r2BkN8JpXh Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 17, 2018 Gray who ousted 93 other contestants to win the title is said to have a love for the arts and holds a Master Certificate in Music Theory. She is also an adventure enthusiast and has tremendous her love for Filipino dishes including adobo, balut and fruits such as the sweetest mangoes in the world. According to the Miss Universe website, the 24-year-old is also known for her for altruistic side and is an HIV/AIDS advocate herself at Love Yourself PH and volunteers as a Teacher's Assistant to the students of Young Focus NGO. In the final round question, when asked about most important lesson she has learnt in life and how would she apply it in her time as Miss Universe, she answered, "I work a lot in the slums of Manila and life there is very poor and sad. I have always taught myself to look for the beauty in it, to look for the beauty in the faces of the children, and I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining and to asses where I could give something and provide something. Also Read | Experimental HIV vaccine found effective in monkeys: Study "And if I could also teach people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity would not brew and foster, and children would have a smile on their face."negativity." South Africa's Tamaryn Green took the Miss Universe 2018 first runner-up title followed by second runner-up, Miss Venezeula Sthefany Guterrez. New Delhi: Sara Ali Khan, the newest addition to Bollywood since her debut in Kedarnath, has had eyes and ears following her. Be it in a floral applique lehenga or a Moschino inspired, embellished black short dress, the actor knows best her style. With Christmas just around the corner, the 25-year-old-actor yet again heated things up with her fashion choice, sporting the ultimate Christmas style in all red. Making an appearance for the promotions of the much-awaited movie, Simmba starring Ranveer Singh, the young actor once again swept the Instagrammers in awe with her new picture in the good old classy red dress. Looking every term chic, Sara wore a flaming red bodycon dress by Nikhal Thampi with a classic style, puffed shoulders, a rock-solid collar and a plunging neckline. For her ultra-hot red dress, Sara sported a red buckle stiletto. She finished off her look with a light-set of makeup that had subtle eye-liner, a dash of a stroke of mascara, a MAU Pompy Hans tint for a scarlet red lip. With a ginormous round gold earring and a golden protruding ring, Sara looked every-term picture perfect. Read | Sushmita Sen's caption for boyfriend Rohman Shawl is winning hearts The daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, the Kedarnath star has had a huge fanbase following her stardom with her flair for acting, her charm, confidence, and body goals among many others. Following her debut success in Kedarnath starring alongside Sushant Singh Rajput, the young actor is all set for her second release of the year with Simmba. Check out her steaming hot Christmas-inspiration look: New Delhi: Kesar or saffron as it is popular called is a wonder spice for complete rejuvenation and refreshing health and beauty. Of fine red and yellow threads and sweet fragrance, the wonder spice is an elixir of life. Its many properties include medicinal ones for great health and beauty. Owing to its several use and benefits for overall wellness of the body and the mind, and the painstaking labour of harvesting and processing it for consumption, kesar remains one of the most expensive spices in the world. Currently, it is priced around Rs 4 lakh a kg in India's Kashmir. While the commercial production in India is small, Iran is said to be one of the biggest producers of kesar. Over 90 per cent of global production comes from Iran. However, the ancient use of kesar in food as a complete wellness spice is traced to Greece. Today, many wellness experts and scientists have found more of its goodness in different forms. Hence, its use for health and beauty today has become a common practice across the world. What is Kesar or saffron? Kesar is produced from the red and yellow thread-like stigmas and styles of the flower which biological name is crocus sativus or saffron crocus. The flowers bloom in Autumn and gives off a sweetly intoxicating fragrance. When the flowers are in full bloom, the stigmas and styles are freshly and carefully picked, collected and dried. The crimson sun-dried form is used as a flavouring and colouring agent in food and as dye in cloth. It is said that the stigmas from a freshly picked flower yields an average 30 mg of fresh saffron or 7 mg dried ones. In fact, it takes thousands kesar flowers to produce a single gram of saffron. Five Health Benefits of Kesar Dried kesar or saffron has high carbohydrate content and is rich in vitamins and minerals. Owing to its high nutritional content and medicinal properties, the spice is used in food as seasoning or flavouring and to treat several ailments and health problems. Kesar is used to treat common ailments such as pain, cough and cold. Saffron works as a pain reliever and an expectorant. Its intake helps to clear the phlegm in the throat. Kesar helps to treat asthma. Consumption of kesar helps to breathe better and treats chest congestion as it clears the air passage. Kesar treats stress and insomnia. Saffron works as an aromatherapy. It completely rejuvenates the body and mind. It busts the stress and induces a good and sound sleep. Kesar treats flatulence: The intake of saffron helps to reduce intestinal gas and treats bloating sensation. It also helps to treat heartburn caused by high acidity. Kesar treats Alzheimers: While there is no cure for Alzheimers, consumption of kesar can help arrest the onset of the disease and other neurological disorders. Kesar also helps to slow the progress of Alzheimers. Since Alzheimers also causes depression and memory loss, the resultant effect of consuming kesar is interrelated. It is said to help treat depression and boost the brain activity. Five Beauty Benefits of Kesar Kesar boosts ageless beauty: Kesar, apart from being used in food, is also used as a beauty ingredient. The rich content of vitamins and minerals in kesar or saffron is said to slow down the aging process as the intake of it improves the overall health condition. Kesar for glowing skin: Many believe that kesar is beneficial for the skin in many ways. The antioxidants present in it is said to treat several skin infections and beautify the skin. Hence, regular intake of kesar can help provide fairer and glowing skin. Kesar treats acne: The medicinal properties in kesar is said to help treat acne. Since it is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial, applying a paste of it on the affected spot twice or thrice a week can help rid acne from the face. Kesar rids scars and wounds: Kesar is said to be a wonder spice for blemish free skin. Apart from removing acne, application of saffron or kesar paste on wounds speeds up healing and helps remove scars effectively. Kesar treats dry skin: There are several kesar beauty recipes to boost the skin condition. One being, a mix of lemon juice in kesar paste. Application of it on the skin helps to tone and brighten dry skin. It also cures cracked lips. Read | Shah Rukh Khan, Zeeshan Ayyub bonding lends fascinating touch to Zero It is expensive, but if you get a hold of this wonder spice, do not waste it. Make the most of kesar for great health and beauty. Stay fit and beautiful. Also Read | Director Peter Jackson comes comes clean about Harvey Weinstein For all the Latest Lifestyle News, Food News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Astronomers have found a young massive star, referred to as MM 1a, to be surrounded by a rotating disc of gas and dust that was the focus of the scientists' original investigation. A faint object, MM 1b, was detected just beyond the disc in orbit around MM 1a, according to the study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The astronomers made this surprising discovery by using a new instrument situated high in the Chilean desert - the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA). "Stars form within large clouds of gas and dust in interstellar space," said lead researcher John Ilee from the University of Leeds in Britain as quoted by news agency IANS. Read More | NASA captures first images of Mars InSight lander from space "When these clouds collapse under gravity, they begin to rotate faster, forming a disc around them. In low mass stars like our Sun, it is in these discs that planets can form. In this case, the star and disc we have observed is so massive that, rather than witnessing a planet forming in the disc, we are seeing another star being born," Ilee added. The researchers calculated the mass of MM 1a and MM 1b by measuring the amount of radiation emitted by the dust, and subtle shifts in the frequency of light emitted by the gas. They found that MM 1a weighs 40 times the mass of our Sun. The smaller orbiting star MM 1b was calculated to weigh less than half the mass of our Sun. "Many older massive stars are found with nearby companions," added Ilee. Also Read | Brightest comet to pass by Earth today, know all about it "But binary stars are often very equal in mass, and so likely formed together as siblings. Finding a young binary system with a mass ratio of 80:1 is very unusual, and suggests an entirely different formation process for both objects," Ilee said. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Whatsapp for Android has introduced an interesting feature called the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) for all users. The feature, having hit the floors in beta back in October, is catching up to Android users through WhatsApp stable version 2.18.30. Through this advancement, users will be able to watch Instagram, Facebook and YouTube videos in a small window and continue to scroll through WhatsApp chats simultaneously. The new update which has been recently brought to all Android users was running an identical experience on WhatsApp for iPhone users since January 2018. The feature to stream Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram simultaneously while chatting works for both, individual and group chats. All you need to enable the Picture-in-Picture feature is to download the latest WhatsApp for Android from Google Play. Android blog GoAndroid first spotted the feature in WhatsApp for Android version 2.18.380. Earlier in this month, WhatsApp launched its first-ever Television campaign as part of its efforts to address the challenge of misinformation and fake rumours in India. It has conducted extensive research with users in India and then developed three ad films that are based on a real users experience, WhatsApp said in a statement. The three films will be available on TV, Facebook, and YouTube in nine languages and reach the diverse population that makes up WhatsApp users. The campaign is timed to start just prior to the elections in Rajasthan and Telangana and WhatsApp will build on this effort headed into the national election next year, the statement added. The app-based messenger, after facing flaks for misuse of its platform, has made a series of changes, including labeling forwarded messages to inform users when they have received something, not from their immediate contact and set a limit on how the forwarded messages can be sent. DANBURY A Danbury Superior Court judge has upheld a state panels order that Danbury Police reinstate former Officer Daniel Sellner. Judge Edward Krumeich ruled that the states arbitration board was correct when it ruled this summer that Sellner should not have been fired almost four years ago after city officials accused him of using excessive force during an arrest. That August 2014 incident came on the same day Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., launching a wave of police protests nationwide. Police union leaders had argued that Sellners firing was not justified and that the departments code of conduct required a 30-day suspension instead. City leaders have argued Sellner has a history of inappropriate behavior and a disciplinary record. Krumeich disagreed with nearly all of the citys argument, according to his 11-page order. It was a quick and stinging rebuke of a ridiculous argument on appeal, said attorney Norm Pattis, who is representing Sellner. Mayor Mark Boughton, who was among the officials who reviewed the case at a mayoral hearing, suggested city legal counsel are considering appealing the case again. I believe we have an option of appealing again and the legal staff is reviewing our options, Boughton said. Obviously, its frustrating for us in terms of being able to hold people accountable for their actions, but certainly we respect the ruling of the arbitration panel and the court. Pattis blasted Boughton for the citys attempts to overturn Sellners reinstatement. All Mayor Boughton can accomplish by dragging this out is is a larger paycheck for Mr. Sellner in the end, he said. The mayor needs to take account of his responsibility to the taxpayers of Danbury, stop wasting money and return Mr. Sellner to service. If we have to drag the mayor into court by the nape of the neck to get him to obey the court, we will, he continued. His decisions with respect to police officers are insulting to the department. Sellner, who spent nearly 20 years on the force, has a long history of complaints and disciplinary issues. Boughton fired Sellner in January 2015 after an internal investigation into the arrest in which Sellner took down a man while he was in handcuffs, sending the man to the emergency room. The city settled a case brought by the injured man for an undisclosed, but five-figure payment later that year. But Sellner also has been accused of roughing up a young man in a cell more than 10 years ago and for threatening a driver at a gas station in 2012. He was suspended without pay for a week in 2013 for making a lewd comment to an elementary school teacher and he was retrained after misusing a Taser on a motorist. The state arbitration panel ordered Sellner reinstated in June, mirroring a similar ruling from a judge just two months earlier who found the city should have issued a suspension instead of firing Officer Chris Belair for berating a motorist. Belair has since been reinstated and is now at the state police academy to regain his certifications, which lapsed during the time he was removed from the department, Boughton said. Sellner has not been reinstated during the citys appeal, but he will also have to return to the academy for certifications should this months ruling stand. Should the city delay the resintatement outside of an appeal, Pattis warned he would file a grievance with the state panel on Sellners behalf. Ultimately, in the end, we may consider contempt filings agianst the mayor as well, Pattis said. He can only ignore the law for so long before it bites back. zach.murdock@hearstmediact.com The now-infamous dashcam video released more than a year after the October 2014 shooting showed the white officer opening fire within seconds of exiting his squad car as the black teen walked away from police with a knife in his hand. The video contradicted reports from officers at the scene that McDonald had threatened officers with the weapon. MILFORD A fire severely damaged Flames Mediterranean and American Grill on Daniel Street in downtown Milford Sunday night. Battalion Chief Anthony Fabrizi said dispatchers received a 911 call at 8:56 p.m. reporting a fire inside the restaurant from an employee of a neighboring restaurant who discovered the fire after someone reported smelling smoke in the area. Firefighting units arrived on scene and found the restaurant charged with thick black smoke, Fabrizi said in a release. Fire crews forced entry through the front doors and pulled hose lines into the building to suppress the blaze, Fabrizi said. The fire was under control in about 15 minutes. Although firefighters managed to gain control of the blaze very quickly, the business suffered extensive heat and smoke damage, he said. An adjacent real estate office and barber shop were not affected by the fire. The Milford Fire Marshals division is investigating the incident; a cause has not officially been released. More News New Mediterranean restaurant opens in Milford The restaurant, which offers traditional Middle Eastern dishes and American dishes, including its popular Flames Burger, was reported to be closed for the evening at the time of the blaze. When a structure fire occurs, it is imperative to evacuate the residence and call 911 from outside of the building, Fabrizi said. As a reminder, proper functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. Please check yours today. According to a Connecticut Post article, the restaurant opened in May 2017 by Walied Hanaif of Palestinian descent, who now lives in Ansonia. Hanaif moved to the United States from Egypt with his family at about age 13. Hanaif said he always wanted to open a sit-down restaurant he previously owned a deli in New York City but couldnt find the right location. Then, on a trip for ice cream in downtown Milford, he drove by the former bookstore at 12 Daniel St. Sundays fire was the second one to heavily damage a Milford restaurant this season. On Halloween night, Scribners Restaurant a Milford landmark for 45 years was hit by a fire. A GoFundMe page was set up to help workers who lost their jobs. As of Monday, more than $5,600 has been raised. The Red, Brown and Purple lines all were stopped at the station at 945 W. Belmont Ave. starting about 7:50 a.m. Service resumed on two tracks by about 8:40 a.m., with all lines moving but only running on two tracks, not the usual four, and not stopping at Belmont by just before 9 a.m., according to the CTA. Service was fully restored at 10 a.m., said Katherine Hosinski, a spokeswoman for the CTA. After a five-month investigation, authorities in Ocean City have charged a 61-year-old woman with running a massage parlor on the Jersey Shore as a kind of brothel. Grace Li, of Ocean City, was charged last week with managing a house of prostitution, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland announced Monday. The business, called L&G Massage Spa, is located at 508 East 9th St., just a few blocks from Ocean Citys family-friendly boardwalk. It's website says it offers massages including Swedish and deep tissue, but authorities say that customers could pay at least some women who worked there for sexual acts. The prosecutor's office said the investigation began in July, when the Ocean City Police Department got a tip that prostitution was occurring at the spa. The local police partnered on the investigation with the prosecutor's office and Homeland Security Investigations, the office said in a statement Monday. A judge issued a search warrant last week, and authorities searched the spa and issued Li a summons on the third-degree charge. If convicted, she faces a possible sentence of three to five years in jail, prosecutors said. However, Sutherland said that additional charges may be filed and the investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the prosecutor's office at 609-465-1135 or Ocean City police at 609-399-9111. Anonymous reports can also be submitted at cmcsheriff.net. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Essex officials have on Monday named the man police officers fatally wounded early Saturday morning after taking his ex-girlfriend hostage and holding her at gunpoint for several hours. Authorities say Sean Sharpe, 54, of Orange was waiting inside his ex-girlfriends home in Newark when she and their 11-year-old daughter returned home Friday night just after 9 p.m. The woman had an active restraining order against Sharpe, the Essex County Prosecutors Office said Monday. Sharpe forced the woman and his daughter out of the house at gunpoint, prosecutors said, but his daughter was able to escape and call police. When Newark Police and a SWAT team responded to the call, in the area of Broadway and Irving Street, the young girl was immediately taken into police custody. Sharpe continued to point his weapon on the woman for more than seven hours while authorities tried to negotiate a surrender with non-lethal methods, prosecutors said. Just before he was shot, at about 5:30 a.m., Sharpe pointed his gun at his ex-girlfriends head and then at police, prosecutors said. The investigation reveals that the suspect repeatedly stated he had no intention of surrendering to law enforcement, Prosecutors said in a statement Monday morning. Both the girl and her mother escaped physical injury, and the child was not at the scene at the time of the shooting, Lt. Ronald Glover told NJ Advance Media Saturday. The incident is being investigated by the prosecutors Professional Standards Bureau, which investigates all police-involved shootings resulting in injury or death. The investigation is ongoing. Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. Three people from New York were arrested early Sunday after Bayonne police say they recovered mail stolen from a postal mailbox -- including credit cards and cash -- from their vehicle. Bayonne police telecommunicators, dispatchers monitoring surveillance cameras, saw a male in the area of 30th Street and Broadway removing mail from a U.S. Postal Service mailbox on the northeast corner of West 30th Street and Broadway at 3:36 a.m. Sunday, Bayonne Lt. Eric Amato said. A second male was on the corner acting as a lookout. The two people fled east on West 30th Street and got into a gray minivan. Police officers responded to West 30th Street and stopped the minivan, which was occupied by two men and a 17-year-old boy, Amato said. Through the windows, officers saw numerous items of mail and cash strewn about the interior of the minivan, Amato said. During the subsequent search, police found stolen mail, cash, marijuana and tools used to retrieve mail from mailboxes. While he was being processed by police, the 17-year-old gave false personal identifying information to officers, Amato said. "I commend the astute and watchful eyes of the Bayonne police telecommunicators, who continue to demonstrate that the safety of the citizens of Bayonne and the various Bayonne first-responders is their No. 1 priority, Bayonne Police Chief Robert Geisler said in a statement. "Through their tactful use and monitoring of advanced technology, specifically the city of Bayonne closed-circuit wireless camera system, they provide the added component of virtual patrol, assisting the police with our crime-fighting and community-safety efforts. "I also commend the impeccable response time and investigative abilities of all officers involved. This particular incident demonstrates the successes that can be attained through the use of advanced technology and the collaborative efforts of the Bayonne police, outside law enforcement agencies (U.S. Postal Inspectors), and our telecommunicators. The driver, Ivan A. Rodriguez, 18, of Yonkers, New York, was charged with 19 counts of theft, burglary, employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime, conspiracy, burglar tools, 14 counts of credit card theft and possession of 50 grams or less of marijuana. Christopher Mercado, 21, also of New York, was charged with 19 counts of theft, burglar tools, employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime, conspiracy and burglary. The 17-year-old was charged with 19 counts of theft, conspiracy, burglar tools hindering apprehension and burglary. Rodriguez and Mercado were lodged in the Hudson County Jail while Juvenile #1 was remanded to the Union County Juvenile Detention Center. All actors were charged accordingly (see below). For Bayonne detectives, a September weekend was like few others, as police investigated seven vehicles that were reported stolen over the course of three days. Despite the busy weekend in Bayonne, car thefts have been on the decline in Hudson County and throughout the country for years, likely due to modern vehicle anti-theft systems. Hudson County saw a 44 percent drop in vehicle thefts between 2011, when 1,733 vehicles were stolen, and 2017 when 962 thefts were reported. This downward trend mirrors what experts have seen across the country since the 1990s. National Insurance Crime Bureau spokesman Roger Morris said anti-theft features such as ignition keys with computer chips are making stealing cars harder than ever. He said Honda Accords and Civics from the 90s, which have limited anti-theft features, are the most stolen cars. You might have 6,000 of those stolen in a year and the new models, you might have 200 or 300 stolen, Morris said, adding that older Hondas, which are known for their longevity, are coveted for their parts. Vehicle thefts in Hudson County dropped by 44 percent between 2011 and 2017. Vehicle thefts dropped 46 percent nationally over the past 25 years. The year-end tally will say if that is continuing in Hudson County. In Jersey City, vehicle thefts remained relatively flat for the first seven months of the year. There were 318 vehicles stolen during that period, two fewer than the 320 thefts reported in the first seven months of 2017. In Bayonne, there have been at least 76 vehicles stolen this year, according to an unofficial count, surpassing last years total of 71 thefts. Hoboken has also seen a rise this year. Despite the security advancements, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez wrote on Twitter last month that theft of high-end vehicles worth $40,000 or more has increased by 250 percent since 2017. Approximately one third of high-end theft victims mention leaving the key in the car," she added. People leaving their keys in the car is common enough that Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante recently took to Twitter to warn residents that Leaving your engine running unattended is illegal (39:4-53) and creates a danger to many. Someone getting into a running vehicle is easy to take." Morris even said that a device has been created that reads the signal emitted by a key fob a device used to unlock a vehicle and then reproduce the signal to unlock the vehicles itself. We dont have any confirmed cases of someone using the device, but we tested it and found it to be very effective, he said. Meanwhile, Ferrante is among those who think vehicle anti-theft systems may change the trajectory of what has been a decade of decline in the number of carjackings. He said he has been getting notifications of carjackings in Bergen County and they seem to be moving to Hudson. We have not had that in the last 10 years but because of the way cars are made, you cant just break in and start them up. How do they steal cars now find one thats running or carjack it. Morris, too, said that he has no firm data, but he thinks carjackings are one of the side effects of having such security in car." If they are desperate enough, they will forcibly take a car, Morris said. "If someone tries to take your car, let them, thats what insurance is for. Required television watching is last weeks (sic) Martha MacCallum interview with the wonderful wife of Rod Blagojevich, the president tweeted of Patti Blagojevichs Friday interview on The Story with Martha MacCallum. He also referenced a separate Fox News interview with Jerome Corsi, who is being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller. Of the two interviews, Trump tweeted: If that doesnt tell you something about what has been going on in our Country, nothing will. Very sad! Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, III, met with elected officials and members of the public on Wednesday to discuss the economic and social impacts marijuana legalization could have on the community. I believe we had a very productive dialogue with some of our elected officials and concerned members of the public," Kearns said. "The purpose of the event was to raise questions much more than give answers. This event was never meant to be a debate on the benefits or ill effects of marijuana on the person, instead it was meant to be an opportunity for us to discuss and consider the impacts legalized marijuana could have on our community and the best ways we could deal with those issues. Guest speakers included Steve Reid, mayor of Point Pleasant and executive director of NJ RAMP, and Attorney John Kutner, an expert on marijuana litigation. A federal judge in New Jersey ruled a natural gas pipeline company can go ahead with taking property and compensating landowners as part of an estimated $1.1 billion project. U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti said Friday that PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC can begin taking immediate possession of properties in New Jersey along the roughly 120-mile proposed pipeline from northeastern Pennsylvania through Northampton County and across the Delaware River into Hunterdon and Mercer counties in New Jersey. The 50-page ruling says PennEast offered $3,000 for access to parts of land where the pipeline would travel. The ruling is a blow to towns, landowners, the state and environmental groups, who sought to stop PennEast's use of eminent domain. New Jersey landowners would be paid under the ruling. PennEast's board of managers chairman, Tony Cox, said Friday that as a result of ongoing talks with stakeholders like landowners and state officials, planners aligned nearly half of the New Jersey route with overhead power lines to reduce the pipeline's impact. The PennEast Pipeline Company is pleased with todays ruling allowing the project to take another step forward in delivering low-cost, reliable energy that strengthens New Jerseys economy and creates thousands of jobs, Cox said in a statement on the ruling. Once in operation, PennEast will provide the low-cost energy for ratepayers to ultimately support future investments in higher cost wind and solar. "Our immediate next steps are to perform routine land, environmental and other ground-level surveys. These surveys will update and confirm data for certain federal and state permitting guidelines. The New Jersey Attorney General's Office on Friday responded to a request for comment from NJ Advance Media by saying: "The decision is under review. We have no other comment at this time." Homeowners opposed to the pipeline issued a statement saying they are infuriated by the ruling and remain committed to stopping the project. Although disappointed, we are even more steadfast in our resolve to stop this project by proving that this it is not needed, has little positive impact on employment, is unconstitutional and is very harmful to our homes, communities and our environment, stated Vincent DiBianca, a Delaware Township homeowner and owner of a small farm and business on the pipelines proposed path. The New Jersey Sierra Club said it also remained committed to blocking the pipeline designed to carry natural gas from hydraulic fracturing wells in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region for domestic regional use. PennEast moves forward and we will fight back and stop this," the clubs director, Jeff Tittel, said in a statement. Weve been fighting PennEast for over four years and they thought it would be long built by now. We want to thank the landowners who denied them access and those who took them to court to fight it. The New Jersey Conservation Foundation also blasted Fridays ruling. PennEast is trying to trample on our rights by taking land from private homeowners, and lands set aside with taxpayer dollars for our children and grandchildren," Tom Gilbert, campaign director for the foundation, said in a statement. This will only strengthen the publics opposition and resolve to ensure that this self-serving project is rejected and they never get the chance to destroy New Jerseys environment. PennEast won a similar ruling last week on eminent domain in Pennsylvania. That ruling only allows the consortium of energy companies to survey the land it needs. Pennsylvania eminent domain law requires a separate process for the condemnation of land and compensation of landowners, PennEast says. Permits for the project are pending in both states after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted conditional approval earlier this year, deeming the project to be in the public need and benefit. The company has said it plans to move forward with construction in mid-2019, expected to take about seven months before the pipeline goes online. NJ Advance Media reporter Michael Sol Warren and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Eight New Jersey men have been arrested and a multi-million cargo theft ring has been dismantled, Kearny Police Chief George King announced Saturday. King said the cargo theft ring had been responsible for stealing $4 million in goods from Kearny trucking yards over an 18-month period. The arrests were the result of a multi-agency investigation dubbed Operation Equinox. Douglas Abarca, 40, of Jersey City, was arrested as the ringleader of the group that King said had stolen 15 trailers. Four other Jersey City men -- Omar Ortiz, 37, Christopher Williams, 38, David Soliman, 32, and Jesus Navarro, 31 -- were among the eight arrested. Nelson Pena-Restituyo, 52, of Union City, Sami Khales, 26, of Palisades Park, and Juan Salazar, 40, of Elizabeth, were also arrested between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. The stolen merchandise included food items, cosmetics, chemicals, tires, linen, clothing and liquor with an approximate retail value of more than $4 million, King said. The stolen merchandise was stored in warehouses in Linden, North Bergen and Clifton after the thefts. During the course of the 18-month investigation by Kearny police and New Jersey State Police, police recovered various amounts of the stolen merchandise, including 36 pallets of Hershey Syrup valued at $120,000, a shipment of clothing valued at $300,000 and a shipment of waffle sandwiches valued at $40,000. "I am extremely proud of the work done by members of the Kearny Police Department Detective Bureau and their collaboration with county, state and federal agencies to bring this to a successful conclusion," said King, who also credited the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Special Investigations Unit, New Jersey State Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Real Time Crime Center. Anyone with information is asked to contact Kearny police at 201-998-1313 or tips@kearnynjpd.org. All information will be kept confidential. More than a dozen revelers, dressed in their Christmas worst, were arrested Saturday during Hoboken SantaCon 2018, city Police Chief Ken Ferrante said. Among the arrests were two for aggravated assault on police officers and one for a "sexual offense." Although the number of bars participating was fewer than last year -- 30 in 2017 and 10 this year -- and arrests were down -- there were 17 last year -- Ferrante was still frustrated. "Blood @ JohnnyRockets brawl. 2 P.O's exposed to combatant's blood, so they need to be treated," he tweeted Saturday afternoon. "That's 4 officers needing medical aid, & some wonder why I condemn this day!. No other day like it entire yr in @CityofHoboken . Those that cause it need to be pay the consequences." One of the people involved was processed, issued a court date and released, only to head straight back to SantaCon, Ferrante tweeted. Recapping the 16-hour period yesterday morning, Ferrante said the police department responded to 429 calls for service, up from 282 last year. Also, there were 33 summonses issued this year, compared to 52 last year. The chief did not go into detail, but he said in a tweet yesterday morning that one person was arrested for a "sexual offense." He also noted that 46 tickets were issued for moving violations and that not one complaint was registered against police officers patrolling the streets. "We are grateful to the Hoboken Police Department and all first responders for their hours of hard work keeping Hoboken safe," Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement. "While I'm encouraged our proactive stance with Hoboken PD in addressing SantaCon yielded a decrease in participating bars, overall participants, arrests and ordinance violations from last year, it continues to be a detriment to our city. "We'll continue to explore ways to mitigate the impact of future 'con' events." ARRESTS Its a commuters Christmas miracle. After the placement of the holiday decorations over the Holland Tunnel sign drove some motorists to distraction, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Monday the decor is getting a makeover. The decorative Christmas tree hung over the "N" on the sign over the toll booths will be moved over the "A" -- correcting what some drivers said was a ridiculous decorating error. The wreath covering the letter "U" will also be removed. The new design -- with the Christmas tree covering the letter that better matches its shape -- was chosen in an online poll run by the Port Authority and announced at a press conference in front of the tunnel. The second round wreath will continue to cover the letter O, as it was in the original design. Its a small miracle that the Port Authority actually responded, said Kevin OToole, chairman of the Port Authority Board of Commissioners. OToole joked he wanted to climb up a ladder and begin changing the decorations right away, but he could not due to safety concerns. The decorations will be moved about 10 p.m. Monday when a lane will be closed so workers can put up a ladder. The removed wreath will be rehung at the Journal Square PATH station, Port Authority officials said. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offered voters four choices for the holiday decorations over the Holland Tunnel. (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) Cory Windelspecht, an OCD sufferer and Holland Tunnel commuter, delivered a petition with more than 2,000 signatures to the Port Authority last week calling for a change to the decorations. Though it was symmetrical, with the Christmas tree placed in the center of the two wreaths, the design was maddening for some motorists who would not relax until the Christmas tree was placed over the "A". "One guy told me he avoids the Holland Tunnel and takes the Lincoln for the entire month of December, even though it adds an hour to his commute, Windelspecht said last week. Dont get me wrong: Im a huge Christmas guy. Theres no better time in the city. Its an awesome time of the year -- and thats the entrance we have? Holiday decorations adorn the letters on the toll booth structure on the Holland Tunnel approach on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, in Jersey City. The decorations will be changed due to motorist complaints. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) AP Port Authority officials said 80 percent of the 21,500 people who voted in the poll asked for a change to the current design. About 42 percent of the voters chose the winning design from the four choices. By comparison, only about 20 people commented on the Port Authoritys $8 billion budget this year, officials said. Great Holland Tunnel Decoration Debate Results Posted by The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on Monday, December 17, 2018 Im now in favor of closing the Holland Tunnel for the next three weeks if it means an end to the nonsense about the wreaths. Brian Clark (@BrianClark_) December 17, 2018 Hi @WhosCory being a designer, things like that bug me, too! It's not an OCD-thing the tree placement is graphically incorrect. I know it's quick & crude, but this is my interpretation of the Holland Tunnel's entrance sign. I also tweaked the "U". They SHOULD be corrected! pic.twitter.com/dkxrvfJq2Y Joe Stratford (@Joe2CT) December 12, 2018 Thank you to everyone who voted in the 2018 Great Holland Tunnel Decoration Debate! Which option won? All questions will be answered at today's Results Reveal event. 1:30pm on Facebook Live. https://t.co/hy5yCyMPUl pic.twitter.com/ywlruiSwWk Port Authority NY&NJ (@PANYNJ) December 17, 2018 Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. By Nestor Montilla Much has been said from New Jerseys attorney general and police leaders in the wake of NJ Advance Medias release of public data on police officer use of force. After the release of The Force Report on NJ.com the online home of The Star-Ledger there is no mystery that some of the officers applying force most frequently were also the targets of years of internal affairs complaints and lawsuits naming them as defendants. Countless times police officials failed to intervene. The Latino Leadership Alliance has been at the forefront of this issue since 2008, when we embarked on a statewide initiative to review police conduct, starting a dialogue centered on use of force and how police departments investigate citizen complaints. Our efforts were later supported with a fellowship by the Open Society Foundation, which led to more than 5,000 force reports to be compiled and analyzed. We were shocked and dismayed to learn police departments were not required to examine these publicly available reports. Most troubling was the routing of citizen complaints that appeared to get lost in a vicious circle. Those who filed directly with county prosecutors for brutality incidents were sent to local police departments, which were incapable of objective investigations of their fellow officers. Citizens complaints filed with Attorney General Paula Dows office received the same indifferent response. They were forwarded to county prosecutors, then to the same local police departments with which filers had hoped to avoid additional negative contact. Police encourage residents to say something when they see something wrong. Clearly this was not meant for those who were inappropriately brutalized by police officers. The trends in force data were alarming. We immediately reached out to law enforcement partners to share our findings. The Attorney Generals Office at the time adjusted the internal affairs policy and the prosecutors from Morris and Salem counties instantly revamped their oversight of local police agencies, with Salem County hiring an expert to oversee countywide accountability. After sharing our data with then-Mayor Donald Guardian of Atlantic City, that police department reduced its complaints of excessive force by 19 percent, use-of-force incidents by 35 percent and overall complaints by 27 percent. This proved that community collaboration truly works. We also found a pattern throughout New Jersey in which Hispanic people subjected to force were recorded as white, thus underreporting the frequency force was used upon that group. This was prominent in Bergen County, where force was used in numerous towns at a far higher rate upon Latinos than their relative population in those communities. Using this example, we learned language barriers existed and officers resorted to force in some instances because they perceived that people resisted when they simply did not understand officer commands in English. Much could have been learned from analysis and auditing had police taken the time to properly report incidents. In their joint statement, policing officials were disingenuous in baiting the public to believe that use-of-force data were somehow not uniform and are unreliable that we should collectively sit back and wait for them to interpret their own data behind closed doors after they abandoned their responsibilities to monitor officers who used excessive force years ago. The fact is the state attorney general houses the Police Training Commission, which oversees basic academy courses statewide. The state does not devote enough resources to that commission. All 21 counties in New Jersey standardize the training, definitions, report forms and how the data are collected. We cannot afford to wait for the same law enforcement leaders to secretly devise solutions for the very debacle they created while police officers and people subjected to force continue to sustain generally preventable injuries. If police are better trained, supervised and equipped to humanely deal with situations, they should not have to resort to seriously hurting or killing someone when safe and reasonable alternatives would be available to them. The Attorney Generals Office and police chiefs have once again lost public confidence in their abilities to hold officers accountable and to be transparent. Instead of pointing fingers elsewhere, they should now partner with our Legislature for sustainable legal reforms in police oversight that include decertification when officers lose the capacity to wear the distinguished and honorable badge for good cause. Communities need to partake in the oversight of law enforcement practices in civilian review boards. Police executives and labor unions will argue that ordinary citizens do not understand policing and have no business in oversight. We argue that every police department already has civilian oversight through elected leaders and consent by society. Our experiences since 2008 in sharing and interpreting police data with law enforcement executives is a testament to effective community-police partnerships and collaboration. We support police officers who uphold the Constitution and protect society around the clock. We are concerned for their well-being, and our vision of collaborative policing is to reward good officers and identify the few bad ones who tarnish the badge. The time when law enforcement secretly police themselves is long gone. We need inclusion and accountability now. Paalante! - Onwards! Nestor Montilla is president of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey. The Force Report is a continuing investigation of police use of force in New Jersey.Read more from the series or search your local police department and officers in the full the database. Read more from The Force Report: Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. On Saturday, the top two Democrats in the Legislature did what any sensible burglars would do when the alarm sounds and the floodlights snap on - they dropped their loot and ran. The leaders, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, couldn't drum up enough votes to do their mischief. Their plan was to redraw New Jersey's political map in a way that would lock in an unfair advantage for Democrats over the next decade. They tried to do it in the dark, during lame duck session of the Legislature, when they thought everyone in the house was asleep. But the alarm did sound, and suddenly the villagers were aroused, charging at Sweeney and Coughlin with torches in hand. The surprise - and the glory of this moment - is that most of those charging at them were not Republicans, a party that has been worn down to a nub in New Jersey after the Christie years. The storm of protest came mostly from the left, from Democrats and liberal activists who want to win elections fair and square. They signed the petitions, organized the marches, and testified against the plan. Citizen groups like the League of Women Voters, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey all called this a partisan gerrymander. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project warned that Republicans could someday use these same rules to gain unfair advantage against Democrats. Grassroots groups joined the protest. They include leaders of NJ 11th for Change, South Jersey Progressive Women for Change, and the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, whose leader, Analilia Mejia, put the case against it succinctly: "We do not have to cheat to win," she says. In the end, what started as another unseemly moment in Trenton turned into an inspiring one. Democrats have been watching Trump Republicans across the country cheapen our democracy with stunts like this, and much worse. And they wanted no part of it. Instead of reaching for a club to strike back, they reached for higher ground. They listened to national Democrats like Eric Holder, the former attorney general, who said this stunt would damage the national fight against far more radical gerrymandering in states like Texas and North Carolina, along with shamelessly partisan and racist efforts to suppress turnout by restricting voting hours and imposing unreasonable ID requirements. Republicans in Wisconsin just offered fresh insult. After losing in November, they used their final weeks in power to strip away key powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general. Vladimir Putin must be delighted to find such effective allies in his fight to cheapen our democracy and inflame our divisions. For now at least, New Jersey Democrats are going to do the right thing, having exhausted all the other alternatives. Sweeney and Coughlin both put out statements that left them wiggle room to try again next year, but it's tough to take that seriously. Gov. Phil Murphy, to his credit, opposed this stunt from the start. The irony is that New Jersey is ahead of most states today when it come to gerrymandering, We don't allow the legislature to draw the political map, as in most states. We hand the job to an independent commission, split between the two parties, and with a tie-breaker appointed by the chief justice of the state Supreme Court. Why fix what's not broken? This amendment would have tied the hands of the "independent" commission for the first time by requiring that it consider only statewide elections when devising its map. That includes races for president, U.S. Senate, and the governorship, where Democrats dominate. The commission would be barred from weighing the results of legislative elections, where Republicans are more competitive. For now, let's relish the moment. With Donald Trump in the White House, these are scary times for our democracy. This time, though, democracy pushed back. More: Tom Moran columns Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, joyous Chanukah, cheerful Kwanza or jubilant Festivus! Whatever you celebrate, I hope it's a good one. The holidays are a heavy time for a lot of folks, even more so now that everything is awful and we're doomed. Take time this holiday season to count your blessings and forget about the country's rapid circling of the drain. Take stock of all the good things in your life that aren't soul-suckingly awful. Things like: Puppies Dark chocolate...wait, isn't climate change a threat to the global chocolate supply? Okay, forget this one. Bacon...we might run out of that, too. Uh... Democracy...crap. Okay, just focus on the puppies. And weed! Weed might be legalized next year. That's something to look forward to, I guess. If you're into that sort of thing. Listen, I'm not going to sit here and blow smoke up your flue. The country is a deeply divided diaper fire presided over by a vulgar, hate-filled, reality television con man who doesn't care wether you live or die as long as the Saudis keep renting rooms at his tacky D.C. hotel. But January is coming, fingers crossed, and a modicum of accountability will hopefully return to government when the Democrats take control of the House. Will that make the sun shine and the birds sing? Not right away, but progress isn't a straight line. Sometimes you have to take a detour around a bright orange traffic cone that refuses to denounce white nationalism. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. More than 30 years ago Vernon Madison snuck up behind a police officer responding to a domestic violence call and shot him twice in the head. Then he shot his girlfriend. The cop died. The girlfriend lived to tell about it. Madison was sentenced to death, but he's still breathing. Barely. And that's why the US Supreme Court has the case of Madison vs Alabama as one of the first things the nine justices will rule on next year. It's one of those cases that jurists, ethicists, activists and religious leaders will still be arguing about years from now, regardless of the outcome. The facts seem pretty simple. In 1985 she called, police responded, he shot, cop died, she was a witness. Jury convicted. But you know there's got to be more to the story than that. In his first trial, Madison said he was mentally ill. Nevertheless, he was convicted by an all-white jury, and his lawyer later argued the lack of diversity entitled him to a new trial. He got it. At his second trial his lawyer still said he was mentally ill, but that jury convicted him, too. For some reason, he had a third trial. He argued self-defense that time, but the jury didn't buy it. In 1994 they recommended life without parole, but the judge sentenced him to death. Then there was more legal infighting. This time, about whether the judge could override the jury's recommendation. A 2017 Alabama law said no, but the judge had ruled a decade earlier. By 2017 Madison had suffered several serious strokes, leaving him almost blind, incontinent, and in a wheelchair. He has dementia and other cognitive impairments and can't remember anything about his crime. Therefore, he can't understand why Alabama wants to kill him. And that's the issue before the Supreme Court this winter. Since the Eighth Amendment forbids cruel and unusual punishment, justices must decide whether the state can execute Madison under these circumstances. Last January he came pretty close to death. Less than a half hour before the execution was to take place, Justice Clarence Thomas issued a temporary stay. For what he thought was going to be his last meal, Madison ate only two oranges. Madison is one of 182 inmates on Alabama's death row and three of them have been there longer than he has. New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2006 but executions are legal in 31 states. Texas executes more people by far than any other state, followed by Virginia, Oklahoma, Florida and Missouri. Alabama ranks sixth. Those six states have executed a thousand people since 1976. Some will say regardless of his mental and physical condition, Madison should be executed because he's a cop killer. Others say carry out the execution because Alabama taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for his escalating medical expenses. But costs won't factor into the justices' decision. In October when they heard Madison's case, there were some pretty high-profile people speaking in his behalf. They argued it is neither humane nor constitutional to execute a man who can't remember his crime. However, attorneys for Alabama have a simpler argument. They said several judges and several juries convicted him and now he must die. At this point there's no one left to mourn for Vernon, the man, but there are plenty willing to fight for the principle of not executing a man who doesn't understand why. Many see this as a moral issue. Others see it as a strictly legal issue. The Court can consider only the legalities and will rule soon. A former assemblywoman from Jersey City, Joan Quigley is the president and CEO of North Hudson Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is expected to meet Wednesday with free-agent slugger Manny Machado. But many experts think the Yankees might be better off chasing left-handed hitting Bryce Harper to bring some much-needed balance to Aaron Boones right-handed heavy lineup. If Cashman isnt willing to spend the $400 million necessary to sign Harper, he still has plenty of options on the open market. MLB.coms Mike Petriello looks at three under-the-radar lefty bats who Cashman should consider signing: Eric Thames After a stint in Korea, Thames returned to the Majors in 2017 with a 31-homer season for Milwaukee, though he couldnt quite replicate it in 18 while marred by thumb and hamstring injuries, especially as Jesus Aguilar took over with a breakout year of his own. Even in 2018, Thames was an MLB-average hitter and better than that against righties (.223/.313/.491, .804 OPS, 110 wRC+). As you can see above, he already mashes the ball when he pulls it, and he could make for a good platoon partner with Voit if New York has tired of Bird. (Daniel Murphy might fit this spot, too.) Scooter Gennett If Gleyber Torres slides over to shortstop to cover for Gregorius, then the Yankees could use a second baseman, and theyve reportedly talked to Cincinnati about Gennett, who has one year left on his contract. You might not have noticed it, but Gennett has transformed himself into a slugger, actually out-slugging Machado and Kris Bryant over the past two seasons. Gennett is on the list above, too, because he crushes balls to right field, and even though part of that is his home park in Cincinnati, he wouldnt lose anything by coming to Yankee Stadium, and hed fill a need. Daniel Descalso A longtime backup infielder for three National League clubs, Descalsos career numbers arent particularly impressive. Then again, this is a new Descalso, one who rebuilt his swing and put up career highs in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs, while dropping his ground-ball rate to a career-low 30 percent in 2018. His .238/.353/.436 line was about 10 percent above MLB average, and he plays multiple positions. The Yankees should still get Harper or Machado, obviously; Those are once-in-a-generation talents. They should get one of these guys, too. Every team needs depth. This team could use that depth in the form of a lefty who can take aim at that short porch. After all, its there. Take advantage of it. From the Tribune archives: Then-first lady Rosalynn Carter posed for a picture with Gacy in May 1978, about seven months before police started digging up bodies buried under his house. The first lady was in Chicago to celebrate Polish Constitution Day. In the photograph, Gacy wore an S pin, apparently issued by the Secret Service to identify those cleared to be on the reviewing stand. At the time, Gacy was almost done with his killing spree. Later, lawyers for Gacy included Carter on the list of more than 150 potential defense witnesses at his trial. The entry read, Mrs. James Carter, White House, Washington, D.C. But she was never called to testify at Gacys trial. He was convicted of the murders of 33 young men and boys, and was executed. Free-agent slugger Manny Machado will visit at least three teams this week who are interested in signing him. We know that the Yankees and Phillies are two of those teams. What we didnt know was that neither the Yankees nor Phillies would get first crack at Machado. The Manny Machado free-agent extravaganza tour begins today in Chicago with Machado scheduled to visit the #Whitesox. He also has trips lscheduled Wednesday to see the #Yankees and Thursday with the #Phillies Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 17, 2018 Machado was a popular topic during the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings last week in Las Vegas. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted hes already talked with Machados agent, per NJ Advance Medias Brendan Kuty: On Manny Machado ... What Cashman said: Ive had several conversations with (agent) Dan Lozano about Manny Machado. We are definitely focused in the marketplace on those areas of need and hes obviously available. Analysis: The Yankees have a need at shortstop with Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery) out at least until the summer, maybe longer. Everyone knows it. When Gregorius returns, the Yankees would then be able to shift Machado to third base, where hes the superior player and hitter to Miguel Andujar, the American League Rookie of the Year runner up. Cashman wants the 26-year-old to know hes still very much in consideration. Machado and free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper are the best bats available this winter. Cashman sounded like he was more interested in Machado than Harper, per Kuty: On Bryce Harper ... What Cashman said: We dont have a an (infinite) amount of dollars to be playing with, in any marketplace. So I think if you want to ask about something that fits more. Ive always said I try to make sure follow what I say. At no time have I said Im looking for an outfielder. The Harper stuff Im surprised youre still asking. Analysis: While it sounds like Cashman is shutting the door on Harper becoming a Yankee, its hard to believe hed do that so early in the offseason. Scott Boras represents Harper, and Boras has a history of drawing out his top clients free agencies to get them top dollar. Cashman rattled off the teams six outfielders when he explained why theres no room for Harper, but the fact is, one of them is Brett Gardner, and the other two either hardly played last year (Clint Frazier, concussion) or didnt play at all (Jacoby Ellsbury, various injuries). None of them would block Harper. Of course, Harpers agent, Scott Boras, met with the media in Las Vegas and attempted to spin Cashmans comments on the Yankees being out on the 2015 National League MVP: I havent heard them say that ... When youre talking about star players ... the Yankees are very adept. Theyre smart. Lindsey Hodges is a general assignment reporter at the Aiken Standard and North Augusta Star. Follow her on Twitter at @LindseyNHodges. Lenovo announced the first ThinkPad laptops of the 2019 generation. The affordable ThinkPad L390 and its convertible brother ThinkPad L390 Yoga are the first ThinkPad laptops to sport the newer Whiskey Lake processors from Intel like the Core i5-8265U. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker The year 2018 is drawing to a close and the annual Consumer Electronics Show is just a few weeks away. Traditionally, the PC manufacturer Lenovo has announced new laptops of the well known ThinkPad brand at CES. While this might still happen, this year, Lenovo decided to make its first ThinkPad related announcements well ahead of CES, as it just revealed the first two models of the 2019 ThinkPad lineup. The announced models are the ThinkPad L390 and ThinkPad L390 Yoga. In Lenovo's ThinkPad lineup, the L series plays the part of a more affordable alternative to the more expensive T series or X series ThinkPads. As most ThinkPads, the L series is more aimed on big business customers than consumers, although the 13.3 inch L models in particular may also be interesting for students: Normally, the L series ThinkPads are heavy and thick, but the L390 and its touch- and pen-enabled convertible brother L390 Yoga are quite mobile. The new ThinkPad laptops are not big upgrades compared with last years Lenovo ThinkPad L380 and ThinkPad L380 Yoga. In fact, they appear to be identical on the outside. The only notable change is a platform update to Intel Whiskey Lake. This includes new CPU options like the Intel Core i5-8265U and Core i7-8565U as well as things like the newer WiFi module Intel 9560 which now also includes the Bluetooth 5.0 standard. All other specs such as the FHD (1,920 x 1,080) screens, the 45 Wh battery or the two RAM slots for up to 32 GB of memory are unchanged. Both updated ThinkPad ultrabooks have been announced for an availability in December. They will both be available in black or silver. The Lenovo ThinkPad L390 starts at $659, while the Lenovo ThinkPad L390 Yoga has a starting price of $889. Viewed of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Thats a private sector-driven formula for community rebirth that we admire: Use an initial chunk of money to lay the groundwork for outside investors to see the payoff in revving up underserved markets. And do more than just dole out cash. Link up with proven community groups that know where the money can be best invested, block by block. Throwing some money at something just to see if it works that doesnt work, Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said while visiting Chicago last week. [buzzing] [static] [laughter] Its time to fight back against disinformation. But these are the people leading the charge. Can you please explain to us the difference between a bot and a troll? Is Twitter the same as what you do? You can look at a lot of gray hair and realize that my technology capabilities are very shallow. Not very encouraging, is it? But this isnt the first time the U.S. government has been asleep at the wheel on this. Mr. Allen, how can we compete with this Communist propaganda? You know now that Russia has been attacking the U.S. like this since the 50s, but did you know that for the first 30 years of that, no one in the U.S. government took it seriously? There was not a very high awareness of disinformation or active measures. So there was a tendency to want to keep the waters smooth. They use all the means of communication. The thinking went, if you respond to a fake story, you dignify it. I dont think we grasped it intellectually. Then, in 1980, a new cowboy rode into town. [pow] Ronald Reagan his point of view was we ought to be bold. We ought to tell the truth. [dramatic chords] Truth ought to be put front and center, and that if somebody were speaking the opposite, we ought to expose it. Get up! Presidents are very important. To the danger of espionage is added active measures, designed to subvert and deceive, to disinform the public opinion upon which our democracies are built. Reagan created the Active Measures Working Group. You know, that government truth squad, which Kathleen Bailey led from 1985 to 87. I came at the problem believing that I could grab the tiger by the tail and whirl it over my head. I was going to win. They brought down the AIDS myth Operation Infection, one of the greatest disinformation campaigns ever created. Proof that the best defense against disinformation is exposing it. Well, actually, its not that simple. and I know the government administer AIDS Decades later, surveys have found that millions of Americans still believe AIDS was cooked up by the U.S. government. The lie lives on in our music, on TV My parents believe the government created H.I.V. in a lab, and the C.I.A. spread it in the prisons to kill blacks and gays. in comics, on YouTube, even in churches. weaponize pathogens to hit selected groups of humans. Fighting disinformation, its like a nightmarish game of whack-a-mole. No matter what you do, the lies just keep popping up biochemists create ethnospecific epidemics, injecting the public in clinics, then when all of which makes us wonder, do we really stand a chance against disinformation? Or is this a virus that can never be cured? It aint little green monkeys, its little white honkies, crossing bovine leukemia [music] Mark Twain once said, A lie is halfway around the world before the truth has even got its boots on. [ding] Except even thats a lie. That quotes been attributed to loads of people. But whoever said it was right. We know now empirically that lies do have an unfair advantage over the truth, spreading further and faster, gaining traction every time theyre repeated. Repetition is part of the game, and the more a bad story is repeated repeated, repeated, repeated the more real it becomes to everyone. But Twains around the world part is also true. This is a global problem. In Iran, the governments deploying their own version of the Soviet playbook, calling their operation nefak which is Farsi for discord. Myanmars been brewing up endless conspiracy theories to justify ethnic cleansing. And in Pakistan, the establishment sees C.I.A. plots everywhere. That last one even ensnared one of our own journalists here at The New York Times an experience that was so upsetting to him, it led him to make the film youre watching right now. Isnt that right, Adam? Thats right. I was living in Pakistan. Al Qaeda accused me of being part of a C.I.A. anti-Islam plot. See, conspiracy theories are kind of like a national sport over there. And even today, I still get blasted on Twitter for being either a C.I.A. spy or a dead terrorist. Wait. A dead terrorist? One of the countrys most popular TV talk show hosts accused me of being one of the attackers in a school massacre that murdered dozens of children. Here I am, dead, in the Pakistani press. But this stuff is kind of normal over there. I mean, it happens all the time. What I never imagined is that wed be seeing this kind of toxic disinformation here at home in the States. So is there anything we can do? I think so. I also used to live in Eastern Europe. [polka music] Estonia, Ukraine they lag behind us in many things. But when it comes to fighting disinformation, theres so much we can learn from them. For instance, if you turn on the TV in Latvia on a Sunday night, youll see this. A prime-time show all about Russian lies. In the same slot where wed be watching American Idol, folks in Riga are tuning in to watch the latest disinformation be systematically described, debunked and destroyed. Its not just Latvia. Ukraine has a bilingual stop-fake-news show broadcast by dozens of TV stations. Disinformation never stops, and neither do we. Welcome to Stop Fake, the place where The Czech government monitors disinformation as a form of terrorism. Lithuania has thousands of volunteer cyber-warriors they call them elves who relentlessly troll the Russian trolls. And in Estonia, theres a kind of digital national guard thousands of volunteers who, among other things, fight disinformation. The countries that have been exposed to this the longest are the best at dealing with it. They see things we dont see. They smell things we dont smell. Meanwhile back here, were just learning the hard way what happens when we dont fight back. The Pizzagate conspiracy no journalist was going to actively debunk that because they didnt think that anybody truly believed that. We now know that they did, and actually it seems that we should have done more coverage during the election that there was a rumor circulating, and lets debunk it. So this is the prescription, right? Fact-checking. Media literacy. Engaged citizens rallying around good journalism to create a culture of critical thinking. [buzzer] Ah, who are we kidding? Media literacy is great and all, but we need something way stronger. And for that, weve got to talk about the responsibility of this guy. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube they were designed primarily by a group of quite young people, mostly men, on the West Coast of the U.S., in Silicon Valley. I think theres a lot of people who went into the tech industry because they were very, very good at tech, not because they were good at civics or political science. And they really believed that they were building technology that would connect the world and would actually be a positive force in society. Well, naivety eventually morphed into flat-out denial. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth The platforms have spent years shamefully ignoring information warfare. The ads and posts we are here today to discuss the number of accounts we could link to Russia relatively limited. comparatively small Were a very small fraction of the overall content on Facebook. Theres still a level of astonishing, kind of political and cultural illiteracy where they think connecting people is good. So what exactly are they supposed to be doing? Well, theres no silver bullet, but there are a ton of ideas for things they could be doing, from improving transparency about whos paying for posts. to fighting anonymity Is there a real person behind this account? Is there a real person behind this platform? to helping us know whether we can trust what were reading a nutritional label on sources in your Google Search findings and getting serious about punishing violators. We didnt take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. And it was my mistake, and Im sorry. Now, companies like Facebook have recently been taking some baby steps along these lines [ticking] but dont get your hopes up. Social media platforms are dependent on the emotional hyperpartisan stories that make great disinformation. The bottom line [cash register] their business models are riddled with perverse incentives. If I am Twitter, and I have shareholders to keep happy, and I have to go back to my shareholders and tell them how many active monthly users I have, and the truth is that 22 percent of them are not human, I dont actually want to tell my shareholders that. I want to give them a lovely big number that means that we still have value and that we still make money. And thats the problem asking just isnt enough. Weve got to force the platforms to change. And that means regulation. Thats right. Its time for Uncle Sam to get in the game. [sirens] The problem is, Uncle Sam knows how to mobilize when we get attacked like this, but when the warfare is digital, well, you know There are days when I wonder if the Facebook friends is a little misstated. It doesnt seem like I have those every single day. How many data categories do you store does Facebook store? Senator, can you clarify what you mean by data categories? These are the people who are supposed to be protecting you from information warfare. Do you store any? Senator, Im not actually sure what that is referring to. Yeah. So Ive testified five times to the Senate, either about terrorism or Russian active measures. There is a very diverse level of understanding of social media. have people say, well, yeah, because my 13-year-old son, you should see how he uses it. Now, my son, Charlie, whos 13, is dedicated to Instagram, so I feel very fortunate that I have not had to go to the House to testify. I think it would be a giant waste of time. to disinform the public opinion upon which our democracies are built. History tells us that the fight against disinformation starts with strong leadership. And Ive got to to tell you, weve been let down on this for a long time. Now, Im not talking about him just yet. Im talking about him. Americans and Russians share common interests that form a basis for cooperation. It was really hard to get the Obama administration to take Russia seriously as an issue. We could have looked at sanctions earlier. We could have talked about measured cyber-counterattacks, or even diplomatic negotiations. But that didnt really happen. The Obama administration kind of got played into a box by recognizing it too late. Obama actually signed an executive order to counter foreign disinformation, but he was so obsessed with the threat from ISIS, its mandate only covered terror groups. State actors, like Russia, were free to carry on unimpeded. To his credit, Trump actually reversed this, and some people in his administration are talking tough. Russia is known for its disinformation campaigns. But the higher up you go, lets just say, the less enthusiasm there is. The point is, if its their intention to interfere, theyre going to find ways to do that. We can take steps we can take, but this is something that once they decide theyre going to do it, its very difficult to pre-empt it. So what has been done? Well, Congress put aside $120 million to fund our defense against disinformation. The Trump administration sat on it silently for 18 months. And when they did release it, they gave just a third of it. Not much of a counterstrike, is it? I mean, wheres the urgency here? These Russian attacks were first plotted way back in early 2014, and were only now coming to grips with them. We are still playing catch-up from a long way behind. We are looking in the rearview mirror, getting less bad at working out what Russia just did to us. Were still not looking through the windshield, find out whats happening right now and whats going to be happening next. This is one of the great unsolved policy questions of our time. A functioning government would at least come together to publish full detailed reports of all these attacks. [drumroll] But the problem isnt just our lackluster government. Its actually much scarier than that, because now the threat is coming from inside the White House. Its finally time to meet President Disinformation. [dramatic music] Donald Trump is a one-man wrecking crew for the truth, and he knows all the moves. First, theres Trump the denier. And when it comes to disinformation, he even denies were being attacked. And if it is Russia, which is probably not. Nobody knows who it is. Never mind what his own officials say. that information, manipulation, outright lies literally upped their game to the point where its having a significant impact. Then theres Trump the useful idiot. This is a man whos never met a conspiracy theory he wouldnt tweet. Why doesnt he show his birth certificate? You look at whats happening last night in Sweden Sweden! The same person votes many times. Youve probably heard about that. They always like to say, oh, thats a conspiracy theory. Not a conspiracy theory, folks. We also know he shared stories originally planted by the Kremlin. I mean, not even the KGB could have dreamt up a useful idiot as prominent and powerful as Trump and his administration. And then theres Trump the disinformation natural. He doesnt just regurgitate this stuff, he invents his own. It was the biggest Electoral College win since Ronald Reagan. I said, wait a minute. Theres a lot of wiretapping being talked about. Weve signed more bills and Im talking about through the legislature than any president. ICE, they actually liberate towns. They liberate towns. We have become an energy exporter for the first time ever just recently. [cheering] Its weird, but this is somehow worse than the Cold War. Back then it was just us versus them. But now its us versus them, and us versus us. [sad music] Heres the thing about democracies they cant function unless we all agree on a basic set of facts. We cant debate anything health care, immigration, gun control unless were aligned left and right about what is actually true. Disinformation pollutes those waters, confusing us, so we end up debating facts instead of discovering solutions. And as we spiral downwards together, our adversaries applaud from behind the curtain. And heres the kicker. The things that make democracy good, living in an open society with a free press and political diversity, those are the things weirdly that make us vulnerable. Any country with an authoritarian leader and limited freedom of speech, theyre the ones with the advantage right now, which kind of raises the question that maybe only history can answer. Can the good guys ever win? You absolutely never win. Never. This problem is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better. The next few years are going to be worse than the last few years. And they will continue using it, regardless of what we say here in the discussion, regardless of the outcome of the discussion and investigation. But we will not always be losers in this game. There will be victories here and there. Its only when we quit the game, quit trying to expose them, that we lose. As long as we can expose them, theyre losing. Its like an exhausting never-ending game of whack-a-mole that weve got no choice but to play. Weve got to find disinformation as best we can, whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head. [ringing] Were in this for the long haul, whether we like it or not. This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period. in the mysterious murder of former D.N.C. staffer Seth Rich. And they were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre. who apparently was assassinated at 4 in the morning. The president still strongly feels that there was a large amount of voter fraud. The 9/11 hijackers are alive and well. People who are behaving like actors. The murder rate in our country is the highest its been in 47 years. You had the NATO base in Turkey being under attack by terrorists. This is the greatest overreach and the greatest abuse of power This video that you linked to appears to be a hoax. All we did was put out what he had on his internet. [thump] And this episode deliberately shows Laoghaire as a gracious host who helps a stranger in need. It is only after Brianna reveals her family connections (and suspicious foreknowledge) that Laoghaire throws a spanner in the works. Its a deeply uncomfortable position for Brianna. No wonder she looks strained when little Joanie asks her to make Jamie come home. And that strain is nothing compared to Briannas last moments with Frank. Claire and Franks marriage last season was a fascinating collapse because it wasnt inevitable at first. Claire knew Frank was a good man supportive of Claires career, an excellent father and not sexually threatening (rarely guaranteed among the characters on this show). We understand why Claire never got over the trauma of leaving Jamie, and how she felt Frank was the interloper. But this setup asked us to consider how devotion to the absent ideal prevented any present contentment. Claire and Frank drove each other away in a rift of their own making. In a show in which things often seem predestined, this was unique: It felt character-driven and realistically messy. Revisiting that collapse from a different perspective is fascinating. Here, Brianna remembers Frank as the comforting parent she turned to. They sometimes seem to be stating their connection rather than showing it, since so much depends on the deflection and lies surrounding the obituary. But we also see the prison Frank has built for himself, hunting ghosts and unable to be honest with his daughter. (Tobias Menzies lends depth to every loaded silence.) Thanks to Joanie, Brianna manages to yank victory from the jaws of defeat, escape Laoghaire and board a boat for North Carolina (with a ladies maid, no less). But she went back centuries to find her blood family and experience Jamies world, and it seems at times (to her and to us) as if she were a tourist rather than a participant the connection she is looking for is never quite there. This first foray into understanding Jamie certainly hasnt made her feel any closer to him yet: Its Frank she imagines at the crossroads, before she gathers her nerve to set sail. Outlander is best when it allows characters to have deep, nuanced relationships that dont always sit easily in all directions. Brianna is forced to consider two absent fathers this episode, both of them hers. Jamies absence seems sort of mythical to her, especially given the quest shes on now. Franks love for Brianna was a much more practical scone-sharing sort, but it held strong even when he was going down some ignoble paths. Her farewells to him, both at his graveside and at the port, reflect an abiding love. Jamie, to her, is still the stuff of fairy tales and now, some very awkward family stories. Lets see what happens when she compares her father of memory to her father of myth. The most powerful print publication in America might just be The National Enquirer. It functioned as a dirty-tricks shop for Donald J. Trump in 2016, which would have been the stuff of farce the ultimate tabloid backs the ultimate tabloid candidate if it hadnt accomplished its goal. The Enquirers power was fueled by its covers. For the better part of the campaign season, Enquirer front pages blared sensational headlines about Mr. Trumps rivals from eye-level racks at supermarket checkout lanes across America. This stroke-of-genius distribution apparatus was dreamed up by the man who made The Enquirer the nations biggest gossip rag: its previous owner, Generoso Pope Jr. The Enquirers racks, under the current chief, David J. Pecker, were given over to the Trump campaign. This was a political gift even more valuable than the $150,000 that The Enquirer paid in a catch-and-kill deal with the former Playboy model Karen McDougal for her story of an affair with Mr. Trump. Wondering what The Enquirers covers were worth to the Trump campaign, I called Regis Maher, a co-founder of Do It Outdoors, the national mobile and digital billboard company. He said a campaign with that level of national prominence would cost $2.5 million to $3 million a month. Julian Castro really wants to be president. That much was clear on Thursday when I sat down with him and his identical twin brother, Joaquin, for an interview over dinner in a Midtown Manhattan steakhouse. Julian, a self-described progressive, is the former secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the former mayor of San Antonio, who last week announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Joaquin is a congressman in Texas who would be Julians campaign chairman. When we begin the interview, Castro is careful with his answers nearly to the point of being cagey. You can see him doing the calculations in his head, trying not to overstate a position or appear too absolute on a topic that he has not fully considered. Can a sitting president be indicted? Well, I think were going to find that out. Later he adds, I know what I hope. I hope we can bring anybody to justice. I think Singapore is the only country in the world that doesnt know that Ellen is gay. JEAN CHONG, a Singaporean gay rights activist, joking about colonial-era laws that led a TV station to censor a segment of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in which the host was praised for her advocacy work. Polls suggest that the National Front, renamed earlier this year as the Rassemblement National, might lose a significant number of votes in European elections in May if the Yellow Vests put forward their own candidates. The anger coursing through French streets, which is now about much more than just the cost of driving, has created a highly combustible movement that stands against all political parties, including Ms. Le Pens, and threatens a plague on all their houses. We need to start again from zero, said Stephane Bouillez, a long-distance truck driver who joined protesters in Henin-Beaumont on Saturday. He said he could now barely feed his family because of a severe back problem that left him unable to work. To make ends meet, he set up a small company that sells army surplus clothing but quickly found that taxes and other costs ate up all its revenue and left him burdened with debts. Last year, Mr. Bouillez said, he voted for Ms. Le Pen, and he said he thinks that Mayor Briois has done a good job since he and his far-right colleagues took over City Hall after local elections in 2014. The National Front now controls 29 of 35 council seats in a town that had been governed for decades by socialists. But after taking part in weeks of demonstrations and freewheeling debate at protest camps, Mr. Bouillez decided it was time to break with all of Frances feuding political tribes. He scrawled that sentiment on the fluorescent yellow hazard vest that has been adopted as a symbol of the revolt: France wake up! Stop being sheep. Whether the Yellow Vests will maintain their momentum and succeed in reshaping France is far from certain. BUDAPEST Opponents of Hungarys far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban, demonstrated on Sunday for the fourth day in the past five, in what has become one of the most sustained displays of street opposition to Mr. Orban since he entered office eight years ago. The protests began on Wednesday as a reaction to two new laws: one that forces employees to work up to 400 hours of overtime a year, and a second that created a parallel judicial system that will severely undermine judicial independence. By Sunday, the demonstrations had become a catchall protest against many aspects of Mr. Orbans increasingly autocratic governance. The protesters, whose numbers peaked at an estimated 15,000 on Sunday, held relatively small events, given that Mr. Orban was re-elected in April with nearly 50 percent of the vote in an election that observers said was free but not fair. If before it was marginal, today, believe me, unfortunately it cannot be compared to the movies, theater or classical music, Mr. Matvienko said of rap in Russia, which he pointedly noted was an American musical genre. Its what our youth listen to. Image A Russian rapper known as Husky waiting for a court hearing last month. Credit... Alexander Avanesyan, via Associated Press Last month, the police arrested Dmitri Kuznetsov, a rapper known as Husky, when he performed atop a parked car on a street in a southern Russian city after his concert was banned for what local prosecutors called extremist content. Several other concerts were subsequently canceled, and the question of the acceptability of rap percolated up through the political system, making it inevitable, perhaps, that Mr. Putin would eventually weigh in. Mr. Matvienko said a huge number of Russian rappers were popular with online followers, despite their music never being played on state-controlled television or radio stations. While rappers may lack this form of promotion, they have what Mr. Matvienko called an unfair advantage: They can swear. There is a lot of poetry in rap and it is very explicit, he explained to Mr. Putin. It is different from the falseness of pop, and because of this, perhaps, the youth accept it. Maybe you think your obsessive need to find out everything about everything via your personal device is a delightful reflection of the boundlessness of your curiosity and the suppleness of your intellect. But your little quirk might not seem so charming when you see it manifested in Dan, the dispirited journalist in Helen Schulmans new novel, Come With Me. Having slid down the greasy newspaper pole into joblessness, Dan has become a self-loathing middle-aged slacker who whiles away his days e-chatting with other underemployed writers and using Google to settle the picayune disputes anxiously raging in his brain. But as with the pleasures that come from pornography and Krispy Kreme doughnuts, these cerebral gratifications are brief and ultimately unsatisfying. His phone is his sin, his soul, his torment, an oxygen tank for his breath-starved mind, Schulman writes. His thirst for understanding can never be satisfied: Each moment of knowing gives rise to a new moment of not-knowing. The other characters in this smart, timely and highly entertaining novel all have their own troubles with, for lack of a more specific term, technology. This is the shadow under which we operate. What is all this convenience and quick-fix distraction doing to people, to families, to society? Is it bringing people together or driving us apart? Are we using it, or is it using us? And, as Lembke points out, doctors are a group chosen for more or less exactly the opposite characteristics. We are habitual pleasers, accustomed even addicted to patients admiration and gratitude. We like to do what we do well, and most of us dont do pain well. So its no big surprise that when we find ourselves in a pain-filled room we just want to escape fast, and prescribing another round of pills lets us do just that. What about the part played by pharmaceutical companies in this crisis? Was Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of OxyContin, an aberration in its misleading promotion of the drug, with assertions that ultimately resulted in $600 million in fines and penalties? Or is this just how Big Pharma always operates, dodging the law and relevant moral principles in single-minded pursuit of Big Profit? Back in 2004, Dr. Marcia Angell, a former editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, wrote in The Truth About Drug Companies that the pharmaceutical industry has moved very far from its original high purpose of discovering and producing useful new drugs. Her book presents instead a vision of an industry motivated largely by greed. Pretty much every specific outrage critics have identified in Purdues behavior appears in Angells analysis, including the jaw-dropping gifts doctors may receive for prescribing a companys drugs, the subtle advertisement masquerading as education and the lukewarm, often ineffective protestations by regulatory agencies. Writing from Britain, Dr. Ben Goldacre echoes Angells concerns, charging in Bad Pharma that the worst misbehavior in the pharmaceutical industry actually occurs not when prescription drugs are being burnished for market, but far earlier in their development. Lackluster compounds are evaluated in ways guaranteed to make them look good, Goldacre writes, then prettied up even further with distorted claims of efficacy. While bad behavior in marketing departments is unpleasant, he concludes, the real scientific outrage and the big public danger lie in uniformly dubious practices of drug development. The immersion journalist Barry Werth provided a more sympathetic view of the pharmaceutical industry after taking two deep dives into the workings of a young biotech company. In exchange for many years of fly-on-the-wall privileges at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Werth allowed his manuscripts to be vetted by corporate executives, and presumably some of their sharper edges were sanded down. What remains, though, is an impressively detailed, dense epic in two volumes, The Billion-Dollar Molecule and The Antidote, describing the truly herculean labors needed to birth a panel of marketable drugs. Vertex developed early H.I.V. and hepatitis C drugs, and many of the executives Werth trails are clearly committed to the humanitarian aspects of their work. But they are also committed to their own proprietary molecules, sometimes with a passion bordering on worship. As the head of Vertex once announced at an industry conference, Its a tremendous responsibility to live up to a molecule like VX-950. A regulator for the F.D.A. put it a little more bluntly, screaming over the phone to another Vertex executive, You guys believe in your drug too much. Opioid-dependent patients may be trapped in a web of pain and addiction for months, years or a lifetime. One of the most eloquent descriptions of that hard fate comes to us from more than 200 years ago, back in the days when opium and laudanum (a solution of opium in alcohol) were perfectly legal in England, and as widely available as, yes, aspirin is today. It was in the fall of 1804 that Thomas De Quincey, a 19-year-old wannabe intellectual, decided to try a little opium for a bad toothache. HONG KONG Malaysia filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs on Monday, accusing the giant Wall Street bank of making false and misleading statements. The charges are a rare international rebuke of an institution that has long represented the pinnacle of money and power. The 149-year-old investment bank already faces mounting pressure in the United States, where two former bankers face charges of bribery and money laundering related to its business in Malaysia. The Malaysian authorities also charged several individuals in connection with the multibillion-dollar international fraud scandal that ensnared Goldman and that led to the ouster of Malaysias former prime minister, Najib Razak. The government said it would seek criminal fines in excess of $2.7 billion related to the charges. Goldman is cooperating with the authorities in both countries, Edward Naylor, a Goldman spokesman in Asia, said in an emailed statement. We believe these charges are misdirected, will vigorously defend them and look forward to the opportunity to present our case, he said. TOKYO Disarray at the top of the worlds largest auto-making consortium intensified Monday after Nissans directors failed to nominate a new chairman, and Renault pushed for a public discussion of the growing risks it faces in a financial reporting scandal that led to the jailing of Carlos Ghosn, the alliances hard-charging chief. Nissan, of Japan, and Renault, based in France, have a longstanding partnership that is considered essential to both carmakers success. On Monday, they appeared to be increasingly at odds over how to cope with the huge gap in top management caused by Mr. Ghosns arrest last month. He was indicted on charges that he underreported his pay in violation of Japanese securities laws, and Nissan itself was also accused of violating the laws. Mr. Ghosn, who was simultaneously chairman of Nissan, chairman and chief executive of Renault and chairman of the Nissan-Renault alliance, has been in a Tokyo jail since his arrest on Nov. 19, unable to communicate directly with either carmaker. Renault, which is Nissans largest shareholder, has become increasingly worried that the accusations against Nissan and Mr. Ghosn could damage both companies reputations and even their credit ratings, according to a person with direct knowledge of Renaults thinking. From the Champs Elysees to Avenue Montaigne and along the Rue St.-Honore, the glossiest and most glamorous shopping streets of central Paris are usually bustling on Saturdays in December. Tourists and local residents alike, many of them wearing fur or cashmere and laden with bags, hurry into glittering temples of French heritage like Chanel and Dior, Longchamp and Laduree to stock up on holiday gifts. This year, that has changed. Five straight weekends of demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron and his economic policies by members of the so-called Yellow Vest movement have caused some of the worst civil unrest France has experienced in more than a decade. Storefronts have been smashed, cars have been set ablaze and some of Pariss best-known landmarks have been damaged. The number of protesters dwindled significantly this past Saturday compared with previous weekends, but many shops were closed nonetheless in anticipation of further violence, including those owned by the French group Kering, like Gucci and Balenciaga. High style meets low-tech in this Italian toaster created in 1997 for Trabo by Gae Aulenti, the architect who designed the Musee dOrsay in Paris. Until about a year ago it was sold only in Europe; now its available in the United States. Its sleek simplicity could make it the pride of the kitchen counter. It handles two slices, but not a thick bagel. Wire racks are included, to hold the bread (or a sandwich wrapped in parchment paper). Toast Toaster, $185, AKA Dwelling, Alvarado, Tex., akadwelling.com, 877-388-7245. Report card day can provoke anxiety and dread among students. It may also lead some of them to fear for their physical well-being. A new study found a nearly fourfold increase in confirmed reports of child abuse on the Saturdays immediately after the distribution of report cards at Florida public schools. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, focused on children ages 5 to 11 and relied on reports called in to the Florida Department of Children and Families abuse hotline during the 2015-16 academic year. Melissa A. Bright, the lead author of the study, said the idea for the research arose from the personal accounts of pediatricians and teachers who saw a pattern of abuse shortly after report cards were released. Dr. Bright, a researcher at the University of Florida who focuses on child maltreatment, said some teachers told her they worried about some of their students after grades were distributed. The agency is one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. Among the services the group provides are sexual and reproductive health in 20 counties worldwide. In Serbia, the International Rescue Committee worked this year with the Serbian Association for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. This local partner, founded in 2002, is part of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, a leader in reproductive health and services. Ms. Alizadeh is among some 800 women and girls who received advice or counseling from the partnership between the International Rescue Committee and the Serbian Association, which lasted Feb. 1 to Nov. 30. About 200 women received medical assistance, and 6,000 were helped with contraceptive measures. Moving forward, these services are supported by other partners; the International Rescue Committee said it would continue to monitor the situation and when needed advocate for the sexual reproductive health and rights of refugees. In the partnership, a monthly workshop was held in the camps to increases awareness of sexual and reproductive health. It is a service that Ms. Alizadeh came to value. One of Mr. Cuomos most striking proposals would overhaul the states election laws. In addition to reiterating his criticism of the L.L.C. loophole, a provision of state law that has allowed corporations to skirt the limit on political giving, the governor also said for the first time that New York should outright prohibit corporations from giving to those seeking elected office. Ban any corporate contributions to any political candidate, period, he said. It was a striking proclamation from a governor who is known (and feared) for his fund-raising prowess, which has been fueled in large part by generous corporate donors. That fact was not lost upon some in attendance on Monday: Mr. Cuomo was interrupted by hecklers twice, including one who shouted, Cuomo only cares about corporations! Twenty-two states do not allow campaign contributions from corporations. Mr. Cuomo also repeated his calls for the introduction of automatic voter registration, voting by mail and early voting, and he suggested that Election Day become a state holiday. New York is one of only 12 states that does not allow early voting. In a nod to a potential audience beyond New York, Mr. Cuomo rebuked his fellow Democrats for what he called their reliance on rhetoric over action. Mr. Cuomo, who advertises himself as a pragmatist with a knack for getting things done, seemed to suggest that the Democratic Party could use his brand of leadership. Today while Democrats bemoan our current federal government, let us remember F.D.R.s example: that it is not enough for Democrats to criticize, he said, after a recitation of his own accomplishments. The Democratic leadership has to prove that it has the knowledge to govern, the skill to accomplish and the understanding to unite. It remains to be seen how many of Mr. Cuomos own promises become reality. The governor has made similar vows, such as ending cash bail, only for them to languish. Mr. Cuomo has blamed their demise on the Republican-controlled Senate, but some progressives have accused the governor of failing to exert his full political weight. At the Post Office Dear Diary: On the first Monday in December I remembered that a friends birthday was a few days away, so I rushed out and bought a card. Wondering whether it would get to my friend in time, I ran to the nearest post office. I found a space at a crowded table, wrote a message in the card and then got on a long line to buy a stamp. Does this require extra postage? I asked the clerk when I got to the counter. No, she said. O.K., then please give me a nonreligious holiday stamp. She pulled out a sheet of Santa Claus stamps and put it in front of me. These are religious, I said. Weve collected some already: John Rivera, who complained last month: Kicked off train onto a frozen station. The excuse has become standard these days, a switch problem. #MTAsucks [Dont miss our compilation of your tales of subway woes.] Another rider documented how hard it can be to just get into the subway station: @NYCTSubway @MTA all the machines on 125th street in Harlem are broken and there are undercover cops giving people tickets for trying to get to work. Yall have to do better! Long-term impact: The painful commutes are giving some employers the jitters. Some major foreign companies with offices in the city are deciding to expand elsewhere to spare workers New York City commutes, my colleague Ginia Bellafante writes. The No. 1 reason companies chose not to expand in New York was the condition of transportation infrastructure, Kathryn Wylde, head of the Partnership for New York City, a business coalition, told Ms. Bellafante. Though it's Christmas that is a week away, Sunday's sunshine and near 50-degree temperatures were more typical of the weather expected in the week before Thanksgiving. Chillier conditions will arrive Monday as northwest winds drop readings back to more seasonable levels, with highs forecast to only reach the middle and upper 30s. The initial chill will be brief, with milder conditions returning by midweek ahead of the next weather system, as southwest winds boost the mercury back into the 40s. Rain will develop across the area Wednesday night and continue Thursday before mixing with or changing to snow Thursday night as another batch of colder air arrives in the wake of the departing storm system. Winter officially arrives Friday at 4:23 p.m., and the weather is will follow suit, with seasonable highs in the lower and middle 30s next weekend. Meng Lang, a poet who promoted Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, along with other dissident Chinese writers, died on Dec. 12 in Hong Kong. He was 57. His death, at Prince of Wales Hospital, was confirmed on Monday by Tammy Ho, the vice president of PEN Hong Kong, and Yibing Huang, an associate professor of Chinese at Connecticut College. Local news media reported that Mr. Meng had been treated for lung cancer. Mr. Meng, whose own writing has been published and translated into many languages, was a co-founder of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, a nonprofit organization formed in 2011 to promote freedom of expression and publication. Mr. Liu, a renegade Chinese intellectual who protected students from encroaching soldiers during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and who won the Nobel Peace Prize years later while locked away, died at 61 in 2017 at a hospital in China while under guard. This article is part of the Opinion Today newsletter. You can sign up here to receive the newsletter each weekday. First, the 2020 presidential campaign has begun. The likely candidates are giving media interviews, meeting with potential campaign aides and donors, and planning their campaign themes. Many voters and writers, meanwhile, are asking what kind of nominee the Democrats should choose next year. My column today addresses that question. I think many of the most frequently discussed topics a candidates race, sex and age, for example are overrated. But I do think there is clear evidence about what kind of campaign the Democrats should run. It should be a populist campaign one focused on jobs, wages, health care and education, a campaign that takes on President Trump, congressional Republicans and corporate lobbyists for harming the middle class. Populism has enormous political potency right now, and my column tries to make the full argument for it with help from history and charts. One could press the objection here by saying that it would only be a loss from a human viewpoint, and that that viewpoint would no longer exist if we went extinct. This is true. But this entire set of reflections is taking place from a human viewpoint. We cannot ask the questions we are asking here without situating them within the human practice of philosophy. Even to ask the question of whether it would be a tragedy if humans were to disappear from the face of the planet requires a normative framework that is restricted to human beings. Opinion Conversation The climate, and the world, are changing. What challenges will the future bring, and how should we respond to them? What should our leaders be doing? Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States, finds reasons for optimism in the Biden presidency. Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States, finds reasons for optimism in the Biden presidency. What are the worst climate risks in your country? Select a country, and we'll break down the climate hazards it faces. Select a country, and we'll break down the climate hazards it faces. Where are Americans suffering most? Our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths in the U.S. Our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths in the U.S. What does climate devastation look like? In Sept. 2020, Michael Benson studied detailed satellite imagery. Here's the earth that he saw and the one he wants to see. Lets turn, then, and take the question from the other side, the side of those who think that human extinction would be both a tragedy and overall a bad thing. Doesnt the existence of those practices outweigh the harm we bring to the environment and the animals within it? Dont they justify the continued existence of our species, even granting the suffering we bring to so many nonhuman lives? To address that question, let us ask another one. How many human lives would it be worth sacrificing to preserve the existence of Shakespeares works? If we were required to engage in human sacrifice in order to save his works from eradication, how many humans would be too many? For my own part, I think the answer is one. One human life would be too many (or, to prevent quibbling, one innocent human life), at least to my mind. Whatever the number, though, it is going to be quite low. Or suppose a terrorist planted a bomb in the Louvre and the first responders had to choose between saving several people in the museum and saving the art. How many of us would seriously consider saving the art ? So, then, how much suffering and death of nonhuman life would we be willing to countenance to save Shakespeare, our sciences and so forth? Unless we believe there is such a profound moral gap between the status of human and nonhuman animals, whatever reasonable answer we come up with will be well surpassed by the harm and suffering we inflict upon animals. There is just too much torment wreaked upon too many animals and too certain a prospect that this is going to continue and probably increase; it would overwhelm anything we might place on the other side of the ledger. Moreover, those among us who believe that there is such a gap should perhaps become more familiar with the richness of lives of many of our conscious fellow creatures. Our own science is revealing that richness to us, ironically giving us a reason to eliminate it along with our own continued existence. One might ask here whether, given this view, it would also be a good thing for those of us who are currently here to end our lives in order to prevent further animal suffering. Although I do not have a final answer to this question, we should recognize that the case of future humans is very different from the case of currently existing humans. To demand of currently existing humans that they should end their lives would introduce significant suffering among those who have much to lose by dying. In contrast, preventing future humans from existing does not introduce such suffering, since those human beings will not exist and therefore not have lives to sacrifice. The two situations, then, are not analogous. It may well be, then, that the extinction of humanity would make the world better off and yet would be a tragedy. I dont want to say this for sure, since the issue is quite complex. But it certainly seems a live possibility, and that by itself disturbs me. There is one more tragic aspect to all of this. In many dramatic tragedies, the suffering of the protagonist is brought about through his or her own actions. It is Oedipuss killing of his father that starts the train of events that leads to his tragic realization; and it is Lears highhandedness toward his daughter Cordelia that leads to his demise. It may also turn out that it is through our own actions that we human beings bring about our extinction, or at least something near it, contributing through our practices to our own tragic end. Todd May is a professor of philosophy at Clemson University and the author of, most recently, A Fragile Life: Accepting Our Vulnerability. He is a philosophical adviser for the television show, The Good Place. (https://twitter.com/nbcthegoodplace) Now in print: Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments, and The Stone Reader: Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments, with essays from the series, edited by Peter Catapano and Simon Critchley, published by Liveright Books. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. To the Editor: Re Health Care Act Is Struck Down by Federal Judge (front page, Dec. 15): If the Supreme Court majority from several years ago holds, the district court decision holding the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional will be overruled. And, if the midterms are any indication, the judge may have given Democrats a winning campaign issue in 2020. That said, even after a long career studying health policy, I just dont understand why elected Republicans insist on acting against the interests of their constituents and their states. Why do they want to deprive people of affordable health insurance? Medical care can be the difference between life and death or between chronic disability and continued productivity. But it is expensive. So, we need insurance to help pay for it. Our elected officials should be making coverage more secure and more affordable, not less so. Its good for us as individuals and our society. American health care is the most market-oriented and most expensive in the world. There is much room for improvement. That is what our elected officials even Republicans should commit themselves to. And what we should demand of them. Then why doesnt he clean up the apparatus? The blunt answer is: because he is afraid to. An efficient military could stage a coup against him. So inefficiency is a price Mr. Putin will pay. And when did the sloppiness start? The first public poisoning we know about apparently with dioxin was the attempt on Sept. 5, 2004, to kill Viktor Yushchenko, a candidate opposing a pro-Kremlin favorite in a Ukrainian presidential election. He recovered and won the presidency. Within two weeks of that poisoning, and soon after the Georgian Rose Revolution, a series of terrorist attacks struck Georgian infrastructure. That Sept. 14, a power line in the Hashuri region was blown up. That was followed by explosions on Sept. 20 and Oct. 9 and 10. The Georgian police said the group responsible was headed by a G.R.U. major, Roman Boiko. A later group was run, according to Georgians, by another G.R.U. major, Yevgeny Borisov . But the attacks were not always successes. The agents blew up an old pipeline, mistaking it for a new one. Instead of blowing up a wall of the American Embassy, they blew up an adjacent wall. When a bomb set to blow up a railway bridge on Oct. 2, 2010, didnt go off, the agent responsible for the attack tricked his handlers by claiming, incredibly, that the Georgians were hushing up an explosion. To check his story, Major Borisovs deputy called a European Union monitoring mission in Georgia with profuse offers of help, all but admitting the provenance of the device. Five days later, it was discovered intact, completing the majors humiliation. When Vano Merabishvili, formerly in charge of the Georgian police as internal affairs minister, discussed these attacks with me in 2011 (before he was ousted by Georgias corrupt and often pro-Kremlin elite and imprisoned on trumped-up charges), he opined that graft and greed were the real causes of all this bungling. The Russian officers, he suggested, were stealing most of the funds allocated to carry out the attacks. What was left was peanuts, and for peanuts you can hire only losers. Why is all this history important? Because the timing hints at the motivation behind all of this skulduggery. The Yushchenko poisoning occurred on Sept. 5, 2004. The attacks on Georgia started a week later in the wake of color revolutions for democracy in Ukraine and Georgia, and also during the American-led war in Iraq. A former economic adviser to Mr. Putin, Andrei Illarionov, is undoubtedly right when he says that the war was the turning point of the Russian presidents policies, Before it, Mr. Putin presented himself as an ally of the West and even sought Russias membership in NATO. But he considered Iraq within Russias sphere of influence and adamantly opposed the war America began there in 2003. The Russian disinformation operations that affected the 2016 United States presidential election are by no means over. Indeed, as two new reports produced for the Senate Intelligence Committee make clear, Russian interference through social media contrary to the suggestion of many prominent tech executives is a chronic, widespread and identifiable condition that we must now aggressively manage. The Senate committee asked two research teams, one of which I led, to investigate the full scope of the recent multiyear Russian operation to influence American opinion executed by a company called the Internet Research Agency. The Senate provided us with data attributed to the agencys operations given to the Senate by Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet (Googles parent company), companies whose platforms were manipulated for that purpose. Our report, announced by the committee on Monday, concludes that Russia was able to masquerade successfully as a collection of American media entities, managing fake personas and developing communities of hundreds of thousands, building influence over a period of years and using it to manipulate and exploit existing political and societal divisions. While Russia is hardly the only geopolitical actor with a well-thumbed disinformation playbook, a look at the data which concerned the Internet Research Agencys operation over the last three years reveals its enthusiasm for and commitment to modern information warfare. You may think the Trump administrations appetite for trade wars couldnt get much bigger. Youd be wrong. Last week, the United States trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, blocked the nomination of new judges to the World Trade Organizations appellate body, a move that could make it impossible for the United States to enforce whatever wins it scores against China. Mr. Lighthizer, who is Americas main negotiator in its current round of trade talks with China, is a longtime lawyer for the steel industry, which for years has complained that the W.T.O. makes it too difficult for the United States to impose trade remedies for unfair practices. The seven-member appellate body hears appeals in disputes between W.T.O. members. But rather than fix the problems, Mr. Lighthizer appears to prefer blowing up the entire system. At a meeting of the W.T.O.s General Council in mid-December, the European Union and 11 nations, including China, Canada, Mexico and South Korea, proposed changes to the bodys dispute settlement system in response to American complaints. They hoped the amendments would convince the United States to allow vacancies on the appellate panel to be filled. Instead, the United States rejected all the changes while refusing to put forward proposals of its own, and i t has blocked the reappointments of appellate judges. The W.T.O. has histori cally operated through consensus, with any single country able to veto proposed changes. So the court is down to its bare minimum of three out of seven members to form a quorum. When two of those members terms expire next year, the court will no longer be able to rule on any appeal. Googles new campus selection of Hudson Square, once an industrial district just south of the West Village, strengthens its grip on Manhattans West Side, likely accelerating the neighborhoods changes. That would mirror how Google transformed Manhattans Chelsea neighborhood, where it has had an office since 2006. The company bought Chelsea Market for $2.4 billion earlier this year and an adjacent building in 2010, and it leases other space in the area, about a 20-minute walk from its new offices. The centerpiece of the new 1.7-million-square-foot campus will be the St. Johns Terminal building near the Holland Tunnel on Washington Street, with Google also set to occupy space at two buildings nearby on Hudson Street. Altogether, the company will expand its footprint in Manhattan by a third to about 6.75 million square feet. New York City continues to be a great source of diverse, world-class talent, Ruth Porat, Googles chief financial officer, said in a statement on Monday. Thats what brought Google to the city in 2000, and thats what keeps us here. [Read our article chronicling Googles slow expansion in New York.] New Yorks transformation into a tech center began after the 2008 financial crisis, when Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg focused on the industry as an engine of future growth. His administration sought to upgrade the tech skills of the local labor force, a campaign that led Cornell University and its partner, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, to open an applied science and engineering campus on Roosevelt Island. Tech initiatives new courses, buildings and research institutes are also underway at Columbia University, New York University and the City University of New York. Google arrived in New York when it opened an advertising sales office in 2000. It added an engineering team in the city in 2003 and has steadily expanded since. In an essay last month, Renee DiResta one of the researchers involved in analyzing the social media data for the Senate committee used the term Information World War to describe the battles being waged by nations and ideological factions on social media platforms. Ms. DiResta wrote: The theatre opportunistically shifts as geopolitical events and cultural moments present themselves, but there is no sign of abatement only tactical evolution as the digital platforms that serve as the battlespaces introduce small amounts of friction via new security checks and feature tweaks. Indeed, in the pair of reports prepared for the Senate committee, we see that Russias attacks did not stop after Mr. Trumps election, but they have continued to evolve and adapt. Russians appear to have shifted their focus away from Facebook, where a team of trained specialists now prowls for influence operations, and toward Instagram, another Facebook-owned app that has flown under the radar. The Internet Research Agency appears to have largely sat out the 2018 midterm elections, but it is likely already trying to influence the 2020 presidential election, in ways social media companies may not yet understand or be prepared for. And Russia is just the beginning. Other countries, including Iran and China, have already demonstrated advanced capabilities for cyberwarfare, including influence operations waged over social media platforms. Since 2016, tech companies have tried to demonstrate that they are up to the challenge, by bulking up their security teams and rolling out new transparency features. Some of their efforts have paid off, but others have seemed mostly cosmetic like the war room set up at Facebook headquarters ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, a glorified conference room that was nevertheless heralded as the second coming of Stratcom. In the pair of independent reports presented to the Senate Intelligence Committee, researchers criticized these companies for providing incomplete or poorly formatted data sets for examination and for appearing to mislead Congress while answering questions about the extent of Russias operations. There is also something uncomfortably America-centric about all of this investigation. Social media companies have, reluctantly and belatedly, disclosed details about the extent of their platforms misuse during the 2016 election in the United States. But they have not made similar disclosures in Italy, France, Brazil or any number of other countries where social media disinformation has played a major role in tectonic political shifts. The researchers who analyzed data from the 2016 election have framed the continuing battle over disinformation and social media manipulation as a high-stakes information war. But if this is indeed a war, it isnt a simple, bilateral one with tech firms and American intelligence agencies on one side, and state-sponsored hackers and trolls on the other. The company not only publishes plays and musicals, but also licenses them, which means it grants permission for amateur and professional performances in exchange for a fee. The reason that this completely makes sense is given the competitive outlook of the industry, especially with Concord having acquired some of the major players I just knew that competition was going to be a lot more fierce, and we were going to run into some headwinds, said Nate Collins, the president of Samuel French and a great-grandson of one of the companys early-20th-century presidents. We have been family-owned and operated since 1830, and the outlook of the industry required that we have backing from an institution with more resources. The Samuel French imprint will continue to exist, and Mr. Collins will become its general manager; the company will move from near Gramercy Park to the Chelsea neighborhood of New York, where Concord has been consolidating its theater operations. Mr. Collins said he expected most of the companys employees to retain their jobs. He said the merger would benefit playwrights, because it would allow for more technological innovation and stronger relationships with producers. Concord is now not only publishing and licensing theatrical scripts, but is also releasing cast albums (including Come From Away and this years revival of Carousel) and investing in theatrical productions (including the musical Jagged Little Pill, featuring the songs of Alanis Morissette, which is poised to transfer to Broadway as soon as the producers can find an available theater of suitable size). Over the course of the last couple of years these iconic, mostly family-held companies, who have carefully curated their shows and the writers they represent, have combined into something that has the scale to service those titles with the best current business practices, said Sean Patrick Flahaven, who has been chief executive of The Musical Company and will now run Concord Theatricals. Concord is very much interested in signing more shows and more writers and investing in shows, and has the financial ability to do that. To identify the companies that pay no tax, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the July 29, 2021, report " Corporate Tax Avoidance Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act " from Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Companies are ranked by their effective tax rate. Market values and year-to-date stock price gains are as of the first week of November. For similar lists visit 24/7 Wall St. PARIS Robert Lepage would like you to know that he doesnt shy away from controversy. To make his point, the Canadian director renamed his latest project, Kanata, which was briefly canceled in July after an outcry about cultural appropriation, then revived, and, ultimately, had its world premiere in Paris on Saturday. Now its called Kanata Episode 1 The Controversy, and runs through Feb. 17. Its not the only sign that Mr. Lepage and the French company Theatre du Soleil, which is staging the play, have let the kerfuffle overwhelm them. Kanata was supposed to delve into the troubled relationship between Canadas Indigenous people and their colonizers. The final product does explore the plight of the countrys First Nations, but it does so through the defensive gaze of a white artist who cant resist telling us that he, too, has been victimized. Mr. Lepage has been plagued by accusations of cultural insensitivity this year. Performances of his production SLAV, inspired by African-American slave songs, were halted in Montreal after an outcry because it featured a predominantly white cast. Then came Kanata and an open letter from Indigenous artists and activists, published in the Quebec newspaper Le Devoir in July. In it, the authors accused Mr. Lepage and the Theatre du Soleil of seeking to tell their stories without Indigenous input. Shortly after, the productions North American co-producers withdrew their financial support and it was called off. (Activists said that they never asked for that to happen, only for inclusion.) In September, however, Ariane Mnouchkine, the founder and director of the Theatre du Soleil, announced that the company would stage the production after all, as part of the Festival dAutomne, a yearly arts event in Paris. Ms. Mnouchkine used the opportunity to rail against what she called the censorship of the play in Canada. When planning a Caribbean vacation, you might begin by sifting through the latest list of top beaches or hot new hotels. But where you ultimately decide to go often comes down to one thing: how convenient is the flight? This is not a secret to the airlines, which also realize that the more direct the route, the more likely they are to get passengers dollars. Airlines continue to add routes to the islands from key U. S. cities. The number of nonstop flights between the United States and the Caribbean jumped 18 percent to 135,162 in 2018 from 114,150 five years ago, according to OAG, a global travel data company. American Airlines alone has added nine new flights to the Caribbean and Bahamas this season, including new year-round service between Miami and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dallas-Fort Worth and Aruba, as well as from New Yorks La Guardia Airport to Nassau in the Bahamas. Other new seasonal nonstop flights will run from Chicago to Aruba, Grand Cayman, Nassau and the Turks and Caicos. The airline is also increasing service from its Miami hub to the Caribbean with additional daily flights to Barbados, Curacao, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and both Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. BLAINE, Wash. This town near the border of Canada is home to only 5,500 residents, but it has about 20 mailbox stores so many that the town recently banned new ones from being constructed along the main drag. The stores were built on their allure to Canadians, who save in shipping and customs costs by having their waders from L.L. Bean or mock Tiffany lamps from Amazon mailed to the stores, then carry the packages back over the border. But this year, the packages have slowed. The mailbox stores have quieted. And Canadians say politics and pride are keeping them away. For a lot of people, your president is not their favorite, and theyve chosen to stay home instead, said Colleen Clark, 48, a Canadian who lives just 10 minutes from the border, and has stopped coming. The whole Trump idea the building the wall, the this and the that. Canadians are a bit more open and inclusive, were not into building walls. Why did the Canadian cross the border? Thats a complex calculation on Americas northern edge from here in Blaine to the tip of Maine because the variables are always in flux, as currency exchange rates, online shopping trends and now the uncertainties of international politics and national pride filter into the mix. Dozens of police officers and medics have been given naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses, to treat suspected on-the-job exposures. Those affected have often complained of dizziness, nausea, and lightheadedness. Some pass out. In Ohio, after a prisoner overdosed, 23 correction officers and four nurses were treated for possible opioid exposure, 31 inmates were relocated, and a nearby school was placed on modified lockdown. I never want to be in a position where I have to go see a family member, a wife, kids, and explain to them why their father or husband is not coming home that evening, or ever, for that matter, Ryan Heath, the police chief in Alton, N.H., where Mr. Weil was charged, said in an interview. Everybody knows its a dangerous substance, Chief Heath added. Ive seen it on the news. More recently, the Justice Department released another video, urging emergency medical workers to use precautions like gloves, eye protection and a face mask. In several cases, officers and emergency workers have conducted drug busts while wearing biohazard containment suits. But such messages worry doctors, who contend that these precautions are unnecessary and could even do harm, stigmatizing patients as happened in the early years of the AIDS crisis and causing deadly delays while responders don protective gear. I want to tell first responders, Look, youre safe, said Dr. Jeremy S. Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Womens Faulkner Hospital in Boston. You can touch these people. You can interact with them. You can go on and do the heroic lifesaving work that you do for anyone else. True, a dose of powdered fentanyl the size of a few grains of sand can prove lethal, and carfentanil is even more potent. But the drugs must generally be deliberately ingested, not accidentally touched or inhaled, to cause a reaction. In October, the Jackson Police Department in Mississippi announced the retirement of Ringo, a yellow Labrador retriever with a nose that could detect the faintest smell of drugs. After nine years with the narcotics unit, the department said, he would be going home with his partner, a detective in the department. But Ringo ended up somewhere else, the police department announced last week. His handler, Officer Carl Ellis, quietly took Ringo to an animal shelter in a suburb of Jackson, where he waited for weeks for someone to adopt him. A police officer in the suburb texted a photo of Ringo to Randy Hare, a dog trainer in Jackson, Mr. Hare said in an interview on Monday. He recognized him immediately. Mr. Hare had trained Ringo and another dog, a German shepherd named Alpha, for the Jackson Police Department about a decade ago. Mr. Hare said that while Ringo waited for adoption, the shelters administrator started to suspect that Ringo might have been a former police dog and sought the help of an officer who ended up messaging him. Why would he turn his back on the dog and surrender his dog like that? Mr. Hare said, referring to Officer Ellis, in an interview on Monday. I never dreamed in a thousand years that he would pull this. I thought he would at least call me first and let me help him. ALEXANDRIA, Va. Two former business associates of Michael T. Flynn, President Trumps first national security adviser, have been indicted as part of a federal investigation into Turkeys secret 2016 lobbying campaign to pressure the United States to expel a rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Charges against the two former associates, Bijan Kian and Ekim Alptekin, were unsealed on Monday in an Alexandria, Va., courtroom. The two men were indicted last week as part of a conspiracy to violate federal lobbying rules, and Mr. Alptekin was also charged with making false statements to F.B.I. investigators. The indictment is further evidence of a broad crackdown on unregistered foreign lobbying growing from the inquiry by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel who has investigated foreign flows of money from Ukraine, Turkey and other countries devised to manipulate decision-making in Washington. Mr. Mueller referred the Turkey case back to prosecutors in Northern Virginia. The indictment said that the two men sought to conceal that Turkey was directing the work, and that high-level Turkish officials approved the budget for the project and were given regular updates by Mr. Alptekin about the campaigns progress. Mr. Flynns firm Flynn Intel Group received a total of $530,000 for its work. WASHINGTON Despite the booming economy, homelessness in the United States rose slightly for the second year in a row, with spikes in high-rent cities like New York and Seattle, according to an annual report released on Monday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Over all, the national rate of homelessness rose by a modest 0.3 percent to 552,830 people without stable living conditions, the report found. But that represented the second annual increase after seven straight years of declines the result, in part, of rapidly increasing housing costs that have only recently shown signs of leveling off. Im not sure victory is the right word to use here, said Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development. He attributed some of the increase to about 4,000 people who have been temporarily displaced from their homes, including by natural disasters. But he also blamed the headwinds of rising rents for stubbornly high homelessness rates, which remain relatively flat despite what economists have called the most favorable labor market in generations. Governor Ricketts did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, but has for many years maintained a position similar to that of Mr. Peterson. In a column posted online before the 2016 statehouse debate, he called marijuana a dangerous drug and said any form of legalization could be a slippery slope. We must be cautious before we follow the lead of other states, he wrote. Legalization of marijuana for any purpose has proven to be a risky proposition because the controls placed on its use in other states have fallen short. Matthew Schweich, the deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, which has backed the Nebraska effort, said advocates there could learn from successful medical marijuana efforts in conservative states like Utah. Youve got to explain to voters that medical marijuana is a question of compassion and of allowing sick and suffering people to treat their conditions without being treated as criminals, said Mr. Schweich, who added that his organization was considering 2020 medical marijuana campaigns in Idaho and Mississippi. You have to emphasize that medical marijuana is not the same thing as full legalization of marijuana which has been passed in only 10 states, he added. That was the top argument used against us in Utah, that it was a form of full legalization or it would lead to full legalization, and I expect that to be the main argument used by the opposition in Nebraska. Ms. Wishart, who sponsored the legislation in 2016, said she would introduce another medical marijuana bill next year to give the Legislature one more chance, but she said she was not that optimistic. But she pointed to a recent history of progressive policy victories at the ballot box, including Medicaid expansion in November and a minimum-wage increase in 2014, as a reason to be hopeful. Good Monday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. _____________________ Just days before a deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, President Trump, Democratic leaders and the Republican-controlled Congress are at a stalemate over the border wall. But House Republican leaders have a problem: Their members dont want to show up to vote. Read the story. Could a federal judge in Texas be the catalyst that finally brings down the Affordable Care Act, a law that has withstood countless assaults from Republicans in Congress and two Supreme Court challenges? Legal scholars are doubtful. Read about what they think. Mr. Trump said on Sunday that he would examine the case of a Special Forces soldier charged by the Army last week with murdering a suspected Afghan bomb maker nearly nine years ago. It was latest instance in which he has raised the possibility of intervening in a legal matter handled by the executive branch. Read the story. The Russian influence campaign on social media in the 2016 election made an extraordinary effort to target African-Americans, used an array of tactics to try to suppress turnout among Democratic voters and unleashed a blizzard of activity on Instagram that rivaled or exceeded its posts on Facebook, according to a report produced for the Senate Intelligence Committee. The report adds new details to the portrait that has emerged over the last two years of the energy and imagination of the Russian effort to sway American opinion and divide the country, which the authors said continues to this day. Active and ongoing interference operations remain on several platforms, says the report, produced by New Knowledge, a cybersecurity company based in Austin, Tex., along with researchers at Columbia University and Canfield Research LLC. One continuing Russian campaign, for instance, seeks to influence opinion on Syria by promoting Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president and a Russian ally in the brutal conflict there. The New Knowledge report is one of two commissioned by the Senate committee on a bipartisan basis. They are based largely on data about the Russian operations provided to the Senate by Facebook, Twitter and the other companies whose platforms were used. The N.A.A.C.P., a civil rights group, said that it would begin a weeklong protest starting Tuesday called #LogOutFaceook. The group said it would stay off Facebook and Instagram and asked its social media followers and the organizations with which it works to do the same. The N.A.A.C.P. said that the protest was a way to signify to Facebook that the data and privacy of its users of color matter more than its corporate interests and that its users should be protected from propaganda and misinformation. The group said it also had returned a recent donation from Facebook. One clear Russian goal, pursued on multiple fronts, was to suppress Democratic turnout in 2016. One strand focused, once again, on African-American voters. These campaigns pushed a message that the best way to advance the cause of the African-American community was to boycott the election, the Oxford report says. One bogus post declared: HILLARY RECEIVED $20,000 DONATION FROM KKK TOWARDS HER CAMPAIGN. The Russian accounts urged people who had backed Bernie Sanders against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination to stay home or to vote for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, in the general election. The New Knowledge report also describes what it calls malicious misdirection and tweets designed to create confusion about voting rules. All of the emphasis on Facebook has obscured the huge role of Instagram, as well as the Russian activity on many smaller platforms. Most of the early media coverage of the Russian campaign focused on Facebook. The New Knowledge report argues that the Internet Research Agencys presence on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has been underestimated and may have been as effective or even more effective than its Facebook effort. The report says there were 187 million engagements on Instagram users liking or sharing the content created in Russia compared with 76.5 million engagements on Facebook. Our assessment is that Instagram is likely to be a key battleground on an ongoing basis, the report concludes. Both reports note that there was hardly a social platform, however obscure, that the Internet Research Agency did not invade: Reddit, Google+, Vine, Gab, Meetup, Pinterest, Tumblr and more. The Russian trolls even created a podcast on SoundCloud. WASHINGTON The Trump administration is planning to roll back Obama-era policies aimed at ensuring that minority children are not unfairly disciplined, arguing that the efforts have eased up on punishment and contributed to rising violence in the nations schools, according to documents obtained by The New York Times. The decision culminates a nearly yearlong effort begun by the Trump administration after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The deaths of 17 students and staff members on Feb. 14 prompted lawmakers in both parties to demand tougher gun laws, but after a brief flirtation with gun control, President Trump abandoned that focus and instead empowered a school safety commission, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Almost immediately, the commission turned away from guns and instead scrutinized the Obama administrations school discipline policies, though none of the most high-profile school shootings were perpetrated by black students. The commissions focus was part of a broader effort to reject the previous administrations race-conscious education efforts, which have included siding with Asian students suing Harvard to end affirmative action and delaying an Obama-era rule to prevent disproportionate numbers of minority children from being funneled into special education classes. The documents obtained by The Times a draft letter and a draft chapter of the safety commissions research focus significantly on race and promote the idea that the federal crackdown on potentially discriminatory practices has made schools more dangerous. Soldiers shooting into a crowd, beating unarmed men and women and dragging them away. These are not scenes from a war zone, but from a religious march and protest in Nigerias capital in late October. They show a military unit killing and injuring dozens of members of a religious organization called the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. The military says it acted in self-defense. But we reviewed hundreds of videos collected from witnesses and social media. We interviewed survivors, visited the scene and found that the military story just doesnt hold up. Heres how an elite Nigerian battalion turned a religious procession into a massacre and why they got away with it. First, what is the Islamic Movement in Nigeria? Its a sect of mainly Shiite Muslims who feel discriminated against by the government and dont recognize the Nigerian Constitution. Theyre a tiny minority. The country is mostly Christian and Sunni Muslim. But the government fears that their political activism, while mostly peaceful, could stoke unrest. In October, they gathered in Nigerias capital, Abuja, for an annual religious procession, the Arbaeen pilgrimage. Its a symbolic ceremony thats observed by Shia Muslims around the world. And in Nigeria, its a community event where many women and children participate. But theyre also demanding the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky. Hes been detained for three years since a government crackdown on the group, despite a court order to release him. Its Monday, Oct. 29. The group set out from east of the capital and had already marched for a day and a half without incident, until it reached a military checkpoint on the outskirts of Abuja. Its a security measure to prevent attacks by the militant group Boko Haram. The marchers have no association with Boko Haram. The military says the marchers stopped traffic and then attacked the checkpoint. But videos show us that traffic is flowing freely along the highway until the military seals it off with a barricade. In this previously unseen footage, the processions organizers, here in bright safety vests, approached the checkpoint. Abdullahi Musa was one of them. Lets watch this scene again. As that man is being shot, other soldiers rush and fire more rounds, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Shortly after, more soldiers arrive and the shooting continues. The military said its soldiers were attacked with firearms and rocks. We see some protesters throw rocks in response to the shooting. But there is no credible evidence that troops were fired upon. Notice, these soldiers do not take cover from gunfire. For most of the incident, they stand in the open, continue to fire into the procession indiscriminately and at short range, and then chase the marchers, shooting at them even as they retreat. In the crowd, people take cover as bullets fly past. Some are carried away with horrific injuries. Well take a moment to examine some of these injuries because they indicate a high caliber weapon was used. A warning: These pictures are quite gruesome and weve blurred parts of them. Some victims had their limbs completely blown off. These are battlefield wounds and theyre caused by battlefield weapons. We see one right here. Atop this vehicle is a heavy machine gun. It fires .50-caliber rounds, as seen in this archival footage. Its a weapon normally used in war zones, not to police civilians. Later, we see the dead and injured lying on the road, but no ambulances appear to have arrived at the scene. A few unarmed marchers return and stand in defiance. A protester helps one of the injured to raise his fist. Soldiers approach them from a truck and begin brutally beating them. Theyre flung into the back of the vehicle, lashed some more and driven away. The army, beyond any doubt, is not responding to a deadly threat here. The military said three people were killed that day. But we counted at least two dozen bodies in verified photos and videos. Witnesses told us that 39 people were killed. In hospitals, we saw more than 40 young survivors of that weekends violence. A bullet shattered this 16-year-old girls leg, an injury that her family said is likely to restrict her movement for the rest of her life. Others were shot in the stomach and in the back as they fled. Some were shot in the head. What military unit was responsible for this? Lets take a second look at this gun truck. It belongs to the Guards Brigade, an elite unit tasked with protecting Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari and the capital, Abuja. Here we see it arriving, moving toward the marchers and chasing after the crowd as it retreats. And more soldiers from the Presidential Guard arrive after the attack. Theyre wearing its insignia. This logo on the back of the truck tells us theyre the 7th Battalion. Its one of five units within the guard whose commander reports directly to the head of Nigerias armed forces and also coordinates with the presidents top staff. Its a short chain of command to the head of state. What happened in Abuja is not an isolated incident. In 2015, the army shot and killed nearly 350 members of the same group and dumped their bodies in a mass grave. A judicial panel recommended that soldiers be disciplined. But nothing happened. Two days before this latest shooting, the military killed more people at another march held over the weekend pilgrimage. Again in a brutal fashion. In a phone interview with The Times, military spokesman John Agim didnt deny the killings. He insisted the marchers intended to occupy the capital, attacked the checkpoint and had to be stopped. Under international law, guns may be used only to protect lives, not to break up protests. Our analysis shows this threshold was not met. But with no accountability, the message is clear: The presidents men are free to act as they please. They acknowledge that it may be difficult to convince the Trump administration to invest large sums in the region, a proposal they have only recently broached with American officials. Buy they are hoping the perceived threat of Chinas growing presence in the region can be used as leverage to bring the United States on board. While it is unclear how much more China would be willing to invest in the region, in recent years it has increased its presence throughout Latin America, financing infrastructure projects, tightening ties with governments and even convincing a handful of Central American nations to switch their diplomatic recognition of Taiwan to China a sticking point with the Americans. The Mexican strategy to rely on the United States concerns about Chinas expanding influence in the region reflects a growing sense in Mexico that it can no longer take cooperation with the United States for granted. Both the White House and State Department declined to comment on the Mexican proposal. For a long time there has been this competition within Latin America for influence, where China is willing to invest billions in infrastructure and energy that the United States simply isnt, said Duncan Wood, the director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center. The proposal is also a reflection of the distinct personalities of Mr. Lopez Obrador and Mr. Trump: Both are mavericks albeit on opposite sides of the political spectrum and both are willing to break with long-established conventions. KABUL, Afghanistan Representatives from the Taliban, the United States and several Asian countries gathered in the United Arab Emirates on Monday for what officials cautiously described as important meetings that could lead to formal talks to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan. The optimism fostered by months of urgent American diplomacy was dampened by the Talibans apparent refusal to meet with a delegation of the Afghan government, although Afghan officials said late Monday that they had not given up hope that the two sides would talk. The Taliban said in a statement on Sunday that they would meet representatives of the United States as well as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates. Those countries, American allies that have varying levels of influence over the Taliban, have been at the center of a Trump administration push to help shape the peace process. The Taliban said nothing on Sunday about meeting with the Afghan delegation, even though government negotiators also arrived for the talks, said Mujib Rahman Rahimi, a spokesman for the Afghan government. Just a few months ago, the idea of a so-called peoples vote, or second referendum, on Britains withdrawal from the European Union was regarded by most commentators as fanciful. Now, an increasing number see it as the way out of Britains Brexit nightmare. Admittedly, Prime Minister Theresa May is adamantly opposed to the idea, and she insisted once again on Monday that there would be no second plebiscite, saying that it would break faith with the British people. But her options are closing in, and she has changed her mind abruptly before, most recently by postponing the parliamentary vote on her beleaguered Brexit plan, which she says will now take place the week of Jan. 14. [What is Brexit? A simple guide to why it matters and what happens next.] On Monday, Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, called for a vote of no confidence in Mrs. May, though he did not press for a motion that might bring down her government. Nor was it clear whether the vote he wants, which is designed to embarrass Mrs. May, would be held anytime soon. ATHENS A powerful bomb detonated outside a major Greek broadcaster and newspaper publisher near Athens early Monday, causing serious damage to the facade of the building but no injuries. Greek politicians across the spectrum condemned it as an attack on democracy. The blast occurred at 2:37 a.m. outside the building of the Skai television channel and radio station, which also houses the newspaper Kathimerini, part of the same media group. A police spokesman said the explosion followed anonymous calls to another television station and news website shortly before 2 a.m. They said a bomb would go off in 45 minutes and kept repeating this is not a hoax, said the spokesman, Theodoros Chronopoulos. It was a big explosion. He said the bomb had been in a backpack that was hung on a barrier along the busy coastal road that runs in front of the Skai offices in suburb south of Athens. Greek media reported that it contained up to 10 kilograms, or 22 pounds, of explosives. When a group of French protesters invited us to visit, we werent exactly expecting this: Singing: Hey Macarena! We found the same scene again and again, the Gilets Jaunes, or Yellow Vests, occupying traffic circles in the countryside. As others pass by, they stand their ground through the night singing, cooking, defying the cold and their president. It feels like family here, and they tell us that sense of community is what keeps the movement going. For five straight weeks, protesters have been returning to the streets of Paris. The movement started in opposition to a fuel tax increase and grew into a broader rebellion against President Emmanuel Macron. Last week, Macron bowed to the Yellow Vests principal demands: He halted the fuel tax and increased the minimum wage. After that, the demonstrations diminished. But they havent stopped. So, we came here to ask: What are their outstanding demands and can this leaderless, grassroots movement deliver them? [chanting] Many told us that to really see whats driving them here, we needed to leave the city. So we drove south, to the center of the French countryside the heart of the Yellow Vest movement. Its here, in these isolated outposts, that people from Frances forgotten corners are finding their voice. They say theyll do whatever it takes to make themselves heard. We meet people of different ages, professions and views. That inclusiveness is the movements strength and its weakness, like when it comes to articulating what they stand for. We hear a host of grievances, but no unified message. Not far from here, we meet another Yellow Vest, Jean-Francois Barnaba, whos trying to become a public face for the movement. Instead of camping out in the local roundabouts, Barnaba focuses on networking in Paris. And he seeks out the spotlight to promote his message. He warns that if the movement doesnt evolve into an organized political force, then it cant survive. But, its unclear if he has any following. We met a lot of Gilets Jaunes who are not interested in anything political whatsoever. Many Yellow Vests are skeptical of his motives and any formal leadership. How do you communicate with the politicians without engaging in politics? Marlene is a caregiver. She helped build this outpost after she joined the movement in October. Will you stay through the winter what exactly are you waiting for? The Yellow Vests are determined, bolstered by the support of their community. But their days may be numbered. The government has already started cracking down, dismantling outposts like this one. Now, they risk returning home with nothing but their grievances. I would appreciate anything she can do, and I would think that she would want to resolve the family problems, he said of the queen. All families, royal or not, are the same, and they should all be together, certainly around the holidays, he added. Addressing the fact the duchess is pregnant, he said he hoped to meet his future grandchild. One of the Good Morning Britain interviewers, Piers Morgan, might not have been the most impartial host a fact noted by many people who criticized him on social media. Mr. Morgan recently wrote a scornful column in the tabloid The Daily Mail claiming that he and the duchess had been friends when she was known as an actress, but that she had shunned, or ghosted him after she met the prince. After lavishing positive attention on the duchess, the notoriously fickle British tabloids have turned on her, reporting that she was feuding with her sister-in-law, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and that she had been difficult with palace staff. In his 18-minute interview on Monday, her father rose to her defense. I cant see her being rude to anybody, he said. Shes always been a very controlling person, thats part of her nature, but shes never been rude. A Kensington Palace spokeswoman said there would be no royal comment on Mr. Markles interview. WARSAW Backing down from a showdown with Brussels, Polands government reversed its purge of the countrys Supreme Court, as the president signed a law on Monday that will reinstate the judges who had been forced out of their jobs. It was a remarkable turnaround after months of Polands top officials saying they would resist pressure to stop the overhaul of the judiciary. The ruling party, Law and Justice, had put tightening its grip on the courts at the center of its agenda, claiming that it was vital to rid the courts of corrupt judges and Communist-era vestiges. The European Union sees the changes Poland has made to its judiciary in the last three years as a violation of the blocs core values, a threat to the rule of law and the end of judges acting as a check on political power. Last year, the union chastised Poland and took the first steps toward stripping the country of its voting rights in Brussels a penalty that has never been used against a member nation. Polands concession on the Supreme Court is by no means the end of that conflict between the right-wing, nationalist Polish government and Brussels, but it represented a striking change in tone. JERUSALEM An Israeli military tactic intended to spare civilians actually killed two Palestinian teenagers recently and needs to be viewed as a form of attack, not as the ethically responsible precautionary measure that Israel portrays it to be, two human rights groups said in a new report. The tactic is referred to as knocking on the roof, a euphemism for hitting a building with loud but not terribly destructive munitions before switching to the powerful missiles or bombs meant to level it. The report assembled crowdsourced video into a meticulous reconstruction of the killings of two teenage boys in an airstrike in July on an unfinished high-rise in Gaza City, the first of four roof-knocking missiles meant to warn off civilians that instead killed them. The bottom line, it concluded, was that an airstrike must not be considered a warning, and must conform to international humanitarian law requiring armies to take pains to identify legitimate targets and avoid harming civilians. JERUSALEM In a Facebook post a few days ago, one of the Israeli prime ministers sons said he hoped the deaths of two Israeli soldiers killed by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank would be avenged and said, There will never be peace with the monsters in human form known since 1964 as Palestinians. In other posts, Yair Netanyahu, the older son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he would prefer an Israel without any Muslims and mused that no attacks occurred in Iceland and Japan where coincidentally there are no Muslims. Facebook removed the posts after a flood of complaints, saying they included hate speech and clearly violated the community standards. On Sunday, after Yair Netanyahu reposted a screenshot of one of the offending posts online and called on people to share it, the social networking giant suspended his account for 24 hours. So he took to Twitter. There he reposted a diatribe he had written against Facebook, describing it as thought police and protesting that it hosted endless pages that call for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews. In interviews, survivors provided harrowing accounts of their ordeal: an attack helicopter that passed overhead six times, spraying them with bullets; fishermen jumping from flaming boats into flaming waters; survivors drifting in the water for days on end, watching helplessly as friends and brothers slipped under the waves. Of the 86 fishermen on the six boats, 50 died. Identifying the perpetrators of maritime attacks is notoriously difficult, especially in a war as chaotic and opaque as the one in Yemen. Both the Saudi-led coalition and its Houthi foes, who are backed by Iran, have carried out attacks at sea. But maritime experts, a former United States Navy officer, United Nations investigators and several Yemeni officials said there was little doubt that the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for some if not all of the violence against fishermen. Saudi and Emirati naval boats dominate the Red Sea waters where the shootings and bombings took place. Five involved attack helicopters, which the Houthis do not have. In one instance, Saudi officials made cash payments of nearly $500,000 to the families of fishermen killed in an attack. In another, coalition sailors detained 12 survivors and held them for three months in a Saudi prison, where the fishermen said they were interrogated and tortured. Eight of those detainees were recently released after receiving a payment of $1,300 each from their Saudi captors. A soldier posed with us in the prison for a photo and said, Sorry if we hurt you, Yaqoub Okad, 20, said in an interview after his return to Yemen. Superintendent DJ Skogsberg said the district had been in contact with Orland Park police about establishing a support plan for four schools in the area Park School, High Point School, Orland Junior High and St Michaels and would have additional police in the area and on campus. A Thai conman was recently arrested and charged with robbery after successfully pulling out a sophisticated plan that involved setting up a fake jewlery store and luring an Indian businessman there so he could steal a valuable diamond. 59-year-old Pipatpongpat Suksawatpipat, the man arrested for the ingenious robbery, was once a prosperous jewlery trader himself, but fell on hard time when he became addicted to gambling a few years back. He went from being one of the richest people in Chanthaburi to having just 40,000 baht ($1,200) to his name, but he recently put that small amount of money to good use and pulled off a scam that would make any self-respecting conman jealous. In just a weeks time, he managed to rent a commercial space and turn it into a fake jewelery store, lure an Indian jeweler there with a 10 million baht diamond, and eventually steal that diamond before riding out into the sunset. Alas, his success was short-lived. Photo: Aenigmatis-3D/Pixabay According to police sources, Pipatpongpat put a lot of thought into his plan. He had met 44-year-old Indian jewelry seller Jain Vaiphav at a jewelry fair some time ago, and the two had exchanged phone numbers. They had stayed in contact after that, and when the conman learned that Vaiphav had put a 10 million baht diamond up for sale, he started putting together a plan to get it off his hands without actually paying he bill. Pipatpongpat had only 40,000 baht to spend, but he put it to good use. He paid 10,000 baht to rent a commercial space on Bangkoks Sriphaya Street just a week prior to the robbery, and another 20,000 baht to make it look like a jewelry store. He also replaced the lock on the glass door of the store with an automatic one that would guarantee his safe escape. He used the rest of his money to hire a a Cambodian worker to help him ride off on a motorcycle after stealing the diamond. After sorting out all the details, Pipatpongpat Suksawatpipat called the Indian jewelry seller, expressing his desire to buy the expensive diamond and inviting him to his jewelry store so he could examine it in person. Vaiphav, who apparently didnt know about the conmans gambling addiction and dire financial situation, accepted the invitation and together with a business partner visited the fake jewelry store at around 3pm last Tuesday. After seating them in the store and making some small talk, Pipatpongpat asked if he could see the diamond. He inspected it, but told Vaiphav that he needed to see it in natural light as well, before making a decision. Only as soon as he got out of the store, he quickly closed the glass door which locked automatically, leaving the Indian businessman and his partner locked inside. The hired getaway driver pulled up outside the store and Pipatpongpat escaped with his prize. The whole thing reportedly happened in only three minutes. Jain Vaiphav suffered lacerations to his hand after breaking the glass door in a desperate attempt to stop the thief, but he just wasnt fast enough. The conned businessman notified local police immediately, and a warrant was issued for Pipatpongpat Suksawatpipat. A nationwide manhunt was underway, so I guess Pipatpongpat can consider himself lucky for having remained at large until Friday, when he was finally captured at an immigration checkpoint in Chanthaburi while trying to flee to Cambodia with his wife. During questioning, the cunning conman told investigators that he had simply wanted to get his hands on some cash to satisfy his gambling addiction. Although police sources were convinced that they would still find the diamond in his possession, as moving a rock that valuable in such a short time would be almost impossible, Pipatpongpat told them that he had already sold it to a Vietnamese man he knew at a casino, for only 500,000 baht ($15,000). Thats 20 times less than its market value. The Indian jewler told Thai media that in 20 years of doing business, he had never even heard of such a robbery. He declared himself incredibly stressed by the whole thing, and desperate to recover the valuable diamond. Sources: Bangkok Post, MSN Sarah O'Brien Sarah OBrien, who exited Tesla in September as VP-communications, has joined Facebook as VP for executive communications. She left Tesla following a tumultuous year for CEO Elon Musk, who drew heat from the Securities and Exchange Commission after he tweeted about a $420 per-share go-private takeover offer. Tesla and the SEC reached a settlement in September in a securities fraud suit in which Musk stepped down from the chairman position, agreed to appoint independent directors and paid $40M in penalites. OBrien joined Tesla in 2006 after eight years at Apple, overseeing PR for the iPhone and music PR in the EMEA region. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg have had a brutal year on the communications front, capped by the November New York Times blockbuster article about spreading disinformation about critics. Facebook recruited Nick Clegg, former head of Britiains Liberal Party, to head global public affairs. From Tullamore to Banagher, Offaly community groups will be out in force to raise funds for GOAL this Christmas. Now in its 37th year, the GOAL Mile is held in villages, towns and cities all over Ireland every Christmas and is one of the countrys largest and longest-running annual fundraising events. In 2017, GOAL Mile events organised in County Offaly raised over 7,000 to support GOAL raise funds and awareness for their programmes across the developing world. Alan Vard from GOAL said, The GOAL Mile has become a tradition for many families and communities over the Christmas period, and thanks to organisers, millions have been raised to support GOALs work in the developing world since the first Mile was staged in 1982. The beauty of the GOAL Mile is its simplicity. People dont need to register in advance but simply show up to their nearest event, run or walk a Mile and contribute whatever they can afford to GOAL on the day. Four events have been organised by community groups right across County Offaly including: Christmas Day Tullamore Harriers Running Ground, starting at 10am - Organiser: Adrian Curley Emmet Square, Birr starting at 1pm - Organiser: Emma Nee Haslam Derry Rovers AFC, Edenderry starting at 11am - Organiser: David Allen St. Stephens Day Bank of Ireland, Banagher starting at 12 midday - Organiser: Joan Mahon If you are interested in taking part in your local GOAL mile, all you need to do is find out the date and time of your local event, put on your walking or running shoes and show up! There is no need to register; just turn up and donate what you can to GOAL on the day. To find out about your local GOAL Mile, please visit www.goalmile.org. The GOAL Mile was established in 1982 when GOAL's late chairperson and international athlete, Noel Carroll, came up with the idea to encourage people and their families to run a mile at The Phoenix Park on Christmas morning for GOAL. More than 250 people turned up to that first event and from there, it has flourished to become one of the most popular and longstanding annual fundraising events in the country. Since that first Mile in 1982, those organising, running or walking a GOAL Mile have helped raise millions of euro for GOAL's various humanitarian programmes across the developing world. Major Mile events attract thousands of participants each year, while new GOAL Miles locations are added each year. Last year, Miles were held at more than 130 locations across the country. All funds raised from the 2018 GOAL Mile will go towards GOALs most pressing work in the developing world. The agency is currently responding to protracted and sudden onset emergencies in Syria, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and several other locations. Witnesses and Robersons family said that Roberson was wearing clothing identifying him as a security guard, although a preliminary investigation by state police disputes that. State police said the Midlothian officer gave Roberson multiple verbal commands to drop his gun and get on the ground, but witnesses said the officer started firing at Roberson before giving him an adequate chance to respond to the verbal commands. 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar will stay in jail for life, to surrender by Dec 31 India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Dec 17: The Delhi High Court has convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The HC awarded a life sentence to Kumar. The court observed, "in the summer of 1947, during partition, several people were massacred. 37 years later Delhi was the witness of a similar tragedy. The accused enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial." The order was passed while reversing the verdict of the trial court which had acquitted Kumar. The Bench held Kumar guilty of abetment, delivering speeches instigating violence against Sikhs and disrupting communal harmony. The court said the life sentence awarded to the Congress leader would be for the "remainder of his life" and directed him to surrender by December 31. The bench also said Kumar will not leave the city of Delhi from now till December 31. The court said it has partially allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation's appeal against Kumar's acquittal by the trial court in a case related to the murder of five members of a Sikh family - Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh -in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984, after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. In the same case, the court upheld the convictions of Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. They were also convicted for criminal conspiracy to burn down residences of Sikh families and a gurdwara in the area during the riots. The court also directed them to surrender by December 31 and not leave the city before that. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel had on October 29 concluded hearing arguments on the appeals filed by the CBI, riots victims, and the convicts, and reserved the judgment. Former Congress councilor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and two others were held guilty in the case relating to the murder of five members of a family in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984, after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. The trial court had acquitted Sajjan Kumar in the case, but awarded life term to Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a three-year jail term to two others - former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. The convicts had challenged their conviction and sentencing by the trial court in May 2013. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also filed an appeal, alleging they were engaged in "a planned communal riot" and "religious cleansing". The agency and the victims have also appealed against the acquittal of Kumar. The high court had on March 29 last year issued show cause notices to 11 accused, including Khokhar and Yadav, in five 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases which were earlier closed. The matter is being heard by another division bench. The accused, who were acquitted of the charges, were asked as to why should the court not order reinvestigation and retrial against them as they faced allegations of "horrifying crimes against humanity". 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Verdict on appeals against Sajjan Kumars acquittal today India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Dec 17: The Delhi High Court will deliver its verdict on the appeals challenging a trial court judgment in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was acquitted. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel had on October 29 concluded hearing arguments on the appeals filed by the CBI, riots victims and the convicts, and reserved the judgement. Former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and two others were held guilty in the case relating to the murder of five members of a family in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984 after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. The trial court had acquitted Sajjan Kumar in the case, but awarded life term to Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a three-year jail term to two others - former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. The convicts had challenged their conviction and sentencing by the trial court in May 2013. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also filed an appeal, alleging they were engaged in "a planned communal riot" and "religious cleansing". The agency and the victims have also appealed against the acquittal of Kumar. The high court had on March 29 last year issued show cause notices to 11 accused, including Khokhar and Yadav, in five 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases which were earlier closed. The matter is being heard by another division bench. The accused, who were acquitted of the charges, were asked as to why should the court not order reinvestigation and retrial against them as they faced allegations of "horrifying crimes against humanity". 1984 anti-Sikh riots were 'worst genocide ever', says Jaitley; Hails HC verdict India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Dec 17: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday welcomed Sajjan Kumar's conviction in the 1984 anti Sikh riots case and said Congress goverments had indulged in coverups which are now being defeated. The Delhi High Court today convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti Sikh riots case. The HC awarded a life sentence to Kumar. "Judgement of Delhi High Court is an extremely welcome development. For many of us who are witnesses, it was perhaps the worst kind of genocide that we ever saw. Congress governments in that period repeatedly indulged in coverup exercises," Jaitley told the media. 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar convicted, gets life term "The coverups are now being defeated. Sajjan Kumar was a symbol of 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The legacy of 1984 anti-Sikh riots hangs around the neck of Congress and Gandhi family," he added. The order was passed while reversing the verdict of the trial court which had acquitted Kumar. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel had on October 29 concluded hearing arguments on the appeals filed by the CBI, riots victims and the convicts, and reserved the judgement. While passing its order, the court directed that "Sajjan Kumar shall not from this moment till his surrender leave the NCT of Delhi and shall immediately provide to the CBI the address and mobile number(s) where he can be contacted." Former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and two others had been held guilty in the case earlier by the trial court. While acquitting Sajjan Kumar, the trial court had awarded life term to Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a three-year jail term to two others - former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 12:12 [IST] 7th Pay Commission: This is one of the best news of the year India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Dec 17: Towards the end of the year, there has been a major development on the 7th Pay Commission. The Union Government has agreed to fulfil a major demand by the BSNL employees. The government is set to revise the pay and pension of these employees. In a circular, the All Unions and Associations of BSNL (AUAB) said the decisions were made during a meeting with the Department of Telecom and Minister of State for Telecommunications, Manoj Sinha. The minister went on to say that the ministry had written to the Ministry of Finance, making a positive recommendation to solve this issue. This issue would be resolved with a favourable reply now being awaited from the Ministry for Finance. 7th Pay Commission: How to contribute Rs 3,420 to NPS and retire with Rs 1 crore The DoT had agreed to the demand to de-link the pension revision of BSNL retirees, from the Pay Revision of the serving employees. AUAB had taken the stand that Pension Revision is no way linked with Pay revision or the affordability of BSNL and it is finally accepted by DoT, the circular said. This development will strengthen the demands of the employees who have been demanding a full pay revision with full 15 per cent fitment. It may be recalled that the DoT had prepared a Cabinet Note for allotting 4G spectrum to BSNL. Immediately after the notice was issued for an indefinite strike, the same was sent for Inter-Ministerial Consultation. The BSNL employees had decided to defer the strike to December 10, if their issues were not resolved in the meeting with Sinha. Amidst all the news relating to the 7th Pay Commission, the BSNL employees have been demanding allocation of 4G spectrum to the public sector so that it would be able to compete in the market and increase the market share. They have also been asking for wage revision as per the recommendations of the 2nd and 3rd pay revision committee. Carroll, an attorney in Orland Park, said he wants to focus on his family and business and is stepping down to let other people have a run at it. He served on the District 135 board for two years and is in his first term on the Village Board. After six years in jail, Pakistan to release Indian national Hamid Ansari today India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Dec 17: After six years in jail, Pakistan to release Indian national Hamid Ansari who crossed border for love tomorrow. Earlier, a Pakistani court had asked the government to complete formalities for Ansari's deportation within a month as his three-year jail term ended 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. 23 Indian passports go missing from Pakistan High Commission 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 Ministry of Interior and authorities of prison, where he was lodged, were completely silent about his release and deportation to India. 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. Balloons with Pakistan Zindabad slogans found at Gita Mahotsavvenue The decision comes days after Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a note verbale to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, asking them to make necessary arrangements for the "earliest" release of Indian prisoners who have either completed their sentence or have been identified as Indian nationals lodged in Pakistani prisons. (with PTI inputs) As vigil along LoC gets tight, terrorists move towards International Border to sneak in India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Dec 17: Over the past year, there has been a strategy shift by terrorists infiltrating into India. While the Line of Control has seen a large number of infiltrations taking place, officials have now sounded the Union Home Ministry about terrorists coming in through the International Border as well in large numbers. The questioning of half a dozen over ground workers of the Jaish-e-Mohammad has revealed that terrorists are increasingly moving towards the International Border in a bid to infiltrate into India. Army hits a double century in J&K, but there is a long way to go The National Investigation Agency, which has prepared a report in this regards said that on the basis of the interrogation of the OWGs, it was learnt that terrorists had been picked up from the Bei Nullah in the Samba Sector. It was also learnt that the Jaish team that had carried out the Nagrota attack in 2016 had in fact infiltrated through the IB. Further the NIA also learnt that a group had entered through the Jhajjar Kotli. While some of them were neutralised, the others were taken away to the Tral area. The NIA pointed out to the Home Ministry several terrorists had been picked up from the Jammu area. This is a cause for concern and immediate steps need to be taken in a bid to prevent further infiltrations through the newer routes, the NIA also said. J&K: 2 terrorists killed in infiltration bid in Keren sector of Kupwara The NIA says that the newer routes are not just being used by the Jaish-e-Mohammad. Phone intercepts that the NIA had picked up and studied also pointed towards the Lashkar-e-Tayiba as well. It was also found that some OWGs of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba had aided Jaish terrorists who infiltrated through the IB. They were moved to the Valley from Jammu, the NIA also found. The report by the NIA comes just a few months after the Intelligence Bureau had sounded an alert about the infiltrations through the International Border. An IB official tells OneIndia that with the vigil being upped along the LoC and the infiltration points busted over the past year, terrorists have been moving towards the IB in a bid to cross over into India. It is a well oiled machinery that works in these areas. The security forces have found tunnels which have been used to cross over from Pakistan to India. Officials also say that the so far at least 40 infiltrations have been reported through the newer routes. Terror infrastructure in Pak remains intact as over 100 terrorists wait to infiltrate The Home Ministry on its part would study the report and call for a meeting of various agencies including the Border Security Force. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 15:12 [IST] Beware of Tej Pratap's "Sudarshan Chakra" during 2019 polls "Kurukshetra" India oi-Vikas SV Patna, Dec 15: RJD's Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, has likened 2019 Lok Sabha elections to the battle of Kurukshetra and vowed to unleash "Sudarshan Chakra" on the political opponents. In the epic Mahabharata, the battle between Pandavas and Kauravas was fought at Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna was warrior prince Arjuna's charioteer. Tej Pratap said he saw Tejashwi as "Arjuna" and vowed to play the role of Lord Krishna who was the warrior prince's charioteer in the Mahabharata. Speculations were rife that all was not well between Tej Pratap and his brother Tejashwi Yadav. In absence of father Lalu Yadav, who is currently undergoing treatment, Tejashwi runs the RJD and is the leader of Opposition. Several reports have said that Tej Pratap Yadav has been unhappy over being overshadowed by his younger brother, who is considered a favourite of their father and has emerged as the RJD's de facto leader in the absence of Lalu Prasad. Tej Pratap Yadav on Sunday made a sudden appearance at the party's state headquarters in Patna and held a long discussion with youth and student wing workers and declared he was back to active politics. After holding over two-hour discussions with the party workers, the former Bihar minister addressed a press conference where he showered praise on Rahul Gandhi for leading the Congress to victory in the assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. He asserted that he considered the BJP-RSS combine as the principal opponent in Bihar. "I have returned to Bihar after receiving the blessings of Lord Krishna during my pilgrimage. The state will emerge as Kurukshetra in the Lok Sabha polls and our detractors will be slayed with the Sudarshan Chakra of popular vote," he said. [Tej Pratap Yadav withdraws divorce petition from wife Aishwarya Rai: Is reconciliation on the cards?] There have also been reports that Tej Pratap enjoys the support of their eldest sister Misa Bharti, the only daughter of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi to have entered politics and is said to be uncomfortable with the leadership of the more suave and savvy younger brother. Tej Pratap, however, evaded queries ion it. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 9:04 [IST] Do you need a booster shot? What AIIMS chief says Centre gives approval for setting up AIIMS in Madurai, Telangana India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Dec 17: The Centre has given its approval for setting up of two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Madurai, Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 1,264 crore and Bibinagar, Telangana at a cost of Rs 1,028 crore. The AIIMS will be set up under Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). "Setting up of new AIIMS would not only transform health education and training but also address the shortfall of health care professionals in the region," and official statement said. The new AIIMS will provide super speciality health care to the population while creating a large pool of doctors and other health workers in this region that can be available for primary and secondary level institutions and facilities being created under National Health Mission (NHM), the statement said. Each new AIIMS will add 100 UG (MBBS) seats and 60 BSc (Nursing) seats and will have 15-20 super specialty departments. Each new AIIMS will add around 750 hospital beds, it said. As per data of current functional AIIMS, it is expected that each new AIIMS would cater to around 1,500 outdoor patients per day. Establishment of new AIIMS involves creation of hospital, teaching block for medical and nursing courses, residential complex and allied facilities/services, broadly on the pattern of AIIMS, New Delhi, and other six new AIIMS taken up under Phase-I of PMSSY. The proposed institution will have a hospital with capacity of 750 beds which will include emergency/trauma beds, AYUSH beds, private beds and ICU speciality and super speciality beds. In addition, there will be a medical college, AYUSH block, auditorium, night shelter, guest house, hostels and residential facilities. The recurring cost on these Institutions shall be met through grant-in-aid to them from plan budget head of PMSSY of Ministry of Health. The timeframe for establishment of the new AIIMS will be 45 months, broadly comprising a pre-construction phase of 10 months, a construction phase of 32 months and stabilization/commissioning phase of 3 months. Construction of new AIIMS is fully funded by the central government. Satyapal Malik has not got over Kashmir as yet 'Even when an animal dies': Satya Pal Malik's dig at Centre over farm laws Centre recommends President's rule in J&K after Dec 19 India oi-PTI New Delhi, Dec 17: The centre is learnt to have recommended imposition of President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir after the expiry of six-months of Governor's rule on December 19. The decision has been taken after Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik sent a report to the central government recommending imposition of President's rule in the state, officials said on Monday. The union cabinet has cleared the proposal to impose President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir from December 19, an official privy to the development said. A communication from the governor's office was sent to the Union Home Ministry which moved the union cabinet with the proposal for its nod. J&K: Governor Satya Pal Malik clears proposal to upgrade 5 hospitals Now, President Ram Nath Kovind will issue a proclamation declaring that the powers of the Legislature of the state shall be exercisable by or under the authority of Parliament, another official said. The state plunged into a political crisis in June this year after the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government was reduced to minority following withdrawal of support by the 25-member BJP in the state. Since the state has a separate Constitution, in such cases, six months of governor's rule is compulsory under Article 92 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, under which all the legislature powers are vested with the governor. The governor has to dissolve the Legislative Assembly after the tenure of six months is over and the state will directly come under the President's rule for following six months during which elections have to be declared in state. All the more better if Imran Khan is proxy of Pakistan Army: Mehbooba Mufti In case the elections are not declared, President Rule will be can be extended by another six months. No Presidential proclamation shall in any case remain in force for more than three years except for the intervention of Election Commission of India which has to certify that the continuance in force of the Proclamation is necessary on account of difficulties in holding general elections to the Legislative Assembly. Since the state does not come under President's rule under Article 356 of the Constitution and is promulgated under Section 92 of the state Constitution, all the decisions taken thereof shall have a concurrence of the President under Article 74 (1)(i) under which council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head will aid and advise the President. The governor on November 21 dissolved the 87-member state assembly after the PDP, supported by the Congress and their arch rivals National Conference, had staked claim to form the government. Simultaneously, the two-member People's Conference led by Sajjad Lone had also staked claim to form a government with 25 members of the BJP and other 18 unknown members. The governor had dissolved the assembly citing horse-trading and lack of stability to form a government as the reasons. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 23:51 [IST] Chhattisgarh, Punjab govts announce Rs 50 lakh to families of farmers run over in UP Chhattisgarh's horrific accident: Nobody will be spared, justice will be done: CM Baghel Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel waives farm loans, orders SIT probe into Bastar massacre India pti-PTI Raipur, Dec 17: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday announced that his government will waive short-term agricultural loans of farmers, fulfilling a promise made by the Congress ahead of the just concluded state assembly polls. Short-term agriculture loans to the tune of over Rs 6,100 crore of over 16.65 lakh farmers drawn from cooperative banks and Chhattisgarh Gramin Banks, as on November 30, 2018, will be completely waived, he said. Baghel was addressing a press conference after chairing the first cabinet meeting of the newly-formed Congress government in the state. Besides, loans of farmers borrowed from commercial banks will also be waived after proper examination, he said. Fulfilling another pre-poll promise, the cabinet decided to hike the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 2,500 per quintal, he said. Swearing-in ceremony: Bhupesh Baghel takes oath as Chhattisgarh CM Another important decision taken in the Cabinet was that a Special Investigation Team will be formed to probe the 2013 Jhiram valley Naxal attack in Bastar district, where 29 people, including senior Congress leaders, were killed, he added. Two newly-inducted ministers - T S Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu - were also present at the press conference. Earlier in the day, Baghel (57) was sworn in as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh. PTI Rahul Gandhi may not be a force alone yet but he is no more a Pappu either India oi-Shubham Ghosh New Delhi, Dec 17: Rahul Gandhi completed a year as the president of the Indian National Congress (INC) on December 16 after succeeding his mother Sonia Gandhi who was the longest-serving chief, doing the duty for almost two decades. Rahul was often mocked as the leader of a party which will turn 133 in a fortnight and had as its president stalwarts during his long journey, one after another. But just four days ahead of his first anniversary, the 48-year-old leader had the peak moment of his not-so-impressive political career as the INC snatched three states in the Hindi heartland from the BJP's clasp, something which hasn't happened for a long, long time in Indian politics. The BJP toppling the INC was being considered an irreversible process but then Rahul Gandhi's leadership saw something miraculous happen. Pappu ban gaya Pappa: Praise for Rahul Gandhi from this union minister The Congress chief ministers of all the three states where the party won recently - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh - took oath on Monday, December 17, and that the swearing-in took place smoothly and without a delay owing to political logjam also marked a victory for the INC chief. Though the INC did not go with a chief ministerial face in any of these three states and had more than one heavyweight individual to choose from, it was not an easy task to settle the matter outright. In Rajasthan, we saw how the loyalists of Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot clashed over making their own favourite leader the chief minister and the apprehension was on since the INC is not a cadre-based party like the BJP or the Left where organisational discipline is strong and binding. That work of the glue in the INC is done by the Gandhis and Rahul played it perfectly well without promoting one camp at the expense of another. In MP and Chhattisgarh, too, there were potential threats to the INC over choosing a chief minister and it did overcome all questions well. 'Pappu' challenge made Rahul learn the business of politics faster These are signs of a maturing leader. For Rahul Gandhi, all the taunting and mockery in the form of "Pappu" has in fact helped him learn the nuances of politics faster than he would have otherwise. Just as he said candidly after the election results came out that he learned from Prime Minister Narendra Modi what not to do, the words are not too insignificant. For those who thought bashing Rahul Gandhi would remain an eternal source of earning applause, there might be a serious time ahead for course correction. Stalin proposes Rahul Gandhi as next Prime Minister It is true that the three recent results do not necessarily hint at a BJP defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections even if the Modi critics are calling them to be a semifinal that the saffron party has lost. The agenda and issues of the general election are vastly different from the state polls and also when the urban electorate will come into play, the BJP's prospects will not look as slim as it did in rural India. The INC's win in the three states doesn't make it a favourite overnight against an opponent that kept on bulldozing it on most occasions in the last four years or so. The INC will also feel uneasy over the defeat of the alliance it joined for the Telangana polls along with a regional heavyweight Chandrababu Naidu. Can just putting up an alliance do the trick against a formidable Opposition? In the past, the INC fought polls in West Bengal (2016) joining hands with the Left and Uttar Pradesh (2017) along with the Samajwadi Party but on both occasions, they were humbled by Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi, respectively. In 2018, Telangana also saw the repetition with another heavyweight K Chandrasekhar Rao having the last laugh. The INC's idea of alliance-building still needs a lot of homework to be done before it becomes a truly lethal one. Rahul Gandhi can't be taken lightly again, this is what Dec 11 conveyed But the one aspect which would go in favour of Rahul Gandhi post the December 11 results is the he will not be taken as lightly as he was been all these years and that is slight disadvantage for Modi and his saffron brigade since the INC president was a key component of the 'superstructure of superiority' that the BJP has built over the past few years. He was looked down upon as "Pappu" and it was being conveyed that the man was a useless leader and it was better for the country if it had got rid of the INC which is being led by such a "worthless" leader, hence paving the way for a Congress-Mukt India. But now, with three states coming back to the INC's kitty, the dream for Congress-Mukt Bharat takes a blow and since the INC is no more an evaporating force, its president Rahul Gandhi can't really be written off at will. This back calculation will take some key portion of the BJP's strategy-makers ahead of the next general elections and this is a good signal for Indian democracy. For if there is no balance in a democracy, it is hardly a democracy. Jaitley attacks Congress, rules out setting up JPC on Rafale deal In politics, it's the victory that matters. Since Rahul Gandhi's career path was going on expected lines and it was failing to excite people, the 'Pappu' image was not deserting him as his core followers would have liked. But now with three big victories under his belt, the equation is bound to change. Death toll in Cyclone Shaheen now five as storm moves into Oman Low Pressure likely to intensify into Cyclone Jawad, to make landfall between Puri-Berhampur Cyclone Phethai updates:1 killed in Andhra as storm makes landfall; Trees, electric poles uprooted India oi-Madhuri Adnal Amaravati, Dec 17: One person has been killed as Cyclone Phethai finally made landfall on Monday over Andhra Pradesh coast, between Kakinada and Narsapur. Along with this, squally winds to the tune of 70 kmph to 90 kmph have been blowing all along the coast. Heavy to very heavy rains along with few spells of extremely heavy rains can be expected over parts of Andhra Pradesh during the next 12 hours. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been put on high alert along with the Coast Guard. Sixteen teams of Andhra Pradesh Disaster Response and Fire Services are on standby at Rajamahendravaram. The IMD has called for a total suspension of fishing operations along and off Andhra Pradesh coast on Sunday and Monday, advising fisherman to not venture into deep sea along and off Andra, north Tamilnadu and Puducherry coasts till 17th December. Rainfall at most places will be heavy, very heavy at few places and extremely heavy at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam district of Pondicherry on Monday. After cyclones Daye and Titli this year, the threat of Phethai looms large over Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed the Collectors of coastal districts to take all precaution to prevent loss of lives. According to Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, 'Phethai' will intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over the next few hours and weaken slightly before making a landfall on Monday afternoon. The Cyclone Warning Centre has warned storm surge of up to one metre could inundate the low lying areas of Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam district of Puducherry at the time of landfall. Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea. Delhi: 3-year-old girl raped by neighbour at her house India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Dec 17: In yet another horrific incident, a three-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a neighbour at her house in southwest Delhi's Dwarka on Sunday. The girl, who was found unconscious, was immediately rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital. The minor girl was allegedly raped by one Ranjeet, who works as a guard and resides in the ground floor of the same building as the victim. The girl's parents were out on work when the incident occurred. The 40-year-old accused was beaten up by the people, following which he was taken to hospital for treatment. He was later arrested, the officer said, adding a case has been registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act. Navy sailors sentenced to imprisonment for raping minor in Maharashtra As of now, the girl is in a stable condition and undergoing treatment. Taking to Twitter, Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal tweeted, "Today a 3-year-old girl has been brutally raped in Bindapur, Delhi. She is bleeding profusely & is v critical. Am on my way to meet her. How more can this city let down Nirbhaya that even on her 6th death anniversary children are raped! @narendramodi ji, for the nth time, pl help! (sic). For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 10:34 [IST] Flashback 2018: PM Modi visited 22 countries India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Bengaluru, Dec 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited 22 countries in 2018, nine more compared to 2017. Out of 22, eight were state visits, 3 were working visits. In 2017, he had visited 13 countries, including eight state visits. Last year, the number of countries were six less compared to 2016. As of December 2018, PM Modi has made 41 foreign trips on six continents, visiting 59 countries including the visits to USA to attend UN general assembly, to Asian countries, following his neighbourhood first and act east policies. PM Modi's most important visits were: World Economic Forum in Davos, Informal Summit and SCO summit in China, 10th BRICS summit in South Africa, BIMSTEC summit in Nepal, East Asia Summit in Singapore and G-20 summit in Argentina. PM Modi's participation in the 48th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland was the first foreign visit of the year. The meeting brought together entrepreneurs, scientists, chief executive and political leaders in Davos January 23 to 26. PM visited China and Nepal twice this year. PM Modi and President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping held their first Informal Summit in Wuhan on April 27-28, 2018, to exchange views on overarching issues of bilateral and global importance, and to elaborate their respective visions and priorities for national development in the context of the current and future international situation. PM held bilateral talks with Chinese President after in Qingdao during two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO summit. It was the first SCO summit since its expansion when India and Pakistan were included as full members at the Astana summit in Kazakhstan last year. The two leaders explored ways to deepen ties in areas of trade and investment, besides reviewing the overall bilateral cooperation between India and China. Addressing the Plenary Session of the 10th BRICS summit in South Africa, said that India will work with other member states of the economic bloc to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. PM Modi spoke about the "importance of technology, skill development and how effective multilateral cooperation creates a better world". Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are a part of the BRICS group. The leaders of the member states also imparted their hand impression on clay in a symbolic demonstration of our connect to the Cradle of Humankind at Maropeng. In August, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit was held in Nepal. It is a regional grouping comprising India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. Modi met Oli on the sidelines of the 4th BIMSTEC Summit here and they held a detailed review of all aspects of the bilateral relationship including ways to further deepen economic and trade ties. During his 5th East Asia Summit in Singapore, the leaders of the grouping discussed global and regional issues, including maritime cooperation. India has been participating in the East Asia Summit since its inception in 2005. During G-20 Summit in Argentina, PM Modi met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is in the middle of the controversy regarding the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Also, he met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese premier Xi Jinping for a trilateral meeting aimed at addressing various areas of cooperation among the three nations. This was the second trilateral meeting between India, Russia and China, which took place after a gap of twelve years. PM Modi in Davos Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset (R) and the Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, at the plenary session of the World Economic Forum, in Davos. PTI file photo PM Modi in Jordan Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets the King of Jordan Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein, at Amman in Jordan. PTI Photo / PIB PM Modi in Palestine Prime Minister Modi receives the Grand Collar-(the highest order given to foreign dignitaries) by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after the conclusion of their bilateral meeting in Ramallah. PM Modi received the Grand Collar for his contribution to relations between India and Palestine. PTI photo /PIB PM Modi in UAE The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, displays the flag of India in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the UAE on Saturday night as part of a tour of the Middle East.AP/PTI PM Modi in Oman Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman. PTI Photo / PIB PM Modi in Sweden Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven at City Hall in Stockholm, Sweden. PTI Photo/PIB PM Modi in China China: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping inside a house boat, in Wuhan's East Lake, China. PTI Photo/PIB SCO Summit: PM Modi in China From left: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, Tajikistan President Imomali Rakhmon, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain pose for a photo prior to their talks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province, June 10, 2018. AP/PTI Photo PM Modi in Argentina President Donald Trump meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. AP/PTI photo A. Managing complicated projects that have a direct impact on the public (like) road reconstruction, water/sewer projects, stormwater management and their daily routines. Sometimes getting groceries or access to a residents front door can be one of the biggest challenges. Most of the staff here, including myself, have helped people carry groceries or get their car in or out of their driveway from time to time. It may seem unimportant to many, but that kind of customer service is key for us. Induction of Congress MLAs into BJP is death of Parrikar's legacy, says outgoing Goa deputy CM Goa: Ailing Manohar Parrikar inspects work on Mandovi bridge, to be ready by Jan 12 India oi-Madhuri Adnal Panaji, Dec 17: Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar inspected an under-construction bridge on Mandovi River, the first time he has been seen in public since returning to the state on October 14 post hospitalization in Delhi's AIIMS. He later inspected the work of a bridge over Zuari River near Agassaim village, near the capital. Here is why Manohar Parrikar's health status cannot be made public Parrikar, who is suffering from a pancreatic ailment, has been recuperating at his private residence near here since October 14 and this is the first time he has moved out of the house, officials said. The chief minister began his inspection of the bridge at around 3.30pm on Sunday accompanied by his son Utpal, three doctors and his personal secretary Rupesh Kamat. "The chief minister stopped the car four times and even got down twice to see the view from the top of the bridge," Kamat told TOI. "The chief minister asked the contractors to complete the bridge by January 12." Parrikar is understood to have ordered L&T to complete the illumination of the bridge by this yearend. Bombay HC directs Goa govt to file affidavit on Manohar Parrikar' s health The opposition Congress has been alleging that Parrikar's ailment and his absence from office had brought the coastal state's administration to a standstill. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 10:20 [IST] PM Modi pushes for self-reliant India, says goal is to make Country worlds biggest military power In a first, India flies military aircraft using blended bio-jet fuel India pti-PTI New Delhi, Dec 17: The Air Force flew its first military flight, an AN-32 transporter aircraft, using blended bio-jet fuel in Bengaluru Monday. The Experimental Test Pilots and Test Engineer from Air Force's testing establishment ASTE, flew the aircraft in a combined effort with DRDO, Directorate General Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum. On July 27, Air Force Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had announced intention to promote bio-jet fuel. Addressing a seminar on promoting indigenous technologies, Dhanoa had stated that Air Force intended to fly the AN-32 with 10 per cent bio-jet fuel during next year's Republic Day celebrations. Indian Air Force carried out extensive engine tests on the ground. This is now followed by flight trials using 10 per cent bio-jet blended ATF. "This fuel is made from Jatropha oil sourced from Chattisgarh Biodiesel Development Authority (CBDA) and then processed at CSIR-IIP, Dehradun," the statement said. In August, commercial airline Spicejet flew country's first ever bio-jet fuel-powered flight between Dehradun and Delhi. PTI If normalcy to be brought in Kashmir, Article 370 has to be reinstated: Farooq Abdullah J&K 2018: 240 terrorists killed, 130 recruited, sniper squad busted 86 security personnel martyred India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Srinagar, Dec 17: It has been a tough year for the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. The forces had to deal with the increasing number of recruitments into terror groups, sniper attacks and of course the numerous encounters. In terms of terrorist related deaths, the year was a very successful one for the security forces. Over 240 terrorists, including top commanders were gunned down in several encounters this year. J&K: Number of security personnel martyred in 2018 is highest in ten years However the death toll among the security forces stood at 86, the highest in the past ten years. As many as 88 security personnel including 44 personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir police were martyred in terror attacks and encounters. The number of recruitments too were high this year. Data suggests that nearly 130 locals joined terror groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Tayiba this year. However the number of recruitments which witnessed a high in the earlier part of the year, dropped down by October-November. In the months of October and November, not a single recruitment of a local took place, officials say. Officials tell OneIndia that the forces had a very successful run when it came to gunning down terrorists and also busting their modules. The top hits included Usman Haider, the nephew of Jaish chief, Maulana Masood Azhar. His killing was a major success as he had set into motion a worrisome trend of using snipers in the Valley. He was in fact leadings the sniper squad of the Jaish. J&K: 3 terrorists, 1 soldier, 7 civilians killed in encounter in Pulwama The other big hit was that of Naved Jatt, a Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative. He had becomes a menace in the Valley and was behind the killing of noted journalist, Shujaat Bukhari. It may be recalled that he had escaped from police custody earlier this year, following which he tried rebuilding the outfit in the Valley. Officials say that they expect the number of violent incidents in the Valley to reduce next year. While the focus would be on busting more modules and reducing the terror spread, focus would also be high on reducing the number of casualties among the security forces. The number of security personnel martyred stood at 86, which is the highest in the past ten years. Out of the 86 security personnel martyred 44 were policemen. 30 were from the Army and the rest from the various paramilitary forces operating in Jammu and Kashmir. J&K: Terrorists shoot dead 3 policemen in Shopian The lowest in the past ten years was in the year 2012, when 15 security personnel were martyred. In the year 2013, 52 security personnel lost their lives. In the year 2014, it was 47. In the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, the number of security personnel martyred was 39, 82 and 80 respectively. 2018 marked the number of casualties among security personnel. In the year 2008 the number was at 85. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 10:02 [IST] Loan waiver Congress priority; Kamal Nath to discuss matter immediately after taking over India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Dec 17: Loan waiver has been one of the most important commitments of the Congress in the recently held elections. So the Congress has started preparation to help around 35 lakh farmers of the state. The state will get Kamal Nath as the new chief minister of the state. He will immediately discuss the matter after taking oath of the office. Sources said that despite Sunday being a holiday, chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh B P Singh took the meeting of officials of agriculture, animal husbandry and some other related departments to get to know about the matter that how it could be implemented. Gehlot in Rajasthan, Baghel in Chhattisgarh, Kamal Nath in MP to be sworn in as Congress CMs today In this meeting officials of the state government gave presentations on different formulas for loan waiver of farmers. The government will have to eek out around Rs 20,000 crore for farmers' debt waiver. The meeting in the ministry lasted for around one and half hour that was started at 11 AM. Chief secretary agriculture Rajesh Rajora presented the model of Punjab, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashra. Chief secretary asked officials about preparations for loan waiver and data about the money required to be spent on this dole out. Officials said that around Rs 20,000 crore will have to spend on this out of which Rs 14,500 are Non Performing Assets (NPAs). They said that as per 2008 formula the loan is waived up to the cut off date. For the farmers the due date for pay loans in June 2019. How Indira ka haath Kamal Nath pipped Scindia to post of MP CM It has been said in the meeting that a portal will be launched for loan waiver scheme where every information will be kept. After taking over the oath of the office, Kamal Nath will take the meeting of official of the state government on loan waiver in annexe. The chief secretary had the meeting for preparation of this meeting only. In the Congress' Vachan Patra (manifesto) also has promise of opening Gaushala at panchayat level. So the animal husbandry secretary K C Gupta told the road map for this. He told the meeting about the number of livestock, expenditure on opening Gaushala and also emphasized providing employment to youths out of this entire exercise. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 10:10 [IST] Some clowns try to dishonour India, have support of Rahul, Sibal: Narottam Mishra Madhya Pradesh: Hours after taking oath, CM Kamal Nath announces farm loan waiver India oi-Deepika S Bhopal, Dec 17: Delivering on its poll promises, the new Congress government in Madhya Pradesh on Monday issued an order waiving off short-term loans of farmers. Kamal Nath signed the files for farmers' loan waiver immediately after taking charge. The loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived off, the order stated, adding that loans extended by all the nationalised and cooperative banks would be covered in the announcement, the order stated. Farmers who had taken loans from nationalised and cooperative banks before March 31, 2018 will be eligible for the loan waiver, according to Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Rajesh Rajora. Loan waiver has been one of the most important commitments of the Congress in the recently held elections. After Sajjan Kumar, Tytler and Kamal Nath next in line: Harsimrat Kaur Badal Congress President Rahul Gandhi had announced that if voted to power the Congress will waive off farm loans up to Rs two lakhs within the first ten days. In its election manifesto, the Congress had also promised a social security pension for farmers, who had held massive protests in the state last year, and a rebate in the registration fee of land documents, besides financial help of Rs. 51,000 for the marriage of daughters of small cultivators. The farm loan waiver is estimated to cost the state Rs. 56,000 crore. Madhya Pradesh faces a debt of at least Rs. 1.6 lakh crore, according to official records. But the actual figures could be well over Rs. 1.87 lakh crore. Earlier today, Kamal Nath was sworn in as the 18th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh at a ceremony attended by a galaxy of leaders. Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to 72-year-old Kamal Nath, who led the Congress to victory in the recently-concluded state assembly polls. No other minister took oath along with him. Kamal Nath and Congress won 114 seats in the recently concluded state polls, falling two short of the halfway mark. Yet, they were able to stake claim to form the government after support from BSP, SP and Independents, who had combined won seven seats. In the aftermath of the election result, the BJP, which had won 109 seats, challenged the Congress party to back their poll campaign promises by delivering on the farm loan waiver. Mumbai schools reopening: Classes for 1-7 will not begin from 1 Dec; here's the new date Mumbai: 8 dead, around 100 rescued after fire at hospital in Andheri India oi-Deepika S Mumbai, Dec 17: A major fire broke out on Monday at a Mumbai hospital killing at least eight people, disaster management officials said. About 100 people have been rescued so far. The fire brigade got a call around 4 pm about the blaze at the government-run ESIC Kamgar Hospital located at Marol in suburban Andheri, the official from the city civic body's disaster management cell said. Eight fire tenders were rushed to spot, he said, adding that efforts were on to douse the flames and evacuate the patients. "Some people are feared trapped...rescue operation is going on," the official said. The fire was seen in the upper floors of the five-storied building in the MIDC area. As huge plumes of thick black smoke filled the air, at least 15 water tankers, 10 fire tenders, and other specialised equipment were rushed to the spot. People, who were trapped inside the building, were rescued via ladders from the third and fourth floors. All the nearby hospitals have been alerted as the rescue operation is still on. India keeps a close watch on Maldives amid demands of not letting president go out of country India May announce some financial assistance to the Maldives on President Solihs visit Maldives President Solih wants every citizen of his country to plant a tree Modi set for first bilateral visit after election victory, likely to visit Maldives on June 7 Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih meets Modi at Delhi's Hyderabad House India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Dec 17: Maldives' new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived on a three-day state visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. Solih, who surprisingly defeated Maldivian strongman Abdulla Yameen in polls in September, arrived here this afternoon on his first foreign visit after assuming office and was received by Union minister Hardeep S Puri. Solih will hold talks with Modi on Monday after a ceremonial reception. He will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind the same day. Solih will also call on Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Solih, who is accompanied by his wife Fazna Ahmed, will visit the Taj Mahal on Tuesday before heading back to Maldives. Solih's visit comes about a month after Prime Minister Modi attended his swearing-in ceremony. Modi had said in Maldives that he was looking forward to working closely with Solih and both the leaders expressed confidence in the renewal of the close ties and friendship between the two countries, which was briefly interrupted by political turmoil in the Indian Ocean island nation. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated further after Yameen imposed emergency on February 5 this year. India had criticised his decision and asked his government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The emergency lasted for 45 days. (with PTI inputs) Noida: TV anchor Radhika Kaushik jumps to death, colleague arrested by police India oi-Madhuri Adnal Jaipur, Dec 17: A day after Jaipur resident and TV news anchor Radhika Kaushik died under a mysterious condition after she fell off from her apartment's building at Noida, her family members demanded a speedy probe and arrest her colleague who was with her when the incident happened. Radhika Koushik used to work at a local news channel as a news reporter in Rajasthan. It is learned that she was transferred to Noida recently. She was staying at the apartment from the last four months. According to the police, her colleague and senior anchor of the news channel, Rahul Awasthi was with her in her flat when the incident took place. Family members of Radhika lodged an FIR against Rahul accusing him of murder. Bihar: Daughter of retired IG Police allegedly commits suicide a day before marriage Radhika Kaushik (27) was a resident of Shipra Path of Mansarovar area in Jaipur. She was living at Antriksh forest Apartments of Sector 77 in Noida and working at a renowned news channel in Noida. She had shifted to Noida from Hyderabad two months ago. Liquor bottles were recovered from Radhika's flat and it is ascertained that a party was going on in the flat before the incident on Thursday night. The police are probing the case whether it is a suicide or murder. The accused Rahul Awasthi has been taken into police custody for further interrogations. Unable to cure migrane, Bengaluru doctor attempts suicide after poisoning mother, sister According to the police, Radhika used to live with her two roommates. They were not there in the flat on Thursday night due to their night shift. Radhika and her colleague senior news anchor Rahul were having liquor at her flat and also ordered food around midnight. As per Rahul's statement, Radhika received a call at 3:30 am and went to the apartment's balcony to talk. She was troubled by something, Rahul allegedly told the police. Rahul went to the bathroom for a minute, when he heard a scream from the balcony. When he rushed to the balcony, he found that Radhika jumped off the balcony. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 11:10 [IST] Amit Shah on two-day trip to Meghalaya; All set to meet all northeast CMs Operation to rescue 13 miners underway in Meghalaya India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Shillong, Dec 17: Operation is underway to rescue the 13 miners who have been trapped in a mine at Ksan near Lytein River under Saipung police station in East Jaintia Hills. Over 100 personnel have been pressed into action since Friday morning to rescue the people from the 320-feet deep mine. Thirteen people who were working in an illegal mine in East Jaintia Hills got trapped after flooding. In this Meghalaya village, people communicate not through words but... The incident was reported to the district authorities on Thursday morning and the rescue efforts are on. CM Conrad Sangma said "Very difficult and complicated situation. NDRF trying to save them but it looks very difficult." "We are trying really hard but the water level is really high, the day after this incident took place I spoke to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and requested him to send more professional help, " said CM. This is not the first time that labourers engaged in illegal mining of coal have been trapped in a mine. At least 15 miners were trapped in an illegal rat-hole coal mine near the Nangalbibra area in South Garo Hills in 2012. The bodies were never recovered. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 13:51 [IST] Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman "A politically divided JPC is looking into a matter already looked into by the SC. A Bofors JPC ended up converting kickbacks into winding up charges. So to ask for JPC is for Congress' political grandstanding rather than genuinely knowing, post court's verdict," Sitharaman said. "We explained the process through which info comes to Parliament. In that, the past tense, future tense, present tense and present continuous tense has come into play. That is post the decision, is it not? Therefore how is it going to affect verdict?" she added. Congress has been accusing the government of misleading SC Hitting out at the Gandhi family for alleging corruption in the defence contract, she said that they showed "amazing audacity" by not listening to the Supreme Court's verdict in the case. Rafale: Centre moves SC seeks correction on references to CAG report "In the affidavit we have given the data and the information. We think there is an interpretation problem, we would like you (court) to look at it and correct it, That's our appeal to the court, we will wait for them to take the call," she said. SC had dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into Rafale deal The Centre on Saturday requested the Supreme Court to correct a factual error in Rafale verdict that was delivered on Friday. The Congress had alleged that the Centre had misled the Supreme Court on the issue of the Rafale Deal scrutiny by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Congress also said that the verdict has some grotesque factual errors including a CAG report on Rafale placed before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, which examines the report. Rafale: Congress wants to charge Centre with perjury "We have given the price to the CAG, in a Parliamentary system the CAG looks into it and then its report goes to PAC. The PAC will have a look at it and then it will become a public document. It is a process and it has commenced," the Defence Minister said today (December 17). The Supreme Court The Supreme Court on Friday had said there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, and dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal. There was no substantial evidence of commercial favouritism to any private entity, the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had said on the issue of an offset partner in its ruling on a batch of petitions. The Congress has repeatedly criticised the deal for the 36 Rafale jets, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government. The government has, however, denied any irregularity in the deal. Winter session 2021: The issues Congress will raise on the first day in Parliament Rafale: Congress wants to charge Centre with perjury India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Dec 17: The Congress has urged the Supreme Court to recall its verdict in the Rafale case and also charge the Union Government with perjury. Congress leader, Anand Sharma said that the Centre has provided false information to the Supreme Court and the government is guilty of committing breach of privilege of both Houses of Parliament, by claiming that the CAG report on Rafale pricing had been presented before the Public Accounts Committee. Rafale: PAC summons for AG, CAG unlikely We were shocked to find factual inaccuracies in the judgement. The government's submission was false and the verdict is based on the premise that the government had shared the prices with the CAG and that the CAG report had been submitted to the PAC. He also said that the curative petition by the government adds insult to the injury caused. What the government is seeking to do, instead of apologising to the Supreme Court for having committed perjury and contempt of court, it has heaped further insult on the SC. He said that the government is trying to tell the SC that the Chief Justice of India and fellow judges do not understand English language. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 7:41 [IST] As Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Cong says such posturing for personal ambition will help BJP Buoyed by 3 wins, Rahul hobnobbing with Opposition leaders at Oath taking India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Dec 17: For the second time in two days, several top Opposition leaders showcased their unity as they attend the swearing-in of three Congress leaders as chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Monday. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a large number of opposition leaders had spend a larger part of the day travelling first to Rajasthan, and later to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Ashok Gehlot who was the first one to be sworn-in today, later joined them to travel to Madhya Pradesh. Kamal Nath, who signed the plan to waive farm loans up to a maximum of Rs 2 lakh after taking charge, also travelled to Chhattisgarh later. Flit across three states from one state capital to another to attend the swearing in ceremonies of the Congress's chief ministers, and to showcase opposition unity. Madhya Pradesh: Hours after taking oath, CM Kamal Nath announces farm loan waiver But questions were raised over the absence of two prominent opposition leaders - BSP Supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav - who stayed away from the oath ceremonies in both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the two states where they have provided Congress support in forming its government. Rahul Gandhi sat in the front with former prime minister Manmohan Singh, while Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia, the young leaders who lost out in the race for the chief minister's post in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Ashok Gehlot, after his swearing in, was spotted in Bhopal. Vasundhara Raje on Monday greeted Congress leaders and newly appointed CM Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot at their oath ceremony here. She also affectionately met her nephew and Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and the warm gesture caught the attention of the guests and people around. Raje shared stage with the leaders of various political parties and shook hands with Congress President Rahul Gandhi. "Happiness all around in the bus," was the tweet from the twitter handle @RahulMyPM. At Kamal Nath's swearing- in, BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the three-time Chief Minister of the state, took an active part in the event to pass the baton to his Congress successor. Invited on stage, the 59 year-old was photographed with his successor and Jyotiraditya Scindia, their linked arms raised in jubilation. What is Sabarimala Thantri's view over use of halal jaggery to prepare prasadam: plea in Kerala HC Sabarimala violence case: Police arrest Rahul Easwar for defying bail condition India pti-PTI Palakkad (Ker), Dec 17: Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader Rahul Easwar was arrested by police on Monday two days after a local court revoked his bail in a case related to violent protests at Sabarimala. A team of police personnel took Easwar into custody from a rest house here, recorded his arrest and then took him to Ranni in Pathanamthitta for producing him before a court, police said. The Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader, who spearheaded protests against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, was here to attend a programme, they said. Sabarimala row: Four transgenders stopped on way to Lord Ayyappa Shrine, sent back Soon after the arrest, Easwar told reporters that he had not defied any bail conditions. He said he came here to attend a function organised by the Hindu Mahasabha. A court at Ranni in Pathanamthitta district had revoked the bail granted to Easwar on December 15 and directed the police to re-arrest him for defying a bail condition. He was out on bail in the case relating to violence at the Lord Ayyappa shrine when it was opened for the monthly 'pooja' on October 17. One of the bail conditions imposed by the court was that he has to report to Pathanamthitta police station every Saturday. However, on December 8, he failed to appear, police had said. Easwar was earlier arrested from Pamba following violent protests at Sabarimala. PTI Sajjan Kumar convicted: HS Phoolka resigned as Opposition leader to fight case in Delhi India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P New Delhi, Dec 17: Advocate HS Phoolka and Manjinder Singh Sirsa (SAD MLA) celebrated outside Delhi High Court after Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Phoolka, an Aam Aadmi Party leader, has been representing the riot victims since the beginning before the Supreme Court, the Delhi high court and various trial courts. He has been pursuing cases of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots for the past over 30 years as an advocate and then as a senior advocate, completely pro bono (doing work without any charge). 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar convicted, gets life term After the Delhi Bar Council disallowed Phoolka from appearing for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in several cases against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and others on the ground that as leader of opposition in Punjab assembly he enjoyed an office of profit, he gave up the cabinet-rank post in the state to return to Delhi and fight the cases. Sajjan Kumar case- Monday is a big day of my life- result of 34yrs struggle. I had resigned from post of LOP to appear in this case. In view of strong evidence,will surely succeed. #1984SikhGenocide H S Phoolka (@hsphoolka) December 16, 2018 Phoolka had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Punjab on an AAP in 2014, had won the assembly election earlier this year. After that AAP, which had won 20 seats in the 117-member house and emerged as the largest opposition party, had made him the leader of the opposition. He served as member-secretary of the Justice Narula Committee formed in 1993 to probe the carnage. He was later appointed the counsel for Central Government in January 2001. He is known as a lawyer who won't take up a case if he finds that the client is in the wrong. Sunil Kumar Jakhar President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Sunil Kumar Jakhar, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. "Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice," the Congress MP told reporters outside Parliament. He also said Congress leader Kamal Nath's name never figured in the list of those involved in the riots. (Image courtesy - ANI/Twitter) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the verdict convicting the 73-year-old Congress leader. "It has been a very long and painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe," Kejriwal said on Twitter. H S Phoolka His AAP colleague and Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka also welcomed the judgment and thanked everyone for their support and help. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Delhi MLA, Majinder Singh Sirsa, said the judgment has "given us big satisfaction". "It took 34 long years for justice because Congress was in power. The case was closed but it was opened again by the Nanavati commission. This case was kept closed by Congress for so long," he said. Sajjan Kumar convicted: HS Phoolka resigned as Opposition leader to fight case in Delhi Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, outside Parliament, welcomed the judgment, saying "justice has been delayed but served". BJP spokesperson Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, who is sitting on a hunger strike protest over Nath being named as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, said they will appeal in the apex court for death sentence to Kumar. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony. The high court said Kumar's life imprisonment will be for the remainder of his life and asked him to surrender by December 31. It also asked him not to leave Delhi before that. OneIndia News with PTI inputs Security of Indian Ocean Region concern of both India and Maldives India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Dec 17: Visit of President of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to India is being considered as a big diplomatic achievement for the present dispensation in view of growing influence of China on the island nation. The visit is very crucial for the peace, security and tranquility in the Indian Ocean Region. In a significant gesture, the visiting President will be staying at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Ministry of external affairs said that leaders of both the countries agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region. In furtherance of the shared recognition that the security interests of both the countries are interlinked in the region. Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih meets Modi at Delhi's Hyderabad House The ministry said both the leaders reiterated that their assurance of being mindful of each other's concerns and aspirations for the stability of the region and not allowing their respective territories to be used for any activity inimical to the other. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region through coordinated patrolling and aerial surveillance, exchange of information and capacity building. Both the countries reaffirmed that their unwavering commitment and support for increased cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations both within the region and elsewhere. They also agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation on issues of common concern, including piracy, terrorism, organised crime, drugs and human trafficking. It was also agreed to intensify cooperation in the areas of training and capacity building of the police service and National Defence Force of of Maldives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Solih reiterated the importance of an effective multilateral system as a key factor in tackling global challenges. They also recognized the need to pursue reform of the main UN bodies, including the revitalization of the UN General Assembly and expansion of the UN Security Council. Solih reiterated his country's support for India's candidature for permanent membership of an expanded and reformed UN Security Council. Maldives also reiterated support for India's candidature for non-permanent seat for the year 2020-21. Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed the decision by his government to provide 1000 additional slots over next five years for training and capacity building in diverse fields including judicial, policing and law-enforcement, audit and financial management, local governance, community development, IT, e-governance, sports, media, youth and women empowerment, leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, art and culture. They agreed on the importance of combatting the impacts of climate change, especially detrimental to developing countries, and Small Island Developing States, and the need to work towards strengthening the global response to climate change, through the UNFCCC, and the Paris Agreement. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 20:18 [IST] Tears welled up in her eyes after seeing photo of husband martyred in 1971 war for first time India oi-Vikas SV Dehradun, Dec 17: Her husband was martyred in the 1971 India-Pakistan war barely days after their marriage. Amra Devi was just 18 then and there was no time even for a customary wedding photo as Sundar Singh had to rush for war. The wedding had taken place in a remote village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district. Sundar Singh, who was part of the Brigade of the Guards regiment, was killed somewhere in East Pakistan and his body was buried there. The news shattered her and all she wanted was to see him one last time, but there was no photograph of Sundar Singh. All her efforts to find his photos went in vain as there was no photographic record of the martyr anywhere. She contacted the district administration and tried all she could for just one photo of her husband, but to no avail. Nation celebrates Vijay Diwas to mark India's victory over Pak in 1971 war 47 years after his death, Amra Devi, who is now 65-years old, finally got to seen her husband's photo and thanks to the Directorate of Soldier Welfare and Rehabilitation Department (DSWRD). When DSWRD came to know of her request from the district administration officials, they started contacting the martyr's friends from the regiment and they in turn went through the records in the regiment's headquarters in Maharashtra. He was finally found in one of the group photos in the regiment's records, reported TOI. On the occasion of Vijay Diwas on Sunday, the district administration officials gifted the photo to the widow and tears welled up in her eyes, but it also brought a smile on her face. Here is what the Army is doing for war veterans "All these years, I had even forgotten how he looked and how he talked, but now he seems alive all over again. I was a newlywed at that time with dreams like all others. With the news of his death, a part of me died. But I always wanted to see him once," a TOI report quoted Amra Devi as saying. She expressed he gratitude to the administration and the Army board, and said "This is the best gift of my life". For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 11:28 [IST] Two big court verdicts huge blow to the Congress; BJP starts nationwide campaign India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Dec 17: Sentencing of former Congress Lok Sabha member from Delhi Sajjan Kumar who is an accused in the 1984 Sikh massacre has come as a big blow to the Congress. The decision will help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to beat the Congress with the same stick that it has been using to corner it. Actually this is a second big blow to the Congress by the court in a week's time. The Congress got the similar set back from the Supreme Court in the case of Rafale where the court ruling came in favour of the government. Now the Bharatiya Janata Party is addressing press conferences at 70 places across the country on December 17, 2018. 1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar will stay in jail for life, to surrender by Dec 31 The BJP leaders are saying that with the lies of Rahul Gandhi nailed by the Supreme Court in Rafale, the BJP is not only organising press conference to expose the Congress for playing with the security of the country and conspiring against the government. All important leaders will be at importance places to address the media. The party will directly communicate with people of the country on the issue. Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has started hunger strike for indefinite period for justice of riot victims. Bagga's main contention is that people like Kamal Nath who are responsible for the killing of Sikhs in 1984 riots are being anointed for the post of chief minister of Madhya Pradesh by the Congress leadership. The BJP says that this exposes Congress' double standard. Sajjan Kumar convicted: HS Phoolka resigned as Opposition leader to fight case in Delhi They want punishment for Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath. Sajjan Kumar has been given life sentence but other leaders are still free from the catch hold of law. But these are issues that has to be dealt with legally but the perception battle that the party has been winning against the BJP all these while will be halted. Even before the formation of the government in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, now people have started saying that it was a mistake on their part that they voted for the Congress. They were of the view that the Congress' deceit towards people will continue. It will not only be difficult for the Congress to defend itself on both the issues but also other political parties which are planning to join Mahagathbandhan. How will Aam Aadm Party will defend itself in Punjab and Haryana where it has so much in stake with the Congress leaders getting convicted in Sikh massacre case? AAP too is part of Mahagathbandhan. This issue is not is south India but there the issue of Rafale will come up. 1984 anti-Sikh riots were 'worst genocide ever', says Jaitley; Hails HC verdict At the time when Lok Sabha elections are coming closure, such body blow to the Congress will be hard to bear. Despite the Sikh community numerically not very strong but the issue will impact others also as the Congress has been castigating other political parties and leaders on the issue communal violence. Three big leaders like Sajjan Kumar, Kamal Nath and Jagdish Tytler are still part of the Congress. The way opponents of the BJP started campaign against it, they will also start campaign on the issue of Sikh riots against the Congress. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apologised for this massacre but a Sikh apologising against the massacre of the community does not leave much of impact. So the battle for 2019 will get more and more fierce with such kinds of developments coming in. No record of farmers' death during protest, so no financial aid: Govt Parliament roundup: On day 3, From no record of farmers death to dip in terror attacks in J&K since 2018 UAPA cases in India: 32.18 per cent dip in number of arrests between 2019 & 2020 Winter Session: Rafale likely to dominate proceedings, opposition in no mood to relent India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Dec 17: The opposition parties seem determined to corner the goverment over the Rafale deal and the issue is likely to disrupt the Parliament even today. The Rajya Sabha was on Friday adjourned as legislators sparred over the Rafale deal while the Lok Sabha too was adjourned till Monday. Winter Session Day 3: Opposition continues protests in LS, RS; both Houses adjourned Today, CPI(M) MP Mohammed Salim and Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan gave adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over the Rafale issue. Congress MP Sunil Jakhar has given Privilege Motion notice in Lok Sabha against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rafale. On Friday, members of the Opposition, in the Lok Sabha, stormed to the well of the House carrying placards, raising protests over the Rafale deal after the Question Hour commenced. Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party raised slogans against the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said Gandhi should apologise for levelling allegations the government over the Rafale deal, PTI reported. The Congress on Sunday demanded perjury and contempt of court action against the central government for making a false and misleading submission in the Supreme Court over the Rafale deal, said reports. Jaitley attacks Congress, rules out setting up JPC on Rafale deal To counter the opposition's Rafale storm, the BJP, on Monday, will hold 70 press conferences across the country over the apex court judgment claiming there is no reason to cast aspersions on the decision marking process for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. Last week, the Supreme Court had dismissed all petitions seeking an inquiry into the government's procurement of Rafale fighter jets from French company Dassault Aviation. The court said it was satisfied that the process for procurement had been complied with in the case of Rafale. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 10:25 [IST] Women in combat role will create ruckus about peeping, maternity leave: Army Chief India oi-PTI New Delhi, Dec 17: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said there are women officers engaged in exercises like mining and de-mining operations and also manning the air defence system, but cited difficulties in assigning them front-line combat role. He said that in front-line combat, there are risks of officers getting killed. "See, I am not saying a woman who has children doesn't die. She can also die in a road accident. But in combat, when body bags come back, our country is not ready to see that," Rawat said in an interview to CNN News 18. "We have women officers as engineers, they are doing mining and demining work. In air defence, they are manning our weapon systems. But we have not put women in front-line combat because what we are engaged in right now is a proxy war, like in Kashmir," he said. Balloons with Pakistan Zindabad slogans found at Gita Mahotsavvenue He also cited logistical reason behind not posting women on the front lines. "Our orders are that a lady officer will get a hut in the COB, then there are orders that we have to cocoon her separately. She will say somebody is peeping, so we will have to give a sheet around her," Rawat said. Rawat questioned whether a women officer with commanding responsibilities can stay away from her post for long. Army deserter among three terrorists killed in Valley "I am ready, it is not that army is not ready (for combat role for the women). Will she command? Okay, so now I make her a commanding officer. She is commanding a battalion. "Do I put a restriction on her to say that in that command tenure you will not be given maternity leave? If I say that, there will be ruckus," he added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 10:53 [IST] Weller said in his lawsuit that male coworkers called him the woman's "guard dog," spread rumors that he and the woman were having an affair, asked Weller if he had impregnated her, asked for videos of the two having sex and texted him pornographic images asking if "the images depicted the type of sexual activity" Weller and the woman engaged in. Covid: Indians with travel plans to Canada struggling with the norm to take RT-PCR test in third country Canada mulls cancelling Saudi arms deal International pti-PTI Montreal, Dec 17: Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. "The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. India wants OPEC to reconsider its decision of cutting petroleum production "We inherited actually a (Can) dollars 15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Canadian dollars 1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticised by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armoured personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia. The deal, worth USD11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawa's ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canada's rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. PTI Congress MLA writes to PM Modi to do away with Mahatma Gandhi's portrait from Rs 2000 notes India has over 5,000 years of history, can't consider Gandhi as father of nation: Savarkar's grandson Kangana now targets Mahatma Gandhi, says 'offering another cheek' gets 'bheek' not freedom We want Mahatma Gandhi's India, people of Kashmir cannot live with Godse's India: Mehbooba Mufti Mahatma Gandhi statue removed from Ghana's prestigious university after students protest International oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Accra, Dec 17: A statue of Mahatma Gandhi has been removed from Ghana's most prestigious university following complaints that he was racist against black Africans. The statue, installed at the University of Ghana in capital Accra, was removed last week after protests from students and faculty. The statue was unveiled by former president Pranab Mukherjee two years ago as a symbol of ties between the two nations. Imran Khan condemns civilian killings in Pulwama, vows to take up issue with UN According to AFP news agency, lecturers soon began a petition calling for its removal, citing passages written by Gandhi claiming that Indians were "infinitely superior" to black Africans. The online protest was one of a number on university campuses in Africa and beyond about the enduring symbols of the continent's colonial past. The Gandhi statue on the university's Legon campus in Accra appeared to have been removed overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, students and lecturers said. (With agency inputs) For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 15:31 [IST] What is it like to be Black in Germany? Yummy menace! Chocolate overflows from factory storage onto street in Germany town International oi-Shubham Ghosh Werl (Germany), Dec 17: You need to see to believe this! A storage tank of chocolate overflowed at a factory of DreiMeister in Westonnen, a suburb of Werl, a town in the west of Germany, resulting into a street of liquid chocolate and requiring firefighters to rush in to deal with the sweet menace. Werl's firefighting department confirmed the incident in a statement, saying almost a ton of chocolate spilled into the yard and then onto the street, resulting in the formation of a choco pancake measuring 10 square meters. The personnel then brought in shovels and other hardware to remove the chocolate. This house & all its belongings are made of chocolate and you can stay in it...Yes, you heard it right DreiMeister's boss Markus Luckey told German newspaper Soester Anzeiger that the factory will be back to work on Wednesday, December 19, and that if the spillage had happened closer to the Christmas next week, it would have been a disaster, Fox8 reported. About 25 firefighting personnel were seen on the spot, busy removing the chocolate structure, along with a specialist company. Well, there would have been more volunteers to do the yummy relief work. Isn't it? For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, December 17, 2018, 10:26 [IST] The pozole has been my favorite since Ive been little, because my mom makes it for special occasions, he said. One time I went to Mexico. Seeing everyone helping each other cook before the dinner was ready, you could just smell the flavors being cooked. Timothy Irving, 40, pleaded guilty to charges of illegal delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 2 felony, and in exchange the drug-induced homicide charge was dismissed. The prison time is to be served at 50 percent, and he was given credit for 381 days spent in Lake County jail since his arrest. Not only will legalization bring sorely needed revenue some estimates range at more than $500 million annually to be divided somehow between the state and local governments but there is the potential for new agri-careers in this leafy livelihood. Others see a win-win with community colleges and state universities offering vocational training in growing, tending, harvesting and getting marijuana products to an emerging Illinois market. Im reading a recent Talk of the County. I see all these things about towing. Well, thats the way it is. If youre going to screw up and continue to do it, youre going to get towed. And guess what? The city of Waukegan needs that money now more than ever. I say they should increase the police presence out there, and start pulling people over and checking for insurance and a drivers license. And, guess what? Look at all the money the city could make on all those cars even for scrap value. Not to mention $500 if you want it back. Thats the way it is. Quit complaining abou it. Do something about it, like get a drivers license or get insurance. If you cant afford it, then take public transportation because thats how it works. I just really strongly feel that (trustees) should be part of the process and it has nothing to do with the people currently in place, rather it has to do with the responsibilities of the board and going forward not eliminating or deleting those responsibilities, Meier said, pointing to nine instances where the Village Board was previously involved. A blog about life under, and resisting, a dictatorship Sterigenics officials said the emissions from their Willowbrook plants were within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits. But EPA regulations for ethylene oxide have not been updated to reflect findings known since at least December 2016 that the cancer risk from the gas is 30 times greater than previously believed. District staff had recommended spending an additional $97,750 to replace the flooring in several classrooms at Carpenter, but the board voted to hold off on that work since the district has not yet developed a plan to replace all of the asbestos tiles in all of the districts classrooms. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Learn more Luxury Yacht - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecast 2018 2025 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3120442-global-luxury-yacht-market-research-report-2018 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3120442-global-luxury-yacht-market-research-report-2018 Global Luxury Yacht IndustryNew Study On 2018-2025 Luxury Yacht Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast Added to Wise Guy Reports DatabaseThis report studies the global Luxury Yacht market status and forecast, categorizes the global Luxury Yacht market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, and other regions (India, Southeast Asia).The major manufacturers covered in this reportAzimut/BenettiFerretti GroupSanlorenzoSunseekerFeadshipLurssenPrincess YachtsAmels / DamenHeesen YachtsHorizonWestportOceancoTrinity YachtsFipa GroupOvermarinePerini NaviPalmer JohnsonCerri-BagliettoChristensenTry Sample Report @Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPrivate UseCommercial UseSpecial UseOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including24mThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Luxury Yacht capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Luxury Yacht manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the marketTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the marketTo strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.For Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @Some Major Points from Table of content:Global Luxury Yacht Market Research Report 20181 Luxury Yacht Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Luxury Yacht1.2 Luxury Yacht Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Luxury Yacht Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Luxury Yacht Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Private Use1.2.3 Commercial UseSpecial Use1.3 Global Luxury Yacht Segment by Application1.3.1 Luxury Yacht Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 24m1.4 Global Luxury Yacht Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Luxury Yacht Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Luxury Yacht (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Luxury Yacht Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)2 Global Luxury Yacht Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Luxury Yacht Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Luxury Yacht Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Luxury Yacht Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Luxury Yacht Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Luxury Yacht Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Luxury Yacht Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Luxury Yacht Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Luxury Yacht Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Luxury Yacht Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Luxury Yacht Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Luxury Yacht Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.5 North America Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.6 Europe Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.7 China Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.8 Japan Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.9 Southeast Asia Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.10 India Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)4 Global Luxury Yacht Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)4.1 Global Luxury Yacht Consumption by Region (2013-2018)4.2 North America Luxury Yacht Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.3 Europe Luxury Yacht Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.4 China Luxury Yacht Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.5 Japan Luxury Yacht Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.6 Southeast Asia Luxury Yacht Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.7 India Luxury Yacht Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)5 Global Luxury Yacht Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Luxury Yacht Production and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.2 Global Luxury Yacht Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.3 Global Luxury Yacht Price by Type (2013-2018)5.4 Global Luxury Yacht Production Growth by Type (2013-2018)6 Global Luxury Yacht Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Luxury Yacht Consumption and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)6.2 Global Luxury Yacht Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2013-2018)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/Countries7 Global Luxury Yacht Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Azimut/Benetti7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Azimut/Benetti Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Ferretti Group7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Ferretti Group Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Sanlorenzo7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Sanlorenzo Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Sunseeker7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Sunseeker Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Feadship7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Feadship Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Lurssen7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Lurssen Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Princess Yachts7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Princess Yachts Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Amels / Damen7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Amels / Damen Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Heesen Yachts7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Heesen Yachts Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Horizon7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Luxury Yacht Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Horizon Luxury Yacht Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 Westport7.12 Oceanco7.13 Trinity Yachts7.14 Fipa Group7.15 Overmarine7.16 Perini Navi7.17 Palmer Johnson7.18 Cerri-Baglietto7.19 ChristensenContinued.For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Norah Trent+91 841 198 5042Office No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India Im very grateful to know them. They are some of the most talented comedic actors that I have met. Pretty much the vision I had for the movie they pulled it off and then some. Im very proud of them and very privileged to know them, said Johnson, writer, director and executive producer of Disconnected. 2023 Gum Grafting Market Comprehensive Evaluation by Application and Industry Foreseen by BioHorizons IPH, Floss Locations, Dr. Fresh LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Company, GlaxoSmithKline plc, etc Gum Grafting Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/709 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/gum-grafting-market-709 Market Research Future report introduces the Global Gum Grafting Market research report incorporates analysis of definitions, classifications and industry chain structure. along with this the Gum Grafting report also covers development trends, competitive landscape analysis and key regions development status.Gum Grafting Market - Regional Analysis:The Global Gum Grafting Market is dominated by America, owing to the presence of a huge number of patients here, who are suffering from dental problems and the huge geriatric population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every two American adults aged 30 years and over, has periodontal disease. In addition to this, high healthcare spending and presence of some of the major players in this region, has also contributed to the growth of this market. Europe accounts for the second largest market, as people here are being encouraged for dental surgeries and the well-established healthcare sector. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market, due to the presence of a number of growth opportunities here and continuously increasing demand. On the other hand, Middle East & Africa has the least market share.Get Exclsuive Sample Copy of Report @Gum Grafting Market - ScenarioThe Global Gum Graft Market is expecting a sound growth at a CAGR of 8.9% during the forecasted period i.e. till 2023. Gum grafting is a surgical periodontal procedure, which aims to cover an exposed tooth roots surface with a grafted oral tissue. Exposed tooth roots are usually result of gingival recession, due to periodontal disease. The other common causes for this includes overly aggressive brushing and physical trauma. The major driving factors for this market include, an increasing demand of different gum grafting products and rising number of people suffering from different dental problems. Moreover, increasing geriatric population and continuous development in products, also contributes to the growth of this market. However, high cost of the treatment may slower this markets growth.Gum Grafting Market - Segmentation:The Global Gum Grafting Market is segmented on the basis of applications, types, end users and regions. On the basis of applications, the market subsegments into root coverage, ridge augmentation, augmentation around implants, reduced sensitivity, improved appearance, gum health, and others. On the basis of types, the market is classified into connective-tissue, subepithelial connective tissue graft, free gingival grafts, pedicle grafts, and Alloderm. On the basis of end users, the market is categorized into dentists, hospitals, and others.Gum Grafting Market - Key players:Some of the major players of this market are BioHorizons IPH, Inc (UK), Floss Locations (Germany), Dr. Fresh LLC (US), Colgate-Palmolive Company (US), GlaxoSmithKline plc (UK), 3M Company (US), Ultradent Products Inc. (US), Sunstar Suisse S.A. (UK) and PatientPop.Inc (US).The global gum grafting market is highly fragmented with the presence of many local and international players. Local players are focused on cost reduction and innovation to ensure sustainability. In addition, international players implemented growth strategies through collaborations and partnerships, to expand their overall market share.BioHorizons IPH, Inc., headquartered in Birmingham, UK, is a manufacturer and supplier of introduced dental implant products covering, virtually every surgical and prosthetic indication or clinician preference. This company has launched Tapered Internal Implant, which was designed with a beveled-collar for increased bone and soft tissue attachment and to provide benefits of platform switching. AlloDerm, Regenerative Tissue Matrix (RTM), is the most widely accepted and researched acellular dermal matrix for dental soft tissue applications.Browse Complete Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Statistical Report, Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureHadapsar, Pune 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Healthcare BPO Market is witnessing significant growth at CAGR of +10 by Top Vendor like Accenture, WNS, Quintiles, HCL, Cognizant, Covance, Inventiv ,Catalent ,Parexel ,Lonza, Charles Rivers , Genpact ,Sutherland Healthcare BPO Market https://www.theresearchinsights.com/request_sample.php?id=1249 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=1249 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=1249 www.theresearchinsights.com Healthcare BPO Market is one in all the largest industries in the world. The main feature of healthcare is diagnosing and treating sufferers and to achieve this, the number one dreams that healthcare agencies attention on is maximizing workforce performance and turning in awesome patient care. Because the patients revel in improves proper from prognosis to check-in to recovery and release, the affected person is more confident to return or advise the healthcare facility to friends or family individuals. But supplying top notch patient care calls for a lot of funding on assets and manpower. Furthermore, group of workers contributors are requested to work in an extensive range of areas which are out of their region of information.According to research of this report global healthcare BPO market is expected to reach USD +312 Billion and grow at a CAGR of +10% during forecast period 2018 to 2023. The objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the market on the premise of outsourcing services consisting of payer, provider, and pharmaceutical offerings and area. It provides specified information concerning the essential factors influencing the boom of the market. This report also tracks and analyzes competitive tendencies of the important thing players in phrases of marketplace trends, product portfolios, and financials.Request for Sample Copy of This Report@-Top Key Player cover in this report are:-Accenture, WNS, Quintiles, HCL, Cognizant, Covance, Inventiv ,Catalent ,Parexel ,Lonza,Boehringer Ingelheim , Charles Rivers , Genpact ,Sutherland , PremierBPO, Firstsource ,PPD GeBBS.Segmentation Analysis of this Healthcare BPO Market:-By end user we can segment the into the following-Payers, Providers and Life Science Companies and more. By Application we can segment the into the following-Marketing Intelligence and Analytics, Patient Access Services, Revenue Cycle Management and more.Based on geography, research report segments the Global Healthcare BPO Market based on its application into clinics, residential, and hospitals, and others. On the basis of topography, the worldwide market is separated into North America, China, Europe, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. The research report witnesses that North America will be a key territorial market in the general market.Enquiry for More Information@-Future Analysis of this market:-The global Healthcare BPO Market is a fantastically fragmented, niche market with the presence of a constrained number of carriers. Companies within the market compete based on pricing, innovation, carrier, reputation, distribution, and promoting. As the market remains in its development degree, small carriers with innovative solutions have the possibilities of being acquired by means of big players in the market. With the upward push inside the popularity and application of BPO, the healthcare zone has also dynamically applied the idea of BPO inside the enterprise. Marketplace targeted reviews related to the healthcare area.The research report attempts to understand the pioneering techniques taken by way of providers inside the international market to provide product differentiation via porters 5 forces evaluation. It also factors out the ways wherein those organizations can make stronger their stand in the marketplace and growth their sales in the coming years. Ongoing industrial advancements and the chronic penetration of net inside the far off corners of the arena also are accountable for the noteworthy boom of the worldwide Healthcare BPO Market marketplace.Early buyers will receive up to 40% Discount on this report@-Table of Content:-Chapter 1 Industry Overview of Healthcare BPO MarketChapter 2 Manufacturing Cost Structure AnalysisChapter 3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants AnalysisChapter 4 Global Healthcare BPO Market OverviewChapter 5 Overview of Regional Market AnalysisChapter 6 Major Manufacturers Healthcare BPO MarketChapter 7 Development, Trend, Analysis of MarketChapter 8 Segmentation Analysis by Marketing TypeChapter 9 Application Analysis by Marketing TypeChapter 10 Conclusion of Healthcare BPO Market Professional Survey Report 2018.About us:-The Research Insights A global leader in analytics, research and advisory that can assist you to renovate your business and modify your approach. With us, you will learn to take decisions intrepidly. We make sense of drawbacks, opportunities, circumstances, estimations and information using our experienced skills and verified methodologies. Our research reports will give you an exceptional experience of innovative solutions and outcomes. We have effectively steered businesses all over the world with our market research reports and are outstandingly positioned to lead digital transformations. Thus, we craft greater value for clients by presenting advanced opportunities in the global market.Contact us:-RobinSales managerContact number: +91-996-067-0000sales@theresearchinsights.com Bay Leaf Oil Market 2018-2028 Shares, Trend and Growth Report https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-7974 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6079 www.futuremarketinsights.com Bay Leaf Oil: Introduction: Bay leaf oil is extracted from the species of Pimenta racemose. Pimenta racemose is mostly grown in the Caribbean region and few parts in South America. The fresh leaves of the tree are used for the extraction of bay leaf oil through an appropriate extraction process. The bay leaf oil is a yellow liquid that has a strong fragrance and a distinct odor.The demand of the bay leaf oil had reduced in the past years. But, its demand has increased since 2017 due to the increasing demand of the natural essential oils. The bay leaf oil has many properties that make it an essential oil and is being used in many foodservice as well as in personal care and cosmetics. The main use of the bay leaf oil is in cosmetics and especially the bay leaf oil is used in products for hair growth. The bay leaf oil is also used extensively as a cooking oil in gourmet restaurants as well as at home due to the benefits bay leaf oil has for decongestion and lung problems.Request Sample Report @Dominica produced more than 85% of the bay leaf oil of the worlds total production: The Dominica nation in the Caribbean region where most of the plants of Pimento racemose are grown is a major bay leaf oil producing country. Almost 65% of the overall bay leaf oil of Dominica is from the co-operative called the Dominica Essential Oils and Spices Co-operative that is responsible for the manufacturing of bay leaf oil. The co-operative produces approximately 4,500 gallons of bay leaf oil per year. The bay leaf oil from the co-operative is either directly sold or is sold through brokers in the European or the US markets. The bay tree grows lays across the Dominica region. But the production and distilleries for the bay leaf oil are concentrated in the south-east of the Dominica region.The local Caribbean use of the bay leaf oil in the Dominica region is in the preparation of Bay Rum. It is a popular after-shave for men which is prepared using bay leaf oil, spice oils, water, citrus and alcohol.Bay Leaf Oil: Segmentation: The global bay leaf oil market has been segmented on the basis of Nature, Process of Extraction, End Use and Distribution Channel. On the basis of nature, the global bay leaf oil market has been segmented as- Organic,Conventional; On the basis of process of extraction, the global bay leaf oil market has been segmented as- Water distillation, Steam distillation, Solvent extraction; On the basis of end use, the global bay leaf oil market has been segmented as- Foodservice/HoReCa (Hotels/Restaurants/Cafes), Aromatherapy, Insect Repellent, Personal Care & Cosmetics, Household/Retail; On the basis of distribution channel, the global bay leaf oil market has been segmented as- B2B/Direct, B2C/Indirect, Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Modern Grocery Stores, Specialty Stores, Traditional Grocery Stores, Online Retailers.Bay Leaf Oil: Key Players: Some of the leading players of global bay leaf oil market include Aryan International, Essential Oils Company, Dominica Essential Oils and Spices Co-operative, Wildoils Pvt Ltd., Health and Beauty Natural Oils Co., Inc., Vigon International, Inc., Berje Inc.Bay Leaf Oil: Activities of the participants: Dominica Essential Oils and Spices Co-operative has started to refurbish its four artisan distilleries in the South of the Dominica island that has been destroyed by Tropical Storm Erika. This will lead to the co-operative producing more bay leaf oil and also expanding to produce other oils. Bay Leaf Oil: Opportunities: The bay leaf oil is a very niche market that requires higher quality equipment and also skilled labor to produce an appropriate amount of oil. This is the reason that not many manufacturers produce the bay leaf oil. The market for the bay leaf oil is increasing due to the increasing demand for the natural essential oils. This brings out a very good market opportunity for new players in the bay leaf oil market.Also, the use of the bay leaf oil as an end-user as well as its further applications in the various end-use industry has been keeping the demand for the bay leaf oil in the market very high. Extensive research is also going on bay leaf oil and its applications which can open more end-use options and thus increase the demand for the bay leaf oil.Request For Table Of Content @Brief Approach to Research: The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market, and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geography, application, product type, and mount type.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +13479183531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarktiensights.comWebsite: Big Data Analytics in Healthcare Market in North America holds Largest Share Due To Increasing Advancement and Acknowledgement https://www.vynzresearch.com/ict-media/big-data-analytics-in-healthcare-market https://www.vynzresearch.com/ict-media/big-data-analytics-in-healthcare-market/request-sample https://www.vynzresearch.com Big-data are the sets of complex and large data sets that help in efficiently managing complex and large data processing applications. The extensive adoption of big data analytics in the healthcare industry has further availed enhanced capabilities of monitoring behaviour of patient towards a precise therapy. These services are considered to be cost-effective alternative and gaining huge popularity for the big data analytics market in healthcare domain.Brows Full Report Description At:The increasing technological advancements, extensive use of cloud technology, penetration of digitalization in medicine and increasing demand for analytic solutions are the major factors driving the growth of big data analytics in healthcare market globally. Increasing advancements in technology has led to the increasing penetration of big data into healthcare domain that provides greater help in analysis of a patient, which can be extensively used for both pre-therapy as well as post therapy. Furthermore, the increasing indulgence towards cloud technology in the healthcare sector is another factor pertaining towards the growth of big data analytics in healthcare market across the globeGeographically, North America holds largest share in the big data analytics in healthcare market due to increasing advancement and acknowledgement of big data analytics in the healthcare sector. Furthermore, this region is witnessing early growth in the digitalization process and increasing acceptance of big data analytical services in healthcare domain that has further aggravated the growth of the big data analytics in healthcare market in this region.Get Free Report Sample At:Moreover, big data analytics in healthcare market in Asia-Pacific is anticipated fastest growth during the forecast period due to increasing initiatives undertaken by the government authorities to integrate big data in health care sector and increase deployment of big data services through cloud. Furthermore, it has been observed that the service provided by big data analytics is cost efficient and avails improved analytical information that further drives the growth of the big data analytics in healthcare market in this region.Key players in big data analytics in healthcare market are developing new products in order to tap large market base and gain competitive advantage. For instance, Merck and Palantir Technologies are developing joint venture for its research domain called Syntropy in order to provide data analytics tools to various healthcare enterprises. The prominent players in the big data analytics in healthcare market across the globe are Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, McKesson Corporation, and Vizient, Inc ,IBM Corporation, Cognizant, Health Catalyst, Cisco Systems Inc. and SAS Institute Inc. and Medeanalytics, Inc.Geographical SegmentationBig data analytics in healthcare Market by RegionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.ItalyFranceRest of EuropeAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanRest of Asia-PacificLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East & Africa (MEA)South AfricaU.A.E.About VynZ Research :VynZ Research is a global market intelligence company providing research reports, industry intelligence and business advisory services to companies and institutions across the globe. We have a recognized trajectory record and our research database is used by many renowned companies and institutions in the world to strategize and revolutionize business opportunities. The company focuses on providing valuable insights on various technology verticals such as chemical and materials, automotive and transportation, energy and power, consumer goods, healthcare, ICT and other emerging technologies.ContactKundan KumarManager: Client CareVynZ Research USAToll-Free:1-888-253-3960Website:Email: support@vynzresearch.comConnect With us:Linkedin | Twitter |Google | Facebook Vitamin D Market developing Research Methodology Analysis & Forecast 2023; Top Players; ADM Animal Nutrition, Pfizer, DSM and Kraft Foods. Vitamin D Market https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/report-sample/FB01499 https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/send-an-enquiry/FB01499 https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/check-discount/FB01499 Crystal Market Research published an exclusive report Vitamin D Market provides a unique tool for evaluating the Market, highlighting opportunities, and supporting strategic and tactical decision-making. This report effectively supports the companies, to scale up the progress by applying different methodologies. Different regions, such as North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Japan, and China are focused to give the summarized data about the production of Vitamin D Market.Global Vitamin D Market was worth USD 1.28 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach approximately USD 3.32 billion by 2023, while registering itself at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.20% during the forecast period.Request to Get the Sample Report@Top Competitive Insights:ADM Animal Nutrition,Pfizer,DSM and Kraft Foods.Worldwide Vitamin D Market Analysis to 2023 report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. The report aims to provide an overview of global Vitamin D Market with detailed market segmentation and geography. It also provides market size and forecast till 2023 and evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive SWOT analysis for all five regions. In addition to this, it emphases on global competition among the various industries to achieve the desired outcomes. The global Vitamin D Market served as a backbone for the enlargement of the enterprises.By Analog: D2 D3By Application: Animal feed & pet food Personal care Functional food & beverages PharmaceuticalsBy End User: Pregnant women Children AdultsBy Region:North America - U.S, Canada, MexicoEurope - Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Rest of EuropeAsia-Pacific - Japan, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia PacificRest of the World - Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, OthersGrowth Boosting Market Offers:1. Based on Primary and Secondary extensive research, we provide clear view of real market scenario and help clients with making informed business decisions2. This Research helps in understanding the dynamic condition, markets significant players, and driving brands.3. To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market.4. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Make Enquiry Before Buying the Report@Table of Contents:1. Introduction2. Executive Summary3. Market Overview4. Vitamin D Market, By Analog4.1. Introduction4.2. Vitamin D Market Assessment and Forecast, By Analog, 2014-20234.3. Vitamin D24.3.1. Market Assessment and Forecast, By Region, 2014-2023($Billion)4.4. Vitamin D34.4.1. Market Assessment and Forecast, By Region, 2014-2023($Billion)5. Vitamin D Market, By End User5.1. Introduction5.2. Vitamin D Market Assessment and Forecast, By End User, 2014-20235.3. Children5.3.1. Market Assessment and Forecast, By Region, 2014-2023($Billion)5.4. Adults5.4.1. Market Assessment and Forecast, By Region, 2014-2023($Billion)6. Vitamin D Market, By Application6.1. Introduction6.2. Vitamin D Market Assessment and Forecast, By Application, 2014-2023($Billion)6.3. Functional Food & Beverages6.3.1. Market Assessment and Forecast, By Region, 2014-2023($Billion)6.4. Pharmaceuticals7. Vitamin D Market, By RegionThis market is anticipated to develop significantly, with growing usage of vitamin D in various applications and increasing opportunities in nations such as China, India, Brazil and Italy. In 2013, the North American region was the biggest market. The market in the Asia-Pacific is anticipated to develop at the highest growth rate amid the forecast period.List of Tables and Figures:Table: Global Vitamin D Market, By Analog, 2014-2023($Million)Table: Vitamin D2 Market, By Analog, 2014-2023($Million)Table: Vitamin D3 Market, By Region, 2014-2023($Million)Continued..To Check Avail Discount @About Crystal Market Research:Crystal Offers One Stop Solution For Market Research, Business Intelligence, And Consulting Services To Help Clients Make More Informed Decisions. It Provides Both Syndicated As Well As Customized Research Studies For Its Customers Spread Across The Globe. The Company Offers Market Intelligence Reports Across A Broad Range Of Industries Including Healthcare, Chemicals & Materials, Technology, Automotive, And Energy.Contact Us:Judy S,304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesToll Free: +1-888-213-4282Email: Sales@Crystalmarketresearch.Com New Profitable Report on VR Gambling Market Analysis & Forecast 2018-2023 by Trending Top Key Players | 888 Holdings, GVC Holdings, Kindred Group, Paddy Power Betfair, and William Hill VR Gambling Market https://www.reportconsultant.com/request_sample.php?id=4144 https://www.reportconsultant.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=4144 https://www.reportconsultant.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=4144 www.reportconsultant.com In the gaming sector, VR is used as a technique to cure gambling addiction. Virtual reality is seen as a safe virtual environment for gaming addicts. It provides an environment conducive to replicating the cravings of addicts. VR helps therapists to study the behavior of their subjects, since technology allows them to monitor and determine the progress of individuals.The VR Gambling Market was valued at around US$ 71 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach US$ +129 billion by 2023.Download Sample Report @Top Key Players:Top Companies Profiled in this Report Includes; 888 Holdings, GVC Holdings, Kindred Group, Paddy Power Betfair, and William HillOn the basis of regional segmentation, the VR Gambling Market has been divided into the major regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Middle East and Latin America (MEA). Industries in emerging economies such as India and China have displayed significant growth and has therefore successfully contributed its major share in the global market. The competitive consequence is estimated by studying the market share, its production capacity, and average size of leading players as of 2017 and 2018.Get Upto 50% Discount on Report @In addition to identifying the factors that support the development of the market, this research report also sheds light on some of the leading companies that operate in it. The report also mentions the most recognized companies in the VR Gambling Market that provide valuable recommendations. In addition to this, all the information is obtained from the financial reports and the strategies adopted in recent years.In this study, the years considered to estimate the size of VR Gambling Market are as follows:History Year: 2013-2018Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year 2018 to 2025If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Content:Chapter 1. Overview of Global VR Gambling MarketChapter 2. Cost Structure AnalysisChapter 3. Technical Data and Manufacturing Plant AnalysisChapter 4. Overall Market OverviewChapter 5. Regional Market AnalysisChapter 6. Global VR Gambling Market Analysis by TypeChapter 7. Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8. Major Manufacturers AnalysisChapter 9. Development Trend Analysis of VR Gambling MarketChapter 10. Market Analysis by TypeChapter 11. Consumer AnalysisChapter 12. ConclusionEnquiry before Buying Full Report @About Us:Report Consultant - A global leader in analytics, research and advisory that can assist you to renovate your business and modify your approach. With us, you will learn to take decisions intrepidly. We make sense of drawbacks, opportunities, circumstances, estimations and information using our experienced skills and verified methodologies.Our research reports will give you an exceptional experience of innovative solutions and outcomes. We have effectively steered businesses all over the world with our market research reports and are outstandingly positioned to lead digital transformations. Thus, we craft greater value for clients by presenting advanced opportunities in the global market.Contact Us:Rebecca Parker(Report Consultant)Akasaka biz tower,5-3-1 akasaka minato-ku,Tokyo, JapanContact No: +81-368444299sales@reportconsultant.com Trade Finance Market Forecast Covering Growth Inclinations & Development Strategies until 2026 | Industry Key Players are Citigroup Inc., HSBC Holdings plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Mitsubishi Corporation, ANZ Bank, etc. https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=400 https://www.factmr.com/report/400/trade-finance-market https://www.factmr.com/checkout/400/S https://www.factmr.com/ https://factmrblog.com/ The report studies the global trade finance market worldwide, especially in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, India and Other Regions with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions. The intelligent report also anticipates that Trade Finance Market would grow at a constructive CAGR until 2026. In order to study the various trends and patterns prevailing in the concerned market, FactMR has included a new report titled Global Trade Finance Market Forecast Covering Growth Inclinations & Development Strategies until 2026 to its wide online database including upcoming trends and growth factors.To Get Sample Copy of Current Report, Visit here -FactMR Report examines global Trade Finance market for the forecast period 20172026. The prime purpose of the report is to find opportunities and trends in the market and provide insights pertaining to segments of the Trade Finance market.To understand trends and opportunities in Trade Finance Market, the report is divided into various segments on the basis of trade activity, end user, type of transaction and region. The report analyzes global trade finance market in terms of value (US$). Trade finance is the financing of international and domestic trade flows, in which, trading intermediaries such as banks and other financial institutions facilitate different transactions between the buyer and the seller. Trade finance reduces the risk involved in an international & domestic trade transaction. Trade Finance is one of the factors for enormous growth of international trade.Global Trade Finance market is anticipated to witness significant revenue growth over the forecast period. The shift in strategy on the part of world's largest banks in one of the biggest driver in Trade Finance market. Increasing global import and export is also a key driver for trade finance market. Digitalization and utilization of new technologies such as Blockchain will improve efficiency and reduce the cost for Trade Finance Market. Also, the cost or complexity requirements related to AML, KYC, and sanctions acts as a barrier to Trade Finance Market.Report starts with a market overview and provides market definition and analysis about drivers, restraints, and key trends. The section that follows includes analysis of global Trade Finance market by trade activity, end user, type of transaction, and region. These sections evaluate the global Trade Finance market on the basis of various factors covering present scenario and future prospects. The report also provides region-wise data of local and international companies.Browse Market Report with TOC Here -In addition, it is imperative to note that in an ever-fluctuating global economy, we not only conduct forecasts in terms of CAGR but also analyze on the basis of key parameters such as year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth to understand the predictability of the market and to identify the right opportunities.In the final section of the report, a competitive landscape has been included to provide report audiences with a dashboard view. Detailed profiles of the providers are also included in the scope of the report to evaluate their long-term and short-term strategies, key offerings and recent developments in the Trade Finance. Key players in the global trade Finance include BNP Paribas SA, Citigroup Inc., HSBC Holdings plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Mitsubishi Corporation, ANZ Bank, Morgan Stanley, NewMarket Latin America Inc., Banco Santander S.A, Commerzbank AG, and SunTrust Bank Holding Company, UniCredit S.p.A, Wells Fargo & Company.Table of Content:Global Economic OutlookGlobal Trade Finance Market - Executive SummaryGlobal Trade Finance Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global Trade Finance Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global Trade Finance Market Definition3.2. Global Trade Finance Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global Trade Finance Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global Trade Finance Market Dynamics3.4. Global Trade Finance Market Outlook3.5. Investment Feasibility Matrix3.6. Market Attractiveness.ContinuedTo Buy Global Market Research Report, Go with this Link -About FactMrFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400, Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog: Recent Growth in Edge Analytics Market including key players Cisco Systems., Oracle Corporation., SAS Institute., IBM Corporation., Apigee Corporation., Predixion Software., AGT International Inc., CGI Group Inc Edge Analytics https://www.qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=82896 http://qyreports.com/enquiry-before-buying?report-id=82896 https://www.qyreports.com/ask-for-discount?report-id=82896 www.qyreports.com The report on the global Edge Analytics market is a comprehensive overview of the market, covering various aspects such as product definition, segmentation based on various parameters, distribution channel, supply chain analysis, and the prevailing vendor landscape. It compiles exhaustive information sourced via proven research methodologies.Edge Analytics Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over +30% during the forecast period (2018-2023).Edge analytics help organizations to get more advanced data faster by applying advanced analytics and machine learning at the point of data collection. Also, it also boosts yields, increases throughput, reduces downtime, and improves efficiency. The proliferation of IoT and connected devices is expected to drive the edge analytics market.Get Sample Copy of this report:Top Key Vendors:Cisco Systems., Oracle Corporation., SAS Institute., IBM Corporation., Apigee Corporation., Predixion Software., AGT International Inc., CGI Group Inc., Analytic Edge., Prism Tech., Intel Corporation., Greenwave Systems., Microsoft Corporation., FogHorn Systems.For the purpose of the study, the global Edge Analytics market is segmented based on various parameters. An in-depth regional classification of the market is also included herein. The factors which are impacting the markets growth are studied in detail. The report also presents a round-up of vulnerabilities which companies operating in the market must avoid in order to enjoy sustainable growth through the course of the forecast period.Players in the Global Edge Analytics Market are continuously striving for modernization. Technology is being sought after both in the engineering process and in terms of product features. The market is dynamic in nature and this is inspiring testing requirements as well as the development of high-performance equipment, furthering the growth prospects of the market.1. The report segments the market into various subsegments, hence it covers the market comprehensively. It provides the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall market and its subsegments. The market numbers are further split across applications and regions.2. It helps in understanding the overall growth of the market. It also provides information about key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.3. It helps stakeholders in understanding their competitors better and gaining more insights to strengthen their positions in the market. The study also presents the positioning of the key players based on their product offerings and business strategiesTo get more informationTable Of Content:Chapter 1 Industry Overview of Edge Analytics MarketChapter 2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Edge Analytics MarketChapter 3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Edge Analytics MarketChapter 4 Global Edge Analytics Overall Market OverviewChapter 5 Edge Analytics Regional Market AnalysisChapter 6 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Edge AnalyticsChapter 7 Development Trend of Analysis of Edge Analytics MarketChapter 8 Edge Analytics Marketing Type AnalysisChapter 9 Conclusion of the Global Edge Analytics Market Professional Survey Report 2018Early buyers will receive up to 40% Discount on this reportAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com Business Travel Insurance Global Market SWOT Analysis and Opportunities To 2023 | Key Players : Assicurazioni Genarali, Allianz, Seven Corners, Travel Safe Insurance, MH Ross Travel Business Travel Insurance Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3471613-global-business-travel-insurance-market-2018-by-manufacturers https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/3471613-global-business-travel-insurance-market-2018-by-manufacturers https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=3471613 WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On Business Travel Insurance Global Market SWOT Analysis and Opportunities To 2023 | Key Players : Assicurazioni Genarali, Allianz, Seven Corners, Travel Safe Insurance, MH Ross Travel.Description:-Business travel insurance provides insurance cover for the purpose of business trips of a customer or for an organization.Scope of the Report:This report studies the Business Travel Insurance market status and outlook of Global and major regions, from angles of players, countries, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global market, and splits the Business Travel Insurance market by product type and applications/end industries.At the sametime, it provides risk cover against medical and hospitalization expenses for accident or illness, including medical evacuation if necessary, death or permanent disability, loss or delay of baggage, cancellation of flight due to weather condition, trip cancellation, and loss of passport & other travel documents.The global Business Travel Insurance market is valued at xx million USD in 2017 and is expected to reach xx million USD by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2017 and 2023.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comNorth America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Business Travel Insurance.Europe also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2017 and will be xx million USD in 2023, with a CAGR of xx%.Market Segment by Companies, this report coversAssicurazioni Genarali (Italy)Allianz (Germany)Seven Corners (U.S.)Travel Safe Insurance (U.S.)USI Insurance Services (U.S.)MH Ross Travel (U.S.)American International Group (U.S.)AXA Group (France)Chubb (U.S.)Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversB2BB2CB2B2CMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoInsurance TradeInsurance CompanyBankInsurance BrokerInsurance AggregatorOthersEnquiry About Report @Table Of Contents Major Key Points1 Business Travel Insurance Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Business Travel Insurance1.2 Classification of Business Travel Insurance by Types1.2.1 Global Business Travel Insurance Revenue Comparison by Types (2017-2023)1.2.2 Global Business Travel Insurance Revenue Market Share by Types in 20171.2.3 B2B1.2.4 B2C1.2.5 B2B2C1.3 Global Business Travel Insurance Market by Application1.3.1 Global Business Travel Insurance Market Size and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2013-2023)1.3.2 Insurance Trade1.3.3 Insurance Company1.3.4 Bank1.3.5 Insurance Broker1.3.6 Insurance Aggregator1.3.7 Others1.4 Global Business Travel Insurance Market by Regions1.4.1 Global Business Travel Insurance Market Size (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2013-2023)1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Business Travel Insurance Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Business Travel Insurance Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) Business Travel Insurance Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) Business Travel Insurance Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.5 Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) Business Travel Insurance Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.5 Global Market Size of Business Travel Insurance (2013-2023)2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Assicurazioni Genarali (Italy)2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Business Travel Insurance Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Product A2.1.2.2 Product B2.1.3 Assicurazioni Genarali (Italy) Business Travel Insurance Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Allianz (Germany)2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Business Travel Insurance Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Product A2.2.2.2 Product B2.2.3 Allianz (Germany) Business Travel Insurance Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Seven Corners (U.S.)2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Business Travel Insurance Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Product A2.3.2.2 Product B2.3.3 Seven Corners (U.S.) Business Travel Insurance Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Travel Safe Insurance (U.S.)2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Business Travel Insurance Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Product A2.4.2.2 Product B2.4.3 Travel Safe Insurance (U.S.) Business Travel Insurance Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 USI Insurance Services (U.S.)2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Business Travel Insurance Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Product A2.5.2.2 Product B2.5.3 USI Insurance Services (U.S.) Business Travel Insurance Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 MH Ross Travel (U.S.)2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Business Travel Insurance Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Product A2.6.2.2 Product B2.6.3 MH Ross Travel (U.S.) Business Travel Insurance Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 American International Group (U.S.)2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Business Travel Insurance Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Product A2.7.2.2 Product B2.7.3 American International Group (U.S.) Business Travel Insurance Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)ContinuedBuy 1-user PDF @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028. Electric Grill Market Expansion Strategies Set to Generate Substantial Revenue in the Near Future https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=781 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RM&rep_id=781 https://www.factmr.com/report/781/electric-grill-market https://www.factmr.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/factmr/ Future of the electric grill market is likely to rely on meat thermometers and grill tongs of Millennials, as consumers between the age-group 25 and 35 are more likely to purchase grills, says a recent Fact.MR study. Grill and relevant accessories are set to perceive a rapid demand growth, with consumer preferences shifting toward high-end, feature-intensive grills. With the trend toward cookouts gaining popularity among young adults worldwide, grill sales are likely to surge significantly, thereby influencing the market for electric grill.Electric grills sales will also be affected from introduction of new products that feature Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity and offer remote monitoring. Fact.MRs study estimates nearly 1,730,000 units of electric grills to be sold worldwide by 2028-end. Growth of the barbecuing and grills industry has remained steady over the past few years, post-recovery from weak economic impact on account of housing market collapse. However, with renewed growth of the residential sector, demand for grills will surge underpinned by rising GHDI of consumers in developed and developing nations.Click here to subscribe Sample @Portable Electric Grills Emerge as a Key TrendConsumers nowadays seek portable options in all kinds of products and accessories and cooking appliances are no exception. Portable electric grills are increasingly sought by consumers during their family outings and picnics. Manufacturers such as Weber have therefore produced electric grills that are durable and portable, thereby meeting current consumer lifestyle demands. Moreover, portable electric grills integrated with advanced technology are being offered by brands at reasonable costs have further complemented their penetration in the market.Electric Grill Market: Indoor Applications Continue to Spearhead with Bulk Value ShareIndoor application of electric grills will continue to spearhead the market with over three-fifth value share. As electric grills depend on electricity as their source for heating grill plate, restrictions pertaining to apartment barbecuing, such as in gas and charcoal grills, are alleviated. Indoor use devoid of smoke issues is a key advantage of electric grills which has been driving their demand among consumers since their emergence. In a bid to leverage the indoor applications dominance, electric grill manufacturers are offering various modalities such as countertop designs for permanent kitchen placement.Speak with an Analyst to learn more (methodology) @North Americas Dominance Prevails, as Barbecuing Becomes Integral Part of Consumers LifestyleA promising future has been envisaged for the barbecuing and grilling industry in North America by Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA). HPBA states approximately 30% consumers to utilize grills or smokers, which in turn has led grilling to gain immense traction as year-round passion in the region. Passion for taste and flavor in foods is likely to demonstrate rising vigour in North America, implying positive prospects for barbecuing & grilling industry. Barbecuing has become more of an inherent part of consumers lifestyle in the region.HPBA states that over one-third consumers in North America eye on purchasing new grill, with electric grills accounting for nearly 10% of the overall grill sales. Although holding a relatively lower share in the industry, electric grills are expected to witness increased demand in the near future in light of their indoor use convenience and energy-efficient attributes. This will significantly influence future growth of the electric grill market in North America.Report Analysis@About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; thats why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Follow us in Linkedin: Visit with Santa: It might be your last chance to see the Big Guy before he heads back to the North Pole. Visit with Santa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. There will be no photographer so bring your own camera. Consider bringing a new, unwrapped toy for Toys For Tots. Tickets are free. At 104 Indiana Ave. Call 219-548-9137 or go to memorialoperahouse.com. Cocktail Market have Huge Potential To Grow Exponentially | Top Leading Player Included Liquor, Bols, Captainmorgan, Kitchn, SIAM WINERY, Cointreau, Belvedere, Rio Wine, Snake Oil Cocktail Company, Miami Cocktail Co.. Cocktail market https://www.worldwidemarketreports.com/sample/243802 https://www.worldwidemarketreports.com/quiry/243802 Worldwide Market Reports added a new report Cocktail Market: Asia-Pacific Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20182026 in its database, which provides an expert and in-depth analysis of key business trends and future market development prospects, key drivers and restraints, profiles of major market players, segmentation and forecasting.Cocktail Market report offers a complete overview of the Cocktail Market. It presents real data and statistics on the inclinations and improvements in Cocktail Markets. It also highlights manufacturing, abilities & technologies, and the unstable structure of the market. The Cocktail Market report elaborates the crucial data along with all important insights related to the current market status.In this report, the Asia-Pacific Cocktail market is valued at USD XX million in 2018 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2026, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2018 and 2026.Request For Free Sample Copy:Cocktail refers to an alcoholic drink, which consists gin, brandy, vodka, whiskey, tequila, or rum mixed with other ingredients such as fruit juice, cream, honey, milk, sugar, herbs, or other flavorings.Increase in cocktail consumption owing to rise in disposable income and change in lifestyle drives the growth of the market. In addition, availability of vegetable & botanical cocktails is the major driver of the Asia-Pacific cocktail market.Asia-Pacific Cocktail market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer;The top players including-Liquor, Bols, Captainmorgan, Kitchn, SIAM WINERY, Cointreau, Belvedere, Rio Wine, Snake Oil Cocktail Company, Miami Cocktail Co.Reasons to Purchase this Report1.Analyzing outlook of the market with the recent trends and Porters five forces analysis2.Market dynamics, which essentially consider the factors, which are impelling the present market scenario, along with growth opportunities of the market in the years to come3.Market segmentation analysis, including qualitative & quantitative research incorporating the impact of economic & non-economic aspects4.Regional and Country level analysis integrating the demand and supply forces that are influencing the growth of the market5.Competitive landscape involving the market share of major players, along with the key strategies adopted for development in the past five years6.Comprehensive company profiles covering the product offerings, key financial information, recent developments, SWOT analysis, and strategies employed by the major market playersOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K MT), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/MT), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLong DrinkShont DrinkOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume (K MT), market share and growth rate of Cocktail for each application, includingWeddingCocktail PartyBackyard BBQOthersGeographically, this report split Asia-Pacific into several key Regions, with sales (K MT), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Cocktail for these regions, from 2018 to 2026 (forecast), includingChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanIndiaSoutheast AsiaAustraliaTable of ContentsAsia-Pacific Cocktail Market Report 20171 Cocktail Overview2 Asia-Pacific Cocktail Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application3 China Cocktail (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 Japan Cocktail (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 South Korea Cocktail (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6 Taiwan Cocktail (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 India Cocktail (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 Southeast Asia Cocktail (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Australia Cocktail (Volume, Value and Sales Price)10 Asia-Pacific Cocktail Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data11 Cocktail Manufacturing Cost Analysis12 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers13 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders14 Market Effect Factors Analysis15 Asia-Pacific Cocktail Market Forecast (2017-2022)Else Enquire about Cocktail market Research Report before buying @About Us:Worldwide Market Reports is your one-stop repository of detailed and in-depth market research reports compiled by an extensive list of publishers from across the globe. We offer reports across virtually all domains and an exhaustive list of sub-domains under the sun. The in-depth market analysis by some of the most vastly experienced analysts provide our diverse range of clients from across all industries with vital decision making insights to plan and align their market strategies in line with current market trends. Worldwide Market Researchs well-researched inputs that encompass domains ranging from IT to healthcare enable our prized clients to capitalize upon key growth opportunities and shield against credible threats prevalent in the market in the current scenario and those expected in the near future.Contact Us:Mr. ShahWorldwide Market ReportsTel: +1 415 871 0703 Psoriasis Treatment Market 2022 Top Key Players are Eli Lilly, Novartis International AG, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc., Merck and Co Inc., Amgen and AbbVie Psoriasis Treatment Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2769 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/psoriasis-treatment-market-2769 Market Insights:Psoriasis is a highly common chronic skin condition. Market Research Future's (MRFR) in-depth market report on the global psoriasis treatment market has disclosed that the market is anticipated to witness a promising CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period of 2016 to 2022. The social stigma and discomfort that is associated with psoriasis is expected to promote swift market growth. Valued at USD 7 Bn at the beginning of 2016, the global market is expected to witness increased revenue which results in an approximate evaluation of over USD 10 bn by the end of the assessment period.Rising awareness and screening for psoriasis is the leading factor driving growth in the demand for psoriasis treatment. This chronic condition is exacerbated by several factors which can vary from patient to patient, thus further increasing the demand for appropriate and effective treatment options. Increasing exposure to chemicals and polluted environments have resulted in an increase in the diagnosis of psoriasis. Presently, all treatment options are temporary in nature or need ongoing patient involvement with no concrete cure. Drugs for psoriasis treatment carry a high cost which will hamper market growth. However, increasing adoptions of alternative psoriasis treatments, and the race among market players to develop an effective psoriasis treatment solution will lead to market opportunities.Get Sample Copy @Key Players:Market leaders who participate in the competitive landscape of the global psoriasis treatment market include Eli Lilly, Novartis International AG, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc., Merck and Co Inc., Amgen and AbbVie.Market Segmentation:The global psoriasis treatment market is segmented in MRFR's competitive analysis on the basis of mechanism of action, route of administration, drug types, and region. Based on mechanism of action, the market is segmented into interleukin blockers, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, TNF inhibitors, and others.By route of administration, the market is divided between oral, injectable, and topical. Oral treatment options are highly popular and capture around 40% of the global market.On the basis of drug types, the market is segmented into biologics and small molecules.Globally, the market is divided into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and the Middle East and Africa.Regional Analysis:Due to the presence of North America, the Americas account for the largest share of the global market. The presence of several market players and a high patient population afflicted with psoriasis is expected to lead to increased revenue generated for market growth. Moreover, the awareness about this condition is quite high in the region and has led to an increased demand for effective treatment options. Increasing R&D activities to develop a long-term solution for psoriasis is expected to facilitate market expansion opportunities.Meanwhile, the Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region due to the swiftly developing healthcare sector and the growing awareness regarding conditions like psoriasis which has resulted in increased demand. The affinity for natural skin care methods is expected to reveal effective alternate treatment strategies that may assist future market growth.Latest Industry News:Eli Lilly & Company in Korea has received government approval from the Ministry of Health & Welfare for the reimbursement for its psoriasis treatment drug Taltz.Access Full Report @Table of Contents1 Introduction2 Research Methodology3 Market Dynamics4 Market Factor Analysis5 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Mechanism Of Action6 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Route Of Administration7 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Drug Types8 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Regions9 Company Landscape10 Company Profile11 Others12 AppendixList of TablesTable 1 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, 2013-2022 (Usd Million)Table 2 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Mechanism Of Action, 2013-2022 (Usd Million)Table 3 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Route Of Administration, 2013-2022 (Usd Million)Table 4 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Drug Types, 2013-2022 (Usd Million)Table 5 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Region, 2013-2022 (Usd Million)List of FiguresFigure 1 Research ProcessFigure 2 Porters Five Forces ModelFigure 3 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Mechanism Of ActionFigure 4 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Route Of AdministrationFigure 5 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By Drug TypesFigure 6 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market, By RegionFigure 7 Global Psoriasis Treatment Market: Company Share Analysis, 2015 (%)About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Gas Treatment Market By Type And Application With Detail Analysis To 2025 By Top Top Key Major Players - Varichem International , Huntsman International LLC , Innospec Inc. , BASF SE , Hexion Inc. , Dowdupont Inc. https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2847332?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2847332?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-for-discount/2847332?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh Gas Treatment Market :All-Embracing Industrial Gas Treatment Market Groundwork donates Economic Performance Evaluation with contribution of five Years Forecast Survey according peak contestant and much more. The Global Gas Treatment market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. This report includes market shares of Global Gas Treatment on Particular Regional Analysis and there forecast in the give period.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Industry OutlookThe procedure of gas Treatment enhances the nature of the gas by including strong cleaning agents which assist to battle the accumulation of destructive varnish, carbon and gum stores in the system of fuel which may diminish the performance rate. Likewise it is developed to evacuate water that can prompt fuel line to freeze. This item is made with the jet fuel, the high-quality bearer of the active ingredients. Therefore, the Gas Treatment Market is anticipated to expand and has tremendous scope during the forecast period. The global Gas Treatment Market anticipated to flourish in the future by growing at a significantly higher CAGR.Market SegmentationOn the basis of Type the market is segmented into Non-Amines and Amines. The Amines section is seen to hold more market share owing to less cost of this type and the more ability for regeneration.On the basis of Application the market is segmented into Dehydration and Acid Gas Removal. The Acid Gas Removal is seen to dominate the market owing to rising awareness for the factor of natural gas as the cleaner and more commitment for the rules & regulations related to environment by various organizations.The Asia Pacific region is leading the global Gas Treatment Market owing to factor like; more number of industries located in this region, rising demand for the treatment of gas from the oil & gas sector, increasing investment by the government, etc.Gas Treatment Market, By Region North America Europe Asia-Pacific South America Middle East and AfricaCompetitive AnalysisThe major players in the market are profiled in detail in view of qualities, for example, company portfolio, business strategies, financial overview, recent developments, and market share of the overall industry.Varichem International , Huntsman International LLC , Innospec Inc. , BASF SE , Hexion Inc. , Dowdupont Inc. , Eunisell Chemicals , Ecolab Inc. , Clariant International Ltd. , Berryman Chemicals Inc.Do Purchase Inquiry @Some of the key questions answered by the report are: What was the market size in 2014 and forecast from 2015 to 2025? What will be the industry market growth from 2015 to 2025? What are the major drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, and industry trends and their impact on the market forecast? What are the major segments leading the market growth and why? Which are the leading players in the market and what are the major strategies adopted by them to sustain the market competition?Table of Contents:1. Introduction2. Executive Summary3. Market Overview4. Market Analysis by Regions5.1. Introduction6. Gas Treatment Market, By Application7. Gas Treatment Market, By Region8. Company Profiles9. Global Gas Treatment Market Competition, by Manufacturer10. Gas Treatment Market Forecast (2018-2025)Get Purchase Discount @About Us:Big Market Research has a range of research reports from various publishers across the world. Our database of reports of various market categories and sub-categories would help you find the exact report you may be looking for. We are instrumental in providing quantitative and qualitative insights on your area of interest by bringing reports from various publishers at one place to save your time and money. A lot of organizations across the world are gaining profits and great benefits from information gained through reports sourced by us.5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesCall answer Direct: +1-971-202-1575Call answer Toll Free: +1-800-910-6452Email help@bigmarketresearch.com Finance Cloud Market Forecast 2018-2023 with Key Players Oracle Corporation, Computer Science, Microsoft Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Percipient, Rapid Scale, Salesforce.com Inc https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/sample/ICT/QBI-BRC-ICT-112267 https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/enquiry/ICT/QBI-BRC-ICT-112267 https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/discount/ICT/QBI-BRC-ICT-112267 https://www.qurateresearch.com/ Global Finance Cloud Market Analysis, Segmentation, Key Players, Future Outlook 2023, is valuable report recently incorporated in most updated data base of Qurate Business Intelligence which aims to examine the entire worldwide market with great interest, analytical approach and wholistic perspective. It offers comprehensive evaluation of the global market supported by statistical data as well as insightful information. Projections associated with the market values over the estimated period are built through pragmatic research and numerical data collected through both primary and secondary sources. The trustworthy processes followed to include various features of the market makes the data sound in context to time as well as market.Get Free Sample Copy of This Report@Prominent players profiled in the report are: Oracle Corporation, Computer Science, Microsoft Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Percipient, Rapid Scale, Salesforce.com Inc, Capgemini, Google IncThis study is tremendously useful textual document with inclusion of extensive market data in relation with the remarkable rudiments and subdivision of the Global Finance Cloud Market that are likely to impact the growth circumstances of the industry. The study may splendidly assist professionals and decision makers to address the glitches and to gain help from highly competitive Global Finance Cloud Market.Global Finance Cloud Market is research report which entails statistics associated with vital regional markets and current scenarios. This enlists key regional areas such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, etc. and the prime countries such as United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China.Inquire More about Report@The Global Finance Cloud Market report attempts to shape knowledge of the market through delivery of data associated with features such as classifications, applications and market overview, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, raw materials and more. Furthermore, it strives to inspect the key regional markets, including constraints such as product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate. It also converses forecast for the same. The report concludes with new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Further, this assessment distinguishes pin-point analysis of competitive landscape and assists readers to create an edge over competitors. 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It brings a nine-year forecast evaluated based on how the market is anticipated to perform.Get 50% Discount on this Report@This report enlists in-depth analysis of the worldwide market for Finance Cloud, talking about various market components such as the production capacity, product pricing, the dynamics of demand and supply, sales volume, revenue, growth rate and more.Table of Content:Global Global Finance Cloud Market Research Report 2018-2023Chapter 1: Industry OverviewChapter 2: Finance Cloud International and China Market AnalysisChapter 3: Environment Analysis of Finance CloudChapter 4: Analysis of Revenue by ClassificationsChapter 5: Analysis of Revenue by Regions and ApplicationsChapter 6: Analysis of Finance Cloud Revenue Market Status.Chapter 7: Analysis of Finance Cloud Industry Key ManufacturersChapter 8: Sales Price and Gross Margin AnalysisChapter 9: Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Finance Cloud MarketChapter 10: Development Trend of Finance Cloud Industry 2018-2023Chapter 11: Industry Chain Suppliers of Finance Cloud with Contact InformationChapter 12: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Finance CloudChapter 13: Conclusion of the Global Finance Cloud Market Research ReportAbout Us:Qurate Business Intelligence delivers unique market research solutions to its customers and help them to get equipped with refined information and market insights derived from reports. We are committed to providing best business services and easy processes to get the same. Qurate Business Intelligence considers themselves as strategic partners of their customers and always shows the keen level of interest to deliver quality.Contact Us:Nehal ChinoyRunwal Platinum,Ramnagar Colony, Bavdhan,Pune, Maharashtra, India-411021IN +919881074592info@qurateresearch.com Immune Repertoire Sequencing Market Growth Analysis By It's Applications Like Cancer Immunotherapy, Infectious Disease, Asthma and Allergy, Biomarker Discovery, Organ Transplant, Immune Response, Autoimmune Diseases Immune Repertoire Sequencing https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/1517 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/talk-to-analyst/1517 Immune repertoire refers to the sub-type proteins an organisms immune system creates. Immune systems in vertebrates have six key types of proteins namely: immunoglobulin (2) and T cell receptors (4). Immune repertoire sequencing enables researchers and scientist to examine and understand adaptive immune-mediated diseases. Immune repertoire sequencing is also widely applicable in biomarker discovery, infectious disease research, asthma and allergy research, and cancer immunotherapy.Immune Repertoire Sequencing Market: DriversIncreasing research and development and launches of novel products by key players in market is expected to be the major driving force for growth of global immune repertoire sequencing market in the near future. For instance, in 2016, ArcherDX, Inc., a U.S.-based company, expanded its product portfolio with the launch of its latest Archer Immunoverse immune repertoire sequencing assays at the American Society of Hematology (ASH). In 2017, ArcherDX, Inc. launched its latest Archer Immunoverse B Cell Receptor (BCR) assays to characterize the human B cell repertoire. In 2017, researchers from Stanford University applied immune repertoire sequencing to identify disease-related signatures in the immune systems of patients with systemic sclerosis with pulmonary hypertension (SSc-PAH), a rare chronic autoimmune disease that affects the connective tissue. Increasing research on immune repertoire sequencing is expected to create a conducive environment for growth of immune repertoire sequencing market in the near future.Download PDF Brochure of Research Report @Immune Repertoire Sequencing Market: Regional AnalysisNorth America is expected to hold a dominant position in global immune repertoire sequencing market, over the forecast period. This is owing to high presence of key players in the region. These players are increasingly focusing on development of novel technology for immune repertoire sequencing. For instance, Illumina Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Pacific Biosciences, CD Genomics are the key players in the North America market. In 2017, a U.S.-based 10x Genomics Inc. added a new B-Cell and 5unbiased enrichment kit to its chromium immune repertoire profiling solution or immune repertoire sequencing. Company has launched its new product at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) held at Orlando, Florida in 2017. Furthermore, Europe, and Asia Pacific regions are also expected to show a rapid growth in immune repertoire sequencing market, due to increasing usage of immune repertoire sequencing in oncology research for the development of biomarkers and immunotherapies.Immune Repertoire Sequencing Market: Key PlayersKey players in global immune repertoire sequencing market include Thermo Fisher Scietific, Illumina Inc., ArcherDX, Inc., Roche Holding AG, Juno Therapeutics, Pacific Biosciences, CD Genomics, Atreca, Inc., and Adaptive Biotechnologies. Major players in the market are involved in strategic partnership and collaborations, in order to develop and provide immune repertoire sequencing services to customers. For instance, in March 2018, ArcherDX Inc. and Ambry Genetics entered into strategic partnership to provide immune repertoire sequencing services to biopharmaceutical customers. As per the partnership agreement, Ambry Genetics will use ArcherDX's Immunoverse and VariantPlex next-generation sequencing assays for immune repertoire sequencing.Immune Repertoire Sequencing Market Taxonomy:The global immune repertoire sequencing market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, end user, and region.By Product Type: Instruments Reagents and KitsBy Application: Cancer Immunotherapy Infectious Disease Asthma And Allergy Biomarker Discovery Organ Transplant Immune Response Autoimmune Diseases OthersBy End User: Diagnostic Labs Biopharmaceutical Companies Research Institutes OthersBy Region: North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East AfricaDo You Have Specific Requirement? Ask Our Experts @About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Oil Refining Pumps Market Witnesses Rise in Centrifugal Pumps Sales with Over 70% Share in 2018, Finds Fact.MR Study https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2434 https://www.factmr.com/report/2434/oil-refining-pumps-market https://www.factmr.com/checkout/2434/S https://www.factmr.com/ https://factmrblog.com/ The global demand for oil refining pumps is expected to surpass 3,000,000 tons by 2018 end, according to a latest Fact.MR report on Oil Refining Pumps Market. Rising oil and gas production, and increase in petroleum-based power generation are driving oil refining pumps demand. The oil supply has sharply increased from Russia, Middle East, and the US, compensating for fall in oil production in Iran and Venezuela.The demand for centrifugal pumps is constantly rising in upstream oil and gas industry in multiphase or tri-phase pumping application. With the increasing demand for oil, especially in developing regions, transporting a large amount of liquid has become necessary to ensure operational efficiency. This is driving the demand for centrifugal pumps to transport a significant amount of liquid in a short period.Request For Sample Report-APAC to Continue Strong Position in Oil Refining Pumps MarketThe Fact.MR study projects that APAC continues to register significant growth in the oil refining pumps market and is likely to account for over 40% of total demand by 2018 end. The positive outlook in the region can be attributed to the growing demand for diesel and gasoline in emerging nations like India and China.The upgradation of existing oil refineries and robust investment in the construction of new oil refineries is fueling the growth in the oil refining pumps market in the region. Rising oil demand and faced with strict emission regulations, India is also moving towards development of new and modern refineries.According to the International Energy Agency (IEAs) latest World Outlook Projection, Indias refining capacity is likely to grow by two-thirds in the next 25 years. This is expected to make India worlds third largest refining center by 2040, following the US and China.Major oil companies in Southeast Asia are also investing in increasing their refining capacity. Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand are likely to see growth in new refining capacity in the coming years. The development of new and advanced oil refineries in APAC is expected to create growth opportunities for oil refining pumps manufacturers.Browse Full Report on Oil Refining Pumps Market with TOC-Energy Transition Emerging as Serious Challenge for Oil Companies and Oil Exporting CountriesGlobal oil companies and oil exporting countries are likely to face a challenge with the rise in energy transition. The biggest challenge for oil companies make changes in their business model and integrating low-carbon assets in their portfolios. With the growing trend of renewable energy sources, oil exporting countries with good reserves-to-production ration are facing the risk of loss in export revenues and monetizing their large reserve base.Penetration of renewables has increased in Europe to meet the energy demand, resulting in reduced oil demand. Moreover, regulation by national governments and European Union is likely to further reduce refined oil demand in the region. Oil refineries in Europe are unable to find buyers, resulting in constant drop in profit margins. Inability to find buyers and drop in profit margins is forcing oil refinery operators to shut down the plants.More refinery plants shutdown expected in the coming years in Europe is likely to impact the oil refining pumps market in the region. Moreover, key oil companies across various regions are also planning to invest more in low-carbon energy sources with aim to reduce carbon footprints.The Fact.MR report tracks the oil refining pumps market for the period 2018-2028. According to the report, the oil refining pumps market is expected to reach 2.9% CAGR during 2018-2028.To Buy Oil Refining Pumps Market Report, Check-About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog: OutBack Power Inc, Xantrex Technologies, Genasun LLC, Luminous Power Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Wenzhou Xihe Electric Co are some of top key players in Global Solar Charge Controller Market Market Research Report Search Engine https://www.mrrse.com/sample/4445 https://www.mrrse.com/solar-charge-controllers-market https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/4445 https://www.mrrse.com/ In order to study the various trends and patterns prevailing in the concerned market, Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has included a new report titled Solar Charge Controller Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025 to its wide online database. This research assessment offers a clear insight about the influential factors that are expected to transform the global market in the near future.Request ForSample Report @As governments around the world focus their efforts on curbing pollution, the demand for alternative means of deriving power will surge. Against this backdrop various markets recorded tremendous growth in the recent past, the global solar charge controller market being one among them. Market Research has opined that the market is currently in a transitional phase, chiefly driven by various government initiatives and the shifting preference toward renewable sources to derive energy. Coupled with this, technological innovations and commercialization of solar charge controllers will ensue robust growth in the market.Contrary to aforementioned growth drivers, the market players often incur huge expenses on installation. Furthermore, the maintenance cost of solar charge controllers is really high, thus hindering the smooth sail of the market. Nonetheless, the rising investment in infrastructural development and continued advancements in technology will offer immense opportunities for the growth to the global solar charge controller market in the coming years.To present an in-depth overview, the report segments the global solar charge controller market in terms of type and end use, part from region. Based on type, the solar charge controller market is classified into pulse-width modulation (PWM) charge controller, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controller, and simple 1 or 2 stage controls. Of these, MRRSE has observed rising penetration of PWM across diverse end-use industries. A PWM solar charge controller snips excess solar voltage, which in turn results in a loss of total power. As a result, the excess voltage generated by the solar array is reduced to the voltage value of the battery. Over the last couple of years, PWM solar charge controllers is therefore witnessing high demand. However, in the coming years, the MPPT segment is likely to gain momentum, as it has been established through tests that MPPT charge controllers outperform PWM charge controllers in cold and temperate climates.Browse Full Report with TOC @By end use, utility scale, commercial and industrial buildings, and solar home systems constitute the key segments in the global solar charge controller market. Of these, holding the largest share in the market, utility scale emerged dominant in 2016. Besides this, impressive growth is on cards for industrial and home systems segments as the world realizes the benefit of solar power.In terms of region, the global solar charge controller market has been classified into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Among these regions, Asia Pacific holds the maximum share in the global solar charge controller market. The rising demand for solar charge controllers from economies such as India, China and Japan will create lucrative prospects for the market in the region. The Asia Pacific market is also estimated to be exhibit the highest growth during the course of the reports forecast period due to the increase in the demand from industrial and residential segments. Demand witnessed in Europe and North America might get a little affected in the coming years as they are mature markets, while the Middle East & Africa and the Latin America are identified as emerging markets and are expected to show considerable growth opportunities during the forecast period.Key players in the global solar charge controller market are expected to benefit from the emerging market. Prominent players in the global solar charge controller market are OutBack Power Inc, Xantrex Technologies, Genasun LLC, Luminous Power Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Wenzhou Xihe Electric Co., Ltd, Phocos, Beijing Epsolar Technology Co., Ltd, Steca Elektronik GmbH, and Sollatek among others.Enquire about this Report @About (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY 12207(United State)Telephone: +1-518-730-0559(USA & Canada Toll-Free)Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite: Global Military 3D Printing Market Analysis by top key players Stratasys, 3D Systems, Exone, Arcam, Norsk Titanium, American Elements, Cimetrix Solutions, Artec, 3T RPD, Optomec, Initial, Markforged, SMG3D Military 3D Printing, Military 3D Printing trends, Military 3D Printing forecast, Military 3D Printing analysis https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/1225386/?utm_source=OPR-RV https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/1225386/?utm_source=OPR-RV https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-military-3d-printing-market-2018-by-manufacturers-regions-type-and-application-forecast-to-2023/?utm_source=OPR-RV https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/blog MarketStudyReport.com adds a new 2018-2023 Global Military 3D Printing Market Report focuses on the major drivers and restraints for the global key players providing analysis of the market share, segmentation, revenue forecasts and geographic regions of the market.This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of by Military 3D Printing product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions. Over the next five years, Military 3D Printing will million in 2017.Request a sample of this premium report at:The demand for lightweight parts and components in the defense industry and investments made by defense entities in 3D printing projects are key factors projected to drive the growth of the military 3D printing market.This report focuses on the Military 3D Printing in global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Based on application, the prototyping segment is estimated to lead the military 3D printing market in 2018.The worldwide market for Military 3D Printing is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2023, from xx million US$ in 2017, according to a new study.The key manufacturers covered in this report: Stratasys 3D Systems Exone Arcam Norsk Titanium American Elements Cimetrix Solutions Artec 3T RPD Optomec Initial Markforged SMG3DRequest a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Split by Product Types, with sales, revenue, price, market share of each type, can be divided into:PrinterMaterialSoftwareServiceSegmentation by application:Functional Part ManufacturingToolingPrototypingResearch objectives:To study and analyze the global Military 3D Printing size by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2023.To understand the structure of Military 3D Printing by identifying its various subsegments.Focuses on the key global Military 3D Printing players, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the Military 3D Printing with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).To project the size of Military 3D Printing submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Table of Contents:1 Military 3D Printing Market Overview2 Manufacturers Profiles3 Global Military 3D Printing Market Competition, by Players4 Global Military 3D Printing Market Size by Regions5 North America Military 3D Printing Revenue by Countries6 Europe Military 3D Printing Revenue by Countries7 Asia-Pacific Military 3D Printing Revenue by Countries8 South America Military 3D Printing Revenue by Countries9 Middle East and Africa Revenue Military 3D Printing by Countries10 Global Military 3D Printing Market Segment by Type11 Global Military 3D Printing Market Segment by Application12 Global Military 3D Printing Market Size Forecast (2018-2023)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Military 3D Printing market.Chapter 1, to describe Military 3D Printing Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Military 3D Printing, with sales, revenue, and price of Military 3D Printing, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Military 3D Printing, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 12, Military 3D Printing market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Military 3D Printing sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceFor more details about this report:About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report LLC4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog: Massive Report on Global Third-party e-Commerce Services Market Trends, Drivers, Strategies, Segmentation Application, and Technology by top profiling Companies Adobe Systems, Baidu, IBM, Oracle any others. Third-party e-Commerce Services Market https://www.qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=80446 https://www.qyreports.com/ask-for-discount?report-id=80446 http://qyreports.com/enquiry-before-buying?report-id=80446 www.qyreports.com QYReports.com has added a report, titled Global Third-party e-Commerce Services Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025, which provides an overview of the various factors enabling growth in the market. It also presents insights into various restraints that pose threat and highlights opportunities that will help the market pick pace in the forthcoming years. The report accumulates exhaustive information obtained via proven research methodologies and from trusted sources within the industries. It also includes expert opinions to provide readers a clearer perspective regarding the global market.Some of the Top Vendors includes : Accenture, Adobe Systems, Baidu, IBM, Oracle, Alipay, Arvato, BaoZun eCommerce, CyberSource, DHL Express, eBay, FedEx, Google, JinDong Mall, Ogilvy and Mather, PCCW, SF Express, ShenTong Express, ShopEx, Taobao, Tencent Holdings, Tenpay, Tmall, UnionPay, Weibo, WPP, Yeepay, YundaGet Sample Copy of this Report@:The report profiles leading players within the global Third-party e-Commerce Services Market for the purpose of study. The business and financial overview of the companies are given in the report. Information on their recent developments and accomplishments is also included in this report. The expansion strategies adopted by leading players in the market are also revealed in the report. Growth and expansion strategies as well as business strategies to make more profits have also been disclosed.An analysis of technical data and manufacturing plants has been provided in the report, which includes a segment on the key suppliers of the global Third-party e-Commerce Services Market, their status on research and development, commercial production, technology sources, and capacity. Additionally, the report offers readers a detailed information on the major sources of raw material, cost structure of products, supply, downstream client survey, key distributors, policies, mergers, acquisitions, and other alliances. Further, it also provides information on marketing channels, industry development trends, environmental and regional regulations, revenue structure, distribution of manufacturing plants, product specification, import and export, proposals, consumers, business models, collaborations, upstream raw materials, and research requirements.Get Special Discount on this Report@:The key opportunistic regions in the market and the top trends impacting the development of the global Third-party e-Commerce Services Market have been presented through this report. The recent growth and development patterns of this market have also been encapsulated in this study. The report also covers the key players and throws light on the strategies being adopted by them for better penetration into the market .The global Third-party e-Commerce Services Market is gaining pace and industry have started understanding the benefits of analytics in the present day highly dynamic environment. The market has witnessed several important developments over the past few years, with mounting volumes of data and the shift from traditional analysis platforms to self-service analytics being some of the most prominent ones.After studying key companies, the report focuses on the startups contributing towards the growth of the market. Possible mergers and acquisitions among the startups and key organizations are identified by the reports authors in the study. Most companies in the Third-party e-Commerce Services Market are currently engaged in adopting new technologies, strategies, product developments, expansions, and long-term contracts to maintain their dominance in the global market.If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.To know more about Report Visit @:Table of ContentsThird-party e-Commerce Services Market Research ReportChapter 1 Third-party e-Commerce Services Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com Orthopedic Plates Market Outlook To 2025: Top Key Players - DePuy Synthes, Medtronic, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, Acumed Etc Orthopedic Plates Market http://supplydemandmarketresearch.com/home/contact/31806?ref=Sample-and-Brochure&toccode=SDMRME31806 http://supplydemandmarketresearch.com/home/contact/31806?ref=Discount&toccode=SDMRME31806 http://supplydemandmarketresearch.com/home/toc_publisher/31806?code=SDMRME31806 http://supplydemandmarketresearch.com Orthopedic plates and screws are orthopedic implants used to stabilize and support broken bones or joints until it is strong enough to handle individuals weight and body movements. Implants like plates and screws set the fracture by holding the bones together, and strengthening ligaments and tendons. The global orthopedic plates and screws market is segmented based on application: upper extremity and lower extremity. Plate and screw medical devices are used to treat a variety of indications, including in the shoulder, elbow and distal radius market. This provides better bone fusion and improves patient outcome. The shoulder plate and screw medical devices are used to treat proximal humerus fractures, usually they work best if anatomically formed, using a locking plate and screw system and feature fixed angle design.This report studies the global market size of Orthopedic Plates and Screws in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Orthopedic Plates and Screws in these regions. This research report categorizes the global Orthopedic Plates and Screws market by top players/brands, region, type and end user. This report also studies the global Orthopedic Plates and Screws market status, competition landscape, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, sales channels and distributors.The global Orthopedic Plates and Screws market is valued at xx million US$ in 2017 and will reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx% during 2018-2025. The objectives of this study are to define, segment, and project the size of the Orthopedic Plates and Screws market based on company, product type, end user and key regions.Request for PDF Sample of this Report@The following manufacturers are covered in this report, with sales, revenue, market share for each company: DePuy Synthes Medtronic Smith & Nephew Stryker Zimmer Biomet Acumed Advanced Orthopaedics (OrthoVirginia) Arthrex Arthrosurface DJO Global Ellipse Technologies Flower Orthopedics Integra LifeSciencesMarket Size Split by Type Upper extremity Lower extremityMarket Size Split by Application Hospitals ASCsMarket size split by Region North America United States Canada Mexico Asia-Pacific Japan South Korea Australia Indonesia Singapore Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Europe Germany France UK Italy Spain Russia Central & South America BrazilRequest for Discount on this report@The study objectives of this report are: To study and analyze the global Orthopedic Plates and Screws market size (value & volume) by company, key regions, products and end user, breakdown data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2025. To understand the structure of Orthopedic Plates and Screws market by identifying its various subsegments. To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). Focuses on the key global Orthopedic Plates and Screws companies, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape and recent development. To project the value and sales volume of Orthopedic Plates and Screws submarkets, with respect to key regions. To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.Access full research report@Contact Usinfo@supplydemandmarketresearch.comPhone Number: +919607371825About Supply Demand Market Research(SDMR)We have a strong network of high powered and experienced global consultants who have about 10+ years of experience in the specific industry to deliver quality research and analysis.Having such an experienced network, our services not only cater to the client who wants the basic reference of market numbers and related high growth areas in the demand side, but also we provide detailed and granular information using which the client can definitely plan the strategies with respect to both supply and demand side.302-20 Misssisauga Valley, Missisauga,L5A 3S1 Xenakis concluded that Elhassani is in need of treatment for ongoing mental health issues that have resulted from the severe trauma that she suffered at the hands of her husband and the crazy ordeal that he put her and her children through, according to the motion. Guerbet Alcohols Market 2024 | DowPol Corporation, Sasol Ltd, New Japan Chemical Co., Ltd, BASF SE, Kokyu Alcohol Kogyo Co., Ltd, https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114683/Guerbet-Alcohols-Market https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114683/Guerbet-Alcohols-Market https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114683/Guerbet-Alcohols-Market https://www.researchreportinsights.com/ According to Research Report Insights (RRI) report, the global market for guerbet alcohols is set to cross US$ 1316 Million by 2024, expanding at over 5% CAGR. In addition, demand for 2-octyldodecanol is expected to be high during 2016 to 2024.Higher consciousness about looks and beauty and growing demand for quality cosmetic products is expected to influence the market growth of guerbet alcohols worldwide. Consumers are willing to shell out money for high-end beauty products making them a part of their daily lives. Moreover, arrival of trendy multifunctional cosmetics in the market has been well appreciated by end-use consumers and is anticipated to receive higher popularity in the global market. This, in turn, is expected to support the overall market growth. The new categories of multifunctional cosmetic products are capable of rectifying some of the acutest skin blemishes and scars.Request For Report Sample:These advanced products have extended functionalities such as anti-aging solutions, UV rays shielding, anti-oxidation, moisturizing and also help in skin cleansing. Guerbet alcohols are safer alternatives for other chemical cosmetic ingredient, therefore, they have gained higher preference amongst various cosmetic manufacturing companies. Essential qualities found in guerbet alcohols are helping them gain an edge over other cosmetic ingredients. Besides that, they possess excellent fragrance and are good flattening agents making them an apparent choice for cosmetic manufacturers across the globe. However, high-cost of guerbet alcohols production and requirement of intensive preparation procedures are two of the major negative factors are likely to inhibit the market growth over the forecast period. PMR indicates that the overall girth of the global market will grow during the projected period. Various positive trends are anticipated to drive the market growth.The market is fragmented into various segments that are expected to play a crucial role in the shaping the market over the next few years. By product type, the 2-octyldodecanol segment will continue to grow at a significant rate. In addition, the segment is expected to account for a definitive share of the global market. The report also finds that the 2-octyldodecanol segment is set to represent for over 33% share of the market in terms of value, reflecting 6.7% CAGR over 2024.On the basis of end users, the personal & cosmetic care is expected to be the dominant segment of the market during the forecast period. In terms of revenues, the segment is projected to account for a significant share of the market between 2016 and 2024. Further, a modest expansion of the cosmetic market is likely to stimulate the production volume of guerbet alcohols. Demand for guerbet alcohols from the cosmetic industry is expected to be the highest. In terms of value, the cosmetic industry is expected to account for over 50% share of the market.Request Report Discount:On the basis of region, the market in Europe is anticipated to present lucrative opportunities over the next couple of years. In 2016, the region is expected to account for over 26% share of the market, expanding at 5% CAGR over the forecast period. While North America is estimated to reach up to US$ 372.2 Million in revenues over 2024, witnessing 5.3% CAGR. The markets in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region will also witness a modest growth and present business opportunities cosmetic manufacturing companies over the forecast period.Vendor NewsKey players operating in the global market for guerbet alcohols include DowPol Corporation, Sasol Ltd, New Japan Chemical Co., Ltd, BASF SE, Kokyu Alcohol Kogyo Co., Ltd, and Kisco LtdReport Analysis:About Us:Research Report Insights (RRI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver a host of services including custom research reports, syndicated research reports, and consulting services which are personalised in nature. RRI delivers a complete packaged solution to clients; this combines current market intelligence, technology inputs, statistical anecdotes, valuable growth insights, 360-degree view of the competitive framework, and anticipated market trends.Contact Us:Research Report Insights (RRI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +1-631-721-4201Website:Email: sales@researchreportinsights.com Rockville, Maryland - November 17, 2018 - Moving house or business has never been the most anticipated task to look forward to for anyone. That's why the professionals at Artisan Movers are committed to making your move as smooth and as stress-free as possible. A family-owned Rockville-based company, it has been serving Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia for the last three years, providing local and long distance residential and commercial Dana Rohrabacher, the pro-Russia California congressman widely derided as Putins best friend, was ousted at the polls in November. Japanese politicians with a similar fondness for Russian President Vladimir Putin might not have to worry about suffering the same electoral fate. At least not if recent calendar sales accurately indicate the popularity of the former KGB officer in Japan. Putin is currently contributing to an unprecedented number of calendar sales in a foreign country, Japan Today reports. The retail chain Loft, which has shops across Japan, says its Putin calendar has far out-sold all of its other 2019 famous people calendars, including those featuring Japanese celebrities such as movie star Kei Tanaka. Putin calendars are currently the top sellers at a major Japanese chain store, beating out a popular actor & celebrated figure skater. Needless to say they include his shirtless Epiphany pic https://t.co/opqxjnDgOY? pic.twitter.com/otTJVT0G2w Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) December 17, 2018 The reason for Putins popularity, according to Japan Today: a recent explosion of self-proclaimed Putin fans, or young women with a feverish zeal for the foreign leader. The Guardian reports that such fans are drawn to Putins unconventional style and unashamed machismo. Its possible, add Japanese commentators, that some consumers are buying the calendar as a practical joke. The calendar shows Putin, who has overseen anti-democratic social-media disinformation campaigns in the U.S. and other western countries, both at work and at play. Theres a James Bond-like image of Putin jumping off a just-landed helicopter. Another one shows the topless 66-year-old descending into an icy lake. Russian President Vladimir Putin is the pin-up of choice for many Japanese calendar shoppers https://t.co/qZOYc8sDJR pic.twitter.com/ZQlnpQvn0b ITV News (@itvnews) December 17, 2018 Putin-watchers believe the Russian leader regularly orders the murder of his critics. Last year, the Washington Post listed 10 outspoken critics of Putin who were killed or died mysteriously since 2003. -- Douglas Perry Correction appended. A 51-year-old man who threatened to hurt or kill two child welfare workers who visited his Southeast Portland apartment -- forcing them to crawl out a window onto a fire escape to get away -- has been found guilty of several crimes. A jury found Freddy Velasquez-Soto guilty last week of unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and obstructing governmental administration after a two-day trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Velasquezs first name also is spelled Freddie in court records. The visitors worked for the Oregon Department of Human Services and were questioning Velasquez-Soto about developing a safety plan for his child, said according to Brent Weisberg, a spokesman for the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office. Velasquez-Soto became angry and threatened to kill them or anyone who tried to interfere with his childs life, Weisberg said. The workers, Luke Tracy and Montserrat Shepherd, testified that as they were leaving Velasquez-Sotos apartment, he moved his chest close to Tracys. They said Velasquez-Soto threatened to cut Tracys face and kill him -- and that Velasquez-Soto pulled what appeared to be a knife out of his pocket. The workers hurried out to the fire escape and called police to the building near Southeast Fifth Avenue and Morrison Street on Aug. 14, 2017. But police decided not to confront Velasquez-Soto because of his agitated state and the report that he was armed, according to court papers. The state department did ultimately take custody of Velasquez-Sotos daughter about a week later, according to information provided by the girls mother in court papers. Velasquez-Soto has a criminal history stretching back to his young adult years. He has been sentenced to jail or prison for terms ranging from about a year to nearly six years for crimes including first-degree robbery and second-degree assault, according to his court file. He most recently had been released from prison in 2013 and appeared to remain crime-free for four years until he threatened the state workers, court papers say. Velasquez-Soto is scheduled to be sentenced next month. Its unclear what sentence he faces. -- Aimee Green agreen@oregonian.com o_aimee Note: This article previously stated an incorrect name for one of the DHS employees. This is a weekly Q&A focused on the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System. Got a question? Submit it to politics@oregonian.com. Q: How was John Ackroyd, a longtime state highway mechanic who is linked to four killings and one rape near Highway 20, allowed to collect a public employee pension even while in prison for aggravated murder? Ackroyd was convicted of one crime, the aggravated murder of Kaye Turner in 1978. His trial took place in late 1993 in Jefferson County. He was sentenced to life and died in 2016 at the Oregon State Penitentiary. The lives of his victims, Marlene Gabrielsen, Kaye Turner, Rachanda Pickle, Melissa Sanders and Sheila Swanson, were the subject of Ghosts of Highway 20, an Oregonian/OregonLive series published last week. Ackroyd had worked as a state employee from Jan. 13, 1978 through July 31, 1992, when he was fired by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The agency terminated him after he was indicted on murder charges. Ackroyd had worked as a mechanic for the agencys Highway Division. While incarcerated, he continued to collect an annual $43,488 pension from the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System. The state pays pension benefits to anyone who has applied for them and qualifies, said Marjorie Taylor, senior policy director for PERS. That goes for convicted murderers serving life in prison because criminal convictions dont affect a retirees eligibility. He was due a benefit, he earned a benefit and we had to pay it, Taylor said. -- Noelle Crombie ncrombie@oregonian.com 503-276-7184 By E.J. DIONNE JR. In this April 21, 2013 file photo, Maria Butina, leader of a pro-gun organization in Russia, speaks to a crowd during a rally in support of legalizing the possession of handguns in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/File)AP WASHINGTON -- Sometimes, dramatic shifts in American politics go unnoticed. They are buried under other news or dismissed because they represent such a sharp break from long-standing assumptions and expectations. So please open your mind to this: Taken together, the events of 2016 and the results of the 2018 election will be remembered as the beginning of the end of the gun lobbys power. Supporters of reasonable gun regulation have been so cowed by National Rifle Association propaganda over the last quarter century that we are reluctant even to imagine such a thing. No matter how many innocents are slaughtered, no matter how many Americans organize, demonstrate and protest, we assume the NRA and its allies will eventually overpower us. And lets concede up front that the vast overrepresentation of rural states in the U.S. Senate tilts the system, undemocratically, toward those who claim that government is powerless to take meaningful steps against mass killings. The fact that Wyoming and Idaho have as many Senate votes as New York and California underscores the challenges that remain. Nonetheless, we are in a new and better world on guns, organizationally and electorally. This conclusion is compelled not by wishful thinking but by the evidence. Investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election have the NRA in its sights. As Rosalind Helderman, Tom Hamburger and Michelle Ye Hee Lee reported in the Washington Post, the guilty plea entered into last week by Maria Butina, a Russian agent who courted NRA leaders, has intensified questions about what the gun rights group knew of the Russian effort to shape U.S. policy, and whether it faces ongoing legal scrutiny. One of the things we need to know more about: Why NRA spending on the 2016 elections surged in every category. The bulk of this money went to supporting Donald Trump. As the Post journalists wrote, the key question -- which is being posed openly by Democrats but is no doubt of interest to prosecutors -- is whether the groups spending spike was tied to its Russian connections. The article also noted that in 2018, the NRAs political spending plummeted. While the organization has denied wrongdoing in 2016, it is clearly in disarray and some suburban Republican candidates this year were fearful of cashing its checks. But the NRAs troubles are only part of the story. What may matter more is that 2018s voters changed the political calculus on the gun issue. Consider the history. Democratic terror over the NRAs power took hold in earnest after the 1994 midterm elections, when Republicans picked up 54 seats and gained control of the House for the first time since the early 1950s. Many factors explained the outcome, including a backlash against then-President Bill Clinton, opposition to tax increases passed to balance the budget, and the failure of the administrations health plan. But for many Democrats, it was politically convenient to focus the blame for their heavy losses in rural and southern districts on gun-control legislation enacted not long before the election. The gun lobbys claims to influence were enhanced when it helped George W. Bush move heavily rural states his way six years later. In 2018, by contrast, the battleground districts where Democrats defeated Republicans were largely in suburbs where most voters are tired of politicians who capitulate to gun extremists. Democrats campaigned enthusiastically for sane regulation, and it helped them win. Voters who told exit pollsters that they cast ballots on the basis of gun policy voted for Democrats overwhelmingly, 70 percent to 29 percent. The exit poll (conducted by Edison Research and reported by CNN) offered other evidence of which side was most energized by the issue. For example, among voters in households without guns, Democrats in House races prevailed by 72 percent to 26 percent. Those in households with guns voted Republican, but by a narrower margin, 61 percent to 36 percent. There is much credit to go around for shifting the political terrain on guns. The activist students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School certainly deserve their share, as do established gun-control groups that stepped up their own engagement while also backing the Florida organizers and helping to link them to other young people around the country. The 2018 elections should be as empowering for those who want to end our nations shameful immobility in confronting mass shootings as the 1994 upheaval was for the gun lobby. There is much more work to do, but those who undertake it can know that they now have the wind at their backs. E.J. Dionne is on Twitter: EJDionne. (c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group Just the past week, federal authorities charged two people in Ohio with planning two separate terrorist attacks. One was on a synagogue and the other was a plan to attack a bar. The FBI was able to prevent the attacks. It is most unsettling that incoming Portland City Council member Jo Ann Hardestys day one priority is to prevent this information being obtained by objecting to Portlands participation in the Joint Terrorism Task Force. The critical thinking skills of the departing commissioner will be missed. I hope Hardesty will rethink her priorities and be willing to take personal responsibility for her actions in keeping our city safe. -- Tracy Clark, Portland Updated: Lacy Erkkila has been located and is safe, the Gresham Police Department said Monday afternoon. No details were provided. *** A woman believed to be a danger to herself has been missing more than 24 hours after she left a Gresham hospital Saturday afternoon, police said. Lacy Mae Erkkila, 34, was on psychiatric hold at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, Gresham police said. She is white, 5-feet-10-inches tall, and weighs 140 pounds. She was seen leaving the hospital in a blue hospital jacket and teal scrubs, police said. Police ask that anyone with information about Erkkilas location call 911. -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin Intel said Monday it plans to expand its factories in Oregon and at two other sites, in Ireland and Israel, to meet future demand. The chipmaker is already Oregons largest corporate employer, with 20,000 workers in Washington County. And just two years ago, Intel completed a two-phase, multibillion-dollar research factory called D1X at its Ronler Acres campus in Hillsboro. Mondays announcement suggests another massive expansion may be in store, which could provide billions of dollars in Oregon investment and create a significant boost to the states economy even as overall growth slows. Intel said it will submit plans for its Oregon expansion in 2019 and wont comment on details until then. Washington County and Hillsboro each said the company has submitted no permitting or other filings describing the scope of work. Long-range plans submitted to state officials in 2015, and obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, showed that Intel has space for a third phase of D1X, directly adjacent to the first two phases. Alternately, its possible that Intel might reconfigure older factories at Ronler Acres to increase output or to make later generations of computer chip. Such an upgrade, perhaps to a facility formerly known as D1C, would not be nearly as large as expanding D1X but would still require significant time and money. Having additional fab space at-the-ready will help us respond more quickly to upticks in the market and enables us to reduce our time to increase supply by up to roughly 60 percent, Intel vice president Ann Kelleher, manager of its manufacturing operations, wrote on the companys website Monday morning. (Fab is chip industry lingo for factory.) Intel expects $71.2 billion in sales this year, up 13.4 percent from 2017 and well ahead of the companys forecasts at the start of 2017. The company is benefitting from booming demand in data centers, which use Intel chips to run their high-powered computers, and also from unexpectedly strong sales of PCs and laptops. On Monday, Kelleher said Intel expects growing demand across the business including from new automotive technologies, wireless networking and artificial intelligence. She said that helped drive Intels decision to expand at all its major manufacturing sites. In the weeks and months ahead, we will be working through discussions and permitting with local governments and communities, wrote Kelleher, who works in Oregon. Intel shares fell 0.5 percent Monday to $47.64. The stock has traded between $42.04 and $57.60 in the past year. Intel spent at least $6 billion building and equipping D1X in two phases. Construction began in the fall 2010 and produced a 2.2-million-square-foot factory, plus several enormous support buildings. Additionally, Intel is building a massive water treatment facility at Ronler Acres. D1X propped up Oregons construction industry in the aftermath of the Great Recession, employing at least 8,000 workers in each of the two phases. Before that project, Oregons construction market had shed 35 percent of its workforce in three years amid a precipitous downturn in the national housing and building sectors. Oregons construction sector is in a much different state today, growing rapidly amid a surge in homebuilding and commercial construction. In fact, many projects already are facing delays as builders struggle to find qualified workers. A major new Intel construction project next year could be well timed, though, as many signs show Oregons economy is beginning to cool, as is the pace of construction. While Intel is Oregons biggest economic engine, it also enjoys the states biggest tax breaks which are among the most lucrative in the nation. Last year alone, Washington County data show, property tax breaks on production equipment saved the company $193 million. D1X is considerably taller than Intels older factories, scaled up to use a new generation of manufacturing tool known as extreme ultraviolet, or EUV. Intel has been testing EUV production technology at Ronler Acres for several years and plans to begin using the tools in regular production of its 10-nanometer class of computer chips, still two generations away. Older factories at Ronler Acres cannot accommodate EUV. Intel is coping with a shortfall of production capacity this fall. Demand greatly exceeded the companys projections, and the company had some production capacity set aside for to develop the new 10nm chips, which are years behind schedule. That left less factory space available for the current product generation. The expanded facilities announced Monday wont be ready for years, so they wont address the current shortage. But they do indicate Intel continues to seek robust prospects for long-term growth. The company develops each new generation of microprocessor in Hillsboro, then replicates that manufacturing process in identical cleanrooms at factories in Arizona, Ireland and Israel. Intel announced last year a $7 billion plan to open a mothballed factory in Arizona, but that facility wont be online until 2020. Jim McGregor, a veteran Intel watcher with TIRIAS Research, said he thinks its much more likely that Intel will retrofit older factories than build new ones. They really havent expanded into new markets successfully so they dont really need additional fab capacity," McGregor said, especially with the Arizona factory already due to open in the next three years. Mondays announcement is probably geared for investors and suppliers seeking to understand the companys long-term direction, according to McGregor. He said it reaffirms Intels commitment to building and running its own factories at a time when many chip companies outsource the actual manufacturing. And he noted that Mondays announcement was vague enough that it gives Intel plenty of leeway to speed up or slow down construction to respond to market demand over the next several years. It makes sense theyre going to be investing in all these," McGregor said, "but time frames may change dramatically. -- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Snap of the day Two years into his term as Portland's mayor, interviews with many of those who see Ted Wheelers work up close paint a picture of a well-intentioned mayor who thinks quickly and enjoys diving into the subtleties of policy. But some around Wheeler feel disappointment with his struggle to achieve the progressive agenda he sold to voters. READ MORE Many forces in Salem are now pulling in the same direction: Pass legislation to address climate change in 2019. Such legislation has been floating around the capitol in one form or another for a decade. But it remains deeply controversial. READ MORE The effects of climate change are no longer predicted. They are here today, they are serious, and they are costing Oregonians money and affecting their lifestyles and health, the Oregon Global Warming Commission said in a new report. READ MORE A couple who survived the Holocaust and an Oregon State student met at a senior living center in Tualatin. The journey they went on together created a bond that had to be expressed in a poem. READ MORE The Portland woman reported the attack in 1996. Last week, she became the sixth women in Oregon to face her attacker years later after police finally tested thousands of the sex assault evidence kits that had piled up in storage. READ MORE House Speaker Tina Kotek has outlined a plan to allow duplex, triplexes and four-plexes in low-density neighborhoods throughout the state -- an idea that would effectively end single-family zoning in many urban areas. READ MORE Sen. Jeff Merkley was back in Texas on Friday, calling attention to what he calls the Trump administrations government-sponsored child abuse at the U.S.-Mexico border. One of the 14,600 migrant children in government camps, a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl, died in custody last week. READ MORE Dozens of Santas, elves and reindeer ditched their sleighs and grabbed paddleboards Saturday for the second annual Santa Paddle on Portland's Willamette River. (Mark Graves/staff) PHOTOS More news Odd in Oregon Today's obituaries Today in history Oregon State Police closed about 90 miles of Interstate 84 on Friday because of strong winds. Inside that stretch of eastern Oregon highway, a semi-truck was blown over by the gusts. READ MORE, PHOTOS On Dec. 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, conducted the first successful manned powered-airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer. ... In 1865, Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8, known as the "Unfinished" because only two movements had been completed, was first performed publicly in Vienna 37 years after the composer's death. ... In 1944, the U.S. War Department announced it was ending its policy of excluding people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast. ... In 2011, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died after more than a decade of iron rule; he was 69, according to official records, but some reports indicated he was 70. Deputies with the Porter County Sheriffs Department were called at 4:26 p.m. Sunday to the 800 North block of County Road 500 East for a report of a man trapped under a tree, according to a release from Sgt. Jamie Erow, public information officer for the Porter County Sheriffs Department. Saudi Arabia condemned the United States Senate on Monday for a resolution that blames the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for the brutal killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. The forceful statement comes in response to a Senate resolution passed last week that holds Prince Mohammed responsible for Khashoggis assassination and dismemberment inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The Senate voted 56-to-41 to withdraw military support from Saudi Arabia in Yemen, and unanimously passed a resolution assigning blame to the prince for the murder of the Washington Post journalist in October. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejects the position expressed recently by the United States Senate, which was based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdoms internal affairs, undermining the Kingdoms regional and international role, the Kingdoms statement reads. Executed by Saudi agents, the murder has motivated several American officials to call for an end to the longstanding alliance. Once the C.I.A. obtained evidence that the Saudi crown prince was in communication with an aide around the time that the aides team assassinated Khashoggi, several senators stated that the news only solidified their beliefs that Prince Mohammed ordered the killing. Last weeks Senate resolution was for the most part just symbolic. To end American support of the Saudi war in Yemen, the bill will need to pass the House of Representatives and become law (dodging a likely presidential veto along the way). That being said, the Saudi government still forcefully criticized the resolution: While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirms its commitment to continue to further develop its relations with the United States of America, the Kingdom also expresses its concern regarding the positions that were expressed by members of an esteemed legislative body of an allied and friendly government The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership. The Kingdom has previously asserted that the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi is a deplorable crime that does not reflect the Kingdoms policy nor its institutions The Kingdom is keen on preserving its relations with the United States of America, and will continue to work towards improving these ties in all areas. The Kingdom appreciates the prudent position taken by the United States Government and its institutions regarding the recent developments, as it realizes that this position by the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-U.S. relationship. While criticism has grown among the public and several lawmakers, President Trump has continued to support Prince Mohammed, whom he considers to be an important ally in the Middle East. If you haven't been paying attention to the fact that the American people like president Trump and are going to re-elect him, then you must not be a very good listener. He's a master at exposing people for who they really are, like Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) or Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who only want to discuss policy behind closed doors. Nancy even want's the media to stop talking about the president, because she want's to keep secrets where they belong. Behind a closed door! The lead attorney representing the group of contract manufacturers for Apple devices stated yesterday that they're seeking at least $9 billion in damages from Qualcomm and are in no way in settlement talks with the mobile chip supplier. In fact they're "gearing up and heading to trial" in April, Reuters reports. The group of contract manufacturers includes: Foxconn parent Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, Pegatron Corp, Wistron Corp and Compal Electronics Inc. Qualcomm sued the group last year, alleging they had stopped paying royalties related to Apple products, and Apple joined their defense. The contract manufacturers have since filed claims of their own against Qualcomm, alleging the San Diego company's practice of charging money for chips but then also asking for a cut of the adjusted selling price of a mobile phone as a patent royalty payment constitutes an anticompetitive business practice. Ted Boutrous, a high-profile partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP who is representing the contract manufacturers, told Reuters that statements from Qualcomm executives suggesting there were meaningful settlement talks with the contract manufacturers were "false." Does that sound familiar? Well it should for Patently Apple readers as we posted two reports on this same tactic regarding false statements made by Qualcomm CEO in a CNBC interview. Apple's lead attorney set the record straight in late November by telling the court that the rumors of a settlement were false and in fact a settlement wasn't in the cards. Qualcomm is the classic corporate wolf in sheep's clothing. They always try to maintain a calm cool reasonable public face while behind the scenes they unjustly gouge industry suppliers by demanding prices that are far above the actual components that they're selling because they demand a percentage of the entire product that they're parts are in. This is the issue that Apple and their suppliers are challenging Qualcomm in court with: their abuse of power (not market power). Last week Qualcomm argued in court papers that the new market conditions of Apple using Intel would likely show that it does not have the monopoly on modem chips that the FTC alleges. But Judge Lucy Koh rejected the request in a pre-trial decision, saying that the case was about Qualcomms business conduct and not its market power. Police are warning people of a phishing scam posing as Netflix. Consumers from around the country are reporting having received suspicious emails from scammers posing as Netflix. The email claims that the streaming service is having trouble with the users current billing information and asks that they update their payment details. The emails are also addressed Hi Dear." We talk about scams from time to time. Here's an example of an email phishing attempt that I received. (Biggest clue... Posted by City of Solon, Ohio Police Department Government on Thursday, December 6, 2018 Police in Solon, Ohio received one of the scam emails and shared it on their Facebook account. Police warn not to click on any links from an account you dont recognize. According to Netflix, the company only emails its users asking for information from its official email account info@mailer.netflix.com. Netflix has resources to help fight scam emails on its website. Two people were injured late Sunday afternoon when the driver of a Chevy pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic, the Hanover Evening Sun reports. The male driver of the Chevy struck a Ford sedan and caused another Ford sedan to crash into a tree while trying to avoid the accident, Penn Township police report. The car that struck the tree then caught fire. All occupants were able to exit the car safely, as crews worked on getting the fire under control, police say. Two women were sent to area hospitals. Alcohol may have been the reason for the crash, the report says. The crash happened in the 2200 block of Broadway in Hanover, said Penn Township Police Sgt. Andrew Breighner. The driver was handcuffed and placed in the back of the police car, according to the report. A central Pennsylvania man has struck a tentative deal with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to charges that he tried to smuggle endangered turtles to China. If accepted by U.S. Middle District Senior Judge Sylvia H. Rambo that agreement could send Haixi Sheng, a State College-area resident, to prison. Court filings show Sheng has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of smuggling goods from the United States. Those goods, in this case, have shells, four feet and a semi-aquatic disposition. Federal investigators claim Sheng attempted to smuggle eight Gulf Coast box turtles to China. The total value of the animals, which are on the Endangered Species List, comes to around $95,000, his tentative plea agreement states. Sheng was indicted by the feds in May. The turtles in question are a subspecies that live in the Gulf Coast region from Louisiana to Florida. They are among the rare and protected animals sought by rich collectors in China. Investigators say Shengs smuggling occurred in Cumberland County in November 2017. His tentative plea deal sets no specific sentence, but notes the maximum penalty for the crime is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Shengs case isnt a one-off. In July, a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered two flight attendants for a Chinese airline to pay $5,500 each in fines for trying to smuggle 45 spotted and box turtles out of the U.S. in their luggage. Security officials at Los Angeles International Airport found those turtles when the attendants luggage went through the X-ray machine. Tickets are now available for the Jan. 15 inauguration of Gov. Tom Wolf to his second term of office and the evening celebration of his and Lt. Gov.-elect John Fettermans inaugurations to follow later in the day, the Wolf Inaugural 2019 Committee announced on Monday. Tickets can be obtained at the wolfinauguration.com for inauguration that will take place outside the state Capitols East Wing. Gates open at 10 a.m. and guests must be seated by 11:30 for the noontime ceremony. Tickets are free but must be reserved. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Later in the day, the Moving Pennsylvania Forward inaugural celebration will take place at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. Tickets to this event cost $100 a person or $50 for students and senior citizens with valid identification. Those tickets can be purchased on the same website as the one for the inaugural ceremony. In between those events, the Governors Residence will host an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets are not required for this event. Wolf and first lady Frances Wolf along with Fetterman and his wife Gisele will be stopping by the residence during the open house to greet guests. The Wolf Inaugural 2019 Committee encourages Pennsylvanians to join us in celebrating the inauguration of Governor Tom Wolf and Lieutenant Governor-elect John Fetterman on January 15th, said Rob Ghormoz and Giancarlo Stefanoni, co-executive directors of Wolf Inaugural 2019. The inaugural events will showcase the very best of Pennsylvania, commemorate the progress Pennsylvania has made under Governor Wolfs leadership, and set the stage for Governor Wolf and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Fetterman to continue working to move Pennsylvania forward. The committee also is looking for the public to sign up to volunteer for the inauguration. *This post has been updated to reflect that the Wolfs and Fettermans will be available at the open house at the Governors Residence to greet guests. By Dick Polman In case youre wondering why you should care about a scandal-ridden House race in North Carolina - the last race on the midterm calendar that has yet to be decided - Ill simply quote congressional expert Molly Reynolds, whos based at the Brookings think tank in Washington: Fundamentally, all Americans have a stake in ensuring that our elections are conducted fairly and that their ability to exercise their right to vote isnt impeded by fraudulent actors." Fraudulent actors" indeed. According to the evidence (including sworn affidavits) unearthed by the bipartisan state Board of Elections, Republican operatives hired a convicted felon to essentially steal absentee ballots and tilt a House race to the Republican candidate. As a result, the Board of Elections has refused to certify the GOPs 905-vote victory. Yes, folks, this is an actual provable case of election fraud - as opposed to voter fraud, the imaginary epidemic that Republicans routinely conjure out of thin air to justify their attempts to pass photo ID laws and limit early balloting. Republican Mark Harris, a right-wing pastor, appeared at first to have narrowly beaten Democrat Dan McCready, a former Marine, in the sprawling district that includes the suburbs of Charlotte. McCreadys performance was impressive, considering the fact that the districts voters supported Donald Trump by 12 points in 2016, and that, in terms of voter registration, the House district is roughly 15 points more Republican than the national average. But now it appears that McCready may not have lost after all.According to the bipartisan elections board, its very weird that Harris, the Republican, racked up 61 percent of the mail-in absentee votes in heavily Democratic, lower-income Bladen County. How was it possible for Harris to get 61 percent when the countys registered Republicans requested only 19 percent of the absentee ballots? It turns out that a Republican firm, working for the Harris campaign, hired a guy named Leslie McCrae Dowless - a convicted felon previously jailed for fraud - who supervised a very dodgy operation in Bladen County. What we know so far, from the elections board investigation and the sworn affidavits, is that Dowless directed his workers to collect absentee ballots from voters (collecting someone elses ballot is a violation of state law). Even worse, Dowless' workers appear to have filled out many of the ballots (tampering with someone elses ballot is also a violation of state law). It also appears that a sizeable number of requested absentee ballots were never returned at all, which has prompted investigators to believe that ballots filled in for Democrat McCready may have been tossed in the trash. Thats why the elections board wont certify Harris' squeaker victory. And consider the big picture: A week or two ago, it appeared that the biggest blue wave since 1974 had reduced Republicans to 200 seats in the House, a decisive minority. But thanks to their election fraud in North Carolina, they could wind up with only 199.The elections board has the power to call for a new House election, which would inevitably draw national attention. That wouldnt be fun for Harris, whose campaign has been hit with subpoenas. What did he know about Dowless, when did he know it, or was he deaf and dumb about the chicanery conducted on his behalf? A North Carolina operative has privately said, Harris is damaged goods. How is he going to be able to raise money after all this (for a new election campaign)? All of which brings us to Donald Trump.Remember last year, when he fraudulently declared that more than three million people cast ballots illegally and thus deprived him of victory in the 2016 popular vote? Remember last month, when he fraudulently declared that the counting of ballots in the Arizona Senate race was poisoned by electoral corruption? Remember last month, when he fraudulently declared that ballots in the statewide Florida races were missing or forged...showed up out of nowhere, and that the whole process had been massively infected?" No surprise, those were all lies. But now, in North Carolina, we have real evidence of real election fraud perpetrated by the GOP...and yet, nary a word about it has been typed on Twitter. Trumps focus is elsewhere - namely, on himself - but it would be nice if our highest elected official could bring himself to acknowledge a manifest assault on the integrity of the ballot. Because North Carolina is clearly a smocking gun. Dick Polman is the national political columnist at WHYY in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. His work appears most Mondays on PennLive Opinion. Readers may email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com. Bay View cottage destroyed in Monday fire Officials said the cottage was destroyed to the point where it will be considered a complete loss, and will have to be demolished and removed. The vote to officially approve of the results in those races was unanimous, with all three member of the board county commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline all agreeing to certify the results of those races, which upheld the original tallies from the ballots counted by county Voter Services staff. Jerome Clementz taking on the Enduro Salinas in Spain. PRESS RELEASE: Enduro World Series We at the Enduro World Series (EWS) are excited to announce our 2019 European Enduro Series and Qualifier Calendar.With the main EWS races moving to a pre-qualification only structure from 2019 onwards, the European Series and Qualifier events offer up and coming riders a clear pathway into gaining valuable global ranking points and the chance to pre-qualify to race in 2020.Now in its second year, the European Enduro Series will travel to four new venues throughout the continent as riders compete to be crowned the 2019 European Enduro Series Champion.The series will kick off on April 28th in Spain with the Enduro Salines 2019. Located in Massanet de Cabrenys in the Catalonia region, this tiny village is host to an incredible trail network that has put on enduro events for the past decade. Riders taking to the start line at the first round will be faced with a mixture of flowing and technical singletrack that winds through pine and cork forests on their way to the Mediterranean Sea. Liaisons will rely on pedal power, and with around 1600m of elevation, riders should be prepared for a big day in the saddle.Round two swaps Spanish mountains for Scottish hillsides, as the series lands in Innerleithen in the south of the country for round two. Hosts the Scottish Enduro Series will introduce riders to some of the most iconic trails in the UK on the weekend of May 18-19th. Known for its steep, technical tracks, Innerleithen has historically been the proving ground for some of the biggest names in mountain biking over the past two decades.Innerleithen in Scotland will host Round 2.The third round of the series needs little introduction - Petzen/Jamnica made history in 2018 when it became the first EWS to span two countries in a single race. The same thing will happen at the Black Hole Bike Fest in 2019 when racers get the chance to take on Jamnicas hand cut trail in Slovenia, and also Petzens fast, flowing singletrack just over the border in Austria. Taking place on June 22-23rd, the penultimate round of the series is sure to throw up a few surprises.Petzen/Jamnica hosted an EWS in 2018 and is back on the 2019 calendar as round 3 of the European Enduro SeriesFrance is known as enduros spiritual home so where better to round out the series? The French Enduro Series will host the final event in Loudenvielle, in the stunning Vallee Du Louroun in the South West of the country on the weekend of September 7-8th as part of the Pyrenees Bike Festival. The new series champions will be crowned high amongst the French Pyrenees, after tackling trails that encompass roots, rocks and plenty of those famous French turns. This two day race will take in big miles - with some stages starting at around 2300 metres high. Day one will feature no lifts, but there will be some chairlift access on the second day to ease those tired legs on the final day of racing before the new European Series Champions are named.The new European Enduro series Champions will be crowned in France at the final round.Meanwhile, the 2019 Qualifier Calendar looks set to offer more races than ever before, with an expanded African calendar and the Series first foray into Asia. Countries making their EWS Qualifier debuts include Bali, Malaysia, Nepal, Japan and South Africa. The Qualifier Series will also offer races across Europe, Scandinavia, North and South America and Australasia, with a number of dates and venues being finalised that will be announced early in the new year.Full details of the EWS European Enduro Series and the 2019 Qualifier Calendar are available at www.enduroworldseries.com Belt conveyor and vibrating feeder used for Shredded Tyre were dispatched to Dakar Port 2018-12-17 Last week, belt conveyor and vibrating feeder applied in shredded tyre handling ordered by our regular French customer were delivered from Qingdao port to the project location: Senegal. Since 2016, we started to supplied equipment to our French customer, this is the third cooperation between both sides, the equipment general data is specified by client. The belt conveyor is 103,618m long and 800mm wide, 35in inclination, meanwhile, the belt will be with chevron due to inclination. While the vibrating feeder is 2800mm long, 1000mm wide, 10in inclination. These two handle shredded tyre with capacity of 20t/h. PK Machinery workers ensured belt conveyor and vibrating feeder manufactured strictly adhering to the customers requirement and we are sure solid long-term cooperation relationship will be continued. Since established, PK Machinery has enjoyed more than 50 steady years of successful growth, and now it has been widely acknowledged as a trustworthy and professional manufacturer in the field of bulk material handling equipment, including vibrating screen, belt conveyor, vibrating feeder, bucket elevator, screw conveyor, scraper chain conveyor all over the world. If any inquiry, please send to info@pkmachinery.com. Further information, please click: www.pkmachinery.com Sunday Briefing: Artem veeea Vezhenkov Wins Third Sunday Million December 17, 2018 Matthew Pitt Most online poker player dream of winning the PokerStars Sunday Million. It is a dream that remains unfulfilled for the vast majority of those players. Russias Artem veeea Vezhenkov isnt like most players, he has now won the Sunday Million a staggering three times, with this latest victory bagging him more than $140,000. PokerStars Sunday Million Date December 16th Buy-in $215 Guarantee $1,000,000 Entrants 5,236 Prize pool $1,047,200 ITM 944 Artem veeea Vezhenkov first won the PokerStars Sunday Million on Nov. 15, 2015 when he outlasted a field of 5,925 players to secure a $183,675 prize, which is still his largest cash to date. Less than two years later, on Jul. 9, 2017, Vezhenkov took down his second Sunday Million after being the last player standing from 5,554 entrants; this win banked him $166,530. Amazingly, Vezhenkov almost won the Sunday Million on Oct. 28 this year, but fell in third-place for a $71,822 score. This weekend, Vezhenkov triumphed over 5,235 opponents to get his hands on another $141,494. It is a remarkable achievement by anyones standards. One Sunday Million victory is a solid achievement in its own right, two is crazy but three and a third-place finish is quite ridiculous. Vezhenkov defeated the United Kingdoms WhatA298 heads-up to lock in his third Sunday Million title, resigning the British grinder to a $99,292 consolation prize. A huge congratulations to Vezhenkov. If he enters the Sunday Million on Dec. 23, PokerStars may as well just give him the title! Place Player Country Prize 1 Artem veeea Vezhenkov Russia $141,494 2 WhatA298 United Kingdom $99,292 3 LEHMATLENTAA Finland $69,680 4 sman9876 United Kingdom $48,899 5 Joelauson7 United Kingdom $34,316 6 SoCloseCall Norway $24,082 7 Ejdms Czech Republic $16,900 8 shockpowerJr Netherlands $11,859 9 Jose Queiroz neto gol Costa Neto Brazil $8,323 PokerStars High Roller Club: $2,100 Sunday HR Date December 16th Buy-in $2,100 Guarantee $150,000 Entrants 82 Prize pool $164,000 ITM 9 Martin M.nosbocaJ Jacobson was crowned the $2,100 Sunday High Roller champion this weekend, an accolade that came with a $39,838 first-place prize. Former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jacobson defeated topdoll827 of the United Kingdom heads-up for the title; second-place was worth $31,248. The final table had plenty of established professionals seated at it, as you would expect from such a high buy-in affair. Guillaume Nolet20 Nolet was one of those pros, although his tournament ended in a ninth-place finish. Others who navigated their way to the final table included Claas SsicK_OnE Segebrecht, Richard a Bull 67 Loth, Connor blanconegro Drinan and Argentinas Rodrigo sonmonedas Perez. Place Player Country Prize 1 Martin M.nosbocaJ Jacobson United Kingdom $39,838 2 topdoll827 United Kingdom $31,248 3 Pimmss Netherlands $24,511 4 Sphinx87 Poland $19,226 5 Rodrigo sonmonedas Perez Argentina $15,080 6 Connor blanconegro Drinan Mexico $11,829 7 Richard a Bull 67 Loth Denmark $9,278 8 Claas SsicK_OnE Segebrecht Germany $7,277 9 Guillaume Nolet20 Nolet Canada $5,708 partypoker Sunday High Roller Bounty Hunter Date December 16th Buy-in $530 Guarantee $200,000 Entrants 419 Prize pool $214,737 ITM 56 This weekends partypoker Sunday High Roller Bounty Hunter saw its $200,000 guarantee blown out of the water after 419 players ponied up $530 to create a $214,737 prize pool that was shared among the top 56 finishers. Claiming the lions share of the money was Germanys I am bored. who took home the $20,007 first-place prize plus an additional $18,682 from the bounty prize pool. This bounty prize was so substantial because it contained the bounty of runner-up Hedger44499 of Ireland and their own now huge bounty. Earlier at the final table, Kosovos high stakes regular rrinKS busted in sixth-place for a combined score of $5,317 while Jamie lipinator OConnor crashed out in third-place for a total cash haul of $15,358 and was the only other player, aside from the top two finishers, to bank five-figures for their effort. Place Player Country Prize Bounty Prize Total Prize 1 I am bored. Germany $20,007 $18,682 $38,689 2 Hedger44499 Ireland $14,350 $3,441 $17,791 3 Jamie lipkinator OConnor United Kingdom $9,846 $5,512 $15,358 4 blackaces93 Poland $6,913 $754 $7,667 5 Kahui Brazil $4,944 $3,084 $8,028 6 rrinKS Kosovo $3,603 $1,714 $5,317 7 Hallgeir72 Norway $2,545 $2,280 $4,825 8 GangbaaangBob Germany $1,854 $2,313 $4,167 partypoker Bounty Hunter Date December 16th Buy-in $109 Guarantee $150,000 Entrants 1,595 Prize pool $165,880 ITM 200 $150,000 was guaranteed in the $109 Bounty Hunter and $165,880 was paid out, with the largest chunk of cash now being nestled in the partypoker account of Canadas RedPant. Another Canadia, seotaiji86 fell in eighth-place but must have been aggressive on their way to the final table as they banked $1,790 worth of bounties, almost double the $949 they were awarded for finishing eighth. Austrias M1ndBl0w busted in third-place and was the last player not to collect a five-figure score. The Austrian netted $6,220 for their third-place finish, which was boosted by $2,631 from the bounty prize pool. The United Kingdoms ohthedevil pushed RedPant all the way for the title but ultimately fell at the final hurdle. Second-place was worth $10,385 in total this week, which left RedPant to turn their $109 investment into $21,619. Place Player Country Prize Bounty Prize Total Prize 1 RedPant Canada $13,478 $8,141 $21,619 2 ohthedevil United Kingdom $9,570 $815 $10,385 3 M1ndBl0w Austria $6,220 $2,631 $8,851 4 foxmulder92 Netherlands $4,154 $2,150 $6,304 5 ginger_master Poland $2,950 $1,563 $4,513 6 umadatmebro Norway $2,073 $881 $2,954 7 BadFox77 Ukraine $1,435 $108 $1,543 8 seotaiji86 Canada $949 $1,790 $2,739 888poker $80,000 Sunday Mega Deep Date December 16th Buy-in $215 Guarantee $80,000 Entrants 420 Prize pool $84,000 ITM 40 It was a case of fourth time lucky for Brazils Yattag0 in the 888poker $80,000 SUnday Mega Deep after they went all the way and took down the biggest tournament held at 888poker this weekend with their fourth $215 bullet. $16,380 was the champions prize this week and the Brazilian got their hands on it after sending Duckface01 to the rail in second-place, a finish worth $12,180 and the only other five-figure score awarded in this tournament. Another player who fired multiple bullets was eighth-place bAdP0KeR87 of Germany who managed to take six bites at the cherry this week on their way to collecting $2,100. Place Player Country Prize 1 Yattag0 Brazil $16,380 2 Duckface01 $12,180 3 ShipGold Norway $9,240 4 GangstaGo Ukraine $6,720 5 1LevelAbove Sweden $4,620 6 Alessandro WadoIchimonj Sarro $3,360 7 Andy Life0nMars Wilson United Kingdom $2,520 8 bAdP0KeR87 Germany $2,100 888poker $20,000 Sunday PKO Date December 16th Buy-in $109 Guarantee $20,000 Entrants 244 Prize pool $24,400 ITM 27 Progressive Knockout tournaments are relatively new at 888poker but they have already proven popular with 244 players exchanging $109 for a shot at a $24,400 prize pool on Sunday. Ninth-place finisher nordfrutt of Germany was busy sending foes to the rail and collected three-times as much money from the bounty prize pool as they did from the main prize pool; a combined score of $998 was more than seventh-place MarikChichik banked. Four British grinders occupied placed third through sixth. Feargus EZ.PZ Murphy went the deepest in third, Luis paraRC Faria, silkshoota and Paul Senta99 Senter busted in fourth-place though sixth. After earlier winning the $109 Bounty Hunter at partypoker, RedPantRed found themself heads-up against ruttz of Estonia in this event. They couldnt quite get the job done, however, and had to make do with a combined $2,484 for second-place, leaving the Estonia to collect $4,872. Place Player Country Prize Bounty Prize Total Prize 1 ruttz Estonia $2,623 $2,249 $4,872 2 RedPantRed Canada $1,891 $593 $2,484 3 Feargus EZ.PZ Murphy United Kingdom $1,433 $693 $2,126 4 Luis paraRC Faria United Kingdom $1,067 $534 $1,601 5 silkshoota United Kingdom $732 $434 $1,166 6 Paul Senta99 Senter United Kingdom $610 $583 $1,193 7 MarikChichik Ukraine $488 $231 $719 8 Papeiraaa Germany $366 $150 $516 9 nordfrutt Germany $244 $754 $998 The Stars Group is a majority shareholder in iBus Media Paul Michaelis Crushes Day 4 of the EPT Prague Main Event December 16, 2018 Shirley Ang Five levels of 90 minutes each were played on Day 4 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague 5,300 Main Event here at the Hilton Prague. At noon, 44 players returned to battle it out and now there are 16 players left. Germanys Paul Michaelis takes the overnight chip lead with him as he bagged 5,315,000. Michaelis actually started the day as one of the short stacks with 12 big blinds, and he hovered somewhere in the middle of the pack for most of the day, but had an amazing last two levels going from around 1,100,000 in chips to almost quintuple that. He first doubled through Artem Kobylynskyi with ace-king against the ace-queen of Kobylynskyi. He then eliminated Andrija Robovic with pocket kings when Robovic held pocket queens. Michaelis kept getting involved in pots, collecting more and more chips in the meanwhile, to end the day at the top of the chip counts. Other Big Stacks on Day 4 of EPT Prague Main Event Trailing Michaelis in second place in the leaderboard is Liviu Ignat with 4,550,000. During the last level of the night, Liviu Ignat scored a huge double-up against the Day 3 chip leader Konstantin Farber. Ignat held pocket kings while Farber had pocket jacks, the board didnt provide any danger to Ignat as he doubled over for the more than 2 million in chips that he had behind. Farber managed to find a double later on and bagged 1,700,000 which are fewer chips than he started with but hell be happy to have survived the day. Diego Zeiter closes the podium in third place, bagging 3,905,000 at the end of the day. Zeiter coolered Xixiang Luo when he had flopped the higher set with pocket sevens when Luo was sitting on the set of sixes. Parker Talbot collected 3,250,000 to finish in fourth place in the chip counts while Evangelos Bechrakis sealed 2,170,000 into his bag for Day 5. Ugo Faggioli won a huge pot in the fourth level of the day when Guenter Halak shoved almost 14 big blinds after Faggioli had raised. Evangelos Bechrakis called and Faggioli shoved for almost 2 million. Bechrakis also called that shove, holding pocket queens, while Halak had pocket tens. But Faggioli was ahead as he held the rockets and didnt give that lead up all throughout the board. That gave him the chip lead into the last break of the night but he ended up with 3,500,000 in chips. Ugo Faggioli (L) and Guenter Halak played a big one on Day 4. Andrey Pateychuk will be going into Day 5 as the short stack with 705,000 but he probably is one of the more experienced live tournament grinders left in the field. Plus, he has also already shipped an EPT before. Pateychuk won EPT San Remo in Season 8 in 2011 for 680,000 and will be looking to run his stack up for another win. Day 4 Eliminations, Day 5 Plan Not everyone was successful in winning their all-ins as players like Tobias Peters, Henrik Hecklen, Natalie The, Joris Ruijs, Michal Schuh and Anton Wigg were all eliminated on Sunday. The 16 remaining players will return at noon to finish the last five minutes of Level 25 which features a small blind of 20,000, big blind of 40,000, and a big blind ante of 40,000. They will then immediately continue with Level 26 with a small blind of 25,000, big blind of 50,000, and a big blind ante of 50,000. All returning players are guaranteed at least a payout of 44,920 ($50,771) while the eventual winner will walk away with the top prize of 1,020,000 ($1,152,861). Play is expected to continue until there are six players left but this is subject to change at the tournament directors discretion. The PokerNews live reporting team will be there from the first shuffle up and deal until the final bag has been sealed so come back at noon, Monday, December 17, to see who will be making waves on Day 5 of the Main Event. Five levels of 90 minutes each were played on Day 4 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague 5,300 Main Event here in the Hilton Prague. At noon, 44 players returned to battle it out and now there are 16 players left. Germanys Paul Michaelis takes the overnight chip lead with him as he bagged 5,315,000. Michaelis actually started the day as one of the short stacks with 12 big blinds, and he hovered somewhere in the middle of the pack for most of the day but had an amazing last two levels going from around 1,100,000 in chips to almost quintuple that. He first doubled up through Artem Kobylynskyi with ace-king against the ace-queen of Kobylynskyi. He then eliminated Andrija Robovic with pocket kings when Robovic held pocket queens. Michaelis kept getting involved in pots, collecting more and more chips in the meanwhile, to end the day at the top of the chip counts. Trailing Michaelis in second place in the leaderboard is Liviu Ignat with 4,550,000. During the last level of the night, Ignat scored a huge double-up against the Day 3 chip leader Konstantin Farber. Ignat held pocket kings while Farber had pocket jacks, the board didnt provide any danger to Ignat as he doubled over for the more than 2 million in chips that he had behind. Farber managed to find a double later on and bagged 1,700,000 which are fewer chips than he started with but hell be happy to have survived the day. Diego Zeiter closes the podium in third place, bagging 3,905,000 at the end of the day. Zeiter coolered Xixiang Luo when he had flopped the higher set with pocket sevens when Luo was sitting on the set of sixes. Parker Talbot collected 3,250,000 to finish in fourth place in the chip counts while Evangelos Bechrakis sealed 2,170,000 into his bag for Day 5. Ugo Faggioli won a huge pot in the fourth level of the day when Guenter Halak shoved almost 14 big blinds after Faggioli had raised. Evangelos Bechrakis called and Faggioli shoved for almost 2 million. Bechrakis also called that shove, holding pocket queens, while Halak had pocket tens. But Faggioli was ahead as he held the rockets and didnt give that lead up all throughout the board and took the chip lead into the last break of the night but ended up with 3,500,000 in chips. Ugo Faggioli (L) and Guenter Halak Andrey Pateychuk will be going into Day 5 as the short stack with 705,000 but he probably is one of the more experienced live tournament grinders left in the field. Plus, he has also already shipped an EPT before. Pateychuk won EPT San Remo in Season 8, 2011, for 680,000 and will be looking to run his stack up for another win. Not everyone was successful in winning their all-ins as players like Tobias Peters, Henrik Hecklen, Natalie The, Joris Ruijs, Michal Schuh and Anton Wigg were all eliminated on Sunday. The 16 remaining players will return at noon to finish the last five minutes of Level 25 which features a small blind of 20,000, big blind of 40,000, and a big blind ante of 40,000. They will then immediately continue with Level 26 with a small blind of 25,000, big blind of 50,000, and a big blind ante of 50,000. Play is expected to continue until there are six players left but this is subject to change at the tournament directors discretion. The PokerNews live reporting will be there from the first shuffle up and deal until the final bag has been sealed so come back at noon, Monday, December 17, to see who will be making waves on Day 5 of the Main Event. By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) Matthew Whitaker flew to Dallas last week to deliver his latest speech since U.S. President Donald Trump installed him as acting attorney general, an appointment embroiled in criticism and court challenges. In the aftermath of the blow-up, Whitakers public remarks in the last five weeks have been notable for what they lacked any hint of controversy. Whitakers speeches, which have to largely stuck to conventional subjects such as opioid crisis, reflect the inconspicuous approach adopted by the 49-year-old lawyer since Trump named him as the nations top law enforcement official. So far, fears among some Democrats that Whitaker would interfere with an investigation into whether Trumps presidential campaign colluded with Russia have not come to pass. Hes waded into few legal issues, and largely stayed the course set by his predecessor, ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Meanwhile, the initial criticism of his appointment, centered partly on his lack of credentials and questions about his conflicts of interest in the Russia probe, has turned into a constitutional fight. There are at least nine cases questioning the legality of his appointment, many of which contend Trump violated the U.S. Constitution by installing him without Senate confirmation. Two of those are slated for oral arguments this week in federal courts, while a third case was argued on Friday morning Those court fights appear to have limited Whitakers reach, experts say, since almost any action he takes could be challenged and put on hold. Its quite possible, although well never really know, that the controversies surrounding his appointment have had a chilling effect on Whitaker, said George Conway, an attorney who is married to White House adviser Kellyanne Conway. Conway is among those who believe the appointment violated the Constitution. One of the reasons he is not making any sudden moves is because of the question mark over him, said Victoria Bassetti, a contributor with the Brennan Center for Justice, a judicial advocacy group at New York University. As long as these cases are pending, they are acting as sort of a guard rail, she said. Whitaker declined an interview request. A Justice Department spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec, said in a statement that Whitaker has worked tirelessly to maintain the momentum and achieve the priorities of the department and cited examples including his meetings with U.S. Attorneys offices and the creation of a Memphis Crime Gun Strike Force, among other things. ATTENTION ON IMMIGRATION One of the few areas where Whitaker has sought to make policy during his brief tenure is immigration, where he singled out two cases in early December for special attention. Since U.S. immigration courts fall under the Justice Departments jurisdiction, the attorney general can intervene and help set precedents. But the controversy surrounding Whitakers appointment could complicate the two cases he has selected to review. One of them, called Matter of Castillo-Perez, turns on whether multiple drunk-driving convictions should disqualify an immigrant seeking relief from deportation proceedings. The other, known as the Matter of LEA, is focused on whether immigrants may seek asylum because their membership in a family is central to why they face persecution. Bradley Jenkins, a lawyer with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network representing LEA, said he anticipates challenging Whitakers authority to review the case. We are certainly concerned at the aggressiveness with which this person, who was appointed via an unprecedented procedure, seems eager to exercise one of the powers of the office in an acting capacity, Jenkins said. It remains to be seen whether Whitaker will issue a decision on his reviews before he leaves the post. Earlier this month, Trump said he will nominate William Barr, who was attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush, to fill the job. Some critics say that nomination should not negate concerns about Whitaker and any actions he may take, including on these two cases. The attorney general has an enormous amount of power vested in him, said Ben Berwick, a lawyer with Protect Democracy, one of the groups leading a legal challenge to Whitakers appointment filed by three Senate Democrats. Berwick added that Whitaker probably has a few more months in the job before Barrs nomination is considered by the Senate. Someone who wields that much power in this country needs to be approved by the Senate, he said. The legal challenges to Whitaker mostly center on whether Trump violated the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution because the job of attorney general is a principal officer who must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. They also allege he violated a succession statute which calls for the deputy attorney general in this case Rod Rosenstein to take over temporarily as acting attorney general. The Justice Department has defended Whitakers appointment, saying Trump is allowed to install a senior, non-Senate confirmed staffer temporarily under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. So far, one judge has sided with the Justice Department by declaring Whitakers appointment was constitutional, after a defendant in a criminal case tried to have the charges dismissed. There are still a number of pending cases, however, including two this week, and the lawsuit brought by the three Senators who say they were denied their right to provide advice and consent. Legal experts said it is possible many of these lawsuits could be rendered moot if the Senate acts quickly to confirm Barr. But some say it is important that a judge make a ruling, or else future presidents could seek to sidestep Senate confirmation. If a president can fire a cabinet member and replace them with staffers who have never been reviewed by the Senate, that is a major historical precedent, said Walter Dellinger, a former solicitor general. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Paul Thomasch) 402 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Sofia Menchu SAN ANTONIO DE CORTEZ, Guatemala (Reuters) The 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant girl who died after being detained by U.S. border agents this month was inseparable from her father and had looked forward to being able to send money home to support her impoverished family, relatives said. Nery Caal, 29, and his daughter Jakelin were in a group of more than 160 migrants who handed themselves in to U.S. border agents in New Mexico on Dec. 6. Jakelin developed a high fever while in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and died two days later at a hospital in El Paso, Texas. The girl said when she was grown up she was going to work and send dough back to her mom and grandma, said her mother Claudia Maquin, who has three remaining children, speaking in the Mayan language Qeqchi and betraying little outward emotion. Because shed never seen a big country, she was really happy that she was going to go, she added, explaining how her husband had gone to the United States to find a way out of the extreme poverty that dictated their lives. Corn stood behind her palm-thatched wooden house and a few chickens and pigs scrabbled in the yard as she spoke, dressed in a traditional blouse with a 6-month-old baby in her arms. A family photograph at the house showed Jakelin smiling and looking up at the camera, wearing a pink T-shirt with characters from the cartoon series Masha and the Bear. Deforestation to make way for palm-oil plantations has made subsistence farming increasingly hard for the 40,000 inhabitants of Raxruha municipality, where the familys agricultural hamlet of San Antonio de Cortez lies in central Guatemala, local officials said. That has spurred an exodus of migrants. Setting out on Dec. 1, Caal and his daughter traveled more than 2,000 miles (3,220 km) so Jakelins father could look for work in the United States, said her mother, who learned of the girls death from consular officials. Almost 80 percent of Guatemalas indigenous population are poor, with half of those living in extreme poverty. The mayor of San Antonio de Cortez described the Caal family as among the worst off in the village. Mayor Cesar Castro said in recent months more and more families were uprooting to try to reach the United States, often selling what little land they owned to pay people traffickers thousands of dollars for the trip. Its not just the Caal family. There are endless people who are leaving, Castro said. I see them drive past in pickups, cars and buses. He said most of them came back in the end, often penniless after being dropped off by traffickers, caught by authorities and deported. Jakelins death has added to criticism of U.S. of President Donald Trumps hard-line immigration policies from migrant advocates and Democrats in the U.S. Congress. The U.S. government defended Jakelins treatment, and said there was no indication she had any medical problems until several hours after she and her father were taken into custody. The father, speaking through a representative in Texas, agreed with that account, saying the girl exhibited no sign of distress at the border. The family, in a statement issued by their attorneys in El Paso, disputed as erroneous media reports that the girl had gone for days without food or water or became severely dehydrated. INSEPARABLE Domingo Caal, Jakelins grandfather, said she had gone on the journey because she did not want to leave her father. The girl really stuck to him. It was very difficult to separate them, said Domingo, 61, wearing muddy boots and a faded and torn blue shirt. Jakelins uncle, Jose Manuel Caal, said he had heard she was ill before she died, but had expected her to recover. The girls death left us in shock, he said. The family hope the girls father can remain in the United States. What I want now is for Nery to stay and work in the United States. Thats what I want, said his wife. A Guatemalan consular official told Reuters on Friday that Caal told him he had crossed the border planning to turn himself in to U.S. authorities, and will try to stay. Record numbers of parents traveling with children are being apprehended trying to cross the U.S. border with Mexico. In November, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers detained 25,172 members of family units, the highest monthly number ever recorded, the agency said. Parents with children are more likely to be released by U.S. authorities while their cases are processed because of legal restrictions on keeping children in detention. Caal remains in the El Paso area, where his daughter died after being flown by helicopter to a hospital there for emergency treatment when she stopped breathing. A brain scan revealed swelling and Jakelin was diagnosed with liver failure. She died early in the morning on Dec. 8, with her father at the hospital, a CBP official said. U.S. authorities are investigating the death. (Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Jonathan Oatis) American actor Johnny Depp shared his creative experiences in acting with Chinese young actors and filmmakers at a masterclass held in Sanya city, Hainan province, on Saturday, one day before the closing ceremony of the first Hainan International Film Festival. Depp, who played the malevolent wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the newly-released fantasy movie "Fantastic Animals: The Crime of Grindelwald", is known for his portrayal of eccentric characters in films like "Ed Wood", "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", as well as his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. Observation Over the course of a career spanning more than 30 years, Depp has won 28 major film-related awards and been nominated 33 times, including three Oscar nominations. Observation is very important to an actor, Depp pointed out when talking about his career with masterclass host Yang Ying, CEO of Movie View International. "One of my favorite things in the world is watching people", Depp said. In his view, actors should be good observers, watching people's body language and speaking style, and transforming this into their own abilities to progress in acting, and even in life. "There are always new things to observe when you are seeking opportunities for observation", Depp said, noting that it's an experience to learn about people, especially their motivations. Sense of responsibility As one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood, Depp explained his philosophy of acting -- be responsible to the writers, directors, the audience and himself -- during talks with Chinese young writer-director Yang Zi. Specifically, Depp said he has a responsibility to deliver the writers' intent and director's vision. Besides, he has a responsibility to the audience to put interesting thoughts in their heads, especially something they haven't thought about before. Then, he has a responsibility to himself, which is to stay true to his life choices. Speaking of his first collaboration in the breakout film "Edward Scissorhands" with Tim Burton, a director who has maintained a working relationship with him for over 20 years, he recounted that, during the first three weeks of shooting, Burton wasn't sure if Depp was overdoing things and being too weird; however, after a few tough weeks the director decided to let him do exactly what he wanted. "The most important thing an actor can do for a film is to provide choices", Depp stressed. This meant that every take should be different. "I think you're only doing half a job if you don't deliver options to the director." 10.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump, who boasted about having a great memory, suddenly doesnt remember what was said during his meeting about the Trump Tower Moscow project. Rudy Giuliani gave the official Trump position on ABCs The Week: STEPHANOPOULOS: Did the president did Donald Trump know that Michael Cohen was pursuing the Trump Tower in Moscow into the summer of 2016? GIULIANI: According to the answer that he gave, it would have covered all the way up to covered up to November, 2016. Said he had conversations with him but the president didnt hide this. They know STEPHANOPOULOS: Earlier they had said those conversations stopped in January, 2016. GIULIANI: I dont I mean, the date I mean, until you actually sit down and you look at the questions, and you go back and you look at the papers and you look at the the youre not going to know what happened. Thats why thats why lawyers, you know, prepare for those answers. Video: Trump has a great memory until it comes to doing business in Russia, then he suddenly goes blank. If this is the best defense that Trump can come up with, they better start packing up the moving vans in the White House now because hes a goner. Just like any small-time criminal who gets caught, Trumps first line of defense is to claim that he was framed, a.k.a. witch hunt, and after that fails, he shifts to claiming that he doesnt remember what happened. It doesnt matter if Donald Trump remembers or not. There are lots of people who do remember along with plenty of documents and Robert Mueller has them all. Trump is quickly running out excuses. His claim of memory loss isnt going to work because even though the president lies, the evidence does not. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook. 1.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard A Texas judges decision to strike down Obamacare as unconstitutional was, according to Daily Kos, a lawless act of partisan idiocy. The ridiculous opinion will undoubtedly be reversed upon appeal. In the meantime the mere prospect of overturning the popular healthcare law, and taking health insurance away from 20 million people, is hurting the Republican Party. For Democrats this decision could be the gift that keeps on giving. As Bloomberg reported, the case will stretch into 2020, and probably beyond, due to appeals. Which means that in the 2020 presidential and congressional elections healthcare will again be the most important issue. In fact providing affordable healthcare to all Americans may be the defining issue of the entire election season in 2020. And it could be the issue that swings not only the presidency but also control of the U.S. Senate to the Democratic Party. Needless to say, the conservative judges opinion is going to cause a LOT of trouble for the Republican Party Every election observer pointed out that healthcare was the top issue in 2018. Voters overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates on the issue of healthcare. It played a key role in helping them take back the House. And in three RED states a majority of voters said they wanted to not only keep Obamacare but expand Medicaid. In red-state Nebraska voters enacted Medicaid expansion via ballot initiative despite years of the GOP-controlled state legislatures refusal to do so. Once implemented, an additional 90,000 people in Nebraska will have healthcare. Thats not a benefit theyre going to want to give up. Republican two-faced Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska is up for re-election in 2020, and now finds himself in a dangerous political situation. Sasse, like Jeff Flake of Arizona, is one of those GOP senators who talks a good game but at the end of the day he always votes for the GOPs hateful policies. During the Obamacare repeal debate in 2017 he tried to avoid talking about the issue. A month before the Senate vote, he told the press that the bill was more of a Medicaid reform bill than anything else. Sasse declined to take a position on the bill, giving as an excuse that he had read only part of it. This session is actually on the record, right? he said, when asked by a moderator how he would vote. Theres press here? I have nothing to announce today. When Sasse used the term Medicaid reform, he meant that the GOPs Obamacare repeal would end the expansion of Medicaid and throw millions of people off healthcare. But voters in his own state just overwhelmingly voted to EXPAND Medicaid. Sasse, of course, did vote for that Medicaid reform bill, meaning that he voted to take away the healthcare that his states voters just extended to its most vulnerable citizens. He also has made unsupportive comments on things like pre-existing conditions and the social safety net which will likely come back to haunt him in 2020. For example, with respect to pre-existing conditions, Sasse said that the percentage of people who are actually uninsurable is very small. We can solve that problem, Sasse said. We have social welfare safety net programs that can solve that problem. What did he mean by social welfare safety net programs? Did he mean Medicaid, that he had voted to take away from millions of people? Sasse has voted for every Obamacare limitation and repeal, which is out of step with Nebraska voters. For the next two years, Sasse is going to have to face voters and answer questions from the press about the Obamacare lawsuit, the Medicaid expansion, and protecting people with pre-existing health conditions. Nebraska may be a red state that could turn purple, or even blue, because of the healthcare issue. Sasse may think his conservative votes will continue to play well in the Cornhusker state, but things change over time. In 2016 there was a surprisingly close House race where progressive Democrat Kara Eastman earned 48% of the vote against incumbent Republican Don Bacon. With 90,000 people now getting healthcare, Sasse will have a hard time convincing the people of Nebraska that they should send him back to Washington to vote to take away that healthcare. GOP Senator Susan Collins in Maine faces a similar situation where the voters in her state have approved Medicaid expansion. She is up for reelection in 2020 and is very vulnerable due to her role in confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Likewise, in Colorado, GOP Senator Cory Gardner is up for reelection in 2020 and is considered to be extremely vulnerable. He also voted to repeal Obamacare, which was a very unpopular move among his Colorado voters. According to Daily Kos, a group called Progressives Everywhere has started an ActBlue page to raise money for the eventual Democratic nominees in the Nebraska, Maine, and Colorado Senate elections in 2020. If Democrats can win Senate seats in those three states there is an excellent chance they can take back Senate control. And thanks to the right-wing judge in Texas, it might actually happen. 3.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard The Senate Intelligence Committee will release a new report this week that has the results of a study of the millions of social media posts provided to Congress detailing Russian efforts to help elect President Donald Trump, according to a Washington Post story Sunday. According to the Post, the report details a massive Russian disinformation campaign around the 2016 election which used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters interests to help elect President Trump and worked even harder to support him while in office. What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically Donald Trump, the report says. Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign. The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting. The Senate committee hasnt endorsed the conclusions in the report, which was prepared by Oxford University researchers. According to the Post, they obtained a draft before it was made available to the public. The findings are considered reliable because the report was prepared based on data provided to the Senate committee (and members of the House Intelligence Committee) by companies such as Alphabet Inc.s Google and Facebook Inc. The report by the Oxford researchers gives many new details about the previously known efforts by the Russian governments Internet Research Agency to support Trumps election in 2016. The Russians worked through massive social media posting as well as advertising campaigns. Their goal was to undermine democracy in the United States in addition to helping Trump become president. They did this by inflaming passionate divisions that already existed in the U.S. electorate. They published millions of posts on such controversial topics as race and gun laws. According to the Post, the report said the companies who gave Congress the data did not provide all the useful information they needed. In fact, they accused Facebook of sharing only posts from Russian accounts that bought ads and not those from other Russian government accounts. The researchers struggled to interpret data from Googles YouTube as well, the newspaper said. Neither the companies involved, nor the Senate Intelligence Committee, provided comments to the Post, although with a bombshell revelation such as this, there is sure to be more information to follow in the very near future. The full report is expected to be released to the public later this week. Not that we needed it, but this report will provide additional confirmation that Donald Trump was elected with the help of the Russian government, and therefore he is an illegitimate president and should be removed from office. 473 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Saudi Arabia has rejected a U.S. Senate bipartisan resolution that blamed Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to the Associated Press (AP). The Saudi government used strong language in rebuking the Senates actions, saying it was unwarranted and unwanted intrusion into the affairs of the Saudi kingdom. In a very direct statement released early Monday, Saudi Arabia said the U.S. Senate resolution contained blatant interference in the kingdoms internal affairs and undermines its regional and international role. The statement also said that the Senate resolution was based on unsubstantiated claims and allegations. The kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature, it added. The response to the Senate action is a clear sign that the relationship between the Saudi royal court and the U.S. Congress has significantly deteriorated. The controversy began on October 6 when Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents inside the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The Turkish government has provided evidence to the U.S. CIA which shows that the Khashoggi murder was carried out by assassins working at the direction of the Saudi Crown Prince, MBS. On Thursday the U.S. Senate passed the measure that blamed the prince for Khashoggis killing and called on Saudi Arabia to ensure appropriate accountability. Senators also passed a separate measure calling for the end of U.S. aid to the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Both resolutions were not supported by the Trump administration. Donald Trump and his family are known to have long-standing financial ties to the Saudi government, and this is believed to have affected the U.S. government policy, which has been hands off. In fact President Trump issued a statement last month saying that MBS had nothing to do with Khashoggis murder. According to the AP report, the strong language in the Saudi statement is usually reserved for those who criticize the kingdoms human rights record, such as Sweden in 2015 after the public flogging of a blogger, and Canada this year over the arrests of womens rights activists. But the language was made clear that the kingdom reaffirms its commitment to relations with the United States and described the Senate as an esteemed legislative body of an allied and friendly government. The Saudi statement said the Senates resolution will not affect the kingdoms leading role in the region, its role in supporting the stability of international energy markets, its counter-terrorism cooperation and its stand with the U.S. in confronting Iran. The statement then added that the Saudi government believes that the Senates action sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-U.S. relationship. The U.S. government has been pushed to the brink of a partial shutdown, according to the Associated Press (AP). With both sides unwilling to budge, a compromise solution does not look possible. On the one hand, Donald Trump and his White House aides say that Congress must provide $5 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. On the other hand, key leaders in Congress say that there will be no money given by them to build Trumps beloved wall, which was one of his top campaign promises. If a solution is not found to this stalemate, several key agencies in the federal government will shut down at midnight on Friday. And Republicans will be blamed for it. White House senior adviser Stephen Miller went on the Sunday morning talk shows and defiantly announced: Were going to do whatever is necessary to build the border wall to stop this ongoing crisis of illegal immigration. When asked if he and Trump would force a government shutdown over the issue, he reiterated: If it comes to it, absolutely. Donald Trump said last week he would be proud to have a shutdown to get Congress to approve a $5 billion down payment to fulfill his campaign promise. This has caused a lot of problems for the Republican-controlled Congress since they dont have the necessary votes to support funding for the wall in the amount Trump wants. Leaders in both parties have have said the next move to resolve the impasse must be made by the president, because they have put all of their proposals on the table. The Democratic congressional leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, have agreed on no more than $1.6 billion for border security. In fact this amount is specified in a bipartisan Senate bill. The money that Schumer and Pelosi agreed to would not go for a border wall, however. Instead, it would be used for fencing upgrades and other border security. Schumer was also on TV on Sunday and repeated his position that it is up to Trump to decide what to do. If he doesnt give in the federal government will partially shut down, and thousands of federal employees will lose their paychecks for the holidays. He is not going to get the wall in any form, Schumer said. Schumer did not say if he and other Democrats would be willing to consider proposals in addition to the two options that he and Pelosi have offered. He said: Republicans should join us in one of these two proposals, which would get more than enough votes passed and avoid a shutdown Then, if the president wants to debate the wall next year, he can. I dont think hell get it. But he shouldnt use innocent workers as hostage for his temper tantrum. About one-quarter of the government would be affected, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks. It is widely believed that if a shutdown does occur it will hurt Republicans politically, but congressional GOP leaders are impotent. With Trump taking a stand to please his radical anti-immigrant base of supporters, all the Republicans can do is watch as their partys brand is further harmed by the man in the White House. 4.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Malcolm Nance says that Trump and the Russians were planning and communicating for years on their conspiracy to win the White House. Nance said on MSNBC: When I wrote my first book on this just about six weeks before the election I estimated that the Internet Research Agency which we called an information warfare management cell could have between 300 and 1,000 people. Now that looks minuscule compared to the integrated way that they used and weaponized every social media platform that America had, all of the big ones, and then took freedom of speech itself, the thing that we cherish the most, and used it to shove their narrative of what they wanted the American public to see. They ran racial groups against each other. They pit political groups against each other and they pushed one candidate while tearing down the other. All I can say is this. As an intelligence professional, none of this happens in a year or two years. This effort began at least three to five years before and they had to have known who they were going to be dealing with and thats how we saw as early as 2012 the Russians had contact with Donald Trump related to his election and that six years seems better timeline to come up with all of the information thats in these reports. Video: Malcolm Nance says that Trump and the Russians were planning and communicating for years on their conspiracy to win the White House. https://t.co/HeZ1jZC5Lo pic.twitter.com/AHSUdnNrtV Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) December 17, 2018 The Report Is Devastating For Trump And The Republican Party The report is devastating for Republicans and Trump because it lays how widespread and coordinated the Russian interference for Donald Trump was in 2016. It wasnt just one group of Russians that messed with the election. The Russian effort was vast and highly sophisticated. It took years to put together and likely could not have been carried out without the assistance of Trump and his campaign. The Russians somehow had the data to know which voters and states to target. Trump and the Republican Senate majority have never looked more illegitimate than they do today. The Russian/Trump crimes took years to put together and implement, and it is all steadily coming down and taking a presidency with it. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook. 2.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating President Trumps inaugural committee for misspending donated funds from the record $107 million it received. Investigators are examining financial wrongdoing, and are scrutinizing donors who may have written sizable checks in exchange for access to the Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Many Different Crimes Were Likely Committed The probes findings could affect other matters involving Trump, such as special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. In fact there are many different types of crimes being examined by federal prosecutors. Legal experts say there could be violations of bribery statutes as well as tax and wire fraud laws. Anytime someone donates to an inaugural committee, there is some sort of expectation of access, Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor, said. But if you can show that it goes beyond a generalized unspoken expectation, then you may have a bribery case. Honig said there may also be violations of tax statutes if members of the committee improperly used the tax-exempt status of the inauguration committee. If someone takes the nonprofits funds for their personal benefit, that would be a scheme to defraud people who donated to the inaugural committee. If they were spending nonprofit money on expenditures that are not allowed for a nonprofit, it is a way to get around taxes, then it is a tax law violation, Honig said. Seth Waxman, a former federal prosecutor, said bribery could be a 15-year offense, while defrauding donors could lead to 20 years in prison. Campaign finance violations result in five-year sentences or less, he said. Ivanka Trump is implicated in these crimes because, as we reported last week, She appears to have been overcharging for space at the Trump Hotel in violation of tax laws, with the Trump family taking the profits. Mueller is also investigating whether foreign individuals and groups illegally gave money to the presidents inaugural fund in an attempt to influence U.S. policy. Under federal law, foreigners are not permitted to contribute to federal campaigns, political action committees (PACs) or inaugural funds. Trump Legal Exposure One thing the facts of the case point out is that President Trump himself may have significant legal exposure. Waxman said Trump would be criminally responsible if he was involved in the schemes. If he knew this was going on and he took some active steps to help it come aboutthen it could subject him to criminal exposure, Waxman said. Of course the White House has denied any wrongdoing. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Thursday: That doesnt have anything to do with the president or the first lady. The biggest thing the president did, his engagement in 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 for the inauguration. However, as we pointed out in an article on Friday, there is evidence that Trump was actually very involved in planning all aspects of the inauguration. In fact, reporters have obtained the presentations that he was showing during briefings: President-elect Trump was repeatedly briefed on inaugural planning and specific events, according to one committee worker with direct knowledge. WNYC reporters have seen presentations that were shown to the president-elect, complete with renderings and floor plans. This means Trump will not be able to plead ignorance to escape liability for the many crimes that were committed. Cohen, Gates and Others are Cooperating with Prosecutors Another interesting angle to the case is that Michael Cohen played a key role in the inauguration schemes. He has given information about the inauguration committee schemes to prosecutors, and they also seized materials from Cohens office and hotel room in April that provided them more evidence about the case. Cohen could be very important, Honig said. Investigators got a lot of materials and documents during a search warrant that they executed on his office and home. But there is more bad news for Donald Trump and his family: Cohen is not the only person cooperating with federal prosecutors. Samuel Patten, a GOP consultant, pleaded guilty in August for arranging for a U.S. citizen to act as a straw donor. This anonymous donor gave $50,000 to the committee in exchange for tickets to the inauguration celebration, and those tickets which were then given to a prominent oligarch who was close to Vladimir Putin. Foreigners are barred from contributing to inaugural funds. Patten, who pleaded guilty to failing to register as a foreign lobbyist, has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. He may know whether other foreigners contributed to the inauguration in violation of federal law. Richard Gates, the longtime business partner of Paul Manafort started cooperating with the special counsel earlier this year. He was the deputy chairperson of the inauguration, so his cooperation will also provide prosecutors with valuable information. The existence of multiple cooperators, along with document evidence, gives prosecutors a strong hand. One good cooperator can at least give you some good lay of the land, and two can give you even more, Honig said. And to the extent different cooperators, who should not be in contact with each other, tell you the same thing, then that starts to get pretty reliable. When many prominent Russian business leaders attended Trumps inauguration, federal prosecutors started looking into how much foreign nations gave money to gain access to the Trump administration so they could influence U.S. policy for their own benefit. They found there was not only Russian involvement and outreach to the Trump campaign, but also involvement from other countries like Saudi and United Arab Emirates. According to former federal prosecutor Joseph Moreno: We have these laws in place to prevent foreign interference in a foreign election and now we have more than one potential outside actor which appears to be making outreach to potential American politics. The investigation into the Trump inaugural committee is opening a true can of worms. It is showing the existence of widespread corruption on the first day of the Trump presidency. It is also showing that Donald Trump, his associates, and even his family members were involved in committing numerous crimes for their personal financial benefit. This investigation is very important and will play a key role in ending the Donald Trump presidency. Food editor and chief critic Eating all of the chicken livers just as fast as I can. Lauren Sausser is the Health & Science Editor at The Post and Courier. She also writes about health care issues in South Carolina. You are here: Business A batch of frozen mutton from Kazakhstan arrived in the city of Urumqi in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Wednesday, marking the first time China imported meat products from Kazakhstan, local customs announced on Thursday. The frozen mutton, weighing 16.31 tonnes and worth 285,500 yuan (41,557 U.S. dollars), was transported into Urumqi through Horgos Port which borders with Kazakhstan, according to customs officers. The meat enterprises in Kazakhstan are very optimistic about the Chinese market, said Zhu Ziyang, manager of a Xinjiang local company that handles the imports of the Kazakhstan frozen meat. This batch of frozen mutton will be sold in the northwest Gansu Province, Zhu said. According to customs, Kazakhstan offered to export beef and mutton to China in 2015. The Chinese government approved the proposal this year. Paul Bowers is an education reporter and father of three living in North Charleston. He previously worked at the Charleston City Paper, where he was twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year in the weekly category. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. A piano, a few instrumentalists, and a whole choir of people with dementia and their caretakers thats all Resounding Voices needs to put together a holiday sing-along. "Its a really unifying thing, to sing along," artistic director Suzanne Johnson said. Resounding Voices was put together in the last year. Rochester residents with cognitive decline can still engage with music, and oftentimes remember the tunes and lyrics to old songs long after other memories fade. Johnson said many of the carols that will be sung Tuesday are old favorites, chosen by members of the choir. "People enjoy singing those, and it doesnt seem like there are a lot of places to do that anymore," she said. "If someone comes with dementia, they should be able to sing along." The concert is open to the entire community, though, not just people with dementia and their caretakers. The lyrics of the carols will be projected so the audience can follow along, and Johnson promises that the event "wont be singing all four verses of anything" (like "Joy to the World," perhaps?). A group of a few women will sing more contemporary songs at interludes, Johnson said, and the audience will also be invited to sing along to those if they know them. And, of course, there will be breaks for readings. "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" should evoke even more nostalgia, Johnson said. The chorus winter session officially begins in January. For more information, go to resoundingvoices.org. What:Resounding Voices Community Holiday Sing When:10 a.m. Tuesday Where:Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 2124 Viola Road NE Cost:Free Writings on the Wall This past week, an off-island couple contacted me about getting married. They will be visiting Guam soon and wanted to get married before goin Read more President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 3rd Understanding China Conference which opened in Beijing on Sunday. Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, read the letter at the opening ceremony. The world today faces unprecedented changes in a century, peace and development is still the theme of the times, and meanwhile, the humanity is facing many common challenges, Xi said in the letter. China is willing to work with other countries to actively promote the building of a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation, and to facilitate the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity, thus making new greater contributions to world peace and development, Xi said. Xi stressed that this year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, which has written a glorious chapter in China's development, with China's relations with the world becoming closer and closer. China will continue to comprehensively deepen reform and expand opening up, remain committed to the new development philosophy, push forward the supply-side structural reform, and take coordinated efforts to stabilize growth, propel reform, make structural adjustments, improve people's livelihoods and guard against risks, so as to promote high-quality development of the country's economy and offer more cooperation opportunities to the world, Xi said. He expressed the hope that the conference participants can have in-depth discussions and gather consensus to enhance their understanding of China and also help the world better understand China, thus promoting the exchanges and cooperation between China and the world to achieve common development and prosperity. Yang, also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. He said that with its own constant development, China will continue to provide a stable cornerstone for world peace and development, inject inexhaustible impetus into global economic growth, build important platforms for win-win cooperation among different countries, set an example for eliminating poverty and backwardness, contribute oriental wisdom to solving hotspot issues, and provide firm support for safeguarding international order. Nearly 600 people will attend the conference, including about 40 famous global politicians, strategists and entrepreneurs. CAPITOL HILL: Newly elected members of Congress walk down the steps of the Capitol as they arrive for a class photo for incoming freshman members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 14. Reuters file photo In the early 1930s, when Benito Mussolini was one of the worlds most admired political figures, Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed in his first inaugural address that there might have to be a temporary departure from the normal balance of executive and legislative authority so that he could wield in domestic policy broad executive power as great as would be given to him were America invaded by a foreign foe. Such was the allure of unfettered executive power, the Studebaker automobile company of South Bend, Indiana, marketed a model called the Dictator. The Constitution vests in Congress the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations. For decades, however, Congress has granted vast trade discretion to presidents, for reasons of sloth (setting policy is work), prudence (taking responsibility is risky) and ideology (executive discretion is modern; the separation of powers is an anachronistic impediment to energetic government). Today, however, there is growing legislative resistance to some broad powers that presidents possess because legislators improvidently and, arguably, unconstitutionally delegated them to presidents, particularly regarding international trade. Those powers include the presidential imposition of taxes, which tariffs are, paid by Americans. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Doug Jones, D-Ala., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, have introduced legislation that would, they say sacrificing candor to political delicacy better align Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 with its original intent, which was to enable presidential responses to genuine threats to national security. The senators would require the Defense Department to justify the national security basis for tariffs. Imagine the generals and admirals today trying to explain the threat posed by imported automobiles and auto parts, or by steel and aluminum imported from nations (six of the top 10 sources of imported steel) that have mutual-defense agreements with America. In 1903, Winston Churchill, then 28, warned (this is from Andrew Roberts magnificent new biography) that by embracing protectionism the Conservative Party would cause the lobbies to be crowded with the touts of protected industries. The Trump administrations protectionism has turned the Commerce Department it is now an impediment to the activity that its name denotes into a bazaar for such touts. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., raises an issue that implicates constitutional issues that are even more fundamental than those addressed by the Portman-Jones-Ernst measure. President Trump might try to force congressional ratification of his United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement by terminating NAFTA. This would confront Congress with an unpalatable choice: embrace the USMCA, or live without an agreement and with economic chaos. Toomey correctly argues that Congress cannot delegate the power to repeal statutes. Statutes implementing congressional-executive trade agreements explicitly authorize presidents to take certain actions, which make implausible implicit delegation of the power to terminate such agreements. The president might argue that he can unilaterally terminate treaties (although no president did so until 1927), and that congressional-executive agreements decisively resemble treaties because presidential initiative is paramount. However, the presidents power in foreign relations is plenary except regarding commerce, where the president has no independent power and where the Constitutions Commerce Clause establishes Congress primacy. Presidents can make trade treaties that must be consented to by two-thirds of the Senate. But congressional-executive agreements like NAFTA are authorized by statutes passed by both houses of Congress, and must be terminated by statutes. In 1952, during the Korean War, the Supreme Court rejected President Trumans claim that his inherent and implied powers as commander in chief legitimated his seizure of steel mills to prevent disruption by labor disputes. In a concurring opinion, Justice Robert Jackson said that presidential powers fluctuate depending on their disjunction or conjunction with those of Congress, and presidential power is at its lowest ebb when the president acts against the expressed or implied will of Congress. That will is expressed, not merely implied, in congressional-executive agreements like NAFTA. Although the Studebaker company expired in 1966, a Dictator model is displayed in South Bends Studebaker Museum. Although todays swollen presidency will not soon be a museum piece, it is encouraging that a few legislators want to claw back some of their branchs powers, thereby reducing the executive to a dimension more compatible with our constitutional architecture. George Wills email address is georgewill@washpost.com. (c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group Emmet Sullivan has always been a no-nonsense judge. He was no-nonsense in the late 1980s when, in his capacity as a D.C. Superior Court judge, he presided over a case I was handling. He didnt preside long. Instead, he tossed the case on our motion for summary judgment. His opinion was brief, to the point, and affirmed unanimously by the D.C. court of appeals. Judge Sullivan was no-nonsense in his treatment of the prosecutors in the case of Sen. Ted Stevens. He took the extraordinary step of dismissing the ethics conviction of Stevens and naming a special prosecutor to investigate the conduct of the government lawyers who prosecuted the case. Judge Sullivan, a Clinton appointee to the federal bench, has been no-nonsense in his handling of litigation brought by Judicial Watch in connection with the Hillary Clinton email scandal. We reported on some of the developments in that case here and here. Now, as Scott has discussed, Judge Sullivan is presiding over the Michael Flynn matter. Theres no mystery about what happened to Flynn. Towards the end of the Obama administration, this decorated General and top intelligence official left the government and became the leading critic of the administrations national security policy. Compounding his offenses against the deep state, Flynn joined the Trump campaign team. At the Republican National Convention, he turned his speech into, in effect, a pep rally. During that rally, the crowd chanted LOCK HER UP. HER, of course, was Hillary Clinton. Flynn seemed fine with the chanting. For the deep state, this was the last straw. Once Flynn was named Trumps national security adviser, it sought revenge. James Comey and Andrew McCabe contrived to sucker him into making false statements to the FBI. (In addition to resenting Flynns role in the campaign to defeat his favored presidential candidate, McCabe might also have had other grievances against the new national security adviser.) When it interviewed Flynn, the FBI agents, one of whom was Peter Strzok, had heard a tape of Flynns phone conversations with the Russian ambassador. The agents asked him about the contents of the conversations. Because the agents knew the contents, it was unnecessary to ask Flynn about them. The purpose of the interview surely was to see if Flynn would lie. Flynn says that, to assist the FBI in its entrapment scheme, McCabe encouraged him not to have a lawyer present during the interview. Flynn also says the FBI agents did not instruct Flynn that any false statements he made could constitute a crime. They also did not confront him directly with the fact that he was contradicting what they had heard him say on tape. Flynn thus lost the opportunity to correct his statements. As I understand it, the FBI had no legal obligation to do these things. However, if their interest was in learning the truth, rather than entrapping Flynn, they would have at least made it clear to him what the stakes of the interview were. The FBI claims it didnt make this clear because its agents wanted Flynn to be relaxed. This sounds like a nice-sounding way of admitting the agents wanted to trap him. Its also worth noting that the FBIs approach to the Flynn interview differs from relevant past practice. When the FBI interviewed Hillary Clinton, she brought along nine lawyers. James Comey testified that this number was unusual but not unprecedented. When FBI agents interviewed George Papadopoulos, who later pleaded guilty to making false statements, they advised him that lying to them is a federal offense and that he could get in trouble if he did not tell the truth. This interview took place just a few days after FBI agents interviewed Flynn. Again, Flynn received no such warning. Did Flynn lie to the FBI? Its clear that he made untrue statements about his talks with the Russian ambassador. But to be guilty of a crime, Flynn had to have intentionally told falsehoods. Based on their impression of Flynns demeanor, the FBI agents who interviewed him thought Flynn was NOT lying. On the other hand, Flynn admitted to lying when he entered his guilty plea. But Flynn was under extreme duress when he agreed to the plea. Attorneys fees were bleeding him dry and Team Mueller reportedly was threatening to go after Flynns son. Andy McCarthy weighs the evidence and concludes that Flynn did lie. Maybe he did, maybe he didnt. It strikes me as doubtful that prosecutors could have persuaded a fair-minded jury that, beyond a reasonable doubt, Flynn lied. Team Mueller has told Judge Sullivan that Flynn should serve no jail time. Does this move stem from the goodness of Muellers heart? Or is it an attempt to move on and avoid the wrath of this no-nonsense judge? I suspect its the latter. But, as John points out, Muellers team seems to have incurred Judge Sullivans wrath anyway. John says Sullivan might refuse to accept General Flynns guilty plea and instead issue an opinion blasting Bob Mueller for prosecutorial misconduct. Another possibility is that he accepts the plea and blasts the prosecutors. But doing so probably wont slow Mueller down. Hell take whatever dressing down comes his way and move on. What if Judge Sullivan borrows from his Ted Stevens playbook and names a special prosecutor to investigate the conduct relating to the Flynn prosecution? Thats an intriguing possibility, but probably a remote one. It seems unlikely that irregularities regarding Flynns case rise to the level of the ones that Sullivan found so problematic in the Stevens case. Stay tuned. Elizabeth Warren delivered the commencement address at Morgan State University last week. It strikes me that the graduates would have preferred a younger, more with it speaker to Warren a 69 year-old politician trying to restore her intersectional credentials after the embarrassment of her DNA test. But Im just guessing. In any event, Warren used the occasion to pander. She stated: Under the rules of commencement speakers I am required to say, Work hard. And you should. But Im here with a bolder message: Its time to change the rules. Let me say that again for those in the back. Change. The. Rules. The rules need to be changed, Warren insisted, because they are stacked against African-Americans, among others. In effect, Warren was telling black undergraduates that hard work wont properly be rewarded absent radical change. Are undergraduates more or less likely to work hard if they believe their hard work may not properly be rewarded? Less. If they believe Warren, are they more or less likely to devote the bulk of their efforts to meeting and exceeding the standards associated with success, as opposed to being political activists? Less. These questions naively focus on the graduates interests. Warren was focused on her own. They include (1) saying things that will help her with the Democratic base if she runs for president and (2) causing young African-Americans to become the shock troops for Warrens leftist agenda. But thats not the main problem with Warrens speech. The main problem is shes spouting nonsense. Warren was right when she blared: Two sets of rules: one for white families, and one for everybody else. But in realms where there are two sets of rules, the discrepancy favors African-Americans. The best example is higher education. At most colleges and universities, and at all elite ones, there are two sets of admissions standards. The standards for kids from white families is far more exacting than the standards for kids from black ones. Warren has complained about housing discrimination. America certainly has a history of discriminating against blacks in this realm. However, these days, to the extent there is discrimination it favors black families. And if the left has its way, this discrimination will become more pronounced. Eastern Iowa provides a good example. In Dubuque, the federal government has forced the city to build low-income housing for residents of Chicago, Illinois. Dubuque has plenty of citizens who could use low-income housing. However, they suffer from this defect they are (generally speaking) white. Accordingly, the federal government contrived to force Dubuque to offer low-income housing units in Dubuque to residents of Chicago, 200 miles away, where the low income population is predominantly black. It deemed Dubuques preferences for citizens of its own city, county, and state to be racist. It didnt matter that unlike, say, an elderly Dubuque resident, the folks from Chicago have never paid a dime of taxes in Dubuque. The Chicagoans only claim on Dubuques resources was their low-income status and, of course, their race. In other words, they had no legitimate claim. Yet, they received priority over low-income white residents of Dubuque. The only sense in which the rules are stacked against blacks is that, in some cases, blacks struggle as a group to comply with them. Criminal law rules and classroom discipline standards are examples. Any graduation speaker worth her salt will exhort grads to meet and exceed existing standards in other words, to excel. This is how Warren claims she moved up in the academic world (she denies relying on her bogus claim to be an Indian). But such an exhortation wouldnt have promoted Warrens political ambition and agenda. So she declined to exhort and chose to pander. We have been writing for years about how the liberal press drives narratives that proceed from its own political preferences, and then reports on those narratives as though they were news. It has gotten to the point where what passes for news reporting is mostly spin and opinion, liberally laced with anonymous leaks. This article describes the process as it relates to reporting on Elizabeth Warren. What makes it entertaining is that it appears in Rolling Stone! Copious links are omitted: The headline in the New York Times reads: Sanders and Warren Meet and Agree: They Both Are Probably Running. *** The gist of the new Times piece is that the Warren and Sanders, if they do run, will not enjoy an easy path to the nomination. Both are described as having political vulnerabilities that will force them to face questions or concerns. (This is code for, theyll get beat up by the media.) Its way too early for this nonsense. Were 23 months away from Election Day. In December 2014, news that Jeb Bush would actively explore a run for president put the onus on all the other GOP candidates to get their ducks in a row in a hurry, according to the Washington Post. Bush ended up with three delegates, beaten soundly by one of the last candidates to declare. When Donald Trump appeared on the board for British odds makers in early 2016, he was a 339-1 bet. George Clooney, meanwhile was a 53-1 bet heading into 2015. Heh. Media critics like Adam Johnson of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) have pointed out that early campaign coverage is often an absurd tautology. We get stories about how so-and-so is the presumptive frontrunner, but early poll results are heavily influenced by name recognition. This, in turn, is a function of how much coverage a candidate gets. Essentially, we write the most about the candidate we write the most about. We do this with polls, but also narratives. Is Howard Dean too liberal to win? He is if you write 10,000 articles about it. Youll often see this we think this because we think this trick couched in delicate verbiage. Now comes the good part: Common phrases used to camouflage invented narratives include whispers abound, questions linger and todays golden oldie from the Times, concerns (as in, the prospect of Warren and Sanders running has stirred concerns). Warren recently also has been hit with bad-coverage synonyms like a lingering cloud (the Times), a darkening cloud (the Globe) and controversy that reverberates (the Washington Post). The papers are all citing each others negative stories as evidence for Warrens problems. Its comic, once you lay it all out. The Boston Globe earlier this week wrote: Its been a rough few weeks for Warrens White House hopes. Does it matter? The Globe cited an earlier negative article in the Times with the headline Elizabeth Warren Stands By Her DNA Test. But Around Her, Worries Abound. (Worries abound is another tired campaign-ism.) The Globe cited the Washington Post article as part of Warrens darkening cloud. Meanwhile, the Post article mentioned, as part of Warrens reverberating controversy, an earlier editorial in the Globe. The Globe then mentioned its own earlier op-ed, the same one the Post referenced (mix that together with an unflattering editorial from her hometown paper, the Globe wrote, about itself). Whats funny about the Rolling Stone piece is that the author is a leftist who is annoyed that the liberal press deems Warren and Sanders losers, and is trying to block them from getting the Democratic Party nomination. It may not have occurred to him that one could write a 1,000-page treatise on how the press has tried to destroy the Trump administration by reporting on its own concerns about that administration, to the exclusion of pretty much everything else. PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 15:00:04 SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aryaka , the leading SD-WAN as a Service provider, announced today that Deepak Kumar, a 20-year cloud and enterprise software industry veteran, has joined the companys leadership team as Senior Vice President, Customer Success. "Were thrilled to welcome Deepak to Aryaka; his leadership will help us further enhance our end-user customer experience worldwide, said Matt Carter, CEO of Aryaka. His expertise in building and nurturing enterprise relationships will be critical as we continue to grow in 2019 and beyond. Before joining Aryaka, Kumar was the SVP & GM at [24]7.ai, a Sequoia portfolio company in the customer experience domain. As SVP Business Development, he was responsible for building out strategic partnerships and alliances. His hard work grew the channel driven revenue significantly. As General Manager, Kumar was responsible for the Customer Acquisition Cloud product line. The product line was built based on strategic acquisitions that Kumar led for the last four years. In addition, Kumar was instrumental in a variety of roles at [24]7.ai., including running Customer Success and Deployments for the company, as well as managing several of the key customer relationships. Prior to [24]7.ai, Kumar held management positions at Fractal Analytics & Aztec Software. Kumar has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India, with a Biomedical engineering degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. Kumar will build upon Aryakas already exemplary customer experience, as highlighted by several customer satisfaction recognitions. Most recently, Aryaka was named a Market Leader in Featured Customers 2018 SD-WAN Customer Success Report . The company received the highest ranking in the report based on customer satisfaction and employee engagement. Aryakas technology is a game-changer for companies operating across the world because we offer the only viable technology that connects businesses in any location globally and accelerates their applications and end-user experience, Kumar said. As Senior Vice President, Customer Success, my key focus will be to amplify the quality of our customers experiences around the globe and identify new solutions to elevate enterprises to the next level of digital transformation. Aryaka is transforming how global enterprises connect sites and users worldwide. The company uses mission-critical applications to support modern business execution demands. Aryakas SD-WAN as a Service combines a purpose-built private network, optimization and acceleration techniques, connectivity to cloud platforms, and network visibility, in a single fully managed solution. To learn more, visit www.aryaka.com . Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and LinkedIn . Aryaka Media Contact Tom Turpel Senior Manager, Content Marketing pr@aryaka.com PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 20:31:33 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 540 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2018 /Abstract: In the midst of a blockchain winter, many are skeptical of the promise of blockchain to make a difference in our world. However, a killer apps for blockchain has finally emerged.SmartMesh Enables Space Ground Integration Network by incentivizing every MeshBox node running Spectrum public blockchain. SmartMesh demonstrates the feasibility of connecting 3.9 Billion people, and fuels inclusive financial projects.MIT USA, At MIT, recently, SmartMesh Founder and CEO, Henry Wang, announced the first Space-Ground-Integration Network test in Xinyang, in which a Satellite was connected to a SmartMesh-enabled MeshBox network. MeshBox runs Spectrum and Photon Network, which is used to incentivize every node to forward packets in the mesh network. This successful test demonstrated the feasibility of connecting 3.9 Billion people, and fuels inclusive financial projects, helping to end the Crypto bear market.SmartMesh(Symbol: SMT, listed on Huobi.com FCoin.com) has recently signed an agreement with Philippines Star Telecom, which is infamously known for terrible internet service, with 40% of people remaining unconnected. Ranked number 3 in the world for remittances from Overseas Filippino Workers to family, who often have no internet access, many spend money to travel for long distances to cities to collect remittances, while paying high fees for international remittances. Smartmesh, Meshbox(Symbol: MESH, listed on HitBTC.com and FCoin.com) , and Star Telecom will revolutionize connectivity so that families can minimize such crippling overhead, while maximizing opportunities for education, financial prosperity through e-commerce, and thus help to reduce hatred, war, and poverty.The evolution of the IT Infrastructure has gone through various phases including Mainframes, Map-Reduce, Virtualization (Cloud Computing), Hyper Convergence(software-defined infrastructure). We now enter a new era of the Hyper-Mesh in which distributed, virtualized nodes integrate computing power and storage, along with decentralized, peer-to-peer communication. Hyper-Mesh is the intersection of edge-computing, edge-storage, internet of everything, and internet of value (through token-switching). An Artificial Intelligence platform built on self data-ownership can be more secure and mitigate apocalyptic scenarios.The Smartmesh Spectrum blockchain and secondary architecture called Photon Network creates a lightening fast peer-to-peer payment network on the Internet, is optimized to work in a MeshBox-based Mesh Network, and is able to support highly scalable transactions per second, which is needed for machine-to-machine type payments in the Internet of Everything. Photon reduces unnecessary transactions on the underlying, secured Spectrum blockchain and frees Spectrum to be extensible to inter-planetary token switching networks.Smartmesh, Meshbox, and ecosystem partners are able to bring about a killer application for blockchain, in the form of a synergistic convergence of various technologies: Space-Internet, evolution of the IT Infrastructure to the Hyper-Mesh, and Internet of Everything, all enabled by SmartMesh Blockchain.CompanyInternational Blockchain Application Federation IBAFwas founded in 2017. SmartMesh is a founding member of IBAF. IBAF's mission is promoting the globalization of blockchain, speeding up the blockchain technology, developing application software and improving the popularity of blockchain. IBAF helps establishing connections between enterprises, project and capital, project and market ; carrying out the investigation and research of international blockchain talent training industry; strengthening the industry norms and self-discipline management, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the industry, promoting the healthy and rapid development of blockchain industry.Katerina katerina@ smartmesh.io SOURCE: International Blockchain Application Federation A team of Chinese and Canadian researchers have found an amber containing the feather of a bird's tail dating back around 100 million years. "Unlike most tail feathers that are found in compression fossils, the discovery in amber offers three-dimensional structure of the feather and contains more information," said Zou Jinmei, one of the Chinese researchers. "The feather dates back to the early Cretaceous, an important period for the evolution of birds," said Xing Lida, assistant professor at China University of Geoscience and leader of the team. "The Age saw how certain types of dinosaur evolved into birds." The tail feather in amber was found at Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar, an area rich in amber fossil discoveries. Amber can contain different kinds of soft tissues, providing valuable palaeontological information, according to Xing. The findings have been published on the Journal of Palaeogeography. According to the latest report published by Persistence Market Research titled, Global Market Study on n-Hexane: Oil Extraction End-Use Segment to Dominate Consumption over the Forecast Period Persistence Market Research PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 16:11:47 Press Information Persistence Market Research Persistence Market Research 305 Broadway 7th Floor, New York City, NY 10007, United States, USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353 Yogesh Sengar Team Lead 800-961-0353 email http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com # 551 Words Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Team Lead800-961-0353 According to the latest report published by Persistence Market Research titled, Global Market Study on n-Hexane: Oil Extraction End-Use Segment to Dominate Consumption over the Forecast Period , the global n-Hexane Market is anticipated to witness a Y-o-Y growth of more than 3% in 2016. Increasing population coupled along with shooting refined oil demand is expected to propel the demand for n-Hexane. As a special-purpose solvent, n-Hexane has applications across a diverse set of industries which is expected to boost demand of n-hexane.Global n-Hexane market dynamicsDemand for n-Hexane, especially in developing region such Asia Pacific, is expected to boost the demand of the global n-Hexane market over the forecast period. Excellent properties of n-Hexane to remove odor and unwanted taste are expected to propel the demand of n-Hexane from the edible oil industry. n-Hexane has the ability to remove unwanted taste and odor and this is the precise reason that the demand for n-Hexane has increased in edible oil industry. However, the consumers from developed regions are shifting from refined oil to cold-pressed oil owing to its superior health benefits. Cold pressing is a natural way to produce oil which does not contain solvent residues, no preservatives with natural antioxidants. In addition, Isohexane, a hexane isomer is used as a substitute of n-Hexane in few oilseed extraction applications. Due to toxic nature of n-Hexane, it has been substituted by n-heptane in some pharmaceutical applications. This may retard the growth of the n-Hexane market.Global n-Hexane market forecastBased on application, oil extraction will continue to lead the market share, representing nearly 57% of total revenues in 2016. High demand for n-Hexane in oil extraction owing to its effectiveness and high yield is expected to propel the global n-Hexane Market. Polymerization is expected to reach more than 200KT in 2016. Oil Extraction, Pharmaceutical, and Polymerization will remain top 3 end-users in global n-Hexane Market.Grade wise, oil extraction followed by industrial will dominate the Global n-Hexane Market in 2016 and is anticipated to reach more than US$ 600 Mn in 2016. Demand for industrial grade n-Hexane is expected to reach closed to 560 KT in 2016.On the basis of the region, APAC has the largest market in n-Hexane market across the world. China recorded a dominant market share of more than 40% in 2015. Asia-Pacific is estimated to lead the market in 2016, followed by Europe and North America. Moderate growth is expected from the mature markets such as North America and Europe. Europe will witness sluggish growth owing to the gradual economic recovery. In addition, important players in the market have been shifting their production bases to Asia Pacific region in order to capitalize on scale economies. Rising environmental concerns in developed regions over the use of n-Hexane and its adverse impact on health and environment may inhibit the growth of the n-Hexane market. APAC is expected to drive the global n-Hexane market and is expected to register closed to 5% of volume CAGR over the forecast period 2016-2024.Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12709 Global n-Hexane market: Key playersKey participant of global n-Hexane market are Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd., Sak Chaisidhi Company Limited, Liangxin petrochemical company, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Chevron Philips Chemicals LLC, Indian Oil Corp. Ltd., , Royal Dutch Shell plc., Rompetrol Rafinare S.A, DHC Solvent Chemie GmbH, Dongying Liaoning Yufeng Chemical Co., Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. Fish Powder Market PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 07:01:48 Press Information Future Market Insights Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com Sonali Analyst +1 03479183531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 653 Words Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.comAnalyst+1 03479183531 Market Outlook Rising awareness regarding the use of fish powder for the fortification of food and production of functional foods has stimulated the food industry to investigate different methods for the development of fish powder from varied fish categories. Fish powder is a product obtained by drying and grating a fish or by removing most of the water and some of the oil from the fish. Fish powder, also known as fish meal, finds a wide range of applications in compound feeds for pigs, farmed fish and poultry.p>Another type of fish powder that is intended for human consumption is fish protein powder, in which the protein is more concentrated than in the original fish flesh. Fish protein powder is used for developing ready-to-eat products in the food industry. Fish powder can be used as a functional constituent for the making of formulated ready-to-eat products. The fish powder market is driven by the growth of fisheries and the aquaculture industry.Request Report Sample@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-7820 Growth of Global Aquaculture to Drive the Demand for Fish Powder:Fish are the primary source of DHA and omega-3 fatty acids, which are renowned globally as key factors in human health. A significant and growing ratio of the yield from world fisheries is processed into Fish powder and fish oil, which is practically contributing to human consumption as they are used as feed in livestock and poultry raising. Fish powder is mainly produced from sustainably managed stocks of fish, for which there is a growing demand for human consumption. Fish protein powder is gaining acceptance as a functional ingredient in food applications. The demand for fish protein ingredients, including fish powder proteins, in the making of functional food and ready-to-eat products is growing across the world.Global Fish Powder: Market SegmentationOn the basis of application, the global fish powder market has been segmented as:SwineAquaculturePoultryOtherOn the basis of species, the global fish powder market has been segmented as:Short-LivedLong-LivedLow-FatWhite FleshOn the basis of region, the global fish powder market has been segmented as:North AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeLatin AmericaAsia Pacific Excluding JapanJapanMEAGlobal Fish Powder Market: Market ParticipantsSome of the key players operating in the global fish powder market are Daybrook Fisheries, Inc., Aksha Fish Meal and Oil, Mexican Seafood Co., Diamond Fishes, Madai Ltd., Lucky Star Metal Agricultural Co. Ltd., MC Machinery Co. Ltd., Thanh Ha Agriculture And Forest Product Processing And Export Co., Ltd, Salmon Club SRL, Polfish, G.E. Mclarnon & Sons Limited, Mega Tierernahrung GmbH and La Romana Farine S.R.L., among others.Opportunities for Market Participants in Fish Powder market Three different types of products are sold as fish powder High Quality, for small-scale aquaculture units, Low Temperature, used in the rearing of piglets and salmon, Fair Average Quality, low protein feed for poultry and pigs. Attributing to the availability of such numerous options and growing concerns towards animal nutrition, the potential of the fish powder market is pegged to be significantly high. The increase in the consumption of poultry and bacon products is another factor driving the growth of the fish powder market.Countries with strong presence of industrial fisheries are Norway, South Africa, and Peru. The prospect for growth of the fish powder market is increasing moderately in the countries mentioned above.Request For Table Of Content @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-7820 p>In terms of consumption, APAC countries such as China and Korea are leading the fish powder market. Specifically, China has been steadily representing a major market for fish powder, primarily owing to its large aquaculture industry. The country accounted for more than 50% of the global farmed fish and seafood products in the past few years. So, the outlook for growth of the fish powder market in the APAC region is quite high. Research Solution Insights presents professional and in-depth study of "Lecithin Market is anticipated to reflect a CAGR of over 5% during 2016-2024". PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 20:46:00 Press Information RESEARCH SOLUTION INSIGHTS Research Solution Insights (RSI) 42 Joseph Street Port carling P0B 1J0 Muskoka, Ontario1 Phone - +44-1618508625 Website: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/ Email: sales@researchsolutioninsights.com Sagar Analyst 1618508625 email https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/ # 595 Words Research Solution Insights (RSI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +44-1618508625Website: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/Email: sales@researchsolutioninsights.comAnalyst1618508625 According to a Research Report Insights (RRI) report, the global market for lecithin is anticipated to reflect a CAGR of over 5% during 2016-2024. In 2015, the market was estimated at US$ 770.5 Million and is expected to stand at US$ 1225 Million in terms of value by the end of 2024.Lecithin is used as a food additive and food emulsifier in several food items in order to add desirable attributes for making them more appealing to the consumers. As an emulsifier lecithin enhances the texture of food items such as in salad dressing. Growing preference for low-calorie food and increasing demand for packaged or convenience food across the globe are the two major factors expected to drive the growth of global lecithin market. Amongst various food emulsifier products, demand for lecithin is anticipated to relatively higher in the near future.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/sample/230025-Lecithin-Market Based on source type, the global market for lecithin has been segmented into sunflower, soya bean, and others. Soya bean is expected to be the largest segment of the market and is anticipated to witness a robust growth.Based on form type, the market has been segmented into powder, granules and liquid. In terms of revenue, liquid segment is expected to account for the largest share. The segment is closely followed by powder and granules segment.By applications, the market has been segmented into pharmaceuticals, animal feed, food & beverage, industrial purpose and cosmetics. The food & beverage is expected to be the leading segment over the forecast period owing to the recent inclination of consumers towards natural ingredients for various food items. Food manufacturers are focusing on offering food products without GMO (genetically modified organism) ingredients to meet the expectation of the consumers. Moreover, food processing companies are launching new products to suit the growing demand for healthy ingredients in convenience food such as ready-to-eat items. According to US FDA, partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) do not fall under the category of Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) food items.Likewise, food manufacturers are emphasizing on developing non-GMO ingredients and raw materials substitutes. Further, most food processing companies are also focusing on production volume expansion. Higher production of lecithin will enable manufacturers to serve a larger base of customers and impact the price margins of lecithin across the globe.Request Report Discount: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/discount/230025-Lecithin-Market On the basis of region, the global market for lecithin has been segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, are anticipated to register strong growth rates during the forecast period. In 2016, North America is expected to account for the highest share of the market, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific respectively. In addition, the North America is expected to continue as the leading market over 2024 and is anticipated to account for over 37% share of the market in revenues. Demand for lecithin is expected to grow significantly in Asia Pacific during the forecast period. Countries such as China and India is expected to reflect an overwhelming demand for lecithin, which in turn is will support the market growth in the region.Key PlayersKey players operating in the global market for lecithin includes Cargill, Inc., Sternchemie GmbH & Co. KG, American Lecithin Company, Thew Arnott & Co. Ltd., Lipoid GmbH, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co, Archer Daniels Midland Company, NOW Foods, and Bunge Limited. Most of these companies the formulating strategies and actively focusing on better product offering.Report Analysis: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/analysis/230025-Lecithin-Market XploreMR is one of the worlds leading resellers of high-quality market research reports. We feature in-depth reports from some of the worlds most reputed market research companies and international organizations. We serve across a broad spectrum from Fortune 500 to small and medium businesses. Our clients trust us for our unwavering focus onquality and affordability. We believe high price should not be a bottleneck for organizations looking to gain access to quality information. xplore-mr PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 13:54:48 Press Information Xplore-MR 111 North Market Street, Suite 300, San Jose, CA 95113, United States Sales sales@xploremr.com +16692840108 email http://www.xploremr.com # 602 Words 111 North Market Street, Suite 300,San Jose, CA 95113, United Statessales@xploremr.com+16692840108 Membrane separation is a technology used to separate materials via pores or minute gaps in the molecular arrangement without adding any chemicals. Major membrane processes used for water treatment are microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.The increasing demand for clean processed water and mandatory government regulation to provide clean drinking water is propelling the water processing industry at present. Membrane separation is one of the most popular methods used for cleaning water.Shifting from chemical to physical treatments of water is a major driver as chemical treatments are perceived as an environmentally unclean technology with associated disposal costs. Additional awareness of water scarcity has influenced the demand for water reuse in water stressed areas.Major benefits of using membrane separation techniques over other techniques are: lesser use of chemicals, relatively simple usage after correct installation and efficient use of energy in the process. Membrane separation is primarily used to desalinate seawater, process water (used for industrial processes and building systems) from groundwater, surface water or wastewater and demineralize boiler feed water. Pharmaceutical, life sciences, food and beverages and biopharmaceutical industries are the other key end-user industries of the technology.Mandatory adherence of certain environmental standards by the national government such as the Clean Water Act especially in areas with water scarcity have influenced the demand for better water treatment technology, including membrane separation technology.Worldwide industrial expansion and growing population are propelling the demand for better water treatment technology, providing growth opportunity for the overall market of membrane separation technology. Additionally, the oil and petroleum industry is well established in countries such as Italy and Germany which involve membrane separation technology for liquid separation.The report covers provides membrane separation market analysis, by process segment (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis) and end-user (water and wastewater treatment, industrial and healthcare) for the period from 2009 to 2019. In addition, the report includes current membrane separation market dynamics including the drivers, restraints, trends and recent developments.Download Free Sample Copy of this report @ https://www.xploremr.com/connectus/sample/1745 Worldwide industrial expansion and growing population are propelling the demand for better water treatment technology, providing growth opportunity for the overall market of membrane separation technology. Additionally, the oil and petroleum industry is well established in countries such as Italy and Germany which involve membrane separation technology for liquid separation.The report covers provides membrane separation market analysis, by process segment (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis) and end-user (water and wastewater treatment, industrial and healthcare) for the period from 2009 to 2019. In addition, the report includes current membrane separation market dynamics including the drivers, restraints, trends and recent developments.The membrane separation market for each of the three regions: North America (including details for the U.S. and Canada), Europe (including details for France, Germany, Italy and the U.K.) and Asia-Pacific (including details for India, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan), include historical and forecasted membrane separation market sizes (2009-2019), in terms of value (USD million).The Competitive Landscape section of the membrane separation market report provides benchmarking of the key market players on the basis of their geographical presence and their product offerings.Key points covered in the reportThe report provides historic, present and forecasted market size, analysis, trend, share, and growthThe report segments the market on the basis of product, animal type and geographyThe report covers geographic segmentationNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRoWThe report provides company profiles of some of the leading companies operating in the marketThe report also provides porters five forces analysis of the marketBuy Full Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/cart/reports/buynow/1745 PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 10:54:03 JV will acquire a license to commercialise Novodiag platform in the Greater China territory 10m investment to fund the continued expansion of Mobidiags product portfolio and further accelerate commercial development Mobidiag Announces Joint Venture with Autobio Diagnostics and 10m Equity Investment Mobidiag Dorothee Allard, Marketing Communications Manager +33 1 55 25 17 13 marketing@mobidiag.com Lynx Financial (Financial Advisor in China) Flora Gao, Senior Vice President 1501 Century Ave. GuoHua Life Financial Center, Suite 1001 Shanghai, China 200122 lynx@lynx-financial.com WG Partners (Financial advisor to the company outside the China region) Andrew Craig, Partner +44 203 705 9320 andrew@wgpartners.co.uk Consilium Strategic Communications Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal, Chris Welsh T: +44 (0)203 709 5700 mobidiag@consilium-comms.com Mobidiag Ltd., a commercial stage molecular diagnostics company addressing the spread of antimicrobial resistance, today announces that it has entered into a joint venture (JV) agreement with Autobio Diagnostics (Autobio), one of the leading clinical diagnostics companies in China, to commercialise the Novodiag platform in China. In addition, Mobidiag announces that it has secured a separate 10m equity investment from Autobio. Lynx Financial (HK) Ltd, served as the exclusive financial advisor to Mobidiag in this transaction. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005 Mobidiag and Autobio will jointly invest 12.3m to establish a joint venture company in China. Autobio will invest 8m in cash to hold 65%, and Mobidiag will invest 4.3m to hold 35%. Mobidiag will grant to the JV an exclusive license for human infectious disease assays (except for sepsis) for China. Initial activities of the JV will include the registration of the Novodiag platform and three assays for the rapid detection of respiratory and gastroenteric infections and meningitis with the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA, former CFDA). The JV will also finance the establishment of local facilities in China to manufacture some Novodiag components and disposables. Proceeds from the 10m equity investment will be used by Mobidiag to continue growing its product portfolio, accelerate the development of further assays for the Novodiag system and enhance its manufacturing capabilities, as well as continuing to facilitate Mobidiags commercial expansion. The Novodiag platform is an innovative molecular diagnostics solution allowing fully automated detection of infectious diseases, including antibiotic resistances. The platform combines real-time PCR and microarray technologies, to allow direct analysis of samples placed in a disposable cartridge. It also allows for comprehensive screening of multiple or single pathogens within approximately one hour, allowing clinicians to be better informed when making time-critical decisions, helping to deliver early treatments and avoid the spread of infection. Tuomas Tenkanen, CEO of Mobidiag, said We are excited to enter into this new Joint Venture with Autobio Diagnostics, a leader in IVD field in China. We are confident that their unparalleled access to the rapidly growing Chinese market combined with Mobidiags deep expertise in molecular diagnostics will result in a successful partnership that will bring syndromic diagnostic panels to China at an affordable price. The 10m equity investment strengthens our cash balance and will allow us to advance our wider strategy to grow sales internationally and launch more innovative and affordable molecular solutions to advance the diagnosis of infectious diseases and antibiotic resistances. Yongjun Miao, Chairman of Autobio said In China, due to a lack of rapid, accurate and low cost diagnosis of pathogens, the timely and effective treatment of infectious diseases is limited and the misuse of antibiotics is not uncommon. Mobidiags Novodiag system is low cost, easy to operate, multi-target, and has a wide application and great market prospects. The cost advantages of setting up Joint Venture in China will further enhance the competitive force of the Novodiag system. Both Mobidiags and Autobios teams share the same vision for the Joint Venture, and already have a common culture, and we are excited by the prospects for the future. Donald Xu, Managing Partner of Lynx Financial, commented: This deal epitomizes the current trend in cross-border transactions in the healthcare sectors between China and western countries. The strategy of combining investment with joint venture, will be the playbook for many upcoming and innovative companies to catapult their regulatory and commercialization process, and to compete against the entrenched MNCs, not only in China market, but also the rest of the world. Notes to editors About Mobidiag Ltd Mobidiag is a commercial stage, fast growing molecular diagnostics company whose affordable, widely applicable and robust technology makes the power of molecular diagnostics available to address the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by rapid detection of pathogens and their potential resistance to antibiotics. Through its Amplidiag and Novodiag solutions, Mobidiag offers a comprehensive range of fast, reliable and cost-effective molecular diagnostic solutions for the detection of infectious diseases to laboratories of all sizes. Mobidiag is headquartered in Espoo, Finland, with subsidiaries in France, UK and Sweden. To learn more, visit www.mobidiag.com About Autobio Diagnostics Co, Ltd Founded in 1998, Autobio has become one of the leading clinical diagnostics companies in China. Autobio specializes in research & development, production, marketing and service of clinical diagnostic products, including immunoassay, microbiology and biochemical products. Autobio provides comprehensive solutions for medical laboratories. About Lynx Financial Lynx Financial is a leading boutique Investment bank focusing on Life Sciences and Healthcare sectors. With offices in both China and U.S., Lynx Financial specializes in cross-border transactions involving private placement, M&A, joint venture and licensing. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005 The global N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) market is expected to observe modest growth over a five-year forecast period, 2015-2020. Expanding at a 5.4% of CAGR during the assessed period, the global NMP market will possibly attain the revenues of US$ 985.3 Mn by 2020 end. Persistence Market Research PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 16:12:03 Press Information Persistence Market Research Persistence Market Research 305 Broadway 7th Floor, New York City, NY 10007, United States, USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353 Yogesh Sengar Team Lead 800-961-0353 email http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com # 473 Words Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Team Lead800-961-0353 The global N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) market is expected to observe modest growth over a five-year forecast period, 2015-2020. Expanding at a 5.4% of CAGR during the assessed period, the global NMP market will possibly attain the revenues of US$ 985.3 Mn by 2020 end.The market for NMP in developing Asian countries will be primarily driven by increasing urbanization and industrialization, coupled with rampantly evolving infrastructure development realm. Attributed to its chemical properties, such as higher flame point and lower volatility, N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone finds various applications several end-use industries. This will remain a key factor driving the demand on a global level. Industrial applications in a sweeping range of verticals, including electronics, pharmaceuticals, petrochemical, agrochemical, paints and coatings, and industrial cleaning will also continue to drive the market for N-Methylpyrrolidone over the next few years.The flourishing consumer electronics sector is likely to generate substantial demand for NMP. With soaring demand for electronics production, the consumption of N-Methylpyrrolidone will also witness a significant hike. Moreover, increasing demand for agrochemicals is expected to elevate the revenue sales in the next few years. Another industrial sector estimated to support the growth of the global N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone market is pharmaceuticals. Growing market in Asia Pacific are expected to play a vital role in boosting the demand throughout the forecast period, eventually fostering the market for NMP globally.Stringent regulations regarding usage of N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone may remain a long-term restraint to market growth. Moreover, the market has been experiencing a rapid setback in certain verticals, such as paints and coatings, and industrial cleaning. This can also be a major limiting factor impacting the market growth by 2020 end.By application, the electronics application segment is expected to remain dominant over other segments, including agrochemicals, petrochemical processing, industrial cleaners, pharmaceuticals, paints and coatings, and others. Electronics application segment will possibly capture around 23% share of the entire market revenues in 2020, witnessing an optimistic CAGR of 6.7% during 2015-2020. Pharmaceuticals will continue to be the second largest application segment that was evaluated at US$ 122.7 Mn in 2015. This segment is anticipated to demonstrate a moderate CAGR of 6.3% by 2020 end, accounting for nearly 15% market value share.According to Persistence Market Researchs regional analysis, Asia Pacific is foreseen to remain the global leader with over 36% share of the market revenues in 2016. This growth is predominantly attributed to lower production costs in Asian countries. The second largest regional market, North America, will contribute around 30% share to the market in 2016.Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12940 A few key market players include LyondellBasell Industries N.V., BASF SE, Ashland Inc., Abtonsmart Chemical (Group) Co. Ltd., and Shandong Qingyun Changxin Chemical Science-Tech Co., Ltd. A few other notable companies competing in the N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone marketplace are Zhejiang Realsun Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Hefei TNJ Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Puyang Guangming Chemicals Co., Ltd., and Balaji Amines Limited. PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 09:34:01 NCH Asia Participates in CSR Program in Celebration of Its 100th Anniversary For NCH KOREA- NCH Asia Communication WAVE Eun Kyung Jeong, 82-2-3672-6596 lifelife@commwave.co.kr NCH Asia announced that, in celebration of 100th anniversary of NCH's establishment, around 20 of its key executives including country managers and regional managers from 15 countries gathered in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, December 14. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005 NCH Asia participated in CSR Program in celebration of its 100th Anniversary. Around 20 of its key executives including country managers and regional managers from 15 countries gathered in Bangkok on Friday, December 14 and participated in the Happy Dolls Project, which makes and donates the dolls. All the Happy Dolls would be given to sick or lonely children in Thailand. (Photo: Business Wire) On this day, as part of the CSR Program, NCH Asia officials participated in the Happy Dolls Project, which makes and donates the dolls. All the Happy Dolls would be given to sick or lonely children in Thailand, who could use a friend and a reassuring smile from one of these very special dolls. DongEun Kim, NCH Asia President, said I am glad to participate in Happy Dolls Project as one of the CSR programs that NCH is proceeding with globally in honor of its 100th anniversary. Our goal is to have all the NCH employees from 50 countries volunteer their time to contribute to their communities and complete more than 100 different CSR activities in total across globe by 2019. About Happy Dolls Project Happy Dolls Project is a company that has engaged in social activities since it started in December 2009. The project aims to help children in rural places of Thailand, living in the underprivileged hill tribe communities in the North and in the migrant camps in the South, to provide them with a better education. When you purchase a Happy Doll, you also donate to help disadvantaged children as well as the disadvantaged people in Thailand, enabling them to survive and be happy. The disadvantaged Thai children helped by the project also include orphans, street kids, children with disabilities or long-term health problems. The idea is that one of these Happy dolls might make them feel less alone and find their smile again. Happy Dolls Project provides happiness to people! About NCH Corporation Established in 1919 in Dallas, TX., as a company that produces and sells maintenance products, NCH Corporation provides products and services in 50 countries around the world, with over USD 1 billion in sales and more than 8,000 employees. NCH provides effective solutions specialized for maintenance of industrial facilities, including over 400 patented products. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005 Research Solution Insights presents professional and in-depth study of "Pallet Market: India Industry Analysis, size, sales and Forecast by 2024 ". PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 20:31:03 Press Information RESEARCH SOLUTION INSIGHTS Research Solution Insights (RSI) 42 Joseph Street Port carling P0B 1J0 Muskoka, Ontario1 Phone - +44-1618508625 Website: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/ Email: sales@researchsolutioninsights.com Sagar Analyst 1618508625 email https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/ # 737 Words Research Solution Insights (RSI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +44-1618508625Website: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/Email: sales@researchsolutioninsights.comAnalyst1618508625 The pallet industry in India is soaring at a brisk pace. A pallet is designed to endure heavy load, serving as a rigid base for goods during their transportation and are usually handled by pallet jacks and forklifts. Indias rising economy coupled with higher production volumes of goods is potentially generating business opportunities for pallet manufacturers in the country. In order to manage large scale imports and shipments of consumer goods, industries avail smart logistic services. Hence, the demand for pallets from shipping and logistic industry has significantly increased in the country. Due to the lumpy transport infrastructure in Indian sub-continent, usage of pallet during goods delivery and storage becomes more important.Boom in manufacturing sector of the country is fuelling the demand for pallets in the Indian market. Relentless support from the government and a blossoming business environment in the country is unveiling further market opportunities for the manufacturing sector. In addition, implementation of government policies such as Make in India is expected to ensure sustainability of the economic growth in the long run.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/sample/230031-Pallet-Market These economic reforms are expected to bring some good news to the industrial sectors of the country, especially the manufacturing sector. Thus, the thrust to the manufacturing sector has also led to progression of the allied sectors such as hardware, logistics and transport. Off late, the country has witnessed establishment of large warehouses spreading in acres of land, these warehouses need several operational tools, pallets being a primary one. As production volumes in the country rise higher, it will have a direct impact on the demand for pallets. Moreover, stakeholders and manufacturers are strongly emphasizing on safer modules of transportation of materials and consumer goods, which is translating into the growth of the pallets market in India. The aforementioned factors are likely to drive the pallets market in India in the following years to come.Emergence of Logistics and Warehouse Business in India Responsible for the Bulk of Demand for PalletsNoticeably, several new startups are going into logistics, transportation and delivery service. Though the competition in the market is moderate, companies look forward to improve service offerings. Companies are focusing on developing advanced warehouse facilities with features such as auto temperature control and robotics. For instance, Gati Ltd a supply chain solution provider recently developed its first temperature controlled warehouse infrastructure in New Delhi. The warehouse facility is designed to meet the industry standards and will cater to various industry sectors such as pharmaceutical and food and beverage including dairy.The latest warehouse infrastructures have extended capabilities and robust network ensuring enhanced supply chain solutions. This, in turn, is essentially helping businesses to expand significant levels and likewise supporting the growth of logistics industry in India.Request Report Discount: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/discount/230031-Pallet-Market Warehouses provide storage services to a wide range of industries, operational tools such as pallet are important in managing goods and create sections and division between them. In additional, use of pallets allows stress-free movement of goods in bulk amount.TrendsProliferation of large retail or departmental stores in the country has led to a healthy demand for pallet from such outlets. Changing culture of retail business and an evolving market structure is expected to influence the market for pallets in India.ConclusionThe pallet market in India is anticipated to register a healthy growth rate in the coming years. By 2016 end, the pallet market in the country is expected to surpass INR 6,223 Cr, which is close to (US$ 971. Million) by 2024.Report Analysis: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/analysis/230031-Pallet-Market About Us :Research Solution Insights is a U.S. based market research and consulting company. We are the best destination for your research and analytical solutions; simply because our primary and secondary sources of information are adroit to give one stop solutions.Company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services.We offer the comprehensive market research solution for all the industries by performing the in-depth study of industry trends, verticals globally. We believe in building an eternal bond with our customers through providing them inclusive research study both customized and syndicated based on their specific requirements.Contact Us:Research Solution Insights (RSI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +44-1618508625Website: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/ Email: sales@ researchsolutioninsights.com Follow me on: https://researchsolutioninsights.wordpress.com/ PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 16:36:00 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 998 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2018 / PJX Resources Inc. ("PJX" or "the Company") (TSX-V: PJX) is pleased to announce it has completed a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering"). The Offering was closed with the aggregate issuance of 7,322,131 million Shares for total proceeds of $1,366,155.The Company issued:3,319,631 flow-through units ("Flow-Through Units"), at a price of $0.19 per Flow-Through Unit for gross proceeds of $630,730.2,750,000 Flow-Through Shares also at a price of $0.19 per Flow-Through Share, for gross proceeds of $522,500; and1,252,500 Units, at a price of $0.17 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $212,925.Each Flow-through Unit consists of one common share to be issued as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Flow-through Shares") and one common share purchase Warrant.Each Flow-through Share consists of one common share to be issued as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Flow-through Shares")Each Unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase Warrant (the "Warrant").Each Warrant, whether acquired as part of a Flow-Through Unit or Unit, entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Issuer at a price of $0.25 per share until the second anniversary of the issuance of the Warrants and a price of $0.30 per share thereafter until the third anniversary of the issuance of the Warrants.In connection with closing the Offering, the Company may pay, in accordance with the policies and subject to regulatory approval, aggregate cash finder's fees of $63,032 and issue certain Finders 332,440 non-transferable Finder's Warrants. Each of the Finder's Warrants entitles the Finder to purchase one common share of the Issuer at a price of $0.25 per share until the second anniversary of the issuance of the Warrants and a price of $0.30 per share thereafter until the third anniversary of the issuance of the Warrants.The Offering and any modifications to it are subject to compliance with applicable securities laws and to receipt of the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). All securities issued under the Offering are subject to a statutory four-month hold period.The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for expenditures on its properties located in Cranbrook, British Columbia and for general working capital. The gross proceeds from the issuance of the Flow-Through Shares shall be used to fund exploration expenditures on the Cranbrook Properties and will qualify as Canadian exploration expenses (as defined in the "Income Tax Act (Canada)").Exploration UpdatePJX plans to drill and explore for Sullivan type or Broken Hill-type zinc-lead-silver mineralization on the Vine Property and gold targets on the Zinger, Dewdney Trail, Eddy, and Gold Shear Properties. The properties are all road accessible and close to rail, power and an experienced workforce.Drilling is planned to commence on the Vine Property in mid-January, 2019. Magnetotellurics (MT) geophysics has identified a large target at depth and smaller targets near the surface that Management believes could represent folded massive sulfide bodies containing zinc-lead and possibly copper mineralization (see December 5, 2018 press release).The large MT anomaly can be traced for 800 meters (m) horizontally along strike. The sub-vertical anomaly starts at about 600m deep and can be traced down dip to the west to a depth of at least 2 kilometers (km). Modeling of gravity data suggests the potential for large dense bodies of massive sulfide at depths equivalent to the MT anomaly."The large MT target is comparable in area to the Sullivan zinc-lead deposit," states the President and CEO of PJX, John Keating. "The newly discovered and untested shallow and deep MT targets appear to occur down-dip and on strike of anomalous zinc and lead mineralization intersected by PJX's drilling to date. Some massive sulfide deposits are conductive enough to produce MT anomalies, while others have enough density contrast with surrounding rocks to be able to produce gravity anomalies. Having both types of anomalies strengthens the probability for massive sulfide mineralization in the target area." The Vine Property is at an elevation that can be drilled 12 months of the year. Gold exploration on the Zinger, Gold Shear, Eddy and Dewdney Trail Properties is planned to commence when weather permits.Sullivan BackgroundThe Sullivan Mine, located about 35 km north of the Vine Property, operated for over 90 years before being closed in 2001. Zinc and lead concentrates were transported by rail from the Sullivan mine through the Vine Property to Teck's Trail Metallurgical Complex. Some 8 million tonnes of zinc, 9 million tonnes of lead, and over 285 million ounces of silver were produced from processing the concentrates, equivalent to over US$40 billion of value in today's metal prices.The foregoing geological disclosure has been reviewed by John Keating P.Geo. (a qualified person for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). Mr. Keating is the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of PJX.About PJX Resources Inc.PJX is a mineral exploration company focused on building shareholder value and community opportunity through the exploration and development of mineral resources with a focus on gold and base metals. PJX's properties are located in the historical mining area of Cranbrook and Kimberley, British Columbia. Please refer to our website http://www.pjxresources.com for additional information.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:Linda Brennan, Chief Financial Officer(416) 799-9205info@ pjxresources.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Forward-Looking InformationThis News Release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements which relate to future events. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to exploration results, the success of exploration activities, mine development prospects, completion of economic assessments, and future gold production. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "appears to", "s Research Solution Insights presents professional and in-depth study of "Remote Patient Monitoring Device Market: Global Industry Analysis, size, sales and Forecast by 2024". PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 20:38:56 Press Information RESEARCH SOLUTION INSIGHTS Research Solution Insights (RSI) 42 Joseph Street Port carling P0B 1J0 Muskoka, Ontario1 Phone - +44-1618508625 Website: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/ Email: sales@researchsolutioninsights.com Sagar Analyst 1618508625 email https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/ # 631 Words Research Solution Insights (RSI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +44-1618508625Website: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/Email: sales@researchsolutioninsights.comAnalyst1618508625 Today, there is an unprecedented economic pressure on clinical device manufacturers, payors as well as healthcare providers due to rapid radical change in the healthcare industry. Actually medical technology is experiencing a major shift from expensive healthcare innovation to enhanced productivity solutions, improved outcomes and cost reduction. Remote monitoring is the major element in this shift. The merging of pervasive cloud technology, noninvasive biosensors, wireless networks, and miniaturization is promptly introducing the patients monitoring concept. This kind of convergence proffers major price competences to the system. As per the Research Report Insights (RRI), the global remote patient monitoring devices market is anticipated to see a strong growth between 2017 and 2024. By 2024 end, the global remote patient monitoring devices market is estimated to reach US$ 1,502.9 Million revenue.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/sample/230028-Remote-Patient-Monitoring-Device-Market From the bang of wellness applications to chronic illness management, industry leaders to start-ups and remote monitoring to innovative software solutions, healthcare innovation in healthcare industry is rushing to support a trade that is facing challenges related to rising tension among increasing demand and tightening capacity as well as growing care cost and new models of reimbursement aiming towards controlling costs.Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is an ambulatory healthcare allowing patient to perform his routine test and then send that data to healthcare professional by using mobile medical device. It is also known as homecare tele-health. It uses the base of digital technology for gathering medical and several other health data from people at different locations and communicating through electronic medical mobile device.Market DriversFactors that are boosting the revenue growth of the global market of remote patient monitoring device include rising availability of solutions that effective in treatment and growing expenditure on healthcare. Increase in the geriatric population who have chronic diseases are propelling the demand of RPM devices which in turn driving the market growth. Moreover, growing awareness among patients as well as doctors regarding RPM devices and chronic diseases diagnosis in rural areas based on opinions due to shortage of standard diagnostic tests is further fueling the revenue growth of the global RPM device market in the coming years.However, shortage of skilled professionals to help with RPM devices is hindering the market growth of remote patient monitoring device globally. Lack of awareness regarding RPM devices as well as insufficiency while maintaining the security and privacy of stored data and lack of regularity in functionality of device are the major factors hampering the global market of remote patient monitoring device.Request Report Discount: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/discount/230028-Remote-Patient-Monitoring-Device-Market Globally, the segmentation of RPM device market is based on product, application, end user and regions. Based on product, the global market of remote patient monitoring device is segmented as Respiratory Monitors, Cardiac Monitors and Hematological Monitors. On the basis of application, the global market of remote patient monitoring device is segmented as Diabetes, Chronic respiratory diseases, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Sleep apnea, Ischemic diseases, Hypertension and Hyperlipidemia. While based on end use, the global market of remote patient monitoring device is segmented as Long-term Care Centers, Hospitals and Homecare Settings.Regionally, the global market of remote patient monitoring device is segmented as APEJ, North America, Europe, Latin America and MEA. North America will dominate the global market of RPM device in terms of value and will exhibit revenue share of 31.4% by the end of 2016. While the Europe market is estimated to exhibit 22.8% revenue share of the global market of RPM device by the end of 2016.Report Analysis: https://www.researchsolutioninsights.com/report/analysis/230028-Remote-Patient-Monitoring-Device-Market Major PlayersThe leading companies operating in the global remote patient monitoring device market are Medtronic, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Boston Scientific Corporation, St. Jude Medical, LifeWatch AG, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Nihon Kohden Corporation, and Abbott Laboratories. Insurance authorities will financially reward whistleblowers who identify healthcare scams as part of the ongoing fight against fraud, according to a circular released by the National Healthcare Security Administration and the Ministry of Finance. If the activity was unknown to the local healthcare insurance department before the report, informants could receive a percentage of the amount involved in the fraud after it is proved, the circular said. Rewards should not exceed 100,000 yuan ($14,480), it added. The circular was made public on Saturday after being released earlier to provincial-level healthcare security administrations. Members of the public can report fraudulent practices by operators of healthcare insurance funds, medical institutions and pharmacies and their employees, as well as by individual insurance subscribers, it said. Fraudulent practices include fabricating medical services and documents, providing fake invoices to subscribers, faking of medical service invoices by subscribers, lending a healthcare security card to others or receiving medical services with another person's card to profit from the fund. Whistleblowers can use their names or make anonymous reports, but they must confirm their identity before they can collect any reward. Healthcare insurance authorities at various levels should protect the privacy of informants, the circular said. The introduction of the regulation is the latest effort by healthcare authorities in a campaign to fight insurance fraud. Last month, a China Central Television report accused two hospitals in Shenyang, Liaoning province, of fraudulent practices, including hospitalizing insurance subscribers after faking diagnoses to get insurance funds. Police detained at least 37 suspects after the report. At a news conference in November, the National Healthcare Insurance Administration vowed to intensify its fight against insurance scams across China, focusing on hospitals, pharmacies and subscribers. It released telephone numbers for making reports in all 31 mainland provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. "Healthcare insurance authorities face severe challenges in supervision of the insurance fund, and fraudulent practices of various sorts continue to occur, which seriously affect the security of healthcare insurance funds," said Huang Huabo, an insurance fund supervisor with the administration. "We hope intensifying public supervision will help authorities discover problems in a timely manner and prevent insurance scams," he said. China's healthcare authorities have punished a number of violators since September, when a national campaign was launched to fight scams. In Changchun, Jilin province, 761 medical institutions were given punishments, including being made ineligible to receive payments from the city's healthcare insurance fund and even suspension of business, according to the administration. More than 95 percent of people in China are covered by basic healthcare insurance programs, which are heavily subsidized by the government. Reimbursement policies vary with different groups. PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 16:25:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 912 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2018 / International Cannabrands Inc. (CSE: JUJU) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received an update on the business of Riotus SODO LLC ("Riotus SODO"). Further to its press releases dated August 16 and 29, 2018, the Company made an investment of $500,000 in Riotus SODO. The investment ultimately represented a 20.6% ownership position. Previous estimates indicated the Company received a 25% position in Riotus SODO, however as the manager of Riotus SODO raised additional equity, the overall percentage obtained was impacted accordingly.Riotus LLC provides expansion capital and business/project consulting services to experienced operators in the state legalized cannabis industry in the United States. Each investment is distinct and is structured as a series LLC. Riotus SODO is focused on the expansion/development of an 8,000 ft2 (350+ light) cultivation facility in Seattle, WA (the "Expansion Project"). The operator of the facility is Solstice Holdings Inc. ("Solstice"), a leading brand and distribution company in Washington State. In connection with the investment, Riotus SODO is entitled to receive fixed payments from Solstice beginning in the fourth month after completion of the Expansion Project.Important milestones were achieved in November 2018 for the Expansion Project, including completing full designs, obtaining permitting from the relevant authorities and commencing construction. The Expansion Project was originally forecast to begin operations in March 2019 and to generate returns for Riotus SODO four months later (the "Full Distribution Date") beginning in July 2019. Riotus SODO informed the Company that it expects the Expansion Project to begin generating cash flow earlier than initially projected and that the expansion is currently under budget. If Solstice is able to realize the expected benefits from the Expansion Project and the Company's investment in Riotus SODO performs to plan, starting on the Full Distribution Date the Company should receive cash distributions of approximately US$25,000 a month for 21 months, and then approximately US$10,000 a month thereafter for a number of years. There are no costs associated with the distributions or offsetting amounts expected to be deducted."We are extremely pleased that Riotus SODO is performing well. As we mentioned previously, Riotus' introduction to Solstice resulted in a WA distribution letter of intent between Solstice and our JuJu Royal business. The specifics of that agreement are being negotiated with an expectation for a Q1 launch," noted Steve Gormley, CEO of the Company."The expected cash flow from Riotus SODO will provide a valuable contribution to our financial performance and our overall goal to begin generating positive cash flow from operations," added Gormley.About International Cannabrands (ICI)The Company's business model is to generate revenue from cannabis cultivation, brands ranging from flower to edibles and from THC to CBD, oil extraction, ancillary products and apparel in the United States. ICI markets products with THC content where that practice has been legalized at the state level through either medicinal or full recreational use. ICI also markets products containing CBD in the US and internationally. ICI's strategy centers on acquiring micro brands, distribution and specific manufacturing/cultivation companies in the cannabis space. ICI has acquired the exclusive rights to Julian Marley's JuJu Royal brand. The Company believes as the legal cannabis market evolves, high-quality, unique products will increasingly capture market share and provide a valuable platform for growth.About JuJu RoyalJulian Marley conveys his message of legalization, freedom, and love through the JuJu Royal brand, a line of naturally produced medicinal herbs. Our vision is to realize the opportunity to become one of the largest brands in the Marijuana industry. The synergy between the Rastafarian culture, music, natural products and an "Irie" experience is a powerful foundation for our business. JuJu's strategy is to develop and grow a complete cannabis line based on an international appeal to a millennial lifestyle seeking a luxurious and premium experience. JuJu will capitalize on the unparalleled opportunity to position itself with unique, innovative, high quality brands that meet and exceed our customer's expectations. More information about the brand and various products can be obtained at www.jujuroyal.net International Cannabrands Contact:Steve GormleyChief Executive Officer1045 Lincoln Street, #106Denver, Colorado 80203Ph: (323) 828-4321 or steve.gormley@intlcannabrands.com Media Inquiries: media@ jujuroyal.net NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.Disclaimer concerning Forward-looking StatementsCertain statements included herein constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the expected performance of the investment in Riotus SODO. and the expected impact on the revenue of the Company. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties regarding the Company are described in its publicly-available disclosure documents filed by the Company on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com) . The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent the Company's expectations as of the date of this news release, or as of the date they are otherwise stated to be made, and subsequent events may cause these expectations to change. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend, and undertakes no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect, in particular, new information or future events.SOURCE: International Cannabrands Inc According to a recent research conducted by Persistence Market Research, the global holographic films market revenues are estimated to reach US$ 11,775 million in value by 2024. Persistence Market Research PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 16:13:53 Press Information Persistence Market Research Persistence Market Research 305 Broadway 7th Floor, New York City, NY 10007, United States, USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353 Yogesh Sengar Team Lead 800-961-0353 email http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com # 676 Words Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Team Lead800-961-0353 For every consumer goods product that has ever hit the shelves of retail outlets, a percentage of its production cost gets spent on branding the product by sticking a holographic film on its packaging label. Accordingly, billions of consumers goods sold daily from all parts of the world necessitate the expansion of global production capacity for holographic films. In 2015, global sales of holographic films exceeded US$ 5 billion, attesting the universal demand for iconic branding techniques. According to a recent research conducted by Persistence Market Research, the global holographic films market revenues are estimated to reach US$ 11,775 million in value by 2024.Persistence Market Researchs report titled Global Market Study on Holographic Films: Pharmaceuticals End Use Industry Segment Estimated to Increase 2.2X in Terms of Value over the Forecast Period , projects the US$ 5,767.3 million global holographic films market will expand at an impressive CAGR of 9.3% during the period of forecast 2016-2024. Besides the branding demands, the active use of Fresnel lens technology in designing flexible packaging surfaces has become a proponent for consumption of holographic films, the combination of which is likely to create 3D effect for customers viewing the products stacked on store shelves. While secured packaging and anti-counterfeit measures promote the use of holographic films, volatile costs of film materials are likely to hamper the growth of the global holographic films market.Key Research FindingsDemand for Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) film materials to remain high through 2024, accounting for almost half of the global market revenuesBranding measures undertaken by pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers, and companies in the FMCG sector will render them largest end-user industries for holographic filmsThe need for customer-centric designs and patterns on films will gain traction during the projected period, effectuating a higher market presence for customized offerings of holographic filmsThrough 2024, the value share ratio of lamination and printing as two main end uses in the global holographic films market is anticipated to be an estimated 60% to 40% respectivelyAPAC Holographic Films Market to Expand at Highest CAGRBy the end of forecast period, the holographic films sales from Asia Pacific (APAC) region will rake in revenues worth over US$ 4.3 billion. The APAC holographic films market is anticipated to be fastest growing region in the global market, registering an estimated CAGR of 10.8%. In 2016, the region accounted for one-third share of the global market value, followed by North America which secured over 25% share of the global holographic films market size. Europes holographic films market is likely to join North America and APAC as regions lucrative for expansion of holographic films businesses. Meanwhile, the holographic films market size is to expand at a modest rate in regions such as Latin America and the Middle East & Africa (MEA).Metallized Films & Anti-counterfeit Applications Procure High SalesSales of holographic films in the world have been largely concentrated towards two aspects the type of film material preferred and its application. Product manufacturers and packaging industry players prefer using metallized holographic films over transparent films. Similarly, the use of such films finds greater application in anti-counterfeit measures of packaging companies. Surging instances of product duplicity have integrated holographic films into packaging operations that label symbols for identifying authentic products. Independently, metallized holographic films and anti-counterfeit applications are expected to account for over 70% of global market revenues throughout the forecast period.Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12892 Global Holographic Films Market: Key PlayersWhile local manufacturers of holographic films are expected to collectively account for over half of the global market, companies such as Uflex Limited and Polinas Plastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. will jointly hold company share of 14.2%. Leading holographic films manufacturers namely Toray Industries Inc., SRF Limited, and Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, are expected to exclusively focus on business expansion in regions such as North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Strategic acquisitions is pegged to be a top priority for Jindal Poly Films Ltd., API Group Plc., and Avery Dennison Corporation, while Cosmo Films Limited and K Laser Technology Inc. are expected to increase their global presence through product launch. XploreMR is one of the worlds leading resellers of high-quality market research reports. We feature in-depth reports from some of the worlds most reputed market research companies and international organizations. We serve across a broad spectrum from Fortune 500 to small and medium businesses. Our clients trust us for our unwavering focus onquality and affordability. We believe high price should not be a bottleneck for organizations looking to gain access to quality information. xplore-mr PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 13:55:35 Press Information Xplore-MR 111 North Market Street, Suite 300, San Jose, CA 95113, United States Sales sales@xploremr.com +16692840108 email http://www.xploremr.com # 582 Words 111 North Market Street, Suite 300,San Jose, CA 95113, United Statessales@xploremr.com+16692840108 This Market Study presents an all-encompassing study of the global Security as a Service Markettitled Global Market Study on Security-as-a-Service: IT & Telecom and BFSI Industry Segments Major Adopters of Security-as-a-Service Solutions . This study demonstrates the market dynamics and trends globally across seven regions of North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, and MEA which influence the current nature and future status of the Security as a Service market over the forecast period. In this report, This Market Study gives an overall view of the global Security as a Service market and also throws light on the market sentiment and overall segments of this market. The period of assessment of this report is for 10 years and this report enlightens clients on the crucial aspects of the global Security as a Service market in the coming decade. An in-depth study of a market was done by the highly qualified team of analysts of This Market Study and information were collated on the drivers and trends that will influence the market in the coming decade. The report gives a detailed description of the effect these drivers and restraints will have on the global Security as a Service market and this gives a crystal clear picture to the client regarding how the market will shape up in the future.Report descriptionThis research report provides a detailed analysis of the global Security as a Service market and offers insights on the various factors driving the popularity of these security solutions. The report includes an extensive analysis of key industry drivers, restraints, market trends and market structure. The market study provides a comprehensive assessment of stakeholder strategies and imperatives for succeeding in the business. The report segregates the market based on enterprise and industries using Security as a Service across different regions globally.The report starts with an overview of the Security as a Service market in terms of value. In addition, this section includes analysis of key trends, drivers, and restraints from the supply, demand and economy side, which are influencing the Security as a Service market. Impact analysis of key growth drivers and restraints, based on the weighted average model is included in this report to facilitate clients with crystal clear decision-making insights.The Security as a Service market is classified on the basis of enterprise type and vertical. On the basis of enterprise type the market is segmented into a small enterprise, medium enterprise, and large enterprise. On the basis of vertical, market is segmented in BFSI, IT & Telecom, Healthcare, Retail and Consumer goods and others.Buy Full Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/cart/reports/buynow/1106 Key segmentsBy Enterprise TypeSmall EnterpriseMedium EnterpriseLarge EnterpriseBy IndustryBFSIIT & TelecomHealthcareRetail & Consumer GoodsOthersA detailed analysis has been provided for every segment in terms of market size analysis for Security as a Service across the different regions. The section provides a detailed analysis covering key trends, absolute dollar opportunity and BPS Analysis.The next section highlights detailed analysis on of Security as a Service across various countries in the region. It provides a market outlook for 20162026 and sets the forecast within the context of Security as a Service market, including latest technological developments as well as offerings in the market. This study discusses key trends within countries contributing to the growth of the market, as well as analyzes which drivers are influencing this market in each region.Download Free Sample Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/connectus/sample/1106 PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 18:37:01 Press release December 17, 2018, 6:00 pm Solutions 30 reinforces its positioning for high-speed Internet and fiber-optic cabling in France and Spain Solutions 30, a leader in solutions for new technologies, has strengthened its position as a premier partner to the largest French and European operators. In Spain, the group has given new impetus to its growth dynamic due to favorable market conditions. Solutions 30 acquired 100% of the share capital of Spanish company Salto Telecomunicaciones S.L., a top-tier partner of the Spanish telecom operator Masmovil, and 49% of the share capital of Grupo Magaez Telecomunicaciones, a top-tier partner of Vodafone in Spain. In France, the group has asserted its leadership by acquiring 100% of the share capital of Sotranasa, a company based in southern France that generated nearly 50 million in revenue in 2017 in the telecommunications and energy sector. For Gianbeppi Fortis, chairman of Solutions 30s executive board, These new acquisitions enable us to strengthen our relationships with major French and international operators in the high-speed Internet and energy sectors. They allow us to be well positioned in market segments where there will be important growth opportunities in the future such as the deployment of 5G, the transition to sustainable energy, and the increased demand for connected objects in Europe. New growth dynamic in Spain The group is experiencing renewed growth in Spain and now intends to strengthen its position with the countrys major operators. It aims now to grow both organically and through a targeted strategy of acquisitions in a very fragmented sector. By acquiring Salto Telecomunicaciones S.L., Solutions 30 has expanded its offering and positioned itself alongside Masmovil, the fourth-largest telecom operator in the country. Salto Telecomunicaciones S.L. employs 90 people and generates around 10 million in revenue in Catalonia and Aragon. It has been consolidated into Solutions 30s accounts since the end of October 2018. The minority stake in Grupo Magaez Telecomunicaciones will allow Solutions 30 to work alongside an entity that generates 2 million in revenue from deploying fiber-optic cabling for Vodafone in Andalusia, Extremadura, Madrid, and Barcelona. This company will not be consolidated in the groups accounts. Continued market consolidation in France In France, the group continues its strategy of market share gains and has increased its national coverage even more by acquiring 100% of Sotranasas share capital. Created in 1974, the Perpignan-based company generated 49.2 million in revenue in 2017. Present alongside the biggest telecom operators for more than 40 years and a pioneer in deploying fiber-optic cabling in France, Sotranasa has become a premier service provider for operators in the Southwest. The company has also been working in the energy sector since 2006 and notably holds contracts with Enedis (formerly ERDF) and GRDF. By acquiring Sotranasa, Solutions 30 increases its presence in the South of France. This deal enables us not only to strengthen our position with telecom operators in the fiber-optic sector but also to expand our operations in the energy sector. With Sotranasa, Solutions 30 will unlock development opportunities in the fast-growing energy transition sector as the groups new subsidiary has long-standing relationships with the main operators of energy distribution networks in France and is active in numerous renewable energy projects, concludes Karim Rachedi, chief operating officer and board member of Solutions 30. About Solutions 30 SE The Solutions 30 Group is the European leader in solutions for new technologies. Its mission is to make the technological developments that are transforming our daily lives accessible to everyone, individuals and businesses alike. Yesterday, it was computers and the Internet. Today, its digital technology. Tomorrow, it will be technologies that make the world even more interconnected in real time. With more than 20 million call-outs carried out since it was founded and a network of more than 6,000 local technicians, Solutions 30 currently covers all of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Spain. The share capital of Solutions 30 SE consists of 104,057,392 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised. Solutions 30 SE is listed on Euronext Growth (ISIN FR0013379484 - code ALS30) as well as on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on electronic trading system XETRA (FR0013379484 code 30L2) Indexes: MSCI Europe Small Cap | Tech40 | CAC PME. For more information, visit our website: www.solutions30.com Contacts - Solutions 30 SOLUTIONS 30 EDIFICE COMMUNICATION Nezha Calligaro | CEO PA Samuel Beaupain | Media Relations +352 2 648 19 17 | nezha.calligaro@solutions30.com 06 88 48 48 02 | samuel@edifice-communication.com GENESTA FINANCE Herve Guyot | Listing Sponsor Nathalie Boumendil | Investor Relations 01 45 63 68 60 | hguyot@genesta-finance.com 06 85 82 41 95 | investor.relations@solutions30.com Attachment PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 20:34:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 330 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / On December 17, 2018 / (US time), V1 Group's US branch Vland Inc. ("Vland") was officially opened. Dr. Lijun Zhang, Chairman of the Board of V1 Group, Ms. Chun Wang, Executive Director and COO of V1 Group, and Mr. Busheng Tang, Secretary General of China APEC Development Council, attended and held the opening ceremony.Dr. Lijun Zhang said that "After three months of preparations, the opening of Vland is a milestone event for V1 Group. V1 Group's US branch will be at the forefront of innovation, combining new business models with huge market opportunities and establishing a new platform for sustainable development of V1 Group." Ms. Chun Wang, CEO of Vland in the United States, said that "From now on, V1 Group has a home in the United States. Vland will cultivate and find new development opportunities and partners for V1 Group and become the new pivot for the Group's development!"V1 Group has just released the development strategy of "digital + new culture and sports". Setting up a branch in the United States is undoubtedly an important measure for this strategic deployment, which will bring new perspectives and opportunities for the development of V1 Group.About V1 Group (00082.HK)V1 Group was established in 2005, listed on the Main Board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2006, became the first Chinese video media enterprise listed in Hong Kong. In 2015, V1 Group has developed into one of the largest new media industry groups in China. In 2016, V1 Group successfully transformed from the new media industry group into a new economy in the internet industry, and has extensively deployed in media, Internet life, Internet finance, and Internet frontier technology. In 2018, V1 Group wholly acquired CrazySports, accelerating the industrial structure of "digital + new culture and sports" as its core businesses.V1 Group IR website: http://ir.v1.cn For further information, please contact:Doris ChanTel(852) 2869 8966E-maildorischan@ vodone.com.hk SOURCE: V1 Group Ltd. PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-17 16:46:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 975 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2018 / Wi2Wi Corporation ("Wi2Wi" or the "Company") (TSXV: YTY), a leading global developer and manufacturer of end to end Wireless Connectivity Solutions, high precision Frequency Control, Timing, and Microwave Filter devices announces that Ms. Carol Hess joining the board of directors.Carol Hess is a technology expert and sales & marketing executive with over 29 years of experience in the high-tech industry. Currently, she is the Vice President, Worldwide Workstation Product Management and Business Development at HP Inc. In this role, she is responsible for HP's commercial Desktop Workstation and Mobile Workstation Products from the plan-of-record, though launch, and the end-of-life. Carol also drives a multimillion dollar OEM Business for the organization. During her career at HP, Carol has held various executive management positions in Mobility, PC's, and Notebooks where she was primarily responsible for business development, planning, launching, and sustaining activity of the various product lines. Previously, she held various management positions at HP and Compaq; Director of Strategy, Planning, and Operations for the Americas Region, Director of Industry Standard Servers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), located in Munich, Germany.Carol is currently on the Board of Directors of The Greater Houston Partnership and The Texas Diversity Council. She has served the Houston Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) as Vice President of the Board of Directors through 2016. She is an executive member of HP's Houston site council and co-founder of HP's Women Employee Resource Group. Carol has received numerous civic and professional honors that include "Houston Power 50" award from the National Diversity Council in 2018; "Top 15 Business Women of Houston" award from the National Women's Council in 2017; Houston Women's Magazine "Top 50 Most Influential Women of Houston" award in 2013; Association of Women in Computing (AWC) award for "Leadership in Technology" in 2005. She is also a public speaker and a community organizer. Carol holds a Master of Business Administration Degree in Marketing and Management Information Systems (MIS) from The Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Arts in General Business from Michigan State University."The Company welcomes Ms. Carol Hess to the board of directors. Her experience and knowledge in the high-tech industry will definitely help the Company in its future product development and growing the Company," said the Chairman of the Board Mr. Gary DuBroc.For further information, please contact:Dawn LeederChief Financial Officer608 203 0234dawn_l@ wi2wi.com About IoT and M2MEssentially, IoT and M2M describe the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data. Driven by several factors including the growth in the availability of Broadband Internet, which reduces the cost of connecting, and the related increase in Wi-Fi capabilities as well as sensors built into myriad technologies, this has been described as the "perfect storm" for the IoT. Almost any device with an on and off switch that can be connected to the Internet (and/or to each other) - anything from cell phones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices, cars, as well as machine components in the engine of a jet airplane or the drill of an oil rig. According to analyst firm Gartner, by 2020 there will be over 26 billion connected devices. Others think this figure could be too conservative by a factor of four.About Wi2Wi CorporationWi2Wi is a vertically-integrated technology company which designs, manufactures and markets high performance, low power wireless connectivity solutions, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) modules, and frequency control devices. The Company's products and services address numerous applications in the markets of Internet of Things (IoT), Machine to Machine (M2M), Avionics, Space, and Government Sponsored Projects. Wi2Wi's products and value-added services provide highly integrated, rugged, robust, and reliable multiprotocol wireless actuators with embedded software, along with customized timing and frequency control devices for customers, worldwide. The Company was founded in 2005 and is strategically headquartered in San Jose, California with satellite offices in Middleton, Wisconsin and Hyderabad, India. Wi2Wi's manufacturing operations, its laboratory for reliability and quality control, together with design and engineering for timing and frequency control devices are located in Middleton, WI. The branch office, located in Hyderabad, India, focuses on the development of wireless connectivity; both hardware and software. Wi2Wi's strategic objective is to service the unique needs of each customer by providing end to end wireless integration solutions and highly customizable timing and frequency control devices. Wi2Wi distinguishes itself from commodity grade products, with best in the market performance, highly reliable, low power wireless connectivity products with integrated software that supports broader temperature ranges and a longer product life cycle. Furthermore, Wi2Wi's end to end product solutions helps the customer substantially reduce their end product expense, certification cost, and overall R&D investment, in addition to substantially reducing the time to market. Wi2Wi has partnered with best in class global leaders in technology, manufacturing, and sales. The Company uses a wide network of manufacturer's representatives, worldwide, to promote its products and services, and has partnered with world class distributors for the fulfillment of orders along with direct sales.Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including management's assessment of future plans and operations, and the timing thereof, that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks associated with the ability to access sufficient capital, the impact of general economic conditions in Canada, the United States and overseas, industry conditions, stock market volatility. The Company's actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assuran The Nigerian governments continued delay in ratifying the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is regrettable, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Sunday. The former president, who is also the chairman of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2018) Advisory Council, said Nigeria was yet to ratify the agreement, despite leading the final negotiations. It is my sincere wish that Nigeria will be at the table before the AfCFTA comes into effect, Mr Obasanjo said in his remarks on Sunday at the closing session of the maiden edition of the IATF in Cairo, Egypt. I went around the pavilions and the Nigerian pavilion was large. How can you be talking about the IATF when you are not part of the AfCFTA? You cannot absent yourself from what is the way for the rest of Africa. The IATF2018 hosted by the Egyptian government was organised by the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC). Urging all African countries to ensure the quick ratification of the agreement, Mr Obasanjo said its implementation and policies would facilitate and support intra-African trade. He described AfCFTA as an instrument of transformation capable of changing the structure of African trade. With AfCFTA, he said, Africa would be able to say it no longer accepts the structure handed down by its colonial masters. One of the things I hope we will be able to get as quickly as possible is availability of visas-on-arrival, or a common visa for a number of countries. It hurts that those who want to trade within Africa need to have so many visas, he noted. Highlighting the challenges posed by differing trade regulations in different African countries, Mr Obasanjo said Africa needs to get away from the regime of different regulations from country to country when either importing or exporting. He said the trade agreement by African countries will eliminate trade barriers and help the continent get away as soon as possible, from regulations frustrating trade. Stressing the need for concrete actions to tackle challenges impeding intra-African trade, the former president who said it was time to move beyond rhetoric identified IATF as a bold step towards ratification of the trade agreement. On the notion that Africa lacked the resources to finance its development, Mr Obasanjo said he was convinced the resources needed are available on the continent. Its a matter of how Africa accesses the available financial resources. Money is cowardly it only goes where it feels safe and wanted, he noted. Describing 2018 as one of the most significant years for Africa with the signing of the AfCFTA in Kigali in March and the inauguration of the first IATF, Mr Obasanjo commended AFREXIMBANK for spearheading the intra-African trade agenda. He attributed the success of the bank to its culture of continuity, where all its past presidents have continued to work with and support the current president in pursuit of the development of intra-African trade. On the need to address the global perception of Africa, Mr Obasanjo said the only way to change that was to come together and work towards lifting the standard of living of every African. On what late former South African President, Nelson Mandela, told him about the three things that give a person wisdom and sober disposition in life, Mr Obasanjo spoke of adversity in life, age and prison experience. I say to my children, whatever you may feel, my wisdom comes from adversity in my life, age that I have acquired and prison experience. May you never add that one, he said. Describing 2018 as one of the most significant years for Africa with the signing of the AfCFTA in Kigali in March and the inauguration of the first IATF, Mr Obasanjo commended AFREXIMBANK for spearheading the intra-African trade agenda. On March 21, 2018, 44 of the 54 member nations of the African Union signed the draft AfCFTA during the 18th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Governments in Kigali, Rwanda. The signatories included host Rwanda, Niger, Angola, Central African Republic., Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, The Gambia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Cote DIvoire, Seychelles, Algeria and Equatorial Guinea. Others include Morocco, Swaziland, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, South Sudan, Uganda, Egypt, Ethiopia, Sao Tome and Principle, Togo and Tunisia and others. Those that did not sign included Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Burundi, Eritrea, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia. Although South Africa has since signed the agreement, Nigeria is still yet to do so, on the ground that it needed more time to consult interest groups and labour unions. The British Council hosted a private pre-release film screening of a new Nollywood film titled Up North at its Lagos office this past weekend. Some cast members like Rekiya Attah and the crew including the director, Tope Oshin-Ogun, were in attendance. The film, which was written by Chinaza Onuzo and Bunmi Ajakaiye, is based on a story by Editi Effiong. Anakle Films and Inkblot, makers of Wedding Party 1&2 and New Money, produced the movie which was shot in Lagos and Bauchi states. The movies plot sees a controlling billionaire father (Kanayo O. Kanayo) get fed up with his rebellious son, Bassey (Banky W), and sends him off to NYSC in Bauchi. Up North follows Basseys journey to self-discovery as he navigates life, love, friendship, and purpose in this feel good, coming of age drama. The film beams the spotlight on girl child education and the empowerment of girls within the local northern community where the protagonist begins a new life. The film is led by a star cast including Rahama Sadau, Adesua Etomi-Wellington and Ibrahim Suleiman. Others are Michelle Dede, Sani Muazu, Tokunbor T-Boss Idowu and many others. Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State also made a cameo appearance playing himself in the movie. PREMIUM TIMES had a chat with the director, Oshin-Ogun, at the gathering about the idea behind the film. The intention of the film is broadly nationalist, Bauchi is also a part of Nigeria and I bet youve never seen this part of Nigeria before. For one, I never thought there were lakes up north; when you are thinking about the north, you are thinking of a desert. So the ultimate thing was, let us show other Nigerians what the north looks like. Lets not think about the terrorism and say I am not going to serve up north. The director also added that the warm nature of the Bauchi residents made the shoot seamless and worthwhile. She said, The people of Bauchi are very friendly, in the middle of the shoot, people would come right up and offer to be in the scene without taking anything, they just wanted to support. For me, that was a pleasant surprise and Bauchi state is beautiful. We were up there in Bauchi State for one month so you can imagine how safe the state is. Speaking on how the production team got the nod of the Bauchi State governor, she said the executive producer had a chance meeting with the governor. Editi, who is the executive producer of the film, had gone to Bauchi some years before this film was made and he was surprised at the beauty of the state. He was later on a flight with the governor and he got bold and walked up to him and they held a conversation about shooting a film in the state and the governor was open to it. PHOTO STORY Guests at the screening Up North crew Up North director, Tope Oshin Up North screening Up North crew and British Council staff Up North Cast member, Rekiya Attah The audience at the screening of Up North at British Council He then pledged his support to Editi whenever you people are ready, we are here to support you. So when he returned two years later, he said whatever you people need, Ill give to you, access to the stadium, Durbar festival, even his personal convoy. There was already word in town that there was going to be a film made in Bauchi so when we went to the locations, the governor took us around and introduced us to people saying something big was about to happen and they had to support us. It was also interesting to watch the Bauchi State governor play himself in the movie albeit for a few minutes. The director revealed that like other cast members, he was auditioned for the role. He wanted to read the script so when he read the script, he said he liked it and asked if he could play himself. Editi then said You have to audition for my director and he said fine, Ill do it and he did, she explained. On the day of the shoot himself, I made him do three takes, he was very warm and accommodating. Even when his security detail said they had to be somewhere else, he said be patient, let me be done with my role. Up North is currently showing in cinemas across Nigeria. The National Coalition on Affirmative Action and the Vaccine Network for Disease Control have called on the National Assembly to conduct a public hearing on the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill for its eventual ratification. The bill, which was first dismissed in March 2016, has since passed the second hearing at the Senate. It seeks to guarantee the rights of women to equal opportunities in employment; equal rights to inheritance for both male and female children; equal rights for women in marriage and divorce, equal access to education, property/land ownership and inheritance; protects the rights of widows; guarantee appropriate measures against gender discrimination in political and public life and ensure the prohibition of violence towards women. The Chief Oversight Officer for Vaccine Network for Disease Control, Chika Offor, said it is pertinent for the bill to go to public hearing before the end of the present assembly. She said the bill has gone through a lot of processes already, including the second reading in the Senate and it is time for a public hearing on it. Mrs Offor said failure to do this before the end of the Eighth Assembly will be a huge step backward for the bill. She said the bill which was first presented in 2010 was thrown out due to some religious views and other issues. Mrs Offor noted that Nigeria loses 145 women of childbearing age, making it the second largest contributor to maternal mortality rate in the world because women do not have the right to determine when they want to give birth. She said the bill will give women, including those in the rural areas, the opportunity to take certain decisions on their own. She urged the legislators to ensure the bill goes to a public hearing to enable its passage in the nearest future. The Coordinator, Gender Technical Unit National Assembly, Eqy Anazonwu, said the time that elapsed since the second hearing is enough to have passed the bill. She said the passage of the bill will work in line in ensuring the Sustainable Development Goal 5 is achieved. The SDG 5 seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls. The Executive Director, Initiative for Girls, Abiodun Eshiet, urged the media to be at the forefront of this advocacy towards the ramification of the GEO bill. She said engaging policymakers at this critical time of electoral campaigns will go a long way to determine the fate of the bill. Work four days a week, but get paid for five? It sounds too good to be true, the media reports on Monday. However, companies around the world that have cut their work week have found that it leads to higher productivity, more motivated staff and less burnout. It is much healthier and we do a better job if were not working crazy hours, said Jan Schulz-Hofen, founder of Berlin-based project management software company Planio. The company introduced a four-day week to the companys 10-member staff earlier this year. In New Zealand, insurance company Perpetual Guardian reported a fall in stress and a jump in staff engagement after it tested a 32-hour week earlier this year. Even in Japan, the government is encouraging companies to allow Monday mornings off. Meanwhile, other schemes in the workaholic country to persuade employees to take it easy have had little effect. Britains Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pushing for the whole country to move to a four-day week by the end of the century, a drive supported by the opposition Labour party. The TUC argues that a shorter week is a way for workers to share in the wealth generated by new technologies like machine learning and robotics. TUC wanted this just as they won the right to the weekend off during the industrial revolution. It would reduce the stress of juggling working and family life and could improve gender equality. Companies that have already tried it say its better for productivity and staff wellbeing, said TUC economic head Kate Bell. Lucie Greene, trends expert at consultancy J. Walter Thompson, said there was a growing backlash against overwork. This is underlined by a wave of criticism after Tesla boss Elon Musk tweeted that nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week. People are starting to take a step back from the 24-hour digital life we have now and realize the mental health issues from being constantly connected to work, Greene said. A recent survey of 3,000 employees in eight countries including the United States, Britain and Germany found that nearly half thought they could easily finish their tasks in five hours a day if they did not have interruptions. Meanwhile, many are exceeding 40 hours a week anyway with the United States leading the way, where 49 per cent said they worked overtime. There has been work creep. Because you always have the technology, you are always working. So people are getting burned out, said Dan Schawbel, director of executive development firm Future Workplace, which conducted the survey. Schulz-Hofen, a 36-year-old software engineer, tested the four-day week on himself after realizing he needed to slow down. He needed it following a decade of intense work launching Planio, whose tools allowed him to track his time in detail. I didnt get less work done in four days than in five because in five days, you think you have more time, you take longer. You allow yourself to have more interruptions, you have your coffee a bit longer or chat with colleagues, Schulz-Hofen said. I realized with four days, I have to be quick, I have to be focused if I want to have my free Friday. Schulz-Hofen and his team discussed various options before settling on everybody working Monday to Thursday. They rejected the idea of flexible hours because it adds administrative complexity, and were against a five-day week with shorter hours as it is too easy for overwork to creep back in. Clients who call on a Friday hear a recorded message explaining why nobody is at the office. We got an unexpected reaction from customers. Most of our clients did not complain. They were just jealous, Schulz-Hofen said. Grey New York, an ad agency owned by WPP (WPP.L), launched a program in April to allow staff to work a four-day week for 85 per cent of their full-time salary. Schawbel expects the idea to catch on in more companies and countries, but probably not his own: I think America will be the last country to give us Monday mornings off because were so used to this way of working. The Nigerian authorities failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more, Amnesty International revealed today. In a new report, Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders, Amnesty International found that 57 per cent of the 3,641 recorded deaths occurred in 2018. Security forces were often positioned close to the attacks, which lasted hours and sometimes days, yet were slow to act. In some cases, security forces had prior warning of an imminent raid but did nothing to stop or prevent the killings, looting and burning of homes. The Nigerian government has displayed what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population and end the intensifying conflict between herders and farmers. The authorities lethargy has allowed impunity to flourish and the killings to spread to many parts of the country, inflicting greater suffering on communities who already live in constant fear of the next attack, said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. Our research shows that these attacks were well planned and coordinated, with the use of weapons like machine guns and AK-47 rifles. Yet, little has been done by the authorities in terms of prevention, arrests and prosecutions, even when information about the suspected perpetrators was available. Amnesty International started documenting clashes between farmers and herders from January 2016. Between August 2017 and September 2018, researchers conducted 10 field trips to 56 villages in five states. The report is based on 262 interviews with victims, eyewitnesses, community leaders, medical practitioners, religious leaders and government officials, including members of the security forces. Researchers also analysed 230 documents, including medical records and reports by the security forces. Villagers in all the areas visited by Amnesty International described losing everything as their homes were burned and their food supplies carted away by attackers. Since 2016, both sides in the conflict have increasingly sought to destroy each others livelihood with herders setting fire to farms and farmers engaging in cattle rustling. The root cause of this conflict has nothing to do with religion or ethnicity; it is largely about land and access to grazing. But in some places, because of the failures of the security forces, competition over resources is used as a pretext to kill and maim along ethnic or religious lines. The conflict has also been dangerously politicized by some state government officials who have inflamed tensions by embarking on a blame game along political party lines, said Osai Ojigho. At least 310 attacks were recorded between 5 January 2016 and 5 October 2018. The attacks were most frequent in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba and Plateau. Other parts of the country including Enugu, Ondo, Oyo, Delta and Edo also recorded attacks. Bloody Testimonies Amnesty International researchers uncovered a pattern of appalling killings by both farmers and herders across Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and Plateau. On June 17, 2017, one of the deadliest attacks on Fulani communities in Taraba State began. It lasted four days with dozens of dead bodies found in the bush afterwards. Nigerian Army An eyewitness told Amnesty International: My wife was slaughtered, they opened her stomach and brought out the baby and slaughtered it. My kids were slaughtered also. I was with their dead bodies for three days in the bush before the soldiers came. My father was burned in front of the mosque where he prayed. They killed him there and burned him. In the Guma and Logo local government areas of Benue State, villages began 2018 under attack by armed gangs, who arrived in the early hours of 1 January. The attack, which went on for 11 days, resulted in at least 88 deaths, although the state government was only able to bury 73 bodies. An eyewitness told Amnesty International: Up to 120 people (were) dead, some are farmers in the bush but we have not recovered them. It was through the efforts of the Benue State government and security agents that 73 bodies were recovered and buried. More corpses are still out there while some have been buried already in the villages. Amnesty International interviewed 21 women in communities affected by the attacks. Many spoke of losing their husbands and having to take care of their children alone. On 20 February 2017, Zilian village in Kaduna State was attacked. One woman described how she ran and hid in an old latrine pit. Her husband was killed in the attack and her 6-year old daughter was severely burnt. She said: When they left, I dragged myself out of the pit and went home. My thoughts were that my kids were already burned to death in the house but I needed to confirm. When I got home, everywhere was under fire. They burned the house and everything was on fire and still burning. I saw my husbands corpse on the floor and fire had caught his leg, so I moved him from the fire. In Kaduna and Zamfara states, what started as clashes between herders and farmers has turned into a total collapse of law and order, with armed gangs raiding villages, kidnapping people for ransom and killing hundreds of people in recent years. Villagers told Amnesty International that they were regularly confronted by attackers wielding machine guns and assault rifles. Amnesty International took photographs of different ammunition casings from the scenes of attacks in Adamawa, Kaduna and Benue states, and received photographs of other casings from Plateau State. In all cases, weapons analysis showed that the attackers were likely to have been armed with machine guns like the PKM and G3, and AK-47 rifles. Failure To Protect The Nigerian authorities have an obligation to protect the right to life as enshrined in international and African human rights treaties. Yet, communities told Amnesty International that they alerted the security forces to impending attacks and no action was taken. On May 2, 2018, 33 villagers were killed and five villages torched in the Numan Local Government Area of Adamawa State, despite security forces being informed 16 hours prior to the attack that gunmen had started gathering nearby. Villagers and a local government official phoned through the warnings from 11 p.m. on May 1, the night before the attack. According to research undertaken on the ground by Amnesty International, soldiers were deployed to perform a single patrol in the area on the afternoon of May 2, and then withdrew shortly before the attackers arrived. Villagers kept calling and complaining about the withdrawal, but the relevant Majors phone was reported to be switched off. Villagers in Agwada, Udege, Kokona local government area and Loko development area in Nasarawa State wrote to the Inspector General of Police on March 10, 2017 to protest against incessant attacks by herders. The villagers told Amnesty International that the police asked them for N150,000 ($411) for logistics, which was paid. Just three police officers were sent but they refused to go to the villages, complaining of bad roads. Amnesty International shared its findings with government authorities and requested information from the Ministry of Justice, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force and the governments of Adamawa, Benue, Enugu, Kaduna, Plateau and Taraba states. Only Enugu State Government responded to our request, saying five people are being prosecuted over the killing of 12 people in Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, which was attacked on April 25, 2016. Authorities must investigate the slow response time of security forces that has resulted in shockingly high casualties. As part of this process, the security forces leadership should scrutinize the role of individual commanders, while governments across the affected states must provide appropriate compensation to the victims of the conflicts, said Osai Ojigho. The Nigerian authorities must immediately initiate independent, effective and impartial investigations into all human rights violations and abuses perpetrated during the farmers-herders conflicts, whether by state or non-state actors. The findings of these investigations must be made public, and where there is sufficient admissible evidence, those responsible must face prosecution in fair trials. BACKGROUND Farmers-herders raids and counter-raids have been going on seasonally across northern Nigeria for decades but started escalating in 1999. Since 2017 the conflicts have become increasingly deadly as deteriorating environmental conditions have compelled herders to move southward for pasture. The conflicts have become increasingly deadly as many factors have contributed to this including deteriorating environmental conditions, population growth and proliferation of small arms in Nigeria. The Nigerian Army has called for the closure of the Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, alleging there is credible evidence the organisation is working hard to destabilise the country. This comes three days after the army accused UNICEF of aiding terrorism in the North-east. The army spokesman, Sani Usman, said in a statement on Monday that Amnesty Internationals alleged attempt to destabilise the nation was noted through the fabrication of fictitious allegations of human rights abuses against the Nigerian security forces, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. According to NAN, Mr Usman also alleged Amnesty International had engaged in clandestine sponsorship of dissident groups to protest, as well as unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military. Mr Usman alleged that the Nigerian branch of AI that has hitherto been well respected has deviated from the core values, principles and objectives of the original parent body in the United Kingdom. They have tried over the years using Boko Haram terrorists conflicts, Islamic Movement in Nigeria, some activists and now herders-farmers conflicts. The NGO is at the verge of releasing yet another concocted report against the military, ostensibly against the Nigerian Army. Consequently, Nigerians should be wary of Amnesty International (Nigeria) because its goals are to destabilise Nigeria and to dismember it. The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues, Mr Usman said, as highlighted in the NAN report. Mr Usmans statement comes a few hours after Amnesty International on Monday said the Nigerian authorities failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country. The conflict has resulted in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more, the report stated. In the report titled, Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders, Amnesty International found that 57 per cent of the 3,641 recorded deaths occurred in 2018. It said security forces were often positioned close to the attacks, which lasted hours and sometimes days, yet were slow to act. In some cases, security forces had prior warning of an imminent raid but did nothing to stop or prevent the killings, looting and burning of homes, it highlighted. The Nigerian government has displayed what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population and end the intensifying conflict between herders and farmers. The authorities lethargy has allowed impunity to flourish and the killings to spread to many parts of the country, inflicting greater suffering on communities who already live in constant fear of the next attack, said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. Amnesty International It is not clear if the armys outburst is an outcome of the organisations latest report. ATTACKING UNICEF The armys Monday statement comes three days after it accused the United Nations agency (UNICEF) of encouraging Boko Haram terrorism in the North-east. The army on Friday said it had suspended UNICEFs activities in the region based on its allegations which it did not provide evidence for. The army did not state if it had President Muhammadu Buharis approval to announce such a decision against an agency like UNICEF. The presidency also kept mum on whether Mr Buhari was consulted before such decision was taken. Amnesty International was one of the first to condemn that announcement by the army. The army later on Friday night, however, reversed its decision, saying the suspension on UNICEF had been lifted after a meeting and agreements. Mondays statement by the army also comes days after some Nigerian civic groups requested details of expenditure in the fight against Boko Haram. The UNICEF logo is pictured on a building in Geneva. [Courtesy: voanewscom] A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Enough is Enough, and BudgIT) made a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request to the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, over the funding of the war against terrorism and other crimes in the country. The CSOs alleged the army had not made commensurate achievement in the fight in line with the huge fund the federal government allocated to it. Mr Buratai recently stated that some of the allocated funds were yet to be cash backed and had not reached the army. He is, however, yet to respond to the FOI request. Leaders of Access Bank and Diamond Bank will on Monday meet with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) leadership on a possible acquisition deal, Channels Television reports. Diamond Bank is currently troubled after one of its foreign investors pulled out. The bank also secured a national license and closed its international operations. The new deal, if approved by regulators, would see Access Bank acquire Diamond Bank. Such a deal would also have to be approved by the Nigerian Stock Exchange and other regulators. Access Bank bought the then Intercontinental Bank after the 2009-2010 intervention in the latter by the CBN then led by Lamido Sanusi, the current Emir of Kano. Details later. President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to understand him and give him more time to translate his intentions for the country. Mr Buhari made the call Monday in Abuja after a special parade organised in his honour by the Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army to celebrate his 76th birthday. Speaking briefly with State House correspondents in both English and Hausa languages, Mr Buhari said, Nigerians should continue to pray for me and understand my intentions and give me time. Mr Buhari also said he will keep reminding Nigerians about his performance in office so far. We will keep reminding Nigerians about what we have done, how we met the country, what we were able to do from the time we came in to now with the resources available to us. The president and his party leaders have repeatedly told Nigerians that the challenges being faced were caused by the Peoples Democratic Party which governed the country for 16 years until 2015. The president said he was impressed by the honour shown to him by the Army. I am impressed, they put a lot of time behind it and I thank them very much. I appreciate it indeed. Apart from the special parade session, various birthday cards were presented to the president. The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, presented a card on behalf of the Armed Forces, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation presented on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, while the presidents Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, also presented a card on behalf of the presidents aides. The commandant of the Guards Brigade also presented a card on behalf of the army unit responsible for the protection of the president and his family. At least 10 residents were killed when gunmen attacked a community in Kaduna State, the police have said. The Kaduna police spokesperson said the attack occurred on Sunday at Ungwan Pa Gwandara community in Jagindi Ward of Jemaa Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The gunmen attacked the community at about 9:30 p.m. targeting a ceremony being held there. The Kaduna police spokesperson, Yakubu Sabo, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the victims have been evacuated to a nearby hospital. He said more security personnel had been deployed to the area. The attack took place on Sunday around 9:30 p.m. by unknown gunmen who attacked the community when the villagers were having a ceremony, shooting sporadically. Ten people were killed and others got injured. A combined team of police, military and civil defence under the leadership of the area commandant in Kafanchen rushed to the area to evacuate the victims to a hospital, he said. According to him, a search operation for the perpetrators was still ongoing by the team of security personnel. He said the state police commissioner had directed that his deputy commissioner should lead the search operation as well as meet with community elders to ensure that the crisis does not escalate. A statement from the Kaduna State Security Council issued by an aide to Governor Nasir ElRufai stated that the deployment of troops is intended to further secure the area and provide the atmosphere for extensive investigation of the sad incident, and the apprehension and prosecution of the culprits. Condemning the attack, Mr El-Rufai said that criminal elements must not be allowed to divide people and wantonly take lives. The governor has sent a message of condolence to the community, expressing his deep sadness at the loss of lives and his sympathy for the victims and their families. The government also urged that anybody with useful information on the attack to kindly contact the security agencies, he said. The statement added that the governor has also directed Jemaa local government council and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to, as a matter of urgency work towards taking care of victims receiving medical attention and provide relief materials to the community. President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to allegations levelled by the Nigerian Army against Amnesty International. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the army on Monday morning accused Amnesty International of plotting to destabilise Nigeria. The armys allegation came three days after it accused UNICEF of encouraging Boko Haram activities in Nigerias North-east. In a statement on Monday evening, President Buharis spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said the federal government is increasingly concerned about the role that Amnesty International is playing in the war against terror in Nigeria. While President Muhammadu Buhari cherishes and encourages the noble ideals on which institutions like Amnesty International are founded, the organisations operations in Nigeria seem geared towards damaging the morale of the Nigerian military. It often appears as if the Nigerian government is fighting two wars on terror: against Boko Haram and against Amnesty International. The obvious bias and inaccuracies in Amnesty Internationals recent country reports on Nigeria risk Amnestys reputation as an impartial international organisation. President Buhari appeals to the leadership of Amnesty International to scrutinise its advocacy in Nigeria, especially as it relates to the war against terrorism. Before the presidential statement, Amnesty International had rejected the allegation by the army. The armys threat to shudown Amnesty International or any human rights organisation is not the solution to the negligence or the failure to the untimely response to the issue of human rights and providing security for Nigeria, Amnesty International Nigeria Chair, Auwal Rafsanjani, said on Monday. Mr Rafsanjani spoke at the unveiling of the Amnesty International report titled Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders at Reiz Continental Hotel in Abuja. The Amnesty report showed how government negligence has worsened the farmers, herders conflict which has caused over 3,000 deaths in the past three years. We are not a threat, we are not joining issues with anybody. We are not the agents of destruction and we are not a politically motivated organisation, Mr Rafsanjani added. Representatives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday staged a walkout from a meeting with a federal government delegation. The government delegation was led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige. Despite the walkout, Mr Ngige expressed optimism that the strike would soon be called off. The university lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike on November 4, demanding improved funding of universities and implementation of previous agreements with the government. The National President of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, led the unions delegation to Mondays meeting. The ASUU delegation arrived at the ministry at exactly 5:00 p.m. but no member of the federal government delegation was around as at this time. The government delegation led by Mr Ngige arrived at exactly 6:00 p.m. The minister of education, Adamu Adamu, was absent at the time the meeting started. Before the walkout and at the start of the meeting, Mr Ngige told the lecturers that he hopes a consensus on most of the issues is reached at the end of the meeting. He assured the union that attention will be paid to three critical demands, which are salary shortfall, university revitalisation and earned allowances of lecturers. After the walkout by the lecturers, they did not brief journalists on what caused their action. Mr Ogunyemi, who led ASUUs delegation to Mondays meeting, refused to make any comment. Mr Ngige, who briefed journalists after the walkout, did not also state what the grievances of the lecturers were. He, however, expressed optimism that the strike would be called off soon. He said negotiations are still ongoing with ASUU and that the federal government will try to have an agreement with the lecturers before Christmas so as to allow affected university students return to school in January. Reacting to the walk out by ASUUs representatives, Mr Ngige said the lecturers were only dissatisfied with the decision reached. There is no walk out because we even broke into a session that is on camera. We can say they were dissatisfied because he is a union leader so if he doesnt get 100 per cent he might not be smiling. Note that any meeting you have and people come out smiling, that means somebody has cheated the other, he said. The Nigerian Armys guards brigade has organised a special parade in honour of President Muhammadu Buhari who is clocking 76 today (Monday). The ceremony, which has in attendance heads of the nations security agencies and members of the federal cabinet, is holding at the forecourt of the president s office at the State House Presidential Villa Abuja. After the parade, Mr Buhari will also cut a birthday cake made in the nations national colours, green and white. Nigerias vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, will participate in the Africa-Europe High Level Forum with other African and European Heads of States and Government in Vienna, Austria. Mr Osinbajos spokesperson, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the forum was hosted by the Austrian government on behalf of the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). The vice president would be speaking on the theme of the forum, Taking Cooperation to the Digital Age, which is holding on December 17 and 18. According to the organisers in the EU and AU, the forum would promote innovation and digitalisation as important enablers of future development, so that everyone can benefit from the ongoing digital transformation. It would assess how the partnerships between Africa and Europe contribute to this goal and complement the ongoing implementation of the joint declaration of the 2017 Abidjan Summit between the AU and the EU. The declaration, among other things, highlighted the importance of unlocking the potential of the digital economy for Africa and Europe. It also aimed at contributing to the Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs. In Vienna, Osinbajo would hold a town-hall meeting with the Nigerian community in Austria; and also attend several bilateral meetings with European government leaders. Some of the European government leaders are the Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Andrej Babis; Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipila; the Federal Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz; and the UK Minister for Africa, Harriet Baldwin. Mr Osinbajo would also meet with top officials of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (NAN) An Italian judge on Monday affirmed that oil giants, Eni and Royal Dutch Shell, knew that their 2011 purchase of the controversial Malabu oilfield would result in corrupt payments to Nigerian officials. The judge, Giusy Barbara, also berated Nigerian politicians and officials involved in the controversial deal. Reuters reported on Monday that the Milan judge made the comment in handing down her reasons for the September conviction of Nigerian Emeka Obi and Italian Gianluca Di Nardo, both middlemen in the OPL 245 deal, for corruption. Messrs Obi and Di Nardo stood as middlemen in connecting the parties and the transfer of the funds through international bank accounts. PREMIUM TIMES reported how they were found guilty and sentenced four years each. The Malabu deal, struck in 2011 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, saw the Nigerian government act as a negotiator in the sale of OPL 245 oil block in offshore Nigerian waters. Two international oil and gas giants, Royal Dutch Shell and Italian Agip-Eni, paid out about $1.1 billion to Dan Etete, a former Nigerian petroleum minister, who had previously been convicted of money laundering in France. The payout would later become a subject of a cross-border investigation spanning over six countries. On Monday, the Italian judge said both oil giants were aware of the corrupt influence of the controversial payments. The management of oil companies Eni and Shell were fully aware of the fact that part of the $1.092 billion paid would have been used to compensate Nigerian public officials who had a role in this matter and who were circling their prey like hungry sharks, the judge said in her reasoning. Ms Barbara also said part of the money was given to some Eni managers. Both oil giants were yet to react to the new development Monday afternoon. Earlier in December, details emerged that Russia asked Italy to drop charges against a former ambassador caught up in the long-running Nigerian corruption case. Legal documents showed that authorities in Russia plan to ensure charges against Ednan Agaev, a former ambassador, were dropped. In November, a report by Global Witness said the Malabu deal reduced Nigerias expected revenue by nearly $6 billion. The group, in its report titled Take the Future, said the projected lost revenue could fund Nigerias combined annual federal health and education budgets twice over. The report drew on an analysis from leading experts at Resources for Development Consulting commissioned by Global Witness and NGOs HEDA, RE: Common and The Corner House. The analysis of the contract terms estimated these changes could reduce the Nigerian governments projected revenue from the oil fields by $5.86 billion over the lifetime of the project when compared to the terms that had applied before the 2011 deal and assuming an oil price of $70 per barrel. The Nigeria Customs Service says it has obtained a presidential approval to extend distribution of seized perishable items to Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps and registered orphanages across the country. Joseph Attah, the customs spokesperson, said during a breakfast meeting in Lagos on Monday that prior to the approval of the extension, perishable items like rice, second-hand clothes and groundnut oil had been distributed to IDP camps in the North-east only. Almost half a million bags of 50 kilogrammes rice have so far been distributed in the region, the agency said. Mr Attah said between January and November this year, the customs paid N1.1 trillion into the Federation account. Recall that last year while announcing the unprecedented revenue record of 2017 which was N1.037 trillion, we had expressed hope of breaking the record. Today, I am happy to announce that the Service has already broken 2017 record with N1.1trillion revenue, he said. This is no doubt a clear testimony of the fact that the ongoing reforms of the service are impacting positively on productivity. Rice and other perishable items are being given to the victims of the unfortunate insurgency in the North-East. So far, a total of 424,391 (50kg) bags of rice worth N4,047,615,000.00 and other seized perishables have been distributed to IDPs in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Edo states. The CGC (controller-general of customs) has therefore sought and obtained presidential nod to extend distribution of these relief items to other IDP camps and registered orphanages across the country. Mr Attah said a list of IDPs and orphanages across the country are already being compiled in order to start the distribution as soon as possible. Hopefully, this will provide relief to fellow Nigerians who are going through tough times in the IDP camps and orphanages. Mr Attah said the service has been able to suppress smuggling across the Nigerian borders despite it being the most challenging aspects of the customs functions. Regrettably, many people still see smuggling as business not crime. In fact, smuggling is not just a crime but the mother of many crimes and criminalities. Violent crimes are perpetrated with dangerous items such as arms and drugs smuggled into the country. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the arrest of union leaders in Sierra Leone. In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said those arrested were trade union leaders of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress (SLCC) and the Commercial Motor Bike Riders Union. Read Mr Wabbas full statement below. It was with shock and a sense of profound dismay that we received the news of the arrest and detention of trade union leaders of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress (SLCC) and the Commercial Motor Bike Riders Union by the Sierra Leonean Police. The trade union leaders have been in detention since December 14, 2018. We are also reliably informed that there are plans to stalk and arrest other leaders of the SLCC. We understand that the reason for the arrest of our Comrades in Sierra Leone was to forestall the National Delegates Conference of the Commercial Motor Bike Riders Union, which is an affiliate of the SLCC. The Sierra Leonean Police attacked and disrupted the Delegates Conference of the Commercial Bike Riders Union under the guise that the event constituted a threat to public peace. Meanwhile, we were informed that the real purpose for the clampdown was to allow the government to force the emergence of their preferred candidates as leaders of the Commercial Bike Riders Union of Sierra Leone. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) condemns in the harshest tone possible such brutal infraction of trade union rights. The International Labour Organization (ILO) by its Convention 087 of 1948 expressly provides for the freedom of association and the right to organize by trade unions. The denial of workers right to organize their own activities especially an event as important as a National Delegates Conference is indeed a new low in industrial relations in Africa. ILO Convention 087 also grants industrial unions the freedom to identify with and associate with trade union centres of their choice. The clampdown on SLCC on the account of providing affiliation and support to the Commercial Motor Bike Riders Union is indeed unfortunate and condemnable. The restriction of trade unions from carrying out trade union activities and elect their own leaders without dictation or coercion by government is a fundamental and extreme violation of the ILO Convention 087. We wish to remind Mr. Julius Maad Bio, President of Sierra Leone, that the brazen attempt to undermine trade union independence in Sierra Leone is a slap on international instruments which Sierra Leone has signed up to and or has ratified. Some of these international instruments include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the African Union Democracy and Good Governance Protocol, all of which Sierra Leone and the International Labour Organizations Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize. The ITUC with a global membership strength of 207 million members and 17 million affiliated workers in Africa call for the immediate and unconditional release of our detained comrades in Sierra Leone. We also demand that the government of Sierra Leone should desist forthwith from interfering in the election and other activities of Commercial Bike Riders Union or any other union for that matter. The government should also cease from harassing and hounding trade union leaders in Sierra Leone. Finally, we implore the government of Sierra Leone and the security agencies to apply utmost restraint while dealing with workers and trade union related issues as they do not want to send a wrong signal to the whole world of a regime that is sinking in the mire of brutal tyranny. A word is enough for the wise! The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said his presidency would bequeath a good future to the younger generation. Mr Atiku said this while reeling out his agenda at a Youth Town Hall Meeting on Monday in Lagos. He said not less than 40 per cent of his cabinet would be made up of Nigerian youths and women if elected president in the 2019 general elections. Our gathering here today is about the future of our youths. I am concerned about the plight of the Nigerian youths. They are the future and we need to bequeath a good and secured future to our younger generation. I will work more with the youth and even my Minister for youth will not be more than 30 years of age, he said. Mr Atiku also promised to enthrone technology in the nations education. Also speaking, the vice-presidential candidate, Peter Obi said Mr Atikus government would invest in education, saying that the more educated the people, the more the nation progresses. Nigerian youths deserve better education and jobs. Therefore, vote Atiku because he is capable of reviving and managing our countrys economy, Mr Obi said. In his address, Uche Secondus, PDP national chairman said that the youth would matter in Mr Atikus presidency. We recognised that Nigerian youth are innovative, industrious and hardworking. As you vote in Atiku in 2019, you are voting for your liberation, he said. Jimi Agbaje, PDP governorship candidate in Lagos, said his campaign was about freedom for the residents of Lagos. It is about freedom for Lagosians. Lagos is not a One-Man-Lagos but peoples Lagos. To achieve this, I urge our youth to ensure they vote in PDP at every levels of government for us to enjoy a better Lagos and Nigeria, Mr Agbaje said. Ayodele Fayose, former Governor of Ekiti State said Mr Atiku was a product of democracy and deserved to be elected as president. Atiku is our president in waiting. He is the man who can harness the talents and potential of the youth for a better future, Mr Fayose said. In his remarks, Udeh Okoye, PDP National Youth Leader, said the Nigerian youths have endorsed Mr Atikus candidacy because he believed in the political vibrancy of the youth. This is also a forum to assure Atiku and Obi of our full support at the 2019 polls, he said. (NAN) Nine political parties have signed the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) memorandum of understanding and assumed its membership. The chairman of the steering committee of the coalition, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, stated this at the signing ceremony held at the Yaardua Centre, Abuja on Monday. I describe this event as being very important because the point we are in in the life of our nation and our democracy is the unification of all progressives forces to rescue this country, Mr Oyinlola, a former governor of Osun State, said. The coalition was established when 40 political parties in July signed an MOU to work together with the view to fighting the next election as a team. This addition is coming amidst the withdrawal of some parties like the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which initially signed the MOU. Mr Oyinlola said the event was a pointer that the coalition is on the side of the people and God in this movement of national redemption. While welcoming the nine parties, he said CUPP is an equal opportunity coalition, where there is no seniority as every member is carried along and decisions are taken by consensus, citing the decision to pick the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for the 2019 presidential election. However, the SDP controverted this when it opted out of the coalition, noting that even though it was fully involved in the coalition from the start, it was not part of the decision that produced Mr Abubakar. But Mr Oyinlola likened this reaction by the SDP to that of a man who eats a rat from the head and when it gets close to the tail declares allergies to rats. While welcoming the new parties, the chairman said CUPP provides a level playing ground for all, assuring them their late arrival would not in any way affect them. The parties that signed this MOU are United Patriot (UP), Save Nigeria Congress (SNC), Peoples Coalition Party (PCP), Reform and Advancement Party (RAP), Alliance of Social Democrats (ASD), We The People of Nigeria (WTPN), Change Party (CP), New Generation Party (NGP) and Alliance National Party (ANP). Mr Oyinlola, who was a former National Secretary of the PDP, claimed there had been moves to destroy the coalition and a prediction that it would collapse before the February elections. But the fact that there is increased membership is a vote of confidence in what we are doing and a clear red card to the incumbent. If the people in government are honorable people, they will read the hand writing on the wall and throw in the trowel before the elections. it is, however, not too late for them to surrender because the defeat that awaits them in the coming elections will be comprehensive, total and decisive, he said. He also said the Nigerian people are suffering from what he described as the arrogant ineptitude of APC government. He said the government is bereft of ideas but would not admit its lack of knowledge and seek help. The secretary of the coalition, Peter Ameh, said there are six other application from parties to join the coalition, which will be considered and approved if they meet the requirement. On this, the chairman of the committee noted these parties would be accepted if their goals and mission fit that of the coalition. He also added that with the recent addition, the number of parties under the coalition is up to 48. Mr Oyinlola, therefore, assured the new members that their coming in this late will not in any way be a disadvantage but strengthen the patriotic zeal of everyone to achieve the common objective. The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has said that if elected president, he would appoint a minister of youth who will not be more than 30 years old. The PDP presidential flag-bearer made the pledge at a Town Hall meeting with youth in Lagos on Monday. According to him, it is incumbent on the present crop of leaders in Nigeria to mentor the younger generation and the best way to achieve that objective is to appoint youth who are brilliant into top government positions and allow them to learn the ropes. I have pledged that 40 percent of my government will be youth. Let me assure you that its a promise and I wont break it. My minister of youth is going to be less than 30 years. The former vice president further remarked during the question and answer session at the event that if elected as president he would give top priority to education investment, saying that President Buhari has confessed that the economy is in bad shape under his watch and it is clear that the President is short of ideas about how to fix the broken economy. There is no single economist in his administration and that is why we are in this mess. I know how to fix a broken economy. I know how to create jobs and I also know how to empower the youth. Thats the reason Im here today to give hope to you the youth that together we can get Nigeria working again, he said. Also speaking at the event, the national chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, extolled the Nigeria youth for their resilience despite all chastisement and uncooperative attitude from the incumbent government. All you have to do is to vote for Atiku as president but be very assured that under the Atiku administration, every Nigerian will be accommodated and included, he said. The Kowa Party has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to investigate the allegation that the Ogun State governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dapo Abiodun, failed to serve in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The spokesperson of the party, Mark Adebayo, made the call on Monday at a press conference in Abeokuta, just as he also threatened that the party was ready to file a suit against Mr Abiodun over the allegation. Mr Abiodun, a renowned oil and gas executive from Ijebu Remo, is facing allegations that he evaded national service after graduating from the university in the 1980s, and claimed in his nomination form that he does not have a university degree in order to deceive his party and the Independent National Electoral Commission, according to court filings seen by PREMIUM TIMES. Documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES also showed that Mr Abiodun made conflicting academic claims in his INEC filings when he ran for Senate in 2015 and as a governorship candidate this year. Mr Adebayo, who was accompanied to the conference by the Ogun State Chairman of the party, Adefemi Omoniyi, and governorship candidate of the party, David Oduntan, among others, said Kowa Party, as a critical stakeholder in the elections, has a duty to add its voices to the daily expanding scandal with a view to nipping it in the bud. The party also called on the State Security Service (SSS) and the Attorney-General of the Federation to join forces with the police in investigating the alleged perjury by Mr Abiodun, adding that the scandal has become a public knowledge having been published by several news media. We hereby call on the Inspector-General of Police, Department of State Service and the Attorney-General of the Federation to immediately commence the process of investigation, arrest and prosecution of Dapo Abiodun and his disqualification and the APC by INEC from contesting in the 2019 governorship election in Ogun State. Dapo Abiodun had claimed in his filings with INEC while running for the Senate in 2015 that he had attended and graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife at the age of 26 years. The question is why did he not do his mandatory Youth Service, which carries a fine and a prison sentence in Nigerias extant laws? And if he did not, it means, legally speaking, that he has no right whatsoever to hold or run for public office. The current filing of Dapo Abiodun with INEC as a governorship candidate deliberately and deceptively avoided adding his university qualifications into his form CF001 to INEC. What suddenly happened to his degrees that he so publicly claimed in 2015? The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), National Assembly chapter, has commenced a four-day warning strike. The workers were seen around the second main entrance of the complex, asking other staff to go back. Although the workers were not forcefully denying other workers access into the complex, many staff who were able to go in, were seen coming out, minutes later. No work today. We have cut down the water and electricity supply. No light, no water too. Nobody can stay there, a worker, Sunday, told PREMIUM TIMES. He explained that the protest was for the same reasons. The protest comes barely 24 hours after the workers issued a four-day warning strike notice to commence on Monday, December 17. The chairman of the association, Bature Mohammed, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said this decision was reached in an emergency congress held on December 14. President Muhammadu Buhari is due to present the 2019 Appropriation bill to the joint National Assembly on Wednesday. Mr Mohammed said that the warning strike which would run till December 20, was to press home the demands of the association. Details later.. The Nigerian government on Monday resumed talks with the leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) over the ongoing strike in public polytechnics which started December 12. The meeting began at about 11 a.m at the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja with the national president of ASUP, Usman Dutse, leading the unions delegation. An official of the ministry disclosed to PREMIUM TIMES that the education minister, Adamu Adamu, was not in town, so the closed-door meeting is being chaired by the permanent secretary of the ministry, Sunny Echono. The union went on strike over non-implementation of the NEEDS Assessment report of 2014, non-payment of salaries in state-owned institutions, non-payment of allowances and alleged victimisation of union members, among others. ASUP went on strike in November 2017 but suspended it after two weeks when the federal government agreed to implement the recommendations of the 2014 NEEDS assessment. The agreement particularly highlighted the need for increased funding of polytechnics. The polytechnic lecturers joined their university colleagues who have been on strike since November 4. Details later Tempers flared on Monday in Abuja between representatives of herders and farmers groups as the rights organisation, Amnesty International, presented a report on the conflict between the two groups in Nigeria. The report, Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders, was presented at Reiz Continental Hotel in the Nigerian capital city. Speaking at the event, the general secretary of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Baba Ngelzarma, elaborately accused the Nigerian media of fueling the crises. According to the report, 57 percent of the 3,641 recorded deaths occurred in 2018. Mr Ngelzarma, however, accused the media of taking sides by making the Fulani herders look like common criminals in the country through their presentation of news from the conflict. I have not gone through this report but the media also have a part to play in the crises. The media houses are lopsided in carrying out their reports, mostly when they hear from the farmers they do not go to the pastoralists to hear from them too. Most of the negative things we hear in media is because of the negative profiling of our members and today we are being seen as criminals all over the country, while we are at the extreme end of this crisis. The killings are being motivated by criminal acts, he added. He said the pastoralists across the country have lost many lives, denying that the Fulani herdsmen were responsible for the killings. Today, the pastoralists have lost so many lives. In Zamfara State alone, over 5,000 people where killed and all are Hausas, Fulani and Muslims. So because of the media profiling, today each and everyone in the country sees the pastoralist as a troublemaker and as a criminal. How do you expect a man that moves around with his family and cows, the cows are the only means of his livelihood and still causes trouble and his wealth vandalised? He is always seen as the victim. Mr Ngelzarma also said the security agencies have been too slow to respond to crises, warning that as long as the perpetrators were allowed to go free, the crises would continue. They are too slow to respond to crises and apart from that, perpetrators are not punished. Anywhere the crises take place, the perpetrators are allowed to go free. For example, in Gambu in Taraba State, the perpetrators were allowed to go free while we lost about 724 people who were killed in just two days. And in Kaduna State, about 100 of our people were killed. Men and women were killed. In Adamawa State, about 106 of our members were killed; even a three-month-old baby was not spared. No one was arrested. So long as perpetrators are allowed to go free on both sides, we will continue to see this crisis, he said. Asked if truly the Fulani herders were responsible for the killings, he said They are not, they are not our members because we are not spared from the killings. All these killings have been perpetrated by criminals. We have been coexisting with farmers peacefully and ever since and up till today, pastoralists and farmers have been coexisting peacefully. Only if the criminals can be checked, he said. The programme manager, Amnesty International Nigeria, Seun Bakare, said the report documents the failures of the Nigerian government to arrest armed groups. He said the focus of the report was to document violent clashes between members of the farmer community and herder community in parts of Nigeria, particularly in the Northern part of the country. He also said the report focused on the Nigerian government for refusing to investigate, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the attacks. Mr Bakare explained that from findings in the report, most of the attacks across the country by both parties were retaliatory. In other words, an attack happens and because the government failed to act the other community takes the law into his hands and then retaliates. This is what has happened in the cycle of violence, Mr Bakare said. He explained on how Amnesty International came about the analysis and the data. Our researchers took 10 field trips to different villages, we visited 56 communities in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba and Zamfara states affected by the clashes and conducted 262 interviews. But a farmer at the event, Lawrence Zongo, from Miango Local Government Area of Plateau State and the spokesperson for the Miango Youth Development Association, demanded the arrest Fulani herders. Anytime we called the attention of the government, it is like it is a coalition between the Fulani herders and the security agencies; like they are colluding. Some instances like that of the last year attack where 29 people were killed, where they called some farmers to stay in a classroom to protect them. At least we lost 29 of them, including women and aged people. In Plateau State, we lost more than 250 farmers as a result of these clashes. Houses have been destroyed, churches have been burnt. In 2017, people were even killed in the state from other communities. We recorded 800 (deaths) in the whole of Plateau State. In the state, we called for the intervention of the government on the killings between herdsmen and the farmers. We want the federal government to arrest the leaders of the Fulani herdsmen. Arrest their leaders, because we cannot see them. All we hear is that it is their bad boys that attack the communities. Who are the bad boys? Where are they? The Fulani hired them to come and kill and the killings are not only on the farm alone, but they are also burning churches. We refer to it as a genocidal attack and an attack to wipe out the Middle Belt. Asked if truly it was the Fulani carrying out the attacks in the communities and how sure he was, he said: Yes, they are the ones; they speak their Fulani language and they speak Hausa. We understand the tone of an Hausaman when speaking Fulani and they identified themselves. The federal government on Monday resumed talks with the leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the ongoing strike in public universities across the country. The university lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike on November 4, demanding improved funding of universities and implementation of previous agreements with the government. The National President of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, led the unions delegation to Mondays meeting. The ASUU delegation arrived at the ministry at exactly 5:00 p.m. but no member of the federal government delegation was around as at this time. The meeting which is holding at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Abuja is not the first since the beginning of the strike. Prior to Mondays meeting, at least four other meetings have been held between both parties. The government delegation led by the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, arrived at exactly 6:00 p.m. The minister of education, Adamu Adamu, was absent at the time the meeting started. Addressing the ASUU delegation, Mr Ngige said he hopes a consensus on most of the issues is reached at the end of the meeting. He assured the union that attention will be paid to three critical demands, which are salary shortfall, university revitalisation and earned allowances of lecturers. Human rights group, Amnesty International, has debunked the claim by the Nigerian military alleging the organisation is working to destabilise the country. Amnesty International Nigeria Chair, Auwal Rafsanjani, stated the position of the organisation on Monday at the unveiling of its report, Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders, at Reiz Continental Hotel in Abuja. My response to the military threat to shut down Amnesty International or any human right organisation operating in Nigeria is that it is not the solution to the negligence or the failure to the untimely response to the issue of human rights and providing security for Nigeria, Mr Rafsanjani said. We are not a threat, we are not joining issues with anybody, we are not agents of destruction and we are not a politically-motivated organisation, he added. Mr Rafsanjani stressed that his group is not a threat to anyone as it is not a political organisation. Amnesty is not engaging in sabotage, but to help in ending the violence in the country. We would advise the military to look at the recommendations we have made to the government and address them, he added. Your right can be protected today, that same right can be violated tomorrow and if you do not have a voice to speak on behalf of the voiceless, there would be a problem. Mr Rafsanjani also said the perpetrators of political impunity and corruption at all levels in the country would not want the violence to end. The army spokesperson, Sani Usman, in a statement on Monday alleged Amnesty International had engaged in clandestine sponsorship of dissident groups to protest, as well as make unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military. But Mr Rafsanjani said Amnesty International only want individuals at high levels to work together to end the killings in Nigeria. Amnesty just wants the government together with security agencies, religious leaders and community leaders to work together and end the violence, he said, adding that, The herder crises is not acceptable. Government at all levels has failed to take permanent and proactive measures. Rather than allow it to happen, why not prevent it. Prevention is better than cure. Sometimes some of the government officials are just quick in dismissing the findings rather than study some of these reports so as to be able to take proactive measures As a matter of fact, some of the government officials at the local, state and national government rather than them protecting these victims they indulge in all sort of political games with the lives of Nigerians and they are clearly mismanaging the use of security vote. And because of what the state governors are getting, they would not want this violence to end. Many of them get these early warning because these attacks do not just happen, there are signs, avoidance to do that has caused a lot of criminal activity, he concluded. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on December 17, 2018, arraigned a former Chairman, Board of Directors, Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni, before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja on an eight-count charge, bordering on money laundering to the tune of about N8 billion. Mr Ayeni was arraigned alongside Timothy Oguntayo, for allegedly conspiring at different times to fraudulently divert depositors funds domiciled at Skye Bank Plc. After the arraignment, the judge, in a dramatic twist, granted the defendants 36 hours freedom, to meet the bail conditions or be remanded in Kuje prison. They were asked to go home. One of the counts reads: That you Dr. Tunde Ayeni whilst being the Chairman Board of Directors of Skye Bank Plc and Timothy Ajani Oguntayo whilst being the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Skye Bank between the years 2014 and 2015 conspired at different times to do an illegal act, to wit; caused cash delivery to you, Dr. Tunde Ayeni of the sums of money totalling N4,750,000,000 (Four Billion, Seven Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) and USD5,000,000 (Five Million United States Dollars) belonging to Skye Bank Plc, contrary to the provisions of Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) read together with Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended). They pleaded not guilty to all the counts. In view of their pleas, prosecuting counsel, Abba Mohammed, prayed the court for a trial date and prayed that the defendants be remanded in prison custody, pending the hearing of their bail applications. Before the courts ruling, counsel for the first defendant, Dele Adesina, who held appeared for the lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun, informed the court of their pending bail application, which was served on the prosecution on December 13. Counsel for the second defendant, Oyetola Oshobi, made a similar application. Ruling on the applications for bail, the court admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties each in like sum. The court further ruled: The sureties may be either civil servants of not less than the rank of assistant director or be private businessmen or professionals provided that one of the sureties is a civil servant, the other surety being a private businessman or a professional must be the owner of a landed property of sufficient value within Abuja metropolis, excluding the satellite towns, the trial judge held. Justice Dimgba added that: But where the two sureties are private businessmen or professionals, they must show evidence of landed properties of sufficient value within Abuja metropolis excluding the satellite towns. The defendants shall deposit their international passports before the court and shall not travel outside the country without the permission of the court. The court further gave the defendants 36 hours to meet the bail conditions or be remanded in Kuje prison. The matter was thereafter adjourned to February 13 and 14, 2019, for commencement of trial. The leadership of the National Assembly has directed the police and the State Security Service (SSS) to ensure adequate security within the vicinity of the National Assembly from Tuesday morning to enable members and staff come in and perform their legitimate duties without any hindrance. According to a statement signed by the Clerk to the assembly, Sanni Omolori, the directive was passed after a meeting of the joint leadership of the two chambers with the management and representatives of the security agencies. Senate President Bukola Saraki leads the Senate while House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, leads the lower chamber. The meeting was called by the political leadership to listen to the management led by the Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA) on efforts made so far to address the grievances of the striking staff. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the striking staff on Monday prevented lawmakers and other staff from entering the assembly complex. The leadership of the National Assembly called the meeting because they know that almost all the issues raised by the striking workers were being addressed by the management. And after listening to the CNA, it was unanimously agreed that the management had made sufficient plans and efforts to address all the grievances of the workers and ensure their happiness, Mr Omolori wrote in the statement. We were sure that the issues raised by the workers have been well attended to and that it is necessary for the business of the National Assembly to continue without any disturbance. Both chambers must hold their normal plenary tomorrow morning to prepare the ground for the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 to present the budget proposal to the joint sitting of the Senate and the House of Representives. We have therefore mandated the security agencies to perform their duty of maintaining law and order in the National Assembly Complex and its surrounding. They must enforce the laws which allow the striking workers to down tools if they choose to and also the ones which restrain them from disturbing those who choose to work or stop parliamentarians from entering the chambers or their offices to do the work for which they were elected. Senators and members of the House of Representives, their aides, other workers and people who have legitimate business within the National Assembly Complex are therefore advised to come in as they will be free to operate without any hinderance and molestation. If the President Buhari is unable to present the budget proposal on Wednesday as scheduled, Nigerians should hold the security agencies responsible for failing in their the performance of their duties, the leadership of the federal legislature stated. A 32-year-old judge at the Grade 1 Area Court, Kubwa, Abuja, Abdulwahab Mohammed, who slumped on Saturday, has died. The courts executive officer, litigation, Umar Kontagora, told the News Agency of Nigeria that Mohammed died at the National Hospital Abuja on the same day. Mr Kontagora said the late judge, who had his tooth pulled out at the Kubwa General Hospital, had some complications and has been in and out of the hospital before his death. Mr Mohammed, aged 32, hails from Edo and is survived by his pregnant wife. (NAN) Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has granted amnesty to over 1,000 members of the Bakassi Strike Force (BSF) who have been operating at the creeks of Bakassi and Akpabuyo local government areas of the state. The group, led by its leader, Benjamin Ene, popularly called `G1, surrendered over 47 guns ranging from AK47, General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), rifles, pistols, live cartridges and others. Speaking at the event, Mr Ayade expressed sadness that it took his administration a long time to bring the militants out of the creeks, adding that he would continue to ensure the provision of security for residents. He said the group felt the ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula as unjust and unfair which did not follow due process nor the ratification of the National Assembly. As a governor, my responsibility is to ensure the security of the state and as a father, my duty is to protect all the residents in the state. It is not acceptable for any citizen to take up arms irrespective of the value of the action. We want to thank the federal government and the Operation Delta Safe for this great achievement. I am aware of your crimes and challenges. The process of reintegrating you back into the society is quite complex. We have to take you through a process of training and we are going to admit you into amnesty through a ceremonial programme. While the ceding took place, the wellbeing of the people of Bakassi was not captured. There was a social disconnect between the people of Bakassi for proper resettlement and the need for federal government to ensure peace. This disagreement and lack of will to address these problems generated into this level of arms rebellion. As I welcome you home into the society, I pledge to keep to the content of the Memorandum of Understanding that we have reached, he said. The State Security Adviser, Ani Esin, said the group has over the years been protesting against what they regarded as injustice, neglect and marginalisation of the Bakassi people by the government. He explained that during the course of the protest and agitation, the group was penetrated by people with questionable intentions whose motives were contrary to the philosophy of the BSF. The strike force became more or less like an organisation that was fighting against the state government. Fortunately, the state government in collaboration with Operation Delta Safe, initiated the idea of dialogue as a means of resolving all issues concerning the group. With the amnesty, they will be free citizens who will be reintegrate into the society, hence contribute their quota to the development of the state, he said. He said the amnesty programme would engender peace and safety in Bakassi, not only along the waterways, but also in the entire Gulf of Guinea where piracy and other maritime crimes usually take place. The Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Apochi Suleiman, a rear admiral, said he was happy to be part of the amnesty exercise, adding that the programme was an unconditional surrender. I am happy that you have come out today to embrace amnesty. We advise you to shun all forms of criminality henceforth. We are apolitical. We are out to protect the economic resources of the country for the good of all. We are going to use the leader of the group to mop other persons still hiding in the creeks. If anyone of you goes back to creeks, we will pursue you and get you. I want to advise the state government to implement the Memorandum of Understanding reached with the group to foster peace, he said. The leader of the BSF, Mr Ene, said that the group has laid down their arms with a promise never to return to arm struggle again. He explained that the group viewed the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon as a betrayal by the Nigerian state without the consent of the people. We had remained in the creeks fighting daily and dying for our cause, although our struggle is borne out of the failure of the past Nigerian Government and International Community to demonstrate the minimum level of responsibility and other obligation spelt out in the Green Tree Agreement. Our experience in the creeks over the years shall also help whenever we are needed. We have today resolved to give peace a chance, he said. (NAN) Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Monday presented a budget of N109.19 billion for 2019 to the state House of Assembly for approval. Mr Ugwuanyi said the budget was made after due consideration was given to the countrys economic realities. The 2019 budget is 4.5 per cent higher than that of 2018 which was N103.5 billion. The governor said the budget has a recurrent expenditure of N64.5 billion while the capital expenditure is N43.49 billion. Mr Ugwuanyi, who further broke the budget down, said N5.52 billion was set aside for education sector while the agricultural sector would gulp N636.5 million. He said N2.37 million was earmarked to provide affordable healthcare while N742 million was for the provision of water with emphasis on the Enugu and Nsukka water schemes. The governor said his administration was desirous of continuing the compulsory free basic education in the state by upgrading basic infrastructure in the sector. He said the outgoing year had been eventful as his administration recorded landmark achievements within the limits of 2018 budget. He said the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state had continued to grow which placed the state 9th in the country in terms of revenue generation. Responding, the Speaker of the Assembly, Edward Ubosi, assured the governor that the legislators would give accelerated hearing to the budget. Mr Ubosi commended the governor for his peaceful disposition, which he said, had led to the good relationship between the two arms of government. (NAN) Mutiu Agboke, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, on Monday said a total of 1,902,032 electorate have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from 2015 to date. Mr Agboke disclosed this during the Maiden Christmas Carol and Lecture organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state. According to him, 941, 705 registered voters are yet to collect their PCVs in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the lecture is The Role of Christmas in the Conduct of Credible 2019 General Elections. Giving the breakdown of the PVCs distribution, the INEC official said 1,681,144 cards were distributed in 2015 while the commission distributed 152,741 new PVCs and 68,147 old PVCs this year. He implored owners of unclaimed PVCs to visit the nearest INEC offices in their local government areas for collection. He charged religious leaders to sensitise their followers against hate speech, vote buying /selling, thuggery and other forms of electoral violence before, during and after the elections. The Guest Speaker, Femi Emmanuel, General Overseer, Living Spring Church, Ibadan, noted that a credible poll in 2019 was crucial to the destiny of the nation. Mr Emmanuel charged Nigerians to work towards successful elections, saying that free and credible poll would douse tension and make the country to progress. The cleric advised Christians against apathy to the electoral process and urged them to play central and crucial roles in electing those who would govern them. He said every Christian had a duty to pray for peaceful conduct of the general elections, noting that nothing could be achievable without prayers. He further urged Christians to be agents of peace and admonished them not to be involved in violence. The cleric expressed optimism that the nation would overcome her challenges and witness successful general elections come 2019. Choirs of INEC, Nigeria Prisons Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) were among groups that rendered carol songs at the occasion. Prayers were offered for the unity of the country and success of the 2019 general elections. (NAN) The Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, and his immediate predecessor, Ayo Fayose, have resumed contention over the management of the state resources as it concerns the Paris Club refunds and other funds from the Federal Government. While Mr Fayemi has accused the former governor of plundering N18 billion received as Paris Club refunds, Mr Fayose has defended his stewardship, saying the inability of the state to pay workers salaries during his time was due to the burden of debts laid on the state by Mr Fayemi during his first term in office. Mr Fayemi has blamed Mr Fayose for failing to pay workers salaries for between four and eight months, despite collecting N18billion, which he said the former governor preferred to divert to other uses. The governor, who spoke on Sunday while featuring on a media programme, Meet Your Governor, said he has not reneged on his stated commitment to offset all the outstanding salaries and pension entitlements before the end of his first year in office. I have not collected any money in the fashion of road intervention or Paris Club refund. Governor Fayose had the opportunity of paying the bulk of these backlog of salaries and pensions, Mr Fayemi said. He collected a sum of N18billion out of the N21.5billion due to Ekiti in the fund, so what is left for Ekiti is just N3.5billion, which cant pay a month if we add the overhead costs of subvented institutions. As we speak, we are doing a lot of cleansing and that had reduced the monthly pay to workers to N2.1billion. Those not properly employed have been left out until they provide evidence. The medical workers that were employed on consequential ground have been reabsorbed. I dont want to do media trial for anyone, so I have hired the services of a renowned audit firm to look into our finances and the forensic states accounts will be published during our 100 days in office in January, 2019. But Mr Fayose has responded to the governors allegations, saying he should use the N30billion his government collected from the centre as refunds on federal roads construction, arrears of Budget Support and Paris Club refund to pay workers salaries instead of lying against his predecessor. Mr Fayose, in a statement by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, on Monday, said the governors allegation was a weak attempt at deceiving the people. The governor should rather explain to Ekiti people, especially the workers why he prompted the federal government to withhold N2.1billion arrears of Budget Support and N14.1 billion Paris Club refund, which was approved for payment to the State in June this year, said Mr Olayinka. It was on the basis of the N2.1 billion arrears of Budget Support and N14.1 billion Paris Club refund already approved for payment in June that Fayose promised to clear the salary arrears. But due to his bitter politics, Fayemi blocked the payment and more than one month after receiving the payment, he is still following his usual path of deceit instead of paying the workers. Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose. He also challenged Mr Fayemi to make the records of disbursement of the Paris Club Refund received by the state public, saying there were conditions laid down by the federal governments before the fund was released and states were made to make reports of utilisation of first tranche of the refund before the second tranche was released. Besides, the fund was meant for both the state and local governments and it is on record that Ekiti fell into the hardship of inability to pay salaries regularly as a result of debt incurred during Fayemis first tenure and the loans restructuring done at the instance of the federal government and the Federal Economic Council, the statement further said. If Fayemi had not plunged Ekiti into unnecessary debt, over N1billion wouldnt have been deducted monthly from the States federal allocation. And if the APC government had not crippled the countrys economy, allocation to Ekiti State wouldnt have reduced to less than N1 billion at some point. The reality is that Fayemi is reputed for speaking from both sides of his mouth. In the past, he described Fayose as an honourable person whose word is always his bond and today, he goes about denigrating the same Fayose. The Court of Appeal in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday adjourned till Tuesday judgment on the appeal filed by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party is challenging the decision of the Federal High Court, in Abeokuta, ordering the acceptance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the list of candidates submitted by the faction of the party in Ogun State loyal to Buruji Kashamu. Mr Kashamu, the senator representing Ogun East district of the state, currently holds the governorship ticket of the party by virtue of favourable court judgments in the face of a strong resistance from the partys National Working Committee (NWC). PDPs NWC is backing a member of the House of Representatives, Ladi Adebutu, whose fate hangs in the balance following the rejection of his name by the INEC after the court ruled that the Bayo Dayo-led faction, which produced Mr Kashamu as its candidate, is the authentic faction. The appeal, on which judgment would be delivered on Tuesday was filed by the national leadership of the party backing Mr Adebutu, contesting the order of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, which enforced the subsisting judgment of the court in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/636/2016. In the ruling delivered by the Federal High Court, Abeokuta on October 2, the court held, among others, that: An order of interlocutory injunction is granted directing the 1st Defendant (INEC) to accept or process only the list of candidates of the PDP for the 2019 general election in Ogun State authenticated by the plaintiffs as having emerged from primaries conducted by them for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senatorial and Governorship elections and submitted by the Plaintiffs or their authorized nominees pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. An order of interlocutory injunction is granted restraining the 1st Defendant (INEC) by itself, servants, officials, agents or privies from accepting, processing or publishing the name/s of any person/s purporting to be a nominated candidate/s of the PDP from Ogun State for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, senatorial or governorship election except those who emerge from primary elections constituted by delegates authenticated by the Plaintiffs, convened and conducted by the plaintiffs for the election/nomination of 2nd Defendants candidates in Ogun state pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. An order of interlocutory injunction is granted restraining the 2nd 4th Defendants (PDP, Secondus and National Secretary Ibrahim Tsauri) from convening, conducting or organizing a National Convention of the PDP for the nomination of the Presidential candidate of the party without the authentic delegates from Ogun State listed in Schedule A attached to this originating summons (as authenticated and accredited by the Plaintiffs) in attendance and voting pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. An order of interlocutory injunction is granted restraining the 1st Defendant (INEC) by itself, its members, employees, servants, agents or privies from accepting, processing and or publishing (for the purpose of the 2019 general elections) the name of any person purporting to be the nominated presidential candidate of the PDP (notwithstanding that such a name is submitted by the National Executive Committee of the PDP or persons claiming to act for it) when such a person claiming to be the Presidential candidate of the PDP is a product of any National Convention convened, organized and/or conducted by the 2nd to 4thDefendants (PDP, Secondus and National Secretary Ibrahim Tsauri) or persons claiming to act for them, without the authentic delegates from Ogun State including the Applicants herein and others listed in Schedule A attached to the originating summons (as authenticated and accredited by the Plaintiffs) in attendance and votingpending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. An order of interlocutory injunction is granted restraining the 1stDefendant (INEC) by itself, its members, employees, servants, agents or privies from accepting, processing and or publishing (for the purpose of the 2019 general elections) the name/s of any person/s purporting to be (a) nominated candidate/s of the PDP from Ogun State or presidential candidate of the PDP (notwithstanding that such nomination is submitted by the National Executive Committee of the PDP or persons claiming to act for it) when such person/s claiming to be candidates of the PDP for the general elections is/are (a) product/s of any unity list or consensus arrangement which bypasses the prescribed electoral process of the PDP, particularly the electoral colleges constituted by delegates including the Ogun State delegates listed in Schedule A attached to this originating summons(as authenticated and accredited by the Plaintiffs) in attendance and voting pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. Dissatisfied with the orders of the court, the national leadership of the PDP filed the appeal at the Court of Appeal in Ibadan. In the appeal, the PDP, through its counsel, Emeka Etiaba, wants the court to set aside the orders of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, in the judgment enforcement proceedings and order a reassignment of the case to another judge of the Federal High Court. Lead counsel to the Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State PDP faction, Alex Izinyon, vehemently opposed the prayers sought by the appellants. He said a party in perpetual violation of positive and subsisting orders of court cannot justifiably seek favour from the same court it had treated with contempt. Besides, he contended that appellants had the opportunity to state their case at the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, after they were served and chose to stay away from the court on October 2, and so could not in good conscience ask the Court of Appeal to set aside the orders made against them in a judgment enforcement proceedings. Mr Izinyon submitted that if the appellants were dissatisfied with the orders made on the 2nd of October, 2018, the proper thing for them to have done was to appeal the judgment in FHC/L/CS/636/2016 upon which the extant orders were predicated. When lawyers to both parties had made their submissions, the court formulated a question which it asked both parties to address, namely: whether the matter before it was a pre-election matter or not. Both parties, however, went separate on the matter. While Mr Etiaba said it was not a pre-election matter, Mr Izinyon held that it was a pre-election matter relying on the 4th Alteration to the 1999 Constitution. Section 285( 9) states that, Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Constitution, every pre-election matter shall be filed not later than 14 days from the date of the occurrence of the event, decision or action complained of in the suit. On the strength of this, Mr Izinyon argued that the appeal was statute-barred by the provisions of the Fourth alteration to the 1999 Constitution. After further arguments and submissions from both parties, the three-member panel of justices of the court, comprising I. O. Bada (presiding), H.S Tsammani and N. Okoronkwo, adjourned till Tuesday for judgment. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. Attractive events include the Pulima Art Award Exhibition presenting 21 Pulima Art Award winners' works and Invitational exhibition . It includes an expansive multi-channel project image up to 17 feet width -- " In Pursuit of Venus [infected]" by the internationally renowned artist Lisa Reihana (New Zealand); " Lighting the Tobacco" , a combination of sculptural installation and video projection by Sakuliu that reflects the loss of traditional culture; and the installation work of Labay Eyong (grand prize winner of 2 nd and 3 rd Pulima Art Award), entitled " Mother Land" , combining "mother" and "land" as a metaphor for the infinite loop that integrates and merges land and life. Moreover, International indigenous cooperation and connection is a major goal of this year's Festival. A series of contemporary performances is presented by Bulareyaung Dance Company (B.D.C) and TAI Body Theatre with New Zealand choreographer and Australia cross-discipline artist in the opening ceremony. Also, this year's Pulima Art Festival has collaborated "A Festival in Festival" program that collaborate with YIRRAMBOI First Nations Arts Festival, the premier international indigenous contemporary art festival in Melbourne. During the YIRRAMBOI Festival Week, Australian artists bring a series of workshops, performances, talks, concerts, exhibitions, etc. to demonstrate the art scene of First Nations and present the fabulous Australian art. "We hope the program open more possibilities of sharing cultures and bring fabulous diversity of indigenous creativity to all participant/people/audience/visitors!" the curator says. MORE INFORMATION Exhibition Date: Nov. 3rd Sat. 2018 -- Jan. 13th Sun. 2019 Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei Exhibition Website: www.pulima.com.tw Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/791434/MICAWOR_2018_PULIMA_Art_Festival.jpg SOURCE Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation MILLFORD, Conn., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- To accommodate the high demand for its luxury soap, sudHeadz, a leading producer of natural soap bars, recently revealed the launch of its new website. The founder and creator of the company, Christopher Austin, has also proudly announced that the sudHeadz oatmeal exfoliating bar was recently rated the #1 soap bar in the country by Scrubs Magazine. sudHeadz launches new website The sudHeadz oatmeal exfoliating bar was recently rated the #1 soap bar in the country by Scrubs Magazine. sudHeadz is a popular line of all-natural exfoliating soap products created with convenience, affordability and sensitive skin in mind. The simple, pure bars are cruelty-free and made in the USA, with packaging made from 100% recycled material. Developed to maintain both healthy skin and the ecosystem, the soap's formula contains only what is necessary for clean skin and is environmentally friendly. No perfumes, detergents, enhancers, lathering agents or stripping chemicals are used. Anyone can have quality soap delivered directly to their homes without the traditional hassle of purchasing each time a new bar is needed. Customers can obtain any number of bars at $7.00 each plus shipping via the newly designed site. With a subscription, regular clients can purchase two bars at $12 and have sudHeadz take care of the shipping costs and sales tax fees. sudHeadz is currently growing its store presence, but for now the products are available online. "I wanted to create a bar of soap that gave every individual an affordable alternative to the over-priced, chemical-filled products available on the market today," explains Austin. "Expensive soaps are usually more packaging and perfume than anything else most are just charging for unfulfilled promises anyway. Our soap can also help if you require special skin care. We cannot cure sensitive skin, but it will make you feel more comfortable in the skin you have," he says. About sudHeadz Created by Christopher Austin, sudHeadz is the realization of his ambition of producing soap that is inexpensive, high-quality, and good for sensitive skin. Using all-natural ingredients, he developed an exfoliating bar that delivers clean skin without any extra chemicals. In addition, sudHeadz offers convenient front-door delivery and an auto-renew option that keeps fresh soap shipped to customers' homes as needed. Learn more about sudHeadz at www.sudheadz.com. Contact: Christopher Austin, Founder (475) 675-3482 [email protected] SOURCE sudHeadz Related Links http://www.sudheadz.com IPSWICH, Mass., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New England Biolabs (NEB) has announced an invitation for scientists to submit entries for the 2019 Passion in Science Awards. These awards recognize individuals in the scientific community doing inspirational and innovative work that transcends the conventional boundaries of pure science and make profound impacts in other fields, including the arts, humanitarian service, environmental stewardship and science mentorship. "New England Biolabs is proud to recognize the efforts of our colleagues in the scientific community who see beyond the boundaries of their specific disciplines and use science in innovative ways to address some of the world's most complex and challenging issues," stated Jim Ellard, Chief Executive Officer of New England Biolabs. "By honoring the intersection of science and the environment, the arts and humanitarian efforts, we hope to recognize individuals for their time and talent in these endeavors and inspire others to explore these connections in their own lives." Eligible entrants include scientists whose work exemplifies one of four NEB core values: The Scientific Mentorship and Advocacy Award recognizes scientists whose passion for their field motivates them to educate others. recognizes scientists whose passion for their field motivates them to educate others. The Environmental Stewardship Award recognizes scientists who are working to preserve our natural resources or reduce waste either in the lab or outside of it. recognizes scientists who are working to preserve our natural resources or reduce waste either in the lab or outside of it. The Humanitarian Duty Award recognizes scientists who are using science as a way to ease the hardship of others. recognizes scientists who are using science as a way to ease the hardship of others. The Arts and Creativity Award recognizes scientists who are creating novel ways to demonstrate and display the powerful and extraordinary intersections between art and science. The awardees will be invited to travel to NEB's campus in Ipswich, MA, on May 1st and 2nd, 2019, at the company's expense, to participate in an awards dinner and seminars with colleagues who share similar passions. Awardees will also receive a $1,000 travel grant to a scientific conference or a $1,000 donation to a charity of their choice, to help further their cause. NEB first launched the Passion in Science Awards in 2014, in celebration of its 40th anniversary. The awards were repeated in 2016, with another fifteen winners with diverse scientific backgrounds being selected from around the world. "The efforts of prior awardees have had profound impacts in their respective fields," continued Ellard. "New England Biolabs applauds those individuals for their extraordinary contributions, especially since they exemplify the core values we embrace: passion, humility, creativity and being genuine. We look forward to seeing what innovations this year's applicants will share." Applications may be submitted at NEBPassionInScience.com. The deadline for applications is January 31st, 2019. Winners will be announced the week of February 28th and notified via email. About New England Biolabs: Established in the mid 1970's, New England Biolabs, Inc. (NEB) is the industry leader in the discovery and production of enzymes for molecular biology applications and now offers the largest selection of recombinant and native enzymes for genomic research. NEB continues to expand its product offerings into areas related to PCR, gene expression, sample preparation for next generation sequencing, synthetic biology, glycobiology, epigenetics and RNA analysis. Additionally, NEB is focused on strengthening alliances that enable new technologies to reach key market sectors, including molecular diagnostics development. New England Biolabs is a privately held company, headquartered in Ipswich, MA, and has extensive worldwide distribution through a network of exclusive distributors, agents and seven subsidiaries located in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. For more information about New England Biolabs visit www.neb.com. NEB, NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS and Passion in Science Awards are registered trademarks of New England Biolabs, Inc. SOURCE New England Biolabs Related Links http://www.neb.com LONDON, Dec. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the new year approaches and travellers look to get away, CheapFlightsFinder.com reveals a brand new look alongside a powerful new flight deals search engine. The new deals search engine located at the top of the homepage automatically detects your closest airport and begins showing you the best deals in the entire upcoming new year. Users can press "Next Deal" to rifle through hundreds of the best flight deals in seconds. Screenshot of new deals search engine Deals can be refined by changing the parameters such as departure airport or where you want to see deals to. Options include searching for deals to a particular continent such as 'Asia' or "Europe" or a particular country like "Spain" or "China." Users can also refine the date of the deals by selecting a particular 'Month' or leave the time as "Anywhere" to see the best possible dates to fly. The data is sourced from over 1200 different travel sites and when you click through to "View Deal" is then "Price Matched" across multiple search engines to make sure you have got the very best price possible. The deals are cross checked against the best search engines including KAYAK, Cheapflights, Momondo, Skyscanner, Google flights, Dohop, Jetcost and more, potentially saving up to 20% more off the initial deal price. Founder and CEO Shahab Siddiqui explained, "The secret to finding the very best deals is 2 fold - one is discovering the optimal days to fly and the second is checking multiple search engines on those dates - this new tool allows you to do both tasks effortlessly." Some of the amazing return flight deals the new tool has uncovered include: London to New York - 209 Manchester to Beijing - 330 Birmingham to Dubai - 235 Edinburgh to St. Petersburg - 125 New York to Barcelona - $276 Boston to Dublin - $274 Washington to Oslo - $311 Houston to Cancun - $174 Los Angeles to Stockholm - $380 San Francisco to London - $343 About CheapFlightsFinder Since 2008, CheapFlightsFinder has been focused on helping consumers save money on airfare. Recommended by Arthur Frommer, the Daily Mail, and the Times Online, the company has stayed on the cutting edge of low-cost airfare search and continues to introduce travel savings innovations. CheapFlightsFinder's unique Meta-Meta Flight Search allows consumers to quickly compare prices from top online aggregators including Skyscanner, momondo, Dohop, KAYAK, Google Flights and more. Contact: Shahab Siddiqui 07957191342 SOURCE CheapFlightsFinder.com CHICAGO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- United Benefit Advisors (UBA), the nation's leading independent employee benefits advisory organization, is pleased to welcome Reseco Insurance Advisors, LLC to our family of Partners. Founded on the principle that clients come first, Reseco targets financial leakage to help clients save money and reinvest in their businesses. Adaptability and a team of expert advisors allow Reseco to deliver tangible and measurable financial results, making them highly sought after in the industry. Reseco provides their clients with creative and accessible services, working to maintain an environment that is healthier, safer, and more productive. Dedication to collaboration creates better client outcomes and allows their team to adapt to the rapidly changing healthcare industry. By offering unparalleled professionalism and expertise in the risk management industry, Reseco continues to build a team of top-notch consultants committed to learning and developing new skills. UBA President Peter Weber, M.S., CAE says, "Providing options which empower business decisions, while refusing to compromise on ethical standards makes Reseco an ideal UBA Partner. They look out for their clients and dedicate themselves to sharing knowledge and industry insights, which is synonymous with the UBA mission." "Reseco Advisors is driven by improving our clients' results, and we chose to partner with UBA to gain access to industry-best analytics, benchmarking capabilities, health plan surveys, and the shared wisdom of the best Advisors in the employee benefits business," said Steve Tusa, COO and Senior Advisor, Reseco. Reseco Insurance Advisors joins a network of employee benefits advisory firms that serve employers of all sizes across the United States, Canada, England, and Ireland. As a combined group, UBA's annual employee benefit revenues rank it among the top ten employee benefit advisory organizations globally. About Reseco Insurance Advisors, LLC In 2012, Greg Prentice, Paul Lee and Todd Newton left the global broker industry in hopes of forming a new, customer-focused financial services firm. They later brought Steve Hanrahan, an expert in large commercial accounts, and Steve Tusa, an experienced risk manager, onto the team to form Reseco Insurance Advisors. Their vision of an outstanding staff of consulting professionals which could provide creative solutions and put client needs above quarterly results and shareholder value has shaped their business, offering clients unmatched service and solutions. For more information, visit www.resecoadvisors.com. About United Benefit Advisors United Benefit Advisors (UBA) is the nation's leading independent employee benefits advisory organization with more than 200 offices throughout the United States, Canada, England, and Ireland. UBA empowers more than 2,000 Partners to both maintain their individuality and pool their expertise, insight, and market presence to provide best-in-class services and solutions. Employers, advisors and industry-related organizations interested in obtaining powerful results from the shared wisdom of our Partners should visit www.UBAbenefits.com. Media Contact Bill Olson SVP Operations 312.416.3673 [email protected] SOURCE United Benefit Advisors Related Links http://www.ubabenefits.com BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Atlantic University's A.D. Henderson University School (ADHUS unveiled its National Blue Ribbon distinction awarded by the U.S. Department of Education at an announcement ceremony today. Leadership from FAU and ADHUS, along with the entire ADHUS' student body, Boca Raton City Council members and others, gathered for the official unveiling of the Blue Ribbon seal. The event celebrated the school's recognition as an exemplary high performing school based on overall academic performance. ADHUS was one of 12 schools in Florida to be named a National Blue Ribbon School. "It is exciting to see our community and school body unite to celebrate such a prestigious award," said Sherry Bees, principal/director of A.D. Henderson University School and FAU High School. "Celebrating our success as a school community and family is what the National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is all about - bringing public attention to the best schools in the United States and to facilitate communication and sharing of best practices within and among schools." The coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content. ADHUS is a Title 1, K- 12 public laboratory school under the auspices of the State University System of Florida as part of FAU's College of Education. The chief state school officer of Florida nominated ADHUS for this national recognition. At least one-third of public schools nominated in each state must have student populations of at least 40 percent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and all of the schools must also meet the state's annual measurable performance targets. Now in its 36th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed recognition on more than 8,800 schools. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, along with other members of the Department of Education celebrated with honorees at an awards ceremony in November in Washington, D.C. For more information on A.D. Henderson University School, visit adhus.fau.edu . -FAU- About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu . Provided by Newswise, online resource for knowledge-based news at www.newswise.com Media Contacts: Brittany Sylvestri Assistant Director, Media Relations [email protected] Phone: 561-297-2676 SOURCE Florida Atlantic University Related Links http://www.fau.edu ATLANTA, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hodges Ward Elliott ("HWE"), the world's leading independent hotel brokerage and investment-banking firm, with offices in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and London, represented the owner in the sale of the Mandarin Oriental Atlanta. Situated in the heart of Atlanta's upscale Buckhead submarket, the newly rebranded Waldorf Astoria hotel features 127 spacious, luxury guestrooms and suites, all with five-fixture baths. Additionally, the property boasts a 15,000 sq. ft. world-class spa and fitness center, and over 6,000 sq. ft. of meeting space in an iconic building designed by celebrated architect Robert A.M. Stern. About Hodges Ward Elliott HWE is the leading hotel brokerage and investment-banking firm in the country, providing total capital solutions, including hotel sales, recapitalizations and debt placements for our clients. Over the past 5 years, HWE has sold or financed more than $23.8 billion of hotels and resorts across the U.S., including more than $5 billion in 2017 and $3.9 billion in 2018. Contact: Great Ink - 212-741-2977 Tom Nolan ([email protected]) SOURCE Hodges Ward Elliott SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Lime announced that Carol M. Browner is joining the company as an advisor. As the first sustainability-focused advisor, she will work closely with new Vice President of Sustainability and founding member Andrew Savage on the recently launched Lime Green sustainability initiative. "Curbing pollution is the issue of our generation. Central to our mission at Lime is providing first and last mile solutions which are carbon free, enhance eco-friendly transportation use, and hasten the transition from the burdens of car ownership and use," said Toby Sun, Lime CEO and co-founder. Ms. Browner has held top environmental leadership positions at the federal and state level, and carries a domestic and international reputation for building business-savvy health protections that ensure a safe environment and a strong economy. She is a former director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy in the Obama administration, EPA administrator for the Clinton administration and a founding member of global strategy firm The Albright Group. She was also Secretary of Environmental Regulation in Florida. Currently, Ms. Browner is Chair of the Board for the League of Conservation Voters and a Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group. In light of the recent report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is even more imperative that mobility companies and cities work together to take action on climate change. In the U.S., transportation emissions are the single largest carbon-producing economic sector ( source ). In both operating a carbon neutral fleet and advancing mode-shift in cities to zero-emissions transportation, combating pollution is central to Lime's mission. "If we are serious about addressing the carbon pollution that contributes to climate change we need dedicated and smart businesses like Lime offering creative solutions. Lime Green is an innovative approach to achieve business operations sustainability and zero emissions from generation to consumption for a business dedicated to reducing pollution from the transportation sector, easing congestion and protecting our air. I am proud to join Lime as its first sustainability-focused advisor and look forward to working with the team to meet our sustainability objectives and inspire others to take action," said Browner. Throughout her career, Ms. Browner has demonstrated an ability to marry progressive sustainability goals with business goals, and Lime is looking forward to leaning on that expertise as the company builds its Lime Green initiatives across the globe. About Lime Lime is revolutionizing mobility in cities and campuses by empowering residents with a greener, more efficient, and affordable transportation option that also improves urban sustainability. By partnering with local key stakeholders and systematically deploying a fleet of smart-bikes that are enabled with GPS, wireless technology, and self-activating locks, Lime will dramatically improve urban mobility by making the first and last mile faster, cheaper, and healthier for riders. Since launching in June 2017, the company has expanded internationally to over 130 global markets, across 16 countries and deployed electric scooters, electric-assist bikes, and multiple models of their standard pedal bike. SOURCE Lime Related Links http://www.li.me NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Health agencies were recognized with top honors across the Asia-Pacific region at the Campaign Magazine Asia-Pacific "Agency of The Year Awards" 2018. McCann Health agencies in Japan, India, China and Australia were honored during this coveted awards show. The highest honors went to the McCann Health agencies in Japan and India. McCann Health Japan was awarded Gold for Specialist Agency of the Year in the Japan and Korea category. McCann Health India was awarded Gold for Specialist Agency of the Year in the South Asia category. McCann Heath Singapore was also shortlisted for Specialist Agency of the Year in the Southeast Asia category. In addition to the #1 awards, McCann Health agencies won nine additional honors in China and Australia. McCann Health China won Bronze in the Specialist Agency of the Year category in Greater China. And McCann Health Australia won Bronze in the Specialist Agency of the Year category in Australia and New Zealand. "These wins reflect the stellar leadership of our leaders across the Asia-Pacific region and are a true testament to the power of our Asia Pacific network, fueled by the hard work and dedication of all of our team members in Japan, China, India and Australia," said John Cahill, Global CEO, McCann Health. This acknowledgement further reinforces that we are leading the industry with our quality of work, and importantly, raising the bar with our strategic, creative, and scientific thinking," Cahill said. "As we set our sights on the new year, I know we will only continue this momentum in delivering our best-in-class product to our clients." About McCann Health McCann Health, two-time Network of the Year winner at Cannes Lions Health, and winner of an unprecedented total of three Network of the Year titles from the industry's top three creative award shows in 2017, is one of the world's most awarded global healthcare communications companies. McCann Health, consisting of a global creative agency network, a global medical communications network and a global consulting group, specializes in a wide array of professional, consulting and consumer health and wellness practices. McCann Health is part of McCann Worldgroup and the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). SOURCE McCann Health HERNDON, Va., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Privia, the industry-leading Business Capture and Proposal Management software and services solution to the government contractor market, is pleased to announce that the U.S. Navy recently awarded Privia's strategic partner, Comprehensive Professional and Proposal Services (CP2S), a competitive SeaPort Next Generation IDIQ Contract. The SeaPort multiple award contract is estimated by the Department of Defense (DOD) at $50B worth of services annually over a potential 10-year period. This contract and its resulting task order opportunities will enable the continued success of Privia's partnership with CP2S in delivering the content collaboration tools and industry expertise organizations need to achieve their business goals efficiently. Dubbed "SeaPort-NxG," the multiple award IDIQ contract contains a five-year based period of performance and a five-year ordering period option. Awardees will compete for individual task orders across 23 functional areas, including project management, software development, system design documentation and technical data, financial analysis, quality assurance, configuration management, and engineering support services. "Privia's exclusive Partnership Program team," said Mr. Jay McConville, Privia CEO, "helps government contractors enhance organizational performance and increase strategic business execution. As a successful management and technology and woman-owned small business, with Department of Defense, Office of Management and Budget, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Energy experience, CP2S is a key member of the winning team." The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) reported receiving 1,894 offers in response to their competitive solicitation, available on FedBizOpps, to replace the SeaPort-E vehicle. Experience was paramount for consideration as contractors without experience supporting the service branch in one of the key functional areas over the past 10 years were not considered. "We are thrilled that the experience CP2S brings to the table has been acknowledged with this competitive contract award," continued Mr. McConville, "and we look forward to supporting them and the U.S. Government on these important task orders as a member of their team." Known for its time-saving, end-to-end Capture and Proposal Management software, both Privia and CP2S are also authorized resellers of SpringCM, the secure document and contract management platform for automating critical business processes and accelerating the path to success. Privia enables organizational success with the provision of associated services, including software implementation, training, and customization, and works with companies like CP2S to ensure clients use their content collaboration suites to the best effect. About Privia Privia is the "Proposal Company" known by its 10,000+ users for providing the software and services needed by today's government contractor market to bid and win government contracts. Industry-leading organizations including IBM, KBRwyle, Huntington Ingalls Industries, CGI, Delta Dental and Sotera Defense, use Privia to manage and build winning proposals every day. Privia software streamlines their capture and proposal management process from opportunity, workflow automation, and content reuse to real-time review, contract management and business intelligence - and our services ensure they are working as efficiently and effectively as possible throughout the process. At Privia, we are business developers and proposal managers, technologists and innovators. We want you to win. We're here to help you save time, reduce costs and increase proposal quality. Media Contact: Cheryl Smith [email protected] 703-539-0248 www.privia.com SOURCE Privia; CP2S Related Links http://www.privia.com SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Years after attempting to complete a degree, Elizabeth Leal returned to college this fall to complete her bachelor's degree in nursing from WGU Texas. "Making the decision to restart school has been a difficult one," she said. Her hesitation came from the uncertainty of whether it was financially feasible. In November, WGU Texas presented Leal with a $2,000 Community College Partnership Scholarship, awarded to partner community college graduates seeking a bachelor's or master's degree. Leal grew up watching her mother care for patients as a hospice nurse and thought what she did was amazing. "I always looked up to my mom," she said. "She was a super hero." Her mother continued to work as a hospice nurse even after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Leal looked forward to making her mother proud by following in her footsteps and becoming a nurse. When her mom's best friend became her hospice nurse, she felt inspired by the selfless and caring qualities and knew she wanted to return to school to earn her nursing degree. Leal works in the inpatient rehab unit at Methodist Texsan Hospital. When the hospital announced its intention to reach Magnet status, Leal saw an opportunity to finish what she started five years ago. "My short-term goals include joining a leadership role within my department," she said. Earning a bachelor's degree has been one of her personal goals and she is glad to be back on track. "Having a bachelor's degree would definitely work in my favor." "Liz is a strong nurse with aspirations to continue to grow her role with our team," said Pamela Kane, PT, Director of Rehabilitation Services. "We are very proud of her dedication to continue her education and appreciate the scholarship that will provide financial support as she continues her educational journey." Leal enrolled in WGU Texas' nursing program and wants to earn a master's degree in nursing after completing her bachelor's. She credits her optimism for her successes and said the best way to get through tough times is keeping a positive attitude. "I am a believer in the idea that the path goes more smoothly if you are on the right one." The WGU Community College Partner Scholarship, valued up to $2,000, is available for partner community college graduates and staff looking to earn a WGU bachelor's or master's degree in information technology, business, teacher education, or healthcare. Applicants must have an associate degree from WGU or other institution and must first apply for admission. Learn more about the scholarship by visiting www.wgu.edu. About WGU Texas: WGU Texas is a nonprofit, online university designed to expand access to higher education for Texas residents. Established by the State of Texas through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Texas offers more than 60 accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs in high-demand career fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. To learn more, visit wgu.edu/texas. Follow WGU Texas: http://www.facebook.com/WGUTexas http://www.linkedin.com/companies/western-governors-university https://twitter.com/wgutexas Contact for media inquiries: Contact for enrollment information: Kathy Koza, PR Manager 877.214.7011 512.225.6644 or 214.674.8057 (c) texas.wgu.edu [email protected] SOURCE WGU Texas Related Links https://www.wgu.edu Absolunet analyzed over 200 eCommerce initiatives to predict the 10 trends that will have the greatest impact in 2019. MONTREAL, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Absolunet reveals the top 10 eCommerce Trends that will impact North American retailers in 2019. The effects will be felt across the entire supply chain by brands, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers alike. Of the over 200 digital and eCommerce projects analyzed, examples come from major brands and retailers, including Absolunet clients Ashley Furniture, Stokes and others. The top 10 eCommerce Trends for 2019 are: ACTIVIST CONSUMERS: THE RISING PRESSURE OF ETHICAL ECOMMERCE Consumer values will strongly influence purchasing (and merchant) behavior: wasteful packaging, the environmental cost of 2-day shipping, ethical brands THE END OF FREE RETURNS? Retail's $400 billion a year elephant in the room is about to hit a tipping point: returns have increased 53% since 2015. SALES TAXES: THE TAX-FREE PARTY IS OVER FOR CONSUMERS AND MERCHANTS Consumers will have to pay applicable sales taxes on all their purchases, and merchants will have to manage sales taxes in multiple jurisdictions. MOBILE ECOMMERCE FASTER AS PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS BLUR LINES BETWEEN SITES AND APPS Mobile eCommerce is about to get much, much faster and more fluid. SOCIAL MEDIA GETS TRANSACTIONAL Consumers will be able to BUY, directly on social platforms. THE QR CODE STRIKES BACK No longer app-dependant, the QR code will fulfill its potential and help brands provide product information. MAJOR RETAILERS BECOME MARKETPLACES TOO. Retailers will fight Amazon by becoming just like the eCommerce giant: a digital marketplace. IN-CAR ECOMMERCE: SHOPPING ON THE GO The new "Drive-to-store." RETAILERS WILL HIRE THEIR FIRST AI EMPLOYEE AI will help retailers and merchants create more and better product content, improve SEO and merchandizing. PRODUCT CONTENT SYNDICATION. Brands and manufacturers reclaim control of their product content. "Merchants are continuously investing to better meet consumer expectations, and mobile continues to be a huge enabler," says Charles Desjardins, Absolunet Partner and Executive Vice President. "We hope the top 10 eCommerce Trends report helps retailers, brand manufacturers and distributors gain valuable insight and helps them choose the right strategies and partners to bridge the eCommerce gap." To understand 2019's top 10 eCommerce trends, their potential impacts and to find out which companies are ahead of the curve, visit www.10eCommerceTrends.com. About Absolunet Absolunet is an eCommerce agency and integrator with 200+ people obsessed with delivering results, creating ROI-producing (and award-winning) eCommerce experiences since 1999. Absolunet is a certified Magento Enterprise Partner, an InSite Platinum partner, an inRiver PIM Platinum partner and a Sitecore "Gold" partner. Absolunet has delivered high-grossing solutions for clients in multiple sectors, including sporting goods, food & beverage, HVAC, jewelry, furniture, fashion, apparel, housewares, photography, utilities, QSR, television networks, state lotteries, lingerie and more from its Montreal, Kansas City and Boisbriand offices. SOURCE Absolunet inc. Related Links www.absolunet.com Digital economy strategy to almost double Arab countries' GDP by 2030 333 billion USD a year would be the potential contribution to the Arab world GDP in adoption of the strategy at full maturity Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE's Armed Forces, the League of Arab States launched the common vision for the Arab Digital Economy during the first day of the Arab Digital Economy Conference held from 16 to 17 December 2018 at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. The launch of the vision was headed by Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, and members of Arab States from Arab Ministers visiting Abu Dhabi and attending Arab Ambassadors to the UAE. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/799026/The_League_of_Arab_States_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/799025/League_of_Arab_States.jpg ) The conference, designed as panel discussions from experts participating from around the world with the endorsement of international organizations including the UN, World Bank, and OECD for the Arab Digital Economy Strategy. Dr. Hesham O. Dinana, Head of Research for the Arab Digital Economy Strategy said during his presentation: "By 2030 the Arab countries adoption of the digital economy strategy could grow GDP from 2.6 trillion USD up to 4.15 trillion and the total digital growth effect at full maturity could reach up to 333 billion USD a year." Stefano Manservisi, Director General European Commission during his participation stated: "Digital transformation is an opportunity for bilateral and also global cooperation, for peace, stability and progress to be pursued across the region and neighboring continents," as he presented alongside Major General Gert-Johannes Hagemann, Deputy Commander, NATO HQ Rapid Reaction Corps France and Tarek Amer, Governor of Central Bank, Egypt. Dr. Gerald Santucci, Ambassador, Interop-VLab and Former Adviser on Cross-cutting Policy /Research Issues, EU Commission on Monday's session titled 'Developing the policy framework for the Arab digital economy' also highlighted: "At the same time as the digital economy conference is developing inspiring discussions, 2019 has been proclaimed by the UAE as the Year of Tolerance, one of the tools of empowering civilisations and ensuring stability and flourishing of nations." The Digital Economy Conference will continue tomorrow 17th December at Emirates Palace. SOURCE The League of Arab States HOUSTON, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vinson & Elkins has promoted eight lawyers to partner, effective Jan. 1, 2019: Mike Bielby, Prentiss Cutshaw and Jaren Taylor in Dallas; Danielle Patterson, Scott Rubinsky and Brittany Sakowitz in Houston; Scott Stiegler in London; and Jamie Tabb in Washington, D.C. "These lawyers have each demonstrated a strong commitment to V&E and our clients and we are excited to welcome them to the partnership," V&E chairman Mark Kelly said. "We are confident they will continue to make significant contributions not only to their individual practice groups, but to the overall strategic objectives of the firm." The new partners represent six of the firm's key practice areas: complex commercial litigation, energy regulatory, energy transactions/projects, finance, mergers and acquisitions/capital markets and real estate. "We are pleased to recognize these lawyers for the excellent work they have done guiding our clients through complex transactions and litigation," said V&E managing partner Scott Wulfe. "We look forward to the firm's continued success with talented lawyers like these as part of our partnership." The following is a list of the firm's new partners by practice: Complex Commercial Litigation Scott Stiegler, London. Stiegler is an experienced international construction lawyer with a diversified practice and broad geographic reach. With notable experience in energy and infrastructure, he has played a role in some of the largest construction disputes in the world. He provides results-driven, pragmatic legal advice and representation to owners, contractors, consultants and government entities on a wide range of technical and legal issues in court proceedings, international arbitration and other ad hoc dispute resolution forums. Stiegler's experience highlights include acting on a number of ICC arbitrations in connection with the design and construction of a major maritime project in Central America and providing commercial advice to and representing leading international energy-from-waste EPC contractors in relation to the design and construction of EfW plants and complimentary facilities in the UK. Jamie Tabb, Washington, D.C. Tabb's practice focuses on government contracts counseling and litigation. His experience includes litigating bid protests at the Government Accountability Office and Court of Federal Claims (COFC), filing claims and prosecuting appeals at the Boards of Contract Appeals and COFC and responding to government investigations and present responsibility inquiries. He also assists contractors with internal investigations and counsels on the Federal Acquisition Regulation, Small Business Administration size regulations and statutes applicable to federal contracting, including the Buy American Act and the Trade Agreements Act. Tabb's other areas of experience include Department of Defense (DoD) utility privatization contracts and DoD Other Transaction Agreements for prototype projects. In addition, Tabb advises clients participating in mergers and acquisitions involving government contractors and assists companies with the process of mitigating Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence to obtain or retain a facility security clearance. Energy Regulatory Jaren Taylor, Dallas. Taylor's practice focuses on two main areas: representation of utility and energy clients and eminent domain law. In his utility and energy practice, he represents clients before the Public Utility Commission of Texas, other regulatory agencies and in various courts throughout the state. This work addresses issues involving utility infrastructure, including obtaining of Certificates of Convenience and Necessity, litigating rate approval for utility assets, acquiring of right-of-way for linear projects through eminent domain and counselling clients regarding state regulatory requirements, the ERCOT process and a number of other issues. Taylor's notable work highlights include preparing, processing and seeking approval for more than thirty Certificate of Convenience and Necessity applications for transmission line projects in the State of Texas. In his eminent domain practice, Taylor represents both utilities and landowners in the condemnation process to either acquire land for utility projects or assist landowners in seeking just compensation for their property. Energy Transactions/Projects Danielle Patterson, Houston. Patterson advises domestic U.S. and international clients in mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, joint ventures and project development transactions. She most frequently represents public and private companies, private equity funds and financial institutions involved in the energy industry, particularly in the upstream and midstream oil and gas and renewable power sectors. Her recent work highlights include advising EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, a portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners, in a joint venture with Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, to construct and own the approximately $2 billion Permian Highway Pipeline Project and Flywheel Energy Operating, a portfolio company of funds managed by Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, in its $1.86 billion acquisition of upstream and midstream assets from Southwestern Energy Company. Finance Mike Bielby, Dallas. Bielby helps commercial banks, private equity firms, special situations investors, alternative lenders and public and private borrowers structure and navigate a variety of debt financing and hybrid investment transactions, including senior secured, mezzanine and second lien loans, sponsored and non-sponsored acquisition financings and structured financings. His industry experience includes midstream and upstream oil and gas and related services, alternative energy, trucking and transportation services, manufacturing, medical, biomedical and pharmaceutical technology and services, healthcare services, financial services, consumer retail and social media, among others. Among his notable representations, Bielby advises a lead left arranger and administrative agent in a $1.39 billion unsecured revolving credit facility provided to a public natural gas storage, transportation and processing company and a special situations investor and its co-investors in a $247.5 million secured term loan credit facility provided to a grid-scale solar generation project development and construction business. Merger and Acquisitions/Capital Markets Scott Rubinsky, Houston. Rubinsky's principal area of practice is corporate finance and securities law, including securities offerings, private equity, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate representation. His capital markets experience includes representation of both issuers and underwriters in initial public offerings, as well as public and private offerings of equity and debt securities. Rubinsky also works with private equity investors, their portfolio companies and a variety of other public and private companies in connection with mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic investments and spin-offs. Rubinsky advised Berry Petroleum Corporation in its $182 million initial public offering and Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company formed by TPG, in its $2.7 billion combination with EnerVest's South Texas Division. Rubinsky also advised Antero Resources Corporation, Antero Midstream Partners LP and Antero Midstream GP LP in multiple public and private offerings of debt and equity securities with combined aggregate value of more than $4 billion. Brittany Sakowitz, Houston. Sakowitz concentrates her practice on mergers and acquisitions and private equity. She has counseled private equity investors, their portfolio companies and other public and private companies in connection with mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, offerings of equity and debt securities and general corporate governance matters. Sakowitz has advised clients across a broad range of industries, including energy (upstream, midstream, oilfield services and power), consumer products and financial services. Among her notable representative experience, Sakowitz advised Sunoco in the $3.3 billion sale of a majority of its convenience stores to 7-Eleven, Omega Protein in its $500 million sale to Cooke, a global seafood company based in Canada, five master limited partnerships in their recent simplification or corporate conversion transactions and SCF Partners in over a dozen acquisition or investment transactions of oilfield services and technology companies. Real Estate Prentiss Cutshaw, Dallas. Cutshaw's practice focuses on real estate and general business transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions and commercial leasing. His experience includes representation of a wide variety of clients engaged in a broad spectrum of real estate matters, including the representation of real estate investment groups in their acquisition, development and leasing and eventual disposition of single-tenant and multi-tenant office and industrial buildings across the country. Cutshaw's experience highlights include advising Hillwood Properties in the leasing of a 200,000 square foot build-to-suit facility at AllianceTexas to Mercedes Benz Financial Services; Stream Realty Partners in its acquisition, financing and disposition upon completion of a 400,000+ square foot industrial building in northwest Houston, Texas; and CBRE Global Investors in its acquisition of Concourse Creative Campus, a 751,093 square foot office complex that consists of two eight-story buildings, one four-story building and three parking structures in Atlanta, Georgia. Vinson & Elkins LLP is an international law firm with approximately 700 lawyers across 14 offices worldwide. For more information, please contact Courtney Binick at +1.713.758.2333. SOURCE Vinson & Elkins LLP Related Links http://www.velaw.com Alipay, a subsidiary of Hangzhou-based Ant Financial, has been cleared by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) to acquire a 45 percent stake in Pakistan's Telenor Microfinance Bank. The investment of over US$184 million will expedite widespread adoption of digital payments in Pakistan. With internet penetration continuously on the rise, there are an estimated 60 million subscribers of 3G and 4G in the country that can become potential users of the service. Several mobile payment services are presently operating in Pakistan. Primarily, these have been offered by telecom operators with a large number of cellular subscribers. However, limited international application has kept the penetration rate of the payment portals relatively low. Entry of Alipay, the world's largest mobile payment platform, will intensify competition higher, improve the quality of service and reinvigorate the entire landscape of the industry. Pakistan's growing young population makes it suitable for embracing cashless payments on a large scale. People under the age of 30 form 64 percent of the population who are always the most likely to take up any new technology. On top of that, high cellular phone use will be a facilitative factor, since the mobile-first strategy for internet-based businesses is very valid in Pakistan. Commencement of Alipay's operations in Pakistan will also provide a major push to e-commerce. eBay CEO Devin Wenig recently identified emerging economies like Pakistan as the fastest growing e-commerce hubs of the world. The trend is spreading like wildfire across the country with new online shops emerging constantly. A reliable e-payment gateway with worldwide collaborators is all that Pakistanis need to streamline their online transactions. Alibaba had already acquired Pakistan's leading e-commerce platform Daraz. Utilizing the reach of Alibaba, Pakistani sellers will now be able to connect with global buyer. The digital payment boom will be most beneficial for small and medium-sized enterprises that form the backbone of the national economy. Many of these businesses face difficulties in financial transactions due to being located in rural areas. Alipay might prefer to focus on them as the Pakistani government wants to reduce their business costs and difficulties. Across the border in China, a new policy is on the cards to increase e-commerce purchases from overseas. Around 63 additional categories are being added to a product list of what can be imported duty-free through online platforms. Moreover, 22 cities, such as Beijing, Nanjing and Shenyang, are also being included in e-commerce pilot zones. With several food items in the revised e-commerce import list, there is much potential for Pakistani farm produce. Fruits like mango and the mandarin hybrid kinnow can gain extended reach in the Chinese food market and the recent push to increase meat and poultry production could further boost Pakistan's exports. The targeted online shoppers in China are increasingly focusing on foreign brands. Large businesses and premium brands from Pakistan can reach out to these buyers through Tmall Global another Alibaba operated e-commerce platform allowing Chinese consumers to purchase products from abroad. Pakistan's small to medium businesses might not have the logistic prerequisites for this platform, but international-standard large companies certainly can. Ant Financial is coming to Pakistan at a time when trade between Pakistan and China is touching new heights through the flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) known as China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Pakistan's logistics and communication infrastructure are witnessing a complete revamp under CPEC with direct effect on its trade capacity. And the most suitable medium of transactions for Pakistani businesses with their country's largest trade partner would be none other than Alipay. As a result of CPEC, there has been a substantial increase in business and leisure travelers from China accustomed to using their trusted mediums of payment. Now that Alipay is to launch operations in Pakistan, these visitors will be more comfortable in their monetary transactions and can be expected to bring more revenue to Pakistan. Alipay is entering the Pakistani market when there is an open playing field in the absence of international payment companies like PayPal. Governments of both countries have already abandoned the U.S. dollar for mutual payments and trade among the two is progressing well. The fresh air that Alipay is bringing will have a positive impact on Pakistan's economy and provide new avenues of foreign direct investment. Daniel Hyatt is a Pakistan-based freelance journalist and commentator. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. 51Talk presented its current status and development in the Philippines and its future strategic planning to core mainstream media from the Philippines and China. 51Talk also discussed its plans on supporting the development of the ESL (English as a Second Language) industry in the Philippines through in-depth alliances and cooperation with the government, business community, academe, and other stakeholders. Development in the Philippines 51Talk is a leading brand of online English education with the greatest number of Filipino English teachers. Established in China seven years ago, 51Talk was launched in the Philippines in 2012. 51Talk now provides lessons to more than 10,000,000 students in China. According to Mr. Jack Huang, the founder and CEO of 51Talk, there is a strong demand for online English lessons for children in China, based on the fact that the household investment in education and English requirements for students have been on the rise. A report from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences shows that China has a large English consumer group of 300 million people. The English training market in China is as large as US$72B. The number of online English learners has reached 19.689 million, but the demand for online foreign teachers has exceeded 500,000. 16,000+ Filipinos are currently teaching online at 51Talk, and the demand will grow to 100,000 home-based online teachers in the Philippines in the next five years. 51Talk aims to promote the Filipino teachers in China. It also hopes to make Filipino online English teachers the new future of English language teaching (ELT). Filipino Teachers for Chinese Students Based on its experience, 51Talk said the Philippines ranks among the best English speaking countries in Asia. The Philippines has maintained its top two ranking in the IELTS English test in Asia over the years. It has also been rated as the country with the highest level of business English in the world. Given all that, 51Talk has deployed a leading curriculum development team providing quality learning experience to Chinese children. Those who teach undergo extensive training before embarking as online home-based English teachers. Online teachers should have a college degree and can speak English well, and should have the capability to do home-based teaching by having a reliable internet connection and a good computer setup. Even more crucial, Chinese children learn a lot from Filipino teachers, whom they often see as professional and passionate. It also helps that Filipino teachers and Chinese students share common cultural ground and the same time zone, making scheduling convenient for both teacher and students. 51Talk's platform has been available in the country for the last 7 years with training centers in key provinces like Bacolod, Baguio, Cavite, Cebu, Davao, Pampanga and Pasig. Now, 51Talk has over 16,000 home-based Filipino teachers teaching online in total, and 10 million registered learners in China taking 3 million one-on-one online lessons every month. 51Talk was established in 2011 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in June 2016 with COE as its stock code. It is currently the leading brand for online English education in China and is the first Chinese online education company listed in the United States. 51Talk is headquartered in Beijing and has branches in seven cities: Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Jinan, and Suzhou in China, and has presence in major cities in the Philippines. At present, the company has a total of 4000+ employees worldwide. For more information about 51Talk, please visit the 51Talk websites at http://www.51talk.com and https://www.51talk.ph SOURCE 51Talk Related Links http://www.51talk.com/ BOSTON, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alira Health (www.alirahealth.com), a leading international healthcare and life sciences advisory firm, announced that it has acquired Clinical Insights, a data science organization providing data analytics and predictive analysis to healthcare companies. The acquisition will add a bedrock of rich data to each of Alira Health's practice areas, including innovation, regulatory, clinical, strategy, and transaction advisory services. The collective organization will now support its clients with a host of complementary, integrated services, including helping clients address the challenges in implementing new value-based care models in the U.S. and EU, as well as clinical trial cost and recruitment, reimbursement, health economics, market access, and the development of tailored data products. "We have been actively looking for the right analytics platform to complement our organization and provide our practice areas with additional data tools to give clients deeper insights and recommendations backed by science," said Gabriele Brambilla, CEO of Alira Health. "We are thrilled to welcome Clinical Insights and their amazing team to Alira Health. The addition of their data analytics capabilities is key to supporting strategic, commercial, regulatory, clinical, and innovation decision making processes in new healthcare ecosystems. We are excited to add this new competence and deliver the best value to our clients." "The Clinical Insights team is excited to join Alira Health," says Paolo Migliari, Chief Operations and Digital Information Officer of Clinical Insights. "This new partnership gives us the opportunity to apply our knowledge to a broader spectrum of service areas and support clients across their product and company lifecycles. We share Gabriele's commitment to Alira Health's fully integrated healthcare and life sciences services model and believe that with the addition of Clinical Insights, Alira Health will provide clients with profound insights and outstanding value through an even more powerful school of healthcare knowledge." About Alira Health: Alira Health enables healthcare transformation by helping healthcare and life science companies to innovate and create value throughout their product and business lifecycles. Alira Health's services encompass innovation, regulatory, clinical, strategic, and transaction advisory services, touching nearly every aspect of healthcare, including Pharmaceuticals, MedTech, Biotech, Healthcare Services and IT. The company is dedicated to the healthcare sector and brings an integrated approach to the industry. Each engagement brings together industry experts, strategists, bankers, scientists, doctors and statisticians to collaborate on projects and provide analysis, recommendations, and strategy execution to projects. Alira Health was founded in 1999 and is based outside of Boston, USA. It has offices in San Francisco, USA; Paris, France; Barcelona, Spain; Munich, Germany; and Milan, Italy. About Clinical Insights: Clinical Insights Limited provides tools and business advisory services based on rich data analytics for pharmaceutical companies. Its solutions optimize performance using dynamic analytical techniques based on real-world and real-time market information; improves market insights and develop business solutions based on sophisticated analyses of big data available in real time; and improves business performance by embedding analytical techniques and real-time proprietary market information into the user's management systems. The company's solution also provides real-time data and dynamic analytical techniques that enable clients to discover major product flows and enables users to smooth out volatility in product demand and reduce levels of supply to match in-market needs. In addition, its solutions are used to refine messaging to capture more of the dynamic market more quickly and minimize loss of market share to new entrants; and gain deeper insights into how their products and their messaging change overall patient treatment patterns. Clinical Insights was incorporated in 2012 and is based in Milano, Italy. SOURCE Alira Health Related Links https://www.alirahealth.com Alkermes is seeking approval of diroximel fumarate under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway, and the NDA submission includes data from EVOLVE-1, a phase 3 pivotal trial that evaluated long-term safety in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) with approximately 700 patients dosed with diroximel fumarate. If approved, Biogen intends to market diroximel fumarate under the brand name VUMERITY . This name has been conditionally accepted by the FDA and will be confirmed upon approval. "Diroximel fumarate was designed to provide patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis a novel oral fumarate with a differentiated profile. The data encompassed in the regulatory package underscore diroximel fumarate's potential to be a meaningful, new treatment option for the MS community," stated Craig Hopkinson, M.D., chief medical officer and senior vice president, medicines development and medical affairs at Alkermes. "This NDA submission is an important step in our collaboration with Biogen for diroximel fumarate, and we look forward to working together to bring this potential new medicine to patients and healthcare providers." "The filing of diroximel fumarate by our partners at Alkermes demonstrates our enduring commitment to people living with MS and builds on our established track record as a leader in the industry," said Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president, research & development at Biogen. "MS is a heterogeneous disease, and while there are a number of approved therapies available today, continued treatment advances remain an important priority." About the Diroximel Fumarate Clinical Development Program The key components of the clinical development program of diroximel fumarate include the EVOLVE-MS-1 study, a two-year safety study in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients, along with pharmacokinetic bridging studies comparing diroximel fumarate and dimethyl fumarate. In addition, Alkermes is conducting the EVOLVE-MS-2 study, a five-week, head-to-head gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability study versus dimethyl fumarate. About Diroximel Fumarate Diroximel fumarate (BIIB098) is a novel oral fumarate candidate in development for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS. Diroximel fumarate is designed to rapidly convert to monomethyl fumarate in the body and may have the potential to offer differentiated GI tolerability due to its chemical structure as compared to dimethyl fumarate. About Alkermes plc Alkermes plc is a fully integrated, global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The company has a diversified commercial product portfolio and a substantial clinical pipeline of product candidates for chronic diseases that include schizophrenia, depression, addiction and multiple sclerosis. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Alkermes plc has an R&D center in Waltham, Massachusetts; a research and manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland; and a manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Ohio. For more information, please visit Alkermes' website at www.alkermes.com. About Biogen At Biogen, our mission is clear: we are pioneers in neuroscience. Biogen discovers, develops and delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with serious neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. One of the world's first global biotechnology companies, Biogen was founded in 1978 by Charles Weissmann, Heinz Schaller, Kenneth Murray and Nobel Prize winners Walter Gilbert and Phillip Sharp, and today has the leading portfolio of medicines to treat multiple sclerosis, has introduced the first and only approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy and is focused on advancing neuroscience research programs in Alzheimer's disease and dementia, multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology, movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders, pain, ophthalmology, neuropsychiatry and acute neurology. Biogen also manufactures and commercializes biosimilars of advanced biologics. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.biogen.com. To learn more, please visit www.biogen.com and follow us on social media Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook , YouTube . Alkermes Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements set forth in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, but not limited to, statements concerning: the potential therapeutic and commercial value of diroximel fumarate for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS; the potential approval by the FDA of an NDA for diroximel fumarate for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS; the potential approval by the FDA of the proposed brand name for diroximel fumarate and related marketing plans; and the potential commercial and therapeutic benefits that may be achieved through Alkermes' collaboration with Biogen for diroximel fumarate. Alkermes cautions that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although Alkermes believes that such statements are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations, the forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and they are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk. Actual performance and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: whether the results from the head-to-head study to evaluate the GI tolerability of diroximel fumarate compared to dimethyl fumarate will show that diroximel fumarate has a differentiated GI tolerability profile; whether preclinical and clinical results for diroximel fumarate will be predictive of future clinical study results or real-world results; changes in the cost, scope and duration of the diroximel fumarate development and regulatory program; whether diroximel fumarate could be shown ineffective or unsafe during clinical studies, and whether, in such instances, Alkermes may not be permitted by regulatory authorities to undertake new or additional clinical studies of diroximel fumarate; whether the NDA for diroximel fumarate, including the proposed brand name for diroximel fumarate, will be approved by the FDA; if approved, whether diroximel fumarate will be commercialized successfully; whether the potential commercial and therapeutic benefits of collaboration with Biogen under the license and collaboration agreement between Alkermes and Biogen will be achieved; and those risks described in the Alkermes Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2017 and in subsequent filings made by Alkermes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, the company disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Biogen Safe Harbor This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about potential regulatory approval and the timing thereof; the potential clinical effects of diroximel fumarate; the potential benefits, safety and efficacy of diroximel fumarate; clinical trial results and plans; the treatment of MS; the potential of Biogen's commercial business and pipeline programs, including diroximel fumarate; the anticipated benefits and potential of Biogen's collaboration arrangements with Alkermes; and risks and uncertainties associated with drug development and commercialization. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by words such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "possible," "will" and other words and terms of similar meaning. Drug development and commercialization involve a high degree of risk, and only a small number of research and development programs result in commercialization of a product. Results in early stage clinical trials may not be indicative of full results or results from later stage or larger scale clinical trials and do not ensure regulatory approval. You should not place undue reliance on these statements or the scientific data presented. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including without limitation, actual timing and content of submissions to and decisions made by the regulatory authorities regarding diroximel fumarate; regulatory submissions may take longer or be more difficult to complete than expected; regulatory authorities may require additional information or further studies, or may fail or refuse to approve or may delay approval of Biogen's drug candidates, including diroximel fumarate; the risk that Biogen may not fully enroll its clinical trials or enrollment will take longer than expected; the actual timing and final results of the EVOLVE-MS-2 study; unexpected concerns may arise from additional data, analysis or results obtained during Biogen's clinical trials; the occurrence of adverse safety events; the risks of other unexpected hurdles, costs or delays; failure to protect and enforce Biogen's data, intellectual property and other proprietary rights and uncertainties relating to intellectual property claims and challenges; uncertainty of success in the development and potential commercialization of VUMERITY; risks relating to the potential launch of VUMERITY, including preparedness of healthcare providers to treat patients, the ability to obtain and maintain adequate reimbursement for VUMERITY and other unexpected difficulties or hurdles; product liability claims; and third party collaboration risks. The foregoing sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from Biogen's expectations in any forward-looking statement. Investors should consider this cautionary statement, as well as the risk factors identified in Biogen's most recent annual or quarterly report and in other reports Biogen has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on Biogen's current beliefs and expectations and speak only as of the date of this press release. Biogen does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Alkermes Contacts: For Investors: Sandy Coombs, +1 781 609 6377 Eva Stroynowski, +1 781 609 6823 For Media: Sherry Feldberg, +1 781 609 6276 Biogen Contacts: For Investors: Matt Calistri, +1 781 464 2442 For Media: David Caouette, +1 617 679 4945 SOURCE Alkermes plc Related Links http://www.alkermes.com Edgerton joined Andersen in 2014 as an IT leader and was appointed to Andersen's Inclusion Council in 2017. He serves as the board chair of Blacks in Technology, an organization focused on increasing ethnic diversity in the tech industry. He also is an adjunct instructor at three local universities and is the sole instructor for the mini-MBA program at Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA) which is devoted to minority entrepreneurship growth and success. Edgerton received his MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and his electrical engineering degree from North Carolina A&T. In addition, Andersen has joined the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion initiative, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. By signing the coalition's pledge, Jay Lund, Andersen Chairman and CEO, joins more than 500 companies and organizations, spanning sectors, industries, geographies, and size, who agree to: cultivate workplaces that support open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion; implement and expand unconscious bias education; and share best knownand unsuccessfulactions. "We are firmly committed to increasing Andersen's diversity and fostering a culture where everyone is welcomed, valued and respected," said Jay Lund. "We are proud to pledge our commitment to the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion and I am confident David Edgerton's leadership, combined with our team's commitment, will strengthen diversity, inclusion, equity and access at Andersen and in our community." In addition to Andersen's national CEO Action pledge, the company is also partnering with Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, CEO of Rae Mackenzie Group, to strengthen its position in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region, further reinforcing Andersen's commitment to attract and retain diverse talent and to be a special place to work for all employees. About Andersen Corporation Headquartered in Bayport, Minnesota, Andersen Corporation and its subsidiaries manufacture and market window and door products under the Andersen, Renewal by Andersen, EMCO, Weiland, MQ and Heritage brands. Andersen, a privately held company, was founded in 1903 by Danish immigrant Hans Andersen and his family and employs more than 8,000 people with manufacturing sites in North America and Europe. For 115 years, the company has embraced an "all together" philosophy to achieve its vision that everyone benefits from their association with the company. Andersen has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2018 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award. Visit us at andersencorporation.com. Follow us on Facebook @AndersenCo, Twitter @AndersenCorp, and Instagram @andersen_corporation. "Andersen" and all other marks are trademarks of Andersen Corporation. SOURCE Andersen Corporation Related Links https://www.andersenwindows.com HAMILTON, Bermuda, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE: ASC) ("Ardmore" or the "Company") today announced that Reginald L. Jones is stepping down as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company effective December 31, 2018. He will remain as a director until the Company's annual general meeting in 2019, when he does not intend to stand for re-election. Mr. Jones is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Greenbriar Equity Group LLC, Ardmore's initial investor in 2010 which exited its position in Ardmore as part of the monetization of its Fund II in November 2017. Curtis McWilliams has been appointed as Chairman of the Board effective January 1, 2019. Mr. McWilliams became a director of Ardmore in January 2016. He has over 25 years of experience in public and private company governance and corporate finance, including as a transportation industry investment banker with Merrill Lynch & Co. for 13 years and CEO of NYSE-listed company Trustreet Properties Inc. He serves currently as Lead Director of Braemar Hotels and Resorts, Inc. Mr. McWilliams holds an MBA with concentration in Finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and a BSE in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. Reginald L. Jones, Ardmore's retiring Chairman, commented: "It has been a privilege to serve as Ardmore's Chairman since the Company's inception in 2010 and to guide the evolution of Ardmore into a truly best-in-class public shipping company. I believe that the team and the corporate culture at Ardmore are extraordinary and I am confident that the Company will continue to set the pace for many years to come. I am also very pleased to pass the chairmanship to a highly capable leader in Curtis McWilliams." Anthony Gurnee, Ardmore's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "I want to express my sincere appreciation to Regg for his service to Ardmore, in particular over the past year when he has stayed on to help complete the transition from Greenbriar sponsorship to Ardmore becoming one of the few truly independent and widely-held public shipping companies. We have benefitted greatly from Regg's leadership and will miss him following our 2019 annual general meeting, but he will leave the Company in the very capable hands of Curtis McWilliams and our other board members who possess a broad range of relevant skills and experience and a singular desire to do right by our shareholders." Curtis McWilliams, Ardmore's incoming Chairman, commented: "I am honored to assume the role of Chairman and look forward to working even more closely with the Ardmore management team. With a leading fleet of modern, fuel-efficient MR tankers and excellent people both ashore and afloat, Ardmore is well positioned to thrive amid the opportunities that lie ahead, including the significant product tanker charter rate recovery presently underway, the very solid underlying fundamentals, and an anticipated further strengthening of charter rates from the IMO 2020 fuel transition." About Ardmore Shipping Corporation Ardmore owns and operates a fleet of MR product and chemical tankers ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 deadweight tonnes. Ardmore provides seaborne transportation of petroleum products and chemicals worldwide to oil majors, national oil companies, oil and chemical traders, and chemical companies, with its modern, fuel-efficient fleet of mid-size tankers. Ardmore's core strategy is to continue to develop a modern, high-quality fleet of product and chemical tankers, build key long-term commercial relationships and maintain its cost advantage in assets, operations and overhead, while creating synergies and economies of scale as the Company grows. Ardmore provides its services to customers through voyage charters, commercial pools, and time charters, and enjoys close working relationships with key commercial and technical management partners. Forward-Looking Statements The statements in this press release that are not historical facts may be 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. 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 forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, including, without limitation, Ardmore management's examination of historical trends, data contained in the Company's records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes 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 the Company's control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: matters affecting long-term market fundamentals and related opportunities; potential failure of a product tanker cyclical recovery or of the Company to benefit from related opportunities; and those discussed in Ardmore's public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ardmore undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements unless required to do so under the securities laws. Investor Relations Enquiries: Mr. Leon Berman The IGB Group 45 Broadway, Suite 1150 New York, NY 10006 Tel: 212-477-8438 Fax: 212-477-8636 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Ardmore Shipping Corporation Related Links http://www.ardmoreshipping.com ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced the acquisition of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based Preston-Patterson Co., Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1947, Preston-Patterson is a retail property/casualty insurance broker offering a broad range of coverages and services to broadcasters and media clients throughout the United States. They also serve other commercial clients, as well as personal lines clients with a particular focus on coastal property exposures along the Atlantic Seaboard. Stephen, John and Stuart Patterson, and their associates, will initially remain in their current locations in Conshohocken and in Barnegat Light, New Jersey, under the direction of Dan Tropp, head of Gallagher's Mid-Atlantic retail property/casualty brokerage operations. "Preston-Patterson is a well-established, family run business with deep expertise in serving broadcasters and media, which will further expand Gallagher's existing capabilities in that area," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "I am delighted to welcome them to Gallagher." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 35 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Linda J. Collins VP Investor Relations VP Corporate Communications 630-285-3661/ [email protected] 630-285-4009/ [email protected] SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Related Links http://www.ajg.com LINCOLN, Neb., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AuctionTime.com will hold its biggest-ever online auction this week. With over 3,800 assets for sale in total, this week's record-setting, online-only sale will include more than 500 trucks, 800 pieces of construction equipment, and 1,600 pieces of agriculture equipment. The sale will extend over two full days, with pre-bidding starting today at 5 p.m. (CST). AuctionTime.com is an online-only auction platform for construction and agriculture equipment, commercial trucks, and trailers powered by Sandhills Publishing (the Nebraska-based tech company behind such brands as Machinery Trader, TractorHouse, Truck Paper, CraneTrader, and others). Online auctions are held every single week, attracting bidders from across the country and around the world. Bidder registration is free and easy, and new auction listings are added constantly. Buyers can track assets of interest and place bids online anytime, anywhere using a computer or smartphone. Browse highlights accepting bids this week below, and view more assets on AuctionTime.com. Anyone with equipment, trucks, or trailers can sell on AuctionTime.com. Find a local auctioneer online at AuctionTime.com or by calling (800) 334-7443. Assets Accepting Bids this Week on AuctionTime.com: 2018 Bobcat T590 Skid Steer Opening Bid: $1,000 Sale Ends: December 19th 2012 Case 580L WT Dozer Opening Bid: $1,000 Sale Ends: December 20th 2015 Deere 35G Excavator Opening Bid: $100 Sale Ends: December 20th 2017 John Deere 6175R Tractor Opening Bid: $100 Sale Ends: December 20th 2015 John Deere S690 Harvester Opening Bid: $250 Sale Ends: December 19th 2017 Case IH Steiger 620 HD Tractor Opening Bid: $100 Sale Ends: December 20th 2016 Freightliner Cascadia 125 Evolution Truck Opening Bid: $100 Sale Ends: December 20th 2015 International Prostar Truck Opening Bid: $100 Sale Ends: December 20th 2013 Peterbilt 386 Truck Opening Bid: $100 Sale Ends: December 20th About AuctionTime.com Powered by Machinery Trader, CraneTrader, Truck Paper, TractorHouse, and MarketBook, AuctionTime.com is a product of Sandhills Publishingan information processing company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. AuctionTime equipment listings appear both online and in print across Sandhills' trade publications and corresponding websites to reach buyers around the world in the trucking, agriculture, construction, and heavy equipment industries. Contact Us: 120 West Harvest Drive Lincoln, NE 68521 [email protected] (800) 334-7443 (402) 479-2119 SOURCE AuctionTime.com TORONTO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Beleave Inc. (CSE: BE) (OTCQX: BLEVF) ("Beleave" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update and clarification on the Company's GMP certification process. As part of the process, Global Compliance Inc. has inspected and assessed the Company's processes for the production of medical and recreational cannabis and determined that the facility meets all requirements for certification. The finding was provided on the basis of CAC/RCP 1-1969 The Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene; The Seven HACCP Principles and the Food Safety Enhancement Program of the CFIA. The Canadian GMP audit process is designed to help companies prepare products for export. Beleave is seeking GMP certification so the Company can export medical cannabis to its German partner, Canymed GmbH, and expects to be audited by the German GMP certification authority early next year. Beleave looks forward to providing further updates on international expansion and details regarding licensing applications as they develop. ABOUT BELEAVE INC. Beleave is a vertically-integrated Canadian cannabis company headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, that operates streamlined facilities throughout Canada to cultivate high-quality cannabis flower, oil and extracts. Fully-licensed to cultivate and sell medical and recreational cannabis, Beleave is leading the way through research partnerships with universities to bridge the gap between science and tradition and to develop pharma-grade extracts and derivatives. Beleave has developed new product lines, including cannabis-infused powder and sugar products, for 2019 as the recreational market is expected to allow for food and beverage-based cannabis products. Beleave is growing its storefront and online sales presence rapidly through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Beleave Kannabis Corp. and Seven Oaks, which are licensed for medicinal and recreational sales respectively. The company's first retail location is opening soon in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. Beleave has also developed a network of medical cannabis clinics in Ontario and Quebec under the Medi-Green banner. Through its majority ownership of Procannmed S.A.S., Beleave has access to 27 hectares of outdoor grow space and is fully licensed to cultivate, produce, extract and distribute medical cannabis in Colombia to capitalize on exports and the expanding Latin American market. In the first of a series of strategic initiatives to penetrate the European medical market, the Company has partnered with Canymed GmbH to supply the German market with medical cannabis. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forward-looking statements"). The use of any of the words "plan", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur are intended to identify forward-looking information. These statements are only predictions. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance 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. This information speaks only as of the date of this news release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents, which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. SOURCE Beleave Inc. TORONTO and BOSTON, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BIONIK Laboratories Corp. (OTCQB: BNKL) ("BIONIK" or the "Company"), a pioneering healthcare company combining artificial intelligence and innovative robotics technology to help individuals from hospital to home regain mobility, today announced it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Kindred Hospital Rehabilitation Services ("Kindred") for multiple units of the Company's InMotion Arm robotic system. As part of the agreement, Kindred will begin installing InMotion robots in its existing inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and similar facilities across the U.S. this month with a second phase to include installation in new Kindred inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and similar facilities within the next four years. "We are thrilled to enter into this agreement with BIONIK and to bring their world-class rehabilitation technology to patients across the country. The implementation of BIONIK's InMotion Arm system within our facilities will enable our facilities to provide an enhanced level of patient treatment and therapy for survivors of stroke and other neurological impairments," said Russ Bailey, COO/Senior Vice President of Operations at Kindred. "We take pride in our role as industry pioneers by adopting state-of-the-art technologies and practices that can positively impact patients. We are truly looking forward to bringing this innovative brand of neurotherapy to our facilities." The agreement with Kindred represents a successful continued penetration into a critical market for BIONIK. There are more than 1,000 inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the United States, treating a significant American population recovering from stroke, neurological injury, and more. "Kindred Hospital Rehabilitation Services is a recognized healthcare leader in the United States, so we are extremely pleased to see such a first-class, growing institution adopting our InMotion systems to provide innovative treatments at its facilities," said Dr. Eric Dusseux, Chief Executive Officer and director of BIONIK. "This is a tremendous opportunity for us to demonstrate the impact of our technology on a broader scale, and to further penetrate the U.S. healthcare and rehabilitation market while generating immediate revenue for BIONIK. We are excited about entering this new relationship and to bring our industry-leading therapeutic robotic technologies to Kindred facilities across the country." The improved InMotion Arm therapy was developed according to the principles of motor learning and neuro-plasticity. The therapy provides the same clinical efficacy as the original system developed more than 28 years ago and has been extensively researched worldwide. InMotion Arm therapy guides the patient through specific tasks, aiming to improve motor control of the arm by increasing strength, range of motion and coordination, and assists with the provision of efficient, effective, intensive sensorimotor therapy. To learn more, please visit our website. About Kindred Healthcare Kindred Hospital Rehabilitation Services is part of Kindred Healthcare, LLC, a healthcare services company based in Louisville, Kentucky with annual revenues of approximately $3.3 billion. At September 30, 2018, Kindred through its subsidiaries has approximately 37,400 employees providing healthcare services in 1,894 locations in 45 states, including 74 long-term acute care hospitals, 22 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, 11 sub-acute units, 98 inpatient rehabilitation units (hospital-based) and contract rehabilitation service businesses which served 1,689 non-affiliated sites of service. Ranked as one of Fortune Magazine's Most Admired Healthcare Companies for nine years, Kindred's mission is to promote healing, provide hope, preserve dignity and produce value for each patient, resident, family member, customer and employee we serve. For more information, go to www.kindredhealthcare.com. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook. About BIONIK Laboratories BIONIK Laboratories (OTCQB: BNKL) is a robotics company focused on providing rehabilitation and mobility solutions to individuals with neurological and mobility challenges from hospital to home. The Company has a portfolio of products focused on upper and lower extremity rehabilitation for stroke and other mobility-impaired patients, including three products on the market and four products in varying stages of development. For more information, please visit www.bioniklabs.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Forward-Looking Statements Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, which involve assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words "may," "should," "would," "will," "could," "scheduled," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," "seek" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are not meant to predict or guarantee actual results, performance, events or circumstances, and may not be realized because they are based upon the Company's current projections, plans, objectives, beliefs, expectations, estimates and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and other influences, many of which the Company has no control. Actual results and the timing of certain events and circumstances may differ materially from those described by the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. Factors that may influence or contribute to the inaccuracy of the forward-looking statements or cause actual results to differ materially from expected or desired results may include, without limitation, the Company's inability to obtain additional financing, the significant length of time and resources associated with the development of our products and related insufficient cash flows and resulting illiquidity, the Company's inability to expand its business, significant government regulation of medical devices and the healthcare industry, lack of product diversification, volatility in the price of the Company's raw materials and the Company's failure to implement the Company's business plans or strategies. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in the Company's filings with the SEC. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements. SOURCE BIONIK Laboratories Corp. ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Law and Lawyers Alliance for New York today announced an agreement that provides Lawyers Alliance complimentary access to Bloomberg Law an integrated online solution that incorporates practice tools, legal research, and legal intelligence. Lawyers Alliance, the leading provider of business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods, will utilize Bloomberg Law to support its mission of helping nonprofits overcome the legal challenges they face when pursuing their missions. "Bloomberg Law allows our staff to improve quality assistance to nonprofits in a way that saves time and money in our daily work," said Elizabeth Guggenheimer, Lawyers Alliance's Deputy Executive Director. "We applaud Bloomberg Law for supporting our pro bono efforts to provide legal assistance that strengthen the programs, finances, and operations of New York City nonprofits." "We're gratified to be able to support the efforts of pro bono organizations like Lawyers Alliance," said Joe Breda, President, Bloomberg Law. "The broad array of tools and resources on Bloomberg Law delivers Lawyers Alliance a unique solution to meet the wide-ranging legal research and legal intelligence needs of their clients. We applaud the great work that Lawyers Alliance has done throughout the city over the past five decades and look forward to working collaboratively with its staff to maximize the value it gets from Bloomberg Law." This agreement extends Bloomberg Law's commitment to supporting the needs of the pro bono legal community. Bloomberg Law has entered into similar agreements with D.C. Legal Aid and the D.C. Affordable Law Firm. For more information on Bloomberg Law, visit https://www.bna.com/bloomberglaw/. About Lawyers Alliance for New York Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. By connecting lawyers, nonprofits, and communities, Lawyers Alliance for New York helps nonprofits to develop and provide housing, stimulate economic opportunity, improve urban health and education, promote community arts, and operate and advocate for vital programs that benefit low-income New Yorkers of all ages. Staff attorneys at Lawyers Alliance work with more than 1,900 volunteer attorneys to represent approximately 700 nonprofit clients on 1,200 matters each year and assists hundreds more through educational programs. For more information visit http://www.lawyersalliance.org/. About Bloomberg Law Bloomberg Law helps legal professionals provide world-class counsel with access to actionable legal intelligence in a business context. Bloomberg Law delivers a unique combination of practical guidance, comprehensive primary and secondary source material, trusted content from Bloomberg BNA, news, time-saving practice tools, market data and business intelligence. For more information, visit www.bna.com/bloomberglaw. SOURCE Bloomberg Law and Lawyers Alliance for New York Related Links http://www.bna.com/bloomberglaw You are here: World Flash Thousands of protesters clashed with police during march against a UN migration pact in Brussels on Sunday, while a peaceful counter-protest in favor of the pact drew over 1,000 people on the same day. The march against the Untied Nations Global Compact for Migration, signed in Marrakech last week, was triggered by Flemish right-wing parties amid fears the pact could lead to an increase in immigration. Police were forced to deploy tear gas and water cannon as clashes broke out near the European Union institution quarters. It has been reported that, overall about 5,500 protesters took part in both marches. The Brussels prosecutor's office has also confirmed that a hundred people were arrested, including the judicial arrest of six people in connection with the damage caused to EU buildings, acts of armed rebellion and drug offences. A counter-protest organized by left-wing groups and charities in the city center was held peacefully. The largest member of Belgium's ruling coalition, the right-wing N-VA party, left the government last Sunday in protest against the prime minister's decision to sign the agreement. In July, 196 UN members agreed the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. It was signed by 164 countries in Marrakech last week, with the U.S. and a number of European countries refusing to formally adopt it. The deal, which is not legally binding, seeks a common approach to international migration to optimize the overall benefits of migration, while addressing its risks and challenges for individuals and communities in countries of origin, transit and destination. CHICAGO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CCC Information Services Inc. and its affiliates (CCC) announced today that State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company (State Auto) is live on the CCC X data exchange, activating a broad range of telematics capabilities in support of the insurer's vision to transform the policyholder experience through innovation. State Auto is using CCC X to connect with CCC ecosystem partners, including a major OEM, and to deliver usage-based insurance (UBI) programs and telematics-enabled claims, making it the first insurer in the industry to integrate crash event data into their CCC ONE claims workflow. The CCC and State Auto relationship spans the carrier's Personal and Commercial lines of business. State Auto is a leading digital provider of property and casualty insurance, exclusively through independent agents. CCC is a leading Software as a Service provider to the automotive, insurance, and collision repair industries. "We're excited to extend our partnership with CCC as we move forward together toward a more innovative future," said Paul Stachura, Senior Vice President/Chief Claims and Risk Engineering (CARE) Officer, State Auto. "Telematics is a strategic imperative for us. CCC's data exchange stands out as a way for us to quickly and easily access the data, providers, and applications needed to deliver exceptional experiences for customers, while creating efficiencies and bottom-line impact for our business." CCC X aggregates and normalizes connected data from a rich variety of sources including beacons, dongles, mobile applications, fleet and professional devices, and connected cars. Powered by the CCC ONE Platform, CCC X passes connected car data to customers on the CCC network through software-driven workflows that serve the automotive ecosystem. Data accessed via CCC X can be deeply integrated into existing insurer business operations for UBI programs, increased claims automation, and more. For State Auto, CCC X: Receives data streamed from multiple sources, including a major OEM and a third-party device provider. Within the OEM program CCC has made available to the market, State Auto will use actual driving behavior to identify consumers to engage with by advertising discounted insurance policies. Ingests telematics data from enrolled vehicles and provides additional analytics to help identify when an enrolled State Auto-insured vehicle is involved in an accident. Information regarding the potential accident is shared automatically with a State Auto first notice of loss representative, initiating the first steps in a comprehensive claims experience. State Auto can use this data to inform its decision-making in real-time, including vehicle routing and preferred method of inspection (based on carrier guidelines). "CCC is proud to serve as the engine for State Auto's telematics and connected data efforts," said Naved Siddique, Group VP, Insurance Services Group for CCC. "We share their commitment to technology innovation and its power and impact on transforming the way insurance is delivered and serviced. We've worked with State Auto successfully for many years and are excited to help bring the full power of telematics to life." CCC's hyperscale platform has processed data for billions of trips. The company has also processed nearly 200 million claims, including vehicle total loss valuations and vehicle repair estimates, making CCC X uniquely capable of enriching connected data in ways that support new business opportunities for customers and new experiences for consumers. CCC solutions are in use by more than 350 insurers, numerous OEMs, 24,000 collision repairers, and a range of third-party data and service providers. Learn more about the CCC X data exchange. About CCC CCC, together with its affiliates, provides cross-industry solutions to support the vehicle lifecycle. Founded in 1980, CCC's solutions and big data insights are delivered through the CCC ONE platform to a vibrant network of 350+ insurance companies, 24,000+ repair facilities, OEMs, hundreds of parts suppliers, and dozens of third-party data and service providers. Annually, over 24 million estimates and 16 million repairs in are processed on CCC's products and services, and CCC also provides access to car-related services for millions of consumers via carwise.com. Additionally, Auto Injury Solutions Inc. a CCC company provides customizable, end-to-end, casualty solutions to auto insurers for the handling of first and third-party claims. The collective set of CCC's solutions inform decision-making, enhance productivity, and help customers deliver faster and better experiences for end consumers. Learn more about CCC at cccis.com. About State Auto Insurance Companies State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is a super regional property and casualty insurance holding company. The company is primarily engaged in writing personal and business insurance products exclusively through independent insurance agencies in 33 states and is proud to be a Trusted Choice company partner. State Automobile Mutual is part of the State Auto Group, which is rated A- (Excellent) by the A.M. Best Company and includes State Automobile Mutual, State Auto Financial Corporation, State Auto Property & Casualty, State Auto Ohio, State Auto Wisconsin, Milbank, Meridian Security, Patrons Mutual, Rockhill Insurance, Plaza Insurance, American Compensation and Bloomington Compensation. Additional information can be found online at www.StateAuto.com. CCC and the CCC logo are registered trademarks, and CCC ONE is a trademark, of CCC Information Services Inc. SOURCE CCC Information Services Inc. Related Links http://www.cccis.com LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chop Stop, a California-based QSR chopped salad concept known for its fresh, customizable chopped salads and other health-oriented menu options, today announced that it has recently signed 16 new franchise agreements in 3 states. The deals will result in the first-ever Chop Stop franchises in Texas and Nevada. By the end of 2019, Chop Stop expects to have a total of 23 units open. "We are highly encouraged by the progress these agreements represent for the Chop Stop brand and franchise," said Chop Stop founder and CEO Mark Kulkis. "Chop Stop has a wide and loyal customer base in California and the new franchises represent new areas that will fall in love with the fresh, wholesome and filling chopped salads." Among the new locations planned for 2019 is their first unit in the San Antonio, Texas area. This franchise group, experienced operators of a QSR sandwich chain, has signed a multi-unit restaurant development agreement to open 8 locations in San Antonio, with an option for an additional 8 locations in Austin, over the next several years. "Our team is looking forward to the expansion in our markets and getting to see this brand grow all around us," said franchisee, Matthew Weir. In Southern California, 5 units are currently in construction and are expected to open within the first few months of the new year. Specific locations and opening dates will be announced as the stores come online. Chop Stop began actively marketing their franchise program at the beginning of 2018, with the goal of having 100 locations open in the next 5 years. Those interested in a low-cost business model with a rapidly-growing franchise may visit ChopStopFranchising.com or call 818-369-7350 for more information. About Chop Stop Founded in 2010, Chop Stop is a modern, quick-service salad concept offering a unique menu of customizable chopped salads, Chopurritos, wraps, soups and more. Chop Stop's mission is to provide guests with fresh, wholesome and filling meals that make a healthier lifestyle practical and affordable. Through its unmatched franchise program, qualified investors can gain access to Chop Stop's industry expertise, solid market position and low-cost business model. Seven Chop Stop locations are currently operating in the Los Angeles area. For information on Chop Stop franchising visit chopstopfranchising.com Media Contact: Thomas J. McFeeley [email protected] (219) 213-0402 SOURCE Chop Stop Related Links http://www.chopstopfranchising.com LEMONT, Ill., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As a way to ensure local food pantries are well-stocked for the holidays, each year the CITGO Lemont Refinery reaches out to the local community through an annual food drive. In November, approximately $5,000 worth of non-perishable food was donated by CITGO employees and contractors. During the week of Thanksgiving, TeamCITGO volunteers delivered the food to Bethany Food Pantry, Daybreak Shelter, DuPage Township Pantry, Fairmont Food Pantry, Lockport FISH Pantry and Romeoville Community Pantry. "We can't thank CITGO enough. Not only is our pantry full, but the drive also raises awareness that there is a need in our community," said Bethany Food Pantry Volunteer, Marge McLaughlin. According to Brian Rimbo, TeamCITGO volunteer and organizer of the drive, this was the 20th year the food drive was hosted at the refinery and it was one of the largest. While participation has always been high, this year's outcome truly reflects a team effort between employees and onsite contract workers. "It's a pleasure for us to be able to help our neighbors by supporting the local food pantries. The outpouring of generosity for this year's drive was truly amazing," said Dennis Willig, CITGO Lemont Vice President and General Manager. About the CITGO Lemont Refinery For more than 90 years, CITGO Lemont Refinery has employed more than 750 Chicago area residents on a full-time and contract basis in support of the local economy. In addition to producing high quality fuels for a large portion of the network of nearly 5,200 independently and locally-owned CITGO stations across the country, Lemont Refinery employees also make a major positive impact on the community. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer hours and thousands of dollars are given in support of community programs such as Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Way and a variety of environmental and preservation programs. Operations at the Lemont Refinery began in 1925 with a major expansion, doubling the facility in 1933. Over the years, new units were added to meet the demand for a better quality of gas for automobiles, aviation fuel for WWII, and the production of asphalt. About CITGO Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry with a well-known brand. CITGO operates three refineries located in Corpus Christi, Texas; Lake Charles, La.; and Lemont, Ill., and wholly and/or jointly owns 48 terminals, nine pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,400 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 749,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), CITGO is ranked as the sixth-largest, and one of the most complex independent refiners in the United States. CITGO transports and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products and supplies a network of approximately 5,200 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets in 30 states and the District of Columbia. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. SOURCE CITGO REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recently published report from Dell'Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the telecommunications, networks, and data center IT industries, cloud-native evolved packet core (EPC) revenues reached new heights in 3Q18 with a 145 percent Y/Y growth rate. Huawei ranked first in revenue share for the quarter, and was followed by Ericsson. "Service providers are moving aggressively to deploy cloud-native EPC for 5G network launches," observed David Bolan, Senior Analyst at Dell'Oro Group. "We see examples of these EPC deployments with the recent announcements of 5G network launches in Korea and the anticipated launch by AT&T in the US by the end of the year." "During the quarter, Huawei moved into first place in vendor rankings as Ericsson slid into second place. Huawei capitalized on the strong subscriber growth in China, adding over 40 million LTE subscribers. Nokia retained its third place ranking and ZTE moved into fourth place rebounding after the end of the US ban," Bolan added. Additional highlights of the Wireless Packet Core 3Q18 report include: 4G core is growing to handle more data, Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Internet of Things (IoT), and connected devices (watches, tablets, PCs, and cars). Regional rankings for 3Q18 by sessions was Asia Pacific , Europe , Middle East , and Africa , North America , Caribbean and Latin America . About the Report The Dell'Oro Group Wireless Packet Core Quarterly Report offers complete, in-depth coverage of the market with tables covering manufacturers' revenue, average selling prices and sessions shipped for Traditional Packet Core equipment (GGSN and SGSN), and Evolved Packet Core equipment (MME and PGW/SGW). To purchase this report, please contact us at [email protected]. About Dell'Oro Group Dell'Oro Group is a market research firm that specializes in strategic competitive analysis in the telecommunications, networks, and data center IT markets. Our firm provides in-depth quantitative data and qualitative analysis to facilitate critical, fact-based business decisions. For more information, contact Dell'Oro Group at +1.650.622.9400 or visit www.delloro.com. SOURCE Dell'Oro Group Related Links https://www.delloro.com The cooperation is aimed at heightening the importance of the role of the global Confucius Institute platform, promoting the virtues of Chinese culture, introducing the world to the charismatic qualities of China and of Sichuan Province through cultural tourism activities, and stimulate innovation to drive the development of Sichuan's cultural tourism industry. According to the MOU, the two sides will jointly organize cultural exchanges and collaborations involving language, culture and tourism between China and other countries. Confucius Institute Headquarters/Hanban will assist the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism in setting up information desks at Confucius Institutes and Overseas Chinese Test Centers around the world in a move to promote Sichuan Province's cultural tourism destinations, organize promotional events for Sichuan's cultural tourism industry in certain countries according to actual needs as well as invite directors, teachers and students of Confucius Institutes to Sichuan to assist in research into cultural tourism. The Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism plans to develop textbooks and courses on Bashu culture (the predominant culture in Sichuan Province), according to the needs of Confucius Institutes, and promote their use in Confucius Institutes around the world following approval. At the same time, the Department will approach local governments, businesses and social organizations across Sichuan province to raise funds for the building of more Confucius Institutes through voluntary donations and other forms of support. With the consent of Confucius Institute Headquarters/Hanban, the Department may use the Confucius Institute platform to launch international marketing campaigns. This Memorandum of Understanding is valid for 3 years. SOURCE Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism SUGAR LAND, Texas, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Late last week, a federal appeals court vacated a permit allowing the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to North Carolina to cross national forests and the Appalachian Trail. The pipeline is one of a handful of projects designed to move natural gas out of Appalachia into markets in the southeastern United States that are plagued by permitting issues. For details, view the entire article by subscribing to Industrial Info's Premium Industry News, or browse other breaking industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com. Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the www.industrialinfo.com "Contact Us" page. Contact: Brian Ford (713) 980-9393 SOURCE Industrial Info Resources, Inc. Related Links http://www.industrialinfo.com HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) is donating $10,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in Pennsylvania to help families with housing near a hospitalized child. The grant will support each of the houses in Danville, Hershey, Pittsburgh and Scranton and both houses in Philadelphia. "Nurse anesthetists are on the front line of patient care," said Derek Reckard, president of PANA, which represents more than 3,700 certified registered nurse anesthetists and students in Pennsylvania. "Our focus is keeping patients comfortable and safe during procedures and giving families peace of mind. Having them close to their child eases strain and helps with healing." Helping a sick child fight their illness takes a big enough emotional toll on a family. Adding a financial strain can make it almost too much to bear. Ronald McDonald House Charities helps to address those problems, whether they involve housing that's near a hospitalized child, the expense of staying together in another city, or even getting basic medical and dental care in a vulnerable community. RMHC Mid-Penn Board President Darin Tornatore said: "On behalf of each of the houses, I would like to take the opportunity to thank PANA for their gracious donation. This donation will directly assist our mission of keeping families together and near the care and resources they need as their children receive essential medical care." PANA's $10,000 grant will cover roughly three nights at each location --- one each in Danville, Hershey, Pittsburgh and Scranton and two in Philadelphia --- during the holidays. Pennsylvania has 13 nurse anesthetist programs, making it a leader nationally. Most of the programs are located in hospitals served by the six Ronald McDonald Houses. Nurse anesthetists work with patients of all ages as the hands-on providers of anesthesia care in hospital operating rooms, ambulatory surgical centers and other settings. SOURCE Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Last Tuesday, Crocker Partners recognized five outstanding employees at their biannual Town Hall meeting held at Boca Raton Innovation Campus and streamed live to over 100 employees located throughout its 11.5 million square foot portfolio. Crocker Partners launched this inaugural award ceremony to acknowledge and reward the exceptional work and results gained by their teams, contributing to the company rising to the largest owner of office buildings in Florida and the 39th largest in the U.S. "Our people work tirelessly each and every day. We wanted to be sure that they know how much we appreciate their hard work and dedication," said Angelo Bianco, Managing Partner. "We look forward to continuing this tradition." Out of the 190 employees, Crocker Partners selected the following five honorees: Rookie of the Year (2 recipients) Shane Ouellette , Engineer at Boca Raton Innovation Campus, and Michelle O'Neil , Property Accountant for the North and Central Florida regions , Engineer at Boca Raton Innovation Campus, and , Property Accountant for the North and regions Crocker Award of Excellence Leah Roy , Property Manager for Alpharetta portfolio and Ashford Perimeter , Property Manager for Alpharetta portfolio and Ashford Perimeter Superman Award Michael Roukis , Analyst for the South Florida region , Analyst for the region Partners Award Andrew Moll , Concierge for The Plaza ABOUT CROCKER PARTNERS Active in the commercial real estate business for over 30 years, Crocker Partners, LLC has established a reputation as a premier owner, operator and developer of office and mixed-use projects throughout the Southeast and Southwest United States. Since 1993, Crocker Partners has acquired and managed over 149 properties, totaling 44.3 million square feet and representing $5.2 billion invested. They are currently Florida's largest office landlord and the 39th largest office owner in the country. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, Crocker Partners has regional offices in Miami, Jacksonville and Atlanta. Giana Pacinelli, 561-537-4565, [email protected] SOURCE Crocker Partners Related Links http://www.crockerpartners.com CHATHAM, N.J., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DriveWealth, LLC, a leader in global digital trading technology, today announced a new partnership with Avenue Securities, a ground-breaking U.S. digital brokerage founded earlier this year by Brazilian entrepreneur Roberto Lee to serve retail investors in Brazil. The DriveWealth platform is fueling the new offering, which is launching today, giving Brazilian investors their first seamless digital access to the U.S. equity markets. DriveWealth CEO Robert Cortright said: "We are proud to work with Roberto Lee and Avenue Securities. Supporting this type of product, which will make U.S. stocks and ETFs available to Brazilian investors of any size, is at the heart of the mission of our company. Given Roberto's impressive record of innovation and success in Brazil, we are confident that this partnership will have a major impact in that market." Lee, founder and CEO of Avenue Securities, said: "Our mission is to bring U.S. equities the world's largest stock market to Brazilian investors, regardless of size, and eliminate the bureaucracy that traditionally has hampered access to this market. DriveWealth's real-time fractional share trading capability will allow our customers to own stock in the brands they know and use every day." Based in Miami, Avenue (www.avenue.us) is the first online brokerage firm to provide easy access to Latino (and mostly Brazilian) retail investors interested in securities traded on U.S. exchanges. Avenue was designed to bring these investors into the global market, offering an agile, simple and low-cost investment experience. By using new technologies such as the DriveWealth platform, Avenue overcame the barriers to entry in this market and greatly reduced the bureaucracy involved in such operations. Lee spent a year building a digital infrastructure capable of performing anything from remittances in foreign currency to the calculation of tax due amounts in a matter of seconds. With customers and partners in more than 140 countries, DriveWealth is the pioneer in bringing digital access to the U.S. securities market for investors around the world. The company, which launched its patent-pending real-time fractional share trading capabilities in 2016, was founded with the mission to democratize investing in the U.S. stock market by making it available to everyone, globally, at an affordable cost. Feature by feature, DriveWealth has eliminated many of the barriers investors typically encounter with legacy brokers, creating its own proprietary infrastructure that allows investors to purchase securities without minimum account balances, high transaction costs or full share quantities. Today, DriveWealth provides this innovative investing technology and its own customizable suite of application programming interfaces (APIs) to partners all over the world, allowing investors everywhere to gain access to the highly stable, liquid and regulated U.S. stock market with a fully accessible, straightforward user experience. About DriveWealth DriveWealth Holdings, Inc., wholly owns DriveWealth, LLC, a member of FINRA and SIPC. DriveWealth, LLC is a licensed carrying and self-clearing broker offering digital brokerage solutions to broker-dealers, advisors and online partners worldwide through its proprietary investment platform. DriveWealth, LLC delivers access to the U.S. securities markets along with an array of digital products that power both emerging and established financial companies. For more information, please visit DriveWealth.com. SOURCE DriveWealth, LLC Related Links https://drivewealth.com PLAINFIELD, Ind., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- It's been a cold start to the winter season, and Duke Energy is once again assisting qualifying customers who may struggle to pay their winter energy bills. The company is contributing $500,000 for low-income customer energy assistance through its Helping Hand program. In addition, Duke Energy Indiana customers and employees have contributed about $93,000 through November, raising this year's total to almost $600,000. "Each year our shareholders and customers contribute to help families and individuals who may be struggling to pay their winter energy bills," said Duke Energy Indiana President Stan Pinegar. "Last year, we were able to help approximately 4,340 Hoosiers who needed assistance paying their electricity bills." Duke Energy works with the Indiana Community Action Association and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority's Energy Assistance Program, which determines eligibility and distributes the company's assistance funds. For more information on how to cut costs and stay warm this winter, visit duke-energy.com/home/savings/winter-heating-energy-savings. Duke Energy also offers energy efficiency products, services and information to help customers save energy and money. For more information, visit duke-energy.com. Duke Energy Indiana Duke Energy Indiana's operations provide about 6,700 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 820,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it the state's largest electric supplier. Duke Energy Indiana is a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK). Contact: Angeline Protogere Office: 317.838.1338 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853 SOURCE Duke Energy Related Links http://www.duke-energy.com You are here: World Flash Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Nak-yeon on Sunday arrived in Algeria for an official three-day visit, APS News Agency reported. Lee's delegation of his cabinet members and ROK businessmen was welcomed by his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Ouyahia at Algiers international airport. The two prime ministers will co-chair the fifth bilateral business forum due on Monday, while Lee is also expected to hold talks with other senior Algerian officials over issues of common interests. Lee's visit will likely be concluded with the signing of partnership agreements to boost cooperation in various economic fields. Algeria and ROK are linked by a strategic partnership agreement signed in 2006. According to the Algerian Customs, Algeria's exports to ROK in 2017 amounted to 700 million U.S. dollars, against 1.6 billion dollars' worth of imports. Some 30 ROK companies are operating in Algeria, covering the fields of telecommunications, mechanical engineering, agriculture and aquaculture. NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ERISA service provider, Clarity Benefit Solutions, provides three ways ERISA wrap documents simplify ERISA compliance. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) mandates that every group health and welfare benefit plan arrange for a written plan document be available and that a summary plan description (SPD) is allocated to plan participants. Typically, insurance companies will provide certificates of coverage which detail benefits plans, most of them do not cover all ERISA requirements. Ensuring ERISA compliance can be a challenge, especially for smaller companies who may not have the manpower to devote proper time and attention to this matter. Fortunately, ERISA wrap documents can simplify the compliance process. Clarity can provide this servicesimplifying compliance and ensuring peace of mind to clients. Here are three ways wrap documents simplify compliance matters. Health and welfare benefits are wrapped into a single plan document and SPD. A wrap document combines both the plan sponsor's health and welfare benefits under one plan, which streamlines administration by having all the required notices in one place. Therefore, there is no need to submit multiple Form 5500s. The plan's benefits are directed by the coverage certificate, insurance policy, or plan booklet, while the wrap documents complement all material that is needed to fulfill ERISA requirementscompleting the gaps that insurance carriers and third-party administrators may leave. The wrap document is IRS-ready. The wrap document is indemnified to ensure that it meets ERISA requirements in the event of an audit. Since there is only one document for all health and benefit plans, an employer only needs to file a single Form 5500 and is therefore indemnified in case of an IRS audit. Wrap documents consolidate employee plans. Employers often use wrap documents to combine employee welfare benefits into a single plan. Often referred to as a mega-wrap or umbrella plan, plan consolidation may lessen the expenses that are connected to distributing multiple summary annual reports, filing multiple annual reports, and amending multiple plans when legislation or regulations are altered. About Clarity Benefit Solutions: Clarity Benefit Solutions provide technology that makes the health insurance plan selection process fast, easy, and straightforward. For over two decades, we have provided clients with industry-leading technology, compliance, and exceptional customer service. Our offering is designed to save time and lower the costs of managing benefits while also promoting employee self-service and automated ACA compliance. SOURCE Clarity Benefit Solutions Related Links http://www.claritybenefitsolutions.com DUBLIN, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Wi-Fi Analytics Market By Component (Solutions and Services), By Deployment Type (On-Premise and Cloud), By Location (Indoor and Outdoor), By Application, By Industry, By Country, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2013-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Europe Wi-Fi analytics market is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 27% during the forecast period, on the back of growth in e-commerce retail market and increasing adoption of new and advanced technologies. Growing digital transformation initiatives, increasing spending on big data and analytics by various governments, surging IoT adoption across various industries, and increasing acceptance of shared data ecosystem concept across various retail stores, enterprises, etc., are among the key factors expected to positively influence the region's Wi-Fi analytics market during the forecast period. Europe Wi-Fi Analytics Market, 2013-2023 discusses the following aspects of Wi-Fi Analytics market in Europe: Wi-Fi Analytics Market Size, Share & Forecast Segmental Analysis - By Component (Solutions and Services), By Deployment Type (On-Premise and Cloud), By Location (Indoor and Outdoor), By Application, By Industry, By Country Competitive Analysis Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities Why You Should Buy This Report? To gain an in-depth understanding of Wi-Fi Analytics in Europe To identify the on-going trends and anticipated growth in the next five years To help industry consultants, Wi-Fi Analytics distributors and other stakeholders align their market-centric strategies To obtain research-based business decisions and add weight to presentations and marketing material To gain competitive knowledge of leading market players To avail of 10% customization in the report without any extra charges and get the research data or trends added in the report as per the buyer's specific needs Key Topics Covered: 1. Product Overview 2. Research Methodology 3. Analyst View 4. Global Wi-Fi Analytics Market Overview 5. Europe Wi-Fi Analytics Market Landscape 6. Europe Wi-Fi Analytics Market Outlook 6.1. Market Size & Forecast 6.1.1. By Value 6.2. Market Share & Forecast 6.2.1. By Component (Solutions and Services) 6.2.1.1. By Solutions (Wi-Fi Based Location Analytics Solution & Wi-Fi Based Indoor Positioning Systems) 6.2.1.2. By Services (Professional Services and Managed Services) 6.2.2. By Deployment Type (On-Premise and Cloud) 6.2.3. By Location (Indoor and Outdoor) 6.2.4. By Application (Footfall Analytics, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience Management, Customer Behavior Analytics & Customer Loyalty Management) 6.2.5. By Industry (Retail, Government & Transportation, Media & Sport, Hospitality and Others) 6.2.6. By Country 7. United Kingdom Wi-Fi Analytics Market Outlook 7.1. Market Size & Forecast 7.1.1. By Value 7.2. Market Share & Forecast 7.2.1. By Location 7.2.2. By Industry 8. Germany Wi-Fi Analytics Market Outlook 8.1. Market Size & Forecast 8.1.1. By Value 8.2. Market Share & Forecast 8.2.1. By Location 8.2.2. By Industry 9. France Wi-Fi Analytics Market Outlook 9.1. Market Size & Forecast 9.1.1. By Value 9.2. Market Share & Forecast 9.2.1. By Location 9.2.2. By Industry 10. Italy Wi-Fi Analytics Market Outlook 10.1. Market Size & Forecast 10.1.1. By Value 10.2. Market Share & Forecast 10.2.1. By Location 10.2.2. By Industry 11. Spain Wi-Fi Analytics Market Outlook 11.1. Market Size & Forecast 11.1.1. By Value 11.2. Market Share & Forecast 11.2.1. By Location 11.2.2. By Industry 12. Market Dynamics 12.1. Drivers 12.2. Challenges 13. Market Trends & Developments 14. Competitive Landscape 14.1. Cisco Systems, Inc. 14.2. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company 14.3. Fortinet, Inc. 14.4. ARRIS INTERNATIONAL PLC 14.5. Cloud4Wi, Inc. 14.6. Purple Wi-Fi 14.7. Skyfii Limited 15. Strategic Recommendations For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vc32k9/europe_wifi?w=5 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Positive assay results received from five new infill and step-out diamond drill ("DD") holes at Wassa Underground Step out drilling confirms gold mineralization remains open at least 200 metres ("m") to the South of existing Inferred Mineral Resources Infill drilling confirms continuity of width and grade of mineralized areas New foot wall zone of gold mineralization has been identified Significant intercepts include: 10.4 m grading 11.9 g/t ("grams per tonne") of gold ("Au") from 774.5 m , including 6.4 m grading 16.2 g/t Au in hole BS18DD393M grading 11.9 g/t ("grams per tonne") of gold ("Au") from , including grading 16.2 g/t Au in hole BS18DD393M 16.2 m grading 6.7 g/t Au from 944.0 m in hole BS18DD392D1 (drilled depth from wedge) grading 6.7 g/t Au from in hole BS18DD392D1 (drilled depth from wedge) 15.6 m grading 4.0 g/t Au from 256.7 m including 5.2 m grading 6.7 g/t Au in hole BS18DD391D2 (drilled depths from wedge) grading 4.0 g/t Au from including grading 6.7 g/t Au in hole BS18DD391D2 (drilled depths from wedge) These results are expected to further increase Wassa's Inferred Mineral Resources and upgrade a portion of them to Indicated Mineral Resources Conceptual mining studies are advancing in conjunction with the new drilling in preparation for a Preliminary Economic Assessment in 2019 Notes 1. All widths quoted in this press release are estimated true widths Sam Coetzer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Star, commented: "I am encouraged by the latest positive results from the Wassa Underground drilling program. Our objective is to 'fill the mill' through defining additional Mineral Resources and utilizing the Wassa processing plant's excess capacity and these latest results suggest that we are on track to achieve this goal. The step out drilling results continue to confirm the extension of the Wassa Underground deposit to the south and the deposit remains open down plunge, which suggests further exploration upside potential. The infill drilling results also confirm the previously recorded grades and widths of the deposit and we expect to upgrade a portion of Wassa's Inferred Mineral Resources into the Indicated category. With our larger exploration budget as a result of the funds received from the investment by our new strategic investor, we are focused on demonstrating the potential of this exceptional deposit and delivering compelling value for our shareholders." WASSA UNDERGROUND DRILLING RESULTS Golden Star has received assay results for five new DD holes at Wassa Underground, comprising approximately 4,800 m of drilling from surface. The two step out holes further tested the extents of the F Shoot mineralized corridor at depth, both to the North and South. The three infill holes targeted the B Shoot's Inferred Mineral Resources with the objective of converting them into the Indicated Mineral Resource category. Further sections showing the location of the drill holes are available at: http://www.gsr.com/operations/wassa/wassa-main Wassa Underground step out drilling results1 The results of five holes on the 18700 N step out fence have now been received, including the two new holes reported today. Two additional holes are underway and one final hole is planned. The two new holes, BS18DD391D2 and BS18DD392D1, are both 'daughter' holes drilled on the 18700 N drill fence, approximately 200 m from the extent of Wassa Underground's current Inferred Mineral Resources. The mother holes, BS18DD391M and BS18DD392M, were drilled from surface and a wedge was established at 721 m (approximately 600 m from surface) and 838 m (approximately 750 m from surface) respectively. The daughter holes were then drilled at various angles from the mother hole and their objective was to test above and below the high grade mineralization intersected in hole BSDD391D1 (64.3 m grading 7.4 g/t Au from 577.0 m and 49.7 m grading 5.5 g/t from 792.0 m)2. The results received to date confirm the extension of the deposit down plunge to the south. Notes 1. All widths quoted in this press release are estimated true widths. 2. See press release entitled, 'Golden Star Extends Wassa Underground Deposit A Further 200 Metres To The South', dated September 20, 2018 Wassa Underground infill drilling results The results of three new infill holes are also reported today, which had the objective of converting Inferred Mineral Resources in the B Shoot zone to the Indicated Mineral Resource category. Two of the six planned holes on drill fence 19450 N, which is located 50 m south of the current Mineral Reserves, have been completed. These holes have the objective of converting Inferred Mineral Resources to the Indicated category by reducing the drill spacing to 50 m x 50 m. All of the infill drilling conducted in the 2018 drilling program to date has confirmed the widths and grades of the main B Shoot gold mineralization, in addition to extending this zone up and down dip. This drilling has also defined hanging wall and foot wall zones of gold mineralization, which are of sufficient thickness and grade to be amenable to underground mining. Golden Star intends to include these holes in the 2019 Mineral Resource model update for Wassa Underground and it is expected to deliver an increase in all categories of Mineral Resources in this area. Significant intercepts The full set of drilling results released today is listed in Appendix A, including the significant intercepts set out below. HOLE ID Azimuth () Dip () From (m) To (m) Drilled Width (m) Estimated True Width (m) Grade Au (g/t) Drilling Objective Target BS18DD393M 92.7 -75.1 374.1 422.2 48.1 38.9 2.9 Infill B Shoot Including 91.6 -74.8 397.5 403.5 6.0 4.9 5.2 Infill B Shoot Including 91.0 -74.9 414.0 422.2 8.2 6.6 4.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 94.7 -75.3 620.0 637.5 17.5 14.1 3.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 93.7 -75.7 648.9 663.9 15.0 12.0 3.8 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 90.4 -75.8 774.5 787.5 13.0 10.4 11.9 Infill B Shoot Including 90.3 -75.7 776.5 784.5 8.0 6.4 16.2 Infill B Shoot BS18DD392D1 81.6 -49.6 764.0 771.0 7.0 4.9 4.0 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 81.6 -49.6 784.0 791.0 7.0 4.9 6.6 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 84.7 -49.2 944.0 967.0 23.0 16.2 6.7 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.4 -55.4 256.7 281.7 25.0 15.6 4.0 Step Out F Shoot Including 86.4 -55.4 267.4 275.7 8.3 5.2 6.7 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.7 -55.1 286.7 295.7 9.0 5.7 5.8 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.7 -54.1 315.0 325.0 10.0 6.4 4.3 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 88.1 -52.1 430.0 438.0 8.0 5.3 4.6 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD002 78.2 -67.4 447.0 455.0 8.0 5.6 4.4 Infill B Shoot BS18DD002 75.4 -66.3 587.0 603.8 16.8 12.0 6.7 Infill B Shoot Including 75.4 -66.3 592.4 599.8 7.4 5.3 11.3 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 90.1 -71.9 314.0 322.0 8.0 5.2 3.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 84.0 -72.6 427.1 431.3 4.2 2.7 4.3 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 83.2 -72.2 579.2 584.0 4.8 3.1 12.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 84.4 -73.2 589.0 605.0 16.0 10.0 3.3 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 81.4 -73.2 621.4 634.4 13.0 8.1 4.8 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 80.4 -73.2 646.2 669.0 22.8 14.3 3.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 80.4 -73.2 674.0 679.0 5.0 3.1 5.1 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 80.4 -73.2 690.0 693.0 3.0 1.9 4.1 Infill B Shoot Wassa Underground's current drilling program and next steps There are currently five drill rigs in operation at Wassa Underground, two rigs conducting step out drilling (testing the extents of the F Shoot mineralized zones on Section 18700 N) and three rigs conducting infill drilling (for the purpose of converting B Shoot Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated Mineral Resources). Golden Star intends to release further drilling results from Wassa Underground in the first quarter of 2019. All monetary amounts refer to United States dollars unless otherwise indicated. Company Profile: Golden Star is an established gold mining company that owns and operates the Wassa and Prestea mines in Ghana, West Africa. Listed on the NYSE American, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Ghanaian Stock Exchange, Golden Star is focused on delivering strong margins and free cash flow from its two high grade, low cost underground mines. Gold production guidance for 2018 is 225,000-235,000 ounces at a cash operating cost per ounce of $790-830. As the winner of the PDAC 2018 Environmental and Social Responsibility Award, Golden Star is committed to leaving a positive and sustainable legacy in its areas of operation. APPENDIX A Wassa Underground step out and infill drilling results HOLE ID Azimuth () Dip () From (m) To (m) Drilled Width (m) ~True Width (m) Grade Au (g/t) Drilling Objective Target BS18DD001 90.1 -71.9 314.0 322.0 8.0 5.2 3.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 84.0 -72.6 427.1 431.3 4.2 2.7 4.3 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 83.2 -72.2 579.2 584.0 4.8 3.1 12.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 84.4 -73.2 589.0 605.0 16.0 10.0 3.3 Infill B Shoot Including 84.4 -73.2 593.0 597.2 4.2 2.6 7.8 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 81.4 -73.2 621.4 634.4 13.0 8.1 4.8 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 80.4 -73.2 646.2 669.0 22.8 14.3 3.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 80.4 -73.2 674.0 679.0 5.0 3.1 5.1 Infill B Shoot BS18DD001 80.4 -73.2 690.0 693.0 3.0 1.9 4.1 Infill B Shoot BS18DD002 78.1 -66.1 413.2 425.2 12.0 8.6 2.9 Infill B Shoot Including 78.1 -66.1 421.2 425.2 4.0 2.9 5.1 Infill B Shoot BS18DD002 78.7 -66.3 429.2 434.2 5.0 3.6 5.2 Infill B Shoot BS18DD002 78.2 -67.4 447.0 455.0 8.0 5.6 4.4 Infill B Shoot BS18DD002 75.4 -66.3 587.0 603.8 16.8 12.0 6.7 Infill B Shoot Including 75.4 -66.3 592.4 599.8 7.4 5.3 11.3 Infill B Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.2 -55.5 231.0 240.0 9.0 5.6 2.6 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.4 -55.4 256.7 281.7 25.0 15.6 4.0 Step Out F Shoot Including 86.4 -55.4 267.4 275.7 8.3 5.2 6.7 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.7 -55.1 286.7 295.7 9.0 5.7 5.8 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.9 -54.7 302.0 308.0 6.0 3.8 2.5 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.7 -54.1 315.0 325.0 10.0 6.4 4.3 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 88.1 -52.1 430.0 438.0 8.0 5.3 4.6 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 88.2 -51.2 492.0 516.5 24.5 16.6 1.7 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 87.1 -50 535.0 553.0 18.0 12.5 1.8 Step Out F Shoot Including 87.1 -50 546.0 550.0 4.0 2.8 3.3 Step Out F Shoot Including 87.1 -50 681.0 685.0 4.0 2.8 3.1 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD391D2 86.8 -50.2 681.0 694.7 13.7 9.5 1.6 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 82.8 -49.6 755.0 760.0 5.0 3.5 1.2 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 81.6 -49.6 764.0 771.0 7.0 4.9 4.0 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 81.6 -49.6 784.0 791.0 7.0 4.9 6.6 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 81.5 -49.3 819.0 823.0 4.0 2.8 4.6 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 84.7 -49.2 944 967 23 16.2 6.7 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 81.2 -49.3 1041 1049 8 5.6 3.0 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD392D1 80.7 -49.5 1072 1080 8 5.6 2.3 Step Out F Shoot BS18DD393M 92.7 -75.1 374.1 422.2 48.1 38.9 2.9 Infill B Shoot Including 91.6 -74.8 397.5 403.5 6.0 4.9 5.2 Infill B Shoot Including 91.0 -74.9 414.0 422.2 8.2 6.6 4.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 89.6 -75.1 443.7 459.7 16.0 12.9 2.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 91.9 -75.7 594.0 607.1 13.1 10.5 2.3 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 94.7 -75.3 620.0 637.5 17.5 14.1 3.6 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 93.7 -75.7 648.9 663.9 15.0 12.0 3.8 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 91.9 -76.2 667.9 677.9 10.0 8.0 2.2 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 93.2 -76.1 685.3 691.3 6.0 4.8 2.3 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 92.0 -76.1 716.0 721.0 5.0 4.0 3.3 Infill B Shoot BS18DD393M 90.4 -75.8 774.5 787.5 13.0 10.4 11.9 Infill B Shoot Including 90.3 -75.7 776.5 784.5 8.0 6.4 16.2 Infill B Shoot Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information Some statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward looking statements and information include but are not limited to, statements and information regarding: the expected increase of Wassa's Inferred Mineral Resources; the expected upgrade of a portion of Wassa's Inferred Mineral Resources into Indicated Mineral Resources; the planning of a final step-out drilling hole; the intention to include certain drilling holes from the in the main B Shoot gold mineralization in the 2019 Mineral Resource model update for Wassa Underground and the expectation to deliver an increase in all categories of Mineral Resources in such area; the upside potential on the size of the Wassa deposit; the intention to release further drilling results from Wassa Underground in the first quarter of 2019; and production guidance and cash operating cost guidance for 2018. Generally, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases (including negative or grammatical variations) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements and information are inherently uncertain and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual facts to differ materially. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. Please refer to the discussion of these and other factors in Management's Discussion and Analysis of financial conditions and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2017. Additional and/or updated factors will be included in our annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2017 which is filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forecasts contained in this press release constitute management's current estimates, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered thereby. We expect that these estimates will change as new information is received. While we may elect to update these estimates at any time, we do not undertake any estimate at any particular time or in response to any particular event. Technical Information The technical contents of this press release have been reviewed and approved by S. Mitchel Wasel, BSc Geology, a Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Wasel is Vice President of Exploration for Golden Star and an active member and Registered Chartered Professional of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. The results for Wassa Underground stated herein are based on the analysis of saw-split HQ/NQ diamond half core or a three kilogram single stage riffle split of a nominal 25 to 30 kg Reverse Circulation chip sample which has been sampled over nominal one meter intervals (adjusted where necessary for mineralized structures). Sample preparation and analyses have been carried out at SGS or Intertek Laboratories in Tarkwa, which are independent from Golden Star, using a 1,000 gram slurry of sample and tap water which is prepared and subjected to an accelerated cyanide leach (LEACHWELL). The sample is then rolled for twelve hours before being allowed to settle. An aliquot of solution is then taken, gold extracted into Di-iso Butyl Keytone (DiBK), and determined by flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Detection Limit is 0.01 ppm. All analytical work is subject to a systematic and rigorous Quality Assurance-Quality Control (QA-QC). At least 5% of samples are certified standards and the accuracy of the analysis is confirmed to be acceptable from comparison of the recommended and actual "standards" results. The remaining half core is stored on site for future inspection and detailed logging, to provide valuable information on mineralogy, structure, alteration patterns and the controls on gold mineralization. SOURCE Golden Star Resources Ltd. Related Links www.gsr.com MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- There are many reasons why Miami Beach is consistently one of the world's hottest places to spend New Year's Eve. It could be the People-magazine worthy mix of celebs, reality stars, and assorted bold-faced names who come down to party like it's 1999, or it could just be the fact that the weather's 99% better than most places in late December. The Catalina Hotel guests soaking up the sunshine poolside can attest to that. But back to partying, which is always easier in warm weather, and for proof of that, just turn on New Year's Rockin' Eve to watch Ryan Seacrest's perma-smile frozen in zero-degree Times Square. If there was an official sport of Miami Beach, it could very well be partying over paddle boarding depending on the person, of course. New Year's Eve Party at the Catalina Hotel & Beach Club Party with the hottest crowd in South Beach this New Year's Eve. And speaking of Times Square, Bayfront Park could very well be considered to be Miami's own Times Square, located in the center of downtown Miami and overlooking that magnificent, magical waterfront. On New Year's Eve, that park belongs to Pitbull, a big orange that descends from a building at midnight (that that, Times Square ball), and pretty much anyone else who wants to ring in the New Year with Mr. 305 and his famous friends at Miami's most popular-and free New Year's Eve celebration. Pitbull's New Year's Revolution and the Big Orange Miami New Year's celebrations are understandably two of the city's most attended parties. For those who don't dig crowds, there are plenty of other options, from poolside concerts such as the one at the Fontainebleau featuring Colombian reggaeton hitmaker J Balvin and Swedish DJ Alesso, and a New Year's yacht cruise on the South Beach Lady along the Intracoastal, to all sorts of non-stop nightclub New Year's action at all night discos such as the iconic Club Space in downtown Miami where dance music royalty Marco Carola and Jamie Jones will spin celebrators straight into 2019. Down in Wynwood at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center, a great big block party free and open to the public, and on South Beach at the newly opened Taco Taco at the Catalina Hotel, a Mexican fiesta featuring music, performers, open bar, buffet and more with ticket prices that won't break the 2019 budget. Another party perk for those who like to ring in the New Year with their entire families: the Taco Taco New Year's Eve bash welcomes children, who go free if they're under 12. A kid-friendly New Year's Eve to some may be more important than Kardashian sightings, which are also typically aplenty during these celebratory times in Miami. Those attending the Taco Taco fiesta or pretty much any party in Miami are encouraged to reserve a room to avoid the inevitable New Year's Eve traffic because no one wants to be stuck in a car for the first few hours of 2019. Best bets for those looking for a place to sleep into 2019 include the Catalina - location, location, location - and its sister South Beach property, the Riviera, where plush bedding will ensure a restful first night of 2019 - that is, depending on how much of the open bar is consumed. Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX3qwnJjVQ0 SOURCE Catalina Hotel CHICAGO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2008, an estimated $112 billion worth of life insurance policies simply lapsed due to non payment of premiums. If the data were available for 2017, this number would likely be higher. It's estimated that over 50% of seniors are not aware that a life insurance policy can be sold to a third party. It is also estimated that 80% of all life insurance policies issued will simply lapse. These are shocking numbers. How can they possibly be accurate? For starters, there is still a need for consumer awareness. The majority of policyholders and financial advisors are simply unaware that a life settlement option exists. Further, life insurance companies, in most cases, are not required to inform their clients of the life settlement option. As a result, people may be paying their premiums for decades only to have the policy lapse when premiums become too burdensome. This can be a terrible shame for seniors but can be especially tragic for cancer patients who could use the money to fund treatments or care. One bright spot is that regulation has returned to this market. It's reported that all but five states now regulate life insurance settlements. This could be indicative of more investor capital entering this market, but the rate at which this is occurring is slow. Companies that buy life insurance policies tend to offer the resources that help policyholders make the best decision, even if that decision is to not opt for a life settlement and instead pursue the 'accelerated death benefit' or simply keep the policy active. If a policyholder over the age of 65 is curious about the value of their policy on the secondary market, they can use a life settlement calculator to get an instant estimate. Windsor Life Settlements Ken Kelly, CEO (888) 994-6376 [email protected] SOURCES: http://www.financialadvisoriq.com/c/1070323/111513/would_help_clients_sell_their_life_insurance?referrer_module=article&module_order=0 https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2015/03/12/112-billion-in-life-insurance-policy-lapses-by-sen/ https://www.uphelp.org/dangers-letting-your-life-insurance-lapse SOURCE Windsor Life Settlements, LLC Related Links https://windsorlifesettlements.com/ DUBLIN, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Food & Beverages 4.0, 2018" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The impact of information technology (IT) on the manufacturing industry has been tremendous in recent times. With an increasing number of machines being connected to the Internet, data is being generated in huge volumes. Advancements in real-time data processing and predictive analytics further help in discovering newer ways of utilizing the data to generate insights for effective decision-making. Internet of things (IoT) and data analytics are the two main technologies that are driving the manufacturing space today. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a powerful upcoming trend in the F&B industry. The industry is not new to technological innovations. However, with the introduction of IIoT, the manufacturing of food and beverages is expected to be elevated to the next level. The F&B industry has been a recent addition in the IIoT maturity spectrum, having implemented sensor technology and computerized automation in the recent past. Successful F&B companies are constantly innovating and increasingly upgrading their technological infrastructure using elements of IIoT such as edge computing, Big Data, predictive analytics, cloud, and other applications. With the convergence of digitized machine parts and improved connectivity, IIoT is already gaining momentum across several departments of F&B manufacturing. Like in any other industry, the objective of IIoT implementation in the F&B industry is to improve process and product efficiencies. In a scenario of ever-expanding opportunities and development of newer business models, companies are looking at exploring newer ways to adopt digital technologies within their realm of food production. This research paper looks at identifying all such opportunities and the ways in which IIoT can be implemented across all the departments of the food value chain. It will also look into some of the top technology trends that are shaping the industry. The study will also seek to understand ways by which IIoT is perceived within the industry, its benefits, and the competitive landscape. Supported by established use cases, this study will cover the prospective value of investments in the vertical and how this has spread across various constituent elements in the industry ecosystem. With such rapid advancements of IIoT in the F&B sector, soon millions of sensors will start collecting several zeta bytes of machine data. It will be exciting to explore and discover ground-breaking opportunities that all of this data could bring to the F&B sector. As far as this industry is concerned, the concept of IIoT is not for the distant future. Now is the right time to think and act. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary Key Findings 2. Industrial Internet of Things - A Research Perspective IIoT - Emerging Themes in the Industrial Environment IIoT - Key Attributes of a Smart Factory Value Proposition in IIoT Key Questions this Report will Answer 3. IIoT Meets F&B - Getting the Combination Right IIoT in Food & Beverages Industry - Key Sectors Covered in the Study Technological Hotspots Where F&B Investments are Likely to Focus What are the Challenges that Shroud the F&B Industry? Key Areas in the F&B Supply Chain Where IIoT Can Make a Difference What is the Impact of IIoT on F&B Manufacturing? Where Does F&B Stand in Terms of IIoT Adoption? Why is IIoT a Perfect Solution for F&B Manufacturing? Changing Dynamics - Farm to Fork Impact of IIoT Across the Food Value Chain 4. 2018 and Beyond - Future Implications of IIoT in F&B Manufacturing F&B - Key Trends Use Case - Rockwell Automation Use Case - How are F&B Manufacturers Implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Supply Chain Management (SCM)? IIoT in Food & Beverage Industry - Current and Future Outlook 5. Key F&B Trends in the Indian Market IIoT in Food & Beverage Industry - Key Trends in India Supply - Side Drivers - Indian F&B Sector Demand - Side Drivers - Indian F&B Sector Challenges Faced by the Indian F&B Sector 6. In Focus - Big 5 Opportunity Shifts in F&B Manufacturing Big Data Analytics - A Major Driver for Disruptive Innovations in F&B Manufacturing Food & Beverage - Key Technology Trends AI Will Have a Key Role to Play in the Future of Food Production Technology Management Strategies for Global F&B Industry IIoT in Food & Beverages Industry - Regional Adoption Scenario 7. Investments in F&B 4.0 - What Should be Your Next Move? Revenue - F&B Sector Workforce Transformation - Investing in People Mergers, Acquisitions and PE Deals in F&B Industry Way Forward 8. Growth Opportunities Digital Transformation - A Global Opportunity Strategic Imperatives for Success and Growth 9. The Last Word - 3 Big Predictions The Last Word - 3 Big Predictions Legal Disclaimer 10. Appendix List of Exhibits Companies Mentioned Rockwell Automation For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/p98jr3/iiot_for_the_food?w=5 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Kerala Tourism has launched an International Children's Online Painting Competition as a part of the effort to commemorate the works and incredible story of Indian child prodigy Edmund Thomas Clint, and to provide a platform for the next generation of maestros hidden among us. Held in honour of a legendary nonpareil of Kerala who produced 25,000 works of art in the mere 7 years he spent on the planet, it is the perfect opportunity for artists from India and around the world to showcase their talent. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/795841/Invis_Pythal_Mala.jpg ) Entries are pouring in from around the globe, with participants vying to assume the mantle left by Clint. The competition has so far received 20,500 registrations from 94 countries, including Ghana, Albania, Sri Lanka, Australia and the United States of America. Children in the age group of 4-16 years are eligible to participate with each participant permitted to submit a maximum of five entries. All above 18 years of age can register as promoters of the competition. The last date for submission of entries is December 31, 2018, and registrations are absolutely free. The participants will have to upload their entries online and all entrants will be given a certificate of participation. To register, participants can log on to https://www.keralatourism.org/clint/ , managed by Invis Multimedia, and the website is available in 23 languages. A total of 15 winners will get free five-night family trips to Kerala while ten promoters of the competition will get solo five-night trips to the state. In addition, 20 winners from abroad will be given mementoes. Also, cash prizes worth Rs 10,000 each will be given to 65 winners. Clint's story is one that has inspired entire generations of artists. He found beauty in every story he heard and every incident he witnessed and left behind an immense volume of work that astounds people to this day. Clint has become the subject of seven books and two documentaries. This competition is a tribute to the indomitable artistic will of a young child. It is sure to light the flame inside the next generation of trendsetters who will shape the world of art in the coming years. Media Contact: Invis Multimedia +91-7012993589, +91-9446406749 Trivandrum, Kerala SOURCE Kerala Tourism NEWARK, N.J., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal-Bay, the premier Pre-Settlement Funding Company, announced today that there is still time to apply for lawsuit funding, even during this busy time of year. Legal-Bay is one of the leading pre-settlement lawsuit funding companies in the industry, and they have a fast approval process. If you have an active lawsuit and need legal funding, Legal-Bay may be able to assist you before Christmas. Their pre-settlement funding programs are not a lawsuit loan or lawsuit loans as many clients may think; funds do not need to be paid back if the case is lost. This situation is particularly valuable for people in need of extra money for holiday shopping or travel-related expensesespecially those who've lost work due to injurywhen they find themselves even more strapped for cash just when they need it most. Legal-Bay is happy to help answer the question, "How can I get some extra cash for this Christmas season?" Legal-Bay urges clients who need cash now not to wait until the last minute. Apply online at: http://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com or call the company's toll free hotline at 877.571.0405. Chris Janish, CEO, commented on the company's readiness, "We have years of experience in handling large volumes of legal funding for lawsuits over the holiday season, and we strive to ensure that none of our clients are left in the cold. In order to process lawsuit cash advances in time for Christmas Eve, it is important that clients don't waste another minute. Our pre-settlement funding is here to help anyone who needs funds within 24-48 hours." Legal-Bay's customer service team is highly focused this time of year for their clients. Motor vehicle accidents cases are typically approved within 24 hours; however, Legal-Bay handles all cases including personal injury, slip and falls, premise liability, medical malpractice, construction accidents, wrongful termination, discrimination, and sexual harassment, along with many others. The non-recourse cash advance is not a lawsuit funding loan, lawsuit loans, pre-settlement loan, pre settlement loans, pre-settlement loan, or pre-settlement loans. To apply right now, go to the company's website at: http://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com or call the company toll-free at: 877.571.0405 where agents are standing by. Contact: Chris Janish, CEO Email: [email protected] Ph.: 877.571.0405 SOURCE Legal-Bay LLC Related Links http://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com STAINES-UPON-THAMES, United Kingdom, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, will present on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, at the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference at the Westin St. Francis on Union Square, 335 Powell St., San Francisco. Mark Trudeau, President and Chief Executive Officer, will represent the company with a presentation at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time, followed by a question-and-answer session from 8 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. Individuals who cannot attend the meeting in person can find webcast information at: http://www.mallinckrodt.com/investors . A replay will also be available following the meeting. ABOUT MALLINCKRODT Mallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and gastrointestinal products. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com. Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website. CONTACTS Investor Relations Daniel J. Speciale, CPA Investor Relations and Strategy Officer 314-654-3638 [email protected] Media Rhonda Sciarra Senior Communications Manager 908-238-6765 [email protected] Meredith Fischer Chief Public Affairs Officer 908-997-9294 [email protected] Mallinckrodt, the "M" brandmark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. 2018 12/18 SOURCE Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Related Links http://www.mallinckrodt.com Marlton LLC, a long-term significant stockholder of Parks! America, Inc., owns approximately 5.04% of the outstanding shares. Marlton acquired a position in the Company because we believe PRKA's public equity trades below its intrinsic value, and that PRKA has opportunities readily within the control of the Board to substantially increase stockholder value through changes in capital allocation and corporate governance . We approached the PRKA Board privately, multiple times, regarding a detailed plan we provided in October of 2018 to maximize the potential of the Company's assets. Since then we have heard no material feedback from the full Board regarding our detailed suggestions, or even received any acknowledgement that the Board was considering our suggestions in good faith. We are concerned the Company is making no progress towards adopting a reasonable capital allocation plan or pursuing avenues to maximize long-term stockholder value. It is incumbent upon the members of the Board to fulfill their fiduciary obligations to PRKA stockholders and initiate a process to explore all alternatives to create stockholder value. In our letter, we outlined a proposed change in capital allocation and corporate governance that we believe is needed to put PRKA on a path that will reward stockholders: Return of capital of $1,500,000 through either a Special Dividend of $0.0201 per share representing 13.8% of PRKA's market capitalization based on a share price of $0.1451 or a Modified Dutch Auction Tender. Forming a Special Committee of Independent Board Members to explore all strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value, including the disbursement of a Special Dividend, Modified Dutch Auction Tender and/or the sale of the Company. Please click the following link to access the full: MARLTON LETTER TO PRKA BOARD SOURCE Marlton LLC Related Links http://www.marltonllc.com Flash A research institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) issued a statement Sunday night criticizing the United States for imposing sanctions against DPRK officials. The statement was issued by the policy research director of the Institute for American Studies of the Foreign Ministry, and released by DPKR's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) without giving the name of the director. The statement said the top leaders of the DPRK and the United States committed themselves to improving the DPRK-U.S. relations at the historic DPRK-U.S. summit held in Singapore in June, and currently the bilateral relations are advancing along the firm will of the two leaders to follow through their joint statement issued then. However, it added, over the past six months, the U.S. State Department and the Treasury Department have carried out eight rounds of sanctions against DPRK companies, individuals and ships as well as other third countries through false pretexts. "Recently, the U.S. is resorting to an anti-DPRK human rights plot in such a way that it carries a deliberate provocation by adding high-ranking government officials of the DPRK" to its unilateral sanctions list, while taking issue with a non-existent "human rights issue," the statement pointed out. Washington announced on Dec. 10 that it would impose sanctions against three DPRK officials for serious human rights abuses and censorship, and DPRK's statement on Sunday seems to be a semi-official response to the U.S. decision. "Far from the statements of the (U.S.) president, the State Department is instead bent on bringing DPRK-U.S. relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire. I cannot help but throw doubt on the ulterior motive of the State Department," KCNA quoted the director as saying, adding that the sanctions against the DPRK "would not work." The director also stressed that if the high-ranking politicians within the U.S. administration wished to "drive us into giving up nuclear weapons by way of increasing anti-DPRK sanctions and pressure," it would be a miscalculation, and "will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever." VANCOUVER, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Mason Resources Corp. (TSX: MNR;OTCQB: MSSNF "Mason" or the "Company") announces the voting results from today's special meeting (the "Meeting") of the holders (the "Shareholders") of common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares"). At the Meeting, the Shareholders were asked to consider and, if deemed advisable, pass a special resolution (the "Arrangement Resolution") approving a plan of arrangement with Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("Hudbay") under Part 9, Division 5 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement") whereby Hudbay will acquire all of the issued and outstanding Common Shares it does not already own for C$0.40 per Common Share. To be effective, the Arrangement Resolution required the approval of at least: (i) two-thirds (66%) of the votes cast by Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting; and (ii) a simple majority of the votes cast by Shareholders excluding the votes cast by Hudbay, its affiliates and any other Shareholders who were required to be excluded pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. At the Meeting, the Shareholders approved the Arrangement Resolution with approximately 97.43% of the votes cast at the Meeting being for the Arrangement Resolution (96.58% after excluding votes cast by Hudbay, its affiliates and any other Shareholders who were required to be excluded pursuant to MI 61-101). Mason will seek a final order from the Supreme Court of British Columbia with respect to the Arrangement on December 18, 2018 and expects closing of the Arrangement to occur on December 19, 2018. About Mason Resources Corp. Mason's key asset is its 100% owned Ann Mason project an extensive, prospective land package located in the Yerington District of Nevada. The Ann Mason project hosts two copper-molybdenum porphyry deposits, Ann Mason and Blue Hill, as well as numerous earlier-stage or untested priority targets. The Ann Mason deposit is currently at a PEA level and is among the largest undeveloped copper porphyry resources in Canada/U.S.A. The excellent infrastructure, year-round access, strong community support and clear permitting process are all factors that contribute to making Yerington, Nevada one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world. Mason also holds a 100% interest in the Lordsburg property, an exciting earlier-stage copper-gold porphyry project, located within an historic mining district in New Mexico. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward - looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated Arrangement and the timing of its completion. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Mason's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risk that the Arrangement does not close on a timely basis or at all or that some or all of the anticipated benefits thereof are not achieved; unanticipated costs, expenses or liabilities; discrepancies between actual and anticipated production, mineral resources and metallurgical recoveries; the size, grade and continuity of deposits not being interpreted correctly from exploration results; the results of preliminary test work not being indicative of the results of future test work; risks related to international operations, including legal and political risk; risks associated with changes in the attitudes of governments to foreign investment; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; inability to upgrade Inferred mineral resources to Indicated or Measured mineral resources; inability to convert mineral resources to mineral reserves; conclusions of economic evaluations; fluctuations in commodity prices and demand; changing foreign exchange rates; actions by government authorities; the availability of funding on reasonable terms; the impact of changes in interpretation to or changes in enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices, including laws, regulations and government practices with respect to mining, foreign investment, royalties and taxation; the terms and timing of obtaining necessary environmental and other government approvals, consents and permits; title disputes; limitations on insurance coverage; the availability and cost of necessary items such as power, water, skilled labour, transportation and appropriate smelting and refining arrangements; as well as other uncertainties and risk factors set out in filings made from time to time with Canadian securities regulators, including, without limitation, Mason's Annual Information Form for the financial year ended December 31, 2017, that is filed on SEDAR; and any misjudgements in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. Actual results, developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Mason disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, Mason undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of Mason, its financial or operating results or its securities. SOURCE Mason Resources Related Links www.masonresources.com BINGHAM FARMS, Mich., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan-based mortgage lender and broker Andy Elder has been featured on the cover of the December issue of Top Agent Magazine's nationwide mortgage edition. Top Agent Magazine is a premier real estate publication featuring the foremost real estate agents, mortgage professionals, and affiliates in the USA, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The magazine features the top producing and most accomplished professionals in the real estate industry, offering an in-depth look at their careers and providing a blueprint for their success. "Being in the mortgage arena for more than two decades has provided me with a strong understanding of the housing and mortgage industries, and I feel this recognition speaks to the success I've realized in helping families in southeast Michigan," said Elder. "It is a privilege to be recognized by Top Agent Magazine." To be considered for a feature in Top Agent Magazine, all professionals must go through a nomination and interview process. All candidates are then evaluated based upon production, professionalism, as well as industry and community involvement. Top Agent Magazine has set itself apart as a trusted source of real estate information and inspiration. About Andy Elder Andy Elder is a boutique mortgage lender and broker proudly serving southeast Michigan. Andy offers a personalized experience, securing quality, low-rate mortgages that allow his clients to plan for a successful and comfortable future. To learn more, visit andyelder.net. SOURCE Andy Elder Related Links http://www.andyelder.net NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institutes of Health's Monitoring the Future Study (MTF), an annual survey tracking substance use among nearly 45,000 8th, 10th and 12th graders, shows a dramatic increase in American teens' use of vaping devices in just a single year with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting "any vaping" in the past 12 months, compared to just 27.8 percent in 2017. Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, produced by an e-cigarette or similar vaping device. Due to the rise in popularity of JUUL, a specific type of vape device, many teens and young adults use the term "JUULING" (pronounced Jeweling), when referring to the act of vaping. The new MTF data found that electronic vaping has become more popular among teens, as the substances teens are vaping range from nicotine to marijuana to "just flavoring." Reported use of vaping nicotine specifically in the 30 days prior to the survey nearly doubled among high school seniors from 11 percent in 2017 to 20.9 percent in 2018. Among eighth graders, 10.9 percent reported vaping products that contained nicotine in the past year. Use is up significantly in virtually all vaping measures among all grades surveyed. The study confirmed that reports of past-year marijuana vaping also increased in 2018, with usage now at 13.1 percent for 12th graders, compared to 9.5 percent last year. The new survey also illustrated that the percent of 12th graders who say they vaped "just flavoring" in the past year also increased to 25.7 percent in 2018 from 20.6 percent in 2017. The perceived availability of vaping devices and liquids also increased among 8th and 10th graders, with 45.7 percent and 66.6 percent, respectively, saying the devices are "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get. "Many parents we talk with are unaware of what vaping is and unprepared to have conversations with their kids or even know what to look for. Conversely, teens may not fully understand that vaping has the potential to be just as addictive as smoking tobacco," said Fred Muench, President and CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. "Teens may think too that there are 'just vaping flavoring,' but some vaping devices do not have nicotine-free options and teens may not know what they are actually using. There are significant, concerning unknowns, including vaping's long-term health consequences." Opioid Use Among Teens at a Historic Low Teen opioid misuse continues to see significant declines. According to the survey, misuse of some of the more popular prescription (Rx) opioid medications is at historic lows among teens in school. Past-year misuse of the Rx opioid Vicodin dropped to just 1.7 percent, and this reflects a long-term decline from a peak of 10.5 percent in 2003. In tracking overall misuse of pain medication described as "narcotics other than heroin" in the survey, past year misuse has dropped significantly among 12th graders since its MTF data confirmed its peak in 2004 to 3.4 percent from 9.5 percent. "The Partnership has been working with and bringing together partners in government, healthcare, corporations, nonprofits, individual parents and advocates all committed to drive down teen initiation of and misuse of opioids," said Muench. "It is encouraging to see steady progress. We need to stay vigilant and continue the good work that's been done in prevention and intervention from safe disposal to Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to prescriber education to everything in between all solutions that demonstrate that we can begin to reverse the country's opioid epidemic." Overall Marijuana Use Stable Past year rates of marijuana use are steady among high school sophomores and seniors, but among 8th graders, there is a significant five-year drop. In 2013, rates were 12.7 percent, and in 2018, the number is 10.5 percent. Rates of daily marijuana use are also steady, with 5.8 percent of high-school seniors reporting daily use, compared with rates reported at 5.0 and 6.6 percent for the past 20 years. There continues to be more 12th graders who report using marijuana every day (5.8 percent) than smoking cigarettes (3.6 percent), and only 26.7 percent of 12th graders think regular marijuana use offers great risk of harm. "There is a continuing trend among teens of a perceived lack of harm from regular marijuana use, and while use has not increased, potency has significantly increased," said Muench. "As teens and young adult brains are still developing, efforts in prevention and early intervention are important in the middle and high school years, but also as our youth transition into college and young adulthood." Partnership Resources Help Address Adolescent and Young Adult Substance Use The Partnership has created new online resources to help parents and families educate themselves about the risks of vaping and to communicate those risks to their kids and teens. The essential resource, "Vaping: What You Need to Know And How to Talk With Your Kids," helps parents understand vaping's appeal to young people and offers practical advice on what to say and do if they are concerned that their child may try or is already vaping. Families can also learn more about what signs to look for and comparisons among vaping flavors with no additives, flavors that contain nicotine and those that contain marijuana. For parents who are concerned about their kids specifically vaping marijuana products: "How to Know if Your Kid is Vaping Marijuana and What to Do About It." For parents and caregivers concerned about a loved one's opioid misuse, the Partnership offers comprehensive resources, including the importance of safeguarding your medicine, how to save a life with naloxone, what you need to know about medication-assisted treatment and more. Finally, the Partnership's Parent Helpline has connected more than 15,000 families to master's level specialists who have helped them develop a plan to address their child's substance use, and across the spectrum, from prevention to recovery. Families can connect with the Helpline via the website, drugfree.org , by phone at 855-DRUGFREE, through text messaging and Facebook Messenger. Help is available in English and Spanish. For more information, please visit drugfree.org . More About the Monitoring the Future Study Conducted by the University of Michigan, the new MTF findings come from the 2018 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of a nationally representative sample of 8th, 10th and 12th graders in schools nationwide, funded by a government grant to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The annual results were announced today by the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, along with the scientists who lead the research team. Overall, 44,482 students from 392 public and private schools participated in this year's MTF survey. Since 1975, the survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes in 12th graders nationwide. Eighth and 10th graders were added to the survey in 1991. Survey participants generally report their drug use behaviors across three-time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. NIDA has provided grant funding for the survey since its inception. MTF is funded under grant number DA001411. Additional information on the MTF Survey can be found at www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/MTF.html. The University of Michigan press release can be found at http://monitoringthefuture.org. MTF is one of three major surveys supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provide data on substance use among youth. The others are the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. About the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Partnership for Drug-Free Kids is committed to helping families struggling with their son's or daughter's substance use. We empower families with information, support and guidance to get the help their loved one needs and deserves. On our website, drugfree.org , by phone at 855-DRUGFREE, through text messaging and Facebook Messenger, the Partnership's Parent Helpline provides families with support and guidance to help them address substance use among adolescents and young adults. Finally, we build healthy communities, advocating for greater understanding and more effective programs to treat the disease of addiction. As a national nonprofit, we depend on donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and the public sector and are thankful to SAG-AFTRA and the advertising and media industries for their ongoing generosity. We are proud to receive a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities, as well as a National Accredited Charity Seal from The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. About the Monitoring the Future Survey Overall, 43,703 students from 360 public and private schools participated in this year's MTF survey. Since 1975, the survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes in 12th graders nationwide. Eighth and 10th graders were added to the survey in 1991. Survey participants generally report their drug use behaviors across three time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. Questions are also asked about daily cigarette and marijuana use. NIDA has provided funding for the survey since its inception by a team of investigators at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, currently led by Dr. Richard Miech. MTF is funded under grant number DA001411. Additional information on the MTF Survey can be found at www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/MTF.html. The University of Michigan press release can be found at http://monitoringthefuture.org. SOURCE Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Related Links http://www.drugfree.org HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today announced that many Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores across the commonwealth will open for extended hours to provide customers additional shopping opportunities and convenience during the holiday season. Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores will adjust their hours to accommodate customer demand. Many will open earlier and remain open later. Some stores will open on days they may typically be closed, including Sundays. Consumers are encouraged to check the hours of local stores by visiting FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, which will be updated daily, or downloading the Fine Wine & Good Spirits apps for iPhones and Android phones. Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores will be open on Christmas Eve (Monday, Dec. 24), with all stores closing by 6 p.m. On New Year's Eve (Monday, Dec. 31), all stores will close by 8 p.m. All Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits totaling $16.5 billion since the agency's inception are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.pa.gov. MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn M. Kelly, 717.783.8864 SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Related Links http://www.lcb.pa.gov Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. is a Maryland corporation formed primarily to acquire and operate multifamily properties in select targeted markets throughout the United States. As part of our business strategy, we may enter into forward purchase contracts or purchase options for to-be-built multifamily communities and we may make real estate related loans, provide deposit arrangements, or provide performance assurances, as may be necessary or appropriate, in connection with the development of multifamily communities and other properties. As a secondary strategy, we may acquire or originate senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or real estate loans secured by interests in multifamily properties, membership or partnership interests in multifamily properties and other multifamily related assets and invest a lesser portion of our assets in other real estate related investments, including other income-producing property types, senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or real estate loans secured by interests in other income-producing property types, membership or partnership interests in other income-producing property types as determined by our manager as appropriate for us. At September 30, 2018, the Company was the approximate 97.4% owner of Preferred Apartment Communities Operating Partnership, L.P., the Company's operating partnership. Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, commencing with its tax year ended December 31, 2011. Learn more at www.pacapts.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "trend", "will", "expects", "plans", "estimates", "anticipates", "projects", "intends", "believes", "goals", "objectives", "outlook" and similar expressions. Because such statements include risks, uncertainties and contingencies, actual results may differ materially from the expectations, intentions, beliefs, plans or predictions of the future expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, those disclosed in PAC's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. PAC undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required by law. Additional Information The SEC has declared effective the registration statement (including prospectus) filed by the Company for each of the offerings to which this communication may relate. Before you invest, you should read the final prospectus, and any prospectus supplements, forming a part of the registration statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the offering to which this communication may relate. In particular, you should carefully read the risk factors described in the final prospectus and in any related prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference in the final prospectus and any related prospectus supplement to which this communication may relate. You may obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Company or its dealer manager, Preferred Capital Securities, LLC, with respect to PAC's mShares Redeemable Preferred Stock Offering and Series A Redeemable Preferred Stock and Warrant Unit Offering, will arrange to send you a prospectus if you request it by calling Leonard A. Silverstein at (770) 818-4100, 3284 Northside Parkway NW, Suite 150, Atlanta, Georgia 30327. The mShares Redeemable Preferred Stock Offering prospectus, dated January 19, 2017, can be accessed through the following link: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1481832/000148183217000008/a424prospectus-mshares1.htm The Series A Redeemable Preferred Stock and Warrant Unit Offering prospectus, dated March 16, 2017, can be accessed through the following link: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1481832/000148183217000061/a424prospectus-15bseriesar.htm SOURCE Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. Related Links http://www.pacapts.com DUBLIN, Dec 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Private LTE Market by Technology (FDD and TDD), Service (Managed Services, Integration & Deployment), Application (Public Safety, Logistics & Supply Chain Management), Industry (Energy & Utilities, Mining), and Region - Global Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The private LTE market size is expected to grow from USD 2.4 billion in 2018 to USD 4.5 billion by 2023, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13% during the forecast period. The need for unique and defined network qualities and the convergence of 5G and private LTE are the major factors driving the growth of the private LTE market. However, the challenge of spectrum fragmentation could restrain the market growth. Managed services segment to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The managed service providers connect people across all business functions and regions, and provide them with relevant information related to intelligent design, operations, and maintenance, as well as, offer a higher quality of services. Managed services in the private LTE market outsource a complete network or a part of it on a proactive management basis to improve the network operations and reduce the organizational expenses. As the private LTE market is in its initial phase, most of the vendors are not capable of providing a standalone solution and its associated services to the customers. This enforces them to manage few of the services from vendors who are expert in providing those to deliver the required services to the customers. Americas to hold the largest market size, and APAC to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period Americas is expected to have the highest share of the overall private LTE market. Americas holds a major portion in the adoption of private LTE in this region. Americas leads the LTE technology usage with around 94% penetration of 4G LTE connection. US and Canada are at the forefront as these countries have sustainable and well-established economies, which empower them to strongly invest in R&D activities, thereby contributing to the development of new technologies. Network operators in this region consistently invest in expanding and upgrading their LTE and LTE-advanced networks. Latin America primarily comprises countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina. These countries have witnessed an extensive use of internet and mobile-based applications, and are expected to harness private LTE into their industrial and enterprise operations. In the Americas, the US is said to be leading the next generation of wireless technologies. The US is the global leader of LTE and is expected to grow aggressively in this technology due to recent government initiatives. The US government has announced the availability of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band or Band 48 for commercial usage. Canada is another key country in this region which has been positive about the usage of private LTE technology in its business operations. Canada is rich in natural resources, which has prompted the growth of several large-scale mining and energy organizations. These business entities have been inclined toward implementing private LTE as a solution to establish critical communication for M2M and machine-to-human communications. APAC constitutes of major economies, such as Singapore, South Korea, Japan, China, India, and Australia. Japan, China, and Australia are essential for the growth of the private LTE market in this region. Japan and China are one of the largest manufacturing economies that produce automobiles, information technology products, and electronic products. Manufacturing paradigm has changed considerably with industry-seeking advanced technologies, such as robotics and big data analytics. The major vendors in the private LTE market are Nokia (Finland), Ericsson (Sweden), Huawei (China), NEC (Japan), Verizon (US), Cisco (US), Samsung (South Korea), Comba (China), Arris International (US), Sierra Wireless (Canada), NetNumber (US), Lemko (US), General Dynamics (US), Future Technologies (US), pdvWireless (US), Quortus (UK), Ambra Solutions (Canada), Zinwave (US), Redline Communications (Canada), Athonet (Italy), Mavenir (US), Star Solutions (Canada), Druid Software (Italy), Ursys (Australia), and Luminate Wireless (US). Key Topics Covered 1 Introduction 1.1 Objectives of the Study 1.2 Market Definition 1.3 Market Scope 1.4 Regions Covered 1.5 Years Considered for the Study 1.6 Currency Considered 1.7 Stakeholders 2 Research Methodology 2.1 Research Data 2.1.1 Secondary Data 2.1.2 Primary Data 2.1.2.1 Breakup of Primaries 2.1.2.2 Key Industry Insights 2.2 Market Breakup and Data Triangulation 2.3 Market Size Estimation 2.3.1 Bottom-Up Approach 2.3.2 Top-Down Approach 2.4 Assumptions for the Study 2.5 Limitations of the Study 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Private LTE Market 4.2 Market: Top 3 Industries and Regions 4.3 Market, By Region 4.4 Market: Investment Scenario 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.1.1 Drivers 5.1.1.1 Need for Unique and Defined Network Qualities 5.1.1.2 Convergence of 5G and Private LTE 5.1.2 Restraints 5.1.2.1 Challenge of Spectrum Fragmentation 5.1.3 Opportunities 5.1.3.1 Opportunities in Industrial and Commercial IoT 5.1.3.2 Rise in Adoption of Mobile Robotics and Machine Learning 5.1.4 Challenges 5.1.4.1 High Initial Cost of Deployment 5.2 Use Cases 5.2.1 Energy and Utilities 5.2.1.1 Nokia 5.2.1.2 Cisco 5.2.2 Mining 5.2.2.1 Challenge Network 5.2.2.2 Ericsson 5.2.3 Smart Ports 5.2.3.1 Nokia 5.3 Cbrs Spectrum Enablement for Private LTE 5.4 LTE Networks Launched Globally 6 Private LTE Market, By Technology 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Frequency Division Duplex 6.2.1 Need for Better Network Over Greater Distances to Lead to the Growth of Frequency Division Duplex Technology 6.3 Time Division Duplex 6.3.1 Increasing Demand for High-Speed Mobile Broadband Access to Drive the Growth of Time Division Duplex Technology 7 Market, By Service 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Consulting 7.2.1 Need for Awareness of Private LTE to Fuel the Growth of Consulting Services 7.3 Integration and Deployment 7.3.1 Need for Managing Multiple Applications on Common Network to Drive the Growth of Integration and Deployment Services 7.4 Support and Maintenance 7.4.1 Network Testing 7.4.1.1 Need for Maintaining Quality and Functionality of Network to Drive the Growth of Network Testing Services 7.4.2 LTE Device Testing 7.4.2.1 Critical Need for Seamless and High-Quality Voice and Data Network to Drive the Growth of LTE Device Testing Services 7.5 Managed Services 7.5.1 Network Planning 7.5.1.1 Need for High-Quality and Cost-Efficient Private LTE Network to Fuel the Growth of Network Planning Services 7.5.2 Network Orchestration 7.5.2.1 Need for Managing Network Behavior to Drive the Growth of Network Orchestration Services 8 Market, By Application 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Public Safety 8.2.1 Real-Time Streaming 8.2.1.1 Growing Use of Smart Applications and Devices in Industries to Increase the Critical Need for Private LTE Network in the Real-Time Streaming Application 8.2.2 Smart Devices Network Monitoring 8.2.2.1 Critical Need for Managing the Smart Devices to Drive the Growth of Smart Devices Network Monitoring Services 8.2.3 Multimedia 8.2.3.1 Rising Demand for Enhanced Bandwidth and High Speed to Fuel the Growth of Multimedia Services 8.3 Logistics and Supply Chain Management 8.3.1 Rising Demand for Robotics and Smart Machines in the Manufacturing Industry to Drive the Growth of Private LTE Market 8.4 Asset Management 8.4.1 Critical Need of Managing Network for Seamless Asset Management to Drive the Growth of Market 9 Market, By Industry 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Mining 9.2.1 Critical Need of Dedicated Network for Automation, Remote Monitoring, and Real-Time Asset Management to Drive the Growth of Private LTE in the Mining Industry 9.3 Energy and Utilities 9.3.1 Need for Critical Connectivity to Fuel the Growth of Private LTE in the Energy and Utilities Industry 9.4 Manufacturing 9.4.1 Increasing Use of Smart Machines and Robotics to Drive the Growth of Private LTE in the Manufacturing Industry 9.5 Transportation 9.5.1 Need for Communication Connectivity to Drive the Growth of Private LTE in the Transportation Industry 9.6 Defense 9.6.1 Critical Need for High-Speed Voice and Data Communication to Drive the Growth of Private LTE in the Defense Industry 9.7 Healthcare 9.7.1 Need of Managing Network for Medical Equipment to Drive the Growth of Private LTE in the Healthcare Industry 10 Market, By Region 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Americas 10.2.1 United States 10.2.1.1 Technical Initiatives and Strong R&D in the Telecom Industry to Fuel the Growth of Private LTE in the United States 10.2.2 Canada 10.2.2.1 Adoption of High-End Technology in Various Industries to Drive the Growth of Private LTE in Canada 10.3 Asia Pacific 10.3.1 Japan 10.3.1.1 Strong Investment Initiatives in the Telecom Industry to Drive the Growth of Private LTE in Japan 10.3.2 China 10.3.2.1 Adoption of M2m and IoT Technologies in Different Industries to Fuel the Growth of Private LTE in China 10.3.3 Australia 10.3.3.1 Adoption of Technologies in the Mining Industry to Drive the Demand for Private LTE in Australia 10.4 Europe 10.4.1 United Kingdom 10.4.1.1 Early Adoption of Technology in Various Industries to Drive the Growth of Private LTE in the United Kingdom 10.4.2 Germany 10.4.2.1 Heavy Adoption of Technologies in the Manufacturing Industry to Increase the Demand for Private LTE in Germany 10.5 Middle East and Africa 10.5.1 United Arab Emirates 10.5.1.1 Critical Need of Communication Connectivity in the Oil and Gas Industry to Increase the Demand for Private LTE in the United Arab Emirates 10.5.2 Saudi Arabia 10.5.2.1 Rise in the Adoption of Technology in the Oil and Gas Industry to Fuel the Growth of Private LTE in Saudi Arabia 11 Competitive Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Market Ranking 11.3 Competitive Scenario 11.3.1 New Product Launches and Enhancements 11.3.2 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements 11.3.3 Mergers and Acquisitions 12 Company Profiles 12.1 Nokia 12.2 Ericsson 12.3 Huawei 12.4 NEC 12.5 Verizon 12.6 Cisco 12.7 Samsung 12.8 Comba 12.9 Arris International 12.1 Sierra Wireless 12.11 Netnumber 12.12 Lemko 12.13 General Dynamics 12.14 Future Technologies 12.15 Pdvwireless 12.16 Quortus 12.17 Ambra Solutions 12.18 Zinwave 12.19 Redline Communications 12.2 Athonet 12.21 Mavenir 12.22 Star Solutions 12.23 Druid Software 12.24 Ursys 12.25 Luminate Wireless For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/rlfpj6/private_lte?w=5 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SAN DIEGO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, today announced its next-generation modem purpose-built for Internet of Things (IoT) applications such as asset trackers, health monitors, security systems, smart city sensors and smart meters, as well as a range of wearable trackers. The new Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem is unique in bringing together key innovations required to build cellular-enabled IoT products and services in a single chipset, including global multimode LTE category M1 (eMTC) and NB2 (NB-IoT) as well as 2G/E-GPRS connectivity, application processing, geolocation, hardware-based security, support for cloud services and accompanying developer tools. The full release is available on the Qualcomm News Center website at (https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2018/12/17/qualcomm-introduces-next-gen-cellular-chipset-purpose-built-iot) About Qualcomm Qualcomm invents breakthrough technologies that transform how the world connects, computes and communicates. When we connected the phone to the Internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our inventions are the foundation for life-changing products, experiences, and industries. As we lead the world to 5G, we envision this next big change in cellular technology spurring a new era of intelligent, connected devices and enabling new opportunities in connected cars, remote delivery of health care services, and the IoT including smart cities, smart homes, and wearables. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, including, our QCT semiconductor business. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website , OnQ blog , Twitter and Facebook pages. Qualcomm Contacts: Pete Lancia, Corporate Communications Phone: 1-858-845-5959 Email: [email protected] Mauricio Lopez-Hodoyan, Investor Relations Phone: 1-858-651-1387 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Related Links https://www.qualcomm.com Ravi Saligram recently recognized as one of the Executives of the Year from the Best in Biz Awards and as B.C. CEO of the Year from Business in Vancouver VANCOUVER, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Ritchie Bros. is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018 with multiple leadership awards for members of its executive team. Chief Executive Officer Ravi Saligram was recently recognized as B.C. CEO of the Year (Enterprise Category) by Business in Vancouver and as one of the Executives of the Year by the Best in Biz Awards (Bronze Winner). Ritchie Bros. Senior Vice President Anna Sgro was also singled out, as a Female Executive of the Year by the esteemed Stevie Awards. In 2018 Ritchie Bros. was also recognized corporately as one of the Top 100 Best Employers in British Columbia and was a finalist for "Company of the Year" in the 2018 Technology Awards, hosted by the B.C. Tech Association. "It is a privilege and honor to receive these prestigious awards," said Ravi Saligram, CEO of Ritchie Bros. "The credit belongs to our 2,300 Ritchie Bros. employees and my excellent management team. I'm the orchestra conductorthey create the music, they create the magic." "Four years ago, when I joined Ritchie Bros, we set about reimagining and reshaping an already-prominent auction company; transforming the world's largest heavy equipment brick and mortar auctioneer into a digitally-savvy, technology-enabled disposition services company. What has not changed, and remains our north star, is our obsessive focus and passion for serving the customer, and building high, wide, and deep multi-generational relationships. Our most-valuable asset, no matter how advanced we may become in technology, remains our people." The Best in Biz Awards is the only independent business awards program judged by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications in North America. The 2018 judging panel included, among others, writers from Associated Press, Barron's, Consumer Affairs, eWeek, Forbes, Healthcare Innovation News, Inc., Investment Advisor Magazine, MediaPost, New York Post, New York Times, Ottawa Citizen and Wired. Ravi was recognized in the large company executive of the year category. The B.C. CEO Awards are presented annually by Business in Vancouver, Deloitte, and TEC Canada. The Stevie Awards are one of the world's most premier business awards, recognizing the achievement and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals around the world through seven different award categories, including the Stevie Awards for Women in Business where Anna Sgro was recognized. About Ritchie Bros.: Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a multitude of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, oil and gas, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer offers live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with featured weekly auctions and providing its exclusive IronClad Assurance equipment condition certification; Marketplace-E, an online marketplace offering multiple price and timing options; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; and Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales. The company also offers sector-specific solutions including GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, Kruse Energy Auctioneers , and Cat auctions, plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. For more information about the unprecedented choice provided by Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com. SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Related Links www.rbauction.com NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Regency Affiliates, Inc. (OTC Pink: RAFI) ("Regency") today announced that Security Land and Development Company Limited Partnership ("SLDC" or "Security West"), in which Regency owns a 50% limited partnership interest, has signed a new ten-year lease with the U.S. General Services Administration ("GSA") for the Security West Complex consisting of 717,011 square feet of office and related space located on 34.3 acres in Woodlawn, Maryland. The lease became effective as of November 1, 2018 and runs through October 31, 2028. The initial annual rent will approximate $11.75 million per annum. At any time on or after November 1, 2021, GSA may partially terminate the lease and vacate up to 266,353 square feet by providing at least 12 months written notice to SLDC. On or after November 1, 2023, GSA may terminate the entire lease upon 24 months written notice to SLDC. Based on the rental stream provided by the new lease, the general partner of SLDC has arranged for new debt on Security West totaling approximately $30.0 million. The new debt will be amortized down to a balance of $10 million over the first five years of the loan. The net proceeds of the new loan after expenses are being used primarily to payoff existing debt at Security West and to fund capital improvements and reserves of about $17.0 million, with the balance available for distribution to the partners of SLDC, including an anticipated distribution to Regency in excess of $1 million. The distribution to Regency has resulted in aggregate distributions to Regency of cash flow from SLDC exceeding $2 million, thereby triggering an adjustment under the partnership agreement to the allocation of future distributions and taxable income among the partners of SLDC, subject in the case of allocations of taxable income to any applicable regulatory allocations or other adjustments, from 95% (Regency)/5% (other partners) to approximately 49% (Regency)/51% (other partners). Simultaneous with the aforementioned refinancing, the partners of SLDC have entered into an amended and restated limited partnership agreement which, among other items, provides for a reduction of the general partner's Property Management Fee to approximately $352,000 per annum; the commencement of an Asset Management Fee payable to Regency of approximately $152,000 per annum; and Regency's right to approve affiliate transactions involving the general partner. "We are very pleased to have secured a new lease with GSA at the Security West complex" commented Laurence Levy, Regency's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The new lease provides cash flow certainty to support a refinancing of the property. We anticipate that GSA will be a tenant at the Security West complex for significantly beyond the current lease term." About Regency Affiliates Regency Affiliates, Inc. invests in businesses that generate attractive, predictable and sustainable returns on capital. We are currently invested in three businesses: A 50% interest in the Security West Complex located on 34.3 acres in Woodlawn, Maryland . The facility is occupied under a lease expiring in October 2028 by the United States Social Security Administration, subject to a partial termination right starting at the end of the third year of the lease and a whole termination right starting at the end of the fifth year of the lease; An indirect 50% interest in Mobile Energy which owns and operates an energy facility located on approximately 11 acres of land in Mobile, Alabama . The facility supplies up to 61 megawatts of co-generated steam and electricity for use in Kimberly - Clark's mill operations under a 15 year agreement signed in 2004; and A majority joint-venture interest in a portfolio of five stand-alone self-storage facilities in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania vicinity comprising approximately 337,000 square feet of net rentable space in excess of 2,500 climate and non-climate controlled storage units. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are predictive in nature or depend on or refer to future events and can be identified by the words "may," "might," "will," "should," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "hope," or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which cannot be predicted with accuracy or are otherwise beyond our control and some of which might not even be anticipated. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Future events and actual results affecting our strategic plan as well as our financial position, results of operations and cash flows, could differ materially from those described in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that contribute to such risks include, but are not limited to, a default or catastrophe involving the properties in which we invest, the extent to which we are able to raise additional capital, and competition for additional investment opportunities. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For a more detailed description of these uncertainties and other factors, please see our website at www.regencyaffiliates.com. SOURCE Regency Affiliates, Inc. Related Links http://www.regencyaffiliates.com SINGAPORE, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Singapore Media Festival (SMF) 2018 wrapped up a hallmark year for Asian storytelling, drawing to its constituent events a total of over 23,000 media and creative professionals, industry thought-leaders and enthusiasts of television and film from around the globe. Hosted by Singapore's Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), the fifth edition of the Singapore Media Festival took place from 28 November to 9 December, and comprised the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), ScreenSingapore, the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), SMF Ignite, and the inaugural edition of the Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA). This year's festival threw a strong spotlight on growing Asian storytelling through strategic collaborations, leveraging emerging technologies and innovation to create content for new platforms and wider audiences. A boost for the local media industry IMDA unveiled a series of new initiatives during the festival to increase the vibrancy and spur growth of Singapore's media ecosystem. These include the launch of the Skills Framework for Media , which helps companies and professionals identify career progression pathways and the skills needed to stay updated in a changing media landscape. media ecosystem. These include the launch of the , which helps companies and professionals identify career progression pathways and the skills needed to stay updated in a changing media landscape. IMDA also launched the Media Industry Digital Plan (Media IDP), to better support SMEs in the media industry. Aligned with the Infocomm Media Industry Transformation Map (ITM), the Media IDP is part of the SMEs Go Digital programme to make going digital simple for SMEs at different stages of growth. Support from the Media IDP is also extended to media professionals, who can upskill themselves through broad-based digital literacy courses or specialised training in areas including immersive media, to keep pace with industry changes. From 'Made-in-Singapore' to 'Made-with-Singapore' Two new funding initiatives -- the Public Service Media (PSM) Digital Partnership Fund and the Southeast Asia Co-production Grant -- were announced at the festival, to encourage Singapore talent to foster regional and international co-productions, in the fields of digital content development and film production. and the -- were announced at the festival, to encourage talent to foster regional and international co-productions, in the fields of digital content development and film production. To grow the capabilities of local digital content creators in Singapore , IMDA also embarked on new collaborations with Disney and Facebook. In a two-year collaboration, Disney will partner and train local content creators to develop and produce the studio's first slate of eight digital-first, multi-platform titles for distribution on Disney's platforms targeted at the Southeast Asian market. , IMDA also embarked on new collaborations with Disney and Facebook. In a two-year collaboration, Disney will partner and train local content creators to develop and produce the studio's first slate of eight digital-first, multi-platform titles for distribution on Disney's platforms targeted at the Southeast Asian market. The Facebook Creator Lab will be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia , where participating creators learn how to manage their presence, build their business and grow their community on Facebook. will be the first of its kind in , where participating creators learn how to manage their presence, build their business and grow their community on Facebook. The Singapore Pavilion (hosted within the ATF Market) this year showcased over 800 hours of compelling Asian stories through over 130 film, television and VR titles from a diverse range of genres, ranging from comedy and sci-fi, to horror and documentaries. Honouring the best of Asian storytelling Wrapping up its 29 th edition, the Singapore International Film Festival welcomed a record-breaking attendance of more than 17,000 festival-goers from Singapore and across the region. The festival showcased a total of 103 feature and short films from 44 countries, with 29 sold-out screenings of local and international films, masterclasses and In Conversations sessions. edition, the welcomed a record-breaking attendance of more than 17,000 festival-goers from and across the region. The festival showcased a total of 103 feature and short films from 44 countries, with 29 sold-out screenings of local and international films, masterclasses and In Conversations sessions. Singaporean filmmakers received a strong showing at the SGIFF this year with a line-up of 18 films and co-productions, including A Land Imagined by Yeo Siew Hua , which made history as the first-ever Singapore film to be awarded the Best Film under the festival's Silver Screen Awards' Asian Feature Film Competition. Vietnamese filmmaker Pham Thu Hang took home the honour of Best Director for her feature documentary, The Future Cries Beneath Our Soil , which captured the dark shadow of war and death in Vietnam's Quang Tri province. by , which made history as the first-ever film to be awarded the Best Film under the festival's Silver Screen Awards' Asian Feature Film Competition. Vietnamese filmmaker took home the honour of Best Director for her feature documentary, , which captured the dark shadow of war and death in Quang Tri province. 2018's Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore saw record-breaking performance, from attendance to sales transactions on the market floor. Attended by over 5,600 delegates from 58 countries and regions, over US$313 million worth of deals and partnerships were estimated to have been facilitated over the dynamic three-day market. saw record-breaking performance, from attendance to sales transactions on the market floor. Attended by over 5,600 delegates from 58 countries and regions, over worth of deals and partnerships were estimated to have been facilitated over the dynamic three-day market. The newly minted Asian Academy Creative Awards made history with winners from 16 territories, across 49 production and acting categories over two star studded awards ceremonies, held on 6 and 7 December at Singapore's historic Capitol Theatre. Winners from 13 nations and territories took home the top honours, with Indonesia's Adinia Wirasti claiming the Best Actress In A Leading Role award for her role in HOOQ's Critical Eleven. The Best Actor In A Leading Role award went to China's Yu Hewei (Jetsen Huashi) for his role in The Drug Hunter, while the highly sought after Best Direction award was won by India's acclaimed Anurag Kashyap . Japan's Miss Sherlock won the coveted Best Drama series award. Singapore and India tied as the most awarded countries after all the awards were announced, with each country clinching nine of the AAA's golden trophies. Nurturing the next generation of Asian talent Singapore hosted for the first time the Film Leaders Incubator (FLY) 2018 , co-organised by the Busan Film Commission and Singapore Film Commission, saw 22 finalists across 11 countries come together to produce 2 short films. In a two-week bootcamp, 22 aspiring ASEAN filmmakers were given the opportunity to learn from industry veterans from Singapore and South Korea in short film workshops and mentoring sessions. As part of the programme, a scholarship to the 2019 Asian Film Academy (AFA) was awarded to FLY trainee Kawakibi Muttaqien from Indonesia , while Terence Giourdan Gonzalves from the Philippines was awarded Best Cinematographer, with a prize of the latest lighting equipment offered by Aputure Imaging Industries. hosted for the first time the , co-organised by the Busan Film Commission and Singapore Film Commission, saw 22 finalists across 11 countries come together to produce 2 short films. In a two-week bootcamp, 22 aspiring ASEAN filmmakers were given the opportunity to learn from industry veterans from and in short film workshops and mentoring sessions. As part of the programme, a scholarship to the 2019 Asian Film Academy (AFA) was awarded to FLY trainee Kawakibi Muttaqien from , while Terence Giourdan Gonzalves from was awarded Best Cinematographer, with a prize of the latest lighting equipment offered by Aputure Imaging Industries. The fourth edition Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market, organised by ScreenSingapore together with Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association and Ties That Bind: Asia /Europe Producers Workshop, received submissions from 16 countries and regions. The top 15 finalists came from the Philippines , Indonesia , Malaysia , Cambodia , Myanmar , and Singapore . These emerging Asian filmmakers were given opportunities to meet with media financiers, distributors and collaborators who could potentially fund, produce or contribute to their works. Filipino-American filmmaker Mel Allego's Filipino won the Cre8 Co-production Award, while crime drama The Carjacker by Singapore -based Oman Dhas won the Aurora Media Award, and Myanmar drama The Women by director The Maw Naing won the AV8 Award. Towards a strong digital future in the media landscape Anchored on the theme of the convergence of big data, AI and storytelling, the one-day SMF Ignite Conference presented a dynamic line-up of inspiring keynotes to an eager crowd of close to 400 attendees, and also received more than 2,000 impressions through its 'livestream' on Facebook). Keynotes were delivered by industry luminaries such as Chen Xiao (Vice President, iQIYI), Jim Louderback (General Manager, VidCon), Alex Smith (APAC Area Lead, Microsoft), John Sietsma (Evangelist, Unity Technologies) and Nuseir Yassin (CEO and Director, Nas Daily). Conference presented a dynamic line-up of inspiring keynotes to an eager crowd of close to 400 attendees, and also received more than 2,000 impressions through its 'livestream' on Facebook). Keynotes were delivered by industry luminaries such as (Vice President, iQIYI), (General Manager, VidCon), (APAC Area Lead, Microsoft), (Evangelist, Unity Technologies) and Nuseir Yassin (CEO and Director, Nas Daily). As part of SMF Ignite, Nuseir Yassin also led a workshop for three Singapore online content creators, sharing with them tips on storyboarding and content creation, before they each presented their one-minute videos during Singapore Hour on 6 December. online content creators, sharing with them tips on storyboarding and content creation, before they each presented their one-minute videos during Singapore Hour on 6 December. For updates on next year's edition, please visit https://bit.ly/2OxEioy . http://www.facebook.com/sgmediafest | #SGMediaFest About the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) leads Singapore's digital transformation with infocomm media. To do this, IMDA will develop a dynamic digital economy and a cohesive digital society, driven by an exceptional infocomm media (ICM) ecosystem -- by developing talent, strengthening business capabilities, and enhancing Singapore's ICM infrastructure. IMDA also regulates the telecommunications and media sectors to safeguard consumer interests while fostering a pro-business environment, and enhances Singapore's data protection regime through the Personal Data Protection Commission. For more news and information, visit www.imda.gov.sg or follow IMDA on Facebook and Twitter @IMDAsg. About the Singapore Media Festival (SMF) The Singapore Media Festival, hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority, is set to become one of Asia's leading international media events, where the industry meets to discover the latest trends, talents and content in Asia for Film, TV and digital media. Taking place from 28 November to 9 December 2018, the Singapore Media Festival brings together the newly-minted Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA) and established media events such as the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore and SMF Ignite. For more information about the Singapore Media Festival, please visit https://bit.ly/2OxEioy. SOURCE Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) Related Links http://www.imda.gov.sg Flash Salome Zurabishvili was sworn in on Sunday as Georgia's fifth president, also the country's first female president. Addressing the audience at the grand inauguration ceremony in the western city of Telavi, Zurabishvili vowed to protect the rights and freedoms of all Georgian citizens and guarantee the country's rule of law after taking a presidential oath. "Today, when I became the fifth president of Georgia, I am proud that we were able to transfer the presidential power in a peaceful and civilized manner. This is another democratic step forward," Zurabishvili said. "My goal is to do my best to develop our state, to make our European future irreversible and to prevent any obstacle in this process," said Zurabishvili, who promised to make the integration process with Europe a priority. Around 1,800 people took part in the ceremony, including 150 representatives from around 55 countries and international organizations. Zurabishvili, born in France in 1952, served as foreign minister of Georgia from 2004 to 2005. Georgia held its fifth presidential election on Oct. 28. As many as 19 candidates nominated by political parties and six independent candidates ran for the presidency. Zurabishvili won the presidency after a runoff. The election marked the last direct election to choose a head of state in Georgia. In the country's next presidential election, set for 2024, an electoral board of 300 lawmakers and regional officials will cast their votes to find a winner. NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At the annual Cool Comedy Hot Cuisine New York gala, comedians, celebrities and supporters raised over $1 million for scleroderma research, a complex autoimmune disease that disproportionately affects women, usually striking in the prime of their lives. Bob Saget, an SRF board member who lost his sister to scleroderma, hosted the New York comedy gala on Dec. 11th to benefit the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF). Saget was joined in the fundraising effort by comedians Michael Che, Andy Cohen, John Oliver, Jeff Ross, and special musical guest, Jackson Browne. SRF is America's first and leading nonprofit investor in medical research to find improved therapies and a cure for people living with scleroderma. Since its founding in 1987 by patient and fierce advocate, the late Sharon Monsky, the foundation has raised over $49 million to fund critical research. As put best by Monsky: "I could organize a support group to help people in my community living with scleroderma or I could establish an organization that would bring the best of science and technology together in an effort to discover better treatments and a cure for people everywhere living with scleroderma. It wasn't easy, but I chose the latter." Since its founding, the SRF has taken a collaborative approach, bringing together some of the brightest minds in science to unravel the mystery of this complex autoimmune disease. The word scleroderma literally means "hard skin," but the disease is much more, often affecting the internal organs with lethal consequences. In some cases, the joints and muscles are affected, resulting in severe pain and limited mobility. Vascular damage due to scleroderma can result in loss of fingers, toes and entire limbsbut the most serious complications involve the lungs and kidneys. Now, the SRF donates approximately 84% of its annual revenue to funding the most promising scleroderma research initiatives. The success of Cool Comedy Hot Cuisine events held in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco has raised considerable awareness for scleroderma and enabled the SRF to fund innovative research bringing hope and helping to improve the quality of life for patients living with this debilitating disease. Last week's gala marked 31 years of Cool Comedy Hot Cuisine events, with Robin Williams being one of the first comedians to perform in 1987, and subsequently returning to perform seven times throughout his life. The Cool Comedy Hot Cuisine event featured performances by some of the biggest names in comedy. Celebrity chefs/restaurateurs Susan Feniger (also an SRF Board Member) and Mary Sue Milliken, Food Network's Too Hot Tamales and both Bravo Top Chef Masters, prepared the multi-course "Hot Cuisine." There was a live auction featuring unique packages such as a weekend VIP trip to the 2019 Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, and a unique, in-home dinner prepared by Celebrity Chefs Elizabeth Falkner, Amanda Cohen, and Anita Lo. The auction raised over $160,000 for the SRF and the scleroderma research it supports. More about Scleroderma and the Scleroderma Research Foundation : The symptoms and severity of scleroderma vary from one person to another and the course of the disease is often unpredictable. Women are disproportionately affected with scleroderma (representing four out of five patients), usually striking in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 20 and 50; however, children and men of all ages and across all ethnic boundaries can also be affected. Today, there is no way to prevent scleroderma and there is no cure. Treatments are available for some but not all of the most dangerous complications. The continued success of the Scleroderma Research Foundation is entirely dependent upon charitable gifts from individuals and corporations. Dr. Fredrick Wigley, Director of the Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center, which was launched with SRF funding and continues to grow with Foundation support, states in the volunteer-produced Project Scleroderma documentary: "The SRF has made an incredible difference, and I am absolutely convinced that, with the right support, there is nothing that can't be done." The SRF was established in San Francisco in 1987 by scleroderma patient, the late Sharon Monsky, with a passionate commitment that lives on today: to use the power of collaborative medical research to advance a cure for scleroderma. Now chaired by Luke Evnin, Ph.D., managing partner of MPM Capital, a dedicated investor in life sciences, the Foundation is enabling scientists from leading institutions across the nation and around the world to work together and develop an understanding of how the disease begins, how it progresses and what can be done to slow, halt or reverse the disease process. In addition to Bob Saget and Susan Feniger, the board of directors includes Sharon Dobie, Eric Kau, David Knoller, Violetta Merin, Deann Wright, and Caryn Zucker. For 30 years, through the generosity of its donors and support from events likes Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine, the Scleroderma Research Foundation has raised more than $48 million dollars to fund ground-breaking research taking place at top universities such as Johns Hopkins, Stanford and UCSF. SOURCE Scleroderma Research Foundation Related Links http://www.sclerodermaRESEARCH.org NASSAU, Bahamas, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hon. Dionisio D'Aguilar, Minister of Tourism and Aviation, led a delegation attending negotiations on air services in Nairobi, Kenya, December 10-14, 2018. The Bahamas conducted some 24 meetings over the five day period, where Minister D'Aguilar signed ten Air Services Agreements (ASAs) and seven Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) during the meeting. This brings a sum total of 19 officially signed ASAs and 18 MOUs between The Bahamas and other countries to date. It is expected that ASAs will be concluded in the near future with those countries with whom MOUs were signed. Minister D'Aguilar expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of meetings, pointing out that these agreements pave the way for future economic growth and stimulus through the aviation sector. More specifically, he said, attending this conference and signing these agreements is an efficient and cost-effective way to facilitate the commencement of air service to The Bahamas, by airlines domiciled in the countries with whom the agreements were signed. As a result, when a foreign carrier expresses an interest in commencing air service to The Bahamas, the regulatory regime is already in place and service can commence expeditiously, without undue bureaucratic delays. This would also make travel easier for Bahamians who are visiting, in greater numbers, destinations all over the world and for the growing number of persons across the globe who wish to come to The Bahamas. This was the 11th session of the International Civil Aviation Organization's negotiating event, ICAN 2018. So far more than a total of 142 States have participated in and benefited from ICAN at least once. Discussions will continue in the coming months to finalize the ASAs with the remaining countries, as soon as those countries have finalized their internal approval processes. Both The Bahamas and the relevant countries expressed the hope for the official signings to take place before the end of 2019 either in the margins of upcoming meetings, at the ICAO Assembly in Montreal September/October, or during the 12th Session of ICAN, which is to be held in Jordan in December 2019. ABOUT THE BAHAMAS The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone. Do everything or do nothing, just remember It's Better in The Bahamas. Call 1-800-Bahamas or visit www.Bahamas.com, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. CONTACT Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation Tel: 242-397-4700 SOURCE Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation Related Links http://www.Bahamas.com LAVAL, QC, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Crescita Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: CTX) (Crescita or the Company), a Canadian commercial dermatology company with a portfolio of non-prescription skincare products and prescription drug products for the treatment and care of skin conditions, diseases and their symptoms, is pleased to announce that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Prior Approval Supplement (PAS) for Pliaglis following its mandated six-month review process, in line with the target action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). In 2017, Taro Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Taro), our licensee for Pliaglis in the U.S. market, completed the study to support the removal of the Pliaglis "Not for Home Use" label restriction and filed the FDA submission with the proposed label change on June 8, 2018. The removal of the "Not for Home Use" label restriction is accompanied by the addition of a new user instruction sheet and product applicator. The approval of this submission triggers a milestone of US$0.5 million for Crescita. "We are delighted with the approval of this label change by the FDA. It marks a significant milestone as it will expand the ability of patients to have access to the drug and will facilitate our partner's efforts to increase market acceptance of Pliaglis in the U.S." said Serge Verreault, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cresctia. About Pliaglis Pliaglis, a lidocaine and tetracaine (7%/7%) formulation, is a U.S. FDA approved topical local anesthetic cream that provides safe and effective local dermal anesthesia on intact skin prior to superficial dermatological procedures, such as dermal filler injection, pulsed dye laser therapy, facial laser resurfacing and laser-assisted tattoo removal. This product contains lidocaine and tetracaine and utilizes the proprietary phase-changing topical cream "Peel" technology. The "Peel" technology consists of a drug containing cream which, once applied to a patient's skin, dries to form a pliable layer that releases drug into the skin. Following the application period, Pliaglis forms a pliable layer that is removed from the skin allowing the dermatological procedure to be performed with minimal to no pain. About Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Taro (NYSE: TARO) is a multinational, science-based pharmaceutical company, dedicated to meeting the needs of its customers through the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of the highest quality healthcare products. For further information on Taro, please visit the Company's website at www.taro.com. Out-licensing Agreement with Taro Pharmaceuticals Inc. On April 25, 2017, the Company entered into a Development and Commercialization License Agreement ("the Agreement") with Taro Pharmaceuticals Inc. Under the terms of the Agreement, Crescita granted Taro an exclusive license to sell and distribute Pliaglis and Flexicaine in the U.S. market. Crescita retained all rights to Pliaglis in Canada and Mexico and continues to explore alternatives for the preferred commercial distribution pathway for Pliaglis in these territories. During the first quarter of 2018, the Company announced that the product was launched in the U.S. by Taro. About Crescita Therapeutics Inc. Crescita (TSX: CTX) is a publicly traded, Canadian commercial dermatology company with a portfolio of non-prescription skincare products and prescription drug products for the treatment and care of skin conditions and diseases and their symptoms. Crescita owns multiple proprietary drug delivery platforms that support the development of patented formulations that can facilitate the delivery of active drugs into or through the skin. For additional information, please visit www.crescitatherapeutics.com. Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "will" and similar references to future periods. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on the Company's current beliefs, expectations and assumptions, the future of its business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company's control. Crescita's actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, readers should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause Crescita's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, the risk factors included in Crescita's most recent Annual Information Form dated March 27, 2018 under the heading "Risks Factors", and as described from time to time in the reports and disclosure documents filed by Crescita with Canadian securities regulatory agencies and commissions. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Crescita's forward-looking statements. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, no assurance can be given as to any such future results, levels of activity or achievements and none of Crescita or any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this Press Release is based only on information currently available to it and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, Crescita undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. SOURCE Crescita Therapeutics Inc. Related Links http://www.crescitatherapeutics.com Refer to the Appendix included in this news release for specific 2019 and 2018 guidance metrics, related footnotes and basis of presentation. In addition to the information in this release, a presentation describing the highlights of WellCare's full-year 2019 guidance can be accessed via the following link: http://ir.wellcare.com/presentations . Full-Year 2019 Guidance Highlights GAAP1 total revenue is expected to increase to a range of $25.8 billion to $26.7 billion primarily as a result of the acquisition of Meridian in 2018 and organic growth in all three business segments. The GAAP and adjusted Medicaid Health Plans medical benefits ratios (MBR) are expected to be in a range of 88.8% to 89.3% and 89.5% to 90.0%, respectively, primarily reflecting new business mix as a result of the company's expanded Medicaid contract in Florida and the acquisition of Meridian in 2018. Additionally, the GAAP Medicaid Health Plans MBR reflects the absence of Medicaid ACA industry fee reimbursement in 2019. The Medicare Health Plans MBR is expected to be in a range of 85.0% to 85.8%, primarily as a result of the ACA industry fee moratorium in 2019, partially offset by continued operational execution. The Medicare PDP MBR is expected to be in a range of 82.5% to 83.5%, primarily due to bid positioning. The adjusted selling, general and administrative (SG&A)2 expense ratio is expected to decrease to a range of 7.65% to 7.80%, primarily as a result of operational leverage and the company's acquisition of Meridian in 2018. 1Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") 2Refer to Guidance Footnotes and Basis of Presentation for reconciliation of adjusted item to GAAP About WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses primarily on providing government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, as well as individuals in the Health Insurance Marketplace. WellCare serves approximately 5.5 million members nationwide as of September 30, 2018. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com. Appendix: Full-Year 2019 and 2018 Guidance Metrics Guidance Metric 2019 Guidance as of December 17, 2018 2018 Guidance As of October 30, 2018 Revenue: GAAP Medicaid Health Plans $17.1B to $17.6B $12.7B to $12.9B Adjusted Medicaid Health Plans(1) $17.0B to $17.5B $12.3B to $12.45B Medicare Health Plans $7.2B to $7.5B $6.25B to $6.35B Medicare PDP $1.0B to $1.1B $825M to $875M Medicaid ACA industry fee reimbursement - $280M to $285M Products and services $300M to $325M $120M to $125M Investment and other income(2) $125M to $135M $101M to $105M GAAP total revenue $25.8B to $26.7B $20.0B to $20.3B Adjusted total revenue(1) $25.6B to $26.6B $19.6B to $19.9B Segment MBR: GAAP Medicaid Health Plans 88.8% to 89.3% 85.6% to 85.9% Adjusted Medicaid Health Plans(1) 89.5% to 90.0% 88.4% to 88.8% Medicare Health Plans 85.0% to 85.8% 84.1% to 84.7% Medicare PDP 82.5% to 83.5% 75.0% to 76.5% Costs of products and services $290M to $315M $117M to $121M Adjusted SG&A ratio(3)(4) 7.65% to 7.80% 8.35% to 8.45% ACA industry fee expense - $342M to $346M GAAP depreciation and amortization (D&A) expense $280M to $287M $178M to $182M Adjusted D&A expense(5) $130M to $137M $102M to $106M Interest expense $120M to $124M $87M to $89M Adjusted effective income tax rate(4)(6) 23.5% to 24.5% 34.0% to 35.0% Diluted shares outstanding 50.7M to 51.0M - Adjusted EPS(4)(7) $13.15 to $13.40 $10.90 to $11.00 (1) Excludes an estimated $125.0 million to $130.0 million and $130.0 million to $135.0 million in Medicaid premium taxes for 2018 and 2019, respectively. Excludes an estimated $280.0 million to $285.0 million in ACA industry fee reimbursement for 2018. There is no ACA industry fee reimbursement due to a one-year federal moratorium of the ACA industry fee in 2019. (2) Investment & other income primarily includes investment income. (3) SG&A expense (GAAP) less investigation costs and transaction and integration costs divided by total revenue (GAAP) less Medicaid premium taxes revenue and ACA industry fee reimbursement in 2018. SG&A expense (GAAP) less transaction and integration costs divided by total revenue (GAAP) less Medicaid premium taxes revenue in 2019. (4) WellCare is not able to estimate amounts and the timing of expense associated with acquisition-related transaction and integration costs expected to be incurred as well as 2018 investigation costs and, therefore, cannot reconcile these metrics to total projected GAAP metrics. (5) Excludes an estimated $145.0 million to $155.0 million in acquisition-related amortization expenses in 2019. Excludes an estimated $75.0 million to $77.0 million in acquisition-related amortization expenses in 2018. (6) Excludes the estimated income tax effect associated with the 2018 investigation costs, acquisition-related amortization expenses, and transaction and integration costs. (7) The company estimates adjusted earnings per diluted share guidance by adjusting net income for the estimated net-of-tax effect of acquisition-related amortization expense, transaction and integration costs and 2018 investigation costs. Basis of Presentation Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to results determined under GAAP, WellCare provides certain non-GAAP financial measures that management believes are useful in assessing the company's performance. Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Earnings per share, net income and, as noted below, other specific operating and financial measures have been adjusted for the effect of certain expenses, and as appropriate, the related tax effect, related to previously disclosed government investigations and related litigation and resolution costs ("investigation costs") in 2018; amortization expense associated with acquisitions ("acquisition-related amortization expenses"); and certain one-time transaction and integration costs related to the acquisitions of Universal American, Meridian and the Aetna Part D Membership ("transaction and integration costs"). Although the excluded items may recur, WellCare believes that by providing non-GAAP measures exclusive of these items, it facilitates period-over-period comparisons and provides additional clarity about events and trends affecting its core operating performance, as well as providing comparability to competitor results. The investigation costs are related to a discrete incident which management does not expect to reoccur. WellCare has adjusted for acquisition-related amortization expenses as these transactions do not directly relate to the servicing of products for our customers and are not directly related to the core performance of its business operations. The transaction and integrations costs are related to specific events, which do not reflect the underlying ongoing performance of the business. In addition, because reimbursements for Medicaid premium tax and the ACA HIF are both included in the premium rates or reimbursement established in certain Medicaid contracts and also recognized separately as a component of expense, the company excludes these reimbursements from premium revenue and total revenue when calculating key ratios, when applicable, as the company believes that these components are not indicative of operating performance. The company is not able to project at the time of this news release and related presentation the amount and timing of expenses associated with investigation costs in 2018 or ongoing transaction and integration costs and, therefore, cannot reconcile projected non-GAAP measures affected by these items to projected GAAP measures. Following is a description of the adjustments made to GAAP measures used to calculate the non-GAAP measures used in this news release and related presentation. Adjusted total revenue (non-GAAP) = Total revenue (GAAP) less Medicaid premium taxes revenue and, in 2018, ACA industry fee reimbursement. Adjusted premium revenue (non-GAAP) = Premium revenue (GAAP) less Medicaid premium taxes revenue and, in 2018, ACA industry fee reimbursement. The company's adjusted Medicaid Health Plans segment premium revenue uses this non-GAAP definition of adjusted premium revenue. MBR (GAAP) = medical benefits expense divided by premium revenue (GAAP). Adjusted MBR (non-GAAP) = medical benefits expense divided by adjusted premium revenue. The company's adjusted Medicaid Health Plans segment MBR uses this non-GAAP definition of adjusted MBR. SG&A expense ratio (GAAP) = SG&A expense (GAAP) divided by total revenue (GAAP). Adjusted SG&A expense (non-GAAP) = SG&A expense (GAAP) less transaction and integration costs and, in 2018, investigation costs. Adjusted SG&A ratio (non-GAAP) = adjusted SG&A expense divided by adjusted total revenue. Adjusted depreciation & amortization (non-GAAP) = depreciation & amortization expense (GAAP) less acquisition-related amortization expenses. Adjusted income before taxes (non-GAAP) = income before income taxes (GAAP) less acquisition-related amortization expenses, transaction and integration costs and, in 2018, investigation costs. Adjusted income tax expense (non-GAAP) = income tax associated with the applicable adjusted income before taxes, based on the applicable effective income tax rate. Adjusted effective income tax rate (non-GAAP) = adjusted income tax expense divided by adjusted income before taxes. Adjusted net income (non-GAAP) = adjusted income before taxes less adjusted income tax expense. Net income margin (GAAP) = net income (GAAP) divided by total revenue (GAAP). Adjusted net income margin (non-GAAP) = adjusted net income divided by adjusted total revenue. Adjusted earnings per diluted share (non-GAAP) = Adjusted net income divided by weighted average common shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release and related presentation contains "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "will" and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. For example, statements regarding the company's financial outlook contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause WellCare's actual future results to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, WellCare's progress on top priorities such as integrating care management, advocating for our members, building advanced relationships with providers and government partners, ensuring a competitive cost position, and delivering prudent, profitable growth, WellCare's ability to effectively estimate and manage growth, WellCare's ability to effectively identify, execute and integrate acquisitions, WellCare's ability to improve health care quality and access, potential reductions in Medicaid and Medicare revenue, WellCare's ability to estimate and manage medical benefits expense effectively, including through its vendors, its ability to negotiate actuarially sound rates, especially in new programs with limited experience, the appropriation and payment by state governments of Medicaid premiums receivable, the approval of Medicaid contracts by CMS, any changes to the programs or contracts, WellCare's ability to address operational challenges related to new business, and WellCare's ability to meet the requirements of readiness reviews. Given the risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements, any of WellCare's forward-looking statements could be incorrect and investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements. Additional information regarding these and other important risks and uncertainties can be found in the company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, included under the captions "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and in the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2018, which contain discussions of WellCare's business and the various factors that may affect it. Subsequent events and developments may cause actual results to differ, perhaps materially, from WellCare's forward-looking statements. WellCare's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements are made. WellCare undertakes no duty, and expressly disclaims any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements to reflect any future events, developments or otherwise. SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Related Links http://www.wellcare.com GUDURU, Ethiopia, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- XCMG, China's leading construction machinery manufacturer, has announced the third stage of its African Water Cellar Project at bauma China 2018. The company's 4.43 million yuan (US$643,119) joint donation with 26 strategic suppliers will enable to build 80 water cellars in Ethiopia, 40 for families and 40 in schools. Established in 2016, XCMG's water cellar project is one of the 14 in the company's "For Better Life" global public welfare campaign in partnership with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA). To date, XCMG has built 81 water cellars in Ethiopia that are benefiting 6,700 people, the last 40 of which were completed in Guduru (Kombolcha), Ethiopia in October and are already providing clean drinking and irrigation water to the people there. "Almost one of every three people in Africa does not have access to clean water. Waterborne diseases like typhoid fever and cholera can be fatal to children, which is why we want to build water cellars for schools. As a leader in construction machinery industry, XCMG is fully committed to shouldering the responsibility of trying to improve the lives of the people who live in the areas we operate in," said Xiaohui Xu, GM Assistant of XCMG. In October, a team visited public primary schools in Ethiopia's capital city, Addis Ababa, and were astounded by the fact that 150 of the 230 schools are not equipped to provide clean water, 90% of the students drink less than 500ml of water a day, and children are getting sick from drinking unclean water. Only 2% of the students wash their hands with soap. To help, XCMG will build 40 school water cellars in Addis Ababa in addition to 40 family water cellars in villages suffering from drought. Each school will be equipped with a 10,000-litre (2,641 U.S. gallon) carbon fiber water tank, VZN water filter, five drinking fountains and five washbasins, which together can provide 1,000 students with water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene for 2-3 days. About XCMG XCMG is a multinational heavy machinery manufacturing company with a history of 74 years. It currently ranks sixth in the world's construction machinery industry. The company exports to more than 177 countries and regions around the world. For more information, please visit: www.xcmg.com, or XCMG's pages on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. SOURCE XCMG Related Links http://www.xcmg.com Damascus, Dec 17 : Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Syria's capital Damascus, the first Arab leader to do so since the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011, state news agency SANA reported. The Sudanese President was received by his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad at the international airport of Damascus, Xinhua news agency cited a report by SANA on Sunday. Al-Bashir arrived in Damascus for an official working visit. During their meeting, the two leaders agreed that the crises in many Arab countries require new approaches based on the respect of the sovereignty and the policy of non-interference in their internal affairs. Al-Bashir wished Syria a quick recovery, hoping that its people can determine their own future without foreign interventions. The Sudanese president also highlighted his country's support to Syria, saying Sudan is ready to provide whatever needed to support the territorial integrity and unity of Syria. For his part, Assad said al-Bashir's visit will give a strong push toward restoring the bilateral relations to what they were before the war. Al-Bashir arrived in the afternoon and left the country hours later in the evening. Throughout the Syrian crisis since 2011, most Arab countries have cut or downgraded their diplomatic relations with Syria. But in recent months, reports emerged that some Arab countries had requested the resumption of their diplomatic relations with Syria. The fresh nudge in the diplomatic relations comes amid a succession of victories of the Syrian army, which enabled the Syrian government to control much of the country. Ankara, Dec 17 : A Turkish Minister has said that US President Donald Trump's administration is working on the extradition of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen for his alleged role in an attempted coup in Turkey two years ago. In an interview on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu asserted that US President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the G20 summit in Argentina this month that Washington was "working on" the extradition of Gulen, reports CNN. The exiled cleric, 77, has been living in a gated compound in eastern Pennsylvania after leaving Turkey in 1999. Erdogan has held Gulen responsible for the deadly attempted coup against him in 2016 -- a charge the cleric has denied. However, there's no sign from Washington that the US is moving towards extraditing Gulen. Last month, the State Department said the US had received multiple requests from the Turkish government and continued to evaluate materials presented. Cavusoglu also claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had evidence that Gulen's organisation, known as FETO, "had been violating US laws, including tax fraud, visa fraud and also some other illegal activities". The FBI however, has not responded to the claim. Cavusoglu's remarks have suggested that relations between Ankara and Washington were yet again headed into rough waters after a calmer spell which saw the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson in October after two years in jail and under house arrest, CNN said. The Minister described Brunson as a CIA agent, but said the Gulen issue and "US support to YPG/PKK in Syria, which are posing threat to our national security", were more serious issues. The YPG (Kurdish militia) has been Washington's main ally on the ground in northeastern Syria against the Islamic State but is regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey, indistinguishable from Kurdish PKK separatists in Turkey. Last week, with support from US airstrikes, YPG fighters drove IS out of the town of Hajin. Washington, Dec 17 : The US has said that it welcomes Pakistans efforts to promote peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, a media report said on Monday. The acknowledgement on Sunday came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Pakistan had arranged another round of talks between the US and Taliban officials but he did not say when and where, the Dawn report said. But Voice of America (VOA) radio's Dari service reported on Sunday that US special representative ZalAmay Khalilzad is likely to meet Taliban representatives in Islamabad on Monday. Previous talks were held in Doha, Qatar. "The US welcomes any actions by the Pakistani government to promote greater cooperation, including fostering negotiations between the Taliban, the Afghan government, and other Afghans," a US embassy spokesperson in Kabul told VOA. Khalilzad, had met, and would continue to meet, all interested parties, including the Taliban, to support a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the spokesperson added. VOA reported that two weeks ago the special representative had asked Pakistani authorities to facilitate the Afghan peace process. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that Pakistan had asked the Taliban "to lay down their arms and prepare for talks". Qureshi said that while "Pakistan can help with these talks, the Afghan government, the Taliban and other groups must begin their own compromises and dialogues"., Dawn reported Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump wrote to Prime Minister Khan, seeking his help to bring the Taliban to the table for negotiations. The prime minister told reporters in Peshawar on Friday that the US had changed its tune by requesting help instead of saying Islamabad was not doing enough, as US officials have previously insisted. Riyadh, Dec 17 : Saudi Arabia on Monday rejected recent moves by the US Senate over the murder of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Senate on December 13 voted to recommend ending American military assistance to the Saudi-led operation in Yemen, and accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement in Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October, reports Xinhua news agency. The positions of the US Senate were based on "unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdom's internal affairs, undermining the Kingdom's regional and international role", the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement said that the the journalist's murder was a deplorable crime which does not reflect the Kingdom's policy. Saudi authorities have said he died in a "brawl" in the consulate on October 2 and denied that the Crown Prince had ordered the killing. The US Congress has urged a thorough investigation into his death and threatened to take more actions against Saudi Arabia, such as sanctions, if those responsible were not held accountable. However, American President Donald Trump's administration has been reluctant to further punish the Saudi government. Tel Aviv, Dec 17 : Facebook temporarily banned Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for posting anti-Muslim posts, the media reported on Monday. According to a report in The Times of Israel, Yair's Facebook account was blocked for 24 hours on Sunday after he called for "avenging the deaths" of two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers who were killed at the West Bank shooting last week. "Unbelievable. Facebook blocks me for 24 hours for simply criticizing it! Thought police," Yari wrote on Twitter. Facebook is yet to comment on this. After the controversial Facebook post was removed, he wrote that the social media giant was "trying to shut our mouths in the only place where we have the right to express our opinions". Yari also posted a screenshot of the original post along with new posts criticising Facebook. "Do you know where there are no terror attacks? In Iceland and Japan. Coincidentally there's also no Muslim population there," he posted. This is not the first time Yair has been in the spotlight. According to The Jerusalem Post, in 2017, Yair posted a diagram featuring antisemitic tropes such as Jewish billionaire George Soros, who funds left-wing causes and organizations in several countries. "The post depicted Soros controlling the world via other conspiracy theory figures like lizard people, known as Reptilians, and the Illuminati or Freemasons," the report added. Mumbai, Dec 17 : Actor Sushant Singh Rajput has said that he was really happy with the audience response to his recently released film "Kedarnath" because whenever an audience appreciates a movie, then it encourages an actor to do better. Susuhant was interacting with the media at Star Screen Awards 2018 here on Sunday. Director Abhishek Kapoor's romance-drama "Kedarnath" features the actor opposite debutant Sara Ali Khan. It set against the backdrop of the disastrous 2013 Uttarakhand floods. The movie has managed to collect a total of Rs 42 crore after the end of its first week. Talking about the film's success, Sushant said: "I am really happy with the audience response to the film. When an actor's work gets appreciated then it feels good because through that he gets an encouragement. "The kind of minute detail we have shown in the film, they are getting connected to it and appreciating it. As an actor or as a filmmaker, all we want is that whatever we wanted to say should reach towards the audience without any obstacle." Sushant's former girlfriend of six years Ankita Lokhande is also gearing up for her Bollywood debut in "Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi"/ Last week, casting director Mukesh Chhabra shared her first look from the film on his Instagram and captioned it: "Here is the official look of actress Ankita Lokhande as Jhalkari Bai in her debut film - 'Manikarnik'a. A woman soldier in Rani Laxmibai's army, Jhalkari Bai eventually rose to the position of an advisor to the Queen." Sushant commented on the post: "It looks absolutely great Ankita. I am extremely happy to see this. May God bless you with lots of success and happiness." Ankita replied" "Thank you Sushant. I wish you the same." Talking about the incident, Sushant said on Sunday: "I saw the picture and I really liked it.I wanted to congratulate her on that so, I did it." When asked Sushant whether he congratulated Ankita personally on her Hindi film debut, he said, "I am the same person on digital platform and in my real life so, whatever comment I made on that post was not to show off for people but I really wanted to congratulate her. She also replied to my comment then, I feel there wasn't need for any separate conversation." Sushant will be seen in Tarun Mansukhani's "Drive" and Abhishek Chaubey's "Son Chiriya". Srinagar, Dec 17 : Authorities on Monday imposed curfew-like restrictions in Srinagar to prevent a separatist-called protest march against the civilian killings which took place in Pulwama district on the weekend, police said. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was detained when he was leading a protest march to the Army headquarters in the city. Malik along with his supporters started the march from Gaw Kadal area. When they reached Badshah Chowk in Maisuma, police intercepted them using tear gas shells. The separatist leader, who had gone underground two days earlier to evade the arrest, was then taken into custody, and the march was also foiled. Separatists had called for a three-day shutdown and a protest march to the Badami Bagh cantonment headquarters against civilian killings in Pulwama district on Saturday. Restrictions would remain in force in Ram Munshibagh, Rainawari, Khanyar, Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj and Safa Kadal areas, with partial restrictions in Maisuma and Kralkhud. The Army issued a statement on Sunday asking people not to participate in the protest march. Heavy deployments of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were made in the old city area here and other law and order sensitive places. All shops, public transport and educational institutes remained closed on Monday. Senior separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq have been placed under house arrest. Rail services between the valley and the Jammu region remained cancelled for a third day on Monday. On Saturday, seven civilians were killed and over 35 others injured in clashes with the security forces which broke out in Pulwama district's Sirnoo village immediately after a gunfight in the area. Three militants and a soldier were also killed in the gunfight. Visakhapatnam, Dec 17 : Heavy rains accompanied by squally winds were lashing parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday as the severe cyclonic storm 'Phethai' is set to hit the coast near Kakinada later in the day, officials said. Incessant rains were lashing East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts since Sunday night under the impact of 'Phethai' in Bay of Bengal. Squally winds have uprooted trees and electricity poles in some places. Electricity supply to Kakinada town and several other parts of East Godavari district was snapped. The meteorologists have asked people to remain indoors during the landfall of the storm. Authorities have sounded red alert in seven out of nine coastal districts and opened over 300 relief camps to provide shelter to people evacuated from coastal villages and low-lying areas. A holiday was declared for all educational institutions in the coastal district. Authorities have also suspended long-distance bus services and cancelled several trains as a precautionary measure. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation with district collectors through vide-conference from Amaravati. He directed them to treat this as an emergency situation and gear up the district administration to prevent loss of life. Naidu asked officials to keep the helicopters on standby for rescue and relief operations. Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were already deployed in the districts likely to be impacted by the cyclone. According to the Met Department, 'Phethai' lay centred at 160 km southeast of Machilipatnam Aand 190 km south of Kakinada early Monday. "It is very likely to move northwards and cross Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada during 17th December afternoon. However, due to unfavourable environmental conditions, it is likely to weaken before landfall and cross coast as a cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 70-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph," it said. The IMD has forecast rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and extremely heavy falls at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam district of Puducherry, which is an enclave in East Godavari district. The Met office warned that storm surge of height of about 0.5 to 1.0 metres above the astronomical tides may inundate the low lying areas of East Godavari, West Godavari, Vishakhapatnam and Krishna districts and Yanam district of Puducherry at the time of landfall. Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea and those already out in deep sea were advised to return to the coast. Riyadh, Dec 17 : Saudi Arabia on Monday denounced the US Senate's resolutions to end American military aid for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen and to blame the country's Crown Prince for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said: "The Kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate," the BBC reported. It said that such a position "was built on untrue allegations and affirms a total rejection of any interference in its internal affairs. "The Kingdom has previously asserted that the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi is a deplorable crime that does not reflect the Kingdom's policy nor its institutions and reaffirms its rejection of any attempts to take the case out of the path of justice in the Kingdom." The Senate on December 13 voted to recommend ending American military assistance to the Saudi-led operation in Yemen, and accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement in Khashoggi's murder. The vote was the first time any chamber of US Congress had agreed to pull US forces from a military conflict under the 1973 War Powers Act. Some of President Trump's fellow Republicans defied him to pass the measure with Democrats by 56-41. The US was yet to publicly respond to the Saudi statement. Khashoggi was killed on October 2 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, the BBC reported. Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has said Khashoggi was killed on the orders of a rogue intelligence officer. Turkish officials however say they have evidence, including gruesome audio recordings, that the journalist was killed by a team of Saudi agents on orders that came from the highest levels. His body has not yet been found. Gurugram, Dec 17 : Traffic movement between Manesar and Gurugram was hit as a huge portion of the Rampura flyover on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway broke off and fell amid a busy Monday rush, police said. "The concrete chunk fell from the middle of the four-lane flyover, luckily no one was hurt," said Jitender Yadav, an eyewitness. About a six square feet portion of the Rampura flyover in Haryana fell off around 9 a.m. The flyover is nearly 46 km from Delhi. "The effected portion of the expressway (on the Jaipur-Delhi route) have been cordoned off," Manesar traffic police chief Munesh Kumar told IANS. "We have deployed extra police on and near the flyover and the heavy traffic was diverted to the service lanes. "Light traffic is passing on the elevated road using the two lanes. "Traffic passing under the effected flyover have been completely stopped following instructions issued by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)," Kumar added. "The situation during the day may worsen after heavy traffic hits the road after 11 a.m.," said Vijay Yadav, former sarpanch (village head) of Rampura said. The flyover was opened for traffic nearly two years ago. A portion of another flyover near Manesar and Hero Honda Chowk had fallen down earlier in 2018. NHAI senior officials did not respond to phone calls made by IANS. Mumbai, Dec 17 : Actress Genelia Deshmukh called her actor-husband Riteish Deshmukh the world's "best creation" on his 40th birthday on Monday. Reminiscing their memories, Genelia posted an adorable photograph of herself with Riteish on Instagram and wrote: "Dear Forever, I still remember celebrating your birthday on 'Tujhe Meri Kasam' sets... 17 years ago. Time flies and I have had the opportunity to celebrate so many of your birthdays through all these years." "Your birthday will always be most special to me because it's the day the world got its best creation and that creation is my partner through thick and thin. I love you and I will take every opportunity to remind you of how much I do. Happy Birthday," she added. The couple, who has featured together in movies like "Masti" and "Tere Naal Love Hogaya", tied the knot in 2012 and welcomed their first child, a son named Riaan, in November 2014. Their second son Rahyl Deshmukh was born in June 2016. Genelia and Riteish have also reunited on the big screen after four years for a song "Dhuvun taak" in the latter's latest released Marathi movie "Mauli". Dubai, Dec 17 : An Indian construction worker has been jailed in Dubai for 15 years for getting drunk and stabbing his colleague and attacking another co-worker who tried to stop him. The incident took place in 2017 and all three men were Indians, reports Gulf News. In October, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 26-year-old accused of premeditated murder and murder bid. The convict appealed against the primary ruling before the Appeal Court and sought to have a reduced imprisonment. On Sunday, his appeal was rejected and the presiding judge said the convict will be deported after serving his jail term. The injured worker, 29, said the accused stabbed him as well when he intervened and tried to stop the knife attack. The victim died due to severe stab wounds in the chest. New Delhi, Dec 17 : Global lifestyle accessories giant Fossil Group on Monday launched seven Next-Gen touchscreen smartwatches under its six brands for the tech-savvy millennials in the country. Starting from Rs 19,995, the seven smartwatches are: Fossil Gen 4 Smartwatch Venture HR and Explorist HR for Fossil; Skagen Falster 2 for Skagen; Michael Kors Access Runway for Michael Kors; Emporio Armani Connected for Emporio Armani; A|X Armani Exchange Connected for Armani Exchange and Diesel Full Guard for Diesel. "India has 47 per cent of its population below 25. They understand technology very well," Johnson Verghese, Managing Director, Fossil India, told IANS. "We have a unique space as young, tech-savvy, fashion-conscious and aspirational youth are backing us," Verghese added. Powered with Wear OS by Google and running Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 Platform, the new product line comes with features like touchscreen digital display, Bluetooth technology, wireless syncing and magnetic charging, compatibility with iOS 9.3+ and Android 4.4+ (excluding Go edition) and long battery life. The smartwatches have features like heart rate sensor, GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light and microphone. "With the launch of next generation of smartwatches, we have amplified the technological features on the wrist while maintaining our aesthetically fashioned designs, creating an experience individual to each consumer", said Johnson Verghese, Managing Director. The heart rate functionality was an important ask from consumers, said the company, adding that whether going for a run outside or hitting the gym, you can automatically track your heart rate during logged exercises with Google Fit. The dials have heart rate integrated into the designs, to show users beats per minute on the watch face. "Since our entry into the smartwatch market three years ago, it has been Fossil's mission to meld technology and design," added Gautam Sharma, Vice President Brand Strategy-APAC. New "untethered GPS" capabilities allow to track walks and runs, hikes, bike rides and more via Google Fit and third-party fitness apps. The added swim-proof functionality will help users track swim workouts, said the company. New Delhi, Dec 17 : The Lok Sabha was on Monday adjourned till 2 p.m. as the opposition created ruckus in support of their various demands, including a JPC probe into Rafale fighter jet deal and special status to Andhra Pradesh. Soon after the House met at noon after the first adjournment, Congress, AIADMK and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering. The AIADMK members raised the Cauvery water issue while the TDP demanded special status for Andhra Pradesh. The Congress members were seen sloganeering against the government for misleading the Supreme Court on the Rafale deal. They showed a placard which read the "government which lies to the Supreme Court has no right to continue". They were countered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who demanded an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi as the apex court has given a clean chit to the government in the case. The BJP members also held up a printed placard mentioning "Congress party is a liar, Rahul Gandhi should apologise". Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urged the agitating members to allow the Zero Hour to progress but the members continued with their protests. Amid the din, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, commonly known as Triple Talaq Bill, despite opposition from Congress member Shashi Tharoor. Tharoor said the Bill was based on the ground of a specific religion and it was "violation of Section 14 and 21 of the Constitution". Amid the din, the Shiromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandu Majra raked up the High Court judgement against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots while the BJP's Ganesh Singh demanded early construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. As the ruckus continued and the opposition members were on their feet, Mahajan adjourned the House till 2 p.m. Earlier, the House was adjourned till noon. When the House met for Question Hour, opposition members from the Congress and TDP 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. They continued sloganeering with placards in their hands. As the din continued, the Speaker had to adjourn the House. Mumbai, Dec 17 : Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday targeted the Congress for "knowingly misleading" the people over the pricing of the Rafale fighter jets and hinting at corruption in the deal. Addressing the media, she accused the Congress and the Gandhi family of displaying "amazing audacity" by not heeding the Supreme Court verdict in the Rafale case on December 14. "The Congress is knowingly misleading the people... in the pricing of the Rafale jets," Sitharaman said at the Bharatiya Janata Party state headquarters here. Her media briefing was part of the ruling BJP's series of interactions planned all over India to defend the Rafale deal, now under attack from the Congress. New Delhi, Dec 17 : With digital transformation rapidly re-defining the regional landscape in India -- amid humongous amount of data being generated -- many more enterprises this year looked at embracing agile, scalable and cost-friendly Cloud offerings, searching for providers with deep technological expertise to help transform their businesses. However, while improving IT security and increasing business agility remained among the top expected benefits of Cloud by Indian enterprises, the challenges related to costs and complexities with infrastructure cannot be ignored, suggested a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC). Compared to the Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) markets where more than 14 per cent of organisations are in the latter stages of Cloud maturity, only 10 per cent of the Indian organisations are currently in the advanced stages, IDC said, adding that most organisations in India have plans to spend maximum of their new Cloud spending on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications over the next year. According to Sashikumar Sreedharan, Microsoft India's Managing Director for Enterprise Commercial Business, end-customers are not only migrating workloads to the Cloud but also investing in Cloud to support new capabilities as they evolve their businesses. "In fact, many customers are opting for a 'Cloud-first' approach in acquiring new IT assets. With this, Indian enterprises are now understanding the importance of incorporating Cloud technologies in their digital journey," Sreedharan told IANS. Nearly 88 per cent business leaders from India, polled in the Microsoft's "Asia Digital Transformation Study", acknowledge that Cloud technology is a critical enabler that will fuel their digital transformation. "A whopping 92 per cent of them believe that every organisation needs to be a 'digital organisation' to drive growth and innovation for their business," added Sreedharan. Microsoft estimates that the move to digital is a massive $100 billion plus opportunity in India. For Oracle, 2018 saw strong Cloud adoption by the Indian firms, both big and small. "We expect this to pick up further pace in 2019. Hybrid IT environments are on the rise, and we expect this trend to continue through 2020 as well, with Indian businesses moving to the Cloud in a phased manner," said Shailender Kumar, Regional Managing Director, Oracle India. Most Indian businesses are currently looking to adopt Hybrid Cloud and the trend continued this year. Hybrid Cloud is a computing environment that uses a mix of on-premise, private Cloud and third-party public Cloud services, with orchestration between the two platforms. Nearly 43 per cent of Indian enterprises will adopt Hybrid Cloud by 2020 -- from 13 per cent as of today -- and the country will lead the world in Hybrid Cloud usage and adoption over the next two years, a global report by enterprise Cloud computing leader Nutanix predicted this month. For India, 91 per cent of respondents agreed that Cloud computing has increased the efficiency of their IT departments. "As billions more people, places and things become connected to the Internet, and more and more enterprises move their systems, software and processes to Cloud providers, the need to connect, communicate, manage and align these varying components takes on a new perspective," explained Neville Vincent, Vice President, ASEAN, ANZ and India at Nutanix. Gartner also predicted that that Hybrid Cloud solutions will continue to drive overall adoption in India. However, according to Oracle's Kumar, hybrid IT environments also bring to the fore security and interoperability risks. "Hence, businesses are now demanding a far more secure, next generation, truly enterprise-grade Cloud," Kumar told IANS. Jagjit Arora, Senior Director-Sales, VMware India, said that almost all organisations across sectors are in the process of digital transformation. "From our conversations with customers across sectors, I know that appetite for Cloud in India is increasing and evolving. Customers' interests are shifting to multi and Hybrid Clouds driven by the flexibility, agility and scalability," said the VMware executive. There may be a tectonic shift in Cloud adoption in India and the government too has joined the bandwagon. According to Teresa Carlson, Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector at Amazon Web Services (AWS), retail giant Amazon's Cloud arm, in just about two years', there has been a significant change on Cloud adoption in the public sector in India. "The state governments are moving really faster on adopting Cloud than the US state governments when they were exposed to the Cloud computing eight years back," Carlson told IANS. The company launched AWS Asia Pacific (Mumbai) Region with two availability zones in 2016. "For the first time since launching the Mumbai region services, AWS has seen a 70 per cent increase in the accounts of Indian companies," said Amazon Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Werner Vogels. The momentum, said Cloud providers, is only going to increase, with more and more industry specific use cases coming to the fore. (Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in) Bengaluru, Dec 17 : The US Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the good manufacturing practices of Biocon's new active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) facility near Hyderabad in Telangana last week, said the biotech firm on Monday. "The US FDA conducted a GMP inspection of our APIs manufacturing facility near Hyderabad from December 12-14 and concluded without any observation," said the city-based pharma major in a statement here. Los Angeles, Dec 17 : Actor Geoffrey Rush has denied fresh allegations that he acted inappropriately towards an actress. "Orange is the New Black" actress Yael Stone has said that the alleged incidents took place when the pair starred together in a Sydney play in 2010-11. She alleged that Rush danced naked in her presence, watched her shower, and sent her sexual text messages. On Monday, Rush responded to Stone's allegations, saying they were "incorrect" and in some instances "taken completely out of context", reports bbc.com. "Clearly Yael has been upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work," the actor said in a statement released by his lawyer. "I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused her any distress." In interviews with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The New York Times, Stone alleged that a string of incidents took place during a production of "The Diary of a Madman". The Australian actress, then 25, received text messages from her co-star, then 59, that became "increasingly sexual" in nature, according to her accounts. She also alleged that the Oscar winner had once held a mirror above her when she was showering in an attempt to see her naked. Stone said she did not complain at the time because she feared it would harm her career. Earlier this year, actress Eryn Jean Norvill accused Rush of touching her inappropriately -- a claim he has denied. Bengaluru, Dec 17 : State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has test flown the third prototype of Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), the defence behemoth said on Monday. "The third prototype (PT3) of LUH made its maiden flight on December 14. The chopper was flown by test pilots Wing Commander (retired) Anil Bhambhani and Group Captain (retired) M.R. Anand," the city-based HAL said in a statement. The development came soon after the defence major announced on December 10 that a prototype of the LUH was test flown at an altitude of six kilometres, which is considered a critical requirement for the certification of the light helicopter. The third prototype's flight was flawless and would augment the flight testing towards certification, HAL said. "With this flight, LUH is now close to production clearance and HAL is confident of meeting the requirements of the armed forces," said the aerospace major Chairman and Managing Director R. Madhavan in the statement. The LUH is a three-tonne class single-engine light helicopter under development by the HAL, so as to replace the aging Cheetah and Chetak choppers used by the Indian defence forces. The LUH prototype took its first flight on September 6, 2016 and the second prototype flew on May 22, 2017. HAL is planning high altitude cold weather trials of LUH in January 2019. The state-run aerospace firm has an "in principle" order for 187 LUH -- 126 for the Indian Army and 61 for the Indian Air Force. The helicopter is being indigenously developed by HAL to meet the requirements for both military and civil operations. Jammu/Srinagar, Dec 17 : It's been a fairly turbulent year in the state, both security-wise and politically. It saw more violence compared to last year, even though the security forces killed many militants, including some top commanders of militant outfits. There were 587 incidents of violence during 2018 compared to 329 last year. Official figures say 240 militants were killed during the year against 200 last year. Casualties among civilians and the security forces have also been comparatively higher. Thirty-seven civilians and 86 security men were killed in 2018 against 36 civilians and 74 security personnel killed last year. Permanent peace eluded the state in 2018 as it has during more than 30-years of strife. According to senior intelligence officers, there are still around 240 militants, including foreigners, who are active in the state. "The number keeps on varying depending upon infiltration of new militants from across the line of control (LoC) and recruitment of local youth into militant ranks", said a senior intelligence officer. Summing up the security scenario, Lieutenant General A.K. Bhatt, who commands the Srinagar-headquartered 15 corps of the Indian Army and is the senior-most army officer in the Valley, said: "The security forces have a limited role in controlling the ground situation in the state. The final solution has to be political." On the political front, there was a dramatic turn in June when the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suddenly announced in New Delhi that it was withdrawing from the ruling coalition in the state, headed by the Peoples Democratic Party. The announcement was not unexpected as the two ideologically opposed parties were ruling the state for four years through an uneasy arrangement that appeared brittle from day one since the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed announced it in 2015. With the withdrawal of BJP support, the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition fell and Governor N.N.Vohra dismissed the government, even though the state assembly was kept in suspended animation for any future alliance to stake claim to power. Vohra was subsequently replaced by Satya Pal Malik who became the first politician to be made the state governor. As compared to his predecessor, Malik chose to speak to media as often as he could to put forth his view point, sometimes to the embarrassment of both New Delhi and Malik himself. The fist thing the new governor did was to announce local urban bodies and panchayat elections in the state. Both these democratic processes were concluded peacefully throughout the state and their conduct is considered a feather in the administration's cap as the elected government had been shying away from conducting the elections. With the imposition of governor's rule, the PDP started suffering desertions as some of its dissident legislators launched an open rebellion against the party leadership. In the forefront of the dissidents was senior Shia leader and former state minister Imran Ansari who finally joined the Peoples Conference (PC) headed by Sajad Lone, himself a former minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government. Sajad's PC started emerging as the possible Third Front that could, in future, pose a challenge to both the PDP and the regional National Conference (NC) headed by Farooq Abdullah. Ever since the elected government fell, rumours started doing the rounds in the state that dissidents in the PDP, the NC and even the Congress party were waiting in wings to join the Third Front. The visit of BJP general secretary Ram Madhav to the state and his meetings with Sajad Lone and dissidents kept fuelling these rumours even when Madhav said there was no immediate move to form a government in the state. The fear of their flock being poached pushed the arch rivals, the NC and the PDP, come close to each other. In a surprise move, Altaf Bukhari, senior PDP leader and former minister emerged as the contender for the Chief Minister's post with outside support by the NC. With the NC's 15 and the PDP's 29 seats, the two parties hold a simple majority in the 87-member state assembly. The NC and the PDP said they had decided to sink their differences to protect the special status of the state as article 35-A and other constitutional provisions were being challenged to dilute this. There were also reports that the Congress was in the loop to shoot down horse-trading in the state. The PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, sent a fax to the Raj Bhawan seeking an appointment with the Governor to stake claim to power. The fax was never received as the Governor said later the fax operator at the Raj Bhawan was off duty due to a holiday. Amid claims and counter-claims, Governor Malik, in a dramatic move, dissolved the state assembly on November 21, justifying this by saying that he wanted to "prevent horse-trading". The possibility of any dialogue between the centre and the separatist leadership remained a distant possibility during the year. In all likelihood, this will have to wait till a new government takes office at the centre after the 2019 general elections in the country. Elections to the state assembly are also likely to be held simultaneously with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections around April-May next year. (Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in) Mumbai, Dec 17 : An Internet of Things (IoT)-based solution from IIT Bhubaneswar that can store, track and analyse data related to consumers' LPG consumption has won the first edition of 'The Grand India IoT Innovation Challenge' by digital infrastructure provider Tata Communications, the company said on Monday. The winner Prajjawala from IIT Bhubaneswar received Rs 5 lakh as top prize in the 4-month long contest organised in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) that received 757 applications from 27 engineering colleges and universities across the country. The second winner was the "Dominators" team from the Army Institute of Technology which designed an IoT device that can be plugged to a streetlight, creating a heat map of mosquitoes for the municipal authorities to assess and control mosquito breeding. "There is a need to build a holistic IoT ecosystem that will enable the use of technology to solve India specific problems," said VS Shridhar, Senior Vice President and Head, Internet of Things, Tata Communications. The third prize was jointly awarded to Sanrakshak from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) Chennai and the "Short Circuits" team from BITS Pilani. Sanrakshak created affordable sensors to provide real-time data on the occurrence of faults on the railway lines -- ensuring a safe and secure journey for travellers. "Short Circuits" addressed power deficiency issues by accessing the energy stored in electric vehicles, when not in use. The second winner was given a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh while the third placed secured Rs 1.5 lakh each. Engineering students from select colleges were invited to build prototypes of IoT-enabled solutions by leveraging Tata Communications' IoT infrastructure and expertise. "Through our LoRaWANTM based LPWAN and cloud-based IoT platform, we have been successfully catering to experiential and growing needs of the entire spectrum -- the government, large enterprises and start-ups," said Shridhar. According to a survey of 774 companies across four industries (conducted by the World Economic Forum and the Observer Research Foundation), nearly 84 per cent companies will need to re-train their existing employees with new technologies such as IoT, big data, Cloud computing and AI to address the skill gap. "One of the main challenges that India faces is the professional skill gap, where it has a big talented workforce but very few experienced on the emerging technologies," said Anjan Das, Executive Director, CII. New Delhi, Dec 17 : India and the Maldives on Monday agreed to deepen cooperation to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region as New Delhi extended lines of credit worth $1.4 billion to to the archipelago nation following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih here. The two sides also signed four agreements, including on cultural cooperation, IT and electronics cooperation and on improving the ecosystem for agribusiness. "President Solih and I agree that to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region, we need to deepen our cooperation," Modi said while jointly addressing the media with Solih after the talks. "Both India and the Maldives share equal interest and stake in the development and stability of our region," he said. Stating that the security interests of the two countries are related to each other, Modi said that there is also unanimity on the sustainability of this region and to be conscious of each other's interests and concerns. "We will not allow the use of our countries to harm each other," he said. "I want to work together with President Solih for the bright future of our region, and utilise all possibilities in the relationship between India and Maldives." According to a joint statement issued following the talks, both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean region through coordinated patrolling and aerial surveillance, exchange of information and capacity building. "The two leaders reaffirmed their unwavering commitment and support for increased cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations both within the region and elsewhere," it stated. "Both sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation on issues of common concern, including piracy, terrorism, organised crime, drugs and human trafficking." The Prime Minister hailed Maldives' decision to re-join the Commonwealth and welcomed the country as the newest member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. In his address, Modi also said that India is proud that the Maldives has become a medium income country from being a least developed country. "The Maldives achieved this despite facing the challenges of sustainable development and climate change," he said. "In resolving these challenges, and in the sustainable development of marine resources, the role of Maldives will be important throughout the world. "Therefore, we agreed to increase mutual cooperation on the various aspects of maritime cooperation between India and the Maldives." The Prime Minister said that India will always with be the Solih government in its efforts to carry out ambitious plans for changing the lives of the people of Maldives, and to give a human face to development in the country. "I am glad that as a direct expression of this commitment, for the socio-economic development of the Maldives, India will extend budget support, currency swap and concessional lines of credit worth $ 1.4 billion," he said. Modi also called for boosting connectivity between India and the Maldives saying that better connectivity will lead to exchange of goods and services, information, ideas, culture and people. He assured Solih of strengthening the two nations' partnership in health, human resource development, infrastructure, agriculture, capacity building, ICT and tourism. In this connection, Modi offered additonal 1,000 seats in India for Maldivian nationals for training and capacity building. The Prime Minister also called for boosting commercial relations and bilateral trade. "I welcome the growing opportunities for investment by Indian companies in the Maldives," he said. According to the joint statement, both leaders agreed to promote closer economic cooperation in sectors such as fisheries development, tourism, transportation, connectivity, health, education, information technology, new and renewable energy and communications. On his part, Solih said that during the discussions, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to democracy. "We agreed on the mutual need for regional stability and security in the Indian Ocean," he said. According to the statement, Solih reaffirmed his government's India-First Policy, and commitment to working together closely with India. "He appreciated the generous assistance provided by the government of India to Maldives, and identified various areas for developmental cooperation, including private sector involvement in development of housing and infrastructure, water and sewerage systems in the outlying islands, healthcare, education and tourism," it stated. In his address, Solih said that he has invited both President Ram Nath Kovind and Modi to visit the Maldives next year Earlier in the day, Solih was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan during which Modi greeted him with a hug. External Affairs Minister Suhma Swaraj also called on the visiting dignitary and discussed all aspects of the bilateral ties. Solih arrived here on Sunday on a three-day visit to India, his first foreign visit since assuming office on November 17. Relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after Solih's predecessor Abdulla Yameen imposed an internal emergency in February this year. Yameen was also seen as leaning towards China sidelining India. Solih defeated Yameen in the elections in September to take over as President. New Delhi, Dec 17 : Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan on Monday said SpiceJet and Vistara have shown interest in providing in-flight connectivity on their aircraft. She also said that global service providers are interested in facilitating in-flight connectivity services in the country. The Department of Telecommunication on Friday notified the rules for in-flight and maritime connectivity within the Indian territory which allows people to make voice calls and access internet services during air and maritime travel. "Many service providers are interested, global ones are very interested. Among the airlines - SpiceJet and Vistara - are interested. They have approached (the government)," the telecom secretary told reporters here on Monday on the sidelines of a seminar on the National Digital Communications Policy. "There are some airlines which have equipment installed on the aircraft to perform in-flight connectivity operations, so once they get the licence, they will be able to provide the service. Those who don't will have to tie up with the service provider to have the equipment installed," she added. The official notification for "In-Flight and Maritime Connectivity" (IFMC) said that the IFMC service provider shall provide the operation of mobile communication services in aircraft at minimum height of 3,000 meters in Indian airspace to avoid interference with terrestrial mobile networks. Internet services through Wi-Fi in aircraft shall be made available when electronic devices are permitted to be used only in airplane mode, the notification said. Bhubaneswar, Dec 17 : Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday urged his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik to implement the central government scheme of Ayushman Bharat. "I am surprised that Odisha is not connected with Ayushman Bharat. Whatever schemes the central government implements, it is for the welfare of the people. "So, the state government should connect to the health scheme as the Centre will bear 60 per cent of the cost," said Rupani, who was in Bhubaneswar to address the press on the Rafale deal. The state government is implementing its own scheme Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana. "But it would only benefit those people living in Odisha, while Odias living outside the state would be deprived of the health scheme as it cannot be implemented in other states," Rupani said. While Rupani was here, Patnaik was in Surat on Monday to attend the 'Odia Mahotsav'. Taking a dig at the Odisha Chief Minister, Rupani said Patnaik was remembering non-resident Odias in Surat after 19 years in power. "As Odisha will be facing elections next year, Naveen Patnaik remembers non-resident Odias in Surat after 19 years. I welcome him on his maiden visit," said Rupani. Over seven lakh Odias, especially from Patnaik's home district Ganjam, live in the textile city of Gujarat. Rupani said his government has provided several facilities including education in Odia language and pucca houses to the Odisha people, who reside in Gujarat. The visiting Bharatiya Janata Party leader said: "The Odisha people work very hard and save their money. They invest the money in chit fund back home. "I have received some complaints that the money has been duped. The Odisha government should act on this to help people get their money back." Budapest, Dec 17 : About 10,000 people have been rallying over the weekend in the Hungarian capital here against new labour laws, which have been labelled "slave laws" by opponents, media reported. According to the new rules, companies could demand up to 400 hours of overtime a year and delay payment for it for three years, the BBC reported. The crowds had marched towards parliament and the state TV headquarters, in what was the fourth and largest protest since the laws were passed last week. Police had to fire tear gas to disperse protesters near the TV station. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the labour reform would benefit workers as well as companies who need to fill a labour shortage. Sunday's demonstrations were led by trade unionists and students and the event was dubbed "Happy Xmas Prime Minister". Orban is being seen by his opponents as becoming increasingly authoritarian. Such demonstrations have been rare in Hungary, where Orban's policies enjoy widespread support, despite repeated condemnation from other EU nations. In elections held earlier in 2018, Orban's Fidesz party won a two-thirds majority in parliament, which he often uses to force his agenda through. Last week's vote on Labour laws was particularly contentious. Opposition politicians caused chaos in parliament, preventing the Speaker from reaching the podium while blowing whistles to disrupt proceedings. In the end, the law was pushed through. That evening, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament building, and protests have continued since, the BBC report said. The labour shortages the government seeks to address with the new law are rooted in long-term trends. Hungary's population has been in decline for years, as deaths outpace births, according to the European statistics agency. Its unemployment rate, at 4.2 per cent in 2017, is one of the lowest in the EU. Hungary is also experiencing a "brain drain" as well-educated people take advantage of free movement within Europe. The problem is serious enough to have prompted a 2015 programme to encourage young people to return home, offering housing and employment support. The governing Fidesz party has said the protests are the work of foreign mercenaries paid by Hungarian-born US billionaire George Soros, who has denied it saying the Hungarian authorities were using him as a scapegoat. Chandigarh, Dec 17 : Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday demanded that action be taken against the Gandhis, alleging that the family extended political patronage to the perpetrators of the 1984 Sikh massacres. Harsimrat Badal told mediapersons here that, as enumerated by the Delhi High Court while convicting Gandhi family loyalist Sajjan Kumar in a case of mass murder, Congress president Rahul Gandhi should tell why he lied that the Congress was not involved in the genocide. Addressing the media along with senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders Bikram Singh Majithia and Daljit Singh Cheema following the Delhi High Court judgement against Sajjan Kumar, the Union Minister said it was made possible due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to reopen old cases which had been closed by the Congress and the constitution of a SIT (special investigation team) to investigate them afresh. Stating that not only Sajjan Kumar, but the entire Congress party had been placed in the dock due to the verdict, Harsimrat Badal said, "Now the courts have also made it clear that justice was denied to the 1984 victims due to political patronage. Action should now be taken against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who should be questioned about her role as accomplice of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984 massacres." "Similarly, Rahul Gandhi should also tell the people why he lied some months ago that the Congress party did not have any role in the 1984 genocide," she added. Asserting that Monday's verdict against Sajjan Kumar has given hope to the victims, Harsimrat Badal said, "I am hopeful that Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath will also meet the same fate soon." She condemned the Congress for continuing to patronise Kamal Nath by making him the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. She also thanked the Delhi High Court for the "historic verdict" saying people's faith in the judicial process had been further strengthened. "The SAD raised this issue with PM Narendra Modi in 2014 and formed the SIT which reopened old cases leading to the conviction of two accused, Naresh Yadav and Yashpal, in one of the 1984 cases," she pointed out. Asserting that she had seen the 1984 tragedy up close and was lucky to survive unscathed, Harsimrat Badal said she could understand the grief of the widows who were waiting for justice, 34 years after the tragedy. "I have worked in the refugee camps as a young girl trying to reunite families torn apart by the tragedy. I even chose to speak on this issue during my maiden speech in Parliament," she said. Majithia said it was unfortunate that Sajjan Kumar was defended in court by Amit Sibal, the son of senior Congressman Kapil Sibal. "This apparently can happen only due to personal intervention of the Gandhi family, Majithia, who is the younger brother of Harsimrat Badal, said. Akali Dal leader Cheema said that since the court had made an observation that the Congress party is patronising the accused, the Election Commission should de-recognize the party immediately. Athens, Dec 17 : A powerful explosion shattered windows and damaged the premises of a Greek television station early on Monday but left no casualties, police said in a statement. The blast occurred at Skai TV Headquarters here around 2.35 a.m., which followed two anonymous phone calls that warned that explosions would take place in 45 minutes and it would not be a prank. Police had evacuated the building and secured the perimeter, Efe news reported. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras issued a statement describing the incident as "a cowardly attack" against democracy, and vowed that its perpetrators "will not achieve their objective." Security cameras detected two individuals arriving at the premises, leaving a backpack in front of the building and fleeing on a motorcycle, Police chief Aristides Andrikopulos said, adding there was no evidence pointing to any specific group. Mumbai, Dec 17 : At least one person was killed and other 47, mostly patients and staffers, were rescued from a massive fire that broke out in the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Andheri (East) here on Monday, BMC Disaster Control said. The fire, caused by a suspected short-circuit, was seen in the upper floors of the five-storied building in the MIDC area -- the industrial hub of the north-western suburb -- around 4.15 pm. At least 10 fire tenders, 15 water tankers and other specialised equipment were rushed to battle the blaze and those trapped were taken out via ladders from the third and fourth floors. Of those rescued, 10 have been admitted to the Cooper Hospital, including one brought dead, 15 each in Holy Spirit Hospital and Seven Hills Hospital, and seven in Trauma Hospital for treatment. Thick dark clouds of smoke were seen billowing from long distances in the suburbs and the rescue operations resulted in massive evening peak-hour traffic jams on the busy Andheri thoroughfare connecting north-south and eastern Mumbai. Beijing, Dec 17 : A city in northern China has banned Christmas sales and decorations to keep the city clean for an upcoming award function. The authorities in Langfang, however, clarified the move is not targeted at Christmas. An officially atheist country, China dissuades its people from celebrating Christmas, calling it a Western religious culture which has a wrong influence on its youth. Christianity is one of the five recognised religions in China. The Urban Management Bureau of Langfang in north China's Hebei province issued a notice on Sunday that bans Christmas trees on streets, the Chinese state media reported. Stores are not allowed to put up posters, banners or light boxes about Christmas sales. Outdoor performances to celebrate the holiday or promote sales are also prohibited. City peddlers are forbidden from selling Christmas related items like Christmas apples, Santa costumes and stockings or Christmas trees, the Global Times said. All bureau employees are required to be on duty from December 23 to Christmas Day to inspect Christmas-theme promotions, the notice said. The notice, which has been circulating online, said that religious activities in public spaces such as parks and squares around Christmas must be closely monitored and reported to senior authorities. An employee from the bureau, who demanded anonymity, told the Global Times on Monday that the action was not targeted at Christmas but was an effort to pass the annual rating of "National Civilized Cities". The National Civilized City award, presented every three years based on annual ratings, represents the highest honour to a city as it has strict standards in a variety of aspects, including the city's social development, economy, infrastructure construction and public services. "Managing roadside stalls and migrant vendors is our routine work. Christmas is a time when such illegal activities are prevalent," the employee said, noting that retailers usually seize on the holiday to sell goods, sometimes in unlawful ways. Last year, a Chinese university Shenyang had banned Christmas celebration on the campus. New Delhi, Dec 17 : After a complete washout of the first week of the winter session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed little business although it passed the Transgender Persons Rights Bill and introduced the Triple Talaq Bill amid din. Throughout the day, the Congress, the AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members protested near the Speaker's podium over different issues and forced three adjournments before the passage of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016. Soon after the House met for the day and then reassembled at noon after the first adjournment and during the post-lunch session, the Congress, the AIADMK and TDP members were on their feet. The Congress members were demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale jet fighter deal with France while accusing the government of lying before the Supreme Court. The AIADMK members wanted Karnataka to take back its proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu, while the TDP members raised several issues related to special status to Andhra Pradesh. In the noon, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, commonly known as the Triple Talaq Bill amid a ruckus and despite opposition from the Congress. As the din continued, Prasad sought permission from the Chair to introduce the Bill. Congress member Shashi Tharoor opposed it claiming it was targeted at a particular religion and hence unconstitutional. "The bill was based on the ground of a specific religion and it was violation of Sections 14 and 21 of the Constitution. This is a misconceived bill," he said. His objections were rejected by Prasad. "The Bill was brought in as per the direction of the Supreme Court to protect the rights of Muslim women. Several Muslim women suffered due to instant talaq. "This bill is in the nation's interest and constitutional. The objection is baseless," Prasad said and then introduced the bill. The government could not pass the bill in the Rajya Sabha during the previous monsoon session. Later it issued an ordinance on September 19 making Triple Talaq a criminal offence. During the Zero Hour, Shiromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandu Majra raked up the High Court verdict against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that came earlier in the day while the BJP's Ganesh Singh demanded early construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urged the protesting members to go back to their seats but they did not relent. She then adjourned the House till 2 p.m. When the House again met post-lunch, scenes were no different. Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot sought cooperation from the opposition members and started discussion on Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 that provides for protection of rights of transgender persons and their welfare. He said the Bill was important in view of the rights of the transgenders and urged the members to pass it. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2016 and as per the demands of the members, the Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment. Gehlot said that as many as 27 suggestions made by the Standing Committee were accepted in the Bill. Congress' Shashi Tharoor, Biju Janata Dal (BJD)'s Bhartruhari Mahtab, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)'s Supriya Sule and Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s Kakoli Ghosh spoke and presented their concerns on the various clauses of the Bill including its definition. They also sought some amendments but were rejected. During the discussion, when Kakoli Ghosh was speaking, some of the protesting members tore a piece of paper and threw it in the air. "This is not the way," Mahajan remarked on the behaviour of the members. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar too, objected and said the behaviour of the members was not dignified and was contempt of the proceedings. "The government is ready to discuss every issue including Rafale," he said. But the opposition members did not relent and continued with sloganeering. Amid the din the Bill was passed with voice vote. While protesting, the Congress members were holding placards which read the "government which lies to the Supreme Court has no right to continue". They were countered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who demanded an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi citing the apex court's clean chit to the government in the case. The BJP members also held up a printed placard mentioning "Congress party is a liar, Rahul Gandhi should apologise". As soon as the Bill was passed, Mahajan adjourned the House for the day. Bengaluru, Dec 17 : Global software major's philanthropic arm Infosys Foundation has contributed Rs 2.2 crore to build amenities like classrooms, toilets and water purifier plants in rural schools in Karnataka, it said on Monday. "As part of the 'Swacch Bharat Abhiyan' (Clean India Mission), the Foundation has aided the construction of classroom building, toilet blocks, bore wells and water purifier plants in five state-run schools in Mulbagal taluk of Kolar district," a Foundation statement said. Mulbagal is located in the mining district of Kolar, about 100 km from here. The Foundation, led by Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy's wife Sudha Murty, had earlier contributed funds to build schools, road construction and public libraries across the southern state. Set up in 1996, the philanthropic arm of the IT major has been supporting several programmes on education, rural development and health in the state. New Delhi, Dec 17 : The BJP on Monday gave notices of privilege motion against Congress President Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha over the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal. The notice was given by BJP MPs Anurag Thakur, Nishikant Dubey, Dushyant Singh and Prahlad Joshi, accusing the Congress MP of "misleading" the House in a speech delivered in the lower house on July 20. In his notice Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi had said that the UPA government agreed to purchase the aircraft at Rs 529 crore and Prime Minister Narendra Modi went France and "by magic the aircraft started costing Rs 1600 crore." Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi's statement was untrue. "The price comparison given by Rahul Gandhi is a figment of imagination, incorrect and utter falsehood. It was an attempt to mislead the House. By uttering falsehood before the House, Rahul Gandhi is guilty of breach of privilege," Thakur said in his notice. During a debate on no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that Defence Minister Nirmala Sithraman had lied to the country by claiming that India was bound by a secrecy clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal. The Congress has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Rafale deal. The first week of the House was a washed out over the issue. Mumbai, Dec 17 : The death toll in Mumbai's hospital fire shot up to six, while another 147, mostly patients and staff, were rescued from a massive blaze that engulfed the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Andheri (East) here on Monday, BMC Disaster Control said. The number of fatalities is likely to increase further as several injured persons have been admitted to various hospitals in serious condition even as the firemen battled the conflagration to bring it under control after three hours. The fire, caused by a suspected short-circuit, was first noticed in the upper floors of the five-storied building with a glass facade in the MIDC area -- the industrial hub in the north-western suburb -- around 4.15 p.m. At least 12 fire tenders, 15 water tankers and other specialised equipment were rushed to battle the blaze and those trapped were taken out via ladders from the third and fourth floors as the flames quickly spread horizontally and vertically. Rescue operations were hampered due to snapping of power supply from the building as a precautionary measure and by 7 p.m the blaze was stated to be "under control", with cooling operations taken up. Of those rescued, 19 have been admitted in Juhu's Cooper Hospital, including two brought dead, 40 in Holy Spirit Hospital, 44 in Seven Hills Hospital including three dead, 39 were taken to Prabodhankar Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital, Jogeshwari, three in Hiranandani Hospital and two in Siddharth Hospital, for treatment. Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who visited the spot along with other senior officials, said the fire would be probed and strict action taken against the guilty if any lapses found. Thick dark clouds of smoke were seen billowing from long distances in the suburbs and the rescue operations resulted in massive evening peak-hour traffic jams on the busy Andheri thoroughfare connecting north-south and eastern Mumbai. Kolkata, Dec 17 : Seven candidates appearing for a government recruitment examination at a city-based college were caught cheating using mobile phones and Bluetooth headsets, police said here on Monday. "The recruitment exam for judicial clerkship was being conducted on Sunday when officials of Heramba Chandra College caught candidates cheating using mobile phones and Bluetooth headsets. Seven of them have been arrested," an official of Rabindra Sarobar police station said. An investigation is on to bust the cheating racket and also to find out how the examinees managed to carry the devices inside the examination hall. New Delhi, Dec 17 : Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Monday submitted a notice of breach of privilege against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly misleading the Supreme Court in Rafale fighter jet deal. In his notice, the MP accused Modi of deliberately "misleading" the apex court and the Parliament by presenting "wrong facts" about the fighter jet deal. The notice was submitted to Lok Sabha Secretary General Snehlata Shrivastava. "Under rule 222 or the rule of procedure of Lok Sabha, I submit to give a notice of breach of privilege against Narendra Modi ji for having deliberately misled the Supreme Court and the Parliament in connection with the recent judgment on the Rafale fighter jet deal," said the notice. "It is clear now that to defend the controversial stand on the pricing details and guidelines of the defence deal, the government has presented wrong facts before the Supreme Court. And on that basis, the court made an assertion," it added. Venugopal said the basis of Supreme Court verdict on the Rafale deal was based on report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which in non-existent and not shared with Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament. "This is a serious misrepresentation of the vital and significant fact to the Supreme Court. Thus, the government mislead the Supreme Court over the Rafale deal by placing wrong facts in the affidavit under oath, to hide their dubious role and also cast aspersion on Parliament." Venugopal said that the judgement of the Supreme Court, as regards the pricing aspect, is based on the statement of the government that the CAG report had been examined by the PAC. "If the CAG report is in fact available, the same ought to have been presented before the Parliament and it is the Parliament which should have referred the same to the PAC. "Since the PM and the Ministry of Defence have told the Supreme Court that the CAG report is available and the same was shared with the PAC without placing the same before the Parliament, it amounts to breach of privilege," Venugopal said in his notice. The Supreme Court had last week dismissed four petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters in ready-to-fly condition, holding that the decision-making process is not in doubt and that it cannot go into the question of pricing and choice of Indian offset partner by the French manufacturer Dassault. New Delhi, Dec 17 : The National Commission for Women has found "gross violations" at 25 out of 26 Swadhar Grehs (government-funded shelter homes for women in difficult circumstances) that it inspected randomly. Inspections were made on a random basis at five Swadhar Grehs in West Bengal, eight in Odisha, eight in Karnataka and five in Uttar Pradesh, and it was found that only one Swadhar Greh is running as per the guidelines of the scheme and the remaining 25 Swadhar Grehs are not running as per the guidelines. In Uttar Pradesh, Swadhar Grehs have been found to be grossly violating the principles and guidelines framed by the Central scheme. An inquiry committee was formed by the NCW to carry out the inspection of five Swadhar Grehs in the state's four districts, namely Allahabad, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Varanasi. "In certain cases, the Swadhar Grehs are not existing in the address mentioned in the authenticated list from the Women and Child Development with that of the State Government. It is necessary to initiate action in correcting the anomalies in the lists of Swadhar Grehs uploaded in the website by different agencies of the government," the report noted. Likewise, separate inquiry committees were formed for each state. "The committees conducted inspection by examining attendance registers of both the inmates and staff, case files of inmates, condition of the infrastructure, facilities available to the inmates like counselling, medical aid, vocational training and so on. The committees interacted with each inmate individually to know their background and the reasons for their stay in Swadhar Greh," NCW stated in the report. "Though there are monitoring committees at the district, state and central levels, supervision by these monitoring committees in the inspection of running of Swadhar Grehs is totally missing," said the report. New Delhi, Dec 17 : Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan on Monday said most of the states have not utilised the infrastructure for Bharat Net broadband project. Speaking at a seminar on National Digital Communications Policy, Sundararajan, however, noted the Union government has invested heavily in the project. "If you look at the utilisation, I think Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka and Rajasthan are to be commended. Many states have done an outstanding job, particularly the ones that I mentioned. "But in all the remaining statesAthere is almost practically no utilisation," she said at the seminar attended by representatives from states and Union Territories. A presentation by the official showed that the disparity in the number of Gram Panchayats where the infrastruture has been laid and the Panchayats where services have been used showed that the difference was highest in Uttar Pradesh. Out of the 27,919 Gram Panchayats in Uttar Pradesh connected through fibre cables, only 151 Panchayats have utilised the services, it showed. Karnataka was the best perfomer with 4,716 Panchayats out of the total fibre connected 6,110 Panchayats using the infrastructure. New Delhi, Dec 17 : A day after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley ruled out a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal saying the Supreme Court verdict in the case is a "clean chit" to the Modi government, his predecessor P. Chidambaram on Monday wondered if the issues not decided by the apex court will go "unexamined". Batting for the apex court's Friday verdict dismissing petitions seeking a probe into the alleged procedural and financial irregularities in the Rafale deal, Jaitley in his blog on Sunday had questioned the powers of a parliamentary committee to "review issues already decided by the Supreme Court". Taking to Twitter, Congress veteran Chidambaram questioned Jaitley's assertions. "Finance Minister (Jaitley) asks 'Is a Committee of Politicians fit to review issues decided by SC? "When Government/ Parliament amended the Atrocities Prevention Act to overrule the judgment of the SC, was it not a review by politicians of a judgment of the SC," asked Chidambaram. "Besides, several issues in the Rafale deal were not decided by the SC. Who will examine those issues? Or will they go unexamined?" he added. Chidambaram's attack comes amidst the Congress' persistent demand for a JPC probe into the deal which it claims to be the country's "biggest defence scam". The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) too has joined the chorus for a JPC, alleging the Narendra Modi government was trying to "hide behind half truths and lies" in the deal to purchase 36 fighter jets from France, announced by the Prime Minister in 2015. Mumbai, Dec 17 : At least six persons were killed and 147 others, mostly patients and staffers, injured in a major fire that engulfed the state government-run Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital at Andheri East here on Monday, officials said. A majority of those injured, who have been admitted to various hospitals in the suburbs, were patients and staffers. By late on Monday night, around a dozen were treated and discharged. Informed official sources said the toll might increase as some of the injured were in a critical condition. The fire was first noticed near the operation theatre of the five-storey hospital located at Marol MIDC, an industrial hub in Andheri East. The blaze quickly spread horizontally and vertically, trapping around 155 people. Panicking, some patients and staffers did not wait for help and jumped out of the fourth floor window. They suffered fractures, and at least one was killed. The fire brigade team rushed to the spot with 12 fire tenders, 15 water tankers and other specialised equipment to battle the blaze. The firemen also used ladders and ropes to bring down the wailing and screaming victims trapped on the third and fourth floors of the hospital. Leaping flames, resulting in thick black cloud of smoke, besides a precautionary power cut, rendered the rescue operation difficult but the blaze was controlled in nearly four hours, said the BMC Disaster Control. A majority of those rescued had suffered burn wounds or suffocation symptoms. They were admitted to half-a-dozen government and private hospitals in Andheri, Vile Parle, Jogeshwari and Goregaon. Nineteen were taken to Cooper Hospital, Juhu, 39 to Prabodhankar Thackeray Trauma Hospital, Jogeshwari East, 40 to Holi Spirit Hospital, Andheri East, 44 to Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri East, three to Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, and two to Sidhharth Hospital, Goregaon. Preliminary reports suggested that the fire might have erupted due to a short-circuit in the hospital building with a glass facade. State Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who visited the mishap site, along with senior officials, promised a detailed probe and strict action against those guilty of lapses. Meanwhile, thick clouds of smoke emanating from the fire-hit hospital travelled quite a bit, reducing the visibility in the area and leading to peak-hour traffic jams. Mumbai has witnessed over a dozen major fires in residential and commercial premises claiming over 50 lives and injuring many more besides damage to properties. Kolkata, Dec 17 : The BJP on Monday kick-started a week-long protest by taking out a rally in Hooghly district against the Mamata Banerjee-government's denial of permission to the party's proposed "Rath Yatra" in West Bengal and threatened to hold law violation programmes wherever they are stopped. State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Dilip Ghosh, who led a protest rally in Hooghly district's Arambag, said the party will hold similar demonstrations in all the districts within the next one week demanding reinstatement of democracy in Bengal. "We will hold protest rallies and meetings across the state against the Trinamool government. Rallies will be held in all Bengal districts within one week. If we are stopped from holding rallies anywhere, we would resort to law violation programmes," Ghosh said while leading the rally. "We knew the state government would not grant us permission to hold the Rath Yatra rallies. They would try to deter the process. Hence, we have made alternative arrangements to reach out to the people of Bengal. The matter of Rath Yatra will be decided by the court," he said. The BJP was scheduled to hold the Rath Yatras, also christened "Ganatantra Bachao Yatra" or save democracy rally, from north Bengal's Cooch Behar, South 24 Parganas district's Gangasagar and Birbhum district's temple town of Tarapith. But the state government on Saturday rejected its plea, stating there is "grave apprehension of major breach of peace and communal violence during and in the aftermath" of the programme. The state unit of the saffron party moved the Calcutta High Court on Monday with a fresh plea, challenging the state government's decision. "There can either be rally or meeting or both, depending on the court's verdict on the party proposed Rath Yatra programme. We want to highlight three things to the people of Bengal -- the success of the Central government, the failure and bad governance of the state government and the NRC issue. We will reach out to people in every possible way," Ghosh claimed. He also warned that the state government would be solely responsible for any lapses in the law and order situation in Bengal. New Delhi, Dec 18 : Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Monday directed all the agencies concerned to take concrete steps to ensure women's safety in the city, including deployment of more female Civil Defence Volunteers (CDVs) in schools to instil a sense of security among girl students. Baijal's instructions came as he chaired a meeting of the "Task Force on Women Safety Issues" at his office here. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary, GNCTD; Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women; Principal Secretary (Home), GNCTD; Commissioner of Police, Delhi; Secretary (Education); Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Women Safety), Commissioner (Transport), GNCTD; and other senior officers. At the outset of the meeting, Baijal directed Secretary (Education) that regular inspections should be made by officers in schools to identify and address security deficiencies there. "Obtain feedback from students, teachers, ex-students and ex-teachers to make reforms for the betterment of schools as well as students," he said. He also stressed that the audit of private security guards deployed in various schools be made on regular basis to ensure the safety of girl students, Baijal's office said in a statement. The Lt. Governor, it stated, further directed the Social Welfare Department to make arrangements for auditing all the children homes as well as shelter homes by a third party under their jurisdiction to ensure safety and security of the inmates. He also directed the Transport Department to expedite installation of emergency buttons in DTC buses connected with the Delhi Police Headquarters and instructed the Delhi Police to enhance its visibility around the schools and colleges. "Instructions were also given to Delhi Police by the Lt Governor for deployment of women police personnel at facilitation desks wherever feasible, speedy investigation in cases related to women and children, increase of women personnel in Delhi Police and further improving Himmat Plus App," Baijal's office said. Stressing on the need for a change in mindset, he directed the departments to keep up their efforts on generating awareness and sensitisation programmes towards women safety. New Delhi, Dec 18 : India on Monday expressed relief at Pakistan's decision to release on Tuesday an Indian national lodged in a Pakistani jail for six years on alleged espionage charges. "We have received a note from Pakistan today (Tuesday) that they are releasing Indian national Hamid Nehal Ansari tomorrow," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to media queries. "It is a matter of great relief, especially for the family members, that six years of incarceration of the Indian civilian in Pakistan jail is coming to an end," Kumar said. "We would like Pakistan to take action to also end misery of other Indian nationals and fishermen whose nationality has been confirmed and who have completed their sentences, but continue to languish in Pakistan jails." Kumar said India also awaited Pakistan's response to the visit of Indian medical team to meet mentally unsound prisoners with a view to facilitate their nativity verification and subsequent repatriation. "We hope that Pakistan would respond and organize an early visit of the Joint Judicial Committee, so that the issues of prisoners can be dealt with in a humanitarian and timely manner," he said. Ansari, an engineer and business professional, had gone to Kabul in Afghanistan on November 4, 2012, on a tourist visa for a job in aviation. He entered Pakistan on November 12. He was in touch with a Pakistani girl on Facebook and had gone to Pakistan, where he was arrested and sentenced to three years in jail. In 2016, he had to face physical attacks by other prisoners in the Peshawar Central Prison where he was lodged. Chandigarh, Dec 18 : Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij kicked up a new controversy on Monday when he demanded that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi should be "punished posthumously" so that families of about 3,400 Sikhs, who died in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, get justice. In his tweet, Vij said that the Delhi High Court has sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was one of the accused of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, to life imprisonment. "This has provided little relief to affected Sikh families, but justice will be delivered when Rajiv Gandhi will be punished. Then Rajiv Gandhi had supported the massacre by saying 'Jab koi bada ped girta hai to dharti hilti hai'," Vij, who is a senior BJP leader in Haryana, said in his tweet in Hindi. The Minister, who is known for making controversial comments, said that along with the "Bharat Ratna" conferred on Rajiv Gandhi, all other honours should be withdrawn from him. Vij also demanded that Rajiv Gandhi's name should be removed from all the schemes being run after his name. He said not only one or two persons but the entire Congress Party is guilty of the massacre of thousands of Sikhs. "Justice is incomplete until everyone gets sentenced," he added. Haryana has a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government since October 2014. The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. New Delhi, Dec 18 : All pensions, which were not released earlier as the beneficiaries' Aadhaar cards were not linked to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) portal, have been "increased and released", Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said on Monday. He said this in a meeting with Secretary (Social Welfare Department) and other senior officials to discuss pension-related issues and pendency of the work. The Social Welfare Department of the Delhi government had, in July, approved a proposal which did away with the mandatory linking of Aadhaar cards with bank accounts to avail the pension scheme. Earlier, those who did not have their Aadhaar cards linked to the NPCI portal were not receiving the increased pension. "All beneficiaries are advised to get enrolled on NPCI portal (for subsidy), so that they would not face any problem in the continuity of their pensions in future," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said. The NPCI is an umbrella organisation for all retail payments in India. It was set up under the guidance and support of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks Association (IBA). He also instructed that all grievances be minimised with immediate effect at district level and district officers should ensure that no one has to come twice to get his problem resolved. Officials, on their part, informed the Minister that all cases received during mega camps for transferring of MCD pensions have also been cleared and beneficiaries will now get their pensions soon from the department. New Delhi, Dec 18 : The Union Cabinet on Monday approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Afghanistan on cooperation in Human Resource Development (HRD) which will facilitate students and faculty of educational institutions in the neighbouring country to register and use the SWAYAM courses. SWAYAM is MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) platform which offers various online courses "prepared by the best faculty" from across the country. The MoU would facilitate students and faculty of educational institutions in Afghanistan to register and use the SWAYAM courses. Also, it would facilitate them to upload on SWAYAM, the courses developed in Afghanistan. The required training to students and faculty from Afghanistan would be imparted by the Human Resource Development Ministry. An official release said that the Indian government would provide access and share the technology of other major ICT Initiatives in education such as National Digital Library of India (NDLI), virtual labs and spoken tutorials. There is also a proposal to establish Joint Master Degree Programmes between Indian and Afghanistan's universities and institutions. The release said that the Human Resource Development Ministry would assist the Ministry of Higher Education, Afghanistan, in curriculum development and capacity development of teaching staff. "The MoU would be a significant milestone in the collaboration between two countries in education sector." The two countries, it said, have agreed to sign an agreement on mutual recognition of academic qualifications. The MHRD, it said, has taken up a number of technology-enabled learning initiatives under the National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) and SWAYAM is one such major initiative. More than 35 lakh students have enrolled in about 2,000 courses that have been offered through SWAYAM. This includes courses from Class 9 to post-graduation and also for life-long learning. Students can avail credit transfer up to 20 per cent for the courses done through SWAYAM. The platform is also being used to provide annual refresher courses for higher education faculty. Hyderabad, Dec 18 : Essex India, a Hyderabad-based prop-tech company, aiming to disrupt home-buying and selling process in residential real estate market, plans to expand its operations to four cities in next six months. Essex, incubated out of Way2online, a leading marketing technology and data-driven company, is looking to expand operations to Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. Nirbhay Taneja, Co-Founder and CEO, Essex, told reporters here on Monday that by December next year, they plan to have presence in eight major cities in the country. The company using its innovative technology solutions will address real estate-related vertical issues, helping developers to liquidate properties in short time. It also wants to standardise operations and take care of trust-related issues from buyer's perspective. The CEO said for buyers they would offer free services including legal diligence, document related services and financial assistance through all major banks. The company will be charging 3 to 5 per cent commission from the developers. It aims to capture 5 per cent of the marketing and sales opportunity estimated at Rs 30,000 crore. Raju Vanapala, Way2online Founder-CEO, told IANS that there are plenty of gaps in real state. Small-time and mid-range developers do not have marketing team and marketing budget, leading to problems in liquidating their property. There is an estimated Rs 4.5 lakh crore unsold property in top eight cities in the country. "Imagine marketing spend of these players. 7-8 per cent of this comes to Rs 30,000 crore and our whole intent is to access this large market." As real estate is second-largest revenue generator for Way2Online and the company is sitting on huge consumer data, it decided to foray into the business, addressing the gaps with its innovative technology solutions. Pictured with the Best Drama Award are (L to R): actors Pete Postiglione and Susan Moses; Screenwriter and Producer Ross Schriftman; and Director Kevin Hackenberg. It was a great honor to receive the Best Drama Award. It's a tribute to our talented cast and crew and Ross's diligence and patience in a film honoring his mom, other caregivers, and those affected by Alzheimer's, one of the forms of dementia. We look forward to collaborating on the feature film! "My Million Dollar Mom," a film shot in the Philadelphia area and based on Ross Schriftmans book by the same name, has won the Best Drama Award at the Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival (TBUFF). The film also received nominations for: Best Leading Actor (Pete Postiglione) Best Supporting Actress (Susan Moses) Best Musical Score/Supervision (Chelsea Komschlies) Best Short Film Best Short Screenplay (Ross Schriftman) Best Short Film Director (Kevin Hackenberg) I am so grateful to our wonderful cast, crew, production and marketing teams and supporters for making this possible," said Schriftman. This film has been a labor of love and it honors the memory of my mom, Shirley, who died from Alzheimer's. I know she would be proud of how this film project has turned out." Director Kevin Hackenberg remarked, It was an honor to attend the Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival and screen the film for a new audience. Of course, it was a great honor to receive the award for Best Drama and it's a tribute to our talented cast and crew and Ross's diligence and patience in a film that honors his mom, other caregivers, and those affected by Alzheimer's, one of the forms of dementia. He continued, We are looking forward to collaborating on the feature film! The film stars veteran film and television actors Pete Postiglione and Susan Moses and was inspired by real events in Schriftmans life. Moses portrays an aging mom diagnosed with Alzheimers and Postiglione portrays her son Ross, who steps forward to care for her. At the same time, he is offered a last-chance opportunity to run for Congress. He must decide between his life-long dream and his moms wishes to remain in her home under his care. The life lesson of caring for one another through Tikkun Olam (the Hebrew expression for repairing the world) is the theme of the film. For information about the film, visit https://mymilliondollarmom.com/. About "My Million Dollar Mom:" Based on the book of the same name by Ross Schriftman, "My Million Dollar Mom" is a film about a loving mother who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and the devoted son who steps forward to care for her. Schriftmans production company is partnering with the Dementia Society of America in an effort to promote awareness and raise funds for research and family support services. Schriftman screens the film around the country and holds discussions with audiences about the issues surrounding Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. Schriftmans ultimate goal is to release the film to a worldwide audience. This film is directed by Kevin Hackenberg, who began his career working on the M. Night Shyamalan films "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable." He went on to establish the production company Get-Kinetic in 2003 in Philadelphia, where he and his staff create visual content for clients as varied as Temple University and NBC10 in Philadelphia. For information about the film visit https://mymilliondollarmom.com/, https://www.facebook.com/mymilliondollarmom/ or contact Ross Schriftman at mymilliondollarmom@gmail.com. About Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival (TBUFF): The Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival (TBUFF) was founded by Tampa Bay Area filmmakers, actors, critics, artists and cinephiles to catch the independent films that fall through the cracks. With most independent films going straight to home video, TBUFF provides the opportunity for filmmakers to see their movie on the big screen in digital sound at a real theater, as well as the marketing, promotion and accolades that help to shore up distribution prospects. The film festival showcases dramas, comedies, action, adventure, crime, musicals, horror, sci-fi, thrillers, fantasies, mysteries, romances, animation, childrens, religious, LGBT, foreign, documentaries, experimental basically anything. To learn more, visit http://tbuff.org. Amy Y. Zhang, CFA Amys hard work, astute investment acumen and contributions to the firm have been exemplary. We are proud to add her as a member, signifying her leadership in the organization. Fred Alger Management, Inc. (Alger), a leading asset management firm, announced today that Amy Y. Zhang, CFA, has been named a member of the Alger Partners Plan. Amy, a seasoned and highly respected veteran in the asset management industry, is a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager who joined Alger in 2015. Amy manages the Alger Small Cap Focus Fund, a focused portfolio of approximately 50 high-conviction small capitalization stocks. Amy and the Fund have been well-recognized by investors for the excellent performance. Over the past three years, the Fund outperformed its benchmark by more than 1,000 bps. The Fund also ranks in the top 2% or better in the Morningstar Small Growth category over the past one-, three-, and five-year time periods. Also, Morningstar recognized the Fund by garnering it with a Silver Morningstar Analyst Rating and an overall 5-Star Morningstar Rating (Class Z, among 606 Small Growth funds, based on risk adjusted returns as of 9/30/18). Alger now has more than $2.5 billion in the Small Cap Focus strategy. Leading publications and television shows have also acknowledged Amy and the Funds unique investment process and strong performance, including The Wall Street Journal, Barrons, The New York Times, Citywire, Business Insider, Investment News, MarketWatch, CNBC, and CNN. Additional accolades this year include Amy being awarded the AAA Citywire Fund Manager Rating for strong risk-adjusted performance (equity-U.S. small and medium companies category as of November 2018). Also, she is a 2018 recipient of the Money Management Executive Top Women in Asset Management Award, as well as the Mulan Award, which recognizes successful Asian women. I am thrilled to welcome Amy as a member of the Alger Partners Plan, said Dan Chung, CFA, CEO and Chief Investment Officer. Amys hard work, astute investment acumen and contributions to the firm have been exemplary. We are proud to add her as a member, signifying her leadership in the organization. Amy is a summa cum laude graduate of Manhattanville College where she earned a B.A. in Economics, and graduate of Columbia Business School where she earned an M.B.A. in Finance and where she was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. She is also a member of Columbia Business Schools Ambassador Program. Amy is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA institute. Alger Partners Plan, which was launched in 2009, recognizes individuals who are leaders of the firm. This plan, along with the Alger Profit Participation Plan, are incentive programs developed to enable key personnel of Alger to share in the growth of the firm, while at the same time align their interests with those of our shareholders and clients. The Alger Small Cap Focus Fund (Class Z) average annual total returns as of 9/30/18: YTD 45.18, 1 Year 51.81, 3 Years 28.29, 5 Years 17.57, Since Inception (12/29/10) 16.15. The Russell 2000 Growth Index returned YTD 15.76, 1 Year 21.06, 3 Years 17.98, 5 Years 12.14, Since Inception 13.06. Total Annual Operating Expenses by Class (Prospectus Dated 3/1/18): 0.90%. Only periods greater than 12 months are annualized. The performance data quoted represents past performance, which is not an indication or a guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investors shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Performance figures assume all distributions are reinvested. For performance current to the most recent month end, visit http://www.alger.com or call 800.992.3863. The Alger Small Cap Focus Fund (Class Z) Morningstar Percentile Rank (Small Growth, based on total returns) as of 9/30/18: 1 Year 1%, 11/702; 3 Years 1%, 6/606; 5 Years 2%, 8/532. About Alger Founded in 1964, Alger is widely recognized as a pioneer of growth-style investment management. Headquartered in New York City with affiliate offices in Boston and London, Alger provides U.S. and non-U.S. institutional investors and financial advisors access to a suite of growth equity separate accounts, mutual funds, and privately offered investment vehicles. The firms investment philosophy, discovering companies undergoing Positive Dynamic Change, has been in place for over 50 years. Weatherbie Capital, LLC, a Boston-based investment adviser specializing in small and mid-cap growth equity investing is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alger. For more information, please visit http://www.alger.com. Risk Disclosures: Investing in the stock market involves gains and losses and may not be suitable for all investors. The value of an investment may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, and may be worth more or less than what you invested. Stocks tend to be more volatile than other investments such as bonds. Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than other stocks as the prices of growth stocks tend to be higher in relation to their companies earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political, and economic developments. Investing in companies of small capitalizations involve the risk that such issuers may have limited product lines or financial resources, lack management depth, or have more limited liquidity. The investments may be more concentrated and therefore more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer and may be more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio. The investments are concentrated in the health sciences sector and may be more volatile than those that do not similarly concentrate their investments. Changes in applicable regulations could adversely affect companies in these industries, and the pace of product development and technological advancement in comparative companies may result in greater volatility of the price of securities of such companies. Many technology companies have limited operating histories and prices of these companies securities have historically been more volatile than other securities due to increased competition, government regulation, and risk of obsolescence due to the progress of technological developments. A significant portion of the assets will be invested in securities of healthcare companies, which may be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, government regulation, technological innovations, product obsolescence, patent considerations, product compatibility and consumer preferences, and may be more volatile than the securities of other companies. The cost of borrowing money to leverage may exceed the returns for the securities purchased or the securities purchased may actually go down in value more quickly than if borrowing had not been utilized. Foreign investing involves special risks including currency risk and risks related to political, social, or economic conditions. The Morningstar Analyst Rating is not a credit or risk rating. It is a subjective evaluation performed by Morningstars manager research group, which consists of various Morningstar, Inc. subsidiaries (Manager Research Group). In the United States, that subsidiary is Morningstar Research Services LLC, which is registered with and governed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Manager Research Group evaluates funds based on five key pillars, which are process, performance, people, parent, and price. The Manager Research Group uses this five pillar evaluation to determine how they believe funds are likely to perform relative to a benchmark, or in the case of exchange-traded funds and index mutual funds, a relevant peer group, over the long term on a risk-adjusted basis. They consider quantitative and qualitative factors in their research, and the weight of each pillar may vary. The Analyst Rating scale is Gold, Silver, Bronze, Neutral, and Negative. A Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, Silver, or Bronze reflects the Manager Research Groups conviction in a funds prospects for outperformance. Analyst Ratings ultimately reflect the Manager Research Groups overall assessment, are overseen by an Analyst Rating Committee, and are continuously monitored and reevaluated at least every 14 months. For more detailed information about Morningstars Analyst Rating, including its methodology, please go to global.morningstar.com/managerdisclosures/.The Morningstar Analyst Rating (i) should not be used as the sole basis in evaluating a fund, (ii) involves unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause Analyst expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what they expected, and (iii) should not be considered an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the fund. 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Morningstar percentile rankings are based on the total return percentile rank that includes reinvested dividends and capital gains (excluding sales charge) within each Morningstar Category. The highest (or most favorable) percentile rank is 1 and the lowest (or least favorable) percentile rank is 100. If sales charges were included, performance would be lower and the rank may be lower. Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a funds monthly performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The Morningstar Rating may differ among share classes of a mutual fund as a result of different sales loads and/or expense structures. It may be based in part, on the performance of a predecessor fund. The Morningstar Rating does not include any adjustment for sales loads. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. Alger Small Cap Focus Fund Z was rated 5, 5, and 5 Star(s) for the 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods among 606, 532, and 404 Small Growth funds as of 09/30/18. Rankings and ratings may be based in part on the performance of a predecessor fund or share class and are calculated by Morningstar using a performance calculation methodology that differs from that used by Fred Alger Management, Inc.s. Differences in the methodologies may lead to variances in calculating total performance returns, in some cases this variance may be significant, thereby potentially affecting the rating/ranking of the Fund(s). When an expense waiver is in effect, it may have a material effect on the total return or yield, and therefore the rating/ranking for the period. Citywire Fund Manager Ratings and Citywire Rankings are proprietary to Citywire Financial Publishers Ltd (Citywire) and Citywire 2018. All rights reserved. You may only use this material for your personal and non-commercial use. No part of this material may be copied, distributed, or adapted in any form or by any means without prior written consent. This includes but is not limited to all individual fund manager data such as rankings of fund managers and ratings of fund managers. Citywire does not accept any liability for your reliance upon, or any errors or omissions in, the Citywire Ratings or Citywire Rankings. Before investing, carefully consider the Funds investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. For a prospectus or summary prospectus containing this and other information about the Fund, call (800) 992-3863, visit http://www.alger.com, or consult your financial advisor. Read it carefully before investing. Distributor: Fred Alger & Company, Incorporated. Member NYSE Euronext, SIPC. NOT FDIC INSURED. NOT BANK GUARANTEED MAY LOSE VALUE. We are excited to be partnering with HubSpot to deliver success for our mutual customers. Today, ChurnZero announced that it has joined HubSpot as a Connect Beta Integrator. HubSpot, a leading growth platform, works with Connect integrators to help grow their business through listing and marketing and distribution resources to increase shared customers. Connect Beta Integrators are independent software vendors who have built an integration with HubSpot and been accepted to the Connect Beta Program. Subscription businesses have been pioneers in creating the Customer Success (CS) department and the technology to support a modern CS team had been historically lacking, until now. ChurnZero is a real-time Customer Success platform that helps subscription businesses fight customer churn, expand their current accounts, increase product adoption, and optimize the overall customer experience. HubSpots Connect Program is an ecosystem of valuable third-party integrations. Certified integrations comply with a set of requirements. We are excited to be partnering with HubSpot to deliver success for our mutual customers, said Abby Hammer, VP of Products and founding member of ChurnZero. With this integration, Customer Success and Customer Marketing teams can sync account and contact attributes from their HubSpot CRM into the ChurnZero customer success platform to gain an understanding of how customers use their product, asses their health, and give them the means to personalize the customer touchpoints. Learn more about the integration here, https://www.hubspot.com/integrations/churnzero. About ChurnZero: ChurnZero helps subscription businesses fight customer churn. Its software solutions allow businesses to understand how their customers use their product, assess their health and their likelihood to renew, and give businesses the means to personalize the customer experience through timely and relevant touchpoints. ChurnZero is headquartered in Arlington, VA and is backed by leading angles and venture capital firms such as Grotech Ventures and Middleland Capital. For more information, visit https://churnzero.net. About HubSpot HubSpot is a leading growth platform. Since 2006, HubSpot has been on a mission to make the world more inbound. Today, over 52,000 total customers in more than 100 countries use HubSpots award-winning software, services, and support to transform the way they attract, engage, and delight customers. Comprised of Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, and a powerful free CRM, HubSpot gives companies the tools they need to Grow Better. HubSpot has been named a top place to work by Glassdoor, Fortune, The Boston Globe, and The Boston Business Journal. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, MA with offices in Dublin, Ireland; Singapore; Sydney, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; Berlin, Germany; Bogota, Colombia; and Portsmouth, NH. Learn more at http://www.hubspot.com. Dr. Schultz has quickly become an invaluable member of our fertility specialist team. Dr. Natalie Schultz, a Harvard-trained physician specialist, has joined Chicago IVF bringing two decades of fertility care experience to patients building their families using assisted reproduction. Dr. Schultz contributes an impressive record of IVF success rates to the already award-winning Illinois fertility center. Her passion for reproductive medicine is demonstrated by a career dedicated to helping patients conceive with fully optimized treatment plans. Her carefully curated approach to patient-centered care involves treating the whole person as well as their specific diagnosis. As Dr. Schultz elaborates, My philosophy is to help patients achieve their goals while maximizing their health potential. Dr. Joel Brasch, Medical Director of Chicago IVF, notes that Dr. Schultz has quickly become an invaluable member of our fertility specialist team. Her extensive experience in reproductive endocrinology and IVF care, as well as her commitment to putting patients needs first, have further elevated the award-winning treatment provided by our fertility clinic. Dr. Schultz is a professional member of numerous national medical societies, including the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG), American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), American Association of Anti-Aging Medicine, and the North American Menopause Society. Previously, she was the medical director of a large IVF program and is considered to be a pioneer in reproductive endocrinology, having introduced new approaches to fertility patient care. Dr. Schultz received her medical degree from Downstate Medical School in New York and interned in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Downstate Kings County Hospital Center. Her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology took place at Harvard School of Medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. She completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Current and prospective patients of Chicago IVF are invited to learn more about Dr. Natalie Schultz. You can also request an appointment with Dr. Schultz by calling (866) 483-2446 or you can fill out a contact form online. About Chicago IVF From around the world, growing families seeking fertility treatment choose Chicago IVF. Whether you require simple treatments such as IUI, to more complex services like IVF and genetic testing, our staff has helped patients bring more than 12,000 babies into the world. From our fertility specialists to our financial advocates, everyone in our Illinois and Indiana fertility clinics are committed to providing compassionate care and ensuring that you get the best fertility clinic experience. Contact Chicago IVF to see how were setting the standard for fertility care. meeting.bfe.org The material covered in the workshop meets the requirements of the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance for the didactic knowledge portion of their certification process. The BFE will host its 20th Meeting in Cardiff, Wales April 8-13, 2019 and will once again offer a 5-day BCIA neurofeedback workshop taught by Drs. Lynda and Michael Thompson. The workshop is designed to train professionals to effectively carry out basic Neurofeedback (NFB) and Biofeedback (BFB) interventions in order to optimize the performance of their clients or to ameliorate the symptoms of a variety of disorders that have been shown to respond to the combination of NFB and BFB. The material covered in the workshop meets the requirements of the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance for the didactic knowledge portion of their certification process. About Lynda Thompson, Ph.D. Lynda Thompson, Ph.D. is a Psychologist who has done teaching, clinical psychology, school psychology and owned learning centers. She became Executive Director of The ADD Centre in Toronto in 1993 after discovering the world of Neurofeedback and deciding to specialize in that intervention. Her doctoral dissertation (1979) dealt with hyperactive children treated with methylphenidate. She is co-author with William Sears of The A.D.D. Book: New Understandings, New Approaches to Parenting Your Child. Since beginning a centre for biofeedback she has published 9 book chapters, and 14 journal articles with an emphasis on ADHD, Aspergers Syndrome, Seizure disorders and stress management. She takes an active part in the main organizations concerning biofeedback, is a past Board Member of both the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR) and the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA), and was Chair of the Education Committee and Treasurer of the Neurofeedback Division of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB). With her husband, Michael Thompson, M.D. she co-authored The Neurofeedback Book: An Introduction to Basic Concepts in Applied Psychophysiology (2003, 2015 2nd edition). They have been invited to teach about neurofeedback and biofeedback in 25 countries on five continents and present frequently at professional meetings in these fields. About Michael Thompson, M.D. Michael Thompson, M.D. devotes his time to the administration of the Biofeedback Institute of Toronto and teaching about neurofeedback plus biofeedback. When formerly practicing medicine he was Medical Director of London Psychiatric Hospital; Associate Professor and head of post-graduate education in Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario; examiner for the Royal College of Physicians (Canada) for 10 years and chairman of their examinations committee in psychiatry. Numerous professional publications include A Residents Guide to Psychiatric Education. While Associate Professor, University of Toronto, he was psychiatric consultant to The Hospital for Sick Childrens neurology department and director of a centre that specialized in treating pre-school children with autistic spectrum disorders. Recent work has included more than 120 professional presentations and workshops on 5 continents and in more than 25 countries focused on assessment and training using EEG and peripheral Biofeedback. Prior to doing Neurofeedback, Dr. Thompson had more than 20 peer reviewed journal publications, 7 professional textbook chapters, one book and more than 100 presentations with a major focus on training psychiatrists, child development, attention deficit, learning, autism, and handling neurological illnesses. Since beginning a centre for biofeedback he has published with Dr. Lynda Thompson, 5 book chapters, and 14 journal articles on ADHD, Aspergers Syndrome, and stress management, as well as books including the basic textbook in the field, The Neurofeedback Book: An Introduction to Basic Concepts in Applied Psychophysiology (2003, 2015 2nd edition) and a monograph, Functional Neuroanatomy. About the BFE Meeting The BFE meeting is an interdisciplinary biofeedback conference to nurture communication and education between specialists from different disciplines where experts from neurofeedback, biofeedback, psychology, medicine, physical therapy, education and other disciplines come together to share and learn. Meeting Dates & Location Date: April 8-13, 2019 Location: Cardiff, Wales Venue: Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel and Spa Register: meeting.bfe.org About the Biofeedback Federation of Europe The Biofeedback Federation CIC is a community interest company based in the UK dedicated to increasing awareness about the benefits of biofeedback and providing education, training and certification to professionals. It is entirely supported by revenues generated in its online shop, through sponsorships and donations. For more information, visit the BFE Online Shop. Contact: Carol Meyers Acting General Manager generalmanager@bfe.org DVO, Inc., the nations largest anaerobic digester designer, in conjunction with JG Weststeyn Dairy, a dairy farm located in Willows, California, was awarded funding for one of the pilots. The manure from JG Weststeyn Dairys 2,200 milking cows and support stock will be anaerobically digested in a patented DVO digester. Biomethane generated by the digester will be injected into PG&Es natural gas transmission system. This biomethane (also known as Renewable Natural Gas, RNG) will subsequently be used as vehicle fuel in California, replacing approximately 1.25 million gallons per year of fossil fuels. DVO has proven experience with such RNG projects, having designed the anaerobic digesters that supply 100% of the biogas for the two largest dairy biogas-to-pipeline projects in the country. The production of biomethane from organic waste products, including animal manure, eliminates significant methane emissions to the atmosphere. The CPUC created the dairy biomethane pilot program as part of the states strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, which is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Legislation adopted in 2016 requires the state to reduce methane emissions from the dairy and other livestock sectors by 40 percent by 2030. Emissions from dairy manure account for approximately 25 percent of the States overall methane emissions. The interagency committee that selected the projects consisted of representatives from the CPUC, CARB, and CDFA. JG Weststeyn Dairy is always looking for progressive ways to improve our farm and be a positive member of our community. This project accomplishes both those goals demonstrating improvements in sustainability while being a valuable asset to our local community, state, and the dairy industry, said Jake Weststeyn, owner. According to CPUC Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen, The pilots chosen will provide us with valuable information about the interconnection process and hopefully facilitate other biomethane projects.(1) DVO and the Weststeyns are pleased to be able to participate in this pilot as it will showcase the year-round reliability and high performance of the DVO system, while providing important insights and data that will help the California biomethane industry move forward in the best possible manner, said Steve Dvorak, President of DVO, Inc. The project will receive approximately $7.2 million of funding for infrastructure investments, along with additional monies over the next 20 years for operational expenses. Construction of the digester and injection system is scheduled to begin in 2019, with injection of biomethane commencing in mid-2020. (1) http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M246/K748/246748640.PDF About DVO, Inc. Since 2001, DVO has been solving manure and food waste management challenges, transforming organic waste streams into power and other useful byproducts at the highest levels of efficiency and reliability in the anaerobic digester industry. DVO is the undisputed U.S. market leader. Over 120 of its patented Two-Stage Linear Vortex anaerobic digester systems are installed at more than 80 farms in 19 states, with total electrical generation capacity of more than 75 megawatts. DVO digesters are also running in multiple countries internationally. For more information, visit http://www.dvoinc.com I am extremely proud of the incredible work the Alliance has done in the past three years. We have more than doubled our HIV testing numbers, and more than tripled the clients that we serve through our pantry. said Salgado of his three-year tenure as Alliance Executive Director. The Alliance of AIDS Services Carolina, Inc. (the Alliance) announces the resignation of Executive Director, Hector Salgado. Hector will be relocating to Charlotte to help care for his ailing mother and has accepted a position with the American Heart Association. I am extremely proud of the incredible work the Alliance has done in the past three years. We have more than doubled our HIV testing numbers, and more than tripled the clients that we serve through our pantry. The Alliance has a bright future, incredible staff and a strong board and I look forward to continuing to support the organization in this next chapter of its story. We are just getting started! said Salgado of his three-year tenure as Alliance Executive Director. Lindsay Holland the Alliances Associate Director has been named interim Executive Director. Lindsay has over eight years of HIV prevention experience and has been instrumental in shaping the Alliances testing strategies and leading the agency during its restructuring. Current Board Chair, Rick Wellington, reflects, For the last three years, the Alliance has been truly blessed with Hectors leadership. He has skillfully led the organization as it refocused its Mission on serving the community by providing compassionate, nonjudgmental support, education, and care for the prevention of HIV/AIDS/STI. Hector leaves a strong foundation upon which the Board and Staff will continue to build. The Alliance will begin a search for a new Executive Director. We encourage community members and supporters join us in supporting Lindsay during this transition, and to refer qualified candidates to http://www.aas-c.org where the job description is posted. Further inquiries about the position may be directed to executivesearch@aas-c.org For More Information on the Work of the Alliance https://www.aas-c.org We believe that moving children from streets to safe housing, improving current orphanage conditions and quality of life and focusing on education will ensure a promising future for Mexicos orphaned and abandoned children - Corazon de Vida Founder, Hilda Pacheco-Taylor Corazon de Vida was started by Hilda Pacheco-Taylor, who was an abandoned orphan herself as a child, in Ensenada, Baja Mexico. This non-profit organization has grown to include 10 orphanages throughout Baja, Mexico since 1994 with the help of hundreds of volunteers who work tirelessly to give these children a hope for their future! Growing up in Ensenada, Mexico Hilda Pacheco-Taylor thought she had the perfect family. A mom, dad, three brothers and sisters and a modest home. All that changed when her father started drinking and became physically abusive. At just 8 years old, Hilda was left to care for her siblings while her mother struggled to support the family. It wasnt long until Hilda and her siblings wound up in an orphanage where she would spend the next 8 years. Years later, Hilda went to visit the orphanage where she had spent much of her childhood. What she found broke her heart. The little orphanage that had helped her and her brothers and sisters in their time of need now needed help itself. Hilda started the non-profit Corazon de Vida, which translates to heart of life, to help her orphanage. Her mission - get children off the street and give them what they need to end the cycle of poverty. How to Help Corazon de Vida Make a Difference -- Monthly Sponsorship - The Heart Angels Community is a monthly sponsorship that offers the stability of monthly support these orphanages. Donations - Food and hygiene supplies are greatly appreciated by orphanages in order to ensure better quality care for each child. Day Long Trips - Volunteer for orphanage day-trips to Tijuana Baja, Mexico each month. The focus of our trips is on providing love and attention to the kids. Events - Events are organized by Corazon de Vida, by a Chapter of Corazon de Vida, or as Third Party fundraisers. Your support, participation and sponsorship directly benefit the children of Corazon de Vida. Campaigns - Start fundraising for an existing project or create a new fundraising campaign and ignite a movement for the children of Baja. Chapters - Join chapters that are currently working on projects specific to the needs of the orphanages. https://www.corazondevida.org/ As part of the strategic expansion of its Philadelphia office, global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has added former U.S. Department of Justice litigator Jessica Natali to its award-winning White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice. Prior to joining the firm, Natali served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvanias criminal division for the past 11 years with a perfect trial conviction record. She brings to the firm considerable experience in federal criminal cases including health care, mail, wire, mortgage, and tax fraud matters. This addition is a game-changer for our office, practice and, ultimately, our clients. This is not only because of Jessicas wide-ranging litigation experience and deep knowledge of federal law, but also because of her longstanding and strong connections to this region, said Curtis B. Toll, managing shareholder of the firms Philadelphia office. Broadening our presence in the white collar defense space is a key component of this offices expansion efforts. Natalis decorated career with the U.S. Justice Department includes successfully prosecuting more than 100 cases. These include U.S. v. Dr. Kermit Gosnell et. al., which involved a Philadelphia-area health care provider who ran an opioid pill mill and performed illegal abortion procedures. Greenberg Traurigs overall reputation and strategically aggressive white collar team stood out to me as I chose a new phase for my career, Natali said. The firms strong presence in the region along with a global footprint of elite practitioners will serve my clients well and, in turn, I know that my insights will add value as I collaborate with my new partners around the world. "We welcome Jessica to our dynamic global team whose members work closely with each other and with clients, utilizing decades of experience together with innovative strategies and robust resources to address a wide range of criminal, regulatory, and investigation matters on a global scale, said Jacqueline Becerra, Marc L. Mukasey, and A. John Pappalardo, co-chairs of Greenberg Traurigs White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Natali graduated from Drexel University and Temple Universitys Beasley School of Law. Her legal career includes a clerkship for the Honorable Theodore McKee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and six years at Ballard Spahr as a white collar litigation associate. Her legal roots sprout from her father, Louis M. Natali Jr., a well-known criminal defense attorney, who served at the Philadelphia Defenders Association and once taught at Rutgers-Camden Law School. Since 1990, he has been a member of Temple Laws faculty and for four decades has helped train attorneys through the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. In addition to her stellar professional career, Jessica Natali serves the community as a volunteer with the Pennsylvania Animal Welfare Society and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys. Her long history of pro bono and community engagement activities intersects with entities such as Peoples Emergency Center, Womens Way, Philadelphia Reads, the United Way, and others. About Greenberg Traurigs Philadelphia office Founded in 1997, Greenberg Traurigs Philadelphia office is home to 43 attorneys and practices that include Real Estate, Public Finance, Litigation, Labor & Employment, Environmental, Government Law & Policy, Restructuring & Bankruptcy, Corporate & Securities, Intellectual Property, Business Immigration & Compliance, Investment Regulation, and Tax. The Philadelphia office represents clients in the manufacturing, health care, real estate, energy, financial, and insurance industries, state and local governments, professional service, and energy firms and individuals. About Greenberg Traurigs White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice Greenberg Traurigs White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice has wide-ranging experience protecting companies and individuals under government scrutiny. The firms creative defense lawyers are at the forefront of client service in this area, and Greenberg Traurig is one of very few firms with more than 90 former federal and state prosecutors in its litigation group, and where the majority of litigation shareholders and counsel have first-chair trial experience. The team's defense capabilities include vast experience in structuring internal investigations, developing guidelines and implementing compliance programs and addressing issues of voluntary disclosure, as well as extensive representations involving alleged securities fraud, FCPA violations, health care/pharmaceutical fraud, environmental crimes, money laundering, financial services fraud, public corruption/campaign finance violations, tax corruption, defense contracting infractions, and bankruptcy fraud. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and is among the Top 20 on the 2018 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. Warren's goal as a new manager is to grow the Columbus office so that it is routinely recognized as one of the most professional and highest producing offices in its market. Atlanta-based financial technology company, Payscape, announces the grand opening of their office in Columbus, Ohio, led by Sales Development Leader, Chris Warren. The office is located in Dublin, Ohio, a borough inside Columbus, in the One Metro Place building (545 Metro Place South, Suite 100, Dublin Ohio 43017). The new location marks Payscape's 16th market and second in the state of Ohio. A graduate from the University of Akron, Warren has been in the payments industry for 10+ years with experience in sales and management specifically. He joined Payscape in October of this year as a Sales Development Leader and successfully completed the companys manager candidate program, known as Iron Manager. In this new role, Warren will be responsible for hiring a team of Sales Executives to consult merchants in the Ohio market on Financial Technology and Merchant Processing. His goal as a new manager is to grow the Columbus office so that it is routinely recognized as one of the most professional and highest producing offices in its market. Warren is going to be a vital part of the next phase of growing Payscape as he establishes the presence of our new Columbus location, says President, Brady Harris, We are excited to see what he does and the amount of which he will accomplish in Ohios capital after successfully completing the Iron Manager program. The Ironman program is a highly competitive fast track position meant to identify and develop top caliber individuals, hired specifically to fill a sales leadership position within four months of employment. This program will require the completion of a specific set of training and performance requirements, where collectively it will provide the candidate with all the skills and experience, necessary to running a successful Payscape outside sales office. For more information on Payscapes Manager Candidate Program, or to apply for an open position, please visit: payscape.com/careers About Payscape Founded in 2004, Payscape is a leading integrated financial technology provider dedicated to making it simple for business owners to collect money. They are a team of inspired entrepreneurs intent on disrupting the commoditized payment landscape with cutting-edge products and services, universal API integration, best-in-class customer service, strategic referral and technology partnerships and a lifelong devotion to helping small to mid-size business owners increase cash flow. Learn more about the company at http://www.payscape.com and subscribe to fintech updates @Payscape. Having our work recognized at the Medtech Excellence Awards highlights the importance of our mission to improve the quality of care hospitals can provide by enhancing existing practices, giving their clinicians easy access to patient-specific 3D printed models. Medical technology firm, axial3D has been selected as Emerging Medtech Company of the Year at the Irish Medtech Excellence Awards. The award was based on strength in the key areas of strategic vision, customer focus and innovation. The company, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Belfast, is making 3D printing accessible to the entire healthcare sector - delivering personalized anatomical insights directly to a clinician using a combination of innovative software and expert services. The state-of-the-art technology has seen axial3D achieve considerable success in its short history, partnering with many prominent healthcare professionals and organizations across the globe. Daniel Crawford, Founder, and CEO at axial3D said We are extremely proud to have won the prestigious award of 'Emerging Medtech Company of the Year' at this years Medtech Excellence Awards. 3D printing is revolutionizing patient care in hospitals across the world. Having our work recognized at the Medtech Excellence Awards highlights the importance of our mission to improve the quality of care hospitals can provide by enhancing existing practices, giving their clinicians easy access to patient-specific 3D printed models. The win comes for the company during a period of sustained success. axial3D recently picked up the TCT Healthcare Application Award 2018 for supporting surgeons at Belfast City Hospital in a world-first, life-saving operation. This week, the company also announced a new partnership with Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, Florida, to deliver state-of-the-art medical 3D printing services to patients across southeast USA, with an initial focus on neurosurgical services. The Irish Medtech Excellence Awards, now in its 12th year, is jointly hosted by the Irish Medtech Association, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. The ceremony recognizes and celebrates companies that have played a leading role in making Ireland a location of choice for global Medtech. The Irish Medtech sector employs over 38,000 people in over 450 companies across the island, and is the second largest employer of Medtech professionals in Europe, per capita. The sector is expected to add an additional 4,000 employees by 2020. *** axial3D is a pioneering UK based medical 3D printing company specializing in the use of patient-specific medical models to advance both standards and efficiency of surgical intervention. Creating precise 3D models generated from patient CT, MRI and PET data, this technology enhances pre-operative planning by personalizing healthcare. Bespoke 3D printed models are relied upon by prominent surgeons globally. For more information visit axial3D.com. Members of a farmers group harvest rice from a field in Terara, Indonesia. Mercy Corps is helping farmers learn how to grow stronger, heartier crops in the face of worsening drought. (Mercy Corps/Ezra Climate change is making the poorest people poorer. To help them adapt and to avoid losses, we must invest in inclusive financial tools and other strategies to soften the blows of a changing climate. Following the conclusion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change talks, Mercy Corps Chief Executive Officer Neal Keny-Guyer issued the following statement: Mercy Corps welcomes progress towards finalizing the rulebook produced by the Conference of Parties last week. But we need bolder commitments and action on the ground. Even if all greenhouse emissions stopped today, the earth will still warm by a further 0.5 degrees Celsius in the next 20 years. That locks us into an increasing number of extreme eventsheat waves, floods, droughts, hurricanesthat will have a disproportionate effect on the worlds most vulnerable people. When societies are unable to absorb the shocks of a changing climate, instability increases, making climate change a contributing factor to conflict. Thats why Mercy Corps believes that in addition to curbing greenhouse gas emissions, the world must also work to help vulnerable people and societies adapt to the coming crises. Climate change is making the poorest people poorer. To help them adapt and to avoid losses, we must invest in inclusive financial tools and other strategies to soften the blows of a changing climate. These can include lowering barriers to insurance, credit and savings, and increasing public and private finance. Otherwise, we risk undermining economic gains made in developing countries. The climate is changing. By taking action now, we can minimize risks and ensure that people, young and old alike, have the tools they need to prepare for and adapt to changes. Mercy Corps will continue to do so by focusing on innovative solutions, bold thinking and a stubborn insistence on seeing possibility in the face of pessimism. BACKGROUND From Kenya and Ethiopia to Indonesia and Bangladesh, Mercy Corps is helping people to adapt by: Money Doctor Neil Gallagher, founder, president, and CEO of Gallagher Financial Group Inc., as well as successful entrepreneur, investment counselor, and financial retirement planning specialist, says that people should join him and other Polar Bear members for an icy and exciting plunge at the outdoor (unheated) pool at Lifetime Fitness at Colleyville 8:00 A.M. January 1st, 2019. Its a shocking, sensational way to start the new year, explains Gallagher. The financial guru was a lifeguard during his college years in Rhode Island, plunging into the cold Atlantic Ocean many times where, even in August, the water was frigid and numbing. On January 1st of each year, the Polar Bears of Rhode Island would gather at the beaches of Narraganset and Scarborough to wade, then plunge into the icy waves. There are several reasons I still do this, elaborates Gallagher, First, for me, is that it is nostalgic. Second, the legendary Harvard Philosopher William James said that doing one positive action everyday that is difficult is the best way to build discipline. Plunging into icy water builds discipline, that is for sure. I do it every day. The activity also has several health benefits. The shock of cold water is a catharsis for body and brain. The sudden and drastic change in temperature has the possibility of boosting ones immune system. In a study, scientists from the Czech Republic immersed willing subjects into cold water for an hour, three times a week, and monitored their physiology. They found significant increases in white blood cell counts and several other factors relating to the immune system. This was attributed to cold water being a mild stressor, which activates the immune system and gives it some practice. The activity also brings an all-natural high that swimmers get when they swim in cold water. It can be described as a feeling of wellbeing thats so encompassing that it becomes addictive. The cause? Endorphins. These are the bodys natural pain killers, and in the case of a cold dip, it uses them to take the sting away from your skin. If you think that sounds dangerously close to the pain/pleasure barrier then you are probably right. The two other primary causes for endorphin release are pain and orgasm. Neil Gallagher has worked in the financial field for more than two decades, managing over one billion in assets and serving over one thousand clients world-wide. In addition, he also hosts weekly radio programs covering financial communication, the psychology of investing, wealth creation, family enrichment, and the importance of estate planning. He was recently awarded the Best of Los Angeles Award - Best Financial Planner - 2018, according to Aurora DeRose, award coordinator for the Best of Los Angeles Award community. Everyone that can come to this event should make the drive, concludes Gallagher, The benefits definitely outweigh the negatives, and guests may even have the chance to establish a new habit." With Lisa we are better positioned to bring a retail-first mindset to our work and deliver exceptional client results, cementing NetElixir as a leading retail search marketing agency, said Udayan Bose, CEO, NetElixir. Retail search marketing company NetElixir has expanded its leadership team by appointing Lisa Batra to the newly created position of VP, Client Services and Digital Marketing. In this role, Batra will support the companys efforts to continue growing its roster of iconic ecommerce retail brands by scaling out its client services operations and focusing on results that are key for retailers. Batra is based out of NetElixirs headquarters in Princeton, NJ and reports directly to the company CEO and Founder Udayan Bose. Batra brings over 18 years of retail industry experience from such prominent brands including Lowes, Charming Shoppes, Limited Brands and QVC. In these organizations, Batras work in ecommerce, merchandising, marketing and business development have led to significant revenue increases and digital marketing successes. For example, at Charming Shoppes, Inc. (FashionBug.com), she increased the revenue of a $40M brand by 43%. At Lowes, she developed dynamic search campaigns that resulted in 39% of voice and a 400% growth in impressions and visitors. At Limited Brands (Bath & Body Works Direct), Batra managed $125M in sales and vendor relationships and developed a multi-channel web strategy and product roadmap that resulted in a profit margin of 10.7%. We are thrilled to have Lisa join our team. She brings to NetElixir a wealth of knowledge from her career in the retail industry that will allow us to finetune our services to better meet the everchanging needs of our clients, said Udayan Bose. With Lisa we are better positioned to bring a retail-first mindset to our work and deliver exceptional client results, cementing NetElixir as a leading retail search marketing agency. Batra is also an entrepreneur in the ecommerce sector. As the Founder and CEO of a luxury childrens clothing marketplace My Kids Threads, she oversaw all aspects of the business including strategy, partnerships, marketing, merchandising, fulfillment, customer service, web development and design. The site continues to be successful and has been featured on ABC, NBC, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, and the Washington Post. Im so excited to be joining NetElixir and working closely with our teams to extend existing services and build new programs that help our retail clients continue to be successful online, said Batra. I look forward to applying what I have learned by being on the client side and running my own ecommerce business to optimize NetElixirs offerings and our client experience. Lisa Batra holds an MBA in New Ventures and Entrepreneurship and a B.S. in International Business and Marketing from Pennsylvania State University. NetElixirs leadership team has doubled in the past year with two other executive hires in 2018. NetElixir projects sustained double digit growth through 2019. About NetElixir NetElixir is a fanatically analytical global search marketing agency dedicated to helping retailers find and acquire new customers online. Since 2004, our data-intensive approach and deep retail expertise have delivered success for hundreds of brands in highly competitive marketplaces. But our passion, dedication, and unwavering customer focus is what our clients value most their goals become ours to achieve, and their expectations become ours to exceed. NetElixir is headquartered in Princeton, NJ with wholly owned subsidiary offices in London and Hyderabad, India. For more information, please visit http://www.NetElixir.com. ### The meeting unites government policy and regulatory makers with auto industry representatives to discuss the effect of government action and regulations for safety, emission control, and energy conservation on future vehicle design. SAE International announces that registration now is open for the 2019 Government/Industry Meeting, which will be held April 3-5, 2019, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. The meeting unites government policy and regulatory makers with auto industry representatives to discuss the effect of government action and regulations for safety, emission control, and energy conservation on future vehicle design. Only at the Government/Industry Meeting can government and industry leadership participate in a neutral forum to share information to provide both legislative and regulatory bodies the means to properly analyze technical information prior to drafting legislation and/or regulations. Featured speakers will include: Wednesday, April 3 Keynote: Lawrence D. Burns, PhD, business advisor and author of Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car and How it Will Reshape Our World Thursday, April 4 Keynote: Amy Walter, national editor of the non-partisan Cook Political Report and a frequent on-air analyst. Friday, April 5 Keynote: Heidi King, Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration CLICK HERE to register for the SAE International 2019 Government/Industry Meeting. Government/Industry Meeting registrants will receive complimentary access to the Washington Auto Show. Designated one of the nations top-five auto shows. SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our charitable arm, the SAE Foundation, which helps fund programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series. http://www.sae.org Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter For more than four decades, the performance of Rotair Industries in the supply and manufacture of quality helicopter parts has made it an industry leader. Sikorskys legendary Black Hawk helicopter has celebrated 40 years of military service. The aircraft was first delivered to the United States Army in 1978 and has since been a major part of keeping troops on the front line safe and well equipped. In recent years, Black Hawk helicopters are being used by firefighters as well. Since 2012, the U.S. militarys Black Hawk Exchange and Sales Team has worked to sell around 800 of the helicopters, increasing the use of the amazing aircraft. Rotair Aerospace Corporation has been a part of the Black Hawk helicopters four-decade story. RAC is a leading force in the helicopter industry. The company manufactures and supplies spare parts across Sikorskys S-70/H-60 platforms. RACs parts manufacturing includes the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. In August 2018, RAC announced a five-year contract with the U.S. Army to provide, develop, and manufacture parts for UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The deal is worth more than $5 million and it continues the long-running relationship between both RAC and the U.S. armed forces. RAC also supplies and manufactures helicopter parts for Sikorsky S-61 and S-70. RAC is an expert in the manufacture of complex replacement helicopter avionics, hydraulic, and mechanical parts and systems such as flight controls, bifilar assemblies, and rotor components. These parts are sold to operators around the globe. Today, there are more than 4,000 Black Hawk helicopters in use by military and commercial aviation groups. The legendary aircraft can be found in over 30 countries providing vital work no other helicopter can supply. According to projections, Black Hawk helicopters are expected to be manufactured up to 2070. Its longevity and continued manufacturing are proof of just how important the Black Hawk has been to those depending on it. RAC is proud to build spare parts for such a key military aircraft. Rotair is proud to supply those men and women who protect, serve, and keep America free. For more information on Rotair, please visit the companys website. About Rotair For more than four decades, Rotairs performance in supplying quality helicopter replacement parts has made the company the industry leader. It is a reputation that has come about through a continual strive for excellence in every area of the business. Rotair Aerospace Corporation continues to support the Sikorsky S-70/ H-60 & S61/SH-3 Helicopters each day. Volcanic Wines International I am excited for whats to come. Next years conference will give us the opportunity to present new volcanic regions and new research, and continue our mission to define and elevate the volcanic wine category in the eyes and palates of industry professionals and wine lovers, says Szabo. John Szabo, Master Sommelier and award-winning author and Volcanic Wines International (VWI) are proud to announce the 2nd annual International Volcanic Wine Conference (IVWC), to be held in New York City on June 5, 2019. The event follows the highly successful inaugural conference, held in March of this year, and Szabos acclaimed book on the subject, "Volcanic Wines: Salt, Grit and Power," published in 2016. The IVWC, in its second year, aims to continue its mission of establishing a volcanic wine movement, and to provide educational and promotional opportunities for volcanic wine producers internationally. The conference acts as a catalyst and facilitator to eventually bring together all of the worlds volcanic regions and wines, while incredibly diverse, represent a unique category of wines produced under some of the most extreme viticultural conditions on the planet. The annual conference also aims to help establish the volcanic wine classification as a premium category of high quality, terroir-driven wines with a true sense of place. This years inaugural conference was wildly successful, exceeding all expectations, says John Szabo. Guests were able to taste quality wines from diverse volcanic soils and learn from leading winemakers and experts about the unique characteristics that make these wines special. A first of its kind, the 2018 conference brought together producers from all over the world, helping raise the profile of volcanic wines; exclusively for qualifying wine trade and media, 300 industry professionals attended the event. During the conference, guests were able to sample wines from over 50 wineries from 16 different volcanic wine regions and engage with some of the worlds leading volcanic wine experts. "The Soave Consortium has always believed in the need of creating a specific category to identify volcanic wines and their unique characteristics, says Sandro Gini, Soave Consortium President. The event in New York in March 2018 brought us much satisfaction, especially by seeing a strong interest in these wines' peculiarities by wine professionals and writers." Educational seminars included Volcanic Italy as seen through Aglianico and Garganega, sponsored by LLS, a member of The Winebow Group, Soave: A Never-ending Volcanic Wine Story, sponsored by the Consorzio Tutela Vino Soave, The Volcanic Wines of Santorini: 3700 years in the making, organized by Wines from Santorini & Wines of Greece and Extreme Cabernet from Lake Countys Extreme Volcanic Terroir, sponsored by the Lake County Winegrape Commission & Lake County Winery Association. The seminars explored what differentiates volcanic wines in the world of wine, and what unites them. It also gave participants an unprecedented opportunity to taste a vast collection of volcanic wines under a single roof, with producers at hand to further explain their unique attributes. "We were thrilled to support this unique opportunity to delve into a compelling and important topic that goes beyond any one specific region to foster a broader understanding of soil and geology, and its impact on winegrowing and winemaking," said Ian Downey, Executive Vice President of Winebow Imports. "The high level of enthusiasm, questions, and dialogue surrounding the conference indicates that the discussion is far from over and we look forward to future initiatives." Producers from regions around the world such as Sicily, Soave, Campania, Santorini, Tokaj, Badacsony, Somlo, Washington State and many more will be participating in the second annual conference. Winemakers, academics, and journalists will be presenting in-depth educational seminars during breakout tasting sessions on various aspects of volcanic wines. I am excited for whats to come. Next years conference will give us the opportunity to present new volcanic regions and new research, and continue our mission to define and elevate the volcanic wine category in the eyes and palates, of industry professionals and wine lovers, says Szabo. Additional details regarding the conference, including confirmed participants and seminar schedules, will be announced in the following months. For more information and latest updates, be sure to visit the Volcanic Wines International official website http://www.volcanicwinesinternational.com, as well as following the VWIs Facebook (Volcanic Wines International) and Instagram (@volcanicwines_intl) pages. About John Szabo John Szabo is a Toronto-based author and wine critic, and in 2004 was the first Canadian to add the Master Sommelier credential to his name. He was named Canadas best-known sommelier in Meiningers Wine Business International, and he is a partner and a wine critic for WineAlign.com and freelances widely. In addition to "Volcanic Wines, Salt, Grit and Power," his book titles include "Pairing Food and Wine for Dummies" and "Sommelier Management." John also works as a restaurant consultant and speaks and judges internationally when hes not making a few dozen bottles of wine from his vineyard in Eger, Hungary. About Volcanic Wines International (VWI) The mission of Volcanic Wines International is to take the leading role in defining and establishing a Volcanic Wine Movement, and to provide educational and promotional opportunities for volcanic wine producers internationally. Volcanic Wines International also plans to establish the volcanic wine brand as a premium category of high quality wines with a true sense of place. About Colangelo & Partners Colangelo & Partners specializes in premium food, wine and spirits brands, and has long-established relationships with the key press that drive these business categories and help determine the industry leaders. Agency principals have years of experience in retail and distribution as well as communications, a rare combination that gives Colangelo & Partners invaluable insights into consumer purchasing behavior. The agency focuses on closing the loop between creative communications programs, distribution, promotion, publicity, and the consumer in order to maximize the efficiency of its communications programs and deliver measurable results. Founded in 2006, Colangelo & Partners was honored as one of the years top integrated communications firms at the 2013 Agency Elite Awards and for one of the best digital marketing campaigns at the 2014 Digital PR Awards. Sixth City Marketing welcomes Ashley Friess and Megan Ramey as account managers to the internet marketing team. At Sixth City Marketing, we strive to find fun, creative individuals who have a passion and are willing to learn, said John Sammon, founder and CEO of the company. This year has been a year of growth for the company and we are excited to have Megan and Ashley join the team. Ramey, who graduated from Miami University in 2016 with a double major in strategic communications and political science, brings her experience in both traditional and digital marketing to her new position. My main focus is on providing results for my clients through a strategic plan, said Ramey. I love working with clients to achieve their goals and help them with their ROI. Friess, a marketing graduate of John Carroll University, brings her organizational and coordinating skills from her previous positions to the new role and said she easily felt at home at Sixth City. After meeting the staff and learning about the company culture, I knew Sixth City was going to be a great fit for me, both personally and professionally, Friess said. I was confident this job would provide me uncapped opportunities to develop new skills and grow my knowledge of internet marketing six months into the job and I am already miles ahead of where I started. The Sixth City Marketing team is proud to welcome Ashley and Megan to the team. Sixth City Marketing is a digital marketing agency located in Rocky River, Ohio. The company specializes in custom SEO, PPC and website development solutions for its clients, which range from higher education institutions to small manufacturers. For more information, please contact John Sammon at john(at)sixthcitymarketing(dot)com or 440-821-1425. We still remember everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. With hundreds of thousands of legally innocent individuals sitting in jails simply because they cant afford bail, most states are beginning to reconsider the option of money bail as the bail reform law gains more traction. However, ahead of the law which takes effect in 2019 in some states and abolishes the requirement for individuals arrested and charged for a crime to post bail as a condition for their release, it has been noted in some states who have adopted the reform that as much as 48 percent of defendants have failed to appear for court hearings. The growing concern for the abolishment of money bail, however, is on the part of the victims whose rights are seemingly being eroded and not taken into consideration. While the rights of the victims are to be considered, there is also the need to protect the interest of the defendant, as in most cases, they may have been wrongly accused and arrested. Aiming to help reunite families with their arrested loved ones ahead of their court hearing appointments, Southern Bail Bonds has continued to strive to provide top-of-the-line services to families in and around Dallas, TX. At Southern Bail Bonds, the team of professionals understand the time-sensitive nature of bail bonds and the eagerness for families to reunite with their arrested loved ones, and as such, ensures that all bail bonds are processed accurately, and posted in a timely manner. "We still remember everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law" said the company spokesperson. The spokesperson for the provider of the bail bonds service in Dallas, TX, Southern Bail Bonds, while describing their company and their services said, At Southern Bail Bonds, Dallas Bail bonds remains our one and only specialty. We, have over our years of operation established ourselves as the only bail bonds specialist you need for all bail bond needs. Having been in the industry for years, we have tailored our services such that they are efficient, courteous, and most importantly swift. We understand the pressure associated with the bail bonds process and have established ourselves as the go-to Dallas County Bail Bondsman aimed at alleviating your stress. At Southern Bail Bonds, the Best bail bonds service in Dallas, the team of professionals are capable of providing bail bonds services to clients in need of felony bonds, misdemeanor bonds, traffic and DWI bonds, warrants lifted, no credit check, EZ payment plans, and more. Having established themselves as the top-rated bail bondsman serving Dallas, Southern Bail Bonds accommodates for a wide range of payment options including cash, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover), debit cards, and interest free financing, collaterals, and more to ensure that clients are able to get their loved ones freed as soon as possible. Southern Bail Bonds is located at 3936 S. Polk St. #110, Dallas, TX 75224. Clients who have questions about the bail bonds process can contact them via phone at 214-372-2500 or via email at info@southernbailbonds.com. Visit their website for additional information regarding their services. "Our overarching goal from the outset is to improve the lives of newly settled refugees in America," Matt Bauer, CEO, Sparrow The results are in: research shows that smartphones help refugees resettle more successfully. RefugeeMobile, a smartphone program launched in May 2016 with the goal of helping refugee families arriving in the US resettle more successfully, has developed a proven program for refugees who have access to smartphones and data service. Recipients are more likely to integrate, be employed, and have higher paying jobs, according to new research. The program was designed by Sparrow in partnership with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services and Refugee Services of Texas (RST), evaluated by the University of Notre Dames Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), and funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Vodafone Americas Foundation with support from Tableau Foundation. RefugeeMobile aims to help refugees get on their feet, while also expanding the capacity for the agencies that serve them as their resources continue to be constrained. The phones are preloaded with apps such as English learning, transportation, banking and communications, and then distributed by resettlement agencies when families first arrive in the US. A new study by LEO demonstrates that the smartphones and digital access provided by RefugeeMobile make a difference by enabling people to connect with support networks, overcome language barriers, access key services, and navigate their new communities more easily. On behalf of all the RefugeeMobile partners, funders and clients, we are so excited to report the conclusions and findings from LEO on the first phase of our project, notes Matt Bauer, CEO of Sparrow. Our overarching goal from the outset is to improve the lives of newly settled refugees in America, and now we have data-driven proof that bespoke mobile services create better connection with caseworkers and the local community, while increasing job prospects and reducing isolation in their newly settled communities. Through a randomized control trial evaluation by LEO and funded by a MacArthur Foundation Discovery Grant to RST, a sample of refugees resettled in Texas were randomly selected to receive a smartphone with special preloaded apps designed to help them adjust to life in the US, upon arrival. The study found families who received RefugeeMobile smartphones made more progress than those who did not, with promising resultsthey are 28% more likely to have internet at home; 45% more likely to interact with someone from a different culture; 38% more likely to visit their childs teacher to discuss performance at school; and 9% of the families reported that they could converse in English very well as opposed to no one in the control group. Program participants were also potentially more likely to be employed and have higher paying jobs, though these results are not statistically significant. The program helped resettlement agencies, too. Equipping refugees with mobile tools to self-serve and assist with translation, navigation/transportation, communication and job seeking, freed case managers to focus on deeper challenges of integration. Participants had fewer interactions with case managers, especially in-person meetings, and a much higher percent of interactions were by phone. Full study results will be published by LEO in a peer-reviewed academic journal. According to Dr. William Evans, co-founder of LEO, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Economics at Notre Dame and lead author of the study, "The results are very encouraging and the hope is to expand this experiment on a much larger scale to more fully understand the potential role that smartphones can play for vulnerable populations." One participant expressed how the phone made a difference for her stating, There is no life without a smartphone. One phone call can save my life. It makes me alive. If my kids are sick, one phone call might save their life. Its like having another person help me. Expanding RefugeeMobile to Help More Refugees and Separated Families Building on success from the 18-month demonstration pilot in Texas, and backed by a grant from the Vodafone Americas Foundation, RefugeeMobile is entering its second phase -- creating a scalable platform and expanding to additional localities and resettlement agencies including Catholic Charities Fort Worth, HIAS, and Jewish Family Services of Seattle. The program is seeking additional funding to expand to other key resettlement areas in the US, as well as helping families separated at the border reunite by providing cell phones, data plans, and relevant content to help coordinate legal and reunification services. Wireless customers in the US can also sign up for Sparrow to sponsor phones and data plans for refugee families and other communities in need. About: RefugeeMobile is a cross-sector initiative that provides technology to help immigrants integrate and thrive in their new home. Learn more at https://www.sparrowmobile.com/refugeemobile/ Sparrow is a US mobile services provider with a social mission: End digital poverty. Sparrow customers help under-served communities gain digital access with every month of service. Learn more at https://www.sparrowmobile.com SR Homes Logo The Final Homes of 2018 savings event features varying incentives that include any-way-you-want-it, closing costs, upgrades and options and paid amenities.* Top Atlanta home builder SR Homes is excited to announce its Final Homes of 2018 savings event! For a limited time, new homeowners can save up to $30,000 on their new SR home in sought-after metro Atlanta locations.* The Final Homes of 2018 savings event features varying incentives that include any-way-you-want-it, closing costs, upgrades and options and paid amenities on select homes at 11 communities throughout seven metro Atlanta counties. All savings amounts are valid on non-contingent contracts written and accepted by December 31, 2018. One community featuring a $30,000 any-way-you-want-it incentive is Wynbrook in Cumming. Priced from the low $500,000s, this charming community of 22 energy-efficient ranch and two-story homes set on spacious homesites offers the perfect convenient lifestyle. Home designs offer up to 3,600+ square feet of thoughtfully designed living space, basement homesites, three-car and side-entry garage options, distinctive features and designer finishes. Residents at Wynbrook enjoy convenience to plenty of both casual and high-end shopping and dining at The Collection at Forsyth. The communitys prime location is also perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore Lake Lanier, Sawnee Mountain Preserve and Big Creek Greenway. Children residing at Wynbrook attend top-rated Forsyth County schools including Daves Creek Elementary, Lakeside Middle and South Forsyth High. The model home, located at Old Atlanta Road and Gilbert Road in Cumming, is open daily for tours. To learn more about Wynbrook, call Agent Shivana Bhatia at 678-252-2538 or visit http://www.SRHomes.com/Wynbrook. For complete details regarding specific savings per home, eligible communities and disclaimers, visit http://www.SRHomes.com/promotions. To learn more about the award-winning designs and communities available from SR Homes throughout the metro-Atlanta area, visit http://www.SRHomes.com. *Subject to errors and omissions. Incentives vary per community. See an SR Homes representative for complete details. Valid on non-contingent contracts written and accepted by December 31, 2018. About SR Homes: Georgia Certified Professional Home Builder SR Homes was ranked No. 17 on the Atlanta Business Chronicles 2017 Atlantas Top 25 Homebuilders list. Atlanta native Alex Tetterton serves as the President and Founder of SR Homes. With over 40 years of combined homebuilding experience, SR Homes, a 100 percent James Hardie builder, is known for exceptional craftsmanship, commitment to service and for building quality communities in the most sought-after locations. To learn more about SR Homes and its mission to being A Builder Focused on You, visit http://www.SRHomes.com. "Its truly an honor to shift into our new roles and make a positive impact on two superb organizations." IntellaPro and Affinity Resources, leading South Florida staffing firms and sister companies, have announced the restructuring of their executive team. Within the new structure, the organizations have named Co-Founders Duane Dowell as Sr. Managing Partner, Ed Daugherty as Chief Operating Officer, Brad Mete as President, and Phil Alvarez as Chief Sales Officer. Ed, Brad, and Phil comprise an all-star executive team that has accomplished many wins for these companies over the years, stated Duane Dowell, Sr. Managing Partner. Im proud of our track record, and know that keeping this team in-tact will make the future brighter than ever. Duane Dowell holds over 20 years of expertise in the technology staff augmentation and consulting industry, primarily with a South Florida focus. Working alongside Duane Dowell, Ed Daugherty helped found IntellaPro/Affinity in 2010 and has deep staffing industry experience and extensive skills in business development, leadership, operations management, and client-employee relations. Its truly an honor to shift into our new roles and make a positive impact on two superb organizations, commented Ed Daugherty, COO. Having helped found IntellaPro/Affinity, I am proud of where we have been and have made it my personal mission to take both companies to new heights in 2019. Brad Mete specializes in light industrial, light technical, engineering, and professional staffing, and has previous experience within one of the nations largest staffing firms. Phil Alvarez has experience in the areas of Office Clerical and Professional, Engineering and Technical, Light Industrial, Quality, and Manufacturing staffing. All four executives were previously Managing Partners. Restructuring means IntellaPro and Affinity Resources can create synergy and grow at a faster pace than ever before, said Brad Mete, President. A closer relationship between the sister companies increases reach and allows us to provide more jobs to more people. Its the next level of our evolution. Leading both IntellaPro and Affinity Resources into the future, the restructured executive team will be able to better provide a transparent chain of command through clearly defined role responsibilities and goals. Combined, the two companies have achieved an impressive yearly revenue growth rate of 39% over the last five years and are home to over 50 employees and over 700 temporary employees. While continuing growth in the South Florida market will remain a priority, expanding into new markets will also become a goal. Its an exciting new era for IntellaPro and Affinity Resources, stated Phil Alvarez, Chief Sales Officer. Our new setup will allow both companies to offer new workforce solutions that compliment their current staffing offerings and provide an elevated experience for businesses and job seekers alike. About IntellaPro IntellaPro has been making IT happen since 2010. As a leading provider of temporary, temporary-to-hire, managed staffing, direct-hire, RPO, and on-site recruiting services, IntellaPro nurtures long-term relationships that support unique business or career goals. This is accomplished through a deep network of high-caliber technology professionals and IT job openings. Above all, IntellaPro is dedicated to transparency, letting clients and candidates know what to expect up front and delivering every time. Learn more at http://www.intellapro.com. About Affinity Resources Affinity Resources provides employment and recruiting solutions and staffing to a variety of industries including aviation, manufacturing, transportation, medical, engineering, architecture, accounting and finance, and more. Its five strategic recruitment divisions allow for specialized support to clients and candidates regardless of sector. Learn more at http://www.affinityemployment.com. "...We consistently invest in product enhancements to expand the ways in which we make life simpler for structured finance professionals." Thetica Systems, an Intex partner and technology provider, announces substantial enhancements to its CLO and CMBS analytics and surveillance tools. The company serves those who price, analyze, and compare structured finance bonds, delivering rapid access to highly individual systems designed to support their unique business logic and decision-making. We are very gratified by the response to our latest offerings, said CEO Ariel Yankilevich. We consistently invest in product enhancements to expand the ways in which we make life simpler for structured finance professionals. He further noted that the company has experienced 200% growth in delivered work since 2015 and recently expanded its full-time development personnel and locations. The company recently delivered a custom solution for a large trading operation to use the client's credit model in CMBS universe runs and create unique triggers for sentiment change at property and loan levels. Another client is now able to run customized analytics for STACR/CAS deals, including loan level vectors. A third can perform historical par build calculations for CLOs including refi/reset deals. All clients now have the ability to run cashflows on a deal even before it has been assigned a CUSIP or Bloomberg ticker. An additional project for a large accounting firm, currently readying for launch, enables multiple users to perform price testing for their clients while working in parallel in a single environment. They are also able to run complex, multi-step jobs on demand between scheduled universe runs. The company supports CLO, CMBS, ABS, and non-Agency RMBS portfolios and integrates a wide variety of client-licensed data. Clients include investment banks, hedge funds, insurance companies, professional services providers, asset management, brokers, dealers, and others that invest in or monitor structured finance securities. Users range from traders and trading desks, project managers, research, and product controllers to risk managers, regulatory reporting, and IT. About Thetica Systems The company solves the buy-or-build dilemma for those who require a unique, highly customized, flexible system to price, compare, and analyze bonds. An experienced Intex partner, Thetica Systems can implement any business logic, models, or client-licensed data from any source for CLO, RMBS, CMBS, and ABS portfolios. The word Thetica was created from the Greek letter theta, representing thought or reason, and etica, representing ethics. Thought, reason and ethics are essential elements of any successful business and commitment to this concept is embedded in the companys name. For more information visit the company website. Were proud to be selected for Food Logistics prestigious FL100+ list for the fourth year in a row as it showcases TEKLYNX continued commitment to providing the food and beverage industry with smart and scalable barcode labeling and RFID software solutions and unparalleled customer support. TEKLYNX International, the worlds leading barcode and RFID labeling software developer and solutions provider, today announced that it has earned a place on Food Logistics coveted 2018 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers list for the fourth consecutive year. Featured in the November/December 2018 issue of Food Logistics magazine, the list features software and technology providers whose products and services are critical for companies throughout the global food and beverage supply chain. Were proud to be selected for Food Logistics prestigious FL100+ list for the fourth year in a row because it showcases TEKLYNX continued commitment to providing the food and beverage industry with efficient, smart and scalable barcode labeling and RFID software solutions and unparalleled customer support, states TEKLYNX General Manager Doug Niemeyer. For decades, TEKLYNX has helped food and beverage companies streamline labeling operations while staying ahead of current industry specific regulations such as the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI), Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Food Information for Consumers (FIC), and Californias Proposition 65. TEKLYNX labeling software can also automatically highlight allergens when they appear in the ingredients list as well as emphasize nutrition facts and other key label components with TEKLYNX WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) dynamic styling feature. To learn more, view the TEKLYNX Navigating Food Labeling Requirements eBook. Today, TEKLYNX is the only barcode labeling solution provider to offer subscription licensing allowing food and beverage companies to start using TEKLYNX for a low cost of entry while offering tiered solutions that meet the labeling needs of food and beverage companies of all sizes and is designed to grow with them over time. To view Food Logistics 15th annual FL100+ list visit foodlogistics.com and to learn more about TEKLYNX barcode labeling software solutions visit teklynx.com. About TEKLYNX International TEKLYNX International is the worlds leading barcode and RFID labeling software developer and solutions provider. An industry innovator for over 30 years, TEKLYNX helps companies operate smoothly and efficiently by implementing labeling solutions that streamline operations while staying ahead of industry-specific compliance and emerging regulations. TEKLYNX is world-renowned for its customer service; offering flexible purchase options, unparalleled service and support, and a comprehensive product offering that grows with companies over time. With operations in the United States, Europe, Japan, Latin America, China and Singapore, more than 750,000 companies in over 120 countries look to TEKLYNX integrated software solutions for their standard of success. Learn more by visiting teklynx.com, LinkedIn, Twitter @Teklynx, and Facebook.com/TEKLYNXInternational or call 888-629-4444. Earth Shoes today announced their biggest evolution since they re-introduced Earth Shoes into the marketplace 20 years ago: a new Earth logo and all-new branding. Starting in Spring 2019, consumers can expect to see the brands new logo everywhereon every product and on their all-new recycled and glueless shoeboxes. The new look speaks to Earths loyal consumers, while inviting a whole new consumer into the world of Earth. We take great pride in being a company thats always evolving, striving to be our best and open to change, explains Philippe Meynard, president of Earth, Inc. Our new identity reflects our incredible past while pushing ahead as a brand that believes in wellness, promotes vitality and brings joy to those who wear it. Spring 19 will also mark the official re-introduction of the exclusive Earth Powerpath Footbed Designinspired by Anne Kalsos original design created in the 1950s that was an exclusive comfort feature inside the iconic Kalso Earth Shoe. Inside each of our shoes and across all of our brandsEarth, Earth Origins and Earth Kalsoconsumers will find our exclusive footbed, explains Meynard. Its designed to provide the ultimate in underfoot comfort and energize every step by combing a shock-absorbing heel, stabilizing arch support and high-density cushioning at the ball of the foot. It naturally propels and uplifts each step. As a brand focused on sustainability, Earth is expanding on their recycled shoeboxes and long-term partnership with Trees for the Future by introducing more sustainable shoe manufacturing and sourcing practices. Moving forward, the brand will be using biodegradable shoe forms in their manufacturing, and more organic and recycled materials in their shoes. This is an exciting time for our brandsharing a new identity that deeply resonates with consumers and represents what Earth Shoes has become, concludes Meynard. Earth Shoes is Modern Wellness Fashion. Earth Shoes can be found at premium retailers across the country and online at earthshoes.com. About Earth Shoes No one has a story quite as special as Earth. With roots dating back to 1950s Denmark, Earth offers a lifestyle range of women's shoe styles each one inspired by our founder, Anne Kalso, a Danish yoga instructor with a core belief that wellness and joyful living should start from the ground up. It all started with the heritage collection, Earth Kalso Shoes, which are famously characterized with a grounded heel design that emulates the mountain pose. Today, Earth is a modern collection of fashionable shoes with uncompromised comfort to create a collection that brings a refreshing twist to footwear. This is Modern Wellness Fashion. The HOTH, a white label SEO and online marketing agency, has been named the 561st fastest growing company in the United States on the Inc. 5000 2018 list. Since its inception in 2010, The HOTH has serviced thousands of businesses around the world. The company was recognized among the fastest growing companies in the U.S. for the second year in a row, up from 820 in 2017. The HOTH continues to rise in the rankings thanks to the companys standard-setting SEO products and services. This honor is one of many on The HOTHs growing list of achievements. In addition to being named the 561st fastest growing company in the United States by Inc. 5000, the company was also named among the Top 50 Fastest Growing in Tampa Bay, one of the Best Places To Work and Coolest Places to Work in the Tampa Bay region, and the fifth Fastest Growing Company in Tampa Bay by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. On top of that, George Papadeas, Chief Operations Officer was named among the regions Up and Coming Professionals in the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The HOTH was founded in 2010 as a full-service SEO agency that grew quickly in the industry delivering SEO successes one after another. The HOTH went on to release their white label SEO service providing agencies and publishers with the advantage of their unique solution. Next, the HOTH established its white label SEO reseller program, followed by the link building service, and soon after the HOTH SEO Affiliate Program. HOTH Plus+ soon followed, and in 2013 HOTH Local debuted. In 2014, HOTH Blitz was born. In 2015, The HOTH continued its product expansion with a full suite of products and the promise of being the most reliable source for SEO tools and services on the planet. The HOTH is honored with the latest recognition as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States. The honor is ours for the second year in a row. This year The HOTH made the jump from the 820th to the 561st fastest growing company in the country on The Inc. 5000 List and we couldnt be prouder of our talented and hardworking team. The HOTH was founded with a goal of becoming the Best SEO company, serving up premium products and service, guaranteed and we carry on that tradition every day, serving thousands of businesses around the world. The HOTH Team About The HOTH The HOTH began in 2010 founded with the goal of becoming the best SEO Company around and promising premium service and support, guaranteed. The company name, the HOTH is an acronym for Hittem Over The Head, in other words, to bludgeon with awesomeness. It can be used as a noun (as in our product or our brand) or as a verb (i.e. To HOTH someone, to HOTH something). Today, The HOTH offers scalable, reseller-friendly SEO services at wholesale prices to help agencies and in-house marketers grow their businesses! As one of the largest SEO providers in the world, the company plans to continue on this upward path offering customer projects and campaigns with agility, speed, and scale. Were thrilled to welcome East Central University, Emmanuel College, Illinois College, Notre Dame College, Shawnee State University and University of West Florida to the Learning House family, said Todd Zipper, president and CEO of Learning House. Learning House, a Wiley brand and leading online program manager, announced today it has signed six new partnership agreements with East Central University, Emmanuel College, Illinois College, Notre Dame College, Shawnee State University and University of West Florida. To meet the growing need to build, launch, and scale in-demand online degrees, Learning House will support these institutions to deliver transformative online education aligned with employment and careers that improve the lives of their students. Were thrilled to welcome East Central University, Emmanuel College, Illinois College, Notre Dame College, Shawnee State University and University of West Florida to the Learning House family, said Todd Zipper, president and CEO of Learning House. We are also proud to bring our research-backed, tech-enabled solutions and services to deliver affordable and accessible education that is aligned to workforce demands." Under the five-year deal with the University of West Florida (UWF) a regional, public institution located in Pensacola, Florida, with a student population of nearly 13,000, Learning House will provide student lifecycle services in addition to instructional design consulting and will collaborate to help launch new online programs in nursing, computer science, cybersecurity, and social work, among others. Of the additional five newly inked OPM contracts, the schools will leverage Learning Houses full suite of student lifecycle and faculty-centric services through 2025, resulting in further expansion of existing online programs, plus the launch of future programs in market-driven industries. These partners include: East Central University, a regional, public institution located in Ada, Oklahoma, will partner with Learning House to bring new programs online in education, business, social work, nursing, and kinesiology. Emmanuel College, a private, Catholic liberal arts and sciences institution located in the heart of Boston will work closely with Learning House to launch new online programs in nursing, business and management, education, sciences, liberal arts, and other degree areas. Illinois College, a top-ranked liberal arts school located in Jacksonville, Illinois aims to launch a minimum of 16 programs online. Established in 1922, Notre Dame College (NDC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is a Catholic liberal arts institution that originally partnered with Learning House in 2008 as an early adopter of student lifecycle services, leading to significant growth of their online nursing and education programs. Now returning back, Learning House will work closely with NDC to invigorate institutional growth and will chart a path to launch new degree programs. Shawnee State University, a student-focused public university in Portsmouth, Ohio will collaborate with Learning House to develop at least 21 new degree programs. To learn more about Learning Houses unique collection of modern day, customized services and solutions to help academic partners and students thrive in a dynamic global market, or about partnership opportunities, please visit http://www.learninghouse.com. About Wiley: Wiley is a global leader in research and education. Our online scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, and our digital learning, assessment, certification and student-lifecycle services and solutions help universities, academic societies, businesses, governments and individuals to achieve their academic and professional goals. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to our stakeholders. The Company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. About Learning House, a Wiley Brand Learning House, a Wiley brand, helps people improve their lives through education. As a complement to the technology-enabled education solutions offered by Wiley Education Services, we partner with more than 60 institutions across the US, Europe, and Australia, and support over 600 degree programs. Additional solutions include Enterprise Learning Solutions, The Software Guild, Learning House International and Advancement Courses. Through our broad portfolio, Learning House, a Wiley brand, delivers more students, more graduates, and better outcomes. For more information visit learninghouse.com/ Media Contact: Alyssa Miller Learning House alyssa(at)ammediaworks(dot)com 973-615-1292 We couldnt be more excited to partner with a high-profile, iconic university like UConn, said Scott Shuler, President of Top of the World. We have already been working closely with UConn to develop a line that resonates with its alumni and fans. Top of the World, the leading collegiate apparel and headwear licensee, has inked a deal with the University of Connecticut to become the schools exclusive apparel and headwear licensee in all mass channels of distribution. The partnership kicks off for Back to School 2019 and will provide retailers with a one-stop-shop for all adult apparel and headwear, which will utilize the Captivating Apparel label. Top of the World will collaborate with Outerstuff, the top collegiate licensee in kids apparel, to offer a cohesive, consistent brand look at retailers like Walmart, Target and Costco. The agreement also provides marketing resources to further support the UConn brand and grow the business in this channel. We couldnt be more excited to partner with such a high-profile, iconic university like UConn, said Scott Shuler, President of Top of the World. We have already been working closely with UConn to develop a line that resonates with its alumni and fans and to launch new marketing initiatives to enhance the in-store experience. Top of the World previously held an exclusive headwear licensee in the mass channels, however BTS 2019 will mark the companys first entry into mass apparel for UConn. We are thrilled to be partnering with Top of the World to give UConn fans a new and exciting offering across these retail partners, said Kyle Muncy, UConn Director of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development. This retail space is such a massive part of the overall collegiate merchandise business and teaming with TOW will help us provide a more complete apparel and headwear offering across the market. We hope and expect that our fans will notice a difference next summer when product hits those retailers. About Top of the World Top of the World is one of the largest licensees within the collegiate licensing and broader headwear and apparel industry. It has led the collegiate licensed headwear market for over three decades and expanded into apparel in 2017. As of 2018, Top of the World is one of only 33 companies worldwide to be accredited by the Fair Labor Association, the highest level of FLA affiliation, for its commitment to social responsibility and the highest standard of business practices with its partnering factories. Top of the World holds more than 700 college and university licenses and has offices in Oklahoma, Michigan and Ohio. Looking for a unique gift idea this holiday season that also gives back? Honor a friend, family member or loved one with an engraved brick and support patients being treated for life-altering medical challenges at the Mayo Clinic and other Phoenix-area hospitals. Funds raised will offset the costs of patient lodging at Help In Healing Home, which provides guest casita accommodations to transplant and cancer patients and their caregivers during the critical days and weeks following life-saving medical procedures. Donate $250 for a 4x8-inch engraved brick or $450 for a 12x12-inch engraved brick and memorialize a loved one, thank a co-worker, show corporate support, or honor a doctor, nurse or an entire medical care team. The recipient will receive a letter letting them know about your donation in their honor. Not only is this a gift that lasts foreverits tax deductible, too. The bricks will be displayed in a walk of love at the Bob Bove Legacy Park at The Village at Mayo Clinic, a low-cost, extended-stay lodging option for out-of-town patients receiving transplant or cancer treatment at Phoenix-area hospitals. Help In Healing Home features six Southwestern style casitas, four for patients undergoing organ transplantation, and two for patients receiving cancer treatment. Each casita is approximately 4,900 square feet and has six bedrooms and six bathrooms to house patients and their caregivers. ABOUT HELP IN HEALING HOME Help In Healing Home is designed for individuals requiring a prolonged recovery, where the risk of infection is minimized, in a supportive environment that keeps them close to their medical professionals. To patients and caregivers who seek to enhance the healing process in a secure, warm and compassionate environment, Help In Healing Home is the independent, non-profit, donor sustained, home away from home that supports and strengthens their journey. http://www.helpinhealinghome.org/legacy-park-at-the-village/ Hackensack University Medical Center utiliVisors technical expertise & understanding of central utility plant monitoring along with individual building sub-metering is responsible for energy reductions of 17 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 1.2 million therms of gas which equates to $2.9 Million of Operational Savings. utiliVisor, an energy advisory firm that provides comprehensive energy plant monitoring and sub-metering services, has expanded its services for Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center a 781-bed nonprofit, research and teaching hospital in Hackensack, N.J., to include the firms Energy Insight Platform, a fully integrated energy management platform. Hackensack University Medical Center is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in the state. More than just an energy software program, utiliVisors Energy Insight Platform is a fully integrated energy management system that provides seamless, efficient communication among Hackensack University Medical Centers team members including engineering, sustainability, operations, and executives with access to clear, concise and actionable insights about their overall energy usage. The firm has set up real-time building analytics for each of the 12 buildings on the medical centers campus to track electric, gas, steam and chilled water usage. Through the systems cross-platform integration capability, sub-metered data at each building will be reconciled against the medical centers central utility plant energy production costs and Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G) utility bills to provide accurate energy-use indexing for each campus building. Engineers at utiliVisors Network Operations Center will send alerts to Hackensack University Medical Centers Engineering Department and sustainability team if energy thresholds and utility budgets are exceeded for any of the 12 campus buildings. In turn, Hackensack University Medical Center will work with utiliVisors Operations Center to extract and shape data to create new energy conservation measures (ECMs). The Energy Insight Platform will validate ECM outcomes to ensure that projected savings are achieved. At Hackensack Meridian Health we recognize the link between environmental health and the health of our patients, team members and our community, said Kyle Tafuri, Director of Sustainability, Hackensack Meridian Health. utiliVisors technical expertise and understanding of central utility plant monitoring along with individual building sub-metering is responsible for energy reductions of 17 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 1.2 million therms of gas which equates to $2.9 Million Dollars of Operational Savings at Hackensack University Medical Center, the networks academic flagship hospital. Our partnership with utiliVisor will allow us to operate efficiently and invest money into patient care versus wasted energy. Implementing the Energy Insight Platform is a natural extension of our ongoing relationship with Hackensack University Medical Center, added Peter Angerame, Vice President, utiliVisor. In 2009, we implemented our Energy Plant Services, a real-time web-based remote monitoring system overseen by our Network Operations Center engineers, who analyze and interpret data from the medical centers Central Utility Plant and campus buildings to identify opportunities to increase energy efficiency. Founded in 1978, utiliVisor offers comprehensive energy monitoring and sub-metering services, providing accurate, reliable solutions to boost efficiency and lower energy consumption. The utiliVisor system is a web-based, networked solution, built on open standards, that works in real time to collect and format data, monitor operations and equipment errors, and deliver oversight via web-based alerts and alarms. The firm services more than 800 buildings nationwide and oversees more than 525,000 service data points, more than any other service provider in the United States. It is also the largest sub-metering company in the tri-state New York metropolitan area and an approved Meter Data Service Provider (MDSP) for the State of New York. (https://utilivisor.com/hospital-utility-management/). Veterinary Study Groups (VSG), a leading provider of management support for practices in the United States and Canada and Veterinary Practice Partners (VPP), the co-owner with veterinarians of 54 practices, today announced Veterinary Management Group (VMG) membership for VPP's practices. Veterinary Study Groups is the parent of 42 Veterinary Management Groups (VMGs), providing structure which enables practice owners to come together to benefit from each other's wisdom and business content which helps to support each practices respective medical mission. There are currently more than 900 members who own 1,260 veterinary practices participating in VMGs throughout North America. Veterinary Practice Partners currently has 54 practices in 20 states with 55 DVM co-owners of the hospitals. VPPs philosophy promotes co-ownership of practices with veterinarians, including encouraging younger DVMs to become owners to ensure long-term DVM ownership in practices and clinical independence. VMG membership and participation in proven meeting and membership protocols is expected to help leaders of VPP practices to achieve optimal clinical and business success. Dr. Douglas Aspros, Chief Veterinary Officer for VPP and former VMG member said, As a former member, I am convinced that the participation of our clinical leaders in VMG will help them to observe best practices across their peer group, helping our already successful practices to achieve even higher levels of practice success and positive clinical outcomes. Link Welborn, DVM DABVP, President of Veterinary Study Groups added, VSG believes that veterinarian ownership will remain integral to the most successful practices of the future and the VPP model of co-ownership with veterinarians makes them a good fit for Veterinary Management Group membership. Im sure the veterinarian partners within VPP practices will benefit greatly from the collaborative synergies within their VMG groups as with all VMG members. Additional information on the two organizations may be found on their respective websites, http://www.veterinarystudygroups.com and http://www.vetpartners.com. Getting to class on time: The Bicocca Student Dormitory was on a tight construction schedule and restrictive budget. A membrane installation flunked the test; PENETRON ADMIX passed with flying colors! The innovative Penetron crystalline technology provides a 'self-healing' capability to the concrete that remains active for the life of the concrete matrix. Open in December 2018 just time for the new year, the Bicocca Student Dormitory in Milan, Italy, was initially faced with a demanding construction schedule and a budget that allowed for no mistakes or delays. Penetron crystalline products provided an elegant solution to both challenges, on time and accelerating the budget. Owned and financed by InvestiRE SGR, a private investment company specializing in real-estate assets, the Bicocca Student Dormitory is located on the Viale Innovazione in the Milanese district of Bicocca, across from the University of Milano-Bicocca campus and the Teatro degli Arcimboldi. The modernist design of geometric white facades by Goring & Straja Studio (GaS) envelopes a building with a 1,000 m2 (11,000-square-foot) footprint, featuring 15 above-ground floors and two underground floors. Tight schedule, tight budget The builder, Stahlbau Pichler, was faced with an extremely ambitious construction schedule and a tight budget, explains Enricomaria Brac, Director of Penetron Italia. In addition, the construction site had high groundwater levels that presented some challenges, and the initial construction plans had specified a membrane solution for the below-grade structures. Because of the tight schedule and restrictive budget, the project managers quickly realized that installation of a membrane would completely overwhelm the project deadlines. In addition, the expense of correctly installing a bituminous membrane was not covered by the budget. After reviewing a proposal made by the Penetron Italia team, the builder decided against a membrane solution and specified PENETRON ADMIX for all below-grade concrete structures of the Bicocca Student Dormitory. Keeping on schedule Unical, the ready-mix supplier, worked with the Penetron Italia team to come up with a concrete mix that met the waterproofing performance parameters defined by the project specifications. Added to the concrete mix during batching in pre-measured soluble bags as a waterproofing treatment, PENETRON ADMIX had the added advantage of helping the builder accelerate the construction schedule over the previously specified membrane. Our team worked with the project manager and the ready-mix supplier to ensure the right mix that would meet the structural demands of the project, which included a wide array of structural joints and other details, adds Mr. Brac. Also, the simplicity of adding PENETRON ADMIX in pre-measured, quality-controlled soluble bags to the concrete mix proved advantageous for the concrete supplier. Permanent seal for concrete The active ingredients in PENETRON ADMIX react in a catalytic process to generate a non-soluble crystalline network throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. This reaction permanently seals cracks, pores and capillaries against the penetration of water or chemicals from any direction, drastically reducing the permeability (and cracking) of the below-grade concrete structures of the Bicocca Student Dorm building guaranteeing a waterproof seal. PENETRON ADMIX was mixed into the concrete for the base slab and the perimeter walls in the below-grade structures; a total of about 1,000 m3 (1,300 cubic yards) of concrete was treated with the crystalline admixture. The innovative Penetron crystalline technology provides a 'self-healing' capability to the concrete that remains active for the life of the concrete matrix, concludes Mr. Brac. The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives and distribution channels. For more information on Penetron waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron(dot)com or Facebook(dot)com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700. Marble Luxe offers the highest grade of each type of stone in the collection, in a premium size and minimal thickness for easier installation. Shown: Turquoise. Fragmenta Terrazzo and Marble Luxe deliver classically-inspired and skillfully-crafted tile in a versatile selection of formats that celebrate each material through modern styles and beautifully neutral colors to unify your designs. Natural stone is one of the earths truest natural treasures, one that artisans can skillfully call attention to through superior craftsmanship and human ingenuity. Walker Zangers two new natural stone collectionsFragmenta Terrazzo and Marble Luxeare inspired by this time-honored craftsmanship, yet invigorated with contemporary sophistication. These new large-format tiles form a worldly compilation of colors and designs that work in balance with each other to deliver an elevated overall design experience. These new collections are an homage to the limitless potential of natural stone and our legacy and experience in selecting only the finest quality materials, said Erika Egede-Nissen, Walker Zanger Director of Marketing. Fragmenta Terrazzo and Marble Luxe deliver classically-inspired and skillfully-crafted tile in a versatile selection of formats that celebrate each material through modern styles and beautifully neutral colors to unify your designs. TWEET THIS: Two new tile collections from @walkerzangerFragmenta Terrazzo and Marble Luxefeature modern styles, large formats and a neutral color palette to celebrate the craftsmanship behind natural stone. http://bit.ly/WZ_CuratedElegance #walkerzanger True to the historical inspiration behind the new collections, Walker Zanger has partnered with one of Italys oldest family-owned terrazzo tile makers, combining ancient roots and contemporary trends to create the Fragmenta Terrazzo collection. It combines the unique, composite characteristics of classic terrazzo tiles seen in 17th century Venetian palazzos with sleek, modern shades of grey, white and black. Offered in large 24-by-24-inch tiles, the collection blends tradition and innovation to produce a tile that is both rich with history and in line with current design sensibilities. The new Marble Luxe collection elevates the classic elegance and refined style of marble even further. Cut from large blocks usually reserved for slabs, this tile is offered in a premium size with minimal thickness for easier installation and thinner grout lines. Incorporating crisp colors and patterns, Marble Luxe accentuates the superior quality of marble while transcending the traditional look and feel of more conventional marble tiles through colors like bold turquoise, creamy whites, warm browns and rich greys. Fragmenta Terrazzo and Marble Luxe are part of the new Curated Elegance collection by Walker Zanger, which includes three exclusive natural stone tile collections that celebrate skillful craftsmanship and modern styles to unify any design space. Visit walkerzanger.com/curatedelegance to learn more. About Walker Zanger Walker Zanger, the worlds most respected stone and tile company, combines traditional tile-making techniques with a modern sophistication that transcends any singular design style. A leading choice for design professionals, architects and consumers, Walker Zangers natural stone and tile products can be found in luxury homes, trendy boutiques, lavish spas and resorts, famed museums and fine restaurants around the globe. Walker Zanger is available through 14 beautiful showrooms and more than 200 authorized dealers nationwide. For more information, visit walkerzanger.com. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. The Indiana Horticultural Congress and Trade Show, held Feb. 12-14, will give fruit and vegetable producers and marketers from Indiana and surrounding states the opportunity to network while learning critical information about production, marketing, pest and disease control, farm management, and food safety. The three-day program will be at the Marriott East, 7202 E. 21st St., Indianapolis. Program tracks cover the broad areas of business and marketing, fresh vegetables, food safety, fruit, organic farming, wine grape, raw products, greenhouse and high-tunnel production. The trade show features vendors of products for the specialty crop industry such as seeds, plant protection items, processed foods and irrigation supplies. "Our educational sessions will feature top experts to meet the needs of growers and marketers for information that directly impacts their operations and their bottom lines," said Peter Hirst, chair of the Indiana Horticultural Congress and a Purdue University professor of horticulture. "There will also be ample opportunity for attendees to network with their peers and connect with businesses through our trade show and at luncheons and social events." This year's IHC will include a special session called "Climate and Food Crops: Climate Information, Tools and Needs for Indiana Fruit and Vegetable Production and Planning." Presenters for additional sessions include Purdue faculty, staff and Extension specialists as well as experts from California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri New York, Ohio and Tennessee. Other special events include: * Trade show social hour. * Cider judging contest for Indiana cider makers. * Silent auction to benefit the fruit and vegetable extension and research fund. * Hort Congress social hour. * Raw products luncheon. * IHC luncheon. Certified private pesticide applicators may attend recertification sessions for a small additional fee. Participants must provide their private applicator license number to receive recertification credit. Continuing certification hours for licensed commercial applicators will be available as well as continuing education units for certified crop advisers, certified professional agronomists, certified professional soil scientists and soil classifiers. Those interested in attending the Indiana Horticultural Congress and Trade Show can register online at https://www.inhortcongress.org/registation/. Students and educators are eligible for free admission. Three-day and one-day registration packages are available. Cost of the three-day registration is $140 for the first member and $115 for additional attendees from the same operation if made before Dec. 31. Prices increase by $20 after that date. Special hotel rates for attendees are $138 per night at the Marriott East and $128 per night at the Delta Indianapolis East if rooms are reserved before Jan. 11. Reservations can be made via the link on the IHC website or by calling 1-800-991-3346 and requesting the IHC block rate. IHC sponsorships are still available for businesses wanting to increase their brand awareness. Those interested can go to https://www.inhortcongress.org/sponsorship/ for details. For more information, contact Lori Jolly-Brown, events and communications coordinator for Purdue's Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, at 765-494-1296, ljollybr@purdue.edu. Media contact: Maureen Manier, Purdue Agricultural Communication, mmanier@purdue.edu Source: Lori Jolly-Brown, 765-494-1296, ljollybr@purdue.edu Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415; Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu Agriculture News Page Leah Panapa talks with Kiwi comedian Andrew Clay on being a comedian in modern times in NZ when some people take major offence at jokes. Are comedians having to change their material frequently? Should Kevin Hart have stood down as the host of the Oscars for homophobic tweets he sent ten years ago? Night Talk with Leah Panapa, 7pm - 12am this week on RadioLIVE, and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone. RadioLIVE. Ukrainian Railways put the first of 30 TE33A Evolution Series diesel locos being supplied by GE Transportation into service on December 13. Todays launch of GE locomotives onto the network is a great demonstration of the successful start of our long-term co-operation with our American partners, said UZs acting CEO ... MEXICO: The Tren Maya project to develop two rail corridors serving the Yucatan Peninsula was formally launched on December 16 by recently-elected President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador with a ceremony near the ancient Mayan ruins at Palenque. Harrison Manlove is a Cadet in the U.S. Armys Reserve Officer Training Corps at the at the University of Kansas and is currently studying History and Peace and Conflict Studies. Harrison has also written for The Strategy Bridge, where he examined Russias strategy in Syria and the Middle East. Divergent Options content does not contain information of an official nature nor does the content represent the official position of any government, any organization, or any group. Title: Assessment of the Widening Russian Presence in Africa Date Originally Written: November 26, 2018. Date Originally Published: December 17, 2018. Summary: Africa is quickly regaining its past place in world affairs as a proxy battleground. Amidst a potential U.S. military drawdown in Africa, Russia seeks to maintain and expand political and economic influence on the continent through military deployments and arms deals with several states. While Russia may face potential blowback due to a ham-fisted approach, lack of U.S. presence in Africa could enable Russian success. Text: The deployment of advisers military and civilian and the provision of security assistance to several African states is indicative of a renewed Russian interest on the continent. Russias speed of action in this line of effort has caught many observers off-guard, causing the issue to be an under-reported element of Russian foreign policy actions. Russias national security strategy, published at the end of 2015, identifies instability in several regions including Africa as a security threat. Ethnic conflict and terrorism are outlined as two key concerns. The strategy places emphasis on reliable and equal security, trade partnerships, and the use of diplomacy to preclude conflict. The strategy dictates force as a last resort[1]. Counter-terrorism operations and civil wars dominate the Sub-Saharan region of Africa. Continued volatility has undermined Western influence there and opened opportunities for exploitation. For the Russians, old Soviet allies in Africa like Angola and Sudan offer opportunities to provide military equipment, training, and technical assistance. Over the last three years, the Russian government has signed approximately 19 military cooperation deals with sub-Saharan states, to include U.S. allies, such as Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger. Russian cooperation ranges from arms shipments to joint exercises[2]. Resource acquisition is also potential motivating factor for Moscow, as seen in the Central African Republic with its large deposits of gold. Regarding instability, attempts to intervene with marginal force, and the provision of aid packages and security assistance is standard Russian practice. Russian aid programs are growing, however that line of effort is not covered in this assessment. The Central African Republic (CAR) has seen a major increase in violence since the start of its civil war at the end of 2012. In 2013, an arms embargo against the CAR was put in place by the United Nations (UN) after an outbreak of violence. Outside the capital, Bangui, the rule of law is scant, enforced instead by local Muslim and Christian militias and armed groups. A French military operation, Operation Sangaris, ended in October 2016 after reports of sexual violence and abuse against civilians battered the deployment. A UN peacekeeping mission in the CAR has also come under attack by armed groups, losing a total of fourteen peacekeepers thus far[3]. Security in the CAR is generally limited to the capital. In December 2017, Russia was given UN authorization to supply arms to the CAR after repeated requests by CAR President Faustin Archange Touadera[4]. Some 175 Russian advisers have deployed to supply arms and provide equipment training. Five advisers are Russian military personnel, while most others are civilians working with private contracting firms[5]. The Russian approach in the CAR is destabilizing. Brokering talks between rebel factions and the presence of Russian personnel assisting prospectors in mining operations in areas controlled by the primary rebel group in the CAR, the Front Populaire Pour la Renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC), is exacerbating an area already under crisis. Recently, FPRC leadership has called for the withdrawal of Russian personnel from the CAR, placing the Russian mission and its objectives even at the regional level in danger[6]. Cameroon is a likely area for Russian influence. In February 2018, reports surfaced that Russian military equipment was seized from a ship sailing for Douala, Cameroon. The ship docked at Sfaz, Tunisia due to major mechanical problems. It was searched by customs authorities who found the weapons shipment inside. To be sure, the ships track and timeline was followed by a Russian maritime blog, which found the ships track unusual for a course to Cameroon[7]. A plan for U.S. Special Forces to exit Cameroon was submitted by United States Marine Corps General Thomas Waldhauser, Commander of U.S. Africa Command, as part of an alignment with the U.S. National Defense Strategy released at the beginning of the year. The strategy moves to a focus on great power competition, rather than counterterrorism. The exit would be continent-wide, affecting several U.S. missions in Africa[8]. Elsewhere on the continent, military to military cooperation is integral to Russias relationship with Egypt. Bilateral airborne exercises have been held in both countries since 2015. Recent Russian arms sales and deliveries to Egypt include some 50 MiG- 29 fighter aircraft, 46 Kamov Ka- 52 Alligator attack and reconnaissance helicopters, the Ka-52K model helicopter designed for maritime use, and an advanced model of the S-300 mobile air defense system. In keeping with traditional policy stemming from its colonial history, Egypt has been careful in sidestepping foreign aid dependency. This dependence avoidance is evident in Egyptian purchases of fighter aircraft, ships, and submarines from countries like France, Germany, and South Korea[9]. Libyas continued instability has offered another arena in which Russian influence can take hold. In March 2017, Reuters reported a possible Russian special operations unit operating near Egypts western border with Libya. This presence was denied by Russian officials, however U.S. military sources have posited that Russia has deployed to the region to strengthen its leverage over whoever ultimately holds power in Libyas civil war[10]. Russian support for Khalifa Hiftar, the primary challenger to the Government of National Accord in Libya, seems to indicate a desire to re-forge old overseas Soviet relationships. In early 2017, members of Russian private military contractor RSB Group were reportedly operating in Libya[11]. Similarly, Wagner a Russian contracting firm with ties to a Putin associate has had a reported presence in Syria, supplementing Syrian government forces in ground operations. Reporting on Wagners deployments to Syria have shown a high level of security and potential consequences for those members who disclose any information about the firm. The Russian government has denied any presence of contractors in Syria[12]. In August 2018, three Russian journalists were murdered in the Central African Republic under murky circumstances[13]. While investigating the Wagner deployment there, the journalists were gunned down in what has been officially called a robbery. However, Western suspicion surrounds the incident and the story has been called into question, casting even greater light on the proliferation of contractors operating in Russias areas of interest[14]. The Russian approach in Africa is indicative of a general trend set in its 2014 intervention in Ukraine: low-visibility, low-cost exploitation of instability to secure political and economic objectives through marginal force deployments and security assistance to areas that once held Soviet influence. The potential decline of a U.S. military presence on the continent could drive further expansion, while access to resources provides a set of economic objectives for Russia to act upon. This article appeared originally at Divergent Options. Endnotes: [1] Russian National Security Strategy. 31 Dec. 2015, www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/OtrasPublicaciones/Internacional/2016/Russian-National-Security-Strategy-31Dec2015.pdf. [2] Factbox: Russian Military Cooperation Deals with African Countries. Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 17 Oct. 2018, uk.reuters.com/article/uk-africa-russia-factbox/factbox-russian-military-cooperation-deals-with-african-countries-idUKKCN1MR0KZ. [3] Global Conflict Tracker. Council on Foreign Relations, 2018, www.cfr.org/interactives/global-conflict-tracker#!/conflict/violence-in-the-central-african-republic. [4] UN Gives Green Light on Russia Arms to C Africa. News24, 16 Dec. 2017, www.news24.com/Africa/News/un-gives-green-light-on-russia-arms-to-c-africa-20171216. [5] McGregor, Andrew. How Russia Is Displacing the French in the Struggle for Influence in the Central African Republic. The Jamestown Foundation, 15 May 2018, jamestown.org/program/how-russia-is-displacing-the-french-in-the-struggle-for-influence-in-the-central-african-republic/. [6] Goble, Paul. Moscows Neo-Colonial Enterprise Running Into Difficulties in Central African Republic. The Jamestown Foundation, 6 Nov. 2018, jamestown.org/program/moscows-neo-colonial-enterprise-running-into-difficulties-in-central-african-republic/. [7] Voytenko, Mikhail. Secret Russian Arms Shipment? Cargo Ship with Arms Detained in Tunisia. UPDATE. Maritime Bulletin, 9 Apr. 2018, maritimebulletin.net/2018/02/16/secret-russian-arms-shipment-cargo-ship-with-arms-detained-in-tunisia/. [8] Cooper, Helene, and Eric Schmitt. U.S. Prepares to Reduce Troops and Shed Missions in Africa. The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/world/africa/us-withdraw-troops-africa.html. [9] McGregor, Andrew. How Does Russia Fit Into Egypts Strategic Plan. The Jamestown Foundation, 14 Feb. 2018, jamestown.org/program/russia-fit-egypts-strategic-plan/. [10] Stewart, Phil, et al. Exclusive: Russia Appears to Deploy Forces in Egypt, Eyes on Libya Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 14 Mar. 2017, www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-libya-exclusive-idUSKBN16K2RY. [11] Tsvetkova, Maria. Exclusive: Russian Private Security Firm Says It Had Armed Men in Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 13 Mar. 2017, www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-libya-contractors-idUSKBN16H2DM. [12] Secret Flights and Private Fighters: How Russia Supports Assad in Syria. Public Radio International, PRI, 6 Apr. 2018, www.pri.org/stories/2018-04-06/secret-flights-and-private-fighters-how-russia-supports-assad-syria. [13] Plichta, Marcel. What Murdered Russian Journalists Were Looking For in the Central African Republic. World Politics Review, 22 Aug. 2018, www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/25640/what-murdered-russian-journalists-were-looking-for-in-the-central-african-republic. [14] Higgins, Andrew, and Ivan Nechepurenko. In Africa, Mystery Murders Put Spotlight on Kremlins Reach. The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/world/europe/central-african-republic-russia-murder-journalists-africa-mystery-murders-put-spotlight-on-kremlins-reach.html. The U.S. military killed eight Shabaab fighters today in an area near Mogadishu that has in the past harbored foreign fighters. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has now targeted Shabaab 40 times in 2018, exceeding last years combined total of 35 strikes against both the al Qaeda branch and the Islamic States network in the country. The strike took place in the town of Gandarshe, which is 15 miles south of Mogadishu and just north of Merca. AFRICOM said that no civilians were killed during the operation. Gandarshe is located in a corridor along the coast that in the past has been a hub for foreign al Qaeda fighters who have joined Shabaab. In 2009, the U.S. killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a senior al Qaeda leader who embedded with Shabaab and was indicted for his involvement in the 1998 suicide attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in a special operations raid near Barawe. Nabhan was instrumental in cementing the official merger between Shabaab and al Qaeda. The U.S. also killed a Moroccan jihadist in Merca in an airstrike in 2012. This area, known as the Lower Shabelle Region, was identified by the U.S. government as a known safe haven for Shabaab. The Somali military, in conjunction with the African Union and U.S. military, have attempted to retake control of this region from Shabaab. Last week, Shabaab assassinated two Somali generals who were leading the fight in the region. After launching a series of strikes against Shabaabs network in the central Somali province of Mudug, AFRICOMs targeting of Shabaab appears to have shifted further south. A strike on Dec. 8 in Basra, a small town just north of Mogadishu, killed four Shabaab fighters. Another strike, on Dec. 4, killed four Shabaab fighters in the town of Awdheegle, which is just north of Gandarshe. AFRICOM said the operations are intended to prevent Shabaab from from taking advantage of safe havens and using portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists. Shabaab has maintained an effective insurgency despite a decade-long effort by by the U.S. military, the African Union, and the Somalia government to defeat it. The U.S. State Department has also labeled Shabaab as a persistent threat. Its most recent report on terrorism, the U.S. described Somalia as a terrorist safe haven. The report explained that al-Shabaab experienced significant military pressure during 2017, but the group still maintained control over large portions of the country. Al-Shabaab retained the ability to carry out high-profile attacks using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), suicide bombings, mortars, and small arms. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? This holiday season we are asking readers to support our independent reporting and analysis by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. This article appeared originally at FDD's Long War Journal. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 12/17/2018 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Colt Johnson has finally broken his silence after Larissa Christina Dos Santos Lima accused him of cheating and dragged his name through the mud.Late last week, Larissa took to Instagram claiming Colt was having an affair with another woman and just using her to film the next season of : Happily Ever After?.And now, Colt -- who previously confirmed he did end up marrying Larissa by referring to her as his "wife" in some of his Instagram comments -- is breaking his silence on the scandal.On Sunday, Colt posted a video of former President Bill Clinton on Instagram in which the former president of the United States addressed his highly-publicized affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky "I answered their questions truthfully," Clinton says in the video, "including questions about my private life. Questions no American citizen would ever want to answer. Still I must take complete responsibility for my actions, both public and private. And that is why I am speaking to you tonight."Colt captioned the video with a long message to concerned fans and critics."I have received a lot of direct messages, a lot of things said about what happened. I would like to say yes I am human and I have faults. I most definitely made mistakes but my relationship with Larissa is more than what you see on TV," Colt explained."We are like any couple in the world with its ups and downs. We also have the fortunate misfortune of also exposing our selves for millions of people to dissect, diagnose and discuss.""Yes, I have received massive amounts of attention from fans, especially women," Colt continued. "These things mixed with a relationship that has its problems makes for a dangerous scenario."The Las Vegas resident then admitted in his post, "I crossed the line between fan and fandom.""The reality sometimes is lost and this is something I have to handle in private," he elaborated. "In the past Larissa and I always tried to make it up and now we will talk about our futures. I am taking the responsibility for the things I did and for the people that suffered."Larissa shared several screenshots on her Instagram Stories of texts Colt exchanged with a woman as well as her own conversation via Instagram Direct Messages with the woman looking to expose Colt and his shady behavior.To start off with, the woman informed Larissa that Colt was sending "dick pics to other women.""Colt is cheating [on] me with this girl!" Larissa captioned one screenshot of a text-message exchange between Colt and the woman. "And [he has] plans to use me until he finish Happily Ever After."As shown in the screenshot, Colt texted the woman, "We need to stop talking for a bit."After the woman asked, "Why?" Colt allegedly responded, "Because she's violent... I just need to deal with her. Can you just not talk to her?"The woman apparently replied, "Yeah that's fine... Talk to you whenever," prompting Colt to issue an apology."I'm sorry honey," Colt allegedly told the woman in the screenshot. "I just have to deal with her then I'll be free."After Larissa shared all of the unflattering material about Colt, she posted a since-deleted video saying she was "devastated" as well as a photo revealing she'd be "taking a break [from the] Internet.""Truly hurt me seen my husband flirting online ... I'm not a gold digger. I always cleaned his house, took care of him. I'm good, I just want to breathe. I can't keep posting my personal life online, I just wished that he woke up and these women stop to message him," Larissa said.Larissa ended up staying at her friend Carmen's house as all of the drama ensued, and the Brazil native assured her fans on social media she was okay.Larissa and Colt currently star on the sixth season of TLC's .In the latest episode, Larissa and Colt recovered from an explosive fight after Larissa threw her engagement ring on the ground, but Colt told the cameras he wouldn't marry his fiancee if she continued to be "batsh-t crazy" and have another verbal tirade. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available The "Vanderpump Rules" cast came together to celebrate Lala Kent's engagement. ADVERTISEMENT Kent, 28, and her fiance, Randall Emmett, were feted Saturday in Los Angeles by her co-stars Scheana Marie Stassi Schroeder and other friends and family. Scheana Marie shared a photo Saturday on Instagram of herself with Kent at the party at Avenue nightclub. The bride-to-be wore a plunging dress covered in sequins. "This babe is getting hitched!!! Congrats Lala!!! I'm so happy for you two!!! @lalakent @randallemmettfilms #pumprules," Scheana Marie captioned the post. Emmett, a producer and the co-founder of Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, posted a snapshot Sunday of Kent and Schroeder at the bash. "Im so lucky thank you @stassischroeder and everyone who came out to celebrate last night!!!!! @lalakent," he wrote. Kent voiced her love for Emmett in a post on her own account. "Last night. WE'RE ENGAGED, BABY! I looooove youuuuu! @randallemmettfilms," she captioned a photo with her fiance. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Kent and Emmett got engaged in September during a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Kent subsequently told People she is "so excited" for her wedding. "We are so excited to start planning the rest of our lives together and I'm excited to put as much detail as Randall did in our engagement into our wedding!" she said. Kent came to fame on "Vanderpump Rules," which premiered its seventh season on Bravo this month. The show revolves around "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Vanderpump and the staff at her restaurant Sur. The government is buying out the shares of India Ports Global, which are now held in a 60-40 ratio by the JNPT and Deendayal Port Trust in Kandla. The Indian government plans to begin interim operations at Chabahar port in Iran by tweaking the shareholding pattern of India Ports Global Limited and making it a government entity. This is expected to satisfy the terms imposed by US sanctions on Iran and yet allow India to operate the project. The operations will kick off in a few weeks even though there was a terrorist attack on the port city on Friday, an Indian government source said. The government is buying out the shares of India Ports Global, which are now held in a 60-40 ratio by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Deendayal Port Trust (DPT) in Kandla. This is because while the US government has granted India a waiver from sanctions on Iran with regard to its operations at Chabahar, the waiver does not extend to commercial entities such as JNPT or DPT, which run the risk of being blacklisted by Washington if they operate in that country. According to the terms of the waiver, India can run the two terminals at Chabahar port that Iran has leased out to it as long as New Delhi uses the services of a departmental arm. Hence, the shareholding pattern of India Ports Global is being changed from a private sector company to a government-run entity. Once that happens, India Ports Global, which was set up in January 2015, will remain wedded only to the Chabahar port for the conceivable future. It will have to cede interest in any other projects abroad such as Payra in Bangladesh where both Indian and Chinese companies have shown interest. The government reckons that the Payra project will have to be bid by another company, which could again be a joint venture between JNPT and DPT. India Ports Global and Aria Banader Iranian Port inked a deal in 2016 to run a container and a multi-purpose terminal at Shahid Beheshti - Chabahar Port Phase-I. The expected capital investment for the project is $85.21 million. The project, which will operate on a 10-year lease, is expected to generate an annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million. In volume terms, the estimated minimum handling would be 30,000 TEUs by the third year of the ports operations. The volume is expected to eventually reach 250,000 TEUs. India and Iran have been able to whittle down the pain points to make the port project take off. Iran, which had once insisted that India should provide it a euro-denominated bank guarantee to underwrite a commitment to generate a minimum business at the port, has since come down from that position. It is reportedly willing to forego the clause now. A big challenge for India was the fact that Irans international banking channels have been frozen post the US sanctions. In September, the visiting Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi had stated that the handover would take place within a month. However, the deadline has been revised to the end of December. For now, the government has shelved plans to buy port infrastructure for Chabahar from foreign or domestic companies. The port will instead be furnished by the Iran government. However, bids already signed by India Ports Global, such as those those with Finnish crane manufacturer Cargotec OYJ Private Limited for 14 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, will be honoured. In an unrelated development, Indias downstream oil marketing companies have maintained a lessened, but a steady stream of imports from Iran going, thanks to a waiver from the US government for such imports for a limited window of time. The dues will be cleared in Indian rupees. Chabahar is Indias maiden foray into investment in a foreign port. It provides India with an access to Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. For Iran too, Chabahar is a huge opportunity as it is a deep sea port, unlike Bandar Abbas, its other major port located in the Gulf of Hormuz. Photograph: Courtesy, Alireza Numberone/Wikimedia Commons Suppose you have transferred money to your trading account but did not use it to buy securities, the broker could misuse this money, warns Sanjay Kumar Singh. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com, If you follow news of the fines imposed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India on brokers, it will give you a good idea of the shenanigans they indulge in. Recently, the market regulator fined Anand Rathi Rs 100,000 for violating stockbroker norms and transferring money from clients's accounts to its own and vice versa on several occasions. Sebi rules state that brokers must segregate clients's funds from their own. "When a broker opens a bank account where s/he intends to keep clients's money, even the title of the account has to indicate that it is a broker-client account," says Venu Madhav, chief operating officer, Zerodha. This serves another purpose as well. "The exchange has a lien on clients's bank account. If a broker defaults, the exchange can use the funds in clients's account to pay them," says Vikas Singhania, executive director, Trade Smart Online. The regulator does, however, allow brokers to transfer money from clients's account to their business account for legitimate purposes, such as to pay the exchanges, pay brokerage fee and securities transaction tax (STT). "If the amount transferred from the client account to the broker's business account is more than the broker can justify in case of an audit, that amounts to a breach of regulation," says Shrey Jain, founder, SAS Online, a Delhi-based discount broking firm. The idea behind creating a firewall is to prevent misuse of funds. "The broker has full access to your money. Sebi does not want brokers to pull out clients's money and use it to fund their own trades, buy real estate, or use it for personal purposes, as has happened in the past," says Madhav. A few months earlier, Sebi slapped a fine of Rs 11 lakh on A C Choksi Share Brokers. In that case, Sebi observed that the broker had mixed its own securities with those of its clients. Sebi rules state that similar segregation (as for funds) has to be maintained for securities too. "In the case of long-term investors, securities keep lying in their demat accounts for years. The risk of securities being misused is actually higher than that of funds," says Singhania. The broker may sell or pledge those securities. According to brokers, Sebi is working on introducing changes so that in future shares will be transferred directly from the client's demat account to the exchange's account (instead of going through the broker's account, as happens at present). In the Choksi case, Sebi also found that the broker had failed to settle the running accounts of clients. Suppose that you have transferred money to your trading account but did not use it to buy securities. The broker could misuse this money. To prevent this, Sebi has introduced a rule that once every 30 or 90 days (depending on what the customer had agreed to at the time of opening the account), unutilised funds have to be transferred back to customers. Experts say the broker is the custodian of your funds and securities, so you must choose one carefully. Madhav suggests you should look up the financials of the broker and avoid those who are not doing well. Jain suggests looking up the National Stock Exchange Web site and avoiding brokers who have a large number of complaints against them. If a broker is having difficulty in paying you money, Jain says it signals trouble and you should pull out your funds immediately from her/him. Singhania suggests not allowing money to lie idle in your trading account and monitoring your portfolio regularly. Automobile company Tata Motors, metals and mining major Vedanta, oil marketing firm BPCL, private sector IndusInd Bank, and two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto have witnessed their market cap slip below the Rs 1-trillion mark this year. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com Companies with more than Rs 1 trillion market capitalisation have gone down by five in 2018 despite the benchmark Sensex gaining 5 per cent. Automobile company Tata Motors, metals and mining major Vedanta, oil marketing firm Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), private sector IndusInd Bank, and two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto have witnessed their market cap slip below the Rs 1-trillion mark this year. Currently, there are 27 companies in the club, down from 31 at the end of 2017. Consumer goods company Nestle is fresh in the club. Last calendar year, the markets saw a secular upward move with the benchmark Sensex gaining 28 per cent and the NSE Midcap 100 index rallying 47 per cent. Markets this year have been choppy with the Sensex gaining as much as 14 per cent at one point to lifetime highs and then declining close to 15 per cent. Except for 10 or 15 companies, everybody else has seen an erosion in its market cap this year. Last year, the rally was broad-based. This year, it has been extremely skewed in favour of select stocks, said G Chokkalingam, founder, Equinomics Research and Advisory. Among the 31 companies that were in the Rs 1-trillion club during the start of the year, 16 have seen an erosion in their market cap, while the others have witnessed an increase. In absolute terms, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Reliance Industries (RIL) and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) saw a big increase in their market cap. TCS has added Rs 2.32 trillion in its market cap to Rs 7.5 trillion; RIL has added Rs 1.35 trillion to Rs 7.2 trillion; and HUL has added nearly Rs 1 trillion to Rs 3.94 trillion. The worst erosion in absolute terms was for Bharti Airtel. Its market value eroded by Rs 900 billion to Rs 1.21 trillion. Tata Motors saw its market cap value go down by Rs 78,000 crore, or 62 per cent, to Rs 46,900 crore, and Maruti Suzuki witnessed its market value decline by Rs 73,000 crore to Rs 2.2 trillion. Market participants said a combination of global and local factors have led to a lot of volatility in the market. Locally, the reintroduction of long-term capital gains, goods and services tax (GST), and the IL&FS default have weighed on investors' sentiment. On the global front, the rising US dollar and bond yields led to risk-aversion among overseas investors, who pulled out close to $5 billion from domestic stocks in 2018. Besides, rising tensions between the US and China, two of the worlds largest economies, have also weighed on the companies linked to global trade. 'Freebies are yet be proven a 'pucca' vote-catcher. But don't say that to KCR because he takes pride in two things: His record of delivery and imagination,' says Shekhar Gupta. IMAGE: Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrashekar Rao is sworn in as the state's chief minister for a second time in Hyderabad, December 13, 2018. Photograph: SnapsIndia Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his party the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi have painted the state pink. It is as if only one party fought this election. In all my years of watching elections, I have never seen such a dominance of the visual space by one political party. In Gujarat, it was about 20:1 for the BJP versus Congress. Telangana, it is like 90:1 for KCR, and we are still hedging. The square I saw from my window downtown had seven giant hoardings wrapped around it. All KCR and TRS. All pink, his party colour. There were, I believe, 698 of these in his capital. And if his rivals had a couple, I didn't see them. The incumbent didn't bother to attack his rivals, neither the Congress-led Prajakutami (People's Alliance) nor the BJP. It was a rare election campaign where the incumbent fought entirely on his past performance. He didn't even flaunt any new promises. He was only painting the walls, black type on a pink base, all nicely back-lit at night, with all that he had already done, by way of freebies and welfare. The message to his rivals was: Match me if you can. KCR's self-confidence would put a rampant Vivian Richards's imperious stride to the pitch in shade. Are his schemes affordable? Isn't his deficit going out of whack? "Bakwas, sub bakwas (rubbish, all rubbish)" was his short answer. "What deficit?" he asked. "Which is the country with the highest deficit in the world, the US? Then, Japan, and what about China? People know nothing and talk..." Professor KCR delivers his short tutorial on his Econ 101. Tamil Nadu famously gave us our freebie politics, especially Jayalalithaa. KCR has taken it to another level. My readers would know my incorrigible scepticism of freebies. I have taken note of these in the past and celebrated their rejection by the voters. Rajasthan, 2008-2013, fattened by the windfall of crude oil royalties from the Cairn oilfield in Barmer, became a laboratory for freebies that answered all the fantasies of Sonia Gandhi and her National Advisory Council. But Ashok Gehlot's incumbent Congress was routed, by 163-21 in a house of 200. There was much povertarian celebration later as Jayalalithaa won her second term, a rarity in Tamil Nadu. It was credited to her populo-nomics: Free mixer-grinders, mangalsutras and more. The fact is, there was a 13 per cent swing away from her and she would have lost if not for the divided Opposition vote. Freebies, therefore, are yet be proven a 'pucca' vote-catcher. But don't say that to KCR because he takes pride in two things: His record of delivery and imagination. As you traveled through his state, you saw the weight in his argument. He does have some giveaways like his Rs 100,000 gift to women on their marriage -- called 'Shaadi Mubarak' for the Muslims and 'Kalyana Lakshmi' for the rest. But he has some asset-building innovations: Like his plan to build two-bedroom homes for the poor, simply called the '2BHK Scheme'. He built half a million of these in his first term and you can see these in 11 storeys at Kollour near Hyderabad and in two storeys lining the highway passing his constituency of Gajwel. What about Narendra Damodardas Modi's Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, we asked him. "It's a rubbish scheme," he said. "Where do the women even change in a single-room house that Modi is giving?" Can he afford these 2BHKs, at Rs 750,000 apiece? We can take note of some innovations. He is giving away government land, waiving tax on cement, offering free sand, has developed the use of bricks made with subsidised fly ash from thermal power plants, collected the Rs 150,000 per dwelling that the Centre pays for the PMAY and folded it into his Rs 750,000 cost. You can take a look. This is very decent housing with better infrastructure than any of Mumbai's slum rehabilitation colonies. A taxpayer shouldn't grudge this. There are others: Good, bad and curious. He's built decent, free government hospitals. There's also a free ambulance pick-up and drop for a pregnant woman, accessible through a call centre. Each mother and baby, returning home, are presented a mid-sized suitcase, with clothing and toiletries, and some essentials and even toys to last three months. Of course, it is called the 'KCR Kit' and comes with his large portrait printed on it on a pink background. At the hospital in Karimnagar, we saw all of these, spoke to mothers and families, and they were grateful. The scheme that really needs closer and open-minded examination, however, is the Rythu Bandhu (farmer's friend). Farm distress is a national calamity, and many different approaches from input subsidies to minimum support prices have failed. Telangana gives a straight Rs 4,000 per crop for a year per acre as support to the farmer, irrespective of the land size. Last year, it spent Rs 120 billion on Rythu Bandhu. This has drawn much socialist criticism as even richer, absentee landlords 'with hundred acres or more' also collect this. The data tells us a different story. Of the 5.83 million beneficiaries (it's a lot of families in a state with 35 million population), only 14,900 own 50 acres or more. In fact, just about 115,000, or less than 2 per cent of all beneficiaries, own more than 10 acres. So, there's juice in this idea if you can afford it. Can you? Spare me the bakwas, KCR is likely to say. In KCR-onomics, there is something for everyone: Twenty-one free sheep (20 sheep plus one ram, actually) for herding castes. Industrial-sized washing machines for the dhobi (washerman) caste, fish-seed for the fishermen and so on. Scholar and caste-equality activist Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd questions this as driving the future generations into caste-denominated avocations. These are pure vote-buying schemes. Everybody loves a freebie. IMAGE: TRS workers celebrate their party's victory in the assembly election at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad, December 11, 2018. Photograph: PTI Photo The question is: Do they also vote for these? Evidence so far is mixed, but predominantly negative. The Congress, we noted earlier, was devastated in Rajasthan in 2013 despite incredible handouts. In Tamil Nadu, the home of freebie politics, parties have mostly alternated. In Punjab, the Akali-BJP combine was demolished despite the 'atta-dal' (wheat flour and pulses) scheme along with free power, etc that bankrupted it. In Karnataka, Siddaramaiah's Congress splurged in a Jayalalithaa-plus manner, but failed to beat the BJP. In Chhattisgarh, you could say that the nearly free rice that earned its genteel chief minister the nickname 'chawal wale baba' also helped him win two re-elections. But now, his rivals are offering even more. Voters are clever. They know that a freebie once granted can never be withdrawn. Please note the many rude things Mr Modi said about the MGNREGA in the 2014 campaign. He has only kept throwing more money at it. They also expect the challenger to bring more: The BJP offered free cows in Telangana. You need more than freebies now: Identity, inter-state rivalries, religion, nationalism, and in state elections, sub-nationalism. This brings us back to Telangana. We watch KCR's son in a street-corner meeting and then the father at the big one in Hyderabad's parade ground. "Jai", they say... fists go up, and so many respond "Telangana". Now, "Jai Telangana" wasn't a slogan you could shout convincingly from a Prajakutami stage, with Andhra's Chandrababu Naidu as partner. Freebies alone did not win KCR a second term. With Telangana pride, his was a more formidable proposition. By special arrangement with ThePrint '1984 is important as it is the beginning of the State making war against its citizens in India.' 'Since then, we had the government of the day organising riots or genocide by attacking certain people.' IMAGE: Members of various Sikh organisations stage a protest against Congress leaders who were accused of leading anti-Sikh riots in 1984 in Chandigarh, April 7, 2009. Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters The Delhi high court on Monday, December 17, overruled a lower court's acquittal and sentenced former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar to jail for life for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that engulfed north India in the wake of then prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination. Sajjan Kumar, 73, was convicted in a case relating to the killing of five members of a family in Raj Nagar and the torching of a gurdwara on November 1, 1984, the day after the assassination. Kumar and six others went on trial in the case in 2010, and he alone was acquitted three years later. The high court on Monday overturned this order and sentenced him in prison for life. Kumar, a member of Parliament at the time, is the most high profile Congress leader to have been convicted in the anti-Sikh riots that claimed over 3,000 lives. As many as 10 commissions of inquiry were set up by various governments to probe the violence, with many witnesses submitting signed affidavits alleging the involvement of Congress leaders in abetting and fanning the violence. The very first conviction in the anti-Sikh riots came on November 15 this year when two men were convicted by a Delhi court. "The worse thing about 1984 was that the political fraternity came to know that they could get away with something like this (organising riotous acts)," Vikram Kapur, author of 1984: In Memory and Imagination and The Assassinations: A Novel of 1984, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com. Your first reaction to Sajjan Kumar's conviction? It is delayed justice and it should have happened years ago since the evidence was quite overwhelming. This is just the tip of the iceberg because a lot of people who were responsible for the riots continued to walk free for years and years. It is good that the judgment has come, but it is sad as it took three decades for it to come. During your research for your books, did you come across the role of Sajjan Kumar or any other Congress leader in the anti-Sikh riots? It is pretty well known that the genocide, as I prefer to call it, and not riots, was very well organised. It was not a spontaneous outpouring where ordinary people took to the streets and started attacking the Sikhs. On every Sikh home there was a cross drawn with a white chalk on the door and Sikh homes were identified through voter records. The mob exactly knew (by this) where to attack and whom to attack. The worst carnage I have written about was in Trilokpuri, Delhi, which was a resettlement colony. Goondas ram amok and before coming in they cut off the telephone wires so nobody could call for help. They ransacked the place for two days. They also placed big concrete pipes to block the roads (so nobody could escape). A lot of local Congress politicians were involved in organising this particular attack, which was well-known. Many commissions of inquiry were set up, but nothing came out of it for 34 years. It is obvious. Our political fraternity has got skeletons in their cupboards. The Congress was not in power for long at the Centre after 1989, but still no justice was done. Other governments had commissions of inquiry, but never really delivered any justice. The reason was they were hesitant as they (felt) if the miscreants of 1984 were punished, then there would be demands to punish other miscreants of other riots. The victims didn't have to be Sikhs in those riots, and therefore it took so long to get justice. My hats off to the people who fought against (the system). They never wavered from their commitment. Somehow the news then focused on Indira Gandhi's assassination while there was no mention of the violence in the capital and elsewhere. On television they were showing Indira Gandhi's dead body (in the news) and there was absolutely no mention of the genocide of Sikhs that was going on in various parts of Delhi. It was done in some cases with active police collusion. A retired inspector general I would like not to name told me that the police always supports the party in power. In those days, the Congress was in power and when they were doing this the police did not want to intervene. In some cases, the police was even sympathising with the rioters. It went on for three days. Mrs Gandhi was killed on October 31 morning and the attacks started the next day, on November 1. Neighbourhoods started getting attacked the next day and in a day they (the Congress party) collected an army of goondas. The carnage was going on on November 2 and 3 with the Indian Army sitting in the barracks and doing nothing. I believe Sikh soldiers's weapons were taken away by the army as there was fear that they might desert at that time. Nobody was there to protect the Sikhs. In some cases, neighbours were with the people who were causing genocide and identifying Sikh homes. A vast majority was silent and not doing anything. That is how 3,000-plus people got killed and there was so much damage to property. It was only after three days the government of the day woke up and the army started doing flag marches. Curfew was imposed which led to the riots subsiding. Do you feel it was the Narendra Damodardas Modi government that finally gave justice to the Sikhs? I would not like to speculate on the motives of the Modi government. I am glad that some kind of justice is coming around. We never saw justice in other governments and now that it has happened it is a good thing. Did you come across the role played by any Congress leader in the riots -- Kamal Nath, Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler or H K L Bhagat, all of whom were accused of involvement? Sajjan Kumar is the one who was prosecuted actively, and other names have also been mentioned then. Hartosh Singh Bal, a journalist with Caravan magazine, has written about Kamal Nath and his presence at the Bangla Sahib guruwara. I only know about this from these kinds of accounts. Of course, talking to the 1984 victims and survivors, they speak of local Congressmen responsible for the riots. Some of them were higher up in the hierarchy (in the Congress party). 1984 is important as it is the beginning of the State making war against its citizens in India. Before that, these things never happened. Since then, we had the government of the day organising riots or genocide by attacking certain people. 1984 started that trend and that is why it remains important. In 1984, even upscale Sikhs were attacked. Khushwant Singh had to take asylum in the Swedish embassy. The Swedish ambassador picked him up from his home and took him to the embassy for those three days. 1984 was the beginning, to be followed by 1992 (the Mumbai riots) and Godhra (riots) in 2002. The worse thing about 1984 was that the political fraternity came to know that they could get away with something like this (organising riotous acts). Do you feel the apology in 2010 by then prime minister Manmohan Singh was good enough? I think one of the commission reports that was presented during the Manmohan Singh government made a lot of Sikhs unhappy as it said there was not enough evidence. A lot of people were unhappy, but in one sense it was good as it was a symbolic thing as one of us became the prime minister. There was no Sikh prime minister in India before that in India and as a symbolic thing it was good, maybe it helped Sikhs to feel more secure with it. But it is also a recorded fact that justice was not given to the victims of the 1984 genocide during Dr Manmohan Singh's government. No real action was taken on the ground at that time. A fresh bill to make the practice of instant tripe talaq among Muslims a penal offence was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday to replace an ordinance issued in September. Photograph: PTI Photo Under the proposed law, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 would supercede an earlier bill passed in the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha. An earlier bill was approved by the Lower House. But amid opposition by some parties in the Upper House, the government had cleared some amendments, including introduction of a provision of bail, to make it more palatable. But as the bill continued to face resistance in the Rajya Sabha, the government issued an ordinance in September, incorporating amendments. An ordinance has a life of six months. But from the day a session begins, the ordinance has to be replaced by a bill which should be passed by Parliament within 42 days (six weeks), else it lapses. The government is at liberty to re-promulgate the ordinance if the bill fails to get through Parliament. Introducing the bill, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said despite the Supreme Court striking down the practice of talaq-e-biddat (instant triple talaq) as unconstitutional, men were divorcing their wives on flimsy grounds and even via WhatsApp. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor opposed the introduction of the bill, saying divorce cannot be made a penal offence and its provisions were against basic principles of the Constitution. Stating that the bill is "misconceived", Tharoor said it seeks to create class specific action based on religion. The Congress leader also said that he does not believe that Parliament is competent to enact such a law. In response, Prasad said the bill has been brought after due deliberations and the member's objections were baseless. Prasad said "improvements" have been made in the bill and the law was essential to help Muslim women facing the problem of instant triple talaq. While the proposed law makes it a "non-bailable" offence, an accused can approach a magistrate even before trial to seek bail. In a non-bailable offence, bail cannot be granted by police at the police station. A provision has been added to allow the magistrate to grant bail "after hearing the wife". The magistrate would ensure that bail is granted only after the husband agrees to grant compensation to the wife as provided in the bill. The quantum of compensation will be decided by the magistrate, as per the bill. The police would lodge an FIR only if approached by the victim (wife), her blood relations or people who become her relatives by virtue of marriage. Neighbours and others cannot lodge a complaint under the proposed law. The offence of instant triple talaq will be "compoundable". Now, a magistrate can use his powers to settle the dispute between a husband and his wife. This will happen only when the wife approaches the court. Under a compoundable offence, both parties have the liberty of withdrawing the case. The proposed law would only be applicable on instant triple talaq or 'talaq-e-biddat' and it would give power to the victim to approach a magistrate seeking "subsistence allowance" for herself and minor children. A woman can also seek the custody of her minor children from the magistrate who will take a final call on the issue. "The legislation would help in ensuring the larger constitutional goals of gender justice and gender equality of married Muslim women and help subserve their fundamental rights of non-discrimination and empowerment," as the per new bill's Statement of Objects and Reasons. Citing details of instant triple talaq cases, the government last week informed the Lok Sabha that till now 430 incidents of triple talaq have come to the notice of the government through the media. Of these, 229 were reported before the Supreme Court judgement while another 201 came to the notice after the ruling. These cases were reported between the period of January 2017 and September 13, 2018. Parliament proceedings were disrupted for the fourth consecutive day on Monday over the Rafale jet deal and Cauvery issues, leading to adjournment of Rajya Sabha for the day soon after it met, and Lok Sabha after passing a bill on transgender rights amid adjournments. IMAGE: Derek O'Brien along with other Trinamool Congress MPs stages a protest against the Union goverment over various issues, during the Winter Session of Parliament. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo In Rajya Sabha, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House within minutes of assembling as Members of Tamil Nadu parties - Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam -- stormed into the well and Congress and treasury benches raised slogans. Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has given a notice for taking up of a discussion over the government allegedly misguiding the Supreme Court over the purchase of Rafale jets from France. He was countered by slogan-shouting from members of treasury benches who demanded an apology from the Congress after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the deal. AIADMK and DMK members were in the well seeking a permanent solution to the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Lok Sabha was adjourned thrice since it met in the morning, before being adjourned for the day. The treasury and the opposition benches sparred over the Rafale jet deal issue with both sides raising slogans against each other. While the AIADMK raised issues related to construction of a dam over Cauvery river, the Telugu Desam Party sought special status for Andhra Pradesh. Congress members raised the issue of governments stand in the Supreme Court over the Rafale deal and accused it of misleading the top court. Bharatiya Janata Party members, who were on their feet, raised slogans such as Rahul Gandhi apologise to counter the Congress offensive. Monday was the fifth sitting of the Winter session. While on Tuesday last, the two Houses were adjourned for the day after obituary references to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Cabinet Minister Ananth Kumar and other sitting members, little business was transacted in the two Houses on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which makes the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offence, was introduced in Lok Sabha after it met in the noon on Monday. It seeks to replace an ordinance issued in September. Amid slogan shouting, Congress Shashi Tharoor opposed the introduction of the bill, terming it as unconstitutional. When the House met again after a second adjournment, The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill was moved for passage. Amid din, five members participated in the debate questioning the provisions of the legislation. The 27 amendments moved by the government, along with some others moved by opposition members, were considered amid noisy scenes. The bill was later passed and the House adjourned for the day. Many opposition leaders feel that the PM's name is to be decided only after the Lok Sabha results. IMAGE: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, DMK chief MK Stalin at a public meeting after unveiling a life-size bronze statue of late Tamil Nadu chief minister and former DMK president M Karunanidhi at YMCA ground, in Chennai. Photograph: @mkstalin/Twitter A number of opposition leaders are understood to have reservations over naming any prime ministerial nominee for the opposition alliance for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, sources in the opposition camp said. This came after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M K Stalin said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi should be made the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition as he has the ability to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party. "A number of opposition leaders are understood to have reservations against naming anyone as the prime ministerial face. The SP, TDP, BSP, TMC, and NCP disagree with Stalin's announcement. It is premature. The PM name is to be decided only after the Lok Sabha results," a top opposition leader said. DMK chief M K Stalin Sunday made a strong pitch for Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" Narendra Modi government. Stalin's plea is in line with the tradition of his late father M Karunanidhi who had earlier invited Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi for leadership roles. The DMK president was speaking at a rally attended by chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, N Chandrababu Naidu and Pinarayi Vijayan, respectively. Incidentally, Naidu, post his split with the BJP-led NDA earlier this year, is attempting to cobble up a mega coalition of anti-BJP front for the next parliamentary elections. Stalin recalled that Karunanidhi had in 1980 declared "Welcome daughter of Pandit Nehru. Give a Stable Regime" while extending support to the late Indira Gandhi. Similarly, he had made an invitation to Sonia Gandhi in 2004, saying "Welcome daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi, India's daughter should Win". "In 2018, on the occasion of unveiling Thalaivar Kalaignar statue, I propose, we will install a new prime minister in Delhi. We will build a new India, as the Son of Thalaivar Kalaignar, I propose the candidature of Rahul Gandhi from Tamil Nadu," Stalin said. "Rahul has got the ability to defeat the 'Fascist Nazist' Modi government. I appeal to all my respected party leaders on the dais. We will strengthen the hands of Rahul Gandhi. We will save this nation," Stalin said. Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, who was detained by the countrys intelligence agencies in 2012 and subsequently sentenced to three years imprisonment by a military court in 2015 for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by the military court on December 15, 2015. His three-year jail term ended on December 15, 2018 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar high court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. Ansari is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said. He claimed that Ansari was an Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents. Ansari went 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. He entered Pakistan 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, on Thursday heard an appeal filed by Ansari through his lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar. Anwar informed the bench that both the ministry 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. 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. When Rediff.com contacted Ansaris family in Mumbai, his brother Dr Khalid Ansari said that his parents were in Delhi and they were hoping that Hamid Nihal would return soon. We havent received any official confirmation yet. Till hes not deported, we cant celebrate, he said. A massive fire swept through a government hospital in Mumbai on Monday evening killing six people and leaving 141 patients and visitors injured, officials said. IMAGE: The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the ground plus five-floor ESIC Kamgar Hospital in suburban Andheri. Photograph: PTI Photo A total of 147 people, including patients and visitors, were rescued after the fire broke out at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri, said an official of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. They were subsequently shifted to different hospitals, he said. The official said 19 of them were taken to civic-run Cooper Hospital where two were declared brought dead. Another 33 were shifted to Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri where three were declared dead, he said. IMAGE: Firefighters conduct rescue after a major fire broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital, in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo Forty were taken to Holy Spirit Hospital, Andheri (East), where one of them was declared brought dead, the official said. Some of the injured were discharged, while the others were undergoing treatment in different hospitals with some of them in the intensive care unit, he said. A fire brigade official said the blaze at the hospital was reported at 4.03 pm and it was extinguished at 7.35 pm. The building is a ground plus five-floor structure and the blaze erupted on the fourth floor, the official said. IMAGE: Ten fire tenders and 15 ambulances were rushed to the spot where firefighting operations are still on. Photograph: PTI Photo The deceased are yet to be identified, he said, adding the cause of the fire was not yet known. Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar said it was under investigation. At present, our priority is to ensure patients sent to hospitals get proper treatment, the mayor said. IMAGE: An injured victim of the major fire that broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital. Photograph: PTI Photo Recalling the horror, a patient, Santosh Kadam, said, I was on the fourth floor and was going to the ground floor to get my MRI done. Suddenly, nurses and other staffers started shouting and told us to vacate the building since a fire had broken out. I along with my other relatives came down safely. Another patient Girish Patel said, I saw smoke emanating from the third and fourth floors. There was thick layer of smoke. People panicked and started running helter-skelter before hospital staff came and advised us to vacate the floor quietly. IMAGE: People carry the injured during a rescue operation after a major fire broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital. Photograph: PTI Photo According to another civic official, over 160 patients were admitted in the hospital at the time of the blaze. Milind Ogle, the deputy chief fire officer of the MIDC area, said, Our team had found some lacunae in an under-construction building coming up adjacent to the hospital and suggested their rectification. The hospital administration was in the process of complying with our suggestions. Meanwhile, this incident took place in the old hospital building, Ogle said. The 325-bed hospital was constructed in 1970s, the officials said, adding police and hospital authorities have vacated the building till further notice. Fire brigade personnel had to break the glasses of the buildings facade to evacuate stranded patients, they said. Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Sharma said an inquiry will be launched in association with the fire brigade department to ascertain the cause of the fire. IMAGE: Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Advocate H S Phulka, former AAP MLA Jarnail Singh and others react after the Delhi high court convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity, acts against communal harmony in the1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo Leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Punjab Congress Committee on Monday welcomed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Delhi high court sentenced Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Sunil Kumar Jakhar, said the party has been clear that whoever was involved in the riots should be brought to justice. "Yes, justice has been delayed but delivered finally. Nobody is above law and anyone who is involved in such a heinous crime should be brought to justice," the Congress MP told reporters outside Parliament. He also said Congress leader Kamal Nath's name never figured in the list of those involved in the riots. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the verdict convicting the 73-year-old Congress leader. "It has been a very long and painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe," Kejriwal said on Twitter. Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka also welcomed the judgment and thanked everyone for their support and help. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, outside Parliament, welcomed the judgment and said that "justice has been delayed but served". Delhi BJP spokesperson Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, who is sitting on a hunger strike to protest Nath being nominated by the Congress as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, said they will appeal in the apex court for death sentence to Kumar. He alleged that Nath was one of the persons involved in the riots Nath sworn in as chief minister in Bhopal on Monday. Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Delhi MLA, Majinder Singh Sirsa, said the judgment has "given us big satisfaction". "It took 34 long years for justice because the Congress was in power. The case was closed but it was opened again by the Nanavati commission. This case was kept closed by the Congress for so long," he said. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjit Singh called it a "historic day". "Sajjan Kumar received political patronage and went on to become MP. We demand capital punishment for Sajjan Kumar and other accused. Congress governments protected Sajjan Kumar. I hope Kamal Nath and Jagdish Tytler will also be brought to Justice," he told reporters. "Making Kamal Nath CM of Madhya Pradesh shows that the Congress is still extending political patronage to those involved in the anti- Sikh riots," he added. "Rahul should remove Nath, Tytler and Sajjan Kumar from the Congress," Manjit Singh said. Victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots criticised the Congress for nominating Nath for the chief minister's post in Madhya Pradesh. Jagdish Kaur, who lost her 19-year-old son in 1984, said 34 years is a long time but she was determined to "unmask the accused". Another riot victim Narpreet Kaur said "We have faced threats and oppression to backtrack but continued our legal battle due to support from our lawyers and leaders like (former Punjab chief minister) Parkash Singh Badal." A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony. The high court said Kumar's life imprisonment will be for the remainder of his life and asked him to surrender by December 31. It also asked him not to leave Delhi before that. After a 34-year wait, the Delhi high court verdict on Monday sentencing Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life in jail in a 1984 riots case has brought some relief to the victims of the violence, who claimed they faced threats and oppression in their long battle for justice. IMAGE: DSGMC President Manjit Singh GK, Nirpreet Kaur and Jagdish Kaur, whose family members were killed during 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa and others react to the Delhi HC's verdict sentencing Sajjan Kumar to life in jail. Photograph: PTI Photo Jagdish Kaur and Narpreet Kaur, whose families were devastated in the riots which claimed over 3,000 lives, said although 34 years is a long time, they were determined to unmask the accused and their fight for justice will go on. This verdict has brought some relief. No one should face the kind of injustice we have faced all these years, Jagdish Kaur said. Kumar has been convicted and sentenced to sentenced to jail for remainder of his natural life in connection with the killing of Jagdish Kaurs husband, son and three cousins -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh - in Raj Nagar part-I area in Palam Colony in South West Delhi on November 1-2, 1984 and burning down of a Gurudwara in Raj Nagar part II during the riots that followed the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. The high court, which set aside the ruling of the trial court acquitting Kumar, said the accused in the case were brought to justice primarily on account of the courage and perseverance of three eyewitnesses -- Jagdish Kaur, her cousin Jagsher Singh and Narpreet Kaur. Narpreet Kaur, whose father was burnt alive in front of her, wished that justice had come earlier. This verdict has brought us a bit of relief. We are not fully satisfied that we have got justice. I wish we had got this justice before and it is too late. My father was brought out on pretext of a compromise and burnt alive. He tried to save himself thrice but they did not spare him, she said. Narpreet Kaur claimed that false cases were filed against her and she spent nine years languishing in different jails. She said she continued her fight despite the odds stacked against her. We have faced threats and oppression to backtrack but continued our legal battle due to support from our lawyers and leaders, she said The high court, in its order Monday, said the riots were a crime against humanity perpetrated by those who enjoyed political patronage. Though it was undeniable that it took over three decades to punish the accused in the case, it was important to assure the victims that despite the challenges faced by the court, truth will prevail and justice will be done, the HC said. When Douglas Tirola was younger, there were two options at most bars: Miller or Budweiser. Or maybe if you went to a fancy place they would have Heineken or Rolling Rock. And that was a big deal, says Tirola, a 52-year-old filmmaker. Those were different times. When Tirola tended bar at a local joint in his hometown, Westport, where he still lives, the craft beer boom the subject of Tirolas film, Brewmaster was still a long way off. Through interviews with some of the industrys pioneers among them Sam Calagione, founder and president of Dogfish Head Brewery; Rob Tod, founder of Allagash Brewing Company; and Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery the movie tells the history of beer in the United States and highlights some of its major players. Its a project that Tirola was picked to direct based on his past work, especially his 2013 film, Hey Bartender, which similarly tracked craft cocktail culture. Basically, there was a beer company that was looking to do a film celebrating its 175th anniversary. Because I had done Hey, Bartender, they sought me out, Tirola said. That company was Pilsner Urquell, the Czech brewery that revolutionized beer in the 19th century by creating the first pale lager, or pilsner. Just an essay about the beverage itself did not interest me, Tirola said. The people that make the beer and work in the beer world did interest me. The movie follows two men: Brian Reed, a MillerCoors trade brewer on his quest to become one of only 18 people in the world to earn the Master Cicerone title, which is the beer equivalent to a master sommelier; and Drew Kostic, a lawyer with dreams of opening his own brewery. Tirola was drawn to passionate people willing to eschew more traditional career paths, which he believes are common in the beer world. These are people that have a lot of opportunity and have the resources to do almost anything they want in life, and theyve chosen to make beer, Tirola said. The film has screened throughout the country since its 2018 release and has earned mostly favorable reviews. Its detractors are primarily a craft beer faction that looks critically at the films big-beer connections. Despite funding from Pilsner Urquell, which is owned by Tenth and Blake Beer Company, a division of MillerCoors, Tirola is adamant that he was able to make the movie he wanted, independent of influence from the brewery. He also believes craft brews and big beer the Millers and Buds of the world can co-exist in the way that independent film and big budget, studio movies do. I dont see a Marvel movie causing somebody not to go see an independent or foreign film. Its two different experiences, Tirola says. And what I learned is a lot of the brewers at craft breweries have a massive amount of respect for the consistency of how bigger beers are made. His aim is not only to bridge the gap between craft and big beer, but also to attract both beer-drinking audiences and movie-going audiences who may not know the first thing about beer, though the latter group is apparently shrinking. Based on data from the Brewers Association, what was once a sub-culture of craft beer drinkers is entering the mainstream. In 2017, 997 breweries opened in the United States, creating more than 6,000 new small brewing jobs in just a year. In total, there are more than 6,000 breweries in the country. The appeal is multifactorial. People are looking for things to feel a part of, Tirola says. The idea that you can go to a place where beer is made, or its made in a place that means something to you I think people are looking for those connections. Consumers feel pride in their local breweries. Theres also an aesthetic draw, as converted industrial spaces and vacant strip malls become ornate shrines to beer, where people can drink feet away from where the product was made. But perhaps most of all, there is a lack of pretense to craft beer that allows a broader base of people to have high-level conversations about the beverage and ask questions more interesting than merely, Miller or Bud? Do you have to only like wine to have some of the same conversations that wine people have? Tirola wonders. Or can you have those conversations about beer? justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586 An earlier version of the story misstated that Pilsner Urquell is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and that the film premiered in 2017. Pilsner Urquell is owned by Tenth and Blake Beer Company, a division of MillerCoors, and the film debuted in 2018. TORRINGTON - The Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation recently announced it will provide $123,350 in grants, divvied up among 27 area nonprofits, as part of its late-fall awards. According to the announcement, planned awards include: $5,000 to the Torrington Public Schools to support a literacy program involving author Brendan Kiely at the city high school; $2,000 to the Nutmeg Symphony Orchestra to support two educational concerts serving up to 1,400 third graders from Torrington, Winsted, New Hartford, Harwinton and surrounding communities; $2,500 to redesign the Harwinton Public Library website; and $2,100 to purchase a commercial refrigerator for the Barkhamsted Senior Center. LITCHFIELD Town residents will vote Wednesday on the future use of two important pieces of property: the vintage courthouse on West Street and the old Bantam School in Bantam. Both sites were used for court facilities until two years ago, when the states new courthouse opened in Torrington. The West Street building is now owned by the Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust, while the Bantam school, commonly known as the Bantan Annex, is owned by the town. Since early fall, the boards of selectmen and finance, and a Town Hall Review Committee, have gathered public comments and heard proposals for both sites. The referendum Wednesday has two questions. The first asks whether Litchfield should accept the courthouse from the preservation trust and borrow $7.6 million to renovate it for a new town hall. The second asks for voters approval to transfer ownership the Bantam Annex to the Litchfield Housing Trust, which would seek funding to convert it to affordable housing. The referendum runs from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents can vote at the Bantam Borough Hall and the firehouses in Litchfield and Northfield. Litchfield courthouse The boards of selectman and finance and the review commitee held three public meetings in October to discuss the proposals for each of the buildings. The first, held Oct. 18 at the Litchfield Intermediate School, drew a mostly positive response to the idea of using the old courthouse on for a town hall. The second and third meetings were held in Bantam and Northfield. The preservation trust invested its own funds to develop a plan for the building, including surveys and designs, and concluded Litchfield would be well served by having its town hall inside the building. First Selectman Leo Paul thinks the trust should have asked selectmen first. Four of us on the Board of Selectmen said no to this option, he said. People are worried that the old courthouse will fall apart, that it will crumble if its not used thats not true at all. The preservation trust has already said they will sell it if the town doesnt want it. This is the first time the public has been asked to decide on it. Butt the preservation trust never asked us about it, he said. They never told us they were planning to buy it. They never talked to the selectmen, to consider it as a town hall site. They just proposed it. I feel its being forced on us. The presevation trust is not the community, but they decided on their own that this is where the town hall should be, and the only board member who supports it is Jeff Zullo. The rest of us dont. The referendum question asks residents to approve spending $7.6 million to convert the old courthouse into a town hall, with three floors of office space to bring all municipal offices to the center of town. The Litchfield Town Hall is too small to accommodate all departments, which is why the zoning office, parks and recreation and the fire marshal are now housed in the Bantam Annex. Last month, when the referendum question on the trusts courthouse plan was brought to selectmen, the board rejected it 4-1, and proposed building a new town hall for $9.2 million. On Nov. 13, the Board of Finance refused the selectmens proposal for a new town hall. The preservation trust then gathered 145 signatures it only needed 20 and petitioned the finance board for a special meeting and referendum to vote on its proposal. The special meeting was held last week, and adjourned to Wednesdays referendum. Perley Grimes, president of the preservation trust, has maintained throughout the process that the town must decide the fate of the old courthouse. We succeeded in finally getting the voters to decide, and thats whats going to happen, he said Monday. The trust is very encouraged by this referendum (Wednesday) because it finally gives the voters a chance to decide. Were looking forward to the results. Before the old county courthouse was proposed for a town hall, renovation of the old town hall or a new building were options considered by the review committee. In September, the preservation trust announced its intention to give the courthouse to Litchfield. That announcement was accompanied by a complete set of plans, engineering and environmental studies for the courthouse to transform it into a municipal building, while preserving the historic structure and returning it to Litchfield, according to Grimes. Bantam Annex The fate of the Bantam Annex building is another long-debated decision. If the referendum question is approved on Wednesday, the housing trust hopes to build 14 rental apartments and 10 single family homes on the annex property, or workforce housing, reserved for individuals and families who work for the community and who meet income requirements. The post office, located adjacent to the old court offices, would remain where it is. Litchfields parks and recreation department would also stay in the building, while other town offices housed there, including the zoning office, social services and the fire marshals office, would move to the new town hall on West Street. A number of residents want the Bantam Annex to stay in town hands. At past public meetings, people have expressed concern about using the property for affordable housing, saying it could be delayed by a lack of funding from the federal government. Paul, however, said the Bantam Boroughs reluctance to change the propertys zoning, which is 2-acre residential, made this happen. The Bantam Borough is overseen by a Board of Warden and Burgesses and has its own zoning and planning commission to oversee development. It is part of the town of Litchfield. My sense for the Bantam Annex is simple its zoned as 2-acre residential, and so theres nothing else we can put there, Paul said. Since 2006, weve been asking the Bantam Planning & Zoning Commission to change the zoning, and they havent done that. So the only capable use is housing. Paul said the Annex property was appraised for $1.1 million, and was deemed appropriate for up to 65 affordable housing units, which is an intensity thats far too much for the property, he said. When you consider what the housing trust wants to do, and the propertys value, this is the best use, Paul said. Housing trust present Bob Petricone and I went to see the federal Commissioner of Housing about it. They told us to apply for predevelpment money (for designs). Within two weeks, they gave us $264,000, for the trust to use for those designs. So theres money there to develop the property. That housing would also put $100,000 on the towns tax rolls. It wont happen overnight it might take ... a few years. But this is the best use. In a rare phone interview with Radio Free Asia, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has lambasted the U.S.-funded broadcaster despite recent conciliatory comments by his government suggesting RFA was welcome to resume its operations in the Southeastern Asian nation. An RFA reporter in Washington called Hun Sen on Friday regarding another matter entirelywhether the FUNCINPEC party might be chosen as new partner with his one-party government. Hun Sen did not answer that question but launched into a tirade against RFA, accusing it of publishing false news. Prompted twice, he did not substantiate his accusation. Your radio is so bad. You can quote my statement on this. Your radio is so bad that I cannot speak with you. You broadcast differently from reality, Hun Sen said. When I said west, you say east. I said about something white, you wrote about something black. You dont need to ask me anything. I wont answer your questions. You can listen from other people, he said. RFA closed its nearly 20-year old bureau in the Cambodian capital in September 2017 amid a government crackdown on independent media, NGOs and independent critics ahead of national elections in July of this year. With the main opposition party outlawed, Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party swept every parliamentary seat. Over the years, Cambodian journalists working for RFA had reported on corruption, illegal logging, forced evictions, and other issues largely ignored by state-controlled media. RFA is funded by the U.S. Congress but maintains editorial independence. Challenged to explain why he was accusing RFA of being bad and biased, Hun Sen responded: Youre crazy. I have said that I would not answer your questions. Yet you are still asking me questions. Go ahead and broadcast my words to prove you are a smart-ass. Sure enough! Your stupidity is now proven! When asked why he thought RFA was stupid, the prime minister hung up. Welcome back His blunt comments are in contrast to the more conciliatory remarks from his interior minister and the information ministry in the past two weeks, suggesting RFA was free to return to Cambodia. On Dec. 5, Interior Minister Sar Kheng contended that RFA and Voice of Americawhich has been taken off the airwaves inside Cambodia but is still able to report in the countryhad not been pressured to close their offices in the country in the first place. Now we welcome them back. We welcome them to reopen their offices here again, he said. Although the interior minister says RFAs decision to leave Cambodia was not taken under pressure, it followed the authorities closure of independent radio stations carrying RFA reports, citing alleged tax and administrative violations. RFA was also accused of failing to pay taxes. Two months after RFA closed its office, two of its former reporters there, Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, were arrested and charged with espionage. They deny the charges, which are still pending. They were detained for nine months before being released on bail in August. Sar Khengs comments had followed an earlier statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressing Cambodias commitment to strengthen democracy and political space including the promotion of freedom of the press and freedom of expression. The government is now preparing legislative changes that would allow 118 members of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party to reenter politics, although the draft law does not allow for the re-establishment of the party. Nevertheless, the same ministry on Dec. 10 repeated its unfounded accusation that RFA has operated in secret and sought to tarnish the reputation of the Cambodian government. International pressure Pa Nguon Teang, president of the non-government Cambodian Center for Independent Media, told RFA that Hun Sen is under international pressure to soften his attitude toward the media and civil society. The United States has announced visa restrictions against unnamed government officials accused of undermining democracy in Cambodia. The European Union, which accounts for about 40 percent of Cambodian garment exports, is moving closer to stripping the country of crucial trade benefits in response to the suppression of democracy. During the first six months after [the] EU has notified the government of Cambodia of the procedures to withdraw EBA, Hun Sen shows signs of backing down, Pa Nguon Teang said, referring to the European blocs Everything But Arms trade program. But political analyst Kim Sok was skeptical that Hun Sen had had a change of heart since the election which left the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party with complete control of parliament. He said that Hun Sen appears to be employing a similar strategy as he has in the pastescalating pressure, then reducing it to allay international criticism. Reported by Vannarith Im for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Matthew Pennington. Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen brought the countrys largest hydropower dam online Monday, suggesting at a launch ceremony that opposition to the controversial project had been sown by foreigners bent on turning the public against development. A joint venture between Cambodias Royal Group and Chinas state-owned Hydrolancang International Energy Company Ltd., the U.S. $781 million Lower Sesan 2 mega-dam along a tributary of the Mekong River in northeastern Cambodias Stung Treng province, has come under intense fire by locals and green groups for its negative social and environmental impacts. More than 5,000 villagers have been forced to vacate about 74,000 acres of forest and farmland that were flooded by the dams huge backwater lake, and many say they were inadequately compensated, while environmental organizations have warned that the dam could devastate fish stocks along the waterway. At a ceremony to open the 400 megawatt dam on Monday, Hun Sen dismissed critics of the project, who he said are foreigners who have no right to speak against it. I wish to emphasize that the majority of local villagers here support the dams construction, he said. Only a few people have caused trouble for this project. Those troublemakers have been incited by foreigners. Hun Sen lauded the dam and defended the relocation of villagers, saying they had been provided with new homes and land. The Lower Sesan 2 is expected to increase Cambodias production of electricity by 20 percent and generate nearly U.S. $30 million in tax revenue annually. The project, which was constructed over the course of four years as part of a build-operate-transfer scheme, will be handed over to Cambodias government after 40 years. Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, founder of the Cambodian environmental advocacy group Mother Nature who now lives outside the country, told RFAs Khmer Service that Hun Sen hoped to distract the public from the negative impacts of the dam with his comments on Monday. He wont admit his mistakes, and he is trying to divert the attention of people from the impacts of the dam by accusing foreigners of inciting the people to protest, he said. Hun Sen is very cunning, he added. A general view of the Cambodia's Lower Sesan 2 hydroelectric dam in Stung Treng province, Dec. 17, 2018. Credit: AFP Dam building spree The Lower Sesan 2 is the seventh major hydropower dam to be built in Cambodia and brings the countrys total hydropower production to 1,328 megawatts, although the government has said it is targeting production of 10,000 megawatts and several other projects are under way. Davidson said that Hun Sen and his government are using dam construction projects as a facade for exploiting Cambodians and committing large scale corruption, including through illegal logging at dam sites. I believe that no dam construction project is free from corruption, he said. Projects that involve billions of dollars like that make Cambodia vulnerable to corruption. In July, the collapse of an auxiliary dam at the U.S. $1 billion Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower project in Champasak province, across the border from Stung Treng in Laos, caused severe flooding that claimed the lives of at least 40 villagers, according to official figures, and displaced thousands of others who were forced to shelter in temporary camps. Last month, experts told RFA that with plans for 11 large dams either proposed or under construction on the mainstream of the lower Mekong River in Laos and Cambodia, and for about 120 dams on Mekong tributaries by 2040, more disasters are likely to occur. Reported by Vannarith Im for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Workers at a major brewery in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu faced off with police and security guards over the weekend after thousands went on strike over pay and conditions. Thousands of workers at the Yanghe Brewery in Jiangsu's Suqian city tried to storm management headquarters on Sunday, but were headed off by dozens of police and security personnel, who shut the gates to stop them. Video footage of the confrontation showed hundreds of mostly female workers clad in white coats and hats running for the gates, but being overtaken by personnel in uniforms. The Shenzhen-listed brewery promised to hike wages in a statement on Sunday evening after reaching a negotiated settlement with workers. Differences over pay have now been resolved, and sales and production remain unaffected," Yanghe Brewery said in the statement posted on Weibo on Sunday night. Sources told RFA that the strike at a major local employer had made Suqian city leaders very nervous, and that they had imposed an information blackout on online news or content related to the protests. It was unclear whether production had resumed on Monday. A Yanghe Brewery worker who gave only a surname, Liao, said police have now locked down the Yanghe Brewery site, and are preventing workers from entering or leaving. He said the strike had been sparked by what workers said were unreasonable demands of the work force, including a production target of 8,000 cases per nine-hour working shift, which he said was "extreme," and was accompanied by no additional pay. Safety regulations ignored Liao said management at the factory were also flouting health and safety regulations, including depriving workers of rest breaks. "The strike isn't over; we're not back at work yet ... there are about two or three thousand of us," Liao told RFA on Sunday. "They won't let us in." "The shifts are nine hours and the pay is too low, and now they've raised the target to 8,000 cases with no pay rise, and only one day off in every 15," he said. He said the former state-run factory has done well since it was privatized and listed on the local stock market, but had recently been affected by a corruption case involving the deputy provincial governor of Jiangsu, and workers were angry over allegations of corruption involving the factory management. "It has just over 100 shareholders, and capital of more than 10 million," Liao said. "There are tens of thousands of people working to make money for around 100 people." Pushed to their limits An anonymous worker said shop floor workers are pushed to their physical limits by the brewery, with no basic protections. An employee who answered the phone at the company offices on Sunday declined to comment on the strike, saying she hadn't taken part and didn't know the details. "It's not convenient for me to talk to you about this," the employee said. "These are internal company matters." Repeated calls to the Shenzhen-listed company's headquarters rang unanswered on Sunday. An official who answered the phone at the Suqian municipal government offices said the government was currently "dealing with" the incident at Yanghe Brewery, but declined to comment further. The strike began on Dec. 15 in a bid to protest "the disparity between rich and poor," and to "defend the rights of thousands of people," a statement from the workers posted to social media said. It said the dispute is more than a decade old, with bosses making large fortunes from the factory while exploiting generation after generation of its workers. Reported by Wong Siu-san and Lau Siu-fung for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Now that government censors have reined in dissent on domestic social media platforms, China's "stability maintenance" regime is targeting critics of the ruling party and the administration of President Xi Jinping on Twitter, deleting a large number of accounts since last month, rights activists say. "The Chinese government has been targeting Twitter users in China as part of a nationwide crackdown on social media, even though Twitter is blocked in the country," Yaqiu Wang, China researcher at the New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW) wrote in a recent report. "Authorities have detained or summoned dozens or more Twitter users, forcing them to delete sensitive tweets or close their accounts," Wang wrote. "In some cases, authorities appear to have hacked accounts themselves." State security police now appear to be targeting even those users with relatively few followers, with concerns expressed in interrogations and "chats" over the content of tweets, even though the content is visible only to Chinese users who have access to the right tools to circumvent censorship by the ruling Chinese Communist Party's cyberspace administration, Wang said. Guangdong-based rights activist Wang Aizhong said the authorities had managed to cripple his Twitter account on Dec. 15. "I discovered something was wrong when I tried to log onto Twitter ... on Dec. 15 but there was a problem," Wang said. "A bit later, I discovered that several thousand tweets of mine had all been deleted, and that my more than 1,000 followers had unfollowed me." Wang is sure that his Twitter account was hacked by the Chinese authorities. "I am certain that they did this via the accounts on my phone, because my phone number is tied to that Twitter account," he said. "They would have been able to use my phone to validate access to change my password and suspend my account." "I wasn't able to regain control of my account until several days later, when I reset it using my e-mail address," he said. Accounts deleted Guizhou University professor Yang Shaozheng, who was fired after he made comments critical of the government on social media, said his Twitter accounts had been deleted outright. "I wound up registering for three Twitter accounts, one after another, but I stopped using them one by one because I set them up using my mainland Chinese phone," Yang said. "I had previously thought that Twitter accounts couldn't be interfered with by anyone, but actually ... my Twitter accounts were hacked." Last month, authorities in the eastern province of Shandong detained and questioned Hui Muslim poet Cui Haoxin, known by his pen name An Ran, after he tweeted about growing religious oppression in China. According to a transcript of the interview posted to Cui's Twitter account, police wanted to know his aim in writing such a thing on Twitter, which is blocked in China in the absence of circumvention tools to evade government censorship. "Police ordered me to delete my Twitter account," Cui tweeted after his release. "I defied them and said [social media] accounts [are] personal property." 'Compulsory treatment' And in July, Shanghai-based Dong Yaoqiong was sent for "compulsory treatment" in her home province of Hunan after she streamed live video of herself splashing ink on a poster of President Xi in protest at "authoritarian tyranny." Her Twitter account was deleted shortly after she tweeted that police were outside her apartment door. Dong, who used the Twitter handle @feefeefly, is now being held as a psychiatric patient in a women's ward in Hunan's Zhuzhou No. 3 Hospital, where she was committed by her mother under pressure from the authorities, according to Dong's father. According to HRW's Wang, the authorities seem keen not just to prevent critical tweets, but to expunge any record of previous critical tweets. "Some of the tweets authorities pressured Twitter users to delete were posted years ago. Few would have viewed the tweets had they remained," Wang wrote, adding that Twitter had previously been "a refuge of sorts for those who cant bear the censorship on Chinas social media." Beijing-based sociologist Wang Jiangsong called on the U.S. government and Twitter to take steps to protect the freedom of speech of Twitter users. "This latest clampdown has been centralized and on a huge scale ... we're not talking just a few hundred or thousand people who have been ordered to delete their accounts," he said. "China is rectifying Twitter, a U.S. company." "Their arm is very long, and travels across borders, exerting control even over the internet in other countries," he said. "Can't Twitter and the U.S. protect the speech of users who have scaled the Great Firewall?" Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ng Yik-tung for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. North Korean workers work at a saw-mill in the camp of Dzhalingra in the Russian Far East in a file photo. A once populous North Korean migrant community in Vladivostok, Russia now faces an uncertain future as Russia makes efforts to comply with U.N. sanctions on North Korea. The sanctions, aimed at depriving Pyongyang of cash to fund its prohibited nuclear weapons and missile programs, call for a freeze on new working visas for North Koreans and the complete repatriation of North Koreans currently working abroad by the end of 2019. With the deadline only one year away, Russia has begun to deport North Korean workers, sources say. A taxi driver in Vladivostok told RFAs Korean Service on Nov 21, We [once] had a large number of North Korean workers but you dont see many these days. An employee of a local travel agency confirmed the apparent drop in numbers. A Russian friend of mine manages a construction site. I asked him why it takes so long to finish construction projects and he said all the North Korean [workers] have left, the travel agent said. There is an international [passenger] terminal, and ships have come to pick up North Korean [workers] a number of times, the agent added. A North Korean worker said that the Russian government is cracking down on North Koreans and kicking them out of the country. [The government] has ordered that we are to be removed and [for companies] to not give us jobs, the worker said. The international community was trying to figure out how North Korea is getting money to make nuclear weapons, and they found that there are many North Korean workers in Russia, so thats why were being kicked out. the worker added. 'They must be tourists' Some North Koreans remain, even though their presence may fall into a legal gray area. They must be tourists, a Russian businessman who formerly hired North Korean workers said, adding, What I mean is that they entered the country on a travel visa. [If they are working,] Its illegal. If they get caught they will be deported, he said. One North Korean worker in such circumstances, identified by his surname Park said, Russia does not allow us to reside [in the country,] so I came in with a travel visa. Since I cant work on that visa, if the police catch me Ill have to fork over 100,000 rubles [about $1500], he said. Parks travel visa is valid for only three months. He currently works for a local construction company, installing tiles over plaster. I have to offer part of the money I earn to my country. I have to pay 15,000 rubles [$220] every Saturday, said Park. I seriously work a lot, like 18 hours per day! Im usually there from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. or midnight. Sometimes Ill work until 3 a.m. the next morning! he said. Park said he had been working in several Russian cities for about three years before returning to North Korea. He then came back to Russia for work this year. I was not able to return home for three years. [This time] I cant go back before making enough money, he said. I plan to make lots of money but my government takes its cut, and I have to eat, so theres not much left from what Ive earned, Park explained. Other workers have it worse, he said. People who work as a group make only about $100 per month. If they buy cigarettes or a pair of socks, theyll have nothing left, he said. Vulnerable to middlemen Parks biggest complaint was that the questionable legality of working in Russia leaves him vulnerable, and that North Korean middlemen are taking advantage of him. I only need to give $200 [per month] to the country, Park said. The problem is our management. I usually can make like 3,000 rubles [about U.S. $45] per day. Some days I can make as much as 20,000 rubles [about U.S. $300]. But the president and vice-president of the [North Korean] labor management company extort money, and that much cash never actually reaches my hands, he said. Yet with all the hardships Park faces in Russia, he still feels he is more free than his countrymen who he left behind in North Korea. Its really difficult to make a living in North Korea, Park said, adding, We dont have freedom. We live in captivity there. Park, who speaks both English and Russian was envious of his brethren in the South. South Koreans can go anywhere they want, How nice is that? he said. Reported by Sangmin Lee and Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. BRUSSELS -- A meeting between senior Kosovar and EU officials has ended in acrimony over tariffs imposed by Pristina on imports from Serbia and the bloc's delays to enact visa-free travel for Kosovars. The annual meeting of the EU-Kosovo Stabilization and Association Council, held in Brussels on December 17, ended without a joint press conference. A source who attended the meeting told RFE/RL that the Kosovar delegation expressed frustration that the EU hadn't granted the country's citizens the right to enter the EU without a visa. Kosovo is the only Western Balkan country whose citizens still need a visa to travel to the bloc. In a statement issued after the meeting, the office of EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc "deeply regretted" Kosovo's decision last month to slap a 100 percent tax on Serbian products. The tariff "damages the economic interests of Kosovo and its people, reducing trade flows and diminishing Kosovo's attractiveness as a place for investment and business," it pointed out. The EU statement stressed the importance of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Relations between Pristina and Belgrade have been tense since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Although more than 110 countries recognize Kosovo, Serbia does not. Both Kosovo and Serbia have been told they must resolve their differences in order to make progress toward EU membership, but EU-sponsored normalization talks have been stop-and-go in recent months. Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj told reporters in Brussels that Pristina was "interested in having a comprehensive agreement between Kosovo and Serbia." "We do not have time anymore for halfway solutions," Haradinaj added. France has called on the Iranian authorities to "shed all light" on the circumstances of the death of an activist jailed for his messages on social media. The Foreign Ministry said on December 17 said it was "dismayed to learn of the death in detention" of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, saying the activist had been "imprisoned for his political activity." Nasiri's sister, Elaheh, told RFE/RL that the Iranian authorities had informed the family that the activist had died in a hospital in the city of Qom on December 12 after spending 50 days on hunger strike. She said her brother went on hunger strike to protest against the conditions of his imprisonment and to demand his transfer from a high-security unit of a prison in Qom to Tehran's Evin prison. However, the chief prosecutor of Qom Province, Mehdi Kahe, said Nasiri died in hospital of liver disease, according to official news agency IRNA. It said he had been in prison for "blasphemy," without giving details. Nasiri was initially arrested in September 2015 and sentenced to eight years in prison for "insulting" Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and "propaganda against the state," according to the U.S.-based advocacy group Iran Human Rights Monitor. The charges stemmed from posts he had made on his Facebook page. Nasiri was released early in March after serving 2 1/2 years in prison, but was arrested again in August, reportedly on similar charges. In its statement, the French Foreign Ministry urged Iran to "abide by its political commitments, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights." It also pointed out that the death of Nasiri came at a time of "increasing harassment of human rights activists" in Iran. On December 13, the United States condemned Tehran for the "unconscionable" death of Nasiri, saying he was "just one of many more unjustly detained prisoners held at the mercy of the Iranian regime's whims." Iraqi leaders set a cornerstone to mark the beginning of rebuilding efforts for Mosul's landmark Grand al-Nuri Mosque, which was destroyed by Islamic State (IS) militants as they fled the city in northern Iraq in 2017. European Union and UN officials attended ceremonies on December 16 in the mosque courtyard, where Abdulateef al-Humayim, head of Iraq's Sunni endowments, led proceedings. The mosque was built in the year 1172. Its minaret was known as Al-Hadba, or "the hunchback" because it listed to one side like the Tower of Pisa in Italy. Iraq's Defense Ministry in June 2017 said IS militants -- who had captured the site in 2014 -- blew up the mosque and its iconic leaning minaret as they were being pressured by U.S.-backed government forces. The militants were eventually driven out of nearly all of the territory they had captured and occupied in Iraq and neighboring Syria. The United Arab Emirates donated $50.4 million for the expected five-year project to rebuild the mosque. Based on reporting by AP This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going. The leaders of Kosovo and Serbia have faced off at the United Nations Security Council, days after Kosovo voted to transform its lightly armed security force into a full-fledged army. Kosovo's move has angered Kosovo's ethnic Serbs as well as Belgrade, and also prompted warnings from NATO. President Hashim Thaci said at the United Nations on December 17 that it was a "natural step" to establish an army to cement Kosovo's status as a sovereign nation. "If Kosovo made a mistake, it's only that we waited for five years to establish an army," Thaci said. Kosovo was a province in Serbia until 1999, when NATO launched air strikes to stop the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians by Serbian forces during a two-year war. Nearly two decades later, the landlocked territory of 1.8 million people is still guarded by NATO troops. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Although more than 110 countries recognize Kosovo, Serbia does not. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, however, called on the world body to "curb" and "tame" Kosovo. Vucic also dismissed the "so-called sovereign right" of Kosovo to form its own military. Vucic said he was "very much worried, very much concerned and even a bit afraid" about the implications of a Kosovar army. The December 14 vote by Kosovo's parliament aimed at converting its 2,500-member Kosovo Security Force into a national army with some 5,000 personnel and more substantial weaponry. The vote was boycotted by political parties dominated by ethnic Serbs, who number around 120,000 in Kosovo. Some leaders in Belgrade have suggested that Serbia could use its own military to respond to the "ethnic cleansing" of Serbs. The United States has expressed support for Kosovo's move to create a national army, while NATO said the move was "ill-timed." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, expressed concern over Kosovo's plans, saying in a statement that any restriction to the security responsibilities of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission would be inconsistent with the UN Security Council resolution that set up the mission. Russia has been vehemently opposed to the Kosovo move. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said expanding the army was a "blatant violation" of Security Council resolutions and called the creation of the army "illegal." Both Kosovo and Serbia have been told they must resolve their differences in order to make progress toward European Union membership, but EU-sponsored normalization talks have sputtered in recent months. With reporting by dpa and AP A court in Moscow has rejected a libel lawsuit filed by the head of Russia's National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, against opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksei Navalny. The Lyublino District Court ruled on December 17 that the lawsuit filed by Zolotov, who is demanding 1 million rubles ($15,000) from Navalny in compensation for damaging his honor and dignity, has discrepancies contradicting Russia's Civic Procedural Code. The court obliged Zolotov to refile the lawsuit in a proper form, with modified text and content by January 9. Earlier on December 11, Zolotovs lawyer, Shota Gorgadze, said his client wanted a court to rule that Navalny's allegations about Zolotov being corrupt are not true. Navalny then described the lawsuit against him as "very funny," citing Russian media reports that said the Federal Antimonopoly Service had received a request from the FSB security service to investigate possible violations in the National Guard's food purchasing program. In August, Navalny issued a video showing images of luxurious properties that he claimed were bought by Zolotov and members of his family with "stolen money." Zolotov, a former steelworker and longtime security chief for President Vladimir Putin, released a video in September in which he appeared in full dress uniform and challenged Navalny to a duel in the fighting form of his choice, vowing to "make mincemeat" of his opponent. Navalny in October announced that he accepted Zolotov's challenge and proposed televised debates in a TV studio as his weapon of choice. However, Zolotov rejected Navalny's offer. With reporting by Dozhd and Meduza Moscow has welcomed a decision by the organizers of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to allow the participation of Russian businessmen at the event, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on December 17. "We welcome the fact that the economic forum in Davos and its chiefs have accepted our position regarding the fact that a certain selective attitude to our businessmen is unacceptable," Peskov said. Peskov's statement came a day after the WEF said Russian billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, and the head of the state-controlled bank VTB Andrei Kostin, would be able to attend the annual gathering of business and political leaders in the Swiss ski resort of Davos in January. In November, Britain's Financial Times newspaper reported that the trio had been barred from attending the Davos gathering. The decision was made under pressure from Washington, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources familiar with the issue. The three tycoons were subjected to U.S. sanctions earlier this year as Washington seeks to punish Russia for what it calls "malign activities," including alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Following the newspaper's report in November, Russia threatened to boycott the meeting in Davos. The three Russian businessmen are believed to be close to the Russian President Vladimir Putin and have attended the forum in the past. Based on reporting by AFP, AP, TASS, and Interfax ALMATY -- Police in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, detained several activists and journalists for the second day in a row on December 17. Activists said on Facebook that police detained Bakhytzhan Toreghozhina, the head of the human rights foundation Ar.Rukh.Khaq (Dignity, Spirit, Truth), lawyer Gulnara Zhuaspaeva, the founder of the opposition DAT newspaper Ermurat Bapi, civic activists Rinat Rafkhat, Erlan Qaliev, Suiyindik Aldabergenov, Geroikhan Qystaubaev, and several others. Several activists were not allowed to leave their homes. Police did not explain the reason for the detentions. On December 16, police in Almaty briefly detained several human rights activists who attempted to celebrate the 27th anniversary of its independence from the former Soviet Union and to commemorate the victims of police crackdowns in 2011 and 1986. The December 16 police crackdown came as activists attempted to gather near the Independence monument in central Almaty to commemorate people killed by police during oil worker protests in the western town of Zhanaozen on December 16, 2011 and during mass anti-Soviet demonstrations in Almaty in December 1986. The activists told RFE/RL after they were released that police questioned them about their possible association with the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement established by Mukhtar Ablyazov, a fugitive tycoon and critic of President Nursultan Nazarbaev. A court in Kazakhstan banned the DVK movement in March, branding it an extremist organization. Also on December 16, police in the city of Oral in the West Kazakhstan region detained journalists Maria Melnikova and Raul Uporov from the Uralskaya Nedelya newspaper. The Adil Soz (A Just Word) media watchdog in Kazakhstan reports that police in Oral were also deployed outside the homes of the newspapers owner, Tamara Eslyamova, and its chief editor Lukpan Akhmedyarov. Adil Soz says authorities were preventing Eslyamova and Akhmedyarov from leaving their homes. Russia says it has built new barracks to house its troops on a disputed island chain near Japan and will build more military facilities there next year. The December 17 announcement by the Defense Ministry is likely to anger Tokyo, which wants Moscow to reduce its military activity on the Russia-administered chain, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kuriles. Ownership of the four islands has been in dispute since the end of World War II, when the Soviet Union occupied them. The territorial dispute has spoiled relations between Moscow and Tokyo ever since, and a formal World War II peace treaty has yet to be signed between the two sides. The Russian Defense ministry said in a statement that Moscow planned to move troops into four housing complexes on two of the islands next week. It also said that troops were moved into two such similar facilities last year with three more barracks planned for 2019. "Also on both islands we have modern and heated storage facilities for weapons and armored vehicles," the statement said, adding that more such facilities were planned. There was no immediate reaction from Japan. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may visit Russia on January 21 as Russia and Japan step up a push to try to defuse the issue. Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS Saudi Arabia has rejected U.S. Senate resolutions to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and to put direct blame on the country's crown prince for the murder of journalist critic Jamal Khashoggi. "The kingdom condemns the latest position of the U.S. Senate that was built on untrue allegations and affirms a total rejection of any interference in its internal affairs," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on December 16. In a move seen as a rebuke to President Donald Trump, the Senate on December 13 backed a resolution to end U.S. military assistance for Saudi Arabias war in Yemen, seen by many as a proxy war with Iran. A low-level conflict in Yemen escalated in 2015 when Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels seized control of much of the west of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and eight other Arab states intervened militarily in an attempt to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi. They have received support from the United States, Britain, and France. However, with reports of deaths of nearly 10,000 people, many of them civilians, and with millions more facing the threat of starvation, sentiment in the West has been turning against involvement in the conflict. Separately, the Senate passed a resolution that said Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman was responsible for the killing of Khashoggi. Khashoggi was murdered in October during what he thought was a routine visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has said evidence strongly points to the involvement of the crown prince, who has denied any involvement in the death of the U.S. resident and columnist for The Washington Post. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP The Afghan Taliban says its representatives have met with U.S. officials in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) as efforts intensify to negotiate an end to Afghanistan's 17-year war. The preliminary talks on December 17 were seen as an important step to launch formal peace negotiations with the Taliban. While Washington has neither denied nor confirmed previous meetings with the Taliban, U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has previously held at least two rounds of talks with Taliban officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid offered few details of the latest meeting except to say that "discussions were held with the American side over the end to the invasion of Afghanistan." Mujahid said the talks also involved the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan -- three countries that have significant influence over the Taliban. Taliban representatives would not meet with Afghan government representatives who are in the U.A.E., the spokesman also said. The Taliban has long refused to hold formal talks with the Afghan government, insisting on first brokering an agreement with the United States. Mujahid said the meetings in the U.A.E. would continue, indicating they could last for several days. National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib was among the Afghan government representatives in the U.A.E. The presence of such a high-ranking official was seen as a sign of progress. Also significant was the presence of officials from Saudi Arabia and U.A.E., who have the influence to help secure concessions from the Taliban. In a statement last month, the Taliban said it held three consecutive days of talks with Khalilzad in Qatar, where the militant group maintains an informal political office. Khalilzad has said he would like to see a "road map" agreement reached before the Afghan presidential election scheduled for next April. The decision to move the venue of the talks from Qatar to the U.A.E. was seen as an effort to involve Saudi Arabia, which is hostile to Qatar, more closely in the process and to exert influence on its ally, Pakistan. Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and Pakistan were the only three countries to recognize the Taliban government during its five-year rule, which ended with the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. The Taliban controls or contests nearly half of Afghanistan, where it is waging a deadly insurgency against the Western-backed Kabul government and government security forces. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa U.S. President Donald Trump says he will review the case of a former U.S. Army officer charged with murder for the 2010 killing of a man he suspected of being a Taliban bomb maker in Afghanistan. "At the request of many. I will be reviewing the case of a 'U.S. Military hero,' Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder," Trump wrote on Twitter on December 16. "He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas," the president added. Trump's tweet followed an interview that Golsteyn's attorney and his wife gave to Fox News earlier in the day defending the soldier. An Army spokesman on December 13 said Golsteyn, a former Green Beret major, had been charged with murder in the death of an Afghan man during his 2010 deployment to the war-torn country. A commander will review the warrant and decide whether the Green Beret, who was a captain at the time of the incident, will face a hearing that could lead to a court-martial. Trump and other military and administration leaders have in the past made remarks about military criminal cases, actions that have led to legal appeals contending interference in court proceedings. Despite the lack of legal jurisdiction in a military case, a president does have wide authority to pardon criminal defendants. Army Colonel Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said on December 16 that "the allegations against Major Matt Golsteyn are a law enforcement matter. The Department of Defense will respect the integrity of this process and provide updates when appropriate." An initial investigation in 2014 was closed without any charges. But the Army reopened the investigation in 2016 after Golsteyn allegedly described in an interview how he and another soldier led the detained man off base, shot him, and buried his remains. Golsteyn was leading a team of Army Special Forces troops at the time of the killing. He said he believed the man was a bomb maker responsible for a blast that killed two U.S. Marines. His attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, wrote in a tweet that Golsteyn is charged with "premeditated murder, a death-penalty offense for allegedly killing a Taliban bomb-maker during combat operations in Marjah, Afghanistan." Stackhouse, during an interview with Fox News, denied "a narrative... put out" by military authorities that said Golsteyn "released this Taliban bomb-maker, walked him back to the house...and assassinated him in his house." Golsteyn's wife Julie, also on Fox, denied that her husband had "killed someone in cold blood" and said that "there are a lot of words flying around that make this very difficult for us as a family." She said he is scheduled to report to Fort Bragg in North Carolina on December 17. With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and The Army Times The U.S. Air Force is preparing to launch the first of a new generation of GPS satellites, with the goal of providing more accuracy and security in the face of jamming threats from adversaries, including Russia. The Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite is set to lift off on December 18 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It will be the first of 32 planned GPS III satellites that are designed to replace older ones currently in orbit and are being manufactured by Lockheed Martin. SpaceX won contracts to handle five of the first six GPS 3 launches. Many of the leading features of the system will not be fully functional until at least 2022. The cost of the system is estimated at $7 billion to $12 billion. The Air Force controls a series of 31 GPS satellites from a high-security complex at an Air Force base near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The military says the GPS III satellites will have a stronger signal that will be more difficult to jam. Norway accused Russia of disrupting GPS signals during a recent NATO military exercise. Lockheed Martin says the new system will have three times greater accuracy and up to eight times more antijamming capabilities than the existing GPS satellites. Based on reporting by AP and Space News The leader of the newly unified Orthodox Church of Ukraine says he believes that all Orthodox clergy in Ukraine "will gradually reach the understanding that there is no other outcome than being part of this united Ukrainian church and building our future together." Metropolitan Epifaniy spoke to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in Kyiv a day after his election as the church leader on December 15. The church is expected to receive a tomos, or decree of independence, from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on January 6. A drive to impose more sanctions on Russia seems to be "gaining some traction" following a naval confrontation in the Black Sea last month, according to the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine. Kurt Volker made the comments during an online briefing in Brussels on December 17, after Russian seized three Ukrainian Navy ships and 24 crewmen in the Kerch Strait that links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov. The November 25 incident escalated tensions in the region and prompted international calls for the sailors' release. Russia has alleged that the vessels had illegally entered Russian territorial waters near the Crimea region, which Russia seized from Ukraine in March 2014. Kyiv has accused Moscow of stepping up "aggression" against Ukraine. Volker told reporters that in Europe, "the notion that there needs to be a response and some additional sanctions and listing of names would occur seems to be one that's gaining some traction." "I would not be surprised at all to see that happen in the next month or two," he added. Volker said the restrictions could have a "deterrent effect" on Moscow because "it will be an indicator to Russia that future acts will also be met with sanctions." The European Union, the United States, and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia over Moscow's seizure of Crimea and its support for separatists in a conflict that has killed more than 10,300 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. Volker also said that keeping a multinational, visible presence in and around Ukraine, whether it was in the Black Sea or in parts of Ukraine that are relatively safe, could be "an additional step because it would raise the visibility of Russia's actions compared to what we now see." NATO has pledged support for Ukraine's navy to improve its naval capabilities and the alliance said it will also deliver secure communications equipment to Ukraine's military by the end of this year. Volker said a foreign military-financing package of around $250 million to sell additional military equipment to Ukraine was currently being reviewed by the U.S. Congress. The U.S. Senate is preparing to publish a report this week documenting the enormous breadth of a Russian disinformation campaign that sought to help President Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election, The Washington Post reports. The Post on December 16 quoted details from a draft of the report that was prepared by data research groups for the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee -- the first study on millions of social media posts provided to the Senate by Twitter, Facebook, and Google. It said the report provides further specifics on known attempts by Russia's Internet Research Agency to boost Trump's 2016 election campaign and divide U.S. voters with targeted messages on controversial issues. "What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party -- and specifically Donald Trump," the Post quoted the draft version of the report as saying. "Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign," the draft says. "The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract, and ultimately discourage members from voting." The bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee has not yet announced whether it endorses the findings by the researchers at Oxford Universitys Computational Propaganda Project and the New York-based social media analysis firm Graphika. According to the Washington Post, the report expresses concern about the overall threat that social media poses to political debate within and between countries, warning that social media companies are now threats to democracy. "Social media have gone from being the natural infrastructure for sharing collective grievances and coordinating civic engagement to being a computational tool for social control, manipulated by canny political consultants and available to politicians in democracies and dictatorships alike," the report was quoted as saying. The heads of the research groups that prepared the report, Oxford Internet Institute director Phil Howard and Graphikas CEO John W. Kelly, both testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee on August 1 about what their initial work revealed concerning the extent of Russian influence on U.S. elections via social media. Kelly also told MSNBC that the release of data by Twitter, Facebook, and Google clearly implicated Russia's Internet Research Agency -- which he described as a "contract shop" originally set up for "conditioning the Russian public" before, "at some point, they got the contract to boot up their American influence operations." 'Pretty Incontrovertible Proof' Kelly dismissed the Kremlin's repeated denials of evidence that Russian social media campaigns attempted to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. "Its clearly Russia. Theres a lot of data from the Internet Research Agency thats making its way into the public, and a lot of folks are looking at it, including us," Kelly told MSNBC on August 2. Id say its pretty incontrovertible proof. Howard told the Senate committee on August 1 that his team of researchers at Oxford Internet Institutes Computational Propaganda Project found three strategies "that Russian operators employ" when they seek to influence U.S. voters. One strategy was to polarize voters on particular issues with the goal of getting "groups of voters to confront each other angrily, over social media and in the streets," Howard testified. Another strategy was social media campaigns that "promote or discredit particular senators, presidential candidates, and other public figures," he said. Finally, Howard said, Russia's disinformation campaigns sought "to discourage citizens from voting" if they were "voters who might support a candidate" that the Kremlin found unpalatable. "For example, voters are often told that voting day has been postponed, or that they can text message their vote in, or that their polling station has moved," Howard said. The Washington Post says the draft of the new report criticizes the "belated and uncoordinated response" of social media firms to Russian disinformation campaigns, and the failure of social media platforms to share more information with investigators after the Russian campaigns were discovered. Twitter said in a statement that it had made "significant strides" to improve its digital defenses since the 2016 election. "Our singular focus is to improve the health of the public conversation on our platform, and protecting the integrity of elections is an important aspect of that mission," the statement said. Google and Facebook did not immediately respond to questions about the report. With additional reporting by Reuters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Victim Jill Hibberd A MAN has been found guilty of murdering a massage parlour boss in her home. Lee Fueloep (40, pictured ), of Willow Garth, Wombwell, has been on trial for three weeks at Sheffield Crown Court, where he denied murdering Jill Hibberd (73) at her home on Roy Kilner Road, Wombwell. But today (Friday), the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict after deliberating for two hours and 56 minutes. Ms Hibberd, who was the owner of Sheffield massage parlour Fantasia, was found dead on the morning of Thursday, May 31, by her neighbours. She had been stabbed 70 times. Fueloep is due to be sentenced at the same court on Monday. When a caterpillar disguises itself as a snake to ward off potential predators, it should probably expect to be treated like one. This is exactly what happened in Costa Rica earlier this year, when researchers witnessed a hummingbird defending its nest from what it interpreted to be a snake, but was actually a larva of the moth Oxytenis modestia. The encounter is described in a new paper published in the Ecological Society of America's journal Ecology. These moths -- sometimes called the dead-leaf moth or the Costa Rica leaf moth -- resemble flat dried leaves as adults. The caterpillars can inflate the top of their heads to expose a pair of eyespots. When disturbed, they raise their head up and move from side to side, increasing the snake-like appearance. In particular they resemble a green parrot snake, known to prey on nesting birds. The attacking hummingbird's nest with eggs was about 10cm away from the caterpillar in a small tree. When the researchers went to look for an assumed snake, they instead found the caterpillar feeding on a leaf immediately above the nest. "Hummingbirds have a few stereotypical styles of flying: visiting flowers, preying on swarms of tiny insects, chasing each other, and mating/territorial display flights," says lead author James H. Marden, professor with the Department of Biology at Pennsylvania State University. "Mobbing behavior directed against a threat to their nest is much less common but distinct and easy to recognize if you know their other flight behaviors... One can recognize this from a distance and only notice the source of their agitation upon close inspection." Caterpillars and adults of a variety of butterflies and moths have eye-like spots that deter potential predators. Observations of how these eyespots affect animal interactions in natural settings are extremely rare. advertisement The interaction took place on a strip of secondary growth between the Pacific and primary rainforest on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. The authors believe that the comings and goings of the female rufous-tailed hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) around its nest may have disturbed the caterpillar, causing it to expose its eyespots, which in turn prompted the hummingbird to defend its nest using what is referred to as 'mobbing behavior' by birds -- darting flights and pecking at a threat, commonly snakes. The caterpillar was unable to feed during the 26-minutes of nearly continuous attacks. Most of the bird's movements were cautious and exploratory, but included quick thrusts to peck or bite the eyespots. Marden stated that it was difficult for either the bird or caterpillar to disengage from the standoff, with the hummingbird protecting its nest and the caterpillar just trying to finish its leafy meal. "A snake-like creature so near to its nest was too much of a distraction or threat to ignore for very long," he explained. "The caterpillar seemed more irreversibly committed. When a camouflaged animal reveals itself as threatening, it is committed and cannot easily go back to camouflage. Hence, I think that it had no choice but continue looking like a snake until the threat had passed." Eventually the caterpillar gave up on eating and crawled away while still under attack, and the hummingbird resumed normal nesting behavior. When birds exhibit this mobbing behavior targeting snake's eyes, it often ends with snakes being killed by repeated bites and pecks near the head and collar area. As for creatures that mimic snakes to protect themselves from being eaten, can they in turn protect themselves from this mimicry backfiring, such as in this encounter? Because the hummingbird behavior was typical anti-snake behavior, it can be considered replicable. Marden is fascinated by this interaction, and he believes future studies of this behavior can be conducted using a tiny, caterpillar robot to experiment with eyespots. "You'd want a cylindrical shape and green color, with the ability to rear up in the front and reveal an eyespot," he outlines. It should be remote controlled, light enough to attach to a leaf or stem, and wireless. "Many experiments have done this with clay or similar material, but those models lack the ability to combine eyespots with movement and behavior. That is what a robot could add." With such a robot, researchers could vary the eye-like nature and contrast of spots on the head of the robot to test various responses of nest-defending birds. A study like this could definitively test the effects of eye-like versus other mimicry patterning for provoking or repelling defensive attacks. The day following the initial encounter, the researchers found the caterpillar feeding on a leaf on the same plant, as far away from the nest as possible. It had some marks by the edge of the right eyespot that may be beak marks -- apparently the caterpillar learned its lesson. By Danny Lee, South China Morning Post | Dec. 16, 2018 Oneworld is braced for the exit of gulf carrier Qatar Airways, but the airline alliance has made a plea for the Gulf carrier to stay within the global airline grouping. Despite the fissures in the global pact, CEO of the alliance Rob Gurney said in an exclusive interview with the Post that the group was ploughing on with its biggest expansion of member airlines in several years. Qatar Airways remained a member of the airline club as of the conclusion of the biannual Oneworld board meeting in New York last week, having not yet carried out its threat to quit, according to multiple sources who were present. The Gulf airline confirmed this was the case, in spite of its CEO Akbar Al Baker skipping the gathering entirely. Gurney praised the Gulf carrier as a "terrific airline" but he made an impassioned plea for its member to stay. "We think the alliance adds a lot of value to them. They add a lot of value to the alliance. We don't want them to leave, but at the end of the day, this has got to work for them; it has got to work for everybody," he said. The Doha-based carrier previously gave a deadline of Christmas before it would make good on its promise to leave. Alliance insiders, however, expected formal notice to be given at the New York board meeting. Asked whether he could keep the alliance together, Gurney responded: "If they feel that there are elements that are not working so well for them, they have to make their own decision ... And we're not saying, they make up their mind to go. We want them to stay." Oneworld is the most recognised of the airline alliances in Hong Kong, with Cathay Pacific Airways one of its founding members. Rivals include Star Alliance and Skyteam, who have Singapore Airlines and Delta Air Lines as its top carriers respectively. African airline Royal Air Maroc last week said it would join the alliance as a core member, with China Southern Airlines poised to be the next to join. "I don't think we are in an enormous growth spurt but there are enough candidates and prospects up there for us," Gurney said, speaking of the alliance's biggest expansion push for several years. Another Oneworld initiative to add regional carriers to its portfolio so that member airlines' fliers can fly further also took off last week. Fiji Airways started cooperating with selected core alliance members, including Cathay Pacific. Alaska Airlines recently expressed interest in joining the same programme. "As a general principle we don't talk about membership candidates but we have a very solid pipeline of candidates," Gurney said. "As that programme matures, we would expect to have six to eight airlines in it over time." Oneworld member carriers engage in a basic form of cooperation as part of the alliance's rules and requirements. This includes recognising fellow airline's frequent fliers, offering the same benefits, such as lounge access and other types of services and customer support. If Qatar Airways does eventually leave, frequent travellers of fellow member airlines may lose out on the perks. "We have had experiences of airlines leaving the alliance ... we have a well-established process of how we handle these situations. We wait for them to occur but we can initiate them very quickly and the biggest focus is to make sure the customer is protected," Gurney said of the impact on customers and minimising disruption. Oneworld has tried to play diplomat with Qatar Airways and the other member airlines over the issues the Gulf carrier sees but the alliance may get punished for the issues which were outside its control, specific airline to airline, country to country issues. "Ever since Oneworld was created, there have been issues of friction between individual pairings of members," an industry source said, explaining that each knew they would inevitably compete against one another, citing how Cathay fended off Qantas launching a budget airline. However, it was up to airlines to pursue deeper cooperation where it made business or strategic sense, which went beyond the Oneworld membership. Some airlines did and some did not, but this is what the crux of the issue was for Qatar, the opportunity for cooperation but rather a lack of it, the source said. Qatar Airways owns a 9.99 per cent stake in Cathay Pacific. The Doha-based carrier has a fleet of 225 aircraft with more than 200 planes on order. It flies to 156 passenger destinations worldwide. Chang Jok Lee first moved into Ping Yuen with her family in 1952, when the buildings the first federal housing in San Franciscos Chinatown were advertised as modern, pleasant accommodations. Within years, though, the city fell behind on maintenance and the complex went into disrepair. In the past, I would shut the windows before going to sleep, Lee tells reporter Gwendolyn Wu. Sometimes, youd hear people getting shot or fights around here. Lee is one of many residents of The Pings with a long memory of decades of security concerns and essential maintenance delayed. Now they say theres a change a nonprofit developer took over management of the five-building complex and made renovations. This week, the last residents temporarily displaced by the upgrades are coming back. Its not been without bumps, as Wu reports, especially as residents feared a repeat of mass evictions that Chinatown has seen in the past. So how did the new managers gain the trust of residents ignored for decades? Read the story here. Updates from this months Bay Briefings: Oakland has passed a measure to mandate seismic retrofits of apartment buildings at risk unanimously. And Maria Mendoza-Sanchez, a deported oncology nurse who became the Bay Area face of the Trump administrations broad immigration crackdown, is back home in Oakland. Sign up for Bay Briefing Like what you're reading? Subscribe to The Chronicle's Bay Briefing newsletter and get the Bay Area's best journalism in your inbox every weekday. See More Collapse Top of the News A new level for the food truck concept: An RV parked on Treat Avenue in the Mission wasnt a mobile home it was a drug business, San Francisco prosecutors say. Police have arrested a man and two accomplices for allegedly selling methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin out of the RV, which even had a bell customers could ring for service, Matier & Ross report. Back to the original drawing board: A developer who illegally demolished a 1936 Twin Peaks house designed by modernist icon Richard Neutra must rebuild an exact replica of the home and add a sidewalk plaque explaining what happened. No heat in ICE: Immigration arrests fell in Northern California in the past year even as arrests nationally rose 11 percent, a trend that may be linked to tightening sanctuary laws that limit local cooperation with U.S. deportation agents. No power, no fire?: PG&E is considering expanding its policies on power cuts during times of high wildfire risk including the type of transmission line that malfunctioned near the spot where the Camp Fire reportedly began, as well across places with lower elevated risk up to 40 percent of the area the utility serves. Plates not optional: As of Jan. 1, you wont be able to get out of tolls with a new car. A new state law will require visible, unique temporary plates before any vehicle leaves the lot. The move is expected to bring in $10 million in additional toll funding per year. Long-ago refugees: Thousands of Vietnamese citizens were welcomed to the U.S. with open arms after the Vietnam War nearly half a century ago. But now, members of San Joses Vietnamese community the largest in the U.S. are alarmed that the Trump administration wants to change the rules that brought many of them to America. The hottest book tour in years: Michelle Obama arrived in San Joses SAP Center on Friday to a standing ovation from 12,600 people. Obamas conversation with former NPR host Michele Norris was intimate, soothing and full of contradictions, writes Namwali Serpell. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The cable car grinches: Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight have been hard at work decorating a Chronicle-themed holiday cable car with your favorite front pages, and Hartlaub has found the archive photos from 1951 the first year the cars were decorated, and why they didnt end up on parade. Blocked travel: The Yemeni mother of a 2-year-old boy on life support in an Oakland hospital is being prevented from coming to the country to say goodbye to her son by the Trump administration ban on travel from certain Muslim countries, the childs family says. Saint Patron of the Arts: A landmark church has been turned into a glamorous new arts space. But is it actually to the benefit of the wider San Francisco arts scene or another fancy playground for the rich? Reporter Tony Bravo takes a look. The Kicker Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle As a volunteer chaplain for the Butte County Sheriffs Office, Jeremy Carrs specialty is not disaster, but the aftermath. As the Camp Fire raged, Carr knew he would have to help those fighting the blaze and searching for remains handle the flood of emotions after the adrenaline wore off. But when the first victims arrived at a makeshift morgue, Carr found himself at a loss how to best pray for the dead amid such devastating loss? Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com California is fixing a gap in its license plate law that enabled drivers to cross bridges and coast along express lanes for free, costing the Bay Area nearly $13 million a year. Starting Jan. 1, the free rides are over. Every new or used car will have a state plate with a unique string of numbers before it rolls off the dealership lot. Proponents say the change will save money and help solve crimes. Many cheats who breeze through tollbooths sport the cardboard dealer logos that serve as a placeholder on new cars, rendering them anonymous. Some get in crashes and flee the scene. When you get new plates, youre supposed to put them on immediately, said Jaime Garza, a spokesman for the states Department of Motor Vehicles, referring to the current law. But in reality, he said, drivers use the varnished dealer placards indefinitely. It causes big problems because people run red lights, and theyre involved in accidents, and we cant trace their plates, Garza said. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle The new temporary license plates will display an expiration date 90 days after the sale of the car and link to a Department of Motor Vehicles database that identifies the buyer and includes a description of the vehicle. The DMV will send permanent plates with new numbers to replace the temporary ones. Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, the San Mateo Democrat who wrote the law, said he wants to help highway patrol officers and stop toll evasion, which siphons money from Bay Area transit. In 2016, more than 2.5 million vehicles passed through FasTrak lanes at the seven state-owned bridges without license plates or toll tags and without stopping where possible to hand over cash a nearly fivefold increase from a decade ago. As someone who drives back and forth from San Francisco three times a week during our legislative session, I routinely see cars driving in the express lanes with dealer advertiser plates, or no plates at all, he said. Mullin noted that license plates have taken on new importance as transit agencies ring the Bay Area with tolled express lanes, a revolution in freeway travel thats required a new form of enforcement. Regional transit officials are shifting to an all-electronic system, ripping out tollbooths and replacing human toll collectors with plate-reading cameras. More importantly, Mullin said, temporary plates solve a public safety quandary. Without the identifier of a license plate, police have no way to track hit-and-run assailants. As a result, theyve left high-profile cases unsolved. Mullin said he was particularly stung by the 2013 death of 35-year-old pedestrian Michael Bonanomi, who was struck by a white Mercedes as he crossed Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles. He flew onto the cars hood and then toppled to the ground as the car sped off. The driver had dealer plates and was never apprehended. When I was made aware of that tragedy, it became clear there was a gap in public safety with regard to these dealer advertiser plates, Mullin said. Dealership customers can still order vanity plates, according to Mullins office. But the transition wont be easy. While other states have already implemented temporary license plate rules, California has allowed dealer placards for so long that theyve become part of the culture. In some areas, the dealer ads are a status symbol because they make a car look new, Garza said. He noticed a lot of cars with dealer inserts when he lived in Los Angeles a decade ago. Youd see people buying a car from an auction, picking it up and keeping these plates on forever so it looked like the car was new, he said. Apparently in some areas a new car is really prestigious. Car dealers also liked the inserts because they served as mini advertising billboards. Under the new law well lose that exposure, said Terry Furusho, a finance director at Serramonte Ford in Colma. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Furusho has spent several weeks preparing for the transition, which will start this week in Serramontes showroom and lot. The cars and trucks parked there have identical cardboard inserts with the Ford logo printed in royal blue. On Friday, Serramonte employees gathered in a small conference room for their second tutorial on the new system. They passed around a piece of heavy-duty paper of the same size and material as the new plates sturdy and white, able to withstand fierce sunlight or spattering rain. Some managers are nervous. The dealership had to make various adjustments, purchasing four new laser printers and teaching the sales staff to report sales to the DMV electronically. The new law allows them to pass clerical costs on to customers by increasing document fees from $80 to $85 for each automobile purchase. Now they have to explain the change to people who might resist. Among the questions that came up Friday was how to handle customers who dont want a front plate which is required by law, but previously wasnt the dealers responsibility. People who buy a Shelby Mustang might not want holes drilled in the front bumper, Furusho said. Next month those motorists will have to leave the lot with front and rear plates, or risk getting fix-it tickets and fines ranging from $25 to $197. That satisfies Mullin, who said that people dont just flout the law for cosmetic reasons some motorists receive their permanent plates in the mail and then toss them in the back seat so they can cheat tolls. When they get pulled over they say, Oh officer, I have my plates right here, he said. Well, well put a stop to that. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan The Yemeni mother of a 2-year-old boy on life support in an Oakland hospital is being prevented from coming to the country to say goodbye to her son by the Trump administration ban on travel from certain Muslim countries, the childs family says. Abdullah Hassan was born in Yemen with a rare brain disease that initially affected his ability to walk and talk but quickly worsened. He is no longer able to breathe on his own. His father, a U.S. citizen who lives in Stockton, brought him to UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland for care about five months ago, and Abdullah is not expected to live much longer. The parents are ready to take Abdullah off life support, but they want his mother to have one more moment to hold him. So far, the U.S. State Department has ignored their pleas for a waiver to get her into the United States, they say. All she wishes is to hold his hand for the last time, Abdullahs father, Ali Hassan, 22, said in an interview Sunday. If I could take him off the ventilator and to the airplane, I would take him to her. I would let her see him. But he wont make it. The State Department said in an email Sunday that it could not comment on the details of specific cases. The Council on American-Islamic Relations will hold a news conference in Sacramento with Hassan on Monday morning to draw attention to the familys plight. The group says it has filed a formal letter with the State Department and with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, where Hassans wife, Shaima Swileh, is currently living, demanding that the government expedite the mothers request for a visa. Trump introduced his travel ban on majority-Muslim countries days after taking office in January 2017. The order faced multiple challenges before the most recent version was upheld by the Supreme Court this summer. It forbids travel to the United States by citizens of five majority-Muslim countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Travelers from those countries can request waivers from the ban, but so far exemptions have been rare. Saad Sweilem, a civil rights attorney with the American-Islamic council, said he believes only about 2 percent of requested waivers have been granted. Hassan said every time he reaches out to the State Department to ask about the status of his wifes visa, he receives an automated response that states her application is being processed. This back-and-forth has been going on for a year, he said. And they are running out of time. Its really urgent, said Hassans father, Fawzi Hassan, 41. Shes crying every day, Please help me get to my son. We need her to see her son one last time. To hold him for at least a minute. Shes not going to see him forever. If he dies and we bury him without his mom seeing him, that will be a disaster. Ali Hassan said his wife is distraught over being separated from her son as he is dying. When she agreed to let Hassan take him to the United States for medical care, she never thought that would be the last time she saw him, he said. Neither of them knew then that his condition would be fatal. Abdullah has a form of hypomyelination, a disease that prevents formation of the fatty tissue that surrounds nerve cells and helps them communicate with one another. Not all cases of hypomyelination are fatal, but in Abdullahs case, the effect is severe enough that it is now interfering with his ability to breathe. Hes been on a ventilator for about a month, Hassan said. Hassans family came to the United States from Yemen in the early 1980s, when his grandparents moved to California and eventually settled in Stockton. Since then, the family has maintained close ties with Yemen. Hassans father met his future wife there, and five of their seven children, including Ali, were born in Yemen. Ali Hassan moved to Stockton about a decade ago, when he was in middle school. He too met his future wife in Yemen. He wasnt there for Abdullahs birth, but lived with them for about six months not long after. It wasnt immediately obvious to the new parents that anything was wrong with Abdullah, but then he started missing obvious developmental milestones. His body was floppy. Though he was a happy baby, easy to make laugh, he wasnt gaining weight as he should. Yemen has been in a brutal civil war for the past four years. Thousands of civilians have been killed, and tens of thousands more are facing starvation. The United Nations has referred to the war as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Hassan said Swileh was terrified during her pregnancy of the air strikes that came at night, of the bombings that hit nearby nearly every day. The plan was always to move her and the baby to Stockton. But as Abdullahs condition worsened, they knew he needed better care, and a safer home, than was available in Yemen. So Swileh took 8-month-old Abdullah to Cairo. Hassan met them there, and quickly got U.S. citizenship and a passport for the baby. They started the process of getting a visa for Swileh at the same time, around August 2017. She had an interview at the U.S. Embassy and was told to wait for confirmation that her application had been accepted. A month passed, and Hassan called to ask about the visa. He was told the application was still being processed. Another month passed, and then another. Hassan and Swileh were becoming increasingly concerned as Abdullahs condition deteriorated. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Then they got a letter from the U.S. Embassy: Swilehs request for a visa was being denied, pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 9645 the travel ban. The letter explained that her request for a waiver was already being processed. They waited some more, but Hassan was beginning to realize he would need to take his son to the United States without the boys mother. He left with Abdullah in August. He was suffering more and more, Hassan said. I wanted to bring them both together, but since I couldnt bring my wife its hard for me to see my son suffering in Cairo. So I had to do what I had to do. Sweilem, with the American-Islamic council, said though the Hassan familys case is extreme, its emblematic of the burden that the travel ban has placed on Muslim families across the country. The Muslim ban these are the effects of it, Sweilem said. There are other cases where families are being separated just like this, but they might not have some sympathetic fact that is this severe, like a child who is about to die. Hassan drives from Stockton to be with his son every day. Saturday was Abdullahs second birthday, and Hassan took a photo with him, kissing his forehead and holding his hand. He sends videos to Swileh almost every day, though Abdullah no longer smiles or opens his eyes for them. Fawzi Hassan said that at this point, their urgency in bringing his daughter-in-law to the United States is not for Abdullah, who is unconscious and will not wake up again. Its Swileh he worries about, as well as Ali Hassan. The child, he is between Gods hands. God is the creator, and hes the one who will let him go or let him stay, Fawzi Hassan said. But when I see my son suffering over this, it hurts even more. And what can we do about it? What crime did the child commit to be banned from his mom? Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the date President Trump took office. Chronicle staff writer Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this report. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday A spokesman for San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon is under fire for tweeting a video that appears to poke fun at a recent machete attack that left three people injured in the Tenderloin. District attorneys spokesman Max Szabo sent the tweet Dec. 7 on his personal account. It shows a hooded figure with a samurai sword slashing his way through a series of thick white stalks. Szabo posted the tweet in response to a Chronicle story on the Tenderloin slashings. In a letter to Gascon, Police Officers Association President Tony Montoya said the tweet mocked and made jest of the attack. We believe in freedom of speech, but this was posted in a public format by someone in the office that will be handling the case, Montoya told us. If one of my members had done something like this, they would have been crucified, Montoya said. And indeed, officers have lost their jobs in recent years for racist and homophobic texts that the union says were intended as jokes. There is a bit of a back story here as well. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Gascon has long been at odds with the police union, in part over his calls for cleaning up a culture that he said spawned inappropriate behavior. Szabo deleted his tweet, but not before it was seen by police officers. Another spokesman for the district attorney, Alex Bastian, said the office does not talk about personnel matters. Szabo declined to comment. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross Gulf Times | Dec. 16, 2018 Qatar Airways became one of the most influential and innovative airlines in with world after it made many achievements in a short period of time. The carrier won the Best Airline in the World award four times by Skytrax. 2017/2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the airline and the introduction of the first Airbus 1000-A350, which was the most important events during the past year. During the last fiscal year, Qatar Airways added a total of 14 new destinations, providing people with more travel options to major business and tourism destinations around the world. Despite the challenges faced by the company due to the blockade, Qatar Airways won a record number of awards in 2017, with a rate of an award each week and more than 50 awards during the year. Qatar Airways took the lead again when it won the World's Best Airline for 2017 by Skytrax for the fourth time in its history. It also won the Best Business Class of the Year, Best Airline in the Middle East and Best First Class Passenger Lounge in the world. Qatar Airways is currently supporting the ongoing consultations with the European Union to complete the Comprehensive EU Air Transport Agreement, which aims to free the aviation system between Qatar and the member states of the Union. Qatar Airways also welcomed the European Commission's efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement between EU and Qatar and, over the past 18 months, it supported bilateral talks aimed at cooperation in the civil aviation sector. During 2018, Qatar Airways launched flights to Cardiff, Mykonos and Malaga. It affirmed that it will continue to explore further growth opportunities to enhance its access to more markets and improve its relationship with its European partners in the aviation sector. Qatar Airways continued, last year, to expand, which reflect the company's desire to grow despite the challenges. Qatar Airways welcomed last year its 200th aircraft. Its fleet since last March has been 213 aircraft. Currently, it is using one of the most modern fleet of aircraft. In February 2018, Qatar Airways received the world's first Airbus 1000-A350, the first in a purchase order of 37 aircraft. It was also the first Airbus aircraft equipped with Qsuite seats for Business Class passengers. In September and December of 2017, the airline added two Boeing 747-8 cargo aircraft to its fleet to support Qatar Airway's cargo operations. It is important to point out that Qatar Airways is the second largest air cargo company in the world. It has 23 modern cargo aircraft, which paves the way for it to become one of the most important subsidiaries of Qatar Airways Group. The company said that it will invest to expand its cargo fleet by announcing a purchase order for four Boeing 777-300ER aircraft worth US$4.1 billion. The new aircraft are expected to be added to 95 Boeing aircraft with wide body. There is also a purchase order for 116 Boeing aircraft in addition to the deal with Boeing in 2016, which includes the purchase of 30 787 Dreamliners and 10 300ER-777 aircraft worth US$7.11 billion. These deals are evidence of the airline's commitment to making every effort to expand its fleet in the coming years. In December 2017, Qatar Airways reconfirmed the purchase order for 50 Airbus A320neo aircraft by updating the order and replacing it with a confirmed order for 50 A321neo aircraft, which are the largest in the Airbus A320 category. The new aircraft are expected to join Qatar Airways in 2019 to support the continued growth of Qatar Airways' global destination network, which will benefit from the outstanding capabilities and services offered by the A321neo aircraft. The total value of the deal is US$47.6 billion based on the 2018 price list. While the investment in the development of its fleet is a top priority for Qatar Airways, this year also witnessed a diversification of Qatar Airways' investment portfolio in other airlines. The most important investment in the fiscal year 2010-2017 was the acquisition of a 94.9% stake in Cathy Pacific and a 49% in AK Holding, the parent company of Meridiana. The investment in Meridiana Airlines has provided the opportunity to develop the existing airline and enhance its operations by launching a new look and modernising and re-launching the service under the name Air Italy as part of an exceptional project that will provide a unique and efficient alternative for travelers from Italy when planning their future trips. The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of San Franciscos Elbo Room took place over the weekend as its building changed hands, with the bars former landlord claiming the establishment closed its doors a claim the bars owners dispute. The building has been sold, according to Susan Ring, who has owned the building housing the Elbo Room since 1991. Ring is a real estate agent and also served as the broker for the 647 Valencia St. property. With the change of property ownership, Ring said the bar closed on Friday, Dec. 14. However, Elbo Room co-owner Matt Shapiro said the business will remain open through the end of December and will fulfill its event obligations until the new year, when the bars lease ends. Operating hours remained unchanged, he said. We still plan on doing everything weve planned on doing through the end of the year. Nothing has changed on our end, Shapiro said. Come 2019, the bar space looks like it may be resurrected in some form under the new owners regime. Though Ring declined to provide information on the new owners or what they had planned for the building, a pending liquor license transfer for the address shows that among the new group of owners is Steven Schefsky of Playland Bar on Polk Street. Schefsky did not reply to a request for comment sent to an email listed on Playlands website. The closure, which Shapiro says will happen on New Years Eve, will end a mercurial period for the Elbo Room. Rumors of its pending demise have been floating around for years, but were given substance in September when the Elbo Room building hit the open market for $4.2 million. Word was that the two-story, 5,250-square-foot building was going to be replaced by a five-story, multiunit condo project. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. We were told it was going to happen. But since we dont have the $4.2 million to buy (the building), theres nothing we can do about it, Elbo Room co-owner Matt Shapiro told The Chronicle in October. Meanwhile, Shapiro and co-owner Erik Cantu opened a new outpost of the Elbo Room earlier this year at Oaklands Jack London Square. Before the Elbo Room, the Valencia Street bar was called Amelias, a landmark lesbian bar whose heyday was in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2017, the city named Elbo Room a legacy business, a status that makes businesses eligible for city preservation funds. This story was updated to include comment from Matt Shapiro. Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips In the 16 months since Maria Mendoza-Sanchez was deported to Mexico, she and her family have been asked many of the same questions over and over in front of a horde of TV cameras and reporters. How do you feel? Whats it like to be separated from your family? Whats next? Their answers often were riddled with sadness and uncertainty. Now, after landing back in the U.S. with an H-1B visa Saturday, the Oakland nurse whose case drew national attention and inspired waves of sympathy in the Bay Area hopes her family can regain privacy and a sense of normalcy. Sunday afternoon, as rain fell outside her lawyers Oakland house, Mendoza-Sanchez sat in the cozy living room for three hours in a final round of mass media interviews and spoke of her desire just to go home with her children, change out of her black blazer and heels, and begin the next chapter of her life. All I want is to be with my kids, she said. Mendoza-Sanchez, 47, was an undocumented immigrant when she was deported in 2017, splitting her family in two. After The Chronicle wrote about her story, it attracted a bevy of attention from TV stations to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland; and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. Overnight, the modest mother of four became a symbol of the perceived cruelty of President Trumps immigration policies. She applied for an H-1B visa after returning to Mexico with her husband and the youngest of her children, and was eventually one of 65,000 selected in the lottery. But a waiver she needed to re-enter the country was initially denied by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. She took her case to the State Departments consular office in Mexico City and was eventually granted a three-year H-1B work visa in November, with the possibility of a three-year extension. Mendoza-Sanchez received the waiver based on her nursing degree and her job treating cancer patients at Oaklands Highland Hospital which she will get back. Her employer, Alameda Health Services, sponsored her visa. Mendoza-Sanchezs husband and father of her children, Eusebio Sanchez, remains in Mexico. Son Jesus, 12, who had gone to Mexico with them, had previously returned to the U.S. Mendoza-Sanchez, her lawyer and children said Sunday that media pressure was undoubtedly a major reason she is back in the U.S. But sometimes, her daughter Melin Sanchez said, the attention was overwhelming. We were grieving, but then asked every few minutes, How do you feel? she said. But we just keep reminding ourselves that our story will impact people, and I hope that people who deal with a similar situation dont give up. In the days before Mendoza-Sanchez was deported, reporters were invited to her house to talk about the deportation and the hardships her family would endure. The TV cameras with their big lights and reporters with their notebooks then followed them to the airport as they said goodbye leading to heart-wrenching and tearful pictures of them splashed across the front pages and on the nightly news. Then, 16 months later, after Mendoza-Sanchez landed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, a similar scene played out: a throng of reporters, tearful pictures, questions of what the family is going to do next. But now, the story is different: They are together at last. Now its the good part of the story, Melin Sanchez said. Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani This story was originally published on KCRA.com Sacramento police said a man was arrested after pushing another man over a railing Friday night at a Kings-Warriors game at the Golden 1 Center. Both men were in the upper deck when the fight broke out around 9 p.m. and Douglas Zeidman, 39, pushed the victim, according to Sacramento Police Department spokesman Vance Chandler. The victim fell at least 10 feet before hitting his head on the concrete. He suffered major injuries but was in stable condition at last check, Chandler said. Zeidman was arrested on felony assault charges. He is not currently in custody. No other information was provided. The storm clouds that swept through the Bay Area on Sunday are expected to break up and clear the way for sunshine Monday. But that doesnt mean its a good day to go to the beach. With surf as high as 50 feet expected to pound the coast in some locations, officials from the National Weather Service, San Francisco Fire Department and the Department of Emergency Management are warning people to stay away from the beach. And if they cant resist the temptation to gape at waves up to five stories tall, they should stay off the sand. Francis Zamora, a spokesman for the Department of Emergency Management, said weather service officials called to issue a specific caution for San Franciscos Ocean Beach until 9 p.m. Monday. Waves of 17 to 21 feet are expected to be common throughout the day, with the potential for some 40-footers to crash onto the sand, he said. What does that mean for someone on the beach? It means breaking waves could run all the way up to the seawall, he said. Youre walking your dog on the beach, and suddenly youre in chest-deep water. And that could pull you out to sea. The department and the National Park Service have posted warnings everywhere they can think of at the beach, on social media and through news outlets. In addition to waves sweeping onto normally dry stretches of sand, sneaker waves and riptides also are anticipated. People ignoring warnings and heading to the beach are advised to stay far from the waters edge and not to turn their backs to the surf. San Francisco fire officials, who handle water rescues at Ocean Beach, have warned that the surf may be too rough for them to enter the water. Officials with the Mavericks surf competition, which welcomes monster waves, decided the surf was too rough to hold the big-wave contest on Monday or Tuesday. When even the Mavericks surfers have decided to stay out of the water, you know its a good idea not to go to the beach, Zamora said. National Weather Service officials repeated the warning. Even on beaches that typically have mild surf, waves of 25 feet, punctuated with occasional 40-footers, could be common. Not all waves at the same beach are created equal, he said. The high surf, pushed by gale-force winds off the coast, offered the strongest punch from a storm front that moved into the Bay Area on Sunday morning with light rain starting around noon. Up to an inch of rain was expected in most of the Bay Area, said National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Rowe, with 1 to 2 inches expected in Sonoma and Santa Rosa and 3 to 4 inches in the North Bay hills. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan The most powerful print publication in America might just be The National Enquirer. It functioned as a dirty-tricks shop for Donald Trump in 2016, which would have been the stuff of farce the ultimate tabloid backs the ultimate tabloid candidate if it hadnt accomplished its goal. The Enquirers power was fueled by its covers. For the better part of the campaign season, Enquirer front pages blared sensational headlines about Trumps rivals from eye-level racks at supermarket checkout lanes across America. This stroke-of-genius distribution apparatus was dreamed up by the man who made The Enquirer the nations biggest gossip rag: its previous owner, Generoso Pope Jr. The Enquirers racks, under the current chief, David Pecker, were given over to the Trump campaign. This was a political gift even more valuable than the $150,000 that The Enquirer paid in a catch-and-kill deal with former Playboy model Karen McDougal for her story of an affair with Trump. Wondering what The Enquirers covers were worth to the Trump campaign, I called Regis Maher, a founder of Do It Outdoors, the national mobile and digital billboard company. He said a campaign with that level of national prominence would cost $2.5 million to $3 million a month. Its such a powerful placement, Maher said. Everybodys gotta go to the grocery store. With the news last week that The Enquirer had admitted to federal prosecutors that it made the catch-and-kill payment to influence the election, its worth stepping back and appreciating the unlikely role played by the supermarket tabloid and its parent company, American Media Inc., in electing the 45th president of the United States. Now that federal prosecutors have cleared away some of the fog that shrouded the 2016 campaign, its easy to see that The Enquirer was more than just a publication that puffed up Trump while going after his rivals. It was the real-world embodiment of the fantasy online world of trolls, Russian and domestic, who polluted the political discourse. From its perches at Publix and Safeway, it was often doing the same job as Alex Jones, of the conspiracy site Infowars, and the more strident Trump campaign surrogates on Twitter and Facebook. The Enquirer spread false stories about Hillary Clinton illnesses concealed, child prostitution, bribery, treason. Each cover trumpeting these tales was arguably more powerful than a tweet from an account with millions of followers. Its a shame it went this route, because The Enquirer was built to cover Trumps wild ride. If it had only stuck with its original mission digging up dirt on the rich and famous, without a care for the rules of traditional journalism it would have had the tabloid story of a lifetime. Instead, it refused to unlock its vault of Trump tips and stories as it promoted him as Americas savior. Actually, make that the worlds. As one Enquirer report in early 2016 had it from a source close to Donald even President Vladimir Putin of Russia wanted him to win the White House. It was like a double whammy, Jennifer Palmieri, Clintons campaign communications director, told me. They could have been covering all of Trumps misdeeds. But, instead, not only were they not reporting on that, they were a pipeline from darknet conspiracy theories to grocery-store lines. With its online cohorts, American Media Inc. helped build a distortion machine that so polluted election news cycles that, for its more receptive audiences, Clinton not only deserved to lose the White House, she deserved time in the big house. Before making her its main target, the machine chewed up Sen. Ted Cruz. It ran unsubstantiated allegations of extramarital affairs against him at a time when he was proving himself Trumps most stubborn Republican challenger. The only person quoted by name in the affairs piece was Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to Trump, who was quoted as saying, Where theres smoke, theres fire. (Stone, who communicated with top campaign officials through the election, is under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.) One passage in the Cruz story caught my eye. Citing a report in Radar Online a gossip outlet also owned by AMI The Enquirer claimed that an individual purporting to be a representative of the hacker group Anonymous posted a disturbing Twitter video that threatens to expose very dirty secrets, including information about Ted visiting prostitutes.' Heres an odd thing. Radar attributed the provenance of this supposed Anonymous video to an obscure Twitter handle with only a few thousand followers that has since gone dormant. A review of the accounts activity found tweets and retweets of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant messages relating to Europe, as well as a critique of the U.S. policy on Libya linked to a video from RT, the Russian state-financed cable network. It makes you wonder if the inquiring mind of Mueller would like to know more about The Enquirer than he has let on. (Federal prosecutors in New York have led the investigation of AMI.) Once Cruz was out of the way, two people familiar with AMIs operation told me, the company pulled up files on the Clintons that it had collected over decades some two dozen cardboard boxes filled with promising material. AMI began a painstaking effort to sort through the old clips and tips concerning pay-for-play deals, rumors of affairs and Vince Foster conspiracy theories. But as the campaign wore on, The Enquirers covers favored stories similar to those coursing through Infowars, Russian trolldom and, increasingly, your uncles Facebook feed. According to one headline, Hillary was Corrupt! Racist! Criminal! In another, she was Eating Herself To Death! The Enquirer also reported make that reported that she had suffered three strokes, had liver damage from booze, and was prone to violent rages. A couple of weeks before Election Day, as Russian bots were pushing a narrative into Facebook of a Clinton body count, an Enquirer cover line screamed: Hillary Hitman Tells All. The false narratives built to a frenzy that included an appearance by AMI chief content officer Dylan Howard on Infowars and a cover promising that Clinton and her aide Huma Abedin were Going to Jail for Treason! Influence Peddling! Bribery! Inside were the unsubstantiated claims that Clinton had covered up a child sex scandal which echoed the Pizzagate conspiracy and that her relationship with Abedin had lesbian undercurrents. For those who were seeing the same bilge online, The Enquirers headlines and stories may have increased their doubts about the Democratic nominee. For those seeing such stuff for the first time, right next to the gum and candy, the false coverage may have been revelatory. Placement on nationwide checkout lines was perhaps Peckers greatest gift to Trump, and its something that he inherited from Pope. Watching his circulation plateau as his readers moved to the suburbs in the 1960s, Pope struck a deal with major grocery chains: He would build new racks to put magazines at eye level near the cash registers, arguing that more sales for him meant more profit for them, too. It gave us complete exposure, saturation, whatever you want to call it, his son Paul David Pope told me Friday. As the younger Popes history of the family business, The Deeds of My Fathers, shows, The Enquirer was known to pull off an occasional catch-and-kill deal in the old days, including one involving Sen. Edward Kennedy in a bid for access to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. But the tabloid usually raised hackles not because the stories it published were false, but because of its methods. This was a publication so hungry for celebrity dope that it sneaked a reporter disguised as a priest into Bing Crosbys funeral. I am sure my fathers intention with his media empire was not to be used after his passing as an outlet for fake news, the younger Pope said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. This article, Google plans $1 billion expansion in Manhattan, originally appeared on CNET.com. Google is taking another bite of the Big Apple. The search giant on Monday detailed its plan to spend $1 billion on a new campus in New York City. The 1.7 million square-foot Manhattan campus will be known as Google Hudson Square, Ruth Porat, the company's chief financial officer, said in a blog post. The company will expand by leasing buildings at 550 Washington Street and at 315 and 345 Hudson Street in the West Village. The announcement follows the company's March purchase of Manhattan's Chelsea Market -- north of the new site -- for $2.4 billion. It also follows Amazon's plan to build its new HQ2 campus in Long Island City in the Queens borough. The city became home to Google's first office outside California nearly 20 years ago. The company already has more than 7,000 employees in the city. It intends to add another 7,000 staff there over the next 10 years as a "conservative estimate," William Floyd, its director of public policy and government relations, told The Wall Street Journal. On Thursday, Apple announced that it'll build a new $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, as part of an expansion across the US. Google didn't comment beyond the blog post when reached by email. CNET's Holiday Gift Guide: The place to find the best tech gifts for 2018. The Smartest Stuff: Innovators are thinking up new ways to make you, and the things around you, smarter. ISLAMABAD The last time Chaudhry Javed Atta saw his wife was over a year ago the Pakistani trader in dried and fresh produce was leaving their home in northwestern Chinas heavily Muslim Xinjiang region to go back to his country to renew his visa. He remembers the last thing she told him: As soon as you leave, they will take me to the camp and I will not come back. That was August 2017. By then, Atta and Amina Manaji, from the Muslim ethnic Uighur group native to Xinjiang, had been married for 14 years. Atta is one of scores of Pakistani businessmen and he says there are more than 200 whose spouses have disappeared, taken to what Chinese authorities tell them are education centers. Beijing has been accused of interning members of its Muslim population by some reports as many as 1 million to re-educate them away from their faith. It is seen as a response to riots and violent attacks that the government blamed on separatists. Ethnic Uighurs and Kazakhs in China have said that ostensibly innocuous acts such as praying regularly, viewing a foreign website or taking phone calls from relatives abroad could land one in a camp. They call them schools, but they are prisons, Atta said. They cant leave. Pakistanis often rally loudly in defense of Islam and Muslims whenever they are perceived offended around the world most recently over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. In 1989, protests spread from Pakistan elsewhere, leading to the fatwa by Irans Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini against author Salman Rushdie for his depiction of Islam in his book Satanic Verses. But political and economic factors, including concerns about losing out on vast Chinese investments, have kept Pakistan and other Muslim countries silent about the plight in China of fellow Muslims, the Uighurs. Cold, hard interests will always carry the day in international relations, said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center. The Muslim worlds deafening silence about Chinas treatment of Muslims can be attributed to its strong interest in maintaining close relations with the worlds next superpower. For Atta, its not just the separation from his wife. He has also had to leave their two sons, who are 5 and 7 years old and whose passports were confiscated by the Chinese government, in the care of his wifes family. Otherwise, he said, the authorities would have put them in an orphanage. The Associated Press has previously reported that the government is placing the children of detainees and exiles into dozens of orphanages across Xinjiang. Kathy Gannon is an Associated Press writer. WCC General Secretary Visits Churches in Czech Republic GENEVE, Dec. 17, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit is visiting Czech Republic this week, joining the Evangelical Church of the Brethren (ECCB) in the celebration of its 100th anniversary, then meeting with leaders from the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. Photo: Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit speaks at the 100th anniversary celebration of the ECCB. Photo courtesy of ECCB Tveit offered greetings to the ECCB during its festive occasion, celebrated in the Municipal House, Smetana Hall, in the presence of many ecumenical guests. "The fellowship of WCC rejoices today, together with one of its founding members, the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren," Tveit said. Yet the history of the church is also one of suffering, struggle and marginalization, particularly during the periods of Nazism, communism, and the Cold War. "Even now, in the post-communist era, the ECCB continues to face various challenges," Tveit reflected, and described the way the church has met these challenges as "a remarkable sign of accountability, that contributed to establish confidence for the future work of the church in this country and in the wider ecumenical family." Tveit continued, "Your history is a significant part of the history of the one ecumenical movement and of the WCC. It is important to see the nuanced and wider picture of a world in need of justice and peace, and the efforts of the churches to find their ways together in changing times." "Even during the darkest days of your history, the ECCB has been able to witness the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the Czech people in times of restriction and suppression. Even now, in the post-communist era, the ECCB continues to face various challenges," Tveit said. In an address to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and Patriarch Tomas Butta on 17 December, Tveit acknowledged and encouraged the church's ecumenical witness. "The Czechoslovak Hussite Church has led by example, resolving the issue of women's roles in the church even as early as 70 years ago," Tveit said. "This means that you, our sisters and brothers, started addressing such an issue at the same time as women who were midwives of the World Council of Churches were collecting the churches' responses to their survey on the role of women in the church." Taking stock of the church's unique role in the ecumenical family, building on the traditions from Jan Huss and the modernization movement in the Roman Catholic Church of the late 19th century, Tveit also reflected on the importance of its work for freedom of conscience, of religion, and the importance of religious tolerance. "The insights of Jan Hus about the role of the Bible in the life of the church and the celebration of the sacraments tested not only the received practices of his day. They also tested the tolerance and theological openness of his fellow churchman, of church theologians, and of the power structure of the local and international church structures of the time," Tveit said. The Hussite movement and rebellions also take an honoured place in the long march toward a full range of human rights, Tveit added. "Only Christian churches reconciled in unity with one another can witness authentically to all humanity on the virtues of respect and love," he said. "The politicization of religion has been discussed in the WCC for several years now, but we see it as a growing reality in many contexts." Grabbing a bite to eat at your favorite casual dining restaurant may be a thing of the past as more popular eateries plan for store closures across the country. Applebees and IHOP are the latest victims; the chains face as many as 160 restaurant closures between the two, their parent company DineEquity announced last Thursday. Some 105 to 135 Applebee's restaurants will close, up from the 40 to 60 that parent DineEquity said would close in the first quarter, USA TODAY wrote. Also on the chopping block are an estimated 20 to 25 IHOP sites, up from about 18. Applebees and IHOP are certainly not alone. Other big chains like Subway, Outback Steak House and Papa Murphys are also planning to close some of their locations soon. One reason casual dining spots have lost their former charm may be due to lack of convenience for consumers, who often make their dining decisions based on places that have a delivery option. Convenience is also a factor, both when it comes to delivery and speed of service. And casual dining chains are still playing catch-up with regards to delivery, Business Insider wrote. ALSO READ: Buca di Beppo in San Francisco's SoMa shutters after 20 years Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith echoed that idea but also seems to think millennials are to blame for their sales slump. "Millennial consumers are more attracted than their elders to cooking at home, ordering delivery from restaurants and eating quickly, in fast-casual or quick-serve restaurants," Smith wrote in June. Store closures continues to be a growing trend among big chain companies, and it's been especially prevalent among national realtails that are also battling it out to remain relevant. ALSO READ: National retailers are struggling to remain open. Here are the companies that have taken a hit Take a look at the slideshow above to see big chain restaurants that are facing store closures. BURLINGAME (BCN) Burlingame will have a new police chief effective next week in Mike Matteucci, who has been with the Police Department since 1991, the city announced today. Matteucci, currently a captain with the department, will become chief on Dec. 29 and is replacing retiring Chief Eric Wollman. City Manager Lisa Goldman appointed Matteucci to the post and described him in a prepared statement as "a strong leader in the department with a deep understanding of policing and the needs of the Burlingame community." Matteucci attended high school in South San Francisco, and has a bachelor's degree in economics from San Jose State University and a master's degree in emergency services administration from CSU Long Beach. He also attended the FBI National Academy in Virginia. After starting as a Burlingame police officer in 1991, he was promoted to sergeant in 2000 and then captain in 2004, according to the city. Matteucci will be sworn in as chief during the City Council's upcoming meeting on Jan. 7. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Civil rights and religious leaders today called on the U.S. State Department to allow a Yemeni mother to visit her 2-year-old son who is clinging to life at an Oakland hospital. Shaima Swileh is currently in Egypt, hoping for a waiver that will let her visit her son Abdullah at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Abdullah's father, Ali Hassan of Stockton, broke down in tears at a news conference held today in Sacramento as he pleaded with authorities to allow Swileh to travel to the U.S. "My wife is calling me every day wanting to kiss and hold our son for one last time," Hassan said. "Time is running out, please help us get my family together again." Abdullah, who turned 2 years old last week, has a genetic brain condition that has worsened. His father brought him to the U.S. earlier this year. Both Abdullah and his father are U.S. citizens. Swileh, however, is a Yemeni national and is unable to visit under President Donald Trump's travel ban, which applies to mostly Muslim majority nations. Doctors had told the family that the boy's body wouldn't withstand life support much longer. "Our hearts are breaking for this family," said Saad Sweilem, a civil rights attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "The loss of a child is something no parent should experience, but not being able to be there in your child's last moments is unfathomably cruel." The family's plight has drawn support from a wide spectrum of religious leaders and civil rights activists, who hope to put pressure on Congress and the Trump administration. Betty Williams, president of the Sacramento branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, called on Trump to allow an exception. "It's criminal that we have to stand before you and beg" for the family to be together, Williams said. Lynn Berkley-Baskin, community outreach chair for the Jewish Community Relations Council, urged U.S. officials to grant Swileh a waiver that "will show what we say about family values is true" and to show compassion for the mother and son. "Lack of compassion robs our country of our soul," she said. A State Department spokesperson wouldn't address questions today about whether the agency was considering a waiver for Swileh, saying on background that details of individual cases are confidential. An online action alert by CAIR, demanding that the State Department and the U.S. Embassy Cairo reunite the family, has received more than 6,000 entries of support. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. PETALUMA (BCN) A King City man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of several felonies, including attempted murder, after he allegedly drove his van into his ex-girlfriend at 30 miles per hour, Petaluma police said today. Gerardo Hernandez, 24, had led police on a mile-long vehicle chase and then on a foot chase before being arrested near the East Washington Place Shopping Center just of U.S. Highway 101, Petaluma police said. Police were called about 3 p.m. Saturday by a witness who reported that a maroon GMC van had just struck two people in the SMART Train parking lot off of East Washington Street. Police pursued the van for about a mile on city streets; the van ran several stop signs and collided with another vehicle along the way. The driver got out near the East Washington Place Shopping Center, and was subdued after a short chase. The maroon van's license plate had already been tied to a domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapons case in Petaluma the previous day, police said. The two people struck by the maroon van -- Hernandez's ex-girlfriend and a male companion - were taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, police said. A witness told police the maroon van slammed into the two people at an estimated 30 mph. Police said a witness told them they saw Hernandez assaulting the same ex-girlfriend at a house in Petaluma on Friday using a knife, causing a small laceration to her hand. Hernandez also tried strangling the woman with the strap of her purse. Hernandez fled the house before police arrived. Hernandez was booked into Sonoma County Jail Saturday on suspicion of attempted murder (two counts), felony DUI causing injury, felony evasion of a peace officer, resisting arrest, assault with a deadly weapon and felony domestic violence. His bail was set at $1 million. Petaluma police continue to investigate this case. Anyone who witnessed the incident in the SMART Train parking lot is urged to call Det. Pat Gerke at (707) 778-4444. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A man was hospitalized Friday afternoon after two men broke into his San Francisco home and assaulted him before taking several of his possessions, police said today. Around 3 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a home in the first block of Chumasero Drive in the city's Parkmerced area. There, they learned a 32-year-old man was sleeping when two men entered the man's apartment. The suspects then assaulted the victim before taking his laptop, cellphone, wallet, cash and a backpack, according to police. The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said. Police were unable to locate the suspects and descriptions of the two men were not immediately available. Anyone with information about the home invasion robbery is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with "SFPD" in the message. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. DANVILLE (BCN) The San Ramon Valley Unified School District Board of Education will hold the first in a series of public hearings Tuesday to gather community feedback on the potential drawing of district maps for trustees seeking office in future board elections. Members of the public will have an opportunity to comment on the California Voting Rights Act and the district's plans to transition from an at-large election system where trustees can reside anywhere in the district to one where they must reside within a designated trustee area boundary, or "district," and are elected only by voters living in that area. The board declared last week its intent to transition to by-trustee area elections. Several other school districts and city councils throughout the Bay Area have either already made the transition to district elections or are in the process of doing so. At Tuesday's meeting, demographics experts will present information on the process and criteria for drawing the trustee-area boundary maps. Following the presentation, the board will hold the first of two statutorily required hearings to receive input from the community on the process of drawing trustee-area maps. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the district board room at 699 Old Orchard Road in Danville. Questions about the process can be emailed to CVRA@srvusd.net. More information can be found at https://www.srvusd.net/cvra Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. A late fall storm has hit the Bay Area today with rain and heavy winds, expected to last into the night, according to the National Weather Service. The storm is expected to drop its heaviest rainfall in the North Bay mountains, with up to 3 inches expected and between 1.25 and 1.75 inches expected to fall in the North Bay valleys, Santa Cruz mountains and Santa Lucia mountains. Around one-half to 1 inch of rain is expected to fall in urban and other valley areas, and a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected in the late afternoon or evening. Winds will vary in the region from 10 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph expected on the San Mateo and Sonoma coasts. A High Surf Warning has also been issued for the entire coast of the Bay Area through Monday, and a Small Craft Advisory is also issued for Point Arena to Point Piedras Blancas through Friday night. A man was detained on a psychiatric hold after allegedly spitting at a BART train operator at the 16th Street Mission Station late Saturday night, according to BART police. The suspect approached the operator of a train that was stopped at the station around 11:21 p.m. Saturday and spit at them, according to BART police Lt. Michael Hayes. The suspect - described only by police as a man - was detained on an emergency psychiatric detention, issued a citation and transported to San Francisco General Hospital, Hayes said. The operator wasn't injured. The incident sparked a major delay on BART's Warm Springs line in the Millbrae direction. Two men were wounded in shootings that occurred late Saturday and early today in Oakland, police said. At around midnight, officers were called to a hospital regarding a shooting that had occurred shortly beforehand in the 3600 block of East 16th Street. The victim said he had been walking when a male suspect approached him and demanded his belongings, according to police. As the victim ran away, he heard a gunshot and realized that he had been shot. The victim took himself to the hospital for medical treatment. The other shooting occurred around 2:26 a.m. when officers in the 1400 block of Webster Street heard gunshots in the area. The victim was found suffering from a gunshot wound and taken to the hospital. A woman was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking across an uncontrolled intersection Saturday evening in San Jose, police said. A 2018 Porsche was traveling eastbound around 6:12 p.m. on Quito Road passing Northlawn Drive when it struck the woman while she walked across Quito Road. The victim was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. The female driver remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor in the collision, according to police. The victim has not yet been identified by the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office as of this afternoon. This was the city's 21st pedestrian fatality of the year. All told, there have been 45 fatal collisions involving 49 victims. Approximately 3,200 families are expected to pick up food boxes in San Jose on Monday and Tuesday as part of Sacred Heart Community Service's annual holiday food box distribution. The distribution will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at 1381 S. First Street (at Alma). Food boxes are filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, oil, eggs, bread and more, as well as a choice of a turkey, ham or chicken. The agency said it gave out 4,200 food boxes during the week of Thanksgiving. On Wednesday and Thursday, parents and family members will have the opportunity to pick up new toys and books for their children. The agency is still collecting toys for the toy giveaway. Items most in demand include LEGOs, action figures and gifts for teens. The donation station is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. For more information, visit www.sacredheartcs.org/holidays. Public art in the town of Danville is going to the dogs - literally. The Contra Costa County town is looking for 15 sponsors to take part in its inaugural "Dogs of Danville, Unleashed!" public art project in 2019. "The goal of this program is to create a temporary outdoor public art project displaying beautifully painted dog sculptures throughout Downtown Danville, accompanied by a walking tour and passport designed to attract and engage residents and visitors to downtown Danville between May and September 2019," according to a post on the town's website. As part of the project, dogs will be strategically placed throughout the downtown, in front of sponsoring businesses if appropriate, and will be on display for four months. The sculptures will be auctioned off at the end of the event, and all proceeds will go toward developing a future similar art program for the town. The cost to sponsor a dog is $1,000, which will cover the cost of materials and the artist's compensation. Sponsorship applications are due Jan. 11. For more information on the project or becoming a sponsor, contact Marija Nelson Bleier at (925) 314-3460. Police are asking for the public's help in locating a woman who went missing around 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the 3500 block of El Camino Real in Santa Clara while shopping with her husband. Jung Kim, 59, of San Jose is 5 feet 3, approximately 115 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. Police say she was last seen wearing a long gray jacket, pink shirt, blue jeans, black Sketcher shoes and carrying a purse. She speaks limited English, suffers from dementia and has wandered away from her family in the past. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the Santa Clara Police Department at (408) 615-5580. A free training course on mental health first aid aimed at parents, caregivers and volunteers who work with youths will be offered next month. The two-day workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, and Friday, Jan. 18, at Catholic Charities of the East Bay's Richmond office, 217 Harbor Way. The training is designed to equip participants to recognize the signs and symptoms of distress and connect youths with the help they need. Topics covered include typical adolescent development, potential signs and symptoms of mental health conditions and a five-part plan for support. All attendees receive a manual, local resources and breakfast as part of the training. Registration is free, though participants have the option to help support the expansion of the curriculum by covering the $20 cost of the participant manual and book. For more information on Catholic Charities' mental health first aid programs, visit www.cceb.org/mental-health-first-aid/ To register for the Jan. 17-18 workshop, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/youth-mental-health-first-aid-training-january-17th-and-18th-richmond-tickets-51898018370 Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. CONCORD (BCN) A man who dropped a gun and accidentally fired it Sunday at a Concord shopping mall is an employee of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, police said today. The man contacted Concord police this morning and investigators have determined the gun accidentally discharged while the man was outside the Cinnabon store at the Sunvalley Shopping Center, authorities said. No one was injured by the gunfire, which was reported at 4:07 p.m. at the mall, located near Interstate Highway 680 and Willow Pass Road in Concord. Police were searching Sunday night for the man and a woman with him, and had posted a video surveillance photo on social media to track them down. This morning, they posted an update to say the man had contacted them. The gun was legally possessed, according to police. The incident was referred to the CDCR personnel division. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. By Joe Dworetzky, Irena Fischer-Hwang, Jay Harris, Hannah Knowles, and Emily Surgent Bay City News Service The sky above Ron Beeny turned black. The 71-year-old was stuck in traffic as he evacuated from his home in Paradise on the morning of Nov. 8. Trees and brush lined both sides of the two-lane road. In the darkness, Beeny had no idea where the fire was. A former firefighter, he knew that getting trapped between walls of fuel could be deadly. "[When] daytime turns to night, the fire is burning extremely intense," he said. For more than an hour Beeny inched forward in his red Toyota pickup, heading west toward Chico. His home of 41 years was incinerated by the Camp Fire. The blaze that destroyed Beeny's home is just the latest mega-fire in California -- and the cost of fighting such fires has risen dramatically. California dwarfs other states in fire-suppression costs, an analysis by a Stanford journalism class has found. The Stanford class analyzed daily reports from the most expensive fires in every state from 2014 to 2017, and found that dense development at the border of wildlands -- in communities like Paradise, Cobb, and Santa Rosa -- helps explain California fires' exceptional damage and expense to put out. A 2015 federal audit showed that fire suppression costs vastly more in these transition zones between wild and developed areas -- Wildland Urban Interface areas, or WUIs, for short. The Stanford analysis of fire costs found that, among the states that spend the most on suppression, California fires overlapped far more with the WUI: More than 30 percent of the 2015 Butte Fire, for example, burned on WUI lands, destroying almost 1,000 buildings. Much of the state's WUI is made up of chaparral -- dry shrubland -- that burns fast and hot. Policymakers differ on how state and local governments should intervene. But experts like Tom Harbour -- who served as National Director of Fire and Aviation Management before retiring from the U.S. Forest Service in 2016 -- agree that the growth of WUI has fueled a crisis. "You've taken a lot of land in [California] ... that used to be ponderosa pine down near the bottoms of these drainages ... and now you put homes in there," Harbour said. "Well, the pine trees are still there. The bitterbrush is still there. The sagebrush is still there. The desire that Mother Nature has to burn is still there. But now your home is there." Officials are worried about another tally, too: the ballooning cost of putting out such fires. A strong economy and a state budget surplus mean that recent firefighting costs will not cut into other priorities this year, said California Assembly Budget Committee Chair Phil Ting, D-San Francisco. But Ting and other lawmakers are looking for ways to curb the destruction long-term. "It's a major concern," Ting said. "We've had these two horrific wildfires up and down the state, two really bad summers, so we need to do whatever's possible to help." By the end of August, California had burned through most of the $440 million in emergency funds that had been allotted for the 2018 fiscal year. One week later, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) requested an additional $234 million for firefighting efforts through November. It was a prescient request -- but insufficient. November's Camp Fire alone would cost more than $150 million to suppress. Late last month, Cal Fire asked for about $250 million more in emergency funds. Daily reports tracking estimated suppression costs show that the 20 most expensive fires in California from 2014 to 2017 cost nearly $1.5 billion to fight. That's more than double the cost of fire suppression for the 20 most expensive fires in Oregon, the state with the next highest price tag, and more than triple that of third-ranked Washington's top fires. And the daily reports aren't even complete-- reports are missing for the Thomas Fire, California's costliest fire in 2017. The most expensive fires to fight are not necessarily the largest. The state's unusually high suppression costs coincide with a second measure where California leaves other states far behind: damage to buildings. From 2014 to 2017, California's most expensive fires destroyed and damaged over 60 times more buildings than Oregon's priciest fires did, and over 10 times more buildings than Washington's fires. By the measure of buildings destroyed, 41 of the 100 most destructive fires in the nation from 2014 to 2017 occurred in California. At the edge of wildland and towns In 2015, the Butte Fire spread rapidly toward old Gold Rush towns in the Sierra foothills of California's Amador and Calaveras counties, fueled by chaparral shrubbery dried out in the summer heat. By the second day of the fire, more than 6,000 buildings were at risk; by the fourth, 81 houses had been charred. More than 4,000 people joined the firefighting effort as agencies worked to contain the fire, protect homes and evacuate hundreds of people all at once. "Suppression efforts had minimal impacts on perimeter control due to a high focus on structure defense," read the second of the Butte firefighters' Incident Status Summary reports, which detail fire conditions and resources in use at a given time. Over a third of the Butte Fire burned in the WUI. By contrast, none of Washington's most expensive fires had more than 7 percent of their area overlap with WUI zones. None of Oregon's most expensive fires overlapped more than 2 percent with the WUI in terms of area. An analysis of geospatial data shows that 18 of California's 20 most expensive recent wildfires overlapped with WUI areas, while in Oregon and Washington, fewer than half did. Fires that threaten buildings are "always going to be more costly," said Rocky Opliger, a deputy chief for the La Verne Fire Department in Southern California who led Forest Service suppression efforts on major fires as an incident commander. "It costs more money when you're bringing in more expensive resources." In 1990, California had more than 3 million homes in the WUI, according to Forest Service data. By 2010, that number had ballooned by more than a third to over 4 million -- 50 percent more than Texas, the state with the next largest number of WUI homes. California had one of the highest building densities in WUI areas in the country in 2010, the latest year for which the Forest Service has data. And people continue to move into the WUI. In El Dorado County, for example, the foothill town of Placerville has sprawled toward a national forest, said Scott Vail, former deputy chief for fire administration with the California Office of Emergency Services. In the 1970s, Vail said, it "took forever" to get into Placerville from the forest. "Now, once you get out of the national forest, the city starts." California's WUI is especially fire-prone, and that stacks the odds against developed WUI areas, said Michael Mann, a George Washington University geographer who has studied the overlap of California's WUI with high fire-hazard zones. Chaparral, for instance, evolved with frequent wildfires and feeds fires so intense that they burn all the vegetation in their path. These areas become even more likely to ignite when people arrive, said Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis and history at Pomona College. "When we move into these landscapes, we burn them," Miller said. Cost of fighting fires in the WUI Fighting fires in the WUI costs $1,695 per acre, according to a 2015 Forest Service audit that examined several WUI fires from 2008 to 2010. That's more than twice the cost of putting out fires in a forest, and nearly 30 times the cost of fighting fire in undeveloped grassland or shrubbery. When people and their homes are threatened, agencies tend to marshal whatever resources are needed, said Opliger, the former Forest Service incident commander. "I have yet to have an agency administrator really restrict me on what I need to do as far as getting the job done, especially when it involves direct protection of civilians, private and public property," he said. Fighting fires becomes far more complex when firefighters are protecting populated areas, said George Huang, a San Luis Obispo battalion chief. "It's like a huge chess game," Huang said. "We have fire engines ... trying to put out the fire ... a couple engines at homes to make sure that homes don't catch on fire, and at the same time we're working with the law enforcement to evacuate people out of their homes." Development in rural areas also makes fire prevention tactics such as prescribed burns harder to carry out, said Tom Harbour, the former Forest Service official. The controlled burns produce smoke that can upset residents. "I don't like that," Harbour said of the smoke produced. "You don't like it. The American public doesn't like it." Limiting the damage Legislation passed in September takes some steps toward limiting damage from fires within the WUI. While California Senate Bill 901 focused primarily on forest management and the liabilities of utilities, the measure also puts "a little bit more teeth" into community planning guidelines for fire-prone areas, said Cal Fire researcher Dave Sapsis. Starting in 2021, local governments in areas with very high chances of fire will have to take more precautions previously required only for state lands -- for example, ensuring that roads are wide enough for evacuation. But some experts doubt SB 901's changes will be enough to prevent the kind of widespread destruction the state has experienced in the WUI. Miller believes one solution is for communities to establish programs, funded through municipal bonds, to buy up wild borderlands from willing private owners and limit development within them. But local governments have had little financial incentive to prevent development: turning away new residents reduces their tax revenue, while state and federal agencies tend to bear the costs of wildfire suppression, said Kimiko Barrett, a researcher at Montana-based think tank Headwaters Economics who has studied WUI and fire risk. "It's what we call a moral hazard ... [Cities are] able to approve certain decision-making processes without having to pay the consequences of those decisions," Barrett said. State legislators have been reluctant to intervene in planning issues they consider the province of local governments, but some policymakers are exploring further statewide legislation. Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, who co-chaired the development of SB 901, may introduce new legislation early in 2019, according to his spokesman Garo Manjikian. Meanwhile, legislation passed in 2018 authorized the California Department of Insurance to create a "working group" to investigate potential market-based solutions to curb development in fire-prone rural areas. Yet no timetable has been established for their work. The glacial pace of legislative action leaves experts frustrated. On Nov. 29, University of California at Berkeley's Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment (CLEE) and the nonprofit Resources Legacy Fund released their joint recommendations for incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom. Included was a proposal to create a wildfire-focused leadership position within the governor's office. The appointee would be charged with "developing and implementing state incentives for local governments to limit new development in high-risk areas." "I think the state needs to play a stepped up role coordinating all the different agencies involved, trying to marshal the funding to do it, and then also trying to change local government land use decision-making," said Ethan Elkind, director of CLEE's climate program. Even those knowledgeable about fires find it difficult to resist the call of the wildlands. Ron Beeny, the firefighter who escaped last month's Camp Fire, said he liked Paradise precisely because of its natural beauty. "We just like the mountains. We like the trees," he said. For most of his career Beeny was an engineer, driving a fire engine to fires of all kinds. He was frequently a first responder, fighting hundreds of fires over many years. But on the morning the Camp Fire blazed into Paradise, his emergency plan was the same as everyone else's: "Get the hell out." At first, Beeny thought he would rebuild his home in Paradise, but his son is encouraging him to settle elsewhere. He's not sure yet where he will land -- Oregon is at the top of his list. But wherever he ends up, he will probably live in the WUI. "I know how ridiculous it sounds," he said. "But that's the kind of country we like." Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. VALLEJO (BCN) Wit5h heavy rains and wind expected tonight, a 60-bed warming shelter will open at 6 p.m. today, operated by the City of Vallejo and First Baptist Church Vallejo. The shelter is at the church, 2025 Sonoma Blvd. The church will provide a cot, a blanket and warm soup. The City of Vallejo's security service firm will provide security. The shelter, which will operate until 6 a.m. Monday, is open to all residents seeking help, regardless of gender, age, income or any other factor. Pets are welcome. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers' meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Dec. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang) LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China and Thailand on Sunday pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation and move forward the construction of the China-Thailand railway. The pledges were made as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers' meeting. Wang said the China-Thailand ties are enjoying sound development, with frequent high-level exchanges and cooperation in various fields, bringing tangible benefits to peoples of the two countries. China is willing to work with Thailand to enhance communication, do proper planing for deepened cooperation, speed up the construction of China-Thailand railway in a bid to achieve early connection of China-Laos-Thailand railway, and actively explore third-party cooperation, he said. China would support Thailand's work as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rotating chair and steadily move forward the consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN members, said Wang. China would also push for the early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, speed up East Asian economic integration, and jointly guard against unilateralism and trade protectionism, Wang added. For his part, Don said Thailand would work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen trade and economic cooperation, actively move forward the construction of Thailand-China railway, and explore different kinds of third-party cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. As ASEAN's rotating chair in 2019, Thailand would play a constructive role in promoting the development of ASEAN and ASEAN-China relations, said Don. Thailand is committed to concluding RCEP negotiations within its term of chairmanship, and would work towards regional peace, stability, prosperity and development. [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Joe Lhotas abortive return to the leadership of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority lasted barely a year and a half. When he was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Lhota who previously had served as MTA chairman in 2012 and as New York Citys finance commissioner and office of management and budget director during Rudy Giulianis administration was touted as someone who would bring managerial experience and fiscal rectitude to the sprawling, wasteful and troubled agency. It aint going to be easy, Lhota said at the time. He was right. While he presided over some changes, like the hiring of the experienced international transit operator Andy Byford to administer the New York City Transit Authority, he leaves the agency in turmoil similar to when he arrived. The subways lack of on-time reliability remains at crisis levels, the agencys byzantine management structure is unchanged, and the MTA still has the highest costs for capital projects in the world. Once again, the MTA is going to be under new leadership. The four key tasks that the next chairman or chairwoman will need to accomplish are clear. First, they need to secure the support of Cuomo and the state leadership for an overhaul of the subways basic systems, like signals and electrical power supply. Second, they need to get construction costs under control so that they can address the systems shortcomings. Third, they need to make the agencys structure work for riders instead of perpetuating the institutional arrangements of a bygone age. Finally, they need to work on fixing the buses, a vital but long-ignored component of New York Citys transit picture - and one that doesnt require billions of dollars to improve. Lhotas hiring of Byford, who previously presided over modernization programs and campaigns to improve customer relations in London and Toronto, is a start. The MTA needed new blood and a fresh perspective. But it isnt enough. Byford announced a laundry list of essential items that are required to modernize the subways antediluvian systems, many of which date to the subways original construction before World War II. In particular, the MTA seeks to replace its antique signalling systems with communications-based train control, which allows controllers to know exactly where trains are at all times, so that more trains can be squeezed safely into the system. Unfortunately, the state government hasnt come up with the money to pay for those overdue upgrades. The new leader must be able to persuade the governor and the Legislature that the subways are the arteries of the citys economy, and right now the city is at risk of a stroke. This lobbyist role is their most important function. They need to make sure that everyone knows this is a crisis, and that the MTA knows how to fix it if it gets the money. Cuomo wants to leave a legacy of repaired infrastructure. While new signalling systems and repaired tunnels may not have the glamour of soaring bridges and gleaming airport terminals, a reliable transit system in the nations biggest city is certainly a grand legacy. Part of the problem when MTA heads go cap-in-hand to Albany is the agencys dismal record with previous capital projects. Without change, the MTA lacks credibility when it makes budget requests. The LIRRs East Side Access project was originally planned to cost $4.3 billion and to be complete in 2009. The current estimate is that it won't open until 2022 and it will cost $11.2 billion. The Second Avenue Subways construction costs were easily the highest in the world. For example, Paris new Line 16 Metro project will cost about $104 million per mile, while New Yorks Second Avenue Subway cost about $2.25 billion per mile. The costs for signalling improvements are also seemingly well above the prices paid for similar projects in other cities. This makes the skepticism that meets MTA requests in Albany unsurprising, even for basic and essential repairs. While New York is struggling to maintain what it has, most similar cities are radically expanding their transit infrastructure. Londons Thameslink and Crossrail projects are knitting hundreds of miles of commuter railways into express subways under Central London. Paris is building dozens of miles of new Metro lines through its suburbs. This isnt to mention Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai, which have been expanding their subways at a pace of a new line per year. Over the last two decades, New York has only been able to manage a few miles and four stops of new subway, while subway riders especially in Queens and on the East Side of Manhattan deal with severe overcrowding and vast swaths of the outer boroughs remain completely unserved by the subway. Until the MTA brings its construction costs down to normal levels, building the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway will be a distant prospect, let alone the major expansions like those in other cities. Yet weve heard virtually nothing about this problem from the MTA leadership. That has to change. While fixing the subways will take years and cost billions, there are other ways to improve transit in the city that are comparatively low-hanging fruit. The first is to take advantage of the huge but underused infrastructure thats available in the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North networks. Right now, their trains often run far less frequently than the subway, and their fares and poor connections to other transit make them useless for most transit riders in the parts of the city through which they pass. There have been many proposals, including from the Regional Plan Association, to take advantage of this untapped resource. With East Side Access and, hopefully, more efficient operation of Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, the commuter lines could run more trains and accommodate far more passengers from within the city. If fares were integrated with local transit, using these routes could add dozens of miles to the citys transit network paralleling some of the most congested parts of the subway, without the multibillion-dollar cost of new tunnels. Lower fares would attract more riders, which could mean higher total revenues even at a lower fare. Integrating LIRR and Metro-North fares with the subway and bus system would necessitate other changes such as a unified fare card, and shifting fare collection to stations from a much-increased number of trains by replacing the conductor punching holes in tickets like its 1875 with either turnstiles or a proof of payment system similar to those used in Europe. The trains need to become more like the subway, and it would obviously be impractical to check everyones ticket on the subway. Making this happen requires a leader who is willing to take on the entrenched bureaucracies within the agency that may fight for the status quo. Finally, while the subways get most of the airtime, the MTA needs a leader who pays attention to buses. Many of the citys bus routes are unchanged since the streetcar era. Since the city grew up around the routes, some of them still make sense, but a lot of routes are circuitous or dont conveniently serve modern origin-destination pairs. As a result, bus ridership has been steadily declining across the city more than 7 percent in 2017 alone. Riders have been telling the MTA with their choices that the current service no longer meets their needs, but the MTA hasnt been listening. NYU researchers Eric Goldwyn and Alon Levy have produced an excellent plan that would dramatically improve the Brooklyn bus network by redesigning routes to make them more direct and to facilitate transfers, and by providing separate lanes for buses on congested streets. The MTA needs to sit down with riders, operators and researchers to develop comprehensive new plans for the bus networks in all the boroughs so that they meet 21st rather than 19th century needs. When looking for a new MTA chair, the governor needs to prioritize two things: experience delivering projects at reasonable costs, so that they can have the credibility to go to Albany and ask for the money thats needed to fix the system, and a willingness to take on entrenched practices to modernize operations. New Yorks transit was state-of-the-art 100 years ago, but cities around the world have surpassed it. There are countless systems in Europe and Asia that have consistently delivered capital projects for vastly less than they cost in New York. The MTA needs to find an effective leader that has worked in one of these systems and who is capable of bringing that expertise here. Best frenemies Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio used to share at least one thing they both opposed legalizing recreational marijuana, a position that put them at odds with progressives in New York and across the country. But now, they seem to have mellowed out. Both politicians have decided its high time to fully endorse the drugs legalization and regulation. The mayor made his announcement just days after the governor fully backed legalization. Cuomos new position represents a complete 180 from his old stance. He had long been opposed to even allowing medical marijuana, but he eventually signed legislation to legalize it on a limited basis. De Blasios change of heart was somewhat less pronounced, as he had promised to reduce arrests for marijuana possession in his 2013 campaign, a vow he delivered on this year, but has long opposed its legalization. Perhaps the pair can now work on a joint effort and really delve into the weeds to write legislation. Below are updated timelines of the two politicos stances and policies on marijuana. Gov. Andrew Cuomo June 21, 2010 State attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo says he experimented with marijuana when he was younger. Oct. 24, 2010 Cuomo says he does not support allowing medical marijuana in New York, comparing it to legalizing prostitution which he also opposes. July 20, 2011 In response to a question about New Jerseys plan to legalize medicinal marijuana, Cuomo, who has now been elected governor, appears to take a more neutral stance, saying his administration doesnt have a final position as it was still looking at both sides of the issue. June 4, 2012 Cuomo introduces legislation to decriminalize the public possession of small amounts of marijuana to close a loophole in the 1977 state law that decriminalized private possession up to 25 grams. Jan. 9, 2013 Cuomo calls for the decriminalization of marijuana possession in public view under 15 grams. He says the arrests stigmatize, they criminalize and must end now. July 5, 2014 Cuomo signs the Compassionate Care Act, legalizing medical marijuana for certain qualifying conditions. Dec. 21, 2014 Speaking on John Catsimatidis radio show, Cuomo says he does not favor legalizing marijuana, calling it a gateway drug. Jan. 11, 2017 Cuomo proposes decriminalizing marijuana possession in public as part of his executive budget. Feb. 8, 2017 During a press conference at a casino opening, Cuomo again calls marijuana a gateway drug, saying he remains unconvinced on legalizing its recreational use. Nov. 11, 2017 Cuomo adds post-traumatic stress disorder as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana use. Jan. 16, 2018 Cuomo proposes in his executive budget a study on the potential health and economic impacts of legalizing marijuana. He says: Marijuana things are happening. April 11, 2018 In response to Nixons support for recreational marijuana legalization, Cuomo says the state is not far behind other states and points to the study he commissioned. April 12, 2018 Cuomo says the facts have changed and that since neighboring states have legalized or may soon legalize recreational marijuana, that for all intents and purposes its going to be here anyway. May 14, 2018 Cuomo said the state study on legalizing recreational marijuana would be released within days. July 13, 2018 The Cuomo administration releases a state study on marijuana legalization, which finds that its positive effects outweigh the negatives. Aug. 2, 2018 Cuomo creates a workgroup to draft legislation for a regulated, adult use program from recreational marijuana. Dec. 17, 2018 Cuomo announces that he supports the legalization of recreational marijuana. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Nov. 10, 2014 Early in his tenure as mayor, de Blasio directs the New York City Police Department to stop arresting people for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Jan. 7, 2015 De Blasio says he has not smoked marijuana at Gracie Mansion, and has not smoked at all since his days at New York University. Sept. 6, 2017 When asked at a Democratic mayoral primary debate, de Blasio jokingly says that some days he wishes he still smoked marijuana, while adding that the laws we have now are the right laws. Dec. 15, 2017 De Blasio tells a group of reporters during a sit-down interview at Gracie Mansion that he opposes legalizing recreational marijuana, but he remains open to studying it. Jan. 5, 2018 On Twitter, de Blasio calls U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions decision to enforce federal marijuana laws a vendetta against legalized marijuana and an attack on minority communities. March 7, 2018 De Blasio defends the NYPDs enforcement of marijuana arrests after an analysis by Politico New York found racial disparities between marijuana complaints and marijuana arrests. April 5, 2018 De Blasio says he is not there yet when it comes to legalizing marijuana for recreational use, differing with his wife and political adviser Chirlane McCray, who supports legalization so long as it is highly regulated. April 20, 2018 De Blasio says he would make up his mind about legalizing marijuana by the end of the year, but that he is still grappling with a series of issues. May 15, 2018 De Blasio directed the NYPD to overhaul policies relating to marijuana enforcement within 30 days to end unnecessary arrests. May 18, 2018 De Blasio says he fears that legalizing recreational marijuana will lead to the corporatization of the industry in an interview on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. May 21, 2018 De Blasio says New York City must prepare for the inevitable legalization of recreational marijuana at the state level. June 19, 2018 De Blasio and New York Police Commissioner James ONeill announce a new policy regarding marijuana, saying that the majority of people caught smoking would receive summonses rather than get arrested. Sept. 1, 2018 The new NYPD policy to reduce the number of marijuana related arrests takes effect Dec. 20, 2018 De Blasio officially endorses the legalization of recreational marijuana with a few conditions, like expunging marijuana-related criminal records and setting an age limit, and calls legalization a once-in-a-generation opportunity Palm Springs, CA, is an intriguing housing market due to its intoxicating blend of history, climate, and celebrity. The desert destination is also a prime locale for buyers in search of second homes. As a result, midcentury modern homes with prime pedigrees don't last long on the open market. So it's more than a bit puzzling why a midcentury modern once dubbed the "house of tomorrow" has lingered on the market for years. The 5,000-square-foot house on an acre lot with a pool in the backyard was famously the honeymoon home of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. The floor-to-ceiling windows, pod-style rooms, and winding staircase make it an iconic structure in a city packed with fascinating architecture. But it's bounced on and off the market since 2014, and the current listing has been active for over four months. Listed for a staggering $9.5 million in 2014, the home has had a series of well-documented price changes. Though the property comes with celebrity history, notable design, and prime location, it is a bit of an outlier for the area. Most of the homes in this neighborhood sell for about $1 million to $1.5 million," says listing agent Scott Histed. So selling a nearly $3 million property is a bit of a challenge. Size is another factor the home has lingered on the market. Surrounding homes in the neighborhood are around half the size (or even less) of this behemoth. Another factor is the Palm Springs market itself. Its going to take a very specific buyer who wants to spend a few million on 5,000 square feet of space for a secondary home, explains Histed. Since Palm Springs is much more of a secondary residencestyle city, the market just moves a little slower as well. Without buyers feeling the urgency to pick up a full-time roof over their heads, there's less rush to put down an offer. Histed also believes the true value of the home is in the architecture rather than its well-documented celebrity connection. The dwelling was built by architect William Krisel, whom NPR called "a pioneering architect who brought his vision of modernism to Southern California tract housing." Krisel designed over 300 homes in the neighborhood. The house is in character with the rest of the neighborhood, but it is definitely a little over the top, says the agent. In the 1960s, the Presleys leased the home for a year. Open to the public, the home pays tribute to their residency with a host of rock n roll artifacts, which aren't included in the sale. The home itself is in original condition, which means cosmetic updates are in order. It needs some paint, could use new floors, and the bathrooms could use a bit of updating, says Histed. For a buyer in search of a primary residence rich in history, these cosmetic changes come with the territory. However, in Palm Springs most buyers want a turnkey homethey arent looking to put a ton of work into an investment property or secondary residence. And because of this home's sizefive bedrooms and five bathroomscosmetic updates could add hefty costs on top of the sizable listing price. But its clear a sale hasnt closed for lack of interest. Two vacant lots from the same owner were also for sale, says Histed. At one point, we had a single person who wanted all three properties and offered over $4 million cash. But the buyer couldnt come up with the necessary documents to close, and the owner decided not to move forward. One of those vacant lots has since sold. We had an Australian woman interested in the home, Histed adds. This deal went under contract, but financing was held up. She had other deals in the works, and her financing had to be put on hold until the new year. The owner put the kibosh on the deal, unwilling to wait for the financing to come through. Those werent the only offers. Weve actually had several offers on the home recently, says Histed. Instead of accepting one, the owner believed the multiple offers were a sign the home was priced too low. So just last week, the price was raised from $2,695,000 to $2,975,000. It's an interesting tactic to say the least. Either way, a buyer will still benefit from a significant discount from the $9 million asking price of four years ago. In any case, the Presley honeymoon home will have a new owner one day. Im optimistic, he says. This house is beautifulit just isnt for everyone. The right person will come along. The post Why Hasn't Anyone Bought Elvis Presley's Palm Springs Honeymoon Home? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. ISLAMABAD The Taliban held another round of talks with U.S. officials on Monday, this time in the United Arab Emirates and also involving Saudi, Pakistani and Emirati representatives, part of the latest attempt to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistans 17-year war. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid offered few details of the daylong meeting except to say discussions were held with the American side over the end to the invasion of Afghanistan. He dismissed Afghan media reports that Afghan government representatives, who are in the United Arab Emirates, had met with the Taliban. NAIROBI, Kenya Six U.S. air strikes that killed more than 60 people in a coastal Somali town were preemptive strikes to prevent a major extremist attack, according to a Somali intelligence officer. The U.S. military said Monday it carried out four strikes on Saturday in which 34 people were killed and two more on Sunday that killed 28. The air attacks targeted Gandarshe, south of the capital, Mogadishu, it said. No civilians were injured or killed in the attacks, it said. The strikes were carried out in close coordination with Somalias government and were conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks, said the U.S. military statement. The U.S. air strikes were aimed at al-Shabab fighters who were preparing a major attack on a Somali government military base in the Lower Shabelle region, said a Somali intelligence official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The strike has neutralized an imminent attack, he said. The air strikes hit both a military camp and battle vehicles in Gandarshe, the official said. Al-Shabab has long used historic Gandarshe town, roughly 30 miles southwest of Mogadishu, as a launching pad from for attacks, including car bombs that hit the capital. Al-Shabab uses parts of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct extremist attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radicals, said U.S. military statement. With these attacks, the U.S. military has carried out at least 46 air strikes so far this year against al-Shabab, which is allied to al Qaeda and Africas most active Islamic extremist group. Al Shabab, which is fighting to establish its version of Shariah law in Somalia, controls parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to stage deadly attacks in Mogadishu and other cities. The U.S. air strikes have picked up dramatically since President Trump took office and approved expanded military operations in the Horn of Africa nation. Air strikes also target a small presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State group. The U.S. has about 500 military personnel in Somalia and earlier this month opened a permanent diplomatic presence in Mogadishu. Several years ago, al-Shabab controlled large swathes of Somalia, including much of the capital city. The African Union forces succeeded in pushing the extremists from Mogadishu and most other major cities. However, al-Shabab continues to be active in Somalias rural areas and launches suicide car bomb attacks in the capital. Abdi Guled is an Associated Press writer. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites and ad networks. Such third party cookies may track your use on Sharedots sites for better rendering. Our partners use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on Sharedots website. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn more The Daily News recently reported that Gov. Andrew Cuomo had hired Dana Carotenuto Rico, the former chief of staff to the now-defunct Independent Democratic Conference, as deputy secretary for legislative affairs and policy. The choice is interesting, considering where another former top IDC staffer wound up: Candice Giove, the conferences former director of communications, now works for the state Senate Republican conference as deputy communications director. Carotenuto Rico started out as a staffer for state Sen. Jeff Klein soon after she graduated college and rose through the ranks in his office. When Klein formed the IDC in 2009, she began working as the conferences policy director, and was soon promoted to chief of staff. Cuomos decision to hire someone who most recently worked for a conference that shared power with the Republicans until April may raise some eyebrows in his party, but its hardly the first time he has hired someone from outside the mainline Democratic Party. In fact, several Republican staffers have made their way into the executive chamber over the years. In 2017, Cuomo hired Maria Comella to be his chief of staff, a role she has since left. Before joining the Cuomo administration, she had worked for many Republican elected officials. Her most recent gig before joining Cuomo was as communications director for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, both in his capacity as governor and during his presidential campaign. Comella had also previously worked for Rudy Giulianis presidential campaign, the 2004 presidential ticket of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, and the 2002 gubernatorial campaign of George Pataki. Her hiring by Cuomo appears to be the first time Comella has worked for a Democrat, a decision that may have in part been tied to her decision to support Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Also in 2017, Cuomo hired Robert Gibbon as assistant counsel to the governor for transportation. Gibbon had previously worked as senior counsel to the Republican majority in the state Senate. His hiring was later one of several by the Cuomo administration that came under scrutiny by the FBI for questionable payrolling. In 2016, Cuomo had brought Scott Sandman on board as the communication director at the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. Sandman had previously spent over a decade working in the administration of former Gov. Pataki, including as senior speechwriter. Prior to his tenure with Pataki, Sandman worked for a Republican state Sen. Michael Nozzolio. Sandmans stint in the Cuomo administration is absent from his LinkedIn profile. Earlier the same year, Cuomo hired Kelly Cummings to be his deputy chief of staff and a senior adviser, a role she still serves in. Immediately before joining the Cuomo administration, Cummings had worked as the director of communications for the state Senate Republicans. She had also served the conference as director of policy development and previously worked for Republican state Sen. Charles Fuschillo. Cuomos budget czar Robert Mujica also comes from a Republican background, with a caveat. He worked as secretary to the state Senate Finance Committee for nearly 20 years, including the short-lived period of Democratic control in 2009 and 2010, and the role itself is not inherently partisan as the committee is made up of members from both sides the aisle. Mujica did, however, work as the deputy chief of staff for the Republican conference directly before Cuomo hired him in 2015, in addition to his role with the Finance Committee. Additionally, Cuomo hired Susan Del Percio, a well-known Republican political strategist, as a special adviser in 2014. She left a year later to return to private consulting. Of course, there is nothing wrong with bipartisanship. Cuomo came into office pledging to govern in a moderate and bipartisan manner and only recently has adopted a more partisan tone and progressive positioning in response to primary challenges from the left and the polarizing presidency of Donald Trump. But for the progressive activists in his party, many of whom distrust the governor and long suspected him of having privately blessed the IDCs alliance with the GOP, the ongoing presence of Republican and IDC staffers may reinforce the perception of Cuomo as a triangulating centrist. When asked about Carotenuto Rico and past Republican employees, Caitlin Girouard, a spokeswoman for Cuomo, told City & State the governor hires the best and the brightest, adding it is the reason he has been successful in realizing a progressive agenda. Nonetheless, Cuomo clearly has no qualms bringing on people who some in his party may object to, and Carotenuto Rico would simply be another face in a series of such staffers. Clarification: Candice Giove's official title with the state Senate Republicans is deputy communications director. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The board of trustees of the National Lighthouse Museum has announced that Drs. Loren and Patricia Graham will gift their extensive collection of historic lighthouse prints to the museum over the next three years. Once fully transferred, it is believed the collection of more than 300 works will be the largest assemblage of lighthouse art in the world. The collection, to be known as the Loren R. and Patricia Albjerg Graham Collection, will be housed in the soon-to-be expanded museum facility located on The Promenade at Lighthouse Point in St. George. The Grahams, who reside in Cambridge, Mass., and own a lighthouse in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, have been collecting the lighthouse artwork for more than three decades as they traveled the world. The Grahams have been supporters of the museum since its inception, said executive director Linda Dianto. We are honored to have such a diverse collection of lighthouse prints to enhance our exhibition space and offer our worldwide visitors an international spirit and shared history with U.S. lighthouses. Dr. Loren Graham is a noted American historian of science, particularly science in Russia. He has taught and published at Indiana University, Columbia University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, where he is professor emeritus. He also was a participant in one of the first academic exchange programs between the United States and the Soviet Union, studying at Moscow University from 1960 to 1961. Among his many books is one on Native American history (A Face in the Rock) and a memoir (Moscow Stories), which describes his youth in the United States and his adventures in Russia. He also has been a strong supporter of human rights and scholarship. Dr. Graham holds a doctorate from Columbia University. Dr. Patricia Albjerg Graham is a leading historian of American education. She has been a high school teacher, lecturer and assistant professor at Indiana University, a visiting professor at Northern Michigan University, and a professor of history and education at Barnard College and Teachers College, Columbia University. She served as dean of the Radcliffe Institute and as vice president of Radcliffe College, and served as dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, becoming the first woman to serve as a dean at Harvard. She also was appointed by the president of the United States as the director of the National Institute of Education from 1977 to 1979, and served as president of the Spencer Foundation in Chicago from 1991 to 2000. Dr. Graham holds a doctorate from Columbia University, has written four books and has received several honorary degrees. Located on the former site of the United States Lighthouse Services (USLHS) General Depot in St. George, the National Lighthouse Museum educates visitors about the history and technology of the nations lighthouses. The general depot was the national headquarters, testing ground and distribution center for all materials and equipment used by light keepers and USLHS personnel from 1864 to 1939. Once a lively and bustling site of 18 buildings, only six remain today. STATEN ISLAND -- The money from the multi-million dollar contract to reduce the Islands deer population through vasectomies has scientists bringing home six-figure salaries for much less than a years worth of work to run the program. A detailed cost breakdown of the three-year program obtained by the Advance through a Freedom of Information Law request shows that just 7.6 percent of what has now become a $4.1 million effort to curb the Islands deer population went toward supplies to sterilize the boroughs bucks and bait to lure them. The remaining $3.7 million of that contract was used to pay senior scientists, wildlife biologists and technicians, and veterinarians charged with capturing and sterilizing the deer. Many of them earned six-figure salaries often for less than half a year worth of work, and in some cases, earned more than the median household income of New York City residents for just a month of work. In the first year of the program, one senior scientist charged with capture and sterilization earned $375,000 for just 150 days of work. Another senior scientist who documents list as doing site visit, project design and set up, administrative, permitting earned $58,650 for 30 days of work. Two other wildlife biologists also tasked with capturing and sterilizing deer, together earned $558,000 for 150 days of work. Documents also list these wildlife biologists as having two city personnel on hand to drive them around. The Parks Department declined to authorize the Advance to speak to the city contractor White Buffalo overseeing the vasectomy program to talk more in-depth about the contract and what the scientists, many of them listed as doing the same job, are actually doing. The contracts you received go into great detail about every role involved in this project, Parks Spokeswoman Meghan Lalor said. Ultimately, they are all working to refine our deer population estimate and complete vasectomies. SCIENTISTS NOT SURPRISED BY COSTS, BUT SAY HARD TO COMPARE TO OTHER PROGRAMS But other deer population management scientists say they are not surprised by the high labor costs for the Islands vasectomy program. They said sterilization programs, in general, are always costly, however, its hard to compare whats being spent on the borough initiative to similar programs around the country because the Island vasectomy program is virtually the only one of its kind. Often, they say costs tend to rise substantially after the first year of sterilization programs because it gets harder to find new deer to sterilize, resulting in higher labor costs because scientists have to put in longer hours to wait to capture and sterilize deer. Other deer population management programs like culling or hunting, they say, often cost more than half less to run because they rely on volunteer hunters, so costs only go toward supplies and things like bait. [The vasectomy program is] unique in a lot of respects, and I think thats part of the reason that your costs are going to be higher than other projects because of personnel and the veterinarian related services associated with surgical sterilization, said Robert Warren, a wildlife biologist and professor emeritus at the University of Georgias School of Forestry and Natural Resources. In the initial budget, the contractor projected the costs slowly going down after the first year of the program. They anticipated spending $2.3 million in the first year of the program; $634,650 in year two; and $314,165 in the third and last year. However, by the second year of the program, because the contractor realized there were more deer than expected on Island they had to ask for $334,700 more. They added a project manager, who earned $18,600 for just 10 days of work, more wildlife biologists and technicians, and veterinarians. The company also needed to increase the amount of money it spent on supplies and budgeted $18,000 to rent a vehicle for 90 days. The same thing happened in the third and what is supposed to be the final year of the program. Because more deer were found on the Island than expected again, in July 2018, the contractor submitted another budget adjustment. Instead of the projected $314,165 for year three, the cost of the third year ballooned to $789,320 for phases one and two. EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT, NO NEW BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS -- YET The Parks Department said it has not received any new budget amendments from White Buffalo to date. However, the department has said previously, maintenance on the Islands herd would be needed after the third year of the program to keep the deer population down -- they just dont know how much it will cost yet. Because the Islands vasectomy program contract was done through emergency procurement, the city often gives those contracts a pass if they exceed their initial budget, the Comptrollers Office said. Emergency procurement contracts are granted when city agencies need to respond to unforeseen emergencies that cannot be planned for -- like storms. The Comptrollers Office confirmed they have not received any new budget adjustments from White Buffalo since July. The office said the company cannot ask for any more funding as part of the current emergency procurement contract. However, theres no stopping the city from submitting another funding proposal for ongoing maintenance work in the future, the office said. COULD TAKE DECADES BEFORE ISLAND SEES DECREASE IN DEER SCIENTISTS SAY Scientists in the field say it likely will not just take a few years, but possibly even decades, before the Island sees any meaningful decrease in its deer population once the vasectomy program ends. Some animals are getting hit by cars and dying each year, some are dying from disease, but the vast majority of animals on the landscape are going to continue to live, so this is going to be a multi-year project, I mean it could be 10 to 20 years down the road before you start seeing much progress with regard to deer population reduction unless somebody goes in and removes a large number of these animals, said Kip Adams, the director of conservation at the Quality Deer Management Association based in Georgia. The fact that youre sterilizing them is not solving the issue. In 2008, Cornell University Professor Paul Curtis and a team of scientists tried to reduce the campus deer population through a mix of controlled hunting and ovariectomies on female deer. But after five years in and $400,000 spent on the 10-year program, they realized they were unable to reduce the campus deer population -- at all, so they ended ovariectomies completely and focused on culling and hunting the herd instead. Before they started culling, the campus deer population was about 100 per square mile. After they started to cull and hunt, the population dropped by half after just two years. The problem most of these communities run into is once you start a project like this you cant end it, otherwise you might as well burn that $4 million, Curtis said. In order to maintain it, youre going to have annual costs every year for maintenance because theres more deer than expected initially, plus they still dont know what the immigration rate is. As long as new deer get to the island than theyre going to have more to do. PARKS WONT SAY WHETHER NEW DEER COMING TO ISLAND Curtis said a big challenge the team faced in reducing the campus deer was the rate of new deer immigrating to area. It is unclear how many or, if any, new deer have migrated to Staten Island since the start of the vasectomy program. The Parks Department told the Advance it was premature to talk about new deer immigration before the third population estimate is complete. So far, the city has said the Islands vasectomy program is a success. Despite rising costs, Mayor de Blasio has also said he is willing to spend more on the program if needed. In April, the city announced the Islands deer population dropped by 8 percent from 2,053 in 2017 to 1,884 in 2018. But despite the drop, Islanders report seeing deer around the Island and in their backyards almost everyday. As of mid-November, the Parks Department said a total of 1,456 vasectomies had been performed on Island bucks to date. Around that same time, the agency said Staten Islands deer population stood somewhere between 1,793 1,975 and White Buffalo needed to sterilize 74 to 125 more deer to reach its goal of sterilizing 98 percent of Island bucks by the end of the three-year program. The next population estimate will be available in spring 2019 and the contractor expects to be finished with year three of the program sometime in January. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! A.O. Centrul de Drept al Femeilor anunta concurs de oferte privind selectarea unui prestator de producere a unui film animat privind accesul la servicii si suportul oferit victimelor violentei in familie Perth Airport has taken Qantas to court to try and recoup more than $11 million it says the airline has refused to pay it to use its runways. The airport said on Monday afternoon it had commenced action in the Western Australian Supreme Court to recover the unpaid aeronautical charges, which had amassed over the past six months. Qantas' first non-stop Perth-to-London flight departing in March. Credit:Brent Winstone Perth Airport's legal action is the latest development in an ugly spat with Qantas over the fees it charges for access to runways and other airport infrastructure. The previous fee schedule expired on June 30, and with no new agreement reached, Perth Airport started charging Qantas and its subsiduaries Jetstar and QantasLink its proposed rates, which it said were a "significant price reduction". A visiting fellow at the University of Wollongong has resigned in protest after the university surprised and angered academics by accepting a Ramsay Centre-funded degree in Western Civilisation without consulting staff. UOW academics, including visiting fellow Sarah Keenan who handed in her resignation, woke on Monday to news the university had signed a deal with the Ramsay Centre to establish the country's first degree in Western Civilisation. Staff at UOW said they were blindsided. "There have been a lot of emails flying, words like disappointed, betrayed, surprised," said Professor Leigh Dale, former Head of the Department of English Literatures and Philosophy. Amy Shark has farewelled a 5-year-old fan who was killed in a tragic accident earlier this month. The singer surprised the boy's family on Monday after attending his funeral and dedicating a song to his memory. It is understood the family are huge fans of the ARIA Award-winning artist. Amy Shark has paid tribute to a 5-year-old boy killed in a tragic accident earlier this month. Credit:Ian Laidlaw One attendee, who did not wish to be named, described the moment as "absolutely incredible". "This will be remembered by his family forever," she said. The book club Im in has been ruined. What, for years, was a monthly meeting fuelled by good friends, good wine and good gossip with a little book business thrown in, is no longer. We have started to talk about books. Our free-range night of fun has somehow morphed into a serious, structured, session of literary dissection in a sterile environment where non-book talk is frowned upon. I am left wondering, what the hell happened? Its was just so good to be with a group of like-minded women all facing similar life challenges, no matter how trivial. Credit:Shutterstock We formed what we called The Dysfunctional Book Club several years ago. We were a group of school mums who enjoyed reading, enjoyed getting together but most of all enjoyed getting out of the house for a night free of kids, partners and pets. Who said it was impossible to get something to eat in Canberra after hours? How many times have you come out of a late movie a bit peckish, or finished a night shift ravenous, only to find that everything is closed, or at least the kitchen is closed, and had to make do with some terrible from a drive through. The Young family saw a market for a venue that offered night owls something different and opened Kita, at the Narrabundah shops; hours are Wednesday to Thursday, 9pm to 9am, and Friday and Saturday, 9pm to noon. Head to Kita and keep Zac Young company at all hours of the night. Credit:Elesa Kurtz The Youngs operate the popular pop-up cafe, Indo Place, at the Old Bus Depot Markets, and theres a distinct Indonesian feel to the menu with Evi dishing up different curries depending on her mood and whats fresh. Gavin works in protective services and he knows the struggle of finding a good feed when coming off a late shift. Their son Zac has been handed the reins and while he admits his sleeping patterns have changed a bit in the past few months, hes loving working through the night. The roasters at ONA are changing that though, with a Christmas-pudding-inspired blend doing the rounds at the Canberra coffee favourite's cafes. It is also available to buy in a 200-gram bag as a gift for the coffee snob in your life. Coffee isn't generally something one associates with Christmas, unless it's the cups you need to deal with early risers insisting on opening presents before 6am. Hany Ezzat, the head barista at ONA's youngest stablemate Highroad, sounds more like a sommelier than a barista as he enthusiastically explains the tasting notes in the coffee, and how they change as the coffee moves from hot, to lukewarm and even to cold. In preparation for our tasting, Ezzat opened the bag of coffee the night before, letting it breathe before brewing it. This one is specifically roasted to be brewed with milk, he says, explaining how different blends suit different purposes. The tasting notes come from the different beans selected for the blend. The creamy coffee has a hint of custard when drinking it while it's hot, and it's so smooth it's hard to wait and let it cool to get the full experience. The notes arent unmistakable in the same way they are if you've ever tasted a Christmas pudding gin, but they are there. There's a hint of liqueur and raisin flavours as the coffee cools and you get to the bottom of the cup. The cup finishes way too soon, so Im hoping there will be some Christmas pudding blend under the tree for me this year. onacoffee.com.au Since the early 1980s, every attempt at establishing a fully professional, permanent theatre company in the ACT has failed. Canberra Theatre Company, Theatre ACT and Fortune Theatre all came to grief, largely, it was felt, because of the lack of substantial funding and the relatively small population. Meanwhile, the amateur theatre scene spearheaded by the long-established pro-am Canberra Repertory Society thrived, and continues to do so with productions of such high standards as this years One Man, Two Guvnors. More recently, however, the Canberra Theatre Centre (which brought audiences the outstanding National Theatre of Great Britain production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time), the Street Theatre, and the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre have seen Canberra experience a burgeoning of local, national and international theatre performances by professional companies and artists. This year I have chosen to focus on five examples of professional theatre that have enriched the cultural life of the capital and achieved excellence. There may be others that I have not seen and that have garnered critical acclaim, such as We Will Rock You at the AIS Arena and David Atfields Exclusion at the Street Theatre. Here are five professional theatre productions that have highlighted the abundance of professional talent that audiences have access to in Canberra and Queanbeyan. Walking about Canberra nowadays, the signs of a building boom are everywhere. Cranes dot the major suburbs, light-rail construction continues to provide a random element to Northbourne traffic, and new suburbs (Moncrieff and Coombs to name just two) are appearing while major new refurbishments to existing suburbs are getting underway north and south of the lake. Strikingly, the city is sporting many new high-rise buildings, bringing with them urban amenities such as new cafes and shops. The number of cranes in Canberra is a nod to the amount of building works in the city. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Many residents do not like what they see, bemoaning the loss of low-rise shopping centres with their unblocked sun, community and green spaces. Heritage properties and vegetation seem to be very much at risk, another visible loss to the Canberra of old. Boosters of progress counter, however, that while there are costs, this is all a sign of a brighter, if different looking, future. Nick Georgalis, director of Geocon, was recently quoted in this paper as saying that Canberras always had a problem attracting people to it because it didnt come with a lifestyle. Now, that changes. High-rises are needed to house all the people who now find the city, lately and consistently voted as one of the most livable cities in the world. New development provides the hip urban lifestyle appealing to newbies balanced with preservation of open space that current residents like so much. The interim CEO of Canberra Health Services - appointed after the sudden departure of the now commissioner of the new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Janet Anderson - has been given the role on a permanent basis. Bernadette McDonald was appointed to the role when first pick Janet Anderson, at the time a NT health bureaucrat, pulled out of the role just days after her appointment was publicly announced in September. Bernadette McDonald, new CEO of Canberra Health Services. The CEO role was created when the government split ACT Health into two organisations. Canberra Health Services overseas the clinical side of the old organisation, including Canberra Hospital. Ms Anderson was in October announced as the first commissioner of the new independent Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Dr Oliver Fiala who has died at the age of 95 will be remembered for his significant contribution to the development of educational drama in schools, his unique contribution to theatre and his personal influence on so many. Born in a small village in what is now the Czech Republic, Oliver trained as an actor and theatre producer at the Brno Conservatorium of Music and Dramatic Art, before his career was cut short by his decision to flee the country after the Communist take-over in 1948. There was indeed much drama in his early and formative years as he and his family lived through the upheaval created by the terror of the occupation and oppression of the Nazi regime. Annie Byron and Robert Love with Oliver Fiala (left), both former students of Olivers, Riverside Theatres, 2013. Following his escape in July 1948 and a period in refugee camps in Germany and Italy, Oliver arrived in Australia in August 1949. His early days in the Bathurst area, as part of his two-year refugee work commitment, involved him taking on a range of roles from a seasonal worker with Edgells, a packer and sweeper, a shop assistant and subsequently as a fully qualified railway fireman. Christopher Procter stood amongst the gifted architects of his generation. Having emerged from Adelaide in the mid-1980s, he went on to practise in Melbourne, Boston, Muscat, Christchurch, and Sydney. Christopher Procter helped shape Sydney ahead of Olympics. Ian and Jean Procter, both South Australians, produced three sons, of whom Christopher was the youngest, and a daughter, Annemarie, all gifted, clever and always remarkably close. Educated by the Marist Brothers at Sacred Heart College, Adelaide, Christopher shone, and ended his time there as School Captain. He entered Adelaide University in 1982, studying Architecture, which proved the perfect fit for Christopher. It sustained his intellect and creativity and allowed him to exercise them in a realm that he negotiated with great ease. His sharp mind, wit and warmth were widely admired. Christophers final-year project for an art gallery at the corner of Adelaides North Terrace and Pulteney Street won him the annual Faculty prize and the Rod Roach Study Grant, which he used to travel to Sydney to meet, interview and study the work of Glen Murcutt. A friend who was with St George Illawarra rugby league player Jack De Belin on the night of an alleged sexual assault has also been charged. Callan Sinclair, who was captured in a photo with De Belin during a Christmas pub crawl two weeks ago, was arrested at a residential address on Monday morning, before being taken to Wollongong police station. Jack De Belin and friend Callan Sinclair on a pre-Christmas pub crawl in Wollongong. Credit:Nine News He has been charged with aggravated sexual assault in company, the same charge laid against De Belin four days ago when he presented to Wollongong police station. It is understood Sinclair will be granted bail although those conditions are stil being determined by police. Some universities may be regretting their intransigence at hearing 150 lucky University of Wollongong students will be awarded generous scholarships to study a broad smorgasbord of seminal books, musical works, and fine art. Following an acrimonious falling-out with the Australian National University over such weighty matters as whether the course should be called Western Civilisation or Western Civilisation Studies and after some rather unkind comments from academics at the University of Sydney, it began to look like the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation would never find a university willing to take its money. The University of Wollongong will be home to the Ramsay Centre's Western civilisation course. Credit:Lisa Wachsmuth Australian universities, which have managed to provide a home to numerous Confucius Institutes, were unable to accommodate even one centre devoted to the culture that created them. At a time when leaky finances threaten to sink many humanities departments, the University of Wollongong will receive a gift worth $50 million, the largest donation ever made to the humanities in Australia. Selma Wynberg Engel, who escaped a Nazi extermination camp after a prisoner uprising and was among the first to tell the world about the camps existence, has died in East Haven, Connecticut aged 96. A Dutch Jew, Engel was among 58 prisoners who escaped from the secret Sobibor extermination camp in Eastern Poland and lived to see the end of the war. Selma Engel was among 58 prisoners who escaped from the secret Sobibor extermination camp in Eastern Poland. Credit:NYT When the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Engel was forced into hiding. In 1942, they seized her during a roundup of Jews and sent her to two concentration camps in succession before shipping her to Sobibor in April 1943. It was one of the Nazis camps used solely for the purpose of exterminating Jews. Most prisoners sent to Sobibor were instantly gassed or shot to death, but Engel, who was 20, was selected to sort the clothing of the dead and thus spared. Bus driver Jack Aston outside the Melbourne County Court in October. Credit:Jason South A bus driver who negligently drove into a low bridge in Melbourne, seriously injuring six passengers, has been jailed for more than five years. Family members and loved ones of Ballarat bus driver Jack Aston, 55, wept as he was sentenced in the County Court on Monday. The Gold Bus driver displayed "flagrant inattention" when he crashed into the Montague Street bridge in February 2016, failing to notice any warning signs or the upcoming bridge. Six of his 14 passengers suffered a range of serious injuries including spine fractures, glass particles in the face, scalp injuries and neck fractures. Almost 18 degrees in the city now ahead of a top of 22. Enjoy it while it lasts: the showers are due to return tomorrow. Major delays now on the Mernda line, due to an ill passenger. That's also affecting the Hurstbridge line. All lanes now clear at various accident sites from the morning. Traffic now flowing at Eaglemont, Eltham and Punt Road after various smashes and breakdowns. That's it from us today. Don't forget to send your Christmas tips via email or Twitter. We'll be back covered in sleigh bells and drenched in festive cheer from 6am tomorrow. Bundalong woman Amanda Kilmister, 37, was killed with her 10-year-old son in a crash on the Murray Valley Highway near Rutherglen last month. Six weeks after his mum and brother were killed in a tragic car crash, Felix Kilmister can still smile in the knowledge he is surrounded by support from family, friends and even those he had never met. The 14-year-old was in good spirits on Saturday as a huge crowd turned out at the Bundalong Tavern, the local pub in a small but extremely close-knit town on the Murray River in the state's north-east, to take part in auctions and rides to help raise money for the family. Amanda Kilmister and 10-year-old Harrison were killed when their car was hit by an oncoming truck on the Murray Valley Highway at Brimin on November 2. Nine-month-old Austin was released from hospital on Friday to join his two-year-old brother, Morgan, in staying with family, but their dad Paul remains in hospital. A former McDonald's worker has been found guilty of bludgeoning a lonely widower to death with a Virgin Mary statue and a tin of mangoes in his Kew East home, more than a year after she first faced trial. A string of legal bungles saw Katia Pyliotis face trial four times for the murder of 69-year-old widower Elia Abdelmessih who was bashed to death with the statue and the tin of fruit on September 18, 2005. Katia Pyliotis outside the Supreme Court in 2017. Credit:Vince Caligiuri His head was submerged in a bowl of water when police found him two days later, after a call from a concerned neighbour. The tin of mangoes was dented and had blood on it, and was near his body, along with the statue, a vase, two wrenches and a ceramic ornament. A Perth man has run head first into a window in order to escape speaking with police officers about a series of burglaries in the western suburbs. Andre Jerome Kerhart had been on the run from police since last Wednesday when officers located him and went to speak with him on Friday afternoon. The man's apartment block is close to the East Perth connecting tunnel. Credit:Google Maps It's understood police were looking to speak with Mr Kerhart over a number of robberies in Dalkieth, Leederville and Swanbourne. On arriving at the West Perth apartment, police said Mr Kerhart ran head first into a window and damaged a glass door in order to avoid speaking with the officers. The City of Stirling said it does not condone the actions of a private contractor after several people had their cars clamped during a Christmas carol event on Sunday evening. Hundreds of families attended the 2018 Scarborough Christmas Carol event and several left their vehicles in car parks after 5pm and were targeted by an independent contractor employed by the lands private owner. A wheel clamped car on Sunday. Credit:9 News Perth More than five cars had their wheels clamped during the event, with each call-out for the company to remove them costing $170. On Monday the City of Stirling said it did not condone the cars being clamped and urged the property owner to reconsider the fee. When "Sophia Rose" told him Australian accents were sexy, he is said to have replied: "I pull you close, run my strong hands down your back, softly kiss your neck and whisper 'G'day mate'." The scandal not only knocked the government off course but came after months of debate over attitudes to women in federal Parliament and how to increase the number of female MPs within the Coalition. Mr Broad, who is married with one child, argued strongly for traditional marriage and religious freedom during the debate over same sex marriage, at one point threatening to cross the floor if the government abandoned a plebiscite on the issue. The relationship went no further than the restaurant, "Sophia Rose" told the magazine, because she grew unhappy at Mr Broads complaints about the expenses in Hong Kong and she left him at that point. Mr Broad declined to answer questions on whether his trip was government or private business and whether he covered his own expenses or accepted part of his travel as a gift from others. The Nationals MP has not made any disclosure for the period on the register of members' interests, the parliamentary record that would show any flight, accommodation or other gifts. Food exporters from his electorate of Mallee, in regional Victoria, were surprised to see Mr Broad at the Asia Fruit Logistica exhibition in September. "On day one or day two he dropped around our stand to say g'day," said Mildura Fruit Company general manager Perry Hill. "He suggested he'd come up to have a look at the good things in Hong Kong for the producers of the Mildura region." Andrew Broad pictured with Australian fruit producers at a conference in Hong Kong. Amid wild rumours of blackmail or other offences, Mr Broad said in a brief statement that he had referred "Sophia Rose" to the Australian Federal Police. "I have been advised that the person making the allegation may have engaged in criminal activity," Mr Broad told New Idea. "This matter has been reported to the Australian Federal Police and I will not be making any further comment." While Mr McCormack also cited the police investigation to fend off questions on Monday over the affair, the AFP issued a statement making it clear it had already determined there was no evidence of a crime under Australian law. Mr McCormacks statement that he learnt of the case "a couple of weeks ago" and prompted Mr Broad to go to the police also came under question when the AFP revealed they received the complaint from Mr Broad nearly six weeks ago. A spokesman for the AFP said late on Monday it "received a referral from Andrew Broad MP on 8 November". Resigned from the frontbench: Nationals MP Andrew Broad. Credit:Rebecca Hallas The spokesman also said the information was assessed and "no applicable offences under Australian law have been identified". The AFP statement led the Deputy Prime Minister to clarify when and what he told Mr Broad after learning of the matter almost six weeks ago. "When asked today about the timing of Mr Broads notification to me of allegations against him in the media, I responded a couple of weeks ago as I thought that was approximately the timing of that call," Mr McCormack said on Monday night. Loading "At the time, Mr Broad advised me that he had contacted someone overseas for a date and went out to dinner with the individual. He said nothing more than that had happened and that he was on a personal trip to Hong Kong. "Further, he told me the person had then made contact with him again after the dinner in circumstances I felt he should refer to the AFP, if he had not already done so. Based on the information provided to me by Mr Broad, I believed it was a matter for him and his family at that time." Mr McCormack did not name a date when he first spoke to Mr Broad about the matter but noted the AFP confirmed it was notified on November 8. Mr McCormack earlier said he had urged Mr Broad to go to the police, but he did not answer a question directly about whether he was concerned about the MPs conduct. "I urged him to go to the AFP. The AFP is investigating it. The fact is theyre very diligent, theyre very earnest and they will uncover, if there has been impropriety done, they will uncover that," Mr McCormack said. "Mr Broad has made the right decision this morning when I accepted his resignation. "I want to make sure that all of my ministers, all of my members are doing the right thing. "The National Party stands for better regional services. We do what is right for regional Australia and these sorts of things, they take away from the good message that we are selling. "We have been a very good government." A Shorten Labor government would compel the Fair Work Commission to prioritise pay equity for Australian women in a series of reforms designed to reduce the gender pay gap. Under the proposed changes, pay equity would be written into the Fair Work Act as a central objective of the industrial relations system, compelling the commission to consider gender disparities when making pay orders. Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said current laws were not doing enough to reduce the gender pay gap. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Labor would also create a new presidential role within Fair Work to undertake pay equity reviews, backed by a pay equity panel and a research unit dedicated to equal remuneration. These reviews would be targeted at low-paid industries dominated by women including early childhood education, aged care, disability services and social workers. The states coffers have suffered a $750 million hit on the eve of the NSW governments half-yearly budget update after the federal government downgraded the amount of GST it expects to collect over the next four years. The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) released in Canberra on Monday slashed the amount to GST revenue which is shared between the states by $5.8 billion over the next four years. NSW Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet. Credit:James Brickwood This largely reflects weaker-than-expected collections since budget, and lower forecasts for growth of consumption subject to GST and dwelling investment, the report said. Changes including a federal boost to the GST pool from 2020-21 and the extension of a GST compliance blitz will offset the write down to some extent. "He was even chosen by [the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairman] Megawati to be her vice-presidential candidate during the 2009 election." On the kidnapping claims, the Blue Book states that "it was not kidnapping but securing. And it was not Prabowo who secured [the activists] but Tim Mawar [a team of soldiers]. Prabowo campaigning unsuccessfully in Jakarta's central stadium for the 2014 presidential election. Credit:Michael Bachelard "Nine people were secured and they are now free and alive and some are Gerindra Party [Prabowo's political organisation] members. The book is similarly defiant about suggestions he was sacked from the military. He was "not fired, but honourably retired early. If he was fired how could he still receive pension money each month?" But the expert view on Prabowo's role in Indonesia's relatively recent political and military history is a little more nuanced than the candidate would have people believe. The Australian National Univeristy's Marcus Mietzner says Prabowo was never convicted of any crimes. Prabowo Subianto with pro-integration militiamen in East Timor. "He was 'relieved from military service' in August 1998 by an honorary council of military officers for a number of violations, which included the extra-judicial disappearance and arrest of anti-Suharto activists, but also made mention of a number of operations in Aceh, East Timor and Papua. These operations were viewed as being conducted outside of the official command structure. The written verdict of the council avoided the term 'human rights violations'," Dr Mietzner says. To help him save face, "the presidential decree that discharged him called it an 'honourable' discharge. The honorary council had only recommended a 'discharge'." Professor Hermawan Sulistyo, a research professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, adds that the human rights abuse allegations levelled against Prabowo relate to the 1998 kidnapping of activists. "What was important at that time was that he resigned from the military. There are several allegations related to human rights abuses in East Timor but he is just one of the accused. There are other actors. Since the East Timor cases were never brought to court we cannot say he committed human rights abuse in East Timor." Loading The booklet also examines what sort of government a president Prabowo would lead. Specifically it addresses the question of whether he would revive the "New Order", the name given to the 1966-1998 regime of strongman president Suharto which was characterised by authoritarianism and crony capitalism. At also asks whether he would allow the formation of an Islamic State, given his support from conservative Islamic groups. On the New Order, the booklet states that "every government has positive and negative sides to it. "We will continue the positives, and abandon the negatives." On the Islamic State, the book says Prabowo "is a TNI [army] general, whose duty is to safeguard the NKRI [the secular Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia]. [His] commitment toward the NKRI is final!" In the book, Prabowo also denies that he is divorced from Siti Hediati Haryadi, one of Suharto's daughters. The couple separated in 1998, but he argues "he was chased away by the Cendana family [the Suharto family], provoked by generals who were anti-Prabowo". But Mietzner says "yes, he is divorced. "He wants to create the impression that this was not because they didn't love each other anymore, but because of political reasons". Perhaps the most delicate question addressed by the Blue Book is the one about his "thing". New York: The Trump administration has welcomed the Morrison government's decision to officially recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, describing the move as "a step in the right direction" and a "recognition of reality". President Donald Trump announced last December that the US would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and would move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 2017. Credit:Evan Vucci Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision to follow the US and recognise Jerusalem has been applauded by the Netanyahu government, although Israeli officials have said they are disappointed the Australian embassy will remain in Tel Aviv for now. But Palestinian and Malaysian authorities strongly criticised the move, saying it would undermine hopes of a two-state solution. Cul de Sac:--- IIt was a full-fledged Broadway production Thursday evening as more than 100 students of St. Maarten Academy brought home the true meaning of Christmas in song, dance, and acting at the Philipsburg Cultural Centre through O. Henry's romantic comedy, 'The Gift of the Magi". Set during the early 1900s in New York, the play told the story of a young married couple, Della (played by Krystal Philbert) and Jim (Jahmar Stewart), who found themselves awaiting their first Christmas without money to buy each other fancy gifts. They strategized and, in a strange twist of fate, ended up finding each other the perfect gifts, but at an unexpected cost. During the performance, the sold-out audience erupted into thunderous applauses several times as the young scholars underscored the main message of the play that Christmas should be about giving the gift of love and not about material things. The story, narrated in parts by second formers Fadifa Lovell, Evelyne Ilceus, John Monlouis, Diangeli Arrindell, Jesslyn Langlais, Magalie Philander, Shamida George, Kisshan Zaegers, Amard Edward, Dominick Collins, Juliette Duvillage, Lyan Ali, Skyla Davis, and Gabrielle Blake, was directed by the school's Drama teacher, Ms. Joanna Trim. Trim was commended for working assiduously with 92 second formers and other talented students from the upper levels and the schools daycare centre for the past two months to pull off the insurmountable feat. She was ably assisted by CAPE Year 2 student, Aimee Monchery, who put her Grade 1 with distinction earned at the 2017 Music CSEC examinations to good use. Monchery, who plans to follow her musical dreams after earning her Associate degree at Academy, masterfully prepared the entire cast to perform a myriad of musical ensembles. This saw rising songbirds such as Nakida Eliodore and Giselle Whinfield blending their angelic soprano voices to create beautiful harmony with their peers. Principal, drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool lauded the production, the first of its kind for the school, as a way of promoting and supporting academic excellence in the context of addressing the needs and potential of the whole child. Four years ago, we expanded the scope of our offerings in the expressive arts curriculum to include music and dance (as part of the Theatre Arts program), at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) level, and now drama is the latest addition, she further explained. St. Maarten Academy was the first school on the island to introduce Music at the regional CXC examinations and has placed in the top ten at each sitting ever since. Academy copped the number one spot in the region in 2017 and continues to embrace the philosophy that students can realize their artistic dreams while pursuing academic careers. At the end of the production, Baly-Vanterpool joined the young scholars on stage and challenged them to pursue Theatre Arts at CXC when they get to Form 5 in the next three years. Their involvement in the play, which served as a term grade for Drama, provided a solid foundation in understanding the inner workings of theatre and what it takes to make a production successful. Trim said she was elated to work with the group of students, as they have helped her to achieve one of her dreams. She was very appreciative to the board of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE), under which Academy falls, as well as the Management Team, for providing an enabling environment for theatre arts...and for being resolute in their belief that the artist and his/ her craft has a coveted place and plays an important role in shaping the minds and lives of the global citizens we teach. She thanked the schools counsellors and her other colleagues who assisted her in supervising the students during their rehearsals. The educator underscored that it took many persons and entities to stage the play, as Ms. Arlene Halley of the National Institute of the Arts (NIA) stepped in to choreograph the closing dance by Jim and Della. NIA also assisted with some costumes, thereby allowing patrons to be greeted by smartly dressed elves. The director and staff of the Cultural Centre also jumped onboard with the production by allowing the school to rehearse at the location to acclimatize the novice actors to the stage setting. She also extends her gratitude and appreciation to the corporate sponsors - the Windward Island Bank, Motorworld, Beautylicious, TeLEM, Super Plaza and True Value who all contributed in various ways to making the show a success. Trim said she felt that the goal of the production was achieved, since many students sacrificed their time, learned to work together, adjusted attitudes, and put aside their differences to make the play a success. By the end of the production, she said many students were able to relate to the sacrifices made by others in their own lives, including their parents, to ensure that they (the students) did not go without, which was the main message of The Gift of the Magi. To my cast and crew-- the journey was long and painstaking, marred with bloodshot eyes and sleepless nights, anxious parents and nervous students, but with a determination like Dellas we were resolute in our sacrifices and belief that we will share O. Henrys story about the importance of the gift of love this Christmas. Congratulations to our students and parents for their unwavering support during our first theatrical performance, Trim offered. The set, which depicted the home of Della and Jim, as well as a New York shopping centre with a shoe store, jewellery establishment, and hair store, was designed by Trim and built by Randolph Scotty Scott. For the next production, Academy hopes to work collaboratively with the Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performance Arts to stage Aladdin. e (as part of the Theatre Arts program), at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) level, and now drama is the latest addition, she further explained. St. Maarten Academy was the first school on the island to introduce Music at the regional CXC examinations and has placed in the top ten at each sitting ever since. Academy copped the number one spot in the region in 2017 and continues to embrace the philosophy that students can realize their artistic dreams while pursuing academic careers. At the end of the production, Baly-Vanterpool joined the young scholars on stage and challenged them to pursue Theatre Arts at CXC when they get to Form 5 in the next three years. Their involvement in the play, which served as a term grade for Drama, provided a solid foundation in understanding the inner workings of theatre and what it takes to make a production successful. Trim said she was elated to work with the group of students, as they have helped her to achieve one of her dreams. She was very appreciative to the board of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE), under which Academy falls, as well as the Management Team, for providing an enabling environment for theatre arts...and for being resolute in their belief that the artist and his/ her craft has a coveted place and plays an important role in shaping the minds and lives of the global citizens we teach. She thanked the schools counsellors and her other colleagues who assisted her in supervising the students during their rehearsals. The educator underscored that it took many persons and entities to stage the play, as Ms. Arlene Halley of the National Institute of the Arts (NIA) stepped in to choreograph the closing dance by Jim and Della. NIA also assisted with some costumes, thereby allowing patrons to be greeted by smartly dressed elves. The director and staff of the Cultural Centre also jumped onboard with the production by allowing the school to rehearse at the location to acclimatize the novice actors to the stage setting. Trim said she felt that the goal of the production was achieved, since many students sacrificed their time, learned to work together, adjusted attitudes, and put aside their differences to make the play a success. By the end of the production, she said many students were able to relate to the sacrifices made by others in their own lives, including their parents, to ensure that they (the students) did not go without, which was the main message of The Gift of the Magi. To my cast and crew-- the journey was long and painstaking, marred with bloodshot eyes and sleepless nights, anxious parents and nervous students, but with a determination like Dellas we were resolute in our sacrifices and belief that we will share O. Henrys story about the importance of the gift of love this Christmas. Congratulations to our students and parents for their unwavering support during our first theatrical performance, Trim offered. The set, which depicted the home of Della and Jim, as well as a New York shopping centre with a shoe store, jewellery establishment, and hair store, was designed by Trim and built by Randolph Scotty Scott. For the next production, Academy hopes to work collaboratively with the Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performance Arts to stage Aladdin. PHILIPSBURG:--- On December 13, 2018, The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset hosted the Rotary International President Barry Rassin, as well as Government officials from the Dutch and French sides of St. Maarten, to a Meet & Greet Breakfast at Divi Little Bay Resort. In attendance were the Governor of St. Maarten, His Excellency Eugene Holiday, Prime Minister of St. Maarten Leona Romeo-Marlin, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs , Transport and Telecommunications Stuart Johnson, Senator of Saint Martin Guillame Arnell, Deputy of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy Claire Javois, Rotary International President Barry Rassin, District Governor Patrick Adizua and his wife Lesline, Assistant Governor Marcelia Henry, District Governor Nominee Designate Louis Wever and his wife Amanda, Past District Governor Victor Gibbs, Presidents and Secretaries of all the Rotary Clubs on the island, as well as a few specially invited Rotarians. During the breakfast, Rotary was applauded for their work on the island of Sint Maarten, and the world. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset, which celebrated their Charter Ceremony the night before, was congratulated on becoming the fifth Rotary club on the island, boasting 41 members between the ages of 25 and 46. Rotary International President Barry Rassin, from the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas expressed his appreciation to the club members for the great work that they have been doing in the short time that they have been an official club. He was impressed with projects such as the donation of household items to the Mental Health Foundation, Reach One-Feed One Homeless Feeding, the launch of a free mini library located in Marigot among many others. He encouraged the clubs to work together to do greater projects and have a bigger impact on our communities. The Meet & Greet Breakfast provided an opportunity for the Government officials to have intimate conversations with the Rotary officials present, and learn about the great impact that Rotary has had, not just on Sint Maarten, but on the wider world. PHILIPSBURG:---Three Inspectors from the Department of Inspection within the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunication (TEATT) returned this week from an Inspection of Weights and Measurements Training in Saba. Part of their specialised training included lessons about the calibration of electricity and water meters along with updates on calibration and measurements. The training was supervised by Dave Levenstone, Head of Economic Affairs on Saba who is himself a certified Inspector. On their return to St. Maarten, the three inspectors met with TEATT Minister the Honourable Stuart Johnson, who congratulated them on successfully completing their training and receiving their certification. Their first task upon returning was to inspect and certify the scales at the Princess Juliana International Airport on Thursday, in preparation for its scheduled opening on Saturday, December 15th. While training on Saba the Inspectors from TEATT participated in an island-wide check of weights, scales at supermarkets, the post office, and the airport as well as the fuelling station. This onsite inspection formed part of the practical training which was conducted by Radio Communications Agency Inspector for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate EZK, Mr Henk Bartels. Minister Johnson said that the importance of calibration is first to ensure consistency, accuracy and reliability of measurements. He said, The Ministry of TEATT as the competent and official body to calibrate, measure or test instruments has an enormous responsibility to protect both the consumer and supplier by ensuring that these inspections are carried out routinely and that the persons carrying out the inspections have the available tools and knowledge needed. He said the training will continue when necessary for the Inspectors to be always up to date on the use of instruments as it relates to calibration. The three inspectors who attended the training from St. Maarten are Nelson Rombley, Marcando Winklaar and Genaro Smith. They were taught about the calibration system as well as the laws within the Caribbean Netherlands as it relates to calibration and inspections. KECK acquires IES in Canada Posted by Publisher Telecommunication The increasing demand in the US for highly automated and, at the same time, reliable equipment suits German engineering perfectly. This enables an approach for the global growth strategy of many German companies and the integration of all markets. Markus Futterer, who is responsible for Strategy and Consulting, considers it the right time to expand KECK westward: On 12/9/2018, KECK GmbH acquired International Exhibition Services Inc. (IES) near Vancouver, Canada. Ulrich Jaeckel, founder and current owner of IES, managed his company in German style, and his dependability over the last few years has made him KECK?s premium partner for trade fair stands in the US. Robert Koenig, Business Unit Management of KECK Brand Worlds and Managing Director of KECK ASIA, knows through his international experience what specific demands trade fair projects make in the US: ?When brand staging in the US, you face a wide range of regulations. Planning trade fair projects is made difficult by the complex trade union structures. This can cause costs to soar unexpectedly.? In acquiring IES, and with the insider expertise of its employees, KECK is, in future, also able to guarantee its customers an assured quality and planning of their brand showcasing in North America. ZF Friedrichshafen, with its trade fair projects in North America, is among the customers of IES. Additional synergy effects arise here since KECK is responsible for ZF brand staging in Europe and Asia. Markus Futterer has personally taken over the role of new CEO. The only other change is taking Martin Wallrath on board as Operations Manager. During the last three years, he was mainly responsible for the American market in Robert Koenig?s team. Success does not simply come from the markets alone, but from the people who are intimately familiar with them. KECK is herewith developing into an international corporation. KECK. Brand staging worldwide. Over 30 years successfully on the market, 170 employees and passion for what we do we are KECK. Our references are from just as wide a range of industries as our solutions. After all, \-\-run of the mill\-\- is an alien concept to us. We realise projects always in an extraordinary and creative manner, perfectly attuned to our customers from the most varying of sectors. In realising everything from extravagant trade fair stands and showrooms through to elaborate light and communication concepts, we can implement all you require to stage your brand successfully. Our wheelhouse includes the entire spectrum of services strategy, consultation, design, construction and assembly. The most important step in every project is to understand the brand. We really get to its core and present it in a standardised and unique way. We not only stage brands, but also make them more successful. In the new era of work, our relationship with the workplace is defined by flexibility and mobility. Employees are working across the home, office, and blended spaces more than ever before, as well as working varied hours to suit the modern work schedule. This new hybrid workforce model holds the potential for more diverse talent and better productivity, but it also comes with its challenges one being how to ensure security, health, and safety in the workplace. Strong and smart security ecosystem While nearly one-third of companies report that theyve implemented a hybrid model, according to a recent survey by STANLEY Security, many still have much to do to prepare their office for the future. Building a strong and smart security ecosystem is crucial in preparing for the future. As such, businesses should consider technologies that help protect their people, as well as safeguard their assets, optimise their operations, and secure their network. 1)Protect your people Implementation of a security ecosystem combines health, safety, and security hardware and software solutions seamlessly Nearly 60% of mid-market and enterprise businesses across the UK and US report that the health and safety of their employees and customers are a primary concern when implementing modern and hybrid working models. This begs the question: How can businesses create a safe and healthy work environment when 59% are planning to bring employees back on-site in some capacity within the next 18 months? The answer lies, in part, in the implementation of a security ecosystem that combines various health, safety, and security hardware and software solutions seamlessly. Integrating platform Nearly half (46%) of business decision-makers say they are interested in adopting an integrated platform such as this. This means integrating traditional and digital security solutions, then leveraging the data and insights they produce to further enhance the workplace experience. Take this example: With employees and visitors moving in and out of the office at different times, a business may lack oversight of occupancy or density levels, people flow, workspace scheduling, visitor check-in processes, and more. However, with visitor management, access control, and other building/business systems integrated, employees can reserve a workspace for a specific date and time and be granted access to the building. Leveraging AI and machine learning Visitors can pre-register, answer a health screening questionnaire, and receive a mobile credential before arriving. Once the visitor arrives on-site, the system can alert the respective department all without the close contact typically required for traditional visitor check-in processes. When layering artificial intelligence and machine learning on top of the data, a business may identify trends in people flow and opportunities to optimise congested areas. They may also see that certain rooms within the building get more use than others and leverage these insights to manage their space more effectively. All of this is powered by a security ecosystem that can help a business better protect its people while realising other benefits in the process. 2) Safeguard your assets Businesses are concerned about the security of their assets when it comes to the hybrid workforce model Even more, businesses are concerned about the security of their assets when it comes to the hybrid workforce model. About 72% of leaders say this is, in fact, their primary concern with the hybrid approach. This figure isnt surprising when you consider the impact of the pandemic, which left many businesses closed either temporarily or permanently, with few people allowed on-site to manage facility operations. As a result of the pandemic, we saw tech adoption accelerate at an astonishing rate simply because businesses had to implement cloud and remote technologies to survive during a time when buildings were closed indefinitely. Remote management and visibility This was particularly true for security solutions, such as cloud video surveillance and cloud access control solutions like wireless IoT-connected locks. Nine out of 10 businesses (91%) report that they have already implemented cloud security technology; of those, nearly half (48%) stated that this was due to the pandemic. These technologies allow for remote management and provide visibility into business operations at the same time. In a retail setting, for example, cloud video surveillance allows businesses to identify and track not only criminal activity, but also foot traffic patterns, peak operating hours, staff shortages, and more. Loss prevention strategy When integrated with the retailers point-of-sale (POS) system, businesses can gain greater insights into their traffic counts, end cap effectiveness, loyalty card activity, and a variety of POS exceptions, such as high-dollar transactions, repeated transactions, excessive returns, employee discounts, and more. For retailers especially, a security ecosystem means a more efficient loss prevention strategy that helps safeguard assets and profits. 3) Optimise your operations The future of work is still very much a work in progress, but one thing is clear: Businesses are looking for ways to increase efficiencies, drive cost savings, and, ultimately, optimise their operations especially now with the challenges posed by price inflation. A relatively untapped opportunity for businesses to achieve these goals lies within their security infrastructure. Security technology and solutions gather incredibly rich data which, when unlocked, can help businesses understand how their buildings are being used, when the busiest times are, where there are highly trafficked areas, and more. Leveraging cloud video surveillance systems, businesses could identify emerging staff training needs Cloud video surveillance systems For example, by leveraging the insights produced by cloud video surveillance systems, businesses could identify emerging staff training needs, which could ultimately result in improved employee satisfaction and reduced attrition. However, much of this data sits untouched within the infrastructure, leaving businesses unaware of the opportunities in front of them. 44% of businesses that currently use a cloud security system for its primary use say they want to know how else this technology can be utilised, and an additional 20% arent even aware that it could be used in other ways. AI and analytics The interest in adoption is promising for the office of the future, especially when we see that the majority of businesses (78%) would consider using AI and analytics technologies to optimise their operations, helping their business to operate more effectively and efficiently. The increase in adoption of cloud technology paired with the rise in interest in AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics could make it possible for businesses to uncover invaluable insights from their security infrastructure and leverage them to adapt and build business resilience. 4) Secure your network Advanced technology help businesses improve their cybersecurity, making it harder for hackers to gain entry With cyber threats becoming more prevalent, businesses are increasingly looking to secure their networks and protect their data. More than half (54%) of those surveyed expressed interest in using AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics to secure their network by identifying and eliminating cybersecurity threats. Advanced and automated technology can help businesses improve their cybersecurity, making it harder for hackers to gain entry to the larger corporate network. Modern cybersecurity tools that use AI and machine learning can detect anomalies in network traffic or alert and act on suspicious behaviour. Cybersecurity software For example, if an IoT device suddenly begins broadcasting and establishing connections with multiple devices, cybersecurity software could detect this abnormal behaviour, send an alert, and suspend traffic or quarantine an endpoint immediately saving precious time during a potential breach. A single data breach could result in widespread distrust from workers and customers, potentially leading to decreased business as well as litigation issues. As such, businesses need to take action to update and strengthen their defences so that they can avoid downtime and continue to operate with peace of mind. Prepare your business for the future Businesses will continue to look for more ways to extract value out of their existing infrastructure, including their security technology. For many, the tools to do so are already in place, its just a matter of unlocking the insights with a security ecosystem. With such an ecosystem one that helps protect a business people, assets, and network, while optimising operations companies can better safeguard the future of their workspaces and usher in the new era of work with confidence. TAPE SIDE A: ARLANE HART TAPE SIDE B: DEBRA NEWELL EXTRAS This week's episode is structured in similar fashion to last week's episode, with two parallel storylines running side by side, one based in the past and one in the present. Also like last week's episode, "Shrapnel" is yet another excellent hour of television.While I enjoyed the first two episodes ofthe show has been on the steady incline, improving on itself on a weekly basis, let's hope that continues moving forward.Are we really doomed to repeat our history? This is a questiontoils with this week as we see the aftermath of Arlane's daughter, Cindi, being murdered by her controlling husband. If you recall, we've met Debra's nephew, Toby and he didn't exactly have the best interaction with John. We learned that his mother was shot and killed by his father and this week we'll discover the real story behind that tragic incident.Turns out, Cindi was having issues with her husband Billy's controlling nature. She wasn't "allowed" to wear a bikini to the beach. He always wanted to know where she was. She was miserable at home and it got to the point where she was willing to risk having regrets later than continue to stay stuck in the life she and Billy had built together now. Both Billy and Cindy use Arlane as makeshift therapist, spilling the details of the marriage to her, trying to get her to see both sides of the story.It is during Arlane's interactions with Cindi we first begin to see the truth of Arlane's nature. Sure, she loves her daughter but she is willing to put her faith above Cindi's needs. Cindi wants to divorce Billy, she is no longer interested in trying to fight for a marriage she believes has reached the end of its rope. Arlane is hesitant to support this decision and instead turns to the word of God to guide her daughter.But then the most awful thing a mother can imagine happens. Billy borrows a gun, goes home, and shoots Cindi dead. What should be an open and shut case becomes far more complicated when Arlane decides to forgive Billy for his actions.It's easy to judge Arlane for this, how could she forgive the man who murdered her child? Who left her grandson an orphan, essentially?It speaks to a deeply ingrained faith in her religion, that everything is part of God's plan and forgiveness will make her life easier than to spend the remainder of her years in psychological torment.Except, what message does that send to her other daughter, Debra? Who soon finds herself in a situation eerily similar to the one Cindi faced?When we last saw Debra she was finally discovering the truth about the man she married. All of John's skeletons have fallen out of his closet and Debra is officially trying to get out of the web he's trapped her in. At least, it appears she is but if you stick around until the very end we reach the deeply sad understanding that Debra isn't going to be leaving John's side so easily. Initially, it appears Debra will actually be annulling her marriage with John. She moves out to a motel that "doesn't even have self-parking", she buys a bad wig, she alters her will and according to her she "signs" the annulment papers (though I noticed she didn't say she filed them because I'm assuming she hasn't).Veronica is proud of her mom and assumes everything is on track. Except, after she visits John in the hospital, and he changes his lies to a adapt to the information Debra has discovered, we can see her falling back down the rabbit hole. Debra hides this from Ronnie for now, but we know that isn't going to last long when she sees the two of them together again.It was hard to swallow watching Debra walk out to greet John come the episode's ending but a powerful scene nonetheless as the show cuts between her own mother and Debra's face. It's not really a question of why she's willing to forgive him, why wouldn't she?Look at the home she was raised in. Look at her own mother's values and the way she treated Billy after committing an unspeakable act.This isn't really even a question for Debra because it's what she knows. Forgiveness is the easier path than escape but it is also the path most likely to lead to tragedy in this case.It's a very sad tale of "like mother, like daughter" one I wish could have taken a different turn but the show executes this with powerful performances from both Connie Britton and Jean Smart plus a surprisingly nuanced handling of the storyline.There is no victim blaming to be found here (except from a cop at the beginning and in a way I think Ronnie's addressing of him was also a pointed way of addressing the audience, this isn't as easy as it looks). There is a reason battered women have a hard time leaving the men that abuse them and what seems like an easy situation rarely ever is for all sorts of reasons.Jean Smart is an acclaimed actress who has been around for a while now and this episode is an excellent display of her acting talents. I hope she gets an Emmy nod for her work here because being able to watch the dynamics between Arlane and Debra is compelling television and really sells the tragic story of "Dirty John" and the damage him, and men like him, due to the women they con and abuse.Arlane's court testimony where she explains why she has chosen to forgive Billy.Hearing Arlane say Billy "just lost his way" with the overlay of Debra meeting John post-hospital stay, the juxtaposition is not subtle but it's gracefully done.When he asks Debra to at least pray for him and follows that up with, "I'm praying for you." It sounds like a thinly veiled threat and probably is.Everyone on this show is giving stellar performances but I wanted to point out the crafty way Eric Bana is playing John Meehan, I mean he's an actor playing an actor. It would be easy for him to slip up or make this performance too hokey and he manages not to. It must be complicated to not only be acting as a con man, but acting within the acting role is a difficult thing to do. STAMFORD The knocking outside Diane Dauplaises office hardly ceases on Monday mornings. Dauplaise works as an advocate for domestic violence victims, and the beginning of the workweek brings in a new batch of cases from arrests made over the weekend. A staff attorney for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, she said the number of family violence arraignments on Monday is generally between eight and 12, and a large percentage of those are classified as domestic partner abuse. In total, there have been 684 domestic arraignments this year in state Superior Court in Stamford, according to Dauplaise. Were very busy, she said. A third of all Connecticut criminal cases involve family violence, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. And many times, such cases are fatal. In Connecticut, roughly 14 people are killed a year, on average, because of domestic abuse. In Stamford, two women 74-year-old Eden Claxton and 24-year-old Dionicia Bautista-Cano were killed by their spouse in the last three years. Recently, a Stamford woman who was married to a man with a history of domestic violence charges against him, died at Stamford Hospital after suffering massive injuries. Olga Iris Lopez, 36, had 30 to 40 bruises on her body and was diagnosed with a massive brain bleed caused by a traumatic injury to the side of her head in late November. However, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet been able to determine whether her death was a homicide. According to court documents, her husband, Hector Lopez, had a record of domestic violence convictions from 2000 to 2016 for charges including assault, breach of peace, criminal mischief, violation of judges protective orders, violation of probation, stalking, threatening, creating a public disturbance and interfering with police. He served multiple sentences in prison, one for as long as a year, and in some cases received suspended sentences, according to his court record. Kevin Shippy, executive director of DVCC, which oversees Stamford, as well as surrounding communities Norwalk, Westport, New Canaan, Darien, Wilton and Weston, said hed like to see stricter punishments for domestic abusers, to protect the victims from future assaults. If there were more severe consequences for an initial offense, rather than a warning or a diversionary program like anger management, something that has more teeth or consequences, he said. Dauplaise said there are a number of ways the state is trying to combat domestic abuse, and one of those is the lethality assessment protocol, or LAP, a screening tool that police officers use at the scene of a domestic abuse call to assess the level of threat facing a spouse or partner. The practice, which started in 2012 in Connecticut, employs a point system based on the answers to questions from officers. If the point total is high enough, the victim is deemed to be in high danger, which warrants an immediate call to a hotline worker. Its really revolutionary because were saying that at the scene of a domestic, were having a law enforcement officer get a victim in touch with an advocate right on the scene, Dauplaise said. Stamford Police Sgt. Joseph Kennedy, who co-supervises domestic violence cases in the department, said LAP is a good program that makes the practice of protecting victims more consistent across the unit. Its good in the sense that youre connecting receptive victims to a program where theyre trying to get them help, he said. The challenge is what to do with victims who arent receptive, he said, which can be the case for a number of reasons, such as financial dependence on a partner, fear or emotional attachment. Its tough to make that breakthrough, Kennedy said. In almost 90 percent of domestic abuse cases in Connecticut, the victim is a woman, and Shippy said it may take a woman multiple attempts to truly emancipate herself from an abuser. In Stamford, the LAP assessment was used about 25 times a month, on average, between July and October. About 11 cases a month were deemed high danger. The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence found that in three-fourths of the cases deemed high danger, the victim spoke with a counselor. And in the vast majority of those cases, the victim followed up with the counselor for help with services. I really think everybody involved in the situation is working really hard, and between police, prosecutors, advocates, judges, you really have an educated team thats really working to try and prevent these things, Dauplaise said. Dauplaises workload is expected to increase now as the holidays tend to bring a spike in domestic abuse. She said the holiday season can add stress to a relationship, sometimes for financial reasons or family issues. If youre already in a volatile relationship, that kind of pressure can unfortunately lead to a domestic incident, she said. She encouraged anyone going through an abusive relationship to contact the centers hotline, 1-888-774-2900, which is available 24 hours a day in both English and Spanish. The DVCC, located at 777 Summer St., is open to victims of abuse and offers a number of services to get them back on their feet, including shelter. Even if its just that one call, if thats the only step you make, that could be a game changer, Dauplaise said. A ctor Taron Egerton is hoping Evening Standard readers will today seize the chance to pay 5 so that thousands of people get the vital information they need to get tested to determine their HIV status. The Robin Hood and Kingsman star is making the appeal in the fifth of our 12 Days of Christmas messages in support of the Evening Standards AIDSfree campaign, joining other celebrities such as James Corden and Victoria Beckham . The AIDSfree appeal is raising money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation to boost awareness of HIV and fund access to testing and treatment, both in the UK and abroad. Egerton, who is playing Sir Elton in the biopic Rocketman, said donations from as little as 5 will go towards getting as many people as possible educated about the risk of HIV, and testing. The 29-year-old said: Its day five of the 12 Days of Christmas and Im throwing my support behind the AIDSfree campaign. I am asking for your help and support with this. Five pounds is all it takes to make sure that someone gets the proper testing for HIV and AIDS and will hopefully help us end this awful disease. Globally, 37 million people are living with HIV; a figure that rose by 1.8 million people last year. In the UK 15 people are infected every day on average. Although HIV medical care is often both effective and affordable, around one in four people living with HIV dont know their status because they havent been tested. TODO: define component type apester A boom in recreational drugs and ignorance of safe sex is fuelling Eastern Europes second worst HIV epidemic in Kiev, Ukraine. Tucked away on an industrial estate in the citys north-eastern suburbs sits the StreetPower youth club, providing a safe space for vulnerable teens. Alla Melnyk, the centres project manager, says the idea came after outreach workers noticed more and more teenagers on Kievs streets after violence erupted in the country in 2013, leading to the overthrow of the government. Many children were left to their own devices, often because their parents were too busy trying to make ends meet, she says. Quite a few of the girls went east to offer sex services, and returned with kids. We knew we needed to do something. Since opening its doors, the StreetPower club has worked with 1,500 children, some as young as eight or nine. In the main, they come from difficult families, often with a history of alcohol or drug use. Once the teens are inside, Melnyks team offer love, attention and hugs, before getting to work with what are for Ukraine cutting-edge harm-reduction strategies. They are tested for HIV, hepatitis, TB and other sexually transmitted diseases, offered free contraception and taught about safe sex. HIV transmission in Ukraine has in recent years moved away from injection drugs to sex, which is now the main route of infection. Only half of people with HIV know their status, and knowledge of safer sex practices remains low. Ukrainian kids arent told about sex in school, says Melnyk. A large part of the clubs work is about making timely interventions on drug use and preventing the progression to more harmful injection drugs. The drugs scene in Kiev is changing, says Slava Kushakov, a senior adviser at the the Alliance for Public Health, an umbrella organisation that supports the StreetPower youth club. Our job is to watch and to explain that some drugs are much more harmful than others. Many of StreetPowers young clients are already established drug users and they choose drugs based on cost. That usually means spice, or synthetic marijuana, low-quality amphetamines and synthetic cathinones, known as bath salts. According to the Alliances internal statistics, recreational drug use has increased by 40 per cent over the last four years alone, with much of that increase down to Kievs expanding clubbing scene. This in turn has opened a new front for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. We tell people at festivals about safe sex, about HIV and hepatitis, says Galya Sergienko, co-ordinator of Drugstore, a harm-reduction programme operating under the Alliance aegis. But often they wont take our condoms, saying its not cool. In truth, many of them dont know how to use them. In addition, childrens health services are neglected by the government. The kids are afraid to speak out, so you never see them, says Melnyk. They are the lost generation, quite literally. This is where the Evening Standards AIDSfree Christmas appeal comes in, she says, which is raising funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, who work with the Alliance and StreetPower. We want the government to see that people across the world care, says Melnyk. That spaceships arent delivering alien drug users to our shores. These are our kids who deserve our protection. TODO: define component type apester J ust Eat on Monday came under attack from a US activist investor, which called on the online takeaways giant to sell parts of the business and shake up management pay. Hedge fund Cat Rock Capital Management, which has a 2% stake in Just Eat worth around 80 million, claimed the firm has become the worst-performing public equity in online food delivery globally. The activist investors founder Alex Captain has written a letter to the Just Eat board. He said there is shareholder frustration with managements lack of accountability for delivering on significant growth potential. The share price at Just Eat has slid by some 25% this year amid warnings it will invest more as competition from rivals such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats heats up. The shares lost 1.4p to 575.6p today. It floated at 260p in April 2014. Captain urged the board to present a three-year financial plan, link pay to the meeting of growth targets, and consider selling Brazilian food app iFood, which could fetch 650 million. A biological attack may feel like something that only happens in sci-fi films but trying telling that to anyone living in Salisbury. The town was exposed to the deadly nerve agent Novichok, which was allegedly used by two Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov in an attempt to kill former spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia. In total, 48 people were assessed in hospital in relation to the incident and 500 members of the public were told to decontaminate their possessions to prevent possible long-term exposure. Could the attack have been prevented and the nerve agent detected in advance? Perhaps AIM-listed Kromeks equipment could have. The firm was spun out of Durham University and listed in 2013, selling equipment which can detect nuclear radiation. Since floating, it has won plenty of work with the US Department of Defense and last week it was awarded a 1.6 million contract to develop a vehicle capable of quickly identifying the pathogens used in any biological attack. Previously Kromek made 10,000 pocket-sized radiation detectors, costing $1000 each for the US police force. Chief executive Arnab Basu says Kromeks pocket detectors could become a routine part of police and army surveillance around the world, helping to identify nuclear threats. The medical sector also uses Kromek. Its probes can evaluate whether cancer is spreading and highlight conditions ranging from osteoporosis to heart disease. Kromek is working with top medical suppliers to make its products available in hospitals. Though the firms tech is impressive, a major criticism is that orders tend to be lumpy in nature, and therefore difficult to forecast. Nevertheless, the firm is on course to break even this year, which analysts believe will be a pivotal moment for the companys share price. Robin Byde, analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, says: The group is well capitalised and extensive R&D is now being converted into strong sales with blue-chip customers. Kromek is on track to achieve break-even this financial year, the first time since [it floated] in 2013. We forecast strong growth thereafter reflecting a well-invested manufacturing platform, a healthy contract pipeline and high operational gearing. E NERGY firm SSE on Monday abandoned plans to merge with Npower, blaming fiercely competitive markets and the new UK price cap for killing the deal. The merged business would have changed the UKs Big Six retail energy firms into a Big Five, with a combined 11.5 million customers helping it leapfrog E.On to become the second-biggest energy provider behind British Gas. But SSE, which would have owned around two thirds of the combined business, said the deal was no longer in the interests of shareholders. Discussions are believed to have foundered on the amount of cash needed to put the new firm on a solid financial footing and secure a good credit rating, as well as the respective equity stakes in the business. While SSEs retail arm remains profitable. Npower, a subsidiary of Germanys Innogy, is loss making. The pair have been attempting to renegotiate for the past month but failed to get a deal over the line ahead of the new cap on standard variable rates, which will save millions of customers 76 a year on average. The negotiation comes against the backdrop of smaller suppliers challenging the traditionally dominant players with lower prices. The new company would have faced very challenging market conditions, particularly during the period when it would have incurred the bulk of the integration costs, SSE said. SSE, which issued a profit warning in September after being hit by lower output from its wind farms and high gas prices, expects its retail business to be profitable for the next two years. It will now consider a demerger and listing, a sale or an alternative transaction for the division, which has 9000 staff. The Npower business now looks likely to shift with Innogy to Germanys E.On, which is carrying out a major asset swap with rival RWE. Broker Jefferies said: No deal is better than a bad deal for SSE... There may have been risk of capital injection from SSE in order to salvage the merger. F itness chain The Gym Group on Monday opened its latest branch moments from Tottenham Hotspur FCs new stadium, and told landlords it can help them fill space left vacant as retailers downsize or collapse. The listed firms new 16,000 square feet outpost will be next to Sainsburys on White Hart Lane in part of the building the grocer no longer needs. It will also launch a Monument site this month, bringing its estate size to over 150 gyms. The budget chains property director Jonathan Spaven said he is on the hunt for more London locations to open in next year. Spaven added: We have witnessed retailers and restaurants battle with a number of factors including online competition as well as rising business rates. We offer landlords a flexible route to filling vacant property. 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. 2 1 [ Editor: WPY ] W hat makes a great city work? Is it the location? The buildings? Or is the magic ingredient the brilliant mix of talent and opportunity that comes when people from many backgrounds meet, work together and share ideas? Whether its Londons world-leading financial powerhouse or the best theatre scene anywhere, our city is succeeding like few others because it is full of people trying out new and exciting ways of doing things. Yes, there are big challenges. But we should remember too what is working and make sure we look after it. Take the work of medical scientists at our citys great universities and institutions. Can any other city equal their success? Today we report on what could prove a vital breakthrough by a team at Kings College. They have found a possible new treatment for women with triple negative breast cancer a type which does not respond to the most commonly used drugs. Around 7,500 women a year in Britain are diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and this discovery could be a vital help to them although it is still at the early stages. Valuable work like this is happening all over the capital. Next to St Pancras station the huge and stunning new Francis Crick Institute has brought together researchers to study the fundamental biology that underlies human health. Nowhere else in Europe is as big or well equipped. In the past month alone its researchers have announced a new way of working on human genetics and a way of reducing the threat from tuberculosis infection in patients being treated for HIV. Other London institutions are leading breakthroughs too: such as the Institute of Cancer Research, which has discovered more new cancer drugs than anywhere else in the world. Or another team at Kings, which has just shown that a drug used to treat Alzheimers can also stimulate the growth of dental tissue offering a new way of treating cavities. But all of this depends on one big, important thing: keeping London open to the world. The 1,250 scientists who collaborate at the Crick Institute are typical. Only 10 per cent say they are confident about the post-Brexit future. The end of EU free movement and the loss of EU funding will make their work harder. Brexiteers can dream all they like about the opportunities they hope will come after a hard break with Europe. But the reality is different. Londons researchers need us to break down boundaries, not build them up. Hard time on high street Wholl feel the pain if they go ahead with this pointless action? Retailers in the West End for one thing, already hit by delays to Crossrails opening. Saturday should be the big pre-Christmas shopping day, but even that cant make up for a downturn in spending that has seen sales struggle despite discounting. Its not just that people are buying online they are holding back altogether. The profit warning from online fashion retailer Asos is a bad sign. The last thing London needs is transport chaos to make things on the high street even tougher. Beatlemanias back In one of the greatest Christmas truces of all time, the Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood joined Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney at the latters concert last night and according to our five-star review today it was a triumph. A s Theresa May tries to avoid becoming a zombie Prime Minister, there is one way out: ask the people. If they like her deal, she will be vindicated. If they prefer to stay in the EU, well thats what she always wanted in the first place. She is obviously not there yet. Today she is saying that such a "Peoples Vote would break faith with the people. But, if she does eventually come round to the idea, how would she execute such a manoeuvre given that many Tory MPs and supporters dont want one? The failed coup obviously helps, as she cannot be challenged for another year. So if she calls a new referendum, at least she is not going to be kicked out as Tory leader. But she also needs to get a majority in the House of Commons to pass the necessary legislation. So before embracing a new referendum, Mrs May should first eliminate all the rival options: Norway Plus, which involves staying in both the single market and the customs union; Super-Canada, a simpler trade deal; and leaving the EU with no deal at all. The Prime Minister could say she is willing to entertain any viable idea that has significant support among the Conservative and DUP MPs backing the Government and now is the time to put up or shut up. This would be a variation of the indicative votes idea that some Cabinet ministers including Amber Rudd and Liam Fox are urging. So if Boris Johnson refuses to propose an alternative, he will miss his chance. And if Jacob Rees-Mogg pushes for no deal but only manages to garner a handful of supporters, he will have had his shot and failed. Lets imagine that one or two specific ideas emerge from this initial consultation. Mrs May could then assign Cabinet ministers and civil servants to flesh out these plans. She would also ask the EU to make available a team to work on each separate proposal. The Prime Minister would, of course, know this is likely to be a futile exercise. But the beauty is it would expose the flaws of the alternative forms of Brexit. Norway Pluss champion Michael Gove, say would return from Brussels either empty-handed or reporting that it is only possible with full free movement of people and large payments into the EU budget. Super-Canadas champion Johnson, lets say, if he came back into the Cabinet would have to admit the price was a hard border in the Irish Sea dividing Great Britain from Northern Ireland. At the end of this process, Mrs May could ask Tory and DUP MPs to vote again on any ideas that were left standing. The chances are that none would be remotely popular. At that point, the only ideas left on the table would be the Prime Ministers own deal and our current, much better deal within the EU. It should then be much easier to persuade her MPs that the only sensible way forward is to put both proposals to the public and let them decide. N ot many composers can boast of a village, a museum and an airport all named after them. But Georges Enescu, also a prodigious violinist, has always been regarded as one of his native Romanias chief cultural exports. Ironically, his two Romanian Rhapsodies, imbued with the gypsy-style idioms and sonorities deployed by travelling Romani musicians, were written in Paris, in whose bars Enescu doubtless heard such players as he sipped his absinthe. The rhapsodies are really glorified encores but Simon Rattle and the LSO made a case for the first, in A major, delivering it with polished elan. Debussys set of orchestral Images, by contrast, are picture postcards of England, France and Spain. In Gigues the Northumbrian folk tune The Keel Row is omnipresent, occasionally ebullient, mostly mournful, always wrapped in voluptuous sounds. Both here and in the elegiac Rondes de Printemps, written under the shadow of death, Rattle produced achingly beautiful textures. Shadows occasionally pass across the face of the music in Brahmss Violin Concerto too and Rattle is always responsive to these moments, for the most part mixing a rich-hued orchestral palette as a backdrop for the accomplished Leonidas Kavakos. Repeated Tues (020 7638 8891, barbican.org.uk) H undreds of homeless people will escape the cold this winter and get a free Christmas dinner at a day centre thanks to generous London diners. Ace of Clubs in Clapham Common provides year-round access to essential medical attention, nutritious hot meals, help with documentation, showers, and a community space for more than 100 homeless people every weekday. It is run by a small team of six paid staff and 50 dedicated volunteers, and stands out in offering its services with no questions asked on current drug use or immigration status. Centre manager Sarah Miles, 53, told the Standard the policy is crucial, as their clients would often otherwise not access any support. This was shown in the most notable moment of her eight-year tenure - when a GP said Peter, a formerly homeless and critically ill client the team assisted off the street two years ago, would have died within weeks without their intervention. Today Peter is living in sheltered accommodation and recovering contact with his family. Clients such as Giuliano, have been visiting Ace of Clubs for 20 years. He comes to meet his small group of old friends, talk, and have food. He said: This place is important in my life. It is my community. Everyone pays a contribution of 1 towards a homemade lunch - as the nominal amount creates a different atmosphere - and 50p for afternoon tea. Ms Miles and her team are expecting more than 100 visitors for Christmas dinner and will remain open throughout the holiday period. She said: Christmas can heighten isolation. When you realise you dont have any family as such, the sense of family you get from here can become much more important. This month readers can support Ace of Clubs through a partnership of 609 restaurants arranged by the charity StreetSmart. Those taking part include Ottolenghi and Nobu, and Dehesa in Carnaby Street. Restaurants will add an optional 1 to diners bills that will see grants given to more than 20 organisations, including Ace of Clubs. Without StreetSmart funding, the day centre would struggle to pay its chef. Glenn Pougnet, StreetSmart director, said: The 1s we collect during the busy build-up to Christmas will help dozens of individuals on their journey out of homelessness, so please dine and donate at a participating restaurant. To donate see streetsmart.org.uk D anai Guriras potent play is set in the 1890s in what is today Zimbabwe. Its main characters are Chilford, a social-climbing convert to Catholicism, and Jekesai, an anxious teenage girl he takes into his household. For her this is a way to avoid being coerced into marrying a man who already has more than one wife, and for Chilford its a chance to show that Christianity is an antidote to what he calls the savagery of local customs. In the turbulent world Gurira depicts, such opportunities can have ugly consequences. Jekesai, saved from an appalling fate and renamed Ester, proves a quick learner and becomes a passionate advocate for devotion to Jesus, but in the process has to renounce her background. At the same time other kinds of transformation are afoot, with British settlers (whom we never see) eager to exploit the land and willing to quell native resistance by any means necessary. There are shades of Pygmalion in Esters education at the hands of the fastidious Chilford, an amusing figure whose mangled syntax reflects his desire to embrace a genteel Victorianism. His housekeeper Mai Tamba (Pamela Nomvete) takes a more jaundiced view of the colonists and, despite paying lip service to Christian practices, still uses magic charms to keep evil spirits at bay. Chilfords friend Chancellor (a smooth Ivanno Jeremiah) practises double standards of a different sort, revelling in an enthusiasm for British manners and dress, but remaining enthusiastic about polygamy and observing Ester lasciviously. Though the early scenes are laced with wit, the story builds towards an intensely melodramatic conclusion. For many of the natives, anyone who defers to the settlers is simply bafu a word meaning traitor thats invariably uttered with sulphurous contempt. Conflict, over both faith and resources, is inevitable, and as it brews, the very idea of truth begins to unravel. The Convert had an absorbing UK premiere at the 75-seat Gate last year. The current production, by Ola Ince, is much larger in scale though still tightly focused, and boasts detailed, expressive central performances. Paapa Essiedu revels in Chilfords finicky gestures and self-importance. Alongside him, Guriras co-star from the film Black Panther, Letitia Wright, captures with satisfying complexity Esters mix of naivety, excitement and confusion as shes obliged to choose between two identities. When Loosie Rouge opened in Williamsburg in 2015, it immediately became the go-to for celebrities and local cool kids. The stylish eatery even had a television cameo as the backdrop for scenes in Younger (a Sex and the City-style show about young Williamsburg residents), while Alexander Wang, Bono, Robert Pattinson, and Emily Ratajkowski have all dropped in for dinner. Hidden away, speakeasy-style, behind a front bar area and laid out like a cosy living room, this in-the-know restaurant is as discreet as it is stylish. And now the eatery has a brand new chef, Henry Lu, who joined from nearby Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn. Chef Henry grew up in the Bronx, where his family owned Chinese restaurants, and he learned from watching them cook. Watching my parents work day and night and then making me work with no pay or glory made me a very humble person, willing to do anything it takes to get the job done, Chef Henry told Insider. Their drive and passion were to make our lives better, and now my passion is driven by the work and love for the food. New chef Henry Lu (Loosie Rouge) / Loosie's Kitchen Lu's recipes are inspired by food he ate growing up. Chinese fast food fried chicken was probably one of my all-time favorite bites of food, and to this day, chicken wings reign supreme. Though the restaurant previously had a New Orleans-themed cuisine, the new focus is on Asian-inspired seasonal specialities like squash with pumpkin seeds or tempura long beans. Fried chicken from Loosie's Kitchen (Loosie Rouge) / Loosie's Kitchen We toyed with the idea of home cooking and what that meant to me, Chef Henry explained about the concept, which has led to new takes on brisket and fried chicken. The idea of home cooking allowed me to naturally pull from my past and tell my story through food. One of the owners of Loosie's Kitchen, Vincent Marino (Loosie Rouge) / Loosie's Kitchen Loosie's is the brainchild of Four Happy Men (friends Damien del Rio, Vincent Marino, Max Peskowitz, and Garry Knopov) who wanted to create a neighborhood hot spot with inventive cocktails and loft vibes. They succeeded with the Loosie Rouge bar, then quickly expanded, creating an Instagrammable-restaurant. The space then grew again, with an open-air cafe, serving up avocado toast, vegan donuts, and matcha lattes. "We started to create a community way before Loosie's opened with a series of different events, including random live music sets and BBQs on South 6th Street. It was a way to introduce ourselves to the part of Williamsburg we werent familiar with and spend time creating relationships with the locals," co-owner Vincent Marino explained. Customers, Kate Greer and Cleo Wade, enjoying Loosie's Kitchen / Madison McGaw/BFA.com "A restaurant is exactly like a human being, we change and grow up with the people we meet in our path of life. The restaurant grows and changes with the chefs in the kitchen. So, when we decided to work with Henry, it was totally normal to let him explore his creativity organically. Henry as a native Chinese New Yorker brought his own mix of influences in our different menus," Marino added. While the menus are different, the crowd is still the same, complete with Brooklynites looking for a fresh drink and donuts - although now, the New Orleans-inspired beignets have been swapped for sesame fried dough. We're in. Meghan Markle's first wedding 'save the date' and her Christmas card with husband Prince Harry bear a striking resemblance to one another. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their first Christmas card - an unseen picture of the pair at their wedding reception in May. The black-and white photograph by Chris Allerton shows the royal couple arm-in-arm, with their backs to the camera, watching the fireworks at Frogmore House. PA Interestingly, the picture is quite similar to the save the date Meghan and her ex-husband, producer Trevor Engelson, sent out ahead of their wedding in 2011. The more informal black-and-white shot sees Meghan and Trevor looking out at the ocean with their arms around each other. Trevor and Meghan were married on September 10, 2011 at the Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios. It was reportedly a short ceremony, with a source claiming: "The ceremony was over very quickly, in about 15 minutes. Then everyone hit the dance floor. It seemed they all just wanted to party." Markle's former husband Trevor Engelson pictured in July 2018 (Getty) The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Christmas photo was released along with a family photo from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, taken at their home in Norfolk. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and family in their 2018 Christmas card / Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace via AP Other European royals to share Christmas shots included the Swedish, Monegasque and Spanish royal families. Royal Christmas Pictures 1 /7 Royal Christmas Pictures Spanish royals King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia with their children Leonor and Sofia Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children Louis, George and Charlotte Matt Porteous via AFP/Getty Images King Harald and Queen Sonja with Ingrid Alexandra, Mette-Marit, Haakon, and Sverre Magnus pose for the royal portrait. AFP/Getty Images Spanish princesses Leonor and Sofia with their father, King Felipe Casa de S.M. el Rey via Getty Im Princess Mette-Marit and Prince Haakon with their children Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre REUTERS Portrait of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall used for their royal Christmas card AP Portrait of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their wedding reception used for their Christmas card AFP/Getty Images A City banker accused of bludgeoning an escort to death with a pestle has told a court he did "everything possible" to stop her trying to kill him. Zahid Naseem denies murdering Christina Abbotts who was found dead on her 29th birthday in May. He is accused of intentionally striking her 13 times on the back of the head with the kitchen utensil in a champagne and cocaine-fuelled attack while she was house sitting for a friend at a flat in Crawley, West Sussex. The 48-year-old wiped away tears with a blue-striped handkerchief as he gave evidence in his trial at Lewes Crown Court on Monday, conceding for the first time that he did inflict the injuries but claiming it was self-defence. Victim: Christina Abbotts, 29 / PA The court previously heard that he claimed to have woken to find her dead and had "no idea" what happened. West Midlands-born "socialite" Ms Abbotts led a party lifestyle in London, mixing with "posh" and wealthy friends, telling relatives she worked in IT, but secretly she advertised her services on AdultWork.com under the pseudonym Tilly Pexton. Her body was found by police after she failed to turn up to her birthday party in South Kensington. Jurors were shown CCTV of Ms Abbotts and Zahid Naseem together before she died / PA Naseem was discovered lying on the sofa in the next room "feigning unconsciousness", according to prosecutors. The father, who has two young children and lives in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, told the court he turned to escorts when the "whirlwind romance" with his partner fizzled out and they grew apart. For the best part of a decade he hired sex workers, drank on an almost daily basis and took cocaine. He said his job - which took him to New York when working for Merrill Lynch - was stressful but he was "devoted" to his children and tried to spend all his spare time with them. Naseem is accused of hitting her 13 times on the back of the head with a pestle / PA The freelance investment consultant, who could earn up to 250,000 in a year, was working for Toronto-Dominion Bank in London at the time of his arrest. Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, burgundy patterned tie and wearing glasses, Naseem sat in the witness box and told the court Ms Abbotts began strangling him as she sat on top of him. Jurors heard that Ms Abbotts listed BDSM (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism) on her profile under services she provided and Naseem told the court strangulation was something she suggested as "fun" after trying it with other clients. He said: "While it was still in the silly stage I didn't have any issue with it. "At some stage she did hold my neck and she didn't let go. "I did try and push her off and I couldn't push her off and all of a sudden I realised I was beginning to choke. I was being strangled to death. "I just reached out and grabbed the first thing that came to hand and stopped her. "I think I just did everything possible to stop her from strangling me to death. I believe if I had not taken the actions I did, I would not be alive today." He told the court he started remembering the incident in mid-August or September after he spent time thinking while on remand awaiting trial. Describing his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to jurors, Naseem said he is very tidy, always has "immaculate worktops" and keeps his books in alphabetical order. He was also diagnosed with a mixed personality disorder and may have Asperger's, the court heard. No other escorts have accused him of violence, jurors were told. When he was initially questioned by police, Naseem said: "I can't turn the clock back, I can't change things. But do I wish any of this outcome? No. "It's two lives ruined and many others as well, probably." In recordings of police interviews previously played to jurors, Naseem said he did think about calling for help but then thought, 'Well, what the hell's going to happen next? I can't see anything positive coming out of any of this'." He previously denied being responsible for the "repeated and prolonged attack", telling officers: "It's not me, I'm not that person. "I don't remember hitting her, I don't remember strangling her." During cross-examination, prosecutor Christopher Tehrani dismissed his evidence as "nonsense" and "a pack of lies". He suggested Naseem became angry with Ms Abbotts and carried out the "brutal" and "savage" attack. Mr Tehrani added: "You carried on relentlessly and you bludgeoned her to death." The trial continues. C hristmas shoppers could have their faces scanned in central London in a trial run of controversial new identification technology. Scotland Yard is testing their new Live Facial Recognition cameras in Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square on Monday and Tuesday. The cameras pick out faces from crowds and cross reference them with a database of individuals on a police watch list. Officers then compare the camera image with the watch list image and make a decision as to whether to stop and speak to the individual. The watch list contains people who have been taken into police custody before. Police said the trials are well publicised with posters and claimed anyone who declines to be scanned will not be viewed as suspicious by police officers". But Liberty human rights organisation spoke out against the trials and said officers on the ground are treating anyone who avoids the cameras as suspicious. The campaign group also took a photo of the van used by police today for the trials and tweeted it criticising the lack of advertisement by the Met that the public were being watched. Hannah Couchman, Policy and Campaigns Officer at Liberty told the Standard: The police have tried to suggest the rollout of this invasive technology is an open and transparent trial. We have witnessed the opposite. The use of unmarked vans and false assertions in the limited public statements available shows the police have no intention of gaining the publics consent to roll out this mass surveillance technology that undermines our rights to privacy and freedom of association. It has no place on our streets. Another campaign group Big Brother Watch claimed that of the Mets trials since May, 98 per cent of the matches made were inaccurate and named an innocent member of the public as a suspect. The success of the cameras will be analysed at the end of the year to determine whether the technology will help officers tackle crime in London. The Met insists the system will only keep recordings of the faces that match wanted suspects. Police said one man was arrested after being positively identified by the flagging system. A teenage girl and two men have been jailed after they poured ammonia down a young mans throat in a revenge attack in east London. The trio were convicted on Monday after a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday. Makayla Hajaig, 19, William Deo, 20 and Adam Badejo, 30, and a 30-year-old man had been found guilty of orchestrating the awful attack on two men in Ilford. The court heard how on June 13 this year, teenager Hajaig lured the victims two men - to a home by asking them to come and make a music video for her. Makayla Hajaig, 19, has been convicted along with William Deo and Adam Badejo / Metropolitan Police Once there, the victims were ambushed, the court was told. The attackers poured corrosive ammonia down the man's throat and splashed it over the woman's face. It is believed the motive for the cruel attack was because the pair had previously worked with another man on a music video but had failed to pay him. Officers said the man who had the noxious liquid forced down his throat was put into an induced coma afterward and remained in hospital for three weeks. He has since made a full recovery. Adam Badejo, 30, was found guilty of two counts of throwing a corrosive substance, two counts of robbery, one count of causing grievous bodily harm and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. / Metropolitan Police During the trios trial, the court heard Hajaig had set up a fake identity, arranged the meeting and made enquiries about the dangerous high strength ammonia. Elaine Cousins, of CPS London North, said: "This was a particularly brutal attack involving ammonia being poured down the throat of one victim and splashed in the face of another. William Deo, of Hampsire, was convicted of two counts of throwing a corrosive substance, two counts of robbery, one count of causing grievous bodily harm and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. / Metropolitan Police "The CPS proved its case against each person based on the overwhelming evidence that they each played a role in this ambush, knowing corrosive ammonia would be used. "Their victims were extremely lucky not to have suffered even more serious injuries and we hope todays verdicts will bring them some sense of justice." P olice descended on a west London station this afternoon after gunshots were reportedly fired towards a vehicle. Two groups of youths are thought to have been involved in a confrontation outside Isleworth station shortly before 3pm on Monday. Shots were reportedly fired as one group attempted to drive away. After the incident a large number of police officers descended on the scene and surrounding roads were cordoned off. Trains did not stop at the station for several hours as an investigation was carried out. The Met Police tweeted that a police dog located a knife as officers combed the scene for evidence. A spokesman added: Police were called at 2.54pm on Monday to a report of shots fired towards a vehicle near Isleworth railway station in London Road, Isleworth. No one is believed to have been injured. A 21-year-old man has admitted killing his former partner in a knife attack outside her home. Janbaz Tarin pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to the murder of his ex wife and her mother in Solihull, West Midlands. He admitted murdering Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem outside Mrs Saleem's home in Northdown Road, Solihull, West Midlands, shortly after midnight on August 27. Tarin, of Evelyn Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham, had armed himself with a knife after a public row with Ms Oudeh, who was his wife under Islamic law, before driving to the scene and launching his attack. Victims: Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem / PA He later fled, leading police on a three-day manhunt before his dramatic capture by officers. It emerged Ms Oudeh had dumped her husband in the weeks before his attack after learning he had a secret wife and children back in the Middle East. Jilted Tarin met his wife at college in Solihull and had also lied about how young he was to Ms Oudeh, before marrying her. He was abusive towards her in the relationship, but when she discovered his web of deceit Ms Oudeh dumped him. Mr Tarin repeatedly hassled his ex-partner and the victim had recently secured a non-molestation order against Mr Tarin. A photo handed out by West Midlands Police of murder suspect Janbaz Tarin / EPA He flouted that court order and, in the hours leading up to the assault, Ms Oudeh made three calls to police. She was on the phone to a 999 call handler when Mr Tarin struck. But Mr Tarin repeatedly harassed his ex-partner, sleeping outside Mrs Saleem's address for 12 consecutive nights. Ms Oudeh had secured a non-molestation order against him after he smashed her phone on August 10. But he flouted the ban and in the hours leading up to the assault Ms Oudeh made three calls to police. Janbaz Tarin in a chicken shop while he was on the run after killing his wife Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem / PA She was on the phone to a 999 call handler when Mr Tarin struck. In the weeks before her murder, Ms Oudeh told family members he had threatened her, saying "if you leave me, I will kill you and your family". With the help of her mother, Ms Oudeh, who had a two-year-old son from another relationship, secured the court order two weeks before her death. On the night of August 26, Mr Tarin followed his victims to a shisha lounge. There was a confrontation involving the three inside the lounge and Mr Tarin was ejected by staff after being heard making threats to kill his estranged wife. Mohamed Saleem (second right) husband and step-father to the victims, arrives at Birmingham Crown Court / PA He left the scene, armed himself with a knife and drove to Mrs Saleem's home where he violently attacked mother and daughter outside their front door. He was captured on CCTV fleeing on foot and hid from police for three days, triggering a huge manhunt by West Midlands Police. A tip-off by a member of the public led to his capture, although a criminal investigation is continuing into those who may have assisted Mr Tarin in evading justice. Ms Oudeh was only in the UK having fled the war in Syria and to be reunited with her mother and stepfather, who had lived in Solihull for 16 years. He will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on a date to be fixed. A man who stabbed to death his ex and her mother in the street has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years Janbaz Tarin, 21, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court after admitting the double murder of his wife and her mother in the frenzied attack. He killed Raneem Oudeh, 22, and Khaola Saleem outside Mrs Saleem's home in Solihull, West Midlands, shortly after midnight on August 27. Tarin, from Birmingham, had armed himself with a knife after a public row with Ms Oudeh, who was his wife under Islamic law, before driving to the scene and launching his attack. Jailed: Janbaz Tarin / Facebook He later fled, leading police on a three-day manhunt before his dramatic capture by officers. It emerged Ms Oudeh had dumped her husband in the weeks before his attack after learning he had a secret wife and children back in the Middle East. Jilted Tarin, who met Ms Oudeh at college in Solihull, was abusive towards her in the relationship but when she dumped him after discovering his web of deceit. He was handed 32 years in jail / EPA However Tarin repeatedly harassed his ex-partner, sleeping outside Mrs Saleem's address for 12 consecutive nights while Ms Oudeh told family members he had threatened her, saying "if you leave me, I will kill you and your family". With the help of her mother, Ms Oudeh, who had a two-year-old son from another relationship, secured non-molestation order after he smashed her phone two weeks before her death. He flouted that court order and, in the hours leading up to the assault, she made three calls to police. She was on the phone to a 999 call handler when he struck. Mohamed Saleem (second right) husband and step-father to the victims, at Birmingham Crown Court / PA On the night of August 26, Tarin followed his victims to a shisha lounge. There was a confrontation involving the three inside the lounge and Tarin was ejected by staff after being heard making threats to kill his estranged wife. He left the scene, armed himself with a knife and drove to Mrs Saleem's home in Northdown Road where he violently attacked mother and daughter outside their front door. Janbaz Tarin in a chicken shop while he was on the run after killing his wife Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem / PA He was captured on CCTV fleeing on foot and hid from police for three days, triggering a huge manhunt by West Midlands Police. A tip-off by a member of the public led to his capture although a criminal investigation is continuing into those who may have assisted Tarin in evading justice. S enior Met police officers travelled to New York last month to see how the NYPD tackles serious gang violence, the Standard can reveal. Representatives from Scotland Yard as well as City Hall flew to America for five days to observe the work of the New York Police Department, as the Met fights a violent crime epidemic in the capital. During their trip the group saw the NYPDs high-tech crime-fighting tools, innovations in justice and alternatives to jailing offenders. The visit came after Sadiq Khan announced a major policy shift to adopt a public health approach to stop the wave of knife killings in London. The Mayor is setting up a specialist Violence Reduction Unit to tackle gangs and help teenagers escape crime. During the US visit, from November 6 to 10, Londons deputy mayor for policing Sophie Linden met senior NYPD officials. She was accompanied by a member of the Mets digital policing team and two officers involved in tackling violence. Rebecca Lawrence, chief executive of the Mayors Office of Policing and Crime, was on the trip too. Met Commissioner Cressida Dick and Sadiq Khan / PA Met Commissioner Cressida Dick, who visited the NYPD on her first official trip after being appointed last year, told a meeting of the London Councils group this week: When you talk to New York, my goodness theyve really got some of their things going, you know ... razzmatazz with the public in the last couple of years that wasnt there before. People are really engaged with programmes who wouldnt have been before. The envoys visited NYPDs Real Time Crime Centre where teams of investigators dig through social media profiles after a crime is committed looking for clues and evidence. Their work has tracked down suspects in murder cases involving gangs in the Bronx and bank robbers in Manhattan. The London team also visited a youth centre, a gun violence prevention programme and an initiative that places young offenders in residential facilities near their homes as opposed to prisons hundreds of miles away. Statistics early this year suggested the murder rate in London had overtaken New York for the first time in modern history, although the latest figures show the number of murders in New York is now double that of London. The capital has seen at least 127 homicides, which includes murder and manslaughter cases, with 72 fatal stabbings and 14 shootings among them. Knife crime in London has risen to its highest-ever level, with nearly 15,000 offences during the past year. Earlier this year former New York police chief Bill Bratton told the Standard the Met had fallen behind the NYPD in law-enforcement technology. A teenager born in Bangladesh who lives in an East End council flat will follow in the footsteps of Princes William and Harry after winning a place at Eton. Maheraj Ahmed, 15, will take his place in the hallowed halls of Britains most famous school on a 76,000 scholarship next September. Maheraj, who goes to Cumberland School in Plaistow, will join the sixth form at Eton to study for A-levels in history, chemistry, biology and physics next September, after coming through a three-day assessment at the Berkshire school which included three entrance exams, seven interviews and a public debate. He shares a three-bedroom flat in Barkingside with his father Sharif Uddin, mother Rani Begum, and a younger sister and brother. He said: People would not think that I would have much in common with the boys at Eton but I did not find them stuck up at all, they just want to do well in life, that is all I want. The only difference is my motivation is maybe stronger than theirs. My family and I have had a hard life. Going to Eton will give me a chance to make our lives better. "I did not find the boys stuck up at all, they just want to do well in life that is all I want" The family left Bangladesh in 2007 to escape civil unrest. Maheraj said: East London is a tough place to grow up. There are lots of problems here. My mum will not let me go out after dark because of the social problems we have here. We have had to move around a lot, to different parts of London, sometimes a long way from my school, which means a lot of travelling. Maheraj Ahmed will take his place at Eton College next September / Olaf Protze He added: I do feel very grateful to this country for allowing my family and I to come here. I want to repay that by becoming a hard-working member of society who can contribute in a positive way. I want to study medicine, hopefully at Oxford or Cambridge, and become a heart surgeon. I want to give something back. Maheraj, whose parents do not have jobs, was mentored throughout the application process by his headteacher, Simon Elliott. Maheraj said: The second I knew I had been accepted by Eton I knew my life had changed beyond all recognition. What Mr Elliott and my school have done can never really be repaid. I cant imagine any school in the East End or any state school where you have your own mentor, who works with you every day, who pushes you and is willing you to succeed. Every time I feel tired, I think of how much Mr Elliott has helped me. I did not want to let him down. A businessman claims he was beaten with a piece of wood on a factory floor in the midst of a 10 million row which has torn his wealthy family apart, the High Court heard. Company boss Tanju Yusuf, 51, insists he is entitled to keep the entire fortune left to him when his furniture tycoon father Joe died in 2014. But Mr Yusufs mother Sue, who uses a wheelchair, and architect sister Askin are demanding half a property portfolio which they value at 10 million. It is claimed the feud descended into violence a few months before Joes death, in a confrontation at the familys factory in Leyton between Mr Yusuf and his sisters husband, Arif Ozerin, 50. Tanju Yusuf's mother Sue and sister Askin Ozerin / Champion News Mr Yusufs barrister, Hefin Rees QC, accused Mr Ozerin of beating Tanju with a piece of factory wood after a telephone conversation between the siblings. You came at him and hit him several times He was assaulted in plain sight of the entire staff, he said. Mr Ozerin, an architect, denied being a violent man and told the court he had grabbed the wood after Mr Yusuf had repeatedly shouted at his wife. He was deliberately trying to wind me up I tried to warn Tanju to stop abusing my wife in front of the workers, he said. I just grabbed a piece of wood from behind me. I tried to hit him, but I didnt get a clean shot. He added that they had previously been like brothers. The court heard Joe moved with Sue to London from Cyprus in the Sixties, and set up a furniture manufacturing and property development empire. When Joe died, his business, Pekalp of London, was booming and his properties in Cyprus were sold for 5 million. But the court heard that Joe and Sues divorce in 2012 had created rifts in the family. Mr Yusuf now holds 75 per cent of the business, and his sister 25 per cent. He received his mothers 25 per cent share in 2009, but she claims her signature was forged. Sue argues that she helped to set up the business and, backed by her daughter, is fighting for the shares to be transferred back and for the court to wind up the property business and divide up the assets. Mr Yusuf, who values the property at 2.6 million, said his mothers signature is genuine and argues that she was merely holding the shares on trust for him. D owning Street sees plenty of famous faces, but on Thursday staff were beside themselves when Idris Elba, star of Luther and The Wire, showed up to talk to them about work. Elba was visiting No 10 with the British Film Institute as part of an ongoing series of events inviting professionals to share their expertise and personal experiences of climbing the career ladder. And he pulled no punches given the current political climate, emphasising the importance of the UK as a melting pot of culture and diversity. He said: Talent is everywhere but opportunity isnt. No 10 describes the session as lively. Staff and film graduates asked Elba a range of questions about politics and film. The actor, whose directorial debut Yardie was released earlier this year, told them: London in particular is known throughout the world for being a truly diverse city. Theresa May wasnt there to watch Elba talk she was in Brussels arguing with Jean-Claude Juncker over whether hed called her nebulous. But perhaps this was a blessing. Elba went on to pose for photos outside Downing Street with the We Are All Windrush campaign, which celebrates the Windrush generation. It was as Home Secretary that May introduced and fiercely defended the hostile environment policy blamed for the Windrush scandal. Elba went on to say that he loved his job, but my success means absolutely nothing unless I use my influence to create opportunities for the next generation of young people. Later he was photographed outside Downing Street alongside Aml Ameen, who starred in his film Yardie, and Ameens father. After they left Ameen filmed a video and asked his father what he made of No 10. Its not bad, Ameen Snr teased. Its OK. I dont see what the fuss all about. Facebook wave A toast farewell: Miriam Gonzalez Durantez and Nick Clegg (Photo: Dave Benett/ Getty Images) Nick Cleggs leaving party was at the Conduit in Mayfair on Friday, as the former deputy PM and his wife, the lawyer Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, celebrated his departure to Facebook in Silicon Valley. Attendees have blurred memories of the boozy, superb evening, which went on until the wee hours, and tell us that both Nick and Miriam made great speeches and there was a great turnout. David Cameron wasnt among the crowds, which comprised of a whos who of who was anyone in the Lib-Dems between 2007 and 2015. How thrilling. Will they all stay Facebook friends? -- Chuka Umunna, Labour MP and Peoples Vote champion, posted a photograph of his little girl enthusiastically embracing the Christmas tree on Instagram with the caption: Sorry Dad, Id rather hug the Christmas tree than listen to you banging on about Brexit yet again. We are all Umunnas daughter. -- Difficult feminist Germaine Greer recalls a memorable Q&A in Sydney. An audience member asked her why humans behaved like animals. Greer explained, frankly, that it was because we are animals. Julie Bishop, then Australian minister for foreign affairs, replied: I dont think Im an animal. So what are you? Greer barked. Vegetable? Mineral? Disarming tosh Chris Bryant MP addresses the red lines in the Commons not Theresa Mays, but the bands along the carpet in front of opposing benches. The idea that they are greater than two swords lengths apart so that we couldnt draw our swords and kill one another is, he says, complete and utter tosh invented by the Victorians. By the time the chamber was razed by fire in 1834, you hadnt been allowed to carry a sword into the chamber for 250 years. Speaking on Monocle Radios Meet the Writers, he called the story British mythmaking. Also a fitting epitaph for the current Brexit debate. -- Presenter Fiona Bruce was at the Emeralds and Ivy Ball on Saturday night. It may well be one of her last big nights out for a while before her new job replacing David Dimbleby as the host of Question Time starts early next year. The new Dimbleby: Fiona Bruce on Saturday night. (Photo: Dave Benett/ Getty Images) SW1A Unusually, it is a sweet little anecdote that reaches us from No 10. Sources say that during a particularly frenetic day recently, Theresa May froze and announced to aides: Were going to have to stop. Why? I have to make Philip his lunch. -- Hilary Benns first memory of the House of Commons was of a man sitting on the government front bench with legs that didnt quite touch the ground. He told Nick Robinsons Political Thinking that he inquired of his father, Tony Benn, the Labour MP, who the man was. That, his father replied, is Winston Churchill. A family affair: Hilary Benn's father, the late Tony Benn (right), chats to then-Labour leader Michael Foot in the Commons in 1980. / Getty Images -- Brexiteer Nadine Dorries lavishes praise on Amber Rudd, a party Remainer, saying that though they are on opposite sides of the fence she holds her in high esteem: her integrity is unquestionable. But Dorries cant resist a sting, adding that Rudd is a world apart from Soubry. That is fellow Tory Anna Soubry, Dorriess arch nemesis. Quote of the Day Tom Tugendhat MP (Photo: Parliament) Its not about being politically correct, its about being historically correct -- Tom Tugendhat MP supports having a BAME figure on the new 50 note Longleat weekend for the Vogue set Viscountess Weymouth hosted an alternative Vogue Christmas party this weekend, a few days away for a clutch of the magazines staffers including its editor Edward Enninful at Longleat Park, the family estate in Wiltshire. Giles Hattersley, British Vogues features editor, posted a snap of the fashionable set that included Daniel Lismore; Ceawlin, Viscount Weymouth; Gianluca Longo and Liza Bruce posing on an elaborate staircase beneath paintings of ancestors from centuries past. Wellies were donned as the Viscountess took her guests on a trip around Longleats safari park. Enninful fed a giraffe broccoli as Hattersley guffawed in adulation at the long-necked beauties. T wo Cabinet ministers today piled pressure on Theresa May to give MPs an early vote on her Brexit deal. Greg Clark and Amber Rudd called on the Prime Minister to allow Parliament to choose how Britain leaves the European Union, or if it should at all. Sources revealed Mrs May is ready to bring forward the Commons vote on the withdrawal agreement she struck with Brussels to early January. Downing Street originally said the vote would be January 21 at the latest, but government sources later suggested January 14. The earliest it could be held is January 7, when the House comes back from its Christmas break. Business Secretary Mr Clark said on Sky News: Now is the time to establish what would pass through Parliament so we can provide that certainty thats needed. Business Secretary Greg Clark / Getty Images Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd told reporters as she set off for work that she, like Mr Clark, gave Mrs Mays deal her full support, but if it was vetoed by MPs there should be a series of votes on every option, including a second referendum. Amber Rudd called on the Prime Minister to allow Parliament to choose how Britain leaves the European Union, or if it should at all / AFP/Getty Images We need to find out where the will of Parliament is, where the majority of MPs will vote in Parliament, said Ms Rudd. Nothing should be off the table. We should consider all options. A third senior minister, Solicitor General Robert Buckland, also came out for allowing the Commons to vote something that Mrs May has fiercely resisted. I think if all the parties agreed to it then its something that might well work, he said. Yesterday, Education Secretary Damian Hinds and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox both voiced support for parliamentary votes on all the Brexit options if Mrs Mays deal could not get through the Commons. The Prime Minister was due to strongly condemn calls for a second Brexit referendum in a statement this afternoon. In a bind: Theresa May (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) / Getty Images A new threat to Mrs Mays dogged attempts to defend her deal emerged today. Labour party sources suggested a confidence vote could be sprung within days in an attempt to topple the Government in its disarray. Several shadow Cabinet ministers, including deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, are pushing for this option in order to prevent her from dictating the pace of events in Parliament. In addition, Labour was looking for opportunities to force an emergency vote this week on the Brexit blueprint. Brexit: The week ahead In a sign of the tensions at the heart of Government, Justice Secretary David Gauke signalled he would quit the Government if it pursued a no-deal Brexit. In an interview with the Financial Times he said: I couldnt support a conscious decision to crash out at the end of March and I dont think there are many who could. Former universities minister Sam Gyimah, who wants a vote on Mrs Mays deal as soon as possible, told the Evening Standard: We have to level with Parliament and the public about the choices that we face. Delaying the vote and running down the clock is reckless because its the British peoples future which is at stake. With just 15 weeks to go until the UK is due to leave the EU, the pressure is on for Theresa May to secure support for her Brexit deal. Despite calls for a second referendum to be held by Remain campaigners, Theresa May has ruled out any chance of another vote, arguing it would break faith with the British people. Tory Brexiteers are hoping to force a vote before Parliaments Christmas recess begins on Thursday, although its not yet sure how likely this is. The Prime Minister is expected to warn MPs: Another vote, which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver. Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last. Despite Theresa Mays firm stance on a second referendum, some, including former prime minister Tony Blair, have suggested another vote could be the only way out of the current mess. "Parliament's gridlocked, Parliament can't decide and therefore we've got to go back to the British people to decide," he said. Heres what you need to know about whether a second referendum might happen and how it would go ahead. Why have people called for a second referendum? Democracy in action: the Government is under pressure to call another referendum / EPA Second vote campaigners say it is important to put the Governments Brexit deal before the country in a public vote so people can decide if the decision makes the country better or worse off. You wouldnt sign a bill without checking it first, so why should the Brexit deal be any different?, says the Peoples Vote campaign. The argument is that people deserve a final say on the Brexit deal, whichever way they voted in the 2016 referendum. It is felt that a lot has changed since the first referendum, with misinformation and myths now exposed, according to the Independents Final Say campaign. Leading politicians including David Lammy are also campaigning for Remain to be in option in any new referendum to ensure a democratic vote. How likely is a second referendum? A second referendum would need a significant amount of support from MPs, the majority of whom are currently at odds. Many Remainer MPs want to try and secure the best deal whilst respecting the will of the people, but others say that while the public may have voted to leave the EU, the terms of which were not at any cost. If Theresa Mays deal is rejected, Labour is hoping to push a general election. If that fails, the party has not ruled out supporting another referendum. Tony Blair: Brexit is man-made and can be unmade by man What are the odds of a second referendum happening? William Hill was the first bookie to give a second referendum a greater than 50 per cent chance of going ahead. The bookmakers are offering 8/11 on another EU vote with a 54 per cent chance of it being held in the next two years. The referendum will need Conservative backing to get through Parliament. What might a second vote look like? MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. / PA A mostly Labour-led campaign, spearheaded by the likes of Chuka Umunna, have been calling for a Peoples Vote. Labour MPs were initially conflicted over what this vote would look like, with shadow chancellor John McDonnell insisting it would only be on the terms of the Brexit deal without an option to stay in the EU. Its likely that another vote would ask the public if they want to accept or reject the final Brexit deal, in favour of either remaining or sticking with a no-deal scenario. Is there enough time? A referendum would require legislation that could take months to finalise and get through both the House of Commons and House of Lords. It took seven months before Parliament signed off on the previous legislation which resulted in the 2016 referendum. The process would be even more time consuming if MPs wanted multiple options on the ballot paper, as opposed to a choice between Leave and Remain. However, a report into a second referendum by the Peoples Vote group argues it could be possible to condense elements of the process. All in all, its expected to approve another vote would take at least 11 weeks. Who would win? There's been a small movement towards Remain since 2016 referendum, although there is no guarantee that Remain would win. T heresa May suffered a new blow today as the European Commission said it is not planning any more meetings on her demands to clarify the Northern Ireland backstop. A spokesman in Brussels said the Brexit deal on the table would not be changed and went further by saying there were no more talks in the pipeline. The EU Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage so no further meetings with the UK are foreseen, the spokesman said. The statement came as Downing Street said officials were continuing to work to get the clarifications that the Prime Minister requested at a summit last week. Document gaffe: Brexit adviser Olly Robbins arrives in Downing Street today, accidentally letting photographers see a portion of the text of his notes on the negotiations / Steve Back Mrs May was seeking a legally enforceable escape route from the backstop, which as it stands would require Northern Ireland to obey EU rules indefinitely until a new trade deal is reached to prevent a hard border. There was more embarrassment this morning when the PMs top adviser on Brexit, Olly Robbins, was photographed outside No 10 with documents relating to the negotiations clearly visible. Greg Clark and Amber Rudd called on the Prime Minister to allow Parliament to choose how Britain leaves the European Union, or if it should at all. Amber Rudd called on the Prime Minister to allow Parliament to choose how Britain leaves the European Union, or if it should at all / AFP/Getty Images Sources revealed Mrs May is ready to bring forward the Commons vote on the withdrawal agreement she struck with Brussels to early January. Downing Street originally said the vote would be January 21 at the latest, but government sources later suggested January 14. The earliest it could be held is January 7, when the House comes back from its Christmas break. Mrs May postponed the vote, which was meant to take place last Tuesday, amid fierce criticism of the deal. Business Secretary Mr Clark said on Sky News: Now is the time to establish what would pass through Parliament so we can provide that certainty thats needed. Call for new vote: Business Secretary Greg Clark / Getty Images Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd told reporters as she set off for work that she, like Mr Clark, gave Mrs Mays deal her full support, but if it was vetoed by MPs there should be a series of votes on every option, including a second referendum. We need to find out where the will of Parliament is, said Ms Rudd. Nothing should be off the table. We should consider all options. A third senior minister, Solicitor General Robert Buckland, came out for allowing the Commons to vote which Mrs May has fiercely resisted. Yesterday, Education Secretary Damian Hinds and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox both voiced support for a parliamentary vote if Mrs Mays deal could not get through the Commons. The Prime Minister was due to strongly condemn calls for a second referendum in a statement this afternoon. However, No 10 refused to rule out the idea of Parliament staging an indicative vote to reveal the levels of support for different Brexit options. There are no plans for one, was all the PMs official spokesman said. In addition, Labour was looking for opportunities to force an emergency vote this week on the Brexit blueprint. W arning signs over the Windrush scandal may have been missed because ministers' "minds were elsewhere", the Home Office's top civil servant has said. Sir Philip Rutnam told MPs his review of the scandal showed there had been recognition of risks in "some elements" of policies designed to tackle illegal immigration. He said: "There was some awareness, but how is it possible that this was lost sight of, as significant a fact as it clearly is? "I'm afraid I don't know. I think that probably people's minds were elsewhere." Windrush generation arrive in Britain 1 /14 Windrush generation arrive in Britain Some of the pioneering Windrush generation arrive at Tilbury Docks, from Jamaica Getty Images The journey to the UK cost 28 Getty Images They arrived on June 22, 1948 Getty Images The ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' arriving at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Jamaicans on board, emigrating to Britain SSPL via Getty Images The group were the first of the Windrush generation to emigrate to Britain Getty Images Arrivals scrutinise a map of the London Underground Getty Images The Windrush generation helped to rebuild post-war Britain Getty Images Members of the 55 Independent Squadron wait to board the Empire Windrush at Southampton, to fight in the Korean War Getty Images A black man walks past graffiti stating 'Powell For PM', referring to Enoch Powell who caused controversy with his outspoken attitude to black immigration and racial integration Getty Images Three Jamaicans (left to right) John Hazel, a 21-year-old boxer, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, a 22-year-old carpenter, arriving at Tilbury Docks Getty Images Nearly 1000 West Indian immigrants arrive in three boats trains at Waterloo Station. Many brought with them packing cases containing treasured possessions, 15th October 1961 Mirrorpix/Getty Images West Indian immigrants arriving in the United Kingdom, 19th May 1962 Mirrorpix/Getty Images Nearly 1000 West Indian immigrants arrive in three boats trains at Waterloo Station. Many brought with them packing cases containing treasured possessions, 15th October 1961 Mirrorpix/Getty Images 27th May 1956: Immigrants to Britain from the West Indies queuing up on arrival at Southampton holding documents Getty Images Asked who he was referring to, the Home Office permanent secretary added: "The relevant decision-makers, both ministers and officials." His remarks to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) came after a report from the National Audit Office found the Home Office was aware of "credible information" about possible issues as long as four years ago. Ministers faced a furious backlash over the treatment of members of the Windrush generation, named after a ship that brought migrants to Britain from the Caribbean in 1948. Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 were automatically granted indefinite leave to remain but many were not issued with any documents confirming their status. Windrush scandal is consequence of governments hostility and not just an admin error, Sadiq Khan claims A public outcry erupted after it emerged that long-term UK residents were denied access to services, held in detention or removed despite living legally in the country for decades. The PAC heard from Vernon Vanriel, who came to the UK from Jamaica as a boy in 1962. He said he was unable to return to the UK after he visited Jamaica in 2005. "I tried to get back after two years but was told I couldn't get back," he said. "I always considered myself as British. When I was refused entry in 2007, it just blew my world apart. "To find that I was refused entry to the country that I grew up in, and that I loved so dearly, was just mind-blowing to me." Mr Vanriel, 63, finally came back to Britain earlier this year. Sir Philip apologised to Mr Vanriel, telling the committee he was "absolutely appalled" to hear his account. He added: "As I have been appalled by reading and hearing other accounts of people who have been let down so badly. In my 30-odd years of public service, I've never seen an episode like this." Figures published by the Home Office on Monday show it has spent more than 6million so far on its response to Windrush. Officials have now traced 124 out of 164 people identified in a review of historical removals and detentions. Efforts to make contact with the remaining 40 are continuing. A 21-year-old man has died after falling from the UKs highest mountain. The man was climbing 4,411ft high Ben Nevis in Scotland with a fellow climber from Cardiff University Mountaineering Club. Police said the pair were in the Tower Gully area of the mountain on Sunday afternoon when they began to scale a cornice - an overhanging ledge of snow - about 1,600 ft high. The cornice collapsed on the two men. The 21-year-old later died in hospital while the other, also in his 20s, survived suffering broken bones. Donald Paterson, deputy leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, told The Telegraph:"It just collapsed on them as they came through the cornice. The snow was not enough to bury them but large enough to carry them down the mountain. "They must have fallen 1,640ft - one walks away with a few cracked ribs, and the other sadly loses his life." He added: "They were both sat in the snow when we found them. The one chap had suffered a very serious head injury. His climbing partner had raised the alarm by mobile phone. "CPR was administered in the helicopter to the badly injured lad, but sadly he could not be saved. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends over this tragic loss of a young life." It was the third mountain death in the Highlands within four weeks. T heresa May will today hit back at calls for a second Brexit referendum claiming such a move would send a message to millions of voters that democracy does not deliver. The Prime Minister will use an address to the Commons on Monday to say that another national poll on EU withdrawal will do "irreparable damage" to the integrity of British politics. Mrs May is expected to say: "Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum. "Another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy, that our democracy does not deliver. "Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last. And another vote which would further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it." It comes as Mrs May faced calls from Cabinet allies to demands that she puts Brexit in the hands of the Commons and allow MPs a series of votes on alternative options to her deal. Theresa May will hit out at calls for a new Brexit referendum on Monday / AFP/Getty Images On Sunday, Liam Fox, the trade secretary, and Damian Hinds, the education secretary, publicly backed plans for a string of indicative votes for MPs on alternatives to her Brexit deal. The votes would be non-binding and give MPs from all parties a say on options such as the "Norway plus" model and a no-deal Brexit. Mrs May is set to address MPs in the wake of a bruising EU summit in Brussels last week during which European leaders largely rebuffed the PM's calls for reassurances on her Withdrawal Agreement. The statement to Parliament will follow days of speculation that some Cabinet Ministers and key aides to the PM are manoeuvring for a fresh Brexit poll. Mrs May's de facto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and the PM's chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, both dismissed reports they are planning for a new referendum. TODO: define component type apester The Prime Minister also became embroiled in a highly personalised war of words with one of her predecessors, Tony Blair, over his calls for a fresh Brexit vote. Mrs May accused the ex-Labour PM of insulting the British people, and undermining Brexit negotiations, with calls for a new referendum. Mr Blair hit back by saying that Mrs May's stance was "irresponsible". Theresa May hit out at Mr Blair, accusing him of "undermining" Brexit talks / PA Labour former foreign secretary, and prominent People's Vote campaign supporter, Dame Margaret Beckett, said the case for a new Brexit poll was "becoming overwhelming". Dame Margaret said: "It is highly significant that Downing Street felt it had to issue these advance extracts of her statement to the House of Commons on Sunday night, because officials know the prospect of a People's Vote is being discussed not just in Westminster but in the corridors of Whitehall too. "The case for the public being given the final say is becoming so overwhelming that people from all parties and of none now recognise that this is the best way forward for our country. "A new public vote would be different from the referendum in 2016 because we now know more about what Brexit means. "It is vital that leaders who care about the national interest begin preparations for a People's Vote that can sort out the Brexit mess, give our politics the clarity it needs to move forward and our country the opportunity to move on from the bitter divisions of the past three years." Business Secretary Greg Clark: Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with if MPs vote down Brexit deal Parliament should be "invited to say what it would agree with" if MPs vote down the Prime Minister's Brexit deal, Business Secretary Greg Clark has said. Asked whether he was tempted to give MPs a range of options to vote on, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think, obviously, it's important once the Prime Minister has finished her negotiations with other European leaders and the Commission that Parliament votes on that. "If that were not to be successful, we do need to have agreement - we can't just have continuing uncertainty and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with, and that's something that I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics." A British Airways pilot hoping to inspire more women to take on the role says she realised her dream of flying passenger jets only after ignoring teachers advice to get an office job. First Officer Hannah Vaughan battled to get information on flying during careers advice at school in Derbyshire, where she was told working in an office was a realistic prospect. But her persistence paid off when she won a place on BAs cadet programme. The airline covered the 100,000 cost of her two-year training and the 27-year-old, of Kingston-upon-Thames, now flies Airbus A320s across Europe. She hopes to become one of the industrys very few female captains. Ms Vaughan was speaking as BA launched a drive to recruit more female pilots ahead of its centenary in 2019. Of its 4,300 pilots, 300 are women nearly double the industry average, at 7 per cent. Ms Vaughan said: I dreamed of being a pilot. The most difficult part was finding a route into it. When I was 16, my dad took me to an air show and he donated to the Royal Air Force benevolent fund so I could get work experience with the RAF. When I brought the paperwork to school, they had already organised me something at an office. I said, I dont want to do that. I went to the RAF for a week and loved it. Ms Vaughan had hoped to train with the RAF then retire to join an airline, but she missed out on a trainee post. However, her mother Alison saw an advert for BAs Future Pilots Cadet Programme offering sponsorship. After her training, including eight months in New Zealand, she said: Mum, Dad and my sister all booked on my first BA passenger flight to Geneva it was nerve-wracking. I ncreased BAME and female representation has been reported in the music industry, according to a new survey but experts say more work still needs to be done. UK Musics 2018 Music Industry Workforce Diversity Survey revealed that the number of young women working in the music industry has risen by ten per cent in two years. The survey from almost 3,000 music industry workers also found that BAME representation was up from 15.6 per cent in 2016 to 17.8 per cent in 2018. But the survey did reveal that there is a lower representation of females aged 35 and above compared to younger age groups, and that despite rising, BAME representation among workers aged 45 to 65 is still below the 12.8 per cent BAME total representation for the UK population as a whole. The winners of last year's Music Week Women in Music Awards / UK Music The umbrella body, representing the UKs commercial music industry, collated data from across the music business, focussing on sex and ethnicity. It found that the proportion of women in the music industry rose from 45.3 per cent in 2016 to 49.1 per cent in 2018, while the percentage of young women (aged 16 to 24) in the industry was up from 54.6 per cent in 2016 to 65.3 per cent in 2018. The survey also revealed that BAME representation among young workers rose from 20.2 per cent to 25.9 per cent, with representation among apprentices up ten per cent to 35.2 per cent. It aims to track progress to boost diversity and inclusion in the music industry that contributes 4.5 billion a year to the UK economy. Launched in 2016, it is the second time that findings of the survey have been published. Keith Harris OBE chairs UK Music's Diversity Taskforce / UK Music The survey maps out several positive developments and ongoing challenges that UK Music will continue to track with future surveys in the years ahead. The surveys are carried out annually with the results published every two years. Keith Harris OBE, Chairman of UK Musics Diversity Taskforce and former Motown general manager, said: The survey remains an important tool in terms of making sure that some of the initiatives put in place across the industry are bearing fruit. Things are changing for the better. Progress has been slow but steady. We are continuing to keep our focus on ethnicity and sex as the most obvious indicators that things are changing, while remembering that diversity in the industry is about much more than that, with socio-economic background being among the important but often neglected areas which needs attention. Michael Dugher, UK Music CEO, said: Our industry is doing very well at the moment, but that doesnt mean that we can shy away from the more difficult challenges we face. British music is a world-leading success story and one that we as a country should be very proud of. But I want us to be equally proud of our diversity as an industry. Whilst we can welcome some very real and significant improvements, we still have much more work to do. Just imagine how much more successful our industry could be in the future, if we could only deepen the well from which we draw our talent? Jeremy Wright, Culture Secretary, said: Everyone, regardless of their background, should have the opportunity to build a successful career in the music industry. A homeless charity has criticised a hotel after their booking to house homeless people over Christmas was apparently cancelled. Raise the Roof Homeless Project had booked 14 rooms at the Royal Hotel in Hull for two nights over the festive period. But Carl Simpson, who runs the charity, claims the 1,092 booking has been cancelled for no reason. The charity booked rooms at the citys Ibis hotel last year, but the venue did not have enough twin rooms available this year. The charity was hoping to keep 28 homeless people out of the cold over Christmas / Christopher Furlong/Getty Images In a Facebook post, he said: Absolutely gutted and very angry. We have been on the phone with the Royal Hotel Hull and they tell us that the 14 twin rooms we had booked for the homeless on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have been cancelled and money refunded. Bernard Sharp/Geograph Before we booked this hotel we informed them that we are a homeless project and what it was for and they were fine about it, so we paid 1092. I asked for a reason and was told there isn't one, I've asked for an email to be sent ASAP giving reason for this action so will update you when it arrives, but in my eyes this is nothing more than discrimination, especially after we were so open about what it was for. Our Christmas hotel campaign is now in serious doubt - being so close to Xmas we need a miracle. File photo: A homeless man sleeps in an under pass at London's Charing Cross station. / Getty Images Another problem we have is we have no idea how long it will take for the money being returned to our bank, making it impossible to book anywhere else even if we can find somewhere, and the closer we get to Christmas the more it will cost. Mr Simpson said he is waiting for an explanation because he was clear and open when he booked that the rooms would be used for the homeless. He is still waiting for the refund, which was issued on Saturday, to reach his bank account. Mr Simpson, who also owns a cafe in Hull, added: "I can't think of anything else apart from discrimination. This is just kicking people at their lowest, while they're down." "They've left us in a real fix. We had already told people and it had given them a lot of hope. Now we've got to tell them it's not going to happen. "Christmas is the lowest point of the year for the homeless, you see suicides increase. Last year we did not have any deaths in Hull." A manager at the Royal Hotel said there was no-one available to comment. C omedian Sanjeev Bhaskar and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig are among more than 200 people calling for an historic figure from a black and minority ethnic background to be the face of the new 50 note. Public nominations for a scientist to appear on the new polymer 50 closed on Friday. The final choice will be made by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney in 2019. In a letter to The Sunday Times, signed by more than 200 people, the campaign calls for the nominee to be a person of colour who reflects modern multicultural Britain. It is led by Stand Up director Zehra Zaidi and and Patrick Vernon OBE, director of Every Generation Media. Mary Seacole is among the suggestions of people of colour to be considered as the new face of the 50 note. / PA Archive/PA Images Ms Toksvig and Mr Bhaskars signatures are joined by Lord Victor Adebowale, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, and Trevor Sterling, chair of Mary Seacole Trust. Suggestions for the new face of the 50 note include Britains first Muslim war heroine Noor Inayat Khan or Crimean War nurse Mary Seacole. The letter reads: "Ethnic minority communities represent 14 per cent of the British population. "We do not lack candidates, and arguably their achievements were the greater for having been made at a time when many careers and were effectively closed to them, whether through colonial rules, racism, or the legacy of slavery. "However, no one from an ethnic minority has yet featured on a banknote." The group said putting a hero or heroine from an ethnic minority background on the new notes this would show that their contribution to Britain was "valued and recognised". It added: "Changing this would send a message that the contribution of ethnic minorities to Britain's history, culture and economy is recognised and valued. "What better representation of "global Britain" could there be?" In a release late last month, the Bank of England said it had received 174,112 nominations for the 50 portrait in less than four weeks. It included a list of more than 800 eligible nominees who included Alan Turing and Stephen Hawking. To be eligible, the individual must be real, deceased and have contributed to any field of science in the UK. P olice were called to a Waitrose supermarket after hardline vegans tried to stop customers buying Christmas turkeys. Eighteen campaigners formed a blockade in the meat aisle of the shop in Brighton, before officers were called to remove them. Grim-faced activists, holding signs with messages including its not food its violence and humane murder is a lie, were protesting against the festive carnage which sees millions of turkeys slaughtered across the country. It was organised by the Brighton branch of the Direct Action Everywhere group, and follows a similar protest in the same city last month in which a steakhouse was invaded as diners ate. A demonstration for turkeys was held on Sunday / DxE Brighton Police confirmed they were called to Waitrose in Western Road where they found 18 protesters, none of which were arrested. Officers removed protesters from the store 20 minutes after it began. A live broadcast of the latest protest, on Sunday afternoon, was published on the groups Facebook page and showed a protester saying: "This Christmas time, you might be worried about what presents to buy, how to organise family get-togethers. Police were called to a vegan protest in a Waitrose in Brighton / DxE Brighton The animals are facing carnage. Around 10 million turkeys are slaughtered this time of year, so that they can end up on your Christmas tables in the UK. They are loaded into trucks next to their friends, not knowing where they are heading. Theres no chance of escape. Turkeys are normally slaughtered between nine and 21 weeks old. They are just babies. Their natural lifespan is around 10 years. Speaking to the Standard, protest organiser Matthew McKeefry added: "During the holiday season were exposing the brutal reality of the UK turkey industry, at least 10 million individual turkeys are killed for the holiday season alone, each of these turkeys is an individual who wants to be with their families just like we do. Vegans protesting in Waitrose, Brighton / DxE Brighton "Were talking about peace and kindness but theres something thats going on that we need to expose, and thats the violence included in animal agriculture. Waitrose say they have a high standard of welfare, but the turkeys they dont want to die. "We want people to remember every animal and recognise everyones individuality, we are speaking up for turkeys. "People who werent thinking about animal rights before will be thinking about it now. Its such an urgent issue, every day animals are suffering inside of farms and people are ignoring it, we want to bring this issue to the front of peoples mind." Mr McKeefry also said there would be further protests in the run-up to Christmas, including one being planned in London. A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "At 2.45pm on Sunday police were called to the Waitrose store in Western Road, Brighton, where 18 people demonstrating against the consumption of meat products were present. T he Duchess of Sussexs father Thomas Markle today spoke of his fears of never seeing his future royal grandchild over the feud with his daughter. Heartbroken Mr Markle, 74, told Good Morning Britain he is repeatedly texting Meghan, 37, who is expecting her first child in the spring, but has been ghosted by her. In an exclusive interview with hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, said he is devastated by the ongoing estrangement from his daughter, wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, sixth in line to the throne but is hopeful it can still be resolved. Mr Markle said he had also been frozen out by the Duchess of Sussex's mother Doria Ragland. Speaking via Satellite link to California, he said of the rift, I have been ghosted. Thomas Markle speaking on Good Morning Britain / Good Morning Britain I am very disappointed by it (the rift). I am not sure why it is happening. I am been reaching out. I have been trying to reach out for several weeks. Every day send a text, I just havent got anything back. I just keep asking for her to respond back to me and I havent got any response back. I have sent letters. Mr Markle, who was not paid for the interview, confirmed he and Meghan have not spoken since her wedding in May, which he was invited to but did not attend. Explosive interview: Thomas Markle has spoken out yet again about his daughter / PA/Reuters It was his first television interview since Meghans pregnancy was announced in October. Shortlisted: Meghan Markle is one of the favourites to be honoured with the TIME Person of the Year title. / PA Mr Markle, who has still never met Prince Harry, added that his message to his estranged daughter is: I love you very much. Youre my daughter and I would really like to hear from you. Whatever differences of problems we have we should be able to work them out, were family. Mr Markle pulled out of attending his daughters wedding days before the big day for medical reasons. It came shortly after allegations surfaced that he had staged photographs with the paparazzi, which he said he has apologised for. He expressed his distress at the rift in a number of newspaper interviews since then, claiming he has tried to contact Meghan but has been frozen out. Mr Markle also shared his hope that he would eventually be reunited with his daughter and said: "This can't continue forever". Mr Markle, who said he imagines that the Queen herself would want to see the family rift resolved, added: All families royal or otherwise are the same and they should all be together over the holidays. Speaking of being ghosted by his daughter, he said that it was not in her nature as far as he knew to be impolite. He spoke of her strong-minded traits but said she was never rude and added: "She always been a very controlling person and thats part of her nature but shes never been rude. "Shes always been in charge, thats her nature. But shes always been polite. "She's always been very polite to everyone, never been rude to anyone. I don't know what's really happening right now." With this in mind he said he is hopeful they will recover their relationship in time. "Whatever differences or problems we have we should be able to work them out. We're family," Mr Markle said. M iss Universes first ever transgender contestant has spoken of her pride in taking to the runway for the competition. Angela Ponce, Miss Spain, represented her country in the Thai capital of Bangkok on Sunday. In a video presentation, where she spoke with tears running down her cheeks, she said: My hope is for tomorrow to be able to live in a world of equality for everyone. Simply for us all to understand that we are all human and that we must make all our lives easier together. That reality for many people is going to change. If I can give to that to the world, I dont need to win Miss Universe, I only need to be here. Ms Ponce spoke of her pride in competing / EPA The 27-year-old told CNN she feels a big sense of responsibility as the first transgender contestant. She said: It gives me a lot of pride and personally Im very proud to have made it here. Ms Ponce spoke of putting the conversation on the table in regards to what it means to be transgender. I think that people are more and more informed. All these prejudices come from disinformation. The first obstacle that I overcame was to be born into a world that wasnt prepared for transgender people. I always say that its not like you feel like a woman. You already are a woman, she told CNN. Many looking on at the contest congratulated Ms Ponce for being in the pageant. "Angela Ponce is a winner already by simply standing in front of a world audience. Defying hate and bigotry. A powerful woman with beauty, advocacy, and a heart, wrote one. Another said: You just won the hearts and respect of millions. We love you, Ms. Spain! Top three contestants of 67th Miss Universe competition from left, Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutierrez, Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green, and Miss Philippines Catriona Gray / AP Ms Ponce did not make the final 20 in the contest, the 67th Miss Universe, which was won by Philippines' Catriona Gray. The 24-year-old pipped runner-up Tamaryn Green of South Africa and third-placed Sthefany Gutierrez of Venezuela to the top spot. Steve Harvey, who infamously announced the wrong winner in the 2015 contest, once again hosted the finale. Mr Harvey joked about that incident in exchanges with contestants and said "you all can't let that go" and "I'm still here." The theme of the 67th Miss Universe pageant was "Empowered Women". It was judged by seven women including former pageant winners, businesswomen, and a fashion designer. M ore than 60 people have died in US airstrikes in Somalia which intelligence officers have said were pre-emptive assaults aimed at preventing a major extremist attack. Four strikes were carried out by the US military on Sunday, in which 34 people were killed, and two more air attacks took place on Monday in which 28 people were killed. The strikes targeted the coastal town of Gandarshe, south of the capital Mogadishu. No civilians were injured or killed in the attacks, the US military has said. The strikes were carried out in close co-ordination with Somalia's government and were "conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks", said the US military statement. The US airstrikes were aimed at al-Shabab fighters who were preparing a major attack on a Somali government military base in the Lower Shabelle region, said a Somali intelligence official. "The strike has neutralised an imminent attack," he said. The airstrikes hit both a military camp and battle vehicles in Gandarshe. Al-Shabab has long used Gandarshe, 30 miles south-west of Mogadishu, as a launching pad for attacks, including car bombs that hit the capital. The group uses parts of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct extremist attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radicals, said the US military statement. With these attacks, the US military has carried out at least 46 airstrikes so far this year against al-Shabab, which is allied to al Qaeda and Africa's most active Islamic extremist group. Al Shabab, which is fighting to establish its version of Shariah law in Somalia, controls parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to stage deadly attacks in Mogadishu and other cities. The US airstrikes have picked up dramatically since President Donald Trump took office and approved expanded military operations in the Horn of Africa nation. D ozens of animal rights activists in Barcelona stripped down and covered themselves with fake blood during a protest against the countrys fur and leather industry. Blood-splattered activists from animal rights group Anima Naturalis made up a pile of bodies in the Spanish city yesterday to make a stand against the use of animal skins. The group lay down in front of shocked shoppers and tourists in the city centre while one demonstrator held a sign which read: How many lives just for a coat? The protest, which claimed that 32 million animals are slaughtered in the EU for fur, was held in one of Barcelonas main shopping and tourism destinations Plaza Catalunya. Animal rights protesters in Barcelona / REUTERS Posting on social media after the protest, the group wrote: One more year, Anima Naturalis organises the most shocking action against the use of animal skins. We put ourselves in the place of animals that suffer and die in the industry, a way to visualise in human bodies the amount of lives that are lost only to make a fur coat. Part-dressed campaigners from the same animal rights group last year wore horns and covered themselves in fake blood in Pamplona to protest against annual bull runs. More than 100 activists marched while holding signs which read: Stop the Bloody Bullfights. A British man who was arrested in Bali after being found with cannabis oil which he claims he needs for arthritis pain faces up to 15 years in prison. Pip Holmes, a father-of-two from Cornwall, was one of five foreigners paraded at a news conference last week in Denpasar, the capital of Bali province. Indonesian police said he was sent a package containing nearly 31kg of cannabis oil and could face the death penalty if convicted. Mr Holmes, 45, who describes himself as an artist and surfer, claims he was caught with just a tiny amount - around 3g - of medicinal THC oil, which he uses to treat his arthritis. The father-of-two said he asked a friend to send him a small amount of cannabis oil while he was living in Bali, actions which he now recognises were foolish and a grave error of judgement. Pip Holmes (second from right) during a press conference in Indonesia / AFP/Getty Images Mr Holmes, whose children live back in the UK with his ex-wife, was arrested on December 3 by police in Indonesia after going to pick up the package sent from Thailand. He claims he is facing between five and 15 years in prison and is now raising the funds needed for legal representation, which his family say could get him into a rehab facility instead. A message from Mr Holmes, who has access to a phone, on the crowdfunding site said he had already been moved from a cramped police cell in Bali to a rehabilitation centre and has been helped by messages of support from his family. "For the last few days, each morning I have woken up in a terrible nightmare. I still can't believe that I'm here and I feel sick with fear," he said. "As it stands, I don't know if I'm about to spend a few months in a rehabilitation or if I'm about to face five to 15 years in Kerobokan - one of the toughest prisons on earth." Five people foreign to Indonesia were arrested in Bali for drug trafficking / AFP/Getty Images Mr Holmes said he had been in Bali for two months before his arrest. "It all went terribly wrong when I was arrested for possession of a tiny amount of THC oil. Stupid much? Yes very very stupid. Right now I feel helpless and very alone," he said. "This is Asia, it's not like the west. I am guilty under Indonesian law of possession of narcotics, there's no denying that. "Even though medicinal THC is something so widely accepted elsewhere and it was such a small amount, I foolishly crossed the line in a very strict country. "The only way now to ensure my sentence is something I will survive is to invest in the right legal representation and rehabilitation." Doctors have been able to prescribe medicinal cannabis products to patients in the UK since November 1 after the drug was rescheduled. However, Indonesia has strict drug laws and dozens of convicted smugglers are on death row. British woman Lindsay Sandiford, from Cheltenham, was convicted of drug-smuggling offences and sentenced to death in 2013. A merica's relationship with key Middle East ally Saudi Arabia suffered a blow today as it issued a stinging rebuke to US lawmakers. Riyadh denounced Senate interference after it passed resolutions last week demanding the withdrawal of US support for the war in Yemen and blaming the kingdoms crown prince for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a statement released through Saudis ministry of foreign affairs, Riyadh appeared to underscore President Donald Trumps warnings that speculation over the Washington Post columnists death could wreck close ties with one of the worlds biggest oil producers. The recent position of the United States Senate, which has been built on baseless allegations and accusations, includes blatant interference in its internal affairs and the role of the kingdom at the regional and international level. The kingdom has previously asserted that the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi is a deplorable crime that does not reflect the kingdoms policy, nor its institutions, and reaffirms its rejection of any attempts to take the case out of the path of justice in the kingdom, the statement said. Jamal Khashoggis was killed in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul / AFP/Getty Images In a thinly veiled threat, it added: The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the United States, to avoid any ramifications on the ties between the two countries that could have significant negative impacts on this important strategic relationship. The Saudis maintain Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had no part in the murder of Mr Khashoggi inside its consulate in Turkey on October 2 and insist it was the result of a rogue operation. The Saudi-backed military action in Yemen has been aimed at restoring the government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Neither of the Senate votes are likely to result in legislation. L ove Islands Ellie Brown bursts into tears during a heated row with ex-boyfriend Charlie Brake in a new clip from the Christmas Reunion show. The snippet from tonights one-off special shows teases a tense exchange between the former couple, who announced their split in September, as they discuss the circumstances of their break-up. Brown fights back tears as she calls her fellow Islander a compulsive liar and accuses him of cheating on her during their brief relationship. You cheated on me, with that nightclub girl, I was devastated and I loved you to bits. What you put on your [Instagram] story was disrespectful and insensitive and it was too soon, she says, before hiding her face from the cameras and being comforted by former contestants Zara McDermott and Megan Barton-Hanson. Split: The couple confirmed their break-up in September / Instagram/ Ellie Brown Brake denies her claims in the clip, telling his ex: "I never cheated on you." "I cant believe youre lying about that night," she continues. Following widespread reports of a split, Brake confirmed that he had parted ways with Brown in a brief statement posted on Instagram earlier this year. Ellie Brown savagely dumps Charlie Brake photos in the bin Just to inform you all, Ellie and I have decided to part ways. I wish her all the best! he wrote. Shortly afterwards, it was reported that he had been spotted with another woman at a London restaurant, having told Brown that he planned to spend the night at his mothers house in Kent. Brown responded with her own statement and begged fans to stop sending her critical articles on social media. Statement: Brown commented on the break-up via Instagram Stories / Instagram / Ellie Brown I beg you to please stop coming to me with articles that claim I brought this on myself, she wrote. I am trying to deal with this as best and as quietly as possible but it is hard and if you really believe that you are just as cowardly as the person who said it. By no means am I saying I was the perfect girlfriend but I adored Charlie from the bottom of my heart and he knows that. I know everybody is waiting for a comment from me on this whole situation but I really just dont even know what to say. Love Island: The Christmas Reunion is on ITV2, tonight at 9pm C elebrity hairstylist Oribe Canales, who worked with stars including Jennifer Lopez and Kate Moss, has died aged 62. Multiple US publications report that the legendary Cuban-born stylists died on Monday, with a company spokeswoman confirming the sad news. Close friend Mary Greenwell was among the first to pay tribute to Canales, who founded his own brand Oribe, sharing an image of the two together. The make-up artist wrote: I am devastated to hear that my darling friend and work companion has past away. ORIBE is one of the great original hairdressers whose iconic status grew along side the supermodels of the 80 and 90. He was a brilliant hairdresser and simply adored by all. I so looked forward to the days that I would be with him and the teams we had around us. I am so sad you are gone our beautiful Oribe. The world of fashion and beauty has lost a great soul, and we will mourn that you have left us all behind while you have gone straight to heaven. Emily Ratajkowski also paid tribute to the late industry expert, telling him to rest in power as she hailed him the king of hair. Canales first shot to fame in the 1980s, working with supermodels including Moss, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista at shows. The hairdresser, who divided his time between Miami and New York, then went on to work with celebrities including Cher, Barbra Streisand and Ashley Graham. G et ready for blazing rows and awkward encounters no, its not EastEnders its the Love Island Christmas reunion. The nation spent the summer following 38 singletons as they flexed their abs, and got grafting in a bid to crack on with their type on paper. Six months on, fans have been given the chance to catch-up with the couples over a festive feast and some Christmas cracker games. Heres everything you can expect: Georgia makes dramatic arrival on Love Island Christmas special Awkward encounters Clearly six months is a long time for some, in particular Hayley Hughes, who in half a year has completely forgotten who Dr Alex George is. The Liverpudlian, who famously thought Brexit means no more trees in Britain, struggled to remember the A&E medic during a game, shouting: Whos Dr Alex George? Digging herself an even bigger hole, she accidently questioned his career, adding: I thought that was a professional Dr Alex said: I mean, thanks Hayley. Im literally sat right there, not many seats down from her and she forgot completely who I was. Loved up: Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham put on a united front amidst split claims / ITV Furious rows With almost all of this years couples failing to see in the New Year together its no surprise the reunion is less festive fun and more Jeremy Kyle. Sam Bird looks less than impressed when Georgia Steele makes a shock appearance at the party, and Ellie Brown is reduced to tears after a blazing row with compulsive liar Charlie Brake who she accuses of cheating on her during their short-lived romance. Ellie and Charlie argue on Love Island Unexpected romances We watched the islanders coupling up and getting dumped throughout the summer but it appears the Christmas spirit may have sparked a holiday romance. Zara McDermott, who is still dating Adam Collard, teased the possibility of new loves, telling Lorraine Kelly: I think some of the elements of the show are about reuniting people theres a bit of drama and some unexpected romances maybe. Forgotten: Hayley Hughes struggled to remember Dr Alex George / ITV Missing islanders Lets be honest a potentially awkward reunion with your ex isnt exactly at the top of most peoples Christmas wish lists, so its no surprise some islanders shunned the get-together. Rosie Williams and Darylle Sargeant wont be making an appearance, which is probably a good thing considering their Love Island ex Adam Collard will be there with his beau McDermott. Alex Miller, who was dumped by Megan Barton-Hanson in favour of her current boyfriend Wes Nelson, has also shunned the reunion as well as Frankie Foster who was caught cheating on ex Samira Mighty, Niall Aslam and former couple Jack Fowler and Laura Crane. Idris Virgo, Kieran Nicholls, Dean Overson, Charlie Frederick, Savanna Darnell, Jordan Adefeyisan, Stephanie Lam, Josh Mair and Grace Wardle no, we don't remember them either are also a no show. Josh Denzel left Kaz Crossley to attend on her lonesome after filming schedules in the US meant he would have to miss out, but the couple are still very much together. Returning favourites Caroline Flack is back as host while everybodys favourite Scottish narrator, Iain Stirling, has returned to preside over the festivities. When is it on? T he publication of Federico Pistonos book, Robots Will Steal Your Job, But Thats OK, back in 2012 spawned a thousand think pieces, news headlines, and debates over what the future of robotics means for humans and the workplace. At a recent Future of Ageing Conference held by the think tank International Longevity Centre (ILC) in London, the topic was once again up for debate. Whilst the consensus is that the robots are coming, in fact many argue theyre already here, Caroline Waters, vice chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and vice president of Carers UK, made an interesting point in regards to the robotic effect on the labour market. Were conflating robots and AI with industry, said Waters. Actually were more likely to use domestic robots. She backed up her statement with a statistic the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) made back in 2016: there will be 31 million robots helping households across the world by 2019. Get ready for it, next years big tech trend will be domestic robots. Here's why that's a really good thing... What role will domestic robots play in our homes? When we think of a domestic robot, we may imagine an Iron Man, Jarvis-esque AI carrying out all our chores. However, your home may have robots in it already, particularly if you own a smart speaker like Google Home or Amazon Alexa. If you want to be really specific about the definition of the robot being a machine that helps you complete a series of tasks," explains futurologist Dave Coplin, CEO of The Envisioners, "then my washing machine in the kitchen is a robot thats been in our house for the past few decades, However, IFR predicts this area of robotics is set to explode with more people buying service robots to help them with particular chores, with companies including Amazon reportedly working on mobile robots to cash in. Coplin has spent the past 30 years in tech, including 12 years at Microsoft, and calls himself a pragmatic optimist. Essentially, he believes robots can be a positive force in our lives if done the right way. He takes offence when it comes to pop culture and the depiction of robots. Weve been taught that robots are supposed to be our slaves. There was a play in the 1920s where robots were slaves and at the end of the play there were so many robots, they got bored and took over so they became the humans, he explains. Instead of this dystopian vision, Coplin thinks the potential for domestic robots is huge. The opportunity in the domestic context is neither be a slave nor a master, but to be a companion and peer to the family. Anki's Vector robot is betting on robotics becoming a part of the home / Anki Recently, he collaborated with robotics company Anki, which makes the cute Pixar-inspired robots Vector and Cosmo, to explore the British publics attitudes to domestic robots. This companion idea was one of the findings from the survey: 16 per cent of respondents said they were hopeful robots could offer companionship, by either listening to their problems or helping keep their pets company when they were away. For me, the opportunity is that people get the utility value of domestic robots. What weve got to do is take them on a journey so they can see the emotional and social value, says Coplin. The emotional and social value of domestic robots Coplin is throwing his futurist weight behind social robotics, the genre of robotics trying to imbue emotion into communication between humans and robots. Anki is doing this with its Vector robots, MIT Media Lab start-up Affectiva is doing it by developing tech to read human facial expressions, and Dr Madeline Gannon is doing it at her lab in Pittsburgh. In particular, Dr Gannons work focuses on the idea that teaching robots to be more human means they will work better alongside us. Coplin agrees with this: We need to get this right because when you get the communication right between humans and a machine, the efficiency of what theyre able to do goes through the roof, he says. We know AI technologies are getting better, including computer vision and natural language processing, all key capabilities for robots to function. But, Coplin says the power of these devices also depends on the data they have access to. Unlike industrial robots, whose insights are based on structured factory floors, domestic robots have to contend with the chaos of domestic life. Every home is different, laid out in different ways and it changes every now and again. For a poor robot, it's quite tricky to navigate, he explains. There are also concerns around giving a robot access to the information it needs to be helpful in the home. If you want a domestic robot in your home, it needs to access a lot of personal, private data in your home to work well. What kind of regulation should we have for that data? asks Coplin. To deal with this, he believes companies and governments need to work together to create the right kind of regulations, that will ensure humans benefit from the intelligence of robots in their homes but feel their private data is protected. One in 10 UK households now own a smart speaker like the Google Home Mini / Google Once these issues are solved though, the potential for help from robots is enormous. At the ILC conference, Waters said robots will have an emancipatory effect on humans. We should pose the question in a different way: when will we finally be able to relinquish the burden of work to AI and robots, so we can focus our problem solving on things that matter?, she asked. In the Anki survey, it appears the British public is on board with the time-saving domestic robots could offer, with respondents imagining they could get two hours a day back with the help of a robot. Around 38 per cent said they wanted to use that time to have richer relationships with people inside the home, whilst 30 per cent said they would use the time for hobbies. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Justice Minister Tudorel Toader stated on Monday that Social Democratic party (PSD)'s National Council agreed that amnesty and pardon should be the last resort to correct justice abuse. "Upon everything discussed in the sitting, you saw, as a matter of fact, that there was no question of a vote, there was no question of a decision. And an undertone that you have certainly kept in mind: right there, in that Council, it was said that if there are other solutions, legislative, of course, to correct the abuse committed, the agreement with the respective solutions was, obviously and naturally, voiced. If not, it was agreed that amnesty and pardon be the last resort solution to correct the abuse. (...) We are pondering, analysing and when we reach a conclusion we will communicate it to you," Toader told the press at the seat of the Justice Ministry. He added that at present, it is being analysed if the other solutions are capable of eliminating the abuse."We are at this stage. Do not forget that the Constitutional Court is due to give a decision about the conflict over the protocols, do not forget that the constitutional court has given an opinion on the setting up of the formation of the Court (...).There consequently are a number of factors, a number of measures that we shall see whether they are capable or not to eliminate the abuse, if not, then the second stage can be discussed and then we need to see what the reference criteria are, if it has to do with the nature of the deed, the seriousness of the offence, if it is the imposed punishment, if it is the punishment provided for by the law. That means under analysis. Analysing doesn't mean that we sit around and waste time," the Justice minister said.Tudorel Toader specified that presently an emergency ordinance (OUG) draft is being worked upon in view of the Criminal Codes' amendment."We are working on a draft, an emergency ordinance draft to amend the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code in agreement with the CCR decisions and for the transposition of the two directives - extended confiscation in the Criminal Code, the strengthening of the presumption of innocence in the criminal procedure. (...) In August, in October last year, respectively, the Justice Ministry finalised and sent to the Gov't the two draft laws with exactly the same content - amending the Criminal Code in agreement with the Court's decisions, unconstitutionality or interpretive decisions and extended confiscation," Tudorel Toader mentioned. The speech delivered by the main ruling party (PSD)'s leader Liviu Dragnea was "the delirium of a crazy dictator" capable to condemn Romania "to its darkest period ever", the head of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Ludovic Orban, told a press release on Sunday night. "This individual [Liviu Dragnea, ed. n.] has launched attacks against all of the institutions that are not under his political control through a desperation howl that seemed to come from the totalitarian regime's caverns, through the most aggressive and antidemocratic and anti-European blatant speech since Romania has joined the EU," Orban said. The Liberal leader says that Dragnea lost any contact with the reality and identifies Romania with "the Party"."It is dumbfounding the way this character believes he can have the entire Romanian state at his beck and call, persistently identifying the whole of Romania with the Party. For those who still had any doubt, Liviu Dragnea has demonstrated the most anti-European stance via an autocratic speech through which he technically declares war to all of Romania's partners within the European Union and NATO," the PNL head added.From where Orban stands, Dragnea is "the public enemy No. 1 of any Romanian who wishes to live in a civilized country, based on the observance of the law and the just reward of their work."Referring to the attack launched by Dragnea on President Klaus Iohannis, Orban said it "lacks rationality and argument" and that it is "a worrying signal given to all those who look at Romania.""The materalisation of an approach as the one forwarded by Liviu Dragnea in the case of the president is an illusion, and yet it is an extremely devious message to any Romanian who has the boldness to oppose Liviu Dragnea's domination project. I am making an appeal to responsibility to all those who are currently part of the PSD-ALDE coalition, to distance themselves as soon as possible from Liviu Dragnea. Breaking with this character whose mind has been clouded, is in the own interest of those who today are leaders of PSD and ALDE," the PNL head added.In context, Ludovic Orban makes an appeal to the PSD and ALDE members of the Parliament to realise that what Liviu Dragnea "has spouted" is the most powerful argument to vote in favour of the censor motion. President Klaus Iohannis on Monday delivered a message on the National Minorities Days in Romania, saying that the governmental dignitaries and MPs promoted "really calumnious campaigns" against the national minorities, showing that this is a "dangerous" approach that all responsible politicians must reject. In his message presented by the presidential adviser Sergiu Nistor during the event organised on this occasion at the Cotroceni National Museum, the head of the state underscored that the citizens belonging to the national minorities have built, alongside the Romanian majority, the democratic and pro-occidental path Romania took starting December 1989. Read also: Judges Forum asks CSM to defend independence of judicial system against Dragnea's statements "Ensuring representation in the Romanian Parliament represents a special dimension of the Romanian democracy and the expression of the political commitment for respecting and protecting the rights of minorities. By the parliamentary activity of the representatives of the national minorities, Romania proves that it fructifies its ethnic diversity including in its political dimension, and not only at civic, economic and cultural level. The more regrettable is the fact that, lately, in contradiction with this constitutional framework and the historical reality, there were promoted really calumnious campaigns against a certain national minority and its representatives, precisely by the governmental and parliamentary dignitaries. This is a dangerous path and all responsible politicians must reject it. Unfortunately, these actions did not generate a proper reaction of condemnation on behalf of the Romanian Government and no delimitation from the party to which the authors of these messages seriously deviating from democracy and repeated belong to," said President Iohannis. He pointed out that "in a Romania that steps into its second century of unity and European modernity, the discourse of hate and defamation cannot be taken easily and no one should benefit from impunity either." The head of the state specified that the National Minorities Day in Romania offers the occasion to celebrate the priceless contribution of the citizens belonging to national minorities to the consolidation of the social harmony of the inter-ethnic and intercultural dialogue. "This celebration is the expression of the general interest of living in a society of democratic cohabitation, tolerance and protection of diversity, in the good functioning of which we are all involved," Iohannis also said in the message. The National Day of Minorities in Romania is celebrated every year on December 18. AGERPRES . The memory of the martyrs from 1989 is stained by the attempts of some "criminals led by Liviu Dragnea [Social Democratic Party leader, ed.n.]" to impose amnesty and pardoning, says President Klaus Iohannis, who adds Romania will not return ''to the times of dark memories of the party-state''. "29 years ago, Romanians defended freedom and democracy with their lives. The ideals of the Revolution of December 1989 are at the basis of our constitution, which is the ultimate guarantee that the sacrifice for fundamental rights and liberties was not in vain. Today, the memory of these martyrs is stained by the desperate attempts of some criminals led by Liviu Dragnea to impose amnesty and pardoning. Romania will not return to the times of dark memories of the party-state," the head of state said in a Facebook post. Social Democratic (PSD, major at rule, ed.n.) President Liviu Dragnea said on Sunday at the PSD National Council that Romania was accused of things happening also in other EU member states and that our country was asked to suspend laws adopted by Parliament or to block ongoing procedures. "Lately (...) Romania's position has been attacked and made vulnerable within the European Union. Our country has, in fact, been accused of things that happen and exist everywhere in the European Union and let us discuss about them. (...) We have been asked to pass laws, to suspend laws already adopted by Parliament. Everywhere in Europe, parliaments are sovereign, they represent sovereignty and they exercise the sovereignty of the peoples. What were we told? That Romania's Parliament is a mere, insignificant institution. Suspend laws already passed by Parliament. But why? Because they contain provisions we do not like. But they exist in other counties as well. Yes, but they do not apply to you. That is, we Romanians, are stained. We have also been asked to stop some legal proceedings in progress, referring to appointment and revocation procedures. (...) We were told to block the procedures for the appointment and revocation of the chief prosecutors," the PSD leader said. He added that Romania was asked to "ignore" the Constitutional Court's decisions or even to amend the Fundamental Law, although before it was passed in 1991, it had been okayed by the Venice Commission. Dragnea argued that this is how one wants to give greater powers to the President.Dragnea showed that it was said Romania "would be a country too corrupt to be a full member of the EU" and that an "unfair" resolution was voted in the European Parliament that reproach us for things that happen everywhere." In this respect, the PSD leader said that our country "has been transformed into the scapegoat" of power games between European political families."What was said in that resolution? That Romanian gendarmes acted with a disproportionate force against peaceful, fire-setting protesters who were beating a woman-gendarme and were destroying urban furniture. I heard Iohannis yesterday when he was preparing to go to encourage the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom that he had a yellow vest in the trunk. And my question is: when he was to Macron, did he tell him as well he had a yellow vest in the trunk? And that he was ready to take to the street against him? Or does he keep silent there? There and at meetings with other European leaders? It is very good that he encourages Prime Minister Theresa May .Very well. But in the same intervention in which he said he encouraged the British PM he encouraged others to take down the premier of their country's government. That is Iohannis. Unfairly and in an offensive manner, with the complicity, let's say openly, of some Romanian MEPs, our country has been transformed into the scapegoat of power games between European political families," he said. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Europe NonInvasive Prenatal Testing market is set to touch US$ 500 Million by 2025.The market is driven by number of factors such as high incidence rate of babies born with down syndrome, no risk of miscarriage with NIPT test, shifting trend towards child bearing at advanced maternal age (35 years or older), rising focus on reimbursement for NIPT and increasing preference for noninvasive techniques over invasive methods.Europe NonInvasive Prenatal Testing Market Research Report 2018 presents an indepth assessment of the Europe noninvasive prenatal testing market dynamics, opportunities, future roadmap, competitive landscape and discusses major trends. The report offers the most uptodate industry data on the market situation and future outlook. The research includes historic data from 2014 to 2017 and forecasts until 2025. The report contains a granular analysis of the present industry situations, market demands, reveal facts on the market size, NIPT test volume, revenues and provides forecasts through 2025. A comprehensive analysis has been done on market share of countrybased market. The report also includes assessment of comparative test analysis by companies. Key trends in terms of collaboration, partnership, merger & acquisition, venture capital investment, distribution and licensing agreement are analyzed with details. The report also explores detailed description of growth drivers and inhibitors of the Europe noninvasive prenatal testing market. Ask to Experts @ https://www.marketsandinsights.com/inquire-before-buying/947 Segmentation: The superior geographic segments are identified in the report which studies NIPT test consumed and market revenue of the 15 countries. The countries included in this report are United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Russia, Turkey, Netherland, Poland, Armenia, Moldova, Denmark from 2014 to 2017 and forecasts to 2025. The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the Europe noninvasive prenatal testing market. The key market players are evaluated on various parameters such as company overview, NIPT test portfolios and latest development and trends of the noninvasive prenatal testing market. Europe Non Invasive Prenatal Testing Market- By Test Panorama MaterniT21 PLUS Harmony Verifi NIFTY IONA PrenaTest Veracity Global Non Invasive Prenatal Testing Market Players List: Ariosa Diagnostics (Roche) LifeCodexx AG Premaitha Health PLC NIPD Genetics Key Features of the Study: This report provides in-depth analysis of the Global Non Invasive Prenatal Testing Market reach US$ 500 Million by 2025 and also provides market size (US$ Mn) and cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) (%) for the forecast period (2018-2025), 2017 being the base year. The report provides insights about factors affecting the market growth. It provides historical and forecasts revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). It highlights the revenue mixes across different segments and points out the investment opportunities for this market. It profiles leading players in the global Non Invasive Prenatal Testing market based on the parameters like Company Overview, Financial Performances, Product Portfolio, Geographical Presence, Future Plans, Key Developments, Strategic Alliances, Mergers and Acquisitions. Major TOC Contents Chapter 1 Executive Summary Chapter 2 Market Size & Analysis: Europe NonInvasive Prenatal Testing (Volume & Value)2014 2025 2.1 Europe NonInvasive Prenatal Testing Market Volume & Forecast 2.2 Europe NonInvasive Prenatal Testing Market Revenue & Forecast Chapter 3 Europe NonInvasive Prenatal Testing Market Share and Growth (%) 3.1 Major European Countries NonInvasive Prenatal Testing Market Volume Share, 2014 2025 3.2 Major European Countries NonInvasive Prenatal Testing Market Revenue Share, 2014 2025 Chapter 4 NonInvasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Comparative Analysis, By Test Chapter 5 Europe NonInvasive Prenatal Testing Market Drivers and Inhibitors 5.1 Market Drivers 5.2 Market Inhibitors TOC Continued.! About Us: Markets and Insights is a market research and consulting company that provides market research reports and business insights to enterprises. The company supports its clients to conceive business policies and accomplish sustainable growth in their particular market domain. We are uniquely positioned to help businesses around the globe deliver practical and lasting results through various recommendations about operational improvements, technologies, emerging market trends and new working methods. Our upgraded reports are well categorized, facilitating our patrons to easily identify and get access to those reports that are most relevant to their business. We provide detailed analysis of competitive markets. We analyze to identify new trends and growth, and provide all of this information in a comprehensive report focused on your market sector. Contact Us: Markets and Insights Phone: USA: +1-201-564-4683 (ext-335958) Email: sales@marketsandinsights.com Website: https://www.marketsandinsights.com On December 11 Japans Kyodo News Agency reported that Japan plans to effectively upgrade its helicopter carriers to enable them to transport and launch fighter jets. Concurrently the Indian Ministry of Defence noted that in the course of a large exercise being held in India by the US and Indian air forces, two military pilots from Japan are also taking part in the exercise as observers. There was also a Reuter's account of Tokyos plans to boost defence spending over the next five years to help pay for new stealth fighters and other advanced US military equipment. Coincidentally, these developments were reported in the same week as the anniversary of the Nanking Massacre of 1937-38, which remembrance was totally unreported by the Western media but remembered in China where over a period of six weeks, Imperial Japanese Army forces brutally murdered hundreds of thousands of people and wreaked further death and destruction there and throughout Asia until 1945. They killed or otherwise caused the deaths of countless millions. There was another anniversary in early December that of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, when 2,400 Americans were killed. President Roosevelt had declared that Yesterday, December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The date has not lived in infamy, or indeed in any other way so far as the New York Times or the Washington Post are concerned, because neithers front pages mentioned Pearl Harbor on either December 7 or 8. A few days later, however, the Post reported that Japan will announce plans to buy 40 to 50 [Lockheed Martin] F-35s over the next five years but may ultimately purchase 100 planes [which cost about $100 million each]. That will have the added benefit of mollifying President Trump, who has complained about the US trade deficit with Japan as well as the cost of stationing tens of thousands of U.S. troops here. And the NYT headlined that Japan to Ramp Up Defense Spending to Pay for New Fighters, Radar. The message is that Japan is embarking on a military spending surge which is totally inconsistent with the provisions of its Constitution, but entirely in line with the anti-China alliance that is being forged by Washington with various nations. At the end of the Second World War, Japan was devastated and reeling from US operations in the Pacific that culminated in two atomic bomb attacks. It had to be rebuilt, and the generous United States helped its former deadly enemy to rise from the ashes. As officially recorded, Between 1945 and 1952, the US occupying forces, led by General Douglas MacArthur, enacted widespread military, political, economic, and social reforms . . . In 1947, Allied advisors essentially dictated a new constitution to Japans leaders. Some of the most profound changes in the document included renouncing the right to wage war, which involved eliminating all non-defensive armed forces. There have not as yet been any amendments to Japans Constitution about waging war, and most Japanese people consider conflict undesirable. The Constitution is precise in stating that the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized. It could not be clearer: given its own fundamental principles, Japan cannot maintain armed forces. Yet a recent report indicates that According to Japans 2018 Defense White Paper, the total strength of the Self-Defense Forces stands at 226,789 personnel, including 138,126 in the army, 42,289 in the navy and 46,942 in the air force or, to use the descriptions employed to fudge the fact that these are military forces with offensive capabilities, they are the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (SDF), the Japan Maritime SDF (18 submarines, 37 destroyers; two more on the way), and the Japan Air SDF (260 advanced combat aircraft). That is a potent military force, and under the government of Shinzo Abe it will continue to be enlarged and developed with the warm approval of the United States with which Japan has a Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. When Abe was re-elected head of his party in September he declared that It's time to tackle a constitutional revision, and everyone knows what revision he wants to make. As reported by Asahi Shimbun He is proposing to add a clause to Article 9, which bans the use of force in settling international disputes, to explicitly permit the existence of Japan's military, now called the Self-Defense Force. And if he succeeds in having that amendment approved, it will be downhill all the way from there. Japan has territorial disputes with China and Russia, the former about sovereignty over some islands in the South China Sea, and that with Russia concerning the Kuril Island chain, which is inhabited by Russians, having been handed over to the Soviet Union a short time before the end of World War Two. The US Navy and Air Force, in Washingtons self-assumed role as Fuhrer of the worlds oceans, continue to challenge China in the South China Sea in its confrontational Freedom of Navigation operations, and as recently as December 6 was involved in a similar naval fandango when, as the CNN headline had it: US warship challenges Russia claims in Sea of Japan. CNN stated that the US had sent the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell to Peter the Great Bay to challenge Russias excessive maritime claims and uphold the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea enjoyed by the United States and other Nations. It is hardly coincidental that Peter the Great Bay is the largest gulf in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, and home both to the Russian city of Vladivostok and the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet. Little wonder that the US wants to challenge Russia in that region and of course it is entirely fortuitous that this maritime provocation comes after Ukraines naval incursions in the Kerch Strait, which were intended to encourage domestic and international support for Ukraines President Poroshenko. (Russia called a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the affair, but that descended into an insult offensive by the US.) It is apparent that Washington intends to continue challenging China and Russia in waters some 8,000 to 11,000 kilometres from the US West Coast, centred on a country in which the US has a vast military presence, with the Seventh Fleet being based in Yokosuka, the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa and some 150 combat aircraft of the USAF at three major air bases. Along their borders in the Asia-Pacific region both China and Russia face increasingly confrontational US military manoeuvres which are intended to provoke them to take action. For the moment, Japans self-defence forces are constitutionally forbidden to get involved in anything that would involve the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. But the moment after Shinzo Abe succeeds in having Japans constitution amended, just watch developments, because Washington will welcome Japans return to militarism and will encourage it to join in its military provocations. Itll be just like the old days in Nanking and Pearl Harbor. George Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel was right Again: The only thing the human race learns from history is that it learns nothing from history. In 1914,the British Empire, largest in human history and one of the longest-lasting, charged into World War I to defend gallant little Belgium whose King Leopold over the previous 30 years had carried out one of the longest, largest genocides of all time, killing 10 million people in the Congo. Germany, wealthiest, most prosperous nation in Europe, blundered into the same needless war when feckless Kaiser Wilhelm II causally gave sweeping approval to Austria-Hungary to annihilate the tiny nation of Serbia. Millions of brave and idealistic Russians eagerly volunteered to fight in the war to protect gallant little Serbia. Most of them died too. There is no record that any of the Serbian leaders after the war visited any of their mass graves. Now it is the United States turn. Since the end of the Cold War US policymakers, presidents and their congresses have carried out virtually every stupidity and folly imaginable for any major power. The only one they have so far avoided has been the danger of stumbling into a full scale world war. However, now, with the escalating and increasingly hysterical US support for the shady and risk-taking junta in Kiev, President Donald Trump risks committing that most dire and unforgivable of all horrors. Trump today is no more than putty in the hands of his national security adviser John Bolton, one of the masterminds of the catastrophe that was the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Bolton is just like his hero Winston Churchill a century ago during World War I. He always gets his way, always gets the wars and battles he wants and bungles them embarrassingly every time. And like the young Churchill, Bolton never learns, never mellows and he never changes. It is always everybody elses fault. Churchill finally did grow and learn. His famous activities of the 1930s were not meant to start a new world war with Germany under the far worse leadership of Adolf Hitler: He wanted to avert such a war. The invaluable diaries of Ivan Maisky, the Soviet Unions ambassador to Britain through the 1930s make clear that even then Churchill was eager alone in the British ruling classes to establish a serious close defensive alliance with Josef Stalin and the Soviet Union. He recognized that would be the only way to box in Hitler and prevent a global catastrophe. But Bolton has not learned from his hero Quite the reverse. He is now impelling Trump on a reckless course of empowering the dangerous adventurers who with US support have seized Ukraine and have spent the past nearly five years wrecking it. Even worse, the same kind of absurd sentimentalizing of an obscure, tiny or unstable ally that doomed Britain, Russia and Germany to unimaginable suffering and loss in 1914 now permeates US decision-makers, strategists and their pontificating pundits about Ukraine. On March 1, 2016, US General Philip Breedlove, then NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) memorably referred to our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in a Pentagon press briefing There is no way in any sane assessment that the ramshackle Ukrainian forces and certainly not the neo-Nazi militias recruited in the west of the country to terrorize the east can be regarded as brothers of the US armed forces. The US and Soviet troops who met on the River Elbe on April 25, 1945 after advancing a combined more than 2,000 miles to liberate Europe from the darkest tyranny in its history could truly be called brothers. However, the US military today and the Ukrainian forces they are being drawn in to protect certainly are not brothers and sisters. No poll has been taken since then across the United States, as far as I am aware as to whether the American people would be willing to risk full-scale nuclear war to defend a government in Ukraine that is demonstrably unpopular among its own people. Trump was elected president in November 2016 precisely because he was the only candidate in that shock election who unambiguously called for the United States to end its 70-year fixation with getting pulled into one endless war and confrontation after another around the world. It would be the darkest of ironies if instead he took America into its last and most catastrophic conflict a nuclear confrontation from which there could be no recovery, no escape and no survival. Britain, Russia and Germany in 1914 were all destroyed by the deliberate plotting and manipulations of vastly smaller or weaker allies run by psychopathic gamblers. The rulers of Kiev today, in their entirely reckless disregard for the dangers of global thermonuclear war clearly fit into that category. Policymakers in Moscow recognize this dire reality. Their counterparts in Washington remain amazingly totally blind to it. Their only idea of strategy is the suicidal stampede of the Gadarene Swine in the Gospels off the end of a cliff. And they are taking the entire human race with them. In China, the government is cracking down on another threatening political movement; radical communists. While communism is still taught in universities and the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is the largest (and only legal) political organization in China, early 20th century communism (as pioneered by the Russian Bolsheviks) is no longer considered acceptable in China. Because of that students of Communism agitating for the return of labor unions is seen as a threat to the CCP. Actually, real labor unions never established much of a foothold in China but communist ideology honors the idea while insisting that any communist government incorporates the same benefits of a labor union and sees to it that worker welfare is looked after. The reality is quite the opposite but the histories of communism studied in Chinese universities do not acknowledge that fact. The more dedicated Chinese students of communism (still a subject of unquestioning study at all levels of education) have noted that a growing number of Chinese workers have serious grievances that are not being addressed by the government and are advocating for the legalization and establishment of independent labor unions. These outspoken (and now outlawed) students often invoke the memory of Mao Zedong, the founder of the Chinese communist state and still officially honored by the government, but not because Mao Zedong had any kind thoughts about labor unions but because it regularly crushed all opposition. This is reminiscent of what happened in the Soviet Union towards the end, where there were several jokes about members of ruling families discussing their continued high-living standards until the most elderly kinfolk, who remember why and how the original 1917 revolution broke out, ask but what if the Reds (communists) come back? In China, the Reds are trying to do that and they are getting the same reception that the earlier democracy advocates did. China has gone through a lot of political changes since the 1911 revolt the ended the monarchy but did not replace the emperor and his bureaucracy with anything much different. After four decades of civil war and fighting Japanese invaders the communists took control and what they established quickly evolved into a hereditary aristocracy. By 2017 China had returned to the emperor for life model as Xi Jinping persuaded the Chinese leadership to accept the restoration of lifetime tenure for the supreme leader, instead of the five-year term system adopted after the disastrous lifetime rule of the first communist emperor (Mao Zedong) in 1976. Mao was a better rebel leader than emperor and his 18 years of misrule killed over fifty million Chinese and made an anemic economy even weaker. After Mao, there was reorganization rather than chaos and among the many practical reforms instituted was a market economy that could thrive under the rule of a communist police state. This is what the Italian and German models of radical socialism were. Yet Mao was never officially disgraced for his failures. After all, he was the founder of communist China and it was admitted that he made a few mistakes but was otherwise to be forever honored for what he had accomplished. Not everyone in China agrees with that assessment but everyone seems to understand that disagreeing is dangerous and ultimately futile. But then came 1989-91 and the legend of Mao and communism came under further attack. The new wealthier and wiser Chinese rulers sought answers to why all those communist police states in East Europe just evaporated, replaced by various degrees of democracy and free market economies. Chinese leaders are still unsure what the most important lessons for China are to be learned from all that. Some of the lessons were obvious. For example, a communist command economy cannot compete with a free market economy. Or at least no one has figured out how to do it. But creating a market economy proved easier than repairing the damage decades of communist rule had inflicted. In addition to the corruption (the free market economy grew in part by simply bribing disruptive communist officials to get out of the way), there was the growing pollution of both water and the air. All that economic growth produced more pollution which Western democracies were quicker to clean up. Western politicians who got in the way of that were unable to get reelected. In a communist police state bad news could be kept out of the news for a while but with the capital suffering some of the worst air pollution in the world, the pollution became a major issue and it is still a long way from being fixed. The collapse of European communist governments in 1989 also had a popular response in China. In June 1989 this culminated in the Chinese military savagely suppressing the main (and most reported on by world media) pro-democracy demonstration in China. All this took place in Beijing, the capital, in Tiananmen Square. The Chinese also sought to erase all this pro-democracy activity from Chinese history books. But Western intelligence agencies collected numerous eye-witness accounts of the massacre itself, including the use of troops who were largely illiterate and known to be particularly loyal to the communist government. The Chinese government went to extreme lengths to suppress any data on how many actually died. The official number was 300 while Chinese Red Cross initially released estimates of 2,700 dead but later withdrew that. It turned out that during the massacre Chinese ambulances and other medical personnel were turned away and some of those who got through and did not leave quickly enough were massacred as well. British and American intelligence estimates were of over 10,000 dead and 40,000 wounded. These were not unclassified until 2014. The British data indicates the number of dead was somewhat higher and Chinese officials who spoke to British diplomatic personnel indicated that the government was not seeking an official number, even if highly classified but the number regularly used by Chinese officials was at least 10,000. In addition to casualty figures, there were a lot of details on how the attack was carried out, including the use of promises (quickly broken) to allow demonstrators (including survivors of the first round of killing) to leave. The troops apparently had orders to kill all civilians in the square and destroy the bodies where they fell. This included crushing the dead using armored vehicles, burning those remains and flushing those remains down storm drains. The area was sealed off for over a month so the cleanup could be thorough. After the June 4 massacre, the Chinese government enacted a growing number of measures to erase the June 1989 demonstrations (there were over 400 different demonstrations across the country with millions of Chinese participating) from popular memory. Martial law was imposed on the capital until 1990 to make it easier to hunt down survivors and terrorize anyone inclined to discuss the massacre. The censorship effort continues. A good example occurred in 2015 when Hong Kong was the scene of over 100,000 people gathering to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Hong Kong residents have more freedoms because of a 1990s deal with Britain to leave their prosperous colony intact. Thus Chinese in Hong Kong never forgot Tiananmen. This spontaneous uprising in 2015 scared Chinese officials a great deal as they saw it as potentially a Chinese version of the 1989 collapse of communist rule in East Europe that occurred by the end of 1989. Every year at this time Chinese Internet censors are noticeably more active in a continuing effort to keep any news of the 1989 uprising from the Chinese public. Any discussion of the savage crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators has been banned since 1989. The government effort has been successful at keeping most Chinese from knowing the details or caring much about it. However many Chinese are aware that something happened. There are so many nasty aspects of Chinese history that Chinese are dimly aware of but not particularly curious about. In China, there is a lot to forget and good reasons for doing so. Yet there are still disputes over what aspects of the past are worth reconsidering and perhaps reworking. At the moment the imperial past rebranded to accommodate modern tastes. The emperors were famous, or infamous, for energetically purging unwanted ideas and those who backed them. That was never entirely successful and many of those old ideas keep reappearing. And, as in the past, the most visible of those advocating these dangerous ideas are being arrested or otherwise disappearing from public view. The government does not want another Tiananmen Square, nor does it want the return of Russian style communism (as misinterpreted by Mao) or Chinese students of communism trying to practice what they are preached. In China, you learn which things are simply not done or you risk disappearing and being, literally and figuratively, erase. The last thing the CCP wants is for the old fashioned reds to come back. This is the highest achievement by a Vietnamese representative at the worlds prestigious beauty pageant. The final of the Miss Universe 2018 took place in Bangkok, Thailand with the participation of 94 contestants from 94 countries and territories. According to the rules this year, the organisers selected the top 20, instead of the top 16 as in last season, then the top 10 and top 5. H'Hen Nie looking brilliant in the semi-finals. The Vietnamese was highly praised at Miss Universe 2018. H'Hen Nie in swimsuit attire at the coronation night. The Vietnamese representative was named in the top 20, and also in the Top 5 of Asia, Africa and Oceania regions, which was announced first, along with Miss South Africa, Miss Philippines, Miss Nepal and Miss Thailand. Top 10 was announced after the presentation, in which the Vietnamese representative also named in the list. However, H'Hen Nie once again made a surprise in the cheer of the audience at the finale as she broke into the top 5, along with representatives from Puerto Rico, the Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela. This is the highest achievement of a Vietnamese contestant at Miss Universe. In the Q&A session, H'Hen Nie was asked about whether the #MeToo movement going too far. H'Hen confidently replied that she did not feel #MeToo was exaggerating as it's important to protect women against sexual abuse. That is a huge right. Humans need protection and freedom, she affirmed. H'Hen Nie confident in the Q&A session. Prior to that, the Vietnamese was highly praised at Miss Universe 2018. Her traditional costume has been selected in the top 15 by Global Beauties. Although not being present in the top 3, H'Hen Nie had a brilliant journey at Miss Universe this year as she was continuously named among the top in the prestigious rankings of the leading beauty pages, such as Global Beauties or Missosology. H'Hen Nie in her impressive traditional costumes. After 10 years since a place in the top 15 at Miss Universe was held by Miss Thuy Lam, H'Hen Nie officially established a new record for Vietnam. HHen Nie, a 25-year-old model from the Ede ethnic minority group in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, was crowned Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 in January. The top 3 of Miss Universe 2018. Miss Philippines Catriona Gray crowned new Miss Universe. Miss Philippines Catriona Gray - the brightest candidate from the beginning of the competition, was crowned Miss Universe 2018. The first runner-up belonged to Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green and second runner-up went to Miss Venezuela Tamaryn Green. Bay of Plenty We are looking for a storeman with an OSH forklift license. You will need to be physically for as the job is about 70% forklift... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Health professionals and transgender advocates from around the country have created a new set of guidelines. The guidelines, titled Gender Affirming Healthcare for Gender Diverse and Transgender Children, Young People and Adults in Aotearoa New Zealand has been outlined in an article in the New Zealand Medical Journal today. The lead author, Dr Jeannie Oliphant has brought together a team from a wide range of disciplines, including Dr Jaimie Veale a Senior Lecturer in psychology at the University of Waikato, who is working on a comprehensive survey of transgender and non-binary peoples health needs. The guidelines provide an approach to healthcare delivery which is uniquely Aotearoa/New Zealand, by utilising Maori models of health that recognise the importance of holistic care, while also referencing international standards. Dr Jaimie says the new guidelines promote healthcare based on informed consent. This means that healthcare providers duty of care is to make sure that people seeking gender affirming care are empowered with all of the information they need to make the best decisions for themselves. The authors would like District Health Boards to take note of the recommendations in the guidelines. Dr Jeannnie says that services for trans people are not consistent around New Zealand. Access to puberty blockers, hormonal therapy and various surgeries vary greatly in different regions. There is an urgent need for each DHB to develop a clear pathway for provision of gender affirming healthcare locally. Dr Jeannie hopes that there will be wide uptake from healthcare providers across the country. These guidelines have been endorsed by the Australian and New Zealand Professional Association for Transgender Health, the New Zealand Sexual Health Society and the New Zealand Society of Endocrinology and the Ministry of Health links to them on their page for healthcare for transgender New Zealanders . The guidelines cover areas including supporting families, mental healthcare, access to puberty blocking treatments, hormone therapy, and surgery, as well as fertility preservation. Some key facts: The Youth12 survey, estimated approximately 1.2 per cent of adolescents in Aotearoa/New Zealand identify as transgender. As societal acceptance for transgender people grows, it is likely that this level of referrals to health services will continue in the foreseeable future. The survey also highlighted the mental health disparities experienced by transgender youth compared to their cisgender peers with 41 per cent vs 12 per cent experiencing significant depressive symptoms and 20 per cent vs 4 per cent reporting an attempted suicide in a 12-month period. Transgender youth were also nearly five times more likely to experience regular bullying at school. International research has shown that negative mental health outcomes are linked to experiences of discrimination, stigma, and violence and the World Health Organization has proposed removing any reference to gender diversity being a mental illness in its International Classification of Diseases. The full guidelines and the list of contributors to them are available here. Foreign merchant vessels are being warned that a zero tolerance approach will be taken to crew members who exploit our fisheries without regard to the rules. The Ministry for Primary Industries is concerned that despite being repeatedly provided with the rules around the legal take and size limit of shellfish, overseas crew from merchant vessels passing through the Bluff region have been caught, on several occasions, breaking the rules. MPI spokesman Garreth Jay says the most recent incident involved four crew members who were caught near Ocean Beach Bluff with a total of 91 black foot paua, 82 of which were undersized and 42 yellow foot paua, of which 26 were undersized. He says the offending is unacceptable. As well as taking undersized paua, the four crew members took 51 excess black foot and two excess yellow foot paua. Many of the undersized were well below the minimum legal size of 125mm for black foot paua and 80mm for yellow foot paua with several at little more than half the minimum size allowed. None of the crew had any sort of measuring tool with them. Earlier in the week, two other crew members from the same boat, including the captain, had received warning notices for having taken undersized paua, and had been provided pamphlets and paua gauges and told to ensure the crew knew the rules before fishing while in New Zealand waters. It was extremely disappointing that the message didnt seem to have gotten through to others on the vessel. Fishery officers wont treat foreign crew any differently to local offenders. The rules are the rules and they exist for very good reason. Garreth says there have been several instances over recent years where visiting crew are caught in breach of paua regulations despite there being notices at the local wharf departure gates, and despite sometimes being told by shipping agents of the rules. MPI Biosecurity staff pass on the rules at times as well. The rules are set to ensure the sustainability of New Zealands precious fishery resources. Well continue to take this stance against anyone who negatively impacts the sustainability of the New Zealand fishery. The four crew caught near Ocean Beach each received infringement fines of $1,000 for possession of excess and undersized shellfish. MPI seized the entire catch and returned all the paua to the water. Go here to check the fishing rules in your area: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/travel-and-recreation/fishing/fishing-rules/ Bay of Plenty You will be operating the Roller and also required to help out the team hands on. You will be working around Tauranga, for... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz For the first time next year, the National Youth Jazz Competition will be held separate from the National Jazz Festival. While the festival will be staged as usual on Easter Weekend, the National Youth Jazz Competition will be held two weeks prior on 5 and 6 April. After consulting with schools it became apparent that because Easter occurs within the school holidays it would be difficult to guarantee student availability, says National Youth Jazz Competition Manager, Liam Ryan. With big bands and combos it becomes challenging for teachers to assemble their best musical-line ups if students are unavailable to play. Registrations are now open for the 2019 National Youth Jazz Competition which expects to draw over 300 students from all over New Zealand to Tauranga to compete for coveted Tauranga Jazz Society trophies, awards and prizes. Past winners of awards include Hollie Smith, Nathan Haines and Lewis McCallum. Liam Ryan is excited about the current state of jazz in schools. Thanks to the success of crossover artists like Snarky Puppy, Jacob Collier and Post Modern Juke Box jazz is at a new time high among young players. Jazz is now a feature of the school music curricula with hundreds of big bands and jazz ensembles active in New Zealand schools. Three New Zealand university courses now offer dedicated degrees in jazz study. Judges for the 2019 competition will be made up of panels from The New Zealand School of Music, University of Auckland and ARA under Head Judge, Dr Rodger Fox. The 2019 National Youth Jazz Competition will feature the judges in performance with Sumo Jazz - a Tui Award-winning South Island jazz band made up of tutors from the ARA Institute in Christchurch. Jazz is very much alive as an art form, says Liam Ryan. Student performances are often in the virtuoso realm and the new fusion of funk, soul, Latin and swing styles makes youth jazz really thrilling for audiences. Tauranga Jazz Society President, Graeme Purches, says the increase in youth interest in jazz over recent years has been staggering. My last job involved turning up annually as a sponsor representative to the Otago Secondary Schools Music Festival in the Dunedin Town Hall, which was always packed out. "That Festival has a whole section devoted to Jazz, which under the leadership of Calder Prescott, has grown year on year. "For me, that was always the highlight of an already fantastic event. I encourage people to make an effort to see some of the performances by local and visiting students this year, which I am sure will be equally inspiring. There has been some confusion over the past couple of weeks about the new school bus system for 2019. Bus Company Bayhopper has got the school bus route contract for 2019 and with that, comes changes to some of the school bus routes. One parent who lives out Ohauiti, is worried about the rumours that she will be putting her primary aged child on a public bus. If that is the case, I will be taking him to school by car, says concerned parent Nikki South. Nikki says schools are also concerned about the new bus system as they will be arriving at the schools at 8.50am when school starts at 9am and in the afternoon, will be leaving school grounds at 3pm, the same time as when schools finish. Passenger Transport Programme Leader Rachel Pinn says school students are able to travel across the Bayhopper network, both on the public bus network and dedicated school buses. The public bus network travels past many schools and provides transport to multiple destinations perfect for after school sports, jobs etc. There are school services as advertised on the Baybus website. These buses are for school students only. We know many school children from intermediate and older find using public transport easy and part of their everyday travel. All Bayhopper buses, both public and dedicated school services, are fitted with CCTV to provide security for the driver and passengers. Rural school buses including in the Kaimai area are provided by the Ministry of Education. These are completely separate from the urban Bayhopper network and are not affected by changes to Bayhopper services, says Rachel. HONG KONG, Dec. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), a Hong Kong-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to pursuing excellence in journalism, today announced that the SOPA 2019 Awards for Editorial Excellence are now open for entries. The deadline for submissions is 3pm Hong Kong time on Thursday January 24, 2019. Since their launch in 1999, the awards have become a world-class benchmark to recognize best practices in journalism in Asia Pacific, while driving journalistic innovation across international, regional and local media platforms in the region. "The SOPA Awards provide a great platform to honor the best publishing practices in the region as the journalism landscape continues to evolve," said Cliff Buddle, Editor, Special Projects at the South China Morning Post and Chair of the SOPA Editorial Committee. "By recognizing the best practices, we hope to continue to drive related dialogue and inspire journalists to keep pursuing journalistic innovation and excellence of all kinds." Last year, the 20th anniversary of the awards saw a record number of entries with more than 850 submitted. The finalists and winning entriesA covered a wide range of crucial issues facing the region. Thomson Reuters won the top honour a the SOPA Award for Public Service Journalism a for its reporting on the Rohingya crisis. A For the SOPA 2019 Awards, media will continue to compete in 17 categories (full list below) including the SOPA Award for Public Service Journalism, Excellence in Business Reporting and Excellence in Feature Writing. SOPA encourages entries from both large and small publications with entries classified by circulation and language type a English or Chinese. The judging panel comprises more than 100 industry professionals from some of the region's most influential media organizations and leading journalism schools, as well as past award winners. The Journalism & Media Studies Centre of the University of Hong Kong has been the Awards Administrator since 2011. For the awards, Asia Pacific is defined as Afghanistan and the Central Asia republics, the Indian subcontinent, North and East Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands. Submissions can be made online at www.sopawards.com. The finalists will be announced in May 2019, with the winners named at the SOPA Awards Gala Dinner on May 29, 2019 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Award submission eligibility and application information is available at www.sopawards.com. 2019 Award Categories Excellence in Reporting on Women's Issues Excellence in Journalistic Innovation Excellence in Video Reporting Excellence in Human Rights Reporting Excellence in Feature Writing Excellence in Magazine Design Excellence in Arts & Culture Reporting Excellence in Explanatory Reporting Excellence in Business Reporting Excellence in Information Graphics Excellence in Reporting Breaking News Excellence in Opinion Writing Excellence in Reporting on the Environment Excellence in Photography The Scoop Award Excellence in Investigative Reporting SOPA Award for Public Service Journalism About SOPA The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) was founded in 1982 to champion freedom of the press, promote excellence in journalism and endorse best practices for all local and! regional publishing platforms in the Asia-Pacific region. SOPA is a not-for-profit organization based in Hong Kong and representing international, regional and local media companies across Asia. The Society of Publishers in Asia is also host to the prestigious annual SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence, which serve as the world-class benchmark for quality journalism in the region. www.sopasia.com; SOPA LinkedIn. Press release prepared on behalf of SOPA by FleishmanHillard. Distributed on behalf of SOPA by PR Newswire. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/799004/SOPA_The_Society_Of_Publishers_Logo.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/799005/SOPA_The_Society_Of_Publishers_SOPA_Awards.jpg In todays weather forecast we are expecting a fine day apart from some morning cloud. Also light winds and sea breezes. Its a one-clothing layer day today with a high of 27 and an overnight low of 16 degrees. Humidity is 91 per cent. Low tide is at 9.30am and high tide at 3.50pm(Tay St). Theres a sea swell of 0.4m and sea temperature is 20 degrees. Sunset tonight is at 8.30pm. If youre going fishing the next best fish bite time is between 8.30 and 10.30pm. On this day in NZ history in 1642 was the first known encounter between Maori and Europeans. Abel Tasmans Dutch East India Company expedition had the first known European contact with Maori. In 1988 Air New Zealand women cabin crew won an anti-discrimination case. Air New Zealand was found to be in breach of the Human Rights Act after over a decade of female cabin crew campaigning for the same opportunities as male workers at the airline. On this day in world history in 1812 Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Paris after his disastrous campaign in Russia. In 1865 slavery was abolished in the United States. The 13th Amendment was formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution, ensuring that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. In 1915 in a single night, about 20,000 Australian and New Zealand troops withdraw from Gallipoli, Turkey, undetected by the Turks defending the peninsula. In 1940 Adolf Hitler issued his secret plans for the invasion of the Soviet UnionOperation Barbarossa. In 1941 defended by 610 fighting men, the American-held island of Guam fell to more than 5,000 Japanese invaders in a three-hour battle. In 1941 Japan invaded Hong Kong. In 1942 Adolf Hitler met with Benito Mussolini and Pierre Laval. In 1956 Japan was admitted to the United Nations. In 2008 the United Arab Emirates held it first-ever elections. Today is the birthday of 1946 film director Steven Spielberg. Born in 1946 he once said Our one goal is to give the world a taste of peace, friendship, and understanding through the visual arts, the art of celebration of life. To get involved in activities around the Bay of Plenty, please check out our Whats on page. Have a great day! A Liverpool man who is accused of having sexual contact with a male child under the age of 13 has been charged with several crimes, state police said today. Timothy Scott, 44, has been charged with first-degree sex abuse, a felony. He also faces misdemeanor charges of forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child. Scott is accused of having sexual contact with the child on several occasions, police said. Scott was arrested Friday, according to the state police blotter for Troop D in Oneida. He was arraigned and posted a bail bond, according to police records. Onondaga County Child Protective Services and the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center in Syracuse assisted police with the investigation. Police provided no further information. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A judge reluctantly sentenced Dr. David R. Smith today to thee years of probation and no jail time for padding his pay while he was president of SUNY Upstate Medical University. This was public money, Syracuse City Court Judge Rory McMahon told Smith. This is what bothered me." Despite his reluctance, McMahon gave Smith the same sentence that was worked out as part of a plea deal Smith agreed to in September. He pleaded guilty to three counts of official misconduct, all misdemeanors, for increasing his pay from 2006 to 2013 without state permission. As part of his sentence, Smith must pay $247,419 in restitution and $3,000 in fines. Hes already paid $75,000 and must pay the balance over the next three years. If Smith fails to adhere to the terms and conditions of his probationary sentence, including the payment of restitution, he could face up to three years in jail. Of the $247,419 that must be repaid, $189,412 represents money Smith pocketed between 2007 and 2013 from an unauthorized pay raise he took from the State University of New York Research Foundation. Smith, 64, who now lives in North Carolina, resigned from Upstate in 2013. He had little to say in court where he appeared with his attorney, William Dreyer. When asked outside the courtroom if he had any comment, Smith shook his head and quickly walked away. As part of his guilty plea, Smith admitted he: Ordered a subordinate, Steven Brady, a former Upstate vice president, to improperly give him the raise from the SUNY Research Foundation: Collected more money than he was allowed in housing expenses; And created a deferred compensation plan for himself and other Upstate officials through a non-profit company affiliated with Upstate. McMahon told Smith that while hes on probation he cannot leave the states of North Carolina and Minnesota where Smith has homes unless he gets permission from his probation officer. Smith told the judge hes not working in either state. Brady, 71, of Chittenango, pleaded guilty in May to falsifying business records and agreed to cooperate with investigators. Brady told investigators Smith directed him to set up the deferred compensation plan. The offices of the state Inspector General and state Attorney General jointly investigated the pay padding scheme. The AGs office prosecuted the case. The case was originally investigated by the FBI and federal prosecutors, who dropped the probe after concluding there was not enough evidence to bring charges. In a prepared statement, State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott said Smith exploited his universitys lax oversight." He shamelessly violated the trust of his position, prioritizing his own illicit financial gains over patient care and medical education that should have been his primary concerns," she said. Over three hundred worshipers attended the fifth Annual Live Nativity Service at the Franciscan Church of the Assumption in Syracuse on Sunday. The manger setting was assembled on the altar of the church with livestock furnished by Route 80 Stables of Nedrow. The congregation sang an assortment of hymns and carols including, "Silent Night." One common way today of transmitting the memory of the birth of Jesus is through the tradition of the creche. St. Francis is credited with having created the first creche. In 1223 Saint Francis of Assisi chose the humble mountain village of Greccio, Italy overlooking the Rieti valley to commemorate the birth of Jesus with a live reenactment. The Franciscans are the founding order of Assumption Church Al-Tyrric Harrell said he found used heroin needles in the hallway outside the Syracuse apartment he rented for his family partner Tara Nerau and their two toddlers. The hallway door had been kicked in. The heat wouldnt come on. They put sticky traps down low to catch the mice and up high to catch the drainflies. Then, the toilet broke. He filed a complaint with the citys code enforcement office and ended it with this: Please help. But the biggest health threat at the house on Bellevue Avenue is one the tenants did not see and the city is powerless to fix: The two children are being poisoned by lead paint. Two-year-old Mala-Khis blood lead level skyrocketed in just four months in the new apartment. Little sister Brenda, who just turned one, has also been exposed to lead paint, a routine doctors visit discovered in November. Paint flakes from the baseboard just inches from the toddlers toys. Every time the couple puts a fan in the window, it blows invisible paint dust into their babies mouths. The other problems can be exterminated, swept away or avoided before anyone gets hurt. But lead paint poisoning causes irreversible brain damage in children. Harrell and Nerau discovered what hundreds of poor families in Syracuse have known for years: The government offices that touch their lives dont use their collective clout to demand that homes with kids are safe. Not only does Onondaga County let a family live in a lead-contaminated home, it pays half the rent. The faceless paper corporation that owns the Bellevue Avenue apartment continued to receive rent from one arm of county government, while another county office cited it for lead violations. A third county office has millions of dollars in federal money to repair houses with lead problems but remains uninvolved because it has not heard from the landlord. A combination of county, state and federal funds pay half the rent on the Bellevue Avenue apartment. But the county does not require lead inspections and the state says thats OK. The city has no lead inspectors and no money to hire any. The Onondaga County Social Services Department paid $22 million to 2,500 landlords to house about 13,000 low-income people in the last year. None of those homes were inspected for lead paint before the tenants moved in, according to the staff members who manage the program. I dont think its ever been part of the process, said Cheryl Tompkins, who supervises active Temporary Assistance cases for Onondaga County. Social Services Commissioner Sarah Merrick said the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance has instructed the county to allow clients to live where they want without creating an extra burden. Asking the landlord to undergo an inspection would create that kind of extra burden, she said. An OTDA spokesman confirmed this practice. Merrick believes there would have to be a new state law in order to start inspecting properties in advance. Its going to require a lot more people on the ground doing inspections and I think resources available to remediate the apartments, she said. It would have to come with an investment, I believe, for it to be successful. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who used his influence to help Syracuse win back its HUD money, said he would look into the issue carefully. They should absolutely inspect for lead. We shouldnt let people, especially with young children, move into these kinds of apartments until they know if theres lead and theres some plan to get them out, Schumer said Friday when told about the practice in Onondaga County. Theyre getting paid by the federal state and city, they should have some obligations to make the places safe. Please help As many as one of every four children tested in 2017 in Harrells West Side neighborhood had at least 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood the danger threshold set by the Centers for Disease Control. At least 600 children in Syracuse were infected last year, adding new cases to the generations of children poisoned before them. Syracuse is in a lead crisis and it needs to be taken care of, Harrell said. I get mad at how many kids have lead poisoning in Syracuse. It is hard for a tenant to know which agency to call for help. Harrell called the city of Syracuse with the long list of complaints. There is no law on the books in Syracuse that requires landlords to clean up lead paint. The citys code inspectors look for peeling paint, which can help; but they do not test the paint for lead. The Onondaga County Health Department tests for lead paint after a child has been poisoned or upon request. Another agency within county government has federal HUD money to fix up houses, but Harrells landlord has not applied, said Martin Skahen, director of Onondaga County Community Development. The countys social services department pays half of Harrells rent. He drives a taxi at night to pay the rest of the $850 a month. When he chose the apartment last summer, Harrell said, he went downtown to the social services office to apply for help. Unlike other types of subsidized housing hes lived in, Harrell said, no one from the county visited the apartment before his family moved in. The agency has a form that ask landlords to volunteer the condition of walls, floors, carpets, electrical outlets and windows. But the exercise is more like recording the existing damage on a rental car than an activity that protects the health and safety of the tenants. Only about 200 landlords fill out the form. The other 2,300 require a security deposit instead. That gets them out of a pre-inspection, said Liz Knobel, who handles incoming temporary assistance cases. Some landlords dont want city codes to come out and inspect their property, Knobel said. Thats part of the problem. If the family lived in an apartment subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, an inspector would have been required to visit and inspect for deteriorating paint. Because there are children under six in a house built before 1978, it would have to be inspected annually, a HUD spokeswoman said. Mala-Khi Harrell (mask) plays with his sister Brenda in their kitchen, both have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Living with lead at 1216 Bellevue Ave. in Syracuse, November 20, 2018 Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.comMichael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syr He was always very sweet Mala-Khi is a gentle child who has learned a lot of letters and numbers for his age. But he no longer wants to sit down and listen to a story, his mother said. He moves swiftly through a room, chasing his sister with a Halloween mask, then moving on to blocks, then to trucks. He would rather run around the room and play or fight than sit down and read a book or play with numbers, she said. Sometimes he is inconsolable. He wont be told no. He was never like that, she said. He was always very sweet. In four months, Mala-Khis blood lead level increased from 3.3 micrograms per deciliter of blood to 10.4, medical records show. Brenda tested just under 5 micrograms. The doctor told the family there is little they can do to stop the lead from poisoning their bodies. The doctor suggested feeding the children calcium-rich milk, yogurt and leafy greens. Lead competes with calcium in the body and its better for the body to absorb the calcium than the metal. Vitamin C also helps stop lead absorption, studies show. The doctor also suggested the family never dust and instead clean surfaces with wet cloths, she said. The health department ordered the landlord to clean up the apartment in September after an inspection detected dangerous levels of lead in the living room, bedrooms, bathroom, dining room and the door frames, porches and car port outside, records show. The house at 1216 Bellevue Ave. is owned by a limited liability company called Blake Global with a mailing address in a 12-story high rise on James Street, according to property records. It is common in Syracuse - and presents a challenge for government officials - for landlords to operate under anonymous company names. Blake Global bought the house from another limited liability company in February for $35,000. Mike Hemmer, of Infisium Properties in Syracuse, said he is the property manager. He declined to name the owners of the limited liability company on record as the owners. Hemmer said his contractors have tried to fix the problem, but the tenants have not responded to his phone calls to set a time. The work is about 85 percent done, he said. We take lead paint violations very seriously, he said. Harrell said the landlord sent someone over to paint over the problem areas. That is the most affordable remedy and can be acceptable by health department standards, if done correctly. The family went to the mall while the men painted. They came home to find the two front windows had been painted shut. The tops of the interior doorways had shiny new coats of paint. Some areas above an interior archway had been patched. But paint still chipped from the baseboards along the floor, where the children play, and other walls and ceilings throughout the apartment. Harrell used a home testing kit provided by Syracuse.com to see if the old lead paint was still exposed. He dipped a cotton swab in the solution, then rubbed it on the chipped paint under the window. Within seconds, the swab turned from white to black, indicating that lead is present. A few days later, the apartment failed another inspection by the health department, records show. Last week, a second home test kit provided by Syracuse.com showed levels of lead still present nearly three months after it was called to the landlords attention. Eventually, the landlord will be ordered to attend a hearing and could be fined. At that point, the health department would send an email to the social services staff to ask them to stop paying the rent. Harrell and Nerau are looking for another place to live, but they say it isnt easy to find enough space at an affordable price. The family lived in a hotel for a year before finding the apartment on Bellevue Avenue, he said. As he drives a taxi through Syracuse, Harrell now notices the chipped paint on porches and houses all around him. He also notices the new upscale student housing being built around Syracuse University and the hospitals. Theyre building all this student housing, but theyre not concerned about the old ones, Harrell said. Thats a lot of kids who cant become doctors now in Syracuse. An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the landlord owed taxes on 1216 Bellevue Avenue. The taxes were paid on time. The story has been corrected. Contact Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186 State Sen. John DeFrancisco is literally singing and dancing his way toward retirement as he makes a farewell tour across the 50th Senate District in Central New York. DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt, showed up Tuesday night with his saxophone at Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse. He had been invited to play "Saxophonic Boogie" with seventh-graders at their holiday concert. Two weeks ago, he surprised those honoring him at a Lysander Republican Committee fundraiser in Baldwinsville. While a GOP official spoke, DeFrancisco made his way toward the back of the banquet hall and made a special request with the band. The 72-year-old took to the stage and started singing "Play that Funky Music," the 1976 hit by Wild Cherry. It was at least the third time that DeFrancisco performed the song in public. He joined The Blacklites Band on stage at former Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner's winter balls in 2012 and 2013. DeFrancisco said the musical performances are a highlight of his final tour across Central New York after more than 40 years in public office, including 26 years in the state Senate. He has been presented with dozens of plaques, proclamations, photos, and even two hand-crafted Adirondack chairs made by students at Baker High School in Baldwinsville. Senate Republicans in Albany produced their own humorous farewell video for DeFrancisco. DeFrancisco, a jazz fan who started playing an alto sax when he turned 50, said he was especially honored to be invited to play before about 600 people at Pine Grove Middle School. "I haven't been practicing much," DeFrancisco said before Tuesday's performance. "I'm more nervous now than I've ever been." Pamela Mastrobattisto, the Pine Grove Middle School band director, said DeFrancisco set a good example for the students. "The senator actually came in a week before the performance and practiced with the band," she said. "I think it's a great role model for our students to see the senator, with a successful career as an attorney and elected official, taking the time to dedicate himself to music." Watch DeFrancisco sing at 2013 Winter Ball DeFrancisco, the Senate's deputy majority leader, helped bring millions of dollars in state grants for the arts to Central New York over his career. When Pine Grove Middle School was renovated a few years ago, DeFrancisco secured a state grant for about $100,000 to buy new instruments for the band. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 lovecars21 BHPian Join Date: May 2014 Location: Asansol Posts: 194 Thanked: 1,183 Times re: Introducing Baby Ishaan, the Road Trip way! To Bhutan in a Tata Safari Day 3: 13th November, 2018. Jaigaon to Paro Somehow, we spent the night in the hotel and next day me and my wife headed straight to the Immigration office which is on the right side just after crossing the Bharat Petrol Pump. The Immigration office opens at 9:00 am. Working hours for this office is 9 am to 3 pm Monday to Friday. Sharing the link of its Location: https://goo.gl/maps/GNyWDknyHd62 We waited in the queue along with all required documents and filled the Entry Permit Application form. The Immigration Form is only available at the counter outside the office hence I am enclosing a copy of the form for the ease of next travellers. Documents that are required are mentioned below: 1. Trip Itinerary 2. Each person has to fill a separate Entry Permit Application form. 3. Xerox copy of Passport/Voter Card/Birth Certificate for New Born 4. One Passport size photograph (if you have a baby, please carry two copies of photo) 5. Details of Hotel Booking and copies of Booking Vouchers. The office opens at 9:00 am (Bhutan Time which is +6 hrs. GMT). Initially all the documents are checked by the personnel sitting outside the Immigration office. After verification, we were asked to bring all the members applying for the permits. While my wife kept our slot in the queue, I went back to the hotel and brought the other members and our Baby. The 2nd Level of verification is done in the 1st Floor where the personnel sitting in the counter takes the application papers and then calls the members one by one for biometric scanning and photo. Once done if the permit is applied using Xerox of Passport then they ask for the original to put the entry permit stamp in the passport. If applied with any other ID proof, the papers are forwarded to another counter where a hard copy permit is issued. The complete process took us around two hours. Only Permits for Thimphu and Paro is issued from Pheuntsholing. After the entry permit was issued I went back to the hotel with the baby and both the moms while my Wife applied for a B Mobile SIM card. I returned and inserted the B-Mobile SIM card in my mobile and applied for 4G Data plan. They issued the SIM for Rs. 110/- and Data Plan of 5GB with One month validity for Rs. 499/-. The B-Mobile SIM application counter is also in the 1st floor of immigration office. We had to fill application form and attach a Xerox copy of the permit and PP Photo. The woman sitting in the counter was very courteous and helped me in setting up my mobile for B-Mobile Internet connection. Then we exchanged some Indian Currency of Rs. 2,000/- and Rs. 500/- with Bhutan Currency as in the interiors of Bhutan Rs. 2,000/- and Rs. 500/- may not be accepted. The currency exchange counter is also in the 1st Floor of Immigration office. Now, it was time to get the Vehicle permit. The Road Safety and Transport Authority office is in the Main Bus Stand campus. It is 10 minutes walking distance from the Immigration office. There we came to know that a form is available from the nearby Xerox shop which needs to be filled up and submitted along with Xerox copy of Entry Permits of all members, Xerox copy of Vehicle documents (RC Xerox, Insurance Xerox, PUC Xerox and Tax Xerox) and Xerox of Driving License of the person who intends to drive the vehicle in Bhutan. First the officer in charge who sits in the 2nd floor checked the application along with all the Xerox documents and asked us to submit a fees @ 100 Nu per day multiplied by the total number of days we intend to stay in Bhutan. We had to pay 600 Nu. This payment is accepted only in cash in the 3rd floor. Once the fees was submitted we were asked to submit the cash receipt along with the documents to the officer in charge who initially checked the papers. From there we came to know that Bike permits are issued @ 50 Nu per day. The officer in charge was very helpful and issued the Vehicle permit for Paro, Thimphu, Haa and Punakha so that we dont have to search for the RSTA office in Thimphu to extend the vehicle permit. Sharing the link of the exact location of the RSTA office: https://goo.gl/maps/mBw9J6Tg3MC2 It was 1:30 pm and we both were very hungry so had our lunch at a Restaurant in Pheuntsholing while other team members had their lunch in the hotel. After lunch, it was almost 3:00 pm when we check out of Hotel Satyam. There are two entry gates for Bhutan. One for Light Motor Vehicles and the other for Medium to Heavy Vehicles. While entering Phuentsholing I noticed that my Google Maps Navigation was not working. Setting a destination and asking to navigate was showing only preview. Came to know from locals that Bhutan Government has banned Google Maps Navigation all through-out Bhutan. It was a nightmare for me. Luckily I had the internet connection of B Mobile so instantly activated by Navimaps and downloaded offline map of Bhutan. It costed me Rs. 300/-. Once done we resumed our journey. It was already too late when we reached Dantak Canteen on Pheuntsholing-Thimphu Highway. There we had some heavy snacks and Tea. The road all through was in great condition. It was already dark when we left Dantak Canteen. After some kilometers of driving we were surrounded by dense fog. It was quite difficult to drive so followed the tail lights of the cars ahead and drove slowly. This particular region is always foggy. After around 10 kilometers the fog cleared up and we drove sedately. Pheuntsholing-Thimphu Highway bifurcates near Chuzom. There we took the left through the bridge to drive into Paro region. The roads are in very good condition. We reached Paro at 7:30 pm (BST). It was already chilling out there. We immediately checked into our homestay and the Owner had already prepared the house so that the Baby could stay comfortably. We had booked Karmaling Homestay (entire place) through AirBnb. This home stay is quite far from the main Paro town but has come very scenic surrounding. River Wang Chu flows just beside the house. We could hear the sound of flowing water all through the night. We had an entire house at our disposal so prepared some hot dinner and rested. The temperature recorded was a minimum of 3 deg C that night. Over and above the layers of woolens that we all wore, the room heater provided by the owner saved us from the chill of the night. Days Summary: Total Distance Travelled: 164 kms from Jaigaon to Paro Total Travel Time: 05:00 hrs with 1 hr break Total Toll Tax: Rs. 0/- (Fastag) Fuel Fillings done at: Nil Mileage: 10.05 kmpl Average Speed: 30 kmph Stayed in Karmaling Homestay, Paro, Bhutan Location Link: https://goo.gl/maps/H4ms855bWeE2 Contact No. +975 179 58068 Booked using Airbnb Room Tariff: Rs. 2,180/- Entire Apartment Somehow, we spent the night in the hotel and next day me and my wife headed straight to the Immigration office which is on the right side just after crossing the Bharat Petrol Pump. The Immigration office opens at 9:00 am. Working hours for this office is 9 am to 3 pm Monday to Friday. Sharing the link of its Location:We waited in the queue along with all required documents and filled the Entry Permit Application form. The Immigration Form is only available at the counter outside the office hence I am enclosing a copy of the form for the ease of next travellers.Documents that are required are mentioned below:1. Trip Itinerary2. Each person has to fill a separate Entry Permit Application form.3. Xerox copy of Passport/Voter Card/Birth Certificate for New Born4. One Passport size photograph (if you have a baby, please carry two copies of photo)5. Details of Hotel Booking and copies of Booking Vouchers.The office opens at 9:00 am (Bhutan Time which is +6 hrs. GMT). Initially all the documents are checked by the personnel sitting outside the Immigration office. After verification, we were asked to bring all the members applying for the permits. While my wife kept our slot in the queue, I went back to the hotel and brought the other members and our Baby. The 2nd Level of verification is done in the 1st Floor where the personnel sitting in the counter takes the application papers and then calls the members one by one for biometric scanning and photo. Once done if the permit is applied using Xerox of Passport then they ask for the original to put the entry permit stamp in the passport. If applied with any other ID proof, the papers are forwarded to another counter where a hard copy permit is issued. The complete process took us around two hours. Only Permits for Thimphu and Paro is issued from Pheuntsholing. After the entry permit was issued I went back to the hotel with the baby and both the moms while my Wife applied for a B Mobile SIM card. I returned and inserted the B-Mobile SIM card in my mobile and applied for 4G Data plan. They issued the SIM for Rs. 110/- and Data Plan of 5GB with One month validity for Rs. 499/-. The B-Mobile SIM application counter is also in the 1st floor of immigration office. We had to fill application form and attach a Xerox copy of the permit and PP Photo. The woman sitting in the counter was very courteous and helped me in setting up my mobile for B-Mobile Internet connection. Then we exchanged some Indian Currency of Rs. 2,000/- and Rs. 500/- with Bhutan Currency as in the interiors of Bhutan Rs. 2,000/- and Rs. 500/- may not be accepted. The currency exchange counter is also in the 1st Floor of Immigration office.Now, it was time to get the Vehicle permit. The Road Safety and Transport Authority office is in the Main Bus Stand campus. It is 10 minutes walking distance from the Immigration office. There we came to know that a form is available from the nearby Xerox shop which needs to be filled up and submitted along with Xerox copy of Entry Permits of all members, Xerox copy of Vehicle documents (RC Xerox, Insurance Xerox, PUC Xerox and Tax Xerox) and Xerox of Driving License of the person who intends to drive the vehicle in Bhutan. First the officer in charge who sits in the 2nd floor checked the application along with all the Xerox documents and asked us to submit a fees @ 100 Nu per day multiplied by the total number of days we intend to stay in Bhutan. We had to pay 600 Nu. This payment is accepted only in cash in the 3rd floor. Once the fees was submitted we were asked to submit the cash receipt along with the documents to the officer in charge who initially checked the papers. From there we came to know that Bike permits are issued @ 50 Nu per day. The officer in charge was very helpful and issued the Vehicle permit for Paro, Thimphu, Haa and Punakha so that we dont have to search for the RSTA office in Thimphu to extend the vehicle permit.Sharing the link of the exact location of the RSTA office:It was 1:30 pm and we both were very hungry so had our lunch at a Restaurant in Pheuntsholing while other team members had their lunch in the hotel. After lunch, it was almost 3:00 pm when we check out of Hotel Satyam.There are two entry gates for Bhutan. One for Light Motor Vehicles and the other for Medium to Heavy Vehicles. While entering Phuentsholing I noticed that my Google Maps Navigation was not working. Setting a destination and asking to navigate was showing only preview. Came to know from locals that Bhutan Government has banned Google Maps Navigation all through-out Bhutan. It was a nightmare for me. Luckily I had the internet connection of B Mobile so instantly activated by Navimaps and downloaded offline map of Bhutan. It costed me Rs. 300/-. Once done we resumed our journey.It was already too late when we reached Dantak Canteen on Pheuntsholing-Thimphu Highway. There we had some heavy snacks and Tea. The road all through was in great condition.It was already dark when we left Dantak Canteen. After some kilometers of driving we were surrounded by dense fog. It was quite difficult to drive so followed the tail lights of the cars ahead and drove slowly. This particular region is always foggy. After around 10 kilometers the fog cleared up and we drove sedately. Pheuntsholing-Thimphu Highway bifurcates near Chuzom. There we took the left through the bridge to drive into Paro region. The roads are in very good condition. We reached Paro at 7:30 pm (BST). It was already chilling out there. We immediately checked into our homestay and the Owner had already prepared the house so that the Baby could stay comfortably. We had booked Karmaling Homestay (entire place) through AirBnb. This home stay is quite far from the main Paro town but has come very scenic surrounding. River Wang Chu flows just beside the house. We could hear the sound of flowing water all through the night.We had an entire house at our disposal so prepared some hot dinner and rested. The temperature recorded was a minimum of 3 deg C that night. Over and above the layers of woolens that we all wore, the room heater provided by the owner saved us from the chill of the night.Total Distance Travelled: 164 kms from Jaigaon to ParoTotal Travel Time: 05:00 hrs with 1 hr breakTotal Toll Tax: Rs. 0/- (Fastag)Fuel Fillings done at: NilMileage: 10.05 kmplAverage Speed: 30 kmphStayed in Karmaling Homestay,Paro, BhutanLocation Link:Contact No. +975 179 58068Booked using AirbnbRoom Tariff: Rs. 2,180/- Entire Apartment Last edited by lovecars21 : 15th December 2018 at 14:07 . Reason: Adding data Why it matters: Facial recognition is now more popular than ever as a way of unlocking smartphones, but it seems that bypassing the system is possible using a 3D-printed headat least on Android handsets. Forbes cybersecurity journalist Thomas Brewster commissioned a 3D printed model of his own head to test the facial recognition security feature on four Android handsets: LG G7 ThinQ, the Samsung Galaxy S9, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and the OnePlus 6. New - We had a 3D model of my head made to break into a bunch of Android phones using facial recognition: https://t.co/i50s8Y0sSO Neither Apple nor Microsoft tech was fooled by the fake... Thomas Brewster (@iblametom) 13 December 2018 Brewster managed to unlock all the Android phones, though he notes it was with differing degrees of ease. Phones from LG and Samsung warned that using facial recognition wasn't the safest security method, advising users that anyone with a close resemblance might be able to unlock the devices. The G7 ThinQ was opened straight away, though the company has since updated the device to make it more difficult to unlock. The Samsung phones were also fooled by the printed head. They took longer to open when the less secure faster recognition feature was disabled, requiring different lighting and angles. The OnePlus 6 fared worst of all, offering no security warnings and opening instantly when shown the model. One handset that wasnt fooled was the iPhone X. This shouldnt come as too much of a surpriseback when the firm first revealed the device last year, Apple said it had worked with Hollywood studios to create realistic masks to test the system. Additionally, Microsofts Windows Hello facial recognition couldnt be tricked, either. There are some caveats with the experiment. Brewsters head was recreated by professionals in a dome-like studio containing 50 cameras. And all the Android makers advise using the fingerprint scanner for extra security, while the iPhone X, which doesnt have one, has more advanced tech in its facial recognition system, such as IR depth matting and attention awareness. The big picture: Amazon famously sells everything from A to Z (its right in their logo, after all), a strategy that has led to retail dominance and pushed the companys value to unbelievable heights. Now that it has influence over the industry, change is apparently in order. Major brand executives and people familiar with Amazons game plan tell The Wall Street Journal that the company is increasingly taking aim at products with low or non-existent margins. These products think snacks or beverages typically carry a low price but are cost-prohibitive to ship due to their bulk or weight. Internally, theyre known as Cant Realize a Profit, or CRaP, items and Amazon wants to eliminate them. One specific example cited by the WSJ was a six-pack of Smartwater bottled water from Coca-Cola Co. for $6.99. This used to be the default order option for Amazons Dash button for the product but in August, the default was changed to a 24-pack that costs $37.20. Furthermore, Coca-Cola will also start shipping these orders directly to consumers from its warehouses, sparing Amazon the expense of having to deal with logistics and shipping on its end. The e-commerce giant has also reportedly pressured some brands to lower their prices and change packaging. Seventh Generation, a Unilever PLC unit that sells household products, recently created a larger pack of baby wipes and a six-pack of dish soap. Amazon can get away with changing the rules because of its massive size and influence. Guru Hariharan, chief executive of Boomerang Commerce, said not being on Amazon is not an option anymore for big consumer brands. Image credit: Sundry Photography and nelzajamal via Shutterstock. Why it matters: While Amazon is demanding New York City invest $3 billion in its plan to build there, Google is saying it is going to invest $1 billion to develop a campus in the city. The company has maintained a small presence of about 7,000 workers in offices there. It is now looking to double its workforce there while investing in its infrastructure. On Monday, Google announced it will be investing $1 billion for a new campus in New York City. The development plan looks to establish a 1.7 million square-foot satellite location. The project would add about 7,000 jobs nearly doubling the companys New York presence over the next 10 years. Google acquired the Manhattan Chelsea Market for $2.4 billion earlier this year. The company has obtained leases for 315 and 345 Hudson Street. It has also expressed interest and signed a letter of intent for 550 Washington Street. When we came to New York City almost two decades ago, it was our first office outside of California, said Googles Senior Vice President and CFO Ruth Porat in a blog post. Google Hudson Square, as it will be called, will host the firms Global Business Organization. It will begin moving into the Hudson Street locations in 2020 and Washington Street by 2022. "With these most recent investments in Google Chelsea and Google Hudson Square, we will have the capacity to more than double the number of Googlers in New York over the next 10 years." Googles billion-dollar investment in NYC is probably a welcomed relief to New Yorkers. As we reported last week, Amazon is planning on building a headquarters in New York City as well. However, instead of the company investing in the city, the taxpayers are shelling out $3 billion in tax incentives for the privilege of having the company build there. The Amazon deal was brokered by the state in cooperation with New York Citys Economic Development Corporation. The agreement was met with protests and complaints that the city could be using that money to fix its crumbling infrastructure. Google on the contrary plans on investing in NYCs infrastructure and services. We believe that as our company grows, we have a responsibility to support the communities we call home, said Porat. That means supporting the infrastructure and services that make our neighborhoods unique places to work, live and play. Since 2011, the company has given over $150 million to NYC nonprofits. It helps support and beautify neighborhood parks. Google has also made many other investments of time, money, and effort within the community over the years What just happened? The age of "blast processing" has come and gone, but the future of computing could be on its way sooner than you think. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which is the producer of some of the tech industry's top hardware, has partnered with Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to create an "IBM-Q cloud quantum computing platform." You read that right - TSMC wants to build a quantum computer, and with the resources the company commands, they just might pull it off. Of course, they aren't going at it alone. A number of other Taiwanese institutions (mostly universities) are being funded by MOST as well. Their goals will be to develop "quantum components and physics," quantum algorithms, and quantum communication. Each "approved" research program -- including TSMC's project -- will receive an annual subsidy of NT$60 million. The benefits of a quantum computer could be numerous. MOST representatives claim that a quantum computer could process "extremely huge" amounts of data, far beyond what any other modern computer is capable of. This would make the computer perfect for the development of artificial intelligence, as well as "cryptography, chemistry, and biomedicine computer simulation," according to MOST. Of course, only time will tell whether or not TSMC and the rest of MOST's partners can make their quantum computing ambitions a reality. These projects will be far from straightforward, and they are expected to last up to five years. Regardless, this is exciting news, and we're looking forward to whatever TSMC's research may lead to in the long run. Scientists are pushing for the continued study on nuclear fusion energy in the United States, saying it will be a huge help in making a small power plant. Experts from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine asked the Department of Energy to further forward the research on the matter as the United States could greatly benefit from it in the long run. Michael Mauel, the co-chair of the panel and an applied physics professor at Columbia University, noted they had been observing immense advancement on the study. "Now is the right time for the U.S. to benefit from the investments in burning plasma research and take leadership in fusion energy," Mauel said. Stay With The Fusion Power Plant Research The group is recommending that the United States do not abandon the longstanding ITER, the nuclear fusion megaproject in France, which gained a lot of critics after the United States had invested whopping amounts of money. That meant spending an additional $200 million on the research annually. Moreover, the report reflects the favored move by the majority of the fusion community, with Mauel saying he and University of Chicago particle physicist Melvyn Shochet consulted with younger scientists who also wanted to continue the study. Prototype Of The Fusion Power Plant Apart from encouraging the government to pursue ITER, scientists also proposed to make a prototype called compact pilot plant (CPP) that will continuously run and generate electricity unlike the megaproject in France. Moreover, the experts suggested that this small sample power plant should be developed even when the United States backs out of the deal, echoing other researchers from other countries. In Europe, their sample version of ITER is the Demonstration Power Station, or referred to as DEMO, which was said to be bigger than the megaproject. CPP, meanwhile, will just be a small fraction of the size of the ongoing controversial project. Although the report sounds promising, DOE director at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Steven Cowley said it's not a walk in the park. For one, the scientists involved in the project still have little knowledge when it comes to building the CPP, and it will still take years before the development will be completed. More than that, others say that the real problem lies in the budget, whether the government is willing to shell out an additional $200 million for the next 20 years to the $564-million annual spending or not. However, others believe that the amount was "wildly out of step with what's possible." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple confirms a software update for iPhones in China is coming next week to avoid a sales ban issued by Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court. The news comes on the heels of the Chinese court's ruling to instantaneously stop Apple from selling seven older iPhone models in China amid an unresolved infringement case between Apple and Qualcomm. The older iPhones involved in the sales ban are applicable to iPhone 6S, the iPhone 6S Plus, the iPhone 7, the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 8, the iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X. The court's ruling excludes new iPhones such as the XS, the XS Max, and the XR. The renowned chip maker and the Cupertino-based multi-national company have been caught in a legal battle for years now over Apple's use of Qualcomm's technology. iPhone Software Update In China In a statement issued to Reuters on Friday, Apple announced a software update will roll out at the start of next week. This move will tackle a potential issue pertaining to its compliance with the order handed down by the Chinese court this week. "Based on the iPhone models we offer today in China, we believe we are in compliance," Apple said. "Early next week we will deliver a software update for iPhone users in China addressing the minor functionality of the two patents at issue in the case." Apple Is Violating Court Order Apple has continued to sell the seven iPhone models in China. According to the company, those devices are running a new software that was not part of the debate at trial, hence, are not covered by the ruling. However, Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm's executive vice president who also acts as the company's general counsel, claimed that Apple was already violating the order issued by the Chinese court banning the sales of the iPhones in question in China. "They are legally obligated to immediately cease sales, offers for sale and importation of the devices identified in the orders and to prove compliance in court," Rosenberg said. This week, the long-time chip manufacturer conjured the Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court to uphold the preliminary injunction. Qualcomm Vs. Apple Qualcomm, the largest supplier of modem chips for smartphones, said that it won a preliminary injunction against iPhone 6s through iPhone X that run iOS 11. Apple, the chip maker argued, has infringed two of its owned IP: resizing photos and app management on a touch screen. Apple, meanwhile, filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm in January of last year, claiming that the latter is performing monopolistic practices that hurt the industry and Apple itself. Qualcomm disputed such claim, saying that its practices are permitted by law. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A meteorologist working at the Fox station in Detroit may have decided to take her own life after suffering from complications of Lasik surgery. Lasik Lasik (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), is a popular surgery used to correct the vision of individuals who are farsighted, nearsighted, or have astigmatism. This type of refractive surgery uses a laser or microkeratome to reshape the cornea of the eye to improve visual acuity. Although the procedure has helped improve the sight of millions of people, there are rare cases wherein patients experience severe and debilitating pain after the surgery. Jessica Starr was among those who suffered from complications of Lasik surgery. In November, the 35-year-old posted a video on her Facebook page about how she was still recovering from a Lasik procedure. She also asked for prayers and well wishes. Starr said that doctors said it could take up to three months before she could feel like a hundred percent again. The mother of two, however, did not make it through the three months. She died just a month after posting the video on social media. Like Knives In Your Eyes Some think that complications from Lasik surgery may have been a catalyst that led to Starr to take her own life. Katie Enders, who had Lasik surgery in 2006 to fix her vision, understands why this could have happened. She related that she felt pain right after surgery but was told it was a dry eye that would go away on its own. The pain, however, intensified. Later, she learned she had Corneal Neuralgia, nerve damage caused by Lasik. She described her condition as like having knives in the eyes 24/7. "I spent eight years of my life in debilitating pain," she said. "I couldn't live like that anymore and I was close to ending my life." Katie was fortunate to have consulted with a pain management specialist who has helped her manage the pain. Lasik Smile The FDA gave its approval to laser corrective procedures in the 1990s and since then, more than 9.5 million people in the United States have opted for laser corrective surgery in place of using glasses or contact lenses. The procedure used on Starr, however, is fairly new. Known as Lasik Smile (small incision lenticule extraction), it was greenlighted by health regulators in 2016. The procedure involves making two small cuts to remove lenticule, a tiny lens-shaped tissue. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Not only is smelling socks unhygienic, it can also be a serious threat to one's health like that of a Chinese man who ended up in the hospital after contracting a lung infection. The man, only identified by his family name Peng and is a resident of Zhangzhou City in Fujian province, China, would come home from his job every day, change from his work clothes, and sniff his freshly used socks. This may be disgusting for some, but for the patient, it became a habit. A Habit Of Sniffing Used Socks A week prior to his hospitalization, he was already complaining of cough and chest pains and got medical care. Things got worse, and the man was admitted to the hospital in Zhangzhou, where his X-ray showed he got a lung infection. Doctors confirmed that this was because of his bizarre habit of inhaling the odor directly from his sweaty socks. Mai Zhuanying, a specialist at the hospital, explained that the infection was a result of a combination of a weak immune system, which stemmed from his late-night work coupled with lack of rest because he was taking care of his child, and his nasty routine. The expert further explained that it was common for fungal spores to thrive in socks and shoes of people who have athlete's foot, an infection which usually starts in between toes. However, she did not elaborate whether the Chinese man had the condition. As of now, the man remains recuperating. Fungal Infections In Lungs Are Uncommon "Fungal infections of the lung are less common than bacterial and viral infections but pose significant problems in diagnosis and treatment," the American Thoracic Society said in a book. Meanwhile, the news had ignited a barrage of comments from guilty people who had the same habit of sniffing their smelly socks. Most of them expressed worry that they may end up taking a trip to the hospital as well, while others explained that they were only doing that to assess whether it can still be worn the next day. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Veteran voice actor Charles Martinet now holds a Guinness World Record title for voicing Nintendo's video game character Mario for 100 times. On Twitter, Martinet expressed how he felt upon knowing that he sets a world record for voicing the same character in a video game. He hit the 100th time of voice acting as Mario in newly released video game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch. The Guinness World Record has made up the category just to honor Martinet and recognize this remarkable milestone in his career as a voice actor. Charles Martinet Honored To Receive The Award "I'm so honored. guinnessworldrecords record for most video game voiceover performances as the same character - 100, as Mario... Upon the release of #supersmashbrosultimate," his tweet reads. He also tweeted a photo of him receiving the record certificate on Dec. 7. He sent his many thanks to Nintendo and Guinness World Record as he accepted the award. The 63-year-old American voice actor is well-known in the gaming community for giving life to Nintendo's beloved character since 1990. He is also the voice behind other characters such as Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Luigi, and Baby Mario. Martinet also got involved in other video games. He voiced the dragon Paarthurnax from Bethesda Softworks' Skyrim. Voice actor Nolan North comes next to Martinet's record. He notably starred in 95 of Naughty Dog's Uncharted games as Nathan Drake. North also played the role of Desmond Miles in Ubisoft's Assassin Creed franchise for the 95th time. 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' For Switch Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where Martinet voiced Mario for 100th, was successfully launched as an exclusive title for the Switch on Dec. 7. In less than two weeks post-launch, the video game's sales in the UK hit a record high. It is now acclaimed as the fastest selling Smash Bros. title of all time and in the running as the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch game to date. Developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd and published by Nintendo, the video game is the fifth installment in the series following its launch on 3DS and Wii U. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Packaged with care: Two years after its launch, Cajun Crate helping others bring taste of Louisiana to the world By refusing to boost Louisiana's income projections, House Republican leaders threaten to spoil Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' push to include a public school teacher pay raise in his budget proposal for next year. House Speaker Taylor Barras and House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry say they haven't blocked the forecast changes to disrupt Edwards' plans, but are taking a conservative financial stance. If the intention isn't political payback, the implications certainly can't be something Barras and Henry are frowning about. The move potentially damages a promise the governor, who often clashes with the House GOP leadership, has been making to his teacher union base as Edwards enters the year he's seeking re-election to a second term. +2 Funding for some pay raises delayed after Louisiana House speaker objects to budget forecast upgrade More than $43 million in budget priorities mostly law enforcement expenditures has been delayed again, after state House leadership again At two meetings of the Revenue Estimating Conference, Barras and Henry rejected the advice of economists who said tax collections and economic modeling support an increase in the state's income forecast for the budget year that ends June 30 and the next budget year. Those projections determine how much money lawmakers and the governor can spend each year. Modifications require a unanimous vote from the four-member panel. The two House Republican leaders talked of uncertainty in corporate tax collections, questions about the federal tax changes and a plunge in oil prices. "You want to avoid a midyear budget adjustment situation should any of these categories fall apart, particularly oil," said Barras, a banker who lives in the Acadiana oil patch region. "What oil has done from October to November is incredibly alarming." Republican Senate President John Alario and Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, both conference members, said the state has a clear picture that revenue is trending up. "Things are better," Dardenne said. "You can't bury your head in the sand and pretend they're not better." Most immediately, refusal to change the forecast stalls a $43 million list of spending plans this year, mainly on public safety programs. But the move also keeps Edwards from having the extra cash he anticipated to steer toward the public school pay raises. The governor, whose wife was a teacher and whose daughter is an elementary school counselor, has described the salary boosts as his "number one priority" for the legislative session that starts in April. The proposal Edwards outlined involves a $1,000 pay raise for teachers and a $500 increase for support staff such as teacher aides and cafeteria workers. He said he'll have a three-year plan to raise salaries to the Southern average, along with block grant increases to school districts. The price tag for the first year, Edwards said, is about $135 million. Edwards expected improved tax collection projections to help cover that cost in his budget proposal due to lawmakers in February. Barras, whose wife is a retired teacher, and Henry said they support teacher raises and aren't trying to stop them. "I don't expect a single member to vote to oppose the teacher pay raise," Henry said. But Barras said: "In all fairness to our teachers, we need to make sure that the revenue is reliable and certainly recurring, and I just don't believe we're at that point." Henry said if the governor wants a pay raise in his budget proposal, he needs to prioritize available dollars. Louisiana is projected to have $162 million more in general state tax income next budget year than this year, under existing projections. Dardenne said without additional revenue, financing a teacher pay hike in next year's budget would require cuts elsewhere, digging into dollars planned for another agency. He called it "creating an unnecessary political firestorm." "We don't need to put teachers through this uncertainty based upon what the economists are telling us. We think and we believe we have additional revenue, and to make that a question mark at this point is irresponsible," Dardenne said. Barras said he'd prefer to make forecast changes in March which also happens to be just past when the governor's budget proposal must be released. Dardenne's not giving up, saying he expects another Revenue Estimating Conference meeting before Edwards' budget is due. Teachers also are pressing the case, with Barras saying he's received hundreds of emails about the blocked forecast changes. Melinda Deslatte has covered Louisiana politics for The Associated Press since 2000. Letters: Want La. to get off the bottom? Spend more on schools In response to a recent Advocate article published recently about Loyola University's financial issues, wed like to reflect upon the importance of Loyola to the city of New Orleans. As members of the Visiting Committee of the College of Music and Fine Arts, we can speak to the outstanding programs of that college as well as Loyolas broader contribution to the city. Not only have we met talented Loyola graduates who attended LSU Health Sciences Center and whom we were proud to teach and who have contributed to our research programs; but we know first-hand of the extraordinary contribution of Loyola to the performance arts, including the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Orleans Opera, the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans, and the Southern Repertory Theater. +2 Loyola University placed on probation by accreditation agency for financial problems After years of financial turbulence due to dips in undergraduate enrollment, Loyola University of New Orleans has been placed on a year of pro It is not an overstatement to say that neither the LPO nor the New Orleans Opera would likely prosper without the significant support of Loyola University and its School of Music and Fine Arts. Loyola provides both the opera and philharmonic with full-time and adjunct faculty positions for their musicians and staff; it trains the students who populate the New Orleans Opera chorus and the Loyola and NOVA choruses who sing with the LPO; it generously offers a first-rate concert hall the Louis Roussel Hall where the LPO and many other performance arts groups perform each year; and it supports the music education of kids growing up in the underserved communities of our city. Under the vision of the new Dean, the College is undergoing a significant reorganization to fulfill the needs of the 21st century. The university is a major contributor to the citys cultural economy, a major initiative of our new mayor. In short, the many collaborations between New Orleans only School of Music and Fine Arts and our professional symphony and opera companies provide the environment which is essential to producing the highest quality of classical and other music genres for which New Orleans is so well-known and justly proud. The dynamic and talented new president, Tania Tetlow, said it best: Loyola has passed 96 different measures of academic quality and continues to provide the world-class, hands-on education that has allowed our graduates to go out and change the world. ... I have never been more confident about the future of Loyola. We heartily agree. Ranney and Emel Mize arts patrons New Orleans From left, State Medicaid Director Jen Steele and LDH Secretary Rebekah Gee talk about the state's new high-tech enrollment system at the Medicaid enrollment headquarters Wednesday Nov. 28, 2018, in Baton Rouge, La. No, give Siemian one last shot Yes, it's Taysom Time Let's see what Ian Book can do Is it really too late to convince Drew to come back? Vote View Results BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Authorities say two people are dead after a train crashed into a passenger vehicle on its tracks in Alabama. News outlets report a vehicle was attempting to cross the tracks in Birmingham at about 6 p.m. Saturday when it was struck by an Amtrak passenger train. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Capt. Harold Watson told al.com the impact ejected two people from the passenger vehicle. Watson says both were pronounced dead at the scene. WABM-TV reports an Amtrak spokesman said there were no reported injuries among the train's 37 passengers or its crew. The train was headed to New Orleans from New York. Birmingham police are investigating. Watson said the two people killed were a man and a woman. Their names were not immediately released. The corporate regulator is seeking court orders to have AMP's law firm Clayton Utz hand over documents it says have been "withheld," as part of its investigation into the wealth manage'rs fees-for-no service scandal. Amid a powerful Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) investigation into AMP, including over misleading statements made by AMP to ASIC, the watchdog is applying for new documents that Clayton Utz has declined to produce because they are subject to a legal professional privilege claim by AMP. ASIC is seeking file notes from interviews with current and former AMP staff. Credit:Jessica Hromas "ASIC has applied to the Federal Court of Australia for an order compelling Clayton Utz to produce certain documents which have, to date, been withheld from ASIC," the regulator said. The push for a Federal Court order, which will be heard by a judge in February, relates to ASIC's investigation into an "independent" report prepared by Clayton Utz for AMP, which was the subject of heavy scrutiny by the royal commission earlier this year. Malaysia has filed criminal charges against units of Goldman Sachs Group Inc involving what it said were false statements made in relation to 1MDB bond sales. The government will seek fines well in excess of both the $US2.7 billion of allegedly misappropriated funds and the $US600 million in fees received by Goldman for the 1MDB deals, Attorney-General Tommy Thomas said in a statement. Malaysia is seeking $US2.7 billion and $US600 million in criminal fines from Goldman Sachs. Credit:AP The allegations, the first criminal charges against Goldman since it was embroiled in the 1MDB scandal, relate to three bond sales worth $US6.5 billion that the bank arranged for the troubled state fund. Malaysia said circulars and memorandums that Goldman prepared for the notes contained statements that were false or misleading or both. Goldman allegedly misrepresented to investors that the proceeds would be used for legitimate purposes when the bank knew that the funds would be misappropriated, the statement said. Are other comics worried that internet users will unearth some cyber trove of homophobic, sexist or racist remarks and stand-up routines in their pasts? Just days after the announcement that Kevin Hart would host, the comic bowed out when years-old homophobic tweets and footage of his onstage ruminations on why he hoped his son wouldn't be gay resurfaced on social media. (As he stepped down, he apologized on Twitter for "my insensitive words from my past.") You would think it's not unreasonable to set the bar for hosting at not being homophobic, racist or sexist. Can no one clear that bar? I didn't even mention tasteless. That would be allowable. Not that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would dare to hire that woman with the whiny voice who emceed the White House Correspondents' Dinner last spring and almost made Sarah Huckabee Sanders cry. (Now that would get the evening off to a fun start, watching her eviscerate every A-list star sitting in the audience.) Loading The academy's board of governors is even considering just having a group of celebrities host the event. Really? Have they erased from their memory banks the grisly Anne Hathaway-James Franco hosting duet of 2011 that was so savagely panned, it arguably set back their careers a couple of years? The reason no one wants the job is that it's a thankless task - damned if you're funny and irreverent, damned if you're not. You irritate the celebrities in the audience if you go after them; you irritate the viewers at home if you don't. It's a ton of work, and as two-time host Jimmy Kimmel groused, he got paid only $15,000. (Not that he needs the money. Plus, there's an army of veteran joke-writers working on the show constantly.) Meanwhile, you're hosting a show that is, generally, going down in the ratings - so you'll be blamed either for its further decline or for not bringing the ratings up more. But look, it's not like the show is in danger of being canceled. A huge number of people tune in, all fantasizing about their own imaginary Oscar acceptance speech. (Oh, wait - is that just me?) So the Academy shouldn't punt on picking a host by letting a bunch of actors pretend that all you need to host the show is a really good dress or tux. The ad showed a neat beachfront shack complete with stunning views of pristine white sand, crystal clear waters and palm trees. But in reality the $300-a-night room offered was dilapidated, run-down and located in the basement. This was the disappointing experience that led Canberra man Hugh Selby to sue global travel juggernaut Expedia in the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal earlier this year. A photo of the beachside accommodation's view as published on Wotif. Credit:Wotif In a decision published this month in favour of Mr Selby, the tribunal said it was not unreasonable for him to think - based on the website's proclamations that it had "heaps of local knowledge" and that you could "book with confidence" - that he could rely on the information about the accommodation and book his holiday with confidence. Temperatures in south-east Queensland will jump later in the week, after a cool and wet reprieve during the past few days. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts Friday to reach 37 degrees at Brisbane and 40 degrees at Ipswich. It has been a wet few days in Brisbane. Credit:Lydia Lynch. A BoM forecaster said there would be a bit of a drizzle for Brisbane on Tuesday morning before the mercury climbed to 29 degrees later in the day. Rain has eased across the state after ex-Tropical Cyclone Owens departure, aside from a flood warning on the Condamine River near Dalby. A former Queensland union boss has been convicted of destroying tonnes of documents that could have been evidence in a royal commission. David Arthur Hanna, a former Queensland president of the CFMEU, dumped dozens of boxes of documents in April 2014 after being told the trade union royal commission would focus on the union. Ex-CFMEU boss Dave Hanna arrives at Supreme Court in Brisbane. Credit:AAP A Brisbane District Court jury on Monday found him guilty of a single count of destroying, concealing or mutilating documents after seven hours of deliberations. Hanna instructed colleagues to take dozens of boxes of documents from the union's Brisbane office to his home, where he asked staff to try to burn files, his week-long trial heard. Animals rights protesters fronted a group of sick children and their families who were meeting a pair of Santa's reindeer on Monday afternoon. Police were called to remove a group of about eight protesters, who were handing out pamphlets and filming children patting the reindeer at the Queensland Children's Hospital. Maddison Challen was excited to get a kiss from one of Santa's reindeer. Credit:Lydia Lynch. Vanessa Challen, whose six-year-old daughter suffers from a rare form of soft tissue cancer, said Maddison had been waiting for a year to meet the reindeer. "It is a really tough time of the year for kids to be sick, she has been so excited about the reindeer," Mrs Challen said. When Jerome Catallo received his VCE results on Friday morning, he wept for 10 minutes at his desk. These were not tears of sadness, but joy. The 18-year-old, who attends a state school in Broadmeadows that services some of Melbournes most disadvantaged households, had achieved an ATAR of 99.15. Jerome Catallo is celebrating an ATAR of 99.15, a record result for his Broadmeadows school. Credit:Justin McManus The teenager had made history by achieving Hume Central Secondary Colleges highest ever ATAR, placing him in the top 0.8 per cent of the state. A divided parliamentary committee has cast doubt on the ability of drivers to challenge their insurers under the Barr government's proposed compulsory third party insurance scheme, calling for changes to the bill before it returns to the ACT Legislative Assembly in February. Liberal Assembly member Giulia Jones and Labor backbenchers Bec Cody and Michael Pettersson were unable to come to a consensus on the legislation, although they separately concluded the external review provisions were deficient. Liberal MLA Giulia Jones filed an excoriating dissenting report on the CTP reforms. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos According to the draft legislation, injured parties can only apply for an external review after their claim has been internally reviewed by the insurance company. And while the Magistrates Court was floated as a prospective means of challenging an insurer's decision, the government is yet to nominate an avenue for external review. Assistant minister Andrew Broad has quit the frontbench in the wake of a sex scandal that could rock the Morrison government, amid claims he met a "sugar baby" in an overseas hotel. Mr Broad has been named in a New Idea magazine feature that says he spent time in Hong Kong with a "blonde beauty" who used the online alias "Sweet Sophia Rose" on a website to connect young women with wealthier older men. Nationals MP Andrew Broad has resigned from the Morrison ministry. Credit:Darren Seiler The accuser is now the subject of a referral to the Australian Federal Police. "I have been advised that the person making the allegation may have engaged in criminal activity," Mr Broad told New Idea. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has pledged a Labor government would massively increase Australia's funding to the United Nations for regional refugee programs and lift the annual refugee intake, in a compromise deal that avoided a major stoush over asylum seekers at the party's national conference. Mr Shorten said he wanted to "rekindle Australia's reputation as a good international citizen" when it came to refugees - but not at the expense of restarting the people smuggling trade. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on the second day of the Labor conference. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen He told Labor's national conference the party must maintain its support for turning back asylum seeker boats and processing boat arrivals offshore on Manus Island and Nauru. The Labor for Refugees ginger group withdrew resolutions condemning boat turn-backs and offshore processing after the party's Left caucus resolved not to support those motions. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has slammed the live export industry for failing to heed warnings issued five years ago that the industry faced extinction unless it improved animal welfare. In two stern letters, obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Mr Littleproud told the chairman of the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, Simon Crean, that it was an "indictment on the industry" that they had failed to act. Sheep are loaded onto a boat at Fremantle on December 5. The live export industry was warned in 2013 that it must raise animal welfare standards. "Recent media reports that ALEC and its members ignored their own 2013 report highlighting the urgent need to address animal welfare issues along the supply chain is therefore deeply disappointing," he wrote. "To ignore recommendations directed at improving animal welfare is an indictment on the industry and most significantly, has broken the inherent compact that ALEC and the exporter community has with sheep producers and ancillary service providers," he wrote. Labor leader Bill Shorten remembers Pat Dodson taking him to a street in Katherine, Northern Territory, and pointing out the home in which he had lived as a child. Dodson recounted to Shorten how, in 1960, his sister dragged him from the house and hid him in the scrub. Senator Pat Dodson and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten during the launch of Labor's Reconciliation Action Plan at the ALP national conference. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The Aboriginal "welfare" people were coming to take away the Dodson children, recently orphaned, to an infamous mission on remote Croker Island, 200 kilometres north-east of Darwin. Dodson escaped that fate, thanks to his sister and other family members, and ended up as the first Indigenous student at Monivae College in Hamilton, Victoria. Hit-run driver Puneet Puneet (right) leaves court with his uncle in New Dehli in June. New Delhi: The final extradition hearing for runaway killer driver Puneet Puneet has been adjourned after his lawyer was "unwell" and could not attend the trial. The extradition trial has seen repeated attempts by Puneets lawyer to delay the proceedings. Puneet fled to India to avoid being sentenced in Australia for the 2008 death of Dean Hofstee, a Queensland student, in Melbourne. He was a 19-year-old learner driver when he killed Hofstee and seriously injured Clancy Coker in the same crash, in which he was driving drunk at at 150km/h in a 60km/h zone. Puneets extradition case has now been going on for five years, prolonging the anguish of the families of his victims who want him sent back to Australia to face justice. Justice Gurmohina Kaur of the Patiala House Court in New Delhi had listed the case for both lawyers to present their final arguments. When Australia and East Timor settled maritime boundary dispute in March, guided by conciliators from The Hague, it seemed the way was now clear to develop the big Greater Sunrise petroleum field under the Timor Sea and thus sustain the new state for decades. But now there is a deepening wrangle about how to exploit Greater Sunrise. Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit: East Timor's former guerrilla leader and first president, Xanana Gusmao, remains in charge of Timor Sea matters in Dili. Hes pushing ahead with a $US15 billion ($21 billion) scheme for a liquefied natural gas plant on the islands rugged south coast, fed by gas piped from Greater Sunrise. Because of this, oil companies with the development rights to Greater Sunrise are now heading for the exit. They see Gusmaos scheme, known as Tasi Mane from the Tetum name for the sea, as commercially risky and technically dangerous. Budapest: Opponents of Hungary's far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban, have demonstrated for the fourth day in the past five, in what has become one of the most sustained displays of street opposition to Orban since he entered office eight years ago. The protests began on Wednesday as a reaction to two new laws: one that forces employees to work up to 400 hours of overtime a year, and a second that created a parallel judicial system that will severely undermine judicial independence. By Sunday, the demonstrations had become a catchall protest against many aspects of Orban's increasingly autocratic governance. The protesters, whose numbers peaked at an estimated 15,000 on Sunday, were relatively small, given that Orban was re-elected in April with nearly 50 per cent of the vote. Virginia, United States: Two men involved in a Turkish lobbying campaign led by former national security adviser Michael Flynn have been charged with illegally lobbying in a case related to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. The case unsealed Monday against Flynn's former business partner, Bijan Kian, and Turkish businessman, Ekim Alptekin, accuses the two men of conspiring to "covertly and unlawfully" influence US politicians on behalf of Turkey. The new charges appear to shed light on the cooperation of Flynn, who last year admitted to lying about several aspects of the lobbying work. In recommending he serve no prison time, prosecutors said Flynn not only helped with the Russia probe but also an undisclosed - and separate - criminal investigation. Documents filed alongside that recommendation spend several paragraphs laying out the details of Flynn's Turkish lobbying. Kian, whose full name is Bijan Rafiekian, was arrested and made an initial appearance on Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. He is indicted on charges including failing to register as a foreign agent. Alptekin, a dual Turkish-Dutch citizen living in Istanbul whose full name is Kamil Ekim Alpetekin, remains at large. A Steinbach couple battling a cancer diagnosis while raising four young children say theyre floored by the donations and support flowing in during their familys hardest chapter. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Steinbach couple battling a cancer diagnosis while raising four young children say theyre "floored" by the donations and support flowing in during their familys hardest chapter. "Its overwhelming how much help weve received," said Jordan Dueck in an interview Monday. HOLLY GILSON PHOTOGRAPHY Jordan and Ashleigh Dueck are seen in an October family portrait with their children, Skandar (10 months), Nienna (8), Eveah (5), and Cressida (2). Two upcoming fundraisers are planned for the family. Duecks wife, Ashleigh, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer in October, less than eight months after she gave birth to Skandar, the couples first boy. Doctors have said the cancer is also affecting Ashleighs kidney and lymph nodes. "I cant imagine what it would be like doing this alone. It would be torture, it would be awful. Were infinitely indebted to our community," said Dueck, speaking on behalf of the family, which includes daughters Nienna, Eveah, and Cressida. Ashleigh, 35, began an "aggressive" chemotherapy regimen on Nov. 17 that is expected to span four to six months. The family is still adjusting to the new and difficult routine of treatments, which are administered over two days every other week. "The first week of chemotherapy was borderline disastrous. I just did not expect it to be as rough as it was," Dueck said. That made it all the more encouraging to see Ashleigh regain her energy as the side effects subsided, he added. "Well continue this way and hope for the best." Ashleigh continues to maintain a blog where shes written of the added challenges of caring for a newborn while undergoing cancer treatments, such as being unable to breastfeed. When the treatment plan concludes, scans will determine whether surgery is needed. Specialists have said a difficult road is ahead, but also offered reasons to be hopeful. "Theyre dealing with someone who is young and who is strong," Dueck said. In the meantime, the couples family and friends have rallied, setting up a GoFundMe webpage that has nearly reached its $20,000 goal, and planning three creative fundraiser events. The first, held at Old Church Bakery on Dec. 2, raised $3,500 by selling more than 300 pizzas, said bakery co-owner Holly Sobering. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Two upcoming events hope to add to that total. Dueck, a residential and commercial painter by trade, said funds collected help him devote more time to caregiving and parenting. A coffeehouse benefit concert is being planned for Feb. 9 at Neufeld Garage in Randolph. Ticket details will be released in the new year, organizers said. Supporters are also being asked to lace up their running shoes and register (signup.com/go/CdUrWqZ) for the Longest Night Run on Dec. 21. The free overnight "virtual relay" allows entrants to select a 30-minute interval and run or walk wherever they live. Donations through GoFundMe are encouraged. In Steinbach, runners can gather in front of Coffee Culture at 8 a.m. on Dec. 22 to complete the final sunrise leg together. Dueck said the symbolism of preserving through the longest, darkest night of the year isnt lost on his family, which is still grappling with shock and disbelief in the wake of Ashleighs diagnosis. "All we know is that we both resolve to push through it without trying to gloss it over or to deny the reality and the pain and the darkness," he said. 2 Cats Found Inside Sealed Buckets Buckets in NYC; Police Looking for Suspect The New York Police Department said it is investigating two incidents involving cats being abandoned inside sealed buckets in Manhattans SoHo neighborhood. According to ABC7, a video shows a man leaving a sealed bucket that contained a cat near a garbage can in front of Animal Haven on Hester and Centre streets in Little Italy last week. The man then went north on Centre Street. The suspect is described as an Asian male who was wearing jeans, a sweater, and dark-colored shoes. A similar incident occurred on Nov. 17, when a worker found a plastic bucket near the trash close to the shelters door. A cat was seen peeking out of a hole in the bucket before it was brought inside. There have been two buckets and both were sealed, Tiffany Lacey, who heads the animal shelter Animal Haven, told HuffPost. Each one had a cat in them and both cats are safely at Animal Haven now. They were left to go out with the trash and were only found because they seemed suspicious, she said. In the most recent incident, the shelter said, We found another bucket left next to the public trash can with a cat inside, as if left for garbage. Luckily one of our staff members recognized the bucket, brought it inside and pried it open. We don't generally post animal crime stories, but we are posting this one because the case is still active and other Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals 20181215 This poor kitty is in bad shape and, needless to say, is terrified. We have contacted the police, but were asking that everyone in the vicinity of our shelter in Soho PLEASE keep your eyes out for any suspicious buckets or containers like the ones in these photos, the group said. Regarding the first incident last month, Staff isnt left speechless that often anymore but when morning kennel went to move what appeared to be just an empty bucket on the side of our building near the back door, they were shocked to see a tiny eye looking back up at them. Yes, believe it or not but someone left an innocent cat in a bucket outside our door overnight. Luckily the sweet thing who we have named Sage is safe and sound now but we can only imagine how scary the ordeal must have been, according to Gothamist. Putting the cats in sealed buckets could have killed the animals if nobody found them. The buckets snap shut tight, a shelter worker told HuffPost. You cant just pop [them] open. We had to use pliers. There is no way a cat could escape. Locals told CBS New York that its a bad situation. I think thats so sad, resident Darya Safavi told the station. If he didnt want them, he couldve put them in a shelter. I think thats mean, resident Brian Jamont said. Some people just cant take care of cats, unfortunately. The shelter said its not clear if the same man is behind both incidents, according to the CBS report. We just want this individual to be arrested for what is animal cruelty and abandonment, shelter worker Mika Ito said. Shelters are here to accommodate people who cant keep their pets. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). A credit card is swiped at a parking meter on Aug. 20 in Washington. Using a credit card and paying it off is apparently considered "adulting" to some. (Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images) Adulting Classes Offered at High School to Teach Teens Practical Skills A Kentucky high school is offering a so-called adulting day that teaches students how to pay bills, pay off credit cards, cook, and change a flat tire. Seniors at Bullitt Central High School in Shepherdsville got one-on-one lessons from people in the community on things like dorm-room cooking, credit cards, and financing, and other adult tasks, WAVE-3 reported. Christy Hardin, director of the BCHS Family Resource & Youth Services Center, said she organized the event. I think that the idea occurred to me originally, I saw a Facebook post that parents passed around saying they needed a class in high school on taxes, and cooking, Hardin told WAVE-3. Our kids can get that, but they have to choose it. And (Wednesday) was a day they could pick and choose pieces they didnt feel like they had gotten so far. Police also talked to students about how to interact with officers during traffic stops. Another speaker also spoke about when homesickness is really homesickness or something else. Members of the U.S. Army and Our Lady of Peace also spoke. Adulting is a neologism, meaning post-adolescence when the light in your eyes fade away and dies, according to one Urban Dictionary post. Oxford Dictionary, however, says it is the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks. CBS New York reported that apparently more teens and young adults who were lacking life skills are signing up for classes on how to do so. I dont know, I was so used to when living at home, my mom always cooking, 29-year-old Elena Toumaras of Queens, New York, told CBS. Doing simple things now that Im on my own, Im struggling with it. Rachel Flehinger, of Portland, Maine, launched the Adulting School, providing online classes for millennials. How to have a relationship, how to talk to someone, conflict resolutionhow not to fight, Flehinger said of what one can learn via her class. Some experts say millennials are behind on adulting because many havent left their parents homes. According to the CBS report, citing 2015 U.S. Census data, 34 percent of Americans between 18 and 34 still lived with a parent, which is up 8 points from 2005. Its more common than living with roommates and more common than living with a spouse, demographer Jonathan Vespa was quoted by CBS as saying. It translates to getting married later, having kids later, and figuring out life skills later. Im always surprised about people not knowing what I think are the simple things as far as knife skills, or flavors that go together, said Kim Calichio of TheConnectedChef in the report. Spending Less? The Federal Reserve suggested in a new study that millennials are not spending as much money as previous generations. Its because they have lower earnings, fewer assets and less wealth, according to NPR on Nov. 30. Their financial data was compared with Generation X, baby boomers, the silent generation, and the greatest generation. Fed researchers examined spending, income, debt, net worth, demographic factors and found it primarily is the differences in average age and then differences in average income that explain a large and important portion of the consumption wedge between millennials and other cohorts. Drone view of Mamiraua Institute and WWF-Brazil researchers working in the area of Maciel Lake at Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve in Amazonas state, Brazil, on Jun. 28, 2018. (Mauro Pimental/AFP/Getty Images) Amazon Destruction Forces Brazils Cowboys to Ranch Like Texans Brazilian ranch manager Marcos Aurelio de Queiroz wants to triple the number of cattle his company, CSM Agropecuaria, sends to slaughter every year. The tricky part: Doing it without adding even a single bit of land. For decades, ranchers in Brazils Para state have expanded their properties with fire and ax, clearing huge pieces of the Amazon jungle. It was a point of pride that their cows were fattened up naturally, while rivals in the U.S. and elsewhere increasingly used grain feedlots. Now, things are changing. Amazon deforestation isnt banned by the government, but it is severely limited. And beef exporters, including giant JBS SA, have agreed not to buy cattle from any areas deforested after 2008. At the same time, the depletion of older pastures is forcing ranchers to rotate cattle and crops in order to cultivate the land. CSM planted 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of crops this year at its four ranches in the region, and plans to plant 10,000 moving forward. Its a revolution, Queiroz said in an interview. I have always had in mind that cattle raising should be integrated with agriculture. Additionally, about 30 percent of the companys cattle now use feedlots, he said. The industry changeover has been slow but is now picking up speed, adding pressure on traditional ranchers who need to remain competitive, according to Mauricio Nogueira, head of Athenagro, a consulting firm based in Sao Paulo. We are heading to a price scenario that will no longer tolerate low technology, Nogueira said in an interview. In Para state, where most of CSMs ranches are located, the average rate of cows per hectare has jumped by almost 70 percent in the past decade, according to Athenagro. The number of animals fattened in feedlots has more than doubled. Were going to see a process of intensification, said Chief Executive Officer Cleiton Luiz Custodio of Agro Santa Barbara SA in Xinguara, where the company now has dozens of feedlots spread across a ranch the size of New York Citys land area. Were seeking to get more revenue per hectare. Rotating crops and cattle on land nourishes the soil and boosts the amount of grass available to the cattle, which gain weight much faster and can be sent to slaughter in less than 20 months, down from as many as 36 in a traditional system, according to Custodio. The cattle herd in Para has doubled to more than 20 million head since the early 2000s, or almost twice the size of the herd in the U.S. state of Texas. Most of the expansion took place through the burning of forests in favor of new pastures, raising the alarm about the impact of cattle raising in the Amazon region. Even as deforestation in Paras Amazon dropped by 68 percent from a 2004 peak, some farmers continue to burn and cut. Last year, for instance, an area larger than Tokyo was cleared. At the same time, Brazil President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has pledged to ease environmental curbs, so theres a chance the government will be much more accommodating from now on. And to be sure, not every rancher is receptive to the changing formula. Mauricio Fraga Filho has about 25,000 cattle on three ranches in Para. Hes not adopting feedlots, or crop-livestock integration, he says. Feedlots only help the meatpackers because it means higher cattle supplies during the off-season, Filho said in an interview. You cant withhold the cattle when prices are low because the cost of keeping the animal in the feedlot is too high. So you lose your bargaining power. Still, the restrictions in place now are leading people to invest more, said Claudiomar Kehrnvald, a rancher raising more than 60,000 cattle in Para. Brazil has about 15 million hectares using crop rotation, compared with less than 5 million hectares a decade ago, according to the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp., a state-run company. Brazils government has stimulated the practice by offering subsidized loans designed to reduce carbon emissions in the agricultural sector. By Gerson Freitas Jr From Bloomberg Teach Anti Bullying founder Claudio Cerullo gives an award to Joshua Trump, a Delaware 11-year-old who was bullied for years over his last name, on Dec. 15, 2018. (Teach Anti Bullying) Anti-Bullying Group Gives Support to Boy Named Trump After He Was Bullied An 11-year-old boy who was bullied because of his last name was honored by an anti-bullying group for his courage in the face of being tormented. Joshua Trump, 11, was bullied so severely after Donald Trump first announced his plans to run for the White House in June 2015 that his mother is thinking of changing his last name to that of his stepfather. The years-long bullying prompted Teach Anti Bullying, a national nonprofit based in Pennsylvania, to award Joshua their Anti-Bullying Medal of Courage. A ceremony was held at his home in Delaware. Pictures show the founder of the nonprofit holding a plaque and presenting it to Trump. Teach Anti Bullying said they wanted to reward his strength in the face of the torment. His story, while tragic over its content, provides greater awareness to many, as he now becomes a role model over the fact that you are who you are, Claudio Cerullo, founder of Teach Anti Bullying, said in a statement. And no one should have to change over the ridicule of your name. Cerullo urged Joshuas parents not to change his name because of the bullying and said that he learned many students who bullied the middle schooler have apologized for their actions. Bullying Joshuas mother said the bullying continued for years. They curse at him, they call him an idiot, they call him stupid, she told WPVI. He said he hates himself, and he hates his last name, and he feels sad all the time, and he doesnt want to live feeling like that anymore, and as a parent thats scary. The family pulled Joshua out of school for a year and homeschooled him, hoping that a fresh start in middle school the year after would be the end of the bullying. But that proved not to be the case. Due to the intense bullying, officials in the school district agreed to let Trump use his fathers last name, Berto. School principal Mark Mayer said some teachers stopped using his surname due to the bullying. I do know the teachers were aware of the last name, Mayer said, and I know in speaking with the student that the teachers do their very best to try not to say his last name. Megan Trump said she was thinking of officially changing her sons surname to Berto. Five students were disciplined for bullying Trump. They were apologetic and they did say that they were sorry, Mayer said. His mother took to social media to appeal to parents to talk to their children and discourage them from hurtful behavior. In an age where our children are depressed and suicidal dont let your kid be a bully, she said. I dont care who you like or dislike in this world but stop spreading the hatred to your children because this is ridiculous. From NTD News Ludmila Krivkova, 42, owes 850,000 crowns from 14 loans taken out over five years. She is pictured here in her apartment in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic, on Nov. 22, 2018. (Reuters/David W Cerny) Debt-Trapped Czechs Excluded as Economy Grows USTI NAD LABEM, Czech RepublicOlga Petikova first borrowed a few hundred dollars in the 1990s to furnish her young familys apartment. Later, she turned to payday loans to make ends meet as her husband struggled to make his new business a success. The debt soared. Two decades on, she owes 2 million crowns ($86,938), which is 11 times her annual income, and shes subject to 15 seizure orders on her property and much of the money that reaches her bank account. Her case isnt uncommon in the Czech Republic, now the richest of the European Unions ex-communist countries. People in the same situation often work in the black market to avoid having to declare income that will be forfeited to repay debts, aggravating a labor shortage cited by nearly two-thirds of companies as an obstacle to growth. Similar debt trapsthe result of poor financial awareness, years of loose regulation of lenders, costly repossessions and tough laws on bankruptcyalso help fuel support for extremist politicians in poorer areas. Even small debts like unpaid fines or utility bills can grow into sums many can never repay. I just tell my children to never do like I did, Petikova told Reuters. She now has a stable job but most of her salary goes to debt repayments. She gets by with help from her now-adult children. At the end of 2017, 863,000 Czechsnearly 10 percent of the adult populationfaced at least one seizure order, meaning their income above a legal minimum can be redirected to cover debts and fees. Half of them faced four or more orders. A total of 4.67 million seizure orders are outstanding, including for companies, for debts with a face value of 239 billion crowns ($10.8 billion)nearly 5 percent of GDP. A Burden on the Country In neighboring Germany, whose population is eight times larger, there were 2.48 million seizure orders, official data shows. Seizures in Slovakia, with only half the Czech population, were even higher, at 3.76 million in late 2017, but personal bankruptcies had cut that to 2.89 million a year later. A recent survey showed some 60 percent of Czech companies see lack of skilled workers as an obstacle to growth, compared to a European average of 42 percent. While prospective hires are unwilling to work for no gain, the paperwork required to employ a person saddled with a seizure order is also a burden on companies, said Eva Velickova, a spokeswoman for the Czech Confederation of Industry. The indebtedness of people is a problem for both society and the economy, Velickova said. The tough Czech approach to debtors is rooted in the countrys transformation from communism. Laws to encourage private enterprise adopted in the early 2000s made it easier for creditors to get their money back by paying a repossession agent to collect the debt. Agents fees were once so lucrative that some offered to pay more than 100 percent of nominal value for hard-to-recover small debts, according to Daniel Hule of People in Need, a human-rights group that focuses domestically on social exclusion. We let the law be bent against society, in favor of various interest groups. That is the main problem, Hule said. Rather than [the Czech] population being delinquent, it is a relic of a bad system. Fees are lower now, but a standard seizure procedure can quickly transform a debt of around 1,000 crownsthe fine for riding public transport without a ticketinto about 10,500 crowns, according to a calculator on People In Needs website. In Germany, the equivalent figure would be about 3,900 crowns. Out of the Labor Market Seizure of income can leave debtors with as little as 6,225 crowns ($273.23) per month, a quarter of the average net wage for a single person. Half of the seizures are for debts of 10,000 crowns or less. This can be boosted by welfare payments but those are lost as income risestaking away any incentive to earn more. A 2016 study for the human-rights minister said tens of thousands of people were working only illegally due to account seizures. Debtors lose motivation not just to work harder, but to work at all, they often drift to the grey economy, said Ladislav Mincic, chief analyst at the Czech Chamber of Commerce. In the border regions, many of them flee out of the country in order to avoid seizure orders. With unemployment at a two-decade low of 2.8 percent, there were just 193,000 available workers for 324,000 job vacancies in November. The harsh treatment of debtors has often fueled support in poor areas for far-right and far-left political parties. The Usti nad Labem region, near the German border, where 18 percent of the population have seizure orders, is the Communist Partys electoral stronghold. Extreme parties get [votes] from those around who see the higher crime rate, money leaving the region, and a poorer offer of services. This is all connected to the seizure orders, said Daniel Prokop, a sociologist at the Median polling agency. By Robert Muller. Deutsche Telekom reviews Huawei ties; Orange says no on 5G PARIS/FRANKFURT, GermanyHuawei faces fresh challenges in Europe after Germanys Deutsche Telekom announced it would review its vendor strategy and Orange said it would not hire the Chinese firm to build its next-generation network in France. The shift by the national market leaders, both partly state-owned, follows Huaweis exclusion on national security grounds by some U.S. allies, led by Australia, from building their fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks. U.S. officials have briefed allies that Huawei is ultimately at the beck and call of the Chinese state while warning that its network equipment may contain back doors that could open them up to cyber espionage. The Deutsche Telekom review comes as U.S. regulators scrutinize the proposed $26 billion takeover by its T-Mobile US unit of Sprint Corp., which is controlled by Japans Softbank. Softbank, which is days away from listing its wireless unit in Tokyo, plans to replace its 4G network equipment from Huawei, Nikkei has reported. Tensions have been heightened by the arrest of Huaweis chief financial officer in Canada for possible extradition to the United States. We dont foresee calling on Huawei for 5G, Orange CEO Stephane Richard told reporters in Paris. We are working with our traditional partnersthey are Ericsson and Nokia. Richard said the security concerns were legitimate: I absolutely understand that all of our countries, and the French authorities, are preoccupied. We are too. Responding, Huawei said it was not a supplier to Oranges existing 4G network in France and would not feature in the companys 5G plans in France. Huawei does supply Oranges networks outside France and expects to be involved in 5G there, it said. US Exposure Deutsche Telekom, Europes largest telecoms company, said it was reviewing its vendor plans in Germany and the other European markets where it operates, given the debate on the security of Chinese network gear. Deutsche Telekom takes the global discussion about the security of network equipment from Chinese vendors very seriously, the company said in response to a Reuters query. Telekom already pursues a multi-vendor strategy, relying above all on equipment from Ericsson, Nokia, Cisco, and Huawei. Nevertheless we are reassessing our procurement strategy, it said. The shift is significant because, German officials have said they see no legal basis to exclude any vendors from the buildout of fifth-generation networks in response to the warnings from Washington. By Douglas Busvine & Gwenaelle Barzic Dog the Bounty Hunter Wont Face Assault Charges: Reports Dog the Bounty hunter star Duane Chapman will not face charges in a confrontation at the Denver Airport. Chapman and a 17-year-old allegedly were involved in a confrontation several weeks ago, according to TMZ on Dec. 15. The teen filed an assault report with the local police department. I have a bounty on my head, what are you going to do about it, the teen allegedly told him. The teen also allegedly made a comment about Beth Chapman, who was in a wheelchair due to her cancer treatment, the report said. Chapman filed a report with the police department against the teen and his father days after the incident. The Denver District and City Attorneys Office declined to press charges, the report said. We are not going forward with the case because it was primarily civil in nature and there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction on any state crime, the Denver D.A.s Office communications director told People magazine. Were grateful to the Denver PD and City Attorney for investigating the matter and recognizing that Duane was innocent. His focus continues to be on Beths health and recovery, Andrew Brettler, Chapmans attorney, told the website. Chapman previously stated that the assault claim was fallacious. There was no assault. A young man approached Dog at the Denver Airport in a very hostile and aggressive manner, clearly looking to start trouble. He insulted Dog and Beth, hurled racial slurs at Dog, and threatened to cut Beth if she could get out of her wheelchair, Brettler told People magazine at the time. The Chapmans attempted to distance themselves from this individual, but he followed them to the elevator where he continued to shout profanities at them. The Chapmans went back to Colorado from Los Angeles after Beth was rushed to a hospital to receive emergency surgery. She was diagnosed with throat cancer last year. The cancer reportedly spread to her lungs, according to the reports. Brettler told E! News on Dec. 12 that she will need to undergo chemotherapy, and the E! report stated that the cancer appears to be incurable. "Another bend in the road, yet not the end of the road,#faith, #love #stayhumblepray." Beth Chapman Duane "Dog" Chapman Shes still trying to cook and get involved in my bounties and business. Shes still trying to do everything, Duane Chapman said in a recent interview, suggesting that they are trying to keep a sense of normalcy in their Colorado home. Beth is the kind of girl who likes control. Shes trying to still advise me on my work, and Im like, Honey, I was the Dog the Bounty Hunter before I met you. Stay out of it,' he added. Duane Chapman also said Beth will not take anything the doctors want to give her. Even the doctor told me he doesnt want her to have seizures if the pain is that bad, but she wont do it. He added, She takes over-the-counter pain meds. She will not take anything prescription. Chapman described the process. She had a lump in her throat twice the size of last time, and they performed an emergency surgery yesterday, Duane said after last months procedure. They cut a hole in her throat so she can breathe; she can still talk. [Shes] doing the best she can and remains incredibly strong. I dont listen to the bad news. I dont want to hear it, he said of his coping process. I pray a lot, anywhere. I cry all the time. Im a sinner. I pray a lot. I have done double that. I constantly ask God to heal my honey and make sure He takes care of it. Ive been telling Him that Im going to try and quit smoking and cursing. Im a dealmaker, and Ill do anything. And he said his familys faith has kept him going. Faith is probably the number one thing in our lives, no matter what were faced with. Through this cancer episode, we had to drum up as much faith as we could. And the Bible talks about having faith as small as a mustard seed. And thats not much. And I thank God that we had at least that much faith to get her through that, Duane said at the time. Randal Weed Dickinson, 57, was charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, and 16 counts of felony discharge of a firearm, among other crimes, after allegedly shooting at two men in his house in Francis, Utah on Dec. 9, 2018. (Summit County Sheriff's Office) Drunk Man Falls Into Christmas Tree Before Shooting at Two Men in House A drunk Utah man who fell into a Christmas tree at his house shot at his roommate and the roommates son after they helped him to his bed after the fall. The series of events took place on Dec. 9 in Francis. Randal Weed Dickinson, 57, was so drunk that he fell into the Christmas tree, his roommate told police officers, according to an affidavit obtained by KUTV. The roommate and his son helped Dickinson to his bed so he could sleep off his drunkenness but as they made their way through the kitchen to go outside and smoke cigarettes, they heard gunshots. Dickinson emptied the entire clip of his gun while shooting at the men, with one stating that he heard a bullet whiz by him and was worried that he had been grazed. The bullets penetrated cabinets, counter, appliances, and walls, an officer wrote. After he emptied the clip, the two men rushed Dickinson and pinned him until law enforcement officers arrived. Investigators found 16 shell casings in the hall near Dickinsons room and police officers who interviewed the alleged shooter said that he was visibly drunk. Dickinson was booked into the Summit County Jail. He was charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, and 16 counts of felony discharge of a firearm, reported Fox 13. He was also charged with one count of carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence and one count of intoxication. Christmas Decorations and Spending Nine in 10 Americans and 95 percent of Christians celebrate Christmas, according to a Pew Research Survey. Many of them celebrate Christmas by decorating their homes, both inside and out. A key part of the decorations? A Christmas tree. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there are approximately 25 million to 30 million real Christmas trees sold in the United States every year. The top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington. This year, consumers said they were planning on spending an average of $1,007.24 during the winter holiday season, with $215.04 of that planned for food, decorations, flowers, and greeting cards, according to the National Retail Foundation. Adults told Gallup that they planned on spending an average of $885 on Christmas gifts in 2018, the highest holiday spending projection since the 2007 to 2009 recession. That included 33 percent of respondents who said they planned on spending at least $1,000 on Christmas gifts. A 2017 survey from the Lincoln Financial Group found that millennials typically spend more on the holidays versus other age groups, at an average of $1,400. That was $500 more than boomers and Gen Xers. Experts said people should save up throughout the year if they plan to spend big for the holidays, and plan ahead and make a budget. Its tempting to splurge at this time of year, but its important to ensure that holiday spending doesnt derail your finances, said Jamie Ohl, president at Lincoln Financial Group, in a statement. As with all financial matters, planning is a good way to stay on track, even when youre tempted by sales and impulse buys. From NTD News Emily VanCamp and Joshua Bowman, attend the 24th Annual Environmental Media Awards at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, Calif. on Oct. 18, 2014. The two starred in the ABC drama Revenge from 2011 to 2015. They married in the Bahamas on Dec. 15, 2018. (Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Environmental Media Awards) Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman of Revenge Marry in Bahamas Emily VanCamp and Joshua Bowman, co-stars of the ABC drama Revenge, married in the Bahamas on Dec. 15. The wedding ceremony was held on Harbour Island in front of family and friends, according to U.S. Weekly and People. VanCamp, 32, and Bowman, 30, met on the set of the ABC primetime drama, which debuted in 2011 and went off air in 2015. The Canadian actress pleased fans on Dec. 16 when she shared two wedding photos on her instagram. It showed her in an elegant white dress and veil as she held hands with the British actor. The two were known to have been dating as early as January 2012, when U.S. Weekly broke the news. They became engaged in May 2017. VanCamp made the announcement on her Instagram page with a photo of her standing in a forest while holding her hands up to show her sparkling engagement ring. He did good! she told ET in August 2017. It was in a forest. We were in nature on a hike, kind of doing what we do, it was very, sort of, us. So yeah, it was great, beautiful. Just a few days after the engagement, VanCamp shared about her excitement. Its literally only been a couple of days, but its amazing, she told People at the time. Im really happy! On the ABC drama, the two had played the characters Emily Thorne and Daniel Grayson who tied the knot in the third season. But the on-screen relationship did not turn out wellGrayson shot Thorne soon after the exchanging of vows, for Thornes betrayal. VanCamp told Elle Canada in March 2014 about how she would joke about Bowmans wife-beater role on Revenge. Josh and I keep it all very separate, she told Elle Canada about their private lives and the show. I barely talk about him in interviews, to be honest. Its just really funny in the moments when were playing these absolutely absurd things. I call him wife-beater Daniel. Its hard for my family to watchits also hard for them to see me in that light. But were actors. None of that lives in any of us, thank God! Later in 2014, she shared her thoughts on starting a family. Yes, absolutely, especially when your sisters are having babies you just want to jump on the bandwagon, VanCamp said during a September 2014 appearance on The Meredith Vieira Show, according to U.S. Weekly. But Im just happy being an auntie right now. Im really busy and I feel like I kind of want to be the kind of mom I want to be. With this schedule and playing this very torturedexciting to play, but crazy characterI think Ill let that happen and Ill see where Im at, she added. Since Revenge ended, VanCamp has starred in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, and currently stars in a new series called The Resident. Bowman has since starred in Time After Time, Doctor Who, and Lore, among other roles. In May 2018, VanCamp shared a photo of herself and Bowman marking one year since their engagement. A year ago today I said yes to this man, the photo caption read. Wouldnt want to do life with anyone else. Watch Next: How a Traditional Spiritual Practice Changed the Lives of These People The practice has attracted tens of millions across the world and at its core are just three simple principles: truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Kenneka Jenkins was 19 when she was found dead in a hotel freezer on Sept. 10, 2017. (Change.org) Family Sues Hotel for $50M After Teen Kenneka Jenkins Dies in Freezer The family of Kenneka Jenkins, who was found dead in a freezer at a hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, has filed a lawsuit against the hotel for $50 million. The lawsuit, filed against the Crowne Plaza Chicago OHare Hotel where Jenkins was found dead, says the hotel was negligent and had failed to secure the walk-in freezer, and also failed to carry out a proper search when Jenkins went missing. The suit was also filed against Capital Security and Investigations, the hotels security contractor, as well as Caddyshack, the restaurant that was renting the area where Jenkins was found. Jenkins was 19 when she was reported missing in the early hours of Sept. 9, 2017. Police did not find Jenkins body until about 20 hours later. Jenkins had been attending a party held in a room at the Crowne Plaza. The Cook County medical examiners office concluded in October 2017 that Jenkins died of accidental hypothermia, and that alcohol and topiramate, a drug used to treat epilepsy and migraines, were significant contributing factors to her death. Tereasa Martin, Jenkins mother, said that she was not aware her daughter had been prescribed any medications. Despite the autopsy ruling, significant controversy has surrounded Jenkins death, with peopleincluding Martinsaying that Jenkins was a victim of foul play. Police released surveillance footage that showed Jenkins had been stumbling through the hotel corridors prior to heading into the abandoned kitchen and turning a corner. The freezer Jenkins was found in was inside a refrigerator. The structure was just out of view of cameras, so no footage reportedly exists of Jenkins walking in. A detectives description of the freezer says that the inner door was self-closing. The door was latched shut and could only be opened by pressing a circular handle. The door mechanism functioned properly. Neither the freezer, nor the kitchen it was located in, were used by the hotel in September last year when the incident occurred. The refrigerator had been leased to Caddyshack restaurant but that only opened this year in April. A news release from the company said that it had signed a deal in July 2017 to lease space in the hotel. It is unclear why the freezer was running while not in use at the time of Jenkins death. Unsecured Freezer The lawsuit claims that the hotel had other walk-in freezers that were locked and not accessible by the public but the one that Jenkins died in was unsecured. The freezer also had a sticker affixed that was completely faded and failed to instruct how to release the lock system of the door, the lawsuit said, according to the Chicago Tribune. Caddyshack restaurant should have secured the kitchen and also ensured that the empty freezer was turned off, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit said that hotel employees should have stopped Jenkins from stumbling into abandoned areas of the premises as she was seen to have walked past a number of hotel employees in the corridors. Had Crowne Plaza defendants and employees and/or agents of defendant Capital Security properly intervened when they observed [Jenkins] visibly disoriented, confused, and lost within their premises, they would have prevented her from entering the abandoned kitchen and prevented her death, the lawsuit contends, according to the Tribune. The lawsuit also said that the security company had failed to stop the party that Jenkins had attended, where dozens had been present in a room meant just for four people and the smell of strong intoxicants was apparent. If security had intervened, Jenkins would still be alive, the lawsuit said. The hotel and security also did not review the security camera footage promptly enough following Jenkins disappearance, the allegations suggest. A Crowne Plaza spokesman told the Tribune that the hotel will fight the lawsuit. The death of Kenneka Jenkins was a tragedy but the proximate cause of her death were the unsavory individuals who used a stolen credit card to book a room and host an illegal party which Ms. Jenkins attended, he said. Those criminals escaped the hotel before police arrived and have never truly been held accountable. This lawsuit has no merit and we will vigorously contest it. Watch Next: Aurora Australis Illuminates Southern Skies Flight Attendant Breastfeeds Baby Mid-Air When Mother Runs Out of Milk Formula A Philippine Airlines flight attendant went above and beyond the call of duty by stepping in as a wet nurse for a passengers newborn baby while on a domestic flight. The mother of the infant was facing a mini-crisis just after takeoff. Flight attendant Patrisha Organo was looking forward to advancing her career with the airline by qualifying as cabin crew evaluator. The action she took during this particular flight is certainly deserving of merit. Everything had been going well up until shortly after takeoff when a baby started wailing loudly, making the passengers feel quite uneasy. Organo immediately went to attend to the mother and learned from her that she had unexpectedly run out of formula and didnt know what to do. Nor could it have made her feel any better knowing that she and her child were the source of such aggravation for a whole plane of passengers. At that time, at that place, Organo could think of only one solution to the problem. Fortunately, she was currently able to breastfeed, and so she offered to nurse and nourish the infant using her own body. Later, Patricia shared the whole episode on her Facebook account: Everything went smoothly until after take off, [sic] I heard an infants cry, a cry that will make you want to do anything to help. I approached the mother and asked if everythings okay, I tried to tell her to feed her hungry child. Teary-eyed, she told me that she ran out of formula milk. Passengers started looking and staring at the tiny, fragile crying infant. I felt a pinch in my heart. Theres no formula milk onboard. I thought to myself, theres only one thing I could offer and thats my own milk. And so I offered. Meanwhile, the flights line administrator, Ms. Sheryl Villaflor, accompanied the mother to the galley. The baby started rooting, she was so hungry, wrote Patricia. Fortunately, the feeding was enough to satiate the infant. The child eventually calmed down and fell asleep in Patricias arms. I saw the relief on her mothers eyes. I continued to feed the baby until she fell asleep. I escorted her back to her seat and just before I left, the mother sincerely thanked me. I was right, the flights gonna be special, so special not only because I got qualified as an Evaluator but I got to help. I breastfed a strangers baby inflight. Patricia was grateful that she happened to have breast milk at the time and that she was able to fill the babys tummy when they needed it most. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of mothers milk, Patricia added. In the end, Patricia passed her cabin evaluator test with flying colors. She was also able to help a passenger in a desperate situation to ensure a peaceful and pleasant flight. The Facebook post, meanwhile, went viral and amassed over 187,000 reactions and 9,000 commentsmany of which came from sympathetic mothers. One commenter said, You were this babys angel on that flight. Respect and God bless. Another said, God bless you. Your mothering an innocent child is absolutely wonderful. Thank you on behalf of all mothers everywhere. Foreign Political Donations Will Be Illegal in Australia From 2019 As part of a package of laws to protect Australia against covert foreign political interference, a law banning foreign political donations will come into force from Jan. 1, 2019, the office of Senator and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has confirmed. The new law was passed by Parliament on Nov. 27 and signed by Governor-General Peter Cosgrove on Dec. 13. The Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform Bill was first introduced to the Senate in December 2017 after former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the government was acting on concerns about external interference in Australian politics, citing media reports about interference from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We take these reports very seriously, Turnbull said. Our relationship with China is far too important to put at risk by failing to clearly set the terms of healthy and sustainable engagement. Turnbull also noted reports of other agents and nations conducting interference operations outside their borders represented an increasing risk that was wreaking havoc across the democratic world. The Uranium One Scandal Explained: How Obama and Clinton aided Russias quest for global nuclear dominance. #UraniumOne #UraniumOneScandal Link to high-res map: https://t.co/8jQykgbBru Link to article: https://t.co/12PNOSbbak pic.twitter.com/PxWYfW2Ae0 The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) February 9, 2018 Political Interference by Chinese Communist State In November 2017, the Australian public focused on the dealings between former Australian Labor Party (ALP) Senator Sam Dastyari and Beijing-linked billionaire and property developer Huang Xiangmo. The federal government ended up asking Dastyari to resign because he allegedly warned CCP-linked Huang that his phone was probably being tapped by intelligence services, including those of the U.S. government. The former senator also received negative press over a 2016 speech when he publicly backed Beijings military expansion in the South China Sea. His comments, made while standing next to Huang, were contradictory to that of his partys and the Australian governments policy on the issue. The Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) warned in 2015 the countrys three main political parties about CCP interference in Australian politics through considerable financial donations. In his briefings the head of ASIO, Duncan Lewis, had specifically said that Huang was a person of interest to Australian intelligence services due to his murky connections to the CCP, including how he was, until very recently, the head of a Sydney organization associated with the United Front Work Departmenta CCP political lobbying and propaganda agency. Huang also went on the record telling a CCP newspaper that political demands and political donations should be linked. ASIO revealed at the time that it was aware of 10 recent political candidates for local and state governments who had links to the CCPs intelligence agencies, adding that one candidate had been elected to public office and was still there, reported The Weekend Australian. The article said ASIO had identified the individual, although the report did not name the person. Read More Mentor of West Australian MP Linked to Chinese Communist Party Gaps to Exploit Political Arena Remain Despite the new laws, scenarios like headline-grabbing political donations by Huang would still not be banned as they are not considered foreign donations, despite that money potentially being used for activities like campaign advertising that influence the political process. Associate professor Joo-Cheong Tham, director of the Electoral Regulation Research Network at Melbourne University, told The Guardian Australia the fact that the Chau and Huang cases would not fall under the foreign donation ban demonstrate how the proposed laws are not justified. Tham said the ban does not deal with the more fundamental problems with money in Australian politicswhich come less from the foreignness of money and more the corporateness, the use of money to buy access and influence. The Minerals Council of Australia raised a related issue in its submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, asking whether environmental organizations engaged in political advocacy would need to disclose their donations and name their donors, which are often international organizations. While political parties are obliged to disclose the source of donations more than $13,200, environmental organizations like the Sunrise Project, Greenpeace, and WWF-Australia can spend millions of dollars every year without having to disclose the identities or locations of their donors. In particular, the case of the Sunrise Project exposes the risk to Australias sovereignty of permitting foreign entities to fundin secretactivities intended to shut down a key Australian export industry, it said. Tham also voiced his concern about the prospect of political rights of international students and people on temporary skilled visas living in Australia being restricted under the new laws if an exemption is not granted. They should be entitled to influence its political process, he told The Guardian Australia. Foreign donors are likely to face fines of up to $42,000 if found to be making political donations that are covered under the new laws. The foreign donation ban will take effect from Jan. 1, 2019. Reuters contributed to this report. Watch Next: Australian Vietnamese Community Has Warning About Communist China Yesterday is Tibet, today is Vietnam, and tomorrow is Australia, they say. German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves after speaking during a ceremony at the Synagogue Rykestrasse in Berlin on Nov. 9, 2018 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Kristallnacht Nazi pogrom. - Germany remembers victims of the Nazi pogrom that heralded the start of the Third Reich's drive to wipe out Jews, at a time when anti-Semitism is resurgent in the West. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images) Germany to Compensate Hundreds Who Fled Nazis as Children Germany has agreed to one-time payments for survivors, primarily Jews, who were evacuated from Nazi Germany as children, many of whom never saw their parents again, the organization that negotiates compensation with the German government said Dec. 17. The New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany said the government had agreed to payments of 2,500 euros to those still alive from among the 10,000 people who fled on the so-called Kindertransport. This year is the 80th anniversary of beginning of the transport of the children to Britain from Nazi Germany and elsewhere in Europe. About 1,000 survivors are thought to be alive today, with about half living in Britain, and the payment is seen as a symbolic recognition of their suffering, Claims Conference negotiator Greg Schneider said. In almost all the cases the parents who remained were killed in concentration camps in the Holocaust and they have tremendous psychological issues, Schneider told The Associated Press. Following the Nazis anti-Jewish pogrom in November 1938 known as Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, the British government agreed to allow an unspecified number of Jewish children as refugees from Nazi Germany or territories it had annexed. Jewish groups inside Nazi Germany planned the transports, and the first arrived in Harwich on Dec. 2, 1938, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The last transport from Germany left Sept. 1, 1939 the day World War II broke out with the Nazi invasion of Poland and the final transport from continental Europe left the Netherlands on May 14, 1940, the same day Dutch forces surrendered to the Nazis. In all, about 10,000 children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland were taken to Britain, about 7,500 of whom were Jewish, according to the museum. About half were placed with foster families, while the others stayed in hostels, schools or farms. In addition to those who remained in Britain, many resettled in the U.S., Israel, Canada, Australia and elsewhere, Schneider said. Today, survivors are at least in their 80s and most continue to look back on their escape as the defining moment of their lives as they were put alone onto trains into the unknown, saying goodbye to parents and siblings often for the last time, Schneider said. This money is acknowledgement that this was a traumatic, horrible thing that happened to them, he said. Some survivors already received small payments in the 1950s but that will not bar them from receiving the new benefit, the Claims Conference said. The Claims Conference carries out continuous negotiations with Germany to expand the number of people eligible for compensation. Since 1952, the German government has paid more than $80 billion to individuals for suffering and losses resulting from persecution by the Nazis. In 2019, the Claims Conference will distribute approximately $350 million in direct compensation to more than 60,000 survivors in 83 countries, the organization says. In addition, it will provide some $550 million in grants to social service agencies that provide home care, food, medicine and other services for Holocaust survivors. An image of the Google logo is reflected on the eye of a man in London on Aug. 9, 2017. (Leon Neal/Getty Images) Google Search Filter Bubbles Politically Divide Americans, Study Says Googles personalized search results are isolating people in bubbles of their own political preferences, making it harder for voters to make informed decisions on contentious issues, according to a study by DuckDuckGo, a company that runs the privacy-oriented search engine DuckDuckGo.com. The company had 87 volunteers across the country conduct the same series of searches on Google within about one hour. As expected, nearly all were shown significantly different results. These editorialized results are informed by the personal information Google has on you (like your search, browsing, and purchase history), and puts [sic] you in a bubble based on what Googles algorithms think youre most likely to click on, stated the report from the study published on Dec. 4. But even when the study participants were logged out of Google accounts, and with heightened privacy settings in their browsers, they couldnt escape Googles algorithms, demonstrating the filter bubbles might be much harder to burst than previously thought. Bubble Polarization The volunteers searched for terms related to politically contentious issues, such as gun control, immigration, and vaccination. The filter bubble is particularly pernicious when searching for political topics, the report stated, adding, Undecided and inquisitive voters turn to search engines to conduct basic research on candidates and issues in the critical time when they are forming their opinions on them. The bubble thus worsens polarization in society, according to DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg. Youre getting a viewpoint that youre already more likely to agree with thats pushing you toward your preexisting beliefs so you dont really consider the other candidate or other side of the issue as much as you should in your research mode, he said in a phone interview. Americans have grown more divided along partisan lines over the past two decades, a 2014 Pew Research Center study showed. But Weinberg wouldnt go as far as blaming Google, saying more research would be needed to prove more than a mere correlation. Google Power The impact of filter bubbles on political outcomes in aggregate can be significant, the study stated. Googles algorithms can shift 20 percent or more of votes among voters and up to 80 percent in some demographic groups, according to research by Robert Epstein, a senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. Google representatives stated the company didnt agree with Epsteins research methodology. Excluding mobile searches, 76 of the study participants were shown 62 different sets of results when they searched gun control logged out and browsing in privacy mode, the study found. Even if people saw the same sources in the search results, they commonly saw them in a different order. Thats more important than it might seem. People click on the top result about twice as often as on the second, while the click rate similarly halves for the third and each subsequent result, according to Hugh Williams, search engine researcher and former executive at tech companies including Google, eBay, and Microsoft. The top two or three results were usually the same for all the DuckDuckGo study participants, meaning most people would end up clicking on the same links. But Weinberg argued the variation in the lower results still matters, despite them getting much fewer clicks. Indeed, the clicks add up, given how prolifically people use Google. Some 5 billion to 8 billion searches go through Google every day, based on several different estimates (Google seldom releases its search statistics). Area Bubble Google denies personalizing search results for people with browser privacy mode on based on the users Google account search history. From Googles response to the study, Weinberg gathered that location is largely driving the differences. That suggests the bubble may not be personal but includes a group of people accessing the web from the same area. If thats the case, then you would be consistently showing different types of links to different zip codes, to different locations, and that would create a persistent filter bubble effect, Weinberg said. The study authors were aware that Google may understandably personalize searches based on location by including local news media or other local information sources. The study was thus designed to control for such local sources, even though few of them ended up among the results. Shadow Profiles With all hes seen, Weinberg suspects that Google goes beyond creating area-based bubbles. The location information used by Google and other web services stems from data like the IP address and the browser fingerprints, which include information like browser type and version, the user devices operating system, time zone, language, and various browser and device settings. Such data may seem far from personal, but an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) study found that at best only two in nearly 287,000 browsers share the same fingerprints (pdf). Combined with the IP, the study found that the fingerprints would be enough to identify a specific device in all but a tiny number of cases. And since people typically use their own devices, Google may be able to link the device with a specific user. Tracking users based on the IP and fingerprints, even when they apparently dont wish to be tracked, has been dubbed shadow profiling and can be hard to detect because it doesnt leave a trace on the users device, according to the EFF. Shadow profiling may be a way for Google to maintain deniability over search personalization. If Google personalizes search results based on a profile build using the IP and browser fingerprints and if it keeps such a profile separate from the users Google account, the company may try to claim the search results are not really personalized because theyre not connected to a specific person, Weinberg speculated. You could semantically call that not personal, he said. A Google spokesperson said the DuckDuckGo studys methodology and conclusions are flawed since they are based on the assumption that any difference in search results are based on personalization and that there are a number of factors that can lead to slight differences, including time and location, which this study doesnt appear to have controlled for effectively. DuckDuckGo Weinbergs search engine makes privacy its selling point, saying it doesnt collect any personal information. For search business, personal information is not needed, he said, because advertisers target keywords which users themselves type into the search field. Thats why the privacy creed hasnt financially sunk the company. In fact, its been profitable since 2014, Weinberg said. It also appears the pitch is working. The engine recorded over 31 million average daily direct searches in November, an increase of nearly 50 percent since January. Even at this pace, however, it would take the company until the 2030s to beat current Google numbers. Guatemalan 7-Year-Old Likely Died of Septic Shock After Crossing Border: Hospital The 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who illegally entered the United States with her father likely died of septic shock, hospital officials said. The Department of Homeland Security said that a form from Providence Childrens Hospital, where Jakelin Maquin was transported to via air ambulance early on Dec. 7, stated that she died from septic shock. Sepsis is when a bodys normal response to fighting an infection is out of balance, triggering changes that can damage multiple organ systems, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition sometimes leads to septic shock. Sepsis ranges from less to more severe. As sepsis worsens, blood flow to vital organs, such as your brain, heart, and kidneys, becomes impaired. Sepsis can also cause blood clots to form in your organs and in your arms, legs, fingers, and toesleading to varying degrees of organ failure and tissue death (gangrene), the clinic stated. Most people recover from mild sepsis, but the average mortality rate for septic shock is about 40 percent. The Department of Homeland Security statement, obtained by NBC, noted that Maquins father, 29-year-old Nery Caal, was with his daughter when she passed away on Dec. 8, less than 24 hours after she arrived at the hospital. An autopsy on Maquin was planned by Customs and Border Protection but the process could take days or weeks. Investigations into the death have been launched by both agencies. Officials noted that Caal insisted his daughter had no health problems during an initial screening after the pair were apprehended along with 161 other migrants in the New Mexico desert. The initial screening revealed no evidence of health issues, the Department of Homeland Security said. During the screening, the father denied that either he or his daughter were ill. Caal signed a form affirming his daughter had no health problems at the time. Rushed to Hospital After about eight hours at the remote Antelope Wells Port of Entry, Maquin and Caal were loaded onto a bus at 4:30 a.m. to travel to Lordsburg, about 95 miles away, the closest Border Patrol station. An earlier bus took unaccompanied minors to the station. Caal told Border Patrol agents that his daughter got sick and started vomiting around 5 a.m. When the bus arrived in Lordsburg at about 6:30 a.m., he said the girl was not breathing. She was attended to by emergency medical technicians who had been called to the station and was rushed to Providence via air ambulance. The girl was revived after going into cardiac arrest but she died less than 24 hours later. Caal said over the weekend that Border Patrol agents did their best to save his daughter. Guatemalan Consul Tekandi Paniagua said on Dec. 15 the man has no complaints about how Border Patrol agents treated him and his daughter. But Caal did dispute reports that said he hadnt fed or given water to his daughter for days before they were apprehended, saying they were false. Jakelins father took care of Jakelin, made sure she was fed and had sufficient water, his lawyers said in a statement. She had not suffered from a lack of water or food prior to approaching the border. Border Patrol agents provided the family with food and water, and they had access to restrooms, at Antelope Wells. Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, told reporters last week that the situation is a tragedy. Our hearts go out to the family and to anyone whos suffered any type of danger and peril that they see so often when they make that trek up from the southern border, Gidley said. The Department of Homeland Security previously noted that the illegally entering the United States is dangerous and that migrants should only enter through official ports of entry. Every year the Border Patrol saves hundreds of people who are overcome by the elements between our ports of entry. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and the best efforts of the medical team treating the child, we were unable to stop this tragedy from occurring, the department said in a statement. Once again, we are begging parents to not put themselves or their children at risk attempting to enter illegally. From NTD News Meng Wanzhou, Executive Board Director of the Chinese technology giant Huawei, attends a session of the VTB Capital Investment Forum "Russia Calling!" in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 2, 2014. (Alexander Bibik/Reuters) Huawei CFO Extradition Case Complicated by Chineseand Perhaps CanadianInterests News Analysis The next step in the case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhous arrest is the extradition process. The United States wants Meng to face trial in U.S. federal court. But will the Canadian authorities give her up? Being a nation with rule of law, Canada will, of course, have to decide whether to extradite Meng, based on legal precedent. But there are signs that Mengs high-profile case has drawn special attentionfrom both the Chinese and Canadian side. Citing anonymous sources in Canadian law enforcement and government, Canadian news outlet Global News noted in a Dec. 14 report that Chinas chief intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), is believed to be covertly monitoring Meng, who serves as Huaweis chief financial officer. A former analyst with Canadas intelligence agency CSIS is also quoted as saying that, given Chinas extensive spy network, its likely that MSS agents in Vancouver are monitoring Mengs case right now. Huawei is not a normal company in any sense, Stephanie Carvin, the former analyst, told Global News. It is wrapped up in Chinese nationality and represents [Chinese leader] Xi Jinpings interests as a national champion company. She is right. Huawei, a telecommunications giant, is funded by the Chinese regime and is contracted to develop and provide technology to local Chinese governments and military. The company sits at the forefront of Beijings bid to turn China into the leader for cutting-edge 5G wireless infrastructure, and Meng is a valuable asset to the Chinese regime. State media have made defending her reputation an act of patriotic duty. The MSS is also a powerful agency that has been known to conduct espionage and recruitment for the Chinese regimes interests from France to the United States. The report further claims that staff of the British Columbia governmentthe province where Meng was arrested and detained, and where she owns multiple propertieshave given special attention to her case upon her arrest. The chief of staff reportedly made a phone call to the B.C. solicitor generals office (a provincial judicial department) soon after her detention, expressing concern that they could not hold Meng in a Canada Border Services facility[and] needs to make sure she is extended courtesies, the report said. In response to the Global News report, the spokesperson for the solicitor generals office said: The premiers communications director contacted the solicitor generals office to simply gain clarity on what was being reported on this investigation. This is standard procedure. This was a request for information onlythere was no request for any change in circumstances. How important this case is to the Chinese regime is no less represented by how its state-run media have covered her case: officially warning Canada of grave consequences; writing high-octane editorials slamming the Canadian and U.S. governments while calling for boycotts of Canadian brands; sharing Mengs social-media post, written the night she was released on roughly $5 million cash bail on Dec. 11. She had posted: I am proud of Huawei. I am proud of the motherland! At the same time, the case is a major headache for Canada, which is caught in the middle. China has already detained two Canadian citizens who were working inside China in retaliation for Mengs arrest. This has led to a souring of relations between China and Canada at a time when the latter seeks to secure a free-trade deal with China. Canadian authorities have already canceled a trade mission and the countrys tourism minister decided to postpone a scheduled trip to China. Once a court has ruled that Meng needs to be extradited, the ultimate decision whether to proceed or not will be up to Canadas justice minister. But Global News report of British Columbia authorities inquiries begs the question of whether there are forces among Canadian authorities who may have a special interest in Mengs case. In June 2010, then-director of CSIS, Richard Fadden, had bluntly told national broadcaster CBC that a number of local government officialsincluding those serving in British Columbiaare under the influence of foreign regimes. He added that Beijing is the most aggressive among the foreign regimes in the quest for exerting influence in Canada. Canadas Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has said cutting corners when it comes to Mengs case is not an option. I think people need to be very careful when they start to suggest that corners be cut when it comes to the rule of law and when it comes to international treaty obligations, Freeland said in an interview with The Canadian Press. Complicating the matter is the ongoing trade negotiations between the United States and China. U.S. and Chinese officials have expressed that the arrest wont affect ongoing talks. But in an interview with Reuters last week, U.S. President Donald Trump drew a connection between the Huawei case and his administrations trade row with China, saying he would be willing to intervene if it helped resolve the dispute or would serve U.S. national-security interests. Whatevers good for this country, I would do, Trump said. Correction: The article Huawei CFO Extradition Case Complicated by Chinese and Canadian Interests, published on Dec. 18, misstated what then-director of CSIS, Richard Fadden, said in a June 2010 interview with CBC. Fadden said that a number of local government officials, including those in British Columbia, are under the influence of foreign regimes. He had also stated that Beijing is the most aggressive among the foreign regimes in the quest for exerting influence in Canada. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Huawei Is Cornerstone of CCP Initiative to Overtake the United States The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing a goal, under the banner of sovereignty, of eliminating reliance on foreign systems within China and then ensuring Chinese-made systems dominate the global landscape. In the push to dominate this domain, the CCP has identified core technologies, including satellite GPS, internet infrastructure, and semiconductors, with Huawei playing a key role in this agenda. The Jamestown Foundations China Brief noted June 5 that Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently has been promoting this concept as an approach to technology, the internet, and governance, one that seeks to embed [Chinas] concept of cyber sovereignty in the institutions of global internet governance. In the past, the CCPs concept of cybersovereignty often referred to its push to dominate the global internet space, an effort dating to at least 2010, which included a play to gain control of the internet globally through the United Nations in 2015. As the program has advanced, however, it has broadened to include the foundational technologies that make the internet and global technology systems work, while maintaining the CCPs spirit of social tyranny and global market domination. Through the CCPs One Belt One Road initiative, its constructing core infrastructure that includes an export of the China Model for totalitarian governance. The Council on Foreign Relations reported in July that Chinas exporting of surveillance goods is a critical component of its Digital Silk Road.' It noted that Huawei recently implemented its Safe Cities model in Nairobi, Kenya, where it installed 1,800 surveillance cameras as part of the program, and indicated that although the cameras can help fight crime, they can also be used to monitor activists and protests. In addition to Nairobi, the report stated, Huawei has deployed its systems across 100 cities in approximately 30 countries worldwide. Exports of such technology are being coupled with Chinese government-backed grants that create dependency of the importing country on Chinese-produced gear and incentivize further purchases of such equipment. A core aspect of this push is a new CCP-led internet framework that is separate from, yet interconnected with, the global internet. Included in this technology is the CCPs massive systems for internet censorship and online monitoringand again, coupled with it is Huaweis internet infrastructure and systems for totalitarian social control. Huawei plays a major role in the CCPs programs for human rights abuse and domestic surveillance. A 172-page internal document from Huawei in 2015, which was leaked to the internet, was a training manual for Chinese internet police to monitor, analyze, and process video content. It also showed Huaweis involvement with the CCPs Golden Shield Project for censorship and Skynet System for surveillance. The companys technology is also part of the CCPs Social Credit System, which creates a database on each person, tracks all available data about the individual, and calculates a citizen score that determines their level of freedom in society. The CCP is also making substantial efforts to replace the U.S. semiconductor industrytechnologies for which Huawei and Chinese telecom company ZTE still depend on Western companies, in developing and supplying them. The United States indicted Chinas state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit on Nov. 1 for allegedly stealing trade secrets from U.S.-based semiconductor developer Micron. The indictment also included United Microelectronics Corp., a Taiwanese company, and three Taiwanese nationalsincluding Stephen Chen, a former president of Micron Memory Taiwan, a Micron subsidiary in Taiwan, who went on to work at the CCPs United Microelectronics Corp. Weeks later, in late November, CCP officials claimed they had found evidence that Micron was price-fixing, along with Samsung and Hynix, andwithout providing public evidenceclaimed the companies were involved in anti-competitive behavior. That came on the heels of temporary U.S. sanctions that banned ZTE from the U.S. semiconductor market, after ZTE was found to have violated U.S. sanctions on Iran. Though the ban was quickly lifted, it acted as a warning shot about the effect that U.S. sanctions could have on the Chinese tech industry. With Huawei now facing a similar fraud case related to Iran, the stakes have grown, and the CCPs programs to replace and surpass the United States as the global technology leader are front and center again, with initiatives to compete in 5G internet technology, new energy, quantum computing, and others. In China, theres a concept of surpassing you at the curve, and thats become a guiding concept for the CCPs aim to overtake the United States as the world leader in technology, under its Project 863 and China 2025 programs. The idea is that its very difficult to surpass someone already ahead in a certain area, but when the whole world is making a turn, that person can be surpassed. Under the CCP, that means a focus on new and emerging technologies is paramount. The Party has been using foreign investment, research partnerships, state financing, and theft of trade secrets to give its companies an edge over their often privately owned foreign competitors when market shifts take place. Huawei is among the key companies being used to achieve this goal. In a Small Texas County, a Sheriff Battles With Illegal Immigrant Crime Vehicle pursuits, drug trafficking, and dead bodies cast out by human smugglers are common occurrences in Refugio County REFUGIO, TexasAn illegal alien must travel through at least five counties beyond the U.S.Mexico border to reach Refugio, Texas, population around 7,300. Most illegal aliens nabbed by local law enforcement were on their way to Houston, just 165 miles northeast, said Sheriff Raul Pinky Gonzales. Houston is like a staging area for them. And from there, some of them go to California, some go to New York, a lot of them go up north to Boston, he said in an interview on Nov. 8. Vehicle pursuits are a common occurrence in Refugio County, which is just one of 254 counties in the state. Just that morning, two different groups of illegal aliens were captured. In one instance, a vigilant driver saw a hand sticking out of the bed of a pickup truck and called authorities. Nine illegal aliens and the smuggler, or coyote, were subsequently arrested. In a second incident on the same morning, a vehicle pursuit from a neighboring county entered Refugio. The chase ended when the vehicle, carrying nine illegal aliens and their coyote, stopped and all 10 tried to flee on foot. Law enforcement scooped them all up. Gonzales said he also has found the bodies of illegal immigrants dumped by smugglers. They put them in trunks in cars, they put them in truckswhere the temperature gets to 130, 120 something degreesno water, no food, no air. And they die. And theyll just throw them out on the side of the road, he said. Small Violation, Big Crime On patrol, Sheriffs Deputy Luis Flores aims for making two vehicle stops per hour24 in a shift. With 276 possible traffic violations in Texas, he has a lot to work with. Over several hours, he stopped vehicles that didnt have a license plate light, or were missing a tail light, or whose plates were partially obscured, as well as drivers who were speeding, and more. I look for small violations, which gives probable cause for stopping, he said. I have a conversationsee where theyre going and what theyre up to. I look for cues and indications of other activity. But his goal isnt to hand out ticketsmost of the time, drivers get a simple warning or citation. The goal is to find the bigger crimedrugs, illegal aliens, warrants out for arrest, and so on. I love picking apart peoples stories, Flores said. He listens for too much or too little detail in their explanations. Flores is ex-military and has spent two years as a deputy in Refugio. One of his most satisfying finds was during a traffic stop of an elderly women driving an old Nissan. I felt very victorious when we found $500,000 hidden in her bumper, he said. Money is super hard to findit doesnt have an odor and its easy to hide. The deputies patrol alone, but there are usually at least two vehicles out, as well as the local police officer. They back each other up constantly. Flores said he calls for backup at the first sign of trouble, ever since a group of aliens that I stopped told me that if my backup didnt arrive so quickly, they wouldve got in a gun fight with me, he said. What the deputies do in Refugio might seem like small potatoes, but considering three of the 19 terrorists involved in 9/11 were pulled over in four separate incidents in the months prior to the terror attacks, a traffic stop could turn into something significant. Theyre Not All Good Gonzales said that if he wanted to, he could probably round up hundreds of illegal immigrants living in his county, but as a law enforcement officer, he concentrates on illegal activity. I dont care if you come from Mars, if youre committing a crime here in my state or my county, Im going to tend to you accordingly, he said. On Nov. 8, local Refugio City police officer Tammy Gregory picked up a man for going 50 miles per hour in a 35 zone. She discovered the man, Jose Carrasco Leon, was from Mexico. He didnt have a U.S. drivers license, but had lived in the United States for 16 years and was married to a U.S. citizen. Gregory said its likely the man had not legalized his status, because Border Patrol contacted her to request custody of him once the police had finished processing him. Gonzales said drug trafficking was common in his county. We catch a lot of illegals with drugs, he said. We caught the cartel No. 2 drug runner here in my county. He was on a train smuggling drugs. In May last year, deputies seized 500 pounds of marijuana and a cartel member, after railroad officials noticed three people traveling on a Southern Pacific freight train that had originated at the border. They loaded up in Brownsville, heading to Houston. How much of that goes on and how much do we miss? Gonzales said. Recently, the sheriff had to deal with the slaying of two of his dogs by illegal aliens trying to evade law enforcement. The two tracking dogs were trained to find lost children or Alzheimers patients, and they would bark once they located the person. But this time, when the dogs found the group of illegal aliens in the brush and barked to alert the deputies where they were, they were killed. They strangled two of our dogs for no reason. These guys that killed these dogs, they could have very well killed one of my deputies or any other law enforcement, Gonzales said. And these are the type of illegals that we deal with. Not all of them come here in good faith. A lot of them come here to do wrong, get in gangs, and get involved with sex traffickingtheyre not all good. On the Border Gonzales is all too familiar with illegal activity on the southwest border. Before coming to Refugio County, he spent years as a boat captain on the Rio Grande in Texasthe dividing line between the United States and Mexico. We picked up bodies. Like in a week, wed pick up to 10 bodies, he said. A lot of times wed see kids that had drowned, trying to swim across by themselves. The parents are the ones that sent them by themselves. He said he helped a lot of teenage girls and would ask them how they got across, and why they were there without parents. He was often told, Well, our parents told us to come here. And theyd tell me horror stories about what they had to go through to come here. They were raped, they were vandalized, a lot of them. Theyre used as sex slaves. [The smugglers] bring them across and use them as sex slaves here in the United States, Gonzales said. So a lot of time, these people are victimizing their own people for revenue, for money, and thats what people dont understand. Gonzales said he would often stop at the grocery store before a shift to buy extra drinks and food for the illegal aliens he would undoubtedly encounter. I feel very sorry for them, he said. Theyre human beings, you know. Were supposed to love them. But we as law enforcement, we took an oath that we would abide by the law and protect and serve our people. He said its very hard to do that when you cant track people who cross illegally and evade law enforcement. You know once they blend in with the population, theyre gone, he said. They can commit serious crimes, [then] they can just pack up and go back home and well never find them. Gonzales said 80 to 90 percent of the illegal aliens he picked up on the river were not from Mexico. They were from El Salvador, Honduras, from India, Chinawed catch a lot of Chinesepeople from all over the world, he said. Many said they traveled by boat to Brazil, where they met a smuggler who escorted them through Mexico and to the United States. Some people are here to better their livesand it doesnt make it rightbut not all of them, he said. Gonzales said he has caught a lot of gang members, especially MS-13, as well as criminals who had been deported. In one case, two men who had been deported after serving prison sentences were back a week later, illegally, with a group of Hondurans. These Hondurans werent the type of guys that came to look for work. They were tattooed up, you know. One of them didnt have an ear, they were just scar-faced. I mean, you could tell they werent good hombres, he said. The Dream Act Effect Gonzales said he is glad President Donald Trump has enhanced border security and sent active-duty military to help stop illegal crossings. We cant [have] this group of people come and invade our country. This caravan, the majority of them are malesflying their flag, he said. To me, thats intimidating. He said he thinks many of the politicians who often side with illegal immigrants are looking for future votes. The difference between these [illegal] immigrants coming in now, theyre trying to bring their country into our country, he said. We are the United States of America, and I think this oughta be a Christian country the way our forefathers perceived it to be. However, Gonzales said the illegal immigrants he catches arent as confident as they were during the Obama era. When Obama was in office, these illegal immigrants were very cocky with us. They went on about the Dream Act, Obama, the Dream Act, he said. They were very cocky. Like, hey, weve got our rights and were going to become citizens because of the Dream Act Obamas introducing. We Already Have Bad People Gonzales said most Americans dont understand what law enforcement deals with as far as illegal alien crime. Its very, very hard to do our job, he said. We already have thugs that are citizens here, we already have bad peoplewe dont need any more. As a sheriff, as a leader in law enforcement, Im very concerned about my peoples safety. Id feel horrible if somebody got injured, seriously injured, or killed, because [of]I dont care if theyre illegal or not, but especiallyan illegal person. They shouldnt have been here to begin with. The sheriff provided a snapshot of what it takes for law enforcement to deal with one vehicle pursuit of an illegal alien. It costs a lot of taxpayers money chasing these people, [it] costs a lot of man hours. When a county deputy or a DPS state trooper gets on the chase, you get all different law enforcement agencies involved in the chaseyou know, were trying to back each other up. There could be 12 officers for one chase, for four or five hours. A lot of times, theyll wreck their vehicles, damage their vehicles, he said. Its a burden to us, its a burden to the people of the United States. The Vietnamese official spoke highly of the active developments in the bilateral relations over the recent past, and suggested that the two sides join hands to effectively implement the common high-level agreements and perceptions, as well as to maintain the trend of the fine development in the bilateral relations. He asked the Chinese side to continue applying effective measures to further improve Vietnams trade deficit and take steps so that more and more Vietnamese staples are consumed by Chinese customers such as fruits, aquatic products, pork and milk products. As for the sea issue, Deputy PM Minh highly valued the positive outcomes of the negotiation and cooperation mechanisms in the less sensitive fields on the sea between the two countries, as well as the initial progress in the recent negotiations on the code of conducts on the East Sea between ASEAN and China. The two sides should continue to seriously implement the common perceptions of high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and States, he said, adding they should also persist the solution of disputes and differences by peaceful measures on the basis of respect to the international law, the 1982 UN convention on the law of the sea and the legitimate interests of each other, thus controlling differences and maintaining peace and stability on the sea. For his part, the Chinese official affirmed that his Party and Government attach great importance to the unceasing consolidation and development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. China is ready to join in strengthening the strategic exchanges, consolidating the political trust, deepening the mutually beneficial cooperation, rationally setting the differences, and accelerating the healthy and stable bilateral relations, he affirmed. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said active collaboration will be made with the Vietnamese side to prepare for and realize the visits by leaders of the two countries, as well as the 12th session of the steering committee on the Vietnam China bilateral cooperation in China next year. He stressed that China advocates opening the door for imports from other countries, with priority given to its neighbours, including Vietnam. On the Mekong Lancang cooperation, the two sides affirmed they attach importance to it and agreed to continue their participation and active contributions to the mechanism, pushing up the cooperation for the mutual, inclusive and fair benefits for all the participating countries. An Indian policeman stands guard behind concertina wire laid across a road leading to the Indian army headquarters in Srinagar on Dec. 17, 2018. (Danish Ismail/Reuters) Indian Forces Lock Down Kashmir City, Hold Leaders to Stifle Protests SRINAGAR, IndiaIndian police detained separatist leaders in the disputed Kashmir region on Dec. 17 and sealed off roads in an effort to stifle protests against the killing of civilians on the weekend. Unrest has intensified over recent weeks in the Muslim-majority region at the heart of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan, and seven civilians were killed on Dec. 15 when security forces opened fire at a protest over the killing of three militants. Separatists leaders Mohammad Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said they were detained as they marched toward an army headquarters in Kashmirs main city of Srinagar. Another leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was under house arrest, police said. Indian troops are killing Kashmiris, Malik told reporters as police in riot gear took him away in a white vehicle. For the last many years they are on a killing spree. A senior police official, who declined to be identified, said Malik and Farooq would be released once the situation stabilizes. A spokesman for Indias Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi said he had no comment. Police and para-military forces put up barricades in various parts of Srinagar, including on roads leading to the army headquarters, and were patrolling in force. The army warned the population against being used to make trouble. Army advises people not to fall prey to such designs of anti-national forces, the army said in a statement late on Dec. 16. Its an attempt to pit the civilian population against the security forces. One soldier was killed in the Dec. 15 violence. Dialogue Not Violence Shops, government offices, and banks were closed in Srinagar and a nearby district and traffic was off the roads. Authorities have also shut down mobile internet and train services. Pakistan, which like India, claims Kashmir in full but rules it in part, condemned the Dec. 15 killings. Only dialogue and not violence and killings will resolve this conflict, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said, adding that his country would raise Indias human rights violations at the United Nations. Hindu-majority India accuses Pakistan of training and arming separatist militants operating in Kashmir. Pakistan denies that saying it only offers political support to the people of the Muslim region who are being denied their rights by Indias security forces. Indian forces say they have killed 242 militants this year in the region, while 101 civilians and 82 members of the security forces have been killed, making it the bloodiest year in more than a decade. Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said Indian authorities should investigate and prosecute those responsible for indiscriminate use of force. Security forces are aware that villagers gather, protest during gunfights with Kashmir militants and have responsibility to ensure civilians are not at risk, she said in a tweet. By Fayaz Bukhari Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India on Dec. 17, 2018. (Adnan Abidi/Reuters) Indias Modi Gives $1.4 Billion Aid to Maldives as it Struggles with China Debt NEW DELHIIndia will give financial assistance of $1.4 billion to the Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Dec. 17, the biggest aid yet to the Indian Ocean island nation that is grappling with debt from a Chinese building spree. Modi made the announcement after talks with Maldives new president, Mohamed Ibrahim Solih, who defeated the pro-China strongman Abdulla Yameen in a surprise election result in October and is trying to reset ties with India. During a five-year construction boom in the Maldives, China built a sea bridge connecting the capital, Male, to the main airport and is developing the airport itself, as well as building housing on land reclaimed from the sea. Signs of the infrastructure boom are everywhere in Male, from where tourists are whisked off in high speed boats to luxury resorts built on atolls. Yameen also leased Chinese developers an unspecified number of islands to build resorts for tourists, a fifth of whom are Chinese, in a dramatic expansion of ties since Beijing opened its embassy in the Maldives eight years ago. China has built ports, bridges and highways in countries stretching from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and its ally Pakistan as part of its One Belt, One Road (OBOR, also known as Belt and Road) initiative for a trade and transit corridor across Asia and into Europe. But the fast-paced building activity has stoked fears that the Maldives has loaded up on debt that could be anything from $1.5 billion to more than $3 billion. Solihs administration has said it is trying to find out just how much the country of 400,000 people owes China. Modi said India stood ready to help the Maldives as a close friend and neighbor. For Maldives social and economic development we are providing a financial assistance of $1.4 billion in the form of budgetary support, currency swap agreements and concessional lines of credit, he said during a brief media appearance with Solih. Both India and China have been trying to build regional influence in the Maldives and other Indian Ocean countries such as Sri Lanka that lie along vital shipping lanes. Soon after he took over last month, Solih said state coffers had been looted over the past few years and warned that the country was in financial difficulty after racking up debt with Chinese lenders. Solih said the Maldives and India had signed agreements to cooperate on trade, health and defense. India would help improve Maldives security through joint patrols as well as aerial surveillance, officials said. Indias big worry has been that Chinas expansive diplomacy in the region was aimed at securing an outpost on an island in the Maldives. Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid said he had assured Indian leaders that his country wanted the best of ties with its immediate neighbors and would return to an India First policy. Modi said he had discussed regional security with Solih and both had agreed not to allow each others territory to be used against the other. By Sanjeev Miglani Anne and Captain Wentworth speak in spite of Annes snobbish father and sister, in the background. Illustration by C. E. Brock, in the 1909 edition of Persuasion. (Public Domain) Insights From Persuasion, Jane Austens Last Novel Beyond the 'carapace of a love story' Jane Austens last completed novel, Persuasion, was published in 1817, less than six months after her death. Austen wrote the book when she was around 40 years old. Up until that time, she had written about very young heroines, but Persuasion is the story of Anne, an unmarried 27-year-old, whom marriage seems to have passed by. Maureen Stiller, honorary secretary of The Jane Austen Society of the United Kingdom, shares how Austen uses dashes of humor to portray different character quirks. Each character uncovers pertinent wisdom through the situations they find themselves in, wisdom that is relevant to us all, even some 200 years later. The Epoch Times: Please tell us about Jane Austens Persuasion. Maureen Stiller: In Persuasion the heroine is Anne, who is the middle daughter of a very vain and selfish baronet, Sir Walter Elliot, of whom its said, that up until the time his wife died, she kept him respectable and could be forgiven for her one failing of marrying him in the first place. This is the thing that Jane Austen does; there are these sentences that are so short, but they really do bring you up sharp. Sir Walter has been a widower for many years. Hes rich in land and title, but he has run up enormous debts. He considers Anne, his middle daughter, as definitely inferior to his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, and marginally so to his married youngest daughter, Mary, and as such he has never listened to Anne. Anne has lost her former sweetheart, Captain Frederick Wentworth, because she was guided to call off the engagement by her mothers friend Lady Russell, who was almost like a mother to her. Russell was concerned that he may not be able to support Anne because he had no money, and the only money he might make was if he made it through capturing vessels when out at war. Eight years later, Captain Wentworth comes back into Annes part of the world because his sister has come to live in the area. And he comes back determined that hes going to love somebody other than Anne. He tries to attach himself to one or another of Annes sisters-in-law, and he realizes, through various happenings in the story, that actually it is Anne hes still got in mind to marry. So he tries to tell Anne how he feels, but it takes him a long time because Anne is being wooed by another man, and Captain Wentworth is not sure what Annes relationship is with this other chap, Mr. William Elliot, who is actually Annes cousin and who is going to inherit her fathers title when he dies. Captain Wentworth, who has now made his money through the war, thinks that Mr. Elliot is a much better catch for Anne than he is; Mr. Elliot is going to be the baronet, hes handsome, hes rich, and hes a man about town. The Epoch Times: Please tell us more about Annes father, Sir Walter. It seems he wants to relieve his financial problems but doesnt want to lessen his comfort. Mrs. Stiller: A lot of people are like that now. Our current society encourages you to run up debt because thats what credit cards are, thats what loyalty cards are, thats what store cards are in a way, especially if you dont have to pay them all off at once. We call it credit, but its debt. And a lot of people get into debt because theyre not worried, as it can be paid tomorrow. Theyre not thinking about how its to be paid, and thats exactly what Annes father has done, and now hes got to this point where everybodys talking about him and pointing at him. And he knows hes got to do something, but he doesnt want to do it because he cannot bear the thought of austerity. He wants something to be done to relieve his financial problems but without lessening his comforts, indulgences, and taste! He consults his wifes friend Lady Russell, who, in turn, consults Anne, who shares with her a great sense of integrity. They map out a stringent plan of retrenchment that would clear her father of debt within seven years and which, she believes, will neither diminish her fathers respectability, nor consequence, nor dignity in the eyes of the public, since he would be seen to be acting like a man of principle and with honesty. Safe to say, her father will not tolerate it. The Epoch Times: Does Sir Walter manage to sort out his finances? Mrs. Stiller: No, he doesnt. His lawyer comes up with a plan: that he will move out of his very respectable home, Kellynch Hall, and go to Bath to rent a house. The reason for going to Bath is that he wouldnt need carriages and horses and therefore grooms, who would be very expensive. And then he rents out Kellynch Hall to Admiral Croft and his wife, Captain Wentworths sister. Sir Walter is still spending money, but its relatively cheap in Bath to rent a small place. And thats the way hes saving money. But Anne thinks hes demeaned himself, hes belittled himself by not being seen. Her view is he shouldve stayed where he was and tried to cut back on things there and keep up the name of the estate, instead of being seen as having to leave it just because he could. You dont know at the end of the day whether he does go back to Kellynch Hall or not, because once Anne gets married to her sweetheart, thats the end of the story. The Epoch Times: What delights you about Persuasion? Mrs. Stiller: Theres a passage in Persuasion which I quote a lot; its about the retention of love. One of Captain Wentworths naval friends talks to Anne and he says, you cant imagine what its like going to sea and leaving your wife and children behind. He said: I will not allow it to be more mans nature than womans to be inconstant and forget those they do love, or loved. I believe the reverse. I believe in a true analogy between our bodily frames and our mental; and that as our bodies are the strongest so are our feelings; capable of bearing most rough usage and riding out the heaviest weather. Your feelings may be the strongest, replied Anne, but the same spirit of analogy will authorize me to assert that ours are the most tender. Man is more robust that woman, but he is not longer-lived. And further on in the conversation, Anne says: I believe you equal to every important exertion, and to every domestic forbearance, so long asif I may be allowed the expression, so long as you have an object. I mean while the woman you love lives and lives for you. All the privilege I claim for my own sex (it is not a very enviable one: you need not covet it), is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone! So whats shes saying is, yes. Youve got very strong feelings, but theyre only as strong as long as the woman is around you, and when you havent got one, you go on to someone else. But women dont do that. Anne believes shes speaking for womanhood: that they love longest even when existence or hope is gone. And of course, shes talking about herself because she still loves Captain Wentworth, who disappeared eight years ago and has now come back and is not giving her any indication that hes really still in love with her. The Epoch Times: Spoiler alert! Do they get together as a couple in the end? Mrs. Stiller: Of course they do; it wouldnt be a Jane Austen novel otherwise! At the Jane Austen Society UK, we always say this: It is a truism that there are some 21 marriages in Jane Austens novels, good, bad, and indifferent and that the girl always gets her guy in the end. But, we go on to say, the novels show what the characters go through, and their disposition throughout. And the moral values that Jane Austen writes about, she brings all those attributes to the fore and uses them as part of the story. For example, Anne visits an old school friend who has become an arthritic invalid and left an impoverished widow with no relations to look after her. Anne is amazed at the womans capacity to be cheerful and to learn to knit as soon as she had the use of her hands. Annes determined that this was not a case of fortitude alone: A submissive spirit might be patient, a strong understanding would supply resolution, but here was something more; here was that elasticity of mind, that disposition to be comforted, that power of turning readily from evil to good, and of finding employment which carried her out of herself, which was from nature alone. The Epoch Times: Why is it important to read Jane Austen novels today? Mrs. Stiller: People think of Jane Austen as a spinster in very isolated circumstances; yes, she was a spinster, but she had a lot of acquaintances, she danced, she traveled, she read widely, and she was up-to-date with news. And I think her novels are relevant for all the things that weve talked about, all these underlying things that come out when you ignore the carapace of a love story. And the fact that she actually brings up some of those issues in an amusing way. She has a wonderful way of giving you a picture in very concise terms that bring a picture immediately to mind. And, she can make you laughand she can make you cry. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte gestures during a meeting between the president of Argentina and the Prime Minister of Italy ahead of Argentina G20 Leaders' Summit 2018 on November 29, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Ricardo Ceppi/Getty Images) Italy Coalition Seeks Budget Accord in Bid to Reach EU Deal Italys squabbling populist coalition partners were to meet on Dec. 16 to seek agreement on key parts of the countrys contentious 2019 budget in a bid to gain European Union approval and avoid sanctions. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was due to meet with Deputy Premiers Luigi Di Maio, Matteo Salvini, and Finance Minister Giovanni Tria to discuss the budget plan and see whether a deal is close enough to be finalized, a spokesman for Conte said. The distance between Italy and the European Commission has narrowed, but the government has been asked to come up with an additional 3.5 billion euros ($4 billion) of measures to reduce the structural deficit, Corriere della Sera and other Italian dailies reported Dec. 16. The last negotiations with the EU took place Dec. 14, when there were several hours of useful exchanges on technical details, said an EU official who asked not to be identified. Now Italys government needs to discuss the issues and make a decision, the official added. Salvini, who heads the anti-immigration League, said hes counting on a positive response from the EU, according to comments reported by Italian news agency Ansa. Weve done everything possible. Weve demonstrated a will to dialogue that no other Italian government has ever shown, he was quoted as saying in Milan. Bonds Shift The drawn out conflict between Italy and EU officials has caused Italian sovereign bond values to plummet, though recent signals that the Italian side was willing to soften its stance have sparked a rally. Yields on 10-year government debt fell last week to the lowest level since September after Rome proposed to cut the 2019 budget shortfall to 2.04 percent of output, from the previous goal of 2.4 percent that was rejected by the EU. Italy risks fines for violating EU rules on deficits. Salvini and Five Star leader Di Maio, remain at odds on key issues such as the latters proposal for a citizens income and incentives to encourage the purchase of low-emission cars, Corriere reported. Salvini, who has strong support from Italys industrial north, isnt a big fan of either measure. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has said it would reconsider a plan to invest 5 billion euros in Italy if the tax on higher emissions vehicles is approved as part of the budget package. By Dan Liefgreen & Jerrold Colten From Bloomberg Robert Henneke, attorney for the plaintiffs in successful challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. (Courtesy Texas Public Policy Foundation) Lawyer in Successful Challenge to Obamacare Sees Victory for Freedom Overturning of restrictive Affordable Care Act law opens the door to new freedom and better care for consumer. lower costs, says lawyer in an exclusive interview A federal judges surprise move late in the day on Dec. 14 to strike down the Affordable Care Act statute in its entirety is sending shock waves through the political world, but a jubilant lawyer on the winning legal team said the court ruling strikes a blow for freedom, is constitutionally sound, and is here to stay. The Dec. 14 ruling by Judge Reed OConnor of the Northern District of Texas was hailed by President Donald Trump but promptly assailed by former President Barack Obama, his liberal allies, and some legal commentators, largely on hyper-technical procedural grounds as opposed to whether the law itself runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution. When Congress in 2017 effectively repealed the mandate that compelled Americans to buy health insurance it sawed off the last leg it [i.e. Obamacare] stood on, the judge held. The court finds the individual mandate is essential to and inseverable from the other provisions of the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Time to Stand Down Robert Henneke, who represented Neill Hurley and John Nantz, two successful consumer-plaintiffs in the lawsuit, gave an exclusive interview to The Epoch Times. He is the director of the Center for the American Future at the Austin-based Texas Public Policy Foundation To give a contrary example to those who are critical of this opinion, alleging that it will cause people to lose their insurance, I would point to the fact that you already have millions of people who have lost their insurance because of their inability to afford the government-mandated plans, Henneke said. Now is the time for genuine health care reform, not more federal meddling in Americans lives, he said. We need to look at the policy not through the courts but by the legislative process and I think this is the more important lesson of how critical it is for the states to now reassert themselves in their role, to step back in and to be the drivers of health care policymaking, he said. We also look to encourage Washington to recognize this for the sea change that it is and to stand down. Its never been a proper role for the federal government to regulate health care and health insurance. It is a proper role for the states. Third Chapter The decision was handed down the day before the deadline for Americans to enroll in federal insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act statute. That law was enacted in March 2010 without a single Republican vote in Congress on final passage. Insurance premiums skyrocketed, and critics blame the Affordable Care Act for out-of-control costs and added bureaucratic red tape. Months or even years of legal appeals by supporters of the law are now a certainty. Democratic California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has promised to appeal the decision, and both sides expect the legal controversy to eventually find its way to the Supreme Court. A court injunction of some kind to temporarily forestall the administrative dismantling of the Affordable Care Act pending those appeals seems likely. Judge OConnors ruling is not expected to become effective in the immediate future. The decision has no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan, Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wrote on Twitter. Henneke outlined the Affordable Care Acts journey through the courts. In a 2012 case known as NFIB v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court upheld the all-encompassing, 2,000-page act as constitutional, on the theory that the individual mandatewhich forced Americans to buy health insurance even if they didnt want itwas a valid exercise of Congresss power to tax. Chief Justice John Roberts surprised many by voting to uphold the law, leading to a 54 vote in favor. The court again upheld the individual mandate in 2015 in King v. Burwell, in a 63 vote. In 2017, Congress effectively rendered the mandate a legal nullity by reducing the tax penalty for not purchasing insurance to zero effective 2019. Nineteen states, including Texas, and consumers then filed suit contending that the revised law was unconstitutional because the individual mandate was so integral to the law that it could not function without it. Sixteen states took the opposite position and argued the changed statute should be upheld. The new ruling is the third chapter in the trilogy of major challenges to the Affordable Care Act, Henneke said. Essential Component The entire Affordable Care Act, when it was originally crafted by Congress, was built around the individual mandate penaltythe premise that the way to fund and to make viable this entire regulatory scheme was by compelling individuals to purchase health insurance, Henneke said. Hard-written into the statute in many ways is how its an essential component and how the regulatory scheme doesnt function without the individual mandate penalty. Henneke said that in the NFIB v. Sebelius case, the Supreme Court construed the mandate as an exercise of congressional taxing power because it generated revenue, rejecting the governments argument that the mandate could be justified under the Constitutions Commerce Clause. Because the mandate penalty was zeroed-out, it no longer would generate revenue and cannot be deemed an exercise of congressional tax power, he said. According to Judge OConnors decision, the mandate is therefore unconstitutional and because the entirety of the Affordable Care Act is built around the individual mandate penalty the entire statute failed and was declared invalid. Future Outlook As a result of the ruling, the outlook for American health care is bright, Henneke said. I think we can look back over the last few years and take away some lessons that we can implement at the state level to drive back down costs but also provide for choice of health care provider, and also to look at the regulatory system of insurance and ways that we can restore the relationship between doctor and patient, he said. So all of that should start now and all of that can be happening now while litigation proceeds. My hope is that we can restore integrity to our health care system and fix these problems that Obamacare has caused and that continue to be a major challenge for millions of Americans who have lost their insurance because they cant afford it anymore, or have lost their doctors because theyre not covered by an Affordable Care Act plan. Late Dec. 14, President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: As I predicted all along, Obamacare has been struck down as an UNCONSTITUTIONAL disaster! Now Congress must pass a STRONG law that provides GREAT healthcare and protects pre-existing conditions. Trump urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to get it done! A few minutes later, he added: Wow, but not surprisingly, ObamaCare was just ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL by a highly respected judge in Texas. Great news for America! McDonalds Worker With Down Syndrome Retires After 32 Years A man with Down syndrome retired after working at Australian McDonalds for 32 years, according to reports. Russell OGrady, 50, was dubbed the best-known person in Northmead, having worked at the chain since 1986, reported the New Zealand Herald. He began working there at just 18 years old after a government initiative was organized to help people with intellectual disabilities find a job. For the next three decades, he worked three days per week cleaning trays, sweeping the floor, and greeting people. Meet Russel O'Grady, a man with #Downsyndrome that has brought smiles to his community for the last 32 years. After years of working at his local @McDonalds, O'Grady is retiring leaving a legacy of friendly service and hard work. https://t.co/RYvfgOaaqV Global Down Syndrome (@GDSFoundation) December 17, 2018 Weve got regular customers who come in to see Russell on Thursday and Friday, and the staff look after him, so were going to miss him, McDonalds supervisor Courtney Purcell said. His father, Geoff OGrady, told the Daily Mail that hes become sort of a local celebrity due to his job at the restaurant. People stop him on the street and shake his hand. Hes very affectionate, dearly loved and appreciated, to such an extent that we just dont believe it, he said. Somebody said to him are you handicapped?' and his answer was: I used to be when I went to school, but now I work at McDonalds, he said. Fifty-year-old Russel O'Grady first took on the job in 1986, at the age of 18 https://t.co/zOUkCHyRbN pic.twitter.com/iDW97LwlVk Deficience intellect (@DIdanslemonde) December 17, 2018 It really helps him, he gets a lot of social interaction and makes him feel like part of the community, Jobsupport trainer Nikita Vandaru was quoted by the Herald as saying. When I watch him work, every second customer will stop and talk to him. Hes got a huge smile on his face every time they come. According to the Mirror, one person commented: Ive actually met Russell before. He is a very hard working young man, always with a smile on his face. Congrats on the retirement champion. OGrady decided that retiring would be best for his health. He will now spend most of his time on his hobby, ten-pin bowling, at the Northmead Bowling Club. Down or Downs Syndrome? The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) says Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. The NDSS also says it uses Down syndrome, rather than Downs syndrome. The syndrome was named after English physician John Langdon Down. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome. A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palmalthough each person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees, or not at all, according to the website. It added: For centuries, people with Down syndrome have been alluded to in art, literature, and science. It wasnt until the late nineteenth century, however, that John Langdon Down, an English physician, published an accurate description of a person with Down syndrome. It was this scholarly work, published in 1866, that earned Down the recognition as the father of the syndrome. Although other people had previously recognized the characteristics of the syndrome, it was Down who described the condition as a distinct and separate entity. Another McDonalds Employee Made Record Russell matched the 32 years of service achieved by another fellow McDonalds employee with Down syndrome, Freia David. Freia David, whose first name is pronounced fry-a, worked the fry station at a McDonalds for 32 years, according to the Huffington Post. Woman with Down syndrome retires after 32 years. Congrats Freia David! https://t.co/fd6XanUHy8 via @CNN pic.twitter.com/jYZUpYvBjr HLN (@HLNTV) September 11, 2016 Davids job at McDonalds was her life, her mother Anneliese told the Boston Globe. David worked five shifts a week, arriving an hour early and sometimes even dancing in front of the fry station in anticipation. Saturdays were her day off but even then, David would come into McDonalds to eat lunch with her mom and give her friends high-fives and hugs. David, 52, was closing in on 1 million pounds of fries served when her mother noticed that her daughter was showing signs of forgetfulness. Early onset dementia is common among people with Down syndrome and her mother worried about her safety around the fryer oil and heat lamps. The job had meant everything to her but when she announced her imminent departure, how much she meant to the job instantly became clear. The Davids expected just a few old friends to show up on her last day. Instead, over a hundred people packed the McDonaldsloyal customers, former neighbors, adults with disabilities, and their relativesall were there to wish her well. David was showered with gifts: two cakes, cards, photo collages, a silver necklace with a McDonalds french-fry carton pendant, her favorite Disney stuffed animals, and a proclamation from the state House of Representatives. It was nice, Im really happy, David told WBZ-TV. I like all my friends here. She started her job back in 1984. Even now after retiring, she still plans on popping in on the weekends just for a bite to eat. Bye, sweetie, Davids manager Rony Sandoval told her at the end of her retirement party, reported the Globe. See you Saturday. Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (C) salutes flanked by the Secretary General of Defense Luis Cresencio Sandoval (L) and General of the Navy Jose Rafael Ojeda Duran during the first military ceremony, in Mexico City on Dec. 02, 2018. (Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images) Mexico Budget Keeps Expectations in Check MEXICO CITYMexicos new leftist government presented a first budget aimed at calming nervous markets while honoring pledges to increase welfare spending, saying it would run a bigger surplus next year once interest payments on debt were excluded. Finance Minister Carlos Urzua presented the budget late on Dec. 15, setting out plans to find more money for both the elderly and unemployed youngsters by slimming down several government ministries and through forecasts of higher tax revenues. The budget is a major test of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors economic credibility, which was shaken when he said on Oct. 29 he was scrapping a partly-built $13 billion new Mexico City airport on the basis of a referendum that was widely panned as illegitimate. Lopez Obrador took office on Dec. 1, and much of the new spending covered pledges made during the election campaign. Markets might even be somewhat buoyed by the fact the spending plan is more or less what was expected, said Raul Feliz, an economist at the CIDE think tank in Mexico City. As a sort of relief that theres no really crazy stuff in it, he said. The plan, which is due to by approved by Congress before the end of the year, forecasts a slight slowdown in economic growth to about 2 percent next year from an estimated 2.3 percent in 2018. The package also targets a 2019 primary budget surplusa figure which strips out payments on existing debtsof 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). That would be better than the 0.7 percent primary surplus estimated for 2018. That was an important signal, analysts said. The new governments 2019 budget proposal is fiscally responsible both on the cover and in the details, Gabriel Casillas, chief economist at bank Banorte, said on Twitter. Still, markets are likely to monitor the progress of the budget well into next year to see if Urzua can meet his targets. Investors soured on Lopez Obrador following his announcement cancelling the airport, dumping Mexican bonds, stocks, and the peso. He argued the project was too costly and tainted by corruption, though he has not produced evidence to support this. Since then, the government has been trying to craft a deal with the holders of bonds that were issued to finance the airport. Although the two sides have been moving closer, the dispute remains a factor of uncertainty, said the CIDEs Feliz. Markets are also keeping tabs on the financial health of heavily-indebted state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, which Lopez Obrador has pledged to revive. The budget envisions an increase of some 14 percent in funding for the company. To find extra cash, the plan prescribes substantial budget cuts to a number of ministries and the judiciary, with whom Lopez Obrador has been at odds since the Supreme Court this month froze a law mandating public sector pay reductions. Urzua told a news conference that only the top layers of government bureaucracy would have their pay cut. Lower level civil servants would get raises, he said. By Dave Graham Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, attends the Tomorrow In Motion event on the eve of press day at the Paris Auto Show, in Paris, France, on Oct. 1, 2018. (Regis Duvignau/File Photo/Reuters) Nissan Holds Off on Picking Ghosns Successor as Tensions Brew Nissan Motor Co. will split chairman duties among its executives, putting the brakes on naming a successor to Carlos Ghosn as the pay scandal that landed the high-flying executive in a Tokyo jail widens to include the automaker itself. The board met Dec. 17 to decide on a successor for Ghosn, who was ousted as chairman the same week he was arrested on allegations of understating his pay and misusing Nissans assets. Instead, directors appointed a committee to look into governance at the automaker, which was indicted along with Ghosn by Japanese prosecutors last week. The Nissan board may wait for the committees comments before naming a new chairman, Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa told reporters Dec. 17. The committee will give its recommendations by March 2019, almost four months after the Nov. 19 jailing of Ghosn and his hasty ouster as Nissans chairman three days later. The delay stands in contrast to Nissans conduct immediately after Ghosns arrest, when Saikawa convened a press conference the same evening to angrily condemn his former mentors actions. It also comes as the carmaker faces increasing pressure from Renault SA, its largest shareholder and partner in the worlds biggest auto alliance. The French company sent a letter on Dec. 14 demanding a meeting of all investors to discuss Nissans difficulties. Meantime, Renault, whose most powerful shareholder is the French state, is considering candidates to replace Ghosn as its chairman, but the board isnt ready to remove him, said a person familiar with the matter. One possibility is Michelin Chief Executive Officer Jean-Dominique Senard, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. Ghosn is likely to remain chairman until hes had a chance to publicly defend himself, although this timing could change, the person said. Interim CEO Thierry Bollore is likely to take on the role permanently, people familiar with the matter have said. Ghosn, 64, was arrested in Tokyo for alleged understatement of his income, and on Dec. 10 he and Nissan were indicted by Japanese prosecutors over the suspected misconduct. The companys indictment has expanded the scrutiny beyond Ghosn and raised questions about its corporate governance. It also cast attention on the leadership of Saikawa, so much so that his job may be on the line, according to analysts and people familiar with the situation inside the company. In a sign of a deepening divide between the partners, Renault is pushing Nissan to call a shareholder meeting as soon as possible to discuss the Japanese automakers indictment, governance and the French companys appointees on Nissans board, people familiar with the matter have said. Saikawa said Dec. 17 the Japanese carmaker should wait for guidance from the governance committee before calling an extraordinary shareholders meeting. Nissan, meanwhile, has long been unhappy about what it considers an outsized French role in the partnership, and is seeking to redress perceived imbalances, people familiar with the matter have said. Officially, Nissan has stated its committed to the partnership and on Dec. 17 said it would keep its members fully informed. Nissan conducted a months-long probe into Ghosns financial reporting and alleged misuse of company assets. A former Ghosn protege, Saikawa has been Nissans CEO since last year and has emerged as a driving force in the investigation. The timing of the companys probe prompted some analysts to say the scandal may have been manufactured in order to block a merger that Ghosn was advocating between Nissan and Renault. Saikawa has denied that such a motive was behind the investigation. Nissan has an interest in making sure things go well with Renault, said Loic Dessaint, who heads Paris-based Proxinvest, a shareholder advisory firm which has long demanded more transparency in the governance of the Renault-Nissan alliance. The risk for Nissan would be that Renault starts behaving like a controlling shareholder. By Ichiro Suzuki, Lisa Du & Ania Nussbaum From Bloomberg Officials: Coast Guard Serviceman Kills Wife, Son Before Taking Own Life in Miami A U.S. Coast Guard serviceman killed his wife, one of his children, and then turned the gun on himself, according to reports. His 8-year-old daughter is fighting for her life in a hospital after she was shot, reports say. John Stanley Presnar, an electronics technician First Class who worked from the Coast Guard base in Miami Beach, was identified as the shooter, reported the Miami Herald. He served since 2001, Coast Guard spokesman Ryan Kelley said. His wife was identified as 39-year-old Gretchen Presnar, and his children havent yet been identified. Police say 44-year-old John Presnar got into a heated argument with his wife Gretchen, 39, and at some point, it escalated into a shooting https://t.co/pyhp65dmwC https://t.co/pyhp65dmwC DAC Volusia County (@DACVolusia) December 17, 2018 The Miami-Dade Police Department said he and his wife got into an argument before he opened fire, ABC News reported. His mother-in-law saw part of the incident before running out of the house when he pulled a gun. According to investigators, [Presnar] and his wife were involved in a domestic dispute that escalated into a shooting, police said. When [Presnar] started shooting, his wife told her mother to run out of the house and call for help. The incident took place in Miami at 12:41 a.m. on Dec. 16, said police. After he shot his wife, Presnar turned the gun on his children before shooting himself. When the subject started shooting, his wife told her mother to run out of the house and call for help, police told the Herald. Once uniformed officers arrived, they entered the home and discovered the wife and their 7-year-old son deceased from apparent gunfire. The subject was found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Coast Guard said it extends its condolences to the family. The Coast Guard is deeply saddened by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the family members of those who were killed, Kelley told the Herald. We continue to pray for and offer the full support of the Coast Guard to the young child fighting for her life. The shooting occurred on the 11400 block of Southwest 242nd Lane in Southwest Miami-Dade. Other details are not clear. Police have not released further details about the incident. The womans condition is not known. Violent Crime Down? The FBI said that both violent crime and property crime decreased in 2017 compared to 2016. Overall violent crime decreased 0.2 percent from 2016 to last year, while property crime decreased 3 percent during that time, the agency said in September, releasing data from the previous year. There were more than 1.2 million violent crimes reported to UCR nationwide in 2017. There was a 0.7 percent decrease in murders and a 4 percent decrease in robberies from 2016 to 2017. Aggravated assaults increased 1 percent in 2017. The FBI began collecting data solely on an updated rape definition last year, and 135,755 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2017, the FBI said in its report. The report also showed there were more than 7.7 million property crimes last year. Burglaries decreased 7.6 percent and larceny-thefts decreased 2.2 percent. Motor vehicle thefts increased 0.8 percent from 2016 to 2017. These figures were compiled from more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies around the United States that submitted their crime data to the FBI. In Florida, the FBI said that Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Hialeah, Tallahassee, and St. Petersburg are the most violent cities, according to WTXL. Jacksonville recorded 106 murders in 2016, the last available data, Orlando had 84 murders, and Miami saw 55 murders. Meanwhile, Tallahassee is considered the tenth-worst city in the United States when it comes to property crime rates, the FBI said, reported FloridaPolitics in June 2018. There were 52 property crimes per 1,000 residents in the states capital city. Pickup Truck Hits Horse and Buggy in Minnesota, Killing 2 A pickup truck smashed into a horse and buggy near Avon, Minnesota, on Dec. 16, killing two. The single horse-drawn buggy had a 72-year-old male and a 66-year-old female inside when the crash occurred. Their identities were not revealed by the sheriffs department, Fox9 reported. The Stearns County Sheriffs Office said 23-year-old Marc Lucas Knapp was heading northbound on County Road 9 when his truck hit the horse and buggy, which was on the shoulder of the road, KSTP reported. The horse also died in the crash, reported KTSP. Knapp struck the buggy from behind sending it into the east ditch, according to Sheriff Don Gudmundson, adding that he was driving a Ford F-150, the SC Times reported. The office said the crash was reported via the pickups On-Star impact activation system. Several other people stopped to assist at the crash scene, officials said in a news release. While officers were en route, information was received that both parties in the buggy were critically injured and CPR was in progress. Officials have not released any additional information. The crash is under investigation. Avon Fire & Rescue, Gold Cross Ambulance, and Minnesota State Patrol responded to the scene. The Stearns County Sheriffs Office UAV was deployed to film and photograph the scene to assist with reconstruction, the release said. The bodies of the woman and man were taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiners Office. Other Crashes Last year, a crash involving a horse-drawn carriage and a pickup truck in Michigan left three children dead in Michigan. Michigan State Police said at the time that a red Dodge Ram was traveling eastward when it hit the carriage and crushed it. According to Michigan State Law, carriages are considered traffic and said that a person riding an animal or driving an animal-drawn vehicle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all the duties, criminal penalties, and civil sanctions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except those provisions of this chapter which by their very nature may not have application. In 2017, a teen was killed after a semi-truck hit a horse and buggy in central Minnesota. David Miller of Staples was driving the horse and buggy when a semi rear-ended the horse and buggy about 7:20 a.m., killing Miller and the horse, Twincities.com reported. #News via #FOXNEWS "Michigan buggy crash: 3 children killed, 6 hurt after truck slams into carriage" | https://t.co/ZAvDYFmjpY pic.twitter.com/0SK3GKhLUX Jorge Luis Lopez Esq (@lopezgovlaw) October 29, 2017 These fatal crashes, just months apart, highlight the need for additional crash prevention measures to protect occupants of horse-drawn buggies. An assessment should be made to determine where horse-and-buggy road signs are needed. The young man who was tragically killed yesterday was from Staples, where there is an Amish community. The people in this community need every possible protection available to make sure they can safely travel on nearby roads, stated law firm Pritzker Hagerman about the crash and the need for additional regulations. Tamsin Johnston, Director, Australian Presence Legal with Lal Wickrematunge, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Sydney Australian Presence Legal (APL), an established full-service commercial and immigration law firm based in the central business district of Sydney, Australia,is set to continue the expansion ofits consultancy services to provide face to face consultations in Sri Lanka, to meet thegrowing needfor skilled migrants in Australia. These advisory services will be available in January 2019 for Sri Lankansinterested in relocating to Australia. As a topmigration destination of choice, Australia hasreceived tens of thousands of visa applications in 2017 alone. Owing to the complexities of the laws and procedures surrounding Australian migration, a significant proportion of these applications are requisitioned, or refused. Having successfullydelivered face-to-face consultancy services in South Africain November 2018, APL is seeking to include Sri Lanka in its expanding global footprint in early January 2019. By doing so, APLintends to provide both individuals and companies in Sri Lankawith access to experienced Australian lawyers who have a strong commitment to providing independent and trustedlegal advice. Australian Presence Legal is headed by Managing Director, Maya Nanayakkara, who has a distinguished legal career spanning over 40 years, having practiced law in both Sri Lanka and Australia. Maya has provided advice to both government and private sectors, and has served as legal counsel to a sitting Prime Minister. Leading the team delivering migration advice in Sri Lanka, is Tamsin Johnston. Tamsinis a senior lawyer, licensed to practice law in both Australia and South Africa, and isadditionally an Australian Registered Migration Agent and a Director of APL. Tamsin is primarily responsible for the commercial, employment and immigration divisions within the firm. With a strong background in litigation as well as commercial and insurance law, Tamsin is also a uniquely experienced immigration lawyer in Australia, having previouslyheld a critical position overseeing the nationwide delivery of immigration services under Australian Government contracts. This exceptional background places Tamsin in an excellent position to advise and assist new applicants from Sri Lanka. Maya Nanayakkara, Director, Australian Presence Legal What sets APL apart from someother agencies providing migration services locally, is that its services are built on a team of established immigration lawyers, and not just migration agents.Lawyers are regulated not just by the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA), but are also regulated and held to a very high standard by the Law Society. APL currently representsan admirable clientele ofgovernment departments, multinational companies, as well as successful stock exchange-listed businesses in the commercial and immigration space, all of whom require high calibrelegal counsel. Given the Sri Lankan background of our Managing Director, Maya, we are particularly excited to be coming back home, saidTamsin Johnston from her Sydney office.The Sri Lankan diaspora is widely recognised as having made major contributions to Australia socially, culturally and economically, and has enriched the constantly developing Australian experience. We in turn understand that migration to Australia is extremely appealing to Sri Lankans, and we are certain that our legal team has the professional capacity and expertise to smoothen and add credibility to an otherwise daunting process. As a result-oriented firm, APLis not merely a form-filling servicethatsimply lodges applications. Instead, its lawyers diligently prepare detailed submissions with front-end loaded applications, and directly address all regulations and requirements at the very outset, meaning that all applications prepared and lodged by APLare already decision-ready. Unlike other less intensive and less detail-oriented approaches, APLs client-centric formula places its clients in a far stronger position to achieve a positive outcome. Shanil Nanayakkara, Chief Operating Officer, Australian Presence Legal Furthermore, APL also specialisesin challenging negative decisions received from immigration.Currentlyrepresenting clients on contentious immigration matters at the Immigration Assessment Authority, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Federal Circuit Court, the Federal Court, and the High Court of Australia,the firm also assistsclients with contentious protection visa applications at the UNHCR,meaning that APLs team of immigration lawyers haveexperience at every single available review authority. In addition to its immigration practice, APLalso provides strategic advice toboth private and commercial sectors in many other areas of the law, namelywith regards to property, wills and estates, employment disputes, and even in theestablishment of businesses in Australia.The firm also plans to offer some of these services toSri Lanka over the coming year. Tamsin was recently invited to meet with the Consul General, Mr. Lal Wickrematunge and Corporate Consul, Mr M. M. Abdul Raheem, at the Sri Lankan Consulate in Sydney. At the meeting Tamsin discussed how APL has the capacity to meet the commercial legal needs of successful Sri Lankan businesses or Sri Lankan investors who trade with Australia, and how the organisationcan offer timely and personalized advice with which to set up anAustralian incorporated company. Aspiring Sri Lankan migrants hoping to have their eligibility assessed face-to-face by APLs legal team should email their CVs to info@australianpresencelegal.com before the end of the year. A free preliminary assessment will follow to determine whether applicants qualify for the formal assessment in Sri Lanka come January a step in the right direction towards a life-altering move to Australia. Tegan Arnold, Chief Financial Officer, Australian Presence Legal President Trump Visits Arlington National Cemetery in the Rain President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 15 to honor fallen soldiers despite the rainy weather. The Washington area saw steady rain throughout the weekend, with at least one inch falling from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, WTOP meteorologist Somara Theodore said. The National Weather Service said on Sunday that Reagan National Airport saw 3.41 inches of rain from the weekend storm. Trump made the unannounced visit to the cemetery around 2:20 p.m., holding an umbrella and walking among the graves on Wreaths Across America Day. The day features volunteers across the country laying wreaths on the graves of veterans. Trump stepped out of his vehicle wearing a dark suit and brown waterproof boots and holding a black umbrella. He was greeted by two military men in camouflage fatigues and a woman in a green raincoat and gray hat. The four walked along a row of tombstones that were decorated with wreaths, talking out of earshot of reporters. Theyre doing a great job, Trump said at one point. He also told his guide that he was looking at expanding the cemetery by acquiring land in the area. Trumps visit came after he said in November that he should have attended a ceremony at the cemetery on Veterans Day. I should have done that. I was extremely busy on calls for the country. We did a lot of calling, as you know, Trump told Fox News. You know, in retrospect, I should have and I did last year and I will virtually every year. The president noted that he arrived back in the country late the previous night from France and he had visited the American Cemetery in Paris to honor the Americans soldiers who lost their lives during World War I, on the anniversary of the armistice that ended the Great War. I really probably assumed that was fine and I was extremely busy because of affairs of Statedoing other things, Trump said. But I would haveI would have done it. Trump also said during the interview that he will visit troops serving in the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan in the future. There are things that are being planned. We dont want to talk about it because ofobviously because of security reasons and everything else, he said. I dont think anybodys been more with the military than I have, as a president. In terms of funding, in terms of all of the things Ive been able to get them, including the vets. I dont think anybodys done more than me. Ive had an unbelievably busy schedule and I will be doing it. On top of which you have these phony witch hunts. On top of whichI mean, weve just been very busy. But I will be doing that. From NTD News Officials said a puppy was pulled from a freezing creek in Sadieville, Ky., on dec. 12, 2018. (Scott County Animal Shelter/Facebook) Puppy Found in Bag Filled With Rocks in Frozen Creek Rescue workers said a puppy was pulled from a freezing creek in Sadieville, Kentucky, according to WLKY on Dec. 12. Two men saw the puppys head poking out of the water. They grabbed the animal, which is believed to be a border collie or Australian shepherd, and took it to a nearby animal shelter in Georgetown. They told the shelter the puppy was discovered inside a trash bag inside another bag that was filled with three large rocks, suggesting that the person who put the animal there was trying to drown it, WLKY reported. Officials believe the bag was tossed into the water. According to Good Morning America, the dog is deaf and nearly blind. The puppy just got back to the shelter, and after getting her belly full, she's taking a nap. We think she's going to Scott County Animal Shelter 20181211 The puppy managed to get its head out of the bag and was above water. The creek was partially frozen over, and the bag was stuck under ice. A vet looked at the puppy and gave a good prognosis on the animal, noting the puppy has a congenital defect in its eyes. The Scott County Animal Shelter in Georgetown, which is looking after the animal, said on Facebook, The puppy just got back to the shelter, and after getting her belly full, shes taking a nap. It added: We think shes going to make a full recovery, her prognosis is good! She has a congenital defect of her eyes. We will keep her under watch for several days to be sure. Currently, we do not need a foster home or a rescue, and the puppy is not currently available for adoption. Last week, the shelter detailed what happened. Today, this wet, freezing little puppy was dropped off by 2 caring men. She appears to be an Australian Shep or a Border Scott County Animal Shelter 20181211 Its a breeder being greedy, shelter worker Sherry Bishop told Good Morning America, theorizing on why the dog was thrown in a creek to die. The breeder cant make money from the ones with congenital birth defects, like in Chapels case, so we feel like she was tossed away like trash. Whomever did this could have called us and we would have gladly picked her up, or they couldve dropped her off at the shelter, she added. Anyone with information on how the dog ended up in the creek can call the Scott County Animal Shelter at 502-863-7897. Trucker Saves Dogs Thrown from Car In another incident involving dogs and freezing weather, a trucker and New York state troopers were credited with saving the lives of two beagles that were thrown from a moving vehicle on a highway near Binghampton. These animals have been through a lot, and people need to understand that this is not OK, said Amberly Ondria, shelter manager for the Broome County Humane Society, told The Associated Press. This is not something that should be done. The dogs were located along Interstate 81 near Whitney Point near Binghampton, officials told WGRZ. The dog was treated by a K-9 handler who bandaged the injured animal to stop the bleeding, WGRZ reported. The Broome County Humane Society was contacted and took possession of the dogs, who are believed to be a type of Beagle mix. The sun sets behind the Canary Wharf financial district of London, Britain, on Dec. 7, 2018. (Simon Dawson/Reuters) Regulator Cautions Banks to Prepare for Brexit Amid Uncertainty FRANKFURT, GermanyEuropean banks should prepare themselves and their customers for the risk of an abrupt departure by Britain from the European Union, one of the blocs top regulators warned on Dec. 17. Flagging its concerns for financial stability as well as the readiness of smaller institutions, the European Banking Authority urged lenders to have effective contingency planning and tell customers how Brexit would affect them. The announcement comes as parliamentary deadlock in Britain has thrust the future of Brexit into doubt, with possible outcomes ranging from a disorderly departure with no deal to another referendum on European Union membership. The EBA is calling on all financial institutions affected . to engage with their customers and provide adequate information on the risks and mitigating measures being taken, the regulator said. Both London and Brussels have stepped up planning for a no-deal exit. A senior British minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters last week that the risk of a managed no-deal Brexit was rising, as Prime Minister Theresa May is unlikely to win enough concessions from the EU to satisfy eurosceptic rebels in her Conservative Party. The minister added that there was no consensus for any alternative to Mays deal, which seeks to keep close trading ties with the bloc after leaving. In its statement, the EBA said customers worried about the impact of Brexit could contact banks themselves if they had heard nothing from them by the end of the year. May has repeatedly warned that if her agreement is rejected then the worlds fifth largest economy might have to leave without a deala nightmare option for many big businessesor that Brexit might be thwarted altogether. No deal means there would be no transition period so the exit would be abrupt, but the EU and Britain could try to make agreements in certain areas, for example on aviation, to reduce the chaos. Britain is a member of the World Trade Organization so tariffs and other terms governing its trade with the EU would beset under WTO rules. Business leaders are triggering contingency plans to cope with additional checks on the post-Brexit UK-EU border that they fear will clog up ports, silt up the arteries of trade and dislocate supply chains in Europe and beyond. By John ODonnell Rubber Meets the Road in Chinas Challenge to Canada COMMENTARY Canada must stick to universal values such as the rule of law in its diplomatic and economic dealings with communist China. Conveniently, this means adopting a more American approach to dealing with the Chinese regime. It is unacceptable that China threatens Canada simply because it followed the law in its arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. One might think China threatens because it doesnt consider that the justice system and the political system should be two separate things. However, in a democratic, rule-of-law country, they are. In truth, the Chinese regime threatens because it thinks it can and believes that its threats will bear fruit. Considerable discourse has been underway for some time in the United States about Chinas threat to Western democracy, technological advancement, and even military capabilities. Now the United Statesspearheaded by the Trump administrationhas implemented an inherent and enduring suspicion of the Chinese regime. China understands strength, they understand pain, said China Beige Book International CEO Leland Miller. And this is what the United States is demonstrating. The Chinese regime is reducing tariffs on U.S. auto imports, buying American soybeans, and reportedly reconsidering its imperialist Made in 2025 campaign. Contrast this with Canadas approach in recent yearswhich has been described as naiveregarding Chinas influence building to undermine democracies. In addition, Canada remains reluctant to take a strong stance against involving Huawei in building next-generation 5G networks. This is despite warnings from U.S. officials and the banning of Huawei from 5G upgrades by like-minded allies Australia and New Zealand. Communist China is trying to bully Canada because it thinks it can. Of course, Canada does not have the economic might of the United States, but the two countries are on the same page when it comes to the rule of law. This was further affirmed on Dec. 14, when Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said there are no closer partners in the world than Canada and the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said his country will work to free two Canadians detained in China unlawfully after Mengs arrest. Regardless of the impactif anythat Mengs arrest has on Sino-U.S. relations, a period of turbulence needs to be traversed if a respectable dynamic is to be achieved. There is a ton of wood to chop: Its not just the trade deficit but also the distasteful tenets of Chinas growth model: state subsidies and ownership, forced acquisition and theft of foreign technology, restricted access to its domestic market for foreign competitors. Canada needs to understand that the Chinese regimes schemeor more politely put, economic growth modelis to rob, replicate, and replace. This was detailed to U.S. senators in a judiciary committee meeting on Dec. 12: Steal a foreign companys intellectual property, copy the technology, and supplant the foreign company in the Chinese marketand maybe someday, in the world. Since China became a member of the World Trade Organization, Canada has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs. China is already Canadas second-largest single-country trading partner, but those seeing dollar signs as they look to a massive economy moving toward consumption-based growth fail to see the risks of a deeper relationship with communist China. Maybe Chinese ambassador to Canada Lu Shayes latest threats, that a free trade agreement faces new obstacles (in light of Mengs arrest), might actually be one of the more useful things he has done. If the Canadian government takes it to heart, a grave mistake for Canada might be avoided. Follow Rahul on Twitter @RV_ETBiz A red marker shows the location of the city of Makiivka in Ukraine, where a boy died after jumping off a 14-story building on Dec. 15, 2018. (Screenshot /Googlemaps) Teenager Dies After Jumping Off 14-Story Building With Homemade Parachute A teenager died after his parachute failed to open when he jumped off a 14-story building in Ukraine, according to local reports. The 15-year-old boys mother was watching, together with dozens of onlookers as he threw himself off the building, trusting his life to what some reports describe as a homemade parachute, a crash helmet, and padding on the ground below. The extreme social media stunt was filmed on Dec. 15 by the onlookers who appeared to have encouraged him. Video footage shows a figure waving his arms atop a building under construction in the eastern city of Makiivka, before launching off the edge with a shout. A parachute can be seen trailing unopened behind him as he accelerates out of sight behind another building, just above the ground. Awful. His mother was 'so shocked by his death that she refused to leave the spot' Daily Mail 20181217 The unfinished building has claimed the lives of three other teenagers this year, according to local media reports. The boy is identified as Bogdan Firsov, 15, by the Daily Mail. His mother was standing with onlookers as they filmed and spurred him on, according to reports. Police and ambulance arrived quickly, but the boy had died instantly on impact. He was wearing a crash helmet, and according to the Sun, there was padding on the ground below. "" 14 https://t.co/theaJhnKXO (@ukranews_com) December 16, 2018 Dozens of people watched the boy prepare to make the jump, according to Stirile, and encouraged him to jump. Everyone who watched it was filming. No one realized it was a parachute problem. It happened under everyones eyes. He struck the ground and died instantly, one witness said, according to the paper. Local residents complained on social networks that the unfinished 14th floor has not been fenced off for 10 years, and the entrance to the building remains open. Near The Lowest Base Jump Some local media reports indicate it was a self-made parachute, other reports that it was factory-made, but incorrectly folded. But regardless of whether it was homemade or factory-made, the laws of physics were stacked against him. At an estimated 140 feet, the building is pushing the extremes of base jumps that are carried out by highly experienced jumpers specially modified chutes. The Guinness Book of Records does not record the lowest base jumps, given that many are illegal. But the lowest (unverified) jump listed by Basejumper.com is 110 feet, just 30 feet lower than the Ukrainian teenagers novice attempt. https://www.facebook.com/StirileProTV/posts/10156208850222266 Base jumpers who use modified chutes usually have at least 100 regular skydiving experiences under their belts before even attempting to jump off objects thousands of feet above the ground. A skydiving parachute can in theory open in around three seconds if the skydiver has already reached terminal velocity (around 120 mph). The fast-moving air grabs a smaller pilot chute, which then pulls the main chute out, helping it catch air. However, it takes around 12 seconds (or 1,500 feet) to reach that speed. That means for low-level base jumps, the jumper isnt moving through the air fast enough for it to yank out a regular chute in time. Base jumpers specially modified parachutes have a larger pilot chute. The military uses static-line systems that open the chute using the airspeed of the plane, launching paratroopers with their chutes already deployed, and allowing drops of only 1,000 feet high. Texas Mom Gets 40 Years in Prison in Deaths of Daughters Inside Hot Car A Texas woman will spend the next 40 years in prison for the hot car deaths of her two children, and a judge berated her in court. Amanda Hawkins, 20, was sentenced Dec. 12 after a day of testimony in Kerr County. She pleaded guilty to felony counts of abandoning or endangering a child causing imminent danger of death, bodily injury, and two counts of injury to a child, reported Hill Country Breaking News. Two toddler girls die a slow painful death after mom leaves them in hot car while she parties, has sex with underage boy [Update] Nancy Grace 20181214 Those precious little girls would still be here today if this had not happened, said Judge N. Keith Williams, according to the news website. The most compelling piece of evidence was the slow and painful deaths these children enduredwith cramps, headaches, seizures, anxiety, and wondering Wheres mommy,' said Williams, according to The Associated Press. People in our community take better care of their pets than you took care of your kids, Williams told Hawkins in court. In June 2017, then-19-year-old Hawkins drove her daughter Brynn Hawkins, 1, and daughter, Addyson Overgard-Eddy, 2, to her friends house. She left them in the car overnight, where they succumbed to heat while she was inside the air-conditioned home with her friends, officials said. Temperatures were summer-like and in the high 80s during the day. Someone heard the girls crying and someone in the home asked her if they wanted to come inside. Hawkins reportedly said, Theyll cry themselves to sleep, Kerr County Sheriff W.R. Rusty Hierholzer stated, according to a prior Epoch Times report. Hawkins was inside a barn smoking marijuana with her friends, according to Hill Country Breaking News. The report said Kevin Franke, then 16, slept inside the SUV while the children were there because there was no room to sleep inside. But the next day, he rolled up the windows and turned off the cars engine before going inside. The man claimed he didnt know there were girls inside. My client has maintained all along that he was not aware the young girls were sitting in the back of the vehicle and did not hear any noise from these girls, his defense attorney, Joe Gonzales, said. This is nothing more than accidental deaths that occurred because their mother put the girls in that situation. The girls were found unresponsive hours later. Hawkins then rushed them to a hospital, but she claimed they collapsed at a park outing. The girls died the next day in a San Antonio-area hospital, MySanAntonio reported. This is by far the most horrific case of child endangerment that I have seen in the 37 years that I have been in law enforcement, Sheriff Hierholzer said in a statement after the woman was arrested, People reported. I will accept whatever the punishment may be, Hawkins said before her sentencing. There are no excuses for what I did. Judge Williams accused Hawkins of lying during the incident and after the fact, the People report stated. Franke, now 18, was also arrested in the case, and he pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter, two counts of injury to a child, and two counts of child endangerment. His trial is slated for January. The charges were increased to two counts of murder, replacing the manslaughter charges. Top White House Adviser: Do Whatever is Necessary to Build the Border Wall A top White House adviser said over the weekend that President Donald Trumps administration will do whatever is necessary to build the wall along the southern border of the United States. Were going to do whatever is necessary to build the border wall to stop this ongoing crisis of illegal immigration, Stephen Miller, senior policy adviser, said during an appearance on CBS. This is a very fundamental issue. At stake is the question of whether or not the United States remains a sovereign country. Whether or not we can establish and enforce rules for entrance into our country. The Democrat Party has a simple choice, they can either choose to fight for Americas working class or to promote illegal immigration. You cant do both. The White House has been negotiating with Democrats to fund the border wall. Despite majorities in both the House and the Senate until the end of the year, some Democrats would have to agree to fund the wall because legislation needs 60 votes in the Senate, and there are currently only 51 Republicans in the lame duck session. This is what the American people want, Miller added. And this president has taken historic action to stem the tide of illegal immigration and to fight for working people in this country. The border wall is one of the promises that propelled Trump to the presidency and the existing wall, though aging, helped Border Patrol agents stave off a mob of migrants who rushed the border in Tijuana on Nov. 25. 7-Year-Old Migrant Miller was asked about the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant, who entered illegally with her father through the New Mexico desert as part of a larger group. A coyote dropped off 163 migrants in an extremely remote section of New Mexico. Those individuals were found by border patrol who, many cases act as first responders. In fact, Border Patrol saves about 4,000 lives every single year, Miller said. Unfortunately, hundreds die on the dangerous trek up. Smuggling organizations profit off death and misery. They are vicious, vile organizations. He then noted that such entries were targeted by President Trump in an executive order that made those who enter through the desert and other areas outside ports of entry ineligible for asylum. Despite the girls family admitting in interviews with multiple organizations that the pair left Guatemala due to poverty, which is not an acceptable condition for asylum, her fathers lawyers claimed the two were going to apply for asylum. Injunction President Trump took dramatic action, issued an executive order directing illegal traffic to the ports of entry, but a left-wing, activist judge issued a reckless nationwide injunction on the presidents order putting thousands of lives at risk and further enriching these grotesque, heinous, smuggle organizations, Miller said. He said that the fight over funding for the wall could lead to a partial government shutdown, as the president himself has said recently. The shut down would affect about 25 percent of the government; the rest is already funded through an appropriations bill. The president said during a meeting with top Democrats that hed take responsibility if the government shut down. 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, Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) toward the end of the public portion of the heated meeting. 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. From NTD News Truck Spills Over $500,000 All Over the Highway Free money! Or so people thought, when an armored Brinks truck dropped cash all over a New Jersey Highway. Several people ended up crashing their cars in the midst of the money grabbing excitement. However, the East Rutherford Police are asking for help in recovering the money. $295,000 still remained missing as of Dec. 14, according to the East Rutherford Police Department. UPDATE-2 bags of $ fell out of armored truck ($140,000 & $370,000) employees w/ assistance of motorists recovered & secured $205,375 from roadway. 5 individuals returned a total of $11,090.00 w/ $293,535.00 still outstanding. East Rutherford Police (@ERutherfordPD) December 14, 2018 Police are asking any drivers involved to contact them to return any bills taken and added that there would be no charges filed against anyone who returned the money. The incident occurred on Route 3 when the back door of an armored Brinks truck opened, spewing cash onto several lanes of the highway. Police said one of the trucks doors may have malfunctioned and become unsecured. While Brinks personnel ran around collecting the money, drivers excitedly stopped their cars and ran onto the highway, grabbing money. The unbelievable scene seemed straight out of a Hollywood movie, instead of part of an everyday commute. Amid the mad cash-dash, drivers leaving their vehicles to pick up money caused two accidents, police said. People traveling on Route 3 posted several videos and photos on Twitter and Facebook. Drivers and Brinks personnel recovered roughly $205,000 on the spot. Five people later contacted the police and turned in a little more than $11,000. The remaining $293,535 is still missing. If the money is not returned, police are reminding people that its theft. Anyone who collected any money in connection with the spill is urged to call the East Rutherford Police Department to make arrangements for its return with no charges filed. It would be like theft of mislaid goods, police Captain Phil Taormina said. The truck was parked on the shoulder and two armed guards, Brinks employees, were trying to gather the money. While in transit, the money belongs to Brinks, and all those social media posts will help investigators track down the missing money. Earlier this year in May, another Brinks truck dropped more than half a million dollars on the I-70 in Indianapolis. The trucks back doors swung open when it slowed to a stop, causing $600,000 in bags, bundles, and loose bills to tumble out. Like the recent incident, people were also scrambling to pick up cash. But once again, police reminded the public that its theft. Similar incidents happened when an armored vehicles doors malfunctioned in June 2016 in Providence, Rhode Island; in July 2015 in Baltimore; in April 2015 in both Weatherford, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah; in January 2015 in Queens, New York; in October 2014 in Urbana, Maryland; and March 2012 in Montgomery County, Maryland. According to its website, Brinks provides U.S. and global security services including secure logistics, cash management, payment, and retail back office solutions. A vice president for the company said Thursday, Dec. 13, he could confirm that there was an incident with one of our trucks this morning which we are investigating. From NTD News Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin, chairman of the Turkey-U.S. Business Council, delivers opening remarks during the 36th Annual Conference on U.S. Turkey Relations at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, on May 22, 2017. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Two Associates of Michael Flynn Charged With Covertly Lobbying for Turkey Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors charged two business associates of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn on Dec. 17 with conspiring to lobby U.S. officials on behalf of Turkey and lying to cover up the alleged crime. In an indictment, unsealed in the federal court, the U.S. government accuses Bijan Rafiekian and Kamil Ekim Alptekin of conspiring to influence U.S. officials and the public on behalf of the Turkish government. Rafiekian founded the Flynn Intel Group with Flynn to offer advisory services based on Flynns national security expertise. Alptekin, a dual Dutch-Turkish citizen, engaged Flynn and Rafiekian to conduct an opposition research and lobbying effort focusing on Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish imam and writer living in the United States. Alptekin and Rafiekian conspired to cover up the fact Turkeys government had approved the budget for a direct lobbying project, according to the indictment. Alptekin used his Netherlands-based company Inovo BV to conceal the source of payments to Flynn Intel Group, according to court documents. Flynn, his company, and Inovo BV are not named in the indictment (pdf), but their identity can be discerned based on Flynns Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filing (pdf), lobbying disclosures with Congress (pdf), and the Dutch business registration for Inovo BV (pdf). Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys Office Eastern District of Virginia unsealed the charges against Alptekin and Rafiekian on the day before Flynns sentencing hearing. In a case being prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller, Flynn admitted to making false claims in the FARA filing about the Turkish lobbying project. As part of the plea deal, Mueller did not charge Flynn with perjury in relation to his work in Turkey. The special counsel instead charged Flynn with lying about his conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Court documents show Rafiekian, Alptekin, and Flynn began discussing a potential project for Turkey in late July, 2016, shortly after the United States declined a Turkish request to extradite Gulen. Turkey accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed coup on July 15, 2016, and filed formal extradition paperwork with the United States on July 23. The U.S. State department and DOJ declined the request, citing a lack of evidence. Shortly after receiving the go-ahead from the Turkish government, Rafiekian, and Alptekin took steps to conceal the source of funds and influence, renaming the lobbying project from Project Freedom to Operation Confidence and establishing a payment arrangement where Inovo BV would wire a total of $600,000 to Flynn Intel Group, with Alptekin receiving 20 percent as a kickback, the prosecutors allege. Flynn was included on several emails with Alptekin and Rafiekian, which mention Alptekin is speaking with senior Turkish officials. The trio would go on to meet with Turkish officials in New York City on Sept. 19, 2016. At the time, Flynn was part of Trumps presidential campaign. He would go on to become the national security advisor in The White House before resigning on Feb. 13, 2017. Flynn would become the first person to be charged in Muellers Russia investigation, although charges against Flynn are not related to colluding with Russia, the core of special counsel probe. Mueller has not charged anyone for colluding with Russia since his appointment in May last year. The full scope of the special counsel investigation remains classified. According to Flynns retroactive FARA filing, his company was engaged to make a film about Gulen but the film was never completed. Instead, the Flynn Intel Groups work would culminate in an op-ed with Flynns byline published in The Hill newspaper and website on Nov. 8, 2016, the day before the presidential election, according to court documents. The op-ed called on the United States to return Gulen to Turkey. We all remember another quiet, bearded, elder cleric who sat under an apple tree in Neauphle-le-Chateau in the suburbs of Paris in 1978, Flynn said in the article. He claimed to be a man of God who wanted to topple a dictator and return the power to the people. Washington believed him. The world has never been the same since that irreversible mistake, Flynn added. Ayatollah Khomeini, the quiet man of God under the apple tree, created the worlds top sponsor of terror. Some of the language in the editorial came from Rafiekian, including a descriptive passage drawing parallels between Gulen and the Islamic leader of Iran. After the op-ed was published, the DOJs FARA unit contacted Flynn to investigate the circumstances surrounding the publication. According to court documents, Rafiekian and Alptekin knowingly deceived Flynn Intel Groups external attorneys who were working to determine whether the company should file a retroactive FARA registration. Rafiekian is charged with conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of Turkey. Alptekin is charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of acting as an unregistered agent of Turkey, and four counts of false statements. The swearing-in of Cabinet Ministers is likely to be delayed since discussions were still underway on the assignment of portfolios to MPs joining the Government from the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), sources said last afternoon. Initially, the United National Party (UNP) wanted to entertain only 10 MPs from the UPFA. However, party sources told the Daily Mirror yesterday that 21 UPFA MPs were ready to team up with the new Government. As a result, they said the Government had been unable so far to decide on the Ministries to be assigned to them. The UNP will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) to form a national government enabling it to increase the Cabinet to more than 30 members, the source said. Otherwise, the Cabinet has to be restricted to 30 in keeping with the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the source said. The national government means the one formed by the party with the highest number of seats in Parliament in alliance with another party. President Maithripala Sirisena said that the UPFA would not join hands with the UNP though he would not oppose any of his MPs joining the new government individually. Accordingly, the UNP has decided to tie up with the SLMC. There is one MP- Ali Zahir Moulana- elected to Parliament on the SLMC. The five other SLMC members were elected on the UNP ticket. Besides, Parliament has to pass a resolution with a simple majority to exceed the Cabinet more than 30.(Kelum Bandara) The Uber app on an iPad in Baltimore. Uber has agreed to pay $148 million and take steps to tighten data security, after the ride-hailing company failed for a year to notify drivers that hackers had stolen their personal information. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) Uber Aims to Shed Troubled Past in Pre-IPO Peace-Making Bonanza Uber Technologies Inc.s quiet resolution this week of allegations that it put thousands of women at risk of sexual assault by their drivers is just the latest move by the ride-hailing giant to lessen its legal exposure as it speeds toward an initial public offering. As Uber races against smaller rival Lyft Inc. to stage one of the largest IPOs of all time, its lawyers have been making peace over high-profile disputes left and right. In September, Uber agreed to a record $143 million payout to settle claims that it didnt notify drivers that hackers had stolen their personal information. In November, it won court approval of a $10 million settlement with more than 400 female and minority engineers who accused the company of pay discrimination and sexual harassment. These breakthroughs came after Uber in June cleared up one of its biggest regulatory jamsa ban on operating in Londonby convincing a judge it had shaken off its rules-be-damned attitude of the past. Thats not to say the company, which was besieged by scandals less than two years ago, has escaped all its legal troubles. In the U.S. and in Europe, the heart of its business model remains under threat from lawsuits by drivers seeking to be treated like employees rather than independent contractors. Uber also has remained silent about five criminal probes by the U.S. Justice Department that it was said to be facing as of October 2017. The company declined to comment Dec. 14 on its legal strategy. Experts say the more baggage that Uber can put behind it before going public, the better. If you are planning an IPO, one of the first things you should do is clean house and that includes cleaning up any lawsuits, said Alan Seem, a Silicon Valley finance and securities lawyer. Thats one of the first things I tell them: Lawsuits can distract from the investment story you want to sell investors. At the same time, Seem cautioned against settling cases willy-nilly. Too much eagerness to settle may encourage a flood of new litigants to come out of the woodwork, he said. Pre-IPO Lawsuits Competitors are often the source of pre-IPO lawsuits. Just this week, ride-share pioneer Sidecar Technologies Inc. accused Uber of driving it out of business back in 2015 using predatory pricing and fraudulent ride requests. Similar arguments raised in an earlier antitrust lawsuit by a San Francisco taxi operator failed to gain traction in federal court. A lot of it comes from competitors who are trying to time their lawsuits for maximum damage, Seem said. Pre-IPO companies are also frequent targets of embarrassing news stories, often planted by competitors, and whistleblower complaints, he added. Two weeks ago four former Uber security team employees claimed in a court filing that the company was trying to block them from disclosing a number of deeply troubling practices at Uber that have not been publicly revealed. The four said they have evidence of potentially criminal initiatives against competitors, secret capabilities embedded in Ubers smartphone applications, and offensive intrusions into the privacy of users. Uber said in response that the ex-employees are free to make such claims, but the company objects to their using proprietary company records taken without permission when they resigned. The case is pending in San Francisco state court. Image Makeover Whatever costs Uber incurs to make litigation go awayand to reduce the overhang risk that might scare off some investorstheres also a harder-to-quantify benefit of reaching peace with its adversaries: It furthers the startups dogged efforts to make over its image since Dara Khosrowshahi took over for Travis Kalanick as chief executive officer in August 2017. Harry Turtle, a finance professor at Colorado State University, said some investors would be squeamish about unresolved allegations of misconduct to the extent that characterizes how the company behaves. Valuation in the marketplace also reflects the intangibles, he said. Ubers settlement of the engineers class action over discrimination and harassment didnt just put to rest a case that promised to get ugly if had headed to trial. The accord won plaudits from one of the companys sharpest critics, Susan Fowler, the former engineer whose blog post in 2017 about rampant harassment and a toxic culture helped drive Kalanick out of his job. In a court filing supporting the deal, Fowler praised Ubers commitment to a new direction under Khosrowshahis leadership. Likewise, Uber found itself in a MeToo-era minefield just a year ago when a group of women passengers filed a class action accusing the companywhich advertises itself as a provider of safe ridesof failing to take basic steps to protect them from predatory drivers. When that case ended this week, neither side would say what it agreed to, but the lawyer for the women gave Uber kudos. We have resolved all of our pending matters with Uber and note that Uber has made significant progress on its safety efforts, including making customer safety a clear company priority, said attorney Jeanne Christensen. In 2018, Uber released a number of important safety features, including the 911 emergency button, annual re-runs of background checks, and privacy updates. What comes next for Uber as the IPO approaches? Hard to say. I tell companies to expect the unexpected at the most inopportune time, Seem said. By Peter Blumberg & Robert Burnson From Bloomberg National Security Advisor John Bolton unveils the Trump Administration Africa Strategy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Dec. 13, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) USs Africa Strategy Seeks to Balance China While Promoting US Interests, African Middle Class WASHINGTONThe United States will be shifting away from aid programs and toward investment in Africa as it aims to promote stability and self-reliance on the continent. The new U.S. strategy on Africa also aims to counter aggression on that continent by China and, to a lesser extent, Russia, both of which are focusing their investments to gain a competitive advantage over the United States, national security adviser John Bolton said in a Dec. 13 speech unveiling the new strategy. Speaking at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, Bolton accused Russia of trading arms and energy for votes at the United Nations, while keeping strongmen in power that run counter to the best interests of the African people. On China, he blamed the country for using bribes, opaque agreements, and the strategic use of debt to hold African countries under its thumb. He pointed to Djibouti, which owes 88 percent of its GDP in public debt, the majority of it to the Chinese state-owned China Exim Bank, according to the Center for Global Development. U.S. officials are concerned that it may soon hand over the recently nationalized Doraleh Container Terminal, a strategically located shipping port on the Red Sea, to help pay off its debt, similar to the 99-year lease Sri Lanka gave to China on its Hambantota port in 2017. Chinas engagement with Africa is a critical element in an evolving global strategy that has at its core the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,' writes Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. This is part of a foreign policy that seeks to be adept at exploiting opportunities. Its also in Djibouti where China has set up its first African military base, just six miles from the United States Camp Lemonnier, and where Bolton said U.S. officials have accused China of beaming military-grade lasers into the eyes of U.S. pilots on at least 10 occasions. There are some 7,200 U.S. troops on the continent. They are focused on eradicating terrorism, but also limiting the malign influence of non-African powers, according to the United States 2018 National Defense Strategy. Last month, the Pentagon announced that it would be cutting troops there by 10 percent over several years to to maintain a competitive posture worldwide, a spokesperson told CNN. The United States will no longer provide indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent, without focus or prioritization, Bolton said, adding that the United States would re-examine its support for U.N. peacekeeping missions there. The move follows President Donald Trumps signing of a bill that, among other things, created the United States International Development Finance Corp., with the authority to give $60 billion in insurance, loans, and loan guarantees to companies willing to do business in developing countries. That dovetails with the new Africa strategy, that, in addition to focusing on fighting terrorism and doubling down on U.S. aid, focuses on advancing U.S. commercial interests in the region. While he didnt mention China directly, Bolton promised that U.S. business interests wouldnt require subservience from African nations, and that the United States would work to promote self-reliance and independence. Americas vision for the region is one of independence, self-reliance, and growthnot dependency, domination, and debt, he said. Under a new initiative called Prosper Africa, the United States will support investments that develop Africas middle class and improve the business climate in the region. Bolton also promised that U.S. investment and aid would target countries that fit U.S. strategic objectives. Under the new strategy, bilateral negotiations for security and trade will be the focus to maintain maximum American control over every American dollar spent, Bolton said. The United States will look at a countrys record in promoting stability in the region, how it votes on key issues related to U.S. interests at bodies such as the United Nations, and enter into agreements that ensure fair and reciprocal exchange. The United States has often made improving human rights and combating corruption in the home country a prerequisite to tapping into U.S. aid and investment, a practice China doesnt follow. When asked if the United States would be taking a second look at that practice, in order to maximize its competitiveness on the continent, a spokesperson for Boltons office said they had nothing to announce at this time. Joseph Mitchell, 29, and Ilaria Mitchell, 28, are accused of waterboarding their 9-year-old child in Provo, Utah, police officials said on Dec. 14, 2018. (Provo Police Department) Utah Couple Arrested in Waterboarding of 9-Year-Old Girl A Utah father and stepmother were arrested after police officers said an investigation indicated they had tortured a 9-year-old girl as a form of punishment. Joseph Maseser Mitchell, 29, and Ilaria Catherina Mitchell, 28, were arrested on Dec. 13 in Provo and booked into the Utah County Jail, reported KSTU. An investigation into possible child abuse was launched on Dec. 3 after the Provo Police Department received a report from the Division of Child and Family Services. The 9-year-old girl, who has not been named publicly, told police officers that her father and stepmother have punished her three separate times by putting a towel over her face and pouring water on it, according to an affidavit obtained by Deseret News. The 9-year-old went into detail saying that Joseph and Ilaria would take her to the bathroom and tie her hands behind her back. They would then hold her down in the bathtub and place a towel over her face and pour water on it, the affidavit stated. The 9-year-old stated that she cannot breathe and it hurts when this happens. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, waterboarding is an interrogation technique in which water is forced into a detainees mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning. An interrogation technique simulating the experience of drowning, in which a person is strapped head downwards on a sloping board or bench with the mouth and nose covered, while large quantities of water are poured over the face, according to Oxford Dictionaries. The description is similar to what the 9-year-old was allegedly put through. The girls stepmother also allegedly punched her, which caused her nose to bleed. The girl also described additional forms of physical abuse. Doctors Find Marks Doctors who examined the girl found marks on her wrist that would be consistent with her hands being tied up. The emergency room staff observed some marks on her wrists which led them to alert the division of child and family services, Provo Police Department Sergeant Nisha King told WKRC. Police officers said they found a credit card on Joseph Mitchell when he was being booked into jail that was in his 7-year-old nephews name. In addition to a child abuse charge, he is facing unlawful possession of a bank card. Court records indicate that Mitchell pleaded no contest to having an animal running at large in exchange for a charge of animal cruelty being dismissed, according to Deseret News. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in exchange for five counts of domestic violence being dismissed. Mother Speaks Out The girls biological mother, Brittany Calabrese, who lives in Texas, told WKRC about the alleged waterboarding: Shes nine, nine years old. That is torture of a child. She said that when she first heard about the punishment from Child Protection Services, she couldnt believe it. Calabrese added to ABC 4 that Mitchell voluntarily gave the girl up to the state and that the girl was placed in foster care. The mother is attempting to regain custody and previously planned to have her visit for Christmas, but according to ABC, thats now not going to happen. From NTD News Wang Jianlin (C), CEO of Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co. arrives for the company's IPO at the Hong Kong stock exchange on December 23, 2014. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images) Wanda to Invest $1.74 Billion for Construction of Communist Theme Park in Birthplace of Maos Revolution Park in northwestern China's Yanan to celebrate 100th anniversary of Chinese Communist Partys founding Chinas Wanda Group, a multinational conglomerate known for its business in real estate and cinemas, has announced a 12-billion yuan ($1.74 billion) investment to build a communist-themed park and resort in Yanan, the city that during the Chinese civil war served as the main base of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wandas investment comes in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP, established in July 1921 as a tiny radical group in Shanghai. Wanda Group held a signature ceremony together with Yanan municipal government on Dec. 13 in Beijing. At the ceremony, Xu Xinrong, the CCP secretary of Yanan, and Wanda founder Wang Jianlin jointly announced the Yanan Wanda Citys construction. Construction is set to begin in 2019 and the park is scheduled to be opened in the first half of 2021, in time for the anniversary. The costly move has led to speculation that Wang Jianlin, a former military officer, is making a show of loyalty to the Communist Party in hopes of guaranteeing his future political safety. Revolutionary Themes In the 1930s, with its southern base areas coming under attack from the Chinese Nationalist government, the CCP embarked on the Long March and set up a new redoubt in Yanan, located in the northern part of Shaanxi Province in northwestern China. Yanan played a major role as communist Chinese headquarters throughout World War II and as the site where Mao Zedong struggled with other high-ranking cadres to become undisputed Party leader. Because the CCPs Yanan era saw the massive expansion of communist influence across rural China, the city occupies a luminous position in the Partys official history. Accordingly, at the center of Wandas project is red culture. The Yanan Wanda City is planned to cover half a square mile; it will feature both indoor and outdoor communist-themed attractions, a cinema, and resorts. Xu, the Yanan Party chief, said the park will help deeply educate tourists about the culture of the Communist Party. Wang Jianlin added: Wanda is committed to the spirit of Yanan. The new venture, as well as several other Wanda projects announced and undertaken in recent years, seems like a political, rather than economic investment. Earlier, Wanda had announced a project in the western Chinese city of Lanzhou to support Chinas Belt and Road (BRI) project. Lanzhou is the capital city of Gansu Province, and an important point on the ancient Silk Road that linked Chinas ancient capital Changan with Central Asia and Europe. Apart from these two projects, Wanda had signed letter of intent with the city of Zunyi, another iconic site in the CCP history, to develop another communist-themed park there. Wanda has had some success with a project in the the town of Danzhai, also located in Guizhou Province. Between July 2017 and the same month this year, the venture attracted 5.5 million tourists. Unlike Danzhai, which is full of scenic landscapes and rich local ethnic culture, Lanzhou, Yanan, and Zunyi have little appeal beyond their prominence in communist politics. Loyalty to the Party A growing number of celebrities, business owners, and officials have made expressions of loyalty to the by visiting the CCPs iconic historical sites and encouraging tourism there. Wandas investments in Yanan and Zunyi mirror similar stunts by other wealthy Chinese tycoons, movie stars, and officials. Ma Huateng, founder of Tencent and one of the richest Chinese according to Forbes Worlds billionaires 2018, and Richard Liu, founder of JD.com, visited Yanan in June. Jack Ma publicly claimed that he had come up with the idea to found Taobao when he visited Yanan, and that the spirit of the Party was his treasure. Wang Jianlin, Wandas 64-year-old founder, was listed among the richest Chinese by Hurun Global Chinese Rich List in 2016, and Forbes Worlds Billionaires 2017. Wang joined the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) at 16 years, where he worked his way up the ranks as a 16-year career soldier. In 1986, Wang left his position as deputy director of the Management Office of PLA Army College, and joined the Dalian municipal government in Northeast China.In August 1992, Wang founded Wanda with the citys support. At that time, Dalians acting mayor was Bo Xilai. Bo later became Dalians mayor and went on to become a member of the CCP Politburo. His further ambitions ended in 2012 with the Wang Lijun incident, following which Bo was investigated and sentenced to life in prison. Next Magazine, a Chinese-language weekly published in Taiwan and Hong Kong, reported in August 2017 that Wang and Bo enjoyed a close political-business relationship in which Wang acted as Bos bank or investor. Following Bo Xilais downfall, Wang began using Wanda to make large investments overseas, including prominently the acquisition of American cinema chain AMC Theatres. But in the last two years, the CCP has clamped down on Wandas overseas activities, limiting the amount of capital it can move out of China and even forcing it to sell off some foreign assets. responding to this, in 2017 Wang said frequently that Wanda would keep its main investments inside China. British Prime Minister Theresa May holds a press conference at the European Council during the two-day EU summit on Dec. 14, 2018, in Brussels, Belgium. May returned to the EU summit to secure greater assurances on the temporary nature of the Irish Backstop, in turn hoping to persuade MPs to vote her Brexit Deal through Parliament in the coming weeks. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Will Brexit Betrayal Lead to Constitutional Crisis? Commentary Failure in the UK to implement Brexit is turning into one of the biggest democratic betrayals in modern history, and events during the week of Dec. 10 are making that ever more apparent. Once Prime Minister Theresa May delayed the vote for her EU withdrawal agreement that had been scheduled for Dec. 11, Brexit voters again saw that there is no democratic way out of the EU, no matter what they do. Delaying the parliamentary vote on a so-called Brexit deal tells us that it was so bad that neither leave nor remain voters want it, although its painfully obvious that no true Brexit will ever pass through Parliament. This aside, its not hard to see why this deal is so unpopular: There would be no way to leave without the consent of the EU. Plus, the UK would lose all EU voting rights, despite the requirement to continue paying fees. As if that isnt enough, the requirement to remain tied to the customs union would prevent the UK from making trade deals around the world, and EU laws would still have primacy. This means that the UK would be required to go on implementing EU laws until we abandon a withdrawal agreement that has no end in sight. The UK would essentially be reduced to a vassal state, in an arrangement clearly designed to punish voters for defying the EU. Worst Deal in History Given that Mays withdrawal agreement has been called the worst deal in history, what happened next should come as no surprise. On Dec. 4, refusal to publish legal advice on the Brexit agreement resulted in Mays government being in contempt of parliamentan unprecedented state of affairs. Once the advice was published, it was revealed that the UK would indeed be bound to the EU, unless permission was granted to leave via a committee vote. Much is also said about the so-called Northern Ireland backstop designed to keep an open border from the north to the south of Ireland. But this is merely a precedent to prevent the UK from having a clean break with the EU. When it was clear that a vote on such a terrible deal wouldnt pass, May delayed ittriggering a vote of no confidence within her own party. After months of speculation about reaching the 48-letter threshold, enough letters were finally submitted to the Conservative Partys 1922 Committee. What happened next, however, further proved that there is no democratic way out of the EU. Its well-known that the majority of the Conservative Party membership is not only eurosceptic but thoroughly frustrated with Mays leadership. Whats more, Conservative representatives in parliament and government dont reflect the will of the membership, which certainly applies to May, too. In fact, wherever you look in Parliament, government, or bureaucracy, all are stacked to the rafters with pro-Remain europhiles, who derail in a fashion thats an insult to the mother of all Parliaments. Its no surprise, then, that when Tory members of parliament (MPs) had a vote of confidence in May, she won by 200117. Bear in mind, however, that the last female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, won by 204152, yet still went on to resign. This, however, is academic, because May vowed to fight for her position until the bitter end, clinging to power by relying on many voters being on the payroll of her government. Another point of note is that Thatchers resignation was what truly allowed europhiles to take over the Conservative Party, and we find ourselves in a situation where the entire establishment of UK politics has gone the same way. For the most part, you do not get selected to run in British politics unless youre pro-EU. How, then, can the 17.4 million people who voted to leave have their wishes respected? The answer is, they cant. Nobody Voted for a Brexit Deal On March 29, 2019, the UK supposedly legally leaves the EU, but this is much easier said than done. No deal will pass through parliament because there is no appetite for it, when most MPs want to remain in the EU. What democratic course of action is left, then, if you want to leave? Voting for any party other than the Conservatives and Labour might well result in some leave MPs, but certainly nowhere near enough. This will, therefore, solve nothing, and any kind of sea change to British politics will take time in a first-past-the-post voting system. Nobody voted for a Brexit deal. They voted to leave or remain in the EU, and though I voted in this referendum, I suspected it wouldnt happen, because as a founding father of the EU, Jean Monnet, once said, Continue, continue, there is no future for the people of Europe other than in union. This sums up the EU nicelylike the Hotel California, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. As much as I wish I wasnt right, it now appears that the UK will remain in the EU, once the Article 50 process comes to an end on March 29. Mays claim that no deal is better than a bad deal is another example of her broken promises, and the European Court of Justice has decided that leaving the EU can be canceled at any time. In the event of no Brexit on March 29, a constitutional crisis looms. Despite the democratic vote to leave, many remain voters are using every underhanded trick in the book to make sure this doesnt happen. And yet, the vote to leave the EU was a formality given that the 1972 European Communities Act is unconstitutional. It clearly states in the 1689 Bill of Rights that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state, or potentate hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm. While a second glorious revolution is unlikely, are remain voters really so sure that leave voters will take this lying down? Cid Lazarou is a blogger, writer, and freelance journalist from the UK. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A facility of the transmission grid operator 50Hertz in Bentwisch, eastern Germany, on April 17, 2018. (Bernd Wuestneck/AFP/Getty Images) Germany Set to Tighten Foreign-Investment Curbs, With Eye on China Deals Berlin is set to make foreign investments in Germanys strategically important sectors more difficult, after mounting concerns about Chinese business deals in recent years. The current threshold for triggering a government national-security review of an investment by an entity outside of the European Union is a 25-percent stake in a German company. The Berlin government approved a proposal to lower the threshold to 10 percentin an amendment to a law called the Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance (AWV), according to a Dec. 16 article by Germanys business daily newspaper Handelsblatt. The amendment will be adopted at Germanys Cabinet meeting Dec. 19, according to Handelsblatt. Examples of firms that could involve national-security risks include defense companies, IT firms, and food producers. The German government would have the power to veto bids deemed to endanger national security. Berlin has become increasingly worried about foreign takeovers of German companies, especially by Chinese investors. In July 2017, Germanys Cabinet adopted a directive to allow the government to investigate a wider range of companies with foreign bids to acquire, such as those operating in critical infrastructure, according to the Financial Times. Additionally, the directive allowed the government a longer investigative timetable to review any takeover. The 2017 directive came in response to Chinese appliance manufacturer Mideas purchase of German robotics and engineering firm Kuka in 2016, for 4.5 billion euros ($5 billion). Kuka has collaborated with U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman on the latters construction of F-35 stealth fighter jets. The German government also was alarmed in July 2018, when Chinas State Grid Corp., a state-owned electric utility supplier based in Beijing, tried to buy a 20-percent stake in Germanys 50Hertz, one of four transmission-system operators for electricity in the country. According to Handelsblatt, Germanys federal government couldnt examine the acquisition because the stake involved was below the 25-percent threshold. Eventually, Germanys government-owned development bank KfW stepped in to buy the 20-percent stake, fending off the Chinese offer, according to Reuters. In August 2018, Chinese firm Yantai Taihai, a metal processing and smelting service provider based in Yantai City in Shandong Province, dropped its bid to buy German toolmaker Leifeld after Berlin threatened to use its power to veto the bid over security concerns, according to Reuters. According to data from Berlin-based think tank Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), Chinas foreign direct investment in the EU reached 35 billion euros (about $39.6 billion) in 2016, with Germany accounting for 11 billion euros (about $12.4 billion) or 31 percent. In 2017, Chinese investment in the EU dropped to 30 billion euros (about $33.9 billion), but it was still the second-highest level ever recorded. Germany accounted for 1.8 billion euros (about $2 billion), or about 6 percent. China has long wanted to transition the country from a low-wage manufacturing base to a tech-manufacturing powerhouse that can rival Western counterparts. It is a tactic under Chinas economic blueprint, Made in China 2025. Chinese enterprises and the government see the technology transfer from abroad as an important way to accelerate technological progress and to achieve the ambitious political goals, according to a 2016 assessment of Made in China 2025 by MERICS. The policy was modeled after the German concept of Industry 4.0 to adopt IT into manufacturing. After the industrial policy was released in 2015, China began investing heavily in Germanys automation, robotics, and automobile sectors in a bid to acquire technology related to advanced innovations. Yemeni Soldiers loyal to the Shiite Huthi rebels march in the capital Sanaa on Oct. 16, 2018 to show support against the Saudi-led intervention in the country. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images) Yemen Warring Parties Say Port City Ceasefire Starts Soon SANAA, YemenA ceasefire agreed between Yemens warring parties in Hodeidah will begin on Dec. 18, sources from both sides and the United Nations said on Dec. 16, to try to avert more bloodshed in a port city vital for food and aid supplies. The Iranian-aligned Houthi group and the Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi agreed on Dec. 13 after a week of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Sweden to cease fighting in the Red Sea city and withdraw forces. The Houthis control most towns and cities, including Hodeidah and the capital Sanaa, from where they ousted Hadis government in 2014 prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene. The government is now based in the southern port of Aden. Residents have reported continued skirmishes, mostly at night, on the outskirts of Hodeidah, where thousands of coalition-backed Yemeni troops have massed. Yahya Sarea, a senior official of the Houthi armed forces, told reporters in Sanaa the ceasefire was set to start on Dec. 18. We hope they will be true to their words, otherwise we are ready to respond, he added. A source in the Saudi-backed government confirmed the date and said it was officially communicated to both parties in a letter from special Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths. While the Hodeidah agreement states an immediate start of the ceasefire, it is normal that it takes 48-72 hours to be communicated at the operational level, a U.N. source said. We expect the ceasefire to be implemented starting Dec. 18. The United Nations is trying to avert a full-scale assault on the port, the entry point for most of Yemens commercial goods and crucial aid supplies. It is a lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing starvation. The agreement, the first significant breakthrough in peace efforts in five years, was part of confidence-building measures discussed at peace talks that aim to pave the way for a wider truce and a framework for political negotiations. Under the deal, international monitors would be deployed in Hodeidah and all armed forces would pull back completely within 21 days of the start of the ceasefire. A U.N.-chaired Redeployment Coordination Committee including both sides would oversee implementation. The committee is expected to start its work this week, the U.N. source said. Griffiths has asked the Security Council to pass a resolution backing deployment of a robust monitoring regime to oversee compliance with the truce, headed by retired Dutch Major General Patrick Cammaert. The combatants are due to hold another round of talks in January to agree on the political framework for negotiations to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned an urgent humanitarian crisis. Revitalization of Bridgeports Downtown West area has continued with Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust once again leading the effort. Though it was later than expected, the local non-profit has opened its new Thrifty @ 505 resale store and Operation Suds laundromat at 505 West Ave. The businesses, which are part of BNTs Social Enterprise Initiative, are on the ground-level storefronts of the Westgate Apartments development, which the nonprofit opened last year at 515 West Ave. This is giving the people that live here options and opportunities if there are other businesses that are thriving and other employment opportunities, said BNT interim CEO John Heyder. The 2,000-square-foot thrift store was one of two businesses to fill the ground-level storefronts of the Westgate Apartments. The $13 million apartment complex brought 48 units of market rate and affordable housing to what was an empty lot behind the Walgreens a few years prior. Thrifty @ 505 carries a mix of gently-used and new clothing ranging from what its owners described as medium to high end prices, while the laundromat is open to Westgate tenants and surrounding residents. We go through a process in saying these are the items we want in the store, said manager Bill Sze said, adding that the items that dont make it on the racks are donated to other organizations. BNT also partners with local workforce development organizations to offer participants with employment opportunities and job training. The thrift store employs three people, including Sze, who is running both businesses for the BNT. He is also expected to manage the DoWest Cafe, which is supposed to open in the corner building across from Westgate. DoWest will provide customers with a full cafe and market where they can purchase healthy food and produce, he said. The project is still waiting on city approvals. Filling Westgates commercial spaces has been in the works since BNT was led by former CEO Liz Torres, who left the nonprofit in August to become executive director of the Womens Institute for Housing and Economic Development. Both businesses were projected to open in July, but a series of changes pushed the date back, according to Heyder. Everything plays a factor, he said. Things sometimes take longer than you expect. The non-profit missed a deadline to apply for tax relief for the Westgate development, but according to Heydar, BNT was able to obtain its urban enterprise zone designation, which helped in that effort. Torres, who attended the opening, said she was excited to see the next phase of the project come to fruition. I am pleased that BNT was able to deliver on their word to deliver these businesses and this community, Torres said. Not only are the businesses creating jobs, but they are also providing a service that does not exist in this community, and our residents deserve to live in a community where they can get the services and offerings that they deserve. BNT owns 20 buildings containing a total of 208 apartments, plus commercial space. Along with Westgate and its two new businesses, the organization is planning to build an 18-unit townhouse-style development at 273-301 West Ave., securing $5 million in funding for the project, this year. They are still waiting on state bonding before moving forward, Heydar said. The nonprofit also has its sights on a third site at 601-611 State St., which executives said they were interested in bringing another 55 apartments and 12,000 square feet of commercial space to Downtown West. Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com The British viewed Ceylon less as a Crown Colony than as a buffer colony They took a decidedly ambivalent attitude towards educational activities In 1766, the Dutch Governor of Ceylon Wilhelm Falk signed an agreement with King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe. According to the terms of the agreement, known today as the Treaty of Batticaloa or the Hanguranketha Treaty, the Kandyan Kingdom had to pay five million florins to the Dutch as reparations and the King had to acknowledge the imperial authority of the Dutch four miles from the coast to the countryside. The Kandyans considered the terms onerous, and they began to search for a foreign power that could help them expel the imperialists. 30 years later, British emissaries ousted the Dutch. In hindsight, though, resorting to the British was a mistake, since Dutch power was waning and Britain was becoming the most powerful industrial nation in the world, a position later confirmed by its victory in the Napoleonic Wars. The British administration of Ceylon had to begin from the Maritime Provinces because these were under Dutch rule. What spurred the British more than anything else was the prospect of controlling the Trincomalee Harbour. They viewed Sri Lanka less as a Crown Colony than as a buffer colony with which they could control the sea route in the Indian Ocean. Their main concern was to bring the country under the East India Company. Two years after claiming it from the Dutch, they instituted a system of dual control where the Governor of the country would be responsible for law and order and the Director of the Company took control of all commercial matters. Dual control ended formally in 1802, with the signing of the Amiens Treaty. From the beginning, the British took a decidedly ambivalent attitude towards educational activities. The Dutch had, for all their faults, established a network of schools far superior to anything that their predecessors the Portuguese had. The shift to the East India Company ensured the destruction if not deterioration of the schools, most of which were Parish schools run by schoolmasters who also had taken on the role of village registrars. Frederick North, the first British Governor, was impressed by the Dutch system; for him, it represented the ideal way through which the whole Cinghalese (Sinhalese)nation might in time be converted. But North was in the minority, and for much of the period from 1798 to the 1830s, education policy in Ceylon was the subject of a debate between those who did not take much interest in instituting an education system and those who believed that it was the best way through which the natives could be converted. To appreciate the magnitude of this debate, it is pertinent to understand how the Dutch system operated. To begin with the Dutch were more tolerant than the Portuguese and the British when it came to the indigenous religions. They were less tolerant of Hindus and Muslims than they were of Buddhists, but this was only to be expected since they were not in a mood to offend the King of Kandy, the trustee of Buddhist rights in the country. On the other hand, they did not official expiate Buddhism, and temple lands confiscated by the Portuguese were not returned to Buddhist monks. When it came to the task of converting the natives, they exhibited a similar level of ambiguity: the Oostindische Compagnie encouraged people to convert to Calvinism, yet it did not go about this with the evangelical zeal that had marked out the Portuguese. In one area there was continuity from the Portuguese period: the link between conversion and education. The Dutch took over schools established by the Portuguese and added schools to churches. As stated before, schoolmasters were handed the role of registrars (tombos); Haris de Silva called the Dutch system an improvement over the Portuguese system, since it was more vigorously and efficiently enforced. The school tombo holders were part of a wider network of such registrars, on whom harsh methods would be used to ensure that registration was done to the satisfaction of the Company. By this method, the Dutch schoolmasters ensured compulsory attendance, remarkable and farsighted for its time given that compulsory attendance would not figure in the British scheme of things for more than a century. The Dutch school curriculum was simple, and it emphasised on the vernacular. (By contrast, the vernacular would be discarded by the British.) It was a simple system, with reading and writing and arithmetic as the other subjects. The undercurrents of proselytisation were evident throughout the schools as well, and in 1737, during the administration of Van Imhoff, a printing press was established in Colombo to make available copies of prayer books, the Gospels, and the Catechism in Sinhala. Under the governorship of Van Gollenesse the New Testament was translated to Tamil, an undertaking completed during the governorship of Jan Schreuder. But the effort taken by the Dutch to convert the population, especially the youth, to Calvinism was not totally successful. As with all such efforts, naturally, there was an unintended outcome: the spread of literacy in the littoral regions. (One problem which the British had to face was the literacy gap between the lowland areas, from the north to the south-west, and the highland provinces). Unlike the Portuguese and the British, furthermore, the Dutch became more tolerant towards the end of their reign; they campaigned against Roman Catholicism (which, in one sense, was more of a threat than Buddhism) and the indigenous religions, but the spread of literacy they facilitated merely served to raise the consciousness of the indigenous population. Such a liberal attitude had a say in the resurgence of Buddhism and the rebel sects that emerged at the end of Dutch rule: the Amarapura Nikaya, for instance, was founded in 1799, two years after the Oostindische Compagnie fell to the East India Company. The Dutch were less interested in conversion than in commerce. Under them cinnamon became the cash crop of the island; the Salagama caste, which Colvin R. de Silva referred to as the first proletariat class of Sri Lanka, was elevated to a preeminent position owing to their ability to peel cinnamon. Education for the Dutch consequently was, while being an instrument through which religion could be propagated, a means of elevating literacy. Its inaccurate to suggest that they were moved by humanitarianism; they were simply more practical and less zealous than their predecessors. Because of this, even in the realm of language they could not equal the success of the Portuguese, the de facto lingua franca of the elite; so pervasive was Portuguese, in fact, that in 1835, one year before it was converted to a public school, the Hill Street Academy was established for the purpose of teaching English to children of prominent families, who spoke Portuguese Creole. The British reception of Dutch educational policies, as has been pointed out before, was mixed and ambivalent. Frederick North professed an interest in resuscitating the schools that had, after the Company took over, fallen into disarray. But he was in the minority, as subsequent events would show: Nothing better could be expected from a commercial company (Ruberu: 1969). Not until the Charter Act of 1813, which bore the definite stamp of the Evangelicals and Utilitarians, did the British in India consider it a responsibility on their part to look into the education of natives. Even that was a half-hearted attempt, which reflected calls for a coherent education policy. In Sri Lanka, such a call was not made. One reason was that the country did not contain the sort of exotic culture which could interest the Orientalists. But then, at a time when the Orientalists were dominating the education discourse in India, in Sri Lanka the Evangelical movement had fully taken over that discourse; Evangelism in Ceylon in one sense predates Evangelism in India. Moreover, no less a person than North considered Education and Conversion as interrelated priorities; his interest in maintaining the Dutch system was less motivated by humanitarian sympathies than by a need to promote a Western education in a Christian environment. Commerce having taken over the needs of proselytisation, this was not a popular view to hold, and with the dual control regime, the powers of the Governor were not on par with those of his Dutch predecessor for him to enforce his vision. Nevertheless, North tried to revive the Dutch system. The biggest problem he faced there was a lack of English clergymen, who alone had the will to re-establish Parish schools. North found a friend and formidable figure in Rev. James Cordiner, who was invited in 1799 to be the Chaplain-in-Charge of the Colombo Garrison. What Cordiner did, I will expound in a later essay. All that needs to be said of him at this point is that his arrival can be considered the starting point of attempts to resuscitate education in the country. These were not moved by sympathy for the natives, yet in this, they were far ahead, and more enlightened, than the vast majority of those in the Company who were not in favour of educating the people. The author can be reached on udakdev1@gmail.com NORWALK A mother and sons weekend effort to complete the 24-hour challenge by staying up all night ended with the boy taken to a hospital and the mother under arrest. Police said Nicole Barstow, 31, of Day Street, Norwalk, and her juvenile son stayed up all night Friday in an attempt to complete a home variation of the challenge, a viral trend among young people that began with a YouTube video two years ago. But, police said, by the morning the strain had begun to show in the mother. By 10 a.m. Saturday, Barstow was seen in the lobby of her Day Street apartment building acting erratically, police said. Someone called 911 to report a woman causing a commotion. During her outburst, police said, Barstow smashed a large window at the front of the complex and littered the lobby with broken dishes, toys and childrens clothing. When officers arrived Barstow appeared lethargic and was unable to answer any questions, police said. When they then checked her apartment, they found her son unresponsive. The boy was brought to a hospital where it was determined he was just exhausted from staying up all night. Police said the apartment was in disarray, with dirty clothes and dishes strewn about. Barstow also taken to the hospital, where she had a second run-in with police. During the incident, she tried to punch an officer but was restrained, police said. As she struggled to get free, she kicked another officer in the neck, police said. Barstow was charged with assaulting a public safety officer, first-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and risk of injury to a child. She was held on a $200,000 bond and given a court date of Dec. 17. The 24-hour challenge is a trend in which participants secretly spend the night at a business, such as Ikea or McDonalds, undetected. It began with a YouTube video out of Belgium and has caused scares for parents in several countries. NORWALK Because of an abundance of community response, Tuesday nights public hearing on a proposed plastic shopping bag ban has been moved to the Common Council Chamber. We moved to a bigger location in anticipation that a lot of people will show up, said Eloiza Melendez, the Common Council Ordinance Committee chair. Melendez said that the notice for the meeting has been posted and shared on community sites and social media platforms including Facebook and NextDoor and has generated significant buzz. A Facebook poll posted to the City of Norwalks Facebook page asked whether people supported banning plastic bags in Norwalk. As of Monday evening, about 400 people had voted, roughly 76 percent supporting a ban. More News Norwalk Common Council members, public weigh in on bag ban The ordinance would prohibit businesses from selling, providing or distributing carryout bags made of plastic. If accepted, the ordinance would permit only paper bags that are 100 percent recyclable, contain at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled content and have the words Reusable and Recyclable displayed prominently. Violators could be assigned a fee of between $100 and $250, depending on the number of violations. Under the ordinance, grocers and business owners could charge a 10 cent fee to help pay for the recyclable paper bags. At an October meeting of the Ordinance Committee, at which the ban was discussed, a small crowd voiced mostly support. Those opposed worried that the ban would be punitive to poor people, who may not be able to purchase their own reusable bags or afford the additional cost of recycled bags. Jack Egan, chairman of Surfriders Connecticut Chapter, said his group was not in favor of merely switching from plastic to paper bags, which have their own environmental impact. Instead, he said the solution was switching fully reusable bags brought from home, and taking advantage of grant programs to purchase reusable bags fro low-income shoppers. Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association, which represents a majority of grocers in the state, said that his group is in favor of reducing the number of single-use bags, but that they favor statewide legislation. The majority of those in attendance viewed the pan as a positive step forward to a cleaner environment. The public hearing, which starts at 7 p.m., will be followed by comments by the committee. Melendez said that the ordinance will likely move out of committee after the hearing and could be discussed at the next meeting of the Common Council, sometime in January. I think for the most part, almost everyone Ive talked to or heard from supports banning plastic bags. Some people just have different ideas about how to get there, Melendez said. Ive only heard positive things and lots of ideas. City Hall is at 125 East Ave. justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586 Recently, agricultural committee leadership of both the United States Senate and House of Representatives announced they had reached a tentative agreement on the 2018 Farm Bill. If passed in its current form, this legislation will pave the way for industrial hemp and one of its non-psychoactive compounds, cannabidiol (CBD), to become fully legal under federal law. As a result, domestic industrial hemp producers soon could be eligible for organic certification by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Federal organic certification indicates to consumers that a farmer or processor complies with federal organic regulations, which permits it to lawfully sell, label and otherwise represent that its products are organic. To receive federal organic certification, the products must be overseen by a certifying agent authorized by the USDAs National Organic Program, not use excluded agricultural methods, such as genetic engineering and ionizing radiation, and use allowed substances. According to Nathaniel Lewis, a member of the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Organic Advisory Board, USDA organic certification is a marketing program based around strict production standards. These production standards translate into lower pesticide use, carbon sequestration and increasing environmental health. However, unlike industrial hemp, federal organic certification of cannabis that contains the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is unlikely to occur in the near future. As long as this type of cannabis continues to be classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), it will remain ineligible for federal organic certification because it is not considered a crop. Therefore, states where cannabis is legal have begun to create their own substitutes for federal organic certification. For example, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is required to create an organic cannabis program by 2021. Related: The World Health Organization Won't Reschedule Cannabis. Should We Care? In May 2017, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill sponsored by Republican Senator Ann Rivers that creates a voluntary program for the certification and regulation of organic marijuana products, which is likely to begin certifying cannabis according to organic-like standards in early 2019. According to Lewis, the WSDAs certified cannabis program will mark the first time that cannabis producers will be regulated directly by a state department of agriculture. It will also mark the first time that a state department of agriculture will have authority to regulate marketing claims made on cannabis. Both the CDFAs OCal organic cannabis project and the WSDAs certified cannabis program intend to essentially follow federal organic standards. According to Lewis, Residue testing under WSDAs certified cannabis program will require that any certified cannabis product have test results less than 0.01 parts per million, the typical limit of detection for any multi-residue pesticide screen. This approach will ensure that consumers are not consuming products with harmful chemicals on them. Until additional research is conducted on the safety of residues on cannabis products, this precautionary approach is prudent and appropriate. Related: How to Start and Market Your CBD Company However, others feel a more state-specific approach is desirable. Due to concerns about the amount of electricity used for indoor cannabis cultivation, the Washington SunGrowers Industry Association (WSIA), whose mission is to support sungrown cannabis by encouraging environmental and economic sustainability through advocacy, education, and research, has created its own cannabis certification called Orca Safe. Citing Denver Department of Public Health and Environment data, which indicate that cannabis businesses consume nearly 4 percent of the electricity in that city, WSIA contends that indoor cannabis cultivation in Washington is harming the environment due to high energy use. According to the Institute for Energy Research, hydroelectric power accounts for more than two thirds of Washingtons production of electricity. Related: The Next Big Thing in 'Green' Packaging Is Hemp Bioplastic According to Wild Orca, a Washington non-profit organization dedicated to supporting research, spreading awareness, and collaborating in the mitigation of threats facing endangered killer whales, consumers should, among other things, buy as much local and/or organic food as possible to create a home that is orca safe. However, Wild Orca also mentions concerns about dams that block salmon -- which a certain killer whale ecotype almost exclusively eats during the summer months -- from their natal spawning grounds. In WSIAs view, a WSDA-certified cannabis standard that doesnt also help curb the amount of electricity cannabis grown indoors consumes would not go far enough. Despite WSIAs concern about the amount of electricity used by indoor cannabis cultivation, Lewis remains supportive of the WSDAs certified cannabis program, stating, I believe this to be a significant step in the direction of legitimizing and mainstreaming cannabis production into American agriculture. It is clearly an agricultural product, despite its inconsistent federal and state classification, and interacting with a state department of agriculture will move the needle for cannabis producers seeking to make cannabis production a legitimate commercial enterprise. As demonstrated in Washington, because cannabis containing more than minimal amounts of THC remains illegal under federal law, there are potentially competing policy goals in the development of state-level organic certification standards. On the one hand, conformity and ease of adaptation to federal organic certification standards seem to be guiding regulators in at least two states, while on the other hand, at least one cannabis industry association has raised an environmental concern that is at least arguably outside the scope of existing federal guidelines. As California and other states begin to develop organic cannabis standards, they and the affected businesses should be prepared to address concerns that may depart from existing federal organic certification requirements. Related: The Coming International CBD Boom and How it Will Disrupt the Marijuana Business States Are Starting to Certify Organic Cannabis Because the Feds Won't Hemp Legalization Clears House, Off to President for Final Approval Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved With the events that followed since October 26, Parliament was convened on eight days and on some days it was only for a few minutes. Therefore, Rs. 64 million have been spent as a result of the political crisis One of the easiest ways to earn thumping amounts of money is to become a politician in Sri Lanka. That too with no prior qualification or meeting an eligibility criteria. With all due respect to educated politicians such as Lalith Athulathmudali, Lakshman Kadirgamar among others, todays political culture doesnt honour educational qualifications. Hence you would find that those who havent even passed their O/L examination calling the shots in Parliament. But on the contrary they earn more than any public official in the country who needs to meet the criteria before being recruited to office. Legally, politicians are given vehicle permits, an official residence, a personal staff and various other perks and benefits. But whats questionable is how they have more houses, more vehicles, more staffs and other sources of income? Recently, all Sri Lankan citizens and even the international community saw how Members of Parliament (MPs) those officials elected by people to the highest institution in the country -abused public property and efficiently wasted taxpayers money. In such a backdrop, the Daily Mirror sheds light on how the taxpayers money is wasted in front of their own eyes and why they should critically voice out for injustice at this hour. Vehicle imports In March alone, Rs. 361 million Rs. 494 million was allocated to bring down vehicles for ministers. A supplementary estimate of Rs. 24, 165,500 was allocated for three ministers and the Finance Ministry to import more vehicles. Rs. 10,000/= is paid per month to meet the traveling expenses of four personal staff to office. (Rs. 2,500/= each) Records as at October 2018 show that at least 7,000 vehicles had been imported so far this year by public servants paying an average Rs. 3.6 million less than the actual duty payable on those vehicles. Several other categories such as members of Parliament, returning Sri Lankan diplomats, retiring ministry secretaries and military top brass this year have also imported fully duty-free vehicles. Most of these fully duty-free permits are sold for amounts reaching a staggering Rs. 23 million each and underscores the huge loss of revenue to the state. Repairing official residences The Daily Mirror also learned that staggering amounts of money have also been allocated to repair official residences. As such a sum of Rs. 171, 002,000 was allocated for three ministers and a Governor earlier this year. Postage allowance Stamps amounting to Rs. 175,000/= are issued to each MP annually. (Rs. 43,750/= quarterly) In addition to that a Provincial Councillor was given Rs. 24,000 as postage allowance. But this wasnt enough for the ministers and in January this year, this sum was doubled. Hence, it is now raised to Rs. 350,000 while a Provincial Councillor would receive Rs. 48,000. Fuel allowance Fuel allowances are paid based on the distance from Parliament to the electoral district which each MP was elected and the approved market price of one litre of diesel on the first day of every month. (e.g.: Colombo 283.94 litres while Gampaha and Kalutara is estimated to be 355.58 litres.) A minister from Western Province is given Rs. 50,000 as fuel allowance for petrol vehicles. For diesel vehicles, the allowance is Rs. 20,000. The fuel allowance for a deputy minister is Rs. 40,000 (petrol) and Rs. 20,000 (diesel). Ministers in other provinces are given Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 30,000 as fuel allowance for petrol and diesel vehicles respectively. Daily expenditure in the House The Daily Mirror also learned that the cost of one Parliament sitting day is Rs. 8 million. With the events that followed since October 26, Parliament was convened on eight days and on some days it was only for a few minutes. Therefore, Rs. 64 million have been spent as a result of the political crisis. Pension scheme for ministers Any person who has served as a member of the legislature of Sri Lanka after July, 1931 and who is a citizen of Sri Lanka at the time of coming into operation of this Law and the widow and children of such persons are entitled to the Parliamentary Pensions Law. With the dissolution of Parliament 58 ministers were exempt from their pensions. These include 36 UNP MPs and 16 MPs in the SLFP. The following pensions are given to MPs and ministers and they vary depending on their post. The PPL introduced in 1977 was amended in 1982 so that the widows of MPs could be entitled to these pension schemes following the demise of an MP. They are entitled to it for their lifetime unless they remarry. If married, they are exempted from the pension scheme. The Law was once again amended in 1990 so that pension could be shared among children in the family. Criteria for other public officials But it is also important to note that any other public official has to complete 20 years in office to be entitled to a pension. If a public official has an on-going disciplinary inquiry his pension will be temporarily halted. In addition to that any other public official has to meet the specified criteria to be eligible to serve office. There are instances when they get job placements as a result of high end contacts. But none of this is required to become a politician and a member of Parliament is paid more than any other public official. RTI Commission orders release of RWs Asset Declaration In a landmark decision delivered on December 4, the Right to Information Commission (RTIC) directed the Presidential Secretariat to disclose the declaration of assets and liabilities of ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for the year 2015 2016. The order was made pursuant to the initial request filed by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) on February 3, 2017. However, on TISLs request for the access to the asset declaration of President Maithripala Sirisena for 2015/ 2016, the RTIC held that the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law does include the position of the President. Whilst as the Secretary or Head of a party, he may have an obligation to do so, but not as the President of the country, said TISL Executive Director Asoka Obeysekere at a recent press conference. Therefore they highlighted the fact that there was a gap in the law there and suggested that the necessary legal reforms should take place to fill that gap. However they felt that the PMs asset declaration must be released. Journalists also raised questions as to why only the President is exempt from declaring his assets while all other members of Parliament including the Prime Minister is entitled to it. In response, the TISL said that the RTIC has considered the legal provisions coming under the Law. Hence a declaration of assets takes place according to this Law. The request to declare assets were turned down on two occasions and therefore the TISL appealed to the RTIC. Citizens can now use Facebook as a tool to voice out against corruption. They can use the Right to Information Act rather effectively and find information about ministers incomes Countries that demand for asset declarations of public officials An ever-growing number of countries have adopted ethics and anti-corruption laws that require public officials to declare their assets and income and, increasingly, the assets and income of their spouses and dependent children. The officials who are required to declare, and the amount of detail required, vary significantly from country to country. Several countries with detailed disclosure requirements, such as Latvia have experienced a decline in corruption. Among other benefits, asset disclosure programmes enhance the legitimacy of government in the eyes of the public and stimulate foreign direct investment. In neighbouring Indian politicians who contest elections to Parliament or a state legislature are subject to a more rigorous regime. A 2002 Supreme Court judgment requires all electoral candidates to submit on oath, details of movable and immovable assets owned by them, their spouses and their dependents, including liabilities like loans from public sector banks and unpaid bills for public utilities such as electricity, water and telephone connections. Upon winning an election, every Member of Parliament is required to submit an annual statement of assets owned by him/her and his/her dependents to the presiding officer of the house (The Members of the Lok Sabha Declaration of Assets Rules 2004, Rule 3). The same applies to the newly elected Members of the State Legislator (The Members of the Rajya Sabha Declaration of Assets Rules 2004, Rule 3). Drafting a new constitution with no perks and benefits for politicians : Kodituwakku People who are occupying office in the legislature and executive are required to hold public office for public good, said Nagananda Kodituwakku, Attorney-at-Law and public litigation activist. Therefore nobody is expected to rob. Sri Lanka is a representative democracy. After October 26 it is very clear that all 225 representatives have robbed the nation with absolute impunity. When the Rs. 100,000 additional allowance was given, nobody refused it except for Ranjan Ramanayake. Even the members of the Peoples Liberation Front (JVP) accepted it. Speaking further about the abuse of public funds Kodituwakku pointed out that when a minister takes office, his staff comprise entirely of family members. Then they get the car permit and allowances for petrol, diesel etc. Car permits come under Excise Duty (Special Provisions) Act Section 3 (c ). These are tax-free car permits and such tax exemptions are given for economic development. Therefore it cannot be abused for the import of vehicles. This has become a lawless land. They obtain permits to sell and abuse public funds. There are ministers who sell permits for millions of rupees simply because theres no rule of law. Some of them dont even know that selling a vehicle permit is unlawful. This has become a lawless land. They obtain permits to sell and abuse public funds. There are ministers who sell permits for millions of rupees simply because theres no rule of law. Some of them dont even know that selling a vehicle permit is unlawful. In his run-up to be the Presidential Candidate in 2020, Kodituwakku said he is in the process of drafting a new Constitution where there are no pensions, perks or benefits for politicians. We want people to attend Parliament to save the nation and not to rob public money. In fact all these unlawful events take place because the citizens are not concerned about their own rights. SL has a Rs. 10.5 trillion debt thanks to corrupt politicians : Ramanayake Known to be the only Member of Parliament to have rejected an allowance, an official residence or vehicles, UNP Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake has certainly set an example. The salary is a very small aspect of their income, he said airing his views about the exorbitant salaries of ministers and abuse of public funds. They have ways and means of getting more income. Many of them have liquor and licences for sand mining and other businesses. Some have choppers, ships and houses overseas. Most of them are those who entered politics on a very low profile. As per the asset declaration rules, public servants in other countries such as USA are required to show their assets to the public. We had two cases against Duminda Silva and Sarana Gunawardana because both of them hid their assets. But in the end they paid a fine of Rs. 2000 and Rs. 3000 respectively and got away. This shows that nobody cares about what they do. Many of them have liquor and soil licences and other businesses. Some have choppers, ships and houses overseas. Most of them are those who entered politics on a very low profile. People who advice corrupt politicians to escape from such frauds are those who have been employed in private tax companies, he continued. So they know how to find loopholes in the process and eventually escape. In order to change these trends, the public need to be more conscious. Sri Lanka was not indebted to any country when we gained independence, but right now we have a Rs. 10.5 trillion debt to cover. All this is because of corrupt politicians. During 2004-2006 Sri Lanka received a lot of funds in aid of the tsunami. Those funds were enough to repay our loans, but what happened in the end? Nobody even knows where half of that money went to. I believe that those keep silent are the people who destroy the country. Therefore the citizens need to be more active. he said. Ramanayake further said that citizens can now use Facebook as a tool to voice out against corruption. They can use the Right to Information Act rather effectively and find information about ministers incomes. In the end they are the tax payers and they need to know where their money is going. In countries like China the people are very active and they dont allow politicians to rob the country. So we need to get the citizens involved as much as possible, he said. HARTFORD If the repeal of the Affordable Care Act by a Texas judge is upheld, some Connecticut residents will be protected from elimination of the popular clause requiring coverage of pre-existing conditions. Insurance Commission Katherine Wade said Monday that any plan in the individual or small group market thats longer than six months, includes protections for residents with pre-existing conditions. Connecticuts health insurance laws Chapter 7, Section 38a-476, Pre-existing condition coverage already states that no individual health insurance plan or insurance arrangement shall impose a pre-existing conditions provision on any individual. However, any short-term insurance plan for less than six months can impose a pre-existing conditions provision, but it cant eliminate the mandate on essential benefits, according to an Aug. 9, 2018 memo from Wade. The Connecticut law protecting pre-existing conditions was on the books before the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. But Connecticuts laws only impact about 35 percent of fully insured plans in the state. The other 65 percent are governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or the federal government. In Connecticut there are 2,215,923 privately insured residents. Of those about 1.85 million get their insurance from large group plans, 131,000 have individual plans, and 235,000 people are covered under small group plans. The Insurance Department doesnt regulate the 1.85 million who have plans in the large group market. In anticipation the ACA would be repealed, Connecticut lawmakers passed some extra protections earlier this year. HB 5210 protects the ACAs essential health benefits, such as prescription drug coverage, maternity care, pediatric services, and preventative care, for anyone who has a plan regulated by the state Insurance Department. It also requires some plans to provide preventative services for women, children and adolescents at no cost. State Rep. Sean Scanlon, who chairs the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, said Republicans were so intent on repealing this law they failed to realize that millions of Americans are benefiting from this whether you buy your insurance on the exchange or not. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy described the Texas ruling as a five-alarm fire. The anti-health care zealots in the Republican Party are intentionally ripping health care away from the working poor, increasing costs on seniors, and making insurance harder to afford for people with pre-existing conditions, Murphy said. Dont be fooled, this rests one hundred percent on the shoulders of President Trump and Republicans in Congress who empower him. Trump took the extraordinary step of sending his lawyers to argue to end health coverage for 20 million people and he got his wish. Not a single Senate Republican challenged him, and now they own this disaster as much as he does. This years midterm election results seemed to demonstrate that American voters want quality, affordable health care that protects individuals with pre-existing conditions. On the campaign trail this year Republican candidates nationwide said they supported a healthcare system that protects individuals with pre-existing conditions. I would suggest to any right wingers celebrating this decision to be careful what you wish for, Tom Swan, executive director of the CT Citizen Action Group, said. People do not want to see health care ripped away from millions of Americans so that insurance companies can discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions or so women can be treated as second class citizens. If they thought 2018 was a blue wave, wait until 2020. The Texas lawsuit was filed by 19 Republican attorneys general. Curtis Hill, the Republican Attorney General from Indiana who helped challenge the ACA, said the decision was a victory for all Americans who believe in the principles enshrined in our U.S. Constitution. In a statement, he said Congress should continue to play a strong role in promoting access to quality healthcare for all Americans. At the same time, however, it also must respect the authority of Indiana and all other states to exercise freedom in ways we address the issue of health care for our own citizens. While the political battle will continue, so will the legal battle. I think there are a lot of people who are viewing this as an end to the ACA and we are very far from that, Scanlon said Saturday. He said it will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has twice ruled that the law is constitutional. Quinnipiac University Professor Angela Mattie said Monday that people with health insurance in Connecticut shouldnt be panicking right now. The exchanges are going to move forward, Mattie, who is in the Dept. of Healthcare Management and Organizational Leadership, said. The end result of what happened in Texas is a long way away. She said everyone should want people to have insurance because when people are uninsured usually the only care available to them is often expensive and inappropriate care in the emergency department for minor conditions or delaying preventive care until a serious condition develops. Ultimately, society bears this cost, Mattie added. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement Monday explaining that the ruling was not an injunction that halts enforcement of the law and was not a final judgment. HHS will continue administering and enforcing all aspects of the ACA as it had before the court issued its decision. This decision does not require that HHS make any changes to any of the ACA programs it administers or its enforcement of any portion of the ACA at this time. As always, the Trump Administration stands ready to work with Congress on policy solutions that will deliver more insurance choices, better healthcare, and lower costs while continuing to protect individuals with pre-existing conditions. HARTFORD The students at Grace Academy, an interfaith, tuition-free middle school for girls, had some tough questions for Lt. Governor.-elect Susan Bysiewicz and the 19-member transition subcommittee focused on womens issues. Vida Ntem-Mensah, 10, asked Bysiewicz where they plan to get the money to pay for all the initiatives the subcommittee proposed such as paid Family and Medical Leave, an increase in the minimum wage, free community college tuition, and an increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates for midwives. Bysiewicz admitted that its getting very difficult to tax Connecticut residents any more and its getting very difficult to cut specific areas in the budget, so the reason that almost every idea here was focused on economic issues is all of these ideas are geared to growing our economy. She added that one of the good parts about all these platform initiatives is that they dont involve a lot of money. The proposal, which is based on a similar one made last year to create a paid family and medical leave program would require the state to spent $14 to $20 million in start-up costs, $4.5 million in 2020 and $9.7 million in 2021. The subcommittee believes the state would be able to recoup the costs once the program is up and running. There would also be a $48 million price tag for free college tuition. Its unclear how much an increase in the minimum wage would alter state labor contracts. Norina Gakpey-Graham, 10, asked Bysiewicz if they plan on raising taxes. Our charge to the transition policy groups was to tell us all the best ideas to balance the budget without raising taxes, Bysiewicz told Gakpey-Graham. So thats the bottomline. The second charge to every policy committee tell us how we can grow our economy and how we can make Connecticut a better place to start and grow a business. She said both of those goals were achieved with the womens policy report. Its likely with an expanded Democratic majority and with Gov.-elect Ned Lamont in the governors office that paid Family and Medical Leave and an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023 have a good chance of becoming law. I think very shortly youre going to see that the new leadership here will bring us paid Family and Medical Leave, $15 an hour minimum wage, stronger campaign laws Bysiewicz said. As a woman owned business and as the former Secretary of the State who used to have to publish reports showing how little progress was being made every two years on appointments to boards and commissions I cant tell you how much we are looking forward to a fresh start for Connecticut. The womens transition subcommittee made 18 recommendations to the new administration and told them they could achieve them within the first 100 days. However, they need the help of the legislature for some of it. Paid Family and Medical Leave, an increase in the minimum wage and changes to the recently passed pay equity bill will all require legislation, some of which has already been introduced. Other proposals that will need legislation is one that asks the state to eliminate the statute of limitations for sexual assault. Connecticut currently has a five year statute of limitations and legislation died last year that would have changed that. There are 26 states with no statute of limitations for cases of rape. Also the subcommittee would like to see legislation that says healthcare is a human right. Sarah Croucher, executive director of NARAL Connecticut, said legislation in 2016 erased the language that previously existed. Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Working Families Party, said there is something the executive branch can do without legislative approval. She said the Connecticut labor commissioner could expand overtime pay by revising the departments pay regulations to set a salary threshold of at least $55,234 by 2022. That means any employee making less than that amount would qualify for overtime. That would raise wages for 57,500 women and their families, Farrell said. And she believes it could be done without legislation. Over the next three days various members of the Lamont administration and transition team will receive the reports from the 15 volunteer subcommittees at various locations across the state. The subcommittees first met and started their work on Nov. 27 at Eastern Connecticut State University. Lamont and Bysiewicz will be sworn in on Jan. 9, 2019. Of the two crises that had engulfed the country for 50 days since October 26, the Constitutional deadlock is over, but not the political crisis. We cannot give credit to the politicians for ending the Constitutional gridlock since they had been intransigent on their stances until the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena was unconstitutional. The political crisis that had been intertwined with the Constitutional imbroglio has also somewhat eased with the resignation of Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister on Saturday and the reappointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe in place of him on Sunday. Yet, Wickremesinghes strength in Parliament, the humiliation suffered by Sirisena and Rajapaksa due to the way the Constitutional crisis was ended, were harbingers of what is in store for Wickremesinghe and his weak minority government. Especially, the speech made by President Sirisena with a least diplomacy in it after swearing in of Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister for the third time within four years during his Presidency was a clear indication of the events and situations to come. It was a clear message that life would not going to be easy for Wickremesinghe and his government which might be limping on the TNA crutches. And the challenge thrown by Rajapaksa on his part before his supporters at his Tangalla residence, Carlton on Saturday, after resigning as Prime Minister that he would topple the Wickremesinghe government cannot be treated as mere rhetoric, given the fragility of the administration Wickremesinghe is going to install. Despite the TNA having written to President Sirisena that it would support a government formed by the UNP, it has announced that it would not be a part of the government. This is dangerous for the government as the Tamil coalition reserves the right to pull the carpet under Wickremesinghes feet any time it wishes. Also TNAs conditions for the support it is going to lend might be portrayed by the Opposition as secessionist demands, embarrassing the leaders of the government. On the other hand, the UPFA as a party is not going to join the government as it did last time. Hence, even passage of the Budget for the year 2019 or a vote on account for a certain period in the New Year would be a difficult task for the Wickremesinghe government. There cannot be a National Government, given the composition of the government and the support it receives from other parties to run the affairs of the country despite the UNP being the party that had won the most number of seats in the House and this would limit the size of the Cabinet. In turn, this would lead to frustration among some sections of the UNF itself, as it didwithin the so-called probationary government (Parivasa Aanduwa) under President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 2001. The country has already suffered a lot due to the political and Constitutional impasse that was created by the unseating of Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointing a Premier without a majority power in Parliament in October. The struggle by the Wickremesinghe government to survive has to be carried out at the expense of the masses. The moral high ground that was gained by the UNF and thereby the Wickremesinghe administration is highly volatile given the possible predicament the masses have to undergo with the intensification of the governments fight for survival. Now that the rule of law has been established by the Supreme Court and thereby the dignity of those who fought for the rule of law has been restored, it is high time for the UNF leaders to ponder upon seeking a fresh composition of Parliament and a fresh mandate for them as well, through a general election, without leading to further uncertainty. Perhaps two of the most influential experiences a college student can have along their academic journey are to conduct research and attend professional conferences. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville senior speech-language pathology and audiology student Alyssa Groene had the opportunity to do both last semester, calling her attendance at the American Speech, Language and Hearing Associations (ASHA) annual convention one of the greatest experiences of my life. Groene, of Wentzville, attended the ASHAs annual event held Nov. 14-17 in Boston. She joined international conference attendees alongside SIUEs James Panico, PhD, CCC-SLP, associate professor, and speech-language pathology and audiology undergraduate program director in the School of Education, Health and Human Behaviors Department of Applied Health. The ASHA convention provides professionals with the opportunity to learn about the latest research and gain new clinical skills, Panico said. There was record attendance this year with 18,500 people. At the conference, Panico and Groene shared their research insight regarding the level of exposure students in general education courses have to content in the area of speech-language pathology and audiology. Research shows that communication disorders are highly prevalent among school-age children, Panico explained. Furthermore, classroom teachers are typically the main referral source of therapy for children with communication disorders. However, research suggests classroom teachers may have limited knowledge about communication disorders. Therefore, it is critical that school teachers be knowledgeable about important signs of communication disorders and ways to make the classroom more comfortable for those students. Panico and Groene noted that significant barriers to covering speech-language pathology and audiology content exist, including limited time and space within general education program curriculum. Overall, the results underscored the need for increased interprofessional collaboration including co-teaching, as well as increased experiential learning activities for general education students, Panico noted. I strongly believe that this particular research with Alyssa highlights the importance of using research findings to inform classroom practices. This ensures that future educators, as well as speech-language pathologists, are best prepared to work with children who exhibit communication disorders. SIUEs Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) program provided Groene with the opportunity to support this important scholarship alongside Panico. I know my attendance at ASHA will be a deciding factor for getting into graduate school, Groene said. Additionally, URCA has taught me an incredible amount. Dr. Panico is phenomenal. Most undergraduates do not get the opportunity to conduct high-quality research. I am forever grateful for the URCA program and Dr. Panico. COLLINSVILLE The Illinois Department of Transportation announces lane restrictions will be encountered on southbound I-255, two miles south of Collinsville and north of I-64, at milepost 22. Weather permitting, the lane restrictions, which are needed to repair the concrete bridge deck, will occur as follows: On Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, the right lane will be closed at 9 a.m. and will remain closed. The center lane will be closed at 9 a.m. and re-opened at 3 p.m. daily. It is anticipated all lanes will be re-opened to traffic by 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Truston Jianheng Yu (The Jakarta Post) Hong Kong Thu, December 13, 2018 16:07 1084 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Clothilde Mraffko (Agence France-Presse) Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories Mon, December 17, 2018 11:03 1081 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2a0946 2 Art & Culture Bethlehem,Christmas,church,Palestine,heritage,religion Free Masked for centuries by the soot of candles and lately by scaffolding, the mosaics of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity have been restored to their Crusader-era splendour in time for Christmas. Over the past 15 months, experts have cleaned and repaired surviving fragments of the 12th century masterworks, preserving 1,345 square feet (125 square metres) of what was once 21,528 square feet (2,000 square metres) of glittering gold and glass. The rest has been eaten away by wear, humidity, wars and earthquakes. Now the restored remains shine against the white walls above the heads of visitors to the church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem that marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Overlooking the nave are seven angels framed in gold who appear to have landed on a carpet of vivid green grass. Each is placed between windows symbolising divine light. One of the angels was discovered during the restoration work beneath a layer of plaster. "These mosaics are made of gold leaf placed between two glass plates," Marcello Piacenti, who supervises the work on behalf of his Italian family restoration firm Piacenti, told AFP. "Only faces and limbs are drawn with small pieces of stone." One of the partially destroyed angel figures was restored using different materials to the original so as not to mislead future archaeologists. Ibrahim Abed Rabbo, a Palestinian Authority (PA) engineer said the transformation caused by the restoration is striking. "When you entered the church before, you could not even make out that there were mosaics, it was so black," he said. Read also: US cable TV and Netflix offer a stockingful of Christmas films Spiritually exalted In a rarity for the period, the works were signed by the craftsmen responsible, Abed Rabbo said. In the choir of the church, the visitor can now see an image of Saint Thomas, incredulous at the resurrection, poking his finger into Christ's wound from his crucifixion. Elsewhere there is the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. "It's meticulously detailed, it gives the impression of being brand new," said Patricia Lieby, 44, a French tourist visiting the church for the first time. "I have never seen a mosaic like this outside Jerusalem, it's sublime." Father Asbed Balian is the senior cleric of the Armenian church at the basilica, where property rights are shared with the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox faiths. After seeing the completed restoration, he said, he was "stunned". "Spiritually, we feel more exalted," he added. On the nave walls, the restorers also gave renewed life to paintings dating from 1127 and the end of the 12th century when wealthy pilgrims commissioned artists to paint their family or home region saints, for display in the holy site. "These portraits were barely distinguishable, blackened by the years," Piacenti said. Now their silhouettes stand out against the church's reddish columns, although the faces were erased after the Muslim conquest, in keeping with the Islamic ban on portrayal of the human form. The first Church of the Nativity was built in the fourth century by Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Helene. That original structure was believed to have been destroyed by fire but Piacenti said no trace of burning was found during the restoration work, leading him to think an earthquake was a more likely cause. The Byzantines rebuilt the basilica in the sixth century and the Crusaders later added to it. Read also: Five Christmas feast destinations in Jakarta Persuade more locals to stay' Due to disagreements between the three faiths responsible for the site, the building had gone unrepaired since the middle of the 19th century. In 2002, bullet holes pocked the front of the church after a five-week Israeli army siege when some 100 Palestinians took refuge inside. When the Palestinian Authority began renovations in 2013, "the basilica was in danger", PA restoration consultant Afif Tweme said. Scaffolding remains in part of the choir stalls as restorers work, inch by inch, on floor mosaics, hidden from public view by plywood screens. "It's very special, because of the location," said Piacenti. "Sometimes I have to force them (workers) to leave" at the end of the day. Tweme said the restoration would "influence tourism for sure". He hopes the economic benefits will "persuade more of Bethlehem's dwindling local Christian population to stay in the city rather than move away". The President could appoint only 28 Cabinet Ministers, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader MP Udaya Gammanpila said today. Addressing a news briefing, he said the maximum number of Ministers including the President and the Prime Minister was thirty in terms of Article 46(1) of the Constitution. The United National Party (UNP) is now in a dilemma as to whom they should give portfolios. Several seniors were promised with Cabinet Portfolios to avoid crossovers. Several State and Deputy Ministers expect Cabinet portfolios considering their contribution during the crisis, MP Gammanpila said. Meanwhile, he said there was a rumor that the UNP was in an attempt to form a National Government with the solitary member of the SLMC, namely, Ali Zaheer Maulana. In terms of Article 46(5), the political party with the highest number of parliamentarians should join with other political parties to form a national government. It is not a party but parties. Hence, there must be at least three parties to form a national government. Just the UNP and the SLMC cannot do that, he said. (Sheain Fernandopulle) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Charlotte Van Ouwerkerk (Agence France-Presse) Lelystad, Netherlands Mon, December 17, 2018 10:05 1081 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e29db6b 2 Environment Netherlands,wildlife,animals,environment,Marker-Wadden Free Dutch ranger Andre Donker sighs as he looks out at the rippling grey waters of the Markermeer, one of Europe's largest freshwater lakes. "Once upon a time it was teeming with fish here," he says. But this vast 700-square-kilometer expanse of water, which regulates the level of water in the rest of the Netherlands, had become until recently nothing more than a cloudy mass devoid of aquatic life. Now the hope is that a new artificial archipelago of five islands will bring nature back to the area via a typically ambitious engineering project for a low-lying country that has battled the sea for centuries. It is "one of the largest rewilding operations in Europe", says Donker. Standing on a wooden bridge over a pond in the middle of experimental plots of different kinds of reeds, he says he has been able to see the first signs of increasing biodiversity. Read also: Zero carbon at sea? Rotterdam port eyes a greener future 'We had to intervene' The lake was once part of the Zuiderzee, an engineering wonder of the world completed in 1932, which closed off a huge expanse of water to keep out the North Sea and combat flooding. Vital in a country where 26 percent of the land is below sea level, the scheme created an inland lake and polders, land reclaimed from the sea, but at a cost to the environment. Over the subsequent decades, sediment used to create a dyke separating the Markermeer from a neighbouring body of water, the Ijsselmeer, washed away and sunk to the bottom of the lake. That turned the water cloudy, negatively impacting fish and bird populations, plants and molluscs. "We had to intervene," says Donker, wearing a woollen hat to brave the storms from the North Sea. Combating vulnerability The solution was a bold one in keeping with a country whose people like to boast that "God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands". Eight kilometers from the port of Lelystad, the ranger walks down the side of an artificial sand dune. Other similar dunes stretch out beyond it as far as the eye can see. Still-sparse vegetation covers a large part of the 700 hectares that have been built anew in the lake. The islets plan is among many being worked on by the Netherlands, which is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Since October, the port city of Rotterdam has hosted the headquarters of an international climate commission led by former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and Microsoft founder and climate activist Bill Gates. Explosion of plankton The five islets were built in two and a half years and have already served as a resting place for 30,000 swallows this year. Experts recently counted 127 kinds of plants, most of which have been brought in by windborne seeds. In the water there is an "explosion" of plankton that "guarantees a large amount of food for the birds", says Donker, in his fifties and whose weathered face shows the signs of 20 years in the job. Greylag goose, common tern, several species of waders such as the great egret and the night heron have also returned, testifying to the islands' success. Read also: Pretty polly or pests? Dutch in a flap over parakeets 'Beautiful landscape' In the distance a dredger is helping to create the final dunes of the archipelago, dubbed Marker Wadden. The project, initiated by Natuurmonumenten, a Dutch non-governmental organisation working for the preservation of nature, cost 60 million euros ($68 million) -- much of it donated by individuals. True to their reputation as masters of water management, the Dutch used an innovative technique, forming the islets with silt, a sedimentary formation halfway between clay and sand. "Building an island with sand is not that difficult, we do it all over the world, and what is unique here is that we use silt," says Jeroen van der Klooster, project head at Boskalis, the maritime service provider that built the archipelago. His team dug a 1,200-meter "corridor" on the main island which allows the silt, led by strong ocean currents, to form marshy areas, fertile soil and reservoirs where migratory birds can eat. "And that's how this beautiful landscape was born," says van der Klooster from the top of a wooden observation tower, wearing an orange vest and a white helmet. Three wooden bird observatories, a house for the island's guardian, 12 kilometres of footbridges and unpaved roads have also been built on the main island, which is open to the public. The four others are exclusively reserved for wildlife and plants -- a once-sterile space now returned to nature. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network) Mon, December 17, 2018 20:05 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b5e0e 2 Entertainment EXO,Inkigayo,music,K-pop Free EXO is set to return to SBS music show Inkigayo with its latest single Love Shot. According to SBS, the K-pop group will showcase its new song, which fronts the acts latest album of the same title, for the shows Sunday episode later on the day. Crediting Chanyeol and Chen as co-writers, the song is a groovy pop-dance track peppered with heavy 808 bass and rhythmic synths. Read also: EXO puts on impromptu dance performance A repackaged version of Novembers Dont Mess Up My Tempo, Love Shot features a total of 15 tracks, including 11 songs from its previous album, Korean and Chinese versions of the lead track and new songs Trauma and Wait. SBS said the Sunday episode will feature Suho, who had hosted the show before, as a special MC to join regular hosts Seventeens Mingyu and Chaeyeon of DIA. The show is also said to have prepared a short interview with EXO to celebrate its comeback. Set to air at every 3:40 p.m., the upcoming episode will also feature acts like Day6, Mino, Red Velvet, Ben, Mamamoo, Jennie of Blackpink, Lovelyz, Golden Child and The Boyz. Topics : This article appeared on The Korea Herald newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia Mon, December 17, 2018 15:08 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2ad87c 2 Entertainment Geoffrey-Rush,Australia,film,theater,actor Free Academy award-winner Geoffrey Rush on Monday faced fresh allegations of inappropriate behavior by an actress, amid his defamation battle with an Australian newspaper over separate claims. Australian actress Yael Stone, who stars in Netflix hit Orange is the New Black, told The New York Times that Rush had danced naked in front of her in their dressing room, when she starred opposite him in the theater production The Diary of a Madman in 2010 and 2011. The 33-year-old also says he used a mirror to watch her as she showered, and sent her erotic text messages. Rush said in a statement published by the US newspaper that Stone's allegations were "incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context". "However, clearly Yael has been upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work," the Australian actor added. Read also: Actor Geoffrey Rush accused of belittling actress "I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused her any distress. This, most certainly, has never been my intention." Rush, 67, is suing Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper after a front-page story in November last year reported that the Sydney Theatre Company received a complaint about him when he was working there. The allegations by Stone were published in a Times opinion column about the legal challenges of going public in Australia amid the global #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. Rush won the Best Actor Academy Award in 1997 for his role in Shine and is one of the few stars to have also won a primetime Emmy and a Tony Award. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eric Musa Piliang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 08:47 1081 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e28f6bc 4 Art & Culture short-story,fiction Free Her big smile somehow eclipsed her small and slouching figure as she extended a greeting hand: My name is Rose. Ill be your neighbor. We could not have asked for a warmer welcome after a long and tiring journey as we were to begin a new life far away from home. Rose was in her mid-60s, a little younger than both our mothers back home. The second-floor apartment, where we would live for the next 10 months, shared a landing with Roses. It was late in the evening. My wife and I were struggling to move four big heavy suitcases up the two flights of stairs. She must have heard the commotion before she came out to greet us in the dimly lit corridor. How do you do? We gave her our names, going through one syllable at a time to make sure she would be able to pronounce them correctly. She got them right the second time. I was impressed. Were from Indonesia. Her facial expression changed. She squinted and gave each one of us a probing look. I know your people, she said, a crooked point finger raised like a professor. If she knew something about Indonesia, it could not have been good. Theyll kill me in your country, she said, her left hand moving right to left at neck level. Why would we want to cut the neck of such a sweet old lady? I kept silent, waiting for what was to come next. Im reading this, suddenly she shoved a thick hardcover book at us, seemingly out of nowhere. I had not read Jessica Sterns Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, but I was familiar with the newly released book because terrorism was the theme of my research for the coming year at the university here in this town. Stern, the Harvard University expert on terrorism, had included in her book the 2002 bombings in Indonesias Bali island as part of a Al Qaeda terror campaign that began with the 9-11 attacks in the United States a year earlier. Yes, we have our share of terrorists, I said, nodding to acknowledge that I knew what the book was all about. But I can guarantee, youll be safe in Indonesia, I added, not so much to convince her, but more out of my sense of wounded national pride. Were not all a bunch of terrorists. Why would anyone want to kill you anyway? I asked. I am Jewish. Rose said. Before I could say anything, she turned and went back inside her apartment. Good night. We were too tired to be upset by this short encounter. We finished moving the suitcases and went inside our apartment for the first time. We quickly found our way around: the bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom. Tiny compared to our home, but fully furnished and it looked cozy. We had rented it from the university where I would do my research for the coming year. Good to know this early wed have a neighbor with an attitude. But this is America, the land of individualism. You dont really need to know your neighbors. We knew, however, that bumping into Rose would be inevitable since our front doors were adjacent to one another. We told ourselves to be cordial whenever that happened. A few days later, she surprised us by inviting us to late afternoon tea. We gladly accepted. Knowing we had come from a warm climate, she showed us her wardrobe and offered my wife her collection of winter clothes, including some overcoats with frills. Thank you, but I am all right, Rose. We already bought our winter clothes, my wife said in broken English. A little lie. We had planned to buy them before winter came. This was still August. I knew from my wifes expression though that she was struggling to suppress her laughter. She would not want to be seen dead in those clothes. Wheeled shopping bag? I have two of these. You can use one. Again my wife said no, thank you. From our long stay in the United States five years earlier, we knew that only grannies use these carts. My wife was not quite there yet. Although this offer became a talking point later every time we struggled with 10 shopping bags each for the 30-minute walk home from Market Basket where we would do our weekly grocery shopping. How about these swimsuits? I knew then we would have a big laugh when we get home later. Youre sweet. But thank you, I intervened. We learned Rose was all alone in this world. She had never been married and was an only child. Her mother, a Holocaust survivor who moved from Poland after World War II, passed away a few years earlier. Rose had been a librarian in this university town, which explained the wide ranging topics of books she read, including the ongoing global war on terror. Our conversation inevitably came to religion. Are you good Muslims? Rose asked, after confirming what our faith was. The effect of Sterns book had obviously worn off. She had moved on to another book and another topic. We pray and observe the rituals, if thats what you are asking. What about you? Oh, I stopped believing in God. Cant remember the last time I visited a synagogue. There was no guilt or remorse in her remarks. Like many Americans I came to know, they believed in something, but just not in organized religions. Theyd keep their religious identity though. Saying prayers every now and then wouldnt hurt, I said. She seemed to ignore it. Our friendship grew nevertheless. I made the mistake of remarking how much I loved her home-made potato latkes. Every week, she would bring a plateful of the Jewish pancake. It reminded me of the time I complimented my mother-in-law, just one week into my marriage, for her fried chili eggplant. After that, it was eggplant dishes every other night. Wed invite Rose to dinner to our place occasionally, although she never really went for spicy food. We made sure whenever we had her over for dinner to go easy on the spices. Rose surprised us in December when she revealed that she had been rethinking about her own faith since we had our conversation. I have started going to the synagogue again. Every day, actually. They gave me a job at the day-care center. I will be celebrating Hanukkah again. There were sparks in her eyes. Good for you, I said. She seemed a lot livelier than when we first met her. One day at the start of spring, I came home to find her with my wife in the living room of our apartment, looking scornfully. Youre a bad husband, said Rose. I turned to my wife, who only gave me a puzzled look. You should never leave your wife alone when shes sick, Rose said. Its only a cold, I said in my defense. She only needs to rest in bed and shell be all right Tsk, tsk, tsk. You should stay beside her. I learned later from my wife that Rose had made chicken soup and spoon-fed her. I was never privy to the conversations my wife had with Rose, but they were certainly bonding closer and closer through the regular afternoon teas. Rose no longer had any qualms befriending people who she had assumed would kill her because of her origin. Like most Indonesian Muslims, we too had grown up with a stereotypical view of Jews. That changed in the months we came to know Rose. One day, I made a national TV appearance to comment on the visit of President George W. Bush to Indonesia. When I returned from the TV station, Rose greeted me at the stairway. My hero. Oh, I am so proud of you. You were good on TV. She gave me a big hug. Rose would make someone a great mother. My wife later told me she had been waiting for my return all day. And then came what killed whatever remaining suspicions we had of one another. This was in May and we only had a few more months before heading back home. My wife informed me she had been asked to go to Roses apartment that morning. Explaining that she was going to have surgery, Rose showed us a wall safe where she had kept all her valuable possessions, including jewelry, the title to her apartment and bank documents. In case anything happens to me, you will look after these, Rose said, as related by my wife. There were no further instructions. I have no one else. Youre the only one person I know and love, Rose told my wife. To our relief, Rose returned from the hospital a few days later. We wouldnt have had a clue what to do if the operation had not gone well. She recovered and was soon back on her feet going about her routine chores, including her day-care job. All good things must come to an end. When we had to fly home at the end of my research work, so ended also our friendship with Rose built over 10 months. The separation broke her heart as it did ours. Dont say good bye and dont look back, said Rose. But at least we left knowing that she would not be all alone again as we had found her. *** Eric Musa Piliang is an Indonesian writer and editor. ________________________ We are looking for contemporary fiction between 1,500 and 2,000 words by established and new authors. Stories must be original and previously unpublished in English. The email for submitting stories is: shortstory@thejakartapost.com Topics : shortstory@thejakartapost.com We are no longer accepting short story submissions for both online and print editions. New submissions towill not be published. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Duncan Graham (The Jakarta Post) Malang Mon, December 17, 2018 09:21 1081 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e291335 4 Books jusuf-wanandi,The-Jakarta-Post,history,memoir,#books,Book,New-Order,Soeharto Free Despair needs no tour guide in Indonesia chaotic traffic, trash-clogged drains, poverty and corruption if the list had an official stop sign it would be dug up and sold. Enough negativity, this review celebrates a positive. Offsetting the moans is freedom to comment, a right that veteran activist Jusuf Wanandi has exercised well during his long adventurous career and now collected in Testimony of Changes. Hazards remain, like blasphemy charges ignited by militants, and defamation writs fired by the wealthy to mask their chicanery. Three of the four pillars of democracy the judiciary, the executive and the legislature, badly need repair. However, the fourth column the media is, in this century, upright by the standards of a region where armies and autocrats crush those venturing alternative ideas. Singapores Straits Times is a most handsome daily, clean and well laid out like the city. It splashes international news with a sprinkling of minor local happenings. Expect nothing critical of the government. Now consider Wanandi. The only country in the region where this intellectual man is free to let his mind roam publicly, is the one where he was born in 1937, cursed to live in interesting times but blessed to do so with a muscular mind. His book subtitle Consolidating Indonesian Democracy and Forging Regional Cooperation is hardly an invitation for anyone beyond academic historians. Which is sad because there is much here to help latecomers understand how the worlds third-largest democracy arrived at this position. Face-to-face he is a splendid retailer of gossip and a vault of secrets. Some he unlocks. He is selective, careful, knowing that values shift, policies that once seemed right, like the extrajudicial persecution of real or imagined Communists in 1965-66, are now considered criminal. His ebullience tends to deflect criticism of his more questionable decisions, like support for taking over East Timor. In print he is more restrained though not about former Australian prime minister John Howard: A gentleman from a small town in 19th century England who was unaware and not interested in what was happening in East Asia. In fact Howard was born ( 1939 ) and raised in Sydney. Wanandi later modified his judgment. His favorite all-bundling term East Asia befuddles; Westerners define it as Korea and Japan, with all below as Southeast Asia. The book is organized in seven sections each holding 15 to 30 op-eds from The Jakarta Post. They are in chronological sequence, starting when this newspaper began, showing it was into serious journalism with concerns about Kampuchea now Cambodia. Lots to savor knowing where we have been and what some were thinking can help us see ahead. But, alas, alack; how to access that vision without an index? An incomprehensible omission because Testimony of Changes is not a set-course dinner but a spread of snacks. How does the author assess former United States presidents George Bush or Barack Obama? What are his hopes for ASEAN, which he strongly supports, and Vice President Jusuf Kallas thoughts on democracy? To find the answers stock-up with limitless patience and bookmarks. Applauders include former Australian Labor Party foreign minister Gareth Evans. He praises Wanandis informed, balanced and constructive voice. Yes, but Wanandi is not a colorless bob-each-way observer. The former University of Indonesia law lecturer was a strident right-wing activist during the 1965 coup. He backed, then abandoned Sukarno, then did the same with his successor. Wanandi advised Soeharto but fell out when the second president ignored the economy and started to exhibit megalomaniacal tendencies. These included censoring the press. Wanandis consistent position has been support for the state ideology Pancasila. He has had little formal power, though much influence, carrying a gold pass into presidential suites and closed-door discussions. His admission came through his anti-Red convictions when these were most in vogue, and his worldwide Catholic contacts. Though a fourth-generation Sumatran, his Chinese ethnicity has at times been a handicap, his patriotism and motives distrusted by some pribumi(indigenous Indonesians). Conversely membership of a frequently persecuted minority has made him canny and savvy. Apart from this newspaper his principal pulpit is the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, which he set up with help from ethnic Chinese businessmen and his brother Sofjan in 1971. Labeled in this book as the regions leading think tank, it was earlier involved in political lobbying in the United States, trying to sell the New Order governments credentials to skeptical scholars, like the late Benedict Anderson. Wanandi does not shy from much of his controversial history, so first reading Shades of Grey will help understand where he is coming from when assessing Testimony of Changes. All his writing is informed, seldom bland, occasionally parochial. Who remembers the disputed appointment of a national police chief after President Joko Jokowi Widodos 2014 election? Other columns show the authors prescience. In 1991, when Donald Trump was more concerned with getting out of a financially troubled casino, Wanandi was worrying about the US quitting Asia, leaving a vacuum to be filled by China. In a piece on Mahathir Mohamad written before the Malaysian leaders political resurrection, Wanandi comments on autocrats obsessed with very strong views about where the state and society should go [...] so obsessed about achieving them, such that they had no scruples about their ways and methods toward the end. His book ends with profiles mostly obituaries of friends and actors of change. Wanandi spent his early years siding with the heavy-hitters, but is now drawn to patriots and peacemakers, humanists and teachers. In debates about doers and dreamers, about ends justifying means, moral stands in public affairs get to perform strange acrobatics. Testimony of Changes helps freeze some positions where they can be better understood in the context of times past. All up, a most useful collection of a passionate thinkers opinions, mainly on matters that matter. _______________________ Testimony of Changes by Jusuf Wanandi The Jakarta Post, Jakarta 526 Pages Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nedi Putra AW (The Jakarta Post) Malang Mon, December 17, 2018 09:57 1081 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e29d7c9 4 Books history,historian,#books,book-launching,Peter-Carey Free A newly released book celebrates the achievements of British historian Peter Carey, who has dedicated his career to tracking down the history of Indonesias foremost national hero, Prince Diponegoro. The Javanese philosophy, urip iku urub (life is light), perfectly captures the spirit of British historian Peter Carey. Since conducting his first research in Indonesia in 1970s, Carey has shed light on the life and struggle of Diponegoro, a charismatic Javanese prince who rebelled against the Dutch in the 19th century. Thus, it seems fitting to use the Javanese saying as the title of a book dedicated to appreciating Careys achievements. Urip iku Urub had its soft launching in Malang, East Java, on Nov. 7. The 568-page book is packed with essays, reflections, memoirs, cartoons, field surveys and records written by 23 contributors, who are historians, cultural observers, artists and Careys colleagues. The book also serves as a birthday present for Carey, who turned 70 in April. We tried to highlight the influence of Peter Carey on the study of Java, said the books editor, FX Domini BB Hera, during its soft launch at Malang State University, East Java. According to FX Domini, Malang was chosen as the launchs venue due to its strong historical ties to Prince Diponegoro. The princes followers migrated to Malang, particularly Mount Kawi area after the Dutch captured Diponegoro in 1830. The first chapter of the book, Peter Carey in Reflection, includes his brief biography and an article by former education minister Wardiman Djojonegoro, who along with Carey successfully nominated Babad Diponegoro (Autobiographical Chronicle of Diponegoro) to be included in UNESCOs Memory of the World. The second chapter consists of essays analyzing the impact of Careys studies in the contemporary art scene. One of the essays, titled Diponegoro, Gerakan Nasionalis dan Seni Rupa (Diponegoro, Nationalist Movement, and Fine Art) was written by Werner Kraus from the Center for Southeast Asian Art. The next two chapters are dedicated to Prince Diponegoro, the main subject of Careys research in the last 50 years of his career. The pinnacle of Prince Diponegoro as the greatest and last hero of Javas old order is recorded in the third chapter. Meanwhile, the fourth chapter, titled Five Years that Changed Everything, consists of writings on Diponegoros Java War between 1825 and 1830. The last chapter deals with the conditions after the fall of Javas old order. In the chapter, Eka Ningtyas writes about the shifting approach in womens education in the southern part of Central Java during the 19th-20th centuries. Carey, who has lived in Indonesia since 2008, felt honored by this book. Its not because of the articles about me, but due to a lot of substantial works presented by young writers, he said. Born in Rangoon, Myanmar, on April 30, 1948, Carey first learned about Diponegoro in elementary school in England. He saw the princes picture in a book and admired how the prince, despite his royal status, was close to his people and defended them. Carey finally had a chance to research his childhood hero while writing a historical thesis for his doctorate in Oxford. He came to Indonesia in 1971 for the research and completed his thesis in 1973. The cover of Urip iku Urub, showing a young Carey holding a prosthetic foot and what appears to be an explosive, refers to his time with Cambodia Trust, a British disability charity that he co-founded in 1989 to address the needs of mine victims in Cambodia. He taught Asian history in Oxford for 35 years and has published much on the histories of Java, as well as Burma and East Timor, but Carey is best known for writing extensively about the Javanese prince. His notable works include The Power of Prophecy: Prince Dipanagara and the End of an Old Order in Java and Destiny: The Life of Prince Diponegoro of Yogyakarta 17851855. Wardiman, who served as education minister from 1993 until 1998, admired Carey for his works on Diponegoro that are scientific but can be easily understood. Carey, in writing about the prince, managed to distance himself from a plethora of legends, fictional and politically bias accounts surrounding the prince. FX Domini said Carey had gone through great lengths to track down the history of Prince Diponegoro. He looked for data in various places from the National Library and Central Java palaces to the Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (KITLV) in Leiden and the British Library in London. He managed to meet with and interview several descendants of the prince in various regions in Indonesia, the editor said. FX Domini suggested that there only two national heroes whose histories have been scientifically and comprehensively written by foreign nationals. They are Carey and Dutch historian Harry Albert Poeze, who researched on Tan Malaka. Their writings and research help Indonesian people get better acquainted with their national luminaries. Indonesias diversity and history, as Carey suggested, are great treasures that should be learned by the people and the nation. All this actually involves three simple questions that must be answered as a nation: Who are we? Where do we come from and where are we going? he concluded. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, November 27, 2018 15:16 1100 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877e1c97c 4 Business b20-biodiesel-mix,consumption,2019 Free The government plans to double the consumption of 20 percent blended biodiesel (B20) amid the declining price of palm oil on the global market. Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry Renewable Energy Director General Rida Mulyana said on Monday that the B20 consumption target for next year would be 6.2 million kiloliters. We expect there will be an increase in the consumption of B20 by 3 million kiloliters [next year], he said as quoted by kompas.com, adding that the state-owned electricity company alone was expected to consume about 700,000 kl of B20 next year. The consumption increase is expected to help boost the crude palm oil [CPO] price and help oil palm growers. As one of the words largest CPO producing country, Indonesia was hit hard by the sudden decline in the commoditys price to around US$420 per ton from around $530, last week. In response, the government has temporarily removed the export levy that was usually charged by the Indonesian Oil Palm Estate Fund (BPDP-KS) for replanting. The government introduced the mandatory use of B20 in early September as part of its efforts to reduce crude oil imports that have contributed to the widening trade deficit and current account deficit. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta, Central Java Mon, December 17, 2018 13:43 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2a662e 1 Business bank-indonesia,garlic,new-variety Free Bank of Indonesias Surakarta branch has initiated the development of a "super" garlic variety in Karanganyar regency, Central Java, in a bid to help reduce imports of the commodity. The new garlic variety is being developed in Pancot village of Kalisoro subdistrict in the regency's Tawangmangu district. BI Surakarta head Bandoe Widiarto said the Super garlic was the result of an innovation in chromosome multiplication method by a garlic expert at Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) and the Taruna Tani Maju farmers group in Tawangmangu. Two trials have been held. We are confident that this Super variety can reduce our dependence on imported garlic, Bandoe said on Sunday. Indonesia heavily relies on imported garlic, with the Agriculture Ministry's estimate showing 503,600 tons of consumption against 21,000 tons of local production in 2016. Bandoe said the Super variety was developed from the existing Tawangmangu Baru variety, with the central bank facilitating the development of the Tawangmangu Super over the last two years. The Tawangmangu Super was a double chromosome variety with bigger tubers of 6 to 8 centimeters in diameter, while the local garlic variety only had an average diameter of about 3 centimeters. Taruna Tani Maju chairman Bejo Supriyanto said 600 kilograms of Tawangmangu Baru garlic could produce 18 tons per hectare of fresh garlic, while the Tawangmangu Super could produce about 20 tons per hectare. Bejo also said that local garlic farmers had switched to other crops because of their inability to compete with the influx of garlic from imported into the domestic market. Between 1990 and 2000, the [production of] Tawangmangu Baru garlic decreased sharply, he said. They started to revive garlic cultivation after they received assistance from BI Surakarta. Now we are developing Tawangmangu Baru into Tawangmangu Super, Bejo said. The head of BI Surakarta's economic advisory and development team, Taufik Amrozy, said the Tawangmangu Super variety was still in the experimental stage. He added that it took time to develop the variety as a national commodity, in terms of cultivating seeds and producing bulbs for consumption. Taufik said that Tawangmangu Super garlic cannot enter the market yet, as the current harvest would be stored for planting next May year. Hopefully, Pancot village will become a major producer of garlic seeds so the new variety can be planted in other regions, he added, saying that the quality of Tawangmangu Super garlic will continue to be improved. (sri/bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Ankara, Turkey Mon, December 17, 2018 21:06 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b8334 2 World #Turkey,#Erdogan,Erdogan,vows,remove,Kurd,militia,Euphrates Free President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday vowed Turkey would remove a Kurdish militia viewed as terrorists by Ankara from northern Syria if the US failed to ensure fighters leave the east of the Euphrates. The threat comes after Erdogan spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump on Friday when the pair agreed to ensure "more effective coordination" between their countries' operations in Syria. The conversation followed threats from Erdogan last week to launch an offensive against the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia east of the Euphrates River, where there are American troops, within the "next few days". "I spoke with Trump. The terrorists must leave the east of the Euphrates. If they don't go, we will remove them," Erdogan promised during a televised speech in the central Turkish province of Konya. Turkey views the YPG as 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, the US and the European Union. "They (the YPG) are a source of discomfort with their terror corridor," Erdogan said. Although Erdogan said that Turkey could start an operation "at any moment", he appeared to indicate there was room for negotiation with the US. "Since we are strategic partners with America, then we must do what is necessary," said Erdogan. But he added that the US "must fulfil promises" without giving further detail. The YPG has spearheaded Washington's fight against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria under the banner of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). But US support for the YPG has strained relations between the NATO allies, which worsened recently after the US set up observation posts in northern Syria close to the border with Turkey to prevent any altercation between Turkish forces and the YPG. Turkey has launched two military operations helping Syrian rebels to recapture territory in Syria from IS and the YPG in August 2016 and January 2018 respectively. The first offensive in northern Syria lasted until March 2017 targeting IS on the Turkey-Syria border and to stop the YPG gaining more territory. The second was completed in March 2018 after the Ankara-backed rebels captured the YPG-held enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Mon, December 17, 2018 23:56 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2ba76a 1 National West-Bandung,corruption,Corruption-court Free A panel of judges at the Bandung Corruption Court sentenced former West Bandung regent Abu Bakar to five years and six months in prison for corruption. He was found guilty of asking money from a number of West Bandung administration officials, including agency heads, to fund the political campaign of his wife, Elin Suharliah, who ran for the local election in June. The defendant has been found guilty of corruption, together [with other parties], presiding judge I Dewa Gede Suardithan said on Monday. The judges also fined Abu Rp 200 million (US$13,729) and he has to pay Rp 485 million in restitution. I accept the countrys sanction [imposed on me]. I hope this can be a lesson learned to have a better administration free of corruption and collusion in the future, he told the judges after the verdict was announced. The sentence is lighter than the prosecutors demand of eight years, Rp 400 million in fines and Rp 600 million in restitution. In a separate trial, the panel of judges also sentenced Abus former subordinates former industry and trade agency head Weti Lembanawati to five years imprisonment and Rp 200 million in fines, and development planning body head Adiyoto to four years and six months imprisonment and Rp 200 million in fines in the same case. (swd) Former SLFP Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara today said the President had requested the 21 SLFP Parliamentarians to sit in the opposition bench when they attend the parliament session. He said the President had made this request from all SLFP MPs during a meeting with the President last evening. Meanwhile, Parliamentarian Nishantha Muthuhettigama said that they had decided to carry out the task of opposition MPs in Parliament without accepting any Ministerial posts. "MPs have decided to not to extend their support to the present UNF Government, he said. Speaking to the Daily Mirror MP Chandima Weerakkody said none of the SLFP MPs would join the UNF government whose prime aim is to destroy the country. He said none of the MPs except MPs Piyasena Gamage, A. H. M. Fowzie and Manusha Nanayakkara would join the UNF. No one would join the UNF government following the remarks made by the President during his address to the SLFP MPs, MP Weerakkody said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 15:18 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2ae627 4 Business ride-hailing-application,regulation,transportation-ministry Free The government will set price floors for ride-hailing applications in a transportation ministerial regulation that will replace a regulation that had been annulled by the Supreme Court in response to a protest by ride-hailing drivers. Transportation Ministry land transportation director general Budi Setiyadi said the new regulation was an improvement over the previous one. Hopefully, there will be no more resistance to the regulation because we have invited all stakeholders to work on the regulation, Budi said on Sunday as quoted by kontan.co.id. In an attempt to improve security, under the new regulation, ride-hailing drivers will also be required to submit information on vehicle registration documents and driver's licenses to the police. The Association of Online Drivers (ADO) welcomed the new regulation but questioned the absence of a regulation from the Communications and Information Ministry for ride-hailing providers. ADO chairman Christiansen FW said the Transportation Ministry's regulation, to be issued next week, had taken into account drivers interests. The Supreme Court annulled in September Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 108 after drivers protested it for setting low prices that they said were unfair to them. They also rejected the requirement of having to put stickers on the front windows of their cars. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Aaron Kirchfeld (Bloomberg) London, United Kingdom Mon, December 17, 2018 14:12 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2a76e8 2 Business electricity,ABB,Hitachi,acquisition Free Hitachi agreed to buy ABBs power grids division in a deal that values the entire business at $11 billion, a plan thats aimed at turning the Japanese conglomerate into a top global provider of equipment for electricity networks. ABB will return proceeds of $7.6 billion to $7.8 billion through a buyback of shares or other measures, the European company said. Hitachi will acquire about 80.1 percent of the business while ABB will hold the rest. The sale of the business -- which makes power transformers, long distance electricity-transmission systems and energy storage units -- would shrink ABBs revenue by about a quarter and leave the Swiss engineering giant more focused on robotics and automation. For Hitachi, the move is part of Chief Executive Officer Toshiaki Higashiharas efforts to restructure the diversified company, which is vying to become one of the top grid companies in the world, according to a June presentation. A divestment would also meet a longtime demand of activist investor Cevian Capital AB, which became a major ABB shareholder more than three years ago. After conducting a strategic review, Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer defied the investor in 2016 by deciding to hang on to the division, arguing the business was significantly undervalued. That stance changed this year after the value of the power-grids business rebounded following productivity and margin gains, prompting ABB to work with advisers to consider options, people familiar with the matter said in October. The business generated $7.1 billion in revenue in the first nine months of 2018 and a profit margin of 9.8 percent, the lowest of its four units. ABB and Hitachi said last week that they were in discussions to expand and redefine an existing strategic power-grid partnership that dates to 2014, without providing details on the terms. The acquisition will bolster Hitachis position in the growing power transmission and distribution sector, and help it diversify away from its nuclear plant business. The companys atomic reactor sales have dried up as the global industry is beset by overruns, heightened competition from natural gas and renewables, and stricter rules following the Fukushima disaster. Any agreement would add to the $3.5 billion of announced acquisitions Hitachi has been involved in over the last three years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, with the biggest being last years $1.25 billion purchase of units and assets from Accudyne Industries. The deal is the latest major overseas transaction by a Japanese company as financing costs remain low. Takeda Pharmaceutical is on course to complete its $62 billion takeover of Shire after shareholders cleared the deal this month. In October, KKR & Co.s Calsonic Kansei agreed to acquire car-parts maker Magneti Marelli from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV in a deal valued at 6.2 billion euros ($7 billion). Daikin Industries last month agreed to buy Austrian commercial refrigerator maker AHT Cooling Systems GmbH in a deal worth about $1 billion. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru Mon, December 17 2018 President Joko Jokowi Widodo handed over about 6,000 land certificates to residents during his visit to Pekanbaru, Riau, on Saturday, as part of efforts to fulfill his administrations ambitious agrarian reform program. Of the total certificates, 3,000 were part of the land certification program, while the remaining half were certificates of land redistribution under the mechanism of land objects for agrarian reform (TORA). Jokowi distributed the certificates in a symbolic ceremony to 12 residents representing 6,000 recipients from Pekanbaru, Indragiri Hilir, Siak and Pelalawan. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 21:05 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b78e7 1 City jakarta,deputy-governor,selection,Dispute,PKS,Gerindra-Party Free The Gerindra Party's Jakarta chapter has expressed doubt that Jakartans will soon have a new deputy governor, following a prolonged dispute between the party and its long-time ally the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) on the matter. Gerindra and the PKS have yet to meet, let alone agree on the mechanism to select candidates to be proposed to City Council. "It's unlikely [the names] will be submitted [this year]. It would be impossible in this condition since our plan to have a meeting has never been realized," Gerindra Jakarta chapter deputy chairman Syarif told kompas.com on Monday. The two parties had agreed to hold a meeting to discuss the mechanism for screening candidates, Syarif claimed. However, no significant progress has been made although the position has been vacant for around four months, since former deputy governor Sandiaga Uno, who is a Gerindra politician, resigned from the post to become Gerindra's chairman Prabowo Subiantos running mate in the upcoming presidential election. The PKS, meanwhile, kept its stance to reject the test as it would undermine the party's capability in selecting a proper candidate. Syarif said he planned to organize the meeting on Thursday. "We will send another invitation letter [for a meeting with PKS] tomorrow," he said. The Home Ministry previously urged that the selection process be expedited given the crucial position for Jakarta as the capital city. (fac) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 14:33 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2a85b2 1 National jusuf-kalla,Uighur,China,human-rights Free Vice President Jusuf Kalla has reiterated that Indonesia would not interfere in Chinas handling of Uighur Muslims amid pressure from the nations ulema council for the government to step in. Of course we reject or [want to] prevent any human rights violations. However, we dont want to intervene in the domestic affairs of another country, Kalla told journalists on Monday. Reports circulated that the Chinese government had conducted a massive crackdown on Uighur Muslims in the Muslim-majority Xinjiang autonomous region. Previously, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) had condemned China over reports of the crackdown, saying it was not in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that guarantees religious freedom for every human around the world. China signed the covenant in 1998 but has yet to ratify it. The crackdown is an outright violation of basic human rights, as well as international laws, MUI advisory council leader Din Syamsuddin said on Monday, as quoted by Antara. Din, former chairman of Muhammadiyah, Indonesias second biggest Islamic organization, also demanded that the Indonesian government take firm action to advocate for the Uighurs. The president of the Asian Conference on Religions for Peace also urged the international Islamic Cooperation Organization and the international community to push for the Chinese government to guarantee the Uighurs' civil rights. (kuk/swd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alloysius Joko Purwanto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17 2018 French Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe finally announced recently that the government shall suspend the plan to further increase gasoline and diesel prices by the end of this year. This moratorium should at least temporarily calm the violence of the gilets jaunes (yellow vest movement) in France against the unprecedented fuel price increases under Emmanuel Macrons administration in the last couple of months. Motorized vehicle users who have made up the largest segment of the widespread protest movement are unable to bear the situation anymore: In a one-year period, the price of diesel in France has increased by more than 22 percent and that of gasoline by 15 percent. Two factors are behind this increased price. First the growth of the excise duty component in the French fuel price structure and second, the more than 50 percent increase of Brent crude oil prices between June 2017 and September 2018. It is debatable which of the two factors gives more weight to the sharp surge in fuel prices. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login TheJakartaPost Please Update your browser Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. Just click on the icons to get to the download page. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 19:24 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b5216 1 National Papua,Nduga,Wiranto,Istaka-Karya,military,TNI Free The government is maintaining its security focused approach as it hunts down members of an armed rebel group believed to have been responsible for the killing of dozens of construction workers on Dec. 1 in Nduga Regency, Papua, despite local figures' plea for the government to end the armed conflict in the easternmost province. "The laws, [even] international law, allow us to do that. When there are people who declare hostility against the government, it is justified to carry out military action [to address the issue], Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said in Jakarta on Monday. The Indonesian Military (TNI) has been accused of killing five civilians as it continues to hunt down the armed rebel group, which is linked to the Free Papua Movement (OPM). The government has denied the allegation. "We are not trying to violate human rights, we are trying to stop the violations. There will be more victims if we remain calm," he added. The government will also not negotiate with rebels in Papua. "They attempted to mess with the country, and we don't want to listen, he said. Local leaders in Papua have accused the TNI of using explosives and firing guns while hunting down the rebels, resulting in collateral damage and putting civilians caught in the armed conflict in greater danger. Rev. Benny Giay, chairman of the Kemah Injili Church Sinode of Papua, confirmed that five civilians two in Mbua and three in Yigi had been killed when security personnel were attempting to retrieve the bodies of the construction workers, who were employed by state-owned company PT Istaka Karya. "I'm pretty sure that [explosives] were involved. There were seven [explosions] in Yigi and five on Mount Kabo," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. He added that hundreds of villagers across Nduga had fled into the forests since Dec. 3 because of the military crackdown. Their precise whereabouts remain unknown. Odizeus Beanal, the director of the Amungme tribal council (Lemasa) claimed he had been told there was a civilian casualty in Nduga because of a military raid. TNI soldiers have also launched attacks outside the war zones. They prefer to remain in the village and torture the villagers or kill innocent people, he claimed. Wiranto denied the allegations, saying the TNI had never used explosives in Papua. "[Explosives] are expensive. This is their propaganda, Wiranto said. (ggq/swd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Devina Heriyanto (The Jakarta Post) Mon, December 17 2018 The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) has again ruffled some feathers after announcing its strong stance against polygamy, saying the practice which is allowed, if not encouraged, in Islam was not fair to women and children. PSI leader Grace Natalie, who recently angered several Islamic groups for publicly rejecting religious-based bylaws, delivered the partys antipolygamy stance during a party in Surabaya, on Tuesday, according to kompas.com. If we make it to the House of Representatives, we will implement the ban on polygamy for public servants in the government as well as for state civil personnel, she said. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 16:53 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b16a6 4 Business trade-deficit,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,comments,global-challenges Free Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has blamed the global economic slowdown for November's widening trade deficit, which was recorded at US$2.05 billion, an increase from the $1.82 billion deficit recorded in the previous month. We have to look at it carefully. Chinas economic growth is being adjusted both because of its internal policies and the trade war, Sri Mulyani said as quoted by kontan.co.id, adding that global uncertainty contributed to Indonesia's trade deficit. Statistics Indonesia said on Monday that the US$2.05 billion deficit in in November was higher than the $2.03 billion trade deficit recorded in July, then the highest deficit in five years. With the November figure, the year-to-date trade balance sits at minus $7.52 billion. She said the trade balance would still face challenges in the future because of global uncertainties, particularly those triggered by the trade war between the United States and China. Sri Mulyani also noted that the exports performance was affected by weak commodity prices. Meanwhile, the [poor] economic conditions in new markets mean there are limited resources for importing, she said, adding that the government would continue to work harder to boost exports. She said the government policy to impose tariffs on 1,147 items as part of efforts to curb imports had started to work. The volume of imports had in fact declined, she said. (bbn) The Roar Media team Roar Media, the Sri Lanka-based new-media platform that publishes content across South Asia, recently announced a $1 million raise in funding. The round was led by BOV Capital and the Digital Innovation Fund (DIF), who also invested in Roars previous round of funding. BOV and DIF are joined by Hyperion Ventures, Striders Corporation, and two angel investors based in Bangladesh and Singapore. The funding follows in the steps of the company raising its first growth round in October 2017, which saw it through significant expansion. Roar Media has seen considerable success covering current affairs, business, lifestyle, technology, arts, and culture, across South Asia. With a physical presence in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India, Roar publishes content in five languages across eight different sites. Since its founding in 2014, Roar Media has seen engagement grow to 4M+ sessions and over 30M+ video views a month. Publishing reliable, credible content in the vernacular has fuelled much of this growth. The new raise will focus on consolidating existing presences in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and bolster sales and operational teams to increase revenue and reach. Roar Media is also scaling up internal technology teams in order to seamlessly automate the content creation process and also build up their own distribution platforms, thus having to rely less on third party social media sites for distribution. Besides existing operations and revenue models, the funding will serve to break digital ground in the region in terms of how content can be monetized. Along with the current branded campaign model, Roar Media will strengthen its existing Content-As-A-Service model and further bolster its capacity as a one-stop digital marketing solutions provider to businesses. In addition, the company will monetize its extensive content creation expertise by launching a premium content service on its platforms, allowing access through subscriptions or through a pay-per-view model. "Roar is changing the way digital media functions in Sri Lanka and the subcontinent, said Mustafa Kassim, Founder and CEO of Roar Media. We dont chase clicks, instead, we focus on creating content that is credible and engaging. The approach is working well for us, so we applied it across languages with remarkable success. There is a tremendous market for good quality content in the vernacular, and we are breaking new ground by significantly leveraging technology to scale our content creation efforts and to push high impact distribution. We also hope to offer subscription models for premium content in a way that no one else has done. South Asia is an exciting place for new media organizations and we aim to take full advantage of it, which is why we are so delighted to have a diverse pool of investors coming on board with us, who, with their collective expertise, will help us enter these new markets." Roar Headquarters Striders Corporation had this to say about their involvement:With the development of digital infrastructure, supported by fast-growing economies,expanding middle class and young population in the South & South-eastern region, we believe that the emergence of a digital economy is inevitable. The diversified young talent pool and experienced strategic investors of Roars team, made it more attractive for us, to be a part of Roars growth story. We have also identified business synergies between Roar and our Indonesian advertising agency (PT Citra Surya Komunikasi), which may create opportunities for joint projects in future. This also marks expansion of Striders footprint from Sri Lanka to Indian and Bangladeshi markets. Due to these strategic reasons, Striders decided to be a part of Roars journey to grow its presence from South to South-east Asian region. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17 2018 The General Elections Commission (KPU) officially finalized the final voter list (DPT) for the 2019 simultaneous legislative and presidential elections in a plenary meeting on Saturday, with 192.84 million people on the voter roll. The 192.84 million consists of 190.8 million domestic voters and 2 million overseas voters, an increase of about 2 million from the final voter list in the 2014 general election. The number of men and women voters is roughly equal, at around 95 million each. The plenary meeting, held at the Menara Peninsula Hotel in West Jakarta, was attended by members of the KPU, the Elections Supervisory Agency, as well as representatives from political parties, presidential candidate campaign teams and election watchdogs. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 16:37 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b0cb6 1 City Bekasi,fallen-tree,rainy-season Free Residents of Bekasi need to be vigilant when traveling in the West Java city, particularly during the rainy season as over 5,000 trees are at risk of falling, an official has said. Bekasi Spatial Planning Agency acting head Junaedi said over 5,000 trees might get uprooted due to old age. There are over 5,000 trees in Bekasi that could fall down during heavy rain and wind. These trees are [over] 20 years old and were simultaneously planted in 1996, he said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com. He said his office had deployed 20 officers to assess the trees and cut them down if necessary. We prioritize cutting down trees situated on arterial roads and thoroughfares as they might disrupt traffic, he said, urging members of the public to immediately report to the agency should they find trees that are vulnerable. He said the personnel were also carrying out tree topping and pruning. In the past three weeks, there were two incidents in which trees were reported to have fallen in Bekasi. On Nov. 26, a tree fell and hit a minibus on Jl. Pramuka, South Bekasi district. On Dec. 13, two trees were uprooted in Bintara Jaya in West Bekasi and in Pondok Pekayon Indah in South Bekasi. No injuries were reported in the incidents. (fac) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru Mon, December 17, 2018 16:52 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b12e1 1 National PDI-P,Wiranto,Pekanbaru Free The Pekanbaru Police have named two individuals, identified as KS and MW, as suspects of vandalizing campaign material belonging to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the capital of Riau province. Police apprehended both individuals on Sunday after they were found tearing down the partys flags in Tenayan Raya district. Both suspects were immediately detained. They were promised Rp 150,000 [US$10.26] for destroying the banners by a person whose identity is still under investigation, Riau Police chief Insp. Gen. Widodo Eko Prihastopo said during a press briefing on Monday. The police chief dismissed the allegation the suspects were named at the behest of certain parties. The investigation is still ongoing to find another suspect, the mastermind, in this case and another one related to Democratic Party banners. KS and MW were apprehended just one day after the Pekanbaru Police arrested Heryd Swanto, 22, who was caught trying to rip up a Democratic Party banner with a box cutter early on Saturday morning. Also, on Saturday, dozens of the partys flags and banners were found ripped off and torn, on the day party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited the city. PDIP Riau branch chairman Rokhmin Dahuri gave an assurance the suspects were not party members or supporters. Separately, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said there was no ploy behind the incidents. We have instructed authorities to investigate the incidents. We dont want this to affect our national democracy index, Wiranto said on Monday in Jakarta. (kuk/ggq/swd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 16:27 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b0b12 4 Business rupiah,trade-deficit,November,2018 Free The rupiah fell to Rp 14,620 per United States dollar at 1:29 p.m. on Monday, weakening by 0.27 percent from its position on Friday, according to the foreign exchange spot market, after Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced that Indonesia posted a trade deficit in November. According to the Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate (JISDOR), the rupiah exchange rate stood at Rp 14,617 per US dollar on Monday, 0.54 percent lower than its position on Friday. Futures firm PT Garuda Berjangka president director Ibrahim explained that the rupiah depreciation was triggered by both internal and external factors. The trade deficit figure negatively affects the rupiah exchange rate, Ibrahim said as quoted by kontan.co.id. Indonesia recorded a trade deficit of US$2.05 billion in November, the BPS announced on Monday, higher than the $2.03 billion trade deficit in July, which was then its highest deficit in five years. Ibrahim said the sluggish global economy, a trade war between China and the US and Brexit also negatively affected the rupiah. The Federal Reserve is expected to increase the Fed Fund Rate during a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on Dec. 19 and 20. Meanwhile, Bank Central Asia (BCA) economist David Sumual said the weakening of the rupiah was triggered by the expected outcome of the FOMC meeting. There were increases in data that had been published in the United States, like in retail sales, industry production and the manufacturing index. It is in line with the estimation that the Fed will increase the rate, he said, adding that, domestically, the announcement of the trade data significantly contributed to negative sentiment surrounding the rupiah. (bbn). Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin KC Vijayan (The Straits Times/Asia News Network) Singapore Mon, December 17, 2018 15:04 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2ad084 2 SE Asia #SoutheastAsia,#singapore,gay,dad,adoption,surrogate,son Free In a landmark move, the High Court has approved on appeal a gay Singaporean's bid to adopt his biological son, whom he fathered in the United States through a surrogate mum for US$200,000 (S$275,000). The 46-year-old pathologist father had brought the Pennsylvania-born boy, now five, to Singapore, but his bid to adopt him was rejected by a district judge last year. In judgment grounds released on Monday (Dec 17), the three-judge appeal court made clear that its move to reverse the decision was based on the particular facts of the case and should not be taken as an endorsement of what the appellant and his partner set out to do. Our decision was reached through an application of the law as we understood it to be, and not on the basis of our sympathies for the position of either party, wrote Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on behalf of the court, which also included Judge of Appeal Judith Prakash and Justice Debbie Ong. The court said it reached its decision with not insignificant difficulty. On balance, it seems appropriate that we attribute significant weight to the concern not to violate public policy against the formation of same-sex family units on account of its rational connection to the present dispute and the degree to which this policy would be violated should an adoption order be made. But the court found that, based on all the cases circumstances, neither of these reasons is sufficiently powerful to enable us to ignore the statutory imperative to promote the welfare of the child, and, indeed, to regard his welfare as first and paramount. The biological father and his partner, both Singaporeans aged 46, had cohabited for 13 years. They first approached the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to inquire about adopting a child, but were told it was unlikely to recommend adoption by a homosexual couple. The man then travelled to the US where his sperm was used to impregnate the egg of an anonymous donor, using in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures. The embryo was transplanted into the womb of a woman who carried it to term for US$200,000. As the biological father, the Singaporean was allowed to bring the child back here to live with him. He started adoption proceedings to legitimise his relationship with the child but his application was turned down by a district judge last year. This led to the appeal in the High Court (Family Division) where Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal and lawyer Jordan Tan, as briefed by lawyers Koh Tien Hua, Ivan Cheong and Shaun Ho from Eversheds Harry Elias, argued his appeal in July and the judgment was reserved. Ms Kristy Tan, Ms Germaine Boey and Ms Uni Khng from the Attorney-Generals Chambers, in representing the Guardian-in-Adoption appointed by MSF, argued that the concern to promote the childs welfare may be outweighed by other considerations, and objected that the adoption would advance the childs welfare. Adding that public policy is a relevant concern in adoption applications, they said the application should be dismissed, pointing out the present situation is entirely of the couples own making because they went to great lengths to circumvent the laws of Singapore to start a family unit. However, the Court found that while there is a public policy in favour of parenthood within the marriage and a policy against the formation of same-sex units, the welfare of the child would be significantly improved if an adoption order was made. The Court accepted that an adoption order would enhance the childs prospect of remaining in Singapore, as he would be able to apply for Singapore citizenship. If successful, this would stabilise the childs care arrangements and give him a sense of security. It reiterated the importance of the term first and paramount when considering the childs welfare. The court added that the MSF Guardian-in-Adoption who assessed the case did not rely on any public policy against surrogacy, nor did she consider herself able to state clearly what the Governments position on that issue is. Wrote Chief Justice Menon: In the circumstances, given the still evolving nature of the Governments position in the light of the complexities of the substantive issue, we find that the court certainly should not articulate a public policy against surrogacy and give it weight in the present case. To do so would be to fill a space in deliberative social policymaking that the other branches of government, in which the legislative imprimatur lies, have not stepped into or not yet prepared to step into. The Court has no doubt that the Government is studying the position carefully and will in time determine its policy stance and take the appropriate legislative and enforcement action, he added. Reacting to the judgment, lawyer Mr Koh, who acted in the case, said this is the first time surrogacy and gay adoption had been canvassed in court. This is important because family is important no matter the orientation of the parent, and family is the cradle of society, he said. This judgment recognises the important role of the family in the childs life and found that an adoption order would be for the childs welfare. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 17, 2018 19:38 1080 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2b5a94 4 News Central-Java,theme-park,travel,destination,Saloka-Theme-Park Free Central Java officially soft opened a new recreation park on Dec. 15 as it tries to tap into the year-end holidaymaker market. Located in Lopait village, Tuntang district, Semarang regency, Saloka Theme Park is said to be the biggest of its kind in the province. At the inauguration ceremony, Salatiga Mayor Yulianto said he expected the new park, which is situated a few kilometers to the north of Salatiga city, would help boost tourist arrivals to Semarang and Salatiga. From Semarang, the park is around 40 kilometers away or a one-hour car journey. Read also: Nine parks in Jakarta to enjoy The park currently has 22 attractions ready out of the planned 25 attractions, which include a Ferris wheel named Cakrawala and a roller coaster dubbed Lika-Liku. As reported by kompas.com, ticket prices during the month of December are set at Rp 96,000 (US$7)on weekdays and Rp 120,000 on weekends and holidays, which allows visitors to try all the rides as much as they want. (kes) 4 hours ago From Square to Block: Another tech company changes its name SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Theres a new Silicon Valley corporate name change on the block. A month after Facebook renamed itself Meta, Square Inc., the payments company headed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is changing its name to Block Inc. Read Article After an uphill battle by the people,who are not necessarily the fans of the United National Party, a good deal of activism by the civil society, lawyers and online chatter; and finally an unanimous Supreme Court verdict that ruled the dissolution of Parliament as illegal and ultra-vires, Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the prime- minister on Sunday. Now the state media believes that the people of this country owe him for being the prime minister. The people who cherish democracy owe an eternal debt to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was sworn in last morning as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, for walking the gauntlet all the way in achieving for them this victory, a front line newspaper clamoured in a front page editorial. That is the sycophancy of the highest order. And cutouts of Mr. Wickremesinghe have been put up outside many state institutions. There is a good deal of probability that the UNP and Ranil would squander the political capital that it accumulated over the past 50 days, say probably, within the next 50 days. The sudden change of fortune of the UNP had nothing to do with its acumen and hard work. Leading up to President Sirisenas sacking of the government on October 26, the UNP was so unpopular- and it knew that- that it had been shying away from provincial council elections- which have been postponed, under the pretext of delay in delimitating electoral wards. However, the President, coherence of whose policies in political judgments are receding the day by the day, decided to hit his own goal. An impatient Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is reportedly worried about the upcoming court cases against his family- many of his cases would go to trial in the first Q of 2019 - momentarily lost his political machiavellism. Premier Wickremesinghe won without doing anything. Now, the UNPers and many others would expect him not to blow away that political capital. Here are a few ways how he would probably do exactly that. A farcical national govt. The UNP is now considering to form a national government. President Sirisena has ruled against a formal agreement with the UNP. Hence, the new national government would likely to be between the UNP and SLMC, which has only one MP, Ali Zahir Mowlana, who contested separately on the SLMC ticket in the East. Other SLMC MPs are elected on the UNP ticket. The objective of the national government is to exploit a constitutional provision (enabled by the 19A) which provides an exception to the limit on Cabinet of Ministers to 30. It allows the Parliament to decide the number of Cabinet ministers, when there is a national government in power. Article 46. (1) of the constitution states that the total number of (a) Ministers of the Cabinet of Ministers shall not exceed thirty; and (b) Ministers who are not members of the Cabinet of Ministers and Deputy Ministers shall not, in the aggregate, exceed forty. The exception is laid out in Article 46 ( 4) which states Notwithstanding anything contained in paragraph (1) of this Article, where the recognized political party or the independent group which obtains highest number of seats in Parliament forms a National Government, the number of Ministers in the Cabinet of Ministers, the number of Ministers who are not Cabinet of Ministers and the number of Deputy Ministers shall be determined by Parliament. The UNP is now considering to form a national government. President Sirisena has ruled against a formal agreement with the UNP Thus a national government with the one SLMC MP would allow the UNP to disregard the constitutional limit on the number of Cabinet portfolios, and rewards, 20 plus SLFP MPs and six UNP pole vaulters, who now want to support the UNP. Since such support is not extended on the basis of principles, they need to be rewarded with plum cabinet portfolios. This is the cynical logic of the UNPs proposed national government. That is JR Jayawardene style of cruel exploitation of constitution to advance petty personal and political aims. Such strategies have backfired, and the UNP which is functioning on a borrowed political capital does not have the luxury that JR had. Return of Ranils coterie of stooges Mr. Wickremesinghes habit of running the party and the country with a small group of his coterie is despised within the party itself. More alarmingly, serious allegations of corruption were made regarding the exclusive handling of economic policy and Foreign Direct Investment projects. These allegations need to be investigated under any future government or by a presidential commission for they are grotesque and high profile. Then there is PM Wickrmesinghes favourites who are generally assigned to key responsibilities that they are shown to be incompetent of handling. That comes at the expense of the country, the party, and the competent MPs of the UNP, most of whom are disgruntled. Their disgruntlement, temporarily overshadowed by the momentary party unity against the constitutional coup would soon resurface. Premier Wickremesinghe would be doing a favour to the UNP and the country, if he limits his favoritism to where it ought to be. Appoint Ravi K. as a Cabinet Minister Ravi Karunanayake is a competent political manager. But he is tainted with jaw dropping allegations in the bond scam. He is also a key member of Premier Wickremesinghes inner circle just like Arjuna Mahendran had been until he took the flight. Mr. Karunanayake is strongly considered for the minister of finance. (The president could very well appoint him and have the last laugh). However, that would be the beginning of the UNPs undoing . It can happen very soon and very rapidly. Ravi Karunanayake could well win the next Parliamentary election with 200,000 votes from Colombo, primarily from its electoral heartland of Ghettoed Central Colombo and Kolonnawa etc. However, two million undecided voters, or probably more, would be less inclined to support a government or vote for a party that has Mr. Karunanayake as a minister. The UNP should also take note of the unfolding changes of demography of its electorate. It was the party that introduced and heavily relied on rent a crowd protesters of bath packet and the bottle of attack. It was also the party that in the most cynical manner mobilized the economic disadvantaged of the Colombo slums for its election campaign. However, much of that has changed. Some of that electorate are now better economically positioned and less dependent, others have switched side to the SLPP, on the back of Duminda Silva, Mervin Silva at al. The UNP is not winning back that group. Instead, it can lose a good deal of undecided voters of progressive middle class,youth and millenials. Premier Wickremesinghe should manage to build on the current political capital. But if he squander this opportunity, that should not also be a surprise. follow @RangaJayasuriya on twitter He made the statement at a meeting with National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong in Da Nang on December 17, on the sidelines of a two-day conference titled The National Assembly (NA) and sustainable development goals (SDGs), which opened in the city on the same day. Lauding Malhotras participation in the event, NA Vice Chairwoman Phong informed her guest that the NAs recent sixth session had discussed investment and growth contents that closely followed the countrys commitments to the UN SDGs. She stressed that activities held by the NA always receive assistance from UNs associated agencies and organisations in Vietnam. She said Vietnam is facing challenges in mobilising funds for climate change adaptation and difficulties in carrying out its investment policies on infrastructure, electricity, water, and transport development in areas populated by ethnic minorities, particularly mountainous, border, and island locations. The NA Vice Chairwoman hoped that the UN and UN Development Programme (UNDP) in particular would support Vietnam in assessing the impacts of climate change and putting forth urgent measures to handle the issue along coastal areas from Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau. Vice Chairwoman Phong said she hoped the UNDP will work with Vietnam in organising capacity-building programmes to help NA deputies boost their skills and knowledge on international laws. For his part, Malhotra highlighted that the UN is committed to assisting and sharing experience with Vietnam. He said he hoped that both sides will soon establish a working group to run field trips in the northwestern region, particularly Son La province, to study local ethnic minority communities. Underscoring climate change response as a top priority, Malhotra said the UN has built short-term action plans for it and will collaborate with the Vietnamese Government in tackling the challenge. The UNs Green Climate Fund is willing to support related short-term solutions, including the building of houses for Vietnamese people in flood-hit locations. The United States and Australia have welcomed political developments in Sri Lanka. US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz welcomed this weekends political developments, which upheld Sri Lankas democratic and constitutional norms. Sri Lanka is a valued partner in the Indo-Pacific and we look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with the government and people of this country, She tweeted. Meanwhile, Australian High Commission in Colombo said as a longstanding friend and Indian Ocean neighbour, Australia welcomed resolution of the political uncertainty in Sri Lanka by constitutional means. It said in a statement that as a longstanding friend and Indian Ocean neighbour, Australia welcomed resolution of the political uncertainty in Sri Lanka by constitutional means and the demonstrated resilience of Sri Lanka's democratic institutions. We look forward to working with the Sri Lankan Government to take forward its commitments to deliver peace, reconciliation and prosperity, and to build a stronger bilateral relationship, the statement added. In a move that is expected to significantly impact the status of Huawei in global markets, New Zealand authorities effectively prevented the countrys largest telecommunications provider from using Huawei equipment as they upgrade their network. The government officials have issued a warning that Huaweis gear could result in significant security risks, amidst a wider global concern on cybersecurity issues. New Zealand Security Services Warn against Huawei Tech New Zealands Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), a regulatory public body that is tasked with analyzing intelligence and safeguarding the countrys cybersecurity, has concluded that Huawei equipment might jeopardize national security. Leading New Zealand mobile carrier Spark had announced that it would partner up with the Chinese manufacturer while developing its nationwide 5G RAN (radio access network) that is set to launch in July 2020. The 2013 Telecommunications Interception Capability and Security Act (TICSA) obliges telecom companies to notify security services when they plan to implement certain changes to their systems, as telecommunications infrastructure is a critical hacker target and can offer a leeway for foreign states looking to commit espionage or cyber warfare. New Zealands assessment comes at the heels of a similar decision by the Australian government. We have been informed by the Govt that Huawei & ZTE have been banned from providing 5G technology to Australia. This is a extremely disappointing result for consumers. Huawei is a world leader in 5G. Has safely & securely delivered wireless technology in Aust for close to 15 yrs Huawei Australia (@HuaweiOZ) 22 August 2018 In accordance with this requirement, Spark notified the GCSB, which evaluated the case and returned with a negative verdict. This is the first time TICSA has been used to block a supplier. The negative assessment, although not technically a ban, effectively means that Spark cannot use the proposed Huawei equipment. The authorities cite security concerns, yet their decision marks a stark departure from government policy so far. Former New Zealand PM John Key had actively encouraged companies to collaborate with the Chinese firm during his time in office. Yet, in recent years, and amidst an increase in ransomware and other hacker attacks, data security has risen to the forefront of regulatory compliance, with companies taking active steps to protect the data they hold from external threats as well as careless or compromised internal users. The Impact on Huawei's Promising Rise The decision is sure to land a blow on Huaweis credibility, as the company was moving to challenge the dominance of leading international competitors Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market. The Chinese firm managed to snatch second place from Apple in Q2 2018 and consolidated its position in Q3 2018, when it sold 52 million smartphones globally, up from 39.1 million in Q3 2017. By contrast, Apple managed to marginally increase its sales to 46.9 million in Q3 2018, up from 46.7 million shipments in Q3 2017. Samsung still holds on to first place but is losing ground to Huawei: the South Korean company sold 72.2 units in Q3 2018, a significant decline from 83.3 million during the same quarter in 2017. You will find more infographics at Statista Huaweis national competitor Xiaomi, which currently holds fourth place, is also inching closer, having raised its sales to 34.3 million in Q3 2018, compared to 28.3 million in Q3 2017. Yet, the news about the New Zealand assessment might impact Huaweis promising brand status, especially since they are just the last in a string of similar decisions. Last August, the US administration put a ban on the use of Huawei equipment by government executive agencies, while the UK has also launched an inquiry into Huaweis security vulnerabilities. And it was only months ago that Australia also banned Huawei equipment from the countrys 5G networks. It now remains to be seen whether Huawei will move to address the identified vulnerabilities and regain its status as a reliable tech provider beyond the smartphone market. Updated Date: 17 December 2018, 10:03 Doomed Phoenix substandard: international experts PHUKET: Police and international specialists have concluded the sunken Phoenix boat was substandard and illegally approved, and many officials and others connected with the July 5 tragedy will lose their jobs, the immigration chief said. tourismtransportmarinedeathdisastersChinese By Bangkok Post Monday 17 December 2018, 09:05PM The sunken Phoenix was lifted from the 45-metre-deep seabed off Phuket in mid-November. Photo: Transport Ministry via Bangkok Post Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, the immigration police commissioner, said in Phuket today (Dec 17) that crime detection police and specialists from China and Germany examined the vessel after it was salvaged. Chinese and German specialists agree that the boat was substandard It was not built at a shipyard but at a machine shop. Police have laid down charges during the interrogation process. Phuket marine officials were prosecuted for dereliction of duty, he said. Gen Surachate said the boat should have had four watertight doors, but it had only one. Its glass windowpanes should have been of marine grade breakable with a fist but they were not. "Many people died inside the boat because they were unable to break through its glass panes," the immigration chief said. He also said that the boats engine was actually for a Hino truck. The boat was not built with a balanced body and instead used concrete lumps to balance it, Gen Surachate said. A boat construction project should have 40-50 pages of blueprints, but Phoenix had only four to five blueprints, he said. He assured people that authorities would take legal action against the engineers who accepted the boat design and approved its construction, together with the officials who authorised its construction and permitted its operation in the sea. Gen Surachate said that he informed the Chinese consul-general that there would be a press conference to close the case next week. The immigration police chief also said that more Chinese tourists were visiting Thailand thanks to marketing promotions and strict legal measures in response to the Phoenix boat tragedy, which killed 47 Chinese tourists while operating despite a rough sea warning on July 5. Read original story here. Hunt for Phuket oil spill perpetrator underway PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Thanyawat Chanpinit has called on the Phuket Marine Office to identify where the oil spill that washed ashore and coated that waterline black at Tungken Beach at Cape Panwa yesterday (Dec 16) and process the highest legal case against them. environmentaccidentsnatural-resourcestourismtransportmarine By The Phuket News Monday 17 December 2018, 12:21PM Phuket Vice Governor Thanyawat Chanpinit has called on the Phuket Marine Office to identify where the oil spill that washed ashore and coated that waterline black at Tungken Beach at Cape Panwa yesterday (Dec 16) and process the highest legal case against them. A net was sintalled to contain the poil so it could be safely cleaned up. Photo: PR Dept Phuket Vice Governor Thanyawat Chanpinit has called on the Phuket Marine Office to identify where the oil spill that washed ashore and coated that waterline black at Tungken Beach at Cape Panwa yesterday (Dec 16) and process the highest legal case against them. Phuket Vice Governor Thanyawat Chanpinit has called on the Phuket Marine Office to identify where the oil spill that washed ashore and coated that waterline black at Tungken Beach at Cape Panwa yesterday (Dec 16) and process the highest legal case against them. Vice Governor Thanyawat inspected the beach yesterday along with senior officers from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, also located on Cape Panwa, on Phukets southeast coast. Joining the inspection team were officers from Wichit Municipality and the Phuket Marine Office. If we find that any private operators caused this oil spill to contaminate the sea, the province will levy the highest legal case against them, because oil spills affect marine life and degrade our natural resources, Vice Governor Thanyawat said. Phuket Marine Office Acting Chief Wiwat Chitchertwong reported that his officers will conduct checks on ships in the area. Most of the oil spill was cleaned up late yesterday afternoon through a joint effort by marine officers, personnel from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command and staff from nearby hotels. A net was set in place to contain the oil in the water immediately off the beach to make sure it could be removed safely, Mr Wiwat explained. The cleanup yesterday took about two hours. The contaminated sand was bagged and removed, he said. The beach itself is clean but some of the oil was mixed with the coastal water after high tide returned, and so there is still some oil in the water and on rocks in the area, Mr Wiwat added. The cleanup continues today to remove the rest that we can find, he said. Leopard sharks return to East of Eden Similan Islands dive site PHUKET: A inspection of the Similan Islands Marine National Park north of Phuket has confirmed that that marine environment at popular dive sites in the archipelago are recovering well, national parks officers have reported. tourismmarineenvironmentnatural-resourcesanimals By Tanyaluk Sakoot Monday 17 December 2018, 06:14PM The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The marine life at the East of Eden dive site at the Similan Islands is recovering well, national park officers have confirmed. Photo: DNP The inspection of the park, including underwater and onland sites, was from last Thursday through to Saturday (Dec 13-15), officers reported on the official Phuket Marine National Park Operation Center 2 Facebook page today (Dec 17). The underwater inspection included Thai and foreign divers, the officers noted. Of special mention was that the marine environment at Similan Island No 7 also called East of Eden is recovering so well that a pair of leopard sharks have returned the area. Leopard sharks swam near divers who surveyed the underwater environment and damaged reefs. Currently the marine life and corals there are restoring themselves, the officers reported. Phongtheera Buapet, Lecture, Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, who joined the inspection, told The Phuket News, The discovery of marine animals such as these leopard sharks is rare at the Similans. It means that the marine environment is improving greatly. Mr Phongtheera credited the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) introducing quotas to limit the number tourists entering the park as the key reason behind the marine life revival at the Similans. The DNP introduced the quotas in October this year, limiting the total number of visitors to the park to 3,850 a day, with the figure including 525 divers a day. Before the quota was introduced, park saw around 7,000 visitors a day. Last year, 912,000 tourists visited the park. The DNP stood its ground and even rejected a request by tour business operators to postpone the quota system until after the current high season is over. (See story here.) The quota system works because there are far less people affecting marine life here, which allows the marine environment and corals to recover, Mr Phongtheera said. It is impressive to see the corals, sea fans, fish and other marine life getting better, he added. Phuket multitasking bus driver suspended, fined B5k quits job PHUKET: A bus driver exposed online for driving dangerously by allowing his young son to take the wheel and taking a video call while driving a public interprovincial bus from Phuket to Phattalung has had his license suspended and been fined B5,000. tourismtransportSafety By The Phuket News Monday 17 December 2018, 10:52AM Bus driver Surachai Riap-roy (right), 45, confessed to the incident and has since quit his job. Photo: PLTO Bus driver Surachai Riap-roy, 45, confessed to the incident and has since quit his job. Image: Screengrab / Mango Maimai The driver, Surachai Riap-roy, 45, has also quit his job. Facebook user Mango Maimai posted photos and videos of her unsettling experience on the popular Khab Rod Baepnee Tong Prachan Phuket (Driving like this must be condemned) Facebook page on Saturday (Dec 15). In he post, Mango Maimai said she called Phatthalung Thaksin Co on Friday night to book a ticket from Phuket to Phatthalung. She was told that all the regular seats were booked but that she could take an extra seat if she wanted. She agreed and boarded the bus in Muang Mai, northern Phuket, at 9:15pm. As she was paying the attendant, she noticed the driver was teaching his young son to drive, with the boy sitting on his fathers lap and holding the steering wheel. The driver kept teaching his son to drive. Worse still, he was making a video call from his mobile phone to chat. I immediately decided to get off the bus at Tha Chatchai (the next stop), she wrote. He doesnt care for the safety of the passengers on board. This is a passenger bus, not a childrens playground for use as a driving exercise. How many lives are in your hands? she said in her post. As of this morning (Dec 17), Praprai Sounkul, Chief Policy Specialist at the Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO), confirmed that the driver, Surachai, had already been brought to task over the incident. Following the video on social media in the case of a Phuket public bus divers careless diving and also teaching his son, 7, to drive, I ordered the driver and (representatives of) the bus company's to come to the PLTO to explain themselves, he said. The driver, Surachai, confessed that he was the driver in the video posted online. However, he said that he still had his hand on the wheel while his son was driving the bus. My son got off the bus at the Phang Nga Bus Terminal, and I continued driving to Songkhla (the buss final destination), Surachai said in his statement to the PLTO. In turn, Mr Prapai confirmed, The Phuket Land Transportation Office has suspended the drivers license for one mouth and fined him B5,000 for careless diving. However, Surachai has already said that he will no longer drive public buses for a living. He expressed his regret for the incident and said, I take full responsibility for this and I have quit my job as a bus driver to take up another career. Habitat for Humanity completes houses 30, 31 in Watertown Two of Watertowns locally owned businesses honored for their support and partnership to Habitat for Humanity Greater Watertown Region. In the uproar over Carlos Ghosns alleged financial improprieties, the former chairman of Nissan Motor Co. has received most of the heat. Now, the scrutiny has expanded to the role of the Japanese automaker and its chief executive officer: Hiroto Saikawa. Tokyo prosecutors on Dec. 10 indicted Nissan, as well as Ghosn, for allegedly misleading investors and the government about how much the company was paying its top executive. For Nissan, a potential $6.2 million (U.S.) fine for filing false financial statements may only be the start of its troubles. Prosecutors charged Nissan with breaching Japans financial instruments and exchange law by under-reporting Ghosns compensation by about $43 million. Ghosn has been in custody in a Tokyo jail since his arrest on Nov. 19, with Nissan accusing him of the income-reporting violations and misusing the carmakers assets, including Nissan-owned houses. He faces a 10-year prison term if convicted. The indictments raise questions about Nissans corporate governance and cast attention on the leadership of Saikawa, Ghosns protege and a longtime board member, so much so that his job may even be on the line, according to analysts and people familiar with the situation inside the company. Hes at risk, said Tatsuo Yoshida, an analyst at Sawakami Asset Management in Tokyo and a former Nissan employee. Prosecutors are certainly scrutinizing the role of Saikawa and other executives. Board meeting Nissan said Saikawa has led company-wide efforts to identify and resolve governance and compliance issues since the start of his tenure. The company, which is scheduled to have a board meeting Monday, also said its three external directors are discussing the creation of a committee to improve governance and oversight of board compensation. At todays board meeting, directors may postpone a decision on Ghosns successor to focus instead on setting up the governance committee, a person familiar with the matter said. In the four weeks since Ghosn and his deputy, Greg Kelly, were arrested and jailed, Nissans board has drawn criticism for having appointed an ex-race car driver to provide outside oversight and failing to set up an external committee on executive pay. Ghosns legal council says accusations against the executive are flawed because Ghosn never signed written agreements that he was to receive any deferred payments after retirement, according to a statement by the office of his lawyer, Motonari Otsuru. At first the prosecutor said this is the result of two bad eggs that were going to indict criminally and if we can just surgically remove them, everything will be fine, said Stephen Givens, a Tokyo-based corporate lawyer. But thats not the way its turning out to be. Nissan last month removed Ghosn as chairman of the board, but the Japanese automakers partner and largest shareholder, Renault SA, has voted to keep the jailed executive as its chairman. In a statement, the French companys board said its legal council will continue to examine the evidence provided by Nissan. Renaults decision to keep Ghosn at its helm may escalate tensions with its Japanese partner, which have all but exploded into the open since his shock arrest. Nissan has long been unhappy about what it considers an outsized French role in the partnership, and is seeking to redress perceived imbalances, people familiar with the matter have said. In a sign of deepening divide between the partners, Renault is pushing Nissan to call a shareholder meeting as soon as possible to discuss the Japanese automakers indictment, governance and the French companys appointees on Nissans board, people familiar with the matter said. Investor pressure The scandal has underscored a pattern of oversight failings at Nissan that could be very costly, if it scares off institutional investors, according to Koji Endo, an analyst at SBI Securities Co. in Tokyo. The stock has lost about 7 per cent in four weeks, erasing almost $3 billion in shareholder value. For institutional investors who put a priority on compliance and governance, its impossible to invest in this kind of company, Endo said. Thats obviously going to put downward pressure on the share price. Janet Lewis, an analyst at Macquarie Capital Securities, said the alleged irregularities in Nissans securities disclosures, as small as the numbers may be, force investors to look more closely at the automakers other lapses. Nissan has had to recall more than a million vehicles in the past two years, following revelations unqualified workers were performing safety checks. The latest recall, which came this month, involved improper tests of steering and brakes. There was nothing wrong with the cars. It was a problem of process, Lewis said. But at a certain point it starts to look like a systemic issue with the checks and balances inside this company. Read more about: Canada was looking for a way out of a $13 billion deal to export armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a televised interview Sunday. We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia, Trudeau told CTV on Sunday, without elaborating. Amid growing international outrage over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the government has been reviewing the planned sale of the armoured vehicles made by London, Ontario-based General Dynamics Land Systems, a unit of U.S.-based General Dynamics Corp. Trudeaus administration has said it wouldnt issue new export permits during its review of the deal, which was signed by the previous government. The Canadian leader had indicated previously that his governments hands were somewhat tied by the contract, saying it could cost $1 billion to cancel it. The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and thats why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that, Trudeau told CTV. Read more: Editorial | Canada is right to push back against Saudi crimes Opinion | Gillian Steward: Why is Canada still importing Saudi Arabias dirty oil? Presence of Saudi crown prince complicates G20 for Canadian government Read more about: A week after Chinas spy agency detained a former Canadian diplomat, his employer still doesnt know what specific allegations hes being investigated for or when he may be charged or released. The International Crisis Group was seeking a meeting with the Chinese authorities to explain what Michael Kovrig was doing and seek information about what he has been charged with, Robert Malley, the groups chief executive officer, said by phone Monday. I refrain from speculating about why they are holding him, but they are not holding him because of espionage, Malley said. It is pretty clear that what he was doing was neither secretive, nor in anyway endangering Chinese national security. Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who now works for the Brussels-based non-profit conflict-prevention organization, was detained Dec. 10 in Beijing by a branch of Chinas Ministry of State Security. Another Canadian, Michael Spavor, who organizes North Korea trips for foreigners including ex-basketball star Dennis Rodman, was detained the same day. Both were suspected of activities endangering national security, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last week. Not Acceptable The arrest of the two Canadians came against the background of what Chinas foreign ministry has described as public anger over Canadas arrest of Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou earlier this month on a U.S. extradition request. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo called the detentions unlawful, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Chinas behaviour was not acceptable in a television interview with Citytv which aired Friday morning. Read more: Ex-diplomat who worked on Trudeaus Hong Kong visit detained in China Friend of Canadian ex-diplomat detained in China describes feeling of helplessness Opinion | Joanna Chiu: My friend Michael Kovrig was arrested in China. Please, pay attention Canadian officials were allowed to visit Kovrig in Beijing on Friday and Spavor on Sunday. Tensions between Canada and China have been rising since the Dec. 1 detention of the Huawei executive. The two countries jointly agreed to postpone a visit by Canadas tourism minister next week. China strongly urges Canada to correct its mistake and release Meng, and to protect the relevant persons legal rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing Monday in Beijing. China also strongly urges the U.S. to withdraw the arrest warrant. Open Research China has deflected questions about whether the Kovrig and Spavor cases are linked. Malley said Kovrig was engaged in the usual activities of a Crisis Group analyst openly meeting with people and talking to them about how best to prevent and resolve deadly conflict. It would be the worst case of espionage possible because his research is open, his interactions are open, his publications are open and they are all available on our website, Malley said. Michael would meet with Chinese officials both to tell them what he had heard and ask them what their views are and to share with them any policy recommendations that came out of the meetings that they had. Malley said he wasnt familiar with Spavors case. If the Chinese authorities are making a linkage, I dont know why they are making it, apart from the fact that these are two Canadians who are both working on China-related issues, Malley said. Read more about: Glencore Plcs Congolese copper and cobalt unit has agreed to settle with Canadas Ontario Securities Commission over an investigation into its accounting, the two sides said, without disclosing the terms of the settlement. The settlement would also cover several current and former executives and directors at the unit, Katanga Mining Ltd., including Glencores head of copper trading Aristotelis Mistakidis, whose retirement was announced earlier this month. The settlement agreement will be considered at a public hearing on Tuesday, according to separate statements from Katanga and the OSC on Monday. Mistakidis and two other Glencore executives stepped down as directors of Katanga last year after an internal review had found material weaknesses in its financial reporting controls. Katanga, which is 86 per cent owned by Glencore, said that it was required to keep the terms of the settlement agreement confidential until the hearing. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Katanga and the individual executives and directors would pay more than $22 million (U.S.) to Canadas biggest stock market regulator. In a separate document, the OSC set out its allegations against Katanga and the individuals. The document alleges that:Katanga overstated its copper production by about 8,000 tons in 2014 after the Glencore directors on its board participated in instructing management to report output at a certain level. It did so, in part, by issuing a provisional invoice to Glencore for 6,650 tonnes of non-existent copper cathode dated Dec. 31, 2014. Katanga failed to disclose the risks posed by its reliance on individuals and entities associated with Dan Gertler, the Israeli businessman who was placed under U.S. sanctions last year for allegedly corrupt deals in Congo. Katanga relied upon and paid associates of Gertler to maintain relations with the DRC government and for a variety of other services which required interactions with DRC government officials to represent Katangas interests. Katanga paid a total of $146 million in royalty and pas de porte payments to a company associated with Gertler between 2013 and 2015. Read more: Canada fines Glencore mining unit for Congo risks, WSJ reports Glencores Congo Unit Halts Sales of Radioactive Cobalt Congo lifts export ban on Glencores copper and cobalt unit Malaysia turned up the heat on Goldman Sachs Group Inc., filing the first criminal charges against the U.S. bank in relation to the 1MDB scandal. Authorities alleged that Goldman misled investors when the bank knew that proceeds from 1MDB bond sales it arranged would be misappropriated. The government is seeking fines well in excess of both the $2.7 billion (U.S.) of allegedly misused funds and the $600 million in fees received by Goldman on the deals. Goldman has blamed rogue employees for any wrongdoing in relation to 1MDB, a state-owned investment fund. Their fraud goes to the heart of our capital markets, Malaysian Attorney General Tommy Thomas said in a statement in announcing the charges on Monday. If no criminal proceedings are instituted against the accused, their undermining of our financial system and market integrity will go unpunished. Goldman Sachss role raising about $6.5 billion for 1MDB in 2012 and 2013 has evolved into its thorniest scandal since the global financial crisis a decade ago triggered a public backlash against banks. Former Goldman partner Tim Leissner has pleaded guilty to U.S. bribery charges and his former deputy, Roger Ng, was arrested in Malaysia. It put a third Asian executive on leave. Along with targeting the firm, Malaysia filed related charges against Leissner and Ng, as well as former 1MDB employee Jasmine Loo Ai Swan and fugitive financier Low Taek Jho. Goldman Sachs will vigorously defend against the charges, spokesman Edward Naylor said in an email. We believe these charges are misdirected, he said, adding that the bank continues to co-operate with all authorities investigating the matter. Read more: Lloyd Blankfeins final days at Goldman clouded by 1MDB scandal Goldman ex-managers charged in Malaysian money laundering scheme The indictment focuses on circulars and memoranda that Goldman prepared for the 1MDB bonds, saying that they contained statements that were false or misleading or both. Malaysia is pursuing the claim on the basis that the relevant bond documents were sent to the regulator in its offshore banking haven in Labuan, and therefore were covered by its securities law, Thomas said in the statement. Malaysia is filing the charges against three of the banks units Goldman Sachs International (UK), Goldman Sachs (Singapore) and Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC The Edge newspaper reported, citing charge sheets from the Kuala Lumpur court. The criminal charges of this nature are grave, and it goes to the core of Goldmans business as an investment bank, said Nizam Ismail, a partner at RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP in Singapore. If the outcome of the case results in a criminal conviction against the bank, there are potentially severe reputational and financial risks to the bank, as well as the banks standing as a licensed financial institution with regulators worldwide. Officials in Malaysia had previously said they were seeking a full refund from Goldman Sachs for the fees it received for the 1MDB bond sales. The $600 million Goldman earned from the bond issues dwarfed what banks typically make from government deals. Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, the alleged mastermind of the schemes to siphon billions of dollars from 1MDB, was also charged in absentia in the U.S. He was accused of conspiring with Ng, then a Goldman Sachs banker, to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB, known formally as 1Malaysia Development Bhd. A spokesman for Low issued a statement from his attorneys that he maintained his innocence. The Federal Reserve, meanwhile, is ramping up an investigation into how executives dodged the banks internal controls while helping Malaysian authorities raise the money, people briefed on the matter said last month. The probe examines the actions of Goldman Sachs as well as individuals and has been gaining momentum, the people said, asking not to be identified because the inquiry is confidential. And two Abu Dhabi funds, International Petroleum Investment Co. and Aabar Investments have sued Goldman Sachs in a civil suit in New York, seeking damages for alleged fraud in connection with embezzlement at 1MDB. In Switzerland, the attorney-generals office said in a statement Monday the Malaysian charges have no direct effects on Swiss criminal proceedings. Six people and two banks, Falcon Bank and BSI SA, remain the subject of the investigation, the prosecutors office said. Two of the six individuals, a lawyer and senior executive at 1MDB who worked with Goldman, are suspected of bribery, money laundering, misconduct in public office and criminal mismanagement, according to the attorney-generals office. What was the death knell for Bombardier Transportation (BT), the rail division of Bombardier Inc.? Was it the 2017 decision by New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority to disqualify BT from even bidding on a landmark contract for as many as 1,800 rail cars? Was it the 2017 decisions in Bombardiers home Canadian market by the transit systems of Montreal and Toronto to order their next-gen rail cars from China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. (CRRC) and Frances Alstom SA, respectively? Or, finally, was it the decision announced last week by Via Rail, yet another firm in Bombardiers home country, to award a $1-billion (Cdn) contract for railcars to Germanys Siemens AG? There have been many such setbacks at BT. Always, BTs record of unreliability in delivering glitch-free products on time is why it loses contracts. And each setback also costs BT lucrative after-sales service contracts. You could say that its time for Bombardier to shed its arrogant incompetence (problems with faulty BT equipment are usually the buyers fault, in BTs view), now that archrivals Siemens and Alstom are merging, with combined global market share more than twice that of BTs approximately 4 per cent. And BT has no realistic hope of holding off Chinese state-owned industry leader CRRC (13 per cent market share), a growing threat to BT in North America, where it already has planted its flag in Montreal, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia. You could say that. But, as a still-bloated General Motors Co. has shown us in waking up one morning with the realization it needed to shutter seven North American plants including GM Oshawa, entrenched cultures of arrogant complacency that are decades in the making usually end only with liquidation. Canadas resilient banks Two warnings last week of economic turbulence ahead should be assessed in a larger, favourable context. The federal banking regulator last week ordered Canadian banks to tighten their lending standards, ahead of a possible economic slowdown in 2019 and a resulting rise in loan losses. And Citigroup Inc. warned of a possible debt crisis for Canada and, indeed, the world, over the next three years. Consider, though, that three years is a long time, and that at least some of the troubles currently besetting the world are temporary. To wit, trade wars, Brexit, slumping commodity prices, the easing in Chinas once-torrid GDP growth rate, and geopolitical instability ranging from Russian adventurism to severe economic distress in major economies such as Brazil. But the trade wars will abate, since there are only losers on all sides. Europes economic crisis is waning. Brexit will resolve itself, perhaps not in ideal fashion but with the crippling uncertainly removed. Lower oil prices benefit emerging economies. Chinas GDP is poised for a modest uptick, and Japan has just recorded its second-longest postwar stretch of GDP growth uninterrupted by recession. Add in continued U.S. buoyancy, and the worlds three biggest economies are robust. Canadas Big Six banks have bolstered their reserves to withstand above-average loan losses. Should those occur, the contagion were warned of a jump in Alberta loan losses spreading elsewhere is unlikely. For instance, Quebecs much larger economy is posting unusually strong growth. Preparing for the worst is wise. But there is such a thing as the Cassandra who has predicted seven of the last two downturns. This probably isnt a time to go long on pessimism. Making the internet safe Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web, in 1990, is waging a campaign to enable us to be online freely, safely and without fear. So far, more than 50 organizations have signed up for his mission to create a Magna Carta for the web, rules of proper conduct devised by governments, business and individuals, who then adhere to them. Ahead of the Magna Cartas scheduled publication May 2019, you can monitor its development at Berners-Lees World Wide Web Foundation . Among the early signatories to the Magna Carta project are Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. It only makes sense that these two firms, which dominate what was intended to be a public commons, be at the table. Then again, the business model for Facebook and Google is the harvesting of intimate data of billions of people for sale to parties unknown, for use as they see fit. As such, they are prime candidates for transformation into non-profit utilities. Berners-Lee is confident that the likes of Facebook and Google feel a moral obligation to clean up their vast ecosystems. People in the big companies are concerned about truth and democracy, he has told the U.K. Guardian. That is a strikingly naive proposition. Fact is, civility and the profit motive dont easily mix, not online, in medicine, and many other realms. But if Berners-Lee can galvanize the forces required to clean up the Web, he will be owed a second debt of gratitude. Gordon Brown, the former U.K. prime minister and an early signatory to the Magna Carta, has put it well: Tim Berners-Lee has pinpointed one of the great human rights issues of our time. Read more about: MONTREALA former hospital executive who pocketed a $10-million bribe in return for helping engineering giant SNC-Lavalin win a Montreal hospital-building contract was sentenced Monday to 39 months in prison. Quebec court Judge Claude Leblond sentenced Yanai Elbaz in a case that has been described by Quebec authorities as the largest corruption fraud case in Canadian history. Elbaz and Arthur Porter, the former CEO of Montreals English-language superhospital received a total of $22.5 million to rig the bidding process to favour SNC-Lavalin, an agreed statement of facts in the case said. Porter died a fugitive in Panamanian custody in 2015 without ever facing trial. Leblond accepted a joint recommendation from the defence and Crown that followed Elbazs Nov. 26 guilty plea. The court considers the common suggestion proposed is an adequate sentence in the circumstances, Leblond said. It is not contrary to the public order. Elbaz pleaded guilty to four charges: accepting a bribe, influence peddling, breach of trust and money laundering. In an agreed statement of facts tied to Elbazs plea, the former MUHC senior manager admitted to giving privileged information to SNC-Lavalin to help its submission for the contract to build a massive hospital complex in west-end Montreal. Elbaz also admitted to denigrating SNCs competitors in front of the hospitals selection committee. Elbaz has been detained since his guilty plea, and Leblond took those days in custody into consideration, knocking 32 days off his sentence. Elbaz is prohibited from communicating with former and current SNC-Lavalin executives as well as potential witnesses in pending trials. The only outstanding case among those originally charged is former SNC-Lavalin chief executive Pierre Duhaime. His trial is set to begin in February. Prosecutor Claudie Lalonde-Tardif welcomed the sentence, saying prosecutors will seek orders to seize Elbazs bank accounts and a home in the coming weeks. Its certainly a message of dissuasion, she said. It is a significant sentence under the circumstances, and it reminds people crime doesnt pay, and there will be significant sentence handed down by the courts. Before declaring the sentence, Leblond ruled against the McGill University Health Centre, which had been seeking an order granting it $6-million frozen in Elbazs Swiss bank account. Alexander De Zordo, a lawyer for the hospital, had told the court the MUHC contract was inflated by up to 20 per cent, meaning it is owed as much as $934 million. While the contract to build the hospital complex was $1.3 billion, the total cost was close to $4.6 billion when costs of managing the public-private partnership were factored in. Since seeking $934 million from Elbaz is unrealistic, De Zordo suggested the hospital should receive at least what is in the frozen bank account. Leblond noted in his ruling that damages would not be easily calculated and said the matter should be dealt with through civil proceedings. He said he would leave it up to a Quebec Superior Court judge hearing the civil case to decide the fate of the $6 million an amount traced back to the $10 million payoff. Read more about: Donald Stewart, who turned 94 this month, recalled the moment 75 years ago when he learned his compatriots in the Canadian army had won the Battle of Ortona. Stewart, then still a teenager, was at the Canadian headquarters in the Italian coastal town after delivering supplies from the port. As news of the victory arrived, so too did word that two of his brothers had been killed in the fighting. Ill never forget it, he said. In those days you had to take the good with the bad. Stewart was among the Second World War veterans who gathered at Sunnybrook hospital Sunday afternoon for a small event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Canadian victory in the Battle of Ortona, regarded as one of the toughest battles of the Canadian campaign in Italy. A.E. Al Stapleton and Ed Stafford, 99 and 97 years old, respectively, were also in attendance. Like Stewart, Stapleton and Stafford were at the Canadian headquarters during the battle and not involved in the actual fighting. Which is, of course, one of the reasons why Im still here, Stapleton said. As part of Sundays commemoration, the veterans drank from a bottle of red wine given to them five years ago by the mayor of Ortona to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Canadian victory and the towns liberation. The battle took place over eight days from Dec. 20 to 28, 1943, pitting the Canadian 1st Infantry Division against two battalions of elite German paratroopers. Ortonas position overlooking the Adriatic Sea was of strategic importance because it was one of the few deep-water ports on the east coast. German troops had been ordered to fight for every last house and tree, according to historian Mark Zuehlke. Canadian casualties in Ortona totalled 650, including more than 200 killed. Since the town had not been evacuated before the fighting started, its estimated that more than 1,300 civilians were killed. The battle was fought in close quarters in the towns rubble-filled streets, amid booby-trapped houses and the constant threat of exploding landmines. The street fighting was so intense that the battle earned the nickname Little Stalingrad or Italian Stalingrad among those who fought in it. In order to avoid walking through the streets, where they would be vulnerable to German fire, Canadian troops in Ortona developed a technique called mouse-holing, in which they would blast holes through adjoining houses in order to advance on German troops. The Battle of Ortona was an eight-day nightmare, said Larry Rose, author of two books on Canadas role in the Second World War. It was one of the grimmest and most brutal battles of the war for the Canadian army. Rose, who also spoke at Sundays event, said Ortona was not one of the biggest battles of the war for Canadians and it did not shift the strategic balance of power. But the conditions in which it was fought made it remarkable. Its remembered for the iron determination, the resolute will power and the shining character of the Canadian soldiers in the battle, he said. They simply would not quit in the face of dire adversity. In June 2016, a charity representing the Italian-Canadian community donated to the City of Toronto a bronze sculpture depicting a 3D topographical map of Ortona, illustrating the destruction of the town following the battle. The sculpture, titled Peace Through Valour, commemorates all of the Canadian soldiers who fought in Italy in the Second World War. It is located outside City Hall, near the statue of Winston Churchill. New legislation proposed by Premier Doug Ford is causing concern that parts of the two-million-acre Greenbelt could be paved over for development. If the province passes Bill 66, critics fear that commercial developers could bypass several long-standing laws that aim to protect the natural environment. The proposed legislation, called the Restoring Ontarios Competitiveness Act, aims to reduce red tape for businesses seeking planning approvals. Ford has repeatedly said that the intention of the omnibus legislation is not to open up the Greenbelt to housing development. Ford assured delegates to the Toronto Global Forum on Wednesday that his push to cut unnecessary red tape is not about opening up the Greenbelt. Right now we have more than double the regulations that we have in British Columbia. Just imagine this, 380,000 regulations . . . right here in Ontario. Thats staggering. That makes it almost impossible to do business, he said. Economic Development Minister Todd Smith, who tabled Bill 66, said the Progressive Conservative government would keep its campaign promise to not allow development on the Greenbelt. The Star reached out to mayors across the GTA for their reaction to the bill. (Some municipalities didnt provide a comment in time for deadline.) Toronto: City staff are reviewing Bill 66 and its implications. Mayor (John) Tory believes existing environmental and planning safeguards are especially important in a rapidly growing region. There are other ways to make the approval process more efficient without jeopardizing those safeguards. Don Peat, spokesperson for Tory HALTON REGION Burlington: We stand firm in our commitment to protecting our Greenbelt from development and protecting our farm families and rural agricultural economy. We will also ensure our residents benefit from the protections in all the other pieces of legislation referred to in Bill 66. We will not be comprising their safety or quality of life for speed. I do not see Burlington using this legislation, if it is passed. At the same time, well do everything we can to ensure Burlington is open for business. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward Oakville: The Open for Business zoning bylaw removes the ability for local residents or councillors to influence planning decisions. Specifically, if adopted, the bylaw would allow development to go forward with no public notice, no consultation and no appeal. Additionally, the bylaw would override a hold or H placed on land by the local councillor or council body, and would exempt developers from their obligations under Section 37 of the Planning Act. This bill is bad for municipalities and bad for constituents. As local representatives, we know that managing development is one of the top responsibilities our residents task us with. It is not in their interest, or ours, to see Open for Business zoning put in place. Mayor Rob Burton, in a letter to the Greenbelt Leaders co-chair on Wednesday. Halton Hills: This is a complex bill with many components to it as it includes 12 ministries. I dont want to see diminished changes to the Clean Water Act or seeing the Greenbelt peeled back for residential purposes. I do support the governments larger objective; wanting to see planning decisions moved along faster than in the past while not compromising safety of our water and the environment. We appreciate the government looking for ways to help communities grow. Mayor Rick Bonnette Milton: As I understand it, what theyre proposing is restoring some of Ontarios competitiveness and I have absolutely no problem with that whatsoever. Part of it, as I understand it, is that theyre eliminating a lot of the red tape, and allowing municipalities to act quickly in attracting new business and Im all for that, but certainly and I want to make it clear certainly not at the expense of the environment and all of those other things that go along with it. . . . Im about preservation, but Im also about common sense. Mayor Gordon Krantz PEEL REGION Mississauga: While we are always looking for ways to cut red tape and make it easier for companies to establish themselves in our city, we must balance this with our commitment to protecting our shared environment and the safety of our residents for future generations to come. Sustainability and responsible development have always been our guiding principles, and we will continue to carefully review every single development application before it proceeds. Its important to note that Mississauga is already a leader in making it easier for businesses to invest in our city. We have designated pre-zoned lands for business, authorized the issuing of conditional building permits, and created a development liaison position to facilitate the development application process. Mayor Bonnie Crombie Caledon: The town is currently reviewing the potential impacts of Bill 66 on our community. While council as a whole makes decisions as they relate to development, I can say that the preservation and protection of Caledons agricultural land and natural environment is very important to the residents of Caledon and must be strongly considered in all decisions made by council. Mayor Allan Thompson DURHAM REGION Pickering: Its too premature for Mayor Dave Ryan to comment on Bill 66 at this time. As this has just literally landed on our desk, our planning staff have not yet had an opportunity to review and discuss in thorough detail. In turn, they will brief the mayor accordingly. Mark Guinto, manager, public affairs and corporate communications Whitby: Town staff are currently reviewing Bill 66 and will be reporting to council in early 2019. Mayor Don Mitchell Clarington: Our Planning Services Department, as well as Clarington Board of Trade and Office of Economic Development, work with developers to walk them through the planning process to eliminate any red tape. . . .The municipality follows its Official Plan as well as regional and provincial policies that guide planning applications. Clarington is watching developments on Bill 66; it is too early to comment on the details of the proposed legislation. If and when Bill 66 is approved, Clarington council will decide the municipalitys position and how we will move forward. Mayor Adrian Foster Uxbridge: We must find a balance between protecting our environment and creating jobs close to our homes. I hope that our municipal and provincial governments can work together to find that balance. Mayor Dave Barton Scugog: Greenbelt communities like Scugog require an enhanced degree of sustained financial assistance from the province, either through direct transfer payments, guaranteed grants, or through some degree of preferential weighting in grant application and suitable and sustainable planning processes. The township is encouraged with the proposal to provide opportunities to permit manufacturing and research development that creates a large number of jobs. We would only consider controlled development of small border sections of lands that are adjacent to our industrial areas (e.g. Port Perry and Blackstock) Mayor Bobbie Drew YORK REGION Markham: Mayor Frank Scarpitti welcomes the governments removal of red tape, but promised that the city would not turn our back on the environment. Its perhaps a little early for me to be sounding the alarm bells, Scarpitti said in a phone interview. Aurora: I am greatly concerned about the implications of the new open for business legislation, in particular as it speaks to potential impacts to the integrity of the Greenbelt. I personally would not be in favour of entering discussions with the province regarding the potential removal of any town lands that are currently protected areas and would oppose any such move. Our Official Plan reflects our communitys collective vision for current and future planning. And as such, the OP clearly designates land that is protected. It also provides clearly designated land to meet future employment land needs in the long term. We have no need to discuss the option of removing designated land from protected areas. Mayor Tom Mrakas Vaughan: Were still reviewing the legislation. Michael Genova, director, corporate and strategic communications Georgina: With the recent tabling of Bill 66 from the province, council is interested in learning more details as to what exactly this will mean. Council will be looking to engage staff for further research and exploration of how this will impact residents and our community as a whole. Mayor Margaret Quirk King: King Township isnt prepared to make a comment on Bill 66 at this time as our planning department is still reviewing the bill on its potential impacts on the municipality. We anticipate a staff report on the issue will be brought to council in January. Jason Ballantyne, communications officer Richmond Hill: We will continue to monitor the progress of Bill 66 and its associated proposed regulation. We are asking our staff for a report and the Region of York for a report on any impact on our planned urban structure and our infrastructure master plan so we can take a position before Jan. 20, 2019. Richmond Hill is strongly committed to the conservation of our natural environment. For example, our Official Plan has been developed around the protection of the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt areas. . . . The bill may be a tool to create employment lands along the 400 series highways that are needed to carry goods and services but that does not affect every municipality. Mayor Dave Barrow Newmarket: It is still unclear how the new regulation could affect the planning process at both the upper and lower tier of municipal government. Environmental protections are an important and valued part of the planning regime in Ontario as is public consultation. I will be waiting for staff reports at both the town and the region to see how our staff feel these issues are either being addressed or compromised. I do see this as a potentially significant legislative change and will be following it closely. Mayor John Taylor East Gwillimbury: At this time, the proposed revisions to Bill 66 are in the early stages of development. East Gwillimbury Council has not yet had an opportunity to fully review the proposed revisions. However, this matter will certainly remain on Councils radar, and will be closely monitored. As more information becomes available we will be able to review and respond at that time. Mayor Virginia Hackson AMO Association of Municipalities of Ontario: Bill 66 sets out a framework for a new land use planning tool. We understand the intent is to facilitate the zoning of lands for industrial and commercial uses; it is not for residential development. The framework rests on the Minister of Municipal Affairs review criteria, and on the ministers approval to use the new tool. The criteria will be important. We will need details about the approval criteria before we can provide a meaningful analysis. AMO Executive Director Pat Vanini With files from Ilya Banares, Robert Benzie and Emerald Bensadoun. On Sunday, Nov. 18, at around 1:30 p.m., a 23-year-old Ajax man named Cardinal Licorish was shot to death in an apartment building in Torontos West Hill neighbourhood. Police found Licorish suffering from gunshot wounds in a stairwell inside the building near the intersection of Lawrence Ave. and Kingston Rd. in Scarborough. He died at the scene. With his death, the citys 90th homicide this year, Toronto passed its record for killings in a year 89, set in 1991 with 44 days remaining in 2018. As of Dec. 28, that total had risen to 96. This year, Toronto has seen 51 gun deaths, 20 fatal stabbings and 12 homicides in a pair of shocking incidents of mass violence, the Yonge St. van attack and the Danforth mass shooting. Forty-six of the those killed were under the age of 30; 10 were minors. Seventy-five men and boys; 21 women and girls. By the Stars count, police have neither arrested nor issued a warrant for arrest in 33 of these killings, excluding one apparent murder-suicide. These are the victims of homicides in Toronto this year. The Star will continue to update this file until the end of 2018. It was last updated Dec. 28. App users tap here for an optimal viewing experience. Torontos Hospital for Sick Children has announced a wholesale review of the vast body of published work by Dr. Gideon Koren, the former director of the discredited Motherisk lab, amid a Star investigation that identified what appear to be problems in more than 400 of Korens papers. Sick Kids reacted after the Star presented the hospital with the results of the newspapers review that found these papers had been inadequately peer-reviewed, fail to declare, perhaps even obscure, conflicts of interest and, in a handful of cases, contain lies about the methodology used to test hair for drugs. Many of these articles stand in the scientific literature, despite two government commissioned inquiries and an internal investigation by the hospital into Motherisk, following concerns that were first raised about the program by the Star four years ago. Despite the actions taken to date, fresh concerns have surfaced in the area of scientific reliability and academic publication conflict of interest disclosures, Sick Kids said in a news release on Friday. Here SickKids wishes to acknowledge the investigative work of reporters Rachel Mendleson and Michele Henry of The Star who brought relevant findings to the organizations attention. They have unearthed publications where, on initial review, it appears that Dr. Koren did not disclose industry support that appears relevant to the primary focus of the publication or otherwise related to the published work. Sick Kids acknowledged that while institutions rely on the good faith of scientists to disclose conflicts that could bias their work, it is regrettable that the Hospital did not conduct any audits of Dr. Korens publications which may have identified disclosure issues sooner. Koren and his lawyers did not immediately respond to requests to comment for this story and have not responded to questions over the past month related to the Stars broader investigation. Koren retired from Sick Kids in June 2015 and is working in Israel. Read more: Parents lose second bid to launch class-action suit against Motherisk over flawed hair tests She was convicted of feeding her son cocaine. No one told her the hair tests were flawed Former head of Motherisk program under investigation by medical regulator A prolific author, Koren has published more than 1,500 research papers over the last 40 years, Sick Kids has said. The Motherisk Program he founded at the hospital in 1985 became a trusted source of drug-safety advice for pregnant women and their doctors. Motherisks affiliated hair-testing lab made more than $11 million from 2007 to 2015 alone, selling its drug and alcohol tests, primarily to child welfare agencies, as evidence of parental substance abuse in child protection cases. Sick Kids closed the Motherisk lab in 2015. The counselling function of the Motherisk Program continues at the hospital under new leadership. The hospital said it will conduct a systematic examination of Korens published work in an effort to protect the integrity of the existing medical literature. It will also undertake a focused scientific review of Korens hair-testing papers and his primary research related to the popular morning-sickness drug Diclectin two of the problems areas the Star flagged and will add new measures to strengthen institutional oversight of publication disclosure practices. Koren held cross appointments in the faculties of medicine and pharmacy at the University of Toronto. In an email, Vivek Goel, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, at the university, said the Sick Kids reviews relate to the clinical testing done by the Motherisk laboratory which is in its jurisdiction. If in the course of the SickKids reviews, issues are identified that involve research conducted under the auspices of the University, then we will be engaged, as appropriate, he said, adding that the university will take appropriate actions if the hospital's findings involve individuals at U of T. The more than 400 papers co-authored by Koren that the Star flagged as possibly containing problems include research articles, conference papers, literature reviews, editorials, book chapters, and magazine articles. We found more than 60 papers that relate to drug and alcohol hair-testing that we deemed problematic because retired judge Susan Langs 2015 review of Motherisk exposed failings in the lab, including that hair test results were inadequate and unreliable but were used in thousands of child protection cases and a handful of criminal cases. Sick Kids said it is in the process of identifying publications related to the Motherisk drug-testing lab that could potentially have therapeutic or diagnostic implications to conduct a review. The journals that have published these studies share responsibility for addressing this issue and to the extent our work results in any findings, our plan is to disclose same to the journals, the hospital said. Lang, in her 2015 report, pinpointed five papers that falsely claimed that labs results had been verified with gold-standard testing, when in fact Motherisk rarely confirmed its screening test results before 2010, contrary to international standards for evidence presented in court. Following Langs report, Sick Kids said the hospitals research integrity adviser reviewed these papers and found that Koren violated some of the guidelines that govern the use of federal research funds, which it reported to the Secretariat for Responsible Conduct of Research, which oversees the Canadian Institute for Health Research. Koren sent letters identifying corrigendum or correction to the editors of the journals in which these articles appeared, and corrigenda were published in relation to three of the papers. However, Sick Kids said that pediatrician-in-chief Ronald Cohn took issue with Korens claim in the corrections that the fact that not all positive results had been (confirmed with gold-standard testing) had no impact on the results, and wrote to the journals. One of the journals, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, revised its position and this past summer issued a more severe expression of concern in relation to a 2007 article on cocaine detection in maternal and neonatal hair. The Star, in its ongoing investigation, found that Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, which Koren edited from 2003 to 2015, has recently flagged six more of his papers as requiring further scrutiny. Sick Kids said it is looking into these articles, following questions from the Star. The hospitals promise to investigate Korens work on Diclectin comes five years after Dr. Nav Persaud, a researcher and family physician at St. Michaels Hospital, co-authored a paper exposing inaccuracies in a 1997 article Koren co-authored on the safety and effectiveness of the drug. Persaud praised Sick Kids for undertaking a thorough review of Korens work, but said, Its sad that it took questions from journalists for this to happen. Many red flags have been raised over the years, and hopefully this announcement from Sick Kids means that the red flags will be heeded, he said. The Stars review identified roughly 30 articles that reference morning sickness or Diclectin but do not disclose his financial ties to the manufacturer of the drug, Duchesnay. Koren has served as a paid consultant to the Quebec-based pharmaceutical company, which was also a long-time sponsor of the Motherisk Program, until the relationship ended in 2015. The hospital reassigned oversight of Motherisk in the spring of 2015 after the Star asked about a morning sickness booklet co-authored by Koren posted on the Motherisk website that recommended the drug Diclectin but failed to disclose financial support from Duchesnay. The Star found about 270 papers that reference, in some way, The Research Leadership for Better Pharmacotherapy during Pregnancy and Lactation. Sick Kids disclosed in 2015 that Koren created this name to refer to donated funds, and that the primary donor in the years leading up to the Motherisk scandal was Duchesnay. Sick Kids said Friday that the hospital was unaware that Dr. Koren had published on morning sickness and/or Diclectin without disclosing his relationship with Duchesnay. The responsibility for disclosing relationships (conflicts of interest) in a publication rests with the author, Sick Kids said. In addition to reviewing the financial disclosures on nearly 20 years of Korens published work, the hospital told the Star it is undertaking an analysis of Dr. Korens industry funding over time with a view to aligning funds on hand with dates of disclosures, for purposes of notification. Sick Kids will also review the science behind seven of his studies on the effectiveness of Diclectin. Following questions from the Star last month, Sick Kids interim CEO, Dr. David Naylor, sent a letter to Koren asking him to contact journals to inform them of papers about morning sickness or Diclectin in which he did not disclose support from Duchesnay as well as all papers referencing The Research Leadership for Better Pharmacotherapy during Pregnancy and Lactation in which he did not disclose funding sources. Naylor, in the letter which has been posted on the Sick Kids website, also warned Koren to cease and desist from identifying himself in publications as being affiliated with Sick Kids. Falsely claiming an ongoing affiliation with an institution where you no longer work is a form of academic misconduct, Naylor said. The Star also identified nearly 200 articles that appeared in Canadian Family Physician, the official journal of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The journal acknowledged in an editorial last year that it did not subject these articles published regularly beginning in at least 1995 as Motherisk Updates to a double-blind, peer-review process because of its longstanding relationship with Motherisk. The journal withdrew its recommendation of Diclectin as a first-line treatment for morning sickness, citing Persauds findings. Sick Kids said on Friday that it would be pleased to assist Canadian Family Physician in reviewing a sample of these studies to determine whether they accurately reflected the literature available at the time of publication, and is prepared to do so independently as needed. Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician, said that it will work with its editorial advisory board to systematically and thoroughly review articles authored by Dr. Koren. Articles with evidence of fraud or scientific misconduct would be retracted, he wrote to the Star in an email. Pimlott said it is highly likely the advisory board would implement a process of peer review for all such articles going forward. In regards to the 1997 study that Persaud raised concerns about, Sick Kids said on Friday that, after confirming that the study overstated the number of subjects, the hospital retained an independent reviewer to assess the papers claim that antihistamines one of the main ingredients of Diclectin have a protective effect against major malformations. The review found this claim was not supported by the data, concluding that antihistamines are neither protective nor harmful. Koren then sent these findings to the journal where the study appeared but the journal declined to print a correction given the length of time that had passed, Sick Kids said. The Stars investigation into Korens publications is being conducted in partnership with Ryerson University School of Journalism students Stefanie Phillips, Emerald Bensadoun, Kate Skelly and Alanna Rizza. Read more about: Describing a toxic work environment fuelled by bullying and favouritism, more than two dozen current and former staff and executives of the provinces dental regulator have been waging a quiet war against their leadership. In response, lawyers for the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and its top executive registrar Irwin Fefergrad have issued letters threatening legal action and promises of repercussions. In recent months, the college has also launched an internal investigation seeking to identify employees they suspect have leaked documents to the Toronto Star. That investigation has targeted one former employee with threats of legal action should he not cooperate with college lawyers. The man, who left the college last year, was blindsided and says the ordeal is affecting my work life, my personal life, my health. The former college employee who has not provided documents to the Star has hired a lawyer. Over the past year, the Star has obtained internal college documents and letters and interviewed current and former employees and board members of the college who allege secrecy surrounding the colleges finances, conflict of interest and abusive treatment of staff. A former senior executive at the college filed a $1-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit last year that also cited bullying behaviour. Lawyers for the college which is mandated by the government to regulate Ontarios 10,000 dentists including investigating public complaints have denied any wrongdoing by the college in a series of written statements since May and warned of legal action should the Star publish the allegations. The college takes seriously the spreading and publication of false and defamatory information, reads a written statement to the Star Friday from college lawyer Linda Rothstein with the law firm Paliare Roland. We reiterate our concerns about the veracity of the information you have received, the motivation of the individuals providing it to you, and the legal implications to you and the Toronto Star in publishing that information, or opinion based on that information. Fefergrad, a lawyer who was appointed college registrar 18 years ago, had a salary rate of $607,497 in 2017, according to documents obtained by the Star. He declined requests to be interviewed, referring all questions to the colleges lawyers. Read more: Ontarios dentist watchdog plagued by toxic culture, lawsuit alleges The radical paradigm shift thats changing Ontarios oversight system for health professionals The colleges lawyers have issued warnings to critics, threatening defamation suits for public statements that question college leadership. In my opinion, Irwin Fefergrad goes to great pains and uses his extensive legal resources and connections to resist change and deflect reasonable, legitimate questions, says Natalie Archer, a Toronto dentist and former college executive council member who has been publicly critical of the college. In my opinion, the college has a history of threatening to sue dentists and anyone who questions them. This has been very effective. In 2013, Archer, former college president Dr. Tom McKean and dentist Dr. Dick Jones received libel notices from college lawyers after being quoted in the London Free Press criticizing the colleges controversial in-house insurance arm. They alleged the arrangement (which is unique among medical colleges) represents a conflict of interest because the college both disciplines and insures dentists. Beginning in September of last year and continuing into this year, 20 current and former staff and former executive council members sent letters to the provincial health ministry and MPPs alleging a culture of hostility within the college that presents serious repercussions for the (colleges) ability to protect the public, including preventing staff from responding to patient complaints in a timely manner. In February, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath wrote to then premier Kathleen Wynne and health minister Eric Hoskins urging them to take immediate action to investigate these serious allegations. Horwaths press secretary confirmed there was no response to the letter. The colleges annual legal bills have risen from about $672,000 in 2012 to more than $1 million this year as of Sept. 30 a rise that has exceeded projections the past two years, according to college records. In Fridays written response, the college said rising legal expenditures were related to an increase in college members, the complexity of issues coming before its committees and the costs of investigations and proceedings against dentists. Legal costs have exceeded budget in the past two years, the response said, because of unforseen civil litigation costs including defending a significant civil action and investigating a potential breach of confidentiality. In a letter sent Sept. 17 to the former employee at the centre of that investigation, college lawyers ask him to voluntarily meet with them or we will ask a court for assistance if you are unwilling to co-operate. The man worked for the college for several years and left a little more than a year ago. When I left the college, I thought I was leaving behind all of their antics, politics and what they do there. He is speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of compromising his current job. I thought I was turning over a new page More than a year later, theyre accusing me of these things. It was shock, disbelief. The letter reads: We have reason to believe that the breach occurred during the period of time that you were an employee of the college, and furthermore, that you are one of certain former college employees who might have information that could assist us in identifying the person or persons who are responsible for the breach. Attached to the letter is a draft notice of application that college lawyers said was ready for submission to court. It asks a judge to require the man to identify every person to whom he provided the confidential documents during his employment, along with the particulars of the occasions on which he provided those documents and/or information, including the date and the method by which they were provided. Citing circumstantial evidence, the draft notice of application says the former employee may be involved in, or have documents or information relating to, the theft of the Star documents from the college. It also asks for a court order permitting a forensic examination of his electronic devices computers, mobile phones, tablets, hard drives and USB memory drives on which confidential documents are or were at one point stored. The application names the Toronto Star and two Star reporters, saying they provided the college with copies of documents internal college emails, Fefergrads calendar entries, expense claims and regulatory records upon which they based questions during reporting. The reporters refused to identify the source or sources, the draft reads. The man says he has repeatedly denied through his lawyer that he is the source of the leak. Its had a profound effect on me that I didnt know stress could have on the human body. Its a devastating blow to basically have an employer make those types of allegations and come after you when theres no tangible or real evidence. Its based on hearsay. Theyre turning lives upside down, he said. The circumstantial evidence includes allegations that the former employee was passed over for a promotion several months before he left the college and that he became disgruntled. The man says he left the college because of a poisonous work environment where bullying is rewarded with promotions and those who speak out face reprisals. I spoke out against my own manager and I paid the price for it, he says. Theyre spinning it back on me. We were all walking on eggshells, worried and stressed because that was the environment there I just couldnt take it anymore. In the Friday response to the Star, Rothstein said the college does not target individuals. The college investigates all allegations against it and its employees and council members seriously, regardless of the source ... The college also takes carefully considered, appropriate and measured steps to mitigate the harm done by the spreading of false and defamatory information, particularly when that conduct appears to be ill-motivated. This may involve the delivery of a libel notice. The college sent three separate letters threatening libel suits to Archer, Jones and McKean in October 2013 in response to their comments in the London Free Press. The letters alleged published comments by the three dentists two of them former executive council members were false, misleading and patently defamatory of Fefergrad and the college. The college demanded written apologies and retractions of their statements in a form satisfactory to us. Jones refused and, in a six-page response, dismissed the colleges claims as frivolous, vexatious and without merit. In a recent interview, Jones, a Waterloo-area dentist, said he, Archer and McKean were bullied for simply expressing our legitimate concerns about Fefergrads leadership. Its a toxic situation thats gone on for far too long. The libel notices to Archer and McKean were the second each had received within two years after they had made comments critical of the college. Dr. Archer regards your communication as a wholly unreasonable personal attack made in the face of legitimate and necessary criticism, reads the response from her lawyer. Moreover, threatening to take legal action on notice of one business day hardly seems like notice at all. The college never pursued legal action against any of the three. In an interview, Archer said her attempts to raise concerns about Fefergrads management during her six years on the college council were met with hostility, attacks and the most inhumane, unprofessional behaviour and tactics I have ever been exposed to. In October 2017, 16 current and former college staff anonymously wrote to Hoskins, then provincial health minister, asking for the ministry to appoint a supervisor to oversee the college because of serious systemic problems, including a toxic culture that included sexual harassment in the workplace, abuse of power and a failure to protect the public. We have reached the conclusion that the deficiencies in the (college) cannot be fixed under the present leadership or within the current system, it reads. In a response to questions from the Star in June, the college cautions the Toronto Star about publishing any of the anonymous, speculative and factually untrue allegations contained in the anonymous letter. In December 2017, Archer also wrote Hoskins alleging financial mismanagement, conflict of interest in the colleges dual role as disciplinary body and malpractice insurance provider, and interference in the regulatory processes by Fefergrad who, she alleged, inserted himself into (disciplinary) panel deliberations. Archer wrote that during her time on college council as vice-president and member of the finance committee, her requests for detailed information about major expenditures were routinely refused. I observed very significant legal expenses, she wrote, including large budget items for which she sought greater detail. The request was rebuffed ... A forensic audit must be conducted to identify and remedy any fiscal oversight issues at the (college). A written statement from the college to the Star in July says Archer is actuated by malice in the defamatory statements she makes about the college, its employees and its council members. The ministry never responded to the letters, the authors say. Also last year, the former head of the colleges insurance arm, Rene Brewer, filed a $1-million wrongful dismissal suit against Fefergrad and the college alleging a systemic culture of harassment and workplace bullying, conflict of interest and sexual harassment toward staff. In a statement of defence, the college and Fefergrad cited Brewers abusive management style as cause for her firing and said her false and reckless allegations have maliciously and vindictively impugned their integrity. The dispute remains before the courts and none of the allegations have been proven. The Star investigation has found other examples of swift college response to public criticism. Marco Caminiti, a prominent Toronto oral surgeon, strongly criticized the colleges online self-assessment tests in a June 2016 opinion piece published in a dentistry magazine. Even our great regulators, the Colleges, fall short in assessing our competencies. The farcical attempts to ensure practitioners are up to date and educated using online competency exams highlights our ignorance even more, Caminiti, who was then president of the Ontario Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, wrote. Unbeknownst to them, they are, to a certain extent, allowing and enabling the incompetency of some of our colleagues to grow and fester, creating a dark stain on this great profession. The tests are composed of about 200 multiple choice and case study questions. Virtually every dentist who takes the assessment is successful on their first attempt. In an email exchange with Fefergrad, obtained by the Star, the colleges then quality assurance manager Michael Gardner writes: Did you see Marco Caminitis editorial in the most recent issue of Oral Health? He called the Colleges assessment farcical. Fefergrad says he had not read it. He then writes 11 minutes later: Pisses me off to no end. In a June 2018 written statement to the Star, college lawyers said Fefergrad endeavours to maintain open and courteous dialogue with (dental) associations and their leadership. (His) response to the criticism in respect of the Oral Health article was made in that spirit and was resolved amicably. In an interview, Caminiti said he received a call from Fefergrad about the opinion piece. Irwin was very succinct in his discussion with me about the article that I wrote, he was not pleased with the comments, Caminiti said, adding that he stands by what he said in the opinion piece. Robert Cribb is an investigative reporter with the Toronto Star. He can be reached at rcribb@thestar.ca and on Twitter @thecribby Ron Taverners career path remains cloudy as he resumed the Toronto police job he quit days ago and the government said his controversial appointment as OPP commissioner which was postponed over the weekend depends on where the chips fall in an independent review. The latest twist in the turbulent saga, which has prompted widespread concerns about potential conflicts of interest given that Taverner is a family friend of Premier Doug Ford, came Monday when Toronto police confirmed the 72-year-old rescinded the resignation he tendered Friday. Hell be back in his role as unit commander, Toronto police spokeswoman Caroline de Kloet told the Star. Chief Mark Saunders gave the go-ahead for that on Sunday night. No one had been tapped to replace Taverner in leading three west-end divisions that include the Ford family turf in Etobicoke. Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones, who along with the premier has repeatedly defended Taverners appointment to the $275,000-a-year job heading Canadas second-largest police force, ducked reporters questions on the situation Monday. But Government House Leader Todd Smith indicated the Ford administrations next move awaits the results of a probe which could go on for months by provincial integrity commissioner J. David Wake. Read more: Opinion | Martin Regg Cohn: The hidden danger for Ontario when a premier meddles in the OPP Concern over conflicts of interest would hurt Taverner in OPP job, policing experts say Taverner was considered for other top jobs with province, sources say Were going to let the integrity commissioner carry on with his investigation and then well see where the chips fall after that and move on appropriately, Smith said. Taverner has not returned a telephone call and an email from the Star seeking comment. The veteran Toronto police officer said Saturday he was temporarily stepping aside out of the greatest respect for the brave men and women of the Ontario Provincial Police. The government agreed to the request and noted it retains full confidence in him. The hiring process raised eyebrows because it included a lowering of qualifications that cleared the way for Taverner, who as a superintendent was below the rank specified in the job posting, to apply. His appointment has fuelled a political firestorm. A chorus of critics including opposition parties, former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson and former OPP commissioner Chris Lewis said it is dangerous to have a friend of the premier as Ontarios top cop. They say it sets the stage for conflicts of interest should the government become the subject of any police investigations, as happened so prominently in the gas plants scandal under a previous Liberal regime. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Taverner appears worried his OPP appointment will be scuttled. This entire situation should never have started in the first place. And its because Mr. Ford needs to understand he cant just get away with doing whatever he wants to do, added Horwath, whose party called for the integrity commissioner to investigate. Hopefully Mr. Fords learned something in this process. Mr. Taverner, hopefully, has learned something as well. Career police officers with a higher rank than Taverner were rejected in favour of him, including a former Ontario head of the RCMP with more experience in managing a large staff, confirmed one OPP source. The government rejected a New Democrat motion to appoint a select committee of MPPs, with equal numbers of government and opposition members, to investigate the Taverner hiring process with powers to subpoena witnesses and compel documents in full view of the public, unlike the behind-closed-doors review by Wake. Ford will be the likely target of the Wake probe, which would investigate whether the premier violated the Members Integrity Act when qualifications for the OPP post were lowered, says former integrity commissioner Coulter Osborne. The issue would be whether there is any impropriety, said Osborne, who is also a former associate chief justice of Ontario. The time frame for such an investigation varies, said another former integrity commissioner. We always try to do it as quickly as possible because peoples reputations are at stake and its very contentious, said Lynn Morrison. It could be a month, it could be two or three months. It just depends on the nature of the complaint. Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers, a former dean of law at the University of Ottawa, urged Attorney General Caroline Mulroney to appoint an independent investigator to examine any links between the premiers office and Taverners hiring, and the qualifications of all applicants. The credibility and public confidence in the police and the justice system are at stake, she wrote in a letter to Mulroney. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner called on Taverner to walk away from the OPP appointment permanently, saying there is too much controversy around this. The bottom line is this is the Ontario Provincial Police, not the premiers police, added Schreiner. Im shocked that nobody in the caucus, in the cabinet, in the (Ontario public service), nobody said its wrong to appoint one of your family friends police commissioner. It should be obvious. With files from Sandro Contenta Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis Read more about: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREANorth Korea warned on Sunday that if the United States continued to escalate its sanctions and human rights campaign against the North, that approach could permanently shatter any chance of denuclearizing the country. Washington is holding fast to its policy of exerting maximum economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea, even though U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed progress in denuclearizing the North since his meeting with its leader, Kim Jong Un, in June in Singapore. In the months after the Trump-Kim meeting, Washington has continued to crack down on companies, individuals and ships accused of engaging in such banned activities as money laundering, cyberattacks and ship-to-ship transfer of fuel on North Koreas behalf. On Sunday, North Korea voiced its growing frustration, as Washington persisted in its efforts to squeeze the country with additional sanctions over its dismal rights record. Last Monday the Treasury Department blacklisted three top aides to Kim over serious rights abuses and censorship. The North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement that if senior State Department and other U.S. officials believed they could force North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons by increasing sanctions and their human rights racket to an unprecedented level, it would be the greatest miscalculation. Instead, the statement added, it will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula forever a result desired by no one. The statement, issued in the name of the policy research director of the Norths Institute for American Studies, was carried by the countrys official Korean Central News Agency. Read more: North Korea marks 7th anniversary of Kim Jong Ils death U.S. and South Korea to scale back major military exercise Trump wants to grant Kim Jong Uns wishes, says South Korea president The warning came amid a prolonged stalemate in negotiations between North Korea and the United States over the terms of denuclearization. In recent weeks, Trump has appeared to recognize the time-consuming nature of negotiating with the North, tweeting about North Korea far less than he used to. He has said that he and Kim are likely to meet a second time, in January or February. But he has also said he was in no hurry to negotiate with North Korea. Many people have asked how we are doing in our negotiations with North Korea I always reply by saying we are in no hurry, Trump tweeted on Friday. We are doing just fine! Read more about: ISLAMABADThe Taliban say another meeting is to be held with the United States, this time in the United Arab Emirates and involving representatives of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. The terse statement from Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said the meeting would be held Monday without offering details. The State Department has neither denied nor confirmed previous meetings, but U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad previously said he has met with all Afghans involved in the 17-year war. Since Khalilzads appointment in September attempts to jump-start peace talks have accelerated. Pakistan earlier said it would help orchestrate this latest round of talks. They are aimed at bringing an eventual end to Washingtons participation in what has become its longest war at a cost so far of $1 trillion (U.S.). Read more: Afghanistan peace talks may hinge on easing of U.S.-Pakistan tensions U.S. special envoy arrives in Pakistan for talks on Taliban Pakistan prime minister is optimistic about resetting relations with U.S. Read more about: HONG KONGArtificial intelligence bots. 3D printed human organs. Genomic sequencing. These might seem to be natural topics of interest in a country determined to be the worlds leader in science and technology. But in China, where censors are known to take a heavy hand, several artworks that look closely at these breakthroughs have been deemed taboo by local cultural officials. The works, which raise questions about the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, were abruptly pulled last weekend from the coming Guangzhou Triennial on the orders of cultural authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. The artists, from Europe, Australia and the United States, were not given an official reason why their works were rejected for the show, which opens on Dec. 21 at the Guangdong Museum of Art. The pieces did not touch on the Tiananmen democracy crackdown of 1989, independence for Taiwan or Tibet or the private wealth of Chinese Communist Party leaders topics that are widely known to be off-limits for public discussion in China. As a result, some of the shows curators and the affected artists have been left guessing as to why the works were banned. Their conclusion? The works were perhaps too timely, too relevant and therefore too discomforting for Chinese officials. The news is really filled with concern about the gene editing of babies, said Heather Dewey-Hagborg, an American artist whose work T3511 was among those pulled from the show. It definitely seems like a moment where I can imagine that art or any kind of content that deals with biotechnological futures and some of the vulnerabilities and the dark side of those futures might seem to be dangerous. Dewey-Hagborg was referring to the explosive revelation last month that Chinese scientist He Jiankui said he had created the worlds first genetically edited babies. After the announcement, scientists in China and abroad condemned Hes conduct, calling it reckless and unethical. Against that background, a work like T3511 by Dewey-Hagborg with Toshiaki Ozawa would seem to be especially timely. The four-channel video tells the fictional story of a biohacker who becomes obsessed with an anonymous donor whose saliva she purchases online. By analyzing the DNA in the saliva and using a genealogy website, the biohacker is able to identify the anonymous donor. According to Dewey-Hagborg, the video is intended to raise questions about biological commodification, privacy and bioethics. But in China, where officials are often incentivized to err on the side of caution and prioritize social stability above all else, stirring up public debate with hard-hitting questions about ethics is not always a welcome endeavour. Angelique Spaninks, director of MU, an independent art space in the Netherlands and one of the curators of the Guangzhou Triennial, said, The privacy stuff even makes me uncomfortable and of course the work is a very strong piece because of that. But anything that creates discomfort, she said, makes officials here nervous. The other banned works include The Modular Body, an online science fiction story about using human cells and artificial organs to create a living organism. Created by a Dutch artist, Floris Kaayk, the work is intended to raise questions about the potential for 3D printing of human organs, about extending life with the help of technology and about the desire to design life from scratch. Also pulled from the show was im here to learn so :)))))) by Zach Blas and Jemima Wyman, a four-channel video that resurrects Tay, an artificial intelligence bot created by Microsoft in 2016 that was shut down in less than a day after users trained it to be a bigot. According to Blas, museum officials in China had initially asked to cut two lines in the video (an obscenity and a reference to Adolf Hitler) before cultural authorities decided ultimately to reject the entire work, which also deals with issues of feminism. A work by the artist Lawrence Lek, from London, was also pulled from the show, as was part of a multi-channel video work by Harun Farocki, a filmmaker who died in 2014, according to curators. Huang Yaqun, the deputy director of academic affairs at the Guangdong Museum of Art, a state-backed museum and the host of the triennial, said that the decision to cut the works was based in part on their incompatibility with the Guangdong peoples taste and cultural habits. Though some were caught off-guard by the last-minute decision to pull works from the triennial, such setbacks are a frequent occurrence for many in Chinas art circles when dealing with the countrys often unpredictable censorship review process. Contrary to the notion of Chinas censorship apparatus as an all-powerful monolith, the effort to get an exhibition past cultural officials is often a constant negotiation and balancing act that can depend on factors including which authorities are in charge and what the local situation is. Exhibition organizers are often forced to come up with clever strategies to circumvent or assuage censors by, for example, showing a work without explanatory text or putting age restrictions on access to a show. Usually, they reject work mentioning political or internal affairs or nudity, said Victoria Jonathan, art director of Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, which is held every year in the southern Chinese city of Xiamen and is a partner of the annual Rencontres de la Photographie dArles. Sometimes they object to something because its related to the news. And sometimes their decision just doesnt make sense at all. China is not alone in pulling images that it deems potentially disturbing. Last year, the Guggenheim Museum removed three works by Chinese artists from a highly anticipated exhibition including one featuring pit bulls on treadmills after pressure from animal-rights supporters and others over the show, Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World. Some critics said the Guggenheim should have used the controversy as a moment to engage the public about difficult art. Though Spaninks, the Guangzhou Triennials curator, said she was disappointed with the decision to pull the current works, she was hopeful that the remaining pieces in the show, which is titled As We May Think: Feedforward, could still trigger debate about the future of science and technology. Assuming no further cuts are made to the show, the exhibition, which runs until March 10, will feature more than 40 artists including Lynn Hershman Leeson, Wang Yuyang and Tega Brain. Still, Kaayk, who said he had spent months preparing The Modular Body for the show only to find out at the last minute that it had been banned, said in an email that he felt very frustrated. Isnt contemporary art meant to raise questions, and start discussions about important subjects in actuality and those of our near future? he wrote. What are Chinas reasons for organizing all these big expensive contemporary art manifestations if these questions, the core of contemporary art, freedom of speech, freedom of mind, are ignored and undermined? Read more about: WASHINGTONA report prepared for the Senate that provides the most sweeping analysis yet of Russias disinformation campaign around the 2016 election found the operation used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters interests to help elect President Donald Trump and worked even harder to support him while in office. The report, a draft of which was obtained by The Washington Post, is the first to study the millions of posts provided by major technology firms to the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., its chairman, and Mark Warner of Virginia, its ranking Democrat. The bipartisan panel hasnt said if it endorses the findings. It plans to release it publicly along with another study later this week. The research by Oxford Universitys Computational Propaganda Project and Graphika, a network analysis firm offers new details on how Russians working at the Internet Research Agency, which U.S. officials have charged with criminal offenses for meddling in the 2016 campaign, sliced Americans into key interest groups for the purpose of targeting messages. These efforts shifted over time, peaking at key political moments, such as presidential debates or party conventions, the report found. The data sets used by the researchers were provided by Facebook, Twitter and Google and covered several years up to mid-2017, when the social media companies cracked down on the known Russian accounts. The report, which also analyzed data separately provided to House intelligence committee members, contains no information on more recent political moments, such as Novembers midterm election. What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically Donald Trump, the report says. Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign. The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting. Representatives for Burr and Warner declined to comment. Read more: Trumps inner circle directed high-level contact with the Russian government during the 2016 election, Cohens new plea reveals Trump says he wants a government-run media outlet, but has ignored the one he has so far Special counsel charges Russian troll farm, 13 individuals over meddling to help Donald Trumps 2016 campaign The new report offers the latest evidence that Russian agents sought to help Trump win the White House. Democrats and Republicans on the panel previously studied the U.S. intelligence communitys 2017 finding that Moscow aimed to assist Trump, and in July, they said investigators had come to the correct conclusion. Despite their work, some Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to doubt the nature of Russias meddling in the last presidential election. The Russians aimed particular energy at activating conservatives on issues such as gun rights and immigration, while sapping the political clout of left-leaning African-American voters by undermining their faith in elections and spreading misleading information about how to vote. Many other groups Latinos, Muslims, Christians, gay men and women, liberals, southerners, veterans got at least some attention from Russians operating thousands of social media accounts. The report also offered some of the first detailed analyses of the role played by YouTube, which belongs to Google, and Instagram in the Russian campaign, as well as anecdotes on how Russians used other social media platforms Google+, Tumblr and Pinterest that have gotten relatively little scrutiny. The Russian effort also used email accounts from Yahoo, Microsofts Hotmail service and Googles Gmail. The authors, while reliant on data provided by technology companies, also highlighted their belated and uncoordinated response to the disinformation campaign and, once it was discovered, for not sharing more with investigators. The authors urged the companies in the future to provide data in meaningful and constructive ways. Facebook, for example, provided the Senate with copies of posts from 81 Facebook Pages and information on 76 accounts used to purchase ads but did not share the posts from other user accounts run by the IRA, the report says. Twitter, meanwhile, has made it challenging for outside researchers to collect and analyze data on its platform through its public feed, the researchers said. Google submitted information in an especially difficult way for the researchers to handle, providing content such as YouTube videos but not the related data that would have allowed a full analysis. The YouTube information was so hard for the researchers to study, they wrote, they instead tracked the links to its videos from other sites in hopes of better understanding YouTubes role in the Russian effort. Facebook, Google and Twitter didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Facebook, Google and Twitter first disclosed last year that they had identified Russian meddling on their sites. Critics previously said it took too long to come to an understanding of the disinformation campaign, and that Russian strategies have likely shifted since then. The companies have awakened to the threat Facebook in particular created a war room this fall to combat interference around elections but none have revealed interference around the midterm elections last month on the scale of what happened in 2016. The report expressed concern about the overall threat social media poses to political discourse within nations and between them, warning that companies once viewed as tools for liberation in the Arab world and elsewhere are now threats to democracy. Social media have gone from being the natural infrastructure for sharing collective grievances and coordinating civic engagement to being a computational tool for social control, manipulated by canny political consultants and available to politicians in democracies and dictatorships alike. Researchers also noted that the data includes evidence of sloppiness by the Russians that could have led to earlier detection, including the use of Russias currency, the ruble, to buy ads and Russian phone numbers for contact information. The operatives also left behind technical signatures in computerized logs, such as Internet addresses in St. Petersburg, where the IRA was based. Many of the findings track in general terms work by other researchers and testimony previously provided by the companies to lawmakers investigating the Russian effort. But the fuller data available to the researchers offered new insights on many aspects of the Russian campaign. The report traces the origins of Russian online influence operations to Russian domestic politics in 2009 and says that ambitions shifted to include U.S. politics as early as 2013 over Twitter. Of the tweets the company provided to the Senate, 57 percent are in Russian, with 36 percent in English and smaller amounts in other languages. The efforts to manipulate Americans grew sharply in 2014 and every year after, as teams of operatives spread their work across more platforms and accounts, in order to target larger swaths of U.S. voters by geography, political interests, race, religion and other factors. The Russians started with accounts on Twitter, then added YouTube and Instagram before finally bringing Facebook into the mix, the report said. Facebook was particularly effective at targeting conservatives and African-Americans, the report found. More than 99 percent of all engagement meaning likes, shares and other reactions came from 20 Pages controlled by the IRA, including Being Patriotic, Heart of Texas, Blacktivist and Army of Jesus. Together the 20 most popular pages generated 39 million likes, 31 million shares, 5.4 million reactions and 3.4 million comments. Company officials told Congress that the Russian campaign reached 126 million people on Facebook and 20 million more on Instagram. The Russians operated 133 accounts on Instagram, a photo-sharing subsidiary of Facebook, that focused mainly on race, ethnicity or other forms of personal identity. The most successful Instagram posts targeted African American cultural issues and black pride and were not explicitly political. While the overall intensity of posting across platforms grew year by year with a particular spike during the six months after Election Day this growth was particularly pronounced on Instagram, which went from roughly 2,600 posts a month in 2016 to nearly 6,000 in 2017, when the accounts were shut down. Across all three years covered by the report, Russian Instagram posts generated 185 million likes and 4 million user comments. Even though the researchers struggled to interpret the YouTube data submitted by Google, they were able to track the links from other sites to YouTube offering a proxy for understanding the role play by the video platform. The proxy is imperfect, the researchers wrote, but the IRAs heavy use of links to YouTube videos leaves little doubt of the IRAs interest in leveraging Googles video platform to target and manipulate US audiences. The use of YouTube, like the other platforms, appears to have grown after Trumps election. Twitter links to YouTube videos grew by 84 percent in the six months after the election, the data showed. The Russians shrewdly worked across platforms as they refined their tactics aimed at particular groups, posting links across accounts and sites to bolster the influence operations success on each, the report shows. Black Matters US had accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr and Paypal, according to the researchers. By linking posts across these platforms, the Russian operatives were able to solicit donations, organize real-world protests and rallies and direct online traffic to a website that the Russians also controlled. Read more about: LONDON Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that the postponed vote in Parliament on Britains Brexit agreement with the European Union will be held the week of Jan. 14 more than a month after it was originally scheduled and just 10 weeks before Britain leaves the EU. But even as May insisted she could salvage her unpopular divorce deal, pressure was mounting for dramatic action a new referendum or a vote among lawmakers to find a way out of Britains Brexit impasse and prevent the economic damage of a messy exit from the EU on March 29 with no agreement in place. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour party, said he would submit a motion of no-confidence in the prime minister over her delays. Losing the vote on such a motion would increase the pressure on May, but unlike a no-confidence vote in the government as a whole, it wouldnt trigger a process leading to the fall of the government and an early election. No date was immediately set for the confidence vote. The British government and the EU sealed a divorce deal last month, but May postponed a parliamentary vote intended to ratify the agreement last week when it became clear legislators would overwhelmingly reject it. She tried to win changes from the EU to sweeten the deal for reluctant lawmakers, but was rebuffed by the bloc at a summit in Brussels last week. Mays authority also has been shaken after a no-confidence vote from her own party on Wednesday that saw more than a third of Conservative lawmakers vote against her. May told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Monday that they would resume debate on the deal when Parliament comes back after its Christmas break the week of Jan. 7, with the vote held the following week. I know this is not everyones perfect deal, May said. It is a compromise. But if we let the perfect be the enemy of the good, then we risk leaving the EU with no deal. Opposition legislators and many from Mays Conservative Party remain opposed to the deal, and accused May of deliberately wasting time by delaying the vote for several more weeks. The prime minister has cynically run down the clock trying to manoeuvre Parliament into a choice between two unacceptable outcomes: her deal and no deal, Corbyn said. A growing number of politicians from across the political spectrum believe a new referendum may be the only way to break the political logjam over Brexit. But May told lawmakers that staging another referendum would ride roughshod over voters 2016 decision to leave the EU and would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver. Mays deal is loathed both by pro-Brexit lawmakers, who think it keeps Britain bound too closely to the bloc, and pro-Europeans, who see it as inferior to staying in the EU. The main concern for pro-Brexit lawmakers is a contentious insurance policy known as the backstop, which would keep the U.K. tied to EU customs rules in order to guarantee the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland remains open after Brexit. EU officials insisted at last weeks summit that the withdrawal agreement cannot be renegotiated, although they also stressed that the backstop was meant only as a temporary measure of last resort. May said she had had robust exchanges with other EU leaders in Brussels, but that the two sides were still holding talks about further political and legal assurances about the backstop. European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas, however, said Monday that at this stage, no further meetings with the United Kingdom are foreseen. With Britains departure from the bloc just three months away, it remains unclear whether the country will leave with a deal or crash out with no deal a chaotic outcome that could see economic recession, gridlock at U.K. ports, planes grounded and shortages of essential goods. The Cabinet will discuss no-deal planning at its weekly meeting on Tuesday, with details to be announced soon of 2 billion pounds ($3.38 billion Canadian) in government funding to absorb some of the potential economic shock. Pro-EU Cabinet ministers, meanwhile, are seeking to work with opposition politicians to find a way out of the morass. One suggestion is to give members of Parliament votes on a range of options from leaving without a deal to holding a new referendum to see if there is majority support for any course of action. Mays spokesman, James Slack, said Monday that the government had no plans to hold such an indicative vote. But the idea has support in Cabinet. We cant just have continuing uncertainty and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with, Business Secretary Greg Clark told the BBC. He said that I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics. Read more about: Russias plot to wield social media sites to divide Americans and aid Donald Trump in the 2016 election was even more massive and sophisticated than previously understood, and efforts to disseminate disruptive messages continue. Those are the findings of two independent groups of researchers tasked by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee. The reports, released Monday, concluded that posts from fake Russian accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube led to more than 300 million engagements between 2015 and 2017. Among the groups most heavily targeted by the Russians: African-Americans. The researchers found a cross-platform effort to target black Americans, often with memes about police brutality, and later feeding them voter suppression messages. Among the narratives shared with black audiences was a meme I WONT VOTE, WILL YOU? Another said Everybody SUCKS, Were Screwed 2016. Others urged votes for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate. What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically, Donald Trump, wrote researchers at the University of Oxford and Graphika, a company that analyzes social networks. Right-wing voters were encouraged to support Trump, while left-wing groups were provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract, and ultimately discourage members from voting. The findings criticized social media companies for publicly minimizing the use of their platforms and for not sharing key data, such as the many comments generated as well as the posts metadata, so they could better judge the impact. It appears that the platforms may have misrepresented or evaded in some of their statements to Congress, researchers from New Knowledge, a cybersecurity company, wrote. It is unclear whether these answers were the result of faulty or lacking analysis, or a more deliberate evasion. Researchers for the two teams analyzed more than 10 million Twitter posts from thousands of Russian fake accounts, more than 116,000 posts on Instagram and 61,000 on Facebook and more than 1,000 YouTube videos. Read the report from New Knowledge Facebook said it cooperated with the Senate Intelligence Committee by providing thousands of ads and other content and took steps to prevent voter suppression ahead of the 2018 mid-terms. A Twitter spokesman said the company was focused on improving the public conversation on its platform and that protecting the integrity of elections was an important aspect of that mission. The company has made strides since 2016 in that regard, including by releasing data to enable independent research of election manipulation, the spokesman said. More Attacks Likely Many of the Russian accounts scrutinized have since been suspended, but researchers found related ones lurking on social media, often dormant but available to be activated again, and predicted more attacks will come in 2020. Overall, the reports describe a remarkably successful operation with posts seen by much of the U.S. population, and a consistent pattern of seeking to divide Americans, particularly along racial lines, while boosting Trump and hurting Democrat Hillary Clinton. Many of the posts didnt specifically refer to Trump or Clinton, but the divisive themes were pervasive, researchers found. This newly released data demonstrates how aggressively Russia sought to divide Americans by race, religion and ideology, and how the IRA actively worked to erode trust in our democratic institutions, Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said in a statement. Most troublingly, it shows that these activities have not stopped. The panels top Democrat, Mark Warner of Virginia, said the reports show the attacks were much more comprehensive, calculating and widespread than previously revealed. This should stand as a wake up call to us all that none of us are immune from this threat, and it is time to get serious in addressing this challenge. While the general outlines of the social media attack by Russias internet Research Agency have previously been reported and outlined in an indictment from Special Counsel Robert Mueller the two reports released Monday are the most thorough accounting yet. Trojan Cruz Support for Trump started in the early primaries, and aside from some early backing for Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky, posts attacked other candidates in the primaries as establishment Republicans. One meme asked whether Floridas Marco Rubio was a traitor. Another painted Ted Cruz of Texas as The Trojan Cruz and GOP Establishments Ruse. The Russian accounts also boosted a widely debunked conspiracy theory that Seth Rich, a slain Democratic National Committee staffer and not Russian hackers was responsible for the DNCs emails making their way to WikiLeaks in 2016. The sophisticated effort created networks of pages, including left-leaning pages and right-leaning pages, and sprinkled propaganda in with other content. On left-leaning pages, for example, memes attacking Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, were written to discourage talk of impeachment after Trumps election. The Russian efforts also pushed enormous amounts of right-leaning content, pushing secessionist movements in Texas and California, and amplified intraparty feuds in both parties. After the election, numerous posts mocked the idea of Russian interference, and memes targeted Mueller and former FBI Director James Comey. And the trolls migrated much of their attention to Instagram while public attention was focused on Facebook and Twitter. The vast majority of posts and engagement came organically, rather than from paid advertising, researchers noted. Memes on Instagram Instagram, which is owned by Facebook Inc., proved even more engaging for the kind of memetic warfare or calculated use of internet memes Russians were engaging in, according to the statistics compiled by the researchers. The trolls also showed a nuanced and deep knowledge of American culture, media, and influencers in each community the IRA targeted, the New Knowledge researchers wrote. For example, Turning Point USA and Pepe the Frog memes appear among the youthful alt-Right-targeted Memopolis and Angry Eagle Pages but dont appear on the boomer-conservative focused pages. The IRA was fluent in American trolling culture, researchers wrote. One gun-related post featured nearly a million shares on Facebook alone. Russians were also actively recruiting Americans, including attempts to drive people to the streets for events, attempts to get people to perform jobs, and more insidious attempts to connect with people around very personal challenges. They sold merchandise like T-shirts and even organized 81 real-life events, the report found. On at least one occasion, they worked with a real activist behind Black Guns Matter, for which there was also an IRA page. The activist later tweeted he thinks the Russian election interference story is a distraction. Read more about: U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that the Supreme Court should affirm a ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act is invalid, writing on Twitter that doing so will lead to GREAT HealthCare results for Americans! The president weighed in on the judicial process as the ruling on Friday cast great uncertainty over the U.S. health-care system, with the expectation that the case would ultimately make its way to the Supreme Court. In his tweet, Trump sought to make the case, as he first did over the weekend, that the ruling presented an opportunity for his Republican administration to work with Democrats to craft a better law than President Barack Obamas signature achievement, which Trump continued to criticize. The DEDUCTIBLE which comes with ObamaCare is so high that it is practically not even usable! Trump wrote. Hurts families badly. We have a chance, working with the Democrats, to deliver great HealthCare! A confirming Supreme Court Decision will lead to GREAT HealthCare results for Americans! The 55-page ruling late Friday from U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor found the law originally passed in 2010 invalid on the basis of the political and legal history of a few key provisions. OConnor decided that once Congress repealed the tax penalty that enforced a mandate that most Americans get health insurance, the whole law became invalid. Many legal analysts disagree with OConnors ruling and predict that higher courts will reject his reasoning. The 2,000-page law covers a vast array of other health-care issues, touching almost every part of the health-care industry in the United States, including whether insurers must cover people with pre-existing conditions. Read more: This is a five-alarm fire: Federal judge strikes down the Affordable Care Act In other morning tweets, Trump also weighed in on a fight in Congress over border wall funding and a pending decision by the Federal Reserve whether to raise interest rates. Trump is pushing for $5 billion (U.S.) to help make good on his marquee campaign promise of a U.S.-Mexico border wall, a request that Democrats are resisting as part of negotiations over a larger budget deal. A partial government shutdown will occur if the issue is not resolved by midnight Friday. Anytime you hear a Democrat saying that you can have good Boarder Security without a Wall, write them off as just another politician following the party line, Trump wrote, misspelling border. Time for us to save billions of dollars a year and have, at the same time, far greater safety and control! Trump also urged the Federal Reserve not to raise interest rates in a tweet that referred to continuing unrest in France and Chinas economy showing signs of slowing. It is incredible that with a very strong dollar and virtually no inflation, the outside world blowing up around us, Paris is burning and China way down, the Fed is even considering yet another interest rate hike, Trump wrote. Take the Victory! Read more about: WASHINGTONThe long and winding case of Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn had all the elements of a story that would seize President Donald Trumps attention. A Green Beret charged by the army in the killing of a man linked to the Taliban. Thorny questions about Americas long-standing entanglement in Afghanistan. And a Fox News program that lauded the officer as a war hero. And so, on Sunday, Trump announced on Twitter that he would examine the case of Golsteyn, using, verbatim, language aired just minutes before by his favourite program, Fox & Friends. At the request of many, I will be reviewing the case of a U.S. Military hero, Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder, Trump wrote. He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas. With that tweet, Trump made another extraordinary intervention into the U.S. judicial system. A president who just last week threatened to stop a Justice Department effort to extradite a Chinese tech executive and who spends most days vilifying the special counsel had now stepped into a complicated legal and ethical case that goes to the heart of the fraught politics of the militarys rules of engagement. The decision resurrected questions about how the military treats detainees and how soldiers should conduct themselves in places where lethal danger is ever present. But perhaps most viscerally, it reinforced the power of a single conservative news program to push issues onto the desk of an impulsive president. As commander in chief, Trump immediately complicated the militarys case against Golsteyn, raising questions of undue command influence, as well as the possibility that the prosecution is bound to be short-circuited by a pardon. The president also left Afghans and others wondering whether they can expect justice if they are unfairly harmed by U.S. forces. Read more: Russia waged pro-Trump social media plan, Senate panel told Trump suggests a Supreme Court ruling invalidating the Affordable Care Act would lead to better health care Mueller rejects Flynns attempt to portray himself as victim of the FBI Major Golsteyn admitted to what appears to be a summary execution a very serious crime under international law, and it is vital that the investigation go forward, said Patricia Gossman, senior researcher for Afghanistan at Human Rights Watch. There have been far too many cases of suspected killings by U.S. Special Forces units in Afghanistan where the results of investigations are never known and no one is prosecuted. By any measure, Golsteyns story is an extraordinary one a soldier decorated for valour in combat who, during a job interview with the CIA in 2011, volunteered that he had killed a suspected bomb maker a year earlier in Afghanistan. The army opened an investigation but did not charge Golsteyn, instead stripping him of a Silver Star and an elite Special Forces tab, and issuing a letter of reprimand. But then, five years later, in an appearance on Fox News, Golsteyn again said he had shot the Afghan. The army opened a second investigation in late 2016, and charged Golsteyn with murder last week. Now that Trump has weighed in, it is unclear how the army will proceed, Defense Department officials said on Sunday. One official said the expectation was that the armys case would continue, but added that the presidents tweet put the military in uncharted territory. The army has yet to schedule a formal hearing on the murder charge; officials said it was within Trumps power to pardon Golsteyn even before the case makes its way through the military court system. In an interview, Golsteyns lawyer, Phillip Stackhouse, called the armys decision to charge his client with murder a case of political correctness, and said he was happy that Trump was going to look into it. Hopefully Secretary Mattis will as well, he added, referring to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Golsteyn was in Afghanistan in 2010 during the battle for the city of Marjah in the volatile Helmand province. The battle was huge more than 15,000 American, Afghan, British, Canadian, Danish and Estonian troops assaulted the Taliban stronghold. Over the next several months, dozens of Americans were killed and hundreds were wounded. In February of that year, a roadside bomb killed two Marines Sgt. Jeremy R. McQueary and Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson who had been working with Golsteyns Green Beret team. There are conflicting accounts of what happened next. Army documents, which claim to recount what Golsteyn told the CIA, suggest that he and his team began clearing homes nearby, looking for the source of the roadside bomb, and eventually finding explosive materials similar to those used in the bomb that killed the Marines. The team took the suspected bomb maker back to its base, where the Afghan ran into a tribal leader, who identified him as a member of the Taliban. The tribal leader became frightened that the suspected bomb maker, if released, would report him to the Taliban and he would be killed, the army documents say. The next year, in 2011, Golsteyn took a polygraph test as part of a CIA job interview. Applicants to the CIA are warned to disclose any potential skeletons in their past. Interviewers tell applicants it is better for them to reveal potentially compromising information than it is for the agency to discover it another way, according to a U.S. official. Golsteyn said the suspected bomb maker was not on a list of people whom U.S. forces were authorized to kill without following rules of engagement that bar such action, according to army documents. But Golsteyn and another U.S. soldier, concerned that the man, if released, would kill U.S. troops or report that the tribal leader was working with the Americans, took him off the base, shot and killed him, and buried his remains in a shallow grave, the documents say. Later that night, Golsteyn and two other soldiers dug up the remains, brought them back to their base and burned them in a pit used to dispose of trash, the army says he told the CIA. Golsteyns lawyer, Stackhouse, said the army documents mischaracterized what Golsteyn told the agency. After the polygraph test, the army opened an investigation into the killing. The agency, according to Stackhouse, put Golsteyns employment on hold. Two years later, in 2013, the army closed the case without charging Golsteyn. But his story was far from over. In November 2016, Golsteyn appeared in a Fox News special report. Asked by anchor Bret Baier whether he had killed the suspected bomb maker, he replied, Yes. One Defense Department official said on Sunday that Golsteyns admission had forced the army to reopen the case. On Thursday, Golsteyn received written notification from the army that he was being charged with premeditated murder. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian and the director of the undergraduate public policy program at New York University, said Trumps intervention in the Golsteyn case was a very bad thing for the president to do. His job is to ensure that the system of justice is protected, not to be a thumb on the scale, Naftali said, adding: The president does not believe in separation of powers. Intervening by definition means that you dont believe in separation of powers. Abdul Karim Attal, a member of the Helmand provincial council, said in a telephone interview on Sunday that a pardon for Golsteyn would give logic to those who say they are waging war against the Americans in Afghanistan because the Americans are not even committed to their own justice system. He added, If they are freeing a murderer from their own military court who confessed to committing a crime, how would the people of Afghanistan expect the Americans to bring wrongdoers to justice? Part of the problem for the U.S. military is that, as with any war especially one that has lasted 17 years there has been a long string of episodes in Afghanistan in which U.S. service members have been accused of crimes. This is not the only case where they made a blunder; there are even more serious cases being committed by American soldiers in Afghanistan, like the one where a soldier killed two families, including women and children, and then burned them, said Bashir Ahmad Shakir, another member of the provincial council. He added: For a strong country, there should be a strong code of law and order. If you break that code, it means you have no faith in justice and then the people of Afghanistan will doubt you when you ask people to adhere to principles of justice and human rights. Rachel E. VanLandingham, who was chief of international law with U.S. Central Command under Bush and President Barack Obama, said Trumps interference could undermine trust in the military justice system even more broadly. We care because we expect the military to kill the enemy when theyre supposed to, she said. We do not kill them when theyre in our custody. She added, Thats the difference between rule of law and Lord of the Flies. Read more about: NAIROBI, KENYASix U.S. airstrikes that killed more than 60 people in a coastal Somali town were pre-emptive strikes to prevent a major extremist attack, according to a Somali intelligence officer. The U.S. military said Monday it carried out four strikes on Dec. 15 in which 34 people were killed and two more on Dec. 16 which killed 28. The air attacks targeted Gandarshe, south of the capital, Mogadishu, it said. No civilians were injured or killed in the attacks, it said. The strikes were carried out in close co-ordination with Somalias government and were conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks, said the U.S. military statement. The U.S. airstrikes were aimed at al-Shabab fighters who were preparing a major attack on a Somali government military base in the Lower Shabelle region, said a Somali intelligence official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The strike has neutralized an imminent attack, he said. The airstrikes hit both a military camp and battle vehicles in Gandarshe, the official told The Associated Press. Read more: Bloody rivalry erupts between Al Shabab, IS group in Somalia Two attacks in Somalia; Islamic cleric who played music killed Four car bombs explode by hotel in Somalias capital, leaving 20 dead Al-Shabab has long used historic Gandarshe town, roughly 48 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, as a launching pad from for attacks, including car bombs that hit the capital. Al-Shabab uses parts of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct extremist attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radicals, said U.S. military statement. With these attacks, the U.S. military has carried out at least 46 airstrikes so far this year against al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaida and Africas most active Daesh extremist group. Al Shabab, which is fighting to establish its version of Shariah law in Somalia, controls parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to stage deadly attacks in Mogadishu and other cities. The U.S. airstrikes have picked up dramatically since President Donald Trump took office and approved expanded military operations in the Horn of Africa nation. Airstrikes also target a small presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State group. The U.S. has about 500 military personnel in Somalia and earlier this month opened a permanent diplomatic presence in Mogadishu. Several years ago, al-Shabab controlled large swathes of Somalia, including much of the capital city. The African Union forces succeeded in pushing the extremists from Mogadishu and most other major cities. However, al-Shabab continues to be active in Somalias rural areas and launches suicide car bomb attacks in the capital. In October last year, a massive truck bomb killed more than 500 people. KABUL, AFGHANISTANU.S. diplomats held talks with Taliban delegates on Monday in the United Arab Emirates to discuss ways to end the war in Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman and Afghan government officials said. Saudi, Pakistani and UAE officials also were participating in the meeting, one of several held between U.S. diplomats and representatives of the Afghan insurgent group in recent months, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement emailed to reporters. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE were the only nations that recognized the Talibans radical Islamist government when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until its ouster in late 2001. There was no official confirmation from the presidential palace in Kabul whether any government official would participate in the meeting. But Afghanistans national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, said in a tweet that he met Sunday in the UAE with officials from the three countries and the United States. Mohib said he discussed President Ashraf Ghanis road map for peace, which allows Taliban representatives to take part in the political process and run for office. The plan also raises the prospect of constitutional changes while maintaining what the government describes as the countrys achievements since the militants were driven from power in Kabul by Afghan resistance forces and U.S. airstrikes. Mohib said he had discussed the direct engagement of the Afghan government with the Taliban for an intra-Afghan dialogue. Read more: Taliban say another meeting with U.S. planned in Middle East Attacks across Afghanistan leave at least 30 dead Shah Hussain Murtazawi, a spokesman for Ghani, said the U.S.-Taliban meeting was being co-ordinated with the Afghan government. The Afghan government supports any effort and action that paves the way for an Afghan-led peace process, he said. Ultimately, it is the Afghan government that signs and parliament that approves any peace agreement. A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul described the meeting as part of efforts by the United States and other international partners to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at ending the conflict in Afghanistan. The Taliban has repeatedly refused to deal directly with Ghanis government, which the group considers a U.S. puppet that is racked by internal divisions and regarded as inefficient. Zalmay Khalilzad, the new U.S. envoy for Afghanistan, will lead the talks in the UAE, officials said. He has held at least two meetings with Taliban officials in Qatar, where the group maintains a political office. The Taliban said last month that its representatives met with Khalilzad for three days in Doha, the Qatari capital. He has travelled to the region and spoken with a number of diplomats and leaders since he was appointed as a special envoy by President Donald Trump in September. The Afghan-born diplomat recently suggested the formation of an interim government instead of holding a presidential election as scheduled in April. The aim would be to allow the peace process to succeed and then hold the vote with the Talibans participation. But members of Ghanis administration have rejected the idea, insisting on going ahead with the election despite widely mismanaged parliamentary polls in October that were held after more than three years of delay. Ghani is set to run for re-election and has picked an advisory board on peace while Khalilzad pushes the U.S.-led efforts. Some factional leaders, including his archrival for the presidency, former national security adviser Hanif Atmar, consider Ghanis move a political manoeuvre aimed at bolstering his re-election bid. Some members of the advisory board have said they will not participate, as they were selected without even being informed. The main stumbling blocks in past rounds of talks between U.S. and Taliban representatives have been conditions set by the two sides on how to end the war. The Taliban has insisted on a pullout date for U.S.-led troops before any talks with the Kabul government and has demanded that Washington not oppose the establishment of an Islamist government. U.S. officials have been pushing to keep some troops and at least a couple of bases in the country. Read more about: We find it troubling that government officials refuse to acknowledge or communicate with the media. As pillars of democracy, the media provide insight and understanding, enabling healthy participation by citizens. Why hide information, why refuse to be open and forthcoming with regard to public business? Whats next? Refusing to acknowledge or communicate with citizens? Eugene Spanier and family, Etobicoke Doug Ford governance Looks like this consists of making up two lists: one of all the people and institutions that he has a grudge against, so that he can pass legislation and take steps to get even with them; and another of all the people he considers as friends, so that he can offer them choice, unqualified appointments. John Marsh, Scarborough I wish to comment on the impending appointment of Ron Taverner as the commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, and to express my dismay at the way Premier Doug Ford and Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli and the government you lead continue to sacrifice integrity to ego and reason to expediency. It is my perception that one of you is not smart enough to know the difference between self-gratification and the common good. That the one who knows better Fedeli continues to stand by and take no principled stance is breathtakingly shameful. Please do something to stop the Ontario Provincial Police and every fine thing that they stand for in this province from being dragged to the sleazy level of political cronyism that you and your government inhabit. Perhaps one of you even has the courage to pick up the telephone to speak with an actual average citizen in this province about this very compelling issue. Frank Petruzella, North Bay Read more about: VANCOUVERThe story of sex work is so rarely told by sex workers themselves. Instead, stories are told for them or about them. Thats why acclaimed photographer Jackie Dives in partnership with the Providing Advocacy Counselling & Education (PACE) Society launched an eight-week long workshop for sex workers this fall, to shoot their own narratives captured solely on film. The traditional idea of sex work is someone who is downtrodden and addicted to drugs, selling themselves on the street, Dives said in an interview. But that is an outside view. How often have you seen an image taken by someone in that scenario? Pictures are only taken of someone in that scenario. Their work which invites viewers to reimagine the stereotypical images of sex workers will be exhibited on Monday evening at an event hosted by PACE, a sex worker-led organization operating in Vancouver for more than 20 years. Through playful, free-form exploration, Dives encouraged participants 10 sex workers who identified as either female or non-binary to activate their creative voice to combat deeply entrenched stigma and reaffirm their own agency. And the myriad of images arent what youd expect, Dives said. Read more: How a Canadian law meant to protect sex workers is making it harder for them to stay safe Opinion | Vicky Mochama: Ad crackdown a blunt tool that harms sex workers Vancouver artists use vans to exhibit their photos because they cant find affordable gallery space While some photographs shone an intimate spotlight on the ins-and-outs of the job using imagery such as condoms, other participants strove to create photos unrelated to sex work. For instance, one person focused on landscapes, which surprised the local photographer. That just shows my own judgment, Dives said. I thought everyone would want to do personal, heart-wrenching, gritty work and that was wrong. Sex workers need not be defined solely by their livelihood, she added. Themes include the use of medical marijuana, being a person of colour in the trade and perceptions of body image. For example, one participant chose to photograph trans sex workers of colour, whom they felt were often erased. The exhibit is carefully timed to roll out on Dec. 17, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, which began in Seattle as a memorial for more than 50 murdered women. And what you dont know about sex work is killing sex workers, said Laura Dilley, PACEs executive director. Sex workers endure violence because society refuses to listen to them, silences them through criminalization, and perpetuates the stigma and misinformation that fuels violence, Dilley said. New research based on a Vancouver-based survey of sex workers found that the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) passed in 2014 by the Harper government which made it legal to sell sex in Canada but illegal to pay for it or help someone else sell it makes it more difficult to access health and safety measures. The law creates an environment of violence because workers are unlikely to call the police out of fear of criminalization, researchers said. This can pose real risks when sex workers are publicly identified, Dilley said. For that reason, the sex workers who participated in this project will remain anonymous to ensure they could engage on their own terms and in ways that were safe for them. Still, art can be healing, therapeutic and just plain fun, Dives said. But more importantly, sex workers have an opportunity to tell their stories through their own lens to show whats important to them. She told StarMetro that what was most touching was the sense of community and belonging the participants built over the eight weeks. And even Dives has learned more about the nuances of what sex work can be like. They are not drug-addicted. They often have a university education. They are not working on the street, she said. Regardless of what choices people make, I think everyone deserves to be treated like a human. The Resistance: Experimental Photography Project will take place on Monday at the InterUrban Art Gallery at 1 Hastings St. East from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. With files from Alex McKeen Read more about: EDWARDSVILLE Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP) students have provided free influenza vaccine and flu education to underserved residents of St. Clair County at the St. Vincent de Paul Community Center in East St. Louis. On both Friday, Nov. 16 and Wednesday, Dec. 5, vaccines were provided at no cost through funding from the Southern Illinois Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Network. Lakesha Butler, PharmD, clinical professor in the SOP Department of Pharmacy Practice, served as project leader. Our students touched more than 50 lives through the administration of the flu vaccine or through education and dispelling the myths associated with the vaccine, she said. Most of the patients served did not have a primary care doctor and were at high risk for flu. Therefore, we were able to impact the community in a great way. Flu season is from October through April-May with peak activity between December and February. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone six months and older is encouraged to receive the flu vaccine. Third-year SOP student Rebeca Mier y Leon, of Effingham, thoroughly enjoys community events that positively impact patients lives. Providing flu shots at a homeless shelter is such a valuable experience because it seems that one of the major barriers to accepting the flu vaccine is the common misconceptions, she said. I learned that it would be beneficial to have more educational outreach in the community to help prevent the flu. Being able to provide access to care to the homeless community was extremely rewarding. We had the opportunity to educate homeless patients about the flu, and we were able to administer free flu shots to patients who normally dont have access. Mier y Leon said not all patients were interested in receiving flu shots, but most were open to discussion. This was a good opportunity to educate them about the flu, ways to prevent the infection, and dispel myths and misconceptions about the vaccine, she said. Meanwhile, patients who received the flu shot were appreciative of the service. This was the first SOP community outreach initiative in which students and pharmacists provided flu vaccinations under a physician standing order. Immunization certified pharmacists and pharmacy students, who are under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist, could provide vaccinations to persons 14 years of age. The St. Vincent de Paul Center offers free meals, free showers, laundry facilities, job, and educational resources among other services for those in need. The School of Pharmacy plans to continue this new partnership with St. Vincent and provide additional healthcare services and education in the near future, Butler said. Serving the underserved aids students in developing empathy, a necessary attribute of healthcare professionals. A piece of legislation that has been sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner would make it easier for some counties to remove townships and road districts. For counties like Morgan and Scott counties, the legislation would move all oversight of the districts to the county highway department and the county board. Morgan County Highway Director Matt Coultas said both Morgan and Scott operate under a commission organization, instead of townships. Each district has a commissioner and a clerk, while a township organization has other entities that are involved. If Rauner approves the legislation, the process of eliminating road districts with fewer than 15 miles would be easier for communities wanting to do it. There are some counties that dont have road districts, Coultas said. Its just a different way of doing things. The legislation, proposed by State Sen. Terry Link, D-Vernon Hills, is geared toward Lake and McHenry counties in northern Illinois. Link said the bill would allow for easier consolidation of government entities. Everyone loves to talk about how Illinois has too many units of government, Link said. This bill would help fix that. Everyone loves to complain about high property taxes. This bill would help provide property tax relief. If approved, voters would be able to sign a petition asking for consolidation into another road district or into one large district. Coultas said Morgan County already has had some consolidation, though not in many years. Weve had District 2 consolidated into District 1, 12 went into 9, Coultas said. The county is already doing some of this when needed. It was the late 90s the last time it was done. In Morgan, voters within the district have to sign a petition to eliminate the district. Coultas said the elimination of districts could have both negative and positive impacts, but it would be up to the community to decide. Our residents are used to seeing their tax dollars going into their area, Coultas said. If it was one district, there wouldnt be a guarantee of where those funds go. Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha. The United NationsChildrens Fund (UNICEF) is mandated by the UN general assembly to advocate forthe protection of childrens rights, to help meet their basic needs and expandtheir opportunities to reach their full potential. Together with our partners,we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment intopractical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable andexcluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. Mengo Hospital wasfounded in 1897 in Kampala, and is the oldest hospital in Uganda. It currentlyserves as an urban community hospital that provides modern medical care. MengoHospital provides comprehensive care including radiology, obstetrics,dentistry, orthopedics, and surgery. Additionally, Mengo Hospital providescritical training and education to health professionals through its variousprograms in midwifery and nursing, health sciences, and laboratory technology.Mengo Hospital also has a dedicated research and development team that works tofind new solutions to health issues in Uganda. What do we do when we love a song? Just visit one of those numerous websites and hit the 'download' button. But, did you know that about 90 per cent of these websites do not have the licence to upload songs that we download? As per the Copyright Act of 1957, it is mandatory for every website that offers film songs and other recorded music for downloading, to get a licence from Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL)-India. It holds the performing rights of more than 300 music labels across India, and also international music. They are affiliated globally to International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI). In fact, any event that plays recorded music in a commercial spacefrom birthday parties, DJ nights, hotels to shopsmust get a licence from PPL and Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS). Marriage and religious functions are exempted. These organisations extend the royalty to the artistes. Are the DJs careful about the rules? DJ Envy, who has performed in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and other cities, said, Whoever books the performance, they take the licence, and not the artiste. I mostly play with reputed hotels and they will never do anything outside the legal terms. And I havent heard of any DJ getting into trouble because of not having a licence. Explaining about the types of licences, Hari Nair, the chief digital officer, PPL-India, said, Shops playing songs in the background has to get background licence. A background licence owner cannot play music for other events, for which there is a separate licence called the public performance licence. A decade ago, tracking a pirated website was cumbersome. Sharing his experience, J. Swaminathan, secretary, South Indian Music Companies Association (SIMCA), said, Interestingly, 10 years back there was a site called mohankumar.com. I told him to fall in line, but he never did. He was hosting his website from the US. I had sent a legal notice to his hosting provider and the next day, the site was removed. The next day he had hosted the site from Australia. After the next notice, he hosted it from Canada, New Zealand and then from Germany. The bill from my US lawyer came to $48,000. Rajesh S. Dhupad, joint secretary, SIMCA, explained the laborious process. The company has a team of field officers who go to public places playing music and and check whether they have the necessary licence. The team identifies and sends legal notices. But, more than moving legally, they prefer to settle it in a smooth way as they welcome anybody who wants to use their music. The team comprises members who are experienced in this field. When they visit a hotel, for example, they will be able to identify a song and whether that comes under any of our member labels. If yes, they will check the list of hotels holding a licence. If the hotel doesn't have a licence, we try to educate them about the whole process. We avoid the legal approach. Sending a legal notice is our last resort, Dhupad said. Speaking on the challenges in the digital world of music, he said, There are more than 10,200 pirated websites in Tamil which are offer Tamil film songs and videos for download. Even if we get a stay order against these websites, they will easily change their server or names and launch the site again. This is a huge challenge for us. Recently, SIMCA members joined PPL to monetise their public performances rights. SIMCA administers the rights of music companies across the four south-Indian states. This tie-up gives PPL access to over 1,00,000 sound recordings from films, independent and devotional albums, songs from Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit, and Malayalam. SIMCA continues to monetise its content on radio and digital platforms directly, said their press release. SIMCA has 89 members from the four states. Rap artist T-Pain was accused of plagiarising his recent release 'That's Yo Money' from Bollywood film Aashiqui 2's hit song 'Tum Hi Ho'. According to Mumbai Mirror, soon after the song was released, social media users pointed out that it bore an uncanny resemblance to the hit number from the Shraddha Kapoor-Aditya Roy Kapur starrer. According to the report, Bhushan Kumar, who heads T-Series, got the music pulled from YouTube for copyright infringment. Composer Mithoon tweeted: "Sir, the melody that you have used in your new song is my original work for a previously released Hindi film..The Label is looking into this." Sir, the melody that you have used in your new song is my original work for a previously released Hindi film..The Label is looking into this.#tumhiho #Aashiqui2 https://t.co/5fnDf4sfg7 Mithoon (@Mithoon11) December 15, 2018 The rapper responded: "Woke up to getting dragged by brown twitter. Sooooo yea. I definitely didnt produce this song. Had no idea that was a sample and have never heard the music before I got the beat from the producer. Easy thing to work out. The labels will be in contact. Thanx." South Indian actress Leena Maria Paul has mostly been in the news for all the wrong reasons. She first made news in 2013 when she, along with her partner Sukesh Chandrashekhar, was arrested for cheating Chennai-based Canara bank for Rs 19 crore. The duo was again arrested in 2015 by the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police for cheating people by promising them high returns on investments in a bogus firm. The actress who featured in films like Madras Cafe , Husbands in Goa and Red Chillies is back in the news after two men on a bike fired shots at a beauty parlour run by her in Kochi on Saturday. There were no casualties in the broad daylight incident that left the residents shocked. Mumbai don Ravi Poojara's name has been linked to the incident, but police say it is an attempt to mislead the probe. Not much is known about Leena even in industry circles, other than her controversial lifestyle. Leena's propensity to stay in the news despite being a struggling actress has been a subject of discussion. In fact, when Leena was arrested from a farmhouse in south Delhi in 2013, police were shocked to see the fleet of luxury cars she ownednine of them including a Rolls Royce Phantom, costing a total of Rs 20 crore. According to reports, Leena grew up in Dubai, and pursued dentistry in Bengaluru where she first met Sukesh. After she was acquitted of the cases in 2016, Leena was reportedly set to bring out her autobiography, Love for a Man. Her partner Sukesh was again arrested in 2017 in the Election Commission bribery case which allegedly involved AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran among others. In January, the Delhi High Court denied him bail. Pakistan's Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday assured his help to filmmaker Nandita Das in lifting the ban on her latest directorial Manto in the country. Chaudhry took to Twitter to extend his help, saying he was trying to convince film importers to present a "less commercial film" like the Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer. "I am trying to pursue importers to bring this movie to Pak, I hope someone will definitely take risk of showing a less commercial film to the viewers," he said. Das thanked the minister and replied, "Shukriya @fawadchaudhry #FreeSpeech." The minister's statement came in response to Das' tweet on Saturday where she expressed her disappointment on the ban of the movie, a biopic on celebrated Urdu short story writer Saadat Hasan Manto who had migrated to Pakistan after Partition. "Disappointed that Manto will not be seen in theatres in Pakistan. I was keen as he belongs to both countries equally. Viacom18 Motion Pictures Namrata Goyal," the director wrote. Das also expressed her gratitude towards activists, writers and artistes from Pakistan who raised their voice protesting against the ban of her film Manto in the neighbouring country and appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan via an open letter. "I am grateful to the activists, writers, artists, and concerned citizens in Pakistan, who have spontaneously come together and signed an open letter to their PM appealing..." she wrote. The filmmaker also shared the link of the letter, which has been signed by 16 people including Manto's daughters Nighat, Nusrat and Nuzhat. In October this year, the Pakistan Film Producers Association (PFPA) demanded a complete ban on the release of Indian films in the country. Chaudhry Ejaz Kamran, a senior official in the PFPA, had said when Pakistani films are not screened in India, why should they screen Indian films in the country. A number of opposition leaders are understood to have reservations over naming any prime ministerial nominee for the anti-BJP alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, sources in the opposition camp said on Sunday. This came on a day DMK president M.K. Stalin said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi should be made the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition as he has the ability to defeat the BJP. "A number of opposition leaders are understood to have reservations against naming anyone as the prime ministerial face. The SP, TDP, BSP, TMC, and NCP disagree with Stalin's announcement [on Rahul]. It is premature. The PM name is to be decided only after the Lok Sabha results," a top opposition leader said. DMK chief M.K. Stalin on Sunday made a strong pitch for Rahul as the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" Narendra Modi government. Stalin's plea is in line with the tradition of his late father M. Karunanidhi who had earlier invited Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi for leadership roles. The DMK president was speaking at a rally attended by chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, N. Chandrababu Naidu and Pinarayi Vijayan, respectively. Incidentally, Naidu, post his split with the BJP-led NDA earlier this year, is attempting to cobble up a mega anti-BJP front for the next parliamentary elections. Stalin recalled that Karunanidhi had in 1980 declared "Welcome daughter of Pandit Nehru. Give a stable regime" while extending support to the late Indira Gandhi. Similarly, he had made an invitation to Sonia Gandhi in 2004, saying, "Welcome daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi; India's daughter should win". "In 2018, on the occasion of unveiling Thalaivar Kalaignar statue, I propose, we will install a new prime minister in Delhi. We will build a new India, as the son of Thalaivar Kalaignar, I propose the candidature of Rahul Gandhi from Tamil Nadu," Stalin said. "Rahul has got the ability to defeat the 'fascist Nazi' Modi government. I appeal to all my respected party leaders on the dais. We will strengthen the hands of Rahul Gandhi. We will save this nation," Stalin said. Touched by the compassion of the nurses who tended to her... It took 13 rounds of diplomatic discussions between India and China to resolve the face off between their militaries in Doklam last year, according to a report by a parliamentary panel. The report by the committee on External Affairs termed the Chinese intrusion at Doklam as a "blatant but unsuccessful attempt" to unilaterally change the status quo at the India, Bhutan, China tri-junction in Doklam, seriously affecting India's security interests. The committee also referred to 24 rounds of boundary talks between China and Bhutan and said China has been trying to persuade it to barter Doklam for some other territory further north and that Bhutan requires all support and assurances from its "time tested" ally India for it to take a firm position on this issue. Complimenting the government's handling of the face-off, the committee said it remained concerned that Chinese infrastructure built "uncomfortably" close to the tri-junction has not yet been dismantled. The committee, headed by former minister of state in External Affairs Ministry Shashi Tharoor, said Doklam was not a sovereignty issue for India as the disputed territory was Bhutanese, but nevertheless it was a major security challenge for New Delhi. "The committee would like to put on record their highest appreciation for the brave and timely action of our security forces which checked the PLA (People's Liberation Army) troops from continuing with their road construction activity in South Doklam," the panel said in the report tabled in Parliament on Monday. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day face-off in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The impasse ended on August 28. The report quoted the then Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar as telling the panel on October 18 last year that 13 rounds of diplomatic discussions were held with China and they were led by the Indian envoy in Beijing. Vijay Gokhale, who succeeded Jaishankar as Foreign Secretary in January, was India's Ambassador to China during the Doklam crisis. The report said diplomatic communications with China began following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg on July 7 last year on the sidelines of the G20 summit. In the talks, India contested the Chinese claim of sovereignty in Doklam region, conveyed to Beijing that its action represented a significant change in status quo with serious security implications for India and amounted to unilateral determination of the tri-junction point, according to then foreign secretary. The committee complimented the government's overall handling of the crisis as it managed to send necessary signals to China that India will not "acquiesce" in its unilateral and forceful attempts to change the status quo at any of India's territorial boundaries. It expressed concerns over multiple reports which allude to Chinese presence around Doklam plateau and the statements from Chinese authorities about chances of similar happenings in future also even after the standoff at Doklam ended. "The government has categorically denied that there is any direct threat from Chinese troops presently. The committee, however, are of the opinion that while dealing with China, it is always better to have a sense of 'healthy scepticism'," it said. The panel said India's defence forces and the diplomatic corps have shown firmness in responding to the crisis without actually being drawn into any kind of political rhetoric. The foreign secretary was quoted in the report as saying that during the entire course of the Doklam standoff, the ground situation was "very civil and that there was no body contact". To avoid border skirmishes, the panel strongly desired that a comprehensive Border Engagement Agreement is concluded between the Indian Army and the PLA, subsuming all established mechanisms for confidence building between the two sides. It also said that it was not the first time that PLA troops entered the Doklam area and that the Chinese troops have been crossing the Batang La-Meruga La-Sinchela Ridge line over the years and making ingress into the Bhutanese territory. The Committee also expressed unhappiness over grossly inadequate border road infrastructure along the India-China frontier. It was of the opinion that an objective and in-depth assessment of India's relationship with China should be carried out by the government promptly so that a broad national consensus is evolved on how to deal effectively with China. Physical torture of inmates in West Bengal, no medical aid for HIV patients in Odisha and no treatment for mentally challenged women in Uttar Pradesh were some of the key findings by the National Commission for Women during inspections of shelter homes in these states. The inquiry committee appointed by the National Commission for Women inspected five Swadhar Greh homes in West Bengal, eight in Odisha, eight in Karnataka and five in Uttar Pradesh. Out of 26 shelter homes, only one was running as per the guidelines of the Swadhar Greh scheme, according to the report submitted to the NCW by the inspection committee. These rehabilitation centres were either funded by the Centre or NGO-run short-stay homes for the sexually abused and destitute. In Uttar Pradesh, mentally challenged inmates were found living at these homes, but there was no sign of any treatment for them, "who were rolling on the floor at the time of inspection". In West Bengal, the inmates complained that they are subjected to physical torture by the counsellor of the shelter home. "Seven of the inmates are mentally challenged women and the Swadhar Greh is like a congested prison. The building, kitchen and rooms are dirty and unhygienic," the National Commission for Women report on the condition of the shelter home in West Bengal said. In Odisha, one inmate, who arrived there in connection with a trafficking case and had a child, complained to the committee that she was a HIV patient and the NGO was not providing any medication to her. "Though, she wants to go back to her parents, she was forced to stay back in the Greh by the NGO," the report said. In Karnataka, no psychological counselling being made available to inmates in depression and no sign of vocational training to the inmates were among the key findings of the report. One Swadhar Greh in Karnataka just existed on paper. "As per the address of the location of the Swadhar Greh given by the state government in the authenticated list, the committee went to inspect the Swadhar Greh located in a posh locality of Bangalore city. But, surprisingly, there is no Swadhar Greh existing in the address and only the board of the organisation was placed and the room was locked," the report said. NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma proposed introduction of a system like uploading the up-to-date data of inmates on the website of the Women and Child Development Department. Sharma also suggested mandatory inspections by district monitoring committees every three months and submitting of reports to the government. She observed that counsellors in the Swadhar Greh with masters in social work or sociology degrees cannot give any psychological counselling to the inmates, which is very much essential as most of the inmates will be in the condition of distress and anxiety. "Hence counsellors with the qualification of clinical psychology have to be appointed as counsellors," she said. "Mentally challenged women have to be sent to the mental rehabilitation centre for better care. Old women who are above 60 years have to be sent to old age home," she added. As criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen, Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. "The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. "We inherited actually a (Can) dollars 15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said. "We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Canadian dollars 1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticised by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armoured personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia. The deal, worth $11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawa's ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canada's rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. Bengal govt bats for common facility center for kids garments Kolkata, Dec 17 (PTI) In a bid to boost the garment industry in the state, the West Bengal government would assist in the creation of a common facility centre for kids clothing, Finance Minister Amit Mitra said on Monday. Kids garments hold a lot of potential in the developed markets like the USA, Mitra said at a West Bengal Garments Manufacturers and Dealers Association (WBGMDA) meet here. The minister urged the association to explore the developed countries rather than restricting itself to only a few markets. A meeting with the association and government officials will soon be held to draw the broad contours for the common facility centre, he said. The state government is likely to fund setting up of the centre that would have focus on testing, design, branding and technological interventions. The garment industry is a major employment generator in the state and once infrastructure for the sector improves, job opportunities will increase further, officials said. The WBGMDA estimates around 50,000 industry units in operation in West Bengal, employing about 50 lakh people. PTI BSM RBT RBT New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Industry body International Copper Association (ICA) India Monday said it welcomes the NGT order, which allowed reopening of Sterlite Copper's Tuticorin plant. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Saturday set aside the Tamil Nadu government order for closure of the copper unit at Tuticorin, which was at the centre of massive protests over alleged pollution, saying it was "non sustainable" and "unjustified". In May, the state government had ordered permanent closure of the company's copper unit after 13 people, among protesters, demanding its shutdown on environmental concerns, were killed in police firing. Sterlite Copper had challenged the order in the NGT. "It is a very positive move. We welcome the order. Due to the closure the import and prices of copper had gone up," Sanjeev Ranjan, ICA India managing director said. The closure of the plant had adversely impacted copper consuming industries like consumer goods, electrical and electronics, automobile, and players were bound to import the metal, he said. ICA believes reopening of the smelter unit will bring relief to the downstream and ancillary industry, the MD added. Due to the closure, domestic chemical and fertilisers industry was also impacted, he said. Sterlite Copper's 4,00,000 tonne per annum plant in Tuticorin met over 30 per cent of the of India's copper demand. It also produced sulphuric and phosphoric acids as a by-product which are key raw material for manufacturing of fertiliser, the company said. It also said that "due to the shutdown in the last six months... import of the metal (copper) has seen a surge. While premium on copper has gone up by 10-15 per cent, the import of the metal has shot up 2.5 times to nearly 30,000 tonne per month". The closure has led to a spike in prices of phosphoric and sulphuric acids, adversely affecting the downstream chemical and fertilisers industry, it noted. "The plant met 80-90 per cent of demand for sulphuric acid in the country and 15 per cent of the phosphoric acid demand. The closure of our plant has led to a sharp surge in demand, thereby driving up prices," its CEO P Ramnath said. In the last six months, prices of sulphuric acid have shot up from Rs 3,000/tonne to Rs 12,000/tonne, and a tonne of phosphoric acid costs Rs 53,000 as compared to Rs 43,000 a tonne six month earlier, a rise of 23 per cent, he said. PTI ABI BAL New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) The Centre Monday approved release of additional assistance of Rs 1,292 crore to Odisha and Tripura, which were hit by cyclone and floods respectively. In a statement, the Home Ministry said the additional assistance of Rs 1,023.59 crore will be released to Odisha, which was affected by cyclone Titli early this year, and Rs 268.63 crore to Tripura, hit by floods and landslides during monsoon. The decisions have been taken at a meeting of a high level committee, chaired Home Minister Rajnath Singh and attended Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior officers of the ministries of home, finance and agriculture also attended it. PTI ACB ACB SOM SOM Hong Kong, Dec 17 (AFP) Asian markets mostly rose Monday as traders look ahead to a key meeting of the Federal Reserve, and a Chinese policy-setting conference this week. However, there is still caution on trading floors after Friday's sharp sell-off fuelled by concerns over China's economy, and despite a tweet from Donald Trump suggesting a trade deal could be hammered out between Washington and Beijing. While there are signs the world's top two economies are beginning to move towards a resolution in their bitter tariffs spat, there are increasing concerns about the global outlook following another dour set of indicators out of China. A string of below-par readings this year have highlighted a slowdown in the Asian giant and observers are forecasting leaders will unveil fresh measures to pep up the economy, which is on course for another year of relatively weak growth. A speech from President Xi Jinping to mark 40 years since China's economy began opening up will be closely followed Tuesday, and that is expected to be followed by a start of a conference setting out the country's 2019 economic plan. "We should expect a raft of stimulus measures from China policymakers in an attempt to stabilise the domestic economy," said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA. The Fed will conclude its rate-setting policy meeting Wednesday and while expectations are for another hike in borrowing costs, comments from chairman Jerome Powell will be closely watched for an idea of its plans for 2019. In light of the China-US trade row and signs of weakness in the global economy, the bank has sounded a little more dovish in recent weeks, fuelling speculation it will slow down its pace of rate hikes -- which has provided some much-needed support to equities. "The upcoming (Fed) meeting and China's policy-setting meeting, have been the most actively discussed topics around the markets," Innes added. "And both events have a smoothing effect on risk sentiment." In early business, Hong rose 0.2 per cent, Shanghai edged up 0.1 per cent and Tokyo finished the morning 0.8 per cent higher while Sydney put on 0.5 per cent and Singapore jumped 1.3 per cent. Seoul added 0.2 per cent and Taipei gained 0.3 per cent but Wellington lost 0.3 per cent. Steve Goldman, fund manager at Kapstream Capital, told Bloomberg TV in Sydney that "we're going to see a lot of volatility" in the new year because of global uncertainty. Hopes that China and the US can reach a deal to end their trade war were given a boost by Trump Friday, when he tweeted: "China wants to make a big and very comprehensive deal. It could happen, and rather soon!" That came after China earlier in the day backed off fresh levies imposed this summer on US-made cars and auto parts. While a full-blown deal is some way off, the developments have provided some hope to dealers. On currency markets the pound remains bogged down around 20-month lows as Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to win concessions from EU leaders over her Brexit agreement, which a majority of lawmakers in Westminster oppose. Facing growing calls for another referendum to break the deadlock, May is expected to tell MPs that such a move will do "irreparable damage" to British politics. However, with her agreement all but dead in the water, there is a growing expectation Britain will leave the EU without a deal, which commentators warn could hammer the British economy. (AFP) RUP RUP Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) A local court has issued notices against Tata Sons former chairman Ratan Tata, present chairman N Chandrasekaran and eight directors of the group along with the group chief operating officer in a defamation complaint filed by Wadia group chairman Nusli Wadia. The notices were issued by the Esplanade court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate MI Lokwani last Saturday and posted the matter for further hearing on March 25, 2019. Wadia had recorded his statement on December 14. Apart from Tata and Chandrasekaran, the other respondents are Ajay Piramal, Amit Chandra, Ishaat Hussain, Nitin Nohria, Ranendra Sen, Vijay Singh, Venu Srinivasan, Ralf Speth and F N Subedar, the group chief operating officer. Wadia filed the complaint in 2016 after he was voted out of some of the group companies, where he was a board member, claiming that Tata and the others had made defamatory statements against him after they removed Cyrus Mistry on October 24, 2016 as the group chairman of Tata Sons. Wadia was on the boards of group companies like Indian Hotels Company that runs the Taj group of hotels, TCS, Tata Motors and Tata Steel among others as an independent director. He was voted out by shareholders at the specially convened general meeting between December 2016 and February 2017. Wadia's counsel Abad Ponda informed a metropolitan magistrate court that the accused persons had alleged that Wadia was acting in concert with Mistry, and thus against the interests of the Tata group as a whole. Wadia in his complaint claimed that he approached the court as he was not satisfied with the explanations the respondents had given him following his letters to them and his complaint seeks to initiate defamation proceedings against them under section 500 of IPC. The magistrate, however, refused to issue process (notice) to Tata Sons observing that it is a company and not an individual person. "It appears that complainant (Wadia) has made out a case against accused No 2 to 12 (Tata and others) but there is no such case made out against accused No 1 (Tata Sons) for the offence punishable under section 500. Hence issue process against accused No. 2 to 12," the magistrate said in his order. Meanwhile, a Tata Sons spokesperson said all due processes were followed in relation to Nusli Wadia's removal as independent director. "Tata Sons had, in exercise of its statutory rights, validly issued a 'Special Notice' seeking his removal. While Wadia has alleged that the contents of the Special Notice were defamatory, the matter is currently sub judice and Tata Sons strongly denies such allegations," the statement said. PTI SP BEN SRY (Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PR Newswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.) BENGALURU, December 17, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- Simplilearn, one of the leading global e-learning companies, released a report today titled 'Digital Transformation & Future of Tech Jobs in India'. The report highlights the five key domains - Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security and Digital Project Management - transforming industries across the world. This transformation is generating lucrative job opportunities for working professionals in the IT/ITes in India and is impacting the job market positively. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/535442/Simplilearn_Logo.jpg ) The continuous digital transformation in India has been driving faster adoption of emerging technologies, and that's one of the reasons why organizations today are investing in technological capabilities. Businesses in India recognize the challenges of digital transformation and are proactively embracing it. Hence, professionals across technology fields are looking at reskilling and upskilling themselves to stay relevant in their careers. Analyzing the given situation, research by Simplilearn Career Data Labs highlights the following: A brief understanding and skills required for the top IT job roles of the future in India Bangalore is leading the way when it comes to job demand in 4 out of 5 domains except AI Engineer The top hiring companies include: Tata Consultancy Services, Intel, Wipro, Amazon India, Flipkart, Hewlett-Packard, Accenture, and Samsung R&D. Median salaries for each job role, dependent experience, are listed as: Data Scientists: 25,00,000 PA Artificial Intelligence: 20,00,000 PA Cloud Architect: 18-30,00,000 PA Cyber Security Expert: 22-32,00,000 PA Digital Project Manager: 15-24,00,000 PA While launching the report, Kashyap Dalal, Co-founder & Chief Business Officer at Simplilearn, said, "As discussed in our report, there is a constant technology transformation impacting the job scenario, especially businesses across industries such as Pharma, Technology, Telecom etc. This transformation is offering advantageous opportunities to the IT workforce in our country. Our report gives a clear view into the top domains and the job roles along with the skillsets that are currently in demand; the only way to make the most of the current opportunities and stay relevant is to learn and upskill." This 'Digital Transformation and Future of IT Jobs in India' survey was conducted among more than 1000 learners and IT professionals across metropolitan areas in India to understand their views on digital transformation and how it is impacting their careers. In particular, Simplilearn aimed to discover what changes they are making to adapt to the new wave of digital transformation. Key findings were: According to 41 percent of respondents, the biggest impact of Digital Transformation at work has been reskilling and upskilling, followed by improved performance (32 percent of respondents). 50 percent of respondents prefer a combination of company-sponsored and self-funded online training. Only 10 percent of the respondents prefer training to be fully sponsored by their company. It is impossible for today's organizations to stay away from the technological advancements that are changing business dynamics. While companies are looking to adopt new technologies and platforms to advance their business results, they must focus on preparing the workforce with the right skillsets and training. Industry specific certifications are valuable for upgrading professionals' and employees' skill sets and helping them stay relevant. This, in turn, will help businesses in successfully achieving digital transformation. About Simplilearn Simplilearn enables professionals and enterprises to succeed in the fast-changing digital economy. The company provides outcome-based online training across digital technologies and applications such as Big Data, Machine Learning, AI, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Digital Marketing and other emerging technologies. Based in San Francisco, CA, Raleigh, NC and Bangalore, India, Simplilearn has helped more than one million professionals and 1000 companies across 150 countries get trained, acquire certifications and reach their business and career goals. The company's high-engagement curriculum blends self-paced online learning, instructor-led live virtual classrooms, hands-on projects, student collaboration, and 24/7 global teaching assistants. Simplilearn is a GSA IT-70 contract holder and was recognized by Training Industry as a Top 20 IT Training Company for 2017. For more information, visit https://www.simplilearn.com. Source: Simplilearn Solutions Private Limited PWR PWR (Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with AsiaNet. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.) DONGGUAN, China, Dec. 14, 2018 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/-- The World Dongguan Entrepreneurs Convention 2018 was held in Dongguan from December 13 to 14. More than 1,200 overseas Dongguan businessmen had a grand reunion in their hometown for expanding business cooperation. In recent years, the southern Chinese city has welcomed an increasing number of outstanding global companies and projects as its business environment continues to improve. Dongguan was home to 391,000 private enterprises and 586,900 individual businesses by the end of 2017, with the total registered capital exceeding 18 billion yuan (USD 2.62 billion). The favorable policies and sound business climate have made it possible for the city's private sector to thrive sustainably. In 2017, Dongguan launched the plan of improving both the scale and efficiency of major enterprises. Focusing on the policy, industry, land, capital and talents, Dongguan offers the pilot companies 20 inclusive preferential policies plus a panel of experts to consult with, to ensure these firms multiply their size and economic benefits. "The biennial event provides overseas Dongguan entrepreneurs with an opportunity to grasp a deeper understanding of the city's investment realities and boost business exchanges and cooperation with Dongguan. As the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the strategy of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area further unroll, it is stepping up the pace of building a new open economy and rolling out preferential policies to shape a better business climate. Thus, these businessmen are more confident and looking forward to investing in the city," said Yin Hongwei, director of the Convention's executive committee and chairman of World Dongguan Entrepreneurs Federation (WDEF). A signing ceremony was held by the Dongguan Investment Group Co., Ltd. (DIG) and WDEF. These signed projects, including four for industrial investment and seven for financial services, fall into such fields as the emerging intelligent industries development, private equity investment and sci-tech financial services for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). At the signing event, investment in industries and in private equity are worth over 27.5 billion yuan (USD 3.99 billion) and 3.5 billion yuan (USD 508.7 million), respectively, and SMEs are granted a credit line worth 20 billion yuan (USD 2.9 billion) for sci-tech financial services. According to Yin, the Western European Dongguan Entrepreneurs Federation was founded in September, during which, representatives from WDEF and DIG attended the Frankfurt-held China (Dongguan)-Germany (Frankfurt) Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference and signed the framework agreements of two cooperative projects in healthcare with famous German corporations. It is expected that the World Dongguan Entrepreneurs Convention 2018 will attract more quality projects. Today, Chinese and overseas businessmen are more inclined to invest in Dongguan, demonstrating marked progress in the city's endeavor to cultivate a business environment that is law-based, internationalized and business-friendly. Beyond that, more benefits are unlocked. This November, Dongguan rolled out a series of measures to ensure private companies enjoy quality development, which is expected to help Dongguan-based private businesses reduce about 30 billion yuan (USD 4.36 billion) in various costs and offer value-added services that are worth 50 billion yuan (USD 7.26 billion) in the coming three years. On top of lowering costs and strengthening capacity, the city is providing more entrepreneurial opportunities and expanding market access on major fronts for those enterprises. It has introduced an array of policies so as to form a system that befits its quality development. All these positive signals are offering Dongguan entrepreneurs more advantages and business opportunities. Source: The Executive Committee of the World Dongguan Entrepreneurs Convention PWR PWR Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) Akshay Kumar's much awaited film "Kesari", based on the Battle of Saragarhi, will arrive in cinema halls on March 21. The movie is produced by Cape of Good Hope Films and Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. Anurag Singh has directed the film. Akshay and Parineeti Chopra took to Twitter on Monday to announce the release date of the film. The team recently wrapped up the final schedule in Jaipur. "And it's a wrap for #Kesari... A film which swells up my chest with immense pride. See you in cinemas on 21st March,2019," Akshay tweeted. Parineeti wrote, "Anytime I watched a war movie, it was the love story of those brave men that kept me going..so proud to be a part of this epic experience!!! Thank you Akshay sir, Kjo & Anurag sir for allowing me to be a part of your vision. "You all have made one of the most beautiful movies people will ever see!! People - Dont miss it on 21 Mar 2019!" Both the actors also shared the pictures of the their respective looks from the film. PTI SHD SHD Colombo, Dec 17 (PTI) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was recently reinstated as the premier by President Maithripala Sirisena, said Monday he would register a new political alliance 'National Democratic Front' (NDF) to contest future elections. Addressing his first rally of United National Party (UNP) supporters after his re-appointment, Wickremesinghe said that Parliament can vote with two-thirds to hold elections. "We are currently working on forming the National Democratic Front (NDF) to face the next election," he said. "We are ready to hold elections constitutionally," Wickremesinghe said. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said abolishing the executive Presidency and bringing about a political solution will be part of the agenda of his new Government. An embarrassed Sirisena, whose controversial actions plunged the island nation into an unprecedented political turmoil for nearly two months, reinstated Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister on Sunday, after sacking him on October 26 and appointing ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place and also dissolving Parliament, some 20 months early. Sirisena was left with no other option following two separate decisions by the Supreme Court, which nullified his illegal moves. The president said he offered to reappoint Wickremesinghe as the prime minister as he respects parliamentary traditions and democracy. Ex-strongman Rajapaksa resigned from the post on Saturday, a day after the apex court refused to stay another court order restraining him from acting as the prime minister. PTI CORR CPS AKJ CPS New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2030 hours FGN15 PAK-SAEED-LD MINISTER Leaked video shows Pak minister vowing to 'protect' Hafiz Saeed and his party (Eds: Updates with more details) Lahore: Exposing Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's seriousness on combating terrorism, his junior interior minister has vowed to "protect" Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and his party in a leaked video. By M Zulqernain FGN10 PAK-INDIAN-LD RELEASE Pakistan releases Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari after 6 years Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, who was detained by the country's intelligence agencies in 2012 and subsequently sentenced to three years' imprisonment by a military court in 2015 for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card. FGN5 RBI-S&P Govt's intense pressure on RBI could undermine India's long-term financial stability: S&P Singapore: Indian government's "sustained and intense" pressure on the RBI could "undermine" the hard-fought improvements in the banking system over the past few years as well as the long-term financial stability in the country, S&P Global Ratings warned on Monday. By Gurdip Singh FGN14 LANKA-SIRISENA-WICKREMESINGHE Bruised Lankan President Sirisena yet to bury the hatchet with triumphant PM Wickremesinghe Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who lost badly in his tussle for power with Ranil Wickremesinghe, is not ready to bury the hatchet with the triumphant Prime Minister, saying they do not see eye to eye on a number of issues, including on the release of LTTE political prisoners. FGN7 CHINA-PAK-AFGHAN China, Pak and Afghan sign MoU to cooperate on counter-terrorism Beijing: China, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to cooperate on counter-terrorism and coordinate to call on the Taliban to return to the negotiating table and to move ahead the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday. PTI PMS PMS Seoul, Dec 17 (AFP) Nuclear-armed North Korea condemned the United States over its latest sanctions measures, warning Washington's approach could "block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever". After a rapid diplomatic rapprochement this year that culminated in the Singapore summit in June between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, progress has stalled in talks on Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal. In Singapore the two men signed a vaguely-worded statement on denuclearisation, but have since disagreed on what it means. Now Pyongyang is demanding sanctions relief and condemning US insistence on its nuclear disarmament as "gangster-like", while Washington is pushing to maintain the measures against the North until its "final, fully verified denuclearisation". Washington last week added three senior North Korean officials to those subject to sanctions over human rights abuses, including Choe Ryong Hae, who has been considered a right-hand man to Kim. In a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, the North said Trump had repeatedly expressed his desire to improve relations with Pyongyang, but the US State Department was "bent on bringing the DPRK-US relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire". DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name. In recent months high-ranking US politicians including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had "almost every day slandered the DPRK out of sheer malice", added the Sunday statement by the policy research director of the foreign ministry's Institute for American Studies. Using sanctions and pressure "to drive us into giving up nuclear weapons" would be the "greatest miscalculation", it added, and would "block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever". A second summit between Trump and Kim -- who exchanged personal insults and threats of war throughout 2017 -- is expected to be held next year, with the US leader facing criticism over the planned talks since North Korea has taken few concrete steps to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Pyongyang has long said it needs the weapons to deter a possible US invasion, and has spent decades developing them, at a heavy cost in both resources and the imposition of multiple sets of UN, US, EU and other sanctions. But on Monday its nuclear assets were conspicuous by their explicit absence from coverage of the seventh anniversary of the death of Kim's father and predecessor Kim Jong Il, on whose watch Pyongyang carried out its first two nuclear tests. Alongside extensive coverage of commemorative events across the country, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, published a lengthy editorial lauding Kim Jong Il's efforts to secure a "firm military assurance for peace and prosperity". A year earlier, the same newspaper praised his "immortal feat" in building a "Juche nuclear power state". Its front page was dominated by a large picture of soldiers and officials including Kim paying their respects at his father's mausoleum, a sprawling palace on the outskirts of the capital. It was the leader's first public activity in two weeks after visiting a shoe factory in Wonsan earlier this month. Trump played down hopes Friday for any imminent deal to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal but he also expressed optimism, saying North Korea's economy has "wonderful potential" and that Kim "sees it better than anyone and will fully take advantage of it for his people". In actions required by Congress, his administration said last week it would seize any US assets of the three officials for suppressing freedom of speech. Such restrictions may have little effect on individuals in one of the world's most closed countries but have symbolic impact as North Korea seeks greater acceptance by the United States. (AFP) RUP RUP Beijing, Dec 17 (PTI) China, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to cooperate on counter-terrorism and coordinate to call on the Taliban to return to the negotiating table and to move ahead the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday. On December 15, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the second China, Afghanistan and Pakistan trilateral foreign ministers' dialogue in Kabul where a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on counter-terrorism was signed between the three countries, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said here. Wang met Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Salahuddin Rabbani, his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts respectively as the three sides agreed to use the existing dialogue mechanism to enhance coordination and promote cooperation, Hua said. "It is important for the three parties to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation and to enhance communication to move forward the trilateral cooperation," she said. The three sides will coordinate to call on the Taliban to return to the negotiating table, Hua said. The three countries will seize the opportunity and move ahead the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned reconciliation process with Afghanistan playing the primary role, she said. It was decided that Afghanistan and Pakistan will further improve their bilateral ties and engage in more sound interactions and resolve their differences through friendly consultations and avoid hurting bilateral ties, Hua said. China is a friend to both Afghanistan and Pakistan and would like to play a constructive part to help improve their bilateral ties, the spokesperson said. "The three countries have also decided to expand soft approach such as exchanges and training, and explore hard projects like livelihood and transportation and infrastructure," Hua said. It was also decided that the three sides will enhance regional connectivity and economic development within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, she said, adding that Afghanistan could benefit from regional cooperation projects including the multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor by leveraging its unique geographic advantages. They agreed to expand counter-terrorism cooperation by implementing the MoU on counter-terrorism signed during this second dialogue to enhance policy coordination, practical cooperation, exchanges and cooperation under the multilateral frameworks, she said. "China will support Afghanistan and Pakistan in moving forward counter-terrorism cooperation," Hua said. The Taliban are fighting to flush out international forces and re-establish their regime in Afghanistan after their ouster in 2001. PTI CPS AKJ CPS Islamabad, Dec 17 (PTI) Pakistan on Monday released Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, whose three-year jail term ended on Saturday, days after a top court gave one month deadline to the government to complete formalities to deport him. Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was 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. Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal claimed that Ansari was an "Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan." Ansari, who was "involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents, is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India," the spokesperson said. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2012 for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. His jail term ended on December 15 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court granted the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. PTI ZH AKJ ZH ZH Washington, Dec 18 (AFP) The US has said it is no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but renewed warnings it would not fund reconstruction unless the regime is "fundamentally different." James Jeffrey, the US special representative in Syria, said that Assad needed to compromise as he had not yet won the brutal seven-year civil war, estimating that some 100,000 armed opposition fighters remained in Syria. "We want to see a regime that is fundamentally different. It's not regime change -- we're not trying to get rid of Assad," Jeffrey said at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. Estimating that Syria would need USD 300-400 billion to rebuild, Jeffrey warned that Western powers and international financial institutions would not commit funds without a change of course. "There is a strong readiness on the part of Western nations not to ante up money for that disaster unless we have some kind of idea that the government is ready to compromise and thus not create yet another horror in the years ahead," he said. Former president Barack Obama had called for Assad to go, although he doubted the wisdom of a robust US intervention in the complex Syrian war and kept a narrow military goal of defeating the Islamic State extremist group. President Donald Trump's administration has acknowledged, if rarely so explicitly, that Assad is likely to stay. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned in October that the United States would not provide "one single dollar" for Syria's reconstruction if Iran stays. Jeffrey also called for the ouster of Iranian forces, whose presence is strongly opposed by neighboring Israel, although he said the United States accepted that Tehran would maintain some diplomatic role in the country. Jeffrey also said that the United States wanted a Syria that does not wage chemical weapons attacks or torture its own citizens. He acknowledged, however, that the United States may not find an ally anytime soon in Syria, saying: "It doesn't have to be a regime that we Americans would embrace as, say, qualifying to join the European Union if the European Union would take Middle Eastern countries." (AFP) KUN KUN Shillong, Dec 17 (PTI) Five days since 13 miners were reportedly trapped in a rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, all efforts to locate them have turned futile. The miners were now feared dead as water from a nearby river has been gushing into the 370-feet-deep pit. One person, identified as Krip Chullet, has been arrested so far pertaining to the case. Chullet was allegedly involved in hiring labourers, overseeing the work and sending them down the shaft. A senior district official, who is supervising the operation, told PTI that authorities have drawn a blank over the past five days in their attempt to pump out water from the mine. "There is no sign of dip in water level even after putting three pumps into service. We have not been able to trace any victim as yet," he said. Over 100 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with police teams, are waiting for the water level to subside to begin rescue operations, the official said. According to an expert in water resources management, over 5 lakh litres of water, reaching up to 70 feet, is estimated to be present in the main shaft of the mine. "It seems water from nearby Ltein river is refilling the mine even as the pumps are in operation," he said. The survival of the trapped miners depends on the oxygen supply, water level and the temperature inside, a doctor of a reputed hospital in Shillong said. "A person can survive without food for seven days depending on the reserves he has in his body. The oxygen supply inside the mine also determines the time period for which they could survive," he told PTI. Meanwhile, Congress MLA Azad Zaman, who visited the site Sunday, claimed that one of the trapped miners was his relative. The legislator had also said that he would call on Chief Minister Conrad Sangma later in the day to discuss the prevalence of illegal coal mining in the state. In 2014, the National Green Tribunal had imposed a ban in Meghalaya on rat-hole coal mining a technique that entails digging small vertical pits to reach the mineral. PTI JOP RMS IJT Chandigarh, Dec 17 (PTI) Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal Monday hailed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, saying the verdict has given confidence that the law would soon catch other Congress leaders allegedly involved in the "genocide". The Delhi High Court Monday convicted Sajjan Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. "I am grateful to the high court that it has given a landmark judgement and it gives us confidence that yes if Sajjan Kumar today and Jagdish Tytler tomorrow and it will be Kamal Nath after that. Eventually it will be the Gandhi family who will be answerable," Harsimrat said while addressing media here. She said, "It is a historic judgment as wheels of justice, which had stopped earlier, has now started moving again". Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will have to answer why Kamal Nath, allegedly involved in the riots, was sworn in as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister Monday, she said. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had earlier lashed out at the Congress for selecting Nath as the Madhya Pradesh CM, while alleging that he was also involved in the violence that broke out in the national capital following the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. The minister also thanked the Narendra Modi government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for conducting a fresh probe into all cases relating to the riots in Delhi and some other states. "When the (NDA) government came to power in 2014, it was our (SAD) first demand that the government take steps to ensure justice in 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases which had been eluding for the last 30 years," the Union Food Processing minister said. Harsimrat also accused the Congress of giving political patronage to its leaders in order to save them. "Sajjan Kumar was roaming free because of Gandhi family's patronageLook at the extent of the patronage that one accused is being sworn in as the CM of a state and other accused is given life sentence. "Today, I want answers from Rahul Gandhi who had said just few months back that Congressmen had no hand in the genocide. This is the extent that Congress party has come to after 34 years of misusing the Delhi Police, the CBI, and every platform to clean out every kind of proof against it," she alleged. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also welcomed the verdict, saying "Congress conspiracy to target & massacre Sikhs is being unearthed finally". "This is direct result of PM Modi's initiative to form an SIT which reopened '84 cases to ensure justice to victims," Sukhbir tweeted. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acts against communal harmony. The high court said Kumar's life imprisonment will be for the remainder of his life and asked him to surrender by December 31. PTI CHS VSD DPB DPB New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) It took 13 rounds of diplomatic discussions between India and China to resolve the face off between their militaries in Doklam last year, according to a report by a parliamentary panel. The report by the committee on External Affairs termed the Chinese intrusion at Doklam as a "blatant but unsuccessful attempt" to unilaterally change the status quo at the India, Bhutan, China tri-junction in Doklam, seriously affecting India's security interests. Complimenting the government's handling of the face-off, the committee said it remained concerned that Chinese infrastructure built "uncomfortably" close to the tri-junction has not yet been dismantled. The committee, headed by former minister of state in External Affairs Ministry Shashi Tharoor, said Doklam was not a sovereignty issue for India as the disputed territory was Bhutanese, but nevertheless it was a major security challenge for New Delhi. "The committee would like to put on record their highest appreciation for the brave and timely action of our security forces which checked the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) troops from continuing with their road construction activity in South Doklam," the panel said in the report tabled in Parliament on Monday. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day face-off in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The impasse ended on August 28. The report quoted the then Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar as telling the panel on October 18 last year that 13 rounds of diplomatic discussions were held with China and they were led by the Indian envoy in Beijing. Vijay Gokhale, who succeeded Jaishankar as Foreign Secretary in January, was India's Ambassador to China during the Doklam crisis. The report said diplomatic communications with China began following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg on July 7 last year on the sidelines of the G20 summit. In the talks, India contested the Chinese claim of sovereignty in Doklam region, conveyed to Beijing that its action represented a significant change in status quo with serious security implications for India and amounted to unilateral determination of the tri-junction point, according to then foreign secretary. The committee complimented the government's overall handling of the crisis as it managed to send necessary signals to China that India will not "acquiesce" in its unilateral and forceful attempts to change the status quo at any of India's territorial boundaries. It expressed concerns over multiple reports which allude to Chinese presence around Doklam plateau and the statements from Chinese authorities about chances of similar happenings in future also even after the standoff at Doklam ended. "The government has categorically denied that there is any direct threat from Chinese troops presently. The committee, however, are of the opinion that while dealing with China, it is always better to have a sense of 'healthy scepticism'," it said. The panel said India's defence forces and the diplomatic corps have shown firmness in responding to the crisis without actually being drawn into any kind of political rhetoric. The foreign secretary was quoted in the report as saying that during the entire course of the Doklam standoff, the ground situation was "very civil and that there was no body contact". To avoid border skirmishes, the panel strongly desired that a comprehensive Border Engagement Agreement is concluded between the Indian Army and the PLA, subsuming all established mechanisms for confidence building between the two sides. The Committee also expressed unhappiness over grossly inadequate border road infrastructure along the India-China frontier. It was also of the opinion that an objective and in-depth assessment of India's relationship with China should be carried out by the government promptly so that a broad national consensus is evolved on how to deal effectively with China. PTI MPB RT New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) India stands ready to work with Maldives to strengthen maritime security and help expedite inclusion of its Indian Ocean neighbour in the Commonwealth again, President Ram Nath Kovind said Monday. Welcoming newly-elected Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Kovind said along with strengthening bilateral relations, both countries must also enhance partnership on global issues. "Climate change needs urgent attention and action. We are deeply concerned of its impact, and especially so on Maldives and other small island states that are most vulnerable to it," he said. The president said India is honoured that Solih has chosen to visit the country on his first State Visit and that too, within a month of assuming office. Later, speaking at the banquet hosted in the honour of Solih in Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening, Kovind said peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region is a shared responsibility of both countries. "India accords the highest importance to its relations with Maldives and wishes to see a democratic, stable, prosperous and peaceful Maldives," he said. The president said terrorism, piracy and drug trafficking are a constant threat to peace-loving societies of both countries. "India stands ready to work with Maldives to strengthen maritime security and to bring progress and prosperity to our people," he said. Welcoming Maldives into the Indian Ocean Rim Association as its newest member, Kovind said India invites the country to join the International Solar Alliance and strengthen global efforts to tackle climate change. "We are encouraged by your government's decision to rejoin the Commonwealth. We will work together with Maldives to facilitate and expedite the process," he said. Kovind said India appreciates Solih's vision of inclusive development based on the laudable principles of good governance. "Your government's vision of a transparent and rules-based approach to growth and development has given a boost to investor confidence in your country. We compliment your government's ambitious plan to transform the lives of the Maldivian people by giving a human face to the task of economic development," he said. Kovind said India would be privileged to work with him in support of his national plans and priorities outlined in his 100 days agenda. PTI ABS AAR Guwahati, Dec 17 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Monday demanded Congress president Rahul Gandhi to apologise to the nation for "misleading" the people by spreading "lies and misinformation" on the Rafale fighter jet deal. Adityanath attacked the Congress for not accepting the apex court's verdict and termed it as "unfortunate". The Congress has demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe the issue. The senior BJP leader, however, did not respond to a query on whether the Congress' relentless campaign on the deal had any impact on the recent assembly elections in five states, where the saffron party suffered losses. "Congress President Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of India ... Congress tried to create misconceptions among the people by spreading lies and misinformation. "They (Congress) tried to push the government (Centre) to the dock and spread misinformation about the Army and country's security," Adityanath said at a press conference here. He claimed the Supreme Court had cleared the NDA government at the Centre "on the three contentious aspects" of the Rafale deal and that the Congress should respect the verdict. "It raises questions on the Congress' leadership. The Congress is the oldest party and their leaders are expected to be more responsible. But unfortunately in an irresponsible manner, it is telling a lie 100 times to make it a truth," Adityanath said. The process to purchase the Rafale jets started in 2007, but it was inordinately delayed by the UPA government headed by the Congress only because they could not find any middle man like Quattrocchi or Christian Michel, both of whom are accused in scams, the UP CM alleged. Without naming anyone, Adityanath alleged that all defence deals done by the Congress government had the involvement of middlemen and that Ottavio Quattrocchi is very close to the top leadership of the Congress party. "In 2014, when Modiji came to power a government-to-government deal was signed and the process was expeditiously completed. The Supreme Court cleared the deal and acknowledged the facts related to the security of the country. Congress played with the country's security," he said. When asked if Rahul Gandhi raking up the Rafale issue aggressively in all of his public meetings had any impact on the recent Assembly election defeats the BJP suffered, Adityanath refrained from giving a direct reply. "The Congress is spreading misinformation in the entire country. Rahul Gandhi crossed all levels of decency. The statements made against the Prime Minister were unpardonable crime. He (Gandhi) should apologise," he added. Adityanath questioned the opposition's demand for a probe by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in the Rafale deal, saying the "JPC is only a committee" and that the Supreme Court has already examined all the aspects before okaying the deal. "Why did Rahul Gandhi not go to the Supreme Court before? If there is anything wrong why not discuss it in Parliament? Our government is ready to discuss it. "Congress is escaping a discussion. The only intention of the Congress is to stall the Parliament proceedings," he added. On Friday, the Supreme Court had dismissed any corruption in the Rs 59,000-crore Rafale jet deal and dismissed all petitions asking for an investigation. The Congress has been relentlessly alleging that the government scrapped the previous deal to sign a new one to help businessman Anil Ambani's company bag an offset contract with Dassault. The costs jumped in this deal, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has alleged. But the court, while dismissing the need for a probe, said, "There is no evidence of commercial favouritism to any private entity." PTI TR KK IND IND \R New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad said Monday his outfit would support parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party in the upcoming general election. "We will not allow the Congress and the BJP rule alternatively (in the country)... The third front will rise and we will strengthen the Bahujan movement. We will also make the BSP go back to 'Bahujan hitaya' from 'Sarvjan hitaya'," Azad, who is also known as Ravan, said at the 'Agenda Aaj Tak' event here. Asked about which party the Bhim Army would support in the 2019 parliamentary polls, Azad said, "There are the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh, Tejashwi (Yadav's) party (RJD) in Bihar, (and) Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). I will find others in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh." The Dalit leader said he would unite the Bahujan parties in the run up to the Lok Sabha election and remove the Narendra Modi government from power at the Centre. The Bhim Army chief denied that he was causing any "split" in the Dalit politics of the country. "I am not involved with politics at present. I am trying to strengthen the Bahujan movement across the country," Azad said, adding that he was focused on floating a pan-Indian students' wing in the coming days. The young Dalit leader accused the BJP of doing caste-based politics of the "highest" level. Azad was arrested in connection with the caste violence in his home district of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh last year. He was released from jail in September. PTI VIT HMB New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Advocate General of Chhattisgarh Jugal Kishore Gilda has resigned from the post with the change of government in the state. Gilda said he has submitted his resignation letter to Governor Anandiben Patel on Sunday in which he mentioned that he was quitting from the post as a new government is being formed in the state. "As a healthy convention followed by many illustrious Advocate Generals of various States after independence, which ripened into a custom, I am tendering the resignation from the post so as to pave the way for the new Chief Minister to make an appointment to the post of Advocate General," he said in the letter. Gilda, who has been regularly appearing for the state in the Supreme Court, acknowledged the cooperation he received from Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues. While sharing his experience of appearing in the Chhattisgarh High Court and the apex court, the advocate in his letter said the prestige of the Office of the Advocate General and its independence has been duly recognised. "I have a feeling that there should not be any interference in the working of the Advocate General and its office by any extra constitutional authority," he wrote in the letter. Gilda has been Advocate General since January 2014. PTI RKS SA Chennai, Dec 17 (PTI) The Madras High Court Monday issued notice to the CBI on a plea seeking probe by an independent agency into the allegations of bribing voters of R K Nagar constituency by AIADMK during the 2017 bypoll. The court found fault with the police for not mentioning the names of the accused in the FIR though names of three people were referred in the complaint by the returning officer in connection with the alleged malpractices ahead of the April 12 bypoll, leading to its cancellation. A division bench, comprising Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice P Rajamanickam, issued the notice returnable by January 10, 2019, to all the authorities concerned in connection with the petitions seeking a CBI inquiry. The court had earlier asked the Tamil Nadu government whether it had challenged its single judge order quashing an FIR related to alleged distribution of cash to the voters. The bench was hearing petitions by M P Vairakannan and then DMK nominee Marudu Ganesh, who had initially sought registration of the FIR. "The investigating officer has submitted in the status report that they had so far examined 882 witnesses and recorded their statements. But even then, they claim that the accused are still unidentifiable," the bench said. The matter relates to searches and seizure of documents by the Income Tax department in various places on April 7, 2017 allegedly related to bribing of voters, which led to the cancellation of the polls then. On a direction by the Election Commission, the returning officer of the constituency lodged a police complaint on April 27, based on which the FIR was registered. Tiruvallur AIADMK MLA Narasimhan had filed a plea seeking quashing of the FIR. After going through the submission of the Public Prosecutor A Natarajan who submitted that 882 witnesses were examined in the above case, the bench said, "Had you informed the fact that even after examining 882 witnesses you were unable to identify the accused, the single judge would not have quashed the FIR." The bench, while referring to the quashed petition, also observed, "We do not understand how the petition was even numbered by the registry when the de facto complainant was not made a party to the plea." "Any person can set the criminal law in motion, but to move a quash petition they must have locus standi. When the accused column in the FIR is mentioned as unidentified persons on what locus standi the petitioner moved the plea," the bench said. Though the public prosecutor sought two more weeks for submitting status report, the bench declined. The bench then issued notices to government pleader in-charge Jayaprakash Narayan, the ECI, Income Tax department and Public Prosecutor A Natarajan and the CBI. PTI COR BN RHL The South Asian island country had plunged into instability after President Maithripala Sirisena replaced Wickremesinghe with Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was then twice sacked by parliament. Rajapaksa resigned on December 15 as a government shutdown loomed. "He (Wickremesinghe) will take oath at an auspicious time today morning," Rajitha Senaratne, a cabinet spokesman under Wickremesinghe's former government, told Reuters. An official at the president's office confirmed Wickremesinghe's oath taking. Chennai, Dec 17 (PTI) A woman director of three companies has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody for alleged receipt and issuance of fake GST invoices without any actual transaction and availing Rs 43 crore Input Tax Credit, a senior official said Monday. Following a tip off, search operations were held, and fake invoices recovered from the premises of these companies The woman allegedly admitted that fake invoices were issued without supply of goods from her three companies to enable the receivers (firms) to avail ITC to the tune of Rs.42.93 crore and received commission on invoice value. The woman been arrested under the CGST Act on December 15 and remanded to judicial custody, Principal Commissioner of GST and Central Excise (North), M Sreedhar Reddy said. "Further investigation is in progress. The department has taken serious efforts to curb evasion of GST." PTI VGN DV DV Lucknow, Dec 17 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government is preparing a vision document and a four-point programme to improve the quality of education in state government schools, Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma said here Monday. "To ensure quality education in the state, a vision document is being prepared and work has started on a four-point programme; 'sukhi man shikshak' (happy teachers), 'tanaav-mukt vidyarthi' (tension-free students), 'gunvatta-parak shiksha' (quality education) and 'nakal-viheen pariksha' (cheating-free examination)," UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma told PTI on Monday. Explaining the first point 'Sukhi Man Shikshak', Sharma, who holds the portfolio of secondary and higher education said, when the teacher is free from tensions, he or she can impart better education to the students. "Prior to the formation of the BJP government in the state, teachers had to face numerous problems including difficulties in getting their funds after retirement. But now the teachers can get their entire post-retirement fund, a day after their retirement," he said. Sharma, further said, now teachers do not have to repeatedly visit department offices for transfer related issues as the process has been made available online. He also said the academic session of UP State Board schools has been shifted to July from April so that students of the board can appear in competitive examinations and compete with the students of other boards. On the implementation of NCERT syllabus in schools, Sharma said, "No one was able to take this decision since Independence. Not only did we take the decision but also made the textbooks available from April 1." PTI NAV PTI AD IND Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) The father of Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari Monday expressed happiness over his son's release from a jail in Pakistan and thanked the Indian government. Nihal Ansari said he and other members of the family were eager to see Hamid. Talking to PTI, he said, "We are thankful to the government of India and Pakistan as well for every effort... Our family is waiting for Hamid." Hamid Ansari, arrested in Pakistan in 2012, will reach home via Wagah border Tuesday. The 33-year-old Mumbai resident was 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. His jail term ended on December 15 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court granted the Pakistan government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process. PTI DC RSY RHL New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Union Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar Monday announced Rs 10 lakh each as compensation for the next of the kin of those who died in the massive fire at ESIC Hospital, Mumbai, a statement said. "Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident, Rs 2 lakh each for those who have serious injuries and Rs 1 lakh each for those with minor injuries," a labour ministry statement said. At least six people died and 141 were injured as a massive fire swept through the state government-run Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital at Andheri East here. A total of 147 people, including patients and visitors, were rescued after the fire broke out at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri, said an official of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). While the exact cause of the blaze was being ascertained, the preliminary report said that building material, kept at the ground floor of the hospital for renovation work caught fire, the ministry said in the statement. It further said that five persons were reported to have died due to suffocation in the accident while several admitted patients and their attendants were rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals with the help of firefighters, doctors and staff of the hospital. Deputy Medical Superintendent, Reshma Verma was also taken to a nearby hospital as she fainted due to suffocation while rescuing the admitted patients, the statement said, adding that a detailed report was awaited. The labour minister held a meeting with officials of his ministry and ESIC here and directed them to extend all the possible help to the kin of the victims. A team of doctors from ESIC, Delhi was rushed to Mumbai for this purpose, the statement said. Gangwar along with Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment and Director General, ESIC would be visiting the hospital on Tuesday to oversee relief work and meet the victims and their families. PTI KKS RHL New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) The Metro Unit of Delhi Police has arrested two persons for allegedly stealing ruscards from a mobile tower, police said Monday. The accused have been identified as Bijender (42) and Harender (32), they said. On December 2, a complainant who works with a private telecom company alleged that five ruscards were stolen from one of their mobile towers at Kanhaiya Nagar Metro Station. Based on a tip off, a trap was laid near DTC bus stop at Badarpur where the accused had come to sell the stolen ruscards, Dinesh Kumar Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways and Metro) said. Subsequently, a raid was conducted and the accused were apprehended and three stolen ruscards were recovered from them, he said. The accused were working as labourers in a private company, the officer said. PTI AMP RHL New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) An 18-year-old alleged sharpshooter of a gang has been arrested and his juvenile aide apprehended for allegedly killing a woman in Dwarka, police said Monday. The main accused Sonu, who is absconding, allegedly killed the woman on December 10 to take revenge for his brother's killing. The woman allegedly was in a relationship with Rajiv alias Monu, who killed his brother, they said. The 18-year-old Kapil Malik, a resident of Rohtak in Haryana and his juvenile partner are members of Sandeep alias Mental gang, they added. The deceased woman was identified as Kamlesh Sehrawat (45), a resident of Dwarka's Pochanpur Village and was in a live-in-relation with Rajiv, police said. The incident took place on December 10, at around 10 am, when Sehrawat's son went out leaving the door of his house open. Meanwhile, two men came on a bike and barged into Kamlesh's house and fired more than six bullets at her, PS Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said. Sehrawat's maid was at home at the time of incident. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, he said. Sehrawat, along with her brother, had killed her husband in 2004. She remained in jail for three years and after coming out of the jail, she was in a live-in-relation with Rajiv, the DCP said. During investigation, it was found that Sonu, the brother of Sandeep alias Mental, was involved in the case along with his three associates, Kushwah added. Rajiv and Sandeep were partners in construction and real estate business. They dealt in sale and purchase of disputed properties. They had constructed around eight flats in Dwarka, the senior officer said. However, a dispute erupted between them following which Rajiv, along with his associates, killed Sandeep and Pawan as they wanted to extract all the money generated from the sale of flats, the officer added. On Saturday, police received information that Malik and a juvenile would come near Paschim Vihar West Metro Station to meet one of their associates in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, he said. Later, a trap was laid near Paschim Vihar West Metro Station and at around 1 am, Malik and the juvenile were apprehended, he added. During interrogation, it was revealed that Sonu had directed them to kill members of Rajiv Pochanpur's gang as he had killed his brother Sandeep alias Mental on May 2, the DCP added. Sonu, brother of Sandeep, suspected that Kamlesh had instigated Rajiv to kill his brother so as to usurp all the flats and other properties. Sonu, in order to avenge the killing of his brother, lured Kapil, Neeraj and a juvenile to kill members of Rajiv's gang. Initially, they went to Dwarka Court couple of times to kill Rajiv. But due to heavy police presence, they could not execute their plan. To take revenge from Rajiv, they killed Sehrawat. On December 10, Sonu, Kapil Malik, Neeraj and a juvenile gathered at Najafgarh area and later headed towards the house of Sehrawat. Kapil and Sonu, wearing helmets, went inside the house and fired at Sehrawat, the officer said, adding one semi-automatic pistol, one country ade pistol and six live cartridges were recovered from their possession. PTI NIT AMP AMP NIT TIR TIR New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union has accused the varsity of dropping the subscription of important journals over paucity of funds. Making the announcement at a press conference, the students body shared documents of the Library Advisory Committee meeting held last month. Prior to holding the presser, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) said it had got a letter from the administration advising them not to hold the press conference outside the library since such activities within 100 metres of the administration block have been prohibited by the Delhi High Court. The JNUSU, however, said the press conference was held 800 metres away from the administration block. It alleged that seven subscriptions were dropped by the varsity. These include EBSCO -International Security and Counterterrorism, Wiley Subject Collection Journal, Nature Journals, Sage Journals, Cambridge Journal, Cell Press Journal and Science Direct, the JNUSU said. It accused the varsity administration of cutting down library funds from Rs 8 crore to Rs 1.7 crore. The university, however, rubbished the claims. It said it had been allocating to the library every year an amount of Rs 1.70 crore for books and journals from its grant received annually from the University Grants Commission (UGC). "However, in the year 2012, the UGC gave one time bulk grant to JNU under the 12th Plan for five years from which an extra amount was allocated for the next five years. Now that the 12th plan has ended the library is running with its regular annual grant," the varsity had said earlier. "At the moment, some of the journals that were freely available through INFLIBNET and paid by the UGC are under review and the situation is expected to be sorted out soon," a varsity official said. The JNU students union, however, expressed fear that the journals might not be renewed next year. PTI SLB AMP SRY CALEB MAGGS, Chariho, Football, Junior; Maggs caught 11 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers loss to East Greenwich on Thanksgiving eve. He had scoring receptions of 1 and 29 yards. LUKE LOWRY, Stonington, Football, Junior; Lowry caught a pair of TD passes in the Bears Thanksgiving Day loss to Westerly. The two scoring receptions matched a record for the holiday game held by five others. Lowry had touchdown catches of 36 and 67 yards. He was named Stoningtons top offensive player in the game. ZACK TUCK, Westerly, Football, Junior; Tuck rushed for 241 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Bulldogs Thanksgiving Day victory over Stonington. Tuck was named the games MVP and was also selected as Westerlys top offensive player. Vote View Results Manolete Partners has made a hot start to life as a listed company. Backed by UK venture capital stalwart Jon Moulton, the insolvency litigation funder joined AIM last Friday, having sold shares at 175p as part of the initial public offering. Fast forward to Monday morning, and those same shares are changing hands for 195.5p an 11 per cent jump in fewer than two trading days and valuing the business at 85million. Although it is often called an insolvency litigation funder, Manolete goes about things in a slightly different way to how you might expect. Insolvency specialist: Often the biggest creditor of all company insolvencies and bankruptcies is the taxman, so a large chunk of the funds recovered goes straight back into the public purse Rather than simply providing legal financing, it buys claims from companies that have gone bust, which makes it the claimant and gives it the right to sue. There are around 14,000 company insolvencies every year in the UK, often more during a downturn, and almost every case will have at least one claim, usually against a director. People can do very naughty things when a company goes bust, explains Manoletes founder and chief executive Steven Cooklin. Perhaps the company has paid for the directors kitchen or for their familys Arsenal season tickets and they havent paid the company back. When the business goes bust, they sometimes think they can just walk away but we say "no, thats a debt to the company". Often the biggest creditor of all these company insolvencies and bankruptcies is the taxman, so a large chunk of the funds recovered goes straight back into the public purse. Staff and suppliers also stand to recoup at least some of the money they are owed, all of which gives Cooklin a great deal of satisfaction. I think that good we do is at the very heart of my love for the business, the former HSBC banker tells Proactive. Of course, Cooklin and his team take their share of the spoils which can be as much as of 50 per cent of the pot, meaning it can be quite a lucrative business, as evidenced by the doubling of revenue and operating profits last year to 10.6million and 4million respectively. Our returns historically and very consistently, are about 3.6 times the money weve put into the cases, says Cooklin. To give that some context, if Manolete has invested 100,000 in buying and progressing a claim, it will get back 360,000 not a bad margin at all. Rates of return are typically well over 200 per cent as cases are completed in less than 12 months on average. Since the company was founded back in 2009, it has taken on 249 cases and completed 173, with 76 still ongoing. Of those completed, Manolete has been successful in 149 a success rate of 86 per cent. Among some of its more high-profile, and successful, cases was a claim it bought against Hastings Borough Council, which went all the way through to the Supreme Court the highest court in the land. We won at every single stage, Cooklin quickly adds. There was also another claim brought against two directors of a subsidiary of defence giant Cobham, who Manolete alleged had made an illegal dividend payment. Cooklin used to have to sniff out new claims he and his team could pick up, but these kinds of victories mean cases are now frequently dropped at his feet. Manolete will only take on about one in five cases it is presented with, but with demand continuing to grow, more offices and more people are needed. Through last week's IPO, 16million of fresh capital was injected into the company which will be used to fund the growth needed to keep up with the ever-rising interest in its services. Were using the money to build a regional network of full-time Manolete staff in Leeds, Midlands, South Coast, Norwich, Bristol, Manchester and Scotland as well, says Cooklin. Were also getting much bigger-size cases and higher volumes of cases, so it will help fund the growth in the underlying business. The IPO was a good opportunity for Cooklin and his long-term backer, City veteran Jon Moulton, to realise some value from the business. Those two and a handful of other shareholders will receive 13million or so from the float. No one is selling out completely, though; Cooklin will retain an 18 per cent stake in Manolete, while Moulton will still own around 26 per cent of the shares. Thats hardly surprising given that revenue and profits doubled last year, a trend that Cooklin and his team, as well as the new investors, will be keen to see continue. The high rate of effective tax paid by FTSE100 banks is due, in part, to the bank levy that was introduced in January 2011 in response to the financial crisis. The levy is a tax on the balance sheet of banks and an 8% corporation tax surcharge on bank profits over 25 million. As a result, UK and US banks have argued that the bank levy makes their operations uncompetitive, particularly in light of the tax cuts announced by the Trump administration. In contrast to the high rate of tax paid by UK banks, utility companies paid an average effective tax rate of just 15%, due in part to their capital expenditure requirements. Real estate companies also had a significantly lower rate of just 0.6% than the FTSE100 average as a result of their tax efficient real estate investment trust (REIT) structures. For large multinational tech firms, their effective tax rate is likely to increase in the near future. In October 2018, the UK Government announced plans to introduce from April 2020 a new digital services tax of 2% 2018, the UK Government announced plans to introduce from April 2020 a new digital services tax of 2% on the sales generated in the UK by profitable online platforms. This new tax will be in addition to the 19% headline corporation tax rate these companies are already subject to. A number of companies covered by the study disclosed that their effective tax rates were unusually high in the last year as they were having to pay extra tax after losing disputes with tax authorities. Brian Peccarelli, chief operating officer, Customer Markets, Thomson Reuters says: The huge difference in effective tax rates not only between sectors but also between companies in the same sectors highlights how critical paying the right amount of tax can be. Looking ahead, the Trump tax reforms and Brexit suggest that corporation tax rates could become a large area of competition between countries to attract corporates. As a result, we may see businesses more focused on the effective tax rate which in-turn may sway relocation decisions. Some UK companies, including banks, reported that they expect to see lower effective tax rates in the coming years as a result of the 2017 US Tax and Jobs Act. The bill reduced the headline US corporation tax rate from 35% to 21 %, therefore, reducing the amount of tax UK companies will pay on their US earnings. UK-headquartered companies currently benefit from a headline corporation tax rate of just 19% for their UK earnings - the lowest of any G7 country. Additionally, the UK Government plans to lower the rate even further to 17% in April 2020, which would make it the lowest rate in any G20 economy. There is not enough analysis data for Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO). 3.6 Community Rank Outperform Votes Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO) has received 352 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO) has received 298 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO) has received 54.15% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO) and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BNP will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BNP will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next NORRISTOWN Police are looking to speak to a person of interest after a double stabbing in the 100 block of Noble Street Saturday night. Officers responded to the scene at 9:06 p.m. to find one of the victims a 22-year old man -who had sustained multiple stab wounds to his back and legs. He told police the incident occurred while he and his friend were inside a vehicle in a nearby parking lot with a third person in the back seat. The other victim was discovered several blocks away in the area of Buttonwood and West Main streets. The 32-year-old man was stabbed in the torso multiple times. He told police the assailant stole his girlfriends vehicle following the attack. The abandoned vehicle was located the following day, in the same block where the incident took place. Both victims were airlifted to Penn Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, where they are listed in stable condition. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Det. William Klinger at 610-270-8091. Tips can be made anonymously at 610-278- (TIPS) 8477 or at npdtips@norristown.org. WASHINGTON All in all, it was a good week for U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer. It started Tuesday when he and House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi went toe-to-toe with Donald Trump over funding the presidents long-promised border wall. As Trump fulminated in what Schumer later described as a temper tantrum, the Brooklyn-born Senate Democratic leader nodded his head and smiled with the confidence of a veteran poker player holding four aces. At 68, Schumer was right where he wanted to be telling his main political opponent in Washington, the President of the United States, that his proposed $5 billion border wall is a waste of taxpayer money and wont work. And he could barely contain a chortle when Trump said he would be proud to shut down the government over it, and not blame Schumer. On Friday, Schumer was in another place he wanted to be: Concluding his 20th tour of New Yorks 62 counties with stops in Washington County and Albany. At the Port of Albany, Schumer stood with Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Fire Chief Joe Gregory to celebrate acquisition of a mobile fire simulator trailer that had been financed through a $426,444 federal grant money for which Schumer said he worked relentlessly. But the one area that sharply contrasts with Schumer's upstate good-guy image is his role in soliciting campaign money and on occasion defending the economic center of downstate counterpart, Wall Street. For some, the cozy relationship with deep-pocketed hedge funders, private equity and tech dynamos undercuts his claim to be protecting average citizens in New York and nationwide. For others, it's nothing more than the cost of doing business. But none of that tension was on display Friday in Albany. This state-of-the-art new firefighting trailer proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why my annual 62-county tour of New York state is such a valuable tradition, he said. It helps me learn about the needs of all of our communities for example, Albanys lack of a training facility for its courageous firefighters so that I can come back to Washington, D.C., and fight with everything Ive got to accomplish them. New York, of course, sees itself as the center of the American universe, and likes its lawmakers to firmly plant themselves where the action is in Washington. Think of Franklin D. Roosevelt who went from the Executive Mansion in Albany to the White House or worldly legislators such as Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Sen. Robert Wagner Sr., father of Social Security as well as the rights of workers to form unions, strike and bargain collectively. So you wont find many who say Schumer has to make a choice between the flip sides of his political persona: D.C. player and Democratic money man, or Senator Pothole a name once applied to Republican Sen. Alphonse DAmato, whom Schumer defeated in 1998 in his first Senate bid. Theres no contradiction at all, said Tom Quinn, a veteran Washington Democratic player who has known Schumer since his arrival on Capitol Hill in 1981. As long as theres money in politics, people like him have to raise it for Democrats. Theres no such thing as unilateral disarmament. Isn't standing up for the economic interests of our state agriculture, tourism, high tech, Wall Street how it should be? said Harvey Schantz, political scientist at SUNY Plattsburgh. After all, Schumer is a senator from New York state. I think there was an idea that if he rose through the Senate ranks, his state efforts would take a back seat, said Morgan Hook, a political consultant in Albany with SKDKnickerbocker, a firm with close ties to Schumer. I havent seen that. This is who he is. But on occasion, Schumer the power broker emerges in plain view and not in a complimentary way. The New York Times on Nov. 15 published an investigation into Facebook, including its failure to respond to warning signs of Russian intrusion in the 2016 election. The story portrayed Schumer as anxious to dampen Senate action against the tech giant, telling Sen. John Warner, D-Va., at one point to back off from attacking the nations premier social media platform. It noted that, like Wall Street, Silicon Valley is a prime Schumer hunting ground for big-dollar donations to Democrats and Facebook is a prime contributor. It also mentioned that Alison Schumer, one of Schumers two daughters, is a Facebook manager in New York City. Schumers spokesman insisted the lawmaker did nothing more than try to push Facebook to do more to purge fake accounts and bots used by the right wing and Russians to perpetuate a disinformation campaign and interfere with our elections." Asked during a conference call with regional New York reporters whether upstate voters should care about his reported defense of Facebook and, more broadly, Wall Street, Schumer replied: I get almost no comments on articles (like the one in the New York Times) when I go upstate. People are asking for help with things, and that's what I do. Schumer has two staffers in each of his seven regional offices upstate, including Albany and Syracuse. In addition to the usual constituent services helping with VA and Social Security benefits, for instance the staffers connect the dots between local needs and available federal money. They trail behind Schumer during his tours, and follow up when local officials tell him they could use help with priorities like building new sewer systems, dredging harbors or removing lead hazards from homes. Nothing is too granular. Schumer's 64-page year-end report for 2017 complete with photos of the senator trudging through snow to inspect winter-storm damage or faulty railroad retaining walls is a compendium of his gets. Among them: returning a discarded World War II Purple Heart medal to the deceased owners family, and presenting an American flag at the new Schoharie fire house for which Schumer fought FEMA to secure $6.5 million in funds. We are the poorest community in the Capital Region, so its important to get any income we can through Sen. Schumer, said Phil Smith, the mayor of Whitehall in Washington County, which received a $130,000 federal grant to upgrade its sewer system. Without that, it would be hopeless for us. This year, Schumer logged 135 visits to upstate and Long Island. While some politicians might see the trips as arduous, Schumer appears energized by them. Other pols at the New York State Fair in Syracuse might eat some Spiedies and leave, but Schumer gets excited by what the winning butter sculpture will be, said Hook, referring to the annual wonder crafted as a tribute to New Yorks dairy farmers. Schumers relentlessness is also reflected in his political fundraising efforts. Under his direction, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee the partys guiding hand for Senate races nationwide broke records in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles. Democrats won the Senate back in 2006 and held it through 2014. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which slices and dices Federal Election Commission data on its opensecrets.org website, Schumer raised $28 million for his own campaign and his leadership PAC (known as IMPACT) between 2013 and this year. The No. 1 contributing industry was securities and investment, accounting for $3.6 million, 12 percent of the total. But the big money is in the Senate Majority PAC, the super PAC devoted primarily to poking holes in the campaigns of Republican Senate candidates. Though this years elections which presented a map of difficult races for Democrats resulted in Republican adding two seats in the chamber, the Democratic PAC raised a staggering $112 million, of which 82 percent went into anti-GOP campaigning. Super PACs can raise unlimited sums of money, something that appears to fit well with Schumers solicitation style. "You can do a little better than that," he reportedly has said to donors who write what he considers low-ball checks. One of the PAC's top contributors in this cycle was hedge-funder James Simons, who together with his wife and daughter gave $9.6 million. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. J.B. Poersch, Schumer's handpicked head of Senate Majority PAC, ran the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee when Schumer oversaw it. Its pretty much a Schumer operation now, said Adam Jentleson, former spokesman for the PACs previous overseer, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reids retirement paved the way for Schumer to become the Senates top Democrat in 2017. Schumers record on legislative proposals impacting Wall Street is mixed. As Senate Democratic leader, he maintains a position somewhere between the few remaining red-state centrist Democrats and the progressive wing of Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Schumer supported passage of the 2010 Dodd-Frank bill, intended to provide the regulatory muscle necessary to prevent another financial industry meltdown that sparked the 2008 recession. But he has not been on the ramparts with Warren, Sanders, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and other progressives who have resisted Republican efforts to water it down. For Wall Street reform advocates, Exhibit A in that GOP effort is a bill ostensibly aimed at reducing the regulatory burden on smaller local banks a noble-sounding initiative. But the bill raised the threshold for "systemically important financial institutions" those considered too big to fail well above the $50 billion level that Dodd-Frank backers had deemed safe. Under the law as signed by Trump, banks between $50 billion and $100 billion in assets would be left alone, and those between $100 billion and $250 billion would face enhanced supervision at the discretion of the Federal Reserve. Warren, Brown and pro-regulation advocates argued the softening of oversight was a step in the wrong direction, raising the prospect of another round of bank failures and federal bailouts. The bill would put not just community banks but major players like Sun Trust, Barclays and Buffalo-based M&T Bank, said Jeff Hauser, head of the Revolving Door Project at the Center for Economic Policy and Research. But 16 Democrats and one independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the bill. While Schumer voted against it, advocates say he had the power to persuade fellow Democrats to block the bill and failed to do so. Its hard to imagine it was not possible to prevent that result from happening, said Jentleson, the former Reid spokesman, who is now with Democracy Forward, a progressive policy and litigation group in Washington. Schumers fingerprints are all over it, he said. A spokeswoman for Schumer disagreed. "Senator Schumer has stood up to the interests of Wall Street time and time again and will continue to ensure that the pillars of Dodd Frank remain in place," said the spokeswoman, Allison Biasotti. Schumer opposed the GOP local-bank bill, she added, "but despite the concerns he raised, some of his caucus members felt passionately about it, particularly where their community banks and rural interests were at stake." Advocates insist the resulting law could weaken the Dodd-Frank regulatory safety net something that would affect everyone nationwide, including upstate New Yorkers. The law increased the odds that the economy will have another significant wave of banking instability in the next several years by removing a bunch of prudential safeguards, said Hauser. In general, Trump has faced little resistance in making banks even more profitable and banking consumers ever more vulnerable." If Schumer has any misgivings over his potentially conflicting roles, he doesn't let it show. His daughter, Jessica, gave birth to a long-hoped-for grandson, Noah Melvin Schumer-Shapiro, on Nov. 24. His daughter who works for Facebook, Alison, got married last month. He appears confident Trump has everything to lose and nothing to gain if the Dec. 21 shutdown deadline arrives without a deal in place. And if the prospect of another schlep through 62 N.Y. counties next year bothers him, he's not letting that show either. "See you all in 2019!" he tweeted Friday. Albany Charter Communications received another extension from regulators to continue operating its Spectrum cable TV and internet network in New York state without having to submit an exit plan. The state Public Service Commission voted back in July to essentially revoke Charter's ability to operate Spectrum after a dispute over whether Charter was living up to a requirement to expand its high-speed internet network across the state. Charter was ordered to come up with a six-month exit plan to sell off Spectrum to another carrier without disrupting service. Since that time, Charter and staff at the Department of Public Service, the administrative arm of the PSC, have been undergoing settlement talks, and the two sides have been asking the commissioners for an extension to stave off Charter's exit. Last week, PSC Chair John Rhodes agreed to another extension to allow settlement talks to continue. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Charter will now have until Feb. 11 to file their six month plan. Rhodes also extended the deadline for Charter to request a re-hearing on the July vote. "Charter and DPS Staff state in their request for a limited extension that settlement discussions are ongoing," Rhodes wrote in a one-commissioner order approving the extension. "Given the ongoing dialogue along with the established framework for a settlement reported by the parties on November 21, 2018, which aligns with DPS Staff's principles in its October 9, 2018 letter, as well as Charter's continued obligations to comply with the Public Service Law and regulations, limited one-month extensions to file a petition for rehearing and file the six month exit plan are warranted to allow for further discussions while both sides reserve their respective legal rights." Katowice, Poland Almost 200 nations, including the world's top greenhouse gas producers, China and the United States, have adopted a set of rules meant to breathe life into the 2015 Paris climate accord by setting out how countries should report their emissions and efforts to reduce them. But negotiators delayed other key decisions until next year a move that frustrated environmentalists and countries that wanted more ambitious goals in light of scientists' warnings that the world must shift sharply away from fossil fuels in the coming decade. "The majority of the rulebook for the Paris agreement has been created, which is something to be thankful for," said Mohamed Adow, a climate policy expert at Christian Aid. "But the fact countries had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the finish line shows that some nations have not woken up" to the dire consequences of global warming as outlined in a report by the U.N Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. Officials at the talks, which ended late Saturday in the Polish city of Katowice, agreed upon universal rules on how nations can cut emissions. Poor countries secured assurances on financial support to help them reduce emissions, adapt to changes such as rising sea levels and pay for damage that has already happened. "Through this package, you have made a thousand little steps forward together," said Michal Kurtyka, a senior Polish official who led the talks. While each country would likely find some parts of the agreement it did not like, he said, efforts were made to balance the interests of all parties. "We will all have to give in order to gain," he said. "We will all have to be courageous to look into the future and make yet another step for the sake of humanity." The talks took place against a backdrop of growing concern among scientists that global warming is proceeding faster than governments are responding to it. Last month, a study found that global warming will worsen disasters such as the deadly California wildfires and the powerful hurricanes that have hit the United States this year. The recent report by the IPCC concluded that while it's possible to cap global warming at 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial times, doing so would require a dramatic overhaul of the global economy, including a shift away from fossil fuels. Alarmed by efforts to include that idea in the final text of the meeting, the oil-exporting nations of the U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait blocked an endorsement of the IPCC report midway through this month's talks. That prompted uproar from vulnerable countries like small island nations and environmental groups. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The final text omitted a previous reference to specific reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and merely welcomed the "timely completion" of the IPCC report, not its conclusions. Johan Rockstrom, a scientist who helps to lead the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, called the agreement "a relief." The Paris deal, he said, "is alive and kicking, despite a rise in populism and nationalism." His biggest concern, he said, is that the summit "failed to align ambitions with science, in particular missing the necessity of making clear that global emissions from fossil fuels must be cut by half by 2030" to stay in line with the IPCC report. Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the talks created "a solid foundation for implementation and strengthening" of the Paris agreement and could help bring the U.S. back into the deal by a future presidential administration. The U.S. is still technically in the Paris agreement until 2020, which is why American officials participated in the Katowice talks. CANDACE CAMERON BURE'S CHRISTMAS ACROSS AMERICA Hallmark Channel, 7 p.m. Candace Cameron Bure hosts this look at the many different ways Christmas is celebrated around the United States. Bure shares a taste of the country's unique and festive fun. "There's no wrong way to celebrate Christmas," she says. "When it comes down to it, I think it's all about being with family and friends." VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS COMEDY NIGHT WGN America, beginning at 7 p.m. Enjoy a night of Christmas episodes from the sitcoms M*A*S*H, Last Man Standing, Married With Children and How I Met Your Mother. THE GREAT CHRISTMAS LIGHT FIGHT ABC, 8 p.m. Season Finale! In the first hour, four festive families from across the country showcase their spectacular displays, including 3D-printed light fixtures in Colorado; a mechanical display gone wild, including a moving elephant, alligator and more in Alabama; a house where every piece of furniture is removed to display wall-to-wall Christmas in Arizona; and an incredible hybrid North Pole light display in California. The second hour of the finale concludes with the presentation of $50,000 and the Light Fight trophy. THE NEIGHBORHOOD: "WELCOME TO THE FUNDRAISER" CBS, 8 p.m. Tina (Tichina Arnold) gets carried away when she tries to help Gemma (Beth Behrs) ace her first fundraiser as school principal in the new episode "Welcome to the Fundraiser." BLEED OUT HBO, 8 p.m. After a routine partial hip replacement operation leaves his mother in a coma with permanent brain damage, Steve Burrows starts a citizen's investigation into the future of American health care. The film was initially a video diary but morphed into a deeply personal story that is part medical mystery and legal thriller, part investigative journey and meditation on family, which uses undercover footage, court testimony, verite scenes shot over several years and interviews with people on all sides of the story to go deep inside a flawed healthcare system. THE VOICE: "LIVE FINALE, PART 1" NBC, 8 p.m. Live It all comes down to this! Find out who wins Season 15 of the singing competition series in a two-part finale that concludes tomorrow. HAPPY TOGETHER: "A CLAIRE-FREE LIFESTYLE" CBS, 8:30 p.m. Jake (Damon Wayans Jr.) worries about their finances when Claire (Amber Stevens West) quits her job to pursue her passion in the new episode "A Claire-Free Lifestyle." MARS: "THE SHAKE UP" National Geographic, 9 p.m. Season Finale! Season 2 of Nat Geo's exploration of what life will be like for Mars' first permanent residents concludes tonight when a Mars-quake strikes, and not everyone will survive. "Season 1 was humans versus Mars," explains series co-creator Justin Wilkes. "Season 2 is much more humans versus humans." CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING SUTTON FOSTER AND HUGH BONNEVILLE PBS, 9 p.m. Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster and Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville backed by the amazingly talented Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra are beyond delightful in this charming 60-minute special. FAIL STATE Starz, 9 p.m. Executive-produced by news legend Dan Rather, this documentary investigates the dark side of American higher education, chronicling decades of policy decisions in Washington, D.C., that have given rise to a powerful and highly predatory for-profit college industry. With echoes of the subprime mortgage crisis, the film lays bare how for-profit colleges exploited millions of low-income and minority students, leaving them drowning in student loan debt with worthless degrees. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?: "REGINA KING" TLC, 9 p.m. Actress Regina King investigates her maternal family tree and uncovers an ancestor who was a passionate civil rights activist in Alabama a man who came out of slavery and endured horrific violence, but never stopped fighting for his people. 2018: IN MEMORIAM ABC, 10 p.m. Hosted by Robin Roberts, this special celebrates the lives of icons we lost in 2018, through stories shared by those closest to them. The show includes tributes to Aretha Franklin, Burt Reynolds, John McCain and Stephen Hawking. AMERICA'S GOT TALENT: A HOLIDAY OF CHAMPIONS NBC, 10 p.m. Terry Crews, emcee of the upcoming America's Got Talent: The Champions, gives viewers a glimpse at some fan favorites from the talent show who'll appear on next year's spinoff. INDEPENDENT LENS: "MAN ON FIRE" PBS, 10 p.m. Learn the story of an elderly white Texas minister who set himself on fire to protest the virulent racism of his community and the country at large. Friends, family members, neighbors and colleagues search for an explanation of his action. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?: "MATTHEW MORRISON" TLC, 10 p.m. Actor Matthew Morrison explores his American roots for the first time and is surprised to discover his family's ties to the Revolutionary War. He learns of the bold lengths his ancestor went through to protect his allegiances and the brutality he faced on the battlefield. Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide. TV Guide 2018 Q: What was going on at the locks in Waterford (last week)? Seemed like there was more commotion and workers over at the yard than usual. Don Myers, Watervliet A: There certainly was some commotion last week at the New York state Canal Corporation maintenance yard in Waterford. Employees were preparing the Erie Canal for winter maintenance, transferring vessels along the eastern Erie and Champlain canals into dry dock. Vessels are put into dry dock every winter to perform routine maintenance in the months when the canals are not in operation. Ice build-up on the Mohawk and Hudson rivers can be especially trying on boats. Crews also use the late fall and winter months to make repairs and upgrades needed to ensure that the New York state Canal System, which turns 101 years old next year, is ready to open for the start of the next navigation season. The 524-mile system opened its navigation season this year in May, first with the eastern Erie Canal, which stretches from Brewerton to Waterford. The remainder of the system, including the Erie Canal from Brewerton to Lockport, and the Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals, opened shortly thereafter. Canals remained open to recreational boaters through Oct. 10. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The Canal Corporation waived recreational vessel tolls for the second year, which was once again a shortened season. Do you have a question about transportation? Email gettingthere@timesunion.com. Please include your name, town and telephone number. RENSSELAER - On an otherwise miserable December day, there were some extra smiles thanks to about 200 volunteers. Members of City Church Albany fanned out in the cities of Albany, Rensselaer and Cohoes to bring holiday cheer to those around them as part of their annual Sunday before Christmas outreach. Rather than attend normal church services, the volunteers sang carols at a nursing home, offered to pay for strangers gas or groceries, brought cookies to fire houses and police stations, gave blankets and coats to those in need and went door-to-door, offering Christmas presents to families with small children. Pastor Michael Moore said the day was not about the church but paying it forward to the place they call home. Its part of a nationwide event where churches are encouraging their congregations to actually cancel church service and to go out and be the church in the community, he said at the Washington Armory, where the group gathered beforehand. Its the most fun day of the year, it really is. Before the parishioners set out, Moore cited a Bible verse that was the mantra for the day. It is more blessed to give than to receive, he said. At the Rensselaer Housing Authority, a half-dozen or so volunteers fanned out with garbage bags filled with wrapped gifts for children. At several apartments, small children were the first to answer the door, peering tentatively at the strangers outside. Tina Nopper and her three girls, ages 11, 9 and 3 were in the first apartment they knocked on. Whos there? a young girls voice said through the closed door. Merry Christmas, were handing out toys! was the reply. This was really unexpected, Nopper said after the group had left as her youngest daughter ran around the apartment with her new toy. Its really nice. Lorenz Herrmann, a teacher who helped hand out the gifts, said the day is one of his favorite of the year. You get to go out and give back and really be the church, he said. This is awesome. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Emily DeChristopher and Mitch Wacholder joined him, picking through the bags to find the appropriate one for each child and stockpiling them with coloring books and candy. A few apartments later, one woman began to tear up, hugging DeChristopher after they handed her children gifts. It was so cute, I think I picked the best one out of all the options today, she said. Theres nothing better than kids. Down at the Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany, volunteers handed out more than 90 blankets, as well as coats, lunches, toiletries and care bags. Last year Jessica Barker and her husband delivered cookies to police and firefighters. This year they joined the group visiting the mission and found that connecting with men they spoke with was just as important as the goods they handed out. That's just so important. And asking them, 'What is your name, who are you,' she said. Theyre a human being and they have a name just like you and I do. It means something to them when you have that connection. "They have needs like you and I have needs," Barker said. "Were not different. Ballston Spa schools will start one hour late on Monday morning. Seventh-grader Emma Jones, 12, was shot and killed along with her mother Jennifer, 43, by her father Steven, who then turned the gun on himself in their house at 723 Adams Circle in Ballston Spa, police said. Steven Jones, 46, worked at GlobalFoundries in Malta, the company spokesman reported. Emma Jones was a student in the district's middle school. Police declined to talk about what may have precipitated the violence, whether there were any signs of a struggle or whether the weapon was legally owned. Ballston Spa Police Chief Dave Bush said he had not dealt with any problems at the home in the past. After Friday's tragedy, a notification was sent to Ballston Spa parents and guardians. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "As many of you are now aware, the NYS Police and Village of Ballston Spa PD are investigating an absolutely terrible incident on Adams Circle in Ballston Spa. We now have confirmation that one of our Ballston Spa Middle School students, Emma Jones, is a victim of the fatal incident. Please know that our Middle School crisis team and counseling staff will be in place first thing Monday morning to support our students, faculty, and staff in dealing with this horrific situation," the statement read. Staff will report at the normal time Monday, the school's website read. ALBANY Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who has previously called cannabis a "gateway drug," will include a marijuana legalization proposal in his 2019 executive agenda. "Let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana, once and for all," Cuomo said in a speech in Manhattan Monday, previewing his annual State of the State address, which occurs in early January. The legislation will be part of Cuomo's criminal justice reform platform, which includes ending cash bail, and marks a sharp turn for the third-term Democratic governor, who has expressed resistance to the idea as recently as 2017. "We have had two criminal justice systems: one for the wealthy and well off, and one for everyone else," Cuomo said Monday. "And that's going to end." While other states have moved forward with legalization efforts, including neighboring Massachusetts and New Jersey, New York has moved more cautiously. Cuomo approved a limited medical marijuana program in 2014 that has gradually expanded. The governor channeled former New York governor and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his remarks, asking "What would FDR do?" if he were saddled with what Cuomo describes as an "assault" by federal government on New York values. He touted 20 policy items to be accomplished during the first 100 days of his third term, including a "Green New Deal" on the environment, electoral reforms, and gun control measures. "I believe this aggressive, progressive agenda, although hard, is what FDR would say these troubled times demand," Cuomo said. On the environmental front, Cuomo called for New York's electricity to be 100 percent "carbon neutral" by 2040 and vowed to create limits on industrial toxins that have permeated drinking water sources in the state. Many environmental activist groups hailed the governor's proposals as important steps to addressing the threat of climate change, while other called for a more aggressive approach: for New York to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. "Cuomo calls the climate crisis a matter of life and death, but unfortunately his policies don't match the lofty rhetoric. A vague pledge of carbon neutrality by the year 2040 is not the bold action necessary to move New York off fossil fuels," Food & Water Watch Northeast Region director Alex Beauchamp said in a statement. The governor called for the banning of bump stocks, the passage of a "red flag" measure to block purchase or possession of firearms by those deemed to be an "extreme risk" to themselves or others, and extending the waiting period for purchasing a gun from three days to 10 days. With a Democratic-controlled Legislature, Cuomo said he anticipates items like codification of federal abortion rights, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), the DREAM Act, and the Child Victims Act, which loosens the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sex abuse, to pass easily in 2019. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. On electoral reform, Cuomo updated his "Democracy" platform from previous sessions. It includes automatic voter registration, voting by mail, early voting, a combined state and federal primary day, and turning Election Day into a state holiday. To reform the state's campaign finance system, Cuomo is calling for LLC loophole closure and publicly financed elections. The proposed reforms earned high marks from electoral reform groups and good government organizations, who called on the Legislature to make them a reality in 2019. "Since the last century, Democrats supported overhauling our campaign finance system and establishing a public matching system to finally end undue influence and corruption in Albany," said John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany. "Now that Democrats control all levers of power, words must become action, and promises finally fulfilled to New Yorkers who have been waiting decades for change." Cuomo also blasted the federal government's 2017 tax overhaul, saying it negatively impacted homeowners in the state. To address this, he vowed to lower middle class taxes and to continue to fight for the restoration of the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT. He proposed extending the millionaires tax, and making the state's 2 percent cap on property tax growth permanent. TILLSON When Pam ODea relocated from Northern California to New York it was because she had met someone online, the relationship clicked and she wanted to be with him. We hit it off and I moved in, she said. Transferring her massage therapists license from her native Canada or San Francisco should have been the easy part, she thought, with more than 25 years of experience and approximately twice the training that is required in New York. But 15 months after her September 2017 move, shes still struggling to understand and navigate the process of getting a New York state license after what she believes has been a series of contradictory instructions, lost files, and incomprehensible delays from the state Education Departments Office of the Professions, which oversees licensing and certifications for a wide array of professions. I applied last September and am still frustrated trying to win my license, said ODea. Its like a maze where every path you go down is a dead end. Part of the problem is related to her residences. ODea attended massage school in Toronto, Ontario, in the 1990s, worked there for a while and then moved to San Francisco. Shes also worked in her native province of Nova Scotia, where she is still licensed. That license, however, isnt transferable shes was told, since Nova Scotia doesnt require exams, like Ontario. I unwittingly interpreted the requirement to have training, exam and current license in the same state, country or territory incorrectly. I assumed I was eligible if all three were from the same country, Canada, but have been informed that they must all be from the same province, she said. Thats despite the 2,200 hours of training she had, compared to the 1,000 hours required in New York. There were other problems. When her Toronto school, the Sutherland-Chan School of Massage Therapy, sent her transcripts, SED said they couldnt find them even though the school said they were sent twice. On the third try, when they were sent via return receipt mail, they were located, said ODea. The same thing happened with her First Aid and CPR certification, another requirement, which was also found after she sent it a second time via return receipt. In another instance, an SED evaluator appeared to have been confused by a note from ODea indicating she had more than the requisite 150 hours in a given subject area. ODea used a > sign, which is commonly used medical shorthand for more than. Education Department officials said they cant, by law, comment on a specific licensees application. In general, a person who is licensed in another jurisdiction may apply for licensure by endorsement. If they can document practice for specific periods of time under licensure without disciplinary action in the jurisdiction and has met specific education requirements, the New York State examination is not required, they said. ODea isnt alone in her struggle. The Times Union in 2012 profiled another therapist, who after moving to the state from Rhode Island, struggled for 13 months before getting her license. This is pretty normal. I went through the same thing, said Beret Kirkeby, a New York City massage therapist who also moved to the U.S. from Ontario almost a decade ago. They are just checking boxes but if you dont fit the cookie cutter, you dont fit, she said. Kirkeby also explained that in Canada, massage therapy is more integrated into other forms of medical care, not unlike the way physical therapists work in the U.S. To be licensed in Ontario, she added, one needs to pass a fairly extensive written test but, just as importantly, give a live demonstration of their skills. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. In New York, the requirement is confined to paperwork. There is a certain amount of bureaucracy. Its not necessarily about the quality of education but they want to see exactly this one thing. If you deviate from that they dont know what to do with it, she said. Kirkeby said she encountered obstacles that were similar to those facing ODea. For example, like ODea, SED wanted to see the entire test that the Ontario licensing agency gave her. But the province wouldnt do that, since it would amount to giving away the answers. Because massage therapy is used more in Canada, the field has a fairly large lobbying presence, which also helps, she said. In the U.S., regulators are extra cautious about massage therapy, in part because they dont want it to be confused with illicit activities or prostitution that can sometimes take place under the heading of a (non health-care) massage, said James Specker, director of government relations for the American Massage Therapy Association. He added that New York has some of the U.S.s most stringent licensing requirements. New York and Nebraska both require 1,000 hours of training, he said. While less than the 2,200 required in Ontario, its more than other states. Even those who are already licensed face bureaucratic barriers, though. Specker said his organization is proposing legislation that would, for instance, allow therapists to get continuing education credits in schools or course offered in neighboring New England states. For now, ODea is continuing to seek her New York license while still maintaining her Nova Scotia license in case she needs to go there in order to work. Shes also trying to get approved for the next state test which wouldnt be until August. Even that is challenge, though, since she still has to prove that she has had the needed hours of training. It is bizarre, she said of the process. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU BALLSTON SPA A murder-suicide last week allegedly perpetrated by a GlobalFoundries employee is the second tragedy to impact those who work at the Malta chip factory in the last few months. Police have said Steven Jones shot his wife and 12-year-old daughter before shooting himself in their Adams Circle home. The bodies of the family members were discovered Friday after police said GlobalFoundries was concerned about why Jones had not reported to work since at least Thursday. Jones was working as a process control engineering manager. It's unclear how long he had worked at the company. Many workers at GlobalFoundries, which employs roughly 3,400 people at the Luther Forest Technology campus, are no doubt still struggling with the loss of brothers Rich and Axel Steenburg, who were killed in the horrific Schoharie limo crash Oct. 6. The brothers worked at desks side-by-side at GlobalFoundries, and company staff had to deliver their desk belongings to their loved ones after the crash, which resulted in the deaths of 18 others and is still being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and State Police. The company said Sunday that it has an employee assistance program that offers 24-hour counseling, and provides on-site counseling for staff when tragedies occur. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. As for the Ballston Spa case, police have not released any information yet that might explain why Jones killed his wife and daughter. "Along with the rest of our community, we at GlobalFoundries are shocked and saddened by this recent incident," the company said in a statement Sunday. "We are focused on helping our employees deal with this news and any concerns that they may have. The health and safety of our employees is our top priority." According to public records, neither Jones or his wife, Jennifer, have family who live on the East Coast. Steven Jones' previous addresses were in Santa Clara County, California. And Jennifer Jones attended the University of New Mexico, with immediate family appearing to all live in Albuquerque. The couple purchased their Ballston Spa home in 2007 about five years before production started at the Malta chip fab plant. Ballston Spa schools are starting an hour later Monday to have counselors ready to deal with the death of Emma Jones, a seventh-grader at the middle school. 3 1 of 3 Courtesy of New York State Police Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy of New York State Police. Show More Show Less 3 of 3 TICONDEROGA - Police are searching for a man in connection with a murder after the victim's body was found in river on Friday. The Ticonderoga Police Department discovered the murder victim face down in the LaChute River after his Volkswagon Jetta was spotted in the Bicentennial Park area at around 7 a.m. The victim was identified as William T. Brown, 37, of Ticonderoga. An autopsy conducted at Albany Medical Center revealed he was shot in the head. RAVENA Four Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk students were arrested and charged with allegedly making terroristic threats Saturday after posting two videos on social media that mimicked a school shooting with fake blood, weapons and racial slurs, according to the Albany County Sheriff's Office. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said the videos were "very graphic, very racist and horrifying as far as mocking a school shooting." In the first video, a copy of which Apple provided to the Times Union, a student dressed in black enters a room in a house with a fake gun. He shoots another student sitting at a makeshift desk before dragging a girl crying out in protest into the middle of the room and shooting her as well. The video was posted to Instagram with the caption "Enjoy." The second video was almost the same. Another student saw the posts on Friday, filmed and sent them to the school district. On Saturday, police arrested all four students and searched their homes, but found only bb guns and fake weapons, Apple said. Two students were 14 and 15 years old with a 10-year-old playing a victim. The age of the student behind the camera is unknown. All four students were suspended indefinitely and charged with allegedly making terrorist threats, a felony. They will appear in family court Monday. A statement on the school district's website on Saturday said the videos contained no reference to specific people or locations and didn't promise violence against the schools, but still warranted an investigation. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "It wasn't something that was just funny," Apple said. "Whatever their intentions were, we may never know, it was a horrifying, graphic video filled with extreme racism." Apple praised the student who alerted the school district about the videos. "I'm extremely proud of that student. We preach time and time again, if you see something, say something," Apple said. "Some think we acted strongly, but this is a new day and time." [December 17, 2018] Realme - the fastest growing smartphone brand in Malaysia achieved No.1 Best Selling Phone on Shopee The youngest smartphone brand in Malaysia enjoys fast & furious growth within just 1 mont h In the last one month, Realme has achieved many milestones proving that it's growing at a steady pace and is well accepted by the local marke t Realme's understanding towards the local landscape and consumer behaviour has helped the brand to communicate well with audience from different backgrounds and age group s KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Realme, one of Malaysia's fastest growing brands with an emphasis on providing high quality smartphones at youth-friendly prices has achieved many milestones in just one month. Together with its positive sales record, Realme is growing at a strong pace and is well accepted by the local market. Launched in November, Realme has achieved great success and is becoming rapidly known as a brand with outstanding product features and performance and affordable price points. Its positive sales performance also reflects its fast-rising market growth in a short period of time. Speaking on this, Tiffany Teh, Brand Manager of Realme Malaysia, said, "We've only been in the market for just over one month and it has been a great journey thus far. When we first came into the Malaysia market, we took note that it's a great competitive environment with many opportunities to grow. By considering the diverse and unique cultural characteristics of our local consumers, we have been able to communicate effectively with them." PricewaterhouseCoopers's (PwC) Global Consumer Insights survey reported that when it comes to online and in-store spending social media remains the biggest influence on consumers looking for inspiration for their purchases. With the rise of diversified payment method and evolution of the check-out process, Malaysia eCommerce sector is projected to grow at 11% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). Explaining more about Realme's success in winning the hearts of local consumers, Teh added "We see a shift in purchasing behaviour, especially here in Malaysia, that is adapting more towards e-commerce as well as brick-and-mortar stores that are also making transactions online to reach out to current and potential customers. We are glad to partner with Lazada and Shopee especially with the service quality that they provide for their loyal customers and when the 12.12 sale came knocking on our door, we saw this as a great opportunity to partner with them again. We are extremely happy with the feedback we have been getting, not only from our customers, but also media and partners. Feedback is valuable to us because it doesn't only help us improve our communications, but also helps us to better understand what people are looking for when it comes to mobile devices." Known to be "Ideal for Young", the Realme 2 Pro was sold on Shopee for their 12.12. Birthday Sale. This continues its streak record of successful sales for the device with "No. 1 Best Selling Phone" on Shopee 12.12 and previous accolades such as the 'Best-selling item' during Shopee's 11.11 Big Sale, breaking the first sales record among all smartphone brands on Shopee, and being the "Smartphone Champion" during Shopee's 11.15 Men's Festival. "Our 12.12 Birthday Sale ended on a high note, especially for Realme. The overwhelming response for the Realme 2 Pro makes Realme the fastest growing smartphone brand on our platform. We have received a lot of positive feedback from happy Shopee users regarding the quality and performance of the Realme 2 Pro which further confirms its ability to compete with other brands, and at a competitive price point. We are very encouraged by the results and look forward to a successful long-term working relationship with Realme," said Calvin Teng, Category Manager, Shopee Malaysia Speaking of this success, Kenneth Khor, Head of Mobile, Lazada Malaysia said, "As partners, we are truly happy that Realme Malaysia achieved this to mark yet another milestone for the young brand. From our past promotions and sales on Lazada, Realme Malaysia have always had strong sales record and they continue to surprise us with how much Malaysians love their high-quality products. We are confident that Realme will continue its record with its products as well as achievement. We look forward to working with Realme Malaysia again and to bring the best offers on Lazada for our consumers." Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181214/2327134-1 SOURCE Realme [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 16, 2018] JB Financial Group Signs a Strategic MOU with CIMB Niaga for the Open Banking Platform Business in Indonesia JB Financial Group (KRX:175330) announced that the Group has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CIMB Niaga, a leading Indonesian commercial bank, and MITRA JASA LIMA for the open banking platform business in Indonesia on December 14. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181216005038/en/ JB Financial Group (KRX:175330) signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CIMB Niaga, a leading Indonesian commercial ban, and MITRA JASA LIMA for the open banking platform business in Indonesia on December 14. The MOU represents that JB Financial Group is the first Korean banking group exporting its unique open banking platform, in contrast to the practice of entering new markets through local banking license acquisition. (Photo: Business Wire) The MOU represents that JB Financial Group is the first Korean banking group exporting its unique open banking platform, in contrast to the practice of entering new markets through local banking license acquisition. CIMB Group is a Malaysian banking operation comprising with exposure to retail, corporate, investment and Islamic banking and being its achievements are often cited as worthy of a role model in ASEAN capital market. In Indonesia, the Bank, under the name of Bank CIMB Niaga, has grown to be the second largest private commercial bank with total assets of USD 18 billion. Its fundamentals are also impressive with 1.87% ROA, 5.1% NIM and 9.76% ROE. The open banking platform, "Obank", launched in last year by JB Financial Group, facilitates various Fintech companies to cooperate with JB's banking affiliates by using open APIs. Through cooperation, customers will be able to use faster, cheaper and more convenient financial services such as P2P lending, international remittance and bill payment. Roberto Akyuwen, a deputy commissioner of banking supervisor IV at the Indonesia Financial Supervisory Authority (OJK), said during the signing, that through the JB Financial Group's open banking platform, more than 1,600 local banks (BPRs) in Indonesia will be able to improve their banking processes in an efficient way and create fee-based revenues. The cooperation will drive greater financial inclusion in Indonesia and contribute to building financial stability in the financial services industry. According to an official from JB Financial Group, the project is scheduled to start in Jakarta and neighboring provinces at the beginning of next year, and will expand to the whole Indonesia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181216005038/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Officials are scrambling to stabilize the crumbling Del Mar bluffs, with four collapses having occurred since August. Emergency efforts to reinforce the eroding cliffs, atop which Amtrak and Coaster trains run daily, have been in the works for nearly a year. Now officials say they hope to break ground on a number of key projects by summer. In the meantime, transportation officials have said the trains are safe to ride, barring a major earthquake. We inspect the tracks twice a week and, in addition, anytime we have any failure or erosion event we inspect to make sure its safe for train traffic, said Stephen Fordham, director of rail engineering for the North County Transit District. For now, the landslides pose more danger to those walking on or beneath bluffs than to train operations, according to officials. While warning signs are posted around the cliffs, pedestrians routinely ignore them. The latest collapse occurred on Monday morning, Dec. 10, when a section of the cliff roughly 25 feet wide and 4 feet deep fell near 9th and 10th streets. Officials halted train traffic for a safety assessment, restarting operations within a few hours. The event follows several other similar landslides on Oct. 5, Sept. 27 and Aug. 22. In one case, a section of rock that broke loose was reportedly 50 feet wide. Following the collapse in August, the transit district announced plans to erect fencing around sections of the tracks to prevent trespassers from trampling vegetation that helps stabilize the cliffs. Community members protested, launching an online petition. Officials have said the main reason the bluffs are failing is that urban runoff seeps into the ground when residents and businesses irrigate their property. Coastal erosion from waves and wind also play a significant role. The city cant do much about the water coming off, said Del Mar Mayor Dave Druker, who also sits on the NCTD board. This is irrigation. Its not runoff from rain. Its about the water that people are putting in the ground. Eventually an earthquake will happen and the bluff will be done, he added. More than 100 inches of water a year wash through the bluffs, largely from such urban irrigation, according to officials with the San Diego Association of Governments. Under natural conditions the area would be subjected to about 12 inches annually. The bluffs have historically been reinforced using 3-foot-thick concrete and steel columns, known as soldier piles, which are dropped into 50-foot holes and secured with concrete. At the same time, urban runoff is funneled through drainage pipes to limit erosion from rain and residential irrigation. Despite such efforts, the bluffs erode at an average rate of about six inches a year, Fordham with NCTD said. We have a drought, and then it rains, and we have these fits and starts of erosion events, he said. Walking below is always a concern. We have technical people analyze these bluffs, but theres always more areas where we want additional soldier piles as a result of the natural retreat. Parts of the bluffs are made of robust mudstone, while others are more precarious, such as those that were filled with materials when the railroad was first constructed, according to SANDAG officials. NCTD and SANDAG have performed three bluff stabilizations, as well as various drainage improvements, since 1998, costing a total of about $5 million. A new round of projects through 2050 are now underway, with an estimated price tag of upwards $90 million. As part of that, a $3 million emergency stabilization program is now underway. Expected to break ground by summer, the effort includes adding soldier piles, repairing aging drainage structures and reinforcing wooden sea walls. Repairs will focus on areas of concerns around 7th Street and Anderson Canyon, located north of Torrey Pines State Beach. Transportation officials have said that in the long term, the two-mile section of train track that runs through Del Mar will have to be relocated. SANDAG is in the process of double-tracking nearly all of the coastal rail line by 2035. These plans call for moving the rail line off the bluffs and into a tunnel under Del Mar or Del Mar Heights by 2050. However, that project could cost as much as $3.5 billion and is currently unfunded. Terry Sinnott, SANDAG board chair and former Del Mar mayor, said the project has been delayed due to cost for too long. Its been postponed and postponed because its expensive, he said. Every time anythings observed, North County Transit inspects everything and halts the trains for a period of time, but theres still a safety concern that we have to always be addressing. Similarly, coastal erosion may also eventually force oceanfront homeowners in Del Mar to relocate or risk routine flooding. Residents have adamantly rejected any plans to retreat from the shoreline, calling for seawalls and continually replenishing beaches instead. [December 16, 2018] Dunya Labs Brings EOS Blockchain to India With Catalyst BENGALURU, December 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dunya Labs , a blockchain product company, hosted the inaugural sessions of its Catalyst Series in Bengaluru. Catalyst, a programme of hands-on blockchain developer workshops, was launched in partnership with the Government of Telangana Blockchain District as part of the State's blockchain education efforts. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/799087/Dunya_Labs_Logo.jpg ) The aim of the Catalyst Series is to guide technologists in understanding, experimenting with, and developing cutting-edge public blockchain protocols. In India, less than 1% of the country's developers have exposure to blockchain development, and experience is limited to platforms such as Hyperledger and Ethereum. Catalyst aims to bring India to the global blockchain frontier through community participation and developer education. This series is a first-of-its-kind EOS workshop and hackathon, kicking off with a three-weekend-long curriculum covering the EOS protocol architectural design, developer tooling/environments, and smart contract and dApp (decentralized application) development. Hundreds of applicants sought the opportunity to attend the workshops, which featured sessions by international blockchain experts across Ukraine, China, Korea and the United States. The workshop concluded with India's first EOS Hackathon on November 24, 2018. Teams were tasked with building an EOS dApp within one day for a prize of INR 70,000. Numerous innovative ideas and use-cases emerged from the hackathon, such as utilizing blockchain to streamline and audit government benefit schemes, decentralized predictive markes and augmented reality-based gaming platforms with tokenized virtual goods. Dunya Labs launched and conducted this event in partnership with pioneers from the blockchain industry including local leaders Incrypt and Koinex, as well as international EOS block producers EOS Canon, EOSYS, CryptoLions, Attic Lab, AlohaEOS, EOS Nation and Meet.One. "The Catalyst Series is the first blockchain programme in India focused on the frontier protocols which are emerging in the space. Our goal is to give the Indian developer community a taste of cutting-edge innovations in decentralized technologies, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to build on the decentralized Internet of the future," said Cathy Guo, Co-Founder and CEO, Dunya Labs. "Through our collaboration with Government of Telangana, we aim to provide more collective opportunities for developers to build decentralized blockchain applications, in turn propelling India towards leadership in the global blockchain industry," added Srikar Varadaraj, Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer, Dunya Labs. "We praise the forward-looking stance and initiatives taken by the IT Minister and IT department for blockchain and its potential in the state." EOS is a general-purpose smart contract platform developed by Dan Larimer, who also built application-specific blockchain platforms Steemit and Bitshares. EOS is often considered as an alternative to Ethereum, which was launched in July 2015. Since the EOS mainnet launch six months back, the EOS platform has witnessed explosive innovation, activities and community engagement with over 500,000 account holders, more than 5 million transactions made per day, and one of the most exciting infrastructures and dApp development platforms in existence. (www.dappradar.com). "I was amazed by the vibrancy and infectious energy of all participants. It was incredible to see so many technology enthusiasts choosing to spend their weekends with us. One of my favourite aspects of hosting these workshops was interacting with each participant - from blockchain newcomers to dedicated believers. There's already strong demand for teams to continue working together on building dApp ideas. We plan on expanding these workshops in 2019 to cover more world-class protocol projects, and are excited to bring more hands-on building opportunities to India," said Grace Guo, Head of Business Development, Dunya Labs. About Dunya Labs: Dunya Labs focuses on building the tooling and infrastructure required to bring decentralized technologies to the masses. Through leveraging an in-house research and development team, we build public tools and proprietary tools which on-board traditional web developers to blockchain networks. We are an India-focused company passionate about contributing to community and education initiatives for blockchain in emerging markets. Read more at www.dunyalabs.io or www.twitter.com/dunyalabs. Dunya Labs Contact: Media Team [email protected] Media Contact: Sukirti Panigrahi [email protected] +91-9480094800 CEO, Digiby [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Price f(x) Files Petitions with US Patent and Trademark Office to Invalidate Vendavo's Patents and Launches a Counter Lawsuit Price f(x), the global leader in cloud pricing software, has filed petitions for "Covered Business Method ("CBM") Review" of four Vendavo patents, and will imminently file a fifth, which together will cover challenges to all of the patent claims that Vendavo has asserted in litigation between the parties. In Price f(x)'s view, each of Vendavo's patents qualifies for the specialized CBM procedure created by US Congress to "crackdown on low-quality business method patents." Price f(x)'s petitions challenge Vendavo's patents on a variety of grounds, including in all cases that the claims are directed to patent-ineligible abstract ideas (e.g., math for pricing of products), and in many cases that Vendavo simply tried to claim more than it actually invented. The petitions are now pending in the U.S. Patent Office, which should make an initial ruling on Price f(x)'s petitions in approximately six months. Price f(x) is concurrently moving to stay the patent portion of the parties' litigation on the grounds that it would be wasteful to continue when the Patent Office may simplyinvalidate all the patents. In December 2017, Vendavo launched a baseless lawsuit against Price f(x) thus culminating a string of hostile acts, intended to slow down Price f(x)'s dynamic growth and global expansion. Price f(x) has been initially focusing on a more cost-effective strategy of dismissing all the allegations in the early stage of the litigation. Having exhausted the options for an early end, the Company decided to intensify its defense strategy. As part of that, Price f(x) filed a countersuit on November 5th in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, for spying, stealing and misappropriating Price f(x)'s trade secrets. The lawsuit is now pending its first Court hearing in January 2019. Marcin Cichon, Price f(x) CEO and co-founder, noted, "we have been very disappointed with Vendavo's baseless and hostile allegations. While we would have preferred to win in the marketplace, where our nimble, flexible, differentiated and value-adding solution has won and will continue to win, we have been forced to fight back in the courtroom. We owe it to our loyal customers, partners, employees, and investors to vigorously defend our innocence." About Price f(x) Established in 2011 in Germany, Price f(x) AG is the provider of a full suite of price management and CPQ SaaS (News - Alert) solution based on latest native cloud architecture, offering broad and flexible support to the entire price management closed loop cycle of Price Strategy, Controlling, Setting and Realization. The solution is suitable for B2B and B2C as well as for any industry, any size of business and geographical location. Price f(x)'s vision is to remain the leading SaaS pricing and CPQ platform provider through offering easy to use, fast to implement, flexible to adapt, risk free and inexpensive, comprehensive solutions. Price f(x)'s business model is entirely based on the satisfaction and loyalty of its customers. For more information please visit: www.pricefx.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181216005052/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Thoughtonomy Named a Leader in Robotic Process Automation Platforms in New Ovum Decision Matrix LONDON, December 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UK Intelligent Automation provider featured as a leader in RPA platforms market, on the back of unique SaaS-based delivery model and rapid international expansion across multiple sectors Thoughtonomy, the leading Intelligent Automation platform provider, has been named by Ovum as a market leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platforms market. Thoughtonomy was featured in Ovum's comprehensive RPA platform and vendor evaluation, Ovum Decision Matrix: Selecting an Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform, 2018-19. The Ovum Decision Matrix states that Thoughtonomy, as a market leader, 'has established a commanding market position with its RPA platform demonstrating a high level of maturity, cohesiveness, innovation and enterprise fit, and the capability to effectively meet the requirements of a wider range of use cases.' "As the first vendor to offer an RPA cloud product and then substantial AI enhancements, Thoughtonomy has developed a sound architectural and product foundation" said Saurabh Sharma, Principal Analyst at Ovum. The report also highlights Thoughtonomy's appeal to organisations of all sizes: 'In addition to large enterprises, medium-sized enterprises interested in a low-cost entry to RPA and pursuing a "start small and grow big" approach, should consider Thoughtonomy.' At a broader level, the report highlights the growing potential for automation to drive efficiencies and improve productivity within organizations across the world. It also predicts that the RPA market will continue to evolve rapidly over the next few years, as core RPA technology combines with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning capabilities. Terry Walby, CEO & Founder of Thoughtonomy, which is headquartered in London, U, said: "This caps an incredible year for Thoughtonomy, and we're delighted to get this recognition from one of the world's most respected industry analysts. We're already proving the enormous benefits that our solutions can deliver to organizations across all sectors, not just in terms of more efficient processes and reduced costs, but also in providing a digital labor pool which can be used as a strategic asset to enter new markets, develop new products, and pursue commercial initiatives which simply wouldn't be feasible using a traditional resourcing model. We're looking forward to continuing this exciting journey with clients, old and new, in 2019." Thoughtonomy has delivered year on year growth of over 300% over the past three years, and is now operating in 29 countries. In 2018, the company was ranked fourth in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 and 11th in the Deloitte 2018 UK Technology Fast 50 , cementing its position as one of the fastest growing UK-headquartered technology companies and one of the brightest stars in the global AI market. Through Thoughtonomy's award-winning intelligent automation platform, companies can access a pool of cloud-based intelligent digital workers that can take on the time-consuming, repetitive tasks that impede the productivity of human workforces. By integrating these digital workers with human teams, companies can accelerate growth while achieving a step change in efficiency. Download the report here. About Thoughtonomy Thoughtonomy is a UK-headquartered AI software company that enables organisations and the people they employ to do more and achieve more. The company's award-winning SaaS-based Intelligent Automation platform, gives companies access to a pool of cloud based intelligent digital workers that can perform the repetitive, time-intensive tasks that slow people down. By integrating this digital workforce with their human teams, companies can accelerate growth and achieve a step change in efficiency. Thoughtonomy was founded in the UK in 2013 and now supports more than 200 clients spread across a wide range of industries in 29 countries. The company has offices in London and Manchester in the UK, as well as New York and Austin in the US. For further information, please see http://thoughtonomy.com/ About Ovum Ovum is a market-leading research and consulting firm focused on helping digital service providers and their technology partners thrive in the connected digital economy. Through its 150 analysts and consultants worldwide, it offers expert analysis and strategic insight across the IT, telecoms, and media industries. Founded in 1985, Ovum has one of the most experienced analyst teams in the industry and is a respected source of guidance for business leaders, CIOs, vendors, service providers, and regulators looking for comprehensive, accurate, and insightful market data, research, and consulting. With 23 offices across six continents, Ovum offers a truly global perspective on technology, communications and media markets and provides clients with insight including workflow tools, forecasts, surveys, market assessments, technology audits, and opinion. Ovum is part of the Business Intelligence Division of Informa plc, a leading business intelligence, academic publishing, knowledge and events group listed on the London Stock Exchange. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Senior DOJ Enforcement Attorney Josh Van Eaton Joins Beveridge & Diamond Josh Van Eaton, Senior Trial Attorney in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), joined Beveridge & Diamond as a Principal in the firm's Washington, DC office* on December 17, 2018. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005104/en/ Josh Van Eaton (News - Alert) (Photo: Business Wire) Josh offers firm clients strategic counsel on high-stakes litigation, civil and criminal enforcement, and compliance matters, informed by his years of experience as one of the nation's top government environmental and natural resource lawyers. In addition to his role at B&D, he will continue his military service in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Highlights of Josh's career include: Lead DOJ counsel in United States v. Volkswagen AG, et al. ("Clean Diesel"), a complex CAA mobile source case arising from the alleged illegal use of defeat devices in light-duty diesel engines. The relief obtained includes the largest consumer recall in American history ($11 billion vehicle buyback program), a $3 billion environmental mitigation trust, a $2 billion zero-emission vehicle infrastructure investment, and a $1.45 billion civil penalty, the largest ever under the CAA. ("Clean Diesel"), a complex CAA mobile source case arising from the alleged illegal use of defeat devices in light-duty diesel engines. The relief obtained includes the largest consumer recall in American history ($11 billion vehicle buyback program), a $3 billion environmental mitigation trust, a $2 billion zero-emission vehicle infrastructure investment, and a $1.45 billion civil penalty, the largest ever under the CAA. Lead counsel in a suit to remedy dangerous and illegal storage of hazardous waste at a chemical manufacturing facility and to recover past clean-up costs, where he also prevailed in post-trial contested motions practice with a third party over lien priority to ultimately effectuate property sale. Lead counsel in case against a regional construction company alleging over 600 violations of the Clean Water Act NPDES permit program at various costruction sites, ending in a settlement that included civil penalty and injunctive relief requiring a company-wide storm water training and compliance program. Lead U.S. counsel in a case to recover remedial costs in a $400 million nuclear waste site cleanup matter. Co-counsel in a $30 million case brought on behalf of the Department of Defense against multiple petroleum companies to recover environmental cleanup costs at a defense site adjacent to an oil refinery. Lead counsel in an action to collect Superfund responses costs from recalcitrant CERCLA judgment debtors and a third party insurance company, ending in a settlement in favor of the United States for $2.225 million. Lead counsel in a Safe Drinking Water Act matter to address the threat of imminent and substantial endangerment to a potential underground source of drinking water posed by an improperly plugged oil well, ending in successful negotiation of a resolution where the well owner agreed to implement a long-term aquifer remediation system. Lead counsel in the negotiation of a CERCLA Remedial Design/ Remedial Action Consent Decree with a major petroleum company for a multi-million dollar cleanup of a legacy coking operation. "We are delighted that Josh will begin the next phase of his career with us," stated Russ LaMotte, the firm's Managing Principal. "Our clients will immediately benefit from his perspective in litigation, enforcement, and compliance." Josh was named Senior Trial Attorney in 2017, capping a distinguished ten-year career at the DOJ. He received the Samual J. Heyman Service to America Medal and was named Federal Employee of the Year in 2017 in recognition of his work as Lead Counsel in the Volkswagen "Clean Diesel" emissions matter. He also has received the Assistant Attorney General's Award for Excellence, the EPA Administrator's Award for Excellence, and numerous other DOJ commendations and awards. Josh's public service includes a distinguished and ongoing military career. Following his graduation from Baylor University School of Law in 2001, Josh served on active duty first as a criminal prosecutor and legal advisor in one of the army's largest criminal jurisdictions then subsequently as a litigation attorney in the Environmental Law Division of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. Josh currently serves in the Army Reserve as Associate General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel of the Defense Logistics Agency, where he also serves as Co-Chair of the Installation and Environmental Law Practice Group. He is also a former Senior Administrative Law Attorney in the Administrative Law Division of the Department of the Army and a former Associate Professor of Administrative and Civil Law at the Army Judge Advocate General's School in Charlottesville, Virginia. His military awards include the Army Meritorious Service Medal awarded on multiple occasions as well as the Army Commendation Medal. *Josh is currently admitted to practice only in Washington state. He is practicing pursuant to D.C. App. Rule 49(c)(8) under the direct supervision of principals of the firm who are licensed to practice in Washington, DC. Beveridge & Diamond's more than 100 lawyers in eight U.S. offices focus on environmental and natural resource law, litigation and alternative dispute resolution, transactions, and project development. We help clients around the world resolve critical environmental and sustainability issues relating to their products, facilities, and operations. B&D holds Tier 1 ratings for environmental law and environmental litigation in Chambers USA Guide to the Legal Profession and Legal 500. The Firm was ranked by U.S. News-Best Lawyers as "Environmental Firm of the Year" in 2018 and 2019, as Law360's Environmental Practice Group of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and placed in the top 10 for diversity, firm culture, pro bono, and satisfaction among midsize firms in the 2018 Vault Best Midsize Firms survey. Learn more at www.bdlaw.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005104/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Gopher Technology Now Deployed On WISE Blockchain Platform WISE Has Successfully Created Its Smart Contract SAN DIEGO, CA, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE - Gopher Protocol Inc. (OTCQB: GOPH) ("Gopher), a company specializing in the development of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence enabled mobile technologies, including a global mesh network technology platform for both mobile and fixed solutions, announced today its technology has been successfully deployed by its licensee WISE Network S.A (WISE), which has created its smart contract on the Blockchain platform. As announced in late November, Gopher and WISE collaborated on the implementation of Gophers licensed technology. WISE has now successfully created its smart contract built on the Ethereum Blockchain, based on the ERC20 standard. The repo link to GitHub where the smart contract can be scrutinized by any developer in the world is https://github.com/GBTTech/wise-erc20-token-smart-contract . This means that WISE now has completed the token infrastructure and is ready to be launch six months before WISEs anticipated ICO takes place. The WISE smart contract was developed and completed using private funds to build confidence and trust in WISEs Blockchain programming abilities as well as its corporate responsibility towards future token holders in advance - https://youtu.be/eLeBC_aC_RQ. This early launch proves WISEs commitment to its roadmap, which will soon be part of WISEs new site https://wise.cr . Doug Davis, Gophers Interim CEO, stated: "We are proud to see implementation of our technology platform into the Blockchain space in partnership with WISE. While Gopher is not a cryptocurrency or Blockchain company, it is a leading supplier of Asset Tracking oT and Global Mesh Network technology platforms that licensees such as WISE can use to enhance their Blockchain-based offerings. About Gopher Protocol Inc. Gopher Protocol Inc. (OTCQB: GOPH) (Gopher) (http://gopherprotocol.com/) is a development-stage company which considers itself a native IoT creator, developing Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled mobile technology platforms. Gopher has a portfolio of Intellectual Property that, when commercialized, will include smart microchips, mobile and security applications and protocols, and supporting cloud software. Gophers system envisions the creation of a global mesh network. The core of the system will be its advanced microchip technology that can be installed in any mobile or fixed device worldwide. Gopher envisions this system as a low-cost, secure, private mesh network between any enabled devices, providing shared processing, advanced mobile database management/sharing and enhanced mobile features as an alternative to traditional carrier services. About WISE WISE Network S.A. (WISE) is a Costa Rican corporation that has created the WISE Platform (http://www.wise.cr/). This Platform will be using the newly created WISE Token, for which WISE will also be conducting an ICO. WISE will have powered its Enigma Chip, based on Gophers licensed technology, which will be designed to deploy a radio wave based Blockchain system, enabling distributed ledger, robust security, and real-time, vast data handling for IoT and mobile domains. The chip hardware is accompanied with embedded software, and is designed to work through its private, secured network protocol. Enigma IC can use Wi-Fi or Cellular networks to communicate with other Enigma ICs. In addition, the microchip can communicate via its own radio waves in a wide variety of frequencies, in locations where there are no cellular or Wi-Fi services, thereby expanding IoT tracking of Blockchain-based assets globally. It is expected that this feature opens an entire world of IoT and network possibilities for remote locations. The Enigma microchip includes Gophers Avant! AI for Blockchain management and security. A demonstration is available via an educational video released by Gopher and WISE -- https://youtu.be/3z0avXbYZoc Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission located at their website (http://www.sec.gov). In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, governmental and public policy changes, the Companys ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, if at all, the Companys successful development of its products and the integration into its existing products and the commercial acceptance of the Companys products. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release. Contact: Douglas Davies, Interim CEO Gopher Protocol Inc. VM Only 888-685-7336 Media: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Protalix BioTherapeutics Announces the Completion of Enrollment in the Phase III BRIDGE Clinical Trial of pegunigalsidase alfa for the Treatment of Fabry Disease CARMIEL, Israel, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American:PLX) (TASE:PLX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx, today announced the completion of enrollment for the BRIDGE phase III clinical trial of pegunigalsidase alfa (PRX-102) for the treatment of Fabry disease. Additionally, the Company provided an update on the enrollment for the BALANCE and BRIGHT phase III clinical trials which, collectively with the BRIDGE study, comprise the phase III clinical development program for PRX-102 for the treatment of Fabry disease. The BRIGHT study is approximately 90% enrolled and the BALANCE study is approximately 70% enrolled. In September 2018, we reported encouraging, positive interim results from the BRIDGE study and look forward to continue releasing additional data in 2019, commented Moshe Manor, Protalixs President and Chief Executive Officer. Based on the promising preliminary BRIDGE study results, and taking into account the newly issued guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), we plan to meet with the FDA during the first quarter of 2019 to discuss the most optimal regulatory path forward for PRX-102. While we continue to enroll patients in the BRIGHT and BALANCE Fabry disease studies, we believe that with the patients enrolled across the studies included in our PRX-102 clinical program to date, there is a sufficient number of patients to support expedited review, including the potential for filing an application for accelerated approval, continued Mr. Manor. The BRIDGE study is an open label switch over study evaluating the safety and efficacy of PRX-102 in patients with Fabry disease currently treated with agalsidase alfa for at least 2 years and on a stable dose for at least 6 months. Patients are screened and evaluated over 3 months while continuing treatment with agalsidase alfa. Following the screening period, patients are enrolled and switched from agalsidase alfa treatment to intravenous (IV) infusions of 1 mg/kg of PRX-102 every two weeks for 12 months. PRX-102 is the Companys plant cell-expressed recombinant, PEGylated, cross-linked a-galactosidase-A product candidate for the treatment of Fabry disease. About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. Protalixs unique expression system presents a proprietary method for developing recombinant proteins in a cost-effective, industrial-scale manner. Protalixs first product manufactured by ProCellEx, taliglucerase alfa, ws approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2012 and, subsequently, by the regulatory authorities of other countries. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights for taliglucerase alfa, excluding Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights. Protalixs development pipeline includes the following product candidates: pegunigalsidase alfa, a modified version of the recombinant human alpha-GAL-A protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; OPRX-106, an orally-delivered anti-inflammatory treatment; alidornase alfa for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis; and others. Protalix has partnered with Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., both in the United States and outside the United States, for the development and commercialization of pegunigalsidase alfa. Forward-Looking Statements To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms expect, anticipate, believe, estimate, project, plan, should and intend and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Drug discovery and development involve a high degree of risk and the final results of a clinical trial may be different than the preliminary findings for the clinical trial. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: failure or delay in the commencement or completion of our preclinical and clinical trials which may be caused by several factors, including: risks that the FDA will not accept an application for accelerated approval of PRX-102 with the data generated to date or will request additional data or other conditions of our submission of any application for accelerated approval of PRX-102; slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; and lack of sufficient funding to finance clinical trials; the risk that the results of the clinical trials of our product candidates will not support our claims of superiority, safety or efficacy, that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will be associated with undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; risks related to our ability to maintain and manage our relationship with Chiesi Farmaceutici and any other collaborator, distributor or partner; risks related to the amount and sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents; risks related to the ultimate purchase by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz of alfataliglicerase pursuant to the stated purchase intentions of the Brazilian Ministry of Health of the stated amounts, if at all; risks related to the successful conclusion of our negotiations with the Brazilian Ministry of Health regarding the purchase of alfataliglicerase generally; risks related to our commercialization efforts for alfataliglicerase in Brazil; risks relating to the compliance by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz with its purchase obligations and related milestones under our supply and technology transfer agreement; risks related to the amount and sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents; risks related to the amount of our future revenues, operations and expenditures; the risk that despite the FDAs grant of fast track designation for pegunigalsidase alfa for the treatment of Fabry disease, we may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to applications considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures; risks related to the FDAs ability to withdraw the fast track designation at any time; risks relating to our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our outstanding notes or any other indebtedness; our dependence on performance by third party providers of services and supplies, including without limitation, clinical trial services; delays in our preparation and filing of applications for regulatory approval; delays in the approval or potential rejection of any applications we file with the FDA or other health regulatory authorities, and other risks relating to the review process; our ability to identify suitable product candidates and to complete preclinical studies of such product candidates; the inherent risks and uncertainties in developing drug platforms and products of the type we are developing; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies and institutions; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of product liability and other necessary insurance coverage; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information, except as may be required by law. Investor Contact Marcy Nanus, Managing Director Solebury Trout 646-378-2927 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Anthony Grosso Joins Rockefeller Capital Management as a Managing Director to Build San Francisco Office Rockefeller Capital Management ("Rockefeller" or the "Firm") today announced that Anthony Grosso has joined as a Managing Director to establish and manage the Firm's San Francisco office, including business development and recruitment of private wealth advisors in the Bay Area. Grosso is the latest senior hire for the Firm as it continues to build its presence in new markets across the country. "Tony has had a long career in San Francisco and enjoys relationships with some of the most respected firms, families and organizations in the Bay Area," said Gregory J. Fleming, President & CEO of Rockefeller Capital Management. "With his expertise and extensive network, he will be an important part of Rockefeller's success on the West Coast, where we want to grow our business and attract a diverse set of talented advisors." Before joining Rockefeller, Grosso spent 15 years as a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch where he was a senior leader of the Ventures Services Group, a team focused on advising private equity and venture firms. Grosso additionally served as a Senior Resident Director for Merrill Lynch from 2009 to 2013. Grosso is part of a growing team at Rockefeller. This fall, the Firm has added private wealth advisors in Atlanta, New York and Salt Lake City, as well as San Francisco-based Christopher Dupuy as Chief Operating Officer for Private Wealth Management. In August, Atlanta-based Michael Outlaw joined as Head of Eastern Field Management with responsibility for managing and recruiting advisors in the Eastern United States. Rockefeller intends to continue adding individuals and teams who are of the highest integrity and committed to delivering excellence to sophisticated clients. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Grosso joined Robertson Stephens in 1999 to manage the Venture Services Group, which Merrill acquired three years later. The entire team moved to Merrill as part of the deal, growing the business to serve a significant segment of the private equity community. Grosso started his career in institutional equity sales at C.J. Lawrence in New York and moved to San Francisco in 1986 to join institutional equity sales at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette (DLJ). He covered west coast accounts at DLJ for more than a decade before joining Robertson Stephens. Grosso has a bachelor's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and an MBA from St. John's University. About Rockefeller Capital Management Rockefeller Capital Management is a leading independent financial services firm offering global family office, asset management and strategic advisory services to ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, institutions and corporations. As of September 30, 2018, the Firm had approximately $18.6 billion in assets under advisement. The Firm has offices in New York, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, DC, Salt Lake City, and Wilmington, Delaware. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005157/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Innovation Pharmaceuticals Completes End-of-Phase 2 Meeting with FDA; Brilacidin Oral Rinse to Advance Into Phase 3 Clinical Trials for Prevention of Severe Oral Mucositis BEVERLY, Mass., Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB:IPIX) (the Company), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, announced today that the Company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have completed an End-of-Phase 2 meeting concerning the continuing development of Brilacidin oral rinse to decrease the incidence of Severe Oral Mucositis (SOM) in Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) patients receiving chemoradiation. Brilacidin oral rinse is being developed under FDA Fast Track designation for Oral Mucositis (OM). Both parties agreed to an acceptable Brilacidin Phase 3 development pathway, including studying Brilacidin oral rinse effects on SOM when cisplatin is administered in higher concentrations (80-100 mg/m2) every 21 days, and at lower concentrations (30-40 mg/m2) administered weekly as part of the chemoradiation regimen. Once official meeting minutes are received from the FDA, the Company expects to release more details regarding planned Phase 3 trials of Brilacidin as a novel oral SOM treatment. Conducted in accordance with the FDA guidance, the goal of the upcoming studies will be to satisfy requirements for a New Drug Application and, ultimately, obtain marketing approval of Brilacidin for SOM. Management further intends to solicit international regulatory bodies for the purpose of expanded registration globally. Our interactions with the FDA have been highly collaborative and constructive, providing us with clear guidance to help inform our Phase 3 development plans, commented Arthur P. Bertolino, MD, PhD, MBA, President and Chief Medical Officer at Innovation Pharmaceuticals. We are in alignment as to necessary key pivotal trial design features and Phase 3 clinical outcomes needed to support a NDA filing. We look forward to continue working closely with FDA on our Brilacidin oral rinse program as we prepare to enter the pivotal stage of clinical evaluation. This is an extremely exciting moment for Innovation Pharmaceuticals and its shareholders, commented Leo Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer at Innovation Pharmaceuticals. In Brilacidin oral rinse, we now have a Phase 3-ready drug candidate targeting an area of large unmet needcomprising a worldwide annual market opportunity estimated to approach $1 billionfor which currently there are no FDA-approved treatments. Brilacidin is further advantageously differentiated from the two other OM drug candidates in Phase 3 testing which require being taken intravenously, whereas Brilacidin is easily administered as an oral rinse and conveniently packaged in sachet form, similar in design to a sugar packet. With a sachet, patients simply would mix the contents of the Brilacidin sachet with water for a quick-and-easy treatment at home or on-the-go. Mr. Ehrlich continued, This result further validates the breadth of the Brilacidin franchise. Our novel defensin-mimetic drug candidate is anchored with mid-and-late-stage trials in three clinical indicationsoral mucositis, inflammatory bowel disease, and serious skin infectionsand planned extensions into dermatological diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and acne. Effectively, we have a multi-indication drug platform in Brilacidin, now planning for Phase 3 testing for the first indication, thus moving us a significant step closer to bringing Brilacidin to market. About Brilacidin Phase 2 OM Trial/Comparison with Other OM Drugs in Development The Companys Brilacidin oral rinse demonstrated a strong therapeutic benefit in patients receiving the aggressive chemotherapy regimen (cisplatin administered 80-100 mg/m2, every 21 days), which currently is in common use. In this patient population, incidence of Severe OM (WHO Grade = 3) was reduced to 25.0 percent in the modified Intent-to-Treat (mITT) population, versus 71.4 percent of placebo patients. In the Per Protocol (PP) patient group, incidence of Severe OM dropped to 14.3 percent for patients receiving Brilacidin, compared to 72.7 percent among those receiving placebo. The completed Phase 2 study ( see NCT02324335 ) met its primary endpoint, showing a reduction of Severe OM incidence versus placebo, as well as beneficial treatment effects in reducing the duration of Severe OM and in delaying the onset of Severe OM. Furthermore, Brilacidin showed a favorable safety profile and was well-tolerated. Linked below is information, published in a blog on the Companys website, elaborating on how Brilacidin is positioned compared to other investigational Oral Mucositis drugs in clinical development. http://www.ipharminc.com/new-blog/2018/9/24/brilacidin-for-oral-mucositis-at-a-glance-comparative-data-presentation-with-other-investigational-om-drugs About Brilacidin and Severe Oral Mucositis There currently are no FDA-approved drugs for the prevention of Severe OM (SOM) (WHO Grade = 3) in HNC patients receiving chemoradiation. The additional expenses incurred by patients suffering from SOM are estimated to be as high as $18,000 to $25,000 per case in the U.S. when hospitalization is required. These factors contribute to SOM qualifying as an area of significant unmet medical need. According to published statistics, the number of new annual HNC cases in the U.S. is estimated to be 65,000, and worldwide, ~750,000 cases. Between 60 and 70 percent of these HNC patients typically will develop Severe OM, with the overall incidence of HNC patients developing some grade of OM (WHO Grades 1 to 4) approaching 100 percent. Because it cannot be predicted which patients will develop SOM, a preventative treatment, such as Brilacidin oral rinse, would begin in all patients as soon as starting chemoradiation and continue until its completion (typically a seven-week course). Given Brilacidin is administered as a convenient oral rinse, with plans to package it in an easily transportable sachet form, the Company believes it would be attractive both to doctors and patientslikely translating to widespread and rapid market adoption should Brilacidin oral rinse gain regulatory approval. Alerts Sign-up for Innovation Pharmaceuticals email alerts is available at: http://www.ipharminc.com/email-alerts/ About Innovation Pharmaceuticals Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPIX) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a world-class portfolio of innovative therapies addressing multiple areas of unmet medical need, including inflammatory diseases, cancer, infectious disease, and dermatologic diseases. Brilacidin, a versatile compound with broad therapeutic potential, is in a new chemical class called defensin-mimetics. A Phase 2 trial of Brilacidin as an oral rinse for the prevention of Severe Oral Mucositis (SOM) in patients with Head and Neck Cancer, met its primary and secondary endpoints, including reducing the incidence of SOM. The Company plans to advance Brilacidin oral rinse into Phase 3 development, subject to available financial resources. Positive results were also observed in a Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept trial treating patients locally with Brilacidin for Ulcerative Proctitis/Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis. A Phase 2b trial of Brilacidin showed a single intravenous dose of the drug delivered comparable outcomes to a seven-day dosing regimen of the FDA-approved blockbuster daptomycin in treating Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections. Kevetrin is a novel anti-cancer drug shown to modulate p53, often referred to as the Guardian Angel Gene due to its crucial role in controlling cell mutations, and has successfully completed a Phase 2 trial in ovarian cancer. More information is available on the Company website at www.IPharmInc.com . Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements concerning projected timelines for the initiation and completion of clinical trials, including planned Phase 3 trials of Brilacidin, receipt of the official meeting minutes from the FDA and the contents thereof, our future drug development plans, other statements regarding future product developments, and markets, including with respect to specific indications, and any other statements which are other than statements of historical fact. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause the Companys actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. The Company has in some cases identified forward-looking statements by using words such as anticipates, believes, hopes, estimates, looks, expects, plans, intends, goal, potential, may, suggest, and similar expressions. Among other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements are the Companys need for, and the availability of, substantial capital in the future to fund its operations and research and development; including the amount and timing of the sale of shares of common stock under securities purchase agreements; the fact that the Companys compounds may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing, or be granted regulatory approval to be sold and marketed in the United States or elsewhere. A more complete description of these risk factors is included in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to any such forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law or regulation. INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACT Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. Leo Ehrlich [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Kx technology powers trading analytics platform for GIC LONDON, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kx announces that it has been selected by GIC, Singapores sovereign wealth fund, to innovate and enhance its trading analytics offering. Using Kx technology, GIC has implemented an advanced enterprise trading analytics platform which will extend GICs strategic capabilities and allow it to analyze multi-asset, multi-frequency market data in real-time. The GIC trading analytics platform is built upon kdb+, the worlds fastest time-series database for high-performance streaming, real-time and historical data analytics. Kx technology is used throughout the underlying architecture of the platform which includes data loading, validation mechanisms to protect the integrity of the database and system performance monitoring functionality. Jeffrey Tan, Head of Globa Trading Unit for GIC said: We are delighted to work with Kx to build our bespoke multi-asset analytics platform which combines GIC transaction data with multi-frequency market data for in-depth execution research, reporting and evaluation. The platform, which is part of a broader strategy to enhance our trading infrastructure, also supports real-time use cases, superior system performance and an open architecture for integration with other systems. Brian Conlon, CEO of Kx said: GIC is impressive in its commitment to technological innovation and excellence. Its team has built a powerful system for large-scale, real-time analytics with Kx at the core giving greater insights into complex trading operations. The forward thinking approach fits perfectly with the Kx ethos and we are delighted to power their innovative platform. About Kx Kx is a division of First Derivatives (LSE:FDP.L), a global technology provider with 20 years of experience working with some of the worlds largest finance, technology, retail, pharma, manufacturing and energy institutions. Kx technology, incorporating the kdb+ time-series database, is a leader in high-performance, in-memory computing, streaming analytics and operational intelligence. Kx delivers the best possible performance and flexibility for high-volume, data-intensive analytics and applications across multiple industries. The Group operates from 14 offices across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, including its headquarters in Newry, and employs more than 2,400 people worldwide. For more information about Kx please visit www.kx.com. For general enquiries, write to [email protected] For press inquiries, write to [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Global Giant-backed Fleet Manager G7 Completes Record-Setting Funding Round of USD $320 Million, Smart Fleet Management and Autonomous-driving Trucks to be Expedited BEIJING, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- G7, China's leading Internet of Things (IoT) company, announced today that it has completed a record-setting funding round of USD $320 million in October. The funding round is supported by Total Energy Ventures (TEV) International, Tencent, and GLP, etc., to further expedite the realization of smart fleet management and autonomous-driving trucks. New investors include HOPU Investments, China Broadband Capital (CBC), iFoF, Mount Morning Capital, Total Energy Ventures, and TH Capital. Existing shareholders, GLP, Bank of China Investment, and Tencent, etc., participated in this new round. In over a year, G7 has received approximately USD $500 million of investment through multiple rounds and has become one of the most valuable IoT companies in the world. G7 has strategically partnered with key truck-makers including Volvo, Scania, Futon, GAC, FAW, and Dongfeng Motor. With its proprietary Artificial Intelligence in IoT (AIoT) platform, G7 collects countless real-time data from trucks and leverages AI technologies to enable vehicles to b connected. This also enables one-stop management for fleet operators. Serving more than 60,000 customers and over 800,000 commercial vehicles, G7 is now the world's largest integrated fleet management platform. The global autonomous truck market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2018 to 2023. Riding on increasing safety demands, G7 co-develops autonomous trucking network with GLP and NIO Capital through a joint venture earlier this year, focused on next-generation smart trucks with autonomous driving and new energy technologies. Technology is having a profound impact on the industry. Based on IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence, the smart fleet model is fundamentally changing the way fleets operate and is forming a new-generation of logistics infrastructure with much-improved efficiency. G7 is looking forward to working with investors and partners, through the use of innovative technologies, to accelerate the industry transformation," said Xuehun Zhai, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of G7. G7 provides integrated fleet management solutions and services, which covers safety, energy, payments, financing, and intelligent-equipment-as-service, to logistic enterprises, and freight fleets. G7 Smart Fleet Management Solution helps small fleet managers manage their fleet and drivers, and provides one-stop fleet operation consumer products and services including fuel card, ETC card and credit by connecting partners in the ecosystem including banks, highways, and petrol stations. Global industry players are visioning the same market trends for G7. Fleetmatics, a company acquired by Verizon, provides fleet management software and solutions; Fleetcor focuses on smarter fueling and smarter payment services; others include Pilot Flying J, the largest truck-stop chain in North America (invested by Buffett and Nikola) offering smart equipment/trucks and asset management solutions. With a portfolio covering most businesses of the companies above, G7 is committed to establishing a data-driven, open, and shared ecosystem that connects logistics infrastructure, vehicle OEMs, and financial institutions. SOURCE G7 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] After New Delhi, Indus Towers now Deploys 50 Intelligent Poles in Vadodara Under Government's Smart City Mission NEW DELHI, December 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Indus Towers to install 220 intelligent poles in Vadodara over the next two years Project to enable Vadodara with city wide public Wi-Fi, Smart Bill boards, along with poles with provision to mount CCTV cameras and environmental censors to citizens In line with its commitment to provide robust connectivity and improve quality of life as part of the Government's Smart City Mission, Indus Towers, the world's largest telecom tower company (outside China), in partnership with Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), has announced successful deployment of 50 intelligent smart poles in Vadodara. Along with intelligent poles, a citizen's mobile application developed by Vadodara Smart City Development Limited (VSCDL) was also launched. This momentous occasion was attended by Mr. Rajendra Trivedi, Honorable Speaker of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Dr. Jigeeshaben. J. Sheth, Mayor of Vadodara and Mr. Bimal Dayal, CEO, Indus Towers; and other esteemed guests including Mr. Jitendra Bhai Sukhadia, MLA, Mr. Yogesh Bhai Patel, MLA, Mrs. Manisha Ben Vakil, MLA, Mr. Shailesh Mehta, MLA, Mrs. Seema Ben Mohile, MLA, Mr. Ajay Bhadoo (IAS), Commissioner & Chairman, Vadodara Smart City, Vadodara and Mr. Sudhir K Patel, CEO Smart City, Vadodara. These intelligent poles will have provision for public Wi-Fi, Smart Bill boards, CCTV cameras and environmental censors. Wi-Fi will be available to the citizens of Vadodara through these hotspots. As many as 220 intelligent and connected poles are planned to be deployed by Indus Towers over the next two years in Vadodara. The intelligent smart poles will be integrated with Command and Control Center (CCC) so that messages on the VMD (Variable Messaging Boards) can be released simultaneously at all the locations. All the Intelligent poles and telecom poles are connected through fiber for current and future requirement of communication. The poles enable installation of 4G technology, meeting the requirements of the city and provide high performance broadband to meet the network requirements of telecom service providers, thus ensuring seamless connectivity. Sharing his views, Mr. Rajendra Trivedi, Honorable Speaker of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, said, "This is indeed a strong initiative and extremely valuable for the citizens of Vadodara. I believe the city will be smart n real terms with interactive features like secured communication network and develop technologically robust security system". Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Bimal Dayal, CEO, Indus Towers said, "This announcement reflects our leadership and role in transforming lives by harnessing the power of 'Smart' infrastructure and communication. We continue to be the pioneers when it comes to enabling Smart Cities through a strong telecom infrastructure. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the VMC for partnering with us to help improve lives of citizens of Vadodara." Speaking at the occasion Mr. Ajay Bhadoo (IAS), Commissioner, Vadodara & Chairman, Vadodara Smart City, said purpose of intelligent Poles with Wi-Fi hot spot and Mobile application is to enhance level of public participation and involvement in the city management. We want to maximize involvement of citizens in matter related to civil facilities and development. The modern Telecom platform and technology give citizens the opportunity to give their feedback, suggestions and issues to city authority for speedy and efficient implementation. Talking about this announcement, Dr. Jigeeshaben Sheth, Mayor of Vadodara, said, "We are proud of our partnership with Indus Towers. Our focus was to provide a robust telecom infrastructure with strong digital connectivity and we have been able to design the smart poles keeping the aesthetics of the cultural city of Vadodara and yet providing all the services that the residents, businesses and visitors are demanding." This is the second initiative undertaken by Indus Towers to create a robust future ready telecom infrastructure under the Smart City Mission. In August 2018, the company had installed 55 Smart Poles in Connaught Place (Delhi) under the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) smart city project. About Indus Towers Limited Indus Towers Limited is an independently managed company offering passive telecom infrastructure to all telecom operators. Indus is headquartered in the National Capital Region. Founded in 2007, Indus Towers Limited has been promoted under a joint venture amongst Bharti Infratel Limited (group company of Bharti Airtel limited, rendering telecom services in India under the brand name Airtel), Vodafone India Limited (rendering telecom services under the brand name Vodafone) and Aditya Birla Telecom Limited (group company of Idea Cellular Limited, rendering telecom services under the brand name Idea), which created history by collaborating to share telecom towers & infrastructure. Indus has presence in 15 telecom circles of India and has achieved over 2,78,408 tenancies till date. With the current count of over 1,23,639 towers, Indus has the widest coverage in India and is also the largest telecom tower company in the world (outside China). Smart Cities Mission program Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with a mission to develop 100 cities all over the country making them citizen friendly and sustainable Objective Is to promote sustainable and inclusive cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of 'Smart' Solutions. Vadodara Smart City In line with Government of India's 'Smart City Mission', Vadodara's Smart City Proposal got selected in the Round two challenge. Under this Initiative, Vadodara has been selected to provide core infrastructure, a decent quality of life to its citizens with a clean and sustainable environment through the application of 'Smart' Solutions. The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas and create a replicable model which will act like a light house to other aspiring cities. Vadodara, with a population of over 2 million, spanning 160 sq. km., is the third largest city in the state of Gujarat, after Ahmedabad and Surat. In the recent years, there has been a rapid growth in the population of the city and hence it is critical to adopt the new and emerging technologies with an integrated approach to make the city and the people better connected. The Smart City Mission has two layers - Infrastructure Projects and Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Projects of Rs. 2400 Cr. Under ICT Projects, there are 15 PAN city projects approximate cost 590 Cr. and other 45 Area Based Development Projects approximate cost 1807 Cr. in Vadodara city. Media Contact: Ritu Sengupta [email protected] +91-9873470073 Consulting Associate Genesis Burson Marsteller [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Premier Health Announces Binding LOI to Acquire Cloud Practice Inc., a National Medical Software Application Company VANCOUVER, British Columbia, December 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- - Cloud Practice offers cloud-based electronic medical records software applications for physicians throughout Canada - As per the latest reported financials, Cloud Practice is EBITDA[1] positive, resulting in immediate cash flow generation and earnings accretion for Premier Health - Products include: Juno EMR, a cloud-based EMR solution; ClinicAid, a medical billing software; and MyHealthAccess, an online patient portal - Juno EMR system is currently used by 287 clinics, over 3,000 licensed practitioners, 1,500 staff and 2,870,000 registered patients - ClinicAid processes upwards of $30,000,000 in payments to over 3000 health providers on a monthly basis - Cloud Practice's founders, including CEO Jordan Visco, and entire support team, consisting of several software developers and sales staff, to join Premier Premier Health Group Inc. (CSE: PHGI), (CNSE: PHGI), (OTCQB: PHGRF), (Frankfurt: 6PH), (Frankfurt: 6PH.F) (the "Company" or "Premier Health"), a Company focused on developing innovative approaches that combine human skill-based expertise with emerging technologies for the healthcare industry, is pleased to announce that as a part of its technology platform, it has signed a binding LOI to acquire all of the outstanding securities of Cloud Practice Inc. ("Cloud Practice"). Dr. Essam Hamza, CEO of Premier Health, said: "We are ecstatic at the opportunity to build on our patient centric technology platform through the integration of Cloud Practice's suite of software solutions. They have a strong team of developers who are just as enthusiastic as we are about the future of healthcare. We believe that this partnership will help facilitate our vision of integrating telemedicine, online booking and other premium services with our electronic medical record (EMR) system." Dr. Essam continued: "Cloud Practice already has a tremendous standalone and growing business serving thousands of clinicians and millions of patients. The collective ecosystem of over 3,000,000 patients creates an opportunity to become a key player in the telehealth space in Canada." Jordan Visco, CEO of Cloud Practice, stated: "We are very excited to be joining a forward-thinking group such as Premier Health. The synergies between our two teams will help enable us to better stremline processes, making healthcare more efficient for all. We are also excited to implement some upcoming new, leading edge applications to make our software the best in the industry." Terms of the Acquisition In consideration for the purchase of all of the outstanding Cloud Practice securities, Premier will pay to the Cloud Practice shareholders total consideration of up to $5 million as follows: (i) $500,000 paid in cash on signing of the binding LOI as a refundable deposit, (ii) $500,000 in cash payable on closing, (iii) $500,000 in cash payable 90 days after closing, (iv) $500,000 in cash payable within six months of the LOI subject to the satisfaction of certain milestones related to the integration of the Juno EMR, and (v) an aggregate of $3 million payable in commons shares of Premier at a price to be determined in the context of the market. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the execution of a definitive acquisition agreement and receipt of Canadian Securities Exchange approval. Closing is expected to occur at or about the end of December. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Essam Hamza, MD Chief Executive Officer About Premier Health Premier Health is a Canadian company that is strategically poised to take advantage of business opportunities in the global health care industry. We are developing innovative health care approaches that combine human skill-based expertise with emerging technologies, with the goal of setting the gold standard for services in locations of interest worldwide. Premier Health's subsidiary, HealthVue is focused on developing proprietary technology to deliver quality healthcare through the combination of connected primary care clinics with telemedicine and artificial intelligence (AI). We currently have an ecosystem of over 100,000 active patients and have plans to rapidly increase that number both domestically and internationally. The HealthVue team has a strong track record of successfully creating value in healthcare and technology enterprises. The Management team has deep clinical, financial and operational expertise and a passion for improving healthcare for all patients. About Cloud Practice Cloud Practice is a cloud-based software solutions company focused on streamlining medical practice throughout Canada. They offer three products including Juno EMR, ClinicAid and MyHealthAccess. Juno EMR, a modified branch of an open-source electronic medical records (EMR) software which was originally released by McMaster University, is hosted in the cloud and can be accessed anywhere, anytime. ClinicAid is Canada's easiest medical billing software. MyHealthAccess is an online patient portal which puts patients back in control of their health care through connecting with their clinics and booking appointments online. Cautionary Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on Premier Health's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates, including with respect to its business plans, completion of its acquisition of Cloud Practice, and the timing thereof, the expected benefits to the Company following the integration of Cloud Practice's software and the expected implementation of new applications, including the timing thereof, the expect growth to Cloud Practice's business and the expected synergies resulting from the Company's acquisition of Cloud Practice. Although Premier Health believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Premier Health undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, unless otherwise required to do so by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Footnote This news release contains references to EBITDA, which is a non-IFRS metric. EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Premier uses EBITDA as it is a common measure used to assess profitability before the impact of interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and impairment of capital assets and amortization of intangible assets. Premier believes that investors and financial analysts also use EBITDA to evaluate financial performance. EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under IFRS and should not be considered as an alternative to operating income or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with IFRS. EBITDA excludes some, but not all, items that affect operating income. For additional information contact: Premier Health Group Inc. Email: [email protected] Phone: +1-604-617-7221 http://www.mypremierhealth.com SOURCE Premier Health Group Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Protect Women Against Domestic Violence, Dahua Technology Donating Advanced Video Surveillance Systems to a Victim Center HANGZHOU, China, Dec. 17, 2018 /CNW/ -- In honor of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Dahua Technology donated its advanced video surveillance solutions to Faces of Hope Victims Center for it to create a safe space for victims and employees alike, protecting domestic violence sufferers. Globally, almost one third of women who have been in a relationship report they have experienced some form of violence by their intimate partners. Globally, more activists and groups are organizing to combat domestic violence. Boise, Idaho-based victim center Faces of Hope is leading the way in reducing victimization of domestic abuse by offering a safety net of crisis-intervention services. Given the danger posed by abusers, it was critically necessary for the Center to upgrade its video surveillance system to ensure the security of staff and victims. "Meeting with Dahua, it was clear that they were eager to help us in any way they could," said Darren Braden, Regional Sales Direcor, Dahua's All-star Dealer - Integrated Security Resources (ISR). "Upgrading the older cameras was a must for the victim center, Dahua's action of donating video surveillance equipment was a step towards making this upgrade a reality." Dahua Technology upgraded Faces of Hope's security system with HD over Coax to minimize system disruption and bolster user interface as well as technologies such as 4MP IR 3.6mm Mini Dome and Mini Bullet Dahua cameras to enable superior clarity. Furthermore, Dahua bolstered the center's night surveillance with WDR enabled products to provide high-quality images and crystal-clear imagery around the clock. Most valuably, Dahua Technology ensured the safety of Faces of Hope Victim Center with around-the-clock surveillance and monitoring support, imbuing its technology with the company's care and dedication. With end-to-end technical support to ISR, the installation went smoothly. Faces of Hope Victim Center staff have described the upgraded system as "much easier to use, has perfect picture quality, and makes us feel safer. Dahua's generosity is greatly appreciated, and the quality of their products is unmatched." Moving forward, Dahua Technology will continue leveraging its leading technologies to not only ensuring the safety of women and domestic violence victims but contributing more to the local communities and social purposes. Dahua Technology will continue to focus on "Innovation, Quality and Service" to realize its mission of "Enabling a safer society and smarter living". View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/protect-women-against-domestic-violence-dahua-technology-donating-advanced-video-surveillance-systems-to-a-victim-center-300767269.html SOURCE Dahua Technology [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] TD Ameritrade Institutional Integrates with Advyzon to Enhance Account Opening on Veo One CHICAGO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Advyzon, an all-in-one, cloud-based financial advisor technology platform, today announced it will expand its integration with TD Ameritrade Institutional's next-generation advisor platform, Veo One. Advyzon will provide advisors who custody assets with TD Ameritrade with streamlined onboarding capabilities through the Veo One New Account Opening Wizard. Through the Veo One Wizard's fully digitized API for CRM and portfolio management systems, advisors can push Advyzon CRM data to auto-populate account opening forms without the need for third-party document management and e-signature applications. "One of the biggest pain points advisors encounter is the time spent on account opening," said Advyzon CEO Hailin Li. "At Advyzon, we see account opening as the next frontier in custodial integrations it aligns with our goal to create a simplified and streamlined experience for advisors." "We, in ongoing collaboration with industry innovators, offer independent RIAs advanced technology solutions that can help them meet their ever-evolving needs," said Bob Mahoney, Director, Technology Solutions, TD Ameritrade Institutional. "These new connections to our account opening wizard let us offr a more elegant, automated solution to an important but time-consuming process for advisors." Over the past four years, Advyzon has steadily rolled out integrations with all of the Veo One platform's available features. In 2015, the firm was named TD Ameritrade Institutional's 2015 Veo Integrated Newcomer of the Year award for its integration efforts. Advyzon's end-to-end platform offers advisors CRM, client reporting, billing, document management, a client portal and more. The integration will be available to all Advyzon clients and RIAs who custody with TD Ameritrade Institutional. To learn more about the TD Ameritrade Institutional Veo One platform, visit: www.tdainstitutional.com/offerings/technology-platforms/veo-one.html. About Advyzon Advyzon is a Chicago-based advisor technology platform founded in 2012. Led by a dedicated and committed team of entrepreneurs with decades of experience implementing, servicing, and developing financial technology for financial advisors, Advyzon is 100% cloud-based and includes customizable performance reporting, flexible billing, client relationship management (CRM), configurable client web portals, document storage and business intelligence. By providing all the key capabilities a firm needs to grow their business profitably, Advyzon helps advisors streamline their operations so they can focus on growing their practice. Please visit www.advyzon.com to learn more. About TD Ameritrade Institutional TD Ameritrade Institutional empowers more than 6,000 independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) to transform the lives of their clients. We provide powerful technology and resources that help simplify running a business and let advisors do more of what matters most spend time serving their clients. Through meaningful innovation, steadfast advocacy and unwavering service, we support RIAs as they build businesses that positively impact their clients and communities. TD Ameritrade Institutional is a division of TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, a brokerage subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/td-ameritrade-institutional-integrates-with-advyzon-to-enhance-account-opening-on-veo-one-300766100.html SOURCE Advyzon [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Hemispherx Biopharma Inc. Announces Updated Information about ME/CFS Expanded Access Program in the United States OCALA, Fla., Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (NYSE American: HEB), an immuno-pharma R&D and emerging commercial growth company focused on unmet medical needs in immunology, recently met with clinical patients at Hunter-Hopkins Center in Charlotte, N.C. undergoing treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). SVP for Patient Relations. Herbert Cousins, SVP for Patient Relations, and Peter Rodino III, Director of Governmental Relations, spoke with patients and the clinician about the companys progress in expanding its U.S. Treatment Protocol/Expanded Access Program for ME/CFS, known as AMP-511. Cousins was recently hired to manage the companys communications with patients and patient advocacy groups. Hemispherx announced the expansion of the program in June allowing new enrollees for the first time in more than a year after completing its first commercial-sized lot of its pipeline drug Ampligen, producing ~8,500 vials. A second commercial-sized lot was completed in July. Both lots passed release testing. The patients were very happy to talk to us in person about the ME/CFS rotocol under AMP-511, said Cousins. Together with Dr. Charles Lapp, the investigator at the Hunter-Hopkins site and his team, we answered all of their questions. ME/CFS is a crippling disease that leaves people unable to live their normal lives due to the pain, fatigue and inability to focus that comes when performing even basic tasks. Many are so severely afflicted that theyre forced to live their lives bedridden, imprisoned in darkness and despair without any hope for a better future. More than one hundred thousand Americans are estimated to be totally disabled by the severe form of ME/CFS, said CEO Thomas K. Equels. This is why at Team Hemispherx we are totally committed to making an effective and approved therapy available to patients in the United States. Our recent progress in obtaining a commercial approval for severe ME/CFS from the Republic of Argentina, our expansion of the FDA-authorized compassionate care program (AMP-511) in the U.S. and the opening of our first Early Access Program for ME/CFS in Europe give us hope for meaningful progress in the future. Hemispherx is the only company with a late stage drug candidate for ME/CFS therapy in the U.S. The compassion and attention that Dr. Charles Lapp and his team pay to each patient is special, said Rodino. They clearly care about the individual as a whole, not just the health of the patient. They are not just treating the illness, but are helping to improve lives. Since the company has been able to expand the Ampligen treatment protocol, additional patients have been enrolled into the program at the North Carolina site. Cautionary Statement Some of the statements included in this press release may be forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among other things, for those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements set forth in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. This press release and prior releases are available at www.hemispherx.net. The information found on our website is not incorporated by reference into this press release and is included for reference purposes only. Contacts: Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. Phone: 800-778-4042 Email: [email protected] Or LHA Investor Relations Miriam Weber Miller Senior Vice President Phone: +1-212-838-3777 Email: [email protected] A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2b6bec42-928f-4941-99d9-1f4b86483531 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Osprey Informatics Secures Financing from Shell Ventures, Evok Innovations and InterGen Capital for Intelligent Visual Monitoring Platform CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osprey Informatics (Osprey), a provider of intelligent visual monitoring solutions for industrial operations, today announced that it has closed a $3.75 Million CAD investment round led by Shell Ventures LLC and Evok Innovations, with participation from InterGen Capital and current shareholders. The investment will be used to drive sales expansion and to bring to market additional artificial intelligence-enabled solutions, including methane detection. More than thirty North American energy companies use Osprey Reach to reduce operating costs, while mitigating environmental and safety risks. The companys Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, Osprey Reach, cost-effectively manages remote cameras at a massive scale, analyzes images and video with artificial intelligence and input from other sensors and data systems, and delivers actionable insights to users across the enterprise. We are thrilled to partner with Shell Ventures, Evok Innovations and InterGen Capital, said Rob Logan, CEO of Osprey Informatics. This strategic investment provides not only capital, but also access to global energy leaders. We are now well positioned to grow our deployments throughout the Industrial IoT. Enabled by augmented intelligence and machine learning, our industry is undergoing rapid change. We see Ospreys technology as a core component of this digital transformation, with proven operational benefits and promising methane detection potential, said Michael Crothers, President and Country Chair, Shell Canada. Ospreys technology has tremendous potential to easily integrate into customers operations and drive immediate economic and environmental benefits, said Marty Reed, CEO of Evok Innovations. We are excited to join Shll Ventures and InterGen Capital to help accelerate Ospreys growth. Brian Felesky and Jim Gray of InterGen Capital, see Osprey as an ideal fit for its new fund. Osprey has the ability to bring measurable efficiencies and improvements to the oil and gas sector, said Felesky and Gray. We are pleased to see such remarkable, industry-focused innovation happening here in Calgary. About Osprey Informatics Ospreys intelligent visual monitoring platform, Osprey Reach, empowers oil and gas companies to reduce operational costs, while mitigating environmental and safety risks. Osprey Reach cost-effectively manages cameras at scale, analyzes visual data with computer vision (AI) and input from other sensors and systems, and distributes personalized, actionable insights to users across the enterprise. Customers are able to increase productivity through virtual asset inspections, improve HSE compliance with automated leak detection and safety monitoring, and strengthen security and accountability through proactive activity detection and alerting at remote sites. About Shell Ventures Shell Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Royal Dutch Shell plc ("Shell"). Continuing Shell's tradition in venture capital since 1997, Shell Ventures' investment focus covers the full energy spectrum from O&G to renewable energy technologies and digital solutions. We are a strategic investor seeking technology companies and business models with energy solutions that can create substantial deployment value. Shell Ventures co-invests with other corporate investors and venture capital funds in both early stage and late stage (growth capital) companies, generally investing $2M-25M over the life cycle of the deal. For more information go to www.shell.com/shell-ventures. About Evok Innovations Evok Innovations is a fund that offers a unique approach to innovation, combining the pace and creativity of a Silicon Valley startup with the experience and insight of industry insiders. We drive innovation by deeply understanding industrial challenges, leveraging a global network of entrepreneurs to find solutions, and providing the investment, mentorship, and market access to accelerate deployment for game changing results. Through a partnership with Cenovus, Suncor and the BC Cleantech CEO Alliance, we invest in a global portfolio of innovative companies to address the most pressing economic and environmental challenges of the oil and gas industry. About InterGen Capital InterGen Capital is a private ScaleUp fund whose founding funders are some of Calgarys prominent families and engaged corporations and institutions wanting to re-design, re-energize and re-invent the Calgary economy. We deploy our capital into post seed, pre-Series A companies led by extraordinary teams with proven solutions and big markets. We support our portfolio companies by matching them with seasoned executives with strong networks and experience building global companies. Our capital is syndicated alongside angels, other funds and corporate investors. For more information about InterGen, contact Sandi Gilbert [email protected] Media Contact: For Osprey informatics: Arleigh Vasconcellos Managing Director, The Agency E: [email protected] M: +1 403 561 4810 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] VisualCamp to Launch Mobile SDK to Enable Eye Control and Analytics for Smartphones LAS VEGAS, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- VisualCamp , a member company of the K-ICT Born2Global Centre, will officially launch TrueGaze, one of the most advanced gaze analytics and smartphone eye control solutions on the market, at CES 2019. TrueGaze enables developers and smartphone manufacturers to scan information from users' visual gaze and enable eye control for various user applications. The company will offer demos of its visual technology at CES 2019, where visitors will have the chance to use their eyes to play games, scroll apps, and watch 360 video. As a versatile platform, the potential benefits of eye tracking is virtually unlimited. Not only does TrueGaze present a new way for people to interact with their smartphones, but it also has the potential to change the face of gaming and any visual-based application. TrueGaze also provides novel user insights that will allow developers, manufacturers and marketers to vastly improve user experience all from an easily accessible eye-tracking platform. "We're excited to be able to show the public and smartphone manufacturers the vast potential of VisualCamp's advanced eye-tracking technology," says CEO Charles Yunchan Suk. VisualCamp's customers vary from mobile phone manufacturers, to mobile and VR developers, academic researchers, as well as brands who want to mplement eye-tracking in their market research. These partnerships include a potential VisualCamp-developed eye tracker for the upcoming Pimax 8K headset. VisualCamp's TrueGaze low-latency, low-CPU usage, and AI-enabled precision accuracy provides the best eye-tracking on the market. Eye-tracking features will be available to demo by media at CES 2019 and will include the following: Gaming - Users will be able to control a game interface with their eye gaze. - Users will be able to control a game interface with their eye gaze. Eye Scrolling - Users can scroll social media feeds or read a webpage by moving the screen with their eyes. - Users can scroll social media feeds or read a webpage by moving the screen with their eyes. 360 Video - Eye tracking vastly improves the experience of 360 video by letting the user naturally look around with their eyes. - Eye tracking vastly improves the experience of 360 video by letting the user naturally look around with their eyes. Pimax VR - Foveated rendering presentation with VR partner Pimax. VisualCamp is also partnering with interactive advertising firms to help develop services using their technology. Partner brands have included a well-known carmaker, which was able to track what part of its vehicles people were most interested in while browsing models online. VisualCamp's technology has also been implemented by Samsung for their VR products. The company's demo will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Plaza, Booth 63325 from Jan. 8th - Jan. 11th 2019. Visitors will have the chance to play games, scroll apps, and use 360 video during the demo. Along with the phone demos, there will be a demo with VR developer Pimex at CES, in which a foveated rendering presentation will be provided to visitors on site. Video footage and screenshots of VisualCamp's products in action are available in their media kit here . About VisualCamp: VisualCamp is a Seoul, South Korea-based mobile software provider that specializes in eye tracking and visual data. The company was founded in 2014 with the backing of Samsung Electronics, and other leading investors in South Korea. VisualCamp supported by major South Korean institutions such as SK Telecom, Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Korea), Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and others. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/visualcamp-to-launch-mobile-sdk-to-enable-eye-control-and-analytics-for-smartphones-300767277.html SOURCE K-ICT Born2Global Centre [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Getaround Bolsters Executive Team with Key Hires and Announces Founder Succession SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Getaround, the carsharing platform that empowers users to instantly rent and drive great cars shared by people in their city, today announced the expansion of its executive team with the hiring of five senior and experienced leaders. Additionally, Jessica Scorpio Founder and CMO, will step out of the day-to-day and continue an active role on the Getaround Board of Directors. Over the past year, the company has expanded to over 90 cities, logged tremendous growth, secured integrated mobility partnerships, and landed an additional $325M in financing led by SoftBank. As the company continues its aggressive expansion plan, the following key hires will look to strategically cultivate their teams: Vanessa MacIlwaine joins as VP People & Culture, responsible for Getaround's human resources and workplaces functions. She brings over 20 years of human resources and talent leadership across an array of industries, including experience at Lucasfilm, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., and one of the first peer-to-peer lending companies, LendingClub. Vanessa holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Washington. Allison Van Houten joins as VP Marketing, responsible for Getaround's brand and consumer marketing. Allison is a senior marketing leader with 13 years of experience in building and scaling great consumer brands, rapidly acquiring and retaining users, as well as launching new products for some of the biggest names in technology and media, including Google, YouTube, and Omada Health. Allison hold a B.S. from Boston University in Communications, and an MBA from University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. Spencer Jackson joins as Getaround's first General Counsel, bringing nearly 15 years experience as a corporate and intellectual property lawyer advising public and private high-growth tech companies in IPOs, acquisitions, tech transactions and other critical matters. Spencer worked as a corporate and IP attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe for 8 years, then joined Ooma, Inc. as its first General Counsel, taking the company public on the New York Stock Exchange in July of 2015. Matthew Gore joins as VP and GM of Conveyance, Getaround's turnkey mobility operations and revenue management service, bringing 13 years experience to the team, spanning a breadth of operational leadership and peer-to-peer experience. Most recently, Matt ran Fleet Operations for Uber's autonomous vehicle unit and worked closely with cities and states to craft the legislation that defines the industry today. Prior to Uber, Matt was at the Boston Consulting Group, and earlier, served as an officer for the U.S. Navy. "We're expanding the Getaround team at an incredibly exciting tie as we look to continue scaling and expanding our products to meet the needs of our fast-growing user base," said Zaid. "As executives, they have demonstrated a breadth of significant industry knowledge and experience that will turbocharge our business. I'm excited for what the future holds for these leaders and their teams." At the same time, Jessica Scorpio, Getaround founder and CMO, will step out of the day-to-day and into a more involved role on the Getaround Board of Directors. In her new role, Scorpio will act as a liaison for the company and the Board of Directors, and serve as a key advisor to Zaid. She will be involved in special projects and forward-looking initiatives to support the company to ensure high business standards, continued innovation, and operational excellence. "When we started the company eight years ago, I made a deep commitment to our mission, and have spent that time pouring my heart and soul into executing on that mission, growing the business, overcoming hurdles, and building out the leadership," said Scorpio. "I have an incredible amount of confidence in the team and the state of the business, and look forward to continuing to contribute to our goals as an active member of the board." Outside of her role on the Getaround Board, Scorpio will remain a strong advocate and mentor for first-time entrepreneurs and women in technology. She is active in variety of entrepreneur organizations and will take on additional board seats in the consumer tech space. "Jessica has played a pivotal role in all aspects of Getaround and laid the foundation for our current business trajectory. She developed the brand and led strategic campaigns, changed legislation in several states, was deployed in new markets to jumpstart growth and leads sales, and was a fundraising powerhouse," said Zaid. "I look forward to her continued creativity and ingenuity at the Board level, and to leveraging her industry knowledge and relationships to assist in the next phase of company's execution." Getaround looks to continue its aggressive trajectory in 2019 and beyond. In the past year, the company launched several new markets, most notably Boston, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Jose, Miami, San Diego and Philadelphiaall of which are growing several times faster than Getaround's first market of San Franciscoand the service is now available in over 90 cities across the U.S. Also in the past year, Getaround secured and expanded upon strategic and integrated partnerships with Uber and Toyota Motor Corporation, and raised $325M in Series D funding led by SoftBank. The company looks to expand into new cities in North America and around the world, as well as develop mobility partnerships, launch new product offerings, create operational efficiencies, and continue innovating on its connected car technology. About Getaround Getaround empowers people to instantly rent and drive great cars shared by people in their city. Cars can be rented by the hour, or the day, with insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance included. By using the Getaround app, people skip the lines and paperwork at traditional rental car counters, and the hassle of buying and maintaining a car. Powered by Getaround Connect, the patented connected car technology, Getaround creates a fun and safe carsharing experience without the need to meet the car owner, carry an access card, or coordinate picking up a car key. People share everything from a Prius to a Tesla and earn thousands in extra income each year, offsetting the high cost of car ownership while also making a positive impact on the environment. Headquartered in San Francisco, Getaround has thousands of cars available throughout major metropolitan areas across the United States. Investors in Getaround include SoftBank, Menlo Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures, Asset Plus, Triangle Peak Partners, SPARX Group, Toyota Motor Corporation, Cox Automotive Inc., and SAIC Capital. For more information visit Getaround.com , download the iPhone or Android app, like on Facebook , and follow on Instagram and Twitter . View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/getaround-bolsters-executive-team-with-key-hires-and-announces-founder-succession-300764945.html SOURCE Getaround [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Announces Investigation on Behalf of Teladoc Health, Inc. Investors (TDOC) Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") announces an investigation on behalf of Teladoc Health, Inc. investors ("Teladoc" or the "Company") (NYSE: TDOC) concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click ere to participate. On December 5, 2018, the Southern Investigative Research Foundation ("SIRF") published an article alleging that Teladoc's Chief Financial Officer provided trading advice to a junior employee regarding Teladoc securities, telling her "when he thought there were good opportunities to sell some shares." On this news, Teladoc's share price fell more than 10%, closing at $55.81 per share on December 6, 2018, thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/GPM_LLP. If you purchased Teladoc securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005148/en/ [December 17, 2018] Global CEOs Launch Cyber Readiness Program, Empower SMBs to Improve Cybersecurity The Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI (News - Alert)) today announced the launch of the Cyber Readiness Program, backed by global enterprise leaders, to educate and equip small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with tools and resources to address four primary cybersecurity issues: authentication, phishing, patching, and USB use. The Program focuses on embedding basic cyber policies and processes into a company's operating culture. The goal is to engage a company's entire workforce, create a culture of cyber readiness, and build a more cyber secure and resilient organization. "The internet is an amazing thing that has opened new doors and new opportunities for all. At the same time, it does not have an inherent prioritization of security," said Ajay Banga, president and CEO, Mastercard and co-chair, The Cyber Readiness Institute. "Since cyber threats treat everyone the same, there are some foundational steps we can take to strengthen all the links in today's supply chain. And that starts with best practices and proven tools for smaller business owners who do not have the same resources to invest in these efforts. That's where CRI comes in." According to the Verizon 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), 58 percent of data breach victims globally are small businesses. On top of this, many SMBs report doing very little to protect themselves because they lack the required resources, capabilities, and knowledge to do so. The Cyber Readiness Program was developed with input from leading security experts at global companies, subject matter experts, and feedback from a pilot program of SMBs. The free, self-guided online program provides resources and tools-including policies, posters, and workforce education materials -that align with each step of the Program's five-stage process. Companies are prompted to designate a Cyber Leader, who alrady works within their organization, to take ownership of the Program. For companies primarily interested in the policies and communications materials of the Program, an Awareness Kit is also available. Additional Quotes from Cyber Readiness Institute Co-Chairs: "Cyber threats show no prejudice when it comes to who is targeted, and more often than not, SMBs are becoming the victim of choice for adversaries. This program will not only educate individual businesses, but also ignite a more concerted effort to better secure our global economy by securing global value chains," said Samuel J. Palmisano, retired president and CEO, IBM (News - Alert) Corporation and current chairman, The Center for Global Enterprise. "Cybersecurity is one of the most critical issues today for all companies. For small and medium-sized businesses, an incident or breach can have devastating consequences. Helping SMBs better manage top cyber challenges not only helps individual companies, it fosters stronger resilience across business ecosystems," said Tom Burt, CVP, Customer Security & Trust, Microsoft (News - Alert). "The Cyber Readiness Program helps raise awareness of cyber hygiene strategies for an organization through greater awareness and practical education of their workforce. It helps SMBs ensure that every employee understands his or her accountability for the cybersecurity of the organization," said Penny Pritzker, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and current chairman, PSP Partners. The Program has conducted a pilot with 19 small organizations from across the globe and of various sizes, from two to 750 employees, including Hartman Advisors, PSP Partners, International Business Associates Group for Money Transfer (IBAGMT), Nexion Health, Hartford County Public Library, HiViz, RH Capital and more. "The Cyber Readiness Program provides organizations with the tools necessary to evaluate and enhance their current information security footing," said Ryan Rickels, IT Director, Harford County Public Library. "For organizations just wading into cybersecurity, the policy templates and training resources significantly cut down on the learning curve, enabling them to build a competent security program using tools they probably already own. For organizations, that are already practicing cybersecurity, the same toolkit provides an opportunity to review and formalize policies and procedures that have evolved over time." "When we launched the Cyber Readiness Institute, we brought together senior leaders and cyber experts from our member companies - including Mastercard, Microsoft, Maersk, Citi, ExxonMobil - to inform the development of tools for small and medium-sized businesses," said Kiersten Todt, managing director of CRI and former executive director of the Presidential Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. "By accessing the resources and experiences of these global companies, whose success depends on their value chains, we have created a Program to help small and medium-sized businesses in these value chains become more cyber ready, cyber secure, and resilient." Organizations can also get involved with the Cyber Readiness Program by becoming a Cyber Readiness Champion to raise awareness within their networks through website, social media, and email promotion. The Cyber Readiness Institute is working with several Champion organizations including CTIA, CyberUSA, Global Automakers, Global Cyber Alliance, The Data Security Council of India (DSCI), the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), The Security Network Munich, Cyber Wyoming, Gener8tor, Ethisphere, the Center for Responsible Enterprise And Trade (CREATe.org), the Cybersecurity Collaborative and others. To learn more about how to become a Cyber Readiness Champion, please contact [email protected]. To learn more about the Cyber Readiness Program, please visit https://www.cyberreadinessinstitute.org You can sign up for the Program directly by visiting: https://www.cyberreadinessinstitute.org/the-cyber-readiness-program About the Cyber Readiness Institute The Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI) convenes senior leaders of global companies-including Mastercard, Microsoft, ExxonMobil, Acer, Citi, Maersk, General Motors (News - Alert) and others from around the world-to share best practices and resources to improve the cyber readiness of small and medium-sized businesses to advance the cybersecurity of global value chains. The Institute's co-chairs are: Samuel J. Palmisano, retired president and CEO, IBM and current chairman, The Center for Global Enterprise; Ajay Banga, president and CEO, Mastercard; Satya Nadella (News - Alert), CEO, Microsoft; and Penny Pritzker, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and current chairman, PSP Partners. The managing director of CRI is Kiersten Todt, former executive director of the Presidential Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005180/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Automated Nutrition Calculation Added to Create by Mediavine BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Create by Mediavine, a WordPress plugin solution for content creators, introduced its newest feature this week: automated nutrition calculation for recipe cards. As with the Create plugin itself and all of the features, this functionality is free for users. Since its launch in October, Create by Mediavine has continued to improve upon the user interface of many popular recipe cards to introduce several never-before-seen features. The plugin has also sought to make available several features that have previously only been available through paid or "pro-version" plugins, such as automated nutrition calculation. Create's automated nutrition calculation functionality is powered by Nutritionix, which uses natural language processing to pull data based on a recipe's ingredient list and automatically calculate a full panel of nutritional facts. When a Create user edits an existing or new recipe card, they will be able to calculate the full nutrition panel with Nutritionix after inputting the number of servings. The user will then be asked to approve the figures before they are added to the recipe card. "Google has been marking calories per serving as a recommended metric for some time now, but we know that many users don't have the time or ability to calculate this themselves. By introducing automated nutrition calculation to Create, we are offering publishers a free way to meet Google's recommendations," said Eric Hochberger, Mediavine CEO and Co-Founder. "Create was built with SEO in mind, so giving user the tools to make their recipes fully Google Search optimized is of utmost important to us." "We are incredibly excited to be a part of this project," said Daniel Zadoff, Managing Director at Nutritionix. "As the world's largest verified nutrition database, we are impressed with how Create by Mediavine integrates our data in a sleek and free plugin for content creators to analyze and provide accurate nutrition information to their users in an intuitive way, instantly." Automated nutrition calculation is just one of a slate of upcoming features for Create. Other future features include: Related recipes and projects feature Recipe and project index Support for lists of all creation types Advanced ingredient and materials interface And more. To view a full list of features or to install Create by Mediavine, visit https://wordpress.org/plugins/mediavine-create/ . Learn more about Mediavine at www.mediavine.com . About Create by Mediavine Create by Mediavine is a custom WordPress plugin solution for content creators that supports multi-faceted recipe and DIY content cards. The free plugin is built with search optimization and site speed in mind, and includes a number of features such as a real-time content preview, recommended product and affiliate link integration, ability to include a video within each card, and automated nutrition calculation for recipe cards. About Mediavine Mediavine is a full-service ad management company that builds sustainable businesses for content creators. Mediavine works directly with premium ad exchanges and advertisers to maximize the impact of ad inventory. With its proprietary ad technology and an unwavering commitment to both innovation and service, Mediavine helps publishers achieve faster load times, generate more traffic and improve user experiences. An Internet publisher since 2004, Mediavine owns and operates The Hollywood Gossip, TV Fanatic and Food Fanatic and is a Google Certified Publishing Partner, member of the Coalition for Better Ads and comScore Top 50 property. Media Contact: Stephie Predmore, [email protected] , 309-264-2281 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/automated-nutrition-calculation-added-to-create-by-mediavine-300767437.html SOURCE Mediavine [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Aventis Systems Adds HTC Vive Pro Virtual Reality Products To GSA Contract ATLANTA, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Aventis Systems, Inc. , a leading provider of information technology hardware, software and services, announced today it now offers HTC Vive Pro Virtual Reality (VR) products on its General Services Administration IT Schedule 70 Contract. Government agencies are using virtual reality for training and hiring, especially when training for dangerous jobs. VR-based new employee training can save government agencies on travel, materials and live trainer hours. Other uses include virtually immersing new employees in their respective field locations before they ever step foot in the actual environment, and for education, providing an immersive, engaging way to learn without leaving the classroom. The U.S. Navy is currently using VR as a recruitment tool, showing the life of an employee via an immersive VR experience. The HTC Vive Pro Virtual Reality features include: TAA Compliance: HTC manufactures the products in Taiwan , a TAA-compliant country, setting them apart from other VR products on the market. , a TAA-compliant country, setting them apart from other VR products on the market. Steam VR 2.0 Tracking: From seated to standing to full 20' x 20' room-scale. Ideal for multi-user environments for sub-millimeter tracking accuracy. High Resolution Display: Dual-OLED displays with industry-leading resolution of 2880 x 1600 pixels for unparalleled visual fidelity of graphics, text and textures. Spatial Audio with Noise Cancellation: Hi-res, high-impedance headphones, 3D spatial sound with active noise cancellation for an immersive experience without real-world distractions. Multi-User and Extended Use: Even weight distribution of the headset, easy on and off, and adjustments for head size, glasses and interpupillary distance make multi-usr and extended use easier than ever. Vive Tracker Ecosystem: Expand business use cases by adding real-life objects into your virtual simulation. Ideal for motion capture, automotive, aerospace or heavy equipment simulation. Hesam Lamei , founder of Aventis Systems. "We wanted to make the process easier for government agencies to access this technology by offering HTC Virtual Reality products on our GSA contract." With over $50 billion in 2017 revenue, GSA IT Schedule 70 is the largest and most widely used IT acquisition vehicle by government agencies. GSA helps all government agencies receive the best value for IT solutions while ensuring compliance. Government agencies purchasing from the Aventis Systems' GSA Contract enjoy the following benefits: Net 30 terms and government purchase cards permitted on all GSA orders One percent quantity discount when purchasing 10 or more of any product Cooperative purchasing program participation for state and local government agencies Easy online ordering on the GSA Advantage! website . About HTC As a global innovator in smart mobile devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC U and Desire lines of smartphones. About Aventis Systems Aventis Systems, Inc. offers custom IT solutions for building and operating complete physical and virtual infrastructures. The comprehensive solutions include high-quality refurbished and new hardware, system and application software, and an array of in-depth managed services including infrastructure consultation, cloud hosting and migration, virtualization deployment, data and disaster recovery, security consultation, hardware relocation and equipment buyback. Aventis Systems goes above and beyond other value-added resellers because they "Get IT Done." Call 1-855-AVENTIS (283-6847), visit www.AventisSystems.com or connect with Aventis Systems on LinkedIn , Twitter or Facebook . Contact: Kathy Berardi 678.644.4122 [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aventis-systems-adds-htc-vive-pro-virtual-reality-products-to-gsa-contract-300767447.html SOURCE Aventis Systems, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Xerox Plans Live Webcast of 2019 Investor Day Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) will host a live video webcast of its Investor Day, which is being held in New York City. Xerox will provide an overview of the company's strategy and financial objectives. WHEN: 1 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 WHAT: Xerox 2019 Investor Day WHO: John Visentin, vice chairman and chief executive officer, Xerox Bill Osbourn, Jr., chief financial officer, Xerox and Other company executives WEBCAST: https://webinars.on24.com/xerox/Investor2019 or https://www.xerox.com/investor Replay will be available About Xerox Xerox Corporation is a technology leader that innovates the way the world communicates, connects and works. We understand what's at the heart of sharing information - and all of the forms it can take. We embrace the integration of paper and digital, the increasing requirement for mobility, and the need for seamless integration between work and personal worlds. Every day, our innovative print technologies and intelligent work solutions help people communicate and work better. Discover more at www.xerox.com and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @Xerox. Note: To receive RSS news feeds, visit https://www.news.xerox.com. For open commentary, industry perspectives and views, visit http://twitter.com/xerox, http://connect.blogs.xerox.com, http://www.facebook.com/XeroxCorp, https://www.instagram.com/xerox/, http://www.linkedin.com/company/xerox, http://www.youtube.com/XeroxCorp. Xerox and Xerox and Design are trademarks of Xerox in the United States and/or other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005557/en/ [December 17, 2018] Industry Momentum for Automotive Grade Linux Continues to Grow with Five New Members SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), a collaborative cross-industry effort developing an open source platform for in-vehicle technology, has announced that BearingPoint, BedRock Systems, Big Lake Software, Cognomotiv, and Dellfer have joined AGL and the Linux Foundation . "This has been an exciting year for AGL as open source software continues to gain momentum in the automotive industry," said Dan Cauchy, Executive Director of Automotive Grade Linux at the Linux Foundation. "We've seen rapid growth in both our membership numbers and in the number of new AGL-based products and services coming to market. We look forward to working with our new members as we continue to expand the features and functionalities of the AGL platform." AGL will have a presence onsite at CES 2019 in the Westgate Hotel Pavilion, booth 1614. The booth features a 2019 Toyota RAV4 along with 20 demonstrations of connected car services, audio innovations, instrument cluster, security solutions and other in-vehicle technologies all running on the AGL software platform. AGL members featured in the booth include: AISIN AW, Audiokinetic, Cognomotiv, DENSO, DENSO TEN, EPAM Systems, Fiberdyne Systems, ForgeRock, Igalia, LG Silicon Valley Lab, Microchip, NTT DATA MSE, Panasonic, Renesas, SafeRide Technologies, Tuxera and VNC Automotive. The booth will be open to the public during CES show hours from January 8-11, 2019. AGL is an open source project at the Linux Foundation that is bringing together automakers, suppliers and technology companies to accelerate the development and adoption of a fully open, shared software platform for all technology in the vehicle, from infotainment to autonomous driving. Sharing a single software platform across the industry reduces fragmentation and accelerates time-to-market by encouraging the growth of a global ecosystem of developers and application providers that can build a product once and have it work for multiple automakers. New Member Quotes: BearingPoint "BearingPoint is proud to join Automotive Grade Linux and the Linux Foundation as it shows our commitment to open source software as well as sharing expertise with the AGL community," said Mattias Loebich, Partner at BearingPoint and leader of the firm-wide Automotive segment. "We look forward to working with the AGL community as we further expand our open source software management portfolio with new and innovative services for compliance and security, especially for the automotive sector." BedRock Systems Inc "Bedrock Systems is excited to be joining Automotive Grade Linux. Joining this thriving community will help bring our technology to more businesses wanting to unlock innovation, launch new services and grow revenue in a safe and secure environment," said Alexander Damisch, Head of Products at Bedrock Systems. "AGL's ecosystem and dedication to building connected and intelligent technology is perfectly aligned with Bedrock System's intention to unlock the platform opportunity of critical and regulated compute." Big Lake Software "Our mission at Big Lake Software is to help our customers make the best products and services leveraging Open Source Software and Technologies. We are excited to join the Automotive Grade Linux community," said David Griego, president of Big Lake Software. "Many of us here participated in the transformation of the telco industry with Carrier Grade Linux, so we look forward to the great things that Linux will bring to the automotive space." Cognomotiv "Cognomotiv is excited to join the Automotive Grade Linux community of worldwide organizations advancing the capabilities of the connected vehicle," said Hadi Nahari, CEO of Cognomotiv. "As a B2B Composite Edge AI and Cloud platform applying Machine Learning and Data Science to improve the safety, security, reliability, and performance of connected, semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles and transport systems, our team has decades of industry and field experience with hardware, automotive, embedded systems, safety, security, and reliability. We look forward to working with fellow AGL members and the broader automotive industry to enhance the safety and reliability of transportation." Dellfer "Dellfer's mission is to secure connected cars and IoT devices with security built-in from the inside out. Having a key open source platform that the automotive ecosystem can develop around is a key development for us," said Tom Wallace, VP of Sales and Business Development at Dellfer. "By joining Automotive Grade Linux, we hope to become a de facto standard for IoT security, and we look forward to helping advance the overall security of the platform." About Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) Automotive Grade Linux is a collaborative open source project that aims to accelerate the development and adoption of a fully open software stack for the connected car. Leveraging the power and strength of Linux at its core, AGL is uniting automakers and technology companies to develop an open platform that offers OEMs complete control of the user experience so the industry can rapidly innovate where it counts. The AGL platform is available to all, and anyone can participate in its development. Learn more: https://www.automotivelinux.org/ Automotive Grade Linux is hosted at The Linux Foundation. Linux Foundation projects are independently funded software projects that harness the power of collaborative development to fuel innovation across industries and ecosystems. About The Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and industry adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org . Additional Resources Developer Resources About the AGL Community Participating in Automotive Grade Linux Media Inquiries Emily Olin Automotive Grade Linux, the Linux Foundation [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/industry-momentum-for-automotive-grade-linux-continues-to-grow-with-five-new-members-300767463.html SOURCE Automotive Grade Linux [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Opportunities and uncertainty drive discussions of global markets for lasers, precision optics, and biophotonics--along with trends in mergers and acquisitions and much more at the 31st annual Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar NASHUA, N.H., Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Laser Focus World has announced the agenda and keynote speakers for its 31st annual Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar, taking place February 4, 2019, the Monday before SPIE Photonics West. The Marketplace Seminar provides the authoritative market data, business analysis, technology insights, and networking sought by executives in the photonics community. "The Marketplace Seminar evolves each year in response to changing global markets, new applications, and new opportunities," says Conard Holton, editor at large for Laser Focus World and chair of the Marketplace Seminar. "This year the emphasis is on opportunities enabled by the integration of different technologies, and on the trends and tumult resulting from trade battles and corporate consolidation." Matthijs Glastra (Novanta) and Ralf Kimmel (Trumpf) deliver keynote discussions about the critical role for the integration of lasers and optics to support end-users in industrial and biomedical applications. Reinforcing these discussions, a dynamic panel of experts on advanced optics provide many additional insights into the state of the art and next generation products. And William Telford (NIH) will give specific examples of how the integration of lasers and optics is opening new opportunities in the hot field of flow cytometry. "If your job is to understand the big picture about global laser markets, then you'll get the most accurate data and forecasts from our long-time nalyst, Allen Nogee," continues Holton. "If your job is to understand global business conditions impacting photonics, then our China expert, Bo Gu, and our mergers and acquisitions specialists Mike Powell (Woodside Capital Partners) and Linda Smith (Ceres Technology Advisors) will give you the picture." Holton adds, "And if you want to know what's 'next'then attend the quantum information systems panel moderated by investment advisor John Dexheimer (LightWave Advisors) and including Chris Monroe (IonQ), Tim Day (ColdQuanta), and Jamil Abo-Shaeer (Vector Atomic)." Group Publisher, Alan Bergstein, continues, "This is the one day and place each year that executives, business development managers, and investors from all over the photonics world can meet, learn, and network." The Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar takes place on Monday, February 4, 2019 at the Marriott Marquis San Francisco. Registration, agenda, and speaker information can be found at www.marketplaceseminar.com. About Laser Focus World Published since 1965, Laser Focus World is a global media franchise for engineers, researchers, scientists, and technical professionals that provides comprehensive global coverage of optoelectronic and photonic technologies, applications, and markets. The magazine and its related website (www.laserfocusworld.com) reports on and analyzes the latest developments and trends in technology and business in the worldwide optoelectronic and photonics industry. About PennWell Corporation Founded in 1910 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, PennWell Corporation is a highly diversified business-to-business media and marketing services company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions multiple industries. For additional information about PennWell, visit www.pennwell.com . Media Contact: Adrienne Adler Senior Marketing Manager 603-891-9420 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/opportunities-and-uncertainty-drive-discussions-of-global-markets-for-lasers-precision-optics-and-biophotonics--along-with-trends-in-mergers-and-acquisitions-and-much-more-at-the-31st-annual-lasers--photonics-marketplace-semina-300767490.html SOURCE Laser Focus World [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] NASA Begins America's New Moon to Mars Exploration Approach in 2018 WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA welcomed a new administrator, Jim Bridenstine, deputy administrator, Jim Morhard, and chief financial officer, Jeff DeWit, in 2018. Their focus is on firmly establishing the groundwork to send Americans back to the Moon sustainably, with plans to use the agency's lunar experience to prepare to send astronauts to Mars. "Our agency's accomplishments in 2018 are breathtaking. We've inspired the world and created incredible new capabilities for our nation," Bridenstine said. "This year, we landed on Mars for the seventh time, and America remains the only country to have landed on Mars successfully. We created new U.S. commercial partnerships to land back on the Moon. We made breakthroughs in our quest to send humans farther into space than ever before. And, we contributed to remarkable advancements in aviation. I want to thank the entire NASA team for a fantastic year of American leadership in space, and I am confident we will build on our 2018 successes in 2019. In 2018, NASA celebrated six decades of exploration, discoveries and cutting-edge technology development for the agency's 60th anniversary on Oct. 1. Bridenstine said, "President Eisenhower launched our nation into the Space Age and President Kennedy gave us the charge to reach the Moon. Over six incredible decades, we have brought the world an amazing number of bold missions in science, aviation and human exploration. NASA and its workforce have never failed to raise the bar of human potential and blaze a trail to the future. We celebrate our legacy today with great promise and a strong direction from the President to return to the Moon and go on to Mars." The Office of the Chief Financial Officer received a successful clean audit in 2018 the eighth consecutive clean financial audit opinion for the agency. In addition, DeWit led his Strategic Investments Division in working with the Government Accounting Office to pass an official Corrective Action Plan for only the second time in NASA's history, which will increase accountability and transparency into the costs of large programs and proactively improve NASA's program and project management activities. On Dec. 11, NASA recently marked the one-year anniversary of Space Policy Directive-1 (SPD-1), which provided a directive for NASA to return humans to the surface of the moon for long-term exploration and utilization and pursue human exploration of Mars and the broader solar system. Two additional space policy directives were enacted this year by the White House, with SPD-2 in February helping ease the regulatory environment so entrepreneurs can thrive in space, and SPD-3 in June helping ensure the U.S. is a leader in providing a safe and secure environment as commercial and civil space traffic increases. Moon to Mars America's return to the Moon will begin with U.S. commercial delivery services of small scientific instruments, followed by development of an infrastructure in orbit around the Moon to support human missions to the lunar surface, Mars and destinations beyond, for decades to come. Highlights from 2018 include: In October, NASA issued a call for lunar surface instruments and technology payloads that will fly to the Moon on commercial lunar landers as early as next year. On Nov. 29 , the agency announced nine U.S. companies are eligible to bid on NASA delivery services to the lunar surface through Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts. , the agency announced nine U.S. companies are eligible to bid on NASA delivery services to the lunar surface through Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts. After receiving more than 190 scientific abstracts from the research community, NASA hosted a conference in February for scientists across a variety of disciplines to discuss future exploration and research using the Gateway, a spacecraft that will orbit the Moon and support human and robotic missions. In an effort to lay the foundation for partnerships with U.S. industry in several aspects of Gateway development and operation, NASA issued in 2018 several requests for information and ideas from U.S. companies about the Gateway's use and supply, as well as lunar payload transportation capabilities, and construction of its power and propulsion element. NASA continued to refine requirements for a U.S. habitat module for the Gateway and technology to use and process space-based resources through the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (NextSTEP-2). The transportation system that will carry astronauts from Earth to the Gateway, and help build the structure in orbit, continued to take shape in 2018 with more flight hardware coming together around the country for the first launch of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. It was a great year for robotic exploration of Mars, as well: NASA's Curiosity rover identified fragments of complex organic molecules in the shallow surface of Mars, giving us further evidence that the Red Planet could have hosted life at one point. NASA launched and landed the first spacecraft to set down on the Red Planet since Curiosity arrived in 2012 the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight). InSight touched down on Martian soil in November to study the planet's interior and, just 10 days after landing, provided the first ever "sounds" of winds on Mars. NASA also announced the landing site for its next Red Planet rover, Mars 2020, which will continue the agency's efforts to search for evidence of life and prepare for human arrival. Other highlights in the agency's progress this year in supporting the new Moon to Mars exploration approach include: Solar System and Beyond In 2018, NASA bid farewell to two veteran science spacecraft, launched a record-breaking mission to the Sun, and continued to make discoveries with current missions and progress on future missions. Highlights from the year include: In 2018, NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Scott Tingle, Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Anne McClain participated in their first spaceflight missions to the International Space Station, benefitting from the experience of three veteran astronauts Joe Acaba, Ricky Arnold, and Drew Feustel, who also completed missions aboard the space station this year. Here are ways humans in space were leading discovery and improving life on Earth in 2018: Flight NASA's aeronautics team reached several major milestones in 2018 in its efforts to enable commercial supersonic air travel over land. In April, the agency awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company a contract to build the Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft, designated the X-59, which will demonstrate quiet supersonic flight over land. In July, NASA signed an agreement with its French counterpart to collaborate on research predicting where sonic booms will be heard as supersonic aircraft fly overhead. In October, an X-59 model was tested in a wind tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia to collect data about the aircraft's flight controls. to collect data about the aircraft's flight controls. In November, the X-59 project completed a rigorous review and the agency committed to the project's funding and development timeline. Methods for measuring public perception of supersonic noise from the X-59 were tested over Galveston, Texas , using a NASA F/A-18 research jet. Another major aeronautics focus was NASA's ongoing work in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) a safe and efficient system for passenger and cargo air transportation in and around urban areas. In May, NASA partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry to demonstrate new Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) concepts that help maintain safe spacing between drones beyond visual line-of-sight. In June, NASA's remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft successfully flew in the National Airspace System without a safety chase aircraft, relying on NASA-developed technology and moving the United States one step closer to normalizing unmanned aircraft operations in the national airspace. one step closer to normalizing unmanned aircraft operations in the national airspace. In November, the agency announced plans for a UAM Grand Challenge. Throughout the year, NASA continued several other avenues of research to advance aerial vehicle technology: Engineers used a test stand called AirVolt to test the cruise motors that will power NASA's first fully electric X-plane, the X-57. The agency looked into how icing affects jet engines at high altitudes. NASA completed a series of Acoustic Research Measurement flights that combined several technologies to achieve a greater than 70 percent reduction in airframe noise. Researchers furthered the ability to fly safely with newly configured, highly flexible wings by flying the X-56 to collect data on wing flutter models and ways to suppress it. NASA's work in 2018 to help modernize and improve the nation's air traffic management system was highlighted by the transfer to the FAA of NASA technology developed so aircraft arriving at busy airports can be managed more efficiently. Space Technology Technology drives exploration and, in 2018, NASA's investments in space technology continued to advance our capabilities for future exploration missions. New technology tests, demonstrations and partnerships helped solve complex challenges needed to land, live and explore the Moon and Mars. Earth In 2018, NASA continued to use its global perspective of Earth from space to improve lives and revolutionize our understanding of how our planet works and is changing. By bringing together technology, science, and unique global observations, NASA provides societal benefits and strengthens our nation. In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists using an array of NASA satellite observations have mapped locations around the world where the availability of freshwater is changing. The study found that Earth's wet land areas are getting wetter and dry areas are getting drier. For the first time ever, measurements from NASA satellites are being used to help combat a potential outbreak of life-threatening cholera. Humanitarian teams in Yemen are targeting areas identified by a NASA-supported project that precisely forecasts high-risk regions based on environmental conditions observed from space. are targeting areas identified by a NASA-supported project that precisely forecasts high-risk regions based on environmental conditions observed from space. In November, NASA scientists and satellite data analysts worked daily to produce maps and damage assessments for disaster managers battling major wildfires near Los Angeles and in Northern California . and in . Ice losses from Antarctica have tripled since 2012, causing sea levels to rise faster today than at any time in the past 25 years, according to a major international climate assessment funded by NASA and ESA (European Space Agency.) have tripled since 2012, causing sea levels to rise faster today than at any time in the past 25 years, according to a major international climate assessment funded by NASA and ESA (European Space Agency.) NASA launched the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD), its first mission to provide unprecedented measurements of the temperature and composition of Earth's upper atmosphere. STEM Engagement This past year, NASA celebrated a Year of Education on Station, during which teachers-turned-astronauts Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold inspired thousands of students and educators through live events and video lessons from space. NASA continues to offer educators and nonprofits low-cost opportunities to conduct research in space through its CubeSat Launch Initiative, including kicking off its 10th annual call for submissions, while NASA and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Foundation are engaging K-12 students with a series of Future Engineers challenges. As part of NASA's 60th anniversary, NASA honored the legacy of the space shuttle Challenger crew by conducting Christa McAuliffe's lesson plan on the space station. Public Engagement By engaging in public events, including a National Symphony Orchestra Pops concert; "Space, the Next Frontier" concert celebration at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; "Spirit of Apollo" tribute from Washington National Cathedral; First Man press junket and red-carpet screening; Space Symposium; USA Science & Engineering Festival; International Balloon Fiesta; International Observe the Moon Night; Awesome Con; and EAA AirVenture, more than five million people had the chance to interact with representatives of America's space agency. NASA's digital communications team was honored with another Webby Award and four People's Voice awards in 2018. NASA.gov, the agency's primary website, received its third consecutive, and 10th overall, People's Voice Award in the Government & Civil Innovation category. Web visitors continue to come to NASA not just for information on agency programs, but to learn about space in general. The site's busiest day in 2018 was the Mars InSight landing in November, and the second-busiest was the Super Blue Blood Moon eclipse in January. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory received an Emmy Award in 2018 for Outstanding Original Interactive Program for its coverage of the Cassini mission's Grand Finale at Saturn in September 2017. NASA's social media presence continued to grow in 2018, with more than 186.9 million total followers across all accounts and platforms. The agency has the most followers of any agency or department in the federal government on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Google+. The agency also hosted 25 NASA Socials this year, bringing together more than 880 followers who engage with NASA via social media for unique in-person experiences of exploration and discovery. To see NASA's For more about NASA's missions, research and discoveries, visit: https://www.nasa.gov View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-begins-americas-new-moon-to-mars-exploration-approach-in-2018-300767675.html SOURCE NASA [December 17, 2018] Edward St. John Foundation Pledges $1,000,000 to Alpine School District Towards Construction of a New Space Center at Central Elementary School Today, the Edward St. John Foundation and Alpine School District (ASD) announced a $1 million commitment from the Edward St. John Foundation toward the construction of a state of the art Space Center and Planetarium in Utah Valley. The new facility will be located on the Central Elementary School Campus in Pleasant Grove and represents the priority project for ASD. The new Space Center is set to break ground in March 2019 on the Central Elementary School campus in Pleasant Grove, with completion expected in the Fall of 2020. The Center will include a 40-foot planetarium dome, astronaut seating, surround sound, advanced theater lighting, upgraded workstations and network backbone, theater projection systems, and six state-of-the-art starship simulators. The facility will also include flex space for future programs. The commitment is part of a four-year pledge in which the Foundation will match dollar-for-dollar funds raised by the Alpine School District. The overall fundraising goal for the project is $4 million to replace and expand its popular Space Center in Pleasant Gove. "We are thrilled to help launch this exciting project that is sure to fire the imaginations of young people for science and space exploration," states Sharon Akers, President of the Edward St. John Foundation. "Pleasant Grove is a high growth center for Utah, which makes it the perfect location to serve students throughout the valley." "The District and the tens of thousands of students it serves can look forward to a tremendous resource for learning and fun through this generous gift by the Edward St. John Foundation," states Rob Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Alpine School District. "Generous partners like the Edward St. John Foundation play a key role in meeting the financial challenges in what is now Utah's largest school district. We look forward to other organizations joining us in this season of giving." "The successful NASA InSight landing on Mars has rekindled the excitement around space exploration and its benefits for bettering lives on Earth," states John Curtis, U.S. Congress. "Our state's students and scientists have contributed greatly to scientific space discovery that advances the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). This new Space Center will further prepare tomorrow's scientists to contribute to a bright future." For project details and video see: https://spacecenter.alpineschools.org/planetarium/ About the Edward St. John Foundation The Edward St. John Foundation provides financial assistance to formal education programs through the high school level. Our mission is based on the strong belief that "education has the power to transform lives and strengthen communities," primarily focused on school-related programs. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005158/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] Covalon Announces Fiscal 2018 Year-End Results and Plans for Fiscal 2019 Covalon Technologies Ltd. (the "Company" or "Covalon") (TSXV: COV; OTCQX: CVALF), an advanced medical technologies company, today announces its fiscal 2018 year-end results and plans for fiscal 2019. Brian Pedlar, Covalon's President and CEO, said, "I am so incredibly pleased with our major achievements during fiscal 2018, which included: Winning competitive contracts worth $100 million dollars to provide Covalon products over a three-year period; Working on and completing the acquisition of U.S.-based AquaGuard, with its complementary products and experienced sales force capable of selling Covalon's products directly into their network of hospitals; Signing a major contract with one of the world's largest medical device companies to license Covalon's proprietary medical coating technologies, which resulted in a $4.5 million upfront license payment followed by the additional payment of many millions more for product development fees, milestone payments, and royalties; and Entering new banking and credit facilities in the amount of $17 million with HSBC Bank Canada, which are anticipated to allow the Company to achieve its near-term acquisition and growth strategies." Mr. Pedlar continued, "Covalon today is a significantly improved company compared to one short year ago. The milestones we achieved this year will ensure our accelerated success not just for fiscal 2019, but for many years to come. Our unique suite of life-saving products is beginning to demonstrate real commercialization success, in large part due to the efforts of our dedicated and driven staff." Fiscal 2018 Financial Results Revenue for the year ended September 30, 2018 was $26.7 million, 2% or $586,415 less than the prior year. Gross profit was 74% in fiscal 2018, compared to 77% in fiscal 2017. Net income was $1.6 million or $0.07 per share (diluted), compared to $1.8 million or $0.09 per share (diluted) in fiscal 2017. However, net income for fiscal 2018 included approximately $1.1 million of one-time costs for the acquisition of AquaGuard that were expensed as incurred during the year. No similar costs were incurred in fiscal 2017. Contracted revenue in the Middle East is derived from bulk purchases throughout the year which are not equally recognized in each of the Company's quarterly results. The decline in revenue from the Middle East in fiscal 2018 was simply due to the timing of the shipments under contracts. Revenue from the $100 million series of Middle East contracts will begin to materially impact revenue in fiscal 2019 and beyond. Fiscal 2018 saw the Company end the year with a strengthened and more diversified revenue base. In fiscal 2018, approximately 49% of revenue was from the Middle East, compared to 80% in fiscal 2017. By comparison, revenue in the United States for the year was up 175% year-over-year to $12.8 million, which included increases in product revenue and development services, licenses, and royalties Product revenue in the United States was up over 80% in fiscal 2018, compared to the previous year. This increase mostly offset the lumpy year-to-year shipment fluctuations from the Middle East contracts. No revenue from the acquisition of AquaGuard was recognized in fiscal 2018. Fiscal 2019 Plans Middle East contracted revenue in fiscal 2019 is expected to be $30 million, more than double the contracted Middle East revenue in fiscal 2018. Covalon has received the delivery schedule for the Middle East contracts; under this schedule, Management anticipates that the majority of contracted deliveries will be recognized in revenue in the last six months of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. These contract awards in the Middle East have resulted in additional potentially accretive opportunities for consideration by the Company, and Management is pursuing these additional revenue opportunities. Fiscal 2019's acquisition of AquaGuard more than doubles United States revenue to approximately $25 million before internal growth. AquaGuard specializes in infection protection products that protect surgical incisions, intravenous (IV) sites, catheters, PICC lines, and other dressings from water and other moisture while a patient showers. The acquisition transforms Covalon's United States market access by adding a United States-based sales force with the capability to sell many of Covalon's products into over 1,500 hospitals and clinics in the United States. Covalon's efforts to enter the European and Latin American markets are expected to begin to contribute to the Company's revenue in fiscal 2019. The Company has a small direct sales team in the United Kingdom that has begun to convert acute care facilities and primary care Clinical Commissioning Groups ("CCGs") to using Covalon's advanced wound care products. As well, Covalon's European team is entering selected other countries in Europe and beginning to compete for advanced wound care business. Covalon is currently selling into seven countries in Latin America and anticipates that key markets like Mexico, Chile, and Argentina will grow as the Company's products begin to compete and win business in these regions. Conference Call Scheduled A conference call to discuss Covalon's Fiscal 2018 Year-End Financial Results will be held Tuesday December 18, 2018 at 9:00am EST. To participate in the call, please dial: Toll-Free: 833.299.8117 International: 647.689.4535 Conference ID Code: 4481616 A recording of the call will be available by calling 855.859.2056 or 404.537.3406 and entering the conference ID code 4481616 from December 18,2018 at 12:00pm EST to December 25, 2018 at 11:59pm EST. To learn more about Covalon, please contact: About Covalon Covalon Technologies Ltd. researches, develops, and commercializes new healthcare technologies that help save lives around the world. Covalon's patented technologies, products, and services address the advanced healthcare needs of medical device companies, healthcare providers, and individual consumers. Covalon's technologies are used to prevent, detect, and manage medical conditions in specialty areas such as infection control, vascular access, surgical procedures, advanced wound care, and medical device coatings. To learn more about Covalon, visit our website at www.covalon.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements which reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan, "estimate", "expect", "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties, including completion of integration of the AquaGuard acquisition, the difficulty in predicting product approvals, acceptance of and demands for new products, the impact of the products and pricing strategies of competitors, delays in developing and launching new products, the regulatory environment, fluctuations in operating results and other risks, any of which could cause results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Many risks are inherent in the industry; others are more specific to the Company. Investors should consult the Company's ongoing quarterly filings for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. Investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, further events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005734/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 17, 2018] North American High-Voltage Circuit Breaker Market, Forecast to 2024 NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cumulative High-voltage Circuit Breaker Sales to Exceed 40,000 Units by 2024 The North American high-voltage circuit breaker market has been analyzed on the basis of the voltage classes: 72.5kV, 115kV, 123kV, 145kV, 170kV, 245kV, 352kV, 550kV, and 800kV. The report is segmented based into the sub-transmission (72.5kV) and transmission (greater than 72.5kV) segments. Based on the construction type, the circuit breaker market is segmented into live tank and dead tank circuit breakers. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05657954 Research Highlights The geographical region covered in this report includes only the United States and Canada.The revenue reported in this report includes circuit breakers that are sold in North America only. The report does not include revenue generated out of refurbished or retrofitted circuit breakers in the region. Breakers sold to all end users have been considered for revenue calculation. Growing renewable energy investment is driving significant investments in utility infrastructures, like the transmission and distribution networks. The market is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1% from 2017 to 2024. Market growth is driven by the replacement of aged grid infrastructure and growing eather related incidents. Most of the transmission and distribution infrastructure in the United States is aged. Moreover, in 2017, the United States witnessed 16 separate billion dollar weather and climate disasters including floods, cyclones, and storms. Some of the challenges in the industry include flat power demand and the need to refurbishment of aged equipment, which slow the pace of the market growth. Technology, price, and customer relationships are among the top preferences for utilities and industrial customers when it comes to selecting a supplier. In 2018, the US government has increased the import tariff by 25% for steel imported from countries outside North America. Following the increase in tariffs on steel and copper, the prices of raw materials are expected to increase, which in turn could adversely affect the purchasing decisions of cash constrained utilities and industries. These end users could opt for retrofitting or refurbishing circuit breakers to prolong their life, as a cheaper option to buying new circuit breakers. Key Issues Addressed Is the market growing, how long will it continue to grow, and at what rate? Are the existing competitors structured correctly to meet customer needs? Which construction type will grow faster across the globe and why? What are the growth opportunities in the market for traditional Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM)? Are the vendors in the space ready to go it alone, or do they need partnerships to take their businesses to the next level? Author: Rajalingam Arikaarampalayam Chinnasamy Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05657954 About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-american-high-voltage-circuit-breaker-market-forecast-to-2024-300767591.html SOURCE Reportlinker [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Its hard not to like the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gaminguntil you see its price tag. The most expensive 2070 out there does so many things right, though: its fast, cool, quiet, and loaded with features. If you want a card for QHD gaming that comes dialed in from the factory and will live in a windowed case, this ones ready to rock. Budget-sensitive enthusiasts should look elsewhere, though. Its hard not to like the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gaminguntil you see its price tag. The most expensive 2070 out there does so many things right, though: its fast, cool, quiet, and loaded with features. If you want a card for QHD gaming that comes dialed in from the factory and will live in a windowed case, this ones ready to rock. Budget-sensitive enthusiasts should look elsewhere, though. Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gaming Review When it comes to recommending graphics cards, were used to finding the best value at the bottom of each model range. After all, guaranteed overclocks, fancy lighting, and big coolers add substantial cost. Presumably, then, thatd put Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gaming at a big disadvantage since its currently the most expensive GeForce RTX 2070 in the U.S. and UK. But sometimes, the benefits of a premium product extend beyond superficial knickknacks. Asus offers better performance, lower temperatures, less noise, and more functionality than any of the other 2070s weve seen. Although many enthusiasts wont be able to justify spending extra on superior attention to detail, others will appreciate the effort that went into designing a graphics card thats better than the competition in almost every way. Meet The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gaming Asus isnt above the laws of thermodynamics. This cards TU106 GPU is still rated for 175W, and its waste heat is dissipated by fans blowing through a sink, just like other GeForce RTX 2070s. The difference is that Asus starts with a larger sink. Whereas Nvidias GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Edition registers roughly 2 lbs. 2 oz. (968g) on our scale, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gaming nearly hits 2 lbs. 11 oz. (1210g). The card sits on a much larger PCB and is topped by a much longer heat sink, so were not surprised that its so much heavier. The ROG Strix board's PCB is massive at 11 (28.6cm) long. Asus thermal solution overhangs that, taking the total length to almost 12 (30cm). From the bottom of the PCIe connector to the cards top edge, youre looking at roughly 5 (13cm). And from the backplate to the thickest part of Asus fan shroud, you need about 2 (5cm) of clearance. Some folks like to call this a 2.5-slot design, but expect the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gaming to monopolize three expansion slots. Most of the cards thickness comes from its heat sink. The plastic shroud sitting on top of the metal mass is low-profile and unobtrusive. It doesnt hang down on the sides and block airflow through the fins. Theres enough room to envelop the 90mm wing-blade fans, accommodate a bit of RGB lighting under strategically-cut vent holes, and screw on to the sink. Those fans blow down through an array of vertically-oriented fins split into two sections. Both pieces are similarly sized but shaped differently to fit the components underneath them. The side closest to the display outputs sits on top of Nvidias TU106 processor. Asus goes so far as to brand the surface of its heat spreader MaxContact, reflecting a precision machining process that purportedly creates more surface area for thermal transfer than competing coolers. In total, six heat pipes cut through the sinks base. One of them passes through the base and bends back into the same fin array. The other five continue through the base and into the second half of Asus heat sink. Of those five, two pipes run all the way through the heat spreader and back around into the sinks front side, closest to the cards display connectors. The sinks other side is similarly composed of thick aluminum fins with protrusions at the bottom to increase surface area. An additional base plate dips even lower to sit right above the 10 TI CSD95481RWJ NexFET power stages. A long thermal pad between the buck converters and base plate help transfers heat. The whole cooler rests on top of a metal frame sandwiching the PCB between itself and the backplate. Asus says this brace improves the cards structural integrity by 3x. Although we dont have the means to corroborate such a claim, casual comparisons to other, lighter GeForce RTX cards (2070s and 2080s) do suggest the Asus board bends less. We would have been more worried if the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G didnt come with a brace of some sort, given its weight. A closer look at the PCB reveals several other interesting features. Up top, on the back, theres a switch labeled P_MODE and Q_MODE, corresponding to Performance and Quiet mode, respectively. They both maintain similar clock rates and power targets. But Performance mode utilizes a more aggressive fan curve, while Quiet mode dials back fan speeds. In Quiet mode, the fans can also spin down when the GPU temperature drops below 55C. Right next to the mode switch, theres a push-button labeled LED ON/OFF. Self-explanatory, right? If youd rather run without all the RGB lighting, press the button to turn it off. Around back, a pair of four-pin headers can be attached to system fans that respond based on CPU and GPU temperatures. GPU Tweak II, Asus bundled control utility, has the hooks needed to tune the cards cooling response. An RGB header right next to the fan connectors is compatible with Asus Aura lighting. Even if you dont connect an extra run of RGB LEDs for your case, downloadable Aura Sync software lets you manipulate the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8Gs shroud and backplate lighting. We especially liked the GPU temperature lighting effect, which changed colors as the card warmed up. Up front, an all-black slot cover provides a nice change of pace from the silver brackets were accustomed to seeing. Gone is the DVI-D interface found on Nvidias GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Edition card. Instead, Asus exposes two DisplayPort connectors, two HDMI outputs, and a USB Type-C port for next-gen VR HMDs. Ventilation slots are cut into the metal. However, the potential benefit of airflow back there is lost since the coolers fins move air perpendicular to the bracket. The eight- and six-pin power connectors are rotated 180 degrees to avoid conflict with the form-fitted heat sink. LEDs mounted to the PCB light up red if you forget to attach auxiliary power, and then go white when you make the appropriate connection. Interestingly, Nvidias GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Edition employs a single eight-pin connector to satisfy the cards 185W ceiling. Asus card uses more power than that model. However, it ducks in under Gigabytes GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming OC 8G with a 207W average across our Metro: Last Light benchmark. Asus could have made one eight-pin connector work, but just barely. Adding the six-pin connector was a better choice. A metal plate on the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gamings back side gives the frame something to screw into. It also hosts the ROG logo, which is illuminated and controllable through Asus Aura software. The plate doesnt contact any components on the PCBs back side, so it doesnt help with cooling. In fact, wed normally worry about it trapping hot air. There are a few holes cut into surface behind the GPU and over the 47F capacitors, but they only provide screw access and z-height clearance. ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 FE GeForce GTX 1080 FE GeForce GTX 1070 FE Architecture (GPU) Turing (TU106) Turing (TU106) Pascal (GP104) Pascal (GP104) CUDA Cores 2304 2304 2560 1920 Peak FP32 Compute 8.4 TFLOPS 7.9 TFLOPS 8.9 TFLOPS 6.5 TFLOPS Tensor Cores 288 288 N/A N/A RT Cores 36 36 N/A N/A Texture Units 144 144 160 120 Base Clock Rate 1410 MHz 1410 MHz 1607 MHz 1506 MHz GPU Boost Rate 1815 MHz 1710 MHz 1733 MHz 1683 MHz Memory Capacity 8GB GDDR6 8GB GDDR6 8GB GDDR5X 8GB GDDR5 Memory Bus 256-bit 256-bit 256-bit 256-bit Memory Bandwidth 448 GB/s 448 GB/s 320 GB/s 256 GB/s ROPs 64 64 64 64 L2 Cache 4MB 4MB 2MB 2MB TDP ~225W 185W 180W 150W Transistor Count 10.8 billion 10.8 billion 7.2 billion 7.2 billion Die Size 445 mm 445 mm 314 mm 314 mm SLI Support No No Yes (MIO) Yes (MIO) What lives under the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Gamings hood is already well-known. We dug deep into the TU106 graphics processor and its underlying architecture in Nvidias Turing Architecture Explored: Inside the GeForce RTX 2080. Asus takes the same graphics processor with 2,304 of its CUDA cores enabled and bumps the typical GPU Boost rating up slightly to 1815 MHz in Gaming mode and 1,845 MHz in OC mode (versus the Founders Edition cards 1,710 MHz). We confirmed that Asus uses the higher-end TU106-400A stepping on this model, rather than TU106-400. For those unfamiliar with the difference, Nvidia is labeling its TU106 GPU two ways. Both satisfy the companys GeForce RTX 2070 specifications, but the higher-binned TU106-400A shows up on the factory-overclocked boards and appears to offer a bit more frequency headroom. The Asus card's 8GB of GDDR6 memory move data at 14 Gb/s, matching Nvidias reference design. As you might expect, then, performance comparisons between the two models fall within a single-digit percentage variance. All of Asus graphics cards include three years of warranty coverage. Itd be great to see the company add a fourth year to its highest-end models, similar to Gigabyte. But at least a three-year warranty matches the guarantee you get with Nvidia's Founders Edition. How We Tested Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G Asus latest will no doubt be found in one of the many high-end CPU/motherboard platforms now available from AMD and Intel. Our graphics station still employs an MSI Z170 Gaming M7 motherboard with an Intel Core i7-7700K CPU at 4.2 GHz, though. The processor is complemented by G.Skills F4-3000C15Q-16GRR memory kit. Crucials MX200 SSD remains, joined by a 1.4TB Intel DC P3700 loaded down with games. As far as competition goes, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 O8G goes up against the GeForce GTX 1080 and Radeon RX Vega 64. Both are, of course, included in our benchmark results, along with the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, GeForce RTX 2080, GeForce RTX 2070, Titan V, GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, Titan X, GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, and GeForce GTX 1070 from Nvidia. AMD is also represented by the Radeon RX Vega 56. All of the comparison cards are either Founders Edition or reference models. Our list of benchmarks received some attention ahead of todays review. It now includes Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, Battlefield V, Destiny 2, Far Cry 5, Forza Motorsport 7, Grand Theft Auto V, Metro: Last Light Redux, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Tom Clancys The Division, Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Wildlands, The Witcher 3, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. Gone, of course, are Battlefield 1 and Doom. The testing methodology we're using comes from PresentMon: Performance In DirectX, OpenGL and Vulkan. In short, these games are evaluated using a combination of OCAT and our own in-house GUI for PresentMon, with logging via GPU-Z. As we generate new data, were using new drivers. For Nvidia, that means testing the two new games with build 417.22 (all of the Asus cards numbers are generated with that driver, too). The Founders Edition cards are tested with 416.33 (2070) and 411.51 (2080 and 2080 Ti). Older Pascal-based boards are tested with build 398.82. Titan Vs results were spot-checked with 411.51 to ensure performance didnt change. AMDs cards utilize Crimson Adrenalin Edition 18.8.1 (except for the Battlefield V and Wolfenstein tests, which are tested with Adrenalin Edition 18.11.2). MORE: Best Graphics Cards MORE: Desktop GPU Performance Hierarchy Table MORE: All Graphics Content Features and Specifications Big, monolithic air coolers are known for relying on multiple heatpipes and stacks upon stacks of individual cooling fins to provide vast surface area to effectively dissipate thermal loads. Of these, the newly released SCNJ-5000 Ninja 5 is the latest thermal assassin from the twin-blade cooling company, Scythe. Sporting a pair of low-speed 120mm fans over a handsomely designed, interleaved, two-tone cooling fin stack, the Ninja 5 presents itself as an imposing heatpipe tower boasting near-silent operation, but still lands a little short in outright thermal performance for a cooler of its dimensions. Offering support for nearly every modern CPU socket from both AMD and Intel, the Ninja 5 can sit atop just about every processor except Threadripper. Shipping with a fairly-standard cooler mounting kit, the Ninja 5 goes a bit further with the inclusion of a syringe of thermal compound and Phillips head screwdriver. Gone are the excuses for not having everything you need to install this cooler. Specifications Height 6.25 inches / 158.8mm Width 5.125 inches / 130.18mm Depth 5.125 inches / 130.18mm (7.125 inches / 180.9mm with fans) Base Height 2.25 inches / 57.2mm Assy. Offset 0 inches (centered) Cooling Fans 2x 120 x 25mm Connectors 2x 4-pin PWM Weight 63.7 oz. / 1806g Intel Sockets 775, 115x, 1366, 2011x, 2066 AMD Sockets FM2(+), FM1, AM2(+), AM3(+), AM4 Warranty 2 years Price $60 The Scythe Ninja 5 features six, nickel-plated heatpipes that run vertically through the entirety of its 41 interleaved aluminum cooling fins, which can be seen overlapping through the center of the stack. The base of the cooler integrates a broadly-grooved, mini-heatsink that integrates with the mounting arm of the cooler. Each of the six heatpipes are symmetrically aligned and offset to allow linear airflow around them. The nickel plated base of the cooler cocoons each of the six, 6 mm diameter heatpipes between the base block and the mounting top plate. The center bar is permanently secured to the cooler base and holds a pair of spring mounted machine screws in position to secure to the hardware CPU socket crossbars. The strategic slotting of the coolers heatsink fin stack provides access for the long, narrow Phillips head screwdriver to reach each of the machine screws from above the cooler when securing the cooler to the mounting braces. Twin Scythe Kaze Flex 120 mm fans adorn the front and rear of the cooling tower and are PWM capable. Rubberized mounting elbows eliminate vibration noise while the fans are affixed using a pair of wire-spring clips. The Kaze Flex fans are rated at 43 CFM of airflow and a max speed of around 800 rpm, however in our tests, we found them to peak at just a smidge over 900 rpm. It becomes difficult to remember that our MSI X99S XPower AC motherboard is actually a full, E-ATX motherboard with the Ninja 5 (and fans) consuming nearly the entire width of the board above the CPU, from side to side. The coolers CPU socket bracing builds off either the included mounting backplate or, in our case, the motherboards integrated mounting threads. Then, using the handy magnetic-tipped screwdriver provided by Scythe, you can easily slip between the aluminum cooling fins to find the machine screws, secure the cooler and snug it down. MORE: Best CPU Cooling MORE: How To Choose A CPU Cooler MORE: All Cooling Content Kansas Arrest Suggests How Sexual Revolution Has Gone Awry - The Sentinel Behind the arrest Saturday of 31-year-old Andrew Mitchell O'Brien, a soldier on active duty at Fort Riley, there is a story that needs to be told, the story of how the often praised "sexual revolution" is costing lives and dollars on a grand scale. A prudish rebuke of the sexual revolution and feminism still manages to reveal some salacious deets from a recent Kansas sex crime case. Kansas City's leading conservative might have also inadvertently reminded us that not all soldiers are heroes. Read more: Kansas City Homicide Postscript Acrobatic Crook In Golden Ghetto Suspect jumps over hotel clerk counter in Lenexa robbery Lenexa Police have released surveillance video of an armed robbery Friday, Dec. 14 in an attempt to catch two suspects. Happy Rock Consequences Kansas City man sentenced to 30 years for fatal shooting LIBERTY, MO (KCTV/AP) -- A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the shotgun killing of another man. Kevin Michael Moore was sentenced earlier this month for the January shooting death of Jacob Wood in Gladstone. Hard Time After Tragedy Kansas man gets 109 years for abuse and killing toddler before encasing body in concrete WICHITA, Kan. - A Kansas man convicted of abusing and killing his girlfriend's 3-year-old son before encasing the boy's body in concrete in their rental home's garage was sentenced Monday to more than 100 years in prison. Naming The Dead In KCK KCK police identify 15-year-old found slain in Sunday morning shooting The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department identified the 15-year-old boy shot and killed early Sunday morning as Taveon Brooks. KCK police said five teens were in a car when someone shot at it around 2:45 a.m. at 52nd Street and Georgia Avenue. Golden Ghetto Lady Gone Inmate dies after being found unresponsive in Johnson County jail OLATHE, KS (KCTV) -- A 48-year-old woman from Overland Park was the inmate who died in her cell at the Johnson County Detention Center last month. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office says Laura Shaw was found unconscious on Nov. 30 in the afternoon. Medical staff tried to resuscitate her but couldn't. EPIC Survivor Story Police: Infant saved after father reports trying to drown her in Greenwood pond GREENWOOD, MO (KCTV/AP) -- Police say an infant is recovering after a man walked into police station and said he had drowned his 6-month-old child. The man made the report at the Greenwood police station about 10 a.m. Monday. Greenwood police Cpl. Sad news regarding our favorite lady drama:Closer to home, these crime links are worth a look right now . . .Developing . . . Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Cairo urged all African countries to ensure the quick ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and to implement policies that facilitate and support intra-African trade. Chief Obasanjo, who is also the Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2018), was speaking in a conversation session on the sixth day of the trade fair, which is organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), and hosted by the Government of Egypt. He described the AfCFTA as an instrument of tremendous transformation which would change the structure of Africa and said that the IATF would help towards the achievement of its ratification. With the AfCFTA, Africa would be saying that it no longer accepted the structure given by its colonisers, he said. One of the things I hope we will be able to get as quickly as possible is availability of visas-on-arrival or a common visa for a number of countries. It hurts that those who want to trade within Africa need to have so many visas. He also highlighted the challenge posed by differing trade regulations in different African countries, noting, When you want to import or export, there are many different regulations from country to country, and we need to get away from that. What we are doing now will help us get away from that as soon as possible. Chief Obasanjo described 2018 as one of the most significant years for Africa with the signing of the AfCFTA in Kigali in March and the inauguration of the first IATF. He argued that it was time to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete actions to tackle the challenges impeding intra-African trade. He rejected the notion that Africa lacked the resources to finance its development, saying, I believe the resources are here in Africa. Its a matter of how Africa accesses the available financial resources. Money is cowardly it only goes where it feels safe and wanted. Chief Obasanjo commended Afreximbank for its effectiveness in moving forward the intra-African trade agenda and attributed that success to the culture of continuity in the Bank where all the past Presidents have continued to work with and support the current President in pursuit of the development of intra-African trade. He expressed regret that Nigeria had yet to ratify the AfCFTA, even though the final negotiations for the agreement were led by Nigeria and the final agreement was taken to the countrys executive council and it was passed. It is my sincere wish that Nigeria will be at the table before the AfCFTA comes into effect, he said. I went around the (IATF) pavilions and the Nigerian pavilion was large. How can you be talking about the IATF when you are not part of the AfCFTA? You cannot absent yourself from what is the way for the rest of Africa. Chief Obasanjo also touched on the need to address the global perception of Africa, arguing that the only way to change it was to lift the standard of living of every African. According to him, this is not possible if we choose to swim alone. Beginning June 8, 2019, subject to government approval, Delta Air Lines will offer direct service between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Mexico City, Mexico. Beginning June 8, 2019, subject to government approval, Delta Air Lines will offer direct service between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Mexico City, Mexico. The oldest capital city in the Americas, Mexico City also is the most populous city in North America, with nearly 9 million residents in the city proper and more than 21 million in the metropolitan area. The city stands out as a key financial center, with a larger economy than many entire nations in Latin America. "Mexico City is just the latest in a growing string of international destinations to which we've landed air service with the help of GREATER MSP and the MSP Regional Air Service Partnership," said Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) Executive Director and CEO Brian Ryks, noting recent airline announcements for service to Seoul, South Korea and Dublin, Ireland. "Mexico City is the most popular destination in Latin America lacking direct air service from MSP International Airport. On average, 700 people a day travel from MSP to Mexico. This new service and the connections from Mexico City to destinations beyond will make travel between Minnesota and locations south of the border easier and more convenient." The MSP Regional Air Service Partnership (RASP) is a collaborative air service development initiative launched in 2017 by the MAC and GREATER MSP. The RASP helps identify air service needs of businesses in the region and supports MAC efforts to engage airlines that could potentially serve those markets. The RASP is chaired by Thomson Reuters Executive Vice President-Operations Rick King and former U.S. Bank Chief Executive Officer Richard Davis. "High-quality air service options are a top priority for businesses in our region. The addition of Delta's non-stop service into Mexico City is another enhancement to the growing access and international reach available to our corporate community. We are excited about the decision to add Mexico City service and believe this will be a very successful route for Delta," said Michael Langley, CEO, GREATER MSP. Delta Air Lines will operate the Mexico City service daily using 124-seat Airbus A319 aircraft. Flight DL451 will depart MSP at 8:50 a.m. daily and arrive in Mexico City at 1:01 p.m. Delta Flight DL452 will depart Mexico City daily at 2 p.m. and arrive at MSP at 6:14 p.m. Through Delta's agreement with AeroMexico, from Mexico City travelers can connect to 41 other destinations in Mexico and Latin America. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Travel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Travel Industry Wire As noted in an earlier post, there is discussion in Europe about installing "Intelligent Speed Assistance" on cars, which is a fancier name for a speed governing device that controls how fast a car can go. It is not a new idea. Fighting Traffic/ Peter Norton/viaIn 1923, the City of Cincinnati proposed a law that would require speed governors on cars that would shut their engines off if they exceeded 25 miles per hour. Peter Norton writes in Fighting Traffic about the reaction from the industry: Motordom complained that governors would be unreliable, easy to tamper with, problematic on hills. But mostly, they hated how "it kept the burden of responsibility for accidents on motorists" and killed the biggest advantage cars had: speed. They won the war in 1923 and learned from it. After it won, it never returned to a peacetime footing. Institutions and cooperative arrangements formed during the fight persisted and grew. And they changed the discussion about safety. No longer would there be any thought about limiting speed; indeed, one industry executive explained that the motor car was invented so that man could go faster and that the major inherent quality of the automobile is speed. Instead, the approach to safety would be to control the pedestrians and get them out of the way, to separate them with jaywalking laws and strict controls. Over time, safety would be redefined to make roads safer for cars, not people. Public Domain. European Transport Safety Council Now, almost a hundred years later, the same battle is being fought over Intelligent Speed Assistance. It's a much more sophisticated than the governors of a hundred years ago, having GPS and being able to read road signs, keeping the car at the maximum legal speed. And guess what? The industry says it won't work. Arthur Neslen writes in the Guardian: Car industry lobbyists are pushing the EU to weaken safety technology proposals, even though their own research predicts the move would cause more than 1,000 extra road deaths each year. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (Acea) is fiercely opposing an EU attempt to benchmark a technology that automatically reduces car speeds to local limits. The group favours one that just sends speeding drivers a dashboard warning. ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, claims: ISA systems still show too many false warnings due to incorrect or outdated information. For example, because road signs are not harmonised across Europe. Digital maps are also not fully populated with speed limit information for all roads, and data are not always updated. Moreover, camera-based systems cannot anticipate all scenarios, such as when traffic signs are covered up. Instead, the industry wants Speed Limit Information (SLI) which basically is an indicator that tells the driver that they are going faster than the speed limit, and which the driver is then free to ignore. The consultants, quoted in the Guardian, disagree with the industry: If every [vehicle] in the EU28 today was fitted with SLI instead of ISA, approximately 1,300 more people would be killed on our roads every year. SLI is not an effective alternative to ISA. European Transport Safety Council/Public Domain It is easy to see why the industry is so threatened by ISA. Imagine being forced to go 25 MPH on an empty road engineered for people going twice as fast, in vehicles engineered to go four times as fast. People wouldn't buy big muscle cars because they would never get to open them up. People would get incredibly frustrated. It will also be one of the problems with self-driving cars; when they are going the speed limit everyone else around them will be going nuts. It's why Intelligent Speed Assistance will never happen. The voters would put on their yellow vests and would throw out any politician who brought them in. Be sure to browse through A Growing Boy's Wine Diary , with 10+ years of tasting notes! Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors) People may have been chasing immortality for millennia, but thanks to recent research, we now know some organisms have actually been alive for thousands of years. For the last 10 years, over a thousand scientists in 52 countries have been studying carbon deep in the Earth as part of the Deep Carbon Observatory. They've bored holes miles in the ground and ocean floor, pulling up earth samples and the microorganisms that live inside them. And some of those organisms are ridiculously old. "It does appear that many of these organisms can last for thousands of years," explained Rick Colwell, a microbiologist at Oregon State University. Conditions are tough deep in the Earth. Many areas are ridiculously hot and have little nutrition. So some organisms stay alive by living very, very slowly. "These organisms in the subsurface are much slower in how they do things," Colwell told me. He and his colleagues looked at the metabolisms of these organisms and found something surprising. Courtesy of the Deep Carbon Observatory "Those signals say they last for thousands of years without dividing," Colwell explained. "They don't really divide in the ways we're used to ... It's because they're so energy limited." Thousands or even millions of species of microorganisms underground work this way. They're so small, you'd need a microscope to see them. Unless enough of them are clustered together, of course. Then they look like slime. They resemble "something grown in your refrigerator that you know you should throw out," Colwell said. Scientists began studying deep underground life in the early 1900s, but they only really started looking carefully at the subsurface in the 1980s and 1990s, when companies contaminated a bunch of groundwater and needed to bring in microorganisms to clean it up. Over the last 25 years, scientists learned some of these organisms were incredibly old. Altiarchaeales, a type of archaea, were found in German sulfidic springs. It's one of the many microorganisms the scientists studied. Courtesy of the Deep Carbon Observatory Thanks to this most recent study, scientists are learning how ubiquitous these older life forms really are. After looking at their DNA, scientists concluded many of these creatures may harken back to the earliest stages of life. "If you watch a crime detective show, it's like that," Colwell said, explaining the genetic investigation process. Their DNA indicate many of these organisms don't need oxygen to survive, a sign their genes developed in the early stages of the Earth. Billions of years ago, oxygen didn't fill the atmosphere, which was composed largely of other gasses like hydrogen instead. "They have hydrogen to deal with, and they know how to use it," Colwell told me. "It's an ancient capability." Courtesy of the Deep Carbon Observatory The palm oil situation is bad, but some people argue that it would be worse if replaced by other vegetable oils. It's nearly impossible to avoid palm oil these days. The most popular edible oil in the world can be found in everything from lotion and toothpaste to saltines and ice cream cones. Even if you study the ingredient list, you might not realize that palm oil goes by many names and, worse yet, can be an unlisted ingredient in another ingredient. Take, for example, decyl glucoside, a cleansing agent used in baby shampoos and body washes. Writing for National Geographic, Hillary Rosner says, "It's made, in part, from decanol a fatty alcohol molecule often derived from palm oil." So, too, are lauryl glucoside and sodium lauryl sulfate, ingredients commonly found in toothpaste. Rosner continues: "Even our conditioner contains palm oil in the form of glycerin as well as cetearyl alcohol a common ingredient used to thicken many conditioners." Lush Cosmetics has addressed this issue of palm oil found in other ingredients, stating, "Although we no longer use palm oil in our products, some of our safe synthetics contain palm oil derivates, simply because its so hard to find a suitable alternative." Does this mean we should do even more research when purchasing products to ensure that palm oil cannot be found at any level of production? Rosner, interestingly, argues "no." Instead, she thinks our consumer research should revolve more around where and how palm oil is grown. This goes against what I had thought to be the better approach, which was to avoid palm oil at all costs, certified sustainable or not; but Rosner makes some interesting points. She writes: "Boycotting it could have ramifications that are even worse for the environment. Producing the same amount of another vegetable oil would take up even more land. And eliminating support for the companies trying to make palm oil production less ecologically damaging would give a competitive advantage to the ones that care only about turning a profit, everything else be damned. Supporting the companies that are moving away from destructive practices will help make the whole industry more sustainable." The big thing in palm oil's favor is its high yields. Oil palms produce 4 to 10 times more oil per acre than soy or canola, which means that if consumer demand pushed companies toward these other alternatives, it could lead to more deforestation. One of Lush's ethical buyers, Mark Rumbell, put this into alarming perspective: "To produce the same amount of oil that comes from one hectare of palm you would need three hectares of rapeseed, four hectares of sunflower, 4.7 hectares of soya or seven hectares of coconut... If the entire world switched to coconut we would need around seven times as much land." Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, located in Colorado Springs, CO, has a section of its website dedicated to protecting orangutans and making better palm oil choices. It too advocates against boycotting for the reasons above, as well as the fact that poor countries like Indonesia and Malaysia rely on the palm oil industry to employ millions of people. Striving to make the industry more sustainable through certifications such as Rainforest Alliance and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is better for them than having it collapse. From the Zoo's website: "There will always be a demand for edible oil, and demand is growing due to worldwide population growth. Palm oil is in many of the items we eat and use every day. If we boycott palm oil, another crop will take its place." Like I said before, these viewpoints are at odds with my attitude toward palm oil, despite having visited a Rainforest Alliance-certified palm oil plantation in Honduras in 2014. It was an impressive operation, but I wrote at the time that I'd continue to avoid palm oil "mostly because its difficult to find Rainforest Alliance-certified products where I live, and because I prioritize local products over tropical imports whenever possible." I think that last point remains relevant for those of us who do not live in tropical countries. Our ancestors never encountered palm oil because their lives were simpler, less consumeristic, less reliant on imports. They didn't have a different skincare product for every body part or packaged snacks for eating on the go. What we need is a blend of approaches a strict commitment to sourcing sustainable palm oil whenever it does appear as an ingredient, accompanied by an overall decrease in the number of items we buy that contain it. Think of it as making do with less (fewer items and purer ingredient lists) and making more things from scratch. The decrease will happen naturally, since only 19 percent of palm oil is RSPO-certified, making it harder to find. WWF has a scorecard from 2016 that ranks international brands on their commitment to sourcing sustainable palm oil. Check it out before you go shopping. You can also download an app called Sustainable Palm Oil Shopping produced by the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo that allows you to check if products are orangutan-friendly and made from sustainable palm oil; there are more than 5,000 products in the database. And definitely familiarize yourself with these 25 sneaky names for palm oil. * Thousands of protesters took to the streets of French cities on December 15 in the fifth weekend of demonstrations against Emmanuel Macron's government, ignoring calls to hold off after a gun attack in Strasbourg this week. * Moscow has not received any response from Washington to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's proposal to discuss disagreements concerning the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on December 15. * Britain's exit from the European Union was heading for an impasse, one senior minister said on December 15, after a week in which Prime Minister Theresa May failed to win EU assurances on her deal and pulled a vote because UK lawmakers would defeat it. * Australia formally recognises west Jerusalem as Israel's capital, reversing decades of Middle East policy, but will not move its embassy there immediately, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on December 15. * The Cairo-based Arab League (AL) condemned in a statement on December 15 Australia's recent decision to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel's capital. * China, Afghanistan and Pakistan reached broad consensus on trilateral cooperation during the foreign ministers' dialogue between the three sides, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks when speaking to the press after attending the 2nd China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Kabul on December 15. * German Chancellor Angela Merkel has emphasized the importance of European integration as a path to peace and security, calling for addressing challenges such as digitalization and globalization. * The European Union (EU) granted Morocco 148 million to address the hike in irregular migration, Moroccan official MAP news agency reported Saturday. * Burundi will attend a forthcoming summit of heads of state of the six-member East African Community (EAC) due on December 27 in Tanzania's Arusha, after it was postphoned due to Burundi's absence, Burundian president spokesperson Jean Claude Karerwa said Saturday. * US President Donald Trump said on December 15 that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will step down at the end of this year. * Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani met in Kabul on December 15 with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with both sides expressing willingness to deepen cooperation and combat terrorism. * Two Tu-160 strategic bombers have returned to their home base in Russia after an international visit to Venezuela, the Russian Defense Ministry said on December 15. * The Pakistan Army said on December 15 it had built 233 forts along the border with Afghanistan as part of its border fencing plan to stop cross-border movement of militants. * Affected by "adverse atmospheric diffusion conditions," heavily polluted weather is like to haunt the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area and its surrounding regions in the next 10 days, said the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China in an air quality report for the rest of December. * Cyprus recorded the largest decrease among EU countries in Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) between June 2017 and June 2018, the European Banking Authority (EBA) said in a report Saturday. It said Cyprus brought down non-performing loans by 8.6 percent, followed by Portugal with 5 percent and Ireland with 4.8 percent. * At least 20 Afghan civilians, including 12 children, were killed in an airstrike targeting a Taliban commander in the eastern province of Kunar late on December 14, local officials said. editorial@tribune.com Amritsar, December 16 Acting on a tip-off, excise officials seized 510 boxes of liquor, smuggled from Arunachal Pradesh, from residential complex of New Model Town in Chheharta on Sunday. When the owner of the building did not arrive, the excise team, along with police officials, broke open the lock of the house in the presence of respectable people. The team found two brands Crazy Romeo and Party Special from the spot. It was manufactured and smuggled from Arunachal Pradesh, said excise officials. It has been learnt that the liquor was to be used during panchayat elections, though the police authorities said further investigations were under way. Vappala Balachandran Vappala Balachandran ex-Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat The Justin Trudeau government has been facing rough weather on national security and terrorism issues. This is not because terrorist violence in that country has spiralled out of control. On the other hand, their terrorism threat level has been judged as "medium" since 2014. The reason is the emergence of peripheral issues on security and terrorism now dominating public discourse as divisive factors in the country. It started when the government introduced the "National Security Act-2017", also known as C-59, to overhaul intelligence and operational branches. This was the most ambitious security measure undertaken since 1984 when the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was created, replacing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as chief collector of national security intelligence. The Canadian Bar Association has generally welcomed C-59 as a positive change in modernising the legal security framework. However, fierce opposition has come from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) on what it describes as the new "disruption powers" conferred on the CSIS under the new Act. It has reminded the country that the CSIS was created to separate intelligence collection from criminal investigation and executive action on the recommendations of the McDonald Commission (1977-1981) which had investigated into the RCMP abuses. Now, the same CSIS has been given executive powers, like interrupting money transfers or planting forged documents, to disrupt alleged terrorist activity in the course of its intelligence collection. This, it felt, was against civil rights and could be misused. This antagonistic public discourse has delayed the progress of this Bill. After three readings in the House of Commons and Committee stage, it reached the Senate's second reading and referral to the committee on December 11, 2018. Public report on terror However, what churned the security discourse into a public display of the Sikh community anger was the release of the "Public Report on the Terrorist Threat to Canada" (2018). This has also put India in the eye of the storm. On December 11, 2018 Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, released this report along with "National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence". Both these papers were meant to introduce more transparency in managing security matters. In fact, The National Strategy was developed by the "Canada Centre on Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence", also known as the Canada Centre, with public partnership, something like what the British "Channel" programme was meant to achieve in identifying community response to counter radicalisation. While the National Strategy makes no mention of Sikh extremism, the Public Report lists five "current threats" to Canada: Sunni Islamist extremism, Right wing extremism, Sikh (Khalistan) extremism, Shia extremism and Canadian extremist travellers. Of these, the narrative on Sikh extremism is the shortest. It gives a historical oversight on their violent past, including the 1985 Air-India bombing, killing 331. The report admits that attacks in support of the Khalistan movement have declined. Yet, it points out that two key organisations in Canada (the Babbar Khalsa and ISYF) "remain listed terrorist entities" under the "Criminal Code" being associated with terrorism. Faced with the community's anger, Goodale announced on December 14 that his ministry would "reconsider the way Sikh organisations are described" in the report. He was "confident the security officials who wrote the 2018 report on terrorism threats facing Canada did not mean to malign entire religions when describing Sikh, Shia and Sunni extremism, but he is still asking them to make changes to be more precise." Sikhs counter terror charge The Sikh community countered this, saying that this was for the first time that Sikh extremism was mentioned in any annual terror report without providing any new evidence. It said that the only incident mentioned was the 1985 Kanishka incident. "Reevaluating the language is fine, but just the fact that this section was there is very troubling, given that there is absolutely no context beyond something that happened three decades ago." Some observers also pointed out that the US State Department's compilation for 2017 released in 2018 does not mention any Sikh extremist organisations. The Sikh community also protested at this mention in the Public Report: "Furthermore, Shia and Sikh (Khalistani) extremism also remain of concern because while their attacks in Canada have been extremely limited, some Canadians continue to support these extremist groups, including through financing." This, it alleged, was due to Indian pressure during Prime Minister Trudeau's visit to India. Simultaneously, Canadian media said that Trudeau spent "much of the India trip working to dispel accusations that Canada was a hotbed of Khalistani extremism. At the end of it, he agreed to a security framework with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is Hindu, that committed to combating terrorism, including several Sikh extremist organisations." Ontario's "The London Free Press" (December 12) gave more reasons for the Sikh anger and fears of being "lumped up with a lot of Islamphobia" as Sikhs are already subject to hate crimes, being a "highly visible minority in this country". It quoted Rattan Mall, Editor of the "Indo-Canadian Voice", admitting that some groups in Canada use "anti-Indian" and "abusive" language, but there are many who do not support the idea of "Khalistan". Their main fear is "stereotyping", as there are still people who think that someone with a turban is a terrorist. The problem is the divergent way Canada and India look at these contentious issues. An Indian daily quoted our High Commissioner in Canada saying early this year: "Unfortunately, Canada is the only country which is providing a platform or is seen to be providing a platform to the Khalistani elements". To this, Canadians say that advocating for an independent Sikh state is no different from wanting Quebec to separate from Canada, which is not a crime in Canada. Also, mere extremism without violence or overt acts is not an offence in Canada, the USA or even in the UK. Canada has been trying to reduce radicalisation through "Kanishka Project" since 2011. rchopra@tribunemail.com Washington, December 17 The American Sikh community has expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the laying of the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor in Punjab. We the Sikh diaspora are thankful to Narendra Modi and his government for realising the long-cherished dream of Sikhs in India and abroad and laying the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor on November 26, 2018, the Sikhs of America organisation said in a resolution addressed to the prime minister. Since the foundation stone was laid on the Pakistan side also, Sikhs across the globe are looking forward to the much-anticipated pilgrimage, said the resolution. A copy of the resolution was presented to senior officials of the Indian Embassy here at an event organised by Sikhs of America in the Maryland suburb of Washington. The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistans Kartarpur--the final resting place of Guru Nanak--with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Indias Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will only have to obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1522 by Guru Nanak. For the last few months, good news has been coming for the Sikh community in India and abroad, Jasdip Singh, chairman of Sikhs of America, said as he praised the role of the Indian government in bringing to justice some of the accused involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. We are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. However, there is a lot to be done, Singh said, hoping that in the coming weeks and months other politicians involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots would also be brought to justice. He said the government had addressed most of their concerns, including removal of some Sikhs from the visa blacklist. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com New Delhi, December 17 The Amnesty India on Monday demanded an independent investigation into the recent death of seven civilians in clashes that followed an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. Seven civilians died on Saturday when security forces opened fire at a mob that had thronged the site of the encounter in the south Kashmir district in which three militants and an army man were killed, police said. The militants killed included army deserter Zahoor Ahmad Thoker, who belonged to Simoo village, where the gunfight took place. "Authorities must conduct a full and independent investigation into the incident, and those responsible must be prosecuted in a civilian court of law," said Asmita Basu, the Programmes Director of Amnesty India. Governor Satya Pal Malik had reviewed the law and order situation on the day encounter and ordered a probe by Kashmir's divisional commissioner into the civilian deaths. "The intentional use of firearms should be done only when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life, and law enforcement officials should distinguish between persons engaging in violence and peaceful demonstrators," Basu added. On Saturday, a police spokesman had said, the crowd "came dangerously close from different parts to the encounter site" while the army operation was still ongoing, forcing security to resort to firing. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Mumbai, December 17 After the success of Stree, actor Rajkummar Rao has signed another untitled horror comedy to be creatively directed by Fukrey helmer Mrigdeep Singh Lamba. The film will be backed by Dinesh Vijan, who also produced Stree and is currently working with Rajkumar on Made in China. Raj plays a small-time goon whose plans go haywire when he discovers that he might be in store for some supernatural encounters. You can be sure he will be as riveting as Strees ladies tailor, chasing after a ghost, Dinesh said in a statement. The horror-comedy, which rolls early next year, also features Varun Sharma. It will be filmed in Muradabad, Uttar Pradesh. It chronicles the story of two village idiots who get stuck in a frightful situation but their fool-hardy shenanigans never stop. Mrigdeep says Raj and Varun are a stellar combination that nobody has explored. Though Raj has proved his comic timing in films like Bareilly... and Stree, here he will have to shed every bit of himself and get into the skin of this self-proclaimed village hero, who is actually a fool, he says. The female lead has not been locked yet and Dinesh says much like Stree, the female character will be the focal point and game changer for the film. The film is aiming for a January 2020 release. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Korba, December 17 Three workers were killed after a gas leak in an underground coal mine of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) in Chhattisgarhs Korba district, police said. The accident took place on Sunday evening in Bagdewa coal mines of SECL, which is a subsidiary of Coal India, a senior police official said. A worker accidentally went inside a non-functional tunnel of the mine where the oxygen level was low and a poisonous gas was emanating, he said. In a bid to rescue him, two other workers went inside the tunnel and all three of them fell unconscious, he said. After being alerted, a rescue team pulled out the three workers and took them to a local hospital where all of them were declared dead, the official said. A case was registered, he said, adding that a probe was under way. Chhattisgarhs chief minister-designate Bhupesh Baghel expressed condolences over the death of the three workers and announced a compensation of Rs 75,000 to the families of each of the deceased. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Katihar, December 17 Four people were killed and three others seriously injured when a truck collided with a car and then rammed into a tea stall in Bihars Katihar district in the early hours of Monday. The accident took place when the urea-laden truck hit the car, coming from the opposite direction on NH 31, and then rammed into the roadside stall, Kursela Police Station SHO Chittaranjan Kumar said. The truck was on its way to Purnea while the car was proceeding to Khagaria when the incident occurred between 2 am and 4 am, near the State Bank of India branch on Kursela Chowk. Two members of a family, who were travelling in the car, died on the spot while two others of the same family were injured, he said. The tea seller of the roadside shop died on the spot while another person, standing at the tea shop, was seriously injured, the SHO said. The driver of the car was also among the deceased, the SHO said. The injured were initially rushed to Kursela primary health centre from where the doctors referred them to Purnea and Siliguri. The deceased have been identified as Akash Kumar Singh (22), Baby Kumari (45), tea seller Dino Mandal (55) and the driver of the car, the SHO said. All four bodies had been sent to Katihar sadar hospital for post-mortem, he said. The truck driver fled the spot. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com Smita Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 17 After years running from pillar to post, Fauzia Ansari is smiling again. The elderly teacher from Mumbai along with her husband Nehal and elder son Khalid will finally re-unite with her younger son Hamid Ansari after six years at Wagah border on Tuesday. Her son, a software engineer from Mumbai, crossed over on illegal documents from Kabul into Kohat in Pakistan in 2012 to meet Saba, the love of his life he befriended online. Hamid Ansari was arrested on charges of espionage and lodged at the central jail in Peshawar. He was convicted in December 2015 for anti-state activities. Only in 2016 in reply to a habeas corpus petition filed by Fauzia did the family ascertain Hamid was being tried by a Pakistani military court. Sources today confirmed that Hamid would be handed back to India on Tuesday following the completion of his three-year prison term on December 15, 2018. On December 13, when the Pakistan government told court that they needed another month for repatriation process, we were all shocked. We were painting and lighting up the house, but were shattered on hearing this. So we thought let us go to Delhi to ask the Pakistani High Commissioner about the release date. Now it is unbelievable that tomorrow I will see him finally and he will be on Indian soil, said a choking Fauzia Ansari who later met Pakistani envoy Sohail Mahmood. He was never a spy. He was in love. Both governments need to realise that because of social media and internet the world has become smaller and people are in touch across borders. When you deny emotions someone like Hamid may take a risk knowing very well that they may end up getting arrested, said Jatin Desai, a journalist who supported Fauzia Ansari all these years in her struggle. amansharma@tribunemail.com Smita Sharma & Ravi Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 17 Asked to react to the life sentence handed to its former MP Sajjan Kumar in the anti-Sikh massacre of 1984, the Congress on Monday chose to attack the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead, for the 2002 Gujarat riots. Responding to questions as to why did the party not distance itself from the riots tainted leader, former minister and Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, Sajjan Kumar wasnt given any ticket by our party and he doesnt hold any office. The party also went on the offensive against PM Modi when asked about the decision to appoint another 1984 riots accused Kamal Nath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. What about the allegations made against the then chief minister in 2002 Gujarat violence. Rather than questioning Kamal Nath, one should question Prime Minister Modi for riots that took place under his nose, said Sibbal, flanked by senior party faces Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Abhishek Singhvi in Parliament. BJP leaders like Arun Jaitley are trying to give political colours to courts verdict. They should stop doing so. It is the courts decision and we accept it, he added. The Congress delegation which was joined by the RJD and CPI after moving privilege motions in Rajya Sabha against the government on the Rafale case, however led to some discomfort in the opposition alliance partners with its line of attack on the Sajjan Kumar case. Welcoming the delayed verdict, Manoj Jha of the RJD told The Tribune, We have always maintained that any genocidal violence whether 1984 or 2002, the victims need justice. RJD will never equate genocidal episode A with genocidal episode B. Victims of mass violence must get justice immediately if the idea of India has to remain. Law has taken its course and finally justice has been delivered. It should be accepted, said CPI leader D Raja. If there is credible evidence the law must take its course and the Congress has to make its decisions, he responded when asked about Kamal Nath. Because Arun Jaitley is part of the government, he thinks he can take credit for it. But there is a jurisprudence and legal system in the country, the CPI MP remarked. The law has taken 34 long years to finally catch up and deliver justice.The politburo demands that all victims of communal violence whether they are from 1984, 2002 or other such incidents should get justice. Political leaders who led, backed and shielded the mobs must be brought to justice, said the CPM politburo in its statement. Bhagwant Maan of the Aam Aadmi Party speaking to The Tribune said there was a long delay in the verdict with many families of the victims having died as they waited for justice. He also attacked the Congress for adding salt to the wounds of Sikhs by swearing in Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh CM , a decision he said would be opposed. amansharma@tribunemail.com New Delhi, December 17 A Delhi court on Monday put an Army Major on trial for allegedly killing another officers wife he was obsessed with and destroying evidence in the case. Special Judge Rakesh Syal framed the charges against Major Nikhil Handa under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) after the accused pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The court has fixed the matter for January 19, when it will start recording the prosecution evidence. In the charge sheet, the Delhi police had alleged that it was a pre-planned murder. It had claimed that a night before the incident, the accused had watched various videos on Youtube on how to kill someone, which indicates his intention to murder the woman. The police claimed that the accused was obsessed with his fellow officers wife and wanted to marry her. Major Handa, who is married with two kids, knew the women and her husband, also a Major in the Army, since 2015 when both of them were posted in Nagaland. If convicted for murder, he may get a maximum of death penalty in the case. Handa was arrested in June from Meerut for his alleged involvement in the killing of another Majors wife in West Delhi. The womans body was found with her throat slit near the Brar Square in the Delhi Cantonment area. Initially, the police was informed that a woman had died in an accident. Later, when they inspected the body, it was found that her throat was slit, the police had said. The accused had allegedly run a car over her face and the body in order to make the incident appear as an accident, the police has alleged. The woman was dropped at the Army Base Hospital in her husbands official vehicle by a driver. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com Kolkata, December 17 A day after DMK president MK Stalin proposed the name of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate, the Trinamool Congress leadership on Monday distanced itself from the statement saying any such announcement would be premature. A TMC leader said the decision on who should be the prime minister should only be taken following a discussion among the Opposition parties after the Lok Sabha election results were announced. He added that any unilateral announcement could send out a wrong message. "Other Opposition parties, too, are of the opinion that any decision on the PM candidate should be decided only after the Lok Sabha election results. Any announcement on the PM candidate right now would be premature as it would divide the Opposition camp," a senior TMC leader told PTI on condition of anonymity. Stalin had on Sunday made a strong pitch for the Congress chief as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" Narendra Modi government. Distancing of the TMC from the Rahul-for-PM view is politically significant as, after the Congress and the AIADMK, the TMC is the third-largest party from the Opposition in the Lok Sabha with 34 MPs. It has 13 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who was invited at the swearing-in ceremony of Congress leader Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister, did not attend the programme, sending senior party MP Dinesh Trived instead. BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha mocked the TMC for dreaming that their party leader would be the next prime minister. "Leaders of the TMC are dreaming that a leader from their party would be the next prime minister. The problem with this so-called Opposition alliance is that everybody is a PM aspirant. The people of this country understand everything," Sinha said. The state Congress leadership, too, has been vocal against the TMC for not giving credit to Gandhi for the massive victory in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls. The Congress had last week asked if Trinamool leaders were having "sleepless nights" fearing that their dream of Banerjee becoming the prime minister might not fulfilled. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com New Delhi, December 17 The Congress on Monday gave notices for breach of privilege in both Houses of Parliament, demanding an explanation from the government on why it provided the Supreme Court wrong information on the Rafale deal. BJPs Anurag Thakur has also moved a privilege motion in the Lok Sabha against Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale fighter jet issue. While Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sent the notice to the Chairman of the Upper House, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge Kharge gave the notice in the Lower House. I have given a breach of privilege notice against the government and in particular against Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad as it was the Law Ministry that gave the go-ahead for presenting the affidavit before the Supreme Court, he said. This is the first time that a government has provided wrong information to the Supreme Court, he said. This is why our demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) becomes more relevant. We demand that a JPC be formed to probe the theft in the Rafale deal, Azad said. We have no faith in this government as it is misleading the Supreme Court by giving false information and is also misleading the people of the country, he alleged. The Congress, through its notices, is demanding answers from the Law Minister on why the government provided wrong information to the Supreme Court about the CAG report on the Rafale pricing issue, he said. The Congress on Sunday urged the Supreme Court to recall its Rafale judgment and issue notices to the Central government for contempt of court and perjury, alleging the Centre provided false information to the apex court. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma alleged that the government was guilty of committing breach of privilege of both Houses of Parliament by claiming that the CAG report on Rafale aircraft pricing was presented to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed pleas alleging irregularities in the Rafale deal, saying there was no occasion to really doubt the decision-making process warranting setting aside of the defence contract for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets. In its judgment, the court made a reference to a CAG report on the aircraft deal. It said the CAG report was examined by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. But the Congress insisted that the government presented wrong facts before the court during the hearing of pleas challenging the aircraft deal with France, which gave the government relief in the cases. On Saturday, the Centre moved the Supreme Court seeking correction in the judgment, saying misinterpretation of its note resulted in a controversy in the public domain. The Centre made it clear that it did not say the CAG report was examined by the PAC or a redacted portion was placed before Parliament. It clarified the note had said the government has already shared the price details with CAG, written in past tense and is factually correct. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com New Delhi, December 17 The proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were disrupted for the fifth consecutive day on Monday over the Rafale jet deal and Cauvery issues, leading to adjournment of the House for the day. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House within minutes of assembly as members of Tamil Nadu partiesDMK and AIADMKstormed into the well of the House and Congress and treasury benches raised slogans. Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has given a notice for taking up of a discussion over the government allegedly misguiding the Supreme Court over the purchase of Rafale jets from France. He was countered by slogan-shouting from Treasury Benches demanding an apology from the Congress after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the deal. Naidu cut short Azad, saying his notice has been received but the issue pertains to a subject matter under consideration of the Supreme Court. He then went on to adjourn the proceedings till tomorrow. But before doing that he remarked, What is going on. AIADMK and DMK members were in the well seeking a permanent solution to the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Before the ruckus, Naidu said he has admitted a call attention notice on the destruction caused by cyclones in different states. Also, Azads notice about price rise and the one given by Ramgopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party and TMCs Derek OBrien on the agrarian crisis were also admitted. When the House met for the day, Naidu mentioned the accomplishment of P V Sindhu who scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win the gold medal at the World Federation Badminton Competition in China. Members thumped desks to congratulate Sindhu on the feat. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Tribune Web Desk Chandigarh, December 17 AAP leader and Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka on Monday welcomed the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He thanked everyone for their support and help in fighting the case. Phoolka had tweeted: Sajjan Kumar case- Monday is a big day of my life- result of 34yrs struggle. I had resigned from post of LOP to appear in this case. In view of strong evidence,will surely succeed. #1984SikhGenocide. Sajjan Kumar case- Monday is a big day of my life- result of 34yrs struggle. I had resigned from post of LOP to appear in this case. In view of strong evidence,will surely succeed. #1984SikhGenocide H S Phoolka (@hsphoolka) December 16, 2018 The Delhi High Court sentenced Sajjan Kumar for conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 17 Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday welcomed the conviction of Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 riots, terming it a case of justice finally delivered to the victims of one of the worst instances of communal violence in independent India. The reversal, by the High Court, of the earlier acquittal of Sajjan by a trial court had once again proved that the judiciary in India continued to stand tall as a pillar of the nations democratic system, said the Chief Minister. Reacting to the Delhi High Court judgement awarding life term to the former Congress MP, Captain Amarinder said the conviction vindicated the stand he had been taking since those dark days of the violence perpetrated on thousands of innocent Sikhs in the wake of the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. He had been naming Sajjan Kumar, along with a few other former Congress leaders, including Dharam Das Shastri, HKL Bhagat and Arjun Das, for the past 34 years, based on the information he had personally received from victims in refugee camps in Delhi during the riots, said Captain Amarinder, hailing the long-awaited verdict. Incidentally, Sajjan Kumar was the only surviving former Congress leaders implicated in the riots, as the others had since passed away. The name of Sajjan Kumar had repeatedly cropped up in his interactions with the victims in the refugee camps, said Captain Amarinder, who had last month also welcomed the first death sentence awarded in the 1984 riots case. Captain Amarinder had, through the years, been calling for the strictest of punishment for the handful of individual Congress leaders who had been involved in instigating the riots. These leaders, who included Sajjan Kumar, did not have any official party sanction and deserved to be punished for their horrendous crime, the Chief Minister had maintained all along. The Chief Minister, however, reiterated his stand that neither the Congress nor the Gandhi family had any role to play in the rioting and lashed out at the Badals for continuing to drag their names into the case at the behest of their political masters the Bharatiya Janata Party, who were clearly shaken by the clear mandate given by the people to Rahul Gandhis leadership in the recent Assembly elections in three states, said Captain Amarinder. There was no Congress conspiracy behind the violence and the names of the Gandhis did not come up even once during his visits to the refugee camps, said the Chief Minister, adding that it was vested political interests that had been trying to draw the Gandhi family into the controver. editorial@tribune.com Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, December 16 Nigerian national Ibukum Bernadict (32), who posed as a British diplomat to dupe a local resident of Rs 5 lakh, was arrested by the Gurdaspur police today. He was planning to cheat others keen to go abroad, particularly students receiving IELTS training. In June, Gurdaspur resident Varun Chauhan had lodged a complaint with the city police station, stating that he had given Rs 5 lakh to a British diplomat. Subsequently, SSP Swarandeep Singh launched an investigation. Ibukum has been booked under various sections of the IPC and the Foreigners Act, 1946. He has been remanded in two-day police custody. Varun had applied for a job online in May. The Nigerian, who was staying in Bengaluru on an expired visa, sent him an email claiming that he was working in the British High Commission in New Delhi. He offered to help him get a UK visa and a work permit. The SSP said Ibukum used the Internet to find the names of employees working in the High Commission and zeroed in on a particular name for impersonation. After noticing that the Gurdaspur resident had taken the bait, the accused started demanding money. Varun paid about Rs 5 lakh in three instalments. When Ibukum demanded more, Varun got suspicious and lodged a complaint, said Kulwant Singh, investigating officer and SHO, city police station. The cops sent a team to Bengaluru on the basis of the Nigerians IP address and mobile tower records, but soon lost track as he kept changing his mobile phone and laptop. Another team, comprising computer experts, was formed. Led by Sub-Inspector Narinder Singh, the team finally managed to track him down to an address in Bengaluru. Initial questioning has revealed that the accused had collected the addresses of many students doing IELTS courses in various cities and was all set to deceive them, the SSP added. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Montreal, December 17 Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdoms role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be extremely difficult to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties. But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggis murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing. The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and thats why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that, Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV. We inherited actually a (Can) dollars 15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, he said. We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia, he added. The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Canadian dollars 1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October. Trudeau has been criticised by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract. London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armoured personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia. The deal, worth USD11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history. But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials. After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabias de facto ruler. In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder. Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months. Riyadh expelled Ottawas ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canadas rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released. AFP monicakchauhan@gmail.com London, December 17 Meghan Markle's father said on Monday that he hoped Queen Elizabeth would intercede to end his estrangement from his daughter, the wife of Britain's Prince Harry. "I would appreciate anything she can do and I would think that she would want to resolve the family problems," Thomas Markle said of Elizabeth in an interview aired live on ITV. "All families, royal or otherwise, are the same and they should all be together certainly around the holidays," Markle said. Markle said that Meghan had not sent him a Christmas card but that he was hopeful that they could at some time build their relationship. "All I can say is that I'm here she knows it and I've reached out to her and I need her to reach back to me. I love her very much," Markle said. "I love my daughter very much and she has to know that." Kensington Palace did not immediately comment on the interview. Reuters pardeepdhull@gmail.com Riyadh, December 17 Saudi Arabia on Monday slammed as interference US Senate resolutions over its war in Yemen and critic Jamal Khashoggis murder, warning that the move could have repercussions on its strategic ties with Washington. The Republican-controlled Senate voted on Thursday to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and separately held Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for Khashoggis killing. The largely symbolic vote dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has staunchly backed the Saudi regime in the face of intense global outrage that analysts say has left the kingdom diplomatically weakened. The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs, the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. On the Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks the presidents prerogative to launch military action, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while another three Republicans abstained. The Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggis murder and calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, responsible for it. The Saudi ministry warned that the kingdom would not tolerate any disrespect of its rulers. This position by the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship, the ministry said. The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the US to avoid any... significant negative impact on this important strategic relationship. A day after the Senate vote, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo again defended US ties with Saudi Arabia on national security grounds, saying the kingdom was a bulwark against common foe Iran. The Senate resolution acknowledged the US-Saudi ties were important but called on Riyadh to moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy. Prince Mohammed and Saudi Arabia, even prior to introduction of the Senate resolution, were discovering that the Khashoggi killing had weakened the kingdom internationally and had made it more vulnerable to pressure, said James Dorsey, a Middle East expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. The resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump. But the Senate votes send a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh. Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to the Washington Post, was killed on October 2 shortly after entering the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul in what Riyadh called a rogue operation. The murder has tarnished Riyadhs international reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a credible probe into the murder. Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen has also prompted a harder line in Congress about the US militarys role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Huthi rebels. Since the coalition launched its campaign in 2015, the conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher. AFP The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Embassy in Trinidad and T Hello, My husband and I are headed to Costa Rica for 8 nights in late April to attend our friends wedding in Jaco. Our plan is to fly into San Jose in the afternoon, then take a shuttle to Jaco the same day, attend the wedding the next day, and take off to the Santa Teresa area the day after. Here are my main questions: - Ive read that it is much more efficient to get to Santa Teresa by water taxi than ferry, so we were planning to not rent a car until we got there, or potentially going to Tambor and renting a car there if needed. Is the ferry worth the hassle of having a rental car to get to and around Jaco though? - Is 6 nights in the Santa Teresa area too much? We are planning to make day trips to the neighboring cities, nature reserve, and waterfalls, but I also wonder how realistic this is since its hard to tell how much time a trip will really take with road conditions. - We are also considering splitting our time between 3 nights in Santa Teresa and 3 nights in Samara, then driving to Liberia airport to catch our flight home. Is this a good option? If staying in Santa Teresa we will need to take a flight to the airport and my husband is not so keen on the tiny plane idea. - As this is our first trip to Costa Rica, are we making a mistake by going more off the beaten path instead of seeing more common sites like Arenal, Monteverde, and the Manuel Antonio area? Its so hard to fit everything in! Thanks so much for the help! We will be flying from the U.S. to Hanoi on EVA, then continuing on via Vietnam Air to Siem Reap. 10 days later, we will be reentering Vietnam by river boat and staying in the country for 2 weeks. Here are my questions: 1. Will we need a visa on entering Hanoi since we are continuing on and not leaving the airport? We will of course need to collect our bags from EVA and I assume check in to Vietnam Air. If yes then I assume we need a multiple entry visa since we will be returning to Vietnam? 2. On the boat, we have been told we need a paper visa (not e-visa). If we do get a visa in our passport as discussed in question #1, I assume this is all we need for reentry by boat? > Is it difficult planning your own trip in Vietnam? No. It's one of the easiest countries in the world. > Is it better to book hotels online before arrival? We do usually do this on our (many) trips to Europe and do prefer to stick to a schedule. I always book my first night or two then just book a day ahead as I go. If you have a schedule of hotels booked, you're locked in to a timetable. That means you can't linger somewhere you've fallen in love with or are stuck longer than you'd like somewhere you don't like. > I must admit I find the stories of taxi drivers overcharging quite stressful. Is it possible to just use shuttle buses to avoid the stress? Shuttle buses are fine. Or pre-pay for a taxi inside the terminal. You'll pay a $ or two more, but remove all the risk. I make sure my hotel is on the shuttle bus route before I book accommodation. > Or do some hotels run their own shuttles? Perhaps some do, but not at the lower end of the market. They will all offer to arrange a pickup, but it's usually a lot more expensive than getting a bus or your own taxi. > I have also heard that hotels quote one price, then increase it on checkout? Never had a problem. I always book at booking.com or agoda.com You can always ask to extend at the same price. > We are not planning a cheap holiday, but we hate the idea of scams, and prices unexpectedly changing. It's nothing like as bad as you're worried about. > We do expect we will do little day tours to get to places. Is it better to organise tours from Australia or book them locally at the time?: Book locally. The following is a release issued by the US State Department on November 30, 2021. UEFA Europa League round of 32 draw Viktoria Plzen (CZE) v Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) Club Brugge (BEL) v Salzburg (AUT) Rapid Wien (AUT) v Internazionale (ITA) Slavia Praha (CZE) v Genk (BEL) Krasnodar (RUS) v Leverkusen (GER) Zurich (SUI) v Napoli (ITA) Malmo (SWE) v Chelsea (ENG) Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) Celtic (SCO) v Valencia (ESP) Rennes (FRA) v Real Betis (ESP) Olympiacos (GRE) v Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) Lazio (ITA) v Sevilla (ESP)** Fenerbahce (TUR) v Zenit (RUS)* Sporting CP (POR) v Villarreal (ESP) BATE Borisov (BLR) v Arsenal (ENG) Galatasaray (TUR) v Benfica (POR) Seeded teams (on the right of each fixture) are at home in the second legs. Matches are on 14 and 21 February except: *First leg on Tuesday 12 February at 18:55CET, and; **Second leg on Wednesday 20 February at 18:00CET. PICK YOUR TEAM OF THE YEAR Draw facts 1991 final highlights: Inter's first title Inter defeated Rapid Wien in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup first round en route to their maiden title. Arsenal beat BATE 4-2 away and 6-0 at home in last season's group stage. Former Gunner Aleksandr Hleb, now 37, is still in the Belarusian side's squad. Benfica and Galatasaray each recorded a 2-1 home win when they met in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League group stage. The Turkish club came out on top in their 2008/09 UEFA Cup encounter, though, with a 2-0 group victory in Lisbon. Ten former winners line up in the round of 32: Chelsea (2013), Frankfurt (1980), Galatasaray (2000), Inter (1991, 1994, 1998), Leverkusen (1988), Napoli (1989), Sevilla (2016, 2015, 2014, 2007, 2006), Shakhtar (2009), Valencia (2004), Zenit (2008). Two meet in the shape of Shakhtar v Frankfurt. MEET THE LAST 32 UEFA via Getty Images How the draw worked Two seeding pots were formed: Seeded teams Consisting of 12 group winners and the four best third-ranked teams in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Unseeded teams Made up of 12 group runners-up and the remaining teams transferring from the UEFA Champions League. Restrictions: No team could play a club from their group. No team could play a club from their own association. Based on decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from Russia and Ukraine cannot be drawn together. Road to the final 14 February: Round of 32, first leg 21 February: Round of 32, second leg 22 February: Round of 16 draw, Nyon 7 March: Round of 16, first leg 14 March: Round of 16, second leg 15 March: Quarter-final and semi-final draws, Nyon 11 April: Quarter-finals, first leg 18 April: Quarter-finals, second leg 2 May: Semi-finals, first leg 9 May: Semi-finals, second leg 29 May: Final Olympic Stadium, Baku Information technologies, energy, customs and justice are the priority sectoral areas of cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union. "The development of the digital market, integration of the energy market, cooperation in the customs area as well as the freedom and reliability of justice are the priority sectoral areas of cooperation for us," Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman said at a joint press conference with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The Prime Minister of Ukraine added that he had discussed with the High Representative of the Union the extremely wide range of cooperation issues: from supporting the reforms of education and decentralization to the civil service reform. ol On Friday, December 14, the Jordanian airline Jordan Aviation performed the first flight from the country's capital Amman to the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany). As the Center for Transport Strategies reports, the Amman-Kyiv-Amman flight is performed by a Boeing 737-300 aircraft on Fridays according to the following schedule: Amman-Kyiv - 09:00 - 12:30, Kyiv-Amman - 13:30 - 17:00. The flight time is 3 hours 30 minutes. Amman-Kyiv flight ticket costs JOD 70 (about USD 100), Kyiv-Amman JOD 50 (USD 70). If Ukrainians buy a package tour (air travel, accommodation, transfer, insurance), a visa is issued at the airport free of charge. Otherwise, a visa will cost USD 60 and issued at the airport. A representative of the airline will meet the clients from Ukraine at the airport in Amman and help to get a visa. ol Former Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Onufriy will be called Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine after the creation of the united Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the election of its head. The head of the new church, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epifaniy, said this in an interview with the TSN (Television News Service) program. "The Ecumenical Patriarch addressed a letter personally to Metropolitan Onufriy, who was clearly told that after the unification council and the election of the primate of this united church, Metropolitan of Kyiv, he automatically becomes the canonical metropolitan of Kyiv. From that time, accordingly, there cannot be two Metropolitans of Kyiv. Accordingly, Metropolitan Onufriy will be only the metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine," the leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said. He added that the parishes of the former Moscow Patriarchate are now "in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church, with Ukrainian registration." The unification council of the united Ukrainian Orthodox Church took place at the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv on December 15. The clergy elected Metropolitan Epifaniy as the head of the autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine. A Burundian refugee stands outside her cooking gas stall in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, November 2018. UNHCR/Anthony Karumba NEW YORK, 17 December 2018 In a historic decision, the member states of the UN General Assembly today agreed on a new international framework known as the Global Compact on Refugees that will transform the way the world responds to mass displacement and refugee crises, benefiting both refugees and the communities that host them. No country should be left alone to respond to a huge influx of refugees, said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Refugee crises call for a global sharing of responsibility, and the compact is a powerful expression of how we work together in todays fragmented world. The Global Compact on Refugees was agreed as part of this years annual resolution on UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. It builds on the existing international legal system for refugees, notably the 1951 Refugee Convention, and on human rights and humanitarian law. It is a non-binding operational tool to bolster cooperation. After two years of extensive consultations led by UNHCR with member states, international organizations, refugees, civil society, the private business sector and experts, this new global deal will provide more robust support for the countries where most refugees live. It will also strengthen the shared responsibility to aid those who are forced to flee by conflict or persecution. The Global Compact on Refugees, explained The compact translates the idea of responsibility sharing into concrete, practical measures, to ensure refugees arent held hostage to the vagaries of politics, said Grandi. It provides long overdue recognition that countries hosting large numbers of refugees provide a huge service to our shared humanity and sets out ways through which the rest of the world can help share the load. This deal comes at a time of urgent need to address record-high displacement figures over 68.5 million people have been forced to flee worldwide, including more than 25.4 million people who have crossed borders to become refugees. Nine out of 10 refugees live in developing countries, where basic services like health or education are already strained. The compact aims to address this issue by providing more investment from both governments and the private sector to further strengthen infrastructure and the provision of services for the benefit of both refugees and host communities. It also calls for policies and measures that will enable refugees to access education and to lead productive lives during the time they are in exile. The compact aims to address the environmental impact of hosting refugee populations and includes promotion of the use of alternative energy. The agreement also envisions more resettlement and other opportunities such as through family reunification, student scholarships, or humanitarian visas so that refugees can travel safely. It also notes that the voluntary return of refugees in conditions of safety and dignity remains the preferred solution in the majority of refugee situations. The new agreement will monitor progress through the creation of follow-up systems, including a Global Refugee Forum every four years at which governments will report and pledge on a range of measures funding, policy, legal changes, resettlement quotas, etc. The refugee compacts adoption by the UNGA comes days after an intergovernmental conference adopted a separate Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakech, which will be presented to the UN General Assembly later this week. For more information on this topic, please contact: 1. Why do we need a Global Compact on Refugees? At the end of 2017, there were nearly 25.4 million refugees around the world. The burden and responsibility for hosting and supporting such large numbers of refugees continues to fall disproportionately on relatively few countries. Ten countries host 60 per cent of the worlds refugees and the vast majority of refugees (85 per cent) live in developing countries that face their own development challenges. Supporting these countries and finding global solutions for those who flee is critical and can be done by strengthening the cooperation among states, international organizations, civil society and the private sector. This is exactly what the Global Compact on Refugees is about. It is a new deal for refugees and the communities hosting them. The compact seeks to improve protection conditions for refugees in host countries, for example by reducing the need for dangerous onward movements, and ensuring that the development of those countries and communities does not suffer because of their generosity. The compact translates the commitments made by 193 UN Member States through the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in September 2016, into practical, concrete measures. Its a blueprint to guide and strengthen the international refugee response so host communities get the timely support they need, refugees get access to health and education, as well as livelihood opportunities to lead productive lives, and finally, that solutions to the plight of refugees are sought from the start. It will help make responses more systematic, and galvanize action and resources at both local and international level. 2. What does the compact consist of? The compact has four parts. First an introduction explaining its background, guiding principles and objectives. The Second part is the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). The third part is a Programme of Action, which sets out concrete measures to help meet the objectives of the compact. Finally, the compact has Arrangements for follow-up and review, which will primarily be conducted through a Global Refugee Forum every four years. 3. What do we want to achieve with the Compact? Its four key objectives are to: Ease the pressure on host countries. Almost 9 out of 10 refugees are seeking refuge in the Global South. The countries currently asked to bear the largest responsibility, are doing so as a result of geography alone. These countries need to know that the rest of the world is behind them and ready to support them. With funding, but also with other types of resources such as technical expertise and know-how. Almost 9 out of 10 refugees are seeking refuge in the Global South. The countries currently asked to bear the largest responsibility, are doing so as a result of geography alone. These countries need to know that the rest of the world is behind them and ready to support them. With funding, but also with other types of resources such as technical expertise and know-how. Enhance refugee self-reliance. Refugees come with skills and experience. They also come with impressive resilience, strength and determination to get back on their feet. By giving them the opportunity to engage in education and to work, they are able to provide for themselves and their families this allows refugees to regain the human dignity of taking control of ones own life. Refugees come with skills and experience. They also come with impressive resilience, strength and determination to get back on their feet. By giving them the opportunity to engage in education and to work, they are able to provide for themselves and their families this allows refugees to regain the human dignity of taking control of ones own life. Expand access to third-country solutions; such as family reunification, work permits, scholarships, sponsorships and resettlement. Resettlement can provide a light in the dark for some of the worlds most vulnerable people, is sometimes even a life-saving gesture, as well as it sends a firm message of support to the major host countries. such as family reunification, work permits, scholarships, sponsorships and resettlement. Resettlement can provide a light in the dark for some of the worlds most vulnerable people, is sometimes even a life-saving gesture, as well as it sends a firm message of support to the major host countries. Support conditions in countries of origin , in order for refugees to voluntarily return in safety and dignity. In concrete terms, the Global Compact on Refugee will result in more predictable support to host countries and communities, more resettlement places and other legal pathways to third countries, and greater engagement in solving conflicts (and root causes), enabling voluntary repatriation to become a real and sustainable option. All elements must be worked on together, with equal determination. 4. How does the Global Compact on Refugees relate to the Global Compact for Migration? Both Compacts originate from the commitments made when the UN member states adopted the New York Declaration in 2016, but the Global Compact on Refugees relates to refugees only. Contrary to the Global Compact for Migration, the development of the Global Compact on Refugees has been led by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in collaboration with the UN Member States and NGOs. A wide range of stakeholders have submitted nearly five hundred publicly-available written contributions. 5. Does the Compact replace the Geneva Refugee Convention? No. The compact builds upon, not replaces, the existing international legal system for refugees including the 1951 Refugee Convention and other international legal instruments on refugee, human rights and humanitarian law. The Refugee Convention focuses on the rights of refugees and obligations of states. The global compact on refugees reaffirms those standards and principles, and focuses on increasing international cooperation for a fairer, more systematic and comprehensive response so refugees and those hosting them can rely on robust support. 6. Is the Compact legally binding? No. It is a document that has been intensively negotiated in close cooperation with states and many other stakeholders over the past 18 months, which aims to broaden the base of support available to refugees and the communities which host them. The final text was created in consensus, based on a strong commitment to international refugee protection and international cooperation. It does not create new legal obligations, nor does it modify the mandate of UNHCR. 7. Who has created the Refugee compact? The UN High Commissioner for Refugees was invited by the UN General Assembly to put forward a proposed global compact to be considered by the General Assembly for consideration at its 73rd session and in conjunction with its annual resolution on the UNHCR. During more than 18 months of intensive discussions, UN Member States, experts, civil society and refugees have held dedicated thematic discussions as well as formal consultations, and stocktaking at the High Commissioners Dialogue on Protection Challenges in December 2017. In addition comes lessons learned through the application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework in 15 countries during 2017 and 2018.There was a very strong engagement from UN Member States in the extensive consultation process over the last 18 months, and the final document that the High Commissioner has presented to the General Assembly has broad support. 8. Are the UN Member States supportive of the Global Compact on Refugees? Yes, a large majority. On 13 November 2018, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural (Third) Committee of the UN General Assembly approved the compact as part of its annual omnibus resolution on the UNHCR by overwhelming majority, and on 17 December it was agreed on by the General Assembly (UNGA). Its a consensus document and represents multilateralism in action in todays world. 9. Will we see more refugees coming to Northern Europe because of the Compact? Refugees flee war, persecution and human rights violations. Their escape is not voluntary and cannot be planned. Globally, the vast majority of refugees (85 per cent) flee to and live in developing countries, close to their former home countries, that face their own development challenges. A key part of the Global Compact on Refugees is to make sure that countries hosting refugees are better supported and refugees can be self-reliant in the country they have fled to. In doing so, it seeks to improve protection conditions for refugees in host countries, including to reduce the need for dangerous onward movements, and to ensure that the development of those countries and communities does not suffer because of their generosity. Also, the compact aims at opening up more legal pathways to lasting solutions, including resettlement to third countries such as the ones in Northern Europe. 10. Where can I find more information? On UNHCRs website, there is an own section dedicated to understanding the Global Compact on Refugees. The Global Compact on Refugees can be read here. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Johnny Jose Gonzalez wheels the dolly across the warehouse floor at Doxs, a logistics company just outside of Sao Paulo in the city of Guarulhos. He scoops up a wooden pallet lined with cardboard boxes filled with light bulbs, pumping the dollys handle up and down to lift the merchandise just enough so that he can secure it to the pallet with a large roll of plastic before its loaded onto one of the companys trucks. The 50-year-old Venezuelan, who used to own a construction company, has been working as a warehouse assistant for five months, his first job since arriving in Brazil eight months ago with his son and son-in-law. The three men came from Cumana by bus before making their way to Boa Vista, where most Venezuelans seeking refuge in Brazil go in search of shelter, food and work. "Venezuela was falling apart, he explains. There was no work, no food, no medication. I had to sell everything I had my home, my car to be able to get to Brazil to take care of my family. I had no other choice." The stream of refugees and migrants crossing from Venezuela to Brazil has increased exponentially over the last five years, with almost 200,000 arriving since the start of 2017. Of these, more than 100,000 have since moved on, leaving the current total in the country at some 98,000 with an average of 500 more arriving each day. See also: UNHCR chief calls for regional response to Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis Shelters in Pacaraima and Boa Vista filled quickly during the influx, prompting the federal government to search for new solutions that would allow more Venezuelans to be helped as they crossed the border, and give those who had already arrived the opportunity to restart their lives in cities across Brazil. Sao Paulo is at the forefront of this initiative, which has already helped 3,184 Venezuelans relocate to 28 Brazilian cities. Well-known for its diversity after decades of welcoming refugees and immigrants, the megacity is now home to 532 Venezuelans who arrived by way of the municipal governments partnership with its federal counterpart and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. "Both the companies and the refugees have taken this opportunity to grow and develop." When Gonzalez first arrived in Sao Paulo, he was given a bed at a shelter in the Sao Mateus neighbourhood, where the municipal government had prepared to receive just over 200 Venezuelan men. Now, the shelter is home to 164, thanks to city programmes designed to help the new arrivals regain their independence through language classes and work, giving them what they need to move into their own homes and make room for others who want to start over in Sao Paulo. Gonzalez was hired by Doxs after signing up for the Trabalho Novo, or New Job, programme, which has already helped around 100 Venezuelans find work in Sao Paulo. He is one of 74 who have been able to leave the shelter and rent their own apartment. Filipe Sabara, Sao Paulo's Secretary of Social Development and Assistance, says Venezuelans and the Brazilian companies employing them have both benefited from the city's job programme. UNHCR/Gabo Morales Gonzalez revisits the Centro Transitorio de Acolhimento (CTA) in Sao Paulo. Before moving to Sao Paulo, he lived at the CTA in Sao Mateus for about six months. UNHCR/Gabo Morales Gonzalez, a former owner of a construction company in Venezuela, revisits the Centro Transitorio de Acolhimento (CTA) in Sao Paulo. UNHCR/Gabo Morales Gonzalez speaks to current residents of the Centro Transitorio de Acolhimento (CTA) in Sao Paulo, where he used to live. UNHCR/Gabo Morales Gonzalez takes Portuguese classes at the EMEF Jose Maria Whitaker municipal school in Sao Paulo. UNHCR/Gabo Morales It shows that the best way to help somebody and to support somebody in a refugee situation is by giving them jobs so they can develop their own autonomy, says Filipe Sabara, Sao Paulos Secretary of Social Development and Assistance, which runs the Trabalho Novo programme. And weve had very good feedback from companies that have hired refugees from Venezuela. Both the companies and the refugees have taken this opportunity to grow and develop. Sao Paulo is not alone in its efforts to help the worlds 25.4 million refugees, around 60 per cent of whom live out of camps and in cities and urban areas across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. A growing global network of cities are opting to embrace refugees and the opportunities they bring. From Vienna to Erbil, these Cities of Light are giving refugees the opportunity to apply their talents and become part of the social fabric. Mayors, local authorities, social enterprises and citizens groups are on the frontlines of the global refugee response, fostering social cohesion, and protecting and assisting the forcibly displaced in their midst. On 18 and 19 December, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi will host the eleventh High Commissioners Dialogue event in Geneva, which this year focusses on the role of cities in protecting the urban displaced. Among the barriers facing newly arrived refugees in Sao Paulo is language, which the city is also helping them to overcome. Portas Abertas, or Open Doors, is a programme that offers Portuguese language classes to newly arrived refugees and migrants of all nationalities. For Eyad Mohamed Dabour, a Palestinian refugee and computer engineer who fled Libya five years ago with his wife and children, these classes have allowed him to feel like part of the community where he lives and have given him the skills he needed to open a landscaping business. "Without these classes, I wouln't have my business." The classes provided by the city are the best ones Ive taken, says Dabour, who worked as an IT teacher for 18 years. Theyre taught by real, qualified teachers and the classes arent too big. Now I can talk to my employees, my customers. Without these classes, I wouldnt have my business. A civil engineer, Gonzalez is more than qualified to work in the companys warehouse. He hopes to be able to grow within Doxs, something the company prides itself on helping all of its employees do, particularly those who come to it as refugees. It also employs two other Venezuelans and a Haitian, all hired through the Trabalho Novo programme. But for Gonzalez, Doxs is not just a place to work. While his salary sustains him in Brazil and allows him to send money back to his wife, children and grandchildren in Venezuela -- who he hopes to bring to Sao Paulo in the first two months of the new year -- it has also helped him become part of a community. When he first started his job, it took Gonzalez three hours to get from the shelter in Sao Mateus to work in Guarulhos. The trip was taxing, leaving him exhausted by the time he was set to start his shift at 8 a.m. But his colleagues had a solution. One of them knew of an apartment available for rent nearby. Gonzalez couldnt afford it on his own, so he splits the rent with Jose Alberto Sucre Bello, another Venezuelan working at Doxs, and his son-in-law, who works in a hospital kitchen. His commute is now just a 20-minute walk. Venezuelan Johnny Jose Gonzalez unloads a truck of cargo alongside his Brazilian manager Everton Freitas at the DOXS Logistics center in Guarulhos. in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo. UNHCR/Gabo Morales His colleagues didnt stop there. They got together to help Gonzalez and Bello furnish their new home, each one donating something they would need: from a fridge and a stove, to mattresses and a table and chairs. New friends have helped out too the shoes Gonzalez is wearing were given to him by a neighbour. "I was given a family here in Brazil." I didnt expect to be so blessed, to receive so much affection and support, Gonzalez says. I was given a family here in Brazil. But Gonzalez and Bellos Brazilian friends and colleagues insist they have gained much more from working with the pair than what they have given. I think we as a company have learned more from them than they have from us, says Everton Freitas, who works closely with Gonzalez and Bello as operations manager at Doxs. We learn something new from them every day. They teach us about their culture, about being proactive. They share a lot with us and weve become better because of them. See more stories from the Cities of Light series Over 50 attacks on activists and human rights defenders were registered in Ukraine in 2018. Amnesty International Ukraine has said there was no effective investigation in most cases of attacks on activists in Ukraine, while representatives of the authorities publicly made promises to find the perpetrators, but "forgot" about them after the cases had disappeared off the radar screen. Over 50 attacks on activists and human rights defenders were registered in Ukraine in 2018, according to the organization's report for this year. Read alsoCommissioner Hahn in Ukraine: All crimes against activists must be prosecuted "According to the coalition of local human rights organizations, this number is even greater over 300 attacks in total," the document says. Amnesty International stressed there was no effective investigation in most cases and the perpetrators were not prosecuted. "Usually, after public protests and pressure, government officials publicly promise to identify the attackers. However, these statements were forgotten as soon as the public interest faded away," human rights activists said. The organization also noted they were concerned by the statement made by Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko in the case of the murder of Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk, namely that the activists are partially responsible for attacks on them since they criticize the authorities. "The case of Kateryna Handziuk is an example that the authorities' response to such attacks is not adequate," the report says. Amnesty International stressed the Ukrainian authorities should take effective measures to prevent further attacks and ensure prompt, effective and impartial investigations. "The Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General's Office and other authorities concerned should, among other things, take concrete steps to prevent further attacks. In particular, they should openly recognize the importance of the work of human rights defenders and their contribution to the establishment of human rights. Decisive action is needed to ensure safe conditions for human rights defenders, in which they will have an opportunity to safeguard and promote human rights without fear of 'punishment' and persecution," the report said. The European Union's response to Russian aggression in the Sea of Azov should be comprehensive and more resolute, Groysman said. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said Ukraine and the European Union should consolidate international pressure on the aggressor state, Russia, and step up the sanctions policy, first and foremost, in order to liberate Ukrainian sailors and navy vessels, as well as to restore free navigation in the Sea of Azov. Read alsoMost EU states ready to apply sanctions against Russia Poroshenko "We praise the readiness of our European partners to support Ukraine amid new Russian aggression in the Azov and Black Seas. That is why consolidation of international pressure and tougher sanctions against the Russian Federation are needed, first of all, with the purpose of liberating the 24 Ukrainian sailors and three military vessels captured by Russia. Moscow has crossed the red line. The European Union's response to Russian aggression in the Sea of Azov should be comprehensive and more resolute," Groysman said at a meeting with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini during his working visit to Belgium, according to the Ukrainian government's portal. In turn, Mogherini stressed that Brussels would support Ukraine, and the recent decision of the European Council to prolong sanctions against Russia confirms this position. Following the negotiations, Groysman and Mogherini took part in a ceremony of signing a number of international agreements. In particular, the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission on the financing of the EE4U-II Energy Efficiency Support Program for Ukraine, the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission on the financing of the Technical Cooperation Program 2018, the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission EU4Skills: Best Skills for Modern Ukraine, Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission on the financing of the facility Program for the Facilitation of Contacts among People: the House of Europe. The documents envisage measures to pursue energy conservation policies, strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ukrainian authorities, promote the effectiveness of vocational education reforms in Ukraine, and arrange short-term professional training in EU member states. Lavrov alleges the president of Ukraine is discussing the operation on the border with Crimea with his "Western supervisors." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Ukraine has been masterminding an act of "provocation" on the Russian-Ukrainian border, which may happen late in December, therefore he has promised "retaliation." "Additional information that we have got and which we tend to trust is that Poroshenko is planning an armed provocation on the border with the Russian Federation, on the border with Crimea in the last ten days of December," Lavrov told the Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station, according to an UNIAN correspondent in Russia. Read alsoRussia not to release captured Ukrainian sailors until verdict handed down Lavrov Lavrov says he expects Ukraine's "provocations" in the Kerch Strait zone will also continue. At the same time, he said Russia was ready to "retaliate to the fullest." "He [Poroshenko] will get an answer to the fullest, I promise," Lavrov said. He also alleged the president of Ukraine had been discussing the operation on the border with Crimea with his "Western supervisors." Lavrov said Poroshenko was reportedly advised to support low-intensity military operations so that they could "be constantly yelling through propaganda channels that Russians are attacking Ukraine," without switching the hostilities to the mode that will be followed by full-scale responses. "The provocation is nasty, petty, our relevant services are taking all necessary measures to prevent such excesses from happening," he said. Epifaniy said the new church would be the spiritual foundation and pillar of the Ukrainian state in the difficult times. Newly elected head of the new Ukrainian national Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epifaniy has said Ukraine should win back the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. "We have Crimea occupied [by Russia], we have to have it back; we have Donbas occupied partially [by Russia], and we believe that God will send us a long-awaited fair peace through our prayers," he said in an interview to Radio Liberty. Read alsoMetropolitan Epifaniy explains status of Moscow Patriarchate's Onufriy after unification council He said the new church would be the spiritual foundation and pillar of the Ukrainian state in the difficult times. Epifaniy also explained how the new church would continue to work with the representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate who did not join the united local church. "When a tomos is granted, this will be evidence that we are in fact an independent autocephalous church. Then we will begin to work, communicate, invite, show love and mutual respect. On this basis, I think, they will gradually understand that there is no other way out than to be part of this united Ukrainian church and jointly build our future," Epifaniy said. As UNIAN reported earlier, the unification council of representatives of Ukrainian Orthodox churches on December 15 elected Epifaniy (Serhiy Dumenko) head of the united local Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It will be Epifaniy who will on January 6, 2019, receive from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Constantinople (Istanbul) a tomos (a decree), granting autocephaly (independence) to the newly created church. The consideration is scheduled for 22:00 Kyiv time on Dec 17. On December 17, the General Assembly of the United Nations will consider a draft resolution on the militarization of Russian-occupied Crimea, taking into account Russian aggression in the Kerch Strait, and in particular the seizure of Ukrainian naval boats and crew. "Heads Up: #UNGA to consider today 3pm a draft resolution "Problem of the Militarization of the Autonomous Republic of #Crimea & the city of Sevastopol, #Ukraine, as well as Parts of the Black Sea & the Sea of Azov", initiated by Ukraine & presented on behalf of a group of States," Ukraine's Permanent Mission to the United Nations tweeted on Monday, Dec 17. Heads Up: #UNGA to consider today 3pm a draft resolution "Problem of the Militarization of the Autonomous Republic of #Crimea & the city of Sevastopol, #Ukraine, as well as Parts of the Black Sea & the Sea of Azov", initiated by Ukraine & presented on behalf of a group of States. pic.twitter.com/oJTHfwaRQG UKR Mission to UN (@UKRinUN) December 17, 2018 As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's Envoy to UN Volodymyr Yelchenko said the main purpose of the Resolution would be to urge the Russian Federation to withdraw its military forces from Crimea and cease the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory. At the same time, the Resolution will call upon Russia to stop pursuing commercial vessels and restricting international navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. "Ukraine initiated this process. And as of now, 41 countries have agreed to co-sponsor this resolution," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Sunday, Dec 16. "We really hope that this pretty powerful document will be voted tomorrow at the highest world instance - the General Assembly of the United Nations," said the president. The president stressed the importance of martial law in 10 regions of Ukraine. President Petro Poroshenko said that before martial law was introduced in Ukraine, Russia had pulled over 300 main battle tanks to a military base located just 18 km from the Russian-Ukrainian border. Why would they pull more than 300 tanks to one base (I showed a satellite imagery). It is located 18 km from our border. They've brought the ammo, they've brought the troops. What was I supposed to do? Poroshenko said, speaking at a meeting with teachers and students in Dnipro, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoUkraine forces "close Donbas sky" with S-300 systems (Video) The president stressed the importance of imposing martial law in 10 regions of Ukraine. As UNIAN reported, after the Russian attack on Ukrainian naval boats in the Kerch Strait area, martial law was introduced in 10 regions of Ukraine on November 26 for a period of 30 days. The special regime covers regions directly bordering with Russia as well as those adjacent to the Transnistrian segment of the Ukraine-Moldova border, as well as along the Black and Azov coastlines. Volker expressed hope that Russia would release the sailors as a gesture before Christmas but "there's no indication from Russia at this point that they're doing that." U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine negotiations, Ambassador Kurt Volker in a video briefing in Brussels on Monday spoke about the situation with the prospects for the release of Ukrainian sailors detained by Russia following an attack on Russian naval boats Nov 25. Volker said: "Well, unfortunately, I don't have good news to report there. Many people, including in the United States, including Chancellor Merkel of Germany, including others around the continent, have urged Russia to release these sailors immediately. And Chancellor Merkel raised this on telephone with President Putin just last week. The fact is that Russia has said 'no,' that they claim there is some legal process, which is by definition not so because they're detaining them illegally. But they're claiming there's the process that will take them months to go through. So, unfortunately, it is not looking good. However, I guess the one piece of good news is that Ukrainians can be sure that everyone - the United States, NATO, and Western Europe they're all urging Russia to release those sailors immediately." Read alsoVolker comments on Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships "I certainly would hope that Russia would do so as a gesture before Christmas but there's no indication from Russia at this point that they're doing that," said Volker. As UNIAN reported earlier on November 25, Russian forces opened fire on the Ukrainian naval boats near the Kerch Strait as the boats were heading back toward Odesa after being denied crossing through the Strait connecting the Black and Azov seas. Russia seized the vessels and detained 24 crew members, including 3 of them injured in the attack. The issue can be resolved bilaterally with Hungary, without hindering Ukraine-NATO ties, Volker believes. U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker says the issues concerning national minority rights should not hold hostage the development of Ukraine's relationship with NATO. "Hungary is blocking Ukraine's relationship with NATO at the moment, and we think it's very unfortunate. We have a country that has been attacked by Russia. Russia has seized Ukrainian territory, the fighting is still going on every day in Donbas," Kurt Volker told a briefing in Brussels. He recalled that Ukraine was seeking to enhance partnership and cooperation with the Alliance. "We are unable to schedule at the ministerial level the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission because Hungary blocks it. These are facts, and this is unfortunate," Volker added. Read alsoMinister Szijjarto: Hungary to continue blocking NATO-Ukraine Commission The Ambassador recalled that Hungary was raising the issue of respect to the rights Hungarian national minority in Ukraine. At the same time, he believes the Ukrainian policy aimed at ensuring that all citizens have command of Ukrainian language is reasonable, while Hungary's demands to have its national minority in Ukraine to be able to learn Hungarian are also legitimate. "This is something that can eminently be worked out bilaterally between Ukraine and Hungary based on European principles that are well-established in other places. So I think this is an issue but I think it's a very solvable issue," he said, adding that it is "inappropriate" to hold Ukraine's relations with NATO "hostage over bilateral sorting out of these minority rights." The accident happened on Saturday afternoon. Pictures from the crash site of the Ukrainian Su-27 fighter aircraft, which crashed in Zhytomyr region on December 15, have been shared on social media. The pictures were published by the Dutch aviation publication Scramble Magazine. "Scramble was provided with some pictures of the crash wreck of the Su-27 in Ukraine in which the pilot was killed. In the photo's you see Su-27 code 55 blue, s/n 36911021308, of 831 Guards Tactical Aviation Brigade, resting in the fields just outside Ozerne Airfield (Ukraine) in between the approach beacons," the publication says. Read alsoSu-27 plane crashes while landing in Zhytomyr region, pilot dies As UNIAN reported earlier, a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter aircraft crashed at around 15:00 on December 15 while attempting to land during a scheduled flight, killing the pilot, Major Oleksandr Fomenko, 43. He was chief of the air combat training unit of the tactical aviation brigade of the Air Command Center of the Air Force of Ukraine. The military prosecutor's office opened criminal proceedings on the fact of a fighter aircraft accident. The State Register of Pretrial Investigations contains information on an investigation into a criminal offense under Article 416 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Violation of Aviation Safety Rules." Eight enemy troops were killed and another three were wounded, intelligence reports say. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 16 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action. Read alsoPoroshenko: martial law to be extended only if Russia goes for large-scale invasion "Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the past day. According to intelligence reports, eight occupiers were killed and another three were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update published on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on December 17, 2018. Russian occupation forces opened fire from weapons installed on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns and small arms, attacking the defenders of the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Novoluhanske, Novotroyitske, Pisky, Slavne, Taramchuk, Starohnativka, Kamianka, Chermalyk, Pavlopil, and Lebedynske. The enemy also employed 82mm mortars to attack the defenders of the villages of Krymske and Vodiane. "Since Monday midnight, Russian-led forces have attacked the Ukrainian positions near the village of Hnutove," the report said. The Russian Ka-52 attacks helicopters from Dzhankoy air base in Crimea could pose a real threat to Ukraines South regions. Some military experts were pointed out that in the event of active hostilities, Russia might use Ka-52 helicopters to destroy surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites in the South of Ukraine. Babak Taghvaee, a military analyst based in Malta, claimed in a tweet that at least several consecutive days the 3rd Squadron of the 39th Helicopter Aviation Regiment has practiced Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission using Ka-52 attacks helicopters, according to Defence Blog. He added: It means, in case of war with Ukraine, its 16 Ka-52s might be used to destroy SAM sites near the frontline. During a SEAD mission, pilots fly into enemy airspace to find and suppress surface-to-air missile systems, radars on the ground. This unique mission set is important because without it all the other aircraft are essentially unprotected from surface-to-air missiles. Read alsoUkraine's Joint Forces in Donbas check combat readiness of air defense systems (Video) In modern warfare SEAD missions can constitute as much as 30% of all sorties launched in the first week of combat and continue at a reduced rate through the rest of a campaign. The Russian Ka-52 attacks helicopters from Dzhankoy airbase in Crimea could pose a real threat to Ukraines South regions. It is noteworthy that Ukrainian armed forces already have been placed on a full alert amid situation in the Kerch Strait and the attack on Ukrainian warships. A sniper unit consists exclusively of persons of Chechen nationality. Russia has sent a sniper unit made up of representatives of Chechen nationality to positions outside the Ukrainian-controlled strategic port city of Mariupol in Donetsk region. "A sniper unit consisting of persons of Chechen nationality alone was seen to have arrived at the Russian occupation forces' front positions in the Mariupol sector," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Commander of the Russian-led forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, Aleksej Biryulin, was eliminated on December 6. Russia fired on and captured three Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait, adjacent to the Crimean Peninsula, in November. A drive to impose more sanctions on Russia for its capture of Ukrainian navy vessels in November seems to be gaining traction, the United States envoy to the Ukraine conflict, Kurt Volker, told an online briefing on Monday. In Europe, the notion that there needs to be a response and some additional sanctions ... seems to be one thats gaining some traction and I would not be surprised at all to see that happen in the next month or two, Volker said, according to Reuters. Russia fired on and captured three Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait, adjacent to the Crimean Peninsula, in November, which Kyiv says could be a precursor to a full-scale invasion. Read alsoThe Guardian: Russia 'paved way for Ukraine ship seizures with fake news drive' As UNIAN reported earlier, Kurt Volker also called on Russia to get serious about implementing Minsk agreements. "Strong signal from the EU that Russia needs to get serious about implementing Minsk agreements and choosing peace4Ukraine," he wrote on Twitter on December 13, commenting on the EU's decision to prolong economic sanctions against Russia for another six months. A Russian national has financed Moldovan political parties via her Foundation. In Chisinau, the report was declassified of the Investigation Commission probing the circumstances of the interference by the Open Dialogue Foundation and its founder, Russian citizen Lyudmila Kozlovskaya, in the country's internal affairs by financing Moldovan political parties. "The Commission concluded that the activities of Open Dialogue were subversive in nature and that they posed a threat to the state security of the Republic of Moldova," the statement said, according to LB.ua citing a report by MOLDPRES referring to the press service of the Moldovan Parliament. Representatives of the Information and Security Service, the Ministry of the Interior, the Money Laundering Prevention and Combating Service, the Prosecutor Generals Office, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office, the Office of the Public Prosecutor on Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases, and the Central Election Commission were invited to Commission's meetings to testify, as well as representatives of political parties "Action and Solidarity" and "Dignity and Truth General", as well as the human rights Association "Promo-LEX." Read alsoSBU: Russia makes massive attempts to meddle in future elections in Ukraine through social media The investigation was launched after facts emerged about the Foundation financing political parties "Action and Solidarity" and "Dignity and Truth Platform." The Fund itself, the investigators believe, was financed from "Laundromat" funds those deriving from an illegal operation on money laundering and siphoning from Russia through Moldova of tens of billions of dollars. The head of the foundation, Russian citizen Lyudmila Kozlovskaya, was expelled from the EU with an entry ban imposed on her as an agent of Russian intelligence. After being declassified, the report was published on the website of Parliament and submitted to the European Parliament, the European Commission, the State Department and the United States Congress, the European Union, the parliaments of Romania, Poland and Ukraine, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the UN, and other international organizations and national institutions. By Daily Wire , Dec. 14, 2018 On Tuesday, in the middle of final exam week, a student from West Virginia University was sent an emailed letter from an assistant dean notifying him that he is the subject of an investigation regarding alleged prohibited conduct. In the letter (attached below), Assistant Dean LiDell Evans informed Joseph Cortese, a fourth-year student, that he was required to attend a meeting on Friday concerning an investigation about a photo he posted on Instagram of himself dressed as a Border Patrol agent for Halloween. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook (@FahadShabbir) LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Dec, 2018 ) :Punjab Minister for Energy, Dr. Muhammad Akhtar Malik said on Sunday that PTI government is focusing on the promotion of wind and solar energy to ensure uninterrupted power supply to industry and only productive and efficient energy projects will be prioritized to facilitate the masses. He expressed these views while visiting 3-day mega 'Interiors Pakistan' international exhibition organized by Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) at Expo Center. PFC Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq was also present on this occasion. He said that previous governments did nothing practically to end the energy crisis, which badly affected the industrial growth and national economy as well. He said that promotion of usage of wind and solar energy had now become vital to overcome the menace of inherited energy crisis in the country. Provincial Minister Dr. Muhammad Akhtar Malik said that it was the demand of the day that both Diamir and Bhasha Dams should be constructed on top priority to avert the feared water crisis in coming years. He said that the government is facing multiple challenges but the government would make organised efforts to face them successfully and lift the living standard of people. He hailed PFC Chief Mian Kashif Ashfaq for conducting a serial of Interiors Pakistan exhibitions across the country in which local and foreign investors participated that helped the country to boost its export volume besides disseminating soft image of Pakistan in international markets. He also urged furniture producers to focus on the promotion of advanced research and development in their export-oriented sector for exploring and capturing the international trade markets as well. Dr Malik reiterated current government's resolve to convert all government buildings into 'green buildings', saying that the Punjab Energy Department will set the example by first making its own buildings energy efficient. PFC Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq said PTI government is taking all steps to promote export culture of the country. He said PFC is always ready to help the government in regard of promoting local industry and contributing in the construction of dams in the country. He also told the minister that PFC started planting trees across the province in order to achieve maximum preservation and management of the forest. Mian Kashif said our exports declined due to three-fold rise in cost of timber used for furniture export and competition with foreign exporters. He said PFC would plant 1 million saplings in the next five years to help mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, regulate water cycles and increase the green cover across the country. Punjab Minister for Energy Akhtar Malik appreciated the efforts of PFC chief Mian Kashif Ashfaq and assured him of all his support for plantation in order to support furniture industry. Later, the minister visited stalls and looked at exquisite furniture items and fabulous items used for interior decoration. He also encouraged young entrepreneurs and praised their innovative furniture designs which captured the attention of visitors. (@FahadShabbir) The Austrian Parliament has approved an amendment to the "Law of Symbols", which bans the use of slogans and symbols of extremist groups and organisations. VIENNA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Dec, 2018 ) :The Austrian Parliament has approved an amendment to the "Law of Symbols", which bans the use of slogans and symbols of extremist groups and organisations. The law now covers symbols and slogans of several organisations, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Commenting on the amendment, Herbert Kickl, Austria's Minister of Interior, said that the law seeks to deal with groups "developing activities on Austria's territory against fundamental rights and the rule of law."He explained that experts specialising in the protection of the constitution are currently preparing a list of slogans and symbols prohibited under the new law, which will take effect next March. The law was adopted in the parliament with the support of the conservative ruling People's Party and its coalition partner, the Freedom Party, while opposition parties advocated the inclusion of the right-wing extremist groups in the list of the amended law. It originally came into force in 2014, and already prohibits the use of slogans from Al Qaeda and Daesh. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Belarus and Switzerland on Monday signed a protocol on the completion of bilateral negotiations on market access for goods and services in the framework of Belarus' accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, BelTA has learnt MINSK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Dec, 2018 ) :Belarus and Switzerland on Monday signed a protocol on the completion of bilateral negotiations on market access for goods and services in the framework of Belarus' accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, BelTA has learnt. On behalf of Belarus, the document was signed by the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva Yuri Ambrazevich, on behalf of Switzerland by the Permanent Representative to the WTO and EFTA Didier Chambovey. Switzerland has become the 20th WTO member with which Belarus signed the protocol on the completion of bilateral negotiations on accession to the WTO. In 2017-2018 Belarus concluded bilateral negotiations with 10 WTO members. South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon vowed on Sunday that his country will further expand trade and exchanges with Algeria on the basis of a 12-year-old bilateral strategic partnership. ALGIERS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Dec, 2018 ) : South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon vowed on Sunday that his country will further expand trade and exchanges with Algeria on the basis of a 12-year-old bilateral strategic partnership. Lee made the remarks after arriving in this northwestern African country on the first leg of his three-nation trip that will also take him to Tunisia and Morocco. "I'm the first South Korean prime minister to visit Algeria, the sole African country that has a strategic partnership with our country. It's time to further strengthen the bilateral relationship," Lee said in a meeting with South Korean residents here. "Twelve years have passed since the two countries formed strategic partnership during the presidency of Roh Moo-hyun. Human exchanges and trade have not been sufficient for that period, as Roh's diplomatic policy was not inherited by his successors," said Lee. He then stressed that South Korea's government is now clearly determined to diversify its diplomacy and solidify relations with Algeria, particularly in human exchanges and trade. The prime minister also visited a war memorial and an independence hall in Algiers together with his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Ouyahia. Lee's trip is aimed at promoting economic ties with the three African nations, especially for Korean companies operating there, according to his office. Lee and his delegation flew on the presidential jet as President Moon Jae-in has encouraged him to use it for overseas trips. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers' meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Dec. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang) LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China and Thailand on Sunday pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation and move forward the construction of the China-Thailand railway. The pledges were made as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers' meeting. Wang said the China-Thailand ties are enjoying sound development, with frequent high-level exchanges and close cooperation in various fields, bringing tangible benefits to peoples of the two countries. China is willing to work with Thailand to enhance communication, do proper planing for deepened cooperation, speed up the construction of China-Thailand railway in a bid to achieve early connection of China-Laos-Thailand railway, and actively explore third-party cooperation, he said. China would support Thailand's work as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rotating chair and steadily move forward the consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN members, said Wang. China would also push for the early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, speed up East Asian economic integration, and jointly guard against unilateralism and trade protectionism, Wang added. For his part, Don said Thailand would work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen trade and economic cooperation, actively move forward the construction of Thailand-China railway, and explore different kinds of third-party cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. As ASEAN's rotating chair in 2019, Thailand would play a constructive role in promoting the development of ASEAN and ASEAN-China relations, said Don. Thailand is committed to concluding RCEP negotiations within its term of chairmanship, and would work towards regional peace, stability, prosperity and development. The first Primate of the new Ukrainian Autocephalous Church is elected at a Council of Unification in Kiev. By Vatican News 39-year old Metropolitan Epiphanius Dumenko was chosen to lead the new Ukrainian Autocephalous Church at a special Council of Unification held in the historic Cathedral of St Sophia in Kiev, on Saturday. He assumes the title of Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine. He is expected to travel to Istanbul next month to receive the decree, called the tomos, from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which will officially sanction the autonomy, or autocephaly, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Autocephaly (from the Greek: property of being self-headed) acknowledges independence from all other local churches, including the Patriarchate of Moscow, which does not recognize the canonical nature of Saturdays election. The Orthodox Church in Ukraine has face an abnormal canonical situation since 1992, with three competing local churches within the same territory: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under the Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under a Kievan Patriarchate), and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.. Following Saturdays Council of Unification, priests of the latter two jurisdictions join to become members of the new Autocephalus Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Apple is mulling over plans to move production out of China (Source: AFP) US President Donald Trump more than two weeks ago warned to levy 10-25 per cent tax on the leading global tech firms best-selling products. This latest move in the US-China trade war is a serious threat to the firm, according to Bloomberg. The US newswire also stated that Apple currently has no plans to remove its facilities from China. If Trump applies 10 per cent tariffs on the firm, it will keep running the facilities in China despite a significant impact. However, if the tariffs mount to 25 per cent, Apple may consider relocating facilities. With the 10 per cent tax rate, Apple may suffer a $1 reduction in earnings per share. This loss would be $2.5 at a 25 per cent rate if Apple keeps running facilities in China. If the tech firms plans come true, Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, is supposed to be its leading option to replace Chinese production. In fact, over the past few years, several Apple manufacturers like GoerTek and Cheung Uei have been planning to move manufacturing lines from China to Vietnam. Similarly, at a meeting with the prime minister in the afternoon of November 22, Vu Tien Loc, director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), revealed that China-based Foxconn Group and the Hanoi Peoples Committee are working together to open an iPhone manufacturing facility in Vietnam to negate the impacts of the US-China trade war. The US government on September 24 officially applied 10 per cent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. It is forecast that as of the end of this year or the beginning of next year, the rate will be increased to 25 per cent. According to a research released by Chinas AmCham, two-thirds of the 430 US firms in China have been impacted by the trade war. Especially, 30 per cent are considering moving out of the country. High-technology is one of the segments suffering the largest damage from the trade battle. Airpods, Apple Watch, and HomePod were Apples products listed in the $200 billion package of Chinese goods that were slapped extra tariffs on in September. For a limited period, Bangkok Airways is offering a special all-inclusive round-trip fare for Cam Ranh-Bangkok starting from just $190.50 (VND4.380.000) The airline currently operates three routes between Vietnam and Thailand including Danang Bangkok, Phu Quoc Bangkok and Hanoi Chiang Mai. Launched in 2016, these flights have an average load factor of 70 per cent, and the new route has been launched due to the great tourism potential that exists between Vietnamese and Thai markets. Cam Ranh is the latest focus in the airlines developing network, with the aim of promoting itself as a unique yet friendly airline to Vietnam and the rest of the world. The outbound flight PG994 will depart from Cam Ranh International Airport at 12:55 and arrive at Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) at 14:40. The inbound flight PG993 will depart from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) at 10:20 and arrive at Cam Ranh International Airport at 12:05. Both flights will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Targeting businessmen and tourists from both countries, the direct connection between Cam Ranh and Bangkok will give Vietnamese travellers as well as expatriates living in Cam Ranh, Nha Trang and surrounding areas an excellent choice for visiting Bangkok with a flight time of less than two hours. As well as saving time, passengers flying with Bangkok Airways will also be offered exclusive services under the slogan Asias Boutique Airline. Without any extra charges or hidden fees, all passengers are entitled to 20kg baggage allowance, in-flight meals and use of the boutique lounge at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport including complimentary wifi, snacks and a range of beverage choices. Passengers with FlyerBonus Premier Membership can access the Blue Ribbon Club Lounge where hot meals are served and will also be entitled to privileges at the Blue Ribbon check-in counter, 30 kg baggage allowance and priority baggage claim. The newly-opened route provides people from the fast-growing economy cities of Cam Ranh and Nha Trang with an easy direct option for visiting Thailands vibrant capital of Bangkok. It also marks a milestone for the airline in making Bangkok Airways the only scheduled airline to fly direct to one of the most desired beach holiday destinations for upscale tourists coming from Thailand. Farmers in Sa Dec Flower Village in Dong Thap Province are taking care of their flowers for the upcoming Tet holiday.-VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Van Tri In the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, about 1,500ha of different types of flowers for Tet markets are being grown in Da Lat City. Of the figure, more than 540 hectares of daisies are planted mostly in flower villages such as Thai Phien in Ward 12, Ha Dong in Ward 8, and Xuan Thanh and Xuan Tho communes in the city. The farmers have also begun to plant about 321 hectares of roses, 154 hectares of gladiolus flowers, 120 hectares of lisianthus, 75 hectares of lilies, 35 hectares of boat orchids and 260 hectares of other flowers Hundreds of hectares of various flowers have been planted in the citys Duc Trong and Lac Duong districts, including about 300ha of gladiolus in Hiep An Flower Village in Duc Trong District. Many local farmers said the weather in recent months had been favourable for the development of flowers. Earlier, many flower businesses imported tens of millions of high-quality seedlings to serve local farmers growing demand. In the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Ben Tre, farmer growers in Cho Lach District have produced more than 10 million products of flowers and ornamental trees to meet demand of Tet markets, making a year-on-year increase of 15 per cent. Bui Thanh Liem, head of the districts Agricultural and Rural Development Sub-department, said this year local farmers had mainly produced flowers according to the orders of traders. About 6,000 households are growing more than 650 hectares of flowers and ornamental trees, mostly in Long Thoi, Tan Thieng, Hoa Nghia, Vinh Thanh, Phu Son and Hung Khanh Trung B communes. There are many kinds of potted flowers, hanging flowers and ornamental plant pots such as yellow ochna flower, bougainvillea flower and bonsai citrus trees. Nguyen Thi Nga in Vinh Thanh Commune said her family had produced more than 100,000 flowers and ornamental trees for Tet which were mostly ordered from traders before. Only 30 per cent will sell at local markets. We actively sell our products and do not depend on market demand like in previous years, she said. Establishments making pots used for flowers and ornamental trees are also busy meeting demand of flower growers as Tet draws near. According to Vo Van Hung, owner of a production establishment in Vinh Long Provinces Tam Binh District, the peak production time usually falls between the ninth and 12th lunar months. Each year, his family produces about 1,000 pots including different types of various sizes. Most of the products are sold to flower growers in the Mekong Delta region. His establishment now has five workers with an average monthly salary of VND4.5-5 million (US$193-215) per person, increasing of about 20 per cent on days near Tet. Le Ba Thanh, owner of an establishment in Cho Lach Districts Phu Phung Commune in Ben Tre Province, said this year the demand of market for pots is increasing significantly, especially for pots of bonsai trees. Ha Van Kha, an owner of a flower shop in HCM City, said he preferred cement and clay pots made in Cho Lach because they had good quality at reasonable prices. He often orders pots around three months before Tet. Depending on the size, the price of a cement pot is from VND110,000 ($4.7), VND130,000 ($5.6), or VND440,000 ($18.9). The demand is expected to rise 10 percent this year, while the price will rise by 7-10 percent of price compared to last year. In Dong Thap Province, farmers in Sa Dec Citys Sa Dec Flower Village have planted more than three million flowers and ornamental trees. The provinces centre for high-tech application in agricultural production has produced over 500,000 disease-free seedlings of various kinds of flowers. More than 100ha of flowers and ornamental trees for Tet are being grown mostly in Tan Quy Dong Ward and Tan Khanh Dong Commune. Flowers like chrysanthemums, daisies, marigolds and roses have been growing well. Farmers in the village earn high incomes from selling flower seedlings to other local farmers and to neighbouring provinces. Tran Van Ut Hung, a flower farmer in Tan Khanh Dong Commune, said he had grown over 6,000 seedlings per orders from farmers from Dong Thap, An Giang, Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre provinces and Can Tho City. After deducting costs, he earns a profit of VND200 million (US$8,578) from sold seedlings. Tran Thanh Toan in Tan My Village in the citys Tan Quy Dong Ward said he had planted about 12,000 flowers. In previous years, his flowers sold both to local markets and to central and northern provinces. Plumeria (also known as frangipani) planted in Sa Dec are exported abroad. Hung Thy Flower enterprise, a local company, now annually exports about 30,000 to 50,000 plumeria trees to Taiwan and Middle Eastern countries. Ten farmers grew and sold plumeria trees to the company. The flower company has created jobs for nearly 100 local people, who earn about VND150,000-200,000 ($6.5-8.5) daily. It also plans to export flower trees to other foreign markets such as Japan and South Korea. GE's Haiphong multimodal factory reached more than $1 billion in annual exports The 130-year-old US industrial giant GE has always been known for innovation and it has been relentless in creating innovations across all of its businesses, aviation, healthcare, power and renewable energy, continuously improving product performance and efficiency. According to Wouter van Wersch- president and CEO of GE Asia Pacific, GEs long history of innovation started in the 1800s with the creation of the first electric light bulb. Over the years, GE continues to innovate in many fields, such as inventing the first US jet engine for commercial aviation in 1946 developed the axial flow compressor, which is being used in every modern jet engine and gas turbine today. Then in 1976, GE made a breakthrough in healthcare technology as the invention of a rotate-only CT scanner was introduced, making it the worlds first. In recent times, GE made significant developments in technology, such as Vscan, a pocket-sized ultrasound designed for primary healthcare workers in low-resource regions, Predix, the first-ever operating platform for industrial data and analytics, and the highly-efficient HA Gas turbines, which recently won a Guinness World Record for efficiency. Among these notable innovations is the Haiphong Factory, tagged as one of the worlds Brilliant Factories with its advanced manufacturing technology and digital efficiency, said GE Asia Pacific top leader. The Haiphong factory is strategically positioned to export primarily wind-turbine generators and electrical-control-system components around the world. After almost 10 years of operations, GEs Haiphong multimodal factory has produced and exported more than 6,000 units of generator systems to date and reached more than $1 billion in annual exports. The Haiphong factory is strategically positioned to export primarily wind-turbine generators and electrical-control-system components around the world. The site counts about 1,000 employees today and will expand its local well-trained workforce to more than 1,500 employees in response to the growing global demand for renewable energy globally. It is a long and challenging journey to transform and develop a Brilliant Factory, said Trang Vu, general manager of GEs Haiphong factory. We have very strong targets in product and service quality, implementing advanced manufacturing technologies, and a sustainable improvement culture. By optimising its manufacturing processes, the Haiphong Brilliant Factory helps save up to 50 per cent of product lead time and reduce inventory by about 20 per cent, while boosting productivity by up to 20 per cent. The site implements GEs high global standards for quality and performance and is built around the four following pillars: Lean manufacturing: Constant optimisation of processes and workflows with the use of data analysis with a view of cutting waste and resources used. Digital maturity: All machines in the factory are connected via Predix and other Industry 4.0 software to deliver the best efficiency and performance. Advanced manufacturing: Augmented reality and virtual reality are some of the advanced technologies being used to enable manufacturing at unprecedented levels of quality. Additive manufacturing: This innovative technology allows GE to create complex internal geometries that would be impossible with traditional manufacturing processes, creating parts with improved performance. The Haiphong Brilliant Factory is an example of how GEs innovations can help us unlock goals that previously were impossible. With the worlds most effective machines, advanced technologies, and extensive solutions, GE affirms its position as the global leader in innovation, contributing greatly to the transformational impact of technology on the economy and peoples life not only in Vietnam but across the entire Asia-Pacific and the world, said Wouter van Wersch. The following are pictures from the recent media visit to the Haiphong multimodal factory. An airplane sits on the tarmac of the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam under heavy fog. (AFP/Koen van Weel) The southern Eindhoven international airport has been closed since noon (1100 GMT), with some 27 inbound flights re-routed and at least six other flights cancelled, according to the airport's website. The same number of departing flights have been cancelled, affecting between 6,500 to 8,000 passengers, a local news report said. Meanwhile, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport had to cancel around 100 flights, the NOS public broadcaster reported. "Take-off and landing capabilities have been reduced by half," the NOS said. The country's flagship carrier KLM normally operates some 65 flights per hour, but during the heaviest foggy period, only 17 flights could land or take off. It was not clear when the fog was expected to lift but the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute has issued a "code yellow" warning in most of the country's central and southern regions until at least midnight (2300 GMT). During the second half of December, the hotel cordially introduces its Christmas Roast Turkey set specially prepared by the hotels executive chef. Authentic Christmas flavoured turkeys will be served complete with vegetable stuffings featuring three different kinds of sauce, bringing an exciting festive taste to the table. With prices starting from VND1,499,000 ($65.17), complete your festive experience with sumptuous dinners hosted especially for family, friends and loved ones to share joyful and memorable Christmas moments. The Christmas Gala Dinner features Christmas-inspired buffet dining delivered at Prima AB lounge and an elaborate Western feast under the stars at one of the top ten rooftop bars in Saigon M.Bar. To welcome a joyful, prosperous 2019, guests should not miss the New Years Eve and Lunar New Year celebrations featuring exclusive buffet dinners at Hotel Majestic Saigon, highlighted by delicious cuisine, complimentary wine and beer, live music performances, lucky draws and a countdown show. To celebrate 2018 coming to a close, the hotel has thoughtfully prepared Silver, Gold and Diamond party packages with prices starting at VND750.000 ($32.60) per guest. A party is a great way to express gratitude to staff for all their hard work throughout the year or to celebrate the festive season with valued clients. Whether it is Christmas banquet or a stylish cocktail party, Majestic Saigon provides a fabulous selection of venues and themes to make your end-of-year celebration a memorable one. Keisuke Hitotsumatsu, CEO of Fuji Mart Vietnam FUJI MART IS THE RESULT OF STRONG CO-OPERATION BETWEEN VIETNAMS BRG AND JAPANS SUMITOMO. WHY DID THE TWO CHOOSE RETAIL, WHICH IS HIGHLY CONTESTED AT THE MOMENT? Despite retail being very competitive, Vietnams macroeconomic situation shows that demand is growing at a double-digit rate. We recognise the trend will continue as Vietnams economic prospects remain positive, and we see living standards improve day by day. Many friends of mine said that the purchasing attitudes of the Vietnamese are changing as the economy grows. Furthermore, the food retail market is about to undergo a major transformation. Growing interest in food safety and trust is expected to force a transition from shopping at traditional wet markets to modernised supermarkets for fresh produce. Both BRG and Sumitomo have great resources to make comprehensive investments in this project. Sumitomo has more than 50 years of experience in operating supermarket chains and BRG has good working knowledge of a variety of businesses in Vietnam. Therefore, we agreed to develop a modern supermarket chain in this country. Through the Fuji Mart retail model, both BRG and Sumitomo hope to provide Vietnamese people with the most delicious, nutritious, and safe food products. IN JAPAN, SUMITOMO STORES ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR FRESHNESS AND GOOD SERVICES TO CUSTOMERS. ARE THESE EXPECTED TO BE THE CORE VALUES OF THE FUJI MART CHAIN IN VIETNAM? Exactly. We are sure Fuji Mart will also be known for excellent store operations in Vietnam, and we adopted a series of basic concepts to ensure this. For instance, 5S is a principle commonly used by Japanese manufacturers, retailers and service providers. The five Ss can be explained as Seiri (disposal of disused items), Seiton (arrangement of items in the necessary location), Seisou (cleaning), Seiketsu (to maintain continuous cleanliness by the implementation of the previous three factors), and lastly, Shituke (discipline). It is important for us to work based on this concept and to ensure products are fresh everyday. The first Fuji Mart store opened in Hanoi in December, promising a fresh perspective DO YOU THINK THIS CONCEPT MAY RESULT IN HIGHER OPERATION COSTS AND, ULTIMATELY, HIGHER PRICES? We will apply our modern management model to ensure labour productivity and efficiency, and to reduce markdown or disposal losses. We will manage all operating expenses to realise affordable prices for customers. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FUJI MART AND OTHER SIMILAR OUTLETS IN VIETNAM? We will create a brand new model that Vietnamese customers have never experienced before by implementing Japanese supermarket know-how as much as possible. At the same time, we will treasure Vietnamese food culture and the local communication style, because first and foremost Fuji Mart is a supermarket chain for Vietnamese people. Seeing is believing, and we will welcome all customers. We want to ensure each customer is satisfied at Fuji Mart. BUSINESS IN THE RETAIL INDUSTRY REQUIRES LONG-TERM VISION. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO RISE ABOVE THE CHALLENGES? With the purpose of bringing the best quality products for Vietnamese consumers, we decided to blend Vietnamese food culture with Japanese service quality. BRG and Sumitomo discussed this many times in order to deepen mutual understanding and realise our concept for this first Fuji Mart store. This challenge will continue forever, because Fuji Mart stores have to change according to Vietnamese market trends and customers needs. However, as long as BRG and Sumitomo share the desire to improve the quality of life for the Vietnamese people, we will always try to find common solutions to maximise value for our consumers. AFP / Janek SKARZYNSKI Delegates from nearly 200 states finalised a common rule book designed to deliver the Paris goals of limiting global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit). "Putting together the Paris agreement work programme is a big responsibility," said COP24 president Michal Kurtyka as he gavelled through the deal after talks in Poland that ran deep into overtime. "It has been a long road. We did our best to leave no one behind." But states already dealing with devastating floods, droughts and extreme weather made worse by climate change said the package agreed in the mining city of Katowice lacked the bold ambition to cut emissions the world needed. Egyptian ambassador Wael Aboulmagd, chair of the developing nations G77 plus China negotiating bloc, said the rule book saw the "urgent adaptation needs of developing countries relegated to a second-class status." Executive director of Greenpeace Jennifer Morgan said: "We continue to witness an irresponsible divide between the vulnerable island states and impoverished countries pitted against those who would block climate action or who are immorally failing to act fast enough." The final decision text was repeatedly delayed as negotiators sought guidelines that could ward off the worst threats posed by the heating planet while protecting the economies of rich and poor nations alike. "Without a clear rulebook, we won't see how countries are tracking, whether they are actually doing what they say they are doing," Canada's Environment Minister Catherine McKenna told AFP. At their heart, negotiations were about how each nation funds action to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as how those actions are reported. - Report controversy - French President Emmanuel Macron, who has recently backed down on anti-pollution fuel tax hikes in the face of country-wide "yellow vest" protests, said France must "show the way" as he welcomed the progress made at the talks. "The international community remains committed to the fight against climate change," he tweeted on Sunday. "Congratulations to the UN, scientists, NGOs and all negotiators. France and Europe must show the way. The fight goes on." Developing nations had wanted more clarity from richer ones over how the future climate fight will be funded and pushed for so-called "loss and damage" measures. This would see richer countries giving money now to help deal with the effects of climate change many vulnerable states are already experiencing. Another contentious issue was the integrity of carbon markets, looking ahead to the day when the patchwork of distinct exchanges -- in China, the Europe Union, parts of the United States -- may be joined up in a global system. The Paris Agreement calls for setting up a mechanism to guard against practices, such as double counting emissions savings, that could undermine such a market. A major sticking point, delegates eventually agreed Saturday to kick the issue down the road until next year. One veteran observer told AFP that Poland's presidency at COP24 had left many countries out of the process and presented at-risk nations with a "take it or leave it" deal. Progress had "been held up by Brazil, when it should have been held up by the small islands. It's tragic." One of the largest disappointments for countries of all wealths and sizes was the lack of ambition to reduce emissions shown in the final COP24 text. Most nations wanted the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to form a key part of future planning. - 'The system must change' - It highlighted the need to slash carbon pollution by nearly half before 2030 in order to hit the 1.5C target. But the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait objected, leading to watered-down wording. The final statement from the Polish COP24 presidency welcomed "the timely conclusion" of the report and invited "parties to make use of it" -- hardly the ringing endorsement many nations had called for. "There's been a shocking lack of response to the 1.5 report," Greenpeace's Morgan, told AFP. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who made three trips to Katowice over the course of the talks, said the world's climate fight was just beginning. "From now on my five priorities will be: Ambition, ambition, ambition, ambition, ambition," he said in a message read out by UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa. With the political climate process sputtering on well into its third decade as emissions rise remorselessly, activists have stepped up grassroots campaigns of civil disobedience to speed up action. "We are not a one-off protest, we are a rebellion," a spokesman for the Extinction Rebellion movement, which disrupted at least one ministerial event at the COP, told AFP. "We are organising for repeated disruption, and we are targeting our governments, calling for the system change needed to deal with the crisis that we are facing." Private sector development should be encouraged to play a key role in the economy The global economy is unpredictable At a seminar on Vietnams economic prospects organised yesterday in Hanoi, Tran Toan Thang, head of the World Economic Board under the National Centre of Socioeeconomic Information and Forecast (NCSIF), said that based on the impacts of events around the world, it is difficult to exactly forecast the movements of the world economy, particularly when it is affected by figures like Donald Trump, who is fickle like the weather. However, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and other free trade agreements (FTAs) will positively impact economies and foreign direct investment (FDI) flows will recover, and especially increase in Asian countries. FDI from ASEAN countries is also expected to increase. Regarding the Vietnamese economy, Dang Duc Anh, director of Analysis and Forecasts Department under the NCSIF said that based on the 6.7 per cent growth in 2018, the Vietnamese economy can continue to benefit in 2019 from a more stable macroeconomic environment and the belief in reinforcing the business investment environment. Meanwhile, NCSIFs vice director Luong Van Khoi said that over the past few months, we were very worried about the situation of the national economy, but the latest result has shown positive prospects. With the impact of the US-China trade war, FDI flows may move from China to Vietnam, he said. Private sector as a key driver At the seminar, the story of Thai Beverage and Sabeco were mentioned repeatedly. Through this, Duc Anh showed three major drives for economic growth in 2019-2020, including private sector development, institutional reform, and improvements in technology and labour productivity. Emphasising the important role of the private sector, economic expert Luu Bich Ho said that Vietnam should refocus from FDI to domestic enterprises. He proposed that the government should focus on the foundations of growth such as education, security, business environment, management, and the natural environment. Talking with VIR about the market for Vietnams private sector development, Khoi said, At the moment, most industries are dominated by foreign-invested enterprises. Therefore, the Vietnamese private sector should find potential industries that they can build their own chains in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He also added that the government can support the private sector to buy the best technology to develop the industries where they have strengths so that they can become a giant in the field. If so, the Vietnamese economy can reduce its dependence on foreign enterprises. An Giang province is looking for investment to re-enforce agriculture and build out tourism Vuong Binh Thanh, Chairman of the An Giang Peoples Committee said that based on its natural advantages, potential, and historical values accumulated through numerous generations, agriculture and tourism are still the strengths of the province and will remain the key motivators of growth in the time coming. Thanh said: With the desire for growth, and determination to successfully implement the plan set forth, An Giang is building a dynamic and creative government to create a favourable business and investment climate. The recent efforts of the province to reform administration and improve the business climate have been recognised and highly appreciated as can be seen in indexes such as the PCI and PAPI. We keep striving to create favourable conditions and become a destination of successful co-operation. Highlighting the potentials of An Giang, chairman of Sao Mai Group Le Thanh Thuan said that when looking for opportunities in An Giang, the group realised the potential of eco-tourism and resort development and foresees that this will change the face of provincial tourism. After research, the group assigned An Giang Tourism JSC (a subsidiary of Sao Mai Group) to invest VND130 billion ($5.65 million) into Tra Su acacia forest eco-tourism project on an area of 159ha, land clearance funds of over VND50 billion ($2.17 million). Sharing about their success of applying hi-technology in shrimp farming, Dang Quoc Tuan, vice chairman of Viet-Uc Seafood Corporation said that the corporation has developed a hi-tech pangasius production area in Vinh Hoa ward, Tan Chau town, pioneering technology in selecting pangasius for breeding, contributing to developing high-quality pangasius farming in the province, raising added value in the sector, and improving the competitiveness of pangasius in the world market. The prime minister lauded An Giang's historical and cultural importance Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that An Giang is a land of legends, home to a great portion of Vietnams history and cultural values, and one of the most attractive areas in the Mekong Delta and Vietnam. An Giang nowadays is a huge bowl of rice and fish and offers one the most diversified ecosystems in Vietnam, along with astable border area of trade, peace, and prosperity. The PM said that with the Tien and Hau rivers flowing parallel for nearly 100km, An Giang is the most fertile province in the country. Thereby, the province should attract big enterprises and develop global brands of Vietnamese agricultural products. He also noted that seven mountains in An Giang contain Oriental spiritual values, which is interesting for tourists and facilitates investment. The PM called for more investors to An Giang to contribute to the socioeconomic development of the province and create jobs through gainful business activities. The conference is a starting step for the development of An Giang in 2019 and the next years as well as for the province to pioneer the implementation of Resolution No.120/NQ-CP, dated November 2017,on the sustainable and climate resilient development of the Mekong Delta. Being the most populous in the area and located at the entrance of the Mekong River to Vietnam, the success of An Giang will facilitate the development of the entire south-western region. At the conference, leaders of An Giang handed over in-principle approvals to 26 projects with the total registered investment capital of VND27.6 trillion ($1.2 billion), and signed Memoranda of Understanding with nine investors, representing the total investment capital of over VND105 trillion ($4.56 billion). Investors at Bao Viet Securities Cos trading floor in Ha Noi. - VNS Photo Truong Vi Vietnams two exchange indices the benchmark VN-Index and the HNX Index have performed well since mid-November, but their growth has shown signs of slowing in the year-end. The VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange on Friday fell 0.85 per cent to close at 952.04 points, having moved up and down December 4. It gained 6.11 per cent in the last month. The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange was down 0.61 per cent to finish last week at 106.65 points. A similar scenario was also seen on the northern market, which has increased 5.57 per cent over one trading month. Prior to last weeks close, the two indices had respectively risen 4.42 per cent and 3.83 per cent in two weeks. Fridays declines on the two bourses were totally normal given the fact that local stocks had advanced well in the previous two trading weeks, VNDirect Securities JSCs head of services division Nguyen Trung Du said. The local market was taken down by declining pressure of major global stock markets, such as the US and China. Plus, the appreciation of the US dollar also posed negative impacts on the market sentiment, weakening some large-cap stocks, Du told tinnhanhchungkhoan.vn. But in general, the outlook for large-cap stocks remained positive and investors were slowly changing their targets, Du said, adding changes were unlikely to boost the market in the remaining two weeks of the yea. Liquidity was not strong enough to keep the indices growing because investors were too sensitive to international developments, which were seen as negative, according to analysts. An average of more than 237.4 million shares was traded in each session last week on the two exchanges, worth VND5.08 trillion (US$223 million). The figures were down from the previous weeks numbers of 245 million shares in volume and VND5.2 trillion in value. International developments continued weighing on the market sentiment, especially the relationship between the US and China. Early this month, a ceasefire agreement reached between the US and China during the G20 Summit was expected to boost trade relations between the two largest economies. But the arrest of Chinas tech giant Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou sparked global worries about another escalation of the trade tensions between the two economies, which started in March 2018 when President Trump accused China of illegal intellectual property transfer. Besides, the latest data also shows a slowdown of the Chinese economy, meaning its trade partners, including Viet Nam, may be affected to some extent. Global markets have underperformed on this news, and Viet Nam is not an exception, Hoang Thach Lan, director of the individual investor division at Viet Dragon Securities Corp (VDSC), said. It has never been easy to control global news, also known as external factors to the Vietnamese market, as it is too difficult to predict. This could cause the indices to grow more slowly than expected and extend the local markets volatility in the next two weeks, he said. Q4 earnings season Though the indices did not have big gains last week, the market sentiment seemed to improve, according to Nguyen Hong Khanh, analysis director at Vietnam International Securities JSC. Investors are finding opportunities in potential stocks ahead of the coming quarterly earnings season and that has improved the overall price level for the whole market, Khanh said. We may keep an eye on banks and property firms as they are expected to create a rally at the year-end period as investors bank on their full-year earnings being huge, he added. Investors should also watch the fishery and textile and garment sectors as they were speeding up their businesses and their future prospects would benefit from new free trade agreements, he said. Consumer goods firms should also be a target for investors because consumption often rises at the year-end when customers prepare for holidays and festivals, according to Lan at VDSC. Shares in consumer companies such as Masan (HoSE) have gone up significantly in recent weeks. Masan has gained nearly 6.9 per cent since the end of November. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue and chairman of the VCCI Vu Tien Loc jointly awarded the enterprise certificate to TBS Group 2018 is the third consecutive year that TBS Group was evaluated and recognised as a Vietnam Sustainable Development Enterprise (manufacturing sector), and is also honoured to be for the third consecutive year on the list of the Top 10 Vietnam Sustainable Businesses compiled by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD). More than 25 years of creativity and growth has enabled TBS Group to become a leading multi-sector enterprise, providing integrated solutions to clients ranging from footwear, handbags, and investment and asset management to logistics, hospitality, and retail. TBS group was rated by 131 criteria of the 2018 Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI), such as maintaining stable economic growth, making good progress and ensuring social justice; rational exploitation; economical use of natural resources; as well as the protection and improvement of the living environment. In terms of economic growth, TBS Group continues to maintain steady growth, with six key business sectors manufacturing of footwear and handbags, logistics, retail, real estate, and tourism to maintain its position as a leading domestic enterprise with the goal of turning into a global enterprise. Going a step further, during nearly 30 years of operations, TBS Group has always strived to be a prestigious brand, not only for its financial potential, but also for its professionalism in providing services and building trust and relations with customers, workers, suppliers, shareholders, and the society at large. Besides the achievements in key sectors, TBS ranked fifth among the top 10 leather footwear enterprises and the fourth in the bag-making industry in Vietnam. Representative offices, factories, and TBS products are present in many countries around the world, such as America, Europe, and Asia. With an international outlook, TBS has a global value chain with a closed supply chain, mastered systems technology, and has several international product development centres, and making sure experts, professionals, and technicians are well-trained to master the technologies of the industry they can design and create quality products that fit the tastes of their customers as well as meet the increasing demands of partners. This is also the core force helping the corporation to catch up with changes brought about by Industry 4.0. In the field of financial investment, the sectors of real estate investment and industrial infrastructure, ports and logistics, tourism, as well as trade and services are also developing continuously, contributing to the growth of TBS business. In addition to the strong economic growth, TBS has also paid great attention to the care of over 40,000 employees in order to maintain and develop long-term human resources. This is an important mission and a leading objective in corporate sustainability. TBS has taken specific actions such as paying close attention to welfare and occupational safety policies, building housing facilities for workers, and building trade unions at each facility to subsidise health workers or the DECA-HEALTH project which conducts on-site visits and on-the-job training, and training activities. At the same time, TBS has been a silent warrior for the community TBS has always carried out its annual social and community responsibilities locally and nationally through constructing charity houses and schools; sponsoring community and cultural events; participating in training young talent at universities; providing support facilities for graduate students at the university; expanding factories to rural localities to create more jobs for the people; creating a child protection fund in Binh Duong; providing relief to people in flood-prone areas; and contributing to meaningful cultural activities in order to pay tribute to heroic martyrs. TBS is also committed to keeping the environment green in the entire business and production activities of the group, by investing in advanced infrastructure systems; modern wastewater treatment system; training of technicians who shall be responsible for controlling all possible risks to the environment, managing, protecting, and using efficiently and economically the electricity and water resources; taking initiative in cutting down the usage of raw materials by applying an advanced Lean model. TBSs inclusion for three successive years in the Top 10 Vietnam Sustainable Businesses is evidence of the corporation's commitment and endless effort to contribute to the community and the nation on all three sustainability pillars, including economic development, society, and environmental community. Ultimate Volt: Maxit TV, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports (both in HD), Gig1 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 1136Mbps) (available with M350, M500 Fibre Broadband or M600 Fibre Broadband where Gig1 is not available, check availability here. Talk More Anytime and option to add intelligent wifi if a blackspot is discovered. Includes O2 mobile SIM with unlimited minutes, texts and data. 5G available in selected areas. 5G device, sim and tariff required to access 5G. See o2.co.uk/coveragechecker for coverage. Europe Zone roaming capped at 25GB per month, chargeable at 3.50 per GB afterwards Premium add-ons are available at extra monthly cost. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee may apply. If you upgrade any part of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade but we will discuss this with you at the time. Virgin Media may withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. This offer maybe withdrawn at any time and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Bigger Volt + Sports SD & Movies: New customers only. Maxit TV, Sky Sports, Sky Cinema HD, M200 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 213Mbps), Talk Weekends and a 10GB data SIM. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Bigger bundle + Sports and Movies: New customers only. Maxit TV, Sky Sports, Sky Cinema HD, M100 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 362Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 79 a month for 18 months. Price includes line rental (19 a month). Standard monthly pricing (currently 114 a month) applies from month 19. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Bigger Volt + Sports: New customers only. Maxit TV including Sky Sports and BT Sport in 4K Ultra HD, M500 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 516Mbps) and Talk Weekends. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Bigger bundle + Sports: New customers only. Maxit TV including Sky Sports and BT Sport in 4K Ultra HD, M350 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 362Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 69 a month for 18 months. Price includes line rental (19 a month). Standard monthly pricing (currently 116 a month) applies from month 19. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Bigger Volt + Movies: New customers only. Maxit TV, Sky Cinema in HD, M500 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 516Mbps) and Talk Weekends. Premium add-ons such as Sky Sports are available at extra monthly cost. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Bigger bundle + Movies: New customers only. Maxit TV, Sky Cinema in HD, M350 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 362Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 62 a month for 18 months. Price includes line rental (19 a month). Standard monthly pricing (currently 106 a month) applies from month 19. Premium add-ons such as Sky Sports are available at extra monthly cost. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Bigger Volt bundle: New customers only. Maxit TV, M200 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 213Mbps) and Talk Weekends. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee may apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Bigger bundle: New customers only. Maxit TV, M100 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 108Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 57 a month for 18 months. Price includes line rental (19 a month). Standard monthly pricing (currently 79 a month) applies from month 19. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Big bundle + Drama: New customers only. Mixit TV including Sky Max and Alibi, M100 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 108Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 39 a month for 18 months. Price includes line rental (19 a month). Standard monthly pricing (currently 69 a month) applies from month 19. Premium add-ons such as Sky Cinema are available at extra monthly cost. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Big Volt bundle + Drama: Mixit TV including Sky Max and Alibi, M200 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 213Mbps) and Talk Weekends. Premium add-ons such as Sky Cinema are available at extra monthly cost. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Big Volt bundle: Mixit TV, M100 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 108Mbps) and Talk Weekends. Premium add-ons such as Sky Cinema are available at extra monthly cost. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Big bundle: New customers only. Mixit TV, M50 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 54Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 33 a month for 18 months. Price includes line rental (19 a month). Standard monthly pricing (currently 53 a month) applies from month 19. Premium add-ons such as Sky Cinema are available at extra monthly cost. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M200 Broadband + Maxit TV: New customers only. Maxit TV, M200 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 213Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 49 a month for 18 months. Price includes line rental (19 a month). Standard monthly pricing (currently 79 a month) applies from month 19. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M50 Fibre Broadband and Virgin Phone: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M50 Fibre Broadband (average download speed at peak 54Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 28 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 45). Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M100 Fibre Broadband and Virgin Phone: New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 108Mbps and Talk More Weekends. 28 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 52). Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband + Phone + O2 SIM (Volt): M100 & Talk weekends: New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 108Mbps and Talk More Weekends. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M200 Fibre Broadband and Virgin Phone: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M200 Fibre Broadband (average download speed at peak 213Mbps) and Talk More Weekends. 34 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 58). Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband + Phone + O2 SIM (Volt): M200 & Talk More weekends: New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 213Mbps and Talk More Weekends. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M350 Fibre Broadband and Virgin Phone: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M350 Fibre Broadband (average download speed at peak 362Mbps) and Talk More Weekends. 40 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 64). Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband + Phone + O2 SIM (Volt): M350 & Talk More weekends: New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 362Mbps and Talk More Weekends. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M500 Fibre Broadband and Virgin Phone: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M500 Fibre Broadband (average download speed at peak 362Mbps) and Talk More Weekends. 46 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 70). Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband + Phone + O2 SIM (Volt): M500 & Talk More weekends: New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 516Mbps and Talk More Weekends. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Gig1 Fibre Broadband and Virgin Phone: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. Gig1 Fibre Broadband (average download speed at peak 1104Mbps) and Talk Weekends. 64 a month for 24 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 64). Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband + Phone + O2 SIM (Volt): Gig1 & Talk More weekends: New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 1130Mbps and Talk More Weekends. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M50 Fibre Broadband: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M50 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 54Mbps). 38 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 38). Broadband only. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M100 Fibre Broadband: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M100 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 108Mbps). 44 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 44). Broadband only. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband M100 + O2 SIM (Volt): New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 108Mbps. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M200 Fibre Broadband: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M200 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 213Mbps). 50 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 50). Broadband only. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband M200 + O2 SIM (Volt): New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 213Mbps. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M350 Fibre Broadband: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M350 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 362Mbps). 56 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 56). Broadband only. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband M350 + O2 SIM (Volt): New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 362Mbps. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. M500 Fibre Broadband: New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M500 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 516Mbps). 62 a month for 18 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 62) Broadband only. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Broadband M500 + O2 SIM (Volt): New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 516Mbps. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Gig1 Fibre Broadband: Gig1 is available Southampton, Manchester, Reading, Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Belfast and their surrounding areas. New customers only. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. Gig1 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 1104Mbps). 62 a month for 24 months, standard pricing thereafter (currently 62). Broadband only. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Gig 1 + O2 SIM (Volt): New customers only. 18 month minimum term. Average download speed 1104Mbps. Price includes line rental (19 a month). If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. Downgrading a service in your bundle may result in loss of bundle discount. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. In a rare step, the California Supreme Court has blocked Gov. Jerry Browns attempt to issue a pardon to a 37-year-old Cambodian refugee who killed a woman when he was 14 years old. The court gave no reason for the rejection, but earlier noted it only had the authority to do so in the case of an abuse of power. Browns pardon would have effectively stopped Borey Ais deportation to Cambodia, a nation where his mother was born but he has never seen. Pardons, threat of deportation The governor in the last 10 months has pardoned seven ex-convicts who otherwise faced the threat of deportation to Cambodia, drawing the ire of President Donald Trump, whose administration has stepped up efforts to deport immigrants with criminal convictions. It takes at least four votes of the seven justices to block pardons. The unsigned ruling Wednesday didnt say how many justices voted to block the pardon. The governor is required to obtain the courts approval for pardons and sentence commutations for twice-convicted felons. Appellate lawyer David Ettinger said it appears the last time the court rejected a governors pardon was in 1930. A spokesman for the governor, Brian Ferguson, declined comment. 19 years served Ai was charged as an adult and convicted in Santa Clara County 1997 of second-degree murder and also of a separate robbery. He was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison. He spent 19 years in prison before parole officials decided he had turned his life around. He walked out of San Quentin prison in November 2016 and into the custody of waiting federal immigration agents who are trying to deport him to Cambodia. After prison, he spent 18 months in federal detention but was freed in May after Cambodia refused to accept him for now. Ai was represented by lawyers at the nonprofit legal aid organization Asian Law Caucus. It is definitely a disappointment and definitely a surprise, said Anoop Prasad, one of Ais lawyers. Prasad said the court didnt provide an explanation to Ai or his legal team. Prasad said lawyers are considering other legal avenues to reverse the state Supreme Courts decision. Prasad also said Ai is fighting his deportation in a federal appeals court. Parole officials recommended a pardon for Ai in October and dozens of advocates turned in more than 36,000 signatures asking Brown to pardon Ai. Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Aaron West objected to the pardon, arguing that Ai has been free for only months and has no track record of being a benefit to the community. President Donald Trump could find himself embracing strategic patience on North Korea, an Obama administration approach he once denounced, as nuclear talks with Pyongyang have stalled, analysts say. A Trump tweet Friday showed the presidents evolving position. And this policy pivot follows growing concern in Washington that denuclearization of North Korea is likely to be more complicated and take longer than the Trump White House expected. Washingtons talks with Pyongyang have been stalled, and North Korea has not taken concrete steps toward denuclearization. North Korea abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in early November, and U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, appointed in August, has yet to meet with his North Korean counterpart. Satellite images of North Korea throughout the year showed that the country has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs. The most recent image obtained by CNN last week indicated North Korea might be expanding its key long-range missile base with a newly constructed facility. Not willing to denuclearize Former U.S. officials and analysts are concerned North Koreas unwillingness to denuclearize despite the historic summit between the U.S. and North Korea will lead the Trump administration to adopt strategic patience as a default policy choice. Former President Barak Obama adopted the policy of gradually escalating sanctions on North Korea while refusing to negotiate with Pyongyang until it gave up its nuclear weapons program in what came to be known as strategic patience. Trump said the era of strategic patience is over last year when dealing with North Korea and took on the policy of maximum pressure while engaged in diplomatic talks with Pyongyang this year. Not a policy, it is a fact of life Gary Samore, the White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration, said strategic patience is a result of a policy rather a policy itself. For me, strategic patience is not a policy, Samore said. It is a fact of life. According to Samore, the Trump administration is following the same policies of economic pressure and promises to induce North Korea to accept denuclearization as the Obama administration had done, with the exception of meeting Kim. The biggest difference between Trump and Obama is President Trumps decision to meet directly with Kim Jong Un to start the negotiation process, the so-called top-down approach, Samore said. The results are the same Ken Gause, director of the International Affairs Group, said, As long as Trump continues down the path of maximum pressure and denuclearization first, he is essentially following the path of strategic patience. He continued, It might not look like strategic patience because of the U.S.-North Korean talks but the results are the same. Gause said the U.S. will drift toward strategic patience as long as North Koreas demand for economic concessions remains unmet. Less patience, more strategy Evans Revere, acting assistant secretary at the State Departments Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs during the George W. Bush administration, said he sees too much patience and very little strategy in the administrations approach. Despite clear evidence that [North Korea] is expanding its nuclear and missile capabilities, President Trump has removed the timeline for the Norths denuclearization, he said. Revere added, Its time for more strategy, less patience, coupled with a healthy dose of action. Second summit? However, Scott Snyder, director of the Program on U.S. Korean Policy at the Council of Foreign Policy, said Trumps approach toward North Korea differs from the approach that the Obama administration took. The Trump administrations approach involves conscious application of increasing pressure toward North Korea designed to drive toward a decisive point, rather than waiting more passively for North Korea to make a decision, Snyder said. Trump has said he is willing to meet Kim for a second summit as early as January or February of next year. Pyongyang, however, has not accepted the summit offer, at least publicly. On Thursday, North Korea blamed Washington for stalled denuclearization talks, while saying it remains open to discussion and progress. North Koreas state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, How can a negotiation train move when North Korea is the only one moving and the U.S. is standing still. It continued, We are waiting with patience for the U.S. to take corresponding measures. More than 3,600 people have been killed in clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria since 2016, Amnesty International said on Monday, blaming the government's failure to punish the perpetrators for fueling the violence. The international human rights organization said more than 2,000 were killed in 2018 alone, while the bloodshed had made thousands of other people homeless. Violence between farmers and nomadic herders is on the increase in Nigeria over access to fertile land and water, which is becoming scarce in the face of drought and rapid population growth. "The Nigerian authorities' failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fueled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more," Amnesty said in a statement. It said that of the 310 attacks recorded between January 2016 and October 2018, 57 percent were in 2018 and were most frequent in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba and Plateau. The rights group also accused Nigerian security forces of not doing enough to stop the killings. "Security forces are often positioned close to the attacks, which can sometimes last for days, and yet have been slow to act," it said. In some cases, forces were warned of an imminent raid but did nothing to prevent the killings, looting or burning of homes. "The Nigerian government has displayed what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population," said Osai Ojigho, Nigeria's director of Amnesty International. "Our research shows that these attacks were well planned and coordinated, with the use of weapons like machine guns and AK-47 rifles," Ojigho said. "In some places, because of the failures of the security forces, competition over resources is used as a pretext to kill and maim along ethnic or religious lines," she said. "The conflict has been dangerously politicized by some state government officials who have inflamed tensions by embarking on a blame game along political party lines." The Nigerian army on Monday rejected the Amnesty report, accusing the global watchdog of "unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military". Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement that Nigerians should ignore the report which he said was intended to "destabilize and dismember" the country. "The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues," he warned. The farmer-herder violence is putting further pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari, who is battling a nine-year insurgency by the Boko Haram jihadist group in the northeast. The 76-year-old retired general has come under fire for his inability to end the country's security challenges as he seeks a second term in February elections. Boko Haram has stepped up attacks on farmers and loggers in recent months, accusing them of passing information about the group to the military. In the latest attack, four farmers were shot dead as they slept in rice fields in a village outside the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, survivors and local militia said on Monday. Last month, the insurgents killed nine farmers and abducted 12 others in Mammanti village, near Maiduguri. A bomb blast early Monday damaged a building in Athens housing the headquarters of Greece's private radio and television network Skai, but there were no casualties, police said. Anti-terrorist police opened an investigation into the attack that focused on Greek extremist groups. Attacks targeting broadcasting groups, public companies or embassies have been frequent in Greece in recent years, and have been blamed on anarchist or far-left groups. The coalition government led by leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras condemned the blast as "an attack on democracy" while his administration decried an act of "terrorism." In a statement, Tsipras slammed what he termed "an attack on democracy by cowardly and dark forces," vowing that "they will not realize their goal of terrorizing and disorientating." He further offered his "sincere support to journalists and all those who work at the station" targeted. The homemade device went off at around 2:30am (0030 GMT), 45 minutes after an anonymous telephone warning to another TV network. Police cordoned off the neighborhood in the Athens suburb of Neo Phaliro and evacuated the building, which contains the offices of Skai, a group owned by the Alafouzos shipping family, as well as those of Kathimerini, a center-right daily critical of the government. Police said the bomb was placed in a narrow street near a fence around the building and smashed windows on the facade. Skai said in a statement the blast caused "major damage." "The terrorist attack will not discourage us," it said, accusing the government of failing to do enough to protect the media despite "recurrent threats against the station." Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos rejected the accusation. The minister for civil protection, Olga Gerovassili, visited the site with police. "Democracy is not threatened," she said, while warning against those who "leave the way open to terrorism or fascism." There were no claims of responsibility by late afternoon but some analysts said the bombing bore the hallmarks of an attack by the far left Popular Fighters Group (OLA). It has previously claimed to be behind at least five other similar blasts, none causing fatalities, since its formation in 2013. The group last claimed a bombing outside the Athens Court of Appeal in December 2017, which caused extensive material damage. Last month, police defused a bomb outside the Athens home of a controversial prosecutor following two anonymous telephoned warnings to the media. Landu Kumbakidioko does not care who wins Sunday's hotly contested election in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Kinshasa-based barber just wants what the top candidates have promised: a better life in a resource-rich nation with high unemployment and a shocking lack of basic services. All the candidates running for president are promising to fix the nations ailing economy and spread this countrys vast natural wealth to its people. But after years of corruption, crumbling infrastructure and failing services, voters doubt the poll will bring the change they seek. In Kumbakidioko's neighborhood, just a short drive to the center of Kinshasa, potholes dot the roads, drainage runs in the streets and power and water are scarce. He charges $5 for a haircut and shave when he can. We have a serious problem with electricity," he says. "Every day, we have an outage of electricity from around 10 a.m., and it doesnt come back until 5 p.m. or even 8 p.m. This is a hardship for us. And we want permanent [regular] electricity. But he counts himself lucky to have a job. Many of his customers are unemployed and sit in his shop all day making small talk. Unemployment is estimated at around 46 percent, though reliable statistics can be hard to come by in a nation where the black and gray markets are prevalent. VOA asked both of the main presidential camps how they will tackle economic challenges. Ruling party presidential candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary was unavailable for comment. Bbut ruling coalition spokesman Andre-Alain Atundu said Shadary wants to increase government spending and reshape the resource-reliant economy. "His main idea is to make an open and multi[-faceted] economy," he said. "We say that our economy is based on copper and minerals. We want the economy to be diversified." Opposition candidate Martin Fayulu, a businessman and former oil executive, told VOA he plans to run the massive country like his successful businesses, by making the nation more attractive to investors. "We want the people to see that Congo, [as a] destination for business should be one of the first destinations, one of the first choices," he said. At the barbershop, things are much simpler. Kumbakidioko complained of basic problems, lack of water, high unemployment and poor infrastructure he and said he is tired of broken political promises and rampant corruption. He said he just wants politicians to give citizens the basic services they deserve. And if that fails, Kumbakidioko said he might take a stab at the messy world of politics. "I love politics," he says. "Maybe one day if I get the chance, Ill embrace a political career. But for now he'll remain a barber, Kumbakidioko said, as he sweeps a straight razor over a client's Adam's apple, clearing it of tiny, invisible hairs. Congo's politics, he says, "are just too cutthroat." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday vowed Turkey would remove a Kurdish militia viewed as terrorists by Ankara from northern Syria if the US failed to ensure fighters leave the east of the Euphrates. The threat comes after Erdogan spoke on the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday when the pair agreed to ensure "more effective coordination" between their countries' operations in Syria. The conversation followed threats from Erdogan last week to launch an offensive against the U.S.-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia east of the Euphrates River, where there are American troops, within the "next few days." "I spoke with Trump. The terrorists must leave the east of the Euphrates. If they don't go, we will remove them," Erdogan promised during a televised speech in the central Turkish province of Konya. Turkey views the YPG as 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, the US and the European Union. "They [the YPG] are a source of discomfort with their terror corridor," Erdogan said. Although Erdogan said that Turkey could start an operation "at any moment", he appeared to indicate there was room for negotiation with the U.S. "Since we are strategic partners with America, then we must do what is necessary," said Erdogan. But he added that the U.S. "must fulfill promises" without giving further detail. The YPG has spearheaded Washington's fight against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria under the banner of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). But U.S. support for the YPG has strained relations between the NATO allies, which worsened recently after the US set up observation posts in northern Syria close to the border with Turkey to prevent any altercation between Turkish forces and the YPG. Turkey has launched two military operations helping Syrian rebels to recapture territory in Syria from IS and the YPG in August 2016 and January 2018 respectively. The first offensive in northern Syria lasted until March 2017 targeting IS on the Turkey-Syria border and to stop the YPG gaining more territory. The second was completed in March 2018 after the Ankara-backed rebels captured the YPG-held enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria. Barely 24 hours after being released from detention centers, some of the people accused of fighting for the creation of an English-speaking state in Cameroon have called for the movement's leaders to be released if President Paul Biya wants peace in the country. The detainees' release last week came after Biya ordered charges against them dropped. Evelyn Ako, a mother of four, says she spent the night with her husband for the first time in 22 months. She says he was arrested in the English-speaking Southwest town of Mamfe and taken to Yaounde. "With him besides me, we can work harder," she said. "He used to give me money to support my children but this year, they are in the house. They have not gone to school because of [his absence]. So this thing has disturbed us a lot. It has disturbed even our family because any money that we gather, we used it to buy foodstuff to go and give him. We use it to buy medicines, dresses." Evelyn Ako relocated to Yaounde to help her husband and says they will only return to Mamfe when the crisis is over. Joseph Cho, the spokesperson for the 120 people released from detention camps, said they are pleading with Biya to free their leaders. "We have leaders. If these people are released, things will be better," Cho said. "Like Sissiku who [was] arrested because of this. We expected this decision long ago. Things would not have been the way it is now." Sissiku is the name given to the leader of the Ambazonia separatist movement, Julius Ayuk Tabe. He was arrested in Abuja, Nigeria, with 46 of his collaborators and extradited last January to Cameroon. They face a possible death penalty on charges of secession, terrorism and attempting to destabilize Cameroon. 'Frank dialogue' needed University of Yaounde political analyst Willibroad Ze Ngwa says if Biya frees the Anglophone leaders, peace likely will return to Cameroon. "The most important should be releasing the leaders and engaging in frank dialogue with these people. I pray the head of state [president] should move us into 2019 with some sort of general amnesty so that Cameroonians should be able to live in total concord and harmony," Ngwa said. Governor of the English-speaking Northwest region, Deben Tchoffo, says the government is open for dialogue and the separatists should disarm. "Use all means at your level to convince your other mates to lay down their guns and to come back to normal civil life," Tchoffo said. "They will be well taken care of, they will be well treated, trained and even supported to ease their coming back to civil life." Separatist insurgency The separatist insurgency gained pace in 2017 following a government crackdown on peaceful protests by Anglophones, who complain of being marginalized by the French-speaking majority. Biya was re-elected to a seventh term in October, and since then there has been pressure from the international community to start sincere dialogue with the separatists. Last Thursday, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the U.N. Security Council that conditions in Cameroon's English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions had highly deteriorated, and the United States wants an immediate end to violence and a speedy start to talks between the government and separatists. In the most significant conviction relating to deadly anti-Sikh riots that swept India in 1984, a senior politician of the opposition Congress Party has been sentenced to life imprisonment. The Delhi High Court found Sajjan Kumar guilty of instigating mobs during the violence that followed the killing of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Kumar, now 73, was a member of parliament when nearly 3,000 Sikhs died in the carnage that erupted for four days as rampaging mobs brutally attacked and killed members of the minority Sikh community and torched their businesses. Calling the riots a crime against humanity, the judges said that a majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial. They said that there is need to assure the countless victims that truth will prevail." The verdict was widely welcomed by family members of the victims and Sikh activists, who have long accused leaders of the Congress Party of fanning the violence. Kumar, who was accused of leading a mob in a Delhi neighborhood a day after Mrs. Gandhis killing, has been convicted in a case involving the killing of five Sikhs. He had been acquitted by a lower court in 2013, but that verdict had been was challenged by federal investigators. Some of the family members of the victims wept as they heard the verdict. Many regretted it had taken 34 years to get justice. About 400 people have been convicted in connection with the riots, but Sikh activists say high profile instigators of the violence have evaded justice. A witness Jagdish Kaur, who said a mob killed her husband and son, said, Our wounds were very deep. Now a little balm has been applied to them. Sajjan Kumar has been ordered to surrender by the end of the month. His lawyers said he will appeal the sentence. He is not the only high profile politician to be named in cases related to the riots. A former Congress minister, Jagdish Tytler, also faces a trial. Another senior party leader, Kamal Nath, who was sworn in as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh state on Monday, has been named by witnesses as being involved in the violence, but has denied the allegations. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed the verdict. In a tweet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley called it, A delayed vindication of justice, and said, The Congress and the Gandhi family legacy will continue to pay for the sins of 1984 riots. The Congress Party strongly denies any role in the anti-Sikh violence. Party president Rahul Gandhi told an audience in London this year, It was a tragedy, it was a painful experience. You say that the Congress Party was involved in that, I dont agree. Indira Gandhi was killed four months after she ordered troops to storm Sikhisms holiest shrine, the Golden Temple, to flush out Sikh militants who had taken shelter inside. Sikhs make up about two percent of Indias population. An Iraqi Sunni Muslim leader laid the cornerstone Sunday in the first step to rebuild the iconic 11th-century al-Nuri mosque in Mosul. Three years of fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi forces left the structure in ruins. All that remains is the stone gate, the green graffiti-covered dome, and part of the base of the minaret. United Nations officials and European ambassadors joined Iraqi political and religious leaders for Sunday's cornerstone-laying ceremony. The United Arab Emirates donated more than $50 million to the rebuilding project, which is expected to take at least five years. After centuries of serving as a place for Muslims to worship, the al-Nuri mosque became the site of a much darker period in Iraqi history: It was where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi stood and declared an Islamic State caliphate after his terrorist fighters overran Mosul in 2014. There was little left of the mosque after the Islamic State was defeated. UNESCO's representative in Iraq, Louise Haxthausen, called its destruction a "moment of horror and despair." A year ago a British magazine pictured Emmanuel Macron fresh from his stunning presidential election win walking on water. The Economist saluted him as the European leader most likely able to counter rising populism across the continent. The magazine wasnt the only one placing hopes in Frances energetic, telegenic young leader who defied conventional French political norms to create from scratch a centrist political movement, La Republique en Marche. His victory was touted as an object lesson by Europes embattled centrist politicians in how to take on Euro-skeptic populists and reconnect European governance with the people. But now he is learning how difficult it is to govern the country. Just like his predecessors in the Elysee Palace: Nicolas Sarkozy who promised dynamic Thatcherite reforms only to fail, and socialist Francois Hollande who equally found France impervious to major change, say analysts. What went wrong, and what next for Macron, who had pitched himself as the antidote to the "illiberal democracies" of Central Europe and the defender of the European Union? Analysts say impatience was among his key mistakes, rushing in to change things, rather than taking a more methodical and gradual approach. Yellow vests During the weekend, the fifth in a row "yellow vest" protesters battled riot police in the streets of Paris, the Elysee Palace took some comfort from the drop in the number of demonstrators against Macrons financial and social policies. Opinion polls suggest overall support for the movement has dropped, with the French evenly divided over whether the Yellow Vests should continue their agitation. But across France tens of thousands still took to city streets vowing they wont give up, despite Macron's bid last week to buy them off with a costly package of fiscal measures to boost pay packets and pensions. His sweeteners included canceling planned fuel tax hikes, the immediate cause for the protests, a rise in the minimum wage, tax relief for pensioners and the scrapping of taxes on overtime work starting next year. Economists estimate the entire package will cost the French government around $17 billion. His aides argue the package was the cause for the fall-off in the numbers of protesters. Richard Ferrand, head of the National Assembly, welcomed the weakening of the "yellow vest" rallies due to the governments massive response to their demands. Some analysts agree. I think one of the key factors is that we had the Macron speech, the big address to the nation... That was important: he took a lot of ownership for the problems, he admitted mistakes, and he legitimized the protesters complaints, and he introduced some tangible measures to remedy them, British academic Andrew Smith told France 24. But others say fatigue, the frigid weather and the fast approaching holiday season all contributed too. And they warn the visceral dislike the "yellow vests" hold for Macron remains. People have confidence in themselves now, so things wont return to how they were, according to pollster Jerome Sainte-Marie. Macron's image Few observers believe the rebellion is over and Macron is close to defusing the first real crisis of his presidency. They say the French president will have to change the way he governs. The 40-year-old former investment banker is seen widely as being haughty and out-of-touch with the daily struggles of ordinary people. The "yellow vests" have dubbed him the president of the rich and observers have noted their deep animosity to the French leader. The initial protests over the governments decision to raise taxes on fuel have been over taken by a much broader grievance against policies the "yellow vests" say have hurt the poor and ordinary workers, and enrich the wealthy. Macron has declined to reinstate a wealth tax he scrapped soon after coming into power. A major opinion poll published Sunday in Journal du Dimanche newspaper showed Macrons approval slipped two points in the past four weeks to 23 percent. Other polls have his approval rating even lower at 20 percent, and it remains unclear how he can claw his way back. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says, The critical thing is to find the right balance between a clear response to the fears of a large part of our population, and the need to keep on the path of reform. That is going to be a hard to pull off, with the government looking to recoup some of the costs of the financial sweeteners Macron announced last week. Le Maire insists government spending cuts are needed to compensate for the package. Malaysia filed criminal charges Monday against subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs and two of its employees in connection with the investigation of corruption at the state-owned 1MDB investment fund. A former 1MDB employee, Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, and financier Jho Low were also charged. The Malaysian attorney general's office said Jasmine Loo Ai Swan and Jho Low conspired with Goldman Sachs employees Tim Leissner and Roger Ng Chong Hwa to bribe Malaysian officials into picking the bank to underwrite $6.5 billion in bonds. In return, Goldman Sachs received $600 million in fees, which the attorney general said was "several times higher than the prevailing market rates and industry norms." The statement announcing the charges also said that in addition to receiving some misappropriated bond proceeds, the Goldman Sachs employees also got "large bonuses and enhanced career prospects." The charges follow similar ones filed by the U.S. Justice Department in November against Jho Low and Roger Ng Chong Hwa for the same alleged scheme. Leissner pleaded guilty to his own U.S. charges of conspiring to launder money and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and was ordered to forfeit $43.7 million. Mexico's new president is asking businesses to invest in the Maya Train, a railway line that would link passengers to archaeological sites and popular tourist destinations. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador engaged in a traditional religious ceremony in the Mayan language Sunday, calling on the ancestors to give their blessings to the project. The governors of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan were also present at the ceremony. The president said there is already $296 million in Mexico's 2019 budget for the project, which he estimated would help to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Lopez Obrador said, however, another $741 to $890 million is needed for the train and its 1,500-kilometer route. He told investors they would receive a federal subsidy for each kilometer they build. Environmentalists are concerned about the impact the train will have on the five southeastern Mexican states. The route passes through virgin forests and jaguar habitat. China has allowed the Canadian ambassador to meet with a second Canadian citizen detained for reasons that are still unclear, the foreign ministry in Ottawa said. Ambassador John McCallum spoke with Canadian business executive Michael Spavor on Sunday two days after he met with another Canadian detainee, former diplomat Michael Kovrig. A foreign ministry statement said Sunday the ambassador will continue providing consular services to Spavor and will seek further access to him. China detained both men after Canadian police arrested senior Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou earlier this month in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant. Meng is out on bail awaiting possible extradition to the United States on charges of evading U.S. sanctions against Iran. Canada denies Meng's arrest was a political move. It says it was purely a judicial matter and a case of Canada living up to its treaty obligations to the United States. "We are being absolutely clear on standing up for our citizens who have been detained, trying to figure out why, trying to work with China to demonstrate that this is not acceptable," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said late last week. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also calls the arrests in China unacceptable. Ottawa has declined to say why it believes the two Canadians were arrested. But China's state-run Beijing News newspaper says the two are suspected of activities that endanger Chinese national security. On Monday, state-back newspaper the Global Times warned in an editorial that the spat with Canada could escalate. "In the struggle with Canada, China needs to prepare for the possibility of conflict escalation," it said. "Beijing must take the contest seriously and maximize the support of international public opinion, leaving Western media no smear to slander its counterattacks as 'degradation of China's opening-up.'" A new report says Kenyan authorities have harassed and abused environmental activists protesting the development of a new coal plant. The Human Rights Watch and National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders report, titled They Just Want to Silence Us details harassment and abuses against Kenyan environmental activists who have campaigned against a proposed coal plant in Lamu County, in Kenya's Coast region. Otsieno Namwaya, a Human Rights Watch researcher, said they speak up, but then "after they speak up they either face threats, sometimes anonymous threats on phone." "Sometimes there is in-person threats from people they identify as police officers," added Namwaya, "but they have also been arrested, detained, they have been interrogated." The proposed plant, estimated to cost $2 billion, is waiting for the green light from Kenya's environmental court. It will be constructed by a Chinese company China Power Global. Kenyan officials insist the plant will help meet the countrys growing demand for electric power. Kenya's environmental agency has accepted the plans, saying all environmental concerns were considered. Critics, however, believe such a project will pollute the environment and damage the marine ecosystem. Human Rights Watch has documented actions against 35 campaigners during the past five years. The group also accuses Kenyan security agencies of breaking up protests and restricting public meetings in Lamu County. Activist Ishaq Abubakar, who works with Save Lamu, an organization that fights for the rights of the people, said projects that bring "destruction to our natural resources," will "wipe out our culture. How do you expect the community to leave?" "So when we stand up and speak up about our challenges and problems that is when you get problems," he said. "You get arrested, harassed, beaten, tear-gassed, or someone detains you in a different place and he has nothing to charge you for. Government spokesman Eric Kirathe denied the accusations. "Reports like intimidation of activists on environmental matters can only be ... [a] wrong reference," he said they can be based on wrong information, because it is the policy of the government to work with any and every party interested in matters of the environmental conservation." Kamau Ngugi, head of National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, called on the government to respect the rule of law, including the rights to freedom of assembly, and the right to a healthy environment. Two new reports on Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections are shedding more light on the size and scope of the campaign, showing it was far more extensive and thorough than previously understood. The reports also support conclusions by the U.S. intelligence community and published in an unclassified January 2017 report that the goal of all of Russia's meddling in the months leading up to the 2016 elections was to get their preferred candidate elected president of the United States. "What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically Donald Trump," according to the report by Oxford University's Computational Propaganda Project and network analysis firm Graphika. The findings, as first reported by the Washington Post, said Russians working for a group called the Internet Research Agency (IRA) began experimenting with social media to influence local elections in 2009 and expanded its operations to U.S. elections in 2013 using Twitter. It gradually added other popular social media sites to its campaign, including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, using race and social issues such as gun rights, immigration and police brutality to sow division and discontent. "Conservative and right-wing voters were actively encouraged to get behind Trump's campaign," according to the report by Oxford and Graphika. "Other voters were encouraged to boycott the election, abstain from voting for [Hillary] Clinton, or to spread cynicism about participating in the election in general." Russia's IRA activity also sought out African-American voters in particular with advertising on Facebook and Instagram and with video content on YouTube. "Most of the interest-based targeting focused on African-American communities and interests," the second report by the cybersecurity firm New Knowledge showed. "Messaging to African-Americans sought to divert their political energy away from established political institutions by preying on anger with structural inequalities faced by African-Americans, including police violence, poverty and disproportionate levels of incarceration," the Oxford University-Graphika report added. "These campaigns pushed a message that the best way to advance the cause of the African-American community was to boycott the election and focus on other issues instead." Other groups such as liberals, women, Muslims, Latinos and veterans were also targeted with similar messages either appealing to their politics or trying to discourage them from voting. "This newly released data demonstrates how aggressively Russia sought to divide Americans by race, religion and ideology, and how the IRA actively worked to erode trust in our democratic institutions. Most troublingly, it shows that these activities have not stopped," Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, a Republican, said in a statement Monday. "This should stand as a wake-up call," added Senate Intelligence Committee vice chair, Democrat Mark Warner, who has been critical of social media companies and the way they have handled Russia's online influence campaigns. "It is time to get serious in addressing this challenge," Warner said. "That is going to require some much-needed and long-overdue guardrails when it comes to social media." The Oxford-Graphika report said it is clear the response by social media companies has been lacking. "We clearly observe a belated and uncoordinated response from the platforms that provided the data," the report said. "In some cases, activity on one platform was detected and suspended months before similar action was taken against related activity on another platform." In a statement Monday, Facebook said it continues to "fully cooperate with officials investigating the IRA's activity on Facebook and Instagram around the 2016 election." "We've made progress in helping prevent interference on our platforms during elections, strengthened our policies against voter suppression ahead of the 2018 midterms, and funded independent research on the impact of social media on democracy," the statement said, adding the company believes Congress and intelligence officials "are best placed to use the information we and others provide." In a statement of its own, Twitter said: "Our singular focus is to improve the health of the public conversation on our platform. We've made significant strides since 2016 to counter manipulation of our service, including our release of additional data in October related to previously disclosed activities to enable further independent academic research and investigation." Google reaction The reports, though, indicate the measures that have been taken may not be enough, as Russia and others continue to make use of social media platforms. The Oxford-Graphika report said Russia's use of social media did not peak until after the election, with the IRA buying the most ad volume on Facebook in April 2017, shortly after the U.S. airstrikes against chemical weapon sites in Syria. And U.S. intelligence and military officials have told VOA that Russia continued to target segments of U.S. society, including ongoing efforts to influence U.S. military personnel and their families in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections. The United States has already leveled criminal charges against IRA for interfering in the 2016 campaign. Current and former intelligence officials also warn that it would be a mistake to focus only on Russia's use of social media, pointing to last week's guilty plea by Russian spy Maria Butina, who admitted to using the National Rifle Association to get close to key conservative politicians. "It illustrates the astute understanding the Russians have of our political ecosystem," James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence, told VOA. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election and whether the president has tried to obstruct justice by trying to undermine the probe. Trump denies there was any collusion and calls the Mueller probe a "witch hunt." Saudi Arabia has hit back at a U.S. Senate resolution to end U.S. military support for the war in Yemen and blame the Saudi crown prince for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "The Kingdom condemns the latest position of the U.S. Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs," the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The Senate delivered a rare double rebuke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Saudi Arabia last week, voting to end American military support for the war in Yemen. It also condemned Khashoggi's death and called Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, "responsible" for it. Riyadh warned that it would not tolerate any "disrespect" of its rulers. "This position by the U.S. Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-U.S. relationship," the Saudi ministry said. The Senate resolution acknowledged that the U.S.-Saudi relations were "important," but it called on the kingdom to "moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy." Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, was killed Oct. 2 shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in what Riyadh has called a "rogue" operation. The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo are scheduled to address the U.N. Security Council on Monday afternoon following Kosovo's decision to transform its existing 4,000-strong security force into a regular army and Serbia's threat of armed intervention. Kosovo was a province of Serbia and came under U.N. and NATO administration after a 1999 NATO-led air war halted a Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. The Security Council resolution that established the interim U.N. administration left the final status of Kosovo in question. Kosovo's predominantly ethnic Albanian leadership declared independence in 2008, and Kosovo has been recognized by some 108 countries. But Serbia rejects its secession and Russia, a close ally and veto-wielding Security Council member, has blocked Kosovo from becoming a member of the United Nations. Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci said Sunday that its parliament's decision to turn the Kosovo Security Force into an army is "irreversible." Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Sunday that President Aleksandar Vucic will insist at the Security Council meeting that the army was formed in violation of the 1999 U.N. resolution. Serbia's government has warned it might use its own military to respond, with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic saying that's "one of the options on the table." An armed intervention by Serbia could bring a confrontation with NATO-led peacekeepers stationed in Kosovo since 1999. Kosovo's Thaci said the new army will be professional and multiethnic, with 5 percent of the troops coming from the ethnic Serb minority. He advised Serbia's Vucic to take a cue from Serbs who live in Kosovo "who feel calm and who take part in the army." The United States hailed the vote by Kosovo's parliament to form a new army, and reaffirmed "its support for the gradual transition ... to a force with a territorial defense mandate, as is Kosovo's sovereign right." But Russia denounced the move, saying the predominantly ethnic Albanian force must be "disbanded" by the NATO mission in the country. NATO and the European Union which has led talks in recent years aimed at improving ties between Kosovo and Serbia expressed regret that Kosovo decided to go ahead with the army formation. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on the Balkan neighbors "to remain calm and refrain from any statements or actions which may lead to escalation." He said NATO remains committed "to a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and to stability in the wider Western Balkans," and will "re-examine the level of NATO's engagement with the Kosovo Security Force." U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed the U.N.'s desire to maintain the existing Kosovan force as the body that ensures the safety of Kosovo, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said late Friday. The U.N. chief called for restraint and urged the parties to "refrain from actions that could raise tensions and cause a further setback in the European Union-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina." Sudan's president has become the first Arab leader to visit Damascus since the Syrian civil war began eight years ago. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad greeted Omar al-Bashir at the airport Sunday, the state-run news agency SANA reported. Most Arab countries have closed their embassies in Damascus and condemned Assad for using overwhelming military force and failing to negotiate with the opposition. Syria was also expelled from the 22-member Arab League. No official reason was given for the visit, but SANA said the two leaders held talks at the presidential palace about developments in the region and in Syria. As the war in Syria winds down in Assad's favor, some Arab nations have called for normalizing ties with Damascus and even of allowing it back in the Arab League. For four years at the turn of the century, Wang Zhaohong worked on a demolition crew in Shenzhen, clearing the way for the once-tiny border village to become a bustling metropolis. Now, emaciated and struggling for breath, the bedridden 50-year-old says the work he did will end up killing him. Without proper safety equipment, he and his colleagues from a remote county in Hunan province inhaled so much construction dust during Shenzhen's development boom that they contracted silicosis, a lung-destroying condition. Wang's case is acute. He expects to suffocate by Chinese New Year. This month, China will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its "Reform and Opening," the economic policy that transformed it into the world's second-largest economy. Even as hundreds of millions of people have left poverty, Wang and others like him are reminders of the heavy human toll of China's development, and authorities have sought to censor information and suppress protests. About 6 million Chinese either suffer from or have already died from pneumoconiosis, or dust-caused lung damage that includes silicosis, according to estimates by Love Save Pneumoconiosis, a Beijing NGO that advocates for workers suffering from the condition. Hundreds of migrant workers from three counties in Hunan province, including Wang, have been protesting for compensation from Shenzhen. "We used to wear the same mask for 10 days before getting a new one," Wang said in his village in poor, rural Sangzhi county. "At the time our boss would say to us, 'If you use a new mask every single day, how will I ever make any money?'" The workers earned 5,000-6,000 yuan ($739-$870) each month, double or triple what other migrant workers were paid at the time. Almost no one signed contracts, which has made it nearly impossible for them to seek adequate compensation. The Shenzhen government has offered some workers payments dependent on the severity of their illness of up to 220,000 yuan ($32,000), according to Gu Fuxiang, one of the worker representatives. But he said it was not nearly enough. Their prospects look grim in what has been a nearly decade-long fight. Security forces attacked them during their most recent sit-in at Shenzhen's city hall in early November, according to five workers who were there. "For both the local government here and the Shenzhen government, maintaining stability is absolutely their first priority," said Gu, who has less severe silicosis. "We traded our lives for development," he said. "The government doesn't care if we're sick, if we die." A Shenzhen government spokesman referred questions to the police department, social security department, health department and economic reform department. The health department hung up on a call seeking comment; the economic reform department declined to comment. The police and social security departments did not respond to multiple calls. Shenzhen's growth The health crisis is not unique to China; advocacy groups in the United States struggled for decades to win compensation for workers dying of such "dust diseases." But the pace of China's building boom has created an unprecedented number of casualties in just 40 years. No city in history has grown faster than Shenzhen, whose economic output surpassed that of its next-door neighbor, Hong Kong, for the first time last year. Shenzhen expects to have the largest metro network in the world by 2030, with 32 subway lines, according to the official China Daily newspaper. Migrant workers laid the foundations for many of Shenzhen's best-known sites, from the city's northern train station, which connects Shenzhen to Hong Kong and Beijing, to the Ping An International Finance Tower, the fourth-tallest building in the world. Despite the megacity's success, workers have mostly had to take out high-interest bank loans and borrow from family and friends to cover medical costs, their children's school fees and other expenses. To pay for his hospital visits, Wang borrowed 50,000 yuan from a rural banking cooperative that is charging him 11.27 percent interest per quarter, according to the loan document he showed Reuters. "The bank still gives us loans because our children co-sign. My son has agreed to pay them back once I'm dead," he said as he rotated homegrown sweet potatoes roasting over charcoal next to his bed. The Shenzhen government paid Wang 130,000 yuan in 2009, when his illness was diagnosed, but he says it hasn't been enough. "In China, the problem isn't a lack of money. Shenzhen has an enormous social insurance fund. The problem is ideology," said Pun Ngai, a sociology professor at Hong Kong University, who has spent years following the workers' plight. "The Shenzhen government doesn't think these workers are their responsibility since they aren't Shenzhen residents," Pun said. "And the government is worried if they submit to the workers' demands, people from other provinces will also come seeking compensation." The social insurance fund of Shenzhen, with an official population of 12.5 million, totaled more than 540 billion yuan at the end of 2017, according to official figures. Maintaining stability The workers told Reuters that Beijing has come down hard, threatening them and anyone who comes into contact with them if they speak out. Authorities in mid-November forbade all websites from reporting or publishing stories related to the Hunan workers suffering from silicosis, according to the China Digital Times, which tracks censorship in China. Prominent state-owned newspapers and television stations covered their plight in 2009 but this year have been silent on the issue. This censorship is consistent with an overall political tightening in China over the past five years and comes amid a crackdown on student-worker protests that started in southern China and spread around the country. In August, about 50 students and other activists from around the country came to Shenzhen to protest with factory workers about the poor conditions at a factory owned by Jasic, a welding company. "The case of the silicosis workers this year has become very, very sensitive because the government is worried it will become connected to the Jasic case," Pun said. The workers have made 11 trips to Shenzhen this year but say they are still waiting for adequate compensation. They are asking for compensation of between 500,000 yuan and 1.1 million yuan, depending on the worker's condition, Gu said. Less than 12 hours after Reuters arrived in Sangzhi county, the local police began calling workers, ordering them to report to the local police station and verify with whom they had met. The Sangzhi county police declined to comment. "The authorities really know how to frighten us; a lot of the workers are too scared to have anything to do with foreign media right now," said Gu, adding that Shenzhen government officials had told him both his phone and WeChat were monitored. But Wang said he was more worried about the huge debt he was leaving to his family, and repeatedly wondered aloud whether there was any point in telling his story. "Our country has progressed so quickly over the past 40 years, farmers don't necessarily have to farm anymore, it's really wonderful," he said wistfully, breathing with the aid of tubes in his nose, as X-ray images of his stricken lungs hung in the small window that looks out onto his neighbor's house. "I wish I wasn't bedridden, then I could go out and explore all that is out there," he said. "Instead, I'm going to die very soon." There were no public signs Monday of ending a stalemate over U.S. government spending that threatens to partially shut down federal agencies at midnight Friday. The White House gave no indication of what funding plan it might accept to avert closing about a quarter of U.S. operations, a dispute that centers on President Donald Trump's proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to thwart illegal immigration. Trump has called for a $5 billion down payment for the $20 billion wall, but his plan is adamantly opposed by Democrats and some Republicans, leaving its fate in doubt.Democrats have offered a maximum of $1.6 billion, for enhanced border security, not specifically for the wall. On Monday, Trump attacked Democratic opposition to the wall. "Anytime you hear a Democrat saying that you can have good Border Security without a Wall, write them off as just another politician following the party line," the U.S. leader said on Twitter."Time for us to save billions of dollars a year and have, at the same time, far greater safety and control!" Meanwhile, lawmakers waited for word from the White House on how it wants to end the impasse and scheduled no funding votes until Wednesday at the earliest. Trump last week said he would proudly shut down the government if money is not included for his wall. But to avert a Friday shutdown he also could reach agreement on some kind of stopgap spending plan to carry all government operations through the end of this year and into 2019. Aside from Homeland Security, funding is at stake for the State Department, the Department of Justice and the Interior Department. Analysts estimate about 380,000 federal workers could be furloughed. Impact abroad? Overseas, U.S. embassies have "essential" staff members who will continue to perform basic duties. Whether locally employed staff will be able to work is dependent on the labor laws in each individual country. In past shutdowns, individual embassies have posted on social media about any adjustments to their services and largely functioned as normal. The State Department told VOA that information on how embassies would be affected by this shutdown is not yet available. Passport and consular services are generally funded by service fees and thus are unlikely to be affected during a government shutdown. During the brief January shutdown this year, passport services functioned effectively as normal. But Americans waiting for a passport to be processed may face delays and logistical hurdles as some federal buildings housing passport offices may be closed. Currently, the U.S. passport service hotline says that passports are being processed at the normal rate, with expected deliveries four to six weeks after the submission of an application. Should the shutdown last long enough to deplete current funds from service fees, passport processing could be suspended. Friday deadline, 'essential' employees National parks have shut down in the past, but during the shutdowns earlier this year, the head of the Office of Budget and Management, Mick Mulvaney, pledged that they would be kept open. Experts say the Internal Revenue Service may not be able to process tax refunds. Health safety inspections could be stalled. Most employees at the U.S. space agency NASA would likely be furloughed and might not get paid for that time, although Congress usually grants pay retroactively after a shutdown is over. About 420,000 federal workers are deemed "essential" and are expected to remain on the job. Voice of America continues to broadcast, and air traffic controllers are usually expected to keep working along with FBI agents, members of the Transportation Security Administration, and the Secret Service agents that protect the president. Like the furloughed workers, they may not see any pay until after the shutdown concludes. How long? Who to blame? In a meeting last week at the White House, Trump told the top two Democratic congressional leaders, House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, that he would be happy to take responsibility for a government shutdown rather than give up any ground on the border wall issue. If the government is forced into a partial shutdown, it could be short, like the two that took place early this year the first lasted three days, and the second lasted only about six hours. Or it could resemble the longest shutdown in U.S. history, which started December 16, 1995, and ended 21 days later. The second longest occurred in October 2013, when the government closed for 16 days, costing it $2.5 billion in wages and benefits to workers who were not allowed to do their jobs because they were furloughed, according to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. With each shutdown come questions about what federal services will and will not be provided. Generally, agencies or offices funded by service fees, such as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, can continue their work, so the shutdown would not affect naturalization interviews or citizenship ceremonies. Russia probe protections The Friday deadline is the result of a spending agreement Congress reached in September and the death of a former president. The September measure set a December 7 deadline for passing the seven spending bills that remain outstanding. That deadline was pushed back two weeks after the death November 30 of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, whose funeral ceremonies were held the following week. In one more possible hurdle, Schumer has indicated that the Democrats might block the spending bill unless Congress also approves a bill protecting special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Trump 2016 campaign links to Russia and whether Trump, as president, obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probe. A looming shutdown is not expected to affect the investigation because it is funded with an appropriation that does not require renewal. The United Nations on Monday urged donor states to give $350 million in aid for Palestinians in 2019, saying it needed more but had to be "realistic" following swathing U.S. cuts. The U.N. said the appeal, down from $539 million in 2018, was due to a lack of available donor funds across the globe. It aims to support 1.4 million Palestinians through more than 200 projects. The United States has announced it will cut almost all of its aid to Palestinians, having previously provided around $500 million a year through different mechanisms including the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. The appeal for funds, called the Humanitarian Response Plan and done in conjunction with Palestinian authorities, received in the past $100 million in U.S. funding. Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said due to a lack of donors the U.N. had to be more "realistic" when asking for funds. "We have taken this humanitarian response plan to the most focused and prioritized it could possibly be," he said at the launch of the appeal in the city Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The majority of the funds will go to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, where two million Palestinians live crammed into a small territory under an Israel blockade, with more than two thirds relying on aid. With its economy in a free fall and tensions with Israel rising, Gaza is imploding, U.N. envoy for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov warned in October. Last year the U.N. appeal received only $220 million of the funds requested. Areas that have seen major decreases in funding include water, food security and shelter, U.N. officials said. Afghan-Taliban representatives met with U.S. officials Monday amid moves to press for a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 17-year war. The Pakistan-organized talks were held in the United Arab Emirates. Officials who participated were not immediately available to discuss details. The special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, led the U.S. team in the talks that included envoys from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia as well as the host country, Taliban and Pakistani officials told VOA. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group's representatives spoke only to the U.S. team and had no plans to speak with anyone from Afghanistan's National Unity Government, or NUG. Taliban officials said reports to the contrary were "propaganda." Mujahid said meetings about peace negotiations will continue on Tuesday. He asserted the preliminary round of discussions with Khalilzads team focused on withdrawal of foreign occupation forces from Afghanistan and ending oppression being inflicted by American and its allies in Afghanistan. US Praises Pakistan Role When asked about the talks, a State Department spokesperson told VOA Monday that the meetings are part of U.S. efforts to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue toward ending the conflict. "We welcome any actions the Pakistani government takes to advance security, stability and cooperation in South Asia, including the fostering of negotiations between the Taliban, the Afghan government and other Afghans, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson also said a recent letter from U.S. President Donald Trump to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan "emphasized that Pakistans assistance with the Afghan peace process is fundamental to building an enduring U.S.-Pakistan partnership." Trump administration officials have hardened the U.S. position on Pakistan in recent months, suspending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for what the officials say is Islamabad's unwillingness to act decisively against the Taliban. Pakistani authorities reject that charge, and point to the thousands of troops who have been killed fighting militants in the volatile Afghan border region. Islamabad has long urged in talks with the U.S. that rival Indias growing influence in Afghanistan is a matter of concern for Pakistan. Security officials blame Indian intelligence operatives for supporting militants planning terrorist attacks in Pakistan from Afghan soil, charges both Kabul and New Delhi reject. A Next Step after Moscow Meeting The meetings in Abu Dhabi follow peace talks last month in Moscow. Those talks did not include representatives from the Afghan government. A senior Pakistani government official, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity, said the Abu Dhabi round was the first time in three years that Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives both attended a peace talks meeting. This is a feat much more important in its impact than the Russians' initial success to bring the Taliban to table without NUG, the official told VOA. The official, while responding to the Talibans denials, said the UAE meeting was never intended to be a direct talk with the Kabul government and the Taliban at this stage. Their presence in each other's vicinity was a CBM (confidence building measure), he added. In the run-up to Monday's meetings, Pakistani officials told VOA in background interviews the U.S. has directly engaged the Taliban since July to promote a political settlement to the Afghan war but said Washington still has "no clear plan" on how to further the peace process. Roads to Peace U.S. envoy Khalilzad is visiting regional countries to gather support for Afghan peace talks. His 18-day trip is due to end on Tuesday during which he also visited Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belgium. Pakistani officials privy to Khalilzads interaction with the Taliban have told VOA that until now, no progress has been achieved because the insurgents adamantly demand a date or timeframe for all U.S. and NATO troops to withdraw from Afghanistan before the Taliban decide to participate in an intra-Afghan peace process. Analysts remain skeptical on whether renewed Pakistani efforts would lead to an end of Afghan hostilities. Previous U.S. administrations rejected offers from Pakistan to facilitate a political solution with insurgent elements, notes policy research analyst Adam Weinstein, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan. Recreating this missed opportunity nearly two decades later will prove difficult, Weinstein told VOA. He observed that Washington "still ascribes" to Pakistan the ability to greatly influence the Taliban both positively and negatively. While Pakistan still has the power to prolong the conflict, its ability to resolve it is diminished. Translating talks into sustainable solutions will require long-term commitment from all relevant actors, which is difficult to achieve amid ongoing military operations in Afghanistan and worsening U.S.-Pakistan ties, Weinstein cautioned. Washington has long maintained Taliban leaders are sheltering in Pakistan with covert support from the countrys intelligence agency. Washington has been urging Islamabad to use its influence to bring the insurgents to the negotiating table. Pakistani officials say their influence over the Taliban has significantly declined over the years because the insurgents have gained control over large areas of Afghanistan and continue to pose serious battlefield challenges for U.S.-backed Afghan security forces. The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and the war with the Taliban has since killed nearly 150,000 people, including Afghan civilians, security forces, insurgents and more than 2,400 American soldiers, according to an American University study released recently The longest war effort in U.S. history has also cost Washington nearly one trillion dollars. The Taliban instead has expanded its insurgent activities and currently controls or hotly contests about half of Afghanistan. The conflict is said to have killed more Afghan civilians and security forces in 2018 than in any other year. VOA's Nike Ching contributed to this report. The United States supports Bosnia's ambition to join NATO, a senior U.S. official said Monday, dismissing Bosnian Serb objections and adding Washington would react strongly to any threat to the stability of the country. Bosnia has long proclaimed integration with NATO and the European Union to be strategic goals. But the pro-Russian leader of Bosnia's autonomous Serb region, Milorad Dodik, has called for the country to remain neutral and stay out of the U.S.-led military alliance. "We discussed the U.S. position which is as firm as it has ever been, supporting the decision that has been made by this government to pursue membership in NATO," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said after meeting Bosnia's three-man inter-ethnic presidency. NATO bombed dominant separatist Serb forces in Bosnia in 1995 to help bring an end to the war there, and the United States brokered the Dayton peace deal that followed. This month NATO invited Bosnia to start working on a Membership Action Plan (MAP), which has been blocked for 10 years by the Serbs. Dodik said he told Sullivan there was no consensus in the presidency regarding NATO membership. The Muslim Bosniak and Croat members support it. Russia is strongly against the country's membership in NATO. "We in the United States take that decision ... made by the government to pursue NATO membership very seriously," Sullivan said when asked about Dodik's reiterated objections. "We don't want any country, any country to interfere with government of this independent sovereign country," he added. "The U.S. government will always react strongly to any threats to the stability of Bosnia-Herzegovina." The U.S sanctioned Dodik in 2017 for calling for the secession of Bosnia's Serb region. "There is no change in his status under sanctions," Sullivan said. "We are committed to protect this country's sovereignty and territorial integrity in line with the 1995 Dayton agreement." Sullivan said the United States would help Bosnia counter "external forces that actively seek to make Bosnia ever more vulnerable to internal instability." He declined to name those forces. The United States said on Monday that China's "unfair competitive practices" were harming foreign companies and workers in a way that violates World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but vowed to lead reform efforts. U.S. trade ambassador Dennis Shea drew fire from Chinese envoy Zhang Xiangchen who said the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum products allowed protectionism under the guise of dubious national security concerns. The heated words, in texts seen by Reuters, were exchanged at the start of a closed-door review of U.S. trade policies, held every two years at the WTO, which continues on Wednesday. Shea expressed concern about the WTO dispute settlement system having "strayed far from the system agreed to by members" and said that the Appellate Body had overreached in some legal interpretations. Zhang countered that by blocking the selection of judges, Washington was putting the system into paralysis. To force reform at the WTO, Trump's team has refused to allow new appointments to the Appellate Body, the world's top trade court, a process which requires consensus among member states. As a result, the court is running out of judges, and will be unable to issue binding rulings in disputes. Shea described the U.S. economy as "one of the most open and competitive economies in the world," with among the lowest tariffs globally, rejecting criticism by some of the U.S. approach as "unilateralist and protectionist." China has pursued "non-market industrial policies and other unfair competitive practices" aimed at supporting its domestic industries while restricting or discriminating against foreign companies and their goods and services, he said. "The WTO is not well equipped to handle the fundamental challenge posed by China, which continues to embrace a state-led, mercantilist approach to the economy and trade," Shea said. He did not refer to the dispute on steel or automobiles which brought the two powers to the brink of a major trade war but defended the U.S. "Section 301" investigation that found in March that Chinese practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation were discriminatory. On Section 301, Zhang said the U.S. measures vastly increased tariffs, "bringing back to life the ghost of unilateralism that has been dormant for decades." Shea said the United States was committed to working with like-minded members to address concerns on the functioning of the WTO. "Reforms are necessary for the continued viability of the institution," he said. Zhang echoed his call, but said: "If the roof of this building is leaking, we should work together to fix it, rather than dismantling it and exposing all of us to rains and storms." Vietnam is gradually offering the eager Chinese new places to invest, from real estate to factory production, despite its history of resisting China over political issues. Chinese investors are buying property in the financial center, Ho Chi Minh City, and may get a chance from next year to lease land for up to 99 years in three special economic zones. A bill to open those zones is due for legislative action in early 2019 after being called off twice this year due to public protests. Pressure on Chinese firms from rising U.S. tariffs is pushing some into Vietnam, which Washington does not see as a trade rival. Then theres Chinas Belt-and-Road program for giving grants and other aid for infrastructure around Eurasia. A lot of Vietnamese, while still wary of China politically, will accept Chinese investment if it helps their sector of the domestic economy, analysts in Ho Chi Minh City expect. I think we have to look at it from many angles, said Trung Nguyen, international relations dean at Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Businesses maybe they welcome the money especially in real estate, because they can welcome it like one channel of financing into the market and they can create a lot of jobs in many sectors, he said. But on the other hand, they also create a crowding-out effect and we drive out many small businesses out the market. Old baggage, new opportunities Vietnamese resent China over territorial disputes going back centuries, including a border war in the 1970s and an ongoing maritime sovereignty spat over tracts of the resource-rich South China Sea. Thousands rioted in 2014 against Chinese-owned businesses after a flare-up in the maritime spat. But the Southeast Asian country already counts China as a chief supplier of raw materials for export manufacturing, an engine behind Vietnamese economic growth of around 6 to 7 percent per year. Now Chinese officials want to help fund Vietnamese infrastructure projects as part of their $1 trillion Belt-and-Road initiative aimed at opening new trade channels around Eurasia. Vietnam, though less receptive than neighbors Cambodia and Laos, accepted Chinese development aid and a construction contract for an elevated commuter railway that opened this year in the capital Hanoi. Separately, Chinese companies are looking for manufacturing bases outside China so they can ship exports to the United States without paying tariffs that have surged this year due to a festering Sino-U.S. trade dispute. Chinese firms such as wireless earphone maker GoerTek have expressed an intent to locate production in Vietnam, which is cheap and close by, as U.S. President Donald Trumps government levies import tariffs on $250 billion worth of goods shipped from China. Since last year, Chinese investment in higher-end residential property in Ho Chi Minh City has risen from 2 percent to 31 percent, according to commercial real estate services firm CBRE. On another economic front, the number of Chinese tourists rose 49 percent from 2016 to 2017. Passive acceptance The government welcomes Chinese investment but, in view of people's suspicions toward China in general, will not show the enthusiasm it offers to other countries, experts believe. The country welcomes Chinese capital while remaining "wary about risks such as environmental pollution and imported Chinese labor, the website VietNamNews says. The website noted an influx of large-scale projects such as $2 billion thermal power plant and a $150 million plastics factory. Expect quite a lot of Chinese investment in Vietnam over the next two years yet with more attention to Europe and the Pacific, said Maxfield Brown, senior associate with the consultancy Dezan Shira & Associates in Ho Chi Minh City. You're never going to see the government come out and restrict or condemn Chinese investment inside of Vietnam, he said. No one can deny there are historical tensions between the two countries. I think the way that the Vietnamese government has chosen to approach this issue is to be friends with everyone. Vietnam has raised interest in Europe and around the Pacific Rim by chasing free trade deals. Vietnamese officials can head off a backlash against new inflows of Chinese money by ensuring it helps more than hurts, said Phuong Hong, communications director with a hotel and restaurant chain based in Ho Chi Minh City. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison for a variety of crimes, making him the most high-profile former Trump associate to face jail time in connection with special counsel Robert Muellers probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The sentencing came after Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress and to committing campaign finance violations while making hush-money payments during the 2016 campaign to two women who had alleged affairs with Trump. The president insists he has done nothing illegal and blames Cohen for any legal violations. Nevertheless, the dramatic allegations made by Cohen raised new questions about just how much legal trouble Trump faces as investigators dig into his past. Here is a look at the latest twist in the investigation and what comes next. How much legal trouble is Trump in? Trump faces allegations that he directed his former lawyer to commit campaign finance violations during the 2016 election. As part of his plea agreement with prosecutors, Cohen alleged that he was directed by Trump to pay adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy Magazine model Karen McDougal a total of $280,000 in order to prevent their allegations from damaging his campaign. That effectively implicated Trump in a federal crime, experts say. Trump has denied the accusations, telling Fox News he never directed (Cohen) to do anything wrong and that the payments were not a campaign finance violation. But American Media Inc., publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid that bought McDougals story, told prosecutors in New York that the payment was made in concert with the Trump campaign. The AMI assertion undermines Trumps argument that I was doing it innocently, and I didnt know it was a problem, says Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University in New York. Is it possible to indict Trump? There seems to be a consensus among legal scholars that a sitting president cant be indicted. That belief stems partly from a long-standing Justice Department legal opinion. But there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that says the president is immune from prosecution. The notion that sovereign is immune from the legal process is a feature of monarchy that this country rejected when it established a republic, says Georgetown University law professor David Super. He adds that while Trump will not and should not be indicted for minor technical offenses, prosecutors are likely to rethink their tactics if Trump is found to have committed clear and serious felonies. Another possibility is that the prosecutors could hang back and wait to see if Trump loses reelection and, if so, indict him after he leaves office. What about impeachment? The prospect of impeachment appears dim. The argument for not indicting a sitting president is that he can be impeached and removed from office by Congress for serious crimes. But the process of impeachment is inherently political and hasn't resulted in the removal of a president despite two attempts in the past. That is because as long as the president's party supports him, any attempt to force him out of office is likely to come up short in Congress. Impeaching or formally charging a president requires a simple majority vote in the House. But removing him from office requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate after a trial. While the Democrats will take control of the House in January, the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerrold Nadler of New York, has warned against an impeachment push without bipartisan support. In the Senate, where Republicans have expanded their majority to 53-to-47, there is no indication that any Republican will seriously consider voting for Trumps ouster. Who else is in legal jeopardy? Its hard to say. The special counsel has interviewed dozens of witnesses and other subjects of interest, many of them on multiple occasions. Several people in Trumps orbit eldest son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and longtime associate Roger Stone -- have drawn the special counsels scrutiny. But its not clear if they are targets of the investigation or will face criminal charges. Stone said in August that Muellers prosecutors are coming after me and that he expects the presidents son to be indicted. Stone associate Jerome Corsi recently turned down a plea deal offered by Muellers office and says he, too, might be indicted. Gershman, of Pace University, says he expects to see indictments of many, many different kinds of people in the new year. How much longer will the investigation go on? While Mueller has given no indication that hes close to wrapping up his investigation any time soon, most legal experts expect the probe to wind down during the first half of next year with additional indictments. In 2019, I think many of the pieces are going to fall into place and charges are going to be brought, Gershman says. Whether Mueller then releases a final report remains unclear. Gershman says the so-called speaking indictments brought by Muellers office detailed accounts of alleged crimes by various actors may make the writing of a report redundant. The International Fund for Agricultural Development, a United Nations agency, is set to make its first investment in Zimbabwe in several years. The president of IFAD said the agency hopes to revive the country's agricultural sector after years of decline. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images In a New York Times article published Sunday, actress Yael Stone comes forward with allegations of sexual misconduct she experienced while starring across from Geoffrey Rush in a 2010 Sydney production of The Diary of a Madman. Among numerous strange intimacies in the dressing room, the Orange Is the New Black star alleges Rush sent her sexual texts, asked her to perform tasks like removing his costume, danced naked in their dressing room, joined her uninvited as she napped, touched her in a very sexual manner at an awards show and, in one incident, used a mirror to watch her shower. There was no part of my brain considering speaking to anyone in any official capacity. This was a huge star, Stone explains. What were they going to do? Fire Geoffrey and keep me? Earlier this year, Rush sued for defamation after Australias Daily Telegraph published allegations made by a different actress about the actors inappropriate behavior during a 2015 Sydney Theater Company production of King Lear. According to the Times, the countrys strict libel laws can discourage would-be accusers from coming forward. After the initial wave of #MeToo began last fall, Stone says she emailed Rush explaining how uncomfortable he had made her feel while working together. The actor allegedly did not reply. Ive been in that particular dressing room in Sydney on many occasions with many wonderfully talented actors and many wonderfully talented clowns, the actress says of working with Rush. And people have made me belly laugh till I couldnt breathe. Never once has someone needed to show me their penis to do that. In a statement, Rush replied that Stones allegations are incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context, but apologized for upsetting her nonetheless. I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused he any distress, the statement reads in part. This, most certainly, has never been my intention. Ray Donovan Dream On Season 6 Episode 9 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME Its yet another episode of Ray Donovan in which it looks like things might work out for the Donovan boys and then they just dont. Its the story of the Donovan family. Every time it looks like theyre going to dig themselves out of the hole, they get more dirt thrown on them. A chance for Terry or Bunchy to win $50,000, a way out for Ray from his corrupt cop nightmare, even Bridgets happy future all failed promises by the end of the episode. It aint easy being a Donovan. Dream On does introduce us to a character played by perhaps the greatest guest star in the history of a show with an already A-list ensemble: the legendary Alan Alda. Hawkeye himself returns to the medical profession as Rays new doctor, whom he first meets at the psychiatric hospital and who will likely return in future episodes. With just one major scene, Alda reminds us why we love him so much, bringing humanity and depth to a character with only a few lines. Lets hope hes a regular presence over the final quarter of this season. While the good doctor is trying to convince Ray to stay in therapy, Bridget Donovan comes to visit her father. Shes starting to learn the truth about the depth of his mental illness. Its a very good scene for Kerris Dorsey, who captures Bridgets anger and fear. Shes still furious at her father, but that emotion clashes with the natural concern and anxiety that would surface if anyones parent ended up in a mental hospital. And Ray himself is a little scared and angry, too. He lashes out at her, and then starts crying. Its the best-performed scene of the week. Just when you think Ray may get the help he needs, he dives back into his life, telling Bridget to call Mac to get him out. She does just that, as Mac is on the way into a meeting with his corrupt cop cronies. Mayor Ferrati has shut down the crew, and Macs bullying buddies are not happy about it. It turns out that Ferrati has smelled a rat, putting everything on hold. Theyre done for now. Meanwhile, Daryll is hanging out with Bunchy, Mickey, and Aunt Sandy, who gets a little disturbingly randy when Daryll is in need of a towel. Mickey calls Terry, hoping to set up a meeting with Ray, but he stumbles into a new opportunity. Mickeys entire existence is stumbling into bad ideas. The latest is that Bunchy will take Terrys place in the fight tournament, and theyll all win 50 grand! What could go wrong?!?! The first Bunchy fight goes well after Mickey does something truly vile in stealing the inhaler of Bunchys opponent but, well, well get to the second. Lena comes to talk to Bridget just as her father is being released. What dont I know, asks Bridge, and Lena pushes Ray to tell his daughter about his suicide attempt. He wont, or cant, and so Lena breaks it to her. Two months ago, Ray Donovan tried to kill himself. Bridget wants him to stay in the hospital, but Ray jumps right back into his New York nightmare as Mac picks him up. Mac has the worst idea yet We gotta kill Emerson Lake but Ray advises against whacking an Internal Affairs officer while hes being investigated. Ray has a better idea. He goes to Ferrati and lays it all out IA has an informant. If Ferrati can help get the case against Bunchy dropped (remember he broke his dad out of custody and kidnapped his daughter), then he can get him out of his IA dilemma. Ray offers to do whatever it takes. Once again, family loyalty resurfaces its been the biggest thematic thread for six seasons. The Donovans may often hate each other, and even beat each other up, but their loyalty always dictates their actions. Ray leaves his meeting with Ferrati and goes to talk to Emerson. He tells him what hes done and asks to be wired up. A stunned Emerson gives Ray a bit of information to sell to Ferrati about a crooked judge who the mayor will believe is the rat. Ray gets his buddy to hack the wire, and even makes a call to his doctor, but he cant bring himself to say anything. In the subsequent meeting, the mayor tells Ray to whack the judge. The charges will be dropped against Bunchy. It appears Rays plan may have worked. And then Rad, the most violent crooked cop, figures it all out. Scored to Aerosmiths Dream On, the ninth episode of the sixth season of Ray Donovan ends in violence. As Bunchys second fight goes predictably horribly poor Bunch gets beaten to a pulp, of course we see Rad bring the hammer down on the IA operation. First, he gets into an elevator with Emerson, and then he and Mac wait for Ray to get home. As we see a shot of a badly beaten Emerson on the couch, Ray gets knocked down and accused of wearing a wire. Emerson sold out Ray. And the beating commences. You shoulda stayed in the hospital, Ray. Deleted Scenes I failed to mention the truly sad scene between Bridget and Smitty when he tries to convince her that she doesnt need to stay for her father. He wont ever let her in. Theres nothing she can do for someone who wont let her do anything. Its a well-written scene regarding how hard it can be to be stuck in the world of someone who needs help but wont take it. I also forgot to mention that Mickey is sitting in Rays apartment with a gun as the episode ends. Is he planning to steal his ransom money back? Will Ray barely survive the Mac/Rad nonsense to come home to be robbed by his dad? Its been a really rough season for Ray Donovan. He could use some good news. Maybe that will come in season seven! The series was just renewed. How much of a legend is Alan Alda? Hes going to be awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at next years Screen Actors Guild ceremony. It was a major coup to get him here. Anyone else think Mac cant possibly live through this season? It opened with Mac saving Rays life there could be a nice bookend of Ray having to take Macs to end it. I love Aunt Sandy loud-reading the Bible. Put some beats under it and make that into a club track. I havent given props this season to the menace of Tony Curran, whos a very convincing sociopathic corrupt cop. If youre wondering how you know him, hes been doing solid character work on TV for decades, including on 24, Sons of Anarchy, and The Looming Tower, and he recently popped up in the Netflix historical epic Outlaw King. Photo: Magnolia Pictures John Andreas Andersens The Quake, a sequel to the excellent 2015 Norwegian disaster film The Wave, should be required viewing for all of todays Hollywood franchise jockeys. It shows you how to make one of these things without sacrificing your characters souls (or your own, for that matter). In the earlier movie, the entire side of a mountain spectacularly collapsed into a fjord, setting off a massive, 250-foot tsunami that consumed the small picturesque town of Geiranger. When The Quake starts, the geologist who tried to warn everybody at the time, Kristian Eikjord (Kristoffer Joner), is now being hailed as a national hero but even before he opens his mouth, we know that hes still traumatized by the event, and by all the lives he couldnt save. As we watch him prepare for a TV interview, our view is obstructed by a giant screen showing images of the devastation; he regularly seems dwarfed by everything around him, as if he might be losing his sense of self. He is certainly losing his family, whom he tried so hard to save in the first picture. Hes separated from his wife Ilbe (Ane Dahl Torp), who has moved to Oslo with the kids, and Kristian cant even seem to spend a few days alone just being a dad to his young daughter Julia. Back at home, he has a room filled with photographs of the missing and the dead. What could have been a minor character note in a studio film becomes a defining force here, a kind of paralyzing obsession. To put it another way: Kristian feels like a real person, responding to real things. His unsettled psyche drives the narrative in other ways, too. When he discovers that a geologist colleague has died while investigating a mysterious incident in a highway tunnel outside Oslo, he begins to suspect that somethings imminent. But nobody wants to believe him not the government scientists monitoring seismic activity around the country with their newfangled machines, not even his family. Kristian might be the hero who saved thousands of lives, but hes also the poor loser who cant let go of his trauma and is therefore suspect. By the time the earthquake hits Oslo and it is a truly impressive one, laying waste to everything in its path, taking out entire skyscrapers like they were discarded paper lanterns Kristian has taken matters into his own hands, attempting to save his family, who are scattered all around town. This was pretty much the template for The Wave, too. As was the fact that, despite Kristians actions, things went spiraling out of control in all sorts of new, unforeseen ways. Its both agonizing and invigorating to watch, a spectacle that is awesome and awful in equal measure. For all the sensitivity with which its characters have been drawn, The Quake has been conceived (by screenwriters John Kare Raake and Harald Rosenlw-Eeg, who also wrote The Wave) with all the delirious, what-if imagination of an intricate engineering experiment. Much of the action in the films second half takes place in the topmost section of a Radisson Blu which has been left teetering precariously after another falling building took out much of whats below. And each tilt, each crack, each secondary collapse feels like it has been thought through in all its geometric and physical implications which just makes everything that much more nerve-racking. (In its broad strokes, this setpiece recalls a key one from Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and even though thats one of the better Transformers entries, The Quakes variation feels so much more honest, detailed, and, yes, exciting.) If anything, The Quake might be a little too good. The Wave had a certain far-fetched romanticism that reminded us in its final act that we were, after all, watching a movie, with all the unlikely but welcome developments that come with such a thing: families reunited, remnants of communities restored, and so on. The destruction in The Quake is more total, more hopeless, and more convincing. And without giving too much away, lets just say that by the time it fades out, were not at all convinced that things will ever be okay again. I cant wait for the sequel. Vanderpump Rules Either Him or Me Season 7 Episode 3 Editors Rating 3 stars * * * Previous Next Photo: Bravo Were going to spend this entire season talking about DJ James Kennedy, arent we? I mean, its fun to hate on this guy, just like its fun to hate on The Greatest Showman or Boris Johnsons haircut, but theres only so much I can take, only so much of that uncomfortable, taint-quivering loathing that he brings up in me before it needs to stop forever. Its amazing when he says things like, Im all for equality but those bitches can go fuck themselves, because the blithe wrongheadedness of it just makes me chuckle, but how long can you listen to that before you need to stop him and say, No, seriously, James. Thats really screwed up. Katie reached that point after DJ James Kennedy told her she needed to lose some weight while the two of them were working at the SUR Pride celebration. First of all, I need to give Tom Schwartz props for finally standing up for his wife for maybe the first time ever. When he goes to SUR and James is working there, he tells her that Katie isnt fat, shes luscious and gorgeous. He sort of lets James off easy, excusing his behavior as something that only happened because he was so sauced. But we have to remember that Schwartz is a man who gets so drunk so often that he has a house muumuu to wear when hes hungover. This is a man who is sympathetic to blackout indiscretions. Luckily Katie doesnt need her man to stand up for her. She decides that she is fed up with the way that James speaks to her and all the other women at SUR and says something to Lisa. This has been my home for almost nine years, she tells their boss. I dont think I am willing to work at a place where this is tolerated. We then get a genius montage of James making fun of many of his female coworkers and telling them to shut their mouths. This montage doesnt even include the coworkers hes slept with and later slagged off. Their sit-down seems very contrived for the show, but I think its also essential, because Katie is absolutely right. Its one thing if James said this while everyone was just hanging out at the bar, but these are things hes saying to his coworkers while hes ostensibly on the clock. If Lisa is going to continue to allow him to talk to women like that and show a pattern of behavior where he is cruel and denigrating to them while collecting a paycheck, she might as well be calling Katie fat herself. Based on the preview for next week, it looks like Lisa is going to can him again and I really think she should, not only because I cant stand DJ James Kennedy, but I think we really need to send a message to the straight guys who watch this show (and straight guys love Vanderpump Rules like they love not washing their jeans) that its not cute to act like this anywhere, but especially at work. Earlier in the episode, Jamess girlfriend Raquel, a sentient human being made entirely of lip fillers, tells him that his behavior has consequences, but so far the only consequences we see from his drunken rampage at Pride is getting disinvited from Peters birthday party. When that happens, James says, Sometimes people invite me to things and then disinvite me and Im always gutted. I mean, how does anyone know what it feels like to get disinvited from things regularly? I feel like the only people who would understand this are Ann Coulter, Milo Yiannopoulos, and Kevin Hart. I have never been disinvited from anything, except that one time when Sonja Morgan meant to have a small cocktail party at her house and accidentally emailed every single person in her address book. My problem with Raquel, the pocket that hangs out from a pair of Daisy Dukes, is that the way James treats her doesnt really have any consequences at all. When she joins the girls for a night out, where theyre all in Old Hollywood Glam for no reason other than Katie got some new dark lipstick shades in her Birch Box, she tells them that James is only bad when hes drunk. When hes sober he treats her like a queen but after a few Red Bull and vodkas he makes little jabs at her. Um, thats not treating her like a queen. Thats still treating her like shit some of the time. If anyone treated me like he treats people at all I would be headed for the door faster than you can say 80-percent-off closing sale at Kyle By Alene Too. Her mistake is that shes blaming it on the alcohol, thinking that if he sobers up he wouldnt be like that. But all of the girls, including his ex, Kristen, know thats not true. Hes that kind of awful when hes sober too and he needs a whole lot more help than an apologetic rehab stint. If Raquel, an Instagram picture of avocado toast with 23 likes, really wants him to sober up she would say, Stop drinking or Im leaving. She is not forced to be here and she can have an effect on Jamess behavior if she wants to. Right now it seems like shes too weak, or too thirsty, to do both. Yes, both she and her boyfriend want her on the show really badly. Thats why shes talking to Scheana about how she wants to be invited to all of the events. I think shes probably had a similar talk with Brittany. This girl wants to be front and center in the cast portrait, but I dont think shell ever make it. Shes going to need to be more than a mouse cowering under the foot of a belligerent elephant if she wants to make an impression. The other insane casting maneuver is having Teddi Mellencamp, one of the rich women who do things on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, show up to ask Lisa to give her brother a job. You might as well just announce that he is going to be added to the cast right away. Why even have this meeting other than to announce that hes coming, unless it was so Lisa could have another opportunity to talk about the loss of her brother and how it affects her? Everyone on this cast is getting a little bit more craven. Scheana is dating Adam, the hot bartender from last season she tried to set up with Brittany. I guess if she couldnt get him on the show that way, shes going to get him on the show by dating him herself. Also theres the sad scene of Peter telling Jax he has his job at SUR back, when we knew that was going to happen. Its as inevitable as Kristen flashing her panties the next time shes blackout wasted. Speaking of Jax and Brittanys craven plays, what do we think of MeeMaws Beer Cheese, coming to a dairy section of Ralphs near you? I dont know what beer cheese is, nor have I ever tasted it, but of all the things I want to buy from reality stars (and I do own a vial of Vicki Gunvalsons perfume) the last thing I actually want to own is a processed food product made by two of the worlds most famous waiters. Tom Schwartz has Sandoval and Jax over for some sort of cheese-filled meat product called Juicy Lucys, which looks about as appealing as Steve Bannons moose knuckle. Jax left on his motorized cooler after dinner and went back to his apartment to search for Realtor porn on XHampster and the Toms were left alone to develop the cocktails for their new bar. They began reminiscing while standing close in Schwartzs galley kitchen and Sandoval said, Remember when you invited us over and cooked us steaks and then told us you had coddled those steaks in your butt cheeks. Yeah, Schwatz said, with his goofy laugh, while brushing his floppy hair away from his eyes. Those were delicious steaks. Absolutely delicious it made me It made me wonder if it was the steak or something else, Sandoval said. Schwartz laughed again, and swooped his air again, while thinking of exactly what to say. Then he slowly turned around, braced himself against the cabinets, and stuck his ass out toward Sandoval. Go ahead. Give it a taste. Sandoval knelt down on the sticky kitchen floor and slowly pulled down Schwartzs track pants and underwear. He looked up at the beautiful mounds of flesh above him and the very messy and packed counter that Schwartz was leaning over. He was wondering just how they were going to do this and not have it end up so sloppy, but then he decided not to worry about it. Maybe getting sloppy was the whole point. On Monday, Robert Elliott, who was arrested in 2014 after bringing his daughter to Athens-Limestone Hospital with "life-threatening injuries," pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated child abuse. He will serve an 18-year sentence. Elliot originally faced two counts of aggravated child abuse, one count of first-degree assault and one count of reckless endangerment, but all charges aside from aggravated child abuse were dropped as a result of the plea agreement. He agreed to the deal prior to his scheduled trial Monday morning. A mistrial occurred the last time Elliott's case was set to go to trial, because his attorney fell ill. At the last trial, he was able to see his daughter for the first time in years. Limestone County District Attorney Brian Jones said seeing her and the reaction from the jury after hearing the facts of the case may have led him to plead guilty. "As we're were coming back up to the second round, we're very thankful that he took responsibility for what he had done and did not put this child through another trial," Jones said. After the hearing, Jones told WAAY 31 that Elliott's daughter is bound to a wheelchair and is undergoing extensive medical treatment as a result of being shaken. She also cannot speak. "Sometimes, parents don't realize when they're shaking a child the damage that they're causing that brain and the injuries that are going to be sustained by that child," Jones said. Jones said this is the first shaken baby syndrome case in the past 25 years in Limestone County. He said he hopes that it will be a teaching moment for other parents. "It doesn't take a lot of force, when you shake a child, to cause the kind of injuries that can cripple a child and cause brain damage, eye damage and other types of injuries of that nature," Jones said. The Huntsville Islamic Center and LifeSouth Blood Center collected donations trying to find a match for a two-year-old in Florida in need of rare blood. Zainab Mughal has neuroblastoma. On top of that she has a blood disorder where she's missing an antigen in her blood called "Indian B". This means she can only receive blood donations from people of the same descent as her and only four percent of people have this mutation. That's why the Huntsville Islamic Center rushed to put together a blood drive to help find a donor for the toddler. "It's very important that, you know, we know what blood group we have in the community so that we can help others when they need it," said chairperson Lasker Lasker. One man who came to donate said as soon as he heard little Zainab's story he knew he had to do something. "Well to save a life for that two-year-old little girl. My heart goes out for her. Really. I mean, just, it's really important for me," said Gabriel Hammami. The bags of blood in the bus are labeled "Baby Z" with hopes that at least one of the donations will be a perfect match. Lasker said that's why the community came together today. "Everybody's excited and they feel like thankfully we, or if individual person, can meet the blood group they will feel very blessed." If you weren't able to donate today Lifesouth said you can come to their office and make a donation there. So far only three people, two in the United States and one in the United Kingdom, have been a match for the toddler. 2 or 3 bedroom flat wanted in Monteverde, Trastevere or Aurelia Antica 15.2.22 to 30.6.22 Hello, we are a small family (1 12 year old boy) looking for a flat in the area of Monteverde, Trastevere or Aurelia Antica for a sabbatical from middle or end of February until t... Well, by all means, bring on the optimism: As intolerance and outright cruelty have become dominant chords in our culture, the message of seeing the good in life is a welcome tonic. And the family members who Blunts Mary has come to look after do need bucking up, including the grown-up children from the original film Jane and Michael Banks and Michaels three offspring, who are fending for themselves as their father wallows in depression following his wifes death. I called the mentor who had called me out three years ago. I wanted to know why, as time went by, we had not talked more about the chess pie. Instead, she talked about folklore and how infrequently any food story is single-origin. She talked about how oral histories are for intimate communities of people rather than for the world at large. A record of community, as it were. It was almost as if she had forgotten about our earlier exchange, and I decided not to bring it up. We talked instead like the old friends that we are. We wove our way around the conversation until she said, distractedly, Oh also, LisaDear! I am glad to talk to you because I wanted to ask if you would make me some cookies for the holidays. I said that of course I could, and that I would make her some from my familys shortbread recipe. CNNs Jim Accoster elbows Trump out of the way By Michael R Shannon Evidently in the Trump administration, Kryptonite is spelled injunction. President Trump, our HitlerinWaiting, proposes to exercise his superhuman powers by beginning a new program. Before the sweatshops can begin producing the first black uniform the entire enterprise is brought to a screeching halt by some noname district judge brandishing a piece of paper called an injunction. This judge, specializing in improv law, guarantees himself a lucrative spot on the law school speaking tour circuit by ordering the president to stop whatever constitutionally authorized action he has taken that angers the left. President Trump complains about this constantly. Their nuisancerulings are designed solely to delay implementation of policies the voters ratified in the last presidential election. The lawyers and the judges doing know the legal reasoning is fantastical, but it doesnt matter. Fantastic or not, Trump is tied up in lawsuits. Thats why its so frustrating when Trump is given the perfect case to strike back at these pettifogging leftist jurists. He could prove to the public how outofcontrol the judiciary is. Instead his administration craters. The headline in the Daily Mail summed up his ignominious defeat: White House backs down in CNN fight. Im sure you know the story. CNN propagandist and egomaniac Jim Acosta had his press pass to the White House pulled after his latest egregious display of contempt and disrespect for the President of the United States. Removing his press pass didnt mean Acosta could no longer report on Trump, it just meant he couldnt do it from inside the White House. CNN (the Creating the News Network) went to court claiming that barring Accoster infringed on his 1st and 5th Amendment rights. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee, issued a temporary injunction ordering the return of Accosters pass. This proves Trump isnt batting 1,000 on his judicial appointees. Kellys ruling is a case of hysterical, ludicrous overreach. He contends once the administration opened the White House to reporters a heretofore unknown geography clause was invoked and Acosta has property rights. The judge then said the revocation was a violation of the 5th Amendment because no one could tell the judge who made the decision. Instead of fighting, the White House gave up. This bogus lawsuit is the perfect separationofpowers test case. The judicial branch is ordering the executive branch to conduct its affairs according to the preferences of judiciary, a power it does not possess under the Constitution. This petty judicial bureaucrat doesnt have the authority to determine whos admitted to the White House, just as he doesnt have the authority to determine seating arrangements at state dinners or the guest list for the White House Christmas party. Admittance is a strictly internal affair at the sole discretion of the president. Banning Accoster for being a jerk does not limit his ability to continue slandering the president, it only limits his proximity. If this propertyrightbyadmission exists in the White House, Judge Kelly should check the courthouse. Ive been in courtrooms where the audience isnt allowed to read, much less disrupt the proceedings. A reporter demonstrating disrespect for a judge would be escorted forcibly from the courtroom by a bailiff and possibly jailed for contempt of court. If no press pass violates the 1st Amendment, then banning courtroom TV cameras is equally a violation. As for the due process violation of the 5th Amendment, its not the judges business how the White House arrives at internal decisions. The Executive Branch is coequal branch to the Judicial. It doesnt answer to their internal procedural demands. The Trump administration agreeing to do so sets a dangerous precedent. The correct response to this pathetic injunction would be a news conference where Trump played a video of Accosters greatest hits. Afterward the president would explain entrance to the White House is a privilege and that behavior is intolerable. Next, Trump would explain the Constitutions separation of powers and how the Executive Branch is not at the beck and call of every ego in black robes. The President has sole discretion as to who enters the White House and how the decision is arrived at is an internal matter not subject to judicial review. Thats why the press pass wont be reissued. The fact the Trump administration did not exploit this obvious example of judicial overreach indicates to me that the president listens to too many lawyers whose thinking is hidebound by bureaucracy and process. It also indicates the Chinese arent as smart as we thought. Instead of fighting a trade war with Trump, they could have stopped his trade policy in its tracks had they only gone to court. Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at mandate.mmpr (at) gmail.com. He is also the author of Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!). Home Even George Conway, Conways husband (and frequent political opposite), seemed to fact-check his wife. He tweeted: Given that Trump has repeatedly lied about the Daniels and McDougal payments and given that he lies about virtually everything else, to the point that his own former personal lawyer described him as a f****ing liar why should we take his word over that of federal prosecutors? Miss Manners does not mention this to comfort you. Indeed, if you keep comparing your life to others, you will always be dissatisfied, no matter what your circumstances. The proper way to respond to your busy co-workers is cheerfully to wish them well. And try to mean it. If you begrudge the happiness of others, you will violate not only the holiday spirit, but your own spirit of humanity. Absolutely, its important, but it is not the end of the world, she said. As trustees, we have to weigh all the information that we have, which we did, and we have to make decisions that we feel are best for the institution, not necessarily do what a couple people on the faculty tell us to do. And then I liked the way it made me feel, she said. And then it got to a point it wasnt a few times a month, it got to be weekly. Then it got to be daily. And then it got to the point where I had to have it when I woke up in the morning. If I didnt have it, my body would ache for it. The chapels deputy for facilities and construction said architectural firms found that the chapel has probably been leaking from the day it was built. Sara Phillips said there is evidence of water in the building over many years. The Preakness is identified with Baltimore, as well as the rest of the state. The question is: How do you fund all of that? Busch said. Certainly, the mayor and the governor have to be the ones that have to collaborate on doing most of that. But you also have to remember, all that property is owned by the Stronach Group, so its a little complex. A daughter, Anna Giacconi, confirmed his death and said she did not yet know the cause. Dr. Giacconi was born in Italy but worked primarily in the United States, where he spent most of his life. At the time of his death, he was listed as a faculty member in the physics and astronomy department at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. All four women, who had just moved to the Reston apartment to launch careers as pharmacists, were in their early 20s at the time of the assaults 23 years ago. All four, now nearing 50, took the witness stand during the trial to describe their ordeal. They shed tears. They shook with anger. The stories were so harrowing, one juror held his hand over his mouth, while another blinked back tears as the women testified. The courtroom was hushed. The Washington Post generally does not name victims of sexual assault. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The generation gap. [Photo by Ma Xuejing/China Daily] Huge investments, intensive R&D mark the race toward next-gen mobile technology It's a high-stakes high-tech race. Billions, maybe, trillions of dollars are up for grabs globallyand Chinese technology companies are vying to scoop up as much of the fifth-generation or 5G mobile telecommunication technology pie as possible, as the D-Day of commercial launch around 2020 nears. In doing so, they are also seeking the honor of being remembered as the first off the block, in the process generating mirth at times. On Nov 30, about 10 engineers employed with smartphone maker Oppo and based in China, Japan and the United States made what they claimed is the world's first 5G-enabled cross-continent video call. Their call was through WeChat, the most popular messaging and social-media app in China. They used Oppo's 5G prototype smartphones to make the 17-minute call under the trial 5G network bandwidth of 100 megabits per second. A day earlier, Chinese smartphone vendor Vivo demonstrated its 5G prototype handset to the public for trial use in Beijing. Arguably, Vivo's is the first such move in the industry. Using a Vivo device on a trial 5G network, consumers were able to surf the internet. In the first week of December, Lin Bin, president of Xiaomi Corp, posted a message on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, and claimed it could well be "the first Weibo post enabled by 5G network". Lin, of course, used Xiaomi's 5G-ready smartphone. Chinese smartphone makers' research and development of 5G smartphones is happening at a time when large-scale commercial deployment of 5G networks is one or two years away. Companies are working hard to bring 5G smartphones to the market as soon as possible, with some eyeing the first half of 2019 for the earliest launch. "They are betting on the new-generation of mobile communication technology to cope with a year-long downward spiral in global smartphone shipments, and more importantly, to prepare for a promising future where 5G devices will enable a slate of new applications," said James Yan, research director at Counterpoint Technology Market Research."5G is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for smartphone makers." The next-gen data tech will be at least 10 times faster than 4G and will support superfast movie downloads. Downloading an 8-gigabyte content might take no more than a few seconds, said experts. 5G also has the potential to radically alter how the world's best smartphones are used every day. "Think augmented reality (computer graphics merging with the real world, such as fighting against a 3-D-dinasour in users' living room), virtual reality, improved streaming resolutions, holographic displays, enhanced power and next-gen cloud computing," said Nicole Peng, senior director of market research company Canalys. Though some of these initial applications are possible in 4G, "it is 5G that is going to be a significant jump forward for phones because only with the latter's higher bandwidth that these applications can be more sophisticated and adopted by most consumers, delivering real amazing impact," Peng said. The mounting enthusiasm for 5G handsets came as the global smartphone industry has been on the decline for six straight quarters due to market saturation. In the third quarter of 2018, worldwide smartphone shipments fell by 3 percent year-on-year to 386.9 million units, data from the Counterpoint Technology Market Research showed. But the advent of 5G smartphones is expected to inject new vitality into the sector. According to a report by the Counterpoint, global 5G smartphone shipments are expected to reach 108.2 million units in 2021, up an estimated 255 percent year-onyear, partially offsetting the continued shrinking of 4G handset volumes. To pounce on the promising opportunities. Chinese smartphone makers including Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Lenovo, OnePlus, and ZTE Corp are all aiming to launch 5G smartphones in 2019. They are accelerating relevant R&D efforts. Walter Ji, president of Huawei's Western European Consumer Business Group, said in an interview with the telecom website T3 in July that the company will bring 5G smartphones into the market either in its P series models in March 2019 or in its Mate series in September 2019. "Now, the size of the (5G) chipset is not small enough to be used, to be integrated in a smartphone," Ji said, adding (5G would feature) "if not in the P30, then for sure in the Mate series next September". The world's second-largest smartphone vendoronly Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is ahead of Huaweiinvested $15 billion to $20 billion in R&D this year. It first beat Apple Inc in terms of smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2018 and maintained its lead in the third quarter. "Huawei's edge lies in its full 5G-product lineup, including chips, telecom equipment and smartphones. Unlike its rivals which rely on Qualcomm Inc for 5G chipsets, Huawei's ability to develop in-house 5G chipsets gives it an obvious upper hand," said Xiang Ligang, CEO of telecoms industry website Cctime. Chen Mingyong, CEO of Oppo, said in November that "5G is a trend that we must catch. In addition to being among the first batch of players to unveil 5G smartphones, Oppo will step up the exploration of application scenarios of next-gen devices, which will ultimately play a role in deciding the true value of the superfast technology". According to him, the company will up its R&D investment to 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) next year from 4 billion yuan this year. As of September, Oppo filed about 22,712 patent applications, with artificial intelligence patents exceeding 300. Despite heavy investments by smartphone vendors, 5G growth in the early commercial phase is expected to be low due to several factors, said some analysts. "There are still forward-looking 5G standards that are unconfirmed, creating uncertainty around product and service opportunities. We also expect 5G chips to have a higher price point which will initially drive the cost of devices up. 5G capable devices will be premium only in the beginning," said Tom Kang, research director of Counterpoint, in an industry report. But once better 5G business cases and infrastructure are established, the smartphone market will begin seeing higher sales overall with more contribution from 5G smartphones, Kang said. Americas Suicidal Turning Point: Chapter Four By Michael Moriarty Jimmy Carter! Perhaps its the Jimmy that made a substantial Presidency utterly impossible for the very, very likable Mr. Carter. President Ronny Reagan?! Andy Jackson?! Or, most impossible to imagine: Georgy Washington! Im not sure I can even fill four pages up with substantive information about the 39th President of the United States. Perhaps Eternally Too Eager to Please?! Or Not Eager Enough? Or Both?! Oh, there are enough good intentions to list, but, well, It was the economy, stupid! Even I, who has almost no understanding of national economics, had to eventually concede: It was the economy, Michael! His good intentions, however, eventually led to a Nobel Peace Prize! I think the title, Peanut Farmer, didnt help. Nor did the early news that he was the wealthy and, perhaps, spoiled child of even wealthier peanut farmers. He pardoned all of the Vietnam War draft-evaders. That was, perhaps, the early mild hell of good intentions. The return of the Panama Canal Zone to Panama still makes enormous sense to me. Also his creation, yes, of not only The Department of Energy but The Department of Education as wellmade even more sense. Three more achievements ring wildly positive bells: The Camp David Accords, The Panama Canal Treaties and The Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (Salt II). However, Its the economy! Being a Liberal at the time and naive as I was, I found it shocking that President Carter was being dismissed so quickly!! Its the economy, stupid!!!! He does, however, if youre big at counting records, hold the title of Longest Retired President in U.S. History. At present, I believe he might be considered the most consistently and generously humanitarian President in this nations entire history. Carter Family Store Plains, Georgia The State of Georgia knew him best, both as a Senator of that state and its Governor. In addition to his poor showing with the national economy, his ardent environmentalism may have helped elect him but it certainly didnt wear well with Congress or with the American public over his four-year term. Finally, and according to Wikipedia: Carter refused to play by Washington's rules. He missed and never returned phone calls on his part. He used verbal insults and had an unwillingness to return political favors, which contributed to his lack of ability to pass legislation through Congress. In short, he would never have been ready to assume the demands of a two-term Presidency. Despite his proven good intentions, he proved to be, in the long-run, an unlikable President of the United States. In short, a most interesting and quintessentially American contradiction-in-terms! Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty. Home If your luggage is damaged, make sure to file a report within seven days, and complaints for delayed luggage should be filed within 21 days, AirHelp says. Make sure to always hold onto your receipts, because you can be reimbursed for anything that was lost or damaged that you needed for your trip. For example, if you have to buy a suit for an important meeting, you can get reimbursed for the suit so you can replace it. This year, the legislature replaced that rate freeze with a sweeping overhaul of utility regulation, spearheaded by Dominion, that continues to limit the commissions ability to oversee electricity rates. The new law allows Dominion as well as its smaller counterpart APCO, which powers homes in the southwestern portion of the state to use excess profits for new projects instead of returning them to ratepayers, as had been the practice. Have a plan. If your medical information is stolen, first, its important to know what exactly was taken. Having your Social Security number compromised is different from having an account login compromised, Velasquez says, and the steps you need to take to address a breach will vary. Thats why you should consider seeking professional help if youve been informed of a breach or suspect one. Your home insurance, renters insurance or employee benefits package may include identity protection services, Velasquez says, which can help you navigate what to do next in a breach see what is available to you before you need it. The Federal Trade Commission can also generate a remediation plan for you and provide free assistance, as can the Identity Theft Resource Center. The Mueller/Comey/Clinton collusion to take down Trump By Mark Alexander There was actual news last week (versus the constant din of media churn) regarding the special counsel investigation into what originally was supposed to focus on Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election. Of course, that mandate immediately turned into an unlimited investigation into all manner of ostensible wrongdoing regarding Donald Trump and his campaign associates, including an investigation into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. That diversion was prompted by a fake dossier funded by Hillary Clinton's campaign. Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey, whose "higher loyalty" was, first and foremost, to Clinton, set the fabrication into motion. That "collusion" diversion has not turned up anything of substance thus far, so the investigation has now diverted to the question of how then-candidate Trump used his own money to settle some extortion demands associated with past lurid associations and if so, whether these payments violated campaign-finance law. What follows is a breakdown of the key developments, but first, an observation on the hypocrisy regarding foreign influence in our electoral process, as well as perjury. At the same time Democrat Party principals are feigning concern about foreign influence of our elections, they are advocating for open borders, pandering to their Hispanic constituents in an effort to change the demographics by flooding voter rolls with "new" constituents. And Democrats are now concerned about perjury after defending Bill Clinton's lies as president about his sexual assaults? Never let it be said that Democrats allow abject hypocrisy to get in the way of their political agenda. The Mueller Investigation To date, the only known connection Robert Mueller and his team of Clintonistas have made between the 2016 election and Russia was included in his indictment of a handful of Russian hackers last July. But that meddling started a year before Donald Trump announced his candidacy, and the hackers' objective was to foment discord and to undermine American confidence in our electoral system, not to support Trump. Arguably, after Trump's upset election, Democrat Party hysterics, bolstered by the accompanying Leftmedia histrionics and the epidemic of leftist Trump Derangement Syndrome, have done far more to undermine electoral confidence than Russia could ever have hoped to achieve. Of course, those Russians will never see the inside of a U.S. courtroom. As former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy notes, "There are 144 million more people in Russia who will never see the inside of an American courtroom. If Mueller indicts all of them, his stats will be really impressive ... and there'll still be no Trump espionage conspiracy against the election." Additionally, he has accumulated some "process crimes," most notably perjury charges related to the testimony of George Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, and Michael Cohen. However, there is nothing that remotely establishes Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. Nothing. However, the office of the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, in collusion with the Mueller investigation, filed a sentencing memo regarding its grand jury probe into Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney. The memo noted "Cohen's extensive, deliberate, and serious criminal conduct," but asked that he "receive credit for his assistance" to Mueller's investigation. It added, "Cohen does not have a cooperation agreement ... and therefore is not properly described as a 'cooperating witness'." Last week Cohen was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to eight criminal charges, including violations of campaign-finance law. His "cooperation" is no doubt connected to his role in paying off two women extorting then-candidate Trump. It's notable that Cohen lied about the timeline of a deal with Russia to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, an ongoing negotiation that was completely legal and that was dropped when the two parties were not able to reach a deal. But Trump did not lie. All told, over the course of Trump's 18-month campaign, 14 people associated with Trump had contacts of some sort with Russians. Frankly, given all of Trump's international business dealings, I'm surprised that number isn't much higher. Other than the interminable Mueller investigation, thus far the only related investigation was conducted by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, and his team concluded that former CIA Director John Brennan colluded with Comey and other deep-state operatives to provide cover for Clinton. (Sidebar: Beyond the fact that Comey seeded the Justice Department's appointment of Mueller and lied about leaking the fake dossier report that ensured it would happen, Mueller's constitutional authority is questionable given that the special prosecutor and independent counsel provisions of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 expired in 1999.) Campaign-Finance Violations Unable to discover any shred of evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russians to throw the 2016 election in his favor, Mueller is now focused on a possible campaign-finance violation associated with extortion payments to silence two alleged Trump affairs that took place long before he was a candidate. There was nothing illegal about the payments, which were from Trump and not his campaign, but the complaint is that they constituted undisclosed campaign contributions. Democrats are gleefully hoping that felony charges will emerge from the aforementioned charges filed by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York against Cohen, which he billed to Trump. Charges can be filed if undisclosed payments constitute a campaign contribution, even though a candidate may donate unlimited funds to his or her own campaign. (Note that Trump's private payments should not be confused with the public taxpayer-funded payments of the congressional slush fund used to silence sexual harassment complaints made against members of Congress.) Regarding this Mueller angle against Trump, Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, a noted Democrat, offered this observation about the payoffs: It is absolutely textbook extortion. There ought to be a prosecution of any person man or woman who approaches any candidate and says, "Unless you pay me money, I'm going to reveal a sex act that occurred." That is absolute classic extortion. It is shocking that the special counsel who has a broad mandate isn't looking into the extortion. ... It's clear that [Trump and Cohen] were paying off extortion in order to prevent these issues from coming out for multiple reasons: to protect his family, to protect his brand and the campaign. Let's remember one more thing: The president can contribute to a candidate as much as he wants. As far as reporting is concerned, it is the campaign that has to report [these contributions]. So if [Trump's] payments had to be reported, they had to be reported after the election. The reporting time was after the election so it could not have impacted the election. So the absurd notion that he won the presidency by fraud and should be stripped of the presidency reflects incredible ignorance about the timing here and how these statutes operate. Dershowitz concluded, "We need a single standard. If you would not go after Bill Clinton, don't go after Donald Trump. If you are going after Donald Trump, then you have to go after Hillary Clinton. ... This is such a danger to the constitutional system that I would hope that true civil libertarians would rebel against it, as I am." As political analyst Hans von Spakovsky notes regarding the charges filed by the U.S. attorney in New York: "His theory that anything intended to 'influence' an election is a campaign-related expense fails to take into account the statutory limitation on this definition. FECA (52 U.S.C. 30114 (b)(2) specifically says that campaign-related expenses do not include any expenditures 'used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate's election campaign.' Given Trump's celebrity status, the potential liability to these women existed 'irrespective of the candidate's election campaign.'" And how do the Trump payments compare with actual illegal campaign contributions in recent years? According to Andrew McCarthy, "Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign was guilty of violations involving nearly $2 million an amount that dwarfs the $280,000 in Cohen's case. The Obama Justice Department decided not to prosecute. Instead, the matter was quietly disposed of by a $375,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission." Recall, too, that the Justice Department failed to convict former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards after he funneled actual campaign dollars more than $1 million to his mistress, Rielle Hunter. In one election, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) took in more than $1 million in revenue and had more than $6 million in expenses that he failed to report. He paid a $138,000 fine. Of course, Bill Clinton had multiple accusations of rape and sexual assault, and in the Paula Jones case he paid $850,000 to "settle" that matter. If Democrats are really concerned about campaign-finance violations, let's put a price on the biggest of those violations the Leftmedia's support for Democrat candidates, which is equivalent to billions of dollars in free campaign advertising. Fake news is priceless. So is this all Mueller and his Democrat team of hatchet men have against Trump after two years of investigation a question about whether an extortion payoff constituted a campaign contribution, which may provide a pathway to indicting Trump after he leaves office? We're not sure, because we're still waiting on the substance of his report someday. Regardless, the prospect of campaign-finance violations is sufficient to fuel the Democrats' relentless hounding of Trump over the next two years, as it fits with their "stolen election" narrative and is fodder for faux impeachment charges. On James Comey's Testimony Related to the Mueller investigation, disgraced former FBI Director James Comey was back in front of Congress testifying about what he no longer can recall. In his testimony earlier this month, Comey was chastised for claiming not to know or recall key facts related to what he admitted was a fake dossier purporting to show Trump's collusion with Russians. That phony dossier was then used as the basis for a FISA warrant to spy on the Trump campaign, and then, after Trump's shocking electoral victory, it was used to help launch the special counsel's investigation. According to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), "The biggest takeaway is that former FBI Director James Comey, with regard to the two most important investigations ... into the Clinton email matter and into the Russia collusion matter, said, 'I don't recall,' 'I don't remember,' or 'I don't know' 245 times." Let that sink in. Typical of Comey's abject obfuscation was this interaction with House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC): Gowdy: Do you recall who drafted the FBI's initiation document for that late July 2016 Russia investigation? Comey: I do not. Gowdy: Would you disagree that it was Peter Strzok? Comey: I don't know one way or the other. Gowdy: Do you know who approved that draft of an initial plan for the Russia investigation in late July 2016? Comey: I don't. Ad infinitum. During his testimony, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) asked Comey, "Is there any need to further investigate Hillary Clinton's emails based upon the decision that you made not to prosecute?" He replied, "Not that I can possibly see. There's no serious person who thinks there's a prosecutable case there. And so, not that can I see." That notwithstanding, Comey's testimony raises the prospect that Hillary Clinton may finally face charges for using a private email server to keep her official communications as Obama's secretary of state off the grid. She did so to ensure her communications would not be subject to public scrutiny during her then-planned 2016 presidential bid. Clinton's unmitigated ethical abuses, including her Benghazi cover-up to protect Obama's reelection in 2012 and "pay-to-play" donations to the Clinton Foundation when she was serving as secretary of state, are about to be back on the table for possible prosecution. Accelerating that possibility was last week's finding by U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth that Clinton's private email server constituted "one of the gravest modern offenses to government transparency." Likewise, Lamberth slammed Justice and State: "At worst, career employees in the State and Justice departments colluded to scuttle public scrutiny of Clinton, skirt FOIA, and hoodwink this court." However, what I believe was most consequential from Comey's testimony is the emergence again of Clinton's Russian Fusion Collusion the dossier and FISA court warrant. Mueller should be investigating the genuine 2016 election collusion between Clinton, Comey, and the Russians, which had the objective of setting Trump up for a takedown in the event he was elected. Seems to be working thus far. Impeaching Trump As we've noted many times, the entire Russia investigation was conceived to keep Trump on the ropes and on the defensive as president in an effort to block his agenda. Democrats are hoping that this underwhelming campaign-finance charge will be their golden ticket to impeaching Trump. California Democrat Adam Schiff, incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, declared, "[Trump] may be the first president in quite some time to face the real prospect of jail time." New York Demo Rep. Jerry Nadler, the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, added, "The president was at the center of a massive fraud, several massive frauds against the American people. It's now our job ... to get to the bottom of this ... so we can hold him accountable." So far, Democrats have been unable to stop the Trump administration's extraordinary achievements, so they're converting their "hate Trump," anti-peace-and-prosperity platform into an "impeach Trump" charade to rally their constituencies ahead of the 2020 election. In the meantime, the Democrat-controlled House will, under Nancy Pelosi's thumb, attempt to inflict "death by a thousand cuts" to keep Trump from further success. Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. Coast Guardsman kills wife, son, self: Officials say a Coast Guardsman killed his wife and their 7-year-old son and then critically wounded their 8-year-old daughter before killing himself. Miami-Dade police and Coast Guard officials say Petty Officer 1st Class John Presnar, 44, shot his wife, Gretchen, 39, and their children early Sunday at their home south of Miami. He then shot himself. The children's names were not released. Police said an argument between Presnar and his wife escalated and her mother ran from the home. When officers arrived, they found the bodies and the wounded girl inside. The Coast Guard said Presnar had served since 2001 as an electronics technician. The spike in attacks follows Turkeys threats to expand its offensive against U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces, moving from the areas it controls in northwestern Syria to the east, where U.S. troops are based. The Syrian Kurdish fighters have gained control of nearly 30 percent of Syrian territory, mostly in the east, after chasing out Islamic State militants. But Turkey views the Kurdish militia as an existential threat and considers it an extension of the insurgency within its territory. Puerto Rico is beset by many problems. By far the most important is that too few residents have jobs. Puerto Ricos 40 percent labor force participation rate falls short not only of every mainland state and every other Caribbean island, which average in the low 60 percent range, but also of 97 percent of the more than 200 countries and territories surveyed by the World Bank. If Puerto Rico boosted labor force participation even to West Virginias mainland-low 54 percent, the economy would increase by nearly 11 percent, tax revenue would rise, and the 44 percent poverty rate would plummet. But if labor force participation remains low, Puerto Rico will be forever poor. I have never met Wang Bingzhang, now 70 and ailing in his remote Chinese prison. But, after writing a novel for young readers inspired partly by his story, I have had the good fortune to become friends with his family. I have met the grandchildren he has never seen. And I had hoped that the government of Justin Trudeau, mindful that most of Wangs family lives in Montreal, might persuade China to release Wang on humanitarian grounds. One of the things we need to know more about: why NRA spending on the 2016 elections surged in every category. The bulk of this money went to supporting Donald Trump. As The Post journalists wrote, the key question which is being posed openly by Democrats but is no doubt also of interest to prosecutors is whether the groups spending spike . . . was tied to its Russian connections. We are still in totalitarians flunk basic reality By Paul Driessen The 30,000 alarmists gathered in Katowice, Poland expected to slam-dunk their report proclaiming a planet-threatening climate crisis, finalize rules for implementing the Paris accords, redistribute infinite billions of dollars from industrialized nations to climate victim countries, and solidify their control over peoples energy, jobs, living standards and liberties. It didnt work out quite that way. They got blindsided by millions of French citizens angrily denouncing their governments plans to carbon-tax them into worse poverty and joblessness. They were furious that the US exhibit profiled the benefits of fossil fuels and outraged that the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were willing to note the climate report and express appreciation to the scientists who developed it, but not to welcome it or accept its assertions about climate cataclysms and the need to slash fossil fuel use. They were appalled that countries the world over are using more and more fossil fuels every year. One of the more amusing climate chaos exhibits at the IPCC gabfest targeted President Trumps decision to take the USA out of the Paris not-a-treaty. It proudly declared We are still IN and asserted that its movement represents thousands of American cities, states, businesses, universities and other entities that have taken up the mantle of climate leadership. Climatologist David Legates and I wrote about this fatuous, fraudulent, hypocritical outfit a year ago. But its useful to reexamine the various ways it actually is (or is not) still IN. * We are still IN and committed to the restrictive, punitive, anti-hydrocarbon Paris regime except when it comes to benefitting ourselves from coal, oil and natural gas to fly or drive to Poland; heat and light our homes, offices, hotel rooms and exhibits; eat well; dress in synthetic fibers, or in cotton or woolen garments made possible by fossil fuels; and utilize hydrocarbons for cell phones, computers, cosmetics, chairs and display boards at our exhibits, eyeglasses, wind turbine blades and countless other products. Despite their interminable moral preening, does anyone really think they will ever give any of this up? * We are still INtransigent in our demands, our refusal to civilly debate any climate or energy issues and our determination to ignore the horrendous ecological impacts of our ideas, and the even worse impacts that our demands have on other peoples jobs and living standards. And especially how our demands ensure that African and Asian parents and children have energy-deprived, impoverished, malnourished, diseased, brutally short lives. In fact, instead of acknowledging any of this, the still IN crowd the arrogant, callous, totalitarian ruling elites and renewable energy crony corporatists allied with them simply double down on their demands and plans. The new crop of progressive Democrat-Socialists coming to the US House of Representatives in 2019 intends to emphasize dangerous manmade global warming and climate change in numerous hearings, policies and bills. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-SNY) and colleagues have already proposed a separate House global warming committee, a Green New Deal and 100% wind, solar and biofuel power by 2030! * We are still IN contempt of what poor, middle class, blue collar and Third World families so desperately need: affordable, reliable energy and the well-paying jobs and affordable goods, services and healthcare that come with it. We will allow them to improve their lives, but only as far as may be possible with limited, unreliable, weather-dependent, expensive renewable energy. Its no wonder 200 prominent Golden State civil rights leaders have sued the California Air Resources Board, claiming its greenhouse gas policies are racist and disproportionately raise electricity, housing, transportation, food and hiring costs for Latino and African-Americans, for no environmental benefits. Poor countries should consider bringing similar human rights lawsuits in US, EU and international courts. * We are still IN denial of the negative impacts that our eco-imperialist, carbon-colonialist policies have on rural, poor, minority and working class families in the United States, and on billions of people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and former Soviet/Eastern Bloc nations. We are also IN denial of the failed predictions of climate models and IN denial of scientific evidence that contradicts our assertions that Earth is warming rapidly, bringing unprecedented chaos and cataclysms. As I have pointed out in numerous articles and as websites like WattsUpWithThat, ClimateDepot and DrRoySpencer discuss in readily understandable language there is no valid, replicable, scientific evidence that humans or fossil fuel emissions have replaced the powerful natural forces that have always governed Earths complex, frequently changing climate and weather systems. There is no evidence that humans can control those systems by tweaking the concentration of molecules that together represent roughly 0.042% of Earths atmosphere. There is no evidence that expensive, unpredictable, pseudo-renewable energy can replace the 80% fossil fuel energy that currently powers the US and world economies certainly not without severe consequences for people and planet. Computer models, hype, hysteria, headlines and zealotry are no substitute for honest, fact-based, replicable science. * We are IN cahoots with the IPCC, far-left politicians, Climate-Industrial Complex companies, the mainstream media, and social media behemoths like Google, You Tube, Face Book and Twitter. Together, we control what people are able to find, see, hear, think, say and do about these issues. Climate realists are fighting back, and true free speech alternatives to Twitter & Comrades are arising. * We are INtolerant of any views that contradict our own. We not only refuse to debate. We refuse to allow debate. We are contemptuous of civil society norms for civil discourse. We will always resort to totalitarian power, mob rule and the sheer weight of equally closed-minded, ill-informed intellectuals, students, urban voters and ruling elites to impose our climate, energy and economic ideologies. In one of the most egregious cases ever, the UN and IPCC gave their explicit permission, encouragement and blessing to radical protesters at the Katowice COP-24 conference. They let the INtolerants disrupt and shut down the official US innovative fossil fuel technologies and economic dynamism presentation. The UN pre-authorized and pre-planned the loud interruptions, officially gave rabid protesters over seven minutes to rant and chant Keep them in the ground (fossil fuels, that is), and let them harass CFACT and other climate realists attending the event. When UK author and policy analyst Rupert Darwall challenged the obnoxious hecklers, UN security guards immediately restrained Darwall and told him to shut up or be thrown out of the conference! Why the United States should tolerate any of this much less pay for it is hard to fathom. * The climate-obsessed IN-crowd is INsatiable in its hunger for global power but INcapable of dealing with reality and INsane for endlessly repeating the same tired tropes, ignoring evidence that contradicts its claims, vilifying scientists who disagree with them, and ignoring the enormous benefits of fossil fuels. Amid virtually all their politicized campaigns, these groups appear to be engaged in climate science and energy fraud. Whether its global temperatures, changing weather patterns, Arctic, Antarctic or Greenland ice, hurricanes and tornados, wildfires, floods or droughts or the need for and viability of renewable energy deception, misrepresentation, disinformation and even fabrication are their stock in trade. Those tactics would bring small armies of regulators (perhaps accompanied by armed SWAT teams) swarming into the offices of almost any other companies or organizations. Its depressing that politicians and tax-exempt pressure groups are generally exempt from such inquiries. But the dishonest, profiteering companies that ally with climate alarmists may not be. Perhaps a few enterprising AGs, FBI offices, public interest law firms, or SEC and FTC investigators will be inspired to examine some of these ethics, securities and truth-in-advertising issues. Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and author of books, studies and articles on energy, climate change, the environment and human rights. Home With the Islamic States physical caliphate in shambles, revenue from oil and taxes have disappeared, but cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, Dash, Ethereum, Monero, Verge and Zcash, with others in development, constitute an alternative funding source for the terrorists. Transactions are swift and anonymous, and disrupting them is difficult. In addition to more-established terrorist organizations, an emerging cadre of terrorist groups and their affiliates, such as Al-Sadaqah, Malhama Tactical and the Ibn Taymiyyah Media Center, have begun using cryptocurrency. Communications about transactions often take place on encrypted messaging apps, such as Telegram, favored by terrorist groups because they are easy to use and offer a secure venue for planning and recruiting and for advising Western supporters about how to use cryptocurrency. I was instructed in these matters by the late Charles Colson when I worked for him in the late 1980s. Colson had been a particularly ruthless and devious special counsel to President Richard M. Nixon. As a result of the Watergate scandal, Colson became prisoner 23226. While incarcerated, he discovered an extraordinary talent for relating to inmates across boundaries of class and race. And he accepted a Christian calling to speak to and for them, eventually visiting 800 prisons in 40 countries. Over time, this prison preacher became one of the most important social reformers of the 20th century, advocating humane treatment of prisoners and alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders. Many books have been written on impeachment, millions of words in fact. The quick summary: An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House says it is. Thus, the incoming Democratic majority could impeach President Trump on any single theory or many at once. Certainly, cable news is full of breathless speculation about what special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has or may possibly have, and to what Michael Cohen pleaded guilty, and, of course, there are charges of unconstitutional emoluments received and inaugural committee contributions mislaid. Of the original charge that the president and his campaign colluded with the Russian government to bring about his election there is still only the thinnest of reeds. We all await at least we should await the special counsels report on his investigation. What Ive tried to do is craft a story about the industrial Midwest thats not about nostalgia and not about resentment, said Buttigieg (pronounced Boot-edge-edge) said in an interview with The Washington Post last week. South Bend is a powerful answer for how you could do it differently and have a focus on the future. I think theres plenty that goes on in a bipartisan way, and I think the more senators we have who use those skills and work with each other, the better the Senate will be, he said. He added that bipartisanship is harder in todays environment. Al-Shabab controls rural areas across southern Somalia, where it has instituted a strict interpretation of sharia law. The group grew out of resentment toward international intervention in Somali politics, and many of its original members were trained by al-Qaeda. Its current leaders pledge allegiance to al-Qaeda and have battled not just the Somali government and its regional and American backers, but also a Somali offshoot of the Islamic State against which it competes. I looked up and saw a small shaving mirror being held over the top of the cubicle, to be used in a way to look down at my naked body, she said. I believe it was made in the spirit of a joke. The fact is it made me incredibly uncomfortable. I think I dealt with it by words to the effect of, Bugger off, Geoffrey. Pot addicts OK, legitimate chronic pain sufferers in need of opioids not By Rachel Alexander There is a strange dichotomy taking place in society today. On the one hand, laws against marijuana are being eliminated. People who abuse pot are now able to feed their addiction with an overly generous supply of the drug. For example, in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal, users can purchase up to 2.5 ounces every two weeks. This is enough to be stoned every day. Once you have a prescription, you can refill it for an entire year without going back to renew the prescription. Its easy to get a prescription in most states that have legalized medical marijuana, just inform a doctor you have pain. And if you live in a state like California that has legalized recreational marijuana, there arent even any limits on how much you can buy (just how much you can have on hand). In contrast, opioids, which are commonly prescribed for chronic pain and have been legal for years (with the exception of heroin and some fentanyl) are becoming increasingly restricted. Legitimate chronic pain sufferers who depend on them to reduce their pain are finding themselves going days without any medication or undermedicated as a result of the new crackdown. It began since people were overdosing on opioids. By October of this year, 33 states had passed laws limiting opioid prescriptions. They limit the supply a doctor may prescribe to seven days or less. This exponentially increases problems with timely refilling prescriptions. One chronic pain sufferer complained, The insurance companies are lying to their own subscribers in the Prior Auth Dept, ignoring, transferring to dead lines, long appeals that go nowhere, on & on. It also means more co-pays. Some states are now requiring doctors and pharmacists to take a course on opioids. Many states have limited the maximum dose as well. Federal opioid prescribing guidelines recommend doctors use caution in prescribing above 50 MME/day. But many patients need 90 MME/day or higher. In Arizona, patients are limited to 90 MME/day. There are exceptions for some types of illnesses but not chronic pain. For those sufferers, they can only receive a higher dose if their doctor consults with a board-certified pain specialist. One woman in Arizona who suffers from chronic pain said her opioid dose was lowered from 100 MME/day to 90 MME/day as a result of the new laws. She said her pain has been "terrible" ever since. "It just hurts," she said. "I don't want to walk, I pretty much don't want to do anything." Two medical associations in Arizona warned before the law was passed, We strongly oppose putting any kind of dose-strength limitation in state law. ... Every patient is unique and there is no universally accepted threshold for what is acceptable for every situation. Some complex pain patients can be properly cared for and managed by appropriate providers with higher dosages that allow them to manage pain and be active members of society and our economy. Another new law requires pharmacists to check and make sure patients arent doctor hopping doubling up on prescriptions. Any accidental overlap between prescriptions hurts the patient, who is humiliated at the pharmacy when caught. Senior citizens are treated by pharmaceutical staff like common criminals. Doctors risk sanctions if they dont comply with the new laws. As a result, fewer doctors are prescribing opioids. This is making it more difficult for patients to find doctors. After the laws were passed, doctors reported feeling pressure to lower patient doses, even for patients who have been on stable regimens of opioids for years without trouble. Dr. Julian Grove, president of the Arizona Pain Society, says "A lot of practitioners are reducing opioid medications, not from a clinical perspective, but more from a legal and regulatory perspective for fear of investigation. No practitioner wants to be the highest prescriber." Even doctors that specialize in pain management are feeling pressure to reduce dosages. Psychiatrist Sally Satel, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, says the problem traces back to guidelines put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2016. The guidelines were not meant to apply to pain specialists, nor were they to be applied as a blanket policy to every patient. "There is no mandate to reduce doses on people who have been doing well," Satel said. Ironically, chronic pain sufferers are told to switch to medical marijuana to ease their pain but it doesnt work for everyones pain. A recent Australian study found that marijuana does little for pain. The reality, according to the National Pain Report, is Americas so-called opioid epidemic is caused by street drugs (some of them diverted prescription drugs) rather than by prescriptions made by doctors to chronic pain patients. More people die from illegal opioids than prescription opioids. Opioid prescriptions were already decreasing before the crackdown started. In Arizona, prescriptions decreased every year since 2013, a 10 percent decrease total. And just because a few doctors overprescribed opioids does not mean everyone should be treated like a dangerous addict at risk of overdosing. One size does not fit all. Someone who has been taking a higher dosage of prescription opioids for years without incident should be allowed to continue. Over 11 percent of the population suffers from chronic pain. It is cruel and bad medical science to prevent this segment from the population from getting the only relief that works for many of them. The laws need to be changed to allow those legitimately suffering to access adequate amounts of prescription opioids, without risk to their doctor or pharmacist. It makes no sense as were relaxing the laws prohibiting marijuana. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications. Home North Koreas economy and its construction industry, in particular is built on slave labor. Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are dragooned for decades into dolgyeokdae, literally stormtrooper, work crews for little or no pay, barely fed and often forced to sleep in makeshift housing they built themselves, according to rights groups and reports by the State Department and others. The Army last year convened a hearing at Fort Meade, Md., in which Elmore testified. The service determined that there was enough evidence to hold a trial, but the case was dismissed because of a decision in another case United States v. Mangahas by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. It found that a five-year statute of limitations applied in the Mangahas case, which centered on an allegation of rape from 1997. A military judge, in response, dismissed the case against Grazioplene, saying the clock had also run out on prosecuting the general. Mohib said he discussed President Ashraf Ghanis road map for peace, which allows Taliban representatives to take part in the political process and run for office. The plan also raises the prospect of constitutional changes while preserving what the government describes as the countrys achievements since the militants were driven from power in Kabul by Afghan resistance forces and U.S. airstrikes. Pete Davidson has appeared on Saturday Night Live just hours after a concerning post on social media prompted New York police to visit the troubled star to make sure he was okay. In an emotional post to his Instagram on Saturday, the SNL star discussed his daily struggle with mental health before deleting his account. What alarmed Davidson's fans and authorities was the tone of the entertainer's post. "I really don't want to be on this earth anymore," the since-deleted post read. More than two decades after it launched, the Weekly Standard, an American conservative magazine originally funded by Rupert Murdoch, is shutting down. Donald Trump interviewed by Chris Wallace of "Fox News Sunday". Credit:AP The magazine was never a money maker political magazines seldom are but it wasnt trouble with the bottom line that killed the Weekly Standard. It was trouble with the party line. As the Republican Party became the Party of Trump, the Weekly Standard didnt budge. It maintained its #NeverTrump stance, and as a result, its owner pulled the plug. The death of the Weekly Standard may not mean much on its own. But taken together with similar changes across American conservative media in the past few years, it marks another step toward the emergence of a new state media in America. And because this state media centres forcefully on Donald Trump, rather than a particular party or ideology, it diverges sharply and dangerously from the partisan media of the past. > All the News The EU Trust Fund adopted projects worth 122 million to support access to education and basic health care for refugees and vulnerable local communities in Jordan, to provide livelihood opportunities in Turkey and make available critical health care services in Iraq In view of the continued impact of the crisis and the current 5.6 million Syrian refugees, the Trust Fund Board is confirming its commitment to continue the support to Syrian refugees and their host communities. With this new package, the overall value of EU regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis so far mobilised, reaches 1.6 billion. Currently 55 projects have been contracted. EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn commented: "These new projects will facilitate access to education and basic health care services for the most vulnerable people, provide livelihood opportunities and strengthen mother and child care services. The EU is committed and determined to assist the people in need and will continue to support our partner countries providing vital help to refugees." The new 122 million aid package includes the following actions: 83 million for access to education and basic health care, to support livelihoods through cultural heritage development, and to provide higher education opportunities to Syrian refugees and vulnerable communities in Jordan; 27 million to provide livelihood opportunities in the fields of agricultural development and through micro-loans, as well as social protection and higher education to Syrian refugees and vulnerable communities in Turkey; 9.5 million to strengthen mother and child critical health care services, as well as support to livelihoods through cultural heritage development in Iraq. At the board meeting Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Estonia, have made new pledges for a total of 28.4 million.The Commission pledged already at least 220 million to the Trust Fund in 2019 in line with its pledge from the April 2018 Brussels conference on the future of Syria and the region. The assistance package was adopted by the EU Trust Fund's Board, which brings together the European Commission, EU Member States, members of the European Parliament and representatives from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the World Bank. Background Since its establishment in December 2014, an increasing share of the EU's support to help Syrian refugees and support Syria's neighbouring countries cope with the refugee crisis is provided through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis. The Trust Fund reinforces an integrated EU aid response to the crisis and primarily addresses longer-term resilience and early recovery needs of Syrian refugees, host communities and their administrations in neighbouring countries such as Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The Fund also underpins the EU Compacts agreed with Jordan and Lebanon to better assist them in the protracted refugee crisis. With the new package adopted now, the Fund has delivered a total of 522 million for Lebanon, more than 500 million for Turkey and more than 300 million for Jordan, in 4 years of operations, much more than initially foreseen. Overall, 1.6 billion has been mobilised and pledged from the EU budget and contributions of 22 EU Member States and Turkey. Almost all of this has now been adopted by the Board and turned around to finance concrete projects helping refugees and host countries alike. The Trust Fund's programmes support basic education and child protection for refugees, training and higher education, better access to healthcare, improved water and waste-water infrastructure, as well as support to resilience, women empowerment and fighting gender based violence, economic opportunities and social stability. The scope of the Fund includes support to internally displaced persons in Iraq and support in the Western Balkans to non-EU countries affected by the refugee crisis. Source: European Commission - Press release Lismore Castle New Historic Town Signage Unveiled in Waterford and Wexford Failte Ireland will bring to life the history and stories behind some of the oldest towns in Irelands Ancient East through a series of newly updated Historic Town trail signs around the region. As part of the initiative, new signs were officially unveiled today in Ardmore and Lismore in Waterford, and in Wexfords New Ross and Enniscorthy. These are the latest towns to have the signage installed following Leighlinbridge (Co. Carlow), Athy (Co. Kildare), Carrickmacross (Co. Monaghan), and Wexford town where the signs were unveiled earlier this year. Working with local authorities and historians, Failte Ireland has uncovered interesting and lesser known stories from each areas history, with content being displayed through wayfinding, interpretation, photography, maps and other signage across each town. The Historic Towns initiative is designed to encourage visitors to stay longer and explore the wider region. A further six towns across the Irelands Ancient East region will have signage installed and updated over the coming months. Failte Irelands Head of Irelands Ancient East, Jenny De Saulles, said: There is a growing tourism trend around the world for exploring local areas and uncovering their unique stories. Thats why at Failte Ireland weve worked closely with local historians to bring to life the hidden history of each town. History and storytelling are at the core of the Irelands Ancient East brand and the signage unveiled in Historic Towns today will really help to shape compelling and engaging visitor experiences. The Irelands Ancient East brand has had serious impact this year, with visitor numbers and revenue continuing to grow at a strong rate. The Historic Towns initiative will help to further boost visitors numbers, encourage tourists to explore different parts of Irelands Ancient East and stay in the region for longer, helping to drive revenue for local businesses. We look forward to unveiling more signage in Historic Towns across Irelands Ancient East over the coming months. Failte Ireland has identified a number of strategic objectives and priorities for Irelands Ancient East which are specific to using storytelling interpretation to create brilliant experiences and in turn to deliver economic benefits. These objectives are to: Deliver engaging world class visitor experiences that make Irelands living and historical culture accessible through the use of authentic stories as a differentiator; Create and deliver unique visitor experiences based on living the history; Provide the visitor with interpretation in the first language of the target audience, i.e. in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian; Increase the length of time visitors spend in Irelands Ancient East and the amount of money they spend there; Encourage overseas visitors to stay beyond the traditional tourism season and to visit longer. Follow us on Twitter @Failte_Ireland Jump to top contributed BRIDGEPORT Housatonic Community College will once again participate in the One Book One College program thanks to a grant. The $2,975 grant comes from the Connecticut Humanities and will allow the college to create a shared reading experience and programming focused around an issue facing the nation. MILFORD Arshaq Ahmed, a seventh grader at West Shore Middle School, is already thinking about what he would like to create for the next Milford Invention Convention. Arshaq, 12, came in third at the national level of the competition earlier this year, when he was a sixth-grader, with his Radio Med Box, a tracking device that uses HAM radio frequency in a medical box to track missing people in regions without cell phone service. He isnt sure exactly what his next invention might be: He may work on perfecting the Radio Med Box with the hope of making it a truly marketable product. Arshaq was on vacation with his family when he came up with the idea for the Radio Med Box. He was in a hotel room, watching television, when he saw a piece about a man who got lost in the wilderness and suffered frostbite. Arshaq envisioned a device that would send out the location of a person who was lost, like a skier or a hiker in a forest. It was when he went to an event with his younger siblings at the Milford Bank, where his mother works, for a HAM radio chat with Santa that he made the HAM radio connection and figured that the radio technology could work with his invention. A HAM radio is too large to be a handheld emergency device, so Arshaq decided to use just the necessary components: a transmitter, which sends the signal, an antenna and AA batteries. His device works where a cell phone would not because the HAM radio bounces signals off the ionosphere, Arshaq explained. He bought the parts he needed online, along with a small rectangular container to hold the device. He thought about creating a waterproof product, but that would have put him over budget: He could spend only $50 on parts. He spent about $40, and says that if the device was to go to market he would sell it for about $65, noting that he would get production costs down with larger-scale production. His invention also comes with a plastic bag that contains a thermal blanket, wipes, antiseptic and hooks for the antenna. Arshaq said competing in the invention convention is like being on Shark Tank, the ABC program where inventors pitch their creations. At the convention, the student has to answer tough questions from the judges. Nationals is where you learn all about the business, Arshaq said. As you go through it, you get a better idea of what they will ask, so experience is key. Arshaq got help from people in the community, including a member of an area amateur radio club. He was at Woodmont Borough Hall when he first tested his creation: He flicked the switch on his device and saw a signal light up on his iPad, indicating a HAM radio site had picked up his signal. I was excited, he said. Arshaq is the son of Tasneem and Humera Ahmed, and has two siblings, Ayaan, 9, and Arisha, 8, who go to Meadowside School. They were with him at the the National Invention Convention at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Mich., on June 1. Several other students from Milford took part in that National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship Expo. The others from Milford included Sai Vipparla, then an 11th-grader, who won a Patent Application Award for Petsthetic, a 3-D printed, customizable pet prosthetic; Rachna Vipparla, then a ninth-grader, who was awarded second place for Alz-Aid, a music therapy device that decreases restlessness and wandering for those living with Alzheimers or dementia; and Arya Bairat, then a 10th-grader, who made third place for EES Sustineri, which uses paint-on fabrication techniques and various materials to store and generate energy. The Milford Invention Convention The Milford Education Foundation has been hosting the Milford Invention Convention for five years, feeding into the state and national conventions. The next Milford Invention Convention is set for 10 a.m. March 23 at Jonathan Law High School. About eight Milford students have made it to the national level in the past five years, with some repeats and including online submissions, according to Augie Harrigan, a Milford Education Foundation vice president. Also, several other Milford students have made it to finals through out-of-district schools. When we first started out in 2014, we had about two dozen competitors who came through the Boys and Girls Club and the Milford Public Library workshop program Milford Education Foundation created, Harrigan said. Former School Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Feser and then-assistant superintendent Mike Cummings were judges, he said and were so happy to see us bringing this back it used to be part of middle school curriculum that they offered to make it part of the sixth-grade enrichment experience for all three middle schools. In addition, the middle schools have offered it as an after-school club, getting all learners ready to compete. After being away for the past few years, the Boys and Girls Club is back for the 2019 Milford Invention Convention. Harrigan said parents can start working with their children on ideas for the invention convention. But to compete at (the Milford Invention Convention), well still need them to register and that site probably wont be up until January, Harrigan said. Well post more specific info on the Milford Education Foundation website, but parents can look to the Connecticut Invention Convention site for general info. That site is ctinventionconvention.org. Students in grades 6-8 interested in participating should ask about their respective middle schools after-school program. This year, the Connecticut Invention Convention has cut out the regional finals as a qualifier for UConn, Harrigan said. So any finalists chosen at the 2019 Milford Invention Convention will advance to state. The Milford Education Foundation fully funds the Milford Invention Convention. The group also covers registration fees for all finalists to attend the Connecticut Invention Convention at UConn. The Milford Invention Convention is for grades K-8; however, state and national-level competitions now go through high school. While I recently reached out to Law and Foran for advice on how we can cultivate expansion, we dont have a plan yet, Harrigan said. If we get at least half a dozen ninth to 12th graders who want to participate, we could conceivably do this in March. WESTPORT From the large and sunny master bedroom of her Regents Park condominium, Eileen Belmont pieces together the fabric of peoples lives. Under the auspices of her business, Ei of the Needle, Belmont makes one-of-a-kind quilts, pillows, wall art, and more from old clothing and other textiles her clients bring her. Belmont dreamed of working with design and fabrics ever since she was in fourth grade and learned to sew from her mother. Belmonts mother had returned to school to learn to be a science teacher but took a few more classes, including sewing, to gain certification in home economics as well and when she learned new skills, she passed them on to her daughter. From her familys dining room table in suburban Philadelphia, Belmont cut cloth from patterns to make her dresses for both junior and senior prom. While studying for her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania, Belmont sewed decorations for her dorm room and imagined a life like that of fashion designer Donna Karan. In Belmonts Jewish family, however, all the men worked in medicine and the women were teachers, and Belmont received little support for her dream to pursue fashion design, so she, too, entered education. Belmont enrolled in a masters program at the University of Cincinnati to become a reading specialist and, following school, moved to Maine to coordinate the language arts curriculum for a rural school district. Belmont lived on a 50-acre farm and loved it, but she missed urban life. So, at 26, she left for Boston, where she earned a second Master of Education degree and then gained employment organizing curriculum in a district outside the city. After four years in Boston, Belmont returned to Philadelphia and stopped working in the education field in order to care for her three young daughters. She actually founded Ei of the Needle during that time, but back then the company only threw parties for young kids using Belmonts fabric remnants, ribbons, and a glue gun to help kids make wall hangings and pillows. I was doing it, but I was doing it differently from how I had dreamed about doing it, Belmont said. About 19 years ago, Belmont returned to work at an eating disorder clinic and was charged with helping the girls in the facility keep abreast of their academics. Belmont said it was a frustrating task given all the girls had to deal with. So, after seven years, Belmont left the clinic. I needed to regroup and thought, I need need to work in a joyful context. I wanted to do something totally other-brained, and came up with the idea of doing something with what Ive had a lifelong passion for, which is sewing and creating and working with people and hearing their stories, Belmont said. Belmont first tested selling her work at holiday bazaars, but realized handmade trinkets dont sell well if you can buy something similar at a dollar store. It couldnt be something that they could buy. It had to be something that was unique, and uniquely theirs, Belmont said. I wanted to do something that had more of a heart pull and was more sentimental. I didnt want it to just be a business transaction. Belmont refined Ei to specialize in taking peoples own personal textiles, such as old t-shirts, and transforming them into something else, perhaps a pillow or blanket. The business grew through networking and word of mouth and adapted to a new environment when she moved to Westport five years ago to be closer to her daughters. In the past decade, Belmont has made everything from pillows from the ties of a widows late husband to a Jewish wedding canopy, or chuppah, formed from an old-wedding dress. About half of her clients want to remember a lost loved one, while the other half commemorate a certain period of life, like the woman who wanted a pillow made from her daughters Catholic school sweater and skirt. Theyre all life celebrations, Belmont said. Working on a project the other night, Belmont said she felt tired and looked at her watch, discovering it had reached 2 a.m. without her noticing. Im doing design and layout and all the technical stuff and I get lost in the zone, Belmont said. Now Im doing it the way I dreamed of doing it. svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1 FNF Canada has signed a new agreement with MPAC to continue providing residential property data for appraisers across Ontario. The extension of the current deal means that FNF which provides national mortgage, appraisal and loan related services to large and small Canadian lenders - will maintain the consistency and reliability of property data used in residential real estate appraisals. We are pleased to continue working in partnership with MPAC to deliver innovative solutions for appraisers within the Canadian marketplace. FNF Canadas preferred pricing for square footage and detailed property reports demonstrates FNFs ongoing commitment to the appraisal industry, and our partnerships within the lending community, commented Brian Bell, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Data Solutions. MPAC is a not-for-profit corporation funded by all Ontario municipalities, which assesses nearly five million properties with a total value of $2.2 trillion. MPACs Vice President of Business Development, Lee Taylor added that the solution has proven to make access to residential property data economical and efficient for appraisers across the province. PYONGYANG, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A research institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) issued a statement Sunday night criticizing the United States for imposing sanctions against DPRK officials. The statement was issued by the policy research director of the Institute for American Studies of the Foreign Ministry, and released by DPKR's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) without giving the name of the director. The statement said the top leaders of the DPRK and the United States committed themselves to improving the DPRK-U.S. relations at the historic DPRK-U.S. summit held in Singapore in June, and currently the bilateral relations are advancing along the firm will of the two leaders to follow through their joint statement issued then. However, it added, over the past six months, the U.S. State Department and the Treasury Department have carried out eight rounds of sanctions against DPRK companies, individuals and ships as well as other third countries through false pretexts. "Recently, the U.S. is resorting to an anti-DPRK human rights plot in such a way that it carries a deliberate provocation by adding high-ranking government officials of the DPRK" to its unilateral sanctions list, while taking issue with a non-existent "human rights issue," the statement pointed out. Washington announced on Dec. 10 that it would impose sanctions against three DPRK officials for serious human rights abuses and censorship, and DPRK's statement on Sunday seems to be a semi-official response to the U.S. decision. "Far from the statements of the (U.S.) president, the State Department is instead bent on bringing DPRK-U.S. relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire. I cannot help but throw doubt on the ulterior motive of the State Department," KCNA quoted the director as saying, adding that the sanctions against the DPRK "would not work." The director also stressed that if the high-ranking politicians within the U.S. administration wished to "drive us into giving up nuclear weapons by way of increasing anti-DPRK sanctions and pressure," it would be a miscalculation, and "will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever." Whenever I hear about an FCPA sentencing that involves time in federal prison, I think of the day in July 2012 when I faced the judge and learned my fate. I recall so clearly the anxiety of standing before Judge Richard Leon in DC, knowing that before I left the courtroom a sentence would be pronounced which would have life changing consequences. When Judge Leon sentenced me to eighteen months in federal prison, I felt anxiety at my custodial sentence instead of home confinement, as the government recommended. But I also felt relief that it wasnt five years in prison, which was the statutory maximum in my plea agreement with the DOJ. About a month later, as I was standing on a train platform getting ready to visit a friend in NYC, I received a call from Pre-Trial Services. The courteous voice told me where I was going to serve my sentence and my self-surrender date. Her politeness made it all the more surreal. I would be at the Prison Camp in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and my self-surrender date would be September 28, 2012. I didnt know where Lewisburg was and quickly looked it up on a map. I searched for more information about the Prison Camp but didnt learn a lot, other than they had a good education department. On the first Monday of my incarceration I asked the correctional officer in charge of education if there were any openings. He said, Its the lowest paying job here, to which I responded, If I can help someone, Id like the job. I started the following week as a tutor to other inmates who wanted to better educate themselves during their time in prison. In the summer of 2013, my case manager paged me over the prison PA system to come to his office. He ran through my release-date calculation: Due to the good time reduction of 15 percent and one month of home confinement, I would be released on December 17, 2013. Ill be home for the holidays, I thought. I called and emailed family and friends. And I became more diligent about making sure my last six months in prison would be without fanfare or drama. In prison, every day brings the possibility of something going wrong, where an infraction, even a minor one, can lead to the loss of some or all of good time. I read more a lot more and spent most of my time alone in my cell (we called them our cubes). I was working to protect my pre-holidays release date. Besides, by then I was infected with the MRSA bacteria and required medical attention, so I really needed that release date to happen. And so, on December 17, 2013, I was processed out of the Prison Camp at Lewisburg. In a reverse of my reporting day, I walked into the parking lot and, with family, drove directly to the U.S. Courthouse in New Haven, Connecticut, where I would need to be processed back in for my one-month of home confinement. During my session with a court officer, I was introduced to the ankle bracelet that Id wear for the next month. Home confinement isnt probation. Youre still in the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. But I would be home. (My infectious disease specialist still talks about my first visit, when I explained to him why I was wearing an ankle bracelet. He was a great sport about it. More importantly, he helped me get well.) Today Im a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog. When not writing about compliance, Im usually talking about it with members of the compliance community, company executives, and even government officials. Five years ago none of these extraordinary blessings seemed even remotely possible. A deeply felt thank you for your welcome and generosity. And happy holidays to all. ___ Richard Bistrong, pictured above, is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog and CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery LLC. In 2010 he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the FCPA and served fourteen and a half months at a U.S. federal prison camp. He was named to Compliance Weeks list of Top Minds in 2017 and was one of Ethispheres 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics in 2015. He was named by Thomson Reuters in 2018 as a Top 50 Social Influencer in Risk, Compliance and RegTech. His award winning compliance training video, Behind the Bribe, produced in cooperation with Mastercard, was released in 2017. To request a demo of the full eleven-minute video or a licensing fee schedule, please click here. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two former executives on Monday for their role in the alleged multibillion-dollar ransacking of state investment fund 1MDB. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two former executives on Monday for their role in the alleged multibillion-dollar ransacking of state investment fund 1MDB. Attorney General Tommy Thomas said the government is seeking several billion dollars in fines from Goldman Sachs for breaches of securities laws that involved it making false and misleading statements to investors. He said his office will seek prison sentences of up to 10 years for the former Goldman executives, Roger Ng Chong Hwa and Tim Leissner, who is married to model Kimora Lee Simmons. Malaysian and U.S. prosecutors allege that bond sales organized by Goldman Sachs for 1MDB provided one of the means for associates of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to steal billions over several years from a fund that was ostensibly set up to accelerate Malaysia's economic development. The scandal, first reported by Sarawak Report and the Wall Street Journal, resulted in Najib and his ruling coalition losing power in a historic election defeat earlier this year. Najib himself is facing corruption charges. He has said that more than $700 million that moved through his bank account was a political donation from the Saudi royal family, but U.S. prosecutors say it came from 1MDB, of which Najib was the top official. U.S. legal filings that are part of a Justice Department civil case to recover assets bought with 1MDB funds allege the money was used to finance Hollywood films and spent on luxuries such as diamond jewelry for Najib's wife, a yacht, artworks and high-end properties. Goldman Sachs denied any wrongdoing in response to Malaysia's criminal charges. "We believe these charges are misdirected and we will vigorously defend them and look forward to the opportunity to present our case," bank spokesman Edward Naylor said in a statement. "The firm continues to co-operate with all authorities investigating these matters." Thomas said $2.7 billion was stolen from three bond sales organized by subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs. The investment bank, he said, received $600 million in fees for organizing the bond deals, which was several times higher than industry norms. Leissner and Ng conspired with Najib associate Low Taek Jho, a key architect of the entire 1MDB fraud, to bribe Malaysian government officials to use Goldman Sachs as the arranger of the bond deals, according to Thomas. They and Goldman Sachs knew that the money would be stolen, he said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Having held themselves out as the pre-eminent global adviser/arranger for bonds, the highest standards are expected of Goldman Sachs," the attorney general's statement said. "They have fallen far short of any standard. In consequence, they have to be held accountable." Prosecutors plan to seek fines "well in excess" of the amount allegedly stolen because of the severity of the violations of Malaysia's laws, Thomas said. Leissner, who headed Goldman's operations in Southeast Asia, last month pleaded guilty in the U.S. to money laundering conspiracy and conspiring to violate foreign bribery laws after the Justice Department charged him, Ng and Low in relation to the 1MDB scandal. Ng was arrested in Malaysia in early November and Low, also known as Jho Low, remains at large. He has previously maintained his innocence in statements via a lawyer. Malaysian police said in July that Low had fled Macau to an unknown destination. Before facing criminal charges, Low became well known in the New York City and Los Angeles club scenes. In 2012, he threw a lavish 31st birthday bash attended by Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. YOKOHAMA, Japan - Nissan's board met Monday but failed to pick a new chairman to replace Carlos Ghosn, who was arrested last month on charges of violating financial regulations, saying more discussion was needed. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/12/2018 (1081 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Nov. 19 2018, file photo, Nissan Motor Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa speaks during a press conference at Nissan Motor Co. Global Headquarter, in Yokohama, near Tokyo. NissanAos board is meeting to pick a chairman to replace Carlos Ghosn, arrested last month on charges of violating financial regulations. The Dec. 17, 2018, meeting comes amid an unfolding scandal that threatens the Japanese automakerAos two-decade alliance with Renault SA of France and its global brand, as well as highlighting shoddy governance. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File) YOKOHAMA, Japan - Nissan's board met Monday but failed to pick a new chairman to replace Carlos Ghosn, who was arrested last month on charges of violating financial regulations, saying more discussion was needed. Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa told reporters that the board approved a special committee of outsiders to strengthen governance at the company. A date for the selection of a chairman was not decided. "We plan to be cautious in this process, and I do not plan to rush this," Saikawa said. The recommendations for beefing up governance are due in March, and Saikawa said he was willing to wait until then to choose a chairman. The board meeting came amid an unfolding scandal that threatens the Japanese automaker's two-decade alliance with Renault SA of France and its global brand, and highlights shoddy governance at the manufacturer of the Leaf electric car. Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa attends a press conference in Yokohama, near Tokyo Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Nissan's board met Monday but failed to pick a new chairman to replace Carlos Ghosn, arrested last month on charges of violating financial regulations, saying more discussion was needed. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Ghosn and another board member Greg Kelly were formally charged last week with falsifying financial reports in underreporting Ghosn's income by about 5 billion yen ($44 million) from 2011 to 2015. They were arrested Nov. 19 by Tokyo prosecutors and remain in detention. A source close to Ghosn's family says Ghosn is innocent, as the alleged income was never decided upon or paid. Aubrey Harwell, the U.S. lawyer for Kelly, an American, says he is innocent, and that Nissan insiders and outside experts had advised him that the financial reporting was proper. The chairman must be selected from among the board members. Three outside board members race-car driver Keiko Ihara, Masakazu Toyoda, an academic, and Jean-Baptiste Duzan, formerly of Renault are making that decision. The special committee for governance includes the three outside board members and four other outsiders, including former judge Seiichiro Nishioka. One candidate for chairman is Saikawa, who was hand-picked by Ghosn to succeed him as chief executive. He has denounced Ghosn and Kelly as the "masterminds" in a scheme to falsify income reports and abuse company money and assets. Renault has kept Ghosn as chief executive and chairman, saying its investigation has not found wrongdoing in the awarding of Ghosn's compensation. Nissan Motor Co.'s allegations also include million-dollar homes in several nations, including France, Japan, Brazil, Lebanon and the Netherlands, purchased by Nissan or a subsidiary and used by Ghosn. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Wrangling over a home in Rio de Janeiro has developed into a court battle in Brazil, with Nissan seeking to block Ghosn's family from retrieving items. Ghosn was born in Brazil of Lebanese ancestry and holds French citizenship. He was sent in by Renault in 1999 to turn around Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy. It's unclear when Ghosn and Kelly may be released, with Tokyo prosecutors saying they are a flight risk. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en CALGARY - TransCanada Corp. has signed a deal to sell its Coolidge Generating Station in Arizona to a subsidiary of Southwest Generation Operating Co. LLC for $623 million. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. TransCanada Corp. president and CEO Russ Girling addresses the company's annual meeting in Calgary on April 27, 2018. TransCanada Corp. has signed a deal to sell its Coolidge Generating Station in Arizona to a subsidiary of Southwest Generation Operating Co. LLC for $623 million. The 575-megawatt natural gas-fired power in Coolidge, Ariz., is underpinned by a long-term power purchase agreement. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh CALGARY - TransCanada Corp. has signed a deal to sell its Coolidge Generating Station in Arizona to a subsidiary of Southwest Generation Operating Co. LLC for $623 million. TransCanada chief executive Russ Girling says the sale, worth US$465 million, is part of a plan to help fund the company's capital spending program. The 575-megawatt natural gas-fired power in Coolidge, Ariz., is underpinned by a long-term power purchase agreement. Under the terms of the PPA, Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District has a right of first refusal on a sale to a third party. TransCanada owns and operates pipelines across North America as well as power generation assets including a stake in the Bruce Power nuclear power plant in Ontario. Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP) A local organization is making a big difference in the lives of young people in some of the worlds poorest communities. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion A local organization is making a big difference in the lives of young people in some of the worlds poorest communities. Accountable Development Works (ADW) oversees five projects in four African countries, ensuring approximately 300 vulnerable children and youth get fed, housed and educated. PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Volunteer John David Pankratz has been involved with international development for 28 years in more than 30 countries. The charity is run by volunteers. "Its like-minded people doing good work and for no personal gain just (to make) the world a better place," says Dean Jonasson, who chairs the groups board. For the past decade, Jonasson has volunteered his time with ADWs Sierra Leone Action Mission (SLAM) committee. SLAM supports an orphanage and youth drop-in centre in Kono, a district in Sierra Leones eastern province. Helping young people is important to Jonasson, a retired teacher. "If youre conscious in the world, and conscious of the worlds challenges, to do nothing is wrong," he says. "(Volunteering is) my tiny contribution to being positive and helping out in the world." The Kwagala Foundation, which provides a variety of services in Uganda, joined ADW this past January. Doing so has been "a huge step forward" for the foundation, says Leigh McClarty, who co-founded Kwagala in 2006 and sits on ADWs board. As a result of joining ADW a year ago, Kwagala can issue tax receipts to donors. McClarty and Kwagala co-founder Katie Muirhead can also avail themselves of the experience other ADW members bring to the table. "Its been nice for Katie and me to see that the issues or struggles we encounter throughout the year arent unique to us," says McClarty, a PhD student in community health sciences at the University of Manitoba. Like ADWs other programs, Kwagala Foundation works closely with local partners to ensure its initiatives are led and driven by people from the community it serves. "We work with an amazing community (in Uganda) who are beyond capable and can lead Kwagala Foundations priorities," McClarty says. "The best part about doing this work is that I have a whole family in Uganda," she adds. "Theres a huge community of folks weve known over a decade now." Being involved in the lives of children is meaningful, says John David Pankratz, who sits on ADWs board and co-founded one of its two projects in Congo. "(Theres a) sense of accomplishment, knowing that theres several hundred children who are fed, housed and getting an education that wouldnt be if the organization didnt exist," he says. Pankratz has been involved with international development for 28 years, working in more than 30 countries. Serving with Mennonite Central Committee in Zambia in the late 1990s had a significant effect on the way he views volunteering. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I lived in a context where people didnt have the means to volunteer, and I saw how that negatively impacted the life of the community," he says. "I realized that its a privilege to be able to volunteer." For the projects that make up ADW, the benefits of volunteering together are numerous. "We can support each other," Jonasson says. "Theres certainly more security and stability in being a collective, as opposed to trying to eke it out on your own." If you know a special volunteer, send an email to aaron.epp@gmail.com. Its a bit early to hold a parade, but at least were on the radar now. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/12/2018 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Editorial Its a bit early to hold a parade, but at least were on the radar now. Sure, were only a blip at the moment, but theres reason to hope this province will garner a lot more positive attention in the year to come thanks to effusive praise from three online sites that advise travellers on where to spend their precious tourism dollars. The praise began earlier this year when accommodations site Airbnb named Winnipeg one of its "19 trending destinations to visit in 2019," alongside such tourism hotspots as Uzbekistan and Mozambique, as well as Pondicherry, India. In its designation, Airbnb pointed to increases in search traffic for rental accommodations, and highlighted local tourism gems such as The Forks and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Next, famed travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet listed Manitoba among the "worlds best travel destinations" on its website this past spring and hailed our capital city for its "multicultural flavour." Also heaping praise on us was Travel Lemming, a website operated by a Denver travel blogger, which rated Manitoba as one of North Americas nine "top emerging travel destinations." "Winnipeg is an undiscovered cultural centre spilling over with a burgeoning culinary scene, modern museums and boutique shops galore," Travel Lemming gushed on its list. Local politicians and tourism officials were over the moon and rightly so to have the online world finally stand up and take notice of whats going on in our neck of the woods, a locale heretofore better known for the brutality of its winters and the ferocity of its mosquitoes. "Its really encouraging to see the external validation behind the investments and energy that weve been putting into building Winnipeg as a world-class destination," Mayor Brian Bowman told the Free Press. "Were all trying to do the same thing, and thats celebrate our community, share it with the world and bring in tourism dollars to help support jobs here in our community." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Economic Development Winnipeg CEO Dayna Spiring declared: "Its Winnipeg, its hip and its cool, and its a place that people want to be." No one wants to kill the upbeat buzz, but its important that Manitobans dont lose their heads amid all the hoopla over how we are no longer a hidden tourism gem. Its one thing for hip online sites to sing the provinces praises; its another thing entirely for their recommendations to translate into an increase in foreign tourists deciding to spend time checking out the local sights. We have a long driveway to shovel in terms of attracting more visitors from outside the province. In 2016, the most recent year for which Statistics Canada data is available, Manitobans accounted for 85 per cent of the 10.6 million tourist visits within the province. Visitors from other provinces accounted for 10 per cent of the visits, while U.S. travellers made up four per cent and overseas visitors accounted for only one per cent of our visitors. Tourist visits do not equal visitors, because a traveller who stays in Manitoba for a week is counted as six distinct "overnight person-visits." The province promised in its recent throne speech to increase efforts to promote tourism, and thats excellent news heading into 2019. Because as much as it boosts our ego to receive compliments online, its far better for our economy to get those compliments in person. Invesco Zacks Multi-Asset Income ETF's stock was trading at $16.41 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, CVY shares have increased by 41.7% and is now trading at $23.26. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. engages in the natural gas midstream, and intrastate transportation and storage businesses in the United States. The company's Intrastate Transportation and Storage segment transports natural gas from various natural gas producing areas through connections with other pipeline systems, as well as through its ET Fuel System and HPL System. This segment owns and operates approximately 7,900 miles of natural gas transportation pipelines and three natural gas storage facilities in Texas. Its Interstate Transportation and Storage segment provides natural gas transportation and storage services; owns and operates approximately 11,800 miles of interstate natural gas pipelines; and has interests in various natural gas pipelines. The company's Midstream segment gathers, compresses, treats, blends, processes, and markets natural gas. It owns and operates natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) gathering pipelines, natural gas processing plants, natural gas treating facilities, and natural gas conditioning facilities. The company's NGL and Refined Products Transportation and Services segment transports mixed NGLs and other hydrocarbons; stores mixed NGLs, NGL products, and petrochemical products; and separates mixed NGL streams into purity products. This segment owns and operates various NGL pipelines, NGL and propane fractionation facilities, and NGL storage facilities. Its Crude Oil Transportation and Services segment engages in the transportation, terminalling, and acquisition and marketing of crude oil; and operates crude oil trunk and gathering pipelines. The company's All Other segment engages in the natural gas compression equipment business; provides natural gas compression equipment and compression services; manages coal and natural resources property, sells standing timber, and leases coal-related infrastructure facilities; and generates electrical power. Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. was founded in 1995 and is based in Dallas, Texas. Read More Anadarko Petroleum Corporation engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of oil and gas properties. It operates through three segments: Exploration and Production, WES Midstream, and Other Midstream. The company explores for and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). It is also involved in gathering, processing, treating, and transporting oil, natural-gas, and NGLs production, as well as the gathering and disposal of produced water. The company's oil and natural gas properties are located in the United States onshore and deepwater Gulf of Mexico; and Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Colombia, Peru, and other countries. As of December 31, 2018, it had approximately 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. Read More Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers. It also offers investment and wealth advisory services; digital investing services; financial services and solutions; and investment management, and trust and custody services to institutional, retail, and high net worth investors. In addition, the company provides life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, and annuity products; creditor and travel insurance to bank customers; and reinsurance solutions. Further, it offers client's debt and equity capital-raising services, as well as loan origination and syndication, balance sheet management, and treasury management; strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and recapitalizations, as well as valuation and fairness opinions; and trade finance, risk mitigation, and other operating services. Additionally, the company provides research and access to markets for institutional, corporate, and retail clients; trading solutions that include debt, foreign exchange, interest rate, credit, equity, securitization and commodities; new product development and origination services, as well as risk management advice and services to hedge against fluctuations; and funding and liquidity management services to its clients. It operates through approximately 1,400 bank branches and 4,800 automated banking machines in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Read More There is not enough analysis data for High Peak Royalties. 4.0 Community Rank Outperform Votes High Peak Royalties has received 29 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes High Peak Royalties has received 19 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment High Peak Royalties has received 60.42% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about High Peak Royalties and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe HPR will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe HPR will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next 6 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Aphria in the last year. There are currently 5 hold ratings and 1 buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" Aphria stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in APHA, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Aphria or view top-rated stocks. 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. Read More Jones Soda Co. engages in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of beverages and related products. The firm sells its products in grocery stores, convenience and gas stores, up and down the street in independent accounts such as delicatessens and sandwich shops, as well as through national accounts with several large retailers. It offers Jones Soda, Jones Zilch, Jones Stripped, Lemoncocco, and 7-Select Premium Sodas. The company was founded by Peter M. van Stolk in 1986 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Read More 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 Read More Drax Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation and supply of electricity in the United Kingdom. The company operates through three segments: Generation, Customers, and, Pellet Production. It produces low carbon and renewable electricity; and provides system support services to the electricity grid. The company owns and operates Drax Power Station that produces electricity from biomass and coal with an installed capacity of 3,906 megawatts (MW) located in Selby, North Yorkshire; Cruachan Power Station, a pumped hydro storage station, with an installed capacity of 440 MW located in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland; and Lanark and Galloway hydro-electric power stations with an installed capacity of 126 MW located in southwest Scotland. It also owns and operates combined cycle gas turbine power stations, including Damhead Creek power station with an installed capacity of 805 MW; Rye House power station with an installed capacity of 715 MW; Shoreham power station with an installed capacity of 420 MW; and Blackburn power station with an installed capacity of 60 MW located in England. In addition, the company owns and operates Daldowie fuel plant that processes sludge from a wastewater treatment plant and converts it into dry and low-odour fuel pellets. Further, it manufactures and sells compressed wood pellets for use in electricity production; supplies and manages electricity and gas for large industrial and commercial sector customers, as well as small businesses; and provides debt recovery services. Drax Group plc was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Selby, the United Kingdom. Read More 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. iShares Micro-Cap ETF's stock was trading at $74.73 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, IWC stock has increased by 82.4% and is now trading at $136.28. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 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. Everest Re Group Ltd. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of reinsurance and insurance services. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Reinsurance, International, Bermuda, and Insurance. The U.S. Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance and specialty lines of business, including marine, aviation, surety, and accident and health business, on both a treaty and facultative basis, through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies primarily within the U.S. The International segment offers foreign property and casualty reinsurance through Everest Re's branches in Canada and Singapore and through offices in Brazil, Miami, and New Jersey. The Bermuda segment comprises reinsurance and insurance to worldwide property and casualty markets through brokers and directly with ceding companies from its Bermuda office and reinsurance to the United Kingdom and European markets through its UK branch and Ireland Re. The Insurance segment writes property and casualty insurance directly and through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents within the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartere Read More First American Financial Corp. operates as an insurance company. It provides title insurance and settlement services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company operates its business through the following segments: Title Insurance & Services and Specialty Insurance. The Title Insurance & Services segment provides title insurance, escrow, closing services and similar or related financial services domestically and internationally in connection with residential and commercial real estate transactions. It also maintains, manages and provides access to title plant records and images and provides banking, trust and investment advisory services. The Specialty Insurance segment issues property & casualty insurance policies and sells home warranty products. It also provides title plant management services, which include title and other real property records and images, valuation products and services, home warranty products, property and casualty insurance and banking, trust and investment advisory services. First American Financial was founded in January, 2008 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, CA. Read More Shares of Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 2X Shares reverse split on Thursday, April 23rd 2020. The 1-10 reverse split was announced on Wednesday, April 8th 2020. The number of shares owned by shareholders was adjusted after the closing bell on Wednesday, April 22nd 2020. An investor that had 100 shares of Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 2X Shares stock prior to the reverse split would have 10 shares after the split. There is not enough analysis data for RWE Aktiengesellschaft. 4.1 Community Rank Outperform Votes RWE Aktiengesellschaft has received 32 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes RWE Aktiengesellschaft has received 20 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment RWE Aktiengesellschaft has received 61.54% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about RWE Aktiengesellschaft and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe RWE will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe RWE will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF's stock was trading at $37.46 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EEM stock has increased by 30.9% and is now trading at $49.02. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 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.. 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.. Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Asia, Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; And Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment provides mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, group retirement and savings products, and institutional asset management services through agents and brokers affiliated with the company, securities brokerage firms, and financial advisors pension plan consultants and banks. The Insurance and Annuity Products segment offers deposit and credit products; individual life, and individual and group long-term care insurance; and guaranteed and partially guaranteed annuity products through insurance agents, brokers, banks, financial planners, and direct marketing. The Corporate and Other segment is involved in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses; and run-off reinsurance operations, including variable annuities, and accident and health. It also manages timberland and agricultural portfolios; and engages in insurance agency, portfolio and mutual fund management, mutual fund dealer, life and financial reinsurance, and fund management businesses. Additionally, the company holds and manages oil and gas properties; holds oil and gas royalties, and foreign bonds and equities; and provides investment management, counseling, advisory, and dealer services. Manulife Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1887 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. KG, JLM Verwaltungs GmbH, JLT (Insurance Brokers) Limited, JLT Actuaries and Consultants Limited, JLT Advisory Limited, JLT Affinity Colombia Solutions SAS, JLT Agencies Limited, JLT Asesorias Ltda, JLT Asia Holdings BV, JLT Asia Shared Services Sdn Bhd, JLT Belgibo, JLT Benefit Consultants Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Bermuda Ltd, JLT Brasil Holdings Participacoes Ltd, JLT Chile Holdings SpA, JLT Colombia Retail Limited, JLT Colombia Wholesale Limited, JLT Consultants & Actuaries Limited, JLT EB Holdings Limited, JLT EB Services Limited, JLT Employee Benefits Holding Company (PTY) LTD, JLT Employee Benefits SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Financial Planning Limited, JLT France Holdings, JLT Group Services Pty Limited, JLT Holdings (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Holdings (NZ) Limited, JLT Independent Insurance Brokers Private Limited, JLT Insurance Agencies Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited ( Shanghai Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Beijing Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Guangzhou Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers SA, JLT Insurance Group Holdings Ltd, JLT Insurance Management Malta Limited, JLT Intellectual Property Limited, JLT Intellectual Property [UK Branch], JLT Interactive Pte. Ltd., JLT Investment Management Limited, JLT LATAM (Southern Cone) Wholesale Limited, JLT Latin American Holdings Limited, JLT Life Assurance Brokers Limited, JLT Management Services Limited, JLT Marine (Pty) Ltd, JLT Mexico Holdings Limited, JLT Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., JLT Netherlands BV, JLT Norway AS, JLT PLA, JLT Pension Trustees Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Holdings Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Limited, JLT Peru Reinsurance Solutions Limited, JLT Peru Retail Limited, JLT Peru Wholesale Limited, JLT QFM Services Limited, JLT RE Brasil Administracao e Corretagem de Resseguros Ltda, JLT Re (French Branch), JLT Re (Northern Europe) AB, JLT Re Argentina Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.U., JLT Re Labuan Limited, JLT Re Limited, JLT Re Pty Ltd, JLT Reinsurance Brokers GmbH, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited [French Branch], JLT Risk Management Limited, JLT Risk Solutions AB, JLT Risk Solutions AB Branch - Germany, JLT SA IB Holdings Company (Pty) Limited, JLT SCK Affinity Administracao e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., JLT SCK Corretora e Administradora de Seguros, JLT Secretaries Limited, JLT Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerlii A.., JLT Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., JLT Specialty France, JLT Specialty Insurance Broker A/S, JLT Specialty Limited, JLT Specialty Limited [DUBAI BRANCH], JLT Specialty Pte. Ltd., JLT Towner Insurance Management (Anguilla) Limited, JLT Trust Services (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Trustees (Southern) Limited, JLT Trustees Limited, JLT UK Investment Holdings Limited, JLT Vantage Risk and Benefit Consulting Private Limited, JLT Wealth Management Limited, JLT do Brasil Corretagem de Seguros Ltda, JLTPCS Holdings Pte. Ltd., JMIB Holdings BV, JSL Securities Inc., Japan Affinity Marketing Inc., Jardine IBR Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Proprietary) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Australia Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited (UK Branch Office), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Consultants Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Holdings Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Unlimited Company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Korea Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited [Macao Branch], Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS (Dubai) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS SA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Sdn Bhd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Valencia y Iragorri Corredores de Seguros SA, Jardine Pension Trustees Ireland Limited, Jardine Risk Consulting Co. Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited [Macao Branch], Jardines PF- Consultoria Em Gestao De Risco Limitada, Jelf, Jelf Commercial Finance Limited, Jelf Financial Planning Limited, Jelf Insurance Brokers Limited, Jelf Limited, Jelf Risk Management Limited, Jelf Wellbeing Limited, John Lampier & Son Ltd, Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Limited, Johnson & Higgins Limited, KESSLER & CO AG, Kepler Associates Limited, Kessler & Co Inc., Kessler Consulting Inc., Kessler Prevoyance Inc., Key Underwriting Pty Limited, Kroll, Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Employee Benefits) Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Hong Kong) Ltd, Laterlife.com Limited (in liquidation), Lavaretus Underwriting AB, Lavaretus Underwriting AB (BRANCH - Denmark), Libra Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Lloyd & Partners Limited, Local Government Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Lomond Macdonald Limited, Lynch Insurance Brokers Limited, M&M Vehicle L.P., M.P. Bolshaw and Company Limited, MAG JLT SpA, MERCER ALTERNATIVES LIMITED, MM Risk Services Pty Ltd (for dissolution), MMA Mid-Atlantic Employee LLC, MMA Securities LLC, MMB Consultores S.A., MMC (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., MMC 28 State Street Holdings Inc., MMC Borrower LLC, MMC Brazilian Holdings B.V., MMC Capital Inc., MMC Cascade Regional Holdings LLC, MMC FINANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, MMC FINANCE HOLDINGS LTD, MMC Finance (Australia) Limited, MMC Finance (Singapore) Limited, MMC France Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., MMC GP III Inc., MMC Group Services sp. z o.o., MMC Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, MMC Holdings (New Zealand) ULC, MMC Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC International Finance (Barbados) SRL, MMC International Holdings LLC, MMC International Limited, MMC International Treasury Centre Limited, MMC Middle East Holdings Limited, MMC Poland Holdings B.V., MMC Realty Inc., MMC Regional Asia Holdings B.V., MMC Regional Caribbean Holdings Ltd., MMC Regional Europe Holdings B.V., MMC Regional LATAM Holdings B.V., MMC Securities (Europe) Limited, MMC Securities LLC, MMC Treasury Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC UK Group Limited, MMC UK Pension Fund Trustee Limited, MMOW Limited, MMRC LLC, MOW Holding LLC, MPIP III GP LLC, MPIP IV GP LLC, MPIP V GP LLC, MPIP VI GP LLC, Mangrove Insurance Europe PCC Limited, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC Limited, Manoel Management Services Ltd, Marchant McKechnie Insurance Brokers Limited, Marine Aviation & General (London) Limited, Marsh & McLennan (PNG) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agencies AS, Marsh & McLennan Agencies Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency A/S, Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Marsh & McLennan Agency Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency Pty Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Argentina SA Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh & McLennan Colombia S.A., Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Funding Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia Pacific Treasury Center Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies BVBA/SPRL, Marsh & McLennan Companies Finance Center (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies France S.A.S., Marsh & McLennan Companies Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Regional Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Services B.V., Marsh & McLennan Companies UK Limited, Marsh & McLennan Europe S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan GP I Inc., Marsh & McLennan Global Broking (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Holding GmbH, Marsh & McLennan Holdings (Canada) ULC, Marsh & McLennan Holdings Inc., Marsh & McLennan Incorporated (for dissolution), Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings II, Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Limited, Marsh & McLennan Insurance Services Limited, Marsh & McLennan Ireland Limited, Marsh & McLennan Management Services (Bermuda) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Risk Capital Holdings Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Servicios S.A. De C.V., Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Canada Limited, Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Corporation, Marsh (Bahrain) Company SPC, Marsh (Beijing) Risk Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Marsh (China) Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh (Insurance Brokers) LLP, Marsh (Insurance Services) Limited, Marsh (Malawi) Limited, Marsh (Middle East) Limited, Marsh (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh (Pty) Ltd, Marsh (Risk Consulting) LLP, Marsh (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Marsh A/S, Marsh AB, Marsh AG, Marsh AS, Marsh Advantage Insurance Holdings Pty Ltd, Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd., Marsh Africa (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Argentina S.R.L., Marsh Associates (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Austria G.m.b.H., Marsh Aviation Insurance Broking Pty Ltd (for dissolution), Marsh B.V., Marsh Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh Brockman y Schuh Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Marsh Broker Japan Inc., Marsh Broker de Asigurare-Reasigurare S.R.L., Marsh Brokers (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh Brokers Limited, Marsh Canada Limited/Marsh Canada Limitee, Marsh Company Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Compensation Technologies Administration (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Isle of Man Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Malta Limited, Marsh Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Marsh EOOD, Marsh Egypt LLC, Marsh Emirates Consultancy LLC, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage LLC, Marsh Employee Benefits Limited, Marsh Employee Benefits Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Marsh Eurofinance B.V., Marsh Europe S.A., Marsh FJC International Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh For Insurance Services S.A.E., Marsh Franco Acra S.A., Marsh GSC Servicos e Administracao de Seguros Ltda., Marsh GmbH, Marsh Holding AB, Marsh Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Marsh Insurance & Investments LLC, Marsh Insurance Brokers, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Macao) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Private) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers AO, Marsh Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh Insurance Consulting Saudi Arabia (in liquidation), Marsh Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC, Marsh Intermediaries Inc., Marsh International Broking Holdings Limited, Marsh International Holdings II Inc., Marsh International Holdings Inc., Marsh Investment B.V., Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited, Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited (UK Branch), Marsh Ireland Holdings Limited, Marsh Israel (1999) Ltd., Marsh Israel (Holdings) Ltd., Marsh Israel Consultants Ltd., Marsh Israel Insurance Agency Ltd., Marsh Israel International Brokers Ltd. (in liquidation), Marsh JCS Inc., Marsh Japan Inc., Marsh Kft., Marsh Kindlustusmaakler AS, Marsh Korea Inc., Marsh LLC, Marsh LLC Insurance Brokers, Marsh LLC [Ukraine], Marsh Lda., Marsh Limited, Marsh Limited [Fiji], Marsh Limited [New Zealand], Marsh Limited [PNG], Marsh Ltd. [Wisconsin], Marsh Management Services (Bahamas) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Dublin) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Labuan) Limited, Marsh Management Services (MENA) Limited, Marsh Management Services (USVI) Ltd., Marsh Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, Marsh Management Services Inc., Marsh Management Services Isle of Man Limited, Marsh Management Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Marsh Management Services Malta Limited, Marsh Management Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Marsh Management Services Sweden AB, Marsh Marine & Energy AB, Marsh Marine Nederland B.V., Marsh Medical Consulting GmbH, Marsh Mercer Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Marsh Nest Inc., Marsh Oman LLC, Marsh Oy, Marsh PB Co. Ltd., Marsh Philippines Inc., Marsh Privat A.I.E., Marsh Private Client Life Insurance Services, Marsh Pty. Ltd., Marsh Qatar LLC, Marsh RE S.A.C. Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh Rehder Consultoria S.A. (MRC), Marsh Rehder S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Marsh Resolutions Pty Limited, Marsh Risk Consulting B.V., Marsh Risk Consulting Limitada, Marsh Risk Consulting Ltda., Marsh Risk Consulting S.L., Marsh Risk Consulting Services S.r.L., Marsh Risk and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, Marsh S.A. Corredores De Seguros, Marsh S.A. Mediadores de Seguros, Marsh S.A.S., Marsh S.p.A., Marsh SA [Argentina], Marsh SA [Belgium], Marsh SA [Luxembourg], Marsh SA [Uruguay], Marsh SIA, Marsh Saldana Inc., Marsh Saudi Arabia Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Marsh Secretarial Services Limited, Marsh Semusa S.A., Marsh Services Limited, Marsh Services Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Marsh Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Szolgaltato Kft., Marsh Takaful Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Treasury Services (Dublin) Limited (in liquidation), Marsh Treasury Services Limited, Marsh Tunisia S.a.r.l., Marsh UK Limited, Marsh USA (India) Inc., Marsh USA Borrower LLC, Marsh USA Inc., Marsh Uganda Limited, Marsh Venezuela C.A. Sociedad de Corretaje de Seguros, Marsh Vietnam Insurance Broking Company Ltd, Marsh Zambia Limited, Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, Marsh d.o.o. Beograd, Marsh d.o.o. za posredovanje u osiguranju, Marsh for Insurance Services - Jordan, Marsh i-Connect (Pty) Ltd, Marsh s.r.o., Matthiessen Assurans AB, Mercer (Argentina) S.A., Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer (Austria) GmbH, Mercer (Belgium) SA-NV, Mercer (Canada) Limited/Mercer (Canada) Limitee, Mercer (China) Limited, Mercer (Colombia) Ltda., Mercer (Danmark) A/S, Mercer (Finland) OY, Mercer (France) SAS, Mercer (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer (Ireland) Limited, Mercer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mercer (N.Z.) Limited, Mercer (Nederland) B.V., Mercer (Norge) AS, Mercer (Polska) Sp.z o.o., Mercer (Portugal) Lda, Mercer (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer (Sweden) AB, Mercer (Taiwan) Ltd., Mercer (Thailand) Ltd., Mercer (US) Inc., Mercer Administration Services (Australia) Pty Limited, Mercer Africa Limited, Mercer Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Mercer Asesores de Seguros S.A., Mercer Asesores es Inversion Independientes S.A. de C.V., Mercer Broking Ltd., Mercer Career Unipessoal Lda, Mercer Consultation (Quebec) Ltee., Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Mercer Consulting (France) SAS, Mercer Consulting (India) Private Limited, Mercer Consulting B.V., Mercer Consulting Group Inc., Mercer Consulting Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Mercer Consulting Limited, Mercer Consulting Middle East Limited, Mercer Consulting S.L.U., Mercer Consulting Venezuela C.A., Mercer Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Mercer Corretora de Seguros Ltda, Mercer Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Mercer Deutschland GmbH, Mercer Employee Benefits - Medicacao de Seguros Unipessoal Lda., Mercer Employee Benefits Limited, Mercer Financial Advice (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Financial Services Limited, Mercer Financial Services Limited liability company, Mercer Financial Services Middle East Limited, Mercer Global Investments Europe Limited, Mercer Global Investments Management Limited, Mercer HR Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer HR Services LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, Mercer Holdings Inc., Mercer Holdings Inc. [Philippines], Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltda, Mercer Human Resource Consulting S.A. de C.V., Mercer ICC Limited, Mercer Investment Consulting Limited, Mercer Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mercer Investment Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Investments (Australia) Limited, Mercer Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer Investments (Japan) Ltd, Mercer Investments (New Zealand) Limited, Mercer Investments LLC, Mercer Ireland Holdings Limited, Mercer Italia Srl Socio Unico, Mercer Japan Ltd., Mercer Korea Co. Ltd., Mercer LLC, Mercer Limited, Mercer MC Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer Master Trustees Limited, Mercer Mauritius Ltd., Mercer Oliver Wyman Holding B.V., Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Outsourcing S.L.U., Mercer Pensionsfonds AG, Mercer Pensionsraadgivning A/S, Mercer Philippines Inc., Mercer Private Investment Partners IV General Partner S.a.r.l., Mercer Private Markets AG, Mercer Private Markets Advisers (US) AG, Mercer Services Poland Sp. z.o.o., Mercer Sigorta Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Mercer South Africa (Pty) Limited, Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited, Mercer Switzerland Inc., Mercer System Services LLC, Mercer Technology Acquisitions Limited, Mercer Treuhand GmbH, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Mercer Trustees Limited, Mercer WorkforcePro LLC, Mercury Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Moola Systems Limited, Mountlodge Limited, Muir Beddal (Zimbabwe) Limited, NERA Australia Pty. Ltd., NERA Economic Consulting GmbH, NERA Economic Consulting Limited, NERA S.R.L., NERA SAS, NERA UK Limited, NERA do Brasil Ltda. (for dissolution), National Economic Research Associates Inc., NetComp Insurance Corp., Neuburger Noble Lowndes GmbH, Normandy Reinsurance Company Limited, Northern Alliance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), OWL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co.KG, OWL Marine Verwaltungs GmbH, Oliver Wyman (Bermuda) Limited, Oliver Wyman (Hong Kong) Limited, Oliver Wyman AB, Oliver Wyman AG, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc., Oliver Wyman B.V., Oliver Wyman Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Oliver Wyman Consultoria em Estrategia de Negocios Ltda., Oliver Wyman Energy Consulting Limited, Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC, Oliver Wyman Group KK, Oliver Wyman Inc., Oliver Wyman LLC, Oliver Wyman Limited, Oliver Wyman Limited Liability Company, Oliver Wyman Limited/Oliver Wyman limitee, Oliver Wyman Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pty. Ltd., Oliver Wyman S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman S.A.S., Oliver Wyman S.L., Oliver Wyman S.r.l., Oliver Wyman SNC, Oliver Wyman SPRL/BVBA, Oliver Wyman Sdn. Bhd., Oliver Wyman Services Limited, Oliver Wyman Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman sp. z o.o., Omega Indemnity (Bermuda) Limited, Organizacion Brockman y Schuh S.A. de C.V., Osbornes Insurances Oxford Limited (in liquidation), PFT Limited, PI Indemnity Company Designated Activity Company, PT JLT Reinsurance Brokers, PT Jardine Lloyd Thompson, PT Marsh Indonesia, PT Marsh Reinsurance Brokers Indonesia, PT Mercer Indonesia, PT Nexus Asia Pacific, PT Oliver Wyman Indonesia, PT Quantum Computing Services, PT Quantum Investments, PT Quantum Support Services, Pallas Marsh Servicos Ltda., Pavilion Alternatives Group (Singapore) PTE. Ltd, Pavilion Financial Corporation Holdings UK Limited, Pavilion U.S. Investments Holdco LLC, Pension Trustees Limited, Pensionsservice Benefit Network Sverige AB, Perils AG, Personal Pension Trustees Limited, Pet Animal Welfare Scheme Limited, Portsoken Trustees (No. 2) Limited, Portsoken Trustees Limited, Potomac Insurance Managers Inc., Premier Pension Trustees Limited, Premium Services Australia Pty Limited, Professional Claims Handling Limited (in liquidation), Profund Solutions Limited, Promerit AG, Promerit Hungary Kft, Promerit Schweiz AG, Pymetrics Inc., R G Ford Brokers Limited, R R B Beratungsgesellschaft fuer Altersversorgung mbh, R. Mees & Zoonen Holdings B.V., Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters LLC, Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters Limited, Resource Benefit Associates, Rightpath Reinsurance SPC Ltd., Risk Management Australia Pty Limited, Rivers Group Limited, Rockefeller Risk Advisors Inc., Rutherfoord International Inc., SAFCAR-Marsh, SBJ Holdings Limited, SCIB (Bermuda) Limited, SCM Global Real Estate Select GP LLC, SCM Infrastructure General Partner S.a r.l., SCM International Private Equity Select III GP LLC, SCM LT General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE II GP Ltd., SCM PE II Scotland GP Ltd, SCM Strategic Capital Management (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., SICAR Marsh S.a.r.l., SME Insurance Services Limited, Sail Insurance Company Limited, Scalene Re Ltd, Seabury & Smith Borrower LLC, Seabury & Smith LLC, Secure Limited, Sedgwick (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Consulting Group Limited, Sedgwick Dineen Group Limited, Sedgwick Financial Services Limited, Sedgwick Forbes Middle East Limited, Sedgwick Group, Sedgwick Group (Australia) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Group (Bermuda) Limited, Sedgwick Group (Zimbabwe) Limited, Sedgwick Group Limited, Sedgwick Internationaal B.V., Sedgwick Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes (UK) Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Group Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited, Sedgwick Overseas Investments Limited, Sedgwick Private Limited, Sedgwick Re Asia Pacific (Consultants) Pte Ltd (for dissolution), Sedgwick Trustees Limited, Sedgwick UK Risk Services Limited, Sedgwick Ulster Pension Trustees Limited, Settlement Trustees Limited, Shanghai Mercer Insurance Brokers Company Ltd., Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC, Sirota Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Sirota Consulting UK Limited, Smith Long Term Disability Management Group Inc., Societe d'Assurances et de Participation Guian SA, Software Underwriting Systems Limited (in liquidation), Southern Marine & Aviation Inc., Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc., Sudzucker Versicherungs-Vermittlungs GmbH, Sumitomo Life Insurance Agency America Inc., Sylvite Financial Services, TBX Solutions Limited, Talent Tech Labs LLC, The Benefit Express Holdings Limited, The Benefit Express Limited, The Carpenter Management Corporation, The Insurance Partnership Holdings Limited, The Insurance Partnership Services Limited, The Positive Ageing Company Limited, The Purple Partnership Limited, The Recovre Group Pty Ltd, Thomsons Online Benefits (HK) Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits Inc., Thomsons Online Benefits Limited, Thomsons Online Benefits Pte Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits S.R.L, Torrent Government Contracting Services LLC, Torrent Insurance Services LLC, Torrent Technologies, Torrent Technologies Inc., Tower Hill Limited, Tower Place Developments (West) Limited, Tower Place Developments Limited, U.T.E. AMG, U.T.E. Marsh - Caja Castilla La Mancha Junta de Comunidades, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus (in liquidation), U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus 2012, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Vila-Seca 2010, UAD BB Marsh Lietuva, Vezina & Associes Inc., Vezina Assurances Inc., Victor Insurance Europe B.V., Victor Insurance Holdings Inc., Victor Insurance Italia S.r.l., Victor Insurance Managers Inc., Victor Insurance Managers Inc./Gestionnaires d'assurance Victor inc., Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd., Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Limited, Victoria Hall Company Limited, Wellnz Limited, William M. Mercer (Canada) Limited/William M. Mercer (Canada) Limitee, William M. Mercer AB, William M. Mercer Comercio Consultoria e Servicos Ltda., Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, everBe SAS, and realright GmbH. The following companies are subsidiares of Sysco: 2234829 Alberta ULC, 2234842 Alberta ULC, A. M. Briggs Inc., A.M. Briggs, Almacen Fiscal Frionet Caldera S.A., Almacen Fiscal Frionet Limon S.A., Appert's Foodservice, Arnotts (Fruit) Limited, Asian Foods, Bahamas Food Holdings Limited, Bahamas Food Services Limited, Brake Bros, Brake Bros Foodservice Ireland Limited, Brake Bros. Foodservice Limited, Brake Bros. Holding I Limited, Brake Bros. Ltd., Brakes Foodservice NI Limited, Buchy Food Service, Buckhead Beef Co., Buckhead Meat & Seafood of Houston Inc., Buckhead Meat Company, Buckhead Meat Midwest Inc., Buckhead Meat of Dallas Inc., Buckhead Meat of Denver Inc., Buckhead Meat of San Antonio LP, Buzztable Inc., CAKE Corporation, Central Seafood Co., Christys Wine & Spirits Limited, Clafra Aktiebolag, Colorado Boxed Beef Co - Specialty meat-cutting division, Corporacion Frionet Sociedad Anonima, Crossgar Foodservice, Crossgar Foodservice Limited, Crown I Enterprises Inc., Cucina Acquisitions (UK) Limited, Cucina Finance (UK) Limited, Cucina French Holdings Limited, Cucina Fresh Finance Limited, Cucina Fresh Investments Limited, Cucina Lux Investments Limited, Curleys Quality Foods Limited (Third Party), Davigel Belgilux S.A., Davigel Espana S.A., Desert Meats & Provisions, Distagro, Doerle Food Service, Doughtie's Foods Inc., Dust Bowl City LLC, Eko Fagel Fisk o mittemellan AB, Enclave Insurance Company, Enclave Parkway Association Inc., Enclave Properties LLC, European Imports, European Imports Inc., Figg Inc., Freedman Meats, Freedman Meats Inc., Freedman-KB Inc., Fresh Direct (UK) Limited, Fresh Direct Group Limited, Fresh Direct Limited, Fresh Holdings Limited, FreshPoint, FreshPoint Arizona Inc., FreshPoint Atlanta Inc., FreshPoint California Inc., FreshPoint Central California Inc., FreshPoint Central Florida Inc., FreshPoint Connecticut LLC, FreshPoint Dallas Inc., FreshPoint Denver Inc., FreshPoint Hawaii LLC, FreshPoint Inc., FreshPoint Las Vegas Inc., FreshPoint North Carolina Inc., FreshPoint North Florida Inc., FreshPoint Oklahoma City LLC, FreshPoint Pompano Real Estate LLC, FreshPoint Puerto Rico LLC, FreshPoint San Francisco Inc., FreshPoint South Florida Inc., FreshPoint South Texas Inc., FreshPoint Southern California Inc., FreshPoint Tomato LLC, FreshPoint Vancouver Ltd., Freshfayre Limited, Fruktservice i Helsingborg AB, GHS Classic Drinks Limited, Gilchrist & Soames Inc., Gilchrist & Soames UK Limited, Guest Packaging LLC, Guest Supply, Guest Supply Asia Limited, Guest Supply Singapore Pte. Ltd., International Food Group, Isakssons Frukt & Gront AB, J & M Wholesale Meats, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, J. Kings Food Service Professionals Inc., Kent Frozen Foods, Les Ateliers Du Gout, Liquid Assets Limited, M&J Seafood Holdings Limited, M&J Seafood Limited, Manchester Mills LLC, Mayca Autoservicio S.A., Mayca Distribuidores S.A., Menigo Foodservice AB, Mitshim Etatu Supply LP, Newport Meat Company, Newport Meat Northern California Inc., Newport Meat Pacific Northwest Inc., Newport Meat Southern California Inc., Newport Meat of Nevada Inc., North Star Holding Corporation, North Star Seafood, North Star Seafood Acquisition Corporation, North Star Seafood LLC, PFS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Palisades Ranch Inc., Pallas Foods, Pallas Foods Farm Fresh Unlimited Company, Pallas Foods Unlimited Company, Pauleys Produce Limited, Promotora del Servicios S.A. de C.V., Restaurangakdemien AB, Restaurant of Tomorrow Inc., Rohan Viandes Elaboration SAS, SMS Bermuda Holdings, SMS GPC International Limited, SMS GPC International Resources Limited, SMS Global Holdings S.a.r.l., SMS International Resources Ireland Unlimited Company, SMS Lux Holdings LLC, SOTF LLC, SYY Netherlands C.V., SYY Panama S. de R.L., Serca Foodservice, Servicestyckarna I Johannes AB, Servicios Ameriserve S.A. de C.V., Shenzhen Guest Supply Trading Co. Limited, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Bianchi Montegut, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Boiseau, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Garcelles, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) J.D. Lanjouan, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Le Dauphin, Specialty Meat Holdings LLC, Stockflag Limited, Stockholms Fiskauktion AB, Supplies on the Fly, Sysco Albany LLC, Sysco Asian Foods Inc., Sysco Atlanta LLC, Sysco Autoservicio S.A., Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Baraboo LLC, Sysco Bermuda Partners L.P., Sysco Boston LLC, Sysco Canada Holdings S.a.r.l., Sysco Canada Inc., Sysco Central Alabama LLC, Sysco Central California Inc., Sysco Central Florida Inc., Sysco Central Illinois Inc., Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC, Sysco Charlotte LLC, Sysco Chicago Inc., Sysco Cincinnati LLC, Sysco Cleveland Inc., Sysco Columbia LLC, Sysco Connecticut LLC, Sysco Corporation, Sysco Corporation Director's Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Employee's 401(k) Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Good Government Committee Inc., Sysco Corporation Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Executive Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Unemployment Benefits Plan Trust, Sysco Detroit LLC, Sysco Disaster Relief Foundation Inc., Sysco EI VI S. s.r.l., Sysco EU II S.a.r.l., Sysco EU III S.a.r.l., Sysco EU IV Capital Unlimited Company, Sysco EU IV S. s.r.l.., Sysco EU V S. s.r.l., Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Eastern Wisconsin LLC, Sysco Foundation Inc., Sysco France Holding SAS, Sysco France SAS, Sysco George Town II LLC, Sysco George Town Limited S. s.r.l.., Sysco Global Finance LLC, Sysco Global Finance LLP, Sysco Global Holdings B.V., Sysco Global Resources LLC, Sysco Global Services LLC, Sysco Grand Cayman Company, Sysco Grand Cayman II Company, Sysco Grand Cayman III Company, Sysco Grand Rapids LLC, Sysco Guernsey Limited, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc., Sysco Guest Supply Europe Goods Wholesalers LLC, Sysco Guest Supply Europe Limited, Sysco Guest Supply LLC, Sysco Gulf Coast LLC, Sysco Hampton Roads Inc., Sysco Hawaii Inc., Sysco Holdings II LLC, Sysco Holdings LLC, Sysco Indianapolis LLC, Sysco International Food Group Inc., Sysco International Inc., Sysco Iowa Inc., Sysco Jackson LLC, Sysco Jacksonville Inc., Sysco Kansas City Inc., Sysco Knoxville LLC, Sysco Labs Europe Limited, Sysco Labs Pvt. Ltd., Sysco Leasing LLC, Sysco Lincoln Inc., Sysco Lincoln Transportation Company Inc., Sysco Long Island LLC, Sysco Los Angeles Inc., Sysco Louisville Inc., Sysco Memphis LLC, Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Canada Inc., Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Inc., Sysco Metro New York LLC, Sysco Minnesota Inc., Sysco Montana Inc., Sysco Nashville LLC, Sysco Netherlands Partners LLC, Sysco North Central Florida Inc., Sysco North Dakota Inc., Sysco Northern New England Inc., Sysco Philadelphia LLC, Sysco Pittsburgh LLC, Sysco Portland Inc., Sysco Raleigh LLC, Sysco Resources Services LLC, Sysco Riverside Inc., Sysco Sacramento Inc., Sysco San Diego Inc., Sysco San Francisco Inc., Sysco Seattle Inc., Sysco South Florida Inc., Sysco Southeast Florida LLC, Sysco Spain Holdings SLU, Sysco Spokane Inc., Sysco St. Louis LLC, Sysco Syracuse LLC, Sysco Technologies Cayman Ltd., Sysco Technologies LLC, Sysco UK Holdings Limited, Sysco UK Limited, Sysco UK Partners LLP, Sysco USA I Inc., Sysco USA II LLC, Sysco USA III LLC, Sysco Ventura Inc., Sysco Ventures Inc., Sysco Virginia LLC, Sysco West Coast Florida Inc., Sysco Western Minnesota Inc., The SYGMA Network Inc., Upsys, Victua SAS, Walker Foods Inc., Waugh Foods, and Wild Harvest Limited. iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF's stock was trading at $73.25 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EFG stock has increased by 45.4% and is now trading at $106.51. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The Williams Cos., Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company, which explores, produces, transports, sells and processes natural gas and petroleum products. It operates through the following segments: Transmission and Gulf of Mexico; Northeast G&P; and West. The Transmission and Gulf of Mexico segment comprises of interstate natural gas pipelines, Transco and Northwest Pipeline, as well as natural gas gathering and processing and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region. The Northeast G&P segment includes midstream gathering, processing, and fractionation businesses in the Marcellus Shale region primarily in Pennsylvania and New York, and the Utica Shale region of eastern Ohio. The West segment consists of gas gathering, processing, and treating operations in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado and Wyoming, the Barnett Shale region of north-central Texas, the Eagle Ford Shale region of south Texas, the Haynesville Shale region of northwest Louisiana, and the Mid-Continent region which includes the Anadarko, Arkoma, and Permian basins. The company was founded by David Williams and Miller Williams in 1908 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Read More Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, distributes, and sells vehicles, components, and production systems. The company operates through five segments: North America, LATAM, APAC, EMEA, and Maserati. It provides passenger cars, SUV vehicles, trucks, and light commercial vehicles under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Abarth brands; and luxury vehicles under the Maserati brand, as well as related service parts and accessories, and service contracts under the Mopar brand. The company also provides cast iron components for engines, gearboxes, transmissions and suspension systems, aluminum cylinder heads, and engine blocks under the Teksid brand; and designs and produces industrial automation systems and related products for the automotive industry under the Comau brand name. In addition, it provides retail and dealer financings, and leasing and rental services; and factoring services. The company sells its products directly, or through distributors and dealers in approximately 130 countries. The company was formerly known as Fiat S.p.A. and changed its name to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. in October 2014. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. was founded in 1899 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Quaker Chemical: AC Products Inc., Applied Surface Concepts Holdings Ltd. , Binol AB, Binol Biosafe OY, Commonwealth Oil Corporation, DA Stuart India Private Limited, DA Stuart Shanghai Co, ECLI Products LLC, EFHCO LLC, Engineered Custom Lubricants, Engineered Custom Lubricants GmbH, Epmar Corporation, G.W. Smith and Sons, GH Holdings Inc., GHG Lubricants Holdings Limited, GHGL London Ltd., GHI Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Global Houghton Ltd., Houghton (Shanghai) Specialty Industrial Fluids Co. Ltd, Houghton Argentina S.A., Houghton Asia Pacific Co. Limited, Houghton Australia Pty. Ltd., Houghton Benelux BV, Houghton CZ s.r.o, Houghton Canada Inc., Houghton Denmark AS, Houghton Deutschland GmbH, Houghton Europe BV, Houghton Holdings Limited, Houghton Iberica S.A. , Houghton International, Houghton International Inc., Houghton Italia S.p.A., Houghton Japan Co. Ltd., Houghton Kimya Sanayi AS, Houghton Magyarorszag Kft, Houghton Mexico S.A. de C.V., Houghton Oil (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd., Houghton Polska Sp. Zo.o., Houghton Romania S.R.L., Houghton S.A.S., Houghton Sverige AB, Houghton Taiwan Co. Limited, Houghton Technical Corp., Houghton Ukraine ToV, Houghton do Brazil Ltda., Houghton plc, Internationale Metall Impragnier GmbH, Lubricor Inc, Lubricor Inc., Lubricor Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Lubricor USA Inc., MIH Acquisition Company LLC, MX Systems International Ltd, Maldaner GmbH, NP Coil Dexter Industries, New Houghton Brazil Inc., Norman Hay Engineering Ltd., QH Chemical Limited, QH Europe BV, QH Holdings Limited, QH International Limited, Quaker (Thailand) Ltd., Quaker Australia Holdings Pty. Limited, Quaker Chemical (Australasia) Pty. Limited, Quaker Chemical (China) Co. Ltd., Quaker Chemical B.V., Quaker Chemical CV, Quaker Chemical Canada Holdings Inc., Quaker Chemical Canada Limited, Quaker Chemical Europe B.V., Quaker Chemical Holdings South Africa (Pty) Limited, Quaker Chemical India Private Limited, Quaker Chemical Industria e Comercio Ltda., Quaker Chemical Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Quaker Chemical Limited, Quaker Chemical MEA FZE, Quaker Chemical Operacoes Ltda., Quaker Chemical Participacoes Ltda., Quaker Chemical S.A., Quaker Chemical S.r.l., Quaker Chemical Services EURL, Quaker Chemical South Africa (Pty.) Limited, Quaker China Holdings B.V., Quaker Denmark ApS, Quaker Houghton (Finco) Ltd., Quaker Houghton Holdings Limited, Quaker Houghton Holdings Ltd., Quaker Houghton International LP, Quaker Houghton Ltd., Quaker International Holdings LLC, Quaker Italia S.r.l., Quaker Russia B.V., Quaker Sales Europe BV, Quaker Shanghai Trading Company Limited, Quaker Spain Holding SLU, Quaker Specialty Chemicals (UK) Limited, SB Decking Inc., SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts (UK) Ltd, SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts LLC, SIFCO Concepts Sarl, SIFCO Concepts Sweden, Sterr & Eder Industrieservice GmbH, Summit Lubricants Inc, Summit Lubricants Inc., Surface Technology (Coventry) Ltd, Surface Technology (Dalian) Co Ltd, Surface Technology (East Kilbride) Ltd., Surface Technology (Leeds) Ltd, Surface Technology Aberdeen Ltd, Surface Technology Australia, Surface Technology Holdings Ltd., TecniQuimia Mexicana, Tecniquimia Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Thai Houghton 1993 Co. Ltd., Ultraseal Asia Limited, Ultraseal Chongqing Limited, Ultraseal Germany GmbH, Ultraseal International Group Ltd, Ultraseal Machinery Dongguan Ltd, Ultraseal Shanghai Limited, Ultraseal USA Inc., Unitek Servicios De Asesoria Especializad S.A de C.V., Verkol S.A.U., Verkol SAU, Wallover Enterprises Inc., Wallover Oil Company Incorporated, Wallover Oil Hamilton Inc., and Wuhan Quaker Technology Co. Ltd. SAF-Holland SE manufactures and supplies chassis-related systems and components for trucks, trailers, semi-trailers, and buses. It offers axle and suspension systems, fifth wheels, coupling systems, kingpins, and landing gears, as well as ball races, braking and EBS systems, lighting systems, disc brakes. The company markets its products under the SAF, Holland, Neway, KLL, V.Orlandi, and York brands. It serves original equipment manufacturers. The company has operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, and China. SAF-Holland SE was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in Bessenbach, Germany. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Kroger: 84.51 HQ Building Company LLC, 84.51 LLC, Alpha Beta Company, Ansonborough Square Investors I LLC, Ansonborough Square Retail LLC, Ardrey Kell Investments LLC, Bay Area Warehouse Stores Inc., Beech Tree Holdings LLC, Bell Markets Inc., Bleecker Ventures LLC, Bluefield Beverage Company, Box Cutter Inc., Brier Creek Arbors Drive Retail LLC, CB&S Advertising Agency Inc., Cala Co., Cala Foods Inc., Cheeses of All Nations Inc., Country Oven Inc., Crawford Stores Inc., Creedmoor Retail LLC, Dillon Companies LLC, Dillon Real Estate Co. Inc., Dillons, Distribution Trucking Company, Dotto Inc., Edgewood Plaza Holdings LLC, Embassy International Inc., FM Inc., FMJ Inc., Farmacia Doral Inc., Food 4 Less GM Inc., Food 4 Less Holdings Inc., Food 4 Less Merchandising Inc., Food 4 Less of California Inc., Food 4 Less of Southern California Inc., Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer Inc., Fred Meyer Jewelers Inc., Fred Meyer Stores Inc., Glasswing Labs LLC, Glendale/Goodwin Realty I LLC, Grubstake Investments LLC, HT Fuel DE LLC, HT Fuel NC LLC, HT Fuel SC LLC, HT Fuel VA LLC, HTGBD LLC, HTP Bluffton LLC, HTP Plaza LLC, HTP Relo LLC, HTPS LLC, HTTAH LLC, Harris Teeter, Harris Teeter LLC, Henpil Inc., Home Chef, Hood-Clayton Logistics LLC, Hughes Markets Inc., Hughes Realty Inc., I.T.A. Inc., IRP LLC, ITAC 119 LLC, ITAC 265 LLC, Inter-American Foods Inc., Inter-American Products Inc., J.V. Distributing Inc., Jondex Corp., Jubilee Carolina LLC, KCDE 2012 LLC, KCDE 2013 LLC, KCDE-2 LLC, KCDE-3 LLC, KCDE-4 LLC, KCDE-5 LLC, KGO LLC, KPF LLC, KPS LLC, KRGP LLC, KRLP Inc., KV Anderson LLC, Kee Trans Inc., Kessel FP, Kiosk Medicine Kentucky LLC, Kirkpatrick West Retail LLC, Kroger Community Development Entity LLC, Kroger Dedicated Logistics Co., Kroger Fulfillment Network LLC, Kroger G.O. LLC, Kroger LM Real Estate Holdings LLC, Kroger Limited Partnership I, Kroger Limited Partnership II, Kroger MC Holdings LLC, Kroger MTL Management LLC, Kroger Management Co., Kroger Management Corryville LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Athens I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Champaign I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Champaign II LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Cincinnati I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Dallas I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Danville I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Logansport I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Missouri I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Oak Ridge I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Olney I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Omaha I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Portsmouth I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Starkville I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Topeka I LLC, Kroger Management NMTC Warrenton I LLC, Kroger NMTC Fremont I LLC, Kroger OZ1 Inc., Kroger OZ1 LLC, Kroger OZ2 Inc., Kroger OZ2 LLC, Kroger OZ3 Inc., Kroger OZ3 LLC, Kroger Opportunity Fund I Inc., Kroger Prescription Plans Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion AL LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion TX LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy FL 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 2 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 3 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings I Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy LA LLC, Kroger Texas L.P., LCGP3 Home Cooking Inc., Latta Village LLC, Local Mkt LLC, Main & Vine LLC, Matthews Property 1 LLC, Mega Marts LLC, Michigan Dairy L.L.C., ModernHealth LTC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays LIC LLC, Murrays Table LLC, Pace Dairy Foods Company, Paramount Logistics LLC, Pay Less Super Markets Inc., Peyton's-Southeastern Inc., Plum Labs LLC, Pontiac Foods Inc., Queen City Assurance Inc., RBF LLC, RGC Southeast Properties LLC, Ralphs Grocery Company, Relish Labs LLC, Rocket Newco Inc., Roundy's, Roundys Acquisition Corp., Roundys Illinois LLC, Roundys Inc., Roundys Supermarkets Inc., Second Story Inc., Shop-Rite LLC, Smiths Beverage of Wyoming Inc., Smiths Food & Drug Centers Inc., Southern Ice Cream Specialties Inc., Stallings Investors I LLC, Sunrise R&D Holdings LLC, Sunrise Technology LLC, TLC Corporate Services LLC, TLC Immunization Clinic LLC, TLC of Georgia LLC, The Kroger Co. of Michigan, The Little Clinic LLC, The Little Clinic Management Services LLC, The Little Clinic of Arizona LLC, The Little Clinic of Colorado LLC, The Little Clinic of IN LLC, The Little Clinic of Kansas LLC, The Little Clinic of Mississippi LLC, The Little Clinic of Ohio LLC, The Little Clinic of TX LLC, The Little Clinic of Tennessee LLC, The Little Clinic of VA LLC, Topvalco Inc., Ultimate Mart LLC, Ultra Mart Foods LLC, Vine Court Assurance Incorporated, Vitacost, Vitacost.com Inc., Woodmont Holdings LLC, and YOU Technology. SociAtA GAnArale SociAtA anonyme provides financial services in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and France. The company offers retail banking services, including deposits and loans, vehicles and asset management, corporate finance, insurance, payments, investment, and online brokerage and financial information services; Internet, mobile, telephone, and service platforms; and online banking to individual and professional customers, businesses, non-profit associations and local authorities under the Societe Generale, CrAdit du Nord, and Boursorama Banque brands. It also provides international retail banking and financial services, comprising of deposit and loan products; consumer finance and car finance; mortgage facilities; corporate and investment banking; infrastructure, renewable energies, and agribusiness financing; life, retirement savings, and personal protection insurance products; vehicle leasing and fleet management services; and vendor and equipment finance services to corporate and individual customers. In addition, the company offers capital market services, such as fixed income and currencies, equities, and securities services; mergers and acquisitions, advisory and other corporate finance advisory services, and corporate banking and investment banking, as well as capital raising solutions for debt or equity, financial engineering, and hedging for issuers; transaction and payment services, comprising of cash management, trade finance, cash clearing and correspondent banking, supply chain finance, and foreign exchange services; and export finance, aircraft finance, shipping finance, real estate finance, and structured solutions and leasing. Further, it provides financial engineering and wealth management solutions; structured products, hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity funds and real estate investment solutions; and asset management solutions. SociAtA GAnArale SociAtA anonyme was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Stryker: ActiViews, Aimago SA, Alcott Indemnity Company, Arrinex Inc, Arrinex Inc., Ascent Healthcare Solutions, Berchtold, Berchtold + Fritz GmbH, Berchtold Consulting GmbH, Berchtold Corporation, Berchtold GmbH & Co. KG, Berchtold Holding Switzerland GmbH, CHG Hospital Beds, Cactus LLC, Cardan Robotics, Changzhou Orthomed Medical Instrument Company Limited, Concentric Medical, Concentric Medical Inc., Entellus Medical, Entellus Medical Europe Ltd, Entellus Medical Inc., GYS Tech LLC, Gaymar Industries, Gongping (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., Groupe Bertec, HeartSine Technologies LLC, HeartSine Technologies Limited, Howmedica International S. de R.L., Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Hygia Health Services, Hygia Healthcare Services Inc., HyperBranch, HyperBranch Technology Inc., ITAPCo Limited, Image Guided Technologies, Imorphics Limited, Infinity MSD Corp., Infinity MSE Corp., Infinity MSF Corp., Infomedix Communications, Instratek, InstruMedics L.L.C, Invuity Inc., Ivy Sports Medicine, Ivy Sports Medicine LLC, Jiangsu Chuangyi Medical Instrument Company Limited, Jolife AB, K2M Germany GmbH, K2M Group, K2M Group Holdings Inc., K2M Holdings Inc., K2M Iberia Medcomtech S.L.U., K2M Inc., K2M Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, K2M Spine Solutions (Schweiz) GmbH, K2M UK Limited, Loon Intermediateco LLC, MAKO Surgical, MAKO Surgical Corp, Memometal Technologies, Mobius Imaging, Mobius Imaging LLC, Muka Metal, Muka Metal Ticaret ve Sanayi Anaonim Sirketi, NV Stryker SA, Nettrick Limited, Novadaq Corp, Novadaq Hong Kong Ltd, Novadaq Technologies, Novadaq Technologies ULC, OOO "Stryker", Orneo Ozel Saglk Hizmetleri Medikal Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, OrthoSpace, OrthoSpace Ltd., OrthoSpace US Inc., Orthomed (Hong Kong) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Orthovita, Orthovita Inc., OtisMed, P.C. Sweden Holding AB, Patient Safety Technologies, Patton Surgical, Pficonprod Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control, Physio-Control (Shanghai) Sales Co. Ltd., Physio-Control Brazil Vendas Ltda., Physio-Control Czech Sales s.r.o., Physio-Control Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Physio-Control Holdings Inc, Physio-Control Hungary Sales Kft, Physio-Control Inc., Physio-Control India Sales Pvt. Ltd, Physio-Control Investments LLC, Physio-Control Lebanon Sales Offshore s.a.l., Physio-Control Manufacturing Inc., Physio-Control Operations Netherlands B.V., Physio-Control Sales Limited Liability Company, Physio-Control Singapore Pte. Ltd., Physio-Control South Africa Sales Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control UK Sales Ltd., Pivot Medical, PlasmaSol, Porex Technologies, SSI Divestiture Inc., SYK Costa Rica Services Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, SafeAir AG, SafeWire, Sage Products, Sage Products Coperatief U.A., Sage Products Holdings II LLC, Sage Products Holdings III LLC, Sage Products LLC, Scopis GmbH, Sightline Technologies, Small Bone Innovations, SpineCore, Spirox Inc., Stanmore Implants Worldwide, Stanmore Implants Worldwide Limited, Stanmore Inc., Stryker (Barbados) Foreign Sales Corporation, Stryker (Beijing) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Shanghai) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Suzhou) Medical Technology Co Ltd, Stryker (Thailand) Limited, Stryker AB, Stryker Acquisitions BV, Stryker Asia Holdings CV, Stryker Australia LLC, Stryker Australia Pty. Ltd., Stryker Austria GmbH, Stryker B.V., Stryker Berchtold BV, Stryker Beteiligungs GmbH, Stryker Canada GP ULC, Stryker Canada Holding Company, Stryker Canada Manufacturing ULC, Stryker Canada ULC, Stryker Canadian Management ULC, Stryker Canadian Sales Holding Company ULC, Stryker Capital BV, Stryker China Limited, Stryker Colombia SAS, Stryker Communications Inc., Stryker Corporation (Chile) y Compania Limitada, Stryker Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Stryker Customs Brokers LLC, Stryker Czech Republic s.r.o., Stryker Delaware Inc., Stryker EMEA Supply Chain Services BV, Stryker Employment Company LLC, Stryker European Coordination Center BV, Stryker European Holdings Cooperatief U.A, Stryker European Holdings I LLC, Stryker European Holdings II LLC, Stryker European Holdings LLC, Stryker European Holdings V LLC, Stryker European Operations B.V., Stryker European Operations Holdings I BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings II BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings III BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings LLC, Stryker European Operations Limited, Stryker European Technologies C.V., Stryker Far East Inc., Stryker Foreign Acquisitions Inc., Stryker France Holding SNC, Stryker France MM Holdings SAS, Stryker France SAS, Stryker Funding B.V., Stryker GI Services CV, Stryker Global Technology Center Private Limited, Stryker GmbH, Stryker GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Grundstucks GmbH & Co KG, Stryker Grundstucks Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Holdings BV, Stryker IFSC Designated Activity Company, Stryker Iberia SL Unipersonal, Stryker India Private Limited, Stryker International Acquisitions BV, Stryker International Holdings BV, Stryker Investment Holdings B.V., Stryker Ireland Holding Unlimited Company, Stryker Ireland Limited, Stryker Italia S.r.l. S.U., Stryker Japan Holdings BV, Stryker Japan K.K., Stryker Korea Ltd., Stryker Lebanon (Offshore) S.A.L., Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Stryker Luxembourg Sarl, Stryker Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Mauritius Holding Ltd., Stryker Medical London LP, Stryker Medtech K.K., Stryker Medtech Limited, Stryker Mexico Holdings B.V., Stryker Mexico SA de CV, Stryker NV Operations Limited, Stryker Nederland BV, Stryker New Zealand Limited, Stryker Osteonics AG, Stryker Pacific Limited, Stryker Performance Solutions LLC, Stryker Polska Sp.z.o.o., Stryker Portugal - Produtos Medicos Unipessoal Lda., Stryker Professional Latin America S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Puerto Rico Limited, Stryker Romania SRL, Stryker Sage Inc., Stryker Sales Corporation, Stryker Servicios Administrativos S.de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Singapore Private Limited, Stryker South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Stryker Spine SAS, Stryker Spine Sarl, Stryker Sustainability Solutions Inc., Stryker Tibbi Cihazlan Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Stryker Trauma GmbH, Stryker Turkish Holdings BV, Stryker UK Ltd, Stryker Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Vietnam Company Limited, Stryker do Brasil Ltda, Surpass Medical, Synergetics, TG SP Holdings Corp, TSO3 Corp, TSO3 Inc, Trauson, Trauson (China) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Trauson (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (BVI) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings Company Limited, VEXIM SA, Vexim, Waterloo Bedding Co., Wright Medical Group, ZipLine Medical Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ZipLine Medical Hong Kong Limited, ZipLine Medical Inc., and eTrauma.com. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Dec. 16, 2018. Both Wang Yi and Pham Binh Minh are here for the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation foreign ministers' meeting to be held on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Gang) LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China and Vietnam pledged here Sunday to properly manage maritime issues to create a good atmosphere for the development of bilateral relations. While meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the top leaders of the two countries conducted exchange of historic visits last year and made top-level design for the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries under the new situation. China and Vietnam should fully implement the strategic consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries so as to lay a solid foundation for the development of bilateral ties, the Chinese State councilor said. China and Vietnam have far more common interests than differences. The two sides should continue to promote strategic mutual trust and deepen strategic cooperation which serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, Wang noted. Looking forward to the new year, Wang said the two sides should keep the positive momentum of exchanges at the high-level, fully explore the tremendous potential in economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, speed up the strategic connection between China's Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan and push forward the cooperation projects on connectivity and communication so as to achieve substantial progress. China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination as well as mutual support with Vietnam within the framework of the Lancang--Mekong Cooperation Mechanism and further enrich the content of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, Wang said. For his part, Pham Binh Minh said development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides has scored satisfactory achievements in 2018, with close exchanges conducted at all levels, two-way trade expanded rapidly and trade structure tended to become balanced. Vietnam is ready to work together with China to make good preparations for high-level exchanges next year, make good use of the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation and coordination, conduct closer communication and coordination on Lancang-Mekong cooperation so as to further advance the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, he added. Both Wang Yi and Pham Binh Minh are here for the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation foreign ministers' meeting to be held on Monday. Travelport Worldwide Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates a travel commerce platform that offers distribution, technology, payment, mobile, and other solutions for the travel and tourism industry in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It facilitates travel commerce by connecting travel providers, such as airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies with online and offline travel buyers in a business-to-business travel platform. The company provides distribution and merchandising solutions for hotel, car rental, rail, cruise-line, and tour operators; Virtual Account Number payment solutions that automatically generate unique MasterCard numbers that are used to process payments; advertising solutions; and other platform services, such as subscription, processing, and business intelligence data services, as well as marketing-oriented analytical tools to travel agencies, travel providers, and other travel data users. It also offers critical IT solutions and other services to airlines, such as shopping, ticketing, departure control, business intelligence, and other solutions. Travelport Worldwide Limited was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Langley, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Valero Energy: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. LAURENT INC., ULTRAMAR ACCEPTANCE INC., ULTRAMAR ENERGY INC., ULTRAMAR INC., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, V-TEX LOGISTICS LLC, VALERO (BARBADOS) SRL, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS GP LLC, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS LIMITED, VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ARUBA ACQUISITION COMPANY I LTD., VALERO ARUBA FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA HOLDING COMPANY N.V., VALERO ARUBA HOLDINGS INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA MAINTENANCE/OPERATIONS COMPANY N.V., VALERO BROWNSVILLE TERMINAL LLC, VALERO CANADA FINANCE INC., VALERO CANADA L.P., VALERO CAPITAL CORPORATION, VALERO CARIBBEAN SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO COKER CORPORATION ARUBA N.V., VALERO CUSTOMS & TRADE SERVICES INC., VALERO EAST BAY LLC, VALERO ENERGY (IRELAND) LIMITED, VALERO ENERGY ARUBA II COMPANY, VALERO ENERGY INC., VALERO ENERGY LTD, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS LP, VALERO ENERGY UK LTD, VALERO ENTERPRISES INC., VALERO EQUITY SERVICES LTD, VALERO FINANCE L.P. I, VALERO FINANCE L.P. II, VALERO FINANCE L.P. III, VALERO FOREST CONTRIBUTION LLC, VALERO GRAIN MARKETING LLC, VALERO H2 PIPELINE COMPANY LLC, VALERO HOLDCO UK LTD, VALERO HOLDINGS INC., VALERO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., VALERO LIVE OAK LLC, VALERO LOGISTICS UK LTD, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY (PANAMA) LLC, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY COMPANY, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPY INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO MARKETING IRELAND LIMITED, VALERO MKS LOGISTICS L.L.C., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEW AMSTERDAM B.V., VALERO OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONS SUPPORT LTD, VALERO PARTNERS CCTS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS EAST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS WEST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS EP LLC, VALERO PARTNERS HOUSTON LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LOUISIANA LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LUCAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MCKEE LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MERAUX LLC, VALERO PARTNERS NORTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS OPERATING CO. LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PAPS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PORT ARTHUR LLC, VALERO PARTNERS SOUTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS TEXAS CITY LLC, VALERO PARTNERS THREE RIVERS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WYNNEWOOD LLC, VALERO PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE LLC, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE OIL TERMINAL LTD, VALERO PLAINS COMPANY LLC, VALERO POWER MARKETING LLC, VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. 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He is surprised that nearly every German town has its own Christmas market. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken My mother would have a heart attack. She loves this sort of thing, says Jose Bogran. He is standing in the Kathe Wohlfahrt chalet at the Bonn Christmas Market alongside the colourful Nutcrackers, fragile Christmas baubles and red-cheeked angels crowded onto the shelves. The scent of fresh wood is in the air and an unending stream of people winds through the narrow chalet. Jose shakes a snow globe and looks at the swirling artificial flakes. I think Ill take this for my ma. It is not immediately clear to the American how the Christmas pyramids work. You put candles under them and heat makes the sails spin, someone explains to him. Ah, he grins, German engineering. Jose Bogran comes from College Station, a city with around 100,000 residents. He has been studying urban planning there for three years at the Texas A&M University. He has been spending a semester abroad at the Academy for International Education in Bonn since August and exploring the Christmas market. Jose Bogran says he is surprised that nearly every German town has its own Christmas market. There is hardly anything comparable in the US. In College Station, the city centre is decorated with lots of fairy lights. But theyve been the same for 20 years. They look pretty old now. Outside the city there is Santas Wonderland with its light displays, which opened as a drive-in attraction more than 20 years ago. You didnt even have to get out of the car. On the hunt for the best mulled wine As is well known, everything is bigger in the US. But in terms of size, the Bonn Christmas Market also has something to offer this year: the City Skyliner. More than 70 metres up at the top of the tower, a cabin rotates through 360 degrees affording a night-time view of Bonn. In the distance, the yellow and blue lights of the Post Tower form a Christmas tree shortly before 8pm. Jose is enchanted by the sea of lights. The American native with Honduran roots is certainly not the only foreign visitor this evening. The city does not count how many there are. However, as organiser, the markets service centre is increasingly receiving queries from people in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Great Britain who would like to visit the Christmas market, says Markus Schmitz from the city press office. Employees of Bonn Information are on hand to answer visitors questions about the Christmas market. There are many enquiries about handicraft stands because of their customisable gifts and of course recommendations for the best mulled wine stand. Overnight guests from abroad stay for 2.1 nights on average says Sissel Theuerjahr from the Tourismus & Congress GmbH. Schnitz says the T&C and the Historic Highlights of Germany Association (HHoG) provided information about the Bonn Christmas Market nationally and outside Germany. Press trips from the US were also organised through the HHoG. According to Bonn Information, foreign visitors to the Bonn Christmas Market especially like the Christmassy atmosphere and the cozy togetherness. Jose Bogran agrees. The Christmas market has a very communal feel. Everyone in Bonn seems to come here and have fun but perhaps thats to do with the mulled wine? he asks laughing. However, he does not like this of all things. Im just not a wine guy. He will probably never understand the Germans love for the sticky hot drink. Or their enthusiasm for sparking water. But that is another story. Time is running out to get in the holiday spirit, so let our top Christmas movie picks give you a boost. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.) 1. White House Asia Brexit China Continents and regions Donald Trump East Asia Europe European Union Government and public administration Government bodies and offices Government organizations - Intl Northern Europe Political Figures - US Politics United Kingdom US federal government White House Eastern Europe Hungary South Asia Sri Lanka It's bound to be another exhausting week in Washington. Why? Let us count the ways: Over the weekend, President Trump lashed out at the ongoing Mueller investigation, calling it a "scam" and characterizing a raid of his former attorney Michael Cohen's office as a break-in. This of course comes among court filings and sentencing hearings regarding some of the high-level Trump associates implicated in the investigations. Next up? Tuesday's sentencing hearing for former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who admitted lying to the FBI. Moving on, we could be looking at a partial government shutdown soon over funding for a border wall. Trump wants $5 billion, but Democrats are unwilling to agree to that and any spending bill needs bipartisan support to pass Congress. Also, the revolving door at the White House keeps revolving: News broke over the weekend that embattled Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke would be leaving his position, and on Friday Trump announced he would be replacing Chief of Staff John Kelly at the end of the year. So basically, your office may be quiet as everyone gets ready for the holidays, but the Oval Office sure isn't. 2. Brexit Could the UK be heading for a second vote on whether or not to leave the European Union? What was once an unthinkable question is now, according to British political experts, a serious possibility. That's because UK Prime Minister Theresa May has, so far, failed to engineer a graceful, er, Brexit. Last week, both EU leaders and members of May's own party voiced their lack of support for her Brexit deal, which would negotiate the economic terms of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Without a deal, the UK would just crash out of the EU at the Brexit deadline which is, friendly reminder, rapidly approaching in March. Such a scenario would probably be catastrophic for the UK's economy. All of this chaos is what has fueled speculation about a second referendum. May denounced the possibility on Sunday, saying a second vote would "do irreparable damage to the integrity our politics." 3. Sri Lanka Let's head over to Sri Lanka for even more political turmoil: Two months ago, President Maithripala Sirisena sacked the country's Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe. The decision created a constitutional crisis, with Wickremesinghe insisting he was still Prime Minister, leading to mass protests in the capital Colombo. Now, the President has reinstated Wickremesinghe in a surprising reversal. This comes after the country's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Sirisena's firing of the Prime Minister violated the constitution. While the reversal may be an attempt to restore some political normalcy, the damage is already done -- aside from protests and nationwide anxiety over the decision, Sri Lanka's economy and global standing also faltered as a result. 4. China One hundred Christians have been detained in China, raising concerns about the Chinese Communist Party's crackdown on religion. Among those detained is a prominent Chinese pastor and legal scholar, who was reportedly arrested on allegations of "inciting subversion of state power." Christians haven't been the only ones to experience serious pressure under China's government: China has also been accused of carrying out a systematic campaign of human rights violations against hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uyghurs in the far western region of Xinjiang. Rights advocates say this new move against religious freedom isn't about religion itself, per se, but about China's Communist Party exerting more control to make sure they stay in power. 5. Hungary Ongoing protests in Hungary's capital city of Budapest took a violent turn on Sunday. Thousands gathered to protest new legislation they call a "slave law," because it would ask workers to take on up to 400 hours of overtime a year. The law was passed by Hungary's parliament last week. The government says the law would allow people to work and earn more, but critics say the policy, while voluntary, invites exploitation. There's been a lot of concern over recent political dealings in Hungary, namely over the ruling populist party's perceived crackdown on democratic institutions. Earlier this year, the European Parliament took the unprecedented step of launching Article 7 -- a disciplinary process -- against Hungary, a rare process designed to prevent members from breaching the EU's "core values." TODAY'S QUOTE "As I know too well, it's not easy when you stand up and put yourself in contention for a role that's only been sought by boys." Hillary Clinton, in a letter to an 8-year-old girl who lost her election for class president BREAKFAST BROWSE 2018's Miss Universe is Catriona Gray, from the Philippines Why is it always someone from Earth, though? The rest of the universe wants to know. Amazon newest "Go" stores are tiny and cashier-free So it's basically like getting food from a closet. California is dropping an idea to tax text messages. Brevity is the soul of wit, not telecommunications. 'Well-preserved' 4,400-year-old Egyptian tomb found Imagine being a pharaoh thinking you're headed for the afterlife but you really just end up being poked by some 21st century archaeologist. Disappointment! Dictionary.com's word of the year is: Misinformation Drag us, Dictionary.com. TODAY'S NUMBER 37.3% The percentage of 12th graders (high school seniors) who reported vaping in the past year, according to a new study. Vaping has seen a huge increase among teens in recent years, but in general, drug and alcohol use among teens has decreased. AND FINALLY Pajama jammin' Who else just wants to hang around in their PJs all day today? Bonus if your pajama party comes with goats. (Click here to view) Congress voted this week to legalize the cultivation of hemp in the US after months of debate and negotiation between lawmakers. Hemp legalization was tucked into the 2018 farm bill, a massive piece of legislation that also addresses issues such as nutrition, conservation, trade, energy and forestry. The bill received strong bipartisan support, and is now headed to President Donald Trump's desk. He's expected to sign it into law. Now that hemp is (almost) legal, there are all kinds of implications for farmers, researchers and consumers. Here's what you need to know about the plant that's bringing together farmers, potheads and politicians. Hemp has been treated like marijuana For decades, the federal government has treated hemp just like any other cannabis plant. Since 1970, it had been classified as a schedule 1 drug on the Drug Enforcement Administration's list of controlled substances, alongside heroin, LSD and marijuana. The DEA defines schedule 1 drugs as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. The new bill takes hemp off that list. The schedule 1 designation made universities reluctant to get involved in hemp research, according to Lawrence Smart, a professor of horticulture at Cornell University. "With hemp being legalized now, those restrictions and hesitations about legal jeopardy have been removed," Smart said. "I expect that we'll see many more researchers willing to get involved in hemp research." Hemp won't get you high Hemp and marijuana aren't the same thing. They both come from the same species of cannabis, but if you try to smoke hemp, you'll probably just end up with a headache. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon put it bluntly: "Federal law treats hemp like it's a dangerous drug, but the only thing you're going to accomplish by smoking hemp is wasting breath, time and lighter fluid." Hemp has extremely low levels of THC, the compound in marijuana that gets people stoned. It's higher in CBD, a compound that many people believe helps them with anxiety, arthritis, stress and other conditions. Hemp gets a lot of hype over CBD products such as oils, supplements and vapes. Although CBD can come from marijuana, too, it's simpler for companies to use hemp-derived CBD because the extract is legal in all states. It's not just CBD, though -- hemp can be used to produce all kinds of things, including clean fuel for cars, building materials, clothes, food and beer. It's legal to buy and sell hemp products in the United States. But because growing hemp has been so tightly regulated, the domestic market for hemp products is extremely small. So a lot of those products are imported from Europe, Canada and China. Mitch McConnell (yes, that Mitch McConnell) led the charge to legalize it Sen. Mitch McConnell was a major leader in getting legislation on hemp passed. He put himself on the conference committee for the 2018 farm bill. Monday, he signed the final version of the 2018 farm bill -- and used a pen made from hemp to do it. If you're wondering how the Republican Senate Majority Leader became one of the biggest proponents of a plant once considered a cousin of marijuana, look to his home state of Kentucky. Anti-smoking campaigns and high cigarette taxes have dealt a blow to Kentucky's once-thriving tobacco industry. The USDA estimated that Kentucky farmers harvested an estimated 55,000 acres of burley tobacco, used primarily for cigarette production. That's down 8,000 acres from last year. In the 1990s, burley harvests reached above 200,000 acres. Now Kentucky has one of the largest hemp industries in the country -- and McConnell says he thinks hemp could become the state's new cash crop. "Kentucky has a proven track record for favorable growing conditions for hemp, and there was no legitimate reason why our farmers shouldn't be allowed to grow the crop and capitalize on this growing market," McConnell wrote in an op-ed for The Courier-Journal. Hemp is one of those rare bipartisan issues, supported by both Republicans and Democrats in big farming states. That doesn't mean weed will become legal, too If you're hopeful about what this bill means for legal pot, don't hold your breath. This newest Congress seems more open to legalizing pot than ever, but Republicans still control the Senate. And McConnell and many other senators (from both parties) remain opposed to marijuana legalization. It's true that Trump hasn't been a vocal opponent of marijuana. But he's certainly not leading the charge to light up. Farmers stand to win big, but it won't be easy With falling prices of crops, increasing debt and an ongoing trade war with China, US farmers have been struggling. Once hemp is legal, farmers will have greater access to a whole new market. Though hemp products can easily be found in stores, actually growing it was a lot trickier. Previously, farmers could only cultivate hemp for research under pilot programs monitored by their state and the US Department of Agriculture, a provision made possible by the 2014 farm bill. The 2018 bill loosens a lot of restrictions on hemp production, and farmers can also apply for USDA crop insurance and grant programs. The bill also specifically allows tribal nations to grow hemp on their lands. But growing hemp won't be as simple as growing tomatoes or corn. The previous restrictions around growing hemp means there isn't a good seed bank, which captures the plant's genetic diversity. In other words, a lot of plant breeders are starting from scratch in figuring out what pests and diseases they're up against, and how hemp fits in with the rest of their crops. There are also concerns about what is classified as hemp -- the legal definition states that the plant cannot contain more than 0.3% THC. Farmers looking to grow the crop will have to comply with regulations set by their states. Farmers in states that don't develop plans for hemp regulation will have to abide by USDA standards. And though the bill opens up hemp growing to a lot more farmers, not everyone gets to participate. Anyone with a felony drug conviction is banned from growing hemp. It's a provision that critics say disproportionately affects nonwhite people, continuing the legacy of the war on drugs. McConnell added the felon ban to appease concerns he received from the Senate Judiciary Committee, the administration and outside interest groups, according to Politico. "It's ludicrous," said Lex Pelger, head of education for the Colorado hemp and CBD company Bluebird Botanicals. "If there's one thing we could change, that would be it." The CBD industry is also really excited CBD is everywhere these days -- in lattes, lotion and even dog food. Hemp-derived CBD sales in the United States reached $190 million last year, and one report projects the CBD oil market will reach $1 billion by 2020. Pelger predicts retailers will now feel more comfortable about jumping into the CBD game. Though the DEA has said in recent years that it wouldn't go after businesses and consumers over hemp or CBD, a lot of researchers and retailers were still nervous about entering the market. "This will carry the already booming industry to the next level," Pelger said. The new law also makes things easier for existing CBD businesses. Pelger said it will give companies expanded access to credit card processors and advertising on major platforms. "You can imagine running a business and having a number of tools that you need not be available," Pegler said. The new law is good news for consumers, too, said Pegler. Loosening restrictions on growing hemp means more competition, more sources of hemp and, advocates hope, better quality. Still, you should be wary of the hemp hype There's a lot of hype about hemp. On the farming side, people claim it's easier to grow and adaptable to most climates. Others say it can clean contaminants from the soil and improve soil quality. Not true, says Smart. "Many of these things have not been properly studied in these controlled experiments and may or may not live up to the hype," Smart said. A lot of people swear by the health and wellness benefits they get from hemp. But because of all the restrictions hemp has been under, there isn't a lot of research on what's effective and what conditions hemp can alleviate. The bill is important step because it legitimizes hemp, Pelger said. And now that it's easier to research hemp and enter the industry, we'll likely see more opportunities for innovation. "It's going to be fascinating to see what the American market does with this old, intriguing plant." WASHINGTON -- Congress is taking action Monday, after Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a press conference over the weekend with Reverend Al Sharpton in order for them to eliminate cash bail in the justice system. Criminal justice reform advocates are calling on Congress to pass legislation to end the Federal Cash Bail System. They say the current system disproportionately results in low-income people of color being locked up even if they haven't been convicted of a crime. They say hundreds of thousands of people in jails across the United States have not been convicted of a crime, and are waiting for a trial. Gillibrand says she will ask her colleagues to pass the No Money Bail Act in the Federal Criminal Justice System. "I wanna say this very clearly. We should not be locking people up in jail because they cannot afford their bail. Period. It's really that simple. I believe our country is much better than that, and I believe that we need to give people the opportunity to thrive, to help them when their down, to make sure that they actually have access to the rehabilitation they might need when things go wrong, she said. Congress will take action on the first step in the act Monday. Predecessor to Kennedy Bridge : The most beautiful bridge in the Rhineland once stood in Bonn Bonn If it still existed, it could be favourably compared with the other great bridges of the world. But the old Rhine Bridge was blown up in the Second World War. Today, the Kennedy Bridge stands in its place. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Petra Clemens simply thinks it is a real shame that the German armed forces blew up the old Rhine Bridge shortly before the end of the Second World War, thus sacrificing this architectural treasure for strategic reasons. The managing director of the Beuel Homeland and History Association is certain: if it were still standing today, the magnificent Rhine Bridge would favourably compare with the other great bridges of the world. The old bridge, a three-span arched bridge with a total length of 432 metres and a span of nearly 188 metres for the main arch, became the pride and joy of Bonn citizens and a magnet for tourists, says Petra Clemens, who works part-time as a city guide for StattReisen Bonn and offers the tour Bonns water is good among others. The Rhine Bridge played a key role. It was the most beautiful and largest bridge in the Rhineland, full of art nouveau and neo-romantic elements, enthuses Clemens. It was a technical feat the largest arched bridge in the world at the time and in Bonn! Bridge tolls and Brockemannche The opening of the Rhine Bridge on 17 December 1898 was a milestone for traffic, industry and trade. Until then, a type of ferry had to be used to cross the Rhine that could not run during low or high water, storms, icy conditions, fog and in darkness. The ferry steamer also stopped operating at night. The commemorative publication for the opening of the Rhine Bridge states: Year after year it was the case that in winter, especially after dark, traffic between the two banks was often completely suspended for weeks. This unsatisfactory state of affairs jeopardised the provision of services and exchange of goods between the two Rhine banks. Many people from the villages on the right bank of the Rhine had to come to Bonn to shop or to offer their own goods for sale. Others worked in Bonn and Poppelsdorf. Conversely, many Bonners had to go to work in the factories in Beuel or Oberkassel. The construction of the bridge nearly failed because of financing, as neither the province nor the state contributed. And the district of Vilich did not want to contribute the planned ten per cent or 25,000 marks, but only 2500 marks, as it did not like the location of the bridge. In the end they did not contribute anything to the costs. The Bonners responded to the troublemakers by mounting the Brockemannche on the bridgehead of the Beuel side. These were funny goblins carved from stone with their backsides turned to the people arriving from Beuel. To recoup the costs of the bridge, the city of Bonn levied a bridge toll from the start. The toll houses were located on the Bonn side. Everyone had to pay to cross. Each person, including any load, paid 5 pfennigs. Children who could be carried in the arms were not charged bridge tolls. Accompanying animals were also paid for: horses or mules 15 pfennigs, cattle or donkeys ten pfennigs, small animals such as foals, sheep, goats or pigs three pfennigs and poultry three pfennigs for up to ten animals. City guide Petra Clemens can tell many more stories about the old Rhine Bridge: about the rescue of the Brockemannchen, the ferry traffic after the destruction of the old bridge until the opening of the new Rhine bridge on 12 November 1949, about it being renamed the Kennedy bridge only 10 days after the assassination of the US president in 1963 as well as the last extensive renovation from 2007 to 2011. CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (WLFI) A man is behind bars after a trooper had to wrestle with the suspect while trying to arrest him, according to Indiana State Police. The man then allegedly tried to hide needles in the seat of a police car while the officer took him to jail. It happened Sunday on Water Street in Crawfordsville. That's on the west side of the city near Main Street. Around 5:30 p.m., ISP said an officer pulled over 38-year-old Curtis Olinger of Crawfordsville for a routine traffic stop. Olinger told the trooper his license was suspended. The trooper then suspected criminal activity inside the car and asked Olinger to get out. Olinger stepped out of the car and took off running. The trooper caught him after a short chase and took him into custody. A smoking pipe that allegedly contained meth residue was found inside Olinger's coat, according to ISP. Olinger was taken to the Montgomery County Jail. While on the way, the officer observed Olinger attempting to hide a needle under the seat of the trooper's car. Olinger is facing five preliminary charges including: Possession of Methamphetamine Possession of Paraphernalia Possession of Hypodermic Needle Obstruction of Justice Resisting Law Enforcement WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- The Purdue Memorial Union Christmas tree has come down after caretakers ruled it to be too dry. University social media accounts posed Monday that the tree isn't compliant with Indiana Fire Code. Bad news: The @PurdueUnion Christmas tree is coming down right now. According to @PSUBEVENTS, the tree is too dry and it isn't compliant with Indiana Fire Code. pic.twitter.com/4ufBzXbE5l Purdue University (@LifeAtPurdue) December 17, 2018 The tree, a longstanding tradition at Purdue, was supposed to be up until Dec. 20. The tree was brought into the Union on Dec. 3, with President Mitch Daniels lighting the tree on Dec. 4. This year's tree was 25 feet tall and was donated by a West Lafayette family. It was 25-years-old and was 14 feet wide at the bottom of its branches. The Northeastern US state of Connecticut is home to a population of 3,574,097 individuals (as of 2010). It is located in the New England region of the country. The fundamental administrative level in Connecticut is the New England town. 169 towns are present in the state. Of these, 19 have been chartered as cities. Connecticut has the highest HDI and per-capita income in the county. Here is a list of the largest cities in Connecticut. The Most Populous Cities In Connecticut Bridgeport A historic seaport city, Bridgeport is the largest city in Connecticut. It is located in Fairfield County where the Pequonnock River drains into the Long Island Sound. The population of the city is around 144,229 individuals. It is New England regions 5th most populous city. Previously a thriving industrial center, Bridgeports economy is currently primarily service-based. Two hospitals present in Bridgeport, the St. Vincent's Medical Center and the Bridgeport Hospital, are the largest employers in the city. New Haven With a population of 129,779 people, New Haven is Connecticuts second biggest city and the country's first planned city. It is located in the New Haven County on New Haven Harbor along the shore of Long Island Sound. New Haven was founded in 1638 by English Puritans. It now hosts the prestigious Yale University. It is the largest employer and taxpayer in the city. Other important economic sectors of New Haven are biotechnology companies, professional services, financial services, retail trade, etc. New Haven is often regarded as the Cultural Capital of Connecticut since its houses many museums, music and theater venues, etc. Hartford The capital city of Connecticut is Hartford, its third largest city. Located in the Hartford County, the city hosts a population of 124,775 individuals. Due to a large number of insurance companies headquartered in Hartford, the city is often nicknamed as the "Insurance Capital of the World. The city, founded in 1635, is one of the oldest cities in the country. The countrys oldest publicly funded park, Bushnell Park, is located in this city. The oldest public art museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum, is also in Hartford. Mark Twain, the renowned author, also lived here and completed some of his most famous works in the city. Stamford The fourth largest city in Connecticut, Stamford, hosts a population of around 122,643 people. It is located in the Fairfield County of the state. The city has a thriving economy. It has the second largest financial district in the New York metropolitan region after New York City itself. Waterbury The fifth largest city in Connecticut, Waterbury, is located on the Naugatuck Rivers banks. It is located in the New Haven County and has a population of around 110,366 individuals. It is New Englands 9th largest city and the 10th biggest city in the New York Metropolitan Area. The U.S. state of Delaware is located in the Mid Atlantic region of the country. With a population of around 952,065 (2016 estimate), Delaware is the 6th least populous American state. It has an area of 5,046.7 square km which makes it the 2nd smallest state by land area. Delaware has 3 counties (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex) and 57 incorporated places including cities, towns, and villages. While Wilmington is the largest municipality in the state, the smallest one is Hartly. The latter has only 71 residents living in an area of just 0.16 square km. The Biggest Cities In Delaware 1. Wilmington With a population of 70,851 individuals, Wilmington is Delawares most populous city but the 5th least populated city in the US. It is located in New Castle County at the confluence of two rivers, the Brandywine River and the Christina River. Wilmington was established at the site of North Americas first Swedish settlements called Fort Christina. The city is a major financial center in the US and has a thriving credit card industry. Other important industries active in the city include retail banking, insurance, and legal services. 2. Dover Dover, the second most populous city in Delaware, is also the capital of the state. Dover hosts a population of only around 36,047 individuals. It is located in the Kent County and also serves as the county seat of its county. Dover is located on the banks of the St. Jones River in the coastal plain formed of the Delaware River. The state and county governments are the largest employers in the city. Apart from the governments, the Dover Air Force Base also provides significant employment to the citys residents. The manufacturing facilities of Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods are also located in the city. 3. Newark Located in the New Castle County of Delaware, Newark is the third biggest city in the state. As of 2010, the city had a population of 31,454 individuals. Newark was founded in 1694 by the Welsh and Scots-Irish settlers. It was chartered as a town in 1758 by King George II of Great Britain. The University of Delaware is located in the city and is one of the largest employers of Newark. 4. Middletown With a population of 18,871 individuals (2010 census), Middletown is the fourth most populous municipality in Delaware. The town is located in the New Castle County at an elevation of 66 feet. Middletown is the fastest growing area in the state. It experienced a population boom between 2000 and 2010 when its population grew by 206.3%. It hosts several affluent housing developments, national food chain and retail stores, an Amazon fulfillment center, and more. 5. Smyrna With a population of 10,023, Smyrna is Delawares fifth most populated urban area. It was named in 1806 after the ancient seaport in Greece called Smyrna. The territory of the town spans across the Kent and New Castle counties. Smyrna developed as a hub of shipping along the Duck Creek but is currently an important agricultural center in the state. The team also began a training programme for more than 200 teachers to begin teaching philosophy after the subject was banned for decades, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Friday. The plan was announced by Saudi Education Minister Ahmad Al-Issa during an international conference held in the Kingdom last week. However, a headmistress in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia who preferred to remain anonymous told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that she had not received directions to start preparing to teach philosophy at her school, nor was she asked to nominate teachers for training. The headmistresses said that schools in the Saudi capital Riyadh are likely to start teaching the controversial material first, then other schools across the Kingdom will be asked to follow. Saudi Arabia previously did not include philosophy on the curriculum, a decision based on several fatwas (rulings) issued by senior muftis, including the late religious scholar Sheikh Abdel-Aziz Bin Baz who was highly respected by all Saudis, including the royal family. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called Australia's decision to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel an illegal move that violates UN resolutions on the status of the city. In a written statement on Sunday, the Islamic body -- rejecting all attempts that would prejudice the legal status of the city -- stressed that Jerusalem was an integral part of Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967. The OIC called on Australia to respect international resolutions and to review its decision. The Palestinian National Council (PNC) also condemned the decision in a statement, calling it an invalid move that violates international resolutions. Stating that the decision was an "attack on Palestinian people living in Jerusalem", PNC called on Australia to recognize an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as capital, based on 1967 borders. On Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his country's decision to formally recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Morrison said Australia would not move its embassy until peace is established between Israel and Palestine. Tension has been running high in the occupied Palestinian territories since last year when U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might one day serve as the capital of a Palestinian state. At least 23 terrorists including a senior operative were neutralized in counter-terrorism operations across Turkey over the past week, the country's Interior Ministry said on Monday. Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured. The ministry said in a statement that a total of 2,404 anti-terror operations were conducted on Dec. 10-17. Aysenur Inci, a terrorist on the ministry's wanted list, surrendered to security forces on Saturday at the Habur border gate on the Turkey-Iraq border, according to the Sirnak Governors Office. Inci had been involved in terrorist activities as a Daesh member in Turkey's southeastern Adiyaman province before she went to Syria to join the terror group's activities. Security forces also seized 28 hand grenades, 482 kilograms of explosive material, 13 improvised explosives, 20 long-barreled weapons and 7,499 ammunition. 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 nearly 40,000 people, including women and children. The security forces arrested 3,351 suspects for crimes linked to drugs and smuggling, 751 others for aiding and abetting terror organizations and 226 suspects for human trafficking. A total of 3,821 irregular migrants were caught during the operations, according to the statement. UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays failure to reach a deal over Brexit and the deepening paralysis of her government unfolds under conditions of a European and global crisis of capitalism, marked above all by the resurgence of the class struggle. This finds its most significant expression in the Yellow Vest protests against French President Emmanuel Macrons pro-market labour reforms and austerity measures. With Britains ruling elite wracked by fundamental divisions over economic and foreign policy direction, centred on Britains relations with Europe and the United States, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is playing the central role in preventing any independent response by the working class to the deepest crisis of capitalist rule since the 1930s. Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell have cast themselves as a force for national stability, denouncing the inability of May and the Conservatives to end the chaos. Their appeal is not to the working class, but to the City of Londonpitching a future Labour government as a safe pair of hands that will safeguard British access to the vital European Unions (EU) Single European Market. The unravelling of Prime Minister Theresa Mays government has worsened after her appeal to the EU summit in Brussels to save our deal with concessions on the Northern Ireland backstop fell on deaf ears. May was forced to cancel a vote planned for last Tuesday on her proposed Brexit deal with the EU, knowing it would be heavily defeated by a rebellion of around 100 Conservative MPs and the vote of 10 Democratic Unionist Party MPs. Yet barely two days after she survived a no-confidence vote in her ruling Tory Party, with a third of its MPs voting to remove her, EU leaders issued a statement insisting that the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation. This prompted talk of a permanent split in the Tory Party, with former cabinet minister Nicky Morgan telling the BBC, I think theres an inevitability that some of these peoplethe hardest Brexiteersare going to walk. Under these conditions, newspapers in the UK and internationally asked why the Labour Party and Corbyn have been unable to seize advantage of the crisis facing the government. Most commentary focused on his calculations of how best to ensure the success of a no-confidence motiongiven that pro-Remain Blairite MPs, the Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrats want one only because it is likely to fail and pave the way for a second Peoples Vote referendum. There are clearly tactical considerations over when Corbyn will finally move a no-confidence motion. But his overarching concern is that Labour comes to power under conditions where it can safeguard the interests of British imperialism and not provoke an upsurge in the class struggle by workers and youth encouraged by his rhetorical promises to end austerity. Corbyn has now been party leader for three years, having been popularly elected twice due to widespread hatred of the Blairites and their pro-business, pro-war agenda. But rather than give a lead to this leftward shift among workers and youth, he has folded before every programmatic demand of his Blairite opponents and opposed all moves to expel them while seeking to dampen down the class struggle and instructing Labour councils to impose the cuts demanded by the Tories. This has left the Blairites free to conspire with the Tories, including discussions on forming some form of national unity government, with Philip Collins urging May last week in Rupert Murdochs Times to Reach across the floor of the House after talking to some of the people involved, I think there is a deal to be done. The Sunday Times reported that Mays deputy, David Lidington, held talks Thursday with Blairite Labour MPs Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie, Ben Bradshaw, Chris Bryant, Angela Smith, and Stephen Doughty, on a proposed second referendum. Corbyns every public pronouncement on Brexit is framed as a pledge to Britains ruling elite that a Labour government would represent the national interest. We are working with MPs and parties across the House of Commons to prevent any possibility of a no deal outcome, he told the Guardian. [I]f under the current rules we cannot get an election, all options must be on the table, including the option of campaigning for a public vote to break the deadlock. McDonnell told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that Labour was still ready to work with the government on alternatives to prevent a no-deal Brexit: The easiest thing for the opposition to do in these circumstances is to warm your hands as the Conservatives self-immolate, but you cant do that, not when the issues are so big about the future of our country. Corbyn has worked to ensure that discussion on Brexit remain confined to a conflict between rival bourgeois factions who are bitterly hostile to the working class and who disagree only over how best to position the UK in a deepening trade wareither with the EU or with the US. This can only mean ever more savage attacks on jobs, wages and social conditions. Only this week, the Trades Union Congress released a report that the average UK worker now earns a third less than in 2008, before the global crashequivalent to 11,800 in real earnings. It is the imposition of such austerity by all of Europes governments that has provoked a growing wave of strikes and anti-austerity protestsin France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and in Hungary against the slave law allowing employers to demand two extra hours on the workday. Corbyn has not said a word in support of these workers. Instead, last week he appeared as speaker at the Congress of the Party of European Socialists in Lisbon, Portugal and, as he did recently with Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, allied himself with those left parties imposing austerity. Corbyn described his meeting in Portugal as a special privilege because this was supposedly where a socialist led government, bringing together parties and movements across the left and Labour movement, is successfully turning the tide of austerity and rejecting the neoliberal orthodoxies of recent decades Prime Minister Antonio Costas government has defied expectations and shown there is a better way. Costas government has decimated Portugals public services, plunging workers into abject poverty. With tourism one of the few growth industries, part-time work now makes up 22 percent of youth employment even after 200,000 have fled the country, while fully two thirds of all workers are on short term contracts. This has led to an eruption of strikes, with close to 50 strike warnings submitted for this month, mostly by civil servants. These would join dozens of separate strikes including ongoing action by rail workers, dockers, supermarket staff and others, with a planned Yellow Vest protest on December 21. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, the Socialist Equality Party refused to support either right-wing camp, opposing both Leave and Remain. We called for an active boycott to prepare the way for the development of an independent political struggle of the British working class against these forces. Such a movement must develop as part of a continent-wide counteroffensive by the working class, which will expose the referendum as only an episode in the deepening existential crisis of the British and European bourgeoisie. This appraisal has proved correct. The pseudo-left tendencies in contrast all lined up behind one or another faction of the bourgeoisieas advocates of a Left Leave vote as with the Socialist Party and Socialist Workers Party or, like Left Unity, Socialist Resistance and the Alliance for Workers Liberty, as promoters of the EU. All stand exposed as allies of governments and opposition parties dedicated to the destruction of living standards, the abrogation of democratic rights and the cultivation and promotion of far-right forces as a bludgeon against the working class. The struggle that has begun in France must now become the starting point for a European-wide counter-offensive by the working class. This means opposing all attempts to divide the working class along national lines. Defeating the attacks of corporations and governments in any country is only possible in unity with workers in every country, leading to the taking of power to implement socialist measures to bring an end to oppression, poverty, mass unemployment, militarism and war. The answer to Brexit and the economically and politically disastrous consequences of the national fracturing of the continent is the struggle for the United Socialist States of Europe led by the International Committee of the Fourth International. Yellow vest protesters mobilized for a fifth day of action in France on Saturday, facing a new police crackdown and clashes centered in provincial cities, as fewer protesters traveled to Paris. The interior ministry claimed that some 66,000 people had protested across France, down by half after the brutal crackdown organized the previous week in Paris. The mobilization in the capital was certainly smaller this Saturday, as thousands marched and clashed with police in large provincial cities across the coutnry. In Paris, several thousand protested and 144 people were held in preventive detention, amid a new massive police clampdown in the capital. Large parts of the city and subway system were shut down, as armored cars, water cannon, horse-mounted military police, and riot police firing rubber bullets and tear gas occupied much of the city. WSWS reporters spoke to yellow vest protesters in Paris. One group of workers from Picardie said, They always take from the poor and the middle class, never the rich. We fight to defend our purchasing power, for our children, so we can make it to the end of the month. We havent had the money to go on vacation for five years, so we came to Paris to be heard. But then we are repressed by the riot police, we are tear-gassed, shot at with rubber bullets, everything. It is a dictatorship now and nothing else. Referring to the state of emergency and the recent Islamist shooting in Strasbourg, they said, The state of emergency was a pretext to block us a little bit more. They could not explain why a yellow vest protester arriving in Paris gets goggles or protective clothing confiscated like a criminal, but a man arriving with a gun is free to shoot people at a Strasbourg Christmas market : Thats where you see we are in a dictatorship. Another group of construction workers from Picardie told the WSWS, We come to demonstrate peacefully but even so they dont want to let us do so Were here because we have absolutely had enough of this government, we want it to quit and we want power to go to the people. When you get in your car to go to a work site and you hear about the salaries the parliamentarians are earning, and how they set up embezzlement schemes, honestly you dont want to listen anymore because you feel so sickened, one added. Everyone works hard, everyone has problems at the end of the month. Asked about the CGT trade unions criticisms of the yellow vest protesters, one construction worker replied, Really, frankly, weve had enough of the unions. Personally, I think if you see how the unions operate in the workplaces its a mafia. You see a guy whos a union official, hes sitting pretty, and if you say something hell tell you, Look Im CGT, dont make trouble. If youre working somewhere and youre not a union guy and you say you dont agree with them, they go after you. He added, If they represented the workers that would be good, but the way they work in France is not like that. Basically theyre a mafia: if you dont toe their line, you could be lying down dying with your mouth open and they wouldnt help you. Both Toulouse and Bordeaux in the southwest saw approximately 5,000 people marching, more than the Paris march. Protests in Bordeaux led to clashes with police around Pey-Berland square, with 22 wounded including six from the security forces, and 27 people held in preventive detention on charges of bearing projectiles prohibited weapons, preparing violence or damages. In Toulouse, a center of high school protests against President Emmanuel Macrons return to the draft and his school reforms, the police deployed armored cars against the yellow vests. Protesters kneeled on the ground in front of police, replicating the posture military police forced high school protesters to adopt, handcuffed, in the now infamous video at Mantes-la-Jolie. Clashes broke out as the Toulouse protest broke up, leading to 31 arrests and 29 wounded, including 21 among the security forces. In Marseille, where several thousand yellow vests marched, the police totally sealed off the Old Port, again relying on armored vehicles to oppose the protesters. Elements of the Stalinist General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA) sought to join the yellow vest protests and control where the protesters marched, as in Toulouse. This provoked bitter comments from the yellow vests, who launched their movement independently of the unions and resent the CGTs denunciation of them as neo-fascistic. Yellow vest protesters in Marseille spoke out to criticize the CGT, which has a long record of working closely to negotiate austerity with successive social democratic or right-wing governments. Its been 40 years that they have been pissing us off. I dont want to be with them now, one Marseille protester told La Provence about the CGT. In Saint-Etienne, about 2,000 people marched to calls of Macron, resign! Approximately 50 were arrested after clashes broke out later in the day as police tried to block Carnot square. There was widespread shock and opposition as it emerged that the police had shot a France3 journalist with a rubber bullet. France3 officials protested the measure, writing on Twitter, It is high time that journalists, who are observers by nature, are not taken as targets by anyone. The following article is the third part of a four-part review of Indefensible: Democracy, Counterrevolution, and the Rhetoric of Anti-Imperialism. Part one | Part two | Part three | Part four Endorsing a quarter century of US wars In the rest of her book, Hensman endorses a series of US wars, launched by Democratic Party presidents after the dissolution of the Soviet Union: in Yugoslavia during the 1990s, and in Libya, Ukraine and Syria under Obama. She markets these wars, waged by the Pentagon in alliance with Islamist terrorist or far-right forces, under the cynical banner of morality and human rights. She asserts that the task today, is bringing morality and humanity back into politics. Morality requires standing up for the truth, but it also requires something more: taking sides. For Hensman, being moral means embracing the lies and provocations used to market US wars. She cannot restrain her loathing for opponents of these wars, whom she dismisses as pawns of those regimes Washington is threatening: Nothing sums up the moral degradation of pseudo-anti-imperialists more than their propensity to take the side of the executioners: Milosevic, Karadzic and Mladic in Bosnia; Putin in Russia, Ukraine and Syria; Khomeini and Khamenei in Iran, Iraq and Syria; and Assad in Syria. These regimes are no doubt reactionary. However, the task of dealing with Putin, Khamenei, and Assad falls to the Russian, Iranian and Syrian working class. Hensmans endorsement of imperialist wars targeting these regimes involves her not only in backing the bloodshed caused by the NATO armies, but also the reactionary forces they are supporting in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. After the dissolution of the USSR, the NATO powers swiftly moved to dismember Yugoslavia, provocatively recognizing the independence of its constituent republics, starting in 1992. This led to a series of bitter ethnic wars in Croatia, Bosnia and ultimately Kosovo, which culminated in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia to support Kosovos independence. The population was torn apart by rival nationalist factions, as Washington and the NATO powers consistently targeted local Serb forces allied to the central government in Belgrade, in the Serb republic of Yugoslavia. A socialist policy depends upon uniting the working class against imperialist war. Hensman, however, attacks Washington and its European imperialist allies for not bombing Yugoslavia and attacking the Serbs more aggressively. She laments the shameful failure of the Western powers to rein in Serb nationalists until they had effectively torn Yugoslavia to shreds. Hensman is silent about Operation Storm, the NATO-backed Croatian ethnic cleansing offensive in 1995 that forced all Serbs out of Croatia, and on Al Qaedas ties to Bosnian Islamist fighters. She relies entirely on inflated allegations of Serbian genocide against other ethnicities, made by NATO officials to justify bombing the country. However, after the 1999 NATO war, which was launched based on claims that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and the Serbs were killing 100,000 or even 250,000 people, Milosevic was held responsible for 391 deaths. Hensman also promotes the Al Qaeda-linked Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which Washington formally designated as a terrorist organization, while supporting it in the Yugoslav war. She writes that the KLA began a guerrilla war targeting Serb security forces, knowing, as KLA leader Hasim Thaci admitted, that any armed action we undertook would bring retaliation against civilians. We knew we were endangering a great number of civilian lives. He was right. Serb security forces responded to the guerrilla attacks with indiscriminate massacres of civilians. Nonetheless, Hensman enthusiastically comes out for greater imperialist intervention to back the KLA and its allies, and denounces left-wing criticism of the war. She writes: According to James Petras, former professor emeritus at Binghamton University, Most European and US progressives supported US-backed Bosnian fundamentalists, Croatian neo-fascists and Kosova-Albanian terrorists, leading to ethnic cleansing and the conversion of their once sovereign states into US military bases, client regimes and economic basket casestotally destroying the multinational Yugoslavian welfare state (Petras 2009, 117). The grotesque injustice of designating the Bosnian Muslims targeted for extermination as fundamentalists and the Kosovar Albanians being expelled and murdered as terrorists, along with his deafening silence on the genocidal ethnic cleansing campaigns by Serb nationalists, makes it very clear where Petras stands. Hensman also defends the 2011 NATO war in Libya. Launched on the pretext that NATO wanted to prevent bloodshed in a state crackdown on protesters in Benghazi, it ended six months later in the carpet-bombing of the country and the torture and murder of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Hensman endorses the positions of the NPA and of Gilbert Achcar, who defended the Libyan and Syrian wars. She writes, some socialists and antiwar activists, such as Gilbert Achcar, decided not to oppose a NATO-enforced no-fly zone. Justifying this position, Achcar said, In opposing the no-fly zone from day one, you are rejecting a request made by the insurgents themselves, and you hence behave as if you regard the fate of Benghazis population as totally secondary to your sacrosanct anti-imperialism. Hensman is in full agreement with Achcars denunciation of opposition to imperialism. She compares opponents of the war to Pavlovs dogs, who reacted as if they were being fed when they heard a bell ring, regardless of whether any food was actually being served Nothing else mattered except that NATO chose to act; what Libyans said, did, thought, and organized was simply not a factor for them. These anti-imperialists airbrushed the Libyans out of their own revolution. More than seven years after the rape of Libya, Achcar stands exposed as the propagandist of a great imperialist crime. There was no democratic revolution under the auspices of NATO, in Libya any more than in Syria. After the deaths of over 30,000 people in the NATO bombing of Tripoli, Sirte and other cities, the country disintegrated into a civil war between rival Islamist militias that continues to this day. In the meantime, slave markets and EU-funded concentration camps, designed to halt the flow of immigrants to Europe, operate openly in Libyan cities. Finally, Hensman supports the NATO-backed putsch that toppled pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine, organized around the Maidan protests. Orchestrated by US officials, in alliance with Ukrainian right-wing and neo-fascist parties, and mobilizing sections of the middle class in Kiev and western Ukraine, who supported joining the European Union (EU), the putsch was led by the neo-Nazi Right Sector. It brought to power a coalition between Arseniy Yatsenyuk of the Fatherland Party, the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms (UDAR, or punch in Ukrainian) of professional boxer Vitali Klitschko, and Oleh Tyahnybok of the neo-fascist Svoboda party. Svoboda was already the subject of a formal condemnation by the European Parliament passed on December 13, 2012. In it, the EU recognizes the nationalistic sentiment in Ukraine expressed in support for the Svoboda party, criticizes the racist, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic views of Svoboda, and appeals to pro-democratic parties ... not to associate with, endorse, or form coalitions with this party. Nevertheless, Washington, Berlin and the entire EU hailed the Kiev putsch and supported the Kiev regime as it launched a series of attacks by far-right militias, like the Azov Brigade, on Russian-speaking areas of eastern Ukraine. At the same time, it slashed government spending on coal mining and heavy industry, centered in eastern Ukraine. This plunged the country into economic depression and civil war. The war, and the referendum by Russian-speaking Crimea to leave Ukraine and attach itself to Russia after the Kiev putsch, served as pretexts for NATO to mount a major military build-up along Russias borders in Eastern Europe. The regime also voted pensions to surviving members of the World War II-era fascist Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), who participated in the Nazi Holocaust of Jews in the Soviet Union. Hensman whitewashes the fascist coup in Kiev, presenting it as a struggle against a fascist regime in Moscow and demonizing Putin. She writes, According to the neo-Stalinist narrative, this was a fascist uprising, but the evidence proves the opposite. Although far-right nationalists were certainly part of it, and garnered a great deal of publicity, their performance in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections was pathetic, with the ultranationalist Svoboda and Right Sector parties getting around 1 per cent each of the votes cast in the May 2014 presidential election. Hensman again tries to smear all opponents of the Kiev putsch as tools of the Kremlin. She denounces them, with claims that they support Putin, who does not even pretend to be a socialist or communist, and openly associates with the far right; their advocacy extends to support for Putins efforts to annex or establish subservient regimes in parts of the former Russian empire, like Ukraine. The anti-Russian campaign and Hensmans embrace of Ukrainian fascism At the center of Hensmans argument for the Kiev putsch is her demonization of Russia and of Vladimir Putin, based on little more than neo-fascist propaganda. Putin is the representative of the reactionary, post-Soviet capitalist kleptocracy that rules Russia, developing alliances with far-right forces across Europe. However, Hensman attacks him from the standpoint, not of working-class opposition to Russias parasitic capitalist oligarchy, but of hysterical hatred of the Soviet Union. Hensman depicts the Soviet Union as hell on earth. She does not criticize the Stalinist regime for its rejection of international revolution and its political genocide of the Marxist internationalists, led by Trotsky inside the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Rather, she denounces the entire USSR, which she presents as a genocidal fascistic regime. Based on this crude falsification, she makes a spectacularly reactionary argument: that pro-Nazi Ukrainian fascists were fighting for national liberation against Soviet imperialism. Hensmans picture of the Soviet Union, unsupported by any factual evidence, is nothing more than a crude anti-communist caricature. Not only were Soviet workers living conditions, according to Hensman, those of the misery of workers during the industrial revolution in Britain, but conditions in Russias slave labor campsto which people could be condemned for petty offences like the theft of bread, not to mention political dissidencewere even worse. As for the non-Russian republics of the Soviet Union, they were, according to Hensman, subjected to unrelenting ethnic cleansing and genocide: The relationship between Soviet imperialism and its colonies was similar to classical imperialism ... Deportations of indigenous people were combined with settlement of Russians in non-Russian nations, shifting the demographic makeup of these regions. The Muslim nations of the Caucasus and Crimea were especially targeted; between 1943 and 1944 the entire Karachai population, Kalmyks, Chechen and Ingush peoples, Balkars, Crimean Tatars and Meshketian Turks were rounded up and expelled; those who could not be moved were shot, their villages burned to the ground. Turning to Ukraine, Hensman writes, it is therefore entirely understandable that it would have a national liberation movement. This movement succeeded briefly in establishing Ukraine as an independent Soviet Socialist republic from 1920 to 1922, before it was recolonised by Stalin. During World War II, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), a formerly marginal right-wing ethno-nationalist group, grew in importance. During World War II, Hensman writes, citing historian Timothy Snyder, the OUN carried out ethnic cleansing of Poles in 1943, killing at the same time a number of Jews who had been hiding with the Poles, which she calls the fascist history of Ukraine Putinist propaganda refers to. She goes on to argue, however, that this history is essentially irrelevant. She writes that the vast majority of Ukrainians fought against the Nazis, while a minority collaborated with themas did Stalin and many Russians. This presentation all but obliterates the distinction between ISO anti-communism and fascist propaganda. Above all, it denies the immense progressive impact on world history of the October Revolution, the taking of power by the working class and the emergence of the Soviet Union. The seizing of power by the working class under the leadership of the Bolsheviks, and the abolition of capitalist property in Russia, made possible a quantum leap in the living standards of the masses, not only in Russia but around the world. In little over a generation, the former Russian empire progressed from a collection of overwhelmingly rural and illiterate countries, to a modern, literate and urban society. Thanks to the vast development of science and industry, 40 years after the fall of the backward czarist monarchy, in 1957, Russia launched Sputnik, Earths first man-made satellite. Notwithstanding Hensmans hellish fantasies of the Soviet Union as a land of constant Dickensian poverty and genocide, it led to a surge in living standards and life expectancy in the Soviet Union, where workers of different ethnicities overwhelmingly lived and worked together in peace. Moreover, the effects of the Russian Revolution went well beyond the borders of the Soviet Union. Hensmans insinuation that the Soviet Union collaborated with Nazi Germany is a reactionary historical lie. The defeat of Nazi Germany, the liquidation of European fascism, and the defeat of Japanese occupation forces in China, in the years prior to the 1949 Chinese Revolution, were all products of the USSRs extraordinary military and industrial effort in World War IIabove all, its victory against the war of annihilation waged by Nazi Germany against the Soviet people. This transformed class relations worldwide. Confronted with a tangible alternative to capitalist rule, the bourgeoisies in America, Europe and beyond felt forced to make vast concessions to the working class and its social and democratic rights. This was particularly the case in the decades following World War II, and the discrediting of European and Japanese capitalism due to the crimes of fascism. Facing the real danger of social revolution, they built up welfare states and parliamentary regimes, and sought to address European anti-Semitism and American racial segregation through legislation and reforms. The ICFI alone, basing itself on Trotskys work, asserted that the danger of world war and fascism remained. None of the gains made by the working class were safe so long as world capitalism remained. The Soviet bureaucracya privileged layer that murdered the Bolshevik leaders of the October Revolution in the 1930s and 1940s and tried to co-exist with imperialism based on rejecting world socialist revolutioncould still restore capitalism, as Trotsky had warned. In 1991, after Trotskys warnings were realized and the Kremlin restored capitalism in Russia, this posed all the more directly the task of building the ICFI as the revolutionary leadership of the working class. The middle-class forces of the state capitalist and Pabloite movements, however, reacted quite differently to capitalist restoration in the Soviet Union. With the disappearance of the Soviet bureaucracys patronage overseas, and the disintegration of the trade unions social base among workers, they all reoriented rapidly towards imperialism, austerity and war. That they have come together around the 2014 Kiev putsch and Indefensible, a book that endorses the OUN as a national liberation movement, sounds a warning. Despite their phony democratic rhetoric, these forces are moving in a fascistic direction. Indeed, it is impossible to understand the significance of Hensmans arguments about Ukraine today without refuting the lies she tells about the history of the Soviet Union and World War II. In embracing the OUN to justify supporting the Kiev putsch, Hensman is defending a movement directly involved in the Nazis bloodiest crimes. Blandly stating that the OUN carried out ethnic cleansing of Poles and killed a number of Jews is to whitewash the crimes of fascism. In fact, the Ukrainian fascists joined in the Nazi Holocaust of Jews inside the Soviet Union and then carried out their own mass murder of Poles and Jews, the victims numbering in the hundreds of thousands, as the defeated Nazi armies retreated west. As for Hensmans reference to the Stalinist crimes against Muslim minorities in the Soviet Union, this is the classical political dodge of the ISOs Shachtmanite forebears. Based on the crimes of the Soviet bureaucracy, Hensman equates the fundamentally different socioeconomic foundations and political origins of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. While the latter was Europes dominant imperialist power, the Soviet Union was a workers' state created by the October Revolution, though it had degenerated under the nationalistic Stalinist bureaucracy. As millions of workers internationally recognized, the Nazis war of annihilation against the Soviet Union was a war launched by imperialism against a workers' state. The anti-Marxist, Russian-nationalist Stalinist bureaucracy carried out terrible crimes during the war, like the deportation of the Tatars and the mass killing of Polish officers at Katyn. However, the defense of the Soviet Union against the genocidal onslaught of the Nazi and allied European armies was a critical task. Based on her Shachtmanite position that the Soviet Union was state capitalist, Hensman blurs over the Nazis responsibility for starting the war and for a large majority of the casualties, and presents fascist Nazi collaborationists as national liberation fighters. The purpose of this historical lie is to give a false, progressive veneer to Hensmans alignment with the present-day operations of the CIA and the Ukrainian fascists. Hensman uses this lie to try and discredit left-wing criticism of the CIA-backed putsch in Kiev, focusing her attack on journalist John Pilger and denouncing him as a tool of Putin: Having masterminded the coup in February against the democratically elected government in Kiev, Washingtons planned seizure of Russias historic, legitimate warm-water naval base in Crimea failed, John Pilger tells us. According to him, the Russians defended themselves against threat and invasion from the west as well as fascist forces launching attacks on ethnic Russians in Ukraine a curiously uncritical regurgitation of Russian propaganda justifying their invasion of Ukraine from the east. In fact, Pilger is not regurgitating Russian propaganda. He is reporting the outcome of the fascist-led coup in Kiev and the ensuing civil war and Russia-NATO military stand-off in Ukraine. It is Hensman who is regurgitating Nazi-collaborationist propaganda, provided to her by the CIA-backed regime in Ukraine and its allies in the NATO governments and media. To be continued The student parliament at Berlins Humboldt University passed a resolution unanimously on Thursday evening defending the International Youth and Students for Social Equality against attempts by the right-wing extremist Alternative for Germany to disrupt its meetings. All of the groups represented in the parliament voted for the following text: The student parliament condemns in the strongest terms attacks by the AfD and its aligned organizations against meetings held by HU [Humboldt University] students, including the IYSSE on 11 December in the HU main building. With their attempt to break up a student meeting, the right-wing extremists have escalated their targeting of student critics and anti-racist students. The student parliament decisively rejects all forms of racism, xenophobia, and right-wing extremism on the HU campus, and calls on all students to stand up to the AfD and its youth organisations. Sven Wurm, spokesman for the IYSSE group at HU and a representative in the student parliament, argued in favour of the emergency motion. Just two days prior to the parliamentary session, the IYSSE held a meeting at which the book Why are they Back? was presented. In the book, the author and deputy leader of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP), Christoph Vandreier, examines the return of the far-right in Germany, and explains in particular how these tendencies were encouraged at the universities. The IYSSE meeting that was disrupted by AfD members The seriousness of these issues was evident at the meeting, said Sven Wurm. Almost 20 members of the AfD, its youth organisation Young Alternative, and other right-wing extremist groups came to the meeting and sought to disrupt it with loud shouts and interjections. The right-wing extremists refused to leave the meeting even after they were explicitly asked to do so by the organisers. Instead, they photographed participants and attempted to intimidate them. Despite requests to do so, the right-wing extremists refused to delete their photographs. The fact that right-wing extremist youth organisations are disrupting left-wing meetings and threatening attendees sets a dangerous precedent and recalls the actions of the Nazis in the 1930s, stated Wurm. It was the second time in a few weeks that an IYSSE meeting at HU has been disrupted by right-wing extremists. On October 25, members of the Young Alternative, Identitarian movement, and the Gothia student league disrupted an IYSSE solidarity meeting with the student council with noisy interjections and insults. The right-wing attack on Tuesdays IYSSE meeting was obviously long planned and carefully prepared by the AfD and its youth organisation Young Alternative. On December 2, the Campus Alternative Berlin boasted on its Facebook page that it had vandalised placards for the meeting and defaced them with right-wing slogans. Among the provocateurs who disrupted the meeting were not only Young Alternative and AfD members, but also leading figures in the party who had travelled long distances to participate. Bumann One of the disrupters who refused to leave the room despite being requested to do so was Joel Bumann, deputy leader of Young Alternative in the state of Berlin. He is also active in the right-wing extremist Identitarian movement and a member of the Gothia student league. Bumann was a direct candidate for the AfD in the Berlin state elections in September 2016 and, according to the TAZ newspaper, works for AfD federal parliament deputy Frank Pasemann. Franz Dusatko, the deputy leader of Young Alternative in Brandenburg, travelled to Berlin for the purpose of disrupting the meeting and indicated on the events Facebook page days in advance that he would be attending. This underscores once again that the disruption of the meeting was planned well in advance. Dusatko is an assistant to the parliamentary group leadership in the Brandenburg state parliament and participated in a blockade of the CDU party headquarters in September 2016 by the Identitarian movement, according to the Tagesspiegel. Kohler Martin Kohler, Bumanns colleague in the Young Alternative executive, also attended the meeting and repeatedly interrupted the speakers by shouting right-wing slogans. Kohler has been an AfD member since he was 15 and is an active member of the Brandenburg state party. In arguing for the resolution at the student parliament, the IYSSE pointed out that the aggressive actions by right-wing extremists at Humboldt University could only be explained by the systematic encouragement they have received from university management. SPD politician Sabine Kunst, President of HU, is currently suing her own universitys student council in a case initiated by the AfD parliamentary group in the Berlin state senate. She wants to compel the student representative body to publish all names of those who have been active in the student council over the past 10 years. The AfD intends to use this list of names to intimidate and threaten political opponents. Prior to this, Kunst backed the right-wing extremist Professor Jorg Baberowski. Even after the Cologne Court of Appeals confirmed that, given Baberowskis statements, it is legitimate to describe him as a right-wing extremist, glorifier of violence, and a racist, Kunst stated that attacks in the media against the far-right professor were unacceptable, and threatened student critics with criminal prosecution. Baberowski is a central figure in Germanys right-wing extremist movement. Three years ago, he founded a right-wing extremist network, referred to as the right-wing salon, which includes a number of AfD functionaries, among others. He consciously mobilises this right-wing network against IYSSE meetings and other left-wing events. On November 27, he informed his followers via his Twitter account about the IYSSE meeting, and indirectly called for the meetings disruption with hysterical slanders. The IYSSE is criminal, violent, and malevolent, claimed Baberowski. Their leader is a psychopath. The post on Baberowski's Facebook page In order to mobilise his far-right followers against the Trotskyist youth organisation, Baberowski blustered on his Facebook page, Criminal Stalinists are not only permitted to spread their hate-filled tirades at Humboldt University. They are permitted to do so in the best lecture theatres at the best times. University management stays silent and refuses to help professors who are attacked by these criminals. The result of this incitement was the AFDs efforts to threaten and intimidate participants in the IYSSE meeting. Through her persistent partisanship for and collaboration with Baberowski, Sabine Kunst has paved the way for the right-wing provocateurs. This is confirmed by the analysis in the book whose presentation the AfD sought to prevent with its attack. The books foreword states, The AfD neither enjoys mass support, nor does it possess combative units like the Nazi SA, which recruited uprooted soldiers from the First World War, ruined members of the petty bourgeoisie, and desperate unemployed workers. The AfDs strength arises exclusively from the support it receives from political parties, the media, government, and state apparatus. This was made very clear at the meeting. Even though supporters of the right-wing extremists travelled from other German states, they remained in the minority. The students in attendance supported the meetings organisers and thereby ensured that the meeting continued as planned. The unanimous defence of the IYSSE by the student parliament underscores that the AfD and Young Alternative represent a despised minority. The first phase of the Grenfell Tower inquiry into the deaths of 72 people on the night of June, 14 2017 ended last week. After taking evidence from the survivors and bereaved, as well as experts and professionals, particularly firefighters, it has also read into evidence testimony of residents living in the immediate surrounding area. Earlier this month, the statement of Joe Delaney was read into the record. Delaney lived in Barandon Walk, a block of low-rise flats adjacent to Grenfell Tower. Immediately after the fire, he was evacuated from the area with many others, but was forced to live in emergency hotel accommodation for months. He was only finally rehoused in May, 11 months after the fire. Delaney has a long record of fighting for decent and safe housing in the area and seeking justice for the victims and survivors of the Grenfell inferno. This has earned him the respect of the entire local community in North Kensington. He is a member of the Grenfell Action Group (GAG), which played a central role over many years in campaigning for residents right to decent, safe housing. The group highlighted the great dangers to the safety of Grenfell Towers residents as a result of the callous indifference by the authorities, including during the 2016 refurbishment in which the entire building was surrounded in highly flammable cladding. For his determined principled fight to expose the truth, Delaney was subjected to a filthy attack by the right-wing media. A February 15 Sunday Times article claimed Delaneyafter being evacuated from his flatwas claiming a food allowance and living in a hotel while still accessing and living in his own home. In an interview with the World Socialist Web Site, he exposed how the article was a manufactured sting operation to try and discredit him and shut him up. In his statement to the inquiry, Delaney explained how on the night of the fire he became aware of blue flashing lights at about 1 a.m. but just assumed it was a regular incident being dealt with by ambulance or fire services. However, a few minutes later a neighbour knocked on his door to say Grenfell Tower was on fire. He went out and saw the fire on the fourth-floor level on one side of the east face of the tower. While he was walking towards it, he saw how the fire was quickly spreading to the centre. Along with others he began throwing objects against the windows of the south face to alert residents of the fire. It quickly became evident to him that people were unable to get out of the building because of the thick smoke and poor visibility. His statement read: By 1.30am it was clear to me that people were definitely going to die but I didnt want to say that whilst outside for fear of causing panic or upsetting anyone. He could see that by this time the fire was engulfing three of the towers faces. Concerned that the fire could spread to other blocks including his own he returned to Barandon Walk to make sure his neighbour and her son were safe. He knocked on his neighbours door and urged her and her son to get ready to evacuate if necessary. Delaney explained that he got a clear view of the tower on fire from the window of her flat and filmed two videos of the tower on fire. The two videos are part of the evidence he has submitted to the inquiry. His statement explained: Whilst I was filming, I thought that the "centre" of the east side where the fire spread was where the only staircase in the block was located, although I now know that it isn't quite in that location. I said to Tomassina [his neighbour] while we were watching the fire that I thought the fire was going up the emergency staircase and I could hear people in the tower saying help and save us, which is clearly audible on the recording. He rang 999 to emphasise that he believed the fire should be considered a major incident requiring the attendance of police and ambulance services in addition to the firefighters. Throughout the evening, Delaney took pictures and videos of the difficulties being faced by firefighters attending the blaze. He explained, I wanted to ensure that this was properly documented so those responsible for the architectural and planning decisions made when the Tower had been regenerated would be held responsible; myself and other residents had raised numerous and repeated concerns about emergency access to the building prior to the Kensington Aldridge Academy and Leisure Centre being built. Delaneys statement went on to highlight the major problems firefighters were facing attempting to rescue people and fight the fire. They were being showered by burning cladding raining down on them. A cause of this was that a curtain mesh around the lower level of the blockwhich would have caught falling debrishad been removed as part of the refurbishment. The firefighters hoses and equipment failed to reach the fire as it rapidly rose up to consume all 24 storeys. Delaney told the inquiry that at 2 a.m., after returning to his own flat in Barandon Walk, he looked down Grenfell Roadthe main access road to the towerto see a chain of fire engines backed up unable to proceed because of the narrow road being congested with parked cars whose owners were desperately trying to get them out of the way. At 2:30 a.m., Delaney recalls that he and a neighbour banged on the doors of the flats on the three levels of Barandon Walk exhorting people to leave because of the danger of the fire spreading to their block. He noted how his progress was made difficult because of restricted access to some sections, key fobs only opening access doors in a specific block but not the neighbouring one. Delaney was only able to get access because his fob had previously been programmed to give multiblock access when he first moved there and had temporary mobility problems. Delaney recounts how he, along with other residents and his two dogs, left Barandon Walk to gather in a safer area. It was now 2:50 a.m. One of his dogs, a young puppy, managed to slip his lead and ran off. Delaney set off in pursuit and had to breach a police cordon in his efforts. He recalls how he reached a gate between his block and a neighbouring one. From the gate he was able to look back at the tower and was taken aback by how quickly and widespread the fire had become. He noted seeing several people jumping or falling from the top five floors of the block. Describing his shock at witnessing this he told the inquiry, I was stunned one of those I saw hit the building as they fell Thankfully, I did not see any of them hit the ground; my view of the lower section of the Tower and ground was obscured I remain affected to this day by what I did see and so I am somewhat grateful that I did not witness anything more. After retrieving his puppy, Joe recalled how he and his neighbour and her son made their way to Holland Park tube station. A friend of Joes returning from work had seen the tower on fire and contacted Joe to arrange to pick him up to go and stay at his home. He recalls the streets in the area were as packed as on Notting Hill carnival day. Shocked by what he had witnessed, Joe was keen to get away from the area. He recalls while waiting to be picked up by his friend, I checked Facebook to see what I could find out. I also wrote a post at the time which said the KCTMO (Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation) had cheaped out on their regeneration and because of that I watched people die before my eyes and that prison was too good for them. Joe Delaneys statement to the Inquiry can be accessed here. The author also recommends: Right-wing media launch witch-hunt against Grenfell activist Joe Delaney [28 February 2018] Grenfell fire: Joe Delaney answers right-wing media witch-hunt [14 March 2018] Grenfell fire: An interview with North Kensington resident Joe Delaney [21 March 2018] The first day of the Australian Labor Partys national conference in Adelaide yesterday produced remarkable warnings of intensifying working class unrest and political instability. This anger, frustration and discontent was the Labor Partys main opponent, not the existing Liberal-National Coalition government, party leader Bill Shorten declared. The partys leaders, with the support of all the assembled trade union officials, issued an anxious appeal. They stressed that Labor and the unions had to address a political crisis that went far deeper than the visible disintegration of Prime Minister Scott Morrisons current government. In effect, the partys leading figures made a dual pitch. Only a Labor government could deliver the unity and discipline that the existing order would need to survive what Shorten called the coming global shocks and economic uncertainty. In order to do so, however, Labor had to hold out the hope of reducing the worsening inequality, job destruction and social devastation that millions of working people have now experienced for decades. Wayne Swan In his opening speech, party president Wayne Swan gave an indication of the alarm in ruling circles about the hostility toward the entire political establishment in Australia and internationally. He said it was essential for Labor to win the next federal election, due before May, not just because the Coalition government was falling apart before our eyes. Swan said the fallout from the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) has arrived. Labor had to take office because of the dire state of the world. There was political chaos everywhere you look, he declared, referring to the volatility triggered by the Trump administration in the United States, the Brexit impasse in Britain and the turmoil across Europe. Swans remarks were particularly significant because during the 2008 global economic breakdown, he was the treasurer in the Labor government. It propped up the banks and finance houses at the expense of the working class, paving the way for the accelerated accumulation of wealth in the hands of the corporate elite. A recession was avoided only because the Chinese regimes huge stimulus measures boosted Australian capitalisms mining exports. Revealing the real hostility of the Labor and union apparatus to the re-emergence of working class struggle, Swan denounced the yellow vest movement in France, in which hundreds of thousands of workers have joined demonstrations against the government of President Emmanuel Macron. Mob violence has returned to the streets of Paris after 50 years, he said, referring to the protests and general strike movement of 1968 that shook capitalist rule in France and triggered similar upheavals around the world. That chaos has many causes but at the bottom of this instability and chaos lies this causeinequality, Swan said. His main concern was that unless the Labor Party provided an outlet for this discontent, it could collapse like its sister social democratic parties had in France and Italy. Bill Shorten Likewise, in his keynote address, Shorten told the conference delegates that Labors mission between now and the next federal election was not only to secure government. In a very real sense, our opponents at the next election are not just the Liberals and the Nationals, One Nation or the Greens, he stated. Shorten declared: Our deeper opponents are distrust and disengagement, scepticism and cynicism. Labors mission, and his number 1 ambition, was to rebuild trust in our democracy, to restore meaning to the fair go. Labor had to breathe new life into the idea that government has the power to bring meaningful progress into peoples lives. But Shorten, a long-time union boss, was a factional power-broker and cabinet minister in the previous Labor governments of prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. Far from bringing progress into the lives of working people, Labor governments and their union partners have spearheaded the assault on jobs, working conditions and social services over the past 35 years. The Hawke and Keating governments from 1983 to 1996 initiated the pro-market restructuring and deregulation of the economy and the Rudd and Gillard governments of 2007 to 2013 imposed the burden of the global financial meltdown. The fraud of Labors fair go is illustrated by Shortens only concrete new promise, which was to recycle a Rudd-Gillard housing affordability program that subsidises property developers. The scheme will offer 15-year payments of $8,500 per year to investors who build new dwellings that are rented to eligible tenants at 20 percent below market rent. About $102 million would be handed over to developers by 202122, with a target of 20,000 houses or units to be built in a Labor governments first term. Over a decade, $6.6 billion would be allocated, supposedly supporting 250,000 new dwellings. This will be the biggest national housing program since the war, Shorten claimed. In reality, successive governments, Labor and Coalition alike, state and federal, have slashed public housing over the past 40 years. Even if the schemes target were achieved, and that is highly unlikely, it would be totally inadequate to alleviate the housing crisis produced by soaring property prices and rents, which have sent household debt levels to the highest in the worldexceeding 200 percent of disposable income. The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute estimates there is currently a shortfall of more than 525,000 affordable rental properties in Australia. The ALP conference The other striking feature of the opening day was the universal appeal to nationalism and protectionism. As elsewhere around the world, the labour and union bureaucrats are inciting foul anti-foreigner sentiment as a means of diverting working class discontent. They are pitting workers against each other along national lines, feeding into the intensifying trade war conflicts and preparations for war. For this purpose, the unions sponsored a series of amendments to the draft party platform. Among other things, they demanded fair trade clauses in trade agreements to restrict the employment of foreign workers, local content requirements for government procurement contracts and national interest tests for foreign investment approvals. Summing up the unity between the union and party leaders on this nationalist course, the recently-installed Australian Council of Trade Unions president, Michele ONeil, said all the speakers were in furious agreement. Desperate to reverse their dwindling memberships, the unions also proposed tax incentives for union members, and the restriction of government contracts to unionised workforces. Union-backed amendments called for global best practice of increased collaboration between employers and workers, including worker representation on boards. Behind all the confected talk of standing up for workers, the party and union leaders have adopted a corporatist blueprint for the integration of union representatives into management, along the lines of Germany, and for government financial support for the union apparatus, in order to further suppress workers struggles. Speakers ludicrously proclaimed that the event exemplified democracy at work. Protest at the conference over refugee detention camps Throughout the day, the proceedings were tightly stage-managed, except for an initial interruption of Shortens address by protests against the partys anti-refugee and pro-business environmental policies. About a dozen protesters were violently dragged off the stage. All the factional and union chiefs were determined to ensure that not the slightest difference was aired that could spoil the partys bid for office. Every amendment was adopted unanimouslythe result of closed-door negotiations between the party and union factional power-brokers for months. More than anything else, the conference is intended to be a display to the ruling corporate elite that Labor and the unions can maintain the unity and discipline needed to impose the burden of the looming economic crisis on the working class and to prepare for involvement in a US-led war against China. The disappearance and subsequent rescue of four missing West Virginians in a remote, inactive coal mine made for dramatic national television news last week. All but ignored in the coverage, however, is what the incident reveals about the economic and social distress that plagues the once major coal mining region of the US. After spending four frightful days in the abandoned mine near Clear Creek, West Virginia, Cody Beverly, 21, Kayla Williams, 25, and Erica Treadway, 31, were rescued on December 13. Two days earlier, 43-year old Eddie Williams was able to make his way out to safety on his own. The four were reported missing on December 7 after their all-terrain vehicle (ATV) was found near the secluded entrance of the Rock House Powellton mine in Raleigh County, near the Boone County town of Whitesville. A rescue operation mounted by the local sheriffs office was joined by the state Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training (MHS&T) and then the West Virginia National Guard and the State Police. Rescuers were initially prevented from accessing the mine because of heavy snow and rough terrain. After entering the mine, rescuers had to turn back multiple times because of high water and low oxygen levels. Adding to the concerns about their fate was the fact that the tragedy was unfolding just a few miles from the scene of the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine disaster, where 29 miners lost their lives in a massive explosion. The vigil kept by family members of the missing, waiting for word of their loved ones, was reminiscent of the countless tragedies in the coalfields. The initial reaction of political figures was to denounce the four for allegedly going into the abandoned mine to collect copper and other valuable metals. Several officials floated the idea that, if rescued, they would face immediate arrest. Republican Governor Jim Justice, a billionaire coal executive, issued a press release calling for people to please STOP entering the abandoned mines. This is extremely irresponsible behavior that puts our first responders and mine safety crews in unsafe situations when they should be focused on ensuring safety at active mines. I cannot stress enough how dangerous these abandoned mines are and how hazardous they are to humans. With an outpouring of popular concern and sympathy, Justice changed his tune and decided to travel to Whitesville last Monday night to appear before the cameras with rescue workers and family members of the missing. These families, friends, and the entire community are really hurting and need to be in our prayers, Justice told the media. After making his way out of the mine, Williams gave rescuers information on the location of his friends, who were found on Wednesday evening nearly two miles below ground. The three were discovered oxygen deprived, dehydrated and hungry, cold, and soaking wet. They were evaluated by medical workers at the surface, and, after a tearful reunion with their families, transported to a local hospital for care. Cody Beverly told NBC News that the harrowing four-day experience felt like 10, 11 days. They had heard rescuers inside looking for them, but they were too weak and remote to make contact. We could hear them, but you know we would scream at the top of our lungs, and I guess they just couldnt hear us, he said. We thought we was honestly hallucinating. The oxygen level was so low, Beverly said, the three could only move about 15 feet before collapsing again. While there was enormous relief that all four had been found alive, the authorities immediately said they would be subject of a criminal investigation. Its illegal to enter a closed mine, County sheriffs Lt. M.A. McCray said, no matter what the intent. 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 its being investigated. Although it has not been definitely determined whether the four were searching for copper, family members pointed to the economic desperation driving many unemployed or underemployed workers to take such dangerous chances. Its worth money, Randy Williams, referring to copper, told ABC News while rescuers were still searching for his daughter, Kayla, A couple years ago it was up to almost $4 a pound. You could go into a mine and make $1,000 a day. People would do whatever they can to do to make money if they aint got a job, Williams told CBS. Stripping copper from mines is common in West Virginia, and inactive mines often have thousands of dollars worth of the metal inside. Indeed, such activities are endemic to impoverished rural areas and deindustrialized urban areas in the US alike. The conditions in America increasingly resemble those in the most impoverished countries, like South Africa where illegal miners go down abandoned mines, and sometimes live for days, to mine for gold and other valuable minerals. It is a measure of the social catastrophe facing large swaths of the population in the US that millions of dollars worth of metal has been scrapped from highway light poles, telecommunications infrastructure, shuttered factories, schools, and other facilities across the country. It is bought by junkyards for around $2 a pound and turned around for profit. The few dollars a pound of metal can bring is enough to risk life and limb for many in these areas. However, these property crimes are nothing compared to the crimes of the propertied. After making vast fortunes the coal and energy companies have largely abandoned West Virginia and other mining areas leaving nothing behind but an economic, social and ecological catastrophe. The Appalachian Regional Commission estimates that fewer than 60 percent of working-age adults in the central Appalachian region have jobs. At its peak in 1940, the mining industry employed some 140,000 people in West Virginia; at that time, about one in three employed workers were miners. Today, MHS&T data indicates less than 11,000 underground miners remain employed in the stateabout 2 percent of the workforce. Today, Whitesville has hemorrhaged residents and jobs, with the federal Census estimating a population of just over 460. Four in ten live in poverty, and median household income stands at $16,190. The states opioid death rate is triple the already tragic national rate, and southern West Virginia has among the lowest life expectancy in the industrialized world. Raleigh, Boone, McDowell, Mingo and other southern West Virginia counties were once strongholds of the United Mine Workers (UMW) union. The current disaster is the product of decades of collusion with the energy bosses and capitalist politicians by the UMW and its betrayal of major struggles, including strikes as AT Massey in 1985-86 and Pittston in 1989-90. The sprawling Rock House mine, owned by Alpha Natural Resources company Contura Energy and operated by the Elk Run Coal Company, LLC, has been inactive for two years. It is one of numerous abandoned mines in the area. Alpha Natural Resources bears significant responsibility for the desperate economic conditions of the region. Like Patriot Coal and other mining companies in the past decade, Alpha responded to declining coal demand by declaring bankruptcy in 2015. The company sold off its profitable assets in the Appalachian, Pennsylvania, and western coalfields to its spin-off company Contura Energy. As part the agreement, the court gave Alpha the green light to break its contract with the UMW and end contributions to the union retiree health and pension funds. Contura Energy, under the management of former Alpha CEO Kevin S. Crutchfield, has unceremoniously shut down operations that were not profitable enough and thrown hundreds of miners out of work. After several years of this corporate shell game, Contura has reported revenues of $447,871,000 as of November, $60,000,000 more than a year ago. Although entire counties of coal-producing states have been decimated, Mr. Crutchfield sleeps well with an annual compensation of $2.46 million in pay and stock options. Metal scrappers have gone missing in West Virginia mines on a regular basis over the past few years. Just last month, rescuers called off a search for a man missing in Boone County believed to be looking for copper in an abandoned coal mine. In the past two weeks, four other men were arrested in trespassing in two other mines in the state. The state has long been politically dominated by the coal industry, even as its economic standing has collapsed. In an interview with local television station WCHS, West Virginia Coal Association Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton called for strict punishment for people who trespassed into abandoned mines. It just consumes a lot of time and resources of safety and rescue professionals whose time is needed elsewhere, Hamilton sniffed. The hue and cry over so-called copper theft has been coupled with high legal penalties. The conviction of the father of one of the rescued men, reportedly serving a ten-year prison sentence for metal theft, was splashed across local news as supposed evidence that the four were stealing copper and, in the words of a WSAZ report, should have known better. Since the Rock House mine is classified by the state as approved inactive rather than abandoned, it can be reopened at a certain point and does not need to be sealed. Elk Run Coal is required only to minimally secure the property. Hundreds of mines across central Appalachia that ceased operations prior to 1977 are not only abandoned without being secured but are often unmapped by regulators. Open mine portals, faces, highwalls, and other dangers are obscured in underbrush and result in accidents and injury by hikers and ATV riders. The federal Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (AMLIS) estimates that some 300,000 abandoned mines are located in Appalachia. There have been many instances of active mines unintentionally cutting into adjacent mines which were not properly identified prior to mining, the systems web site notes. Hundreds of accidental cut-throughs have resulted in inundations of active mines with water. In West Virginia, AMLIS lists nearly $1.8 billion in unfunded abandoned mine cleanup projects. Nearly 2,000 underground mine fires rage, 2,082 abandoned portals are unsealed, and 1,000 dangerous impoundments, containing coal waste water and other toxic materials, are just waiting to rupture. A federal judge in Texas declared the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional on Friday. The ruling by US District Judge Reed OConnor found that because the tax cut passed by congressional Republicans in 2017 invalidated the ACAs individual mandate, the remaining provisions of the law are unconstitutional. Judge Reed was nominated in 2007 by President George W. Bush to a seat on the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Twenty Republican-leaning states brought the lawsuit in that court, asserting that the ACA was unconstitutional based on last years tax overhaul. Opponents of the suit have vowed to appeal. The ruling came a day before the deadline for open enrollment in the program commonly known as Obamacare in all of the states participating in the ACAs marketplaces, except California. The ruling was opposed by healthcare groups and, if upheld, threatens to throw insurance markets into chaos and strip coverage from tens of millions of Americans. Some 20 million people have gained insurance under the ACAs expansion of Medicaid coverage in 37 states. The ACA also mandates coverage of certain essential insurance benefits, including maternity care. Young adults up to the age of 26 are allowed to remain on their parents health plans. Insurers are not allowed to discriminate against those with preexisting conditions. However, the ACA, passed in 2010 under the Obama administration, is an essentially regressive piece of legislation, which maintains the grip of the private insurers, pharmaceuticals and giant hospital chains on the delivery of healthcare. Under Obamacare, individuals without insurance through their employer or a government program such as Medicare were required to purchase health coverage from a private insurer on the ACAs marketplace or pay a tax penalty. Under the 2017 tax bill, the penalty for not being insured was eliminated, effective January 1, 2019, while the individual mandate was technically preserved. Judge OConnors sweeping ruling finds that since the individual mandate is essential to and inseverable from the other provisions of the ACA the remaining provisions of the ACA [are] therefore INVALID. He also ruled that Congress would not have approved the rest of the law without the mandate. President Trump tweeted on news of the ruling: Wow, but not surprisingly, ObamaCare was just ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL by a highly respected judge in Texas. Great news for America! Insurance and physicians groups were less enthusiastic. Americas Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the national trade association representing private insurers, wrote in a statement: The district courts decision is misguided and wrong. This decision denies coverage to more than 100 million Americans, including seniors, veterans, children, people with disabilities, hardworking Americans with low incomes, young adults on their parents plans under age 26, and millions of Americans with preexisting conditions. AHIPs opposition to the ruling, however, has little to do with this potential suffering and everything to do with the threat to the insurers bottom line. The ACA, while providing limited protections for ordinary Americans, has funneled hundreds of millions into the coffers of the private insurers by forcing people to buy insurance or pay a penalty. A coalition of physicians groupsincluding the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatricsalso opposed the ruling, based on the detrimental impact it would have on doctors payments. Despite Trumps celebration of the judges decision, his administration made clear that the current law remains in effect for now. Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said on Twitter, The exchanges are still open for business. Congressional Democrats were quick to oppose the ruling in demagogic fashion. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi commented on Friday following the decision: Tonights district court ruling exposes the monstrous endgame of Republicans all-out assault on people with preexisting conditions and Americans access to affordable health care. She vowed that her chamber would formally intervene in the appeals process when her party takes power in the House in January. Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer said he wants a vote in Congress to intervene in the case. He said on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, A lot of this depends on congressional intent. The Democrats are arguing that it was never the intent of the lawmakers who wrote the 2017 tax law to repeal the ACA. They say that the tax bill specifically elected to preserve the ACAs consumer protections despite eliminating the individual mandate penalty. The Democrats, who gained 40 House seats in the midterm elections, campaigned broadly on the healthcare issue, tapping into the widespread anger in the US population against soaring healthcare costs and deteriorating medical care. However, they have mounted only symbolic opposition to the Trump administrations assault on the social programs depended upon by millions of Americans to survive. Under conditions in which 51 million US households cannot afford a survival budget to pay for basic necessities like housing, food and healthcare, they have offered only a limited challenge to the White House drive to impose work requirements in the food stamp and Medicaid programs, and to slash housing subsidies. They have instead focused their fire on the Trump administrations alleged collusion in Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. At the same time, they have voted to fund the Pentagons $717 billion budget to pursue the US militarys criminal interventions across the globe. For their part, in the wake of the December 14 ruling, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have promoted the illusion that they will seek to defend protections for those with preexisting conditions. In fact, the White House pursued the unusual step of intervening in the Texas District Court case to argue that without the tax to enforce the ACAs individual mandate, the laws provisions guaranteeing coverage to people with preexisting conditions and charging them the same rates as others should be struck down and invalidated. In the founding document of the Fourth International, The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International, written and adopted in 1938, Leon Trotsky summed up the character of the epoch as expressed in the political crisis of class rule in all the major capitalist countries: The bourgeoisie itself sees no way out. In countries where it has already been forced to stake its last upon the card of fascism, it now toboggans with closed eyes toward economic and military catastrophe. In the historically privileged countries, i.e., in those where the bourgeoisie can still for a certain period permit itself the luxury of democracy at the expense of national accumulations (Great Britain, France, United States, etc.), all of capitals traditional parties are in a state of perplexity bordering on a paralysis of will. Without much modification, this passage serves well as a description of the world situation as the year 2018 draws to a close. In Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May is essentially a political corpse, having barely survived a vote of no confidence from her own Conservative Party last week. The British ruling class remains wracked by internal divisions over Brexit two and a half years after the referendum backing a decision to leave the European Union. May is hoping for some arrangement with the EU that will mollify her opponents within the Conservative Party, while the Labour Party headed by Jeremy Corbyn is seeking to avoid any measures that would further destabilize the government and encourage popular opposition. In France, the banker-president Emmanuel Macron is perhaps the most reviled individual in the entire country, with approval ratings hovering just above 20 percent, down 27 percentage points over the past year. There is enormous popular support for the demands of the yellow vest protesters, to which Macron responded once again over the weekend with mass arrests and tens of thousands of riot police on the streets of French cities. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has resigned as leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which she has headed for 18 years, though she intends to remain chancellor until 2021. Under the Grand Coalition government of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the German ruling class has fostered the extreme right, making the fascistic Alternative for Germany (AfD) the official opposition party and a dominant political force in the country. Under Merkels leadership, Germany has developed into the most unequal country in Europe, as the ruling elite revives a military agenda of aggressive great power conflict. In Australia, the ruling Liberal-National coalition government is hanging by a thread. There is civil war within the Liberal Party following the political coup that ousted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in August and replaced him with Scott Morrison, the seventh prime minister in just over a decade. Then there is Sri Lanka, which has seen an extraordinary turn of political events over the past seven weeks. This involved the illegal firing of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe by President Maithripala Sirisena, the appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take his place, the dissolution of parliament, a Supreme Court ruling declaring the dissolution unconstitutional, and, yesterday, the reappointment of Wickremesinghe by Sirisena. Lest anyone conclude that this reversal marks an end to the political crisis, Sirisena, shortly after swearing in the prime minister he had previously sacked, denounced him as corrupt and a threat to the nation. The most intense political crisis, however, is in the United States, the center of world imperialism. The Trump administration is increasingly besieged, struggling over the past week to appoint a new chief of staff to replace the fired Gen. John Kelly. Trump faces a series of criminal and civil investigations into his private companies, his charity and his inauguration committee. The presidents former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison last week, while the parent company of the National Enquirer and its chief executive have supported claims by Cohen that Trump was personally complicit in violations of campaign finance laws during the 2016 election. The Democratic Party, while increasingly aggressive in its palace coup maneuvers against Trump, is deathly afraid of doing anything that will stoke popular anger. Dominant sections of the ruling elite contemplate with foreboding the tasks that lie before itincluding great power conflict and dealing with growing social unrestand see in the Trump administration a government unequal to the challenge. Every one of us wades through his wreckage of norms, lamented New York Times columnist Frank Bruni on Sunday, is unsteadied by his assault on truth, braces for whatever happens next and knows that it may have much greater and longer consequence for us than it does for Trump. Yet any destabilization of Trump or constitutional crisis can encourage what is most fearedthe intervention of the working class. Hence the Democrats vacillation between threats of impeachment and demands for a more aggressive policy against Russia, on the one hand, and groveling pleas for Trump to work with them in implementing his regressive and militarist agenda, on the other. The universality of political crisisand to the above list many more countries could be addedis itself of immense objective significance. Whatever the national peculiarities, the destabilization of political institutions in every country is driven by the same crisis of the global capitalist system. Ten years after the financial collapse of 2008, there are growing signs of renewed economic crisis. The Chinese economy is slowing sharply, Europe is in stagnation, and the United States faces the possibility of a recession next year. The ruling class is resorting to policies of economic nationalism and trade war, particularly the American ruling class. Such measures not only offer no way out of the economic blind alley, they fuel geopolitical conflicts that threaten world war. Above all, there is the growth of social inequality, mass discontent and, increasingly, open class struggle. The ruling class is casting about for some means of stopping the inevitable tide of eventswhether through internet censorship, ever more nakedly directed at social opposition, or by means of repression and violence, including the promotion of fascistic and extreme nationalist movements. The frenzied drive to rearm and prepare for wider wars is, moreover, driven in large measure by the desire to direct internal social tensions outward. A year that has seen significant expressions of working-class struggle throughout the world is coming to a conclusion with the yellow vest protests in France, a strike by a hundred thousand tea plantation workers in Sri Lanka, a mass demonstration of tens of thousands of teachers in Los Angeles, California and other expressions of social anger. The struggles by workers are developing in opposition to the existing political parties and the trade unions. Such was the case in France, where the yellow vest protests developed through social media and outside of the control of the unions. In Sri Lanka, workers greeted the Ceylon Workers Congresss back to work order last week with protests and the continuation of the strike before it was finally shut down on Friday. For the working class, the critical question is to develop its own organizations of struggle and political leadership. It cannot allow itself to be channeled behind any faction of the ruling class. It must take political power into its own hands. Important advances were made over the past week, with the establishment of a steering committee of rank-and-file committees of autoworkers and other sections of the working class in the United States, and the establishment of an action committee to coordinate and organize the struggles of Sri Lankan plantation workers. In both cases, the emergence of independent organizations of working-class struggle developed under the leadership of the International Committee of the Fourth International and its national sections, the Socialist Equality Parties. In founding the Fourth International, Trotsky concluded from the conditions and political experiences of the preceding period that the historical crisis of mankind is reduced to the crisis of revolutionary leadership. So it is today. In response to the global crisis of capitalist rule, the working class must advance its own strategy of world socialist revolution. The leadership of this world movement is the International Committee of the Fourth International. The recent indefinite strike by tens of thousands of Sri Lankan plantation workers holds vital political lessons for the working class internationally. Workers in the tea and rubber estates of Sri Lanka are one of the most oppressed layers of the islands working class. A groundswell of hostility and opposition compelled the main trade union, the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), to call strike action from December 4 to demand a doubling of the daily wage from 500 to 1,000 rupees, or just $US5.60. The strike by plantation workers in Sri Lanka is part of an accelerating resurgence of the class struggle on the island, in South Asia and internationally. As plantation workers were holding protests in the estate areas of central Sri Lanka, the yellow vest protests were taking place in the streets of Paris and other cities against the fuel tax and declining living standards. In India, autoworkers have recently taken strike action in Tamil Nadu. In Canada and the US, following widespread strikes by teachers earlier this year, there is an increasingly militant mood among autoworkers after GM announced the plant closures and the destruction of nearly 15,000 jobs. This rapidly developing upsurge of workers internationally is a striking confirmation of the analysis made by International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) at the very beginning of the year which anticipated such a movement. As has so often been the case in the twentieth century, events on the small island of Sri Lanka off the southern tip of India are proving once again to be a harbinger of economic, political and social processes taking place around the world. The political lessons from the strike by plantation workers are directly relevant to the struggles of workers internationally. As in France and the US, the Sri Lankan plantation struggle emerged in a rebellion against the trade unions. The CWC only called the strike because it faced the prospect of wild cat strikes by workers who simply cannot survive on the current wages. When the remaining unionsthe National Union of Workers (NUW), Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) and the Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF)opposed the strike, their members ignored the directives and stopped work anyway. The CWC had not the slightest intention of prosecuting a militant political and industrial struggle against the plantation companies, which were adamantly opposed to any concessions to workers, or the government. Time and again the CWC has acted as an industrial police force against workers, echoing the cry of these highly profitable corporations that they cannot afford a pay rise as the Sri Lankan tea industry must be internationally competitive. Members of the Abbotsleigh Estate action committee voting to hold a meeting The widespread distrust and contempt among plantation workers towards the unions has been building for decades following one betrayal after another. However, in the midst of the strike, workers at the Abbotsleigh Estate in Hatton took a bold new step and formed an action committee independent of the unions, under the political guidance of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), the Sri Lankan section of the ICFI. On December 7, Abbotsleigh workers staged their own protest and marched for three hours to the town of Hatton. They chanted slogans and carried placards calling for a 40,000-rupee monthly wage, not daily wages, and called on their fellow workers to also build independent action committees. The marchers also turned to the working class internationally, declaring: Immediately release Maruti-Suzuki workers imprisoned in India! and Support General Motors workers fighting against plant closures! Their calls to fight for a workers and peasants government and socialist policies stood in direct opposition to the CWC and other plantation unions, which are tied to the two major capitalist parties on the islandthe United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The plantation strike took place amid an immense political crisis of rule in Colombo after President Sirisena unconstitutionally sacked UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and installed former President Mahinda Rajapakse from the SLFP as prime minister. Fear of the mounting movement of the working class on the island was a significant factor in the reappointment of Wickremesinghe yesterday after weeks of bitter factional disputes further discredited the threadbare facade of parliamentary democracy (see: Sri Lankan president reinstates sacked prime minister). The same fear drove the CWC to call off the strike on December 12, after closed door talks with President Maithripala Sirisena and a vague promise that he would resolve the wage dispute. This abject and cynical betrayal provoked an eruption of angry protests throughout the plantation districts. After two days, workers returned to work, under protest, but nevertheless the strike was over. What was lacking was not the determination to fight, which plantation workers had demonstrated in abundance, but the organisational means to prosecute the struggle, and above all, a political perspective with which to fight the lies and subterfuges of the trade unions and ruling class parties, and the capitalist system that they all defend. In other words, workers have to take up a revolutionary struggle on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program. There is no other way to defend even the most basic necessities of life. All that the plantation workers were demanding was $5.60 a day. That is the political significance of the turn by the Abbotsleigh workers to the SEP and the formation of an independent action committee. In the midst of the plantation strike, auto workers in the US attended an emergency meeting in Detroit on December 9 called by the WSWS Autoworkers Newsletter and the US SEP. They resolved unanimously to form rank-and-file factory committees, independent of the unions, as well as a broader steering committee, to fight against plant closures, layoffs and other attacks on the working class. Both developments signal that workers are beginning to turn to revolutionary politics and forms of organisation and to a socialist and internationalist perspective. These important initiatives must be developed and expanded in Sri Lanka, the US and around the world, including in France where the Parti de legalite socialiste (PES), the French section of the ICFI, is calling on yellow vest protesters to form committees of action in the working class. At the Detroit meeting, an auto 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 was an emphatic Yes. The question and the answer highlight the critical role of revolutionary leadership and the urgent necessity of developing the World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International in every country to unify the emerging struggles of the working class. The response of the ruling class to the deepening crisis of capitalism is trade and war, crushing austerity measures and a turn to dictatorial forms of rule. The reply of the international working class must be to intensify the fight for a socialist alternative. We urge workers to join and build the ICFI, both its existing sections and new sections elsewhere, as the necessary leadership to lead this struggle. A detailed report released by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) documents the severe levels of mental health degradation among refugees on the small island nation of Nauru, which hosts one of Australias offshore asylum-seeker prison camps. MSF provided mental healthcare on Nauru for 11 months, from November 2017 to October 2018, before being given just 24 hours notice to pack up and leave, despite hundreds of patients requiring ongoing care. The report stated that the data collected shows that the mental health suffering on Nauru is among the worst MSF has ever seen, including in projects providing care for victims of torture. Throughout their 11 months on Nauru, MSF staff faced hostility and obstruction from Nauru government officials, despite a memorandum of understanding signed between MSF and the health minister. MSF staff were forced to leave hospitals in the middle of treating patients, not always allowed into asylum-seekers accommodation, and banned from the prison facilities themselves. They also experienced long visa delays and other organisations were directed not to refer refugees to MSF for mental health services. Despite these obstructions, the MSF report is a damning indictment of Australias bipartisan border protection regime, in which all asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat are either turned away by naval vessels or indefinitely detained. MSF provided care for 285 patients, of which 73 percent were asylum seekers or refugees, and 22 percent were Nauruan nationals. The remaining 5 percent were foreign workers or had unknown status. The patients ranged from under 1 to 74 years of age, with 19 percent of patients under the age of 18. The mental health conditions of the patients were assessed via the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale, which measures the impact the patients mental health has on their daily life. With 1 the most serious rating and 100 the best, scores below 70 are considered unhealthy. For the Nauruan patients their GAF score was 35, reflecting high rates of untreated psychosis on the island, as Nauru has no acute mental health treatment services. For asylum seekers and refugees, their median score was 40. Among the asylum seekers, 60 percent (124 patients) had suicidal thoughts, and 30 percent (63 patients) had attempted suicide. Children as young as 9 were found to have suicidal thoughts, committed acts of self-harm or attempted suicide, the report stated. Nearly two-thirds, 62 percent, of the refugee and asylum seeker patients were diagnosed with moderate to severe depression. Among them, 25 percent had anxiety disorder, 18 percent suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and 6 percent, or 12 patients, were diagnosed with resignation syndrome. This is a rare condition, produced by forms of extreme depression, which can lead a victim into a catatonic state. The report quoted psychiatrist Professor Louise Newmans description of the condition: This comatose state appears to be a state of hibernation in response to an intolerable reality. They are unresponsive, even to pain. They appear floppy, without normal reflexes, and require total care, including feeding and intravenous fluids, as otherwise they risk kidney failure and death from complications caused by immobility, malnutrition and dehydration. This is a life-threatening condition needing high-level medical care. Australias anti-refugee border protection regime maintains a deterrence policy, which involves creating conditions so harsh that no asylum seekers will attempt to reach Australia. In practice, this means the psychological and physical torturing of families. One cruel practice is the family separation policy, started in late 2016, in which detainees requiring urgent medical evacuation to Australia are transferred alone or with a single family member. MSFs data shows that those subjected to this inhuman policy are 40 percent more likely to have suicidal thoughts and/or have attempted suicide. One of the most distressing outcomes of this policy of indefinite trapping of refugees on Nauru is that of family separation, Dr Christine Rufener reported. Our mental health team has worked with multiple fathers who have been separated from their wives and children for months or for years. Fathers told us: I wasnt there to support my wife during her pregnancy or childbirth; I wasnt there when my baby took his first breath. MSF concluded that the alarming level of mental health distress is related to Australias offshore processing policy. Indefinite detention itself was a major contributing factor65 percent of asylum seeker patients told MSF they felt they had no control over the events in their lives. These patients had a significantly higher chance of being suicidal or being diagnosed with major psychiatric conditions. Dr Beth OConnor, an MSF psychiatrist, said: Patients spoke about the injustice of their situation. Most people have been recognised as refugees, yet while they have been told there are processes to resettlement, the criteria are unclear. People try to learn the rules of the system, but the rules keep changing. They realise it is impossible to help themselves. MSF reported that 55 percent of the Nauruan nationals it treated showed signs of recovery once their psychosis was addressed and they were placed on appropriate medication. By contrast, only 11 percent of asylum seeker and refugee patients improved, 69 percent deteriorated, and 20 percent remained stable. The report stated: This suggests that while MSF could stabilise some these patients, without a change to their living conditions and asylum situation, significant clinical progress was unlikely. Farhad, a man imprisoned on Nauru, told MSF: If I was in my home country, the government wants to kill me straight away. I tried to come to Australia and the government kills me a little by little, step by step. They tormented me a lot over five years on Nauru because I have no future in my life. The criminal and inhumane treatment of refugees and asylum seekers is the direct responsibility of not just the current Liberal-National Coalition government. The previous Labor government, which was kept in office by the Greens, reopened the Nauru camp, and another on Papua New Guineas Manus Island, in 2012. Written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron Roma is written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, 2001, Children of Men, 2006, and Gravity, 2013). Shot entirely in Mexico City, in black and white, the work is a journey back in time and memory to Cuarons childhood in the citys Roma neighborhood (he was born in 1961) and dedicated to Cuarons own childhood nanny. The central character is Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a domestic servant in an upper middle-class household. The film takes place between autumn 1970 and mid-summer 1971, bracketing the unmarried Cleos unwanted pregnancy. Roma is a sensitive portrait of a family breaking apart within the broader context of a social crisis. It follows Cleo, a Mixtec Indian, as she performs her daily chores, which include caring for the familys four children. Roma The film is truly an important work of art. Cuaron has managed in the form of a filmed essaya poem about a difficult period in a familys life and in Cleosto provide viewers a portrait of human strength and dignity. He has done so without sentimentality, excessive romanticism or hero worship. What is especially unusual in our day, the writer-director (who also photographed and co-produced the work) chooses to concentrate on the more painful and moving fate of the working class figure, Cleo, and not on the problems of the various family members, whose own conditions, of course, are worth examining. In an early scene, Cleo washes the familys clothing on the roof while two of the children play around her. As the camera pans, one sees other women, on other roofseach working in the same matter of fact manner. At the same time, one senses something unique about Cleo in this scene: she pauses in her work to participate in the fantasy life of the youngest child, an emotional give-and-take echoed in a dramatic episode toward the end of the film. In another of Romas memorable sequences, Cleo takes a city bus to the outskirts of the city. The scene in the shanty-town, composed of cardboard and tin shacks built around a muddy field, provides a picture of the life of peasant migrants who have been expelled from the countryside by the suspension and reversal of Mexicos pre-war land reform and the resulting rural misery. The wretched surroundings in this marginalized township contrast with the vibrancy and creativity of its inhabitants. As Cleo walks to her destination, the township is being bombarded with political propaganda from an open-air loudspeaker, cynically praising the benefits that President Luis Echeverria is bestowing on the community. Interior Minister under the previous president, Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, Echeverria directed the infamous 1968 Tlatelolco student massacre in which 300 to 400 students were murdered. Paramilitary training in Roma An unknown number of students, workers and peasants died in the so-called Dirty War conducted by the Mexican authorities in the 1960s and 1970s against political opposition. In addition to those killed in the numerous massacres, 1,200 people disappeared, according to conservative estimates. Mexican human rights groups have collected evidence of some 650 cases of civilians who disappeared in the state of Guerrero in south-western Mexico alone, more than 400 of them from the village of Atoyac de Alvarez. The survivors of detention tell horrible stories of torture and suffering. Other images in Roma, the shadows of men in paramilitary training, children in a field, the arid Mexican landscape and the militaristic parade of a high school marching band passing through Roma, are nodal moments in the story and effectively direct viewers attentions to the underlying drama and tensions. In regard to the history Roma treats, by 1970, Mexico had reached the end of its boom and was entering a long period of economic and social decomposition, from which it has yet to recover. The phenomenon of the urbanization and proletarianization of peasants, from the villages and fields to the slums, throughout the postwar era, took place across Latin America and led to the formation of a series of megacities, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and others, creating, among other things, the army of exploited domestic servants, service workers, street vendors and street entertainers like those depicted in the film. Between 1950 and 1960 there was an explosive growth in Mexico of landholdings of over 1000 hectares (2500 acres), and an equally volatile growth of very small farms of less than 5 hectares (12 acres)fifty percent of peasants were left landless. In the film, Adela (Nancy Garcia), a fellow servant, whispers to Cleo that the government took your mothers land. These changes did not take place without mass peasant resistance. Of course, individual responses to social processes will differ widely. But if the character is intended to represent wider layers, to be typical, it may be somewhat misleading that Cuaron depicts Cleo as merely submissive and hard-working, the first to get up in the morning, the last to go to sleep at night. She is someone who knows her place in the home and does not need to be told twice about things. Thankful that her boss, Sofia (Marina de Tavira), does not sack her for being pregnant, Cleo continues to do all the work expected of her: climbing the many steps to the roof to wash laundry by hand, mopping the floors, serving meals, etc. Her tasks also include waking the familys children, with whom she bonds, and getting them ready for school. She is particularly fond of the youngest. Shantytown in Roma There is a suggestion, as the film evolves, of a special link between the women of the householdSofia, struggling with a loveless marriage, her widowed mother and the two female servants. A drunken, unhappy Sofia tells Cleo at one point that we women are always alone. In any case, the lines of authority are clearly established. Cleo never complains, never has to be told to do something twice, and never talks back, even when yelled at unjustly. The strongest emotional connection Cleo has to the household is through the children. As it turns out, her extreme devotion to them eventually forces her to go way beyond the call of duty. Another element in the film is the baleful influence of the United States. Cuaron offers a cultural critique, depicting Yankees or those Mexicans who imitate them as gun-happy landowners, whiskey drinkers, philanderers and butchers of animals. In one scene, the physical training of a murderous paramilitary squad, collectively known as Los Halcones (The Hawks), is shown being overseen by a US (i.e., CIA) official. Corpus Christi Day massacre On June 10, 1971, Corpus Christi Day in the Catholic calendar, hundreds of university students protested in Mexico City, demanding political freedoms and democratic rights for workers and peasants, an end to repression of labor struggles and an educational system oriented toward the elevation of the cultural level of workers and peasants. The demonstrators were corralled by the military, while the halcones brutally assaulted them. About 120 students were murdered. Wounded students who attempted to hide were attacked and killed, even in hospital emergency rooms. The Corpus Christi Day massacre is also known as El Halconazo (The Hawk Strike). To this day, no one in the Mexican establishment has been prosecuted for this horrendous crime. To his great credit, Cuaron dramatizes that horrific event. Cleo and Sofias mother, out shopping for a crib, witness the Corpus Christi bloodshed first hand and are deeply frightened. In a powerful and moving moment, a student, cradling her dying comrade and crying out for help, demands to know why this is happening. Cleo has a personal connection to one of the brutal killers. She goes into labor. The students question demands an answer. To assess the impact of Roma on young people, the Mexican webpage Reporte Indigo spoke to high school students who had just seen the film. Yalitza Aparicio and Marco Graf in Roma Referring specifically to the scene of the halconazo, 18-year-old Abigail Ardavin declared: Normally our generation finds it difficult to imagine what happened in the past; its like we cannot weave things together. When one sees how life was then, one can begin to assess what has happened to our society. There are parts that make you tremble. I think I liked the story. I am still processing the historyRoma is great, great history, added Jair Nieto. The significance of directing the attention of young people in particular to important historical events, as Cuaron has done, can hardly be overestimated. Though the two films are very differentproducts of distinct times and circumstancesCuarons approach and the films name brought to this reviewers mind another Roma, Italian director Roberto Rossellinis Rome, Open City (Roma citta aperta, 1945). Inseparable from the historical events that surround both films is the not so small change of human relationships. The use of non-professional actors gives both films a semi-documentary character. Finally, it must not be lost on the viewer that Roma, spelled backwards is Amor, the Spanish word for love. The real heroine of this film, Libo, was Cuarons live-in nanny, to whose memory the film is dedicated. Roma has been highly praised and forecast to win an Academy Award in 2019. It is polished in its photography and sound and the skill of its performers. Cuaron is a justly celebrated director. It is worth noting that the filmmaker once explained that My biggest source of inspiration was my uncle Alfonso Quiroz Cuaron, a world-known criminologist. He found [Leon] Trotskys assassin, introduced me to people like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and constantly advised me to work with topics that were personal, framing them in a sociopolitical context. Yalitza Aparicio in Roma However, the impact of the often tragic events in Mexico and throughout Latin America in the 1960s and 1970s, when Cuaron was growing up, no doubt weigh on the director. Roma is picturesque, but its long takes in which events unfold before the often unmoving camera suggest a certain passive and fatalistic view of things. It would seem reasonable to suggest that this view is bound up with the representation of Cleos unquestioning loyalty and that of all the servants depicted in the movie (no other section of the working class appears). In that sense, the overall vision that Cuaron presents is at odds with the spirit of rebellion and resistance of Mexican workers and peasants throughout history, in the 1970s and today. The 1950s and 1960s in Mexico were years of intense class struggle, involving miners, railroad workers, teachers and other key layers of the working class. These struggles, which only intensified in the 1970s, surely would have had a profound impact on those who lived through them. Unfortunately, Roma leaves out that part of the story. Romas theatrical release was limited to a few theaters in the US. It became available on December 14 on Netflix. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena swore in Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister yesterday, after having unconstitutionally sacked him seven weeks ago in what amounted to a political coup. The decision is a major setback for Sirisena who had repeatedly insisted that he could not work with Wickremesinghe and would never reappoint him. Contrary to the claims of the Colombo media, the decision to reinstate Wickremesinghe will not end the political crisis but is just a temporary pause in the ongoing conflict within Sri Lankas ruling elite. After removing Wickremesinghe on October 26, Sirisena appointed former president Mahinda Rajapakse as prime minister and then swore in a new cabinet, declaring it to be the government. The decision brought to the surface a bitter war between two factions of the ruling eliteone headed by Sirisena and Rajapakse, and the other by Wickremesinghe. After sacking Wickremesinghe, Sirisena prorogued parliament until November 14 to enable Rajapakse to secure a parliamentary majority via bullying and bribery. When Rajapakse failed to get the numbers, Sirisena dissolved the parliament and called a new general election. Sirisenas anti-democratic manoeuvre was temporarily halted by the Supreme Court in response to petitions from Wickremesinghes United National Party (UNP) and its allies, which included the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). Sirisena ignored two consecutive parliamentary no-confidence motions passed against Rajapakse. However, on December 3, a Colombo appeal court issued a temporary restraining order against Rajapakse and his cabinet from exercising ministerial powers, effectively leaving the country without a functioning government. Yesterdays swearing-in of Wickremesinghe followed a final ruling by the Supreme Court on December 13 that the presidents dissolution of parliament was unconstitutional. The next day, another Supreme Court bench refused to stay the appeal court restraining order against Rajapakse and his cabinet. It postponed a hearing of that case until mid-January. Sirisena made various face-saving remarks about his reinstatement of Wickremesinghe, claiming that he had done so as a leader who respects the parliamentary traditions and democracy. All his actions, including the dissolution of the parliament, he continued, were in response to the advice of law experts and based on good intentions. Responding to impeachment threats made by some UNP parliamentarians, Sirisena said that he was not afraid to go to jail. However, UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa has ruled out impeachment and said that the party would collectively work with him. Cynically posturing as a saviour of democracy, Wickremesinghe yesterday thanked those who stood firm in defending the constitution and ensuring the triumph of democracy. The first objective, he added, was to return Sri Lanka to normalcy and restart the developmental process. Wickremesinghe is expected to select a new cabinet today and present his list to the president. The UNP-led United National Front (UNF), however, has only 103 MPs, and requires another 10 MPs for a majority. According to press reports, Wickremesinghe is manoeuvring behind the scenes to declare a national government with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and to expand the cabinet. Constitutionally, a one-party government is entitled to appoint a 30-member cabinet. The UNP is also seeking support from members of Sirisenas Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Wickremesinghes democratic posturing is as bogus as Sirisenas claims that his actions over the last two months were to save the country and democracy. Sirisenas about-face is in response to international pressure, particularly from the US and its European allies, and India, which have demanded the reinstatement of Wickremesinghe, and fears about the growing upsurge of strikes and protests. Washingtons main concern was that the appointment of Rajapakse as prime minister would undermine the military and political relations built during the past three years under the so-called unity government of Sirisena and Wickremesinghe. Sirisena came to power in 2015 as part of a regime-change operation orchestrated by Washington which opposed Rajapakses close relations with Beijing. Sirisena, assisted by Wickremesinghe, denounced Rajapakse as dictatorial and ousted him as president in the 2015 election. Wickremesinghe was installed as prime minister. Sirisena and Wickremesinghe quickly brought Sri Lankan foreign policy into line with the intensifying US-led confrontation against China. The new Sri Lankan unity government also began imposing austerity measures, as dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in exchange for a bailout loan. From the outset, Washington responded to the bitter factional war in Colombo by backing Wickremesinghe and declaring that it should be resolved through the parliamentary process. Rajapakse sent his party leaders to meet with Western diplomats in Colombo in a futile attempt to secure their support. Sirisena also came under international economic pressure. The IMF withheld final instalments of its loan until the political uncertainty was resolved; the US postponed its Millennium aid program; and Japan announced that it was delaying its aid and investment projects. Writing recently in the Colombo-based Daily Mirror, Robert Blake, the former US ambassador to Sri Lanka, made Washingtons hostility to Rajapakse explicit. He should step down as prime minister, Blake declared, in order to resolve the current political impasse and position Sri Lanka to be a leader and winner as the new Indo-Pacific great game unfolds. Translated into plain English, the so-called Indo-Pacific great game is Washingtons efforts to subjugate China through all means including diplomatic, economic and military. The end result will be a catastrophic military confrontation between nuclear armed powers. The Sri Lankan ruling class is also terrified that the continuing political standoff would paralyse government functions, including a new budget, and accelerate the upsurge of strikes and protests by the working class, rural poor and youth in recent months against the governments attacks on social and democratic rights. This hostility was also reflected in local elections in February in which Sirisenas SLFP and Wickremesinghes UNP suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of Rajapakses Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). Sirisena attempted to distance himself from Wickremesinghe, blaming him for the unity governments attacks on social and democratic rights. The demagogic posturing by Sirisena and Rajapakse, on one side, and Wickremesinghe, on the other, as defenders of democracy is completely bogus. Both factions have long histories of brutal autocratic rule. Their bitter clashes are over how best to prop up capitalist rule and suppress the emerging mass opposition in the working class. Now reappointed as prime minister, Wickremesinghe will use the economic crisis created by the factional infighting to intensify the attacks on the social and democratic rights of the masses. Nothing, however, has been resolved. On Saturday, Rajapakse officially announced his resignation as prime minister and attacked the Supreme Court rulings for failing to support a general election. We are now engaged in a direct confrontation with a group of political parties that have continuously engaged in various subterfuges to avoid facing elections. We will bring the forces opposed to the country down to their knees by engaging the people, he warned. Rajapakse also made clear that he would intensify his campaign of anti-Tamil communalism. He lashed out against the UNP, which, he declared has been taken hostage by the TNA [Tamil National Alliance] and had to adhere to the diktat of the TNA. The TNA had sided with Wickremesinghe against Sirisenas unconstitutional moves. The political crisis which erupted in October exposed the reactionary nature of every faction of the Sri Lankan bourgeoisie. Behind the empty rhetoric about defending democracy is the fear of the ruling elites of mass struggles by the working class. The political dangers now facing workers and the poor have not decreased, but have intensified. The working class cannot stand on the sidelines and allow the ruling elite to resolve its economic and political problems. Workers must mobilise and intervene as an independent political force for its own class interests based on the perspective of socialist internationalism. Workers in every estate, workplace and neighbourhood should follow the example set by Abbotsleigh plantation workers in establishing an action committee, independent of the trade unions, and turning to the Socialist Equality Party (SEP). What is necessary is a unified political struggle for a workers and peasants government to implement socialist politics. Above all, we urge workers and youth to join and build the SEP and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) as the revolutionary leadership needed to take forward this struggle. Fifteen UK anti-deportation activists, accused of terrorism offences for preventing the departure of an immigration removal charter flight from London Stansted Airport, have been found guilty. Following a nine-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, the jury found the Stansted 15 in contravention of the rarely used 1990 Aviation and Maritime Security Act, by endangering safety at an airport. The defendants, who are preparing to appeal the verdict, face potential life prison sentences and await sentencing in February. This is a blatant act of class justice aimed at severely curtailing the democratic right to protest. Over 1,300 people protested outside the Home Office in London following the perverse judgement. On the night of March 28, 2017, the activists, belonging to the campaign group End Deportations, breached the perimeter fence at Stansted airport, locked themselves around a government-chartered Boeing 767, and prevented take-off. On board were 57 undocumented migrants from detention centres awaiting forced removal to Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. To return the migrants, some of whom faced torture or death, would have been a flagrant denial of their human rights. Before the police arrived, the campaigners were able to proclaim on banners their message that mass deportations kill and no one is illegal. The airport runway was closed for an hour and 20 minutes, during which time 19 flights were diverted. It took a removal team 10 hours to extricate the protesters one by one from the body of the plane. Though shocked at the verdict, the Stansted 15 remain defiant. Speaking to the Guardian, defendant Benjamin Smoke said, We were charged with endangering life but we took the actions at Stansted to try to protect life As a result of what we did 11 people who were on that flight are still in the UK appealing against their removals. Co-defendant Melanie Strickland condemned both the draconian legislation and government immigration policy. To be found guilty of a terror-related charge for a peaceful protest is devastating for us, and profoundly disturbing for democracy in this country, she said. Its the Home Offices brutal, secretive and barely legal practice of mass deportation flights that is putting people in danger, and their hostile environment policy that is hurting vulnerable people from our communities. Its the Home Office that should have been in the dock, not us. One man, who was on the plane to be deported but who has since been granted the right to remain, described his rescuers as 15 brave people heroes not criminals The Stansted 15 were trying to prevent the real crime being committed. Now that the trial has ended it can be reported that barristers for the defence argued, without the presence of the jury, that the jury should be discharged. Their grounds were that Justice Christopher Morgan in his summing up had directed them to convict. Before instructing them to deliberate, Morgan told the jury to discount the reasons the defendants gave for their actions on the evening of March 28alleged abuse of human rights, immigration policy, consideration of proportionalitywhich he said did not have any relevance. The defendants cited an example of one female detainee who feared she would be murdered by her abusive husband. Two were victims of human trafficking. Some feared torture and even death if they were returned. Morgan nevertheless instructed the jury that the argument of necessity, when defendants break the law for the purpose of preventing greater harm, was inadmissible. It is unprecedented to charge peaceful protesters under an act, brought in after the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, which is designed ostensibly to deal with terrorism. Raj Chada of Hodge Jones and Allen, who defended the Stansted 15, told the Independent that his firm had been the defence in a similar case at Heathrow airport, but a different law was applied. In his opinion to use anti-terror legislation against a peaceful protest was an abuse of power by the attorney general and Crown Prosecution Service. During the trial, Tony Badenoch QC, for the prosecution, sought to prove the defendants had gravely compromised safety at the airport. This is clearly nonsense. It was the migrants who were in danger. The peaceful protest of the Stansted 15 was to prevent the migrants on the tarmac being returned to horrifically unsafe conditions. Every year tens of thousands flee war and impoverishmenta product of European Union and International Monetary Fund austerity policies and illegal military interventions by the Western imperialist powersonly to find impassable national borders and the right to asylum all but non-existent. They are treated as criminals and thrown into virtual concentration camps, in both Europe and America. Corporate Watch, a not-for-profit co-operative providing critical information on the social and environmental impacts of corporations and capitalism, revealed that each month ghost flights take off from UK soil, forcibly removing migrants seeking asylum. This crime, which has been going on for years, is committed away from public sight and beyond the bounds of freedom of information requests. In July 2013, to expedite this practice, Corporate Watch notes, the Home Office set up a central unit called the National Removals Command within the Immigration Enforcement division in charge of arranging detention and deportation of illegals, as well as running the Assisted Voluntary Return scheme. Among its many victims are an unknown number of the Windrush generation, who have been deported without redress. Coming to the UK as children with their parents from the Commonwealth in the 1960s and 1970s, granted leave to remain by the 1971 Immigration Act but given no paperwork, they found themselves without proof of their right to residence required by subsequent legislation. Human rights groups Amnesty International and Liberty condemned the trial and verdict against the Stansted 15 as an attack on democratic rights. Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said, This is a crushing blow for human rights in the UK Its deeply disturbing that peaceful protesters, who caused disruption but at no time caused harm to anyone, should now be facing a possible lengthy prison sentence. This whole case will send a shiver down the spine of anyone who cares about the right to protest in our country. After the trial, the Guardian received a strongly worded letter from more than 300 concerned individuals and organisations calling for the fifteen to be spared prison. It is the UK governments brutal and unjust hostile environment which should be found guilty of endangering human lives, and not the peaceful efforts of fifteen people to keep them safer. Among the signatories are actor Emma Thompson, filmmakers Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, musicians Tom Morello, Roger Waters, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, hip-hop artists Lowkey and Akala, and writers Alice Walker and Phillip Pullman. Among the signatories were just 17 Labour Party Members of Parliament out of 257. Absent is the name of nominally left party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Only one trade union leader, Manual Cortes, signed. Like the Conservatives, Labour supports controls on immigration. Corbyns shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer touts a two-tier migration system, which divides migrants into highly skilled and low-and semi-skilled workers who should be restricted by sector-based quotas, negotiated between government, industry and trade unions. Corbyn has come out against freedom of movement, which he stated is not a principle. In relation to immigration, Labour will do what is best for the economy which means managed migration. The Socialist Equality Party (UK) demands that the Stansted 15 be exonerated of all crimes and released immediately for what was a courageous act of international solidarity. At its recently held Fourth Congress, the SEP declared its commitment to champion the rights of immigrant workers, above all the refugees made homeless by the social and economic devastation created by imperialist intervention in their countries. The SEP defends the right to free movement, not just for European citizens but for workers throughout the world Their defence is the cutting edge of the struggle to unite the working class across national boundaries in the struggle for socialism. The author recommends: Trial of Stansted 15 anti-deportation protesters begins in UK [10 October 2018] Tens of thousands of Los Angeles teachers and their supporters converged in a rally and march in downtown Los Angeles Saturday to demand better pay, smaller class sizes and increased funding for the 640,000 students in the second-largest school district in the United States. The demonstration, which involved up to 50,000 protesters, was the latest indication of the resumption of resistance by educators across the US who have been involved in the largest strike wave by teachers in decades. More than 33,000 teachers and health and human service professionals in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) have been working without a new contract since their old agreement expired in June 2017. Like state governments and school districts across the country, LAUSD officials claim there is no money to meet the teachers demands and have offered an insulting three percent annual pay increase to teachers who live in one of the most expensive metropolitan areas in America. Teachers voted by 98 percent in August to authorize the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) union to call the first city wide strike since 1989. The UTLA has defied the strike mandate and tied up educators in months of state-supervised mediation and fact-finding. Anger among rank-and-file teachers is boiling over, however, and the UTLA has been forced to say it would call a strike sometime next month if no settlement is reached. In addition to the teachers themselves, thousands of students, parents, retirees and other workers demonstrated at Saturdays March for Public Education. Many recognized the historically significant character of their fight, attending with children, friends and parents as well. While several of the teachers walkouts earlier this year, including West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, occurred in states led by Republican governors and state legislatures, the entire political establishment in Los Angeles and California is run by the Democratic Party. Like their Republican counterparts, state and local Democrats in California have starved the public schools of funding, diverted public resources to for-profit charter schools and used standardized testing and other punitive teacher evaluation schemes to scapegoat educators for the inevitable educational problems produced by defunding education and the growth of poverty and other social ills. Supporters of the World Socialist Web Site distributed a statement by the WSWS Teacher Newsletter, titled, Los Angeles teachers and the fight for social equality. Teachers spoke to the WSWS about years of budget cutting and underfunding, which have left Los Angeles schools in a deplorable state. Classrooms are regularly overcrowded with 40 to 50 students often assigned to a single teacher. Due to shortages of school nurses, medical personnel must rotate among five or more schools, leaving others uncovered for several days at a time. Music and art programs are largely nonexistent in all but the most well-off schools. The issues facing LA teachers are part of a national calamity that has been taking place over the last 30 to 40 years, Brett, a teacher with 13 years who currently teaches 6th grade at Orchard Arts and Media Academy in the City of Bell, told the WSWS. There has been a lack of public investment all across the board that really starts with education. The lack of respect for public education is glaring and tragic because it results in people suffering across this nation. We need to do more to support everyone because the inequality in our country, the gap between the rich and the poor, continues to widen. In the LAUSD only 40 percent of our students are obtaining passing test scores. This is because there is a lack of investment. The result is class sizes through the roof, and teachers who are getting demoralized. The corporate agenda is causing massive fissures throughout the country and its not healthy for the well-being of our society, Brett concluded. Tamara, a kindergarten teacher with more than 20 years experience, described the impact of the social crisis on her students. The demographics in LA have changed since I started working here. Today, students have far greater needs, mostly associated with increased trauma. At my site we only have a school nurse one to two times per week. My students are dealing with poverty, a scarcity of food and grocery stores near where they live. When they arrive at school, my job is far more than providing an education, but first and foremost taking care of their social and emotional needs. The meals they have at school are their only substantive meals throughout the day. Tamara went on to speak about the general crisis of public education. On a very basic level, theres more of an interest in money than in humans, she said. When I think of [LAUSD superintendent and former investment banker Austin] Beutner, I become enraged. Hes lived a life of privilege. How is someone who has never spent a day of his life in the classroom a superintendent? It all comes down to commerce and business, which are placed above our students needs. Rudy, a physical education and health teacher, spoke about the global struggle by educators and workers as a whole against austerity and social inequality. The struggle is not only nationwide. Its worldwide. Theyre trying to privatize everything. Thats why when things go wrong, they blame us. Even though they created the problems in the first place. Asked what he thought about the Yellow Vest protests in France and throughout Europe, Rudy said, Workers in France are in the same situation as American workers. The rich always try to control the funding and divert it to themselves. Several teachers at the Los Angeles demonstration wore yellow vests in solidarity with their class brothers and sisters in France. The school district, which is made up of Los Angeles and 31 surrounding cities and communities, has the highest number of homeless students of any district in the state. More than 17,250 LAUSD students were recorded as homeless at the start of the prior 2017-2018 academic year. That figure itself was a fifty percent increase over the previous year and was the highest number of homeless students in district history. Students and their families in the district have also been the victims of the crackdown and deportation of immigrants by Trump and the Obama administration before him. California has the highest number of undocumented immigrants in the US and Los Angeles teachers often find themselves instructing scores of students afraid that their parents and relatives could be arrested and deported at a moments notice. LAUSD, like school districts around the country and in the Southwestern US in particular, has noted marked increases in absenteeism, particularly after the Trump administration began its crackdown on immigrants in 2017. While teachers and their supporters expressed determination to fight, the union speakers at Saturdays rally did everything to promote illusions in the Democratic Party. UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl told teachers that hope was in the air not due to a mass movement from below but from a historic school funding initiative on the ballot in 2020. The Democratic Party-backed initiative is similar to measures in other states that would modestly increase corporate taxes, which were either ruled off the ballot based on bogus technicalities, or, if passed, did little to reverse decades of defunding public education. Caputo-Pearl also celebrated the recent elections of Democrats Gavin Newsom for governor and Tony Thurmond for state superintendent as advances for teachers. The UTLAs promotion of the Democrats exposes the antiworker character of the unions. California Democrats have used the governors office as well as regular supermajorities in the state legislature to impose savage austerity and cuts to public education. With a public-school system that was once one of the best funded in the country, the state now ranks 43rd in the nation in per-pupil spending. This is despite the fact that the state is home to 141 billionaires who are centered in Silicon Valley and Hollywood. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten also spoke at the rally, saying the national union would stand with LA teachers, just like we stood with teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona. Teachers should take such statements as a warning. Weingarten (salary $513,000) and her counterpart at the National Education Association, President Lilia Eskelsen Garcia (salary $414,000), are both part of the top one percent of income earners in the US and thoroughly hostile to a mass movement of teachers and other educators against endless austerity measures, which have fueled the stock market bubble. The AFT and NEA have spent the last year trying to prevent the outbreak of strikes and where they have broken out to sabotage and shut them down as quickly as possible before they could coalesce into a national strike of educators. The mass protests in Los Angeles, following on the footsteps of wildcat sickouts by Oakland teachers, demonstrated the growing determination of educators to fight. This is part of a broader movement of the working class throughout the US and internationally. To take this fight forward, however, teachers have to form rank-and-file committees in every school and community, independent of the unions, to link up the struggle of educators with far broader sections of the working class. The fight for living wages and full funding for public education is only possible if the working class conducts a frontal assault on the entrenched wealth and power of the corporate and financial oligarchy and both capitalist parties, the Democrats and Republicans. 25 years ago: Milosevic wins Serbian parliamentary election Milosevic The party of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic won parliamentary elections on December 19, 1993, the first popular vote to be held in Serbia after the break-up of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as the Stalinist-ruled country was known before the secession of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia. Milosevic headed the Socialist Party of Serbia, as the Stalinist party was known from 1990 on. He had been president of Serbia as a constituent republic of Yugoslavia from 1989, rising to power on the basis of appeals to Serbian nationalism, particularly in opposition to separatism in Kosovo, the largely Albanian-populated region that made up the southwest corner of Serbia under the Stalinist regime. In the vote, the first to be limited to Serbian-controlled territorySerbia, its two minority-populated enclaves, Kosovo and Vojvodina, and Montenegrothe Socialist Party of Serbia won 38.65 percent of the vote and 123 seats, just short of an absolute majority of the 250 seats in parliament. The remainder of the vote was divided among four opposition parties, all right-wing nationalist formations that basically supported Milosevic in his efforts to intervene in Bosnia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia to promote Serb nationalist interests. Milosevic formed a coalition government with New Democracy, a faction of the Democratic Movement of Serbia, which had placed second in the election. The Democratic Movement of Serbia, headed by Vuk Draskovic, received 16.6 percent of the vote and won 45 seats. The Serbian Radical Party of Vojislav Seselj, the most rabid nationalists, received 13.9 percent of the vote and won 39 seats. The Democratic Party won 11.6 percent of the vote and 29 seats, while a breakaway faction, the Democratic Party of Serbia, headed by Vojislav Kostunica, won only 5.1 percent of the vote and seven seats. All these party leaders would play prominent roles in Serbian and Yugoslav politics for the next two decades. Milosevic held power until 2000, after the US-NATO bombing of Serbia to force his government to pull out of Kosovo. He was narrowly defeated in the 2000 election by Kostunica, who had the backing of all the pro-imperialist opposition parties. Kostunica served one term as president, then two terms as prime minister until 2008. Draskovic became deputy prime minister under Milosevic during the 1999 crisis over Kosovo, and then foreign minister in cabinets headed by Kostunica. Seselj was also a deputy prime minister under Milosevic from 1998 to 2000, while remaining the leader of the most intransigent Serb nationalists. Like Milosevic, he was indicted by the Hague tribunal on war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, but he was acquitted in one trial, and then released after a subsequent conviction because he had already spent 11 years in prison awaiting trial. 50 years ago: Apollo 8 begins voyage to the moon Diagram shows the flight plan for Apollo 8 On December 21, 1968, the US Apollo 8 spacecraft lifted off from Cape Kennedy in Florida on a mission to become the first manned vehicle to circle the moon. It was the most ambitious mission attempted by NASA and cleared the way for a lunar landing in 1969. The three Apollo astronauts travelled 571,000 miles in six days, orbiting the moon 10 times before returning to earth. After coasting in Earth orbit for 1.75 revolutions, its third stage booster fired, accelerating the spacecraft to 24,227 mph, sending it on its way to the moon. This was at the time the fastest speed ever achieved by humans. Sixty-nine hours later the astronauts fired a retroburn on the space craft engine that slowed their speed to 3,643 mph. This maneuver placed them in an orbit beginning December 24 that brought them within 70 miles of the moons surface. The Apollo 8 astronauts transmitted live television footage of the lunar surface to earth. They also took photographs and conducted scientific experiments. The mission was timed so that the astronauts would be able to view the Sea of Tranquility in lunar sunrise, the time that would provide the best light for capturing images. It was only the second manned US space flight since late 1966. In October, Apollo 7 orbited the earth 163 times, the first manned Apollo flight. Two unmanned Apollo test flights were conducted earlier in the year. Manned flights were suspended following the flash fire that killed three Apollo astronauts on the launching pad in January 1967. Despite the tragedy, the US continued to pour billions into the manned space program. By achieving a successful moon landing, US imperialism hoped to score a Cold War propaganda victory by demonstrating the superiority of American technology over that of the USSR. The Soviet Union conducted one manned space flight in 1968. In October Soyuz 3 orbited the earth 64 times. During the trip it carried out a rendezvous with an unmanned Soyuz vehicle. It was the first manned Soviet flight since cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov died during reentry in April 1967. The Soviet Union sent several unmanned test vehicles to the moon in 1968. The most successful flight, Zond 5, flew within 1,212 miles of the moon before returning to earth, landing in the Indian Ocean. 75 years ago: Military coup in Bolivia Villarroel On December 20, 1943, Bolivian President Enrique Penarada was overthrown by a coup carried out by military officers under the leadership of Gualberto Villarroel and supported by the bourgeois nationalist Revolutionary Nationalist Movement. This was one of a series of violent coups that had rocked the nation since the mid-1930s. Bolivia had been thrown into turmoil by the Great Depression and the disastrous Chaco War which broke out in 1932. The conflict, fought against Paraguay for the disputed Chaco region, had ended in defeat for the Bolivians. Forced to cede the Chaco region, Bolivia suffered more than 50,000 casualties and was driven virtually bankrupt in the process. Such conditions had produced an upsurge of working class struggle particularly amongst its most oppressed section, the native population, largely Aymara and Quechua speaking. The Penarada regime, representing the interests of tin barons and US imperialism, was deeply despised by Bolivian workers. Mine workers were forced to labor in grueling conditions for wages which ranged from as little as 12.5 cents to 75 cents a day. Opposition by workers was met with savage repression, most infamously at the Catavi mine where hundreds of striking workers were shot down by the military. Such measures, however, proved incapable of stopping a working class movement lead in part by the Trotskyist Partido Obrero Revolucionario. The middle class Revolutionary Nationalist Movement and the officer clique which supported Villarroel had grown concerned with the instability of the Penarada regime and its inability to contain the growing working class movement. Rather than govern through repression alone, they sought to subordinate the working class through making demagogic promises to better working conditions and end the US imperialist domination of the country. Once in power, Villarroel would quickly align himself with US imperialist interests and alternate between brutally suppressing the opposition of the working class and offering them concessions. 100 years ago: Revolutionary sailors block all the exits of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin Leftist soldiers during the fighting in Berlin On December 23, 1918, German sailors of the Peoples Naval Division, who had been threatened with transfer and had had their pay withheld by the Social Democratic government, marched on the government headquarters in Berlin. After getting the runaround from various officials, they blocked the telephone exchange and cut the phone lines. The sailors also arrested and beat Berlins City Commander, Social Democrat Otto Wels, seized their pay and returned to their quarters. The nucleus of the revolutionary unit was formed by several hundred sailors who had reached Berlin from Kiel, the site of the initial outbreak of the German revolution in November. They were joined by several hundred sailors whose homes were in Berlin and 2,000 more who had been summoned by the Social Democrats in the early stages of the revolution. From the middle of December onwards, Wels had made clear his intention to disband the unit as part of the general effort of the ruling class to reestablish order in the city. The sailors were accused of being Spartacist, i.e., supporting the revolutionary tendency led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Their strength was to be reduced to 600 and their pay was withheld. In a battle the next day, which lasted from 7:45 a.m. until noon, revolutionary sailors and troops loyal to the German bourgeois government, now dominated by the right-wing Social Democrats, fought around the royal palace and stables, the Marstall, in Berlin. The sailors, supported by thousands of workers and ordinary people who flocked to the area, were able to defeat the soldiers and force their retreat. Via a secret telephone line, Reich President Friedrich Ebert, another Social Democrat, contacted the army high command and asked them to send troops loyal to the government. The army complied, setting the stage for the December 24 battle. The sailors victory demoralized Ebert, who threatened to flee Berlin, but it did not deliver a crushing blow to the counterrevolution. The army stepped up its plans to use the Freikorps, right-wing, volunteer forces, to put down the insurgent working class. AMORY, Miss. (WTVA) - Amory police arrested three men following an investigation into recent residential burglaries. The burglaries took place during recent months in Amory. Larry King, 48, of Amory, was arrested and charged with two counts of breaking and entering of a dwelling. He is currently out of jail on a $5,000 bond. Michael Gray, 46, of Amory, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering of a dwelling. He is out of jail on a $3,000 bond. Jonathan Thompson, 34, of Hamilton, Alabama, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering of a dwelling. He is out of jail on a $3,000 bond. Police are still looking for more suspects. TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - Tupelo police are seeking information about a weekend armed robbery. Police say the incident happened Saturday, Dec. 15, at approximately 6 p.m. at the Briar Ridge Wine and Spirits store located at 2025 Briar Ridge Road. MGN Online MGN Online They say a black man entered the store on two occasions. During the second entry, the man allegedly displayed a weapon and demanded money. The man is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 115 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans and a plaid bandana covering his face. Police say the man left the store in a maroon Nissan Maxima the first time he left. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi at 1-800-773-8477. BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping will attend a conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, scheduled for Tuesday morning in Beijing. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will deliver a speech at the conference, to be held at the Great Hall of the People at 10 a.m. on Dec. 18. The event will be broadcast live by China Media Group and on Xinhua News Agency's website (xinhuanet.com). The event will also be rebroadcast simultaneously on major news websites including people.com.cn, cctv.com and china.com.cn as well as on news apps run by the People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television. Kingdom Hearts 3 Comparison - Xbox One vs. Xbox One S vs. Xbox One X vs. PS4 vs. PS4 Pro The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed an agreement on a 200 million euro loan to support the further expansion of Budapests Liszt Ferenc International Airport, the European Commission said. The loan will allow Budapest Airport to continue investing in major infrastructural upgrades, increasing capacity at the airport to accommodate future demand growth. The EIB noted other significant projects such as a new cargo facility, a multi-storey car park and a range of projects aimed at ensuring continued high service level. The loan is backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the heart of the Investment plan for Europe (or Juncker plan). Liszt Ferenc International Airport serviced more than 13.1 million passengers last year, an increase of 14.5% from a year earlier. This growth trend has continued in 2018. The EIB also announced a 20 million euro loan for Hungarian technology company AImotive as part of the EFSI programme, for research and development of its innovative artificial intelligence-based systems for self-driving vehicles. Photo: bud.hu It is Veszprems bid for European Capital of Culture that is backed by the projects independent, international experts board, the decision was announced on Friday in Budapest. Veszprem mayor Gyula Porga and the team of Veszprem-Balaton 2023 wish to thank all who have helped in the preparation process over the past three years. Before the official announcement, Aiva Rozenberga, chair of the board declared: they have read and encountered a great number of excellent initiatives and progressive ideas in all three finalist candidate cities bids. She added: winning the title does not only have an effect on the one city, but on the country, and indeed, the whole continent. After the announcement she added: Veszprem has the potential to make a valuable addition to the European cultural heritage. After the moments of overwhelming joy, Gyula Porga, mayor of Veszprem said: In addition to several hundred civil organisations, business entrepreneurs and private people, gratitude is owed to the participating self-governments and experts for their work in developing the bid. He stressed: great emphasis has been placed in Veszprems bid on cooperation, and so, the city will work together with over two hundred settlements from the Balaton and Bakony regions to put the programmes of ECoC 2023 into reality. Execution of the bid programme will start in January 2019 to allow the city and the area to be fully prepared to carry the title by 2023. In 2023, one single city, Veszprem is going to be European Capital of Culture, and this fact makes winning the title truly exceptional. Source & photo: 2023veszprem.hu Miss Philippines, Catriona Gray, was crowned 2018 Miss Universe. Gray has over 1.2 million followers on Instagram and was expected to do well ahead of the event. She is famous for walking in slow motion, a trick that has been nicknamed the lava walk. During the fashion show elements of the program, Gray dazzled in the evening gown competition and sizzled in a swimsuit. But it takes more than looks to win the crown. Gray answered some tough questions, including a query about her thoughts on legalized marijuana. She said, Im for it being used in a medical use but not so for recreational use, because I think if people argue about what about alcohol and cigarettes, then everything is good in moderation. Palace: Catriona Grays triumph sets the bar high in empowering more Filipino women to believe in themselves and to fight for their own place in the universe #MissUniverse pic.twitter.com/oMJQU1bdY2 CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) December 17, 2018 Gray also discussed her work in low-income areas of the Philippines, saying she tries to find the beauty in desolate circumstances. When asked how she would act as Miss Universe, she said, I think if I could teach also people to be grateful we could have a great world where negative would not foster and children would have a smile on their face. According to CNN Philippines, Gray is the fourth Miss Philippines to be crowned Miss Universe. 2018 Miss Universe aired Sunday at 4 p.m. on Fox. Watch Don Lemon criticize Chris Cuomo for giving Kellyanne Conway a platform: 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. Authorities complete search on property of missing Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth's fiance originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Authorities completed digging on the Colorado property owned by Kelsey Berreth's fiance Sunday, the second day police searched for evidence of the missing mom at the home. The Woodland Park Police Department did not say whether anything was found on Patrick Frazee's property but confirmed that Berreth, who was last seen on Thanksgiving Day, has still not been located. On Saturday, police announced that an anonymous donor is offering $25,000 for information leading to the safe return of the new mom. She was last seen on surveillance video at a Safeway grocery store on Nov. 22 with her 1-year-old daughter. Frazee, told police he later saw Berreth to pick up their daughter. Berreth, 29, was reported missing on Dec. 2 by her mother, Cheryl. PHOTO: Authorities are now offering $25,000 for information that leads to the safe return of missing Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth. She was last seen on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018. (Woodland Park Police Department) Woodland Park police served Frazee with a search warrant on Friday to begin investigating his 35-acre property in the rural town of Florissant, Colorado, about 35 miles northwest of Colorado Springs. Frazee and Berreth do not live together. (MORE: Police search fiance's home amid Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth's 'suspicious' disappearance) While Frazee has not spoken to the media, he says he continues to cooperate with investigators. He has not been named a suspect or person of interest. "Patrick Frazee continues to cooperate with law enforcement in the missing person investigation of Kelsey Berreth," Frazee's attorney, Jeremy Loew, said in a statement Friday. "We understand that a search warrant was executed on Mr. Frazees property. Mr. Frazee was never asked to voluntarily participate in this search. We encourage law enforcement to take whatever steps it deems necessary to find Kelsey Berreth and to be able to exclude Patrick Frazee as a possible suspect in this missing person investigation." PHOTO: Authorities brought in an excavator to begin digging on the property of Patrick Frazee in Florissant, Colo., on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. Frazee's fiancee has been missing for 24 days. (Lacey Davis) A neighbor of Frazee sent ABC News photos of authorities bringing in an excavator to begin digging on the property at about 3 p.m. on Saturday. Authorities completed their search of the property late Saturday, according to Colorado Springs ABC affiliate KRDO. Story continues It is not clear whether they found anything at the home. (MORE: Friend of missing Colorado woman speaks out) The search warrant is sealed and authorities would not disclose what led them to investigate Frazee's home and land in the first place. Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said Friday that they still want to sit down with Frazee for an interview, but had yet to do so. ABC News' Clayton Sandell contributed to this report. Good Morning America Amy Schneider, the reigning "Jeopardy!" champion and a trans woman, shared an important message about what representation means to her and how tough the holiday season can be for the trans community. Schneider, a 10-day winner who has amassed $380,200 in prize money thus far, shared a Twitter thread on Friday about why she chose to wear a trans flag pin on the quiz show's Thanksgiving episode. Schneider said her reason for featuring the pin on that particular episode was because of how family-centric Thanksgiving is, acknowledging how the day -- and overall holiday season -- "can be hard for anybody who has been ostracized or otherwise cut off from their family." Trump Organization plots return to Dominican Republic, sparking ethics concerns originally appeared on abcnews.go.com When the Trump Organization left the Dominican Republic after the economy crashed ten years ago, their plans for dozens of luxury estates in a Trump-branded development appeared to leave with them. Buyers who staked millions on lots for their dream homes were left empty handed. The Trump team sued the developers, alleging fraud. And the billboards bearing the Trump name came down. Now, there are signs the Trump brand may be returning to the Dominican Republic, and that has critics sounding alarms about the potential conflicts of interest for the sitting president of the United States. The constitution is very clear, Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland on the foreign relations committee, told ABC News. We expect the President to avoid these types of conflicts. The first sign the Trumps might try again came 16 days after Donald Trump took the oath of office. His son Eric made a visit to the island on Feb. 5. 2017 to meet with the same developers he had once accused of textbook fraud. With the legal case settled, they had appeared to make peace. We are excited to be working with the Trump Organization in the future phases of the project, a press release from the local developers said at the time. The visit sparked months of rumors, but no details emerged about how or when the Trump Organization would make its formal return to the island, and the original property where Trump helped market luxury estates remained largely barren. PHOTO: Cap Cana developers Ricardo and Fernando Hazoury welcomed Eric Trump to the Dominican Republic in February 2017 and posted a photo on their website to mark the occasion. (capcana.com) But last month, the non-profit group Global Witness sent an undercover investigator to see if they could learn more. The group, which has a 25-year history of investigating corrupt regimes, human rights abuses, and money laundering, shared their findings exclusively with ABC News. That included undercover recordings that captured a sales agent at the Cap Cana resort describing a Trump-branded condominium development in the works for a new, beachfront location. Story continues Were going to have a new development with the Trump Organization of apartments and commercial areas, a saleswoman told a man she thought was a potential buyer who was actually a Global Witness investigator. That is still in the works With the Trump Organization, everything right now is on good terms. The saleswoman showed the investigator the beachfront location on a map of the sprawling Cap Cana resort community where she believed a Trump-branded project was slated to be built, and a man identifying himself as her boss confirmed it was in the works a new phase of the original deal between the Trumps and local developers. The Trump Organization calls the Global Witness report completely false, maintaining that it has no new development deals in the works and insists talks with the Dominican developers have been infrequent. In 2007, the company entered into a license agreement with a local developer for a multi-component real estate development project to be built over several years, said the company in a statement. Though there have been some discussions about starting the next phase of the development, there are no plans in place at this time. An executive at the Trump Organization told ABC News that the companys original 2007 agreement always envisioned their return to build a beachfront hotel and condominium project. This was all contemplated from day one, said the executive, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to discuss the deal publicly. PHOTO: A Cap Cana saleswoman shows an undercover investigator the resort area that may be the future home of a Trump-branded property. (Global Witness) The potential for conflicts of interest is a unique issue that confronted Trump even before he took office, as the first president in years who came into office with vast global business empire with many deals still in the works -- and without any agreement to place that business into a blind trust. His business is run by his adult children, but their successes and failures still have the potential to impact his personal wealth. Global Witness and other critics say any move by the Trump Organization to return to the island nation could represent a departure from the presidents promise to avoid undertaking fresh overseas developments during his term in office. It was a promise made nine days before Trump took the oath of office. He told a gathering of reporters I wont have any conflicts of interest before ceding the stage to his attorney, Sheri Dillon, who said Trump would insist on written approval from an ethics adviser for new deals, actions, and transactions that could potentially raise ethics or conflicts of interest concerns. President-elect Trump as well as Don [Trump Jr.], Eric [Trump]and [the companys chief financial officer] Allen [Weisselberg] are committed to ensuring that the activities of the Trump organization are beyond reproach and cannot be perceived to be exploitive of the office of the presidency, she said, adding: No new foreign deals will be made whatsoever during the duration of President Trumps Presidency. A Trump Organization official did not respond when asked if the firm had received any ethics guidance about renewed discussions about the Dominican development. Neither the Cap Cana developer, nor a New York lawyer who represented them in past matters, responded to calls and emails from ABC News seeking comment. PHOTO: In the decade since the failure of a Trump-branded Caribbean resort, nature has started to reclaimed some half-finished structures there. (ABC NEWS) According to investigators at Global Witness who said they have examined permitting and other records, ethics issues are present whether or not their return to the Dominican was pre-ordained by their 2007 agreement. New or old, Trumps business in the Dominican Republic poses a conflict of interest for him and for the American people, a new report from Global Witness said, as his business interests and the foreign policy interests of the U.S. may not always align. Cardin said the conflicts run both ways. If a foreign country wants to do a favor for the President by helping his business interests, they are expecting that will help them get favors here from the United States, he said. At the same time, it raises questions to everyone on whether decisions made by the President of the United States are based on what's in the best interest of the United States or the best interest of his business." There have been signs the Dominican Republic has sought to influence the Trump Administration in a range of areas. Just weeks after the inauguration and Eric Trumps visit to the Dominican Republic, the Dominican government hired a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm for the first time since 2007. According to Justice Department filings reviewed by ABC News, the office of the Dominican president signed a $1.2 million contract with lobbyist Brian Ballard, who had previously represented Trump, and has been described in Politico as closer to the president than perhaps any other lobbyist in town. The lobbyist pledged to advise, counsel, and assist, the Dominican president in communications with U.S. government officials. Other filings through the Foreign Agent Registration Act show Ballards office sharing updates with U.S. officials on a range issues with the U.S., including trade, alternative energy, as well as the countrys continued importance as a vacation destination for American tourists. Ballard did not respond to questions from ABC News. PHOTO: Ten years later, the lots once slated to be the site of Trump-branded luxury villas are still dirt and brush. (ABC NEWS) Eryn Schornick, an attorney with Global Witness, said she is concerned that the president may have a personal motivation to help the Dominican Republic with whatever dealings are going on between the two countries. He may be acting in his own accord and not on the interests of American people, she said. Right now, no federal ethics laws prevent the president from operating his business as he sees fit, but Cardin said he would like to see Congress take additional steps to address the potential for conflicts. That conflict is there, Cardin said. As we see in the Dominican Republic, they are doing additional business. So they have not even drawn the line at their current business enterprises. They are expanding them. Already, Democrats in Congress have indicated they plan to closely examine the presidents foreign dealings when they take control of the House of Representatives next month. ABC News' Cho Park and Aicha El Hammar contributed to this report. This report was featured in the Dec. 18, 2018, episode of ABC News' daily news podcast "Start Here." "Start Here" is the flagship daily news podcast from ABC News -- a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or the ABC News app. On Amazon Echo, ask Alexa to "Play 'Start Here'" or add the "Start Here" skill to your Flash Briefing. Follow @StartHereABC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for exclusive content, show updates and more. I'm an Immigrant. When I Spend Money on Makeup, I'm Paying to Feel Safe. Some women wear makeup to feel pretty or powerful or as form of self-expression. But as the daughter of undocumented immigrants, I wear it as a mask of protection. I grew up poor. Not broke, which isnt poor, and not bohemian poor, like a gentrifier living in the ghetto but able to afford nice clothes. Undocumented-child-of-undocumented-immigrants poor, which means that even as I worked to g degrees from Harvard and Yale, delivering the American Dream at my parents feet, my mother and father are in a perpetual, worsening state of poverty because they are aging out of manual labor in a country that is trying to expel them. Theyve paid their taxes for decades but havent been able to put a penny towards their retirement. They do not qualify for public benefits. That kind of poor. For my family poverty is like walking in a hurricane. I spend my money buying my parents umbrella after umbrella; each provides some relief, then breakscheap fixes, all of them. The rain has paused for now. But it will resume. In Spanish, we call that pause escampo. The rain has escampado. I have some discretionary income. Most of that goes towards my family, my reporting, or towards immigrants in my community who need it. It will not last forever. But about a year ago, a curious thing happened. I walked into a Sephora and realized I could buy whatever I wanted. I walked right out. That didnt feel right. Later I went back in to Sephora with my mother and I told her I would buy her whatever she wanted. That felt better. She has studied fashion magazines since she was a kid in Ecuador and had her wishlist: Nars Blush in Orgasm. YSL Touche Eclat Radiance Awakening Foundation. A tube of Rouge Dior lipstick in deep red. A bottle of Byredo "Rose Noir" Eau de Parfum that Sephora didnt have in stock. And on and on. Up until that point, she had owned drugstore products. My mother was emotional and cleared her dresser bureau to organize the new makeup. The Chanel shadows never left their velvet sleeves with their trademark hot-stamped logo. I think she used her fingers to smudge on the shimmers not to maximize pigment, but because she didnt want to stain the tiny applicators. The Byredo perfume would be spritzed twice (just twice) whenever she went to a graduation or a funeral. She never even removed the BeautyBlender from its plastic case to keep it clean. She kept purchasing drugstore bronzers so she wouldnt have to deplete the Bare Minerals one I got her, the same one I use. Its called A Little Sun and its golden brown with a slight red tint. I've never gone on a vacation, but I always liked the way white girls at Harvard looked in September after theyd spent weekends biking through the Cape. Story continues For my mother, a top shelf is a magical cloud of luxury, a delicious feel-good fantasy. My mother and I had disagreements about it. I could see that she rarely used her makeup, reserving it for special occasions or for church. Weeks passed, and she continued to venture into Manhattan barefaced. I panicked and pleaded with her to wear it whenever she encountered white people who determined her life or livelihood, like at work or at the doctors office. I asked her to wear a full face of makeup whenever I was not with her to serve as her interpreter, whenever my credit card could not communicate in a demented shorthand that we are human too. But she wouldnt listen. For my mother, a top shelf is a magical cloud of luxury, a delicious feel-good fantasy. But my mother doesnt read the news in order to preserve her sanity and I have to for my jobIm an immigration writerso she doesnt know about the Border Patrol agents who dump gallons of water that humanitarian groups have left in the desert for migrants. I do. For me, as a formerly undocumented young woman and the daughter of undocumented immigrants, makeup has become a talismanan attempt to ward off evil. Photo by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio I didnt learn to use makeup from my mother, as I know many young women do. Growing up, my Latinx immigrant family followed strict traditional gender roles where my dad worked out in the world and my mom stayed home with me and my brother. My father had expectations when he came home from workdinner, a clean house, the usual. But he also expected my mother to look beautiful. He expected her to do the work with her hair down, makeup on, in heels. Instead, she wore sweats, sunscreen, and her hair in a bun. I admired that about her, even when it ended in a fight. My mother made it clear shed never wear makeup for a man. Like she had, I learned about makeup from magazines, where the beautiful models and celebrities were mostly white. It wasnt until Jay-Z said, Put some colored girls in the MoMa in 2011 that I stopped wanting to look like a French gamine. Jackie Aina on YouTube came to me like a revelation. I watched her videos and learned how to address hyperpigmentation, color correction, and a status quo that doesnt want to cater to dark skin. It took a gorgeous black makeup artist who had been through hell and back to make me understand what it could mean to talk about makeup in terms of self care. Her looks were radical actsdeclarations of delight and exuberance. My mother is beautiful. Sometimes I attempt to conjure up what a racist person might see if he looked at her at her most glamorous and regal, with her fig-brown skin and a caravan nose straight out of a Renaissance portrait. I think about the tear-gassed toddlers on the border, their parents desperate for asylum. I wonder if he processes her as human. I cant protect my mother from getting fired from her job, or detention, or deportation. I cant even protect her from daily encounters with racist abuse. But I can use the masters own tools to prepare her to step into the masters house. I understand this is twisted. I think a lot about an experiment I read about in Scientific American in which black and white participants in a mall were asked to determine how much to spend on a pair of expensive headphones. Half of the black participants were first made to review a list of racist traits associated with African-Americans. Afterwards, when the participants were shown photographs of the headphones, the individuals who had been forced to read the list offered to pay a lot more money than either the white participants or the black participants who hadnt had to confront those stereotypes. Photo by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio I pay for nice makeup because I want to prove that I canonce a saleswoman at a department store asked too pointedly if I needed help and I ended up buying two Chanel lipsticks and a blush that I didnt needand because maybe itll make someone think twice before they assume who my mother and I are based on the color of our skin. Earlier this fall, I bought the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate. It costs $85, what my father earns for a full day of work as a salad maker. But the packaging is gorgeous. It contours and highlights, and I like to sweep it over Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer to deepen my brown skin. A good dupe for it is the Wet n Wild MegaGlo Makeup Stick, which retails for $3.99. I use both. The truth is I like the Wet n Wild one even better because its dispensed in a stick, so I dont need to use a brush, and the color is warmer. But when I have to go into spaces where I know I will feel intimidated because of my race or when I have to talk to powerful white people whom I know do not see me as an equaleven if its on the phone, even if Im just in a towel, right out of the shower, even if I have to drink a vodka soda to muster up the courage to voice my opinionI wear a full face of makeup and every cream and powder that touches my skin is designer. YSL, Dior, Chanel, Tom Ford. My armor. I feel beautiful when I am able to grit my teeth and get it done, when I can bite the inside of my cheeks and not cry, when I can show off a steely face to the world. Makeup helps me do that. Some more enlightened women than I will tell me they feel beautiful when they are surrounded by the people they love, when they drink a lot of water, when they spend time with their children. I feel beautiful when I am able to grit my teeth and get it done, when I can bite the inside of my cheeks and not cry, when I can show off a steely face to the world. Makeup helps me do that. I have nightmares about deportation and internment camps every night. But sometimes when I cant fall asleep, I fantasize about meeting the President of the United States and I feel a surge of warm pleasure as I imagine step-by-step how Id prepare. Id line my lips in red liner then fill them in with multiple coats of MAC in Russian Red. Long, curled lashes coated in Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. If I needed to cry, Id cry in the bathroom, silently. The formula is waterproof, so Id be able to hide the evidence. Makeup makes me feel beautiful and it makes me feel powerful, but it doesn't make me feel like a pretty girl. Makeup makes me feel like a woman with a plan for survival. I dont play with makeup. I unleash it. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is a writer living in New Haven, Connecticut. She is an Emerson Collective Fellow. You can follow her on Instagram @kcornv. Main Photo: Getty Images A few weeks ago, my 18-month old threw his first tantrum. I had taken something out of his mouth a bottle cap, an electrical wire, I dont remember what but it was dangerous and he lost it. His face crumpled inward, he threw his head back in a howl, and, as he realized that his hazardous teething ring was gone for good, dropped to the floor in despair. The entire theatrical event lasted no more than three minutes, but I was left with a lingering question: We live in a small town, and my son hasnt met other kids his age or seen a TV, so how did he know how to throw a tantrum? How did he know to kick, scream, and drop to the floor? I mean, my boys tantrum choreography was flawless. I decided to find out, and what I found surprised the heck out of me. Turns out my kid is not a particularly adept protester, but that evolution has endowed him with certain remarkable powers. Tantrums are a negotiating tool, Michael Potegal, pediatric neuropsychologist and tantrum expert at the University of Minnesota told me when I asked about the hissy fit. We have neural programs for tantrums that have evolved. When kids are experiencing discomfort, whether physical or emotional, theyre likely to erupt into tantrums as a pre-programmed way of trying to rectify the situation. Potegal should know. In 2011, he was part of a team of researchers who sewed tiny microphones into onesies to record the vocal patterns behind how kids tantrum. The group found that tantrums thrown by children all over the world follow similar, specific patterns. Their research adds to the growing body of evidence that the anatomy of a tantrum is less nurture than nature. A Tantrums Progress: Anger and Stress Tantrums usually consist of expressions of two emotions: anger and stress (or what Potegal calls sadness plus). Stomping and yelling are low-intensity expressions of anger, while kicking, hitting, and physical violence represent high-intensity anger. Meanwhile, whining is the classic low-intensity stress behavior and crying and dropping to the floor are high-intensity stress behaviors. In other words, minor tantrums consist of yelling and whining, while major tantrums often include hitting, crying, and more dire displays of anger and stress. Story continues We found that you could distinguish the characteristics of shouting, screaming, whining, and crying, consistent with the notion of intensity levels between categories, Potegal says. These components seem to be common through all of the tantrums that weve analyzed. Tantrums also tend to follow a predictable path from explosion to resolution. Tantrums usually begin with the strongest display of anger and then taper off through the tantrum. Stress, on the other hand, tends to remain fairly constant throughout the fit of rage. The result is that tantrums almost always end on a distressed note rather than an anger note, Potegal says. Survival of the Fittest Tantrum Children, like adults, express anger when they want something to happen thats not happening, or when they dont want something to happen that is happening. So anger is an understandable part of the tantrum. The real question is why tantrums contain so much sadness. Its to elicit sympathy and support, Potegal says. Tantrums end on a distressed note as an invitation to parents to support the kid, and as a way to repair the social bonds ruptured by the kids earlier anger. Although children are wired to display anger when they are challenged, they also implicitly understand that they need their parents for sustenance and survival. Ending a tantrum on an angry note would be an ill-advised evolutionary gambit so it makes sense that kids shift from hard-to-sympathize-with anger to sympathetic sadness as tantrums wind down. What sort of parent can resist a child who is simply sad? Evolution has clearly provided an answer: the exception to the rule. Dropping to the floor is part of the sympathy courting process, which explains why its a common behavior near the end of many blow-out tantrums. Its an act of submission, Potegal says. In any number of animal species the dominant animal stands up on his hind feet, puffs up his fur, extends his frills, or makes himself bigger, and the subordinate animal crouches, gets close to the floor, makes himself smaller. The dropping to the floor, as part of sadness, is a way of saying I give up. In fact, the entire tantrum process seems to be not only consistent across our species (I found reports of tantrums in hunter-gatherer groups in South America, Africa, Papua New Guinea), but even across our taxonomic family of primates. Several monkey and ape species have been observed throwing tantrums with many of the same features seen in human tantrums when their mothers push them away from the nipple. During weaning the juvenile primate pitches a fit, jumps up and down, screams, tries to bite the mother, Potegal says, adding that this inevitably leads to mothers offering their primate kids a hairy elbow to suck. Any behavior so deeply embedded in our nature is likely wired within our brains. Why humans and monkeys, hunter-gatherers and city kids, all tantrum in a telltale wave of anger and distress remains a mystery. But Potegal has a handful of theories. (Its all conjecture, he stresses). Using Neuroscience and Evolution to Respond to Tantrums Potegal cites several potential models for how sadness and anger mix in a childs brain, but one salient theory is that the left hemisphere of the brain controls anger, while the right hemisphere controls sadness and that, in children, these regions, which are not strictly defined by physical barriers, are wont to overlap. Indeed, one study of four-year-olds found that anger originates in a brain region known as the posterior temporal lobe, which is on the left side of the brain but also in just the right position to set off a chain of events that ultimately activates the right side of the brain. From the posterior temporal lobe, Potegal says, emotions may propagate forward to the frontal lobe, and then activate the right hemisphere through the corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres. First of all, the fact that your child splayed on the floor, sobbing and throwing things is not only acting normally but acting the way his or her brain is wired to act should provide some solace to a harried parent living through a tantrum. But parents sometimes come to expect that there is something significantly wrong that the tantrums arent, in a sense, close to the natural mean. For parents truly curious about how their childrens tantrums measure up against our species baseline tendency to pitch a fit, theres the tantrum intensity scale. The scale identifies tantrums with no obvious cause fits of rage that just come out of the blue as abnormal. Another way that experts identify abnormal tantrums is by timing them. For two- and three-year-olds, tantrums should not usually last longer than five minutes. For older kids, the limit is likely closer to 15 minutes. And by age six, tantrums should be a rarity. The cut off is very much in dispute, Potegal says. Perfectly healthy kids are liable to have a particularly long tantrum or two. Examining the cause of a tantrum can also give you clues about how to prevent future tantrums like a behavioral scientist. There are three types of tantrums: a demand for attention (hold me), a demand for tangibles (food, games, activities), and an escape from demand (I dont want to get dressed). The first two can only be solved by ignoring the tantrum. When a child is demanding attention or tangibles, and sees that tantrums do not get them any attention even negative attention they quickly learn that it is not a worthwhile negotiating tool. But this is exactly the wrong thing to do with the third type of tantrum, Potegal says. In the third scenario, the child is effectively pitching a fit so you will ignore him or her not making the child do something is the desired outcome. Instead, when a child throws a tantrum to avoid doing something, the correct approach is to help them do it. Potegal recalls telling his child that if she did not get into her pajamas by the time he counted to three, hed put his hands over her hands and help her do it. This loss of autonomy is exactly what a child is trying to avoid with this third category of tantrum, which is why its a more effective response than ignoring the fit. If you do that consistently, kids learn very quickly that youre serious about this intervention and they comply, Potegal says. They may grumble and fuss, but they will comply. Related Articles: The post All Kids Throw the Same Tantrum appeared first on Fatherly. By Giulia Paravicini, Aaron Ross and David Lewis KINSHASA (Reuters) - A month before his scheduled departure after nearly two decades as Congo's president, Joseph Kabila received a procession of foreign reporters at his heavily guarded riverside palace for a rare series of interviews. If the timing suggested a valedictory, the 47-year-old leader's words indicated otherwise. He vowed to remain in politics and, in one interview after another, left open the possibility of running again in 2023 when the clock resets on presidential term limits. "My role will be to make sure that we don't go back to square one, square one meaning where we found the Congo 22 years ago," he told Reuters inside an ornate reception room with high ceilings and sweeping views of the churning Congo River. "In politics, in life, you shouldn't rule out anything," he said when asked about a potential return. "There are still other chapters to write." In the 18 years since a youthful, clean-shaven Kabila succeeded his slain father, Laurent, the now bulked-up president sporting a billowy gray beard has traced an unlikely trajectory from accidental and apparently reluctant leader to the defining Congolese figure of his time. Whether the vote due on Dec. 23 brings down the curtain on the tumultuous Kabila era, which began when Laurent seized power in 1997, or triggers a new phase in which Joseph becomes the power behind the throne of his preferred successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, remains unclear. It depends in part on how the Congolese reflect on his rule. There were early accomplishments - ending a regional war and holding the first open presidential elections - but also incessant conflict, lethal crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters and corruption that the government acknowledges siphoned off billions of dollars of potential revenue. Foreign investment has propelled Democratic Republic of Congo to the status of Africa's top copper producer and the world's leading miner of cobalt, a crucial component of electric car batteries, but militia violence has persisted in the east. Denis Mukwege, the Congolese doctor who shared this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, said Kabila had a right to remain in politics but hoped voters would remember his broken promises. "None of the elements needed to install a real democracy have been made during his time in power," he told Reuters. PULLING THE STRINGS Kabila's critics and some analysts say concerns about his personal security his assassinated father's mausoleum stands below the presidential palace - and the fortune reportedly amassed by his family could account for a seeming reluctance to cede power. A report last year by a research group at New York University found his family's businesses are likely worth tens of millions of dollars. Kabila has called such reports "stupidity". He did not specifically respond to a Reuters investigation (https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/congo-passports) that showed nearly a third of the purchase price of Congolese passports goes to a company in the United Arab Emirates whose owner is believed to be a close relative of the president. Even if Shadary, a former interior minister who many analysts say was chosen for his loyalty and lack of an independent political base, beats his two main rivals, Kabila has reason to worry about his ability to pull the strings. He need only look next door to Angola, where President Joao Lourenco quickly marginalized Jose Eduardo dos Santos, his powerful predecessor who ruled for 38 years, by accusing family members of corruption. "Kabila saw what happened in Angola. That's why he chose the person who is the most loyal and, above all, the least threatening to his personal power," said Manya Riche, who advised Kabila from 2008 to 2011. Referring to an arrangement in which Vladimir Putin remained Russia's dominant leader as prime minister until he could run for president again, she said: "This isn't Russia. At a certain point here, it's the chief who's in the chair who is the chief." COMING TO POWER Kabila was born in 1971 in eastern Congo in the bush headquarters of his father's rebellion against long-time dictator Mobutu Sese Seko but spent most of his early years in neighboring Tanzania. He returned to Congo to take part in Laurent's Rwandan and Ugandan-backed successful march on the capital Kinshasa. A period of military training in China followed and Joseph was back as army chief when a bodyguard shot his father in 2001. The country he inherited at 29 was in disarray, fragmented between government and rebel territories, with tens of thousands of people dying each month from conflict, hunger and disease. A former U.S. official who met Kabila during his first trip to Washington that year described the shy, awkward leader as a "deer in the headlights". With his halting French and virtually non-existent Lingala - the language of the capital and the army - he struggled to connect with many Congolese. But his political instincts were surprisingly good. He courted Western powers such as the United States and France, which his father's anti-colonial rhetoric had alienated. He passed a liberalized mining code that attracted foreign investment. He revived a stalled peace process, leading to a 2003 power-sharing deal that kept him in the presidency even though rebels remained active in the east. "He managed to run the country, more or less," said Azarias Ruberwa, a rebel leader who joined the power-sharing administration and is now a government minister. Kabila won both rounds of voting in elections held in 2006, which were generally viewed as fair, as well as the bouts of fighting that erupted after results were announced. 'LESS TOLERANT' Those victories, followed by another vote in 2011 marred by widespread allegations of fraud, led to changes in his leadership style, according to people close to him. "The president became less tolerant of the West," a former advisor said on condition of anonymity. "He saw them as imposing their ideas on him." After the death in 2012 of Augustin Katumba Mwanke, his closest advisor and confidant, Kabila moved more assertively to chart his own course. Kabila rarely speaks in public and is driven by mistrust of almost everyone outside a tight circle of family that includes his twin sister, Jaynet, and younger brother, Zoe, people who have worked closely with him said. Public frustration with his government mounted as economic growth fueled by copper production failed to deliver a semblance of infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country, much of it covered by rainforest and only accessible by barge or motorcycle. Kabila would occasionally tell collaborators he was frustrated by his inability to transform Congo into something more like other African countries he visited. Although Kabila put most of the blame on the brutal legacy of former colonial power Belgium, Barnabe Kikaya Bin Karubi, a current advisor, said he sought to change "the Congolese mentality from people who like songs and dance and high life to people concentrated on hard work". STATE OF SIEGE As the vote to replace Kabila at the end of his two official terms was repeatedly pushed back - officially due to conflict and logistical challenges - opponents accused him of seeking ways to cling to power and tried to organize protests. Muted concerns from Western capitals over the flawed 2011 vote gave way to vocal criticism of alleged corruption and the killing of protesters. Shadary is under European Union sanctions due to crackdowns by security forces. Deals with Israeli billionaire mining investor Dan Gertler, who American prosecutors say paid Congolese officials, including Kabila, more than $100 million in bribes, have received particular scrutiny. Kabila denies ever taking a bribe, and Gertler denies paying them. Kabila left his options open for as long as he could. Shadary was nominated hours before the deadline to register candidates. Whether it was Kabila's intention all along to step down, as allies say, or it was a concession to domestic and international pressure, the president's imminent departure thrusts him and his country into the unknown. For now, Kabila appears serene. "Look at my face. Do I look worried?" he told Reuters. "I am not worried." (Giulia Paravicini reported from Kinshasa, Aaron Ross reported from Dakar and David Lewis reported from Nairobi; additional reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; editing by Alexandra Zavis and David Clarke) RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) A Brazilian man charged in Australia with killing his ex-girlfriend eight months ago has told a Brazilian judge that he returned home right after her body was found only because of his father's health problems. Mario Marcelo Santoro is alleged to have strangled Cecilia Haddad, a fellow Brazilian whose body was discovered April 29 in Australia's Lane Cove River. He denies killing her. Australian investigators grew suspicious when they noticed how soon after the body was found that Santoro returned to Brazil. Santoro said at a hearing Monday that he returned to Rio in April instead of May as originally planned because his father was ill. The judge is deciding whether Brazilian prosecutors can try Santoro in Brazil. Ottawa (AFP) - Airline passengers in Canada could soon be eligible for significant compensation for delayed flights or lost baggage, under proposed regulations unveiled by the government on Monday. The draft rules follow a rising number of complaints, including from one flight stuck on the tarmac in Ottawa for nearly six hours, with no air conditioning and the stench of a sick child's vomit in the air. The long wait in sweltering heat on that July 2017 flight led one passenger to dial emergency services for help after being told they could not disembark. "We all know someone who has had a negative flight experience or we have seen stories in the news," Transport Minister Marc Garneau told a news conference in the baggage area of Ottawa's international airport. "Except in circumstances which are beyond their control, we're going to make sure that airlines treat their passengers with the respect they deserve and live up to their commitments." The rules -- subject to a public consultation -- would apply to flights to, from and within Canada, and provide for up to Can$1,000 (US$750) in compensation for delays or cancelations, and Can$2,400 for customers bumped from a flight due to overbooking. Compensation would also be required for lost or damaged baggage, including a refund of baggage fees. Ottawa reviewed US and EU rules when drafting its own, Garneau said. According to the government statistics agency, there are an average of 5.5 million take-offs and landings at Canada's 91 airports each year. Due to its vast geography, air transportation is crucial for connecting parts of the country. A flight from easternmost to westernmost Canada takes about eight hours. Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C./Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM The Trump administration on Monday asked a federal appeals court to freeze an ongoing anti-corruption lawsuit against President Donald Trump, as part of a bid to stop a pair of state attorneys general from being able to peruse Trumps business records. The Justice Department asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to pause proceedings in the case while it challenges a series of rulings by a federal trial court judge in Maryland. Mondays filing said U.S. District Judge Peter Messittes earlier order rejecting a request to dismiss the complaint was clear legal error and called his refusal to certify an immediate appeal a manifest abuse of discretion. The DOJ wants the appeals court to review those rulings, writing the lower court should have allowed an appeal because the case involves purely legal threshold questions that, if resolved in the Presidents favor, would obviate (or at least significantly narrow) intrusive discovery into the Presidents personal financial affairs and the official actions of his Administration. Mondays request follows a flurry of subpoenas issued earlier this month by the offices of D.C. and Maryland Attorneys General Karl Racine and Brian Frosh, who sued Trump in June 2017 accusing him of violating the Constitutions foreign and domestic anti-corruption clauses. They claim Trump has reaped profits from foreign and domestic officials patronizing his Pennsylvania Avenue hotel, behavior they say the Constitutions emoluments clauses broadly prohibit. President Trump is going to extraordinary lengths to try to stop us from gathering information about how he is illegally profiting from the presidency, Racine said in a statement, adding, Unless the 4th Circuit rules otherwise, we will continue to work hard to gather the evidence needed to put a stop to the Presidents ongoing violations of the Constitutions original anti-corruption law. The more than three dozen subpoenas target groups such as the Trump Organization and related entities. The states are demanding tax returns and business records that could shed light on foreign or domestic government officials who are patronizing the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. The state AGs began issuing the subpoenas after Messitte approved a timetable for discovery, with recipients required to respond by Jan. 3. The subpoenas were also sent out to other groups, such as unnamed competing business and a handful of federal agencies. The subpoenas target, for example, the General Services Administration, which owns the lease for the old post office building where Trump built his hotel. They also target the Treasury Department, seeking information about whether Trump has followed through with an earlier vow to give profits hes made from foreign officials visits to his hotel to the U.S. Treasury. Messitte has allowed the lawsuit to progress, rejecting efforts by the Justice Department to have the case dismissed or immediately appealed. Earlier this year, the judge found the states had standing to sue, though he limited their lawsuit to Trumps Washington, D.C., businessesnamely the Trump International Hotel. Messitte also rejected in July the governments narrow reading of the term emoluments. Meanwhile, Trumps personal attorneys at Consovoy McCarthy Park have also asked Messitte to dismiss the states lawsuit on the grounds that Trump cant be sued in his individual capacity. They asked Messitte this month to schedule a hearing on the matter, noting Maryland and D.C. agreed no discovery will be served against the President in his individual capacity unless and until the motion to dismiss is denied. Trump also faces two other emoluments-related lawsuits. One suit in Washington, D.C., which was brought by around 200 Democratic members of Congress and alleges a violation of the foreign emoluments clause, cleared an initial hurdle on the question of standing in September. Another lawsuit was filed in New York by the nonprofit group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which is working with the attorneys general in the Maryland case. A federal judge dismissed their suit last year, a ruling CREW appealed to the Second Circuit. Read the appeal: falcon-embed src="embed_1" Read more: Who Is Emmet Sullivan, the Judge Who Will Sentence Michael Flynn? 'Embarrassingly Bad,' 'Unmoored': Legal Scholars Bash Texas Judge's ACA Takedown Trump's Request to Stay Emoluments Litigation Rejected Jones Day Again Tops Trump Campaign's Legal Billing, New FEC Filings Show Antananarivo (AFP) - Madagascar's past three presidents all had their terms tarnished by political crises. Two of them -- Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina -- are through to Wednesday's second-round election run-off. Here is a look back at the turbulent recent history of the Indian Ocean island: - 2002-2009: Ravalomanana - Marc Ravalomanana, a milkman-turned-millionaire dairy mogul is declared winner of the presidential election in 2002 after a crisis lasting nearly seven months against outgoing leader Didier Ratsiraka, who disputed the results. Ravalomanana is reelected in 2006. In 2009, Andry Rajoelina, a baby-faced ex-party planner and media boss who became mayor of the capital Antananarivo, emerges as an opposition leader. He denounces attacks on freedoms under Ravalomanana. The government had shut down his TV channel in 2008 after it broadcast an interview with ex-president Ratsiraka, exiled since 2002. Between January 26 and February 7, 2009, protests and clashes between Rajoelina supporters and the presidential guard leave around 100 people dead. Having lost the support of the army, Ravalomanana resigns in March. He takes refuge in South Africa and a year later is sentenced in absentia to life in prison and hard labour over protester deaths in 2009. On returning to Madagascar in 2014, he is arrested but his sentence is lifted and he is freed from house arrest the following year. - 2009-2014: Rajoelina - In March 2009, Rajoelina seizes power from Ravalomanana with the backing of the military. The international community denounces what it deems a coup d'etat and for nearly four years, foreign aid and investment is frozen, driving the island deeper into poverty. In September 2011, the country's main political factions sign an accord to draw up a roadmap to guide Madagascar to elections. - 2014-2018: Rajaonarimampianina - In December 2013 with the support of the outgoing regime, Hery Rajaonarimampianina wins the presidential election, taking over at the start of 2014. Story continues Neither Ravalomanana nor Rajoelina were running against him in the vote, as the international community feared their participation would reignite political turmoil on the island. But just 16 months later, parliament votes overwhelmingly to dismiss Rajaonarimampianina for alleged constitutional violations and general incompetence. He challenges the legality of the move and in mid-June the Constitutional Court throws out the impeachment demand. Protesters hit the streets of Antananarivo again in April 2018 over Rajaonarimampianina's efforts to change electoral laws that opponents say are intended to favour his party. The courts overturn the proposals but the protests turn into a full-blown movement to oust Rajaonarimampianina. To avert a breakdown of Madagascar's political system, the Constitutional Court orders the formation of a "consensus" government to stage the polls by the end of the year. Rajaonarimampianina resigns on September 7, but runs for re-election in the first round of the presidential poll in November. But he defeated, coming a distant third. By Elizabeth Dilts and A. Ananthalakshmi NEW YORK/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia on Monday filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs Group Inc related to its dealings with the sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, and Goldman Sachs fired back that the previous Malaysian government had lied to the investment bank. Malaysia authorities charged the bank and two former Goldman employees in connection with an investigation into suspected corruption and money laundering related to the scandal. Attorney General Tommy Thomas said in a statement that it will seek jail terms as well as billions in fines from Goldman Sachs and four other individuals who allegedly diverted about $2.7 billion from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). This is the first time Goldman Sachs, which has consistently denied wrongdoing, has faced criminal charges in the 1MDB scandal. "Certain members of the former Malaysian government and 1MDB lied to Goldman Sachs, outside counsel and others about the use of proceeds from these transactions," Goldman spokesman Michael DuVally said in a statement. "1MDB, whose CEO and Board reported directly to the prime minister at the time, also provided written assurances to Goldman Sachs for each transaction that no intermediaries were involved," DuVally said. The government of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak set up the 1MDB fund in 2009, and the U.S. Justice Department estimated $4.5 billion was misappropriated by high-level fund officials and their associates between 2009 and 2014. DuVally said the bank was not afforded the chance to be heard before the filing of the charges and will contest the allegations. The charges do not affect Goldman's "ability to conduct our current business globally," he said. Goldman Sachs shares were down 2.8 percent at $167.92 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, the lowest level the storied bank's stock has sunk to since late September 2016. Goldman Sachs has been under scrutiny for its role in helping raise $6.5 billion through three bond offerings for 1MDB, which is the subject of investigations in at least six countries. Story continues Analysts said on Monday that investors had expected Malaysian authorities would file charges against Goldman Sachs and that it would seek fines, including the $600 million in fees Goldman received for the deal and the allegedly misappropriated $2.7 billion bond proceeds. Malaysia has said it will also seek prison terms of up to 10 years for each of the individuals accused. "A lot is already priced in to Goldman's shares," Jeff Harte, principal equity analyst at Sandler O'Neill & Partners, said in an interview. "Malaysia has been talking for months about potential criminal charges." While it is difficult to quantify the impact Malaysia's charges will have on the bank, it is likely Goldman will increase the amount of money it has dedicated to handling these issues, Harte said. Analysts have said the bank is likely to boost its legal reserves by as much as $1 billion. The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges against two former Goldman bankers, Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, on Nov. 1. On the same day, prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn said Leissner had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and had agreed to forfeit $43.7 million. Ng, detained in Malaysia, is facing extradition to the United States. John Marzulli, a spokesman for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, declined to comment on the Malaysian charges. Goldman Sachs stock has fallen nearly 26 percent since Nov. 1. Goldman gets 15 percent of its revenue from Southeast Asia, which could be at risk if the scandal hurts Goldman's reputation, according to a report from UBS analyst Brennan Hawken. 'COMMISSION AND ABETMENT' Malaysian Attorney General Thomas said on Monday it brought criminal charges related to securities law violations against Goldman Sachs, its former bankers Leissner and Ng, former 1MDB employee Jasmine Loo and financier Jho Low in connection with the bond offerings. "The charges arise from the commission and abetment of false or misleading statements by all the accused in order to dishonestly misappropriate ... the proceeds of three bonds issued by the subsidiaries of 1MDB, which were arranged and underwritten by Goldman Sachs," Thomas said in a statement. He said the offering statements filed with the regulators contained statements that were false, misleading or with material omissions. Loo, against whom Malaysia brought other 1MDB-related charges earlier in December, has not commented on the 1MDB case and her whereabouts are not known. Low, whom authorities have described as a central figure in the suspected fraud, maintained his innocence. "As has been stated previously, Mr. Low will not submit to any jurisdiction where guilt has been predetermined by politics and there is no independent legal process," Low's spokesman said in a statement. (Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur and Elizabeth Dilts in New York; Additional reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Lisa Shumaker) Most U.S. voters believe President Donald Trump has been dishonest on the matter of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference of the 2016 presidential election, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows. The survey, which was conducted one month after the November midterm elections, found that 62% of Americans dont believe that Trump has been honest or truthful about the Russia probe. Half of Americans also said that what theyve seen of the investigation has given them more doubts about Trumps presidency, with 31% saying their doubts are very major. Mueller has filed more than 100 criminal charges in the investigation since it began in May 2017. The investigation has racked up a hefty price tag in the last 16 months, costing more than $25 million. But Mueller has also gotten results. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort faced sentencing for conspiracy and obstruction of justice in September, though he may now face more charges after violating the conditions of his plea deal. Just last week, Trumps personal attorney Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to evading federal income taxes, and paying hush money to two women on behalf of Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Just 34% of Americans think its time for the investigation to end, with 45% saying the opposite, the survey found. Last weeks Cohen and Manafort news clearly hurt the president no dramatic movement to be sure, but incremental erosion in President Trumps credibility, pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates, told NBC News. Rocket Lab, an American aerospace manufacturer, launched 13 small satellites into orbit on Sunday morning in its first mission for NASA. This was the companys third launch this year, and the second one this month, CNBC reported. The successful Sunday mission also comes just one month after the company completed its first commercial flight. An Electron booster run by Rocket Lab took off at 1:33 a.m. ET Sunday morning from a launch site on New Zealands Mahia Peninsula in its operation called Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNA-19), according to Space.com. The 13 small satellites will orbit at 500 kilometers above the Earths surface, where each satellite will have a role of collecting different information. One of them will measure radiation levels in the Van Allen belts, and another will map out the terrain for a solar-sailing system for small spacecraft to explore deep space, Rocket Lab representatives told Space.com. Theres nothing more special than flying a mission for NASA, Rocket Labs CEO Peter Beck told Forbes. Beck said it was a very unique mission for NASA because the federal agency had secured a purely commercial launch vehicle to deploy CubeSats for the first time ever. This is as close as youll get to a government agency buying a rocket on a credit card. Beck tweeted early Sunday morning that the launch was a success. All payloads deployed!! Perfect mission. Peter Beck (@Peter_J_Beck) December 16, 2018 As Rocket Lab looks to the future, the company hopes to make its first launch from U.S. soil next year, and plans to run a mission from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. Republican Senator Susan Collins said a government shutdown must be prevented in the dispute over funding Donald Trumps proposed wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, even as top Senate Democrats said thats now up to the president. Collins said she thinks its still possible to find a compromise agreement before funding for some federal agencies runs out after Dec. 21, including a deal proposed earlier this year to approve $25 billion for border security over a decade. Theres absolutely no excuse to shut down government on this issue or any other issue, the Maine lawmaker said on ABCs This Week on Sunday. But speaking on NBCs Meet the Press, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Trump needs to understand there are not enough votes in either the House or Senate for the $5 billion hes seeking for the wall, a key campaign promise. Temper Tantrum We should not let a temper tantrum, threats, push us in the direction of doing something that everybody even our Republican colleagues know is wrong, Schumer said. Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi have said they made two offers to Trump to keep funding for border fencing not the concrete wall Trump wants at the current level of $1.375 billion. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the no. 2 Senate Democrat, said on ABC that whether or not the shutdown happens rides on Trump taking one of those offers, and that hes not optimistic. Its up to the president to accept this, Durbin said. I dont think he will, but for the good of the country, I hope he does. A shutdown could also be averted for now if lawmakers and the president agree to another short-term funding bill that could last into January or reach some kind of deal that allows all sides to claim victory. Trump said during a Dec. 11 Oval Office meeting with Schumer and Pelosi that he would be proud to shut down the government for border security. Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, echoed that sentiment on Sunday. If it comes down to it, absolutely the administration is willing to shut down the government, Miller said on CBSs Face the Nation. Were going to do whatever is necessary to build a border wall. ISLAMABAD (AP) The Taliban held another round of talks with U.S. officials on Monday, this time in the United Arab Emirates and also involving Saudi, Pakistani and Emirati representatives, part of the latest attempt to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 17-year war. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid offered few details of the daylong meeting except to say "discussions were held with the American side over the end to the invasion of Afghanistan." He dismissed Afghan media reports that Afghan government representatives, who are in the United Arab Emirates, had met with the Taliban. "There is no plan to meet the Kabul administration," Mujahid said. "There is no possibility of the presence of the Kabul administration in the meeting, which the Islamic Emirate will attend." The Taliban refer to their movement as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and dismiss the Kabul government as a U.S. puppet. Mujahid said the meetings were continuing. Khalil Minawi, director of Afghanistan's state-run Bakhtar news agency, earlier tweeted that officials from the United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE held meetings Sunday ahead of "the Pakistani-sponsored U.S.-Taliban meeting." While Afghan officials did not attend Monday's meeting with the Taliban, their presence in the UAE is a significant step in efforts to get the two sides talking. The Taliban have consistently refused to hold direct talks with the Afghan government, insisting they will only negotiate with the U.S. Afghanistan's National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib was among the Afghan government representatives in the UAE, a senior Afghan government official told The Associated Press. The presence of such a high-ranking individual was seen as a sign of progress. Also significant is the presence of the Saudis and Emiratis, both of whom have significant influence over the Taliban, and who might be able to help secure concessions from the group eventually leading to face-to-face talks with Kabul. Story continues Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan were the only three countries to recognize the Taliban government during its five-year rule, which ended with the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Washington has considerable sway over the Afghan government, which it heavily bankrolls. The U.S. has spent $1 trillion in Afghanistan since ousting the Taliban and the war there has become America's longest. While the U.S. State Department has neither denied nor confirmed previous meetings with the Taliban, Washington's peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, says he has met with all sides in the conflict. The Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan and carry out daily attacks, mainly targeting security forces and government officials. The group said last month that it held three days of talks with Khalilzad in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. Khalilzad then went to Kabul, where he urged Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to cobble together a team that could hold talks with the Taliban. Khalilzad said he would like to see a "roadmap" agreement reached before Afghan presidential elections, scheduled for next April. Since his appointment in September, Khalilzad has made several tours of the region. Earlier this month, he held meetings in Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan later said Khalilzad asked Pakistan to assist in getting the Taliban to the negotiating table. Khan said Pakistan would sponsor the UAE talks and insisted that a military solution is not the answer. ___ Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed. SYLHET, Bangladesh (AP) Fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell's career best 4-28 was complemented by opener Shai Hope's third fastest T20 fifty as the West Indies beat Bangladesh by eight wickets Monday in the first game of a three-match series. Cottrell used the short balls to precision to help his side dismiss Bangladesh for 129 in 19 overs before Hope led the charge with a 23-ball 55, his maiden T20 fifty. "Our plan in this game was to just bowl aggressive in whatever we do, whether bowling Yorkers, length ball, short ball. Just to bowl aggressive, and it paid off," Cottrell said. "We would like to take this momentum into the next two games and finish our tour here. That has been the talk in the camp, just to win some games and get better mood going." Hope brought up his fifty off only 16 deliveries to place him just behind India's Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) and New Zealand's Colin Munro (14 balls) in terms of fastest T20 fifty. Hope, the man in form who struck two straight unbeaten centuries in ODIs, helped the side pile up 91 runs in the first six overs, the highest runs in T20 International's first powerplay. Together with Evin Lewis (18), Hope gave the side a rapid start by amassing 51 runs in 3.2 overs. His innings was laced with three fours and six sixes. Hope scored 19 runs off offspinner Mehidy Hasan in the second over of the chase with three sixes, all of which came by some clean hitting. Pacer Mohammad Saifuddin (1-13) dismissed Lewis amid Hope's onslaught. However, Hope slog-swept Hasan for six to bring up his fifty, shortly after which he holed one to deep extra cover off off-spinner Mahmudullah (1-13). By then, the West Indies was nicely placed with 98-2 in 7.4 overs. Keemo Paul (28 not out) and Nicholas Pooran (23 not out) completed the inevitable. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and opted to bat first. The captain was key in Bangladesh's 129, hitting a 43-ball 61, studded with eight fours and two sixes. Only two batsmen, Ariful Haque (17) and Mahmudullah (12), reached double digits. Story continues "Everything went wrong today other than the toss," Shakib said. "We didn't bat well and didn't bowl well. It was a good surface, we should've scored at least 175." Cottrell, aided by fellow fast bowler Oshane Thomas (1-33), ripped through the top order with a barrage of short balls, leaving Bangladesh at 31-3. Shakib resisted but Cottrell continued making inroads and eventually took the prized wicket. ___ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that six months after giving birth, she's looking forward to spending more time with her daughter Neve over the Christmas break and thanking everybody who's helped her juggle responsibilities. Ardern spoke to The Associated Press on Monday as she carried around a box to hand-deliver holiday treats of coffee and peanut brittle to reporters at Parliament. She was keeping alive a tradition in New Zealand that would be hard to imagine in some countries due to the sometimes acrimonious relationships between journalists and politicians. Ardern is just the second world leader in modern times to give birth while in office. She said she's had lots of feedback about being a role model. "But my focus needs to be on furthering the agenda, and the work program, and all of the big challenges we were elected to address," she said. "For me, the added bonus is that I get to be a mom as well." Ardern's partner Clarke Gayford is the primary caregiver for Neve. He has recently returned to work as a presenter on a television show about fishing. "Filming for him is a sporadic thing," Ardern said. "So when he's away, we work around that. But primarily his number one job, still, is dad." Several lawmakers in New Zealand have also recently given birth, and Ardern said she gave plenty of credit to Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard for making the Parliament a more baby-friendly place. "He's really tried to set the tone," she said. "He's tried to create a flexible environment." She said she has little planned for the holiday period other than spending time with her family, and so will be letting Neve set the routine. She said Neve is growing fast. "She can sit for a few seconds before she topples over. So she's partially sitting up. She's 6 months this week, it's moved really quickly. But it's a lovely stage," Ardern said. "I'll be spending a lot of time with her over the holidays and that's the thing I'm looking forward to the most." New Zealand's parliament is in its final sitting week for 2018 and resumes in February. In December 2015, the prime minister arrived at a meeting of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee to discuss Israel's recently discovered natural gas fields. Senior Zionist Union MK Eitan Cabel opened the gathering with a mention of Benjamin Netanyahus presence in the capacity of finance minister. And industry and trade minister, Netanyahu added with a smile. And communications minister, noted Hadash MK Dov Hanin. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Its been three years, and it seems Netanyahus appetite for power knows no limits. He was forced to give up the ministry he held most dearcommunicationsand the one thats likely to cost him the most, politically speaking. He also had to give up the finance and industry ministries. But thats peanuts in comparison to the two highly prized portfolios he now holdsforeign and defense. Not to mention the Health Ministry, which he nominally holds thanks to the odd arrangement with Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman of United Torah Judaism. And then theres the Immigrant Absorption Ministry, a by-product of Yisrael Beytenus departure from the coalition. And of course, the role as prime minister is not really a ministry, but it is the heaviest of loads. Of all of the above, its clear which ministry is Netanyahus favorite. All prime ministers, and particularly those who hold the defense ministry, love the photo-ops that hanging around soldiers gives them in times of political and legal uncertainty. Netanyahu is now seizing this opportunity, like a devoted cosplayer posing with his idols at ComicCon. Benjamin Netanyahu, center, with Yisrael Katz, left, and Deputy Cabinet Secretary Lior Natan at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, December 16, 2018 (Photo: AP) Once the rage over the handling of the Gaza crisis abated and the stories from the northern front took over, with the operation to uncover Hezbollah tunnels, Netanyahu didnt miss an opportunity to be seen close up with the boys in green. He posed as he listened to them, emoting tension and worry. This isnt a healthy situation, however, and it highlights a problematic theme in Netanyahus fourth term: the notion that he and the state are one, a single entity whose elements we should not even dare consider in isolation from one another, lest a terrible fate befall us. Netanyahu and his supporters firmly believe that he is the finger in the dam (apres moi, le deluge!), and thats absurd. The prime ministers position guarantees enough influence as it is. But apparently when youre convinced youre a giant among dwarfs, this just isnt enough. Thats why when Netanyahu hints at relinquishing some of his power, it seems the decision is more political than professional. Last week, Israeli media reported on the speculation surrounding a possible new foreign minister. According to the report, Netanyahus aim is not to raise up potential rivals for his own job, like former minister Gideon Sa'ar, but rather to go for less threatening individualsloyal lieutenants such Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz or Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz. Theres no consideration of who would be the best person to stabilize the Foreign Ministry in a time of turmoil. Only a few days ago, officials at that very ministry criticized Netanyahu for the grim state of affairs among the staff. But what does an ambassador's distress matter when one must belittle one's possible heirs? Perhaps the solution is right under our noses. Perhaps we need a woman at the helm of our diplomatic corps. No, not Tzipi Hotovely, who has been deputy foreign minister for three years - someone more experienced in hob-nobbing with presidents and kings. The Trumps and the Netanyahus in the Oval Office of the White House For now she is in Guatemala, on her maiden diplomatic trip. But when she returns, and this coup can be checked off the list, the matter will surely be settled. The prime ministers wife will be appointed as the next foreign minister; for when you need to keep the important ministries in Netanyahu hands, any Netanyahu will do. While Mr. Zuckerberg has conducted a public apology tour in the last year, Ms. Sandberg has overseen an aggressive lobbying campaign to combat Facebooks critics, shift public anger toward rival companies and ward off damaging regulation. Facebook employed a Republican opposition-research firm to discredit activist protesters, in part by linking them to the liberal financier George Soros. It also tapped its business relationships, lobbying a Jewish civil rights group to cast some criticism of the company as anti-Semitic. Courtesy of New York Times. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter This New York Times article examining how Facebook executives dealt with the ongoing privacy scandal has many fascinating revelations, but nothing compares to the above paragraph that alleges that when the social networks stock price went down, the companys CEO Mark Zuckerberg and its chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, resorted to discrediting its critics. Mark Zuckerberg (Photo: AP) First of all, we have to admit that all of it is not as bad as it sounds. Facebook did not really have to work hard to persuade the Anti-Defamation League to condemn banners depicting Zuckerberg and Sandberg as octopuses with giant heads that stretch across the globe. This kind of imagery can very easily be interpreted as anti-Semitic, and the Anti-Defamation Leagues main activity is to scold those who do such things. However, it doesnt make the first part of the New York Times quote any less disturbing. Yes, in Israel some also love to hate George Soros, thanks to his criticism of Israel government policies and the money he invests in various left-wing organizations. But even if you are one of those who cant tolerate Soros, its important to remember that in the rest of the world, this is a man whose Jewish religion plays an integral part in the conspiracy theories surrounding him. Therefore, when either in the United States or in Europe, when they try to discredit an organization based on them having ties with Soros, they are involved in an activity that is just as anti-Semitic as the octopus caricature of Zuckerberg and Sandberg. Is Facebook actually anti-Semitic? No. Its simply irresponsible. The past few years have shown just how badly those at the helm of that company do not understand the implications of neither their actions nor the technology they have built. Spreading anti-Muslim rumors in Myanmar and Sri Lanka has only fueled the violence and covered up for atrocities the company has committed in recent yearsthe harvesting of 87 million profiles for the data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica, the distribution of fake news throughout the Western world, as well as the social networks unwillingness to invest in uniform monitoring and enforcement of the discourse among its Hebrew-speaking users. All of these mishaps are a product of an environment where talented engineers build products, many of which are very good, based on an engineering roadmap outlined by the CEO. The CEO, who sees a utopian world in which Facebook is a tool to connect people, who would only benefit from those connections. I'm willing to bet that right now Facebook is extremely upset at the lobbying firm that launched the campaign against Soros, even though they asked that company to improve the social networks image. How naive do you have to be to believe that cynical people will not to go to extreme lengths in order to achieve results? How naive do you have to be in order to believe that blocking users for using specific Hebrew phrases, like Kushit cake (a derogatory term for a black person), will put a stop to the poisonous discourse on the social network among its Israeli users? George Soros (Photo: AP) Time and time again, Facebook refused to take responsibility for its technology, and now it has inadvertently contributed to global anti-Semitism. Oops. This lobbying firm may no longer be employed by the social network, but until Facebook begins to actually take responsibility for its actions, and attempts to understand how it wants to be perceived in the real worldand not in the fantasy world the company's executives believe it existssimilar incidents will keep happening. Having said that, we shouldnt forget that Facebook is a public company and taking responsibility for conducting illegal activity might hurt its stock value. Also, hiring 500 new employees to monitor and report the discourse among its Hebrew-speaking users would cost a lot of money. So what should Facebook do? Well, the regulatory bodies around the world are getting fed up with the situation. Legislations such as General Data Protection Regulationimplemented by the European Parliament last Mayhas served as a wake-up call to Facebook, because these laws might have far-reaching implications. For a company that generates 98 percent of its income from advertising, it is a justifiable concern, and taking responsibility might be an adequate alternative. Meanwhile, Facebook should try to avoid posting recipes for "Kushit" cakes. As far as cursing is concerned then youre free to do that, especially if the one youre cursing is George Soros. As US 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 cyber espionage is embedded into the fabric of US-Iranian relations. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter 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 US 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. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, right, and his Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (Photo: AFP) "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. Although those addresses likely represent only a fraction of the hackers' overall effort -- and it's not clear how many of the accounts were successfully compromised -- 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 , Cerfta 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. US President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP) 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 Defense, 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 US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense 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 US 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 re-imposed a series of punishing restrictions on Iran since. One of Charming Kitten's targets was Andrew J. Grotto, whose tenure on the US National Security Council straddled the Obama and Trump administrations and who has written about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Jarrett Blanc, the State Department coordinator responsible for 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." American and Iranian targets 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 US defense 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 that there was no evidence that the company's network 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 apace. 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 US 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. Iranian and Western officials meet on the Iran nuclear deal, 2016 (Photo: EPA) (Photo: EPA) 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 that was 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 US 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 US sanctions. But a few employees' LinkedIn profiles referenced back office jobs or routine tax work. That suggested "a fairly scattershot attempt," said Clay Stevenson, a former Treasury official who now consults on sanctions and 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 Defense 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. Federal authorities said Monday they have charged two people involved in planning separate large-scale attacksone who wanted to carry out a shooting at a synagogue and another who had been plotting to attack a bar and blow up a pipeline. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The attacks were never carried out, and there was never an immediate threat to the public, the FBI and Department of Justice said at a news conference announcing the charges. Damon Joseph (Photo: Reuters) The two suspects, both from the Toledo area, had identified specific places they wanted to target, authorities said. The two were under investigation for months and had talked about their plans with undercover FBI agents, according to the Justice Department. "These cases demonstrate terrorism comes in many forms," said Justin Herdman, the US attorney for northern Ohio. Damon Joseph, 21, spent months posting photos of weapons, praising the Islamic State group (ISIS) and talking about carrying out a violent attack before he eventually settled on a synagogue in the Toledo area, Herdman said. His plan for the shooting came together after a gunman killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October, Herdman said. Authorities said he told an undercover agent: "I admire what the guy did with the shooting actually." He wanted to kill as many people as possible, including a rabbi, and make sure no one escaped, the Justice Department said. Joseph said his decision about which synagogue to attack would come down to "which one will have the most people, what time and what day. Go big or go home," according to court documents. Joseph was arrested Friday after he received two AR-15 rifles from an undercover agent and was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. He appeared in court Monday and waived a preliminary hearing, The Blade reported. There was no telephone listing for Joseph and a message seeking comment was left with his attorney. FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeff Fortunato said it did not appear Joseph was working with anyone else. Within months, Joseph became radicalized and began planning an attack, Fortunato said. Court records show that Joseph was charged with domestic violence nearly two years ago and later entered an Alford plea, which acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to convict without admitting guilt. A person pays their respects at the memorial to the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack (Photo:AFP) (: AFP) Israeli Consul General in New York Dani Dayan expressed his gratitude to the FBI and US law enforcement authorities for preventing the deadly attack. "I thank the FBI for thwarting the cruel terror attack," Dayan said. "The uncompromising war against anti-Semitism, which is rearing its head, must be bolstered." He added: "We'll continue fighting anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and the cruel terrorism, which are meant to make us fear to be proud of our identity." Authorities also arrested Elizabeth Lecron, 23, of Toledo, on Monday after they said she bought bomb-making materials. She was charged with transporting explosives and explosive material with the purpose of harming others. A telephone listing for Lecron could not be located and court records did not indicate whether she has an attorney. Lecron had been talking about carrying out several different types of violent attacks, including telling undercover agents in August that she and someone else had come up with a plan to commit a mass killing at a Toledo bar, officials said. She also discussed attacking a livestock farm, her workplace and bombing a pipeline, according to authorities, who also said Lecron told agents she was making a pipe bomb. The US House of Representatives passed legislation targeting those who use human shields in military confrontations with Israel. The tactic is often employed by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah organization, who Israel says conceal their arsenals in civilian structures such as schools, homes and hospitals. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The legislationtitled the Sanctioning of the Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Actpasses to the Senate, where it is set to be approved, before heading to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. Hamas shows off its weapons during a graduation ceremony for young members of its military wing in Gaza (Photo: Reuters) The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobbying group and the Christians United for Israel organization pushed for the bill, which has received bipartisan support. This is the first time Congress has taken legislative action against this heinous practice, AIPAC wrote in a statement. The importance of this (bill) is underscored by the recent discovery of Hezbollah terror tunnels into Israel that originated under the cover of civilian houses in Lebanon. And just weeks ago using the cover of civilian populations in GazaHamas fired more than 500 rockets at communities across southern Israel. The legislation calls for sanctions on members of terrorist groups or foreign state actors that deliberately place civilians in harms way. For example, Israel alleges that Hamas regularly uses supposedly neutral locations such as hospitals and UNWRA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) schools to store caches of rockets, forcing the Israeli military to strike these targets. By ramping up civilian casualties, Hamas hopes to turn world opinion against Israel. Yet the leverage of these sanctions needs to be assessed especially if the US is acting alone in imposing them, said Roee Kibrik, an expert in international relations and Israeli security at the Mitvim Institute, an Israeli foreign policy think tank. Even without this law the US government can easily cut funding from various groups and organizations such as UNWRA. It can basically do what it wants already. IDF troops dismantle a Hezbollah tunnel dug under the Lebanon-Israel border it is Qatar with Israels help. Does this mean Israel would be acting against Congress laws? This issue is much more complicated than it appears. Asaf Romirowsky, a Middle East historian and executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, said that the biggest debate has always been over distinguishing fighters from non-combatants, as well as discerning what the legitimate targets are. Hamas and Hezbollah have erected charitable wings in their operational structures which they use to compensate for their human shields tactic, Romirowsky noted. Up until now, this practice has not been targeted by any US laws. He believes that Congress is pushing forward the legislation because of Hezbollah's construction of subterranean terror tunnels stretching into northern Israel and due to the ongoing violent protests in Gaza. Many people do not understand the tactics used by these groups, and the US is giving itself another tool to tackle this problem, Romirowsky concluded. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh attends a rally in Gaza to mark 31 years since the group was founded (Photo: AFP) (Photo: AFP) The US move comes on the backdrop of a looming congressional debate on whether to include the Israel Anti-Boycott Act in a massive annual spending bill that must be passed to enable the government to keep functioning. That legislation, which some left-leaning lawmakers oppose, would criminally penalize American citizens that participate in boycotts against Israel and companies operating therein. Despite American efforts to bolster the security of the Jewish state, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly declined an Israeli request to slap sanctions on Lebanon after the Israel Defense Forces uncovered Hezbollah's network of tunnels. Israel is in the process of destroying this underground network in an operation dubbed Northern Shield. Soldiers from the IDF's elite Duvdevan unit and those from the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion looked practically identical as they stood shoulder to shoulder at a falafel stand close to both the settlement of Beit El and the Palestinian refugee camp of Jalazone last Thursday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter But while the Duvdevan fighters are being deployed north to find and destroy Hezbollah tunnels along the Israel-Lebanon border, the Netzah Yehuda battalion, part of the Kfir Brigade, is tasked with mundane routine security measures in the area north of Ramallah. But everything changed last week. The soldiers of Netzah Yehuda sustained three attacks in five days, during which two of its fighters were killed on duty. For the beleaguered battalion, it was the latest crisis in a series of incidents that has raised red flags in the army brass. The scene of an attack in the West Bank that killed two Netzah Yehuda soldiers. (Photo: EPA) (: EPA) Sergeant Yosef Cohen, aged 19 from Beit Shemesh, and 20-year-old Staff Sergeant Yovel Moryosef from Ashkelon were killed when a gunman leaped out of his vehicle and opened fire as the two stood at a bus stop close to the West Bank outpost of Giv'at Asaf. Another soldier was critically wounded. A day later, a 21-year-old member of the Netzah Yehuda battalion was seriously wounded when a Palestinian stabbed him and struck him on the head with a rock at a military post on the outskirts of Beit El. On Saturday, Border Police officers clashed with two Netzah Yehuda soldiers who reportedly came to support a protest by residents of the Beit El area over the surge in violence in the West Bank. The IDF has yet to comment on the incident, while the soldiers are still being questioned. Those close to the two soldiers say they are frustrated by the violent events of the past week. The mission given to the commander of the Netzah Yehuda battalion, Lt. Col. Nitai Okashi, is to restore calm in the area, deter further terror attacks and capture any fugitive terrorists. But it appears that his hardest tasks are still aheadto move his battalion past the recent events, as his soldiers mourn the loss of two comrades, and to overcome the spate of operational difficulties that Netzah Yehuda has faced. Relocating the Kfir Brigade headquarters to the area may not only help Okashi to fulfill the battalion's mission, but could also support him and his commanders during the most difficult time Netzah Yehuda has experienced since it was established 19 years ago. Netzah Yehuda's fighters have proven that they can be trusted with the simmering West Bank. However, a series of grave incidents have occurred over the past two years on its watch. Netzah Yehuda battalion (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit ) According to the IDF, from March to August, the battalion carried out 83 arrests, 19 searches to locate weapons, and 19 interrogations of terror operatives in the Ramallah area. In addition, it carried out dozens of seizures of funds earmarked for terrorism. But Netzah Yehuda fighters have also been accused of beating and severe abuse of Palestinians, including electrocuting them while in custody. Furthermore, members of the battalion were disciplined for interfering with a Palestinian journalist as she was reporting from the field, allowing participants in the so-called "wedding of hate" to use their weapons, and pointing a firearm at an Israeli Arab man in the Old City of Jerusalem. Most of these incidents only involved a handful of Netzah Yehuda soldiers, but are still a sign of an alarming trend. The most serious incident was the 2017 terror attack in the West Bank settlement of Halamish, in which three family members were murdered by a terrorist while an entire Netzah Yehuda company was stationed there. The inability to prevent the attack triggered harsh criticism, and the battalion's performance before, during and after the attack was defined by senior officers in the Central Command as a "failure." Netzah Yehuda soldiers An officer who served as a company commander in Netzah Yehuda said that commanding over such a unique battalion is harder than commanding over any other battalion in the Kfir or Givati (combat) brigades. "The soldiers are infused with patriotic spirit and seek to prove themselves, but they also experience hard moments when the IDF values collide with the soldiers' ultra-Orthodox values on which they were raised," the officer said. "The battalion is comprised of soldiers from different backgrounds, and it is a mistake to call it an ultra-Orthodox battalion. Religious immigrants from France with a wealthy background as well as teens, who were kicked out from their yeshivas at the age of 15, and those who identify with the (radical settler) Hilltop Youth serve in the battalion," he said. He added that despite the different backgrounds, the Netzah Yehuda fighters are united and motivated to do their job in the best way possible. This includes taking on the most demanding tasks in their sectorguarding hitchhiking stops, conducting routine patrols, carrying out stake outs in the blistering cold, and maintaining order at checkpoints. "They dont have Gaza. They know the chances of taking part in the fighting in Lebanon are slim, and they are left with these grueling tasks in the territories," he said. Meanwhile, the IDF intends to bolster the battalion, which over the past two decades has become a symbol of integrating ultra-Orthodox soldiers into the army. Half of the battalion's fighters receive official and unofficial financial aid from the army, and dozens of its soldiers are defined as lone soldiers, after they were denounced by their families for enlisting. There is strong opposition among many members of the ultra-Orthodox community to military service, and efforts to legislate for compulsory national service have been fiercely opposed. "This is an important project on a national level, this is not another battalion that makes mistakes and must be reprimanded," another officer said. "The battalion's soldiers who concluded their service, have integrated into the workforce, gained an education and now serve in the Haredi reserve battalion. Only a wise commander will be able to pull out the battalion of its current crisis," he said. The Taliban say "another" meeting is to be held with the United States, this time in the United Arab Emirates and involving representatives of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. The terse statement from Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the meeting would be held Monday without offering details. Russia requested from the government of Lebanon to deal with the terror tunnels constructed by Hezbollah along the border with Israel, according to Mondays report in the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. The Social Workers Union announced they will suspend all welfare services throughout the country on Monday as part of a nationwide strike, protesting the violence against the staff and poor working conditions. French English Paris, 17 December 2018 No. 18-18 Completion of a capital increase reserved for Rockover and the buyback from Rockover of deferred payments (Gabon) Implementation and completion of the capital increase reserved for Rockover in accordance with the agreement covering the buyback of deferred payments from Rockover by M&P Completion of the buyback of deferred payments from Rockover by M&P Etablissements Maurel & Prom ("M&P"), Euronext Paris: MAU, ISIN FR0000051070) announces the launch and subsequent completion of the capital increase reserved for Rockover Energy Limited ("Rockover") and, as a consequence, the completion of the buyback of deferred payments from Rockover authorised by the Board of Directors on 5 November 2018 (the "Transaction"). As a reminder, under the Transaction, M&P was to acquire from Rockover the deferred payments held by Rockover in consideration of US$10.75 million to be paid in cash and the issuance of 5,373,209 new shares according to the terms set out below. To this end, the extraordinary general meeting of M&P shareholders, held on 12 December 2018, approved the delegation of authority relating to the capital increase, without preferential subscription rights, reserved for Rockover, pursuant to Article L.225-138 of the French Commercial Code (first resolution). At its meeting of 14 December 2018, the Board of Directors implemented this delegation of authority and decided to carry out the capital increase for a total nominal amount of 4,137,370.93 through the issuance of 5,373,209 new shares with a par value of 0.77 each and a unit subscription price of 5.182. These shares were fully subscribed by Rockover and paid up by offsetting the receivable held by Rockover against M&P as a result of the buyback by M&P of the deferred payments. The new shares were issued with current dividend rights and are equivalent to existing shares. Their admission to trading on the Euronext Paris regulated market was also requested. At the conclusion of this transaction, M&P's share capital stood at 154,549,411.94 divided into 200,713,522 shares with a par value of 0.77 each. After the completion of the capital increase, the Rockover group held 2.68% of M&P's share capital. For information purposes, a shareholder holding a 1% stake in M&P's capital prior to the capital increase now holds a 0.97% stake. It should be noted that, in accordance with applicable regulations, this transaction did not result in the publication of a prospectus. Given the fulfilment of the conditions precedent of the Transaction, the completion of the capital increase and the payment of the balance of the deferred payments in cash to the Rockover group, the Transaction is now finalised. It puts an end to the deferred payments due to Rockover and is expected to save M&P an estimated annual amount of between US$6 million and US$10 million over the coming years and to increase its future net income. In addition, the issuance of new shares increases the free float on the market and is expected to enhance liquidity in the stock. For more information, visit www.maureletprom.fr Contacts MAUREL & PROM Press, shareholder and investor relations Tel: +33 (0)1 53 83 16 45 ir@maureletprom.fr NewCap Financial communications and investor relations Julie Coulot/Louis-Victor Delouvrier Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 98 53 maureletprom@newcap.eu Media relations Nicolas Merigeau Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 maureletprom@newcap.eu This document may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial position, results, business and industrial strategy of Maurel & Prom. By nature, forward-looking statements contain risks and uncertainties to the extent that they are based on events or circumstances that may or may not happen in the future. These projections are based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which may prove to be incorrect and which depend on a number of risk factors, such as fluctuations in crude oil prices, changes in exchange rates, uncertainties related to the valuation of our oil reserves, actual rates of oil production and the related costs, operational problems, political stability, legislative or regulatory reforms, or even wars, terrorism and sabotage. Maurel & Prom is listed for trading on Euronext Paris CAC All-Share - CAC Oil & Gas - Next 150 - PEA-PME and SRD eligible Isin FR0000051070 / Bloomberg MAU.FP / Reuters MAUP.PA Two senior IDF commanders are being disciplined over an incident that left an IDF soldier critically wounded in anti-tank missile strike along the Gaza border. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The regional brigade commander, the regional battalion commander and two company commanders will receive written rebukes in their personnel files after an internal military investigation found faults in their decision-making process, in the forces' isolation of the area of operations and in operational discipline, the IDF said on Monday. On November 12, amid an escalation of violence on the Gaza border, roadblocks were set up in some areas along the Gaza border as part of the IDF's operational deployment. Hamas fires anti-tank missile at IDF bus X Following situation assessments, a bus transporting IDF soldiers arrived at the Black Arrow Memorial site in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, some 900 meters from the Gaza border. After the soldiers disembarked from the bus, Hamas fired an anti-tank missile at it, completely destroying the vehicle. A 19-year-old soldier who was nearby was hit by shrapnel and critically wounded. The bus after being hit by an anti-tank missile (Photo: AP) "The lessons from the incident have been implemented," the IDF said in a statement. "Following the investigation, the Gaza Division has updated its area isolation plan during emergency times. The plan will be fully drilled in the coming weeks." The bus after being hit by an anti-tank missile (Photo: AFP) The investigation criticized the fact the bus was exposed to direct fire from the Gazan side. The commanders in the area failed to implement lessons from a similar incident that took place in January 2015 on the northern border when reinforcements were sent to the Galilee sector amid concerns of Hezbollah retaliation for the assassination of Jihad Mughniyeh, which was attributed to Israel. The large reinforcement forces patrolled exposed areas near the border, making themselves easy targets for the Lebanese terror group, until a barrage of eight anti-tank missiles hit a Givati convoy, killing an officer and a soldier from the force. Thousands of social workers are taking part in a protest in Tel Aviv against their poor work conditions. The protest's main rally will be held at Rabin Square. In addition, all social services will be striking on monday in protest over the violence social workers have been experiencing, their poor work conditions and law wage. The organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis says Germany has agreed to one-time payments to survivors who were evacuated from Germany as children. The New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany said Monday that Germany will make a payment of 2,500 euros ($2,800) to each of those still living among the 10,000 people who fled on the so-called "Kindertransport." The IDF has located the Kalashnikov rifle and magazine used in the West Bank shooting attack last Thursday that left two soldiers dead and a third fighting for his life. A civilian woman was also seriously wounded in the attack. A weapon stolen from one of the two soldiers killed in the attack was also recovered. The attacka drive-by shooting on Route 60, a central artery that runs through the West Bankoccurred at around 11:15am on Thursday, some 5km south of the West Bank settlement of Ofra, at a bus stop next to the Giv'at Asaf outpost. The attack claimed the lives of combat soldiers Corporal Yosef Cohen, aged 19, and 20-year-old Sergeant Yovel Moryosef. Both were posthumously promoted. The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved Sunday night a bill proposal that calls to expel families of terrorists. According to the bill proposal, which is sponsored by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, the GOC Central Command would be able to expel the family of a terrorist from one area of the West Bank to another within seven days from the attack. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit objected to the legislation, saying it is against international law. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often framed in black and white, an outlook captured by this image of Palestinian youths shrouded by clouds of smoke that block out everything except an isolated moment of protest and defiance. Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem's photograph of a handful of demonstrators in a field of dying flowers and charred grass recorded a new phenomenon in an old war at the weekly Palestinian protests that began in the spring of 2018 along the Israeli-Gaza border. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The protests pitted thousands of Palestinian demonstrators against Israeli soldiers on the other side of the border fence intent on stopping the protesters from crossing or approaching the frontier. Palestinian demonstrators shout during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest near the Israel-Gaza border east of Gaza City, April 6, 2018 (Photo: Mohammed Salem / Reuters) What became known as the "March of Return" dominated the headlines for months, evolving into a compelling but deadly form of attritional public spectacle, all covered by photojournalists risking their lives to document it. Taking place in a handful of accessible locations at prearranged times, the protests became battlegrounds of image and spin for both sides. The Israeli military published video footage, pictures and social media posts in Hebrew, English and Arabic to support its message that its forces were engaged in "riot dispersal." An Israeli home devastated in an October 2018 rocket attack from Gaza (Photo: Ido Erez) (Photo: Ido Erez) Hamas, the Islamist terror group that controls Gaza, televised images of the Palestinian dead and wounded, and Palestinian protesters posted images from the front lines on social media. The primary stated purpose of the protests was to revive a demand by refugees for the right to return to lands that Palestinians were driven from or fled when Israel was founded in 1948. Israel has ruled out any such right, on the grounds that it would mean the end of the Jewish state. But the immediate factor was Palestinian anger at US President Donald Trump's decisions on December 6 last year to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to begin preparations to move its embassy to the city that is sacred to three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Trump's move delighted Israel's government, which regards Jerusalem as its eternal united capital, but infuriated Palestinians who claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they hope to establish in the West Bank and in Gaza Strip. The deadliest day of the protests was May 14, when the new embassy held its opening ceremony. It fell on a symbolic date for both sidesthe 70th anniversary of the creation of Israel. That is a joyous day for Israelis, but an event regarded by Palestinians as their "Nakba" or Catastrophe when they lost their homeland. The Jerusalem-Gaza juxtaposition made headlines at home and abroad, and produced a worldwide split-screen television moment as Trump's daughter Ivanka attended the embassy ceremony, even as Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian protesters just over 70 km (43 miles) away. The border protests continued and morphed into other forms. Palestinians gather around a building after it was bombed by an Israeli aircraft, in Gaza City, August 9, 2018 (Photo: Reuters / Mohammed Salem) Israelis were angered by another new phenomenon first seen in 2018the Palestinian incendiary kites and balloons loaded with petrol bombs by Gaza militants and sent flying over the border. Palestinians continued to call for an end to the blockade on Gaza. The conflict switched to the skies in November when a bungled Israeli commando mission inside Gaza erupted into a deadly gunfight and then the fiercest Palestinian rocket salvoes and Israeli air strikes since the 2014 Operation Protective Edge. The skies fell quiet again as the year drew to a close, giving way to ceasefires and mediation efforts, as all sides waited for the Trump administration to unveil its long-expected Middle East peace plan. In a relatively rare moment, IDF soldiers met with Lebanese troops on the northern border on Monday to discuss where to place a barbed-wire fence, which was put up as part of Operation Northern Shield, Israel's search for Hezbollah border-crossing terror tunnels. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The Israeli and Lebanese forces were joined by peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Rakefet enclave, in the southern part of the Galilee Panhandle. IDF soldiers meet with Lebanese and UNIFIL forces on border X A video posted online by Ali Shuaib, a journalist from Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV station, one of the Lebanese soldiers is seen asking to move the 200-meters-long barbed-wire fence back from the UN-demarcated Blue Line. According to Shuaib, the request was granted and the fence was moved to the Israeli side of the Blue Line. Lebanon's National News Agency reported three IDF excavators crossed the electronic fence and started digging works, but did not cross the Blue Line. Hezbollah media has been extensively reporting on Israeli activity in southern Lebanon in an effort to ridicule the IDF and stress that the daily routine is maintained. Earlier Monday, the Al Mayadeen TV channel reported that the Lebanese army has raised the level of alert in the Rakefet enclave because of the barbed-wire fence. According to the IDF, such encounters between Israeli and Lebanese soldiers happen almost every day as part of the Operation. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reached a decision, which is a compromise: his government will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, but only West Jerusalem, which is within the boundaries of the Green Line. While Australia said it would only be willing to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after Israel and the Palestinians sign a peace agreement, it will open a commercial and military branch in the capital. Furthermore, Canberra also announced it will begin looking into possible locations for the embassy in Jerusalem. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The Israeli government wasn't happy with this announcement. It expected a recognition of a united Jerusalemincluding both West and East Jerusalemas the Jewish state's capital, with the Australian embassy immediately moved. The Palestinians weren't happy either. The head of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee, Saeb Erekat, who is in charge of the non-existent negotiations with Israel, called on Arab and Muslim countries to freeze their relations with Australia. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (Photo: Getty Images) There was something heartwarming in Israel and the PA's shared disapproval of Australia's announcementthe Israeli government and the PA leadership have finally found something they agree on. Morrison is an unusual politician in the Australian scenehe is an evangelical Christian, a vitriolic right-wing populist and a follower of US President Donald Trump. All of this was supposed to make him an enthusiastic supporter of the Israeli government. But when he announced two months ago that he was planning on moving the Australian Embassy to Jerusalem, his motives were neither religious nor political. Midterm elections were held in southwest Australia's Wentworth County in October, and 12.5 percent of the voters were Jewish. Dave Sharma, the former Australian ambassador to Israel, was the candidate from Morrison's Liberal Party. The Australian prime minister sought to gain the Jewish votes, thinking the promise to move the embassy to Jerusalem was the way to do it. He was wrong. Sharma lost the midterm elections, which I lamented. I knew him when he served as an ambassador in Israel. He impressed me with his youthful enthusiasm, and his genuine sympathy to Israel. Morrison's declaration that he would move the embassy to Jerusalem has been haunting him ever since. The Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) said such a decision would have ramifications. Indonesia's government, which is supposed to sign a free trade agreement with Australia, feared backlash on Jakarta's streets. Dome of the Rock, Old City of Jerusalem (Photo: AP) Australia's sheep breeders were afraid that Saudi Arabia, a major sheep importer, will seek other importers. Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd claimed that during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tenure, the Israeli Mossad had used fake Australian passports to carry out the assassination of a senior Hamas official in Dubai in 2010. Netanyahu should not be rewarded, Rudd said. There are decisions that are hated by everyone. Nevertheless, they deserve a second chance. World nations should have recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital prior to the 1967 Six-Day War. But they didn't because of mental stagnation, pressure from countries hostile to the Jewish state, and because Israel had other, more urgent matters on its agenda. After East Jerusalem was captured and the Israeli capital's borders were expanded, everything froze. Jerusalem's future became a hot topic with far-reaching ramifications, the brick wall that all negotiations hit. Israel was left without an internationally recognized capital. Israeli leaders tend to describe Jerusalem as the Jewish nation's eternal capital, but they have been failing in convincing other nations to move their embassies to this capital. Trump's decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem did not fundamentally change the situation. Every government in the world knew what Trump got during the 2016 elections, and what he had to give in return. According to the Daily Beast, a reliable news website, special counsel Robert Mueller's team of investigators is examining the connection between the money Trump received and the interests of Middle Eastern countries, among them Saudi Arabia and Israel. Trump announces US recognition of Jerusalem (: ) X The Australian compromise suggests a reasonable alternative. Its starting point is simple: in practice, Israel, the PA and the international community agree that West Jerusalem is part of the State of Israel. The dispute is about East Jerusalem, with the Old City and its surroundingsthe Holy Basinat the center of it. They all also agree that the way to settle the dispute is through negotiations. Having said that, there is no reason not to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Other countries, which are friendly toward Israel but oppose the occupation, could follow the Australian lead: recognize West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, while calling for negotiations over East Jerusalem. And then the Israeli government will be able to start treating Jerusalem as its capital by transferring government offices there from the Shfela region; improving the infrastructure and the education system in the Arab sector; working to attract young people to the city; supporting high education and cultural institutions, primarily the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design; and bolstering Jerusalem's middle class. Jerusalem is the poorest city in Israel. I dont know any other capital in the world that boasts that title. Palestinian Authority officials believe they have identified the mastermind of the Hamas cell that carried out the recent shooting attacks at the Ofra settlement and Giv'at Asaf outpost. According to the PA, the mastermind is Jassar Barghouti, a member of the infamous Barghouti clan. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The senior officials told Ynet on Monday that Barghouti is part of the "West Bank headquarters" of Hamas, which operates from the Gaza Strip to launch attacks in the West Bank under the leadership of Hamas second-in-command Saleh al-Arouri, who founded the group's military wing, and Hamas politburo member Maher Obeid. Last week's attacks claimed the lives of two IDF soldiersSergeant Yosef Cohen and Staff Sergeant Yovel Moryosefand Amiad Israel Ish-Ran, a baby boy who died just days he was delivered prematurely due his mother's gunshot wounds. A third soldier who was wounded in the Giv'at Asaf attack is still fighting for his life. Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar salutes Jassar Barghouti after the spate of attacks on Israelis Jassar Barghouti is the uncle of Saleh Barghouti, one of the members of the cell that carried out the attack at Ofra, who was killed last week in an exchange of fire during an arrest operation by the Israel Police counter-terrorism unit Yamam. Barghouti was one of the senior members of the Hamas military wing in the Ramallah area during the Second Intifada, at the start of the millennium. He was one of the perpetrators of a shooting attack in the village of Ein Yabrud near Ramallah in 2003, in which three IDF soldiers were killed. Sources say that Jassar Barghouti was also responsible for setting up and directing the Hamas cells in the West Bank villages of Bir Zeit, Kubar and Mazra'a al-Gharbiyya, all areas in which he grew up and was therefore deeply familiar with the local population. The sources, who are familiar with the security situation, say Jassar Barghouti is responsible for setting up and recruiting the firing squad that carried out the two deadly attacks last week, using his familial connections to Saleh Barghouti. Jassar Barghouti holds hands with Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an image taken after the Ofra attack Barghouti is responsible for directing other deadly attacks on Israelis. He was arrested and sentenced to nine life terms but released in 2011 he was released as part of the prisoner exchange for captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. As Barghouti was seen as one of the most dangerous prisoners freed in the deal, Israel conditioned his release on immediate deportation to the Gaza Strip. After being deported to the Gaza Strip, Barghouti became involved the Hamas "West Bank headquarters." The Barghouti family includes Omar, a senior Hamas operative and the father of Saleh Barghouti. He is a well-known 60-something resident of the village of Kobar, near Ramallah, where Jassar Barghouti also resides. Omar spent numerous years in Israeli prisons after he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1978 for the murder of an Israeli. He was released in the 1985 Jibril prisoner swap and since then has been in and out of administrative detention. The clan also includes Nael Barghouti, a veteran security prisoner in Israel. Nael, Omar's brother, was also charged in the 1978 murder. A former Fatah associate, Nael switched his loyalty to Hamas while behind bars. He too was released in the Shalit deal and is considered a legend among Palestinians. Less than three years after his release, however, he was arrested again after being charged with violating the terms of his parole and returned to prison. RAMALLAH - The United Nations and the Palestinian Authority appealed on Monday for $350 million in aid for Palestinians next year, saying much more was needed but they had to be realistic after a year of funding cuts. The 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan focused on Palestinians most in need of food, healthcare, shelter, water and sanitation, said Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. Donations were down in many areas around the world, he said. But local aid work took a particularly hard hit this year when the United States ended funding for the UN agency that helps 5 million Palestinian refugees. At a Knight Foundation smart cities forum in Philadelphia in September, the opening session was billed as a conversation about technology between the foundations president and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. What transpired had little to do with technology.A significant part of what won the crowd over was the honest and authentic way Kenney talked about immigration, about how wrong he thought President Trump was on the issue and why he was willing to engage in a protracted fight with the federal government over Philadelphias sanctuary city status. Diversity, he said is our strength. Kenney reminded the crowd that some of the previous waves of immigrants, among them the Irish, Italians and European Jews, were not initially welcomed, any more than people coming here from Latin America today or African-Americans who began migrating to Northern cities a century ago.Dealing with urban poverty, linked as it is to those latter-day migrations, is key for every big-city mayor, but the challenges are particularly acute for Philadelphia. The countrys fifth-largest city, it has the highest poverty rate among big cities. More than a quarter of its residents have incomes below the federal poverty level, and more than half of those struggle to get by on less than 50 percent of that.A lot of experts will tell you that lifting folks out of poverty is a job for the federal government and that theres little a city can do to move the needle. Kenney is giving that assertion a serious test. The mayor is confronting poverty in a way that doesnt single out the poor as a separate class or marginalize them as just one more interest group clamoring for special favors. Instead, to broaden the base of support from taxpayers, Kenney maintains a focus on the idea of, as in public schools, public spaces and public transit. This acknowledges the reality of what poor people need.The three main pillars of Kenneys approach are the citys soda tax, its schools and a program focused on rebuilding public spaces. The soda tax, 1.5 cents per ounce, raises about $90 million a year, which is used to fund pre-K education as well as parks, libraries and other public spaces. Kenney was able to wrest control of the schools away from the state, which had run them for years. And the city recently unveiled a new transit plan. While the plan features upgrades across all modes of public transportation, the biggest push is to improve the affordability and connectivity of the bus system. Almost half of Philadelphians in poverty ride the bus.None of these things can happen without getting the politics right. Kenney, who grew up enmeshed in South Philly politics and went on to serve for 23 years on the city council, clearly knows how the machinery works. One of the people I talked to about him mentioned that the mayor never gets too far out in front of the 17-member council -- that he wont do much without being within hailing distance of nine votes.On the other hand, Kenney has surrounded himself with very competent young activists and technocrats impatient to make big changes. The result is that while he isnt Americas flashiest progressive mayor, he might be one of the most effective at dealing with things that matter to progressives. And thats just what Philadelphia needs at this moment. Germany will pay compensation of 2,500 euros to Jewish children evacuated to Britain on the eve of the Second World War, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday. No indication has been given as to the number of beneficiaries of this measure. The Jewish Claim Conference (JCC), which has been working since 1951 to obtain and administer compensation for Jewish Holocaust victims, will be responsible for the disbursement of the funds. The United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, confirmed for the first time that two Hezbollah tunnels crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory. The announcement confirmed that the tunnels were a violation of UN Resolution 1701. The IDF has discovered at least four tunnels as of Monday. The controversy surrounding Airbnb's decision to drop West Bank settlement listings continued Monday, with both Israeli officials and the company itself making contradictory claims about the move. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Tourism Minister Yariv Levin announced Monday night after meeting with a senior Airbnb delegation in Jerusalem that the company has decided not to implement the decision announced last month. But a short time later, Airbnb said claims that it was suspending its settlement embargo were inaccurate. A holiday cabin in the settlement of Sde Boaz, which was advertised on Airbnb (Photo: Adam Bar) Levin, meanwhile, hailed the Airbnb decision to drop the ban on settlement listings as "an important step in the right direction." Referring to the West Bank by its biblical name, Levin added that he would continue "to act to ensure that all Israeli citizens receive equal treatment and strengthen tourism in Israel, including in Judea and Samaria." Israel responded with fury to Airbnb's announcement last month, which cited the "occupied West Bank" in its rationale for banning settlement listings. "We reached the conclusion that we should remove apartments that are registered in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which lies at the heart of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians," the company said in a statement posted on its website last month. It did not say when the decision, which would lead to the removal of about 200 apartments, would take place. Following Airbnb's announcement, Levin instructed his ministry to put together immediate measures to limit the company's operations throughout the country, and to implement a special plan to encourage tourism and accommodation in vacation apartments in the West Bank. Levin urged Airbnb to cancel the ban, calling it "a disgraceful and miserable decision, and a disgraceful surrender by the company." While the San Francisco-based company says it is developing the tools needed to implement its policy while it continues to talk with stakeholders, it also claims to unequivocally reject the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has communicated its commitment to develop its business in Israel. Airbnb also pledged to continue its dialogue with the Israeli government. "There are conflicting opinions about whether companies should do business in the occupied territories that are the focus of the historic conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians, and many in the international community believe that companies should not do business there because they believe that companies should not make a profit off of land from which the owners were uprooted. Others believe that companies should not withdraw from business activity in these areas," the company said. A protest video decrying Airbnb's listings in West Bank settlements (Photo: Reuters) "We are certainly not the experts when it comes to historic conflicts in this region," the company continued. "Our team is struggling with this dilemma and we have been working hard to reach the right approach as a global platform operating in 191 countries and regions and more than 81,000 cities, we must consider the impact we have and act responsibly," read the statement. COMPETITORS TAKE off from the starting line during one of the races Saturday at Mt. Zion during the Fire on the Hill Snocross Race. By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] Ironwood - With temperatures above freezing and the sun shining, it was a good day for racing Saturday as Gogebic Community College's Mt. Zion ski hill played host to the Fire on the Hill Snocross race. "It's going very well. It's been a great turnout, we've got a lot of good riders," race director Keith Johnson said. "People are very pleased with our track and very pleased with the venue." Around 120-130 racers competed in 17 classes, which were determined based on a racer's age and what machine they are riding. Racers tried to complete the course on the side of the ski slope in the fastest times, racing through the jumps and banked turns that make it a Snocross race. "It's the jumps, the bumps, the aerials, going around the track real fast with the banked corners. It's all of the above," Johnson said, regarding what Snocross racing was. The race drew competitors as young as four from around the Midwest - including downstate Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as Indiana. Over 40 local sponsors helped make the multi-day event possible, according to Johnson, with racers practicing on the course Friday and competing all day Saturday. ONTONAGON Ontonagon native JR Richardson has commented on his appointment from Governor Rick Snyder to the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority. The panel will oversee the construction of an oil pipeline tunnel in the straits of Mackinac. Richardson said he is looking forward to my recent appointment to the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority. I will miss the (Natural Resource Commission) and all the devoted partners working together for the good of Michigans resources, but plan on bringing the same transparency and openness to work with partners in my new appointment. I am proud to represent the U.P. and the state of Michigan on this authority. JR will be one of three members of the authority which was established under legislation approved last week and signed by the governor. Richardson is a long-time member of the Natural Resource Commission, has served as chairman and was vice chairman of that body prior to the appointment to the authority. He is vice president of the PM Power Group of White Pine and was recently named 2018 outstanding conservationist by the Upper Peninsula Sportsman Alliance. He holds a bachelors degree from Michigan Tech. He will serve a 6 year term on the board. Jan Tucker Strata apartment landlords are expected to benefit from an industry professional's recent reminder on the approvals required before putting up exterior decorations and lights for the holidays. Most bodies corporate have by-laws prohibiting additions to the exterior of the building without approval, which can include hanging Christmas decorations and lights from balconies and windows, said Grant Mifsud, a partner at Archers Strata Management. However, some tenants tend to violate these laws and overlook getting approval from their landlords. At Christmas when youre having fun you need to consider your neighbours, particularly when your decorations light up nearby bedrooms and living areas, Mifsud said. Residents that do not consider appropriate positioning and timing could create tension and complaints from neighbours resulting in by-law enforcement action taken against them. Decorations can also create dangerous situations if there are electrical faults or overloads, particularly in storm season. Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) insurers also said that tenants should be checking their Christmas lights before installing them to ensure safety. According to a study by the organisation, many residents use the same set of lights every year, and these lights are usually damaged in the storage. Mifsud highlighted the importance of considering the convenience of other people in your neighbourhood. If you are close to neighbours, you should turn off the Christmas lights at an appropriate time to avoid disturbances, and the possibility of electrical fires during the night, he said. When approving decorations, Mifsud said that landlords should also consider the duration for when decorations can be displayed to make sure that they are removed after the holiday season has ended. Victoria and Tasmania dominated the list of regions that recorded the largest value growths, while New South Wales (NSW) recorded the most value declines over the past year. Investors in regions with the biggest value increase stand to gain the most. On the other hand, losses are expected from investments in regions with value declines. According to CoreLogics recent Property Pulse, over the 12 months leading to November, only 15 Statistical Area 3 (SA3) regions nationally have posted double-digit value growth, with 10 of the 15 in Tasmania. Victoria accounted for three of the 15, and New South Wales and Queensland had one each. Only 48 SA3 regions logged value growth of at least 5% over the past year, implying that only 14.3% of SA3 regions generated 5% or more dwelling value hikes during the period. The South East Coast of Tasmania was named the region with the strongest value growth over the past year. Across the region, dwelling values rose by 16.3%. On top of this, it was the only SA3 region nationally whose values grew by over 15% throughout the previous year. The research also revealed that the top areas for value growth were mostly regional areas, rather than capital cities. This result can be explained by the fact that the cooling value growth conditions across the nation hurt capital city markets the most. On the other hand, 23 SA3 regions nationally recorded double-digit value falls higher than the number of regions with double-digit value increases. Data showed that 55.7% of all SA3 regions posted value drops, with New South Wales leading the downward shift. Twenty-eight spots in the top 50 regions for value declines were located in Sydney, while the regions of Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and Northern Territory also appear in the list. The Outback-South region of Queensland recorded the largest decline in values, down by 15.6%. It was also the only region whose values have dipped by more than 15% over the past year. The Outback-South region is home to the major towns of Longreach, Charleville, and Cunnamulla. CoreLogic said while drastic declines, especially in Sydney market, are likely to discontinue at the same pace, the housing market will still experience falls in 2019. News Phoenix, Arizona - The Office of Governor Doug Ducey Friday announced that it has received the resignation letter of Jon Kyl from the U.S. Senate. Senator Kyls resignation is effective December 31, 2018. Governor Ducey released the following statement: When Jon Kyl returned to the Senate in September, our country faced many critical issues. Arizona needed someone who could hit the ground running from day one and represent our state with experience and confidence and thats exactly what Senator Kyl has done. Over the last few months, Senator Kyl served with the same integrity and statesmanship that marked his 26 years in Congress. Senator Kyl didnt need to return to the Senate. His legacy as one of Arizonas most influential and important political figures was already without question. But he did return, and I remain deeply grateful for his willingness to step up and serve again when Arizona needed him. I wish him and his family all the best. The resignation letter was hand-delivered to the Governors Office yesterday afternoon and can be viewed here. A replacement to the seat will be announced in the near future. News Houston, Texas - A former procurement officer of Venezuelas state-owned and state-controlled energy company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), pleaded guilty for his role in a scheme to obstruct an investigation relating to bribes paid by the owner of U.S.-based companies to Venezuelan government officials in exchange for securing additional business with PDVSA and payment priority on outstanding invoices. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston made the announcement. Alfonso Eliezer Gravina Munoz (Gravina), 56, of Katy, Texas, who previously worked for PDVSA in Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt of the Southern District of Texas in Houston to one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. Gravina is scheduled to be sentenced on February 19, 2019 before Judge Gary H. Miller. He was charged by indictment on November 15. Gravina pleaded guilty on December 10, 2015 to one count of conspiracy to launder money and one count of making false statements on his federal income tax return. Gravinas plea agreement in that case was a cooperation plea agreement, and it contemplated the possibility that the United States would make a motion to reduce his sentence based on his cooperation. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Gravina agreed to participate in interviews as requested by the United States, and to provide truthful, complete and accurate information to government agents and attorneys. According to admissions made in connection with Gravinas plea in this case, after his plea in December 2015, Gravina met periodically with HSI special agents to provide information regarding corruption at PDVSA. Despite knowing that U.S. government authorities were investigating corruption at PDVSA, and, specifically, that at the beginning of 2018 the government was focusing on bribes paid by companies controlled by an individual referred to as Co-Conspirator 1 in the indictment in this case, Gravina concealed facts about Co-Conspirator 1s bribe payments to PDVSA officials in his interviews with the government. In addition, Gravina informed Co-Conspirator 1 that U.S. government authorities were investigating Co-Conspirator 1, and provided Co-Conspirator 1 with information about the investigation, including the topics discussed in Gravinas meetings with the government. This passing of information led to the destruction of evidence by Co-Conspirator 1 and others, and to Co-Conspirator 1s attempt to flee the country in July 2018. Gravina becomes the latest individual to plead guilty as part of a larger, ongoing investigation by the U.S. government into bribery at PDVSA. Including Gravina, the Justice Department has announced the guilty pleas of a total of 15 individuals in connection with the investigation. HSI Houston is conducting the ongoing investigation with assistance from HSI in Boston and Madrid, as well as from IRS Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorneys Sarah E. Edwards and Sonali D. Patel of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Pearson and Robert S. Johnson of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristine Rollinson of the Southern District of Texas is handling the forfeiture aspects of the case. During the day, I'm a public official. At night, I'm an unpaid, bitter housekeeper. I'm the father of a 7- and a 3-year-old, and my wife and I spend at least an hour every night picking up Legos, balls, dolls, backpacks and clothes.I never imagined that two little human beings could generate so much stuff. Loving grandparents, aunts and even trips to the dentist spawn little plastic or stuffed toys that my wife and I will eventually spend significant parts of our leisure time moving from place to place in our house, until I lose my patience and donate it so that the stuff can clutter some other families' homes. The daily management of piles of plastic stuff is not what I expected from fatherhood.Now, my day job is starting to feel like my night job. I ran for office to help people and protect our open spaces. Yet it's occurring to me that much of what government is now doing is managing the consumption, impact and disposal of stuff.Economic development staff recruits stuff makers and providers to our community. Our transportation system moves stuff from one place to the next. Our land use reckons with bigger and bigger houses being built or remodeled to contain stuff, not to mention acres of offsite storage units. Neighborhood disputes arise from hoarding, people owning too many cars or, more often, garages that are filled with stuff instead of cars and making street parking more difficult. Courts are inundated with people arrested for stealing stuff. Legions of government workers spend their days inspecting and taxing stuff. And, of course, our waste streams are overwhelmed with the disposal of stuff.When did we allow stuff to hijack our lives and government? What can we do about it?The first step is admitting we have a problem. And, we do. Consider the following: The average size of the American home has nearly tripled over the past 50 years, even though the number of people living in those homes has shrunk. One out of every 10 Americans rents offsite storage. It has been the fastest-growing segment of the commercial real-estate industry over the past 40 years. The United States now has more than 50,000 storage facilities, more than five times the number of Starbucks. Currently there is 7.3 square feet of self-storage space for every man, woman and child in the nation. Although only 3.1 percent of the world's children live in America, they consume 40 percent of the world's toys. The average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing per year. Each pair of jeans requires 7,000 liters of water to make (that's how much water someone drinks in five to six years). Shopping malls outnumber high schools.Study after study convincingly demonstrates that all that stuff make us more stressed, less happy and more financially at risk. It's a big problem and therefore requires many approaches, but some promising policies should be considered, including: Incentives, such as lower fees and faster permitting, for smaller homes as well as moratoriums and limits on large homes and storage facilities. Replacing the sales tax with a services tax and a carbon tax to make local governments less biased toward siting big-box retailers and emphasizing consumption. Tax incentives for repair shops and the purchase of used goods. Packaging reductions and bans on unnecessary plastics. Establishment of college, health and retirement savings-account programs with matches to reward saving rather than spending Financial literacy education programs for both adults and children.It took decades for super-efficient supply chains, incessant marketing and bad policies to fill our lives with stuff. We can reverse course, but it has to start with creating values and norms that put people and the environment ahead of stuff. I'm going to start working on it, but first I have to clean up my stuff. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey and First Lady Angela Ducey joined national, regional and local leaders today at the 5th Annual Arizona ACEs Summit, an event focused on promoting trauma-informed care to best treat those who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Attendees sought proactive ways to mitigate the lifelong effects of traumatic childhood experiences caused by abuse, neglect or household dysfunction through trauma-informed care. With increased knowledge of how to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma and its widespread impact, Arizona communities will be able to better implement policies, procedures and practices to prevent re-traumatization. Attendees also worked on how they can build on current successes to continue improving Arizonas response to ACEs and trauma. We must do everything we can to protect Arizonas most vulnerable, said Governor Ducey. Im proud of the shared efforts taking place across our state to develop and implement forward-thinking trauma-informed care. Together, we have the ability to prevent and reduce the impact of childhood trauma and secure a brighter and more resilient future for our children, families and communities. Over 400 stakeholders participated in workshops led by national and state experts who have been instrumental in shaping Arizonas current trauma-informed care practices. Advancing progress in the area of trauma-informed care can play a big role in helping to prevent and mitigate the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences, said Mrs. Ducey. I want to express my appreciation for all of the community groups, nonprofits and faith-based organizations that have partnered with us to support vulnerable children and strengthen Arizona families. Arizona is committed to reducing the number of citizens who experience ACEs by providing the support necessary to create happier and healthier communities statewide. State agencies, including Arizonas Department of Health Services and the Arizona Department of Child Safety, have partnered to reduce and mitigate the impact of ACEs through trauma-informed care. We know that traumatic experiences at a young age can have a dramatic impact on health outcomes as an adult, said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. Becoming a trauma-informed state allows Arizona to improve the quality and longevity of the lives of our littlest and most vulnerable residents. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey Thursday announced the promotion of two of his current senior staff members: Dawn Wallace and Daniel Ruiz, and the addition of Patrick Ptak to his senior staff. Dawn Wallace will serve as Special Assistant to the Governor. In her new and expanded role, Wallace will continue to advise on the policy, legislative and budget issues related to K-12 and higher education and oversee the public partnership projects of the Governors Office of Education. Additionally, her portfolio will grow to include responsibilities such as serving as chief protocol officer for the governor, managing special events, speaking engagements, and travel for the governor and the first lady, and providing counsel to the Governor and Chief of Staff on a broad base of policy initiatives. Dawn joined my team at the start of our first term in office, and quickly became an invaluable member of my senior staff. Her work building relationships with Arizona stakeholders, including the education and philanthropic community, has been vital to the success of our education agenda -- including settling a long-standing lawsuit and investing $3.5 billion in our public school system and most recently, our efforts to increase teacher pay 20% by 2020, said Governor Ducey. As we embark on an ambitious policy agenda, Dawns driven approach to public service will be important to our success. Wallace brings a rich background in education, budget and state government. She has served as Senior Budget Analyst for the Arizona Governors Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting in two previous gubernatorial administrations before serving as the Deputy Director of Research Staff in the Arizona State Senate and the Majority Policy Advisor for two Arizona House Speakers. Prior to joining Governor Duceys staff in 2015, she served as the Director of Government Relations for the Maricopa County Community Colleges. Most recently she served as the governors Senior Advisor for Education and Strategic Initiatives. Daniel Ruiz will serve in an expanded role as Senior Advisor to the Governor, serving as chief of the communications and constituent services offices, advising the Governor on policy and operations matters, and leading special projects and initiatives for the Chief of Staff. Daniel previously served as senior advisor for policy strategy and as interim communications director. "Daniel is a dynamic leader, and has established strong working relationships across state government. Combined with his keen ability to develop strategic policy and communication plans, he's become an invaluable advisor to our team," said Governor Ducey. "In this new role, Daniel will advise and develop strategy on a broader scale, advancing our ambitious agenda of continued growth and opportunity for Arizonans." Prior to joining the governors office in 2015, Ruiz was employed with the Maricopa County Recorders Office as Director of Communications and Public Affairs. Daniel also served the Citizens Clean Elections Commission in various capacities including Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director. Earlier this year Daniel, a Flinn-Brown Fellow, received the 2018 Jack B. Jewett Public Service Award from the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership, and was named a 2018 Breakout by the Arizona Capitol Times for his work taking on complex and challenging public policy issues. Patrick Ptak will serve as Director of Communications. Ptak previously served as Senior Press Secretary and Spokesman from 2017 to 2018 before joining the governors 2018 campaign team as Communications Director, managing the communications office and serving as the main point of contact to the media. Patrick is a proven communicator with a strong work ethic, having been an important part of our communications team both in the Governor's Office and on the campaign, said Governor Ducey. His experience working with the press and understanding of Arizona's issues make him a solid choice to effectively communicate the priorities of the Governor's Office going forward. Originally from Illinois, Patrick previously served on Representative Martha McSallys campaign team in 2014 and 2016, and in her congressional office as Communications Director. Prior to his work with McSally, Patrick worked in the office of Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced a $195,761 judgment against Brent Ford. The Arizona Attorney Generals Office filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against Ford back in June after receiving complaints from homeowners who claimed to have paid Ford thousands of dollars in advance for landscaping services and received little to no work in return. Beware of fake contractors offering big promises and small prices, said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Do your homework before hiring a contractor, and be wary of arrangements that require a large upfront payment before the work is done. In the judgment, the Court found Ford collected around $90,000 from consumers after contracting to landscape their yards. The Court also found Ford intentionally misrepresented to consumers that the promised services would be performed, misled consumers as to why the work was not completed, and failed to provide refunds to consumers. After the consumer fraud lawsuit was filed, Ford attempted to evade service, but was successfully served at a hotel in Texas. Recently, the Arizona Attorney Generals Office obtained a default judgment against Ford after he failed to properly respond to the States lawsuit. The judgment awards $89,599 in restitution to the consumers who paid Ford $100,000 in civil penalties, and $6,000 in attorneys fees and costs. The judgment also bans Ford from engaging in the business of landscaping construction in Arizona. The Attorney Generals Office will seek to collect on the judgment. This case was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Dustin Romney and Matthew du Mee. General Brnovich offers the following tips to help consumers when hiring a contractor: Make sure the contractor is registered with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC), and check with the ROC for complaints against the contractor. Be wary of contractors who solicit door-to-door. Find reviews of the contractor online. Get quotes from several contractors ahead of time in writing that detail the work that will be done. Be wary of any quote that is substantially lower than the others received (i.e., seems too good to be true). Never pay the full cost of the work up front in cash. More tips on working with contractors. If you believe you are a victim of consumer fraud, you can file a complaint online at the Arizona Attorney Generals website. You can also contact the Consumer Information and Complaints Unit in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, and outside of the metro areas at (800) 352-8431. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced he is a part of a bipartisan group of 40 state attorneys general to stop or reduce annoying and harmful robocalls. This coalition is reviewing the technology major telecom companies are pursuing to combat illegal robocalls. We need to use every tool available to stop illegal phone scammers from preying on hardworking Arizona families, said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Robocalls are a serious problem and we need to do everything we can to combat these calls, including working with the telecommunications providers to develop and deploy technological solutions. Arizona sits on the executive committee for this multistate group. Since it was formed, there have been several in-depth meetings with several major telecom companies. These productive meetings have led to greater information sharing about the technological capabilities currently in existence or in development to fight these calls. General Brnovich and his colleagues are working to: Develop a detailed understanding of what is technologically feasible to minimize unwanted robocalls and illegal telemarketing. Engage the major telecom companies to encourage them to expedite the best possible solutions for consumers. Determine whether states should make further recommendations to the FCC. General Brnovich is joined in this investigation by attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Arizona Attorney Generals Office also continues to pursue Do Not Call cases against Arizona violators. In the last two years, the office obtained numerous Do Not Call judgments, including a $1,000,000 civil penalty against Adobe Carpet Cleaning, a $340,000 civil penalty against Desert Valley Aire, and a $150,000 civil penalty against Orangutan Home Services. If you believe you have been the victim of consumer fraud, please contact the Attorney Generals Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, or outside the metro areas at (800) 352-8431. Bilingual consumer protection staff is available to assist. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. We use cookies and similar technologies on our site to personalize your experience. Learn more about how to manage your preferences here. By continuing to use this site or clicking accept, you are agreeing to Our Use of Cookies. Thousands of teachers, students and union allies marched through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, from City Hall to the Broad museum, a month ahead of a possible strike that L.A. educators have threatened if the district doesn't meet demands that include retroactive raises, smaller class sizes and more nurses and counselors.The March for Public Education, organized by United Teachers Los Angeles, was meant to be a show of force to Supt. Austin Beutner, who has said Los Angeles Unified School District does not have the funds to meet the union's demands and ensure the district's financial solvency in future years.Thousands filled Grand Park and the western steps of City Hall leading up to the 10:30 a.m. rally, holding signs that said, "We work for the people," "Education is a human right," and others that called for more reasonable hours for teachers, improved arts education and more nurses.The march was sandwiched by rallies at both ends, with local and national education activists, teachers and students reiterating the demands."Amidst the wealth of Los Angeles, we should not have class sizes of 45 students," UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl told the crowd from a truck's flatbed, adding that after 20 months of bargaining, "the time draws closer to taking dramatic action."Around 11 a.m., the marchers, most wearing bright red in support of UTLA, walked down Broadway and through the 3rd Street tunnel up to the Broad museum to protest the role that they say billionaires such as Eli Broad are playing in the growth of charter schools, most of which are not unionized and pull students from district schools.The tunnel boomed with echoes of "UTLA," with protesters stretching back to the starting point. Although not all participants were UTLA members themselves, the turnout was a reminder that Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school district with more than half a million students, would be starkly affected if a strike does happen.The crowd was full of union families, some of which included L.A. Unified students who said that they too will strike if their parents and teachers do.Toby Smith has been a dance teacher for 14 years and said she works with 2,000 students at eight different schools. Arts education can be a powerful force in getting kids to love school, but it's hard to form connections and address needs with so many students, she said.The district's latest proposal offers a 3% raise starting retroactively from July 1, 2017, followed by an additional 3% raise taking effect from July 1, 2018. The union wants a 6.5% raise retroactive to July 1, 2016.L.A. Unified officials say their offer would increase district costs by $430 million over the three-year life of the contract. They say the union demand would cost $750 million over that same time.Teachers in L.A. Unified earn $44,000 to $86,000 a year depending on their education and experience, according to the L.A. County Office of Education, which compiles the data. L.A. Unified says the average teacher salary is $75,000, which reflects the district's older, more experienced workforce.For some teachers, this wouldn't be their first strike. Malabar Elementary School teachers Jeff Hiroto and Rosalind Marquez started teaching at the school together almost 35 years ago and went on strike in 1989. The nine days out of class were worth the improvements they saw, they said.Teachers in 1989 were able to maintain health benefits and were relieved of recess and lunch supervision duties, Hiroto said.Now, he wants to see raises as well as more nurses and mental health resources for students. "In elementary the kids are always getting hurt," he said.Jackie Goldberg, the UTLA-endorsed candidate for the school board's District 5 seat vacated by Ref Rodriguez this year, spoke outside the Broad museum. Teachers and support staff "every day make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people," she said, before thanking the union for its endorsement. Chinas State Council Information Office held a press conference on Dec. 11, focusing on reform and opening up and intellectual property right (IPR) development. Deputies of IPR protection were invited to the conference, sharing their own experience and stories, and introducing Chinas historic achievements made in IPR development to both domestic and foreign journalists. Chinas patent development started from 1978, said Yin Xintian, former Director General of Legal Affairs Department at the National Intellectual Property Administration. The country had made remarkable achievements on IPR development during the past four decades of reform and opening up, he added. By 2017, China has been the worlds largest invention patent applicant for the seventh year in a row. The average time for invention patent examination in China is reduced to 22 months, faster than that in the US and Europe. American Chamber of Commerce in the People's Republic of China said in a 2016 report that 91 percent of the US enterprises surveyed acclaimed Chinas efforts on IPR protection in recent five years. Chinas achievements in this regard are obvious to all. Wu Handong, former President of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law introduced that Chinese people had no idea of IPR 40 years ago. The term was not even included in Chinas law dictionaries in the 1990s, he added. But now, IPR had become a buzzword among the people and a keyword at workplaces, Wu explained. The awareness of copyright, brand and patent protection enjoys popular support now, as China has nurtured an environment where innovation is more and more encouraged. Wu, quoting Dr. Arpad Bogsch, the former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), said that China had accomplished in just 20 years what the western countries had achieved in two centuries, drawing attention of the world. China issued the Patent Law in March, 1984, the first of this kind since the country was found, Yin noted, adding that the law had later gone through three amendments. He further explained that the draft of the fourth amendment to the law was passed on Dec. 5 by the State Council and would be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for approval. It was a latest version, he said. Yin disclosed that the draft amendment would toughen the punishment for intellectual property infringements by substantially increasing the compensation for patent right infringements and the penalties on patent counterfeiting. Furthermore, accused infringer shall shoulder the burden of proof and provide related materials during the patent infringement litigation. The internet service provider who failed to prevent infringement in a timely manner should also assume joint liability, said Yin. In addition, the amendment also stipulated that the inventor or creator of a service invention should share the benefits generated through the invention so as to foster enthusiasm for creation, Yin said. Protecting IPR is to protect innovation. As Chinese President Xi Jinping noted, IPR protection was the centerpiece of the system for improving property rights protection, and it would provide the biggest boost to enhancing the competitiveness of the Chinese economy. Stronger IPR protection was the requirement of both foreign enterprises, and f Chinese enterprises, Xi said. Now China is gearing up to build itself into a stronger country regarding intellectual property. It has more determination to protect IPR and will generate more energy for creation and innovation. The future of the Affordable Care Act is threatened again this time by a ruling Friday from a federal district court judge in Texas.Judge Reed C. OConnor struck down the law, siding with a group of 18 Republican state attorneys general and two GOP governors who brought the case. OConnor said the tax bill passed by Congress last December effectively rendered the entire health law unconstitutional.That tax measure eliminated the penalty for not having insurance. An earlier Supreme Court decision upheld the ACA based on the view that the penalty was a tax and thus the law was valid because it relied on appropriate power allowed Congress under the Constitution. OConnors decision said that without that penalty, the law no longer met that constitutional test.In some ways, the question before the Court involves the intent of both the 2010 and 2017 Congresses, OConnor wrote in his 55-page decision. The former enacted the ACA. The latter sawed off the last leg it stood on.The decision came just hours before the end of open enrollment for ACA plans in most states that use the federal healthcare.gov insurance exchange. It is not expected that the ruling will impact the coverage for those people the final decision will likely not come until the case reaches the Supreme Court again.Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees those insurance exchanges, said in a tweet: The recent federal court decision is still moving through the courts, and the exchanges are still open for business and we will continue with open enrollment. There is no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan.The 16 Democratic state attorneys general who intervened in the case to defend the health law immediately vowed to appeal.The ACA has already survived more than 70 unsuccessful repeal attempts and withstood scrutiny in the Supreme Court, said a statement from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Todays misguided ruling will not deter us: our coalition will continue to fight in court for the health and wellbeing of all Americans.It is all but certain the case will become the third time the Supreme Court decides a constitutional question related to the ACA. In addition to upholding the law in 2012, the court rejected another challenge to the law in 2015.It is hard to overstate what would happen to the nations health care system if the decision is ultimately upheld. The Affordable Care Act touched almost every aspect of health care, from Medicare and Medicaid to generic biologic drugs, the Indian Health Service, and public health changes like calorie counts on menus.The case, Texas v. United States, was filed in February. The plaintiffs argued that because the Supreme Court upheld the ACA in 2012 as a constitutional use of its taxing power, the elimination of the tax makes the rest of the law unconstitutional.In June, the Justice Department announced it would not fully defend the law in court. While the Trump administration said it did not agree with the plaintiffs that the tax law meant the entire ACA was unconstitutional, it said that the provisions of the law guaranteeing that people with preexisting health conditions could purchase coverage at the same price as everyone else were so inextricably linked to the tax penalty that they should be struck.The administration urged the court to declare those provisions invalid beginning Jan. 1, 2019. That is the day the tax penalty for not having insurance disappears.The protections for people with preexisting conditions was one of the top health issues in the midterm elections in November. While the issue mostly played to the advantage of Democrats, one of the Republican plaintiffs, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, defeated Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill. Another plaintiff, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, lost to Democratic incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin.President Donald Trump was quick to take a victory lap, and pressed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the presumed incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to fix the problem. He tweeted Friday night that As I predicted all along, Obamacare has been struck down as an UNCONSTITUTIONAL disaster! Now Congress must pass a STRONG law that provides GREAT healthcare and protects pre-existing conditions. Mitch and Nancy, get it done!But congressional leaders were quick to point out that the suit is far from over.The ruling seems to be based on faulty legal reasoning and hopefully it will be overturned, said a statement from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).Many legal experts agreed with that. This is insanity in print, and it will not stand up on appeal, tweeted University of Michigan Law School professor Nicholas Bagley, an expert in health law.Even some conservatives were left scratching their heads. Congress acted last year to repeal the mandate, but leave everything else in place and the courts should have deferred to that, tweeted former congressional GOP aide Chris Jacobs. Gov. Scott Walker signed all three sweeping lame-duck bills into law in Green Bay on Friday, concluding an eleventh-hour effort by Republican legislators to roll back some of the next governor's authority.Walker, who has faced national scrutiny and calls from Democrats and some Republicans to reject the legislative package entirely, said during the bill signing he was approving the three bills in full, without line-item vetoes. Earlier this week, he said he was considering at least one line-item veto of the legislation.During remarks Walker gave shortly before the signing, he dismissed criticism of the legislation as hype and hysteria, and outlined how he believes the bills improve stability, transparency and accountability to taxpayers and that Gov.-elect Tony Evers will continue to have some of the strongest powers of any state executive in the country."The overwhelming executive authority that I as governor have today will remain constant with the next governor," Walker said in front of a faulty Venn diagram trying to show how Evers and Walker would continue to have the same powers to introduce budgets and veto bills, among other powers.However, the diagram didn't explain key changes included in the bills that limit Evers' power over economic development, lawsuits and administrative rules.Walker's signature on the bills provides a victory to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, who championed the controversial package that will strip some powers from the governor and attorney general, and limit early voting to two weeks before an election.Vos in a statement lauded Walker's signature on the legislation as an acknowledgment of "the importance of the legislature as a co-equal branch of government."Walker's signing received immediate pushback from Evers, who in a statement characterized the lame-duck effort as "petty, political fights.""Today, Governor Walker chose to ignore and override the will of the people of Wisconsin," Evers said. "This will no doubt be his legacy."At a news conference in Madison, Evers said he and his team are reviewing "all options" now that the bills have become law but did not provide detail and did not take questions from reporters.Evers, along with other Democrats and some Republicans, including former Gov. Scott McCallum, have slammed the legislation as a power grab. Scores of protesters flooded the state Capitol early last week to urge lawmakers to shelve the legislation, to no avail. Republicans in the Assembly and Senate after negotiations that lasted into the early morning hours ended up passing most major provisions in the bills.Republicans did, however, scrap a major proposal that would have moved the date of the 2020 presidential primary in order to increase the likelihood conservative state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly would win his election. They also scaled back changes related to the attorney general's office.For example, lawmakers originally proposed to allow the Legislature to override the attorney general by appointing its own counsel in cases where state law was challenged. Under the bills signed Friday, the Legislature will only have the right to join those cases alongside Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul.One of the most contentious measures in the package will take away Evers' authority to allow the state to drop out of ongoing lawsuits and give the Republican-controlled Legislature the right to join ongoing litigation without the permission of the attorney general. Other justice-related measures in the legislation will dissolve the office of the solicitor general, which was created under the Walker administration and has handled contentious lawsuits.Kaul in a statement slammed the legislation as a move to "diminish the impact of this year's elections."One measure will limit in-person absentee voting to two weeks before an election, which will affect several large municipalities such as Madison that allow voters to cast ballots up to 47 days before an election. Those municipalities were heavy contributors to Evers' win. Republicans have argued the measure would provide consistency in early voting statewide, because municipalities have had more freedom in choosing when to allow in-person absentee voting.Walker during the bill signing endorsed the early voting provision, arguing it is unfair for some municipalities to have shorter early voting time frames due to lack of funding or resources."I like early voting," Walker said. "I just like it to be fair."The restrictions in early voting in the bill will likely subject the state to legal action, especially after U.S. District Judge James Peterson in 2016 struck down several restrictions on hours for early voting, elimination of weekend voting and restrictions on use of student IDs he deemed to be discriminatory in nature.The liberal group One Wisconsin Now, which has challenged previous Republican-led restrictions on early voting, is planning swift legal action to address the early voting measures in the lame-duck legislation. The National Redistricting Foundation, an affiliate of a political action committee led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, will assist One Wisconsin Now in the action.Both Holder and OWN director Scot Ross in a statement criticized the Republican legislation as undemocratic and unconstitutional."Their actions are grossly partisan, deeply undemocratic and an attack on voting rights. They must not stand," Holder said.Walker, who on Thursday announced a deal to provide consumer products manufacturer Kimberly-Clark with up to $28 million in tax incentives to keep a Neenah-area facility open, signed a provision that now prevents Evers from crafting a similar deal without the approval of the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee.The legislation will also give the Legislature more seats on the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. board and will prevent Evers from appointing a CEO for eight months.The three bills provide for a number of changes beyond the most controversial measures.The first requires the Legislature's budget committee to approve any major road projects that don't get at least 70 percent of funding from the federal government, a move designed to draw federal funds away from smaller projects so they can be done cheaper with fewer strings attached.It also makes changes to tax law and requires the state to provide a roughly $60 million income tax reduction stemming from an increase in state revenues after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer states could begin collecting sales tax from out-of-state online retailers.The second bill requires all funds from state settlements be put into the general fund and gives the Legislature the authority to approve settlements instead of the attorney general alone.It also makes a number of changes to the administrative rules process, such as prohibiting courts from yielding their decisions to state agency interpretations of law. It also clarifies that no Evers appointee to any office could assume the roll if the individual's confirmation is rejected by the Senate.The bill includes significant changes to the state economic development agency, which Evers has vowed to dismantle. It also codifies several voter ID requirements.The most significant provision in the third bill codifies work requirements for adults between the ages of 19 and 50 without children to receive Medicaid. On Friday, in the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC telephoned the Mayors of the Carpentaria, Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw councils to express his support for cyclone preparedness. Following, at the Kedron Park Emergency Services Complex, Kedron, His Excellency visited the State Disaster Coordination Centre. Following, at Northbank Chambers, Brisbane City, His Excellency attended a Christmas function for past and present members of the Chambers. In the evening, at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, South Bank, His Excellency and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended the Queensland Ballet opening night performance of The Nutcracker. On Sunday, in the morning, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey returned to Government House following official travel to Cairns. In the evening, at St Barnabas Anglican Church, Red Hill, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey attended the dedication of the Heroes of ANZAC window, and the Governor delivered a reading. Following, at Government House, His Excellency greeted members of the public visiting to view the 2018 Christmas Lights display. Description GIS - 17 December, 2018: The Second African Space Generation Workshop was launched today at the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre in Bell Village. The Minister of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun and the Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Yogida Sawmynaden, were present at the opening ceremony. In her keynote address, Minister Dookun-Luchoomun, highlighted that space technology has come up with new ways of addressing challenges and has made a huge impact on mankind, economic and social life. She underlined that people need to get rid of the prevailing misconception about developed countries being the only ones to access space technology, rockets and satellite. She pointed out that the African continent has enormous potentials for developing innovative solutions to drive business and further development which is clearly demonstrated by the increasing interest of the African region in space tech and science. The Minister emphasised that Mauritius as a Small Island Developing State, is harnessing its expertise in space technology so as to encourage developmental progress for social change, economic development, resource conservation and disaster management. She also underpinned the contributions of the youth in emerging technologies such as space technology, artificial intelligence, the blockchain and the Internet of Things. For his part, the Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Yogida Sawmynaden, pointed out that space technologies serve as appropriate tools in assisting evidence-based policy-making and have a positive influence on sustainable development goals. Mauritius, he underscored, is investing in space and astronomy so as to leap forward technologically and create a better future for its citizens and is extending its support in one of the biggest scientific endeavour namely the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). The Minister also spoke of the MIR-SAT1, the first Mauritian Nanosatellite, which is expected to provide better monitoring and decision-making as regards land-based and maritime- activities. He concluded by highlighting that satellite technology could provide Mauritius with a transformational science and re-define our understanding of space related phenomena. The Workshop Preparations for the fall must include strategies to defend against the rising tide of ransomware and other security threats. (TNS) This week in facial recognition news, contrasting approaches by two tech giants.Thursday, Google said it would hold off on releasing facial recognition technology as part of its commitment to the responsible use of artificial intelligence.Unlike some other companies, Google Cloud has chosen not to offer general-purpose facial recognition APIs before working through important technology and policy questions, said Kent Walker, Googles senior vice president of global affairs, in a blog post about Googles AI efforts in Asia.He might have been referring to Amazon, which this week made news for a couple of facial recognition developments. One is its apparent work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which neither party has confirmed. But the retail/tech giant whose employees are trying to push not to sell its facial recognition technology, Rekognition, to the government wont say it doesnt.We provide our Rekognition service to a variety of government agencies, and we think that the federal government should have access to the best available technology, Brian Huseman, Amazons vice president for public policy, told the New York City Council this week when a councilman asked whether Amazon has a relationship with ICE. And when BuzzFeed News followed up by asking the same question, it also got a non-denial.Also, a patent application filed last month by Amazon seeks to marry Ring doorbell technology, which is now owned by Amazon, with Amazons facial recognition. Among other things, the patent mentions that users could add faces to a list of suspicious people and send it directly to law enforcement. CNN was the first to report on the patent.Amazon is dreaming of a dangerous future, with its technology at the center of a massive decentralized surveillance network, running real-time facial recognition on members of the public using cameras installed in peoples doorbells, said Jacob Snow, technology and civil liberties attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, in a blog post this week.Earlier this year, the ACLU released results of its test of Rekognition : Amazons technology falsely matched the faces of 28 members of Congress with mugshots of people who have been arrested. The advocacy group and others are calling for a moratorium on government use of facial recognition.Snow also warned that Amazon might extend surveillance capabilities to its popular Echo products, and share information with the government.On the other hand, the ACLU praised Googles moral compass, referring to the companys decision to hold off on releasing its facial recognition technology.Google also made clear that all companies must stop ignoring the grave harms these surveillance technologies pose to immigrants and people of color, and to our freedom to live our lives, visit a church, or participate in a protest without being tracked by the government, said Nicole Ozer, technology and civil liberties director at the ACLU of Northern of California, in a statement Thursday. (TNS) Given how we have come to take the reliable delivery of electricity for granted, the results of a recent survey of power- and utility-executives about the potential for a cyberattack disrupting service could be seen as shocking.Nearly half of the chief executive officers of power- and utility-companies who responded to a KPMG survey released in November said they believed a cyberattack on their businesses is a matter of when, not if. And only 58 percent of the respondents felt their companies were prepared in their ability to identify new cyberthreats.Regina Mayor, global sector head of KPMGs energy and natural resources unit, said technology-driven opportunities in the sector have also opened the door for significant risks and cyberthreats. KPMG is an international professional services firm based in the Netherlands.The levels of cyberdefense and preparedness vary across the sector, but it is critical that organizations take the necessary steps to protect their systems or they risk becoming a target for potentially crippling attacks, Mayor saidConnecticut utilities are working with state cybersecurity officials to assess their preparedness against cyberattacks. But company officials are reluctant to talk about the subject, even in the most general of terms.Eversource Energy officials chose not to be interviewed for this story and referred all questions to representatives of the Edison Electric Institute, a trade group representing the nations investor-owned utilities. Officials with Clinton-based Connecticut Water Service asked that any questions about the utilitys cybersecurity readiness be submitted in writing, which is a departure from normal practice.Officials with the United Illuminating Co. elected not to make one of its cybersecurity executives available for an interview. Ed Crowder, a company spokesman, said United Illuminating and the other Avangrid companies recognize the significant and ever-evolving threat presented by malicious cyberattacks.We are determined to work collaboratively to detect attacks and prevent them from endangering the energy grid we all rely on for our everyday lives, Crowder said. We adhere to a comprehensive prevention, detection and mitigation strategy to protect our infrastructure from the threat of physical and cyberattacks and damage.Individual employees of UI and its sister Avangrid utilities which include Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas in this state receive annual training that teaches them to recognize and report potential cyberthreats, according to Crowder. Those threats include malware spread by email that can leave the organization vulnerable to intrusion.Eversource, UI and Connecticut Water, as well as Bridgeport-based Aquarion Water which is owned by Eversource all participated in this years annual assessment of their preparedness. Arthur House, Connecticuts Cyber Security Risk Officer, led the assessment team and its findings culminated in the Connecticut Critical Infrastructure 2018 Annual Report, which was released in September We believe that their current defenses are adequate, House said. But were all vulnerable and it is very sensitive to talk about that vulnerability. And it is so easy to be misunderstood.Scott Aaronson, vice president of security and preparedness for the Edison Electric Institute, describes the reluctance of Connecticut utilities to talk about the readiness of their cyberdefenses as a healthy paranoia.Saying our security is good is like painting a bulls-eye on that company, Aaronson said.But according to Joel Gordes, a West Hartford-based energy consultant, being tight-lipped about cybersecurity is a missed opportunity.Being silent is not a deterrent, Gordes said. It really leaves people to wonder whether or not they (the utilities) are prepared.The states utilities, according to the 15-page report prepared by Houses team, are subject to a persistent, changing array of increasingly sophisticated and dangerous efforts to penetrate their communications and operating systems.In some cases, more than a million distinct probes are received and deflected in a single day from both nation states and private actors, the report says in part. Attacks take varied forms, including both attempted systems compromise and phishing directed at employees. While there have been a large number of cyberincidents (attempts to penetrate communications or operations), none reached the level of an actual breach (penetration).The report also identifies another, less obvious problem associated with Connecticut utilities protecting their operating systems: An inadequate supply of cybersecurity professionals.While the world of cybersecurity consultants and systems remains robust in the United States and for public utilities, the market for cybersecurity professionals is constrained, the report says in part. Human resources departments face challenges in recruiting, evaluating and retaining cybersecurity subject matter experts. It is difficult to attract technically qualified young people to utilities when such professionals are sought by other companies with higher salaries and by government agencies with more extensive resources. A Forbes magazine article in August estimated by 2021, there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions worldwide. House said nationwide, there are 350,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions unfilled and 4,000 here in Connecticut.A successful cyberattack of a utility occurred in the Ukraine in both 2015 and 2016. The attack was able to shut off power for 225,000 Ukrainians for six hours, according to Aaronson.House has a level of familiarity with the Ukraine cyberattack because he was asked by the U.S. State Department to go to the eastern European country after the attacks to assess what had happened.When the shutdown happened, they literally had go to the homes of the people that used to operate the system manually and have them show how to restore it manually, he said. It's a reality that computers run things, but you have to know how to manage it in case there is a problem with the computer.As the operation of electric grids and other utility systems become more computerized, the security becomes more complex, Gordes said.Whether its a smart (electric) grid or some other system, every time you add another smart device, youre making it more vulnerable, he said. Each one of those things you add to make a system smarter is like adding a little computer. And each and every one of them needs to be adequately protected, otherwise it can be turned into a botnet.A botnet is a group of connected computers that have been compromised by a third party and used to transmit malware or spam, or to launch attacks.Its only going to get worse before it gets better, Gordes said.Aaronson takes a more optimistic view of the situation.The electric grid is huge, it is one big machine with thousands of owners and operators, he said. But we are committed to constant improvement. From our perspective, cybersecurity is not an IT issue, it's a leadership issue and the leadership of this industry has made it top priority. Teos cast-iron skillet okonomiyaki. Photo: Melissa Hom Dave Chang may be the face of Momofuku, but the chef Joaquin Baca was just as important in shaping and sustaining the culinary empire in its earliest years. He was the first and only employee of Noodle Bar when it initially opened, Changs co-chef and partner, and the person that GQ, in a 2007 profile of Chang, credited with transforming Momofuku Ssam Bar into one of the companys most consistently interesting restaurants. That same year, Grub called Baca Changs criminally underappreciated co-chef. Baca left Momofukus ramen nest to open his Southern restaurant the Brooklyn Star in 2009, which he ran until closing it earlier this year. While the Star was a return to the Texas-born chefs roots, so, in its own way, is his next act, the izakaya Teo. After a series of the usual delays bureaucratic snafu, says Baca its on track to open any day now. When Teo does open, one of New Yorks best if not best-known chefs will be cooking food akin to what he helped create at what has arguably been the citys most influential restaurant of the past two decades. Located in a corner of Bushwick thats buzzing with bars, it isnt a rehash of what Baca was doing at Momofuku. Its safe to say pretty much anyones current menu is a mixture of their past experiences, Baca tells Grub. Its definitely Momofuku in the style of ingredients, but filtered through the experience of doing old-school classic American technique and recipes. I dont think thats to say its a fusion. Cornmeal fried oysters with sweet potato and pickled jalapeno. Photo: Melissa Hom At Teo, Baca uses Japanese influences in unconventional ways, seasoning the cooking with some Southern (including Texan) ingredients, too. Take his cast-iron skillet okonomiyaki, which sounds like the purest synthesis of Bacas varied influences, with its shaved Bentons ham, Dukes mayo, smoked tobiko, and Otafuku sauce. Theres Japanese-style fried chicken thats dredged in potato flour and served with togarashi-honey and pickled watermelon, as well as an eggplant katsudon with charred cabbage chow chow, pub mustard, and katsu sauce. For that dish, the eggplant is cooked, Baca says, like an eggplant parm, but without dairy and breaded with rice flour. The menu is divided into three sections: specialty dishes like the aforementioned okonomiyaki; yakitori; and ramen. Those who like their meats and vegetables grilled can mix and match chicken skin with ranch and Louisiana hot sauce, parsnip and long beans with smoked molasses, and a rabbit riff on the meatball tsukune with carrot barbecue sauce and quail yolk. For the noodles, Baca is starting with a trio of ramen including a confit duck leg in duck broth with pickled fresno peppers and nori, roasted pork shoulder in shoyu broth, and a seaweed and fungus in miso dashi. Chicken skin yakitori with ranch and Louisiana hot sauce. Photo: Melissa Hom Baca also says his menu will be informed by, and change because of, the restaurants limited footprint and storage space. The size does put us in a spot where if we run out one day, well try something else, Baca says. That said, the format wont change. Were not going to run a tasting menu. One week it wont be, like, Jewish soul food. The adage goes that constraints like this tend to breed creativity, but they also result in very tightly edited drinks menus. Theres not even space for an actual bartender, so Baca enlisted his old Brooklyn Star bartender Carlos M. Victoria (now of Sunset Botanica) to make batched cocktails like a mezcal Negroni. You can order something basic like a gin and tonic, or from the limited menu of beer (three), wine (four), and liquors (four whiskies, one of everything else). I missed not all the Momofukus, but the very first one, Baca says. I want to get back to small, first of all. Baby octopus and shiitake yakitori with ginger, soy, and horseradish. Photo: Melissa Hom Smoked beef tongue and cucumber yakitori with mustard. Photo: Melissa Hom Kabocha and pear yakitori with soy, shichimi togarashi, and fried garlic. Photo: Melissa Hom Pork belly and pineapple yakitori with hoisin. Photo: Melissa Hom Rabbit tsukune with carrot barbecue sauce and quail yolk. Photo: Melissa Hom Veal sweetbreads yakitori with teriyaki and kinpara gobo. Photo: Melissa Hom Roasted pork shoulder ramen in shoyu broth with pearl onions, collard greens, bamboo shoots, and nori. Photo: Melissa Hom Seaweed and fungus ramen with miso dashi, greens, grilled cauliflower, bamboo shoots, and nori. Photo: Melissa Hom Confit duck leg with charred baby bok choy, pickled fresnos, bamboo shoots, and nori. Photo: Melissa Hom The space. Photo: Melissa Hom Teo, 321 Starr St, at Cypress Ave.; 347-627-6156 (Photos/Chinanews.com) Ten senior citizens ages 81 to 105 offered a fantastic fashion show in Gongzhuang, Boluo county of Guangdong Province, a village known for the longevity of its people, on December 13, Chinanews.com reported. Beautiful makeup, fancy dresses and dazzling runways arent just for young people these days. These grey-haired citizens can also take the audiences' breath away with their brilliant performances. 95-year old Yang Dongying, one of the performers, told the reporter that performing on the runway was beyond her imagination. When asked about the secret to longevity, Yang said that she has been practicing a consistent morning routine. She is also a vegetarian as she believes in Buddhism. Studies indicate that pure water, clean air and richly endowed natural sources in Boluo also contribute to local residents' longevity. Statistics show that the average life expectancy in Boluo is 79 years, four years higher than that of China and eight years higher than that of the world. 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According to the regulation, leading Party members groups should fulfil the main responsibility of ensuring the strict and full governance over the Party. Discipline inspection groups, sent by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, have the responsibility of supervision. A discipline inspection group stationed at a department is responsible for filing and investigating cases of discipline violations committed by city-level officials of the department, the regulation said. The discipline inspection group propose a preliminary suggestion for punishment and discuss the suggestion with the department's leading Party members group. The case is then transferred to central discipline inspection and supervision authorities for a trial after the two groups reach a consensus, it said. Cases of discipline violations by county-level officials of a department can be investigated and tried by the Party committee and the discipline inspection commission of the department. The punishment should be discussed and decided by the department's leading Party members group, and advised by the discipline inspection group stationed at the department, according to the regulation. The regulation will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Kung Fu (martial arts) is a perfect platform that connects Chinese and Americans and contributes a lot to diversified cultures of various communities in the Bay Area, organizers said Sunday. The art of Chinese Kung Fu is part of the heritage of the splendid traditional Chinese cultural, which can be integrated with the diversified cultures of various communities in the San Francisco Bay Areas, said Chengfei Qian, one of the organizers of the Kung Fu Night gala that drew more than 500 audience in the Bay Area Friday night. More than 200 Kung Fu Chinese and American practitioners, aged between five and 60 years old, from about 20 Kung Fu schools in the Bay Area staged a convivial and festive Kung Fu gala Friday night in Santa Clara, northern California. The two-hour gala featured more than 20 performances with distinct skills and breath-taking fighting technique of many Chinese melee weapons such as swords, nunchaku, the monkey staff, machetes, double swords and spears. Each of the participating Kung Fu schools, including Thunder Kungfu Academy, Dragon Rhythm Shaolin Kung Fu, and Feishifu Kungfu, also displayed their own unique skills, such as combative form, competitive form and health-preserving Qigong. All the performances followed the principle of "high quality, difficulty, beauty and innovation," and adopted the skills of dancing to highlight the visual effect, said Zhao Qingjian, director of the gala and champion of the Kung Fu event at the 2008 Beijing summer Olympic Games. The gala was also joined by 10 teachers and students from China's Capital Institute of Physical Education, whose performance brought to life the magic and mysterious Chinese Kung Fu combat skills that has passed from Chinese Kung Fu masters hundreds of years ago. Their finale show sent the gala night to a climax that won thunderous applause from the enthusiastic audience who cheered with joy and excitement. "Many American people have shown genuine passion for Kung Fu and they were so fascinated about it that they were reluctant to leave the school even after the instruction time was over," Zhao said. He added that more than hundreds of thousands of American people have learned Chinese Kung Fun in various Kung Fu schools in the Bay area over the past several decades. "We're celebrating the cultural event here. Kung Fu is something that is not just Asia-related, but it really crosses its border. We're really excited to have it here in in Santa Clara tonight," said Santa Clara Vice Mayer Kathy Watanabe. "Chinese Wushu is a treasure of Chinese traditional culture. With a long history, profound meaning and unique glamor, Chinese Wushu is well known in the world," Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Wang Donghua said in a letter to the organizers. Organized by the Fuji Foundation and the American Shandong Chamber of Commerce, the event has been held five times in the Bay Area to promote the culture of Chinese Wushu, or Kung Fu, and bring the essence of Chinese Wushu to a larger overseas audience. The organizers' efforts have won the recognition of California Assembly Member Kansen Chu. In a certificate of recognition, Chu, on behalf of California State Assembly, commended their "dedicated efforts in our community to promote Chinese culture, martial arts and assist in Chinese American friendship." The debates on updating emissions reductions will take place during our presidency [of the EU]. The ongoing parliamentary work will hopefully establish a solid foundation for long-term climate policy making in Finland and the EU, he said in a press release after COP24 in Katowice, Poland. Finland will take on a big responsibility for leading the climate actions of the European Union, says Kimmo Tiilikainen (Centre), the Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing. Delegates from almost 200 countries convened in the city last weekend to agree on a rulebook for implementing the Paris Agreement. The agreement, for example, sets forth rules on how countries should measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions, and account for progress made towards meeting their carbon reduction targets. The rules are strong, clear and the same for everyone, summarised Tiilikainen. They make it possible to fully implement the Paris Agreement. This was a key objective for Finland and the EU. Tearing down the deep dichotomy between developed and developing countries is at the core of the Paris Agreement, and that has now been articulated. Climate actions affect everyone. The highly anticipated summit ended over a day behind schedule on Saturday. The main bones of contention included how the rules should take into account the different capabilities of countries to monitor and report on emissions, how the actions of developing countries should be supported, and what kind of a mechanism should be created for the quinquennial assessments, according to Tiilikainen. The purpose of the assessments is to examine whether the climate actions taken by a country are sufficient in light of the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Aleksi Teivainen HT Source: Uusi Suomi This years winners are Professor Larry V. Hedges of Northwestern University and Professor Anant Agarwal of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Larry Hedges is the Board of Trustees Professor of Statistics and Education and Social Policy, Professor of Psychology and Professor of Medical Social Sciences at the Northwestern University in Chicago. THE 2018 YIDAN PRIZE was awarded to winners during a gala event followed by the Yidan Prize Summit in Hong Kong on the 10th of December. The Prize which was being awarded for the second year has been founded by Dr. Charles Chen Yidan in 2016. He holds a PhD in Mathematical Methods in Educational Research from Stanford University. He was awarded the Yidan prize for his groundbreaking research on statistical methods in meta-analysis and research synthesis, which were conducted and published as early as 1985. The method has been widely used in not only education research but also all other fields of research such as medicine and economics. I was trained as a physicist and a mathematician, but I became interested in education as it was a life changing thing for me, says Prof. Hedges. I grew up near a small town in one of the poorest areas of California. Both of my parents worked in unskilled jobs; my father earned the minimum legal wage until his retirement. When I was a child, my family didn't even know anyone who went to college. Professor Morton Shapiro, the president of Northwestern University who nominated Hedges for the prize, introduced his colleague as a great mathematician who continued educating himself relentlessly. As for the importance of Prof. Hedges research he mentioned that scientists who have published research papers check their citations frequently, as the more a paper or result is cited, the more important it is: In my filed in economic, if you get cited a 100 times you did something, if you are cited five hundred times you really did something, if you get cited a thousand times, thats the definitive work of your carrier. His (Prof. Hedges) work on meta-analysis has been cited 50 000 times. Explaining what the meta-analysis means, Prof. Shapiro said: What Larry figured out was that all of us when we do a study we have our different datasets and different statistical techniques, meta-analysis is to step back and do a study of studies. As an example of how the method changed the field of education research, Prof. Larry Hedges mentioned the classic case when numerous research papers had come to the same conclusion, that the amount of funding given to a school does not affect its outcome. When the studies were put under scrutiny using the meta-analysis method invented by Prof. Hedges, the result happened to be exactly the opposite, i.e. amount of funding is directly related to the outcome schools produce. Prof. Anant Agarwals work, that got him the nomination and eventually the prize for education development, was the establishment of edX, a nonprofit, open source platform for online education. Ed is for education and X is for whatever you could think of, he explained the name. Education is a right and everybody has to have access to it as the air we breathe, but you look around the world and you see that is not the case. says Prof. Agarwal, Digital technology is transforming everything, so what we decided to do is to apply digital technology and try to completely transform education around the world, and we did so by forming a non-profit called edX. EdX is a platform build by MIT and Harvard Universities with the aim of democratising education. Courses from the best universities in the world are provided on the platform for free for anyone to learn from any place in the world. The platform was established in 2012 and got 10,000 subscriptions in its first hour. The software of the platform, Open edX is also an open source, i.e. it is offered to the public for free. So any of you who wants to launch a competitor platform, you are welcome to use our software and become a competitor, says Prof. Agarwal. Today there are 1800 educational platforms around the world that use our software. One example is the Chinese national platform, XuetangX, and that platform itself has 40 million learners. EdX has grown to over 19 million learners form all around the wold and has more than 2400 courses online. Despite its short history, the Yidan Prize deserves to be called The Noble Prize in Education. The prize is divided into two categories: The Yidan Prize for Education Research, which recognises outstanding research that contributes in significant ways to education, and the Yidan Prize for Education Development, which recognises innovative ideas that tackle important challenges in the field of education. Each Yidan Prize Laureate receives a gold medal and HK$30 million (around US$3.9 million) worth of awards, which include a cash prize of HK$15 million (around US$1.9 million) and a project fund of HK$15 million. The awarded sums are thus about 4 times larger than the Noble Prize and give the laureates an incentive to develop their projects further, and not to rest on their achievement, as is mostly in the case with the Nobel Prize. Conditions for nomination and the selection process are strict. Nominees must have two letters of recommendation and published and peer-reviewed research to present. This year the prize committee received more than one thousand nominations. The final winners were selected by a judging committee chaired by Dr Koichiro Matsuura, former director-general of UNESCO, the Judging Committee comprises of two independent judging panels who screen all the valid nominations and select one candidate for each category. Mr Andreas Schleicher, OECDs Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, heads the judging panel for the Yidan Prize for Education Research, and Ms Dorothy K. Gordon, chair of the UNESCO Information For All programme, leads the panel for the Yidan Prize for Education Development. The panels consist of top gear experts in education from different universities and organisations around the world. The full list of judges can be found here. Nominations for The Yidan Prize can come from government bodies, non-governmental organisations, professional associations and thought leaders, and only in exceptional cases from the nominees themselves. Basically, anyone can nominate a candidate through the nomination platform of the prize. Judging Committee members and Global Advisory Board members of the Yidan Prize are not eligible to make nominations or be nominated. In addition, nominators and supporters should not be family members of the nominee(s) or anyone who would possibly lead to a perceived, potential or actual conflict of interest. The education system for tomorrow needs to be more fair, more efficient and more inclusive. That is why we ask the question: How? How can we achieve better education outcomes? How do we ensure that education can be made to work for all? How should we leverage education research and put theory into practice? To answer these questions, we must learn from each other and act together. said the founder of the prize, Dr. Charles Yidan in his opening remarks of the summit. Other keynote speakers included HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands; and the former Prime Minister of UK, Gordon Brown, who now functions as UN Special Envoy for Global Education. Dr. Charles Chen Yidan, founder of the Yidan Prize speaking at the summit, on 10 Dec. 2018 Dr. Charles Chen Yidan is the core founder of Tencent Group (), the largest and most popular internet portal group in Mainland China and a company well known for the widely used Wechat messaging platform and investing in some of the most profitable gaming and internet companies, among others the Finnish Supercell. After stepping down from the role of CAO of Tencent, he founded the Yidan Prize Foundation and by 2016 had donated US $45 million to charitable causes earning him the title of Chinas top philanthropist on the Forbes list of Asias 2017 Heroes of Philanthropy. Alexis Kouros - HT Image: The Yidan Prize TIANJIN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Li Rui, 23, a senior student at Tianjin Medical University, has 29 voluntary blood donation certificates. Li said she has donated platelets up to twice a month since the end of 2016, except winter and summer vacations. Li first donated in Tianjin's blood center in November 2016 after her father fell seriously ill. She said that made her realize how fragile and precious life was. After that, the 23-year-old student has been a regular of the center. The first time Li donated blood she learned that a large number of leukemia patients in China are the most in need of platelets, a vital blood component for their treatment. Meanwhile, platelet donations significantly help reduce the possible side effects of whole-blood transfusion. "From start to finish, a platelet donation takes about three hours since it uses a machine to extract just your platelets and then returns the rest of your blood back to you," Li said. "Meanwhile, both arms are used during the donation," she added. "Usually a couple of days after each donation, I will receive a text message saying that my blood has been put into clinical use and that's when I feel that my efforts have been worthwhile." The 23-year-old also set up a group on social media platform Wechat, now with over 400 members, to call upon more of her schoolmates to join the cause. She often shares knowledge about blood donation in the group. "It usually takes three days for the body's platelets to return to normal after a donation," said Li. "Therefore, donors are allowed to donate again 15 days after the last donation as long as he or she is proved a qualified donor," said Li, repeating the instructions from Jia Xinji, a donor recruiter at Tianjin's blood center. Now, Li shares her knowledge about blood donations with her friends, relatives, and schoolmates. "This might be a small individual attempt, but efforts will pay off as more people in China come to realize the significance of blood donation," Li said. Li is one of an ever-growing number of blood donors in China which registered a total of 14.59 million blood donations last year, almost 45 times the number in 1998. The country recorded nearly 6 million blood donations and 2,065 tons of donated blood from January to May this year, up 3.6 percent and 5.2 percent respectively year on year, according to the National Health Commission (NHC). "A growing number of volunteers like Li Rui have contributed to the increase of blood donation at our center in recent years," Jia said. "Meanwhile, the city has rolled out favorable policies to encourage such behaviors, such as waiving blood processing fees at hospitals if a donor donates more than 1,000 ml within five years." Similar policies have also been introduced in other cities across the country, such as Beijing and Shanghai. "The blood for clinical use in China now entirely comes from voluntary blood donations," said Zhou Changqiang, an official with the NHC on Thursday. "Over the past two years, blood donation has become a part of my life," said Li, adding that she and her parents also benefit from the policies because of her donations. The number of voluntary blood donations has seen 20 years of consecutive growth in China, from 328,000 in 1998 to 14.59 million in 2017, figures from the NHC showed. The number of voluntary blood donors and the volume of blood collected in the country from January to November this year increased by 3 and 4 percent respectively year on year, according to Zhou with the NHC. The traditional Posada Without Borders was celebrated simultaneously in Tijuana (Mexico) and San Diego (California) on Saturday for the 25th year, even as the participants from the United States were prevented from coming close to the border fence. This posada, a Mexican tradition which commemorates the pilgrimage to Bethlehem by Mary and Joseph in search of a room, brings together hundreds of people from both sides of the border who are separated by a fence, located at the Friendship Park on the US side. But this year those attending the event on the US side of the border had to maintain a distance of about 60 meters on order of the US Border Patrol. Jennifer Guerra Aldana of the Fuller Youth Institute said that even with the restrictions imposed; the resistance continues and added that it was miracle that the event could be celebrated this year given the current political climate. Friendship Park, where families separated due to migration laws reunite every weekend, has been closed since mid-November following the arrival of the migrant caravan in Tijuana. Eduardo Olmos, spokesperson for the US Border Patrol in San Diego, told Efe that the Border Patrol decided that under the current situation, it was very dangerous to carry out the event. Pedro Rios, director of the San Diego Committee of American Friends lamented that the decision transformed this celebration into practically two separate events, because the distance prevented them from listening to each other despite the support of sound equipment. He further added that in earlier years food used to be shared across the border, which has now been stopped and more restrictions have been imposed. The event is celebrated in solidarity with the immigrants who have left their countries in search of better opportunities, but this year the emphasis was on the migrant caravan that awaits its opportunity to request political asylum in the US. As it happens in every posada, Christmas hymns were sung and festive food was eaten and tributes were paid to the immigrants who lost their life in their attempt to reach the US. Aguascalientes, MexicoMore than 70 dogs are now on their way to better lives after their rescue from a case of neglect in Aguascalientes, Mexico, at the end of last month. The animals were living together in poor health and cramped conditions in the house of an elderly person. The dogs were seized in an operation conducted by the Aguascalientes Environmental Attorney General Office, with support from Humane Society International/Mexico and local organization Amigos Pro-Animal. Rescuers took the animals to a temporary shelter to receive veterinary care, proper food and eventually to be adopted out. Local health authorities will monitor and provide health support to the elderly gentleman. Felipe Marquez, manager of the HSI/Mexico program against animal cruelty, said: Unfortunately, this is the kind of story we encounter rather frequently. Well-intentioned people try to help stray animals by picking them up, without considering the real implications of this action. Soon they find themselves in an unmanageable situation. However, thanks to the timely response and team work of APA, HSI and PROESPA, these dogs will have a second chance in life after all. Aguascalientes animal welfare legislation requires that animals have access to food and water, are provided with suitable and clean living conditions, receive basic health care and are not subject to abuse or ill treatment. END Media contact: Magaly Garibay, (+52 55) 5211 8731, ext. 104, mgaribay@idee.agency I went to Xiamen on a work trip, not really knowing what to expect. As I jumped on a boat to see the famous UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, Gulangyu, I already felt captivated by what I was seeing. As I was walking through the streets of the pedestrian-only island, I felt as if I had stepped into a different world. Just minutes before, I had been in the modern and urban downtown of Xiamen. And now, I was exploring the old-fashioned alleyways of the car-free island. (Photo/Liu Ning) Over 10 million tourists just like me visit Gulangyu every year. But about 20,000 people call this island with a mere size of 2 square kilometers, home. More than 100 years ago, Gulangyu had the peculiarity of having constituted the only international settlement on Chinese soil apart from the more celebrated International Settlement at Shanghai. Nowadays, you can still discover well-preserved Victorian-era style architecture all across the island. (Photo/Liu Ning) Watch this Vlog video to find more about my wonderful day spent in Xiamen, the allure of which is a perfect mix of urban energy and laid-back vibes. Director general of the President Muhammadu Buhari campaign organization, Festus Keyemo(SAN) has taken a huge swipe at Peter Obi, Peoples Democratic Partys vice presidential candidate for the 2019, elections. This, was in reaction to points made by the former Anambra state governor, during the VP debate that held last Friday. The PDP VP candidate during the debate kept hammering on what great countries like China did, to turn the fortune of their countries around. In his reaction, Keyemo said it was a dangerous campaign line to take, as the countries, Obi keeps referencing didnt do any of those great stuffs in just 3 years. He added that, while countries like China were doing what they could to become great, at that same time, the PDP was destroying the future of Nigeria. He wrote via his Twitter handle: The most damaging campaign in which Peter Obi is engaged is always citing what China & other great countries did all these years to become great whereas these countries didnt do all these in the last 3 years. They did these during the same period his party destroyed our future. President Muhammadu Buhari turned 76-year-old, 17th December. The prewwho enjoyed love and many goodwill messages from his cabinet and party members, and many Nigerians has asked for more time. The president said this, while speaking briefly with newsmen at the State House on Monday in Abuja after a special parade organised by the Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army to celebrate his 76th birthday. Nigerians should continue to pray for me and understand my intentions and give me time. Buhari, who spoke both in English and Hausa language said they wouldnt fail to remind Nigerians of their achievements. We will keep reminding Nigerians about what we have done, how we met the country, what we were able to do from the time we came in to now with the resources available to us. See some short clips to commemorate the day, which were shared by Bashir Ahmad, aide to the President on new media via Twitter on Monday. General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has claimed that the church which was founded in 1952 by Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi is not an ordinary church. The respected cleric disclosed this at the at the thanksgiving service of the just concluded 21st Holy Ghost Congress of the church which at the Camp ground along Lagos- Ibadan expressway. Adeboye who was grateful to God for the success of the congress revealed some challenges and miraculous events that happened to members of the church, Vanguard reports. I can boldly say I have never seen anything like this before. I thank God for revelation of His word! I thank God for answered prayers! I thank God for mighty testimonies! Many at times I sat down there and tears come to my eyes when I consider some of the testimonies I had. My children went to do the work of God and they were returning, people who dressed like soldiers came from no where and were raining bullets on them. Bullets that shattered the windscreen of one vehicle after another; again and again and again and not a single one was hurt! I just want to thank God. I want to give you all one assurance, this is not an ordinary church. This is the church of God. Hes the owner of His church and He is more than able to take care of His church. Probably because so many miracles are happening in our midst, there is this tendency for us not to value these testimonies the way they should be valued. When someone comes here and says she has been barren for seven years and God has given her a child, we say sit down jooooh. Weve had bigger ones! Count the number of times the woman had wept; when the month ends, shell be hoping itll be this month and it wasnt that month. And another month and another month, and another year, third year, fourth year.! And then we heard the story of a woman who had been barren for 34 years until she was over 50 years old and God decided to answer, and we just take it anyhow. God have mercy! And then we heard testimonies of somebody who went to the hospital because there was a lump in her breast and they said its cancer and the only way to save her life is to cut off the breast. She had no choice; so they went ahead and cut off the breast. And a handkerchief that got anointed just because somebody waved his hand was given to that lady and three weeks later the breast grew back. When Jesus said the works He did, greater works shall we do, we already see these things manifesting in our lives. Not just in the life of the General Overseer but in the lives of the congregation! Why dont you shout Halleluyah to the Almighty God! And then God, the Omnipotent God, the original majesty, the One who does as He pleases, decided that He will give us a whole one hour, and that the rest of the world can wait. One hour of the time of the Almighty God! Why dont you stand on your feet and shout a big Halleluyah! I just want to pray for you now but I will want you to go home and for months to come, just remember this period and thank God. If you have nothing to thank God for, thank God for me, Adeboye stated. My father and my God once again I want to say thank you, you know my heart, what my mouth cannot say, my heart is saying it today. On behalf of all these your children, thank You. Accept our thanks in Jesus name. I commit all your children into your hands, even as they go, go with them. Everyone of you particularly who had stayed behind for your thanksgiving and those of you doing all your thanksgiving in the various churches all over the world, it shall be well with you. The blessings of this week will last forever. The miracles of this Congress will never slip out of your life. The God I serve Who stood by me throughout this Congress will stand by you. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. Your light will continue to shine. Your salt will not lose its power. You will be great ambassadors for Christ. Your healing ministries will now begin to blossom. Everything you touch shall prosper. Forever you will remain the elect of God. You will be the habitation of the Most High. God will never leave you, He will never forsake you. He will promote you. He will take you to great heights. The everlasting arm will keep on lifting you up. And you will enter the new year with joy. You will spend the new year with joy. The days ahead of you will be days of glory. And you will serve God till the end. If the Lord tarries, I will see you in the new year. If He comes before we meet again, none of you will miss heaven. So shall it be, he prayed, he said. Members of the Life House Pentecostal Church Worldwide in Lagos, were surprised after a cleric identified as Bishop Omooba Adebowale did the unexpected during a annual Thanksgiving service and celebration. The pastor called out a man from the congregation and gave out his shoe reportedly worth $400 (over N145,000) to him to his surprise and that of others present. The pastor also tackled Ifedayo Olarinde popularly called Daddy Freeze on the issue of tithing as he urged Nigerians not to listen to him because God will visit him soon. He said that when one gives, he or she receives. Meanwhile, for his ceaseless verbal attacks on Christian leaders, the Senior Pastor of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Chapel of Testimony Lagos Pastor Bunmi Babatunde has declared popular On-Air-Personality (OAP) Daddy Freeze as a confused man. Babatunde alleged Freeze was being driven by the passion to destroy the church with his rabid criticisms of popular preachers in the nation. He spoke at the churchs 20th anniversary last Sunday. Ustaz Abdulfattah Adeyemi, a renowned Islamic scholar and founder of Baynakum Family Counseling Center has told women that their husbands are meant to be shared with other women. He advised Muslim women to share their husbands with other women, saying they have just 25 per cent access to their husbands, while the remaining 75 per cent belongs to other women, Punch reports. The cleric said this in a paper entitled: Charity, a path to Jannah, which he presented in Abuja during the inauguration of Sisters of Jannah, a Muslim womens charity organisation. Charging women to be magnanimous in sharing their husbands, Ustaz admonished them not to deny their husbands polygamy, but should only pray that the husbands treat all equally in any action taken. He regretted that some married women were so over-protective of their husbands, thereby denying the men their wishes of having more wives, describing such as ungodly. Ustaz also said the over-protective tendencies of some women towards their husbands had made many men to devise smart means of engaging in illegal relationships outside their matrimonial homes, advising that the trend must stop. He urged housewives to stop being unnecessarily jealous of their husbands relationships outside. According to him, the faithfulness of men can only be known after their death, saying some men father children outside their marriages, only for their secrets to be uncovered after their death. He blamed wives for the mens actions. Ustaz said, Let me tell you that your husband is only yours 25 per cent; your husband is not your property; your only share of him is 25 per cent. The remaining 75 per cent belongs to other women. If you want your husband 100 per cent, then you are a thief; you are going beyond the 25 per cent that is yours; the remaining 75 per cent belongs to other ladies. Dont think that because you are wives, other women should not share your husbands. Men are not stupid, the men are even becoming smart. Its until when some die that you know how many children they have. I am not saying that is what happens every time; but if you think you are too smart, men are smarter. You have never been a man before in your life, you cant imagine what goes through in the minds of men. Let us fear Allah, as much as possible. If Allah makes it easy for you, if they ask you to shift, please shift a little so that somebody else can also sit down. And you that is asking somebody else to shift, you have to fear Allah; you that they want to allow to come in, fear Allah. Dont go there and scatter their lives for them. Dont go there and constitute problem for them. The man may be doing it for the sake of Allah, dont let him regret it. Ustaz said women were the reasons most polygamous homes fail, saying they should have a change of heart. Whenever you see polygamy that is not successful, it is because of a woman. Na woman dey do woman. The one that is inside the house and the one that is coming into the house and both women. It is women that are the enemies of women. If the man is trying to be just, it is the other woman that will go and enter him and turn his head the other way. You will be going North and he will be going South. It is two women that are both diabolical because of a man. We men are the Angels that Allah sends to help women. Speaking on the topic: Islam and Feminism, founder and chancellor of Islamic Online University, Dr. Bilal Philips, challenged Muslim women to seek knowledge so as to better their understanding of things. He said he was speaking on the topic to clarify the distinction between western feminism and feminism within the context of Islam. These distinctions need to be made in order for Muslim women to understand where they should focus and stay within the modern path, so as not to go to the extreme and break the laws of Sharia. I advise Muslim women to seek knowledge, gain knowledge and apply the knowledge in their lives knowledge that will benefit them in both this life and the next. Foxconns lead lawyer in the Qualcomm case has made it clear that the company is not involved in any settlement talks with the chip maker right now and it is bracing for the trial in April. Foxconn and other contract manufacturers of Apple like Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal are seeking $9 billion in damages from Qualcomm for illegal royalties which they had to pay to the chip maker. This amount could very well triple if all the contract manufacturers succeed in their anti-trust claims. Ted Boutrous, the lead lawyer of the case from the firm Dunn & Crutcher LLP, says that none of the contract manufacturers are involved in any settlement talks with Qualcomm. And with the chip maker making the same sort of unreasonable demands that led to the current position, any settlement talks are simply impractical. To the extent Qualcomm has indicated there have been licensing discussions with the contract manufacturers, theyve basically made the same sort of unreasonable demands that got them to where they are right now, which impose significant preconditions to even discuss a new arrangement, Boutrous said. Qualcomms CEO had earlier claimed that the chip maker was in negotiation talks with Apple with a resolution on the doorstep, though this was quickly shot down by Apples lawyer. A similar story is being played out here, with the lead lawyer representing Apples contractors shooting down reports of any settlement with the San Diego-based chipmaker. Our Take Qualcomm did manage to secure a major win against Apple in China by getting a sales and import ban imposed on iPhone 6s through iPhone X for infringing on two of its software patents. It has even expanded its suit to include Apples 2018 iPhone lineup, though Apple has already issued a statement saying it will roll out a software update for Chinese iPhones this week to circumvent the ban. In its filing, Apple said that an iPhone ban might force it to settle with Qualcomm which might not be good for everyone involved and the smartphone industry in general. It looks like the legal tussle between Qualcomm, Apple, and its contractors is only going to get intense from here, with Apple and others in no mood to settle matters with the chip maker outside of court. [Via Reuters BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese and Canadian researchers have found an amber containing the feather of a bird's tail dating back around 100 million years. Tail feathers with strange central shafts appear in a pair in ambers formed 100 million years ago in North Myanmar. Ambers preserve the structure of feathers and provide more information than flattened fossils. [Photo: globaltimes.cn] "Unlike most tail feathers that are found in compression fossils, the discovery in amber offers three-dimensional structure of the feather and contains more information," said Zou Jinmei, one of the Chinese researchers. "The feather dates back to the early Cretaceous, an important period for the evolution of birds," said Xing Lida, assistant professor at China University of Geoscience and leader of the team. "The Age saw how certain types of dinosaur evolved into birds." Tail feathers with strange central shafts appear in a pair in ambers formed 100 million years ago in North Myanmar. Ambers preserve the structure of feathers and provide more information than flattened fossils. [Photo: globaltimes.cn] The tail feather in amber was found at Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar, an area rich in amber fossil discoveries. Amber can contain different kinds of soft tissues, providing valuable palaeontological information, according to Xing. The findings have been published on the Journal of Palaeogeography. Health Department Technical Jobs 2019 In Nowshera KPK Latest District Health Office Management Posts Nowshera 2021 Experienced and technical personnel for the positions of Clinical Technician, Medical Technician, Clerk, Computer Operator, Electro Medical Technician, Electrician, Plumber, Carpenter, Driver, Operation Theater Attendant, Laboratory Attendant, Chowkidar, Sweeper, Mali required for the office of District Health Officer Nowshera KPK Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. How to Apply on District Health Office Job Advertisement Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online. 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. PASDEC Job 2019 For Chief Executive Officer CEO in Islamabad Latest Pakistan Stone Development Company Executive Posts Islamabad 2021 Qualified, experienced and well educated candidate for the post of Chief Executive Officer CEO required urgently for Pakistan Stone Development Company PASDEC in Lahore. How to Apply on Pakistan Stone Development Company Job Advertisement Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online. 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. This building, at the corner of Pandosy Street and Leon Avenue, could become a cannabis retail store pending city council approval. Its one of 31 possible pot shop locations now identified by the city. BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China and other international partners are welcome to cooperate in Horizon Europe, the European Union's planned 100-billion-euro scientific research initiative, according to a senior EU official. Jean-Eric Paquet, director-general of the European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, told Xinhua that the program, which calls for 100 billion euros in research and innovation spending from 2021 to 2027, is expected to create ample opportunities for collaboration to drive sustainable development and job creation in China and Europe. Paquet made the remarks at the opening of the 5th EURAXESS Science Slam in Beijing on Dec. 13. The Science Slam is a science communication competition where young researchers from around China compete to win an opportunity to visit European research institutions. EURAXESS, backed by the EU, provides information and support to enhance scientific collaboration between researchers in Europe and beyond. The EU plans to invest in fields like health, digital transformation of industrial markets, transport, energy and food security in Horizon Europe, said Paquet. China and the EU have already cooperated in related fields, and Chinese researchers are welcome to visit Europe and their European counterparts are also interested in visiting China, he said. While more Chinese researchers had gone to study in Europe in the past, cooperation between the two sides is now more reciprocal. China is leading in areas like space exploration, Earth observation and brain science and the EU is looking forward to cooperating in these areas, he said. Paquet added that China plays a significant role in ITER, the world's largest nuclear fusion experiment, and works with other countries to tackle challenges. Costing around 15 billion euros, ITER is the worlds largest international scientific cooperation project. It is jointly funded by China, the EU, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. According to China's Ministry of Science and Technology, China invested 4 billion yuan (about 512 million euros) in ITER from 2008 to 2017. "The research we need is the one that allows our society to continue to develop and grow, while making it more inclusive and respecting planetary boundaries," said Paquet. No countries have mastered everything needed for research requiring joint international efforts and solutions deployed at national and regional levels. Paquet said he felt the passion for innovation among young Chinese researchers during his visit. Research and innovation will be a key area in China-EU relations, he noted. The EU delegation led by Paquet visited Beijing as China and the EU celebrate the 20th anniversary of their science and technology cooperation. China and the EU signed a science and technology agreement in 1998 and renewed it in 2004. Since then, China has joined major EU projects like ITER and the Galileo navigation satellite project. Sebelum Anda bermain, Anda perlu mengetahui apa yang Anda butuhkan untuk masuk ke dalam permainan roulette kasino online ini. Jika Anda sudah mendaftar di situs judi casino online dan sudah memberikan user ID, login terlebih dahulu dan pilih menu live casino yang tertera di situs judi tersebut. Pertama pilih dealer dan putuskan sendiri, lalu pilih meja atau kursi di dalam ruangan. Jika namanya tertera dan berwarna coklat, maka kursi tersebut sudah ditempati oleh pemain lain, dan pilihlah kursi kosong berwarna hitam. Kasino Roulette adalah salah satu permainan paling populer di situs perjudian kasino. Jadi dalam permainan ini kamu harus menebak angka berapa yang akan keluar. Ada 36 nomor berbeda dalam permainan populer ini di mana sebuah bola kecil diputar dan dilemparkan ke dalam mesin roulette. Anda harus menebak dari mana bola kecil itu masuk dan di nomor berapa ia berhenti. Ada banyak jenis pilihan angka dari 0-36, dan mereka dihitung secara berbeda. Sebagai agen casino terpercaya, panduan permainan roulette ini juga memberikan informasi tentang jenis pilihan dan nama permainan roulette casino online sebagai berikut: Jika Anda ingin bermain roulette di situs kasino online, caranya sangat sederhana. Anda dapat bermain di Kasino ION, Kasino Sbobet, dan Situs Kasino. Di bawah ini adalah artikel panduan bermain di mana Anda dapat mempelajari roulette langsung dan memainkannya di situs judi online mana pun. tangkapan layar Sebelum Anda bermain, Anda perlu mengetahui apa yang Anda butuhkan untuk masuk ke dalam permainan roulette kasino online ini. Jika Anda sudah mendaftar di situs judi casino online dan sudah memberikan user ID, login terlebih dahulu dan pilih menu live casino yang tertera di situs judi online tersebut. Pertama pilih dealer dan putuskan sendiri, lalu pilih meja atau kursi di dalam ruangan. Jika namanya tertera dan berwarna coklat, maka kursi tersebut sudah ditempati oleh pemain lain, dan pilihlah kursi kosong berwarna hitam. Panduan Bermain Online Kasino Roulette Kasino Roulette adalah salah satu permainan paling populer di situs perjudian kasino. Jadi dalam permainan ini kamu harus menebak angka berapa yang akan keluar. Ada 36 nomor berbeda dalam permainan populer ini di mana sebuah bola kecil diputar dan dilemparkan ke dalam mesin roulette. Anda harus menebak dari mana bola kecil itu masuk dan di nomor berapa ia berhenti. Ada banyak jenis pilihan angka dari 0-36, dan mereka dihitung secara berbeda. Sebagai agen casino terpercaya, panduan permainan roulette ini juga memberikan informasi tentang jenis pilihan dan nama permainan roulette casino online sebagai berikut: 1. Straight Up: Penempatan angka tunggal dari 0 hingga 36. Contoh perhitungan straight up adalah mengalikan taruhan dengan 35. Ini adalah jenis taruhan tertinggi dalam permainan roulette kasino, jadi 50 dikalikan dengan 35 memberi Anda 1750, mengapa jenis taruhan ini menghasilkan pengembalian yang begitu tinggi? Hal ini karena tidak mudah untuk memenangkan pilihan nomor dengan memilih hanya satu nomor dari banyak. 2. Taruhan split: Jenis taruhan yang ditempatkan pada dua angka atau di antara dua angka yang berbeda. Misalnya, menempatkan di sela-sela angka 9 dan 12 atau 13d dan 14 dihitung sebagai jenis taruhan split. Setiap nomor dapat ditempatkan dalam jenis ini selama nomor tersebut berdekatan dan persis seperti Gambar A dan B. Untuk taruhan ini, jika Anda memenangkan contoh dan mengalikannya dengan 850, Anda akan menerima jumlah taruhan yang dikalikan dengan 17. . 3. Taruhan jalanan: bertaruh dengan 3 angka ke bawah, misalnya 1,2,3 atau 10,11,12. Semua taruhan jalan akan menerima kemenangan dikalikan dengan 11. Misalnya, 50 dikalikan 550. 4. Taruhan sudut: Jenis taruhan di mana empat angka ditempatkan saling berhadapan, seperti 13,14,16,17 atau 19,20,22,23. Semua angka valid karena terdiri dari 4 angka yang diisi seperti kotak dan taruhan dikalikan 8 (misalnya 50 kali 800). 5. Taruhan baris: Atau, Anda dapat mengatakan bahwa ada 6 jenis taruhan yang terdiri dari 2 baris, tetapi 6 poin dengan 2 peregangan, seperti taruhan jalanan. Misalnya, jika Anda memilih angka 7 hingga 12 dan 13 hingga 18, taruhan 50 adalah 5 kali dan kemudian dikalikan dengan 250 kemenangan. 6. Kolom Inner Bet: Jenis taruhan vertikal dengan 12 poin berturut-turut, seperti kolom numerik 1,4,7,10,13,19,22,25,25,28,22,24,34 atau kolom lainnya. Dan jika dia memenangkan kolom, 50 taruhan digandakan dan 100 taruhan. 7. Lusin : Jenis taruhan menempatkan 12 angka tetapi menempatkannya pada kotak berbentuk seperti contoh Kolom A dengan angka 1 sampai 12 dan odds dengan kolom lain untuk dipilih dengan memilih 1 kotak pertama untuk Kolom A. Kalikan dengan 2, 50 taruhan 100. 8. Zero part : Cara bertaruh 0.1,2,3 sama persis seperti di gambar, karena berdekatan dengan angka 0, anda hanya bisa bertaruh 0.1,2,3. Menempatkan taruhan ini mengalikannya dengan 50. hingga 8. 9. Zero Corner: Bertaruh pada angka 0.1,2 atau 0.2,3 adalah dua pilihan karena Anda hanya bertaruh mendekati angka nol. Jenis taruhan ini dikalikan 11 jika taruhan menang. 10. Two Dozen: Jenis taruhan dengan hanya dua pilihan: 1-18 atau 19-36. Jika taruhan Anda adalah 50, itu dikalikan dengan 1 hingga 50 jika Anda menang. 11. Merah atau Hitam: Masukkan taruhan Anda dengan memilih Merah atau Hitam sebagai warna angka yang muncul saat taruhan 50. 12. Genap/Ganjil: Pilih angka yang menghasilkan jumlah jenis taruhan ganjil. President of Ecuador Lenin Moreno Garces gives a speech at the opening session. (Photo via Doha Forum) The Doha Forum 2018 opened on Dec. 15 in Doha, Qatar, with policymakers, business leaders, and academics from around the world arriving to discuss some of the most pressing challenges the world faces today. Dialogue is what bridges the gap between adversaries, no matter how intense the differences are, it is the point of inception and the point of conclusion in this difficult time, said Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, in his inaugural speech. In his speech, the President of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno Garces, explained that the Doha Forum is a global platform to achieve the most ambitious goals in the modern world and to launch an effective global dialogue among all people on possible challenges ahead. The 18th edition of the Doha Forum serves as a platform to discuss the subject shaping policy in an interconnected world, and it focuses on four themes: security, peace and mediation, economic development and trends and transitions. Established in 2000, the Doha Forum is a platform for global dialogue on critical challenges facing the world. It is a forward-looking platform for policymakers to discuss how to enhance and optimize working together on problems from different perspectives, expertise, countries and organizations. By Park Hyong-ki NongHyup Bank CEO Lee Dae-hoon NongHyup Bank Chief Executive Lee Dae-hoon will remain as the head of the agriculture bank for another year after NongHyup Financial Group extended his contract, the holding company said Monday. The group held a meeting to finalize the appointment of chief executives for its wholly owned subsidiaries including the bank and NongHyup Life Insurance. Lee was widely expected to continue his job as the bank chief as under his leadership it was able to achieve record earnings over the past year. He was appointed as CEO in December 2017. "The group reappointed Lee giving him responsibility to carry out the bank's mid-to-long term strategy," said a group spokesman. He also noted that the bank headed is expected to post a record 1 trillion won in net profit this year. NongHyup Life CEO Hong Jae-eun The group also appointed Hong Jae-eun as the chief executive of NongHyup Life Insurance. Andy Nam, chief information officer of SC Bank Korea, discusses the future of big data in an interview with The Korea Times. / Courtesy of SC Bank Freer data can boost AI-backed customized services By Park Hyong-ki The country must pursue regulatory reforms that will enable local financial companies to take risks and thrive competitively by using the latest emerging technologies, said Andy Nam, chief information officer (CIO) of Standard Chartered (SC) Bank Korea. It will also need a "strong, aggressive leader" who can overhaul its social perceptions toward entrepreneurship, which is normally viewed negatively here, instead of as daring, exciting and hopeful. "I believe those are the main reasons behind the slow progress in developing a digital economy here," Nam said in a recent interview at the bank's headquarters in Seoul. The country has strong, fast internet infrastructure. Also, people recognize the importance of exploring the technological potential of blockchain, big data, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. But as the World Economic Forum (WEF) reported, the spirit of "do or die" and "nothing to lose" the key to innovation has been overshadowed by "everything to lose" if they take risks and fail. Drawing from his personal experience and knowledge in information technology while working for various consulting firms before joining SC Bank, he said Korea's digital economic competitiveness is "four years" behind other top-notch Asian economies such as Japan and China. "Four years is very long in the digital world. We're at a stage where we can't even catch up with those countries," he said. Before joining SC Bank as the CIO, he worked as an IT consultant for global firms such as Accenture and Boston Consulting Group, he noted. Nam specializes in data architecture modeling. For instance, Korea is making efforts to relax rules concerning the use of cloud computing technology. However, there are still limits to using and managing data under the cloud computing system for global companies and their subsidiaries, he noted. Basically, data created and generated here cannot leave the country. This defeats the purpose of cloud computing, which is to help companies anywhere in the world use and manage data wherever cloud computing servers are for cost and operational efficiency. "I definitely understand the concern over possible personal security risks. But it should allow a freer flow of data and let the private sector take full responsibility and manage the risks," Nam said. The last time he checked, he said there were only three countries that apply this strict data rule Korea, China and Indonesia. China is a big country with huge amounts of data. Companies there can see the benefits of managing their data within its borders. gettyimagesbank North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pays a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather and Kim Il-sung are on display, on the seventh anniversary of Kim Jong-il's death, state-run media outlets reported Monday. / Yonhap By Park Ji-won North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the mausoleum of his late father Kim Jong-il to commemorate the seventh anniversary of his death, in his first public appearance in two weeks. Amid stalled denuclearization talks with Washington, Kim paid his respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his late father and grandfather Kim Il-sung are on display, "on the occasion of the biggest national memorial day," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and other North Korean media outlets Monday. "He paid highest tribute while looking up at statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il," the KCNA said. The state-run media added that Kim Jong-un laid flowers at the statues of his father and grandfather. The day of Kim Jong-il's death is one of the North's most important anniversaries. Kim has been visiting the mausoleum every year since he took power in 2012. Thousands of Pyongyang citizens reportedly visited statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at various locations throughout Pyongyang. This was his first public appearance reported by state media in two weeks since a "field guidance" trip to a shoe-making factory in Wonsan, Dec. 3. The move came amid stalled denuclearization talks with South Korea and the U.S. Pyongyang and Washington have failed to narrow their gaps in the details of the denuclearization process since their leaders' Singapore summit in June. The North wants sanctions relief in exchange for further denuclearization steps. Washington, meanwhile, is asking for more tangible measures before making such concessions. Their differences in negotiations are seen more frequently these days. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is "in no hurry" to negotiate with North Korea, signaling a delay in the second North-U.S. summit which he said earlier would be held between January and February. The North, meanwhile, rebuked the U.S. move Sunday, saying its approach could "block the path to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula forever." Reporting Kim's visit, the Rodong Sinmun said he called for more efforts to "fulfill the obligation and duties as his revolutionary soldiers" and work hard to "implement his plan and wish to the last without a deflection and any concession." Senior party officials accompanied Kim to the mausoleum, the KCNA said, without mentioning specific names. A photo printed on the front page of the newspaper showed senior party officials, such as Pak Tae-song, O Su-yong, Kim Pyong-hae, Choe Ryong-hae and Ri Su-yong, walking into the hall with him. By Rodolfo Solano Quiros Rodolfo Solano Quiros Costa Rica abolished its army 70 years ago. During national celebrations, children and the young, as the main protagonists carrying the Costa Rican flag, proudly parade in their school uniforms. The image of a military parade with thousands of soldiers displaying their weapons and equipment is unknown to us. Along with the principles of freedom and democracy, the force of reason has prevailed throughout Costa Rican history. The abolition of the military is one of those exceptional steps that led Costa Rica to become a fairer and more educated society, able to meet the most pressing needs of its population, focusing on human development rather than strengthening its military capabilities. Costa Ricans have reaped the benefits of a decision that marked its development as a nation. The resources that would have otherwise been destined to the maintenance and purchase of military weapons are directed to causes that seek greater prosperity for the people. During his visit to Costa Rica in July 2014, former U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that "for decades, Costa Rica has been a worldwide example in rejecting unnecessary military expenditure. Instead, the country bravely invested in health and universal education. The result has been less inequality and greater social peace." That fundamental decision, made on Dec. 1, 1948, and enshrined in the 1949 Constitution, currently in force, has forged generations of Costa Ricans who have never seen a tank or a warplane in their territory. Costa Ricans will never aspire to carry a rifle and will never consider dying on a battle field. Through the unilateral renunciation to the use of force as a means of settling disputes, Costa Rica has privileged international law to safeguard its national interests, sovereignty and the rule of law. Costa Rica firmly believes and practices all aspects of international law, as this is the only way we know how to proceed. Our only weapon has been and will always be international law. The abolition of the army in Costa Rica is part of a deep culture rooted in the best traditions of a peaceful and unarmed country, which dates back to 1877 when it abolished the death penalty and continued to push for new developments to ensure peaceful coexistence among nations. This is reflected in different proposals that Costa Rica leads, such the Treaty on Arms Trade (ATT), an international legal instrument that requires states to comply with strict regulations to ensure that arms transfers do not lead to the violation of human rights and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), becoming the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons, with the goal of leading towards their total elimination. Undoubtedly, this represents a major contribution to humanity. With a stroke of a hammer over a section of a former military facility, former President Jose Figueres Ferrer proclaimed the abolition of the army and announced that that building would be converted into a cultural center. This building currently houses the National Museum. "We are staunch supporters of the ideal of a new world in America. In the land of Washington, Lincoln, Bolivar and Marti, today we say: Oh America, other peoples who are your children too, would offer you their greatness. Little Costa Rica wishes to offer you now and ever its heart, its love of civility, democracy, and institutional life," said President Figueres. Costa Rica shares with the world her determination to abolish the armed forces and does so with the conviction of contributing to universal peace and security, principles that govern our foreign policy. Yes, 70 years ago, our parents and grandparents abolished the army; now, the present generation, led by the President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, will continue to cement another milestone for our future generations, wanting, and progressing towards, the abolishment of the use of fossil fuels whereby Costa Rica will become the world's first decarbonized economy and society. Rodolfo Solano Quiros is the Costa Rican ambassador to Korea. New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner, second from left, poses with Gender Equality and Family Minister Jin Sun-mee, third from left, and other distinguished guests during a reception at Turner's residence in Seoul, Dec. 11, to mark the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in New Zealand. / Embassy of New Zealand By Yi Whan-woo For New Zealand, being the first country in the world to grant voting rights to women was just a beginning for a higher cause creating a more diverse and inclusive society. Since granting women's suffrage on Sept. 19, 1893, the country has pioneered elevating women's status and roles. For instance, women account for more than half of the public service chief executives. New Zealanders, according to New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner, still deem they have "a long way to go" in improving the social status of disadvantaged groups, such as the Maori natives, physically and mentally disabled people, immigrants and the LGBT community. "New Zealanders are proud of what we have achieved, but also aware that we're all on a journey, with a long way to go, even in New Zealand," Ambassador Turner said during a reception at his residence in Seoul, Dec. 11, to mark the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage. He said women are among many groups whose "rights need attention" and that his country is committed to celebrating the achievements and capabilities of "all disadvantaged sections of the population." "We believe firmly that diversity ... is not only the right and the kind thing to do, but it also creates a more cohesive, more prosperous and more successful society," he said. "That applies to other groups too such as indigenous people, disabled people, immigrants, LGBT groups and many others." The envoy claimed leaders of New Zealand and Korea share a vision for ensuring the value of diversity and inclusion. He referred to a meeting between New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and President Moon Jae-in during Moon's visit to Auckland, New Zealand from Dec. 2 to 4. In a prerecorded video message, Prime Minister Ardern noted her country has recently passed a marriage amendment act allowing same-sex couples to get married, and pledged to increase the annual refugee quota. "New Zealanders have worked to ensure everyone has the right to live dignified lives, free from discrimination ... This work isn't over. It's an ongoing process." She said it will be important for New Zealand and Korea to work together for a diverse and inclusive society, adding, "I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Korean government on these issues." The reception attracted female leaders from both Korea and abroad. Among them were Gender Equality and Family Minister Jin Sun-mee, Greek Ambassador to Korea Ifigeneia Kontolleontos, UNICEF Korea interim head Aichatou Diawara Flambert, Seoul International Women's Association President Robin Carney, Maeil Dairies President and CEO Kim Seon-hee and Corea Image Communication Institute President Choi Jung-wha. Three of the last five prime ministers and three of the six governor generals in New Zealand have been women. The country's top constitutional posts the Queen, the governor general, the prime minister and the chief justice are all held by women. The New Zealand Embassy in Seoul was formerly led by Ambassador Clare Fearnley. She served here from 2015 to 2017. Korea Foundation President Lee Si-hyung speaks during a recent interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk KF helps raise public awareness toward government's diplomatic policies By Yi Whan-woo The latest hazing death of a biracial teenager in Incheon and anti-immigration protests against asylum seekers from Yemen show the challenges Korea faces as it becomes a multicultural society. To tackle such challenges, the Korea Foundation (KF), a nonprofit organization that has been promoting public diplomacy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is stepping up efforts to help people develop a global mindset, according to KF President Lee Si-hyung. He deemed two projects a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with district offices in Busan and the first "Public Diplomacy Week" were especially helpful to achieve the goal. The MOU was signed by ASEAN Culture House, an institution in Busan aimed at nurturing cultures of 10 ASEAN countries, and each district office in Busan to enhance cooperation for supporting multicultural families, many from Southeast Asia. The first Public Diplomacy Week from Nov. 1 to 3 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul was to assess Korea's public diplomacy and how it can be developed to help Koreans and foreigners understand each other better. "Protests against the asylum seekers from Yemen are only beginning of the problems already faced by the European countries," Lee told The Korea Times. "And having a global mindset should be the starting point to tackle the issues." He suggested a two-step approach raising public awareness toward diversity in the short term and getting ready to accept refugees in the long term. "In that regard, the ASEAN Culture House's project is right on target for our goal in the short term," he said. "And although not intended, Public Diplomacy Week is believed to help Koreans understand the people from outside." Established in 1991, the KF aims to promote understanding of Korea and strengthen partnerships with institutions and opinion leaders around the world. It has been responsible for public diplomacy-related projects in accordance with a public diplomacy act enacted in August 2017. The first Public Diplomacy Week featured presentations by embassies in Seoul on their respective public diplomacy programs, a conference on the role of social media in public diplomacy and an introduction to jobs in the public diplomacy sector. The KF plans to host Public Diplomacy Week every year. ASEAN Culture House opened in September 2017, in line with the government's plan to relocate government bodies and public organizations outside Seoul for balanced societal development. The KF moved its headquarters to Seogwipo, Jeju Island, in July, while leaving its global affairs bureau in Seoul. It enables the foundation to operate in three cities in Korea, along with seven offices abroad. "I believe our presence in Busan and Jeju Island can help their campaign to go global," Lee said, referring to Jeju's campaign for international investment and conferences. He pointed out that Busan and outer South Gyeongsang Province were home for many multicultural families. The foundation's overseas projects include Korea Chair and Korea Center to enhance collaboration with scholars, researchers, politicians and journalists on security policies. Korea Chairs have been established at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, led by scholar and policy wonk Victor Cha; the Brookings Institution, led by academic Jung Pak; and Free University of Brussels, headed by Ramon Pacheco Pardo. A Korea Chair at Rand Corp. is being expanded. All the institutions except the Free University of Brussels (Belgium) are in the United States. Korea Centers have been set up at the Woodrow Wilson Center (U.S.) and the Institute for Security and Development Policy (Sweden). Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, left, and Justice Minister Park Sang-ki show a memorandum of understanding signed at Seoul City Hall, Monday, aimed at improving conditions for foreign residents. Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and the Ministry of Justice signed an agreement Monday to better cater for the increasing number of foreign residents in Seoul by strengthening bilateral networks and expanding foreigner-friendly measures. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Justice Minister Park Sang-ki signed a memorandum of understanding at Seoul City Hall, Monday. The signing ceremony was participated in by four officials from the city government and three from the ministry. Four representatives of the Seoul City Foreign Residents Council from China, Japan, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan and the U.K.-born head of Seoul Global Center, another SMG arm geared to supporting the city's foreign residents, also attended. The MOU is intended to introduce refreshed policies in six major sectors: discovering foreign talent; providing consultation and education; improving delivery of administrative services; expanding the foreign population census and analysis; improving the living environment; and establishing "bottom-up" policies. The MOU comes amid an ever-increasing number of foreign residents in the city. The figure has jumped nearly 50 percent from a decade ago, up from 286,000 in October 2009 to 427,000 in October 2018. The increase rate is even steeper nationwide, from 920,000 to 1.67 million during the same period an 82 percent increase. Despite the demographic shift across the country, the need for more immigration offices and more counseling and education facilities for foreigners has remained unresolved. The MOU signing on Monday was joined by four representatives of the Seoul City Foreign Residents Council from China, Japan, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan and the U.K-born head of the Seoul Global Center. Korea Times photo by Ko Dong-hwan By Park Si-soo The prosecution is seeking an eight-month jail term for the chairman of Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical accused of verbal abusing his drivers and disrupting their safe driving. Prosecutors made the request in the final hearing of the case at Seoul Central District Court, Monday. Rhee Jang-han, the chairman, admitted his wrongdoing and apologized to the victims. "I'm really sorry to the drivers whose hearts got hurt by me," the chairman said. "Also I feel sorry to the people." He begged for mercy. "I did it mistakenly, without any malicious or authoritative intent. I admit I did something wrong. Please show mercy." Rhee was charged with verbally abusing six drivers and forcing them to violate traffic rules for four years from June 2013. This case came to light in July 2017 after audio clips of him verbally attacking his chauffeurs were made public. The ruling will be made on Jan. 24. By Lee Min-young Ultrafine dust reached "bad" levels over much of the nation Monday morning, making for a bad start to the work week for many commuters. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, ultrafine dust will hang over most regions this Monday afternoon, partly affected by smog-laden air from China as well as a high pressure system over China's central region. The fine dust concentration level in the capital reached 100 micrograms per cubic meter as of 8 a.m. Monday, while ultrafine dust levels topped 72 micrograms. Advisories are in place for 11 regions in central Gyeonggi Province as of 10 a.m. because the ultrafine dust level there has surpassed 78 micrograms. Citizens are advised to wear masks when outdoors while those with respiratory problems as well as children and the elderly should try to stay indoors. President Moon Jae-in squints his eyes during an extended meeting of economy-related ministers at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap President Moon Jae-in on Monday indicated that his government may slow down the pace of legal minimum wage hikes given the strong backlash from businesses amid a sluggish economy. "It is important that new economic policies such as the minimum wage hike and workweek cut are pursued under a general consensus based on the tolerance and harmony of interested parties," Moon said during an extended meeting of economy-related ministers. "If necessary, we need to devise ways to make adjustments." The meeting was the first of its kind under Moon's presidency. He said the same thing applies to other key economic policies, calling on his officials be cautious against their possible adverse repercussions on society. When we mention innovation in the world of watchmaking, many people instinctively think of smart watches. I know that this may anger some of you, but unfortunately nobody can deny the impact of new technology being transferred on to the wrist. I know that some of you might say that you will never be affected by it, but I seem to have heard such sweet music once before But dont worry, Im not going to write a Why not...? about the Apple watch! Hopefully some of you are already feeling a little more reassured Lets delve a little deeper in terms of innovation. In my view there are two kinds of innovations: those that improve and those that transform. In the former category we find everything that has brought technical improvements to something that already existed, making it more reliable, more robust or more precise. This type of change often occurs more discreetly, is easier to sell but does not necessarily generate huge enthusiasm or huge criticism. But there are also innovations that transform. This is an entirely different category. Here in California we are at the heart of disruptive innovations. Their aim is simple: break with the past and rethink things with new benchmarks. These breakthrough technologies aim to pierce through situations, break them or unblock them. They transform entire industries, ecosystems and even the entire world. Things like Uber, Airbnb, the iPhone and the robots of Intuitive Surgical spring to mind. In these cases technology isnt everything. There also needs to be a desire to do things differently and move away from respected ancestral codes. Such changes at first seem amusing. They generate some modest interest among incumbents until they start destroying everything in their path. The taxi driver who took me home from Los Angeles airport recently didnt stop talking about Uber. When I asked him why the taxi companies had not thought about an App when they already knew the personal transport business inside out, his reply was simple but tinged with sadness: We didnt see it coming, they know nothing and when Uber first arrived, we just laughed Innovation seduces, disturbs, destroys and transforms. Above and beyond the technological aspect, it changes drastically the way we perceive an object or a service. There is a before and an after. The success of disruptive innovation is also linked to communication. Sometimes its not easy to explain a technical improvement or transform it into an attractive and profitable reality. Many people still use the old to explain the new, along the lines of its the same, but better. And I am (still) not talking about watchmakers and the nostalgia for neo-vintage. When innovation becomes absolute, it breaks the mould. It goes against the flow, shrugs off the established conventions of a profession and abandons its common ground. It speaks differently. Its aim is to address future users by breaking conventions and forcing people to adapt a new approach and a new way of thinking. Airbnb does not speak like a hotel, Uber is unfamiliar with the vocabulary of taxis and the Apple Watch does not use the language of the watchmaker. And what role does the watch industry play in all this? One of incremental progress or one of rupture? The answer is not as easy as you would think because another factor comes into play: time. It destroys, replaces and makes things out of date. Yesterdays revolutionary innovation can soon become has been. Innovation must never stop, otherwise it risks being overtaken. This is truer than ever before. Watchmaking and the measurement of time were once disruptive technologies. We needed innovation in order to be able to measure time precisely, constantly and universally. Watchmaking was born from the idea that a technology could change the world. But that was a long time ago. After that, innovation became incremental. There were occasional movements here and there. Always better, always more precise. The seduction continues but the culture of disruptive innovation is slowly disappearing. Until the day we remember it. The fascinating history of quartz technology is a case in point. A quick search will confirm that the piezo-electric properties of quartz were discovered in France by Pierre and Jacques Curie, a very long time ago. The Americans at Bell Telephone later invented the first quartz clock. Then came watches and the first two quartz movements presented in 1967, one by the Swiss at the CEH (Centre Electronique Horloger) and the other by the Seiko research centre in Japan. The history of the CEH is interesting. It was created in 1962 to counter American and Japanese initiatives and its aim was to bring the disruptive quartz technology to Swiss industry. Although the CEH was behind the Beta 1 movement, it was Seiko and the Japanese who won the technological, industrial and commercial battle. In 1969 the famous Seiko Astron 35SQ was launched. The tsunami would hit Switzerland a few months later. The Astron 35SQ launched in 1969 Seiko So it is difficult to dissociate quartz technology from the success of Seiko. If the image of quartz movements today is a little jaded, we must nevertheless recall that it was a genuinely disruptive innovation. Because it was not about the technology on its own. There was also the industrialisation and commercialisation. Quartz shaved the classical watch industry with three blades: a technological change that was easy to explain (reliabilitiy, precision, ease of use), an increase in industrial power (easy to manufacture and case up) and a commercial strategy that started at the top of the range (at the time quartz watches were more expensive than automatic mechanical watches) but later flooded the market. Quartz is no longer a disruptive innovation. You need to go to Silicon Valley for such things nowadays. Nevertheless, collectors still have fond memories of it. Vintage quartz Seikos are increasingly sought after, and their prices are skyrocketing. You just need to visit some forums to see the demand for the first Seiko quartz chronographs from the 7A XX, 2002, King Quartz, 7548 diver and Tuna Gold series, and, of course, the Grand Seiko Quartz models launched in 1988. So does the future belong to quartz? Why Grand Seiko? I am lucky enough to travel regularly to Japan and I really got to know Seiko and Grand Seiko on numerous visits to Tokyo, sometimes punctuated with fortuitous encounters with Japanese collectors. Lets not beat about the bush. Grand Seiko is today a brand that offers some of the most beautiful automatic, manual and quartz movements in the entire world of watchmaking. Collectors dont make mistakes and the demand for Grand Seiko models continues to increase. Recently, Seiko even decided to transform its luxury division into a brand in its own right, hinting at an expansionist strategy. The first Grand Seiko watch launched in 1960 and its re-creation presented in 2017 Grand Seiko The Grand Seiko story started in 1960 with the first GS, which was recently re-issued. Numerous legendary watches followed, including the first automatic GS (the 62 GS) in 1967, the exceptional VFA of 1969 and the Spring Drive technology presented in 2004. The V.F.A. model born in 1969 and its calibre 4580 Grand Seiko Today, Grand Seiko has earned itself a place among the best watch brands in the world. Its image never stops improving and the brand is emerging from a period of self-imposed discretion. Having been reserved for the Japanese for a long time, it is now ready to take on the world, offering watches of incredible quality to the most discerning customers. Each GS watch is characterised by a classical even immutable design and finishing that is close to perfection. Production at Grand Seiko is fully integrated, which puts it at the same level as the biggest Swiss brands. In short, choosing Grand Seiko means entering the world of Japanese high-end watchmaking and owning a watch like no other, with the charm, attention to detail and strictness that is typical of Japan. The Grand Seiko SBGN007G : were there to be only one It is true that I could have chosen a Seiko for this Why not...? about innovation and quartz. But instead I have opted for the Grand Seiko 9F calibre, which is perhaps the only quartz calibre that can be qualified as haute horlogerie. To understand the Grand Seiko SBGN007G, you need to look above all at this famous 9F calibre. It was launched 25 years ago and Grand Seiko celebrated this anniversary with several limited editions, including the SBGN007G. We can describe the 9F as a movement that is manufactured in exactly the same way as a high-end mechanical movement. It is nothing like the stereotypical quartz movement in plastic that is disposable and costs next to nothing. No, the 9F is the best you can get in the world of battery-powered watches, by a long chalk. The 9F quartz calibre Grand Seiko A high-end mechanical movement is assembled solely by hand: the 9F is too. A high-end mechanical movement is precision adjusted and regulated: the 9F is too. A mechanical movement uses high-end components: the 9F does too! Ill stop there, because I think youve probably understood. If there is a quartz movement that can seduce a fan of mechanical watches, its the 9F. In addition to the movement inside this model, the Grand Seiko SBGN007G is a perfect example of what a Grand Seiko should be. The Grand Seiko SBGN007G Caliber 9F 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Grand Seiko Classic design, Zaratsu hand-polished case and a dial with the original Grand Seiko and Seiko quartz logo. Grand Seiko is renowned for the finishing of its dials and this model is no exception. The reflections and its depth react to light in a unique way, giving the dark-grey colour some interesting hues. But thats not all. For the first time, Grand Seiko is using a unique grey colour, for which some of the reflections are quite dark. You can also see a gold star at 6 oclock, reserved for high-precision models, and other details in yellow. Another innovation from this Grand Seiko SBGN007G is that it offers a GMT function for the first time. In addition to the classic three hands, there is also a GMT hand in yellow. The combination of grey and yellow works very well and gives this watch a special charm. In addition to all these characteristics, the Grand Seiko is fitted with an extremely classical steel bracelet. Seiko may well be criticized occasionally for the finish of its bracelets, but like everything else with a Grand Seiko, its difficult to find fault with the bracelet. In summary, if youve changed your mind about quartz movements having read this article, the Grand Seiko SBGN007G is the watch to add to your collection. It is beautiful, easy to wear and easy to use. It is a watch that will surprise you in many different ways. What does the devils advocate think? Of course our horological Lucifer could criticise the quartz movement. But we have already seen that he will quickly run out of arguments. Then there is the fact that it is a limited edition of 1,200. If you hurry, you might still be able to find one. But do not underestimate the demand for this kind of watch. In my opinion, the only points that could come in for some criticism are the double Grand Seiko/GS logo, which clutters the dial a little, and the date, which would have benefited from a colour similar to the dial. I would also have liked to see this SBGN007G offered on a leather strap, since the dial opens up possibilities for some interesting and original combinations. What style should you wear this Grand Seiko SBGN007G with? Tradition, innovation and Japan are the three things that should dictate the style to go with this watch. So why not start with a highly original suit: the Adidas Icon Suit, developed in partnership with one of the best mens stores in the world, Isetan Shinjuku (Tokyo). It is a suit in a sporty version using materials normally reserved for running wear Its interesting, original, fun and off-beat. Its a great start. You could, of course, go full Adidas with the classic white sneakers. But I prefer the Onitsuka Tiger Corsair Made in Japan. This white model with a beige sole would match the sporty look perfectly. No shirt with this suit, instead a T-shirt, ideally a Bathing Ape Reflector 1st camo, which combines the brands famous gorilla with its equally famous camouflage motif. To round of this look from the Land of the Rising Sun you need to add a backpack that the Japanese love. The choice is huge, and my preference would be for a Visvim in white Cordura or a Master-Piece Lightning Dye in khaki. All that remains is to put your GS on your wrist and let your imagination run free as you walk through the streets of your town! By Lee Min-hyung U.S. President Donald Trump North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Sohn Hak-kyu, the leader of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, participates in a party meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. / Yonhap By Park Ji-won The leadership of the Bareunmirae Party (BMP), Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu, is being challenged by an anticipated defection of his party members to the largest opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP). Rep. Lee Hak-jae of the BMP said he will announce his departure to join the LKP on Tuesday. Lee left the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the LKP, in 2016. "I have put my efforts into the Bareun Party and Bareunmirae Party outside the LKP for two years when the conservatives were struggling with the Choi Soon-sil scandal. But they failed to get support from the people and become united," Lee was quoted as telling Yonhap Sunday. The move came after the LKP's interim leadership removed 21 incumbent lawmakers, including some loyalists of former President Park Geun-hye, from key party posts with the influence on nomination for local councils as part of reform measures. Lee, who has belonged to several conservative parties such as the Bareun Party, the predecessor to the Bareunmirae Party following its merger with the People's Party, has been allegedly looking for the opportunity to defect to another conservative party. Since the LKP has been working to unify conservatives, expectations are high many lawmakers of the Bareunmirae Party will join the LKP. Critics say there is a possibility of other BMP members following Lee's defection. Sohn, however, criticized Lee for taking away the chair of the Assembly's intelligence committee. He earlier warned the LKP's interim leader Kim Byoung-joon not to take away the BMP's lawmakers. Since Park Geun-hye abused her power as president with her confidant Choi Soon-sil, the former ruling conservative Saenuri Party was criticized for its role in the scandal. Such criticism urged many to withdraw their support for the conservative party, yielding ruling party status to the Democratic Party of Korea. Regardless of the looming cloud over the BMP, the LKP is openly welcoming the possible defections. Lee Jin-gon, a member of the LKP's reform committee who joined the recent eviction, said Monday "if the LKP decides to recruit BMP members, they can get better chances in the party." Officials of the South and North inspect a railway track of the North's Donghae Line in this photo. / Courtesy of Unification Ministry Joint Press Corps A team of South Korean officials who examined North Korea's railway line along its east coast, sometimes referred to as the Donghae Line in the South, returned home Monday after completing their inspection of the west and east coast networks that began Nov. 30. This was the first time a South Korean train has traveled the 800-kilometer line from Mount Geumgang to the Tumen River. Im Jong-il, a land ministry director who led the 28-member team, said the condition of the east coast line was similar to the one on the west coast (called the Gyeongui Line in South Korea). "The section starting from Mount Geumgang Station began construction in 1997 and 20 years have passed so it has deteriorated," he told reporters at the Inter-Korean Transit Office in Goseong, Gangwon Province. "The train had to run at 30 kilometers per hour because of the condition of the tracks." He said additional examinations were necessary, and that the South and North would seek to hold further discussions early next year. The train that carried the inspection team will return to the South today. The team conducted inspections of the 400-kilometer west coast railway from Nov. 30 through Dec. 5. The team returned to the South on that day and departed Dec. 8 to examine the east coast line through Dec. 17. A train with two North Korean locomotives and three carriages, and six South Korean carriages traveled a total of 2,600 kilometers for the inspection. Meanwhile, a ceremony marking the launch of inter-Korean railway and road projects will be held Dec. 26 at Panmun Station in Gaeseong in the North. South Korea will send officials there this week to prepare for the ceremony, unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said. The spokesman said the government is discussing with the U.S. possible violations of sanctions on Pyongyang in holding the ceremony. U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will visit Seoul this week for a working group meeting with his counterpart Lee Do-hoon. This is the second meeting between Biegun and Lee since the working group was launched last month for closer consultations on inter-Korean relations and North Korea's denuclearization process. The officials are expected to discuss matters related to the ceremony. Placards are hung in front of the Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) headquarters in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, Sunday, to urge the state-run company stop outsourcing dangerous jobs to small companies, after a young subcontracted worker, Kim Yong-gyun, was killed after being trapped between conveyer belts, last Tuesday. / Yonhap By Jung Hae-myoung Korean Western Power (KOWEPO), which runs a plant in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, where a subcontracted worker was killed recently, had been certified as a "workplace without accidents" for the last three years despite dozens of deaths. This was because the deceased workers belonged to subcontractors, not the state-run company itself, government records showed, Monday. These were disclosed after Kim Yong-gyun, a 24-year-old subcontractor at the KOWEPO power plant in Taean, died after being trapped between a conveyor belts, Dec. 11. The government awarded the company certificates recognizing it as a "zero accident workplace" for the last three years. The certificates are given when there are no major accidents or deaths. The government had also exempted KOWEPO from paying the premium for industrial accident insurance worth 220 million won ($1.9 million) for five years until 2017, according to the report provided by Rep. Woo Won-shik of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). This was possible because the certification only dealt with workers hired directly by the company, not subcontractors. A KOWEPO report on injuries at power plants from 2008 to 2017, submitted to Rep. Park Jeung of the DPK, stated there were 41 accidents involving subcontracted workers, six of which resulted in death. However, the report excluded four additional subcontractor deaths. There were three accidents involving directly hired workers, but they sustained minor injuries. Critics have called such cases the "outsourcing of hazard," noting most of the dangerous work is done by subcontracted workers. KOWEPO's plant passed a safety inspection conducted two months ago by the Korea Safety Technology Association, which checked the facility including the conveyer belts involved in the deadly accident, indicating the inspection was carried out superficially. Kim's colleagues also claim they did not receive proper safety education, adding they filed 28 complaints asking for improvements in the hazardous working environment but they were all rejected as they could cause "facility damage." "The government said it will carry out a special examination with an inspection team to figure out the cause of the accident, but it will have to probe into the tyranny of KOWEPO which dumped all the dangerous work on the subcontractors and concealed the number of accidents," an official of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) said. President Moon Jae-in expressed regret over the accident. "'Outsourcing danger' continuously takes place with the excuse of cost saving," he said during a meeting with his secretaries, Monday. "We are supposed to be focused on safety over economic achievements in evaluating public organizations and firms, and prepared necessary measures. We need to check why such measures were not kept and take this as a chance for improvement." Employment and Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap and Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo also said the government will tighten safety regulations, and, in the long run, improve the current subcontractor-based operations. KOWEPO authorities made an official apology, late Sunday, saying they will cooperate fully with the related authorities to figure out the truth and take full responsibility. However, a coalition of civic groups criticized KOWEPO for not recognizing its problems. "It ignored 28 requests by subcontracted workers for a better working environment to save 300 million won," it said in a statement. "Kim's mother asked 'If it were your own son, would you let him work in such a dangerous place?' KOWEPO should answer this question first." By Kim Hyun-bin The European Union (EU) has requested a dispute settlement process with the Korean government over the latter's delay in ratifying some key labor conventions agreed under the Korea-EU free trade agreement (FTA), according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Monday. The pressure from the EU has come while the government is moving for the ratification through tripartite talks among labor, management and the government through the Economic, Social and Labor Council. "The Commission of the European Communities made an official request for the discussion, which is the first in a process for settlement of a dispute, saying Korea is not making sufficient efforts to ratify the key International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions agreed to in the Korea-EU FTA," the ministry said in a press release. A dispute settlement process is set up in most international trade agreements to ensure the accords can be enforced and disputes settled. According to the Korea-EU FTA, either government can officially request the process, which starts a discussion between them. If the issue is not resolved, an experts' panel will be established to draw up a report that includes recommendations. Under the FTA, the two sides are to make efforts to ratify the fundamental ILO conventions and others to protect basic labor rights. Korea became a member of the ILO in 1991, but has not fulfilled half of the eight key conventions, which, if accepted, will guarantee wider freedom of association and the elimination of all forms of forced labor. Since the Korea-EU FTA took effect in 2011, the EU has been pressuring Korea to ratify the remaining four fundamental conventions. In September, the EU advisory panel sent a letter to Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap, hinting at the possibility of starting the dispute settlement process. The delay of the ratification will not lead to economic penalties such as tariffs, but the growing pressure from the EU could damage Korea's status in international society in the labor sector, the ministry said. The Moon Jae-in government has been seeking the ratification of the key ILO conventions, and the tripartite council has been discussing the issue since its launch in July. "There is a possibility the EU will strengthen pressure on the government if we do not ratify the conventions even after dialogue, which could damage the country's reputation," the ministry said. "This can also become an obstacle to the expansion of free trade between the two sides." By Doh See-hwan Korea this year celebrated the 73rd anniversary of liberation from 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. The celebration was all the more significant because it highlighted the human rights issues surrounding the victims of colonialism and militarism. More than anything else, the country marked the inaugural "Comfort Women Day" on Aug. 14, a day before National Liberation Day, to commemorate the first public testimony made 27 years ago by Kim Hak-sun, who was forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II. The year was more noticeable in that the nation observed the 108th anniversary of the illegal and forced annexation of the Korean Peninsula by Japan on Aug. 22. With the annexation, Japanese imperialists and colonialists began to trample not only on Korea's sovereignty, but also Koreans' human rights. However, the Japanese government has continued to assert that the forced annexation treaty was legal, and that the issue of compensation for damages inflicted on Koreans during the colonial period was all settled by the 1965 Basic Treaty, which normalized diplomatic relations between Seoul and Tokyo. The Japanese assertion runs counter to general consensus among many scholars and international law experts that Japanese colonial rule of Korea was illegitimate. It is also not in line with recent rulings by the Supreme Court of Korea that two Japanese firms should pay compensation for the victims of wartime forced labor because individual rights to reparations were not terminated by the 1965 treaty. Many documents and much testimony have proved that the Imperial Japanese Army forcefully mobilized Korean women to serve as sexual slaves, who were euphemistically called "comfort women," for Japanese troops during World War II. The comfort women issue has yet to be resolved due to Japan's lack of a sincere apology and compensation for the crime against humanity. The situation has been raising tension between Korea and Japan. The situation has also emerged as an international human rights issue that calls for a resolution by laying bare the truth and letting Japan take legal responsibility for its misdeeds. Marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender in August 2015, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave a speech denying responsibility for colonial rule and the wars of aggression. He thus invited criticism for turning a blind eye to the victims of sexual slavery. His denial seems to stem from Japan's tilting toward the right and its attempts to revive militarism, boosted by historical revisionism. Following an agreement reached by the foreign ministers of Korea and Japan on Dec. 28, 2015, Japan has publicly denied that it forcefully took women into sexual slavery. The country has made the same denial international human rights organizations, including the U.N. Commission on Human Rights even though what Japan's actions undoubtedly constituted a crime against humanity. One of the striking illustrations of this is the statement of Masato Otaka, Japanese ambassador to the U.N., saying, "The issue of the comfort women was resolved with the 2015 agreement between Korea and Japan." This statement was made at the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination held in Geneva on Aug. 16 in order to deflect criticism from human rights advocates. These included U.N. Special Rapporteur Gay McDougall, who wrote the 1998 report stating that an agreement between governments without apologies to victims cannot resolve human rights issues. The Supreme Court of Korea ruled on Oct. 30 this year that the victims of forced labor should get compensation, which reconfirmed a historic ruling made on May 24, 2012, that set a milestone in international human rights law. Additionally, in a report released on Nov. 19 the U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances expressed deep regret about the 2015 Korea-Japan agreement that calls for the two nations to resolve the sex slavery issue "finally and irreversibly." The report stated that there was a lack of adequate reparations for the victims of sexual slavery. It even recommended that the truth should be uncovered and the perpetrators be held accountable. This demonstrates a contradiction between the Japanese assertion and international human rights organizations. The international community needs to be more active in discussing such issues as "comfort women," forced laborers and other victims of human rights violations committed by Japan during the colonial period. Such discussions could lay the groundwork for reparations for those victims. Most of all, legal principles should be established to better protect human rights and renounce the militarism and imperialism that were used to justify Japan's colonial rule of Korea and Japan's aggressions. Japan's coercion of young Korean women into sex slavery for its frontline troops was a grave violation of human rights. It cannot be resolved by distorting the historical facts and describing those victims as prostitutes bent on making money. Now is the time for the Japanese government to make a sincere and genuine effort to resolve the "comfort women" issue. It should respond to the call of the international community for "irreversible historical reconciliation" to heal the victims' scars. Doh See-hwan is director of the Research Center for Japanese Military Comfort Women. By Andrew Hammond British Prime Minister Theresa May emerged from the latest EU summit Friday with no major breakthroughs in her negotiations over the U.K.'s exit from the Brussels-based club. In this sense, the last few weeks of political drama in Westminster and Brussels have only "kicked the can down the road," and the United Kingdom remains in Brexit gridlock. May's trip to Brussels on Thursday and Friday came as no obvious headway was made in discussions over her pleas for a legally binding assurance that the Brexit backstop over the Irish border will not be an inescapable "trap." To be sure, new ideas were considered, including looking for a start date for the hoped-for future U.K.-EU trade relationship post-Brexit, as opposed to seeking an end date for the Irish border guarantee which many U.K. MPs want to secure so that it is clear this could not last indefinitely. But nothing concrete was, ultimately, agreed. And European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reconfirmed Friday that there can be no renegotiation of the proposed withdrawal treaty. This disappointment for May comes after she won Wednesday a U.K. Conservative leadership confidence vote with 200 of her party's MPs supporting her, while a larger-than-anticipated 117 dissented. While the result allows her to stay in power, in the immediate term at least, she remains in a politically precarious position with massive Brexit challenges ahead. To be sure, the vote had some good news for May. The 63 percent of Conservative MP votes that May won is around the same as the 66 percent that then Prime Minister John Major got in 1995 when he fought a leadership contest. Major went on to serve around another two years in Downing Street which underlines that, in normal circumstances, May could survive as prime minister for some time. In part, this is because there cannot now be another Conservative leadership challenge for 12 months. Yet May could still be forced to depart in the first few months of 2019 in what is an enormously difficult Brexit context. She acknowledged this after winning the confidence vote in what she said had been a "long and challenging day." One key reason May survived on Wednesday is that she pledged to step down before the next general election which is currently scheduled for 2022. In this way, she won support from some MPs who believe she is an election liability, but deemed her the best person in the coming months to get a Brexit withdrawal deal after two years of negotiations. One possible trigger for her departure, for instance, could be a parliamentary "no-confidence vote" as opposed to the intra-Conservative party ballot that took place Wednesday. Here, the official opposition Labour Party is considering its options following support for such a move from other parties, including the Scottish Nationalists. With May now back in London, she must make the biggest political call of her premiership: on her new strategy to get the withdrawal deal over the line. This follows the postponement of the expected vote in the House of Commons last Tuesday. As she acknowledged last week, if the vote had gone ahead on Tuesday it would have lost by a "significant margin" probably of between 100 votes to 200 votes and would probably have meant the end of her time in Downing Street. In these circumstances, the vote will now be postponed till January and it will take a massive political effort to get it over the line. What all of this underlines is that, despite May's victory on Wednesday, she is if anything even more politically isolated and weakened than before after not being backed by around a third of Conservative MPs. This underlines she is now besieged, and getting her agreement through parliament looks harder than ever. Technically, May has said the rescheduled vote could be held at any date before Jan. 21 which she said was the last date possible under existing legislation. However, some parliamentary authorities argue that the vote could in fact be as late as March 28 given the March 29 date for the United Kingdom to leave the EU. The specific challenge she faces is that she is being assailed from both the political right by those who favor a harder-exit Canada-style deal, and those from the left of her position who either favor a softer Norway-style Brexit or even remaining in the EU. In this context, and the febrile political climate in Westminster, there is growing support for a national referendum on the terms of any Brexit withdrawal deal, whether May's or a harder or softer version. In October, an estimated 600,000 to 700,000 people marched in London for the right to have such a "people's vote" and there is growing momentum behind this which could include an option of remaining in the EU. The campaign for a second referendum has public support from three of the four living former prime ministers: Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Major. They all argue that such an outcome is now potentially the only way to decide the issue given the impasse in Parliament. What this all underlines is the continuing disagreement within the populace and political elites over Brexit. This is not just a leave-versus-remain debate because even those who voted to exit did so for diverse and sometimes divergent reasons, which makes fashioning support for a withdrawal agreement very difficult. And the continuing divisions within the electorate on these issues are underlined in polls which now generally show more people favoring EU membership than not, and the country split over whether maintaining access to the European Single Market (akin to a Norway-style deal), or being able to limit migration (as a Canada-style deal would allow), should be the key objective in Brexit negotiations. Britain therefore remains badly divided and still heading toward what could still be a hard, disorderly Brexit that would see no withdrawal deal agreed. In this sense, the recent political drama has only "kicked the can down the road." Fundamentally, the United Kingdom is therefore likely to remain in Brexit gridlock into the New Year period. Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics. "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." (From Shakespeare's "Henry IV") By Deauwand Myers The recent passing of George H.W. Bush allowed for the usual accolades bestowed upon other late, American presidents and high-ranking elected officials. Even CNN's Jake Tapper, not known for hyperbole, gave effusive praise of Bush senior as an elder statesmen and kind patriarch. Americans have a difficult time objectively assessing our history and the past presidents of our nation. Bush senior wasn't the worst president, but to act as if he is the best thing since sliced bread is reductive and ahistorical. He, like his predecessor, Reagan, ignored the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS. Precious resources that could, and should, have been deployed by the government in researching and combating the disease were delayed for political and social reasons. Simply, the disease was killing gay men and the poor, undesirable constituents without much political power and social capital. Belatedly, Bush senior allocated funding for the aforementioned purposes, a decade after the disease first surfaced, and most probably at the cost of needless suffering and death by countless thousands of people. Like Reagan, Bush senior played upon white angst and racism in his infamous Willie Horton political ad against his Democratic challenger, Michael Dukakis, during the 1988 presidential race. Bush senior did help lead the world to a peaceful conclusion of the Cold War, but the invasion of Iraq was riddled with untruths and outright war crimes. The Bush administration purposely bombed civilian targets and civilian infrastructure, like water treatment facilities and power plants; this was done in an effort to garner more leverage with the Hussein regime's postwar concessions. The direct and peripheral civilian deaths from these acts are in the tens of thousands. This Santa Claus making of political leaders isn't new. Reagan and Sen. McCain got the same treatment, as did Washington (a slave owner, rapist, and racist) and Jefferson (ditto). Part of the recent glorification of mortal men in the American political zeitgeist is simply a reaction to the current president. Reagan, Bush, and Bush II were all war criminals and played to white supremacy, but they did so respectfully and with polish, unlike Trump. I find this a distinction without much of a difference. The outsized power and influence of American geopolitical muscle skews the perception of American by both the electorate and the international community, Korea included. President Moon Jae-in's attempts at rapprochement with North Korea are laudable, if not misguided. The Korean public rightfully wonders whether the Moon administration is sufficiently engaged in domestic issues, like the stagnating economy, low wage growth, and high unemployment or underemployment of young college graduates. But a major stumbling block for any Korean administration dealing with North Korea isn't just the usual obfuscation and mendacity of the Kim regime. More bombs were dropped on North Korea by America and her allies during the 1950-53 Korean War than in all of War World II. It's logical to say that North Koreans remember the massive destruction, death, and misery America visited upon the North, much of it gratuitous; even without brainwashing and the cult of personality the North Korean state deploys on its populace, a society so unjustly brutalized during a military conflict would have misgivings, to put it mildly, against such an aggressor. American presidents have the unenviable task of negotiating the burden of carrying all the history attached with the government they lead: the genocidal land theft of the indigenous populations, the Atlantic Slave Trade, Jim Crow, and all the wars fought in our name, some noble and bloody (WWII), some just bloody (Vietnam). I wrote before about America's nasty business of destabilizing and deposing democratically elected governments to install dictatorships. I will not enumerate the long list of these affairs again, only to say that the conservative and centrist left American politicians who exclaim so fervently that America has only and utterly been a force for good in the world need to read several books, and quickly. Moon's endeavors (and one his party's past leaders have shared) must constantly be filtered through the lens of American Empire. For all Korea's attempts, like opening up some roads between the Koreas, exchanging gifts, re-establishing some semblance of diplomatic engagement with the North, President Moon and the administration must come to an unfortunate realization. Korea's destiny is not its own. Besides our deep military and economic ties, Korea and America must be united on all issues regarding a peace treaty with the North, and the economic and political benefits such a treaty would mean for the Kim regime. Moon and Kim's efforts aside, unless and until the U.S., regardless of the party or president in power, fully and faithfully agrees on peace talks with the North, the two Koreas will be indefinitely frozen in a ceasefire. Deauwand Myers (deauwand@hotmail.com) holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside Seoul. By Mark Peterson Maybe this sijo thing is really catching on? In the last month I've been invited to two, count them! two!, conferences on sijo. The first was in Korea, in the tiny town of Cheongdo, south of Daegu, where a prominent sijo poet and even-more prominent artist, Min Byoung-do, has a studio. He put together an international conference on sijo. And two weeks after that, I spoke at a conference on teaching sijo for secondary school teachers held in Chicago sponsored by the Sejong Cultural Society, based in Chicago. A little bit about the two conferences: The Cheongdo conference was all in Korean, and was "international" in that there was one guest from America, and two from Taiwan. I was the American representative and had the honor of giving two talks the first titled "The Importance of Sijo," and the second, "The Future of Sijo." Attending the conference were poets and literary critics from all across the peninsula they came from Seoul, Andong, Incheon, Daegu and there was a busload from Busan. In my first talk I spoke of some of the things I've written about here in this column in the last five weeks, of how sijo is probably the best representation of Korean literature to world literature, and how sijo can be benefited by following the success of haiku in the English-speaking world. I spoke of the power of sijo to express a wide range of emotions and feelings from love to loyalty and everything in between. I gave the example I accidently discovered when I was telling a stranger about sijo, and recited one to him, only to find that in doing so, the noisy banquet room fell silent the sijo took over the room. In the second talk, I spoke of the future of sijo and my hopes for, and my efforts to, revive the study of sijo in Korean classrooms. I reiterated by call for sijo contests at every school in Korea, with judging by outside specialists, whereby 10 or 20 "winners" would be given appropriate points they can apply to their college entrance exams. This proposal would put sijo back into the schools as a vital part of education, and would add a "creativity" aspect not just memorization to the college entrance process. In the Chicago conference, secondary school teachers from all over the U.S. were invited to learn strategies and methodology for teaching sijo in the American classroom. The conference was sponsored by a private organization, the Sejong Cultural Society (http://www.sejongculturalsociety.org) and by the East Asian Studies program at Indiana University with funding from NCTA (the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia; http://nctasia.org). The conference helped extend the power of teaching sijo in American secondary schools. The new-to-sijo teachers were taught by me, and three teachers who are currently, and successfully teaching sijo in their classrooms today. The three teachers were selected because it has been their students who had disproportionately been winning the Sejong Cultural Society sijo writing contest every year. They are Elizabeth Jorgensen from Wisconsin, Chuck Newell from Tennessee, and Deb Holland from Colorado as you can see, they come from a wide range of places in America. The sijo movement Can I call it a "movement"? I hope so is not a phenomenon for Korean-American students. Students with Korean ties or roots only comprise 10 percent, or less, of the applicants in the sijo contest each year. We have some indications that sijo is starting to take root in America. Of course, now, the objective is going to be to try to get sijo as a living poetic form to take hold in Korea. The writing of sijo is not taught in Korean schools, I am told. Sijo is taught only as an archaic and dead art, and student memorize the masterpieces written 500 years ago. But they do not participate in the creativity and creative exercise of writing sijo. And here is the irony, Korean society is critical of its otherwise-excellent educational system, by pointing out that Korea has not produced a Nobel Prize winner in the arts or sciences only the one Peace Prize garnered by Kim Dae-jung. The criticism says that the student only concentrate on memorization skills in order to pass the standardized multiple-choice exam for college entrance, thus creating a "cookie cutter" product, rather than a creative, innovative, ability-to-think product, if it's okay to speak of students as "products". School-based contests, or for that matter, out-of-school contests, judged fairly and objectively, can become part of the college entrance examination process. Points from winning a sijo-writing contest, and thereafter, other creative activities (essay writing, science fair displays, musical performance, and more) can follow and be used as part of the college entrance exam and point system. And sijo can lead the way. Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah. Daimler Trucks Korea CEO Cho Kyu-sang, left, and MAN Truck & Bus Korea CEO Max Burger / Korea Times file Recall of 3,074 trucks fails to satisfy truckers By Park Jae-hyuk Daimler Trucks Korea and MAN Truck & Bus Korea will likely see their market share tumble in the increasingly competitive commercial vehicle market here as they have refused to take responsibility for various defects discovered in their trucks, car industry analysts said Monday. The German truck makers' local subsidiaries have been the target of growing criticisms from local truck drivers for having remained reluctant to deal with critical defects the drivers have complained about. Although the truck makers "voluntarily" decided to start recalling 3,074 trucks Monday over several flaws that may impede safe driving, truckers still claim the two companies are attempting to conceal other serious defects in their vehicles. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Daimler started recalling 703 dump trucks that were found to have a faulty gearing system. The ministry said MAN also began a recall of 1,195 dump trucks and 1,176 cargo trucks and tractors as they had with a faulty power train control system. "We will continue objective and fair inspections on vehicles that are reported to have defects," a ministry official said. "Through immediate recalls, we will do our best to protect the lives and property of citizens from accidents caused by defects in vehicles." Drivers of Daimler and MAN trucks, however, said they were not satisfied with the measure. "The latest recall is part of MAN's efforts to avoid responsibility," said Kim Young-booo, leader of the MAN Truck Owners Association. "We've already updated software and changed the power train manager, but our trucks still have gear system errors. MAN said there is no solution, because the errors are caused by inexperienced driving. It declined to answer us, when we asked how drivers with 10 years of experience could cause gear system errors through inexperienced driving." Daimler truck owners also plan to hold a rally Friday in front of the company's head office near Seoul Station. Experts said the foreign vehicle makers' irresponsible behavior will deal a severe blow to their sales in Korea. "As most consumers have paid attention to passenger cars, not commercial vehicles, the truck makers have avoided their responsibilities for defects, declining to carry out recalls," said Kim Pil-soo, an automotive engineering professor at Daelim University. "If they continue taking such an attitude, their sales will be stagnant. Korean truckers purchased the expensive imported trucks as they believed the trucks would be convenient and safer." The professor added rumors about defects can easily go viral as truckers in Korea are well organized. "If foreign companies continue to be inconsiderate of their customers, their market shares will shrink," he said. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, the number of imported commercial vehicles sold in November was 399, a 17.73 percent decline from a year earlier. Giving birth should be as enjoyable, even if a little painful, as pregnancy. It does not have to come with a big ordeal, pain or surgical intervention. We need to rethink our perceptions of pregnancy and delivery, says Shorouk, the mother of a five-year-old daughter. It was six years ago that Shorouk, who had been married for less than a year, learned she was pregnant for the first time. I had no plans for a long wait before having a child. I was in the second half of my 20s and happily married, so getting pregnant towards the end of the first year of marriage sounded right, she recalled. What did not sound right, however, was the experience of a cousin who had her first baby a few weeks after Shorouks gynaecologist announced the happy news. Natural birth I went to wish her well two days after she left hospital. She was in obvious pain, and she was clearly tired and unable to move comfortably or hold her newborn easily. She had had a Caesarean section giving birth, Shourouk said. This was not what she was hoping for in her own delivery. It was not the first time I had seen a woman who had just given birth or who had gone through a surgical delivery, but because I was in the first weeks of my pregnancy it was particularly discomforting for me to see a woman who was supposed to be happy at being a first-time mother going through so much pain. I decided then that this was not what I wanted, she said. Shorouk chose to share her thoughts with her obstetrician. He was really dismissive. He thought I did not need to think about the delivery, and he said that he would take care of things as they came. I thought that was very condescending. I decided I needed to see another doctor, and I started asking round and going through Facebook groups and websites that dealt with pregnancy and giving birth. It was then that Shorouk learned about a doctor whose clinic was not far from her house in Alexandria. Natural birth I went to see Dr Hana. She seemed to have got me right from the first visit to her clinic. I told her that I was willing to put up with pain, but that I did not want to be subject to any surgical intervention that would force me to stay in bed or to go through extensive recovery pains. I also told her that I worried about my shape and that I wanted to keep my body looking beautiful. She understood what I was talking about and promised that we would prepare for a natural birth unless something came up, Shorouk said. This preparation turned out to be hard work for Shorouk. I had to make sure that I ate healthily and exercised regularly. I had to do things that I enjoy and listen to music. I also had to attend courses at a gym given by a natural birth trainer to prepare my body for a natural delivery, and I had a lot of reading to do to understand what my body was going through from the early weeks of pregnancy through delivery and beyond, she added. Towards the end of the second week of the ninth month of her pregnancy, Shorouk learned that she would have to go to hospital in anticipation of an imminent delivery. Her obstetrician chose a hospital where there were sufficient rooms equipped for natural birth. When I talk about natural birth, I mean a birth in my room not in an operating theatre. This was what I wanted: a natural birth in a well-equipped place under the supervision of a trusted physician that could handle any emergency, she said. Upon her admission to hospital and after having gone through basic medical checkups, she met the doula that had worked with her through the last weeks of her pregnancy on breathing techniques and body training for childbirth. A doula is a birth trainer and companion who does not replace either the obstetrician or the nurse but who helps a pregnant woman go through a natural birth. I was very lucky with my doula who had been very well trained. We got along well, and this is as essential as getting along well with the doctor herself, Shorouk said. After having been checked by her obstetrician, Shorouk, alone in the room with her husband and the doula, worked through a few types of squats. When Shorouk felt the baby was about to come into the world, the doctor came in with a nurse for another round of monitoring before Shorouks daughter Farah was born. I cannot say there was zero pain, but it was not the brutal scene of pain I imagined from accounts shared by family and friends. It was exactly the way I wanted it to be. I was aware of everything, and Mohamed [the husband] was with me all the way through. When Farah came, I immediately saw her and held her in my arms while Mohamed with the help of the doctor cut the umbilical cord. All this is a very beautiful memory, Shorouk said. Natural birth Back To Nature Hana Abul-Qassem is a gynaecologist and obstetrician who insists on helping pregnant women have a natural birth. It has been a growing trend all over the world for years, and more and more women are opting for natural births with minimum intervention. More and more women also go through labour and delivery in birth centres rather than hospitals, Abul-Qassem said. It was in the 1990s when she was studying in the US that Abul-Qassem did extensive training on the techniques of natural birth. Some cases go through a 100 per cent natural birth in their room or their house; some opt for a water birth; and in some cases we opt for what we could call a semi-natural birth whereby the obstetrician intervenes either to enhance the process of labour or to help extract the baby, Abul-Qassem said. When a little under 10 years ago she came back to start her campaign for natural birth in Egypt, Abul-Qassem was a pioneering back-to-nature obstetrician in her native Alexandria. Pregnant women would come to her clinic, but would sometimes be worried by natural births. Mothers who often come with pregnant daughters, especially for a first baby, would look un-amused and would say things like, I dont want my daughters life to be put at risk. She needs to give birth in an operating theatre for her safety, and so on, Abul-Qassem recalled. A decade down the road, Abul-Qassem says she is getting more requests for natural birth options from young mothers-to-be, especially first-time ones. I would not say we have a growing trend, as there is still a preference for medicated birth options including Caesarean sections as some women like to think of these as a pain-free birth path, Abul-Qassem noted. Research published in the UK medical journal The Lancet in October found that rates of Caesarean sections almost doubled between 2000 and 2015 from 12 to 21 per cent worldwide, with the sometimes life-saving surgery unavailable to many women in poorer countries while often over-used in richer ones. According to the same research, in at least 15 countries more than 40 per cent of all babies are born by Caesarean section. Prominent gynaecologist and obstetrician Sherif Hamza argues that for Egypt the rate is around a little over 40 per cent. At times it is the choice of the obstetrician, but many times it is the wish of the pregnant woman herself, Hamza said. Several obstetricians who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly about the situation in government, university and private hospitals agreed with this assessment. They also agreed that the rate was perhaps a little more in private than in government hospitals due to the financial means that prompt some women to prefer what they think of as a pain-free path. It is not exactly pain-free because the pain of recovery from surgery should not be ignored. While of course an able obstetrician should never have a problem with this kind of operation, every surgical intervention comes with a certain risk, so it is our job as obstetricians to encourage women to take the natural path, Hamza said. He added that the assumption that a good delivery has to be pain-free needs to be refuted. Going through labour comes with pain, though of course there are things to be done before and during labour to manage and control the pain. The best thing is always the natural path, he added. According to Abul-Qassem, many Caesarean sections could be averted if women and doctors worked towards a natural birth path. This means that doctors have to take the time to listen to women and to answer their questions and to comfort their fears. It also means that through their pregnancies women have to be carefully examined and followed up by their doctors to make sure that no unpleasant surprises occur. She added that while it was true that some women and some doctors simply opt for Caesarean sections to avoid inconvenient birth hours and avert labour pains, it was also true that the failure of some women to go through regular check-ups forced obstetricians to resort to surgical interventions. Egypt was placed third by The Lancet study in the use of Caesarean sections world wide, with the implication being that these are often unnecessary. Natural birth Women's Experiences Nadia is one woman who opted for a surgical intervention for the birth of her two children. It was in the early 1990s, she recalls, and although my doctor suggested I could try to go through regular labour, I opted for the surgical intervention. I did not want to feel anything. I did not want to be one of those women who are left to scream for hours before they are given a Caesarean section. It was simple and fast both times, though it is true that the surgical recovery was not the easiest thing in the world, but it was not so bad either, she said. Labour is a process that can take anything from four to 24 hours, Hamza said. Some women panic when the process goes beyond eight hours, and they start fearing complications. Families, he added, also worry for the health of the mother and the expected baby. Then there are pressures on the doctor to resort to a Caesarean section, he said. A doctors job is to comfort his patient and not to force her into anything. I personally much prefer natural birth, but if a patient insists then I have to explain the situation and wait for her decision, Hamza stated. Both Hamza and Abul-Qassem agreed that there is a great deal of blame to be put on a lack of awareness for the increase of Caesarean section rates in Egypt. Women need to know a lot more about their bodies and about the entire process of pregnancy and birth. They need to talk more with their doctors and their partners, which could help them be less fearful of natural birth, Abul-Qassem said. In her early 20s, Habiba is four months pregnant. She is determined that unless she absolutely cant she will opt for a natural birth. She is currently attending classes at a family wellness centre where she is getting training on muscle management and breathing techniques to prepare for her first natural birth. Habiba is convinced that going through natural labour allows a woman to be in control of her body. I know that some women have to go through a Caesarean section, but if it is not mandatory then I would like to be there for my baby when he or she comes out and to be able to hold the baby immediately, she said. Hamza agreed that immediate mother-baby contact upon birth is important for both the mother and the newborn. Sally, in her late 30s, is expecting her third child. Like during the first two she is planning to opt for a 100 per cent natural birth. She has always wanted to avert all medical interventions that deny her a sense of her body or undermine the sense of partnership that she thinks marriage is all about. Most women around me opt to have an IUD inserted in their bodies for birth control, and they would not want their husbands to be around when they are going through birth. Most husbands prefer it this way, but this was not the case for me and Mustafa. Right from the beginning, we agreed that marriage was about two people, and this included decisions on family planning options and birth options, she said. For her next baby, Sally and Mustafa say they will stick to natural birth. I must say at moments I get worried for her, but overall I think it is the best choice because I am always with her. I can hold her hand and talk to her, and we see the baby together as it comes into life, Mustafa said. This time, the couple is considering a water birth, an option that has only been available in Egypt for a few years by very few doctors. Hamza is one of the leading names in providing water births. It is perfectly safe provided that a womans condition is normal and that we are not expecting any complications. It is perfectly hygienic, contrary to the fears of some, and it allows a couple to be together while their new baby is coming to life. They can talk and listen to music provided they understand that labour is often a relatively lengthy process, he said. Hamza has seen more couples wishing to opt for water births. He thinks it is something that more and more women, usually younger and well acquainted with recent trends, opt for. Water Births Over three years ago, Jihan, now in her late 20s, opted for a water birth with Abul-Qassem. It was my first pregnancy. I have always loved swimming and I just love water. I spoke to my husband, and he was very supportive, and I travelled from Cairo to Alexandria to meet Abul-Qassem and agree on how to handle the pregnancy in anticipation of the birth, she recalled. Jihan had an unexpected early beginning of labour. It was around one oclock in the morning when my water broke, about two weeks earlier than anticipated, and I thought I am not going to make it to Alexandria, she said. Scared to go through labour on the Desert Road, she and her husband went to the nearest hospital and sought the help of the obstetrician. It was an obnoxious experience. He had not even examined me properly before he asked whether I wanted an epidural or full anesthesia. When I said I did not want either, he gave me a very odd look and then turned to a nurse and said, take her to the operating theatre, Jihan recalled. I felt like I was a car being taken to a garage rather than a woman going through labour, she added. At that point Jihan and her husband decided to go to Alexandria come what may. They called Abul-Qassem, who offered some help, and they drove straight to the hospital. It was a matter of an hour or so at the birthing tub before we had Asser, our baby. We both cried and laughed when I was holding him, and Tamer was holding both of us while we were still in the tub, she recalled. Jihan said she would opt for a water birth the next time she is having a child. A water birth is something that a medical midwife can supervise provided that the womans condition is good, said Charlotte Caillibot, a Cairo-based midwife. A mid-wife, in the modern sense of the term, is different from the traditional Egyptian midwife of the early decades of the 20th century. She is also different from a doula because she is medically trained. I have a medical degree that requires fewer years of study than a physicians degree, and it allows me to monitor a safe pregnancy and to refer one that may have complications to a doctor. I help women with no problems go through labour, possibly at home, and follow up on them for the first few weeks after childbirth, Caillibot said. Having worked in France for years, Caillibot said that she would not risk providing home-birthing services even for European women in Egypt where this was not licensed. Ahmed Rashed is another prominent obstetrician. Having worked all over Egypt, Rashed is hesitant about any unintentional over-promotion of fashionable ways of giving birth that might not be compatible with the Egyptian context. When we talk about possible mid-wife assisted births, we are overlooking some key facts, Rashed argued. He warned that the promotion of resorting to midwives in the absence of medically trained birth assistants could prompt some women, especially in rural and poorer areas, to opt for traditional midwifery services, which is clearly risky. Rashed also warned of the excessive use of doulas who are said to have been trained abroad without sufficient verification of their training just to serve the new fashion. He stressed that in a country where the majority of pregnant women fail to receive necessary medical observation, it might not be wise to skip a physicians help at a well-equipped hospital because this might have serious complications. He is well aware of the legitimate concern at the overuse of Caesarean sections in Egypt. But he thinks they should be taken in the context of decreased maternal mortality. We have to remember that while in some richer contexts women resort to surgical births to spare themselves the pain, and doctors might resort to it without absolute medical need just for scheduling convenience or even for financial interest, on the wider scale these operations sometimes help to save a mothers life and maybe a mothers and a childs life, Rashed said. Caillibot agrees that a wider dependence on home births assisted by midwives is still not an option in Egypt. It might be the case for some women, but not for all, she said. She is currently working on providing information and training courses, on a group and individual basis, for pregnant women who wish to prepare their minds and bodies for the path of natural birth. Giving birth, Caillibot argued, is not just a physical process, but is also an emotional process. Women are sometimes physically prepared but not psychologically prepared, and this is the job for a midwife rather than an obstetrician, she said. More awareness, more availability of obstetricians trained in modern ways of birth, and higher availability of doulas and midwives are said to be necessary for the reduction of Caesarean sections in favour of natural births. Giving birth is close to an act of creation. Women used to glorify the body of a pregnant woman and to beautify her for the birth-giving process, said painter and photographer Salwa Rashad. She was speaking at the opening of an exhibition of pictures and drawings that glorify womens bodies, especially through their biological phases. Other art exhibits on display by Noha Nagi and Aliaa Al-Gridi at the Darb 17/18 Gallery earlier this year depicted birth and breastfeeding. Natural birth Women, Rashad said, should cherish and glorify their bodies through every phase, including through the times of reproduction, rather than feeling bad about themselves. This is the message of our exhibition. Novelist May Al-Telmessani in her novel Donyazad puts across an equally strong message about womens celebration of their reproductive functions. She depicts the acts of getting pregnant and of going through birth as intrinsically valuable in themselves. Speaking about these parts of her novel, Al-Telmessani said that they were like the portrayal of any act in which a woman is heavily involved. Love, pregnancy and labour. These are part of womanhood. They are part of a womans journey, and she has to be an actor in them. * A version of this article appears in print in the 13 December, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Back to natural birth Search Keywords: Short link: Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster announced on Monday that its 2018 word of the year is justice. The word saw a spike in searches on the publishers website this year, which was looked up 74% more than in 2017, Merriam-Webster said in a news release. The publisher cited several possible reasons for increased interest in the word, chiefly attributing the frequent searches to news regarding the Department of Justice, which is overseeing special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into possible Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election. Other reasons for the searches included a renewed push by some politicians for criminal justice reform, and the publics interest in the Supreme Court because of President Trumps appointment of Brett Kavanaugh as associate justice. Advertisement Justice has varied meanings that do a lot of work in the language meanings that range from the technical and legal to the lofty and philosophical, according to Merriam-Webster. For many reasons and for many meanings, one things for sure: justice has been on the minds of many people in 2018. The publisher listed 10 other words that inspired increased searches this year, including three others that appear to be linked to politics. Nationalism saw a spike in searches, which might be related to Trumps statement in October that he is absolutely a nationalist. Another frequently searched word was lodestar, which was used in an anonymous New York Times op-ed commenting on President Trump, and which is a favorite word of Vice President Mike Pence. Dictionary users also were curious this year about the word maverick, a term heavily associated with Sen. John McCain, who died in August. Other popular words included pansexual, which Merriam-Webster defines as characterized by sexual desire or attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation, and feckless, which means weak [and] ineffective. Merriam-Webster is one of a few major dictionaries to name a word of the year in recent weeks. Last month, Dictionary.com gave the honor to misinformation, citing the rise of fake political ads and conspiracy theories. And Oxford Dictionaries named toxic, frequently used to describe the political climate and sexist masculinity, its word of the year in November. Malaysia on Monday turned up the heat on Goldman Sachs Group Inc., filing the first criminal charges against the U.S. bank in relation to the 1MDB scandal. Authorities alleged that Goldman misled investors when the bank knew that proceeds from 1MDB bond sales it arranged would be misappropriated. The government is seeking fines well in excess of both the $2.7 billion of allegedly misused funds and the $600 million in fees received by Goldman on the deals. Goldman has blamed rogue employees for any wrongdoing in relation to 1MDB, a state-owned investment fund. Their fraud goes to the heart of our capital markets, Malaysian Atty. Gen. Tommy Thomas said in a statement in announcing the charges. If no criminal proceedings are instituted against the accused, their undermining of our financial system and market integrity will go unpunished. Goldman Sachs role raising about $6.5 billion for 1MDB in 2012 and 2013 has evolved into its thorniest scandal since the global financial crisis a decade ago triggered a public backlash against banks. Former Goldman partner Tim Leissner has pleaded guilty to U.S. bribery charges and his former deputy, Roger Ng, was arrested in Malaysia. It put a third Asian executive on leave. Advertisement Along with targeting the firm, Malaysia filed related charges against Leissner and Ng, as well as former 1MDB employee Jasmine Loo Ai Swan and fugitive financier Low Taek Jho. Goldman Sachs will vigorously defend against the charges, spokesman Edward Naylor said in an email. We believe these charges are misdirected, he said, adding that the bank continues to cooperate with all authorities investigating the matter. The indictment focuses on circulars and memorandums that Goldman prepared for the 1MDB bonds, saying that they contained statements that were false or misleading or both. Malaysia is pursuing the claim on the basis that the relevant bond documents were sent to the regulator in its offshore banking haven in Labuan, and therefore were covered by its securities law, Thomas said in the statement. Malaysia is filing the charges against three of the banks units Goldman Sachs International (Britain), Goldman Sachs (Singapore) and Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC the Edge newspaper reported, citing charge sheets from the Kuala Lumpur court. The criminal charges of this nature are grave, and it goes to the core of Goldmans business as an investment bank, said Nizam Ismail, a partner at RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP in Singapore. If the outcome of the case results in a criminal conviction against the bank, there are potentially severe reputational and financial risks to the bank, as well as the banks standing as a licensed financial institution with regulators worldwide. Food delivery robots have been rolling around UC Berkeley and the surrounding area for nearly two years. Then one spontaneously burst into flames. One of Kiwi Campus Kiwibot robots was idling Friday when one of its batteries began to smolder, then spouted smoke and fire, according to a company blog post. Someone nearby used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Kiwi said the incident was contained within moments. The Berkeley Fire Department arrived shortly afterward and sprayed foam on the robot to prevent any potential reignition, the company said. Kiwi suspended service. Advertisement The company said in its blog post that the root cause of the fire was human error: A defective battery was installed. The company said that to prevent future fires, it has installed custom software that will rigorously monitor the state of each battery in its robots. In the last throes of finals week, UC Berkeley students expressed grief about the robots demise, calling it a hero and a legend, the Daily Cal campus newspaper reported. Kiwis autonomous, knee-high Kiwibot looks like a compact ice chest on wheels. The company, part of UC Berkeleys Skydeck accelerator, provides food delivery service in the Berkeley area. Its business model relies on a mix of robots and humans. Kiwi uses a cylindrical robot called a RestaurantBot to ferry food from restaurants kitchens to the sidewalk, where a rider pedaling one of the companys semi-autonomous cargo tricycles can pick it up. The rider then opens the tricycles storage compartment, which contains Kiwibots, and places the food inside the robot. As shown in a company video, the tricycle can then propel itself toward the foods destination. About 400 yards from the customer, the Kiwibot is deployed to cover the last bit of ground. "About 2 p.m. Friday, a KiwiBot one of the more than 100 robots that deliver food throughout the campus and city caught fire outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union" https://t.co/Hcb4qMaRb1 The Daily Californian (@dailycal) December 16, 2018 The company said Saturday that it had pulled all of its robots from operations while investigating the cause of the fire. Kiwi did not respond Monday to questions about whether delivery service had resumed or how many robots it operated. The Daily Cal reported that more than 100 robots deliver food throughout the campus and city. It was unclear how many of those robots are Kiwibots. Founded in 2016, Kiwi is based in Berkeley. It has raised as much as $2 million in five rounds of funding, according to Crunchbase, a platform that tracks fundraising. There have been several battery fires in consumer-facing products over the last few years. In 2016, U.S. regulators recalled about 1 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones because the phones lithium-ion battery could overheat and catch fire. More recently, Lime pulled about 2,000 of its electric rental scooters from streets in Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe and San Diego because a battery defect in one model could cause the vehicles to burst into flames. samantha.masunaga@latimes.com Twitter: @smasunaga California regulators have canceled a plan to charge a fee for text messaging on mobile phones. The California Public Utilities Commission reversed course after a Federal Communications Commission ruling last week classified text messaging as an information service and not a telecommunications service. The Federal Telecommunications Act limits state authority over information services. Regulators announced Friday that CPUC Commissioner Carla Peterman withdrew the text proposal in light of the FCCs action Wednesday. Advertisement California officials had said the tax would help support programs that make phone service accessible to the poor. The wireless industry and business groups opposed the plan. TV personality Ross Mathews, who gained fame as Ross the Intern on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, has listed his pied-a-terre in Palm Springs for $635,000. Built in 2011, the house reflects the Midcentury Modern style with an angled butterfly roof, walls of glass and a distinctive lime green entry door. 1 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 2 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 3 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 4 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 5 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 6 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 7 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 8 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 9 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 10 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) 11 / 11 The Palm Springs house was built in 2011, but maintains a Midcentury Modern architectural vibe. (Redfin.com) The more than 1,800 square feet of light-filled interiors feature concrete floors, sleek fixtures and vaulted ceilings. The living room is anchored by a wall fireplace, while the dining area sits on the opposite side of the kitchens wide center island. Advertisement Both of the en-suite bedrooms have glass doors that open to patio space. Theres an additional half-bathroom. The backyard contains a saltwater swimming pool with a spa. Mathews, 39, hosts the 2018 series Off the Block With Ross and Marissa and has appeared on Chelsea Lately as well as Hollywood Today Live as a guest host. He was on the soap opera Days of Our Lives from 2004 to 2011. The property last changed hands in 2016 for $570,000. Arleen Cohen-Bianchi of Keller Williams Realty is the listing agent. lauren.beale2@latimes.com Twitter: @laurenebeale Facebook Inc.s Instagram played a much bigger role in Russias manipulation of U.S. voters than the company has previously discussed, and will be a key Russian tool in the 2020 elections, according to a report commissioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Russian Internet Research Agency, the troll farm that has sought to divide Americans with misinformation and meme content around the 2016 election, received more engagement on Instagram than it did on any other social media platform, including Facebook, according to a joint report by three groups of researchers. Instagram was a significant front in the IRAs influence operation, something that Facebook executives appear to have avoided mentioning in Congressional testimony, the report says. IRA activity shifted there after the news media began to report on Russian activity on Twitter and Facebook. Our assessment is that Instagram is likely to be a key battleground on an ongoing basis. There were 187 million interactions with Instagram content, compared with 77 million on Facebook and 73 million on Twitter, according to a data set of posts between 2015 and 2018 analyzed by New Knowledge, Columbia University and Canfield Research. Advertisement Facebook said in a statement that it had provided thousands of ads to lawmakers and made progress in preventing interference during elections. Twitter Inc. said it too had made significant strides in countering manipulation of its service and pointed to the release of additional data in October to enable further research and investigation. The fact that Instagram outperformed Facebook for the IRA could be an indicator of the platform being more ideal for memetic warfare changing peoples minds using viral memes the researchers said. Instagram is organized by interest and hashtags, and its based on photos and videos more than text. It could also mean the IRA used click farms to boost its numbers. Facebook has given Instagram only passing mention in its disclosures about Russian activity on its platform. During the companys first Congressional testimony on Russian influence in November of last year, it didnt include Instagram in its count of how many Americans were reached by Russian content until specifically asked. The photo app has a relatively untarnished brand, in part because theres no share button, so content doesnt go viral there the way it does on Facebook. Still, the researchers said, content that the IRA posted sparked conversation, with the overall goal of emboldening followers of Donald Trump and criticizing Hillary Clinton, sometimes in subtle ways. About 40% of the Instagram accounts achieved more than 10,000 followers, and 12 had more than 100,000 followers. The biggest account, @blackstagram__, attracted 303,663 followers and may have used e-commerce to make money or gather information about U.S. voters. Another account, @femenism_tag, promoted feminist ideas and the idea that Clinton was a bad feminist. Content on Facebook encouraged people to follow such accounts on Instagram, which reinforced messages the IRA was spreading on other networks, including on Alphabet Inc.s YouTube and on Twitter. The Instagram accounts for particular interest groups mentioned each other and sometimes legitimate accounts, run by real Americans, to boost their profiles. Alphabet didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Although the Facebook operation received more attention in the mainstream press, more content was created on Instagram, and overall Instagram engagement exceeded that of Facebook, the paper states. One of the more unlikely of todays pop-culture heroes has to be 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. There are viral memes of the 25-year high-court veteran bearing her affectionate nickname, Notorious RBG (a reference to the late rapper sometimes known as Notorious B.I.G. which Ginsburg has publicly acknowledged and enjoys), often depicting her wearing a crown. Shes inhabited by Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night Live as a wildly dancing dynamo. And this year, there are two major movies about her. RBG is the second-highest-grossing documentary of the year. On the Basis of Sex, a biopic covering her ascent as a gender-equality crusader, will be released at Christmas and stars Felicity Jones. I loved playing this part, every minute of it, says the actress. Her story is universal. Shes alive and kicking and stands for such wonderful things in our society. I loved the montage pieces with her students, when theyre eating and discussing ideas. It just reminded me of a classic American film, and I always wanted to be in one. Advertisement Jones, 35, is British; the Oscar nominee has certainly been in major American films already Rogue One comes to mind, though she points out there was not much eating in Rogue One. She was undaunted by being asked to play a living American icon. I channeled my status of being an outsider, she says, which I felt she also felt when she was growing up. When she was at university, she was always the other she was in a minority of women in a very male-dominated environment. Academy Award-nominated actor Felicity Jones poses in front of an image of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the exhibit, Notorious RBG, The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Of course, by classic American film, she could as well have been talking about the comic-book genre, as On the Basis of Sex feels like a superhero origin story. Ginsburg humbly honed her craft during a time when women were hardly encouraged to practice law there were only nine in her class at Harvard much less eventually argue before the Supreme Court. Ruth hadnt had it easy; shed constantly been up against it, says Jones. Shed fought hard for her successes. I could feel there was someone there with a very, very strong core. Though Ginsburg has since developed a reputation as a fighter, largely for her fiery dissents in recent years, shes also known for her remarkable civility. I liked her shyness. She doesnt put all her cards on the table, says Jones. Shes had to adapt thats another huge thing! shes had to adapt so carefully to every environment shes in, but shes a very intuitive person. She read, very well, the temperature of the courts at that time. The way to be listened to was to use language in a very, very careful way. You listen to old court cases of her talking; she can keep such a lid on her delivery. But then in moments, therell be an eruption in her speech, and thats when her Brooklyn accent would come out. And then quickly, its reined back in. Theres such passion lurking underneath, and such fire. She cultivated a manner that was very careful. She knew her power came in the respect shed get from those around her. The script for On the Basis of Sex is by Ginsburgs nephew, first-time screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman. For the answers Jones couldnt get from the screenplay or her research, the production fortunately had Ginsburgs cooperation. I met her before we started shooting, says Jones. She says co-star Armie Hammer (as Ginsburgs beloved late husband, Martin), director Mimi Leder and others went to visit her in her chambers. She was incredibly welcoming. Her chambers are full of this humanity, this light. She has a very universal approach, shes very all-embracing. Shes very careful about things fans have sent her; she takes great care with everything. She has absolute respect for the position she finds herself in. But we wanted to capture her humor as well. Theres a real rock star in there. Someone who loves people, who actually has an enormous love of opera, and performing in opera. Theres a performer in there, someone who, in the right conditions, likes to take the stage. I definitely channeled that. She has great charisma. Jones says when she and Ginsburg spoke at length, she asked the justice for advice. She said, Ive seen your movies; I know you can do it, says the actress with a laugh conveying her surprise. I felt really moved that she even had an awareness of me. But also it shows you she does everything so carefully and shes part of every point of the process. Its like a case for her. She has very much been a collaborator on this, all the way through. When asked if Ginsburg has seen the finished product, Jones laughs and says in assent, Apparently, she has been telling everyone she meets to go and see the film. FULL COVERAGE: Get the latest on awards season from The Envelope calendar@latimes.com About four hours ago, Kendrick Lamar woke up to the news that the Golden Globes nominated him for its original song in a motion picture prize, honoring All the Stars, his collaboration with SZA from the soundtrack to Black Panther. The next day the Compton rapper would discover that hed be up for more Grammys than any other artist, eight total, including song of the year, record of the year and album of the year. All of them laud his work masterminding the platinum soundtrack to the $700-million-grossing Marvel Comics blockbuster. Youd expect a faint hint of jubilation, or maybe much-deserved flexing from the only rapper to ever win the Pulitzer Prize. Inevitably, celebratory feasts will come later; proclamations of greatness will be commemorated on wax. But in the moment, Lamar, the consensus choice for greatest rapper alive, is completely even-keeled, even reserved. He introduces himself as Kenny: soft-spoken, head bowed, moving with hyper-focused swiftness. Its just another Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles. Promotional obligations are being fulfilled. The promise of Hollywood accolades to come isnt an ego-sating notch as much as a symbol of what can be achieved. It feels great. Im not only representing myself, but Im representing my people people Ive been familiar with since I was born, Lamar says in a conference room at The Times El Segundo offices, overlooking the cars zooming past on the 105 Freeway. Advertisement Its only a few miles from the traffic-slammed interchange famously rendered in the first scene of La La Land, but Lamar reflects the diametric opposite of those transplant strivers. He didnt have to try to save jazz; he artfully embodied its spirit (and in the process helped blow up South Central and Inglewood virtuosos Thundercat and Kamasi Washington). The 31-year old Lamar is steeled by an unbreakable covenant with the Compton soil and culture that raised him. Artist Kendrick Lamar performs at L.A. Live. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) This is another landmark, another stepping stone to something bigger and greater. Best believe Im proud. Kendrick Lamar This is another landmark, another stepping stone to something bigger and greater, he adds. Best believe Im proud. And I know Ryan is as well. The Ryan in question is Ryan Coogler, writer and director of Black Panther, who recruited Lamar to helm the original soundtrack to his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. The parallels between the pair extend well beyond being of similar age, creative temperament and socioeconomic background. Theyre foundationally rooted in the independent tradition, which they transcended to become Trojan horses within pop culture at large. Thriving within the most rarefied strata of mainstream consciousness, Lamar and Coogler refuse to compromise their core vision and allegiances to the communities that irrevocably molded them. Theyre beloved in both the hood and Hollywood. Our initial bond came from being from California and having similar backgrounds and stories, Lamar says, highlighting Cooglers Oakland roots. In our first conversation, he told me about how [the film] was centered in the Bay Area. Id never heard anything like that, as far as for a film in the Marvel universe. I was immediately all in. Homegrown crops up frequently in a conversation with Lamar. He uses it to describe both himself and Coogler. Its a linguistic crutch, but accurately characterizes their work. In his debut feature, 2013s Fruitvale Station, Coogler captured an impromptu New Years Eve BART dance party to the strains of Vallejo hero Mac Dre. In the big-budget Black Panther, Too Shorts classic In the Trunk opens the film. Lamars career is similarly full of strictly-for-the-real-ones moments. Take King Kunta from 2015s Grammy-winning To Pimp a Butterfly, a funk anthem of black liberation that takes inspiration via a deep cut from Compton icons DJ Quik and his fallen protege, Mausberg. Theres always that undertone of the homegrown [in Cooglers work], Lamar says. Even if hes not confronting you with it, its something thats still there. And thats something I can appreciate someone who never forgets what inspired them. Lamar wears a black zipped-up windbreaker, dark pants and a gray argyle hat slung so low that it almost blocks all eyesight. During a photo shoot, a request to smile goes unmet, as though it would require the jaws of life. Hes livelier in conversation but still guarded, which youd expect from someone whose offhand statements are analyzed with Talmudic scrutiny. When asked about new music, he demurs claiming that hes merely been jotting down thoughts, ideas and questions. Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) When prodded about what questions hes asking, he cagily quips: Thats personal. All political talk is ruled off the table. Hes friendly but cryptic, inclined toward vague generalities open to interpretation. Hes been writing long-form, but declines to articulate what its about, what themes are reoccurring and in what form it will eventually see release. He claims he hasnt been working on a new album, but says that hes constantly working. Someone in his camp mentions theyre going to the studio immediately after this. Mostly, hed prefer to discuss the importance of Black Panther. It was something I dreamed of as a kid, he says. A superhero who looked like us, talked like us and liked the same music. The proposition to collaborate came from Coogler toward the end of Lamars DAMN tour. Working closely with TDE in-house producer Sounwave and the labels chief executive, Anthony Top Dawg Tiffith, Lamar and company wrote roughly 80% of the ideas for the hooks and beats for the film after two-hour nightly arena sets. To spur their inspiration and ensure stylistic coherence, Coogler frequently showed them new scenes from the film. After rough skeleton tracks were completed, Lamar and Sounwave brought them to the guest artists, explaining the vibes and sonics that they aspired toward. The finished tracklist doubles as a litany of Lamars favorite contemporary artists: 2 Chainz, Swae Lee, SOB X RBE, Vince Staples, Jorja Smith, James Blake, Anderson .Paak, Future, Mozzy, Travis Scott and the Weeknd. His TDE brethren Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and SZA appear too the latter delivering a bravura hook on the albums hit single, All the Stars. I just didnt want to do that was corny just because there were certain names behind it, Lamar notes. I wanted to make it feel good for me and the listeners. He stresses the need for a connective tissue to the film, invoking canonized 90s hip-hop film soundtracks like Above the Rim and Menace II Society. And its difficult to remember a rap anthology since the early Clinton years that so closely and effectively mirrored the cinematic ambitions. There are African tribal drums and lyrics about ancestral kings and heavy crowns. Seasons is sung entirely in Zulu. Straight from the East Bay, SOB X RBE trades frantic verses with Lamar about paramedics in the streets. On Kings Dead, Future freaks it and interpolates Three Six Mafia at the same time. Its both block-by-block local and galactic in scope, atomically familiar and extraterrestrial. But the soundtracks emotional weight is inextricable from the thematic gravity of Black Panther. In the films dueling rivalry between TChalla and Killmonger, its easy to see the internecine conflict within Lamar: the unstinting desire to make the world better, but the need to hermetically preserve a sense of self. Despite the nature of his fame, Lamar is notoriously private, eschewing social media and rarely mentioning his personal life. Hes acquiesced to some of the expectations of a pop star by appearing on Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 singles, but regularly invokes his Compton roots in both his music and financial contributions to the community. [The films themes] reminded me of why I made To Pimp a Butterfly. It was survivors guilt. Kendrick Lamar [The films themes] reminded me of why I made To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar says. It was survivors guilt. You want to be homegrown and help folks back home and give them game. You want to be there for them but if youre there, then you cant go out and explore. As he famously said, I dont do it for the Gram, I do it for Compton. And its residents will surely be among the millions watching Lamar during awards season as he makes the leap from perpetual Grammy darling to a Golden Globes and Oscar favorite. The good kid from the M.A.A.D city taking center stage, supplying volume for the voiceless, speaking for far more than just his friends, family and his agent. I dont know what Ill say if I win, Lamar says. A lot of different emotions will be running through me, and I usually just say what Im inspired to say at that moment what comes off the chest. Its just a great thing to know that these bodies of work come from a simple thought and you put that simple thought down on wax, and then you give it to the people and it goes from there. FULL COVERAGE: Get the latest on awards season from The Envelope Egypt's Defence Minister General Mohamed Zaki discussed ways to boost military cooperation between Egypt and Pakistan with Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa in Cairo on Sunday, the Egyptian armed forces said. The military statement added that the meeting dealt with issues of common concern as well as ways to coordinate efforts at the regional and international levels. The defence minister praised the current cooperation between Egypt and Pakistan at various levels. He expressed hope that the next phase would witness further cooperation. For his part, Bajwa praised Egypt and its armed forces' efforts to uproot terrorism and support regional and international security and stability. He also affirmed his country's keenness to enhance cooperation with Egypt in many fields. Earlier, Bajwa was received by Egypt's Army Chief of Staff Mohamed Farid where they discussed training and exchange of military experience between the armed forces of both countries. Search Keywords: Short link: Its a banner year for film music at the Grammys. Works from Black Panther and A Star Is Born are in contention in some of the top categories. The Greatest Showman soundtrack was the first album to sell a million copies in 2018. But a small rules change may also herald a shift for an overlooked craft at the Grammys: music supervision. This is the first year in which supervisors are eligible to win Grammys in the compilation soundtrack album category. In a time when music curation plays an ever-more important role in film and TV, the Recording Academy is finally acknowledging the importance of this job in the dialogue between music and visual media. It rises and falls over the years, but this feels like a peak year for music in media influencing the Grammys, said Thomas Golubic, president of the Guild of Music Supervisors. Theres a growing understanding that supervision is a key contributor to storytelling. That credit is long overdue. In announcing the rules change, the Grammys body itself described music supervision as a growing role in the industry. Music supervisors have, of course, always been essential to curating Grammy-winning soundtracks. But the nominating rules previously excluded them from eligibility in the compilation soundtrack album category unless they were also credited as producers. Advertisement The work of curating a soundtrack is a distinct craft from traditional score work or soundtrack production. A lot of people muscle in on producer credit, Golubic said. Sometimes producers are actively involved, but that shuts out supervisors key role in stitching projects together. Producers were winning awards when they hadnt been as creatively involved as supervisors. Supervision is a creative craft with a huge influence on the quality of a project. This years nominees for compilation soundtrack for visual media Call Me by Your Name, Lady Bird, Deadpool 2, The Greatest Showman and the Netflix series Stranger Things have wildly different takes on the craft. Take for instance the unexpectedly moving use of the Dave Matthews Band in the millennial coming-of-age film Lady Bird, or how Sufjan Stevens music provides the delicate framework for some of the most powerful shots in Call Me by Your Name. Stranger Things would be unimaginable without its menacing synth soundtrack. Saoirse Ronan, left, and Laurie Metcalf in a scene from Lady Bird. (Merie Wallace / A24) As the Grammy Awards mature and evolve, diversity is much more of a factor. The years where [supervision] was five white guys doing similar work is changing. Thomas Golubic, president of the Guild of Music Supervisors The Guild of Music Supervisors has its own awards (the ninth annual event hits the Theatre at the Ace Hotel on Feb. 13). The crossover is significant four out of five of the Grammy nominees for compilation soundtrack album were previously nominated for the guilds awards as well. As the Grammys look to correct for its white- and male-dominated reputation, recognizing savvy supervision work in film could be part of the solution. The diversity of supervision plays out all over the Grammys, from Black Panthers expert dive into contemporary South African club music to The Greatest Showmans crowd-pleasing, ambitious read on the movie-musical tradition. As the Grammy Awards mature and evolve, diversity is much more of a factor, Golubic said. The years where [supervision] was five white guys doing similar work is changing. Theres lot of diversity and inclusion [this year], and palettes expanding benefits everyone. There still is no dedicated Academy Award for music supervision, an omission thats become something of a white whale for the Guild (the Emmys do have a dedicated award). The creation of one could even help clear up some instances, as with 2014s Birdman and 2016s Arrival, where powerful scores were deemed ineligible for the original score Oscar for using pre-existing compositions. But as the Grammys become more and more open to acknowledging the craft, that influence could spread throughout the industry. It opens doors, ultimately, Golubic said. Our influence, especially in the time of Peak TV, is huge, when you look at how much [supervisors] have contributed to the storytelling process. As the Grammys opens their doors to us, well contribute to their community and add our own influence to the conversation about what makes culture exciting. For breaking music news, follow @augustbrown on Twitter. Cardi B must have known something unusual was happening during her Rolling Loud headlining set Saturday when men in black rolled giant road cases onto her stage between songs. The cases were decked out in red and white flowers, spelling out TAKE ME BACK CARDI. The stage lights went up, and out walked a familiar man: the rapper Offset, Cardis now-estranged husband. I just want to tell you Im sorry, bruh, he said, as the Grammy-nominated rappers face appeared to turn from confused to angry to embarrassed. The crowd gasped: the two had separated just a few weeks earlier. Now Offset, the father of her child, had walked onto her stage and taken her own festival spotlight to try to change her mind. It was hard to hear what she said to him, but it didnt look pleasant. The lights dimmed, and all the apology props were wheeled offstage. Then she walked back out and played the rest of her boisterous, powerful show. Advertisement The stunt was certainly memorable, but also fueled questions. Was it an attempt at a sweet gesture, or an undermining and manipulative stunt? How much did Cardi, or her team, or the Rolling Loud festival know about it? Was Offsets apparently surprise gesture especially ill-conceived in todays tenser, post-Las Vegas concert environment? This was the second L.A. edition of the Miami-based festival, held this year on the grounds in and around Exposition Park, and it has quickly become a dominant player in U.S. and global hip-hop events. Up until that point, the show had featured excellent sets from rising acts like Lil Baby, Shoreline Mafia and Juice Wrld, edgy stars like Young Thug and mainstream acts like Post Malone and Lil Wayne. 1 / 8 Fans enjoy hip-hop scenery during Rolling Loud at Exposition Park in Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 8 Post Malone performs during Rolling Loud at Exposition Park in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2018. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 8 Post Malone performs in front of a light show. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 8 Nipsey Hussle performs. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 8 Ty Dolla $ign acknowledges the crowd. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 8 Ty Dolla $ign strums on the guitar. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 8 Fans enjoy the hip-hop happenings. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 8 Wiz Khalifa performs. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) But the social-media-ready moment dominated conversation at the end of Rolling Loud. And unless the artists, each adept at managing their careers and brands on social networks, are playing a multi-dimensional chess game of publicity, which is not an impossibility, it didnt go quite like Offset had hoped for. Representatives for both Cardi and Offset did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Rolling Loud organizers denied responsibility or prior knowledge of Offsets plans. We were told she was going to have a guest star during her set, that it was going to be [Offsets full group] Migos, but we didnt know anything about that stunt said Rolling Louds co-founder Tariq Cherif, the day after the festival. Were getting blamed as if we conspired to do this, and I just want to make it clear that we did not. Cardis management was in on it, it had nothing to do with the festival. The artist is in full control of the stage and they determine who gets on and off. Cherif said he share[d] the sentiment of many fans that Offsets actions took oxygen away from what should have been a significant moment for the rapper and the many other artists at the young festival. We sent her a [direct message] on Instagram saying we loved her, and that if she didnt know, that were sorry it happened, Cherif said. It was a stellar performance and we want to align ourselves with her for years to come. Reactions to the stunt flooded social media within seconds, much of it criticizing Offset for commandeering what should have been a high point of Cardis career the first woman to headline one of the most influential festivals in U.S. hip-hop. I just want us to make sure we dont continuously romanticize manipulative, entitled behavior, wrote activist and commentator Brittany Packnett online. Impressionable young folks will miss important red flags. A bouquet of flowers on your desk is one thing. Walking into a conference room while youre in the middle of your biggest presentation and commandeering the room with emotions and personal business is quite another, added April Reign on Twitter, the founder of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign. But while the optics quickly went haywire for Offset, its still uncertain who knew in advance what he was up to, and what it means for a headlining set to go so dramatically sideways. Singer Cardi B is presented a Take Me Back card onstage by Offset during day 2 of the Rolling Loud Festival at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. (Scott Dudelson / Getty Images) Even if Cardi was completely surprised by Offsets plea, there probably was no point where anyone was in any danger, said Steven A. Adelman, an attorney focused on event security and the VP of Event Safety Alliance, an industry group encouraging best practices at concerts and similar gatherings. He said that while he hadnt heard of many comparable festival surprises , he believed Cardis own team was likely aware as to what was happening. It was planned, but the question is, planned by whom? Adelman said. One path is that this is all staged, which means the risk was zero. Or Cardis tour security completely screwed up... because it would be a viral moment at festival. Even if it were the latter, he said, to say he crashed the stage wasnt what happened. But imagine if it were some fan who got up onstage with a bouquet. In that instance, wed have something to talk about. The more I think about it, the more I think it was staged, he added. Cardi is as skilled a public figure as any in popular culture, and in two Instagram videos posted just hours after the set, Cardi defended Offset from his legion of online critics. Violating my baby father is not gonna make me feel any better, because at the end of the day thats still family, she said. I see a lot of people bashing me because they think that [if] Im defending my babys father Im getting back together with him. Im not saying that Im getting back together with him. I just dont like that bashing online thing. But any deviation from often carefully planned festivals could cause unnecessary fears or jostle performers. And as the online rumor mill churns about who knew what and when, let this be a reminder that showing up at an exes place of employment with a dramatic plan to win them back rarely ends the way one hopes. Someone in her tour or production [staff] thought this was a good idea even if she didnt, Adelman said. Or at least, Offset must have thought it was a good idea. Cardi didnt look too happy about it. For breaking music news, follow @augustbrown on Twitter. Los Angeles school district officials on Monday backed off immediate plans to paint over a mural at a campus in Koreatown as they faced a growing chorus of objections. The mural at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools is dominated by an image of actress Ava Gardner. But it has run afoul of the Wilshire Community Coalition, a Korean-led group that objects to the sun rays in the background, which its members associate with the Japanese imperial battle flag. Earlier this month, L.A. Unified announced its decision to paint over the mural after the Korean group pronounced the background as offensive as a swastika and threatened legal action. The murals artist, Beau Stanton, has denied any connection between his artwork and the battle flag. The rays on the flag differ in number, thickness and color. Advertisement The leader of the Korean group, Chan Yong Jake Jeong, said he does not challenge Stantons good intentions, but his group still wants the mural gone. The school complex is on the site of the Ambassador Hotel, where Kennedy was fatally shot in 1968. Stantons mural pays homage to the hotels famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub. Over the weekend, artist Shepard Fairey said he would seek removal of his own mural at the school of Kennedy if Stantons work were removed. Both artists also have received statements of support from two of Kennedys sons. As a result of the extensive input, there is a need to have additional conversation, Eugene Hernandez, administrator of operations for that part of the school system, said Monday. Therefore, we will not be taking immediate action on the mural at this time. Last week, Hernandez defended painting over the mural, saying that schools belong to the community, which should be able to determine whether such works are appropriate. But since then district officials have heard from a wider swath of community. Some teachers at RFK have stepped forward to say that the views of faculty and students were never considered. On Sunday night, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added his voice to an earlier statement sent by his brother Max in a letter to school board President Monica Garcia, who represents Koreatown, and senior regional administrator Roberto Martinez, in which he alluded not just to his father but also to President Kennedy, his uncle. My father was sympathetic to cultural sensitivities, Kennedy said. But he understood that the central bedrock tenets of American democracy are freedom of speech and expression. As fiercely as they supported tolerance, and diversity, my father and my uncle loathed censorship. Kennedy did not mince words. My father and uncles considered people who destroyed art in the service of political agendas as the worst sort of scoundrels, he wrote. There is so much reprehensible and irrational about this scheme that one could write a thesis enumerating the idiotic flaws that catacomb the shallow arguments in its favor. Martinez authorized painting over the mural. In an interview last week, he said Garcia and Supt. Austin Beutner were in the loop all along and endorsed his decision. Garcia and Beutner declined to comment Monday. Both may have been preoccupied with other matters. They were heading into a closed-door session to discuss the confidential draft report of a fact-finding panel brought in after the district and teachers union failed to reach a contract agreement. A January teachers strike seems likely. The district possibly has another problem related to the mural. As of midday, officials had been unable to locate releases from the artists. It is district policy to obtain such releases, which give L.A. Unified full control over the artwork, General Counsel David Holmquist said. If the district cannot find such paperwork, its options may be more limited. Even if releases are located, he said, the district will want to give serious consideration to the wishes of the artists. Stanton said Monday that his attorney has contacted the district, threatening legal action if it proceeded with the plan to paint over the mural. We wanted to stay the decision until the other stakeholders had a chance to speak their minds, he said. Fairey has been busy seeking the support of Korean community members who disagree with the position of the Wilshire Community Coalition. His effort elicited a response from chef and restaurateur Roy Choi, famous for his Korean taco trucks. Shepard called me asking in true humility if I saw the concerns brought up around this mural so he can understand it if it did cross a line, Choi wrote in an email. But to be honest, I dont see the issue. I went deep into the well of subconscious and still didnt see it. The rays felt more like radio signals to me than the rising sun flag and while the visual trigger may create the illusion of similarity, the piece does not represent that war-torn era of atrocities to me at all. howard.blume@latimes.com Twitter: @howardblume Two people working on high-tension power lines for Southern California Edison in Lake View Terrace were injured Monday when a utility pole came down, officials said. Authorities received a call about 11:30 a.m. regarding a power pole falling and possibly trapping a person in the 12000 block of Lopez Canyon Road, a representative with the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. For the record: An earlier version of this story described the workers as Edison employees. They are Edison contract employees. Helicopters were called to assist because the workers were in an area that was difficult to access, the Fire Department said. One employee was airlifted to a hospital. Edison in a statement said the other worker was taken to a medical facility as well. Two contract employees were working on a pole replacement project in the area when they were injured, SCE said in the statement. Both workers were transported to medical facilities. The extent of their injuries is not known at this time. Advertisement alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com Twitter: @r_valejandra The mother of a 2-year-old boy on life support in an Oakland hospital may not receive a travel ban waiver in time to say goodbye to her son, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Monday. At a news conference in Sacramento, members of CAIR, community activists and faith leaders stood alongside the boys father and demanded that the Trump administration expedite the womans application for a waiver. The ban, they said, is hateful and discriminatory. My son Abdullah needs his mother, Ali Hassan, 22, said. My wifes calling me every day, wanting to kiss and hold our son for one last time. Advertisement Hassans voice cracked as he stood at the lectern. Through tears, he explained that his son just celebrated his birthday from a bed at UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital. Abdullah Hassan was born in Yemen and traveled to the United States with his father a few months ago to receive treatment for a degenerative brain disease. Both are American citizens, CAIR said. But Abdullahs mother, a Yemeni national currently living in Egypt, has not been able to obtain a visa to be with her son. Shaima Swileh has applied for a waiver, and multiple requests have been submitted to expedite the process, but her application is still pending, according to CAIR. Doctors have said Abdullahs body may not be able to withstand staying on life support much longer. Times running out. Please help us get our family together again, Hassan said as his attorney wrapped an arm around him. CAIRs Sacramento Valley chapter said it planned to file a petition on Swilehs behalf asking the courts to force the government to speed up its response to her request for a waiver. This is a very real case that really shows the effects of family separation, said Saad Sweilem, a civil rights attorney with CAIR who is representing the family. This is a United States citizen that is going to die away from his mother. A representative for the State Department said it made every effort to facilitate legitimate travel by international visitors. We are also fully committed to administering U.S. immigration law and ensuring the integrity and security of our countrys borders, the representative said in an email. The administration has been forced to revise the original travel ban order twice since it was first rolled out in January 2017 to resolve legal problems over due process, implementation and exclusive targeting of Muslim nations. In June, the Supreme Court upheld the ban. The current version covers five Muslim-majority nations Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen as well as North Korea and some government officials from Venezuela. Visa waiver applications are decided on a case-by-case basis, according to the State Department. There are three criteria outlined in the proclamation for a waiver: that denying entry would cause the applicant hardship; entry would not pose a threat to the national security or public safety of the U.S.; and entry would be in the national interest. Sweilem said the war in Yemen pushed the family to try to move to the U.S. The conflict has thrust the country into what the United Nations says is the worlds worst humanitarian disaster, with millions of people on the brink of starvation. And because of the war, there is no U.S. embassy, Sweilem said. So when Hassan and his wife realized Abdullah needed better care than what was available in Yemen, they had to travel to Cairo where Hassan could petition for Swileh to receive a visa. The request was denied. In October, they applied for a waiver. Hassan flew to California with his son while Swileh waited to hear back. When Abdullah left his mothers arms a few months ago, she never thought to give him a final farewell, Sweilem said. They are really trying to grieve together as a family. If this case isnt one that qualifies for a waiver, then you have to ask what case is. sarah.parvini@latimes.com For more California news follow me on Twitter: @sarahparvini One photo from the wreckage of the Camp fires devastating march through Paradise, Calif., shows the remains of a charred cat with a glass bottle sticking out of its mouth. In another, two workers pretend to go on a drive to unknown destinations in someones burned-out recreational vehicle. Some of the captions, including one that accompanied a photo of a man mimicking jumping on whats left of a scorched trampoline in someones yard, included jokes: Trampolines are stupid. BTW, it used to be called a Jumpoline until your mom got on it. The images, which were posted on Facebook this month by an employee of a crane company contracted to remove ponderosa pine trees from the burn area, have sparked a police investigation into whether the person who shared them and others who posed in the photos broke any laws in the process, said Paradise police Officer Matthew Gates. Advertisement Gates said the department is working with local prosecutors to review several criminal statutes, including vandalism and desecration to property, to determine whether they apply. Authorities also are reviewing whether the employees violated evacuation orders when they stopped working to take the photographs. Bigge Crane and Rigging Co., which was contracted by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to remove large trees in the utilitys right-of-way, identified the employee who posted the photos as Rob Freestone. The company called the incident an abhorrent event and said three people had been fired in connection with the incident, according to a statement released Saturday. It did not identify the other employees by name. Freestone could not be reached for comment. The behavior of these individuals is not consistent with our company values and ethical code, the company wrote in the statement. Bigge regrets that the residents of Paradise and Butte County have suffered an egregious insult during an already devastating time at the hands of these three individuals. The Camp fire destroyed more than 15,000 structures as it chewed through 153,000 acres in Butte County and leveled much of the town of Paradise in November. The blaze the states deadliest conflagration on record killed 86 people. Gates said the situation was made worse because many residents hadnt been able to return to their homes or comb through the remnants of their belongings when the pictures were posted. The level of what they did is unfathomable, he said. I cant think of any other investigation that parallels this. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @Hannahnfry Police are searching for 10 men who smashed the glass door of a boutique in Beverly Grove to steal clothing and handbags early Monday, authorities said. The break-in occurred at a storefront in the 100 block of North Robertson Boulevard at 3:11 a.m., said Officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department. The address is the location of a four-day pop-up event for Amuze. The company wrote online that it had womens and mens clothing, shoes and accessories from designers such as Valentino, Saint Laurent and Christian Louboutin on sale. Merchandise was strewn across the floor of the store, and shards of glass littered the sidewalk outside as authorities investigated the scene. Advertisement Investigators said 10 men wearing masks and dark clothing were seen leaving the area in three cars a Dodge Charger, a Honda Civic and a black Volkswagen, Madison said. It is not clear how much merchandise was stolen. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @Hannahnfry Nevadas incoming attorney general wants to find a way to implement a stalled, voter-approved gun background check law when he takes office early next year after his predecessor said the measure couldnt be enforced. Democrat Aaron Ford, in an interview with the Associated Press, said hed also be supportive of other gun-safety measures that come from the states Democratically controlled Legislature. Gun safety is a prominent topic in the state where a gunman opened fire last year on an outdoor music festival, killing 58. Ford, a 46-year-old attorney and outgoing state Senate majority leader, noted Friday was the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. As we honor those 20 kids and six educators who lost their lives, we need to be doing more than thinking and praying about them, Ford said. We need to be working toward commonsense gun safety measures. Advertisement Nevadas outgoing Republican attorney general, Adam Laxalt, and governor, Brian Sandoval, both opposed the firearm background check law, designed to close a legal loophole where private, unlicensed sellers dont have to conduct background screenings. Though voters narrowly approved the 2016 ballot initiative known as Question 1, despite a multimillion-dollar campaign by the National Rifle Assn. to defeat it. But Sandoval and Laxalt said it could not be implemented because it required the FBI to enforce the law and said state screenings were more thorough. Ford said hell try to work with the FBI to get the law enforced and, if needed, work with the Legislature and incoming Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak to get the law changed. I begin from a position of yes and trying to implement the will of the people, Ford said. Nevada is not alone in its gun control push. Other states, including Connecticut, Colorado and California have beefed up gun laws after attempts at federal legislation failed. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is set to hold talks on Monday with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen at Hofburg presidential palace in Vienna. The meeting will discuss ways of boosting bilateral ties in political, trade, and investment fields. Then, El-Sisi will meet with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at Austria's Chancellery to discuss pushing bilateral relations forward, as well as regional and international issues of common interest. The president is also scheduled to meet with Speaker of Austria's National Council Wolfgang Sobotka to tackle parliamentary relations. A number of joint memorandums of understanding will be signed on the sidelines of the president's talks with senior Austrian officials. Search Keywords: Short link: Two men involved in a Turkish lobbying campaign led by former national security advisor Michael Flynn have been charged with illegally lobbying in a case related to special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation. The case unsealed Monday against Flynns former business partner, Bijan Kian, of San Juan Capistrano, and Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin accuses the two men of conspiring to covertly and unlawfully influence U.S. politicians on behalf of Turkey. The new charges appear to shed light on the cooperation of Flynn, who last year admitted to lying about several aspects of the lobbying work. In recommending he serve no prison time, prosecutors said Flynn not only helped with the Russia probe but also an undisclosed and separate criminal investigation. Documents filed alongside that recommendation spend several paragraphs laying out the details of Flynns Turkish lobbying. Kian, whose full name is Bijan Rafiekian, was arrested and made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Va. He is indicted on charges including failing to register as a foreign agent. Alptekin, a dual Turkish Dutch citizen living in Istanbul whose full name is Kamil Ekim Alptekin, remains at large. Advertisement According to the indictment, Kian was vice chairman of Flynns business group, the Flynn Intel Group. The two worked throughout 2016 to seek ways to have cleric Fethullah Gulen extradited from the U.S. to Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Gulen of directing a failed coup. Flynn is referred to in the indictment only as Person A. Kians lawyer, Robert Trout, declined comment after Mondays hearing. Kian was released on a personal recognizance bond pending an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday. Alptekin is also charged with failing to register as a foreign agent and also making false statements. The indictment describes Kian and Flynn as co-founders of Alexandria-based Flynn Intel Group, which is listed in the indictment only as Company A. It accuses Kian and Alptekin of illegally lobbying in the U.S. to discredit Gulen and have him extradited. According to the indictment, Alptekin worked at the direction of the Turkish government, but the defendants worked to conceal that fact. In the summer of 2016, when Flynn was working as an advisor to the Trump campaign, the three initiated what they called a Truth Campaign that compared Gulen to Irans Ayatollah Khomeini. On Nov. 8, 2016 election day Flynn wrote an op-ed piece in the Hill newspaper titled Our Ally Turkey Is in Crisis and Needs Our Support. The column uses the same comparison between Gulen and Khomeini. The indictment notes that Flynns column uses identical or very similar language to that prepared by Kian in a draft op-ed. We all remember another quiet, bearded elder cleric who sat under an apple tree ... in the suburbs of Paris in 1978, Flynn wrote in the op-ed, mimicking language provided to him by Kian. He claimed to be a man of God who wanted to be a dictator. Several days before the column was published, Kian crowed to Alptekin in an email about the advantageous timing of the pending op-ed piece coinciding with election day. The arrow has left the bow! Alptekin, who had complained a week earlier that the Flynn Group had not done enough work to honor the contract, responded that Kians op-ed was right on target. Flynn, a retired three-star general, pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about conversations he had with the then-Russian ambassador. He is scheduled for sentencing Tuesday. Kian and Alptekins prosecution is led not by the special counsel but prosecutors with the Eastern District of Virginia. President Trump tweeted Sunday that he will review the case of a former Special Forces officer and Afghanistan war veteran who was notified last week that he will face a murder charge in the death of a detainee suspected of being a Taliban bomb maker. Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn was notified Thursday by the Army that he will face one charge of murder, his attorney and the Army said. The military has been investigating him since 2011, when Army officials said he confessed during a polygraph test as part of a CIA job interview to killing the suspected bomb maker in February 2010. At the request of many, I will be reviewing the case of a U.S. Military hero, Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder, Trump tweeted. He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas. It wasnt clear Sunday what Trumps review could comprise or whether he is considering pardoning Golsteyn if the Army convicts him of murder. Advertisement The White House did not respond to questions seeking clarity on the presidents Twitter post. The case remains under investigation, with an Article 32 hearing expected next year to review evidence. An Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Loren Bymer, said that Golsteyn was recalled to active duty last week to face the charge. A Pentagon spokesman, Army Col. Rob Manning, said Sunday that the allegations against Golsteyn are a law enforcement matter, and that the Defense Department will respect the integrity of this process and provide updates when appropriate. Trumps statement alone could complicate the militarys prosecution of Golsteyn. The president, as commander in chief, is expected in the military justice system to not make statements that could influence open cases. Doing so is considered unlawful command influence and can result in cases being thrown out. Golsteyns attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, has disputed that Golsteyns statement to the CIA was characterized accurately by the Army. The service launched an investigation into Golsteyn after the CIA alerted it to his job interview, but closed the inquiry without charging him. But the case was reopened in 2016, after Golsteyn said during a Fox News interview that he had killed a bomb maker, who had been held as a detainee, out of fear that the bomb maker would target Afghans helping U.S. troops if he were let go. Golsteyn, a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., was lauded for his performance in Afghanistan as the commander of a team from 3rd Special Forces Group in the Battle of Marjah. About 15,000 coalition troops fought to take back a poppy-laden section of Helmand province that was controlled by the Taliban and laced with explosives. On Feb. 20, 2010, Golsteyn coordinated numerous airstrikes and repeatedly braved hostile fire after launching a mission to kill a Taliban sniper who nearly hit a nearby Marine, according to a military summary of his actions. He was later awarded the Silver Star for valor. The accusations center on actions that occurred two days earlier. Two Marines were killed and others were wounded by a garage door that was booby-trapped with explosives, prompting a search of nearby homes in which Golsteyns unit found bomb-making materials and a suspected bomb maker, according to the results of an investigation released to the Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act in 2015. Golsteyn later recounted during his CIA job interview that the U.S. troops detained the man and brought him back to their base. While detained, the suspected bomb maker unexpectedly crossed paths with an Afghan tribal leader with whom Golsteyns team was working. When the leader expressed fear for his life, Golsteyn said, he grew concerned about the consequences of letting the suspected bomb maker go, according to Army documents. CPT Golsteyn related there had been countless times when he detained someone and sent that person to a detention facility only to see that same person shooting at his unit weeks later, an Army investigators summary of Golsteyns polygraph test said. CPT Golsteyn stated he had no qualms about what he did because he couldnt have lived with himself if [the suspected bomb maker] killed another Soldier or Marine. The Army dropped Golsteyn from the Special Forces and stripped him of the Silver Star. The service accused him in a June 2015 administrative hearing of violating the law of armed conflict, but a panel of officers determined that was unsubstantiated. It instead recommended separating him from the military for conduct unbecoming an officer with a general discharge under honorable conditions. A report prepared for the Senate that provides the most sweeping analysis yet of Russias disinformation campaign around the 2016 election found that the operation used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters interests to help elect President Donald Trump and worked even harder to support him while in office. The report, a draft of which was obtained by the Washington Post, is the first to study the millions of posts provided by major technology firms to the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), its chairman, and Mark Warner of Virginia, its ranking Democrat. The bipartisan panel hasnt said whether it endorses the findings. It plans to release it publicly along with another study later this week. The research by Oxford Universitys Computational Propaganda Project and Graphika, a network analysis firm offers new details on how Russians working at the Internet Research Agency, which U.S. officials have charged with criminal offenses for meddling in the 2016 campaign, sliced Americans into key interest groups for the purpose of targeting messages. These efforts shifted over time, peaking at key political moments, such as presidential debates or party conventions, the report found. The data sets used by the researchers were provided by Facebook, Twitter and Google and covered several years up to mid-2017, when the social media companies cracked down on the known Russian accounts. The report, which also analyzed data separately provided to House Intelligence Committee members, contains no information on more recent political moments, such as Novembers midterm election. Advertisement What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically Donald Trump, the report says. Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign. The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting. Representatives for Burr and Warner declined to comment. The new report offers the latest evidence that Russian agents sought to help Trump win the White House. Democrats and Republicans on the panel previously studied the U.S. intelligence communitys 2017 finding that Moscow aimed to assist Trump, and in July, they said investigators had come to the correct conclusion. Despite their work, some Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to doubt the nature of Russias meddling in the last presidential election. The Russians aimed particular energy at activating conservatives on issues such as gun rights and immigration, while sapping the political clout of left-leaning African American voters by undermining their faith in elections and spreading misleading information about how to vote. Many other groups Latinos, Muslims, Christians, gay men and women, liberals, Southerners, veterans got at least some attention from Russians operating thousands of social media accounts. The report also offered some of the first detailed analyses of the role played by YouTube, which belongs to Google, and Instagram in the Russian campaign, as well as anecdotes on how Russians used other social media platforms Google+, Tumblr and Pinterest that have gotten relatively little scrutiny. The Russian effort also used email accounts from Yahoo, Microsofts Hotmail service and Googles Gmail. The authors, while reliant on data provided by technology companies, also highlighted their belated and uncoordinated response to the disinformation campaign and, once it was discovered, for not sharing more with investigators. The authors urged the companies in the future to provide data in meaningful and constructive ways. Facebook, for example, provided the Senate with copies of posts from 81 Facebook Pages and information on 76 accounts used to purchase ads but did not share the posts from other user accounts run by the IRA, the report says. Twitter, meanwhile, has made it challenging for outside researchers to collect and analyze data on its platform through its public feed, the researchers said. Google submitted information in an especially difficult way for the researchers to handle, providing content such as YouTube videos but not the related data that would have allowed a full analysis. The YouTube information was so hard for the researchers to study, they wrote, that they instead tracked the links to its videos from other sites in hopes of better understanding YouTubes role in the Russian effort. Facebook, Google and Twitter didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Facebook, Google and Twitter first disclosed last year that they had identified Russian meddling on their sites. Critics previously said it took too long to come to an understanding of the disinformation campaign, and that Russian strategies have likely shifted since then. The companies have awakened to the threat Facebook in particular created a war room this fall to combat interference around elections but none have revealed interference around the midterm election last month on the scale of what happened in 2016. The report expressed concern about the overall threat social media poses to political discourse within nations and between them, warning that companies once viewed as tools for liberation in the Arab world and elsewhere are now threats to democracy. Social media have gone from being the natural infrastructure for sharing collective grievances and coordinating civic engagement to being a computational tool for social control, manipulated by canny political consultants and available to politicians in democracies and dictatorships alike. Researchers also noted that the data includes evidence of sloppiness by the Russians that could have led to earlier detection, including the use of Russias currency, the ruble, to buy ads and Russian phone numbers for contact information. The operatives also left behind technical signatures in computerized logs, such as internet addresses in St. Petersburg, where the IRA was based. High-level Russian spy or hapless collateral damage? The curious case of Maria Butina Many of the findings track in general terms work by other researchers and testimony previously provided by the companies to lawmakers investigating the Russian effort. But the fuller data available to the researchers offered new insights on many aspects of the Russian campaign. The report traces the origins of Russian online influence operations to Russian domestic politics in 2009 and says that ambitions shifted to include U.S. politics as early as 2013 over Twitter. Of the tweets the company provided to the Senate, 57 percent are in Russian, with 36 percent in English and smaller amounts in other languages. The efforts to manipulate Americans grew sharply in 2014 and every year after, as teams of operatives spread their work across more platforms and accounts, in order to target larger swaths of U.S. voters by geography, political interests, race, religion and other factors. The Russians started with accounts on Twitter, then added YouTube and Instagram before finally bringing Facebook into the mix, the report said. Facebook was particularly effective at targeting conservatives and African Americans, the report found. More than 99 percent of all engagement meaning likes, shares and other reactions came from 20 Pages controlled by the IRA, including Being Patriotic, Heart of Texas, Blacktivist and Army of Jesus. Together, the 20 most popular pages generated 39 million likes, 31 million shares, 5.4 million reactions and 3.4 million comments. Company officials told Congress that the Russian campaign reached 126 million people on Facebook and 20 million more on Instagram. The Russians operated 133 accounts on Instagram, a photo-sharing subsidiary of Facebook, that focused mainly on race, ethnicity or other forms of personal identity. The most successful Instagram posts targeted African American cultural issues and black pride and were not explicitly political. While the overall intensity of posting across platforms grew year by year with a particular spike during the six months after Election Day this growth was particularly pronounced on Instagram, which went from roughly 2,600 posts a month in 2016 to nearly 6,000 in 2017, when the accounts were shut down. Across all three years covered by the report, Russian Instagram posts generated 185 million likes and 4 million user comments. Even though the researchers struggled to interpret the YouTube data submitted by Google, they were able to track the links from other sites to YouTube offering a proxy for understanding the role play by the video platform. The proxy is imperfect, the researchers wrote, but the IRAs heavy use of links to YouTube videos leaves little doubt of the IRAs interest in leveraging Googles video platform to target and manipulate US audiences. The use of YouTube, like the other platforms, appears to have grown after Trumps election. Twitter links to YouTube videos grew by 84 percent in the six months after the election, the data showed. The Russians shrewdly worked across platforms as they refined their tactics aimed at particular groups, posting links across accounts and sites to bolster the influence operations success on each, the report shows. Black Matters US had accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr and Paypal, according to the researchers. By linking posts across these platforms, the Russian operatives were able to solicit donations, organize real-world protests and rallies, and direct online traffic to a website that the Russians also controlled. The researchers found that when Facebook shut down the page in August 2016, a new one called BM soon appeared with more cultural and fewer political posts. It tracked closely to the content on the @blackmatterus Instagram account. The report found operatives also began buying Google ads to promote the BlackMatters US website with provocative messages such as, Cops kill black kids. Are you sure that your son wont be the next? The related Twitter account, meanwhile, complained about the suspension of the Facebook page, accusing the tech company of supporting white supremacy. Tony Romm and Craig Timberg write for the Washington Post. Those of us who inhabit the space in American politics between the 40-yard lines have watched with dismay as the nations two major parties retreat to their respective ideological end zones. As election after entrenched election passes, we have to wonder about the potential for a third party that would occupy the ground near midfield that has been abandoned by Democrats and Republicans. Im a former California Republican, now an independent. In California that means Im NPP registered as no party preference. Voter registration in my old party has fallen to less than one-quarter of the state electorate. The California GOP now has fewer official members than the number of state voters who are registered NPP. The large numbers of registered independents are reason to think that if a third party could be viable anywhere, it would be here. Republicans have lost support because of a doctrinaire message and an agenda that particularly makes many women, minorities and young people feel unwelcome. They have essentially defaulted control of the state to Democrats, who without the checks-and-balances inherent in a functioning two-party system have struggled to develop solutions for the states housing, transportation and public education crises. Last months election, however, provides a road map for how a new party could emerge in California that could rebalance our politics. Steve Poizner, who was state insurance commissioner from 2007 to 2011, sought to regain the post. He too used to be a Republican, but in 2018, he was the first no party preference candidate in California history to run on a statewide general election ballot. Advertisement Although Poizner was defeated, he received 700,000 more votes than the Republican candidate for governor. In all, 5 million Californians marked their ballots for him, the most votes cast for an independent for any statewide position in American history. He was endorsed by the editorial boards of all 24 newspapers that chose to endorse in the insurance commissioners race. Only the deep, deep blue of the states Democratic wave it swept every statewide office and every competitive California congressional district kept Poizner from victory. Although he didnt make a big deal out it, Poizner really was an independent, midfield political player. Rather than carrying partisan baggage, Poizner is a pragmatist. The Los Angeles Times endorsement called him innovative: When he was insurance commissioner he proved he could walk the line between guarding consumers and assuring that insurance companies didnt go out of business. The California GOP now has fewer official members than the number of state voters who are registered NPP no party preference. The data underlying Poizners near-miss make it clear that, in an election with a more even playing field, candidates like him could win. His middle of the road stance and experience carried Southern California suburbs in Orange and Ventura counties, traditional swing districts in the Central Valley, including Sacramento, and outright Republican bastions in eastern and Northern California. His defeat was a result of large-scale losses in the dramatically blue Bay Area suburban counties and in coastal areas where Democrats also piled up sizable margins. However, the areas he lost have the largest percentage of NPP voters in California. In the midterm election, these voters were unsurprisingly strongly motivated to turn out against President Trump and his allies. They almost certainly cast straight Democratic ballots as a statement against the president. This suggests that an NPP candidate, perhaps one making even more of his or her independent status than Poizner did could make significant inroads with these voters in a future election less colored by national overtones. (Granted, that landscape is unlikely to exist until Trump has left the arena.) Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion The fact that Poizner came so close to victory tells us that the voters of California are not the captives of the traditional two parties. When good candidates who are qualified for the post they are running for discard party labels, voters will cast their votes outside of the partisan strictures that permeate every other part of society. There is no mention of political parties in the Constitution, and many of the framers actively disliked them. Now their existence dominates and has gridlocked our very concept of government. In California and across America, many talented people choose not to run for office because they want no part of the bitterness of partisan politics. Poizner showed a way to serve by running as an independent, and his considerable success, even in a loss, should be a starting place for those who have no desire to be partisan warriors but are willing to run and serve as nonpartisan problem solvers. California voters deserve a choice when they cast their ballots every two years. A truly independent movement can provide them with that choice. Dan Schnur, a professor at USCs Annenberg School of Communications and UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies, worked on four presidential and three gubernatorial campaigns. He ran as an NPP primary candidate for California secretary of state in 2014. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook To the editor: Its too early and too hard to know if anyone is to blame for the recent death of the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl while in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol. Its equally hard to believe this is the first such death. Regardless, until all the facts are in, the media, the White House and members of Congress should stay neutral regarding whos to blame for this death. Instead, lawmakers and citizens should be asking why Homeland Security didnt report this within the legally required period of 24 hours after the death. Voters are so tired of our lawmakers blaming each other for todays immigrant situation. Why cant we just be civil and treat everyone with equal rights, and why cant we just follow the laws that are set in place? Using this little girls death as a means to catch the other side is downright un-American and shameful. Advertisement Conrad Angel Corral, Cathedral City .. To the editor: The Trump administration claims to value the sanctity of life, which is why it wants to defund Planned Parenthood and limit womens access to abortion. But steps taken by Trump and his GOP supporters make it necessary for asylum seekers to cross the border illegally, because they cant apply for asylum at regular border crossings due to limits on the number of applicants processed at those places. I guess the sanctity of life doesnt apply to asylum seekers or to the starving children of Yemen. Daniel Fink, Beverly Hills .. To the editor: We may not want migrants to enter this great country illegally, but however they cross the border, the first thing provided should be a water containing some necessary minerals, the kind you can buy at the grocery store. Certainly our government could do that while processing these people. What has happened to us? It appears as though we are not a very kind nation. Suzanne Brugman, La Habra Heights Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Newsoms budget proposes $3 million for Alzheimers research, brain task force By Melody Gutierrez Amyloid plaques, shown here in human brains, are a hallmark of Alzheimers disease. (UCLA School of Medicine) Gov. Gavin Newsom will call for the creation of a brain health task force and dedicate $3 million annually from the states general fund to Alzheimers disease research in the budget proposal he will release Thursday, a source close to the administration said. The money for Alzheimers research would target the new grants at understanding why the disease is more prevalent in women and people of color. Former California first lady and Alzheimers activist Maria Shriver pushed for the funding to be included in the state budget. Shriver said in a statement Wednesday that the funding would make California the first state to make understanding our brains a priority. The states former first lady, whose late father Sargent Shriver was diagnosed with Alzheimers, founded the Womens Alzheimers Movement, an advocacy group raising awareness about womens increased risk for developing the disease. In 2011, she wrote a comprehensive assessment on the disease, to which Newsom then mayor of San Francisco contributed a portion called What one city is doing. This is personal to me, just like it is to millions of California families, Shriver said. Alzheimers is one of the largest medical, social and economic crises in our state, and of our time. I am so proud that, once again, California is leading the way. Wiping out Alzheimers is going to require bold thinking, and there is no doubt in my mind that California is home to bold thinkers who can make this happen. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 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 Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 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 The policy and political implications of a Texas judges ruling on Friday night couldnt be any higher in the coming two years for the nation at large and especially for California. Get ready for what could be the ultimate showdown over the Affordable Care Act. Sign up for the Essential Politics newsletter THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE Advertisement The ruling that threatens the existence of the landmark 2010 law was in a case focused on one controversial provision: the requirement that Americans have health insurance coverage. But when the penalty for any citizen refusing the individual mandate was removed by Republicans in Congress, U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor ruled the entire law to now be unworkable. California, under state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, is poised to lead the way in an appeal of OConnors ruling. And few states have as much on the line given the aggressive implementation of both expanded Medicaid coverage through the Medi-Cal program and the insurance exchange run by Covered California. Gov. Jerry Brown called the ruling a wanton and cruel action that the state will fight. From a political standpoint, the ruling poses major risks for Republicans in the 2020 election cycle. By throwing out even the parts of the Obamacare law that are popular like coverage of preexisting conditions healthcare coverage for tens of millions of Americans could be on the line. SHUTDOWN COUNTDOWN Friday is the deadline for a deal between President Trump and Congress to keep the federal government open and the odds seem long. The administration signaled Sunday that it would not compromise, as senior White House policy advisor Stephen Miller declared that were going to do whatever is necessary to secure money for the presidents much-vaunted border wall. NATIONAL POLITICS LIGHTNING ROUND -- Lawyers for the family of a 7-year-old girl who died while in U.S. Border Patrol custody say she did not suffer from a lack of food or water before being picked up by authorities. -- On the Texas-Mexico border, no one knows whos smuggling the border crossers, and everyones a suspect. -- Trump on Friday named Mick Mulvaney, now his budget director, as his acting chief of staff, only temporarily solving a management and public relations problem that has consumed the White House. -- Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who was caught up in scandals and infuriated environmental activists, will likely be replaced by a former oil and gas lobbyist who served as his top deputy. -- Both in court and in the wider realm of policy, Trumps untruths have begun showing real consequences. -- The spray-painting of a swastika outside a suburban Indianapolis synagogue this summer was the final straw for Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who quickly called for Indiana to join the 45 states that have hate crime laws. CALIFORNIAS HOUSING LAW TESTED IN CUPERTINO For years, a developer has been trying to build homes on a near-vacant mall in Cupertino, the home of Apple. But community pushback has stopped the plan. Which is where last years Senate Bill 35 comes in, a law designed to ensure housing projects are completed when they comply with all existing government rules. This is what we wanted to see happen, said state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the author of the law. But as Liam Dillon reports, the developments approval has only intensified debate over the project in the Silicon Valley city. NOVEMBER TURNOUT: SHADES OF 1982 Its been 36 years since a higher percentage of Californias registered voters showed up for an election than did last month, a high mark confirmed last week in the official returns for Nov. 6. More than 12.7 million voters cast ballots in the Nov. 6 election, representing 64.5% of the states registered voters. In all, 41 counties reported turnout above the statewide average. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters in Los Angeles County cast ballots, a marked increase from the 31% of voters who showed up in the fall election four years ago. Orange County, which saw fierce competition for four of the six congressional seats all or partially inside its borders, had almost 71% of its voters cast ballots. THE GOVERNOR-ELECT Californias new governor will take office three weeks from now in a Sacramento ceremony that wont include one of the most influential people in his life. William Newsom III, a retired appellate court justice and father of Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, died last week at age 84. The elder Newsom was remembered as a passionate environmental advocate and a longtime friend of the current governor. Meanwhile, the inner circle of advisers to the governor-elect continues to take shape. Last week, Newsom selected both an aide during his time as San Franciscos mayor and a longtime Sacramento labor lobbyist to be deputy cabinet secretaries. He also filled key communications posts for his new administration. And then theres this: Those who want to fete the incoming governor during his inauguration weekend will have ample opportunities, but it wont come cheap. The Times coverage of the Newsom transition continues on our Essential Politics news feed. TODAYS ESSENTIALS -- As recently as five years ago, the GOP held close to half the mayoral and city council seats in California. But after November, the partys local ranks have thinned and so have its hopes of a bench of up-and-coming prospects. -- Dozens of retired Los Angeles employees are collecting such generous retirement pay that they exceed pension fund limits set by the Internal Revenue Service, saddling taxpayers with additional costs. -- Fresno police arrested Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) last week on a misdemeanor charge of willful cruelty to a child. The lawmaker later said it was because he had spanked his 7-year-old daughter. -- 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. -- California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye is defending a landmark new state law abolishing money bail, saying it was crafted to ensure courts do not judge a person based on the size of their wallet or what they have access to in someone elses wallet. -- Cantil-Sakauye also made news last week by confirming she has canceled her voter registration as a Republican. LOGISTICS Essential Politics is published Monday and Friday. You can keep up with breaking news on our politics page throughout the day. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics? Miss Fridays newsletter? Here you go. Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox. 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. The trend was, of course, nothing new. Like a sandcastle at high tide, the Republican Party has been slowly crumbling in California for decades. (OK, enough with the liquid.) Advertisement One notable exception was government at the local level, where as recently as five years ago Republicans held close to half the states 2,500 mayoral and city council seats, despite the sizable and growing Democratic advantage in voter registration. No longer. Going, going ... with GOP wipeout, California drifts closer to one-party rule After Novembers election, Democrats will hold 49% of all seats in local government, Republicans 38% and unaffiliated lawmakers those stating no party preference 11%, according to figures compiled by GrassrootsLab, a nonpartisan Sacramento research and data firm. The remainder of seats will be held by members of third parties or local lawmakers whose political affiliation could not be determined. The midterm setback for the GOP was both deep and wide. The party lost ground not just in the uber-Democratic San Francisco Bay Area, where elected Republicans are an extremely endangered life form, but also in one-time GOP strongholds such as Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Ventura counties. All told, newly elected Democrats outnumber freshly chosen Republicans by nearly 2-to-1. (As a side note, close to half the newly elected local officials statewide were women, much higher than usual and a reflection of the nationwide surge in their political ranks. Less than 1 in 5 of those newly elected municipal leaders were Republicans.) Historically, the states local elections have not been overtly partisan affairs. There is no primary contest to get on the ballot, or caucus to fall in line with once mayor or city council members take their seat. Thus, unlike, say, an election for Congress or the Legislature, a candidates political affiliation has tended not to matter a whole lot. In recent years that worked to the considerable advantage of Republicans: The focus on local issues and insignificance of party labels helped avoid negative association with the increasingly unpopular national GOP. There is, after all, no such thing as a Democratic or Republican pothole. But that changed under President Trump. He injected that youre-with-us-or-against-us element into politics so much it even trickled down to local contests, said Mike Madrid, a Republican campaign strategist who runs GrassrootsLab with Democrat Robb Korinke. Reasonably or not, candidates for mayor and city council were tied in many voters minds to the polarizing president, his hair-trigger persona, divisive policies and scorching rhetoric on issues such as race relations and immigration. That was deathly for Republicans in a state where Trumps approval ratings hover in the pallid 30% range. The environment became hyper-partisan, with people looking to elect Democrats, said Madrid, a vocal Trump critic who has urged California Republicans to break with the president and his pugnacious style of politics. Call it guilt by association. Jim Brulte, a former state lawmaker and longtime GOP strategist who is serving his final months as California Republican Party chairman, wouldnt directly criticize the president. But he echoed Madrids observations on the partisan cast to local races and reiterated a warning he has sounded for years within the party, largely without heed. Until and unless Republicans can generate significant votes out of the two fastest-growing voter groups, Hispanics and Asian Americans, we are going to suffer continued losses, Brulte said. What makes the bad news even worse for Republicans as well as anyone believing in the importance of strong two-party competition in California is the long-term implications of the partys municipal losses. Local government has traditionally served as a feeder for higher office, with mayors and city council members often using their political experience and base of local support to vault themselves to positions in Washington and Sacramento. With fewer strong candidates in the pipeline, recruitment efforts and GOP prospects could suffer for years to come. Talk about a watery grave. The sound youre hearing is the once-robust California Republican Party of Hiram Johnson, Earl Warren, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan sinking to ever-lower depths. mark.barabak@latimes.com @markzbarabak on Twitter Everyone should take a deep breath and accept reality: No Californian has much chance of being elected president. It has less to do with the California Democrats who are warming up to run in 2020 although theyre not earth shakers than it does the states image outside our borders. Face it, were seen as kooks, wackos and radical leftists in a state with crippling taxes, a shameful homeless problem and sky-high living costs a place that invites illegal immigration by providing a sanctuary for border crashers. Sure, much of that is bunkum the wacko part, anyway. But theres also more than a grain of truth. Advertisement Our state taxes are among the nations highest. The homeless rate is the highest. One-quarter of the countrys immigrants who are here illegally live in California and are treated better by state and local governments than they are anywhere else. Candidates from other states have a smorgasbord of negative ad fodder to run against California values. What we think is wonderful most of the country thinks is weird, Democratic consultant David Townsend says. America is not looking for a Californian to rescue us. Longtime Democratic strategist Darry Sragow, a fifth-generation Californian who publishes the nonpartisan Target Book that chronicles state legislative and congressional races, says: Every Californian knows perfectly well that our friends and family members in the other 49 states hate us. They view us with contempt. We can argue thats because theyre jealous, but the fact is you cant be in Texas for more than an hour before somebody says, Oh, youre from the Left Coast. Or in Pennsylvania or New York before they say, Oh, youre from La-La Land. The mark of a real Californian, Sragow continues, is that we dont really care because its 75 degrees and sunny. More from George Skelton Not everyone agrees that California is a political pariah. I dont think thats true, says Bob Shrum, a longtime Democratic strategist who is director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC. And in 2020, Shrum adds, whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be in a strong position to beat President Trump. Veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick, who is advising Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in his early quest for the White House, dismisses the idea of a California burden. I dont think any of those old rules apply, he says. There are too many ways to evaluate candidates now. People arent bogged down by stereotypes. They see the candidates in debates, on TV, in social media. My pet peeve is that no mayor can get elected. But no sitting mayor has ever been elected president. Nor has any California Democrat. None has even come close. Coverage of California politics Two Republicans have won the presidency Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. But both transcended California. Nixon, a former California senator, had been vice president and was living in New York when he was elected. Reagan was always a national figure, not just a former California governor. He had been a two-time presidential candidate, a beloved conservative icon and the cowboy hat-wearing host of TVs popular Death Valley Days. Reagan if not Nixon had a unique ability to relate personally to people and gain their trust. He was inspiring. That talent hasnt been demonstrated by the current crop of California Democratic wannabes, including U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, billionaire activist Tom Steyer, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of Dublin and Garcetti. None has officially announced, but most are expected to. None has achieved a record in office to particularly crow about. And Steyer hasnt even held office. Neither had Trump, but he already was a household name from reality TV and a populist crowd-pleaser. How about a consolation prize of vice president? That would be foolish. This state will cast its 55 electoral votes for a Democrat no matter whos on the ticket. If Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank were running, he might have a distant shot. The lead Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee has acquired a national following as a Trump antagonist whos thoughtful, articulate and calm. But Schiffs not tempted because hell soon become the committee chairman when Democrats regain the House majority. Our returning to an early presidential primary on March 3 wont help California candidates unless theyve built momentum in the earlier states: Iowa and New Hampshire, especially, but also Nevada and South Carolina. Generally, a candidate must win either in Iowa or New Hampshire finish, at minimum, in the top three to stay alive. If not, the money dries up and so does the voters interest. You have to get winnowed into the field, Shrum says. Otherwise, by the time you get to California, people are going to say, This person is out of the running. Californians arent going to vote for someone from California if they think its a wasted vote. On the other hand, if a candidate can prove himself or herself in other states, then theyll have an advantage in California. But I dont see Americans electing a Californian. The states an albatross. To deny it is to ignore reality, says veteran Democratic consultant Garry South. Everyone wants to come here and go to Disneyland and Yosemite and Tahoe, but were the state everyone loves to hate. He adds: Theres a sense that radical things start in California and move eastward. Thats true. And its mostly good. But its not always good presidential politics. george.skelton@latimes.com Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter High school can be a challenging environment for students loaded with pitfalls ranging from bullying to stress. Burbank Unified officials are not only cognizant of those issues, but they have created a wellness department that offers several programs to address student and parent needs. School district and wellness officials, however, are admittedly having their own problems. I just dont know how many people are aware of these programs, school board member Armond Aghakhanian said. The district offers help, but many parents are not taking advantage of these options. The districts wellness department, in conjunction with the Burbank chapter of the Armenian National Committee, held an introduction meeting Wednesday at the ACF Beshir Mardirossian Burbank Youth Center. Only 30 people attended and most of them had ties to the school district, city or public safety agencies. Cities, nonprofits and the school districts all work together, and weve been doing that for many years here in Burbank, but not everybody knows about those services, Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill said. So the goal tonight was to share the resources that we have. That task of informing the public on Wednesday fell to Johanna Chase, the districts director of wellness. While there are student-care centers staffed by Burbank Family Service Agency employees at Burbank and Burroughs high schools, Chase pointed out that wellness services can be found on every campus in Burbank Unified. Our department provides support to all of our health services, which is all of our nurses and our health-service assistants throughout our schools in our district, Chase said. Chase gave examples such as clinical support for an injured student, emotional assistance in deescalating tension and helping students with diabetes. Many of the services can be accessed at https://bit.ly/2GnsT7H. There, parents and students can find ways to report bullying as well as access suicide prevention resources and training. Chase said the wellness department follows the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model that includes an emphasis in 10 areas, including physical education, health education, health services and family engagement. Chase added, however, that the services offered will have limited impact without parental involvement. Right around fourth and fifth grade is when parents and adults are not as important as peers and friends, and you start to see that shift just a little bit, Chase said. Thats even more important of the time to build a relationship with your children and tell them you love them and support them and help and guide them along the way, she added. Last month, the district held two seminars about vaping, one at Burbank High and the other at Luther Burbank Middle School. On Jan. 9, Luther Burbank Middle School, located at 3700 W. Jeffries Ave., will host a drug awareness panel discussion that will include medical and law-enforcement experts. Chase also said a community meeting about domestic abuse was close to being finalized and will likely be held on Feb. 6 at Burbank High, located at 902 N. Third St. Its important the community knows they have these resources available, Chase said. We want to make sure that there is support and resources for some of the most challenging years of a students life. andrew.campa@latimes.com Twitter @campadresports Egypt's National Council For Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) has said that it has prevented a child marriage after photos of the engagement ceremony went viral on social media. In a statement, the secretary-general of the council Azza El-Ashmawy said that the incident, which took place in Kafr El-Sheikh, was reported through the Child Helpline 16000, and the general committee for child protection was immediately contacted to investigate. El-Ashmawy said that the parents of both children were informed about the dangers of early marriage. According to the statement, the parents vowed to postpone the marriage until the children reach the legal age. Over the weekend, Egyptian social media users have shared video and images of the two children at their engagement party, where the 14-year-old groom is seen dancing with his 15-year-old bride to loud applause by the attendees. Since 2008, It has been illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to get married in Egypt. However, underage marriage is still common in the country. According to a report by UNICEF and NCCM in 2018, one out of 20 girls aged 15 to 17 and one out of 10 girls aged 15 to 19 are currently, or at one time have been, married. The report, which includes statistics based on CAPMAS figures in 2017, says girls in rural areas are three times more vulnerable to child marriage than girls living in urban areas. In 2015, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi withdrew an objection made by Egypt in 1990 to a provision of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child regarding the child marriage issue. The article stipulates that minors may not be married or engaged and that African states must take effectual procedures to ban marriage before 18. Search Keywords: Short link: Hello, my name is John Cherwa, and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we go through holiday gifts that you readers want to give to racing. Thanks to all of you who sent along suggestions for holiday gifts for people, places and things in racing. As usual, the response was great but I couldnt use them all. I had to do some editing on some responses so they were about who is getting the gift rather than what you wanted for the holidays. And I tried to group like-minded responses together, especially those of you who wanted to send a lump of coal to Santa Anita. So, without further rambling, lets get to what you folks wish for racing. To Victor Espinoza, an angel who was an orthopedic surgeon in life to ride on your shoulder if you go through with your plan to return to racing. -- Rebekah Lane Advertisement To Victor Espinoza, a full recovery and an opportunity to ride in the Kentucky Derby in 2019. -- Rey Hernandez To Gary Stevens, a happy and fulfilled retirement. -- Debra Gilbert To every jockey and every horse, safe trips and a couple lucky photos for me. -- Rob Tuel To all of the horses, a safe retirement in large green pastures. -- Norman Day To every assistant starter in the country, a safety vest and helmet. There are so many ways they can get hurt, and just a minimum standard of protection should be enforced. -- Jim Eggers To Ann Moss, Dottie and John Shirreffs, a Zenyatta foal to win a race. She has a Medaglia dOro filly in training in Florida and a win would be a great Christmas present. -- Fred Hoyt To Bob Baffert, several extra-large rolls of bubble wrap in your barn leading up to the 2019 Triple Crown. -- Jim Wood To Bob Baffert, a horse that cant win on any surface or at any distance, just to relieve boredom. -- Joen Mitchell To John Sadler, a Triple Crown race win (or two or three). -- Sandy Wyper To Belinda Stronach, the complete DVD collection of the 1950s/1960s TV series Make Room for Daddy. To Frank Mirahmadi, a large suitcase to carry his extensive resume. To Michael Wrona, a rabbits foot and a golden parachute. Neither of which his employer had the decency to supply him with. -- Mike Valiante To race fans, heres hoping for a long-shot to win the Kentucky Derby and to hear Michael Wrona back on the air soon. -- Jim Favors To Santa Anita, a new public address system so that the crowd can actually hear new race caller Frank Mirahmadi. -- Mike Park To Santa Anita and the Stronach Group, to get a clue about what attracts fans to the track, in particular women. Promote the horses. We dont need $75 packages so we can order a beer in the cool kids bar. That crowd wont be back, but horse fans like me would. -- Carol Neal To Santa Anita, to please return your program to pocket size again. Besides, the large one wont fit in my Christmas stocking. -- Zizi Howell For the holidays, a round of drinks for Nola, Carlos and Art, longtime barkeeps at Santa Anita. And also, to give Gary Stevens all of the losing tickets I accumulated by betting against him. What a great career. To a mediation counseling expert, someone to help pay the fees he or she rightfully gets for listening to Frank and Belinda Stronach. To Michael Wrona, something really nice whatever hed like (within reason.) -- Drew Hart To the stewards at Santa Anita, new high-powered binoculars so they can really see whats happening on the race track. -- Peter Canavan To the comedian who came up with the idea of roulette wagering on races, some nyuck-nyuck-nyuck sounds to disturb your sleep. -- Don Walters To the opening-day fans at Santa Anita, more than two beer stands open in the infield, more than five betting windows open with pari-mutuel clerks who actually know how the machines work, and a place to buy a hot dog without having to wait two hours in line. -- Gil Luna To Santa Anita, still waiting on those new, fireproof barns and a stable manager that is nice to the small trainers and gives them adequate stall space. -- Carolyn Sherry To Los Alamitos, a total makeover for the race track grandstand area. -- William Casper To Los Alamitos, more racing because its such a friendly track with reasonable prices and a good crowd. -- Gerald Fisch To Del Mar, the ability to stay open from mid-July until Nov. 1. -- Doug Forde To the owners and operators of Arizona Downs, our new track up in Prescott, best of luck to you all, and much success in your new venture. -- Dennis McGarry To Nick Zito fans, a Kentucky Derby contender. To Aqueduct, a racing association that appreciates it properly, and a big kiss from me. To jockeys everywhere, horse-players who dont actively hate them. -- Diana Hurlburt For race fans, a clock that gives the actual minutes to post for Gulfstream Park. -- Curtis Kalleward To Thistledown race track, the wish for people to enjoy a race day in its beautiful but abandoned clubhouse. And, for physically challenged people, the ability to gain access without climbing steps at the entrance, or having to walk a long circuitous journey through a racino to purchase a program. And when you get there to have food or beverages and mutuel clerks. -- Jane Eaton To the California horse racing powers, a plea to not miss the boat and capitalize on the inevitable legalization of sports betting in California to benefit the racing industry. -- Jim Sciuto To our esteemed newsletter producer, two fewer weeks to the racing season so he has more vacation. -- Christie Davis And finally, to all our newsletter readers, I want to thank you for your support and wish you a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Heres also hoping youll watch this little three-minute clip from Sundays CBS Sunday Morning, about a Secret Santa who enlists the help of a homeless person, and a lesson on how we can all live a better life. (Just click here and stick through the commercial, its worth it.) -- John Cherwa Los Alamitos thoroughbred review In the final stakes race of the eight-day meeting, the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes was a runaway for heavy favorite Galilean, who won by nine lengths. He went to the front and was never headed in the one-mile race for 2-year-old Cal-breds. Galilean paid $2.40 and $2.10. There was no show wagering in the six-horse race. Our Silver Oak was second, and Feeling Strong was third. He broke really sharp and relaxed well for me, winning jockey Flavien Prat said. I was confident he would give me a good kick when I asked him. I hadnt ridden him before, but Id watched the replays of his other two races, so I went into this with a lot of confidence. Winning trainer Jerry Hollendorfer was a little circumspect on the colts future. Were taking one step at a time with him, Hollendorfer said. Well take a good look at a lot of different things and the fact that he can route makes a big difference. He has speed and once we can make him tactical as well, well be in a lot better position. Champion of champions You know, once a week we preview the big weekend races at Los Alamitos quarter-horse races but then we dont always give you the results. So, with the biggest race of the year on Saturday, we thought we should ask Orlando Gutierrez, Los Als media guru, to summarize what went down. All yours, Orlando. Eleven years ago, Johnny and Jana Trotter celebrated a partnership with Burnett Ranches with a victory with One Famous Eagle in the 2007 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. I told Jana when One Famous Eagle won the Two Million, Jana, you better enjoy this because we might never get to do this again, Johnny Trotter said. She said, No way, well do this with one of his sons someday. Ridden by Cody Jensen for trainer Justin Joiner, Bodacious Eagle proved Jana right, as the 6-year-old gelding by One Famous Eagle won the Grade 1, $600,000 Champion of Champions by a head over Lesley Joyners Jesstacartel. Bred by La Feliz Montana Ranch, Bodacious Eagle led from start to finish and held off a steady charge from Los Alamitos Super Derby winner Jesstacartel and a big late run by third-place finisher BH Lisas Boy. Bodacious Eagle covered the 440 yards in 21.4572 seconds. Leaving the gate from the nine as the 9-2 third choice in the wagering, Bodacious Eagle posted his 14th win in 33 starts and his $300,000 in earnings pushed his career bankroll to $1,297,536. Bodacious Eagle has finished in the top four in 29 of his career starts. Hes the best horse Ive ever owned, said Trotter, a past AQHA president and one of the owners of Ruidoso Downs. The win was the first in this race for Jensen, a two-time AQHA champion jockey. Ive been coveting this race for a long time. Its kind of like the last real bucket-list race that Ive been wanting to scratch off, he said. The top three finishers were followed by Zoomin For Spuds, LD Is Back, He Looks Hot, Heza Dasha Fire, Yanque, Tarzanito and Jess Ravin. Big races review A look at graded stakes or races worth more $100,000 or more on Sunday. Aqueduct (8): $150,000 New York Stallion Series (Great White Way Division), N.Y.-bred fillies 2 years old, 6 furlongs. Winner: Blindwillie McTell ($7.50) Los Alamitos (7): $100,000 King Glorious Stakes, Cal-bred 2-year-olds, 1 mile. Winner: Galilean ($2.40) Remington (9): $100,000 Shes All In Stakes, fillies and mares 3 years old and up, 1 mile 70 yards. Winner: United Patriot ($5.60) Remington (10): $100,000 Trapeze Stakes, fillies 2 years old, 1 mile. Winner: Cowgirls Like Us ($11.20) Remington (11): $400,000 Remington Springboard Mile, 2-year-olds, 1 mile. Winner: Long Range Toddy ($39.20) Final thought Always looking to add more subscribers to this newsletter. Cant beat the price. If you like it, tell someone. If you dont like it, then youre probably not reading this. Either way, send to a friend and just have them click here and sign up. Remember, its free, and all we need is your email, nothing more. Any thoughts, you can reach me at johnacherwa@gmail.com. You can also feed my ego by following me on Twitter @jcherwa. Now, here is the star of the show, Sundays results. See you on Dec. 26, and there is no cure for newsletter withdrawal, sorry. For reasons authorities dont fully understand, Richard Russell, a baggage handler at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, stole a 76-seat passenger plane and flew haphazardly for about an hour before crashing into an island in Puget Sound. The Aug. 10 incident, which ended in Russells death, hampered airport operations, raised questions about airport ramp security and captured media attention from around the globe. But bizarre airline incidents dont always make headlines. I say this with certainty because one of the most audacious heists in aviation history took place on my watch. Although the heist occurred on a major U.S. carrier in broad daylight, no less youve probably never heard about it. On Feb. 17, 1997, I was one of four flight attendants aboard a Boeing 727 preparing to depart Curacao for Miami. Two flight attendants occupied the jump seat adjacent to the forward door. I sat in the rear jump seat next to another colleague. The plane was packed with sun-kissed passengers strapped in for the three-hour flight. Advertisement Moments after pushback, the chaos began. As the plane rolled down the taxiway, it stopped unexpectedly. Our captain emerged from the cockpit and marched down the aisle, past the upturned faces of baffled passengers. I rose from my jump seat as the captain approached. In a secretive voice, he told me the cargo door indicator light had flashed. He needed to check the outer seal on the cargo door. So he opened the aft emergency door, pulled a lever that lowered the stairs, and a moment later disappeared. As I turned toward the cabin, a passenger waved his hands in an apparent attempt to get my attention. He was seated near a window exit on the left side of the aircraft. As I approached, the passenger pointed a finger toward the tarmac. Just before the plane stopped, we saw a guy run underneath the airplane, he said. From the opposite side of the aisle, a man said, Yeah, and we saw a guy come from under this side of the airplane. He ran off carrying a bag. Before I could reach the cockpit to alert the first officer about the security breach, a first-class passenger ran down the aisle. His wide eyes seemed vaguely familiar. Someone ran off with my bag, he said. It was in the cargo bin. I just looked out the window and saw someone running away with it. Suddenly, I remembered him. He worked as an air courier for one of Americas best-known armored security companies. I had spoken to him on previous flights, and I learned that air couriers are responsible for moving large sums of cash. The money is stowed safely in the cargo hold while the courier sits in the cabin. Moments before our flight departed, an armored truck pulled alongside the aircraft. I watched through an airplane window as a couple of gun-toting officers tossed two large canvas bags into the cargo hold. Hands resting on the butts of their pistols, the officers watched intently as ground crew personnel closed the hatch and our aircraft taxied away. When the captain ascended the stairs, he looked puzzled. The cargo door is wide open, he said. I told him about the eyewitness accounts. Intrigued, the captain rushed down the stairs again, and I followed him. The courier followed. Sweating beneath a hot Caribbean sun, the three of us stared into an open cargo compartment devoid of that precious cargo. According to the courier, there were two large money bags one filled with unmarked bills in small denominations, the other, negotiable bonds and other monetary instruments. The cash bag had disappeared. We would later learn that a thief had crept onto the tarmac and jogged alongside the aircraft as it rolled toward the taxiway at about 5 mph. The 727 was equipped with two cargo compartments, both on the right side of the aircraft. Both compartments are accessible by anyone of average height, and they were easily opened by pulling the handle out from the fuselage surface. The thief knew which compartment to open and exactly how to open it. He also knew which bag contained cash. It was a spectacular rip-off worthy of an action flick. Our flight didnt wait for a police investigation. We took off a few minutes behind schedule. How much money was in the bag? I asked as I escorted the courier to his seat. Almost $500,000, he said, adding that the bills were old and shopworn and had been scheduled to be destroyed by the Federal Reserve when they were returned to the U.S. For the next several weeks, I read updates in Curacaos local newspaper and chatted with airline staff on my return trips to the island. As it turned out, three conspirators had been involved in the theft. One was an airline employee. The three were eventually indicted and sent to prison after leaving a conspicuous trail of spending, including the purchase of an automobile. About five years after the incident, the remaining Boeing 727s in our fleet were retired and replaced with 737s with similar cargo door features, but its unlikely a similar airplane heist could occur nowadays, thanks to enhanced airport security. But then again, I never thought a baggage handler could manage to steal a passenger airplane either. travel@latimes.com @latimestravel It was never easy for the graying barons who had long controlled Germanys conservative Christian Democratic Union party to be led by a woman and after 18 years of Angela Merkels rule they were sure that she would be replaced by one of their own. But the recent election of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to lead the Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, caused such shock and consternation that scores of men have quit and hundreds more have threatened to leave the party the dominant political force in Germany since World War II. There are many grumpy old men out there who wanted a man to lead them again and they were sure [Friedrich] Merz would win, said Gero Neugebauer, a political scientist at Berlins Free University, referring to the defeated challenger. He added there were a lot of men deeply frustrated that another woman has been picked to lead them. They couldnt imagine another woman would beat their guy, Neugebauer said. Theyre shocked, bitter and disappointed now. They just dont want a woman to lead them. They cant get over it. Theres a lot of lingering resentment. Advertisement In remarks tinged with sexism, some male leaders have warned darkly of a future coup against AKK, as she is better known because of the difficulties even Germans have pronouncing a name with eight tongue-twisting syllables. They have said she is not automatically the conservative candidate to follow Merkel as chancellor in 2021 as would ordinarily be the case for the leader of the Christian Democrats. Some have called for a break in tradition and suggested that Merz, the wealthy, 63-year-old businessman she narrowly defeated in a vote of 999 party delegates, could still end up becoming the countrys next chancellor. More ominously, some conspiracy theorists in the CDU accused party organizers of manipulating the microphone when Merz was speaking to the delegates to make him sound bad and training extra hot spotlights on him to cause him to perspire all denied by party officials. The CDU has 426,000 registered members nationwide. Two of the largest of Germanys 16 states, Baden-Wuerttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, have each reported dozens of members quitting the party over Merzs defeat. Other state organizations have reported smaller numbers of resignations. Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merkels handpicked successor and the former governor of Saarland, has been in the headlines all week for her riposte against two powerful men casting aspersions on her leadership qualifications in a popular TV talk show. Host Anne Will had asked: Does Kramp-Karrenbauers victory mean that this was the end of the predominance of old white men in this country? One of her guests, Wolfgang Kubicki, a leader of the centrist Free Democratic Party, directly addressed Kramp-Karrenbauer, who was also on the show, telling her that she had delivered a rhetorically impressive speech that was full of emotion. Another man, retired business journalist Gabor Steingart, told Kramp-Karrenbauer that she had hardly accomplished anything as governor of Saarland, which he called small and pathetic. He questioned whether she was qualified to become chancellor, overlooking the fact that neither Merkel nor Merz ever ran a state government of any size. Kramp-Karrenbauer called their remarks disrespectful and ignorant. The way youre blathering on here is the kind of thing that Ive had to deal with my whole life, she began, adding she had heard this misogynist garbage too often before. Many of the men Ive worked with in politics are never asked And how do you manage with three children? Its like women are some kind of pitiable species. Women, lets not forget, make up more than half of the population. The grousing over her ascension has not subsided and viewership ratings have been high all week for shows that are eagerly trying to dissect and tap into the dissent. In another popular talk show Wednesday, an archconservative publisher, Helmut Markwort, belittled Kramp-Karrenbauers experience and even called her a leftist. Sorry to say this, but the woman never worked in a company in her life, she has no business experience whatsoever, said Markwort, who is 82. Shes only been a politician. Neugebauer, the political scientist, said there were a lot of men deeply frustrated that another woman had been picked to lead them. Considering the longevity and stability in German politics, with two of the last three conservative party leaders holding office for 43 of the last 44 years, it could mean many will never see a male leader again in their lifetimes. Kramp-Karrenbauer is 56. German candidates for the Christian Democratic Union party leadership Friedrich Merz, from left, CDU Secretary-General Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Health Minister Jens Spahn take part in a debate in Berlin on Nov. 30, 2018. (Odd Andersen / AFP/ Getty Images) The glass ceiling is thick in Germany. There are no women leading any of Germanys 30 largest publicly traded companies and women hold just 8% of those executive boards seats. The pay gap between men and women is wider in Germany than in most European countries, with women earning an average of 21% less than men, according to a recent survey in Der Spiegel magazine. Merkel is a Protestant pastors daughter from formerly communist eastern Germany in a party dominated by Roman Catholic men from western Germany. Reflecting her improbable rise to the top, she was first considered to be just an interim party leader when elected in 2000 seen more as an accident of history at a time when the conservatives were stuck in opposition and bogged down by an ugly campaign financing scandal. Her squeaky clean, youthful image and unflappable style helped repair some of the damage caused by the elderly male leaders. But she surprised many by holding on to the job, outfoxing Merz and a dozen other male rivals in subsequent years before leading the party back to power as chancellor in 2005. With the inner-party debate on Kramp-Karrenbauer threatening to boil over in her first week as chairwoman normally a honeymoon period filled with good wishes and goodwill one of the strongest and most powerful backers of Merz urged the losers to settle down and accept their defeat. Wolfgang Schaeuble, the 76-year-old president of Parliament and longtime former finance minister, told Bild newspaper: Those who are pining for a rematch or even vengeance have it all wrong. Thats not the way democracy works. Kirschbaum is a special correspondent. The government of Saudi Arabia on Monday condemned a recent U.S. Senate resolution blaming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, calling the Senate vote blatant interference in the kingdoms internal affairs, according to a Saudi government statement. The Senate measure, which passed unanimously on Thursday, was a sweeping condemnation of the de facto Saudi ruler including his crackdown on internal dissent. And it was a rebuke of President Trumps defense of the crown prince and his position that Khashoggis death should not threaten the financial and strategic ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States. In its lengthy response to the Senate on Monday, Saudi Arabia accused the lawmakers of making unsubstantiated claims and allegations and said it categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership, represented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature. The Saudi government used similar language during a flare-up in August with Canada, after the Canadian Foreign Ministry called for the release of an imprisoned Saudi womens rights activist. Saudi Arabia announced that it was expelling the Canadian ambassador to Riyadh and halting new trade and investment deals. Advertisement Saudi officials did not announce any measures against the United States on Monday, and its statement took pains to praise the Trump administration, saying the Kingdom appreciates the prudent position taken by the United States Government and its institutions regarding recent developments. Khashoggi, a contributing columnist to the Washington Post, was killed by Saudi government agents in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. A CIA assessment concluded that the crown prince had likely ordered and monitored the killing. The Saudi government has said it is investigating Khashoggis death but its prosecutors have already absolved the prince of any responsibility. The Senates rebuke of the crown prince beyond the Khashoggi case, faulting him for contributing to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the continuing blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia and its allies and the detention and torture of Saudi dissidents and activists, including a group of womens rights advocates. The Senate also approved a separate measure on Thursday to end U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war effort in Yemen. Properties / Homes Dec 17, 2018 | By Jonathan Ho The latest in a serious of picturesque cliffside houses, Owl Creek in Snowmass, Coloardo is a luxurious retreat by Skylab architecture situated right on the slops of the rocky landscapes of Snowmass mountain, Colorado. The Owl Creek House is at its core, a triangular structural steel domicle conceptualised and built as a single shared, stand-alone home was built for several families, anchored directly due to height regulations and geographic constraints with a sloped roof to allow rain and snow deluge to clear naturally. Cliffside House Owl Creek, Snowmass, Colorado luxury retreat by Skylab architecture Perched on the hillside, with panoramic views of Snowmass Mountain, the cliffside Owl Creek house was built on the idea that the gorgeous expanse of the Colorado mountainside can deepen the connections between friends, families and the natural world. Initial site challenges and slope constraints were solved by anchoring the Owl Creek residence directly into the landform. Given that the cliffside house sits on some of the most panoramic views of the mountainside, Skylab framed the landscape through large framed (for rigidity against strong winds a necessity unlike urban penthouses) windows, fill the interiors with both plenty of natural light as well as bringing the outdoors in. The Snowmass Owl Creek house is built for two families comfortable but could fit another at a stretch, featuring a myriad of private rooms and ski-lodge-esque communal areas lending that feel reminiscent of many luxury retreats, what results is an open space that is also simultaneously warm and intimate. Oak Creek house manages to blend with the picturesque environs by keeping to a palette and selection of earth-hued materials, including raw steel, wood, and rock, making every eort to minimise visual separation of this cliffside home from the outdoors. The strict height limitation and slope constraints of the cliffside is turned into an advantage by hewing the structure onto an unobtrusive platform and maximising the views through two principal facades, providing a visual connection to the landscape at every angle. Strategic decisions in the frame and form allowed for efficiencies and functional benefits, including a triangular structural steel frame with car decking to minimize costs through prefabrication. Style / World of Watches (WOW) World of Watches welcomes Vietnam to its fold of international presence with an exclusive interview with Hon Nguyen Huu Dec 17, 2018 | By LUXUO The luxury scene is booming all around the world. One would be surprised to know that Vietnam, a quaint city known for its rivers and Buddhist pagodas is expanding its luxury sphere as well. World of Watches welcomes Vietnam to its fold of international presence with an exclusive interview with CEO and Publisher of WOW Vietnam Hon Nguyen Huu. Interview With Hon Nguyen Huu, WOW Vietnam Can you let us know more of the Vietnam luxury scene this past year? Were there new malls opened in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) that suggest that the luxury goods market is healthy? Well, for me, luxury has never been a big party. To my friends, their business results for luxury brand offices in Vietnam are getting better. Some said that with the stagnant markets in Singapore and Thailand, the chances are shifted to Vietnam. Not only for fashion or watches, I have seen lots of exciting events which marked a good year for luxury brands in Vietnam. And pretty sure for the coming year. However, it doesnt mean we have good preparation for this growth. People the main force behind all luxury services in Vietnam are not qualified enough for the demand. Customers who pay a lot of money for high-end experience will also require a lots from service providers, thats why marketers will have to equip themselves with professionalism and deep knowledge in this territory. I hope that brand leaders will pay more attention to this. business results for luxury brand offices in Vietnam are getting better, Landmark 81 is one of the newest shopping centres opening this year. Its the tallest skyscraper in SEA and top ten around the world with shopping area of 59,000 sqm. Besides, bars and sky view gyms also signal the rapid growth of luxury brands coming to this Saigon riverside building. Another shopping mall Union Square which is under renovation with the model of hotel-shopping mall will be opened in district 1 soon. I love the vintage look and value of the heritage, if I were to choose a place for shopping, Id love Rex Hotel. At this heritage hotel, Jonathan Hanh Nguyen has invested and opened new boutiques of Rolex, Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bvlgari, Cartier Which luxury brands seem to blend very well with the affluent Vietnamese consumers? On the fashion side, or on the watch side? Each brand will offer to customers the shopping and service experience with their own high-quality standards. I like the way of Hermes, Cartier, Rolex, Omega, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Prada are keeping their loyal customers. This is real for consumers and brands stories. Recently, Gucci or HYT has brought a new fresh approach towards Millennials and Gen Z. To talk about watch particularly, the independent and classic brands are turning attention to Vietnamese consumers. Vietnamese are not concerned with spending money, they just love the uniqueness and pay a lot for their ownership when possible. And a special thing is luxury consumers are often quiet, so its hard to tell which brand is doing better. WOW Vietnam has already had many fans in Vietnam, what is the magazines specific positioning and why is it appreciated by both watch lovers and also more knowledgeable watch collectors? Firstly, content is our unparalleled strength that no other magazine has, due to the fact that our editors have deep knowledge in watches. The close relationship with watch collectors are both pride and pressure for us to improve our issues day by day. WOW Singapore is a good link between customers and us, to provide perfect content that continuously makes the magazine which has licenses in 9 countries even stronger. Secondly, a distribution network to 300 watch collectors and clubs who have deep passion for watches, this has always been WOW appreciation. We also have the wide coverage of 500 stalls in 63 provinces and boutiques, hotels, galleries and big restaurants. Even at the favourite places of millennials, like the Hidden Archive event, I have seen some 9X wearing Panerai or Speake-Marin while they auction their clothes collection. This is a new surprise which requires WOW to have proper moves in the future. You will be launching LUXUO.VN in Vietnam within the next quarter, what will be specific to the luxury news portal, and how will it be different from existing luxury news channels ? LUXUO.VN is the first online issue about luxury life in Vietnam. Being the pioneer brings us more pressure and challenges. I still believe we need a good content strategy before starting doing different things with Luxuo. Thats why different perspectives about the luxury market, shopping and luxury brands culture will be reflected in Luxuo.vn with focus, deep and lively perspectives. We provide the best things on Luxuo.vn, from shopping choices, market views, brands stories and people. The information about luxury brands is not in printed versions only. Digital magazine and media also play their own roles. This makes the magazines marketing change. But interesting pressure indeed. Are there Special events and activations planned? How will you engage luxury goods lovers and watch collectors? Sure, the very first thing is that there will be a launch event on 17th Jan 2019. Each WOW issue will have a separate offline event to connect us with watch collectors. Moreover, Luxuo Network Private Event is being rolled out. Where do you see LUXUO in Vietnam two years from now? The Vietnamese always say: dont count your chickens before they hatch. Just to let you know, I am still very excited with plans for the next 2 years. Tell us about the founders and team behind your Media Group and why you are highly confident of the success of WOW and LUXUO in Vietnam. You know, we have very experienced members, and for the newcomers, they are appreciated with high passion. Our editors are the ones who have worked for Harpers Bazaar Vietnam, Wow Vietnam, LOfficiel Vietnam, and Elle Vietnam before they came to SR. We also have a marketing team consisting of a watch collector and a fashion-influencer. Socially-savvy lives of young members make us stay updated with the market. We will do great, I hope. Who is one person or one mentor who has inspired you in your life ? Theres a philosophy I have pursued in all of my careers and I think it makes my success today, it is Always say Yes. Yes to a job, yes to a meeting, yes to a coffee meet up, or yes in helping a friend because you will never know what the future will bring you. Just make the most out of the present. In other ways, I am trying my best to be approachable. I always focus on the things that matter rather than being cool. Focus on caring for people is a foundation of meaningful and purposeful life. You have to dream of bigger things than yourself. Who taught me this? Its my Mom. Visit World of Watches Vietnam on Luxuo.vn. Next time the sun rises, the Universe will be upon us. Thats what Catriona Gray posted on her Instagram account on Sunday, expressing confidence in taking home the crown for the Philippines in the 2018 Miss Universe beauty pageant. The coronation show of the annual contest unfolds this morning in Bangkok, Thailand, with Grey also asking for prayers from Filipinos via social media, as she remains one of the bettors favorites to rule the competition. Betting site OddsShark places Gray, who is hoping to become the fourth Miss Universe from the Philippines, as a +500 favorite alongside Miss Puerto Rico Kiara Ortega. Sophida Kanchanarin of host Thailand is next at +800 odds, tied with Miss United States Sarah Rose Summers. On Instagram, the Filipino-Australian model posted a photo of herself on a beach with a view of the sunrise in the background, wearing an enchanting yellow bikini top and matching sheer skirt. Less than 24 hours to go to @missuniverse! Keep sending me prayers mga kababayan! she asked her fanswhich now include non-Filipinos like top American model Tyra Banks. Amazed byduring the preliminary swimsuit competition on Friday, Banks said on her own social media platform: Its all about Pinoy Power to the Max!!!The video of the 24-year-old models performance has gone viral online, as pundits bolstered her standing as one of the early favorites to win the crownand countless imitators have spawned hilarious memes with Grays come-hither look as she twirled on the catwalk. It didnt hurt that Greys showing in the long gown competition was equally enthralling, as she wore an orange flowing number inspired by the mythical ibong Adarna co-designed by her and Mak Tumang. Gray is hoping to win the Philippines fourth Miss Universe crown after Pia Wurtzbach in 2015, Margie Moran in 1973, and Gloria Diaz in 1969. She had already placed in the top 5 of the 2016 Miss World pageant. READ: Its all or nothing for Catriona Gray In a first, the Middle East Council for Churches (MECC) Secretary-General Soraya Bechealany is in Cairo to discuss unity and acceptance between Christian sects with officials from different Christian denominations. On Monday, Bechealany met with the head of the Evangelical Community in Egypt Andrea Zaki, who is also the general-director of the Coptic Evangelical Organisation for Social Services (CEOSS). During the meeting, Zaki stressed on the importance of the notion of unity between churches for his community. "We believe that unity between churches signifies a shared sense of Christian belief," Zaki told Bechealany, adding that "we aim to promote building and reinforcing notions of cultural and religious acceptance and the appropriate integration of differences." Bechealany said that her visit to Egypt, which started on Saturday, comes in light of her belief in the importance of the Egyptian churches and the valuable heritage they boast. On Sunday, Bechealany met with the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district. Bechealany with head of the Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II at Saint Mark's Cathedral Later on Sunday, the Lebanese theologian met with Bishop Armiah (Jeremiah), the head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Centre, as well as a number of journalists. Soraya Bechalany Armiah told Bechealany that this is the first time for an open discussion to be held with journalists to introduce the role of the MECC in Islamic-Christian discourse, a statement by the Coptic cultural centre said. "The role that you are playing will not only be beneficial to the East, but will also have an effect in the West, as the world must understand the meaning of differences and acceptance of the other, so that we could all live for building nations and maintaining peace; this is the true message of Christianity," said Armiah. The MECC is an ecumenical entity that aims to bring together different churches and reach consensus and peace, where each church leader would add their respective input based on their own vision. The council has successfully brokered many agreements among multiple churches. Search Keywords: Short link: In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used. This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. Please read it carefully to understand how we use your personal data. We may update this Policy from time to time without notice to you, so please check it regularly. The provision of your personal data to us is voluntary. 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Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com The following is an introduction to the latest publication by Marxist Books, The Revolutionary Philosophy of Marxism, by the editor of In Defence of Marxism, Alan Woods. This new selection of writings on dialectical materialism is now available for purchase at a special launch price on MarxistBooks.com. I was delighted to learn of the plan of the comrades of the US section of the IMT to publish an anthology of basic writings on Marxist philosophy. Every specialized branch of human activity presupposes a certain level of understanding and study. This applies as much to carpentry as to brain surgery. The idea that we can get along without some degree of learning is in flat contradiction to everyday experience. If I go to the dentist and he says to me, I have never studied dentistry and know nothing about it, but open your mouth and I will have a go, I think I would make a hasty exit. If Im experiencing problems with my central heating and a man comes to my house, pulls a hammer out of his bag and says: I know nothing about plumbing, but show me your central heating system and I will learn by trial and error, I would certainly show him where the exit is. Most people would not dream of expressing an informed opinion about brain surgery or quantum mechanics without specialized knowledge of these fields, but matters seem to be quite different when it comes to Marxism. It seems that anyone can express an opinion about Marxism without having read a single line of what Marx and Engels actually wrote. This statement applies just as muchin fact, far moreto the so-called academic experts who write books attacking Marxism, which clearly show that they have not read Marx, or if they have read a little, they have not understood a single word of it. Alan Woods speaking at the launch of The Revolutionary Philosophy of Marxism at the 2018 Northeast Regional Marxist School in NYC: This situation is sufficiently lamentable, but even more unfortunate is the fact that many people who call themselves Marxists are equally ignorant of the writings of Marx and Engels. In my experience, even many people who consider themselves to be Marxist cadres rarely bother to plumb the depths of Marxist theory in all its richness and variety. All too often they merely skate over the surface, repeating thoughtlessly a few slogans and quotes taken out of context which they have learned by rote, the genuine content of which remains a closed book for them. Many people think they know what Marxism is. Over time they have become familiar with some of the basic ideas. But what is familiar is not understoodprecisely because it is familiar. A long time ago I read something that Hegel wrote that made a deep impression on me. I cannot remember where I read it and I am writing from memory: Aber was bekannt ist, ist darum noch nicht erkannt (But what is known is not on that account understood). Nowhere is this affirmation clearer than in the very important area of philosophy. It is too often forgotten that Marxism began as a philosophy, and the philosophical method of Marxism is of fundamental importance in understanding the ideas of Marx and Engels. It is too often forgotten that Marxism began as a philosophy, and the philosophical method of Marxism is of fundamental importance in understanding the ideas of Marx and Engels / Image: Adam Jones Here, however, we are confronted with a difficulty. The most systematic account of dialectics is contained in the writings of Hegel, in particular his massive work The Science of Logic. But the reader can soon be disheartened by the highly inaccessible way in which Hegel sets forth his ideasabstract and abstruseEngels called it, while Lenin commented that reading The Science of Logic was the best way of getting a headache. Marx intended to write a work on dialectical materialism in order to make available to the general reader the rational kernel of Hegels thought. Unfortunately, he died before he could do so. Marxs indefatigable comrade, Friedrich Engels, wrote a number of brilliant studies on dialectical philosophy including Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of German Classical Philosophy, Anti-Duhring, and The Dialectics of Nature. The last-named work was intended to be the basis for a longer work on Marxist philosophy, but unfortunately, Engels was prevented from completing it by the immense work of finishing the second and third volumes of Capital, which Marx left unfinished at his death. It is true that, scattered throughout the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, and Plekhanov, one can find a very large amount of material on this subject, but it would take a very long time to extract all this information. Over 20 years ago, in collaboration with my comrade and teacher, Ted Grant, I wrote a book called Reason in Revolt. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first attempt to apply the method of dialectical materialism to the results of modern science since Engels wrote The Dialectics of Nature. But the task of putting together a more or less systematic exposition of Marxist philosophy still remains to be done. For some time, I have been planning to write a work of Marxist philosophy that will hopefully present the ideas of Hegel in a way that will be more accessible to the general reader. Unfortunately, this work has been delayed by other tasks, mainly the production of the complete version of Trotskys Stalin. I hope to complete this task in the not too distant future. In the meantime, the present anthology will prove of invaluable assistance to the student of scientific socialism who wishes to acquire a better grasp of Marxist philosophy, and I welcome its publication with every possible enthusiasm. The decay of modern philosophy The attitude of most people these days regarding philosophy is usually one of indifference or even contempt. As far as modern philosophy is concerned this is quite understandable. The fiddling and fussing about meaning and semantics strikingly resembles the rarefied atmosphere and convoluted debates of the medieval Schoolmen who argued endlessly over the sex of angels and how many angels could dance on the head of the needle. For the past one-and-a-half centuries, the realm of philosophy has resembled an arid desert with only the occasional trace of life. One will search in vain in this wasteland for any source of illumination. It is hard to say what is worse: the intolerable pretensions of so-called postmodernism, or the obvious emptiness of its content. The treasure trove of the past, with its ancient glories and flashes of illumination seems utterly extinguished. With the latest craze for so-called postmodernism, bourgeois philosophy has reached its nadir. The meager content of this trend has not prevented its adherents from assuming the most absurd airs and graces, accompanied by an arrogant contempt for the great philosophers of the past. When we examine the cesspit of modern philosophy, the words of Hegel in the Preface to the Phenomenology of Mindimmediately spring to mind: By the little which can thus satisfy the needs of the human spirit we can measure the extent of its loss. The contempt for philosophy, or rather, the complete indifference that most people display towards it is richly deserved. But it is unfortunate that in turning aside from the present-day philosophical swamp, people neglect the great thinkers of the past who, in contrast to the modern charlatans, were giants of human thought. One can learn a great deal from the Greeks, Spinoza, and Hegel, who were pioneers, who prepared the way for the brilliant achievements of Marxist philosophy and can rightly be considered as an important part of our revolutionary heritage. Empiricism versus dialectics The Anglo-Saxon world in general has proved remarkably impervious to philosophy. Insofar as they possess any philosophy, the Americans and their English cousins have limited the scope of their thought to the narrow boundaries of empiricism and its soulmate, pragmatism. Broad generalizations of a more theoretical character have always been regarded with something akin to suspicion. Philosophy is abstract thought, but philosophical generalizations are alien to the Anglo-Saxon tradition. The empiricist tradition is impatient with generalizations. It constantly demands the concrete, the facts, but in confining itself to this narrow approach, it constantly misses the forest for the trees. For everyday purposes, empirical forms of thought may suffice, but for more complex processes, the narrowness of empiricism immediately becomes an obstacle / Image: public domain In its day, empiricism played a most progressive, and even revolutionary role in the development of human thought and science. However, empiricism is helpful only within certain limits. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the empirical school of thought associated with the name of Sir Francis Bacon exercised a contradictory influence upon subsequent developments. On the one hand, by stressing the need for observation and experiment, it gave a stimulus to scientific investigation. On the other hand, it gave rise to the narrow empiricist outlook that has had a negative effect on the development of philosophical thought, above all, in Britain and the United States. That peculiarly Anglo-Saxon aversion to theory, the tendency towards narrow empiricism, the slavish worship of the facts, and a stubborn refusal to accept generalizations, has dominated educated thought in Britain and, by extension, the United States, for so long that it has acquired the character of a rooted prejudice. For the empirical thinker, nothing exists except in its outward manifestation. This thought always examines things in their singleness, stillness, and isolation, and ends up examining the idea of a thing, and not the thing itself. Sense perception is thought on a very low and basic level. For everyday purposes, such forms of thought may suffice, but for more complex processes, the narrowness of empiricism immediately becomes an obstacle to a mind that aspires to attain the truth. By the truth we mean human knowledge that correctly reflects the objective world, its laws, and properties. In this sense it does not depend on a subject, as imagined by Bishop Berkeley, Hume, and the other early representatives of English empiricism, who inevitably fell into the swamp of subjective idealism. The demand for the facts Many people only feel secure when they can refer to the facts. Yet the facts do not select themselves. A definite method is required that will help us to look beyond the immediately given and lay bare the processes that lie beyond the facts. Despite claims made to the contrary, it is impossible to proceed from the facts without any preconceptions. Such supposed objectivity has never existed and will never exist. In approaching the facts, we bring our own conceptions and categories with us. These can either be conscious or unconscious, but they are always present. Those who imagine that they can get along quite happily without a philosophyas is the case with many scientistsmerely repeat unconsciously the existing official philosophy of the day and the current prejudices of the society in which they live. It is therefore indispensable that scientists, and thinking people in general, should strive to work out a consistent way of looking at the world, a coherent philosophy which can serve as an adequate tool for analyzing things and processes. The conclusions drawn from sense perception are hypothetical, demanding further proof. Over a long period of observation, combined with practical activity which enables us to test the correctness or otherwise of our ideas, we discover a series of essential connections between phenomena, which show that they possess common features, and belong to a particular genus or species. The process of human cognition proceeds from the particular to the universal, but also from the universal to the particular. It is therefore incorrect and one-sided to counterpose one to the other. Dialectical materialism does not regard induction and deduction as mutually incompatible, but as different aspects of the dialectical process of cognition, which are inseparably connected, and condition one another. Inductive reasoning, in the last analysis, is the basis of all knowledge, since all we know is ultimately derived from observation of the objective world and experience. However, on closer examination, the limitations of a strictly inductive method become clear. No matter how many facts are examined, it only takes a single exception to undermine whatever general conclusion we have drawn from them. If we have seen a thousand white swans and draw the conclusion that all swans are white, and then see a black swan, our conclusion no longer holds good. In The Dialectics of Nature, Engels pointed out the paradox of the empirical school, which imagined that it had disposed of metaphysics once and for all, but actually ended up accepting all kinds of mystical ideas. [This trend] which, exalting mere experience, treats thought with sovereign disdain . . . really has gone to the furthest extreme in emptiness of thought. In the Introduction to The Philosophy of History, Hegel rightly ridicules those historiansall too common in Britainwho pretend to limit themselves to the facts, presenting a spurious facade of academic objectivity, while giving free reign to their prejudices: We must proceed historicallyempirically. Among other precautions we must take care not to be misled by professed historians who . . . are chargeable with the very procedure of which they accuse the philosopherintroducing a priori inventions of their own into the records of the past . . . We might then announce it as the first condition to be observed, that we should faithfully adopt all that is historical. But in such general expressions themselves, as faithfully and adopt, lies the ambiguity. Even the ordinary, the impartial historiographer, who believes and professes that he maintains a simply receptive attitude; surrendering himself only to the data supplied himis by no means passive as regard the exercise of his thinking powers. He brings his categories with him, and sees the phenomena presented to his mental vision, exclusively through these media. And, especially in all that pretends to the name of science, it is indispensable that Reason should not sleepthat reflection should be in full play. To him who looks upon the world rationally, the world in its turn presents a rational aspect. The relation is mutual. But the various exercises of reflectionthe different points of viewthe modes of deciding the simple question of the relative importance of events (the first category that occupies the attention of the historian), do not belong to this place. Bertrand Russell, whose views are diametrically opposed to dialectical materialism, nevertheless makes a valid criticism of the limitations of empiricism, which follows in the same line as Hegels remarks: As a rule, the framing of hypotheses is the most difficult part of scientific work, and the part where great ability is indispensable. So far, no method has been found which would make it possible to invent hypotheses by rule. Usually some hypothesis is a necessary preliminary to the collection of facts, since the selection of facts demands some way of determining relevance. Without something of this kind, the mere multiplicity of facts is baffling (The History of Western Philosophy). Dialectics The term dialectics comes from the Greek dialektike, derived from dialegomai, to converse, or discuss. Originally, it signified the art of discussion, which may be seen in its highest form in the Socratic dialogues of Plato. Setting out from a particular idea or opinion, usually derived from the concrete experiences and problems of life of the person involved, Socrates would, step by step, by a rigorous process of argument, bring to light the inner contradictions contained in the original proposition, show its limitations, and take the discussion to a higher level, involving an entirely different proposition. An initial argumentthesisis advanced. This is answered by a contrary argumentantithesis. Finally, after examining the question thoroughly, dissecting it to reveal its inner contradictions, we arrive at a conclusion on a higher levelsynthesis. This may or may not mean that the two sides reach agreement, but in the very process of developing the discussion itself, the understanding of both sides is deepened, and the discussion proceeds from a lower to a higher level. This is the dialectic of discussion in its classical form. Dialectics is a dynamic view of nature that frees human thought from the rigor mortisof formal logic. The first real exponent of dialectics was a remarkable man, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus (c. 544484 BCE). His work survives today as a series of brief but profound aphorisms, such as the following: Fire lives the death of air, and air lives the death of fire; Water lives the death of earth, and earth lives the death of water. It is the same thing in us that is living and dead, asleep and awake, young and old; each changes place and becomes the other. We step and we do not step into the same stream; we are and are not. These utterances seemed so difficult to understand, because they contradict what is known as the common sense view of the world. So obscure and paradoxical did they appear to his contemporaries that they earned him the nickname of Heraclitus the Dark. They did not understand what he was saying, but he was entirely indifferent to their incomprehension and treated it with scorn: Though this word is true ever more, yet men are as unable to understand it when they hear it for the first time as before they have heard it at all . . . But other men know not what they are doing when awake, even as they forget what they do in sleep. Fools, although they hear, are like the deaf; to them the adage applies that when present they are absent. Heraclitus was able to see what others, who based themselves purely on the empirical evidence of the senses, could not. In a devastating criticism of empiricism, he wrote: Eyes and ears are bad witnesses for men if they have souls that understand not their language. Of course, all our knowledge is ultimately derived from our senses, but sense perception can only tell us part of the story, and not necessarily the most important part. It is sufficient to remember that our senses tell us that the Earth is flat. Hegel, who had a very high opinion of Heraclitus as a philosopher, wrote in his History of Philosophy: Here we see land. There is no proposition of Heraclitus which I have not adopted in my Logic. The psychologist Carl Jung wrote: Old Heraclitus, who was indeed a very great sage, discovered the most marvelous of all psychological laws: the regulative function of opposites . . . A running contrariwise, by which he meant that sooner or later, everything runs into its opposite (Two essays on Analytical Psychology). In Anti-Duhring Engels gives the following appraisal of Heraclituss dialectical world outlook: When we reflect on nature or the history of mankind or our own intellectual activity, at first we see the picture of an endless maze of connections and interactions, in which nothing remains what, where, and as it was, but everything moves, changes, comes into being, and passes away. At first, therefore, we see the picture as a whole, with its individual parts still more or less kept in the background; we observe the movements, transitions, connections, rather than the things that move, change, and are connected. This primitive, naive, but intrinsically correct conception of the world is that of Greek philosophy, and was first clearly formulated by Heraclitus: everything is and is not, for everything is in flux, is constantly changing, constantly coming into being and passing away. . . . Motion is the mode of existence of matter. Never anywhere has there been matter without motion, or motion without matter, nor can there be. In his Dialectics of Nature Engels writes: Change of form of motion is always a process that takes place between at least two bodies, of which one loses a definite quantity of motion of one quality (e.g., heat), while the other gains a corresponding quantity of motion of another quality (mechanical motion, electricity, chemical decomposition). Dialectics, so-called objective [materialist] dialectics, prevails throughout nature, and so-called subjective dialectics, dialectical thought, is only the reflection of the motion through opposites which asserts itself everywhere in nature, and which by the continual conflict of the opposites and their final passage into one another, or into higher forms, determines the life of nature. In Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, Engels wrote: the whole world, natural, historical, intellectual, is represented as a processi.e., as in constant motion, change, transformation, developmentand the attempt is made to trace out the internal connection that makes a continuous whole of all this movement and development. The Hegelian dialectic The dialectical method appears in the writings of Heraclitus in an embryonic, undeveloped form. It was developed to its highest degree by Hegel. However, it appears here in a mystical, idealist form. It was rescued by the theoretical labors of Marx and Engels, who for the first time showed the rational kernel in Hegels thought. In its scientificmaterialistform, the dialectical method provides us with an indispensable tool for understanding the workings of nature, society and human thought. Hegels great dialectical masterpiece was The Science of Logic, the structure of which, he claimed, was an abstraction from the history of philosophy. It resembles the process the mind of a child undergoes when it first starts to receive external perceptions, beginning with the category of being, and from it, moving to more abstractHegel would have said concreteideas. It is necessary to read the great dialectician Hegel from a critical and materialist standpoint, which was what Lenin did in his Philosophical Notebooks / Image: public domain But the basic problem with The Science of Logic lies in the structure of the work itself. As an idealist, Hegel tried to create a philosophical system that, proceeding step by step through all the processes of conscious thought, would lead ultimately to the Absolute Idea, which Feuerbach, correctly, saw as just another name for God. That was also Lenins opinion. He wrote in his Philosophical Notebooks: Hegels Logic cannot be applied in its given form, it cannot be taken as given. One must separate out from it the logical (epistemological) nuances, after purifying them from the mysticism of ideas: that is still a big job. The artificial character of Hegels philosophical system is commented on by Engels in a Nov. 1, 1891 letter to Conrad Schmidt. He remarked that the structure of Hegels Logicis artificial, and that the transition from one category to the other is often made in a forced way. He did this by means of a pun: as in zugrunde gehen in order to get to the category of Grund, reason, ground. As for the Absolute Idea, Engels commented ironically, the problem with this is that Hegel tells us absolutely nothing about it. The attempt to force what was undoubtedly a masterpiece of dialectical thinking into the straitjacket of idealism meant that the work frequently had a forced and arbitrary character. It was, to quote Engels yet again, a colossal miscarriage. Nevertheless, for the patient reader, Hegels Logic offers a vast number of profound and rewarding ideas. Despite its idealist, and often quite obscure, character, it is possible to discern, as if through a distorting mirror, the reflection of material realitynot merely the history of philosophybut the history of society and the laws and processes of nature in general. For this, it is necessary to read Hegel from a critical and materialist standpoint, which was what Lenin did in his Philosophical Notebooks. The law of identity The inclusion in the present anthology of Trotskys brilliant little article The ABC of Materialist Dialectics was an absolutely correct decision. Here, in a few words, the essence of dialectics is explained with impressive clarity. It is hardly surprising that this article has driven the critics of dialectics into paroxysmal rage. It challenges the very basis of the logical conceptions that have dominated philosophy for hundreds of years: the law of identity. The generalizations arrived at over a lengthy period of human development, some of which are considered as axioms, play an important role in the development of thought and cannot be so easily dispensed with. The thought forms of traditional logic play an essential role, establishing elementary rules for avoiding absurd contradictions and following an internally consistent line of argument, but this formalistic way of thinking remains true only within certain limits. The law of identity (a = a) is the basic, dogmatic assumption of all formal logic, and has been for over 2,000 years. It is typical of formal thinking: empty, rigid, and abstract. Dialectical thinking, on the contrary, is concrete, dynamic, and complex in its multiple determinations: it is movement expressed in its most general form. In his book The Metaphysics, Aristotle worked out the principle of non-contradiction: It is impossible that one and the same attribute should belong and not belong to the same subject, considered at the same time and in the same relation. An extension of the same idea is the principle of the excluded middle: If that which is false is only the negation of what is true, then it will be impossible for all to be false: one of the two sides of the contradiction must be true. However, in another of his works, the Organon, Aristotle worked out the basic laws of dialectics. Unfortunately, the ideas of Aristotle have mainly come down to us in the lifeless and scholastic form in which they were preserved by the Church in the Middle Ageslike a corpse preserved in formaldehyde. The Aristotle of formal logic and the syllogism was preserved in a one-sided way, but the Aristotle of the Organon was consigned to oblivion. Since then, logical formalism has generally been utilized as a kind of scholastic deviceor artifice, as Kant correctly observedto avoid reality and, following in the footsteps of the medieval Schoolmen, as a kind of opium to burrow deep into the supposed profundities of the linguistic vacuum, where they dispute endlessly the meaning of words, just as the Schoolmen entertained themselves with endless debates on the sex of angels. Logical Positivism, which dominated Anglo-Saxon philosophy in the 20th century in different disguises, was a worthy inheritor of this bad tradition of medieval Scholasticism, with its obsession with form and linguistic hairsplitting. For these people, dialectics is a book sealed with seven seals. Their way of thinking is completely dogmatic and formalistic. Whether we call it the law of identity or the principle of equivalence really makes no difference. In the end a = a, the same old formal dogma established by Aristotle. The forms may have been changed and expressed as symbols or anything you please, but the content remains what it always was: an empty shell, or as Hegel put it the lifeless bones of a skeleton. The law of identity very clearly states that a given thing is equal to itself (or self-identical, it does not really matter). But, as Trotsky points out, since things in the material world are in a constant state of changethey constantly flow, to use Heraclituss wonderfully profound aphorismthey are never self-identical. Thus, the law of identity is, at best, only a rough approximation. It cannot lay hold of a constantly changing reality. This is precisely the Achilles heel of formal logic. All attempts to eliminate contradiction from logic are the equivalent of attempting to remove contradiction from nature itselfbut contradiction is at the basis of all movement, life, and development. The idea that everything flows has been brilliantly confirmed by the discoveries of modern science, especially physics. In the space of the last 100 years or so, physics has furnished a vast amount of evidence to show that change and motion are fundamental qualities of matter. Engels asserted that motion is the mode of existence of mattera brilliant prediction. But Einstein went much further than that. In 1905 he proved that matter and energy arethe same. It is not possible to understand the dynamics of the world we live in, let alone be a conscious revolutionarythat is, someone who intervenes actively and consciously in the historical processwithout the aid of dialectical thinking. The breakthrough in scientific thinking associated with chaos theory is ample proof of this assertion. Cognition The first law of dialectical materialism is absolute objectivity of consideration: not examples, not digressions, but the thing itself. The basis of all our knowledge is, of course, sensory experience. I experience the world through my senses, and can experience it in no other way. This is the essential content of empiricism. The early empiricistsBacon, Locke, and Hobbeswere materialists. Their battle cry was: Nihil est in intellectu quod non sit prius in sensu (Nothing is in the mind that was not first in the senses). Their insistence upon sensory perception as the basis of all knowledge represented in its day a gigantic leap forward with regard to the empty speculation of the medieval Schoolmen. It paved the way for the rapid expansion of science, based upon empirical investigation, observation, and experiment. Yet, despite its tremendously revolutionary character, this form of materialism was one-sided, limited, and therefore incomplete. It tended to regard the facts as isolated and static. Taken to an extreme, as it was by the likes of Hume and Berkeley, it led to subjective idealism, which denied the existence of a material reality independent of the observer. As Bishop Berkeley put it: Esse est percipi (To be is to be perceived). The early empiricistsBacon, Locke, and Hobbeswere materialists. Their battle cry was: Nihil est in intellectu quod non sit prius in sensu (Nothing is in the mind that was not first in the senses) / Image: public domain The statement I interpret the world through my senses is correct but one-sided. One must add that the world exists independent of my senses. Otherwise, we are left with the absurd proposition that if I close my eyes, the world ceases to exist. This argument was comprehensively demolished by Lenin in his philosophical masterpiece Materialism and Empiriocriticism. In reality, empiricism presents cognition in a very superficial and one-sided manner. Hegel, whose objective idealism is in flat contradiction to subjective idealism, went to great lengths to show that cognition is a process that proceeds through different stages. Of these stages, sensory perception is the lowest, confining itself to the mere statement that it is. But this elementary conception immediately comes into a series of contradictions, if what is being analyzed is considered, not as an isolated atom, but as a process of constant change, in which things can be transformed into their opposites. The process of cognition has two essential elements: a thinking subject and an object of thought. In the Phenomenology of Mind, which Marx described as Hegels voyage of discovery, the great dialectician did not intend to analyze either the one side or the other, but to demonstrate their unity in the process of thought. It was thought itself that was to be examined. However, Hegels method had an inherent weakness. As an idealist, Hegel did not set out from real, concrete, sensuous human thought, but from an idealist abstraction. In reality, we do not think only with our mind but with all our senseswith our whole body in fact. What links humans with the external world (nature) is not abstract thought but human labor, which transforms nature, and at the same time transforms humankind itself. The possibilities of sensory cognition are limited. The cognition of phenomena that are beyond the reach of sensation can only be arrived at through abstract thought, dialectical thought. The object of thought has an inherent beingin German, an sich. The purpose of thought is to turn this being in itself into being for us, i.e., to proceed from ignorance to knowledge. We do not get any closer to the truth by compiling a mass of facts. When we say all animals we do not assume that this amounts to zoology. In Lectures on the Philosophy of History, Hegel pointed out that, It is, in fact, the wish for rational insight, not the ambition to amass a mere heap of requirements, that should be presupposed in every case as possessing the mind of the learner in the study of science. The power of thought lies precisely in its capacity for abstraction, its ability to exclude particulars and arrive at generalizations that express the main and most essential aspects of a given phenomenon. The initial step is merely to obtain a sense of the being as an individual object. This, however, proves to be impossible and compels us to delve deeper into the subject, revealing inner contradictions that provide the impulse for movement and change, in which things turn into their opposite. The unity of opposites For Hegel, the division of the One and the knowledge of its contradictory parts constitutes the essence of dialectics. For the One is the whole consisting of two conflicting and opposite poles. It is only by identifying these contradictory tendencies that a correct knowledge of the object under consideration can be recognised in its true, dynamic reality. Hegels basic idea was that of development through contradictions. To give it another name, dialectics is the logic of contradiction. Whereas traditional (formal) logic attempts to banish contradiction, dialectics embraces it, accepts it as a normal and necessary element of all life and nature. Giordano Bruno, the 16th-century Italian philosopher, astronomer, and mathematicianwhose theories anticipated modern science and whose reward by the Inquisition was to be burned at the stakegave us a charming definition of dialectics when he described it as la divina arte degli opposti (the divine art of opposites). Hegel refers to the restless unity, that underlying tension which is the basis of all matter. The unitycoincidence, identity, and resultant dynamic interplayof opposites is conditional, temporary, transitory, and relative. The mutually exclusive relationship of opposites is absolute, and it is the basis of all movement, change, and evolution. In Moralising Criticism and Critical Morality Marx wrote: It is characteristic of the whole grobianism of sound common sense, which feeds upon the fullness of life and does not stunt its natural faculties with any philosophical or other studies, that where it succeeds in seeing differences, it does not see unity, and that where it sees unity, it does not see differences. If it propounds differentiated determinants, they at once become fossilised in its hands, and it can see only the most reprehensible sophistry when these wooden concepts are knocked together so that they take fire. In the Science of Logic, Hegel begins with the category of Being, with the bare assertion it is. But this statement, despite its apparently commonsensical and concrete characterwe have established the basic fact of existencedoes not get us very far, and in fact leads us to a false conclusion. Pure Being, as Hegel points out, is the same as pure nothing. It is being stripped of all its concreteness and actuality. What appeared to be concrete turns out to be an empty abstraction. Being and nothing are generally considered to be mutually exclusive opposites. But in reality, there can be no being without nothing, and no nothing without being. The unity of being and not being, as Hegel points out, is becoming: the constant movement of change that means that at any given moment, we are, and are not. Life and death are considered to be mutually exclusive opposites. But in fact, death is an integral part of life. Life is not conceivable without death. We begin to die the moment we are born, for in fact, it is only the death of trillions of cells and their replacement by trillions of new cells, that constitutes life and human development. Without death there could be no life, no growth, no change, no development. Thus, the attempt to banish death from lifeas if the two things could be separatedis to arrive at a state of absolute immutability, changeless, static equilibrium, but this is just another name fordeath. For there can be no life without change and movement. I have before me a photograph of a baby, taken many years ago. That baby was me, but no longer exists. A vast number of changes have occurred since that photograph was taken, so that I am no longer what I was. And yet it is possible for me to say to somebody looking at the photograph: oh, thats me, and I would not be telling a lie. This dialectical process was described most beautifully by Hegel in the Preface to The Phenomenology of Mind: "The bud disappears when the blossom breaks through, and we might say that the former is refuted by the latter; in the same way when the fruit comes, the blossom may be explained to be a false form of the plants existence, for the fruit appears as its true nature in place of the blossom. These stages are not merely differentiated; they supplant one another as being incompatible with one another. But the ceaseless activity of their own inherent nature makes them at the same time moments of an organic unity, where they not merely do not contradict one another, but where one is as necessary as the other; and this equal necessity of all moments constitutes alone and thereby the life of the whole." Hegel: "The bud disappears when the blossom breaks through... the former is refuted by the latter... But the ceaseless activity of their own inherent nature makes them at the same time moments of an organic unity" / Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture Love and hate are opposites. Yet it is common knowledge that love and hate are very closely identified, and can easily be transformed from one to the other. It is the same with pleasure and pain. One cannot exist without the other. From a medical point of view, pain has an important function. It is not just an evil, but a warning from the body that all is not well. Pain is part of the human condition. Not only that: pain and pleasure are dialectically related. Without the existence of pain, pleasure could not exist. Don Quixote explained to Sancho Panza that the best sauce was hunger. Likewise, we rest far better after a period of vigorous exertion. And in Shakespeares Henry IV, Prince Hal says: "If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as to work; But when they seldom come, they wishd for come." A world in which everything was white would actually be the same as a world in which everything was black, as polar explorers discovered when they suffered from snow blindness. Quantity and quality In the Science of Logic, particularly the section on measurement, Hegel elaborates his theory of the nodal line of development, in which a series of small, apparently insignificant changes eventually reach a critical point in which there is a qualitative leap. Chaos theory and its derivatives are clearly a form of dialectical thinking. In particular, the idea of the transformation from quantity to quality is central to itone of the basic laws of dialectics. In his book Anti-Duhring, Engels pointed out that in the last analysis, nature works dialectically. The advances of science over the last hundred years have completely borne out this assertion. American scientists have been at the forefront of some of the most important developments in modern science. I am thinking in particular of the work of R.C. Lewontin in the field of genetics, and above all, the writings of the evolutionary biologist, Stephen J. Gould. Let us cite one easily understood example. When water at normal atmospheric pressure is heated or cooled, there is a leap from one state of aggregation to another: at 0 degrees Celsius it is a solid (ice), and at 100 degrees it changes to a gaseous state (steam). If we increase the temperature still further, to 550 degrees, it becomes plasma, an entirely different state of matter, where the dissociation of atoms and molecules occurs. The leaps between each of these states are known as phase transitions. The study of phase transitions constitutes a very important branch of modern physics. Similar changes can be observed in the history of society, where the equivalent of a phase transition is a revolution. Nucleation is the first step in the formation of either a new thermodynamic phase or a new structure by means of self-organisation. It is the process that determines how much time is required before a new phase or self-organised structure appears. This phenomenon is seen in thermodynamic phase transitions of every type. From a saturated solution to a crystal, from the evaporation of a liquid to a gas, or in the transition from water to ice. It is possible to actually reach a position of supersaturation of a solution, where, for example, water under normal conditions can be heated or cooled above 100oC or below 0oC without becoming steam or a solid. What is required in many circumstances for the phase transition to occur is either an external shock or the presence of some impurity. Water, when heated, does not form bubbles of steam at any random point, but they all begin ascending from a scratch or imperfection on the surface of the saucepan. This is a nucleation point forming around a catalyst. In thermodynamic terms, a supersaturated solution will have reached a level of concentrationor temperature or whatever other quantitative element is involvedwhere the alternative phase represents a lower entropy, but there is an entropy cost in forming the first nucleus. Sometimes this nucleation point forms randomly over a period of time and, as is also the case with radioactive decay, there is an increasing probability over time of it forming. However, its formation is aided by the presence of some catalyst on whose surface the entropy leap is lowered. We can visualise this process when we think of the crystallisation of a pearl in a clam. Indeed, we often talk about the crystallisation of anger within a factory or society and the analogy is an apt one. In the case of the formation of a pearl, all of the conditions for its formation can exist except one: some impurity around which it can take shape. That impurity is often a worm that has burrowed through the shell of a clam and died. Here the imagery is quite striking: a beautiful pearl forming a sarcophagus around a rather ugly piece of dead biological matter. We will return to this analogy later. The two percent genetic difference that separates us from the other primates is a qualitative leap that carries humankind to an entirely different and higher level / Image: Flickr, Paul Hudson We often see the apparent repetition of stages of development that have long since been overcome. We see the same thing in the study of embryos, which apparently go through the stages of evolution. A human embryo starts as a single cell, then divides and acquires more complex forms. At one stage it has gills like a fish, later it has a tail like a monkey. The similarity between human embryos and those of other animals, including fish and reptiles, is striking, and was already noted by the ancient Greeks. Over two thousand years before Darwin, Anaximander (c. 611546 BCE) deduced that man had evolved from a fish. The genetic difference between humans and chimpanzees is less than two percent and we share a large percentage of our genes with fruit flies and even more primitive organisms. The last desperate counterattack of the Creationistshiding behind the banner of intelligent designwas shattered against the remarkable results of the Human Genome Project. However, the two percent difference that separates us from the other primates is a qualitative leap that carries humankind to an entirely different and higher level. The process of evolution has gone on uninterruptedly from the first primitive life forms that emerged, as we now know, at a surprisingly early period in the Earths history. The first primitive organisms probably emerged on the bed of the primeval oceans, deriving energy, not from the sun, but from volcanic vents, generating heat from below the earths crust. The earliest protozoa developed into chordata, through to the earliest land-dwelling amphibians, to reptiles, and later to mammals and humans. History and nature know both evolutionslow, gradual developmentand revolutiona qualitative leap, where the process of evolution is enormously accelerated. Evolution prepares the way for revolution, which in turn prepares the way for a new period of evolution on a higher level. The unity of opposites can be clearly observed at all levels of matter. Conflicting tendencies are found at all levels in nature, from the largest galaxies to the smallest subatomic particles. The identity of opposites is the recognitionor discoveryof the mutually exclusive tendencies that exist in all the phenomena and processes of nature. This is what Engels meant when he defined dialectics as the most general laws of nature, society, and human thought. Criticality It is an elementary truth of chemistry that opposite charges attract, while like charges repel. But here we have an apparent paradox. The nuclei of all atoms except hydrogen contain more than one proton, and each proton carries a positive charge. The protons must feel a repulsive force from the other protons. So why would the nuclei of these atoms stay together? What holds the nucleus together? The unity of opposites pulling together and tearing apart the atom are the strong nuclear force and the electrostatic force respectively. Neutrons and protons bind to each other through the strong nuclear force, however, this force only operates over a very short range. Positively charged protons, however, are constantly repelling each other through electrostatic repulsion. This force operates over much larger distances. The strong nuclear force holds most ordinary matter together. In addition, the strong force binds neutrons and protons to create atomic nuclei. Just as centrifugal forces attempt to tear galaxies apart while gravity holds them together, electromagnetism is the force that would theoretically rip a nucleus apart, while the nuclear force130 times stronger than electromagnetismholds it together. The nucleus holds together, but only within certain limits. If the number of protons or neutrons exceeds these limits, the nucleus becomes unstable due to radioactive decay. If the nucleus becomes very large it can undergo an even more dramatic transformation. As the nucleus increases in size, the repulsive electrostatic force eventually overcomes the attractive nuclear force and the nucleus becomes unstable. All that is then required is to fire a single neutron at the nucleus andquantity transforms into qualitythe nucleus splits in two, emitting a large amount of energy and often emitting more neutrons in the process. This is what physicists refer to as nuclear fission. If a certain amount of fissionable material is present, it will ensure that neutrons released by fission will strike another nucleus, thus producing a chain reaction. The more fissionable material is present, the greater the odds that such an event will occur. Critical mass is defined as the amount of material at which a neutron produced by a fission process will, on average, create another fission event. In the transition from a controlled to an uncontrolled nuclear reaction there is a qualitative leapa transition from quantity into quality. If you insert materiala control rodinto the fissile material to absorb more neutrons than are being emitted by the fission reaction, the reaction remains under control. However, remove the control rod an inch too far and you have a cascade of neutrons and quantity transforms into qualityproducing a nuclear meltdown. The same processes can be observed at all levels of nature. In his book Ubiquity, the American physicist and author, Mark Buchanan, points out that phenomena as diverse as heart attacks, avalanches, forest fires, the rise and fall of animal populations, stock exchange crises, the movement of traffic, and even revolutions in art and fashion are all governed by the same basic law, which can be expressed as a mathematical equation known as a power law. This is yet another striking confIrmation of the dialectical law of the transformation of quantity into quality. The dialectics of Capital In his marvellously profound Philosophical Notebooks, written during the period of his Swiss exile in the years of World War I, Lenin wrote: It is impossible completely to understand Marxs Capital, and especially its first chapter, without having thoroughly studied and understood the whole of Hegels Logic. Consequently, half a century later none of the Marxists understood Marx! Even allowing for an element of exaggerationthese were, after all, rough notes written for self-clarification, not intended for publicationthe fundamental idea expressed by Lenin is correct. Capital itself is a masterful application of the dialectical method refined by Hegel and perfected by Marx and Engels. The first chapter of the first volume is purely philosophical in character and is precisely based on Hegel, as Marx himself pointed out. For that very reason, this chapter is generally considered one of the most difficult in the entire work. It is not about economics but about philosophy. It is rooted in the method of Hegels dialectical masterpiece The Science of Logic. Yet it is fundamental to an understanding of Marxs analysis of the capitalist economy. Prices fluctuate according to the laws of supply and demand, but these fluctuations take place around a given point, which is the real value of a commodity. This value is the product of human labour / Image: Max Pixel In the first volume of Capital, Marx derives all the laws of capitalist society from an analysis of its basic cellthe commodity. Marx analyses the commodity and explains that it has two aspects, which are really contradictory tendencies. At first sight, the commodity appears to be something very simple and concrete: an object of use. Whether this use is really necessary or is the product of caprice is indifferent to this consideration. But on closer examination, we see the commodity is not simple at all. It is not just a use value, but also an exchange valuesomething entirely different. Humankind has produced use values from the earliest period, but under capitalism, the nature of commodities undergoes a fundamental change. The capitalist does not produce objects for human use but objects for sale in order to obtain a profit. The use value of a commodity is confined to its concrete attributes; but in exchange value there is not a single atom of matter. The price of an individual commodity is determined by a vast number of transactions that take place daily in the world economy. Prices fluctuate according to the laws of supply and demand, but these fluctuations take place around a given point, which is the real value of a commodity. This value, as even economists prior to Marx explained, is the product of human labour. Particular and universal In his Philosophical Notebooks, Lenin writes: "In his Capital, Marx first analyses the simplest, most ordinary and fundamental, most common and everyday relation of bourgeois (commodity) society, a relation encountered billions of times, viz., the exchange of commodities. In this very simple phenomenon, in this cell of bourgeois society, analysis reveals all the contradictions (or the germs of all contradictions) of modern society. The subsequent exposition shows us the development (both growth and movement) of these contradictions and of this society in the sum of its individual parts. From its beginning to its end." Such must also be the method of exposition (or study) of dialectics in generalfor with Marx the dialectics of bourgeois society is only a particular case of dialectics. To begin with what is the simplest, most ordinary, common, etc., with any proposition: the leaves of a tree are green; John is a man; Fido is a dog, etc. Here already we have dialectics (as Hegels genius recognised): the individual is the universal. The medieval scholastics cracked their brains over the question as to whether universals (abstractions) actually exist. Hegel solved this problem brilliantly by pointing out that the particular and the universal are in fact the same: every particular is, in one way or another, a universal. Every individual belongs to a genus or species that defines its true nature, however, genesis and species are made up of individual creatures. The limit of these categories in biology is determined by the ability to reproduce. Consequently, the oppositesthe particular as opposed to the universalare identical: the individual exists only in the connection that leads to the universal. The universal exists only in the individual and through the individual. Every individual isin one way or anothera universal. Every universal is a fragment, or an aspect, or the essence of an individual. Every universal only approximately embraces all the individual objects. Every individual enters incompletely into the universal, etc., etc. Every individual is connected by thousands of transitions with other kinds of individualsthings, phenomena, processes, etc. As Aristotle pointed out: But of course, there cannot be a house in general, apart from individual houses (Metaphysics). . . . This apparently contradictory assertion can be shown from even the simplest sentence. It is impossible to express the nature of any particular without immediately turning it into a universal. Such is the nature of any definition, for example when we say John is a man, Fido is a dog, this is a leaf of a tree, etc., we disregard a number of attributes as contingent; we separate the essence from the appearance, and counterpose the one to the other. Hegel pointed out that, in ordinary language, statements do not take the form of a = a (John is John, a house is a house, etc.) but a = b (John is a man, a house is a building), which implies the unity of identity and difference. And Lenin comments: "Here already we have the elements, the germs, the concepts of necessity, of objective connection in nature, etc. Here already we have the contingent and the necessary, the phenomenon and the essence. . ." . . . Thus in any proposition we canand mustdisclose as in a nucleus (cell) the germs of all the elements of dialectics, and thereby show that dialectics is a property of all human knowledge in general. And natural science shows usand here again it must be demonstrated in any simple instanceobjective nature with the same qualities, the transformation of the individual into the universal, of the contingent into the necessary, transitions, modulations, and the reciprocal connection of opposites. Dialectics is the theory of knowledge of (Hegel and) Marxism. This is the aspect of the matterit is not an aspect but the essence of the matterto which Plekhanov, not to speak of other Marxists, paid no attention. Can human society be understood? Even the most superficial observation proves that human society has passed through a number of definite stages and that certain processes are repeated at regular intervals. Just as in nature we see the transformation of quantity into quality, so in history we see that long periods of slow, almost imperceptible change are interrupted by periods in which the process is accelerated to produce a qualitative leap. In nature, the long periods of slow changestasiscan last for millions of years. They are interrupted by catastrophic events, which are invariably accompanied by the extinction of animal species that were previously dominant, and the rise of other species that previously were insignificant but were better adapted to take advantage of the new circumstances. In human society, wars and revolutions play such a significant role that we are accustomed to using them as milestones that separate one historical period from another. Just as in nature we see the transformation of quantity into quality, so in history we see that long periods of slow, almost imperceptible change are interrupted by periods in which the process is accelerated to produce a qualitative leap / Image: public domain It was Marx and Engels who discovered that the real driving force of history is the development of the productive forces. This does not mean, as the enemies of Marxism frequently assert, that Marx reduced everything to economics. There are many other factors that enter into the development of society: religion, morality, philosophy, politics, patriotism, tribal alliances, etc. All these enter into a complex web of social interrelations that create a rich and confusing mosaic of phenomena and processes. At first sight it seems impossible to make sense of this. But the same thing could be said of nature, yet the complexity of the universe does not deter scientists from attempting to separate the different elements, to analyse and categorise them. By what right do men and women imagine that they are above nature, and that they alone in the entire universe cannot be understood by science? The very idea is preposterous and a manifestation of that burning desire of humans to be some kind of special creation, entirely separate from all other animals and with a special relation to the rest of the universe determined by God. But science has mercilessly stripped away these egocentric illusions. Marx and Engels, for the first time, gave communism a scientific character. They explained that the real emancipation of the masses depends on the level of development of the productive forcesindustry, agriculture, science and technologywhich will create the necessary conditions for a general reduction of the working day and access to culture for all, as the only way of transforming the way people think and behave towards each other. Marx gives an excellent though little-quoted definition of historical materialism in the third volume of Capital: "The specific economic form in which unpaid labour is pumped out of the direct producers determines the relationship of domination and servitude, as this grows directly out of production itself and reacts back on it in turn as a determinant. "On this is based the entire configuration of the economic community arising from the actual relations of production, and hence also its specific political form. It is in each case the direct relationship of the owners of the conditions of production to the immediate producersa relationship whose particular form naturally corresponds always to a certain level of development of the type and manner of labour, and hence to its social productive powerin which we find the innermost secret, the hidden basis of the entire social edifice, and hence also the political form of the relationship of sovereignty and dependence, in short, the specific form of state in each case. "This does not prevent the same economic basisthe same in its major conditionsfrom displaying endless variations and gradations in its appearance, as the result of innumerable different empirical circumstances, natural conditions, racial relations, historical influences acting from outside, etc., and these can only be understood by analysing these empirically given conditions." The essential content of social development is the development of the productive forces. But on the basis of the productive forces there arise property relations and a complex superstructure of legal, religious, and ideological relations. The latter constitute the forms through which the former express themselves. Content and form can come into contradiction, but in the last analysis, the content will always determine the form. The content changes faster than the forms, creating contradictions that must be resolved. The obsolete superstructure impedes the development of the productive forces. Thus, at the present time, the development of the productive forces, which has attained levels undreamed of in previous history, is in open conflict with private ownership and the nation-state. The old forms are strangling the development of the productive forces. They must be burst asunder in order to resolve the contradiction. The obsolete forms are burst apart and replaced by new forms that are in consonance with the needs of the productive forces. Every successive socioeconomic formation opens up the possibility for a greater development of the productive forces and therefore increases humanitys power over nature. In this way, the material basis is prepared for what Engels described as humanitys leap from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom. Class society The species Homo sapiens emerged about 100,000 to 250,000 years ago, perhaps even as long as 400,000 years ago. What we call civilisation, which arose on the basis of the division of society into classes, is roughly five thousand years old. Thus, during at least 95 percent of its history, humanity was denied the blessings of private property, class struggle, the police and the army, the monogamous family, and the antagonism between town and countryall those institutions that are accepted as given and eternal by mainstream social scientists. Class society itself has seen a succession of fundamental changes, or revolutions, in the course of its development. Broadly speaking, as Marx explained, the economic development of society has been marked by a succession of stages or epochs. At a certain level of development of the productive forces, socioeconomic systems based on communal land ownership, slavery, serfdom, and wage labour have arisen, each with their own political and cultural superstructure and their own laws of motion. During at least 95 percent of its history, humanity was denied the blessings of private property, class struggle, the police and the army, the monogamous family, and the antagonism between town and countryall those institutions that are accepted as given and eternal by mainstream social scientists / Image: David Stanley It is therefore pointless to try to discover the laws of political economy in general, equally applicable to, say, ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, and the modern world economy. It is necessary to discover the particular laws that govern each system, to appropriate the material in detail, to analyse its different forms of development, to trace out their inner connection, to use Marxs expression. Today, the anarchy of production cannot contain the demands of modern industry, technology, and science. The only way to solve the contradictions of capitalism that are the cause of starvation, poverty, wars, and terrorism is through the socialist transformation of society. It is important to note how the process of human development has undergone a constant acceleration. The fall of the Roman Empire, which represented slavery in its most developed form, caused, first a collapse of civilisation in Europe, then a slow revival under the feudal system that lasted just over a thousand years. Feudalism lasted for a shorter time than slavery, and capitalism has existed for only two or three centuries. It must be noted that the pace of development of the productive forces under capitalism has been far more rapid than in any previous society. There have been more inventions in this period than in all previous history. But this feverish development of industry, science, and technique has come into conflict with the narrow limits of private property and the nation-state. Capitalism in its period of senile decay is no longer capable of developing the productive forces as it did in the past. This is the fundamental cause of the present crisis, which is beginning to threaten the very existence of humanity. Contradictions in society The dialectical laws are not confined to nature, but also apply to society, history, and economics. To this list of phase transitions described in books such as Ubiquity, we can also add revolutions, which are an expression of war between the classes. We have already dealt with the phenomenon of criticality in relation to phenomena such as the atom, showing that the internal contradictions are contained by specific forces within certain limits, but that when these limits are exceeded, criticality results with explosive consequences. A similar process can be observed in society. The Communist Manifesto explains that the history of all hitherto existing societyexcluding pre-class societiesis the history of class struggle. The existence of class antagonisms threatens to tear society apart. In order to regulate and control the class struggle, a power emerges that stands above society and is increasingly alienated from it. This power is the state. The role of the state power is to guarantee the maintenance of the status quo, maintain order and ensure that the forces that threaten to tear society apart are kept within acceptable limits. In the last analysis, the state consists of armed bodies: the police, the army, the prisons, courts, and judiciary. Ultimately, the ruling class, which is a minority, must rely upon violence, or the threat of violence, to maintain its domination over the masses. However, the appeal to violence is only a last resort. The ruling class has in its hands a whole battery of instruments for keeping control. Not only does it possess a monopoly of armed force, it also has a monopoly of culture. The schools and universities, the press and mass media, and all the other paraphernalia of culture are the privileged preserve of the ruling class, which it uses and abuses in its own interests. The philosophy departments in universities, like all the rest, have a very useful function from the standpoint of the ruling class: to combat Marxism and any other subversive tendencies, and to inculcate in the youth ideas that tend to serve the interests of the ruling class and the status quo. It is sufficient to quote the avalanche of anti-revolutionary propaganda that flooded the bookshops and television screens during the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution to underline this point. One of the most powerful weapons in the hands of the ruling class is religion. The utilitarianor rather, cynicalview was expressed long ago by the Roman philosopher Seneca when he said: Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful. There is some truth in this view, particularly when it is used to explain the role of organised religion. Napoleon saw the Church as a very useful way of controlling the masses and bolstering his own power, although he himself did not believe a word of it. Probably the same was true of the emperor Constantine, who adopted Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire, although there is no real proof that he himself was ever baptised. One of the most powerful weapons in the hands of the ruling class is religion / Image: Pixabay But this cannot explain the deep roots of religion in the popular psyche, or the powerful hold it has on the minds of the masses. To understand that, one must go deeper into the nature of class society and the role of alienation. In that sense, Marx had a far more profound understanding than the Left Hegelians such as Strauss. In capitalist society, men and women are alienated from each other and subordinated to alien forces beyond their control or understanding. The real God of capitalism is neither Jehovah nor Muhammad, but Mammon, the god of wealth. Its real temples are not the churches, mosques, or synagogues, but the stock exchanges that determine the fate of millions of people. In the first volume of Capital there is a famous chapter on the fetishism of commodities. This explains in very graphic terms the power of money in bourgeois society. All human relations are mediated by this power, which distorts and warps them into something inhuman, ugly, and oppressive. Human psychology is powerfully conditioned by this alien force, by which human beings are judged, not on the basis of their natural abilities, physical strength, beauty, or intellect, but purely by the amount of money they possess. This produces a monstrous situation in which all natural human relations stand on their head. If we judge the level of civilised conduct by the standards of treatment of women, children, and old people, our modern civilisation stands condemned from every point of view. The ghastly record of wife and child abuse, orphans, and prostitution under capitalism compares most unfavourably with the communal child rearing practised by humanity during most of its historythat is, before the advent of that strange social arrangement that men are fond of calling civilisation. We recall the words of a Native American to a missionary: "You white people love your own children only. We love the children of the clan. They belong to all the people, and we care for them. They are bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. We are all father and mother to them. White people are savages; they do not love their children. If children are orphaned, people have to be paid to look after them. We know nothing of such barbarous ideas." (M. F. Ashley Montagu, ed., Marriage: Past and Present: A Debate Between Robert Briffault and Bronislaw Malinowski) The tipping point Just as within the nucleus there are forces that prevent it from flying apart, so in society there are a whole series of mechanisms that serve a similar purpose. But by far the most powerful of these is a force within the heads of the people themselves. Tradition, habit, and routine constitute an extremely powerful force of inertia in society. Most people do not like change. They fear any disturbance in the existing order as a terrifying leap into the unknown. Most people will cling to ideas, prejudices, religious beliefs, well-known political parties, and leaders with extraordinary tenacity. This is the most powerful glue that serves to preserve the existing order. But like everything else in nature, this powerful force of inertia can hold things together only up to a definite point. Beneath the surface of apparent tranquillity in which nothing happens here, there is a seething discontent, and accumulation of anger, bitterness, and frustration that is striving to find a conscious expression. Sooner or later, the point is reached where quantity becomes transformed into quality. We can see the same process in every strike, where people become transformed. Workers who were always apathetic and inactive in the past suddenly become energised and move into action in a way that surprises those who liked to consider themselves as more advanced. In the words of the Bible: for the first shall be last and the last shall be first. That is a very dialectical affirmation! The emergence of a critical state was expressed in very poetic and striking language by Hegel in his Phenomenology of Mind: "For the rest it is not difficult to see that our epoch is a birth time, and a period of transition. The spirit of man has broken with the old order of things hitherto prevailing, and with the old ways of thinking, and is in the mind to let them all sink into the depths of the past and to set about its own transformation. It is indeed never at rest, but carried along the stream of progress ever onward. But it is here as in the case of the birth of a child; after a long period of nutrition in silence, the continuity of the gradual growth in size, of quantitative change, is suddenly cut short by the first breath drawnthere is a break in the process, a qualitative change and the child is born. In like manner the spirit of the time, growing slowly and quietly ripe for the new form it is to assume, disintegrates one fragment after another of the structure of its previous world. That it is tottering to its fall is indicated only by symptoms here and there. Frivolity and again ennui, which are spreading in the established order of things, the undefined foreboding of something unknownall these betoken that there is something else approaching. This gradual crumbling to pieces, which did not alter the general look and aspect of the whole, is interrupted by the sunrise, which, in a flash and at a single stroke, brings to view the form and structure of the new world." The contradictions within societythe class strugglecontinues unabated in one form or another, and to a greater or lesser degree of intensity, until the critical point is reached. At this point, certain symptoms emerge that demonstrate the impossibility of continuing as before: the ruling class splits and is unable to rule in the old way; the masses move into action to challenge the existing order; the middle layers of society vacillate between revolution and reaction. All these symptoms indicate the imminence of a drastic change. The process by which society finally splits apart on class lines was best expressed by the great Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. In the chapter on dual power in his History of Russian Revolution, he writes the following: "Antagonistic classes exist in society everywhere, and a class deprived of power inevitably strives to some extent to swerve the governmental course in its favour. This does not as yet mean, however, that two or more powers are ruling in society. The character of a political structure is directly determined by the relation of the oppressed classes to the ruling class. A single government, the necessary condition of stability in any regime, is preserved so long as the ruling class succeeds in putting over its economic and political forms upon the whole of society as the only forms possible . . . "This double sovereignty does not presupposegenerally speaking, indeed, it excludesthe possibility of a division of the power into two equal halves, or indeed any formal equilibrium of forces whatever. It is not a constitutional, but a revolutionary fact. It implies that a destruction of the social equilibrium has already split the state superstructure. It arises where the hostile classes are already each relying upon essentially incompatible governmental organizationsthe one outlived, the other in process of formationwhich jostle against each other at every step in the sphere of government. The amount of power which falls to each of these struggling classes in such a situation is determined by the correlation of forces in the course of the struggle." The role of the individual On October 13, 1806, an excited Hegel wrote in a letter to his friend Niethammer: I saw the Emperorthis World-Spiritriding out of the city on reconnaissance. It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrated here at a single point, astride a horse, reaches out over the world and masters it. Like Beethoven and many of the most progressive intellectuals of his time, the young Hegel was a fervent admirer of the French Revolution. In the person of Napoleon, he thought he saw the spirit of that revolution riding on horseback. Of course, his appraisal of the nature and role of Napoleon was mistaken. Nevertheless, in his vision of the French Revolution as the essential spirit of the times, he was not mistaken at all. Marxism does not deny the role of the individual in history, as Engels explains: "Men make their history themselves, but not as yet with a collective will or according to a collective plan or even in a definitely defined, given society. Their efforts clash, and for that very reason all such societies are governed by necessity, which is supplemented by and appears under the forms of accident. The necessity which here asserts itself amidst all accident is again ultimately economic necessity. This is where the so-called great men come in for treatment. That such and such a man and precisely that man arises at that particular time in that given country is of course pure accident. But cut him out and there will be a demand for a substitute, and this substitute will be found, good or bad, but in the long run he will be found. That Napoleon, just that particular Corsican, should have been the military dictator whom the French Republic, exhausted by its own war, had rendered necessary, was an accident; but that, if a Napoleon had been lacking, another would have filled the place, is proved by the fact that the man has always been found as soon as he became necessary: Caesar, Augustus, Cromwell, etc. While Marx discovered the materialist conception of history, Thierry, Mignet, Guizot, and other historians writing before 1850 are the proof that it was being striven for. Lewis Morgans investigations into early society also proves that the time was ripe for it and that it had to be discovered. "So with all the other accidents, and apparent accidents, of history. The further the particular sphere which we are investigating is removed from the economic sphere and approaches that of pure abstract ideology, the more shall we find it exhibiting accidents in its development, the more will its curve run in a zigzag. So also you will find that the axis of this curve will approach more and more nearly parallel to the axis of the curve of economic development the longer the period considered and the wider the field dealt with." (Engels, Letter to Borgius, January 25, 1894) We have already mentioned the process of nucleation, that critical point where a given phenomenon is hovering on the brink of a fundamental change. The transformation of quantity into quality is brought about either by an external shock or the presence of a catalyst. We see just the same process in a revolution. All the objective factors necessary for a revolution may be present, but in order for the potential to become actual, something else is needed. The role of a catalyst in the prerevolutionary situation is played by the revolutionary party and its leadership. It is this that provides the as yet undeveloped, shapeless, and confused movement of the masses with the necessary coherence, structure, aims, and organization that are needed to overthrow the existing order, which, even when it is tottering for a fall, still represents a formidable force of resistance that must be consciously overcome. Class forces often express themselves in confused or contradictory ways. In the English Revolution, the Puritans were convinced it was their religious duty to fight the good fight and assist Gods Kingdom to come into existence as soon as possible / Image: Elliott Brown Every revolutionary party in history always begins as a small minority. In the beginning it does not apparently present a serious challenge to the existing order. It starts, like every other living organism, as an embryo. But an embryo, providing it includes all the necessary genetic information to form a healthy human being, can grow and develop. Although it seems to be a paradox, the determinism of the early Calvinists, far from leading to pessimism and a paralysis of the will, had exactly the opposite effect. The Puritans were convinced that they were fighting on the side of a force that had all the power of inevitability behind it. It was their religious duty to fight the good fight and assist Gods Kingdom to come into existence as soon as possible. Their absolute conviction of its ultimate success spurred them on to action. Likewise, Marxists believe in the inevitability of socialism, in the sense that capitalism has exhausted its potential for developing society and advancing the cause of culture and civilisation. By developing the forces of production to their present level, it has prepared the way for the next logical stage, which will be the socialization of the means of production, which are in revolt against the suffocating restrictions of private ownership and the nation-state. This process can be accelerated or delayed by a series of factors, not least of which is the subjective factor. There will be many opportunities for the working class to take power into its hands, but the mere existence of a possibility does not necessarily mean that the potential will be realised. That depends on the actions of human beings, their willingness to fight, and the quality of their leaders. Capitalism is in a state of self-evident decay. The senile decadence of capitalism poses a deadly threat to civilisation and to the human species itself. To prolong the agony signifies a deepening of the crisis, with all the attendant evils of economic and social collapse, poverty, suffering, wars, death, and destruction on a massive scale. It is, therefore, the duty of Marxists to fight to lessen the sufferings of the human race by doing everything possible to accelerate the process of revolution, which alone can put an end to the death agony of a superannuated, rotten, and thoroughly decayed system. In that sense, conscious revolutionaries are agents of historical necessity, in the same way as Oliver Cromwells Ironsides, the French Jacobins, and the Russian Bolsheviks were the agents of a necessary social transformation in an earlier period. Dialecticsthe scientific basis of revolutionary practice The equivalent of genetic information in the revolutionary party is Marxist theory. The party, even when it is small, must contain the necessary quality in order to grow. If it conducts its work correctly and has the necessary opportunities at its disposal, it can grow and develop. Quality becomes transformed into quantity, but quantity in turn at a certain point becomes quality. A mass party becomes a factor in the situation, and its actions can now influence large numbers of people. It will be in a position to lead the masses to victory. The history of the Bolshevik Party is highly instructive in this respect. No other party in history has ever achieved such striking success in such a relatively short space of time, transforming what were originally tiny and isolated groups of Marxist cadres into a mass party capable of carrying out the greatest social revolution in history. What is most important to note is the colossal importance that Lenin and Trotsky always gave to theory, and the serious working out of perspectives, tactics, and strategy. This, in the last analysis, was the secret of their success. From the very beginning Lenin always insisted on the key importance of theory. In What Is to Be Done he wrote: Without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement. This idea cannot be insisted upon too strongly at a time when the fashionable preaching of opportunism goes hand in hand with an infatuation for the narrowest forms of practical activity. The fundamental importance of the dialectical method as the scientific basis for all revolutionary practice was explained in a brilliant way in Trotskys autobiography, My Life: "Later, the feeling of the supremacy of the general over the particular became an integral part of my literary and political work. The dull empiricism, the unashamed, cringing worship of the fact which is so often only imaginary, and falsely interpreted at that, were odious to me. Beyond the facts, I looked for laws. Naturally, this led me more than once into hasty and incorrect generalizations, especially in my younger years when my knowledge, book-acquired, and my experience in life were still inadequate. But in every sphere, barring none, I felt that I could move and act only when I held in my hand the thread of the general. The social-revolutionary radicalism which has become the permanent pivot for my whole inner life grew out of this intellectual enmity toward the striving for petty ends, toward out-and-out pragmatism, and toward all that is ideologically without form and theoretically ungeneralised." This dull empiricism, the unashamed, cringing worship of the fact, as Trotsky points out, is the philosophical basis of reformism, of that cowardly surrender to what is called the facts of life, of politics conceived as the art of the possible, in which all serious challenges to the status quo are regarded as something impossible, a utopian dream or dangerous adventurism. Marxism, on the contrary, presents us with a scientific analysis of the status quo, penetrating beneath the surface of the facts to reveal the hidden contradictions that will eventually lead what appears to be stable, solid, and unchangeable into its opposite. Marx and Engels said that there were two alternatives before humanity: socialism or barbarism. The elements of barbarism already exist, not only in the so-called developing world, where millions of people are forced to live in nightmare conditions of poverty, hunger, disease, and war, but also in the so-called advanced capitalist countries. The aim of Marxists is to fight for the socialist transformation of society on a national and international scale. We believe that the capitalist system has long ago outlived its historical usefulness and has converted itself into a monstrously oppressive, unjust, and inhuman system. The ending of exploitation and the creation of a harmonious socialist world order, based on a rational and democratically run plan of production, will be the first step in the creation of a new and higher form of society in which men and women will relate to themselves as genuinely free human beings. The role of philosophy in the modern epoch must be the noble task of facilitating the work of the socialist revolution, combating false ideas, and providing a rational explanation of the most important manifestations of our age, thus clearing the ground for a fundamental change in society. In the celebrated words of Karl Marx: The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it. Al-Ahram Weekly dismissed on Monday local Israeli media reports that one of its reporters is among an Arab media delegation scheduled to visit the Israeli Knesset and meet with a number of the country's officials. In a statement, Al-Ahram Weekly said that none of its journalists, whether at home or abroad, have received invitations to visit the Israeli parliament as reported by Israeli media outlets. "We are currently investigating whether a journalist has unduly claimed affiliation with the paper for a visit that contravenes the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate decision against normalisation with Israel before a comprehensive peace solution is achieved between Palestinians and Israelis," the statement concluded. On Monday, several local Israeli media outlets said that the Israeli Knesset is prepping to host seven Arab journalists living in Europe in an effort to open communication lines as part of an initiative promoted by the Israeli embassy in Paris. The outlets reported that the delegation would include Egyptian, Lebanese, Algerian and Moroccan nationals employed by the i24 news network, Egypts Al-Ahram Weekly and other Arab media outlets in France and Belgium. Search Keywords: Short link: Chancellor Kurz praised Egypt's efforts in combating illegal migration as well as its economic reform programme; Egyptian president stressed need for stability in ME; set to attend European-African forum in Vienna on Tuesday Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed Egypt's humanitarian and moral commitment to the safety and welfare of all refugees, including 5 million refugees living in Egypt, as well as Cairo's commitment to achieving stability in the Middle East. The president's remarks came during a press conference with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Vienna as part of the president's official visit to the central European country. The Egyptian president is set to attend the High Level Forum Africa-Europe in Vienna on Tuesday. El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to the welfare and safety of 5 million refugees living within its borders, including 11,000 new comers this year.. "We treat our 5 million refugees the way we treat our citizens; Egypt has a policy of not housing refugees in camps. We did not use these refugees as bargaining chips; our policies on this issue are based first and foremost on moral and humanitarian considerations before security concerns," the president said. "We did not allow them to move on to Europe. Not a single boat carrying migrants sailed for Europe." "We will not allow Africans or migrants [on such boats] to perish at sea," he said. "This is a principle, a moral commitment to refugees and irregular migrants," the president explained. Chancellor Kurz opened the short remarks-only conference by praising Egypt's economic reform and its policies to curb irregular migration. Kurz also announced the signing of ten memorandums of understanding in a number of fields, including education, technology, and research. "There are 600 Austrian companies operating in Egypt and it is one of the most important trade partners in Africa and the Middle East," Kurz said. "I also want to express my appreciation for the dynamic economic reform process underway in Egypt. I would like to thank your excellency for Egypt's efforts in combatting illegal migration," Kurz said. Austria has seen less migrants coming from countries like Italy, in part due to Egypt's efforts in combatting illegal migration, the Austrian chancellor said. There has been success in disrupting human trafficking routes, Kurz said, adding that these are strong starting points for more cooperation between the two countries. "Egypt has proved that no one will leave Egypt illegally. This has become a confirmed fact," Kurz said. Kurz said Egypt and Austria also agreed on the resumption in 2019 of a high joint committee between the two countries, which has not met since 2010, to coordinate cooperation in the economic, education and other fields. The Egyptian president and the Austrian Chancellor also tackled the issue of terrorism and its effect on stability. El-Sisi said the instability in some Middle Eastern countries affects stability in the Mediterranean and Europe. Both leaders agreed on working to restore stability to conflict zone countries in the area. "Those [terrorists] leaving conflict zones, where would they head? Should we allow them into our countries or other countries in conflict?," El-Sisi said. Since a 2016 boat disaster killed tens of migrants, including Egyptians, Egypt has been strengthening efforts to combat irregular migration to Europe through a new law that imposes harsher penalties on traffickers. Search Keywords: Short link: French firms are planning to take part in a Russian-Chinese project to build a wide-body long-haul passenger airplane, according to Bertrand de Lacombe, Director of International Cooperation at French Civil Aviation Authority. France is interested in participating in the project together with Russia and China, Lacombe told journalists on the sidelines of the Russian-French Council for Economic, Financial, Industrial and Trade Issues (CEFIC). Read more According to the official, French producers are ready to bid for a tender that is currently being set by Russian and Chinese manufacturers. Lacombe didnt specify precisely what kind of contribution to development and production French enterprises are ready to make. However, he stressed that they can provide a wide range of opportunities, including producing engines and other principal parts. We already expressed our interest towards the project at Chinas Zhuhai Air Show in November, Lacomb said. They [Russian and Chinese partners] let us know that they are also interested in participation of French companies in this project. Parties will cooperate in the project on a competitive basis if French suppliers meet economic and technical demands and are ready to work under sanctions, according to Ravil Khakimov, the head of the department of aviation sector at Russias Ministry of Industry and Trade. Khakimov added that producer of aircraft electronics Zodiac Aerospace, designer of electrical systems aerospace Thales Group and aircraft engine maker Safran are among the French enterprises that have showed willingness to compete in the tender so far. The latter has been cooperating with Russias state-owned United Engine Corporation in making SaM-146 engines for the Sukhoi Superjet-100 (SSJ-100). The CR929 jetliner is a jointly designed plane set to make its maiden flight in 2023. The aircraft is expected to compete with the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787. Its prototype fuselage, which was demonstrated at Chinas largest airshow in Zhuhai, was 22 meters long, 6.5 meters tall and 5.9 meters wide. The basic version CR929-600 is projected to carry 280 passengers over a distance of up to 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles). The aircraft family will reportedly include a modification with an extended fuselage (CR929-700) and a shortened fuselage (CR929-500). The aircraft length will be 63.25 meters, with a wingspan of 58-61 meters and height of 17.9 meters. French road operator VINCI Autoroutes says it has become the latest victim of the nationwide Yellow Vest protests. It claims weeks of rallies and attacks on highways and facilities resulted in tens of millions of euros in damages. The company reported on Sunday that the wave of demonstrations had affected some 250 of its sites since the beginning of the anti-fuel tax hike movement in November. Angry crowds burned at least 6 buildings and more than 30 vehicles, and vandalized several facilities and interchanges in addition to other destruction. Also on rt.com France counting up billions in lost revenues after weeks of Yellow Vest protests The latest major highways which suffered from the Yellow Vest blockades on Saturday were A7, A9 and A20. Last weekend, the movements actions were reportedly calmer and fewer participants hit the streets compared to the week before. The protesters lit fires right in the middle of the road, blocking traffic, and turned one of the entry points to the highway into their camp. The companys report is the latest signal that the movement is hurting the French economy. Last week, the Bank of France lowered the GDP growth forecast for 2018 and 2019 from 1.6 percent to 1.5 percent, warning that the longer the unrest lasts the greater the losses will be for the national economy. In real money the sum amounts to $28 billion based on the IMF forecast for the countrys GDP of almost $2.8 trillion for 2018. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section A Texas elementary school speech pathologist has filed a federal lawsuit after her school district refused to renew her contract unless she signed a pro-Israel oath. Bahia Amawi has worked for the Pflugerville Independent School District since 2009 on a contract basis. Each year when it came to the time to renew her contract, the school district did so. Amawi always signed the correct documents, and had another year of guaranteed employment. But this year, in August, there was a new addition to the contract papers. That addition was an oath which Amawi was being asked to sign, promising that she will not boycott Israel during the term of the contract and will refrain from any action that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel, or with a person or entity doing business in Israel or in an Israel-controlled territory. Also on rt.com Israel targeted Black Lives Matter in bid to counter support for BDS censored documentary leak That was a problem for Amawi, who, along with her family, refrains from buying goods from Israeli companies in support of the global boycott to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. But aside from that, Amawi noted that the very fact that this was the only oath she was being asked to sign and it was to do with Israel was extremely strange. Its baffling that they can throw this down our throats, and decide to protect another countrys economy versus protecting our constitutional rights, Amawi, who was born in Austria and is of Palestinian descent, told The Intercept. She said it was entirely out of the question to sign such an oath, as it would not only be doing Palestinians a disservice, but also Americans. I couldnt in good conscience do that. If I did, I would not only be betraying Palestinians suffering under an occupation that I believe is unjust...but Id also be betraying my fellow Americans by enabling violations of our constitutional rights to free speech and to protest peacefully, said Amawi, who has lived in America for the last 30 years and is a US citizen. Also on rt.com Disgrace to Jews: Israeli consulate goes after RT America reporter over Gaza tweets Additionally, the disabled, autistic, and speech-impaired students of Pflugerville Independent School District are also losing out. Those who speak Arabic are at a particular disadvantage, as Amawi says she is the only certified child's speech pathologist in the district that speaks the language. Amawi's attorney has filed a lawsuit, alleging a violation of her First Amendment right of free speech. The oath was produced under a pro-Israel Texas state law enacted on May 2, 2017, which bans state agencies from working with contractors who boycott Israel. When the bill was signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Abbott, he said that any anti-Israel policy is an anti-Texas policy. The law is incredibly far-reaching, and meant that some Hurricane Harvey victims were told they could only receive state disaster relief if they signed the same kind of pro-Israel oath. The author of the bill, State Rep. Phil King, later said that its application to hurricane assistance was a misunderstanding. However, Texas isn't alone in requiring its contractors not to boycott Israel. A total of 26 states have enacted such laws, and similar bills are pending in 13 other states. The state laws come as the Trump administration has repeatedly expressed its steadfast support for Israel, opting to recognize Jerusalem as the country's capital last year. The move led to global protests and condemnation from other UN member states. Like this story? Share it with a friend! Police have deployed water cannon during a rally against the controversial UN migration pact in Brussels. Officers were seen scuffling with protesters, who threw firecrackers before facing off with law-enforcement. The rally was dubbed the March against Marrakech in reference to the city where the pact was signed earlier in December. It was organized by the right-wing Vlaams Belang party which has long been a vocal opponent of the agreement. The Facebook event has already counted over 12,000 people who promised to participate. Police said that over 5,000 have already gathered in the Belgian capital. Hours into the rally, several protesters were seen burning firecrackers while marching down the street. The demonstration is scheduled to meet a counter-protest held by pro-migrant groups. The UN-backed pact promoting an international approach to safe and orderly migration was formally approved in Marrakech, Morocco earlier in December. The accord split global powers, with Austria, Hungary, the US, Israel and several other countries rejecting the pact. Its critics claim that the deal is inadequate for managing global migration flows. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! The body count from the conflict in Yemen surpassed 60,000 last week, according to an independent tally, yet mass media continue to cite old figures that heavily underestimate the devastation, an informed researcher has told RT. More than 60,000 people have been killed in Yemen since January 2016, according to a new report by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), which estimated that nearly half of those deaths occurred this year. From what we can see from the reporting at least, there has been quite a general lazy attitude in using, for instance, the 10,000 figure provided by the UN, the sole official figure since 2016. And still many newspapers and media outlets are using that, which significantly downplays the devastation, said Andrea Carboni, one of the researchers behind the report, who feels the crisis in Yemen has gone largely under-reported. The death toll is likely to increase further, amid an ongoing battle for Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, despite a UN-brokered ceasefire. It was agreed between the Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebel group last Thursday, but the truce was pushed back at least until Tuesday, as warring parties refuse to honor it. According to reports, the Arab coalition launched new airstrikes on the port city on Sunday, while clashes continue to plague the region. We know already that there are pockets of famine reported in several areas and 85,000 people may have also died because of malnutrition and diseases connected to it, Carboni said. Also on rt.com Top US officials tell Yemen's Houthis to stop fighting, but why trust hawks-turned-peacemakers? More than three years of hostilities have taken a devastating toll on Yemen, with both the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition accused of committing various crimes. Millions of people, including children, are at risk of starvation, while over half of Yemen's population relies on aid to survive. A strict sea and air blockade of Yemen continues to cause shortages of essential supplies like food, medicines and fuel. Also on rt.com Pompeo says Saudi coalition exercising caution in Yemen facts show thats not true The country also suffers from rampant diseases like measles, diphtheria and cholera, exacerbated by the lack of healthcare services, water treatment facilities, and other crucial civilian infrastructure damaged by the Saudi-led bombings. Numerous NGOs throughout the conflict noted that Saudi airstrikes have been responsible for a large share of civilian deaths, by often mistakenly targeting marketplaces, funeral processions and weddings. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! "Our community room, ten years ago, was state-of-the-art. You can imagine, 10 years later, it is no longer state-of-the-art: we need to be able to hook up to new kinds of equipment, or computers, which our system won't even do,"... Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Monday with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen in Vienna, where the two leaders discussed enhancing bilateral ties on the economic and political levels, as well as boosting Austrian investments in Egypt. El-Sisi affirmed that Austrian industries have a major opportunity in Egypt, especially in developing infrastructure in the country. The president called on Vienna to take advantage of investing in Egypt to reach African markets, especially considering Egypts upcoming chairmanship of the African Union in 2019. Egypts General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) said that Austria occupies the 58th place of foreign countries investing in Egypt with a total capital of $74 million. The two leaders also discussed a number of international and regional issues of mutual interest. El-Sisi stressed to Van der Bellen the necessity of reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue based on a two-state solution along the 1967 borders, and is in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions. Meanwhile, President Van der Bellen praised Egypt's pivotal role in preserving peace and stability in the Middle East, especially when it comes to curbing irregular migration and combating terrorism, as well as supporting religious tolerance and peaceful solutions to conflicts in the region. Earlier on Monday, during a press conference with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, El-Sisi stressed Egypt's humanitarian and moral commitment to the safety and welfare of all, including 5 million refugees living in Egypt, as well as Cairo's commitment to achieving stability in the Middle East. Chancellor Kurz praised Egypt's efforts in combating illegal migration and achieving security in the Middle East. Kurz also praised Egypt's economic reform program, promising more cooperation with Cairo in the economic, educational and scientific fields. The Austrian Chancellor affirmed said 600 Austrian companies operate in Egypt, making it one of the most important trade partners for Austria in Africa and the Middle East. The Egyptian president is set to attend the High Level Forum Africa-Europe in Vienna on Tuesday. Search Keywords: Short link: Education Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu. Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu. Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events: International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu. EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu. Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets June Homecoming: Participant $18 per person; Sustainer $25 per person; Benefactor $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events: SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available for information call 610-275-1960 Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above) SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m. Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. 4 p.m. computers are available during those hours. Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m. Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863. Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376. Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com. The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes: Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020. CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313. The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events: Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m. Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m. Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30. Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301. For Kids & Families The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443. Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950. Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required. The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950. Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus. Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage. Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun. Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train. Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world! Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class. Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org. Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583. Community Events at the Ambler Y: -YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register. Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org. Health Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot. The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net. The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863. The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information. Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245. Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net. Spring Aquatic Programs UDHS Pool: -Summer is just around the corner Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required. Shallow Water Aerobics Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR. Adult Swim Instructions Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR -Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21. -Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m. -Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons. -Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates. Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994. SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com. Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org. Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs: FITNESS CLASSES Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month. Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30 9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly. SUPPORT GROUPS Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000. Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30 7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047. New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. 12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30 4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931. Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325. Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes. Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com. Librarytalk Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744 www.upperdublinlibrary.org APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS: Storytimes: Please register in the library. o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m. o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m. o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6. APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS: North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS: NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org. One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register contact info above. Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744. o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register. Meetings: Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m. Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m. Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org. For children and teens at Blue Bell: * Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian. * Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages. * Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m. * May 14 Despicable Me * June 11 Alpha and Omega * Special Events * April watch for date of spring/Easter events * April 14 at 4:30 p.m. Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children. * April 14 at 7 p.m. Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided. * April 16 at 1 p.m. Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King. * April 16 at 1:30 p.m. Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes? * April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button. * April 30 through May 3 Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults. * May sign up for Science in the Summer * June sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children * June sign up for Summer Reading, all ages For adults at Blue Bell: * Daytime Book Discussion Group fourth Tuesday, Jan April at 1:30 p.m. * April 26 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester * Night-time Book Discussion Group third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. o April 19 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester * Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked? *Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs * Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class. * Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class. * Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m. * Giant Book Sale, April 29 May 3 o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults! o Held during library hours. o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m. o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join. * Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series o May 11 at 1 p.m. Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society * Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room. * Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read. * Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome. * Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome. *Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older. * Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours * Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours * Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday! Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library. * Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian. * Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages. * For adults: * Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn. * Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net * Special Events: * April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. * April 19 at 7 p.m. Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m. * April 21 at 7 p.m. Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades. *May 2 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time. *May 10 Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m. *May 12 at 1:30p.m. Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. *May 17 Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m. *June 13 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time. Meetings and Lectures The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833. The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313. Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200. The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/. LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings. Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment. The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org. Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org. The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org) -Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them. The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter. For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps. Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin. Special Events The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County. The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065. Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org. The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org. The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members. Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex. The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com. The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348. The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org. Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163. The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu. The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com. The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net. Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd. The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages. 13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries. Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler. The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family. The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler. JPRN Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike. Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies. Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately. Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways. Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table. Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443. Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374 Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall: -Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store. Music and Theater The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html. Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free. The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org Religious News The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276. Reunions St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net. Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572. Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779. Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411. Support New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149. PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931. The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296. Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656. Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group every other Wednesday, 7 8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information. CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7 8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich, Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations World Food Programme's (WFP) work in Egypt, the Egyptian government and the WFP signed on Tuesday an agreement to exchange knowledge and expertise to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the goal of zero hunger. The agreement allows for the WFP to share and expand its expertise on interventions in areas such as water management, nutrition, the diversification of livelihoods and increased agricultural productivity. As we prepare to chair the African Union in 2019, we are determined to take our strategic partnership with the United Nations and its specialised agencies to new levels," said Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Ehab Fawzy. The agreement was signed by the WFPs Senior Director for Strategic Coordination and Support Stanlake Samkange and Minister Fawzy during an anniversary celebration held by the WFP and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is a great opportunity to showcase Egypt and the WFPs many success stories and contribute to the development aspirations of Africa as a whole, Samkange said. The agreement will be supported by the Luxor Coordination Centre for Knowledge Sharing and Innovation to Promote Resilience in Upper Egypt. The centre, developed by the WFP in partnership with the government, will facilitate knowledge-exchange activities, providing diverse and proven national expertise on development interventions. WFP and Egypts longstanding partnership is deeply rooted in a history of thriving cooperation and mutual understanding, said WFP Representative and Country Director in Egypt Menghestab Haile. WFP remains a committed partner of the government to achieve the 2030 Agenda, particularly given Egypt's position as a key actor in regional cooperation, Haile said. Search Keywords: Short link: Saudi Arabia on Monday denounced U.S. Senate resolutions calling for an end to U.S. military support for the war in Yemen and blaming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying they were based on unsubstantiated claims. The votes last Thursday were a rare rebuke to President Donald Trump, but largely symbolic. To become law, they would need to pass the House of Representatives, whose Republican leaders have blocked any legislation intended to rebuke the Saudis. "The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership ... and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature," a foreign ministry statement said. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October. Saudi officials have rejected accusations that the crown prince ordered his death. The murder has sparked global outrage and damaged the international reputation of 33-year-old Prince Mohammed, who is pushing economic and social changes in the world's top oil exporter. At U.N.-mediated talks in Sweden last week, the warring parties agreed to a local ceasefire to try to avert more bloodshed in the port of Hodeidah, which is vital for food and aid supplies. Opponents of the Senate resolutions want to maintain the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, which they consider an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran. The Saudi statement said the kingdom "hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the United States of America, to avoid any ramifications on the ties between the two countries that could have significant negative impacts on this important strategic relationship." *The story edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Sports Serie A: Roma battle back to beat Genoa 3-2 MILAN, Dec 17 (Agencies) | Publish Date: 12/17/2018 12:07:19 PM IST Roma battled back for a 3-2 Serie A victory over Genoa to give beleaguered coach Eusebio Di Francesco a lifeline at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday despite goalkeeper Robin Olsens early blunder. It ended Romas five-match winless streak dating back to a 4-1 triumph over Sampdoria on November 11, and lifted Di Francescos side. The hosts had got off to the worst possible start in a tense atmosphere in Rome when Swedish keeper Olsen let the ball slip through his legs and hands to allow Serie A top-scorer Krzysztof Piatek pounce in the 17th minute. Polish striker Piatek slid in for his 12th goal of the season to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo as Serie As leading scorer. But goals from Federico Fazio and Justin Kluivert twice pulled Roma level before the break, with Bryan Cristante grabbing the winner just before the hour mark. Di Francesco, 49, was reported to be set for the axe if his team failed to deliver a win against Genoa, who are now 16th. Roma suffered their second Champions League defeat in a row at Viktoria Plzen, although they still qualified for the knockout rounds. But to the despair of the home fans in a rainy capital, a crouching Olsen failed to control Oscar Hiljemarks shot from a distance, turning to watch as the ball rolled towards the empty net before desperately scrambling back to try and save. After the initial shock, Fazio pulled the hosts level just after half an hour, only for unmarked midfielder Hiljemark to give Genoa the advantage again two minutes later. Kluivert pulled Roma level before the break with a fantastic individual goal. Genoa thought they had a third after the break when another Olsen error allowed Darko Lazovic through, but his goal was disallowed because of Piateks offside position. Cristante missed the chance for a brace when he hit the post, with Genoa remaining dangerous until the final whistle. Sudan's president on Sunday became the first Arab League leader to visit Syria since civil war erupted there nearly eight years ago. Omar al-Bashir was greeted at the Damascus airport by Syrian President Bashar Assad before they both headed to the presidential palace, where they held talks on bilateral relations and the latest developments in Syria and the region, according to the state-run news agency. Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League soon after war broke out in 2011. At the time, Arab countries sanctioned Damascus and condemned Assad for using overwhelming military force and failing to negotiate with the opposition. In October, Assad told a Kuwaiti newspaper that Syria had reached a "major understanding" with Arab states after years of hostility. He did not name the Arab countries in the interview, which was his first with a Gulf paper since the war erupted, but he said Arab and Western delegations had begun visiting Syria to prepare for the reopening of diplomatic and other missions. The Syrian state news agency SANA quoted the Sudanese president as saying during the meeting with Assad that he hopes Syria will recover its important role in the region as soon as possible. He also affirmed Sudan's readiness to provide all that it can to support Syria's territorial integrity. SANA said Assad thanked al-Bashir for his visit, asserting that it will give strong momentum for restoring relations between the two countries "to the way it was before the war on Syria." *The story edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: By Online Desk Red-hot education startup Byju's has seen its valuation soar to $3.6 billion following a funding round led by South Africa-headquartered Naspers Ventures and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board on Monday. The round netted $540 million - money that, Byju's in a statement said, will be used to fund its push into English-speaking countries. The new valuation of the company, whose brand ambassador is the Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, is testament to its growing popularity in India, where good tutors are few and far between. Byju's, whose other backers include the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative - founded by Facebook Inc. co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan - China's Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Sequoia Capital, currently has 30 million subscribers. More than 2 million of these subscribers pay an annual fee of Rs 10000 to gain access to the tutor-led video lessons and the interactive content that uses real-life examples to explain abstract concepts. "India has the largest school-age population in the world and Indian households are willing to invest a lot in their childrens education because a good education is the best path to success," founder and Chief Executive Officer Byju Raveendran said in his statement on Monday. By PTI NEW DELHI: Demonetisation slowed down India's economic growth at a time when the world economy was growing and it impacted the GDP significantly, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said. Rajan said he has seen studies which reaffirm that banning of high-value currency notes in late 2016 impacted India's growth significantly. "I think the net impression is that it (demonetisation) had a significant effect on our growth. And now, I have seen studies which reaffirm that. It has slowed down (our growth)." The world (economy) was growing faster in 2017, we slowed down," Rajan told NDTV news channel in an interview. The growth was not only impacted due to demonetisation but also because of implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said. In 2017-18, the Indian economy grew by 6.7 per cent. "That was the twin blow of demonetisation and GST (that impacted India's growth). And before anybody accuses (me) of being anti-GST, it's a good idea in the longer run, but it has a short-term teething effect," Rajan noted. When asked if he was asked to implement demonetisation during his tenure as the RBI Governor, Rajan said he was asked for his opinion on banning high-value currency notes from the system, which he thought was a "bad idea". Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised interview on November 8, 2016, had announced to ban the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes from the system aimed at curbing black money, fake currency and terror funding, among others. Rajan headed the Reserve Bank for three years - from September 2013 to September 2016. Expressing his views further on the GST, the former RBI Governor said that the reformist tax system could have been implemented in a much better manner. On whether GST should have one rate rather than five different slabs, he said it is a matter of debate. "In my view, which is an alternative view, once you do it, you find out the problem then you start fixing it one by one. So, this (teething problem) was inevitable," Rajan said. On fraudsters list, Rajan said that it (report) had a list of the largest frauds. "I'm unaware of where those cases stand. The reason I'm worried is if one gets away with immunity then others may follow," he said on the list of fraud cases he had flagged to the Prime Minister's office. He also said that a defaulter is different from a fraudster. "If you start putting defaulters in jail then nobody will take any risk," Rajan added. In September this year, Rajan in a note to the Parliamentary panel had said that a list of high profile case related to banking frauds was sent by him to the PMO for a coordinated action. In the note to Chairman of Estimates Committee Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajan had said that the size of frauds in the public sector banking system has been increasing, though still small relative to the overall volume of NPAs. Kumar Vikram By Express News Service NEW DELHI: There has not been any let-up in cases of bank fraud despite measures and a crackdown by the government. While the fraud involving fugitive billionaire diamond trader Nirav Modi drew national outrage, thousands more over the last few years managed to dodge the attention of the investigating agencies. A recent RBI data shows that over Rs 1.10 lakh crore is not accounted for in the light of bank frauds, which have gone up over the last three-and-a-half years. While the number of such frauds has gone up from 4,693 to 5,917 between 2015-16 and 2017-18, 2017-18 has seen a significant spurt in such cases, with 3,416 complaints registered in the first six months of this year. According to the RBI data, the total number of frauds (involving an amount more than Rs 1 lakh) each year, has gone up by around 20 per cent. It says the number of such cases went up from 4,693 to 5,076 between 2015-16 and 2016-17. The amount also went up from Rs 18,699 crore to Rs 23,934 crore. In 2017-18, a similar trend was seen, with the number of such cases shooting up to 5,917 and the amount also spiralling to Rs 4,1168 crore. In the first six months of this year, 3,416 bank fraud cases have been registered and the money involved is a staggering Rs 30,420 crore. In the Nirav Modi case, junior bank officials allegedly issued unauthorized letters of undertaking (LoU) for firms linked to two jewellers. The scam went undetected as these transactions were not linked to the Core Banking Solution. The government issued Framework for timely detection, reporting, investigation, relating to large value bank frauds to Public Sector Banks (PSBs). As per the guidelines, all accounts exceeding Rs 50 crore, if classified as Non-Performing Assets, should be examined by banks from the angle of possible fraud, and a report should be placed before the banks Committee for Review of NPAs on the findings of the investigation. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In a major disappointment to Vodafone, the Delhi High Court has dismissed its plea seeking directions to the Income Tax department to process its claim for refund of over Rs 4,759 crore in respect of returns filed for the assessment years (AY) 2014-18. Rejecting the plea, a bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Prateek Jalan said, There is some merit in the revenues (tax department) argument that substantial outstanding demand are pending against the petitioner. Further, the likelihood of substantial demands upon the assessee after the scrutiny for the AYs is completed, cannot be ruled out. The court said the department should have the right to adjust the demands against refunds that may arise but have not yet been determined due to the scrutiny proceedings. It noted that assessments for the years in question were either facing a special audit or pending before the Assessment Officer (AO) for scrutiny and since scrutiny assessment of earlier years had led to raising of substantial demand, the tax department had not processed the companys returns. The petitioner has undertaken two schemes of amalgamation involving merger of certain group companies in order to restructure its business operations and increase operational efficiencies. In light of the above, assessments for 2012-13 and 2013-14 are under special audit and any demand that may arise from processing of the said AYs are to be allowed to be adjusted against the refund claims, the order said. Vodafone had claimed that it had received an acknowledgement after it had filed a return and therefore, the refund ought to have been processed within a year, failing which, interest would be applicable. Rejecting the contention, the court said, ...acknowledgement cannot confer any greater right than for the assessee to ask the AO to process the refund and make over the money. Vodafone Idea bats for speedy spectrum sale New Delhi: Amid a raging financial crisis in the industry, Indias largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea has urged the telecom department not to hold spectrum auction till 2020, on the grounds that fresh need for quality radio waves will arise only once the 5G ecosystem is ready, according to a government source. For 5G to work, a robust 4G network is a must. Accordingly, telecom service providers in India are currently focused on optimising 4G networks and making them 5G ready, for which they have sufficient spectrum, PTI said, quoting an email from the firm. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Kautilya Pandit, a 10-year-old child prodigy, enthralled a crowd of about 5,000 with his motivational speech at Career Utsav 2018 at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science Convention Centre on Sunday morning. Known as the Google boy for his ability to answer any question accurately, Kautilya is also famous for his exceptional intelligence quotient (IQ) and memory, for which he was awarded Rs 10 lakh by the Haryana government his home state. He has been honoured in 19 states and has won hundreds of awards. Everybody is intelligent, the only thing that matters is how much you let your brain think creatively and effectively. Ones mentality is what that makes the difference, and the choice of friends, repied Kautilya, when a man from the crowd asked him about his friends and his ability to blend with them despite his high IQ, which is said to be the same as Albert Einsteins. Kautilya spoke about maximising the power of the brain to motivate students who face board exams and other competitive examinations in the coming months. Our brains have the capacity to do many things. The only obstacle is our own mentality and thought processes, which can reduce our capacity to think creatively, said the 10-year-old. He spoke on the importance of pursuing a career of ones choice to remain excited and not resemble a corpse. He also spoke on how important it is to maintain ones individuality and to make ones presence felt in a crowd. Preeja Prasad By Express News Service BENGALURU: The city saw 258 cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act this year (till November 30), as opposed to last years 354. However, 738.6 kg was seized this year, while 2016 and 2017 saw 274.3 kg and 567.9 kg, respectively. According to additional CP (East) Seemant Kumar, the number of raids conducted has increased this year, wherein the police is focusing on getting to the source of the distribution instead of consumers. This year, the most drug caught was marijuana and we have found it comes from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. We have informants keeping us in the loop about their whereabouts since a different pattern is used every time they want to bring in the drugs, he explained. As many as 378 Indians and 13 foreigners have been arrested so far in 2018, for marijuana alone. For cocaine, 22 foreigners were arrested while only one Indian was caught. Assistant commissioner BS Mohan Kumar, Central Crime Branch (women and narcotics squad) said most accused with cocaine cases are Africans. It is difficult to say how they bring the drugs into the country, he added. Last month, CCB police had busted a drug racket and arrested two African nationals and a software engineer. The cops also seized cocaine and ecstasy pills worth over `1.5 crore, which the accused allegedly supplied to parties and pubs. 2579 tablets were seized under the section Yaba, restyl & Anxit, nitrosun tablets & Morphine. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The dark clouds from Sunday afternoon brought Chennai little in the way of rainfall, but strong winds and a sharp drop in temperature were Cyclone Phethais gifts to the city. The cyclone, which is expected to cross the Andhra coast on Monday afternoon, caused a drop in maximum temperature in Nungambakkam by 3.9 degrees Celsius below normal of 29 degrees, and 3.5 degrees Celcius below normal in Meenambakkam. The city also saw strong gusts and areas close to the coast saw dust-storm like disturbances. The sea was very rough with high waves. But Chennai was unlucky as far as rainfall was concerned. With just a fortnight left for the end of the North East monsoon season and no big rainfall-fed system expected, the city is staring at a huge rainfall deficit. Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department, on Sunday, issued a wind warning for north Tamil Nadu for the second consecutive day. A bulletin said wind speed of 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph is likely to prevail along and off the north TN and Puducherry coast on Monday. The storm is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Sunday night and will pass through TN coast heading north-northwestwards and cross the AP coast near Kakinada during Monday afternoon. However, due to unfavourable environmental conditions, it is likely to weaken slightly before landfall and cross the coast as a cyclonic storm. Chennai faces huge deficit Chennai faces a massive rainfall deficit from the North East Monsoon this year. Phethai was expected to bring heavy showers to the city, but Sunday remained mostly dry. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Going against the Supreme Court order that Aadhaar is no longer mandatory for school admissions, some private schools in the national capital are making it compulsory at the time of providing documents for admissions. In notifications issued on their websites, at least two schools have made Aadhaar cards of students mandatory in the list of documents required at the time of admissions for nursery, kindergarten (KG) and class one. The Supreme Court, in its September order, had held that the 12-digit unique identification number will not be required for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and other exams conducted by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and for school admissions. As per the website of St Mary School in Dwarka and MBS, Dwarka, the institution has asked for Aadhaar along with the birth certificate and address proofs of the child.This is in contempt of court guidelines, said Sumit Vohra, founder of admissionsnursery.com, an online portal for the parent community, which has been receiving complaints regarding the same issue.In the last admission season, many parents had complained of hassles faced by them when they could not provide the identification card for their ward. The admission to nursery and other entry-level classes in approximately 1,700 private schools started this month. As per the schedule released by the Delhi governments Directorate of Education (DoE), the schools will have to come out with application forms and release the admission criteria online by December 14 for the process to start from December 15. However, with only two more days to go, only a handful of schools have uploaded the details online yet. For the first time, the Delhi government has fixed an upper age limit for admission to entry level classes. As per a circular on November 28 by DoE, the maximum age for admission in nursery, KG, and class one, will be four, five, and six years as on March 31, 2019, respectively. So far, only the minimum age was specified.